that worketh in you, both to will and to do, of his own good pleasure.-From these, and many other repeated paffages, it is evident, that the affiftances of grace were not intended to deftroy, but to co-operate with the endeavours of man, and are derived from God in the fame manner as all natural powers.-Indeed, without this interpretation, how could the Almighty address himself to man as a rational being?-how could his actions be his own?how could he be confidered as a blameable or rewardable creature? From this account of the confiftent opinions of a fober-minded chriftian, let us take a view of the mistaken enthufiaft.-See him oftentatiously clothed with the outward garb of fanctity, to attract the eyes of the vulgar. See a chearful demeanour, the natural result of an easy and self-applauding heart, ftudiously avoided as criminal.-See his countenance overfpread with a melancholy gloom and defpondence; as if religion, which is evidently calculated to make us happy in this life as well as the next, was the parent of fullenness and discontent.-Hear him pouring forth his ; pharifaical ejaculations on his journey, or in the streets.-Hear him boafting of extraordinary communications with the God of all knowlege, and at the fame time offending against the common rules of his own native language, and the plainer dictates of common fenfe.Hear him arrogantly thanking his God, that he is not as other men are; and, with more than papal uncharitableness, very liberally allotting the portion of the damned, to every christian whom he, partial judge, deems lefs perfect than himself-to every christian who is walking on in the paths of duty with fober vigilance, afpiring to perfection by progreffive attainments, and seriously endeavouring, through a rational faith in his Redeemer, to make his calling and election sure. There have been no fects in the chriftian world, however abfurd, which have not endeavoured to fupport their opinion by arguments drawn from Scripture, mifinterpreted or mifapplied. We had a melancholy inftance of this in our own country, in the last century,-when the church of Chrift, as well as the govern ment, during that period of national confufion, was torn afunder into various fects and factions; when some men pretended to have Scripture precepts, parables, or prophecies to plead, in favour of the most impious abfurdities that falfehood could advance. The fame spirit which prevailed amongst the fanatics, feems to have gone forth among these modern enthufiafts.-Faith, the diftingufhing characteristic of a christian, is defined by them not as a rational affent of the understanding to truths which are established by indifputable authority, but as a violent perfuafion of mind, that they are inftantaneously become the children of God-that the whole fcore of their fins is for ever blotted out, without the payment of one tear of repentance.-Pleafing doctrine this to the fears and paffions of mankind!—promising fair to gain profyletes of the vicious and impenitent. Pardons and indulgences are the great fupport of papal power;-but these modern empirics in religion have improved upon the fcheme, pretending to have discovered an infallible noftrum for all incurables; fuch as will B b preferve them for ever.-And notwithstanding we have inftances of notorious offenders amonst the warmest advocates for finless perfection, the charm continues powerful.-Did thefe vifionary notions of an heated imagination tend only to amufe the fancy, they might be treated with contempt;-but when they depreciate all moral attainments;-when the fuggeftions of a frantic brain are blafphemously afcribed to the holy spirit of God;-when faith and divine love are placed in oppofition to practical virtues, they then become the objects of averfion. In one fenfe, indeed, many of thefe deluded people demand our tenderest compaffion,-whofe disorder is in the head rather than the heart: and who call for the aid of a physician who can cure the distempered ftate of the body, rather than one who may foothe the anxieties of the mind. Indeed, in many cafes, they seem so much above the skill of either,—that unless God in his mercy rebuke this fpirit of enthusiasm, which is gone out amongst us, no one can pretend to fay how far it may go, or what mischiefs it may do in these kingdoms.-Al ready it has taught us as much blasphemous language; and, if it goes on, by the samples given us in their journals, will fill us with as many legendary accounts of vifions and revelations, as we have formerly had from the church of Rome. And for any fecurity we have against it,—when time shall serve, it may as effectually convert the professors of it, even into popery itself,-confiftent with their own principles; for they have nothing more to do than to fay, that the spirit which inspired them, has fignified, that the pope is inspired as well as they, and confequently is infallible. -After which I cannot fee how they can poffibly refrain going to mafs, consistent with their own principles. Thus much for these two oppofite errors; -the examination of which has taken up fo much time, that I have little left to add, but to beg of God, by the affistance of his holy spirit, to preserve us equally from extremes, and enable us to form fuch right and worthy apprehenfions of our holy religion, that it may never fuffer, through the coolness of our conceptions of it, on one hand, or the im |