possibly be discovered in the structure of natural bodies, or in the various operations of nature, from a view of which we draw our arguments for the existence of God. How often have you heard this excellent man enlarge on these things? How often has he shewn you, that the Gospel affords as clear a display of the moral perfections of God, as the works of nature do of his existence? This certainly was not an irrational view of the Gospel; but shewed a mind enlarged, capacious, capable of comprehending great things, of investigating every part of the Gospel, and of harmonizing the whole. 5. Considering the Gospel as holding forth benefits to man, those benefits are suited to the nature and state of man. How often have you heard him explain this? Man is blind, ignorant, wandering out of the way; his mind being estranged from God, he lives without God in the world. But the Gospel, as a system of moral truths, is adapted to enlighten the understanding and direct the judgment. But experience and observation may convince us, as well as the Scripture, that a man may contemplate moral truths, and learn to discourse well on them, without acquiring a practical moral principle of sufficient strength to reform his conduct. It is conscience that judges of the right or wrong of a man's motives and actions. And till conscience interpose its authority, and pass sentence on him, the man remains insensible of his own state and condition, however well he may discourse on morality in general. He is, in the language of Scripture, dead in trespasses and sins. The Gospel then, being the power of God to salvation, must be more than a mere system of morals. It promises, and God actually gives, the Spirit of promise, which convinces the world of sin. The Spirit of God accompanies the word of the Gospel, and the other means of grace, and makes them effectual to awaken conscience to the exercise of its office, to pass the sentence of condemnation for what has been done wrong; and the speculative truths of the understanding being thus combined with the dictates of conscience, a practical principle is formed of sufficient strength to restrain the passions and reform the conduct. This our Rev. Father in the Gospel used to call repentance, and often conviction for sin. And was he irrational in this? Is not this blessing of the Gospel agreeable to the state, and to the natural faculties of man? 6. He considered the Gospel as a dispensation of mercy to men, holding forth pardon, a free pardon of sin to all who repent and believe in Christ Jesus. That this is a scriptural doctrine no man can doubt who reads the New Testament: Testament it is interwoven with every part of Scripture. It will bear the test of reason also. It is suited to the state and wants of men, as they stand related to an holy God. It is suited to the wants of every man living: every man has sinned and come short of the glory of God; every man therefore stands in need of mercy. It was not then irrational in our great Minister to hold forth the rich display of divine grace in Christ Jesus to penitent sinners, in the free manner that he did. His doctrine is founded on a general view of the scriptures; on the peculiar promises of the gospel, and it is suited to the present condition and wants of men as they stand related to God and the prospects of another world. 7. The gospel enjoins universal holiness both in heart and the conduct of life. The design of it is to regulate our affections, and govern our actions. It requires us to be dead to the world and alive to God: to love the Lord our God with all our heart, and our neighbour as ourselves: to do unto others as we would wish they should do unto us. And God has promised in the gospel, the continual aid and assistance of his Holy Spirit, to strengthen us with all might in the inner man: Christ is a Saviour that is able to save to the uttermost all them that come unto God by him: and there is a throne of grace, at which we may obtain, not only mercy, but grace to help in time of need. To him who rightly believes the gospel, it is a means adequate to the end intended by it: to him it is a quickening spirit, a purifying and cleansing word, the power of God to his salvation: it influences every faculty of his mind, and regulates every action of his life: to his mind it exhibits such views of paternal love in every part of the plan of redemption, and of a superintending Providence, directing all things with unerring wisdom, to promote his holiness here, and his happiness and glory hereafter, that he is continually animated to the practice of every Christian virtue, and strengthened with patience to run the race that is set before him. The gospel then, considered as a large comprehensive plan of redemption, holds forth blessings suited to our present state and necessities: wisdom to instruct us, grace to justify or pardon, and to sanctify and cleanse us from evil; with promises of protection and help through the snares and difficulties of life. It operates upon us in a way that is suited to our faculties: it enlightens the understanding, awakens the conscience, governs the will, and regulates the affections. Nor are its benefits confined to the present life, they extend to the regions of the dead, and expand our views to the prospects of eternity. What a glorious view does the gospel hold hold forth to us of a resurrection from the dead? Our Lord hath died and risen again that he might be Lord both of the dead and of the living. They that die in the Lord are still under his protection and guidance. Death cannot separate any from the love of Christ. The gospel therefore in this view holds forth blessings suited to our necessities, as comprehensive as our wants, and adapted to our state in life and death, and the enjoyments of a glorious and happy eternity. These views he has held forth to you again and again, with energy and force, and I hope they will make a lasting impression upon you. 8. But I must observe further, that in explaining the order in which the blessings of the gospel are promised to man, he shewed a mind well instructed in the Oracles of God, and well acquainted with human nature. There is not perhaps greater confusion in any part of the system of religion, or in the common explanations given of the gospel than in this; I mean in the order in which the blessings of the gospel are promised to us, and in which we ought to expect them. We must say, that our Father in the gospel, who is gone to his reward, had an excellent introduction to this part of his ministerial office: he himself had entered in at the right door. When a Minister is awakened in his own heart, when he is truly sensible of his sin and want of a Saviour; and comes