The con But by religion, Jewks, I do not mean either orthodoxy or vifion; the religion that clufion. Whitfield and other enlightened men whine out in their conventicles to ignorant multitudes of deluded wretches; or, that inventive piety, which Randolph (a), and other tritheifts are fadly employed in defending; tho it hath no foundation in fcripture, or in common sense. By religion I mean that heavenly law which teacheth and profeffeth the immutable Supremacy of the one God and Father of all, and the fubordination of the fon to the will of the Father; which directs us to keep up a grateful commerce with him, as our creator, our redeemer, our protector, and our father, and to make an unfeigned regard to him, the Kk 2 foun (a) I mention Dr. Randolph the tritheift, on purpofe to let you know, in anfwer to your queftion concerning him, that his vindication of a co-equal, coeternal, and confubftantial trinity published in three parts, against the bishop of Clogher's Eflay on Spirit, is the weakest and most inconfiftent apology for the dreadful herefy of three Gods that I have ever read. Waterland is with Randolph a Father, the greatest of divines, his mafter; but furely christianity is a great fufferer by fuch a Father and fuch a difciple. If mifinterpretation and cavil, partiality, obftinacy, and rancour, are wicked things in controverfy, thefe doctors are great criminals for the use they have made of them in writing for their miferable fyftem. In an appendix at the end of my fecond letter, you will find fome animadverfions on this tripartite piece of Dr. Randolph, and on Knowles, and the other two writers against my lord of Clogher. You The con foundation of all our virtues, and the prin ufion. ciple of all our actions; to addrefs this bleffed God in daily prayer and praises, as thofe who know we are to him a boly priesthood, and a peculiar people, and to approach him through the great Mediator, the holy Jesus; to make a dedication of ourselves to him, to copy out the divine perfections in a holy life, and abound in all the offices of justice and charity to our fellow-creature. This is true religion. Let it be your faith and your practice; without regarding the nonfense of our enlightened ones, or the learning of the doctors. What flows from the pure fountain of reason improved by revelation, what gives a generous conception of the Deity, and manifefts the divine genius of christianity, is worth our embracing. It is the perfection of religion to worship one first caufe, the parent of nature, the fountain of all authority, and power, and to acknow ledge You will likewife have in the fame place fome remarks T The con ledge his fuperintendency over all things and affairs; that a fupreme Being is conscious of clufion. whatever is felt, or acted in the univerfe; and that there must one ftill be remaining within us in the perfecteft receffes, or deepest folitude, who is a witness and Spectator of our thoughts and actions: that a univerfal kingdom and dominion is committed to Jefus the Mediator, and a power to raise us from the dead; that he is to come again at the end of the world; judge mankind, and compleat the defigns of the mediatorial scheme. This is indeed a noble and gracious inftitution. It is an everlafting guard to truth and virtue, and an awful call to act what is right; not only in conformity to that unalterable rule of action which is founded in the reason of things, but in regard to the great and striking authority of fo high a perfonage as the first and only begotten Son of God. From this religion then, my dear Hugolin, let no fophiftry or enthufiafm, profit or lofs, ever gain you to recede. Cry, Abba, Father, evermore, and lay hold on the covenant of grace and peace in Chrift Jefus our Lord. This fecures your everlafting concerns, whatever death, whatever time you die; And if you should happen to be in perils by land, and in perils by water, you may hope for deliverance from the power of that mighty Being who is invariably good; and Kk 3 have The con have more than ordinary reafon to joyn in clufion. afcribing with the glorious and innumerable heavenly hoft Honor, power, and thanksgiving to the eternal God, who fits upon the throne of Supremacy, unrivalled in majefty and power. This has been my cafe many a time. I have been in as deplorable diftreffes as ever man fell into, on this ftage of being, and have often ftood on the brink of death and. mifery, without the leaft probability of an escape, by any means within my power: Yet, here I am still by the good will of him who dwelt in the bush of Horeb. He governs and manages the firft fprings of natural caufes, and without altering nature, vifibly directs them to the prefervation of his creatures, where his infinite wifdom fees fit. Or, if philofophy will cavil, and allow no kind of actual interpofition, in providence, tho fcripture plainly teaches it, yet it is certain, that the all-wife creator of the world, on forefight of the difpofitions and wants of moral agents, might fo order the conftitution of natural things in the beginning, and appoint the conftant courfe of nature, as to make them a provifion and relief, in proportion to temper and exigency, upon every occafion he faw proper; and thereby be as much a prefent help in all events, as if he interpofed by actual operation. This is easy to clufion. to infinite wisdom and power. Let it be done The conone way or other, providence, I can affirm, has had a peculiar influence upon many an event in feveral periods of my life. Prefideing goodness has often preferved me, and manifefted to my fenfes the word of his power, And as there are very few, I believe, who have not had some experiences of the kind in one part or other of their lives, I imagine every reader of this Poftfcript will with pleafure joyn me, when I extol him first, him laft, him midft, and without end. Bleffed be the glorious God, even Jehovah, the Self-exiftent, the God of Ifrael, who alone doth wondrous things: And bleffed be the name of his Majefty for ever, through Christ Jesus our Lord. BARBICAN, Dec. 31, 1754 The END. |