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by John Flavel Bliss (Author)
This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1841. Excerpt: ... LETTER I. JiNUART 1, 1840. To my Numerous Christian Friends and acquaintance: The recurrence of a new year's day reminds us of time past, the rapidity of its flight, our rapid approach to the judgment, and that whatever we do for the prosperity of Zion must be done soon. A subject has rested with great weight upon my mind, during three or four years past, which, to me, appears to be of great importance. Taking one side of the question involved, tends, in my view, to continue and increase divisions among Christians, to divide arid weaken their influence, to establish more firmly sectarian jars, with all its horrors, to increase and foment divisions in the cause of benevolence, at home and abroad, and thus to be instrumental in the ruin of souls, and greatly to retard the millenial day. But taking the right side of the question, to me seems necessary, in order to unite the influence of Christians in those noble objects, to remove divisions, to stop the mouth of gainsayers and infidels; and to "prepare the way of the Lord." It is now about two hundred years since Christian Baptism, a positive ordinance of Jesus Christ, was actually cashiered and pushed away by a whole kingdom, m ecclesiastical council, at Westminister, and something substituted in its place, of mere human invention. The circumstances, I am sure, are not generally understood. A portion of Christendom still honestly and conscientiously cleave to Christian baptism as an ordinance of Christ, and can not, dare not, exchange it for a mere human invention. They feel that thus to alter the laws of Christ by human legislation, would be hightreason against Heaven; that to alter the laws of Christ in' the least, is to establish a principle which would admit of unlimited alterations; that to discard one...
