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how sincerely our late reverend father, Mr. Wesley, loved our gracious sovereign, I waited in earnest expectation that he would appoint a day of fasting and prayer on his behalf. As this was not done immediately, I appointed one myself, and we met together for prayer at nine o'clock in the morning, and again at twelve. At nine o'clock the Lord was graciously present with us, and we were blest with great enlargement of heart in prayer. But at twelve in particular, we had a very extraordinary time indeed. Such a divine influence evidently rested upon all present as it is not easy to describe; such freedom of mind, such enlargement of heart, such power to plead and to wrestle with God in prayer in behalf of the king, as I never was a witness of before or since. I believe I am as little governed by impressions as any man living; but I was powerfully constrained to believe, that from that very time the king would recover. And it was with difficulty that I could refrain from telling the people so. He did recover from that time. How many were praying for him with us, at the same time, is not for me to say. But when Mr. Wesley appointed a day for fasting and prayer, it was spent in thanksgiving for the king's recovery.”—Quære?

[Christian Names among the Puritans.]

"UNDER the article of Baptism, the Book of Discipline runs thus: 'Let persuasions be used that such names that do savour either of Paganism, or Popery be not given to children at their baptism, but principally those whereof there are examples in the Scriptures.'

"The Puritans were strict in keeping close to this rule, as may be collected from the odd names they gave their children: such as, the Lord is near, more tryall, reformation, discipline, joy again, sufficient, from above, free-gifts, more fruit, dust, &c. And here Snape was remarkably scrupulous; for this minister refused to baptize

one Christopher Hodkinson's child, because he would have it christened Richard. Snape acquainted Hodkinson with his opinion before-hand, he told him he must change the name, and look out for one in the scripture. But the father not thinking this fancy would be so strongly insisted on, brought his son to church. Snape proceeded in the solemnity till he came to naming the child; but not being able to prevail for any other name than Richard, refused to administer the sacrament: and thus the child was carried away, and afterwards baptized by a conforming clergyman."-COLLIER'S Church History.

[Account of Experiences.]

"FOUR or five and forty years ago, when I had no distinct views of what the Apostle meant, by exhorting us to 'leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ, and go on to perfection;' two or three persons in London, whom I knew to be truly sincere, desired to give me an account of their experience. It appeared exceedingly strange, being different from any that I had heard before: but exactly similar to the preceding account of entire sanctification. The next year, two or three more persons at Bristol, and two or three in Kingswood, coming to me severally, gave me exactly the same account of their experience. A few years after, I desired all those in London, who made the same profession, to come to me all together at the Foundery, that I might be thoroughly satisfied. I desired that man of God, Thomas Walsh, to give us the meeting there. When we met, first one of us, and then the other, asked them the most searching questions we could devise. They answered every one without hesitation, and with the utmost simplicity; so that we were fully persuaded they did not deceive themselves. In the years 1759, 1760, 1761 and 1762, their numbers multiplied exceedingly, not only in London and Bristol, but in various parts of Ireland as well as England. Not trusting to the tes

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cannot kneel all the time; sometimes a verse of a hymn is given out while the people are on their knees, and two or three pray, we cannot kneel so long, and therefore are obliged to keep away.' In such a case I could only say, I shall endeavour to remedy this evil.

timony of others, I carefully examined most | ample: the prayers are so long, that we of these myself: and in London alone, I found six hundred and fifty-two members of our society, who were exceedingly clear in their experience, and of whose testimony I could see no reason to doubt. I believe no year has passed since that time, wherein God has not wrought the same work in many others; but sometimes in one part of England or Ireland, sometimes in another, as the wind bloweth where it listeth:" and every one of these, (after the most careful enquiry, I have not found one exception either in Great Britain or Ireland) has declared that his deliverance from sin was instantaneous, that the change was wrought in a moment. Had half of these, or one third, or one in twenty, declared it was gradually wrought in them, I should have believed this, with regard to them, and thought that some were gradually sanctified, and some instantaneously."-Quære? WESLEY, vol. 10, p. 58.

[Pain of kneeling through Long Prayers.]
"THERE are many weak and tender
people, who cannot kneel long at one time;
and there are some preachers, &c. who
spend more time, especially in their first
prayer, than is proportionate to the other
parts of the service. People who are weak
or elderly, cannot long continue on their
knees, which is not an easy posture; and
such knowing from past experience, that
they are likely to have a long prayer,
choose rather to stand all the time, as they
know they could not continue to kneel so
long, and would think it improper to rise
up during the time of prayer. I shall beg
leave to mention two instances within my
own knowledge. I said once to a pious
couple whom I had known to be diligent in
all the means of grace, 'Why do you not
attend the public prayer-meeting, as you
were accustomed to do?' 'We cannot with-
out standing during prayer, which we think
is unbecoming and would be a bad ex-

"In the second instance, I was the chief sufferer; at a public meeting a pious brother went to pray, I kneeled on the floor, having nothing to lean against or to support me he prayed forty-eight minutes-I was unwilling to rise, and several times was nigh fainting-what I suffered, I cannot describe. After the meeting was over, I ventured to expostulate with the good man, and in addition to the injury I sustained by his unmerciful prayer, I had the following reproof: 'My brother, if your mind had been more spiritual, you would not have felt the prayer too long.' More than twenty years have elapsed since this transaction took place, but the remembrance of what I then suffered still rests on my mind with a keen edge. The good man is still alive-will probably read this paper-will no doubt recollect the circumstance, and I hope will feel that he has since learned more prudence and more charity."-ADAM CLARKE.

