CHA P. IV.

Some terms and diftinelions of Mr. Barclay examined, refpecting the feat or organ of knowledge.

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N his friendly preface to the reader, he tells us, "What he had written, comes more from his "heart than his head." And, under propofition the fecond, fection the first, he expreffes himself in these words, "For the better understanding then of this pro"pofition, we do diftinguish between the certain know"ledge of God, and the uncertain; betwixt the spiritual "knowledge and the literal; the faving heart know"ledge, and foaring, airy, head knowledge. The laft, we "confefs, may be divers ways obtained; but the first, "by no other way, than the inward immediate mani"feftation and revelation of God's Spirit, fhining in "and upon the heart, enlightening and opening the "understanding."

In another place, P. 144. he writes as follows, referring to what he had advanced under the fecond propofition, "A man may, by his rational principle, "apprehend in his brain, and in the notion, a knowledge of God and fpiritual things, yet, that being not the right organ, as in the second propofi❝tion hath more at length been fignified, it cannot "profit him toward falvation."

The firft quotation evidently points out to us, two feats or faculties of knowledge, the one in "the head," the other in the heart," the former "foaring," "airy," "uncertain," "literal," the latter "cer

tain," "fpiritual," "faving." Upon a deliberate reflection on the operations of his own mind, the writer of this treatise is unable to discover the propriety of these diftinctions. He remembers very well the time, when his mind was not taken up with the most important concerns of religion, and thofe views, by which,

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he apprehends, the Spirit of the Lord afterwards influenced him to forfake his fins, and turn unto the Lord; yet, he is intirely ignorant of any other feat of knowledge in himself, but that of the understanding, by which he means, the foul viewing present, or recollecting abfent or paft objects, which it has been acquainted with: Nor has he ever yet discovered two principles of intelligence, the one expreffing itself in one part of his animal frame, and the other in another part of it.

It is prefumed alfo, that the diftinction of "literal" and "fpiritual knowledge" can mean no more than this, that a perfon may have a verbal and grammatical acquaintance with a paffage, but not the full meaning and fenfe of the writer: As for inftance, any allegorical paffage of a prophet, may be grammatically understood by a perfon, which is properly a "literal" knowledge of it, but yet he knows not the characters, circumftances, or facts, meant by the prophet; in this cafe, he has not the " fpiri"tual" knowledge of it. If any thing more can, with any sense or meaning, be intended by the term "fpiritual," Mr. Phipps, or any one of his brethren, muft let us know what it is. There is another diftinction, which it may not be amifs to take fome notice of It is that of " fpeculative" and " "tical" knowledge. If by "fpeculation" be meant, the viewing propofitions as they are, with all the evidence that attends them, it may be denied, that perfons can have a true fpeculative" knowledge of the doctrines of Chriftianity, without finding them alfo powerful fprings of action influencing their temper and practice; for it is apprehended, that genuine Chriftianity is "a doctrine according to god"linefs," 1 Tim, vi. 3. It contains the grandeft views of the perfections of God, the rectitude of his government, the righteoufnefs of his laws, and the op

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pofition of his nature to all manner of impurity, even in the manifeftation of his forgiving goodness to the ungodly, through the faith of Jefus: It reprefents God as fhowing mercy to the hell-deferving, that he may reconcile their hearts unto himfelf; for which reason the Gospel is called " the word of reconci "liation," 2 Cor. v. 19. In fhort, if there be any principles, which will affect the confciences of men, when understood and believed; if there be any, that will raise the hopes of the guilty and diftreffed; if there be any, that will enlarge the heart with gratitude, and fire it with love; if there be any, that will reprefent God in the most venerable, and yet amiable light; if there be any, that will make fin detestable and horrible, and righteousness and holiness pleafing, and to appear, moft conducive to our happinefs; and if there be any, that can be formed, to affect all the fprings of human hope and action, and to infpire the foul with vigour and conftancy, they are the doctrines, they are the fentiments, which were taught by Jefus and his Apoftles, and which are piainly expreffed in the New Teftament. It cannot be conceived, how the Spirit of God can reveal any thing more affecting, more practical, more fpiritual, and more fublime, to perfons of this age; fuppofing we admitted the immediate infpiration of fuggeftion was not ceased, or, at leaft, not unknown in the present and fome former generations.

