profpect of that falvation". Our church, we have seen, pronounces all who repent and believe, pardoned and abfolved while they are here, and prays that their "pardon may be sealed in heaven before they go hence"." The phrase "a death unto fin, and a new birth unto righteousness," in our Catechifm, only means, Dr. B. fays, " that the rite of baptifm represents our entrance and admiffion into the church of Chrift"."

Mr. Polwhele accordingly, appears to have no idea either of the neceffity or the meaning of a "perfonal" application to Chrift, and a "perfonal intereft in him." To think ill of all profeffed Chriftians "except those, who not only feel their fins, but are enabled by the Holy Spirit to transfer their fins to Chrift, and apply his righteousness to thenfelves;" or, as he repeats the idea, who "may be fenfible of their fins, and favoured with a call from the Spirit," he conceives must be a doctrine of dreadful operation in the conduct of life". And, after mentioning the safe state of the heathens, who act in conformity to the law which they are unto themselves, he affirms, that to exclude those whom he calls "moral Chriftians from falvation," is making "it a truly unfortunate thing that they were born in a Christian country, or admitted within the pale of the church.". Bishop Butler would teach him, that such persons may poffefs heathen morality, and yet be dangerously criminal from their want of fuitable "religious regards to the Son, and to the HOLY GHOST ;" and their violation of "the obligation we are under, of paying these religious regards to each of these divine perfons refpectively, arifing

from the respective relations, which they each stand in to us,” as revealed by Christianity. But thus does Mr. Polwhele justify the apparently harfh faying of a Divine whom he reprobates," that the faith of a devil, and the life of a heathen, make up what many call a good Chriftian."

It shall only be added, that, agreeably to all this, every pretenfion to any change of flate and character, to any marks of diftinction from the wicked, and mere formalifts in religion, to any thing like the above experience, is treated by these Gentlemen with ridicule and contempt, Thus the Divine laft mentioned fpeaks of "the favoured few, who, in the faint's progrefs, are arrived at fuch a proficiency, as to be admitted into the presence of God, and suffered, for an exhibition of their powers, to wrestle with the Devil." This furely is fporting not only with the notion of the above distinction, but with the Appellation the scripture affigns to true Chriftians, with the idea of their peculiar exercises and attainments, and with that of the great Adverfary with whom they have to contend. In a fimilar ftrain, however, fuch phrafes as "the Saints," "the Elect,” "the Lord's people '," are constantly used by this champion for genuine Christianity. In the fame fpirit, he largely entertains himself with the ideas, that the objects of his ridicule "fuftain the conflicts of the tempter;" that "the Devil is an odd character" with them; that they are "ftill ftruggling with the enemy;" and that they "efcape not the attacks of this infernal Spirit!"-In this manner speaks Mr. Polwhele, refpecting the Being, whom our church reprefents as one of three grand enemies of our falvation, and whom we folemnly engage, at our baptifm, "to renounce, and to fight manfully againft, unto our life's end!"

(k) Letter, p. 22.

(1) Sco (m) See

(0) Analogy, Part 2. Ch. i. § 2. ibid. p. 33, 49, 80; and fecond Letter, p. 17, 26, 28. firt Letter, p. 22—31.

To be awakened to a fense of our fins," is to make "religion the gloomieft thing upon earth"." To have our minds drawn up to high and heavenly things, is, to be exalted above all earthy connections or concerns;' and to labour under a "happier madness "." To pretend to any actual guidance, fanctification, or comfort of the Holy Ghoft, is Enthufiafm, without the benefit of a hearing And, notwithstanding these Gentlemen profess to believe in God the Holy Ghost, who fanctifieth them and all the elect people of God;" notwithstanding they pray, that God may give his Holy Spirit" to every child which they baptize; notwithstanding they constantly pray, that his "Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule their hearts;" that he would "cleanfe the thoughts of their hearts by the Inspiration of his Holy Spirit," that his "Holy Spirit may be ever with them," and that he may "not take his Holy Spirit from them;"-yet in their judgment the claim to Infpiration is "chimerical;" they yet fpeak with indignation of certain modern religionists, "who," they tell us, "to all the nonfenfe of a Calvinistical Creed, have added the chimerical claim to Infpiration *." They truft, at their Ordination, that they " are inwardly moved by the Holy Ghost to take upon" them the office of Minifters; they "pray earneftly," and wait in filence,

(n) See p. 82, 45, 53, 57, 79. (z) See Warburton on Grace, p. 204. Balguy's 1ft Ch. p. 171.

