at last withdrawn; and the words of the thirty-nine articles, on that subject, were restored. In this, there is certainly no superaddition to what is held generally by divines of the church of England. As to the substitute proposed, the objection made to it, was its being liable to a construction contrary to the great evangelical truth, that salvation is of grace. It would have been a forced construction, but not to be disregarded. Some wished to get rid of the new article introduced concerning predestination, without stating any thing in its place This, it is probable, would have been better than the proposed article; which professes to say something on the subject, yet in reality says nothing. But many gentlemen were of opinion, that the subject was not to be passed over in silence altogether; and therefore consented to the article on predestination, as it stands on the proposed book. The opinion of the author was, that the article should be accommodated, not to individual condition, and to everlasting reward and punishment; but to national designation, and to a state of covenant with God in the present life. Although this is a view of the subject still entertained by him; yet he has been since convinced, that the introducing of it as an article would have endangered needless controversy, on the meanings of the terms predestination and election, as used in the New Testament. If we cannot do away the ground of controversy heretofore laid; it at least becomes us, to avoid the furnishing of new matter for the excitement of it. As to the article in the proposed book; although no one pro

fessed scruples against what is there affirmed, yet there seemed a difficulty in discovering for what pur

pose

it was introduced. The author never met with any who were satisfied with it.

On the subject of original sin, an incident occurred, strongly marking the propensity already noticed, unwarily to make private opinion the standard of public faith. The sub-committee had introduced into this article the much controverted passage, in the 7th chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, beginning at the 9th verse; and they had applied it as descriptive of the Christian state. The construction is exacted by a theory, than which nothing was further from that of the gentleman (Dr. Smith) who would have bound this sense of the passage on the church. The interpretation generally given by divines of the church of England, makes the words descriptive of man's unregenerate state; in which there is a struggle between nature and grace, to the extent of the terms made use of in Scripture. This seems necessary to a conformity with the Christian character, as drawn in innumerable places. It was on a proposal of the author, that the article was altered in this particular; although the gentleman who had drafted it not only earnestly contended for his construction of the text, but could not be made sensible of the danger which would have resulted from the establishing of that construction, as a test to every candidate for orders.

Less prominent debates on the subject of the articles, are not here noticed. Whatever is novel in them, was taken from a book in the possession of

the Rev. Dr. Smith. The book was anonymous; and was one of the publications which have abounded in England, projecting changes in the established articles.

On this business of the review of the Book of Common Prayer and of the Articles, the convention seem to have fallen into two capital errors, independently on the merits of the alterations themselves. The first error, was the ordering of the printing of a large edition of the book; which did not well consist with the principle of mere proposal. Perhaps much of the opposition to it arose from this very thing; which seemed a stretch of power, designed to effect the introduction of the book to actual use, in order to prevent a discussion of its merits. The other error, was the ordering of the use of it in Christ church, Philadelphia; on the occasion of Dr. Smith's sermon, at the conclusion of the session of the convention. This helped to confirm the opinion, of its being to be introduced with an high hand, and subjected the clergy of Philadelphia to extraordinary difficulty: for they continued the use of the liturgy, agreeably to the alterations, on assurances given by many gentlemen, that they would begin it in their respective churches, immediately on their return. This the greater number of them never did: and there are known instances, in each of which the stipulation was shrunk back from, because some influential member of a congregation was dissatisfied with some one of the alterations. This is a fact

which shows very strongly, how much weight of character is necessary to such changes as may be thought questionable.

Section IV. Of sundry Measures and Events, connected with the Acts of the Convention of 1785.

The first particular claiming attention under this head, is the publication of the Book of Common Prayer; that is, of the edition which has received the name of the proposed book.

Dr. Smith, Dr. Wharton, and the author, who were appointed to this service, gave their application to it without delay. But here, unexpected difficulties occurred; which are taken notice of, principally with the view of guarding against the like, in future ecclesiastical proceedings.

The committee had been authorized to make verbal alterations; but were restrained from departing, either in form or in substance, from what had been agreed on. Setting aside the questions arising on this distinction; the imperfections evidently remaining on some points by reason of haste, and which would have been remedied had they been attended to, and added to this. the importunities of some of the clergy, who pressed the committee to extend their powers pretty far, in full confidence that the liberty would be acceptable to all, were such, that in the end, they were drawn on to take a greater latitude, than ought to be allowed in such a work.

Besides discretion as to verbal alterations, the committee were fully empowered on the subject of the tables, and on that of the selection of reading psalms. The author's proposal, was to take whole psalms; selecting such as fall in with the general subjects of divine worship; and leaving the officiating minister to his choice, among those which should be selected. But the other members of the committee were of opinion, that as much should be retained as could not well be objected to, on the score of being unsuitable parts of Christian prayer and praise. The consequence of this, was a charge of having treated Scripture irreverently, by the leaving out of particular passages, on the principle of their being offensive. Although the omissions were not made on that ground; because it is not every part of Scripture, that can be introduced into the exercise of devotion; yet there would apparently have been less colour for the censure, on the other plan of the selection of entire psalms. The author has been since convinced, that instead of a selection of psalms in any shape, a better way would have been to print the psalter entire; and to leave every officiating minister to his choice, from time to time. This would have less interfered with the ideas of those, who, on account of the sublime spirit of devotion running through the whole body of the psalms, were averse to the parting with any proportion of them from the service of the church. For although, according to the idea here suggested, it would have been impossible to have gratified every individual under the proposed alter