mirari deberemus, etiam cum
in aliis videremus. •

( I ) Guard againfi ohjeSions.
There is as much reafon for
giving this advice to preach-
ers as there is for faying ta
an architecl going to build.
Guard again ft winds and
ftorms ; you build in fummer
and retire ; but your build-
ing



( 224 )

one without much refledion. ( i )



Remark



ang mull (land abroad all
winter. It would be folly to
fuppofe, that any religious
truth, how demonftrable fo-
ever, could ftand in this
world free from objeflions.
All truths touch fomebody's
antereft, and touch the fecu-
lar interell of half mankind,
and you touch thiir bone mid
their fefi, and, were you a
God, they would cur/e you to
your face. Perhaps no fub-
jeft is of greater importance
to truth in the chriftian
church than that of bene-
fices, and perhaps no pro-
teftant has written a better
book on hemficiary matters,
than that publifhed by Fra
Paoli Sarpi, who lived and
died in the eommunion of
the church of Rome, the
moft monied and the moll
corrupt of all. All commu-
nities allow the truths con-
tained in it in theory; in-
deed who can deny them ?
but in praftice — - Ay, in
praftice, father Paul! we
have a great many - - - very
- — weighty - - - objedli-
ons - - - which require a

moft â–  mature - - -

deliberation. Lay hands Jud-
deiily on no ma7i - - - You
fay, " the apoftles never de-
puted a man to any ecclefi-
aftical charge, who was not
iirft elciled by the 'whole church

collefted together." You

affirm, " the apodles ga-ve
tkemfsl'ves to prayer ^ and to the



minijlry of the <v:ord, and left
fecular affairs to fecular men-;
but now the chief prelates
of the church, quite other
fort of men, attend the go-
vernment of temporal things,
and leave the office o? preach-
ing and teaching the word
of God, and the dodlrine of
the gofpel to friars and cheap
inferior priefis." - - - Upon
my confcience, father Paul !
I cannot fee the evidence, or
the utility of your reafoning.
- - Hear me, my friend ! - -
Yours is an interleaved edi-
tion of Fra Paoli on beneficiary
tfzaiters, and, as you are a
patron of the arts as well as
a chriftian clergyman, your
connoilTeur left eye beguiles
your clerical right eye, and.
fixes both on the beautiful
copper-plate on the oppofite
page. That copper-plate is
worth three thoufand guineas
annually at the bank of Eng-
land. Ah! father Paul ! be-
neficiary matters are divifible
into t=vjo parts — there are be-
neficial bank bills as well a«
benefi ciary demonjirations ! Se-
rioufly, I mean to remind
young minlfters — that, in
guarding their doftrines
againft objedlions, they
fhould lludy men as well as
books, and confider what it
will coil fome people to al-
low their demonftratlons.

A preacher may excite ob-
jeftions againft his doftrine
by an injudicious way of



( 225 )

Remark, however, objeftions muft be natural,
and popular, not far-fetched, nor too philofophi-

cal;



propojing it. Caflander, Gro-
tius, Bifliop Forbes, and
many others have propofed a
reunion of the reformed
churches with the church of
Rome : but the very manner,
in which they propofed it,
lias created objections againfl
a reunion ftrongcr and more
numerous than any, that lie
againft a feparation. — " The
difference, fays one, lies more
in ter?Ks than in things. — •
There is no difference, fays
another; Archbifhop Sheldon
and Blandford Biflicp of
Worcefter both told the
Dutchefs of York that they
prayed for the dead every
day, although they did not
own it. Barrow Bilbop of
S. Afaph, and Thorndike
prebendary of Weftminfter
caufed requefts for prayers
for their fouls to be put upon
their graveflones. Forbes
wrote for purgatory. Now
fay they, is it reafonable to
feparate from a church for
teaching doftrines, which we
ourfelves fufFer to be taught
• in our own V To all which
we reply. Such propofals of
reunion to Rome as come
from men, who fo ftate the
cafe as to prove their total
ignorance of the real grounds
of feparation, are more cb-
jeftionable than the fepara-
tion itfelf. See Effay for C«-
tholick Ccminunior. 1 70^^.
Vol.11.



