From the Same to the Same.
Portsmouth, Jan. 5, 1811.
_Rev. Sir_,--Having notified you in a postscript of my letter of Dec.
11th, that I had reserved three particulars in your "friendly
admonition" for the subject of another communication, I am disposed to
embrace this opportunity to fulfil my engagement. The three
particulars reserved are expressed, in your letter, in the following
words:
"For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but
after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having
itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and
shall be turned unto fables. You, my friend, once professed the true
faith of the gospel--have you kept it? I think not. I fear you have
fallen from it. You are now preaching a doctrine which pleases the
world, but it makes against you according to scripture. The apostle
John says in his 1st epistle 4th chapter 5th and 6th verses, They are
of the world; therefore the world heareth them; we are of God; he that
knoweth God, heareth us, he that is not of God, heareth not us; hereby
know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." I would not,
dear sir, knowingly misapply your words, nor make a use of the above
quotation contrary to their most plain and evident sense which I
conceive is as follows:
1st. The doctrine which I believed before I believed as I do now, is
the true gospel according to the testimony of the apostle John, in his
1st epistle, 4th chapter 5th and 6th verses.
2d. That in believing as I now do, I have fallen from that faith, and
turned unto fables.
3d. My now preaching a doctrine which pleases the world is good proof
that my doctrine is not of God, and that those who hear me are justly
described by the apostle as heaping to themselves teachers having
itching ears.
In the first place I shall agree with you in the supposition that when
I first made a profession of religion, I believed the true gospel.
In the second place I shall endeavour to show that I have not fallen
from that faith.
In the third place I will attempt to show that the evidence, which you
think makes against me, is by no means sufficient to prove that the
doctrine I now believe and preach is consistent with the _lusts_ of
the _world_ or contrary to the true faith of the gospel.
1st. The true faith of the gospel as expressed in 1 John, 4th, &c. is
as follows--see verse 2, 3, "Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is of God; and every spirit that
confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God."
The apostle here states in the most simple terms the true Christian
faith, and brings it into such a short compass that none can mistake
him. The belief that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is the true
faith, and a denial of that fact is a false faith.
When I first professed religion I professed to believe that "Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh;" and this I am willing to say now is the
true faith of the gospel, and the only article of faith which
constituted a Christian believer in the opinion of the apostles;
restricting this belief, at the same time, to Jesus of Nazareth, that
he was the Christ.
2d. I as much believe now as I ever did that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh. I have as clear evidences now as I ever had that Jesus of
Nazareth is the Christ. These things being facts, the conclusion is
that I have not _fallen_ from the true christian faith.
3d. The above faith I preach, believing and testifying that God sent
his Son to be the _Saviour_ of the _world_; and I have reason to bless
God that such feeble means are at all prospered, and that as you
observe, "Great numbers of precious souls" adhere to the word, which I
conceive is no evidence that the faith I preach is not of God, or that
it is consistent with the lusts of the world. We are informed in the
word of God, that the _common people heard Christ gladly_. Who did not
hear him gladly? Answer, the Scribes and Pharisees. Do you think, sir,
that the common people's hearing Christ gladly was a justifiable
evidence to the Pharisees that he was not the true Messiah? When many
thousands of men, women, and children flocked from their cities into
desert places to hear the gracious words which proceeded from the lips
of him who spake as never man spake, was it a justifiable evidence
that he and his doctrine were not of God? To bring this matter, if
possible, nearer home, should you find your meeting house crowded with
hearers who expressed in their countenances an approbation of the
doctrine which you preach, would it be sufficient evidence to convince
you that your doctrine was not of God?
That the testimony that God sent his Son to be the Saviour of the
_world_ is not consistent with the _lusts_ of the _world_, is shown by
St. Paul to Titus; "For the grace of God which bringeth salvation to
_all men_, hath appeared, teaching us, that denying ungodliness and
_worldly lusts_, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in this
present world."
I have not the least doubt in my mind, that if you and I preached more
like our blessed master than we do, people in general, would be more
engaged to hear us, and our meeting houses would be more thronged than
they are now.
Should you hear a shepherd complaining that the increase of his flock
was small, or that it rather diminished, you would think _that_
evidence made against _him_.
I suppose the particular idea which you had in view, which
constitutes, in your mind, an _Apostasy_, is, that Jesus Christ, who
was manifested in the flesh, will, pursuant to power given to him of
his father, save all men from their sins, and reconcile all things
unto himself. This idea, I acknowledge, I did not see clearly in, when
I first made a profession of a belief in Christ; but now am fully
persuaded in it. However, I cannot see why the adopting of this
particular idea should be called an _Apostasy_.
I will, sir, mention some similar cases, not wishing however, to be
considered an equal subject to the personage whom I shall introduce.
The apostle Peter was a believer in the true faith of the gospel, that
is, he believed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God:
and Jesus says to him, on that confession, that flesh and blood had
not revealed it to him, but his Father. This belief Peter had before
he believed that Christ should suffer on the cross and rise from the
dead. After many trials and dreadful temptations in which this poor,
dependent brother of ours experienced the fallibility of all human
strength, he was privileged with positive evidence of the resurrection
of Christ from the dead.--Here I ask, was this new acquisition in
Peter's faith an apostasy? Was it not an advancement? You will agree
with me in this.
