་ ing them. The Weight of all Religion, we apprehend, refts on Holiness of Heart and Life. And confequently, wherever we come, we prefs this with all our Might. How wide then is the Difference between our Cafe and the Cafe of any of thofe that are above-mention'd? They avowedly feparated from the Church: We utterly disavow any fuch Defign. They feverely, and almoft continually, inveighed against the Doctrines and Difcipline of the Church they left. We approve both the Doctrines and Difcipline of our Church, and inveigh only against Ungodliness and Unrighteoufnefs. They spent great Part of their Time and Strength in contending about Externals and Circumftantials. We agree with you in both; fo that having no room to spend any Time in fuch vain Contention, we have our Defire of fpending and being spent, in promoting plain, Practical Religion. How many Stumbling blocks are removed out of your Way? Why do not you acknowledge the Work of GOD? 66 10. If you fay, Because you hold Opinions which "I cannot believe are true : I anfwer, Believe them true or false; I will not quarrel with you about any Opinion. Only fee that your Heart be right toward GOD, that you know and love the Lord Jefus Chrift; that you love your Neighbour, and walk as your Mafter walked, and I defire no more. I am fick of Opinions: I am weary to bear them: My Soul loaths this frothy Food. Give me folid and fubftantial Religion. Give me an humble, gentle Lover of GoD and Man; a Man full of Mercy and good Fruits, without Partiality, and without Hypocrify: A Man laying himself out in the Work of Faith, the Patience of Hope, the Labour of Love. Let my Soul be with thefe Chriftians, wherefoever they are, and whatsoever Opinion they are of. Whosoever thus doth the Will of my Father which is in Heaven, the fame is my Brother, and Sifter, and Mother. 11. Inexcufably infatuated muft you be, if you can, even doubt whether the Propagation of this Religion be of GOD! Only more inexcufable are those unhappy Men, who oppose, contradict, and blafpheme it. M 2 How How long will you ftop your Ears against him, that ftill crieth, Why perfecuteft thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the Pricks; for a Man to contend with his Maker. How long will you defpife the well known Advice of a great and learned Man, Refrain from these Men, and let them alone. If this Work be of Man, it will come to nought. But if it be of GOD, ye cannot overthrow it. And why fhould you be found even to fight against GOD? If a Man fight with GOD, shall he prevail? Canft thou thunder with a Voice like him? Make hafte. Fall down. Humble thyfelf before him: Left he put forth his Hand, and thou perish! 12. How long will you fight under the Banner of the great Enemy of GOD and Man? You are now in his Service: You are taking part with the Devil against GOD. Even fuppofing there were no other Proof, this would undeniably appear, from the goodly Company among whom you are enlifted, and who war one and .the fame Warfare. I have heard fome affirm, that the moft bitter Enemies to the prefent Work of GOD, were Pharifees. They meant, Men who had the Form of Godliness, but denied the Power of it. But I cannot fay fo. The fharpeft Adverfaries thereof whom I have hitherto known (unless one might except a few honourable Men, whom I may be excufed froin naming) were the Scum of Cornwall, the Rabble of Bilton and Darlefton; the wild Beafts of Walfal, and the Turnkeys of Newgate. 13. Might not the very Sight of thefe Troops, fhew any reasonable Man, to what General they belong'd? As well as the Weapons they never fail to ufe; the most horrid Oaths and Execrations, and lawless Violence, carrying away as a Flood whatsoever it is which ftands before it: Having no Eyes, nor Ears, no Regard to the loudest Cries of Reason, Juftice or Humanity. Can you join Heart or Hands with thefe any longer? With fuch an infamous, fcandalous Rabble-rout, roaring and raging, as if they were juft broke loofe, with their Captain Apollyon, from the bottomless Pit? Does it not rather concern you, and that in the highest Degree, as well as every Friend, to his King and Country, every Lover of Peace, Juftice and Mercy, immediately to join and ftop any fuch godlefs Crew, as they would join to ftop a Fire just beginning to fpread, or an Inundation of the Sea. 14. If, on the contrary, you join with that godles Crew, and ftrengthen their Hands in their Wickedness, must not you, in all Reafon, be accounted, (like them) a publick Enemy of Mankind? And indeed fuch muft every one appear, in the Eye of unprejudiced Reafon, who oppofes, directly or indirectly, the Reformation of Mankind. By Reformation I mean, the bringing them back (not to this or that Syftem of Opinions, or to this or that Sett of Rites and Ceremonies, how decent and fignificant foever: but) to the calm Love of GOD and one another, to an uniform Practice of Justice, Mercy and Truth. With what Colour can you lay any Claim to Humanity, to Benevolence, to publick Spirit, if you can once open your Mouth, or flir one Finger, against fuch a Reformation as this? 