the breath of every soul which is truly born of God. And by this new kind of spiritual respiration, spiritual life is not only sustained, but increased day by day, together with spiritual strength, and motion, and sensation. All the sen ses of the soul being now awake, and capable of discerning spiritual good and evil.

"The eyes of his understanding are now open, and he seeth Him that is invisible. He sees what is the exceeding greatness of his power, and of his love towards them that believe. He sees that God is merciful to him, a sinner, that he is reconciled through the Son of his love. He clearly perceives both the pardoning love of God and all his exceeding great and precious promises. God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined, and doth shine, in his heart, to enlighten him with the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. All the darkness is now passed away, and he abides in the light of God's countenance.

"His ears are now opened, and the voice of God no longer calls in vain. He bears, and obeys the heavenly calling: he knows the voice of his Shepherd.' All his spiritual senses being now awakened, he has a clear intercourse with the invisible world. And hence he knows more and more of the things which before it could not enter into his heart to conceive.' He now knows what the peace of God is: what is joy in the Holy Ghost, what the love of God which is shed abroad in the hearts of them that believe in him through Christ Jesus. Thus the veil being removed, which before intercepted the light and voice, the knowledge and love of God, he who is born of the Spirit, dwelling in love, dwell eth in God, and God in him."-Wesley's Works, vol. vii. p. 268.

NOTE VII. Page 126.

He entangled himself in Contradictions.

"THE expression being born again, was not first used by our Lord in bis conversation with Nicodemus. It was in common use among the Jews when our Saviour appeared among them. When an adult heathen was convinced that the Jewish religion was of God, and desired to join therein, it was the custom to baptize him first, before he was admitted to circumcision. And when he was baptized, be was said to be born again; by which they meant, that he who was before a child of the devil, was now adopted into the family of God, and accounted one of his children."-vol. vii. p. 296.

Yet, in the same sermon, Wesley aims, "that Baptism is not the New Birth, that they are not one and the same thing. Many indeed seem to imagine that they are just the same; at least they speak as if they thought so; but I do not know that this opinion is publicly avowed, by any denomination of Christians whatever. Certainly it is not by any within these kiugdoms, whether of the Established Church or dissenting from it. The judgment of the latter is clearly declared in their large catechism: "Q. What are the parts of a Sacrament? A. The parts of a Sacrament are two; the one an outward and sensible sign, the other an inward and spiritual grace signified. Q. What is Baptism? A. Baptism is a sacrament, wherein Christ hath ordained the washing with water to be a sign and seal of regeneration by his Spirit." Here it is manifest, baptism, the sign, is spoken of as distinct from regeneration, the thing signified."

Where was Wesley's logic? or where his fairness? Can any thing be more evident, than that this catechism describes regeneration as the inward and spiritual grace, and the act of baptism (sprinkling or immersion) as the outward and visible sign. What follows is as bad.

"In the Church Catechism likewise, the judgment of our Church is declared with the utmost clearness. Q. What meanest thou by this word Sacrament? A. I mean an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. ૨. What is the outward part or form in baptism? A. Water, wherein the person is baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Q. What is the inward parts, or thing signified? A. A death unto sin, and a new bith unto righteousness." Nothing therefore is plainer, than that, according to the church of England, baptism is not the New Birth."

I do not believe that an instance of equal blindness or disingenuity (whichever it may be thought) can be found in all the other parts of Wesley's works, So plain is it that the words of the catechism mean precisely what Wesley affirms they do no mean, that, in the very next page, he contradicts himself in the clearest manner, and says, "it is certain, our church supposes, that all whe are baptized in their infancy are at the same time born again. And it is allow

ed, that the whole office for the baptism of infants proceeds upon this supposi tion. Nor is it an objection of any weight against this, that we cannot compre hend how this work can be wrought in infants." Vol. vii. p. 302.

NOTE VIII. Page. 127.

Instantaneous Conversion.

"AN observation," says Toplady, "which I met with in reading Downmane's Christian Warfare, struck me much: speaking of the Holy Spirit as the sealer of the Elect, he asks, how is it possible to receive the seal without feeling the impression."

"Lord," says Fuller in one of his Scripture Observations, "I read of my Saviour, that when he was in the wilderness, then the devil leaveth him, and behold angels came and ministered unto him. A great change in a little time. No twilight betwixt night and day. No purgatory condition betwixt hell and heaven, but instantly, when out devil, in angel. Such is the case of every solitary soul. It will make company for itself. A musing mind will not stand neuter a minute, but presently side with legions of good or bad thoughts. Grant, therefore, that my soul, which ever will have some, may never have bad company."

