my=- RELIGIOUS ENTHUSIASM * CONSIDERED ; IN EIGHT SERMONS, PREACHED BEFORE THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD, IN THE YEAR MDCCCII. AT THE LECTURE FOUNDED BY JOHN BAMPTON, A. M. CANON OF SALISBURY. BY GEORGE FREDERIC NOTT, B. D. FELLOW OF ALL SOULS* COLLEGE. OXFORD: AT THE UNIVERSITY PRESS, FOR THE AUTHOR : SOLD BY W. HANWELL AND J. PARKER, AND 3. COOKE, OXFORD; BY F. AND C. RIVINGTON, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD; AND R. FAULDEK, NEW BOND-STREET, LONDON, 1803. TO THE KING. SIR, \y HEN I received the pe'rmiiTion to infcribe thefe Sermons to Your Ma- jefty, I was not prefumptuous enough to conflder it as an honour conferred upon myfelf. I received it only as a mark of Your Majefty's condefcending regard A 2, tO [ iv ] to the memory of my Grandfather, whom You had honoured by confi- dering as one of Your oldeft, and moll faithful fervants; and I faw in it an additional proof of that goodnefs, which uniformly leads Your Majefty to retain a gracious recollec tion of the dutiful attachment of your fubjects. I am well aware, Sir, that the Sermons which I now prefume to lay at Your Majefty's feet have but lit tle claim to Your notice and protec tion, from any merit which they may poflefs in themfelves. But when I recollect how zealoufly Your Majefty has at all times fup- ported the Eftablifhed Church, I am en- [ v ] encouraged humbly to hope, that You will view them with indulgence as a feeble, but a fincere effort, in defence of the Unity of that Church. I am, Sir, Your Majefty's moft devoted and moft dutiful Subjed and Servant, GEORGE FREDERIC NOTT. PREFACE. IN offering thefe Sermons to the Public, I am folicitoys to make one previous obferva- tipn, that thus my object, as far as refpecls a very material part of them, may be clearly underftpod. The opinions which are here advanced concerning Mr. Wefley's and Mr. Whitefield's pretenfions, are fuch as have been formed upon a minute and a difpaffionate examina tion both of their lives, and of their writings. Neverthelefs, for fear of any mifapprehen- iion, I have ftated the' fads the^mfelves upon which thefe, opinions reft. They will be found in the notes which are fubjoined to each Sermon ; and they are given as much at length as the nature of this work will al low. The Reader therefore may decide for A 4 himfelf: [ viii ] himfelf : and accordingly as it fhall appear to him that the conclufions which have been drawn are warranted by the facts adduced, he will adopt, or reject them. Refpecting the notes, I could wifli to ob- ferve, that they might eafily have been made more copious : for the proofs which fupport' the feveral pofitions that have been advanced^ are very numerous. But it was my object not to divert the attention of the Reader from the main thread of the difcourfe, any more than was abfolutely necelTary. Should he ftilk wifli for additional evidence, his mind will be- abundantly fatisfied by referring to the foK lowing works, from which principally the facts here detailed have been felected. Memoirs of the late Rev. J. Wefley, by J. Hamp- fon, A. B. The Life of the Rev. J. Wefley, by Dr. Coke and Mr. Moore. with the Life of the Rev. C. Wefley, by John Whitehead, M. D. Original Letters by the Rev. J. Wefley, &c. illuftra- tive of his Early Hiftory, publifhed by J. Prieftley, LL. D. Mr. [ ix ] Mr. Wefley's Journals. ' Appeals to Men of Reafon and Religion, Parts i. ii. iii. Memoirs ofthe Life ofthe Rev. George Whitefield, M. A. by the Rev. J. Gillies, D. D. A Short Account of God's Dealings with the Rev. G. Whitefield, A. B. written by himfelf. Further Account of the fame. Mr. Whitefield's Letters ; fee his Works, vol. i, 3,3. ————— Controverfial Pieces. Works, vol. 4. ¦ Journals. A Brief Hiftory of the Principles of Methodifm, by Jonah Tucker, A. M. The Enthuiiafm of Methodifts and Papifts compared, by Lavington, D. D. Bifhop of Exeter. And now having ftated both my fenti ments refpecting the nature of Mr. Wefley's and Mr. Whitefield's pretenfions ; and the au thorities by which thofe fentiments may be fupported ; I will venture to exprefs an hope, that thefe "Sermons may contribute, in fome degree, towards the repreffing of that reftlefs ipirit of Enthuiiafm, the fatal tendency of which has always been to unfettle the reli gious opinions of mankind, and to deftroy the peace of the Church., Extract from the laji Will and Tejlament of the late Rev. John Bampton, A. M. Canon of Salifbury. ALSO I direct and appoint, that the eight Di vinity Lecture Sermons fliall be preached upon either of the following fubjects- — to confirm and eftablifli the Chriftian Faith, and to confute all heretics and fchifmatics — upon the divine autho rity of the Holy Scriptures — upon the authority pf the writings of the primitive Fathers as to the faith and practice of the primitive Church-^-upon the Divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift — upon the Divinity of the Holy Ghoft — upon the Articles of the Chriftian Faith, as com prehended in the Apoftles' and Nicene Creed. atftf CONTENTS. SERMON I. i John iv. i. Beloved, believe not every Spirit, but try tbe Spirits, ivbetber they be of God. Page I . Enthusiasm defined — either divine or natural — the difference between the two ftated — the latter only treated of— caufes of natural Enthufiafm — impulfes of feeling to be carefully diftinguifhed from the gracious afliftances of the Holy Ghoft — fome mifapprehenfions on this head confidered — Sincerity no juft plea to de fend the condu6t of Enthufiafts— in what manner Rea- fon may be made our guide in fpiritual concerns. SERMON II. Luke xvii. 1,3,3. Tbenfaid he unto his difciples, It is impojjible but that of fences will come j but woe unto him through whom they come I It [ xii ] It were better for him that a mill-jlone were hanged about his neck, and he cafi into the fea, than that hefhould offend one of thefe little ones. Take heed to yourf elves ! P. 73. Schifm one of the immediate confequences of Re ligious Enthufiafm — Schifm confidered — what particu lar afts may be faid to conftitute that offence — Schifm defined — of the finfulnefs of Schifm, and of the na ture of that authority upon which the Church is founded — Of the facrednefs of Religious Unity, and of the obligations which bind men to preferve it entire. SERMON III. John xiv. 15. If ye love me, keep my commandments. P. 135. The confutation . of the errors of thofe Enthufiaffs who lived at remote periods feldom productive of much general good — why the pretentions of Mr. Wefley and Mr. Whitefield are made the fubje£t of particular con- fideration — whether Mr. Wefley and Mr. Whitefield are to be regarded as Separatifts from the Church of England — on what the charge of Schifm brought againft them refpecYively is founded — our love to God is beft fliewn by our obedience to his command ments. [ xiii 3 SERMON IV. John x. 3.7, 38. . If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works. P. 199. Whether Mr. Wefley and Mr. Whitefield were En- thufiafts — the circumftance of their having claimed a Divine Miflion eftablifhed,' and confidered — of the teftimony requifite to prove the reality of a Divine Miflion — of external Evidence — Miracles and Prophecy —of internal Evidence — confiftency of the doctrine taught with prior revelations, and with itfelf — neceffity of conducting all religious controverfy with great mo deration and gentlenefs of fpirit. SERMON V. Micah vi. 8. He hath fhewed thee, 0 man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to dojujlly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God P P. 3,6 J. Whether the Enthufiafm of Mr. Wefley and Mr. Whitefield may be confidered as having originated in fpiritual Pride and Ambition — how far their con duct juftifies fuch a fuppofition — enumeration of the feveral points which have -been eftabliftfysd refpe&ing Mr, [ xiV ] Mr. Wefley and Mr. Whitefield— of the manner in which this part of the enquiry has been treated — and why it was adopted — of the general conclufions, and reflections which are to be drawn in confequence. SERMON VL James iii. 5. Behold ! how great a matter a little fire kindleth. P. 223. Of the fatal effects of Religious Enthufiafm— exten- fivenefs of the evil confidered — In what manner Reli gious Enthufiafm tends to corrupt the purity of the Chriftian Faith by leading the mind to form wrong ap- prehenfions concerning the Truth — In what manner Schifms produce the fame effecl:— more particularly thofe Schifms which are made by Enthufiafts — human happinefs, in a great meafure, dependant on Religious Unity. SERMON VII. Matthew x. 34. Think not that I am come to fend peace on earth : 1 came not to fend peace, but afword. P. 387. Tendency of Schifm to diflblve the bonds of Civil and Domeftic Union — of the manner in which it ope rates to excite public diflenfions — whether it do not fupply the means of fub verting governments — Religious animofity confidered — what effect Schifm produces on . domeftic [ xv ] domeftic happinefs— it deftroys the natural affe&ion which fubfifts between the feveral relations of life — it deftroys the mutual confidence in the feveral orders of ¦fociety — how it affecls the mind6 of the poor — religi ous diflenfions frequently the caufe of national cala mities. SERMON VIII. Acts xxiv. 16. Herein do I exercife myfelf, to have always a confidence void of offence toward God, and toward men. P- 445- Whether liberty of Confcience can be faid to be in fringed by what has been advanced in the courfe of this Enquiry — Definition of Confcience — mifapprehen- fions concerning its nature, offices, and original — real principle on which Confcience depends confidered — recapitulation of the whole argument — of the caufes which contributed to fuggeft the prefent enquiry — that Unity will at fome future period be reftored to the Church — conjecture how this will be accompliflied — powerful motives iupplied for wifhing to fee Religious Unity eftablifhed — Conclufion. SERMON I. i JOHN iv. i. BELOVED, BELIEVE NOT EVERY SPIRIT, BUT TRY THE SPIRITS, WHETHER THEY ARE OF GOD. W HEN we confider for what purpofes the Scriptures were given to mankind; and when we reflect that there is no promife of any further communication of Divine Know ledge, whether for the edification of the Church, or for the confirmation of indivi duals ; we cannot reafonably doubt, but that He who irifpired them, defigned that many x>f their precepts fliould remain of everlafting application. • There are inftances indeed, in which, from a change of circu'mftances, it may be difficult to afcertain precifely, what injunctions were binding upon thofe alone to whom they were delivered; and what were to be of force equally in fucceeding ages. There are other caufes too of a mere perfonal nature, which, by per- B verting a SERMON I. verting the judgment, will almoft of neceffity occafion error in this particular. For if men fuffer themfelves to be influenced by preju dice, or partiality ; if they are altogether ignorant and unlearned ; if their imagina tion be inordinate, or their reafon imperfect through natural infirmities, fhen it is more than probable that they will mifapply both the promifes and the commands of Scrip ture. Thefe difficulties however do not affect the truth of the general ailertion. To us on whom a the ends of the world are come, even to us, many of the Apoftolic injunctions fhould be confidered as ftill addrefled in their full force, and primary fignification. From among thefe injunctions none per haps can be felected, which fo evidently is of perpetual obligation, as that which is com- prifed in the words of the text. For when' every circumftance is duly weighed, it cannot be thought probable, that the admonition of St. John was limited either to thofe indivi duals to whom it was addrefTed ; or to that pe culiar occafion which called it forth. Since, as it eftablifhes that there are Spirits, whofe fuggeftions the Chriftian is forbidden to be lieve, in whatever manner they may operate, * i Cor. x, it. pr SERMON I. 3 or whenever they may appear, the duty of fufpecting their pretenfions is enjoined, and the means of detecting their fallacies im plied. If they then who lived under the immedi ate care of the Apoftles ; if they who even witneffed the miracles which attefted the caufe of truth, required caution in this par ticular, it cannot be thought wonderful that we fhould be called upon, to guard ourfelves againft fpiritual delufion. We are to collect therefore from the text, that, not as a point of fpeculative knowledge, but of practical utility, we are commanded to examine the pretenfions of every Spirit b. For b " By tlefpirits underftand, not the men pretending to infpl- " ration; nor the dodtrines which they delivered; but the fpirits " from whence the dodtrines proceeded 5 namely, 1 . the Spirit " of God : 2. the Spirit of Man himfelf : or, 3. a Daemon, or " wicked Spirit." Benfon on tbe Efiftles, vol. ii. p. 588. Many commentators however conceive the word to be defcriptive of the teachers themfelves : fo Hammond, " Spirits iignify teach- " ers pretending to infpiration from God." See Note on St. Luke, chap. ix. ver. 55. See alfo J. G. Rofenmuller, Scholia in N. T. vol. v. p. 531. UnvjM h. 1. eft Dodtor impulfu Spiritus fe lo- qui perhibens : and again, p. 36. of the fame vol. where he explains ntivparx 'wkam, to be, dodtores erronei, qui alios ad errores feducunt. The interpretation of Theodoret varies fomewhat from both the preceding. Ua.i imv^a.' jjtm ngo^nTciat aiwjA.ar v Amrdtos. Vid. in loc. The injunction then in this b 2 oafe 4 SERMON I. whether we are to underftand by the Spirit which is not of God, the operations of that Evil Being, who, himfelf apoftate from truth, feeks occafion to draw us into error ; whether it denote merely the vain conceits of our own imagination ; or finally, whether it de- fcribe the extravagant claims of fuch as pre tend to extraordinary illuminations ; ftill it will be found, that if in the formation of our religious belief, or in the regulation of our religious conduct, we are governed by any principle, but that which is authorifed by Scripture, we fhall injure the purity and re tard the progrefs of the Gofpel. Without attempting then at prefent to de termine, which of thefe fpirits is the primary object of the Apoftolic caution, the general conclufion is obvious. We are to behold ourfelves, in our Chriftian warfare, expofed to the aflault of the powers of darknefs from without, and from within, to the fuggeftions of a corrupted nature ; both of which con- fpire to divert us by delufion from the fimpli- city of Gofpel Truth. As for the peculiar cafe would be, " Try the preterifions of every one who affume9 " the office of Prophet, or Apoftle." But in whatever light the text is viewed, its general import, and the inference to be drawn from it, is the fame. mode SERMON I. 5 mode of the attack, this will in all probabi lity depend on that peculiar frame of mind with which we are endued. It cannot but vary with the character of each individual. Suggestions, which one would reject, another would receive : this man will be allured by the charms of myfticifm ; that man will be deceived by the arrogant pretenfions of a rea- foning philofophy. But however various the fhape, or irregular the appearance, which the Spirit of Delufion may aflume; long experience has proved, that there is none under which it has operated fo frequently, and fo powerfully to the preju dice of Chriftianity, as under that of En thufiafm. It is hoped, that no mifconception of terms will lead any one to fuppofe that this affer- tion is either dangerous or paradoxical. There is indeed a zeal, an ardour, improperly called Enthufiafm, without which, it has been juftly afTerted, that nothing great or noble amongft men can ever be produced p. There is too an holy warmth of devotion, a fervour of fin- c See Plato's Phaedrus. Ed. Bipon. vol. x. p. 315 — 317. Varro, as quoted by St. Auguftine, Civ. Dei, lib. iii. cap. 4. and Ridley's Sermons on the Divinity and Operations of the Holy Ghoft, p. 148. B 3 cerity 6 SERMON I. cerity in Religion, which may be confidered as it were the feal, whereby God knows his own. But the Enthufiafm to which we allude bears no affinity to either of the above exalt ed affections of the mind. Properly fpeaking* it denotes that felf-fufficient fpirit, which, placing the conceits of human fancy on a level with real infpiration, has ever proved by its very fruit, that it is not of God. Perhaps then there is no enquiry which is more immediately fuggefted by our text, and certainly there is none which can be produc tive of more general good, than that which may tend to afcertain the origin and the con* fequences of religious Enthufiafm>. For fuch an inveftigation is important, not only with regard to the immediate object of its refearch, but as it ftands connected with many other points which are abfolutely fundamental in our holy Religion. It will lead, for inftance, to the explanation of thofe principles on which alone religious faith can with fecurity be founded : it will confirm the neceffity of a ftrict adherence to eftablifhed forms, not as the arbitrary inventions of men, but as the appointed means of grace ; it will vindicate the facred and the falutary reftraints of law ; and at the fame time will fhew the neceffity of exercifing that Chriftian moderation, which inftead SERMON I. 7 inftead of quenching, by duly tempering, ferves to animate the flame of Chriftian piety. This then is the enquiry which will be at tempted in the courfe of the following Lec tures ; and I truft it cannot be thought invi dious to fiiggeft, that there is fomething in the character of the prefent times, which may render it not unworthy the attention of the younger part of this affembly. To the elder part of it, to them who have long fince formed their opinions on much mature and difpaffionate reflection, it is not prefumed that any thing new can be offered. But it may not be unprofitable to convince thofe who recently have been ordained Minifters of the Eftablifhed Church, or who are preparing themfelves to exercife that moft facred of all functions, that in the regulation of their re ligious conduct, whether it regard their faith, or their practice, they cannot too carefully re ject every thing that proceeds from a fpirit of Enthufiafm. To eftablifh this important truth, we muft begin by defining, in the prefent Lecture, the precife meaning in which it is conceived that this Spirit fhould' be underftood. Having done which, it fhall be briefly fhewn in the fecond, that Enthufiafm uniformly tends to create fchifm in ' the Church ; of which of- B 4 fence 8 SERMON I. fence the danger, and the guilt, will be more particularly confidered. Thefe points being as it were premifed, in the third, fourth, and fifth Lectures, the con duct of fome Schifmatics, who feem to have been governed by the" fpirit of Enthufiafm, fhall be attentively examined : and if we can expofe the fallacy of their pretenfions, we may then hope, to eftablifh a method, by which, not only in that particular inftance, but in every other, the principle itfelf may be combated fuccefsfully. We then fhall proceed to fhew of what importance it is to fociety, that the fpirit of Enthufiafm fhould be carefully repreffed ; and that this may be made confpicuous, in the fixth and feventh Lectures we will endeavour tp prove, that the injury which is offered by it, not merely to Ecclefiaftical, but alfo to Civil Eftablifhments, is both infinite in its extent, and alarming in its confequences. After which we may urge, with greater confidence, as the general conclufion, that the reftraint which we are required to lay on every religious opi nion, that is not truly authorifed by Scrip ture, is by no means an arbitrary impofition, but one that arifes from the very properties of Revelation : a reftraint in no fhape preju dicial tp that liberty of confcience, which all men SERMON I. 9 men are fo proud to exercife, but which tends to promote equally the honour of God, and the happinefs of mankind. We are then firft of all to confider the nature, and the origin of Enthufiafm. And here, that no part of our enquiry may be lia ble to mifconception, it will be neceflary to define accurately the meaning of our terms. For fhould it be thought that they were em ployed* in a general and indefinite fenfe, when in fact they are ufed in one that is ab- folute and particular, many might object, that our conclufions were not juft. This caution therefore muft be previoufly adopted; a caution in every cafe highly proper, and in the prefent altogether indifpenfable ; fince there is hardly any word which is fo vaguely underftood, or fo incorrectly applied, as En thufiafm ; fome efteeming it to be a virtue, and a proof of an exalted mind ; others con demning it as a fault, the refult of a corrupt ed judgment, and, in fome degree at leaft, of a corrupted heart d. d Lord Shaftefbury, in his Letter on Enthufiafm, has very artfully availed himfelf of the vague meaning of the word. For omitting to define in what fenfe he confiders Enthufiafm, he takes . occafion to mock Religion under every fhape ; con founding the pure and rational faith of the pious Chriftian, with the extravagances of the Fanatic. Every one who has read 10 SERMON I. It is remarkable however that the word Enthufiafm is no where to be found in Scrip ture. To afcertain its precife meaning there fore, we muft enquire in what fenfe it was employed by thofe, with whom its ufe has been familiar. To Enthufiafm the Gentile world attributed! two diftinct fignifications c. In its primary fenfe they believed it to be an actual and a violent poffeffion of the mind, by fome fuper- natural power ; a poffeffion, which fufpended for the time the operation both of the reafon read that very profane and infidious Effay, will perceive the force of the obfervation of old, S5 «¦> uty la. oyofiaTa. tiavra-i x«i ra 7rpa.yfjLa.Tfic. Plato. e Cafaubon, in his Treatife concerning Enthufiafm, makes the fame general divifion. His definition however of fuperna- tural Enthufiafm muft be, in part, objedted to. " By fuper- " natural, I underftand a true and real poffeffion, whether di- " vine or diabolical, producing effedts and operations, altogether " fupematural." P. 22. Now this confounds Infptration with En thufiafm ; making them the fame. To combat this opinion, and to fhew that they are things effentially different, is one great objedt. of thefe Ledtures. Chryfoftom has marked the difference with much accuracy. E» tois m&Aoi;, eittote x«te^e9>i Tt? vita 'ffVEVfjia.TOi xxaSagra xa.i Bf/.a.vrBvarot ttiaireg a.ituyofjt.ivo^, ovrui tl>.KE7o vtto T8 7MV[Aa.Tot; fc$£[A.Ei>os, ytev Etowj uv ^EyE^. Tblo yap f/,aslttas »Jh>», to it-ernKtmi, to avayKW inrojtimt, to u§ii£lai, to eAksoJosi, to GVpl&GU turnip fiUiVOfAEtlOV 0 &£ TTpO^JJT*]? OVJ^ OVTOS, CiA?:a jj.l\ct §taS0lO>S tviQov&vfi, ksi ffutppoi>ov7v)<; y.a.TUTaa-EU<;, xii ei&as a. j xaMir;i i*xn i to ^eXAo» X£l»ET«l, 12 SERMON I. In a fecondary fenfe it was diftinguifhed by the name of Natural Enthufiafm. It then admitted of a more extenfive application ; and was attributed indifcriminately to poets, orators, and men of genius. To judge of the propriety of this latter dif- tindtion, we fhould remember, that the term was now adopted to defcribe, not that natu ral propensity which led thefe men originally to embrace their feveral purfuits ;. but rather that extraordinary fervor, which in particular moments hurried them on to great exertions, with an impetuofity that feemed hardly refer- ttfmrxi, osuto touto rmiojia eiATrhtKovrit, nuvixw txuhEtraii,-*-^ h svt amif oxa7\u; to Tav eiri/jlcx^ovles pxtlixyii ixxtecrav. Cicero makes the fame obfervation, in the opening to his firft Book de Divina- tione, lib. i. fee. I. There were however fome among the Heathen, who wifely perceived that Divination depended upon the imaginative faculty, and thence inferred the delufivenefs of the principle. Plato himfelf obferved, that fometimes the power of divining came not upon men, unlefs in fleep, when the reafon was not free to adt; or when they had fuffered fome alienation of mind, either from ficknefs, or enthufiafm. He therefore confiders it to be inferior to fober wifdom, and maintains that it fhould be fubjedted to its decifions. Ei 'h £01*010 yc, xx\ t>i» jjMVTHfim men fyyxfippuiMi EWir»pi» TB fteWlonTos to-eoJai* xxi rtiv crulppocrvtyv, xv-rm emra.-rovcra.ii, rove fitii csKaljitxi airoTfETrtiii, touj oe iii x>wvas ftxmic x.x§iravxi i/*i» mo

irai; tat tiMovruf. Charmides, vol. v. p. 149. See a Treatife on Pro phecy, p. 194. of J. Smith's Selefl Difcourfes. Lond. 1660. rible SERMON I. 13 rible to any human caufe h. And as it was obferved, that while this affection lafted, many new ideas, many ftrong and vivid thoughts flaflied fuddenly upon the mind, thefe were miftaken for actual infpiration fometimes by thofe who experienced the effect ; and at all times, by the ignorant and credulous, were conceived to denote the prefence of fome favouring deity '. Neverthelefs, to the dif- paffionate obferver it was evident that this h Quid veftra oratio in caufis ? quid ipfa adtio ? pote.ft effe vehemens et gravis, et copiofa nifi eft animus ipfe commotior ? Equidem etiam in te faepe vidi, et (ut ad leviora veniamus) in ^fbpofamiliari tuo tan turn ardorem vultuum, atque motuum, ut eum vis qusedam abftraxiffe a fenfu mentis videretur. Cicero de Divinat. lib. i. fee. 37. s Taffo afferted, that for many years he ufed to converfewith a celeftial being. " Si fece all* orecchio quel gentile fpirito " che quattro anni fono, fua mercede, cortefemente mi favella." Vol. v. Florence ed. p. 1. When his friend Manfo would have proved to him the abfurdity of fuch a conceit, Taffo's argu-* ment was this : " He teaches me things in our converfations, " which never have entered my head in my deepeft medita- " tions ; things which I have never read in any book, or heard ** any perfon difcourfe of." See the Life of Taffo prefixed to the above edition, vol. i. p. 45, 6, 7. For a further account of this Angular delufion, fee Hoole's Life of Taffo. What credit fhould be given to the reality ofthe appearance, everyone may judge, when Taffo himfelf, fpeaking of a vifion which he had fome time previous, fays : " Potefie facitmente effere una fan- " tafia ; perch'io fono frenetico e quafi fempre perturbato da *' varji fantafmi, e pieno di melancholia," Vol. v. p. 217. Enthu- 14 SERMON J. Enthufiafm differed widely from that which was Supernatural. . The vifible effect produced in either cafe -might be nearly the fame. In both there was a rapturous expreffion of voice and countenance ; in both too there was a violent agitation of the frame, and an abfo- lute unconfcioufnefs of external. objects. Still however in the latter inftance there was no thing that might not be referred to natural caufes. For it was obferved, that fome by the mere effort of a glowing fancy, and others by an intent application of their thoughts to one particular object, would almoft at plea- fure tranfport themfelves to fuch heights, as perfons of lefs fanguine tempers could never attain to. Arguing therefore from thefe facts, they excluded the notion of divine inter- pofition, and they referred this fort of Enthu fiafm folely to the force of the imagination, and the co-operation of the will. Whenever therefore the word Enthufiafm occurs in thefe Lectures, I could wifli that it might be underftood in reference to one of thefe definitions ; and then it will either Sig nify an effect wrought irrefiftibly upon the mind by fupernatural agency ; or elfe, a delu fion produced by the vehement action of the imagination k. k Maimonides, in treating of the nature of real Inspiration fays: SERMON I. 15 It may be feared however, that Enthufiafts, of whatever denomination, will object to both of the above definitions. For fhould the latter be accepted, they will be degraded to the rank of idle vifionaries ; or, again, fhould the former be adopted, unlefs it can be fhewn that their infpiration proceeds immediately from the Holy Ghoft, it follows that they muft have been under the influence of das- moniacal delufion. Humiliating as in either cafe the alternative muft prove, neverthelefs, as the characters of their Enthufiafm are pre- cifely the fame with thofe which diftinguifh- ed the Enthufiafm of heathen times, it muft be attributed to the fame caufes : in the one inftanee, to the imagination, which, over powering the judgment, leads men to miftake fays : " But I muft caution you, that there are fbme men, who " have fometimes fuch ftrange fancies, dreams, and vifions, " that they have perfuaded themfelves that they were Pro- " phets ; and being quite aftonifhed that they fhould have " fuch imaginations, they have at laft conceited that all fciences " and faculties are infufed into them, without either ftudy or " labour." More Nevocbim, pars ii. cap. 37. But as religious Enthufiafts feem to difregard whatever is urged, concerning the power of the imagination, by their opponents in the Church, they would do well to read what medical men have uniformly afferted on this head. Fienus, a celebrated phyfician of the fixteenth century, wrote a treatife exprefsly de Viribus Imagi nations ; printed by Elzevir, in 8vo. 1635. the 16 SERMON I. the fuggeftions of fancy for the infpirations of God : in the other, to the operation of that fpiritual enemy, againft whom we are called upon to wreftle, the ruler of the darfcnefs of this world1; and the prince of the power of the air m. On this laft-mentioned fource of Enthu fiafm it is not our intention to infift. There are many reafons why the . enquiry will be more ufeful, if it is confined to the confider- ation of that delufion which is caufed by the imagination. If we forbear however to infift on the po- fitive agency of the evil Spirit in cafes of Enthufiafm, let it not be thought that this argues an inability to prove, in fome inftances, his actual interference. Far from it. Exprefs declarations of Scripture ; attefted evidences' of facts n; and the very exiftence of a fpiri tual world, might all be adduced to eftablifh the reality of dasmoniacal poffeffion. Should it then be fuggefted, that delufions of this 1 Ephefians vi. 12. m Ephefians ii. 2. 11 See Bifhop Bull's Sermons, Vol. ii. p. 456. Dr. Hicks'* Ravillac Redivivus. Leflie's Snake in the Grafs, fedt xxi. Though that controverfy be clofed, thofe parts of Mr. Leflie's writings which regard it, will for ever deferve attention. nature SERMON I. 17 nature never did exift ; or fhould it be urged, that if they once deceived the Heathen, they cannot now affect the Chriftian world ; more, infinitely more, would be advanced than ought to be afferted, on the one hand, or can be granted on the other. We will readily allow, that repeated inftances of impofture and of credulity ought to make us cautious how we admit any account of fupernatural poffeffion: we will gratefully acknowledge alfo, that the power of Satan has been fenfibly reftrained fince the coming of our Lord : ftill this does not prove that it has been fo abridged as to leave us nothing to fear from its operation0. As a fpiritual agent, under certain circum- ftances furely he may be fuppofed to have ftill the means of affecting our minds with falfe im- 0 It is remarkable that Jamblicus defcribes it to be afurts fign of divine infpiration among the Pagans, when the body of the perfon poffeffed was feen to be raifed up from the ground. To trufix tirat^ojji.st»ti opxrai, u o^ofo/XEton, i\ /j.nEupo\i it to aipi ptgo- /4eiw. Sedt. iii. c. j. There is hardly a religious Enthufiaft, of the prefent times, who is not defcribed as having been affedled in a fimilar manner. It is afferted of S. Terefa, that fhe was frequently feen raifed off the ground in thefe raptures, and fuf- pended in the air. See Appendix to Grichton on Mental De rangement, vol. ii. p. 45.Z. Her own words are remarkable : " When I had a mind to refift thefe raptures, there feemed to " me fomewhat of fo mighty force under my feet, which raifed '* me up, that I knew not what to compare it to." Butler's Lives of the Saints, vol. x. p. 359. c preffions : 18 SERMON I. preffions : and as a malicious one, if we lay ourfelves open to his affaults, unqueftionably he will never ceafe from wifhing to deceive us. It matters little therefore whether we be Pagan or Chriftian, fince if we receive not the love of the truth, but rather have pleafure in unrighteoufnefs, Satan has even yet permiffiori to exercife fuch power as fhall make us truft to flrong delufons, and believe a lie p. I am aware, that the propriety of attribut ing fuch effects as thefe to the agency of a fpiritual being will be queftioned by fome, who fay that they altogether doubt the exist ence of the caufe. For as in former times, fo likewife in the prefent, there have not been wanting thofe who confider what is called in Scripture the Evil One, to be nothing more than the natural operation of thofe paffions, which are incidental to the minds of all men : in confequence of which they maintain, that we Cannot be tempted by any other fuggeftions, than by fuch as proceed from our own natural defires. But this notion, though it might be introduced into metaphyfical enquiries, cannot with the leaft propriety be admitted into thofe which pro ceed folely upon the ground of fcriptural p 2 Theffal. ii. 10, n, 12. authority. SERMON I. 19 authority. For in thefe latter, we are not at liberty to argue from any thing but that which has been positively revealed ; and what ever is thus revealed, becomes an axiom, upon which all our future reafoning muft depend ; even though it fhould be found a Stumbling- block to the Syftem of the Philofopher ; and though from the councils of the Libertine, it fhould be rejected as foolifhnefs q. Appealing therefore to Revelation, we are told, in words too plain to be refined away, that there exifts an Evil Being, the enemy of man, whofe powers of delufion, like himfelf, are real ; a being, who, though he be fpiritual, and confequently not an object which hu man fenfe can apprehend, is neverthelefs bu- 1 " We are certain from Scripture, that there are now a " great multitude of evil angels, joined in affociation with, and " headed by, the Prince of Darknefs, and therefore called his , " angels, uniting their forces againft God, and goodnefs, and " good men." Bifhop Bull's Sermons, vol. ii. p. 453. " As for " thofe modern Sadducees, who will believe neither Angel, nor " Spirit, becaufe they cannot fee them ; and with whom invi- "fible and incredible pafs for terms equipollent) they would do " well to confider, that as the fowler would certainly fpoil his " game, fhould he not as much as poffible keep out of fight, " ib the devil never plants his fnares fo fuccefsfully as when he " conceals his perfon ; nor tempts men fo dangeroufly as when " he can perfiiade them that there is no tempter." South' s Ser mons, vol. v. p. ioo.' The whole difcourfe is conceived and. written with great ability. c z fily ao SERMON I. fily employed in going to and fro upon the earth, feeking whom he may devour ' . Seeing then that Scripture is thus explicit; and feeing too that our Church has uniformly maintain ed the literal and obvious meaning of thofe paffages, in which the powers of darknefs are. defcribed ; in defining Enthufiafm, we might adopt the very words which are em ployed by the Ecclefiaftical Historian, Theo- doret; who, fpeaking of the fchifm of the MefTaliani, ufes thefe remarkable expreffions: " They are called Enthufiafts," he fays, " be- " caufe, though they fuffer themfelves to be " worked upon by the' power of fome evil " Spirit, they neverthelefs conceive that the " effects they experience are occafioned by " the prefence of the Holy Ghoft s." Why thefe Spirits fhould be permitted to retain the means of deceiving us, it is not our r Job i. 7. 1 Peter v. 8. * E^ao-i h xxi tTigat TrgiijyyegMV ix th irgaypxTo; yt!0[A.etfiy. E»- ctwiara* yap Ka/Sutrat $uipotos t»»os ateyttaf eia$i%Ofjt.svoi , xai n»£U- f/.arci aym irupriiacii txvrr,» vTroAai/JZuvotre;. Tbeodoriti Eccl. Hift. lib. iv. c. n. For further particulars of this fedt fee Suiceri Thefaur. Ecclef. ad vocEt^iTaij which name theyaffumed becaufe they were inceffant in prayer. See alfo Moflieim Ecclef. Hift. vol. i. p. 226. 4 to. ed. Their tenets bear a wonderful refemblance to thofe of many modern Fanatics : fee them de tailed in Ridley's Moyer's Ledt. p. 148. and more at length, Hift. Eccl. Magdeburgica, Cent iv. c. 5. p. 387. province SERMON I. 21 province to enquire. We may remark, how ever, that fuch a permiffion feems to be per fectly confiftent with the ufual courfe of God's moral government of the world. He who in his power can refrain his creatures wrath, can equally in his wifdom order all things fo, as that the remainder of that wrath fhall praife him1. Exactly thus in the cafe before us, while he appoints the bound, beyond which, for our fafety, the malice of Satan cannot pafs ; he makes its operation fubfervient to the great defign, of proving what is in our hearts, whether we will keep his commandments or no u. Let it however be clearly underftood, that in thus aSTerting the existence and the opera tions of an Evil Spirit, whatever has been ad vanced muft be underftood with certain li mitations. We are not to fuppofe that a malicious Being can have permiffion to infpire us with paffions, or to diftract us with vifions, at his pleafure. Such a fuppofition would entirely militate againft that merciful fyftem, by which the freedom of the human will is at all times enfured. But if our negligence, our wilfulnefs, or our prefumption; nay, if * Pfalm lxxvi. 10. n Deut. viii. 2. c 3 even *a SERMON I. even the very infirmities of our nature af ford the flighteft opportunity, how natural is it to conclude, that our fpiritual enemy will improve it, as the means whereby to operate the moft fatal delufions ! Thus when our imagination is active and fervent, and our ap- prehenfion fufceptible, may he not fo heighten thofe impreffions which are made by external objects, as that we may be finally perfuaded to refer them to fupernatural caufes ? In the fame manner too, when we have formed to ourfelves fome particular fyftem, and have engaged every paffion in its fupport, may he not fo work upon our feelings, as that we fhall be led infenfibly to believe that thefe favourite opinions were fuggefted by divine inspiration ? And this probably is the foundation where on are built all fuch Enthufiafms, as, properly fpeaking, may be attributed to the agency of the Devil. For fome men, whether through ignorance, or conceit, frame to themfelves ex travagant notions as to the manner in which the Holy Ghoft is to operate upon the hu man mind. They imagine, for inftance, that He is to convey fudden illuminations ; that He is to reveal truths before unheard of; to communicate rapturous fenfations, and feelingly to interfere with the direction of their SERMON I. a3 their conduct. When a perfon therefore is occupied with thefe preconceptions, it is ob vious that a deceiving fpirit may fo avail him felf of them, as tp perfuade him, that any unufual fenfation, which he may chance to experience, when heated by the force of ima gination, or even when labouring under the preflure of human infirmities, is occafioned by the gracious operation of the Holy Ghoft. Suppofing then that our fpiritual Enemy derives the power of exciting Enthufiafirun us from the caufes here affigned, the means of counteracting his malice are not only Simple, but fuch as the Scriptures themfelves fuggeft. EftabliSh but a ftandard, by which the mode and the meafures of that affiftance which the Holy Spirit imparts may be afcertained, and the Suggestions of that Spirit which is riot of God muft be eafily detected. Let this ftandard be that meafure as well of know ledge as of grace, which was vouchfafed to the Apoftles x : more than this no one can x Enthufiafts fay, that it is prefumptuous to make the paft operations of the Holy Ghoft a criterion to judge of what may be in future expedted. " Is he not God ? Shall men limit his " power ? His ways are not our ways," &c. A little refledtion will fhew the fallacioufnefs of this mode of reafoning. A mi raculous power of diftinguifhing falfe infpiration from true, was granted to the firft Chriftians by the Holy Ghoft himfelf. c 4 To 24 SERMON I. defire, and far lefs ought to be expected. For the valtnefs of the object to be attained by the establishment of Christianity, the in veteracy of the errors it was to conquer, and the insignificancy of the human means em ployed, thefe were caufes which rendered at that time fome fignal interpofition on the part of Heaven both expedient and probable. But in the prefent day, the exigences of the cafe being infinitely lefs, the affiftance to be com municated will be proportionably lefs alfo. The argument however may Stand as it was firft propofed ; only let us have the modefty to allow, that the meafure of Divine Grace now afforded to individuals, does not exceed that which was originally granted to the wit- neSTes of the Refurrection, and the partakers in the fufferings of their Lord. Now whatever degree of infpiration they received, it was evidently no more than what was perfectly confiftent with the natural free dom of the human will. It fuperfeded not, it rather promoted the calm and the impartial To one is given tbe power of working miracles, to another difcern- ing of Spirits, l Car. xii. 10. This gift has long fince been with. drawn. How may we venture to fupply its place, but by com' paring things claiming to be fpiritual, with things known to be fpi ritual? Can we in any way evince, more becomingly, our diftruft of human fufficiency, and our reliance upon God ? exercife SERMON I. 25 exercife of reafon ?. It required not that the ftrength of their bodies fliould be impaired by gloomy aufterities ; or that their minds fliould be previoufly heated by the force of imagination. It rather prefuppofed the en tire poffeffion, and preferved to them the free exercife of every rational faculty. It is true, that in thefe moments divine truths were fo clearly conveyed to their apprehenfions, that they could not but fee the propriety of aSTent- ing to them z. Their aSTent however appears y " From what hath been faid, arifeth one main characterifti- " cal diftindfion between the Prophetical and Pfeudo-Prophe- " tical Spirit ; namely, that the Prophetical Spirit doth never " alienate the mind, (feeing it feats itfelf in the rational " powers, as well as in the fenfitive,) but always maintains " a confiftency and clearnefs of reafon, ftrength and folidity of "judgment, where it comes ; it doth not ravifh the mind, but "inform and enlighten it." Smith's Seleff Difcourfes, p. 197. So Huetius, in his Dem. Evang. " Scio hoc Patres Ecclefiae " difcrimen obfervaffe fandlos inter Prophetas, et Pfeudo-Pro- " phetas : quod hi furore perciti, illi tranquilliori et fedatiori " mente futura profarentur ; atque" hoc potiflimum argumento " conviciffe Montanum, Prifcam, et Maximillam, propheticam " fibi vim arrogantes* quod emota mente furiofis et infanis " fimiles raptarentur; cum Prophetae fui compotes, placido " ferenoque animo edere foleant oracula." Prop. ix. c. 171, fee. 4. The Jewifti writers, though they admitted eleven de. grees of infpiration, neverthelefs maintained, that in each the reafon was unclouded, and its free exercife preferved. Mai- rnonides, More Nevochim, pars ii. c. 37. et feq. f This appears to have been the cafe, even in the inftance of St. a6 SERMON I. to have refulted uniformly from the joint ope ration of the understanding, and of the will ; for they were at liberty in the firft inftance to have withholden their aflent to the truths propofed, and afterwards might have even re- fufed to teach them to others a. Which facts are of themfelves fufficient to eftablifh, that the influence of the Holy Spirit bears no af finity to that of the Spirit of Enthufiafm : for of Enthufiafm thefe are the characteristic properties. It overpowers the will ; it de ftroys all confcioufnefs ; it fufpends the very functions of nature, and compels the utter ance of the- things infpired b. When there- St. Paul. His converfion was miraculous, not becaufe faith was infufed fupernaturally, but becaufe the evidences of that faith were fupernaturally placed before him. He believed that Jefus of Nazareth had fuffered juftly, as a falfe Prophet j and that he had not rifen from the dead. But having once feen him in his glorified ftate, (Adtsxxvi. 16.) and having converfed with him, his reafon was fully fatisfied that Chrift was indeed the Lord. That his will co-operated with his reafon, the fub- feqiient fervor of his prayers attefted. Adts ix. ii. ¦ Aiolot tbIo xxi tb sin-Eif, xxi tb fxv ciirciv mat xupioj- a y«f amyy.y xaiiiyprro, aM. t^ovax n> 2 Tim. iii. 6. be SERMON I. 31 be to contradict the whole of Scripture, and impeach the ways of the Almighty. As far then as concerns the prefent question, we conclude, that it is only by Strengthening our natural faculties to apprehend, and our wills to embrace the truths which are propofed to us in Scripture, that the Holy Ghoft now operates upon the human mind ; confequent- ly, all pretenfion to rapturous communica tions of divine knowledge is enthufiaftic de lufion. To make this pofition, if poffible, ftill more evident, let it be obferved, that at the very time when the operations of the Holy Spirit were confeffedly the moft fenfible, even then there is no example of his having wrought thofe effects which are attendant upon En thufiafm. We read, for inftance, that it was under his immediate guidance that Philip con verted the Ethiopian Eunuch : yet the means employed were in Strict conformity to the principles for which we contend. The dif- ciple did but preach fefus, beginning at the Scriptures, and proving, from authenticated facts, that in him were fulfilled thofe prophe cies, which defcribed the Saviour of the world. Struck with this evidence, the Eunuch faid, What doth hinder me _ to be baptifed ? If thou believejl with all thine heart, returned his in- ftru&or, 32 SERMON I. ftrudor, thou mayeft'1. So that this conver- fion, though marked with a more direct in terference on the part of Heaven than almoft every other, was effected not by any enthufi- aftical illumination of the understanding on the one hand, or by an overpowering of the will on the other, but by a calm appeal to difpaffionate reafon. In like manner too, when St. Peter ex plained the nature of his faith k, or when St. Stephen defended it before the Jewish Coun cil1, they are declared to have been full of the Holy Ghoft: yet in neither inftance can we difcover the flighteft tincture of the enthu- fiaftic Spirit ; both referring to the written laws and history of their country ; and prov ing from them, in a clofe connected chain of reafoning, the truth of Christianity. Once indeed the fervent manner of St. Paul involved him in the charge of Enthu fiafm m ; but not only did he at the very mo- 1 Adls viii. 26. k Adts iv. 8. 1 Adts vi. 8. and vii. to the end. m Adts xxvi. 24. The meaning of the word y.xnx—— Enthufi afm (fee the previous notes to page 10. and 11. and Schleufner's Lexicon in voc. paimpai) and the ufe ofthe word aa Sf, MEAEI nEPI SOT. vol. v. p. 100. An ex preffion which forcibly reminds us of the words of the Apoftle, " Cafting all your care on him-, for He careth for you." ATT^l MEAEI nEPI YMfiN. I Pet. v. 7. b Job xi. 6. c Genefis xlvi. 2. There cannot be a ftronger proof of the anxiety with which the mind defires fupernatural communica tion, in points of religious difficulty, than in the inftance of Lord Herbert of Cherbury. He had written his favourite book, De Veritate, but doubted the propriety of printing it. In this uncertainty he prayed that he might be inftrudted by fome fign from heaven, whether it were for the honour of God to fupprefs, or publifh it. A fign was granted, as he afferts, 43 SERMON I. We conclude then, upon reafonable grounds, that it is either an exceffive pride and vanity, too curioufly feeking to be wife beyond what is written ; or elfe an unfandified ambition, anxioufly wifhing for fpiritual preeminence, which creates the firft tendency towards En thufiafm; and, when indulged, by gradually corrupting the will, matures it. Of this we need no other proof than the very nature of the effect produced. For when the licentious and fanguinary leader of the Anabaptifts afferted, that it was revealed to him that he Should be king in Sion d : or when his artful fucceSTor maintained, that he" afferts, which authorized him to print the work. See the eir- cumftances related at large, with the prayer, in. Lord Herbert's Life, p. 172, and Leland's View of Deiftical Writers, vol. i. p. 25. ed. 1798. Leland veryjuftly remarks, that were a per fon to allege, that he had received the fame divine permiffion to publifh a work in defence of Chriftian ity, which is here claimed for a work that has a tendency to fubvert it, he would be ridiculed as an Enthufiaft. d John Bokelfon, or Boccold, more ufually called John of Leyden. The impieties and enormities of which this man was guilty; his reign as king of Sion in Munfter; and his tragical end, may be found in Brandt's Hiftory of the Reformation, vol. i. pi 64. Mofheim's Ecclefiaftical Hift. vol. ii. p. 232. c David George, who, upon the difperfal of the Anabaptifts, after the taking of Munfter, collected' the remainder of the fedt. He was a dark, myfterious, and artful Enthufiaft. Some of his tenets were, that his dodlrines rendered thofe of the SERMON I. 43 alone was worthy to be worshipped as the redeemer of the houfe of Ifrael : or finally, When the founder of another fed exprefsly declared, that She did not read the Scriptures, becaufe they contained nothing but what She previoufly knew f ; it muft be evident, that their feveral pretenfions were founded on the belief, that they poffeSTed fome fuperior holi- nefs, which, raising them above their fellow- creatures, made them worthy to receive thefe- the Old and New Teftament ufelefs ; that he was the real Meffiah ; that he was to reftore the houfe of Ifrael. See Brandt's Hift. of the Reformation, vol. i. p. 75. and Rofs's View of all Religions. f Antonia Bourignon. For the impious affertion alluded to, fee the preface to Leflie's Snake in the Grafs, vol. ii. of his works, p. 10. " I have fometimes," fhe fays, " tranfiently " read the New Teftament ; but as foo'n as I began to read, I " perceived in what I read, all my fentiments explained ; fo " that if J were to write the fentiments which I carry within " me, I fhould compofe a book like that of the New Tefta- " ment : and it feeming to me that it would be ufelefs to read " what I did fo fenfibly poffefs, I left off to read." After this, could it be thought poflible that one of her dodtrines fliould be, That there is no fatisfadtion made for the fins of men, by ,the death and fufferings of Chrift ? Leflie, ut fup. p. 8. The manner in which fhe defcribes the firft Adam, whom fhe faid the Almighty revealed to her, is as grofsly indecent as it is im- pioufly profane : (fee Broughton's Did. of all Religions, article Bourignonifls ,) and yet fhe dared to affert, " I know I can- " not but fpeak the truth ; and alfo they who do not follow it, " refift it." Leflie, as before, p. 10. great 44 SERMON I. great diftindions. Had any other convidion influenced their condud, they muft have per ceived that the very nature of their aSTertions proved their abSurdity. But it is the peculiar charader of pride that it knoweth no bounds. To ufe the figura tive language of the Prophet, it enlargeth its defires as hells ; fo that the heart of man, when Sully under its dominion, will often become credulous as to the probability of attaining preeminence, in proportion to the greatnefs of that preeminence which is made the objed of his defire. And here, left the caufe affigned fhould be thought inadequate to the effed, it may be proper to remark, that certainly there is no paffion, that influences human condud more powerfully than pride. 'Tis true, that lan guage cannot even duly defcribe the infigni- ficance of the creature, when compared with s " Yea alfo, he is a proud hian, neither keepeth he at home, " (i. e. within bis proper bounds); he enlargeth his defire. as hell, " and is as death, and cannot be fatisfied." Habakkuk ii. 5. It is a remarkable inftance of the unmeafurable folly, as well as daringnefs of pride, that Vanini ufed to fay of himfelf, Aut Deus loquitur, aut Vanini. And yet this man was burnt for openly profeffing and teaching, that there was no God. See his life and blafpheming death, Boyle's Dicl. Art. Vanini. the SERMON I. 45 the majefty of the Creator: but it is alfo true, that whatever oppofi tion has been made to his will, or whatever Shape that oppofition has aSTumed, ftill pride has been the principle from which it has proceeded. Was it not pride, that caufed the difobedience of Angels h ? was it not pride, that occafioned the fall of Man1? was it not pride, that Stimulated Cain tp flay his righteous brotherk? was it not pride, that fcattered abroad the nations over the face of the earth l ? and, finally, was it not pride, that made the incredulous Jew rejed, to his own deftrudion, the humble appearing of his great God and Saviour ? Pride is indeed that paffion, which is not only the moft univerfal, but the moft deeply rooted in the mind of man : it is that paffion, which is the fooneft excited, and the laft fub- dued ; that paffion, which perhaps is never h Ifaiah xiv. 12, 13. Jude 6. " It was the fin of pride, as " divines generally believe, that ruined a multitude of the An- " gelic Hoft. Thofe once moft glorious fpirits, walking upon *•' the battlements of Heaven, grew dizzy with their own " greatnefs, and fell down into a ftate of utter darknefs, and " extreme mifery." Bp. Bull's Sermons, vol. i. p. 210. ' Gen. iii. 5,6. See Bp. Bull's Sermons, vol. iii. p. 1086. et feq. k Genefis iv. 4 5. See Raleigh's Hift. of the World, Book I. ch. v. {e&.. 1. 1 Genefis xi. 4. eradi- 46 SERMON 1. eradicated, but which, difguifing itfelf under the moft fpecious appearances that felf-love can aSTume, lurks unperceived in the fecret folds of the heart, arid often betrays our vir tue, when every other mode of fedudion would have failed. But a difficulty may here be Started, which it becomes us to obviate. If pride be indeed the caufe of Enthufiafm, feeing that this paffion is univerfal in the hu man mind, why is not the effed more uni- verfally produced ? To this we reply; that though it be granted that the principle, or feed as it were, of Enthufiafm do adually exift in our hearts, it does not follow that therefore it muft be developed. There are many men who have a propenfity to anger, ambition, intemperance, or pride, though they never evince it outward ly by their adions. For fhould it happen, the mercy of God's Providence, that they never meet with fuch trials, as would call thefe paffions forth, they cannot be fuppofed to operate : or again, fliould they not be excited until Religion fliall have fupplied the means of refitting them, they may then be repreffed. Exadly fo in the prefent inftance, if we are never thrown into fuch fituations as would lead SERMON L 47 lead us to Enthufiafm ; or if we fall into them at that period of life, when a juft and comprehenfive view of the nature of revela tion fhall have Shewn us the impropriety of expeding new illuminations, does it not fol low, that we Shall have little to apprehend from fpiritual delufion ? Befides which, of neceffity much will depend on that frame of mind with which we have been endued. Some men, for inftance, are fo calm and moderate in their difpofitions, that they feem to be wholly exempt from the dominion of fancy ; others again are fo meek and lowly of heart, that preeminence, admiration, and power, or whatever pride and felf-conceit and ambition can fuggeft, appear to be rather objeds of averfion, than of defire. In per- fons thus constituted, the principle of En thufiafm will never be permitted fo much as even to unfold. But the cafe is different when the alluring profped of being thought fome great one is fuggefted to fuch as are of a fanguine and ambitious temper ; for to them, nothing that may raife them above their equals can be propofed, that will not be wished for ; or wifhed for> that will not be judged attainable"1. m A fearful inftance of this kind occurred among the Ca- mifar 48 SERMON I. Should then a perfon of this charader" perfuade himfelf that the knowledge of di vine truths is to be attained by immediate revelation, rather than by the Study of Scrip ture, it will be eafy to trace the progrefs of his Enthufiafm. Having once admitted the poffibility of receiving fome divine commu nication, he will naturally be led to hope for the attainment of it ; but being ignorant what is the knowledge to be imparted, and what the means to be employed, great but confufed expedations of holy warnings, myf- terious voices, and rapturous fenfations, will be for ever prefent to his fancy. This will be the beginning of his error ; and then, having for a long time expeded the defired communications in vain, by degrees he will figure to himfelf, what are the moft proba- mifar Quakers. One of them was feen to take another by the arm, and looking at him, faid, " Do you not acknowledge me to " be the eternal, unchangeable God?" To which the other, falling down and trembling, anfwered, " I do acknowledge thee," &C. View of the Times,, vol. iv. p. 23 j. as quoted by Jones in his Effay on the Church, p. 53. " Maimonides in his More Nevochim has this admirable paf- fage. One of the perfections, he fays, requifite to form the character of the prophet is, that he fhould be eminent, " in " puritate cogitationum, ab omnibus obledtationibus corporali- " bus ; et immunitate affedtuum ab omni fuperbid, et Jlultd ac " peJHknli gloria cupiditate." Pars ii. cap. xxxvi. ble; SERMON I. 49 ble ; and thefe, though he may not be aware ofthe preference, will be fuch as are the moft conformable to his wifhes. Being advanced thus far, he will next indulge in the contem plation of their fancied accomplishment ; and he will fuffer his mind to be abforbed in the pleafure which this contemplation will im part. He will now become melancholy and reclufe ; the intercourfes of fociety will be judged importunate, as they prevent him from dwelling on his favourite meditations; and thefe he will be drawn infenfibly to purSue in fuch places, and at fuch feafbns, as may ferve to heighten their effed ; either amid the gloom of impending night, or the horror of furround- ing folitude0. In thefe moments he will fo abftrad himfelf, that he will even become un- confcious of external impreffions; and though this abfence be occafioned folely by the ve- 0 " Multis j-ebus inflammantur tales aniroi, ut ii qui fono " quodam vocum, et Phrygiis cantibus' incitantur. Multos " nemora filvaeque, multos amnes aut maria commovent." Cicero, de Dki. lib. i. fee. 50. Enthufiafts cannot be too fre quently reminded of the power which external caufes poffefs of exciting thofe effects which they conceive to be fupernatural. The ancients called one of their Enthufiafms, j/aAxoiwos panx; an Enthufiafm occafioned by the beating of cymbals. Every one knows that Mahometan Fanatics produce their Enthu fiafms by violent agitations of the body. Some of our fectaries obtain, as they think, illuminations from the Holy Spirit, in the fame manner. e hement 50 SERMON I. hement intention of his mind, cooperating with the Strong propenfity of his inclina tion, he will neverthelefs perfuade himfelf that it is a fupernatural rapture p. And now heated with this perfuafion, and conceiving himfelf to be an immediate objed of divine favour, there is not any wild fuggeftion which he will not admit, becaufe there is none which may not be defended under the plea of infpira- P Jamblichus affert's, that it is the fureft evidence of divine infpiration, TEXfoipio» y-syiroi, when the perfons affected are infen- fible to external impreflions, oi ^eh Stxvei^xnxi oSe^ss ax virxiSix- totrai — ci h xai i-itpihois txi utevxs xaTaTEpmTEj xSxfius xxra- xoXaSstru — xai eis wug tyEponai xxi wug hx'iropEVOii'rxi. — De Myl- teriis, fee. iii. chap. iv. So Virgil ; jEn. xi. v. 788. Summe Deum, fandti cuftos Soractis, Apollo, Quern primi colimus, cui pineus ardor acervo Pafcitur : et medium freti pietate per ignem Cultores multa premimus veftigia pruna. It perhaps was in this latter fort of Enthufiafm, that the ido latrous Canaanite paffed through tbe fire, when he ufed divina tions : Deut. xviii. 10, 11. and probably it was in the former that thepriefts of Baal deluded the Ifraelites: 1 Kings xviii. 