THE EVANGELISTS MANUAL; OR A GUIDE TO TRINITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS. Containing Articles explanatory of the Doctrines, Tenets and Faith TRINITARIAN UNIVERSALISTS, IN THE CITY OF CHARLESTON. "Behold! I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." "For the grace of GOD, which bringeth salvation to all men, hath appeared."- CHARLESTON : Approved and accepted by the Associates, December 31, 1827. BT E83 COPY RIGHT SECURED, ACCORDING TO LAW. iLarch, 1877. Gift Ch Mas. Thes. Whittemore. 2660 22 PRELIMINARY REMARKS. From the earliest age of Christianity, a disposition towards sectarian differences, has manifested itself among the professed followers of CHRIST; and gave no small share of uneasiness to the devout and holy PAUL, as may be seen in his masterly epistles to the Corinthians and Galatians, in which he labors to convince them of the impropriety of their divisions, and enforces the doctrine of the unity of the Church, and of the faith committed unto them by their Lord and Saviour JESUS CHRIST. The same disposition was manifested toward the close of the first century, and the just reprehensions of the SPIRIT by the holy and venerable disciple of our Lord, may be seen in the 2d and 3d chapters of his Revelations; and with sincere grief we add, the same carnal disposition, to divide and subdivide, the one Church of CHRIST, is found to exist, even in the nineteenth century! and among men, who having the experience of past ages, and every facility of acquiring the true nature, design, and character of the Christian religion, have not in this respect, improved one step, from the schisms of the early Christians; but are in fact many steps in advance of them in points of religious differences and controversies. That "the Primitive Churches throughout the world, were formed by the Apostles upon one and the same plan," we have only to refer to the second chapter of their Acts to prove: "they were of one mind, and acted as with one soul." Such was "the Primitive, Apostolic and Catholic or Universal Church of Christ, in the days of the Apostles: we mean the faithful followers of CHRIST |