The probability is, that Mr. C. did not suffer the letter to depart from himself until the three weeks were nearly closed- lest, unhappily, Mr. W. might attend to his request. Mr. C. knew that Mr. W. lived in a post-town; as a few weeks before the debate he had directed a letter to him. At any rate, Mr. W. was not a private character; and it must have been a fact, that Mr. C. knew that if he would directly send a letter to Mr. W. he would be as likely to receive it as ary other person.

Why did not Mr. C. know that Mr. W. had received that letter before he printed it? As an evidence of his honesty, had he taken the trouble of asking Mr. Miller, he would have found the truth. No-Mr. C. must appear honest, let the truth be as it will. But had Mr. W. received the letter, what could he have done? either put one black stroke upon the whole, or have written remarks and left them in the power of Mr. C. to be managed as his speeches were-so that when Mr. C. was done with the remarks they would not have been.. Mr. W's but Mr. C's remarks.

A REPLY.

It is not our intention, in the prosecution of the subject before us, to follow the devious track marked out by Mr. C. This would leave the subject in that form, in which none could be edified. But in the establishment of our assertions, we shall attend to all the observations of Mr. C. worthy of notice. Our first assertion is:

That God did immediately, after the fall of man, establish a church upon earth, which, has continued ever since-and will remain an everlasting kingdom.

That there is a difference between the church visible and invisible will appear by observing, 1st. That she has a visible existence, under visible laws, rules and regulations. There may be membership in this visible body, without any union in reality to Christ: although such profession will neither be profitable to the person in in time, or eternity. This appears from Math. 15. 13. "Every plant which my heavenly father hath not planted shall be rooted up." These are plants inserted by men in God's vineyard-such were Simon Magus, Demas &c. If they had not been planted they could not have been rooted up.

I would therefore define the church visible to be, a number of the family of Adam, seperated from the world by profession, and united together as a body, in professed relation to Christ their acknowledged HEAD, promising obedience to his laws, and declaring that they will receive eternal salvation from him.

But by the church invisible, we mean such members of this visible body as are united to

Christ Jesus, living amongst the members of the visible church, and with them professing. This body I define to be a number of sinners called out of the world by the special grace of God, to eternal communion and fellowship with him-and this effected by the agency of the holy spirit, sent by Jesus Christ the Lord.

The scripture represents the church, of Christ, as composed of the different classes I have specified. Math. 13. 27. "Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? from whence then has it tares?" The distinction is also warrantable from 1st. John 2, 19. "They went out from us, but they were not of us." From which it is evident that they stood in some relation-it was not carnal, for no such relation exists in the church; it must then have been in some sense, spiritual. But they were not in fact spiritually united; because they were not of us.' It is evident that all the union such professors had to the church, was a professed visible relation--They had nothing

*Why some distinguish the old and New Tes-" tament church, by calling the latter the Gospel church I cannot well understand. The dispensation of grace under the old testament, was the gospel, although it was in the form of law. They were therefore as truly members of a gospel church, as we are. To describe the New-testament church by the appellation of gospel church, seems rather to deny that the former dispensation was the gospel.

more, they were not united to Christ. went out from us.'*

"They

Several things were necessary to constitute a church of Christ.

1st. They must be a body seperated from the world. The Greek word eklesia, usually translated church, very well expresses this-called out of the world by the ordinances appointed by God for that purpose.

2nd. That the body, thus called, be considered as purchased by Christ; seeing they, with the rest of the world, were enslaved by sin, they must be a body redeemed--they must possess a plea of Justification, such as the Judge will admit. This is the righteousness of Christ. Hence the song of the true members of this body-Rev. 5. 9. Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.'

3rd. That they be recognised by Christ, as his people, to whom he gives promises, and all the or. dinances of his house.

4th. That he stands related to them by a marriage covenant, in which they are his Spouse and he their husband.

That such was the church under the old testament, will appear from a few considerations.

1st. They were distinguished from the world by God himself-Amos 3. 4. You only have I known of all the families of the earth.' Here was a relation acknowledged to the Jews, distinct from all others. Considered abstractly as a na

*It would not have been necessary to be so explicit in the above distinction had it not been materially denied by Mr. C.

tion, the relation of all nations, to God is the same. It is true, that under a theocratical government, they possessed more privileges than other nations; but the difference of privilege will not vary the nature of relation-Considered as a nation, they were governed by a positive law from Heaven, specially and particularly revealed, called the Judicial law-but, to a certain degree, he knows all other nations in the same sense. The law of nature is also the divine privilege of nations, although Heathen-and, to all the extent that this law goes, has all the natural authority of any law. But the passage cited, expresses a distinct relation, which can only be understood of the church.

2nd. They were a people purchased. Jacob acknowledged this, Gen. 48. 16. He speaks inthe true language of a member of the old-testament church. The angel who redeemed me from all evil.' The redemption of the church was acknowledged from the beginning. Isaiah 63. 9.' In. all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them, and he bare them and carried them all the days of old. But if any should suppose that this was a prophetic description of the New-testament church, let them attend to the words cited that which he will do, he has done in 'the days of old."

3rd. That they were organized his people, is evident from their being frequently called in scripture, by God himself, 'my people. The congregation of the Lord.' &c. Nay, their unity as a body is directly expressed, Song 6. 9. 'My dove, my undefiled, is but one.'

4th. That he stood related to them, by a mar