up all the dross and sinful desires of the believer, he becomes more and more perfect, and is more and better enabled to attain to that mark of the prize of his high calling in God through Christ. We believe Faith to be progressive, "the leaven, that leaveneth the whole lump" that "unto every one of us, is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ;" that he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints. for the work of the ministry, for the edifying the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." (Ephes. iv. 7—13.)

ART. XIII. Of the Holy Scriptures.—We believe in, and joyfully accept the Holy Scriptures, contained in the Canonical Books of the Old and New Testaments, as the oracles of God; "that all his Scriptures are given by his Divine inspiration, and in this view and with this faith, we do most gratefully and sincerely receive them, as the next best evidence of his eternal and unalterable Love wherewith he loved, and still loves us; to that of the gift of his Son and Spirit, for the regeneration, reconciliation, and final salvation of all men.

We receive the Bible, as the Will of our heavenly Father: the New Testament as a codicil to that Will, by which a more glorious provision has been made for the Son and heir of God; by which "the heathen is his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth are his possession," and by which, all mankind are made the heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.

In this Will, which is ratified by the oath of the Father, signed, sealed and executed with the blood of the Son, perfected and recorded by the holy Spirit; and witnessed by all God's holy prophets and apostles, since the world began; we discover the greatest of all treasures, the richest of all legacies; enough to enrich all the sons and daughters of Adam! In it believers have the promise of eternal life, nay more, a solemn assurance that it is

theirs, for "this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." In it, we read, "that all shall be made willing in the day of God's Power; and being thus made willing, eternal life will be theirs also, who were once unbelievers; but are now, by the gifts and graces of God, believers. O the depth of the riches both of the Wisdom and knowledge of God! Wherefore, with the devout Chillingworth, we profess "the Bible, the Bible only is the religion of Protestants.” The Bible, the Bible is our chart; Christ our polar star, and the Holy Ghost our pilot, to conduct us to God, the haven of our rest.

ART. XIV. Of the Universal Church of Christ.*--We believe, that in our dispensation, there is but one true and living Faith: "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." We believe, and have seen, that the primitive churches throughout the world, were undoubtedly formed by the apostles upon one and the same plan." Hence we believe that there is but one true church in the whole world; that this one universal church is constituted as Christ its head and founder, was, and is, of a visible and invisible nature. And as he is the head of this church, as also the head of every man, we conclude every man believers, specially, by grace, and the rest of mankind, universally, by covenant and purchase, to be members of his body, which is, his church. For it is written of the Jews, "God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all"—" that as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life." Hence,

1. The visible Church of Christ is constituted of faithful men and women, among every sect and denomination of Christians, whether they are attached to the Primitive Apostolic Church, or to the Roman or Greek

* With the Greek church we deny that the church of Rome is the only true Catholic church; but we consider it a branch of the Christian Church.

Church, whether Protestants or Dissenters, provided they walk in the light, as he is in the light. These are they of whom it is said, God is the special Saviour, being saved in this life from the fear of death, and of a judgment to come, shall share in the first resurrection, and over whom the second death hath no power. These are a manifestation of Christ's visible body, or Church.

2. His invisible Church we believe to consist of the entire residue of the human family, who are also, according to the foreknowledge and eternal purposes of God in Christ, members of his body, to be hereafter made manifest. These are they who are not specially saved in this life, from the fear of death and of judgment, but have dreadful forebodings of the evils to come, with a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall destroy the adversaries. (See page 47.)

To man, finite man, it seems almost impossible that such can ever be saved; but that is, because we are not possessed of unlimited conceptions and powers. But with God, nothing can, or shall be impossible. The Son of God, in his parable of the ten virgins, gives us clearly to understand that these, who are not as yet visible members of his Church, are still within the ark of his covenant of saving mercy.

"The kingdom of heaven is likened by our Lord unto ten virgins, five of whom were wise and five foolish. The kingdom of heaven was not likened unto five wise virgins only these virgins were distinguished the one from the other, by no one thing but the oil in their vessels with their lamps-that is, light-a lamp without oil is of little value. They who had oil, went in and had peace and joy, they who had not, sought in vain for the place of entrance, (they were in darkness,) and were compelled to tarry without, in that state and kingdom into which they were born, and to which they had continued in subjection, in which, of course, is weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth." (Murray.)

The five wise virgins are characteristic of believers in this life, members of Christ's visible Church, those who

are specially saved. But the kingdom of heaven is likened unto the whole ten-the foolish as well as the wise; and as the five foolish virgins, who are characteristic of unbelievers, or such as are not specially saved in this life, whether Jews or Gentiles, are included in the parable, we are authorised to look forward to the time, when he who is the light and life of men will pour out of the overflowings of his fulness, light; by which their darkness will be enlightened, and their lamps furnished with oil, and lit, they too will see the door, the way of entrance unto truth and life; and seeing, they will believe, and believing, enter also into the joy of their Lord.

"The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib, but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider." "God's people, then, are of two descriptions, belie vers and unbelievers, wise and foolish, obedient and disobedient, happy and miserable."

But as members by Faith of "the Evangelist or Primitive Apostolic and Catholic, or Universal Church of Christ," whose doctrines support the belief of the final restoration of all men to holiness and happiness; we believe that "God will destroy in this mountain, the face of the covering cast over all people, and the vail that is spread over all nations;" that "he will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it."

God's people will be then all of one description-all of them believers, wise, obedient, happy the members of his invisible Church will be now made manifest, and "every creature which is in heaven, and in the earth, and under the earth, the sea, and all that are in them, will be heard saying, blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb forever."

We now proceed to assign the reasons that have determined us to the adoption of the title by which our Church is distinguished from all other Churches in Christendom.

We believe in the doctrine of the restoration of all men to holiness and happiness; the final restitution of all things; the salvation of all men. We accept the Holy Scriptures as the Rule of our Faith, and by which we have been brought to see and believe the final salvation of all men to be the Primitive and Evangelical Doctrine of the Scriptures. Whereforc-1, We accept this doctrine as Primitive and Evangelic, because it has God the Almighty Father for its origin. (Gen. iii. 15; xxii. 15, 18; Isaiah xlv. 22, 23; Philip. ii. 9, 11, and various other passages.) 2, We accept this doctrine as Primitive and Evangelic, because it has been ratified and confirmed by the Son of God. (See Sect. I. page 17, &c.) 3, We accept this doctrine as Primitive and Evangelic, because it was attested by the Holy Spirit, in the form of an Angel. (Luke ii. 10.) 4, We accept this doctrine as Primitive, Evangelic and Apostolic, because it was believed in, and promulgated by the immediate disciples and apostles of our Lord, and has never been lost sight of, from the first formation of the Christian Church to this time. (See Sect. II, and III.)

ART. XV. Of the Order of the Church and authority of its Rulers.-1. As a Christian Church, we acknowledge no head but "Christ, who is God over all, blessed for ever." We believe it to be essential to the order and good government of the Church, (and therefore, as far as practicable, determine to adhere to the Primitive and good old custom of the Apostles,) that there should be "Apostles," or Bishops, "Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers" in other words, that there should be faithful Ministers of the Gospel of Reconciliation; men who can give evidence that they have the glory of God and the salvation of all men in steady view, and that are determined upon doing the work of Evangelists, in faithfully preaching Christ and him crucified for the sins of the world. Such, and such only, are to be the Bishops, Pastors, Evangelists, and Teachers in our Church.

We adhere to the Apostolic form of electing Bishops, Pastors and other officers of the Church, according to 1