ON THE State of Religion In NEW-ENGLAND, A TREATISE in five Parts. I. Faithfully pointing out the Things of a BAD and DANGEROUS TENDENCY, in the late, and present, religious Appearance, in the LAND. II. Representing the OBLIGATIONS which lie upon the PASTORS of THESE CHURCHES in particular, and upon ALL in general, to use their Endeavours to fuppress prevailing Disorders; with the GREAT DANGER of a Neglect in so important a Matter. III. Opening, in many Instances, wherein theDisCOURAGERS of Irregularities have been INJURI OUSLY TREATED. IV. Shewing what ought to be CORRECTED, or AVOIDED, in testifying against the evil Things of the present Day. V. Directing our Thot's, more positively, to what may be judged the BEST EXPEDIENTS, to promote pure and undefiled Religion in these Times. With a PREFACE Giving an Account of the ANTINOMIANS, FAMILISTS and LIBERTINES, who infected these Churches, above an hundred Years ago: Very needful for these Days; the LIKE SPIRIT, and ERRORS, prevailing now as did then. The whole being intended, and calculated, to serve the Interest of CHRIST's Kingdom. BY CHARLES CHAUNCY. D. D. Paftor of the first Church of CHRIST in Boston. BOSTON, Printed by ROGERS and FowLe, for SAMUEL ELIOT in Cornbill. 1743. 110. j. 65. may justly be rank'd among the most pious and valuable Men, who have yet liv'd in it. Not many Years after the Settlement of our Progenitors in this Land, fome, who, through an Excess of Heat in their Imaginations, had been betrayed into various unfound and dangerous Opinions, came over to them from ENGLAND. They had not been here long, before they freely vented their Notions among the People, Multitudes of whom, both Men and Women, Church-members and others, were foon led aside, to the Hindrance of the Gospel, and throwing these Churches into great Confufion. My Purpose is to show distinctly, though briefly, What these Opinions were, How they spread so fast, and prevailed so suddenly. How they did rage and reign, when they had once gotten Head. How they fell and were ruined, when they were at highest.S viz. As for the Opinions:---- They were fuch as these, 1. He that hath the Seal of the SPIRIT may certainly judge of any Person, whether he be elected or no. § This is the Method of Mr. T. WELDE (one of the first Preachers in our ROXBERRY) in his Preface to the Story of the ANTINOMIANS &c. in NEW-ENGLAND; whose Language also I have thought fit chiefly to use. The Words diftinguish'd by inverted Commas, are always his; unless where I give Notice to the contrary. 2. Such 1 2. Such as fee any Grace of GOD in themselves, to them, are not to be received Members of Churches. 4. There is a Testimony of the SPIRIT, and Voice to the Soul, meerly immediate, without any Respect to, or Concurrence with the Word. 5. The Seal of the SPIRIT is limited only to the immediate Witness of the SPIRIT ; and doth never witness to any Work of Grace, or to any Conclusion 6. No Minifter can teach one that is anointed by the SPIRIT of CHRIST, more than he knows already unless it be in fome Circumstances. 7. No Minifter can be an Instrument to convey more of CHRIST unto another, than be by his own 8. A Man is not effectually converted, 'till be 9. A Man cannot evidence bis Justification by bis Sanctification, but he must needs build upon his Santification, and trust to it. 10. The immediate Revelation of my good Estate, without any Respect to the Scriptures, is as clear to me as the Voice of GOD from Heaven to PAUL. 11. It is a Fundamental and Soul-damning Er- ror, to make Sanctification an Evidence of Juftifi- 12. The SPIRIT giveth fuch full and clear Evidence of my good Estate, that I have no Need to be tried by the Fruits of Sanctification : This were to light a 13. Sanctification is so far from evidencing a good Estate, that it darkens it rather; and a Man tification, than when he doth: The darker my Sane- 14. If a Member of a Church be unsatisfied with 15. If a Man think he may edify better in ano- 16. Where Faith is held forth by the Ministry, as These are a few of the Errors, with which many be- gan to be infected; I say a few, because their * These Opinions, however abfurd, were yet, many of them, strongly pleaded for, as of vast Impor- tance: Hence, among the Reasons given for the meeting of the Synod, in 1637, to confider of these Matters, this is one, because the Opinionists pre- tended fuch a NEW-LIGHT as condemned all the Churches, as in a Way of Damnation ; and the Difference to be in Fundamental Points, even as fider of this Matter, that, if it were a Truth, it should be univerfally embraced; but if it were an Error or Lift of them all; but, not having Room, choose to confine myself to those only which might be thought to bear a Resemblance to the unfafe Tenets of the prefent Day. The rest may be seen in the Book, entitled, The Story of the Rise, &c, of Antinomianifm, &c, in NEW-ENGLAND. And let me add, the Account there given of these Errors may be depended on; for having had Opportunity to compare it with an ancient Manufcript Copy of the Proceedings of the Synod, in 1637, I find it to be a very exact Catalogue of the Opinions condemned by that Affembly of Churches. † It may, at first, View seem strange, how these Errors (many of them being fo gross) should spread so fast, and prevail so generally, but the Wonder will ceafe, if we " consider the Slights they used in fomenting their Opinions: Some of which I shall fet down; as, 1. They laboured much to acquaint themselves with as, many as poffibly they could, that so they might have the better Opportunity to communicate their NEWLIGHT to them. 2. Being once acquainted with them, they would "Strangely labour to infinuate themselves into their + 66 66 66 6. All the Churches unanimously confented to the Condemnation of them, except diverse of BosTON, one or two at CHARLESTOWN, one at SALEM, one at PLYMOUTH, one at DUXBURY, two at WATERTOWN : And although Mr. COTTON "fet not down his Hand as the rest of the Elders "did; yet he thus expressed himself, in Difrelith " of them, that some were blafphemous and heretical, many erraneous, and all incongruous." 66 fcript Copy. P. 46. Manu Affections, |