Part 101

And now, my _Reverend Brethren_, if these things be so, may not that question be very justly put to you, which our LORD on a like occasion asked _Nicodemus_, a ruler of the _Jews_: “Are ye masters of _Israel_? Are ye ministers of the Church of _England_, and know not these things?” What has his Lordship been doing so many years, in professing to confer the Holy Ghost by imposition of hands on so many ministers, saying unto them, “Receive the Holy Ghost by imposition of our hands,” if there are none of those assistances from the Blessed Spirit to be expected now, which were conferred when our Saviour first spoke these words to his disciples? How can his Lordship in conscience make use of the ordination office? Or how could you, before many witnesses, publicly confess that you were inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon you the administration of the church? when you openly deny him in his most powerful, and as to believers, in his common operations. Should you not tremble to think, how much this looks like belying the Holy Ghost, and acting the dreadful crime of _Ananias_ and _Sapphira_ over again, or lying not only unto man, but unto GOD? And why are you so zealous for the church, and continually crying out, “The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD,” and yet trample her offices, collects and articles in effect under your feet? With what consistency can you use the baptismal office, and ♦solemnly say unto GOD, “We yield thee hearty thanks, most merciful Father, that it hath pleased thee to regenerate this infant with thy Holy Spirit,” and yet agree with his Lordship, page 61, in asserting, “to that ♠federal rite of baptism is annexed the preventing or preparatory grace of GOD, as is likewise (on a due improvement) that of the assisting kind?” Is this all that is implied in the baptismal office? And is regeneration no more than this? What a miserable condition then are those in, who have only their baptismal regeneration to depend on? For who is there that has improved, nay who is there that has not sinned away this preparatory grace? Is not this directly contrary to the whole baptismal office? And are not those to be reckoned friends to mankind, who bid them look for a better regeneration than this amounts to? Again, with what propriety can his Lordship, in the office of confirmation, pray unto GOD to give the persons to be confirmed “the Spirit of wisdom and ♣understanding, the Spirit of counsel and ghostly strength?” Or how can ministers in general, in the collect for _Whit-sunday_, say, “Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comforts?” Why are the passages, wherein these blessings are promised to the first Apostles, appointed to be read at this festival, if we are not in our degree to expect the same mercies? And if these things are not to be _inwardly felt_, and we are not to be supernaturally assured of our salvation, wherefore do you make use of those words in the visitation of the sick? “The Almighty LORD, who is a most strong tower to all them that put their trust in him, to whom all things in heaven, in earth, and under the earth, do bow and obey, be now and evermore thy defence, and make thee _know_ and _feel_, that there is none other name under heaven given to man, in whom and through whom thou mayest receive health and salvation, but only the name of our LORD JESUS CHRIST:” Or with what propriety can you subscribe to the 17th article, wherein we are told, “That the godly consideration of predestination, and our election in CHRIST, is full of sweet, pleasant, and unspeakable comfort to godly persons, and such as _feel in themselves_ the working of the Spirit of CHRIST?” And if there be no such thing as inspiration at all, how can you, consistent with your principles, use the church collect before the communion office, and pray “Almighty GOD to cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the _inspiration_ of his Holy Spirit?” Or how can you agree with the 13th article, which affirms, “That works done before the grace of CHRIST, and the _inspiration of the Spirit_, are not pleasant to GOD?” Are not all these things against you? Do they not all concur to prove, that you are the betrayers of that church which you would pretend to defend? Alas, what strangers must you be to a life hid with CHRIST in GOD, and the blessed fruits of the Spirit, such as love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; when you know of no other first-fruits of the Spirit, than the miraculous gifts of the Holy Ghost conferred on some particular persons in the primitive church, which a man might have, so as to prophesy and cast out devils in the name of CHRIST, and yet be commanded to depart from him in the last day? How miserable must the congregations be, of which you are made overseers? And how little of the divine presence must you have felt in your administrations, that utterly deny the spirit of prayer, and the Spirit’s helping you to preach with power, and consider them as things that have long since ceased? Is not this the reason why you preach as did the scribes, and not with any divine pathos and authority, and see so little good effect of your sermons? Have not your principles a direct tendency to lull poor souls asleep? For if they are not to look for the supernatural operations of the Spirit of GOD, or any inward feeling or perceptions of this Spirit, may not all that are baptized, and not notoriously wicked, flatter themselves that they are christians indeed? But is not this the very quintessence of Pharisaism? Is not this the dark, benighted state the great Apostle of the _Gentiles_ confesses he was in, before he was experimentally acquainted with CHRIST, or knew or felt the power of his resurrection? Is not this a prophesying falsely, to say unto people, “Peace, peace,” when there is no true solid scriptural ground for peace? And are not you then properly the persons his Lordship speaks of, page 1st, as “betraying whole multitudes into an unreasonable presumption of their salvation?” For is it not the highest presumption, for any to hope to be saved without the indwelling of the Spirit, since the Apostle declares, in the most awful manner, “If any man have not the Spirit of CHRIST, he is none of his?” Is it not high time for somebody to rouze the sleepy world out of this state, though it should cost them some melancholy thoughts? May they not justly despond and despair too of being saved in such a condition? For how can they possibly be good christians, or indeed christians at all, unless they some time or other feel the Spirit of GOD in their hearts? Or how can any justly be stiled enthusiastical pretenders to immediate inspiration and new revelation, page 3d, who only claim what is promised in the will of GOD already revealed, and exhort all to add diligence to make their calling and election sure? And why should that great man of GOD, Dr. _Owen_, be so particularly mentioned by his Lordship, page 15th? Has there a more solid critical learned divine appeared for many ages in the christian world? Being dead, doth he not yet speak? Do not his works praise him? Or supposing he was an enthusiast, as his Lordship calls him, how can he be a modern one? Has he not been dead now above fifty years? And why is he mentioned with an &c.? Would his Lordship have us understand Dr. _Goodwin_, Mr. _Baxter_, and writers of the Puritan stamp? But in reproaching them, does not his Lordship equally brand Archbishop _Usher_, Bishop _Hall_, Bishop _Davenant_, Bishop _Hopkins_, and others, nay all the godly reformers and martyrs, and the compilers of our articles, homilies, and liturgy also? Were they not equally enthusiastical with those, which his Lordship in this charge would condemn; and may I not therefore say, if they were enthusiasts, would to GOD you were not only almost, but altogether such as they were? Has not his Lordship undesignedly put an honour upon the _Methodists_, by joining them in such company? Might not his Lordship easily foresee, that such a procedure as this, would rather increase than diminish the progress of Methodism, which his Lordship seems to have unwittingly prophesied of three years ago, when this charge was first delivered? See margin of page 60. For what in an human way can have a more natural tendency to strengthen the Methodists hands, than their having a public occasion to shew, that they preach up the great doctrines of the reformation, and are thrust out of the synagogues for no other reason, than because they preach articles of faith, to which they have subscribed, as the expression is in the literal and grammatical sense?