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place of the blood of Christ, that he only gave them, in my opinion, their just value; he placed them in the order of Christian experience where the Gospel places them; where we ought all to place them; as the fruits of a living operative faith, and as the measure of our future reward; for every man will be rewarded, not for his works, but according to the measure of them. This is undoubtedly a Scriptural representation of this matter, and it would be well if all Christians were to attend to this distinction more than they do. It is to be feared that some have cried out against works, not from the very best motives, at least from some inclination to relax in holiness. The way in which some have preached faith, has done no honour to the Gospel; and may probably have encouraged some persons to pay less attention to Christian duties than they ought to do. But we must say of him, that while he insisted on good works as the necessary fruits of faith, he gave the whole glory of salvation to God, from first to last; not only in the general plan of it, but in the order of communicating the benefits of Christ to the mind. He believed that man would never tura to God, if God did not begin the work; nay, how often has he told you, that the first approaches of grace to the mind are irresistible; what I mean is, that a man cannot avoid being convinced that he is a sinner; that God by various means awakens his conscience; and whether the man will or no, these convictions approach him. Here you see, he gave all the glory of the work of salvation in the heart, to the grace of God, he ascribes no merit to works; he tells you indeed that in proportion as you improve the grace given you shall have more, and be rewarded according to your works, with grace here as well as glory hereafter.

There is one subject more, which, though it be of the utmost importance in religion, I must touch upon as briefly as possible. The subject which I mean is Christian experi ence. It is well known that this able Minister of the Gospel, together with his brother Charles and the Rev. Mr. Whitefield, have been the principal instruments in the hands of God, of diffusing the knowledge of this important article of the Christian religion, amongst the bulk of the people of this country. And in this respect only, they have been a blessing to every class and order of men. For though all have not believed their report, yet many have believed it in every station of life, and borne a happy testimony to the truth of it. How ably has our beloved Father illustrated and defended this part of Christianity! Many indeed have supposed that what we call experience is mere imagination that it is nothing more than the working up of our minds into a fancy

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of something which can have no foundation in truth or reason. This has been the general opinion of what the Methodists call experience, and hence has arisen the charge of enBut it appears to me, that Christian experience is something real and not imaginary : that it rests upon as

thusiasm.

solid a foundation as the evidence of our external senses. I think that we have no more reason to doubt the reality of our experience, when it is Scriptural, than we have to doubt of the existence of an object which we see with our eyes, or of a sound which we hear with our ears, when these organs are in the most sound and healthy state. But let us enquire what Christian experience is, and what degree of certainty there.

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Christian experience is the present possession of the benefits of the Gospel which relate to this life, and which prepare us for the enjoyment of God in glory. If we use the word in the most extensive sense, so as to include the preparation of the mind to receive Christ in his mediatorial character, it will imply repentance towards God, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the fruits of the Spirit, so admirably described by St. Paul; love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness and temperance, with all the In the Gospel we are privileges of the Christian state here. commanded to repent and turn to God; to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and to be filled with the fruits of the Spirit. The Gospel promises every necessary aid and assistance to put us in possession of these benefits; and we read also in the New Testament of many persons who professed to have experience of these things. If indeed the Gospel be a fable, then the things it speaks of, and the promises it makes, signify nothing real, they are purely imaginary, and to profess any experience of them must be delusion. But, as we have the most certain evidence that the Gospel is of God: that it gives a true account of what God has done and is now doing for the salvation of men, and of the means by which he is accomplishing this great purpose, the promises it gives us must signify something real, and they must be as certain as the existence and truth of God himself. It is certain then, that we may experience the blessings it promises to us, if we seek them in the way which God has appointed.

If we enquire into the evidence which a man has that he does experience the things we here speak of, we shall find that it is of the strongest kind possible. If a man's understanding be enlightened with Gospel truths; if his conscience be awakened to decide justly on his motives and actions, as they are related to God and his law; if in consequence of

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Gal. v. 22, 23.

this,

this, he turn from his sins, and is humbled, abased, and ashamed before God for them, and prays for mercy; how is it possible for such a change as this, to take place, in the dictates of his conscience, and in the opinion he has had of himself, and he not know it? the very supposition is absurd; he must be as conscious of it as he is of his own existence, or of any thing that happens to him. In like manner, when a person in the state I have now described, is enabled to believe in Jesus Christ to the saving of his soul; to rely fully upon him for pardon and acceptance with God; must not such a person be conscious of this act of his mind, and the change in his views of God, and in the feelings of his mind that are subsequent to it? Will he not be as conscious and certain of these things as he is when he sees an object before him, or feels pleasure or pain? If he that believeth be filled with love, joy, peace, and the other fruits of the Spirit just mentioned, must he not be certain of this? Our internal consciousness carries the same conviction of reality with it, as our external senses. Would it not appear exceedingly absurd to you, if you heard a person say in the common affairs of life, that he loved an object dearly, but that he was not conscious of any love? that he rejoiced exceedingly in a thing, but that he did not feel any joy? It is just the same in Christian experience. If from proper views of the Gospel and faith in Christ, I feel peace, I cannot be ignorant of it; if I look up to God through Jesus Christ with holy confidence, and feel pleasure and delight, I must be conscious and certain of it.

