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The Glassy Sea.'

a new birth to fallen man, but also to deliver all outward nature from its present vanity and evil, and set it again in its first heavenly state.' This first heavenly state is called in the Revelation of S. John a 'glassy sea,' as being the nearest and truest representation of it that can be made to our minds. On this 'glassy sea' Law loves to descant; but we must not dwell upon it, at any rate in this place, where the object is simply to show how thoroughly Law was at one with the mystics. Enough, it is hoped, has now been said to show this; but, if more be needed, let us hear his own eloquent vindication of them. 'Writers,' he says to Dr. Trapp, 'like those I have mentioned there have been in all ages of the Church; but, as they served not the ends of popular learning, as they helped no people to figure and preferment in the world, and were useless to scholastic controversial writers, so they dropt out of public use, and were only known, or rather unknown, under the name of mystical writers, till at last some people have hardly heard of that very name; though, if a man were to be told what is meant by a mystical divine, he must be told of something as heavenly, as great, as desirable as if he was told what is meant by a real, regenerate, living member of the mystical body of Christ; for they were thus called for no other reason than as Moses and the prophets, and the saints of the Old Testament, may be called the “spiritual Israel," or the true "mystical Jews." These writers began their office of teaching as John the Baptist did, after they had passed through every kind of mortification and self-denial, every kind of trial and purification, both inward and outward. They were deeply learned

1 Spirit of Love, 'Works,' vol. viii. p. 21.

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2 Law had just mentioned S. Cassian, a recorder of the lives, spirit, and doctrine of the Holy Fathers of the desart,' Dionysius the Areopagite, Rusbrochius, Thaulerus, Suso, Harphius, Johannes de Cruce, J. Behmen, Fénélon, Guion, and M. Bertot,

Law's Praise of the Mystic Writers.

279

in the mysteries of the kingdom of God, not through the use of lexicons, or meditating upon critics, but because they had passed from death unto life. They highly reverence and excellently direct the true use of everything that is outward in religion; but, like the Psalmist's king's daughter, they are all glorious within. They are truly sons of thunder, and sons of consolation; they break open the whited sepulchres; they awaken the heart, and show it its filth and rottenness of death; but they leave it not till the kingdom of heaven is raised up within it. If a man has no desire but to be of the spirit of the Gospel, to obtain all that renovation of life and spirit which alone can make him to be in Christ a new creature, it is a great unhappiness to him to be unacquainted with these writers, or to pass a day without reading something of what they wrote.' 1 What Law preached, that he practised; no day passed without his reading something of what the mystics wrote, and all his later writings show how thoroughly saturated he was with their spirit.

1 Works, vol. vi. (2), pp. 320, 321.

280

Law on the Sacraments.

CHAPTER XV.

LAW ON THE SACRAMENTS.

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THE first work which Law wrote in his mystic stage is entitled A Demonstration of the Gross and Fundamental Errors of a late Book, called "A Plain Account of the Nature and End of the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper." The reputed author of the Plain Account' was Law's old antagonist Bishop Hoadly, now advanced to the wealthy see of Winchester. The Bishop never claimed the authorship of the work, but he never disclaimed it, and internal evidence is decidedly in favour of his authorship, for both the style and sentiments are very similar to those of his avowed writings. Moreover, it is pretty clear that the younger Hoadly, who must have been acquainted with the facts of the case, was of opinion that it was his father's work.1

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1 He inserts it in full in his edition of Bishop Hoadly's works (1773), but without asserting that it was his father's composition. In his preface he quotes without comment the following passage from the Biographia Britannica (Art. Hoadly '), the last sentence of which, it will be seen, plainly implies that Bishop Hoadly was the author. 'He [Bishop Hoadly] was the reputed author of A Plain Account, &c. As this masterly performance rationally limited the nature and effects of this positive rite to the words and actions of our Lord Himself, and to those of S. Paul afterwards (the only certain inspired accounts of it), it was consequently unfavourable to the commonly received opinions of its peculiar efficacies and benefits, and accordingly met with a very warm, though weak opposition. . . . A new edition (the fifth) was printed off when Bishop Warburton's Rational Account, &c., was published in 1761, and the publication was some time deferred, as the author designed to have added a postscript on that occasion, but his death prevented it, and we are informed no papers remain on the subject.'--Preface, pp. xxii. xxiii.

