The Virginia gazette — Williamsburg [Va.], 1776-12-13 00:00:00, page 2

will.!ue : sufficient consutetion. In answer, therefore, I must confes
tizat rlrc Lime divine power that wn able to make : herdrnan I psaphet,
or :! sishermzn an 3 (He, is as abie in our times also to make the meanes!
_mechanic one of : ie greatest luminaries [as the church; but though in
former a es the gifts of God were dispersed without respect of personeg
yer whet er he does this in ours is very much to be questioned: For
were ] to argue this controversy with one ofthose invaden of the sunction,
I would ask him, what eommiflion he but to usurp upon the office, or
who sighed him his patent? He will tell me, perha s, that he in called
by-the secret instinct and motion of the holy spirit. But then I must ask
him, farther, how he is lffured himself, and whn teltimoniee end signe
he can shew to perfuade cines: that he ie thus distinguished? Eliflu ad
the power to muke iron swim, nnd knew the rivate discoursee of person;
in : dishnt country, which was evidence s ient that he me celled to
be azrophetn The Apofllee likewise had the power of working mirlcles,
whi infallibly proved thectdivinityof their eominiffion. Now if any of
these men, who pretend to the same authority, can make iron swim. or,
Eke Elishl, in :nothet cese, een siull what George the third-"end Lord
Nonb s: in the King's closit. Men they forge chzine for this continem;
is, like t. Peter, they cen cure diseesee by their shadow: afling over
them; or, like the rest of the Apoflles, who were perfectly i litefete, on
. sudden speak Greek and Latin, and ell the language: of, the east, I
yronounce the contrnversy it an end. And here ! mufl once mon re
, &! my ('a-mer question, end elk them, [? what sign of the holy s irit
world may be satilsiedthat tpess ere _o eelledd'. By whatil hyp
do not you he'ar them preach, unfold propheeiet, interpret parablee, and
draw proofs from the Revelatione? Can any of your great scholars,
with all the Rudy of philosophy, fathere, councih, schoolmen, either
hold your eongre tions longer, or send them tway more edlfiedt Alatl
it must he eonfe d, to the reproach of religion, thet these men are very
familiar with the myfietiee of the holy writnigt: But does the spirit of
God essifl men to give the lie to himself ? oee the spirit of God asim
men to expound the p hete and the :postle- into adultery, enthusiasm,
murder, and heresyt - ces the spirit of God inspire men with villainy;
enerurage them to (tone on for our vineyanl, end urge seripture for it; to
commit sacrilege with prophetieal teine in their mouth, and with the
cant ot ty es and antitypee contrive, the overthrow of ehurehet and ne
tiom? as the spirit of God any thing to do with men enctly repre
\ (ented by the poet: under the staton of one of the infernal furiee, who
lswnds from hell with : firebrand in her hand, and snakee on her head,
future war, treason, god seditt'on. at the passes; every hair hurled among
the ople becomes an'tuting'and 'a serpent, and every shakihg of her
tol'chsssets villagea,_ and eittee, end kin domt, and empires, in a com
bustion! But we should allow that the e usurpers have the inward ball
of the spirit of God, yet God it so much the God of order, that unlefi
they'enter themselvea into his service, h'y submitting to the-ritee of conse
cration, which God'has ordained in hit church, at thedanding sign: of
their calling, every act of the ministtsiy they perform it but : sacrifice like
theirt, who offered strange fire before the Lord, and miserably ished
by their own lorbiddeu eensert. Was not Elisha the prophet cal ed by :
visible sign? fled notctElijah the command of God to enoint Elisha the
son of Shaphet to be : rophet in his room? if we look bed: upon the
leviticol low, we [hall nd a very great care obseljced in the ordination of
riesh before ,they were received into the sacred (unction; there were
abundance of sunsicee offered for them; they were washed at the door of
the teb'eruele; then the coat, the e hod, the hreah-plate, and the miter,'
mpot upon them; .and in the ! followed the mointin on
that was poured upon their heade:-' * was the eonsecration o the
yield of those time:. The eeremoniee of eonfecration in the New
th n'ere difenent. I eonfese, from those of the Old, but anfver—
ahle them; there was with meeting of the Church, : presenntion
of thtpersnn to be otdai , soielm supplicationa made that he mi "
home Mul to the Church; - and, at a seal of the un, the imposittoj
if the Bifiop'e hande, afliked by the pnlhyten. -
But it me he said, what it the to the vocation of the apostles ?_ Were
not they wit ut the fotmality of [lying on of hands, withodfctel'l this
eonveymg es ordere, and the Holy Ghost hy fingers? Whet im tion
of hande went to change St. Peter from : fishesman into an apofl e? ln
answer to this, it must be ownld that the lpoflles were not conkcnted to
the miniflry by such rite. and imposition of hande, he wan aftervm-de
peaflised in the Church; yet something answerlble mt to their conse
ention befone th were invetted with authoritysizsnach the gospel to
the world; for he idea their fist! vocation by the , they were endued
withszovIer by the-deseeltt oithe Hoiy'GhoR and how did he descend!
he ft, secret, invisible persuasaon of the aney? No, in aruthing,
di ty wind. which wu an 'audihle evidence to the ear, and sat in n
theu- head- in the lhape of ehwen ton of fire. which wu : vi ib]!
demonsh'ctnion to the eye likewise: that the difference between the
W of the apostles to the miniflry and other- wn only thin: ln'
other consecratiom, the Bishop only granted the power to preach, but
,beflowcd not the gifts, butheu the Holy Ghost bestowed both. Leg
these men now make it appear that the Holy Ghost has thus descended
upon them, and furnished them with such excellent necomplilmnents, !
should think it the greatest happinest ofmy life to see them in our pulpite,
end should immediately become one of their dit'ciples.
