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strongly attested to admit of rational doubt. The writer of this memoir had the relation from his own mouth. But to return to the work of the Lord in his soul. The time of his deliverance was drawing near, but in a manner he little thought of. One day when engaged in his line of business, still pressed down with a sense of his sinful, and wretched state, the following words were powerfully applied to his mind, "WATCH YE, STAND FAST IN THE FAITH, QUIT YOU LIKE, MEN, BE STRONG." In a moment his burden of guilt was removed, joy sprung up in his soul, and he was enabled to triumph in GOD his SAVIOUR. He had no recollection of ever reading those words; but the same day in reading the sixteenth chapter of Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians, he there found them.— This perfectly satisfied him, that it was from the Lord, and that his sins were all forgiven, and that in these words he was exhorted to perseverance in the divine life.

No sooner had he received the spirit of GOD, bearing witness with his spirit, that he was born of God, than he felt an inward thirst for the salvation of his fellow men, and the next day. he sent out word through the Town for the people to assemble at a certain place, and he would tell them, what the LORD had done for his soul. The news spread through the place that Mr. Wayne was going to preach. According to appointment, he. went, not with a design of preaching, but to give a simple statement of the goodness of GOD to his soul. He found a considerable number of people whom curiosity had drawn out. But few, very few were disposed to credit the old man's narration; the mass of the people readily concluding that he was perfectly deranged-however this did by no means tend to damp his ardour, or impede his course. He continued to pray and exhort, as occasion offered, and the LORD in some good degree owned and blessed his labours, in raising up a little society of Methodists in that wicked place. Some years afterwards he received license to preach, and in the year 1791 was ordained a Deacon. His talents, as a preacher, were but moderate; yet his zeal and unquestionable piety rendered him truly useful wherever he was known. He had some severe trials from the opposers of the religion of Jesus Christ. At one time he was smitten on the face; but in this instance, he gloriously exemplified the Christían character by bearing reproach with the utmost composure of mind so much so, as to strike with astonishment the poor VOL. I.

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wretch who perpetrated the shameful act, and to extort from him an acknowledgement of the baseness of his conduct. It was one of our beloved brother Wayne's peculiar Christian traits, never to return evil for evil.

In the different circumstances of life, he manifested that uniformity of character, both in his tempers and actions which marks the sentimental and devoted christian. He had his seasons of severe trial; but was not overcome, nor discouraged.Prosperity neither enervated his mind, damped his zeal, nor weakened his attachment to the cross of Christ. No complaining, or murmuring at the dispensations of providence proceeded from his lips in the day of adversity. He was open and cheerful; but never light or vain.

Whenever his conversation turned on religious subjects (which was the case on all suitable occasions) the natural simplicity, the sincerity, the zeal, the glowing ardour, the unfeigned love, manifested throughout, seldom failed to move and quicken those who heard him.

Having at length come to a good old age, and being fully ripe for glory, his master saw fit to call him from this vale of tears, to the enjoyment of that rest which remains for the people of GOD. In the the month of March, 1818, he was taken ill: his afflictions were long and severe; yet never was he heard to murmur, or even to wish his sufferings less. About six days before his death, he was much buffetted by the devil, being tempted to think, that he did not love the LORD and was not in a prepared state to meet him; but this last conflict with the enemy of his soul, was of but short duration. The cloud bursted from his mind, heaven opened to his raptured vision, and he was brought to exult in the hopes of glory. In this happy state he appeared to lament the few hours which he took in sleep, and which decaying and dissolving nature required; but he earnestly wished every moment to be spent in prayer and praise. A few days before his death, he experienced great bodily pains, and observed that if he lived till Saturday, he would have inexpressible bodily sufferings to undergo; but the Lord in mercy cut short the work, and took him on Friday. A little while before he died, a brother in the Church who had been sitting up with him. the night before, asked him in the morning what chapter or the Holy Scriptures he should read to him, he answered with a quivering voice, yet with a countenance serene and heavenly, "It is a time of rejoicing, and

thanksgiving;" "read the first chapter of Paul's epistle to the Philippians." No doubt but he had in view the disposition and feeling of this eminent apostle in the anticipation of Death, and of leaving behind him his Philippian brethren, saying, “ For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labour; yet what I shall choose I wot not. For I am in a straight betwixt two, having a desire to depart and to be with Christ, which is far better." Our much esteemed brother Wayne was sincerely attached to the Society in George Town, as was the Society to him; but his LORD was calling for him to join the Church triumphant in glory, and he cheerfully submitted, knowing that "to be with Christ would be far better."

