without any particular religious test as a qualification to office.

These things were of small beginning, but the leaven has produced great consequence in the new world. No spiritual court has ever been constituted here: and equal rights of conscience mark our national character; and empty titles are rejected from the land. Those dregs of former titles are going out of date, in the administration of the several States. Even Connecticut, the good old land of "steady habits," is putting out their Blue Laws, by following the Virginia spirit, about Tobacco, or Law Religion.

The mode of initiating members, and their expulsion, with a curse annexed to their excommunication, is not so imperious as in centuries past; though there is too much hard judging of each other, as being in the wrong; while they beg the question, and take for granted they are right, by assuming to themselves a kind of infallibility, &c. The church of Rome, conceiving herself the oldest, of course, others, as heretics, sprung up. The church of England condemns others for the want of "Episcopal order, and succession" which they suppose came from St. Peter, down through the Popes, and was conveyed to them! The Baptists conceive no society to be a Christian Church but theirs, because they do not come in by the door of immersion.Many other societies might be mentioned; but let those suf fice. *

Only observe, it will not do for any society or individual member, to judge of their own spiritual standing, merely by their outward acts, looks or behaviour; because, a bridle founded in fear, pride, or self-interest, may cause a great restraint. But the proper mode is, not only the written rule, but also the witness of our own conscience, and the direct testimony of the spirit. For if our heart condemn us, God is greater and knoweth all things! But to have peace with God, is to have peace of mind; Hence the propriety of the words, "It seemed good to us and to the Holy Ghost." we are not in the spirit, we do not walk in the light; therefore by sitting in the judgment seat, we are liable to grieve

If

Where shall we find a society exempt? Compare Arts x. 34, 35, with xi. 3, 18, and Rev, v. 9, vii. 9.

those whom the Lord would not have grieved! and irreparable injury may be done: hence, grieve not the wounded— for the Son of Man came to save that which was lost.

Therefore for a few individuals to have the absolute .control over others, without a possibility of redress, seems hardly to correspond with the fitness of things; or for five or six hundred men to govern more than two hundred thousand; with a power to make rules to bind them when they have no voice or representation in the affair! "the authority of the conference or of us," "by order and. succession," from J. W. who said Lord King had convinced him many years ago, that Presbyter or Elder and Bishop were of the same order, and meant one and the same thing. If so, who was at the bottom of the present mode by devising it for America, but T. C. and F. A.; and Adam begat a son in his own like

There has been considerable improvement, in some respects for the better; but more might be done by curtailing power, and having a committee, and to hear, advise and grant appeals, in some cases.

And had this been done timely in England, there never would have been that separation; neither as much concession as they found it proper to make afterward. See A. K's. Journal, and the Portraiture of Methodism.

There is much polemical contention about certain names and modes of opinion in the days in which we live; as though our eternity was at stake and the welfare of millions yet unborn was dependent thereupon. Whereas the truth is, that most people have not independency of mind, sufficient to think, and to judge and to act for themselves; but most bodies in the community, whether civil or religious, are swayed by a few ambitious leading individuals, who are influenced either by pride or avarice for power or moneyhence the exertions to pull on every string, to give influence to their particular party over the public mind, and obtain. special acts of legislation for an incorporation, to favor their peculiar sect, as exemplified by the Baptists' petition to Con gress from the Mississippi, the Church of England in Alex

See the preface to the Methodist Hymn Book---And the first edition of the minutes of 20 years conference, end compare with Clarke's notes on Acts xx.

andria, and also in the State of Maryland, the Episcopal Methodists in the State of New York, as exemplified by the Act of General Conference in 1820, and as avowed also by the Bishop's circular letter, &c.

The struggle among four or five sister churches, so called, with their offspring daughters coming on, I hope may not terminate in a political union ecclesiastically; to sap our own foundation of national freedom, and produce a "BABYLON" styled the "Mother of Harlots!"

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The pompous name of "ORTHODOX," and the cant phrase HETERODOX" mean any thing and every thing and nothing, according to people's notions and whims in the revolutions and turn of times, as exemplified among the nations of the earth. Popery was orthodoxy, and Luther and his ism heterodox, until the latter was received and established by law; so in England, what was orthodox in one reign, was heterodox in the next-hence each in turn would burn heretics, &c.

Modern Episcopacy claims the prerogative of making laws to govern the People, &c. and if any of the executive or judiciary power is delegated to the people, it is a special favor; the people possess it by GRACE and not by RIGHT!— Even the rattle box, called District Conference, to amuse the local brethren, must have a shout and cry of grace, grace unto it!