(0) See ibid. p. 21, 51, 57. (x) See Archdeacon (y) This confideration which many treat fo lightly, was the "main reafon," why the pious Mr. Boyle did not enter into Holy Orders. "Not having felt within himself an inward motion to it by the Holy Ghoft," his Biographer fays, "he durft not take that fiep, left he fhould have lied to the Holy Ghost." So folemnly and seriously did this great man judge of this matter. See his Life, as above, p. 57. See the neceffity of both the internal and external call to the Ministry properly enforced, in Archbishop Secker's Inftructions for Candidates for Orders; in the Charge of the BiShop of Offory, 1796; and in the quotation from Lord Bacon, above, P. 116.

for the Infpiration of God's "Holy Spirit;" they unite with the Bishop in as ftrong language in favour of Inspi ration as can well be uttered; and yet, they confider thofe perfons" Enthufiafts, who think, or pretend to think, that the Holy Spirit over-rules them in their words and actions;" yet, their definition of the Enthusiast, whom they abhor, is, "that he is, in his own conceit, the inSpired of heaven!" And thus are the most sober and fcriptural notions of our church, on the subject, discarded or confounded with groundless conceits, and wild extra. vagancies. If the perfons here vindicated, pretend to inspiration in any fenfe or degree, which the church does not, we fhall be glad to fee the circumstance proved by fair quotation from their own writings. Thus then do these teachers join

"A world who treat

"All but their own experience as deceit."

In all these ways do they afford ground for the "opinion" to which Arch-bifhop Secker fays, "our irregularities and divifions are greatly owing," namely, "that we are ufually indifferent about vital inward religion'.' All this, furely, looks like openly difpenfing with any fuch

(x) Such furely is this:

"Come, Holy Ghost, our fouls infpire,

And lighten with celeftial fire.

Thou the anointing spirit art,
Who doft thy fevenfold gifts impart,
Thy blessed Unction from above,
Is comfort, life, and fire of love.
Enable with perpetual light
The dulnefs of our blinded fight,
Anoint and cheer our foiled face

With the abundance of thy grace.”

&c. See the

whole Solemn Service.

(w) See Mr. Polwhele's 3d Letter to Dr. Hawker, p. 59. Note. (v) Ibid. 1ft Letter, p. 8. (t) Ch. 2d, p. 83.

Christianity. This, furely, is refembling the conduct of certain deluded perfons of old, whofe fate fhould be a warning to us, faying, “The Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, the Temple of the Lord, are these," whatever be their disobedience; fubftituting the means for the end, church privileges for true religion.-But had these been the fentiments of our Reformers, they might well: have fpared the facrifice of their lives. The whole Church of Rome was profesjedly Christian, and used the ordinance of Baptifm.

We know how thefe Gentlemen, at other times, speak of repentance, faith, and obedience, as the conditions of juftification, and actual falvation. This it is not our bufinefs to reconcile with their prefent language. Indeed what may on other occafions be inculcated, is of little importance, if cum ventum ad verum eft," the point is thus relinquished. It muft feem, from the whole tenor of what has now appeared, that although they speak of these things, yet that a renewed heart and a holy life are not made a SINE QUA NON in the character of a true Christian; that a performance of the baptifmal covenant is not fo infifted upon, as to exclude all hopes of Chriftian falvation from those who neglect it. But our argument does not require us to decide upon this matter. What we infift upon, in conclufion of our inquiry, is this, that these Divines muft hold-Either, that ALL profeffed Christians, who are members of our church, whatever be their characters, are in a state of acceptance with God, and would go to heaven fhould they die in their prefent ftate;—or, that only SOME of fuch perfons are in this state; namely, those whofe characters correfpond with their profeffion.

If the former pofition be maintained; we pronounce it, without the smallest fear of refutation, licentious, unscriptural, and directly oppofite to the most plain and express doctrine of our church. If the latter propofition be ad

(s) Jer. vii, 4.