of persecution. By a succession of cruelties, by massacres, and banishment, the body of the faithful ministry was destroyed; the rest, a wretched remnant, pining in obscurity, fell by degrees a prey to the ignorance and the superstition of the age. The way was thus gradually paved for the deadly march of Deism. Led on at last, by Voltaire and his satellites, this frightful demon filled the nation with its emissaries: these, in their progress, met with feeble opposition: "truth had fallen in the streets;" the faithful watchmen were gone. That singular species of enthusiasts steady to their bloody purpose, confounded the catholic priest with the reformed pastor; the abuses of superstition with the holy religion of the Bible. Their deep laid conspiracy against christianity burst forth in the Revolution; and it buried religion and government, and morals, and the nation in blood and havoc. These facts show that the principles which breathe hostility against the christian ministry, are plotting treason against the country. From the nature of their office the ministry have to oppose the progress of infidelity, enthusiasm and crime. The slaves of these three have always hated, and will always hate, the ministry. This explains a fact on record, on the page of history, and which is established by evidence daily. I allude to the three public and avowed enemies of the ministry; the society of Friends; the society of Deists; and the different classes of immoral characters. That the last two classes should be decidedly hostile, is no matter of surprise. The unsanctified heart has not a deeper characteristic than this. It hates the power that strips it of its idols. But the hostility of the Friends is from principle, it is not personal; it is not the effect merely of the sufferings of their founders, under a persecuting priesthood: though this has had its influence, yet it is naturally engendered by their great tenet. Barclay explains the mystery in the following consistent manner. The primitive church possessed "the Spirit and the life;" the night of apostacy succeeded; "the life and substance of the christian religion was lost;"* the succession was cut off; the true seed was lost in them that held the sacred office; the result was fatal to them; their line and of * Apol. Prop. x. sect. 5, p. 291. The usual cant of the Socinian sectary. fice became extinct. And as an estate that has been entailed, devolves to the prince of the realm, when there is no heir to claim it, and as he gives it again to whom he will, even so the faithful ministry being extinct, the office, like an entailed estate, devolved back on Christ. He gave it to whom he pleased. This event which has no parallel in history, took place in England during the civil convulsions of Charles I. and Cromwell. Christ "gave the title and true right to those who turned to the pure light within."* George Fox, cordwainer, and his co-adjutors were the royal heirs; they received the whole right and title in fee simple. Hence their jealousy and unrelenting hostility. They view the ministry with the same feelings with which the intruder views the true heir at law, who claims his property. The war they bring is, therefore, a war of extermination; there cannot be even an armistice, until they surrender their leading tenet, or we give up our Bible! The office which the Society has created in the room of the ministry, is specifically different. It is a pure anomaly in the religious world; it bears not the features of the pastor, nor of the diocesan bishop, nor of patriarch, nor of pope. It makes an approach to the apostolical office; it is fabricated entirely out of immediate revelations. These constitute the office; these create the necessary qualifications; these form the call to active services; these suggest the ideas; these put words into the lips. Hence they who are invested with the office assume the title of " apostles," and place themselves in the line of successors to St. Peter! We have shown that the apostolical office could not, according to its nature, be hereditary. But admitting that it were, the ❝ virsuccessors must come prepared to establish their claims by tues and miracles." *See Apol. Prop. x. sect. 10, p. 303. "Minister the word faithfully as it is manifested and revealed to them." Advices of the Yearly Meet. Lond. so late as 1802, &c. "Notandum est hoc, &c." It is to be observed that neither "repar" a miracle, nor "or" a sign was required from the prophet who taught the law and exhorted to the fulfilment of its duties. But the prophet who demanded the faith of men to a new article of belief was called on for his sign, or miracle; and these he gave on suitable occasions. Grotius in Deut. xviii. 22. The Jews acted on this principle. Math. xii. 38. Luke xi. 16, 29, &c. Our Saviour would not yield to the caprice of men, nor permit them to dictate to him the time or nature of his miracles. But he "That is not necessary," says the apologist; "we bring no new gospel, but that which was confirmed by the miracles of Christ and his apostles."