NOTE IX. Page 128.

Salvation not to be sought by Works.

THIS doctrine is stated with perilous indiscretion in one of the Moravian hymns.

When any, thro' a beam of light,

Can see and own they are not right,

But enter on a legal strife,

Amend their former course of life,

And work and toil, and sweat from day to day.

Such, to their Saviour quite mistake the way.

NOTE X. Page 130.

Faith.

IN Methodistical and mystical biography, the reader will sometimes be re minded of these lines in Ovid.

In prece totus eram, cœlestia numina sensi,
Lætaque purpurea luce refulsit humus.
Non equidem vidi (valeant mendacia vatum !)
Te Dea; nec fueras adspicienda viro.

Sed quæ nescieram, quorumque errore tenebar,
Cognita sunt nullo præcipiente mihi.

NOTE XI. Page 133.

Assurance.

OVID, Fast. vi. 251-254.

THERE is a good story of assurance in Belknap's History of New-Hampshire. "A certain captain, John Underhill, in the days of Puritanism, affirined, that having long lain under a spirit of bondage, he could get no assurance; till at length, as he was taking a pipe of tobacco, the Spirit set home upon him an absolute promise of free grace, with such assurance and joy, that he had never since doubted of his good estate, neither should he, whatever sins he might fall Into. And he endeavoured to prove, that as the Lord was pleased to convert Saul while he was persecuting, so he might manifest himself to him while making a moderate use of the good creature tobacco! This was one of the things for which he was questioned and censured by the elders at Boston.” Vol. i. p. 42.

"Another," says South, "flatters himself, that he has lived in full assurance of his salvation for ten or twenty, or, perhaps, thirty years; that is, in other words, the man has been ignorant and confident very long."

NOTE XII. Page 134.
Perfection.

THE Gospel Magazine contains a likely anecdote concerning this curious doctrine. "A lady of my acquaintance," says the writer, "bad, in the early

stage of her religious profession, very closely attached herself to a society of avowed Arminians, she had imbibed all their notions, and, among the rest, that of sinless perfection. What she had been taught to believe attainable, she at fast concluded she had, herself, attained as perfectly as any of the perfect class in Mr. Wesley's societies; and she accordingly went so far as to profess she had obtained what they call the "second blessing," that is, an eradication of all sin and a heart filled with nothing but pure and perfect love. A circumstance, however, not long after occurred, which gave a complete shock to her self-righteous presumption, as well as to the principles from whence it sprung. Her husband having one day contradicted her opinion and controlled her will, in a matter where he thought himself authorized to do both one and the other, the perfect lady felt herself so extremely angry, that, as she declared to me, she could have boxed his ears, and had great difficulty to refrain from some act declarative of the emotions of rising passion and resentment. Alarmed at what she felt, and not knowing how to account for such unhallowed sensations in a heart, in which, as she thought, all sin had been done away, she ran for explanation to the leader of the perfect band. To her she related ingenuously all that passed in the interview with her husband. The band-leader, instructed in the usual art of administering consolation, though at the expense of truth and rectitude, replied, "What you felt on that occasion, my dear, was nothing but a little animal nature! My friend being a lady of too much sense, and too much honesty to be imposed upon by such a delusory explanation, exclaimed, ' Animal nature! No; it was animal devil! From that moment she bid adieu to perfection, and its concomitant delusions, as well as to those who are led by them."

"Guat-strainers," says Toplady in one of his sermons," are too often camelswallowers; and the Pharisaical mantle of superstitious austerity is, very frequently, a cover for a cloven foot. Beware then, of driving too furiously at first setting out. Take the cool of the day. Begin as you can hold on. I knew a lady, who to prove herself perfect, ripped off her flounces, and would not wear an ear-ring, a necklace, a ring, or an inch of lace. Ruffles were Babylonish. Powder was Antichristian. A riband was carnal. A snuff-box smelt of the bottomless pit. And yet, under all this parade of outside humility, the fair ascetic was--but I forbear entering into particulars: suffice it to say, that she was a concealed Antinomian. And I have known too many similar instances."

NOTE XIII. Page 136.
Ministry of Angels.

UPON this subject Charles Wesley has thus expressed himself, in a sermon upon Psalm xci. 11. "He shall give his Angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."

