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ceived it; attended with much fear and uncertainty, lest it should not be from the right source; and requiring continually a fresh inspiration in the hearer, before it could be believe. This, it must be allowed, would have been a fruitful source of great delusion, enthusiasm, and dangerous imposition; not at all calculated to give stability and confidence to public jaith.

"But open Vision and an audible Dictation, such as, according to the Scriptures and other ancient Testimonies, took place before thousands on Mount Sinai,' in the pillar of the cloud,' and in the Temple at Jerusalem,' might give a reasonable conviction even to the whole world; provided the nature of those manifestations, which occur so frequently both in the Old and New Testament, could be rationally understood, and intelligibly accounted for.

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"After duly deliberating on this important subject, and on the ideas already developed concerning the GOD OF REVELATION, &c., the Conference came to the following most interesting conclusions :That the Patriarchs, Moses, the Prophets, the Apostles, and other holy men of old,' being possessed of that right human spirit ever filled with the Divine, which, in their surrounding sphere, would receive and reflect the DIVINE IMAGE, as it is received and refracted by the same Spirit in our atmosphere;-it must necessarily happen, in all their unobscured states of mind and spirit, that they would see the LORD, or what they called the WORD OF THE LORD, apparently standing near to them, and by the suggestions of His Spirit, there apparently speaking to them as a man does to his friend.' That the Reflected IMAGE OF GOD is that Personal HOLY SPIRIT, and the Refracted IMAGE OF GOD that Personal JESUS CHRIST, by and in whom alone the ETERNAL FATHER has ever been manifested, and His Will and Wisdom revealed, to the sons of men. That the ONE GOD, thus appearing in His Son and Spirit, did actually speak all the laws and all the predictions contained in the BIBLE, and virtually perform all the things ascribed to Him in the historical parts of the OLD and NEW TESTAMENTS. That the

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Four Ages of the world, so much spoken of by the Ancients, are the Four successive Revelations, which God has given of Himself,-in Paradise,-in the Church which perished at the flood;-to the Hebrews, and to Christians. That the HOLY BIBLE, which treats professedly of the beginning, duration, and ending of those Four Ages, being, of course, the complete Canon of Sacred Writ; no man can presume to be the medium of any further Revelations from God, without being either a deceiver, or deceived. That the Revelations of the BIBLE,which were first given by GOD HIMSELF, being now fixed in Writing, are the only true medium through which HE, by His Spirit, continues, at this day, to enlighten mankind. That those men are enlightened through the Scriptures, who see therein the eternal laws of that DIVINE PROVIDENCE which governs the world; and the interior principles, good and evil, which, in proportion as they alternately prevailed, did successively elevate and depress the different Churches described in the BIBLE, and will, at this day and in all ages, elevate the faithful and depress the wicked in every Church under heaven. That a further unfolding of those laws and those principles, in any particular WRITINGS, is not to be considered as a new Revelation, but as a new Doctrine, provi dentially contained in the BIBLE from the time it was first written; but developed, under God, precisely when wanted, to reedify or re-establish a scripture-founded Church.-This plain account of Biblical Revelation exhibits a true Characteristic of what may properly be called the WORD OF GOD, as being SPOKEN by GOD HIMSELF; and shows also, how genuine Church-doctrine may, at all times, be derived from that WORD, by unfolding the eternal laws and interior princibles ever abounding in its literal Facts,

Conference now proceeded to examine the difference between a real and an apparent CHURCH.-All must acknowledge the difference between a Church professing under man, and a Church PRACTISING UNDER GOD, the Truths and Precepts of Sacred Scripture; and that the LATTER is the GENUINE CHURCH of Revelation, ever to be sanctioned and established

on earth; whilst the former is that noisy | properly understood, it is always believed, and ostentatious Pretender, always relin- and held, under GOD, independently of quished by the true-born children of man."

God.'

"Church Discipline was now considered, as it respects praying, expounding the Bible or preaching, the order of worship; Baptism, the Holy Supper, and Church Membership.

"In Praying it was the general wish, that the exordium should announce always an important practical truth; respecting which the minister should beseech the congregation to apply fervently to their God for assistance or deliverance, not in a dictatorial, but humble and submissive spirit; and that all prayer, public as well as private, should be extempore.

"In Expounding the Bible, it was recommended to give, by way of preface, the general sense first; and then, as the passage is regularly read throughout its pauses, to descant on the genuine and literal meaning of the text ;-pointing out at the same time those eternal principles contained therein, which are of universal application, and of unalterable obligation, in all ages of the world; that their Ministers and Teachers would found all their doctrines on the literal facts recorded in the Bible ;-enable their audiences by a lucidus ordo, to see as well as hear;press every point in animated, earnest and affectionate language; illustrate copiously, by appealing to natural facts, and actual experience in real life; and above all things to live as they preach, that they may always be prepared, without notes, and win souls by that example which renders precept irresistible.

