good: his eyes see and his hands handle the incarnate Word; and therefore the Lord must dwell in that soul, or he could not taste or relish the Lord's goodness to him.

But Paul's accomplished hypocrite, or false preacher, has no goodness in him, for he bears briers and thorns; nor does he stand by faith, but falls away; nor is he blessed, but nigh unto cursing; nor does he trust in the Lord, but in himself; nor does he taste of the Lord's goodness, but of the word of God, and the power of working miracles, or the power of the Spirit; as Saul, his messengers, and Balaam, did; which are called the powers of the world to come. For the unregenerate soul's taste is vitiated by sin; he never relishes God's grace, nor his goodness. Peter will agree with me, that a soul can have no true relish for God's grace till it be born again. "As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby, if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To whom coming, as unto a living stone, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house," 1 Pet. ii. 2-5. These souls were new-born; they had relished and tasted the grace of God; they were come to the foundation that God had laid; had received eternal life; and, as lively stones, they were built up a spiritual house: but Paul's hypocrite was not upon the foundation, nor built up of God; for he fell away: and Christ and Christ says that

the ruin of such a house is great, Luke vi. 49.

Peter gives quite a different account of the hypocrite, or unrenewed teacher. He calls him a well without water, the spring of eternal life is not in his heart; a cloud, but not belonging to the cloud of God's witnesses, for he had no rain in his soul; a speaker of great swelling words of vanity; without power, without savour, without life, and without salt. They promised liberty, while themselves were servants of corruption; they pretended to the glorious liberty of the children of God, while themselves were drudges and slaves to the corruption of their own hearts' lusts. They had escaped the pollutions of the world at their first setting off in a profession, which was their external reformation: but though they had escaped the pollutions of the world by a reformation, yet they had not escaped the corruptions of their hearts by regeneration, for they were still servants to them. The holy commandment was delivered to them, as it was to Judas when he was sent forth, with the rest of the apostles, to preach; he had the office and the commandment of an apostle; and thus took part of the ministry with them. But Judas, as well as Peter's hypocrite, both turned from the holy commandment delivered unto them; and so it happened, according to the true proverb, that the dog returned to his own vomit again.

I have led thee this roundabout track, reader, that thou mayest be enabled to distinguish between grace and gifts. Christ has various gifts. to bestow on the children of men. To Judas, with

the rest of the apostles, he gave commandment to preach, to heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out devils, Matt. x. 4-8. To others he gives knowledge, understanding, the speech of men and angels, faith to remove mountains, and yet not charity. To others he gives riches and honours, which are in the left-hand of Wisdom. And all these things have been given to men whose hearts were never established with grace; that is, their hearts were never settled with believing, pardoning, repenting, justifying, regenerating, reconciling, renewing, soul-humbling, self-abasing, sin-subduing, heart-comforting, and soul-reviving grace.

The broken and contrite

heart, that trembles at God's word, is a million leagues nearer the third heaven than the most accomplished hypocrite, garnished with all the abovementioned gifts, tastes, attainments, or accomplishments. And all these, in gifts and appearance, went far beyond Mr. Vessey.

I know some will say that such preaching and writing as this cuts off nine professors out of ten throughout the whole church. To which I answer; the Lord Jesus Christ, in his sermon in the sixth chapter of John, out of five thousand followers, cut off all but twelve; and there was one devil left even then. Others, who are of opinion that Paul's hypocrite, in the sixth of the Hebrews, is a real saint, and one that cannot fall away, will not relish this doctrine of mine. But, if they cannot taste any sweetness in my insisting on an ex

perience of the goodness and grace of God in the heart, I can appeal to them for a confirmation of this truth; that tasting those gifts comes far short of the new-born babe's tasting that the Lord is gracious; because they have a greater relish for the attainments of a hypocrite, as described in the word of God, than for the unction of a saint, therein described. However, God has given me eyes to see, and I trust no man will be able to put them out, that plastering, bolstering, daubing, and varnishing the hypocrite, ill becomes a minister of Jesus. Those who heal the wound slightly, crying Peace, peace, when God has not spoken to the conscience, are no ministers of God, but menpleasers and they that please men cannot be the servants of Christ.

I shall now make a few remarks on the letter from Chatham.

1

Quotation. Since we have had him in our church, either occasionally or as a settled minister, we have not been able to lay any thing to his charge, either in point of doctrine or Christian experience.

Answer. If the five persons who have signed this letter, and who have known Mr. Vessey only so short a time, could not charge him with error, eleven persons, who sat under him for several years, could, and have charged him with damnable errors. I say damnable; for all that are saved must be taught of the Father, be drawn to the Saviour, and be born again of the Spirit. And

the authors of this letter from Chatham can assign no reason why the testimony of eleven persons should not be as valuable as their's, seeing they own that he was in Chatham but a short time; nor why the witness of the greater cloud, who knew him for seven years, should not counterbalance the lesser, who, knew him as a settled minister only since last April, especially considering how apt people are to be ravished with novelty. I myself know that he was a Sabellian for many years; nor do I believe he was ever otherwise: for even this letter, now under consideration, savours a little of that heresy, and so I shall make it appear. As to their not being able to charge him with any thing touching Christian experience, this is not to be wondered at, having himself acknowledged that he never had any he never had experienced a change of heart; and therefore no charge could be brought against him on that point, unless it was for the want of it.

Quot. But, as a minister of Jehovah Jesus, he has performed the part of an evangelist, and given full proof of his ministry, as there are his living epistles, known and read of all men, many, very many, considering the small space of time he has been in these parts.

Answ. If he has performed the part of an evangelist, some souls must have been evangelized by him. And, if he has made full proof that he is a minister of the Spirit, then, doubtless, God must have ministered the Spirit by his preaching; and