of it as if it had been some new idea which he then started, in order to justify the innovations; whereas it was an idea which he brought forward in the first days of Methodism, and long before these innovations took place.

He then goes on to remark upon the charge, that "gain was the true spring of all their actions; and that he, in particular, was well paid for his work, having £1300 a year from the foundry alone, besides what he received from Bristol, Kingswood, and Newcastle; and that his survivors would see he had made a good use of his time, for he would not die a beggar."

In answer to this, he appeals to all who had known him for the last twelve or fourteen years preceding, at Oxford, Epworth, in America, or elsewhere; and asks them, if they had ever seen in him any thing like the love of gain? And whether he did not continually and practically remember " It is more blessed to give, than to receive?" He then explains to them how the monies were disposed of which were raised in the societies, and shews that he had gained nothing, but rather was some hundred of pounds in debt. But," says he," had there been some gain, for what gain will you be obliged to live as I do? To preach 18 or 19 times every week, and that. throughout the year: and to travel seven or eight hundred miles, in all weathers, every two or three months."

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His motto to the first part of his "Farther Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion," is, "Let the righteous smite me friendly and reprove me." Ps. cxli. 5.

He sets out by saying "In a former treatise I declared, in the plainest manner I could, both my principles and practice; and answered some of the most import as well as the most common objec

tions to each. But I have not yet delivered my own soul. I believe it is still incumbent upon me to answer some other objections, particularly such as have been urged by those who are religious or reasonable men. These relate partly to the doctrines I teach, partly to my manner of teaching them, and partly to the effects which are supposed to follow from teaching these doctrines in this manner." " It

He begins with explaining justification. sometimes means," says he, "our acquittal at the last day, Mat. xii, 37. But this' is altogether out of the present question, that justification, whereof our articles and homilies speak, meaning present forgiveness, pardon of sins, and consequently acceptance with God," Rom. iii. 25. "I believe," says he," the condition of this is faith; I mean, not only that without faith we cannot be justified, but also, that as soon as any one has true faith, in that moment he is justified," Rom. iv. 5, &c. "Good works," he observes, "follow this faith, but cannot go before it; much less can sanctification, which implies a continued course of good works, springing from holiness of heart. But it is allowed that entire sanctification goes before our justification at the last day, Heb. xii. 14. It is allowed also, that repentance, and fruits meet for repentance, go before faith: repentance absolutely 'must go before faith, and fruits meet for it if there be opportunity. By repentance, I mean conviction of sin, producing real desires and sincere resolutions of amendment: and by fruits meet for repentance, forgiving our brother, ceasing to do evil, doing good, using the ordinances of God, and in general obeying him according to the measure of grace which we have received. But these I cannot, as yet, term good works, because they do not spring from faith and the love of God."

By salvation," says he, "I mean, not barely, according to the vulgar notion, deliverance from hell, or going to heaven; but a present deliverance from sin, a restoration of the soul to its primitive health, its original purity; a recovery of the divine nature; the renewal of our souls afterthe image of God, in righteousness and true holiness, in justice, mercy, and truth. This implies all holy and heavenly tempers, and by consequence all holiness of conversation."

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Now," he adds, "if by salvation we mean a present salvation from sin, we cannot say holiness is the condition of it, for it is the thing itself. Salvation, in this sense, and holiness, are synonimous terms. We must, therefore, say, "we are saved by faith." Faith is the sole condition of-this salvation." Mr. Wesley adds, "without faith we cannot be thus saved; for we cannot rightly serve God unless we love him, and we cannot love him unless we know him; neither can we know God unless by faith. Therefore salvation by faith is only, in other words, the love of God by the knowledge of God, or the recovery of the image of God by a true spiritual acquaintance with him." Faith, in general," he observes, is a vine supernatural evidence, or conviction of things not seen, not discoverable by our bodily senses, as being either past, future, or spiritual. Justifying. faith implies, not only a divine evidence, or conviction, that God was in Christ "reconciling the world unto himself," but a sure trust and confidence that Christ died for my sins, that he loved me, and gave himself for me. himself for me. And the moment a penitent sinner believes this, God pardons and absolves him: and as soon as his pardon or justification is witnessed to him by the Holy Ghost, he is saved: he loves God and all mankind; he has the mind, that was in Christ, and has power to

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walk as Christ also walked. From that time, unless he make shipwreck of the faith, salvation gradually increases in his soul."

"The author of faith and salvation is God alone: it is he that works in us both to will and to do: he is the sole giver of every good gift, and the sole author of every good work. Although no man can explain the particular manner wherein the spirit of God works on the soul, yet whosoever has these fruits, cannot but know and feel that God has wrought them in his heart."

"Sometimes he acts more particularly on the understanding, opening or enlightening it, (as the scripture speaks,) and revealing, unveiling, discovering to us the deep things of God."

"Sometimes he acts on the wills and affections of men, withdrawing them from evil, inclining them to good, inspiring (breathing, as it were) good thoughts into them: so it has frequently been expressed, by an easy natural metaphor, analogous to spiritus, and the words used in most modern tongues also to denote the Third Person in the ever Blessed Trinity."

I have been the larger in this quotation, not only on account of its excellency, but as it gives such a clear and full view of the doctrines of Methodism, the doctrine so long and successfully preached by Mr. Wesley, and also by Dr. Coke. And the insertion of so much on doctrines in this part, will render it the less necessary to say much upon them when we come to speak more immediately of the Doctor.

Having thus stated his doctrines, Mr. Wesley proceeds to defend them against the objections made to them. To the assertion that "sanctification must be before justification," which some endeavoured to prove from Mat. xxviii. 19, 20, Mark xvi. 16. Luke xxiv. 47, 1 Cor. vi. 11.

Heb. vi. 1. he answers," All the scriptures that can be quoted to prove sanctification antecedent to justification, if they do not relate to our final justification, prove only, that repentance, and fruits meet for repentance, precede that faith whereby we are justified."

One of his opponents having asserted, that justification by faith alone, is not the doctrine of the church of England, he answers: "In order to be fully satisfied what the doctrine of the church of England is, as it stands opposed to the doctrine of the Antinomians, on the one hand, and to that of justification by works on the other; I will set down what occurs on this head either in her liturgy, articles, or homilies." He then makes sundry quotations accordingly, and adds, " From the whole tenor, then, of her liturgy, articles, and homilies, the doctrine of the church of England appears to be this-1. That no good work, properly speaking, can go before justification. 2. That no degree of sanctification can be previous to it. 3. That as the meritorious cause of justification is the life and death of Christ, so the condition of it is faith, faith alone; and 4. That both inward and outward holiness are consequent on this faith, and are the ordinary stated condition of final justification."

After turning aside to answer sundry objections which one of the Bishops had published, he answers an objection to field-preaching. The objector had said "field-preaching is worse than no preaching at all, because it is illegal." Mr. Wesley answered, the preaching of all the primitive christians was contrary to the whole tenor of the Roman laws; the worship of their devil-gods being established by the strongest laws then in being: and he denied, however, that field-preaching was contrary to the laws of England. He