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S O ME
REFLECTIONS,
By way of DIALOGUE,
On the Nature cf
Origi?2al Sin^ Baptifmal 'Rege7ieration^
Repejitance^ the New Birth, Faith,
yuJliJicatioTi, Chrijiia?i PeffeBion, or
Univerfal Holi7iefs, and the Infpiration
of the Spirit of God.
0-x.av^a.Xov, "EXT^vKTh ^l (/.u^iav, I Cor. i. 23.
— avri X£y^K» w EXArjv ; <TC^\a.v ^»3T£K » E%£t? rov K^iroit
(ro(pia* ovla. rS Haclqoq. Ol (jlIv yx^ piXoa-o^oi Tre^t
■^vx,^cc )^ dvovrfia, rji^oXr^Bria-ccv' 0 cs rotv^oq to'v «ocrjx<M>
taua-e. Theophyl. in 1 Lor. i. 24, 25.
"HiX-OUaOV Toivyy TO (TbJflX, tvOi olKfl TO 7iVtV(Ji0t, BV (TOiy XCtl
^l a,vTo oj^ o-ot ■/) ^a;>5 idem, in Rom. viii. 1 1 .
Humbly Infcribed to the Moft Reverend and Right Reverend the
Lords the Archbirtiop', and Bifnops of £ jj G l a n d.
The FIFTH EDITION, with an APPENDIX.
By VIN.^ERRONET, AM,
Vicar of Shoreham in Kent^ and
Chaplain to the Right Honourable Earl Stanhope.
LONDON:
Printed and Sold by J, and W. Oliver, in
Bartholomew -Clofe near Weft Smithfield. 1767,
i^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ ^^ "^^
." ' ^^. to
T O THE <- ^
Moft Reverend and Right Reverend
The LORDS the
ARCHBISHOPS and BISHOPS
o F
ENGLAND.
My Lords,
'T^Hough the Obfcurity of the Au-
thor cannot challenge the Honour
he thus ventures to aflame to himfelf;
yet the great and important Doclrines
liere treated of, both o( xht /acred IFrit-
A 2 i?2gs^
DEDICATION.
ings, and of our own Church, will fufR-
ciently plead his Excufe. And indeed,
as your Lordfhips ought to be efteemed
principal Guardians of fuch Doftrines ;
therefore the Patronage of them, To far
as they appear to h^ fuchy muft, in part
at leaft, belong to your Lordlhips.
That yuJliJkatiGn by Faith^ which is
one of the Do(£lrines here explained,
has been varioufly underftood, cannot,
my Lords, be a Secret to you : But this
can neither leflen the Truth, nor the
Importance of it.
That it is a Do6lrine of our own
Church, none will venture to deny;
though by the cold manner in which it
is fometimes treated, one would go near
to fufpeft, that fome Gentlemen were
quite tired of it.
It may certainly, my Lords, be afked>
whether Men are always to hold Opini-
ons,
DEDICATION.
ons, which cannot be defended by the
Gofpel', becaufe they were once efpoufed
by the Church ^^
My Lords, They who have a due Re-
gard for the divine Authority of the Gof-
pel, or for iht Principles of \ht Reforma-
tion, cannot long be in Sufpenfe about
anfwering fuch a Queftion.
However, my Lords, till this really
appears to be the Cafe of any of our
Doclrines, it is in Charity to be hoped,
that no Member of our excellent Church
will either be artiamed of her Doftrines,
or afraid to efpoufe them 3 left be only
prove afbamedofthe Gofpel of C\\n&.»
How far, my Lords, the Agreement
is here (hewn between an antiquated
Do6lrine or two of our own Church,
and that divine Gofpel : And how far
fome dangerous and fatal Errors are
laid open, which ftrike at the very Foun-
A 3 dations
DEDICATION.
dations oi ChriJliamfy',"ThQk are Points,
which are humbly fubmitted to the un-
prejudiced Judgments of your Lordfliips,
as well as to that of every other ferious
and wife Chriftian. — I am, with the
greateft Deference and Refpefi:,
My Lords ^
Tour Lordjhips
moji dutiful Son^
and Servant^
ViN. Perronet.
THE
PRE F A CTE^
WHAT awful Words are thefe !
" If our GOSPEL be hid, it
^' is hid to them that are loji-^ in whom
" theGo^ of this World hath blinded the
" Minds of them which ^^//Vi;^ «^/ ; left
'' \\\tLight of the gloriousGO^PEL of
** CHRIST, who is the Image of God,
'* fhould Jhine unto them [a)^
Mijerable, undone Souls ! The Li^ht,
the Truth, the ^m«^ Excellency of the
GOSPEL hid from them !
Thus the Almighty makes good his
righteous Threatning ; ** becaufe they
" received not the Love of the Truth,
" that they might be faved; for this
*' Caufe God ihall lend them ftrong
** Delufion, that they (hould believe a
*' Xy5'(Z»)."— How melancholy, hov^ de-
plorable a State, to be thus deferted of
God, and his divine Grace !
May the Lord fet thefe Refleftions
fo home upon the Heart of every proud
and obftinate Infidel, that he may find
no Reft, till he is pluckt as a Br and out of
the Fire I — But novi^, what fhall we fay of
thofe
{a) 2 Cor. iv. 3,4,
(If) zThefs. ii, 10— 12,
THE PREFACE.
thofe miferahle Profeffcrs of Chrijlianiiy\
who may have largely contributed to
the»S/;2 and Ruin of thofe immortal Souls,
by being a Scandal and Reproach to the
ProfeffioR of xhtGofpel?--'' It muft needs
" be, fays the bleiTed y^^^j, that Offences
*' come; huiWo to that Man by whom
** the Offence cometh (a) !"
Various Ways have thofe, who are
called Chrijliansy diftionoured the Ckrif-
tian Name.
Some, by Vices, which would even
{hock a foberi?<f^/fo?.— Some, by an un-
charitable^ furious^ and intolerant^^\nX
Some, by an eager Purfuit aiter the
Pleajures^ or Richesy or Honours of Life.
Surely, neither the /t'??///^/, the Z^uv/, the
proud, the vain, the covetous, nor the
ambitious Chnftian, can ever bring ?nuch
Honour to the Religion of a crucified Je-
fus I A Religion, which in joins us Mor-
tificatio7ty?iX\d Self' denial ', Purity of Hearty
and Holinefs oiConverfation ; a lowly, hum-
ble, heavenly^vci^ ', not to love the World,
nor to be conformed to it -, but to Jet our
Ajfe8ions on Things above ^ not on Things
on the Earth!
Therefore, when the Enemies oiChrif-
tianity (who zxt Jharpfigbted enough in
every
(a) St Matth. xviii, 7,
THE PREFACE.
every Thing, but what concerns their
eternal Salvation-, when thefe) obferve
too many Profejfors of the Golpel thus
trifling with it, can it be any Wonder
that//7/fe/f//VvgainsGround in the World?
I prefume it cannot. — ¥ov Infidelity^ I
am perfuaded, will alwavs gain Strength
in Proportion as theGofpel lofes its divine
Efficacy on the Hearts and Minds of its
ProfeJJors.
Let this divine Efficacy but (hine forth
in iXs full Luflre^— and Infidelity will lofe
its ftrongeft Hold. For though the God
of this World found Means to blijid Man-
kind, even in the pureft Times of the
Gofpel\ yet it may be fubmitted, whether
the Lives of Chrifiiam have not too long
furnifhed him with his moft dangerous
and {oxm\d?^\tWeapom'?^^Qo\AdReafon
and Argument havedifarmed him, he had
been long fince dijarmed\ — hut /omething
elfe is wanting.
However, it muft be the Duty of
every one, according to his Station^
Circumflances, and Abilities^ to endeavour
to enforce the Gojpel upon the Hearts of
Men. — But which is the moft promifing
Method to fucceed? Is it not to propofe
it in its native Simplicity f This furely
muft be the moft likely Way to bring
down
THE PREFACE.
down a Blejfing upon our Endeavours.
For though to accommodate its Doc-
trines either to the Prejudices of Philofo-
phers ; or to tlie l^alle of a giddy ^ thought-
ii'fs 2inA Jcepiical AgQ^ might pleafe fome
refined Reajoners '^ as well 2,% 2i Multitude
of others, who cannot relifli a Religion
which propofes a Crofs and a narrow
Way \ yet this would be only betraying
their Souls, and murdering of our cwn'y
though we might thus effedually efcape
the ufual Charge oi Enthufiafm.
I have therefore endeavoured, in the
following Dialogue, to give a J)lain Ac-
count of fome fundamental Doftrines
Qi Xh^Gofpel o{Cf?rifii without knowing*
ly departing from it, either on the Right
Hand, or on the Left.
Indeed it will appear, that I differ in
fome Meafure from the late learned and
vjorihy BiJJ:op of London {a), in relation to
the *' Spirit beari?2g ivitjiefs with our Spi-
*^ rit that we are the Children of God C' Yet
I hope it is done in fuch a Manner, as
could not give the leaft Offence, either
to hisLordlhip, or any other truly wife
and ferious Chrijlian,
His
[a) See his Lordfliip's Di/cotirfes preached at the7>w-
/»/f-, Di/cout/e the Eighth,
THE PREFACE.
HisLordfhip has certainly proved,
with great Strength ofReafon,that there
muft be Two who bear witnefs -, " and
**. that thofe Two are the Holy Spirit of
" God, and our owji Spirit :'' Yet I muft
beg leave to enter myDiflent, where his
Lordfhip denies *' the Evidence of the
'' Spirit to be a?2y fecret Infpiration, or
" any Affurance conveyed to the iVlind
*' of the Faithful;" but intirely con-
fines it to '' the Evidence oi juch Works
** as we perform by the Spidj:," P. 247,
However, as at the Entrance of that
Difcourfe^ the Sentimef2ts of that learned
Prelate are fo very juft, and withal fo
very differeiit from thofe of m^ccvj Moderns y
I can't avoid tranfcribing a Part of what
is there mentioned.
His Lordfliip obferves, that '^ to be
" xh^Children of God is the greateftPrivi^
" lege under thQ Go/pel: — And as this is
" a New State y which belongs not to us
** by Nature \ fo our Entrance into it is
*' ftiled a New Birth -, and we are faid
" to be born again ^ and to be begotten again^
" to the Hopes [of the Gofpel] — And
" therefore as we receive our Spiritual
" Life from the Gift and Mercy of God,
*• he is our Father, and we are his
Children.
<c
THE PREFACE.
Children. Thus St PeUr tells us, that
we are born again ^ not of corruptible Seedy
but of incorruptible, by the Word oj God ,
lihch liveth and abideth for ever.'*
Epiftle i. 23.V
" This new Life we receive by the
MIniftration of the Spirit: The Few-
ers which belong to this Life, and in
which it confifts, depend upon the
Influences of the Spirit \ and therefore
we are faid to be born oj the Spirit. He
is the Earncft of our Inheritance ; the
Fledge and Security which we receive
from God of our future Immortality."
Page 227, 228.
1 (hall here only juft enquire — Whe-
ther from this beautiful Account of our
Spiritual Life, of the new Birthy and
the Fowers belonging to it ; of the Af/-
nif ration. Influences, and divine Offices of
the Holy Spirit, a Perfon would not na-
turally conclude, that the Fower ofknow^
ing we are the Children of God, muft alfo
proceed from fome divine Influence or Ope-
ration upon the Soul {a) ?
{a) Seepage 88. of the following Dialogue, Note {h).
SOME
po sr S C R I PT.
fi/4>,
-'^:^^
SOME
REFLECMOaMS
Future State of Things;
Humbly offered to the ferious Confide-
ration of fuch Moderns as difbelieve
the Immortality of the Soul.
I
'I
S not the mod confummate Happinefs
worth feekin2 after ?
tD
II. Is not the mod confummate Mifery
worth avoiding ?
III. Muft not the one or the other be our
Portion hereafter, if the Gofpel be true ?
IV. But what if the Gofpel htfalfe ?
V. Why then, it muft be allowed, that a
true Chriftian is fadly difappointed ! — How-
ever, let us examine, what Hurt the Belief oi
a glorious Immortality has done him ?
B VI. We
POSTSCRIPT.
VI. We will admit, that this Belief has
robbed him of many irregular Gratifications ;
deprived him of many fa/hionahle Vices ; re-
ftrained vn2iny craving Appetites \ curbed many
violent Pcijfions •, fubdued many darling De-
/ires ; nay hindered him of all thofe worldly
PojfieJJionst which he could not enjoy with a
good Confidence ; and perhaps expofed him to
the Laughter and Ridicide of a gay World \ of
jnany Free-thinkers 3.nd Free- livers.,^ AW this
we will fuppofe he has fufFered for his Hopes
of Immortality,
VII. But are thefe Hopes really worth all
thefe Sufferings ?
Tin. Let us fairly examine. — In general
then, thefe Hopes have been a continual Feaft
to his Mind •, and have conftantly furnifhed
out fuch inconceivable Joy and Happinefis^ as
he would not have exchanged for the PofTef-
fion of the whole World ! Were they there-
fore not worth the whole Vvorld to Him •,
and even this upon the Suppofition that his
Hopes were ill-founded ?
IX. But let us proceed next to enquire,
how Matters (land with thofe Gentlemen who
fcorn to indulge any Hopes oi l\iis kind ?
X. Firft, It mufl: be granted, that as they
have fhook off all the Shackles of Religion^
they certainly enjoy a Freedom^ which the poor
Believer does not. Therefore, as they are
under
POSrsCRTPT.
under none of ihok JIaviJh Reftraints, they
are at full Liberty to give a complete Swing to
t\\€\v Pajfwns and Pieafures-, to their Pr/^^>
Ambition^ and Revenge,
XI. However, hy ^2iy oi Counter-halancey
may not x.\\\s free Indulgence fometimes cod
them pretty dear ? May it not prove to the
Lois of their Reputations^ their Peace^ their
Healthy iht'ir Efiales, and perhaps their Lfwj .?
XII. But let us view thefe Gentlemen in
the mod advaniageous U\ght — Let us fuppofe
they have fo much Philofophy and Prudeneey
and Command of their P anions ^ that they are
T\oi Slaves to i\i€\v Appetites \ but that they
avoid every outward Vice of the Age ; and
thus maintain z fair Reputation^ and 2l found
Body : — Yet it is moil evident, that notwith-
ftanding they do not live the Life of a Beafi^
yet their highefl Expectations are only to die
the Death of a Beafi I
XIII. Therefore, fuppofing there was no-
thing beyopd the Grave i yet as fuch Perfons
deprive themfelves of a prefent unfpeakable
Happinefs arifing from the Flopes of a glorious
Iimmrtality \ — it cannot be, but they mud
certainly have the Difadvantage. Sojuftand
beautiful are the Sentiments of that ancient
Philofopber^ who declared, — " That if the
" Belief of the Soul'^s hnmortality was a Mif-
*• take\ it was however fo delightful a Miilake,
B 2 " thac
POSTSCRIPT,
" that he would not fufFer himfelf to be rob-
«' bed of it, as long as he lived ! * "
XIV. But can the gloomy Profpe5f of fink-
ing into Noihing afford this Pleafure ? — What
a dreadful Glooin muft polTcfs that Mind which
can believe it ?— And what malicious Daemon
muft poflefs that Mari^ who would deprive
others of their Hopes of Immortality ?
XV. And now, to finifh this Addrefs^ let
us do common Juftice to the Gofpel. — We
have hitherto reafoned upon a Suppofition,
that the Gofpel gave us 2l falfe Account of //«-
mortality. Let us now for Argument's Sake,
fuppofe the Gofpel is true : — Who then is the
"K;^y^ Man? — Is it he that has enjoyed during
his whole Life, the reviving^ lovely Profpedt
oi endlefs Happinefs \ and which he will one
Day enter upon ? Or is it he that has deprived
himfelf of that divine Pleafure in this World,
and whofe Portion is a dreadful Scene of Mi-
fery in the other ?
* Quod fi in hoc erro, quod Animos hominum im-
mortales effe credam, lubenter erro : nee niihi hunc
errorem, quo deledor, dum vivo, extorqueri volo.
M, T. GiCERO, de Senea.
SOM E
SOME
REFLECTIONS,
By way of DIALOGUE, &"€.
BETWEEN
Philalethes and Eugenius.
Eugenlus,
I Have often thought, my dear Friend, that
eternal Salvation is a very weighty Affair;
and therefore have been very defirous to
know, What I muft do to hefaved P
Phil. It is a little unufual, my vrorthy
Friend Eugenius^ to fee a Perfon of Birth and
Fortune, efpecially of your Years, making fo
vnfajhmiahle an Enquiry. But when once
the Spirit of God has effeftually touched the
Heart, neither Youth, nor Riches, nor Ho-
nours, can withftand the powerful Influence.
E, I have various Queftions to trouble you
with ; but defire to be Rrft informed. What
is to be underftood by Original Sin ? For I
B 3 think
[ 2 ]
think a learned Lutheran talks of no Jefs than
fixteen Opinions about ic (<«).
P, You certainly begin with a very proper
Qiieliion : For till we know the true Foun-
dation of our fpiritual Diforders, we fhall
hardly be able to get rid of them. The Va-
riety of Opinions concerning Original Sin^ or
any other Dodrine whatev.er, will have no
ether EfFed on a wife and good Mind, than
to make it the more carefal in diftinguifhing
Truth from Falfhood. It is commonly faid
of our l.earned and excellent Cudwortb^ that,
in his Intdle^fual Syftem^ he had raifed more
Spirits than he fould lay : And fuppofing this
to be fo ; yet his Subjedl is not the lefs True^
the lefs Weighty^ or the lefs Important^ 6p
that, admitting there were many more Opi-
nions about Original Sin^ we have no further
Concern with them, than only to endeavour
to fix upon the right: And fince I capnoj:
help you to a better, than that of our own
Church, be pleafed to hear what that is.—
Original 5/;^, according to her, " is the Cor-
" ruption of every Man's Nature ; whereby
*' he is very far gone from original Righte-
<' oufnefs ; and is of his own Nature inclined
'* to Evil : And which Corruption deferves
" God's Wrath, ^c"
This is, in brief, what our Church fays (h) :
And I think, as the Scripture fpeaks much
to
{a) O/^W^r in Bifhop Taylors Polemical Difcourfes,
P^ 45?-
ib] Article IX.
[ 3 3
to the fame Pnrpofe (a) ; fo the unhappy
Experience of Mankind will vouch for no
fmall Part of it — There is. not, perhaps, any
thing in divine Revelation, to which proud
Reaibn (loops more unvvilHngly : And there-
fore it has found out nunfiberlefs Glofles and
Comments, rather than fubmit to a mortify-
ing Dodrine, which reprefents all Mankind as
a Race of degenerate^ fallen Spirits.
E, Some, I know, have thought, that
the Dodrine of Original Sin bea;s hard upon
Divine Goodnefs.
P. Undoubtedly it does, as it has fometimes
been explained. But if God has abundantly
made up our original Lofs ; if, where Sin
ahoundedi there Grace did much more abound
{b)^ then every Divine Attribute remains fafe
and untouched. Perhaps indeed Mankind
may not be able to comj>rehend tlie Reafm^
why infinite Wifdom Ihould choofe rather am-
ply to repair that Lofs, than to prevent it at
firft : —And if this be theCaufe of our Unbe-
lief, let us modeftly remember, that we art
hut ofTefterday^ and know nothing {c). That
illuftrious//^^//^^«, Socrates^^dAn^d the Name
of the wifeft Man, by forming very humble
Conceptions of human Wifdom^ in general ;
B 4 and
{a\ Gen.i 26, 27. Ch. ii. 17. Ch. iii. Pfalm li. 5.
Eccles. vii. 29. Rom. iii. 9, 19, 23. Ch. v. 6 — 21.
Ch.vi. 23. Ch. vii. 14 — 25. Ch. viii. 6— -8. 2 Cor.
V. (4, Gal iii. 22. Ephes. ii. 3. Ch. iv. 22 — 24. See
alfo St John iii. 3—8. ti St Pet. i, 3, 4, 23. i St John
iii. 9. Ch. V. 4, 18.
[b] Rom. V. 15 — 21. (f) Job viii. 9.
C 4 ]
and of his own in particular {a). But he that
w/7/know theReafons of God's Difpenfations,
before he beHeves them, has neither the Wif-
dom of that Philofopher, nor the Modejly of a
Chrijlian,
1 am not contending, my good Friend, for
a hlind^ popijh' Fmih, which i?nplicitly fubmits
itielf to Many or the Church : But when we
have fufficient Reafon to beheve the Voice to
be the Voice of God, there theUnderftanding
ought topay an entire and abfoluteSubmiifion:
And when once the Meaning of that Voice is
clear to us, there is then left no room for dif-
puting -, but we ought rather to bide our/elves
in the Dujl {h)^ and to receive it with the deep-
eft Humility.
Let us now hear the Sentiments of a great
Mafter of Reafoning, who was never charged
Vi\i\i Bigotry ox Enibuftafm " There is
** one fort of Propofitions, that challenge the
" Jbigbefi Degree of our Aflent upon hareTef-
*' tunony ; whether the Thing propofed agree
*' or difagree with common Experience, and
*' the ordinary Courfe of Things, or no. The
*' Reafon whereof is, becaufe the Teftimony
" is of fuch a One as cannot deceive, nor be
*' deceived, and that is, of God himfelf. This
*' carries with \tCertainty beyond Doubt y Evi-
*' dence beyond Exception. This is called
*' by a peculiar Name, Revelation •, and our
*' AfTent
ihiya titU cl^lx In xj ovhvoi- Flat, Apol. Soaat,
(^) Ifai. ii, 10, II.
[ 5 ]
*' Aflent to it, Faith-, which as abfolutely
*' determines our Minds, as our Knowledge
*' itfelf ; and we may as well doubt of our
*' own Being, as we can, whether any Re^
" veJation from God be true. So that Faith is
** a fettled and fure Principle of Aflent and Af-
" furance, and leaves no manner of room for
" Doubt or Hefitation '^^Faith is nothing elfe
" but an Aflent founded on the hi^ieji Reafon.
'• — Reafon is not injured or difturbed, but
'* afllfted and improved, by new Difcoveries
** of Truth, coming from the eternal Foun-
" tain of all Knowledge. — — Whatfoever is
" divine Revelation, ought to over-rule all
'• our Opinions^ Prejudices^ ?ind Interefts, and
*'• hath a Right to be received with 2i full Af"
*' fent" Locke'' s Human Underjianding, B.
iv. C. 16. §. 14. C. i3. §. 10.
E. 1 fo far entirely agree with that great
Man. But is not Baptifm^ in the Opinion of
our Church, a fpiritual Regeneration \ by
which, though we are horn in Sin^ and the
Children of Wrath^ we are made Members of
Chrijl^ Childten of God^ and Inheritors of the
Kingdom of Heaven {a) ?
P. It is as you fay. And our Church
means by all this, that we have hereby a Title
and Claim, through the Blood of C/^ri/?, toeter-
nal Happinefs: And which we fhaij certainly
enjoy, if we continue faithful to QUYBaptJfndl
Covenant, — But then, as we expetfl this, we
B 5 are
{a) OiEcc for Baptifm, and-the Church Caicchlfin ; and
Artf 27.
C 6 ]
are obliged, when grown up, " to crucify the
" old Man, and utterly to abolifh the whole
•* Body of Sin ; to follow the Exavipie of our
*^ Saviour C^r//?,and to be m^de like unto him i
*' that as he died and rofe again for us, fo
^' fhould we who are baptized, die from Sin^
*< and rife again unto Right eoufnefsy continuaUy
•' morufy'ing all our evil a^d corrupt Aff'e^ions ;
*^ and daily proceeding in ^// Virtue andGod-
** linefs of living (a)/'
You fee then, my dt&vEugenius^ what is the
conjiant Ta(k of SiCbrifii an ^ if he defigns to be
the better for his Baptifm,
E. I fee it very plainly. And withal, that,
according to our Church, there is 2iBody of Sin
remaining af/er Baptifm ; and confequently,
that the Corruption of our Nature is not taken
away by it.
P. That it is not, our Church exprefsly af-
firms (^): And our own Experience may
abundandy convince us.— But it isagainft this
Corruption, and all the Sins which flow from
it, that we are daily to llrive and petition.
And God's holy Spirit, if it be not our own
Fault, will give us the Vidory {c). But we
muft,
{a) See the laft Prayer in the Office ofBapii/m; and
the Exhortation that follows it.
{h) Article IX. Whoever compares the Englijh with
the Latin Article, will eaiily perceive, that by regene-
rated is there meant baptized. However we Ihall plainly
fee, that our Church means alfo fomething elfe by Re-
generation^ than merely Baptifm.
\c) Rom.vi. 6, II — 15, 22. I Cor. xv. 56, 57. I
irmft here obferve, that with regard to thefe Words, —
M God's
[ 7 1
muft, my Friend, ufe great Diligence and
Watchfulnefs ; be often in Prayer, and never
wilfully negled any Means of Grace what-
ever («). And then we need not doubt, but
the Blood of Jefus Cbrifi will cleanfe us from
all Sin {b).
E. I fhould be glad to be informed, whe-
ther St Paid fpeaks of himfelf, or of fome
other Perfon, in thofe remarkable Words, in
the feventh of the Romans^ — / am carnal^ fold
under Sin I fee another Law in my Members.^
bringing me into Captivity to the haw of Sin,
— Q wretched Man t''at I am^ who fhall de-
liver me from the Body of this Death ? — With
the Mind^ I myfelf ferve the Lazv of God 5 hut
with the Flffh^ the Law of Sin (r).
I mud own, it was not difagreeable tome,
to fuppofe that the Apoftle fpake of himfi^lf j
becaufel thought, that, if fo extraordinary a
Perfon
•* God's Holy Spirit, if it be not our own Fault, will
•* give us the ViLlory ; a certain learned Gentle-
man thus objedled :— ** Here, fays he, the Point turns
'* on the ^/7// of Man ; which in P. 1 . is wholly afcribed
«* to the Ponver o/GoJ's Work on the Soul." If other
Readers Ihould make the fame Objeftion, I defire they
would refleft, that what is mentioned, P. i. relates to
t\io{tJir/i Jh-o7igCon'vi^ions, which often, in a powerful
manner, carry all before them : Whereas the other Paf-
fage relates to iho^a gentle Workings of tliQ Spirit ^ which
are too often hindered by our own wilful Follies —
SeeEphes iv. 30. Phil ii. 12, m. 1 Thefs. v 19,
2 St Pet. i, 5 — 1 1 . This alfo will folve the very fame
Objedion which was likewife maue to Part of P. 21.