"By these perfections, strength, and wisdom, they are well able to preserve us either from the approach (if that be more profitable for us) or in the attack of any evil. By their wisdom they discern whatever either obstructs or promotes our real advantage; by their strength they effectually repel the one and secure a free course to the other: by the first, they choose means conducive to these ends; by the second, they put them in execution. One particular method of preserving good men, which we may reasonably suppose these wise beings sometimes choose, and by their strength put in execution, is the altering some material cause that would have a pernicious effect; the purifying (for instance) tainted air, which would otherwise produce a contagious distemper. Aud this they may easily do, either by increasing the current of it, so as naturally to cleanse its putridity; or, by mixing with it some other substance, so to correct its hurtful qualities, and render it salubrious to human bodies. Another method they may be supposed to adopt when their commissiou is not so general; when they are authorized to preserve some few persons from a common calamity. It then is probable that they do not alter the cause, but the subject on which it is to work; that they do not lessen the strength of the one, but increase that of the other. Thus, too, where they are not allowed to prevent, they may remove, pain or sickness; thus the angel restored Daniel in a moment, when neither strength nor breath remained in him.

"By these means, by changing either our bodies or the material causes that use to affect them, they may easily defend us from all bodily evils, so far as is expedient for us. A third method they may be conceived to employ to defend us from spiritual dangers, by applying themselves immediately to the soul to

vaise or allay our passions; and, indeed, this province seems more natural to them than either of the former. How a spiritual being can act upon matter seems more unaccountable than how it can act on spirit; that one immaterial being, by touching another, should increase or lessen its motion; that an angel should retard or quicken the channel wherein the passions of angelic substance flow, no more excites our astonishment than that one piece of matter should have the same effect on its kindred substance; or that a flood-gate, or other material instrument, should affect the course of a river: rather, considering how contagious the nature of the passions is, the wonder is on the other side; not how they can avoid to affect him at all, but how they can avoid affecting them more; how they can continue so near us, who are so subject to catch them, without spreading the flames which burn in themselves. And a plain instance of their power to allay human passions is afforded us in the case of Daniel, when he beheld that gloriously terrible minister, whose face was as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire; his arms and feet like polished brass, and his voice as the voice of a multitude,' x. 6.; when the tears and sorrows of the prophet were turned so strong upon him, that he was in a deep sleep, void of sense and motion. Yet this fear, these turbulent passions, the angel allayed in a moment; when they were hurrying on with the utmost impetuosity, he checked them in their course; so that immediately after we find Daniel desiring the continuance of that converse which before he was utterly unable to sustain.

"The same effect was, doubtless, wrought on all those to whom these superior beings, on their first appearance, used this salutation- Fear not; which would have been a mere insult and cruel mockery upon human weakness, had they not, with that advice, given the power to follow it. Nearly allied to this method of influencing the passions, is the last I intend to mention, by which the angels (it is probable) preserve good men, especially in or from spiritual dangers. And this is by applying themselves to their reason, by instilling good thoughts into their hearts; either such as are good in their own nature, as tend to our improvement in virtue, or such as are contrary to the suggestions of flesh and blood, by which we are tempted to vice. It is not unlikely that we are indebted to them, not only for most of those reflections which suddenly dart into our minds, we know not how, having no connexion with any thing that went before them; but for many of those also which seem entirely our own, and naturally consequent from the preceding."

NOTE XIV. Page 137.

Agency of evil Spirits.

"LET us consider," says Wesley, "what may be the employment of unholy spirits-from death to the resurrection. We cannot doubt but the moment they leave the body, they find themselves surrounded by spirits of their own kind, probably human as well as diabolical. What power God may permit these to exercise over them, we do not distinctly know. But it is not improbable, he may suffer Satan to employ them, as he does his own angels, in inflicting death, or evils of various kinds, on the men that know not God. For this end, they may raise storms by sea or by land; they may shoot meteors through the air; they may occasion earthquakes; and, in numberless ways, afflict those whom they are not suffered to destroy. Where they are not permitted to take away life, they may inflict various diseases: and many of these, which we may judge to be natural, are undoubtedly diabolical. I believe this is frequently the case with lunatics. It is observable that many of these, mentioned in Scripture, who are called lunatics by one of the Evangelists, are termed demoniacs by another. One of the most eminent physicians I ever knew, particularly in cases of insanity, the late Dr. Deacon, was clearly of opinion, that this was the case with many, if not with most lunatics. And it is no valid objection to this, that these diseases are so often cured by natural means; for a wound inflicted by an evil spirit might be cured as any other; unless that spirit were permitted to repeat the blow.

