<^^^ OF Pmlcr^

1. \n.^i

'Y>

THE o^f*^. ffi^^M^^M^

testimony'''

Of the

TrefiJent^ ProfeforSy Tutors and Hebren^ Inftru^or ot HARVARD COLLEGE in Cavibridge^

Agalnft the Reverenvd

i Mr. George Whitefiela^

And his Condud,

B 0 S T 0 Ny Y{.^.

Printed and fold By ^. Fleet, at the Umt and Cro'wn. in Cornhlil. 1744.

"^

y

Korjl.iiv

I

( 3 ) THE

T E S T I M O N Y, c^^.

N regard of the Danger which we apprehend the People and Churches of this Land are in, qh the Account of the Rev. Mr. George Whitejield^ we have tho'c ourfelves oblig'd to bear our Teftimony, in this public Manner, againft him and his Way of Preach- ing, as tending very niuch to the Detriment of Religion, and the entire Dcftrudion of the Order ot thefe Churches of Chrift, which our Fathers have taken fuc4 Care and Pains to fettle, as by the Platform, according to which the Difcipline of the Churches of New England is regulated : And we do therefore hereby declare, That we look upon his going about, in an Itinerant Way, efpecially as he hath fo much of an enthufiaitic Turn, utterly inconfiftent with the Peace and Order, if not the very Being of thele Churches of Chrill.

And now, inafmuch as by a certain Faculty he hath of raifing the Pafllons, he hath been the Means of roufing many from their Stupidity, and fetting them on thinking, whereby forne may have been made really better, on which Account the People, many of them, are ilrongly attached to him (cho* it is moft evident, that lie hath not any fuperior Talent at intruding the Mind, or fliewing the Force and Energy of thofe Arguments for a religious Life, which are direded to in the everlafting Gofpel) Therefore^ that ti;c People who are thus attached to him,

A 2 may

(4)

imay not take % an unreafonable Prejudice againft this our Teftimony, we think it very proper to give fome Reafons for it, which we Hiall offer, refpe<5ling the Man himfeif, and then his Way and Manner of Preach- ing.

Firft^ as to the Man himfelf, whom we look upon as an Enthiifiaft, acenforious, uncharitable Perfon, and a De- luder of the People ; which Things, if we can make, out, all reafonable Men will dpubtlefs excufe us, tho* fome fuch, thro' a fafcinating Curiofity, may (liU continue their Attach- ment to him.

Firfl: then, we charge him, with Enihttfiafm, Now that . we may fpeak clearly upon this Head, we mean by an En- ihiifmft^ one that a<^s, either according to Dreams, or fome fudden Impulfes and Imprf^fTions upon his Mind, which he' fondly imagines to be from the Spirit of God, perfwading and inclining him thereby to fuch and fuch A(5lions, tho* he hath no Proof that fuch Perfv/afions or Imprefrions are from the holy Spirit: For ix\t perceiving a ftrong Impref- fion upon our Minds, or a violent Inclination to do any Ac- tion, is a very different Thing from perceiving fuch Im- preffions to be from the Spirit of God moving upon the Hcjcirc : For our (Irong Faith and Belief, that fuch a Mo- tion on the Mind comes from God, can never be any Proof of iti and if fuch Impulies and ImprefTions be not agreeable to our Reafon, or to the Revelation of the Mind of God to us, in his Word, nothing can be more danger- < ous than conducing ourfelves according to them ; for o- therwife, if we judge not of thcio by thcfe Rule?, they f may as well be the Suggtfiions of the eVtl Spirit*: And in what Condition muft that People bt, who ftand ready to be led by a Man that conduds himfcjf according to his Dre.ims, or fome ridiculous and unaccountable Impulfes and Impreffions on his Mind ? And that this is Mr. M^bue- Jidd\ Mvinaer, is evident both by his Life, his Journals

