and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, Charity, 2 Pet. 1:5-7.

And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. Rev: 20: 13.-For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the tings done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. 2 Cor. 5: 10.

That we are not saved by our own effected works, but alone by the grace of God, read:But we believe that, through the grace of the Lord Christ, we shall be saved, even as they. Acts 25: 11.-Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That, being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Tit. 3: 5-7.-But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ; (by grace ye are saved;) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places, in Christ Jesus; That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Eph. 2: 4--10.

Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Tim. 1:9, 10.

ARTICLE TWENTY-FIFTH.

OF THE STATE OF MATRIMONY.

Or Marriage we believe and acknowledge, That it is honourable, and is an ordinance of God, which he instituted with the first pair, Adam and Eve, whom he created in his own image, joined them together in marriage and blessed them. And when this divine institution was perverted, through the corruption, carnal desires and obduracy of the human heart, so, that they took them wives of all which they chose, and thus took many wives; and for trivial causes divorced them again and married others in their room: that Christ, the divine

and accomplished Lawgiver abrogated the bill of divorcement which Moses had permitted to be given; reformed other abuses, and thus restored the state of marriage to its pure and primitive institution, (with all those who hear his doctrine and believe in him,) according as it was instituted by his heavenly Father, with Adam and Eve, in Paradise. And thus has the Son of God, set the state of matrimony on its first foundation again, namely, to consist of one man and of one woman, who are to be so inseparably joined and bound together that nothing but death or adultery shall part and seperate.

Therefore should every faithful believer, who is about to enter into a state of marriage, follow the doctrine of Christ, according to the above example, and engage with one person alone, and who hath obtained like precious faith with him-born again and renewed after the image of God; and all such persons, with the consent of their parents and the Church, shall, with ardent prayer to God, be joined together before the church, by a minister of the gospel. And of all such we hold, that they have married in the Lord, were by him thereunto appointed and joined together.

But of the unregenerate, who have not, by faith in Jesus Christ been sanctified and entered thus into a state of matrimony, we hold that their marriage is honourable, but not that it is in the Lord.

And in like manner as Christ will take none

to his bride and to be members of his body, save those alone who are renewed by faith after his image; also cannot believers, whose bodies are sanctified an offering to God-and members of Christ-and temples of the Holy Ghost-withdraw them from Christ, and in the bonds of marriage unite them with the unregenerate, and be unequally yoked with the unbelievers, and who are not by faith and christian baptism united to the church of Christ and acknowledged as brothers and sisters in Christ, and as members in his church. For Christian baptism is the first ordinance in the Church, whereupon all the ordinances of God follow."

In this manner is the state of marriage introduced by the counsel of the Holy Ghost, to avoid fornication and all uncleanness. But if any person is not inclined to marry, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will; so that he can live a chaste and virginal life without it, and the better attend on the things of the Lord, is more commendable. But marriage is free to all, yet it is not considered to be a commandment.

How the LORD God, in the beginning instituted marriage, read:--And the LORD God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him...And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man... Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his

wife; and they shall be one flesh. Gen. 2: 1822-24.

How Christ reformed all the corruptions of the marriage state, and renewed it to the state of his Father's institution, read :-Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning, made them male and female; And said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and the twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a writing of divorcement, and to put her away? He saith unto them, Moses, because of the hardness of your hearts, suffered you to put away your wives: but from the beginning it was not so. Matth. 19: 4-8.And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord; Let not the wife depart from her husband: But, and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife... The wife is bound by the Law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. 1 Cor. 7: 10, 11-39.

Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers, God will judge. Heb. 13: 4.--Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.