[a) St Matth. xxvi. 41, St Luke xi. 13. Ephes. vi,
II — 18. 2 St Pet. i. 5— II.
\lf) I St John i. 7. (f) Ch,vii. 14,23— 25.
t 8 ]
Perfon found himfelf thusintangled and over-
come by Sin, I need not be much alarmed, if
I often found myfelf in the fame State.
P, It is greatly to be feared, Eugenius^ that
many others have made the fame fatal Ufe of
thofe ExprefTions ; but I hope it will appear,
that St Paul is not there fpeaking of himfelf ;
but of a very different Perfon.
And therefore let us hear him thus expof-
tulating in the preceding Chapter. Shall we
continue 171 Sin^ that Grace may abound? God
forbid! How fhall we that are dead to Sin ^ live
any longer therein ? — Knowing this^ that our
eld Man is crucified with Chrift, that the Body
vf Sin might be deftroyed^ that henceforth we
jhould notferveSin, For he that is dead, is freed
from Sin, Now, if we be dead with Chrift, we
believe that we fhallalfo live with him, Ch. vi.
1, 2, 6, J, ^.
Now, is it pofTible to conceive, that he who
was thus dead with Chrifi, and dead to Sin *,
and therefore, according to his own Declara-
tion, freed from it \ is it poflible to conceive,
that this very Perfon was, at this very time,
fold under Sin, that is, was neither dead to it,
tiov freed frofu it?
Again, let us obferve how he addrefTes him-
felf to the Romans, in this very Chapter. —
Likewife reckon ye alfo your/elves to be dead in-
, deed unto Sin ; but alive untoGod, through JtCus
Chrift cur Lord, Let not Sin therefore reign
in your mortal Body, that you fhould obey it in
the Lufts thereof. Neither yeildye your Mem-
bers^
[ 9 ]
hrs^ as Inftruments of Unrighteoufnefs unto
Sin : But yield your/elves unto God, as thofe
that are alive from the Dead But now, he-
ing made free ff-om Sin, and become Servants
to God, ye have your Fruit unto Holinefs, and
the End everlafling Life. Ver. 1 1, 12, i 3, 22.
is it pofTible now for any unprejudiced Per-
fon to believe, that the infpired Apoftle could
thus talk to others ; vvhiift he him f elf was
brought into Captivity to the Law of Sin P
Again, he exprefsly aflures thofe Converts,
in thefe remarkable Words, — " The Law of
*' the Spirit of Life in Chrijl Jefus, hath made
" mtfree from the Law of Sin and Death,''*
Ch. viii. 2.
But how was the Apoftle made free from
the Law of Sin and Death -, vvhiift he was a
Slave to the Law oi both ? Whilft he was car-
nol, fold under Sin ; and under zhtTerrors of
that Death, which is theJVages of it Z' Ch. vi.
23. — I know you have met with Writers, who
have attempted to folve thefeDifficulties: But
why will Men attempt to reconcile {uch^bfur-
dities d^udContradiSions? Give me leave only
to mention a Verfe or two more out of this
very Epiftie. With how much Earneftnefs
does this pious Man exhort thofe People to
^refent their Bodies a living Sacrifice, holy, ac^
ceptable unto God, which is, fays \\q, your rea-
fonable Service, This, he befeeches them to
do, by the Mercies of God. And moreover,
that they would not be conformed to this World \
but
r 10 ]
but that they would be transformed by the re-
newing of their Mind'^ Ch. xii. 1,2.
Is not i\\\s furprizing Advice from a Per-
fon who hadjuit been telling of them, that he
himfelf vi2is the veryrevaf: of thisCharader ?
He conjures them by the very Mercies of God^
to prefent their Bodies a living and holy Sacri^
fice \ whilft he himfelf, with his own Fkfhy
was adually fe>"jing the Law of Sin I Surely,
if it was but a reafonahle Service for them^ to
prefent their Bodies an hdy Sacrifice to God -^ it
was full as reafonahle for their Teacher to do
the fame. But could he prefent his Body a living
Sacrifice^ ho'y^ and acceptable to God \ whilft
he was the Servant 2indSlave of Sin ? Or could
he follow the other Part of his Advice, to be
transformed by the renewing of the Mind \ and
not to be conformed to this IVorld ? — For what
is it to be conformed to this^^orld-, if the liv-
ing in Sin be not ? Or what is it to be trans-
formed by the renewing of the Mind \ but an en-
lireChange of the Heart and Afiedions ? And
when they are thus changed, our outward
Adions mud certainly be changed too. We
fhall ihitnferve the Law of God, both inwardly
and outwardly. I'here will be no room to
fay, — fFith the Mind 1 ferve the Law of God •,
but with the Flefh the Law of Sin, Such a
Servant of God^ and Servant cf Sin, is, in
Truth and Reality, no Servant of God at all.
For he that is Truth itfelf has afTured us, —
that we cannot ferve two [fuch] M^7?fn— -Si.
Matt, vi. 24.
But
C " ]
But laftly, the fame Apoftle dlredls thefe
Converts, — to put on the Lord Jefus Chrift ;
and not to make Provifton for the Flefh^ to fuU
fit the Lufts thereof y chap. xiii. 14. From
whence it feems evident, that he, who with
the Flefh ferves the Law of Sin, has not yet
put on the Lord yefus, — But (hall we fay, that
this was the Cafe of the Apoftle ? That he
had not put on Cbriji ; though he admoniflied
and exhorted thofe Chrijlians to do it ? Is not
this to bring down an infpired Apoftle to the
level of thofe, who profefs to know God •, but
in Works deny him ? In fhort, this is fo (hock-
ing an Opinion, that I could wi(h all that
hold it would calmly and impartially refied:,
whether, Firft, ic does not make the holy
Apoftle flatly contradid himfelf in the fame
Breath? Secondly, whether thofe Convert.^,
being made free from Sin, were not much bet-
ter ChrifiianSy than he was himfelf ? And,
Thirdly, whether St Paul did not give much
better Advice, than he had yet taken ?
I do not by any means charge thofe with
holding thefe Confequences, who maintain
that Opinion : I only intreat fuch to diveft
themfelves of all Prejudice, as far as polTible,
and attentively confider, whether that Opi-
nion, and thefe Confequences, are not infC'
par ably connedied ?
E, Indeed I think the State there defcribed
IS much more fuitable to fuch a carnal Wretch
as I am, than to fo holy and mortified a Per-
fon as St P^///.— But I now beg to know,
what
[ 12 ]
what miift be done, when we have forfeited
the Benefit of our Baptifmal Regeneration ?
P. We mud be recovered again, by the
holy Spirit working in us true Repentance^
and a living Faiib in the Blocd cf Chrifl {a) ;
and this Recovery of us by Repentance and
Faith (which our Church in her Catechifm en-
joins to all who are co7ne to Age^ without Ex-
ception, may be well called 2i Regeneration^ or
New Birth.
E. I (hould be glad to be informed, whe-
ther our Church calls any thing by the Name
of Regeneration., ov i\\^New Birth., excepting
Baptifm ; becaufe this is a Point which is
fometimes difputed.
P, You will foon be able to judge of fuch
Difputations : And therefore be pleafed to
obferve, in the firfl: Place, that in (h^t Homily
for IVhitfunday^ after mention is made of the
Power of the Holy Ghcft^ in altering and
changing of Mankind, and making us New
Men in Chrift J ejus., it thus follows,
** Such is the Power of the Holy Gbcft to re-
•* generate Men, and, as it were, to i^ring
** them forth a-new, fo that they fhall be no-
** thing like the Men that they were before.
'*' Neither doth [the Holy Spirit] think it
*' fufficient inwardly to work the fpiritual and
'* New-Birth of Man, unlefs he do alfo ^zev//
*' and abide in him.'*
And
{a) St Luke xxlv. 47.
Adls viii. 22, 23. Cbap.
XX. 21. Rom. iii. 25,
Chap. V. I. Ephes. ii. 8.
aTim.ii. 25, 26.
[ 13 ]
And at the Conclufion, we have the fol-
lowing Words, *' Humbly befeeching
" [God] fo to work in our Hearts, by the
*• Power of his holy Spirit, that we being
'* regenerate^ and newly born again in all
** Goodnefs, Righteoufnefs, Sobriety, and
'* Truth, may, in the end, be made Par-
" takers of everlafting Life in his heavenly
" Kingdom («)."— Moreover, what is it to
be raifed from the Death of Sin unto the Life
of Righteoufnefs \b) ? — What is it to be new^
created from a wicked Perfon to a righteous
Man ; which our Church mentions from St
^uftin {c)? What is it fo truly to repent, as
to be clean altered and changed ; and to be-
come New Creatures ; and to walk in a New
Life as New-horn-Bahes {d) ?
What is it to be daily renewed by the Holy
Spirit (^)? What is it to hsLVQ New Hearts
created in us (/) ? What do all thefe various
Expreffions mean, but the very (ame Thing
with being regenerate and newly born again ?
Moreover, what elfe does the Holy Ghofl
defign by that New Heart and New Spirit^
which are promifed to true Penitents (g) ?
What
(a) Horn. {QTM^hit/unday, Part i. p. 276, 278. Edit.
London y 1726.
{b) Laft Collea in the Funeral Office.
[c) Horn, for Rogation. ^eeky Parti, p. 286.
{d) Horn, of Repentance, Part ii. p. 327, 328.
(e) Collea for Chrijimas-day.
{/) Collea for ^Jh-ivednefday.
(^) Ezek. ?(i. 19. Ch. xviii.31. Ch. xxKvi. 26,
[ 14 ]
What elfe does our Holy Lord mean by
this Saying, — '* Except ye be converted^ and
*' become as little Children^ ye fhall not enter
*' into the Kingdom of I-Ieaven(^) ?" What
elfe does St Paul mean by the being trans-
formed by the renewing of the Mind (b) ^^ What
elfe is to be underftood by mortifing ibe Deeds
of the Body through the Spirit : And by cru-
dfying the Flefh^ with the Affe^ions and
Lufts (c) ? What is it to fet the Affe^ions on
Things above ; to put off the old Man \ to be
renewed in the Spirit of the Mind ; and to put
m the new Man, which, after God, is created
in Right eoufnefs and true Holinefs {d) ? What
does the fame Apoftle mean in two Places, by
d New Creature (e) ; but only fuch a Perfon
as St Chryfojlom defcribes in the following
Manner ? He is turned into a New Creature :
For he is born again [ox from above] through
the Spirit (/). But ftill further ; What can
St Peter defign by thefe following Words, —
*' being horn again — of incorruptible Seed, by
*' the Word of God, which liveih and abideth
'' for ever (g) ? Or what does St John mean,
when he declares, that " Whofoever is hern of
*' God, doth not commit Sin ; — that Whatfoever
** is hornofGcd, overcometh theWorld\ — And
that
{a) StMatth. xviil. 3. [h) Rom. xli, 2.
(f ) Rom. viii. 13. Gal. v. 24-
{d) Ephes. iv. 22 — 24. Coles, iii. i, 2, 9, 10.
(f) 2 Cor V. 11. Gal.vi. 15.
hd 'TTvivi^cc']©-. in 2 Cor. v. 11. Kdit. Commel, 1603*
p. 819. M. {g) lEpift. 2.23 =
[ ^5 ]
that " Whofoever is born of God, finnelh not ;
*' hut be that is begotten of God, keepeth him*
" f^V '^ f^^^ ^^^^ ''kicked One toucheih him
" not (a)f So that not only our own
Church, but what is of infinitely greater Au-
thority, the Divine Oracles, feem plainly to
call this entire Change of the whole Man, by
the Name oi Regeneration (b), or New-Birth.
I omit thofe other Paflages in the fac red Writ-
ings, where our Blefled Lord fpeaks of the
being horn again ; born of Water ^ and of the
Spirit {c) : and where St Paul mentions our
Wing faved by the wafhing of Regeneration^ and
renewing of the Holy Ghoft {d) \ becagfe they
immediately relate to the miraculous EiFed*
pf the Holy Spirit in Baptifm, However,
with regard to the new creating a Sinner from
(L wicked Perfon to a righteous Mm^ which
St Auflin affirms to be a greater Mirack than
to 7nake a new Heaven and Earth {e)\ I fay,
with regard to this, whoever is thus altered
^nd changed^ and, as it were, new created by
the Spirit of God, though many Years after
his Baptifniy is furely as much born of the
Spirit, as the Perfon who is regenerated at
the time he is baptized. It is evidently one
and the fame Spirit, that works; and indeed
the fame IVork oi that Spirit *, only manifeft-
{a) lEpift. iii.9. Ch.v. 4, 18.
{b) *Avec.yima-a^ vi[x.ag Having begotten us agaln^
I St Pet. i. 3. ■ civ»yB'i^)i]/^iAivoif being born agaitiy
Chap. i. 23.
(f) Stjohniii. 3, 5. (//) Titus iii. 5.
[e] Horn, for Ko^ation-'week, Part i. P. 28$,
[ i6 ]
ing his divine Power at different Seafons. For
inftead of being a Child of PFratb^ the Sinner
is become a Child cf Grace ; a Member of
Chrift ; a Child of God •, and an Inheritor of
the Kingdom of Heaven. He is to be hence-
forth dead unlo Sin, and alive unto God ; and
to put on the new Man, which, after God,
is created in Righteoufnefs and true Holinefs,
And therefore, both from the Nature of the
Thing, as well as from the Nature of the
Expreffions ufed in iht facred IVritings, fuch
a thorough and entire Change of the Heart and
AffiBiom^ wrought by the Holy Spirit of
God, may, with the greateft Propriety, be
called a Regeneration or New Birth. The
two famous Fathers, juft mentioned, do, in
cHe<5l, give it this Name {a). Our Church,
you fee, exprefsly calls it fo ; and Ihe has
manifeftly abundant Reafon for fa doing 5
fince fuch a Renewal of the whole Man, is the
being lorn again, ^-^zt what Time or Seafon,
or under what Cireumftances foever, this^i-
ritual Birth may happen.
E, As I find they are evidently miftakcn,
who fuppofe our Church calls nothing by the
Name of a Regeneration or N'ew Birth, but
only Baptifm: So, what is of the highefl:
Concern to me^ I find very plainly the Need
I have of being thus regenerated or born again
by the Holy Spirit. ^^ ^^
{a) See 2\^oStChryfo/tom onGal. iv. 19. Page 10 lo,
where we meet with this in exprefs Words, »va,yiv)>Y,(Ttuq_
tTB^ocq vfA^v ^tTt fiot.] aiaTTAaa-tw? — Tou want another Re*
ggneration, and to be formed ane'u:.
[ 17 ]
P, Be thankful, my dear Friend, that the
Holy Spirit has begun this great Work in
you : For the firll Step in order to ^fpiritual
New Birlhy is to be thoroughly convinced of
the Danger we are in from Sin. The Holy
Spirit muft work this Convi^Iion {a) in us ;
and excite fome Defires in our Hearts of be-
ing delivered from the Wrath to come {b). So
that this is a very happy Beginning; but the
Misfortune of too many is, they either fee
not their Danger, or, when they do, yet
they like not this uneafy State \ and therefore
are apt to fly from it, and confequently, from
their own Salvation. However, I am per-
fuaded, that this will never be your Cafe.
E, I hope in God, it never will : And
therefore defire to know, what is to be done
upon fuch Conviction ?
P, Fly immediately to Chrijl -, who has
invited all heavy-laden Sinners to come to him ;
and has promifed to give them reft {c),
E. But does not our holy Lord fay, — No
man can come to me<, except the Father ^ which
hath fent me,, draw him {d) ? How then can
I go to Chrifi ?
P, Remember, my dear Eugenius^ that
when the Holy Spirit has any way opened
your Mind, by any Means or Method what-
ever, and thus convinced you of your State^
and has touched your Heart to fly to a Sa*
viour,
[a) St John XVI. 8. Aas xxvi. 1 8.
{6) Ch ii. 37. Ch.ix. 6. Ch. xvi. 29, 30. i Thefs.
1. 10. St Matth. iii. 7.
(f) St Matth. xi. z8. (</) St John vi. 44,
[ 18 ]
viour^ God then draws you to Chrift ; and you
mud immediately run to him.
And further, it is our Duty often to im-
plore, that God would lighten our Darknefs ;
and to pray with pious Elihu^ — That which
I fee not teach thou me (a).
Our blefTed Saviour afTures us, that he
Jlands at the Door and knocks {b) : But th^
great Misfortune of Mankind is, that they
turn a deaf Ear to him ; though he thus gra-
cioufly and frequently admonilhes every one,
_/??i? that hath Ears to hear^ let him hear (r).
As if our holy Lord had faid, — Let each care-
fully attend to my Voice •, that I may no longer-
call in vain.
And moreover, all fhould remember, that
God is perpetually calling every Sinner to
Repentance by his divine Gofpel {d) ; and
therefore every Sinner has a conftant Call to
fly to Chrift, And indeed to whom t\{tjhall
we go P For he only has the PVords of eternal
Life {e) : he is the tVay^ and the Truths and
the Life : and no Man cometh unto the Father,
but by him (f). — Let therefore every Sinner
fly to him, without delay ; for he, and he
only, is their City of Refuge,
E, You give me great Encouragement to
go to Chrift ; but my manifold Sins and
"Corruptions are enough to deter me.
P. Know
(a) Job xxxir. 32. (6) Rev. iii. 20.
{c) StMatth. xi. 15.
(</) St Mark i. 15. St Luke xxiv. 47. A£ls ii. 38.
Ch. xvii. 30. Rom. ii. 4. Ephes. v. 14.
[e) St John vi. 68. (/) Ch. xiv. 6,
[ 19 ]
P, Know you net, that the Lord jefui
came not to call the Righteous^ but Sinners to
Repentance: and that the Whole need not a
Phyfictan^ hut they that are Sick {a) ? The
f elf -righteous^ and fuch as are whol^e in their
own Eyes, fee but little Want of the great
Phyfidan of Souls ; very little Want of a
Saviour, They may often hear his gracious
Voice ; but not perceiving the miferable
State they are in ; (their own S elf -right eouf-
nefs having blinded their Eyes) they can only
approach Chrifl in a mere formal manner ;
but feel not that they are loft and undone
without him. •
Thefe are the very Perfons whom our holy.
Lord thus defcribes, ^hou fayefi I am
rich^ and increafed with Goods, and have need
of nothing ; and knoweft not that thou art
wretched^ and miferahle^ and poor^ and blind y
and naked (b).
Let not then the Sight of your Corruptions
keep you from Chrift, but rather perfuade
you immediately to fly to him. However,
be careful to approach him, like a true re-
turnings contrite Sinner ; like one, who itts
his Danger, and' is defirous to avoid ic—
Therefore thus confefs every Sin of your
Soul. Humbly befeech the Lord Jefus that
you may be wafhed from your Sins in his
Blood (c) ; and that you may have the full
Benefit of that Fountain which is opened for
Sin and for Uncieannefs {d). That you may
be
{a) St Lukev. 31, 3?. {b) Rev. iii, 17.
[c] Rev. i. 5. {4) ZechaF. xiU. i.
• t 20 ]
be cleanfed from that Corruption of your Na-
ture^ that polluted Heart ; from whence have
proceeded every evil Thought^ and every evil
Work{a^, That you may be dehvered from
that Law which wars againjt the Law of your
Mind^ and brings you into Captivity to the
Law ef Sin, That you may be dehvered
from that carnal Mindy which is Enmity
againft God : For it is not fiihje£i to the Law
of God^ neither indeed can be {b). Pray that
the Law of the Spirit of Life in Chrift Jefus^
may make you free from the Law of Sin and
Death {c).
Sincerely labour to bring forth Fruits meet
for Repentance {d) ; to avoid all Sin, and
every Occafion of it ; and, to the bed of
your Abilities, to obey every Precept of the
Gofpel. I Strive to undo every thing you
have done amifs : And, to the utmofl of
your Power, make Refiituiion {e). Petition
for that true godly Sorrow^ which worketh
Repentance to Salvation \ pray earneftly and
conftantly that the Holy Spirit may always
afTift you ; may open your Mind and influ-
ence your Heart ; and carry you through the
whole Work: And that he may compleat in
you Repentance towards God ; and Faith to-
wards our Lord Jefus Chrifl (/).
Them, who thus come unto Chrift ; or,
which is the fame thing, them, who thus
come
[a) Pfalm li. 5. StMatth. xv. 18, 19.
{b) Rom. vii. 23, 24. Ch. viii. 7.
(f) Rom. viii. 2. {d) St Matth. iii. 8.
(^j Job XX. 18. Ezek.xxxiii. 15. St Luke xix. 8,9.
(/) Aasxx. 21. Philip, i. 6.
[ 2« 3
come unto God by bim, be is able [and ready]
to fave to the uttermofi : Seeing he ever liveth
to make inter ceffi on for them (a).
E. I pray God grant I may be of that
Number: But I beg to know, in how many
Refpeds Chri/I; is a Saviour to us ?
P, Cbrift faves us from the Power of Sa-
tanib). He faves us from the Guilt of Sin,
and the Pumjhment (c) due to it. He likewife
faves us from the Dominion of it ; from its
reigning and condemning Power {d)—" Pie is a
Saviour^ and mighiy to fave (^), in all thefe
refpeds : But if we refufe him in one, we re-
fufe him in alL He will fave none f;^ their
Sins: For he came on purpofe to fave us
from them ( f ). God fent him to hlefs us,
in turning avcay every one of us from his Ini-
quities (g).
The great Defign of Cbrifi was to make an
end of Sin •, and to bring in everlafting Righte-
oufnefs {h). Therefore whoever will not be
turned from his Iniq^uilies, he oppofes the great
Dcfigns o^Chriji, He is for keeping out ever-
lafting Righteoufnefs ; by not buffering Sin to
be made an end of. For how is Sin to be made
an end of^ whilft he continues it both in his
Heart and Pradlice ? Or how is everlafiing
C Righte-
{a) Heb. vii. 25.
{b) Adls xxvi. 18. Colos. i, 13. Heb. ii. 14, 15.
{c) Ephes. i. 7. Rev. i. 5. Rom. v. 9. i Tliefs, i. 10,
{d) Rom. vi. 6, 7, 11 — 15, 18, 22. ch. viii. 2 — 4.
I Cor. XV. 56, 57.
{e) Ifaiahlxiii. I. (/) StMatth. i. 21.
{g) Afts iii. 26. (h) Daniel ix. 24.
[ r, J
Righleoufnefs to he brought in^ whilft he keeps
it out of his Heart and A(5lions(5) ?
If a Man fliould fancy he might (fill be bleji
with this everlafting Rfghteoufnefi^ though he
perfifted in his Sins and Wickednefs, let him
hearken to the Words of the holy Spirit jult
mentioned,— God fent [Chrift] to hlefs us^ in
turning a-ivay every one of us from his Iniqui-
ties. Confequently that Man cannot be blejl
by Cbri^ j he cannot have a fhare in ihtBlefs-
ing 01 Cbrifth everlajling Rightecufnefs^ who
will t20t be turned from his Sins. Nothing is
more evident to a Man, who can but open his
Eyes.
E. To me, I mufl: own, the Matter ap-
pears perfedly plain : And therefore may I be
truly and effedually turned from all mine.
But now, fince there mufl: be Faith as well as
Repentance^ I defire to know, whether they
mult be united ; or whether one is to come
before the other ?
P. You are to obferve, ihdX zs Repentance
and RemiJJion of Sins are to he preached in the
Name of Chrift ; and it being through him only
that we are reconciled to God {^h, -, it is impof-
fible either to go loChrifl^ or to God thro' hiin^
or in \{\sName^ without at leafl: {omt general
Belief that Chrift is the Propitiation for the
Sins of the World,
E. But
(a) Thii was the Paragraph referred to, P. 7, Note c.
{h) St Luke xxiv. 47, A6ls xiii. 32. 2 Cor. v. 18,
19. Ephes. ii. 13 — 18^.
[ 23 3
E. But is ibis the Fciiib, by which v/e are
raid to htjuftified?
P. It is not : You will ^ndjujlifywg Faith
to be a different thing.
E, Pray, what is meant hyjuftijicatwn?
P . The Remijp.on or Forgivenefs of Sins f/?).
j^. But how am I to underfland the-e Say-
ings of Si Paul, \\\2xaMan is juftifiedhy Faith ^
without the Deeds of the Law (J?): And that
by the Works of the Law^ Jhall no Flefo bejuf^
tified{c)?
P, Saint Paid evidently defigns to affirm,
that neither the Law of Nature^ nor the Law
of Mofes could J uJiifySimi^rs, For as all Man-
c 2 kind
{a) It is certain tliat Juflifiiatlon is properly a forenfic
Term ; and taken in its full Extent, is of a very com-
prehenfive Meaning. Jt implies ayW/V/W Sentence, by
which the Sinner is alfohediiom Guilty and confequently
dijcharged from Punifcmsnt.
And moreover, through the fame Faith^ by which we
are iYiU^juJilfied, we becom.e the Sovs of God, and re-
ceive a 'Title to the Heauenly Inheritance *. St yohn i.
12,13. G<2/. iii. 24, 26. Ch. iv. 6, 7. F.om. y'\i\. i-j.
Ephes, ii. 4.
However, as the RefraJJlon or ForgiveKefs of Sins ne-
cefTarily implies ?.Difcharge both from Guilt and Punijk-
me7?t, and can only be embraced by that Divire Faiths
which gives a Title to our being Sons of Gody and Heirs
of his Kingdom ; therefore Jujiificaiicn may be very well
explained, in general, by the Forgivenefs or Renii//:on of
S'ns. — And indeed the A^ofle himfelf feems plainly to
defcribe it under this general Notion. See Rorn. iii.
24 — z6 Ch. iv. 5 — 8. Homily of Salvation y Part I.
Page I r .
[b) Rom. iii. 2?. (r) Gal. ii. 16.
* See thtf learned Gataker on If a iab v. 23^ Ch. liii. ii. And
the late Reverend and Pious Dr DoJdridge on .-.im, iii, 20, Note a j
v.;*ere hs alio cuotcs the learned Vitritiga,
[ H J
kind u-ere become guilty hejore God{n.)^ and
flood condemned by the one Law, or by
the other; it was impoirible for them to be
acquitted by either. But God of h\s free Grace
engaged lo juJUfy or pardon a finful World,
upon a Hvihg Faith in the Blood of his Son {b).
