Enthusiasm described and caution'd against. A sermon preach'd at the Old Brick Meeting-House in Boston, the Lord's Day after the commencement, 1742. : With a letter to the Reverend Mr. James Davenport. / By Charles Chauncy, D.D. one of the Pastors of the First Church in said town. ; [Twenty lines from Luther]

Title: Enthusiasm described and caution'd against. A sermon preach'd at the Old Brick Meeting-House in Boston, the Lord's Day after the commencement, 1742. : With a letter to the Reverend Mr. James Davenport. / By Charles Chauncy, D.D. one of the Pastors of the First Church in said town. ; [Twenty lines from Luther]

Author: Chauncy, Charles, 1705-1787.

Collection: Evans Early American Imprint Collection

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It may furnish both opportunity and occasion for the trial of those, who call themselves christians; whe|ther they have just notions of religion, and courage and faithfulness to stand up for real truths, against meer imaginary ones.—It may serve as a foil to set off the beauty and glory of true, genuine christianity.—It may tend to the encouragement of reasonable and solid re|ligion; and, in the run of things, recommend it, in the most effectual manner, to men's choice and practice.— In a word, It may put men upon a more thorough ex|amination into the grounds of the christian religion, and be the means of their being, more generally, esta|blished in its truth, upon the best and most reasonable evidence.These are some of the ends capable of being answer|ed by the permission of a spirit of enthusiasm, and the prevalence of it, for a while. And as to the persons themselves led aside by it, it is, in the same way to be reconcil'd with the general goodness of GOD towards men, as in the case of distraction, and the evil ef|fects consequent theruepon. The persons, heated with enthusiastic imaginations, are either, in a faulty sense, accessary to this unhappy turn of mind, or they are not: If the latter, they may depend upon the pity and mercy of GOD, notwithstanding the extravagancies they may run into; yea, if they are good men, as is, doubtless, sometimes the case, it may be hoped, that this evil which has happened to them, will, after the manner of other sufferings, work together for good to them: But if thro' the pride of their hearts, a vain|glorious temper, accompanied with rashness and arro|gance, or the like, they are really accessary to their own delusion, and mad conduct following therefrom, let them not think to cast the blame on GOD: They do but reap the fruit of what they themselves have sown. And if they shou'd be totally delivered up, as has sometimes been the case, to the devices of their own hearts, and the lying inspirations of wicked spirits, they can fault no body but themselves. GOD is just while he makes them an example for the warning of others, lest they also be given up to believe lies. And he is good as well as just; good to others, in put|ting them hereby upon their guard, tho' he is severe towards them.0