feen fome of them ftarving in little Schools, Curacies; and Lectureships, or depending on occafional Benefac tions for their Subfiftence? And have we not feen of thefe able Ministers, not of the Letter only, but of the Spirit alfo, fupplicating Votes to be received for their Paftors by those who, had they known their true Intereft, would firft have fought this Honour and Bleffing of them; and have we not feen them fupplicate in vain? Thefe Things ought not to be faid, if thefe Things were fo: But it is not the Defign of this Preface to be particular. O when fhall we learn to diftinguifh better! When fhall we rightly know the Things, that belong unto our Peace!

What Cause shall we affign for that Oppofition to Gofpel-Truths that appears amongst us, and for that Diflike to thofe, who urge the Neceflity of Regeneration and of the fpiritual Life? The true Reafon is nigh at Hand, tho' others are pretended: Such Doctrines are contrary to the Maxims and Principles, that govern the Hearts and Conduct of the Children of this Generation, are at Variance with the falfe Interests of Flefh and Blood, declare open War against the Kingdom of Self, and ftrike at every Thing that is most near and dear to corrupt Nature; and therefore carnal Men of every Denomination think themfelves concerned in Character, to oppofe and difcredit fuch a Reprefentation of Christianity. They can be zealous in Opinions, Forms, and an external Worship of any Kind, because thefe leave them in quiet Poffeflion of their Ambition, their Covetousness, their Love of themselves, and their Love of the World: They can readily take up a Profeffion of Faith in a fuffering Saviour, nay bring themfelves to truft in an outward Covering of his Merits and Righteoufnefs for Salvation, becaufe this cofts them nothing; but to be cloathed with his Spirit of Humility, Poverty, and Self-denial; to renounce their own

Wills

Wills in his Lowlinefs, Meeknefs, and total Refignation to the Will of God; to mortify the fleshly Appetites; to be crucified to the World; to ftrip themfelves of all Complacency and Satisfaction in those Endowments, whether natural or acquired, which appear great and glorious in the Eyes both of themselves and Others; and, in a Word, to take up their Cross, and nakedly follow a naked Chrift in the Regeneration: -- Thefe are hard Sayings, they cannot bear them: but Wisdom is juftified of her Children; unacceptable as these Doctrines are to others, yet to them, and in them too, they are the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God. It was by fuch Foolishness of Preaching, that Chrift's Kingdom first prevailed over the Kingdoms of this World, and it must be by the fame Doctrine, under the Influence of the fame Spirit, that we can only hope for its Continuance to the End of it. Evangelical Preaching is the moft proper Means of producing evangelical Fruit, fuch as a living Faith in Jefus Chrift, Heavenly - Mindedness, and Holiness in the inward Parts; and unless the great Gofpel-Doctrine of Regeneration be mainly infifted on, the people in general will be fo far from feeking a new Nature, that they will not know, that they want it : But thefe Truths affectionately urged enlighten the Understanding, convince the Sinner, warm the Heart, and through Grace are powerful to convert and change it. And accordingly we find, that where this great Myftery of Godlinefs, God manifeft in the Flesh and revealed in the Heart by his Spirit, is preached with Energy, and from an inward Experience of its Power, the Word prevails mightily, and is received into every fitly prepared Heart, not as the Word of Man, but, as it is in Truth, the Word of God, who ftill bears Teftimony to the Word of his Grace, with Power from on High.

That the Doctrine of Regeneration, or a new fpiritual Birth of a divine Nature in the Soul, together with other Matters

Matters of inward Religion, as well as they that preach them, have of late Years fallen under the Difgrace and Reproach of Enthufiafm with many, will not be denied: But that this Charge is nothing new, or contrary to what might be expected, the pious Mr. Burkitt declares, in his Note on that Paffage in St. Mark, where fome are faid to have gone out to lay Hands on our Lord, faying that He was. befide himself, "Learn hence (fays "Mr. Burkitt) that the forward Zeal and Diligence of "Chrift and his Minifters in Preaching the Gospel, is "accounted Madness and Phrenfy by a blind World: "But they may fay with the Apostle, If we be befide our"felves, it is unto God." And in his Note on thefe laft Words (2 Cor. v. 13.) he observes as follows, "Wicked " and carnal Men account and reprefent the holy Ser"vants of God as a fort of Mad-men: Workings of

Grace are fometimes fo far above Reefon, that they "feem to be without Reafon. There are feveral Acts " of Holinefs which the profane World esteems as Mad"nefs, as eminent Self-denial, great Serioufnefs in Religion, their burning Zeal, their holy Singularity, their Fervors of Devotion, their Patience and Meeknefs « under Sufferings and Reproaches. All thefe Acts of "Holiness reprefent the Saints as Mad-men to a car"nal Man." I dwell the longer on the Article Entbufiafm, as well because a late Author has availed himself of the common Acceptation and Abufe of this Word, to ground theron his irreverent and profane Treatment of the Myfteries of the Divine Life, and to caft Reproach upon every Thing that is inward and experi mental in Religion, as becaufe it will open the way to fome ufeful Inftructions for the common Reader.

