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their leader; if not, they acquire habits of hypocrify and diffimulation.

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But let us suppose, what can hardly be expected, every leader of a class is poffeffed of eminent meafures of probity and prudence: yet furely it is next to impossible, that all under his infpection fhould resemble him in these qualities. In the meetings of a clafs, the experience of every one who belongs to it, is inquired after, and all prefent hear the account. A judicious writer has observed, that even in truly gracious experiences, there is often an unhappy mixture of human or natural affections or paffions, impreffions on the imagination, and self-righteoufnefs, or fpiritual pride; and that experiences are apt to degenerate, by men laying great weight on the natural and imaginary part, and yielding to, and indulging it *. This degeneracy may be probably increased by a rash, frequent, and promifcuous relation of uncommon experiences. The relators may begin to think of themselves more highly than they ought to think. Some of a more tender and circumfpect behaviour may be difcouraged, because ftrangers to thofe extraordinary manifeftations: and the narrating our doubts and scruples, the temptations that have affaulted us, or the workings of indwelling corruption in our hearts, may often excite fimilar doubts or temptations in the breafts of the hearers. A fecret can hardly be kept by twelve: and if there is any thing fingular in an experience, probably it will be handed about as a fecret to the confidents of every member of a clafs, and to the confidents of thefe confidents, till it takes air, is publicly talked of, and by the profane turned into ridicule. He who is fatiffied with divine confolations, can enjoy reft without divulging what he has felt; while others, if the companions hearken to their voice, are little concerned to cause God to hear it. These arguments, however, do not militate against Christians often converfing together on the works of creation, providence, and redemption, the glories of the Saviour, the wonders of God's law and gospel, and theimportant realities of a future world; nor against imparting to familiar friends, especially when in anguish of spirit, those *Edwards's thoughts on the revival, &c. Edin. edit. p. 158,165.

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confolations, wherewith they in like circumstances have been comforted of God. Not to observe, that valuable purposes may be often gained by exhibiting to public view the riches of divine power and grace in remarkable converfions.

The duties of loving one another, rejoicing with them, that rejoice, and weeping with them that weep, of pray. ing for one another, and of bearing one another's burdens, are not confined to those of the fame class, but extend to all our fellow Chriftians. Therefore, if they infer an obligation on those of the fame class, they infer an obligation on Christians in general, to inquire into one another's experiences, which I suppose Mr Kershaw will hardly plead for. He is right in faying, the confequence is not good; a thing may be abused to bad purposes, and therefore ought not to be done: because eating and drinking, nay, the Bible, may be abused. But a little reflection might have fuggefted to him, that though no degree of danger should deter us from a neceffary duty, probable bad confequences fhould restrain us from acting, when no divine precept neceffitates us to act. It is therefore a hafty conclufion which he draws, p. 90. "that which is neither forbidden in "fcripture, nor finful in itself, nor in its neceffary conse. quences, is no fin." For circumstances of time, place, company, &c. may render a thing, in its own nature indifferent, fometimes a duty, and fometimes a fin.

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Mr Kershaw pleads, p. 98.—103. that Mr Wefley's reafons against separation from the church of England, or attending the meetings of diffenters, when in South Britain, equally conclude against the Methodist teachers in Edinburgh feparating from the church of Scotland, or attending the qualified Epifcopal meetings there.-I fhould be apt, on a fuperficial view, to be of the fame mind. The danger of giving offence, exciting controverfy, and preventing thousands from either hearing them or continuing with them, may be as good a political motive for feeming to favour the establishment of Calvinism and Presbytery in one country, as that of Epifcopacy in another. Nay, the argument will go much farther. The fame prudential rule, if calculated for the meridians of Stockholm, Petersburg, or Vienna, equally directs fimilar marks of regard to Lutheranifin,

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Lutheranifm, the Greek church, or the church of Rome. In all these churches, opinions may be profeffed opposite to Mr Wefley's but, fo far as I can judge, no opinions that appear to him more dangerous than predeftination, final perfeverance, and the imputation of Chrift's active obedience. But Mr Kerfhaw feems to forget Mr Wefley's 12th reafon against feparation from the church of England, That by fuch feparation, they fhould act in direct contradiction to that very end for which providence had raifed them up, viz. to quicken their brethren. "The "firft meffage, fays he, of all our preachers, is, to the loft "fheep of the church of England. Now, would it not

be a flat contradiction to this defign, to separate from "the church?" Are there in North Britain no loft fheep of the church of England? or is lefs pity due to them, because their form of religion has not the advantage of a legal establishment, or of the approbation of the majority of the people? If the first meffage of the Methodist preachers is to them, fhould not the very principles, which re ftrained them from attending diffenting meetings at London, reftrain them from attending Prefbyterian churches in Edinburgh? The zeal of diffenters generally exceeds that of an established church: and if occafionally hearing in a Prefbyterian meeting, offends Epifcopals at London, Epifcopals here will be much more offended, by their almolt conftant attendance in Prefbyterian churches.

