fanatical peculiarity! I prefume inftantaneous regeneration must be a fanatical peculiarity alfo. What then becomes of that Diana of the prefent age, baptifmal regeneration? Which must be inftantaneous, and that always too, if every child is really regenerated when baptized ?

66

t

But this only by the by. In your 18th fection, page 43: you return to me. "After these sudden converfions, ufually they receive their affurances of falvation; and these (as also "the proofs of their converfion) are certainly known, heard, "feen or felt; they can afcertain the particular time and place of their receiving them; as fo many feals of the Spi"rit." Thefe you call, page 44. "Prefumptuous imagina"tions." Is affurance of faith then, in your opinion, a prefumptuous imagination? For you not only ridicule the Methodists way of expreffing it, which in feveral respects may have been unguarded; nor are you content with afferting, that fome who really had not this affurance, have prefumptuoufly imagined they had it, which we readily grant; for there is counterfeit as well as current coin: but you seem to explode the thing itself. And yet you intend in this pamphlet, to draw a parallel between the Methodists and Papists. Could you give a greater proof of your fymbolizing with the Papists yourfelf? Or need you be informed, that one grand article of the council of Trent is this, "That there is no such thing "as a perfon's knowing that his fins are forgiven him, or be "ing affured of his falvation ;" and that with good reason: for if there be fuch a thing as being affured of the forgiveness of our fins by the internal teftimony, whether mediate or immediate, of the Spirit of GOD; and if a perfon ought to be fatisfied only with that, then how could the people be brought to believe in, and trust to the mere external verbal absolution of a priest? Our church, on the contrary, in one of her homilies, fays, that a true faith" is a fure truft and confidence "in GoD, that by the merits of CHRIST, his fins are forgiven, and he reconciled to the favour of GOD." And. that the Scriptures every where promife to believers, a fure and internal witness from the Spirit of GOD, to witness with their spirits that they are his children, is fo evident, that he who runs may read. What fays our LORD?" He that believeth in me, out of his belly fhall flow rivers of living water." VOL. IV.

Q

This

This fpake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive." What fays St. Paul?" Because ye are fons, "GOD hath fent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, "crying, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness "with our Spirit, that we are the children of GOD." Saith another, "He that believeth hath the witnefs in himself." d And a third exhorts all "to give diligence to make their calling and election fure." Art thou a master in Ifrael, a proteftant minister, and a minister of the Church of England, and 1 knoweft not these things?

But to come nearer to a clofe. Your 20th fection is introduced thus: " And where will these bold enthufiafts Stop?" I answer for one, in order to relieve both myself and you, éven here, Sir. And without giving you the trouble of taking a flight after us to heaven, from whence, you fay, page 48. f "Thefe methodistical enthufiafts have taken the facred light "and fire, in order to compafs effectually their own, and "others delufion," I will freely and readily acknowledge, that you and others have had too much occafion for reflection, by feveral things that have been unwarily dropped up and down in my Journals.

you

Thefe, you inform us in your preface, are what you have chiefly confulted. In this you have acted wifely enough for your purpose; though whether candidly or not, I will leave and the world to judge, fince there were later writings of mine, which might as eafily have been procured. My Journals were fome of my moft early performances, wrote too in the very heights of my firft popularity (which is apt to make the strongest head run giddy) in the midft of which, perfons very often do things, which after-experience and riper judgment teach them to correct and amend.

This is true, however, in refpect to myself; and, to convince you that this is the real language of my heart, and not extorted from me by your pamphlet, I will lay before you an extract of a letter written by me to a worthy friend in SouthCarolina, in my late return from Bermudas, and published, with very little alteration, in Scotland months ago *.

* Vide the Letter at full length, vol. ii. p. 143.

C

On

On board the Brigg Betfey, June 24, 1748.

Reverend Sir,

YESTERDAY I made an end of revifing all my Journals. Bleffed be GOD for letting me have leifure to do it. I purpose to have a new edition before I fee America. Alas! alas! in how many things have I judged, and acted o wrong! I have been too rash and hafty in giving characters nd both of places and perfons. Being fond of fcripture lan-" guage, I have often ufed a ftyle too apoftolical, and at the fame time I have been too bitter in my zeal, wild-fire has. been mixed with it; and I find that I have frequently written and spoken too much in my own fpirit, when I thought I was a writing and speaking entirely by the affiftance of the Spirit 3. of GOD. I have likewife too much made impreffions, without the written word, my rule of acting; and too foon, and too explicitly, published what had better been kept in Jonger, or left to have been told after my death. By these things, I have given fome wrong touches to GOD's ark, hurt the bleffed cause I would defend, and stirred up needlefs oppofition. This has humbled me much fince I have been on board, and made me think of a saying of Mr. Henry's, "Jofeph had more honesty "than he had policy, or he never would have told his dreams.” At the fame time, I cannot but blefs, and praife, and magnify that good and gracious GOD, who imparted to me fo much of his holy fire, and carried me, a poor weak youth, through such a torrent both of popularity and contempt, and fet fo many feals to my unworthy miniftrations. I bless him. for ripening my judgment a little more, for giving me to fee, confefs, and I hope in fome degree to correct and amend some of its mistakes. I thank GOD for giving me grace to embark in fuch a bleffed caufe, and pray him to give me strength to hold on, and increase in zeal and love to the end. Thus, dear Sir, I have unburdened my heart to you. I look upon you to be my Fidus Achates, and therefore deal thus freely. If I have time and freedom before we land, I think to begin and write a short account of what has happened for these seven years last past; and when I get on fhore, GoD willing, I purpose to revise and correct the first part of my life."

