one of them has, even in the most unequivocal manner, confeffed himself to have been deluded in the manner we fuppofe. I refer not to the mode in which he describes himself to have been regenerated; although nothing can be met with in the hiftory of Pagan Enthufiafm more characteristic of delufion h. Neither do I allude to his own declaration, that "the Holy Ghost over-ruled "and forced his will;" although this like

The Account of God's Dealings with Mr. Whitefield contains the account of his regeneration. The whole of that work is particularly recommended to the attention of those who wish to form a just opinion of Mr. W.'s conduct. For not only does it give an accurate detail of the progrefs of his delufion; but that progrefs correfponds, in many points, exactly with what has been pointed out in the First Lecture, to be the ufual progrefs of Enthufiafm. It should be observed, that Mr. W. declares, that the Holy Ghoft affifted him particularly to write, and directed him to publish that work. The several paffages which have been already quoted from it will be thought perhaps fufficient to prove, that it could not have been dictated by any other Spirit than by that of the groffeft Enthusiasm. Mr. W. fays, he was fully convinced that the Devil had actual

poffeffion of, and power over, his body," p. 22. And we are almost led to believe, that he afferts, that he actually faw the Devil, and converfed with him. p. 22, 23, 24, 25.

i "Mr. Whitefield boafts that he has received extraordinary "illuminations, and furprifing influxes of the Holy Spirit; "and that it not only appealed to his understanding, but

even over-ruled and forced his will." Gentleman's Magazine, vol. ix. p. 294. "To-day my Mafter, (Chrift) by his Provi"dence and Spirit, compelled me to preach in the church-yard "at Iflington: to-morrow I am to repeat that mad trick; and

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wife has been proved to be eminently characteristic of the enthusiastic Spirit 1, but I allude to these still more exprefs and unambiguous words: "I do confefs that imagination has "mixed itself with the work I have per"formed:-I own too, that I have made

impreffions without the written word, my "rule of acting: I have been too bitter "in my zeal; wild-fire has mixed with it; " and I find I have frequently written and spoken too much in mine own spirit, when "I thought I was writing and fpeaking en

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tirely by the affiftance of the Spirit of "God k."

Are thefe declarations fuch as are confiftent with the character of a man who was filled with the Holy Ghoft? of one who

on Sunday to go out into Moorfields. God ftrengthens me "exceedingly. I preach till I fweat through and through. Lett. 46.

* See Works, vol. iv. p. 243. But this confeffion did neither make him alter his conduct, nor lower his pretenfions. In the very tract where it was made he urges his claims as explicitly as before, though in terms fomewhat more guarded. One confequence of this confeffion indeed was, that he republifhed his Journals, and the accounts of God's dealings with him, leaving out many of the moft offenfive paffages. Yet even that corrected edition of thofe works contains fufficient evidence to prove, that he acted under the influence of strong enthufiaftic delufion.

talked

talked with God, as he affures us he had done, as a man with his friend? who was confident that the bleffed Jefus was ever prefent with him, and dwelt continually in his foul? Unquestionably they are not: and what is the inference to be drawn in confequence? Let us for a moment suppose that the Apostles had been called upon to reconfider their conduct. Would they have been obliged to own, upon reflection, that they had been deluded by the force of Imagination? Far, very far different would have been their language. They would have afferted, that they had at all times spoken the words of fober-mindednefs and truth and they would have confidently referred us to their writings for a teftimony of the reality of their pretenfions: thofe writings which have stood the test of fo many ages, and cannot be charged in a single inftance with error or Enthusiasm

1 Thefe, or fimilar expreffions, occur in almost every page of Mr. Whitefield's writings: "I dwell in Chrift, and Christ in me; he frequently manifefts himself in such a manner, that "it throws me into an agony." Lett. 229. "I feel his bleffed Spirit filling my foul and body, as plain as I feel the air "which I breathe, or the food I cat." Lett. 214.

"I have a "garden, where I go particularly to meet and talk with God. 204. And, not to multiply inftances, in other places he uses thefe highly improper expreffions: "I cannot tell how tenderly

We will fuppofe however, that the contrary had been the cafe: how should we then have been affected? If one of the Evangelifts, having published his Gospel, and having teftified that it was true, because " he knew "that the Holy Ghoft had called all things "to his remembrance;" were afterwards to declare, that the greater part of what he had written was dictated by the Spirit of Enthufiafm, should we not acknowledge that the whole fabric of our faith would be in confequence shaken ? fhould we not call in queftion the reality of that Difciple's miffion; and even renounce altogether a religion that was fupported by teftimony fo equivocal?

And fhall we allow that a confeffion of this nature, had it been made by the Apostles of Christianity, would have been fufficient to have made us reject their preaching? yet shall we not allow it to destroy the pretenfions of the Apostles of a new Sect? For, be it afked, why do we so jealously maintain that the Apostles were not Enthufiafts? Certainly, because if

"I am carried by our dear Saviour from day to day: I lean on "Jefus' bofom from morning to night; yea, all the day long. "I fweetly leaned on my Saviour's bofom, and fucked out of "the breafts of his confolation." See Bifbop Lavington, &c. vol. i. part 1. p. 52.

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the charge could be proved against them, even in a folitary inftance, this must affect the credit of every doctrine which they delivered. It is not with revealed truth, as it is with human fyftems. Thefe latter may be adopted, though we believe that in fome points they are erroneous: the former can be accepted only because they are in every part free from error. Could we imagine that a revelation were offered to us, which in part was true, and in part delufory, we might venture to say, that the refult would be of the most alarming nature. For right, and wrong, coming to us proposed on an equal degree of authority, the bounds of good and evil would be in great measure confounded; and we should be perpetually disobeying God, at the time when we believed ourselves implicitly following the dictates. of his will.

If then the charge of Enthusiasm once proved against the Apoftles of Christianity, would justify our rejection of their doctrines; unless we permit the fame confideration to have the fame weight when it applies to the Apoftles of this new Sect, we fhall, afford an additional proof of the propenfity of the human heart to prefer its own inventions to the commands of God; and we fhall, in a striking manner, verify the prediction of our

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