The Foundling; or, The Child of ProvidenceChurch, J. (John)
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The Foundling; or, The Child of Providence
Church, J. (John)
Church, J. (John), approximately 1780-approximately 1825; Clergy -- England -- Biography
a while, but when the little creatures come to discover the cheat, you
will see them sit upon the head of it. But why all this opposition?
Take it in Mr. H.’s own words, in his “Essay on Divine Law,” p. 275.
“The good man who has distinguished himself as my godfather, and who
has palmed the name of Antinomian upon me, and upon all that are in
connection with me, and who has, without intermission, slandered and
loaded we with reproach for five and twenty years, is an evangelist
of the first magnitude; though I never spoke to him but once in my
life. He is most exceeding zealous for the law of Moses, and of its
being the only rule of life for believers. My not holding this
assertion has filled him with all this holy indignation against me;
that, although he often forgets his text, and sometimes loses
himself, even in the pulpit, yet he never forgets nor loses sight of
the filthy Antinomian; and he is so violent for his own holiness and
sanctification, that he would be glad to send me to the devil, in
defence of it. And I doubt not but the Lord has set him at this work
to ripen him, as was the case when he bid Shimei curse David, that
God might curse him. And I am as fully persuaded as David was, ‘That
the Lord will requite me good for his cursing.’ 2 _Sam._ xvi. 12.
He has called me a spiritual monkey, a spiritual blackguard;
confessing that, if he was to see the devil flying away with me, he
could not find in his heart to cry, ‘stop thief!’ believing the devil
had only got his own property. And he has publicly confessed there
are three creatures in this world that his pious soul hates; namely,
the devil, Dr. Priestley, and Huntington; but that he hates
Huntington the worst of the three. Part of this is true, and part
false. It is true that he hates Huntington; but the other two have
received no damage by him in any thing. And I may say of my
godfather as the prophet says of Jacob’s brother, that, ‘He did
pursue his brother with the sword, and did cast off all pity, and his
anger did tear perpetually, and he kept his wrath for ever.’—_Amos_,
i. 2. My reader may believe me when I say, that I esteem his
indignation and his reproach a greater treasure to me than either his
affections or his prayers; for we are to be hated of all men, and
especially of all such men, for Christ’s name sake.—_Matt._ x. 22.
And this is so far from offending me, that I am pleased with it, and
make myself merry at the reports of his zeal, which hath almost eaten
him up; and he may go on, for his whole warfare is in defence of his
own honour; and the more the Lord enlarges me, the more he is
enlarged also.”
Again, p. 296—
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