observe, the disturbance begins on your part. All is peace, till you raise that disturbance. And then you very modestly impute it to us, and lay your own riot at our door! But of all this, our Lord hath told us before. "Think not that I am come to send peace upon earth" that this will be the immediate effect, wherever my gospel is preached with power. "I am not come to send peace, but a sword:" this (so far as the wisdom of God permits, by whom "the hairs of your head are all numbered") will be the first consequence of my coming, whenever my word turns sinners from darkness to light, from the power of Satan unto God. I would wish all you who see this Scripture fulfilled, by disturbance following the preaching the gospel, to remember the behaviour of that wise magistrate at Ephesus on the like occasion. He did not lay the disturbance to the preacher's charge, but beckoned to the multitude and said, "Ye men of Ephesus-Ye ought to be quiet, and to do nothing rashly. For ye have brought these men, who are neither robbers of temples, nor yet blasphemers of your goddess:" (not convicted of any such notorious crime, as can at all excuse this lawless violence.) "But if Demetrius hath a matter against any, the law is open, and there are deputies" (or proconsuls, capable of hearing and deciding the cause) "let them implead one another. But if ye inquire any thing concerning other things, it shall be dctermined in a lawful assembly." 3. "But you create divisions in private families." Accidentally, we do. For instance, suppose an entire family to have the form, but not the power of godliness; or to have neither the form nor the power; in either case, they may in some sort agree together. But suppose, when these hear the plain word of God, one or two of them are convinced, "This is the truth. And I have been all this time in the broad way that leadeth to destruction:" these then will begin to mourn after God; while the rest remain as they were. Will they not therefore of consequence divide, and form themselves into separate parties? Must it not be so in the very nature of things? And how exactly does this agree with the words of our Lord! "Suppose ye that I came to send peace upon earth? I tell you nay: but rather division. For from henceforth there shall be five divided in one house, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father: the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother-in-law against the daughter-in-law, and the daughter-inlaw against the mother-in-law." (Luke xii. 51, 52, 53.) “And the foes of a man, shall be they of his own household." (Matt. x. 36.) Thus it was from the very beginning. For is it to be supposed, that a Heathen parent, would long endure a Christian child? Or that a Heathen husband would agree with a Christian wife? Unless either the believing wife could gain her husband; or the unbelieving husband prevailed on the wife to renounce her way of worshipping God: at least, unless she would obey him in going no more to those societies or conventicles, (Tapias,) as they termed the Christian assemblies. 4. Do think now, you I have an eye to your case? Doubtless I have; for I do not fight as one that beateth the air. "Why, have not I a right to hinder my own wife or child, from going to a conventicle? And is it not the duty of wives to obey their husbands? And of children to obey their parents?" Only set the case seventeen hundred years back, and your own conscience gives you the answer. What would St. Paul have said to one whose husband forbade her to follow this way any more? What direction would our Saviour have given to him whose father enjoined him, not to hear the gospel? His words are extant still, "He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me. And he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me." (Matt. x. 37, 38.) Nay more, "If any man cometh to me, and hateth not," (in comparison of me,) "his father and mother, and wife and children, yea, and his own life, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke xiv. 26.) "O, but this is not a parallel case. For they were Heathens; but I am a Christian." A Christian! Are you so? Do you understand the word? Do you know what a Christian is? If you are a Christian, you have the mind that was in Christ; and you so walk as he also walked. You are holy as he is holy, both in heart and in all manner of conversation. Have you then the mind that was in Christ? And do you walk as Christ walked? Are you inwardly and outwardly holy? I fear, not even outwardly. No; you live in known sin. Alas! How then are you a Christian? What a railer, a Christian! A common swearer, a Christian! A sabbathbreaker, a Christian! A drunkard or whoremonger, a Christian! Thou art a Heathen barefaced; the wrath of God is on thy head, and the curse of God upon thy back. Thy damnation slumbereth not. By reason of such Christians it is that the holy name of Christ is blasphemed. Such as thou they are, that cause the very savages in the Indian wood to cry out, "Christian much drunk, Christian beat men, Christian tell lies! Devil-Christian! Me no Christian!" And so thou wilt direct thy wife and children in the way of salvation! -Wo unto thee, thou Devil-Christian! Wo unto thee, thou blind leader of the blind! What wilt thou make them? Twofold more the children of hell than thyself?