[Puritanical Preaching.]

"FIRST of all they seize upon some text, from whence they draw something, (which they call a doctrine) and well may it be said to be drawn from the words; forasmuch as it seldom naturally flows, or results from them. In the next place, being thus provided, they branch it into several heads, perhaps twenty, or thirty, or upwards. Whereupon, for the prosecution of these, they repair to some trusty concordance, which never fails them, and by the help of that, they range six or seven scriptures under each head; which scriptures they prosecute one by one, first amplifying and enlarging upon one, for some considerable

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time, till they have spoiled it; and then that being done, they pass to another, which in its turn suffers accordingly. And these impertinent, and unpremeditated enlargements they look upon as the motions and breathings of the spirit, and therefore much beyond those carnal ordinances of sense and reason, supported by industry and study; and this they call a saving way of preaching, as it must be confessed to be a way to save much labour, and nothing else that I know of. But how men should thus come to make the salvation of an immortal soul, such a slight, extempore business, I must profess I cannot understand; and would gladly understand upon whose example they ground this way of preaching; not upon that of the apostles I am sure. For it is said of St. Paul, in his sermon before Felix, that he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come. The words being in Acts xxiv. v. 25, diaλeyouέve dè avre, and according to the natural force and import of them, signifying, that he discoursed or reasoned dialectically, following one conclusion with another, and with the most close and pressing arguments from the most persuasive topics of reason and divinity. Whereupon we quickly find the prevalence of his preaching in a suitable effect, that Felix trembled. Whereas had Paul only cast about his arms, spoke himself hoarse, and cried, you are damned, though Felix (as guilty as he was) might have given him the hearing, yet possibly he might also have looked upon him as one whose passion had, at that time, got the start of his judgment, and accordingly have given him the same coarse salute, which the same Paul afterwards so undeservedly met with from Festus; but his zeal was too much under the conduct of his reason, to fly out at such a rate. But to pass from these indecencies to others, as little to be allowed in this sort of men; can any toler able reason be given for those strange new postures used by some in the delivery of the word? Such as shutting the eyes, distorting the face, and speaking through the

nose, which I think cannot so properly be called preaching, as toning of a serinon. Nor do I see, why the word may not be altogether as effectual for the conversion of souls, delivered by one who has the manners to look his auditory in the face; using his own countenance and his own native voice, without straining it to a lamentable and doleful whine, (never serving to any purpose, but where some religious cheat is to be carried on). That ancient, though seemingly odd saying, Loquere ut te videam, in my poor judgment, carries in it a very notable instruction, and peculiarly applicable to the persons and matter here pointed at. For, supposing one to be a very able and excellent speaker, yet under the forementioned circumstances, he must however needs be a very ill sight; and the case of his poor suffering hearers very severe upon them, while both the matter uttered by him, shall grate hard upon the ear, and the person uttering it, at the same time equally offend the eye. It is clear therefore, that the men of this method have sullied the noble science of divinity, and can never warrant their practice, either from religion or reason, or the rules of decent and good behaviour, nor yet from the example of the apostles, and least of all from that of our Saviour himself. For none surely will imagine that these men's speaking, as never man spoke before, can pass for any imitation of him."-SOUTH, vol. 4, p. 50.

[Falling Fits, common to all Ages, under

Religious Excitement.]

"THIS phenomenon of falling is common to all ages, sexes, and characters; and when they fall they are differently exercised. Some pious people have fallen under a sense of ingratitude and hardness of heart; and others under affecting manifestations of the love and goodness of God. Many thoughtless persons under convictions, have obtained comfort before they arose. But perhaps the most numerous class consists of those who fall under distressing views of

QUÆRE? WESLEY.

their guilt, who arise with the same fearful apprehensions, and continue in that state for some days, perhaps weeks, before they receive comfort. I have conversed with many who fell under the influence of comfortable feelings, and the account they gave of their exercises while they lay entranced was very surprising. Their minds appeared wholly swallowed up in contemplating the perfections of God, as illustrated in the plan of salvation, and whilst they lay apparently senseless, and almost lifeless, their minds were more vigorous, and their memories more retentive and accurate than they had ever been before. I have heard men of respectability assert, that their manifestations of gospel truth were so clear, as to require some caution when they began to speak, lest they should use language which might induce their hearers to suppose they had seen those things with bodily eyes; but at the same time, they had seen no image nor sensible representation, nor indeed any thing besides the old truths contained in the Bible.

