fation, and he muft immediately proceed. No fooner was the fervice concluded, than he was requefted to withdraw, without being allowed to "fay any thing to her. He went home full of fad say reflections. The circumftance gave him a lefs favourable opinion of his religious connexions. urged him to prosecute his enquiries, accompanied with fervent prayer to God for grace to understand and obey his will.

It

It is here worthy to be remarked, that so far as I could ever find, Mr. Slee was, during this period, unacquainted with the books written for and against conformity to the established church. He took the matter up himself fimply from reading the New Testament. Well perfuaded of the divine inspiration and authority of this holy book, he found two principles in it which guided him through the whole: That Jefus, the Son of God in human nature, is the only head of the whole christian church, her Prophet, Priest, and Prince, her Lord, Lawgiver, and her righteous Judge, Matth. xxviii. 18-20. A&ts. ii. 33-36. Eph. i. 22. v. 23. 24. iv. 15. Col. i. 18. 1 Cor. xi. 3. Ifa. xxxiii. 22. 2 Cor. v. 10.-And also that the scriptures of truth, which are his word, Col. iii. 16. are the only rule of faith and practice in the church; and are moreover a plain, perfect,

and

and fufficient rule, Pfal. cxix. 105. Prov. viii. 8, 9, Pfal. xix. 6, 7. 2 Tim. 3. 16. an abiding rule, 1 Pet. i. 23. and the only one, Rev. xxii. 18. Neither the traditions of the fathers, nor the fentiments of any men, however great or good, ought by any means to be fubftituted for this infallible rule, Matth. xy. 6. 1 Cor. ii. 5. Ifa. xxxviii. 7. Rom. iii. Rom. iii. 17. Jer. x. 23. Exod. xxiii. 2. 1 Cor. xi. 1. Gal. i. 8.

With these two principles before him, and the diligent reading of this holy book, he could find nothing either in precept or example for a national church; fince the first chriftian focieties were all congregational. He could not perceive any thing like a church established by law; for the first christians had all civil establishments against them, and were a perfecuted people; and the antichriftian power, or Apocalyptic beast, is represented as not only in league with, but making civil powers acceffary to its aggrandizement, Rev. xiii. 17. The fame Mr. Slee found to be the cafe with re, gard to any vifible head in the church. The apoftles were not heads, nor lords, but all fervants of Christ, 2 Cor. iv. 5. and a plurality of heads conftitutes a brutish monfter in the facred vifions, Rev. xii. 3. xiii. 1. xvii. 1-5.

Similar was the refult of his enquiries with reference to the hierarchy. Here he could find no diftinction

F 2

tinction between a bishop and a prefbyter; nor any bishop prefiding over more than one church: but in fome congregations there were feveral of thefe primitive bishops or prefbyters. In a word, it appeared to him, that the firft chriftian churches confifted of fingle congregations, made up of willing difciples, baptifed upon the profeffion of their faith; and were conftituted churches by their own voluntary confent and union, under the direction of the apoftles and other minifters of the word, 2 Cor. viii. 5. To these belong the Lord's Supper, and all the ordinances of divine worship. Baptifm employed much of his attention. But however defirous he was, he could not find any au. thority for bringing babes to this ordinance; nor in all the New Teftament could he meet with one fingle inftance of it. The ritual of the church had, in his eftimation, its excellencies, but these were overbalanced with blemishes. The whole difcipline of the church, as to reproof and cenfure, was unlike that of the New Teftament: for the worft of men may enjoy all its ordinances without let or hindrance; and its cenfures are of a fecular and cruel kind, contrary to the doctrine and fpirit of chriftianity. Without any connection or correfpondence with proteftant diffenters he had

3

im

Their leading and distinguishing principles are-The fupremacy of Jefus Chrift in his church-and the perfection of the Holy Scrip

imbibed their leading and chief principles and before he had scarce any knowledge of the Englifh Baptifts, he was prepared to enter into their

communion.

Such was the ftate of Mr. Slee's mind in the fpring of 1779, when he was called, in the course of his ministry, to baptize, alias, sprinkle a babe. In theory, he had given the fubject much confideration, and totally difapproved of it. But he was now greatly alarmed with it in practice. For he now clearly faw, that he was committing two great evils: he was, in his own judgment, fully convinced, that God never required this at his hands and he himself was neglecting what God had commanded. It very forcibly struck his F 3 mind,

tures, as the rule of our belief and converfation. "It is impoffible, in my opinion, that any man, who has been educated in the true "principles of Diffent from the Establishment, can afterwards con"form with a good confcience. By the true principles of Diffent, "I understand an abjuration of all human authority, in propounding "and enforcing articles of faith, collected by men, as the doctrines "of fcripture, in their own terms, and according to their own in"terpretation; because a compliance with fuch an authority is a "literal abjuration of the supremacy of Christ in his own kingdom, "and contrary to the moft explicit commands of Chrift himself. The "foundation on which rational Diffenters build their oppofition, is "that which I have laid: and, I own, a very strong prefumption would "braifed in my mind, to the difadvantage of the moral character of an apoftate from this principle."- -Mr. Wakefield's Memoirs of

his own Life, p. 193.

mind, that it was a mere act of will-worship; and the cafe of Nadab and Abihu, whofe ftrange fire Jehovah fo jufly and awfully refented, alarmed his mind to a great degree. He now refolved, through divine grace, never to repeat it; and to continue no longer, than till he could decently retire, in a church, which, whatever may be its excellencies, and thofe of fome of its members, receded fo far, both in conftitution, and in many of its offices, from what he conceived to be thofe of the firft chriftian churches. And every fincere and upright chriftian, of whatever church, or whatever be his views of English nonconformity, must applaud his refolution formed upon fuch principles, Was it not Jofiah's great excellence that his heart was tender, and he humbled himself when he heard the words of the divine law? 2 Chron. xxxiv. 19, 27. and is not this the promise of our covenant-God and Father? But to this man will I look, even to him who is of a poor and contrite fpirit, and trembleth at my word? Ifa. Ixvi. 2.

6. Mr. Slee's Refignation and Diffent. THIS valuable young man had now made up his mind, and refolved upon refigning his office in the established church, and also leaving

her