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The counting all things on earth but dung and dross, so we may win Christ; the ♦trampling under foot all the pleasures of the world, the seeking no treasure but in heaven; the having no desire of the praise of men, a good character, a fair reputation; the being exceeding glad when men revile us, and persecute us, and say all manner of evil against us falsely; the giving God thanks, when our father and mother forsake us, when we have neither food to eat, nor raiment to put on, nor a friend but what shoots out bitter words, nor a place where to lay our head: this is utter distraction in your account; but in God’s it is sober, rational religion: the genuine fruit, not of a distempered brain, not of a sickly imagination, but of the powerof God in the heart, ofvictorious love,andofasoundmind.
♦ “trampleing” replaced with “trampling”
12. I grant, secondly, It is my endeavour to drive all I can, into what you may term another species of madness, which is usually preparatory to this, and which I term repentanceor conviction.
I cannot describe this better than a writer of our own has done. I will therefore transcribe his words.
“When men feel in themselves the heavy burden of sin, see damnation to be the reward of it, and behold with the eye of their mind the horror of hell; they tremble, they quake, and are inwardly touched with sorrowfulness of heart, and cannot but accuse themselves, and open their grief unto Almighty God, and call unto him for mercy. This being done seriously, their mind is so occupied, partly with sorrow and heaviness, partly with an earnest desire to be delivered from this danger of hell and damnation, that all desire of meat and drink is laid apart, and loathsomeness (or loathing) of all worldly things and pleasure cometh in place. So that nothing then liketh them, more than to weep, to lament, to mourn, and both with words and behaviour of body to shew themselves weary of life.”
Now what if your wife, or daughter, or acquaintance, after hearing one of these field-preachers, should come and tell you, that they saw damnation before them, and beheld with theeye of their mindthehorrorofhell? What if they should trembleandquake, and be so taken up partly with sorrow and heaviness, partly with an earnest desire to be delivered from this danger of hell and damnation, as toweep, tolament, to mourn, and both with words andbehaviour to shewthemselvesweary oflife; would you scruple to say, that they were stark mad? That these fellows had driven them out of their senses? And that whatever writer it was, that talkedatthisrate, he was fitter for Bedlamthan any other place?
You have overshot yourself now to some purpose. These are the very words of our own church. You may read them, if you are so inclined, in the first part of the homilyon fasting. And consequently, what you have peremptorily determined to be mere lunacy and destruction, is that repentanceuntolife, which, in the judgment both of the church and of St. Paul, is nevertoberepentedof.
13. I grant, thirdly, that extraordinary circumstances have attended this conviction in some instances. A particular account of these I have frequently given. While the word of God was preached, some persons have dropped down as dead; some have been, as it were, in strong convulsions; some roared aloud, though not with an ♦articulate voice; and others spoke the anguish of their souls.
♦ “articlute” replaced with “articulate”
This, I suppose, you believe to be perfect madness. But it is easily accounted for, either on principles of reason or scripture.
First, on principles of reason. For how easy is it to suppose, that a strong, lively and sudden apprehension of the heinousness of sin, the wrath of God, and the bitter pains of eternal death, should affect the body as well as the soul, during the present laws of vital union; should interrupt or disturb the ordinary circulations, and put nature out of its course? Yea, we may question, whether while this union subsists, it be possible for the mind to be affected, in so violent a degree, without some or other of those bodily symptoms following?
It is likewise easy to account for these things, on principles of scripture. For when we take a view of them in this light, we are to add to the consideration of natural causes, the agency of those spirits who still excel in strength, and as far as they have leave from God, will not fail to torment whom they cannot destroy; to tear those that are coming to Christ. It is also remarkable, that there is plain scripture precedent of every symptom which has lately appeared. So that we cannot allow even the conviction attended with these to be madness, without giving up both reason and scripture.
*14. I grant, fourthly, That touches of extravagance, bordering on madness may sometime attend severe conviction. And this also is easy to be accounted for, by the present laws of the animal œconomy. For we know, fear or grief, from a temporal cause, may occasion a fever and thereby a delirium.
It is not strange then that some, while under strong impressions of grief or fear, from a sense of the wrath of God, should for a season forgetalmost all things else, and scarce be able to answer a common question: that some should fancy they see the flames of hell, or the devil and his angels around them: or that others, for a space, should be afraid, like Cain, whosoever meeteth me will slay me. All these, and whatever less common effects may sometimes accompany this conviction, are easily known from the natural distemper of madness, were it only by this one circumstance, that whenever the person convinced tastes the pardoning love of God, they all vanish away in a moment.
Lastly, I have seen one instance (I pray God I may see no more such!) of real, lasting madness.
Two or three years since, I took one with me to Bristol, who was under deep convictions; but of as sound an understanding in all respects, as ever he had been in his life. I went a short journey, and when I came to Bristolagain, found him really distracted. I enquired particularly, at what time and place, and in what manner this disorder began? And I believe there are, at least, threescore witnesses, alive, and ready to testify what follows. When I went from Bristol, he contracted an acquaintance with some persons, who were not of the same judgment with me. He was soon prejudiced against me: quickly after, when our society were met together in Kingswood-house, he began a vehement invective both against my person and doctrines. In the midst of this, he was struck raving mad. And so he continued till his friends put him into bedlam: and probably, laid hismadness too to mycharge.
15. I fear, there may also be some instances of real madness, proceeding from a different cause.
Suppose, for instance, a person, hearing me, is strongly convinced, that a liar cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. He comes home, and relates this to his parents or friends, and appears to be very uneasy. These goodChristians are disturbed at this, and afraid he is running mad too. They are resolved, he shall never hear any of those fellows more; and keep to it in spite of all his intreaties. They will not suffer him, when at home, to be alone, for fear he should read or pray. And perhaps in a while they will constrain him, at least by repeated importunities, to do again the very thing, for which he was convinced the wrath of God cometh upon the children of disobedience.
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 bedlamwould make them mad, if it did not findthem 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 MessiahthePrince, that he may soon endthetransgression, that he may liftup hisstandardupon earth, sending by whom he will send, and working his own work, when he pleaseth, and as he pleaseth, till allthekindredsofthepeopleworshipbefore him, and the earth befulloftheknowledgeofthegloryoftheLord!
December22,1744.
1
BEHOLD the servant of the Lord! I wait thy guiding eye to feel, To hear, and keep thine every word, To prove, and do thy perfect will: Joyful from all my works to cease, Glad to fulfil all righteousness.
2 Me if thy grace vouchsafe to use, Meanest of all thy creatures me, The deed, the time, the manner chuse; Let all my fruit be found of thee; Let all my works in thee be wrought, By thee to full perfection brought.
3 My every weak, though good design, O’er-rule, or change as seems thee meet; Jesus, let all the work be thine; Thy work, O Lord, is all-compleat, And pleasing in thy Father’s sight; Thou only hast done all things right.
4 Here then to thee thine own I leave, Mould as thou wilt the passive clay; But let me all thy stamp receive, But let me all thy words obey; Serve with a single heart and eye,
And to thy glory live and die.
The Endof the FourteenthVolume.
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