CO

and his Sermons : In which, thetndancrs of this dangerous Turn are fo many, that we cannot touch on more than a very few of them. From thefe Pieces then it is very ev*. dent, that he usM to govern hinifelf by his Dreams j one Inftance we have of this, is in his Life, pag. fi Near this ^ime 1 dream'd that I was to fee Cod on M. Sinai. T'lis made a great' hnpreffton upon me. Another like Inftance we have p. 39, 40. I prayed that God zvou*d open a Boor to *vifit the Prijoners^., quickly after I dreamed that one of- the Prifoners cauie to be inftruBed hyine -^ the Bream was im- prefi^d much upon my Heart ; in the Morning I went to the Door of the Goal— Once more, a like Inftance we have

pag. 43. I drca??i''d I was talkihgwith the Bij/jop and thai

be gave me fome Gold^ which chinked in my Hands, and p, 44. The Guineas Chinking in my Hand^ put me in Mind of my Bream.

Now if we confider thefe Inftances, we muft fuppofe him condu6ling himfelf by his Dreams : Nay, the Second looks as if he wouM have us think, that it was a divine Dirtdi'jn to him, ns was that of the divinely infpir'd ApoftJe, ". ' ich caus'd him to attempt to preach the Gof- pel at M.: ■^d'}ra. And as plain it is, thiir he uiualiy governed hi. n'ejf by fome fudden Impulllrs and |mprefliors on his Mind ; and we have one Inftance that may fuisfy us, that his fi.rft fetting out upon his Icinerant Bufincls, was from an Endiufuftic Turn. Journal from London tOf Gibraltar, p. 3. He fays. He will not mention the Repfonx that perfwaded him., that it was the divine JVill that he fijould go abroad^ becaufe., they might not be deemed good Reafins by another 'r but faith, He was as much bent as ever to g!>, tho* ftrongly folliclied to the Contrary, having rffced direolion from Heaven about it for a Tear and an half. Orher Inftance^ there are, wherein he fheys it to be his Cuftom to attributi^ any common Turn of hi^ -Mind <o a Motion of rhe Holy Spirit upon bim, without any more Reafon than any ■ ^ A 3 M...

1

CO

Man may, any Recolle<5fTons of his Memory, or fudden wSuggeftions of his own Underftanding. Such an one you Tiave, Journ. from Gibral. to Savan.p, 6. I went to Bed with unufual ^ho'ts and Convi^ionSy that God wou'd do fome

great Things at Gibraltar : Another, Journ. from

Savann. to England^ p. 22. where he Says, That the Leffon before he left Savannah being St. Paul\ Shipwreck; and that, before his leaving Charkftown being the Firft of Jonah, made fuch a deep ImpreiTion upon him, that he wrote to his Friend to acquaint him, he was apprehenfive he fhould have a dangerous Voyage, and it happening to be bad Weather accordingly, he fays, God hath now Jhewed me, ivberefore he gave thefe previous Notices, So thac every Scripture that came to his View, was recti v'd as the Bath Kol of the Jews, and he plainly fhews himfelf as much di- reded by this Way of finding out^he Will of God, as he calls ir, as the old Heathen v/ere by their Sortes Homerci^y Virgiliane^ dzc. And of this we hive a very full Inftance, fame Journ. Pag. 38. where you have a particular Ap- plication of the Words which appeared upon the Dodor's lirft opening the Book of Common Prayer, viz. The Lord hath vifited and redeemed his People % vpon which he wifely obfcrves, [0 it was, for about 8 oj Clock the Men [aw Land, Sometimes he fpeaks as if he had Communications di- rc6l!y from the Spirit of God, Journ. from Gibral. to Savann. p. 5. God was pleafed to Jhew me, it was not his U'lll Journ. from Savann. to TV. £. p. 31. The Power cf ike Lord came upon me : So alfo, p. 38. and again, p, 68. The Spirit of the Lord was upon me: Journ. from iV. E. to Falmouth in £;/^/. pag. 6. The Lord gav^ me that Freedom that the Spirit came down upon them as a rujhing flighty PP'ind. Sometimes, and indeed very frequently, he (in^Vnod enthufiaftic Manner) applies, even the hillori- cai Farts of Scripture particularly to himfelf, and his own Aildirs; and this Manner he endeavours particularly to

