Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

are so conspicuous? Or did he come off in triumph from the slaughter of the gigantic Philistine? O ye English Protestants, shall such lordly arguments as these make you submit to Geneva sovereignty? Will you be "lashed," by such stately logic as this, to the foot of the great image, upon whose back you see absolute preterition written in such large characters? Will you suffer reason and Scripture to be whipped out of the field of controversy in this despotic manner? Shall such imperial cords as these bind you to the horns of an altar, where myriads of men are intentionally slain before they are born, and around which injudicious worshippers so sing their unscriptural songs about finished salvation, as to drown the dismal cries of insured destruction and finished dam

nation.

Mr. Hill's performance is closed by "a shocking, not to say blasphemous confession of faith," in ten articles, which he supposes "must inevitably be adopted, if not in express words, yet in substance, by every Arminian whatsoever," especially by Mr. Wesley, Mr. Sellon, and my. self. As we desire to let true Protestants see the depth of our doctrine, that they may side with us, if we are right, or point out our errors, if we are wrong, I publish that creed, (see the close of vol. i,) frankly adopting what is agreeable to our principles, and returning to Mr. Hill the errors which his inattention makes him consider as necessary consequences of our doctrines of grace.

With respect to the three letters, which that gentleman has published to set forth his reasons for declining the controversy with me, what are they to the purpose? Does not the first of them bear date "July 31, 1773?" Now I beg any unprejudiced person to decide if a private letter, written on July 31, 1773, can contain a reasonable overture for DECLINING THE CONTROVERSY, when the Finishing Stroke, which was given me publicly, and bears date January 1, 1773, contains (page 40) this explicit and final declining of it: "So here the controversy must end, at least it shall end for me. You may misquote and misrepresent whomsoever and whatsoever you please, and you may do it with impunity; I assure you, I shall give myself no trouble to detect you." The controversy, therefore, was "declined" in January, on the above-mentioned bitter reason. Mr. Hill cannot then reasonably pretend to have offered to decline it in July, six or seven months after this, from sweet reasons of brotherly kindness, and love for peace. "But in July Mr. Hill wrote to his bookseller to sell no more of any of his pamphlets which relate to the Minutes." True: but this was not declining the controversy; and here is the proof. Mr. Hill still professes "declining any farther controversy about the Minutes," and yet in this his last publication, (page 11,) he advertises the sale of all the books which he has written against them, from the Paris Conversation to the Finishing Stroke. Therefore, Mr. Hill himself being judge, declining the controversy, and stopping the sale of his books, are different things.

Concerning the three letters I shall only add, that I could wish Mr. Hill had published my answers to them, that his readers might have seen I have not been less ready to return his private civilities, than to ward off his public strokes. In one of them in particular, I offered to send him my answer to his Finishing Stroke before it went to press, that he might let me know if in any thing I had misunderstood or misrepre

sented him; promising to alter my manuscript upon any just animadversion that he might make upon it; because, after his Finishing Stroke, he could not make a public reply without breaking his word. And it is to this proposal that he replies thus in his second letter: "As you intend to introduce my worthless name into your next publication, I must beg to decline the obliging offer you make of my perusing your manuscript."

With respect to that gentleman's character, this after clap does not alter my thoughts of it. I cannot but still love and honour him on many---very many accounts. Though his warm attachment to what he calls "the doctrines of grace," and what we call "the doctrines of limited grace and free wrath," robs him, from time to time, of part of the mode ration, patience, and meekness of wisdom, which adorn the complete Christian character; I cannot but consider him as a very valuable per son. I do not doubt but when the paroxysm of his Calvinistic zeal shal be over, he will be as great an ornament to the Church of England i the capacity of a gentleman, as he is to civil society in the capacity of a magistrate. And justice, as well as love, obliges me to say, that, i the meantime, he is in several respects a pattern for all gentlemen o fortune; few equalling him in devoting a large fortune to the relief o the poor, and their leisure hours to the support of what they esteem th truth. Happy would it be for him, and for the peace of the Church, i to all his good qualities, he always added "the ornament of a meek an quiet spirit;" and if he so far suspected his orthodoxy, as to cond scend to weigh himself in the Scripture Scales.

