Letter to Church Members of the Presbyterian Persuasion

A LETTER, &c.

LAST Night and this Morning I read your Queries and Scruples. Whether they were compiled by Church Members or Ministers of the Presbyterian Persuasion, I shall not take upon me to determine. I think I may say, with David on another Occasion, Joab's Hand is in this If your Ministers were really the Authors, and you only their Representatives, they have not acted simply. They had better have spoken out. I should as readily have answered them as you. Solomon says, He that hateth Reproof, is Brutish : And if I know anything of my own Heart, I should think myself obliged to any one that convinces me of any Error, either in Principle or Practice. I therefore assure you, that I do not find the least Resentment stirring in my Soul against those (whoever they be) that proposed the Queries , or against the Rev. Presbytery that advised you to send them to me in a Public Manner: No, I rejoice in it; because it gives me an Opportunity of doing what my Friends know I have for some time proposed, viz. To correct some Passages in my printed Sermons. I think it no Dishonor to retract some Expressions that have formerly dropped from my Pen, before God was pleased to give me a more clear Knowledge of the Doctrines of Grace. St. Austin I think, did so before me. The Lord's Dealing with me was something out of the common Way. I can say, to the Honor of rich free distinguishing Grace, that I received the Spirit of Adoption before I had conversed with one Man, or read a single Book, on the Doctrine of Free Justification by the imputed Righteousness of JESUS CHRIST. No Wonder then, that I was not so clear in some Points at my first Setting out in the Ministry. Our LORD was pleased to enlighten me by Degrees; and I desire your Prayers, that his Grace may shine more and more in my Heart, till it breaks forth into perfect Day.

But to come to the exceptionable Passages in my Sermons. You blame me for saying,

Page 17. Vol. 2d. That Adam was adorned with all the Perfections of the Deity . I acknowledge this is not sufficiently explained. It should have been expressed thus, "All the moral communicable Perfections of the Deity." though' perhaps not one of my Readers really thought I meant any others. Again, Man was the Perfection of the moral and material World . Let it stand thus, "The Perfection of the visible World"

P. 22. & 23. Vol. 2 d. where speaking of a godly Man's rising by Repentance after a Fall into Sin, I say, Washes the Guilt of Sin away by the Tears of a sincere Repentance joined with Faith in the Blood of JESUS CHRIST." — This is false Divinity; — I would now alter it thus, —

P. 79. Vol 1, where speaking of making the Glory of God our End, I say, And which alone can render any of our Actions acceptable in God's Sight "—It should be—

P. 16, Vol. 1. where I speak of some Who vainly depend on their own Righteousness, and not on the Righteousness of Jesus Christ, imputed to and inherent in them, as necessary to their eternal Salvation ." — To avoid all Mistakes, I would express myself in this Manner, —

Vol. 1, p. 7. where it stands thus, We must be new Creatures in order to qualify us for being savingly in Christ , read, "to qualify us for living eternally with Christ."

The seeming Contradiction in my Sermon, Vol. 2, p. 128, compared with Vol. 2, p. 137, I think may be reconciled by that Passage of the Apostle, After you believed you were sealed by the Spirit of Promise Your arguing on this, Page 20, Sect 7, I think is not quite so clear. Might you not have as reasonably blamed Jesus Christ for saying to a dead Man, Lazarus come forth ? However, instead of quickening Spirit ," Vol. 2. p. 137, Let it be read, "sanctifying Spirit."

Vol. 2. P. 33. where it is now read, The Man Christ Jesus is spiritually formed in your Hearts .—I would alter it thus, "That Christ is formed within you."

Vol. 1. p 53, The many Souls that are nourished weekly by the spiritual Body and Blood of Jesus Christ by your Means . —Let it be altered for these Words,

I see no reason to alter my Explanation of the Words, Baptizing them into the Nature of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost ; and, Christ spiritually conceived in the Heart of Eve. — I mean no more by these Expressions than the Apostle, when he says, Know you not that Christ is in you, unless you be Reprobates? And again, We are made Partakers of the Divine Nature .

