One would imagine, by this, Mr. _A. M._ is a church of _England_ man, and it should seem a bigoted one too: and then no wonder he speaks against the new-light. Their ministers I believe do preach against what I fear he terms enthusiasm, “The powerful feeling operations of the Holy Ghost.” But I cannot think they preach so much against bigotry. For in a conference I held with all three of those ministers in _Boston_, the head of them, to prove that we ought all to be of the church of _England_, brought this text, “That they may be all one, even as thou O father and I are one.” They assert _baptismal regeneration_, deny perseverance, and free justification by faith without works, and seem to think of Mr. _Gilbert Tennent_ just as this letter-writer does. No wonder then he is so friendly to them.
But why should I say more? it would be endless, as well as take up too much of my precious time to be more particular in my observations upon Mr. _A. M._’s letter. There are some matters of fact mentioned in it, such as “a blind lad’s preaching in _Connecticut_, page 12. Mr. _D――――_’s manner of preaching in a hot day, page 13,” and some other things, which I cannot take upon me to make replies to, and which, if true, will by no means prove the late work of GOD in _New-England_ to be only enthusiasm and delusion. Ere long I hope to see _Boston_. Then I will endeavour to send an impartial account. Indeed Mr. _A. M._ page 17. seems not to care for my return to _Boston_. But I hope to have a prosperous journey to them in some months, by the will of GOD, and see how they do.
In the mean while, give me leave to observe, that the publishers of this pamphlet (for I believe there are more than one concerned in it) have almost saved me the trouble, and have taken an effectual way to confute themselves. For they have annexed to this letter, an “Appendix, containing proofs for the facts in the foregoing letter, extracted from sermons preached by some of the most eminent ministers in _New-England_, lately printed at _Boston_.” But these extracts by no means contain proofs of all the facts recorded in the foregoing letter, consequently all the facts in the letter which are not proved by these extracts, we have reason to doubt of. I have not an opportunity of getting all the sermons of the reverend ministers mentioned in the title page: but it grieved me, when I saw extracts taken out of their writings to prove, that the work lately begun and carried on in _New-England_ was enthusiasm and delusion. This was the chief reason of my writing you this letter; it will grieve them to hear that their writings have been used to so bad a purpose. The compilers of the pamphlet have dealt with _their sermons_, as the devil dealt with the scripture, when he tempted our LORD in the wilderness; I mean, marred and wholly misapplied them. The publishers stile them, at the head of the appendix, some of the most eminent ministers in _New-England_; and depend much upon their authority, to prove the facts of Mr. _A. M._’s letter. And I desire no other authority than these very eminent ministers sermons, out of which the extracts are taken, to prove that the work lately begun and carried on in _New-England_ is not enthusiasm and delusion, but a great and marvellous work of the Spirit of GOD.