we apprehend, can be affigned, in various inftances at leaft, why it fhould take effect upon this perfon, and not upon that; in this nation, and not in another; but that which Paul affigns, "God's fhewing mercy "on whom he will fhew mercy." Rom. ix. 15. No moral Deift, we apprehend, that allows God will make a difference between the righteous and the wicked, (unless he will deny that God formed us, and overruled our education) can easily avoid the fame confequence: But if he denies that, we cannot fee, how he can be a Deift.

As for Mr. Wesley and others, who are frequently fpouting out the most horrible invectives against the God of Calvinifts, (whofe forms of expreffion, indeed, in many of their writers, I will not take upon me wholly to defend) if they would but think confiftently, the confequences of their own scheme would moft certainly bring them to the doctrine of divine fovereignty, before they were aware. Mr. Wefley preaches up the doctrine of regeneration or the New Birth, as indifpenfibly neceffary to falvation: If he be afked, whose work it is? He will anfwer, that of the Holy Ghoft: What, intirely? Here, perhaps, he will evade, just as Mr. Barclay does about the "light within:" It is, and it is not. If it be intirely the work of God, I would afk, why then has not God regenerated all men? And let him, in his anfwer, avoid the confequences of fpecial favour to fome, and preterition to. others, if he can. If it hinges upon a good difpofi-, tion or moral fitnefs, or, which is the fame thing, any good defires or pious efforts in man; then let him tell me, how it came about, that fome men had better defires or pious qualities than others; and whether they must thank God or Satan for them; or whether they rife from a mysterious, blind, contingent principle, in the mind? Let him give what anfwer he will, it ap

* See his Sermon published at Bristol intitled, Free-Grace.

pears to me, that he cannot poffibly escape the confequence above mentioned.

The queftion is not, whether all that believe fhall be faved; whether thofe, of whatever nation, kindred or tongue, whether they have been Methodists, Quakers, Independents, Prefbyterians, Churchmen, Papifts, Turks, Jews, or Pagans, that really believe and obey the Gofpel; fhall be faved? We grant this. Neither is it, whether God or Satan influences any one, contrary to their inclination, to do that which will plunge them into future mifery? "God cannot tempt any "man to fin," James i. 13. and the Devil has no power over our minds, now, I apprehend, any farther than we grant him it. But the question is, whether any of the fallen human race, do ever know, believe, and obey, the Gospel, without the fpecial direction and favour of God, working by ordinary and rational means? And what propriety was there in Paul's defiring the churches to "pray that the word of the "Lord may" fpread or "have free courfe and be glori"fied," 2 Theff. iii. 1. if the fuccefs of the Gofpel does not depend on God? Neither is the question, Whether the Gospel has not a fulness of evidence attending it, to convince every impartial perfon? Or, Whether a man has not natural faculties, to examine and receive it? In this sense, all have a capacity to attend to it, to receive its evidence, and, confequently, to repent, and obey the divine commands; or otherwife they could not be charged with guilt, for the neglect of the Gofpel: But the question is, Whether any, as mankind now are, will be thus difpofed, without the divine interpofition, or efficacious influence ?

There can be no pleasure in contending with perfons, upon thefe fubjects, who are eagerly ferving an hypothefis; but it is a fatisfaction to us, to be able, with propriety, to obferve, that when fuch writers as Mefirs. Barclay, Wefley, Phipps, and the Deifts, are for driving up their opponents to thefe confequences,

which

which are above mentioned, and then inveigh against them; they should have demonstrated to us, that their own religious fyftems were free from the fame; or elfe, their severe reflections, with increased force, may justly be retorted upon themselves. As Erafinus faid of Luther, when the Papifts preffed him much to write against this Reformer: "Nothing is more easy "than to call Luther a blockhead, but nothing is "less eafy than to prove him one;" fo we may juftly fay, with refpect to the Doctrines of "Predeftination "and Preterition," It is an eafy matter for persons to mifrepresent or condemn them, with the moft horrible epithets; but it is not fo eafy to clear even their own fystems of them, when they are, in their neceffary confequences, closely and fairly confidered.