The reafonings in Mr Wefley's Letter, and in the Earnest Appeal, p. 103.-116. may fhow the impropriety of filling the pulpit or even the prefs with matters of doubtful difputation, but can never reconcile it with ministerial faithfulness, to give no warning, when errors prevail fubversive of vital piety; nay, that imply the most shocking blafphemy.

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P. 111. Mr Kerfhaw proceeds to vindicate Mr Wesley's faying, "It is a point we chiefly infift upon, that ortho"doxy, or right opinion, is at best but a very flender part "of religion, if any part of it at all." But as he refers to Mr Welley's answer to the Bishop of Gloucefter, I must begin with confidering what is advanced there on this fubject.

And here, inftead of fatisfaction, I find little elfe than

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that shifting, at which Mr Wefley is fo fingularly expert. P. 17. he acknowledges it our duty to labour after a right judgment in all things; as a wrong judgment naturally leads to wrong practice. P. 19. he allows that right opinions are a great help, and wrong opinions a great hindrance to religion. P. 20. he difclaims faying that errors in faith have little to do with religion, or that they are no lett or impediment to the holy fpirit.

Yet he fays, p. 17. "I fay again, right opinion is at best "but a very flender part of religion, (which properly and "directly confifts in right tempers, words and actions), " and frequently it is no part of religion. For it may "be where there is no religion at all: in men of the most "abandoned lives: yea, in the devil himself.

If religion confifts in right tempers, the love of God, and confequently what is neceffary to produce that love, is no flender part of religion. But how can the love of God be produced in the heart, without suitable opinions of God's loveliness and love? Such opinions are therefore effential to religion, because without them religion never fubfifts: and the devil's believing the divine perfections, no more proves that right opinion is a flender part of religion, than a projector's laying the foundation of a fabric which he finds himself unable to rear, proves, that a foundation is at best but a flender part of a building, and often no part of it at all.

Iftay not to examine Mr Wesley's criticism of Bp Warburton's interpretation of Eph. v. 9. If Mr Wefley is right in adopting Bengelius's various reading," the fruit of light is in all goodness, &c." then right tempers are produced by light in the understanding, i. e. by right fentiments: and Mr Wefley afferts, without ground, p. 20. that God, generally speaking, begins his work at the heart. His ar gument is," Men ufually feel defires to please God, before "they know how to please him. Their heart fays, What "must I do to be faved? before they understand the way "of falvation." I reply, Men feel no defire to please God, or even to escape his wrath, till they know fomething of God; and men can never fall in with a plan of falvation, of which they are wholly ignorant. In the

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new, as in the old creation, God begins with saying, Let there be light.

Let us now fee if there is more argument in Mr Kerfhaw's tedious defence. P. 112. he argues from James's description of religion, Jam. i. 26, 27. as confifting in bridling the tongue, vifiting the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and keeping ourselves unfpotted from the world and afks, "What is there here that contradicts Mr Wefley's affertion?" I reply, What if there were no thing? If right opinion is a flender part of religion, because omitted in this paffage, will not the fame argument equally conclude, that love to God is a flender part of religion too? Befides, right opinion is not omitted in this passage. If we look back to the preceding verfes, 23, 25. we shall find the religious perfon a hearer of the word, and not a forgetful hearer, but one who looketh into the perfect law of liberty. If we look forward to the following verfe, Ja. ii. 1. he is one who has the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ the Lord of glory: not to infift that the bridling the tongue, v. 26. has a chief reference to the abuse of the tongue in religious matters, e. g. by charging the Deity with tempting us to fin, Ja. i. 13. or by afferting that a profession of faith is sufficient to constitute men Christians, without any good works manifefting the fincerity of that profeffion, Ja. ii. 14.

In the fame page he calls us to hear what reason says: "Every part is effential to the whole; for the whole is "made up of all its parts: now take away any of its 66 parts, and the whole is defective. If then right opi"nions be effential to falvation, and the whole be de"ftroyed if any of its effential parts be wanting, I may

venture to ask, Who then can be faved? who will stake "his eternal all upon it, that he is right in all his opinions? "If right opinion enter into the effence of religion, then "religion is destroyed at a blow, if a man be in the leaft wrong in his opinions.' In what laborious forge that reason was hammered out, which utters thefe oracles, Mr Kershaw best knows. What regard they merit, let himfelf decide, when he has liftened to fome more of them, evidently the voice of this fome upstart reason. Natural life confifts not in the union of the foul and body; for

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