Again, this same apostle, even after he was endowed with power from on
high, and preached and healed in the name of Jesus, did not know that
the Gentiles were fellow heirs and of the same body, and partakers of
the promises of God, in Christ, by the gospel. It was not until the
angel of the Lord appeared unto Cornelius and directed him to send for
Peter, that God gave to that apostle the knowledge of the fact which
he acknowledged to Cornelius, that God had shewed him that he should
call _no man common_ or _unclean_. It is very evident that the apostle
Peter had more extensive knowledge of the gospel of the grace of God
in consequence of the vision of the sheet by the sea of Joppa than he
had before; but would any real Christian, knowing all the
circumstances, suppose that Peter had _apostatised_ from the true
faith, because he believed that millions would be benefited by Christ
more than were comprehended in his former belief? While they who were
of the circumcision remained ignorant of the revelation given to
Peter, we find they "_contended_ with him, saying, thou wentest in to
men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them." But when Peter had
"rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order
unto them, they held their peace and glorified God, saying, then hath
God also to the Gentiles, _granted repentance_ unto life." Thus we see
that the church in Jerusalem, who were of the circumcision, though
believers in Christ were, until Peter's defence further enlightened
them, ignorant of the extension of divine grace to the Gentiles
through the gospel. But surely no real Christian would suppose that
this enlargement of their faith in the great salvation was an
_apostasy_ from the true faith!
With profound deference, sir, permit me to suggest, that should the
foregoing observations present yourself, to your own mind, in a
similar situation with those of the circumcision, yet they acknowledge
you a believer in Christ, a minister of his word and a candidate for
greater manifestation of that grace of God by which Jesus tasted death
for every man.
I believe I may venture to say that unless the belief that _God is not
the Saviour of all men_ can be maintained by positive scripture as an
essential article of apostolic faith, I cannot be justly _admonished
for falling_ from the true faith. May I not, with great propriety,
call on my Rev. friend to show, if he can, that such an article of
faith was ever required by Christ or his apostles as a term of
christian fellowship and charity?
Let us look into the written word of God and see what is there
required of us to believe. See Rom. x. 9, "If thou shalt confess with
thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God
hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved." Acts viii. 37,
"And Philip said if thou believest with all thine heart thou mayest.
And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of
God." Matt. x. 32. "Whosoever, therefore, shall confess me before men,
him will I confess also before my father which is in heaven." Luke
xii. 8, "Also I say unto you, whosoever shall confess me before men,
him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God." Not
to multiply quotations, permit me to query whether there be in those
passages, or in any other scripture on the same point any intimations
given that the candidate must believe that this precious Saviour will
not, through the peace made by the blood of his cross, reconcile all
things to God? Are you fully satisfied, dear sir, that you are
authorised to _admonish_ as an _apostate_, one who confesses with his
mouth the Lord Jesus, and who believes in his heart that God hath
raised him from the dead? Why did not Philip demand of the Eunuch a
particular confession of a belief in _limited grace_ and _salvation_?
Was there not the same authority to require this article of faith
then, as there is now? If Jesus hath promised, in his word, that he
will confess before his Father in Heaven, whosoever confesseth him
before men are you satisfied with the authority by which you denounce,
disfellowship, and deny those little ones? The thought is truly
solemn! I feel a _chill_ in every vein of my body, when I consider the
vain traditions of a corrupted church, in which it has long been a
religious habit to anathematise those who confess Christ before men,
because they _cannot_ believe in certain tenets never required by
Christ or his apostles!
Rev. Sir, I can say in the sincerity of my soul, that I believe that
Jesus of Nazareth is the true Christ, I believe him to be the Son of
the living God, who was delivered for our offences and was raised
again for our justification. And though I feel myself the most
unworthy of the subjects of salvation, yet I should be ungrateful not
to acknowledge the goodness of God my Saviour. Whatever men may think
or say of me, I know that my soul experiences joys unspeakable in
sweet meditations on the glories and inexpressible beauties of my
Redeemer; and the thought that I am owned as his child before the
angels of God, is infinitely better than to receive the approbation of
men who are disposed to judge without knowing the heart.
If the Christian clergy were once disposed to strip their creeds and
confessions of faith till they were reduced to the simplicity that is
in Christ, and require no other belief than Christ and his apostles
required, there would be an end at once of all the discord and
animosity which have wounded the character of Christianity for ages.
And the prayer of the blessed Jesus would be fulfilled in the
_oneness_ of all who believe in him, which would convince the world
that the Father sent him.
Although you have not yet found it convenient to favour me with any
observations on my former letter, I have not done expecting it. And I
shall endeavour to hold myself in readiness to pay an early attention
to any communication which shall come from your hand. In hopes that
nothing contained in this letter will be considered inconsistent with
the true spirit of a humble believer in Christ, I remain, sir, your
humble servant, for Christ's sake.