Contents of Volume 3.

THE WORKS

OF THE

REVEREND JOHN FLETCHER.

Late Vicar Of Madeley.

IN FOUR VOLUMES.

SCHMUL PUBLISHERS

SALEM, OHIO

1974

Rev. John Fletcher

CONTENTS OF VOLUME 3.

1. PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.

Introduction

Author’s Preface

Trait I. His early piety.

II. His Christian piety.

III. His intimate union with Christ by faith.

IV. His extraordinary vocation to the holy ministry, and in what that ministry chiefly consists.

V. His entire devotion to Jesus Christ.

VI. His strength and his arms.

VII. His power to bind, to loose, and to bless in the name of the Lord. VIII. The earnestness with which he began and continued to fill up the duties of his vocation.

IX. The manner in which he divided his time between prayer, preaching, and thanksgiving.

X. The fidelity with which he announced the severe threatenings and consolitary promises of the Gospel.

XI. His profound humility.

XII. The ingenuous manner in which he acknowledged and repaired his errors.

XIII. His detestation of party spirit and divisions.

XIV. His rejection of praise.

XV. His universal love.

XVI. His particular love to the faithful.

XVII. His love to those whose faith was wavering.

XVIII. His love to his countrymen and his enemies.

XIX. His love to those whom he knew only by report.

XX. His charity toward the poor in giving, or procuring for them temporal relief.

XXI. His charity toward sinners in offering them every spiritual assistance. XXII. The engaging condescension of his humble charity. XXIII. His courage in defence of oppressed truth.

XXIV. His prudence in frustrating the designs of his enemies. XXV. His tenderness toward others, and his severity toward himself. XXVI. His love never degenerated into cowardice, but reproved and consoled as occasion required.

XXVII. His perfect disinterestedness.

XXVIII. His condescension in labouring at times with his own hands, that he might preach industry by example, as well as by precept. XXIX. The respect he manifested for the holy estate of matrimony, while Christian prudence engaged him to live in a state of celibacy. XXX. The ardour of his love.

XXXI. His generous fears and succeeding consolations. XXXII. The grand subject of his glorying, and the evangelical manner in which he maintained his superiority over false apostles. XXXIII. His patience and fortitude under the severest trials. XXXIV. His modest firmness before magistrates.

XXXV. His courage in consoling his persecuted brethren. XXXVI. His humble confidence in producing the seals of his ministry. XXXVII. His readiness to seal with his blood, the truths of the Gospel. XXXVIII. The sweet suspense of his choice between life and death. XXXIX. The constancy of his zeal and diligence to the end of his course. XL. His triumph over the evils of life, and the terrors of death.

2. THE PORTRAIT OF LUKEWARM MINISTERS AND

FALSE APOSTLES.

I. The portrait of lukewarm ministers.

II. The portrait of false apostles.

III. An answer to the first objection which may be made against the portrait of St. Paul.

IV. A second objection argued against.

V. A third objection replied to.

VI. A fourth objection refuted.

VII. The same subject continued.

VIII. A farther reply to the same objection.

IX. A farther refutation of the same objection.

X. A fifth objection answered.

XI. A reply to the last objection which may be urged against the portrait of St. Paul.

3. THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.—PART SECOND.

The doctrines of an evangelical pastor.

He preaches true repentance toward God.

How sin and the necessity of repentance entered into the world. This doctrine is maintained by all the Christian Churches. Without evangelical repentance, a lively faith in Christ, or regeneration by the Holy Spirit, will appear not only unnecessary but absurd. How the faithful pastor leads sinners to repentance.

How the prophets, Jesus Christ, his forerunner, and his apostles prepared sinners for repentance.

Observations upon the repentance of worldly men.

The second point of doctrine, insisted upon by the true minister, is a living faith.

The true minister goes on to announce a lively hope.

The true minister preaches Christian charity.

The true minister believes and preaches the three grand promises of God together with the three great dispensations of grace. The true minister studies the different dispensations, in order to qualify himself for the discharge of every part of his duty.

The different dispensations are produced by that lovely variety with which the Almighty is pleased to distribute his favours.

The different preachers under these different dispensations. The dispensation of the Holy Spirit is now in force, and the minister who preaches this dispensation cannot justly be esteemed an enthusiast. The evangelical pastor defends the dispensations of the Spirit against all opposers.

4. THE PORTRAIT OF ST. PAUL.—PART THIRD.—AN

ESSAY ON THE CONNECTION OF DOCTRINES WITH

MORALITY.