-Be ashamed. Blush, if thou canst blush. Hide thy face. Hide thy face. Lay thee in the dust. Out of the deep cry unto God, if haply he may hear thy voice. Instantly smite upon thy breast. Who knoweth but God may take thee out of the belly of hell? 5. "But you are not one of these. You fear God, and labour to have a conscience void of offence. And it is from a principle of conscience, that you restrain your wife or children from hearing false doctrine." But how do you know it is false doctrine? Have you heard for yourself! Or, if you have not heard, have you carefully read what we have occasionally answered for ourselves? A man of conscience cannot condemn any one unheard. This is not common humanity. Nor will he refrain from hearing what may be the truth, for no better reason than fear of his reputation. Pray observe: I do not say, every man (or any man) is obliged in conscience to hear us. But I do say, every man in England who condemns us, is obliged to hear us first. This is only common justice, such as is not denied to a thief or a murderer. Take your choice therefore. Either hear us, or condemn us not. Either speak nothing at all, or hear before you speak. But suppose you have both read and heard more than you liked : Did you read and hear fairly? Were not you loaded with prejudice? Did you not read or hear, expecting no good; perhaps desiring to find fault? If so, what wonder you judge as you do? What a poor mock-trial is this? You had decided the cause in your own breast, before you heard one word of the evidence. And still do you talk of acting out of conscience? Yea, a conscience void of offence? We will put the case farther yet. Suppose your censure was just, and this was actually false doctrine. Still every one must give an account of himself to God: and you cannot force the conscience of any one. You cannot compel another to see as you see. You ought not to attempt it. Reason and persuasion are the only weapons you ought to use, even toward your own wife and children. Nay, and it is impossible to starve them into conviction, or to beat even truth into their head. You may destroy them in this way, but cannot convert them. Remember what our own Poet has said, "By force beasts act, and are by force restrain'd; Thou canst not take, what I refuse to yield: Nor reap the harvest, tho' thou spoil'st the field." 6. Every reasonable man is convinced of this. And perhaps you do not concern yourself so much about the doctrine, but the mischief that is done. "How many poor families are starved, ruined, brought to beggary!" By what? Not by contributing a penny a week (the usual contribution in our Societies) and letting that alone, when they please, when there is any shadow of reason to suppose they cannot afford it. You will not say any are brought to beggary by this. Not by gifts to me; for I receive none: save (sometimes) the food I eat. And public collections are nothing to me. That it may evidently appear they are not, when any such collection is made, to clothe the poor, or for any other determinate purpose, the money is both received and expended before many witnesses, without ever going through my hands at all. And then likewise all possible regard is had, to the circumstances of those who contribute any thing. And they are told over and over, if there be a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath. But where are all these families that have been brought to beggary? How is it that none of them is forth coming? Are they all out of town? Then indeed I am in no danger of clearing myself from their indictment. It is the easiest thing of a thousand, for one at Newcastle to say, that I have beggared him and all his kindred. If one of the long-bearded men on Tyne-bridge were to say so just now, I could not readily confute him. But why will not you bring a few of these to tell me so to my face? I have not found one that would do this yet. They pray you would have them excused. I remember a man coming to me with a doleful countenance, putting himself into many lamentable postures, gaping as wide as he could, and pointing to his mouth, as who would say, "he could not speak." I inquired of his companion what was the matter? And was informed," he had fallen into the hands of Turks, who had used him in a barbarous manner, and cut out his tongue by the roots." I believed him. But when the man had a cheerful cup, he could find his tongue as well as another. I reflected, how is it that I could so readily believe that tale? The answer was easy, "Because it was told of a Turk." My friend, take knowledge of your own case. If you had not first took me for a Turk, or something equally bad, you could