*Again (Volume II. page 146.) “I would know, how the saints cry to God without a voice. The apostle shews, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father! And he adds, the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us, with groanings which cannot be uttered. And again, he that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints, according to the will of God. Thus therefore, the Spirit making intercession for us with God, the cry of the saints is heard without a voice.”

Once more in his Homily on Joshua, (volume II. page 419.)

“Jesus, our Lord, doth not forsake us; but although when we would pray, we know not what to pray for as we ought, yet the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now the Lord is that Spirit: The Spirit assists our prayers, and offers them to God with groanings which we cannot express in words.”

I believe all rational men will observe from hence, that Origen is so far from confirming, that he quite overturns your Lordship’s interpretation of the 16th as well as the 26th verse of this chapter: seeing, in his judgment, both that testimony of the spirit and this prayer belong to all Christians in all ages.

21. The sixth scripture which your Lordship has undertaken to shew, “relates only to the apostolical times,” is 1 Corinthians ii. 4, 5. And “this interpretation also, (it is said) is confirmed by the authority of Chrysostom, Origen, and other ancient writers.” (page 33) With those other “antient writers” I have no concern yet. St. Chrysostom so far confirms this interpretation, as to explain that whole phrase the demonstration of the spirit and of power, of “the power of the Spirit shewn by miracles.” But he says not one word, of any “proof of the Christian religion, arising from the types and prophecies of the old Testament.”

Origen has these words (Volume I. page 321.)

“Our word has a certain peculiar demonstration, more divine than the Grecian, logical demonstration. This the apostle terms, The demonstration of the Spirit and of power: of the Spirit because of the prophecies, sufficient to convince any one, especially of the things that relate to Christ; of power, because of the miraculous powers, some footsteps of which still remain.”

Hence we may doubtless infer, ♦that Origen judged this text to relate, in its primary sense to the apostles: but can we thence infer, that he did not judge it to belong, in a lower sense, to all true ministers of Christ?

Let us hear him speaking for himself in the same treatise (page 377.)

“And my speech and my preaching were not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. *Those who hear the word preached with power, are themselves filled with power,” (N. B. Not the power of working miracles) which they demonstrate both in their disposition, and in their life, and in their striving for the truth unto death. But some although they profess to believe, have not this power of God in them, but are empty thereof.”

(Did Origen then believe, that the power mentioned in this text, belonged only to the apostolical age?)

“See the force of the word, conquering believers by a persuasiveness attended with the power of God! I speak this to shew the meaning of him that said, And my speech and my preaching were not with the enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power; that your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. This divine saying means, that what is spoken is not sufficient of itself (although it be true and most worthy to be believed) to pierce a man’s soul, if there be not also a certain power from God given to the speaker, and grace bloom upon what is spoken, and this grace cannot be but from God.”

After observing, that this is the very passage which your Lordship mentions at the close of the other (but does not cite) I desire every unprejudiced person to judge, whether Origen does not clearly determine, that the power, spoken of in this text, is in some measure given to all true ministers in all ages?

22. The last scripture which your Lordship affirms “to be peculiar to the times of the apostles,” is that in the first epistle of St. John, concerning the unction of the Holy One.

To confirm this interpretation, we are referred to the authority of Origen and Chrysostom, on the parallel passages in St. John’s gospel,” (page 42.)

But it has appeared, that both these fathers suppose those passages to belong to all Christians. And consequently their authority (if these are parallel passages) stands full against this interpretation.

Your Lordship subjoins, “I shall here only add that of the great Athanasius, who (in his epistle to Serapion) interprets The unction from the Holy One, not merely of divine grace, but of the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

Nay, it is enough, if he interprets it at all of ordinary grace, such as is common to all Christians.

And this your Lordship allows he does. But I cannot allow that he interprets it of any thing else. I cannot perceive, that he interprets it at all, “of the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit.”

His words are, “The Holy Spirit is called, and is, the unction and the seal. For John writes, The anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you; and ye need not that any man should teach you, but as his anointing, his Spirit, teacheth you of all things. Again, it is written in the prophet Isaiah, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me. And Paul writes thus; In whom also ye were sealed. And again, Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. This anointing is the breath of the Son, so that he who hath the Spirit may say, We are the sweet-smelling savour of Christ. Because we are partakers of the Holy Spirit, we have the Son: And having the Son, we have the Spirit, crying in our hearts, Abba, Father.”