28. But it is manifeft from experience, that this fort of infenfibility may be, at any time, produced by the mere powers of atten tion. The American favage, by fixing bis attention on the ha tred he bears his enemies, fupports without a groan the moft excruciating pain : and an Italian criminal, by voluntarily re- prefenting to himfelf the gibbet, and ftrengthening the repre- fentation by frequently calling out, / fee it, fuftained the tor ture without confeffing his crime. Crigbton, on Mental De- rangement, vol. i. p. 259,- tion. SERMON I. 51 tion. The farther his conceits are removed from human probability, or common experi ence, the more they will be confidered as pro per fubjeds for revelation : and, finally, having deliberately excluded every appeal to reafon, by prejudging it incompetent to decide in his peculiar cafe, he will perpetuate his delufion, by depriving himfelf of the only means by which it might be deteded q. Such probably, with little variation, is the gradual progrefs of delufion in the mind of the Enthufiaft : and from the very circum ftance of its being thus gradual, we draw a Strong presumptive proof of the truth of our conclusions. Could it be Shewn, as fome have imagined, that Enthufiafm rufhes fud- denly upon us ; in a fingle moment over powering our faculties, and fubjugating our reafon ; then the whole queftion would aSTume a different appearance. But when it can be eftablifhed by a variety of examples, that it is the growth of many years ; infomuch that it might be almoft neceSTary to complete the definition of Enthufiafm, that it fhould be •« See Campbell's Authenticity of the Gofpel Hiftory, feet. xviii. where he treats this fubjedt at large, and eftahlifhes the fame conclufions. E 2 Jlowly 52 SERMON I. flowly progreffive l ; what argument can be adduced to prove that it is not, as we have ftated it to be, a delufion, which is to be referred to the inordinate adion of the ima gination, and to the perverfity of the will ? That the aflent of the underftanding is in deed dependant on the will, is fully attefted by the evidence of Scripture. If the Apoftle warns his converts; that their departure from the truth proceed not from an evil heart of un belief* ; does it not follow that there was in their hearts a power to influence their faith ? Or if it be foretold of the Jews, that they will not be converted, until the vail be removed from 1 It might be unneceffary to feledt any one particular ex ample to eftablifh this pofition, as perhaps not a fingle excep tion can be met with to oppofe it. Some indeed have not been betrayed into any violent acts of Enthufiafm till late in life : but then, generally fpeaking, its exiftence may be traced even in their infancy. For they almoft always refer to fome im- preflion made on their minds at that early period ; to fome dream, or vifion, or providential prefervation, which they after wards confidered as a proof, that they were deftined to become the appointed inftruments of God's extraordinary difpenfations. The reader however may refer to the life of St. Terefa : Butler's Lives of the Saints, vol. x. p. 325. She relates herfelf, that, when feven years old, fhe actually fet out with her little bro ther on foot, to go to the country of the Moors, in the hopes of dying for the faith. s Hebrews iii. 12. their SERMON I. 53 their hearts l ; muft we not conclude, that their acceptance of the Gofpel depends upon their renouncing thofe wilful prejudices, which have hitherto prevented their receiving a Spi ritual King ? Yet even thefe proofs were needlefs, could we but confent to confider impartially what paffes within us. Much as we may wifh to conceal it from ourfelves, hourly do we be tray our reafon to our inclinations. What ever is the objed of our hope, that, generally fpeaking, becomes the objed of our faith. What but this can be the caufe (to inftance no other example) why Christians of the fame communion regard in fuch a different light the dodrine of a future ftate ? Is it not that he, who has made the attainment of things eternal the real objed of his defire, will be hold them, though they be yet invifible, with the piercing eye of faith ? Is it not that, trust ing in God's promifes, he concludes their ex istence to be no lefs certain, than that of the material objeds which furround him ? Whilft, on the other hand, he who has rifked every thing on the foolifh venture of prefent ' 2 Cor. iii. 14, 15, 16. The words ofthe Apoftle are very ftriking. "But even unto this day when Mofes is read, the " vail is upon their heart ; neverthelefs, when it (their heart) " fhall turn to the Lord, the vail fhall be taken away." e3 enjoy- 54 SERMON I. enjoyment, finding that he cannot look for ward to a future ftate with the confidence of Chriftian hope, firft queftions its reality, and then denies itu. And now, the different conclufions we have eftabliShed being fummed up together, let us obferve what muft be the amount. We have Shewn that paffions, fuch as pride and ambition, are able in a vehement manner to call forth the powers of the ima gination : we have fhewn that the imagina tion, when thus excited, will often fuggeft to the mind the conceit of divine illumination : we have fhewn alfo, that if the will be dif- pofed to cooperate, fuch fuggeftions are not only believed, but even with the utmoft per tinacity defended. Now, as it is the union of thefe three particulars that constitutes u " Infidelity and faith look both through the fame perfpec- " tive glafs ; but at contrary ends. Infidelity looks through " the wrong end of the glafs, and therefore fees thofe objects " which are near, afar off; and makes great things little, di- " minifhing the greateft fpiritual bleflings, and removing far " from them threatened evils. Faith looks at the right end, " and brings the bleflings that are far off in time, clofe to our " eye. That this diffolved body fhall be raifed out of the duft> " and enlived with this very foul, wherewith it is now ani- " mated, and both of them put in a condition eternally glori- " ous ; is as clearly reprefented to my foul in this glafs, as if it " were already done. Faithful is he that hath promifed, which " will alfo do it." Bp. Hall's Works, vol. iii. p. 712. Enthu- SERMON I. 55 Enthufiafm, we need no further evidence to prove that it is eminently one of thofe Spirits, which cometh not from God. Such are the reafons upon which we ground the neceffity of rejeding Enthufiafm, as well in its Secondary, as in its primary fig- nification. We need only remark further, that, when applied to Religion, the effect produced by either is equally prejudicial. It might feem indeed that the fuggeftions of the Evil One would be more immediately repugnant to the pure counfels of the Al mighty. But if we reflect what abfurdi- ties and impieties human ignorance, and hu man folly, mixed with carnal pride and am bition will produce, when the reftraint of reafon has been wilfully withdrawn ; we muft allow that Christianity can have little caufe to rejoice, whether our delufion be owing to the malice of Satan, or to the licence of a perverted imagination. In both cafes the attendant evils are innumerable. Whatever be the fource from whence the torrent fpring, its final iSTue is the fame ; it muft hurry us into the wild and tumultuous ocean of uncertainty ; on which having been awhile toffed to and. fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine x, we Shall probably make * Ephef. iv. 14. e 4 jhip- 56 SERMON I. fhipwreck of our Faith?; and as we fink into eternity, find perhaps our laft Struggle embit tered by this refledion, that in our own ruin we have involved the fpiritual welfare of many, who otherwife might have flood f aft in the truth, blamelefs, and harmlefs, the Sons of God, without rebuke z. Having thus fhewn the caufes from which Religious Enthufiafm is derived, it would prove a circumftance of the deepeft regret, could it be imagined that any thing here ad vanced, refleds, even in the flighteft degree, on that fervour in the contemplation of hea venly objeds, and in the performance of re ligious duties, which is neceSTary to the per- fedion of Chriftian piety. It was to guard againft this perverSion, that our terms were at the firft fo ftudioufly defined, and have Since been fo cautioufly ap plied. Yet for fear the diftindion may not have been clearly underftood, in the facred- nefs- of truth I once more declare, that it never was defigned to hold up to cenfure the fervour of the pious ; or expoSe to the fneer of fcorn that zeal, which marks the devo tion of the pure in heart. God forbid ! There are fituations under which the foul y i Tim. i. 19. * Phil. ii. 15. of SERMON I. tf of man cannot remain unmoved. If an in vestigation of the laws by which the cecono my of the natural world is regulated, is faid to have impreffed with fuch awe the mind of one of our greateft philofophers, that he could never mention the name of its Al mighty Author % without religious dread ; the. contemplation of a far more Stupendous fyftem, the love of God manifested in Jefus Chrift, cannot but affed the heart, when it is the fubjed of our meditation -, cannot but animate the tongue, when it is the theme of our praife. And yet further. If a mere abftrad con templation of the wonders of the Chriftian difpenfation can produce thefe effeds upon the foul ; are we not reafonably to conclude, that their impreffion will become ftill more lively, when its efficacy is feelingly applied to our wants, and when, amidft all our fear and trembling, it has given us the confola- tory aSTurance, that // is the power of God unto falvation b P This it was that raifed fo high the devo tion of our great Reformers. For when, a The celebrated Mr. Boyle : the fame thing has been re lated alfo of Sir Ifaac Newton. ' b Rom, i. 16. awaken- 58 SERMON I. awakening from the Slumber of papal delu fion, they found the pure beam of Gofpel Truth, bright as the Sun at noon-day, break fuddenly upon them ; amazed to think that they fhould obtain fuch favour, whilft others were fuffered to remain in darknefs, how could they do lefs than employ a language, fervent as the gratitude they felt? This too was the caufe, which, in a Still more eminent degree, infufed into the bofom of St. Paul fuch fentiments of love and ado ration. For refleding that he, who was once a veffel of wrath, had been feleded, of free grace, to become a veffel of honour ; and moreover that he had been even admitted to a nearer contemplation of that glory, which was laid up in ftore for him when his courfe fhould befinifhedd ; was it not natural that he fliould break forth into thofe rapturous ex- preffions which characterize his facred page; labouring as it were for words to defcribe the unfearchable riches of the mercy of Chrift, in whom, through his blood, he had obtained forgivenefs of fin c. d 2 Tim. iv. 7, 8. e Ephef. i. 7. This love of God, this admiration of his goodnefs, this warm enunciation of his praife, is perhaps in no part of St. Paul's writings more confpicuous, than in his letter to the Ephefians. But whilft in reading that Epiftle the pious SERMON I. 59 If then thefe diftinguifhed perfonages were thus affeded with the knowledge of Divine goodnefs : if a convidion of God's never fail ing providence made Daniel pray, and give thanks as aforetime f ; though this exercife of piety involved the lofs of life : if David de clared, that his foul thirfted for Gods: if they who furround his throne in heaven ceafe not day and night from faying, Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty^; we, •who experi ence his love in the means of prefent grace, and hope to derive from it the enjoyment of future glory, may well be expeded to feel an holy warmth in the exercife of our devotions. But as none of thofe holy men, whofe lives are recorded for our example, were, in the definite meaning ofthe word, Enthufiafts; we cannot too carefully distinguish between the principle which direded them, and that which pious Chriftian feels his heart burn within him, he would do well to remark, that not a fingle word of it is conceived in the fpirit of Enthufiafm. It is not his own peculiar privilege or hope, but the knowledge that falvation was extended to all mankind, that feems to have moved St. Paul to fuch an holy rapture. " God having made known unto us tbe myjlery of bis " will, according to bis good pleafure which be hatb purpofed in " himfelf, to gather together in One, all things in Cbrift, both " which are in heaven, and which are on earth" Chap. i. 9, 10. f Dan. vi, 10. S Pfalm xiii. 2. h Revel, iv. 8. governs 60 SERMON I. governs the visionary fanatic. What then is the charader of that Spirit which cometh from God ? Truly its fruit is love, joy, peace f hng-fufifering, gentlenefs, goodnefs, faith, meek- nefs, temperance '. Whereas the fpirit which proceedeth from delufion is always inconfiftent with itfelf; it hurries the diftraded mind we know not whither; it engenders the bitternefs of Strife, contrads the heart, and fubftitutes a gloomy train of needlefs aufterities for the ten der and amiable charities of Chriftian Life. And Such being the real properties of En^ thufiafm, how can we underftand that plea of fincerity which is urged fo frequently in its behalf ? Can any fincerity authorize us to engage in an undertaking, if it can be Shewn that the confequences of this undertaking are hurtful, and that the principle on which it proceeds is mere delufion ? Surely no one can be fo bold as to aSTert, that the quality of our purfuits, be they good or be they evil, is a matter of indifference, fo long as we engage in them with Sincerity. This would be effedually to Subvert all virtue, and all perfedion ; and yet fomething of this na ture feems to be implied in the argument above adduced k. 1 Galat. v. 22. k It was by this notion of fincerity, that Bifhop Hoadly , fur- SERMON I. 6x But in fad, before the plea of Sincerity is urged, the term Should be defined: we cannot affent to a propofition, the premifes of which are vague. To what does the word apply ? Does it refer to the nature of the object ; or to the intentions of him who purfues it ? Again, are thefe to be judged of by the pre conceptions of the individual ; or by the in variable rule of right ? Till thefe previous Steps are taken, how can it be known what is even meant by thofe who defend Enthufi afts, becaufe it is their character to he always jincere P That Enthufiafts are fincere in believing their illuminations to be divine, was never questioned ; " if they did not think them- furniflied an argument which might have tended to fub- vert the Eftablifhed Church. If you are fecure of your in tegrity before God ; that is, if you believe what you fay you be lieve, it is no matter what Church you are of, the reft is a mere dream. See W. Law's firft Letter to Bifihop Hoadly, as reprinted in the Scholar Armed, p. 330. The fentiments which St. Paul entertained were far different. His fincerity in adher ing to the Jewifh Church, and in perfecuting the Chriftian, could not be doubted : but fo little did he think that this plea excufed his previous conduct, that even after he had obtained mercy, he charged himfelf with having been a hlafphemer, and aperfecutor. 1 Tim. i. 13. "Nay," faid he, " I am tbe leaft of " tbe Apoftles, that am not meet to be called an Apoftle, becaufe I " persecuted the Church of God." 1 Cer. xv. 9. " felves 62 SERMON I. " felves infpired, they were not Enthufiafts '". But this is a praife which they Share in com mon with the wildeft maniac j for he Sincere ly believes the vifion that plays upon his fancy to be real. This then is not the quef- tion : what we are to enquire is, whether they are fincere in endeavouring to afcertain the nature of that evidence, upon which their illumination is believed. The point therefore on which the whole enquiry muft turn, is the fincerity of their love of truth, as far at leaft as it applies to their peculiar cafe. For it has been admirably well remarked, " that " the love of truth can never lead us to be- " lieve more than the proof in favour of any •" queftion can eftabliSh m." Admitting then this principle, (and furely it is incontrovert- 1 H. Mores divine Dialogues, p. 469. See alfo his Entbufi- afmus Triumphatus ; in which the queftion of Enthufiafm is ably handled. m Locke, on the Human Underftanding, " The evidence that " any propofition is true (except fuch as are felf-evident) lying " only in the proofs a man has of it, whatever degrees of af- " fent he affords it, beyond the degrees of that evidence, it is " plain, all that furplufage of affurance is owing to fome other " affection, and not to the love of truth : it being as impof- " fible that the love of truth fhould carry my affent above the " evidence to me that it is true, as that the love of truth " fhould make me affent to any propofition for the fake of that " evidence which it has not— &c.'; Book IV. c. xix. fee. 1. . ible) SERMON I. 63 ible) how can a belief in imaginary infpira- tions be reconcileable to a real love of truth ? Are not the Scriptures, from which the En thufiaft draws the arguments that fupport his pretenfions, the very teft by which their fal lacy is deteded ? Be it remembered however, that the plea of fincerity, even were it granted, could apply only to the motives, not to the adions of the Enthufiaft ; it might ferve to extenuate, but not to fandion, criminality. Admit then that fuch a perfon having exerted his reafon to the utmoft, neverthelefs believes that the authority upon which he ads is really divine. In this cafe it is evident that the queftion re- folves itfelf into two diftind particulars. What final fentence will be palled upon thofe adions which refulted from his error, whether of ac quittal, or of condemnation ; of cenfure, or of praife, will be determined by that All- wife Being, who alone can know what were his intentions, and what his means of afcer- taining truth. But as far as the prefent is con cerned, if he violate any law, we muft infift that his Sincerity exempts him from no blame, and fhould fcreen him from no punifhment. Surely the religious Enthufiaft ought not to forget, or if he does we cannot, that many fanatics, ading upon the fame principle with 64 SERMON I. with himfelf, have broken thofe laws which are efteemed the moft facred in fociety. Their defence has been uniformly the fame ; that God had called upon them to remove from the ftate fuch individuals, as, they thought, were inimical to its interefts n. Yet this plea was never allowed : nor was it for one mo ment debated, whether any member of a civil community was at liberty, upon the ftrength of his own convidions, to break through thofe reftraints which had been wife ly eftabliShed for its prefervation. For could fuch a notion as this be once admitted, foon would the paffions of mankind, freeing them felves from all control, deftroy the order of fociety, and the well-being of the world. If then we do not fuffer the plea of fincerity to exculpate the Enthufiaft when he violates thofe laws which are of human ordinance ; it is no fmall part of Chriftian duty to infift, that the fame plea fhould never exculpate him when he violates fuch as are divine. And this n See the trial of Ravillac for the murder of Henry IV. The fame defence was made by Gen. Harrifon : " As to the " blood of the King (Charles I.) I have not in the leaft any " guilt laying upon me ; for I have many a time fought the "'Lord with tears, to know if I have done amifs ; in it but was " rather confirmed that the thing was more of God than of " men." Trial of tbe Regicides, part ii, p. 2. the SERMON I. 65 the rather, becaufe God may be confidered as having intrufted to our care the lively oracles of his Word. He forbears vifibly to interfere in their defence, that he may prove our fide lity; and having forewarned us, that he will take away from the Book of Life the name of that man, who Shall corrupt a Single Book of Prophecy, either by adding one word to its contents, or by taking one away0 ; furely we muft infer that fomething is to be appre hended by thofe who, from wilful error, fhall be found to have perverted the whole tenor of Scripture. Here then let the prefent enquiry bexlofed ; and having proved that Enthufiafm is nothing more than a natural effed produced by the force of the imagination, we fubmit it to every rational being, whether we can in fafety refer to it for thofe principles on which our everlafting happinefs depends. The conclu- fion is too obvious to admit of any hesita tion. Certainly we cannot. When there fore we feek after inftrudion in the myfteries of the kingdom of Heaven p, we are to view the written word of Scripture as the only fource from which that inftrudion is to be 0 Revel, xxii. 19. p Matt. xiii. 11. f de lived : 66 SERMON 1. derived * : and for the understanding that written word, we are to apply, by the affift ance of Grace, to the appointed means of human induftry and learning ; forming no opinions, and, entertaining no expedations, unlefs the evidence whereon they reft be Such as Shall receive the fuileft fandion of our reafon. In affigning this, high office to reafon, and in attributing fo much tp its decisions,, I can not be fufpeded, I hopq, of wifhing to exalt its powers above what Revelation justifies. | know that the natural man receiveth not the, things of the Spirit of God1. I know that the pride of human intelled is not only fool 'jftinefs, but abomination \ with the Almighty. I knpw that our great Teacher has aSTured us, and to his words may be attributed the moft extenfive meaning, that without Him we can do, nothing*. But while we allow that we are not ftiffi- cient of ourfelves to think any thing as of our felves; and while with gratitude we refer all our fufficiency. to Godu, we are not to conclude, 1 " I have more underftanding than my teachers," fiyd David., becaufe thy teftimonies are my ftudy." Pfalm cxix. 99. r 1 Cor. ii. 14. * 1 Cor. iii. 19. Luke xvi. 1 j. 1 John xv. 5. " 2 Cor. iii. j. Many juft obfervations concerning the ufe of SERMON I. 6? that the acquirement of religious knowledge does not depend, in fome degree, upon the proper exercife of reafon. If our Saviour in his parting hours could confole his difciples with the promife of a Comforter, who Should enable them to comprehend the truth x ; and if it be the exclufive privilege of the Chriftian difpenfation, that it reveals to us an Holy Ghoft, whofe gracious office it is, to enlighten the understanding, we have fufficient ground to argue, that the underftanding was thus en lightened, purpofely that it might afcertain the evidences whereon to build our faith y. of Reafon in points of Faith, will be found in a tract on that fubject, by J. Norris ; reprinted in the Scholar Armed. Much may be learned alfo from Rotheram's Effay on Faith : but ftill more from a proper ftudy of Bp. Butler's great work, on the Analogy of Religion, Natural and Revealed. * John xiv. 1 5. et feq. y Lord Bacon noted in his time " this deficiency; that " there hath not been, to my underftanding, fufficiently in- '¦' quired and handled the true limits and ufe of reafon in fpi- " ritual things, as a kind of divine dialectic : which for that " it is not done, it feemeth to me a thing ufual, by pretext of " true conceiving, that which is revealed, to fearch and to mine, " into that which is not revealed : and by pretext of enucle- " ating inferencies, and contradictories, to examine that " which is pofitive." Advancement of Learning, Book II. vol. i. p. 123. 4to. ed. 1765. The fame deficiency might perhaps ftill be noted : and were it fupplied by a work undertaken and executed in the fpirit of meeknefs and of truth, it might prove highly jifeful in the prefent times. F 2, Not 68 SERMON I. Not but that this privilege, when exercifed in its fulleft extent, is of neceffity restrained within very narrow bounds. Though per mitted to inveftigate the things which be of God, we are not to fit in judgment on the fit- nefs ofthe truths he has revealed; much lefs are we to take upon ourfelves to give a fandion to their expediency, before they are received as articles of faith : we\re fimply to weigh the evidence on which they are prppofed to our acceptance. Should we once quit this narrow path, our reafon will unavoidably be loft " in conjedures, which cannot here be af- " certained, and in doubts impoffible to be " folved * :" but, when confined to its proper Sphere, the due exercife of its powers will promote, as was defigned, the Glory of God. How indeed that Glory can receive an in- creafe from any thing that man can do, is a queftion too vaft for human intelled to com prehend. But if the Scriptures affure us, that it will be promoted by our faith, we may humbly infer that this faith muft refult from the full and voluntary affent of the under ftanding. Inftead therefore of feparating thefe two principles ; inftead of making faith x See Dr. Johnfon's admirable prayer " againft inquifitive «' and perplexing thoughts." Prayers and Med. p. 216. to SERMON I. 69 to be wholly independent of reafon, and un connected with it, it becomes us to argue that the exercife of reafon is neceSTary to wards the perfedion of faith y. For did we build our faith upon no other ground than the vague impulfe of feeling, no doubt we might at firft receive the word with gladnefs; but there could be no reafonable hope that fubfequent trials and temptations might not induce us to fall away. When however the faith which we profefs is founded on evidences fuch as reafon, the more it is con- fulted, fo much the more approves; we muft indulge an holy confidence, that there never can be wanting, even amid the fevereft trials, faithful witneSTes, who both Shall honour and advance the caufe of truth. For the rational part of man once fully convinced, the exam ples will very feldom occur, in which even the extremity of human perfecution will have y " Unreafonablenefs, or the fmothering and extinguifhing " the candle of God within us, is no piece of Religion, nor 'ad- " vantageous to it. That certainly wijl not raife men up to " God, which finks them below men. There had never been " fuch an apoftafy from religion, nor had fuch a myftery of " iniquity (full of deceivablenefs and impofture) been revealed " and wrought fo powerfully in the fouls of fome men, had "there not firft come an apoftafy from fober reafon ; had there " not firft been a falling away and departure from natural " truth." Smith's Seletl Difcourfes, p, 448. f 3 power 70 SERMON I. power to make us waver in our profeffion : fo that we may apply to ourfelves, I hope without an improper confidence, the empha tic words of St. Paul, who declares, that nei ther death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things prefent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature fhall be able to feparate us from the love of God, which is in Chr'tfi Jefus our Lord7. A conftancy of this exalted nature muft extort from her very enemies thispraife at leaft, in favour of Chrif- tianity, that her influence over the human mind is founded, not on the fandy bafis of imaginary infpirations, but on that firm, that immovable rock, the calm affent of an en lightened underftanding z. y Rom. viii. 38, 39. x It may be queftioned, whether the temporary apoftafy of fuch a perfon as Cranmer did not advance, rather than retard, the progrefs of our Reformation. Many had objected, that the conftancy, with which our firft Martyrs died, proceeded more from obftinacy and indifference to life, than from any rational conviction of the goodnefs of their caufe. But when they found that Cranmer was fo grieved in his confcience for having re nounced his faith, that (as the fimple Hiftorian of the times relates) " a man might have feen the very image and fhape of " lively forrow expreffed in him ; one while lifting up his hands " and eyes unto Heaven, and then again for fhame letting them " down to the Earth;" (Fox, p. 1886,) and when they after wards heard him declare, that he would willingly be burned, rather than continue to deny the truth; they could not but aN low SER-MON I. 71 low that his conduct was influenced by fober conviction, and not by fanatieifm. Lord Shaftefbury indeed fcrupfes not to call our Reformers Enthufiafts : but as that fcorner adduces no proof of his affertion ; as he does not even defcribe wherein their En thufiafm confifted, his fcqffing need not be regarded. Who is there that could have witneffed the behaviour of Ridley in his laft moments, and would have called him an Enthufiaft? Seeing the venerable Latimer defcending to the flake, " he ran to him " with a wondrous cheerful look, he embraced him, he kiffed " him, he comforted him, faying; Be of good heart, brother; for " God will either affuage the fury of the flame, or give us. " ftrength to abide it." (Fox, p. 1769.) Are thefe the actions, or the fentiments of a fanatic ? Are they not rather thofe of a calm, collected, rational believer, whofe truft in God was found ed on a principle more fteadfaft than the impulfes of feeling ? He knew Who had promifed of old, " / will never leave thee, " nor forfake thee; fo that be might boldly fay, Tbe Lord will be " my helper!' (Heb. xiii. j. 6.) Nor was he difappointed. He was enabled to fuffer with fuch meeknef6, charity, and refolu- tion, that many who came to feaft their eyes on the death of him, whom till then they had confidered as an Enthufiaft, and an Heretic, went away from the inhuman fpectacle, converts to thofe very opinions, the truth of which that Martyr had maintained with fuch religious conftancy. See Ridley's Life of Ridley, p. 670. F 4 SERMON II. LUKE xvii. i, a, 3. THEN SAID HE UNTO THE DISCIPLES, IT IS IM POSSIBLE BUT THAT OFFENCES WILL COMEj BUT WOE UNTO HIM THROUGH WHOM THEY COME ! IT WERE BETTER FOR HIM THAT A MILL STONE WERE HANGED ABOUT HIS NECK, AND HE CAST INTO THE SEA, THAN THAT HE SHOULD OFFEND ONE OF. THESE LITTLE ONES. TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES- -. _L HESE words of our bleSTed Saviour are fuch as ought to fill the mind with awe and apprehenfion, For when we obferve the un- ufual feverity with which they are delivered, we cannot but infer that the offences here fpoken of are of a nature peculiarly Sinful. If however we confider the, proper meaning of the term employed ; and if we remark, that the confequence which is faid to follow thefe offences is the fcandalizing of the little ones 74 SERMON II. ones in Chrift, we muft conclude, that they are not thofe tranfgreffions which proceed from the indulgence of unlawful appetite. Tremendous indeed are the effeds, which refult from the gratification of the lufts of the flefh ! But though the carnal finner will, generally fpeaking, be found to have extended difgrace and mifery to others; nay, though his guilt may even have entailed both Shame and forrow on his unoffending posterity; yet there is reafon to fuppofe that his particular offences are not here the fubject of our Savi our's reprehenfion. We muft alfign then fome more extenfive fignification to the words of our text. And if we confider' the occafion on which it was delivered j if we compare it alfo with the words of another Evangelifta; we cannot rea- fonably doubt, but that the offences foretold relate to thofe ftumbling-blocks, which would be thrown in the way of Christianity, by the arrogance of human pride, or the perveffity of the human will b. To thefe offences we 1 Matt, xviii. r. et feq. Compare alfo Mark ix. 42. b ZxaiSakm, " eft omtte quod efftcit et ocCafioriem prfcbet, Ut " aliquis defcifcat a Religions Chriftlaha." See Scbleufner's Lexicon, v. ii. p. 793. where it is fhewn that the word originally means, That, which being placed in the way of any one, may caufe I'm to fall. Thus Levit. xix. 14. "Thou fhalt not put a ftumbling- " block SERMON II. 75 feem juftified in applying the fevereft de nunciations of future wrath. For though perfons who have indulged the habit of light ly regarding religion, may not immediately feel the force of the refledion, yet nothing is more true, than that it is the height of cri minality to prevent the well-difpofed from embracing the Gofpel ; or fo to fcandalize the young believer, as that he fhall be led to re nounce the hope of his calling. Thefe then are the offences of which our Saviour fpeaks. And when we refled what it is to make the "block before the blind;" awEmvri ruipjia ou itpooQn&Eii; o-xxi/SxKoi . The diftindtion between this offence, and fuch as are of a car nal nature, is ftrongly marked in Matt. xiii. 41. " The Son of " Man fhall fend forth his angels, and they fhall gather out of " his kingdom all things that offend, (irxnx i« axxtSa\a) and them " which do iniquity, (xai rm woisvTa?TD» xi/opiat.) Grotius obferves on .this paffage, that our Saviour is fpeaking of " duo homi- " mitn vitioforum genera ; alii prava docentes, alii puram " profeffionem vita turpi dehoneftantes. Prioris generis ho- " mines axanSa\x hie vocantur. Op. Tbeol. v. ii. p. 141. It is neceffary to obferve further, that the perifhing, which is faid to he the confequence of the above offence, is to be underftood either of the refufing to embrace the Faith, or of the apoftatiz- ing from it. Thus Grotius, awo^Eirai, " paulatim definit effe " Chriftianus." Vid. in 1 Cor. viii. 11. So in Matt, xviii. 14. imahEiStai, perire, hie eft a Deo averti ; cui opponitur crufySixi. Op. Tbeol. vol. ii. 175- and confequently 0 mot t.vs xiru\Eixi, 2 Theff. ii. 3. is rendered by Schleufner, " infignis ille impo- " ftor, qui multos ad defedtionem a Chriftiana Religione folli- " citabit." Vol. i. p. 294. way 76 SERMON II. way of truth evil fpoken ofc ; to aid as it were the powers of darknefs ; to tread underfoot the Son of God, counting the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing, and doing defpite unto the Spirit of Grace d ; we muft allow, that if in any fhape we Shall have contributed to fcandals, fuch as thefe, it would indeed have been good for us that we had never been born e. And this consideration Should lead us with the moft fearful anxiety to guard the mind againft that fpirit of Enthufiafm which was treated of in the foregoing Ledure : fince if we fuffer ourfelves to believe in imaginary in- fpirations, the power and the tendency of fuch a belief will lead us to thofe very offences which have been juft enumerated. Were we to grant that new Revelations are to be expeded by individuals, what means fhall we have left, to expofe the falfehood even of the moft here tical dodrines ? In vain fliould we afterwards attempt to refute them from the concurrent fentiments of the learned ; from the uniform teftimony of paft ages ; or from the exprefs words of Scripture itfelf: for the Enthufiaft aSTerting that his authority is fuperior to all c I Pet. ii. 2. d jjeb# x a5> e Mark xiv. 21. thefe, SERMON II. 77 thefe, muft be permitted uncontrolled to propagate his opinions, though the moft ini mical to the deSigns, and the moft contradic tory to the commands of God. This however will prove but the beginning of offences. Having framed a new dodrine, the Enthufiaft will proceed to frame a new establishment. He will plead, that the fame commiSfion which entitled him to teach, will entitle him to govern. In confequence of which, he will do far worfe even than the fons of Corah f : for he will not merely arro gate the priefthood to himfelf, but he will frame a new one after his own conceits ; he "will invent ftrange ordinances, and will call them God's appointed means of grace : he will perfuade fimple ones that falvation is to be found within the limits of that fold, which he has without authority created ; and, as far as human means can operate, he will deftroy the Church of Chrift, by violating its Unity. It has been faid indeed, that a diverfity of Communion is not invariably the refult of a diverfity of opinion s. But though a maxim f Numbers xvi. Jude n. s " A mere different opinion doth not violate the bonds of Society ; for, opinionum diverfitas, et opinantium unitqs nonfunf uevraia. 7& SERMON II. be juft in itfelf, yet if it be applied to cafes which are not fimilar, we fhall be led to wrong conclufions. And thus it happens in the inftance before us. When the points about which men differ are confeSTedly of fmall importance ; or when they are fuch as depend upon human judgment ; then diver sity of fentiment needs not create feparation. But when either party conceives that the dif- agreement is authorized by Revelation, the breach is unavoidable. Imprefs men with the belief that Heaven has interfered to. teach them, as eSTential to their falvation, doctrines on which the Eftablifhed Church refufes to infift, a©d they will find in that belief a mo tive to feparate,, which nothing can ever coun- terad. Urge them with the danger of haftily breaking communion ; reafon with them on the fin of deftroying Church Unity; and they will reply, that they are authorized to depart from ordinary rules : they will maintain that our opposition proceeds from the fuggef tions of worldly policy ; and mifapplying the words of the Apoftle, they will triumphantly exclaim, " We ought to obey God, father than men ft *y,om n " ao-vrxra. Men may preffcrve communion under different ap. "prehenfions/' Bp. Siillmgflee/s Irenku-m, B. I. c. vi. fee. 2. h Acta v. 29. It SERMON II. 79 It was in this manner that Enthufiafts, or, as they are property Styled by an eminent J)ivin«, WorShippers of Imaginations', be gan at a very early period to introduce thofe pffences into the Church which fcandalized the heath en world k. Little doubt but that there were many feriqus perfons among the Qeutiles, who, feeling the infufficiency of PhiloSophy, eagerly afpired after a better and a purer light. Their attention therefore was excited by the preaching of Christianity. But when they perteived that its followers differed fo much among themfelves, that every city fwarraed with feds, each of which contended that the true faith was to be found within its own, particular pale; and when, to increafe the fcandal,, they witnefTed daily the rife pf new fyftems, and heard talk of new revela tions, each confidently pretending to be of Chrift ; queftioning, unfortunately, the au thenticity of all alike, they returned, perhaps not without reludance, to their former ido latries. ' See Bp. Andrews's Sermon of the Worfhipping of Imagi nations; Sermons, Part ii. p. 25. Ed, 1641. k This objection, as might be expected, was urged by Celfus. His words are preferved by Origen,. who anfwers them. Vid. Origenis Opera Ed. Benedic. vol. i. p. 454. The 80 SERMON II. The fame caufe ftill contributes to perpe tuate the fame effed. What is more com mon than to hear the Deift of the prefent times aSTert, that he Shall continue to walk in the light of Natural Religion, So long as the Seds and Herefies which are created by our modern Enthufiafts, make it impoffible for him to afcertain to what Church obedience is due, or in what creed truth may be dis covered l ? That this mode of reafoning is inconclusive, may be readily proved. It may be proved alfo, that it can have no weight but with thofe who, having once embraced the caufe of infidelity, are constantly employed in feeking for fuch arguments as may feem to juftify their condud. Muft it not ftrike us how ever, that it is we who have fupplied them 1 c< 'When," fays Sir Walter Raleigh, " all order, difcipline, " and Church Government fhall be left to newnefs of opinion, " and men's fancies; foon after, as many kinds of Religions will "fpring up, as there are parifh-churches within England; "every contentious and ignorant perfon, clothing. his fancy " with tbe Spirit of God, and his imagination with the gift of " Revelation ; infomuch as when the Truth, which is but One, " fhall appear, to the firnple multitude, no lefs variable than " contrary to itfelf, the Faith of men will foon after die away " by degrees, and all Religion be held in fcorn and contempt." Hift. ofthe World, B. II. ch. v. fee. i. with SERMON II. 81 with thefe arguments, by our religious difTen- fions. It is true, that if they ufe them for a cloke of ' malicioufnefs m, for this they will be ac countable to God, in that day, when He fhall judge the fecrets of men " : but fhall it not be laid at the fame time to our charge, that we were to them a ftumb ling-block, and an oc cafion of falling P O ! if it might be permitted us to indulge in the refledion, what a different appearance would the world now exhibit, had men fo restrained their imaginations, as not to have violated the Unity of the Church ! For had Chriftians in all nations continued to be of one heart, and of one mind; keeping entire the facred fucceffion of the one appointed Mi nistry, and teaching uniformly the fame found precepts of Apoftolic Dodrine ; this Union would have afforded fuch an argument in favour of Chriftianity, as nothing could have ever gain-faid : it might probably have pre vented that firft woe which defolated the Church °; and certainly it would have been the caufe that many of thofe nations, which Still remain in the darknefs of Pagan idolatry, m i Pet. ii. 1 6. n Romans ii. 16. ° Rev. ix. I. to is. 6 had 8a SERMON II. had even now been rejoicing with us, in the beams of the Sun of Righteott/hefs?. , It appears therefore that it was not without good reafon that in the beginning of this en quiry we afferted, that no Spirit had more retarded the progrefs of the Gofpel, than that of Enthufiafm. For feeing that Schifm has ever been one of the very chiefeft instruments which the enemy of Christ's Kingdom has employed for its deftrudibn; and Seeing that Enthufiafm will remain, to the lateft hour of time, the moft abundant fource of Schifm; it cannot but be viewed in that light, wherein we place it. To attempt to counterad its influence may almoft feem an hopelefs undertaking ; for nothing can be more difficult, than to eradi cate error from the mind, when once it has become inveterate. Neverthelefs, as we have fhewn that Enthufiafm is produced by natural caufes ; that is, by permitting the imagina tion to obfcure the reafon ; if by aUy means this latter may be reftored to its proper func tions, the belief in imaginary infpiration would immediately ceafe ; or, what amounts to the fame thing, the Enthufiaft would not dare ad upon its authority in future. Now P Malachi iv. 2. there SERMON II. 83 there are fome truths in Religion fo felf-evi- dent, that no one has ever yet denied them. For inftance, that the Almighty cannot ad in a contradidory manner ; that he cannot de ceive his creatures by inconfiftent Revelations. If then we can Shew that the condud which Enthufiafts adopt, in confequence of thofe communications which they believe the Al mighty has vouchfafed them, is repugnant to thefe very truths ; they muft allow, unlefs the ufe of their reafon be utterly destroyed, (in which cafe there can be no ground for ferious difcuSTion) that thofe communications are imaginary. This point eftabliShed, the enquiry clofes. They who can acknowledge that the authority on which they ad is inva lid, and yet continue to ad upon it, are not Enthufiafts, but Impoftors. Proceeding then on thefe principles, we will demonftrate that the facrednefs of Church Unity is not, as fome fadious perfons have imagined, a notion purely of political con trivance, but a duty, which, as it is grounded upon the exprefs commands of God, muft be binding upon every member of the Chriftian Church. The Enthufiaft therefore cannot plead, that he is direded by divine infpiration to violate this unity j becaufe that would be to affert, that the Almighty would mislead g 2 his 84 SERMON II. his creatures by contradidory revelations.: a fuppofition which, confiftently with what has been juft advanced, can never be admitted. But, before we proceed further, may it be permitted us to obferve, that we mean not to apply this enquiry to thofe, who in fepa- rating from the corruptions of the Papal See, unfortunately for the Chriftian world, thought themfelves authorized to ordain new Mini- ftries, and to eftabliSh unprecedented modes of Church-government. Some of thefe Re formers indeed were fo circumstanced, as that at the time it would have been difficult to have purfued a different condud q : but though they did vary from the Apoftolical Succeffion, they ftill acknowledged the fa- crednefs of the principle ' ; and while they "J The preface to Hooker's Ecclefiaftical Polity contains a fhort but a mafterly account of the origin of the Church at Geneva. The fpirit in which he wrote thofe pages is truly that of Chriftian Charity; and is the more to be admired, when we confider, that it was the pretenfions of this very Church which he unremittingly oppofed. '• Their device," he fays, " I fee not how the wifeft at that time living could have " bettered, if we duly confider what the prefent ftate of Geneva " did then require. For their Bifhop, and his Clergy, being de- " parted, to chufe in his room any other Bifhop, had been " a thing altogether impoflible." Hooker's Works, Oxford ed. vol. i. p. 133. 1 " Si qui funt autem (quod fane" mihi non facile perfuaferis) •' qui omnem Epifcoporum ordinem rejiciant, abfit ut quif- " quam SERMON II. 8j beheld with veneration the irreproachable manner in which our Reformation was con- duded ; and while they admired the good Providence of God, which preferved among us the Epifcopal order entire, they lamented that their institutions would be deprived of a requi- fite fo effential to the Chriftian Church8. Their " quam fatis fanae mentis, furoribus illorum affentiatur." Beza. Vid. Defen. Hadriani Saraviae contra Th.Be?am, p. 2. ed.. 1610. So alfo Calvin : " Talem nobis Hierarchiam fi exhibeant, in " qua fie emineant Epifcopi, ut Chrifto fubeffe non recufent : " ut ab illo tanquam unico capite pendeant/et ad ipfum refe- " rantur ; in qua fie inter fe fraternam focietatem colant, ut " non alio modo quam ejus veritate fint colligati : turn vero " nullo non Anathemate dignos fatear, fi qui erunt, ,qui non earn " revereantur ,fummdque obediential ohkrvent.'' Cahiinus de Neceff. Ref. Eel. quoted by Dwell in his Government and public Wbrfhip of God in the Reformed Churches, 1662. p. 166. The German Divines of the Augfburg Confeflion faid, that they were driven by the cruelty of the Popifh Bifhops to violate that original Church Polity which they earneftly defired to preferve. " Quam " nos magnopere confervare cupiebamus.'' See Bp. Hall, Epif. by Div. Right, Part i. fee. 3. It is remarkable that Luther urged Melandthon to reftore Epifcopacy in every place where the Bifhop granted the free ufe of the Proteftant doctrine. Bp, Hall, as above ; and Camerarius in Vit. Melancthonis, 1655, See alfo Leflie's Works, vol. ii. p. 755. 5 When the Bifhop of Landaff, at the Synod of Dort, had publicly afferted before the whole affembly the fuperiority of Epifcopal Church Government ; the Prefident immediately arofe, and faid, " Alas ! my Lord, we are not fo happy as you <' are, in this particular." Bp. Hall, Epifcopacy by Divine Right, Book i. fee. 4. The teftimony of the greateft Foreign Proteftant Divines in favour of our Church is unequivocal, and ftriking. g 3 Thus 86 SERMON II. fubfequent condud, indeed, in adhering to a pradice, which they declared. at firft was ir regular, and which was tolerated merely be caufe it was provisional, will for ever expofe them to cenfure * ; nor can we forget, that by fo doing they have afforded the Roman- ifts the only fpecious argument that could be found to difcredit the Reformation u. Againft Thus Diodati, fpeaking of the horrors ofthe Rebellion, " Hoc " unum nempe ad cumulum tantarum calamitatum deerat, ut " florentiflima Anglia, ocellus ille Ecclefiarum ; peculium " Chrifti fingulare; fpei melioris vexillum ; fplendidas illasDo- " mini caulas ; pulcherrima Ecclefia fades , fuis ipfius manibus " conficeretur, et pedibus proteretur." Dwell, ut fupra, p. [71. " Afferimus pro veris legitimifque Epifcopis habendos illos de- " mum, quos Paulus in Epiftolis ad Timotheum, et Titum de- " pingit. Cujufmodi in magno illo Regno Britanniarum exti- " tiffe, atque etiam nunc fupereffe, fubindeque eligi Epifcopos, " non diffitemur." J. Letlius, ut fupra, p. 169. The fentiments of Beza are equally unequivocal : " Quod fi nunc Anglicanse Ec- " clefiae inftauratae fuorum Epifcoporum, et Archiepifcoporum " audtoritate fuftultae perftant; (quemadmodum hoc illi noftrae " memorise contigit, ut ejus ordinis homines non tantum in- " fignes Dei Martyres, fed etiam prasftantiffimos paftores, ac " doctores habuit) fruatur iftd fingulari Dei beneficentid, qute " utinam fit Illi perpetua." Beza cont. Had. Saraviam,c. xviii. Saravia Trail. Tbeol. p. 182. ' See Bifhop Hall's Works, vol. i. p. 314. His Epifcopacy by Divine Right, Book i. fee. j. Durell's Gov. of the Church, p. 121. Calvin's own Confeftion fliould be attended to. " Dif- '! ciplinam, qualem habuit vetus Ecclefia, nobis deeffe neque " nos diffitemur." Refpon. ad Sadoletum, Op. vol. viii. p. 108, " Jewell, in his Apology for the Church of England, has twice SERMON II. 87 thefe Separatifts from Epifcopal communion however, the arguments here offered are not direded. There is a wide difference between thefe and the Enthufiaft who ads upon a principle fubverfive of all communions alike ; and who daringly, we might add even im- pioufly, afferts, that " religious uniformity is " contrary to Scripture, and deftrudive of the " glory of God V Now, that Enthufiafts can perfuade them felves that they are commiffioned to hold fuch opinions as thefe, is principally owing to the two following caufes. The one that they have formed wrong notions refpeding the nature and the defign of the Church ; the other, that they have never confidered Schifm in its fcriptural fenfe. When it is ;faid, that they have formed wrong notions of the nature and defign of- the Church, it is meant, that they apply the word generally in that fenfe, which it twice noticed and anfwered this objection. See Juelli Apol. as publifhed in the Enchiridion Theol. Oxon. 1792. vol. i. p. 191. and again p. 231. * "Conclude then, that if God be a rock, and his work is " perfect ; if variety be the characteriftic of all his works ; an " attempt to eftablifh uniformity (in Religion) is reverfing " and deftroying all the Creator's Glory." Kilbam's Metbodift's Monitor, vol. ii. p. 6. g 4 can 88 SERMON II. can bear only when confidered in a particu lar point of view. Neverthelefs, confirming themfelves in their opinion, by the evident mifconftrudion of a few paffages in Scripture*, and by one or two dubious authorities of an tiquity z, they affirm, that nothing more is in tended by the word Church, than the num ber of all thofe who, wherever they may be found, or in whatever manner they may wor ship, believe in Jefus Chrift. But though this be true, when fpoken of the Church of Chrift in Heaven a, we con s' Such as Matt, xviii. 19, 20. and Philemon 2. z Tertullian, " Ubi tres, Ecclefia eft, licet Laici." De Exor. Caft. Op. ed. Rigalt. p. ,522. Macarius goes ftill further: He makes one man the Church : but his reafoning fhews that he is talking of the Church in a fenfe altogether fpiritual. JLxx?\r)0~ta XvyErai xai ewi voT^uv, xai eit\ pixi ^vyyr,' uvri\ yup n ¦^vyri avvayti l\\H<; ruf Aoyio-fta?, xai erw Ev.x7.r,a-\a iu ®eu. Hpmil. xii. p. 167. ed. 1559. To employ fuch authorities a.s thefe to fanction the opinion that the Church of Chrift means no thing more than the accidental affembling of thofe who believe in his name, is a moft unjuftifiable perverfion of them. It fhould be remembered alfo, that Macarius was a writer, who often dealt in allegory; and that Tertullian, when he pub- lifhed his work above quoted, was a follower and defender of the Enthufiaftic feet of the Montanifts. See the paffage in queftion fully confidered by Rigaltius, Paradoxa Tertiilliani, 1 7 • J This distinction is well treated of in A Difcourfe on tbe Viftble and Invifible Church of Cbrift, by J. Rogers. He begins with this juft obfervation : " There is no fallacy more dan- " gerous, SERMON II. 89 ceive that the term, confidered in that fenfe in which alone it can become an objed of our difcuffion, is of a far more limited figni- fication. Of the Church then we believe, that it is a vifible Communion, formed by the Apoftles, in the power of the Holy Ghoft, and at the command of our Bleffed Lord ; into which all were to be admitted, who fliould receive the Gofpel. We believe, that there are many peculiar advantages to be en joyed by ' the members of this communion, which advantages will be conveyed by fuch ordinances as were at the firft appointed. We believe too, that to administer thefe or dinances one, and only one, Priefthood was instituted ; the different orders of which, ex ercising duly their feparate fundions, convey affuredly to us thofe privileges which were promifed to the members of the Chriftian Covenant. Some latitudinarians indeed will fay, that it is limiting the goodnefs- of God to fuppofe that his mercies Should flow through " gerous, or by which common underftandings are more apt " to be impofed on, than when from a propofition of acknow- " ledged truth in a reftrained fenfe, a general and unlimited " conclufion is inferred." It is by not attending to this dis tinction, that much of that confufion is owing, which has been introduced into the Church by modern Sectaries. See Hooker's Eccl. Polity, B. iii. fee. 1. one 90 SERMON II. one particular channel only. But has he not at all times conveyed his bleffings to mankind by fuch means exclusively, as he has appointed ? Taught therefore by the Apoftle, who com pares the Church of Chrift to the Ark of Noahh, we venture to conclude, that then only fliall we be entitled to the hope of co venanted bleffings, when, not flying for refuge to buildings of our own invention, with hu mility we enter into that, whofe Builder and Maker is Godc. b Heb. xi. 7. c " Surely we have ever judged the primitive Church of " Chrift's time, of the Apoftles and of the holy Fathers, to '* be the Catholic Church : Neither make we doubt to name it " Noah's Ark, Chrift's Spoufe, the Pillar and Upholder of all " Truth : nor yet to fix therein the whole mean of our falva- " tion." Jewell's Apologie. See his Works, p. 389. " We be- " lieve that there is one Church of God, ahd that the fame is " Catholic and Univerfal — That there be divers degrees of Mi- " nifters in the Church, whereof fome be Deacons, fome Priefts, " fome Bifhops. Further we fay, that the Minifter ought ct lawfully, duly, and orderly to be preferred to that office of " the Church of God ; and that no man hath power to wreft " himfelf into the holy Miniftry at his own pleafure." Ibid. p. 80, 85, 119. ed. Lat. apud Ench. Theol. p. 207, 9, 10, 257. See Potter on Church Government, Jones's Effay on the Church; and Bifhop Bilfon's excellent Work on the Perpetual Govern ment of Chrift's Church, 4to. 1610; and Leflie on the qualifi cations requifite to adminifler the Sacraments. Works, vol. ii. p. 717. and Scholar- Armed, vol. i. p. 68. Refpeding SERMON II. 91 Refpeding Schifm, when it was faid, that Enthufiafts do not confider it in its fcriptural fenfe, it is meant, that of the feveral defini tions affigned to it, fome are evidently formed on a partial, and fome on a perverted, interpre tation of the facred writings. One teaches, for inftance, that Schifm is a term of party fpirit and perfecution : another, that the of fence is ideal, or at the utmoft nothing more than a. departure from a particular connexion, and not the violation of any religious prin ciple ; whilft a third maintains, that its ori ginal prohibition is both vague and incon clusive. To minds impreffed with thefe opinions, the charge of Schifm will convey with it no idea calculated to reftrain the extravagances of Enthufiafm. Who will refped a law, the violation of which is not confidered to be criminal ? What inducement can we have to examine into the authority on which we ad, if our adions be in themfelves indifferent ? We may naturally exped therefore that one of the leading features in the charader of the Enthufiaft will ever' be a contemptuous dif regard of the Unity of the Church. And this has always been the Cafe d. a The following words of the Heathen Philofopher are cal culated 9a SERMON IT. Neverthelefs the very meaning of the word Schifm is fufficiently ftrong to prove that the adion cannot be indifferent. It evi dently defcribes a wilful feparation effeded by violence, rending that which was before entire. Thus far we are all agreed. Ob ferve however with what art this definition is eluded. It is fuggefted by fome, that what is defcribed in Scripture to be rent, is not the Unity of the Church, but merely thofe ge neral ties of benevolence, which ought always to fubfift between Chriftian Brethren : by which means Schifm is made to Signify no thing more than the private difagreement of individuals e. culated to give the Chriftian Sectary far more juft and becom ing notions concerning the nature of Schifm. Ei ttote eioes %«?« aTroxixofjLjA.Etnii , i\ iroSa, i) x.itya'Mv airorETimij.Etw, X,aV' ,rs ,r0TE a,r0 tb Aoiwa a-wfiaro; xeijaesyiv, toiktov lavrot itoiei, ocrot ep sxvrs, o /«) veXm to cvf/Joxivov, xxi airoaxifyv savron, ri o axowuvviToii T* ir^affffuv. airEpii^/ui wa ttote aiio tds xata (fvciv eiwo-eu;. Marcus Antoninus, lib. viii. fee. 34. ed. Gatakeri, p. 250. where, in the notes, the ftrong refemblance, which the whole paffage bears to fome parts of St. Paul's writings, is pointed out, e It deferves to be noticed, that the only definition of Schifm, pointed out in Lardner's Works, is one given by Fauftus, a Manichean Heretic. Lardner, vol. iii. p. 538. It is no lefs obfervable, that Campbell fhould adduce this, as the only proof to fupport his own definition of Schifm ; declaring it to be en tirely fcriptural. See Campbell on the Gofpels, vol. i. p. 422. In another place he fays, " To partake of the fame baptifm, '< profefs SERMON II. 93 Others again attempt to weaken the ex preffion if poffible ftill more, by faying, that a vague, and almoft an equal regard for the opinions of every fed, is that which we are forbidden to violate. In this cafe then we fhould be guilty of Schifm, did we not be lieve that all men are equally within the pale of the Chriftian Covenant, whatever the na ture or the origin of their Church may be. But the very circumftances, under which thefe interpretations are offered, will lead us to fufped fome infufticiency. They are pro- pofed to us by perfons who are confcious that they themfelves do not preferve that Unity for which we contend : they are either the founders or the advocates of fome new Communion. Were they therefore to ad mit our premifes, they would confute their own pretenfions. It is then only by remov ing the word Schifm from its proper objed, and by applying it to that, to which it never " profefs the fame faith, enjoy the fame promifes, and join in " the fame religious fervice, is a connection merely external, " and of little fignificance, unlefs rooted and grounded in love." p. 418. The fallacy of this pofition is evident. We cannot be furprifed however that he fhould afterwards affert, " that Schifm " in fcriptural fenfe is one thing, and Schifm in ecclefiaftical ufe " another.' p. 424. was 94 SERMON II. was defigned to apply, -that they can defend their caufe. Let us however refer the queftion to the tribunal of Scripture. Now, there are only three places in the New Teftament, in which the word Schifm occurs : let us examine them, each feparately; and we fhall find that the obvious meaning of the, term in each paffage is fuch, as cannot authorize the inter pretations above affigned to it. In the Firft Epiftle to the Corinthians we meet with thefe words : Now I befeech you, Brethren, by the name of the Lprdjfefus Chrift, that there be no divifions, or, as the original 'ex- preffes it, no Schifms, among. you c : and as we find it immediately fubjoined that thefe Schifms confuted in the formation of religi ous parties, which pretended to follow one the caufe of Paul, and another that of Apollos; we are to conclude, that Schifm means the forming feparate congregations in contradif- tindion to the one eftabliShed Church, even though the opinions profeffed by thefe new communions fhould not be in themfelves er- f roneous e i Cor. i. 10. f It is true that fome erroneous opinions had been intro*- duced into the Corinthian Church, (it is fuppofed by Judaizing .*_, Chrif- SERMON II. 95 Proceeding further in the fameEpiftle, we find that the Corinthians adually did en courage this offence : " I hear that there be divifions (fchifms) among you s:" and perceiv ing that this charge is grounded upon the adoption of new modes in the administration of the Sacrament, which fome had wantonly introduced, we are to conclude that a wilful deviation, on the part of individuals, from fuch forms as had been eftabliShed when the Church was firft founded, was confidered by St. Paul to be Schifm. When alfo, finally, we read that the Co rinthians are urged to preferve the ftations affigned them feverally in the Church, that there be no Schifm in the Body of Chrift^, we infer, that fome fubordination of teaching, ministering, and governing, was originally ap pointed, and that in the violation of this order likewife the offence of Schifm confuted. Chriftians) which St. Paul, in the courfe of the Epiftle, reproves; Thefe however do not appear to have been in any fhape the caufe of the Schifms above mentioned. " Ii qui fe Paulinos, " et Apollonios, nominabant, de praecipuis dodtrinae Chriftianae " capitibus inter fe confenfiffe videntur, licet hactenus diflide- "¦ rent, ut ifti Paulum, hi Apollo praeferrent." Rofenmulhr, in i Cor. iii. 4. See Whitby, and Grotius. e 1 Cor. xi. 18. h 1 Cor. xii. 25. Such 96 SERMON II. Such are the three paffages in queftion} and that we may be certain that we are not deceiving ourfelves as to their application, let us remember that the avowed intention of St. Paul in writing the above Epiftle was ex prefsly to obviate that very evil which we underftand by the word Schifm. It was to perfuade all the Christians at Corinth, to be perfectly joined together in one body ;for it hath been declared unto me (fays St. Paul) that there are contentions among you '. Confirmed in our opinion then by thefe corroborating testimonies, we define Schifm to be an open violation of Church Unity, when individuals affume to themfelves the power either of forming, new Communions ; or of inftituting new rites ; or of creating a 1 i Cor. i. ii. In the three above quoted paffages the word in the original is t^ia-^x. The word occurs again Matth. ix. io\ Mark ii. 21. John vii. 43. ix. 16. and x. 19. and its verb, %ify, is found Matth. xxvii. 51. Mark i. 10. xv. 38. Luke v. 36. xxiii. 45. John xix. 24. xxi. 11. Acts xiv. 4. xxiii. 7. But in all thefe laft-mentioned places it is ufed in a general fenfe, as applicable to indifferent objects. Grotius fays that o^iopx in the three firft cited paffages does not defcribe merely " ftudi- " orum varietas, fed aliquid amplius ; id e&,fegreges notat." Op. Tbeol. vol. iii. p. 767. If the Epiftle which Clemens wrote to the Corinthians were read with this of St. Paul, it would ferve much to illuftrate the arguments and the defign of the Apoftle. new SERMON II. 97 new Miniftry, in oppofition to fuch as have been eftablifhed by regular authority, as being the Miniftry and the ordinances originally of Apoftolic institution. But though this conclufion may be ad mitted to be juft, it will have no weight fo long as the Enthufiaft believes that Schifm is in itfelf a thing indifferent. This is a diffi culty, which , we forefaw from the firft, and have already alluded to. Before we can hope to produce convidion therefore, we muft ef tabliSh, that Schifm really is a fin of that mag nitude, of which we have afferted it to be. Now the degrees of guilt attached to Schifm will be in proportion to the degrees of facred- nefs attached to Church Unity. With this point then we muft begin. And firft we would obferve, that if Church Unity were a thing indifferent, is it in any fhape probable that St. Paul would have urged as he does the neceffity of its prefervation ? What he thought of the impropriety of enforcing things indifferent we know ; he reprobates it in the Strongest manner k. And can it be fuppofed, that writing with the authority of an Apoftle, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he fhould himfelf be guilty of the very fault k Rom, ch. xiv. and xv. H which 98 SERMON II. which he condemns ? Would he fay, / befeech you, Brethren, by the name of the Lord jfefus Chrift, that ye all fpeak the fame thing1: would he at another time have prayed that Chrif tians might be not only of one mind, but of one mouthm, if this point were a matter of indifference ? Let it be fubmitted to any ra tional being, whether, I will not fay an in spired Apoftle, but any one of common pru dence, could have aded in fo contradidory a manner. It may be argued however, that, granting Schifm to be not altogether indifferent, it does not therefore follow that it muft be fin- ful. But this diftindion is purely Sophistical. We are not difputing about degrees of pro babilities, or gradations of expediency : we are talking of obedience to pofitive com mands ; and when it Shall be once allowed that obedience is enjoined, difobedience muft be criminal. To think that it can afterwards remain ^ matter of indifference how far we obey, or whether we obey at all, is to imagine that the command was nugatory ; a fuppofi tion at all times abfurd, and in the prefent cafe, when our bleffed Lord is the author of that command, highly irreligious. 