Great Teacher Himself. We should just as soon hope to improve upon the laws of nature, and marshal into more orderly groups the hosts of the stars, as to improve upon this natural order of church government. It seems to us, too, that it is specially adapted to promote spirituality in the members. It requires a constant appeal to the Word of God and the will of Christ, not merely on the part of the officers, but of the members also. On the teachings of that Word they must depend for their guidance, and not upon a knowledge of ancient usages, ecclesiastical canons, and books of discipline. That Word, therefore, had need be continually in their hands. It encourages a simple reliance upon the presence and assistance of Christ. The members are encouraged to expect Divine help in all their church work, and should never undertake any portion of it without imploring the wisdom which is profitable to direct. In cases of special difficulty they may expect special assistance. At the same time it makes each member feel his responsibility. He has to take an interest in every matter which comes before the church. He cannot be indifferent, or carelessly neglect to do his part in helping to a right decision without dereliction of duty. He shares the responsibility of receiving members into the church, and is bound not to sanction the admission of any whom he has reason to believe, after making all charitable allowances for imperfections and inconsistencies, are not regenerate. He shares the responsibility of exclusion, and should not shirk it and leave it to the courage of others when he deems it necessary and Scriptural. Should the church become impure, he must not blame the officers unless he has done his part to preserve its purity. Nor should he complain that the church is too narrow and excludes those who ought to be received, unless he has done what he can to make it as broad as New Testament Churches were. It is obvious that it affords strong motives to intelligence in the individual members of the church. They must see that, having so serious a responsibility, it behoves them to. seek all the fitness they can for its due exercise. Were the church governed by some external authority they might simply confide in the wisdom of the governing body; but when they themselves have to be members of the governing body, and are to have a voice in all that pertains to the order and purity and work of the church, self-interest and self-respect, and a sense of responsibility must surely combine to intensify the desire to act intelligently. For the good of the church, the welfare of their fellow men, and the glory of God, they may well aim at the right culture of mind and heart. It also puts the least restraint on personal liberty. That liberty may indeed be abused, and will be sometimes abused in the hands of men only partially enlightened and partially sanctified. Much more will it be a dangerous weapon in the hands of unregenerate men, if they are allowed to enter. Liberty then degenerates into licentiousness, and must be curbed with wholesome restraints. But we are not to under-estimate and give up the boon because some abuse it. If so, we might be stripped of every blessing we enjoy. In the language of Cowper we may say, Freedom has a thousand charms to show That slaves, howe'er contented, never know; The growth that Nature meant she should attain. In Congregational churches, spiritually conducted, there is the utmost freedom. Here the natural freedom of none is infringed. Congregational churches consist of such as spontaneously unite together in solemn covenant for certain defined purposes. They choose the required officers; they transact their own affairs. None is excluded from a voice in the common concerns of the society. All is done openly. All is done by themselves, or by their officers in their behalf and in their presence. The concurrence of the people in every part of the church's proceedings affords a powerful barrier against despotism. Compulsion is unknown. Moral motives are the only weapons employed. There is no resort to physical force or approach to persecution. Every man must be "fully persuaded in his own mind." The utmost to which the society can proceed is to expel from its communion those who will not conform to the common rules. But this is a different thing from persecution. It is quite compatible with liberty to think and to act. It guards against the abuse of office in the church. All office involves power, and power, while it may be, and should always be, used for good purposes, is a dangerous possession, and needs to be watched and kept within proper bounds; for, as Franklin has said, "like water, it is ever working its own way; and whenever it can find an opening is prone to overflow whatever is subject to it." But the power of pastor and deacons in a Congregational church is not independent and absolute. It is delegated and responsible. They are to be followed and obeyed only so far as their rule is in accordance with the New Testament. They are not to be "lords over God's heritage," but F "leaders and examples to the flock." They may be faithfully remonstrated with if they abuse the confidence placed in them at their election, and even removed from office. This is a safe check which should make no officer cowardly, but should make him seek to "win to himself a good degree," by the devout, intelligent, and earnest manner in which he discharges the duties of his office. And still another advantage we must mention which Congregationalism has:-It has adaptation to all times, and places, and circumstances. Its modes of action may be greatly varied so long as there is an adherence to the general principles and practices of New Testament Churches. Each congregation is at liberty to judge for itself all other matters of order, and organisation, and labour. It is at liberty to combine with other churches when the union will not compromise its principles, nor restrain its Scriptural freedom. It is at liberty to withdraw from churches which have in its judgment departed from the faith and practices of the Apostolic churches. If Congregationalism, then, does not work well, it is not the fault of the system, but of the men. It is through lack of those qualities of heart and mind which all who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and live under the teaching of Jesus Christ should possess. "For a church to declare its incompetency to determine the form of its worship, to terminate disputes among its members, or to make a wise appointment to the ministry, is to renounce its faith in the mystery and blessedness of that most intimate union with Christ which is realised in the communion of the saints." (R. W. Dale.) But while Independent, we need not be isolated, any more than individual men need stand aloof from each other. As sister churches we should take an interest in each other's welfare. We should be ready to give and take friendly counsel or caution; we should emulate each other's virtues. We should sympathise with and help each other in affliction and need. We shonld unite to do common work, or bear common testimony, ever remembering that other Scriptural Churches are as dear to Christ, enjoy as much the presence of Christ, and are as anxious to do the will of Christ as our own, and that all these visible churches are but part of the entire Catholic Church. Nor should we be unwilling to learn from churches of other denominations. There is much in some of them that, while it is not unscriptural, nor inconsistent with Congregationalism, is worthy of being admired and imitated. We may learn from their successes as well as their failures, and thus show that Congregationalism is sufficiently elastic and yielding to allow it to take on to itself all that is truly good in methods of work. As the Rev. W. S. Chedburn, of Berwick, has said, "Is it not the exercise of the truest liberty to be ready to receive from, as well as to seek to inspire others with, our own enterprise, and the forward-looking enthusiasm which has ever been the spirit of our individualism? Our liberty is not only of value because it permits us to remain where we are, but even more because it admits of any new departure which necessity of circumstances may require, which increased wisdom and experience may warrant, or which listening with more attention to the voice of God may make incumbent on us." Only we must take care to be loyal to Christ as our first expedient, and not make anything binding which He has not enjoined or sanctioned. Thus we shall show that a Congregational church is a true Christocracy, in which Christ is supreme, and the liberty of His subjects is respected, and the order and good government and growth of His kingdom are promoted. XVII.-BAPTIST UNION. "The great maxim of co-operating with others, in so far as we agree with them, approves itself to natural reason as proper and advantageous."-DR. BALMER. Independency does not require cold and unsympathetic isolation. It only refuses to be coerced into uniformity. Such coercion it resists as unwarranted, useless, and injurious. It denies the right of any human authority to compel either an individual or a church to join any ecclesiastical organisation whatever. A union thus effected would be more apparent than real. It would be, as Robertson says, a lifeless identity of outward form, with no cohesion between the parts-a dead seabeach, on which nothing grows, and where the very seaweed .dies." Compulsion would suppress the freedom which all healthy life requires. As Independent churches, Baptists refuse to be coerced. They resisted coercion when it was attempted by penalties and pains to keep them in the Establishment, and are not likely now to yield to it. If they did, they would be unworthy of their noble, heroic ancestry. But what should prevent those uniting who are in sincere and hearty agreement on all the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith, the ordinances of the Christian religion, and the constitution and government of the churches? They have not only a common love to the Saviour who died for them, but a common regard for the authority of the Lord and King to whom they have sworn allegiance. They have not only a common desire for the coming of Christ's Kingdom, but substantially the same views respecting the laws of that kingdom, the persons by whom they should be administered, and the best means of extending and organising that kingdom. They have the same truths to teach, the same spiritual objects to promote, the same evils to combat, the same enemies to encounter, the same obstacles to overcome. They are alike the advocates of religious freedom and purity. They alike repudiate the superstitions of Romanism, the authority of tradition, the cold negations of Rationalism, and the worldli ness of State Churchism. And though they may differ about the matter of open or close communion, and may have different shades of Calvinism or Arminianism, these differences only come from the freedom which they all profess to value, and the imperfections which belong to men as fallible and imperfect. Those churches which have so much in common that is vital and all-important, and so much agreement in form and manner also, and are divided, if at all, in so few points, and those admittedly not very serious, should surely be drawn to one another with a most sisterly affection, in a most natural, hearty, and practical union. Let their objects be consistent with their common principles, and such as do not interfere with their conscientious differences, and they will find a sufficiently firm and broad platform on which they can unite, and leave sufficient room for a healthy diversity. Their unity will not be like that of a number of dry sticks, all cut to the same length and form, tied up in a bundle; but that of the tree whose stems and branches all differ from one another, and yet help to make up the symmetry and beauty of a tree, beautiful in form, and rich in production. The more Evangelical and practical the objects for which they are united, the less likely will their union be to become mechanical, formal, and useless. While these Baptist churches are Independent, they need not remain isolated from one another. They may, indeed, and should co-operate with churches belonging to other denominations as far as they are in agreement with them and can do so without the sacrifice of conscientious convictions, but their union with each other should be more close, and unreserved,. and entire. They should show that while each Church bears its testimony faithfully, and does its own work in its own locality, they are all ready to unite in a more general and farreaching testimony, and to help one another in doing that |