CHAP. X.

1. The dangerous tendency of the Quakers inward principle, with refpect to a finner's hope, and religious worship and practice. 2. How it may countenance Deifm as well as Enthufiafm. 3. The Conclufioncontaining a ferious addrefs to the confcience of every Quaker who may perufe this treatife.

1. T principle,

HE bad tendency of the Quakers inward principle, with respect to a finner's hope, and religious worship and practice.

Though the generality of men may avoid reflections upon the ftate of their minds towards God, by a conftant attention to business, amusements and diverfions; yet thofe who are brought to any ferious confideration about their fouls, as they ftand connected with an impartial judginent, and a folemn. eternity, muft foon be led to acknowledge their guilt, be greatly perplexed concerning the confequences of

their

their fins after death, and really feel themselves miferable: Nor are thefe painful fenfations peculiar to any fet of men, for they more or lefs harrafs and diftrefs the honeft tradefman, the rich merchant, the polite courtier, the refined Philofopher, the haughty Pharifee, and the licentious rake; whenever they enter upon the fubject with impartiality, and perceive its unfpeakable importance.

Notwithstanding all the fine things which have been written by elegant authors, concerning the dignity and perfection of human nature, Chriftanity fuppofes mankind to be degenerate, totally loft and miferable: And the experience of every man's own mind, when, as in the prefence of a juft. God, who will hereafter bring him into judgment, he fairly confiders what he has thought, fpoken, and done, and what he has omitted, muft prove to him that this is his real ftate. His dread of death, the gloomy forebodings of confcience about its confequences, and the corroding fufpicions which are frequently rifing up within him, of his not being what he ought to be, in order to obtain the divine favour and friendship, make him the more miferable, the more clofely and impartially he reasons.

In these ferious moments, the Queftion is not, what is the religion of this or that fect, but, How fhall I, who am a finner, be forgiven of God, and be difpofed to ferve him chearfully and faithfully the res maining part of my life? The heat and fubtilty of controverfy have now no influence, to divert the anxious mind from an honeft fubmiffion to divine truth, when- ever it appears to the foul, in its native beauty and dignity. Like the diftreffed failor, upon the tempestuous ocean, who expects to be overwhelmed every moment in the mighty waters, he earnestly attends to every method of fafety pointed out to him, when honefty and truth appear to govern his adviser.

There

There is great reafon to think thefe diftreffing fcenes, which appear to every man's mind, upon ferious reflection, force inany to put off the thoughts of fpiritual and eternal concerns, as long as they can; whilst others are fo far impreffed with them, that they cannot reft, till they have experienced fome kind of relief and fupport, or elfe they spend the remainder of their lives in laborious and painful inquiries after it, and, perhaps, at laft, die without any fatisfying hope.

What then should be recommended to thefe perplexed and diftreffed creatures? The will of God, every one will fay: But what is the will of God upon this fubject? This is the question.

γνωσις,

Fox and Barclay tell us, in anfwer to this queftion, (conformably to the ancient and modern doctrine of the Mystics, from the "yros, or knowledge "falfely, fo called," which was probably spoken against by Paul, down to that of Molinos) that a certain portion of God, or Chrift, or the Word, dwells, and at times fpeaks, in the hearts of all men, which they call the Spirit, or "light within." If we would be comforted, and obtain eternal falvation, "we must be ftill"-be "paffive"-make perpetual efforts not only to fubdue our fenfual affections, and proud and finful thoughts, but "all thought what"ever," and then this wonderful hidden spark of Deity, the light within," will discover itself, blaze forth, and enlighten and direct us to purity and felicity. It is indifpenfibly neceffary, according to them, that we enter deeply into the inmoft receffes of our hearts, and liften moft attentively to the divine inftructions and commands, which this "internal "word" delivers.

1 Tim vi 20 Called, perhaps, "philofophy and vain decelt." Col. i. 8.

As