vindi-

C 7 )

vindicate. Serm. o^ Searching tti Scriptures^ p 246. of

his Sermons. It is this Applicaiion of -the hijlortcal Parts

of Scripture when we are readings that mitft render them profitable to us, and appeals to the Expt^rienccs of the Chriftian, that if he hath fo confuked the Word of God, he has been as plainly direded how to ad, as tho' he had confuked the Urim and the Tbummim, For in this plain and full Manner, he fays, p. 38. of his Life, The holy Spirit hatby from Time to Time, let him into the Knowledge of divine Things, and hath dire5fed hi?n in the minutefl Cir^ cumftances. And no doubt hence it is that he fays, for- mention'd Strm. p. 247. That God, at all Times, Circum- fiances and Places, tho* never fo minute, never fo particular^ will, if we diligently feek the AJJijiance of his holy Spirit, ap- ply general Things to our Hearts : Which tho* it may be true in fome Meafure as to the dodrinal and preceptive Parts of Scripture, yet is it evidendy enthufiaftical, to fay fo, as to the hiftoricai Parts of it. In this Manner he pretends a Diredion from God to go to England from Savannah, p. 28. of that Journ. The like ufe we have made of Scripture, p. 36. {o p. 42. That he fhou*d he cajl upon Karrigbolt Ifiand, becaufe he had an Imprefjion upon his Mtndy as to what the Apoftle tells the Mariners, That they muft be cafl upon a certain Ifland.

But we proceed to mention one Piece of Enthiifiafm of a very uncommon Turn, which fhews to what a great Length this unhappy pernicious Difpofition of the Mind may carry a Man. When Pag. 32 of his Life, he pcrfo- nates our blefTed Lord him fc if, when in his Palfun, fays he, // was fuggefled to me, that when Jrfus cried cut, I thirji, his Sufferings were hear at an end ', upon this I threw my fe If upon the Bed, crying out, I thirfl, I tbirft : Soon afier

I felt my Load go off , and knew what it was truly to

rejoice in the Lord. And certainly it is cafy enough to conceivej from what Spirit flich a «S'/,;^^r /?;>; muil come

To

(8)

To mention but one Inftance more, tho' we arenotoFfuch Letter- learned as deny, that there is fuch an Union cf Be- lievers to Chrifl:, whereby they are one in him^ as the Father and he are One^ as the Evangelifl: fpeaks, or rather the Spi- ric of God by him ; yet fo Letter- learned we are, as to fay, that that PafTage in Mr. W — 's Sermon of the Indwelling of the Spirit^ p, 311: vol. of Sermons, contains the true.Spiric ot Enrhufiafln, where he fays, to talk of any having the Spi- rit of God without feeling ofit^ is really to deny the Thing, Upon which we fay, That the Btfliever may have a Satis- fadlion, that he hath the Affiftance of the Spirit of God with him^ in fo continual and regular a Manner, that he may be faid to dwell in him, and yet have no feeling of it ; for the Metaphor is much too grofs to exprefs this (however full) Satisfadion of the Mind, and has led fome to take the ExpreiTion literally, and hath fwe fear) given great Satis- fadion to many an Enthufiafl among us fmce the Year 1740. from the fwelling of their Breads and Stomachs in their religious Agitations, which they have tho't to be feeling the Spirit^ \n its Operations on them. But it is no v/ay neceffiry ro inflance any further upon this Head ; for tb.e aforefiid Compofitions are full of thefe Things.

The whole tends to perfwade the World ("and it has done fo wi'ih refped to niany) that Mr. fV, hath as familiar a Converfe and Communion with God as any of the Prophets aa-.i Apoflles, and fuch as we all acknowledge to have been under the Infplration of the Holy, Ghoft.