Objeftions againft a doc-
trine may be created by an
aukward manner of attempt-
ing to prove it. A vice-
chancellor of a foreign uni-
verfity publiftied a fabbath-
day's meditation on the inter-
mediate ftate of feparate fpi-
rits : a confolatory difcourfe
on the anniverfary of his
wife's death. Some of his
firft refledions are taken from
— the finging of /wans before
death — from the opinions of
C/V^ro— and Seneca— -2iTi^ Lac-
tantius. Alas ! miferable com"
forters are they all! The de-
cifions of Jefus Chrijl fliould
have ftood firft in place, as
they ftand firft in authority
on this article. Joachimi Ha-
gemeteri De Jlat. anim,

Objeftions, which are
known to lie againft a doc-
trine, may be ftrengthened
by being omitted. Butler,
who knew every body, and
every thing, was pleafed to
call a certain fet of people
OhfoUers; and his laft learned
editor, Doflor Grey, who
knew hiftory and divinity,
and every thing except equity
to puritans, was pleafed to
inform the world, that he
had found out after great
labour, that thefe obfollers
were puritan preachers, and
that his author fo called them
on account of their raifing
(jhjeflions and then giving _/«-

F f lutiijns



( 226 )

cali in a word, they muft be fuch as it is abfo-

lutely



lutions in their fermons ; and
alfo for their marking thefe
parts of their fermons in the
margins of their printed books
by OB — SOL - - - Moll in-
conceivably important dif-
covery ! Why Doftor! You
remind me of a moft mon-
ilrous erudite fcholar in Gil
Bias : but for whom the world
would never have known
that children cried at Athens
when they were beaten!
The truth was, the prelates
made obs, and the puritans
were forced to make fols to
iheath them ; for the former
had been fo intent on efta-
blilhing themfel-ves, and on
perfecuting all non-confor-
mifts, that they had forgot
to ellablifh the gofpel of je-
fus Chrift ; when, therefore,
the puritans obtained audi-
ence, they were obliged to
remove a thoufand objeftions
^ againft the liniple truth,
which their auditors, funk
in popular ignorance and fu-
perftitions, filthy offal left by
popifti prelates, and not
cleanfed away by high-flying
•pifcopalians, had entertain-
ed. The famous Arthur
Hilderlham, a worthy pre-
deccfTor of the learned Doftor
Grey, in the living of Afhby
de la Zouch, Leicefterlhire,
was one of thefe obfollers.
Several of his leftures on the
fourth of John are compofed
of objections and atifiucrs, and
excellent fermons they are.



The doSlrine, the Jlyle, and
the temper of his works may
be fet againft the produftions
of any prelate of his own
age, and they would produce
the fame efFedl as a river pro-
duces in contraftwith a ftand-
ing pond. Hilderlham had
a noble foul, a foul too 'great
to be governed by a few fad-
dling rules drawn up by pul-
ing mafters, at a fire-fide,
and never tried in real ac-
tion. His law neither pro-
te^Sted nor prohibited obfol-
lers ; his law was popular
edification. Hear him.
*' Shew me not the meat :
but (hew me the man. He
is the mofl able minifter of
the new teflamcnt, who win-
neth mofl: fouls, and reapeth
moft fruit unto God. That
kind of preaching, whereby
the people of God profit moft
in knowledge and fanflifica-
tion, is the beft kind of
preaching. Let no man fay,
he is unlearned, whoteacheth
profitably. When God hath
fet his feal on his miniftry (as
on thefe he hath done, i Cor.
ix. 2.) who art thou, that
dareft difpraife, or defpife,
or difgrace him ! God's peo-
ple fhould not allow beft of
him, who praifelh himfelf:
but of him, whom the Lord
praifeth by working with
him in bleffing his labours.
2 Cor. X. 1 8. Compare the
hearers of thefe learned and
eloquent teachers, whom thou
f»



( 227 )

iutcly neceflary to obferve and refute. (2)



They



fo much admireft, with thofe
of others, who preach plain-
ly, and whom thou defpifeft
for that caufe, and judge
whether is the bell teacher.
/ i.vill knonxi not the fpeech of
them, that are pujfid up : but
the power, i Cor. iv. ig, zo."
A man of fuch a heart can-
not do much amifs. Give
him a bible and a little com-
mon fenfe, and he will do
"•reater pood than a thoufand
doftorial editors of Hudi-
braftick books, a fort of
common fewers, finks of all
the filth of the town, fcraped
up and fwept in by fcaven-
gers in black ! Jrth. Hilder-
Jham, Le£l. on yohn, Le^i',
Ixviii.

