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authors are dead) with any malignant fentiment or prepoffeffion against their perfons, fuch as might clofe the eyes of the understanding against the radiance of truth."

My object in this work was not the acquifition or the encrease of literary fame, but folely the promotion of Faith, Hope, and Charity.

"This was the motive (to proceed with the words of Wake) that first induced me to fet about this work; in the execution of which, fhould I chance to be mistaken, yet I cannot but perfuade myself that the honesty of my intentions will excufe me to all indifferent perfons. Let others, then, to whom God has given better opportunities and greater abilities, ferve the church in better and higher performances. It fhall fuffice me in my way to minister to the fouls of men; and if by this prefent undertaking I shall but in any measure have contributed to the reviving a true fenfe of piety and devotion among us, I fhall heartily blefs God, both that he first prompted me to undertake this invidious task, and has fince enabled me, though amidst many infirmities, to go through with it*."

*The following text may, I think, confirm the opinion advanced in this Section, that the beft EVIDENCE will ar fe from OBEDIENCE: "And we are his witneffes of thefe things, and fo is alfo the "HOLY GHOST, whom God hath given to them that obey him.” Acts, v. 37.

If a man will love me and KEEP MY WORDS, my Father will love him, and we will come unto him and make our abode with him. John, xiv. 23. Preventing grace or common grace, as the theologifts exprefs themfelves, will, if fufficiently attended to, lead to fuch obedience as will caule fpecial grace.

"Common grace, which is not fufpended upon the performance of "any condition required in the covenant, is given to all thofe that. "live under the miniftration of the gofpel. My meaning is, they "are all prevented, with that grace, which makes it poflible for them CLAGETT.

"to BEGIN WELL."

Such a degree of OBEDIENCE, therefore, as fecures in future Special grace, is practicable by those who are but very imperfect Chriftians. PRAYER added, as a branch of OBEDIENCE, will produce special grace.

SECTION III.

On the Prejudices entertained against this Sort of Evidence, and against all divine and fupernatural Influence on the Mind of Man.

INCE time of Archbishop Laud, the most

Scelebrated defenders of Christianity have thought it proper to expatiate, with peculiar zeal, on the excellence of natural religion. They probably had, what they thought, prudential reafons for their conduct; but it must not be diffembled, that in extolling natural religion they have appeared to depreciate or fuperfede revelation. The doctrine of fupernatural affiftance, the great privilege and glory of Chriftianity, has been very little enforced by them, and indeed rather discountenanced, as favouring of enthusiasm, and claiming, if true, a decided fuperiority over their favourite religion of nature.

Upon this fubject, a very fenfible writer thus expreffes his opinion:

"Towards making and forming a Chriftian, if "fupernatural affiftance of the divine Spirit was "neceflary at the beginning of the gospel, I do "not fee what fhould render it less neceffary at "any time fince, nor why it may not be expected ❝ NOW. Human learning and human wisdom "have rafhly and vainly ufurped the place of it.

"It is obfervable that thefe old principles are "ftill to be found among diffenters, in a good. "measure, which is the reason why their oppo-, "nents have dropped the use of them, "As

"As thefe doctrines were the principles and "language of the diffenters, and others, who fol

lowed the ftandard of the Parliament against "King Charles the Firft, though they were not "the particular motives of the war, nor could "contract any just blame from the unhappy iffue "of that war; yet, at the restoration of King "Charles the Second, the resentment which took "place against the persons of the diffenters, and "ran high, I apprehend, led the church clergy not "only to be angry with the men, but to forfake "their principles too, though right and innocent "in themselves, and aforetime held in common " among all Proteftants."

This, the author thinks, gave rise to the exceffive zeal for enforcing natural religion, and for mere moral preaching, to the exclufion of the diftinguishing doctrines of Chrift, and particularly thofe fublime myfteries refpecting the operation of the Holy Ghoft, the very life and foul of Chriftianity.

"Every thing," fays he, " befides morality be"gan, from that time, to be branded with the "odious term of enthufiafin and hypocrify.

"That the caufe of religion (obferves the fame "writer) has declined for many years, every per"fon appears fenfible. Among the various rea

fons affigned for it, the principal, in my opinion,

is, that the established minifters have fuffered "it to die in their own hands, by departing from "the old method of preaching, and from their "first and original tenets; which has given coun"tenance to what is called natural religion, in *fuch a measure, as to fhut out revealed religion and fuperfede the gospel.

"It is in vain to cry out against deists and infidels, when the Proteftant watchmen have de"ferted

*ferted their poft, and themselves have opened a "gap for the enemy. Learning and oratory, it "must be owned, are arrived at great perfection,. "but our true old divinity is gone. Amid these fplendid trifles, the GOSPEL is really LOST *."

It is certain that the profligate court of Charles the Second, in its endeavours to difcredit the dif fenters, many of whom were admirable fcholars and divines, as well as holy and exemplary men in. private life, contributed much to explode all doctrines concerning the SPIRIT. Unfortunately those clergymen who wished to be favoured at court, too easily conformed their doctrines to its wishes; and arguments from the pulpit united with farcafms from the feat of the fcorner, to render all who maintained the doctrine of grace fufpected of enthusiasm and hypocrify. Ridicule, in the hands of the author of Hudibras, though intended only to ferve political purposes, became a weapon that wounded religion in its vitals.

The fect of Chriftians denominated Quakers certainly entertained many right notions refpecting. divine influence: and therefore, as the Quakers were disliked by the church, the doctrines which they maintained were to be treated with contempt. The SPIRIT, whofe operations they justly maintained, became, under the direction of worldly policy, a word of reproach to them, and to all preachers who earnestly enforced fimilar opinions. Confequently afpiring clergymen of the church, wishing to avoid every doctrine which could retard their advancement, or fix a ftigma of heterodoxy upon them, were very little inclined to preach the reality or neceffity of divine influence. They

* See a Letter figned Paulinus, published in 1735.

feared

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feared the opprobrious names of enthusiasts or hypocrites, and fo in effect became afhamed of the gofpel of Christ *.

In process of time, arofe the fect of the Methodists; who, however they may be mistaken in fome points, are certainly orthodox in their opinions of the divine agency on the human foul. They found it in the fcriptures, in the liturgy, in the articles, and they preached it with a zeal which to many appeared intemperate, and certainly was fometimes too little guided by difcretion. The confequence was, that the fpiritual doctrines, already vilified by the court of Charles the Second, and by the adverfaries of the Quakers, became objects of general diflike and derifion.

In the meantime, the gospel of Jesus Christ suffered by its profeffed friends as well as declared enemies. Regular divines, of great virtue, learning, and apparent piety, feared to preach the Holy Ghoft and his operations, the main doctrine of the gospel, left they should countenance the Puritan, the Quaker, or the Methodist, and lose the efteem of their own order, or of the higher powers. They often contented themselves, during a long

To improve the People effectually, you must be affiduous in teaching the principles of the GOSPEL; and of the gopfel, not as "almost explained away by modern refiners, but as the truth is in "Jefus, as it is taught by the church, of which you are members,

and as you have engaged, by your fubfcriptions and declarations, that you will teach it yourfelves. You must fet forth the ori"ginal corruption of our nature, and our fanctification by the in<< Aluences of the DIVINE SPIRIT.

The truth, I fear is, that many, if not most of us, have dwelt too little on these doctrines in our fermons, partly from not having "studied theology deeply enough to treat them ably and beneficially : "God grant it may never have been for want of INWARDLY EXPERIENCING their importance !"

Archbishop SECKER's first Charge to his Clergy.

life,

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