Some little time after prayer he fell into a doze, and slept but a few moments, and then awoke to bid a final farewell to all his worldly troubles, his cares, anxieties and distresses of every kind. A little tea was handed him to drink, but nature was too far gone, he could not swallow it. His friends seeing that he was hastening into eternity, the signal was given to his pious but disconsolate wife, she came to him and said, "my husband, are you going? What must I do?" His reply was, BE RESIGNED TO GOD, KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS AND FIGHT AGAINST SIN." She then asked him, "if he had an unskaken confidence in GOD, and if his prospects for glory continued to brighten? With his expiring voice he answered, O! YES! YES! YES! then without a sigh, struggle, or groan, he fell asleep in Jesus.

WILLIAM WAYNE was not much known abroad, but it is doubtful whether South-Carolina was ever honoured with a more pious and conscientious man than he was. As a citizen he was true to his country, and with his uncle General Anthony Wayne bravely fought for its liberty. He was strictly honest, and extremely industrious, even in old age. As a friend he was sincere and benevolent. As a husband he was truly kind and affectionate. As a parent he was tender above measure. As a Christian he breathed a universal spirit of philanthropy and good will toward all men, and as a Minister of the gospel of Christ, although, he did not excel in pulpit oratory; yet very few pulpitorators ever excelled him in genuine piety and fervent zeal.

J. T.

SCRIPTURE ILLUSTRATED.

THOUGHTS ON ST. PAUL'S DOCTRINE OF JUSTIFICATION.
Romans iv.

(Continued from page 420.)

A third objection to the doctrine of the imputation of Christ's personal obedience to the law, for the justification of a sinner is, that it goes to invalidate one of the leading principles of the experience of all those who have been brought from darkness to light. I mean the conviction which all awakened sinners feel that they are condemned and really exposed to the wrath of God. Who has ever been brought to the evidence of sins forgiven, and to the witness of adoption, so as to cry abba father,' without having previously felt such a sense of guilt and condemnation as to cry out, Oh! wretched man that I am?

But what is this sense of guilt but a false conviction, if it be true that the obedience of Christ is accepted in behalf of the sinner and placed to his account, and that too in relation to all his offences, both original and actual? A law which is perfectly fulfilled can never convince of guilt, nor inflict punishment: It follows, therefore, that if God has accepted the obedience of Christ in behalf of any given number of sinners, they must be, by virtue of that acceptance, fully and forever acquitted; and therefore all conviction which they feel of guilt-all sense of the wrath of God, all fear of hell, must be founded in falsehood. It is in vain to urge, in answer to this objection, that the evidence of justification is withheld till the sinner believes in Christ. This is wide off the argument. The proposition is, that if God has accepted the personal obedience of Christ in behalf of sin ners, in the place of that obedience which they were bound to perform, then they must be justified before God, whether they have the evidence of it or not; and therefore to believe that they are condemned, and that the wrath of God abides upon them, is to believe what is not true.

Fourthly. The doctrine of the imputation of Christ's perfect obedience to the divine law, removes the necessity of good works on the part of man, and destroys the most powerful motives to the performance of them. Every one must clearly per

ceive that if the justification of a sinner depends entirely on the perfect righteousness of Christ imputed to him, then no personal act of his can be at all necessary to justification. For it appears certain, that if any personal act of a sinner is necessary to justification, then his justification cannot wholly depend on the righteousness of another. Consequently this doctrine removes the necessity of any act of man in order to justification or acceptance with God. It appears entirely nugatory to urge in answer to this objection, that an act of faith on the part of the sinner is necessary to the imputation of Christ's perfect obedience; for this is virtually saying that something is necessary to salvation over and above the most entire and perfect obedience to the Infinitely "holy, just and good" law of God. It must therefore follow, by fair conclusion, that if such obedience has been performed and placed to my account for justification, and eternal life, no act of mine can be in any way necessary to the security of these ends.

Again: If no action of man can have any influence on his acceptance with God, or on his final salvation (which must be the case on the above principle of imputation) then no motives to good works can be derived from the advantages of being in the favour of God, or from the final possession of an eternal weight of glory;' and the same may be said of the opposites of these blessed states.

(To be concluded in the next.)

OBSERVATIONS ON THE SCRIPTURAL ACCOUNT OF THE TIME AT WHICH THE DISCIPLES CAME TO THE SEPULCHRE OF JESUS.

To the Editors of the Methodist Magazine.

DEAR BRETHREN,

As one department of your miscellany is devoted to the illustration of sacred Scripture, if you think the following observations calculated to throw light on one of the most important events recorded in the book of God, you are at liberty to insert them.

It may not, perhaps, be amiss to premise, that those passages were produced sometime since, by a professed infidel, and their apparent dissonance respecting the precise time when the disciples came to the sepulchre, was considered an insuperable objection against the authenticity of the Evangelists, and the

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