by too intense a degree, or too long a continuance, they fhould grow into a fettled habit and temper. "8. Whenever you feel the more kindly fort of Paffions, (thofe which flow from the love of God or your neighbour) working in you, encourage and promote them that they may fix in your heart more firmly the principles of goodness, and form your very nature and temper to Virtue and Religion. 9. Sometimes one unruly Paffion is fuppreft by raising another which is more harmlefs or ufeful. So when a stupid Inactivity arifes from exceffive Sorrow, it may be corrected by awakening the Paffion of Fear. Or if any particular Paffion prevail we may change the object of it, and thereby prevent its excefs. If a timorous Christian avoid his duty, for fear of the reproach of the world, fet the wrath of God and hell fire before him, that the Fear of divine vengeance may cure him of the Fear of man. This was the practice of our blessed Lord, Luke xii. 4, 5. Fear not them who kill the body: but fear him whe can caft into hell. [To be continued.] An ANSWER to a REPORT. Have lately heard to my no fmall furprife, that a perfon profeffing himself a Quaker, and supposed to be a man of fome character, has confidently reported, That he has been at Sunderland himself, and enquired into the cafe of Elizabeth Hobfon: that he was a woman of a very indifferent character that the ftory fhe told was purely her own invention, and that John Wesley himself was now fully convinced that there was no truth in it. From what motive a man fhould invent and publifh all over England (for I have heard this in various places) a whole train of abfolute, notorious falfehoods, I cannot at all imagine. On the contrary, I declare to all the world, 1. That Elizabeth Hobfon was an eminently pious woman: that fhe lived and died, without the leaft blemish of any kind, without the leaft ftain upon her character: 2. That the relation could not poffibly be her own invention, as there were many witnesses to feveral parts of it: as Mr. Parker, the two Attorneys whom the employed, Mifs Hofmer and many others: and 3. That I myself am fully perfuaded, that every circumstance of it is literally and punctually true. I know that those who fashionably deny the exiftence of fpirits are hugely difgufted at accounts of this kind. I know that they inceffantly labour, to spread this difgust among those that are of a better mind: because if one of thefe accounts be admitted, their whole fyftem falls to the ground. But whoever is pleased or displeased, I must testify what I believe to be the truth. Indeed I never myfelf faw the appearance of an unbodied fpirit. And I never faw the commiffion of a murder. Yet upon the teftimony of unexcep tionable witnesses, I can firmly believe both one and the other. Frome, Sept. 12, 1782. J. WESLEY. A SERMON preached by Mr. DODD, of Dedham, (commonly called, Old Dodd,) to fome Students of Oxford, who met him on the road to London, and infifted on his preaching to them there in an old hollow Tree, from the word MALT. Having remonftrated a while to no purpofe, he got into the hollow Tree and faid, Beloved, L a ET me crave your attention; for I am a Little Man, come at a Short Warning, to preach a Brief Sermon, upon Small Subject, to a Thin Congregation, in an Unworthy Pulpit. And And now my Beloved, my Text is MALT, which I cannot divide into Sentences, because it is none; nor into Words, because (upon the whole matter) it is but a Monofyllable: therefore I muft, as neceffity enforces me, divide it into Letters, which I find in my Text to be these four only, M, A, L, T. M, my beloved, is Moral; A, is Allegorical; L, is Literal; and T, is Theological. The Moral is fet forth, to teach you Drunkards good manners: therefore, M, my Masters; A, all of you; L, liftens; T, to my Text. The Allegorical is, when one thing is fpoken, and another meant: now the thing spoken of is, MALT, but the thing meant is ftrong Beer, wherein you Drunkards make, M, Meat; A, Apparel; L, Liberty; T, Treasure. The Literal is according to the Letter; M, Much; A, Ale; L, Little; T, Thrift; Much Ale, Little Thrift. The Theological, is according to the effects which it works, which I find in my Text to be of two kinds, 1ft. In this world. ed. The world to come. In this world, the effects are, in fome, M, Murder; in others, A, Adultery; in fome, L, Loosenefs of Life; in others, T, Treason. 