who attend these nocturnal meetings, having fafted the whole of the day (according to Mr. Wefley's orders) are in a very proper ftate of mind to entertain the most extravagant whims or enthufiaftic notions that can poffibly enter the heads of any vifionaries. So that fuch nights are often very prolific, as numbers are said to be born again, and become the temples of the Holy Ghoft on watch-nights, which makes thofe nights esteemed by them. Mr. Wesley, in every place where his people were numerous, had divided them into claffes, confifting of twelve or fourteen brothers or fifters. Sometimes men and women met together in the fame clafs (as they called it) and other claffes confifted of all men or all women. Each of thefe claffes had one in it who was called the leader. In fuch claffes where men and women meet together, the leader was always a brother and fo of course when the clafs confifted of men alone. But in the women's claffes a fifter was always the leader. When they met together, the leader first gave out a hymn, which they all fang; after the hymn they all knelt, and their leader made an extemporary prayer; after which they were feated, and when the leader had informed them of the ftate of his own mind, he enquired of all prefent, one after another, how they found the state of their fouls. Some he found were full of faith and affurance, others had dreadful doubts and fears; fome had horrid temptations. "It doth affect my inward man, "To think of Satan's wicked plan; Fanaticifm Displayed. Others complained of a lukewarm state, &c. In thefe meetings, fome of the members fpoke of themselves, as though they were as pure as angels are in heaven, but with the generality of them, it was far otherwife, and nothing was more common among them than to hear the major part exclaiming against themselves, and declaring that they were the most vile abandoned wretches on this fide hell, that they wondered why the earth did not open open and swallow them up alive. But they generally added, that "the blood of Chrift cleanfes from all fin," and that "where fin abounded there would grace much more abound." Indeed it was easy to remark that the reason why they painted themselves in fuch odious colours, was only to boast of an aftonishing quantity of grace that God had bestowed on them, in thus pardoning all their abominations, and numbering them with the household of faith, who ought to have been shut up in the nethermoft hell. The , greater the finner (fay they) the greater the .faint. To each of thefe the leader gave a word of comfort, or of correction in the best manner he was able. They then fang and prayed again. This lafted about one hour. And every one in Mr. Wefley's connexion did, or was expected to meet, each in his own clafs once in a week. In thefe claffes each made a weekly contribution towards the general fupport of the preachers, &c. Such as were very poor contributed a penny per week, others two-pence, and fome who could afford it fixpence. This money was entered entered in a book kept for that purpose, and one in every clafs called the steward, had the care of the cash. I now come to speak of the Bands, which confifted only of juftified perfons; that is, such as had received the assurance of their fins being pardoned. In the claffes, both the awakened (as they call them) and the juftified, and even those that were made perfect, met all together, as did the married and the fingle, and often men and women. But none. were admitted into any band but fuch as were at least in a juftified ftate, and the married of each fex met by themselves, and the fingle by themselves. About ten was the number generally put in one band; all these must belong to and meet in fome clafs, once a week, when not hindered by fickness, &c. and they were alfo to meet weekly in their band. When met, they first fung, then made a fhort prayer; that done, the bandleader informed them of the state of his mind during the last week, &c. He then made. inquiry into the ftate of all prefent, and each related related what had paffed fince they laft met; as what visitations they had received from God, what temptations from the devil, the flesh, &c. And it is a maxim amongst them that expofing to one another what the devil has particularly tempted them to commit, will make the old fellow more careful how he tempts, when he knows that all his fecrets will be told the next meeting. This they call fhaming the devil. In the claffes they only confeffed in general terms, that they have been tempted by the world, the flesh and the devil. But in the bands they confeffed the particular fins which they had been tempted to commit, or had actually committed. The last time I met in band was in London, where an old man (near feventy years of age) informed us that he had for several weeks together laboured under a very grievous temptation of the devil, who all this time had heen conftantly tempting him to commit adultery; he further informed us, that having let too much of his houfe to lodgers, |