If then a perfon profeffes that heart-affecting fyftem of hope and action, Christianity, and be not godly, righteous, temperate, and merciful; its most interefting truths, in their real import, dwell not in him His apprehenfions of it are materially defective.

'Tis well known, however, that many serious honeft people use these diftinctions, which we have been confidering, in a very good fenfe. By "fpeculative" and "head knowledge," they mean, fuch fuperficial,

trifling,

trifling, and erroneous conceptions of the moft important discoveries of revelation, as never engage the governing affections and difpofitions of the mind, in the true fervice of God. They intend not to intimate, that a man has two principles of intelligence, or that the apprehenfions of a perfon, who is merely a warm stickler for a party, a mighty difputant for its diftinguishing tenets, and a mafter of words and human fcience, without having his heart and life in fact influenced by the Spirit and power of real chriftian godlinefs-they mean not to intimate, we think, that he has the fame views of that comfortable, beautiful, and purifying religion, which those have, who appear to be prevailingly directed and governed by its divine import, and place their happiness in regulating their affections and actions, according to its holy doctrines and precepts.

But, when fuch an ingenious and fubtle writer as Mr. Barclay uses this language, and with a manifeft view to found a fyftem upon it, it is not only allowable, but neceffary, to examine into it's fitnefs and propriety; and if he does not mean, in the fecond quotation, placed at the beginning of this chapter, to fet afide man's rational principle, as the inftrument, medium, faculty, or, if you please, feat of the faving knowledge of God, and fpiritual things, and to introduce another organ, or repofitory, of intelligence or knowledge, it is prefumed he has no meaning at all it will appear, however, that we have not miftaken him, when we come afterwards to confider fome other things, which he lays a great ftrefs upon in his Apology.

Other myftic writers, of no fmall repute, have expreffed themselves in much the fame manner as Mr. Barclay, though, it is owned, to establish a different fyftem from his: the confequence of which has been, that the honeft reader has been fometimes apt to conclude, that there must be fome new natural faculty

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implanted within him, before he can commence Christian, or be faved. This has been argued too, from those paffages of Scripture, where God is faid to give "the hearing ear," the "understanding heart," "eyes to fee," "a new heart," and the like: But if thefe paffages are to be understood literally, why not others, where it is faid, that "he will take away the "ftony heart, and give them a heart of flesh; Ezek. "xxxvi. 26 ?" And then we muft fuppofe, that the finner has really a heart of flint, which must be pulled out from within him, and a heart of real flesh afterwards implanted in its ftead: But this is fo grofs an interpretation, and fo palpably falfe, that it appears fhocking to every man of common fenfe. The leaft reflection will fuggeft, to every impartial perfon, the proper meaning of thefe expreffions, and that there is a beauty, ftrength, and propriety, in them, when taken in a moral fenfe, or as relating to the temper, turn or difpofition of the mind; but the groffeft abfurdity, in understanding them in a literal and natural.

To fuppofe, however, any new organ for intelligence, or natural power for thinking or willing, is given to the foul, at converfion or regeneration, is to fuppofe what I never yet faw proved: It is to conjecture contrary to the plain fenfe of Scripture, and universal experience and fact: It is to obfcure the plaineft fubject, to wrap one's-felf up in mystery, and, from a fond conceit of one's own experience, to attribute fomething to the influence of the Deity, that never had an existence, any where but in our own imaginations.

The reader will readily fee the importance of these remarks, when he confiders that Mr. Barclay said, it was neceffary to make this diftinction concerning knowledge, in order to build upon it his notion of internal, immediate revelation.

Mr. Phipps, in his obfervations upon this fection, would put the sayings and distinctions of Barclay, which have been exploded, upon the fame footing

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