publications which are now extant upon these subjects.

Having imbibed strong prejudices against us, they frame so contemptible an opinion of our understandings and writings, that they will not bestow so much pains, or afford us so much regard, as to peruse our books: and to call an author a Methodist, is with many people a sufficient reason why they should not read his works. Hence it comes to pass, that for want of information our doctrines are grievously misrepresented: and in general the attacks made upon us, though calculated to make our persons odious and despised, do not in the least effect the argument in debate. Our adversaries in general know little of our opinions, except what they have picked up by hear-say, in which neither the connexion, consistency, tendency, nor application of those opinions is preserved: no wonder therefore that we are vilified, and reproached with things to which we are utter strangers, or which we abominate and protest against from sabbath to sabbath, and against which we neglect not to fill our writings with reasonings, warnings, and cautions.

For my own part I freely acknowledge, that my strongest objections against this scheme of doctrine arose wholly from misapprehension and mistake. Not having read their books, my notions of the doctrines of the Methodists were received from vulgar report, and from their enemies; while my creative imagination put its own construction on them, and drew terrible consequences from them: so that when I preached against them, I was as one fighting with his own shadow; and in speaking evil of those things that I

knew not, I only betrayed my own ignorance and pride.-No better founded are the lamentable outcries, which at this day are made against our principles, as if they tended to banish reason, argument, sober-mindedness, and morality out of the world; and in their stead to substitute a set of whimsical vagaries, which are without foundation in reason or Scripture, and have no influence, or rather a pernicious influence, on our conduct and conversation.-When such a declamation is ended, (for one would not interrupt it,) ask the declaimer what a Methodist is? he can scarcely give you an answer:-enquire about the doctrines of the Methodists,-he does not understand them;or their writings,-he has never read them!

Reader, if thou desire to know what our opinions are, and what foundation there is for these heavy charges, read our books: but read them with attention, and aim at impartiality; compare them with the word of God, and with the liturgy, articles, and homilies of the church of England; and, if thou have leisure and opportunity, with the works of our first reformers. Nor do we desire thee to renounce thy reason, but only to make this reasonable concession;-that where thy reason is ready to determine one way, but God hath expressly determined another way, thou wouldst allow him to understand his own mysteries better than thou dost; and that therefore thou oughtcst, by faith exercised upon the veracity of God, to receive implicitly and without reasoning, those doctrines which God hath expressly revealed, and which thy reason feels to be far above out of its reach, and therefore doubtless out of its province. Wherever, on such enquiry, thou discoverest us to be mistaken,

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there dissent from us, yea, blame us as far as meek. ness and candour will permit: but do not condemn us in the gross; do not assert our whole scheme of doctrine to be enthusiastical and groundless, though some of our writers should be found to have advanced questionaole opinions. This were the way to drive all truth and certainty out of the world; for what book can be mentioned, the Bible excepted, in which there is nothing advanced, either erroneous or questionable?

And be assured, that to read only one side of the question, and then clamorously to adopt every childish cavil, every vague report, every scandalous falsehood; and industriously to propagate them, as if these afforded a sufficient confutation of all the arguments, authorities, and scriptural testimonics, with which we support our sentiments; is no evidence of a candid liberal mind, or of a sincere desire to know the truth. Let it also be observed, that though some professors have been proved enthusiasts, and others detected to be hypocrites, this does not prove that we are all enthusiasts and hypocrites. Such rash judg ments are most hurtful to those who pass them.

For myself, I here publickly profess, that I will, to the end of my days, acknowledge it as the greatest obligation that any person can confer on me, if, in the spirit of meekness, he will point out to me any error, or enthusiastical delusion into which I have fallen, and by sufficient arguments convince me of it. I trust, that my earnest desire to discover "the truth as it is "in Jesus," has not abated in its influence; and that I still retain the same disinterested resolution to em

brace and adhere to it, with which I set out. Still am I solicitously fearful of being betrayed by warmth of spirit, and by the deceitfulness of my heart, into erroneous opinions. But clamour and reproach, objections and arguments brought against sentiments I detest, or consequences I cannot see to be fairly deducible from our doctrines; or such reasonings as set one divine attribute at variance with another, make one part of the Bible contradict another, or exalt the human understanding upon the tribunal, and arraign and condemn revealed mysteries at her presumptuous bar; will have no weight at all with me, or with any who ever knew the grace of God in truth.

And now, my dear reader, let me conclude, with leaving it upon thy conscience to search for the truth of the gospel in the study of God's word, accompanied by prayer, as thou wouldst search for hid treasure. I give thee this counsel, expecting to meet thee at the day of judgment, that our meeting may be with joy, and not with grief; may the Lord incline thee to follow it, with that solemn season full in view! -Time how short! eternity how long! life how precarious, and vanishing! death how certain! the pursuits and employments of this present life how vain, unsatisfying, trifling, and vexatious! God's favour and eternal life how unspeakably precious! His wrath, the never-quenched fire, the never-dying worm, how dreadful!-O, trifle not away the span of life, in heaping up riches, which shortly must be left for ever, and which profit not in the day of wrath; in such pleasures and amusements as will issue in eternal torments; or in seeking that glory, which shall be swal. lowed up in everlasting infamy. Agree but with me

in this, that it is good to redeem precious time, to "labour for the meat that endureth unto everlasting "life;" and to attend principally to the "one thing "needful;"-take but thy measure of truth as well as duty from the word of God, be willing to be taught of God, meditate on his word day and night; let it be "the light of thy feet," and the "lantern of thy "paths ;" and, in studying it, "lean not to thy own "understanding," trust not implicitly to expositors and commentators, but ask wisdom and teaching of God. Be not a Felix, saying to thy serious apprehensions about thy soul,-"Go your way at this

time, when I have a convenient season, I will call "for you;" lest death and judgment come before that season:-and be not an Agrippa, almost per. suaded to be a Christian; but seek to be altogether such as the primitive Christians were. I say agree with me in these reasonable requests, and we shall at length agree in all things;-in many, in this world; -in all, when we hear the Son of God address us in these rejoicing words,-" Come ye blessed of my "Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from "the foundation of the world."-May the Lord vouchsafe unto the writer, and to every reader, of this narrative, "that wisdom which is from above;" that teaching of his Holy Spirit, which guides into the ways of peace; that faith which justifies and works by love; that peace of God which passeth understanding; and that measure of sanctifying and strengthening grace, which may enable each of us to be "sted"fast and unmoveable, always abounding in the work "of the Lord, as knowing that our labour shall not be "in vain in the Lord."