PRELIMINARY OBSERVATIONS

I. Philosophers, so called, exalt themselves without reason, against the doctrines of the Gospel.

II. The doctrines of natural religion and philosophy are insufficient to produce true charity in the heart.

III. The great influence of doctrines upon morality.

IV. How the doctrines of the Gospel come in to the succour of morality. V. Reflections on the apostles’ creed.

VI. The connection of morality with the second part of the apostles’ creed. VII. The connection of morality with the third part of the apostles’ creed. VIII. Consequences of the foregoing observations.

IX. An appeal to experience.

X. An objection answered, which may be drawn from the ill conduct of unholy Christians, to prove the inutility of the doctrines of the Gospel. XI. The same subject continued.

XII. Other reasons given for the little influence which the foregoing doctrines are observed to have on Christians in general. XIII. The doctrines of Christianity have an obscure side. Reasons of this obscurity. Errors of some philosophers in this respect. XIV. The advantages of redemption are extended in different degrees to all mankind through every period of the world.

XV. Reflections on the danger to which modern Deists expose themselves.

5. APPEAL TO MATTER OF FACT AND COMMON SENSE.

DEDICATION.

Contents.

Introduction.

PART I. The doctrine of man’s corrupt estate, stated. II. Man considered as an inhabitant of the natural world. III. As a citizen of the moral world.

IV. As belonging to the Christian world.

V. Inferences from the whole.

Concluding address to the serious reader.

Appendix.

6. VINDICATION OF THE CATHOLIC FAITH

OF THE TRINITY.

PREFACE by the editor.

INTRODUCTION, showing the occasion of the work, and addressing the reader.

EXPOSTULATORY letter to the Rev. Dr. Priestley, in four parts. I. A general view of the catholic faith, concerning the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, and the subject in debate between Catholics and Deists of every description.

II. The sources of the popular arguments against the catholic faith. III. God the Father has a proper Son, by whom he made, and governs, and will judge the world.

IV. Our Lord claimed the Divine honour of being the proper Son of God the Father.

V. The view which the apostles give us of Christ after their most perfect illumination.

VI. The apostles apply to Christ many passages of the Old Testament, manifestly intended of the true God.

VII. The inspired writers give Christ the names and titles, and ascribe to him the perfections of the true God.

VIII. The apostles represent Christ as the immediate author of the Divine works, whether of creation or preservation.

IX. Christ is the Redeemer and Saviour of lost mankind. X. Christ is the final and universal Judge.

XI. Divine worship was paid to him by patriarchs, prophets, and apostles, and is his undoubted right.

XII. Christ is also very man.

XIII. Objections answered.

XIV. The use of the doctrine of Christ’s divinity.

7. SOCINIANISM UNSCRIPTURAL; OR, THE SECOND

PART OF A VINDICATION OF CHRIST’S DIVINITY.

PREFACE by the editor.

LETTER. II. To Dr. Priestley, proving that our first parents expected a Divine Messiah, and that the Divine person who appeared to the patriarchs, &c, was Christ in his pre-existent state. III. The subject continued.

IV. The three original promises concerning the Messiah, the foundation of the proofs of his divinity from the writings of the prophets. V. All the prophets exhibit Christ as the bruiser of the serpent, and the prosperous king reigning in righteousness.

VI. The testimony borne by the prophets to the Godhead of Christ. VII. The evangelists and apostles attest his divinity. VIII. The same subject continued.

IX. Dr. Priestley is confronted with St. Paul, and our Lord’s Divine glory is seen in that apostle’s writings.

8. SOCINIANISM UNSCRIPTURAL CONTINUED, IN

LETTERS TO THE REV. MR. WESLEY.

LETTER I. The Epistle to the Romans reviewed, and sundry passages of it shown to be irreconcilable with common sense, on supposition that the author held the doctrine of Christ’s mere humanity. II. The two Epistles to the Corinthians considered, and many passages of a similar nature pointed out.

III. The Epistle to the Galatians, and that to the Ephesians, proved to contain a doctrine equally absurd, if Christ be a mere man. IV. The Epistle to the Philippians, and that to the Colossians, must be viewed in the same light.

V. The Epistle to the Thessalonians equally inconsistent with common sense on the same supposition.

VI. The Epistles to Timothy, Titus, and Philemon, are also inconsistent therewith.

VII. The Epistle to the Hebrews affords abundant proof of the absurdity of its doctrine, if Christ be a mere man.

VIII. The Epistle of St. James, and those of St. Peter, exhibit a doctrine equally absurd, on the same supposition.

IX. The Epistles of St. John, and that of St. Jude, were written in the same strain of absurdity, if the doctrine of Christ’s mere humanity be true. X. The same doctrine of Christ’s mere humanity represents the apostle John as writing without common sense in the Apocalypse, and fathers similar absurdity on John the Baptist.

XI. It represents Christ himself as uttering declarations absurd, and even blasphemous, and that, as well after his ascension into heaven, as during his abode on earth.