Though New England is not what it once was as to religion and sobriety, yet it is still preferable in these respects to the other States. Rhode-Island is and ever has been a wicked place. The other New-England governments are no wise like it. Their laws against Sabbath-breaking, drunkenness, swearing, and idleness, that forerunner of other vices, are excellent; but the war has prevented the execution of the laws, and occasioned a great overflowing of wickedness in some places. The laws of this State of New-York are not much calculated to restrain vice. Those persons who are at the helm of government are said to be wise as to mere worldly things, and manage affairs so that the people are not much burdened with taxes: but very few of them seem to mind any thing farther. I can not, however, but observe, that where the great Lord of heaven and earth has been acknowledged, temporal blessings have followed. The New-England States have but a confined territory, and a poor soil, compared with some others; yet they are still in a great measure the s rength of the land. None of the other States are so full of inhabitants, so industrious, and so happy in their way of living.

The Scots are possessed of a great degree of national vanity; they think no body so good as themselves; and their own peculiar customs and modes of living, are, they think, preferable to any other in the world. Hence they are not always the most contented people here. They are full of the greatness of their families, the goodness of their country, the excellency of their laws, and the martial power of their nation. For my part, there are just two things which draw my heart to Scotland, though a poor country: It is remarkable as a seat of the church; there lies the dust of many of the Lord's saints, and there is a seed still serving him. For this cause I love the place; if I may use the expression, it will be much celebrated in the annals of heaven. Another thing which . often carries my mind to the other side of the Atlantic, is my dear brethren in the ministry. I should love to live and to die among them. I have indeed been very happy in those who are here; but they are few. As to the people of Scotland, and all its goodness, customs, laws, and glory, I do make no great account of them as preferable to the people, &c. of other places. I find the natives here as agreeable, when they happen to have a tolerable education, as any other people. I will not, however, affirm, that I am quite free of nationality; for I have felt the disease working at times, and do not know but at some period I may fall under a greater degree of it.

Dear sir, how glad should I be if ever you were to come over to our assistance. I suppose your wife and family would not stand in the way. I never heard that they opposed your will. But you do not love this country; perhaps you would be better pleased with it than some of those who have fondly admired it at home.

*

*

I am, &c.

NEW CAMBRIDGE, Jan. 30, 1784.

( M. p. 106. )

T. B.

Act of the Associate Presbytery of Pennsylvania,

Agreed to at New-York, Sept. 29, 1796.

The Profession of our Faith is no light matter. "Whosoever (saith our Lord Jesus) shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my father who is in heaven." It is by our so doing that we declare ourselves to be his servants and witnesses in the midst of an evil generation. As many are enemies to him, and others are indifferent about the things which are his, it becomes us to show our esteem for him, and our regard to all things which he has commanded, in the most solemn and particular manner we can.

Four things are required of us as to this Profession of our Faith:

The 1st is, "That it be the very truth we profess." Nothing being admitted in that profession save what is agreeable to the word of God; either directly expressed in it, or by just consequence deduced from it.

2d. "It is necessary that we believe with our heart what we confess with the tongue :" Otherwise let our profession be ever so good, we in making it, lie unto God with false tongues. It is the want of truth in the heart that leads men to indifferency about the truth they profess, and by degrees to apostacy

from it.

3d. This profession we make ought to be so stated as that it may, as far as possible, distinguish us from such as are enemies to Christ, or affect to be neutral in matters of truth and duty." If this expose us to reproach, it is the reproach of Christ, and we need not think it strange if we be, as he was, reproached and hated for testifying against the world that its deeds are evil. The more plainly we thus tes

tify against the world, the more vehemently will it be set against us. It will make little complaint of such as make little complaint of it.

4th."We ought to be steadfast and consistent in this profession of our faith." It is to be, as it verily is, a matter of great weight; in which the glory of God, the edification of others, together with our own comfort and advantage, are deeply concerned. Light-mindedness and wavering in this can not be pleasing to God; nay, it must bring some tokens of his displeasure on us, whether we see them or not.*

*

It can not be denied by any who know the signs of this time, that there is a prevailing indifferency and coldness about the truths of Christ, and that this issues with many in damnable heresy or horrible infidelity. The church is in consequence of this so wasted, that it can no more be said to "look forth as the morning, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners;" (Song vi. 10;) but rather as described in Psalm lxxx, it is like "a ruined vineyard, enemies laugh at it, wild beasts devour it, and all who pass by make a prey of it.".

We, who profess to join in testifying against the common

There are two things we are to adhere to, and persevere in, which yet the most people think needless: and these are, 1. The PRESENT TRUTH; and, 2. The

LEAST TRUTH.

