our. Still, when he spoke of
himself as man, he used the strongest terms of self-abasement. He had no
doubt he should be able to foil Dr. Beaumont in argument, and convince
him that the Anglican church was really anti-christian. His benevolence
and liberality urged him to undertake this office at this time, in hopes
that, since the Doctor's subsistence depended upon his acquiescence,
expediency would facilitate conviction. The noble disinterestedness of
this intention must attract admiration; and though there were abler
advocates in the cause of Presbytery, it would have been difficult to
select one whose motives were so commendable.

When Barton visited his friend, with a view to effect his conversion, he
took care to conceal the interest he himself had in the business. With
many encomiums on the Doctor's learning and moral conduct, he urged him
to that conformity which would preserve him in a state of usefulness. He
spoke of the differences between moderate members of the Lutheran and
Reformed churches as including no essential doctrines; and mentioned the
friendly intercourse which Calvinistical congregations on the continent
had ever maintained with the church of England, assisting her in her
troubles, and receiving her persecuted members with open arms. He
observed, that what was not evidently of divine origin should never be
made binding to the souls of men, that it was never too late to retract
errors, and if, in the first hurry of separation, some remains of popish
impurity adhered to a new-born church, it behoved its members to remove
the defilement, as soon as a more simple and scriptural view of the
subject allowed them to complete the work of reformation.

So far Dr. Beaumont, in general, agreed with Mr. Barton; but, adverting
to the learning and talents of the fathers of the Anglican church, he
conceived it attributable to their moderation and wisdom, and not to
their want of sincerity or of clear spiritual views, that they
endeavoured, not to build a new church, but to purify and reform their
old one. Hence, in reply to the taunt of the Romanists, "Where was your
religion before Luther?" they could say, "Our religion preceded your
corruptions, and ever was in the Bible;" thus claiming for their
founder, neither Luther, nor Calvin, nor Melancthon, nor Zuinglius; but
the Saviour of the world. As to the remark, that what was not of divine
institution should not be made a condition of communion, it applied wit