2. "You deny perseverance. 3. You deny imputed righteous ness. So does the Pope of Rome." That is much to be doubted. Perhaps the Pope of Rome does but I assert it continually. 4. "You hold free-will. So does the Pope of Rome." No, not as I do, (unless he is a Predestinarian: otherwise) he ascribes it to nature, I to grace. 5. "You hold, that works are a condition of justification. 6. "You hold a two-fold justification, one now, another at the last day. 7. "You hold the doctrine of merit. 8. "You hold sinless perfection. 9. "You hold, that sins are only infirmities. 10. "You distinguish between venial and mortal sins." If you mean good works, I do not. So does the Pope of Rome." And so do all Protestants, if they believe the Bible. I do not. Neither does the Pope, if father Walsh says true. So does the Pope." I deny that. How do you prove it? I hold no such thing. And you know it well. Not so; I abhor the distinction. Now let every man of understanding judge, whether father Walsh did not speak the very truth? 51. "This pamphlet was finished, when I was told, that Mr. W. had lately a very remarkable dream, which awakened him out of a sound sleep. This dream he communicated to his society. It was in substance as follows. A big, rough man came to him, and gave him a violent blow on the arm with a redhot iron." (p. 51.) "Now the interpretation thereof I conceive to be as follows: 1. "The big, rough man, is Mr. Hill: 2. "The bar of iron (redhot) is Logica Wesleiensis: 3. "The blow denotes the shock which Mr. John will receive by the said pamphlet: 4. "His being awakened out of a sound sleep, signifies there is yet hope, that he will some time or other come to the right use of his spiritual faculties." Pretty and well devised! And though it is true I never had any such dream since I was born, yet I am obliged to the inventor of it; and that on many accounts. I am obliged to him, 1. For sending against me only a big, rough man: it might have been a lion, or a bear: 2. For directing the bar of iron only to my arm; it might have been, my poor scull: 3. For letting the big man give me only one blow; had it been repeated, I had been slain outright: and, 4. For hoping I shall, some time or other, come to the right use of my spiritual faculties. 52. Perhaps Mr. Hill may expect, that I should make him some return for the favour of his heroic poem. But "Certes I have, for many days Voz. 9.-X x 530 MR. HILL'S FARRAGÓ DOUBLE-DISTILLED. And had I not, I should have been utterly unable to present him with a parallel. Yet upon reflection, I believe I can, although I own, it is rather of the lyric, than the heroic kind. And because possibly he may be inclined to write notes on this too, I will tell him the origin of it. One Sunday, immediately after sermon, my father's clerk said, with an audible voice, "Let us sing to the praise and glory of God, a hymn of mine own composing." It was short and sweet, and ran thus: "King William is come home, come home : King William home is come! Therefore let us together sing The hymn that's call'd Te D'um !" 53. Before I conclude, I beg leave, in my turn, to give you a few advices. And, 1. Be calm. Do not venture into the field again, till you are master of your temper. You know, the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness, neither promotes the truth, of God. 2. Be good-natured. Passion is not commendable; but ill-nature still less. Even irrational anger is more excusable than bitterness, less offensive to God and man. 3. Be courteous. Show good manners as well as good-nature to your opponent of whatever kind. "But he is rude." You need not be so too. If you regard not him, "Reverence yourself." Absolutely contrary to this, is the crying out at every turn, "Quirk, sophistry, evasion!" In controversy these exclamations go for nothing. This is neither better nor worse than calling names. 4. Be merciful. When you have gained an advantage over your opponent, do not press it to the uttermost. Remember the honest Quaker's advice to his friend a few years ago, "Art thou not content to lay John Wesley upon his back, but thou wilt tread his guts out?" 5. In writing, do not consider yourself as a man of fortune, or take any liberty with others on that account. These distinctions weigh little more in the literary world, than in the world of spirits. Men of sense simply consider what is written not whether the writer be a lord or a cobbler? Lastly, Remember, For every idle word men shall speak, they shall give an account in the day of judgment. Remember, by thy words shalt thou be justified; or by thy words shalt thou be condemned! BRISTOL, March 14, 1773. 1. YOU have heard ten thousand stories of us who are commonly called Protestants, of which, if you believe only one in a thousand, you must think very hardly of us. But this is quite contrary to our Lord's rule, Judge not, that ye be not judged; and has many ill consequences, particularly this, It inclines us to think as hardly of you. Hence we are on both sides less willing to help one another, and more ready to hurt each other. Hence brotherly love is utterly destroyed and each side looking on the other as monsters, gives way to anger, hatred, malice, to every unkind affection, which have frequently broke out in such inhuman barbarities, as are scarce named among the Heathens. 2. Now can nothing be done, even allowing us on both sides to retain our own opinions, for the softening our hearts towards each other, the giving a check to this flood of unkindness, and restoring at least some small degree of love among our neighbours and countrymen? Do not you wish for this? Are you not fully convinced, that malice, hatred, revenge, bitterness, whether in us or in you, in our hearts or yours, are an abomination to the Lord? Be our opinions right or be they wrong, these tempers are undeniably wrong. They are the broad road that leads to destruction, to the nethermost hell. 3. I do not suppose all the bitterness is on your side. I know there is too much on our side also. So much that I fear many Protestants (so called) will be angry at me too, for writing to you in this manner; and will say, "It is showing you too much favour; you deserve no such treatment at our hands." 