And so, in his oration against the Arians.

*“He sendeth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. His Son in us, invoking the Father, makes him to be called our Father. Certainly God cannot be called their Father, who have not the Son in their hearts.”

Is it not easy to be observed here, 1. That Athanasius makes that testimony of the Spirit common to all the children of God: 2. That he joins the anointing of the Holy One, with that seal of the Spirit wherewith all that persevere are sealed to the day of redemption: And 3. That he does not, throughout this passage, speak of the extraordinary gifts at all?

Therefore, upon the whole, the sense of the primitive church, so far as it can be gathered from the authors above cited, is, That “although some of the scriptures primarily refer, to those extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, which were given to the apostles, and a few other persons in the apostolical age: yet they refer also, in a secondary sense, to those ordinary operations of the Holy Spirit, which all the children of God do and will experience, even to the end of the world.”

23. What I mean by The ordinary operations of the Holy Ghost, I sum up in the words of a modern writer:

“Sanctification being opposed to our corruption, and answering fully to the latitude thereof, whatsoever of holiness and perfection is wanting in our nature, must be supplied by the Spirit of God. Wherefore being by nature we are totally void of all saving truth, and under an impossibility of knowing the will of God; this Spirit searcheth all things, yea, even the deep things of God, and revealeth them unto the sons of men, so that thereby the darkness of their understanding is expelled, and they are enlightened with the knowledge of God. The same Spirit which revealeth the object of faith generally to the universal church, doth also illuminate the understanding of such as believe, that they may receive the truth. For faith is the gift of God, not only in the object, but also in the act. And this gift is a gift of the Holy Ghost working within us—And as the increase of perfection, so the original of faith is from the Spirit of God, by an internal illumination of the soul.”

“The second part of the office of the Holy Ghost is, the renewing of man in all the parts and faculties of his soul. For our natural corruption consisting in an aversion of our wills, and a depravation of our affections, and inclination of them to the will of God, is wrought within us by the Spirit of God.”

“The third part of this office is, To lead, direct and govern us in our actions and conversations. If we live in the Spirit, quickened by his renovation, we must also walk in the Spirit, following his direction, led by his manuduction. We are also animated and acted by the Spirit of God, who giveth both to will and to do: And as many as are thus led by the Spirit of God, are the sons of God.¹ Moreover, that this direction may prove more effectual, we are guided in our prayers by the same Spirit: according to the promise, I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and supplication. (Zechariah xii. 10.) Whereas then this is the confidence which we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: and whereas we know not what we should pray for as we ought, the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered²: And he that searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of the spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints, according to the will of God.³ From which intercession” (made for all true Christians) “he hath the name of the Paraclete given him by Christ, who said, I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Paraclete.⁴ For if any man sin, we have a Paraclete with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, saith St. John: Who maketh intercession for us, saith St. Paul, (Romans viii. 34.) And we have another Paraclete⁵, saith our Saviour: Which also maketh intercession for us⁶, saith St. Paul. A Paraclete then, in the notion of the scriptures, is an intercessor.”

“It is also the office of the Holy Ghost, to assure us of the adoption of sons, to create in us a sense of the paternal love of God towards us, to give us an earnest of our everlasting inheritance. The love of God shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. And because we are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father. For we have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but we have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father: the Spirit itself bearing witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.¹”

“As therefore we are born again by the Spirit, and receive from him our regeneration, so we are also by the same Spirit assured of our adoption. Because being sons we are also heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, by the same Spirit we have the pledge, or rather the earnest of our inheritance. For he which establisheth us in Christ, and hath anointed us is God; who hath also sealed us, and hath given us the earnest of his Spirit in our hearts: So that we are sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance. The Spirit of God, as given unto us in this life, is to be looked upon as an earnest, being part of that reward which is promised, and, upon performance of the covenant which God hath made with us, certainly to be received.”

