LEDGED already, as though I were prefent, concerning him that hath fo done this deed: In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my Spirit, with the power of our Lord Jefus Chrift, to deliver fuch a one unto Satan for the deftruction of the flesh, that the fpirit may be faved in the day of our Lord Jefus." It is evident, beyond the poffibility of a doubt, that the apoftle, being fully perfuaded of the truth of the fact, took upon himfelf the whole bufinefs of deciding on the guilt and punishment of the incestuous Corinthian. "I, as prefent in Spirit," fays he, have judged already." He here acts as their chief minister, and requires them to confider bis Spirit prefent with them, as he could not be fo perfonally. They were not to meet, in order to confult whether the offender fhould be put away or not, but merely to put him from among them, becaufe the apoftle was abfent.

It may here be afked, Why did not the chief refident minifter of the church of Corinth put away the incestuous perfon, if he poffeffed the authority? We anfwer, because he was unfaithful. He connived at this enormous crime, either because he did not love the caufe of holinefs which is the caufe of God, or because he gave way to the evil folicitations of the people. This is evident from thofe words in the paffage before us, " Ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed, might be taken arvay from among you." He does not fay, Ye have not mourned that you did not put away this great offender, but that he might be taken arvay from among you." But as the perfon who had the immediate authority did not take the offender away from among them, St. Paul, as the apostle of the Gentiles, steps into the minifter's place, and cuts him off.

It might alfo be urged, that it was an apofle who thus acted: and we should be ready to admit this as an exempt cafe, if it were not agreeable to the authority given by Chrift himfelf to his miBifters an authority, the due exercise of which by his minifters our Lord highly approves of, and the neglect of which he strongly condemns, as we fhall now proceed to fhew.

3. Rev. ii. 1, 2. "Unto the angel of the church of Ephefus write; Thefe things faith he that holdeth the feven ftars in his right-hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlefticks; I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and borv thou canst not bear them which are evil." With what high approbation does our Lord here exprefs himself concerning the determined oppofition of the chief minister of the church of Ephefus to all immoral profeffors. "Thou canst not bear them which are evil." But if this minifter had only a fingle vote againft immoral practices in the church, or was only chairman in the meetings of the church, to examine into the conduct of offenders or fuppofed offenders, is it likely that our Lord would have given fo high an

encomium, fo ftrong a commendation of the conduct of the minifter in this refpect? Would he not at least have said something in commendation of the church itself, without whom in this inftance, if the power of cenfure lay in them, the minister would be almoft a cypher? For the minifter, in fuch cafe, would have little to do in the business, unless as a complainant or informer. Besides, our Lord adds in the 2d verfe, “And thou haft tried them which fay they are apostles, and are not; and haft found them liars." And again, ver. 6. "But this thou haft, that thou hateft the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I alfo hate." From the whole of which it appears, that the minister was the fole judge both of the morals and doctrines of the church which he fuperintended, the church not being at all mentioned by our Lord as having any authority in thefe matters.

4. Rev. ii. 12-15. " And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; "Thefe things faith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges;-I have a few things against thee, because thou haft there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling-block before the children of Ifrael, to eat things facrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So haft thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate." But why fhould our Lord caft all this blame on the minister alone without taking the leaft notice of the church, if the power of cenfure refted in the church, and not in the minister; or no farther in the minister, than as having a fingle vote in the church? Is it, we must repeat, at all probable, is it morally poffible, that our Lord would have written thus to the angel of the church, if that angel, or chief minister had not poffeffed authority to cleanse it from the followers of the doctrine of Balaam, and of the Nicolaitans?

5. Rev. ii. 18-20. “ And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; "These things faith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass; -I have a few things against thee, becaufe thou fuffereft that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetefs, to teach and to feduce my fervants to commit fornication, and to eat things facris ficed unto idols." But how could he poffibly avoid fuffering her to remain in the church, if the church poffeffed the power of cenfure and excommunication, and was determined to keep her in? Or, how could he poffibly have prevented her being turned out, if the church had in it the power of expulfion, and had ex pelled her?

We may here just observe, that most of the churches of Afia Minor, mentioned in the 2d and 3d chapters of the Revelation, if not all of them, were founded by St. Paul.

6. We fhall inftance in only two more portions of the word of God on this fubject. (1.) Heb. xiii. 7. "Remember them

on.

which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God whofe faith follow, confidering the end of their converfatiAnd (2.) ver. 17. 66 Obey them that have the rule over you, and fubmit your felves: for they watch for your fouls, as they that must give account: that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you." Obferve, [1.] the perfons here defcribed as having the rule and a right to obedience and submission, were perfons zuho had spoken the word of God to the people, and watched over their fouls, and confequently were their preachers and paftor But, [2.] To fuppofe that they ruled in the church, and had a claim to obedience and fubmiffion, and yet had not the authority of cleanfing the church from immoral and beretical perfons, would be exceedingly abfurd. These laft quoted texts are collateral and inferential proofs, the former are exprefsly fo.

