"B. And yet, had the Spirit of GOD? This is hard to fuppofe. A. You must fuppofe this, or elfe that which is harder to fuppofe; that every one, that has the Spirit, to the Ends of a good Life, or is a good Christian, is infallible in all his Notions and Affertions: If a good Chriftian may be deceiv'd in any thing, why may not A. B. in conceit of her Inspiration? B. I fhou'd think, if fhe had the Spirit at all, it fhould fecure her from fuch momentous Miftakes: If a Man afferts a thing, whom we beHieve or grant to have the Spirit of GOD, I fhould think we are oblig'd to believe all his Affertions. A. You cannot without believing that Perfon infallible in all things he afferts, which is a Pofition that will ftartle you. For it includes, that every good Chriftian is under fuch a Guidance of the Spirit, that he can neither lye nor be deceiv'd; that he fhall have no Weakness and Infirmity of the Understanding nor Will. The Spirit of GOD dwells in the Hearts of all good Chriftians; but yet this Prefence and Influence of the Spirit doth not make them incapable of Sin, render them impeccable. So neither doth the Light or Influence of the Spirit upon the Underftanding, render that Faculty incapable of Error," clear it from all Prejudices. and Mifapprehenfions of things. 'Tis true, the Influences of the Spirit confider'd in themfelves, are always infallible; but to render Men infal lible, two things must be granted, which have not any Appearance of Truth. The one is, That this Spirit always influences, in no cafe permits Men the Ufe of their own natural Faculties. For if the Spirit did fometimes permit this in fuch Cafes, the natural Faculties may very : very eafily err. The other thing to be fuppofed is this, That always the Influences of the Spirit have their Effect upon the Mind, are fo ftrong as to bear down all Prejudices, all Oppofitions and Obftructions. So that whenfoever the Spirit directs or influences, the Understanding muft neceffarily be determin'd in its Affent by it; which is a thing lefs fuppofable than the former, and will be attended with worfe Confequences; it clearly implying, no Concurrence of the na tural Faculties, and confequently removing all conceiveable Grounds of Virtue, and Rewards, and Punishments. So that altho' to a Prophet or Apostle, fuch a fort of infallible Influence be needful, to convey to the World infallibly the Will of GOD; yet fuch a Direction is fo far from being needful to the generality of Chriftians, whofe only Bufinefs is, to walk after the Gofpel-Rules, that it feems to contradict the very End of fuch a fupernatural Direction, which is to render Men virtuous, to which Force is irreconcileably oppofite. If the End of the Grace of GOD be to cure the Disorders of the Mind, its Propenfities to Evil, and Averfions to Good, it is highly agreeable to this End and Scope of the Divine Grace, that the intellectual Faculties fhould be ftrengthened, and by de grees fuch a Power infinuated, by which the Will may be enabled to choose that which is good, and by which the Acts of Goodness and Virtue in the Man may be partly his own. As in other Cafes, is it not quite a different thing, to bear a lame Man forcibly from place to place; and leading and affifting him, and ufing fuch Means as enable him to walk of himfelf, or in the Virtue of that Strength convey'd to him? In the firft Cafe, he walks not, neither is in the leaft cur'd of his Weakness. B. What B. What then, is there nothing in that Opinion founded, as I have always thought,upon the Divine Promifes, that a good Chriftian will be fecur'd from all momentous Errors? A. Sure, there is much in it. Confider your Apprehenfion of a good Chriftian, and you will eafily perceive it. The Effential Ingredients of his Character are Humility, Meeknefs, Lowlinefs of Mind, Patience of Enquiry and Contradiction. And thefe will naturally tend to fecure him from all dangerous Errors. Such a one will likewife ufe diligently the means of right Information, as Prayer, Reading, Pondering, Hearing other Men's Apprehenfions and Thoughts on Matters of Difficulty. Thefe are great Securities to a good Chriftian, againft all dainable Errors. But as this is our Idea of a good Chriftian; fo you will very frequently remark a good Intention, a flaming Zeal, deftitute of thefe foremention'd Virtues, and then this Zeal or right Intention inftead of fecuring Men from Error, fhall prove the greateft means of pufhing them into it. It is ufually, headftrong, violent, rafh, incapable of all Confideration and Oppofition. What a notable Inftance were the Jews of this, who perfecuted the true Religion, kill'd the firft Preachers of it, under the Motive of doing GOD fervice! Here you have a Zeal for GOD, ä right Intention confiftent with the groffeft Errors. Mrs. B. did we want it, would furnish us with another Inftance. What were the first Quakers? They profefs'd an extraordinary Infpiration, flood in it as obftinately as A. B. were they therefore Infpir'd? Nothing lefs, fays A. B. No fort of Men fhe more violently exclaims againft. And yet really thofe Men will not. easily be exceeded in Pretences to Morcification, to to the Love of GOD, &c. the Virtues fo amplified on by A. B. And here is the very Cafe; the most ardent Zeal for GOD and his Truth, join'd with falfe and obftinate Perfwafions, touching their immediate Inspiration. B. Here again you feem to me to drop your Conceffion, that A. B. was a good Chriftian. You introduce thofe Errors in default of thofe very Graces and Virtues, which are Effential to our Idea of a good Chriftian. A. I have, I think, fhewn what proves a Man a good Chriftian will not prove him fuch a Perfon, as A. B. thinks and represents her felf. B. You have been clear in that. A. If therefore we fhould allow her to be a good Chriftian (which I am far from believing her to be) her other great and extraordinary Pretences ought not to be admitted on the fame Ground and Proof. Here I am endeavouring to point out to you, in the Virtue of what a good Chriftian is fecur'd from momentous Errors, and if hence it fhould follow, that A. B. was no good Chriftian, I am only forry, and cannot help it. And I take it, a good Chriftian is no farther fecur'd from Error, than he uses the Means of right Information. And feeing Bourignonifts muft grant a Man may entertain falfe Perfwafions touching his Infpiration, and confequently the thing is not impoffible as to A. B. I would ask them, what Means the us'd, in cafe we fuppofe her deluded, in order to be undeceiv'd? Some of the Means of right Information we have mention'd, viz. Reading, Examination, Prayer. Was A B. diligent in these? Reading the expofes as impertinent, the reading of the Bible it felf was ufelefs. Converfation with other Men, nay, the presence of an an Angel would be but hinderances. As for 4. B. Difmifs, I pray you this Point. Dift in i. tural Fa A. Thirdly, It is no lefs precarious, that the She gives Natural Spirit can dictate nothing concerning no clear GOD, and confequently the affords no fort of on between Satisfaction, as to the Distinction between the the OperaOperations of her own Mind, and the Spirit of tions or GOD. By the Natural Spirit, I fuppofe, fhe Duties muft understand the highest Faculty in Man, of the N1which we commonly call Human Reafon. That culties, this fhould dictate nothing concerning GOD and the and our Duty, is ftrange. That this hould al- Divine ways recommend Things that tend to the Earth, Spirit. will require Proof. That the Body and the Paffions depending on it, fhould ftrongly incline to the Earth, is no fuch Wonder; for the Reafon fhe affigns, because the Earth is its Center, it was taken from it, and confequently tends to it. But the Soul was not taken from the Earth, returns not to it, there is not there fore |