not so readily have believed that tale! 7. "But can it be, that there is no ground at all for a report, which is in every one's mouth?" I will simply tell you all the ground which I can conceive. I believe many of those who attend on my ministry, have less of this world's goods than they had before, or at least, might have had, if they did not attend it. This fact I allow; and it may be easily accounted for, in one or other of the following ways. First, I frequently preach on such texts as these: "Having food and raiment, let us be content therewith." "They who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition." "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where the rust and moth doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through and steal." Now should any of those who are labouring by all possible means, to lay up treasure upon earth, feel these words, they would not enlarge their desires as hell; but be content with such things as they had. They then probably might not heap up so much for their heirs, as otherwise they would have done. These would therefore have less than if they had not heard me because they would grasp at less. Secondly, Wherever the gospel takes effect, the foes of a man will be those of his own household. By this means then some who hear and receive it with joy, will be poorer than they were before. Their domestic foes will, in many cases, hinder, embroil, and disturb the course of their affairs. And their relations, who assisted them before, or promised at least so to do, will probably withdraw or deny that assistance, unless they will be advised by them. Perhaps their nearest relations: it being no new thing for parents to disown their children, if "after the way which they call heresy, these worship the God of their fathers." Hence, therefore, some have less of this world's goods than they had in times past, either because they earn less, or because they receive less from them on whom they depend. Thirdly, It is written, that "Those who received not the mark of the beast, either on their foreheads, or in their right hands," either openly or secretly, were not permitted to buy or sell any more. Now whatever the mystery contained herein may be, I apprehend the plain mark of the beast is wickedness; inward and outward unholiness, whatever is secretly or openly contrary to justice, mercy, or truth. And certain it is, the time is well nigh come, when those who have not this mark can neither buy nor sell, can scarce follow any profession, so as to gain a subsistence thereby. Therefore, many of those who attend on my ministry, are by this means poorer than before. They will not receive the mark of the beast, either on their forehead or in their hand: or if they had received it before, they rid themselves of it as soon as possible. Some cannot follow their former way of life at all; (as pawnbrokers, smugglers, buyers or sellers of uncustomed goods) others cannot follow it as they did before. For they cannot oppress, cheat, or defraud their neighbour: they cannot lie or say what they do not mean; they must now speak the truth from their heart. On all these accounts, they have less of this world's goods; because they gain less than they did before. Fourthly, All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution if in no other way, yet at least in this, that men will by revilings persecute them; and say all manner of evil against them falsely, for his sake. One unavoidable effect of this will be, that men whose subsistence depends on their daily labour, will be often in want, for few will care to employ those of so bad a character. And even those who did employ them before, perhaps for many years, will employ them no more: so that hereby some may be brought to beggary. 8. What, does this touch you? Are you one of those, "who will have nothing to do with those scandalous wretches?" Perhaps you will say, "And who can blame me for it: may I not employ whom I please?" We will weigh this. You employed A. B. for several years. By your own account, he was an honest, diligent man. You had no objection to him but his following this way. For this reason you turn him off. In a short time, having spent his little all, and having no supply, he wants bread. So does his family too as well as himself. Before he can get into other business to procure it, through want of convenient food to eat, and raiment to put on, he sickens and dies. This is not an imaginary scene. I have known the case though too late to remedy it. "And what then?" Why then you are a murderer. O earth, cover not thou his blood! No, it doth not. The cry thereof hath entered into the ears of the Lord God of Sabaoth. And God requireth it at your hands: and will require it in an hour when you think not. For you have as effectually murdered that man, as if you had stabbed him to the heart. It is not I then who ruin and starve that family; it is you; you who call yourself a Protestant! You who cry out against the persecuting |