(2) State thofe ohjeBlons
only, 'which it is neceffary to
refute. Some divines of mo-
defl and moderate principles
have thought proper to ilate
ebjedions without any de-
fign of refuting them ; and,
it Ihould feem, they have
afled wifely in doing fo.
For I. It is certain, there
are many literary enquiries
relative to the bible, and fe-
veral doftrines contained in
it, which are, and ever will
be indilToluble myfteries. 2.
7'hefe will always be liable
to objedlions from all the
enemies, and from many of
the friends of revelation.
Enemic'S will naturally com-
plain ; and fomc friends have



no ideas of myfteries in reli-
gion. 3. In this Hate of
affairs, two forts of believers
will go to difputing. The
one will urge objedlions, the
other will endeavour to re-
move them ; and in their
great zeal will overfhoot the
mark, by attempting to elu-
cidate what is naturally be-
yond elucidation ; or by giv-
ing folutions more intricate
and objedtionable than the
objeftious themfelves. Here
then, 4. Modeil moderate
men ftep in, Rate the diffi-
culties on both fides, urge
home the impoflibility of ob-
taining demonltration, prove
that the difficulties in quef-
tion ought not to form even
a prejudice againfl revelation,
and turning the whole into
moral ufe exhort the difpu-
rants to ceafe jarring about
what none of them can de-
termine. Thefe divines are
generally known in this
world by odious appellations,
and quaint names of flander
andabufe, by which their fiery
weak brethren think proper
to diflinguilh, and punifh
them : but by what name
they will be known in the
next world, the prince ofpeace,
who bleffed the peacemakerSf
alone can tell !

Saurin was oae of this
clafs. His fermon on pre-
deftination, which we have
elfewhere quoted, may ferve

F f 2 to



( 228 )

They mnfc be propoied in a clear and fimpk
flyle without rhetorical exaggerations ; yet not un-



adorned nor unaffeding. (3)



I think.



to explain our meaning in
regard to daSirim : and his
preface to his diflertations
on the bible, torn. i. will
fhew our meaning in regard
to literary matters. "An
undent book — written in a
dead language — in which «o
ether author has written —
fpeaking oiailions — cujloms —
plac:s — and nations — of which
no 'vr/lige remains — is it
ftrange that there fhould be
pafTages in fuch a book be-
yond the erudition of inter-
preters !" Saur. Dijf. torn. i.
fref.

(3) State ohjeBions 'without
rhetorical exaggerations. In
all argumentation it is ex-
tremely important to diftin-
guifh between reafon and paf-
iion. Reafon ftates fads,
and draws conclufions : paf-
iion colours them ; and, if
we be incautious, the colour-
ing will miflead us. The
fame cool equity, that is re-
quifite in a court of judica-
ture, ought to be exercifed
in a chriPiian pulpit. For
example.

The bill of indi<5tment
preferred againft John Bun-
yan ran thus. ** John Bun-
yan - - - hath deviliihly and
perni,cioi-!fly abllained from
coming to church to hear di-
vine fervice : and is a com-
mon upholder of feveral un-



lawful meetings and conven-
ticles, to the difturbance and
diftraftion of the good fub-
jefts of this kingdom, con-
trary to the laws of our fo-
vereign lord the king."

The t\vo fafts are thefe.
Bunyan did not worlhip Al-
mighty God in the parifh
meeting-houfe. Bunyan did
worlhip Almighty God in a
farm-houfe. Now thefe two
fads are innocent in them-
felves, inoffenfive to fociety,
and altogether unconnefled
with plots of fubverting civil
government, confequently,
the citizen, who did them,
ought not to have been cri-
minated for thefe adlions.
But fee what rhetorick can
do ! Call the parilh meeting-
houfe the church — name the
ceremonies performed there
y2T'z;?Vf— aflert the book that
contains them to be divine
— make the whole of religion
to confill: in hearing a prieft
read it— affirm that a denjiJ^
or a deijilkin comes from hell
sto perfuade Bunyan not to
hear it — fay that Bunyan's
abfence is of fo much confe-
quence as to be pernicious, or
deftruftive to the divine book
— Call the farmer's parlour,
held in fee-fimple, zco7j'uenti~
cle or meeting-place — fay, if
fixteen harveft-men and their
wives meet there oa the
tweft.