In the next Place, we look upon Mr. fV, as an unchari- table, cep.forious and llanderous Man -, which indeed is but a natural Confcquence of the, heat of Enthufiafm,. by which he was fo evidenraily adted j for this Diftemper of the Mind always puts a Man into a vain Conceit of his own Worth and Excellency, which all his Pretences to Humili- ty will never hide, as long as he evidently fi-iews, that he would have the World think he hath a greater Familiari-

(9)

ty with God thnn other Men, and more frequent Comnm- nicariuns from his iioly Sjurit. H/nce fuch a Man r^a- turally aH'ufnis an Audiority to di6tare to others, and a Right toduv(fl their Conduct and Opinions; and hence if any ad not according to his Diiedions, and (he Model of Things he had form*d in his own heated Brain, he is pre- fcntly apt to run into flander, and (ligm.itize them as Men of no Religion, iinconverte<\ and Oppojers of the Spirit of God: And that iuch hath been the Behaviour of Mr. fV. is aUb fufficientlv evident as was the former Head. Hence were his monftrous RcflcdUons upon the great and good Arch- bilhop TiLLOTSON, (as Dr. Increafe Mather Stiles him) comparing his Seruions to tlie conjuring Books which the Apofties perfwaded the People to deftroy.

Hence alfo is that Reflexion made upon Mr.Commiflliry Garden, ]iy^\Tu\\ from Sava?ia toiV. £. p.22. where he fays, he was obliged totell htjii he believed he was an unconver- ted Man. But what oblig'd him to tell all the World of it in his Journal ? and why did he believe fo ? Becaufe (he faysj all his Difcourfes were fo inconfiflcnt with and contrary to the Gofpel. But this (ccnfidering Mr. Garden's Cha- rader) muft be only accordini: to his peculiar No. ions of Inconfillency. If the Commiliary were too fevere upca Mr. fF, his Spirit might indeed be naturally irritated thereby ; but he ihiou'd have confiv^er'd, that it is no new Thing, that true Chriilians fnouM perf.^cute (in feme De- gree) one another. Again, p. 44. He irlinuates in a

very unchriftian Manner, That Mr. H n ^/Newp— -c

had no experimental Knowledge of the N. Bir^h.

The next Inllance we ihall note, is the reproachful Refledions upon the Society which is i^nmediately under our Care. p. SS- Where are obfervable his Rafnnefs and his Arrogance. His Raflmefs, in publi/hing fuch a-. difadvantageous Charader of Us^ viz. Brcaufe fome Bed/ had fo infornVd him, Surely he ou^ht, it he had/ollowcd

B cur

( iO )

Our Saviour's Rule, to have had a greater Certainty o^ the Truth of whit he pubhfh\iofu3 ro the whole World. Bun his Arrogance is more flagrant lliil, that fuch a young Man as he lliould take upon him to tell what Books we ihou\i allow our Pupils to read. But then he goes fur- ther ftiil, when he fays, p. g§. both of l^aie College as well as ours, As for the Univerfiiies^ I believe it may befaidy Their Light is now become Barknefs^ Darknefs that may be fdt. What a deplorable State of Immorality and Ir- religion has he hereby reprefcnted Us to be in ! And as this'is a mod wicked and libellous FalOiood (at leaft as to cur ColKgej as fuch we charge it upon him. But why doth he fay thus ? Why, becaufe this is complained of by the moji godly Mirdjlers Here we are at a Lofs to think who:n he means by the moJl godly Minijlers, Certainly not the Rev. Gentlemen of the Town of Bofton (with whom neverthelefs he was moft acqu^iinted) for they are in the Government of the College, have afiided in making the Laws by which it is governed, and conftantly vifit us by a Committee, and themfelves four Tinies in a Year, and make Examination how die Laws are executed. Befides, we don't know that he hath been plcas'd to allow to any one of them any fuch religious Charadler, in any one of his Journals, as fhould make us think ue means them, but rather the reverfe. Vid. p. ']6 of his Journal from iV. E.

