verance from sin and peace of conscience; they were never really joyful, or free, or happy. They had always a slavish fear of death, hell, and the devil; had a thousand scruples and anxieties, and always found themselves ejaculating with Paul, "O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" but were never able to comfort themselves and give thanks for the grace and redemption in Christ.' (Page 16.)

"This was Boos's own state. His interview with the dying female appears to have afforded him a clue to the labyrinth in which he was bewildered. He evidently referred to the New Testament; and the principle having been suggested to him, what may be termed the theory of redemption by Christ' was gradually unfolded, in all its beautiful simplicity and power. Various texts of Scripture are quoted as having thus expounded to him' and his inquiring friends the way of God more perfectly.' The effect is thus described :

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"In 1795 and 1796 these weary and heavy-laden souls obtained a very clear and vivid insight into the mystery of Christ for us and in us; they saw that Jesus, by his painful life, sufferings, and death, had long ago merited for us a perfect righteousness and redemption from all sin, and that nothing now remained for us but to lay hold of it by faith, and receive out of the prepared fulness in Christ, grace for grace, his Holy Spirit, himself; and that not by a mere imputation and heartless credence in an imaginary manner, but by a real inward change of mind, heart, and conversation. They now believed two very heart-cheering things: first, that Christ for us, suffering and dying on the cross, is that righteousness and redemption from sin which avails before God. Secondly, that Christ dwelling in us, and fulfilling with us the will of the Father, is our sanctification. Now, these were extremely happy tidings for these anxious, half-desperate, and terrified souls, that had been so long shut up under the law. It was long, indeed, before they would lay hold of them; they thought it would be presumptuous to take so much at once, and so much for naught. They still sought to render themselves more worthy and acceptable to God,' (N. B.,) and not approach him just as they were, with all their infirmities and diseases. At length, however, they ventured; (a bold one went before, and that was Boos himself;) offered up to the Father the blood of his Son, as the propitiation for their sins, (though certainly with fear and trembling,) apprehended Jesus, and with him the forgiveness of their sins, received grace upon grace, and brought him nothing in return but their sins and their nothingness.' (Page 18.)

"To the interesting extracts which follow, and which show the consequence of this exercise of faith in Christ as a present Saviour, we would direct the very especial attention of the reader :

The

"And as a proof that they had made no mistake, nor believed in vain, and that God was well pleased with this faith, they were imme. diately baptized with the Holy Spirit, and felt within them a peace which, according to Paul, surpasseth knowledge. The burning feeling of sin had vanished like a cloud, and like a mist before the sun. Holy Ghost witnessed with their spirits that they were the children of God. He made them free from the dominion of sin, the devil, and hell, and from the fear of death and judgment; whilst their former scruples, doubts, and apprehensions, disappeared. They felt themselves deli

vered. The most desponding among them, who, previously, were almost in despair on account of their sins, and were never able to obtain peace of mind, however much they confessed, fasted, prayed, and repented, were now the most blessed, joyful, and the strongest amongst them. They all felt themselves at the eighth chapter to the Romans. Some of them were now neither willing nor able to retain the joy and blessedness which they found in the mystery of living faith in Christ for us and in us, merely for themselves; they would gladly have seen the whole world in possession of it. Hence they began with the best intention, and, as they affirmed, being moved by the Holy Spirit, to publish these glad tidings of salvation to others also. Providence frequently conducted others to them in a very remarkable manner. For in those districts many were divinely awakened even during the night, and greatly troubled on account of their sins, so that they cried to God with tears, beseeching him to make known to them what they ought to do; and some of them heard in prayer a voice, or received direction by some singular providence, the thought being suggested to their hearts to go to this place or that, when this or that individual would tell them what they should do. And, in the pressure of the distressing feeling of their sinfulness, they often ran, during the night, to the house where there was an awakened and divinely enlightened individual, hastening in, and inquiring on their knees, "What must I do to be saved?" "My sins weigh me down to the very ground!" The believing and awakened then immediately replied to these inquiries, what Paul said to the jailer, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thine house." That is, they preached to them repentance and faith in Jesus; related to them, in a simple manner, how they had first found the forgiveness of their sins, and rest for their troubled souls, by believing in Jesus; and exhorted them to believe and do in like man. Now, he that could believe on their testimony, that he was utterly worthless and unprofitable, that he was a sinner, and had nothing of his own that could avail him, but that God, for the sake of Jesus's blood and death, would nevertheless pardon him, and that Jesus himself would enter into his heart, clothe him with his righteousness, and dwell and walk in him ;-he, I say, that could thus believe that Jesus would act towards him in the manner which these enlightened witnesses of the word described, was immediately rendered happy and peaceful by his faith, became full of light, life, joy, and peace in the Holy Ghost; the distress and condemnation which he felt in his heart because of sin ceased, and, instead of it, the Holy Spirit witnessed within him that he was a child of God, and that power was given him to overcome sin, death, and the devil. Those that had formerly been given to drunkenness, gaming, lust, covetousness, anger, hatred, malice, or any other vice, practised it no longer, and exhibited at once a completely new mind and conduct, both inwardly and outwardly, so that every one saw and observed that a change of the whole man had taken place within them, and that they had overcome the world, sin, death, and the devil.' (Page 21.)

