1 824.] 



Account of tite Free-thinking Christians. 



however, they assert, is better calcu- 

 lated than coercion to lead to uinuii- 

 mity of opinion ; and hence perhaps li; 

 is, that there prevails as great an 

 affreenient on doctrines and specula- 

 tive opinions among the nictnbers of 

 lliis, as any other icligious body. From 

 a perusal of their works, I am enabled 

 to collect, that as a body they are 

 agreed in the rejection of the doctrine 

 of the Trinity, and the Calvinistio 

 doctrines of the fail of man, the atone- 

 ment, election, reiirobatimi, &c. Tliey 

 con (end that there is no Scriptural 

 evidence in favour of tlie existence of 

 good or bad angels, or of the eternity 

 of future punishment; they disbelieve 

 the doctrine of an immortal soul, con- 

 tending for the future resurrection of 

 man from the dead by the power of 

 God. They observe no outward forms 

 or ceremonies, and keep no religious 

 days, or fasts, or festivals; the sacra- 

 ments of baptism and the Lord's sup- 

 per they contend to be without Scrip- 

 ture authority; and even public social 

 jirayer and singing they discard in 

 their meetings, contending that the 

 prayer of the Christian should proceed 

 from the heart, and be performed in 

 private. They deny tlic insjiiration of 

 the Scriptures, as being a claim not 

 made by the Scriptures themselves ; 

 tiiey adniit, however, the divine aullio- 

 rity of the Prophets and Apostles, and 

 receive their writings as the only 

 authentic and best remaining evidence 

 to us of what was pure and primitive 

 Christianity. In a few words, they 

 j)rofess to believe in the existence of 

 one only God, — in the divine Messiali- 

 ship of Jesus, — in the cfliracy of re- 

 pentance and of virtue of conduct. 

 They defend Christianity as a " rea- 

 sonable service," and contend that the 

 happiness or misery of an eternal life 

 lii-reaftcr will be caused and regulated 

 by the degree of character and virtue 

 which is produced and called into being 

 in the present stage of our existence. 



In points of discipline, it would ap- 

 pear, from the infornnition which they 

 have given the world, that the body of 

 Free thinking Christians arc even 

 more peculiar than in matters of doc- 

 trine. '1 hey consider the Church of 

 God as an assembly or family of be- 

 lievers, separated from the world, and 

 allowed, they say, exclusively the ho- 

 nour and privilegf! of calling God their 

 Father. From their recent teaching, 

 ft vNould ai)pear that they entertained 

 an idea, that Chri.stiaoity is not strictly 



135 



anew dispensation; as they contend* 

 that, from the time of Abraham down- 

 wards, ibeie has been but one church 

 or family of God. In the same spirit, 

 all the branches existing at the same 

 time are regarded as but one church 

 or body, such branches communi- 

 cnling and corresponding with each 

 other, with a degree of closeness of 

 union, which they illustrate by Scrip- 

 tural allusions to the members of the 

 human body. 'I'he spiritual and tern-' 

 poral business of each branch is con- 

 ducted by an elder and by deacons ; 

 these being elected by the body, and 

 the term of oflice limited. Their 

 churches have no appointed or exclu- 

 sive teachers ; at their meetings for 

 religious improvement, which are at- 

 tended by members and proposed 

 members only, all have equally the 

 right to speak and teach, by " giving 

 a word of exhortation." They profess 

 to carry the strict principles of religion 

 and churcii discipline into the most 

 private concerns of the lives of their 

 members; to aidwhich purpose, their 

 body is divided into classes, with pre- 

 sidents, &c. The chief causes of 

 expulsion they state to be, — 1st. A 

 disbelief in the truth of Christianity. 

 2d. Immoral conduct not repented of. 

 And 3d. Dis.ibedience to the laws, 

 authority, and connnands, of the 

 Church, as expressed by Jesus, in 

 Matthew xviii. v. 17. Loud complaints 

 have been made by some of the expel- 

 led parties of the strictness with which 

 their principles have been enforced, 

 the more esiiccially as this body inva- 

 riably acts upon the principle, that in 

 all cases of discipline, and every public 

 religious act, the indhidnal will is ac- 

 countable to, and must be controlled 

 by, the collective auihoritij. This strict- 

 ness of discipline has been assigned as 

 the chief reason why so few of the 

 numerous attendants at their public 

 meetings are found to join in close 

 connnunion with the body. 



'I'heir instruction to the public 

 (which \:i carried on separately from 

 the meetings of the Church,) is by 

 means of speakers appointed by the 

 Church for that especial purpose ; they 

 attend without pay, use no pulpit or 

 pccidiar garb, and simply state those 

 views and opinions of the body which 

 they ar(! speeilieaUy appointed to ex- 

 plain to the world. Judging from their 

 public acts, this body would a[)pearto 

 be zealous for the interests ol'revialed 

 religion ; and it is not a little singular, 



that 



