prophets among the people of the Jews, give us warning not to believe every spirit, (that is, not to believe all those who pretend to speak by the spirit) but to try them whether they speak by the spirit of truth, or the spirit of error. There are many good rules to direct us on this occasion: but there is one which every body can understand. The spirit of truth is the spirit of love, and peace, and unity: the spirit of error is the spirit of hatred, and contention, and discord. The former tends to unite men into one body; the latter sets them at variance, and divides them into parties. Beloved, saith St. John, let us love one another; for every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God. When the great rule of Charity is broken, and men lay claim to the spirit of God while they have no title to it, then they are open to the delusions of evil spirits: and accordingly have uttered hideous blasphemies, under a persuasion that they are speaking by the spirit of God. Some have proceeded so far as to personate God himself*. Certain it is, many that * In the beginning of this century, there was a sect of Camisar Quakers in London, in whose assemblies persons of both sexes, particularly young girls, pretended to deliver prophecies, that the sect who have departed farthest from the Church and its ordinances, are the most forward in their pretensions to immediate inspiration; and even where this is pretended to in a lesser degree, a contempt for the Church and its ministry seldom or never fails to attend upon it in the same proportion *. A third doctrine which makes the Church of no effect, is the sufficiency of moral virtue ; and a perilous doctrine it is. It comes forward with a more sober face, but it hath less of the Gospel than of Enthusiasm or Predestination. For on this ground, a man need be of no Church, of no sect, nor even a Christian believer; because moral honesty, which forbears thieving prophecies, with strange screamings and distortions. One of these people, (horrible to relate) was seen to take another by the arm, and looking him broad in the face, said, D. you not acknowledge me to be the eternal and unchangeable God? To which the other, falling down and trembling, answered, I do acknowledge thee, &c. Many fine people from the court-end of the town, who would have paid but little respect to the benediction of a Bishop, were seen bendiug their knees, for a blessing, to these frantic females. See View of the Times, vol. 4, p. 235. * The author of the Snake in the Grass prefixed a most excellent preface to that work, on the Enthusiasm of Antonia Bourignon; shewing the original and tendency of hers and every other delusion of the same kind; which preface the reader will do well to consult. thieving and cheating, may be found in a Turk or an Heathen. When people would appear to be what they are not, and endeavour to supply their defects by fine words and plausible pretences, we call them hypocrites: and I will assure the Reader, there is a great deal of cant in the world, beside that of fanaticism and affected devotion. Impiety can act the hypocrite upon occasion, and magnify moral virtue when it is set in opposition to the love of God. It is not unusual for persons to praise a man's character; not because they love his virtues, but because they hate his rival. So do some bad men praise morality, because they hate devotion. This is too frequently the case with those who make a false estimate of what they call a good life; leaving out the duties most essential to the life of a good Christian; and these are a very large party. Heresy and schism, till they turn into profligacy, never fail to descant upon the sufficiency of moral duties; and in this they are joined by the whole tribe of Deists, Infidels, and Moral Philosophers, who are glad to hear of a rule of morality, (such, by the way, as themselves are to define and determine) which will serve them as a substitute for the Christian life, and all the forms of Church devotion. Here also we we find those Christians, who live in the habi tual neglect of the means of grace. I have heard people who never were at the altar, and perhaps never intended it, comforting themselves with this consideration, that they never did any harm to any body: when they should rather have asked themselves, what good they ever did to themselves, or to any body else, for the love of God? Without which, all the vir tues of man are nothing; and if he places any dependence upon them, they are worse than nothing. If a man is to be saved by the Chris tian religion, he must be a Christian in his life: but simple morality is not Christianity: it has neither faith, hope, charity, prayer, fasting, nor alms, which are the duties of the Christian life. If we mean to serve God, we must serve him in his Church, and conform to its ordinances. If we do good to our neighbours, we must do it on a principal of faith; and a cup of cold water given on this principle, is of more value in the sight of God, than all the treasures of the Indies, if they are distributed from the proud heart of unbelief: and he is certainly in unbelief, who doth not direct himself by the rules, and act upon the principles, which God hath delivered to the Church. Nearly related to the sufficiency of moral vir tue, tue, is the principle of sincerity, which was set up in the last age, as sufficient of itself to justify man in the sight of God, independent of the authority and benefits of his Church: so that if a man be not a hypocrite, it matters not what religion he is of. If sincerity, as such, independent of any particular way of worship, can recommend man to the favour of God, then there can be no difference as to merit between a sincere martyr, and a sincere persecutor: and he that burns a Christian, if he be but in earnest, hath the same title to God's favour, as he that is burnt for believing in Jesus Christ. This position, (in the sense of it) absurd and monstrous as it must appear, was the support of a controversy in this kingdom, in which a Bishop led the way *, and was followed and ap plauded * Thus did the famous Bishop Headley comfort all the Sectaries and Enthusiasts of his time: "When you are secure of your integrity before God-this will lead you not to be afraid of the terrors of men, or the vain words of regular and uninterrupted succession, authoritative benedictions, excommunications-nullity or validity of ordinances to the people on account of niceties and trifles, or any other the like dreams." I can venture to say, there never was a cause more effectually battled and exposed upon earth, than this of Bishop Hoadley, against the Church, and Church Communion, in the Two Letters and the Reply of Mr. William Law, which every Clergyman of the Church of England ought |