Your Lordship observed, that “the interpretation of those passages, which relate to the Unction from the Holy One, depends on the sense of those other passages of holy scripture, particularly, those in St. John’s gospel.” Now if so, then these words fix the sense of six out of the seven texts in question: and every one of them, in the judgment of this writer, describes the ordinary gifts bestowed on all Christians.

It now rests with your Lordship, to take your choice; either to condemn or to acquit both. Either your Lordship must condemn Bishop Pearson for an enthusiast, (a man no ways inferior to Bishop Chrysostom:) or you must acquit me: for I have his express authority on my side, concerning every text which I affirm to belong to all Christians.

24. But I have greater authority than his, and such as I reverence, only less than that of the oracles of God. I mean, that of our own church. I shall close this head, by setting down what occurs in her authentic records, concerning either our receiving the Holy Ghost, or his ordinary operations in all true Christians.

In her daily service, she teaches us all to beseech God, to grant us his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do at this present, and that the rest of our life may be pure and holy: To pray for our Sovereign Lord the King, that God would replenish him with the grace of his Holy Spirit; for all the Royal Family, that they may be endued with his Holy Spirit, and enriched with his heavenly grace: for all the clergy and people, that he would send down upon them the healthful Spirit of his grace: for the Catholick Church, that it may be guided and governed by his good Spirit: and for all therein who at any time make their common supplication unto him, that the fellowship or communication of the Holy Ghost may be with them all evermore.

Her collects are full of petitions to the same effect: “Grant that we may daily be renewed by thy Holy Spirit.¹——Grant that in all our sufferings here, for the testimony of thy truth, we may by faith behold the glory that shall be revealed, and being filled with the Holy Ghost, may love and bless our persecutors.² Send thy Holy Ghost and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity.³ O Lord, from whom all good things do come, grant to us thy humble servants, that by thy holy inspiration we may think those things that are good, and by thy merciful guidance may perform the same.⁴ Grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in his holy comfort.⁵ (N. B. The church here teaches all Christians to claim the Comforter, in virtue of the promise made John xiv.) Grant us, Lord, we beseech thee, the Spirit, to think and do always such things as be rightful.⁶ O God, forasmuch as without thee, we are not able to please thee, merciful grant that thy Holy Spirit, may in all things direct and rule our hearts.⁷ Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy holy name.⁸”

“Give thy Holy Spirit to this infant (or this person) that he may be born again.—Give thy Holy Spirit to these persons (N. B. already baptized) that they may continue thy servants.”

“Almighty God, who hast vouchsafed to regenerate these persons by water and the Holy Ghost—Strengthen them with the Holy Ghost the Comforter, and daily increase in them the manifold gifts of thy grace.” Office of Confirmation.

From these passages it may sufficiently appear, for what purposes every Christian, according to the doctrine of the church of England, does now receive the Holy Ghost. But this will be still more clear from those that follow: wherein the reader may likewise observe, a plain, rational sense of God’s revealing himself to us, of the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and of a believer’s feeling in himself the mighty working of the Spirit of Christ.

25. “God gave them of old grace to be his children, as he doth us now. But now, by the coming of our Saviour Christ, we have received more abundantly the Spirit of God in our hearts.” Homily on Faith. Part II.

“He died to destroy the rule of the devil in us, and he rose again to send down his Holy Spirit, to rule in our hearts.” Homily on the Resurrection.

“We have the Holy Spirit in our hearts, as a seal and pledge of our everlasting inheritance.” ibid.

“The Holy Ghost sat upon each of them, like as it had been cloven tongues of fire: to teach, that it is he which giveth eloquence and utterance in preaching the gospel; which engendereth a burning zeal towards God’s word, and giveth all men a tongue, yea, a fiery tongue.” (N. B. Whatever occurs in any of the journals, of God’s “giving me utterance,” or “enabling me to speak with power,” cannot therefore be quoted as enthusiasm, without wounding the church through my side) “So that if any man be a dumb Christian, not professing his faith openly, he giveth men occasion to doubt, least he have not the grace of the Holy Ghost within him.” Homily on Whitsunday. Part I.