2dly. Let us confider the subject in the light of reason. I. Is there any propriety in conftituting a hufband the judge of the guilt or innocence of his wife, or the wife of her husband; the parent of his child, or the child of his parent; the brother of his fifter, or the fifter of her brother, &c. Would not natural af-fection almost unavoidably move them in fuch cases to be partial to each other? Might not refentment move a master to be partial in his judgment against his fervant? Might not fear, on the contrary, influence the fervant in favour of his matter? A longTM acquaintance alfo, perhaps even from childhood, has a powerful effect upon the minds of men, and would ftrongly tempt them to cover fin, to the destruction, not intentionally but eventually, of the work of God. The intermixture of temporal interefis would alfo be a ftrong motive to induce many to make large allowances for the offender. "My income is fmall, and my family large fuch a one is my cuftomer, and also many of his relati ons; and fhall I vote against him to the injury of my family? Perhaps he may repent, and be better in future. Such a one has obliged me in various refpects, and fhall I be fo ungrateful as to condemn him wholly?" Those who are acquainted with the operations of the human mind, must be very fenfible how often thefe reafonings would warp the minds of the judges, and produce a partiality in their decifions, which would be ruinous in the laft degree to the work of God. Additionally to all this, we must recollect, that different countries, and different parts of the fame country, are addicted to particular vices: and thofe are but little acquainted with human nature, who do not know that men are ftrongly tempted to cover thofe fins, which they themselves are inwardly inclined to, or which it is their intereft to commit. For inftance, in a part of the country where the maple-tree grows abundantly, and there are various manufactures of fugar, would not the church be ftrongly inclined to make large allowances for those who would labour in their fugar çamps on the Lord's day ?

Let thofe anfwer, who are acquainted with the nature of that manufacture. Again, In a part of the country, where the buying the fouls and bodies of men is a common practice, would not many in the church be tempted to favour those who were guilty of that practice, because they themselves might be the next to fall into the fnare? Yea, we have had proofs of thi—of private members of the church, who have attempted to affume the power, not only of judging or rather clearing the offender, but of judging thể law itfelf!

To give therefore the authority of judging and cenfuring offenders to the private members of a church. would be to form a court which in innumerable inftances would have the ftrongett temptations to partiality. We do not mention this to fhew the leaft difrespect to the private members of our Society: on the contrary, many of them may exceed us in piety and every grace. But it is contrary to all the rules of juftice to appoint thofe to be judges, who may in fo many inftances be ftrongly tempted to be partial. At the fame time we must observe, that THE WORD OF GOD is that which we principally ftand ́upon, knowing well that every paffage in the New-Teftament which relates to the present subject, is wholly on our fide.

2. Our original design in forming our religious Society renders the existence of this authority in our minifters abfolutely neceffary. But what was this defign? To raife a holy people. Our plan of economy fhuts us up from the influence of any other motive in refpect to our ministerial labours. It is impoffible for us to enrich ourfelves by Methodist-preaching. Again, We bear a conftant testimony against the pleafures of the world, and therefore fhould be esteemed, even by our own people, as the greatest of hypocrites, if que indulged ourfelves in them, and would foon be excluded the connection by the various means of trial to which all of us are fubject. And as to honour, we are almost the only despised people in Christendom, as a religious body. The fecondary rank of mankind and the poor are the only perfons (with a few exceptions) who receive the Gofpel. The rich and great, in general, even those who have not embraced the favourite doctrines of the times, will not fubmit to the way of the cross, but, on the contrary, look down on the Preachers of it as the greatest enthusiasts. And fhall we thus facrifice all that the world holds dear and at the fame time lofe the only aim of all our public labours, by falfe complai fance? No. We will have a boly people, or none. in every part of our economy, as well as doctrine, we aim at crucifixion to the world and love to God. This mfl be the price of our labours. We require not riches, honours or pleasure, but a boly people. We have a right to dispose of our labours as we please, as far as they refpect our fellow-creatures: and we will not beflow them on any other condition. If we labour in any place a fufficient time for a

trial, and are not able raise a people devoted to God, we will leave it: we have a right so to do, and none have just ground of complaint. Again, If we have encouragement from any people, but they afterwards deceive us, and return to the world "like the dog to his vomit," (2 Pet. ii. 22.) they have broken the condition on which we labour among them; we have nothing more to do with them; and if we continue in that place, it is for the fake of others and not of them. But, blessed be God, if we meet fometimes with discouragements in this respect, they are amply compenfated by the increase of vital godlinefs. We love our people; and they in general amply repay our labours by their holy converfation. They are the joy of our hearts, and will, we trust, be our crown of rejoicing on the great day. But ftill we muft obferve, that our immoveable fupport, on which we rest our sentiments upon this fubject, is THE WORD OF GOD. And we may add, that the present point has been seldom disputed, as far as we know, by any, except those who have been difaffected to us, or have openly feparated from us.

An appeal is allowed in all the cafes mentioned in this section, to the following quarterly meeting. For though the power of appeal be not mentioned in the last clause, which relates to the fowing of diffentions, yet it certainly is implied. Our work is at prefent in its infancy in comparison to what, we truft, it will be through the bleffing of God. Our minifters, who have the charge of circuits may not be always fo aged and experienced as we might with them to be the appeal to the quarterly meeting is therefore allowed to remedy this defect. And this no one can object to. No one, we think, can imagine, that the members of a clafs, or the members of the largest fociety, would form fo respectable or so impartial a court of judicature, as the prefiding elder, the travelling and local preachers, and the leaders and stewards of the whole circuit. But the point is quite out of the reach of debate in respect to those who believe the facred writings and fincerely reverence them. The New-Teftament determines beyond a doubt, that judgment and cenfure in the cafes before us, fhall be in the minifter: nor could we juftify our conduct in investing the quarterly meeting with the authority of receiving and determining appeals, if it were not almoft entirely compofed of men who are more or lefs engaged in the miniftry of the word, the stewards being the only exceptions.

We shall now just add some portions of facred writ, in relation to the immoralities which are referred to in this fection, that our ministers who have the oversight of circuits may have them under their eye. Matt. xv. 19. "Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witnesses, blasj hemies." Luke vi. 44, 45. "Every tree is known by his own fruit."

A good man out of the good treasure of his heart, bringeth forth that which is good: and an evil man out of the evil trea