ner.

"After a time, the usual spirit of opposition was awakened.

"Hence, they raised an outcry, and exclaimed against these preachers of faith and repentance as fools, fanatics, or heretics: they blasphemed the Holy Ghost and his work in every street and pulpit, and

persecuted the members of Christ, under the pretence of doing a good work, and rooting out the tares. They charged them with vicious practices and errors which had never entered into their thoughts. The people were thus stirred up against them, and every one now believed he was doing God a great service by calumniating and persecuting these individuals to the uttermost. They assailed them, not merely with their tongues, but with blows also, and threw stones and dirt at them in the open streets; all the ridicule that could be thought of was heaped upon them; whole crowds met together and drove them out of their villages; they were taken prisoners with loaded firearms like highwaymen ; they were dragged, bound, before civil and ecclesiastical tribunals, under the pretext of having caused disturbances, and brought up new and heretical doctrines. Some were driven from their fathers' house, their homes, and their native land, and were often repelled even by their parents, brethren, and sisters. Others fled of themselves, because they could no longer endure the ill treatment, or from the apprehension lest their faith might suffer shipwreck, and in order to escape the danger; because every effort was made to confuse them, and to deprive them of it. Thus it happened that the most hidden and quiet in the land became the object of universal conversation, ridicule, and hatred.' (Page 25.)

"Many deeply interesting anecdotes we might quote, but we are prevented by want of room. One more brief extract, however, we will give, to show that Boos, though, from his unfavorable circumstances he might be confused and mystical occasionally-we really wonder he was not more so still saw clearly the great principles of the life of faith.

"When thou art once, in thine own eyes, utterly sinful, depraved, blind, lame, diseased, grieved, and perplexed, it is then time to make faith thy sole concern; that is, thou must go, just as thou art, with all thy sins and shame, and at the same time with full confidence, to the Saviour, and heartily desire of him the forgiveness of thy sins. But after thou art become a believer, that is, when thou hast, by faith, apprehended the forgiveness of thy sins, together with the spirit and mind of Jesus Christ's righteousness, thou must then apply thyself wholly to sanctification, piety, and obedience, and the following of Christ. Therefore, after justification, do all that thou art able, but never build thy rest and peace upon it; for even our best works are very imperfect and impure, and the sight of this causes thy inward peace to depart from thee. Therefore build and trust upon the already-accomplished work and travail of thy Redeemer. Then thou buildest thy peace upon a rock, and it will continue immoveable as a rock. Yet, urged by love and gratitude, thou oughtest to be extremely diligent in every good work; for it is of the Saviour's grace that thou art able to do good. Before he had forgiven thee thy sins, thou wast unable to perform any good work.' (Page 44.)

"The foregoing extracts furnish but an imperfect specimen of the whole work. They who purchase it for themselves will find the inte. rest which it excites sustained to the last. They will be impressed, too, with the remarkable coincidences between the facts narrated concerning Boos and his friends, and those which have always characterized a true revival of the work of God. One circumstance occurs to

us as specially important in its bearings upon prayer for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Even among those who are deeply shadowed with the dense clouds of error intercepting the brightness of divine truth, and transmitting but few and feeble rays to the mind-even among these there is evidently much feeling after God; much of the state described in the seventh chapter of Romans. The burden of religion is felt, but its peace is not enjoyed. Multitudes of saints hide Christ from the view, multitudes of human observances prevent the simplicity of faith from being seen. This is a case loudly calling for Christian commiseration; and the knowledge that it exists-exists, perhaps, to a much greater extent than has been supposed-points those who are favored with clearer light to a duty which, whatever mysteries may be connected with it, cannot be exercised without effectthat of prayer to God for such as thus sit in perplexity and gloom, that the light of the Spirit may be vouchsafed to them, to counteract the disadvantages of their condition.