"May not some of these evil spirits be likewise employed, in conjunction with evil angels, in tempting wicked men to sin, and in procuring occasions for them? Yea, and in tempting good men to sin, even after they have escaped the corruption that is in the world. Herein, doubtless, they put forth all their strength, and greatly glory if they conquer." Vol. xi. p. 31.

"The ingenious Dr. Cheyne," says one of Mr. Wesley's correspondents,

"reckons all gloomy wrong-headedness, and spurious free-thinking, so many symptoms of bodily diseases: and, I think, says, the human organs, in some nervous distempers, may, perhaps, be rendered fit for the actuation of demons: and advises religion as an excellent remedy. Nor is this unlikely to be my own case; for a nervous disease of some years' standing, rose to its height in 1748, and I was attacked in proportion by irreligious opinions. The medicinal part of his advice, a vegetable diet, at last, cured my dreadful distemper. It is natural to think the spiritual part of his advice equally good; and shall I neglect it, because I am now in health? God forbid!-John Walsh. Armenian Magazine, vol. ii. p. 433.

NOTE XV. Page 140.

Immortality of Animals.

On this point Wesley's bitterest opponent agreed with him. "I will honestly confess," says Toplady, "that I never yet heard one single argument urged against the immortality of brutes which, if adınitted, would not, mutatis mulendis, be equally conclusive against the immortality of man.”

NOTE XVI. Page 152.
Itinerancy.

THERE are some things in the system of the Methodists which very much resemble certain arrangements proposed by John Knox and his colleagues in the First Book of Discipline. "It was found necessary, says Dr. M'Crie, to employ some persons in extraordinary and temporary charges. As there was not a sufficient number of ministers to supply the different parts of the country, that the people might not be left altogether destitute of public worship and instruction, certain pious persons who had received a common education, were appointed to read the Scriptures and the Common Prayers. These were called Readers. In large parishes persons of this description were also employed to relieve the ministers from a part of the public service. If they advanced in knowledge, they were encouraged to add a few plain exhortations to the reading of the Scriptures. In that case they were called Exhorters; but they were examined and admitted, before entering upon this employment.

"The same cause gave rise to another temporary expedient. Instead of fixing all the ministers in particular charges, it was judged proper, after supplying the principal towns, to assign to the rest the superintendence of a large district, over which they were appointed regularly to travel for the purpose of preaching, of planting churches, and inspecting the conduct of ministers, exhorters, and readers. These were called Superintendents. The number originally proposed was ten; but owing to the scarcity of proper persons, or rather to the want of necessary funds, there were never more than six appointed. The deficiency was supplied by Commissioners or Visiters, appointed from time to time by the General Assembly."-Life of Knox, vol. ii. pp. 6, 7.

"We were not the first itinerant preachers in England," says Wesley, "twelve were appointed by Queen Elizabeth to travel continually, in order to spread true religion through the kingdom. And the office and salary still continues, though their work is little attended to. Mr. Milner, late Vicar of Chipping, in Lancashire, was one of them."

Itinerant preaching (without referring to the obvious fact, that the first preachers of Christianity in any country must necessarily have been itinerant) is of a much earlier origin than Wesley has here supposed. It was the especial business of the Dominicans, and was practised by the other mendicant orders, and by the Jesuits. And it was practised long before the institution of these

orders.

St. Cuthbert used to itinerate when he was abbot of Melrose, as his predecessor St. Boisil had done before him; and Bede tells us, that all persons eagerly flocked to listen to these preachers. "Nec solum ipsi monasterio regularis vitæ monita, simul & exempla præbebat; sed et vulgus circumpositum longe lateque a vita stultæ consuetudinis ad cœlestium gaudiorum convertere curabat amorem. Nam et multi fidem quam habebant, iniquis profanabant operibus et aliqui etiam tempore mortalitatis neglectis fidei sacramentis (quibus erant imbuti) ad erratica idololatriæ medicamina concurrebant, quasi missam a Deo conditore plagam, per incantationes, vel philacteria, vel alia quælibet dūmoniaca artis arcana, cohibere valerent. Ad utrorumque ergo corrigendum errgrem, crebro ipse de monasterio egressus, aliquotiens equo sedens, sed sæpius