372 HIS EPITAPH. Here lies the body of THE REV. JOHN WILLIAM DE LA FLECHERE, Who was born at Nyon, in Switzerland, And finished his course, August the 14th, 1785, Where his unexampled labours He exercised his Ministry for the space of With uncommon zeal and ability. "All the day long have I stretched out my hands "He being dead yet speaketh." APPENDIX: CONTAINING SOME REMARKS ON A REVIEW OF THE FIRST EDITION OF THIS WORK IN THE CHRISTIAN OBSERVER," FOR JUNE, 1805. In the preface to the second edition of the Life of Mr. Fletcher, I have given the reader to expect some remarks on this review of it, to be added, by way of Appendix, to the volume. These remarks shall be as few and as short as the nature of the subjects under consideration will permit; especially as the book, in consequence of the additional matter inserted therein, already contains many more pages than was at first intended. 1. "We are sorry," say these Reviewers, (p. 350,) "to observe several pages taken up with a relation of incidents which happened during the youth of Mr. Fletcher, and which, though sufficiently remarkable, are exhibited to view in a way which appears to us peculiarly objectionable." These incidents are exhibited simply and only as instances of the kind and superintending providence of God watching over a future heir of salvation, and preserving his life in extreme dangers, in which, if not thus preserved, it must have perished. But "one of these deliverances appeared to Mr. Wesley to be so extraordinary, that he did not hesitate to affirm that it was a miracle, wrought, probably, by the ministry of angels." And will these gentlemen say that it was not a miracle,—that is, as Mr. Wesley meant, an effect produced by the divine interposition and agency, above the influence of merely natural causes?" Will they say, that a person could be immerged in water, among piles, under a mill, for the space of twenty minutes, and be all that time deprived of all sense and feeling, and yet preserved alive, without the exertion of any 66 supernatural power? Now, if they will not say this; if they must allow God did interfere, why not by the ministry of angels? At least, what harm can there be in supposing this? Are not the angels "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation?" And is it not probable, that we owe more to these heavenly and benevolent beings than men in general are aware? of a But, say they, "Nothing can be more injudicious, and we will add, unscriptural, than declarations of this kind." This is very extraordinary indeed! This is a sentence one would hardly have expected to drop from the pen "Christian Observer.' What! Nothing more unscriptural than to assert that God often interferes in a singular way, and sometimes, probably, by the ministry of angels, to preserve the lives of those who are, or who he foreknows will be, not only his children and his heirs, but eminently holy and useful in their day and generation? Methinks I could mention to these gentlemen declarations yet more unscriptural than this, and also more injudicious. Surely such declarations as they have now uttered, are of that nature: declarations, which go to exclude God from those remarkable deliverances and preservations which, in all ages, some of his eminent servants have experienced, and to lead mankind to ascribe them to chance or nature, or I know not what. It appears to me, one might easily prove the reverse of their assertion, and show, that nothing can be more scriptural than to ascribe the events in question to the divine agency, and that, probably, by the ministry of angels. Do not passages innumerable, scattered throughout the Old and New Testament, show how God has interposed by their ministry to deliver his servants that trusted in him. And is he not the same yesterday, today, and for ever? And I think too, that it might easily be shown to be perfectly judicious; whether by that phrase they mean reasonable and philosophical, or wise and prudent. Is it not according to the highest reason and truest philosophy, to acknowledge a particular Providence watching over even every individual of the human race, and especially over such as are peculiarly dear to God? And what is there unreasonable in believing that he occasionally, at least, exerts his power for the deliverance and preservation of such? Indeed, if he did not exert his power for these purposes, what would his watching over them avail? What advantage would they derive from it, if still all events, how interesting soever, were left to chance and nature? And is it not wise and prudent to bear testimony to such interpositions of Providence, at a time when Atheism and Infidelity go about, in various ways, to deny the providence of God, and to deprive his people of the comfort of believing that "the hairs of their head are all numbered," that a sparrow falleth not to the ground without their heavenly Father," and that they more value than many sparrows?" 66 66 are of But with regard to this point, the observation of a friend, now before me, is but too well founded: "Do you dare to ascribe any success in public measures, or in private life, or even any extraordinary deliverance, to the merciful interposition of God; or any public or private disaster or calamity to the avenging arm of an offended Deity? Expect a sneer of contempt, or a smile of pity, for your pains. The men of the world can account for these things," (and cannot many professing Christians?) "on other principles. A simple plan is theirs; a plan that renders divine interposition unnecessary. Chance, luck, accident, good or bad conduct; the wisdom, folly, courage, cowardice, industry, or idleness of the party;-these solve every difficulty, these are supposed competent to the production of every God's interference, therefore, is peremptorily denied, according to that well-known maxim of the Latin poet : event. 'Nec Deus intersit, nisi dignus vindice nodus His providential government is disowned, his throne is overturned, his sceptre wrested out of his hands, and his crown plucked from his head." "But," say these gentlemen, "without recurring to the daily hair-breadth escapes which those experience who are engaged in a seafaring life, in the business of mining, and in other perilous occupations, or who are obliged to meet an enemy in the field, we will venture to say there are few individuals who cannot recollect many singular deliverances from danger in the course of 66 their lives."-True: but what was said of the lepers, who were cleansed, is but too applicable here. "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?" Alas! few of these return to ascribe their deliverances to God, or give him the glory of them. And I fear they are directly or indirectly taught, even by these Christian Observers, to doubt whether God is the author of such deliverances, and whether they ought not to be ascribed to other causes. Nay," say they, "the good Christian thankfully ascribe them to the proviWhat, although he believes God did not effect them, but that they took place in the ordinary course of things! Here lies a fallacy too common in the language of professing Christians: they speak of ascribing things to the providence of God, and yet all the while secretly believe he did not interfere at all, but that they happened through the influence of causes purely natural. will humbly and dence of God." 66 2. The next particular which calls for animadversion, in this review, respects what is termed " (I use their language) "Mr. Fletcher's conversion," related in the second chapter of his Life. The account given of this in Mr. Gilpin's words, is considered by these Reviewers as contradicting what the same Rev. gentleman had before advanced concerning his early piety. With regard to this, it is proper to observe, that Mr. Gilpin has sufficiently explained himself on the subject. He begins the narrative of his conversion in the following words:"Notwithstanding the early appearance of piety in Mr. Fletcher, it is evident that he continued, for a long course of time, a perfect stranger to the true nature of Christianity." After describing his moral righteousness, and the complacency which, like Saul of Tarsus, he took therein, Mr. Gilpin proceeds: "While he was taken up in congratulating himself upon his own fancied eminence in piety, he was an absolute stranger to that unfeigned sorrow for sin, which is the first step toward the kingdom of God. It was not till after he had resided some time in England, that he became experimentally acquainted with the nature of true repentance." Now the Authors of the "Christian Observer" cannot conceive how this should be; how a person should have the attainments Mr. Fletcher had in his childhood and |