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252

CHURCH NEGLIGENCE AWAKENINGS.

the power of godliness; where the church doors are seldom opened on the Lord's day; where three-fourths of the children of ten or twelve years of age, cannot tell their letters. But these evils are diminishing; partly by Sunday schools, in some places; and partly by the village preaching, which the evange lical dissenters are setting forward in most of our counties; and in which, I, though not a dissenter, greatly rejoice, and daily pray for their success.

If the official shepherds know not to feed, or care for, either themselves or their flocks, I would be thankful that others are stirred up to supply their lack of service. I care not much for order, regularity, or commission, in such a case. When a house is on fire, people of any party or profession are welcome to bring water to extinguish it, whether churchmen, or kirkmen, elders, or ploughmen. When great awakenings take place among people grossly ignorant of the Scriptures, there are often extraordinary appearances. It was so among our first methodists, under Messrs. Wesley, Whitfield, Berridge, &c. It was so in the great revival in America, which begun under Mr. Edwards; so likewise, at Kilsyth.

The Lord permits it, perhaps, for two reasons; first, these stirs engage the attention of the neighbourhood, and prompt many to hear, who, otherwise, would not;-second, there are those who want something to cavil at, and these things furnish the occasions they wish for, according to the prophecy, Isaiah, viii. 14, 15. The light comes, but they who love darkness, think themselves justified in opposing the light, on account of these incidental blemishes upon which, therefore, they are glad to expatiate.

Nay, the Messrs.s, who were good men, were extreme bigots; and because they had left the kirk, they took it for granted, that the Lord had forsaken it likewise; and therefore, hastily concluded, that the work could not be his. I have heard that they fasted, and prayed the Lord to put a stop to it.

GROWTH OF DISSENTERS.

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In the year 1799, he, incidentally, shows the rapid growth of dissenters in England, when he says: in London, tabernacles might be built in every street, without giving umbrage; and, indeed, places of that cast are springing up like mushrooms, frequently; but then, it is an old matter with us. When Mr. Whitfield and Mr. Wesley began, there was stir enough. People were alarmed, as if St. Paul's and the Monument were to be overturned; but these fears have been long since quieted.

I must, and do rejoice in the success of respectable itinerants, in places sadly destitute of the Gospel. I expect some mixture of human infirmity in the best designs of the best men; and Satan will be busy, when he feels his kingdom shaken. But the Lord will accept the intentions of his faithful servants, and overrule all things eventually for good. He will plead their cause, and put their enemies to shame and silence, if they simply and patiently commit it to him; but if they take it too much into their own hands, they usually make bad worse. The weapons of our warfare are not carnal. We should disclaim, not only fire and sword, but angry disputation and invective; for these, also, are carnal weapons. The Apostle says,-being defamed, we entreat.

Through mercy, there is some stir among the soldiers with us, and among the seamen in the navy. May the Lord confirm them, and increase their numbers!

In 1800, 1801, and 1802, Mr. Newton says: the account of your highland tour, is pleasant and interesting. I hear of no such sudden, general awakenings in our kingdom; but I hope the Gospel does spread, though more gradually and silently, especially in the establishment. Several very promising young men, are ordained in the course of the year; and the number of serious students, in both the universities, seems to be still increasing. I hope much good is likewise done by the dissenting itinerancy. But I fear the savour of the good ointment is in some

254

POLITICS-CATHOLICISM.

places injured, and its efficacy obstructed by the dead-fly of politics.

Hypothesis must give way to facts; otherwise, when I consider the letter, or the spirit of the Gospel, I should think it impossible that any persons, having the glory of God and the good of souls at heart, especially preachers, could perplex themselves, or their connexions, with political matters. I am sure neither Paul, nor his brother Peter, ever so intermeddled. From poison and politics, good Lord, deliver me. I think a political spirit as hurtful to the life of God in the soul, as poison is to the bodily frame.

I pray the Lord to bless you and all who love his name in Scotland, whether kirk, circus, relief, burghers, antiburghers, independents, methodists, or by whatever name they choose to be called. Yea, if you know a papist who sincerely loves Jesus, and trusts in him for salvation, give my love to him.