“It is the office of the Holy Ghost to sanctify; which the more it is hid from our understanding” (i. e. the particular manner of his working) “the more it ought to move all men, to wonder at the secret and mighty workings of God’s Holy Spirit which is within us, for it is the Holy Ghost that doth quicken the minds of men, stirring up godly motions in their hearts. Neither doth he think it sufficient inwardly to work the new birth of man, unless he do also dwell and abide in him. Know ye not, saith St. Paul, that ye are the temple of God, and that his Spirit dwelleth in you? Know ye not that your bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you? Again he saith, Ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, For why? The Spirit of God dwelleth in you. To this agreeth St. John. The anointing which ye have received (he meaneth the Holy Ghost) abideth in you.¹ And St. Peter saith the same, The Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you. O what comfort is this to the heart of a true Christian, to think that the Holy Ghost dwelleth in him! If God be with us, as the apostle saith, who can be against us? He giveth patience and joyfulness of heart, in temptation and affliction, and is therefore worthily called the Comforter². He doth instruct the hearts of the simple, in the knowledge of God and his word; therefore he is justly termed The Spirit of truth³. And where the Holy Ghost doth instruct and teach, there is no delay at all in learning.” ibid.

(From this passage I learn, 1. That every true Christian now receives the Holy Ghost, as the Paraclete or Comforter promised by our Lord, John xiv. 13. Secondly, that every Christian receives him as the Spirit of truth (promised John xvi.) to teach him all things: and 3. That the anointing mentioned in the first epistle of St. John, abides in every Christian.)

26. “In reading of God’s word, he profiteth most, that is most inspired with the Holy Ghost.” Homily on reading the scripture. Part I.

“Human and worldly wisdom is not needful to the understanding of scripture, but the revelation of the Holy Ghost, who inspireth the true meaning unto them that with humility and diligence search for it.” ibid. Part II.

“Make him know and feel, that there is no other name under heaven given unto men, whereby we can be saved.”

“If we feel our conscience at peace with God, through remission of our sin,—all is of God.” Homily on Rogation week. Part III.

“If you feel such a faith in you, rejoice in it, and let it be daily increasing by well-working.” Homily on faith. Part III.

“The faithful may feel wrought tranquility of conscience, the increase of faith and hope, with many other graces of God.” Homily on the sacrament. Part I.

“Godly men feel inwardly God’s Holy Spirit, inflaming their hearts with love.” Homily on certain places of scripture. Part I.

“God give us grace, to know these things, and to feel them in our hearts! This knowledge and feeling is not of ourselves. Let us therefore meekly call upon the bountiful Spirit, the Holy Ghost, to inspire us with his presence, that we may be able to hear the goodness of God to our salvation. For without his lively inspiration, can we not so much as speak the name of the Mediator. No man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. Much less should we be able to believe and know these great mysteries that be opened to us by Christ. But we have received saith St. Paul, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; for this purpose, that we may know the things which are freely given to us of God. In the power of the Holy Ghost resteth all ability to know God and to please him. It is he that purifieth the mind by his secret working. He enlighteneth the heart, to conceive worthy thoughts of Almighty God. He sitteth in the tongue of man, to stir him to speak his honour. He only ministreth spiritual strength to the powers of the soul and body. And if we have any gift, whereby we may profit our neighbour, all is wrought by this one and the self-same Spirit.” Homily for Rogation week. Part III.

27. Every proposition which I have any where advanced, concerning those operations of the Holy Ghost, which I believe are common to all Christians in all ages, is here clearly maintained by our own church.

Under a full sense of this, I could not well understand for many years, how it was, that on the mentioning any of these great truths, even among men of education, the cry, immediately arose, “An Enthusiast, an Enthusiast!” But I now plainly perceive, this is only an old fallacy in a new shape. To object Enthusiasm to any person or doctrine, is but a decent method of begging the question. It generally spares the objector the trouble of reasoning, and is a shorter and easier way of carrying his cause.

For instance, I assert that “till a man receives the Holy Ghost, he is without God in the world; that he cannot know the things of God, unless God reveal them unto him by the Spirit: no, nor have even one holy or heavenly temper, without the inspiration of the Holy One.” Now should one who is conscious to himself, that he has ♦experienced none of these things, attempt to confute these propositions, either from scripture or antiquity, it might prove a difficult task. What then shall he do? Why, cry out, “Enthusiasm! Enthusiasm!” And the work is done.