EQUAL CHECK,

PART SECOND.

BEING THE FIRST PART OF

THE SCRIPTURE SCALES.

SECTION I.

The cause of the misunderstandings of pious Protestants-The contrary mistakes of Zelotes and Honestus, who are invited to try their doctrines by the Scripture Scales-The manner of using them, and the need of them in our days.

FIRST and second causes, leading and subordinate motives, may perfectly agree together. The hinder wheels of a chariot need not be taken off because they are not the fore wheels. It would be absurd to pull down the left wing of a palace, merely because it is opposed to the right. And a man makes himself ridiculous who destroys one of his scales because it accidentally outweighs the other: for both scales may recover their equilibrium, and answer the best of purposes.

Such, if I mistake not, is the necessary distinction, and such the nice union, that subsist between those two opposite and yet harmonizing, exploded and yet capital doctrines of the Gospel, which we call free grace and free will. To demonstrate that their due conjunction in our hearts forms the spiritual marriage of faith, and gives birth to all good works, I have ventured upon the construction of "the Scales," which the reader will find in these pages. If their composition is human, their materials are Divine; for they consist of plain scriptures, chiefly placed under two heads of doctrine, which, for their justness and importance, may be called the weights of the sanctuary. (1.) Our salvation is of God. (2.) Our damnation is of ourselves. The first of these proposi tions is inseparably connected with the doctrine of free grace; nor can the second stand but upon the doctrine of free will: two doctrines these which the moralists and the Solifidians have hitherto thought incompatible; and about which some of them have contended with the utmost acrimony of temper and language.

Even men of piety have rashly entered the lists, some against free grace, others against free will; warmly opposing what they should have mutually defended. The cause of their misunderstanding is very singular. They are good men upon the whole, therefore they can never oppose truth as truth: and as they are not destitute of charity, they cannot quarrel merely for quarreling's sake. Whence then springs their continual contest? Is it not from gross partiality, excessive jealousy, wilful inattention, and glaring prejudice? They will not look Gospel truth full in the face: they are determined to stand on either side of her, and by that means seldom see above the half of her beauty.

But all the Protestants are not so partial: for while the Solifidians

gaze upon the side face of Christianity on the right hand, and the moral. ists on the left; her unprejudiced lovers, humbly sitting at her feet, and beholding her in full, admire the exquisite proportion of all her features; an advantage this which the opposite rivals can never have in their present unfavourable position. Therefore, while a mere moralist considers as "enthusiastic rant," the doctrine of free grace extolled by the Soli. fidians; and while a bound-willer brands as "dreadful heresy," the doctrine of free will espoused by the moralists; an unprejudiced Christian equally embraces the pretended "enthusiasm" of the one, and the imaginary "heresy" of the other; being persuaded, that the different sentiments of those partial contenders for free grace and free will are only the opposite truths which form the complete beauty of genuine Protestantism.

This contrary mistake of the moralists, and of the Solifidians, is attended with the most fatal consequences; for, as they receive only one part of the truth, they think to do God service by attacking the other, which they rashly take for a dangerous error; and, so far as the influence of their contrary misconception reaches, the whole truth is destroyed. Primitive Christianity, in their busy hands, seems to be in as much danger of losing her capital doctrines, as the elderly man in the fable was of losing his hair between his two wives: one was young, and could not bear his partly silvered locks; the other, who was old, wanted him to be altogether as gray as herself. Both accordingly fell to work; and in a little time the young wife had so plucked out his white hairs, and the old woman his black ones, that he remained absolutely bald.