But we Ihall finifh this Head of his Cenforioufnefs^ when we have mention'd his pernicious Reflexions upon the Minifteps of the Churches in this Land. We fay this Land', for it is far from a torturing of the Words, to fup« pofe he diredly means them, when he fays, p. 70. He is feyfwadcd the geni^^alily of Preachers talk of an mknozvn mfelt Chrift ; thp' he hath evafively faid (fince he came this time; that he did not refkain the Expreffion to the Minify %ers of N. England, tho' he did not exclude them. Admira- bly futisfadory this Explanation ! Bui; he can't come 0^ fo

C XI )

eafily in the Refltdion he makes upon our Minidcrs, f, 95. Mciny^ nay 7no(l ptrbaps that preachy I fear ^ do not

cxperimeHtally kno-w Chrifi Is it poiTible ht- ihould fay,

this is no Charge upnn the Miniflers of thcfc Churches? It is true, it is not fo in Form \ but is it not one o\ tl.e mod uncharitable Things he cou'd have done, to maniieft thefe his Fears to all the World, v/ithout Ground ? Without Ground, we fay ; for as to the greatefl: Part of them by far, their ConverfatJon is as becomes ihe Golpel, and we may challenge him and all the World "to fhew the contrary.

And now let the Worl.i judge, if we h we noc the higheft Realon to vx Mr. W. as an unchantahle^ cenforious and fianderous Mm; that he has been guiiry of grds B"cachts of the Ninth Comtnand of the mora! Law, and an evident difregard to the Laws of Chriftian Chanty, as they are deli- vered to us in the N. Teftament. And now is it poffible that we fhould not look upon him as the blmieable Caufe of all the Qiiarrels on the Account ol Religion, which the Churches are now engaged in ? and this not only on account of his own Behaviour •, but alfo as the coming of thofe hot Men amongfl us afterwards (who, together with the Ex- hcrters that accompanied them, cultivatv-d the fame uncha- ritable Difp 'fition in our ChurchesJ was wholly owing to his Influence and Ex^miple. So that all the Errors, Con- fufions and QuarreJs that our Churches are now in, are ow- ing to to this cenforious, moil unchriilian Carriage and Dif- pnfition ', and it is, to us, a very marvellous Thing, v/hta fuch Behaviour as Mr. ^. &c. have ufed, is plainly and dirediy contr..ry to the moral Law, and ail the Rules of Chriilianiry, that the People, in general, fhould not be able to fee it.

Again, We think it highly proper to bear our Teftimo- ny againft Mr.7F. as vve look upon him a D finder of t}?s People, How he defigns to manage in this A flair now, we know not ^ bJiC we me^'.n, that he hath much deluded

B .1 them,

them, and therefore fuppofe we have Rcnfon in this refpeifl to guard againd him. And here we mean more cfpccially as to the Coliedions of Money, which, when here before, by an extraordinary mendicant faculty, he ahnoft extorted from the People. As the Argument he then ufed was, the Support and Education cf his dear Lomhj at the Orphan- Haufe, who (he told u.% he hop'd) might in Time preach I he Gofpel to lis or our Children ; fo it is not to be doub{;ed, thnt the. People were greatly encourngcd to give him largely of their Subftance, fuppofing they v/crc to be under the immediate Tuition and lollruftion of himfelf, as he then mice them to believe ; and had not this been their Thj't, it is, to us, without all Peradventure, they would ntver have been perfwaded to any cotifiderable Contribution upon that Head ; and this, notwithftanding, he hath fcarce feen them for thefe four Years ; and befides hath left the Care of them with a Perfon, whom thefe Contributors know nothing of, and we ourfelves have Rcafon to believe is little better than a i^fuke'- ; fo that in this Regard we think the People have been greatly deceiv'd.

Furthermore, the Account which Mf TV. hith given the World of ills Difburfement of the fcveral Contributions, for the ufe of his Orphan Houfe (wherein there are fcveral large Articles, and fome ofabout a Thoufanid Pounds, our Currency, charg'd in a very fummary Way, 'viz. For fundries, no Mention being made therein what the Sum was ex- pended for, nor to whom it was paid) is by no means f.itisfH<![\ory. And as we have fo much Reafon to be difVatisficd with the Man, fo ^e

thinks

Secondly, We have as much Reafon to diflike and bear Teftlmony againlt the Manner of his Preaching ; and this in Two refpefts, both as an Extempore and as an Itinerant Preacher.

