abfolutely renouncing all connection with the Church of England; which, I freely own, confcience will not fuffer me to do: and I am clear, moreover, that it would be going out of bounds, and over-leaping thofe limits which Providence hath prefcribed me, was I tò attempt it.

Pray make my affectionate compliments acceptable to your people, and let them know, that it is neither bigotry, want of refpect, nor want of love, that hinders me from complying with the requeft they have done me the favour to make. Lawful, in itself, I am convinced, it would be: but, all things confidered, far from expedient.-As matters at prefent ftand, it is a great bleffing, never to be fufficiently valued and acknowledged, that there are fome faithful minifters of every Proteftant denomination among us: fo that no denomination, unlefs particularly circumftanced, need go beyond their own tents, in order to gather the gofpel manna: by which wife and gracious difpenfation of things, God's elect, of every name, are fed and nourifhed up to life eternal, notwithstanding the nominal diftinctions, which bigotry, prejudice, and human laws, have fixed.-I am concerned to hear of Mr. H's defection. If he was ever of us in reality, God will, in due time, bring him to us again. A truly gracious man, like a thorough good watch, may deviate, and point wrong, for a feafon; but, like the machine just mentioned, will, after a time, come round, and point right as before. In the mean while, let fuch inftances teach us to be jealous over our own corrupt hearts; make us dependent, fenfibly and increafingly dependent, on the power and faithfulness of the Holy Ghoft: ftir us up to prayer, that we may be kept from being carried away with the error of the wicked; and put a fong of thanksgiving into our mouths, to that God, whofe free, invincible grace hath enabled us to ftand, when others (in appearance, ftronger than we) have fallen, and become as

water

water that runneth apace.-You enquire about my usefulness, acceptance, and number of hearers. My parish is very large, and confiderably populous. My Church, I fuppofe, will hold fix hundred at least. Strangers, I apprehend, usually make one third of my auditory and the word has been fignally bleft to fome, both in the parish and out of it. I have the greatest reason to believe, that, within the course of the last twelvemonth, God has owned my miniftry more than ever. May my Master's feet go on to found behind me; and may the last works be, continually, more and greater than the preceding!

Auguftus Toplady.

LETTER IV.

To Mr. RUTTER,

Broad-Hembury, October 3, 1768.

REV. and WORTHY SIR,

SLENDER as our acquaintance is, I yet cannot forbear requefting leave to exprefs the real concern I feel, on being informed of the afflictive vifitation you lately experienced: if that may be termed afflictive, which is the refult of God's unerring providence, who does all things well. May he vouchsafe to fanctify this, and every fubfequent difpenfation which may yet befal you! May the light of his gracious countenance, the comforts of his fpirit, and the chearing intimations of his favour, be your ftrength, and your portion, when heart and flesh fail! You have, I trust, a merciful and faithful high-priest above, who bears you on his heart, and is touched with the feeling of your infirmities. To him, let us look; on him, let the anchor of our re

liance be caft. The merit of his blood and righteousness, like the waving of Elijah's mantle, fhall finite the waters of death; fo that the ftream fhall part hither and thither, and open a way for his redeemed to pafs over on dry ground. Doubt not, dear fir, but he will fend forth his light and his truth, to lead you to his holy hill and to his dwelling-place, that land of reft, and that city of habitation, where the inhabitants fhall no more fay, I am fick. I beg an intereft in your prayers, and remain, with much refpect and esteem, Rev. Sir, your affectionate brother,

and most humble fervant,

Auguftus Toplady.

LETTER V.

To Mr. BOTTOMLEY,

New-Way, Westminster, Dec. 3, 1768.

WORTHY SIR,

HAVE read, attentively, the paper you condefcended to put into my hands; and which I return, because I apprehend you meant I fhould only perufe it. I not only approve, but admire, the modefty, with which you write. I pray God, I may be enabled, more and more, to adopt the fame truly Chriftian fpirit. And I verily hope and believe, that that moft gracious Being, who has led you thus far, will go on to tranflate you farther and farther into the light and liberty of his children.-As I once took occafion to tell you, it is much the fame with mistakes in matters of judgment, as it was with the two difciples in the dungeon of Philippi: first, the prison shakes; and, next, the doors fly open. I

am

am heartily glad, that you are fhaken, as to the fyftem you have long embraced; and truft, that it is prelufive to your deliverance from it.--I do not trouble you with my thoughts on the fubftance of your paper; though I must own, there is not, in the whole of it, any fingle exception against the doctrine of predeftination, which will not admit of a very eafy folution. But I omit attempting this, as the perfon, to whom that letter was particularly addreffed, is abundantly more capable, than myself, of obviating your doubts. Suffer me, dear fir, to repeat, with all humility, the requeft I made to you fome time ago. Be not hafty, in determining your judgment on this most important point. View the queftion on all fides. Chiefly, keep your eye fixed on the Scriptures; and derive, by humble, earneft, waiting prayer, all your light and knowledge from thence. One thing I am very clear in; that, if you reduce your ideas to the ftandard of Scripture, and make this the model of thofe; fuffering the unerring 'word of revelation to have the cafting vote, and turning your mind into the gospel mould; you must and will, eventually, throw the idol of Arminianifin, in all its branches, to the moles and to the batts; you will no longer dwell with Mefech, nor have your habitation among the tents of Kedar. Having tafted the good old wine of diftinguishing grace, you will no longer have any relifh for the new scheme of grace without a plan, and of a random-falvation: for you will both know and acknowledge, that the old is better. Hoping to fee that happy time, I remain, with great efteem, dear fir,

your affectionate brother in Chrift,

Augufius Toplady.

Voi. VI. (30.)

L

LETTER

LETTER VI.

Mr. Na.

Broad-Hembury, Oct. 5, 1772.

DEAR SIR,

γου

You need not trouble yourself to fend me the pamphlet you mention, entitled, A Philofophical Survey of Nature. It is already in my poffeffion. I remember to have read it, feveral years ago, when it first came to my hands: and, fince my receipt of your last favour, I have given it a fresh perufal. The author is, undoubtedly, a profeffed materialist. His fyftem therefore is atheistical, to all intents and purpofes. He is, I fhould imagine, a perfon of too much fenfe, to be an abfolute atheist himfelf: but he feems to with he could. The two grand principles, which enter into the very bafis of his fcheme, viz. That matter may have exifted from all eternity; and that matter may, by organization, be refined into intelligence: are pofitions, which, if admitted, would lay the axe to the very root of all existence purely fpiritual; and, confequently, render the being of God impoffible.

To fuch horrid lengths of abfurdity and impiety, are men, even thofe of the brightest talents, liable; when they unhappily fhut their eyes against that written revelation, which fo kindly holds the lamp to cenighted reason. One would almost think, that writers of this caft are purpofely raised up by Providence, to fhew mankind the neceffity of fuperior illumination; and to demonftrate the utter infufficiency of mere reafon, genius and philofophy, to guide us either to happiness or truth.

This is the only principle, on which I can account for the glaring inconfiftencies, which never fail to difgrace the reafonings of infidels. The very author, now under confideration, though he at

tenuates