Ryland, John, Jr., Bristol, to Samuel Hopkins, Newport, Rhode Island, 13 March 1798. 

13 Mar. 1798

Dear Sir

         I recd your favor yesterday, for which I was greatly indebted to you. I think Mr Booth leans too much to Mr Hervey’s Sentiments, whose writings he was attach’d to, early in Life. Yet if you knew how much Sentiments tending to Antinomianism had spread among the English Calvinists, you wd be thankful that he insists so strenuously on the Necessity of Holiness &c as he constantly does – I write now in great haste, and cannot enter into sevl particulars I shd be glad to mention. I did put a piece in the Ev. Mag. signed S. C. (a Contractn for Sadeh Cusemethe) and another sign’d Philathethes in the Scotch Missionary Magaz. ^Vol. II. 349.^ As to the Gospel Mag. I never saw but one No of it, I shd expect that the worst things Mr Booth wrote, wd be most praised there. – I tho’t I had a fair opportunity in the Ev. Mag. to animadvert on another Writer whom our Reviewer had censured, instead of Mr B. whom he had praised. Mr B. will very soon see your Animadversions on his Glad Tidings. I sent to him nearly the same Objections which I inserted in the Missionary Magazine. But he has an aversion to Letter writing, and I have not heard from him since, but he told a Minsr from Northamptonshire that he had heard of my having some Remarks from America on his Glad Tidings which he shd be glad to see – & accordingly he shall have them – Mr Scott is far more inclined to American Divinity than any one besides that I know in the Ch. of England.

         You must, my dear Sir, make some Allowce for persons to whom many things in your System are altogether novel. The writings of the best of your predecessors have been comparatively little read in England. I used to be much astonished that the Independts in Edwards’s time had not been more acquainted wth him & his writings. When I began to relish them above xx yrs ago, I was amazed that those who were so nearly of his own Denominatn had not cultivated an Acquaintance with him during his Life. Guyse & Watts indeed prefaced the Northampton Narrative, & Dodderidge [sic] wrote a preface to the Abridgement of Brainerd, but after their Death I cannot find that any notice was taken of his writings, except as Dr Gordon abridg’d his Book on the Affects – I was a Boy of 14 just awaken’d when Dr Whitaker came over, & he preach’d the Serms on Reconciliation (afterwd printed) at Northampton at the Independt Meeting. But I cd not enter into them then, & they had but a very moderate Sale I believe – Some years afterward, I got several Copies & spread them about – The negative side of the Modern Question as it was call’d, was first embraced by a few Independts in Northamptonshire & the neighborhood, about the year 1720 or later – then it spread among the B[aptist]s considerably, being agitated between Jackson in Yorkshire for the Affirmative & Brine for the Negative. And it had a very pernicious Tendency, till several of us were convinced of our mistake near the same time. But in the meanwhile Antinomianism had gain’d much ground among the Calvinist Methodists. The followers of Gill and Brine had argued themselves into sentiments tending that way, chiefly thro Zeal agst Arminianism, but the Methodist Antinomians hate all argument, and love nothing but Assertion and Jocose railing and calling names, and think it impossible to run too far from John Wesley – The preachers in Lady Huntingdon’s Connection have the most of this Infection, and I fear are likely rather to get worse than better. Their Tutor Nicholson is little better than Willm Huntingdon [sic] himself; & Dr Haweis has no Sense of the Danger – Mr Romaine also has had a large Influence in spreading a very defective Sort of Calvinism in the Church of England. Far more, confining himself to the Atonemt & Faith & Comfort than Mr [Glirecy?] did, tho’ not pleading so much in an argumentative Way for his Notion of Faith – Having no Talent or Forte for Discussion, but dealing in positive Assertions, & dwelling wholly on the Safety of Believers, with scarce any caution agt particular Sins.

         In my prest Situation I have much less time for reading & writing than I cd wish, & than I used to have at Northampton, or I shd delight much more in Theological Inquiries, than in teaching Langauges, but much of my time is taken up in the latter. We have xviii young men. One of them is sadly prejudiced agt what he miscalls Baxterianism; they are not[1] nearly as I wd wish them as to Sentiment, & I trust all truly gracious. I am obliged to your Candor in encouraging me to write to you again, & shall gladly avail myself of the Advantage of your Correspondence as far as my time will permit me to enjoy that privilege. I expect Bror Fuller to come to see me in a few days. We are now above 100 miles apart but I have gone up to Northampton every Summer – My poor people there continue still unsettled. I pray God abundantly to succeed your Labors & remain

                     yours most respectfully & affectionately

                                             John Ryland

Address: Revd Saml Hopkins D. D. | Newport | Rhode Island

Postmark: none

Endorsed: Mar 13.1798 | Dr Ryland

Note: Received & forwarded by | C. D. Sept. 25

[1] not are] MS

Text: Stauffer Collection, vol. 26, p. 2080, Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia. Catalog entry has letter addressed to the Rev. E. D. Griffin, but that is clearly incorrect.