Let me now advert to a fuperior fubject: and thank you for the improving particulars, fo kindly forwarded, concerning the lamented decease of our honoured and deferving friend, the late truly excellent Mr. Hitchen; that amiable and precious man of God, whofe grace was as folid, as his parts were fhining. His fteady faith, and his calm, unruffled departure, amidst such circumftances of bodily pain, can only be attributed to that everlasting love, and to that atoning blood, which made him more than conqueror. Looking, the other day, into my book of occafional collections, I found two remarks, which dropped from Mr. Hitchen, in a converfation I had with him, July 18, 1769; and which were well worthy of being preferved from oblivion. They run, verbatim, thus:

"The greater our fanctification is, and the more advanced we are in holiness, the more we shall feel our need of free juftification."

"An architect cannot fay, to his rule, to his line, or other inftrument, "Go, build an houfe." He muft, first, take them into his own hand, ere the wifhed for effect will follow. What are minifters of God, but mere inftruments? And, if ever they are ufeful in building up the Church of Chrift, it is his own hand muft make them fo."

Such improving obfervations as thefe; fuch valuable reliques, of faints indeed; are too precious, to be lightly forgot. May they be engraven on our hearts!

I rejoice to hear of dear Mr. Ryland fenior's liberty and fweetnefs, in his miniftrations to Mr. H's widowed flock. Our Northampton friend is an Ifraelite without guile; and he is among thofe, who stand higheft in my regard. He blames me for feldom writing to him: but, was I to correfpond regularly, even with my firft rate favourites, I fhould do nothing more than write letters from morning to night. In heaven, we shall be all together, for ever and ever.

Make

Make my affectionate refpects acceptable to dear Mrs. F, &c. &c. Grace, mercy, and peace; bright evidences, fweet experiences, and growing holinefs; be your portion, their portion, and the portion of

your affectionate fervant in Chrift,

Auguftus Toplady.

LETTER XL.

To Mr. H.

[Extract.] Titchfield-fireet, London, May 23, 1774.

YEA

Efterday afternoon, being Whitfunday, curiofity led me to hear Mr. Theophilus Lindley, who lately refigned the vicarage of Catterick. I took care to be there, before any of the fervice began, in order to hear, what that gentleman calls, the reformed liturgy: but what may more truly be termed, the liturgy deformed. It is a wretched fkeleton of the old Common Prayer, fhorn and caftrated of all its evangelical excellencies.

He preached, or rather read, a poor, dry, ungraceful harangue on Matt. xxv. 14, 15. So wretchedly was he tied and bound by the chain of his notes, that, if, by accident, he happened to take his eye from his papers (and it happened feveral times) he was fure to blunder; and endeavoured, in an exceedingly confufed and embarraffed manner, to gather up the broken thread as well as he could, He is a palpable Arian, in his ideas of Chrift's perfon; and appears to be appears to be a thorough-paced Socinian, as far as concerns the doctrine of atonement. Yet, God forbid that I fould judge and condemn him. To his own mafter he muft ftand or fall. But I muft obferve two things: 1. I blefs the grace of

God,

God, for giving me eyes to fee, and an heart to value, the ineftimable truths of his holy gofpel: 2. I never prized our good old liturgy, and the precious doctrines of the reformation, more, than on hearing Mr. Lindfey's liturgy and fermon yesterday. No man (as our Lord obferves) having drank old wine, ftraightway defireth new: for he faith, the old is better.

