"more; when they fhall have to triumph in the joy "of their Lord; when they fhall have to fit down in "that kingdom of reft and peace, whofe felicity fhall "be without end. These are feelings which can and "will support through every conflict and trial in this "life, and will lead us to an endless immortality.". Page 5 to 10 inclusive.

No. IV. page 119.

EXTRACTS FROM THE WRITINGS OF JOHN HANCOCK,

Concerning Jesus Christ, &c.

"I treat the fcriptures as I would do any other "book. I receive fuch parts of them as appear to ❝me, on examination, to be dictated by the spirit of "God, but I do not conceive them to have been "written throughout by inspiration.

<< me.

σε

"I cannot adopt the commonly received oppinion, "of the fall of Adam having had any effect upon I believe that I am only refponfible for my own wrong doings. I feel myself as an accountable "creature-a free agent, with a full liberty to choose "between good and evil. I admit, from a feeling "fense of my own infirmities, that though I approve "the things that are more excellent, I do at seasons "follow the worfe; but this proceeds from myself joining with the evil. I reject the doctrine of the

" imputed

"imputed fin of Adam; and so I reject the imputed "righteousness of Chrift. It appears uneffential to

me to bewilder my mind by a curious difquifition "respecting the perfon of Chrift: this I believe not "to be neceffary to falvation, but having a tendency "to withdraw my attention from myself, and the re"gulation of my own conduct (the one thing needful "for me), and to lead me to unprofitable fpeculation 66 on things not given us to know in this ftate, and "which, after all our fearching, we can fee and know "but in part, while we continue tenants in mortality. "We suffer great lofs, while our attention is diverted " from ourselves. The power of godliness, emphati"cally called the kingdom of heaven, is within us. "It is there we must look for help to overcome evil, "and herein, in my judgement, confifts the fum and "fubftance of true godlinefs, in attending to the "difcoveries of divine grace (the unspeakable gift of "God), manifefted through the confcience; and "which hath appeared to all the children of men, "without diftinétion of nation, clime, or colour; to "those who have never heard the name of Jefus, as "well as to those who are outwardly and profeffionally "called by the name of Chrift. I accept, with humble "reverence, the holy pattern of unblemished excel"lence left us by Christ. I believe the spirit of "God was poured forth upon him without measure. "In this fenfe I acknowledge him to be the fon of "God, and defire to prove my love and gratitude to "God, by endeavouring to follow his example. He' "obeyed the will of his father in all things, and fo "are his fincere followers called upon to do likewife

"that

"that by attending to the improvable talents com"mitted to their ftewardship, they may (though al"most at an infinite distance) tread in the same path "to bleffedness. This, I believe, is the religion "which the holy Jefus was the chofen meffenger of "God to publish in its purity to the world. A reli"gion, when compared with that profeffed by many "in his name, as unlike as their fruits are effentially "different. Under the name of the chriftian religion, "all manner of enormities have been committed ; "wars have been carried on, and attempts made to propagate religion by the fword; whereas the pure "and undefiled religion, taught by him, at once

proves the fpurious origin of its counterfeit, and its "own excellence, by manifefting the fruits of holi"nefs; and, when fubmitted to by man, affimilating "into its own nature, which is, "Glory to God in "the highest, peace on earth, and good-will towards "men.' The fcope and tendency of the miniftry of "Jefus Chrift was to turn the attention inward; and "this is ftill the tendency of that gracious principle "discovered in the heart of man: but the prevailing

error of mankind is, fubftituting the shadow for the "fubftance, trufting in the merits of a Saviour with"out them, and not attending to the manifeftations "of the grace of God within them; whofe existence "is undeniably proved by its checks, reproofs, and "varied operations, according to our respective wants.” Reafons for withdrawing from fociety with people called Quakers-page 9 to 11 inclufive.

On

On Religion and Morality.

"Religion, then, in my estimation, is not an ad"herence, however flrict, to creeds, opinions, or the "outward forms of a fociety, or what is called a "church; but confifts in a clofe attention to the "frame of our minds, a strict watchfulness against "the influence of our paffions, which, if unreftrained, "incline us to tranfgrefs the boundaries of right, in "the various bye-ways and devious paths into which "they lead the unwary. Religion is not to be esti"mated by the firmness, or rather the obftinacy of "belief, adopted without examination; yet this is "called faith by fome. If we examine into what "properly deferves the name of faith, it will be "found not to confift in mere belief, uninfluential "on the conduct, but in an unreferved obedience "to the divine principle manifested in man, through "the medium of his confcience and reafon, and never. " in oppofition to the genuine found dictates of either. "They are all divine gifts, and in harmony with each "other, until man abuses them, by mistaking and "confounding confcience with the erroneous dreams "of his fancy, and reafon, with fallies and errors "of his imagination: thus, he first abuses the gifts, " and then calls his erroneous interpretations of them "by

by their names; and in his rage for making dif"tinctions, which he may turn to his purposes, as 66 party diftinctions, he ufes divifions and fub-divi"fions for explaining his meaning, until he loses him"felf by his distinctions in the misft, with which he fur"rounds himself. Thus, he call a book revelation;

"faith,

"faith a mere belief, or opinion; conscience, an ap"prehenfion formed generally from the prejudices of "education, fometimes right, and sometimes wrong; "reason, a sense to enable him to comprehend what "he calls natural objects; and above all, to affift him "to make gain, which fo many confider as the <6 great bufinefs of life. The idea affixed to morality "is alfo narrowed to the mere negative qualities of "not acting with open fraud, and being free from "fome of the groffer vices; a meaning falling far "fhort indeed of the comprehenfive duties which a "found morality requires.

"On the contrary, I conceive revelation to confift ❝ in a divine communication, made in the heart of all "the children of men ; and that confcience and rea"fon are its agents, through which it operates on the "human mind. Faith is a practical belief in the "operation of this principle, and a fubmiffion, on the

part of man, to follow its leadings and difcoveries; "and religion and morality (I cannot separate them) "arife from that ftate of mind, wherein we yield "obedience to thofe impreffions of a heavenly stamp "made on the mind; not discoverable merely in the "fuperficial effects produced by an affent of the un"derstanding; but operating a powerful effect on the "whole tenor of the life and conduct, and producing "the fruits of holinefs, manifefted through the gene"ral actions of those who fubmit to its bleffed in"fluence. It is not a dead, inactive principle, like "a cold belief, but becomes a vivifying principle "always inclining us to the right, when we are wil