2d. In the world to come in fome, M, Mifery; in others, A, Anguish; in fome, L, Languishing; in others, T, Torment. Wherefore, my firft Ufe fhall be Exhortation. M, my Mafters; A, all of you; L, Leave; T, Tipling or elfe, 2d. By way of Commination, I fay, M, my Mafters; A, all of you; L, look for; T, Torment. So much for this time and Text. Only by way of Caution, take this: a Drunkard is, an Annoyance of Modefty; the Trouble of Civility; the Spoil of Wealth; the Destruction of Reason; the Brewer's Agent; the Ale-wive's Benefactor; the Beggar's Companion; the Conftable's Trouble; his Wife's Woe; his Children's Sorrow; his Neighbour's Scoff; his own Shame: a walking Swill-tub; the Picture of a Beaft; and a Monfter of a Man. Say well and do well, end both with a letter; A SER 654 A SERMON PREACHED TO THREE HIGHWAYMEN. A SERMON preached by an old Minifter to three Highwaymen. To the Editor of the Arminian Magazine. I Sir, Have had this Curiofity by me for near forty years: it is genuine. I hope it will be received well by your Readers, and I truft, prove a bleffing to fome of them. Four Gentlemen and an old Minister riding along the road, met three Highwaymen, who difmounting, plundered them: the old Minifter begged very hard to have a little money, as he was going to pay a Bill in London; fo they, being generous fellows, gave him all his money back again, on condition of his preaching them a Sermon: fo taking them off the highway, he faid, Gentlemen, You YOU are the moft like the old Apoftles of any men in the world, for they were wanderers upon the earth, and fo are you they had neither lands nor tenements that they could call their own; neither, as I prefume, have you. They were defpifed of all, but those of their own profession, and fo I believe are you: they were unalterably fixed in the prin ciples they profeffed, and I dare fwear fo are you: they were often hurried into gaols and prifons; were perfecuted by the people, and endured great hardships; all of which fufferings I prefume have been undergone by you: their profeffion brought them all to untimely deaths; and if you continue in your course, so will yours bring you. But in this point, Beloved, you differ mightily; for the Apoftles afcended from the tree into heaven, where I am afraid you will never come; but as their deaths were compensated with eternal glory, yours will be rewarded with eternal shame and mifery, unless you mend your manners. A SER, L A SER MO N [By Dr. CUDWORTH.] On 1 John ii. 3, 4. [Concluded from page 596.] ET us take heed we do not fometimes call that Zeal, for God, and his Gofpel, which is nothing but our own tempestuous and ftormy Paffion. True Zeal is a sweet, heavenly and gentle flame, which makes us active for God, but always within the sphere of love. It never calls for fire from heaven to confume thofe that differ from us in their apprehenfions. It is like that kind lightning that melts the fword within, but fingeth not the fcabbard: it ftrives to fave the foul, but hurteth not the body. True Zeal is a loving thing and makes us always active to Edification, and not to Deftruction. If we keep the fire of Zeal within the chimney, in its own proper place, it never doth any hurt; it only warmeth, quickeneth, and enliveneth us: but if once we let it break out, and catch hold of the thatch of our flesh, and kindle our corrupt nature, it is no longer Zeal, it is no heavenly fire, it is a most destructive and devouring thing: true Zeal is a foft and gentle flame, that will not fcorch one's hand: it is no predatory or voracious thing. But carnal and fleshly Zeal is like the spirit of gun-powder fet on fire, that tears and blows up all that stands before it. To con clude, we may learn what kind of Zeal it is that we should make use of in promoting the gofpel, by an emblem of God's own giving, in the Scripture, even those fiery tongues, that upon the day of Pentecoft fat upon the Apostles: which fure were harmless flames, for we cannot read that they did any hurt, or that they did fo much as finge a hair of their heads. I will |