vidual members of the church in the wilder nefs, fed by the word and Spirit of God, without the outward ordinances, (which as difpensed in the vifible church were defiled), learned that intimate dependence upon, and converse with the Deity, in which the life and spirit of religion confift. This is a most important leffon; for we fhall find, that the decline and ruin of real religion, among the generality of mankind in every period, arose from their taking the body for the fpirit. The religion which Noah communicated pure to his pofteri. ty, was fome time after loft among the nations. Their zeal in forming and worshipping images, as representations of the Deity, withdrew their attention and affection from the Deity himself. The Jewish church was conftituted pure, and received clearer views of the truth than Noah; but even after they were weaned from image worship, a zealous attachment to thofe outward ordinances which God had enjoined, together with ceremonies of their own invention, made them lofe fight of the fpirit of their religion. Hence God reproves them: "To what purpose is the multitude of your fa "crifices unto me, faith the Lord," Ifa. i. 11. The Christian church was formed not only a pure but a spiritual fociety, fet free from thofe types and shadows which veiled the truth

II.

in the Jewish church, exprefsly told, "That "God is a Spirit, and they that worship him "must worship him in fpirit and in truth." Yet notwithstanding these advantages, the fpirit of religion began to decline, from an idolatrous veneration for the outward ordinances, which were only the vehicles of it. In process of time, these were multiplied by ceremonies of human invention, till at length they formed that mass of impieties, puerilities, and absurdities which constitutes the Popish worship; a mass which may be fitly compared to an overgrown body, dreffed out with ornaments of human invention, without one fpark of the vital spirit. Seeing then how prone mankind have been in every age to mistake the body for the spirit of religion, withdrawing the body or the ordinances of religion for a season, muft appear a mean worthy of divine wisdom to counteract the diforder. Another advantage resulting from the ftate of the church in the wildernefs is, that " she "is fafe from the face of the ferpent." The grand adverfary reprefented by the ferpent, first directed his fury against the progrefs of the gofpel, left Christianity should be spread in the world, and exerted for this end the force of the civil and military government, by his deputies the Pagan Roman Emperors. But in process of time, a regenerate fon of the church, Conftan

tine, was advanced to the throne of the Roman empire, Satan and his votaries were deprived of all power, civil and ecclefiaftical, and Chriftianity became the established religion of the empire, (Rev. xii. 1.5 and 7.-9.) Satan baffled in his first attempt, directed his violence, in a more hidden manner, against the church as a community, endeavoured to corrupt her in her government, doctrine and ordinances, that these might prove destructive to the spirit of her feed, even when they multiplied in appearance. For this purpose, he excited church-members to divisions and herefies, and filled the governors of the church with a worldly spirit, intent on selfgratification. He proved fuccessful by this artifice against the great body of profeffed Chriftians, for he raised within the visible church that huge Coloffus of defpotism, the Roman hierarchy, standing upon the legs of ambition. and avarice. To preferve the true church of Chrift in this imminent danger, God withdrew her into the wilderness, that is, diffolved her external ties, that she should not be visible as a community; while at the fame time he preserves the individuals of her offspring, by his word and Spirit. In this fituation, "she is safe "from the face of the ferpent."

This prophetic reprefentation ferves to elucidate feveral circumftances refpecting the church

in our times, which viewed without this light furnish a handle to the enemies, and ftagger the faith of the friends of real religion.

Our adverfaries account the visibility of their church as a community from the apostles days, a demonstration of its being the true church; while they ask us with triumph, where was your church before Luther? The prophecy

furnishes a direct answer. The true church of Chrift ought to be invisible as a community for a period of 1260 years, and during all that time, a harlot, pretending to be the spouse of Jesus Christ, ought to propagate her idolatries fuccefsfully and extenfively throughout the world.

The divifions among proteftants have been urged by their adverfaries as an argument against them; and the ineffectual efforts of learned and pious men to unite them into one community, have proved ftumbling blocks to the faith of fome of their friends. But by the prophetic representation, matters ought to be as they are. Had Proteftants united together into one fociety, the church of Chrift would be vifible as a community, which, during the currency of the 1260 years, would flatly contradict the prophecy; but the feveral Proteftant churches having no connection with each other, in government and ordinances, like the ancient church, they conftitute only individual members of the

univerfal

univerfal church, which, as a body politic, is invifible now, as it was in the tenth century.

While the prophetic representation should reconcile us to a certain degree of feparation among proteftants, during the currency of the 1260 years it ought to remove wholly the violence of party spirit, and every degree of bitterness and rancour which proteftants have too frequently fhew. ed to each other. A violent party spirit is founded on this principle, that those who poffefs it are the true church of Chriff. Hence they argue, that those who separate from them are schismatics or heretics, and therefore ought to be treated as "heathens and publicans." But the ground of this reasoning, according to the prophecy, is false; no particular church or party now on earth may claim the exclusive privileges of the univerfal church; whoever does, acts the part of a daughter, ufurping the place of the mother, and requiring that fubjection of her fifters which the law of God does not require.

That the feveral Proteftant churches have confiderably declined from their original purity, is a truth which will be readily acknowledged by those who are acquainted with real religion; yet it is a circumstance which we might have expected, from the prophecy. God has promised to preserve his elect uncorrupted as individuals, but that promife extends not to com.

munities