1. The PRESENT TRUTH is what we are always to adhere to and persevere in. (2 Pet. i. 12.) There the apostle speaks of being "established in the present truth." If a man do not adhere to the truth that is at present in controversy in his day, he will adhere to no truth at all. The best evidence of integrity, is freedom from the present corruptions of the times and place we live in, and adherence to the present opposed truth, so as to swim against the stream when it is strong. Some think-what need we trouble our heads with a truth that is controverted among great and learned men? Really, sirs, there is hardly one fundamental truth in religion but has been controverted by the devil and his instruments; and if we will not cleave to opposed and controverted truth, we must renounce the truth altogether. Nay, the more that Christ and his truth are opposed, the more we shold stand firm for him and it

2. "The LEAST TRUTH is what we are to adhere to, and persevere in, if we would be stable in the faith. He that is content to part with a hoof, is content to part with the whole of religion: as the true obeyer has a respect to all God's com mandments, so the true believer has a respect to all his truthis. The least truth of God is a beam from the infinite Truth; and the man that will not adhere to the least truth of Christ, will adhere to no truth in the day of trial for the truth." (Ralph Erskine's Works, vol. 5. pp. 420, 421.)

"This stability in the faith excludes a doubtfulness and hesitation about the truth that we stand up and adhere to in a time of trial, (Rom. xv. 5,) Let every man be persuaded in his own mind.' A man will never firmly adhere to, or suffer for, that which he is not fully persuaded is a truth. I defy you to be a cleanly suf ferer for the cause of Christ in a day of Scotland's defection, unless you can say, that you are really persuaded, that the covenanted reformation, doctrine, worship, discipline and government of the church of Scotland, is the work of God, and founded on the word of God, and you have no doubt in your heart to the contrary." (Ibid. p. 422.)

defections, are placed in a situation not agreeable to flesh and blood; we are reflected on by almost all denominations of christians, as very narrow-minded, uncharitable, and enemies to peace; and we being, in this part of the world, so very few in number, and our profession being so directly opposite to the latitudinarian scheme, which more or less pervades every other party owning the christian faith among us, and which is reckoned no small part of the glory of America, we may lay our account with being wondered at as a strange kind of people, if we will maintain no occasional communion, no not in attending public worship at times, with such as we testify against-but the way may be approven of God, which has few to plead for it in such a generation as this.

We therefore entreat those under our inspection, and professedly engaged with us in what we are persuaded is a necessary and seasonable testimony for the truth, not to act contrary to it, by taking part with such as are involving themselves in the common defection. If we attend on the ministry of such, it is contrary to the profession we ourselves have made; we take part with them as a church in the service of God, while in our profession we expressly declare that we ought to maintain a separate distinct communion as a testimony against them. It is not that we question the piety of a number among them; it is not that we deny that good sermons may be in some places preached among them; to their own Master they stand or fall. We are bound to think charitably of all who are owning the doctrine of salvation by grace through the righteousness of our Lord Jesus, and whose practice is in the general tenor of it, agreeable to the commandments of Christ. We own the Lord's flock to be sore scattered in this dark and cloudy day; but no favorable opinion we may justly entertain of particular men in a corrupt or backsliding church, supersedes the necessity of a testimony which ought to be maintained against it, or the necessity of a steadfast and uniform adherence to that testimony.

Further, the ministry of any church must be supposed to be agreeable to their declared principles, and agreeable to the course they are in; and therefore the best in corrupt churches at this time must vindicate their own conduct, and their continuance where they are, on that very scheme of latitudinarian opinions which is the design of that testimony we maintain to oppose. If what we profess is right, the instruction of such men is manifestly calculated to make us err from it. Can we ever suppose that the tendency of their ministry will not be to

draw us into the way they choose to walk themselves? Yes, surely it must be a snare to draw us from what we have solemnly owned to be the duty of the Lord's people. If the ministry of such men has drawn the most of their ordinary hearers astray, as to their filling them with prejudices at any proper testimony against the common backsliding and indifference of this generation; will not occasional hearing of them by degrees produce the same effects? Especially as the course they would lead us into is more smooth and agreeable to our natural inclination; and is very likely to bring us into better reputation with the most part of our neighbors, and to free us from various reproaches now cast on us.

We shall however suppose, that in some corrupt churches, there may be one here and there to be found, whose ministry would be less calculated to lead us astray. Do we conclude such an one to be in the right to continue where his particular opposition to some evils is of no effect, as to the reformation of the body he belongs to, and his continuance in it is a snare to such as follow his example? If we think him right, it is proper that we should be along with him; if we conclude, as agreeable to the profession made by us we must conclude, that he is in the wrong, then we ought to withdraw from him as a member of that corrupt body we testify against. We blame such a one no farther than he takes part with others in defection; but if we single him out and attend on his ministry, we approve in some part of his conduct, and by our example may draw the simple into a hearing of the worst part.

It may be told us, "That such as are averse to the testimony we maintain do however earnestly contend for the faith against infidels and Socinians."-In this we desire heartily to concur with them; yet we see the indifference they recommend about what they call circumstantials, prepares the way by degrees for these blasphemies. The bulwarks of a citadel may seem of no great matter, but while they are valiantly defended the enemy can never scale the walls or batter them down. If the proper order and discipline of the Lord's house had been duly attended to, there would not have been such an increase of these blasphemers and herctics. The ignorant, the profane, the careless who live without God in the world, are in most places of this country admitted to receive baptism to their children, and thus owned as Christians while they are no wise so, and while they take no care by instruction, example, and due attendance on the worship of God, to serve him in their families. Can they