1 i Cor, i. 10. m Rom. xv. 6. We SERMON II. 99 We will place the argument however in another point of view : it thus may ferve perhaps to effed that convidion, which we wiSh to produce in the mind ofthe Enthufiaft. Let us afk him then, whether he conceives Rebellion to be a thing indifferent. No doubt he will fay that it is not. And Should we afk him why it is not, he will anfwer, be caufe it is Sinful in any individual to af- fume of his own authority the right of go vernment ; fince this cannot be done but in oppofition to thofe principles, which every law, both human and divine, has confidered to be facred n. n Txfa rted by fufficient authority ? This is So >vious, that had it happened to the Church have remained till this moment unprovided ith authority, Chriftians in every kingdom ould doubtlefs agree to affign to it fuch as ight be thought fufficient to fecure per- anency to the Eftablifhment ; and this ould be done not from a defire of ennobling Priefthood, or of exalting an Hierarchy, it Solely from the convidion that otherwife e Church itfelf, as far as refpeded its vifi- e existence, would foon be diffolved ; that e important truths, of which it' was the k and the depositary, would become cor- pted ; and perhaps, in the lapfe of ages, for- >tten. Is it then probable, that Chriftians would ve exercifed more prudence in the defence their religion, than its divine Author ? Or it likely that when with fuch infinite care ir bleffed Lord had framed the building, he Duld negled to provide for its preferva- »n ? Thefe fuppofitions are as far removed >m reafon as from experience. The Angel the Old, and the Meffiah of the New Cove- na SERMON II. Covenant, are the fame E : and can any one believe that having fo jealoufly guarded the government of the former difpenfation, He fhould not with an equal, if not a greater, degree of attention fecure that ofthe latter? The one was to be only a Shadow of good things to come, and was defigned to be but of a limited duration : the other was to be a Church, that Should laft fo long as the Sun and Moon endured ; and fhould extend the hope of Salvation, not to a fingle generatipn only, or to one peculiar ^people, but to the uttermoft parts of the earth, and to the laft that fhould be born of the fons of Adam. There is one way indeed, by which thefe conclufions might be eluded ; and that is, by fuppofing that the authority, which had been once communicated, had been fince with drawn. But he/ who Should make this affer- tion, would have to prove it againft fuch an E Malachi iii. i. This text is particularly referred to, be caufe I believe that commentators of every. Chriftian Church, nay, even of the Jewifh (fee Grotius in loc.) agree that the Mef- fenger or Angel, defcribed by the Prophet, is our bleffed Lord. That the Mefliah, the object of Chriftian adoration, was known under the title of tbe Angel; and that he was wor- fhipped as the Jehovah of the Jewifh Church, fee proved by Bedford, in his Mayer's LeBures ; and by Allix, in his Judgment ofthe Jewifh Church, ed. 1699. aecumu- SERMON II. n3 accumulated weight of evidence, as nothing could furmount. The promife of divine co-operation was not made to the Apoftles, as to particular indivi duals, but as to the reprefentatives of the future governors of the Church : confequently it applies to all fhofe who fhall be appointed their lawful fucceffors. Lo, I am with you al ways, faid our divine Mafter, even unto the end of the world h. Upon the ftrength then of this promife, a jurifdidion was exercifed by the governors of the Chriftian Church, not only during 'the life-time of the Apoftles, but alfo uninter ruptedly after their death ; and this too, not by perfons great and affluent, upon fuch as were poor and destitute, but by fuch as were in every other particular weak, over the mighty ones of this world1. From thofe h Matt, xxviii. 20. In the fame manner, v. 19, it is faid, " Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them, &c.'' Had authority to do this been given to the Apoftles exclufively, none could have been baptized, except thofe, on whom they actually performed the ceremony. The power then muft have been communicated generally. Some limitation however is of ne ceffity implied ; otherwife any perfon, of whatever age, fex, or condition, would have th,e fame right to adrninifter that facra- ment with an Apoftle : a fuppofition, which would have ef fectually deftroyed the very notion of a priefthood. ¦ This argument will derive ftrength from confidering, that the rigour which was exerted by the Church, either in approv- 1 ing 114 SERMON II. days down to the prefent, that very fame ju rifdidion, with regard to its effentials at leaft, has been in one uniform fucceSfion main tained. There never was a period in which people have not been admitted into the king dom of Chrift, or excluded from it ; have * not been comforted with the affurance of pardon, or ftrengthened by the means of grace, through the miniftry of the Chriftian Priefthood. Nay, even at this very time, our enquiry is not about the existence of the right to rule the Church of Chrift, but about the perfons with whom that right is lodged. To found then any argument on the fup pofition, that the authority, once imparted, has been difcontinued, is to build indeed upon the fand. If any thing be inferred from the effed that follows the exercife of that authority being lefs perceptible now, than for merly, we fhould remember, that fince Kings have become the nurfng Fathers* ofthe Church, the fame neceSfity no longer exifts. We fhould remember too, that our want of faith in this ing the fincerity of her converts, or in punifhing fuch of her members as had offended, was infinitely greater before fhe was fupported by the temporal power than after. See an account of the difcipline exerted on thefe occafions ; Bingham's Anti quities of the Chriftian Church, Book xvi. xvii. xviii. xix. k Ifaiah xlix. 23. particular SERMON II. "$ particular may have induced the Almighty to withhold, what once he granted, a fenfible co-operation with his ordinances. If our bleffed Lord did not many mighty works among his countrymen, becaufe of their unbe lief, we may infer that in his Church his or dinances will not be followed by the fame fenfible co-operations, which attefted their di vine inftitution in the firft ages of Christi anity, fo long as many of us are inclined to view them as nothing more than ceremonial forms m. 1 Matt. xiii. 58. m By the fenfible co-operation of God with his ordinances we mean, fuch vifible effects as were experienced by indivi duals, in confequence of fome act 6n the part of the Chriftian minifter. For inftance, when in virtue of that office he either- deprived an offender of thofe benefits which he would have otherwife derived, from being in the bofom of the Church ; or when he delivered the afflicted Chriftian from fome evil, under which he might have chanced to labour. The inftance already adduced from the Epiftle to the Corinthians is a proof of the former : the directions given by St. James, v. 14, ij, 16. of the latter. Any perfon, who is the leaft acquainted with the writings of the firft Chriftians, muft have obferved that this cooperation was not attached merely to the perfonal miniftry ofthe Apoftles., The early apologifts appeal to it when argu ing with their opponents, as a proof that God was with the Church ; and they repeatedly call upon them to difcredit the affertion, if in their power, and thus invalidate their preten fions. See Bingham ut fupra, book iii. chap. iv. Origen cont. Celf. p, 321, et 769. ed. Benedic. v. i. I 2 Suffi- 116 SERMON II. Sufficient has now been faid to eftabliSh the feveral pofitions from which we hope to argue to the convidion of the Enthufiaft. We have fhewn that Schifm is the ad of breaking the unity of Chriftian Communion, whether by forming feparate independant congregations ; or by inventing new ordinances in oppofition to fuch as are duly eftablifhed in the Church ; or by appointing a new mi niftry. We have Shewn too, that Schifm cannot be a thing indifferent, becaufe it is an ad of rebellion againft that authority which was communicated to the Church, for this, among many other reafons, to preferve its unity. And finally, we have eftablifhed, that the authority, which the Church ever did and ever muft poffefs, is derived from our bleffed Lord, its invifible but fupreme Governor. From thefe conclufions, many arguments might be drawn to determine the queftion before us. We fhall fpecify but two. If the authority of the Church had been derived, as fome would pretend, from the confent of the people ; that authority might be poffeffed equally by any number of com munions : but if it originates, as that vene rable writer, who was the fellow-labourer of St. SERMON II. 117 St. Paul, has declared it does, in the fupreme Will of God alone n j it cannot be poffeffed but by thofe only, to whom it has been com municated ; neither can it be vefted in two oppofite claimants. This even Enthufiafts themfelves muft needs allow : wherefore either their pretenfions, or thofe of the Esta blished Church, are unfounded. But then, as the claims which they advance have no other proof than what is drawn from their own af- fertions, whilft ours may be traced up to the very times of the Apoftles, the prefumption is fo ftrong againft them, that I fee not how they can avoid acknowledging that thofe il luminations, which they think they have re ceived, and on which alone they ground their right of ading, can be any thing more than the effed of delufion. The fecond argument is this. The idea of unity is fo intimately conneded with that of the Church, as being the only external means by which its very existence can be fe- " TlpoSv^aii &r v/ms emu rtmiv, xai EynExvipcfES Eli tx (3a9vi Tij{ vtixs ji»iui, irxtrx ral-ei itoieiv otpa'Aofitr, oaa 0 Sio-iraim iirnEteii txE\ivntt' xxra xaipovq rETayfAEim T«; te •Hfoatyogai xxi XeiTirp- yia; nriTEfaio&ai, xai ovx ehhj *j aTaxruq txtfai/ow yivioSxi, uXb. apia- fiEVOii xxipoii; xxi t/pxiz' ira te xxi Six tivwv sTriTEteip&xt 3e?.ei, avroq iii>io-E> TIJ YnEPTATH AYTOT BOTAHSEI. Clemens, I. Ep. ad Corin. cap. 40. 1 3 cured; 118 SERMON II. cured ; and the perpetual obfervance of this unity has been fo folemnly enjoined to all who believe in Chrift ; that we are autho rized to conclude, that no revelation has ever yet been granted, which juftifies the violation of it. If an houfe be divided againft itfelf, faid our Divine Teacher, it cannot ftand0. Which principle is in fad admitted by thofe who feem the moft to oppofe it. For it is obfervable that all Enthufiafts, however ex travagant, in the firft moment, their condud may be, foon mould their opinions into fome regular fyftem : and when this is completed, they then become in their turn jealous over the members of their new communion j ufing every poffible means to preferve that unity in their own establishments, which they have defpifed in the Church. What is this but an avowal, that unity is neceffary to all government, that aims at perpetuity ? Preffed by this conclufion, fome have thought to elude it by fuppofing that the word Church is defcriptive merely of the dodrinal part of Christianity j againft which no fraud or malice of the Devil, or of man, fhall ever prevail. But the infpired writers of the New Teftament have employed the ° Mark iii. 25. word SERMON II. 119 word in fuch a manner, as muft needs con vince us that they gave it the fignification, which we have here aSfigned to it. St. Paul tells us, that God hath fet fome in the Church, firft Apoftles, fecondarily Prophets? : again, We have no fuch cuftom, neither the Churches of God^ : and in another place he fays, As the Lord hath called every man, fo let him walk ; and fo ordain I, in all Churches'. It feems therefore that the term, whatever might be its ufe in fome cafes, was appropriated by the Apoftles to denote a vifible communion, the members of which " were all built upon ".the fame rock, all profeffed the fame faith, " all received the fame Sacraments, all per- " formed the fame devotion V Senfible of the force of this argument, En thufiafts once more have recourfe to that P 1 Cor. xii. 28, 1 1 Cor. xi. 16. r 1 Cor. vii. 17. s Bp. Pearfon on the Creed. Ox. Ed. vol. i. p. $ 10. So again ; " All the Churches of God are united into one by the unity " of difcipline and government, by virtue whereof the fame " Chrift ruleth in them all. For they have all the fame pafto- " ral guides appointed, authorized, fanctified, and fet apart by " the appointment of God ; by the direction of the Spirit, to " direct and lead the people of God in the fame way of falva- " tion : as therefore there is no Church where there is, no " order, no miniftry ; fo where the fame order and miniftry is, " there is the fame Church." p. 513. 1 4 con- iid SERMON II. confufion between the vifible and the invisi ble Church, which has been already noticed ; and by applying what is fpoken of the for mer to the latter, they would infer that it is in the invifible Church alone that unity is expeded. In which they greatly err. Where- foever government is, there unity of obedi ence is required by him who framed that government, and fliould be paid by thofe who are fubject to it. Which being fo, who can really queftion whether unity is not to be as facredly obferved by thofe who are members of Chrift's vifible kingdom upon earth, as by thofe who are the members* of his invifible kingdom in heaven ? How then could any one have refted an argument on the above unfounded distinc tion ? How indeed could it ever have been ferioufly fuggefted ? The bleffed company of glorified Spirits, who, clothed in white robes, and mixed with Angels, are received into the courts of Heaven ; who, admitted to the pre- fence of their Saviour, behold him and wor ship him feated upon the throne, for ever and ever; they require not any reftraint to keep them uniform in their obedience ; their praifes, their hymns, their adorations, will be through all eternity the fame. But we, alas! require it, we who are encompaffed with the infir- SERMON II. 121 infirmities of human nature ; who hourly be come the Sport of paSfion, and find that even the fevere denunciations of God's difpleafure are not fufficient to make us bow our Stub born will to his. Surely, with fuch a difpofition in us to re bel, there is no wifdom in weakening the influence of thofe commandments, by which, as it" is, our obedience is hardly ever fecured. It were far better to imprefs on our minds thofe awful words, with which Samuel re proved the offending King of Ifrael. Behold, to obey is better than facrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams l. How then is it that the Enthufiaft can re main infenfible to the finfulnefs of Schifm ? He affures us, that his condud is formed upon the Scriptures. Be it fo. Do not thofe very Scriptures repreSent our Lord as enforcing Church Unity, in words the ftrongeft that human language can fupply ? 'The glory (that is the glorious privilege of afferting the di vine commiSfion by miracles) the glory, fays Chrift, which Thou (O Father) gaveft me, I have given them {my Apoftles) that {by this means) they may be made perfect in one u. How re- * i Sam. xv. 22. Confider attentively i Sam. xiii. 8. 15. u John xvii. 22, 23. T»» Sofa, poteftatem faciendi miracula qua "3 SERMON II. markable are thefe expreSfions ! It Should feem that no lefs than the very perfedion of Christianity depends upon its unity. To be perfed, we muft be one. Till then it can be proved, that this folemn declaration has been made invalid, or till the following words have loft their meaning ; Nei ther pray I for thefe {my Difciples) alone, but for them alfo which fhall believe on me through their word, that they all may be one x ; till then, I fay, the above paffages will form an incon trovertible argument to difprove the pre tenfions of Enthufiafts. They will, no doubt, admit that God cannot ad in oppofition to himfelf: therefore to fuppofe that he Should commiSfion them to counterad his own de- figns ; or that he fhould grant them a divine commiffion to trample under foot that unity in the Church, which his only begotten Son has eftabliShed, is fomething fo contradidory, that a belief in it cannot poffibly be referred to any other, caufe than Enthufiaftic delu fion. The only objedion perhaps to be urged againft the above, and indeed all our preced- quse gloria Chrifti dicitur. Grotius in loc. vid. cap. ii. 12. et xi. 40. See alfo Hammond in loc. * John xvii. 20, 21. ing SERMON II. 123 ing conclufions, is, that by infifting thus ftrongly on the facrednefs of Church Unity, we fhall involve in the charge of Schifm, all who have at any time departed from the Apoftolical fucceflion. Such evidently is the inference ; but, as we have already declared, to enforce it upon every feparatift alike is not the objed of our prefent Ledure. We could not indeed have argued as we have done with any propriety, had we not been fully fatisfied that our own caufe refted on fuch grounds as might juftify our boldnefs. We prefume not to fay that the cafe is free from difficulties. Far from it. We think however, that the evidences of our faith in this particular are fuch, as we may not be afhamed hereafter to confefs, in the prefence of our Lord himfelf. For knowing that God did fo fully approve what was done by the Apoftles, for the regu lation of the Church, that they were even permitted to join, as it were, their authority to his, faying, It feemed good to the Holy Ghoft and to usy ; our Reformers could not but acknowledge, that whatever had been thus decreed would be binding for ever upon y Aas xv. 28. the i24 SERMON II. the Chriftian Church ; and confequently, that any wilful departure from fuch ordinances' would be Schifm. Proceeding upon this principle therefore, they excluded all novelty ; and leaving no latitude to human fancy, they confined all their enquiries to this point alone, namely, " How was it in the beginning ?" To afcer-- tain this they applied to Scripture ; and as from the nature of things there were fome points on which Scripture was filent, in thefe deficiencies they enquired what was the prac-r tice of thofe Churches, which were confef- fedly eftablifhed under the eye, or during the life- time of the Apoftles. This was done ; and as thefe Churches thus founded would of neceffity become the model upon which all that were fubfequent Should be framed, it was argued, that thofe particulars, in which thefe fucceeding Churches agreed with their prototypes, might be fafely confidered as con formable to the Apoftolical defign. It feems not poffible, that at that diftance of time they could have afcertained by any other mode, what it had feemed good to the Apoftles, and to the Holy Ghoft, to appoint : and as this method led them ftep by Step to the Epifcopal form of government, we fhould think SERMON II. 125 think ourfelves guilty of fchifm, did we not make that form the foundation whereon to build our Church2. We are fully perfuaded therefore, that as fine gold cometh purer from the fire, fo the caufe of our Establishment, the more it paff- eth the fevere ordeal of investigation, will be found more and more to juftify our adhe rence to it. But, though we affert our own fidelity, we prefume not to judge thoSe, who, countenanced by the folemnity of deliberate and national decifions, have thought it beft to adopt a different communion. That they z That fuch was the conduct of our great Reformers, and fuch the principles that influenced them, will furely be evident to all, who ftudy, with the attention it deferves, the hiftory of our Church. See Bp. Hall's Epifcopacy by Divine Right, and the Preface to Bilfon's Perpetual Government of Chrift's Church : and Juelli Apol. aptid Ench. Theol. vi. p. 199. The following teftimony of a foreigner, eminent for his learning and abilities, and of a communion differing from ours, muft be confidered as of great weight. Ifaac Cafaubon having fpent fome time in England, writes thus to Salmafius : " Quod fi " me conjectura non fallit, totius Reformationis pars integerri- " ma eft in Anglia, ubi cum ftudio veritatis viget ftudium " antiquitatis : quam certi homines dum fpernunt in laqueos " fe induunt, unde fine mendacio poftea exuere fe nequeunt: " ita hoftibus veritatis non folum rifus prsebetur, fed etiam " partes illorum mirifice confirmantur. Nemo ferib verfatus " in antiquitate hoc verum effe negaverit. Sed multos amor " partium cogit mentiri." ¦ Epif. I. Cafauboni ad Salmafium, Ed. Graevii, 1656. Ep. 709. p. 898. have ia6 SERMON II. have abandoned the one Apoftolical Church is too. true. But if they did it not to gratify a fpirit of party, or of pride ; and if they have approved themfelves to be in other points generally pure in faith, and illuftrious in obedience, Shall we prefcribe bounds to God's forgivenefs ? Charity forbid ! Believ ing that mercy may be extended to any of fence, that proceeds not from an heart of malice, with a feeling of inexpreffible joy we look forward to a moment, when, fitting down in the kingdom of Heaven with the faithful of other communions, we fhall praife with one mouth that Saviour, whom with one heart we have loved ; evermore rejoicing that the frailty of human nature no longer interferes to prevent that perfed unity, which when it fhall be eftabliShed upon earth in the external Church, every valley fhall be then exalted, every mountain fhall be then laid low, and an high way prepared for the coming of our God*. In .the mean time be it fuggefted, .that to convince the Enthufiaft of his error, is not the caufe of one particular communion, but of the whole Church. Refpeding the form of that Church, fome of us perhaps may dif- a Ifaiah xl. 3, 4. > fer; SERMON II. 127 fer ; refpeding the finfulnefs of Schifm, we cannot : and fince we muft feelingly lament that among us of this nation every effort has hitherto proved ineffedual to reconcile that difference of opinion which, in one unhappy inftance, does exift ; we ought to make it our mutual endeavour to prevent as much as poffible the fpreading of the evil. It is enough that there is one fdurce of division ; if there be any virtue, if there be any praifeh , let us fo con dud ourfelves, as that when we appear in the preSence of our Mafter, we may have to plead, that, inftead of widening, we have endeavour ed to clofe the wounds of his afflided Church. There are fome however who feem not to be affeded by thefe considerations ; who ra ther embrace every opportunity of encourag ing Schifm in that Church, the pretenfions of which they conceive to be the moft adverfe to their own ; thus grounding as it were the goodnefs of their caufe upon the forrows and the humiliation of another Communion. But furely fuch a wifdom as this favours too much of the prefent world, to be of God. The kingdoms of the earth indeed may derive ftrength from the diffenSions of a rival ftate ; but in the kingdom of Chrift it is far other- b Phil. iv. 8. wife. ia8 SERMON II. wife. There no member can fuffer, but all the members fuffer with it ; there none can be honoured, but all rejoice c. And here be it not for one moment fup pofed that we have heightened the importance of Church Unity, or have exaggerated the criminality of Schifm, to point the force of a conclufion, or to ferve the purpofe of an argument. Long before any contending Churches afflided Christianity, Schifm was foretold as the deadliest of evils, and depre cated as among the worft of tranfgreffions. Can we be fo inattentive as not to have obferved, that of our Saviour's laft difcourfe c i Cor. xii. 26. The avidity with which the Papifts em braced every opportunity of fomenting the Schifms which af flicted our Church during the Rebellion, and the motives that led them to this conduct, are too well known to be here infifted on. It is a mournful thing however to reflect, that there fhould be found in our own kingdom thofe who would encourage En thufiafts, in the hope that they may unite againft the Eftablifhed Church. See Dr. Gillies' Life of Mr. Whitefield. On his firft appearance in Scotland he was called by fome, an Inftrument raifed up of God, and it is immediately fubjoined, " He has " already conformed to us both in doctrine, and in worfhip ; " and lies open to conform to us in other points." See Letter from the Minifter at Dundee, p. 95. But when Mr. Whitefield declared that " he reckoned the Solemn League and Covenant " a finful Oath, and that he could not fee the divine Right of " Prefbytery ; they came to a prefbyterial refolution to have no " more to do with him ; and one of them preached a fermon " to fhew that he could not be an inftrument of Reformation." p. 100. the SERMON IT. ia9 the larger part was employed to enforce the neceffity of Church Unity ; preffing it upon his Difciples, as one of his parting requefts, with the moft affedionate folicitude ? Can we forget that a confiderable portion of the Apo ftolic writings is uniformly appropriated to the urging of the fame point? Or, laftly, can it have efcaped us, that when St. Paul, now about to receive the crown of glory, fends his farewell Epiftle to Timothy, he makes it almoft his dying entreaty, that he would caution mankind againft thofe felf- commiffioned teachers, who, he foreSaw, would deftroy the peaceful Unity of Chriftian fel lowship ? Wherefore, all things confidered, though our fchifmatic age may objed to the language pf an ancient Father, who1 fays, " that they " never can attain to the reward of eternal " peace, who with the rage of difcord have " broken the peace ofthe Churchd;" yet furely no one can refufe affent to the words of the pious Chryfoftom, who afferts, " that nothing d "Ad pacis praemium venire non poffunt, qui pacem Domini " difcordiae furore ruperunt." Cyprianus de Unit. Eccl. p. 197. ed. Baluzii. Yet the declaration of St. Ignatius was precifely the fame. My isihat^E xSif^oi p,ov' eiti? %iipm u.xo"hovi}u, $a3i>\iia,' ©£« a xKitjovojiET. Ep. ad Philadel, fee. 3. K " fo 130 SERMON II. " fo Sharpens the anger of God, as the divi- " fions of his Church e ." Would that the fentiments of thefe holy men were more attended to ; and would' alfo that the arguments, by which they may be fupported, were duly confidered. Were this the cafe, it would be morally impoSfible that the Enthufiaft could be fo deluded, as to think Slightly of an offence, which the firft Chriftians (who, living and converfing with the Apoftles, muft certainly have known the exprefs will of God in this particular,) never mention, but in terms of the greateft appre henfion. Nay, fo fearful were they left the c OvSev Jtw ira%o%vni ton ®eo>, uf to exxM Siai^rivai. Chryf. In Eph. Homil. xi. ed. Ben. vol. xi. p. 8(5. But he fays, I do not fpeak merely my own fentiments. Amg ti; dyioi (St. Igna tius) eute Ti Soxat Eivai TotytDjon, irTwn aXb. 'opus E(p$Eyl-XTo. ti a» Talo trm ; ovSe paprvfiiov alpa -ravriri Svsa&ai E^xfcttpEU triv a\/.apiiat. The illuftration which he adduces in another place, to fhew how the fchifmatic injures himfelf by feparating from the Church, is ftriking and juft. Ei Tvp^oi %eij airoairaa^Eiaa tov cujiatot, to irtEVfAX to xiro tov lyy.itpaAov Tnt avtEyEiat Qnrovv, xxi fU/i tvpon ovx t^xKKETxi Toy (rupa'TO; , xxi SixTfytrxv irpoi t/iv yiipx E^EOyAE'TXl, OtM ai y.% cvpri xei^evov, ovp^ xtttetxi' in like manner he argues the fpiritual ftrength which, proceeding from Chrift as the head of his Church, is communicated to every one who forms part of that body, cannot be fuppofed to animate fuch as have wilfully torn themfelves from it. Ibid. p. 84, 5. It was for thefe rea- fons that the early Chriftians gave the fin of Schifm the epithet fpixuSw ; a fin which it makes one fhudder to think of. Angels, SERMON II. 131 Angels, who attend upbn the little ones in Chrift, Should have to accufe them, when they appeared before the face of their Al mighty Father, as the caufe of their having been offended in the Gofpel ; that the vene rable BiShop of the Church at Antioch ex claims, in a fentiment of Chriftian charity, nearly fimilar to that which moved the holy Apoftle, " O may my foul become a facrifice, " if fo be it might expiate the fin of Schifm, " in our Church f. Here then let us conclude. Whether fuf ficient has been faid to remove delufion from the mind of the Enthufiaft, or not, it cannot but be hoped that enough may have been advanced to engage the attention of the young. For there is no error into which their minds, glowing with the pure warmth of religious zeal, and artlefs piety, may be fo eafily be trayed, .as that of Enthufiafm : therefore it be came important that the finfulnefs of. Schifm, an offence to which in confequence they would probably be led, Should be minutely expofed. They may find it pleafing indeed to adopt fuch opinions as are the moft conneded with f Having reproved them for their Schifms, he adds nspnj-^a Vjt,m, xxi xynt/mai ipuv Epso-iaw Exx\r,Tia<;. Ignatius ad Eph. cap, viii. See Rom. ix, 3, K 3 feeling : 132 SERMON II. feeling; and they may think it natural to esti mate their progrefs in Religion by the fervour with which they condud themfelves, and the rapturous fenfations which they experience. But it is our duty ftridly to guard them againft ading under tliefe impreSfions. Religion may fometimes be pureft in that bofom, in which feeling is permitted to have the leaft con- troul. For which reafon they would do well to confider attentively the difpaffionate obferva- tion of Auguftine, who afferts, " Periit judi- " cium, poftquam res tranfiit ad affedum." And with what propriety has he affigned the caufe ; " Noftram qualemcunque, quia noftra " jam fada eft, praevalere volumus fenten- " tiam s." An obfervation which deferves fo much the more attention, as it falls from the pen of one, who in his writings uniformly testifies the utmoft fervour of devotion, and « zeal for the honour of God. The opinions which we acquire in early youth are fo endeared to us on this account, that at all times they are defended with a b See Auguftine, as quoted in an admirable little, Treatife of the Rev. J. Norris, publifhed by his fon, J. Norris, of Bemer- ton, entitled, -.4 Difcourfe concerning tbe Pretended Religious affem*. bling in private Conventicles, 1685. p. 198. pertinacity, SERMON II. 133 pertinacity, which old age can feldom con quer, or prudence moderate. But when we permit thefe opinions to excite in us a ftill ftronger intereft, either from believing that we have been the firft to difcover them ; or from having once maintained them publicly ; they may then obtain fuch an a'fcendancy over the mind, as no power of reafon, no fuggeftion of experience, can ever afterwards controul. In urging this refledion it cannot but oc cur, that, had its propriety been at all times acknowledged, we fhould now have been fpared the pain of witncffing the growth of a Schifm, which, arifing from the zeal of a few pious, but afterwards enthufiaftic young men, has produced, and may ftill continue to pro duce, confequences, which had its authors forefeen, they would themfelves have been the firft to deprecate. Their Schifm, as originating in Enthufiaftic Delufion, in the enfuing Ledures we will at tentively confider. In difcovering its origin, in tracing its progrefs, and in deteding its fallacies, we Shall often be obliged to cenfure, and frequently to condemn the condud of men, whom on many other accounts we can not but admire. ' Still however Charity may be preferved. That Virtue, whofe attribute K3 it i34 SERMON II. it is at all times to cover the tranfgreffions of a fellow creature, will teach us in the prefent inftance to expofe them no further, than fhall be ftridly neceffary to defend the caufe of truth. At all events, where the objed is peace, no caufe of offence, it may be hoped, can well be given. Should it happen otherwife (which God forbid), and fhould that which was defigned for good be turned to evil ; we cannot but lament the frowardnefs of the human heart j and grieve to think that when we labour for peace, andfpeak unto men thereof, there Should be any who would make ready for battle h. It will prove our confolation however to refleft, that it is to our heavenly Mafter alone, that mue filand or fall1. But it would excite a fentiment of a far different nature, were it found that any thing here advanced was capable of being pervert ed to the prejudice of true Religion. For fhould occafion be taken from thofe argu ments which have been urged againft En thufiafm, to indulge a fpirit of indifference, and to difcountenance the exercife of that piety, which, when well regulated, can never h Pfalm cxx. 6. '' Rom. xiv. 4. be SERMON II. 135 be too fervent, I then Should have but too much caufe to fay, in the words of the ex piring Martyr, " Would that this unworthy " hand had periShed," ere it had done aught that could have been made a caufe of offence to the leaft among my Chriftian Brethren k. k " And when the wood was kindled, and the fire began to " burn, near him, ftretching out his arm, he put his right hand " into the flame, which he held fo fteadfaft and immoveable " (faving that once with the fame hand he wiped his face), " evermore crying with a loud voice, This band bath offended; that " all men might fee his hand burned, before his body was " touched." Fox, p. 1888. and Strype's Life of Cranmer, p. 3 89. K 4 SERMON SERMON III. JOHN xiv. 15. IF YE LOVE ME, KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS. J. HERE is perhaps no refledion, which ought to imprefs us with a more humiliating fenfe of the weaknefs of human nature, than this ', That in the purfuit of what is Good we fhould be fo frequently betrayed into Evil. Why the corruptions of a fallen nature fhould be permitted fb to operate, as that any quality, in itfelf commendable, fhould ever prove a fnare to us, it is neither profitable nor becoming to enquire. It is fufficient to know that many of our faults arife not fo much from the indulgence of a vicious, as from the abufe of fome virtuous principle. They who fpeculate on the imperfedions of their fellow-creatures with the unamiable coldnefs of philofophy, may treat errors fuch as thefe with contempt : but he who has im bibed 138 SERMON III. bibed the genuine fpirit of Chriftianity will confider them as entitled to pity and forbear ance ; and he will draw from them an addi tional motive to afpire after a better and a purer exiftence. Nor is this the only im provement he will derive from contemplating thefe inftances of human imperfedion. He will learn that nothing is more inimical to Spiritual perfedion than fpiritual fecurity ; he will obferve, that every movement of the heart of Man, be it good or be it evil, is equally fubject to the reftraint of divine law : and he will acknowledge that one of the im mediate objeds of Chriftianity is, not merely to reform our vices, but to regulate our virtues. Few paffages of Scripture afford a ftronger confirmation of the above truths, than the words adduced in the text. Our Divine Lord being now about to give the laft proof of his infinite love towards mankind, is there defcribed as pointing out to his Difciples the nature of that love which he expeded from them in return. He wifhes not that it fhould be expreffed either by in ceffant ads of prayer and adoration ; or by fuch devotional aufterities as would prevent them from fulfilling the feveral relative du ties which they owed their neighbour. To their SERMON III. 139 their obedience he refers for the proof of their affedion. If ye love me, keep my command ments. This then is the rule by which every Chrif tian Should Strive to regulate his condud. Whatever demonftrations of love are fuggefted by his feelings, thefe he ought at all times to diftruft ; for they may be derived from pride, from felf-conceit, or vanity a; but in his obe dience to his Saviour's commandments he cannot be deceived. If a man love me, he will keep my words ; and my Father will love him ; and we will come unto him, and we will make our abode with himh. The piety with which the Church of England receives this precept of our Lord, has ever formed one of its moft diftinguiShed charaderiftics. For from the time of its firft establishment, to the prefent hour, it has uni formly refufed to countenance every expref- 1 " I will not fay that all violences and extravagancies of a " religious fancy are illufions ; but I will fay that they are all " unnatural ; not hallowed' by the warrant of a revelation, " nothing reafonable, nothing fecure. I am not fure that they " even confift with humility ; but it is confeffed that they are " often produced by felf-love, arrogancy, and the great opinion " others have of us." Bp. Taylors Great Exemplar, Part I. Dif- courfe iii. ad Sec. 5. § 24. b John xiv. 23. fion 140 SERMON III. fion of devotion that has the leaft tindure of extravagance, or that might be fuppofed to proceed from the Spirit of Enthufiafm. Not that our Reformers encouraged lukewarm- nefs ; or that they wanted motives to ani mate the religious affedions : far from it ! But obferving the errors into which fome had been betrayed, from not having aded with prudence in thefe particulars ; and per ceiving with what obftinacy thofe errors were afterwards defended; they could not but infer, that when men exceed the limits of pre- fcribed obedience, they prove that it is their own conceits, and not the commands of God, -which are made the objed of their love c. And yet this caution has been mifrepre- * " The expreffions of our Love to God ought to be regulated, " not by our blind an,d wild phancies, but by his revealed will, " and therefore it is very poffible to be too devout : not be- " caufe any expreffion of Love can be made with too much ar- " dency, whilft 'tis confidered abftraftedly in itfelf, and irrela- " tively to the reft ; but becaufe that there being feveral duties " of Love, which require an ardency of it, 'tis injurious to ex- " ercife all that, in one alone, or a few, that belongs equally to " the neglected others." Boyle, on Seraphic Love, p. 24," It is agreeably to this truth that the pious Bp. Hall fays, " If we " cannot do any thing in the degree that God requireth, we " yet muft learn to do every thing in the form that he pre- " fcribeth. He whofe infinite mercy ufes to pafs by our fins " of infirmity, yet punifheth feverely our bold faults.'' Works, vol. i. p. 1094. fented. SERMON III. 141 Sented. For becaufe we would uniformly difcountenance the condud of thofe, who feem to think that no reftraint ought to be impofed on the exercife of religious affedions, it has been fuggefted, that we are lukewarm in the caufe of religion ; that our godlinefs is form ; and our devotions merely cere monial. Experience has however proved that the principle on which we ad is juft. Who will deny that fome of the worft corruptions of Christianity have arifen from a want of due regulation of the heart in this particular ? Thus whilft an improper exercife of humi lity introduced that will-worShip, which after wards led the way to the groffeft idolatries ; a defire of obtaining vifionary perfedion, and a more intimate union with God, by exciting fpiritual pride, gave birth to thofe various Sects of Enthufiafts, who in all ages have arifen to deftroy the Unity, and to pervert the Dodrines of the Chriftian Church. From among thefe Seds there is not one perhaps, which might not be feleded to illu strate what has been advanced in the preceding Ledures concerning the delufive nature and the evil confequences of Enthufiafm. We might Shew, for inftance, how groundlefs the pretenfions of Montanus were to divine illu. Ha SERMON III. illumination, by proving that the dodrines he profeffed were repugnant to Scripture : we might expofe the finfulnefs of his con dud in afterwards creating Schifm, inafmuch as his reafon ought to have convinced him that the authority on which he acted was mere Enthufiaftic Delufion ; and then we might infift on the neceffity of restraining our religious affedions within thofe bounds, which, from a knowledge of human infir mity, Divine Goodnefs has appointed d. But, generally fpeaking, we attend little to the inftrudion which the Hiftory of paft d " Montanus had hardly embraced the Chriftian faith, but " his great aufterities of life made him to be particularly taken " notice of, and to be had in efteem among many of the moft " zealous, but Indifcreet Chriftians : and as he had a zeal very " extraordinary for that Holy Religion into which he had been " baptized, he would needs fet up for a mighty reformer of " the Church : but wanting folidity of judgment, and cool- " nefs of thought, he was. apt to be driven "by every impulfe " that feized him. Lee's Hift. of Montanifm, Art. i. fee. 2. For the particular opinions of this Enthufiaft, fee the work above quoted, and Mofheim's Eccl. Hift. Cent. II. p. ii. c. j. The moft learned and eminent of the followers of Montanus was Tertullian, a man of great learning, genius, and piety. Mo flieim juftly remarks, that the conduct of this perfon " has " fhewn to the world a mortifying fpeftacle of the deviations " of which human nature is capable, even in thofe in whom it " feems to have approached the neareft to perfection." Mofbeim, ut fupra. ages SERMON III. 143 ages may prefent. What is remote feebly interefts us : and however our own opinions may refemble errors which have been long fince exploded, we are always more ready to mark the points in which they differ, than to make any application which may deted the fallacy of fuch notions as we have been ac customed to maintain6. This then being the cafe, let it not excite one uncharitable thought, one invidious re- fledion, if it be fuggefted that the hiftory of e When the famous Mr. Leflie engaged in his controverfy with the Quakers, his object was, not merely to expofe the er rors of that particular Sect, but the dangerous tendency of the Enthufiaftic Spirit, whenever it fhould be permitted to operate. " Quakerifm is but one branch of Enthufiafm, though the moft " fpread and infectious of any now known in this part of the " world. Therefore let the frightful and ftupendous profpect " of Quakerifm guard others from other forts of Enthufiafm, '¦' that feem more plaufible, but fpring all from the fame ftock, " and draw after them the fame damnable confequences.'' Pre face to the Snake in tbe Grafs, in init. It was thus alfo that, in the beginning of the laft century, the Hiftory of Montanifm was written to fhew the delufion of thofe who were at that time pretending to the gift of Prophecy. See Dr. Hicks' s Spirit of Enthufiafm Exorcifed, as publifhed with the Hiftory of Mon tanifm above mentioned, and Mr. Spinkes's Examination of tbe New Pretenders to Prophecy, Lond. 1709. But though the ar guments which were adduced to confute thefe laft Enthufiafts, might be applied to confute thofe of the prefent day, it is to be feared that few among them are inclined, either to make the application, or to profit by it. no 144 SERMON III. no Sed can more properly be adduced to il- Iuftrate the truth of all the pofitions which we have hitherto advanced, than that of the prevailing Enthufiafm of the prefent day. Arguing, and juftly too, that the Creature cannot devote the affedion of his heart too entirely to the Creator ; but forgetting that this affedion might be expreffed in a manner injurious to the honour of his name, the Authors of this Sed appear to have begun by forming in their minds erroneous conceptions of the nature of that love towards God, which Religion has commanded them to ex ercife. It Should feem that they placed it rather in doing what their feelings perfuad- ed them was right, than in faithfully per forming Such duties as had been prefcribedf. Impreffed with this notion, and hurried on by the natural fervour of their dispositions, they foon miftook the fuggeftions of a warm ima gination for particular communications from above ; in confequence of which, overlooking the restraints which the facrednefs of Church Unity impofed, they wilfully involved them felves in the Sin of Schifm. f See, Letters illufirating tbe early Hiftory of tbe Rev. J. Wefley, publifhed by J. Prieftley, 1791 ; and, A fhort Account of Gods Dealings with the Rev. Mr. G. Whitefield, written and publifhed by himfelf. Un- SERMON III. 145 Unpleafing therefore though the tafk will be, neverthelefs, our enquiries fhall be now direded to a particular, but we will humbly believe, not an uncharitable examination of the condud which thefe Sedaries purfued. And fhould we be able to prove that they were aduated by the Spirit of Enthufiafm, may we not reafbnably infer, that their caufe, which refts on So delufive a foundation, ought to be for ever abandoned ? At all events, we may hope, that their advocates will be induced to withhold in future thofe undefervedly bit ter cenfures, with which they have affailed us of the Eftablifhed Church for oppofing their pretenfions. We are not Strangers to thofe principles of vital Chriftianity which fome fchifmatical congregations would pretend that they alone poffefs. The EftabliShed Miniftry acknowledges that the love of God is the principle from which all human adions ought to be derived; they gratefully confefs that it was this principle which firft reformed, and which can alone fupport their Communion : but they believe that their love of God is never fo clearly manifested, as when it would ex clude all wilful innovation from divine wor ship ; and they affert, that no virtue Sheds a purer luftre on the Christian charader than that unaffuming piety which eludes as it were L the 146 SERMON III. the obfervation of the world, by the humi lity with which it adheres to thofe inftitu tions which ought to be confidered as of per petual obligation in the Church of Chrift. In afferting that the perfons whofe preten fions we are going to examine were Enthu fiafts, and in charging them with Schifm, I know that I am advancing that which they have repeatedly denied. Thefe then are the points which we are called upon to eftablifh. They fhall have each a feparate and a ferious confideration : and for the fake of the greater perfpicuity, we will confine ourfelves, in the prefent Ledure, to the latter ; and we will endeavour to fhew that the Authors of this new Sed Stand juftly chargeable with Schifm. But here it will be proper to premife, that the only objed we have in view, and all that our argument requires, is to prove their fepar- ation from the Eftablifhed Church. Yet were we to infift at the fame time that this fepar- ation was Schifm, in the ftrid Apoftolical meaning of the word, thefe Sedaries could not objed to the conclufion. For fince they will not deny that a departure from the true Apoftolical Church is Schifm : and fince they appear to have uniformly acknowledged that our Church really deferves that cha rader, they at all events, as far as their own con- SERMON III. 147 convidions are concerned, muft needs allow, that if they have feparated from it, they have made themfelves guilty of Schifm, in that fenfe of the word which was aSfigned to it by the Apoftles. However, be this as it may ; we are here Simply to prove that they are guilty of Schifm from the Church of England. Now the argument which they advanced to remove this imputation was constantly the fame ; -namely, that they ufed our Liturgy, and that they adhered to our Articles. If therefore it can be Shewn that they did not adhere to our Articles ; and moreover that they did not ufe our Liturgy ; then, according to their own account, they muft be guilty of Schifm s. Let ¦ us firft examine how far they ufed our Liturgy. And here it is obfervable, that this argu ment, whether valid or not, can be urged by one only of the perfons in queftion ; for the greater part of thofe congregations which owe their establishment to the other, reject our s It is fo evident that Mr. Wefley and Mr. Whitefield have feparated from the Church of England, that any attempt to prove it might be thought fuperfluous. As, however, there is reafon to fuppofe that the actual grounds of feparation are by no means univerfally underftood ; and as many of the facts which we fhall adduce are not fo well known as they ought to be ; we may be pardoned for having given an entire Lecture to the confideration of this point. L 2 Liturgy 148 SERMON III. Liturgy altogether, and fubftitute extempo raneous prayer in its place h. Now, this lat ter is a mode of wcffhip fo little approved of by the Church of England, that it is one of thofe very points which She has never yielded to her opponents1. In the time of her great eft danger, when a conceffion on this head might almoft have averted that Storm which menaced her deftrudion, fhe declared, that it was her refolution never to relinquish a pradice which always had been deemed a charaderiftic of the Apoftolic Church. And when afterwards the fubtleft arguments, the bittereft revilings, and the fiercest efforts h Of courfe this pofition will be underftood, as indeed it is ftated, generally. Doubtlefs fome of Mr. Whitefield's congre gations ufe our Liturgy. It is fufficient for our argument to fhew what is the general character of Mr. W.'s communion ; and what were his own fentiments. Thefe may be clearly learned from the following circumftance/ Mr. Whitefield refufed to accept a charter for a College, which he wifhed to found in America, becaufe the conditions on which it was to be granted were : " That the head of the College fhould be a member of " the Church of England; and that the public prayers fhould not " be extempore ones, but the Liturgy of the Church, or fome " other fettled and eftablifhed form." Gillies' Life, isfc. p. 251. ' The Schifmatics in the time of fhe Rebellion carried their bigotry on this point fo far, as to affert, that in repeated in ftances the Almighty had miraculoufly punifhed, nay, that he had fmitten with death, fuch Minifters as attempted to de fend, or to ufe the Offices of the Church of England. See An nus Mirabilis, publifhed 1661, p. $2, 64, et feq. wrere SERMON III. 149 were made to Shake her conftancy, She ftill continued to affert, that the ufe of a fet form of prayer was to conftitute one of the distinc tive marks of her Communion. If then a perfon Shall form new congregations, without enjoining to them the ufe of our Offices, knowing at the fame time that the ufe of thofe Offices has been uniformly confidered by the Church of England, as an effential part of its constitution; can it be faid that he preferves communion with us ? Certainly •it is impoffible '. Which conclufion is fo obvious, that, dif- miffing this part of our enquiry, we will pro ceed to confider, Somewhat more at large, the plea of him, who feems at firft fight to have been better warranted in his affertion, that he did employ in his congregations the Liturgy of the Church of England. Were we to attempt to decide this quef tion, by afcertaining what was the pradice of 1 " As for the irregularities I have been guilty of in curtail- " ing the Liturgy, or of not ufing the Common Prayer in the " fields, &c. I think it needlefs to make any apology, till 1 am " called thereto in a judicial way by my Ecclefiaftical Supe- " riors." Whitefield's Works, vol. iv. p. 1 19. For the light in, which Mr. Whitefield viewed Field Preaching, fee a fubfe- quent note. In another place he ufes the following' contemptuous expreffion : " I am forry to hear that there are yet difputes " among us about brick walls." See Meth. Monitor, v. i. p. 36. l 3 each x^o SERMON III. each individual congregation which he efta bliShed ; whether they did all ufe our Litur gy, at the time when they were firft formed; and whether they ftill continue to ufe it, or not ; it is evident we fhould be led into a difcuSfion that might never be clofed ; for it would be almoft impoffible to fay with pre- cifion what mode of 'condud was in each particular inftance adopted : nor, if it were poffible, would it materially affed the quef tion. It is fufficient that we know what is exadly in point, that the Founder of thefe congregations, having, at an advanced period of life, and after the matureft deliberation, eftablifhed his communion in places where he thought himfelf at liberty to ad without the leaft reftraint, appointed a Liturgy, which was formed entirely upon his own opinions, and publifhed by his own authority k. k It is not impoffible but that fome may argue, that this Liturgy having been made at the time when Mr. Wefley for mally eftablifhed his Communion in America, nothing is to be concluded from it againft him with regard to his conduct in England. Should fuch an argument be ever adduced, we would then fuggeft; i. That in the title of the book it is de- fcribed to be the " Service of the Methodifts in his' Majefty's " Dominions," without the fmalleft intimation of its being ad- dreffed only to a part of his congregations. 2. It is not fpeci- fied to have been made for the Americans, and in fact it is only recommended to them in the preface incidentally. Mr. Wefley's words are thefe : " Little alteration is made in the " following edition of the Common Prayer of the Church of '• England SERMON III. 151 I know that he afferted it to be the Com mon Prayer of the Church of England : but it may be fhewn that this affertion is com pletely unfounded ; nay, even he himfelf confeffes it to be fo, when he allows that he has made in it fome little alterations. If the fmalleft alteration be wilfully made, is it not a contradidion in terms to call it the Liturgy ufed by the Church of England ? Let us obferve however, what the num ber and what the nature of thefe alterations are, which he confeffes he has made. He fays; Firft, that " he has omitted moft ofthe " holy-days (fo called) as at prefent anfwer- " ing no valuable end." Secondly, " That he " has confiderably fhort ened the Service of the " Lord's Day, the length of which had been " often complained of." Thirdly, " That he " has omitted fome fentences in the Offices of " Baptiftn, and for theBurial ofthe Dead:" and Fourthly, " That he has left out many Pfalms, " and many parts of the others, as being highly " England (which I recommend to our Societies in America), " except, &c. &c." 3. In the forty-fecond Conference he pro- pofed it to the Methodifts in Scotland, for their adoption; and, 4. In the enfuing Conference he recommended it generally to all his Societies, under the exprefs title given it above. See Myles's Chronological Hift. of tbe People called Methodifts, p. 128. 13 °- l 4 " im- 15a SERMON III. *' improper for the mouths of a Chriftian con- " gregation l." Such are the alterations fpecified. On their extreme impropriety, and on the dar- ingnefs of the meafure adopted, we need not now infift. We will only afk, whether, fuch alterations being made, any member of the Church of England can confider the Lir turgy to be the fame with that which he has been accuftomed to ufe ? Let us fuppofe that we were to take from the Gofpels more than one half of their con tents ; and that we were to accommodate the remaining part to fome peculiar concep tions of our own ; if in this ftate we were to offer them to the very perfon in queftion, and were to tell him, that, although thus dif- figured, they were the genuine writings of the Evangelists, which had been uniformly ac knowledged in the Chriftian Church, would he not confider it as mere mockery in us to make fuch an affertion ? Unqueftionably he would. And it is precifely the fame degree of mockery to tell us that the Liturgy muti lated after a fimilar manner, ftill remains the Liturgy of the eftablifhed Church. 1 See preface to the " Sunday Service of the Methodifts." The edition conftantly referred to in thefe Lectures is that printed byFrys and Couchman,Worfhip Street, Upper Moorfields, 1786. As SERMON III. 153 As we are concerned, ftridly fpeaking, with the mere identity of this Form of Prayer in queftion, and as we have fhewn that it is not the fame with that which is acknowledged by our Communion, we here might clofe this part of our enquiry ; for the argument is by no means affeded by the greater or lefs degree of impropriety in the variations them felves. One of them however is of fuch importance, that we cannot but ftop to no tice it. We are told by the founder of the Sed, that he altered many of all the Pfalms, and that he left out fome altogether, as being " improper" to be ufed in a Christian congregation m. I queftion whether Such a conduct as this be not nearly unexampled in the hiftory of Chriftian ity. We learn indeed that there wereHereticks of old, who rejeded from the Scriptures fome particular paffages, becaufe they were repug nant to thofe opinions which they profeffed ; and their condud is defervedly held up to us m It will be proper to remark, 1. That thirty-four of the Pfalms have been entirely difcarded ; 2. That fixty-one have been extremely mutilated ; thus the 68th is reduced from thirty-five verfes to eighteen; the 73d from twenty-feven to fourteen ; and of the 89th, which contains fifty verfes, only feventeen are permitted to ftand : 3. That even of the remain ing fifty-five Pfalms, there are very few which have not been in many places altered from the commonly received verfion. as 334 SERMON III. as fomething facrilegious. Yet which of them ever maintained that fo large a portion of the infpired Writings, as that which has been condemned by the perfon in queftion, was unfit to be read. Surely it cannot be forgotten that the Pfalms are repeatedly pointed out to us by our Divine Mafter as the genuine infpirations of the Holy Ghoft. And are thefe unfit for the edification of Chrif tians ? But again. Could it be faid that any of the Pfalms were more entitled to our at tention than the reft, it certainly would be thofe which the Son of God had acknow ledged to be prophetic of himfelf; and above all others, that would claim our regard to which he referred when fuffering in his hu man nature on the Crofs ". Yet would it be thought credible that this latter is one of the very Pfalms which was thought to require corredion ; and of thofe Pfalms which are confeSTedly defcriptive of our Saviour's com^ ing in the flefh ; of his humiliation ; of his n Pfalm xxii. See Matth. xxvii. 46. That Pfalm, or fome part of it, was recited by our Bleffed Lord, fays Hammond, that he might teftify " that he was the Meffiah, for whom " that Pfalm was indited, and in whom it was fulfilled." See Hammond in loc. Mr. Wefley has reduced this Pfalm from thirty-two verfes to twenty-eight, and has divided it into two parts, the farmer of which is introduced into his Morning, the latter into his Evening Service. Death, SERMON III. 155 Death, and fubfequent afcenfion into Glory ; of thefe, I fay, the greater part are condemn ed, " as being highly improper for the mouth " of a Chriftian congregation0." But enough on this fubjed. The more we are aftonifhed at the daringnefs, and the more we lament the impiety of the above changes, fo much the more we are called upon to proteft againft the affertions of that Sedary, who would perfuade the world, that although he adopts a Liturgy, into which fuch innovations have been introduced, he ftill is ufing the Liturgy of the Church of England p. 0 Thus Pfalm no, and 132, both of them eminently pro phetic of our Saviour's coming in the Flefh, are difcarded by Mr. Wefley, from the Book of Pfalms : fo are the 54th and 88th, which are defcriptive of his fufferings; and the 21ft and 108th, which declare his glory fubfequent to his Afcenfion. It muft ever remain incomprehenfible to us, why thefe Pfalms are to be confidered as highly improper for tbe mouths of a Chriftian congregation. P Mr. Wefley fays that he has omitted fome "fewfeniences " in tbe Office of Baptifm." Confequently every one is to fup pofe that, with the exception of a few fentences, his form of Baptifm is the fame with that of the Church of England. After this it will hardly then be thought credible, when it fhall be ftated, that of the whole Office only four prayers, and this including the Lord's Prayer, are retained : That the ufe of Sponfors is abolifhed ; That no vow or promife is made for fuch as are baptized when infants : That the Creed which is propofed to them of riper years is altered in two places : That the act of i5& SERMON III. Such then are the alterations which, ac cording to his own confeffion, have been in troduced into our Form of Common Prayer ; and thefe, whether we regard their number or their quality, are more than fufficient to eftabliSh the point under confideration. It is important however to remark, that many more alterations were made than the Author of the Sed has thought fit to fpecify. For in ftance: all our occafional fervices are rejeded; the Rubrick and the appointed Leffons in moft places altered; the Catechifm, the Nicene and the Athanafian Creeds are difcarded ; and the form of Abfolution is in fome places altoge- of the Minifter, who after baptizing fays, " We receive this " Child or Perfon into the congregation of Chrift's Flock, &c.'' is omitted: That, whereas it is faid in our Office, that " fuch " as are baptized are regenerate, and grafted into the Body of " Chrift's Church," in Mr. Wefley's it is faid merely " that they " are admitted into the vifible Body of Chrift's Church :" That whereas our Church prays that " the water may be fanctified " to .the myftical wafhing away of Sin," this, and in like man ner all mention of Regeneration in Baptifm is difcarded. Hav ing made thefe changes, Mr. W. then adds, " The Minifter, " if he fee it expedient, may conclude with a prayer extempore ';" which in fact will make Baptifm mean exactly what the per fon who officiates may chance to think it means ; for every one will pray according to his own notions of the Sacrament. What excufe can be offered for a concealment fo difingenuous ? what arguments can be brought to authorize innovations fo important ? ther SERMON III. 157 ther omitted, or, when introduced, is rendered merely an ad of Supplication, not of Mini sterial Authority. Why, may we afk, why were thefe, and fome other omiSfions (which Shall be mentioned hereafter) paffed over un noticed ? Are we to conjedure that they were not noticed, in order that the minds of the congregation might not be alarmed, at feeing the widenefs of the breach, which in reality would feparate them from the Church of England ? Many, who from a well-intention ed but a moft inconfiderate zeal were induced to follow thefe new Teachers, certainly had it not in their intentions to abandon alto gether an establishment, which they could not but allow was Apoftolical. It was pru dent therefore to perfuade them, that they were ufing, with no alterations, or at leaft with fuch as were very immaterial, the regu lar Offices of their Church q. 1 Should the above conjectures as to the motives that in duced Mr.Wefley to ufe fuch repeated and deliberate concealment be thought invidious, before they are condemned, the Hiftory of his Life at large fhould be attentively confidered. The two fol lowing inftances, feledted from among many, may prove that Mr. W. thought himfelf at liberty to avail himfelf of means to promote the interefts of his Communion, which we cannot but condemn as highly unjuftifiable. At the thirty-eighth Methodiftical Conference, it was propofed : " Ought we not to " exhort all dying perfons to be then, at leaft, merciful after " their power?" It was determined, " We ought ; without any " regard to the reflections that will be caft upon us on that ac- " count." 