To those who are acquainted with the lives, and writings of Penington, and Barclay, it is unnecessary to fay that they were men of eminent piety and devotedness to what they believed to be, the caufe of truth. Confidering the age, and the very peculiar circumftances of the times, in which they lived, they are defervedly regarded as men of liberal and enlightened minds. On various fubjects their opinions are correct and inftructive; they were not adopted from education or imitation; but were the refult of serious and diligent inquiry; and if in any of them, the flightest apprehenfion of error had been entertained by these men, we have ample reafon to believe, that their opinions would have been afresh subjected to a fevere fcrutiny with firmness and integrity. In these respects their example is highly worthy of imitation. Surely, however, neither their opinions, nor those of any other man, are to be adopted on the fanction of a name, or upon any human authority whatever, but muft ftand or fall by their own intrinfic evidence. On the subject of this lengthened note it may further be briefly remarked, that although there be countless gradations of animated beings, fome of whom may arrive at degrees of intelligence, of which we cannot form even the moft diftant idea, yet it may furely, without presumption, be affirmed, that to "GOD, ONLY WISE," belongs the attribute of INFALLIBILITY. Equally reafonable is it to conceive that, the nearer the approach which the highest orders of created beings make to THIS SOVEREIGN PERFECTION of the Deity, the more clearly do they difcover how infinitely beyond even their attainment INFALLIBILITY must ever remain. Shall man then, frail and finite man-shall any affembled church, and least of all any protestant christian church, perfuade themselves that INFALLIBILITY, even in any qualified sense of the expreffion, belongs to them? The baleful baleful effects of fuch an opinion have been obvious in every religious. fociety by which it has been maintained; and fo long as the laws, by which the Almighty has hitherto been pleased to preserve and govern the world, fhall continue, it may be safely predicted that the fame caufe will continue to produce the fame effect. FINIS. McCreery, Printer Houghton-street, Liverpool.. |