him before they happened: the death of Cromwell, the restoration of Charles II., the great fire of London, and many others. It is curious, however, that none of these predictions were promulged by him until after the several events had taken place, while the only unfulfilled prophecy which he ever ventured to publish has remained unfulfilled to the present hour.*

Sufficient has, then, we trust, been gathered from the experience of the Church to demonstrate that this is no new thing that has happened to us; that whenever there has been a revival of true religion, whenever the offices and the gifts of the Holy Ghost have been brought prominently before the minds of Christians, as the objects of their desire, and the subjects of their prayers, those also are the periods when Satan has presented delusions similar to the present to mislead the unstable, and to perplex and harass the minds of the real children of God. * Vide Fox's Journal, p. 263.

Indeed, instead of considering the present "manifestations" in this parish (grievous although for a time their effects may be) as any cause for despondency or alarm, I own I cannot but look upon them, from the past experience of the Church, as among the most encouraging proofs that the real work of the Spirit's ordinary influences is flourishing among us; and that when the tares which the enemy is now sowing shall have withered away, the good seed shall remain unto our children's children, bringing forth fruit an hundred-fold through many succeeding generations to the honour and glory of God.

We now arrive at the last test by which we proposed to "try the spirits whether they were of God;" viz. :

III. By their own professions.

It is obvious that there cannot be a more favourable test by which to try any individual than by his own professions; and yet, in the present instance, so complete is the case against the modern claimants,

that if we even try them thus, by comparing their own confessions with the written Word of God, we shall find quite as much out of their own mouths to condemn them, as we have already seen either from the testimony of Scripture, or of the Church of God.

The first great characteristic, then, of these alleged gifts is, that they are generally uncontrollable by those who are the subjects of them. As a proof of this, we are informed that when the head of this new sect thought proper to forbid the "gifted people," as they are termed, from speaking in his church," one of the sisters, finding she was unable to restrain herself, and respecting the regulation of the Church, rushed into the vestry, and gave vent to utterance;" while another ran out of the church for the same purpose.* Again, we are told" that the gifted persons declared that the power which compelled them to speak acted on the end of their

6

"Unknown Tongues," &c., by G. Pilkington,

Second Edition, 8vo., 1831.

tongues. While we find one who was for a time led captive by the same delusion, declaring of himself, "By a constraint I cannot describe, I was made to speak." And again, on another occasion, when the leader of this new sect was asked, "if they could not restrain the tongue and utter English?" he said, "No."

Now all these things are totally and entirely at variance with every instance which the Word of God has handed down to us of the real inspirations of his good Spirit. We are told expressly by the apostle, that the "Spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets;"† and again," If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace." It is, therefore, plain that the true prophets of God had the Spirit which

* Indeed this language is common to all; thus Mr. Irving expresses it, "He was made to declare many words, &c. ;" and again," Mrs. C. was made to speak in a tongue with great authority and strength." -Baxter's Narrative, p. 105.

† 1 Cor. xiv. 32.

‡ Ibid. 29, 30.

spake within them in perfect subjection; and that they could "hold their peace" when they desired, or the Spirit of God would never have thus mocked them by the mouth of the apostle, by commanding them to do so.

It is singular that, while the Word of God is so clearly opposed to them upon this point, the pretenders in all ages should have committed so great an error as to profess to be under an irresistible power; accordingly we find the fathers of Christianity condemning the heretics of their days, upon their own profession, 1600 years ago, precisely as we are enabled to do at the present moment. Hear the evidence of Origen upon this point: he says, "The prophets did not, as some suppose, lose their understanding, and speak from a constraint of the Spirit."* "If any thing be revealed to another that sitteth by," says the apostle, "let the first

* Orig. in Ezech., c. xvi. Hom. 6, init., tom. i. pp. 636-7.