"This distinction led to the following conclusions which Conference deemed well calculated to make all christians of one heart and of one mind in the doctrine and practice of their holy Religion:-That the well-disposed natural man, not know ing the things of the Spirit of God,' himself, yet capable of reformation and inclining towards religion, puts himself, voluntarily and implicitly, under the teaching and direction of some religious Leader, whom he cannot perhaps rightly understand, but whom he conceives to be nearly infallible in the exposition and elucidation of scriptural doctrines. That this natural man,' though not apprehending ideas, is extremely zealous for the words of his Leader, which he will maintain even in direct opposition to the sense they were intended to convey. That, if his Leader be spiritual-minded, one that directs the heart and life in true submission to the revealed will of God;-in process of time, this natural carnal man,' once enmity against God, turning from evil, will turn to the one living and true God,'-under whose influence, perceiving the truths he had hitherto but blindly followed, he is enabled, at length, to say to his Leader, as the people did to the woman of Samaria, Now I believe, not because of thy word; for I have seen and heard the TRUTH myself. That, in this way, there is a double conversion, first to religious men, NEXT to the GOD OF REVELATION: -Those in the former conversion are the "The order of worship, recommended Sectarians; these in the LATTER are the on experience as perhaps the most useful genuine and UNITED CHURCH. That thus, and consistent, begins with a Hymn, folin every Church, the adopted under man lowed by prayer, the reading of the Deare the elect;' the heaven-born, the 'pre-calogue; then a passage of the Old Tesdestinated' who, 'from the foundation of the world,' ever take precedence of those 'born after the flesh,' and inherit the highest privileges and possessions of their FATHER'S HOUSE.—It consequently appears, contrary to what has generally been supposed, that the greatest sectarians, are the least enlightened; that those who clamor most for the particular doctrines of men, understand those doctrines the least; and that, when religious truth is

tament, in the Morning of the Lord's day, read and expounded, chapter after chapter, in regular rotation. Evening service begins in the same manner, with a hymn, prayer followed by a chant, or hymn, then portion after portion of the New Testament, read and expounded. After the exposition of the Chapters, morning and evening, another hymn, and then a general Benediction.

"Baptism, being the ancient ceremony

of adopting both children and adults, might be performed, it was agreed, as a ceremony, either by sprinkling or immersion. To some, it was thought, sprinkling would appear to be a sealing on the forehead, and might, on that account, be preferred. But immersion, it was allowed, was more according to the primitive practice of the Christian Church. The end, however, is the baptism of the Spirit; without which, the ceremony, however rightly performed, has not its intended effect, in bringing the baptized one, by purification and holiness of heart and life, into the real body and communion of CHRIST'S CHURCH, visible and invisible, on earth and in heaven.

The Holy Supper, being the ancient marriage feast in its original ceremonies, would be celebrated, it was concluded, most usefully, and most according to primitive usage, if the bread and wine (unfermented,) were distributed amongst the communicants in their pews, by deacons, as appointed assistants, whilst the minister enlarges, at discretion, on the duties of the bride of the Lamb, &c., &c.

As to Church Membership, Conference thought it proper for them to declare, that they did not form a Sectarian Church,

under any particular denomination from man; that they wished to be simply Bi ble Christians, and are in perfect union and connection with the sincere, conscientious livers, in all the various denominations of Christians; that they presume not to exercise any dominion over the faith, or consciences of men; that all who wish to join them in shunning the common evils and errors of the world,-in abstaining from animal food; that is, from fish, flesh and fowl of every kind, and from all intoxicating liquors; and in appropriating to life the truths and precepts of the Bible, are freely admitted, under God, as members of the True Bible-Christian Church. The adoption is by Baptism; the ratification by the Holy Supper.”

In statistics, the number of members of the Bible-Christian Church in Philadel phia, compared with many others, is very small. At their annual meeting in May, 1847, they had between 70 and 80 members. There are individuals abstaining from animal food and intoxicating drinks in several of the States in the Union, and agreeing with us in doctrine, but, out of Philadelphia, there is, at present, no regularly organized society of Bible-Christians in this country.

HISTORY

OF

THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH.

BY PROFESSOR W. JOS. WALTERS, PHILADELPHIA.

THE Roman Catholic Church, as it | hani, or San Salvador, and at the foot of exists on this side of the Atlantic, may date its origin from the discovery of the western world. From the memorable day, October the eleventh, 1492, on which Columbus landed upon the island of Guana

the cross poured forth his fervent thanks to God for the success of his glorious enterprise: this church has, amid many reverses, continued gradually to advance. If in some quarters she has met with re

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