Part 86

But our Author, it seems, looks upon what they call success, in a different light, and therefore, in this _9th Query_, further asks, “How it can be reconciled to christian humility, prudence, or charity, to indulge their own notions to such a degree, as to perplex, unhinge, terrify, and distract the minds of multitudes of people, who have lived from their infancy under a gospel ministry, and in the regular exercise of a gospel worship; and all this, by persuading them, that they have never yet heard the true gospel, nor been instructed in the true way of salvation before.” To prove this particular part of the Query, he refers to passages which my Lord of _London_ was pleased to extract out of my third Journal some years ago, such as, “I offered JESUS CHRIST freely to them;――I think _Wales_ is excellently well prepared for the gospel of CHRIST;――Received news of the wonderful progress of the gospel in _Yorkshire_, under the ministry of my dear brother _Ingham_;――I was refreshed by a great packet of letters, giving me an account of the success of the gospel;――A most comfortable packet of letters, giving me an account of the success of the gospel.” But how do all these passages, my Lords, put all together, afford the least shadow of a proof of what this Author here lays to these itinerants charge? Or how can offering CHRIST freely, and hearing and writing of the success of the gospel, be interpreted as perplexing, unhinging, terrifying, and distracting the minds of multitudes of people, &c.? Is not this, my Lords, like the other proofs he brings against these itinerants in some other respects? And may I not venture to affirm now, whatever I did some years ago, that if the Right Reverend the Bishops, and Reverend the Clergy, hold the same principles with this anonymous Author, then the generality of the poor people of _England_, however regular they may have been from their infancy in the exercise of a gospel worship, never yet lived under a gospel ministry, have never yet heard the true gospel, or been instructed in the true way of salvation. For how can that be, when the _fundamental doctrine_ of the gospel, I mean justification by faith alone in the sight of GOD, must be necessarily every where preached down? Does not _Luther_ call this, _Articulus stantis aut cadentis ecclesiæ_? And is there any thing, my Lords, so very irreconcilable to christian humility, prudence, or charity, for a few young heads, who do hold this doctrine, (seeing those who seem pillars, and are the _aged heads of the church_, are so much out of order) to venture out and preach this doctrine to as great multitudes of people as will give them the hearing? And supposing some of these multitudes should be unhinged, terrified, distracted, or disturbed a little, is it not better they should be thus unhinged from off their false foundation here, than by building upon their own works, and going about to establish a righteousness of their own, endanger their eternal salvation hereafter?