avoid, as much as I can, encumbering what I write in an epiftolary way to a friend, with the ftiffness of argumentation, I fhall content myself with giving you a fimple account of what occurred to me upon this head, when I made the enquiry for my own direction. But it is time to conclude this letter by affuring you that I am, Your affectionate Friend. LETTER III. My dear friend and brother, F the authority of men truly refpectable for learning, judgment, and grace were fufficient to determine the queftion, Which of the various forms of Church Government now obtaining among Chriftians, is most agreeable to the letter and spirit of the New Teftament? a modeft enquirer, who wishes for the fanction of those whom he esteems wiser and better than himself, would probably without hesitation join him felf felf to that party to which he might be first led to apply for direction. For whatever difference there may be in the merit of their feveral claims for pre-eminence, the claim itself is made with an equal degree of confidence by them all. At a time when I was very fenfible of my own incompetency to decide this point for myfelf, I received (as I hope) much benefit from the writings of Bifhop Hall, Reynolds, Davenant, Mr. Hooker, and other Divines of the Church of England. I perceived they were perfons of strong sense, extenfive literature, found in the faith; and from fuch accounts of their lives as I could collect, I judged they had been zealous and diligent in their callings, and burning and fhining lights in the world. I could not perceive that any of them were diffatisfied with the established Church, in which they lived and died; and fome of them I found were very ftrenuous in its defence, not only pleading that it was lawful to maintain communion with it, but offering many arguments to prove that it was even finful to feparate from it, and that it was the only refemblance of the primitive apoftolical Church. I own to you, that I thought fome of their affertions upon this head were too ftrong, and fome of their argu ments ments not fully conclufive. Yet I was a little staggered, and it gave me pain to be forced to differ in any point from men whom I believed to have been full of faith and of the Holy Ghost. ever, fome general idea I poffeffed of the liberty of the Gofpel, a conviction that the Lord had a How people and a work in other countries where the form of the Church of England could not take place, and the previous attachment I had to the Diffenters, with whom, as I have faid, I was firft acquainted, prevented me from becoming what is called a High Churchman. But as for these reasons I could not give the Church of |