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chisms, or articles, of every one of the Protestant churches; that our articles and homilies expressly maintain them; and, consequently, that a vast number of wise and sober-minded men, who in their days were burning and shining lights," had, upon mature deliberation agreed, not only that they were true, but that they ought to be admitted as useful, or even as necessary articles of faith, by every one who deemed himself called to take upon him the office of a Christian minister.

In the course of this inquiry I perceived that my system was incomplete without them. I believed that men, by nature born in sin, the children of wrath, and by wicked works the enemies of God, being in themselves ungodly and without strength, were saved of free mercy and grace, without having done any thing, more or less, to deserve it, through the Redeemer's righteousness and atonement, received by faith, the gift and operation of God; as born again, born of God, or new created unto good works, and to the divine image, by the power of the Holy Ghost. It now, therefore, occurred to me to inquire, from what source these precious blessings, thus freely flowing, through the channel of redemption, to poor worthless sinners, could originally spring; and thus my mind was carried back from the consideration of the effects to that of the cause; and from the promises made to fallen man, to the counsels and purposes of God which induced him to give those promises. I was engaged in frequent meditations on the divine omniscience, unchangeableness, and eternity; and the end which the all-sufficient God had in view in all his works, even the mani

festation of the glory of his own perfections; and I perceived, that redemption itself, as planned by God, to whom were "known all his works from the beginning of the world," must be the result of his eternal purpose of displaying the glory of his mercy and grace, in harmonious consistency with his most awful justice and holiness; and thus manifesting the inexhaustible resources of his manifold wisdom in glorifying at once all these attributes, which, considered as perfect, seemed to create understanding irreconcileable to each other. I considered, that, until the fall of man, and his redemption, had manifested the attribute of mercy to sinners, it had, as far as we can learn, been unexercised and undisplayed, and consequently unknown to any but God himself, from all eternity; nor could he have the glory of it, but must have been considered as so perfect in justice and holiness, as to be incapable of mercy, had he not chosen some objects on whom to exercise it, and devised some method of displaying it, in consistency with his other perfections. Thus I perceived redemption to be the effect of a settled design, formed in God's eternal counsels, of manifesting himself to his reasonable creatures, complete and full orbed in all conceivable perfections. But, as all have transgressed the divine law, and as none are disposed of themselves to embrace his humbling and holy salvation, or even to inquire after it, so I was convinced that the merciful and gracious nature of God, the Fountain of goodness, alone moved him to choose any of them as objects of his favourable regard; that his unconstrained will and pleasure are the only assignable causes of his choosing one rather than another;

and that, in fact, the whole work was his own; his wisdom having devised the means; his love and allsufficiency having, in the person, offices, and work, of Christ, made all things ready; his providence directing absolutely to whom the word of invitation shall be sent; and his Holy Spirit alone inclining and enabling the soul to embrace it by faith.-Hence I concluded that God, who knoweth the end from the beginning, and is a Sovereign, and, when none have deserved any thing, may do as he will with his own, actually "chose us " (even every individual believer,) "in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will; to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved."

In short, though my objections were many, my anxiety great, and my resistance long, yet, by the evidence which, both from the word of God and from my own meditation, crowded upon my mind, I was at length constrained to submit; and, God knoweth, with fear and trembling, to allow these formerly despised doctrines a place in my creed. Accordingly, about Christmas, 1777, I began cautiously to establish the truth of them, and to make use of them for the consolation of poor distressed and fearful believers. This was the only use I then knew of them, though I now see their influence on every part of evangelical truth.

However, I would observe that, though I assuredly believe these doctrines as far as here expressed,

(for I am not willing to trace them any higher, by reasonings, or consequences, into the unrevealed things of God;) and though I exceedingly need them in my view of religion, both for my own consolation, and security against the consequences of a deceitful heart, an ensnaring world, and a subtle temper, as also for the due exercise of my pastoral office; yet, I would not be understood to place the acknowledgment of them upon a level with the belief of the doctrines before spoken of. I can readily conceive the character of a humble, pious, spiritual Christian, who is either an utter stranger to the doctrines in question, or who, through misapprehension or fear of consequences, cannot receive them. But, I own I find a difficulty in conceiving of a humble, pious, spiritual Christian, who is a stranger to his own utterly lost condition, to the deceitfulness and depravity of his heart, to the natural alienation of his affections from God, and to the defilements of his best duties; who trusts, either in whole or in part, allowedly, to any thing for pardon and justification, except the blood and righteousness of a crucified Saviour," God manifested in the flesh;" or who expects to be made meet for the inheritance of the saints in light, in any other way than by being born again, created anew, converted and sanctified, by the divine power of the Holy Ghost.

Some time in November, 1777, I was, by a then unknown friend, furnished with a considerable number of books, written in general by the old divines, both of the church of England and of the Dissenters. And, to my no small surprise, I found that those doctrines, which are now deemed novel inventions,

and are called methodistical, are, in these books, every where discoursed of as known and allowed truths; and that the system which, despising to be taught by men, and unacquainted with such authors, I had, for nearly three years together, been hammering out for myself, with no small labour and anxiety, was to be found ready made to my hands in every book I opened.

I do not wonder that the members of the Church of England are generally prejudiced against the writings of Dissenters, for I have been so myself to an excessive degree. We imbibe this prejudice with the first rudiments of instruction, and are taught by our whole education to consider it as meritorious, though no doubt it is a prejudice, of which every sincere inquirer after truth ought to be afraid, and every professed inquirer ashamed; for how can we determine on which side truth lies, if we will not examine both sides? Indeed, it is well known to all those who are acquainted with the church-histories of those times, that, till the reign of James I. there were no controversies between the established Church and the Puritans, concerning doctrine; both parties being in all matters of importance of the same sentiments; they contended only about discipline and ceremonies, till the introduction of Arminianism gave occasion to the Calvinists being denominated doctrinal Puritans. To this period all our churchwriters were Calvinistical in doctrine; and even after that time many might be mentioned, who were allowed friends to the Church of England, that opposed those innovations, and agreed in doctrine in every thing above stated. Let it suffice, out of