Christian experience then, as the Rev. Mr. Wesley has long explained it, has certainty in it: if a man has it he cannot be ignorant of it. But I must say that those who have it not, cannot form a just conception of it. How is it possible for any man who has not felt the peace of God to form a just notion of it? Its evidence stands on the same ground as the evidence of our external senses. For if a man had never seen colours he could not form any true idea of them: if a man had never felt pain or pleasure, he could not be taught to understand what they are, however perfect his rational faculties might be; he must feel them to know them. So it is with Christian experience, you must enter into it and feel it, and then you will know what it is; and as easily distinguish it from the feelings or consciousness arising from other things, as you distinguish seeing from hearing, or the touch from the smell.

III. 1. Having considered the character of the Rev. Mr. Wesley as a man of learning, and well qualified to examine a

subject

subject and discover the truth; and having taken a view of his principal and leading opinions in religion: my intention is, very briefly to consider, his labours as a Minister of the Gospel, and the effects.of them.

2. It is evident from what has been said, that Mr. Wesley, was a man of industry from his youth, and employed his time to the greatest advantage in pursuit of literary knowledge. After he was convinced of the pure doctrines of the Gospel, he was assiduous in declaring them to others. How few possess the necessary qualifications for useful studies and for active life! These were united in him in a very high degree. His leading doctrines, which I have examined, discover a diligent and patient examination of the Scriptures, great strength of judgment, and closeness of reasoning: and he was not less remarkable for his zeal, activity and steadiness in propagating them amongst the people, for which many thousands have had reason to thank God in their dying moments. At first he preached in the churches wherever an opportunity offered; but his doctrines giving offence to some, and the crowds that attended him raising envy in others, the churches were by degrees shut against him. If we consider his firm attachment to the church of England, and his fondness for regularity and order in church government, it will appear surprizing that this circumstance did not damp his zeal, and shake the firmness of his mind. It is happy that it did not. Being convinced of the importance of the doctrines of the Gospel to the people at large, and that it was his duty to preach the glad tidings of peace and salvation to all; knowing also that God loves mercy rather than sacrifice, he thought it would be criminal in him to sacrifice his views of the Gospel, and his opportunities of doing good, to the prejudices of others. He therefore went out into the high-ways and hedges to invite sinners to repentance and make them partakers of Gospel blessings. He must have foreseen, that in taking this step mankind would put different constructions on his conduct; and, that, to attempt a thing so new in the world would raise many enemies against him, and expose him to many difficulties. Whatever prospects his former situation had afforded him, of ease, honour or wealth, these he left behind him; and nothing could at this time present itself to his view, but labour and weariness, accompanied with reproach, persecution, and contempt from men. possible to suppose for a moment, that a man of calm reflection, as Mr. Wesley was, who never took any step of importance without mature deliberation, would have acted as he did at this time, without a full conviction that he was doing his duty? that the doctrines which he taught were

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the truths of the Gospel, and of the utmost importance to the happiness of men? He must have had more than a bare conviction of these truths; he must have been animated with an ardent desire to glorify God in the propagation of his truth, and to be instrumental of good to his fellow creatures. Candour will acknowledge that these were his motives; the subsequent part of his life has made it evident, and his conduct is not to be accounted for on any other principles.

3. The regularity and steadiness with which Mr. Wesley pursued his labours, and the extent to which he carried them, are almost beyond conception, and sufficient to awaken astonishment in the mind of any man who reflects upon them. When he first went out to preach in different parts of the kingdom, and to carry the light of the Gospel to those who sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, he was surrounded with difficulties on every side. In many places he had scarcely food to eat, or a place to lie down in. In some places, he was considered as an enemy to his country; in others, that he had private and interested views in what he did; for few could at first imagine that any man would undergo the labour and fatigue which he underwent, purely for the good of others. But none of these things ever moved him, he still continued to travel from place to place to do good to those who reviled and persecuted him. He laboured day and night for the good of the people. This he did through persecution, reproach, and every difficulty that lay in his way: nothing turned him aside from the grand object of preaching the Gospel to the poor. Here we cannot but admire the strength and firmness of his resolution, and his love of God and man, which enabled him to persevere in this arduous and difficult undertaking. O what a glorious influence would the Gospel soon acquire over the minds of men, if those who are true ministers of it, had the bold, the firm, the intrepid spirit which Mr. Wesley has shewn! Did they, like him, give up their ease, their pleasure, and every thing which is counted dear in this world, to do good unto men, to glorify God, and bring men to the obedience of Christ! There are many ministers of the Gospel who wish well to experimental religion, and many who truly preach it, but their preaching is limited to a few persons comparatively speaking: his mind expanded to larger views of public good: his arms would have embraced, if possible, all mankind, and as far as his strength would carry him he spread the knowledge of Gospel truth into every part of these kingdoms.

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