power of darkness and translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son ; who were come to the “general assembly and Church of the first born, whose names are written in heaven.” These observations are in some measure applicable to all the great national Protestant bodies, since the outward form and constitution became so prominent a matter ; which was not the case originally, while deliverance from Babylon was in question.
From all this has followed an anomalous and trying consequence; namely, that the true Church of God has no avowed communion at all. There are, I suppose, none of its members who would not now acknowledge, that individuals of the children of God are to be found in all the different denominations, professing the same pure faith; but where is there bond of union? It is not that unbelieving professsors are mixed with the people of God in their communion, but that the bond of communion is not the unity of the people of God, but really in point of fact their differences.
The bonds of nominal union are such as separate the children of God from each other; so that instead of (itself an imperfect state) unbelievers being found mixed up with them, the people of God are found as individuals among bodies of professing Christians, joined in communion upon other and different grounds; not in fact as the people of God at all. The truth of this I think, cannot be denied; and surely it is a very extraordinary state for the Church to be in.—I think the study of the history of the Church, bearing in mind what the true Church of God is, will enable us to account fur it. Such.is not my present purpose, writing merely on the principle of that inquiring, strengthening charity, in which they that feared the Lord, spake often one to another, But it must surely forma practical matter of great importance to the judgment of those, who partaking of the Spirit, and therefore identified, however weakly, with the Lord Christ in His sympathies with the Church, grieve over its inconsistency with His love, and desire the order of the house as those who wait for their Lord, I do believe indeed, that there will be a gradual development of the children of God, by a separation from the world; of which many of them perhaps little now think. The Lord will be present with His people in the hour of their temptation, and hide them secretly in the tabernacle of His presence, but neither is it my