158 SERMON III. Should this have been the caufe, how pain ful will it be to difcover fuch a difengenuous mode of ading, on the part of one who was upheld to the world as a perfon raifed by the " count." Myles's Chronological Hiftory of tbe People called Me_- ihodifts, p. 120. At the thirty-fixth Conference it was deter mined, that a general decreafe of their communions was owing, " partly to a want of trying new places; partly to prejudice " againft the King, fpeaking evil of dignities," &c. and to re medy this evil, it was ordered, " that none fhould be fuffered to " preach with them, who fpoke evil of thofe in authority, or " prophefied evil to the nation." Myles utfup. p. 118. This was in 1779. It fhould be obferved, that Mr. Wefley, at the begin ning of the American War, was fo zealous an oppofer of Go vernment in that meafure, that he preached againft it : fud denly however his opinions changed ; and, to the aftonifhment of his friends, he qot only wrote againft the Americans, but in private, on every poffible occafion, and in public from the pul pit, he was heard conftantly and violently to defend the con duct of Adminiftration ; fee Hampfon's Life of Wefley, vol. iii. p. 134. In confequence of this change in Mr. Wefley's fen timents, the Americans were called Rebels; and all the acts of the American Methodifts, and their very names, were expunged from the minutes ofthe general Society. His conduct however in this inftance feems to have been fuggefted more by policy than by conviction ; for no fooner was the peace concluded, than he wrote to congratulate the Americans on their " being, freed " from the State and the Hierarchy, exhorting them to ftand " faft in that liberty with which God had fo ftrangely made " them free." Hampfon ut fupra, vol. ii, p. 174. May we not conjecture that Mr. Whitefield alfo was influenced by political motives when he thus wrote to a friend : " For Chrift's fake, " let all means be ufed to keep up and increafe Tottenham-Court " and Tabernacle Societies. Pray be particular about Church " and State." See Works, vol. iii. p. 399. AI- SERMON III. 159 Almighty for the prefervation of his Church ! and what a contraft does it form with the fincerity of the Apoftles ! They confidered that the God of truth could not be ferved by artifice ; they rigidly adhered to that fa cred principle, that evil Should not be done, that good might follow r ; and attested the reality of their miffion by the fimplicity of their conduct. But we need not dwell on the comparifon : the only conclusion on which we are now to infift is this : That as the Authors of this Sed did either rejed from their Communions our Book of Common Prayer ; or elfe introduced fuch changes into it, as our Church could not but reprobate, their, condud with reference to the Liturgy, inftead of difproving, Substantiates againft them in the ftrongeft manner the charge of Schifm. Let us now obferve how far their adher ence to our Articles is fuch as may entitle them to be called members of our Com munion. Firft, then, with regard to him who feems avowedly to rejed our Liturgy, we cannot hefitate to fay, that by this very condud he has departed from our Articles. But fup- r Rom. iii. 8. pofing 160 SERMON III. pofing that a rejedion of the former did not involve a departure from the latter ; let us fee how far his ufe of the Article concerning Predestination and Eledion, on which he grounds the proof generally of his adherence to the Articles of the Church of England, be really fufficient to fupport his affertion. Let it however be underftood, that, in en tering on this part of our fubject, we by no means intend to enquire whether that fyftem be juft, which the Calvinifts have adopted concerning the decrees of the Almighty. He having himfelf declared, that he hath made darknefs his pavilion s ; that his thoughts are not our thoughts, and that his ways are pa ft finding out * ; it becomes not us to think that we can ever comprehend the Secret counfel of his will. Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or, being his Counfellor, hath taught him'? With whom took he counfel, and whoinftructed him, and taught him judgment*? If an irrever- fible fentence refpeding the eledion and re probation of each particular perfon be indeed revealed to us, even the advocates of this opi nion muft allow that the very circumftance of its being revealed fo darkly, proves that it was s Pfalm xviii. n. * Ifa;ah lv. 8, 9. Rom. xi. 33. u Ifaiah xl. 13, 14. never SERMON III. 161 never defigned to have been made a funda mental article of belief in the Chriftian Church \ If however, on the contrary, it be a fyftem formed either by mifapplying to in dividuals, promifes which were made to na tions at large ; or elfe by affuming certain notions concerning the attributes of God, and by deciding without due warrant on the man ner in which his glory is to be promoted ; may not every affertion on this head Stand chargeable with prefumption3" ? While Cha- x " What is revealed only is the rule of our duty. Why " then do we fearch into thofe decrees, which we call fecret ? " If God will have them fecret, why will we not let them be " fecret ? He fmote fifty-thoufand and feventy of the Bethfhe- " mites, with a great flaughter, becaufe they looked into his " Ark. (i Sam. vi. 19,) And who dare pry into what he has " referved, as a fecret, from us?" Leflie's Works, vol. i. p. 801. y As part of the Calviniftic fyflem is founded on this af- fumption, that the glory of God is to be promoted by the con demnation of the reprobate; " Ideo (reprobi) Dei judicio " fufcitati funt, ad gloriam eyxsfud damnaticue illuftrandum." Calvin, Inft. L. III. c. xxiv. 14. we cannot but fuggeft, that -this is fo tremendous an affertion, that nothing but the moft explicit, the moft unequivocal revelation could have authorized any one to have made it. If we will not content ourfelves with believing, that the honour of the Father is promoted by our faith and obedience to the Gofpel of his Son ; but muft rather indulge in the vanity of reafon, by fpeculating on the motives that induced the Almighty to create all things to his glory-; we may humbly venture to fay, that the following paffage from a truly pious and learned writer feems to offer, motives more m confonant 16a SERMON III. rity therefore Should make us wiSh that So myfterious a fubjed as the Predestinations of the Moft High had never been agitated, Humility will fuggeft, that we ought to pafs it over in awful and religious filence. It would not have been alluded to in the pre fent inftance, had it not been afferted, that our Church exads from us an avowal of the rigid Calviniftic dodrine, as a term of com munion. To apply the 17th Article to this ufe, is to apply it to a purpofe abfolutely contrary to that which it was defigned to anfwer. That this Article is framed in fuch a manner, as that men may fubfcribe to it, holding Predestina tion in the Calviniftic fenfe of the term, we confonant to the idea of Him who is Goodnefs abfolute, than that which has been quoted above : " When God feeks his " own glory, he does not fo much endeavour any thing with- " out himfelf. He did not bring this ftately fabric of the uni- " verfe into being, that he might for fuch a monument of his " mighty power and beneficence gain fome panegyrics, or ap- " plaufe, from a little of that fading breath, which he had ,( made : neither was that gracious contrivance of reftoring '* lapfed men to himfelf a plot, to get himfelf fome eternal " Hallelujahs ; a3 if He had fo ardently thirfted after the lays " of glorified fpirits, or defired a quire of fouls to fing forth " his praifes : neither was it to let the world fee how magnifi- " cent he was : no : it is his own internal glory that he moft " loves, and the commmunication thereof which he feeks." Smith's SeleU Difcourfes, p. 408. will SERMON III. 163 will readily alloyv ; but then we maintain that the words of the Article, in their literal meaning, do not affert the Calviniftic tenets; and at all events, that its concluding claufes were added purpofely that thofe might be inJ eluded within the pale of our Church, who fhould think that Predeftination ought to be underftood in a different manner. When therefore fome of the Sed before us contend, that our Articles will confift with the Doc trine of the Decrees, we cannot condemn their condud, though we do not affent to their opinions. But when they add, that we, are forbidden to entertain any other fenti ments on this head ; when they infift, that the Framers of thofe Articles intended that they fhould exad from us a folemn recogni tion of the Calviniftic tenets ; and when in confequence they apply the bitter terms of hypocrify and perjury to all fuch as fhall give them a different conftrudion, as being more confonant to the genuine meaning of Scripture ; it is they who muft be charged with having departed from our Articles ; in afmuch as they pervert them, if not from their meaning, at leaft from their ufe ; mak ing them peremptory, when they were not defigned to be peremptory; affirming, that they allow no latitude, when they were pur- M 2 pofely 164 SERMON III. pofely fo framed as^ to give latitude ; and in sisting that they make a particular dodrine the term of communion, when the Church of England, by thofe very Articles, difclaims every fuch intention z. 1 As Mr. Whitefield afferted, that in maintaining Calvin ifm he was maintaining the great doctrines of our Reforma tion; the doctrines of Cranmer, Ridley, and Latimer ; we'can- not but obferve, that thefe three perfons never taught the Calviniftic tenets ; and moreover, that many paffages from their writings might be adduced to fhew that they explicitly difclaimed them. See this argument purfued in A Differtation on tbe ijtb Article ofthe Church of England, printed at Oxford, 1773. The following circumftance however may be thought perhaps fufficient of itfelf to decide the queftion. When our three great Reformers were in prifon, Bradford, a fhort time previous to their martyrdom, having written a treatife concern ing God's Election, in which it fhould feem that he had inclin ed towards Calvinifm, fent it to Ridley, begging, that if he thought good, it might receive his' fanction, with that of Cran mer and of Latimer. It is evident however, that the three Bifhops difapproved of Bradford's treatife j and that not only their approbation was withheld, but that Ridley wrote a fmall tract, in anfwer to it j though unfortunately it is now loft. See Letters of the Martyrs, fol. 64. and the Differtation above quoted, p. 72. et feq. Ridley's words, in anfwer to Bradford, are very remarkable : " Syr, in thofe matters concerning God's " Election, I am fo fearful, that I dare not fpeak farther, yea, " almoft none otherwife than the very texte dothe (as it wer) " lead me by the hand." Lett, of Mart. 64, 65. Now, the 17th Article being couched, as near as poffible, in the exprefs terms of Scripture, we not only are enabled to affign it perhaps to its very author, but alfo to know the precife object he had in view when compiling it. If Ridley then were living, and were SERMON III. 165 Thus much then will fuSfice to confider the queftion, as far as it concerns one of the Founders of the Sed. The other has placed himfelf under fuch circumftances as will allow us to bring more immediate proof againft him, of his having departed from the Articles of the EftabliShed Church. For to the Liturgy which he gave his new Communion, Articles of Religion are added ; formed, in fome re- fpeds indeed, upon ours, but in moft of the effential points fo widely different, that it would be unreafonable to call them the fame. In the firft place, they are reduced from thirty-nine to twenty-five. Secondly, of fiich of our Articles as are retained, many are fo altered, that they no longer contain the fame fentiments which they were defigned originally to convey * : and laftly, of thofe were to be alked, whether he did not intend that the 17th Ar ticle fhould be underftood according to the Syftem of Calvin ? he would be aftonifhed at the queftion. He would tell us that he meant to refer us folely to the Scriptures ; and he would add, that in the fenfe in which we confcientioufly believe Scrip ture fpeaks of Predeftination, in that fenfe we fhould fubfcribe to the doctrine. It is remarkable, that when the Bifhops and Divines who were imprifoned in Queen Mary's reign, drew up a Confeffion of their Faith, not a word occurs concerning Pre deftination. See Strype's Ecclef. Memoirs, vol. iii. p. 140. and Appen. p. 42. a The following may ferve as a fpecimen to fhew the man ner in which Mr. Wefley has altered fome of our Articles : m 3 Of 1 66 SERMON 111. omitted, many relate to fuch points of faith and dodrine as are indifpenfable, not merely to a Reformed, but even to a Chriftian Church. The two following inftances will be fufficient to prove the truth of this affertion. If our Church were no longer to infift on the neceffity of believing that Chrift was alone without Sin, would it not be faid, that we re ceded one ofthe fundamentals of Chriftianity ? inafmuch as we are able to argue from this point to the divine nature of our Redeemer ; from which only we infer the meritorioufnefs Of Baptifm, according to Mr. Of Baptifm, according to the ley. Church of England. Baptifm is not only a fign of Baptifm is not only a fign profeffion, and mark of differ- of profeftion, and mark of dif- ence, whereby Chriftians are ference, whereby Chriftian men diftinguiffied from others that are difcerned from others that are not baptized ; but it is alfo be not chriftened : but it is alfo a fign of regeneration, or the a fign of Regeneration or new new Birth. The Baptifm of Birth,whereby,asbyan inftru- young children is to be retain- ment, they that receive Bap- ed in the Church. tifm rightly are grafted into the Church : the promifes of the forgivenefs of fin, and of our adoption to be the fons of God by the Holy Ghoft, are vifibly figned and fealed : faith is con firmed, and grace increafed by virtue of prayer unto God. The Baptifm of young Chil dren is in any wife to be re tained in the Church, as moft agreeable with the inftitution of Chrift. of SERMON III. 167 of his death and fufferings, when he gave him felf to be " a full, perfect, and fufficient facrifice " for the fins of the whole world." Yet the fifteenth Article, which afferts, " that Chrift " alone was without fin," is one of thofe which have been rejeded from theArticles of this new Communion. Again. If we were to maintain that every man fhall be faved by following the law and light of nature, we fhould de- fervedly " be had accurfed," as our Church ftrongly, but properly expreffes it ; fince it would then follow as a confequence, that there was no reafon why our Bleffed Lord Should have been bruifedfor our iniquities. For which caufe our Church afferts, in her eighteenth Article, that " Eternal Salvation is to be ob- " tained only by the name of Chrift." Yet this alfo is one which the Founder of the Sed in queftion has rejeded from his Articles of Religion. Omitting therefore to infift on the abfur- dity of faying that any thing, whereof part has been taken away, remains neverthelefs the fame ; we would only aSk, whether a Com munion, which deliberately removes from its Articles of Religion, two fo highly im portant as thofe" which have been juft enu merated, can be faid to maintain the fame religious opinions with another Communion, M 4 which 168 SERMON III. which confiders thofe dodrines to be funda mental points in Chriftianity, and in confe quence requires from all her members the moft unequivocal acknowledgment of their. truth ! There is not room for a moment's hefitation : .they muft be two diftinct Com munions. If then thefe circumftances are duly consi dered ; if we refled, firft, that by one of the Founders of this Sed, one of the Articles of the Church of England is employed to en force, as the term of Communion, a parti cular dodrine, which certainly it never was defigned to impofe as fuch : if it be confidered, fecondly, that by the other, Ar ticles have been framed, varying in many ef- fential points from thofe to which we fub- fcribe ; how can either of them maintain, that their adherence to our Articles fupplies an argument to prove that they have not fe parated from our Communion ? And here, having fhewn that the affertions advanced by thefe two Sedaries are abfolute- ly without foundation, whether with refped to their ufe of our Liturgy, or their adher ence to our Articles; it may be proper to fug- geft, that had their condud in thefe points been perfedly unexceptionable, ftill this alone would not have been fufficient to exculpate them SERMON III. 169 them from the charge of Schifm. It is true, that every one who adopts with fincerity our Liturgy and our Articles, muft be allowed to conform ftridly, in points of dodrine, to the Church of England ; but then it is equally true, that he may ftill be guilty of Schifm in points of Government and Difcipline b. For we eftablifhed in the preceding Ledure, that it was the ad of forming a new Com munion, even though the dodrines taught in it were not in any fhape different from thofe profeffed by the Church; it was the faying, I am of Paul, and I of Apollos; it was the making religious parties, that- constituted in the Apoftle's mind the offence of Schifm c. If then it was Schifm againft the Church of Corinth, to call one congregation after the name of one Leader, and a fecond after that of another ; when two individuals form feparate congregations in their own name, in violation of the Unity of the Church of Eng- * When we confidered Mr. Whitefield's argument, which he drew from the ftrict manner in which he adhered,.as he thought, to the 17 th Article, we did it, not becaufe the argument was in itfelf a juft one, but becaufe we were willing to meet the queftion on his own grounds. A fimple reference to the 36th Canon will prove, that any perfon, who, having been ordained in our Communion, gives up its Liturgy, has broken the cove nant which he has made with the Church of England. c See page 94. land, 170 SERMON III. land, and in dired oppofition to its autho rity, furely there can be no room for hesita tion in pronouncing them guilty of Schifm. For, to reafon from the analogy of Civil Go vernment, if a body of men were to take poffeffion of feveral towns, and having dif- miffed the lawfully appointed officers, were to eled new magiftrates of their own ; if then they fliould argue, that in doing this they were not guilty of Rebellion, becaufe they continued to administer the fame laws by which the community at large was govern ed, would not this mode of reafoning be con fidered as abfurd ? Surely Rebellion is im plied in the unwarranted affumption of power to govern on the part of individuals, without any reference to the laws which may or may not be administered. Exadly thus in the prefent cafe, laying afide all reference to the Liturgy and Articles, an adherence to thefe, or a departure from them, little affeds the queftion : if the authors of this Sed perform ed the Offices of our Church in a manner forbidden by its Canons; if they adminiftered its ordinances in places which were not fet apart to that ufe ; and, above all, if they ap pointed others (no matter under what title or pretext) to adminifter things, fpiritual, when the Church only can authorize any one to exer- SERMON III. 171 exercife thefe fundions of the Priefthood, thefe points are fufficient to eftabliSh againft them the charge of Schifm d. According to their common confeffion, whether they fubfcribe to ' our Articles, or d Should it be fuggefted, that perhaps neither Mr. Wefley nor Mr. Whitefield confidered thefe acts, whether taken fepa- rately or collectively, to be pofitive acts of Schifm, we reply, that with unfeigned fincerity we wifh that fuch an excufe could have been urged in their behalf. The following quo tations will prove, but too clearly, that they knew the full meaning and confequence of their actions. Mr. C. Wefley having been much affected by the admoni tions which had been given him by Abp. Potter, concerning the irregularity of his conduct, " Mr. Whitefield urged him to " preach in the fields the next Sunday : by this ftep he would " break down the bridge ; render his retreat difficult, or im- " poffible ; and be forced to fight his way forward in the work " of the Miniftry. This advice he followed. I prayed, fays " he, and went forth in the name of Jefus Chrift." Whitehead's Life of Wefley, vol. i. p. 204. When Dr. Coke went, ordained by Mr. Wefley, as Bifhop to America, he preached and publiffied a fermon in defence of Mr. Wefley's conduct ; in which are thefe words : " Though " we admire the Liturgy of the Church of England, and are "¦ determined to retain it with a few alterations ; we cannot, " we will not, hold connexion with them, till the Holy Spirit *' of God has made them fee and feel the evil of the practices " and the importance of the doctrines above mentioned. And " as for this Schifm (if it muft have the name) we are chear- " fully ready to anfwer at the bar of God." Hampfon's Life of Wefleyt vol. ii. p. 188. Though. Dr. Coke was the reputed au thor of the fermon above quoted, Mr. W. himfelf was fuppofed to have written it. See Hampfon utfup. p. tyi. whether i7a SERMON III. whether they ufe their own, they acknow ledge that to be the Church, in which not only " the word of God is preached, but alfo " his Sacraments are duly administered, ac- " cording to Chrift's ordinance c ;" and how can this be duly done, unlefs it be by thofe who have received a commiffion according to Chrift's ordinance ? For. if it is impoffible that the laws of a kingdom can be duly adminif- tered, unlefs it be by thofe who are appointed to administer them ; or if a will cannot be duly administered, unlefs it be by fuch as have been nominated to carry it into effed ; it muft be confidered as neceSTary towards the due administration of- the Sacraments, that thofe only fhould be permitted to officiate who have been authorized to do fo f. Of this difficulty the Authors of the Sect were fenfible. To confer on others the power of performing fuch facred rites, was a e Though Mr. Wefley ufes thefe words in his 13th Article " of the Church," neverthelefs, being attacked by his friends with having feparated from our Communion, when he ordained, and fent Bifhops to America, he changed his definition, and faid " the Church is merely a company of believers, and in- " fifted that from this Church he did not feparate." Hampfon s Life of Wefley, vol. ii. p. 199. f See Potter on Church Government, ch. v. and Leflie's Works, vol. ii. p. 715. ftep SERMON III. *73 Step too daring to be at once attempted : for their followers to affume it of themfelves, would be to violate the exprefs commands of Scripture, and to make themfelves PrieSts of God, which honour no one taketh to himfelf, but he that is called, as was Aaron s. When therefore any perfon who had been regularly ordained a Minifter in our Church became one of this new Communion, its members availed themfelves of this opportunity to re ceive the Sacrament from him : when Such were wanting, then, not as a teft of Unity, or as a feal of fellowship, but from mere ne ceffity, they were advifed to receive the Sacra-. ment at the hands of the regular Miniftry, and in the appointed places of public Worfhip h. 8 Heb. v. 4. The defire to avail themfelves of ordination was fo great, that a Bifhop of theGreek Church in Crete, called Eraf- mus, happening to come to London, feveral of Mr. Wefley's Preachers took that opportunity to be ordained by him. " When *' it is confidered that neither did the Bifhop underftand Eng- " liffi, nor his candidates Greek, we may prefume that the ex- " amination, and the reft of the ceremony on that occcafion, " muft have been particularly inftructive." Hampfon's Life of Wefley, vol. iii. p. 188. h Although the Founders of Methodifm infilled fo much on their conformity to the Eftablifhment, becaufe they urged their followers to receive the Sacrament in the Church ; they could not well have been ignorant, that they were acting in direct oppofition to the 27th Canon, which enjoins " That Schifmatics are not " to be admitted to the Communion." But in fact, " occafional J74 SERMON III. It was not probable that they fhould long refped a reftraint which many afferted was both finful and fuperftitious, and which all acknowledged to be inconvenient. There were not wanting therefore thofe who boldly propofed to break through it ; and if others refuted this latter meafure, it was rather be caufe they looked upon it as inexpedient than as unlawful l. The queftion however did not " conformity" is in itfelf a notion fo abfurd and contradictory, that no perfon who is difpaffionate, and capable of reafoning, will, it is to be prefumed, infift upon it. See it confidered in Bing ham's French Church's Apology, B. i. ch. 6. a work well de- ferving the attention of all diffenters from the Church of Eng land ; and in Mr. Daubeny's Guide to the Church, p. 273. ' The manner in which this partial communion with the Eftablifhed Church was regarded by fome of this new Sect can not be better defcribed than in the words of Mr. Kilham : " If " reafon and Scripture govern, we fhall have confiderable altera- " tions, and a partial feparation from the national Church. O " that God would reconcile the minds of the Methodifts to thofe "alterations that muft undoubtedly fooner or later take place— " the curfe of God is upon us, and we cannot profper fill the " Lord pardon our having bowed in the houfe of Rimmon." Life of Mr. A. Kilham, p. 49. Again : "I had feveral warm " contefts with a friend, becaufe I would not have the child " baptized in the ufual way. I hope God will open the eyes of " the Methodifts, to fee their fin and folly in their inconfiftent " connexion with the Church." p. 47. Mr. Wefley himfelf is defcribed as having " laid afide bis laft portion of bigotry" in this particular about 1764. Cokes Life of Wefley, p. 415. The ex treme animofity with which this point was profeeuted may be feen SERMON III. 175 long remain a matter of difpute. Toward the clofe of his life, the Founder of the Sed deliberately affumed the Apoftolical authority; and, fandioned by no law, human or divine, as Chrift fent the Apoftles, and as the Father had fent Chrift, fo did he arrogate to himfelf the power of fending forth his Difciples to preach the Gofpel; to give the Sacraments, and to ordain Minifters in future ; ufing thefe folemn words of Ordination, " Receive " the Holy Ghoft, by the impofition of our " hands." All circumftances confidered, this probably is the moft flagrant attempt to violate Church Unity, that has ever occurred in the hiftory of Chriftianity. It was not an ad conceived in a moment of more than ordinary Enthu fiafm, when the reafon might have been over borne, and the confequences refill ting from the undertaking overlooked ; neither was it done by a perfon, in whom ignorance might in fome degree have palliated the offence. It was the ad of one who had forefeen and cal culated the remoteft contingencies ; it was done in oppofition to the earneft remonstrances of many of his friends ; it was publicly feen in Mr. Kilham's Life, pajfim, particularly in the preface ; and in Myles's Chron, Hift. of Meth. p, 176, et feq. avowed, 176 SERMON III. avowed, and publicly defended ; and, that no thing might be wanting to give it folemnity, a new Ordination Service was compiled; new names were invented for this Miniftry ; the title of Superintendant and Elder were fub- ftituted for thofe of Prieft and Bifhop ; and in fome places the very fundions to be exer cifed were changed k: as if it had been in tended, by fo many marked diftindions, to preclude the poffibility of confounding this new Priefthood with that of the Church of England. Nor are thefe the only points of variation deferving notice. In fad, it is not merely in the external form of Ordination, or in the names of Office, that our Miniftry differs from that of this new Sed ; it is in the very principles themfelves on which it is eftablifh- k Thus in Mr. Wefley's Communion Service the Elder is not permitted to pronounce abfolution ; and has liberty given him, " if he fee it expedient,' to put up a prayer extempore." For an account of the whole tranfaction refpecting this affump- tion of power to ordain; of the warmth with which it -was oppofed by fome of the connexion ; of the bitternefs with which it was defended by others ; of the clandeftine manner in which it was conducted (the firft Ordination being made fe- cretly, in a private chamber) ; andtff the arguments by which it was defended, fee Coke's Life of Wefley, p. 458. et feq. White head's, vol. ii. p. 415. et feq. Hampfon's, vol. ii. ch. v. and Myles's Chron. Hift. of Meth. p. 125. ed. SERMON III. 177 ed. Thus in their Ordination Service all mention of obedience to the Civil and Canon Law is omitted. The Nicene Creed (which is particularly introduced into our Office, that the Miniftry might avow not only their affent to the general principles ofthe Chriftian Faith, but that they might formally declare their re probation of fuch herefies as were condemned at the Council of Nice) is rejeded : the oath of obedience to the Epifcopal Church is ^removed ; and finally, the acknowledgment of the King's Supremacy is abolished. On the refpedive importance of thefe fe veral omiffions, it is not our intention to di late. It will be fufficient to obferve, that fome of them, if permitted to operate to their full extent, are evidently fueh as would tend to deftroy utterly the very exiftence of the Chriftian Church. The laft omiffion however is one which ought not be Slightly paffed over; for it is intimately conneded with our pre fent enquiry, and leads to confequences which would inevitably Shake the foundation, not only of our prefent Ecclefiaftical Establish ment, but of the very Reformation itfelf; the corner- Stone of which was laid in the dif- paSfionate affertion of this juft principle ; That the National Church was free from the jurif didion of all foreign authority ; and that, N under 178 SERMON III. under Chrift, it was fubjed to him alone, whom Divine Providence had entrufted with the defence of our Civil Rights. But perhaps it may be urged, that this laft omiSfion could not have been made defign- edly; that i therefore it muft be attributed to accident, and ought to be confidered merely as an overfight. How can this poffibly have been the cafe ? I would only appeal to any rational being, whether it is likely that a perfon deli berately framing a new Syftem, Should forget to take notice of any principle, on which he in tended that the fyftem fhould be built. Some inaccuracies indeed will always be found in human compofitions : but furely no one, giv ing, as it were, laws to a new Communion, omits, by accident, to fpecify any point which he wifhes fhould be thought effential to it. There is a circumftance however, that feems to place it beyond all doubt that the omiSfion above noted was the effed of defign. Our Church has framed her thirty-feventh Article exprefsly to recognize the King's Su premacy, not only over the Civil, but alfo over the Ecclefiaftical Eftates : the latter, in confequence of the Papal Ufurpation, having enjoyed, in fome refpeds, almoft an exemp tion from the Temporal power. It was to re medy SERMON IIL 179 medy thisinfufferable evil therefore, and many others of equal magnitude, that our Reform ers, with the utmoft precifibn, declared, that " theBifhop of Rome has no jurifdidion within " this realm." Yet the Founder of this new Sed, even in his Articles of Religion, has ftu- dioufly avoided to make the Slightest mention of thefe points x. What are we to conclude from this twofold omiSfion ? Are we to fup pofe that he really favoured the dodrines of the Papal Church ? Certainly not. This is a conclufion which every principle of reafon, as well as charity, forbids us to form. We may conjedure however, that on the one hand a mistaken notion of the natufe of re ligious liberty made him think that there was no point in which the Civil power ought to interfere with the regulation of fpiritual concerns m : and on the other hand, that a 1 Mr. Wefley's Article runs thus :. " The King's Majefty, " with his Parliament, hath the chief power in all the Britifh " dominions ; unto whom the chief government of all eftates " in all caufes doth appertain ; and is not, nor ought to be, " fubject to any foreign jurifdiction.'' Let the literal and ftrict meaning of this Article be confidered ; let it be compared with our 37th, on the Civil Magiftrate ; let the force of the words " with his Parliament," be confidered ; and then let it be afked, whether the fcope and defign of the two Articles be not altogether different. m " To go a little deeper into this matter of legal Eftabli/h- n a " mint. 180 SERMON III. political regard to the interefts of his new Communion led him to infift on nothing that might offend the advocates of any other Syftem". But we have not fo learned Chrift. " ment. Do you think that the King and Parliament have a " right to prefcribe to me what Paftor I fhall ufe ?" &c. See Mr. Wefley's Letter to Mr. Walker, Coke's Life of Wefley, p. 313. n If the nature of the feveral omiffions and alterations made in our Liturgy be confidered, this inference will appear perhaps to be juft. The permiffion to ufe extemporaneous prayer into a fet form of prayer ; the removal of the figning with the fign of the Crofs, and of Sponfors in Baptifm ; the not infilling upon a formal renunciation of the claims of the Bifhop of Rome ; the difcarding of the Nicene and Athanafian Creeds ; the not requiring an acknowledgment of the King's Supre macy : thefe and the various other changes made in the Arti cles, afford fuch a latitude, that there is hardly any Schifmatic, hardly even any Heretic, who might not with a fafe confcience become a member of Mr. Wefley's Communion. Of opinions, by which is meant thofe peculiar tenets which diftinguiffi one Communion from another, he thus delivers himfelf: " I will " not quarrel with you about any opinion : believe them true " or falfe ! — I am fick of opinions ; I am weary to bear with " them ; my foul loaths this frothy food." Third Appeal, p. 13 j. And again : " 'Tis a poor excufe to fay ' O but the peo- " pie are brought into feveral erroneous opinions.' It matters " not a ftraw whether they are or no : (I fpeak of fuch opi- " nions as do not touch the foundation ;) 'tis fcarce worth " while to fpend ten words about it." Ibid. p. 137. But in another place he even feems to give up fundamentals: " The " points we chiefly infifted upon were, that Orthodoxy, or Right " Opinions is, at beft, a very flender part of Religion, if it can " be allowed to be any part of it at all," &c. Wefley's Works, vol, xv. p. 19,5. We SERMON III. 181 We believe that there is a fubmiffion to the powers that are, which the Church of Chrift is required to pay ; we believe that there is a duty which we owe to Truth, fuperior to the didates of policy, or, what is now fb vaguely called, Liberality of Sentiment. Our benevolence towards the good of every Communion is both warm and extenfive ; neverthelefs we difclaim thofe errors which they each refpedively maintain : and among thefe we particularly include the errors of that Church, whofe corruptions were the fource whence chiefly thofe waters of bitter- nefs flowed, which overwhelmed the Chrif tian world. We will readily allow that the Church of Rome (that venerable Communion, which, though tremendously corrupt in fome inftances, ftill continues to poffefs the effen tials neceSTary to conftitute the Apoftolic Church) has been rendered of late a fpeda- cle deferving our compaffion : we will grant too, that She may become, even Still more than She is at prefent, the objed of our pity rather than of our fear. But there is no ftate of insignificance, to which She can be reduced, that will ever authorife us, fo long as She maintains her old pretenfions, to remove from our Articles the folemn abjuration of her power ; can ever make us ceafe to avow an n 3 eternal z8a SERMON III. eternal oppofition to her claims. Thefe are the principles on which is raifed the goodly ftrudure of our Spiritual Liberties. Thefe we bind as afignet upon our hand, and keep as the frontlet between our eyes0; principles fb facred, that were any dodrines fubverfive of them again preffed upon our confciences, with humility and fervency we pray, that the fame ftrength, which was vouchfafed to the faithful Servants of God in times paft, might be imparted to us alfo j that, like them, we might be enabled to maintain the caufe of truth, even under the fevereft trials which human nature can encounter. Sufficient has been now adduced to prove that the Authors of this Sed were guilty of Schifm againft the Church of England : fuf ficient has been alfo faid to fhew that they could not, with any propriety, give their con gregations the facred name of the Church of God. Thofe Communions alone are juftly fo called, which in their miniftry, as well as in their dodrines, are built upon the foundation, of the Apoftles and Prophets, Jefus Chrift himfelf being the chief corner-ftone p. Having then eftablifhed the firft point of our propofed enquiry ; and having fhewn, • Deut. vi. 8. P Ep. ii. 20. that SERMON III. 183 that, even according to their own confeffions, the perfons whofe condud we have examined were guilty of Schifm from the Church of England, we fhould now proceed to prove that their Schifm originated in Enthufiafm. But as this point will require to be confidered fome what at large, we muft refer it to the enfuing Ledure. In the mean time we will briefly point out a few particulars, which may tend much to illuftrate all that has been al ready advanced. When we read the public proteftations of innocence which were made by the perfons in queftion; and when we are told what anxiety they expreffed to remove from them felves the imputation of Schifm ; we are led to conclude that they muft have confidered this offence to be, what the Scriptures defcribe it to be, of a nature peculiarly finful. When however we obtain what may be called their private opinions, we find that they looked upon Schifm to be an ideal offence ; and that they regarded it as a term more calculated to impofe on the weak, than to influence the condud of the wife. What conclufion are we to draw from this Contradiction ? Are we to fuppofe that, like the myftics of old, this Sed had its exoteric and its efoteric dodrine ; one for the congre- N 4 gation 184 SERMON III. gation in public ; another for the fcholar in private ? We hardly know how to charge them with fo great difingenuoufnefs; and yet they themfelves have told us, " that many of " their leading preachers determined to make " laws mean one thing to themfelves, and " another to the people q." Be this, however, as it may, the opinion concerning Schifm en tertained by him, who is called by the Sed, their Venerable Father in the Gofpel, is fre quently detailed ; and this is to decide the queftion. What fhall we fay then, when we find that he treats the fubjed with ftudied levity and contempt ; and that he fometimes talks of Schifm with fuch wanton irreverence, that it does not even become us to repeat his words in the houfe of God r ? There are occa- * Preface to the Methodift's Monitor, p. 5. r " Why I did once myfelf rejoice to hear (fays a grave Ci- " tizen, with an air of great importance) that Co many finners " were reformed, till I found they were only turning, from " fwearing and drunkennefs into the no lefs damnable fin of " Schifm. Do you know what you fay ? You have, I am " afraid, a confufed huddle of ideas in your head ; and I doubt " you have not capacity to clear them up yourfelf : however, " I will try. What is Schifm ? I afk, becaufe I have found by " repeated experiments, that a common Engliffi Tradefman re- " ceives no more light, when he hears or reads ' This is Schifm,' " than if he heard or read, " Bombalio,ftridor, clangor, taratantara, murmur. " Honeft SERMON III. J85 fions however, on which he affumes a tone of greater earneftnefs, and then he declares, that " the Civil power has no right to interfere with the appointment of Minifters : that if it had this right, we are to rejed the Minifters thus appointed, unlefs we know that they are fent from God : nay, that even if we are convinced that they are adually fent of God, it will neverthelefs be finful to receive them, fhould we believe that another Paftor is more pro fitable to our fouls'." Of thefe affertions we need hardly obferve, that the firft is an evident mif- Statement of the queftion ; that the fecond is an arbitrary and an unfounded affumption; and that the third is almoft impious. We cannot forbear to re mark however, that, if no law whatever has enforced the obfervance of Church Unity j if not merely the choice of our establishment, " Honeft neighbour, don't be angry. Lay down your hammer, " and let us talk a little on this head." Third Appeal, p. 125. Thefe*Appeals are recommended " on account of the power, " yet fobriety of love highly manifeft in them, to all who de- " fire to know what fpirit Mr. Wefley was of, while contend- " ing, almoft againft the whole world, for the truth of God." Coke's Life of Wefley, p. 488. Moft earneftly do we concur in the recommendation, convinced that no ferious perfon can read them, and not perceive the weaknefs of fhe caufe which they were written to fupport. 5 Cokes Life of Wefley, p. 3 13. but; r86 SERMON Iff. but the degree of obedience we will pay that establishment depends entirely upon our own good pleafure; if the validity ofthe priefthood is to be regulated by the capricioufnefs of our feelings, fo that it fhall be even finful in us to receive God's acknowledged Minifters, if contrary to our own inclinations ; it then becomes mere mockery to exprefs any con cern at the imputation of Schifm : fo that we cannot but be furprifed to find that the Authors of the Sect affure us, that they wept and prayed unto the Lord, to pre vent feparation among themfelves t; and that they defired their followers never to quit the EftabliShed Church until they were com pelled. The meaning of this language is obvious. It courts the. evil which it feems to depre cate. And as in the establishing of their Sect, perfecution for the fake of Chrift (fuch was the name given to that oppofition which they met with) was fought for with an avidity little confiftent with Chriftian Prudence, and ftill lefs perhaps with Chriftian Charity i it leaves too much room to apprehend, that it * " It would have melted any heart to have heard Mr. C. " Wefley and me weeping after prayer, that if poffible the " breach might be prevented." Gillies' Life of Whitefield, p. 69. was SERMON III. 187 was courted, in order to obtain in the eyes of the multitude a popular argument in the de fence of their caufe. Thus hoping they might be confidered to be the highly favoured fol lowers of the perfecuted Saviour, of whom it was foretold, that they fhould be bleffed, when they fuffered afilidion for the fake of Chrift". ¦ But the Rulers of our Church forefaw the probable iffue of this conteft : they forefaw alfo that no good could be hoped, and that much harm might be feared, were they to be the firft to fix the time of feparation. That time they were confcious could not be far re moved ; and they juftly argued, that, if they waited until thefe Schifmatics themfelves u Matt. v. 10. When therefore, they were favourably received in a place, they wifhed for oppofition, that they might be fure that God was with them : and when they had provoked it, they then bleffed the Lord, becaufe he had thought them worthy to fuffer perfecution. Thus Mr. Whitefield writes : " Thoufands " went to hear me preach ; but orders were given by the Mi- " nifter, that I fhould not preach in his Church ; which re- " joiced me greatly. Lord, why dofl thou thus honour me ? Wc " have' not had fuch a continued prefence of God amongft us, " as we have had, fince I was threatened to be excommuni- " cated." Whitefield's Third Journal, p. 35. So at another time, when bound over to appear at -the feffions for having been concerned in a libel, he exclaims, " Bleffed be God, for this " further honour. My foul rejoices in it. I think this may be " called Persecution." Seventh Journal', p. 81. Should 18S SERMON III. fhould announce their Seceffion, then there would be fiich evidence of the real criminal ity of their condud, as would convince every one who fhould feel the leaft attachment to our Eftablifhment, as an Apoftolical Church, of the finfulnefs of entering into that Schif- matical Communion. Not from inattention therefore, but from prudence, were the Au thors of this new Sed permitted to profefs adherence to the EftabliShed Church, even while they had manifeftly feparated from it. But in the mean time a firm reliance was placed in the piety, and in the wifdom of an enlightened and an Apoftolical Miniftry, who were called upon to oppofe, by the purity of their zeal and the foundnefs of their doc trine, the progrefs of a Sect which had rifen into notice by unjuftly afferting, that the Church of England had departed equally from her firft faith and her firft love x. All that was then forefeen has been fince accomplished. Whatever interpretation may be given to fome part of their condud, the deliberate affumption of the Priefthood, * The mild and conciliating manner, in which the Rulers of our Church conducted themfelves towards the Leaders of this Sect, is attefted by their own Biographer. See Whitehead's Life of Wefley, vol. i, p. 200 and 203. unfanc- SERMON III. 189 unfanctioned by divine authority, whilft it eftablifhes the charge of Schifm in fuch a man ner as to need no further proof, involves thofe who are guilty of it in a refponfibility the moft fearful which the mind of man can conceive. Be it not thought that this is in any fhape exaggerated language. If it be declared, that an admiffion into the true Church fhall fe- cure to all its members the certainty of the means of falvation ; and if it be promifed, that, when thus admitted, they become the Heirs and the Children of God ; what have not they to anfwer for, who perfuade men that thefe ineftimable benefits are to be ob tained by entering into a Communion, which has received no authority to difpenfe them ? Again. If it be the exalted office of the Chriftian Priefthood not only to administer the appointed means and pledges of grace, but even to fpeak peace to the penitent, and to pronounce affured abfolution of fin; what have not they to apprehend, who, unautho rized to make the affertion, have neverthelefs pretended that their miniftry will avail to procure this promifed bleSfing attached to the Chriftian Covenant? On this very awful fubjed indeed ; on the fubjed of a Priefthood feleded from among men to be Ambafj'adors in Chrift 's ftead; Mi nifters 190 SERMON III. nifters unto whom the word of Reconciliation hath been committed7, and who therefore are quali fied to perform fundions of the moft facred importance, nothing can be known by us, but that which has been revealed. For how can any effort of human reafon determine the manner in which the Almighty is willing to be approached ? how can it afcertain that the employment of any particular means Should fecure the certainty of an attendant bleffing? We are bound therefore in prudence, as well as in duty, to turn neither to the right hand, nor to the left, in a point where nothing de pends upon ourfelves, and where every thing is the refult of free Grace on the part of God. For which caufe, though Uzzah, who in tended to fupport the Ark, received a punish ment nearly fimilar to that which Corah met with, when he rebellioufly attempted to uSurp the Priefthood ; neverthelefs we cannot but perceive in both inftances the juStice of the difpenfation z. God having appointed not y 2 Cor. v. 19, 20. , z " What then was the fin of Uzzah ? That the Ark of " God was not carried on the fhoulders of Levites, was no lefs " the fault of Ahio, and the reft of their brethren, only Uzzah " is ftricken. They finned in negligence ; he in prefumption. " The beft intention cannot excufe, much lefs warrant us in " unlawful SERMON III. 191 only the means by which, but alfo the instru ments by whom, he will convey bleSfings to his creatures, it becomes not them to apply to other means, or to feled other instru ments. Should they do fo, they are to re member, that whether their motive was an over officious zeal, or an overbearing pride, ftill, in either cafe, they have contraded the guilt of difobedience. Perhaps it was a convidion of this truth, that induced the Founder of the Sed before us, to remove from his Liturgy whatever re lated to that power of pronouncing abfolution of fin, which by its divine Author has been annexed to the Chriftian Priefthood. Probably he argued, that a renunciation of this high privilege was prudent, inafmuch as it might prevent cenfure, and involve him apparently in " unlawful actions. Where we do aught in faith, it pleafeth " our good God to wink at and pity our weakneffes : but if we " dare to prefent God with the well-meant fervices of our own " making, we run into the indignation of God. There is no- " thing more dangerous than to be-our own carvers in matter " of devotion." Bp. Hall's Works, vol. i. p. 1094. See Contem plation on theLeprofy of Uzziah. Ibid. p. 1283. The eonclufion of which is both ftriking and juft. " Uzziah ceafed not to be *' a king, when he began to be a leper ; neither is it otherwife, " O God, betwixt thee and us. If we be once a royal generation " unto thee, our leprofies may deform, they fhall not de- " throne us." a Smaller 192 SERMON III. a fmaller degree of refponfibility. He forgot, however, that, by adopting this line of con dud, he was in fad acknowledging the bad- nefs of his caufe ; and that at the fame time he was giving up one of the charaderiftic points of Chriftianity. Forgivenefs of fin was a dodrine about which the Jews themfelves appear to have formed no juft or adequate conception a. Among the Heathen however, as might be expeded, it was altogether unknown. In fome of their fyftems indeed, it was taught, that the fouls of men could not be admitted into a ftate of future blifs, until the ftain of contraded guilt had been thoroughly purged away. But this was done, either by means of a purifying fire, or by the flower progrefs of repeated tranfmigrations of the foul. It feems never to have entered into their hearts to conceive, that fin was to be obliterated by an ad of free mercy b. 1 Hence arofe the frequent indignation of the Jews againft our bleffed Lord, when he declared to feveral perfons, that their fins were forgiven. It is remarkable however, that he perfifted in employing thofe exprefs words, and that he graci- oufly affigned the reafon, " That ye may know that the Son of " Man hath power on earth to forgive fins." Matth. ix. 6. b Vid. Virgil. iEneid. lib. vi. c. 739. Plato de Rep. lib. x. ed, Bipon. vol. vii. p. 322. It SERMON III. 193 It' was to announce this dodrine, and to fecure the accomplishment of its objed, that our Bleffed Lord took our nature upon him. To preach therefore pardon for fin is the dif- tindive charaderiftic of the Chriftian Reli gion ; to convey the affurance of that pardon the diftindive office of the Chriftian Prieft hood. If then we difclaim the exercife of that authority which our Divine Mafter commu nicated to his Miniftry, when he faid, " Whofe- " foever fins ye remit, they are remitted unto " them0," we not only render his gracious in tention of none effed in this inftance, but we can hardly be faid to exercife any func tion that may not be performed equally by the prieft of Natural Religion. If then with fuch earneft anxiety we would endeavour to diffuade the Schifmatic from arrogating to himfelf the holy office of the Chriftian Priefthood, it is not that we wifh to confine that honour to ourfelves : it is be caufe we know that he muft either exercife an imperfed Miniftry, by omitting part of its higheft fundions j or that, by ading without due authority, he muft render it for ever doubtful what bleffings are to be expeded by thofe who have been induced to acknow- c John xx. 23. o ledge 194 SERMON III. ledge him as a fteward in the houfehold of God. If too we maintain that thofe only ought to difcharge the minifterial office, who have received their commiffion by Apoftolical Or dination, it is becaufe the power belonging to that office being delegated, mankind can have no proof whereby to afcertain wfio may exer cife it, unlefs it be by that of regular fuccef- fion, traced from us to the Apoftles; from them to God d. d Nothing can be more fully to the point than the following words of St. Clement : Kai of xiroroXoi nipm lyvuoav Sia tb KtpiB Vjj.au I))i7S Xgij-s, oti Egis erxi Eiri th ovo/talo; T»5 Eirio-xoirni . Aia tav\;\t ev tv)> ailiav npo^iuoiti eifai^ols; •n'hEiav, xaTErytrav rm w^o£ifoi atSpts Ttin hEirugyian avruv. I Ep. ad Corin. c. 44. This being the language of one who lived and converfed with the Apoftles, muft we not be grieved to hear how irreverently this point is treated by the Methodifts ? " In Mr. Wefley's " laft days, or fecond childhood, two or three perfons had pre- " vailed on him privately to ordain them, for the purpofe of " reviving after his death the old farce of uninterrupted fuccefflon. " Days of ignorance have refted much on the fuppofed uninter- " rupted fucceffion from the great head of the Church, and the " poor fimple honeft Methodifts were again to be duped by that "fenfelefs tale." Preface to M. A. Kilham s Life, p. 11. As for Mr. Wefley's fentiments on this head, they feem to be com- prifed in the following words : " The uninterrupted fucceffion " of Bifhops is a point that has long been given up by the ableft " Proteftant Defenders of Epifcopacy." Hampfon' s Life of Wefley, vol. ii. p. 183. We cannot but feel regret, as well as aftonifh- ment, SERMON III. 195 It is not then for the Schifmatic, it is for us to complain, who are fo little underftood, and fo much mifreprefented. We wiSh not to reftrid the mercies of the Moft High ! God forbid. Would that all the Lord's people were Prophets e, if fuch were his facred will. It is the frowardnefs of our own imaginations that we feek to restrain, and the deceitfulnefs of the human heart. Confcious that we are all of us encompaff ed by the fame infirmities, did we imagine that any licence were allowed us in the par ticular points in queftion, we fhould. lay our felves open to the dangerous fuggeftions of fpiritual pride, and foon might take de light (as evidently all Enthufiafts do) in ad ing by a power fuperior to all controul. In which cafe, like them, we Should be led to prefer fyftems of our own contrivance, how ever imperfed, to the pureft that could be imparted by Divine Wifdom. Thefe are the reafons therefore why we of the EftabliShed Church revert continually to the precept which the bleffed Jefus has de livered in the text. We are willing that our ment, to think that any one fliould have ventured to have made an affertion fo unfounded as the above. E Numbers xi. 29. O 2, love 196 SERMON III. love fhould be manifefted by the humility with which we walk with him in the path of his commandments : and though it may feem paradoxical to fome, we neverthelefs af fert, that this humility is Shewn as clearly in maintaining the privileges that have been granted to us, as in forbearing to claim fuch as have been denied ; evermore with grati tude confeffing, that if it was merciful on the part of God to reveal himfelf to us, by means of his Son, it was hardly lefs merciful to pre- fcribe the manner, and to appoint the perfons, by whom we fhould continue to approach him. Impreffed with thefe fentiments, fhould the ftrid rule of duty, by which we Strive to regulate our condud, provoke the cenfure of thofe who, in the fpirit of Enthufiafm, would condemn all fervice as infincere, unlefs it ex ceed the limit of prefcribed obedience ; know ing that hereafter we fhall not be afhamed, we neverthelefs will Steadily perfevere in fet- ting our face as the flint1 ' , to oppofe their in novations. And as we remark, that all' things in nature are lovely or deformed only fo far as they obferve, or depart from that law which the Author of Nature has appointed for them f Ifaiah 1. 7. to SERMON III. 197 to obferve ; fo in the Church we perceive, that whatever She has experienced, either of honour or of dishonour, has uniformly pro ceeded from the fidelity with which fhe has obeyed, or the levity with which fhe has for- faken, the commandments of her God. There1 fore, as the faints in Heaven humble them felves, and caft their crowns before the throne5 on which Chrift Sitteth, fo do we lay down at his feet every proud thought, and every vain imagination, that exalteth itfelf againft his bleffed will ; convinced that, when we obey him the moft faithfully, we fhall be found to have loved him the moft fincerely h. e Revel, iv. 10. h Much ftrefs having been laid in this Lecture on Mr. Wef ley's affumption of the power to ordain Bifhops and Minifters for his Societies in America ; the Reader is defired to refer to Hampfon's Life of Wefley, vol. ii. p. 1 7 1 . where the whole tranf- adtion is confidered at length, and manyjuft remarks are made upon it. As the book is not perhaps in every perfon's hand, the following extracts may not be unacceptable. Speaking of the reafons that induced Mr. Wefley to eftablifh, what he called, the Church in America, Dr. Coke, in his fermon (or rather Mr. W. who is fuppofed to be its real Author) fays, " Bleffed be " God, and praifed be his holy name, that the memorable revo- " lution (in America) has ftruck off thefe intolerable fetters ; " and broken the Anti-Chriftian union which before fubfifted " between Church and State. And had there been no other " advantage arifing from that glorious epoch, this itfelf, I be- " lieve, would have made ample compenfation for all the cala- 03 " mities 198 SERMON III. " mities of the War. One happy confequence of which was " the expulfion of moft of thofe hirelings (the Clergy of the " Church of England,) — of which the Sopiety of Methodifts in " general have till lately profeffed themfelves a part." P. 181. et feq. Of Mr. W.'s authority, it is faid, " We are fully perfuad- " ed, there is no Church office which he judges expedient for " the welfare of the people entrufted to his charge, but, as ef- " fential to his ftation, he has power to ordain." p. 184. It is added, that Mr. W. " faw it was his duty to form his Society " in America into an independent Church." Ibid. And one of the reafons he affigned why he chofe rather to ordain Mi nifters himfelf than to apply to the Bifhop of London for his ordination, was, " that had the Bifhop ordained, he would hav? " expected to govern them." Ibid. p. 192. SERMON SERMON IV. JOHN x. 37, 38. IF I DO NOT THE WORKS OP MY FATHER, BE LIEVE ME NOT. EUT IF I BO, THOUGH YE BELIEVE NOT ME, BELIEVE THE WORKS. TT was afferted in the preceding Ledure, that the perSbns, whoSe condud we had undertaken to examine, were guilty of fe paration from the Church of England : and the evidence, which was then adduced, may have been judged perhaps fufficient to prove the truth of that pofition. But we afferted alfo, that their Schifm originated in Enthufi afm. This point is to be now confidered. And as in the firft inftance our enquiry was regulated by that definition of Schifm, which we had previoufly obtained from con- fulting Scripture ; fo in the prefent it fhall be governed by a conftant reference to thofe principles, which have been already eftablifhed concerning the nature of Enthufiafm. o 4 We aoo SERMON IV. We confidered then Enthufiafm to be a delufion produced hy the vehement adion of the imagination ; which, under certain circumftances, is able to imprefs upon the mind a belief in divine communications, when in reality no fuch communications have been granted. This was our general definition : and if we did not attempt to fpecify the precife nature of the communications, a belief in which would conftitute Enthufiafm, it was becaufe thefe will perpetually vary according to the difpofition of each individual. Whether the perfons before us were En thufiafts in every particular to which Enthu fiaftic delufion can apply, we neither affert, nor enquire. This mode of treating the queftion would lead us far beyond our pro pofed limits. Nor will it be neceffary. It will be fufficient to prove, that in the great leading principle that governed their con dud, that principle on which their claim to attention and acceptation was founded, they aded under the influence of a deluded imagination. The point then which we propofe to conr fider is this. As the authors of this new Sed believed and afferted themfelves to have been the peculiar meffengers of God, raifed up SERMON IV. soi up to anfwer the fpecial defigns of his Pro vidence, we are to enquire what proofs they brought to eftabliSh pretenfions of fuch vaft importance. Should it be found that thefe proofs are weak, unfounded, delufory, and altogether unlike thofe which have been adduced on fimilar occafions by perfons who have received, confeSTedly, a Divine commif fion ; we then Shall be compelled to rank them among thofe numerous falfe Prophets, who have mistaken* the fuggeftions of En thufiaftic delufion, for the fober and facred infpirations of God. Such then fhall be the propofed objed of our enquiry ; and to guide us in it, no prin ciple can be adopted more unexceptionable than that which is pointed out to us in the words of the text. When the bleffed Jefus appeared at Jeru- falem, and afferted that he was fent from the Father; the greatnefs of the authority which he claimed, and the awfulnefs of the charader which he affumed, arretted the at tention of the Jews. It was natural for them therefore to enquire, whether he might not be that Meffiah, whom they had fo long expeded. And concluding that, if he were, he muft have had power imparted to prove the divinity of his miflion, they expeded him soa SERMON IV. him to fhew fome mighty works which fhould juftify their acknowledgment of his claims, and fatisfy them that they were not thofe of a mere Enthufiaft. Allowing the propriety of their expeda- tions, and perhaps anticipating them, our Saviour fupplied every proof of this nature that could be reafonably hoped for a. And although his works did not at the time con vince, as they ought to have done, the pre judiced minds of his countrymen ; never thelefs they were fuch as demonstrate, even at this remote period, that he did come forth from the Father. If then the Saviour of the World con formed through the whole courfe of his mi niftry to fo juft a principle ; if repeatedly importuned he ftill vouchfafed the evidence required ; if, though confcious that all the fulnefs of the Godhead dwelt in him b, he not only fubmitted the truth of his affertions to the teftimony of his miracles, but even called upon the Jews to rejed them, unlefs approv- a John v. 36. — compare John xiv. n. 12. The figns which the Jews demanded, and which our bleffed Lord refufed to fhew them, were of a nature diftinct from the works which are al luded to in our text. See Matt. xii. 38. Compare Mark viii. 11. b Coloff. ii. 9. ed SERMON IV. ao3 ed by this infallible teft ; If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not ; it would ill become us to receive any one who Shall affert a divine commiSfion, unlefs he Shall at the fame time offer fimilar evidence in proof of his affertions. It is therefore only by referring to the cri-* terion of fuch works, as muft be attendant upon a divine miSfion, that we can confent to judge the cafe before us. The exading of which proof is fo much the more neceffa ry, as it affeds every part of our enquiry. For though we have proved the authors of the Sect to have feparated from the Church of England, if they did it really at the fug- geftion of the holy Spirit, then will they not only be acquitted of the charge of Schifm, but we Shall have to anfwer at that dread tribunal, before which they fo confidently cite us to appear c, for the eternal mifery c Mr. Wefley, having been forbidden to attend fome crimi nals in Newgate, fays, " I cite Mr. to anfwer for thefe " fouls at the judgment-feat of Chrift." Fourth Journ. p. 27. So Mr. Whitefield ; " Thofe who forbid me to fpeak, I here " cite them- to anfwer it to our common Mafter. (Third Journ. p. 74.) See Fourth Journ. p. 27. 