( 229 )

I think, It is never advifeable to ftate objec-
tions, and defer the anfwers to them till another

oppor-



twentieth of Auguft and get
drunk at harvelt-home, the
parlour is a lanvful conventi-
cle ; and that if they meet
there on the twenty-iirft of
Auguft to repent of drunk-
enneis, and get Bunyan to
pray to God there to accept
their repentance, and to tell
them out of the bible whe-
ther God will accept it, that
then it is an unla'vjful conven-
ticle — fay, tnat the prayers
and tears of thefe feventeen
poor wretches dijlurb and
diJiraH all the good fubjedts
of the kingdom, who may
happen to be at the very time
extremely merry at operas,
play-houfes, taverrs, ale-
houfes, and other places, and
know nothing about it — be-
dizen all this with the name
of cur fo'vereign lord the king —
and lo ! this rhetorical objec-
tion fhall fend Bunyan to jail
for twelve years and fix
months!

In a manner equally frau-
dulent divines bring objec-
tions into the pulpit, and de-
lude unwary fouls with great
Jhvelliug njoords of in/ignifi-
cance. Bifhop Hoadley af-
firmed, that " the laws of
Chrilt's kingdom, as he left
thetn, have nothing of this
wofld in their view." Dodor
Trapp thought proper to
objeft againlt this propofi-
tion, becaufe " it would in-



troduce anarchy and confujion
into THE CHURCH, and cf-
ftablifh herejy, libertiniftn, in~
fidelity, and atheifm, upon the
ruins oi chrijiiai2iiy:" that is
to fay, Chrift left a fyftem
of atheifm, and civil powers
turned it into a fyftem of i-e-
ligion. Serm. on Chriji s king-
dom. May 19, 17 17.

Here are two other fafts.
The Eritifti parliament fup-
prefl'ed epifcopacy in lefs
than one hundred years after
they had eftabliftied it. The
liturgy was laid afide, and
the direftory fupplied its
place, by order of t'le poivers
that ivere. And had not the
power, that created liturgy
and epifcopacy, as much
right to annihilate as to create
them? If religion be a ftate-
tool, may not the ftate ufe
whatever tools they think
beft {erve their purpofe ?
No fuch thing. Hear the
church's objedtion. •* Epif-
copacy, that venerable, an-
cient, apoftolical order fell a
facrifice to mifguided zeal,
and blind popular fury. Then
began conceited ignorance to
triumph wide and far over
learning and found know-
ledge, novelty over antiquity,
confufion over order, fchifm,
herefy and blafphemy over
unity, orthodoxy, and ftn-
cere piety. This was refin-
ing upon the churgh of Eng-
land!



opportuniry
fully. (4)



( 230 )
anfwer them diredly, forcibly and

Here,



land! thefe our reformers!"
- - Nay but. Rev. Mr. Arch-
deacon, nuho art thou, that
rcplieji ag^inji thy God!
Shall the thing formed fay to
him, that formed it. Why haft
than made me thus ! Hath not
the civil magiftrate power
over the eftaolifhed clergy,
cf the fame lump to make
tpifcopalians in the fixteenth
century and prefbyterians in
the feventeenth ? T\\e fa^,
and the rhetorick of it mull
be dillinguiihed. Dr. Wa-
terland's ferm, at S. Paul's,
May 29, 1723.

