Billeder på siden
PDF
ePub

trically opposite.-Wesley held with Arminius,— 1st, that God has not fixed the future fate of mankind by an absolute unconditional decree; but that he determined, from all eternity, to bestow salvation on those, whom he foresaw, would persevere to the end in their faith in Jesus Christ ;-and to inflict punishment on those, who should continue in their unbelief, and resist to the end his divine assistance: -2dly, that Jesus Christ by his death and sufferings made an atonement for the sins of all mankind in general, and of every individual in particular; but that those only, who believe in him, can be partakers of this divine benefit.

Whitfield held with Calvin,-1st, that God has chosen a certain number in Christ to everlasting glory, before the foundation of the world, according to his immutable purpose, and of his free grace and love, without any regard to the faith, good works, or any other conditions, to be performed by the creature; and that he was pleased to pass by the rest of mankind, and to ordain them to dishonour and wrath for their sins, to the praise of the vindictive justice-2dly, that Jesus Christ suffered and died for the elect only, and atoned only for their sins.

But however Wesley and Whitfield disagreed on the two important points which have been mentioned, there was a perfect agreement between them on the two distinguishing principles of methodism: 1st, the salvation by faith in Jesus Christ,

-2dly, a perceptible, and in some cases, an instantaneous conversion, with a feeling assurance of reconciliation to God. This, they term the new birth.

A war of words took place between Wesley and Whitfield, on the points in difference between them. They were afterwards reconciled. "I love

66

you and honour you," Whitfield says in a letter to Wesley; "and, when I come to judgment, will "thank you before men and angels for what you "have, under God, done for my soul. There, "I am persuaded, I shall see dear Mr. Wesley "convinced of election and everlasting love. And "it often fills me with pleasure to think, how I "shall behold you, casting your crown down at the "feet of the Lamb, and as it were filled with a holy blushing, for opposing the divine sovereignty "in the manner you have done."

66

The eloquence of these extraordinary men was wonderful,—but rather equal than alike,—Whitfield was commanding, Wesley was insinuating: Whitfield had little reading, Wesley was both a gentleman and a scholar.

Psalmody was employed by each with great effect; but it was of the simplest kind :—it is one of Wesley's injunctions, that different words should never be sung at the same time by different persons, and that no syllable should have more than one note.

On different occasions, Wesley wrote against the catholics, and "one of his writings," says Mr. Southey his biographer, " gave the catholics an ad"vantage, because it defended the protestant asso"ciation of 1780; and the events, which speedily "followed, were turned against him. But, upon "the great points in dispute, he was clear and co"gent, and the temper of this as of his other con

"troversial tracts was such, that, some years after"wards, when a common friend invited him to "meet his antagonist, father O'Leary, it was gra

[ocr errors][merged small]

tifying to both parties to meet upon terms of courtesy and mutual good will."

LXXIV. 2.

Antinomianism.

THE doctrines of Wesley are said to have a remote, those of Whitfield a much nearer tendency to antinomianism*. The English antinomians are descendants of a certain sect of presbyterians, who arose in the civil war. They maintain, as principles, certain consequences which they draw from the doctrines of Calvin, but which he himself rejected, and which the more rational part of his followers equally reject.-According to the antinomians,as those, whom God has elected to salvation, will, by the irresistible impulse of divine grace, be led to piety and virtue, it necessarily follows that instruction, admonition, and exhortation, are in their regard, absolutely unnecessary.

Some carry this doctrine to a more frightful length, they maintain that, as the elect cannot forfeit the divine favour, their violations of the divine law will not be charged upon them, and they need not, therefore, repent of them.

Some even maintain, that the violations, however

See Toland's Letter to Le Clere, in the Bibliothêque Universelle et Critique, tome xxxiii. p. 505. Mosheim, Ecc. Hist. cent. xvii. sec. 2.

P. 2.

enormous, by the elect, of the divine law, are not sins, in the sight of God; because it is one of the essential and distinctive characters of the elect, that they cannot do any thing, which is either displeasing to God, or prohibited by his law. Against the antinomians, Wesley uniformly preached and acted: his successor, Mr. Fletcher of Madeley*, was their ablest opponent.-It must be added, that the calvinists themselves deny, that any of these antinomian tenets are justly inferrible from their doctrines.

The tendency, however remote, of his avowed doctrines, to antinomianism, did not escape Wesley's own observation. Mr. Southeyt cites from his works, this remarkable passage: "The true gospel "touches on the very edge both of calvinism and "antinomianism, so that nothing but the mighty power of God can prevent our sliding into one or "the other."

66

LXXIV. 3.

The Moravians.

To this denomination of christians, Wesley once had nearly aggregated himself; he afterwards declared against them, and finally separated himself and his disciples formally from them: at that time a degree of fanaticism, which does not now belong to them, was justly imputed to them.

The following is a succinct outline of their history and tenets.

In 1570, a congress of Bohemian, Polish and

In his Four Checks to Antinomianism.

+ Life of Wesley, vol. ii. p. 189.

Switzer protestants, some of whom were lutherans, some calvinists, and some socinians, was held at Sendomir*. They agreed on a formulary called the Consent of Sendomir. But the agreement was of short duration; for almost immediately after it was signed, the majority of the Bohemians entered into communion with the Helvetic churches. In 1620, a general union of all the Bohemian churches was effected at Astrog under the name of The Church of the United Brethren.

The original settlement of these churches was in Bohemia and Moravia. Persecution scattered the members of them: a considerable number of the fugitives settled at Herrenhut, a village in Lusatia. There, under the protection and guidance of count Zinzendorf, they formed themselves into a new community, which was designed to comprehend their actual and future congregations, under the title of "The Protestant Church of the Unitas Fratrum, or United Brethren of the Confession of Augsburgh." That Confession is their only symbolic book; but they profess great esteem for the eighteen first chapters of the synodical document of the church of Berne in 1532, as a declaration of true christian doctrine. They also respect the writings of count Zinzendorf, but do not consider themselves bound by any opinion, sentiment, or expression which these contain. It is acknowledged, that, towards

[ocr errors]

This document and a curious account of the congress, at which it was framed, was published by Jablonski at Berlin in 1731, in one vol. 4to. with the title Historia Consensus Sendomizensis.

« ForrigeFortsæt »