'Tis a poor Excufe to fay, "O, but the People are brought into feveral erroneous Opinions.' It matters not a Straw, whether they are or no; (I fpeak of fuch Opinions as do not touch the Foundation) 'tis fcarce worth while to spend ten Words about it. Whether they embrace this religious Opinion or that, is no more Concern to me, than whether they embrace this or that Syftem of Aftronomy. Are they brought to holy Tempers and holy Lives? This is mine, and should be your Enquiry: fince on this both focial and perfonal Happinefs depend; Happiness, temporal and eternal. Are they brought to the Love of GOD and the Love of their Neighbour? Pure Religion and undefiled is this. How long then will you darken Council, by Words without Knowledge? The plain Religion now propagated is Love. And can you oppofe this, without being an Enemy to Mankind ? 15. No; nor without being an Enemy to your King and Country: Especially at fuch a Time as this. For however Men of no Thought may not fee or regard it, or or hectoring Cowards may brave it out, it is evident to every Man of calm Reflection, that our Nation ftands on the very Brink of Destruction. And why are we thus, but because the Cry of our Wickedness is gone up to Heaven? Because we have fo exceedingly, abun dantly, beyond Measure, corrupted our Ways before the Lord. And because to all our other Abominations we have added, the open fighting against GOD; the not only rejecting, but even denying, yea, blafpheming his laft Offers of Mercy; the hindering others who were defirous to close therewith; the defpitefully ufing_bis Meffengers, and the varioufly troubling and oppreffing thofe who did accept of his Grace, break off their Sins, and turn to him with their whole Heart. 16. I cannot but believe, it is chiefly on this Account, that GOD hath now a Controverfy with our Land. And must not any confiderate Man be inclined to form the fame Judgment, if he reviews the State of publick Affairs, for only a few Years last paft? I will not enter into Particulars. But, in general, can you poffibly help observing, that whenever there has been any thing like a publick Attempt, to fupprefs this new Sect (for fo it was artfully reprefented) another and another publick Trouble arofe. This has been repeated fo often, that it is furprizing any Man of Senfe can avoid taking notice of it. May we turn at length to him that fmiteth us, hearing the Rod and him that appointeth it! May we humble ourselves under the mighty Hand of GOD, before the great Deep fwallow us up! 17. Juft now, viz. on the 4th of this inftant December, the Reverend Mr. Henry Wickham, one of his Majesty's Juftices of Peace for the Weft-Riding of Yorkshire, writes an Order To the Conftable of Kighley, commanding him. "to convey the Body of Jonathan Reeves, (whofe real Crime is, the calling Sinners to Repentance) to his Majesty's Goal and Castle of York: Sufpected (faith the Precept) of being a Spy among us, and a dangerous. Man to the Perfon and Government of his Majefty King George." GOD GOD avert the Omen! I fear this is no Prefage either of the Repentance or Deliverance of our poor Nation! 18. If we will not turn and repent, if we will harden our Hearts, and acknowledge neither his Judgments nor Mercies; what remains but the fulfilling of that dreadful Word, which GOD fpake by the Prophet Ezekiel : Son of Man, when the Land finneth against me, by trefpaling grievously; then will I ftretch forth my Hand upon it, and break the Staff of the Bread thereof.Though thefe three Men, Noah, Daniel and Job, were in it, they fhould deliver but their own Souls. Or if I bring a Sword upon that Land, and fay, "Sword, go thro' the Land:Or if I fend a Peftilence into that Land, and pour out my Fury upon it in Blood:-Though Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, as I live, faith the Lord GOD, they shall deliver neither Son nor Daughter; they shall but deliver their own Souls by their Righteousness, Chap. xiv. ver. 13, 14, 17, 19, 20. Yet behold, therein shall be left a Remnant, that fhall. be brought forth, both Sons and Daughters. And ye shall be comforted concerning the Evil that I have brought upon Jerufalem-And ye shall know that I have not done without Caufe, all that I have done in it, faith the Lord GOD. Ver. 22, 23. London, Dec. 18, FINI S. |