give Account of them to GOD, Heb, xiii. 17. All these Things feem rather to fhew, that they

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66

SERM.
VI.

to the Lord Bishop of Glocefter, Saith the Dr. [Dr. Stebbing,]
"Thefe Men have no Proof to offer for their inward Manifesta-
"tions What Froof, my Lord, does the Dr. require ? Would
"he have us raife dead Bodies? Have we not done greater
"Things than these? I fpeak with all Humility: Has not
"GoD, by our Ministry, raised many dead Souls to a fpiritual
"Life?
Verily, if Men will not believe the Evidence GOD
"has given that he sent us; neither would they believe, though
one rose from the Dead *" Was there ever fach a Medley
of Vanity, and Nonsense, and Blasphemy jumbled together?
Dr. Stebbing had obferved that the Apofties wrought Miracles,
as an Evidence, that what they spake, they fpake from GoD:
Whereas thefe Men (faith he, meaning the Methodists,) have
no Proof to offer for, their inward Manifeftations, unless their
own confident Affertions may be admitted as fuch †.
And in anfwer to this, Mr. Whitefield appeals to his raifing dead
Souls to a fpiritual Life, which he tells you is a greater Miracle
than the railing dead Bodies to a natural Life. But did our Sa-
viour or his Apoftles (when they were called upon for their
Credential) ever appeal to the inward Effects, they wrought
upon Mens Souls by their spiritual Cares? No: But, faith our
Saviour, I have greater Witness than that of John: The
Works which the Father has given me to finish; the fame Works
that I do, bear Witness of me, that my Father hath sent me, John
v. 36. If I do not the Works of my Father, believe me not: But·
if I do though ye believe not me, believe the Works; that ye
may know and believe, that the Father is in me, and 1 in him,
Ch. x. 37, 38. St. Peter, we know, by preaching one Sermon,
converted about three thousand Souls to the Church, As ii. 41.
But we no where find that he called this a notable Miracle.
Miracles are Appeals to our outward Senfes: Things beyond.

* Journal IV. p. 19. VOL. I.

the

↑ Caution against Religious Delusion, p. 10.

Q

VI.

SERM they themselves are not aware what Manner of Spirit it is, that they are of, Luke ix. 55. It is not the Spirit of GOD, for certain: For GOD is not the Author of Confufion (or as the Margin has it, of Tumult or Unquietness,) but the GOD of Peace, as in all Churches of the Saints, 1 Cor. xiv. 33.

But whatever Distaste they may endeavour to give you, with Relation to your true proper Guides; Guides; let them not by any

and

the Power of ordinary Nature, done openly in the Sight of the World. Let Mr. Whitefield do any Thing of this Kind, and we will listen to and attend him. But, whilft he imagines that, all that come to gaze at him, go away his Disciples, his Vanity will furprize us more than his Works. I fhall, however, transcribe another Paragraph from his favourite Author, for his Perufal and Meditation.

"All this gives no Warrant for Men, upon the Pretence of "Inspirations, to make void the Laws of GoD and Men at "their Pleasure. For if all Men must be left to this their pre"tended Freedom, and be permitted to act accordingly; every "bold Impoftor, or hot-brained Enthufiaft, may vouch God,

and then do what he will. When we are carried to do any "Thing, which is beyond the common Duties of Mankind, " and extraordinary; then we are not to go upon an inward "Motion of the Spirit. For no other Body is bound to be"lieve or acknowledge it: And therefore, though the inward "Leadings of the Spirit may fatisfy ourselves, because per"ceived by us; yet, before we propose these to others, we must "have some other Arguments to make them good by: No"body being bound to receive these, barely upon our own Af"sertion *."

Pag. 130s

Means

VI

Means put you out of Conceit with your SERM. felves. But whenever they tell you, that "a Man who conftantly attends on the Means "of Grace, who is exact in his Morals, hu

mane and courteous in his Converfation, "who gives much in Alms, and is frequent "in private Duties; that such a Man can be

as deftitute of any faving experimental "Knowledge of Jefus Chrift, as those upon "whom his Name was never called, and who "ftill fit in Darkness and the Shadow of "Death ;" and this only, because he has not that fanciful Experience of the New-Birth, which they themfelves can neither explain nor understand; whenever, I fay, they preach or publish any Thing like this *; I befeech

you,

* See Mr. Whitefield, Journal III. p. 81, 82. Mr. Whitefield (to vindicate the Paffage here cited from his third Journal) writes to the Lord Bishop of Gloucefter, as follows, "He "[Dr. Stebbing,] fays I fuppofe Mr. Benjamin Seward to "be a Perfon believing in Chrift, and blameless in his Converfa "tion, before what I call his Converfion. But this is a direct "Untruth.-For it was through the Want of a living Faith in

Jefus Chrift, which he now has, that he was not a Christian "before, but a mere Moralift. Your Lordship knows that our "Article fays, Works done without the Spirit of GOD, and true Faith in Jefus Chrift, have the Nature of Sin.' And મ fuch were all the Works done by Mr. Benjamin Seward, be"fore the Time mentioned in my Journal +." But if Mr.

+ Journal IV. p. 19.

Seward

228 St. John's Teft of knowing Chrift, &c.

SERM,

VI.

you, my Brethren, mind them not: But turn again to St. John, a much greater Divine, and take his Word before them all. ftruction is this, and with it I fhall conclude, His InLittle Children, (faith he) Let no Man deceivè you: He that DOTH Righteousness, is righteous, even as he is righteous, 1 John iii. 7. And— If ye know that he is righteous; ye know, that every one that DOTH Righteousness, Is Born of HIM, Chap. iii. 29.

T

Serward had no Faith in Chrift, what induced him to attend fo conftantly on the Means of Grace? And if his Faith was not a living one, how came it to be productive of fuch Exactness in bis Morals, fuch Humanity and Courteoufnefs in his Conversation, fuch Liberality in Almf-giving, and fuch a frequent Performance of private Duties, as Mr. Whitefield witneffes of him? If Mr. Whitefield's own Report of Mr. Seward be a true one; I will venture to affirm, that he was in a much fafer Way, before he became acquainted with Mr. Whitefield, than he was afterwards; and that he was not so properly converted, as perverted, to Methodifm.

SERMON

SERMON VII.

Confirmation neceffary to perfect one Sacrament, and not rendered un-neceffary by the other.

ACTS viii. 14—17.

When the Apostles which were at Jerufalem, heard that Samaria had received the Word of GOD, they fent unto them Peter and John.

Who when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghoft.

(For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: Only they were baptized in the Name of the Lord Jefus :)

Then laid they their Hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

T

VII.

HAT I may treat of this Paffage of SER M. Scripture in as in as clear a Method as I am able, I will range what I have to say in the

Order following, viz.

I. FIRST,

Q 3