to God for mercy as a poor sinner, and accepts it as the free gift of God through Jesus Christ; being sensible that he, must be justified (or pardoned) by faith, without the deeds of the law; he is well prepared to instruct others; and to instruct them not only in the right way, but also in the right order in which we ought to expect the benefits of the Gospel. How accurate was Mr. Wesley in shewing that the first step to be a Christian, is to repent; that till the conscience be awakened to a true sense of the evil of sin, a man cannot enter into a state of justification: it would totally subvert the design of the Gospel, were it possible that an unawakened person could be justified. The very supposition frustrates every intention of the coming of the Son of God; which was to deliver us from sin, to reconcile us to God, and to prepare us for heaven. He has carefully and properly distinguished these matters in his preaching and writings: how often has he told you that the awakening of conscience is the first step in supernatural religion; and that till a man is convinced of the evil of sin and is determined to depart from it; till he is convinced that there is a beauty in holiness, and something truly desirable in being reconciled to God; he is not prepared to receive Christ. It would be well if all the ministers of the Gospel laid this true foundation of Christian experience; and did not confound the order in which the blessings of the gospel are given to the soul. It has been a singular blessing to you, and to the body of the Methodists at large, that your ninisters have so accurately distinguished these things, and guarded you against error in a matter that so nearly concerns your peace and your progress in the divine life. You have by these distinctions been enabled to judge with more certainty of your state of mind, and to what degree of experience you have already attained in the things of God: you have been enabled to see more distinctly and clearly the benefits of the Gospel which are still before you and have been animated in the pursuit of them, by an assurance of success, if you persevere in the way which God has appointed. 66 In marking so distinctly the order in which we experi ence the benefits of the Gospel, Mr. Wesley, in my opinion, has followed the example of our Lord and his Apostles. Our Lord began his preaching, by saying, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.* Peter, preaching to the Jews at Jerusalem, says, Repent ye, and be converted. Paul has made this distinction in the most pointed manner: "I kept back nothing, (says he) that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you, publicly and from house to house; testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." But he has not only followed the Scripture in observing this order, but also reason and the natural order of things. Does not the natural order of things require, that a man be first convinced of his faults, before he can be reclaimed from them? Must not a man be conscious of his condemnation before he will apply to God for pardon? Our progress in Christian experience bears a striking analogy to our progress in any art or science. A man must first be instructed in the fundamental principles of an art or science, before he can proceed to the higher branches of it. The first step prepares him for the second, and so on through the whole of his The same order is observable in Christian exprogress. perience. The first step in it prepares the mind for the second; and so on till we come to the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. In this important article then, Mr. Wesley has spoken according to Scripture, and agreeably to the nature and fitness of things. The second important and necessary step in Christian experience, is, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, arising from a Scriptural * Matt. iv. 17. † Acts ii. 19. Acts xx. 20, 21. Scriptural view of his priestly office. When the mind is duly prepared to receive Christ in this character, pardon is held forth in the Gospel as a free gift, without money and without price; Christ is here proposed to us as the atonement for our sins. How often has he set him forth as crucified before your eyes? Ile has exhibited him to your view in his priestly character as the atonement for the sins of the world? He has often shewn you that the atonement which he has made is complete; that the most vile helpless sinner who repents and turns from his sins may come and freely receive pardon as the gift of God in and through Christ; and have free admittance to this throne of grace. How gloriously has he often explained this truth, and with what good eflect to many of you? You have been blessed and strengthened under his word, God has borne witness to the truth of it, and scaled its evidence on your hearts. Again, In explaining sanctification he has accurately distinguished it from justification, or the pardon of sin. Justification admits us into a state of grace and favour with God, into the family of heaven: into a state of fellowship with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, and lays the foundation of sanctification or Christian holiness in all its extent He has shewn you that the tendency and end of your justification, is holiness of heart and holiness in all manner of conversation; that being justified by faith your relation to God is altered; your sins are forgiven; you are now become children of God and heirs of all the promises of the gospel, and are quickened and animated with the spirit of it. In this stage of Christian experience, faith realizes the truths of the Gospel to the mind; it becomes a practical principle of sufficient strength not only to restrain the passions, but to purify the heart, to influence every faculty of the soul, and every action in life, and to transform the man as a moral agent into the image of God. What a glorious view of the Gospel has he afforded you; and how often has he instructed you that Christ, as the living head of his church, and acting upon it, in and by the means of every part of the Gospel, is sufficient to ac complish the end of his coming; to change the heart, write his laws upon our mind, and make us like himself. He has urged these views of the Gospel upon you again and again, and roused you to an ardent pursuit of universal holiness and purity. It is true, there has been a great clamour raised against him on this subject, because he called his view of sancfication by the word perfection; many even of the professors of religion have thought him very absurd in this I shall only onserve upon this head, that, he has aften explained to you what he meant by that term; and, matter. that |