However, this Faith was to be preceded by
unfeigned Repentance {c) : And to dilcover its
Truth and Reality, as Opportunity offered,
by fincere and univcrfal Obtdience {d).
But flill, we are not to imagine that our
Faith has any more Me) it than our f Forks,
Our Juftificaiion or Pardon proceeds entirely
from x.\\t free Grace of God in ChriJI : And it
is embraced, or applied to the Soul by j^<:^
a Faith, as the Holy Spirit mufi work in us(^).
Hence
{a) Rom. lii. g, 19, 20, 23.
{S) Ch. iii. 21, 22,24, zq. Gal.ii. 16. Ch. iii. 26.
Ch. V. 6 Ephes. i. 7. Ch. ii. 5, 8.
(t) Ads ii. 38. Ch. XX. 21. Ch xxvi 18, 20. ^
f^) St Match, vil 21. St John xiv. f ^, 21, 23, 24.
Ch. XV. 14,16. Col i. 10. Heb xiii 21. iStPet i. 2.
2Epiil.i5. — 8. iStJohnii, 3 — 5. Ch.iii.3 — 10.
{e) St Mark ix. 24. StLukexvii 5. St John i 12,
13. 2 Cor. iv. 13. Gal. V. 22. Ephes ii 8. Philip,
i 29. Ch.ii.13. 2Thers.i 11. 2Peteri. i. '* F^it/j,
iays a very Jearned and worthy Prelate, *• nxhich is the
•' Prirciple of the Gofpef, refpecf$ the Prcmijes ar,^, Decla-
** rations of God, and includes a fure Tmjf and Reliance on
•* him for the Performance: " Bp Sherlock" % Difcourjes^
the hflDifc. and Part 1. But I muft beg leave here to
add, that this Faith is not the Prcdudl o{ Readings Study,
©r Refection ; but the pure genuine Work of the Spirit of
Chriji. This appears from mofl of the Texts above re-
ferred to : And indeed thus much may fufficiently be
concluded, from ihe very Nature of it. For fince it is a
Principle
[ ^5 1
Hence it is, that we are fometimes faid to be
jujlified by God^ or by his Grace \ Ibmetimes
by the Blood of Chrijl^ or the Redemption
which is in him \ and fometimes by Faith (a).
The free Grace, or Gocdnefs of God, may
be called the Firfl, or Principal or Efficient
Caufe of our fiift:ficaiion ; the Blood ofChnfl^
or in other Words, what Cbrifi has done and
fuffiered^ is the Tnerito^'ious Caufe of it ; and
tbiU Faith, by which we embrace our Pardon
or J unification, may be eileemed, as it were,
t\\tlnftrument {b) ot it. And when the Holy
Spirit has wrought this Faith in a mourmng
Sinner, how welcome to the Soul muft be that
joyful-Voice!— «S^«, be of good cheer, thy Sins
be forgiven thee (c). For being j unified by
c 3 Faitb^
Principle by which the Heart is purified, and which dlf-
covers itfelf by [a divine] Z<?«v^ to God and Man [A£is
XV. g. Ch. xxvi. i8. Gal. v. 6.] it muft demonllrate
it<; Origin to be from Heaven. As it is evidently a Part
of our new Creation^ it muft be like every other Part, the
Work of God \ and thus it is called in exprefs Terms,—
Faith of the Operation of God ^ Colos. ii. 12. Faith ^
T>5? lvBfy$icc<; T» 0£a, — Faith, wrought hy t\iQ Energy, or
efficacious Power of God: And therefore it is no wonder it
ihould make fo confiderable a Part of the Armour of God^
Ephes. vi. 13, 14, 16, compared with 1 Thefs. v. 8. —
However, though it be not a Faith cf our oixn working \
it iz a Faith that may be procured by our own honefl and
earnefi Diligence. Seek it by humble and confiant Prayer^
and thou (halt find it. — Therefore, if thou haft it not,
lay the Fault on thyfelf only.
[a) Rom. iii. 24,25. Ch. v. 1,9. Ch. viii. 33;
Tit. iii. 7.
{b) Horn, of the PaiTion, Part II. p. 258, 259.
(f) St Matth. ix. 2.
I 26 ]
Fatib, we have PEACE 'wiih God^ through
our Lord JcfusChnii (a). ^ He is our Peace {b)\
having made Peace ^ through the Blood of his
Crofs (c). He is our Propitiation, or Mercy-
jeat{d\ through Faith in his Blood, To fuch
as approach this Mercy feat by a living Faith ^
God difcovers himfelf a reconciled Father(^^).
At that inftant, his divineKingdom begins to
be fet up in the Soul : And where this King-
dom is, Peace will difcover itfelf. For the
Kingdom of God is Right eoufnefs^ and Peace^
and Joy in the Holy Ghofi (/).— Confequently,
Peace ^joith God appears to be the certain Re-
fult q{ juflifying Faith: And our Church's
Notion of fuch a Faith feems perfectly right.
— *' This, fhe fays, is given us of God \ and
** is zfure Trufi and Confidence in God, that
" by the Merits of Chrifl [a Man's] Sins be
*' f^^pvcn and he reconciled to the F^vxinjr of
-« ' Q od, azjd to he Partaker of the Ki ngdom of
*' Heaven by Chrilf (g)." Again, ** Faith \%
-*•' faid to be zfure Truft and Confidence in the
'^ Mercies of God : whereby \^tperfu/ide our-*
*' fe)vts, that God both ha'h, and will for-
♦♦ give our Sins •, that he hath accepted us
♦< again into his Favour ; that he hath releaf-
«* ed us from the Bonds of Damnation," ^c,
*♦ W« mx:^^ apprehend the Merits of Chrifi'^
" Death
A
ia) Rom. V. i. (i) Fphes. ii. 14.
(f) Colos. 1.20. {(/) 'l\urfificy. Rom. iii. 25.
?)Ch.v.8 — 1|. 2Cor. V. 18,19. Ephes.ii.i6 — 18.
im. ii. 5, 6. Heb. vii. 25. Ch. x. 19 — 22.
^/) Rom. xiv. 17.
(g) Hoin. of Salvation, Pan III. p. l6* 17.
[ 27 ]
Death andPalTion — with ajirong and/led^
faft Faith, nothing doubting but that Chriji
— hath taken away Our Sins, and hath
reftorcd us again into God's Favour (^)."
Ifewhere we meet with what follows, —
T"/2z3«/?^?7? received [our Saviour JefusChrift]
if in true Faith and Repentance of Heart
thou hafl received K\m."Thou haft received
his Body, to endow thee with everlafting
Righteoufnefs, to ajfure thee o^ih^ everlafl-
ing Bhfs and Life of thy Soul. For with
Chrifi, by true Faith, art thou quickened
again, — from Death of Sin, to Life of
Grace (^)." And only to mention one
Place more, — *' A fure and conftant Faith,
not only that the Death of Chrift is available
for the Redemption of all the World, for
the RemifHon of Sins, and Reconciliation
with God the Father; but alfo that he hath
made, upon his Crofs, a full and fufficient
Sacrifice for thee, a perfe6l clean fing of thy
Sins ;— and that thou mayeft fay with the
Apoftle, that he loved /to, and gave him-
felf for thee (c)."
So that juftifyifjg Faith, according to our
Church, and, I prefume, according to the
Apoftle, is- fuch aFaith wrought by the Holy
Spirit, as caufes a ^^n firmly to believe that
his Sins are a6lually forgiven -, that God in
Chrift is reconciled to him, and that Chrift is
c 4 become
[a) Horn, of the Paflion, Part II. p. 258.
{b) Horn, of the Refarreftion, p. 262.
[c) Horn, of the Sacrament, Part I. p. 269.
[ 28 ]
become a Propitiation for his Sins in particu-
lar. 1 hele are the Sentiments of our ChuTch *,
and they appear to be excellently founded.
And where is tlie Wonder, if from hence
fhould arife great Comfort and Satisfaction
to the Mind : Since ^^7?/^ thus juftifed by Fail b,
a Man mud have Peace with God, through our
Lord Jefus Chrift ? But now this Faith is the
Operatic?! of God (a), or of his Holy Spirit, as
has been already obferved ', and it will be
wrought in every fincere Penitent, when in-
finite VVifdom fhall judge it proper. And as
fuch a F'^aith is the Subjlance or Foundation of
'Jhings hoped for \ and the Evidence^ or Con-
Viclion, of Things notfeen {h) : As fuch a Faith
will, in time, purify the Heart (c) entirely *,
will quench all the fiery Darts of the IVicked (d)^
and give us the Vihory over this World {e) \
is it at all to be wondered at, that fo divine
a Principle fhould enable us to embrace the
Fromifes of God in Cbrifi ; and that our Jtif-
iifi cation fhould be afcribed to it, in the
manner we have explained ?
Our Church may certainly, with the hightft
Reafon, declare, that the being juflified by
Faiih only, is a moft ivholefome Doclrine^ and
very full of Comfort (/).
For
^a) Cok)s. ii. 12. Horn, of Salvation, Parti, p. 15.
Part III. p. 16.
{b) Heb. xi. I. (f) Aasxv. 9.
{d) Ephes. vi. 16. (^) 1 St John v. 4.
if) Article XI.
[ 29 J
For if ic be the Do^rine odht holy Spirit^
as is manifeflly evident, it muft furely be a
moft wholefome DoSfrine : And if ^be Peace of
God httht certain Confequence of beingyw/?/-
fied by Faith, as the Spirit of Truth affirms,
it is manifeftly a Bo5irine full of Comfort,
And withal, fince the Spirit of God has fo
often mentioned {a) it, 1 mud take leave to
think, that it is a DoBrine o^no fmallln^oV"
tance.
E. Is it then pofTible for a Perfon ever to
know when his Sins are pardoned ? For this
I have obferved to be often queflioned.
P, There is nothing, Eugenius^ which
Men may not quellion, when they are fo dif-
pofed. But I believe you will think there is
little Reafon to make any Doubt of this, when
you have confidered it a little further — ^Pray
attend to the Words of our hcly Lord, — Come
unto me, all ye that labour^ and are heavy la-
den, and I will give you Refl (b).
But now, is it polTible for the labouring, and
heavy laden Slnncv io have Reft \ and yet not
to know it p Can a wounded Confcience be
heaUd', and the Man ml ht fenfihle of it?
Can God fpeak Joy 2i\'\diPeace to the SouI(<;);
and yet that Soul be a Stranger to Joy and
Peace f Is not a guilty awakened Confcience
c 5 like
[d] A(fts xlii. 38, 39. Rom, iii. 22, 25, 26, 28, 30.
Ch iv. 5. Ch. V. 1. Ch.ix. 30— 32. Gal. ii. 16.
Ch.iii. 1 1, 14, 22i 24, 26. Cli.v. 5,6 Ephes. ii. 8.
Philip, iii. 9. (^) St Matth. xi. 28^"^
[c] Rom XV, 15.
t 30 ]
like the troubled Sea^ when it cannot refl ? Inhere
is no Peace^ faith my God^ to the fVicked {a).
Such a State is a Hell upon Earth -, there is
nothing but 7«;/7«//, Sind Horror^ &nd Defpair.
But when once fuch a Confcience is wajhed by
the Blood of Chrifi (^), there is a Calm^ and
Peace^ and Comfort.
And cannot the Man, do you think, eafily
find a Difference between the two States ? It
may as v/ell be queflioned, whether a Man
knows the Difference between being upon a
Rack^ and lying at Eafe in his Bed : This fpi-
ritual Difcernment our Church fpeaks of in
more Places than one.
" If after Contrition, fays our Church, we
*' feel our Confciences at Peace with Gody
*' through Remiffion of our Sin, and to be
*' reconciled again to his Favour j — Who
** worketh thefe great Miracles in us ? — God
*=' give us Grace to know thefe Things, and
*' to feel them in our Hearts (r)." Again,
fpeaking of the bleifed Sacrament ^ fhe ufes
this Expreffion, *' Here [the Faithful]
** rx\2iy feel wrought the Tranquillity of Con-
" fcience, {d) ^c. " And in another Ho-
mily, fpeaking of a true lively Faith, we
have thefe Words, — ^' If you feel and per-
*' ceive fuch 2l Faith in you, rejoice in it (e)."
And in the Vifitation Office^ this is one of the
Petitions,
{a) Ifaiah v. 7, 20, 21.
[b) Heb. ix. 14. Colos.i. 20. 1 St John i. 7. Rev.i 5.
[c) Horn, for Rogation-week, Part. III. p. 292^ 293.
{d) Horn, of the Sacrament, Parti, p. 269,
{e) Horn, on Faith,, Part III. p. 26.
[ 3' ]
Petitions, — " Make thee know and feel that
** there is none other Name — in whom, and
'* thro' whom, thou mayeft receive Health
** and Salvation." And in the fame Office,
in the Prayer for Perfons troubled in Mind
or in Confcience^ thefe are part of the Petitions,
— *' Make him to ^^^r of Joy and Gladners,>
** that the Bones which thou haft broken may
" rejoice. Deliver him from fear of the »
** Enemy, and lift up the Light of thy Coun-
" tena^ice upon him, and give himPeace^^c.**
What is ih\s hearing of Joy andGladnefs, and
this rejoicing of broken Bones ^ but a fpi ritual
Difcernment of Comfort in that Confcience,
which was before broken and wounded by a
Senfe of Guilt ? Or what is th\s Deliverance
from fear of the Enemy ; and the lifting up the
Light of God'sCountenance^ and giving Peace ^
but freeing a troubled Soul from theDarknefs
and Horrors of Defpair ; and from \}i\t fiery
Darts of the Devil, which a Chrijlian is to
quench by the Shield of Faith [a) : And to
caufe that dark and troubled Soul toy^^ that
Light of Life^ and to feel that Peace of God^
which paffsih all Underjlanding {b) f And
moreover, what does our Church mean by
this Petition at the Conclufion of the L/V^;{>',
— O Lamb of God, that takejl away the Sins of
the Worlds grant us thy Peace? What can
ihe mean by the Calm of Confcience y which
Miuft always arife from a Senfe of the pardon-
ing
{a) Ephes. vi. i6..
(h) St John viii, vi^ Phil'P- iv» 7^'-
[ 32 ]
ing Love of God ? Pray, obferve how fhs
reprefents the Agonies of a real Penitent ; . — .
Pilifully behold the Sorrows of our Hearts, The
Remembrance of [our Sins] \s grievous unto
us : 'T^he Burden of them is intolerable. Receive
and comfort wj, who are grieved and wearied
with the Burden of our Sins (a).
Undoubtedly fuch as fpeak thefe Things
from the Hearty mud always be thoroughly
fenftble when thefe piercing Sorrows'^ when
thefe grievous and intolerable Burdens are re-
moved. Though, indeed, as for thofe who
repeat thefe Sentences only by rote-^ who feel
710 Burden, who experience no Sorrows of
Heart; how is itpofTible they fliould perceive
the Removal of that, which they never once
felt ? But then as this Load is not like to be
removed, till Men do really /^f/ it ; may the
Holy Spirit effectually work in them 2i fpiri-
tual Difcernment^ that they may no longer
trifle with God and their own Salvation.
E. I am fully fatisfiied, both from the Na-
ture of the Thing, and from the Sentiments
of our own Church, that Men may very fen-
fihly perceive when God has abfolved theni
from their Guilt God grant I may one Day>
through the Merits of Chrifl^ have the fame
bleffed Experience !
P, I doubt not, my dear Friend, but you
will. However, this ought carefully to be
remembered,
{a) See the latter End of the Litany ; the general
Confeflion in the Cgmmwnion- Officii 4^d the Ccmmir
nation- Service,
[ 33 I
remembered, that every y^^y^/^d'^Perfon nluft
not immediately look for ^ perpetual Calm i or
to be always free from many^ and perhaps/^-
vere Temptations : But ftill ht vi\\\ find Grace
to help in time of Need {a). He is no longer
the Servant of Sin {b). Nor will God fuffer
him to he tempted above that he is able •, but
will with the Temptation alfo make a Way to
efcape^ that he may be able to bear it (c). How-
ever, if there fhoul-d be, for fome time, a
Succeflion of Light and Glcominefs, of Hope
and Doubting ; thefe fl;iou]d not difquiet a
Chriflian \ or caufe him to miftrull the Safety
of his Condition. But he ought conftantly
to perfevere in humble Prayer, with Patience
and Submillion : And God's Holy Spirit
will carry him on from Strength to Strength ;
and from one Degree oi Faith znd Holinefs to
another (^).
E. But how may this true juflifying Faith
be diftinguifhed from that which \% falfe and
counterfeit ; \^\v\q\\ Si James fays is dead, and
which cannot y^i;^ ^^'j^fify (^) ^
P. They may very eafily be diflinguiflied,
with a little Care and Attention. True jufli-
fying Faith not only brings Peace to the Mind,
but is a \\v\ng¥nnQ\^\QoW?iiverfalObedience'y
difcovering itfelf by an unfeigned Love to God
and
[a] Heb. iv. i6. [b) Rom. vi. 6.
{c) I Cor. X. 13.
[d] Pfalm Ixxxiv. 7. St John i. 16. Rom. i. !/♦
Ephes. iv. 13. Philip, i. 6.
{e) St James ii. 14, 17, 20, 22, 24, 26.
[ 34 ]
arid Man, Inclining us to walk in everyQom-
mand of Chr'ift \ and to endeavour to brings
forth much Fruit \ and even to be filled with
the Fruits of RighteGufnefi{a), This is that
Br enfi 'plate cf Right eoufricfs^ or oi Faith and
Love^ which Chrifiians are direded to ar7n
themrelveswith(^).— Whereas the fi2///6 which
is condemned by Si J antes ^ is z, Faith deftitute
of the Love of God and Man : A Faith which
brings not forth the Fruits of iheGofpd : But
is barren and dead\ and therefore vain^ and
void of all Efficacy. — Such a Faith as this is
confident with cherifhing Anger^ Malice^
Pride^ Covetoufnefs^ or any other corrupt Dif-
pofition whatever. Nay it is confiftent with
every evil Word^ and every vicious A^ion.
But where true Faith n, it bo\\\ ju fii fie s and
w\\\fa:,5lify{c) ; nor does it give any Indul-
gence to ibch fVorks of the Dcvil, The Holy
Spirit declares, that he that cof?'imitieib Sin, is
of the Devil {d). V/hofoever ahideth in [Chrift]
Jinneth not, IVhofcever is horn of God^ doth
not commit Sin : And moreover, that in this the
Children of God are marifefl, and the Children
of the Devil : Whofoever doth not Right eoufnefs^
is not of God {e), Confequently, that Faith ^
which does not begin to purify the Heart,
fpeaks
{a) St Matth. 22. 37 — 40. St John xiii. 34, 35.
Ch. XV 2, 4, 5, 8, 10. Gal. V. 6. Philip, i. 11. iSt
John iii. 15—19, 22 — 24. Ch. iv. iC.— 21,
[h) Ephes. vi »4. i Thefsc v. 8.
(f) Ads xxvi 18. iCor, vi. II.
[d) I St John iii. 8. (^) Ver. 6, 9, iq>
[ i5 ]
fpeaks only a deceitful Peace to us {a), Th©
Blood ofChriJly when rightly applied, always
brings Peace (b)'y but then it will always
'purge the Conjcience from dead Works to ferve
the living God(c).
His precious Blood is a fan5lifying Prin-
ciple (i)i it redeems from a vain^ and wicked
Converfation {e) ; it turns them, who ^vtfanc-
tified by Faith in Chrifiy from the Power of
Satan(^f)\ and confequently, fromtheWorks
of Satan : For Chrift was manifefied to deflroy
the Works of the Devil (g). They that are
Elecfy are Ele^ — through Sanoiification of the-
Spirit unto Obedience, and fpr inkling of the
Blood of J c(us Chrift (^) .Seeing, fays the
fame Apoftle, ye have purified your Souls in
obeying the Truth through tbeSpirit (i).
You fee, my deap Eugenius, how true
Faith in the Blood of Cbrifl -, San^iificalion oi
Heart 2.xi^ Life \ and unfeignedObedience, muft
and ever will, have a mutual Connexion
with one another. But let us ftill attend to-
the Dodrine of the Holy Spirit a little further.
— " The Grace of God that bringeth Sal-
'' vation, hath appeared to all Men -, teach-
" ing us, that, denying Ungodlinefs and
" worldly Lufts, we ilbould Wvefoberly, rigb-
" teoujly^ and godly in this prefent World j
" looking
(tf) Ads XV. 9.
{b) Rom.xiv, 17. Ephes. ii. 13, 14. Col. i. 20.
(r) Heb. ix. 14. {d) Heb. xiii. 12.
\e) I St Peter i. 8, 19. {/) Ads xxvi. 18.
{g) iStJohniii. 8. [h) iStPeteri. 2.
(/) Ch, i. 22.
[ 36 ]
** looking for that blefTed Hope, and the
'' glorious appearing of the great God, and
*' our Saviour Jefui Chriji : Who gave him-
*' felf for us, that he might redeem us from
" all Iniquity^ 2ind purify unto himfelfa pe-
*' culmr^QopW zealous cf gocd Works (/?)/*—
I defire you would confider, whether thofe
who ere not zealous of good fVorks^ can be of
the Number of this feculiar People ?
Again, the fame Holy Spirit, v/ho has
told us, that '' By Grace we are y^i;^^ through
" Faith', and that Tiot o\ cur [elves -, iris the
*' Gz//ofGod: Not of ^F<?r,h, left any Man
*' (hould bcaft ♦,'' I fay, the fame Holy Spirit
im mediately afilires us, that *'■ We are his
" Workmanfhip, created \n Chriji J eftts un-
*' to good F/orks, which God hath before
** ordained^ that we {houldwalk in them (l/).^'
'Therefore, if vjt walk not \n good fVorks, do
we not contradid the very Reafon for which
we were created anevv' in Chrift Jefus? Such
a Behaviour is fo exprefsly contrary to our
Ntw Creation in Chrift, that nothing can be
more manifeft or evident. But now, only
to mention one Paflage more We are not
only diredled to add to our Faith — Virtue —
Knowledge — T'emperance — .Patience — Gcdlinefs
^^Brotherly-Kindnefs and Charily \ but more-
over, thefe Things are to be in us and abound:
And it is declared, that He that lacketh thefe
'- Things
[a] Tit. ii. 11 — 14. Ch. iii. Z,
{b) Ephes. ii. 8—10.
[ 37 ]
nings is blind ; and hath forgotten that he mas
purged from his old Sins {a).
Would to God, that fuch asexpedttobe
finally faved by z.v\ empty Faith, would lay
thefe Things' ferioufly to Heart !
E. 1 take it, that our Church does not
give the lead Encouragment to fuch a dead
Faith.
P. You judge perfedly right : let us only
hear in what Manner fhe defcribes true Faith,
— " This is the true,, lively, and unfeigned
*' Chrijiian Faith, and is not in the Mouth
" and outward Profeflion only, hut \iliveth
*' andjlirretb inwardly in the Heart. And
" this Faith is not without Hope 2LndTruft m
*' God, nor without the Love of God and of
*' our Neighbours, nor without the Fear of
" God, nor without the De/tre to hear God's
" Word, and to follow the fame, in efchew-^
" ingEvil, siud doing ghdly all good fVorks.
— " [ It ] is alfo moved through continual Af-
*' ftftance of the Spirit of God to ferve and
*' and pleafe him, to keep his Favour, to
'' fear his Difpleafure, to continue his obedi-
" ent Children, (hewing Thankfulnefs again
" by obferving or keeping his Command-
" ments, and that freely, for true Love
**■ chiefly, and not for dread of Punifhment,
*' or love of temporal Reward ; confidering
** how clearly, without Defervings, v/thave
*' received his Mercy and Pardon freely (^)."
^Thus
(a) 2 St Peter i. 5, 9.
{i>) Horn, of Faith, Part I. p. 15, 20.
[ 38 ]
— Thus does our Church exprefs herfelf.
And thus eafily may you know the Difference
betwixt a living and a icWFaith. None can be
deceived, hut Hypocrites^ or Men notorioufly
carelefs and negligent. And it is no wonder,
if either they, who value not their Salvation,
fhouJd mifs of it : Or if fuch as love to dc'-
ceive^ fhould themfelves be fatally ^^m'-W.
E. I fee nothing is wanting to difcern the
Difference, but an honefl and attentive Mind.
— But now, fince a thorough Converfion
feems, at leafl in habituaj Sinners, to be
generally a long and laborious Work ; what
can we think of thole numbers of remarkable
Convi^ions^ and thofe many fudden Coitver-
Jions^ which of late Years we have heard of,
not only in England and Scotland^ but in the
pemoteft Parts of his Majefly's Dominions in
America (a) F They feem to me too ftrange
and furprizing to be true.
P, Though, my dear Friend, it would
be the very Height of Madnefs and Prefump-
tion for Sinners to continue in Sin, in Ex«
pe<5taeion of fo miraculous a Change ; yet as
we fhould be exceedingly cautious how we
prefume to limit the Almighty, fince l^is
Judgments are unjearchahle^ and bis JVayspafl
finding out (b) ; fo when we have fuch abun-
dant Evidence of the Fads themfelves, ir
would
(rt) See the Reverend Mr Wepy\ and Mr Whiiefield\
Accounts ; and thofe from Scotland ziid Ammca, in the
l^eiv England Chriftian Hijiory,
[b] Rom- xi. 33,
t 39 - ]
would argu^ a furprizing Difpofition towards
doublings to refufe giving credit to fuch a
number of concurrentTeftimonies. But then,
befides, when we meet with feveral Inftances
of a like Nature in iht Holy Scripture (^;, this
demonftrates that the Thing is not entirely
new •, but only a Revival of what was at the
Beginning. And indeed, it is not unreafonable
to fuppofe that God would before the End of
Time, revive his firft Work, and give new
Life to expiring Chriftianity^ in a way uncom-
mon^ iniraculous^ and aftoni/hing, Ifitfhould
be objedled, that thofe ancient Inltances were
only of Jews and Gentiles converted to the
Faith of Chrift ; whereas thefe modern ones
are of Chriftians fuppofed to be converted from
a dead Faith, and dead Works •, — I fay, if
any fhould objedl this Difference ; I would
defire them to confider, whether all fuch
Chrijiians do not equally want to have their
Eyes opened \ to be turned from Darknefs io
Light '^ sind fro?n the Power of Satan unto God P
Whether they do not equally (land in need of
Jiepentance \ and a living Faith in the Blood
of Jefus ? and whether, without thefe, ei-
ther of them can receive Forgivenefs of Sins i
or Inheritance amongfi them which are fan^i*
fied by Faith which is in him {b) P
And
{a) Ads ii. 37 — 41,47. Ch. iv, 4. Ch. v. 14. Ch,
ix. I — 20. Ch. xi. 20, 21. Ch.xiii. 12, 48. Ch.xiv. i,
Ch.xvi. 5, 14, 15, 29 — 34. Ch.xvii. 34. Ch. xviii. 8.
