What is the event of this? Sometimes the Spirit of God is quenched and departs from him. Now you have carried the point. The man is easy as ever, and sins on without any remorse. But in other instances, where those convictions sink deep, and the arrows of the Almighty stick fast in the soul, you will drive the person into real, settled madness, before you can quench the Spirit of God. I am afraid, there have been several instances of this. You have forced the man’s conscience, till he is stark mad. But then, pray do not impute that madness to me. Had you left him to my direction, or rather to the direction of the Spirit of God, he would have been filled with love and a sound mind. But you have taken the matter out of God’s hand. And now you have brought it to a fair conclusion!
16. How frequent this case may be, I know not. But doubtless most of those who make this objection, of our driving men mad, have never met with such an instance in their lives. The common cry is occasioned, either by those who are convinced of sin, or those who are inwardly converted to God: mere madness both (as was observed before) to those who are without God in the world. Yet I do not deny, but you may have seen one in bedlam, who said he had followed me. But observe, a madman’s saying this, is no proof of the fact: nay, and if he really had, it should be farther considered, that his being in bedlam, is no sure proof of his being mad. Witness the well-known case of Mr. Periam; and I doubt more such are to be found. Yea, it is well if some have not been sent thither, for no other reason, but because they followed me: their kind relations either concluding, that they must be distracted, before they could do this: or, perhaps hoping, that bedlam would make them mad, if it did not find them so.
*17. And it must be owned, a confinement of such a sort, is as fit to cause as to cure distraction. For what scene of distress is to be compared to it? To be separated at once from all who are near and dear to you; to be cut off from all reasonable conversation, to be secluded from all business, from all reading, from every innocent entertainment of the mind, which is left to prey wholly upon itself, and day and night to pore over your misfortunes: to be shut up day by day in a gloomy cell, with only the walls to employ your heavy eyes, in the midst either of melancholy silence, or horrid cries, groans and laughter intermixt: to be forced by the main strength of those
“Who laugh at human nature and compassion,”
to take drenches of nauseous, perhaps torturing medicines, which you know you have no need of now, but know not how soon you may, possibly by the operation of these very drugs on a weak and tender constitution: here is distress! It is an astonishing thing, a signal proof of the power of God, if any creature who has his senses when the confinement begins, does not lose them, before it is at an end!
How must it heighten the distress, if such a poor wretch, being deeply convinced of sin, and growing worse and worse (as he probably will, seeing there is no medicine here for his sickness, no such physician as his case requires) be soon placed among the incurables! Can imagination itself paint such a hell upon earth? Where even “hope never comes, that comes to all!”—For what remedy? If a man of sense and humanity, should happen to visit that house of woe, would he give the hearing to a madman’s tale? Or if he did, would he credit it? “Do we not know, might he say, how well any of these will talk in their lucid intervals?” So that a thousand to one he would concern himself no more about it, but leave the weary to wait for rest in the grave!
18. I have now answered most of the current objections, particularly such as have appeared of weight to religious or reasonable men. I have endeavoured to shew, first, That the doctrines I teach are no other than the great truths of the gospel. 2. That though I teach them, not as I would, but as I can, yet it is in a manner not contrary to law: And 3. That the effects of thus preaching the gospel, have not been such as was weakly or wickedly reported: those reports being mere artifices of the devil, to hinder the work of God. Whosoever therefore ye are, who look for God to revive his work in the midst of the years, cry aloud, that he may finish it nevertheless, may cut it short in righteousness. Cry to Messiah the Prince, that he may soon end the transgression, that he may lift up his standard upon earth, sending by whom he will send, and working his own work, when he pleaseth, and as he pleaseth, till all the kindreds of the people worship before him, and the earth be full of the knowledge of the glory of the Lord!
December 22, 1744.
An ACT of DEVOTION.