and drink." And to prevent any individual from applying this to the Jews, and to the days of our Saviour's flesh, the evangelist adds, "This spake he of the Spirit, which they that believed on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not given, because that Jesus was not glorified." Our Lord proceeds, "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the words that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day."* No less general were the apostles; "Whatsoever things," says St. Paul, "were written aforetime, were written for our learning; that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, might have hope." "Which things also we speak, (things concerning the Spirit,) not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual." Speaking of Abraham, . on the subject of imputed righteousness, he observes, "Now it was not written for his sake alone, but for us also." After having related different things respecting the children of Israel, he again remarks, "They are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come." He still goes on, "Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things, and keep the ordinances (Tas nagadosɛıs, traditions) as I delivered them unto you." "Hold the tradititions which ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle." "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." St. Peter, in the same style, says, "Ye have purified your soul sin obeying the truth through the Spirit-being born again, &c. -which liveth and abideth for ever. I will endeavour that you may be able, after my decease, to have these things in remembrance. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well to take heed, as to a light which shineth in a dark place-knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation."t * Mark xiii. 31; John vii. 37, 39; chap. xii. 48. + Rom. xv. 4; 1 Cor. ii. 13; Rom. iv. 23, 24; 1 Cor. x. 11; chap. xi. 2; 2 Thess. ii. 15; 2 Tim. iii. 16; 1 Pet. i. 22, 23; 2 Pet. i, 13-21. 5. That the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament will be the standard of appeal to the end of the world. "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall you diminish from it." "Every word of God is pure: -Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." By adding or diminishing, we make the word of God" of none effect." Immediately after the invitation of the SPIRIT to every human being, to come and take of the water of life, St. John remarks, "I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him all the plagues that are written in this book: and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in the book."* To prevent Mr. W. from reaping any advantage from a limited construction of this curse, applying it solely to the Apocalypse, he ought to recollect that the doctrine of the Spirit's influence, which he wishes to "take away," is there inculcated. Adopting his own language, in another case, "The import of these striking passages is at once so obvious and decisive, that I will not injure their effect by" further "adding paraphrase or commentary."+ It should seem, that Mr. W.'s contracted views of Scripture, in restricting a considerable portion of sacred truth to the primitive Christians, has had no small share of influence on his practice. Curiosity has led me to notice the number of Scripture references in his work,-a work comprising 217 octavo pages, and I have found 53. What will astonish you not a little, Sir, is, that among the passages which Mr.W. affirms the Methodists quote in support of their system, he has perverted the meaning of twelve;|| seventeen are merely referred to, without stating whether they make for * Deut. iv. 2; Matt. xv. 3--6; Prov. xxx. 6; Rev. xxii. 17--19. + Rev. i. 4; chap. ii. 7, 11, 17, 29; chap. v. 6; chap. xxii. 17. Page 59, 99, 125, 162, 163, 35, 36, 57. + Page 90. or against them ;* six are introduced by mere accident, some of which he has been assisted to by others;† and one belongs exclusively to the Roman Catholics. In this manner we find 36 of the passages employed. As it respects the remaining 17, which are properly brought forward to defend his own system, eight are cited to prove the depths and inequalities of Providence,§ a doctrine in which the Methodists fully acquiesce, and consequently they are foreign to the point in hand;four, as usual, accidental;|| four imperfect quotations culled from Dr. Mant; and only ONE by way of positive proof, in favour of an established priesthood.** And yet this very gentleman winds up the whole in his "CONCLUSION” with, "We have seen how ill-supported the doctrines, mode of worship, and manners of the Methodists are, by the pages of inspiration:"++ and how well-supported, by the same test, is all he has advanced in defence of the church of England.