Ch. xix. 17 — 20.
{i) Adlsxxvi. 18 — 20. Ch. XX. 21, Ch. viii. 22, 23^
Roni. iii. 24, 25. Ch. v. i . licb. ix. 14.
[ 40 ]
And when we further rcfiefl, that God has
given our holy Lord tie Heathen for his Inbc'
ritance^ and ths uttennofl Part cf the Earth
for his Poffeffiun{a) \ that the ^\\o\tJewifh
Nation fhail be converted [b), and the whole
World bow down before theScepterpf Cirz/^i
and when we confider the prefent melancholy
degenerate State of C/^r/y?/^«//)' ; — I fay, when
we lay thefe Things together, can it feem
ftrange, if, whilftGod reftores his divine Gof-
pel where it \?>]u?i deprirting^ and prepares to
bring about thofe other amazing Events, he
fiiould clothe himfclf with a more vifible Ma-
jefly than ordinary, and once movQ/hezv PFon-
ders in the Heavens^ and in the Earth [c) ?
To thefe glorious Times the Evangelical
Prophet moft evidendy alludes, where he
foretels, that the Earth fhall he full of the
Knowledge of the Lord-, as the Waters cover
the Sea{d), That famous Prophecy, in all
its Parts and wholeExtent, hm been hitherto
but very imperfedlly fulfilfed (e) •, and there-
fore ftill remains to be entirely accomplifhed.
But before this Kingdom of Right eoufnefs can
be fet up, how many ftubborn Enemies of
Chrifl muft be broken to Pieces {f)? To fo
very awful a Seafon, we may well apply
the Words of the fame Prophet, — Enter
into
. (<7) Pfalm.ii. 8. Rom. xi. 1 1, i 2, i 5, 23 — 32.
[b] Rev. ii. 55. (f ) Joel ii. 30.
{d) Ifaiahxi.g. [e] Ver. 6— 9.
(/) Pfa!iii ii. 9—12. Pfalm ex. i Cor. xv. 24, 2 5.
Ephes. i. 22. Rev. ii. 26, 27. Ch.vi. 2, Ch.xi.\. 15,
[ 41 ]
into the Rock^ and iicie thee in the Dufl, for
fear gf the Lord^ andfo' the Glory of his Ma-
jejly. ^be lofiy looks of Man floall be humbled^
and the Uaughiinefs of Men fhall he bowed
d-jwn^ and the D.rd alone fhall be exalted in
that Day {a).
So that whether we confider Chri^ as con-
quering {b) his Friends, or his Enemies -, whe-
ther as fubduing the Hearts of the former by
his divine Grace, and plucki^ig them as a
Brand out of the Fire (c) ; or whether as tramp-
ling under Foot thofe who zvill not have him to
reign over them (d) •, in either of thefe Views,
whenever that folemn time is come for the full
Accompliihrnent of thcfe Things, we may
reafonably fuppofe, that fuch a Difplay of the
Sovereign Power of Chrifl will be quite out
of the ordinary Courfe of Things. Nor will
I take upon me to fay, that our holy Lord
had noViev/ to this State of the World, when
he thus add reffrs himfelf to Nathanael ,— Here-
after you /hall fee Heaven open^ and the Angels
of God a fc ending and defc ending upon the Son
of Man {e).
So that you find, my dear EugeniuSy I
fhould not be furprized, if we fhould live to
fee much flranger Things than we have
hitherto feen.
However, as to the amazing manner of
Conviclion^ and the Suddennefs orSlownefs of
Converjion ;
{a) Ifaiahii. lo, ii. [h] Rev. vi. 2.
(^r) Zechar. iii, 2. [d) St Lukexix. 27.
y St John i. 51.
[ 42 ]
Converfton^ this fpiritualWorkof God, upon
the Soul, muft be left to God only I will
work^ fays the A mighty, and who Jhall let
it {a)?
And again, by the fame Prophet, — //
fhall ccme to pafs^ that before they call^ ' / will
avfwer ^ and wbiljl they are yet fpeaking^ I will
hearih).
However, let none harden themfelves in
Sin : For though the Spirit of God will re-
prove^ or convince the World of Sin (c), whe-
ther they will or not ; yet a thorough and lad-
ing Converfion requires their own Concur-
rence (i). The Holy Spirit exprefsly com-
mands Men to give Diligence to make their
Calling and EUHion jure: And to work out
their o-wn Salvation with Fear andTretnbling[e)»
E. But may not an Objedlion lie againft
the Nature of the Work itlelf ? May it not
be faid, that fuch Perfons are deluded^ if not
popjfed?
P, It may undoubtedly be fo faid : For
what is it, my good Friend, that fome Men
cannot (2iy ^ But then, if any one fhould vifi-
bly fee their z^// J of the Spirit cf God^ where
before he faw little except the Works of the
Devil }
[a) Ifalah xliii. 13. {h) Ifaiah Ixv. :',4,
(c) Stjohnxvi. 8.
(^) StMatth. xxvi. 41. StMark xiii, 37. StLuke
xxi. 34, 36. Ch. xxii. 46. St/ohnxv. i — 10. i Cor.
ix. 27. Ch. X. 12. 2Cor. xi. 3 Ephes. vi. 1 1— 18.
I Thefs. iii. 5. Heb xii. 15. i St Per. v. 8, 9. z St
Pet. i. 4 — 9. Rev. iii. 1 1, 12. Ch; x5fii. 1 1— i^,
(^) 2St Pet. i. ic, II. Philip. ii< i3i 13*
[ 43 ]
Devils would you not think thatPerfon un-
der a ftrange Delnfion^ who could not plainly
difcern the Finger of God ?
E. 1 really think, I fhould.
P. Or if a Perfon of unqucftionable Repu-
tation fhould declare this, upon his own cer-
tain Knowledge, might not fuch an Account,
at lead, feem to merit a \^'cy favourable At-
tention ?
E. I mud GVs'n, it would. But now, leav-
ing this DigrefTion, which was owing to my
Curiofity, I beg to know what a Penitent Sin-
ner mufb do, who cannot yet find that Faith
wroughtinhim, which fpeaks Peace andCom-
fort to the Soul ?
P. He muft pray for it, with great Con-
ftancy, Humility, and Patience ; and per-
levere in bringing forth Fruits meet for Repent-'
ance, to the bell of his Abilities (^). And
it may be great Encouragement for fuch to
confider, that when the Prodigal was yet a
great way off^ his Father faw him^ and had
Co?npajfion^ and ran, and fell on his Neck and
kijfed him [b).
But then, let it be well attended to, that
the Son was returning and going on, till his
Father met him {c). For had he, after his Re-
folution 10 arife and go to his Father^ either
changed his Mind, ox flopped Jhort in his Jour-
ney
{a) St Matth. ii. 8. St Luke viik 15. Ch. xviii. i.
Ch.xxi. 19. zThefs.iii. 5. Heb. x. 36, 37. St James
i. 3,4. Ch.iv.6 — 10. St Mark xiii. 1 3,
(^) St J-ukexv. 20. .tO' Vw. 18— 20*
[ 44 ]
ney home, or returned to his Swine again, he
and his Father had not then met. And there-
fore let the Penitent go on forwards, till he
meets with his Heavenly Father \ who, at the
propereft Time and Seafon, will certainly/*^//
CH his Neck and kifs him. But, in the mean
while, he may be fatisfied, he is in the fure
Way to obtain Salvation by our Lord Jefus
Chrifl(^). He may be aflured, that God
-wWMook to him^ who is poor and of a contrite
Heart ; and who trembles at his Word ' b). God
will not defpife the Day of fmall T.hings.^ nor
the IVorks cf his own Hands [c). But He^
which hath begun a good PFork in us^ will per-
form it unto the Day of Jefus Chrifl: {d).
Him that cometh to me^ fays the holy Jefus^
I will in no wife cafi out (<?).
He w&sfent to bind up the broken-hearted^
"and to comfort all that mourn (f). That God,
whofe Name is holy^ — dwells with him that is
of a contrite and humble Spirit^ to revive the
Spirit of the Hwmble^ and to revive the Heart
of the contrite ones — / create the Fruit of the
Lips •, Peace, Peace, to him that is far off^ and
to him that is near, faith the Lord, and I will
heal him (g).
Thus will the God of Hope, at the bed and
wiieft Seafon, Jill every true Penitent, with
all Joy and Peace in believing, that they may
abound
(^) iThefs.v.^. (^) Ifaiah Ixvi. 2.
(f) Zechariah iv. lo. Pfalm cxxxviii, 8.
{d) Philip, i. 6. {e) St John vi. 3.7.
(/) Ifaiah Ixi. i, 2. {g) Ch, Ivii. 15—19.
t 45 3
abound in Hopc^ through the Power of the Hcly
Gboft {a).
He will, when his own adorable Wifdonr
judges it beft, thus difcover himfelf to the
Soul of every fincerely returning Sinner : For
he is the fame Gjd of Hope and Peace through
Chrift^ that he ever was {b). And therefore
as he has already done to others ; fo will he
vouchfafe to every proper Objed the Spirit of
/klopiion^ whereby they cry^ Ahba^ Father i
And, at the propereft time, his Spirit wilt
hear witnefs with their Spirit^ that they are
the Children of Gcd U).
But let them continue infant in Prayer :
Praying always with all Prayer and Supplica'
tion [d). Let them not be zvearied or faint in
their Minds : For yet a little while, ^nd he that
floall come^ will come, and will not tarry {e),
Thefe ought furely to be powerful Motives,
to encourage us to perfevcre in the patient
wa iting for Chrift{f),
However, it is evident, that the Bufinefs
q{ Salvation is no fight Affaix'-. And the Rea-
fon may be plainly perceived, why the Holy
Spirit commands MSiowork out our Salvation
with Fear and Trembling (g)^ and to give
Diligence to make our Calling and EleEiion
fure\h). You find it is 2i great fVork, and
D that
{ay Rom. XV. 13. {&) Heb. xiii. 20, zi.
{c) Rom. viii. 15, 16. *
(J) Ram.xli. C2» Ephes. vu 18.
(e) Heb.xii. 3. Ch.x. 37. (/) sThefs. iii. j,
ig) Phil. ii. I a, (i) isStPet.i.io,
[ 46 j
thdtt great Diligence is therel'ore indiipenfably
necellary : And that a holy Fear and Concern^
left we offend God, or grieve his holy Spi-
rit (^), will be pxefcnt to die Mind of every
true Chrifiian,
But from hence we may ftand amazed at
thofe unhappy Perfons, who Item to imagine,
i\\2iijittmgjtilly znd .doi}7g oi mthi^ng^ is the
beft way to work out their Salvation I the
beft way to give Diligence tomakflheir CalLng
and Ele£lion fure I
They, who can reconcile the/e Things, —
Idlenefs with Diligence ; and/Ioijig nothing with
working, need not defpair of reconciling any
Contradidion whatever.
E. Salvation, I am fenfible, is a great
JVork: And as we m.uft work it out \ fo is it
well worth the while, lo give all Dtlgence to
make it fure to us. I beg now to bz inilrii6t-
ed how 1 am to underftand that ExpreHlon of
the Apoftle, that Cbrift is tf God made unto
us San^ijjcatii?2{b). For I think feme have
iinderilood it, as if the Holinefs of Cbrijl was
fo imputed to us, that we needed none in our
cvsn Hearts : But that we were to look only
to the HoUncfs which is in Chrijt \ widiout
labouring for any in ourjelvcs,
P, If you meet, Eugenius, with any who
talk in this manner, ycu have great Reafon
to pity, and to pray for them : And withal,
endeavour,
(«J Eplies. iv. 30. {h) I Cor. i. 30.
[ 47 3
endeavour, in the Spirit of Meeknefsy to re-
claim them from their Error {a),
Chrift is made SanEi'tjication to us^ as he is
made to us Wifdom and Redemption. Not by
imputing his tVifdom and Redemption to us ;
but by making us wife unto Salvation {b) y
and redeeming us from the Dominion., the
Guilt., and Puni/Jjmmt of Sin (c) -, and from
i\\Q Power of thit Grave (d), and of ^'/x/i?;;,
as we have before obfcrved.
And thus is he nude San^ification unto us y
by procuring for us that Holy Spirit^ Vvho is
to work that San^iificaiicn in the Heart, with-
out which we are not qualified for Heaven,
For without Holinefs, [inward real Holinefs]
no Man Jh all fee the Lord (e). Having there-
D 2 fore^
[a) It may not be amifs, for the fake of fome Readers,
juft to obferve, that this does not feem to be theDo6lrine
of Calvin: For he fays, that God fanSIiJies us, by r^-
forming our 'vicious Nature^ by his Spirit — Jujiijicat nas
Deus a Reatu liberando ; Sanftijicat 'vitio/am Naluram
Spiritufuo refor/nando. In I Cor. vi. 1 i. — Beza, in his
Explanation of Titus iii. 7. mentions the Efficacy of the
Spirit in fanclifying of us. — Ccmpleciitur hie locus ^ fcut ^
Rom. vlil 30. quicquid a Chrijlo confequimu^y turn per
imputationewy turn per Spirit us in nobis fanSiiJicandis efi'»
caciam. And the learned Antagonill of Arminius fpeaks
to the fame Purpofe. — Chtijim^ qui nos ungit l^ merito
Obedientiee fu^^ ^ Efficacid Spiritus fui nofmet Jan^if"
cantis. — Gomarus m i St John ii. 20.
{b) Ephes. iii. 17— 19. Colos. i. 9. Chap. ii. 2, 3.
2 Tim. iii. 1 5.
(f) Rom. vi. 6, 14, 22. Ch. viii. 2. 2 Cor. v. 1 8, 19'
Ephes. i. 7.
{d) Rom viii. r I, 2^. i Cor. xv. 54-57. Philip.
iii. 21. iThef*. iv. 13 — 16.
\e) StMattk. V. 8. Heb. xii. 14.
[ 48 ]
fort^ fays the fame Apoftle, thefe Prcmtfes^
let us cleanfe our f elves from all Fihhinefs cf ihe
Flejh and Spirit^ per feeing Holin-efs in ibe Fear
of God {a). Nothing, can be more manifeft
■than that St Faul fpeaks here to iiis Converts
of an univerfal SatMification of Heart and
Anions, He fpeaks of it, indeed, as of what
might be effeded by themfelves. The Rea-
fon is, becaufe they were to labour and pray
earneftly for it ; and flrive to put all Impe-
<liments out of the way. But no Words can
n:ore fully demonftrate, that this Holinejs wa^
to be />/ themfelve-s; in their very Souls^ as
ivvell as their cutward Prague,
As he^ who hath called you^ is Hcly^^^^^^ys
the fame divine Spirit; fo be ye holy in all
fnanner of Converfation. B^caujeil is written^
Be ye hcly \. for I am holy {b).
Could now the Spirit of God more ex-
prefsly enjoin real HoIinefs<, than when he
direds it to be in all manner of Cor.verfaiion \
and enforces it from henc€; — becaufe Gcd
himfelf is holy ?
Again, when the fame Perfons are told,.
that they had purifed their Sails in obeying
the Truths through the Spirit (c) : and St
jPeler declares that God had purified the Hearts
of the Gentiles by Faith (d) ; what can be
meant, but an a^ual Purification of the Heart
and Affedlions ?
Moreover,
{a) 2 Cor. vii. u {h) \ St Pet. i. 15, 16.
V) Ver. 22. {d) Ad$ XV. 5.
C 49 ]
Moreover, when St Paul tells the Tfjejfa^
hniam^ that God had from the beginning chofen
them to Salvation^ through San5iification of the
Spirit, and Belief of the Truth (a) ; — Pf^bat
San5iificaiion can the Apoftie mean, but a
real inward Holinefs wrought in their Souls'
by the Holy Spirit ?
And further, when he defires, that the
Lord would ft abltfh their Hearts unblameable
in Holme fs before God: And that the very
God of Peace would fanSlfy them wholly : And
that their whole Spirit^ and Soul and Body^
might be preferved blamelefs unto the coming
of our Lord Jefus Chrift {b)\ \ fay, wheiT
'^the Apoftle thus expreffes himfelf, is it pof-
fible to underftand him, as if he really did
not defire, that they fliould have any inward
'Holinefs of Soul or Spirit ; but only that they
•ftiould lay Claim to tht Holinefs of Chrift ;
^whilfl they themlelves were deftitute of ^//
^real Hdlinefs wiihinihtxt own Hearts ?
If this'be to ftabiijh the Heart f« Holinefs ;
Khould be glad to know, what it is to have
tthe Heart without Holinefs ?
•I pray -God open the Eyes of fuch Trtter-
'preeers of the facrcd Writings ! Be allured,
-my good 'Friend, that the great Work df
-^Sanlfiftcatiemis of a different Nature. It fs
an ailual purifying of the -whole 'Heart antt
D 3 /Iffe^ionSy
*{d) 2T%efs ii. 13.
{b) iThefs.iiivi3. ^Ch. v. 23.
f 50 -]
'Jffe5fwn5^ by the Spirit of Chrift \ it is the
reftoring of the loft Image of God in our
Souls i and thus qualifying of us for that
State of BlefTednefs, which none but holy
Souls are capable of enjoying : And without
which, Cbriji is neither our IVifdom^ nor
Righteoufnefs ^ nor San^ification^ nor /^(?-
demption.^'^xdy hear once more the Words
of the Spirit of Truth, Every Man that
hath this Hope in him [the Hope of feeing
God] -purifielh him [elf even as he is pure,
They that are Chrift'i have crucified the Flejhy
with the Jffe^ions and Lufts (a),
E. It feems then, as if a State of thorough
San^ification was attainable in this Life. I
Hiould be glad to know the Opinion of our
Church, with refpedt to fuch a State.
P. It is evident, from what has juft been
mentioned, not only that fuch a State is at'
tamable \ but that wretched muft be the Fate
of that Perfon who attains it not. For fince
he muft arrive at it before he c^x\ fee God %
where is it, that he muft arrive at it, if not
in this World ? The Ronnfh Church indeed,
as you well know, have found out another
Place to attain it in ; as the ancient Heathens
4iad done long before : — But I would advife
all, who value their Souls, not to truft to
Xht Purification of that Place. And there-
fore
{a) I St John iii. 2, 3. Gal. v. 24. See aHb i St
John ii. 6. a St Peter iii. 11, 14.
C 5t ]
fore fince it m^ft be nttained in this Life ; and
and the Holy Spirit is as powerful at one
Seafon as at another ; furely the fooner vvc
labour after it, by all the Means of Grace,
the fooner we ^re like to attain it.
It is true, he will not fanBtfy any unqua"'
lified or unfuftable Objed •, but then if our
Want of due Qualifications be owing to our-
felves *, to our wilful Negligence or Carelefs-
nefs ; we have none to blame but ourfejvcs
only Perhaps we are loo fond of this World v
and if not of its gr offer Vices, yet of its Fol-
lies and Vanities \ its Riches^ Honours^ or Flea-
fur es : Or polTibly we have fome oih^vRigbt"
bafid, or Right' eye \ fome darling favourite
Sin of the Soul, which we have not the Cou-
rage to part with ; fuch as Pride, Wratb^
Luxury^ Covetoufnefsy or the Praife of Men,
Therefore we do not defire, at this Time,
to have fo holy and heavenly z Frame of
Mind ; fo meek and lowly a Heart; {b pious
and patient a Soul ; fo mortified and felf-
denying B, Spirit (a). And confequently we
neither labour nor pray for thefe Things.
We may pofTibly, for Form's fake, put up
a Petition, now and then, for all thefe di-
vine Graces ; but as fuch Prayers proceed
not from the Heart (where we have fet up
fome Idol or other) is it to be wondered at,
D 4 that
{a] StMatth. xi. 29. St Luke ix. 23. 1 Cor. ix.
24 — 27. Gal. V. 22 — 26.
[ 5^ 3
•that we are ^nfwered only according to our
Fally? We are not fit for fuch divine Fa-
vours ; and therefore they are kept from us.
Thus verifying the Words of the Holy Spi-
rit,— Te have not^ hecauje ye aJJi not* Te ajk^i
and receive not ; hecaufe ye ajk mnifs {a).
And now, if this thorough San5iification is
-whiit we are to under (land by finkjs or Chrif-
iian PerfecJiony it may juftly feem furprizing,
that it Ihould have been treated as downright
Enthufiajm or Madnefs, The Dodrine itfelf,
we have feen, is the Dodrine of the Spirit of
God : And it will be eafy to find, that our
own Church teaches the fame. For what
eife does fne mean by the following Petitions?
. — That *' God would fah5iify both our Hearts
*' and Bcdies.{b) \ That we may he cleanfed
*' from all mr Sins (<:) -, That this Day we
*' fall into no Sin {d) \ That God would ke^p
*' us this Day without Sin {e)\ Th^i we may
*' be delivered from all the Deceits of the
*' IVorld, the.Flefh, €ind the Devil i^f)'. That
*' we rci2iy for fake all worldly and cat^naLAf-
^^ fc^ions{g)\ That we may always ferve
** [GodJ mPurenefs of Livwg and Truth (Jh) ;
** That
[a) St Tames iV. 2, 3. 1 St John v. 21.
[b] Coilea 2d following the Blefling after theCom-
jnunion. [c) Colleft 2 tft after Trinity.
.(</) Third Collea for Grace. {() Te Deum.
(/) Litany. (g) Colleft for St James.
{b) Colleft firft Sunday after Eafter. See.alfo the
'CoHe£l for Innocents 'Day. Exhortation before the
Communion, with the Confelfion -and Abfolution : And
the firft proper Preface.
ft ^3 J
« That we may m Heart and MM dfcend
« [into the Heavens] andwiih\Qhv\^']coN''
" timally dwell (a)-. That God \90Vi\d graft t
*' us the Spirit to think and do always juth
« I'hings as he rightful {b) \ And that we
" may prfe^ly love [God] (f); And walk
'' before htm in Holinefs and Right eoufnefs all
«' our Days (d):'
Surely this perfeEl Love of God\ this con-
tinual w^/Hw^ in Holinefs and Right e oufnefs \
this Heavenly Frame of Hc2iYt and Mind; this
continual thinking and doing what is right ;
this conjlant ferving of God in Purenefs of
living ; this forfaking all worldly and carnal
/IffeSiions ; the being Day by Day preferved
from Sin -, the being cleanfed from all of them ; •
and the being fan5l'ified both in Heart znd
Body ', I fay, furely thefe Things are attain-
able, in the Opinion of our Church, or fhe
would never have thus petitioned for them.
But what do all thefe Things amount to, if
not to a State of thorough San5fification-oi the
Flefh and Spirit ?
If all would heartily fet themfelves to ar-
'five at this bkfTed State, as it is the plain
Duty -and Intereft of all to do ; it is of little
importance, whether they call it Holinefs^ or
Perfe^ion^ or by any other Name.
D -5 E.A
{a) Colleft for Afcenfion Day.
\h) CoUedl for the Ninth Sunday after Trinity,
(f) Colkdl following the Lord*s Prayer in the Com-
xnunion-Service. . {4) General Thanksgiving.
t 54 ]
E, \ fee plainly the indifpenfable Necefllty
of unherfal Holinefs in this Life ; which
makes me even tremble to think, how far
removed I am from it. — But fince it has been
objefbed, that the Do^rine of PerfetUon is
attended with fome dangerous ConfequenceSy I
Ihould be glad to be fatisfied with refped: to
thefe Objedlions.
The firfl: is, that // encourages Pride,
Secondly, that // cuts off all De/endence on
Chrift, the Fcuntain of all Grace.
Thirdly, that // totally fets afide the Way of
Accefs to God\ which is by Jefus Chrift.
And, fourthly, that // jets afide Prayer^
efpe daily ihofe two great Parts of it^ Confeffcn
and Petit wn (a).
P» Thefe are great Objections indeed f
But if it (hould appear, U.at they are very
ill-founded, they mud of courfe come to
nothing. But, fiift, fince the holy Angels
themfelves appear to have fallen by Pride (b)'^
it can be no V/onder, if a very holy Man
fhould, for want of due Care and Watchful-
nefs, fall into the hm^ fpiriiual Snare : But
then it Hiould be remembered, that this Pride
is no Part of his Holinefs ; nor any Reafon,
why he fhould not labour for a State of uni-
verfal Hclinefs. For fince without Holinefs no
Man fhall fee the Lord {c)\ — Hcl.nefs we mull
have,
ia) The PerfeSiioni/ls Examined^ p. 7, 8, &c. by
William Fleetixoody Gent.
(^) 2 St Pet. ii. 4. St J»de 6. i Tim, iii. 6.
{i) Heb. xii, 14,
[ 55 ]
ibave, let Men raife never fuch powerful Obi
jedlions againft it.
Can any Chriftian in his Senfes think it a
fufficient Realbn, why he fhould wallow in
Sin, becaufe then he cannot pride himfelf in
his Holine/s or Perfe5fion ? Surely to be pure
in Heart and poor in Spirit^ are very confiftent
Stares.
But, fecondly, as to its cutting off all De-
pendence on Chrifl, the Fountain of all Grace \
I affirm, on the contrary, that a truly fanofi-
fied Soul will fee its Want oiChriJl every Day
more evidently.— The more holy are our
Hearts, the more humble are they like to be,
and the more earnefl our Defires after greater
Supplies of Grace. And fuch Defires will of
courfe fend us to him, through whom alone
they can be fupplied.
As to the third Objeclion, that // totally
feti afide the IVay of Accefs to God^ which is
through Chrift. — Surely, if this was a necef-
fary Confequence of a thorough Sandification^
St Paul had never directed the Corinthians to
perfect HoUnefs in the Fear of God (a-). Nor
prayed, that God would fan^fify i\\^.'TheJfalo-
ninns wholly : Nor that their zvhole Spirit^ and
Soul^ and Body might he prefervfd blainelefs {b^.