The religion that cometh from above, though founded upon doctrines, is not so much a string of sentiments, in a system, as a new nature, a new life. If a man be not born again, it signifies little, whether he be called a Calvinist, or an Arminian; whether he belong to church, or kirk, relief, circus, or tabernacle. He may have a name to live amongst his party; but he is dead, and incapable, as to spirituals, as the stones in the street. On the other hand, if he be born from on high, he is a new creature; and though he may, for a season, be under many incidental mistakes, the grace which has called him, will prevail over all, and teach him, in due time, all that the Lord sees needful for him to know.

Let us preach the deity and atonement of the Saviour; the influences of the Holy Spirit; the dreadful evil of sin, as exhibited in the sufferings of Christ, when treated as a sinner for our sakes; the new birth; and the nature and necessity of that holiness, which is an essential part of salvation, and without which no man shall see the Lord. These points will

7

FORMAL PREACHING.

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accord with the feelings of all who are truly taught of God; and if in some things, they be otherwise minded, he will, in due time, reveal it to them if necessary. Thus he taught us, step by step, showing much patience and long suffering towards us, though we were dull scholars; and thus, may we learn of him to speak the truth in love.

To attack human depravity with philosophy, or fine sentiments, or by extolling morality, is fighting Goliah with a wooden sword. Christ was the subject of Paul's preaching; and no man did more good. One who preaches Christ, should know him. Colleges can never make up the want of the knowledge of Christ. Without Christ, ministers may amuse their audience, perhaps send them away admiring the sermon; but Paul would have thought little of this. Paul warned every man; sinners, of hell; of existing continually in misery, if they persisted in sin. He warned good men of their danger of being taken in the snare of the devil: thousands of unseen enemies surround us.

To present every man perfect, is not sinless perfection; the more grace a man has, the quicker sensibility he has about sin; nor is it the perfection of an angel, but of a child, who has all the parts of a man, but is not a man. A perfect Christian has all the parts of a Christian; faith, love, humility, &c. Some people confine their religion to devotional exercises, and lay great stress upon it; but these are not perfect Christians-this is only a part of Christianity. Some are offended, if the minister detect any defect in their character; but a Christian is thankful, when his defects are discovered to him.

The communion of saints cannot be easily made intelligible to the world; but a Christian in London can rejoice in the conversion of a man in the East Indies, whose face he never saw, nor ever expects to see, on earth. He can also feel for a congregation, when they have a faithful pastor removed from them

256 PROPORTION OF CHURCH EVANGELICALS.

by death; though not personally acquainted with any one person in that congregation.

As illustrating the present low state of piety in England, notwithstanding its national church establishment, it may be noticed, that the late venerable Thomas Scott wrote his "Essays on the most important subjects in Religion," for the express purpose of counteracting the prevailing infidelity and scepticism; as well as to give a distinct view of the grand peculiarities, and excellent tendency of genuine Christianity.

According to Mr. Newton, there were not one thousand evangelical clergymen in the English church establishment, in the year 1801. What their number is now, I have not been able to ascertain exactly; but, probably, it does not equal the number of ministers ejected by the Bartholomew act of 1662; seeing, that if at the end of sixty years, from 1740 to 1800, less than one thousand evangelicals were found in the establishment; it is not likely that a greater additional number have been procured, during the last twenty years, in defiance of the frowns of the secular government; and in spite of the systematic persecution of the hierarchy.

God grant, that such clergy may increase; as the only means, under Providence, of averting the impending perdition of the Anglican state church!

In the month of October, 1821, the Rev. Charles Simeon, when present at a meeting of the Society for promoting Christianity among the Jews, held at Dorchester, in the county of Dorset, said: that there were then between two and three hundred young men, at the university of Cambridge, in training for orders, who attended upon his preaching and weekly lectures; and all of whom, he thought, were under serious impressions, and evangelically inclined.

This fact appears to augur well for the best interests of the church of England. But how are pious young men to obtain preferment in that secular esta

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