This I dare venture to affert is a language which has never been held by any respectable predeftinarian, nor is it fairly deducible from his fyftem. To your argumentation (page 68,) I further reply, ift. that I apprehend it is by no means the case, that it is a part either of a Methodist or Calviniftic Creed, to believe that themselves only can be fubjects of divine grace and heirs of falvation. 2dly. It must be admitted that not all perfons and parties have been led by the Spirit of God who have pretended to it, otherwise the Spirit of God is chargeable for fins and extravagancies of the most outrageous kind, which in every age of the Chriftian Church have been committed by men, who, in the very commiffion of them, have pretended to divine influences. On the other hand, though I conceive all deliberate feparatifts from the Religious Establishment of their Country, except when compelled by the paramount command of a well-informed confcience, to be guilty of the fin of fchifm, fo feverely condemned in the word of God; yet I indulge a confident perfuafion that many Methodists and Calvinifts not in the bofom of the Church; and, many perfons in the Church, fufpected as they unfortunately are of "blind attachment to their Father'sCreed" may be prefumed to be real Chriftians, and led by the Spirit of The God, notwithstanding their disagreement with each other in fome things. They may all belong to the real Church of Christ, and yet differ in opinion on fome lefs important points, and may even have much of the spirit of contention and divifion amongst them. Scriptures call the effects of the divine Spirit upon the heart and character of a believer, a change; but they reprefent it as a progreffive change: confequently, while the change is incomplete, there is fomething yet amifs remaining, and that may be a spirit of divifion and difference of opinion and practice in fome fubordinate matters of religion. But this will no more prove that the Spirit is the author of divifion and confusion, than it will fol low that the fun is the author of cold, because all are not completely warm upon whom he shines. St. Paul writes to the Church of Corinth, as "fanctified in Chrift Jefus, and called to be Saints;" yet he befeeches them, that there be "no divifions and envyings and ftrifes among them," and ftates that they were yet comparatively "carnal, and but babes in Chrift;" yet "fanctified in Chrift Jefus and Saints." LETTER V. As your Third and Fourth Letters speak of the Influences of the Divine Spirit; the former of its ordinary operations in general, the last of its working faith in particular; I chufe to incorporate them in my Reply, as I fhall referve out of them the difcuffion of the powers of man to believe and work righteousness, for my next Letter. It has been well obferved, that the Socinian Creed is little more than a catalogue of negatives. You have been endeavouring to leave us no Saviour; no Sacrifice for fin; no Mediator and Interceffor; no Prophet and King; and here you would rob us of a Sanctifier and Comforter. According to your scheme, the Apostles were the only perfons who have received the aid of the Spirit ;* and that, only to enable them to form juft conceptions of the Meffiah's In page 114, you fpeak of praying to God to enlarge your Minds, &c. but fince you explode the work of the Spirit in ordinary Christians, and place all your reliance on your rational powers; I can only look upon this as a kind of accommodation to your Readers, not yet fufficiently enlightened to throw off all dependance on Divine Teaching, as the Illuminati temporized with their Catechumens on the Continent. Kingdom, and to preach, and by miracles to recommend Christianity to the World.All the benefit we are to derive from the Spirit of God, is this: That the Scriptures were penned under his agency, and come to us with fatisfying evidence of their truth, confirmed by the miracles which were wrought by his power. We may indeed pray, but not for his enlightening, converting, purifying influences, fince he is "not intended to produce moral effects," except by the indirect way of the operation of that truth upon our minds, which he conveyed to, and by miracles attefted in the Apostles of Christ. Man must be left to "the efforts of his own powers, the force of motives," and "the calls of felf-love," and thefe are pronounced fufficient. To make way for the fubftitution of this cheerlefs Creed, you first infinuate that the influences of the Holy Spirit are unneceffary, and cannot be fanctioned by Scripture, becaufe "there we find finners threatened for not believing;" "Salvation promifed to them that believe;" "becaufe by the law is the knowledge of fin;" "by the Gospel we are begotten again ;" and "because it is our duty to hear the word of God, and believe and obey."-If you have met with any perfon, * Page 53. who believing in the operations of the Holy Spirit, has afferted that there is no fin in unbebelief, or that the law is not applied by the Spirit in convincing of fin, or that there is no neceffity for hearing, thinking, watching, praying, and ftriving against fin, or that the word of God is not the Sword of the Spirit, your reafoning may apply; but upon all believers in the Influences of the Spirit, of whom I have heard, it is utterly loft. * 2dly. Though you boaft that you do not wilfully omit any text, generally quoted in defence of the Doctrine which you wish to oppose, you have certainly avoided the mention of a hoft of Scriptures which speak of the feveral operations of the Divine Spirit; a few indeed you have attempted to interpret to speak against themselves, as fhall be fhewn; and "one dark unparalleled paffage" upon which you fay the greateft ftrefs is laid by us, you advife us, with yourself, to leave buried in its obscurity; properly obferving, that no doctrine ought to be grounded on a single dark'text. The extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit are not now expected at all; no man, fome *Note, Page 59. |