Nor had St Peter exhorted thofe Chrifians to
be holy in all manner of Converfation ; nor to
be diligent^ that they might h^ found of God
withvut
{a) zCor. vii. I. {h) iThefs.v. 23.
t 56 ]
Without Spot and blamekfs (/x,). — .i iay, if a
thorough San5fification totally Jet ^ifide the going
to God through Chnik J thefeinrpired Apoftles
had never thus laboured to bring Chrifiians to
luch a State. Becaufe the thus approaching
God is as much the indifpenfable Duty of the
greateft Saint upon Earth, as of the greateft
Sinner. This is what I ihall endeavour to
eftabhfh very evidently (b) ; but firft proceed
to confider the remaining Objedion ; viz.
That this State fets aftde Prayer \ efpecially
thefe two great Parts of it^ Confejfwn and Pe-
tition,^^An Oppofition to which, I mud beg
leave to afTert, that there is none fo holy •, none
fo ferfe^ ; but he muft both be eftablijhed in
the Faith -, and abound therein with Thanks-
giving {c). He muft ftill grow in Grace ;
and in the Knowledge of our Lord and Saviour
Jefus Chrift(^). He muft be ftill adding to
bis Faith^ Virtue -, to Virtue^ Knowledge ; to
Knowledge i Temperance ^ to Temperance^ Pa-
tience ; to Patience^ Godlinefs ; to Godlinefsy
Brotherly Kwdnefs •, and to Brotherly Ktndnefs^
^Charity: And thefe Things muft be in him, and
iibound[e). He muft fincerely ftrive to love
the Lord his God^ with all his Fleart^ and
with all his Soul, and with all his Mind, and
with all his Strength \ and even his worft
Enemies, as Chrifi loved him (/).
Here
.frti) I St Peter i. 1 5. 2 Epiftle iii. 14.
\b) See Page 70. (f) Colos.U. 7, Rom. i. 17,
\d) 2 St Pet. iii. 18. (0 2 St Peter i. 5—8.
(/) StMarkxii. 30, 31. StMatth. v.44. St John
xiii. 34, Rom, V. 6, 8, 1 o. iSt John iv. iii 12.
• [-67 ]
rHer€ .« then abundant Matter 'for tverf^
XXay's Canfeffion and Petition \ and for every
•Hour's too Where is that 6^^///^ upon Earth,
who can fay, he has fpent the preceding
Day, or even Hour, with all tliat Crtr<?, and
Watchfulnefs^ and Diligence \ and with all that
Patience^ 2ind Self denial, and Chrijlian Lovei^
and 44?nv8rfrJ C^^irity i and that he has im^
proved himfelf as much \n FaUb^ and Grac^.
-and the Knowledge ofChrifi -^ and in the Fear^^^
and Knowledge, and Love of God,, as it was
pjjible for him to do ? So that here is fuffi-
.cient Matter to xonfefs ; and fu/Seient to ajk
^Pardon for. Here is fufiicient Caufe to pe-
//V/W for further Supplies of divine Aid ; i"n^
order to make further Advances in the divine
Life : And here is abundant Reafon for per-
.petual Humiliation, Or fhali we fay, Euge^-
nius, it is better for Men to continue in SiUy.
that Grace may aiound (a) *, that fo they may
have more to confefs-.-y and more to petition
for?
E. If we are only unprofitable Servants^
even after we ha^e done all -, furely here alone
is enough to humble us. And therefore I
pray God make me aiwaysi?<9/y and humble^
■watchful and diligent.
P. Goon, my Friend, as I truft you have
begun ; and the Holy Spirit will not be
wanting to affift you. It is worthy of Ob-
iervation, that holy 5^c?^ was X)&>ftx fo humble y
as
(^} Rom. vi. !•
• [ 58 1
as when he had the cleareft Difcoveries of a
Holy God, — He then abhorred himfelf^ and re-
pented in DuJI and Afhes (a). But I (hall now
further add a Caution or two, whkh may
ftill excite even the moft ferfe^ Cbriftian to
perpetual Care, and Vigilance, and Humi-
lity.
And, firft, it mufl always be remember-
ed, that notwithftanding Holinefs be indif-
penfatly neceflary to the Enjoyment of Hea-
ven •, yet we are not to look upon the mofl
holy or heavenly Fr ante of Spirit ; or, in fhort,
upon the moft righteous^ pious, or charitable
Adlions of our whole Lives, as the Caufe or
Foundation of our Acceptance with God {h).
We muft altogether renounce the Merit of
tbefe, and only take Shelter in x\\t Merits of
Chifi. For though we muft diligently ftrive
after fuch a Frame of Spirit-, and, to our
Power, live in the Exercile of fuch Adtions :
And though they are entitled to a great and
bountiful Reward (f), through the FreeGrace
of God in Chr'iji ; yet 'when we have done ally
( as you have juft obferved ) we are hut un-
frtf.ta'le Servants (d) -^ we \\2ivt nothings but
what we havt received ', i Cor. iv. 7. there-
fore neither we nor oux Service can ?nerit any
thing. All our fpiritual Sacrifices are only
acceptable
(<j) Job xlii. 5, 6» (^)2Tim.i. Q. Tit. iii..?.
(f) St Mitth. V. 8. 2 St Peter i. 4. Si Matth. xxv.
34 — 46. Phil, iv, 18. Heb vi. 10. Chap, xiii, 16.
Rev. xiv. 13, [d) St Luke xvii. 10.
r .59 3
acceptable to God^ by Jefus Chrift {a). If the
Prayers of the greateft Saint be not offered
with Incenfe by Chrift hwifclf^ they will rio
more afcendup before God (h\ thin the Prayers
of the greateft Sinner. Aaron was, in this
Particular, a remarkable Type of our great
High Priejl ; in that he was to bear [or take
away] the Iniquity cf tJoe holy Things {c). And
if the Iniquity of our holy Things be not cleanfed
by the Blood of fpr inkling {d)^ [let the moft
fandlified Perfon think on this] they wilLnoc
prove an Odour of a fweet Sme'ly a Sacrifiee
acceptable^ well- p leafing to God{e), So that
it will always become us, when we look upon
our own righteous Adions, as confidered in
themfelves, to fay in the Language of the
Prcphet^ — All cur Righteoufneffes are as filthy
Rags if}.
Let us remember, that Chrifiy and he
alone, is the Author^ 7neritorl;us Caufe^ and
Foundation of our Acceptance and Reconcilia'^
tion with God. And conftquently on him^
and his Merits^ and the Free Grace of God in
hinty we muft altogether rely and depend {g^},
Otherwife we ad direflly contrary to the
great
{a) I Peter ii. 5. {I) Rev. viii. 3, 4.
(f) Exod. xxviii, 38.
[J) Heb. xii. 24. 1 Peter ii. 5. Rev. vii. 1^, 14,
{e) Phil. iv. 18. Rom. XV. 16. (/) irai,]xiv.6.
(g) 2 Cor. v. 18, 19. Ephes. ii. 13 — 18. Col. iii.
II. Heb. v. 9. Ch, xii, 2, Rom, iii. 2^, Ch.v.8.
I St John iv. 9i 10.
E 60 1
^^ inTpired Apoftle, who de fired only to
Me found m Chnjt\ not havings fays he, mine
own Right eoufncfs^ which is of the Law ; but
■ that which is through the Faith <?/JerusChri[l-,
the Righteoufnefs which is of God by Faith i^d).
He diiclaimed all Merit in his own Per-
formances, and refted folely in the Merits of
Chriji^ He defired altogether to rely on the
Righteoufnefs ^/Ghrift, juftified through Faith
in him-r and poflefTed of all the other blefled
Fruits and Confequences of what Chrifl had
done and fuffered ; that (bCtriJi niight be to
himWtfdomy emd Righteoufnefs^ and San^h^-
cation^ and Rede7Mptim {b). This was the
Foundation he built upon ; and if we build
upon any other, it will certainly fail us. For
sOther Foundation can no Man lay ^ than that is
laid; which is Jefus Ghrift [c).
However, Secondly,. Men are not to
imagine, that they are hereby excufed from
'the Performance of any good Work in their
iPower. In particular, they are not excufed
tfrom that Part of pure and undefled Religion y.
which confifts in vj/iting the Fatherlefs and
Widows in their /^ffii^ ion ^ and keeping them*
felves unfpotled from the World {d).
Let the i<^/Vi6 ever bear in Mind the charge
given by the Spirit of God, not only— ^
*' That they do Goody but that they be rich
*• in gccd Works, r^^^ to diftribute, willing
"to
^a) Philip, iij. 9. ii) iCorA.^^o.
{c) Ch.iii. II. {^} Stjamcs^i. 27.
[ 6i -]
" to communicate (^}." So that it is not
complying with this divine Command, un-
lefs fuch Perfons willingly^ and readily^ and
abundantly communicate out of- their large
Pofieflions. How eife can they be rich lit
thefe good PForks ? How t\{^ can they fom
bountifully ? or pay a juli Regard to that di-
vinePromife, \\\Mhe which fo wet hboii vAifully^
/hall reap alfo bountifully {b) ? But after what
manner is it, that thefe divine Precepts are
now generally complied with ? or how many
does this Promife feem now to influence?
Are /lately Buildings, or co/lly Furniture, or
rich Attire, or luxurious Tables, or a fplendi^
Equipage, or the boarding up of Treafure .^.^
Are thefe any Proof, that Men are gov^rae<^-
by the Gofpel oiChri/i ; or that they are led
by his Spirit (c) ? Is it thus, they lay.up Trea^
ifures in Heaven ^ /et their Affe^ions m -Things
.above*, or d&mon/irate, that xki&j are rich io^
wards G&df l-hat they neither lave^ thePForld^
nor the Things 0/ the World \ norare conform^
\ed to it? However, though the one may h^
no dire^ Proof or Demonftration of the
other ; yet Men feem to have found out fp
i,many ingenious Solutions of difficult Texts of
-Scriptupe, and to have fuch a_peculiar.Hap-
pinefe
J^a) I Tim. vi. 17, 18. .\b) 2Cor. ix.6.
{c) I will not venture to fay, they arc a Mre^ Proof 6f
the contrary ; but, confidering the real State of theWorW^
•they furnifti out but too ftrong a Prefumptiorty that Mens
Hearts are UQtinuch' influenced by the spirit QiCkrifi,
[ 62 ]
pinefs in foftenir.g all its hard Sayings^ thiit
the narrow lVa)\ 'which leadeth unto Life^ rs
become fufficiently 'u:\de for a covetous Hearty
a camal Mind, or a worldly vSprrit.
I do not pretend to refer you to any par-
ticular Commentary^ where fuch Expofirjons
are exprefsly taught or maintained ; but I re-
fer you to the Pradlice and Behaviour of too
many ProfeiTors of Chriftianity ; who could
never be fo thoroughly fatisfied with them-
felves, unlefs thty explained away the many
fevere Paflages or the Gofpel of Chrift,
But how different, my good Friend, is the
Defcription, which the great Apollle gives of
the Cbriftlans of Macedonia f That the Abun*
dance of their Joy^ and their deep Poverty^
abounded unto the Rubes of their Liberality !
And this even in a great Trial of J£lt^ion{a) !
Let this, my dear Eugenius^ be a> LefloQ
for you : And though your ^^<?p Poverty cari-
not, yet kt your affluent Fortune zb\jvidd,ni\y
difcover a true Chrijlian Spirit, by a chearful
and rich Liberality^ to fupply the fpiritual and
temporal Wants of Mankind. Be affured,
my good Friend, that when the gaudy Scenes
of Life are over, as they are certainly every
Day vanishing, you will then find, by a joy-
ful Experience, what the Lord Jefus long
fmce declared, — that // ii more blcjjed to^ive
than to receive {b). And you will then plafnly
difcera the Folly of thofe, who, to excaie
their
{;»y 2 Cor. viii . 1 , 2. {b) A^s xx. 35.
[ 63 ]
their Ncglcfb of being rich towards God {a)^
have, under the Notion of providin;^ for their
^X7/, heaped much Treafure together for ag-
grandizing their FamiHes. Thus is the Gof-
pel of Chrift obeyed !
E. But has not the great Apoftle declared,
that if any provide not for his own^ and efpeci-
ally for thofe of his own Houfe^ he hath dented
the Faithy and is worfe than an Infidel {h^ ?
P, He has fb. And though nothing feems
plainer, than that the Apoftle is there fpeak-
ing of Childrens requiting their Parents {c)^
and not fufFering of them, or any other poor
Relations, to be a Burden to others ; yet I
know learned Men, according to Cuftom,
are divided in their Sentiments about this
very plain Part of Scripture. However, let
the Precept immediately relate either to Pa-
rents or Children (as mod certainly it may
be extended to both) yet furely there can be
no Difpute, what fort of Provifion is there
commanded : Not certainly a Provifion of
Grandeur and Luxury \ but oi Things needful
for their Support {d). However, though no-
thing can be more plain than this-, yet, I
doubt
(a) StLukcofii. 21. (^) I Tim. V, 8,
(0 Verfe 4.
(«^) Ut babe ant unde vi'vant. Grot, in Ioc,-^ParenfeSt
^ui jure fuo pojfunt aliment a a liber is repetefe, center aqfii
ad *vitam necejfaria Hammond apud Le Clerc.^^^w his
Commentary he has this Note : npoyotTy hie non eft fub-
tevare faliicitd quddam pro'videntidr priu/quam necejfitas
ulla fit ; fedprejenti egefiati opetn ftrre^ ....',>, ,.;
[ ^4 1
doubt not, this very PafTage of Scripture is
often brought to vindicate a Pradice, which
it was never defigned to give the lead Coun-
tenance to.
E, But then, does not the fame Apoflfe
affirm, that ibe Parents are to lay up jor the
Children (a) .? And I think the original Word
is to lay up Treafure {b).
P. It is, my dear Friend, the fame Word
which our blefled Lord ufes, where he com-
mands us not to lay up for curfehes T^reafures
upon Earthy but to lay up Treafures in Hea-
ven ic). However, if we allow there is a
iperfed Confiftency in the Precepts of the
Holy Spirit, we muft grant, that we are y2? to
lay upTreafures far aur Children^- xhzx. we may
iat the fame iimtliay upT^eafurtsfor ourfelvn
^mlieaven. Now, which feems the likdiefl
Way to do this ? —Is it by being rieh towards
^Cod\ by being rixh in good H'orks yhy mi*
iniftring hounttfuHy. to the fpiritual and tern-
j^ral Neceflities of Mankind; though by* this
Jfneans we leave our 'Families G^L^^the
divine Bleffing^ and a »^(7j^r^/^ Competency ?
4or is it %y reHeving the'Miferies ^i others,
wdi a fcanty Hand ; and laying up fuch
Tfeafura^ for our Children, as ^may prove fo
many Snares to their Souls ? Such sfs may
iprove the Oecafion of Pride ^nd Vanity, of
'jLuxury and Extr-avq^anc^l 'Such as may
teH)pt
{c) StMa«h. ¥1,^19, to.
tempt a weak Mind, or a corrupt Heart, to
fquander away in Riot or Gaming y what
n;iight have faved many a ?Qdon from the
deepejl Diftrefs f
Look round the World, my dear Eugenius^
and oblerve to what Ufes large Fortunes are
frequently applied. And then refled, whe-
ther fuch Parents, 2iStreafttre up fo much for
their Families, znd fo little for the Suffering
Part of Mankind, — whether they are laying
up for tbemf elves Treafures in Heaven ? And
whether they do not fometimes lay up for
their Children a Curfe rather than a BUffing ?
—However, the mod bountiful and mod:
charitable Perfons mud not value themfelves
for their charitable Adtions, nor truft to them \
but to Chriji only. But now, fince he has
aflured us, that be is the Way ^ and the Truths
and the Life \ and that no Man comet h unto
the Father but by him: And alTured his Dif-
ciples, that whatfoever they fhould ajk in his
Name^ he zvould do it (a) : — Since we are-
commanded by the Holy Spirit, that wbat*-
foever me do in Word or Deed, to do all in th^i
Name of the Lord Jefus, giving Thanks to God^
and the Father by him (b) : And according ta
this Command, the Apoille thus expreflesj
himfelf,— Unto him be Glory in the Church b^
(Jhrift JcfuSy throughout all Ages ^ World with-
out end (c): — Again, fince the fame Holy
Spirit
(a). St John xly. 6, 13, 14. Ch. xvi. 23^24.
{^J Colos, iii. y. {c) Epkesriii. 2K
[ 66 ]
Spirit has aflured us, that we are accepted in
the Beloved (^/) •, and that Chrift is able to fave
tfjem to the utter mofi that come unto God by
him \ feeing he ever liveth to make Inter ccffion
for them (b). And moreover, that through
him we have an Accefs by one Spirit un'o the '
Father (c) : — I fay, for all thefe Reafons, it
appears to me moft abundantly evident, that
no Perfon, none excepted, can have /^ccefe to
the Father but only by Chrifl, I know the
Holy Spirit mentions a Time, when Chrift
fhall have delivered up the Kingdom to Gody
even the Father \ and when God fhall he all
in all (d).
However, that Time is not yet come. It
is not here •, but hereafter. The utmoft we
can underftand by thofe Words, is. That
when Chrifl has fubdued all his Enemies ;
then his mediatory Kingdom will be furren-
dered into the Hands of God. — Chrift indeed
fhall reign as King for ever and ever ; and all
his Saints with him : But he feems not then
to reign as Mediator^ or Inter cejfor ; becaufe
that great Work will then be fully ended and
completed {e).
But ftill, in the prefent State of Things,
Chrift is pur Priefly and Prophet^ and Medi-'
ator ; as well as King : Chrifl ij alt, and in ali\
and
(a) Ephes. i. 6. (I) Heb. vii. 25,
(f) Ephes ii. 18. [d) i Cor. xv. 24, 2-8.
{e) See the learned Pifhop Pear/on on the Creed,
p. loi, 104, 152, 153, 285, Sixth Edition*
[ 67 ]
Sinafillelb. all in all {a): And therefore we
muft not prefume to approach the Father,
but through the Son : Our Prayers and Praifts
cannot be acceptable to Gad^ but by Jefus
Chrift {b). By him therefore, fays the great
Apodle, let us offer the Sacrifice of Prat fe to
God continually [c). And now, as this is the
indifpenfable Duty of every Cbrijlian, fo the
Dodlrine oi univerfal Holtnefs \^ far enough
from being an Enemy to it.
Thirdly, fince a Chriftian wrejlles not [only]
aga'infi Fle/h and Blood -y but againft Frincifa-
lities^ againft Power Sy againft the Rulers of
the Darknefs of this World, agairft fpiritual
JVickednefs in high Places-, therefore they have
need enough to put on the whole Armour of
God, that I hey may be able to ft and againft the
IViles of the Devil {d). He is a very fubtle
Adverfary, and knows our weak Side : And,
unlefs we follow our holy Lord's Diredions,
he will both affault us, where we lie moft
expofed ; and will certainly defeat i^s [e). And
therefore let us be ever upon our Guard; and
watch and pray left we enter into Temptation{f),
Whoever imagines he has made fuch Ad-
vances
{a) Colos. iii. 1 1. Ephes. i. 23.
{b) I St Peter ii. 5. (c) Heb. xiii. 15.
{d) Ephes. vi. II, 12.
(^) 2 Cor.ii. M. Ch.xi.3, 14. I Thefs. iii. 5.
1 St Peter v. 8. Rer. ii. 24.
{/) StMatth. xxvi.41. St Mark xiii. 37. St Luke
xxi. 36,
[ 68 ]
varices in Religion, that fuch Cautions are
wnnecefiary, is in the utmofl: Danger of feel-
ing the Ex^eds of his own Rafhnefs, Pre-
fumption, and Self-fufficiency.
The greateft Proficient in the School of
Cbrift ought frequently to refled: on that fo-
lemn Caution, Thou ftandeft by Fmih. Be
rot kigh-minded^ but fear (a). Nor are thofc
other Diredions of the fame Apofiie lefs
needful for him. Let him that thlnketh he
ftandeth^ take heed left he fall (b). He is but
yet in a Probation-State ; and therefore muft
conftantly look to himfelf. The whole Life
of a Chnjlian upon Earth, is but one conti-
nued Journey towards Heaven\ and therefore
he muft daily forget thofe Things which are be-
hind^ and reach forth unto thofe Things which
are before ; and ;prefs toward the Mark for the
Prize
[a) Rom. xi. 20,
{b) I Cor. X. 1 2. If any one fliould imagine that
thefe Diredions cannot belong to him ; becaufe he does
not only think that \i^Jic>n(ii \ but knows for a Certainty,
that he does fo; — furh a Perion may be pleafed to ob-
ferve, that there is nor the leaft Neceffity to fuppofe the
Apoftle here applies Ininfelf to vatn, conceited Perfons,
who only fancied thc) Jluod faji, whiiic they were jiift
falling: For£t\'e;ic ; i;. he i'^y$, hji fj^ks as to nvi/e
Men. So that he appears plainly tan-innate, thatoc/M-
cut due Care and IVaKhingy th^ hep ? ight falL And
moreover, it is to be oUcrved, that he Veib Itt^ii^ is
often an Expletive See Mark \ 4:', StLuke viii. 18.
1 Cor. vii. 40. Ch. xi, 16. Htb. iv. i. See alfo our
learned Gatahr\n hU CinDus^ Ch. x. p. 37—40. And
Hammond on St Idatlii. iii, 9.
[ 69 ]
Prize of the High Calling of God in Chrift
Jefus(^). The a^o{k advanced ^ and moft im-
proved Chriflian^ has ftili greater Advances
and higher hnprovements to make ; and thefe
require conftant Care, and Prayer, and Watch-
ful nefs.
For though every Day his Salvation is
nearer y than when he firft believed {h) •, yet he
mufl remember, that he that Jlo all endure unto
the End, the fame Jhall he faved (c), — So
that if he would receive the Prize, he mufty^
run that he may obtain {d). But if he ftops
(hort in this C/^n7?/\/;/ Race-, or fancies it is
over, before he has finiJJjed his Courfe ((?).;
that is, before he has fipifi:ied his Days in his
Lord's Service-, and his Lord calls upon him
to give an Account of his 1'alents and Ste-
wardjhip {f)\ — I fay, if he does this, I fear
he does not fo run as to obtain the Prize .
The holy Apoftle, after twenty Years painful
Running, Hunger, Thirjl, and Nakednefs, and
Sufferings of every kind, yet left not off to
.run, and fight, and mortify. Let all Chriftians
hear his own Words, and learn to imitate.
I'therefore fo run, fays this holy Man, not as
uncertainly : So fight 7, not as one that heateth
the Air : But I keep under my Body, and bring
it into Subjeiiion \ kft, that by any Means ^
E when
{a) Philip, iii. 13, 14. {h) Rom. xii). ri.
\c) StMatth.xxiv. 13. (<?') i Cor. ix. 24.
{e) A£ts XX. 24.
(/) St Maith. XXV. 13^19. St Luke xii,^5 — ^44.
t 70 ]
when I have preached to others y 'T myfelf JhoiiU%
he a Cafi'away{a) Surely, if this was ;he
Behaviour of one, who had been a faithful,
laborious, and perfecuted Soldier of Jej'us
Chnjl for fo many Years; and who had the
Power of Chrift rejling upon him (b) \ what
Chriftian can think, that the fame Care^ and
Vigilance^ and Self-denial^ are unneceflary for
himfelf ? — But further, his Directions to the
Hebrews are highly deferving of notice. —
Looking diligently left any Man fall from the
Grace of God. For fo the Words are ren-
dered in the Margin ; and fo they ought to
:be rendered {c), — Again, after he had told
tlie Colffians^ that Chrift had reconciled them^
in the Body of his Flefh through Death^ toprefent
them ho-y^ and unhlameahle^ and unreproveabk
in the Sight [of God !, he then adds thefe re-
markable Words, — If ye continue in the Faith^
grounded and fettled^ and he not moved away
from the Flope cf the Gofpel (d).
By the former is evidently imply'd, that
without great Care and Circumfpedion, Ctrif-
tians are \n certain Danger of falling from di-
vine Grace. And by the latter is plainly de-
clared, that the Benefits of Chrift's Death
would be lofl: to us, unlefs we continued fied-
faft in the Faith.
To the fime Effed: is that folemn Caution
cf the Son of God to the Church oiPhiladel"
phia^
{n)' 1 Cor. Ix. 26, 27. [h) 2 Cor. xii. 9.
(/) Heb. xii. 15. ^:5 Ti?ir«g«va'7ro'n3?%a^»']<^ Ta Si«.
[ 7' ]
fhia^-'Hold that faft which thou haft, that m
Man take thy Crown {a). If that Crown
could not be taken, then our Lord ufes an
Argument lo ftrike Fear^ where no Fear was.
But further, he had long before told his Dif-
ciples, that he was the Vme^ and they the
Branches : But that every Branch in him,
which did not bear Fruit, his Father would
take away {b). Can any thing now be more
manifeft, than that a Perfon, who had been
fpiritually ingrafted into Chrift^ if he did not
bring forth the Fruits of the Gofpel, would be
cut off as an ufelefs and withered Branch {c)?
I pray God thefe Refledtions may fink deep
into the Mind of every ProfefTor of Chriftia^
nity •, and caufe him to watch diligently his
•Heart and Adions.
E. May they ever fink deep into mine, in
particular.
P. But ll:ill I have one Caution more to
add •, though I truft it will never be necefTary
as to yourfelf : And it is, that Men would
never fancy themfeives Children of God, whilfl
they are plainly indulging themfelves in the
Works of the Devil. The Holy Spirit has
abundantly provided againft this horrible De-
lufion •, if fuch unhappy Creatures would not
clofe their Eyes, left they fhould fee ( J\
Let us attend a Moment to his divine In-
E 2 flrudlions
(a) Rev, iii. n. See alfo Ch. xxii. 19.
{b) St John XV. I, 2. [c) Verfe 4-8. See the
Homily of falling from God, Part I. p, 7.
{<i] St Matth. xiii. 14, 15.
t 72 1 ,
'l^riKftions — " Hereby we do know that w«
*' know bi?n, if we keep Us Commandments.
