“There is great indiscretion in preaching up a sort of religion, as the true and only Christianity, which in their own account of it, consists in an enthusiastic ardor, to be understood or attained by very few, and not to be practised without breaking in upon the common duties of life.”
O my Lord, what manner of words are these! Supposing candour and love out of the question, are they the words of truth? I dare stake my life upon it, there is not one true clause in all this paragraph.
The propositions contained therein, are these:
1. That the religion I preach, consists in enthusiastic ardor:
2. That it can be attained by very few:
3. That it can be understood by very few:
4. That it cannot be practised without breaking in upon the common duties of life.
5. And that all this may be proved by my own account of it.
I earnestly intreat your grace, to review my own account of it, as it stands in any of my former writings; or to consider the short account which is given in this. And if you can thence make good any one of those propositions, I do hereby promise before God and the world, that I will never preach more.
At present I do not well understand what your grace means by “An enthusiastic ardor.” Surely you do not mean, the love of God! No, not though a poor, pardoned sinner should carry it so far, as to love the Lord his God, with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his strength! But this alone is the ardor which I preach up, as the foundation of the true and only Christianity. I pray God so to fill your whole heart therewith, that you may praise him for ever and ever.