Will you see their ridiculous conduct exemplified in the religious world? Consider Honestus, the sedate moralist; and Zelotes, the warm Solifidian. HONESTUS, who values the ten commandments far above the three creeds, seldom dwells upon Christ's redeeming love and atoning blood. Out of the church he rarely mentions the inspiration of God': Spirit, or the comforts of the Holy Ghost; and it is well if he does no think that our addresses to the Mediator are remains of Papistical idol atry. He piques himself much upon his honesty; and hoping that hi free will, best endeavours, and good works, are almost sufficient to sav him, he leaves the doctrine of a sinner's justification by faith to Zelote and Paul. ZELOTES flies to the other extreme. His creed is all; and so far as decency permits, he insinuates that believers may break th first and second commandment with Solomon, the third with Peter, th fifth with Absalom, the sixth and seventh with David, the eighth wit Onesimus, and the two last with Ananias and Sapphira; in short, tha they may go any length in sin without endangering in the least their titl to a crown of glory. He thinks that the contrary doctrine is ran popery. Some of his favourite topics are: (1.) God's uncondition election of some to finished salvation; an election this which necessari includes God's unconditional appointment of the rest of mankind to finishe damnation! (2.) An unchangeable fondness of God, and a partial aton ment of Christ, for a comparatively small number of the children of mer a fondness and an atonement these, which include also an unchangeat wrath against, and an absolute reprobation of all the world beside. An (3.) A zealous decrying of free will and sincere obedience, under th specious pretence of exalting Christ and free grace. As for the justific

tion of a BELIEVER by works and not by faith only, he leaves it to Honestus, Bellarmine, and St. James.

If the sum of Christ's religion is, Cordially believe, and sincerely obey ; and if Honestus makes almost nothing of saving faith, while Zelotes makes next to nothing of sincere obedience, is it not evident that between them both genuine Protestantism is almost destroyed? If I may compare Christianity to the woman that St. John saw in one of his visions; how barbarously is she used by those two partial lovers! Both pretend to have the greatest regard for her: both have publicly espoused her: both perhaps equally recommend her from the pulpit: but, alas! both, though without any bad design, use her with the greatest unkindness; for while Honestus divests her of her peculiar doctrines and mysteries, Zelotes robs her of her peculiar precepts and sanctions. Thus the one (if I may carry the allegory so far) puts out her right, and the other her left eye: the one stabs her in the right side, and the other in the left: and this they do upon a supposition that as soon as all their dreadful operations shall be performed, Christianity will shine in the perfection of her native beauty.

While the heavenly woman, mutilated by those partial lovers, lies thus bleeding and deformed in the midst of spiritual Egypt, LORENZO casts his eyes upon her; and starting back at the sight, he wisely protests that he cannot embrace so deformed a religion: and it is well if, in this critical moment, a painted Jezebel, who courts his affections, does not ensnare his unwary soul. She calls herself Natural Religion, but her right name is Skepticism in infancy, Infidelity in youth, Fatalism in ripe years, and Abaddon in old age. Guilty, thrice guilty will Honestus and Zelotes prove, if they continue to drive the hesitating youth into the arms of that syren, by continuing to render Christianity monstrous in his eyes!

O mistaken men of God, before you have caused Lorenzo's ruin, be persuaded to review your doctrine; nor refuse to weigh it in the balance of the sanctuary. If fine gold loses nothing in the fiercest fire, what can your sentiments lose in my Scripture Scales? Let cheats dread to have their weights tried by the royal standard; but do not you start from the trial. I acknowledge your honesty beforehand. If your weights should prove false, your reputation is safe. My readers will do you justice; they will perceive that, far from having had any intention to deceive others, you yourselves have been the dupes of your own prejudice; thus will your mistakes be found out to your profit, and not to your shame.

The error of Honestus and that of Zelotes being opposite, so must be their method of using the Scripture Scales. Honestus, who inclines to the neglect of Christ, and to the contempt of free grace, must weigh himself against the scriptures which follow No. I, and batter down Pharisaic dotages; that is, he must read those scriptures over with attention, asking his conscience if he honestly insists upon them as the primary truths of Christianity; and if he may not rank with modern Pharisees, so far as he opposes or despises those scriptures. On the other hand, Zelotes, who leans to the disregard of sincere obedience, good works, and free will, must weigh himself against No. II, under which he will find the scriptures that oppose the Antinomian delusion;

« AnteriorContinuar »