all fuperfeded, and we are as fafe without them as with them. This doctrine is fo convenient to all the irregular claffes of Chriftian people, who have caft off the church and its authority, that it has been much infifted upon almost from the beginning of the Reformation, and has done infinite mifchief. For he who is divided from his brethren, with this doctrine in his mind, is thereby confirmed and fortified in his errors. In vain fhall we recommend the benefits of church communion to him, who is faved in confequence of a decree, made before the church or the world had a being. God hath elected him, without any regard to outward ordinances; and fo the want of thofe ordinances can never render his election of no effect. And fuppofing his doctrine to be true, who can deny the confequence? But the doctrine is falfe. Thus much of it is true; that, according to the Scripture, man is chofen, or elected, "out of the world," by the free grace of God, without any refpect to his own works, (of which he can have none till he is called; being in the state of an unborn infant) and brought into God's church, where he is placed in a state of falvation. But he may fall from this state, or be cast out of it by the authority which brought him into it, and forfeit all the privileges of his election; therefore the Apostle gives us this warning; "let him that thinketh he ftandeth, take heed "left he fall" and St. Peter bids us "give diligence to make our calling and election fure." How can that be, if we are elected to falvation, by an irreversible decree? We need take no pains to make that fure, which in its nature is irreversible. Paul was a veffel chofen of God; and yet this fame Paul fupposes it poffible for him to fall from the grace of God, and become a caftaway. Election therefore, as it is spoken of in the Scripture, hath been grossly misunderstood for there is no fuch thing there as any election of individuals to final falvation, in` dependent of the ordinances of the church. Election is an inward and spiritual grace; but there is no fuch thing administered to man without fome outward, fign. A man might tell us that he is ordained to preach the Gospel: but we know this can never be without the laying on of hands. He may tell us he is one of God's elect; and if the reality of his election were to depend upon his own report, how fhould we confute him, although he were guilty of all manner of wickedness? If we believe him on his own authority, we may be tempted to be as wicked as he is;

and multitudes have by this doctrine corrupted one another, and fallen into what is called antinomianifm; a neglect of God's commandments, as not neceffary to thofe who are elected independent of works and facraments. To fecure us from all fuch delufions, God hath affixed fome outward fign or pledge to all his inward gifts, to affure us of their reality, and prevent impofture. Therefore, where there is an inward calling, there i an outward calling with it; where there is regeneration, there is the facrament of baptifin; and the Gofpel knows of no regeneration without it. I might fhew how this doctrine of abfolute election is dishonourable to God, and contrary to his most express declarations. How it encourages fome to prefumption, pride, and ungodly living *; and how it drives others to despair and distraction †, who have not, nor can bring themselves to an affurance of their own perfonal election to the favour of God: but my business in this place is only to remark, how convenient this doctrine is to all thofe who do not come to God in the ordinary way of his inftitutions, nor can prove themselves to be members of his church.

A fecond doctrine, on the ground of which men place themfelves above the church, is that of immediate infpiration. For if men are now receiving new direction from heaven, and God speaks in them as he did in Mofes and the Prophets, and the Apostles, they have no need to confult either the Scriptures or the church: for they are independent of both, and have an higher rule. This is the reason why no impreffion can ever be made upon a Quaker, by

* I remember a woman in a country parish, who used to boast much of her own experiences, and infult the people of the church as reprobates; goats who were to be placed on the left hand, at the day of judgment; while fhe and her party were the true elect, the sheep who were to be placed on the right hand. Such was the ufual ftrain of her converfation. But after a time, I heard that this elect lady was gone off with the husband of another woman. She was a fevere critic on the clergyman of the parish, as one who had many popish actions, be cause he made a practice of turning to the east when he repeated the creed; and though he was much attended to as a preacher, she said it all fignified no more than the barking of a dog.

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+ When Dr. Sparrow was bishop of Exeter, there rarely paffed a day, without a note or notes brought to prieft, vicar, or reader, for the prayers of the congregation, for perfons troubled in mind, or poffeffed; which, as fome judicious perfons conjectured, was occafioned by the frequent preaching up of the rigid predeftination doctrines in fome places in that city.

Preface to the View of the Times.

he

arguments from the Scripture. He anfwers, that the Scriptures (as appl ed by us who do not understand them) cannot be brought in evidence against him; becaufe (to fpeak in the Quaker language) he has within himfelf the fame fpirit that gave forth Scriptures; and the revelation which is past, muft give place to that which is prefent. Nothing blinds the eyes of men so effectually as pride; whence he who is vain enough to believe, that he is under the direction of immediate inspiration, muft believe many other ftrange things. Such people therefore never fail to defpife the ministry and worship of the church, and make light of all its inftitutions. The Apoftles of Jefus Chrift foreseeing by a true revelation, that there would be falfe pretenfions to inspiration in the Chriftian church, as there were falfe prophets among the people of the Jews, give us warning not to " believe every spirit," (that is, not to believe all those who pretend to speak by the spirit) but to try them whether they speak by the spirit of truth or the fpirit of error. There are many good rules to direct us on this occafion: but there is one which every body can understand. The fpirit of truth is the spirit of love, and peace, and unity: the fpirit of error is the fpirit of hatred, and contention, and discord. The former tends to unite men into one body; the latter fets them at variance, and divides them into parties. "Beloved," faith St. John," let us love one another; for every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not, knoweth not God." When the great rule of charity is broken, and men lay claim to the fpirit of God, while they have no title to it, then they are open to the delufions of evil spirits: and accordingly many have uttered hideous blafphemies, under a perfuafion that they were fpeaking by the fpirit of God. Some have proceeded fo far as to perfonate God himself *. Certain it is, that the fects who have departed fartheft from the church and its ordinances, are the most forward in their pretenfions to imme

