in ancient church history, the inhabitants of Berea. They are highly commended in Scripture for their ready reception of the gospel, upon a fair and impartial examination of its agreement with the Old Testament prophecies. Sopater, a Berean, attended the apostle Paul to Asia. Acts xvii. 10—13; and xx. 4.

Bereans, in modern church history, a sect of Protestant dissenters from the church of Scotland, who take their title from, and profess to follow, the example of the ancient Bereans, in building their system of faith and practice upon the Scriptures alone, without regard to any human authority whatever.

The Bereans agree with the great majority of Christians, both Protestants and Catholics, respecting the doctrine of the Trinity, which they hold as a fundamental article of the Christian faith; and they also agree in a great measure with the professed principles of both our established churches respecting predestination and election, though they allege that these doctrines are not consistently taught in either church. But they differ from the majority of all sects of Christians in various other important particulars. Such as,

1. Respecting our knowledge of the Deity. Upon this subject, they say, that the majority of professed Christians stumble at the very threshold of revelation; and, by admitting the doctrine of natural religion, natural conscience, natural notices, &c., not founded upon revelation, or derived from it by tradition, they give up the cause of Christianity at once to the infidels; who may justly argue, as Mr Paine in fact does in his Age of Reason, that there is no occasion for any revelation or word of God, if man can discover his nature and perfections from his works alone. But this, the Bereans argue, is beyond the natural powers of human reason; and therefore our knowledge of God is from revelation alone; and that without revelation man would never have entertained an idea of his existence.

2. With regard to faith in Christ, and assurance of salvation through his merits, they differ from almost all other sects whatsoever. They reckon inseparable, or rather the same; because, they argue, God hath expressly declared, "He that believeth shall be saved;" and therefore it is not only absurd, but impious, and in a manner calling God a liar, for a man to say, "I believe the Gospel, but have doubts nevertheless of my own salvation." With regard to the various definitions and distinctions that have been given of different kinds of faith, they argue, that "there is nothing incomprehensible or obscure in the meaning of this word as used in Scripture; but that as faith, when applied to human testimony, signifies neither more nor less than the mere simple belief of that testimony as true, upon the authority of the testifier; so, when applied to the testimony of God, it signifies precisely the belief of his testimony, and relying upon his veracity alone, without any kind of collateral support from concurrence of any other evidence or testimony whatever." And they insist, that as this faith is the gift of God alone, so the person to whom it is given is as conscious of possessing it, as the being to whom God gives life is of being alive; and therefore he entertains no doubts either of his faith or his consequent salvation through the merits of Christ, who died and rose again for that purpose. In a word, they argue, that the Gospel would not be what it is held forth to be, "glad tidings of great joy," if it did not bring full personal assurance of eternal salvation to the believer: which assurance, they insist, "is the present infallible privilege and portion of every individual believer of the Gospel." These definitions of faith, and its inseparable concomitant assurance, they prove by a variety of texts, which our room permits us not to quote.

3. Confining with the above definition of faith, they say, that the sin against the Holy Ghost, which has alarmed and puzzled so many in all ages, is nothing else but unbelief; and that the expression, that "it shall not be forgiven, neither in this world nor that which is to come," means only, that a person dying in infidelity would not be forgiven, neither under the former dispensation by Moses (the then present dispensation, kingdom, or government of God), nor under the Gospel dispensation, which, in respect of the Mosaic, was a kind of future world or kingdom to come.

4. The Bereans interpret a great part of the Old Testament prophecies, and in particular the whole of the Psalms, excepting such as are merely historical or laudatory, to be typical or prophetic of Jesus Christ, his sufferings, atonement, mediation, and kingdom; and they esteem it a gross perversion of these Psalms and prophecies to apply them to the experiences of private Christians. In proof of this, they not only urge the words of the apostle, that "no prophecy is of any private interpretation," but they insist that the whole of the quotations from the ancient prophecies in the New Testament, and particularly those from the Psalms, are expressly applied to Christ. In this opinion many other classes of Protestants agree with them.

5. Of the absolute all-superintending sovereignty of the Almighty, the Bereans entertain the highest ideas, as well as of the uninterrupted exertion thereof over all works in heaven, earth, and hell, however unfathomable by his creatures. "A God without election (they argue), or choice in all his works, is a god without excellence—a mere idol—a non-entity. And to deny God's election, purpose, and express will in all his works, is to make him inferior to ourselves." For farther particulars respecting the Berean doctrines, we must refer the reader to the works of Messrs Barclay, Nicol, Brookbank, &c.