But what does he mean by Enthusiasm? Perhaps nothing at all: few have any distinct ideas of its meaning. Perhaps, “something very bad,” or, “something I never experienced and do not understand.” Shall I tell you then, what that “terrible something” is? I believe, thinking men mean by Enthusiasm, a sort of religious madness; a false imagination of being inspired by God: and by an Enthusiast, one that fancies himself under the influence of the Holy Ghost, when in fact he is not.

Let him prove me guilty of this, who can. I will tell you once more the whole of my belief on these heads. And if any man will shew me (by arguments, not hard names) what is wrong, I will thank God and him.

28. Every good gift is from God, and is given to man by the Holy Ghost. By nature there is in us no good thing. And there can be none, but so far as it is wrought in us by that good Spirit. Have we any true knowledge of what is good? This is not the result of our natural understanding. The natural man discerneth not the things of the Spirit of God: so that we never can discern them, until God reveals them unto us by his Spirit. Reveals, that is unveils, uncovers; gives us to know what we did not know before. Have we love? It is shed abroad in our hearts, by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us. He inspires, breathes, infuses into our soul, what of ourselves we could not have. Does our Spirit rejoice in God our Saviour? It is joy in (or by) the Holy Ghost. Have we true inward peace? It is the peace of God, wrought in us by the same Spirit. Faith, peace, joy, love, are all his fruits. And as we are figuratively said, to see the light of faith, so by a like figure of speech we are said to feel, this peace and joy and love: that is, we have an inward experience of them, which we cannot find any fitter word to express.

*The reasons why in speaking of these things I use those terms, (inspiration particularly) are, 1. Because they are scriptural. 2. Because they are used by our church. 3. Because I know none better. The word “influence of the Holy Ghost,” which I suppose you use, is both a far stronger and a less natural term than inspiration. It is far stronger; even as far as “flowing into the soul” is a stronger expression than “breathing upon it:” and less natural; as breathing bears a near relation to Spirit; to which flowing in has only a distant relation.

“But you thought I had meant immediate inspiration.” So I do, or I mean nothing at all. Not indeed such inspiration as is sine mediis. But all inspiration, tho’ by means, is immediate. Suppose, for instance, you are employed in private prayer, and God pours his love into your heart. God then acts immediately on your soul: and the love of him which you then experience, is as immediately breathed into you by the Holy Ghost, as if you had lived 1700 years ago. Change the term. Say, “God then assists you to love him?” Well, and is not this immediate assistance? Say, “His Spirit concurs with yours.” You gain no ground. It is immediate concurrence or none at all. God, a Spirit acts upon your Spirit. Make it out any otherwise if you can.

*I cannot conceive, how that harmless word immediate, came to be such a bugbear in the world: “Why, I thought you meant such inspiration as the apostles had; and such a receiving the Holy Ghost as that was at the day of Pentecost.” I do, in part: indeed I do not mean, that Christians now receive the Holy Ghost, in order to work miracles: but they do doubtless now receive, yea, are filled with the Holy Ghost, in order to be filled with the fruits of that blessed Spirit. And he inspires into all true believers now, a degree of the same peace and joy and love, which the apostles felt in themselves on that day, when they were first filled with the Holy Ghost.

29. I have now considered the most material objections I know, which have been lately made against the great doctrines I teach. I have produced, so far as in me lay, the strength of those objections, and then answered them, I hope, in the Spirit of meekness. And now I trust it appears, that these doctrines are no other than the doctrines of Jesus Christ: that they are all evidently contained in the word of God, by which alone I desire to stand or fall; and that they are fundamentally the same with the doctrines of the church of England, of which I do, and ever did profess myself a member.

But there remains one objection, which though relating to the head of doctrine, yet is independent on all that went before. And that is, “You cannot agree in your doctrines among yourselves. One holds one thing, and one another. Mr. Whitefield anathematizes Mr. Wesley; and Mr. Wesley anathematizes Mr. Whitefield. And yet each pretends to be led by the Holy Ghost, by the infallible Spirit of God! Every reasonable man must conclude from hence, that neither one nor the other is led by that Spirit.”