-*' He that faith, I know him^ and keepeth not
*' his Commandments^ is a Liur^ and the
*' T>tt/^ /J «^/ /« him. But whofo keepeth
" ^/j Word^ in him verily is //^^ Low 0/ Gr^
" perfected ; /^^r^f^y know we that we are ///
*' him. He that faith, he abidetb in him-^
♦' ought himfelf al^fo fo to walk^ even as be
*' walked (a),''
" Wholbever abideth in him, Jinneth net:
*' Whoiotvcr fmnetb^ haih not Jeen bim, nei-
** ther known bim. Little Children, let no ^
*' Man deceive you •, -he that doth Right eon /•
*' nefs, is righteous^ even as He is righteous.
^^ He ihit co7?i mil tr€th Sin^ is of the Devil.-^
'« For this Purpofe the Son of God was ma-
•*' nifefted, that he might d-Jlroy the Works
*« of the Devil.
*' Whofoever is born of God, doth not
** commit Sin ; for his Seed remaineth hn
*' him : And he cannot fin, becaufe he is
" born of God. In this the Children of God
*' are manifeft, and the Children of the De-
*« vil : WhoCoevcr doih not Rightecufnefs., is
«* not of God [b)''
How plain and exprefs are the Marks here
Jaid down by the Holy Spirit ; by which
Men may judge, whether they belong to God
or not ? — He that belongs to God, mull walk^
eve->7 as Chrift hiwfelf walked. U we would
know that we are./« bim^ we mufb keep his
Com-
(») I St John ii. 6-1-0. [b^ St Johniii. 6—10.
r 1% T
Commandments, He that keeps not the divine
Commands^ knows not God^ as he ought to-
know. He hath not feen him, mither knowrp
him.
Secondly, he that imagines himfelf to be
righteous, without leading a righteous Life, is
entirely deceived.
Thirdly, he that indulges himfelf in any
Sin, is doing the IVork of (he Devil, and fo far
runs counter to the very Reafon, why Chrijl:
was manifcfled in the Flefh,
And fourthly, as he that doth not Righ-
teoufnefs, is not of God\ and as he that com^
mittelh Sin, is of the Devil : Therefore fucli
Men cannot be the Children of God, They
are not thofe living Branches, which are in*
grafted into Chrijr ; for thefc' bring forth'
much Fruit with Patience and Perfeverance ;
and labour even to ht filled with the Fruits of
Right eoufnefs (a). Thus they give Proof,
that Chrifi is formed in them -, that he dwells^
in their Hearts by Faith v and that they are
led by his Spirit (b).
Whereas the others are thofe fruitlefs and
withered Branches, which, our blefTed Lord
affures us, are gathered, and cafl into the Fire,
and burned. Every Tree, fays the Son of God,
that bringeth not forth good Fruit, is hewn
down and caft into the Fire {c). Even thofe
E 3 that
{a) St John XV. 4, r. St Luke viii. ic. Rom. ii;
6, J. Phil. i. I,,
{h) Gal.ii. 2o. Ch. iv.io. Ephes. iii. 17. Rom.
viii. 9, 14.
{c) St John XV. 2, 6. St Match, vii. 19— 2-1.
[ 74 1
that have prcphejied in the Name cf Chrifl:^
worked Miraclei^ and caft cut Devils, will be
commanded to depart from Chrijl^ if they
have been Workers of In- qui iy {a).
How fatally then mult thofe be deluded,
who fancy they may fafely indulge in the
Works of the Devil \ becaufe, as they imagine.
Sins are not imputed to the Children of God (^).
I pray God preferve every one from fuch
dreadful Deluftons! For if a vicious Perfon
or Hypocrite fliould perfuade himfelf that he
was a Child of God^ and that therefore his Sins
would not be imputed to him \ fo unhappy ^
Creature is in a fair Way to fin on, till his
Eyes open in the Place of Torments,'-^ If the
Light that is in thee he Darknefsy how great is
that Darknefs {c)!
E. I know there is a famous Text, which
is often appealed to upon fuch Occafions.—
He hath not beheld Iniquity in Jacob •, neither
hath he feen Perverfenefs in Ifrael {d),
P. You obferve right ; this Text has been
fadly abufed in fupport of that wretched Opi-
nion •, though it can have no manner of Re-
lation to it.
It
[a) Ch. vii. 2 2, 23,
{b) ^ia etiamji peccent, feccata illis neutiquam impu-
ientur. — St Bernard in Septuag. Serm. i.
{c) StMatth. vi. 23.
{d) Numb, xxiii. 21. It is worth any Scholar's while
to fee an excellent DifTertation on that Text by our
learned Gataker\ or an Extraj^ of it in Pool's Syvop/is,
The Meaning appears plainly to be, — God will not fuf-
fer his People to be injurioujiy treated, without taking
proper Notice of it.
[ 75 J
It appears mod evidently plain, from the
whole Dealings of God with that People,
that he was fo far from not beholding^ or not
feeing their Sins, that he made them frequents
ly, for their Sins, a public Example of his
righteous Difpleafure. Let any one compare
the divine Threatenings, in Df/^/^r/jwc/wjxxvlii.
with what has befallen that unhappy Narion,
and then confider, whether God did not be*
hold Sin in his- own People ? That Reluicii
they ftood in to God, was fo far from bing
a Licence to fin, or a Screen to proic6l them
from Punifhment, that, according to God's
own Declaration, it expofed them the more
certainly to it. Let us hear the Words of
the Almighty himfelf, — 26« only have I
known of all the Families of the Enth ; There'
fore I will punifh you for all your Iniqutiies (^),
One would hope, that no ferious Chtifiian^
who duly laid thefe Things together, could
ever imagine, that the Sms of God's People or
Children were r.ot entitled to Puniihment, fince
it is for this very Reafon that he threatens to
punifh them •, becaufe Sin in them was more
exceedingly finful \ as being highly aggravated
in every refped.
And her^ I mud juft take notice of another
Text of Scripture, which has too often been
miftaken and perverted. God Almighty, by
his Prophet, tells the Wife o'i Jeroboam, thac
their Son only fh all come to the Grave ^ becaufe
D 4 in
(c) Amos iii. 2.
t 76 ]
in him there is fciind [fome] good thing ttward
the Lord God of ]frael{a).
From hence very wicked Men may have
fometimes received very great Encourage-
ment \ that is, in cafe aJiy thing good was to
be found in them. If here v/as any folid
Foundation for Comfort, there are furely few
fo entirely abandoned, but might receive great
Confolation from hence.
But then the Text really defigns to give no
fuch Comfort or Encouragement. It does
not mean, that though thai Child ivas exceed-
ingly wicked •, yet ay there "J^as fome good Dif-
fcfition in hlm^ therefore he was in the Favour
cf God, It does not miCan, that the fmall good
in him made Amends for all the reft that
was bad. And yet if this be not the Mean-
ing, the weak Inference, drawn from this
PafTage, muft fall to the Ground. Nay, it
does not fo much as intimate that there was
t^ny fFickednefs in him at all. Our Tranfla-
tors having render'd the F&(Tsige.^^ fome good
Things may have naturally led a mere En-
glifh Reader into the Miflake ; but it is amaz-
ing how Men of Learning could fall into it.
The Word \ fo7ne'] is not in the Original j
which, if literally tranflated, would run thus,
^-^ there was found in him a good Word [b) to-
wards the Lo^d^ &c. which, according to
the Hebrew Idiom, might be rendered — there
was
[a) 1 Kings xlv. 13.
(^) UltD m The Septuagint render it ^JJ/xa KothUt
r.j d the Vulgate Sermo honus.
[ 77 ]
was Goodnefs or a good Intention {a) in hitn
towards God. The Father was a grofs Ido-
later, whilfl: the Son feems to have been an
Enemy to Idolatry, and a Worfhipper of the
true God. And therefore might defign,
when it was in his Power, to reftore that true
Worjhip^ which his Father had corrupted, or
rather had entirely overturned.
So that the Text only mentions the Virtue
or Piety of the Youth •, without the leaft Hint
or Intimation that he lived in any wilful Sin
or Offence againfl: God. And therefore what
Encouragement or Comfort can wicked Men
receive from this PafTage, though they may
have fome good Quality or other in them ?
It is melancholy and aftonidiing, that the
facred Oracles of God fhould be thus pervert-
ed, to the Ruin of Mankind! But it is an
old Device of the great Enemy of Souls, to
caufe Men to wreft the Words of Life ta
their own Deftru^ion {b),
E. I hope I fhall always endeavour to re-
member thofe awful Words of the Holy Spi-
rit,— Whofoever (hall keep the whole Law^ and
yet offend in one Point, he is guilty of all (c).
If thcfe Words do not difcover, that noChnf^
ttan can fafely indulge himfelf in any one Sin^
I know not what can difcover it.
P, You obferve very right, my dear
Friend. That fingle Sentence abundantly
E 5 demon-
{a) The learned Grotiui renders it, Ccgitatio bona, nam
loqui Hebrais fafe fignifiiat Cogitare, in loc.
(^) 2 St Peter iii. i6. (0 St James ii. lo
[ 78 ]
demonftrates that the whole divine Law muft
be kept. And that every wilful Violation
of any Part of it, is an Affront offered to the
Authority of God, whofe Law it is ; and
that fuch Violation renders us liable to the
Difpleafure of that God, who is of purer Eyes
than to behold Evil; and who cannot look on
Iniquity [a) with Approbation.
E. I have ftill one Favour more to afk,
and that is, to be informed, whether accord-
ing to the Opinion of our Church, Chrijiians^
in thefe Days, may expe6i: the Infpiration and
In- dwelling of the Holy Spirit ? Whether his
Influences may be diftinguifhed from the na-
tural Operations of our own Minds ? What
his Illuminations m.ay be ? and whether he
now ever bears witnefs with our Spirit^ that
we are the Children of God ?
P. Let us in the firfl: Place obferve in ge-
neral, what a thorough Senfe our Church has
of the Neceffity of God's Holy Spirit.
And firft, fhe declares in one of her Arti-
cles, that Works done before the Grace of Chrift,
and the Infpiration of his Spirit^ are not plea-
fant to God (b). And therefore that all Orders
and Degrees of Men may have this Grace^
and this Infpiration^ we pray, that the King
may be replenifhed with the Grace of [God's]
Holy Spirit \ that the Royal Family may be
endued with the Holy Spirit ; and that the
healthful Spirit of [Divine] Grace may be fent
down
f«) Habak. i, I3>, {b) Article xiii»
[ 79 ]. ■
down upon our Bijhops^ and Curates^ and all
Congregations comnv.iled to their Charge {a).
That God would cleanfe the thoughts of our
Hearts by the Infpiration of his Holy Spirit (b).
And infpire continually the univerfal Church
with the Spirit of Truth {c),
And though our Church be too wife to
confound the extraordinary Gifts of the Spi-
rit, ilich as the Gift of Tongues^ the Interpre-
tation of Tongues^ the Raifing the Dead, and
fuch* like miraculous Powers, with thofe
which belong to Chrtftians in all Ages {d);
yet we (hall find that fhe fuppofes, and that
with great Truth and Reafon, that Cfjrifiians
receive much more from the Holy Spirit, than
fome Perfons feem inclined to think or be*
iievc.
But in order to make this appear, v^^e fliall
next take notice of what we meet with in.
the Colle6i: for the Feftlval of St Barnabas.
— .*' O Lord God Almighty, who diJil: en-
** dow thy holy Apoftfe Barnabas v/ith fin-
'' gular Gifts of the Ploly Ghofi, leave us
'* not, we befeech thee, dejliiute'of thy ma?ii-
" fold Gifts, nor yet of Grace to ufe them al-
** way to thy Honour and Glory, &c.
We fee here plainly, that in the Opinion
of our Chtlrch, there are manifold Gifts
which
{a) See thofe Prayers,
{b) ill Colleft in the Communion Service. -
[c) Prayer for the Church-Militant.
{d) I Cor xii. 9, 10, 29, 30. ot Matth. xxviii. 20,
St John xiv. 16, 17. Horn, for Whitiunday i art ii. p.
278, 279.
[ 8o ]
which belong to Chrijlians of the prefent
Times •, fince fhe prays, that they may not
be left deftitute of ibem. And in the Order
of Confirmation, the Bifliop prays, that God
would ftrengthen the Perlbns to be confirm-
ed, with the " Holy Ghoft; and daily in-
*' creafe in them his manifold Gifts of Grace;
" the Spirit of Wifdom and Underftanding,
'* the Spirit of Counfel and ghoftly Strength •,
" the Spirit of Knowledge and true Godli-
*' nefs •, and that he would fill them with the
" Spirit of his holy Fear.*'
Farther he prays, " That they may daily
*' increafe in God's Holy Spirit more and
'* more j and be led in the Knowledge and
*' Obedience of his Word."
But flill to fee more clearly into our
Church's Sentiments, with refp.-<5t to the O-
perations of the Holy Spirit, whether relat-
ing to the Heart and Affcdions, or to the
Mind and Underftanding, let us rake a View
of the following Petitions, ^Grant irs hh Holy
Spirit^ that thofe Things may pleafe bun which
we do at this prefent •, and that the reft of our
Lfe hereafter may be pure and holy [a] Take
not thy holy Spirit from us {b), — The Fdlowfh'p
of the Holy Ghoft be with us all evermore (c).
— Send to us thine Holy Ghoft to comfort us {d ).
Grant that thy Holy Spirit may in all Things
dire^
{a) Abfolution.
{h) Refponfes afcer the Lord's Prayer.
{c) Conchifion of Morning and Evening Service.
(<// Sunday after Afcenfion.
[ 8i ]
dire5f and rule our Hearts (a) Grant that
by thy holy In/pirrttion, we may think thofe
Things thai he good {b). Come^ Holy Ghoft^
our Souls infpire ; and lighten with celefiial
Fire (c).
We may obferve here, that in the Opinion
of our Church, the Spirit of God is necefTary
to the direding our Hearts ; to the comforting
of our Minds ; to the thinking what is good;
to the doing what is holy \ to the enlightening
and infpiring our Souls ; and to the pleaftng of
God. And this will yet ftill further appear.
For, fpeaking of the [antlifyhg and regenerate
ing Power of the Holy Ghoft, fhe obferves,
that " The more it is hid from our Under-
" (landing, the more it ought to move alt
*' Men to wonder at the fccret and maighty
" working of God's Holy Spirit, which is
" within us. For it is the Holy Ghoil, and
" no other Thing, that doth quicken the
" Minds of Men, iiirring up good and godly
" Motions in their Hearts, which are agree-
" able to the Will and Commandment of
" God, fuch as otherwife of their own
** crooked and perverfe Nature they fhould
" never have, ihat which is born of the Spi-
*' m, is Spirit^ St John iii. 6. As who
** fhould fay, Man of his own Nature is
" flefhly and carnal, corrupt and naught,
*' fmful and difobedient to God, without any
*' Spark of Goodnefs in him, without any
virtuous
{a) I gth after Trinity.
{if) 5th after Eafter, (f) Feni Creator,
[ 82 ]
" virtuous or godly Motion, only given to
" evil Thoughis and wicked Deeds. As for
*' the Works of the Spirit, the Fruits of
•' Faith, charitable and godly Motions, if he
*'■ bave any at all in hijii^ they proceed only of
*-^ the Holy Ghoft, who is the only Worker
*'' of our San^iification^ and maketh us new
'' Men in Chrift Jefus. — Such is the Power
*' of the Holy Ghoft, to regenerate Men^ and
" as it were to bring them forth anew^ fo
*^ that they fliall be nothing like the Men
*^' they were before. Neither doth he think
*' it fufficient inwardly to work the fpiritual
*' »nd new Birth of Man, unlefs he do alfo
" dwell and abide in him — O what Comfort
•' is this to the Heart of a true Cbrijfian^ to-
*^' think that the Holy Ghofl d-iveUeih mthin
» him [a)V'
Again, " Thou haft received [the Bt)dy of
" Chrift] to h2i\t within thee, the Father, the
*^ Son, and tlie Holy Ghoft, for to dwell
** with thee^ to endow thee with Grace, tO:
" flrengthen thee againft thine Enemies, and
*' to comfort thee with their Prefence (^).—
'* A true Chrijlian is the Temple of the Ho-
** ly Ghoft (/)."
As thefe Palfages fufficiently difcover what
our Church thinks of the In- dwelling of the
Spirit -, fo they abundantly fhew, that fliefup-
pofes the Operations of that Holy Spirit are
very
(a) Homily for Whitfunday, Part I. p. 276, 277.
{b) Horn, of the Refurredlion, p. 262.
{c) Horn, againft the Fear of Death, Part i. p 52,
[ 83 ]
very eafy to be diftinguiflied from the natural
JVorkings of our own Minds. For if it be
really true, that tv try good Thought and Dif-
pofuion proceed from the Spirit of God {a) ^
and every thing bad from a corrupt Heart,
and a wicked Tempter {b) \ it can be no dif-
ficult matter to afcribe Good and Evil to their
proper Authors. If our Hearts are renewed
and fandified, and produce the Fruits of the
Gofpel •, yet all this is the Work of the Ho-
ly Spirit, and to him let the Honour be given.
— And as to his dwellmg in us; miferable is
the Cafe of that Perfon, where he dwells not..
For if any Man have not the Spirit o/Chrift,.
be is none of his, Bui if the Spirit of him that
raifed up Jefus from the Dead, dwell in you ;
he that raifed tip Chrift from the Dead, fhail
alfo quicken your mortal Bodies^ by bis Spirit
that dwelletb in you U) — Know ye not that ye
are the '■Temple of God ; and that the Spirit of
God dwelleth in you id) .^— And the fame A-
poftle tells the Ephefians, that they were built
together for an Habitation of God through the
Spirit, And gives them this ftrid: Caution—
710 1 to grieve the Holy Spirit of God, whereby
they were fealed unto the Day of Redemption (e)»
So that, I prefume, our Church's Opinion,
both as to the Difference between the natural
"Workings
(«) Gal. V. 2 2, 23.
{^) St Matth. XV. 19. Gal. V. ig— 21. Ephes. vi.
11,12. 1 Thefs. iii. 5. 2 Cor xi. 3.
(f) Rom. viii. 9— 11,
{d) 1 Cor. iii, 16. . {() Ephes. xi. j,z, Ch. iv. 30.
[84 3
Workings of corrupt Nature^ and the Opera-
tions of the Holy Gboft *, as well as to the
Dwelling of that divine Spirit within us, is
well founded ; as having the facred Oracles
entirely on her Side.
But let us (till further hear her Opinion,—
In the 17th Article fhe mentions " fuch Per-
" fons as feel in themfelves the Working of
'' the Spirit of Chrift^ drawing up their Mind
" to high and heavenly Things."
Again, every Deacon^ at his Ordination,
is thus examined — " Do you trufl: that you
" are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghofi:,
** to take upon you this Office and Mini-
'* ftration (^)?" And when they come to
be ordained Priefts^ the Bi/hop acquaints
I hem that they ovght^ and have need to pray
earrieftly for God's Holy Spirit. And after-
wards, they are admonifhed, continually
to pray for the heavenly /Ijfiftance of the Ho-
ly Ghcft {b). Towards the Conclufion of the
Service, the Bifhop lays his Hands on the
Head of every one ♦, pronouncing thefe fo-
lemn Words, — Receive the Holy Ghojt fcr the
Office arid IFork of a Priefi in the Church of
Godi &c.
Again, in one of the Homilies, after it has
been obferved, that all Spiritual Gifts come
from God by Jefus Chrift, we read as follows,
. " God give us Grace to know thefe
" Things, and to feel them in our Hearts.
'' This
{a) See the Office for ordaining Deac&ns.
\b) Exhortation in the Office for ordaining Priejii,
[ 85 ]
" This Knowldge and Feeling are not in
" ourfelves i — Let us therefore meekly call
*' upon — the Holy Ghoft, — that he would
" afljft us, and infpire us with his Prc-
" fence, ^6'."
And nfiorcover in the fame Homily it is
declared, that " It is by this Holy Spirit,
" which maketh Interceffion for us, with
*' continual Sighs, that we may boldly come
" in Prayer, and call upon Almighty God,
" as c>«r Father (t?)-'* Rom, v\\u \ ^^ 2&\ Gat.
iv. 6.
But now furely, if, through the Holy Spi-
rit, we are enabled to approach God as our
Father, it muft appear a fufficient Evidence
that we are His Children. The one very
plainly follows from the other.
If we are afTifted by the Spirit to call
God our Father ; it is fo far bearing Wit*
nefs^ that we are the Children of God, This
the great Apoftle affirms to be the State of
the Chriftians in thofe Days {b) \ and what,
but our own Corruptions, can be the Rea-
fon, why that Holy Spirit will no longer
bear [the fame] Witnefs with our Spirit ? He
that believeth on the Son of God, fays the
beloved Difciple, has the JVitnefs in himfelf{c).
But what Witnefs is this, which the Believer
has in him f elf ? No other furely, but the Wit^
nefs of the Holy Ghoft.
The late learned Dr Whitby, who was far
from
{a) Homily for Rogation Week, Partiii. p. 293, 294.
(^) Rom. viii. 16, [c) i St John v. 10.
I .86 ]
from being an Enthufiaftic Commentator^,
thus interprets thofe Words, — As having in
himfelf that Spirit of God which gives \hts^
Teftimony to Chrifl {a). *Tis true the Tefti-
mony here given relates to Chrift v but flill
it is given by the Holy Spirit ; And this
Holy Spirit is in the Believer. Undoubtedly
the Witnefs of the Spirit that Men are the
Children of God^ can belong only to thofe ^
who are his real Children \ as the learned
Grotius obferves {h) : But why it fhould not
be the Privilege of all fuch^ in all Ages
of Chriflianity^ remains to be proved. If
that Holy Spirit will make his Abode in the
Minds of true Chriftians, even to the Time
«?/ their Refurre^ion^ as the fame great Mzn
affirms (c) ; or, as is fufficiently intimated by
a much greater, even the infpired Apoftle
St Paul (d ) ; can we fuppofe he will there-
abide, without ever giving the fame Tefti-
mony to the Children of God, which he for-
merly did ? — I know it may be faid, that the
Church then enjoyed many great Privileges^
and Powers which we enjoy not. How-
ever, as the Power ^ or Rtght, or Privilege
of becoming the Sons of Gody belongs row ta
as many as truly receive Chrift by haith^ and
are
[a) In Loc.
(i) Deus tak donum non dat niji its quos pro Ft His haber^
'vult. — in Rom. viji. r6.
(f) Spiriius- Hie Savifus in Ant mis Chrijiianorum halt'
tans, b', ft fo/icite Jer-retur, ad Mortem, im bf poji Mar-
tern adReJurre£iionem ujque^ Animis adba:reni.^\ii i Thefa*
Y. iXf {d) Eora. viii*. ll.
[ 8? J
ere horn of God {a)\ as all are now the ChiU
dren of God by Faith in Chrift Jefus {b) -, fa
is it furely of Confequence now to know, whe-
ther Cbriftians are, in Truth and Reality,
Children of God •, Heirs of God j and Joint-
heirs with Chrifl (<r).
This appears to be of the fame Importance^
in every Age and State of the Church.
E. But may it not be faid, that there cari
be no Occafion for the Holy Spirit thus to
hear Witnefs \ fmce the Apoftle has laid down
other Marks, by which to judge, whether
we are the Children of God^ or not : Such as
mortifying the Deeds of the Body through the
Spirit : And afTuring us, that as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, they are the Sons of
God{d).
P. It is undoubtedly a moft infallible
Proof, we are not the Sons of God, if we are
not led hy his Spirit 5 and do not, through;
hifUy mortify the Deeds of the Body,
But will it follow from hence, that God
has never given any other way of difcover-
ing that Mankind are his Chtdren P For if
there be any Force in this Argument, it will
conclude as well againft the firft Times,
as the prefent. Or Ihall Men pretend to
limit thofe Ways i or fettle the Number
of them ? Let us only obferve what imme-
diately follows the two Verfes you juft men-
tioned For ye have not received the Spirit
of
{a) St John 1. 12, 13^ {b) Gal. iii. 26,
{c) Rom viii. ij. (<«') Rom. viii. 13, 14^
[ 88 ]
cf Bondage again to fear ; hut ye have rc-^
ceived the Spirit of adoption, whereby we
crvy Abba, Father, The Spirit itfelj beareth
Witnefs with our Spirit^ that we are the Chil-
dren of God (a).
As if the Apoftle had faid, *' That
•* Spirit of God, through whom ye mufll
*' mortify the Deeds of the Body ; and hf
*' whom you mufl be ledy if you defire
" to be the Sens of God \ that Spirit of God*
*• is he, whom you have already received,.
** to convince you of your Sin and Dan-
*' ger, and to deliver you from the Bondage
" of Corruption^ the Dominion of Sin and
" Satan, and the Fear of Death, into the
" glorious Liberty of the Children of God:
*' And he is therefore now to us, the Spi-
" rit of Adoption ; by whom we are en-
«< abltd to caH God our Father. He it is
" that now bears Wilnefs within us, or joint-
" ly with our Spirit^ that wc are the Children
« of God {by*
This
\a) Verfe 15, 16.
(^) I ..umbly apprehend, that by this the Apoftle
means, feme di'virje Operation of the Ho/y Spirit upon the.
Soul ; by which we receive a c/ear znd J oy/u/ Aii'urance,
that we are the Children of God. For the innv&rd King*
dofn of God is not only Right eouftie/s, but Peace and Joy
in the HolyGhoft, Rom. xiv. 17. Ch. v. i. Ch. xv. 15,
—Therefore it is humbly fubmitted, — Whether *• the
•* Spirit itfelf bearing Witnefs ivith our Spirit, that «t:*
** are the Children 0/ God,''' ~ does not fecm plainly to
include fomething more than merely Indinaticn and
Po-wer to obey the divine Commands r Undoubtedly, if
either
[ 89 ]
This feems in general to be the plain
Meaning and Defign of the Apollle ; though
foine have endeavoured, with great Induftry,
to explain this obvious Meaning away, by
fuppofing it referred only to the working of
Miracles.
I will here jufl: further obferve, that our
Church, fpeaking of the ancient Patriarchs
mentioned by Sc Paul^ [Heb. xi.] thus re-
marks— " by the coming of our Saviour
" Cbrift, we have received more abundant-
*' ly the Spirit of God in our Hearts,
" whereby we may receive a greater Faith.,
" and a furer Trufl than many of them
" had(^)."