* The society does bring a gospel radically altered, if not new; many of their doctrines are new; they exclude from their system the most holy ordinances of baptism and the supper; they introduce the divine right of female preaching, and “female prelacy;" and the "bald, unjointed" form of their worship does not bear any near resemblance to the platform of the New Testament. To bring forward this new model of the gospel they present themselves under the title of "apostles," and claim the honours of "immediate revelations." Hence we demand of them evidence at least equal to that of the holy apostles. "That is not incumbent on us," says Barclay, " because Christ and his apostles established their commission, and the gospel by miracles; there is no reason why we should repeat them; their proofs are our proofs. This argument has no parallel in the royal logic of John of Munster. History informs us that this person (he was a tailor) at the head of the fanatics of Germany, set up certain claims to the throne of Zion. The sage reasoned in the manner of Barclay. "It is admitted by all that David and Solomon were legitimate kings at Jerusalem; they gave sufficient proofs of it. This supersedes the necessity of proofs on my part. I am therefore king of Zion at Munster!" The force of this logic is marvellous; its magic wand makes kings and apostles start up like mushrooms! There is no evading this demand. It is most reasonable; apostolical claims must be supported by apostolical proofs. Let the public functionaries of the society, therefore, produce the evidence of their commission from the court of heaven. Do not suppose that ancient miracles will bear out the claims of modern apostles; do not take refuge in telling us that if this demand be took occasion, frequently, to give the requisite proofs by the most stupendous miracles. 60 Singularem signi in prophetis judicandis rationem ha beri discimus, &c." Selden De Syned. Lib. iii. cap. 6. Spencer on Vulgar Prophecies, p. 60. Apol. Prop. x. sect. 12. Bugg's Pict. p. 176, Snake, &c. p. 54, 92. just, the first Reformers ought also to have been called on for their miracles. The cases are different; they brought no new claims on our faith; they came with no new revelations; they claimed no apostolical honours: they appealed to the scriptures, and the correspondence of their doctrines and practice to "the law and testimony," was the best evidence of their call to the ministry. Do not tell us that you discern spirits; we ask the proofs of this high gift: do not tell us that one inspired preacher bears his testimony to another. Whence are we to learn that the witness is himself inspired? A third revelation is necessary to confirm the second: there is no end of this species of argument. There was a proof beyond this in primitive times:—and a proof beyond which no appeal could be carried. This was "prophecy and miracles." If you are apostles let us have the proof which the holy apostles never declined. Let us witness predictions and miraculous powers; tell us not of the predictions of Fox. The oracle of Apollo gave ambiguous responses which were easily interpreted after the event fell out. Do not tell us that some illiterate Friends corrected translations from the learned languages. The thing wants proof; and if proved, it will only show that a modern demoniac can equal the ancient demoniac in speaking foreign tongues!* Upon the whole, these modern apostles want the "powers and miracles" which were essential to the office of the holy apostles. They have nothing to bear out their ghostly claims: they have not a solitary evidence of their "divine mission." On their own principles, they have no true elder, and no true preacher in their society. We do, therefore, denounce, and every honest Friend must, with us, denounce the unsupported claims of these men over them, as the sickly dreams of enthusiasts, and the gainful craft of impostors! • See the note C. in the Appendix on Oracles, &c. CHAPTER IV. ON THE MAINTENANCE OF THE MINISTRY. «Ο Κύριος διέταξε τοις ευαγγελίων καταγγέλλουσιν, εκ του ευαγγελίου ζην.” PAUL. THE Society condemns, in terms unusually severe, the ministry, who take a remuneration for their services. In their new nomenclature, they have no other title for them than hirelings;" and the "hireling" has been the favourite subject of invective in the public assembly and in the domestic circle. The theme has inspired ideas into brainless insipidity: it has roused lukewarmness into activity, and dullness into passionate sensibility. It has exhausted the loquacity of the female orator, and blown the fire of the zealot into fury ;* and the sons of Mammon, the while, like "fat contented ignorance,” have smiled on their labours, and lauded the system that spares the gold. We have no right, as we have assuredly no inclination, to interfere with the internal regulations of the society. We have simply to say, that as their orators have not the requisite talents for the ministry, nor a call to it; as they perform no stated pastoral services, we have to render them the praise of doing a strict act of justice, in declining a stated support to their ministers. They merit nothing; hence, they justly receive nothing. The case is different with the true ministry; and Barclay,† whose good sense would not allow him to deny it, has admitted the divine force of those laws to which we appeal in support of these claims, for clerical maintenance. "Let the elders that rule well, be counted * Penn, one of their politest writers, and one who knew what the term charity meant, does not allow a "priest” or “ dissenting minister" to be saved. 66 Against them," said he, "the boiling vengeance of an irritated God is ready to be poured out." See his "Guide Mist." p. 18, A. D. 1668, and "Quak. a new Nick." p. 165. There are other passages which I cannot venture to set down. See his Serious Apology," p. 156.Evan's" Narrative" laments this outrage to charity. Prop. x. sect. 28, p. 343. |