The Bereans first assembled as a separate society of Christians in the city of Edinburgh in autumn 1773, and soon after in the parish of Peterculter. The opponents of the Berean doctrines allege, that this new system of faith would never have been heard of, had not Mr Barclay, the founder of it, been disappointed of a settlement in the church of Scotland. A respectable clergyman of the established church has even hinted something to this purpose in Sir John Sinclair's Statistical Account, Vol IX. p. 199. But the Bereans, in answer to this charge, appeal not only to Mr Barclay's doctrine, doctrines, uniformly preached in the church of Fettercarn, and many other places in that neighbourhood, for fourteen years before that benefice became vacant; but likewise to two different treatises, containing the same doctrines, published by him about ten or twelve years before that period. They admit, indeed, that, previous to May 1773, when the general assembly, by sustaining the king's presentation in favour of Mr Foote, excluded Mr Barclay from succeeding to the church of Fettercarn (notwithstanding the almost unanimous desire of the parishioners), the Bereans had not left the established church, or attempted to erect themselves into a distinct society; but they add, that this was by no means necessary on their part, until by the assembly's decision they were in danger of being not only deprived of his instructions, but of being scattered like sheep without a shepherd. And they add, that it was Mr Barclay's open and public avowal, both from the pulpit and the press, of those peculiar sentiments which now distinguished the Bereans, that was the first and principal, if not the only, cause of the opposition set on foot against his settlement in Fettercarn.

Having thus given a concise view of the origin and distinguishing doctrines of Bereanism, it only remains to mention a few particulars relative to the practice of the Bereans as a Christian society. Infant baptism they consider as a divine ordinance instituted in the room of circumcision; and they think it absurd to suppose that infants, who all agree are admissible to the kingdom of God in heaven, should nevertheless be incapable of being admitted into His visible church on earth. They commemorate the Lord's supper in general once a month; but as the words of the institution fix no particular period, they sometimes celebrate it oftener, and sometimes at more distant periods, as may suit their general convenience. In observing this ordinance, they follow the primitive apostolic plan, without any previous days of fasting or preparation; as they apprehend that such human institutions only tend to make an idol of the ordinance, and to lead people to entertain erroneous ideas of its superior solemnity and importance. Equal and universal holiness in all manner of conversation, they recommend at all times, as well as at the table of the Lord. They meet every Lord's day for the purpose of preaching, praying, and exhortation to love and good works. With regard to the admission and exclusion of members, their method is very simple. When any person, after hearing the Berean doctrines, professes his belief and assurance of the truths of the Gospel, and desires to be admitted into their communion, he is cheerfully received upon his profession, whatever may have been his former manner of life. But if such an one should afterwards draw back from his good profession or practice, they first admonish him; and if that has no effect, they leave him to himself. They do not think that they have any power to deliver up a backsliding brother to Satan. That text and other similar passages, such as, "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven," &c., they consider as restricted to the apostles and to the inspired testimony alone, and not to be extended to any church on earth, or any number of churches or of Christians, whether deciding by a majority of votes or by unanimous voices. Neither do they think themselves authorized, as a Christian church, to enquire into each other's political opinions, any more than to examine into each other's notions of philosophy. They both recommend and practise, as Christian duties, submission to lawful authority; but they do not think that a man, by becoming a Christian, or joining their society, is under any obligation, by the rules of the Gospel, to renounce his rights of private judgment upon matters of public or private importance. Upon all such subjects they allow each other to think and act as each may see fit his duty. And they require nothing more of their members than a uniform and steady profession of the apostolic faith, and a suitable walk and conversation. With regard to feet-washing and the like practices, which some other sects of Christians consider as duties, the Bereans are of opinion that they are by no means obligatory. They argue, that the example given by our Saviour of washing the feet of his disciples was not an institution of an ordinance, but merely a familiar instance, taken from the custom of the country, and adopted by our Lord on that occasion, to teach his followers that they ought at all times to be ready to perform even the meanest offices of kindness to each other.

It may not be improper to add to the above delineation of the principles and practice of the Bereans, that their doctrine has found converts in various places of Scotland, England, and America; and that they have congregations in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Paisley, Stirling, Crieff, Dundee, Arbroath, Montrose, Fettercarn, Aberdeen, and other towns in Scotland; as well as in London and various places in England; not to add Pennsylvania, the Carolinas, and other States in America.

The above account of the doctrines, origin, practice, and present state of this society, has been given to us by the founder himself.