Secondly, Her genera, character. To be strictly honest in all her dealings with all men to speak the truth upon all occasions to sue no person at law: not to resist evil, but to suffer to do unto all men, as we would wish them to do unto us : love our enemies, consequently the members do not learn to muster nor go to war: to pay tribute to whom tribute is due. In testimony to the above, Alex. Mack writes in his book, page 62. “Instructions of this kind Paul has given to the faithful, Rom. xii. 7, that every soul shall be subject for the Lord's sake, to human regulations, made by their rulers; and render them tribute, custom, fear, and honor: for all magistrates are ordained by God to punish evil-doers and defend the good in such manner as to correspond with the will of God. In such of their subjects, therefore, they should take great delight, especially if they walk in the fear of God, suffer among themselves no public transgressors, and give their rulers their dues, as well as the Lord: for the Lord hath promised a time when kings shall be the nursing fathers of his people, and queens their nursing mothers." Is. ix. 16.

It was" in the year 1729, that a number of the society" or church of Christ, professing the above principles, "emigrated from different parts of Germany and Holland, to North America, where persecuted virtue found an asylum under the government of William Penn.The emigrants settled first at Germantown, a small village about six miles north of Philadelphia, where they soon formed themselves into a society which through the kind providence of God, continues unto this day," Mack. Now we would just observe (as it might be expected) that we do not intend to copy after certain sects in stasting the spread and increase of the church in America. We praise thy name oh! God for the preservation of thy Zion from the Spirit of apostacy, a defection and departure from the genuine principles of christianity.

My brethren, you heard the word of God, you repented and believed the Gospel, and upon your confession of faith, and renunciation of the sinful practices of the world, the lust of the flesh and the devil, and vowing allegiance to Jesus, to obey him in all his requisitions, you were then baptized into the death of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins, and thus being born of the water and of the spirit, you became the children of God, heirs of the promises of the new covenant. Oh! what a high and honorable state is yours; the dignity of the sons of God. Well might the Apostle John, express so much amazement at the high privilege of the children of God. "Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God, therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." i John iii, 1. At the time of your baptism you solemnly vowed allegiance unto king Jesus, that you would obey him in ail things, and you will recollect, brethren, that you enlisted during the war, that is for life; so you are not of the world, but soldiers of the cross, candidates for an immortal, or never fading crown of glory. And that you may make your calling and elction sure, you must carry out your baptismal engagements. The commands of the captain of your soul's salvation, must be punctually observed. There must be no shifting or shuffling in the ranks of our Lord Jesus Christ, but a steady and determined mind to resist sin, and by the favor of God to overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. My brethren you have great cause to be thankful to Almighty God, for the knowledge you have of the doctrine of Christ, and in that you did from the heart obey the first principles of the Gospel, and are now members of the true church. You now enjoy (or at least it is your privilege,) a present salvatien. And to vou it is said "work out your own salvation with fear

and trembling." Phil. ii. 12. The future as well as the present salvation, is only promised conditionally; for example: "He that endureth to the end shall be saved." Matt. x. 22. "And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him." Heb. v, 9. Mark the words "eternal salvation," again, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life." Rev. ii, 10. And that the will of God may be complied with, you will have to attend to that important injunction of the Saviour, viz: "And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch." Mark xiii, 37. The important duty of watching will be apparent when we take into consideration the character of that subtil enemy we have to contend with. "But I fear" (saith Paul to the Corinthians) "lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ." 2d. Cor. xi, 3. It will be necessary to watch, or guard, against every temptation to disobey the word of God. The devil seldom if ever, tempts the believer at the first, directly to disobey or reject the word of God, but he does it indirectly, and that only by degrees, or steps. For example he will tempt people and get them to believe that a part of the doctrine of Christ is not essential to salvation. Yes, this is the great bait that the devil has thrown out to the people in these latter days, and lamentable that we have it to say, that the devil has ensnared the majority of our so called christendom with this bait. It is fashionable and goes down right well with the people, to hear the preacher read off his chapter of nonessentials to his audience, viz. Baptism, the laying on or imposition of hands, the salutation of the kiss, non-conformity to the world in all those maxims which exalt the carnal mind in man, feet washing, the anointing the sick with oil, in the name of the Lord. &c

&c. This my brethren is antichrist; we know it by God's measuring reed, (the word of God,) which has been put into our hands. And it is your duty, and you know doubt will find it necessary, in these times of epidemical degeneracy, and universal apostacy, frequently to make a very close application of that rule. For it is only that worship and service, that is measurable, and will square by the word of God, that will be accepted of by our Heavenly Father. Some people are so blind as to think that any way a man believes, is right; as if faith were the judge, or criterion by which to be governed. "I believe so, therefore it must be so." And very many have made feelings the crieterion by which to judge. "I feel so, therefore it must be so." Faith and feelings are not the criterions by which to judge ourselves. The word of God is the standard, the only infallible rule to judge by, and to know how matters stand betwixt us and our Creator. "Could you make a Jew believe he was persecuting, condemning, and shedding innocent blood, when crucifying the Lord of Glory? Oh no! he was doing God service. He had the same criterion to judge by, which men have now-a-days,-the scrutiny of their own feelings, a consciousness of being right. This thing of testing right and wrong by feeling, and by conscience, has been the cause of boundless human misery. The persecuting Christian, Turk, or Jew, judges by the same rule all, alike pious, confident and right: Feeling is the most uncertain rule by which right and wrong were ever tried. It will forever change or differ, as there is a difference in education." McCorkle. How strange, surpassingly strange, that Baptism, salutation of the kiss, feet washing, &c. &c., Christ's own appointments, should be considered not essential to salvation, whilst an anxlous seat, or mourners bench, and other means of man's apppointment, should be considered so very essential to

salvation. I exhort by the streaming blood of the cross, not to suffer yourselves to be imposed upon by a spirit of error. Take the advice of a brother, of one who is fully apprised of the prevalency of antichrist, to take a firm stand, and not swerve in the least, from the holy doctrine of the cross. God has put it in your power to resist the devil; therefore I beseech you to stand firm, and not to give way, or fall, in the hour of darkness and temptation. The world is full of professors of religion, but Oh my God, how few do live the life of the Son of God, in a state of self-denial forsaking the pleasures of this wicked world, for the name of Jesus Christ. Nevertheless God hath not left himself without a witness; there are a number yet in the world who stand up for his name, and bear witness to his truth. My brethren you are not ignorant of the man of sin, that anti-christian worship in our world, and the foundation upon which the false temple and false altar have been erected, viz:-filthy lucre. For instance; let the people withhold their money, and I will venture to say that the power which turns this great machine will cease to operate.

My brethren you know the true altar, and what kind of sacrifice must be offered upon that altar, therefore let us be cautious, and guard against wild or strange fire, let me remind you of the presumtious disobedience of Nadab and Abihu. "And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. And there went out fire from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord." Lev. x. 1, 2. Now to the transgression-" and offered strange fire before the Lord." They took common fire instead of consecrated fire from the altar of burnt offerings. No doubt, but they reasoned thus upon the subject-why so particular-willl not fire