I need not say, how continually this has been urged, both in common conversation and from the press: (I am grieved to add, and from the pulpit too: for, if the argument were good, it would overturn the bible.) Nor, how great stress has been continually laid upon it: whoever proposes it, proposes it as demonstration, and generally claps his wings, as being quite assured, it will admit of no answer.

And indeed I am in doubt, whether it does admit (I am sure, it does not require) any other answer, than that course one of the countryman to the Romish champion, “Bellarmine, Thou liest.” For every proposition contained herein, is grossly, shamelessly false. 1. “You cannot agree in your doctrines among yourselves.”—Who told you so? All our fundamental doctrines, I have recited above. And in every one of these we do and have agreed for several years. In these we hold one and the same thing. In smaller points, each of us thinks, and lets think. 2. “Mr. Whitefield anathematizes Mr. Wesley.” Another shameless untruth. Let any one read what Mr. Whitefield wrote, even in the heat of controversy, and he will be convinced of the contrary. 3. “And Mr. Wesley anathematizes Mr. Whitefield.” This is equally false and scandalous. I reverence Mr. Whitefield, both as a child of God, and a true minister of Jesus Christ. 4. “And yet each pretends to be led by the Holy Ghost, by the infallible Spirit of God.” Not in our private opinions: nor does either of us pretend to be any farther led by the Spirit of God, than every Christian must pretend to be, unless he will deny the bible. For only as many as are led by the Spirit of God, are the sons of God. Therefore, if you do not pretend to be led by him too, yea, if it be not so in fact, you are none of his.

And now, what is become of your demonstration? Leave it to the car-men and porters, its just proprietors: to the zealous apple-women that cry after me in the street, “This is he that rails at the Whole Dutyful of Man.” But let every one that pretends to learning or reason, be ashamed to mention it any more.

30. The first inference, easily deduced from what has been said, is, “That we are not false prophets.” In one sense of the word, we are no prophets at all; for we do not foretel things to come. But in another (wherein every minister is a prophet) we are. For we do speak in the name of God. Now a false prophet (in this sense of the word) is one, who declares as the will of God, what is not so. But we declare (as has been shewn at large) nothing else as the will of God, but what is evidently contained in his written word, as explained by our own church. Therefore, unless you can prove the bible to be a false book, you cannot possibly prove us to be false prophets.

The text which is generally cited on this occasion, is Matthew vii. verse 15. But how unhappily chosen! In the preceeding chapters, our Lord had been describing, that righteousness which exceeds the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees, and without which we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven: Even the life of God in the soul; holiness of heart, producing all holiness of conversation. In this, he closes that rule which sums up the whole, with those solemn words, Enter ye in at the strait gate: (such indeed is that of universal holiness) For wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction. The gate of hell is wide as the whole earth; the way of unholiness is broad as the great deep. And many there be which go in thereat; yea, and excuse themselves in so doing, Because strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. It follows, Beware of false prophets; of those who speak as from God, what God hath not spoken; those who shew you any other way to life, than that which I have now shewn. So that the false prophets, here spoken of, are those who point out any other way to heaven than this; who teach men to find a wider gate, a broader way, than that described in the foregoing chapters. But it has been abundantly shewn, that we do not. Therefore (whatever we are beside) we are not false prophets.

Neither are we (as has been frequently and vehemently affirmed) deceivers of the people. If we teach the truth as it is in Jesus, if we speak as the oracles of God, it follows, that we do not deceive those that hear, though they should believe whatever we speak. Let God be true and every man a liar: every man that contradicts his truth. But he will be justified in his saying, and clear when he is judged.

One thing more I infer, “That we are not enthusiasts.” This accusation has been considered at large; and the main arguments hitherto brought to support it, have been weighed in the balance and found wanting: Particularly this, “That none but enthusiasts suppose either that promise of the Comforter¹ or the witness of the Spirit², or that unutterable prayer³, or the unction from the Holy One⁴, to belong, in common, to all Christians.” O my Lord, how deeply have you condemned the generation of God’s children! Whom you have represented as rank, dreaming enthusiasts? As either deluded or designing men? Not only bishop Pearson, a man hitherto accounted both sound in heart, and of good understanding: but likewise archbishop Cranmer, bishop Ridley, bishop Latimer, bishop Hooper! and all the venerable compilers of our liturgy and homilies: All the members of both the houses of convocation, by whom they were revised and approved: Yea, king Edward, and all his lords and commons together, by whose authority they were established! And, with these modern enthusiasts, Origen, Chrysostom, and Athanasius are comprehended in the same censure!