Vol. 2, p. 128, These Words [In the Lord's Prayer] may be left out. Tho' if the Word Name signifies God's Attributes according to your own Confession, why may it not signify his Essence? What are God's Attributes but GOD himself?

Vol. 1 p. 14 After essential ones too , insert, "if Persons are capable of performing them" And by essential is meant necessary in that Order of Means which God has appointed.

THESE, if I mistake not, are all the Passages in my Sermons which you object against.— And now to convince you that I am not ashamed to own my Faults, I can inform you of other Passages as justly exceptionable. — In my Sermon on Justification , I seem to assert Universal Redemption , which I now absolutely deny. — In my Almost Christian , I talk of Works procuring us so high a Crown.—In my Sermon on the Marks of the New Birth , I say, We shall endure to the End, if we continue &c . —These and perhaps some other Passages, though' capable of a candid Interpretation, I now mislike, and in the next Edition of my Sermons, God willing, I propose to alter them.—In the mean while I shall be thankful to any that will point out my Errors, and I promise, by divine Assistance, they shall have no Reason to say, that I am one who hates to be reformed — Let the Righteous smite me, it shall be a Kindness; and let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent Oil, which shall not break my Head: for yet my Prayer also shall be in their Calamities .

As for your Insinuating that I countenance Mr. Wesly in his Errors, it is no such Thing. — I prefaced Halyburton 's Memoirs before I saw what Mr. Wesly wrote. And since I have seen it have more than once said, If I had known what Mr. Wesley had wrote I would not have prefaced the Book at all. — I do not understand Mr. Wesly in his Interpretation of those Words, He that is born again of God sinneth not ; and therefore have torn that Part of his Preface out of several of those Books which I have given away lately, and have acquainted him wherein I think he errs in this particular, in sundry of my Letters.

You wrong me if you think I am an Antinomian . — For when I say, God made no second Covenant with Adam, I mean no more than this, —

Your Objection concerning my favorable Opinion of some particular Quakers I conversed with, and also about some particular Promises which I think have been made me, you may see satisfied in my Answer to the Bishop of London 's last pastoral Letter, and in a Letter sent to the Bishop of Gloucester , and published in one part of my Journals.

I am no Friend to casting Lots ; but I believe, on extraordinary Occasions, when Things can be determined no other way, God, if appealed to and waited on by Prayer and Fasting, will answer by Lot now as well as formerly.

You condemn me for preaching extempore , and saying I am helped often immediately in that Exercise: But thousands as well as myself are thankful for the special Assistances which God has afforded me in that Exercise. — You likewise censure me as one that would lay aside Reading; but I am of Bishop Sanderson 's Mind, Study without Prayer is Atheism; Prayer without Study, Presumption . — Blame me not for the Warmth of some of my Adherents, as you call them. One of your Ministers knows, how sharply I rebuked one of them for his Warmth at Fog's Manor . I am for loving as Brethren, and wish all would copy after the lowly JESUS. — But then I cannot discommend those (supposing they do it in the Spirit of Meekness) who exclaim against dry sapless unconverted Ministers — Such surely are the Bane of the Christian Church.

But my other Affairs will not permit me to enlarge. Some of the latter part of your Queries , for your own and not my Sake, I shall not mention.—I hope I cansay with more Sincerity than Hazael, Is your Servant a Dog that he should do what you suggest? — But I pray God forgive you.—He knows my Heart.— My one Design is to bring poor Souls to Jesus Christ .— I desire to avoid Extremes, so as not to be a Bigot on the one Hand, or confound Order and Decency on the other. — And I could heartily wish the Reverend Presbytery when they advised you to publish your Queries , had also cautioned you against dipping your Pen in so much Gall. — Surely your Insinuations are contrary to that Charity that hopeth and believeth all Things for the best. And I appeal to your own Hearts, whether it was right, especially since you heard the constant Tenor of my preaching in America has been Calvinistical , to censure me as a Papist or Arminian , because a few unguarded Expressions dropped from my Pen just as I came out of the University of Oxford? —Could Archbishop Tillotson , or the Author of The whole Duty of Man , say so? — But I have done —The LORD be with you — I am a poor frail Creature: And as such, I beseech you to pray for

Two LETTERS To the Rev. Mr. Whitefield.