And firrt, as to his extempore Manner of preaching ; this we think by n^ means proper, for tliU it is impcinble thit any Man fliould be able to man.'igt: any Argument with that Strength, or any Inftrufition with thu Ckarncfs in an extempore Manr.cr, as he may with Study and Me- ditation. Lefides:. it is obfervable th.it your (fJvZ/'w/orr Preachers give ws aimoft always the fame Things in the npolic;itory ?i\rt of their Ser- mons, fo that it is often very little akit> to their Text, which is jull o- penM in a curforv, and nr,t feldom in a perverted Manner, and then comes the fame kind of Harangue which they have often u led before, as an /Application; fo that this is a moll lazy "Manner, and the Prea- cher offers chat which coil him nothing, and is accordingly little In- ilruftive to (lie Mind, and Hill lefs cogent to the teafonable Powers. Now Mr. IV. evidently Ibows, that he would have us believe his Dilcuurfes are extempore , and indeed from thuRailmcfe pf jocic of his

Exprcf-

'^Mitm

f

Expreflons, as well as from the dangerous Errors vented in them, it is very likely : Hence, no doubt, were the m my ungiiiirtleJ Expre^ioni in his Sermons when he was here before ; antj fince he has come again, he hath told us, *' Tiiat Chriil loves unregenerate Sinners w'lth^Liiit " of Complacency :" Nay, he hath gone rather further, and faid, ** 7hat ** G Oil loves Sinners as Si'ffners ; which, jf it be not an unguarded Ex- prelhon, muft be a thoufiind times worfe : For we cannot look upon it as much lefs than Blafphcmy, and (hows him to be fironger in the Jntinomian Scheme than moft of the Profeflbrs of that Herefy them- felves; and that this is not unlikely, is to be fufpcfted, bccaufe the Ex- preffion was repeated, and when he was tax'd with it, by a certain Gentleman, he made no Retradations.

But lajilyy We think it ogr Duty to bear our ftrongeft Teftimony againft that Itinerant Way of preaching which this Gfntlemnn was th« iirft promoter of among us, and ftill delights to continue in : For if we had nothing againft the Man^ either as jin Enthujia/l, an uachari- tuble or delujive rcrfon, yet we apprehend this Itinerant Manner of preaching to be of the wont and moft pernicipM? Tendency.

Now by an Itinerant Preacher, we underhand One that hath no [

particular Charge of his own, but goes about from Country to Country, or from Town to Town, in any Country, and ftands ready to Preach to any Congrt gition that (h^il caH htm to it \ and fuch an one is Mr. '

W. for it is but trifling for him to fa) (as w? hear he hath) That he \

requires in order to his preaching any where, that the MiniUer alfo \

fhouhl invite him to it ; i^^r he knows the Populace have fuch aii Itch \

after him, that when they generally dcfire it, the Minifter (however ■

diverfe from their's, his own Sentiments may br ) will always be in the \

utmort Danger of his People's quarrelling with, if not departing from ,

him, Oiou'd he not conft.nt to their impetuous Defires. Now as it is plain, no Man will find much Bufinefs as ap Itinerant Preacher, who j

hath not fomtthing in his Manner, that is (however trifling, yea, and i

erroneous too. ytt) very taking and agr^eablp to the People; fo whcln j

ihis is the Cafe, as we have lately unhappily feen it, it is then in hU "^ j l^ow^r to raife the People to any Dcgrcj? of Warmth he pleafcs, where- j

by they iland ready to receive almoll any Doctrine he is pi^afcd to ^

broach j as hatli been the Cafe as to all the Itinerant Preachers wha \

have followed Mr. W\. Example, and thrurt tJiemfelves into Town and Pariflies, to the Deftrudion of all Peace and Order, whereby they have to the great impo^erifhment of the Community, taken the Peop!. from their VVork and Bufmefs, to attend their Lcftures and Exhoria tionsj always fraught with EBthufi^fm, au 1 other pernicious Error..