‡‡. Without such an application, this method of treating an author would seem to intimate, that his cause is best, which has the greatest collection of Scripture texts heaped together. This, you will perceive, is not my drift. A man should never triumph on Scripture ground, without the sacred authority for his warrant. Never did I meet with a writer who made a greater noise about Scripture than Mr. W. and quote less; who asserted so much, and to persons acquainted with the subject, proved so little. To shew that his arguments do not amount to proofs, is the design of these pages. His system is only less Scriptural than his work; the one is barren, and the other unsupported. Christianity would have met with weighty obstructions, and such as it would have been ill able to surmount, if the apostles had been as sparing in their references to the Old Testa ment. Having prepared the way, Sir, for an unrestricted appeal to Scripture, and proposing in this Letter to treat more im * Page 36, 57, 58, 106. + Page 43, 48, 148, 202, 203, 208. § Page 67, 69, 70, 85, 89, 90. Page 80, 83, 117, 155. Page 120. ++ Page 183. E + Page 100. 1 Page 33. ‡‡ Page 182, 199. mediately on the doctrines of grace,-doctrines, in the dis cussion of which, the Scriptures alone must be our guide, I shall now proceed to those parts of Mr. W.'s publication which either enter into, or lead to, the subject. "However," says Mr. W. "the opinions of speculative philosophers may be at variance on the principle of moral obligation, it is not to be disputed, that whatever can be shewn to promote the ultimate happiness of human creatures, that must be virtue; and, on the contrary, whatever defeats this end, and is productive of final misery, that must be vice."* Let" speculative philosophers" differ as they may, it certainly behoves a practical minister of Jesus Christ, who has the Bible for his directory, to be clear in his definitions, and full in his statements. Whatever Mr. W. may ture. intend here, the whole, as it now stands, is unconnected with the Supreme Being, and with his law. What that undefined something is, which will promote happiness, and which is to be designated virtue, he leaves his readers to conjecThe same with vice. If with this we connect other parts of his "Observations," where he denies the influence of the Spirit, and allows a pretty free use of the amusements of the day, which amusements are constituted legal, and productive of happiness, then we may have a new class of virtues presented to our gaze. It may be affirmed, that it is "ultimate happiness" which Mr. W. has in view, whereas pleasures derived from these sources are but momentary. What! are not all our pleasures and actions to have a reference to eternity? Is it not by our words and works, we are to be acquitted or condemned hereafter? Were we not sent into this world as probationers for another? Is it not expressly declared, "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap ?" Can we then, after sowing plentifully the seeds of earthly happiness, expect to reap immortal joy? The only point of dispute on this article, between Mr. W. and a Me thodist would be, in the assignment of proper means to pro * Page 66. mote so valuable an end as that of "ultimate happiness." Were it demanded of a Methodist, What is the thing itself that will procure present and final happiness? he would reply, The love of God shed abroad in the heart, producing love to our neighbour. Were it again demanded, How is this to be obtained? his answer would be, By repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. In this is implied, a renunciation of sin, which, "is the transgression of the law," and which is "productive of final misery;" and not only a renunciation of the thing itself, but its very appearance."+ The less attention, perhaps, Christians pay to the controversies of mere "speculative philosophers," the better. To the former, the "principle of moral obligation” is divested in a great measure of its intricacy. They know that, as human beings, they stand in different relations to God and to their fellow-creatures; and that these relations constitute a law of nature, from whence they deduce moral obligation. They know too, that from their capability of happiness and misery, not any thing but what promotes the one and prevents the other, can constitute a law to our nature; and that as free agents, we can be laid under no other obligation. To ascertain the tendency of things to this important end, is the province of reason, but reason under the guidance of Revelation. By exercising our rational powers to find out proper means of obtaining happiness, a set of ideas are collected concerning the duties of life, and putting the whole together, the collection is called morality. This collection, consisting of a great variety of duties or actions proper to obtain happiness, it is found convenient to classify them, and assign to their proper stations those which we owe to God, to ourselves, to our neighbours, to the state, and to nations. As each class contributes its share toward the production of the general end, happiness-the whole is viewed in the light of obligation: for every creature is obliged to seek its 1 John iii. 4. + 1 Thessal. v. 22. |