"To the thoughtful reader, not unobservant of the signs of the times, the entire narrative will suggest many very cheering anticipations. It unfolds the state of things existing in the very heart of Catholic Germany for which we were not prepared, and in which we think we perceive some appearances of improvement. A similar narrative from Spain would inspire us with infinitely more hope than a thousand victories, or ten thousand constitutions. No people ever remained long in civil bondage who, in great numbers, pressed into the enjoyment of liberty of heart derived from heaven. In both Bavaria and Austria, the good seed has evidently been sown ; and it shall not all die. Even to Hungary has it extended; and there, too, shall fruit be found. Such a fact as is given in the following extract (which, for its importance, we venture to quote) is no more alone in the movements of Providence, than the observation of the position of a comet is alone in the calculations of the astronomer. A succession of unfavorable weather, in this latter case, may prevent, for some time, a repetition of the observation; but something as to its orbit and revolution has been suggested. And so in the fact we are going to mention. It may be long before we hear again from the same quarter, but the work will be going on. The seed may remain buried deep beneath the soil, and all hopes of its reappearance in the plant may be lost; but it has been sown, and some turning up of the soil, some agitating disruption, may bring it so near the surface as to subject it to the influences required for its actual germinancy.

"In May, 1811, a clergyman from Hungary (a vicar and dean) visited Boos. The result we give in the words of his biographer :

"He was very candid, humble, childlike, and poor in spirit; and Boos was able to speak cordially with him concerning Christ and the faith. The conversation lasted from noon to midnight, until at length the dean fell upon his knees, thanked God, and exclaimed, "Now I am satisfied, I am happy, I am saved, I have received mercy, I am born again, and baptized, as with Spirit and fire. My eyes," said he, "have seen the glory of the Lord: I have found him of whom the prophets and apostles wrote; I have him in my heart. O that I could remain and die here! However, I will gladly return to my own country, and tell my bishop and all the people what I have found and expe

rienced." He continued five days with Boos, heard him preach, &c. Many other clergymen, from other countries and provinces, from Bavaria and Switzerland, came to Boos, and, while with him, obtained that living faith which rendered them happy, set them at liberty, and blessed them, so that they returned home in peace, and preached it also to others in their own country.' (Page 266.)

"Let every orthodox Protestant minister throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland, begin at once to preach a present salvation through faith in Christ, believing in the divine promise, humbly expecting success, and fervently praying for it, and God will bear testimony to the word of his grace. Even in Ireland, the reign of the man of sin would be shaken to its very foundations, and the wicked one' be consumed with the Spirit of the mouth of the Lord, and destroyed with the brightness of his coming. The system would fall, but its abetters would be

saved.

"The fact which is established by all great revivals of religion in Protestant churches, and which is so strikingly illustrated in the history of Boos, is no mean proof of the truth of Christianity, and suggests an important lesson to Christian preachers;-the fact, we mean, that all who believe in Christ crucified, in a penitent state of heart, obtain tranquillity of conscience, with a new and holy nature. Christianity is thus reduced to the test of experiment. It promises salvation from sin to the contrite believer; and ten thousand witnesses declare, as the result of their own experience, that the promise is true. Their own personal consciousness assures them that the gospel is of God. Let the Christian teacher, therefore, in whatever section of the church his lot may be cast, and wherever he may be called to labor, offer to lost mankind, as the fruit of the Saviour's merit, and the free gift of God, present pardon, peace, and holiness, to be obtained by faith in the Lord Jesus; and he cannot fail of success.

For the Methodist Magazine and Quarterly Review.

ART. VIII-TRUE AND FALSE RELIGION CONTRASTED.

THE forcible language of the psalmist, "The fool hath said in his heart there is no God," implies a rebuke against atheistical unbelievers, the justness of which will be admitted by all reflecting minds. "Who but a fool," as one has aptly remarked, "could ever have said so?" Lonely and solitary through this valley of tears must be the pilgrimage of the atheist, the man who acknowledges no God. As he is" without God in the world," so will he be forsaken of man: sober, reflecting, rational men, will refuse to associate with him, or to embrace his forbidding skepticism, while he practically illustrates his theory, "there is no God."

Although the unbelief of the deist is not so revolting to our understanding and Christian feelings as is that of the atheist, who denies the very existence of a supreme Being; yet deism furnishes no ground of hope to the sinner. The enjoyment of such as question the inspiration of the holy Scriptures, and of the religion they reveal, must be unsatisfactory; for he who will not receive the Saviour of the world VOL. VIII.-July, 1837. 27