29. "At his dreadful tribunal " I will meet you — there Jefus Chrift fhall determine who are " the falfe Prophets^ the wolves in fheep's cloathing." See Bp. Lavingtpn's Enthufiafm of Methodifts and Papifts compared, vol. i. p, 123. of 204 SERMON IV. of thofe whom they defcribed as drawing back to perdition, when they quit the pale of this new communion d. But to fhew that we are justified in exped- ing the proof which we require, it will be in cumbent on us to eftabliSh, in the firft place, that the authors of this Sed did adually lay claim to a Divine commiSfion. We Shall be gin therefore by Stating what was the condud which they adopted, and what were the argu ments which they ufed to juftify it. At an early period of their lives, but not till after that they had ferioufly refieded on the quality of the engagement, into which they entered, the perfons in queftion were or dained Minifters of the Eftablifhed Church. What were their . opinions at that moment d " Firft one fell off, then another, and another, till no two " of us were left together in the work, befide my brother and "me — this gave our common enemies huge occafion to blaf- " pheme — it caufed many to draw back to perdition ; "it grieved " the holy Spirit of God." Coke's Life of Wefley, p. 317. " Why " have not thoufands more been reformed ? Becaufe you (the " Minifters of the Church of England) and your affociates " laboured fo heartily in the caufe of hell : becaufe you and " they fpared no pains, either to prevent or to deftroy the " work of God !— Many who began to tafte the good word, " you prevailed on to hear it no more ; fo they drew back .to per- " dition. But know, that, for every one of thefe, God will re« " quire au account of you, at the day of judgment." Mr. Wefley's Third Appeal, p. 128. refpeding SERMON IV. 205 refpeding the nature of their call to the Mi niftry cannot now be accurately afcertained. The little we do know on this fubjed leads us to conclude, that even then they believed themfelves to have been called, not to the common fundions of the Priefthood, but to the accomplifhment of fome extraordinary purpofe of the Divine Will e. This at leaft is certain, that in a very Short time one, and that ultimately the other, arrogated to him- e " I can recollect very early movings of the bleffed Spirit " upon my heart ; fufficient to fatisfy me that God feparated " me even from my mother's womb, for the work to which he " afterwards was pleafed to call me." Account of God's dealings with tbe Rev. Mr. G. Whitefield, p. 6. " God, whofe gifts and " callings are without repentance, would let nothing pluck " one out of his' hand. — He paffed by me ; he faid unto me, " Live ; and even then gave me fome forefight of his providing " for me." Ibid. p. 10. " One morning as I was reading a play to my fifter, faid I, " Sifter, God intends fomething for me, which we know not " of. — How I came to fay thefe words I know not. God after- " wards fhewed me that they came from him." Ibid. p. 11. Mr. Wefley indeed, when it was afferted by Mr. Badcock, that he had " early a very ftrong impreffion of his defignation " to fome extraordinary work," declared, " that he was guiltlefs « in this matter.'' See the Letters which paffed on the occa fion, Gent. Magazine, vol. liv. p. 279; and lv. p. 246, 363, and 932. An attentive confideration of this correfpondence will probably incline moft people to think, that Mr. W. by no means cleared himfelf . from the charge alledged above. See alfo Hampfon's Life of Wefley, vol. iii. -p. 25 — White head's Ditto, vol. i. p. 376. and Coke's, p, 40, 41. felf 206 SERMON IV. felf a power far fuperior to that which the ordination they received, and indeed any hu man ordination, could pretend to convey. It was declared, that they were fent with the Holy Ghoft and with Power to execute a peculiar commiffion ; a commiffion that was not to be limited to any particular Congregation, or Church, or Country, but which was to be extended to every part of the earth f. Afferting this, they broke through every reftraint which the laws of the Efta blifhed Church had impofed. It wTas fuggefted to them indeed, that they had bound them felves by the moft folemn of all ads to vene rate and to obey thefe laws: but, in terms of contemptuous fuperiority, they feemed to in timate, that they were at liberty to difre- f Mr. Wefley in his Third Journal fays, "Suffer me to tell you " my principles in this matter; I look upon all the world as my " parifh — " P. 70. Mr. Whitefield's declarations are equally explicit. " When he (Mr. Whitefield) heard Chrift fpeak to " him in the Gofpel, he cried, Lord, what wilt thou have me to " do ? And it feems as if at that time it had been made known " to him that he was a chofen veffel to bear the name of Chrift " Jefus through the Britifh Nation and her Colonies — his heart " could not admit of his having a ftated fixed refidence in one " place, as the paftor of a particular congregation, and therefore " he chofe to itinerate from one country to another." Gillies' Life of Whitefield, p. 294, 95. Mr. W. himfelf fays, " Evangelizing is " certainly my province ; I am more and more convinced that " I fhould go from place to place." Ibid, p, 132. gard SERMON IV. 407 gard them %; and then, in language which nothing but divine Revelation could have authorifed, they condemned the Eftablifhed Miniftry as corrupt in condud and unfound in dodrine h. In the mean time, giving fuch an interpretation to Scripture as was fre quently dubious, and fometimes contradido ry, they neverthelefs infifted, that this very interpretation was taught them of God, and that they preached the pure, and the only true Gofpel. Adhering to thefe opinions, « See Mr. Whitefield's Letter to the Bp. of B.— Works, vol. iii. p. 159. and Life by Gillies, p. 251. and Mr. Wefley's Second and Third Appeals, paffim. h The virulence with which they attacked the Eftablifhed Miniftry is too well known to require any particular proof; for in fact the regular clergy are hardly ever fpoken of but in terms of contempt and reproach : they are generally called dumb-dogs, priefts of Baal, wolves in fheep's cloathing, &c. and of Abp. Tillotfon Mr. Whitefield faid, that he knew no more of religion than Mahomet. So much did fome of the' Sect wiffi to defame that prelate, that one of them faid, that like Judas he had fold his Lord ; and that for doing fo, inftead ' of thirty pieces of filver, he had got thirty purfes of gold. La- vingtoris Entbuf. &c. vol. i. p. 17. and Seward's Journal, p. 62. Their object in defaming Tillotfon is obvious ; but we can not fo eafily account for the unbecoming fentiments which Mr. Wefley entertained of fome of thofe, whofe names are re corded for our veneration in the Scriptures. For inftance, we are affured by Mr. Whitefield, that " he knew that Mr. Wefley " thought meanly of Abraham, and, he believes, of David ".alfo." Whitefield's Works, vol. iv. p. 67. and 208 SERMON IV. and teaching them in a manner forbidden by that Church, of which they profeffed them felves to be Minifters, they denounced the vengeance of eternal condemnation againft all who fhould oppofe their miffion; they faid that the bleffed Jefus was perfonally employed in interceding to the Father for the fuccefs of their endeavours '; and they affirmed, that in rejeding their miniftry we were blafpheming God's laft offers of mercy to mankind k. Such were their declarations, attested by their public difcourfes, by their printed writ ings, and by the whole tenor of their con dud. And yet would it be thought credible that fome fhould have fince afferted, that the above declarations contain no particular meaning : that, in fad, they imply nothing more than that call which every Minifter 1 " But take courage, Jefus Chrift prays for us." IVhite- field's Letters, No. 652. In another place he affured a friend that our bleffed Lord was interceding for "his poor Societies;" and in another place, "Jefus is on the Mount praying for me." k " As long as heaven and earth remain, can there be any " thing of fo vaft importance as God's laft call to a guilty " land, juft perifhing in its iniquity ? Wefley's Third Appeal, p. " 130. Little excufe have you who are ftill in doubt concerning " this day of your vifitation." p. 132. " Inexcufably infatuated " muft you be, if you can even doubt whether the propagation " be of God ; only more inexcufable are thofe unhappy men 'f who oppofe, contradict, and blafpheme it." p. 135. in SERMON IV. ao9 in our Church declares himfelf to have ex perienced, previous to his ordination. Againft fo infidious a mode of defence as this, we may with juftice proteft. Certainly the Mi nifter of the Church of England does declare, that, before he prefumes to take part in its Miniftry, '* he trufts he is moved by the " Holy Spirit." Yet who is there that is unacquainted with the fenfe in which our Church wiShes thefe words to be underftood? If in prefenting ourfelves for ordination we can truly fay, that we are not aduated by any carnal motive ; if we can fay, that we prefer to every other confideration the defire of promoting the caufe of true Religion ; that we wiSh in our own perfons to prpfeSs a life of fuch ftrid holinefs, as becometh thofe who minifter about holy things ; that we are con tent to occupy Such Situations in the Church as are, we may reafonably believe, affigned us by Chrift's good pleafure, without feeking for them by forbidden means ; if we can add likewife, that, as far as we know our own hearts, our charity is lively, our faith pure, and our hope in the mercies of God firm and conftant; then we fecurely fay, that we truft that thefe holy motions proceed from the influence of that Spirit, who enables us not only to do, but to wiU. that which is well p pleafing 210 SERMON IV. pleafing in the fight of God l. Is there any thing however in thefe affertions, that jufti fies the idea of defignation to an extraordi nary commiSfion ? Certainly there is not. For it is evident that at the fame time that we profefs our belief that we are called ac cording to the will of our Lord jefus Chrift; we profefs equally "that we are called accord- " ing to the order of the Church of England/' And this order limits the jurifdidion of each Minifter to his appropriate charge ; conned- ing the Divine call with a fincere obedience to the Civil and the Ecclefiaftical Establish ment. It cannot be admitted therefore, that the miSfion, to which the founders of this Sect laid claim, was fimilar to that which we ofthe Eftablifhed Church profefs to have re ceived. Neither was it fo underftood at the time of their appearance. For thofe who acknowledged the miniftry of thefe new teachers were fo far from thinking that they were endued only with that limited power which is conferred by regular ordination, that they declared them to have been called, as was the great Deliverer of the Jewifh na tion, to govern an holy and a peculiar peo- 1 Hebrews xiii. 21. pie; SERMON IV. an pie ; that they were raifed up by the imme diate will of the Almighty to execute the defigns of his Providence ; that they were the Apoftles and the Angels of God m. But perhaps it may here be faid, that we fhould argue unfairly, were we to impute to the Authors of this Sed, the opinions which their followers entertained; for the veneration, which is paid to exalted charaders, often leads men, in fpeaking of them, to ufe unguarded expreSfions. Perhaps too it may be urged, that the Apoftles had become, in the dark ages, ob jeds of religious adoration; and yet, that it was never thence inferred, that they fuppofed them felves to have been worthy of fuch diftindion. True: but then the Apoftles were anxious to prevent men from thinking more highly of them than they ought to think : they trembled m Mr. Wefley was confidered as a " Phaenonrenon in the re- " ligious world. Wherever he went he was received as an " Apoftle — " Hampfon's Life of Wefley, vol. iii. p. 3 j. In the " honour due to Mofes he alfo had a ffiare : being placed at the " head of a great people, by him who called them, he fub- " mitted totake upon him his true character, and he acted agree- " ably thereunto — he was endued with power from on high — " he was chofen out of the world." Coke's Life of Wefley, p. 320. et feq. Of Mr. Whitefield it was faid, that " He was " a man of God : that hell trembled before him : and that he " was an angel flying through the midft of heaven with " the everlafting Gofpel, to preach it unto them that dwell on "the earth." Gillies' Life of Whitefield, p. 63. 295. and 30c. P 2 left aia SERMON IV. left at any time greater diftindion Should be paid them, than their commiSfion authorized them to receive ; and whenfuch diftindions were offered, they were themfelves the firft to rejed and to condemn them. How oppofite was the condud of the Founders of this new Sed ! They knew that they were efteemed to be the Apoftles and Angels of God; they heard themfelves called by thofe titles, both in pub lic and in private; and yet they never reproved their followers for fo addreffing them. Surely this amounts to a proof almoft as ftrong as a pofitive declaration, that they believed thofe titles to have been properly applied. However, that there may be no ground for mifapprehenfion, let their own words explain what their opinions were. One of them delivers himfelf in the follow ing terms. " Inwardly moved by the Spirit, " and not by any hopes of human grandeur " or preferment, we took upon ourfelves the ad- " miniftration of the Church n." And again : " God forbid that we fhould afcri.be any of " that work to ourfelves ; no, it was raifed " by the Holy Spirit of God °." " Whitefield's fecond Letter to the Bp. of London, Works, vol. iv. p. 167. 0 See Vindication of tbe Remarkable Work of God in New England, Works, vol. iv. p. 79. To SERMON IV. ai3 To fhew that thefe affertions cannot ad mit that equivocal interpretation which fome would willingly aSfign to them ; to Shew alfo that they were not unguarded expreSfions which efcaped from him during the inexpe rience of youth ; we need only obferve, that, when preparing to enter into eternity, he folemnly reiterates the declaration. " So far " am I from repenting that I have delivered " Gofpel truths in the itinerant way, that " had I ftrength equal to my inclination, I " would preach them from pole to pole, be- " caufe I am as much affured that the great " Head of the Church hath called me by his " word, providence, and Spirit to ad in this " way, as that the Sun Shines at noon-day p." Can any thing be more explicit ? But yet further. So ftrong was his convidion of the reality of his miSfion, that he had even begun a work to prove " the Divinity" of his Sedq, On which word we may be permitted to ob ferve, that while we apply it to Chriftianity, to denote the claims of a Religion which has p See Mr. Whitefield's Will, preferved in Gillies' Life of Whitefield, p. 354. 9 Gillies' Life of Whitefield, p. 341. Mr. Wefley alfo al lows the fame expreffion. " Another fundamental error of " thofe that do not acknowledge tbe divinity of this work, &c.' See Wefley's Works, vol. xvii. p. aji. p 3 God, 214 SERMON IV. God for its author, and God for its teacher, we know not how, confiftently with any principle of piety, the Divinity of a Sed, which had already injured, and was hourly tending to deftroy the peaceful unity of an Apoftolical Communion, could have been ever afferted r. Be this however as it may ; in that fenfe, in which the term is predicated of Chriftianity, in the fame fenfe it muft.be underftood to be predicated of this new communion. Now, as in the former inftance it is ufed to denote a Religion coming from God, and propagated by perfons immediately r Mr, Whitefield in his private correfpondence employs fuch language as would juftify us in fuppofing that he did not aim at reforming, fo much as at fubverting the Church of England. " I am glad the Lord hath opened frefh doors for you, my " dear Brother (i. e. hath enabled you to eftablifh new congre- " gations, or gain converts): the rams horns are founding " about Jericho : furely the towering walls will at length fall "down." Let. 515. " Go on, thou man of God : and may '* the Lord caufe thy bow to abide in ftrength ! Glad fhould I " be to come and fhoot fome Gofpel arrows in Devonffiire : " but the cloud feems now to point toward America — " (allud ing, I fuppofe, to the cloud which miraculoufly directed the march of the Ifraelites, Num. ix.17.) " Whilft I am writing the " fire kindles — our large fociety goes on well — I hear of glo- " rious things from various parts — I hope ere long we fhall *• hear of perfons going from poft to poft, and crying, Baby- " Ion is fallen ! Babylon is fallen ! Pray write me word how " the war is going on between Michael and the dragon." Let. 498. of SERMON IV. ai5 of his appointment ; in the latter, it muft defcribe a Sed, which, whether its dodrines be regarded, or the means employed for its establishment, muft equally be confidered to have proceeded from God. The affeverations which were made by the other Founder of the Sed need not be detail ed at length. It will be fufficient to remark, that they are fometimes even more unequivo cal than thofe which have been cited above. His conftant appellation ofthe work was, that it was " the work of God." And of himfelf he declared, in terms that bear an unbecom ing affinity to thofe which the Son of God only ' could with propriety have ufed ; " To " eftabliSh this Sed was the work for which I " came into the world s." Seeing then that fuch were the opinions of their followers, and fuch their own after - tions ; in charity, as well as in reaSbn, we muft conclude that thefe Sedaries believed themfelves to have received a divine com- • " It is a very fmall thing for me to be judged by man's " judgement ; yet as the being thought guilty of fo mifchiev- " ous an imprudence might make me lefs able to do the work " I came into the world for, I am obliged to clear myfelf of it." Preface to Firft Journal, p. iv. It was thus that, in words al moft fimilar, the bleffed Jefus faid, " For this caufe came I " into the world, that I fhould bear witnefs unto the truth." John xviii. 37. See alfo xvii. 4. p 4 miSfion. ai6 SERMON IV. miSfion. Yes, we muft repeat, in charity. For though fome of their affertions are worded in an ambiguous manner, yet as many bf them unequivocally claim a miSfion of the higheft nature, it is from thefe latter that we may fairly eftimate their pretenfions. Gould we fuppofe that they demanded ac ceptance from one fort of men, as Minifters bf the EftabliShed Church ; and from an other as Apoftles, and divinely commission ed meffengers ; we then fhould be obliged to view them as ading with a duplicity that would render their pretenfions hardly deferv- ing a ferious confutation. Seeing therefore that they believed them felves, like the Prophets and Apoftles of old, to have received a peculiar communication bf divine authority ; we now proceed to en quire what evidence they adduced to prove that fuch a belief was well founded. To this mode of inveftigation they will undoubtedly be the very laft to object. For not only is it reafonable in itfelf, and fuch as the very nature of the cafe demands; but it is one which they themfelves have provoked, by declaring, that if ever any difpenfation poSTeffed " all the marks of a divine figna- " ture1," it was that of which they were the * Whitefield's Works, vol. iv. p. 91. Apoftles. SERMON IV. 217 Apoftles. Since then their declaration is thus pofitive, and Since they have repeatedly affirm ed, that " the Almighty has fet to his feal, " that the work is true ;" unlefs this feal and thefe Signatures be found, we muft con clude that a belief in their existence could only have arifen from the ftrong delufions of an enthufiaftic imagination. And here, to Shorten the enquiry, let it be granted, what in fad can never be reafon- ably denied, that every divine revelation is attended with fuch external and internal evidence, as may at all times demonstrate that the communications, in favour of which they have been adduced, could not have pro ceeded but from God only. , Of external evidence the criterions will be; the completion of prophecy, and the working of miracles. Thofe of internal evidence ; the perfed agreement of the dodrines de livered with all previous revelations, and with themfelves. It is but neceffary to add, that both the external and the internal evi dence muft be found united in fupport of the caufe; for, when feparate, they might juftly be confidered as forming a defedive proof". ¦" It is fo much the more neceffary, in the prefent in ftance, to infift upon the confiftency of all divine revelations, becaufe 218 SERMON IV. It is in reference to thefe principles, that we will condud our prefent enquiry. And firft we will afcertain how far the Sed, which lays fo iraperioufly its claim to divinity, has thofe fignatures of external evidence, which, if its claim be well founded, it cannot but poffefs. That we may be clearly underftood in this point, it will not be unneceffary perhaps, to make a few previous obfervations. In every intercourfe which the Almighty has 'been pleafed to hold with his creatures, he has gracioufly followed the fame method which they pur'fue in their folemn inter- courfes with one another. For as with men no one prefumes to ad under delegated authori ty, until he has firft required and obtained fome pledge whereby he may know that au thority to ad has really been conferred upon him; fo the Supreme Being, though he might in every cafe compel our obedience, neverthe- becaufe one of the methods, by which Mr. Wefley would de fend his Sect, is by afferting, that, though great inconfiftencies be difcovered in any work pretending to come from God, thefe form no argument to prove that the work is not truly his. A mode of reafoning this, which would take from us the poffi- bility of diftinguifhing not only truth from error, but of detect ing even wilful impofture. See Wefley's Works, vol. xvii. p. 188. The fame idea is alfo purfued in another tract in the fame vol. p. 247. lefs SERMON IV. 219 lefs permits that we Should fully fatisfy our felves as to the reality of our miSfion, before we undertake the work which he has affigned us to perform. That the Almighty is pleafed to ad in this manner is owing, if we may be permitted to ufe the expreSfions, not fo much to his con- defcenfion to the weaknefs of our natures; or to his defire of overcoming any irrational fears, which we might chance to entertain ; as to his intention of ading in conformity to that eternal law of wifdom, by which in all its operations divine perfedion is di reded. For as every difpenfation muft of neceffity be administered by the hands of an intermediate agent ; unlefs that agent be fully fatisfied of the truth of his commiSfion ; un lefs he feel within himfelf the ftrongeft pof fible convidion that he is not deluded, how can he ad with that confidence, which will be neceffary to enfure the fuccefs of the work which is entrufted to his care ? ' Thus Gideon required and obtained two miracles, to afcertain whether the Lord would indeed deliver Ifrael by his hand, as he had faid x. Thus, in like manner, two miracles were offered to Mofes before he was expeded * Judge? vi. 36. to 220 SERMON IV. to enter on the ftill more arduous office of refcuing the JewiSh nation from the power of the Egyptians ; even though the way, in which he had been permitted to converfe with Jehovah, muft have precluded every doubt concerning the reality of his miflion y. In neither cafe however were thefe fervants of God reproved for incredulity. On fuch im portant occasions a certain degree of diffi dence may be well pleafing in the fight of the Almighty. So that perhaps we might even venture to believe, that he will at all times approve our condud, when, impreffed with an humble fenfe of our own unworthi- nefs, and fearful of mistaking the fuggeftions of a proud human imagination for divine commandments, we feek for ftrong evidence to convince us that he hath really committed to our care the accomplishment of his extra ordinary difpenfations. But yet further. As the Almighty requires not that his efpecial Minifters fliould ad un til they know that authority has been im parted ; fo neither does he exped that the perfons to whom they are fent fhould receive them, until fuch time as the proof of that authority fhall have been difplayed. Thus y Exodus iv. i. et feq. when SERMON IV. 221 when the promife of a Saviour was revealed to Ahaz, before he was required to believe, he was permitted to afk a fign, either in the depth below, or in the height above z. Thus alfo, when Chrift fent his Apoftles to preach the Gofpel, he anticipated every requeft, and re moved every apprehenfion, by affuring them, that they Should have power to perform mi racles a. And if this power was imparted, it was not in order to add perfonal importance to the charader of the Apoftles ; but that, by enabling them to exhibit fuch external evi dence in fupport of the truth of their caufe, as no human art could imitate, the nature of their miflion might be evident to all menb. Had it not been for this, how could the Gentiles have , been expeded to receive doc trines which were fo oppofite to all their former notions ? How could they have been z Ifaiah vii. ii. a Matt. x. i. and Mark xvi. 17 b " But how were fuch perfons, whom we fuppofe Teachers " from heaven, to prevail with others to receive what they " taught as the will of God ? Will their bare affertion be fuffi- " cient ? At this rate a wide door would be opened to impof- " ture, and every one might, at pleafure, publiffi the whims of a " difordered imagination, or the errors of a depraved heart, as " meffages from heaven. It muft, therefore^ be in the power of " the divine Teacher to appeal to fome credential, that may " prove he hath a right to be believed,'' Bp. ofSalifburys Crite rion, or Miracles examined, p. 42. perfuaded 222 SERMON IV. perSiiaded to renounce a national belief, and to abandon the religion of their forefathers ; expofing themfelves to the anger of thofe daemons, whom before they worfhipped ; un lefs fuch works had been previoufly wrought, as might prove that the perfons who ad- dreffed them had been both inftruded and commiffioned by the Almighty to teach them the words of everlafting life P Arguing then from thefe pofitions, as the Founders of this new Sed afferted them felves to have been fent from the Almighty, our firft queftion muft be, whether they were certain that they aded under his au thority. That they believed they did, we will readily allow : this will however by no means remove the fufpicion of Enthufiafm. Did they afk for, did they receive, any un questionable proof that this their belief was well founded? Some fufficient teftimony the Almighty never yet refufed to any of his mef- fengers: and could they have fuppofed that, being unchangeable in mercy and in wifdom, he would have refufed Such a teftimony unto them ? When therefore one of them afferts in thefe very awful words, "The Eternal, the Al- "mighty,the Self- existing God hathfent meb;" b " The Eternal Almighty I AM hath fent me.'' See the Bp. of London on Enthufiafm, p. 17. We need hardly remark, that SERMON lV. 223 if his belief of this was founded on no other proof than on the confufed dreams of child hood, and on the cafual coincidence of a few trifling circumftances, is not this En thufiafm c? Or again ; if the other perfuaded himfelf1 that his preaching was prepara tory to the final coming of Chrift to purify his Church, and to reign glorioufly upon the earth dj and had nothing whereon to 1 that the above words of Mr. Whitefield's are the fame with thofe by which the divine commiffion was given to Mofes : Thus fhalt thou fay, " I AM hath fent me." Exodus iii. 14. c " Near this time I dreamed that I was to fee God on " mount Sinai, but was afraid to meet -him. This made a " great impreffion upon me : and a' gentlewoman, to whom I told " it, faid, George , this is a call from God." Short Account of God"s early Dealings with Mr. Whitefield, p. 13, " As I was going on an errand, an unaccountable impreffion " was made on my heart, that I fhould preach and print " quickly. When I came home, I innocently told this to my " mother:" but like Jofeph he was not regarded. " God however " has fince fhewn her from what that impreffion came." Hid. p. 14. He recounts another dream, p. 34. and again 37. Even fome inference feems to be drawn from the circumftance of his, having been born at an inn, becaufe " my dear Saviour " was born in a manger belonging to an inn." P. 5. d " Mr. Wefley confidered Methodifm as a grand revival of *' religion, and plainly affures the world, that he regarded it as " the principal event preparatory to the glory of the latter days, *' and the converfion of all nations to the faith of Chrift.* And fo perfuaded was he of this, that he declares he is afto- nifhed that Bengelius could have affigned the year 1836 for that event, fince he muft have heard of his preaching. Hamp- furis 224 • SERMON IV. ground this perfuafion, but merely the con vidion he felt that it was true, is not this alfo Enthufiafm ? For the Apoftle and the Enthufiaft differ fiot in the ftrength of their convidions. Thefe in both may be equally ftrong. They differ in this ; that the Apoftle refts his convidion on fuch proof as renders it impoffible that he fhould have been de ceived ; while the Enthufiaft refts his on fuch teftimony as reafon muft rejed as infuf- ficient ; and which he himfelf, in any other cafe but his own, would acknowledge to be mere delufion. It Should feem then, that the Authors of this new Communion had received no proof which juftified them in their belief of thofe claims which they advanced. Let us now enquire whether the teftimony of their works be fuch as will authorife us, as reafbnable beings, as be ings who are refponfible for our adions to God, to acknowledge the divinity of their miSfion. To exped that the teftimony of works fhould be afforded was fo natural, that no fooner were the pretenfions of thefe new Teachers made known, than the demand was made by every difpaffionate member of the Eftablifhed Church. To whom it was an- fon's Life of Wefley, vol. ii. p. 4. Mr. Whitefield feems to have almoft had the fame opinion. Gillies' Life of Whitefield, p. 144. fwered, SERMON IV. 225 fwered," Would you have us prove by mira- " cles that our dodrines are true ? It is a grofs " abSiirdity to exped miracles in this cafe : " we prove them by the Scriptures, by rea- " fon, and antiquity6." But here we may obferve, that the queftion was either mifunderftood, or perverted. The enquiry was not, whether the dodrines were true, but whether the miSfion was divine. Could this latter point have been eftabliShed, there would have been no difficulty in adopt ing the dodrines which were taught. Compelled however at laft to meet the objedion, it was replied in the following words : "It may be queftioned reafonably, •' whether there was ever that man living " upon earth, who could work miracles " when he pleafed. If he could, there is no " Scripture authority for doing it in order to '* fatisfy fuch a demand ; miracles therefore " are quite needlefs in our cafe f." Still this anfwer was both inaccurate and fophiftical. For, if an appeal were made to reafon, it would be found, that as an argument it was fallacious ; if a reference were made to Scripture, that as an affertion it was un- " Mr. Wefley's Third Appeal, p. 122, 3, 4. f" Third Appeal, p, 123-4. q founded. 2a6 SERMON IV. founded. Two points however it eftablifhed, and thefe the only points on which we need infift ; the one, that the neceffity of miracles to atteft the divinity of this Sect was abfo- lutely difclaimed: the other, that its Apoftles unequivocally confeffed, that they had no power to perform them. We now are to re quire that they ad confiftently with thefe declarations. What Shall we fay then, when we hear it afferted, that if we rejed this religion 5, (for fuch was the name they gave their Sed,) the ground of our condemnation will be this, that the Almighty had interfered miraculoufly to prove that the work was his ? Or, how can we reconcile it to any principle of reafon, that thefe new Teachers fhould fo constantly have declared, that they extorted not from men only, but from the very powers of darknefs, a reludant confeffion, that they were truly the 'meffengers of God h? Nor were thefe the e Mr. Wefley went fo far as even to fay, " that Methodifm " was the only Religion worthy of God." Hampfon's Life, vol. iii. p. 30. h As Mr. Wefley's Journal may not be in every body's hands, we fhall be pardoned perhaps if we give one or two of thefe miraculous atteftations to the truth of his million, fome- what at length. " I was fent for to one of thofe who had been " fo ill before. A violent rain began when I fet out : juft " at that time the woman (then three miles off) cried out, " Yonder comes Wefley. When I came, fhe burft into an " horrid SERMON. IV. 227 only divine attestations granted in their fa vour. Did they doubt where they fhould go " horrid laughter, and faid, No power, no faith, her foul is " mine. One — (in this manner Mr. W. frequently defignates " himfelf) — One, who was clearly convinced that this was no " natural diforder, faid, I think Satan is let loofe ; I fear he " will not flop here ; and added, I command thee in the name " of the Lord Jefus, to tell if thou haft commiffion to torment " any other foul. It was immediately anfwered, I have." The names of two women are then mentioned ; who are defcribed as falling foon after into a ftrange agony, with con- vulfions, cries, and groans, too horrid to be borne : from which they are both delivered by Mr. W.'s prayers. " To one " of them God in a moment fpoke : fhe knew his voice, and " was healed both in body and foul." Third Journal, p. 115,116. A perfon " who had been zealous for the Church," and had declared that Mr. W.'s pretenfions were delufion, is of a fudden fupernaturally feized with agonies of body, and of mind. Mr. W. fays, "I came in, and he cried out, Let all the world fee the juft " judgment of God. He immediately fixed his eyes upon me, " and ftretching out his hand, cried, Aye, this is he who I faid " was a deceiver of the people : but God has overtaken me. " He then roared -out, O thou legion of devils, thou canft not " ftay ; Chrift will caft thee out : I know his work is begun. . " Mr. W- then, with thofe who were with him, betook him- " felf to prayer : the pangs ceafed ; and the man was fet at " liberty, both in body and foul." Third Journ. p. 56. In another inftance, it is revealed in a dream to a lady, who is horribly poffeffed by, the devil, and who was made worfe by the attendance of the regular Minifter, that Mr. W. fhould be fent to heal her. She fees Mr. W. acknowledges him to be the perfon who had been revealed to her in the dream, and is healed. ' All the circumftances of this tranfaction are to be found, Bp. Lavingion's Enthuf. &c. vol. ii. p. 75. He adduces in the fame fection many other relations of a fimilar nature ; a 2 and sa8 SERMON IV. to preach their dodrines, they were direded by fupernatural intimations ': did they travel among ftrangers, a reception was miracu loufly provided for them k : did they preach the word, the elements were commanded and points out fome circumftances, which might almoft lead to a fufpicion of deliberate impofture. ' " Which looking like the call given Paul, when the man " appeared to him„faying, Come over to Macedonia, and help " us ; I this morning, in the name and ftrength of God, fet " out for New York." Whitefield's Fifth Journal, p. 33. " This " day I intended to ftay on board ; but God being pleafed to " fhew me it was not his will, I went on fhore." Ditto, Firft Journal, p. 31. "I have effayed to come to you more than " once or twice; but, I believe I may fay, * the Spirit fuffered " me not.'' Lett. 518. It was indeed the practice of both Mr. Wefley and Mr. Whitefield to confult the Almighty by lot, whenever they doubted where to go. See Wefley's Third Journal, p. 38. and Whitefield's Letter to Wefley, Works, vol. iv. p. 55. k " I am going to the houfe of a wealthy gentleman," fays Mr. Whitefield, " whom God has commanded to receive me." Bp. Lavington, vol.i, p. 67. " Long before I reached Gibraltar, " I prayed that God would direct me where I fliould lodge ; " and lo, he has anfwered me. A perfon I never faw has " fent to tell me, he has provided a convenient lodging for me.'' Firft Journal, p. 32. So again in the Fifth Journal, p. 25. " I pray to God before I go, and I find, in anfwer to my " prayer, that he always commands fome or other of his " houfehold to take care of and provide for me." Mr. W. feems to have fuppofed that the Almighty carried his provi dence fo far as even to provide money for him. " Tell dear Mr. " , that our Saviour will enable me to pay him the ajl. " he lent me, with a thoufand thanks." Lett. 519. See par ticularly Lett. 293. to SERMON TV. 229 to be ftill1: did they faint under their la bours, they were inftantaneoufly fupportedm: 1 " At three in the afternoon I preached at Heptonftall, on " the brow of the mountain. The rain began almoft as I be- " gan to fpeak. I prayed that, if God thought beft, it may be " ftayed, till I had delivered his word. It was fo ; and then " began again. On the 26th, when I began to preach, in a " meadow, the wind was fo high that I could hardly fpeak. " But the winds too, are in God's hand. In a few minutes " that inconvenience ceafed. On the 27th I left the church " to preach in the open air ; and though it had rained inter- " mittingly before, from the moment I came out of the " church the rain ceafed. How many proofs muft we have, " that there is no petition too little, any more than too great, " for God to grant?" Wefley s Tenth Journal, p. 9, and 10. Mr. Whitefield, in like manner, fays, " When I was preaching " it rained; but God waspleafed fbvifibjy to Interpofe, in cauf- " ing the weather to clear up, and the fun to fhine out, juft as " I began, that I could not avoid taking notice of it in my dif- " courfe." Third Journal, p. 94. So but two days before, when it rained fo hard, as to make him almoft determine not to preach, prayer was made that "God .would withhold the rain: " which he did immediately." P. ^3. m Mr. Wefley relates, that he was once fo ill, as hardly to be able to fpeak ; "But," faid he, " thefe words, ' Thefe figns ffiall " follow thofe who believe;' came ftrongly into my mind. I " called on Jefus aloud, td increafe my faith, and confirm the " word of his grace. While I was fpeaking, my pain vanifh- " ed ; the fever left me ; and my bodily ftrength returned." Wefley's Fourth Journal, p. 72. So Mr. Whitefield declares, " that God fupported him without fleep," (Third Journal, p. j.) and that he cured him of an hoarfenefs in the pulpit, fo as to enable him " to lift up his voice like a trumpet." See Bp. La- vington, vol. i. part ii. p. 45. " And at another time," fays Mr. Whitefield, " perceiving an uncommon drought, and a difa- 03 " greeable 230 SERMON IV. were they ever in danger, fome miracle was wrought to preferve them": or were they op pofed in their miniftry, thofe who withstood them were fuddenly called hence by the Al mighty himfelf, to anfwer for their guilt before his dread tribunal °. To affert fuch re peated inftances of miraculous interposition, when all pretenfions to miraculous interpofi- ". greeable clamminefs in my mouth, and ufing things to allay " my thirft, but in vain ; it was fuggefted to me, that when " Jefus Chrift cried out, ' I thirft,' his fufferings were at an end. " Upon which I caft myfelf down upon the bed, crying out, ' I " thirft,' and acted faith upon a Crucified Jefus, bleeding for " me in particular; foon after I was delivered from the bur- " then that fo heavily oppreffed me." It was in this moment that he was regenerated. Account of Gods Dealings, &c. p. 29. n See Mr. Whitefield's Second Journal, p. 13. et feq. and Mr. Wefley's, No. v. from p. 118. to the end. But it will be needlefs to cite particular paffages : every page almoft of their Journals abounds with the accounts "of their miraculous preferva- tion amidft imminent dangers. I cannot forbear noticing how ever the following inftance. Mr. Whitefield in his Firft Journal, p. 23. having defcribed a wonderful deliverance which God had wrought for him when at fea, adds, " God fo ordered it, that " I knew nothing of it till it .was over." As if the Almighty was careful not only to preferve his life, but even to fave him from needlefs anxiety and apprehenfion. 0 Mr. S. was profeeuted for having repelled a perfon from the Communion. "What was the event?" fays Mr. Wefley. " He who alone was willing and able to efpoufe the caufe " took it into his hand ; and before the day, when it fhould " have been tried here, called the Plaintiff to anfwer at an " higher bar." Second Appeal, p. 49. tion SERMON IV. 231 tion had been difclaimed, is an inconsistency, which compels us to come to Some eonclufion. That the fads happened as recorded, we will readily allow : but that they were miraculous, we deny ; and this upon their own confef- fion. For if miracles were needlefs in their cafe, the Almighty cannot be fuppofed to have wrought any. The occurrences above cited muft therefore have been common and ordi nary events ; and the mind, before it could have ferioufly believed them to have been fu pernatural, muft have been deluded by the Spirit of Enthufiafm. To prove that this eonclufion is well founded, let it be obferved, that, were all thofe fads miraculous, which the Authors of the Sed- would wilh us to believe were mira culous, their miSfion will have been attefted by nearly as many manifeftations of God's co operation, as was that of the Apoftles. It is remarkable however, that many of thefe at- teftations are of a nature fb puerile, and given fometimes on occasions fo trifling, that the very reverence, which is due to a religious affembly, does not permit us now So much as even to recite themp. Which fcircumftance is p " What I here aver is the naked fact ; let every man ac- " count for it as he fees good. My horfe being exceeding lame, " and myfelf tired, I thought ' Cannot God heal either man or a 4 " beaft, 232 SERMON IV. fufficient of itfelf to prove that thofe events could not have been produced, as they be lieved, by divine agency. For if it may be faid on the one hand, that the works per formed by the Apoftles are in themfelves fo dignified, and in their application fo juft, that they bear intrinfic marks of having really been wrought by the power of God ; on the other hand it muft be argued, that the works which were adduced in favour of thefe new Teachers could not have proceeded from the fame divine Author. How then, let it afked, how could this diftindive difference have been unnoticed ? How could the mind have been infenfible to fuch a ftriking contraft, unlefs it were that the judgment had been previously perverted by means of the imagination ? Had it not been owing to this caufe, the Authors of the Sed could never have for gotten that both reafon and religion teach us that there are certain particulars, which, as cha raderiftic marks, muft be found to unite in fa- your of every work pretending to be fuperna- " beaft, by any means, or without any.' Immediately my weari- " nefs and my horfe's lamenefs ceafed in the fame inftant." Sixth Journal, p. 125. In like manner Mr. Seward: " My " horfe fell, and I fell off: but, bleffed be God, (who fent his " angel to preferve me) I had not the leaft hurt ; not fo much " as of my foot againft a ftone." Journal, p. 86. tural, SERMON IV. S33 tural, before we are juftified in believirig it to be fuch. It is neceffary, for inftance, that the authenticity of a miracle fhould not reft upon the bare teftimony of the perfon on whom it is faid to have been wrought, and Still lefs upon the word of him who profeffes to have wrought it. It is neceffary that the witneffes adduced in its Support Should be fuch as could have had no intereft in countenancing impofture, and fuch too as had the means of deteding delufion. And, above all, it is neceffary that the event fhould have been unequivocally and publicly both affirmed, and admitted to have been miraculous at the very time when it occurred q. Did we not infift 1 " Now I think it will- be impoffible for you to affign any " particular inftance of a Pagan or Popifh miracle, the ac- " counts of which do not labour under one or other of the " following defects, which we think warrant our difbelieving " them. " I. We fufpedt the accounts to be falfe, when they are not " publifhed to the world till long after the time when they are " faid to be performed. " II. When they are not publifhed in the place where it is " pretended that the facts are wrought, but are propagated ", only at a great diftance from the fuppofed fcene of action. " III. Suppofing the accounts to have the two foregoing " qualifications, we ftill may fufpect them to be falfe, if in the " time when,, and at the place where, they took their rife, they " might be fuffered to pafs without examination." Bp. of Saljjburyys Criterion, or Miracles examined,- &c. p. j;, on 234 SERMON IV. on this combination of evidence, the creduli ty of fome, and the art of others, might im- pofe. upon us as miracles, events which in reality were nothing more than the refult of natural caufes. So powerful is our imagina tion, and fo imperfed are our fenfes, that, were we not cautious what we admitted in this particular, there is no circumftance, however trivial, which might not fometimes delude us. The murmuring of the wind, the glimmering of refleded light, or the paffing Shadow of a cloud, would be fufficient to lead us into error : and thus the meafure of our faith would depend upon the weak nefs of our judgment, or the ftrength of our imagination r. Of the miracles recorded in Scripture, there is not one which can be attributed to the power of fancy, to the fortunate con currence of circumftances, or to the opera tion of natural caufes. If any be found, which might be referred, even in part, to thefe caufes, they are attended with fuch col lateral evidence, as removes from the unpre judiced mind all doubt of their authenticity. Thus when the fon bf the nobleman was healed, it might have been urged, that the r See Tranfactions of Manchefter Society, vol. iii. p. 463. fudden SERMON IV. 235 fudden intermiffion of diforders rendered it not impoffible but that he might have acci dentally recovered during the abfence of his father. Of this the latter appears to have been confcious, for he is not defcribed as believing, until he had afcertained that his child was reftored at the felf- fame hour, in which Jefus had faid, ' ' Thy J on liveth s." Forming our judgment then on thefe prin ciples, we may venture to affirm, that, if we are willing, we can never be at a lofs to af certain the real charader of every work which claims to be fupernatural. The illuf- tration of a particular inftance will beft ex plain and confirm what has been advanced. As far as we can draw any eonclufion from a paffage of his writings, which is worded with much ambiguity, we are to believe that the Author of the Sed confiders himfelf, in the courfe of his miniftry, to have miracu loufly reftored a perfon to life. But the event is attefted by none of thofe circum ftances, which are neceffary to prove that it was miraculous. For inftance, it happened in a private chamber : no one is fpecified who witneffed it ; no proof is given that it was known or conceived by others to have s Johniv. 51, 32. been 236 SERMON IV. been a fupernatural occurrence; it is recorded only by the perfon who was the agent ; and even he afferts'no more than, that the perfon feemedto be dead. Let all thefe circumftances be confidered, and it will be found that no thing, fhort of Enthufiafm, could have led any one to believe that the event was miraculous11. * See Journal v., p. 83. I am fenfible that the narration is fo worded, as that it may be faid, that no miracle is here laid claim to. But Mr. Wefley's concluding words muft' be allowed to prove, in what light he confidered the event. " I " wait to hear, who will either difprove this fact, or philofophi- " cally account for it." P. 84. Had he not believed the man to have been dead, he muft have known that his recovery was to be accounted for on natural principles. That fome of his Sect had the power of working miracles he believed; he might there fore well believe, that the fame power might have been commu nicated to himfelf. See Hampfon's Life, vol. ii. p. 130. and the account of the manner in which an Enthufiaft, who was encouraged by Mr. W. attempted to reftore a blind man to fight, by anointing his eyes with clay, or fpittle, and pronounc ing authoritatively Ephphatha. P. 132. Yet Mr, W. believed, that this perfon had in another inftance cured a woman of an inveterate complaint, and in his ufual mode of decifion obferves, '• She was ill ; fhe is well; fhe was fo in a moment." P. 131. And here it fhould be obferved, that, when fpeaking of the cures wrought by himfelf, he never pofitively afferts that they were miraculous; he only throws out an intimation that they could not have been natural occurrences. SetBp. Lavington, &c. vol. ii. p. 131. et feq'. — p. 211. and 214. where Mr. W. afferts pofitively the power of working miracles. The following letter addreffed toMr.W. and inferted by himfelf into his Third Jour nal, p. 35. will probably be thought a ftifficient proof to decide the queftion, fhould any doubt be entertained. " Sir, Your " prayers SERMON IV. a3; But when the bleffed Jefus — (O, let it not be thought irreverent, that we have adduced the facred operations of his Almighty power, to expofe the Weak pretentions of Enthufi afm) — when he, I fay, whofe name is above every name, in atteftation of the truth of his miSfion is defcribed as having raifed the dead, not all the arts of infidelity, not all the powers of fcepticifm, are able to difcover a fingle circumftance that can difprove the fad. Who is there that muft not be fenfible, that there is even a ftudied caution to pre clude the poffibility of delufion in the cafe of Lazarus ? He had been dead four days al ready, and his body was turned to corruption, before- our divine Lord thought proper to ap proach his grave. Not from unkindnefs,orfrom any difregard to the forrow of his brethren, was this delay occafioned ; but folely to the intent, that fuch changes might take place as would convince the moft incredulous that the work to be performed did neither refult from natural caufes, nor depend upon the force of imagination. When therefore La zarus came forth, we believe the event to " prayers are defired for a child that is lunatic, that our Lord " would be pleafed to heal him, as be did thofe in the days " of his flefhr ." have 238 SERMON IV. have been really a miracle, becaufe all the neceffary evidence unites to prove, not only that the fad took place as it is defcribed, but that it could not have been referred to natural caufes u. Once more, let me hope that it will not be thought unbecoming thus to have brought, as it were within the verge of comparifon, two narrations, in every effential point fb widely different. In fad, the heavens are not further removed from the earth, than would the terms of the comparifon be, were any intended. We truft however, that the contraft between truth and error will have been made fo ftriking, as that every reafona- ble mind muft acknowledge, that thofe works, which are conceived to be fupernatural by Enthufiafts, can never, unlefs wilfully, be confounded with thofe which have been produced by divine agency. It appears then, that the claim to a divine commiSfion, which was advanced by the Au thors of the Sed before us, is unfupported by one part of external evidence. Of the fecond part of it, that is of the completion of pro phecy, little need be faid. They did not even pretend, that their coming was foretold n See John, chap.xi. and xii. 10. ii. by SERMON IV. 239 by the infpired writers. And yet, it would not have been unreafonable. to exped, that an event of fuch importance, as they conceiv ed their coming to have been, Should have been made the fubjed of prophecy1. For they tell us that their coming was the, period in which the great God and Saviour would arife to be avenged of his adverfaries ; that it was his laft call to a guilty world ; that it was his fi nal effort to vifit and redeem his people. However, as nothing feems to have been af ferted, with any precision, on this head, there is nothing to confute. Perhaps it was wife to be filent. If prophecy have taught us to expect any thing in thefe latter days, it is neither new revelations nor new meffengers from the throne of grace ; it is rather falfe prophets, and falfe teachers we are to exped, x Yet there are expreflions, which might lead us to fuppofe, that they even thought themfelves the immediate object of prophecy. We have feen that Mr. Wefley was furprifed that Bengelius fhould not have confidered his preaching to have been the fulfilment of Scripture prophecy. Mr. Whitefield fays, " God was pleafed to fulfil in me the promife given in Jeremiah, " xxiii. 12. 34. Thus faith the Lord — I will gather the rem- " nant of my flock, out of all countries whither I have driven " them ; and will bring them again to their folds, and they " ffiall be fruitful and increafe, and I will fet fhepherds over " them, which fhall feed them, and they fhall fear no more.'' Fifth Journal, p. 47. who 240 SERMON IV, who are defcribed as having power to entice the credulous with lying wonders ; and to miflead with unfound dodrines fuch as fhould be fond of novelty. And here our enquiry might be clofed. For as it has been proved that the divine miffion of the Authors of this new Sed is attefted by no mark of external evidence ; we cannot but infer, that their belief in fuch a miffion was owing to the force of imagina tion. As it would contribute, however, to fhew the greatnefs of their delufion, could we prove that their claims to divine communi cations are as deftitute of internal, as they are of external evidence, we will proceed to ex amine this part of the queftion alfo. On the firft criterion of internal evidence, namely, ¦ on the agreement of the dodrines taught with the whole tenor of Revelation, we need not long infift. There are certainly many dodrines, which thefe new Teachers hold in common with the Church of Chrift. There are fome however, which are peculiar to themfelves : of thefe the three following are feleded, as being fundamental in their re ligion. I. They maintained the neceffity of feel ing the affurance of faivation and forgive- nefs SERMON IV. 241 nefs of fin : which affurance is not to arife from any convidion of the underftanding in the application of God's promifes j but from a fudden infufion of divine feeling, and an irrefiftibleimpulfej which is to be communi cated always by a fenfible, Sometimes even a vifible, defcent of the Holy Ghoft; and fome times by a manifestation of our bleffed Lord in perfon y. y " God does now as aforetime give remiffions of fin, ,and " the gift of the Holy Ghoft to us ; and that always fuddenly, " as far as I have known, and often in dreams, and in the vi- " fions of God." Mr. Wefley, as cited by Hampfon in his Life, vol. ii. p. 81. So again : " I am one of many witneffes of " this matter of fact, that God does very frequently, (give the " divine call) during a reprefentation (how made I know not, " but not to the outward eye) of Chrift, either hanging On " the Crofs, or ftanding on the right hand of God." Mr. W. ut fup. p. j^. But fometimes, even the vifible appearance of our bleffed Lord is afferted. " I faw the fountain opened in his " fide-^-we have often feen Jefus Chrift crucified, and evidently " fet forth before us — ." Bp. Lavington, vol. i. part i. p. 51. So Coke's Life of Wefley, p. 329. " Being in the utmoft agony of " mind, there was clearly reprefented to him Jefus Chrift " pleading for him with God the Father, and gaining a free " pardon for him." Thus in Mr. W.'s Letters publifhed by Dr. Prieftley, p. 70. " A young man, as he was going to re- " ceive the Sacrament, had God the Father come to him, but "he did not ftay with him; but God the Son did ftay, " who came holding his crofs in his hands — ." Mr. White- field declares that " a moft remarkable out-pouring of the Spirit " has \>zenfeen in their affemblies." Fifth Journal, p. 41. So his Biographer : " I myfelf have been wifnefs to the Holy Ghoft r " falling 242 SERMON IV. II. They taught that believers may attain to perfedion in this life, fo as to be abfolute- ly freed from the dominion of fin z. III. They infifted, that regeneration, as underftood in our Church, is a fuperftitious and idolatrous notion. That in fad it is a fu pernatural procefs, which at fome period of our lives takes place in our hearts : and begin ning fuddenly, after horrible pangs, and groans, " falling- upon Mr. Whitefield and his hearers, oftener than " once." Gillies' Life of Whitefield, p. 94. See alfo p. 34. and 43- z As fome perfons believe that Mr. Wefley, in afferting the doctrine of perfection, meant to affert only a comparative, not an abfolute dominion over fin, we may be pardoned the length of the following quotation. They are Mr. W.'s own words, "They " (the fanctified, with whom probation is ended) are freed " from felf-will : as defiring nothing, no not for a moment, " but the holy and perfect will of God : neither fupplies " in want, nor eafe in pain, nor life, nor death, but con- " tinually cry in their inmoft foul, Father, thy will be done.'' " They are freed from evil thoughts, fo that they cannot enter " into them, no not for an inftant. Aforetime (i, e. when " only juftified) when an evil thought came in, they looked up, " and it vanifhed away : but now it does not come in ; there " being no room for this in a foul which is full of God, They " are freed from wanderings in prayer : they have an unction " from the Holy One, which abideth in them, and teacheth " them every hour what they ffiall do, and what they fliall " fpeak." Set Preface to Second Vol. of Mr. W.'s Hyrntis, p. 6, 7. Tucker's Hiftory of the Principles of Me'tbodifm, p. 38. and Hampfon's Life of Wefley, vol. iii. p. 52. et feq. and Coke's Ditto, p. 278. and 344. and SERMON IV. 243 and fcreams, and frequently delirium, is ter minated, fometimes after a few hours agony, in rapturous fenfations, ecftafies, and an incon ceivable joy of heart a. Such are three of the principal tenets of the Sed ; arid we need not fcruple to affert, that in the fenfe here given them, they are * Mr. Whitefield called our notion of Regeneration, ourDiana of Ephefus, (Works, vol. iv. p. 241.) in allufion to Acts xix. where Demetrius and the Craftfmen oppofe the Apoftles, be caufe, if the veneration for their idol was deftroyed, their craft, by which they gained their wealth, would be in danger. The manner, in which " the pangs ofthe new birth" came on each individual, occafionally varied : generally fpeaking, thofe who experienced them fell to the ground like perfons ftruck by lightning, and lay groveling in unfpeakable agonies till they fud denly fprung up full of joy, and poffeffed with the affurance of falvation. See Journals paffim. Sometimes they were feized wijji horrid fits of involuntary laughter : " fometimes fcreaming out " that they were damned, and grinding their teeth, they longed' " to tear their preacher to pieces, and thus made their meet- " ing-houfe refemble the habitation of apoftate fpirits.'' See a tremendous account of one of thefe affemblies in Hampforis Life of Wefley, vol. ii. p. 70. There were occafions on which they afferted that they felt as if a fword was running through them : and they declared, " that the blood of Chrift ran down " their arms and throats ; or that it was poured like warm " water on their breafts and hearts." Ibid. p. 74. In Coke's Life of Mr. Wefley, it is related, that " of 6 or 7000 people " there were few comparatively who had the proper ufe of their " bodily powers : fome were lying as in the pangs of death : " fome as cold as clay: yet during this time, they were happy " beyond defcription." P. 464. R 2 con- 244 SERMON IV. contradidory to the dodrines taught in the pure and uncorrupted page of Scripture. That there is an affurance of falvation, which the pious Chriftian is permitted to en tertain, the Scriptures, bleffed be the infinite mercies of God, fully teftify. But they tell us, that this affurance refults from a firm re liance on the faithfulnefs of God's promifes; that it is conneded with a conftant perfever- ance in well-doing; and is to be encouraged with fear and trembling. But what page, or word of Holy Writ is there, that teaches us abfolute dominion over fin ? There is none. We may proceed mdeedfromftrength to ftrength; and by the affiftance of God's grace we fhall fo proceed. At beft however that ftrength is but weaknefs. And whatever comparative perfec tion is attained on this fide the grave, it is acquired from knowing that we are hourly liable to fall. As for the new birth, we are taught that this is the gradual renovation of the heart, through the influence of the Holy Spirit ; a renovation begun on earth, and perfeded then only, when this mortal fhall have put on immortality ; when this corruption fhall have put on incorruption, and the crea ture fhall be permitted to Stand in the pre- fence of his Creator. To diftort then thefe dodrines from their original SERMON IV. 245 original meaning ; to build on them the moft dangerous conceits ; and then to enforce them as the fundamentals of a fyftem, is a con dud which of itfelf abundantly proves, that thefe new Teachers can lay no claim to that internal evidence in favour of the divinity of their Sed, which ought to be drawn from a perfed conformity of its dodrines to thofe of Revelation. Thus much may be fufficient on this point. We fhall therefore proceed to fhew that the Sed is altogether destitute of the fecond mark of internal evidence ; namely, that of a perfed confiftency between the dodrines taught refpedively by its Founders. Which confiftency muft of neceffity appear, if indeed thofe dodines were revealed to them from God. For when we confider the nature of the Supreme Being, we cannot but allow, that knowledge is in Him fo perfed, and truth fo immutable, that all his revelations, at whatever interval delivered, or by whatever means conveyed, cannot poffibly admit of the fmalleft variation. It is by an application of this rule, that the Chriftian Religion, although fo often tried, 'has always approved itfelf to be of God. The confiftency of the Apoftles is to the Believer a matter of lafting triumph and confolation. r 3 Separated 246 SERMON IV. Separated from each other by diftant king doms, inftruding different nations ; writing at various times, perhaps in various languages, and certainly without the poffibility of collu- fion, or even the mutual knowledge of their common intentions ; ftill they uniformly de livered one and the fame Gofpel ; whence it is to a demonstration proved, that the Spi rit, which gave the fame utterance to all, muft have been in all the fame. But in the hiftory of this new Sed, one of the moft ftriking circumftances is the dif- cofdancy of the dodrines which its Founders taught. For though they both afferted, that the Spirit of Truth had inftruded them in what they were to teach mankind, neverthe lefs, in the dodrines which they delivered, they were perpetually at variance, not only with each other, but with themfelves. Thus one of them at one time afferted, that holi- nefs, whether of heart, or' of life, was not a condition of our acceptance with God ; and at another he declared that it Was b. In like b " The condition of our acceptance