THE Rev. Mr. WHITEFIELD's ANSWER, то тнНЕ BISHOP of LONDON's LAST Pastoral LETTER. My LORD, NEED make no Apology for troubling your Lordship with this. As your Lordship was pleafed to make me the chief Subject Matter of your laft Paftoral Letter, I think it my Duty to anfwer it in the beft Manner I can. Your Your Lordship is highly to be commended, for the Care you have taken in Watching over the Souls of those, who are committed to your Lordship's Charge.- Lukewarmnefs and Enthusiasm, are the two Rocks against which even well-meaning People are in Danger of fplitting. All ought to be thankful to that Pilot, who will teach them to steer a safe and middle Course I would gladly hope, that, a Zeal for God in the Difcharge of your Duty, and a hearty Concern for the Safety of Souls, moved your Lordship to write. These are the Principles, I truft, which now excite me, to direct this Anfwer to your Lordship.And, bleffed be God, that I can write with fomewhat of that Love and Meeknefs, which becomes a Difciple of Jefus Christ, and with all that Humility and Reverence, which is due from a Prefbyter to a Bishop of the Church of God. Lukewarmnefs and Enthusiasm, my Lord, are certainly the Bane of true Christianity. I thank your Lord fhip again for your kind Cautions against them.- -The only Query is, "Whether there was any Occafion for your "Lordship's warning the People of your Dio cefe, against running into either of thefe "Extremes, upon account of any thing I "have either fpoken or wrote ?'-Your Lordfhip thinks there was; Your Lordship quotes Paffages out of my Journal to prove it; if it can be proved, I will afk publick Pardon, both of your Lordship and Them, with all my Heart, As ་ As for your Lordship's Cautions against Lukewarmnefs, I am not much concerned in them. You do not feem to point at me in particular; unless it is, where your Lorship, (pag. 10.) informs your People, That a diligent Attendance on the Duties of the Station wherein Providence has placed them, is, in the strictest Senfe, the ferving of God.-None but thofe, who condemn Me unheard, can justly charge Me with affirming to the contrary. However, I beg Leave to obferve, that your Lordship, (pag. 8.) calls that a very imperfect State of Chriftianity, which is no State of Chriftianity at all.-St. Paul writing to the Corinthians, 2 Cor. chap. xiii. ver. 5, fays, Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the Faith; Prove your ownfelves. And that they might have a certain Rule, whereby to judge whether they were in the Faith, truly fo called, or not; he immediately adds, Know ye not your own felves, how that Chrift Jefus is in you, except ye be Reprobates? So that, according to St. Paul's Rule, ' He that finds, he has hi⚫therto contented himself with a bare bodily • Attendance upon the Publick Worship of • God, and following his daily Employment on other Days, and with abftaining from "the more grofs and notorious Acts of Sin, and ⚫ from doing any Hurt or Injury to his Neighbour, and has refted finally upon thefe as the Whole of that Chriftianity requires of him; is fo far from being in a very imperfect • |