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Among those whose minds were filled with most delightful communications of divine love, I but seldom observed any thing ecstatic. Their expressions were just and rational, they conversed with calmness and composure, and on their first recovering the use of speech, they appeared like persons recovering from a violent disease which had left them on the borders of the grave. I have sometimes been present when persons who fell under the influence of convictions, obtained relief before they arose; in these cases, it was impossible not to observe how strongly the change in their minds was depicted in their countenances; instead of a face of horror and despair, they assumed one, open, luminous, serene, and expressive of all the comfortable feelings of religion. As to those who fall down under convictions and continue in that state, they are not different from those who receive convictions in other revivals, excepting that their distress is more severe. Indeed extraordinary power is the leading

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characteristic of this revival, both saints and sinners have more striking discoveries of the realities of another world, than I have ever known on any other occasion." -Quære? WESLEY.

[Lengthy Preaching and Love Feast.]

1806. "As the Caernarvon quarterly meeting was to be held in that town, and as our friends were persuaded that neither the old building we have to preach in, nor any other place that we could procure, would contain the people that would assemble on the occasion, therefore, although the season of the year was so unfavourable, it being the twenty-first of January, they built a stage for the preachers to stand on and preach in the middle of the town. When the appointed time came, all that could not be accommodated in the neighbouring windows, which it was judged were about two thousand, endured the inclemency of the weather for seven hours to hear the word of life, and that with the greatest composure of mind! Brother Parry and brother Williams, preached from ten till twelve o'clock, brother Davies and brother Jones, sen., from two till four. It was published for me and brother Jones, of Welsh Pool Circuit, to preach at six, in the preaching room; but a little before the time, our friends informed us the attempt would be dangerous in the extreme: that the place would not hold one fourth part of the people that would strive to get in: and that it would be the most prudent way to continue our meeting in the open air. As soon as we had acceded to the proposal, the stage and neighbouring windows were well illuminated, and, as if the heavens approved of the steps we were taking, the clouds withheld their showers, and the winds became so calm as not to extinguish a single light, or incommode in any respect the assembled multitude, which was greater than had been collected through the course of the day; for the country people had not returned home, and the novelty of the

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thing had brought most of the inhabitants of the town together. There were twelve preachers on the stage, and about two thousand people before us! The darkness of the sky, and the stillness of the evening, the lights interspersed, together with so many faces lifted up towards us, eagerly catching the word as it dropped from our lips, made the scene truly affecting, and awfully grand; insomuch, that, to me it was one of the most pleasing sights my eyes ever beheld! Our meeting continued from six till nine o'clock, when about three hundred, from different societies, retired to and held a Love Feast for about

our room,
two hours."-Quære?

[Convulsive Faintings at Prayer.]

"WITH respect to the largeness of the assemblies, it is generally supposed that at many places there were not fewer than eight, ten or twelve thousand people :— at a place called Cane Ridge Meeting-house, many are of opinion there were at least twenty thousand; there were one hundred and forty waggons which came loaded with people, besides other wheel carriages. Some persons had come two hundred miles. The largeness of these assemblies was an inconvenience; they were so numerous to be addressed by one speaker, it therefore became necessary for several ministers to officiate at the same time at different stands: this afforded an opportunity to those who were but slightly impressed with religion, to wander to and fro between the different places of worship, which created an appearance of confusion, and gave ground to such as were unfriendly to the work to charge it with disorder. Another cause also conduced to the same effect: About this time the people began to fall down in great numbers, under serious impressions: this was a new thing among Presbyterians: it excited universal astonishment, and created a curiosity which could not be restrained when people fell even during the most solemn parts of divine service. Those who

stood near were so extremely anxious to see how they were affected that they often crowded about them so as to disturb the worship. But these causes of disorder were soon removed; different sacraments were appointed on the same sabbath, which divided the people, and the falling down became so familiar as to excite no disturbance."-Quare?

m

[Sheep and Goats-What?]

THE blessed Jordan (to give him his Catholic title) who was the second general of the Dominicans, made an odd use of this often used similitude in a speech to the friars of his order: "Mihi et veris Prælatis accidit, sicut pastori, qui magis gravatur custodiâ unius hirci quam centum ovium: sic magis unus insolens gravat Prælatum et turbat conventum, quam alii Fratres ducenti, qui sicut oves Domini Pastorem sequuntur, et sibilum ejus intelligunt, nec socios relinquunt, sed simul vadunt, stant, accubant, comedunt, bibunt, capite inclinato herbas colligunt in omnibus fructuose, in paucis tædiose. Sed aliqui, ut hirci turbantes pastorem et gregem, discurrunt, perstrepunt, in socios capita impingunt, ad alta saliunt, viam non tenent, sata aliorum lædunt, nec virgâ nec pastoris clamore cohibentur, et ad ultimum, brevem caudam, id est, curtam patientiam habent, et ideo quandoque fœda sua ostendunt. Pro Deo, carissimi, fugite hujusmodi mores hircinos, et estote ut oves Dei."-Acta Sanctorum, 13th Feb., p. 733.

[Ejaculations.]

"EJACULATIONS are short prayers darted up to God on emergent occasions.—The principal use of ejaculations is against the fiery darts of the Devil. Our adversary injects (how he doth it God knows, that he doth it we know) bad motions into our hearts; and that we may be as nimble with our antidotes, as he with poisons, such short prayers are proper and necessary. In hard havens so choaked up with the envious

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