with God is not our " holinefs, either of heart or of life, but faith alone : faith as *' contradifiinguifihed from holinefs, as well as from good works." Wefley, Preface to Hymns. But in his Sermon on Ephef. ii. 8. — " We fpeak of a faith, which is necefifarily inclufive of all " good works, and all holinefs." Gentleman's Mag. vol. ix. p. 358. For SERMON IV. 247 manner the other of thefe Sedaries, although he was fo zealous an advocate for Calvinifm, as even to aSlure his followers, that it had been taught him of God himfelf, neverthe lefs profeffed dodrines diredly contrary to it; he acknowledged that he had been mistaken ; he recanted j and then he taught the fame opinions again, with even greater warmth than before c. Great however as may be the inconfiftency of the dodrines of thefe new Teachers, when compared with themfelves ; if we compare together what they each refpedively taught, we Shall difcover an inconfiftency even ftill more ftriking. For though one of them de clared, that the Holy Ghoft taught him " plainly the knowledge of divjne things, " even in the minuteft circumftances d •" the For other inconfiftencies, fee Tucker's Hiftory of Methodifm, p. 31. et feq. c See Tucker's Hiftory of Methodifm, p. 20. d " The Holy Spirit from time to time has led me into the " knowledge of divine things ; and I have been directed, by " watching and reading the Scriptures on my knees, even in " the minuteft circumftances, as plainly as the Jews were, when " confultjng the Urim and Thummim at the High Prieft's " breaft." Account of God's Dealings, p. 34. " Alas! I never " read any thing that Calvin wrote ; my doctrines I had from " Chrift, and his Apoftles ; 1 was taught them of God." Lett. 214. " Election is a doctrine, which I thought, and do now. s 4 " believe, 348 SERMON IV. other afferted, that the Almighty had ordered him to oppofe thefe very dodrjnes, which had been thus communicated, as impious, and as deftrudive of the Gofpel of Chrift e. To detail the manner in which they con- duded themfelves when they feparated, each profeffedly preaching a different Gofpel, would be to wound the ears of a pious congregation. They defcribe themfelves as confulting the Almighty in a manner equally puerile arid fuperftitious ; they accufe God of having de ceived them, in terms both impious and une quivocal ; and they are guilty of Such delibe rate falfehood, as no one could have been, who really was guided by the Holy Ghoft, and filled, as they declared themfelves to have been, with God. The bitter wrath, the ftrife, the fierce diffenfions that immediately followed, it were painful, and humiliating to enumerate f. " believe, was taught me of God." Gillies' Life of Whitefield, p. 68. e See Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xi. p. 322. There Mr, Wefley declares, " that he has an immediate call from God to " preach and publifh to the world, tha,t Mr. Whitefield's doc- " trine is highly injurious to Chrift." f See the whole of this tranfaction, as related by Mr. White- field, in his Letter to Mr. Wefley, on the fubject ; Works, vol. iv. p. $3. See alfo Wefley's Fourth Journal, p. 59. et feq. Gentleman's Magazine, vol. xi. p. 321. and Coke's Life of Wefley, p. 210. et feq. Mr. Wefley expelled from his fociety fome SERMON IV. 249 Nor need we infift upon them. Let us attend folely to the Statement of the cafe. We are folemnly affured by two men, that they were each fent by the Almighty to preach the pure - Gofpel of Salvation. We find however, that they not only contradided one another, but that each confidered himfelf as commanded by the Almighty to oppofe the dodrine which the other taught. One of them therefore muft have been under the influence of delufion. But when we find that neither of them was con- fiftent with himfelf; when we difcover that, though they affirmed that they had been di vinely inftruded what to teaeh, they never thelefs both of them profeffed one day, doc trines which they difclaimed, and controverted on the next ; we have no alternative, but to conclude, that they both muft have been alike deluded by the Spirit of Enthufiafm. Doth a fountain fend forth at the fame place fweet water and bitter B f Can the God fome who had attended Mr. Whitefield's meetings. It fhould be obferved, that the latter has promifed Mr. Wefley never to preach againft him. This promife he immediately brake ; and gave as an excufe, " that the promife given was only an effect " of human weaknefs ; he was now of another mind." Coke's Life, p. 214. Nor is this the only occafion on which Mr. Whitefield feems to have been guilty of deliberate breach of promife." See Whitehead's Life of Wefley, vol. i. p. 206, e James iii. 11. of 250 SERMON IV. of Truth teach two contrary dodrines to be equally true ? s And now, fince it is evident that this new Sed, though it was declared to have been fealed with every mark of a divine fignature, is fealed with none : fince its truth is attested by no internal evidence, inafmuch as the doc trines which its Authors taught are contradic tory both to themfelves and to the Scriptures: fince too it is equally deftitute of all external evidence ; becaufe, firft, no prophecies were accomplifhed ; and fecondly, becaufe none of thofe works were performed, which are always offered in proof of a divine miSfion; the eon clufion which we are to draw is obvious. They who could notwithftanding have believed that the work pro'ceeded from the Almighty; and could have thought that they were com- miffioned by him to be its Minifters, muft have aded under impreffions made on their minds by the force of mere imagination ; and afford as melancholy an inftance of enthufi aftic delufion as perhaps was ever recorded in the annals of the Chriftian Church. Such are the arguments which may be ad duced to prove, that the Authors of the Sed before us were, in the ftrid meaning of the word, Enthufiafts. And it will give weight to all our feveral conclufions to add, that one SERMON IV. 251 one of them has, even in the moft une quivocal manner, confeffed himfelf to have been deluded in the manner we fuppofe. I refer. not to the mode in which he defcribes himfelf to have been regenerated ; although nothing can be met with in the hiftory of Pagan Enthufiafm more charaderiftic of de lufion h. Neither do I allude to his own declaration, that " the Holy Ghoft over-ruled " and forced his will1;" although this like- h The Account of God's Dealings with Mr. Whitefield con tains the account of his regeneration. The whole of that work is particularly recommended to the attention of thpfe who wiffi to form a juft opinion of Mr. W.'s conduct. For not only does it give an accurate detail of the progrefs of his de lufion ; but that progrefs correfponds, in many points, exactly with what has been pointed out in the Firft Lecture, to be the ufual progrefs of Enthufiafm. It fhould be obferved, that Mr. W. declares, that the Holy Ghoft affifted him particularly to writ?, and directed him to publiffi that work. The feveral paf fages which have been already quoted from it will be thought perhaps fufficient to prove, that it could not have been dictated by any other Spirit than by that of the groffeft Enthufiafm. Mr. W. fays, he was fully convinced that the Devil had actual " poffeffion of, and power over, his body," p. 22. And we are almoft led to believe, that he afferts, that he actually faw the Devil, and converted with him. p. 22, 23, 24, 25. ' " Mr. Whitefield boafts that he has received extraordinary "illuminations, and furprifing influxes of the Holy Spirit; "and that it not only appealed to his underftanding, but " even over-ruled and forced his. will." Gentleman's Magazine, vol. ix. p. 294. " To-day my Mafter, (Chrift) by his Provi- " dence and Spirit, compelled me to preach in the church-yard " at Iflington : to-morrow I am to repeat that mad trick ; and "on z$z SERMON IV, wife has been proved to be eminently charac teristic of the enthufiaftic Spirit ', but I allude to thefe ftill more exprefs and unambiguous words : " I do confefs that imagination has " mixed itfelf with the work I have per- *' formed : — I own too, that I have made " impreffions without the written word, my " rule of ading : I have been too bitter " in my zeal ; wild-fire has mixed with it ; " and I find I have frequently written and " fpoken too much in mine own fpirit, when " I thought I was writing and fpeaking en- " tirely by the affiftance of the Spirit of « ther place, on going tp America, " His high commiffion to perform," he fpeaks with a confidence altpgether unexampled ; ?' The day, the dreadful day's at hand ! " In battle cover thou my head : " Paft is thy word — I here demand, " And confident expect thine aid. Third Journal, p. 114, y See this point purfued at length in Mr. Stinftra's Paftoral Letter againft Fanatieifm. Though Mr. Pafcal was not an Enthufiaft, in the ftrict meaning of the word, yet his conduct merits 346 ' SERMON VI. Let us now turn to examine that point, which was propofed as the more immediate objed of our confideration ; and let us en quire, whether all Schifms in general, and thofe in particular which have been eaufed by Enthufiafm, do not tend to corrupt that faith, which, when preferved entire and profeffed with a pure confcience, will be found to be both the wifdom of God, and the power of God unto falvation *. The firft way, in which Schifms operate to corrupt the faith, is by confirming, and by giving perpetuity to Herefies. For, ftridly fpeaking, there is no neceffary and unavoidable connedion between thefe two offences. Cafes may occur in which merits the particular attention of thofe who are difpofed to wards religious delufion. See his Life, prefixed to his Thoughts on Religion, and the article Pafcal in the General Dictionary. His two maxims were, to renounce every kind of gratification, and all fuperfluity. In adherence to thefe principles, he would not fo much as tafte what he eat : and he would not fhew any figns of natural affection to his neareft relations. By thefe, and by many other incredible aufterities, he fo broke his conftitution, ¦which was naturally delicate, that he died before he was forty. This particular inftance of the fatal effect of an enthufiaftic re finement upon religious duty, is to be fo much the more la mented, as otherwife Mr. Pafcal might have devoted his abili ties, which were eminently great, to the general benefit of mankind. z Rom. i. 16. I Cor. i. 24. they SERMON VI. 347 they fhall exift totally diftind from each other, Thus individuals openly profeffing heretical opinions, will neverthelefs fometimes remain in communion with the pure Apoftolical Church. And, in like manner, others holding the faith undefiled, as far as points of dodrine are concerned, may ftill be led from motives of pride, or ambition, or difcontent, to efta bliSh fchifmatical Communions a. The fe parate exiftence of thefe two offences is not common . indeed : but it is neither this cir cumftance, nor yet their refpedive finfulnefs, that is to determine the point in queftion. If it can be fhewn that any heretical dodrine, however mifchievous, could produce, compa- a A remarkable inftance of this occurs in the Schifm of the Donatifts. The doctrines which they maintained at the time of their feparation, were thofe of the Catholic Church. What ever difference of opinion they profeffed afterwards, refpecting the nullity of Baptifm and Ordination, unlefs adminiftered in their own Church; and the re-baptizing thofe who were ad mitted into their Communion, this arofe in the courfe of the difpute. The fole ground of the Schifm was the oppofition which was made to Csecilianus, who was confecrated to the Bifhopric of Carthage, without the confent of the Numidian Bifhops. This thefe latter refented ; and having declared the confecration of Caecilianus to be invalid, they proceeded to ap point Majorinus Bifhop in his ftead. See Mofheim. Cent. IV. p. ii. c 5. Hift. Ecclef. Magdeburgica. Cent. vii. p. 376, 7, 8. and Valerius de Schifmate Donatiftarum. Hift. Ecclef. Scrip- tores. Ed. Reading, vol. i. p. 775. ratively 348 SERMON VI. ratively fpeaking, little injury to the Church of Chrift, unlefs it were for the instrumenta lity of Schifm ; we then cannot but confider Schifm to be ultimately the occafion of al moft all the injury, which the Church may in confequence fuftain. Not that it Should be inferred, that this mode of reafoning tends to prove, or even to infinuate, that Herefies are fo far in them felves indifferent, as to derive their power of corrupting the purity of the Faith folely from the circumftance of their being conneded with Schifm. Far from it. No cafe can oc cur in which heretical dodrines muft not produce fome effect on Chriftianity, which will be more or lefs fatal, as the quality of the dodrines themfelves Shall decide. What we contend for is this: That as the fphere of their adion would be very limited, were it not for the co-operation of Schifm ; nay, as without this co-operation they might die away with the very perfons from whom they origi nated, the queftion, as far at leaft as it comes immediately before us, fhould feem to be decided. For we cannot but have obferved, that all human opinions, of whatever na ture they may be ; that all fciences, and all arts, when they are confined to thofe indivi duals who are their firft inventors ; or when they SERMON VI. 349 they are communicated to a few difciples only, have but a precarious exiftence ; that generally they are foon negleded, and often are forgotten. For this reafon therefore, mankind have always endeavoured to con ned, as much as poffible, the exiftence of fuch knowledge as they wiffi to perpetuate, with the intereft of fome fed, or community. They reafon, and juftly too, that the human mind is not only fond of the appearance and arrangement of fyftem, but that it will attach itfelf to thofe tenets which are made the dif- tinguifhing charaderiftics of a Sed, more rea dily than to any other. 'For it is obfervable, that all men take a perfonal intereft in the defence, or in the propagation of Such opi nions as they confider to be peculiar to their own community ; that they make thefe the teft and bond of union among themfelves ; and that being once pledged mutually to Sup port the fame common fentiments, their pride and felf-love will afterwards be grati fied in maintaining them, in defiance to the oppofition or the cenfures of the world. Admitting then thefe truths, and continu ally bearing in mind that the objed, either fecretly propofed, or openly avowed in Schifm, is to give permanency to a peculiar fet of opinions, we muft allow, that Schifm will produce, 350 SERMON VI. produce, if not immediately as its primary objed, mediately at leaft, as its unavoidable confequence, the corruption of the faith. So that the queftion might be, not merely whe ther Schifm do produce the effed which we have affigned to it ; but whether it do not tend, all circumftances confidered, more than any other caufe, to the fubverfion of Chrifti anity. A fecond reafon why -Schifms will injure the purity of the faith is this : That nothing introduces amongft men unfettled notions of Religion, fo much as divifions in the Church. Perhaps indeed it may be thought, that here we confider that to be the caufe, which is in reality the effed. So that it fhould rather have been ftated, that the unfettled notions, which men entertain with refped to Reli gion, occafion the increafe of Schifm. But though it be true that Schifm will naturally follow the public profeffion of new opinions; and though, confequently, in proportion to the variety of thefe opinions, will be the fre quency of Schifm ; yet, if we look further, and enquire what is the caufe why men are fo difpofed to affed novel dodrines, we pro bably Shall find it to be that, which has been juft mentioned. Whenever an individual founds a feparate Com- SERMON VI. 351 Communion, it will naturally be inferred, either that a new interpretation of the Scrip tures has been difcovered, or elfe that fome thing has been added to them, which renders them more complete than they were before. With the multiplication of Schifms therefore is conneded the belief, that Religion is capa ble of receiving material alterations. Nor is it poffible that the generality of mankind Should form any other conclusion. For it muft be evident to them, that all Schifmatics, in proportion as they are intent upon esta blishing their Communions, are careful to infift on Sbme one leading principle, which Shall ferve to diftinguiffi them from that re gular Church, the pale of which they have abandoned. If this were done in points of fpeculative fcience only, no ill confequence would enfue. For as it never was pretended that knowledge of this nature is to be judged of according to one certain revealed ftandard, it is exped ed, that in all fuch enquiries, repeated difa- greements will be found. Thus in the invef tigation of metaphyfical truths, fyftems may be raifed, which Shall foon be overthrown by others more perfed j and thefe too in their turn may be proved to be in part erroneous, and fliall be fuperfeded ; and yet from thefe feveral 3^4 SERMON VL feveral fucceffive variations no argument can be drawn, either to difprove the existence of thofe truths which are fought after, or to dif credit their authority when they fhall be once difcovered. And that for the redfon which has been affigned. But the cafe is widely different with re fped to the Christian faith. Of this it is af ferted, not only that it contains certain truths which are perfed in themfelves, but alfo that the Almighty has given us a written word, to be an immutable and an infallible ftandard, whereby every man may afcertain what thofe truths are. It is afferted alfo, that one of the peculiar benefits which will refult from the Communication of this revealed and written law is, that thus we may become one body, as well as one fpirit: that is, that we may all agree in the Unity of Church Communion, as well as in the Unity of Faith. But when thefe objeds are not accomplish ed ; when, on the contrary, there is a great variety of communions, each of which has a mode of belief peculiar to itfelf; though each at the fame time declares, that its doc trines are ftridly conformable to the one infal lible ftandard of Scripture ; we then are natu rally led to enquire, what are the probable ef feds which will be produced in confequence upon SERMON VI. 353, upon the minds of the community at large. Certainly, while fome will be induced to doubt the authenticity of this revealed ftandard al together ; and while many will queftion its Sufficiency ; others, and thefe the greater number, will affume to themfelves the liberty of departing from it at pleafure. Had the Unity of the Church been pre ferved entire from the times of the Apoftles to the prefent day, this circumftance would have afforded fo ftrong an argument againft the truth of any dodrines which, if adopted, would lead to the violation of that Unity,' that it would probably be fufficient of itfelf to induce all men to reject them. But when on every fide is witneffed the rife of new Seds, and when each of thefe claims a right to interpret Scripture as it pleafes, even though the interpretation adopted be abfolutely in- confiftent with all that have been before ad vanced ; it then amounts almoft to a moral certainty, that each individual, who has fome fcruple to remove, or fome- fpeculative fancy to indulge, will interpret Scripture himfelf in that manner which Shall beft accord with his inclinations, or confirm his prejudices. Now, fhould this mode of reafoning be juft, it will follow, that when Schifms are multiplied publicly in the Church, then erro neous opinions will multiply rapidly among A a all 354 SERMON VI. all ranks of men in private. For there being no one Church which fhall be univerfally ad mitted to be the " Ark and depofitory of the " truth ;" no one Miniftry, at whofe mouth men fhall think themfelves bound tofeek the lawb, each individual will make his own judg ment a law unto himfelf. A reference to the hiftory of our Church, when it was fo mournfully rent with Schifm in the feventeenth century, will abundantly prove the juftnefs of this eonclufion. Neither in this kingdom, nor perhaps in any other, did there ever appear fo many, or fuch flagrant Schifms, as during that period ; and at the fame time never were there fo many and fuch daring herefies advanced. Not only did it feem that every thing was revived which had been taught by Enthufiafts of former ages, but that even the invention of men was tor tured to add new enormities to the old. It will now hardly be believed, that in thofe days it was publicly taught, that " the Al- " mighty Father was the Author of the fin- " fulnefs of his people c, and that lies pro- " ceeded from his mouth d." Of the Bleffed b Malachi ii. 7. c See Catalogue of Herefies, preferved in Edwards' Gangraena, Part I. p. 18. No. 11. d Ibid. No. 12. Son SERMON VI. 355 Son likewife it was afferted, " that he was " God only nominally e; that he was man " from eternity f ; that we might be faved " without him s; that his fufferings were no " fatisfadion for fin h; and that he was himfelf " a finner1." Chriftian piety recoils at the very recital of opinions fo enormous. Their very enormity indeed ferves as their confutation. It is important however to remark, that they never would have been tolerated, had it not been that the feveral Schifmatics of thofe days, having each fome peculiar dodrine to en force, were either too much occupied to con- e See Catalogue of Herefies, preferved in Edwards' Gangraena, Part I. No. 27. ' f Ibid. No. 30. £ Ibid. No. 45. h Ibid. No. 39, 40. 1 Ibid, page 217. The whole of that work is well deferving attention, as it exhibits a faithful picture of the enormities of thofe unhappy times : a picture indeed fo full of horror, that it is painful, even at this diftance, to contemplate it. It is" proper to obferve, that Mr. Edwards was himfelf an enemy to Epifcopacy ; that he was a zealous fupporter of the Rebellion ; arid that he declares, that the fole motive that induced him to write his Gangraena, was his deteftation of the falfe doctrines, and blafphemies, and Schifms, which he faw daily multiplied on all fides. For a lift of the Herefies which were " revived, " or hatched at the fall of our Church Government," fee alfo Rofs's View of all Religions, ed. 1672. p. 422. et feq. and Foxes and Fire-brands, by Sir J. Ware. Part ii. p. 197. et feq. A a 2, troverfc 356 SERMON VI. trovert the errors which other Sedaries ad vanced ; or too much bent on eftabliffiing their own Communions, not to avail them felves gladly of any circumftance, by which they thought that end might be promoted. Such then were the tenets, fubverfive of the principles of Chriftianity, which were de- vifed and daringly propagated in thofe times of religious diffenfion. And what fhall we fay ? As the defolation ofthe cities upon which have been accomplifhed thofe threats of di vine vengeance that were foretold in prophecy, is yet vifible among the nations : as Tyre ftill remains a place for the fpreading of nets*, and Babylon, pools of water for the poffefjion of the bittern1, in order that mankind may for ever contemplate the fatal confequences which at tend upon irreligious pride: fo, in like manner, may we not regard thofe tremendous monu ments of impiety which ftand recorded in the hiftory of our Church during its humiliation, to be, as it were, memorials to lateft generations, that they may learn in how fearful a man ner the rebellious Spirit of Schifm will ope rate to deftroy the purity of the Chriftian Faith ? A third confequence refulting from the in- k Ezekiel xxvi. 5. • ifaiah xiv. 23. creafe SERMON VI. 357 creafe of Schifms, is the eftabliffiment of an unbounded Scepticifm. This confequence indeed, with the fubfe quent progrefs from Scepticifm to Infidelity >, from queftioning the effential dodrines of Chriftianity, to the abSblute denial of them, is fo unavoidable, that it cannot well efcape obfervation ; and as it has been already ad verted to in a former part of this enquiry™, we need not here infift upon it. We can not forbear remarking however, that the very fame principle which leads to Infidelity, will lead to Atheifm. In fad, they feem to be but different degrees and variations of the fame offence. Certainly they both proceed from the fame vitiated ftate of the heart, the fame perverfion of the under ftanding. Which being the cafe, as it feems to be improbable that adual Infidelity fliould ever be long feparated from habitual Scepticifm ; and as it is impoffible afterwards to fay how far Infidelity Shall extend, or to what objeds it will be applied, what is the condud which we ought to purfue ? Surely, as there is fome thing fo tremendous in the idea of denying that God> who hath bought us with a price n, rt See' pages 79, 80. n 1 Cor. vi. 20. A a 3 even 358 SERMON VI. even his own humiliation and fufferings ; of rejeding his interceffion, and of counting his blood an unholy thing ° : as there is fomething too, far beyond all imagination gloomy in the thought of entering hopelefs into eternity, and of being hurried before the tribunal of Him, whofe exiftence may have been denied here, but who fhall be hereafter feen face to face, armed with all the terrors of Almighty ven geance, we cannot do lefs than earneftly be feech the Enthufiaft, and the Schifmatic, to refled to what a ftate of unbounded mifery they may become instrumental towards con- duding the wretched Infidel. I know indeed that fuch an intention is the furtheft from their thoughts. But as we have fhewn how probable it is that the increafe of Schifms in the Church may lead to thefe confequences p, once more we befeech them to confider, before they indulge in the vain ambition of being Founders of new Seds, that in fo doing they may contribute to de prive fome of their fellow-creatures of that * Heb. x. 29. •¦ So the great Lord Bacon obferves, " that one of the caufes " of Atheifm is, Divifions in Religion, if they be many ; for " any one main divifion addeth zeal on both fides ; but many " divifions introduce Atheifm." Works, 4to. ed. vol. i. p. 468. See alfo vol. iii. p. 1,57, bleffed SERMON VI. 359 bleffed hope of everlafting glory, which can be obtained only by Faith in the merits, and in the mercies of an atoning and an interced ing Redeemer. A fourth evil arifing from the increafe of Schifm, is, the facility which will in confe quence be afforded to impoftors of forming and of propagating falfe Religions. The truth of which pofition feems to be pointed out to us in Scripture. For when we confider that our Bleffed Lord has warned us to exped falfe Chrifis and falfe Prophets r in thofe days when offences and tribulation fhall abound, we are led to conclude, that times of tumult and contention have in themfelves a natural tendency to favour religious impof ture. And if this be fo, it cannot but fol low, that thofe times, above all others, will produce that effed, when the tumults and con tentions which exift, arife from religious dif- fenfions. Since not only is it evident that diffenfions of this nature are fuch as will dif- trad the mind more forcibly than every other; but alfo that they are fuch as tend particularly to weaken thofe principles which would other- wife prevent the propagation of religious im pofture. And this will be evident, if we re- 1 Matt. xxiv. 24. Mark xiii. 22. a a 4 fer 360 SERMON VI. ¦ fer to the primary fburce of all human ac tions, the paffions of the human heart ; and enquire, whether, under the circumftances fpecified, their natural operation will not be to produce the effect which has been men tioned. It is obfervable then, that there exifts in the minds of fome men a ftrong ambitious principle, which leads them to feek after pre-eminence, in order to obtain what feems to them to be the greateft - earthly good, the exercife of authority, and the power of governing. As to the particular mode of au thority which may be exercifed, thjs, gene rally fpeaking, will be indifferent to them. ' So long as they may but command the obe dience, and dired the opinions of mankind, it feems to them to be of little importance whether this be done by fpiritual, or by worldly means. Having then for their fole objed the attainment of pre-eminence, they will always watch narrowly the temper and the genius of the age and country to which they belong. And as they are fenfible that times, like men, have their peculiar charaders, they will fet themfelves to difcover what is the principle which has the greateft influence at the period in which they live. This being afcertained, they will then avail themfelves of it, - SERMON VI. 361 it, as of an inftrument whereby they may ac quire that pre-eminence, to which they are confcious they can never hope to attain by any other means. Should it then happen that a perfon of a peculiarly daring and ambitious temper were to obferve, that all refped for the facrednefs of Divine Inftitutions was weakened in the minds of the community at large, by the in creafe of Schifm ; fhould he perceive alfo that vague and unfettled notions in religion were prevalent, and that there was a general pro pensity to adopt novel fentiments, and to disbelieve, and even to rejed, revealed truth, it muft be manifeft, that he would make uSe of thefe circumftances for the accomplish ment of his defigns. According to the powers of his mind therefore, or to the bold nefs of his temper, he will place himfelf at the head of a new Sed, or of a new Religion ; he will affume the title either of a Teacher, or of a Prophet. To fhew that this event, whenever it fhall occur, may be confidered as the conSe- quence of Schifm, it will be proper to add the following obfervations. If in Civil Communities no one will at tempt to ered new forms of Government, fo long as the great body of the fociety feems dif- 36a SERMON VI. difpofed to maintain inviolate that order of things which the laws of thofe communities fhall have eftablifhed ; every principle of rea fon muft lead us, in like manner, to con clude, that no one will attempt the introduc tion of new religious fyftems, fo long as the piety with which all ranks adhere to the Eftablifhed Church renders it more than probable, that every propofal to vary from it will be rejeded with firmnefs and abhor ^ rence. In fad, a little refledion will teach us that in this, as in other cafes, there is a ftrid analogy between that which paffes in the mind of an individual, and that which in fluences the mind of fociety at large. For inftance. In the mind of an individual all corred notions of moral good muft have been confounded ; vague ideas of right and wrong muft have been fubftituted in their ftead ; the thought of gratification muft have folicited defire, and the profped of fuccefs muft have ftrengthened hope, before any one will be in duced to violate wilfully the acknowledged reftraints of moral law. Thus, in like man ner, in public communities, long eftablifhed opinions refpeding the nature of obedience muft have been Shaken and fupplanted ; falfe and imperfed notions muft have fucceeded in their SERMON VI. 363 their place ; fomething muft have preceded the idea of change to make it appear defirable; and fomething muft have been done gradually to prepare the great body of fociety to accept it, before any one will venture to prefent a new, or to attempt the removal of an old and long eftablifhed Form of Government. He who affeds any change of importance muft be confidered as having improved the means of fuccefs which he found exifting, and not as having created them altogether. The juftnefs of thefe remarks, as applicable to our prefent argument, will be fully evinced by a review of the circumftances which gave birth to the ambition, which matured the defigns, and which ultimately crowned with fuccefs the daring impofture of Mahomet s. For not to enumerate the feveral caufes which may be fuppofed to have contributed towards that event, what we would particu- s When this great deceiver was announced in the awful language ofthe Spirit, as the ." Firft Woe," (fee Revel, viii. 13.) may we not humbly venture to fay, that he was thus cha- racterifed, not becaufe Omnipotence fent him into the world exprefsly to eftablifh a falfe Religion ; but becaufe Omnifcience foreknew that that Impoftor, availing himfelf of the corrup tions and the difcords of the Church, which at that time would exift, would fucceed in eftablifhing that fyftem of religious impofture, which would inevitably become thefource of infi nite woe to Chriftianity, larly 364 SERMON VI. larly infift on is, that ferment of Religious dif- fenfion, which then raged in the Christian Church. The fadions which fupported the Arian, and the other greater Herefies, fo far from being extind, were ftill engaged in propagat ing their refpedive tenets with unremitting zeal. The bloody Schifm of the Donatifts, which had been confiderably repreffed, was beginning to recover its former ftrength, and threatened once more a renewal of thofe enor mities which it occafioned, when, fupported by its favage partifans, it fpread devastation through the Churches of Africa *. Meanwhile the Capital refounded with the fiercenefs of new controverfies ; and the ruling powers themfelves, inftead of repreffing, had, by an urifeafonable policy, heightened the flame of religious difcord". At this moment did Ma^ hornet appear. ' The caufe of the Donatifts was chiefly fupported by a fet of troops called Circumcelliones, who appear to have been equally favage and intrepid. For an account of them, fee Mofheim, Cent. IV. part ii. chap. 5. and more fully, Hift. Ecclef. Magdeburgica, Cent. IV. p. 378. u The Emperor Heraclius, in the hope of uniting contend ing parties, publicly countenanced the Sect ofthe Monothelytes, which then firft appeared. But this Sect, ftrengthened by his fupport, foon became formidable, and excited the moft bitter animofities in the Church. See Mofheim, Cent. VII. part ii. chap SERMON VI. 365 His daring and comprehenfive mind feems early to have afpired after more than com mon pre-eminence. He foon perceived how ever, that from the ordinary means of ambi tion he had little to exped. - But when he obferved how abfolute that influence was, which religious opinions main tained over the minds of mankind, he pro bably reafbned with himfelf, that could he frame a fyftem, which, at the fame time that it claimed the facrednefs of Revelation, might neverthelefs be propagated by the fword, he then Should be able to attain to a pre-emi nence in greatnefs and in power, to which human ambition had feldom been able to af pire. For, if he could fucceed in uniting thefe two objeds, he forefaw that every pro- felyte he ffiould gain to his doctrines, would become a zealous foldier in his caufe ; and that thus, in the fame proportion in which he was received as a Prophet, he would be acknowledged as a Conqueror. chap. 4. and Hift. Ecclef. Magdeburgica, Cent. VII. p. 1 29. It is important to remark, that the enthufiaftic Sect of the Mon- ' tanifts, which had contributed effentially to the fupport of the Manichajan Herefy, ftill operated fatally to facilitate the pro grefs of the Mahometan Religion, by difpofing the minds of men to receive its unholy doctrines. See Hift. of Montanifm, Article xviii. and xix. and Bp. Lavington, Vol. I. part i. p. 7. The 3<5o" SERMON VI. The defign was a vaft one : but the event has proved that it was not chimerical. At ariy other period perhaps, mankind would have indignantly rejeded as falfe, a Religion, which, profeffing to have been revealed immediately from the God of peace, was neverthelefs to be propagated, at his exprefs command, by the fword. But the fanguinary condud of Chriftian Sedaries had fufficiently prepared the minds of men to admit fo glaring a con- tradidion. At any other period alSb, the very fuppofition of a new Revelation, which was to fuperfede the Gofpel, would have united all Communions to defend the com mon caufe of Chriftianity. But the crafty Arab had wifely calculated the power of re ligious animofities. He believed, and he was not difappointed in his conjedure, that the hatred, which Chriftian Sedaries bore to one another, was fuch as would not only induce them to fuffer his pretenfions to gain ftrength unoppofed, but would even enable him to arm them againft one another in his own caufe. As feveral of the firft vidories, which the Infidels obtained over the Chriftians, were gained by means of Chriftian Sedaries x; x Mofheim's Ecclef. Hift. Cent. VII. part i. chap. ii. feet. 4. and part ii. chap. 4. feet. 3. and SERMON VI. 367 and as it was by their arms that they won fome of the provinces which they conquered from the Roman Empire ; thefe circum ftances appear to be of themfelves fufficient to prove, that perhaps even the exiftence, and that certainly the fuccefs of that falfe Prophet's defign, is to be attributed princi pally to the divifions of the Christian Church >\ It feems then to be evident, that Schifms have a tendency, as was afferted, both to give birth to Religious Impoftures, and to contri bute to their fuccefs. But there may be fome, who, not being willing to confider the confequences of Schifm to be as fatal as we have reprefented them to be, will endeavour to weaken the force of the above eonclufion, by fuggefting, that lit tle is gained in any caufe by proving extreme cafes. For they will argue, that, granting that the Mahometan Religion did owe its y It is a ftrong confirmation bf the juftnefs of this eonclu fion, that Mahomet himfelf feems to have confidered the Schifms of the Chriftians to have been one of the caufes of his fuccefs. — " Mankind had but one Religion. God fent them " Prophets to convey to them his promifes, and to denounce " his judgments. He gave them the Scriptures alfo, fealed " with the feal of truth, to the end that thefe might decide the " controverfies of men. Thofe who received the Apoftles, al- ", though they knew the predictions of the Lord,- difputed. " Envy armed them againft each other : but God conducted " the believer to that truth, which was the object of their dif- " pute." See Coran by Savary, vol. i. p. 38. and Sale, p. 24. efta- 363 SERMON VI. eftabliffiment chiefly to the animofities which were kindled among Chriftian Sedaries ; granting alfo, that the very idea of the im pofture was firft fuggefted by thofe corrup tions in the faith which the prevalence of Schifm had occafioned ; ftill we have no rea fon to infer, that any fimilar projed will again be either conceived, or executed. Let this be allowed : let us fay that we have nothing to fear from the arms or the arts of a fecond Mahomet ! In what manner does this affed the queftion ? Before we fuffer any principle to be adopted, it is our duty, as reafonable beings, to afcertain what the confequences are, to which that principle will lead. If it can be proved that thefe are dangerous, this circumftance alone will fhew the propriety of our rejeding it, and not the greater or lefs degree of probability which there may chance to be, of thofe confequences adu ally occurring. But after all, we ought to confider, that we are not at prefent fo much concerned with the extent, as with the exiftence of the evil. If therefore, the fame caufes which enabled the Impoftor Mahomet to de ceive formerly fo large a portion of the world, Shall enable another Falfe Prophet to deceive now but a Single Congregation, it muft be acknowledged, that they who fall within SERMON VI. 369 within the fphere of the latter, however li mited that fphere may be, will find their fu ture hopes to be as much affeded in confe quence, as if .the impofture by which they have been deluded, were of fufficient impor tance to engage the attention of the whole earth. Why, however, is it to be fo haftily infer red, that Religious impofture is an evil which cannot again occur ? If this opinion be founded on the fuppofition, that there exifts no proba ble means for the accomplishment of fuch an undertaking, we muft fuggeft, that many ar guments may be brought, which will lead us to form a different eonclufion. It appears probable indeed, that thick darknefs will not again return to cover the earth ; it is al fo probable, that no one will ever be again enabled to enforce his pretenfions as a Pro phet, at the head of armed profelytes. We have not therefore much to fear either from ignorance on the one hand, or from force on the other. It may be reafonably doubted, however, whether an univerfal laxity in points of Religious Faith ; whether a total difregard to the facrednefs of divine institu tions ; and an indifference to the public pro- feffion and diffemination of error, might not ultimately become instruments for the pro- b b pagation 370 SERMON VI. pagation of falfe Religion, full as deadly and as powerful even as the fword of Mahometz. Now, that there have been periods when there has existed in the minds of men that general careleffnefs about religious principles which has juft been noted, is a fad too ob vious to require here particular proof. And were we to examine what the caufe was, in which fuch a careleffnefs originated, we fhould find it to be that which we have al ready proved to be injurious, in fo many points, to the purity of the Chriftian Faith. For when a variety of Schifms appear, each ading upon its own diftind principles, and each aiming to fecure its own eftablifhment, 1 The means which Voltaire, D'Aletnbert, and Diderot em? ployed to promote the fuccefs of their confpiracy againft Chriftianity, were precifely thofe which have been juft enu merated. They taught men that Chriftian eftablifhments were only fo many different modes of fuperftition ; that an at tachment to regular inftitutions was the darkeft bigotry : and they talked in raptures of the God of nature, and of univerfal toleration. When we confider the progrefs which that Anti- chriftian confpiracy made, and the many millions, who, in dif ferent countries, were in confequence feduced to quit the high hope of their calling, it would be infatuation not to allow, that even in the prefent ftate of Society, if men have the heart to conceive the defign, they never will want the means of propagating fyftems fubverfive of Chriftianity. See the Charge of the Bp. of Rochefter, (now St. Afaph) in the year 1S00. they SERMON VI. 37! they naturally perceive that it muft involve the ruin of their common caufe, were they to infift on the neceffity, or even the pro priety, of adhering to one inviolable ftand ard, whether of Religious worffiip, or of Religious belief. They therefore affed to feel a perfed indifference for every thing but what they choofe to confider as effentials : they profefs the moft liberal fentiments of refped for every Communion that differs from their own ; and they give to Scripture fuch interpretations as may feem to juftify their ftudied difregard of Church Unity a. It can not but be evident that this mode of condud is in dired oppofition to many pofitive com mands of Scripture. But there is no other, which Schifmatics can purfue. Were they to ad differently, they would either be ob liged to relinquish their own principles, or elfe to pafs cenfure upon thofe Sedaries, who in fad are their companions in Schifm. 1 Thus two of the reafons affigned why the Church Polity of the modern Non-conformifts " is the wifeft in the world, " are ; That with them confcience is its own judge of the "fenfe of Scripture ;" and that "they defpife the cant of " Herefy; Clergy; the Church; eafe to doubting confidences;'" &c, &c. and it is in confequence declared, that " the Non-con- ',' formifts are, with all their infirmities, the excellent of the " earth.'' Plan of Leffures on the Principles of Non-conformity, by R. Robinfon, p. 51, B b 2, It 372 SERMON VI. It is by no means our intention to enu merate all the evil confequences which will refult from fuch a manner of proceeding. There is one, -however, which is in itfelf fb important, and is fo intimately conneded with the fubjed which we are confidering, that it muft not be paffed over in filence.- For when men are once accuftomed to this laxity of opinion concerning the neceffi ty of adhering, in points of difcipline, to one inviolable ftandard, they will, with very little hefitation, proceed to affert, (what is the conftant affertion of all Enthufiafts) that true Religion and all Ecclefiaftical Establishments are points in themfelves totally diftind : that to be a good Chriftian, it is only neceffary to be a good believer : and that all outward forms of Church government and difcipline are of equal authority, and are entitled to an equal degree of refped b. b That all new Separatifts fhould adopt fuch language, is no more than might be expected. It muft be a matter of fur- prife, however, that the learned Mofheim fhould affert, " That " the true and genuine followers of Jefus Chrift are but^ little " concerned about the outward forms of Ecclefiaftical govern- " ment and difcipline, knowing that real Religion confifts in " faith and charity, and not in external rites and ceremonies." Ecclef. Hift. ed. 4to. vol. ii. p. 570. What good confequenc could he have expected would refult from fuch an unqualified af fertion as this ? Surely he muft have known, that whatever ccin- fidence SERMON VI. 373 To what fatal confequences muft thefe fentiments lead ! For if every poffible Com munion were to be admitted to be fo far of equal authority, as to be entitled each to an equal degree of refped, we then Should be compelled to admit the equal authority of the different principles, on which thofe feve ral Communions were refpedively founded. And were this done, it is unneceffary to add, that we could no longer, with any propriety, contend, even for that faith, which was once delivered to the Saints p : no longer could we infift on the neceffity of preferving, as we are folemnly commanded to do, the unity of that vifible Church, which, in the ftriking lan- fidence men feem to place in the propriety of their convictions, they conftantly feek to juftify their conduct by the example, and by the authority of others. The learned Mofheim there fore might have been well aware, that this opinion of his, however ill founded, would be foon moulded into fome ftill more exceptionable fhape, to ferve the piirpofes of the Schif- matic and the Enthufiaft. ¦ c Jude 3. 2 Tim. i. 13. How different to thefe precepts is the language which is adopted by modern Schifmatics ! Thus they affert, " that the notion of Uniformity is a fatal notion — ¦ " that Unity of Faith, as the teft of a true Church, is an ab- " furd dogma, which mifled thofe worthy men, the Reformers, " and made them adopt the fpirit of perfecution — that it is " the child of the mother of abominations, (Revel, xvii. 5.) " whom folly had produced, and whom cruelty had hitherto J " maintained." Metbodift Monitor, vol. i. p. 6. B b 3 guage 374 SERMON VI. guage of the Apoftle, is called, the body of Chrift*. But it is not only the confequences which refult from fuch lax opinions concerning Church Government, that we muft repro bate ; it is againft the principle itfelf, by which thofe opinions are recommended, that we muft proteft. I mean, againft what is called liberality of fentiment. A principle which is in the mouths of all, and is. abufed by all, who wifli to free themfelves from the obli gations as well of moral obedience, as of Church Unity. It is difficult to fay what precife notion is to be affixed to thefe words, liberality of fenti ment, if the objed, to which they are applied, be, as in the prefent cafe, our belief in Re vealed Truth. When we firft hear them, in deed, they certainly excite in the mind a vague, but a pleafing idea, of a refined and benevolent candour ; and therefore we incau tioufly permit ourfelves to adopt them. This very circumftance however will but make their ufe fo much the more dangerous, if it fhould be found, that the principle, on which the notion itfelf is founded, be erroneous. When by liberality of fentiment no more is meant than that ingenuous turn of mind, A Coloff. i. 24. which SERMON VI. 375 which leads us to grant to others what we preferve to ourfelves, the difpaffionate freedom of enquiry, then it cannot but be highly ap proved. For it is thus only that we can enfure that every propofition, which is made the ob jed of belief, fhall be fo believed, upon the convidion of its truth. So far then from con demning liberality of fentiment, when confi dered in this point of view, we confefs that it is a principle to which we ftand indebted for much of that improvement, which has been made in the fcience of truth. Nay we even contend, that this very principle is ftrongly inculcated in the Scriptures, when they ex hort us to bring a fimple, a pure, a teachable, an humble heart to the hearing of the word. For what can be more contrary to real libe rality of fentiment, than that evil heart of un belief 'which is pre-occupied with the perfua fion, that the means of falvation offered to us in the Gofpel are not, as the humble be liever affirms them to be, the only means by which we can inherit life everlafting ? But when we are told, that liberality of Sentiment is to regulate our notions concern ing the expediency, or the neceffity of Re vealed Truths ; when it is to affed even the meafure of our obedience to pofitive* com-. mandments ; it muft then be confidered to B b 4 be 376 SERMON VI. be either a principle erroneous in itfelf, or elfe one that neceffarily is made fuch, by be ing applied to cafes, to which it was never defigned that it fhould apply. For let us at tend to the confequences. If we are allowed to infift upon fuch of God's Revelations only, as fhall be confiftent with our own concep tions of their expediency ; if we are at li berty to concede any points which ffiall be found offenfive to thofe who belong to Com munions differing from our own ; it is evi dent that we admit a principle, which may be ufed to recommend even Pagan Idolatry itfelf. The language which the advocates for this liberal fpirit employ, clearly demon strates what is its unavoidable tendency. It is faid, for inftance, that a Theology, which reduces Religious Faith to one efta blifhed and immutable ftandard, " is one of " the greateft curfes that ever afflided the " human race." That " the attempt to foft- " en the unyielding 'temper of the Chriftian " Religion with the mild fpirit of Philofo- " phy," was confidered to be " too liberal " and extenfive a plan, to meet the appro- " bation of a greedy and ambitious Clergy." And not to multiply inftances, that the exalted leffons of Charity, which are taught us in the Scriptures, are far inferior to the bene- SERMON VI. 377 benevolent fentiments of philanthropy, which are to be found in the Pagan Poets". Are not thefe, we may afk, the very arguments which were ufed by the Gentiles to pre vent the propagation of Chriftianity? And if they were allowed to be juft, would they not lead to the extirpation of the Truth ? But we need not dwell on this point. The only eonclufion we would draw, is this : That while Philofophy and Natural Religion are placed in fuch a pleafing point of view, in order to palliate the condud of fuch as will not believe in Chriftianity; and while we are e Thus the above-cited author compares that paffage from the, Odyffey of Homer, irpoi; ya$ A»o? slew airaersi Sedoi 11 irluxoi ft' Soan S ohiyv te, ipiA>) te. Lib. vi. v. 207. with that of Proverbs xix. 17. "He that hath pity upon the " poor, lendeth unto the Lord ; and that which he hath '' given, will he pay him again." " It is fcarcely poffible," he continues, " for any thing to be more different (than the " two fentiments.) Homer promifes no other reward for cha- " rity, than the benevolence of the action itfelf; but the Ifrael- " ite holds out that, which has always been the great motive " for charity among his countrymen — the profpect of being " repaid tenfold. They are always ready to fhew their bounty " upon fuch incentives, if they can be perfuaded that they are " founded upon good fecurity." Do thefe words breathe any thing of a liberal, a mild, a philofophiq fpirit ? Strange ! that to fee no merit in the Scriptures, fhould be confidered as a fure teft of liberality of fentiment ! taught 378 SERMON VI. taught to confider that an adherence to the Epifcopal Church is the mark of a gloomy, a contraded, and a bigoted fpirit, in order to juftify thofe who feparate from it, we may learn how to eftimate that liberality of fenti ment, which is now with fo much affiduity inculcated f. f Nothing can be more inconfiftent than the conduct of thofe Schifmatics, who profefs themfelves the advocates for this principle. Thus in the Methodift Monitor, vol. ii. p. 253. it is recommended in a particular treatife by an author, who exerted all his talents to imprefs on the minds of the Non conforming Miniftry, that implacable and undiftinguifhing hatred to . the Epifcopal Church, by which he himfelf was diftinguifhed. See the notes to " An Ejfay on the Compofition of a " Sermon, tranflated from tbe French of the Rev. T. Claude," by R. Robinfon, with the Preface and the Life affixed. It is the fame writer, I believe, who, directing Non-c'onformift Mini fters in what tenets they are to teach their Catechumens, fpeaks thus of the Rulers of the Epifcopal Church. " Place " Prelates,'' he fays, " and people before the Judge of the whole " earth, at the laft day — Reprefent the glorious Redeemer ex- " hibiting his faithful fervants, whom Prelacy ruined forclaim- " ing their natural and religious rights, and faying to thefe " holy tyrants, ' Thefe had meat, drink, and habitations ; but • ye reduced them to hunger, thirft, and banifhment. I gave ' them cloathing, but ye ftripped them naked ; they had ' health and liberty from me, ficknefs and imprifonment from ' you. Depart." See Plan of Lectures on tbe Principles of Non conformity, by R. Robinfon, p. 13. What indignation would it not excite, if the Minifters of the Eftablifhed Church were to ufe language fuch as this, in fpeaking of the Non-conform- ifts ! Yet Mr. R. is defcribed as a perfon " raifed up by the " God of Glory to plead the rights of confcience againft the " intolerant SERMON VI. 379 If, however, a principle thus liable to ab- ufe muft ftill be encouraged, it becomes us accurately to define, what are the limits to which it may extend, and what are the ob jeds to which it can apply. For inftance. We are to infift, that it ought to affed only the temper of mind in which each indivi dual undertakes the examination of religious truths, and not the truths themfelves : that it may lead him to be charitable in his judg-' ment concerning the motives of another's condud; but that it cannot alter the real quality of that condud : and that it may lead him to encourage a fpirit of Chriftian cha rity towards all who are not as ftrong in faith as himfelf; but that it will not allow him to be indifferent either to the increafe of error, or to the defence of truth. For when the evidences in favour of the Chrif tian dodrines are once fully eftablifhed and admitted, then it is the mark of a noble, a great, and a liberal fpirit to be firm and un wavering in the profeffion of them. But why are we ever to forget, what is of the utmoft importance in the prefent queftion, that he alone who made a law, has the " intolerant principles of both Churchmen and Diffenters.'' Methodift Monitor, vol. ii. p. 373. power 380 SERMON VI. power of difpenfing with obedience to that law ? This principle is recognized as facred, in all human eftabliffiments. What then can be a greater inconfiftency than to fay, that it is the proof of a liberal fpirit to allow the violation of this principle in Religious Efta blifhments ? How can it be a mark of a fu perior mind, to be indifferent as to the devia tions which are made from the one unalterable ftandard of Revealed Truth ? Or how can it be the fign of a contraded one, to infift upon a ftrid adherence to thofe inftitutions, which the Almighty has given us, to hefta- tutes and ordinances for ever ? It feems to be infinuated, indeed, in the prefent day, that it is the very perfedion of the Chriftian charader not to infift on any thing in Religion that may poffibly give of fence. And hence it is that fo many zrg\ie that fervices ought to be changed, that Creeds ought to be removed, and that claufes ought to be omitted, in order to conciliate contending parties. But we muft maintain, that, in the nature of things, no good can be gained by making fuch conceffions as thefe. He who demands them, evidently fhews, that he is determined not to admit our principles: fo that there never can be any union, unlefs it be by our adoption of his. Yet SERMON VL 381 Yet why fhould we have recourfe to ar guments to decide what condud we ought on thefe occafions to purfue, when our duty is ib clearly taught us by the example of our Bleffed Lord himfelf? It was his m6ft ear- neft defire, that all men fhould believe on him : neverthelefs, he did not on that account forbear to infift on any neceffary truth, even though he knew that it would be diftafteful to the pride of the learned, or repugnant to the wifhes of the multitude. When therefore Sbme Schifmatics fuggeft, that it is mere bigotry to fuppofe that every Communion will not equally entitle its members to the covenanted privileges attached to the Chriftian Church, we are to remember, that the Son of God did not fcruple to fay, that the gate was narrow, and the path ftrait, which leadeth to eternal life f. And again, when others fcruple not to call it prejudice to believe, that the miniftry of the word of reconciliation is com mitted to one particular Priefthood, we are to call to mind Who it was that faid, whoever climbeth up into the fold is a thief and a robber^. And now, what is the inference that we are to draw from thefe, and from all our pre ceding conclufions ? 1 Matt. vii. 14. « 2 Cor. v. 18. h John x. 1. If 38a ^SERMON VI. If it have been proved that fhe very exift ence of Schifm (how much more then the increafe of Schifm ?) has an unavoidable ten dency to corrupt the purity of the Chriftian Faith; that it will perpetuate the fatal ef feds of Herefy ; that it will promote the caufe of Infidelity, and even of Atheifm ; that it will expofe men to the arts of religi ous impoftors ; and finally, that it will intro duce a general careleffnefs, and laxity of opi nion in all things belonging to the Faith ; can more be wanting to prove the neceffity of restraining that Spirit of Enthufiafm which is one of the chief caufes of Schifm, by every appeal that can be made to the reafon and the confciences of men ? Are not the days of the years of our pilgrimage full enough of evil*? are not the trials to which our virtue is expofed from the corruptions of our na ture fufficient ? and muft we increafe them by wilfully multiplying forrows, and by de priving ourfelves of thofe very bleffings, Peace on earth, Good-will towards men, which the infinite loving-kindnefs of our heavenly Fa ther intended to. give us in the pure Gofpel of his Son ? ,,: Much were it to be wiffied that Chriftians would frequently make this point the fubjed 1 Genefis xlvii. 9. Of SERMON VI. 383 of their meditations ; and that, having confi dered what mifery refults from religious dif- union, they would then reflect- how great the increafe of human happinefs would be, were every Schifm clofed, and the name of all thofe bitter contentions forgotten, which, while they deftroy the earthly glory of the Church of Chrift, fpread forrow through the dwellings of his followers. Surely this refledion alone ought to become a motive fufficiently ftrong to counterad the wild and delufive fuggeftions of Enthu fiaftic Pride, of Vanity, or Ambition. For could we frame to ourfelves fome adequate conception of that bleffed tranquillity, which all the ends of the world would enjoy, if Unity were reftored to the Chriftian Church ; I am confident that we could propofe to our felves 110 higher, objed of ambition, than the endeavouring to promote it. For then, all orders of Society being firmly united together in the bond of charity and brotherly love, we Should behold accomplished, as far as in this life it could be accomplished, the bleffings pronounced by our divine Lord himfelf. They that mourned, fhould then be comforted1; They that hungered and thirfted after righte- oujnefs, fhould then be filled m ; 1 Matt. v. 4. m Matt. v. 6. They 384 SERMON VI. They that were merciful, fliould obtain mer cy " ; and Peace-makers fhould be called Bleffed, for they are the children of God0. If then thefe are not vifionary hopes, but certain and promifed effeds which muft re fult from the Unity of the Chriftian Church, who is there that will not, if it be but for his brethren and companions' fake p, pray earneftly to God, that he would once more look upon us, and be mercful unto us q ; that he would pity even thofe miferies which our own car nal diffenfions have created ; that he would build the ruined places l ; that he would look down from heaven, and behold and vifit the vine, which his right hand hath planted s, and that of his unbounded mercy he would reftore Peace to ferufalem*. n Matt. v. 7. ° Matt. v. 9. P Pfalm cxxii. 8. ^ Pfalm cxix. 132. r Ezekiel xxxvi. 