There are two forts of peo-
ple, who quit the epifcopal
community ; and both ought
to Itudy this article. The
£rll confifts of thofe, whofe
objedlions lie againft the con-
^itution itfelf, and they ought
not to yield up the plain, li-
teral, folid reafons of their
diilent to any declamations,
tha"; do net touch the point
in debate, however florid
they may be. The other
dafs quit the church en ac-
count of the men, who ad-
ininifter the conftitudon;
either, they fay, their doc-
trines are unfound, or their
lives immoral. Thefe deal
very largely in rhetorical ob-
jefticns againft the clergy,
and paint in glaring colours
the preaching and the prac-



tices of the men. The fird
is the peaceable wayofdif-
fenting. It reprobates the
conftitution and leaves the
men to the mercy jf God.
Civil liberty empowers them
to do the firft : chriftianity
binds them to obferve the laft.

(4) Refute ohjeSlions fully,
Quintilian fays, it is as much
harder to defend than to ac-
cufe, as to heal a wound is
harder than to make one,
" Non fine caufa tamen dif-
ficilius femper eft creditum
(quo Cicero faspe teftatur)
defendere quam accufare - -
proponitur enim uno modo,
varie diiTolvitur - - - hinc
mille flexus et artes defide-
rantur - « - accufationibus
etiam mediocres in dicendd
fufficerunt : bonus defenfor
nemo, nifi qui eloquentifli-
mus fuit. Nam ut quod fen-
tio femel finiam,tanto eli ac-
cufare quam defendere
quanto facere quam fanare
vulnera facilius." Inf, v.
13 de Refutatione.

Chriftianity was formed
perfedl by Jefus Chrift as the
human body was made by
the creator, and in its ori-
ginal fimplicity it required
nothing of literary &ill to
anfwer objeftions, for its ene-
mies could fay nothhig
againft it worth hearing: but
after it fell into the butcher-



( 231 )

Here, it may be afked, whether in Hating ob-
jedlions to be anfwered it be proper to propofe
them all together at once, and then come to the
anfwers, or whether they fhould be propofed and
anfwered one by one ? I llippofe difcretional good
fenfe muft fcrve for both guide and law upon this
fubjedt. If three or four objeftions regard oni^
one part of the text, if each may be propofed and
anfwered in a few words, it would not be amifs to
propofe thefe objedlions all together, diftinguifhing
them however by firft — fecond — third — this may
be done agreeably : but if thefe objections regard
diff'erc7it parts of the text, or different matters, if
they require to be propofed at full length, and if
it would alfo take fome time to anfwcr them, ir
would be an impertinence to propofe them all to-
gether. In fuch a cafe they muft be propofed and
anfwered apart (^)

XXIII.



ly hands of bad men, who
firft chopped it in pieces and
deftroyed its form, and then
made it up again another
form as feemed good to the
makers, it became very ob-
jedionable, and learning and
Ikill became requifite quali-
fications of its defenders.
The only way, then, of fo-
lidly defending chriilianity
is the art of difentangling
the originp.l, and of placing
it in its primitive fhape.

(5) Some ohjiclions mujl be
Jiated feparatelyy a7id others
all together. That ineflimable
fet cl fermons againO popery,
which was preached bv our
minillers at Sahers' hall in
17^5, alTwrds a beai.'tiful ex-



emplification of cur author's
rule. The fet contains our
ohjiclions againft popery.
Each of thefe was propofed
apart. Mr. Barker opened
the leclure with a general
charge of corruption — Doc-
tor Chandler followed, ancf
objected againit the papal
notes of the church — Mr.
Neal came next and deiiroyed
popifh fuprerr.acy — Mr.Smytli
examined ir. fallibility — Doc-
tor Wright coniidefed tradi^
tion — Doftor Harris iranfub-
JiantiatioTiy and {o on. Each,
article is an objeCiion againlt
popery, and it was fair and
proper to examine each
apart : but it was not necef-
fary in examir.i'ig e-ch arti-
cle



( 232 )

XXIII.

Consider Characters of — Majesty — MEA^f-
NESS — Infirmity — Necessity — Utility-
Evidence, &:c. (6)

Majesty, and Magnanimity.

