a great prophet? Many a doubter is not gone so far from Christianity as to deny the facts on which our holy religion depends; and they will allow that the Christian religion is supported by these facts, which have been delivered down to us by a notorious and incontestable manner of evidence; but the special and important doctrines of this religion, such as the sacrifice of Christ as a proper atonement for sin and our sanctification by the Holy Spirit, which are taught so frequently and so expressly in the New Testament, carry something in them so disgustful, not only to the relish of our modern infidels in general, but also to the prejudices of some who profess Christianity, that they would fain evade these truths, and quit themselves of them by such a construction as really destroys them.” Again he asks, "Is it worth while for our ministers to be at all this pains in the pulpit and the study, by the printing press and by private conversation, to defend the New Testament from the insults, the cavils, and clamours of infidels, if it teaches us so little beyond what the light of nature teaches, or have so much to fear from the Deists, that some of us who are called Christians should be at so much labour to pervert the glorious truths of the New Testament to their taste, and to drop those which they do not like. Have we any good and sufficient reason to subdue the words of Christ and His apostles down to the meaning and sense of infidels, or to be so solicitous to ingratiate those divine doctrines with unbelievers, by reducing them to such a similitude to their opinions, and sinking them almost down to their size and dimensions? Can we ever expect thanks from our blessed Lord in the great day for this sort of service? "What? has the Christian religion so little in it beyond the restoration of natural religion that in such very improper terms, and such foreign and distant language as that wherein he represents the gospel of Christ? Is this His plainest and His clearest manner of instructing the heathen world in the religion of nature, or of restoring it where it was lost, to tell them they must be reconciled to God by the death or the blood of Christ, that He has made peace by the blood of His cross, that Christ crucified is the wisdom and power of God for the salvation of men ? That He died for our offences, that He gave Himself a ransom for men, that God has set Him forth to be a propitiation through faith in His blood, that we must trust in His name, that we must be justified by His blood and by faith in Him, and that by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous, that by His own blood He obtained eternal redemption for us, that the blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered Himself with out spot to God, should purge our consciences from dead works, i.e., from works deserving death, and that Christ appeared in the end of the world to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself? And do St. Peter and St. John intend nothing more than the same plain doctrines and dictates of natural reason when they teach the great truths of the gospel in the same strange language, when they tell us that Christ suffered the just for the unjust to bring us to God, that He bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all sin, that He is a propitiation for our sins, that He hath loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and that by His blood He hath redeemed us unto God? And did our blessed Lord Himself design nothing but to restore the religion of nature when He told the Jews that the Good Shepherd laid down His life for the sheep, that the Son of Man came to give His life a ransom for many. "Are not these the gentlemen who are continually giving us caution to keep close to Scripture to use the words and expressions of Scripture in all matters of revelation-to speak of the doctrine of the gospel as Christ and His apostles speak? Are not these the persons who are extremely jealous of admitting anything into Christianity but what Christ and His apostles have taught expressly in the New Testament? Are they not perpetually insisting upon it, that we must take our religion from Scripture itself? And do we not effectually obey this caution and advice in our belief of the doctrine of the atonement of Christ for sin? Is it not most strongly and evidently taught in the New Testament? Is it not taught in many pages, and in a great variety of expressions there, and that by almost all the writers of that book? Is it not brought in in the sacred epistles almost upon every occasion? Are not the great duties, faith, love, and prayer, built much upon it by the apostles? What shall we say to men who will not observe the very cautions and advices which they themselves lay down in forming the articles of their faith? Men who leave out a most plain, and express, and important article, and break through all rules of just interpretation rather than allow of any doctrine in Christianity which does not suit with their scheme and fancy? If the prophets and apostles never so expressly reveal and dictate such a truth, the words must be tortured and bowed by all the arts of criticism, and make them speak and mean something else. "To me it is evident as the sunbeams, that while the New Testament restores natural religion to us in the brightest and fairest light, and lays the strongest obligations on us to perform all the duties of it, yet it still supposes the impossibility of salvation thereby through our own incapacity to perform these duties perfectly, and therefore it sets forth to our view the blessed sacrifice of the Son of God, which is the only true and proper atonement for our sins." Watts had no sympathy with the semi-paganism called rational religion, and as his experience became mellowed by affliction, his attachment to evangelical principles constantly increased. We have an example of this in a letter to his father, who lived to the age of eighty-five KENSINGTON, February 8, 1736-7. "HONOURED AND DEAR SIR,-It is now ten days since I heard from you, and learned by my nephew that you had been re Letter of Dr. Watts to his father. When covered from a very threatening illness. you are in danger of life, I believe my sister is afraid. to let me know the worst, for fear of affecting me too much. But as I feel old age advancing on myself, I am endeavouring to be ready for my removal hence, and though it gives a shock to nature when what has been long dear to one is taken away, yet reason and religion should teach us to expect it in these scenes of mortality and a dying world. Blessed be God for our immortal hopes through the blood of Jesus, who has taken away the sting of death! What could such dying creatures do without the comforts of the gospel? I hope you feel those satisfactions of soul on the borders of life which nothing can give but this gospel, which you taught us in our younger years. May these divine consolations support your spirits under all your growing infirmities, and may our blessed Saviour form your soul to such a holy heavenly frame, that you may wait with patience amidst the languor of life for a joyful passage into the land of immortality. May no cares nor pains ruffle nor afflict your spirit. May you maintain a constant serenity at heart and sacred calmness of mind, as one who has long passed into night, and is in view of the dawning day. The night is far spent, the day is at hand! Let the garments of light be found upon us, and let us lift up our heads for our redemption draws nigh. Amen. "I am, dear sir, “Your most obedient son, "ISAAC WATTS." Doddridge went even beyond his friend Watts in the ardour of his zeal for a living faith. At a time when the pulpit, with a few exceptions, had lost its power, and the churches were sinking Wesley and into a state of inanition from a torpid, Whitefield. formal repetition of religious phrases without unction or power, the early Methodists, represented by JOHN WESLEY and GEORGE WHITEFIELD, were called by a voice divine to rouse the people from their heavy slumber. The animated faith, the warm compassion, the unflinching courage, and the joyful hope of the great field preacher won the confidence of Doddridge. Whitefield in his journal records one of his visits : "Tuesday, May 22 (1739).-Reached Owlney about ten at night, where I long promised to come. Here also God prepared a table for us, and here I was not a little comforted with meeting the Rev. Mr. Rogers of Bedford, who, like me, has lately been thrust out of the synagogues for speaking of the new birth, and has commenced a field-preacher. Once he was shut in prison for a short time, but thousands flock to hear him, and God blesses him more and more. "Wednesday, May 23.-Being denied the pulpit, I preached this morning in a field near the town to about two thousand people, with much freedom and power. Reached Northampton about five in the evening, and was most courteously received by Dr. Doddridge, Master of the Academy there. At seven, according to appointment, I preached to about three thousand hearers on a common near the town, from the Starting Post.' Great power, I believe, was amongst us, and I preached with wonderful pleasure because I thought I had then actually possession of one of the devil's strongholds. "Thursday, May 24.-Preached again in the same place about eight in the morning. Breakfasted with some pious friends. Was greatly comforted by several choice children of God, who came to me from different parts, and left Northampton about eleven, rejoicing with my friends at things God has already done and was yet about to do for us. Many righteous souls live in and about Northampton, and nothing confirms me more in my opinion, that God intends to work a great work upon the earth, than to find how His children of all denominations every where wrestle in prayer for me." |