36. s Pfalm lxxx. 14, ij. ' In difmiffing the point under confideration, it may be pro per to add, that the conduct of the Miffionaries, who were fent to propagate Chriftianity in Otaheite, will ferve to fhew in what manner the fpirit of Sedtarifm might be brought to operate extenfively to the injury of the Chriftian Faith. Thofe Miffion aries were " chofen by a Committee of Minifters approved for " Evangelical Principles, as men of the moft felect piety ;" (fee an Account of a Miffionary Voyage in the fhip Duff, publifhed by the directors of the Miffionary Society, p. 4.) and they were put under the care of four perfons, who are called " or- "dained Minifters." (Ibid. p. 5.) That they were Minifters really SERMON VI. 385 really ordained by the Church of England, their fubfequent conduct does not allow us to believe. The Rev. Dr. Haweis, and two other Directors, remained with the Miffionaries till they failed. (Ibid. p. 9, and 17.) Yet it fhould feem, that no in- ftructions were given them what doctrines they were to propa gate. For it was not till after they had been fome time at fea, that a committee was formed, to fettle what were " the " truths which they were to promulgate, and teach among the " heathen." (Ibid. 39$.) Thefe were comprifed in twenty-one Articles ; fome of which contained tenets differing from thofe of the Church of England. In fuch Articles as related to dif cipline, there was a wilful departure from thofe of our Efta blifhment. See Article xx. of Marriage, and xxi. of the Bu« rial of the Dead. In Article xiv. particularly, it is afferted, " that there is no other Head of the Church, but the Lord Jefus " Chrift ; neither hath any temporal prince, fecular power, or " civil magiftrate, any right to exercife any authority over her, " neither needetb fhe any eftablfhments from them." This is af- ferting explicitly the doctrine of the Anabaptifts. It is faid alfo in the fame Article, " that the Vifible Church has the " power to chufe its Minifters ;" which is the principle of the Independants. So alfo in the xvth Article, only Paftors, or Bi- fhops, and Deacons, are acknowledged ; which is Prefbyteri- anifm. Why, may we afk with forrow, why, when the bleffed Light of Chriftianity is to be diffufed among the heathen, muft the feeds of future controverfies and difcords be fown ? Why muft the new Converts be led to difefteem the name of Epi fcopacy ? But even this confideration is of lefs importance than the following. If Miffionaries are at liberty to fettle among themfelves the doctrines which they fhall propagate ; and if this is to be done when they are at fea, far from all affiftance, and without control, what is to prevent thofe who fhall be employed on fome future miffion, from agreeing, either through ignorance or defign, to propagate fuch doctrines, as fhall be repugnant to the genuine tenets of Chriftianity ? C C SER- SERMON VII. MATTHEW x. 34; THINK NOT THAT I AM COME TO SEND PEACE ON EARTH : I CAME NOT TO ,SEND PEACEj BUT A SWORD. W E have fhewn in what manner Schifm tends unavoidably to corrupt the purity of the Chriftian Faith. And Could it be proved that there was no other point in which it would be injurious to the caufe of Chrifti anity, fufficient will have been eftablifhed to make us lament its existence, and deprecate its increafe. But we muft now extend our view to other confiderations. We muft enquire whether Schifm will not affed us equally as members of civil communities ? Whether it will not tend to break the bonds of focial union, Firft, by diffolving the ties of natural affedion, and the harmony of private families j and Secondly, by exciting public diffenfions ; by c c 2, fup- 388 SERMON VII. fupplying the means of fubverting govern-* ments ; and by inftilling into the minds of men that religious animofity which will prevent, fo long as it ffiall be permitted to operate, the diffufion of thofe bleffings which were announced as the attendants on the Gofpel, Peace on earth, and good-will towards men3-. Thefe then are the two points which fhall be confidered in the prefent Ledure. And fliould we be ahle to prove that the ef feds which we have fpecified are the ine vitable confequences of Schifm, perhaps no fmall benefit may ultimately be derived to the general caufe of Chriftianity. It is true that the fincere believer will not require this additional motive, to make him jealous for the prefervation of the Unity of the Church. There are fome however, who perfuade themfelves that there is little, if any, connedion between the interefts of Chrift's vifible kingdom upon earth, and the interefts of the kingdoms of this world. Thefe feem never to have enquired whether the queftion of Church Unity be as clofely united with the great final objeds of our Faith, as we have afferted it to be. In confequence of which they * Luke ii. 14. fcruple SERMON VII. 389 fcruple not to fay, that all controversies re- fpeding the finfulnefs of Schifm are of im portance to thofe only who are attached to prior Establishments, or who are to be bene fited by the prefervation of them. But when it Shall be proved to them, that the delufions of the Enthufiaft, however extravagant and vifionary they may be, tend neverthelefs of neceffity to affed dangeroufly the welfare of Civil Communities ; when it fhall be fhewn to them like wife, that the Schifms which confound the peace of the Church, will ulti mately confound the peaceful ordering of the State, they then probably may be led to ex amine the feveral points under confideration, with that ferioufnefs which their high im portance demands. I know indeed that nothing is more com mon with Enthufiafts than to infift, that they acknowledge the powers which are, to be of God ; and that they cheerfully fubmit, for con fcience fake, to every ordinance of Man. They probably are fincere in their affertions. But they forget, that by introducing a principle which is fubverfive of obedience, they injure that very authority which they fay they would fupport, more effedually than they could do, even by an ad of open rebellion againft it. c c 3 Not 39° SERMON VII. Not that they can be fuppofed to be alto gether infenfible to that connedion, which of neceffity exifts between Civil and Religious Establishments. This, as an abstract truth, perhaps has never been denied by any of them. The misfortune however has always been, that Enthufiafts, in their zeal to propa gate their dodrines, forget to weigh the un certainty of the good which they promife to themfelves from the end propofed, even if it could be attained, with the certainty of the evil which muft follow from the employment of the means. And yet if the cafe were fairly ftated to them, it fhould feem that they could hardly hefitate about the eonclufion which they ought to draw. For if they refleded on the one hand, that the dodrines which they are fo zealous to eftabliSh, have been urged at dif ferent periods, and by different perfons, with fincerity equal, with qualifications fuperior perhaps to their own ; and that neverthelefs thefe dodrines have been rejeded, fometimes becaufe from reafon they were proved to be erroneous ; at other times, becaufe from expe rience they were found to be hurtful ; furely they could not perfift in believing, that the caufe of Chriftianity depended upon the fuc-> cefs SERMON VII. 391 cefs of their fyftems b. So alfo> on the other hand, if they confidered that the immediate effed of Schifms in the Church is to deftroy the peace and the well-being of fociety, they then could not but be fenfible, that if they added to the number of thofe Schifms, they would not only contribute to injure the pub lic good, by making the Gofpel appear to be the caufe of the evil ; but, they would give occafion to the enemies of Chrift, to blafpheme b There is no one fingre circumftance which ought to con vince Enthufiafts of their delufion more forcibly than this : That the doctrines which they believe themfelves to have re ceived, as new communications from Heaven, or which they affirm the Almighty has raifed i hem up to teach, are neverthe lefs fuch doctrines as have been advanced by former heretics, or impoftors ; and which having been found to be erroneous, had funk into oblivion. Exactly thus the pretenfions which were advanced by Mr. Wefley and Mr. Whitefield ; the opi nions they maintained, and the conduct which they purfued, are nothing more than repetitions of the pretenfions, the opinions, and the conduct, of that wild Enthufiaft Montanus. See this remarkable coincidence proved from the Hiftory of Montanifm, publifhed feveral years before the appearance either of Mr. Wefley or Mr. Whitefield, by Bifhop Lavington's Enthuf. &c. Vol. I. part i. p. 1. to 8. In the fame manner, were we to re fer to Edwards's Gangraena,- we fhould find that there are perhaps few of the doctrines which are taught by the Sectaries, of the prefent day, and few of the practices adopted by them, which were not profeffed or maintained by the licentious Fanatics of the Rebellion. See Gangraena, part i. p. 18, et feq. c c 4 his 394 SERMON VII. his holy name, and prejudice the minds of men againft the reception of the truth. Probably it might have been in reference to thofe bitter animofities, which our Bleffed Lord forefaw would refult from the religious diffenfions of Chriftians, more even than in allufion to the perfecutions which followed upon the firft preaching of the Gofpel, that he fpoke thofe remarkable words which form the Text c. Think not, he fays, that I am come to fend peace on earth ; or, as it might perhaps with propriety be translated, Think not that I am come to fow the feeds of peace ; I come not to fow the feeds of Peace, but of Diffenfion and War d. Stridly fpeaking indeed, there is no necef fity, that becaufe men concur not in main taining the fame religious opinions, therefore they fhould not concur in fupporting the fame form of Civil Government. On the contrary, the general tendency of Chriftianity e See Whitby in loc; Mtj m^iairrt on y>£o» @x\tiv tigwuiv tiri rvv yw' «* nXSo? (Sateu tipywiv, xXKx jixxxipxt. See Wetftein in loc. where he fays j f?«Xsi> proprie dicitur de jactu fementis in terram. tft£a>.m to empj/.a -r% yn. Xenopb. CEcon. c. 23. Et per tranflationem ; Serere civiles difcordias. Liv. iii. 40. Hujus luctuofiffimi belli tu fe- men fuifti. Cicero Philipp. ii. 22. is SERMON VII. 393 is to foften the human heart, to make it peaceful, gentle, and forbearing. Nay, our Divine Mafter himfelf feems particularly fo to have framed his precepts, that they might make his followers, in every poffible Situation, blamelefs in their political obedience ; whence, to be truce-breakers, to be traitors, and high- minded, is to be, in fad, reprobate concerning the Faithe. But we are not here to fpeculate on what ought to have been the fruits of the Gofpel in the condud of believers. All enquiries which have for their fole objed the defire of promoting pradical utility, feek rather to af certain what effeds have already refulted from exifting caufes, than to dwell on the confequences which, under any given cir cumftances, might have been expeded. We will confine ourfelves therefore to the examination of the two points which we have propofed to confider ; and we will en quire firft, Whether the unavoidable tendency of Schifm be not to diffolve the bond of focial union ; by exciting public diffenfions ; e 2 Tim. iii. 3, 4, 8. In the fame manner St. Jude, de- fcribing thofe who had crept in unawares, and corrupted the faith, and defpifed dominion, and fpoke evil of dignities, declares that they were fuch, as ran greedily after tbe error of Balaam for reward, and perifhed in the gainfaying ofKorah. V. 4. 8. ir. 394 SERMON VII. by fupplying the means of fubverting govern ments ; and by inftilling religious animofity into the minds of men. Now it will furely be admitted to be a general proof of the truth of this pofition, that diffenfions in the State have commonly been moft prevalent, when Schifms and of fences in the Church have moft abounded. That this is not the effed of mere acci dental coincidence, but that, on the contrary, it is owing to that infeparable connedion which the events themfelves have with each other, may be reafonably inferred from the following obfervations. We cannot but acknowledge, that every wilful and continued ad of difobedience, of whatever nature it may be, muft weaken the refped which we fhould otherwife entertain for the principle itfelf, upon which obedience is eftabliShed : fince obedience to law, whe ther moral or civil, whether public or private, is built confeSTedly upon one and the fame foundation ; namely, on the neceffity, for the fake of promoting general good, of ad hering uniformly to one determinate and im mutable order. The immediate operation of all law therefore, is to take from individuals the right of ading, either from the impulfe of their paffions, or from their own falfe and SERMON VII. 395 and imperfed notions of expediency, when ever the confequence of their ading thus would be prejudicial to the general good of the community. Whence it follows, that he who has been the author of any wilful Schifm, muft have aded thus from one of the follow ing caufes. Either, I. from having been alto gether ignorant of the nature and of the facrednefs of legal obligation : or, II. from having perfuaded himfelf that he has the power of difpenfing with it: or, III. from de- fpifing its reftraint, when it oppofes either his own particular wifhes, or opinions. Schifm then is a premeditated ad, which is to be attributed either to an ignorance, that prevents men from underftanding the real importance of law j or to a prefumption that leads them to difregard it. If therefore any one, having once wilfully destroyed the or der that has been eftablifhed in the Church, fhall afterwards be induced to wifh that or der deftroyed which has been eftabliShed in the State ; let it be afked, whether there would exift in his mind any principle to re strain him from attempting it ? If there would be none, (and none in truth there appears to be) then it cannot but be manifeft, that the very ponnedion which exifts between all pbedipnce is in itfelf fo intimate, that when the 396 SERMON VII. the minds of men fhall have been accuftomed to difregard Unity in the Church, it is no more than reafonable to infer, that as occafions prefent themfelves, they will difregard it like- wife in the State. To this eonclufion fome may objed, be caufe it has been obferved, that under Pagan Governments, profeffors of all religious, and philofophers of all Seds, have lived together, both in public and private, in the bonds of civil and domeftic union ; each of them ne verthelefs remaining attached to his own pe culiar opinions ; feeling a ftrong convidion as well of their importance, as of their truth; and arguing with zeal in their defence. But were we to allow this ftatement of the cafe to be juft, (which however we can not do f ) ftill no argument could be drawn f See Juvenal Sat. xv. b. 33. et feq. Plutarch de I fide et Ofiride, Sect. 72. and Dion Caffius, who fays, ©po-xswwt te yaj (Aiyvirrioi) vrotfoa, irEpto-aorxra ai&puiruv, xai b^e/*oi/j imp avrut xxi irpof a7\/\vihovs, an jm xxa It aM.x xai ex tov ttat- TiwraTou xxi avTotf tijUgivte; Tito., atxipovtrxi. Ed. Reimari, Vol. i. p. 325. The fame hiftorian, relating the advice which Mecaenas gave to Auguftus, refpecting his government, fays, that he urged him to preferve inviolate the religion of the country, and to punifh thofe who fhould make innovations in it: fj.ni ftotut tut Siwii Inxa, on xaTxtppoiw&as ovS aWis at tms iroori- p/iGEiEV, uKh on xaita ritx oaifAottx 01 Totovroi atTii&QEpovTis, iro7&8<; avxirE&vtriv aX>\OTpi'iMj/Ait. Ibid. p. 689. from SERMON VII. 397 from it, that, would affed the prefent quef tion. For, as the Heathen did not derive their religious belief from immediate Revela tion, they thought themfelves under no ne ceffity of adhering rigidly to one inviolable ftandard. Befides which, they were Strangers to the facrednefs of the unity of religious worfhip ; and they knew of no obligation which bound them to promote, what is now expreffively called " the fpiritual welfare of " our neighbour." In all thefe points however, an entire re volution was effeded by the preaching of Chriftianity. Mankind were then taught that there was but one God, and that he was jealous of his honour. They were taught alfo, that there was but one narrow path leading unto eternal life s ; that thofe only could be pronounced bleffed, who fhould find it ; and finally, that none were to minifter about holy things, but thofe who fhould be called to that honour, of God h. It was not poffible that this change in the religious fentiments of mankind fhould not be attended by an equal change in their reli gious pradice alfo. Inftead therefore of wa vering, as before, in the tenets which they 8 Matt. vii. 14. h Heb. v. 4. pro- 398 SERMON VII. profeffed, they acknowledged the indifpenf- able neceffity of holding faft the form of found words '. Inftead of offering their facrifices on every high bill, and under every green treek, they grew to venerate the unity of .religious worffiip, and the facrednefs of an appointed miniftry. And laftly, inftead of being uncon cerned when they faw their fellow creatures adopt erroneous opinions in religion, they felt that it would be a criminal negled of duty, were they not to endeavour, by all the means in their power, to reclaim them to the better way. Now, thefe fentiments being once inftilled into the minds of men, by the preaching of the Gofpel, it feems to follow as a confe quence, that their hopes and their fears, their aversions and their defires, would be in many refpeds no longer the fame with what they were previous to. its promulgation. We may even venture to fay, that the principle where on virtue was founded, being better under ftood, the duties which men under the Chrif tian Covenant were called upon to pradife, differed from thofe which had been enforced in the times of Gentilifm. Certainly there were many things which the wife and the * 2 Tim. i. 13. k 1 Kings xiv. 23. good SERMON VII. 399 good among the Heathen believed themfelves to have been at liberty either to do, or to negled; which the wife and the good among the Chriftians now feel themfelves compelled in duty either to avoid, or to pradife. Such was the revolution which the diffu sion of Chriftianity wrought in the minds of men, with regard to the motives of their condud. It muft be obvious, that the effect of this revolution would foon be felt by civil government, in the changes which would na turally be introduced by it into men's adions likewife. This accordingly happened. And as it will tend materially to illuftrate the fubjed which is now under confideration, we will fpecify, in a few inftances, what was the nature of thofe changes which were fo produced. One of thefe was effeded by inftilling into the human mind the principle of religi ous conftancy ; a principle which may be con fidered to have been almoft unknown to the Heathen. The paffion which was moft power ful with them, was the love of their country. 'A firm adherence to religious tenets feems to have had little influence on their conduct. But when it w7as told the Man of God, that the fidelity with which he fhould maintain the dodrines of his Divine Mafter would be a title to an everlafting reward ; when too it was 400 SERMON Vlt was revealed to him, that the fouls of them who were Jlain for the word of God were pre ferved under the altar, unto endlefs glory ' j mo tives were fupplied which excited religious conftancy, and made it conftitute in future one of the distinguishing marks of the Chrif tian charader. Hence it was, that when the perfecutions arofe, the Romans beheld in the condud of the martyrs, a firmnefs, to which they hardly knew how to affign a name. They called it therefore what, having no knowledge of the facrednefs of the obliga tion which bound men to preferve the in tegrity of the Faith, they really conceived it to be, not conftancy, but madnefs. How then would they have been aftonifhed, could they have forefeen, that, while their Em> perors were even praifed for uniting in one temple the gods of different countries m, 1 Revel, vi. 9. vii. 13, 14. m Thus Mr. Gibbon defcribes Alexander Severus as " hav- '• ing filled his domeftic Chapel with the images of thofe heroes " who, by improving or reforming human life, had deferred " the grateful reverence of pofterity." Vol. i. ed. 4to. p. 15 j. The words of Lampridius, whom Mr. Gibbon tranflates in part, are : " In larario fuo (in quo et Divos Principes, fed opti- " mos electos, et animos fanctiores, in queis et Apollonium, et " quantum fcriptor fuorum temporum dicit, CHRISTUM, " Abraham, Orpheum, et hujufcemodi deos habebat, ac majo- " rum effigies) rem divinam faciebat." Hift. Aug. Script. Ed. Cafauboni, p. 123. the SERMON VII. 401 the example of Chriftian kings would not be wanting, who cheerfully would bow down their heads and die, rather than confent to betray the religious eftablifhment of their kingdoms. A fecond change, which was produced hy the preaching of Chriftianity, may be confi dered to have been, in fome reSpeds, even more important than the preceding. Before the Gofpel was revealed, Religion, being de- ftitute of all poSitive authority, was of little or no reftraint upon that obedience which the peculiar inftitutions of any ftate required of its fubjeds. Nay, rather, religion became, in the hands of every legislator, precifely that which his policy would make it. Thus in fome countries the ftrongeft fentiments of na tural affedion, or of moral reditude, were can celled; and many things were approved of, which by the common law of nature, or of equity, were forbidden ". So that frequently n This was remarkably the cafe in the Spartan Republic. Nothing, for inftance, could have been more repugnant to na tural affection than the cuftom which was there eftablifhed, of deftroying all infants which did not promife to be robuft, and healthy. Nothing likewife could have been more directly in oppofition to moralrectitude than the practice of encouraging the youth to fteal, in order to make them adroit, and enterprif- ing. See many other inftances of this nature enumerated by Mitford, Hiftory_ of Greece, Vol. I. c. v. feet. 2. x> d adions 4oi SERMON VII. adions were confidered to be good or bad, only fo far as they were ufeful, or detrimental to the ftate. But the human mind having been once enlightened, and taught, that no part of hu man condud could be approved, but as it was the fulfilment of fome religious obligation, it was no longer in the power of particular infti tutions to mould men as they pleafed; and it was found, that even the love of their coun try, which till then was held to be the moft facred of all obligations, was to be in future regulated in fubferviency to that obedience which was due to the commands of God. A third change wThich was wrought by the propagation of the Gofpel will be found to have been of equal importance. For men having now learned the real dignity of their nature, and the effed which their condud here would produce on their happinefs here after, boldly afferted, that though the inftitu tions of their own particular ftate claimed their higheft veneration, thefe were not to be put in competition with the fuperior fandity of revealed duty. The memorable inftance of the Chriftian foldier, who, under every punish ment, refufed to wear the military crown, becaufe he thought the adion forbidden by ¦the Chriftian law, convinced the world that the human mind had acquired a new prin ciple, SERMON VII. 403 ciple, and that henceforward it would be dangerous for any ftate to exad an obedience that Should be contrary to the laws of re vealed religion °. Let thefe inftances be fufficient to prove how great the revolution was which had been effeded, as well in the condud as in the opi nions of mankind, by the eftablifhment of Chriftianity. That this revolution was one which would immediately be felt by Civil governments at large, is obvious. For, indi viduals having obtained, what they had not before, a clear and a juft conception of a fu ture and a better exiftence ; and having once made the acquirement of eternal glory in the heavens, the great objed of their defire, each of them would naturally become jealous of his moral condud. As the number of thofe Should increafe, who aded on this principle, Religious inftitutions, it was evident, would obtain a powerful influence over Civil. Since, as it could not be thought probable that the truly pious Chriftian would facrifice his ever- lafting hopes to his temporal profpeds, fo it fol lowed, that he would not be brought to con cur in any meafure in future, which fhould in volve the violation of pofitive religious duty. e See Tertullian de Corona Militis, Opera, ed. Rigalt, p. iop, pda It 404 SERMON VII. It is true that the precepts which the Chriftian Religion taught, were eminently of a nature to produce univerfal political good. For their dired tendency (and this too ftrengthened by the exprefs command and the blamelefs example of the Son of God him felf) was to enfure obedience to laws, and re verence to fupreme magiftrates ; was to pre vent innovation, and to give to regular go vernments a lafting Stability. It could not but be manifeft however, that fhould thofe precepts be at any time perverted, then they might operate as powerfully to the fubverfion of Civil order, as, when properly direded, they would have done to the fupport of it p. P It is important to obferve, that one of the moft fatal pre judices, which were entertained againft Chriftianity, arofe from a fuppofition that the principles which it inculcated were inimi cal to Civil government. The probable caufe of this error was, that the Chriftians, who were called in the firft ages, not un- frequently, Galileans, were confounded with the followers of Judas of Galilee, mentioned Acts v. 37. The tenets of thefe turbulent fectaries feem to have been ; " That they were the " fervants of the Lord, and therefore owed no fubjection toany " human creature ; that they were the freemen of God, and " ought not therefore to be the flaves or the fubje&s of men." It was owing to this prejudice, that St. "Paul was accufed be fore Felix as " a mover of fedition among all the Jews through- " out the world ; and- a ringleader of the feet called Nazarenes;" Acts xxiv. j ; and that, in like manner, the Chriftians of ThefTalbnica were charged " with being thofe who have turned " the world upfide down." Acts xvii. 6. See this point treated SERMON VII. 405 For be it confidered what were the great leading principles with which the minds of men were now impreffed ! They may bq inferred from the following awful declarations of our Divine Mafter. What fhall it profit a man, if he fhall gain the whole world, and lojfe his own foul^ ? He that denieth me before men, fhall be de nied before the Angels of God1. Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the foul : but rather fear him which is able to deftroy both foul and body in hell\ Declarations fuch as thefe, muft naturally have produced on the mind of the believer an impreffion which no external confideration either of difgrace, of torment, or of death, could counterad. So that Should he ever be perfuaded that any private and domeftic tie, any public and Civil inftitution ftood in the way of that fidelity, which he owed his hea venly Mafter, he could not he Skate what con dud to purfue. He would violate every obe- treated of at large by Bp. Sherlock, in his Sermons, vol. iv. Difcourfe xiii. *• Mark viii. 36. T Luke xii. 9. 5 Matt. x. 28. d d 3 dience, 406 SERMON VII. dience, rather than infringe that on which he believed his falvation to depend. Ofthe powerful operation of fuch a fenti ment as this, the ambitious doubtlefs would foon be apprifed. And if they had any great revolution to effed, their firft objed would be to engage in their intereft fuch religious feds, as maintained opinions contrary to thofe which were acknowledged by the eftablifhed government. They would tell them, that that government was tyrannous over their. Confciences : they would fay, that it was the fole obstacle which prevented the diffufion of their religious opinions ; and they would fug- geft, that the benefits, which would follow the general adoption of their tenets, would more than compenfate any temporary evils which might arife from the violation of Civil order *. Thefe are the arguments, which the mov ers of fedition would employ. And they 1 Dr. Prieftley reveals his fentiments on this head, without the leaft referve. " Perhaps we muft wait for the fall of the ci- " vii powers before this moft unnatural alliance (between the " kingdom of Chrift and the kingdoms of this world) be broken- " Calamitous, no doubt, will that time be; but what cohvulfion " in the political world ought to be a fubject of lamentation, " if it be attended with fo defirable an event ?" Hift. of the Corruptions, &c. vol. ii. p. 489. would SERMON VII. 407 would urge them with a greater degree of earneftnefs, becaufe they could not but be fenfible that fuch of their followers, as Should join them from worldly confiderations, might eafily be induced, from change of circum- Stances, to return to their former obedience; which thofe, who had rebelled againft the rul ing powers on principles of religious difagree ment, would hardly ever be perfuaded to do. It is not poffible perhaps to adduce a ftronger illustration of the truth of thefe remarks, than that which is afforded us by the Scriptures, in the hiftory of the kingdom of Ifrael. When Jeroboam had feparated the ten tribes from thofe of Benjamin and Judah, al though his government, according to the pro mife of the Almighty, feemed to be perma nently eftabliShed, neverthelefs he feared that the tie of a common worffiip might ultimate ly caufe his kingdom to return to the houfe of David. If my people go up to facrifice at ferufalem, he faid, their hearts will turn again to Rehoboam. He therefore perfuaded his fub jeds, that the journey to the Temple was both painful and unneceffary. It is too much for you to go up to ferufalem : behold thy gods, O Ifrael* ! By thus eftablifhing among his own " 1 Kings xii. 25. 6, 7, 8. Diodorus Siculus relates, that d d 4 one 408 SERMON VII. people a mode of worffiip diftind from that of the men of Judah, and by mingling religi ous with political difunion, he precluded, as he thought, the poffibility of a future recon ciliation. As no lapfe of time, no change of fovereigns, no Similarity of interefts, and not even the ties of confanguinity were ever able to effed a reunion, we are authorized to con clude, that the principle whereon he founded his reafoning was juft ; and that diffenfions in religion, wherever they Shall be violently excited, will induce men to break through every obligation, which either the laws of their country, the charities of focial life, or the ties of nature impofe. For we muft all of us be confcious that the focial principle in the human breaft is, gene rally fpeaking, fo ftrong and adiye, that it one of the kings of Egypt was reported to have followed, on another occafion, a nearly fimilar line of conduct, to effect nearly a fimilar end." The feveral cities (of Egypt)," he fays, " being " formerly prone to rebellion, and to enter into confpiracies " againft monarchical government, one of their kings contrived " to introduce into each city the worfhip of a different ani- " mal : fo that while every one reverenced the deity which it- " felf held facred, and defpifed what the other confecrated, they " could hardly be brought to join cordially together in one " common caufe againft the government.'' See the paffage as preferved by Eufebius, Praep. Evang. quoted by Bp. Warbur- ton, Divine Legation, Works, 4to. vol. i. p. 433. recoils, SERMON VII. 409 recoils, as it were inftindively, at the thought of difunion; and that it refifts, for a long time, every effort which fhall be made to produce it. When therefore a principle, thus power ful in itfelf, is ftrengthened by the additional tie of religious unity, it then will lead men to bear patiently, as God mercifully intended that it fhould, many of thofe fmaller imper fedions which muft unavoidably be found in human inftitutions. The very recolledion that we have one common hope of falvation, awakens in the mind fuch a fentiment of mutual endearment and confidence, that we inftantly rejed the idea of ading in oppofi tion to thofe who are bound to us in a bond of union fo Sacred, and fo affeding. Art thou not my companion, my guide, and mine own familiar friend ? Do we not take fweet counfel together f Do we not walk in the houfe of Glod as friends x ? But once change the cir cumftances, let us fuppofe that, fo far from having the houfe of God as a common point of union, we confider the temple, where our political enemies worffiip, to be the place where we dare not in confcience facrifice : let us fuppofe that we are once fatally per fuaded, that the jealoufy with which we are expeded to love God, compels us to break x Pfalm. Iv. 13, 14. all 410 SERMON VII. all religious communion with thofe from whom we are already inclined to feparate, we fhall immediately burft afunder every remain ing bond of charity ; and, by giving the co lour of religion to private animofities, we fhall never afterwards find any inducement to moderate the acrimony with which they are purfued. It is apparent then, that the affertion of fuch as would maintain that the religious dif- fenfions of Christians will not, in the prefent day, neceffarily- affed the peace of Civil esta blishments, is altogether unfounded. And yet further ; as we have proved that the evils which will be produced by Schifm refult im mediately from certain fixed principles, which never can be altered, and not from accident, it is manifeft that whatever , thofe evils be, they muft be of perpetual recurrence. For be it only confidered, what is the na ture of religious animofity ? a paffion, which it has been Shewn will unavoidably be ex cited by Schifm. Surely we cannot be igno rant, that it is a paffion by far the moft pow erful, that can agitate the human breaft. Hope, fear, jealoufy, anger, hatred, and all fimilar emotions, may be qualified with other fentiments; may be fufpended by the inter vention of more urgent purfuits; and may fi nally SERMON VII. 411 nally fubfide. But religious animofity, if once kindled, is feldom, if ever, extinguished, but in death y. Firmly impreffed with the belief, that the joys of eternity depend upon the meafure of their love to God ; arguing therefore, that his enemies fliould be their enemies ; but falfely concluding, that thofe muft be fuch who will not honour him in the way which they believe to be the beft ; how foon do Schifmatics perfuade themfelves that they cannot, confiftently with duty, abate the fiercenefs of their contention ! Luke- warmnefs appears to them to be a defertion of their heavenly Matter's caufe ; oppofition y How ftrongly is this deadly paffion characterized in the following p/ffages ! An Independent prayed thug publicly in the time of the rebellion . " Lord, now that the fword is " drawn, let it never be fheathed, until it "be glutted in tbe blood " ofthe curfed Malignants." Gangrana, part iii. p. 17. And after the battle of Worcefter, part of the hymn fung at divine fer vice, in a congregation of Independents, was : " Lord, dip the feet of all thy faints " 1'th' blood of all thy deadly foes." See a tract called " Unity the Bond of Peace," p. 108. Far dif ferent were the prayers of their Sovereign, whom they murdered. " I blefs God," he fays, " I pray not fo much that this bit- " ter cup of a violent death may pafs from me, as, that that " of his wrath may pafs from all thofe, whofe hands, by defert- '* ing me, are fprinkled, or by acting and confenting to my " death, are embrued with my blood." See Zixtat BacriXixv, King Charles's Works, p. 146. being 41a SERMON VII. being confidered as a trial of their fidelity, ferves but to ftimulate exertion ; and while defeat re-animates their zeal, fuccefs is exult - ingly proclaimed to be the marked approba tion of Heaven. . Ading under thefe impref fions, how is it poffible that the mind fhould not affume a charader of all others the moft dangerous to the interefts, and the moft hof- tile to the peace of Civil communion ? That fuch has been, generally fpeaking, the temper of all thofe who have either been the authors, or the fupporters of religious dif- fenfions, may be clearly inferred from the methods which they have adopted, in order to fecure the fuccefs of that party to which they are attached. To detail all thefe me thods would be impradicable. Nor in fad does our argument require it. It will be probably thought fufficient to confirm* what has been advanced, if we fpecify in two in ftances the line of condud which thofe, who are bent on maintaining the caufe of fome particular communion, have been found to purfiie. In the firft place then it is obfervable that they deliberately facrifice every confi deration of public good, rather than permit their religious opponents to gain the leaft afcendancy. And in the fecond place, that they SERMON VII. 413 they refort to any means ; nay, they have not fcrupled even to affirm, that the worft means will be fandioned when employed to pro mote, what they conceive to be the interefts of their Mafter 's fpiritual kingdom. The former of thefe pofitions will receive the ftrongeft confirmation from the circum ftances which contributed to the downfal of the Chriftian Empire in the Eaft. Whether that Empire could have long refitted the re peated affaults which were made upon it, we are not* now concerned to enquire. Perhaps, humanly fpeaking, it would have been fub- verted, fooner or later, by the arms of a war like and a vidorious enemy. Neverthelefs, it feems more than probable, that the Schifm between the Eaftern and the Weftern Church es contributed effentially to haften that event, For what a dreadful inftance of the implaca bility of religious animofity does the hiftory of that period prefent ! On the one hand, the greater part ofthe Greek Communion de clared, that they had rather perifh, than owe their fafety to the interpofition of the Latin Church 7'. And on the other hand, the Roman z See Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman, Empire, vol. vi. ed, 4to. p, 480 — 483. where he defcribes the manner in which all orders of men, of the Greek Church, united in ex- preffing their hatred for the doctrines and minifters of the Church 414 SERMON VII. Pontiff, when folicited, inftead of obtaining for his Chriftian brethren fuch affiftance as might have faved them from the fword of an infidel enemy, took that opportunity to infift on the recognition of his own fupremacy, and on the adoption of fome difputed points of faith a. The event of this condud was fuch as might have been expeded, and was in fad foretold. The general good of fociety was betrayed; and the Romifh Church, in order as it Should feem to procure the humi liation of a rival communion, was content (we might almoft fay) to furrender fome of the faireft provinces of Chriftendom into .the hands of the bittereft enemy of the Chriftian faith. Of the truth of our fecond pofition, name ly, that Schifmatics, when heated by religious Church of Rome. The common language was, " What occa- " fion have we for fuccour, or union, or Latins ? far be from us " the worfhip of the Azymites.'' By which term they defcribed the members of the Roman communion. " The Latins are " the moft odious of heretics and infidels : I had rather," faid the firft minifter of the empire, " behold in Conftantinople the " turban of Mahomet, than the Pope's tiara, or the Cardinal's " hat." a See Gibbon, vol. vi. ed. 4to. p. 413, and 437. Univerfal Hift. vol. vi. ed. fol. p. 6_$o, and vol. ix. p. 681, 687, Mofheim, Cent. VII. p. ii. chap. ii. fee. 1. and Cent. XI. p. ii. chap. iii. fee. 9. an'n SERMON VII. 4i5 animofities, will deliberately have recourfe to any, nay even to forbidden means, in order to promote the fuccefs of their caufe, we have the fulleft confirmation in the progrefs of that Rebellion, which was permitted, for a certain fpace, to deftroy in thefe kingdoms the Civil and the Ecclefiaftical Establish ments a. To dwell on the hiftory of that diltrefsful period, that we may illuftrate the truth of the above affertion, cannot be deemed ne ceffary. It has long been univerfally ac knowledged, that- when the good and the * The Hiftory of the illuftrious Lord Clarendon has been juftly ftyled xtyi/ax ei; an, an evcrlafiing poffeffion. For it fo clearly traces the progrefs of Rebellion ; fo accurately defcribes the characters of men, and the influence which religious animofity, the love of power, and the attachment to parties have over the human mind, that, would we confent to be taught by experi ence, that work alone might prevent the recurrence of Civil difcord in future. But it feems always to have been the cha racter of mankind, that they will " not remember the former " things, neither confider the things of old." Ifaiah xliii. 18. The conduct which was purfued by the religious Sectaries of thofe days, fo far at leaft as it concurred to fubvert the efta blifhed government, is marked out with much precifion by Dugdale, in his " View of the late Troubles in England," and by Walker in his " Sufferings of the Clergy during the Grand " Rebellion." The account which is given in the latter of what was called, The Propagation of the Gofpel in Wales, defcribes a more tremendous fcene of fanatieifm and iniquity, than per haps was ever witneffed in any country before. difpaffion- 416 SERMON VII. difpaffionate of the two contending parties wiffied to draw thofe mournful differences to a clofe, they found that what chiefly pre vented the fuccefs of their endeavours, was the ambition of contending fedaries. Thefe, in their zeal to eftabliSh their feparate com munions, became, not unwillingly, fubfer^- vient to the defigns of other men, whofe ob jed was avowedly to overturn the existing form of Civil government b. This mode of condud indeed, was repugnant to every principle of that pure Chriftian faith, of which b In no one inftance, probably, were the motives which in fluenced the conduct of the rebels of thofe times more openly avowed, than by Col. Purefoy, one of the Council of State, who thus exprefled himfelf, after Charles I. was put to death. " I blefs God that I have now lived to fee the ruin of the Mon-t " archy, and that I have been inftrumental to it ; for I do ac- *f knowledge, that it hath been in my defign ever fince I was " in Geneva, which is now thirty-eight years." See Dugdale's View, kc. The public directions given to the minifters in London were as follows : " You are required to commend to, " God in your prayers, the -Lord General ; the whole army " employed in the Parliament's fervice; and the defign under- ft taken by them ; as alfo in your fermons effectually to ftir up " the people tp appear in perfon, and to join with the army to " ftand up for our Religion, and Liberties." Dugdale's View, &c. p. 567. No fooner however was the great end accomplifhed, in the murder of the Sovereign, than an order of council was paffed, " That no minifter, in the pulpit, fhould meddle with any " ftate matters." Ibid. p. 389. they SERMON VII. 417 they profeffed themfelves to be the followers. But probably the leaders of thofe Seds rea- foned feverally within themfelves, that, Should the new rulers of the ftate be fenfible that they owed the fuccefs of their ambitious defigns, in part to, their co-operation, then, either from policy, or from gratitude, their religious fyf tem might be made the national church c. Unlefs the condud of fome of thofe feda- ries be referred to this motive, it feems hardly poffible to account for it on any known prin ciple of reafon. That needy* and uninform ed, and feditious people might have been led, from worldly confiderations, to contribute c The writers of thofe days feem to agree in charging the Independents with being, in great meafure, the caufe of all the evils which were experienced during the rebellion. " In a " word, we may thank Independency. and Independents, for " all thefe errors, herefies, blafphemies, and other evils in our " Church ; as being the caufe of their rife, growth, increafe, " and continuance among us : and I do here,- as a Minifter of " Jefus Chrift, charge upon the confciences of the Indepen- " dents, all the confuficns and mifchiefs we lie under ; as be- " ing the great means of hindering, and delaying, the fettling " of Church Government, keeping all things loofe, ftrengthen- " ing the hands of the Sectaries, ftanding up for them in all " places, bringing them off danger, and conftantly oppofing all " ways propounded for the fuppreffing of them ; being con- *' tent that God's Glory, Name, and Truth fhould fuffer, rather " than that their interefts and Way fhould be in the leaft kind " prejudiced." Edwards' Gangreena.V.i. p. 161, and 157. And fee Walker's Hiftory of Independency. E e by 4i3 SERMON VII. by every means in their power to the fuccefs of an ufurper, was no more than it was na tural to exped. But when we find men of fuperior talents and learning, and even of perfonal fandity of life, urging the extirpation of adverfe parties, as of the enemies of God ; exulting in a ftrain of bitter triumph over the murder of their Sovereign ; promifing the bleffing of the Almighty to thofe who Should profecute the work of rebellion j and de nouncing the terrors of God's fevereft ven geance againft all who were not even zealous in that undertaking ; how, may we afk, are fuch declarations reconcileable with their Chriftian fincerity in other refpeds? So great an inconfiftency can be accounted for only by fuppofing, that having perfuaded them felves that the intereft of the Church of Chrift depended upon the eftablifhment of their pe culiar religious fyftems, they argued that they ffiould be juftified in the employment of any means, however violent, by which that great end might be accomplished. d d See the Sermon preached by Dr. J. Owen, before the Par liament the day after the murder of his Sovereign, and his Ser mon on the defeat of Charles II. at the battle of Worcefter. Of Dr. Owen's Treatifes feveral are written in a ftrain of true piety : but as the principles which he held, and publicly de fended in many of them, with all the powers of his under ftanding and great learning, are deftructive both of our Civil and Eccle- SERMON VII. 419 We fee then that Schifms have that im mediate tendency to deftroy the peace of Civil fociety, which we have attributed to them ; whether we confider the nature of thofe paffions which they will excite in the minds of individuals ; or whether we confi der the methods which the authors and the fupporters of religious diffenfions purfue, in order to fecure the fuccefs of their particular communions e. Ecclefiaftical Eftablifhments, it may be afked, what good is to be derived from their intended republication ? For an account of this dangerous Schifmatie, who was called the " Apoftle of " the Independents," fee Woods Athena Oxonierfes, Vol. ii. p. 535. e The conduct which the Socinians of this country once adopted, affords another ftriking confirmation of this pofition, For in the reign of Charles II. they addreffed the Emperor of 'Morocco, through his Ambaffador ; and, in the hope of making him friendly to their caufe, they declared, that in important points they approached nearer to the Mahometan Religion than all the other Proteftants. They not only undertake to prove that all the inconfiftencies which are to be found in their Coran, were not the real fayings of their Prophet ; but they offer their affiftance to reftore the Coran to its firft purity ¦ and they declare that Mahomet was but a preacher of Chrift. They acknowledge that their feet dares not fpeak out as openly as they could wifh, " by reafon of the inhumanity of the Cler- " gy :" and they affign this as the " fad reafon, why they had- " not hitherto waited on the Ambaffador in greater numbers, " to teftify the refpeft they bore to his Prince, and people.'' See Leflie's Works, vol. i. p. 205 ; where the addrefs is pre ferved. The Socinians grounded their hopes of fuccefs on knowing that the Mahometans glory in calling themfelves e e 2 " the 440 SERMON VII. The only objedion, perhaps, that can be urged to invalidate the force of this latter eonclufion, is this : That all Schifmatics muft now be fo convinced, from the experience of paft times, ofthe fatal tendency which Schifm has to produce Civil difcord, that they will be cautious of urging their pretenfions in any manner that may affed the p6ace of fociety. However plaufible this reafoning may ap pear, let it not be thought invidious to fug- geft, in the words of him who was the wifeft of the fons of men, " That that which hath " been is now ; and that which is to be hath " already been." Wherefore, to urge his own eonclufion, " God requireth us to confider what " is paft f. ' In fad, fo little is mankind difpofed to profit by paft experience, that it is obferv able that the Schifmatie of the prefent day, " the ftouteft of the Unitarians." Ockley's Hift. of Saracens, vol. i. p. 267. That the Roman Catholic Church has at all times encouraged thofe fanatical Schifmatics, who have dis tracted our communion, in the hope of being able thereby ul timately to fubvert it, is a fact, which feems to be eftablifhed on the cleareft evidence. See Leflie's Works, vol. ii. p. 94. 560. Sir James Ware's Foxes and Firebrands, P. I. p. 7. Bp. Stil- lingfleet's - Works, vol. ii. p. 443. Hift. of Mod. Enthufiafm, p. 32. and 80. and Grey's Examination of Neal's Hift. ofthe Puritans, vol. i. p, 90. et feq. f Ecclef. iii. 15. inftead SERMON VII. 4ai inftead of cautioufly endeavouring, if it were poffible, to feparate Civil from Religious inno vation, feems to be ftudioufly bent on con- neding them. What; for inftance, can be more unequi vocal than the condud and words of one of our modern Separatifts ? Solemnly addreffing the Almighty in prayer, and befeeching him to blefs his endeavours with fuccefs s, he pro- pofes to inftrud the younger part of his con gregation, in the following principles : "That " the Study of religion is naturally conneded " with the ftudy of government — that its " administrators are refponfible truftees — " that the people are the origin of power — " and that free popular eledion is a neceffary " qualification to enable the chief magiftrate " to govern h." e Plan of Lectures on the Principles of Non-conformity, h Ibid. p. 49. and 36. Thefe lectures conclude with affirming, " that Monarchy would ftand f after without the incumbrance of " Epifcopacy : and that till its entire abolition is effected, the " fervants of Chrift muft prophefy in fackcloth." p. $$. The fentiments of Dr. Price are expreffed ftill more explicitly. " Tremble, ye oppreffors of the world ! Take warning, all ye " fupporters of fiavifh Governments, and fiavifh Hierarchies ; " call no more (abfurdly and wickedly) Reformation, Innova- " tion. You cannot hold the world in darknefs. Struggle " no more againft increafing light and liberality. Reftore to " mankind their rights, and confent to the correction of E e 3 •' abufes, 42a SERMON VII. More declarations of this nature, if poffible, ftill clearer in their objed, might eafily be ad duced, to fhew the tendency of thofe opi nions, which are profeffed and propagated by our modern Sedaries. The above will be fufficient to prove (which is the only point we wiffi to eftab'lifh) that there is little hope that thofe who violate the peace of the Church, will either long themfelves refped, . or be able to teach others to refped," the. peace of Civil fociety. For let themfelves decide the queftion. Has not the bleffed Jefus, whom under every title we are bound to love and to obey, whether as Creator, or Redeemer ; as Me diator, or as Judge ; has He not, I Say, both commanded us and intreated us to preferve the unity of his Church entire ? And if, not withstanding this, we can perfuade ourfelves, that, upon the fuggeftions bf our vain imagi nations, we are at liberty to violate that unity ; is it probable that we Shall perfuade ourfelves not to violate the unity of Civil go vernments ? which have, it will be argued, a far lefs pofitive claim upon us for an unvary ing obedience. He that difregards the greater, " abufes, before they and you are deftroy ed together." See Sermon preached on the Anniverfary of the Revolution. Nov. 4, 1789. will SERMON VII. 423 will he reverence the lefs ? Surely there can be but one eonclufion. So thatj refleding on the feveral particulars which have been ad duced, I fee not how we can avoid acknow ledging that Schifm will of neceffity operate to weaken, and, as circumftances Shall de cide, fometimes even to diffolve, the bonds of Civil union '. •"" """' Grant us vox populi, vox Dei; only allow the people to " be the^fource of power, and we have a wifh equal to that of " Archimedes, and as much more glorious, as the dignity of " directing the world of fpirit isfuperior to that of guiding " the motion of matter. Farewell popery, prelacy, prefbytery ; " I have underftanding as well as you." Methodift Monitor, vol. ii. p. 290. When the minds of Separatifts are inflamed with thefe fentiments ; and when they openly profefs to wifh for the attainment of thefe objects; how is it poffible that they fhould not become fometimes the Very caufe, and moft com monly the fupporters of diffenfions in the State ? The truly pious indeed of every Sect will not deliberately engage in any undertaking that fhall be deftructive of the public gqod. At leaft they propofe to themfelves that they will not. But it is a dangerous thing to put the duties which we owe the State in competition with thofe which we fhall perfuade ourfelves we owe God. At all events, how eafily may even well-intentioned Sectaries become inftruments in the hands of artful men ; and how often have they been made fubfervient to the worft of pur- pofes, while they are intent folely on promoting the interefts of their communion ! Thus in the recent attempt which was made to extirpate Chriftianity in thefe dominions, many of our Sectaries were brought, unknowingly to themfelves, to co operate in the horrid undertaking : " It was a dreadful aggra- " vation of the dangers of that crifis," fays an eminent writer, e e 4. " that 424 SERMON VII. This point then being eftablifhed, it now remains for us to confider the other pofition which we propofed to examine ; and enquire, Whether Schifms do not tend equally to in jure domeftic peace ; and to deftroy that mu tual affedion which ought to fubfift in the feveral relations of life. Thefe effeds indeed are fo unavoidably conneded with thofe which we have al ready proved to be the certain confequents of Religious difunion, that it might feem unne- ceffary to make them the objed of a feparate confideration. And fo it would, were men at all times fincere in their .enquiries after truth. But there are fome who appear constantly difpofed to reprefent the evils which arife from Schifm, to be lefs than they really are; hoping perhaps by this method to palliate the finfulnefs of their own condud. Thefe therefore contend, that, though diffenfions in " that perfons of real piety fhould, without knowing it, be " lending their aid to the common enemy, and making them- " felves in effect accomplices in a confpiracy againft the Lord, " and againft his Chrift." Bp. of Rochefter s Charge, 1800, p. 20. The evidences that fupport this affertion are, I believe, inconteftable. See Methodifm Unmafked, p. 35. et feq. How then can Schifmatics be certain that they may not be made to contribute, even though their intentions fhould be remote from fuch a defign, at any future period, to the fubverfion of civil order ?, the SERMON VII. 425 the Church have been followed, in former inftances, by all thofe fatal confequences which we have detailed ; neverthelefs there is reafon to fuppofe that in the prefent times they will not be attended by fimilar effeds. Now with refped to this argument, we would obferve, that it is precifely the fame with that which has been urged on another occafion, and with a fimilar defign, againft the probability of the recurrence of religious impofture. The anfwer is the fame. No one can ever be juftified in adopting a princi ple of adion which has a certain tendency to produce any given evil, upon the prefump tion that that evil will not occur. Even could it be afcertained that fuch a particular effed would not be produced, yet if it can be fhewn that other hurtful confequences will follow, this of itfelf forms a fufficient rea fon why the principle Should be rejeded. We will grant then, (what we are fo wil ling to believe true) that feveral caufes con cur fo far to restrain the violence of Schifm, that it will not produce in our days the fame tremendous confequences which were wit- neffed in a former age. What then ? Are there not ftill many intermediate evils, which may be created by it, of fufficient magnitude to occafion the moft fearful apprehenfions ? Certainly 42 ought to be fuggefted to all Enthufiafts in general, that, when they reprefent themfelves as acting like the Pro phets of old, they would do well to remember, that thofe Pro phets were fent not to build new altars, but to repair thofe which were broken down. Thus Elijah acted ; fee 1 Kings, xviii. 30. And yet we have heard Mr. Whitefield affert, that a double portion of Elijah's fpirit refted upon him. See note to p. 282. com- SERMON VII. 44! commiffion. Do we then, therefore, aljow that he is juftified in the condud which he adopts ? So far from it, that our objed has been to fhew him that his condud is finful j and that for this very reaSbn; becaufe he has the means of difcovering that the belief which he entertains is ill founded. Were we not to infift on this point, what distinc tion could we make between a Fanatic, who by a wilful abufe of his underftanding fhould perfuade himfelf confidently to teach certain dodrines as true, which were in reality falfe ; and thofe holy Apoftles, who having afcer- tained by infallible evidence the reality of the revelations which they had received, preached with all boldnefs the unerring word of truth' ? When therefore the Enthufiaft pleads his Confcience, as the reafon why he purfues a line of condud which he never would have purfued, had he not fubjeded his underftand? ing to the dominion of his fancy ; he evidently betrays an ignorance as to the real nature of that Confcience, by which he means to regu late his adions. But as this observation be longs to that part of the fubjed with the ex amination of which we propofed to termi nate the whole of this enquiry, it ffiall be deferred to the enfuing ledure. In 44? SERMON VII. In the mean time we will urge one gene ral refledion. If the experience of paft ages, and the ad monitions of Scripture, are not of avail to de ter us from adopting a condud, which always has been attended with calamitous confe quences ; when thofe confequences fhall "re cur, may we not have reafon to fear that the very circumftance of our having negleded fuch repeated warnings, will contribute to heighten our diftrefs ? Certainly ffiould the dreadful pidure of the enormities which were committed in Ifrael, when every man did. that which was right in his own eyes e, fail to convince us, that national happinefs depends on the reverence which is paid to eftablifhed laws: fhould the policy of the rebellious Jeroboam be in- fufficient to prove to us, that ambitious men will employ religious diffenfions, as the fureft mode of breaking the bonds of Civil Union : fhould the fate of the ten Schifmatie Tribes, always haraffed by wars, then carried away into captivity, and, finally loft in the difper- fion, feem too little to convince the wilful Separatift that his caufe is not efpoufed of Heaven : or, finally, ffiould the bitter fpirit e Judges xvii. 6. xxi. 2j. that SERMON VII. 443 that fubfifted between Samaria and Jerufa- lem, leave us unimpreffed with this impor tant truth, that religious animofities are the moft deadly when excited, and the moft dur able in their effeds ; we then cannot but ex ped to Suffer ; and perhaps every calamity, which Stamped the bloody charaders of Civil difcord and contention on the annals of times paft, may in fome future period again fill the fad records of Jfiftory, within and with out, with lamentation, and mourning, and woe d. This however is not the only circumftance to which we ought to attend. For let us afk ourfelves, whether a wilful inattention to thofe events, which have been recorded in Scripture for our example, may not merit the fevere anger of the Lord ; and conse quently, whether the misfortunes which fhall enfue may not be confidered to be juft judg ments, executed againft us, for having re fufed to profit by that good gift of God, which was defigned to teach us the things which be long unto our peace. Bitter indeed then muft the fpirit of that Enthufiaft be, who, knowing the confequences which may enfue, fhall neverthelefs perfift in urging his unfounded pretenfions. Should f Ezekiel ii. 10. how- 444 SERMON VII, however fuch be found, the faithful Steward in the houfehold of Chrift will readily per ceive what is the conduct which he is bound to purfue. Convinced that the Almighty never permits national difunion, but for the fake of national and individual chaftifement ; knowing alSb that even temporal peace is a pledge of divine approbation; he will confider it to be his bounden duty towards both his fellow creatures and himfelf, to expofe the dangerous tendency of Schifm, by every ar gument that reafon and religion can fuggeft ; hoping that he may be counted as one who in thefe things ferve th Chrift, acceptable to God, and approved of men, g when, in the way efta bliShed in our venerable Church, he exhorts his brethren, fo to worfhip the God of their Fa thers h. s Romans xiv. 18. h Acts xxiv. 14. SER- SERMON VIII. ACTS xxiv. 16. HEREIN DO I EXERCISE MYSELF, TO HAVE ALWAYS A CONSCIENCE VOID OF OFFENCE TOWARD GOD, AND TOWARD MEN. W E proved in our preceding Ledure, that the injury arifing to Society from the increafe of Schifm was both great and inevitable ; and we urged in confequence, that this con fideration ought tb operate as a reftraint upon the innovating Spirit of Enthufiafts and Sec taries. But to this it was objected, that their convidion of the propriety of their condud is fo ftrong, that they cannot confcientioufly ad otherwife : and it was fuggefted, that any reftraint in this particular would be an injury to that Liberty of Confcience which all men are permitted to exercife. To this we replied, that they who argue thus, afford much ireafon to fufpect that, if they 446 SERMON VIII. they do not wilfully abufe, they at leaft eri* tirely mifunderftand the nature of that prin ciple, by which they mean to regulate their adions. Here then we reSume the queftion : and we have to afcertain ; Whether the facred plea of Confcience can with propriety be urged by thofe, who having perfuaded them felves, by the force of mere imagination, that they have received an authority., which in fad they have not received, fliall in confe quence proceed to violate the unity of the Church, by the eftabliffiment of new Com munions ; and to injure the purity of the Faith, by the propagation of erroneous doc trines. This is the point which is now to be con sidered. And we undertake the examination of it fo much the more willingly, becaufe it will be neceffary, in order to promote the fuc cefs of our general defign, that we fhould form a juft conception of the nature and offices of Confcience. In fad, when we fhall proceed to urge thofe feveral conclufions which we have obtained in the courfe of our enquiry, for the convidion of the Enthufiaft ; the means of producing that convidion will depend, in great meafure, upon the admiffion of this truth : That as the decifions of Con fcience, SERMON VIII. 447 fcience, if they are erroneous, will unavoid ably lead men into evil, fo there muft be cafes, in which Confcience cannot be confider ed as a fufficient, or even as a proper guide of condud. In order to eftabliSh the juftnefs of thefe pofitions, we will begin by explaining what the nature of that Confcience is, to the un limited exercife of which fuch imperious claims are made ; and we will fhew that much mifconception is entertained concern ing the principle itfelf, on which it is fup pofed to be founded. We then will endea vour to point out what is the principle on which it does depend : and afterwards we hope that we may be able to demonftrate, that Liberty of Confcience is, ftridly fpeak ing, but little conneded with thofe points, ' which form the immediate fubjed of our prefent inveftigation. In the firft place then refpeding Confcience in general, we would obferve, that it is by no means what fome imagine it to be, a fenti ment which relates to ourfelves alone. It rather is a principle by which we are taken from our own felves, and are made to con fider human condud as conneded with va rious important and external obligations. Wherefore we fhould be guilty of great error, were 484 SERMON VIII. x were we either in the Firft place to argue* that we fatisfy the Law of Confcience by fol lowing our own peculiar conceptions of right and wrong : or, Secondly, were we to con clude, that the pleafure, which we derive from having aded accordingly, is a proof of the propriety of our condud. Neverthelefs, thefe are the very errors into which, perhaps without any exception, all Enthufiafts have been betrayed. For arguing that their Confcience is to be a law unto themfelves, they view it in this light fo ex- clufively, that they appear never to have en quired, whether it may not be a law which has reference to others alfo. So that, in* ftead of conneding it with Social duties, in ftead of making it a principle of Chriftian regard to the happinefs of their neighbour, they render it a consideration altogether per fonal, and felfifh. On the evils refulting from this mifcon- ception of the nature of Confcience, we need not here infift. We have only to remark,. that the fallacy of it may be plainly inferred from that declaration of the Apoftle, which forms the text. St. Paul is there aflerting; in the prefence of his accuferfc, the blameleffnefs of his con dud. And we may obferve, that though he ground SERMON VIII. 449 grounds his defence on this very circumftance, that he has a Confcience void of offence; never thelefs he does not appeal in proof of this to the fidelity merely, with which he adhered to his own private convidions. On the con trary, he declares, that he had cautioufly avoided the very irregularities which had been laid to his charge. He had maintained indeed . the Refurreclion of the Dead, becaufe he had received a divine commiffion for that purpofe. Yet even in doing this, he had never violated the inftitutions, or the cuftoms of his country. He had been up to ferufalem to worfhip ; he had neither difputed in the Temple with any man ; nor raifed up the people, neither in the fynagogues , nor in the city3-. From the condud therefore, and from the words of the Apoftle we infer, that it is not the bare adherence to the letter of our duties alone, which will entitle us to the claim of a Confcience void of offence. Something more is required. It is neceSTary that, even in the performance of thofe duties, we ffiould pay the utmoft regard to every particular which may affed either the welfare of fociety, or the happinefs of individuals. a Acts xxiv. ii, 12. g g For 450 SERMON VIII. For let it be fuppofed, that the great Apo ftle himfelf had taught faithfully the truths which had been entrufted to his charge : yet if he had been aware that he had wilfully adopted fuch a mode of propagating them, as would have proved fubverfive of eftablifhed order, and domeftic peace ; then, though in one fenfe of the word he might have pleaded that his Confcience was void of offence to wards God, he never could have urged, with equal propriety at leaft, that it was void of offence toward men. It feems then to be evident, that the du ties which are required from us, and the man ner in which thofe duties are to be fulfilled, form two diftind confiderations. It feems alfo to be evident, that it is only when in our condud we are blamelefs in both of thefe re- fpeds, that we are at liberty to plead the tef timony of a Confcience void of offence. In confirmation of the juftnefs of this dif tindion, we would obferve, that the fame Apoftle hardly ever makes mention of the duty, without conneding it with fuch circum ftances as mark the manner, in which the duty was to be performed. Thus he repeat edly infifts on the neceffity of forbearing fome things for Confcience' fake; Confcience, I fay, not SERMON VIII. 451 not thine own, but of the others h. Thus he declares, that he who performs an adion, though it be indifferent in itfelf, yet if it prove a caufe of offence to others, will be found to have finned againft Chrift c. And thus he avows it to be his glory, that while he handled not the word of God deceitfully, he neverthelefs commended himfelf to every mans Confcience d. Since then we are to recognife in a pure Confcience thefe two points ; Firft, obedience to the commands of God ; and, Secondly, regard for the laws, and the feelings of men : fince too the Apoftles themfelves fcrupuloufly in every inftance refpeded thefe two princi ples, even at the firft preaching of Chriftiani ty, it cannot furely be thought prefumption in us, if we apply their example to condemn .the condud which Enthufiafts purfue. For thefe, having adopted fome fpeculative notions, of the truth of which they have no other proof than that which their own heat ed imaginations fupply, make it immediately a matter of Confcience to diffeminate thofe notions at every poffible hazard. And fo en tirely do they refign themfelves tb their own feelings, that they hardly feem defirous of b 1 Cor. x. 29. c 1 Cor. viii, 12. d 2 Cor. iv. 2. 