* In the beginning of this century, there was a fect of Camifar Quakers in London, in whose assemblies perfons of both fexes, particularly young girls, pretended to deliver prophecies, with ftrange fcreamings and diftortions. One of these people, (horrible to relate) was feen to take another by the arm, and looking him broad in the face, faid, "Do you not acknowledge me to be the eternal and unchangeable God?" To which the other, falling down and trembling, answered, "I do acknowledge thee, &c." Many fine people from the court end of the town, who would have paid but little refpect to the benediction of a bishop, were feen bending their knees, for a bleffing, to thefe frantic females. See View of the Times, Vol. IV. P. 235

diate infpiration; and even where this is pretended to in a leffer degree, a contempt for the church and its miniftry, feldom or never fails to attend upon it in the fame proportion *.

A third doctrine which makes the church of no effect, is the fufficiency of moral virtue; and a perilous doctrine it is. It comes forward with a more sober face, but this error hath less of the Gospel than that of enthufiafm or predeftination. For on this ground, a man need be of no church, of no sect, nor even a Christian believer; because moral honefty, which forbears. thieving and cheating, may be found in a Turk or an Heathen. When people would appear to be what they are not, and endeavour to fupply their defects by fine words and plaufible pretences, we call them hypocrites: and I will affure the reader, there is a great deal of cant in the world, befide that of fanaticism and affected devotion. Impiety can act the hypocrite upon occafion, and magnify moral virtue when it is fet in oppofition to the love of God. It is not unufual for persons to praise a man's character; not because they love his virtues, but because they hate his rival. So do fome bad men praise morality, because they hate devotion. This is too frequently the cafe with those who make a false estimate of what they call a good life; leaving out the duties most effential to the life of a good Chriftian; and these are a very large party. Heresy and schism, till they turn into profligacy, never fail to defcant upon the fufficiency of moral duties; and in this they are joined by the whole tribe of Deifts, Infidels, and moral Philofophers, who are glad to hear of a rule of mora❤ lity, (fuch, by the way, as themselves are to define and determine) which will ferve them as a fubstitute for the Chriftian life, and all the forms of church devotion. Here alfo we find thofe Chrif tians, who live in the habitual neglect of the means of grace. I have heard people who never were at the altar, and perhaps never intended it, comforting themselves with this confideration, that they never did any harm to any body when they should rather have afked them felves, what good they ever did to themselves, or to any body elfe, for the love of God? Without which, all the virtues of man are nothing; and if he places any dependance upon them, they are worfe than nothing. If a man is to be

*The author of the "Snake in the Grafs" prefixed a moft excellent preface to that work, on the enthusiasm of Antonia Bourignon; fhewing the original and tendency of hers and every other delufion of the fame kind: which preface the reader will do well to confult.

faved by the Christian religion, he must be a Christian in his life: but fimple morality is not Chriftian: it has neither faith, hope, charity, prayer, fasting, nor alms, which are the duties of the Chriftian life. If we mean to ferve God, we must serve him -in his church, and conform to its ordinances. If we do good to our neighbours, we must do it on a principle of faith; and a cup of cold water given on this principle, is of more value in the fight of God, than all the treasures of the Indies, if they are distributed from the proud heart of unbelief: and he is certainly in unbelief, who doth not direct himself by the rules, and act upon the principles, which God hath delivered to the church in the holy Scriptures.

Nearly related to the fufficiency of moral virtue, is the principle of fincerity, which was fet up in the last age, as fufficient of itself to justify man in the fight of God, independent of the authority and benefits of his church: fo that if a man be not a hypocrite, it matters not what religion he is of. If fincerity, as fuch, independent of any particular way of worship, can recommend man to the favour of God, then there can be no difference as to merit between a fincere martyr, and a fincere perfecutor; and he that burns a Chriftian, if he be but in earnest, hath the fame title to God's favour, as he that is burnt for believing in Jefus Chrift. This pofition, (in the fense of it) abfurd and monftrous as it must appear, was the support of a controversy in this kingdom, in which a bishop led the way, and was followed and applauded by all the libertines and loofe thinkers of the nation, who forefaw that the argument would end in the diffolution of the church as a fociety and therefore they made him a thoufand compliments.

If we confider how the mind of man is influenced by custom and education, and that his confcience and felf-approbation will be according to his principles, then we shall see that sincerity, if

* Thus did the famous bifhop Hoadley comfort all the fectaries and enthusiasts of his time: When you are fecure of your integrity before God-this will lead you not to be afraid of the terrors of men, or the vain words of regular and uninterrupted fucceffion, authoritative benedictions, excommunications-nullity, or validity of ordinances to the people on account of niceties and trifles, or any other the like dreams." I can venture to fay, there never was a caufe more effectually baffled and expofed upon earth, than this of bishop Hoadley against the church, and church communion, in the two Letters, and the Reply of Mr. William Law, which every clergyman of the church of England ought to read, that he may know what ground he stands upon, and against what enemies he may be called forth to maintain it.