But let us next proceed to confider, how
far our Church fuppofes the Holy Spirit may
enlighten our Minds or Underftandings,
And
either Inclmntion, or Willy or Popery be wanting, I
ihould not fcruple to tell the uxo^ fanguine Belie-ver^ that
all his Joy, and Peace, and AJjurauce, were only fo many
Delufions. — But yet, when w^- read of a full AJJurance
of Faith and Hope\ of receiving the Spirit of Ado^lwn\
of his njoiinefjtng imth ow Spirit, that zve are the Children
of God i and of being filled ^vcith all foy andPex^e in be'
lieving ; — I can make no doubt, but that inward Witnefs
of the Spirit is fometimes attended with a Strength and
'Cl''iirnefs of Evidence, that cannot be refided ; and with
a Jov and Peace, that cannot be defcribed. But tho'
the Spirit works differently ir. different Perfons, jaft as
infinite Wifdom fees proper: yet, I prefume, that '* his
«* bearing Witnefs with our Spirit, that zve are the Children
** ofGod,^'' — always implies a fufficient Degree oi E'vu-
dence, immediately communicated to the Soul, and at-
tended with much Joy and Peace in belie'vi7ig^
(«) Horn, of Faith, Part ii. p. 22.
[ 90 ]
And firfl:, fne approves of thefe Sayings of
St Chryfofiom^ where he thus exprefTes him-
felf, with regard to the finding out the Senfe
of the Holy Scripture — " God himfelf from
*' above, will give Light unto our Minds ^ and
*' teach us thofe Things which are necefTary
<* for us, and wherein we be ignorant."—
" Man's human or worldly Wifdom, or
*• Science, is not needful to the underfland-
*' ing of Scripture, but the Revelation of
** the Holy Ghoft, who infpireth the true
*' Meaning unto them, that with Humili*
,«' ty and Diligence do fearch therefore (a),'*
'*— At the Ordination of a Prieft, the Bifhop,
thus praySs — " Thdt we may daily increafe
*' and go forwards in the Knowledge and
" Faith of thee and thy Son, by the Holy
*' Spirit:'
Again, our Church, fpeaking of divine
Wifdom, obferves that ^bis Wijdom cannot
he attained^ hut by the Dire^ion cf the Sfirit
of God [b) This Hcly Spirit will fuggeft unto
i4s that [which] /hall be wholejome^ and con-
firm us in all Things {cj.
And therefore it is no Wonder, that our
Church thus addrejTes herfelf to God — G^an!
usy by the fame Spirit^ to have a right Judg-
ment in all Things {d).
Moreover,
{a) Horn, of the Holy Scripture, Part. ii. p j.
{b) Horn, for Rogation-Week, Part iii. p. 294.
\c) P. 2^7. {d) Colled for Wiutfunda)'.
[ 9' ]
Moreover, at the Confecration of every
Bifhop, and at the Ordination of a Prieit,
thefe Words are repeated, —
Enable with perpetual Light
The Dulnefs of our blinded Sight,
Or elfe the following,
•O Hely Ghofty into our Minds
Send down thy heavenly Light {a).
And further, at the Confecration of a Bi-
Ihop, the Archbifhop enquires of the Bifhop
eled:, — Whether he will faithfully exercife
himfelf in the Holy Scriptures^ and call upon •
■God by Prayer for the true underftanding of
the fame (b) ?
But muft not this true iinderfianding arife
from the Holy Spirit? And whether we call
fuch Affiftance of the Spirit, by the Name
of Influence^ DircLJion, IlluminaiiGn^ Sug"
geflion^ or Infpiration ; where is the Diffe-
rence ? Some Operation of the Holy Spirit,
it certainly mull be : Though how^ or in
what Way^ or Manner^ that divine Spirit fhall
fee proper to operate, cannot render it lefs a
divine Operation^
But laftly, the Archbifhop prays, that God
would fo endue [the Bifhop] with his Holy
Spirit, that he preaching the Word [of God]
may be earnefl to reprove^ befeech^ and rt-
buke^
{a) Vent Creator, See the Confecration and Ordina-
tion Service.
(^} Confecration of Bifhops.
[ 9^ J
luke^'^and alfo may be a whole feme Example
to Believers {a).
So that the Holy Spirit is here evidentjy
prayed for, not only rhat the Bifnop may be
a Pattern to others ; but alfo that he may be
enabled to irijiru^ both by earnefi Reproof 2iV\d
Exhortation,
All which plainly imply not only the
faritlifyihg Influences of the Holy Ghofl: ;
but alfo fpritual Sirerigtb^ Courage^ and Re^
foliition^ — corfianily to fpeak the Truth •, bold-
ly to rebuke Vice •, and patiently to fuffer for
the Truth^s fake, as our Church ellewhere
exprefles herfelf (i*). For though thefe three
laft Petitions are not there particularly ap-
plied to one Order of Paftois more than ano-
ther ; yet they mud in a very eminent De-
gree belong to thofe of the higher Order;
as being, by their great Superiority of Station,
moft capable of doing an Honour to Reli-
gion. They are, in a very peculiar Manner,
what our blefTed Lord calls— r/i?*? Light cf the
World \ and a City that is fet on an Hill {c).
Confequently a diligent preaching the Holy
Word of God (^) ; a refolute and hold rebuk-
ing of Vue, in all Orders and Degrees of Men
whatever ; an earneil reproving of Sinners,
without Favour, Fear, or Affetlion ; a pain-
ful, and ccnfant enforcing the Truths of the
Gofpel't and the patiently bearing any Re-
proach,
[a) Second Prayer before the Eenedidlion.
{h) Collea for St John Eaptift's Day.
(<) StMatth.v. 14. {d) Colkd for St Peter's.
[ 9i ]
proach, Contempt, or Perfecution for the
Sake of tbofe divine Truths \ all thefe muft
prove of greater Weight and Influence from
fuch, than the fame Behaviour in obfcurer
Perfons. And therefore it is highly neceffa-
ry, in order to anfwer thefe great Purpofes,
that they fhould be endued, in a very lingu-
lar manner, ^jjiih God^s Holy Spirit, That fo
by the Exemplarinefs of their Lives and Be-
haviour, and the Soundnefs of their Inftruc-
tions, tbcir Light may fo fbine before Men^
that they may fee their good IVorks^ and glorify
their Father^ which is in Heaven (a). And
thus our Church exprefsly prays in the fol-
lowing Words,—" Give Grace, O heavenly
*' Father, to all BilLops and Curate?, that
" they may both by their Life and Dotlrine
" fet forth thy true and lively Word, and
" rightly and duly adminifler thy Holy Sa-
" craments (i')."
F^ere the Grace or Affifiance of the Holy
Spirit is requefted, that both the fuperior and
inferior Paftors may fo live^ and fo infiru£f^
as may bell: promote the Truths of God's di-
vine Word •, and that they might likewife ad-
mi nifter his Holy Sacraments in a fuitable
and becoming manner. And this again, with
fome further Addition, is petitioned for in
that excellent Prayer, called the Litany
" That it may pleafe thee to illuminate all
" Biihops, Priefts, and Deacons, with true
F '' Kno'Li'.
{a) St Matth. V. 1 6.
{b) Prayer for the Church Militant,
[ 94 ]
*' Knowledge and Underjlanding of thy Word»
" and that both by their Preaching and Liv-
*' ing they may fet it forth, and fliew it ac-
*' cordingly.'*
Here we befeech the Father of Lights to
illuminate or enlighten all the three Orders of
our Church with divine Knowledge and Un-
derjtanding ; and that, according to the Mea-
fure bellowed on them, they may, both by
their Freacijing and Livings fet forth and
declare the facredWord of God. All which
very manifeftly proves, that, in the Opinion
of our Church, the Illumination of the Spirit
of God is necelfary 'to their true Knowledge
and Underjlanding of his divine Word -, and
for the enforcing of it, both by their Lives
and Do^rines.
And thus have I endeavoured to fatisfy your
Enquiries, concerning our Church's Opinion,
with regard to the prefent Operations or Influ-
ences of the Holy Spirit*.
E, It appears indeed pretty plain, what
our Church thinks of thefe Things, But
I have often heard a great Difference made
between i^nmediale Infpi ration, and an In-
fpiration or Influence which is not imme-
diate.
P. What-
* l^ fiich Operations of the Holy Spirit have a plain
Foundation in the Go/pel, how mehncholy is the Re-
£e6lion, that the kokingfor them fhould be called by the
learned Biftiop oiGlouceJur, *' fuperjiiticus ^iVid fanatical!''
'EJfay on Grace. ^May that illuminating Spirit inftruft
him better!
[ 95 ]
P, Whatever Difference there may be in
the Manner of the Holy Spirit's difplaying
his Power ; yet furely, if a Perfon's Mind be
enlightened^ or his Heart ckanfed by this di-
vine Spirit ; — whether thefe Effeds are pro-
duced by an immediate Influence, or by the
Inrerpofition of fome Means or Inftrument;
yet the Effeds are ftill equally owing to the
Spirit of God.
When our blefled Lord applied Clay to the
Eyes of the BHnd, before he reftored his
Sight-, was that Miracle the lefs owing to his
divine Power ? Or was not here altogether
the fame divine Power that cured the Le^
pery only with faying, / wil!^ be thou
clean ?
If it rtiould be objedled, that there is a
wide Difference between making ufe of Means
that can have no Tendency to cure, or which
are rather oppofite to it j and making ufe of
Means that feem to co-operate ; and which
only want a Bleffing to attend them : if
this fhould be objected, it muft be owned,
,that there is undoubtedly a great deal of
Difference in the Nature of Means. But
then, where the mod promifing Means will
not do., without the Jjfijiance of the Holy
Spirit : nay, where the felf-fame Means will
always fucceed with him^ but never with-
out him, there furely the whole is to be afcrib-
ed to him.
The fame divine Word, for Inftance, prov-
^ 2 ed
r 96 ]
ed a Savour of Life unto Life to fome ; but a
Savour of Death unto Death to others [a).
The Preaching of Chrift aucifed was to
the Jei^s a StiimUing- block \ and to the
Greeks^ hoohfhnefs : But to many, it proved
the Power of Gcd^ and the IVifdom of God (b).
Here was the fame divine Word of the fame
divine Spirit \ and yet it proved, for Want
of his divine Power upon the Sou], of no
Force or Efficacy with regard to Num-
bers. His efficacious Influence was wanting,
which thofe Perfons were not fit to receive.
And indeed without fuch Influence, the di-
vine Word will prove but a dead Letter to
us, and leave us in the Gall of Bitternefsy
and Bond cf Iniquity, lliis is the true Rea-
fon, why fome may often bear and read the
Gofpel, withoiit biluvu:g one Word of it.
And this is the Reafun, why fo many others,
who call tliemielvcs Believers^ are not one
whit the better for all their Belief, This dif-
covers the aMolute Neceffity of the Holy Spi-
rit's conftanr A ffiilance —Though whether
wedwte or unnicdiate^ fhould be left to him,
who knows bfrfl: in what Manner and Mea-
fure to work in us
The great Apoflle, who had undoubtedly
infiru6ltd the Epheftans^ what was the Hope
of G'd's Callings and what the Riches of the
Glory of his Inheritance in the Saints ; and
what the exceeding Gre n^ef of his Power \
yet prays that the Eyes of their Underfianding
may
(/i) 2 Cor. ii. 15, 16. [h) I Cor. 1 23, 24.
C 91 ]
may he enlightened in order to know thefe
Things (tf): And exhorts them to bt filled
vjuh the Spirit {b). And furely, \i divine Il-
lumination v/as wanted after /^^^ an Inftru5tor\
can any wife and ferious Chriftian think the
lame Illufnination to be now needkfs ? But
whatever may be fuppofed by fome, it is evi-
dent our Church thinks more wifely.
However, if Men will but allow, that the
Affiftance of the Holy Spirit is altogether ne-
ceffary to the opening and inftru5fing of the
Mind -, to the foftening and purifying the
Heart; and to the carrying us through the
great Work of Salvation, never difpute with
them about the Form of their ExpreiTions.
E, As I am fenfibie of my Obligations
for this Trouble ; fo am I fenfibie that my
great Bufinefs is, to obtain this divine hi-
fiftance for conduding me fafe through this
Worlds io the Regions of everlajiing Hap pi-
nefs.
P, I'hat, my dear Friend, is undoubtedly
the main and principal Bufinefs of every
one. And therefore I fhall juft add a few
(hort Cautions and Diredions, which may
prove of fome further Service to you. And
now, if you do but thoroughly confider the
true Nature of the Gofpel of CJjriJl^ you
will certainly conclude, that all thofe va-
rious Ways, which Men have taken to break
the Force of iis divine Precepts and Doc-
F 3 trines,
{a) Ephes. i. 17 — 19. See Atls XX. 17—21.
ijj) Ephes. V. 18.
[ 98 ]
tnnes, are only fo many various Delufions
of the Devil — Some, for Inftance, have ima-
gined, that certain of its Precepts are not
binding in themfelves ♦, but are only what
may\ or may not be complied with, juft ac-
cording to our own Choice and Liking.
Theie, by the Church of Rome^ are called
Counfeh o^ Perfe^^wn .See Bifhop Burnet on
ylriule -XAv.
Others have talked o{ ^ifecret Will in God,
which differs from that which is revealed.
And which Opinion diredly fets afide the
whole Authority of divine Revelation. For
it is only fuppofing that what I do not ap-
prove of in Revelation, is contrary to the
fecret Will of God ; and then the whole Force
of his revealed Will is loft upon me. It is
much the fame thing, and muft have juft the
fame Effedls, with fuppofing fome Dodlrincs
in the f acred IVritirgs are of divine Autho*
rity •, whilft others have only been foifled in
by ignorant and defigning Men. For what
Weight can the Holy Scriptures have with
us, whilft we are under the Influence of fuch
a Delufion ? We fhall infallibly afcribe every
thing, which Vv-e do not like, to the Mif-
takes of fome, or the Craft of others : And
confequently the whole Force of fuch Doc-
trines, or Precepts, will vanifh into Air.—
Be aflured, God has taken more Care of
his divine Word, than fome Men appre-
hend. However, I would not be milunder-
flood •, I do n©t mean to fay, that there are
no
i 99 '\
no various Readings in the facred Oracles;
for there are many thoufands in the New
Tefiafnent. But then, when it is confidered,
that none of thefe Variaiions make the lead
material Difference either as to the Faith or
Pratlice of a Chriftian^ the Greatnefs of the
Number is only a ftronger Confirmation,
God has taken even a miraculous Care of his
own facred Truths.
A late learned Writer, fpeaking of thefe
various Le5fions^ thus exprefTes himfelf, —
" Nor is one Article of Faith or moral Pre-
*' cept either perverted or loft in them ; choofe
** as aukwardly as you can^ choofe the worft
*' by Dtfign^ out of the whole Lump of Read-
But again, fome have thought that the
ftrider Precepts of the Gofpel (thafe particu-
larly contained in our Lord*s divine Sermon
on the Mount) related oKly to the Apcftles j
though nothing is more evident, than that
our blefTcd Lord delivered thefe divine Doc-
trines to the People^ as well as to them : For
we read, that the People ivere aftonifhed at his
Do^rine {b).
Others have gone a Step farther, and fup-
pofed that the whole Gofpel mufl: abate of
its original Stridlnefs ; as being far too high
for the Attainment of Mankind. So that
F 4 fmce
[n) Remarks upon Freethinking, by Phileiutherus Lip-
fwifis. Part 1. Scd. 32.
[b) St Match, vii. 2S. See the learned Grotius and
Urxm^nrnJ Qx\ Sc March v. i.
[ lOO ]
fince we are not able to reach up to that-,
it mud therefore itfclf come down to us.
— As thefe Perfons feem only to have an
Eye at their own Strength and Abilities^ it is
no wonder they defpair of Succefs. But let
fuch remember, that a Power fuperior to
their own, is ready to make them more
than Conquerors : And that it is their own
Fault, if they cannot ao all Things through
Chrift that ftrengtbens them {a). The Ho-
ly Spirit never amufes Men with vain Sha-
dows ; nor propofes Jiri^fer Duties, than
he is both able.d^ud willing to afiift us in per-
forming.
If any Man will come after me^ fays the
Son of God, let him deny himfelf^ and take up
his Crofs daily ^ and follow me (b). To the
fame Purpofe fpake our blefled Lord to the
Multitude^ as well as to his own Difciples (f ).
No doubt, this appeared a very hard Say-
ing to many ; but it was not the lefs true,
even in the ft ricJeJl Senfe of the Words.
But if we fhould fancy ourfelves not much
concerned in this barjh Sentence, in thefe
Days of Plenty^ and Eafe, and Profpefity,
we fhall find that we are unhappily mifta-
ken. For though we fhould not Juf^er Per-
fecutinn for refolving to live grdly in Chri^
Jefus (d) : for not being ccnj armed to ths
fVorld i
{a) Rom. viit. 35 — 39. Philip, iv. 13.
{l^) St Luke ix. 23.
(r) StMarkviii. 34. St Luke xiv. 25— 27, 33.
(^} 2 Tim. iii. 12.
[ loi 1
IVorld ; to the Vices, Follies, and Vanities ot
a wretched, thoughtlefs Age : — Though we
fhould not be expofed to any kind of ill
Treatment, for labouring to be transformed
by the renewing of our Mind (a^\ for fettirg
our /Iffe^ions on Tubings above {h) % and hav-
ing our Converfation in Heaven {c) \ yet every
wife Cbrijiian muft know, that there is a-
bundant room for daily obeying this Com-
mand of Cbrifty even in the midft of the
greateft Plenty^ Eafe^ and Profperity.
It is indeed greatly to be feared, that all
do not think of daily denying themfelves in
fuch C i re um (lances, and of taking up their
Crcfs^ and following Cbrtft ; but ftill his di-
vine Command is in full Force: And they
who rejed it, are neither his Difciples, nor
worthy of him (d) In lliort, if Mankind
would but part with their Pride, their Lux-
ury, their Wrath, their Coveioufnefs, their
vicious Hearts, and worldly Minds, they
would never imagine that the Gofpel ot Cbrijl
was too flri^^ or zoo fever e.
But again, fome ochers have gone fo fur-
prifing a length, as not only to affirm, but
even to attempt to prove it, from the Gofpel
itfelf, — that ail fhall he faved^ let them live
as they will! — if fuch Writers are ferious, as
may be much queftioned, their Minds mult
be too much diftempered to be capable
F 3 of
{a) Rom. xii. 2. [h] CoJ. iii. i, 2.
[c) Phil. iii. 20.
(</) St Luke xiv. 27. StMath. x. 38.
[ 102 ]
of being reafoned with. But if they are
ading only the Part of Buffoons^ I pray God
they may fee their Wickednefs, before it be
too late.
All thefe Notions, and others of a like
nature, may be efteemed more or lefs as the
Depths of Kiatan^ to beguile unwary Souls ;
to tempt them from the Simplicity of the
Gofpel ; and to carry them from one degree
of Folly and Infatuation to another, Thefe
Notions, my dear Friend, are not the Truth
as it is in Jefus.
You, and I, and every Chriftian^ are call-
ed to high and glorious Privileges.
Even to abide in Chrift ; and Chrift in
us {a). To put on the Lord Jefus Chrift {b).
To glory in the Crofs of our Lord Jefus Chrift ;
to be crucified unto the World ; and to have
the World crucified unto us. To have Chrtfi
formed in us \ and dwelling in our Hearts by
Faith, And the Life which we live in
the Flefh^ to live by the Faith of the Son of
God (c).
In a word, To have our Converfation in
Heaven 5 to be an Habitation of God through
the
(a) St Jdin XV. 4, 5.
{b) Rom. iii. 14. Gal, iii. 27. i\ ydf Xpiror rip
vlo9 re ©£» Iv^s^vfAt^ott y.ai 'srpo? avrov l^w/xotwSjj/AEv.
tlq yiAccv (Tvlyivsiuv *^ {/.iuv l^!<x,v ^%9>j/x£v, %ap»Tt yefovo-
T£s oVap ixsTtoq Ir* (pva-n Theoph. in Gal. iii. 27.
Chrift um induunt <vere Chrijiiani quique a Deo Jihiy turn
I, irnputantumy ad jujlificationem % turn 2, impertitum, ad
fan£iiJicationem,^~G2X2k. Cinni. cap. ix. p. lOi, 102.
(0 Gal. vi. 14. Ch, iv. 19, Ephes. iii. 17. Gal.
11. 20.
[ 103 ]
the Spirit -, to be filled with all the Fulnefs of
God : And to be made Partakers of the di'
vine Nature {a);
Thus, in theLanguageof our own Church,
are we to dwell in Chrift, and Chrift in
lis ; IVe are to be One with Chrift, and
Chrift with us {b). And moreover we pray,
that we may evermore dwell in him, and he
in us (r).
And furely fufficient Reafon is there thus
perpetually to pray •, fi nee our blefted Lord
has himfelf aflured us, that without him [if
feparated from him] we can do nothing (d).
As our holy Lord had been juft comparing
the Union betwixt himfelf and his Difci-
pies, to the Filal Union betwixt a Fine -and
its Branches ; it is evident he here fpeaks
of fuch a Separation from himfelf (^), as cuts
off all fpiritual Communications to the Soul,
and leaves us deftitute of all divine Life.
So deplorable is the State of being without
Chrift /—Undoubtedly, my dear Friend, the
Religion of the Gofpel is a very great Work ;
and there are many Adverfaries. But \ti
€very true Chriftian take Courage *, ^or great-
er is he that is in thetn, than he 4hat is in
the
[a] Philip, iii. 20. Ephe?. ii. 22. Ch. iii. 19. 2 St
iPeter i. 4. See alfo i St John ii. 20, 24. Ch. iii. 24.
Ch. iv. 13, 15. Ch. V. 20.
{b) Exhortation in the Communion-Service.
{c) Prayer before the Prayer of Confecration.
[d) St John XV. 5.
{e) x^fU 'haS, i. e. x^pKrOivli? dv '^a^^ f^arati a
me, Pifcacor in Loc,
[ IC4 ]
the World (a). And happy is ir, that he k
fo •, fince Chriftians are lb thickly befft with
Enemies. They mud not only look for In-
fults, Reproach, and Contempt, from a vain
bad World ; but may expedl that even their
own irregular Appetites and Pajfiom will en-
ter into a formal Controverfy, and go near
to demand, — What they were given for ? —
To which, I think, .you may well reply,
that with regard to the State they are in,
'^they were not given by God at all,
God created nothing irregular. All that
he made, was gocd, God created Man in
his own Image^ and after his own Likenefs.
He made Man upright •, but they have fought
out many Inventions [b). All their IrreguLin-
ties are therefore owing to a fubtil Tempt-
er ; to corrupt Nature, and to Mens in-
dulging of it. But as it was the great De-
fign of Chrifl^s coming into the World to
reft ore that divine Life which we had lofl: ;
to renew us in the Sprit of our Mind \ to
beflow on us that new Man^ which after
God is created in Righteoufnefs and true Holi-
nefs \"^ which is renewed in Knowledge^ af-
ter tb^ Image of him that created him {c) ;
Therefore all irregular DeJireSy all inordi-
nate Affe^ions fas being oppofite to thefe.
great Ends) muft not only be reftrained and
bridled,
(«} I St John iv. 4.
{h) Gen. i. 26, 27, 31. Eccles. vii. 29.
{c) Rom. vi. 23, ? Cor. xv. 22. 2 Cor, v. 18, 19.
Ephes. iv. 22— 2>f. Col, iii. 10.
[ 105 ]
bridled, but alfo entirely fubdued and mor^
tified {a).
And now, as the f acred Oracles Gontain
the My fiery of God and of Chrift -, in whom
are hid all the I'reajures of IVifdom and
Knowledge (b)\ let me advife you frequenr-
ly to meditate on the divine Truths which
are therein contained. Be afTured, you will
never repent of the Time thus laid our.
Do not be afraid of being over-lavifli of
your Pains and Labour in fuch a Study,
fince it will bring its own Re^'ard along
with it.
And here I muft mention a few Lines
from that very learned Prelate, the late e>c-
cellent Bifhop Stillingfleet^ where he treats
of the divine Authority of the Scriptures
*' How dry and faplefs are all the volumi-
" nous Difcourfes of Philofophers^ compared
*' with this 5^;?/^;;^^,— Jefus Chrift came in-
*' to the IVorld to fave Sinners I i Tim. i. 15,
" How jejune and unfatisfa5fory are all the
" Difcoveries they had of God and his
*' Goodnefs^ in Comparilbn of what we
" have by the Gofpel o^ Chrift ! Well might
*' Paul then fay, — That he determined tv
*' know nothing but Chrift, and him crucifi-
*' ed^ I Cor. ii. 2. Chrift crucified h thQ Li-
** brary which 'Triumphant Souls will be ftu-
*' dying in to all Eternity, This is the on-
" ly Library^ which is the true iojp^oi' 4^X'^<9
*' that which cures the Soul of ail its Ma-
« I^idies
(«) Verfe 5. {h) Ch. ii. 2, 3.
[ 106 ]
*' ladies and Diftempers. Other Knowledge
" makes Mens Minds giddy and flatulent ;
*' this fellies and compofes them. Other
*' Knowledge is apt to /well Men into high
** Conceits and Opinions of themfelves •, this
" brings them to the truefl View of them-
<' felves ', and thereby to Humility and .^^-
" hrieiy. Other Knowledge /^<7i;<fi Mens
*' Hearts as it found them ; this alters them,
«' and makes them better. So tranfcendent
" an Excellency is there in the Knowledge
*' of Chrift crucified^ above the fublin:^fl: Spe-
*' culations in the World f^)."
All thefe beautiful Obfervations, I am cer-
tain, you will find true, by your own hap-
py' Experience. But then, as Humility of
Mind^ and Holinefs of Heart, are the beft
Key to the Gofpel of Chr'tfi (Z>), next to divine
Illumination •, therefore I befeech you to pe-
tition conftanrly for an humble and fanftijied
Spirit : Since thefe wiii go a great way to-
wards clearing up of many Difficulties. Our
Church fays, that " he profits moft in read-
*' ing the Word of God, that is moft turn-
" ed into it •, that is moft infpired with the
" Holy Ghoft j [who is] moft in his Heart
" and Life altered and changed into that
" Thing which he readeth : He that is dai-
" ly lefs and lefs proud^ lefs wrathful^ lefs
*' covetous, and lefs defirous of worldly and
*' vain
{a) Origines Sacrce, 1. iii. c. vi. p. 256. Edit. 5.