6g? afcer- 452 SERMON VIII. afcertaining whether the opinions which they would propagate, are well founded or not. Nay, they do not even confult whether the diffufion of what they affirm to be the truth, might not be effeded by means lefs likely to give offence, than thofe which they refolve to follow. Therefore in a harfh and invidious manner they infift, that, in order to fatisfy their own Confciences, every confideration of rela tive and focial duty muft be fuperfeded ; thus evidently overlooking one of the effential charaderiftics by which, as we have juft efta bliShed, a good Confcience is to be diftinguiSh ed. A condud fuch as this does not only prove that they have formed an erroneous, becaufe it is an imperfed, conception of the nature of that law of Confcience, by which they would regulate their adions ; but it alfo Shews, that they are altogether ignorant of the principle itfelf, on which that law is founded. For their opinion feems to be this; That Confcience is a peculiar and an innate princi ple; an inftindive operation ofthe foul; where by, in a manner fuperior to reafon, and uncon- neded with it, men are enabled to afcertain, that the condud which they purfue is juft, and agreeable to the divine will, from the convidion which they feel that it is fo ; and SERMON VIII. 453 and from the felf- approbation which they ex perience, when they ad accol-ding to that convidion. Now if this were fpoken of that natural witnefs in the heart, which the Creator has mercifully implanted there, that his creatures might be able to diftinguiffi between moral reditude and depravity, their notions could not be condemned. For there is a principle within us, which fome have called " a God " in our hearts •" others, " an Angel or Spi- " rit refiding in us ;" others, " the Voice, and " the Image of the Almighty6," whereby, as by a divine impulfe, we are urged to love what is beneficent, or good, or noble ; and to hate what is cruel, mean,, or bafe. In con fequence of which it is, that mankind in every country, and in every age, have agreed in approving gene'rally, the native lovelinefs of Virtue, and in loathing the deformity of Vicef. e See Bp. Taylor's Ductor Dubitantium, Book I. c. i. p. i. where he cites many paffages from the early writers, in which they fpeak of the power and the facrednefs of Confcience in the following terms. Confcientia candor eft lucis aeternae, et fpeculum fine macula Dei Majeftatis ; et Imago bonitatis il- lius. St. Bernard. Tatian declares, potos sivai though the decifion of our mind fhould be unexceptionable, as far as the premifes it had obtained could carry it, the eonclufion would neverthelefs be de fedive, with regard to the real quality and nature of our adion '. Thefe obfervations will be fufficient briefly to poipt out the principles on which the deci sions of Confcience are founded. And thefe being afcertained, we now fhall be able to determine (which was the laft point we pro pofed to examine) whether the Enthufiaft be juftified, all the peculiar circumftances of his cafe confidered, in making the plea of Con fcience the motive of his condud. If he be ' Ductor Dubitantium, Book I. c. i. rules 3. and 4. not 460 SERMON VIII. not juftified in fo doing, then it cannot but be evident, that though we urge this as a reafon why he ought to defift from ading on that motive, neverthelefs we do in no ffiape infringe that liberty of Confcience, the free and proper exercife of which, in all reli gious concerns, is juftly efteemed fo facred. Now, though, in the common forms of fpeech, the term, Liberty of Confcience, be ufed in many vague and different accepta tions, it cannot be allowed to bear, ftridly fpeaking, more than the two following figni- fications. Firft, It will either mean the right of freely enquiring into the nature of religi ous truth, in order to obtain thofe juft opi nions which are neceffary towards the right formation of the Confcience : or, Secondly, it muft imply the liberty of ading without re ftraint, according to thofe perfuafions which the Confcience ffiall approve. Such are the two only fignifications, which the term can with propriety be allowed to bear. And whether we employ it in the latter, or in the former fenfe, much care is to be taken that we do not ufe it, fo as to afford any room for error, or perverfion. In the former of thefe two cafes indeed, it might be faid that no reftraint ought to be impofed ; for we are even commanded by the SERMON VIII. 46 1 the Scriptures, to prove all things. But as this precept prefuppofes an intention of hold- ingfafi that which is good*, it is evident that Liberty of Confcience, even in its firft Signi fication, muSt be fubjed to certain reftraints. Some regard is always to be paid to the underftanding, which, if it be naturally de fedive, will be unable to. purfue or to retain fuch truths as are not of themfelves immedi ately obvious ; and ftill more regard is due to the purity of the intention. For, if we were led to enquire into points of Religion folely by a love of fpeculation, and not by the defire of attaining to fuch opinions as may ferve for the right regula tion of our condud ; it is manifeft, that, in this inftance, to claim an unbounded Liberty of Confcience, would be only to abufe it. In like manner were we to claim it, when our minds are warped by averfion, or defire, or are infatuated by delufion ; the confequences can not but be dangerous, both to ourfelves and to others ; fince our enquiry would not then be direded fo much to the attainment of pure and fimple truth, as to the difcovery of fuch arguments as might appear to con firm thofe particular opinions which we had k 1 Theff. v. 21. already 462 SERMON VIII. already adopted; or might invalidate the ob- jedions which had been urged againft them. So alfo, to inftance no other cafe, were we to exercife this liberty while our reafon is under the dominion of Enthufiaftic delufion ; how obvious is it that we might be led to abufe it ! For if our enquiry were not under taken folely with the intention of afcertain ing whether thofe opinions are juft, wThieh we feel ourfelves difpofed to adopt, by com paring them with the unerring and unvary ing ftandard of Revealed Truth ; we proba bly Should pervert the facred words of Scrip ture from their real meaning, in order to countenance the wild conceits of our heated imaginations. It is true that in thefe, and in all fimilar cafes, whether men are mifled by ignorance, or by wilfulnefs, it is not poffible that, any human reftraint ffiould be interpofed. Neither, if it could, would it ever be permitted. But thus far is evident, that the very nature of Confcience requires, if we propofe to keep it void of offence, that in all religious invefti gation we fhould examine ourfelves both as to our abilities and our intentions, before we demand the facred, but dangerous privilege of its free and unbounded exercife. For evi dently, as we have juft Shewn, when the un derftanding SERMON VIII. 463 derftanding is incompetent, or when the will is perverted, the probability will always be, that we fhall deviate, in fome manner, more or lefs hurtful as circumftances ffiall dired, from the one perfed ftandard of revealed truth. And thus we perceive why it is ne ceffary that all Enthufiafts and Sedaries fhould of themfelves impofe fome reftraint on that liberty of Confcience, by which they claim a right, fo abfolute and uncontrouled, to inveftigate the nature, and the obligations of religious truth. We come now to confider Liberty of Confcience in the fecond meaning of the term. And here it might appear that we were about to enter on a fubjed more extenfive than fuits the limits of our difcourfe. For when liberty of Confcience is argued for, as giving all men a right to ad without any reftridion, according to thofe notions which in their own minds they ffiall approve ; and when in confequence it is afferted, that they not only have a privilege to regulate their conduct according to what they believe to be right, but that they are bound by religious principles to do fo ; the queftion becomes one of the moft important perhaps, and cer tainly the moft intricate, that can engage the human 464 SERMON VIII. human attention ; and that for the follow ing reafons. Notwithftanding that it be admitted that the Almighty has granted to his creatures perfed freedom of will ; and, notwithftand ing that in confequence for any human be ing to infringe this freedom, muft be highly prefumptuous and offenfive : yet it ffiould be remembered, that there exifts one common ftandard, by which the value of all our ac tions muft be determined : thofe being the beft which fliall approach the neareft to it, and thofe the worft which fliall be found to have departed the furtheft from it. Since then this is manifeft, and fince it is an obli gation incumbent upon all men, to render their adions as perfed as poffible; it feems to follow, that there is an abfolute obligation laid on all men, by which they are bpund themfelves to approach, and to affift one another in approaching, as near as poffible, to this one common ftandard of perfedion l. m "If all men were governed by the fame laws,, and had " the fame intereft, and the fame degrees of underftanding, " they would perceive, that all Confciences are to walk by the " fame rule; and that that which is juft to one, is fo to all, in the " like circumftances. But men are infinitely differenced by " their own acts and relations; by their underftandings and pro- " per economy; by their fuperinduced differences and orders; " by intereft and miftake; by ignorance and malice; by fects, "and SERMON VIII. 465 And this is the very point at which all the difficulties of the queftion commence. For it will be readily granted on the one hand, that Liberty of Confcience is always to be refpeded. But then it muft be acknow ledged on the other, that both Civil govern ment and religion will fuftain a material in jury, whenever the improper exercife of that liberty ffiall lead men wilfully to deviate frorri the known pofitive rule of right. It becomes a queftion therefore ; Whether it be not a breach of religious duty to remain unconcern ed When we fee our fellow- creatures facrifice their own better hopes, and injure the hap pinefs of others, by an abufe of their Chrif tian liberty. Should it be decided that fuch an unconcern is a breach of religious du ty, then a fecond queftion arifes ; Whether we are authorized in employing any reftraint, that may bring them back to that Standard, as well of religious faith, as of obedience, which they have abandoned : and if we are, " and deceptions; But this variety is not directly of God's " making, but of man's. God commands us to walk by the fame " rule, and to this end, m airo Qpomt, to be of the fame mind : " and this is uxp&ua ovtEiSyo-im, the. exaBnefs of our Confcience ; " which precept were impoffible to be obferved, if there were " not one rule, and this rule alfo very eafy.'; Bp. Taylors Duffor Dubitan. Book I. chap. i. rule 5. h h then 466 SERMON VIII. then it remains to be enquired what that re ftraint may be, and how far it ought to extend. But with thefe difficulties, and with many others of a fimilar nature, our prefent enquiry is by no means concerned. For be it afked, what are the exad points which we would endeavour to afcertain ? Are they not fimply thefe ? Firft, Whether the Enthufiaft, having per fuaded himfelf of the reality of a divine com miffion, by the wilful effort of a perverted' imagination, can afterwards be permitted to urge Liberty of Confcience as a j unification, not merely of his own belief in thofe errone ous opinions, which through the ftrength of his delufion he adopts, but alfo of his teach ing them to others in a manner fubverfive of all eftablifhed order. Secondly, Whether the freedom of private judgment is in the leaft infringed by thofe who would maintain, that the members of the Christian Church are under an abfolute obligation to preferve inviolate, both the unity of the faith, and the fucceffion of the Apoftolic Miniftry. Thirdly, Whether the plea of Confcience can in any fhape apply to the prefent quef tion ; that is, Whether it can authorize a perfon to enter into a new Communion founded SERMON VIII. 467 founded without any juft warrant from Reve* lation j or having entered into it, to remain a member of it, after it fhall have once been proved to him, that the author of that com munion was an Enthufiaft ? Or, to ftate the queftion more at large ; Whether we can with a fafe Confcience follow thofe teachers as .guides in our fpiritual concerns, who fhall have been proved to us, upon certain evidence, to have been incapable of difcriminating the gra cious illuminations of the Holy Spirit, from the fuggeftions of a deluded imagination ? Thefe being then the precife and the only points with which we are concerned, let us now afcertain whether the feveral particulars, which have been eftabliffied in the courfe of this enquiry, will not enable us to form a proper judgment refpeding each. In the firft place then, though the Enthu fiaft Should feel that his Confcience fully ap proves that convidion which he entertains 0/ having received a divine commiffion ; never thelefs, this teftimony cannot be admitted as a proof, either that his pretenfions are well founded, or that the evidence in their favour is fuch as juftifies him in believing them to be fo. For it has been Shewn that Confci ence, accurately fpeaking, is a deliberative ad of the mind, forming certain decifions upon H h 3 cer- 468 SERMON VIII. certain fixed principles of knowledge. It has been fhewn likewife that this knowledge is to be drawn not from any peculiar ideas of our own, but from the one pure fource of all truth, the Revelations of God. Whence we argue, that when there is no natural inability, which Shall prevent the mind from forming a juft decifion, (for in that cafe doubtlefs the queftion cannot be defended) every rational being has it in his power fo to form his Con fcience, as to convince him of error. It may not be competent indeed to difcover to him all the nice and fubtle diftindions of right and wrong ; but it muft be competent to dif tinguiffi between revealed truth, and volun tary delufion. But yet further. Whenever it can be proved, as has been done in the cafe of the En thufiaft, that the will, in its eagernefs to ad mit certain pretenfions, fhall deliberately over power and prevent the due exercife of rea fon ; if the mind in confequence become in capable of perceiving even the groffeft conT tradidions, is it poffible that any one can al low that the decifions of a Confcience thus formed will juftify us in the profeffion of er roneous dodrines ? This were a conceffion, which every principle of reafon and of reli gion would forbid us to make. And in con firmation SERMON VIII. 469 ¦firmation of this, we would remark, that were the Enthufiaft ignorant ofthe danger, or even of the power of fpiritual delufion, then he might with fome propriety urge the plea of Confcience. But it is evident that he is ful ly acquainted with the tendency of Enthufi afm, and that he knows the nature of its operations. For he difclaims it in the Strong est manner himfelf; he difapproves of it in other people ; and he expofes its mifchievous confequences by arguments, which, if he would admit them to have in his own cafe the fame weight, which he gives to them in the cafe of others, could not fail of produc ing in him a convidion of his error. In whatever point of view therefore his plea be regarded, we are brought again and again to the fame eonclufion ; fo that, follow ing the plain didates of unimpaffioned reafon, we cannot but infer, that the Enthufiaft is not Juftified in pleading the approbation of Confcience, as a principle which makes him blamelefs in believing and propagating his opinions, however erroneous thofe opinions may be. With refpect to the fecond queftion ; namely, Whether the freedom of private judg ment be infringed by thofe who urge the ne ceffity of a ftrid adherence to eftablifhed or- h h 3 dinances ; 470 SERMON VIII. dinances ; we begin by obferving, that there is no one principle, the truth of which is fo univerfally acknowledged, as the neceffity of conforming, in all things, to fome one given ftandard, for the attainment of perfedion. In what manner this pofition is confirmed by the teftimony, as if were, of the univerfe itfelf, in which the perfedion of the whole arifes from the exact obedience that each par ticular part pays to the law, by which it is to be governed, we need not here infift1". It m See Hooker's Ecclef. Polity, book i. fee. 2. Having fhewn how all things in nature adhere to the ftrict keeping of one tenure, ftatute, and law, he concludes with this ftriking obfervation. " Now, if Nature fhould intermit her courfe, and " leave altogether, though it were but for a while, the obferva- " tion of her own laws ; if thofe principal and mother-elements " ofthe world, whereof all things in this lower world are made, " fhould lofe the qualities which now they have ; if the frame " of that heavenly arch, erected over our heads, fhould loofen " and diffolve itfelf; if celeftial fpheres fliould forget their " wonted motions, and by irregular volubility turn themfelves " any way as it might happen ; if the prince of the lights of " heaven, which now, as a giant, doth run his unwearied courfe, " fhould, as it were, through a languifhing faintnefs, begin to " ftand and reft himfelf; if the moon fhould wander from her " beaten way, the times andfeafons ofthe year blend themfelves, " by diforder and confufed mixture, the clouds yield no rain, " the earth be defeated of heavenly influence, the fruits of the " earth pine away, as children at the breafts of their mother, " no longer able to yield them relief; what would become of " roan himfelf, whom thefe things do now all ferve ? See we " not SERMON VIII. 471 will be Sufficient to obferve, that mankind in fad dired themfelves in all their purfuits, by that very principle for which we contend. For when they aim at the attainment of any excellence, whether it be in arts, in fciences, or in government ; their firft object is to difco ver fomething that may be confidered to be a ftandard, whereby, in each particular purfuit, the excellence which is fought after Shall be defined. And when this ftandard is once dif covered, they then acknowledge, that it is only by conforming to it, that they after wards can obtain the end propofed. Whence we infer, that the argument, which is to be drawn from this analogy, might be fufficient of itfelf to eftabliSh. the point under confider ation. But the teftimony of Scripture will be judged more conclufive. Let that de cide. For thus faith the Lord .• Stand ye in the ways and fee, and afk for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye fhall find reft for your fouls n. Therefore, although oppofition has at all times been made to fuch enquiries, as would " not plainly, that obedience of creatures unto the law of Na- " ture is the ftay of the whole world ?" " Jeremiah, vi. 16. Compare this verfe with what our bleffed Lord faid of himfelf: " I am the way, and the truth, " and the life." — " Come unto me, and ye fhall find reft unto " your fouls." John xiv. 6. and Matt, xi, 28, 29. H h 4 tend 472 SERMON VIII. tend to eftabliSh the propriety, and would de termine the means of obtaining religious uni formity; we neverthelefs maintain, that the words of him who fo folemnly bids us enquire for the old ways ; his confequent command to walk therein ; and the motive which he finally fuggefts, that our fouls may find peace ; are confiderations which prove . inconteftably the neceffity of referring all our religious opi nions to one ftandard. Nor indeed, if the quef- , tion were attentively confidered, could it be poffible that Confcience fhould ever be made the plea for deviating from it. For we have already fhewn that Confcience is no diftind faculty or principle of the mind. " It rather " is the mind itfelf, applying the general rule " of God's law to particular cafes and ac- " tions." Therefore the Almighty having once commanded us to enquire after that one given Standard, to which we are bound in all re ligious concerns to adhere ; and that com mand remaining in force, how can Confci ence, truly and properly fpeaking, fuggeft that fuch an . enquiry infringes its liberty ? For Confcience, when duly formed, can never approve or condemn, but accordingly as the law of God has previoufly commanded, of forbidden °. ° See South's Sermons, vol. ii. p. 449. But SERMON VIIi: 473 But yet further. We ffiould form a Very imperfed conception of any of God's com mandments, which are declared by the Pfalm- ift to be exceeding broadv, were we to fup pofe that their full meaning and import is limited to the fpecific thing enjoined. We ought rather to confider, that it is by means of them, that the Almighty inftruds us in the great truths upon which religion is founded, and by which perfedion is to be attained. When therefore He bids us pre ferve the unity of his Church, may we not infer that this command was given, not mere ly to exercife our obedience, but to teach us, that as that invifible kingdom in the hea vens, to which in hope we all afpire, exhibits the beauty of perfed order, as well as of per fed -holinefs ; fo, to prepare ourfelves to en ter therein, we muft previoufly have difpofed our minds to admire and to preferve that beauty of order, which was eftabliffied by the bleffed Jefus in his Church q; cafiing down * Pfalm cxix. 96. 1 It is related of Mr. Hooker, that in his laft ficknefs, a fhort; time before his death, he was obferved to fall into a deep con templation. Being afked what was the fubjedt of his medi tation, he replied, " that he was meditating the number and " nature of Angels, and their bleffed obedience and order, " without which, Peace could not be in Heaven : and Oh! he " exclaimed, 474 SERMON VIII. imaginations, and every high thing that exalieth itfelf againfi the knowledge of God, and bring ing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Chrift \ In fad, the laws on which all establishments, of whatever kind they may be, are founded, are in their very nature fo far from being merely imperative, that they are really didac tic. They not only prefcribe obedience, but they teach duty. For every precept that may be confidered to be juftly deferving the name of law, is declaratory of that knowledge of right and wrong, of good and evil, which the legislator himfelf poffeffes. So that when we obey his inftitutions, we muft view ourfelves as regulating our condud in each particular cafe, according to thofe ideas of moral excel lence and virtue, which that legislator him felf entertained. Which refledion, if it have an effed upon our condud, as furely it muft, when we confider even the comparative pru dence, and wifdom, and integrity, of human lawgivers ; how ought it to weigh with us, when we confider that Lawgiver who is above all in the heavens ! For if we ffiould find much fecurity and confolation in remem- " exclaimed, that it might be fo on earth !" See Life of Hooker, by I. Walton, prefixed to his Works, vol, i. p. 90. ' 2 Cor. x. 5. bering, SERMON VIII. 475 bering, that when we obey human laws, we form our lives according to thofe rules of vir tue, which good and wife men believed to be the beft ; what unbounded fecurity and con- folation ffiall we feel, when we refled that, in obeying divine laws, we form our lives according to thofe rules which are approved by Him, whofe knowledge of good and evil is, like all his other attributes, abfolute, un erring, perfed s ! Since then the Almighty, in commanding us to enquire after the path, in which alone we are to walk, has clearly intimated to us, that in His all-perfed mind fuch an enquiry is good •, in what manner can it be faid, that liberty of Confcience is infringed by thofe, who urge the neceffity of restraining every vain conceit, which would lead men to wan der from it ? It now remains for us to confider the third and laft queftion $ Whether liberty of * The excellent Hooker fuggefts another reafon why laws fhould be refpedted, which is well worthy attention. " Al- " though we perceive not," he fays, " the goodnefs of laws " made, neverthelefs, fith things in themfelves may have that " which we perad venture difcern not ; fhould not this breed a " fear into our hearts how we fpeak or judge in the worft part " concerning that, the unadvifed difgrace whereof may be no "mean difhonour to him, towards whom we profefs all fub- " miffion and love." Eccl. Polit. Works, vol. i. p. 283. Con- 476 SERMON VIII. Confcience can be admitted as a fufficient plea to juftify the condud of thofe, who wilfully adopt the fyftems formed by Enthu fiafts, and perfevere in adhering to them ? And here we would begin by obferving, that they who ufe this argument hardly feem to attend to the very meaning of the terms which they employ. When liberty of Con fcience is contended for, in order to juftify our adherence to any particular opinions, it is always pre-fuppofed, that, thofe opinions are either founded on our own rational, and fe rious, and duly-acquired convidions ; or elfe, that they are communicated to us by fome perfon, whofe integrity and means of inform ation are fuch, as render it improbable that he himfelf fhould be deceived, as to the truth of thofe dodrines which ¦ he teaches ; or that, knowing them to be erroneous,, he fhould wilfully recommend them to others. Let us then obferve in what manner this rule applies to the followers of the Enthu fiaft. The very circumftance of his beings an Enthufiaft muft prove, at leaft, that he is a perfon incapable of afcertaining whether the dodrines he teaches be true or falfe. And as it may eafily be fhewn, that the divine miffion which he claims is mere delufion, how can it be admitted, that the belief which any SERMON VIII. 477 any one fhall fay that he entertains of the reality of that miffion, is founded on a ra tional, a ferious, and a duly-acquired con vidion ? But obvious as may be the eonclufion which this very Statement of the cafe fup- plies ; ftill there never have been wanting thofe, who affirm, that it was the convidion of their Confcience folely, which Sir it led them to embrace the tenets of that particular Enthufiaft, whofe communion they have en tered into ; urging the fame plea as their motive for defending and adhering to them. Surely they who argue thus can hardly be aware how much their condud is in oppofi tion to reafon. If a perfon adually diforder- ed in his mind were to endeavour to teach them Some new religious opinions, they them felves would not hefitate to pronounce, that his opinions could not be with propriety adopted. They would allow him indeed to believe fcrupuloufly that what he advanced was true. But they would fay, that his un derftanding being incapable of forming pro per apprehenfions on the fubjed, their Con fcience, inftead of leading them to embrace, would determine them to rejed the dodrines which ffiould thus be offered to them. If then it can be proved that the proper exer- 478 SERMON VIII. exercife of the underftanding has been pre vented in the one inftance by means of En thufiafm, full as much as in the other, through natural infirmity ; and if in either cafe it be apparent, that the dodrines which are taught are erroneous ; we muft maintain, that, con fiftently with reafon, no one can urge the plea of Confcience as the motive that leads him to embrace the opinions of the one, while he confeffes that the fame Confcience leads him to rejed thofe of the other. After all however it may be fuggefted, that too much ftrefs ought not to be laid on this argument. For it is urged by the advocates of Schifm, that the apprehenfions of men are various, and that thofe proofs which to the mind of one fhall be found^to be fatisfadory, to another ffiall feem to be inconclufive. Whither is it defigned that this reafoning ffiould lead us ? Is it meant thereby to infinu- ate that every one who fupports the fyftem, and adopts the dodrine of the Enthufiaft, does it for Confcience fake ? To eftabliffi this, it muft be proved, that each individual has ferioufly and difpaffionately examined, in every minuteft particular, the pretenfions of that new teacher whom he follows ; and this too with a will perfedly unbiaffed, and with an underftanding fully competent to the un dertaking. SERMON VIII. 479 dertaking. Having done this, if he fliall truly affirm, that the pretenfions advanced appear to him to be well founded ; that the illu minations claimed are, in his opinion, as truly from above, as thofe which were vouchfafed to the Apoftles ; and that the tenets taught are perfedly confonant with Revelation ; then, I fay, but not till then, may he plead, with fome colour of propriety, that Confcience is the principle which regulates his con dud. Whether, after all, a perfon thus following the dictates of his Confcience, and adopting an erroneous condud, fhall be abfolved from all refponfibility as to the confequences which may follow; is a queftion which no human enquiry can decide. It is fufficient for our • prefent purpofe to have eftabliffied in the former part of thefe Ledures l, that there are fome certain marks, by which the pretenfions of every Enthufiaft may be proved to be de- lufory. And as we have fhewn alfo, that, thefe marks are to be afcertained, not by ab- ftraded reafbning, but by reference to the Scriptures, which afford all men alike the un erring criterion whereby fpiritual delufion may in every inftance be deteded ; it feems hardly 5 See page 217. et fea;. poffible 48® SERMON VIIL poffible that the cafe above propofed Should ever occur. That fome few individuals may be deceived by the fervour of their imagina tion, or by the weaknefs of their judgment, will readily be granted. But that there ffiould be whole congregations, all equally incapable of admitting the Simpleft dedudions of rea fon ; that there Should be thouSands and tens of thoufands, whoSe minds, competent to decide with accuracy on every other queftion, fhould on this alone be unable to difcriminate between Truth and Error, when they are brought as it were parallel to each other ; this muft ever appear improbable to the ferious, and the difpaffionate. But perhaps it will be argued, that were this laft inference admitted to be juft, the fubject would ftill be involved in difficulty : fince there exifts, it will be faid, no motive but Confcience, which can be fuppofed ftrong enough to induce the Sedary to adopt the condud which he purfues. I would that this were So : but experience has taught us otherwife. What ! are we to forget, that in the immenfe body of Society, there are many who are inconfiderately fond of novelty ; many, who love fpeculative opi nions ; many, who delight in change ; many, who are impatient of all reftraint ; many, who SERMON VIII. 481 who love not to fubmit to regular government; many, who contemn the venerable name of the Epifcopal Church; and but too many, who have conceived an implacable hatred againft the facred inftitution of a regular Hierarchy. Will not each of thefe feparately find in his peculiar opinions, motives ftrong enough to engage him in Schifm ? And will they not all readily unite with the Enthufiaft ? Some of them becaufe his wild and visionary tenets foothe their fanciful difpofitions ; and others becaufe his unfettled pradices will promote their cooler purpofes of deliberate innova tion. I am aware indeed that there is an obstacle, which will at all times prevent us from bring ing to any definite eonclufion the arguments which may be urged on this head. For the proof, after all, remains concealed in the breaft of each individual. So that however well-founded every conjedure may appear ; and however juft the inference of each argu ment may be ; neverthelefs, nothing can be with certainty determined, unlefs all Separa tifts fhall be fincere in avowing the real mo tives which influence their condud. If there fore, whether from wilfulnefs or from igno rance, thofe motives are withholden, it cannot but follow, that we never fliall be able to 1 i enforce 482 SERMON VIII. enforce our reafoning fo ftridly, but that the weak may ftill pervert that liberty of Con fcience which they claim, fo as to impofe upon themfelves ; and that the artful may abufe it, to impofe on others". Liberty of Confcience then, though it be a point of fuch momentous concern to fociety in general, and to individuals in particular ; though it affed us not only in relation to our existence here, but even to our exiftence here after; and that too in, a ftate either of eternal happinefs, or of eternal mifery ; muft never thelefs remain as it were a facred depofit, en- u " Nothing is more ufual, than to pretend Confcience to " all the actions of men which are public, and whofe nature " cannot be concealed. If arms be taken up in a violent war, " enquire of both fides why they engage on that fide refpec- " tively ? they anfwer, becaufe of their Confcience. Afk a " Schifmatie why he refufe to join in the Communion of the " Church ? he tells you it is againft his Confcience. Every " man's way feems right in his own eyes ; and what they think " is not againft Confcience, they think, or pretend to think, is " an effect of Confcience: and fo their fond perfuafions and " fancies are made facred, and Confcience is pretended, and " themfelves, and every man elfe is abufed. But in thefe cafes, " and the like, men have found a fweetnefs in it to ferve their " ends upon Religion ; and becaufe Confcience is the Religious " Underftanding, or, the mind of a man as it ftands. dreffed in " and for Religion, they think that fome facrednefs or autho- " rity paffes upon their paffion or defign, if they call it Con- " f'ience." Bflcp Taylor's Dutlor Dubitantium, Book I. c. i. rule 3. trufted SERMON VIII. 483 trufted to the perfonal integrity of each indi vidual. All that can be done in the prefent cafe is to reprefent to each, that if Civil So ciety fo refped the peace of their Confcience, as that, even when circumftances might feem to juftify fome reftraint, none is impofed ; it then becomes a reciprocal duty on their part, to refped the peace of fociety. For the community at large has a juft and a fa cred claim upon every one of us, that we never exercife our liberty of Confcience either wilfully or capricioufly, to the detriment of the public good. With this refledion then we terminate that important enquiry, which with much imperfedion indeed, but we truft with a Con fcience void of offence toward God attd toward men, has been attempted in the prefent Lec tures. That the queftion which we undertook to confider branches out into many particu lars of high importance, Sbme of which have been treated incidentally, but not fully; whilft others have been altogether paffed over in filence, cannot have efcaped obfervation y. y Of thefe omiffions, the moft material perhaps may appear to have been this, the having forborne to enter into a minute examination of the peculiar opinions which were maintained by Mr. Wefley, and Mr. Whitefield, refpectively. The reafon for 1 i 2 this 484 SERMON VIII. And left this omiSfion Should be confidered as improper, we muft recall the mind to the precife point, which alone, from the firft,. we intended to examine. We began then by Stating, that there was no fpirit which had proved more injurious to Christianity than that of Enthufiafm x. And having tried it by thofe rules which Scripture for this very purpofe has afforded us, we found that, inftead of being a fpirit, pure, peaceable, gentle, eafy to be entreated, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality, and, without hypocrify7, coming as it claimed to this omiffion has been already affigned briefly, p. 225. Could it have been proved that thofe new teachers had received, as they pretended, a divine commiffion to teach the doctrines which they propagated ; then, however contrary thefe might have been to the opinions which we had previoufly entertained, the authority of a divine commiffion would have outweighed every other confideration, and the doctrines would have, been re ceived with humility. But having once proved that the teach ers themfelves were Enthufiafts, the examination of their pe culiar tenets became unneceffary. For it feemed to be impro bable that any perfon who fhould acknowledge the reality of their delufion, would, neverthelefs, perfift in adopting their doctrines. Of courfe it will be underftood, that the doctrines here alluded to are fuch only, as are either difclaimed by the Church of England altogether ; or fuch as are not acknow ledged by it, in the peculiar modifications given them by Mr. Wefley and Mr. Whitefield. x Page 5- y James iii. if do, SERMON VIII. 485 do, from God; it was a fpirit of delufion excited in the mind, either by the arti fices of our great fpiritual enemy z; or, as we were more willing to believe, by the influ ence of carnal paffions, and the force of a perverted imagination a. Thefe premifes be ing eftablifhed, we then argued from them, that to make impreffions of fuch a nature a rule of condud, direding us wilfully to fe parate, in confequence, from the Communion of an Apoftolical Church ; to form new mi nistries ; to teach novel opinions ; and thus excite thofe religious diffenfions, the unavoid able tendency of which would be to deftroy the peace of fociety b, and to corrupt the pu rity of the faith c j was to purfue a condud, whicn could be juftified on no principle either of reafon, or of religion. For reafon, we argued, binds every being who is poffeff ed of it, to regulate his condud by thofe rule's alone, which the free exercife of his fa culties ffiall have convinced him are the beft : and religion exads from all, an uniform obe dience to the pofitive commands of God. This was the fcope of our argument. And as' the eonclufion, to which we direded our 1 Page 17. a Page 36. » See Lea. VII; c See Lea. VI. 1 i 3 enquiry, 486 SERMON VIII. enquiry, retted on thefe feveral points which have been enumerated, and on them only, it was judged unneceffary to take any other into confideration. If afterwards we enquired into the nature and the obligations of Con fcience, this was done, ; Firft, in order to pre vent any miftaken notions concerning the free exercife of that facred principle from af- feding improperly the feveral conclufions which we had obtained ; and, Secondly, to Strengthen the application which we pro pofed to make of them, for the convidion of fuch as have embraced the delufive SyStems of Enthufiafts. For we have been led, in confequence, to afcertain, that the plea of Confcience cannot, with any propriety, be urged by thofe who ei ther wilfully receive the dodrines of Enthu fiafts ; or who, becoming members of their Communions, fhall afterwards defend them, and endeavour to advance their interefts. Since as it has been Shewn that Confcience (in that fenfe of the word in which alone it applies to the fubjed under confideration) is formed, not on the capricioufnefs of feeling, but on a juft apprehenfion of pofitive revealed truth d ; it feems to be morally impoffible, that the d Page 453. et feq. mind SERMON VIII. 487 mind in a folemn and deliberative manner ffiould ever decide, that a perfon is qualified to be a guide in religious concerns, who fhall be manifeftly misled himfelf by Enthufiaftic delufion : that it ffiould ever acknowledge, that a Communion which is eftabliShed upon no good authority is entitled to the fame degree of veneration with a Church which is built upon the foundation of the Apoftles and Prophets f : or that it fhould ever allow that thofe dodrines ought to be profeffed, which are inconfiftent with the Scriptures. And here, when we refled how obvious thefe conclufions are, and yet remember the difficulty with which they have been obtain ed, owing principally to thofe obstacles which always are raifed to enquiries of this nature, by the perverfity of the human will : when likewife we confider that the inveteracy of habit, or the force of prejudice, will fre quently prevent the mind from admitting convidion : and when, finally, we advert to the circumftances which firft occafioned, and which it is to be feared will make fuch un- pleafing inveftigations as the prefent, for ever neceffary ; forrow and dejedion cannot but f Ephefians ii. 20. 1 i 4 opprefs 488 SERMON VIII. opprefs the minds of the ferious, and the de vout. For thefe things, may the afflided Church well fay, I weep ; for thefe ' things, may She exclaim, in the mournful language of the Pro phet, mine eye runneth down with water: fince the comforters that fhould have relieved, are far from me % ; I am defolated by my chil dren, and the enemy hath prevailed. And is it not an humiliating circumftance to refled, how ffiort a time the fpirit of peace retted with, the Chriftian Church ? how foon the bond of its unity was broken ? And whence did this proceed. ? Was it from any fault in the fyftem itfelf, which our mer ciful Lord imparted ? Far, far, otherwife! The generations of the Chriftian Church, like thofe of the world, were healthful: there was no poifon of deftrutlion in themh ; and its courfe would have been peaceably ordered;, had not the fame defire to be wife beyond that which is written, and to be great beyond what was permitted, destroyed in this, as in the former inftance, the fair creation of the Son of God. In like manner is it not an humiliating refledion to think that fo many centuries 6 Lamentations i. 16. h Wifdom i. 14. Should SERMON VIII. 489 ffiould have elapfed, and that fo little Should have been attempted to repair the injuries which, the caufe of Christianity has fuftained from the wilfulnefs of its profeffors ? For not only is it too true that there is no unity in the univerfal Church; but even each diftind communion is unnaturally at war with it felf. The various evils which arife in confe quence of thefe diffenfions, who can enume rate ? This however it may be feared is one of them : that as it has appeared to be al moft impradieable to reftore unity to the Church ; fo< thoTe have been prevented from making the attempt, who have enjoyed, un der Providence, the probable means of effen- tially contributing towards it. At all events, this evil has certainly enfued ; that they, who, remaining 'faithful to the great interefts of their heavenly Mafter's caufe, labour earneftly to promote the unity of Chriftian Commu nion, find, comparatively fpeaking, few who concur with their endeavours, or even bid them profper in the name of the Lord. But thefe difcouragements, great as they may be, will be confidered by the pious Chriftian, to be rather trials to exercife his patience, and" to approve his faith, than ar guments to make him difcontinue his exer tions. Such at leaft they were confidered to be 490 SERMON VIII. be by the faithful fervants of God in times paft ; and fuch it becomes us more particu larly to efteem them in the prefent day. For we cannot be ignorant that the Al mighty Father hath declared, that when he called this our earthly fyftem into being, he limited the ages of its duration. That thofe ages are now rapidly advancing towards their awful termination, and that the Creator is preparing, as the Apoftle ftrongly expreffes it, to fum up the dread account which exifts between his creatures and himfelf !j the in timations of prophecy feem clearly to an nounce. At what hour that awful event ffiall take place, no one knoweth, but only the Father which is in Heaven k. Thus far however we are permitted to know, that, previous to its final accomplishment, we ffiall fee thofe long expeded promifes fulfilled, when the captive daughter of Zion ffiall raife her aftlided head from the duft, and ffiall ' Romans ix. 28. Our tranflation is, " For he will finifh the " work, and cut it fhort in righteoufoefs : becaufe a fhort work " will the Lord make upon the earth.'' But the words ufed in the original, hoyot crvnEhut xxi avniptut, feem rather to imply an allufion made to the balancing of accounts, a metaphor fre quently employed by the prophetic writers of the Old Tefta ment. See Grotius, and Hammond in loc. k Mark xiii. 32. know SERMON VIII. 491 know that he, Jehovah, is her Saviour and Re deemer l : when the houfe of the Lord fhall be exalted above the hills, and all nations fhall flow- unto it m ; and all the earth fliall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the fea ". What instruments the Almighty will em ploy, in order to effed this gracious pur- pofe, no human Torefight can determine. Perhaps, however, it may not be prefumptu ous to conjedure, that the little zeal which Chriftian nations have hitherto manifefted in promoting the real interefts of their Matter's kingdom upon earth ; and their wilful difo bedience, in not adhering to that unity which was once eftablifhed in the Church, and which we were commanded to preferve in our generations for ever ; may determine the Supreme Difpofer of all events, to take from us the glory of being the immediate inftru- ments of the great enlargement of Chrifti anity, and to confer it upon others more wor thy, and better than ourfelves. In which cafe it may not feem improbable, but that this eminent glory ffiall be referved for that people, who, though we now behold 1 Ifaiah xlix. 26. Iii. 2. m Ifaiah ii. 2. n Ifaiah xi. 9. Habakkuk ii. 14. them 49* SERMON VIII. them meted out, and trodden down, and fcat tered over the face of the whole earth, are, neverthelefs, a people terrible from their begin ning hitherto " ; a people, who, though their land be now fpoiled by the inundation of bar barous conquerors, as by the fury of defolat- ing waters, once chafed ten thoufand at the rebuke of ten, what time the Lord of Hofts went forth with their armies, and dwelt in majefty among them. He indeed, in his juft anger, hath caft them from him for a feafon. Still however he makes them the objed of his paternal regard p. And when they ffiall have at laft accepted that Salvation, which in the day of their vifitation they rejeded ; then ffiall be feen as it were a new dawn ing of Chriftianity, to the brightness of whofe riftng the Gentiles fhall come q, fo that What yet remaineth of the world in darknefs ffiall walk in the light of the Gofpel of peace r. " Ifaiah xviii. 2. , p Ifaiah xviii. 4. * Ifaiah Ix. 3. ' It feems probable that the great end which the pro phecies in Scripture are defigned to anfwer, is rather to confirm our faith, by reference to events which are paffed; than to ftimulate our curiofity to pry too minutely into thofe which are to happen. " I tell you," faid our bleffed Lord, " before it come, that when it is come to pafs, ye may believe " that I am he." John xiii. 19. Still however a certain de gree SERMON VIII. 493 Let it not be thought that thefe refledions are foreign from our prefent defign. gree of enquiry is permitted ; and I hope that the narrow bounds which are prefcribed to it have not been tranfgreffed by the conjeaure which has been fuggefted above. Thofe who have made the Prophecies the immediate objea of their confi deration, probably have all experienced that many of the diffi culties, with which fuch a ftudy is attended, arife from a want of properly diftinguifhing between thofe prediaions, which re- fpea the Jews in their recall from the firft captivity, and thofe which relate to the final re-eftablifhment of that great people in the Holy Land. Something has been attempted on this head, in a little work entitled, " Obfervations upon the Prp- " phecies relating to the Restoration of the Jews," by J. Eyre. Much however remains yet to be done. See an able Difquili- tion on the eighteenth Chapter of Ifaiah, by the Bifhop of Ro chefter (now St. Afaph). Confider alfo, among many other prophecies, thofe of Amos ix. n. 15. Hpfea iii. 4, 5. Ifaiah xi. 10. 16. xxxv. 10. xlix. 22. Ix. 4. 16. Micah iv. 1. Zecha riah ii. 10, 11, 12. Thefe prophecies alone may be fufficient to authorize the belief, that the Jews will be reftored to their pro per country, and dwell there in a converted ftate : that their converfion will fynchronize with the deftruaion of the Anti- chriftian powers, (whatever thefe may be,) perhaps will con tribute towards that event ; and that immediately confequent upon it will be the flowing in of the Gentiles.. That the Lord has indeed begun to fhake the heavens preparatory to thefe awful revolutions, we may humbly be permitted to be lieve. But alas ! who fhall live, when God doeth thefe things ? Laying afide therefore all conjeaures as to the precife period when thefe events will take place, 1(conjeaures which muft be vain, and may be prefumptuous) it will be far more profita ble to confider, that they will probably be preceded by tribula tions and diftrefs of nations, fuch as never were before experienced. Happy will he be, who lhall have previoufly fo confidered the fure 494 SERMON VIII. Had it been conceived, that our heavenly Father had intended that the religion of his Son Should be made known to but a few of the nations of the earth ; then the fatal con fequences of Schifm muft have been limited in their effed ; and the motive which would incite the Chriftian minifter to endeavour to reprefs the tide of religious diffenfion, muft in like manner have been limited alfo. But when it was believed that the Almighty had gracioufly refolved that Salvation in the name of Chrift ffiould be offered to the uttermoft parts of the earth ; then, as the contentious fpirit of Chriftian Sedaries was evidently one of the moral caufes which retarded, if we may employ the expreffion, the fulfilling of his bleffed will, this confideration naturally fuggefted a new, and at the fame time a powerful motive, for wishing to fee peace reftored to the univerfal Church of Chrift. Religious unity therefore being an objed of fuch high importance, it could not but become a caufe of deep concern to reflect, how much the numerous Schifms, which dif- trad our own Communion, might contri- f»re words of Prophecy, as to be enabled to preferve in thofe times of perplexity, whenever they do occur, a firm reliance on the unfhaken promifes of God. " Neverthelefs, when the Son of Man " cometh, fhall be find faith on tbe earth ?" Luke xviii. 8. bute SERMON VIII. 495 bute to obftrud its final re-eflablifhment. As however it was manifeft, that the greater part of thofe unhappy Schifms had originated with Enthufiafts, it was argued, that could it be fhewn, that the authority on which they had acted was in dired oppofition to Scripture, and was unfandioned bv reafon ; then one of the moft powerful obftacles which had hitherto prevented the accomplifhment of that event, after which the whole creation groaneth % might be in fome meafure removed. For an hope was entertained, and this we truft not an unreasonable one, that Such as fhould ad mit our arguments to be juft, might be in duced to relinquish thofe principles which, in future, they could not confcientioufly defend. This however was not the only objed which, it was believed, might poffibly be ef fected. It was reafoned, that fliould it be proved that integrity of Church Communion was a point of ftrid religious neceffity; then every Minifter of the Church of Chrift might be animated to concur with increasing earneft nefs both to promote and to preferve it. And this on the convidion, that when many individuals fliall labour with the fame • John x, i6\ fpirit 496 SERMON VIII. fpirit of Chriftian charity, in the fame defign ; each moving like the Stars in heaven, harmo niously in his proper orbit ; the Almighty might then be pleafed to haften the coming of that day, when there fhall be but one fold and one fhepherdx ; and when, as far as the unavoidable frailty of human nature will per mit, the Lord God Omnipotent ffiall reign glorioufly upon the earth. Thefe were the refledions which confpired to fuggeft the inveftigation that has been here attempted. Probably they will fuggeft likewife the motives which .ought to lead, not the Minifter only, but all orders of men, to concur in ad vancing that great objed which it was de figned to anfwer. Thefe motives are numer ous, are awful, and important : they are to be drawn from every confideration that is conneded with happinefs, both temporal and eternal ; from whatever is lovely in natural affedion ¦, is praife- worthy in focial duty, or is pure in religious obedience. But as many of them have been noticed already, they need not to be again enumerated. There is one however, on which I cannot forbear infifting. Surely a fentiment of becoming pride, and * Romans viii. 22. Shame, SERMON VIII. 497 fhame, and a fenfe of what is due to the dignity of human nature, ought to prevent the phriftian from destroying the unity of Chriftian Communion. There are countries, where the form of national worffiip has been preferved almoft inviolate, from the period of its firft inftitution to the prefent day. In thefe men have adhered faithfully, through a long feries of ages, to rites and ceremonies griev ous to be borne; to dodrines, mortifying and auftere ; and to the regular fucceffion of one appointed Miniftry ; and this becaufe it was fo ordained by the founders of their reli gion u. Yet what fo powerful claim have the founders of thofe religions to the obedience of their followers ? Did they, like the holy Author of our faith, quit the Throne of the Ma jefty on high, and humble themfelves even to the u There is nothing perhaps more remarkable in the hiftory of mankind, than the ftria obfervance which the people of Hindoftan have always paid to the inftitutions of their national religion. Their fidelity in this particular is fo much the more ftriking, as many of thofe inftitutions exaa the fevereft felf- denial, and often a painful and voluntary renunciation of life itfelf. The account which is preferved incidentally by Ar- rian, of the manner in which the Indian philofopher Calanus put himfelf to death, affords a Angular proof of the great an tiquity of fome of thofe cuftoms which are ftill praflifed among the Hindoos, at the prefent day. See Arrian de Expel. Alex-- andri, lib. vii. k k death 498 SERMON VIII. death upon the Crofs % to prove their love to their difciples, and to purchafe falvation for them? — They ffirink from all comparifon. Why then are their institutions to be thus venerated ? Why are their precepts to be made an everlafting law to their difciples, while Chriftians refped not the words of their dying Lord, who prays that they may be per fect in one y ? Surely the nations of the Eaft will rife up in the judgment with us, and con demn us"5. The commandment of their Fathers they have obeyed and all their precepts ; and have done according unto all that they have commanded them ; but we have not inclined our ear unto our God, neither have we hearken ed unto him a. Since then fuch a condud as this cannot but make the Chriftian name a reproach among the Heathen ; let us hope that we may yet be heard, when, in the Spirit of bro therly love, we once more entreat the En thufiaft to employ thofe means which are fupplied him to deted the fallacy of his pretenfions. Paffion indeed may obfcure his judgment j and inaccurate conceptions concerning the nature of religious duties 1 Philippians ii. 8. y John xvii. 13. z Matt. xii. 42. * Jeremiah xxxv. 14—19. may SERMON VIII. 499 may difpofe him towards delufion. But rea fon, and the unerring word of Scripture, will at all times enable him, under the gracious influences of the Holy Ghoft, to deted the caufes, and to trace the iffue of his error. Is it that he is blinded by pride and ambi tion ? Let him confider how rapidly that pe riod is approaching, when all thofe objeds which now appear to him important, will be found fo infignificant, that they ffiall not even obtain a place in the manfions of the bleffed. Is it that he is milled by his zeal to do God fervice ? Alas ! what fervice can man render unto God but obedience ? And how can his obedience be made manifeft but by his fulfilling the law ? His impatient fpirit perhaps may depreciate the duties of an hum ble ftation, as if the performance of them would not condud him to that height of glory after which he afpires. But let him remember, that our divine Mafter received the fervant who had been faithful over two talents only, with the fame title of love and approbation with which he received him who had been faithful over many b. Not that We are forbidden to encourage b Matt. XXV. 21, 22. K. k '2, an 500 SERMON VIII. an holy ambition, in afpiring after the bright- eft portion in the inheritance of Saints. The Scriptures themfelves, though they teach us to regulate that ambition, left it fail of its ob jed, do not only encourage it, but point out the mode in which it ffiould be exercifed. They affure us*that they that be wife fhall Jhine as the brightnefs of the firmament ; and th'ey that turn ?nany to righteoufnefs, as the ftars for ever and ever c / What a powerful, what an exalted motive is here prefented, to animate the zeal of the appointed Steward in the houfehold of Chrift! How ought it to make him Strive to reclaim his brethren from the fatal dominion of vain imaginations ! Wherefore, O man of God, be patient, be vigilant : and while thine own condud,Npure in all things, praife -worthy, blamelefs, ffiall make the good way well fpoken of; by every argument that reafon, enlightened by Grace to underftand the unerring didates of Reve lation, can fupply, endeavour to remove from the mind of the Enthufiaft, the vail of his delufion. In long fuffering forbear ; in gen- tlenefs exhort ; in charity reprove. Shouldeft thou thus gain a fingle foul, which might c Daniel xii. 3. otherwife SERMON VIII. 501 otherwife have periffied, thy reward here after fhall be great in the heavens &. Here let us conclude. And fliould any thing have been fuggefted in the courfe of this enqjpry, which may arreft the attention of the Enthufiaft, and the Schifmatie, and make them paufe, and weigh the awful event, before they prefume to rend the Church, which is the body of Chrift e : Should any thing have been proved con cerning the tendency of Schifm, which may convince the feveral orders of Society that Church Unity is neceffary to the well-being of the State, and the happinefs of mankind : And, finally, ffiould any thing have been faid, which' may incite thofe who prepare themfelves to exercife the facred fundions of the Miniftry, towards a fuller inveftigation of thofe great principles, an adherence to which alone can maintain the beauty of Holinefs in the Church ; can alone preferve the purity of that Faith, which they will be commiffioned to teach ; then, I cannot but rejoice in the la bour of my hand ; repofing with humble confi dence on the affurance given us in Scripture, A Matt. v. 12. James v. 19, 2.0. e Ephefians i. 23. that 5o2 SERMON VIII. that there is no inftrument, however weak, which, through the infinite goodnefs of God, may not fometimes promote (when fo it ffiall pleafe him to' grant a bleffing) the glory of his name. And that fuch a bleffing may now be granted, let us afk in the prevailing name of Him, Who Jitteth at the right hand of God; Who heareth the prayer ; Who is the head over all things to the Church ; even Chrift Jefus ; Who with the Holy Ghoft, in the Unity of the Godhead, is One with the Father, Who is the bleffed and only Potentate, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords ; Who only hath immor tality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath feen, nor can fee ; to whom be honour and power ever loft ing. Amen f. f i Timothy vi. 15, 16. THE END. 3 9002