In short, when l perceive the holincsi and religion of these preache"!
confiR only in the devout composure of their lodke lnd deportment; when
!
they take their text out of the bible, and deliver nonsensc and blalphcmy,
when they raii at the clhblished church, and Preach dowu its doctrine:
and discipiiut; let their countenance be ever lo demure, let them never
so devoutly bewail the devisions of their country, which they_help to
make miserable; or let them weeF never so passionzteiy over the congre.
gztion which they have broken in actions; how seemingly holy, how un
profane soover their behaviour be; though scn'pture overflow in the'
mouth; though they never eat. nor drink, nor spenk, but with : whinin
sanctisied tone; yet they are lsitill cheat: lnd enthufiafle, : scnndal to reli
gion. end dangeroue to- the commonmlth} they break violently inn
the sheeptold, and stand upon record it,: the book of God " hirelingect,
thieves, end wbbers. , \ . _
Lo! these are the men who are now in for an efiahiishmemsi
It least to he set on : level with the establt ed hurch 't In which up
plieation should th be gmrified, it requim no great share osvi'sdom to
foresee that it may productive of numbetlese evill, purtieulerly . civil \
war among curse (which the lion. Convention may at tial juncture
vee
think a little unseasonable) and, whlt it full a bad, : total subsiversiol'
of all true religion in thie colony. "
— FHILOEPISCOPUS.
TBucxmanu, Oflober 1776.
P'H I L A D-E L P H,l-A,si November 30.- '
Extractsso/a [merfrm Nzwnsix ( Ne-w jctstjj o-vmbcr 33.
OU have no doubt heard all the particulars o our retreat fro.
Fort Lee to Hackinsack, from llackinsack to Aqulconnk, lnd'
from thence to this place". Nothing maur'nl hsial happened in the si luting _
w: . We ]ofl some of our large mornre, ]part of our cannon omission;
at an Lee, " well a- at flzekinsack. _ believe the Generak intend
to make ass stand at this place. ] hoFe these lossu ,wiii ruuse the virtue
of Ameriea; is she does nut exert her elf now, she deserves not theinde
prudence she has declared. ] have still hope: of success. I heard A great '
man sa muy mouths ago, that Amsi-nc: would not purchase her freedom
at so ciiea : rate as was imagined; nor is it proper she should, whu
cast: of : ittle, we do not value enough."
' thracto ssa lettzrj'rm Nawu: (New Ynsq) Now. 55. " _
" ! have ju time enough to inform you, that there is very oodctfnul
li nce that the enemy intend to ndeapu/bsor PHILAD LPHlA.
e hear part of their forces in embarked, either to go up the Minute,
and make their nttnclu on both side! at once. orelse to lmuse the Southern
State}, end Prevent their sending my assistanee to Philzdelphiaz we luve
not force enough to opposc their march by land . - We look to New ]erseysii'
and Pennsylvnnie for their militia, end on their s 'rit dependesithe ser
vation of America.—I_l in thin houres adveesrty t ey shripk from an ,
they deserve to be slave: indeed! If the freeddm that success will e '
us, is the misery that await: our subjection, will not rous- them, why
let them fleep on till they nwake in bondlge." - si
WILLlAMSBURG, Decemzct- 13}
E hear there are two vessel: from the French inundl asin'iwd ::
- Hmpton, and mother at York, with salt, dry goodi, &c. '
A eorrespondent sayn, " Letno one be alarmed at the report'ofGene
n] Washington't bein obli d to retrent before the Britisharmy, which
is advancing toward: ghila elphia; nor let any one pe dismyed pt ch-ct— .
superior number of our enemietz for nothing but that, superiority could
have tempied them to hnve quittedjheii' shipl, and to hire :"de so
far into the country n. to put it'in our power to cut of their r'etren,
and by : dicisive blow perhape sinish'the war. For in part! , "
with that our army should be reinsorced lil] theirs hl pen
as to make : retreat impraaicable; and ] shdl] think noihing
of the tom Wnshington and siLee, nor of our want of troops th ss
great part of this campaign, if, in consequence of these thing:, tho Q-si -
my have been emboldened te venture so far from their fleet; for it in im
possible that every man in Pennsylvnnia and the ]ersiee should not rush to.
nrmn, and surround the British arm . when it shall love mrched far
enough, to make the Ioriom hroke.
On Tuesday the third inhnt'depnrted this life at Manchesier, Mr.
VALLUHCAL, after : Hngering end painful sicknese. which he supported
with : ehristian fortitude and piom resi nation. He wn : tender end.
indulgent huiband. . findi- friend, en agreeable compimn.