The article on Hoadley' in the Penny Cyclopædia says: His Plain Ac

Excitement raised by the 'Plain Account.' 281

It seemed for awhile as if the slumbering flames of the Bangorian controversy were about to be revived. Pamphlet after pamphlet, and letter after letter, were issued from the press, in rapid succession, on both sides of the question; but the predominant feeling was unquestionably one of deep indignation that so unworthy a view of the highest act of Christian worship could be even suspected of having come from the pen of a Christian prelate. In fact, the question of authorship created at least as much interest as the contents of the work itself. But in vain was the Bishop. challenged or allured to avow or deny his connection with the book. More than one enterprising gentleman boldly took the bull by the horns, and dedicated their attacks or defences of the 'Plain Account' to the Bishop of Winchester himself. 'Never,' wrote one, 'was a book more likely to please, nor less likely to reform, the present times. The author must have had the propagation of irreligion and vice prodigiously at heart. What he preaches has been for some time generally practised. It has reduced the most pernicious practice to theory. Next to the wickedness and folly of its author is the malice of those who would make us think it the work of so great and excellent a man as the Bishop of Winchester. What a scandalous and uncharitable age is this that can ascribe such a work of darkness to an apostolical messenger of light! to a bishop! to a servant and successor of our Saviour !—an imputation that would fix one of the worst books that ever was wrote on one of the best bishops that ever adorned ours or any other Church.' The last part of this is evicount, &c., shows how rational was the view which he took of Christianity,' &c. Bishop Van Mildert unhesitatingly attributes the work to Hoadly. See Life of Waterland, pp. 161-3.

A Vindication of the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of Winchester against the malicious aspersions of those who uncharitably ascribe the book intituled A Plain Account, &c.,' by the author of the Proposal for the Revival of Christianity,' 1736.

282 The Plain Account' attributed to Hoadly.

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dently ironical; for the author goes on to hit at Hoadly's ample income, and his share in the silencing of Convocation. His best of bishops' is something like Junius' 'best of kings.' Another writer, who dedicated his work to Bishop Hoadly, and addressed him as 'Your lordship, the reputed author,' commences: 'It is now, from my own writing this, little more than a month since I could first allow myself to take the Plain Account' into my hands. Popular clamour had made me apprehensive that, possibly, the very touch might be infectious; but to be sure that I could not give it the reading, without running the utmost risque of making shipwreck of some principles of faith, and sacrificing the answer of a good conscience.' Bishop Van Mildert mentions, among a host of eminent writers who controverted the "Plain Account," the names of Warren, Wheatly, Whiston, Ridley, Leslie, Law, Brett, Johnson, and Stebbing; but the weightiest of all the authorities which were ranged against the work was that of the great Waterland himself, who, though he did not enter the lists on his own account, sent his humble service and thanks to Dr. Warren for the great service he had done to our common Christianity,' and complimented Wheatly for detecting the Socinianism of the " Plain Account," and for opening the eyes of some ignorant admirers.' Dr. Waterland is evidently of opinion that Hoadly was the author; for he speaks of Dr. Warren 'having girded the great man closer than anyone before,' and adds, 'I am persuaded the principal man will write no more on that argument, for fear of exposing himself further.' The mysterious allusions to 'the great man,' and the principal man,' point clearly to Hoadly, who was at that time (1735-6) one of the most

A Defence of the Plain Account, &c., 1748.

2 Life of Waterland, prefixed to vol. i. of his 'Works,' p. 163.

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