[b) St Match. V. 8. St John v. 44. Ch. vU. 17. St
James 1.5. Ch, iv. 6. i St Pet. v. 5.
[ 107 ]
" vain Pleafures : He that daily (forfaking
*' his old vicious Life) increafeth in Virtue
** more and more (^)."
And now, may every ProfefTor of Chrijli-
anity lincerely pray to be thus quaHfied, for
the Sake of the Great Author and Finijher
of our Faith.
E, And may I, in particular, my dear
Friend, reap the Benefit of your kind Advice
and Inftrudions.
P. 1 pray God fucceed them, my good
Friend, Eugenius,
{a) Horn, of the Reading and Knowledge of the Ho-
ly Scripture, Part 1. p. 3.
APPENDIX.
[ '08 ]
APPENDIX.
HAVING very lately met with a Book^
v;rote by a learned Gentleman, in
which are Ibme few things very different,
in my bumble Opinion, from the Dvchhte of
the Go/pel ; L chofe, by way of /Ippendix^ to
take feme Notice of them in this feparate
Manner, rather than to difperfe the Remarks
ihrough various Parts of the Diahgues,
It was not judged material to mention the
y^uihor's Name, as the Reader is only defired
to confider the Arguments^ which are here
offered.
But firft, let us attend to that glorious
Defcription of Divine Fatth^ which the Sa-
cred Oracles have given us.
'* Faith is the Subftance of Things hoped
*' for ; the Evidence of 1 hings not leen.
*' It is a Principle of the Operation of God ;
" which purifies the Heart i, and gains the
" Victory over the World ; [its 1 errors, Al-
lurements and Temptations] *' It works by
" Love •, is the Breaft-plate of Right eoufnefy ;
*' and a Shield^ which can quench all the fiery
" Darts of the Devil {a)'*
Here
{a) Heb. xi. i. Col. ii. 12. Afts xv. 9. Ch. xxvi.
18. I St John V. 4. Gal.v. 6. 1 Thefs. v. 8. Ephes.
Vi. 14, 16, Ttt TTOHJfa.
[ 109 ]
Here then is a divine living Principle^ {m^^
ficient to fti.r up every Faculty o\' the Soul\
and to infpire us with Courage and Kefolu*
Hon to trample the IVor'd, and the God of it^
under our Feet.
Let this be now compared with the De-
irripcion given of Faith by the ingenious
V/nier juft mentioned.
" Faitb ftgnifie^ the believing the Word of
** God^ affeniing to it y relying, or refiing
'' upon it \ and a^ing accordingly,*^
Can it be any wonder, that fuch a Faith
fhould leave Men in Sin ; and that " Death
*' mufi be fenl at lafi to kill it *," and thus
give the Believer a final Deliverance ? For
lurely the Faith here defcribed can never
make Felix, nor the Jailor, tremble, k caa
never, by any Virtue of its own, caufe one
Soul to cry out, JVhat mufl I do to be
faved? Nor can it, by any intrinfic Power ia
itfelf, gain the Victory over the Worlds the
Fie lid, or the Devil, For do not we fee Mul*
titudes of zvarm Profejfors, who believe, affent,
rely, and reff, upon ibe Word of God •, — and
yet continue all their Lives in the Gall of
Biilernefs, and Bond of Iniquity ? — Slaves to
all the Follies, the Vanities, the Pleafures, and
Pride of Life? — And what fhould reftrain
them ? Not this Faith moft certainly ! For
this, not being a Faith of the Operation of
God, can have no fupernatural or divine In-
fluence over them It not being a divine
living Principle infpired by the Spirit of God^
caa
t "o ]
can never give any fpiritual Life to a Sou^
dead in Sin ; nor enable it to ^^ according to
the divine fpiritual Gofpel of the Lord Jefus !
So wide is the Difference between a Fai(h^
which none but God can infpire ; and a
Faiths which every /)rc//^ Fharifee may lay
claim to !
And therefore, is it furprlzing, that fuch
a Believer fhould be for ever complaining of
falling fhort in Duty ? This, he certainly will
and mufi do, whilft Confcience retains any
Power of reproving.
However, his Comfort is, (provided he can
take Comfort m it) that Chriji is his Law»
fuJfiller ; — that Chrifl has kept the Law for
Rim ! — Confequentiy, it may well be afked,
—What would this weak Believer have ?
Would he keep^ for inftance, the Ten Com*
piandments? For what Reajfon P^^H^iS not
Chrifl kept xhcm for Him ? Or does he think
he can keep them better Himfelf ? — Why
then fhould he indulge this legal Spirit /'— .
However, fo it is ; that every time, fuch
weak Believers break one of the divine Com-
mandsy their Confcience is apt to fly in their
Face, and make them quite miferable!
One would think, that fome of the follow-
ing Scriptures had fattened upon their Minds!
•'— " If ye love me, fays the blefled Jefus,
" keep my Cojnmandments, He that hath my
*' Commandments, and keepeth them, he it is
*' that loveth me If a Man love n\Q, he will
^' keep my Words. — He that loveth me not^
*' keepeth
[ III ]
*' keepelh not my Sayings. — Herein is my Fa-
" ther glorified, that ye bear much Fruu —
" If ye keep my Commandments^ ye fhall abide
'* in my Love \ evej), as I have kept my Fa^
" therms Commandments^ and abide in his Love,
*' — Ye are my Friends, if ye do whatfoever
*'^. I command you, ^ — St John xiv. 15, 2i>
23, 24. Ch. XV. 8, 10, 14.
" By this," fays the beloved Difciple of
Chrift^ " we know that we love the Children
*' of God, when we love God and keep bis
" Commandments, For this is the Love of
" God, that we keep his Commandtnents \
" and his Commandments are not grievousJ!^
— ift Epift. V. 2, 3.
St Paul declares, that " we are the work-
" man/hip of God, created in Cbrift J^fus
«' unto good tVorks ; which God hath before
" ordained, that we ihould walk in themJ^-
He prays that the Colojfians, " might be ena-
*' bled to w-alk worthy of the Lord unto all
" pleafing ; being fruitful in every good IVork.''^
And he direds Titus ^ " conftantly to ajffirm^
" that they which have believed in God^
*' might be careful to maintaingcodJ^Forks (^).'*
And only to mention one or two PafTages
more, " The Dead were judged every Man
" according to their Works. Blefled are they,"
fays the Alpha and Omega, " That do his
" Commandments, that they may have right to
" the Tree of Life, I will give unto every
'* one of you, according to your Works, ~^
" Hold
\a) Ephe§. 2. 10. Colos. \, 10. Titus iii. 8.
[ 11^ }
" Hold that faf(-, which thou haft, that no
^* Man take thy Crown,^^ Revel, xx. 13.
Ch. xxii. 14. Ch. ii. 23. Ch. iii. 11.
But now, is it pofiiblc for a ferious Chrif-
iian^ to attend to thefe awful Declarations \
(even though he knows he muft be Javed of
mere Grace cnly)^ and not feel a deep Ccucern
for fo frcqutmly fallhjg Jborl in the difchargc
of his Duty ? — And yet a very ferious Cbrtf-
tian declares •,— " that Believers will never
" Jive comfortably^ till they fee the Law dead
" and buried]''
1 had much rather they could fee *' the
*' old Man dead and buried f The whole cor-
*' rupt Nature crucified \ and the Body of Sin
** dtfiroyed \ that fo^ they might not bcnce-
•» forth ferve Sin /" But on the contrary,
be " dead indeed unto Sin •, but alive unto
*' God^ through J efus Chrifl our Lord!'* Rom.
vi, 6, 1 1, For I fear there are but too great
a Number already of thefe comfortable Be-
lievers in the World ! Such foul -hearted ones,
as feldom betray a leg<:I Spirit ^ when they
have violated any Branch of the divine Law.
But who bang hardened ihrcugh the Deceit-
fulnefs of Sin, are able to fin on, with much
Peace and Ttanquillity of Mind !
Belitver, whoever thou art, let me intreat
thee, not to be afraid of humbling thyfdf be-
fore God, under every Dcviaiicn from the di-
vine Commands. Otherwife, thy spirit will
grew more Jlack and remijs j and ihy fleejy
JSi^iigince Will make I bee pay dear ^ for having
been
[ 1^3 J
been more afraid of a legal Spiril^ thau of viQ^
latin'{ .the Law of God !
Indeed, wben Men are taughr, that
" though God is able to fave them .from the
*' very being of Corruption, ^ow as well as
*' in Heaven; but that it is not his Mind
'' and P^ili: And that he will fend Death to'
«' kill Sin ;*' — I fay, when they are thus
taught, can fuch Doofnnes tend to ftir them
up—." lo cleanfe them [elves from all Filthinefs
" of the Flefh and Spirit ; and to perfe5i Ho-
" linefs in the Fear of God {a) ? Or to ufe all
*' Diligence to add one Grace to another ; and
" even to abound in them •, that fo they may
" be neither Jlothful (i?), nor unfruitful in
" the Knowledge o^our Lordjefus Chrifl (<:)."
So far from it; that without more Light d^nd
Power ^ xh?infitch Do£irines have any tendency
to infpire, — the Believer will only fink deeper
into the fleep of Sin and eternal Death : And
may contentedly wait for Holinefsy till both
Holinefs and Heaven are fliut up from him !
But furely, whatever tends to flacken our
Zeal and Diligence in feeking after univerfal
Holinefs (which implies univerfal Obedience)
can never proceed from xh^ G of pel of Chrifl I
And further, when God promiles his People,
to ' • cleanfe them from all their Filthinefs and
'^ all their Idols : — To give them a new Heart
** and a new Spirit : — To put his [holy] Spi-
«* rit within them *, and to caufe them to walk
" in
(a) 2 Cor. vii. I. (4) a'r'V^^^
(r) 2 Si Pet. i. 5, 8.
[ 'H ]
« in his Statutes^ and to keep his Judgments^
*' and do them (a) •,'* Can'ft thou, Believer^
imagine, it is tii/ie enough^ to part with all
thy Fihhi7tefsy and all thy Idols ^ when thou
corned into the Regmts of Holinefs ? Or that
it will be foon emiigh to receive the holy Spi-
rit to caufe thee to vjalk in the divine Sta»
tutes, and to keep and do the divine Judgments^
— *' when Death is fe?it to kill Sin T*^^ Be-
liever^ reflect attentively on thy high Privi-
lege
Thou art called to be " an Habitation of
*' God^ through the Spirit *,— to ht fpiritually
*' united to Chrift % and to have Cbrift dwells
" ing in thy Heart by Faith \ and out of his
*' Fulnefs to receive^ and Grace for Grace "
Thou art alfo called to '* ^ Fe-llozvjhip
" with the Holy Ghofl \ to have the King-
" dom of God fet up wiihin thee^ — even Righ-
" teoufnefs, and Peace^ and Joy in the Holy
" Gboft : And even to he filled with all the
/' Fulnefs of God {b)V'^\\o^ can'ft thou
therefore imagine, —that it is agreeable to the
Mind and Will of God^ that the Kingdom of
the Devil fhould aifo continue within thee,
till Death comes to deflroy it ?
' Art thou not called to " put off the old
" Man and his Deeds ; and to put on the new
" Man^ which after God is created in Righ-
*' teoufnefs
{a) Ezek. xxxvi 25 — 27.
\b) Ephes. ii. 22. St John xv. 4—7. 1 St John
i, 3. Ephes. iii. 17. St John i. 16. 2 Cor. xiii. 14.
St Luke xvii. 21. Rom. xiv, 17. Ephes. iii. 19.
f 1-5 1
'' teoufnefs and true Holinefs f" Ephes. iv. 22
24. But can the old Man be thus put off\
and yet /w and rule in thy Soul ? Or doft
thou think it needful he fhould live there, as
long as thou liveji upon Earth, in order to
7nake and keep thee humble? Be afTured, that
one powerful Ray of (^m>^ Gr^r<? will make
thee more bumble and boly^ than poring upon
thy Corruptions^ for twenty Years together!
God gives us a Sight of them to humble us ;
but this will not cleanfe us. Dream not
therefore of any Necejfuy for thy continuing
a Leper Chrifl came on purpofe to " make
'' an End of Sin^ and to bring in everlajting
" Righteoufnefs,''^ He is now willing and
able to cleanfe thee of thy Leprcfy I — There-
fore oppofe not thy Unbelief to his Will or
Power ! Be not faithiefs, but believing : — Jll
Things are pffible to him that believeth. Be-
lieve therefore; and the Victory is thine! Take
heed, Believer^ left thy Unbelief prevent many
mighty Works from being wrought in thy
Soul ! However, be ft.idi/ careful, that thy
Faith be of the right Kind \^^Faith of the Or
peration of God ; working by Love^ and bring-
ing forth all the Fruits of Righ teoufnefs ; for
thou art called to be filled with them. More-
over, pray earneftly, that the Love of God may
be fJoed abroad in thy Heart by the Holy Ghofl ;
and that thou mayeft love Htm^ with thy whole
Hearty and Soul^ and Mind^ and Strength {^a)\ and
that
{a) Daru ix. 24. St Matth. viii. 2, 3. St John xx,
27. St Mark ix. 23. i St John v. 4. St Matth. xiii.
53. Col. ii. 12. Gal. V. 6. Phil. i. 11. Rom. v,
5. StMarkxii. 30.
t "6 ]
that thou mayell be armed with the whole Ar-
mour of God ; and then fear not but Satan
and all his Heft will fly be-fore thee! '' Be
tbou only thus jirong m the Lord^ and in the
Power of his Might (a).*' But let not the
great Apoft/e of the Gentiles prove a ftumbling-
block to thee ! He was no more fet for thy
Fall^ than his great Majier, Both indeed
have unhappily proved fo to many! But it
was entirely their oivn Fault : And therefore,
1 intreat, that thou wouldft not increafe the
Number !
Do not fay, that " the /^foftle Paul, even
" after he had gloriouOy preached Chnft for
*' above twenty I^ears^ was, by his own Con-
** fefiion, — Wretched, and Carnal, and fcld
••* under Sin [b) ;" And then conclude, that
'* it would be Fo//>''and Prefumption in thee,
" to expedl to be lefs wretched^ lefs carnal,
" or Ms fold under Sin. ^*
This wretched Logic, which it is to be fear-
ed has ruined Thoufands of Souls, will but
hold thee fafter in the Chain of thy Sins ; and
confequently keep thee much longer out of
the glorious Liberty of the Children cf God !
It has indeed the Authority of the great St
Auftin ; but what Pity is it, that he ever al-
tered his firft thoughts ! For after his Mind
was heated (or as the learned Dr fVhitby ex-
prefles it, after it was foured) by the Pelagian
Controverfie^ his Sentiments were all changed
for
(a) Ephes. vi. lo— l8. [b) Rom. vii. 14,24.
[ "7 3
for the worfe (^). Before this fatal Period^
he exprefsly and frequently fays, that the A-
foftle was only defcribitig '* a Man under the
*' the Law^' before Graced And elfewhere
he thus mentions his Opinion, — •' The Apoftle
*' feems to me in that Place to have taken
*' upon hinifelf^ the F erf on of one^ who was
" under the Law {h). — Of the fame Senti-
«' ments appear all the Fathers before St Au-
«« flin ; and all the Greek Cornmentators (f)."
And happy had it been for the World, had
St Auftin never been provoked to change his
Opinion I Since, as the fame learned Dr
IVhltby obferves, " it gave Occafion to the
*' per verting \.\\t plain Senfe of the Apoftle (^j.'*
However, our ingenious Author " cfteems
«« it as a Proof that the Apoftle was there
*' rpeaking of hmfelf \ becauie he mentions
«' himfelf -rhirty- eight Titnes.^' Let us there-
fore examine, whether x.\\t Number of Times
can prove this favourite Point.
For fuppofing Si Paul had repeated thefc
G Words
(a) Poft autem Animum erga Pelagianos acerbatum,
omnia in peja?, pro more mutavit.
(A) Defcribitur Homo fub Lege pofitus ante Gratiarn.
.^Libe.r expos, quat, propos. ex Epiji. ad Rom.^Qao
loco videtur mihi Jpojlo/i/s transfigurafTe in fe Hominem
fub Lege pofitum — Ad Sh72pHc. Medwl. Lib. I.
\c) Eft porro infuper notanium Patres omnes ante
Jugufiinum exiftimafle Ap'^Jlolum Pauhwi a commatte
faltem decimo quarto haec fcripfifle, non de feipio jam
renato fit Commentatores Gr^ti omnes.
{d) See the learned Dr's Striclurce Patrum, and iiis
Ccmmeniary in loc.
[ "8 ]
Words,—" through my Lye (.z)"— even forty
Tmes^ inftead of Tbtrly eight ; — would our
ingenious Author have concludfd, that the
Apoftle really meant a Lye of his own f Ox
fuppofe, that Sc James had, as often faid —
therewith (that is, with the Tongue) '* curfe
*' we Men (i')," would this be any Proofs
that he defigned to include hiinfelf ? Or if
St Peter had laid///)' Trmes [c]^ — ;' when we
" walked in abominable IdJatries" — yet, w ho
would have concluded from thence, that he
had bimfef been an abominable Idolater ?
And laftly, fuppole that our holy Lord had,
even five hundred Ttme^, called the Bread, his
Body^ and the JVine his Blood; v/ould this in
the Opinion of cur Author, have been any Proof
O^TranfubJiantiation? I durfl: fay it would not.
Therefore the mere Repetition of a Word
or Sentence can neither help us to the true
Meanings nor make the leaft Alteration in it.
However, this learned Writer thinks he
has found a Dem-nflration, from the viiith of
the Romans, Verfe 2, that Sc Paul did certain-
]y fpeak ot himfelf'm thofe Parts of thefeventh
Chapter — Let us view it. " '7 be Lazv of the
** Spirit of Life in Cbrift Jefus,'' fays the A-
poftle, " hath made me free from the Law of
*' Sin and Death" Rom. viii. 2. This, it
feems, is a Demonflration^ that this very A-
poftle was then carnal and fold under Sin !
How
(«) Rom. iii. 7. (^) St James iii. 9.
(f) I StPet. iv. 3.
C 119 ]
How differently does the fame Bemovftra-
tion z^ftdi different Perfons ! 1 have always
taken this Verfe as a plain Demonftration of
juft the Contrary I And that I may not be
thought fingular in it ; I fhall mention the
Sentiments of a truly learned and pious Di-
vine^ who muft be efteemed (at leaft in the
prefent Cafe) to be a very unprejudiced
Judge
*' To fuppofe," fays the late Reverend
Dr Doddridge^ *« the Apojtle fpeaks all thefe
•' Hiings of himjelj\ as tlie confirmed Cbrif^
'* tian^ that he really was when he wrote this
•' Epinie^ is not only foreign^ but contrary to
" the whole Scope of his Difcourfe, as well as
" to what is exprefdy afferted, Ch. viii. 2. (^)."
Ltt us next proceed to what our learned
Author tells us, concerning imputed Righ-
leoufnefit
" Thts^ he afl:rms, tlie Apr^file has not
** fcrupljd to mention eleven Times in one
" Chapter, Rom iv.'* They, who can dif-
cover impuied Righteoufnefs mentioned eleven
Tifnes in that Chapter, have, I muft confefs,
a. fuperior Eye-ftght to mine — I can only
find in that Chapter^ the Apoftle fpcaking,
fia or Jeven Times, of Faith imputed for
Righteoufnefs ; — that is. Faith imputed or
reckoned as the Mean or Inflrument of Jufiifi-
cation^ as our own Church exprefTes it in her
Homilies (b) •, becaufe by, or through Faitb^
G 2 we
(a) Family-Expojttor* on Rom. vii. 7. Noti a*
{b) Part II. p. 258, 259.
[ 120 ]
we are juftijicd {a) ; that is, hy^ or through
Faith^ we embrace the pardonwg Love of God.
And therefore, when St /^^^/ varies his Phrafey
^ in this Chapter ; and mentions—" God im»
*« piiting RighteoK.fnefs \' Verfe 6. and " that
" Righteoufnefs might be imputed unto them
** [the Gentiles'] alfo -," Verfe ii — what
can the Apoftle mean, (if we fiippofe he talks
conjyienily) but that " Godjuftifes or pai dons
*' a Sinner through Faith /"' There being no
other Way of Jujlijication for Jew or Gentile.
Thus is the Apoftle quite confiftent and alto«-
gether of ^ P/>r^ ; Nor is imputed Righteouf-
T.efs (in our learned Author's Senfe) fo much
as once mentioned in the whole Chapter I
But let us, in the laft Place, take Notice of
this Gentleman's Critic'ifm on the Particle
\v {b), in St Peter's fecond Epijlky Chap. i.
Verfe i. and which he infifts (hould have
been tranflated — in.
In the firft Place, he is too good a Scholar
not to know, that the Greek Particle \v (like
the Hebrew Beth^ to which it anfv;ers) has
various Acceptations \ and therefore it does
not necejfarily fignify — in. — However, let it
be tranflated — in : and let the Sentence be thus
rendered, — '* Faith in the Righteoufnefs ot
" our God and Saviour •," — yet it will not
afford the lead Encouragement to the Un^
righteous^ (whilft they live unrighteoufty) to
rely
(a) Rom. V. r»
(^) It is indeed in the Piece U;: But this is a Miflake
of the Printer.
[ 121 ]
rely upon imputed Righteoufnefs ! For what is
Faiib in that Righteoufnefs of cur God and Sa-
viour ;— but Fattb in that Juflification^ which
Lbrifi, by his Blood has purchafed for us ;
and which, hy Faith^ we receive from God ?
And what is this, but St Paul's Jupfication
by Faith? — And is it any wonder, that SC
Peter fhould agree with him ?
Believer, if thou haft any true Value for
thy Soul, take heed of what is commonly
called, imputed Righteoufnefs I — Be afTured
that neither St Peter, nor St Paul, ever
preached it. ' For can'ft thou imagine, whilft
St Paul bids thee,—'- to work out thine own
*' Salvation with Fear and Trembling j to
" deny ungodlinefs and worldly Lufts \ and to
" live fiber ly, and right eoufly, and godly in this
" prefent World {a)." Can'ft thou imagine
he fhould tell thee, — '' thou nerd not do ei-
ther : Fof Chrift has done ^///"— Or when
St Peter commands thee, — * to give Dtli-
*' genee to make thy^ Calling and Election fur e :
" Nay, to give all Dilgence^ to add one
** Grace to another •, and even to abound in
*' them [b) ;"— can'ft thciu get leave of thy-
felf to fuppofe, — that he would teach thee, —
'' that nothing was necejfary for tbee to do \
*' but only to plead the Obedience of Chrifl,
*' who had already performed the whole for
*' thee ?" Therefore let me advife thee if thou
art a Stranger to the convincing Power of the
G 3 Spirit,
{a) Philip, ii. 12. Titus ii. 12.
'^) 2 St Pet. i. 5, 10.
[ 1" 3
Spirit,— feek for that Holy Spirit, through
Cbrifl^ to work powerful Convi(5lions in
thy Heart •,— to apply the atoning Blood to
thy guilty Confcience -, — to feal up xht pardon-
ing Love of God to thy Soul, by a divine
Faith ;— to make thee a nevj Creature in
Chrift Jefus ; and to enable thee to " he fiiU
*' ed with all the Fruits of Right eoujnefs^
* ' which are by Jefus Chrift unto the Glory and
*« Praife of God {ay
Thus, Believer^ may Thou and I ^^ grow
*' in Grace^ and in the Knowledge of our Lord
** and Saviour Jefus Chrift {b) /" May we
* ' take up our Crofs daily, and follow Chrift (c)]"
May we forget^ with the great Apoftle St
Paul^ " thofe Things, which are behind, and
*' reach forth unto thofe Thi}7gs, which are be-
*' fore ; and prefs toward the Mark, for the
*' Prize of the high Calling of God in Chrift
*'^ Jefus {d)l'' May we thus, through the
all-powerful Afli (lance of the Holy Spirit^
be enabled to " fight the good Fight of Faith ;'*
,— and then, through the alone Merits and
Mediation of the Lord Jefus, may we " lay
•" hold on eternal Life {e)?' And may the
fame divine Blejfings be the Portion of every
ferious Reader^ for the Sake of Him, who
*' tafted Death for every One (/) :" And
therefore
{a) Phil i. II. {b) 2 StPet. iii. i8.
{c) St Luke ix. 23. {d) Phil. iii. 13, 14.
{e) I Tim. vi. 12. (/) Heb. ii. 9,
[ ^23 J
therefore to Him^ with the Father and Hofy
Spirit^ be afcribed all Honour^ Praife^ Power,
Might, Majejiy and Dominion, both now and
forever. Amen {a) /"
[a) Rev. i. 5, 6. Ch.v, 12, 13. Ch. vii. lo;
FINIS.
ERRATA.
Page Q. Line 19. for carnol xqi^ carnaL
—40. in the Note, line 6 {oxRevSu 1 5. read 7?ow. xi.26,
•—103. in Note {b) for avlyivnecv read a-vfyjvuuy.
A
Fublifhed by the fame Author,
I.
VINDICATION of Mr LOCKEy
FROM THE
Charge of giving Encouragement to
SCEPTICISM and INFIDELITT,
And from feveral other Miftakes aiid Objeftions of the
learned Author of the Proceduu, Extent ^ and Liinitj
of Human Vnderjlanding,
In Six Dialogues.
Wherein is likewife enquired whether Mr Locke's true
Opinion of the Soul's imrnateriality was not miilaken
by the late learned iMonfieur Leibnitz..
Humani nihil a me alienum putQ» Ter.
II.
A SECOND VINDICATION
OF Mr LOCKE.
Wherein his Sentiments, relating to Perfonal Identity^
are cleared up from fome Miftakes of the Right Re-
verend Dr Butler^ late Lord Bifhop of Durham, in his
DiiTertation on that Subje<^ ; and the various Objec-
tions raifed againft Mr Locke., by the learned Author
o{ An Enquiry into the Natuie of the Human Soul, are
confidered ;
To which are added,
REFLECTIONS on fome Passages
of Dr fVaits's Philofophical ElTays.
Cenfure is the T^aX a Man pays to the Publick for being
eminent. Lord Bacon,
''^^^i^\
^y
.1?w->
^^*^|i^^lMfti!^
M}
&.
-T^
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