This

This I am now about, and when finished, shall fend it into the world, I hope in a more unexceptionable dress; though I am fully fatisfied before-hand, that write or speak of the things of GOD as unexceptionably as may be, they will be always efteemed foolishnefs by the natural man, because they can only be spiritually difcerned. However, the way of duty is the way of fafety. Let me but be found in that, and I can then chearfully leave the confequences with GOD. In the mean while, I thank you, Sir, for pointing out to me a very wrong expreffion in the last part of my life. My words are thefe; "I could no longer walk on foot as usual; but "was constrained to go in a coach, to avoid the Hofanna's of "the multitude." Your remark runs thus, fect. 8. "Very profane, unless it be a falfe print for buzza's." I could wifh it had been fo; but the word was my own; and though not intended to convey a profane idea, was very wrong and unguarded, and I defire may be buried in oblivion, unless you, or fome other kind perfon, are pleased to remind me of it, in order to lay me low before GOD and man.

page 20.

A review of all this, together with my having dropped fome too strong expreffions concerning abfolute reprobation; and more especially, my mentioning Mr. Wesley's cafting a lot on a private occafion, known only to GOD and ourselves, have put me to great pain. Speaking of this last, you say, page 75. "A more judicious fentiment, perhaps, never dropt from Mr. "Whitefield's pen." I believe, Sir, the advice given was right and good; but then it was wrong in me to publish a private tranfaction to the world; and very ill judged, to think the glory of GoD could be promoted by unneceffarily exposing my friend. For this I have afked both GoD and him pardon. years ago. And though I believe both have forgiven me, yet I believe I fhall never be able to forgive myself. As it was a public fault, I think it fhould be publicly acknowledged; and I thank a kind providence for giving me this opportunity of doing it.

As for the letters, out of which you, and the author of the "Obfervations on the conduct and behaviour of the Methodifts," have taken fo many extracts, I acknowledge that many things in them were very exceptionable, though good in the

main; and therefore they have been fuppreffed fome time. Cafting lots, I do not now approve of, nor have I for feveral years; neither do I think it a fafe way (though practifed, I doubt not, by many good men) to make a lottery of the fcriptures, by dipping into them upon every occafion.

And now, Sir, I am somewhat prepared to hear what follows in your 48th page. Nothing less than inspirations, “revelations, illuminations, and all the extraordinary and im"mediate actions of all the perfons in the facred Trinity, will " ferve their turn. So that now every flash of zeal and devo"tion; every wild pretenfion, fcheme, tenet, and over-bear"ing dictate; impulfes, impreffions, feelings, impetuous "transports and raptures; intoxicating vapours, and fumes "of imagination; phantoms of a crazy brain, &c. all are "afcribed, with an amazing presumption, to the extraordinary interpofition of heaven fetting its feal to their mis"fion."

Judge you now, Sir, whether I am one of thofe, of whom you are pleased to speak thus, page 49. "In fhort, what"ever they think, fay, or do, is from GOD; and whatever "opposeth, and stands in their way, is from the Devil." No, Sir, my mistakes have been too many, and my blunders too frequent, to make me fet up for infallibility. I came foon into the world; I have carried high fail, whilft running through a whole torrent of popularity and contempt; and, by this means, have fometimes been in danger of oversetting. But many and frequent as my mistakes have been, or may be, as I have no part to act, if I know any thing of my heart, but to promote God's glory, and the good of fouls, as foon as I am made fenfible of them, they shall be publicly acknowledged and retracted.

At the fame time, I should lie against reason, fcripture, and above fourteen years experience, if I denied, that God has been pleased, from time to time, to vouchfafe me comfortable affiftance and supports; or that a great and glorious work (if the converfion of fouls may be termed so) has been begun, and is now carrying on in these, and feveral other parts of the world, by the inftrumentality of those whom you ftile enthufiaftical Metho difts.