Mr. Lindsey's Arian meeting is held in Effextreet, up one pair of ftairs, in the houfe called Effex-houfe. It is a long narrow room (which, if filled, would hold about two hundred people) where auctions (particularly for books) ufed to be held. He feems to be a man of much perfonal modefty and diffidence; and, I verily believe, acts upon principle. But he has no popular talents: no pathos, no dignity, no imagination, no elegance, no elocution. He muft, unavoidably, foon fink into obfcurity, when the novelty of his feceffion begins to fubfide, and when his Arian friends are weary of puffing him off in the news-papers. Take my word for it (and I am very glad I can truly have it to fay) the Church of England has nothing to fear from a gentleman of Mr. Lindfcy's flender abilities. He can neither thunder nor lighten; but crawls on, quite in the hum-drum way; and is no more qualified, either by nature or attainments, to figure at the head of a party; than I am, to undertake the command of a navy. One of my company (for a whole coachful of us went) faid to me, after fervice was over; "Well, I fuppofe you will call Mr. Lindsey's difcourfe a piece of arrant Lindfeywolfey." No, indeed, replied I: it was mere Lindsey throughout : abfolute Arianifm, Socinianifm, and Pelagianifm, without one thread of the contrary from first to laft.

Auguflus Toplady.

LETTER

LETTER

To Mrs. MACAULAY.

[Extract.]

XLI.

Broad-Hembury, July 8, 1774.

I Arrived here, from London, no longer ago, than this day fe'nnight; and though I was not able to take Bath in my way home, through the unavoidable length of my ftay in town, I hope, madam, to be, foon, amply recompenfed for that lofs, by feeing you, fafe and well, in this part of the world. Favour me with a line: and God grant it may import these two things: 1ft, That all your complaints are completely annihilated by the Bath waters; and, 2dly, That you have begun to take the previous nicafures for your intended two months excurfion to Devonshire.

I left good Mr. Ryland behind me in London. He defired his best remembrance to you: and wishes (in his lively manner), "that you may be a perfect idiot once in every twenty-four hours, and incapable of writing, reading, thinking, or converfing, viz. from ten at night, until fix or feven in the morning" that you may not impair your health by fitting up late. No friend, I verily believe, has more refpect and esteem for you, than he not even your obliged and obedient

Auguftus Toplady.

P. S. One day, when Mr. Ryland and I went to Iflington, to dine with Mrs. Bacon, he took that opportunity of introducing me to Mr. Burgh, author of the "Political Difquifitions." I faw him to great difadvantage, as he was in much pain, and in a very ill humour. The interview, on the whole, was a curious one. I was hardly feated, when he said to

Mr.

Mr. Ryland, concerning me, "This gentleman, I apprehend, is an antagonist of Mr. Lindley's." I anfwered, for myself, no, fir; I am not, indeed, of Mr. Lindley's principles, but I look upon him, with all his mistakes, to be an honeft man: and I refpect an honest man, be his opinions what they will. By degrees, our converfation grew rather engaging: and Mr. Burgh feemed, for a while, to feel a truce from the torments of the ftone, and affume fome degree of good-nature. But I fhould have had a tharp onfet, if he had been in perfect health. Even as it was, he could not forbear feeling my pulfe, on the article of freewill. In the courfe of our debate, I drove him into this dreadful refuge, viz. that "God does all he poffibly can," [thefe were Mr. Burgh's own words]" to hinder moral and natural evil, but he cannot prevail: men will not permit God to have his with." Left I should mistake his meaning, I requested him to repeat thofe terms again; which he did. Then the Deity, faid I, muft needs be a very unhappy being. "Not in the leaft," replied Burgh. "What (rejoined I,) difappointed of his wifhes, embarraffed in his views, and defeated of his fchemes, and yet not be unhappy?" "No," rejoined Burgh: "for he knows that he must be fo difappointed and defeated, and that there is no help for it and therefore he fubmits to neceffity, and does not make himself unhappy about it." A strange idea this, of the Supreme Being! At coming away, I told Mr. Burgh, that however he might fuppofe God to be difappointed of his will, I hope the public would not be disappointed of the remaining volumes of the Political Difquifitions yet unfinished. And, in very truth, madam, your friend Burgh is much better qualified for political difquifitions, than either for theological or for metaphyfical ones.

Adieu.

Augufius Toplady.

LET