I grant a deist might rank both us and them, in the number of religious madmen: Nay, ought so to do, on his supposition, that the gospel is but a cunningly-devised fable. And on this ground, some of them have done so in fact. One of them was asking me, some years since, “What! are you one of the knight-errants? How, I pray, got this quixotism into your head? You want nothing: you have a good provision for life; and are in a fair way of preferment. And must you leave all, to fight windmills; to convert savages in America?” I could only reply, “Sir, if the bible is a lie, I am as very a madman as you can conceive. But if it be true, I am in my senses. I am neither a madman nor enthusiast. For there is no man who hath left father, or mother, or wife, or house, or land, for the gospel’s sake; but he shall receive an hundred fold, in this world, with persecutions, and in the world to come, eternal life.”

Nominal, outside Christians too, men of form, may pass the same judgment. For we give up all our pretensions to what they account happiness, for what they (with the deists) believe to be a mere dream. We expect, therefore, to pass for enthusiasts, with these also. But wisdom is justified of all her children.

32. I cannot conclude this head without one obvious remark. Suppose we really were enthusiasts; suppose our doctrines were false and unsupported either by reason, scripture, or authority: Then why hath not some one, who is a wise man, and endued with knowledge among you, attempted at least, to shew us our fault in love and meekness of wisdom? Brethren, if ye have bitter zeal in your hearts, your wisdom descendeth not from above. The wisdom that is from above, is pure, peaceable, gentle, easy to be intreated, full of mercy or pity. Does this spirit appear in one single tract of all those which have been published against us? Is there one writer that has reproved us in love? Bring it to a single point. Love hopeth all things. If you had loved us in any degree, you would have hoped, that God would some time give us the knowledge of his truth. But where shall we find even this slender instance of love? Has not every one who has wrote at all (I do not remember so much as one exception) treated us as incorrigible? Brethren, how is this? Why do ye labour to teach us an evil lesson against yourselves? O may God never suffer others to deal with you, as ye have dealt with us!

VI. 1. Before I enter upon the consideration of those objections, which have been made to the manner of our preaching, I believe it may be satisfactory to some readers, if I relate how I began to preach in this manner.

I was ordained deacon in 1725, and priest in the year following. But it was many years after this, before I was convinced of the great truths above recited. During all that time I was utterly ignorant of the nature and condition of justification. Sometimes I confounded it with sanctification (particularly when I was in Georgia.) At other times I had some confused notion about the forgiveness of sins: but then I took it for granted, the time of this must be, either the hour of death, or the day of judgment.

I was equally ignorant of the nature of saving faith; apprehending it to mean no more, than a “firm assent to all the propositions contained in the old and new Testament.”

2. As soon as, by the great blessing of God, I had a clearer view of these things, I began to declare them to others also. I believed, and therefore I spake. Wherever I was now desired to preach, salvation by faith was my only theme. My constant subjects were, Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins. These I explained and inforced with all my might, both in every church where I was asked to preach, and occasionally in the religious societies of London and Westminster; to some or other of which I was continually pressed to go, by the stewards or other members of them.

Things were in this posture, when I was told, “I must preach no more in this, and this, and another church:” The reason was usually added without reserve, “Because you preach such doctrines.” So much the more those who could not hear me there, flocked together when I was at any of the societies; where I spoke more or less, though with much inconvenience, to as many as the room I was in would contain.

3. But after a time, finding those rooms could not contain a tenth part of the people that were earnest to hear, I determined to do the same thing in England, which I had often done in a warmer climate: namely, when the house would not contain the congregation, to preach in the open air. This I accordingly did, first at Bristol, where the society rooms were exceeding small, and at Kingswood, where we had no room at all; afterwards in or near London.

And I cannot say, I have ever seen a more awful sight, than when on Rose-green, or the top of Hanham-mount, some thousands of people were calmly joined together in solemn waiting upon God, while