But

But, nvhich ii nxmfe, and it is the natural EffeSl of thefe Things, the People have been thence ready to defpife their own Minifters, and their ufefulnefs among them, in too many Places, hath been almoll deftroy'do

Indeed, if there were any thing leading to this manner of Manage- ment in the Direftions and Inftrudions given, either by our Saviour or h s Apoftlcs, we ought to be filent, and fo wou'd a Man oC any Mo- dcHy, if (on the other hand) there be nothing in the N. Teftament leading to it. And furely Mr. fV. will not have the Face to pretend he a£ls now as an E'-vangeli(i, tho* he Teems to prepare for it in Journ. from N,E. to Falmouth in England, p. 12. where he fays, God feems to fheixi me it is my Duty to Enjangeli'ze, and not to fix in any particular Place : For the Daty of tnnt Officer cer- tainly was not to go preaching of his ow.> Head from one Church to another, where Officers were alreadv fetrleu, and th<' Gofpel fully and faithfully preached. And it is withoui O ubt, that the Mind and Will of Chriil, vvith refpeft to the Orde? of his lurches, and the Bufmefs of his Minifters in them, is plaif-ly enough to be underftood in the N. Teftament ; and yet Mr. ^^. his taid of itr, ia one of his Ser- mons, he thinks that an Itinerant Manner of preaching may be very convenient for the furtherance of the ^ood of the Churrhes, if it were under a good Regulation. Now we are apt to imngine, if furh an Officer wou'd have been ufeful, Chrift himlelf wou'd have appointed him J and therefore (under Favour) this is to -^^ fivi/e ahve nvhat is 'written, and fuppofes either that our Lord did not know, or that he negleaed to appoint all fuch Officers in the Miniihv, as wou'd further itn the bcft manner the Truths of the Gofpel : And it is from fuch Wjfdom as this, that all the Errors of Popery have come into the Chrijiian Churchy while the Direftions of llie Word of God were not ftridly adhered to, but one tho't this Way or that Ceremony wss very convenient and figniftcant, and anorher another, til! they have drefs'd up the Church in fuch a monftrous heap of Appendages, that at this Bay it can hardly be difcern*d to be a Church of Chrift.

And DOW. upon the wJioIe, having, we think, made it evident to every ore that is not prejudic'd on his Side (for fuch as are fo, we have little hope to convince) that Mi PP'. is chargeable with that Enthuftnfm, Lenfcrioufnejs and delufive Management that we have tax'd him with j and fince alfo lie feems refolv'd fdr that Itinerant Way of preaching, which we think fo deilrudive to the Peace of the Churches of Chri.'t ; wt. cannot but bear our faithful TelUmonv againfl hirn, as a Perfon very unfit to preach about as he has done Wretofcrc, 3.nd as he? ha'^ i?ow begun to do, ;^u^

'^

C 'J )

And we wouM earneftly, and with all due refpedV, recommend it to the Rev. Pallors of thefe Churches of Chrift, to advife wiih each other in their fevfr.il Aflbciations, and confider whether it be not high Time to make a Hand againll the Mifchiefs, which we have here fuggeiled a? coming upon the Churches.

Harvard College y Dec, 28. 1744.

Edward Holyoke, Preftdent,

Henry Flynt, Tut, & Soc,

Edward Wigglesworth, 5^^. & .S. jT. P. Holliff.

JuDAH MoNis, Inflr. Hehr,

Belcher Hancock, Tut.

Joseph Mayhew, Tut. & Soc,

Thomas Marsh, Tut.

John Winthrop, Math. Sc Phil. Nat, Prof. Holllff.

mmh'

^^^##e######^^*##^

n

'-"W^^^^i

■.':r-!';i^|'.i.'^i^i:tj:''f>^'

<b