Thank God! those things are going down the Hill!Independency of mind is waking up. Just Rights are acknowledged by some; and are now coming into view.No matter what may be the cause; the end is what we are to look at in the providence of God.

The Allied Sovereigns officially declare a systematic plan by which the revolutionary principle and practice is still going on! Hence the origin of the suppression of Free Masonry in the several kingdoms and empires of the Old World; as the medium of confidential knowledge, and the continuation of the illuminati, from Voltaire, as one cause of American principles apparent in all the South of Europe.

Ecclesiastical power must have its bounds and kept within proper limits. What next summer may bring forth is in the womb of futurity. Whether conciliatory measures will be adopted, and a meeting of each other half way, by mutual forbearance, as exemplified in the Convention at Philadel

phia, in 1787, on the subject of slavery in the great reciprocal concentration, called the Constitution in the federal compact, or whether the North and South will split, or societies omnifarious spring up, time must exhibit, but Dagon must fall, and Babylon must come down!

PROPHETICALLY.

MANY are the opinions concerning those scripture prophecies which relate to Jacob and Esau; as though God loved one before he was born and designed him for happiness, and absolutely hated the other, and designed him to eternal misery after making him serve the other. But whoever will have patience and enquiry enough to excite them to turn to the following passages, and carefully compare and read them, will find them to relate to nations in this world, and not to individuals in a future state.

Rom. ix. 10-13, with Genesis xxv. 22, 23, and xxvii. 27 -29, and 28-40, with Hebrews xi. 29, and Malachi i. 2, 3, 4, with Amos vii. 2, 5, Jeremiah xviii. 1-10, Deut. ii. 1— 8, Genesis xxvii, 29; 2 Sam. viii. 14; 2 Chr. xxi. 8-10.

Rom. xi. 25, with Luke xxi. 24, Rev. xi. 2, see Wesley's Notes on Rev. xi. 2-7, xii. 12, xiii. 1, proposition 8, observation 18-22, with verse ii. &c. xvi. 10-16, xvii. 8-12, xviii. 9-19, and xix. 19, &c. Six things took place at the time appointed, and in the order of time; upwards of eighty years after the same was written in Dutch, and more than fifty after their publication in English.

The image of Daniel in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar; the four revolving empires of the world in succession, involves Church and State, as he appears to have been the first who attempted to burn people for non-conformity, i. e. "heterodoxy." We of course must be living in the days of the toes, which shew we are in the close of that vision, when the stone cut out without hands, &c. is to annihilate the image: We have seen the kingdom of the Stone, but the kingdom of the Mountain is yet to come, O ye people of God, be looking up-join in spirit as the heart of one man, to swell the solemn cry-"THY KINGDOM COME"-that God may send forth judgment unto victory!

PROPHECY CONCERNING AMERICA.

In this age of unbelief and changeful events, nothing seems more needful to establish our faith in the truth of divine revelation, and satisfy our minds with respect to the future, than a consideration of the prophecies of Scripture; not one jot or title of which will ever fail in its accomplishment. We would call attention at this time to the important prophecy in Isaiah, respecting this country, and to the effects which the principles of liberty that originated here have already produced in other countries, and are hereafter yet to produce. America is so plainly designated and described in the prophecy, that there need be no mistake in the application of it to America, or more particularly to the United States, as we shall proceed to show. We shall follow the more original reading, or marginal notes in our larger Bibles, instead of the common text, as much better calculated to express the ideas intended by the inspired prophet;* premising, also, that the first word in the chapter, translated "woe," in our present copies is improperly rendered.— Adam Clarke, after giving the original word, says: "This interjection should be translated ho! for it is properly a participle of calling. Hoi Land! Attend give ear." The prophecy which we proceed to consider, will be found in the 18th chapter of Isaiah, and in accordance with the reading

Edward King, of the Royal Society, England, who wrote on the prophecies the latter part of the last century, in remarking on the chapter containing this prophecy, observes: "There is one prophecy of Isaiah, which has long been considered as the most obscure amongst all the prophetical writings. It is still indeed obscure, as it stands in our translation; but if translated only by the assistance of the plain marginal corrections of the reading in our Bibles, leads us to some very surprising apprehensions." The translators of the Bible, it would seem, not knowing to what country this prophecy could refer, but supposing it must refer to Egypt, very much warped the original text to accommodate it to that country, as their own marginal readings sufficiently show.