Take an example of this from John xiv. i. Let
not your heart be troubled^ you believe in God, believe

alfo



cle to feparate the feveral
objedlions, that there are
againll each, and to refute
them apart. They are, there-
fore, in fome of the fermons
Hated all together. Thus Doc-
tor Harris. " The Trent
catechifm fays — That the fa-
crament is the true body of
Chrifl, which was born of
the virgin, and is now in
iieaven, together with his
foul and divinity — That it is
entire in every part of the
bread, and every drop of the
wine — that no part of the
fubftance of bread and wine
remains — that the accidents
of bread and wine, which do
remain, are in no fubjeft,
but exift by themfelves in a
wonderful manner, and
which is not too curioufly to
be inquired into - - - This
is the point I am to debate at
this time." It was fmartly
fajd by Doftor Hughes in
the next fermon, which was
againil the popifli veneration
of faints ; '* there is one
faint, who, I fear, does not
come in for his ihare of de-



votions - - - It is one Saint
Mathurin, who, it feems, has
an admirable noftrum for the
cure oi folly."

(6) Conjider charaders.. As
there are certain perfonal
qualities peculiar to each in-
dividual, and to defcribe
thefe is to chara£lerjze the
man, fo there are certain
peculiarities, which belong
to expreffion, and thefe pe-
culiars, whatever they are,
are the characters, or diftin-
guifhing marks of each ex-
preffion. There are as many
of thefe as there are intelli-
gent emotions, which exprefs
themfelves in language ; for
proper language is all ex-
preffion of emotion. Even
tones, without articulation,
are charafteriftical, that is
to fay, they exprefs fear, joy,
anger, and fo on ; and there
are cafes in which filence is
charaQeriftical. Our au-
thor's rule, then, is founded
in the nature of things.

There is a kind of fympa-

thy between intelligence and

expreffion. Mean thoughts

cannot



( 233 )

alfo in me. Thefe words are charadlerlzed by a ma^
jeft)\ which exalts Jefus Chrift above all ordinary
pallors, and above all the prophets ; for who befide
the fon of God could fay, Te believe in God^ believe
alfo in me? Thefe words equal Jefus Chrift to the
eternal father, and make him the objeft of our
faith and confidence as well as the father ; for they
imply that faithful fouls may repofe an entire con-
fidence in his power, prote(5tion and government,
and that the fhadow of his wings will diflipate the
forrows of their minds, and leave no more room
for fear. (7)

You



cannot be dignified by lan-
guage, and much language
only gives the whole the air
of flirivelled fruits. On the
contrary, magnanimity of
thought fliines through lan-
guage juft as fome lovely fe-
male features fparkle through
a thin gauze vail. The fym-
pathy lies not in the quan-
tity; but in x.\vQ fort of Ityle.
Longinus treats of this in his
ninth fedlion, and calls fub-
lime language /y-s^/ctAojfo^t^i'f)?
*'^"X."A*^> eccho magnitudi-
nis animi. The holy fcrip-
tures inculcate the fame idea :
a fool's 'voice is kno-zvn by a
multitude of 'words., a fool's
fpeech, or flyle is charafteriz-
ed by an exuberance of terms
—hearken to the 'voice of my
nvords : Job xxxiv. 16, — The
rulers knetu not the 'voices of
the prophets : Ads xiii. 27.
— Paul's epijiles are 'weighty
and po'vjerful: 2 Cor. x. 10.
— The peep kno^jo the Jhsp-
herd's 'voice : John x. 4:,
Vol. II.



(7) Character of fnajefly.
It was prophefied of the Mef-
fiah, he fb all feed iti the via-
jefly of the najne of the Lord
his God ; that is to fay, he
fliall teach a fublime dodrine,
and he fhall rule like God
with an irrefiilible authority.
Micah V. 4. Jefus of Naza-
reth exadly anfvvers this de-
fcription. The truth of
his dodtrine is the fublimity
of it, and the demonftration,
that attends it, carries along
with it the foft impelling
fwayof irrefiftibleconvidion,
forming principles of felf-
fuafion (if I may fo fpeak)
within the foul of each dif-
ciple. There are various de-
grees of the fublimity of
truth. The whole truth of a
gnat or an acorn would form
a noble body of fcience :
what muft the truth of God
be ! Him «3 jnan had ever
feen ; he inhabited light that
none could approach ; yet all
human felicity lay in the

G g know-



( 234 )

You fee alfo a chara6ler of tendernefs and infi-
nite love towards his difciples, which appears in
the afiurance, with which he infpires them, and in
the promife, which he tacitly makes them, of al-