4. But I think you do. I think you deserve the tenderest regard I can show, were it only because the same God hath raised you and me from the dust of the earth, and has made us both capable of loving and enjoying him to eternity were it only because the Son of God has bought you and me with his own blood. How much more, if you are a person fearing God, (as without question many of you are,) and studying to have a conscience void of offence towards God and towards man? 5. I shall therefore endeavour, as mildly and inoffensively as I can, to remove in some measure the ground of your unkindness, by plainly declaring what our belief, and what our practice are: that you may see, we are not altogether such monsters as perhaps you imagined us to be. A true Protestant may express his belief in these, or the like words. 6. As I am assured, that there is an infinite and independent Being, and that it is impossible there should be more than One; so I believe, that this One God is the Father of all things, especially of angels and men: That he is, in a peculiar manner, the Father of those whom he regenerates by his Spirit, whom he adopts in his Son, as co-heirs with him, and crowns with an eternal inheritance: but in a still higher sense, the Father of his only Son, whom he hath begotten from eternity. I believe this Father of All, not only to be able to do whatsoever pleaseth him, but also to have an eternal right of making what, and when, and how he pleaseth, and of possessing and disposing of all that he has made: and that he of his own goodness created heaven and earth, and all that is therein. 7. I believe that JESUS of Nazareth was the Saviour of the world, the Messiah so long foretold: That being anointed with the Holy Ghost, he was a Prophet, revealing to us the whole will of God: That he was a Priest, who gave himself a sacrifice for sin, and still makes intercession for transgressors: That he is a King, who has power in heaven and in earth, and will reign till he has subdued all things to himself. I believe, he is the proper, natural Son of God, God of God, very God of very God: And that he is the Lord of All, having absolute, supreme, universal dominion over all things: but more peculiarly our Lord, who believe in him, both by conquest, purchase, and voluntary obligation. I believe, that he was made man, joining the human nature with the divine in one person: being conceived by the singular operation of the Holy Ghost, and born of the blessed Virgin Mary, who as well after as before she brought him forth, continued a pure and unspotted Virgin. I believe, he suffered inexpressible pains both of body and soul, and at last death, even the death of the cross, at the time that Pontius Pilate governed Judea, under the Roman emperor: that his body was then laid in the grave, and his soul went to the place of separate spirits That the third day he rose again from the dead: That he ascended into heaven; where he remains in the midst of the throne of God, in the highest power and glory, as Mediator till the end of the world, as God to all eternity: That in the end, he will come down from heaven, to judge every man according to his works; both those who shall be then alive, and all who have died before that day. 8. I believe the Infinite and Eternal Spirit of God, equal with the Father and the Son, to be not only perfectly holy in himself, but the immediate cause of all holiness in us; enlightening our understandings, rectifying our wills and affections, renewing our natures, uniting aur persons to Christ, assuring us of the adoption of sons, leading us in our actions, purifying and sanctifying our souls and bodies, to a full and eternal enjoyment of God. 9. I believe, that Christ and his apostles gathered unto himself a church, to which he has continually added such as shall be saved: That this Catholic, that is, Universal Church, extending to all nations and all ages, is holy in all its members, who have fellowship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: That they have fellowship with the holy angels, who constantly minister to these heirs of salvation: And with all the living members of Christ on earth, as well as all who are departed in his faith and fear. 10. I believe God forgives all the sins of them that truly repent and unfeignedly believe his holy gospel; and that at the last day, all men shall rise again, every one with his own body. I believe, that as the unjust shall after their resurrection be tormented in hell for ever, so the just shall enjoy inconceivable happiness in the presence of God to all eternity. 11. Now, is there any thing wrong in this? Is there any one point which you do not believe as well as we ? But you think we ought to believe more. We will not now enter into the dispute. Only let me ask, If a man sincerely believes thus much, and practises accordingly, can any one possibly persuade you to think, that such a man shall perish everlastingly? "But does he practise accordingly?" If he does not, we grant all his faith will not save him. And this leads me to show you in few and plain words, what the practice of a true Protestant is. I say, a true Protestant: for I disclaim all common swearers, sabbath-breakers, drunkards; all whoremongers, liars, cheats, extortioners; in a word, all that live in open sin. These are no Protestants: they are no Christians at all. Give them their own name : they are open Heathens. They are the curse of the nation, the bane of society, the shame of mankind, the scum of the earth. 13. A true Protestant believes in God, has a full confidence in his mercy, fears him with a filial fear, and loves him with all his soul. He worships God in spirit and in truth, in every thing gives him thanks: calls upon him with his heart as well as his lips, at all times and in all places; honours his holy name and his word, and serves him truly all the days of his life. Now, do not you yourself approve of this? Is there any one point you can condemn? Do not you practise, as well as approve of it? Can you ever be happy if you do not? Can you ever expect true peace in this, or glory in the world to come, if you do not believe in God through Christ, if you do not thus fear and love God? My dear friend, consider, I am not persuading you to leave or change your religion, but to follow after that fear and love of God, without which all religion is vain. I say not a word to you about your opinions or outward manner of worship. But I say all worship is an abomination to the Lord, unless you worship him in spirit and in truth, with your heart as well as your lips, with your spirit and |