As the Word Enthufiafm is frequently mifapplied, becaufe little understood, it will be needful to fettle its Definition and Kinds, in order to fix its Senfe: For Want of due Precision herein many confound different

Kinds

Kinds of Enthusiasm widely remote from each other, tho' their Reafon for this is oftentimes easy to discover: The Word, according to its prefent vulgar Ufe, anfwers well enough the Purpose of Reproach, and as tew Perfons have Difcernment fufficient to fee the Mifapplication, the Odium intended eafily falls upon the Perfon or Doctrine they are pleafed to connect with it. But if this Word is fometimes taken in an ill Senfe, it has alfo a good Meaning belonging to it, as will be fhewed in its proper Place; and in the latter Senfe, to ufe the Words of a learned Author, "A Spice of Enthusiasm " is no unreputable Thing, feeing that a Man feared on "this Bench finds himfelf in very good Company, fome "of the greatest Philofophers, Prophets, Legiflators, "Doctors, Fathers, and Saints in all Ages being confes"fedly his Affeffors.",

Enthufiafin, as it refpects Religion, divides itself into a threefold Distinction, all agreeing in the Sameness of the Object, but differing in the State of the Perfons, who are the Subjects of it. I fhall confider thefe three Kinds under the feveral Epithets, malignant, mixed, and pure.

One Species of a malignant Enthusiasm, and that the moft common, confifts in a blind intemperate Zeal for fomething called Religion, of any Denomination, under the imbittered Fury of a Party Rage, directed by the untutored Paffions of the animal Man, and ftanding in all the Depravity of corrupt Nature. It can look no farther than Names and fenfible Things, and therefore treats with Contempt the Mysteries of the Divine Life, is an utter Enemy to all Spirituality in Religion, and ufes the Word Sanctified, as applied to Perfons, only as a Term of Derifion, appropriating Sanctity to Places, Buildings, Veffels, or Veltments: But tho' its Zeal be exercifed on nothing better than Ceremonies, Names, and fenfible Objects, yet it is no lefs interested in their Defence than

if eternal Salvation entirely depended on them, and therefore fuch as come under this Predicament, are ready upon the laft Preference given to the Effentials over the Circumftantials of Religion to cry out as loudly as the Men of Ephefus for their great Diana. If fome Notions about Doctrines enter into this kind of Zeal, as Charity is wanting, they only ferve to inflame it the more, whilft they go about to fanctify their Wrath with the Pretence of contending earnestly for the Faith. The mad Knight Errantry of the Crufades was ftrongly tinctured with this Spirit of enthusiasm, and likewise all Wars in every Age that have been entered into for the Propagation of Religion; and fuch Madness unto the Death has been fancied Martyrdom. Now as this kind of a wild-fire Zeal greatly inflames the unmortified Paffions, the Devil finds an eafy Access thro' it to the Heart, where he reigns with uncontrolled Dominion, and is properly and truly Abomination fitting in the Holy Place, even that Place which fhould be a Temple confecrated to God, and the peaceful Manfion of the Spirit of Love: And this is defervedly called a malignant Enthufiafm from the Effects it produces, as Variance, Wrath, Strife, Wars, Perfecutions, and Maffacres on account of Religion, Men acting the Part of Savages one by another at the Inftigation of the Devil, and calling the Murder of their Brethren the doing God Service. All fuch Profeffors, however they may boaft the Antiquity of their Church, the Excellency of its Conftitution and Difcipline, or the Orthodoxy of its Creed, do notwithstanding fall greatly fhort of the Religion of good Heathens, and we fcruple not to pronounce, that Plato and Plotinus had a far better Faith and Practice. The learned Dr. Henry More* fpeaking of the Illumination of certain Theofophifts, which he attributes to natural Light and a complexional Philanthropy, expreffes himfelf thus: "This Illu(C) "mination

See his. Divine Dialogues.