"what is my hope truly my hope is even in thee." He then cast his eye on these words, " He hath put a

new song into my mouth, even thanksgiving unto our "God; many shall see it and fear, and put their trust "in the Lord." Afterwards he opened upon Isaiah xl. 1. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith our "God, speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto "her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her

iniquity is pardoned, for she hath received of the "Lord's hand double for all her sins." In reading these passages of scripture, he was enabled to view Christ as set forth to be a propitiation for his sins, through faith in his blood, and received that peace and rest in God, which he had so earnestly sought.

The next morning he waked with a sense of the divine goodness and protection, and rejoiced in reading the 107th Psalm, so nobly descriptive, he observes, of what God had done for his soul. This day he had a very humbling view of his own weakness; but was enabled to contemplate Christ in his power to save to the uttermost, all those who come unto God by him. Many evil thoughts were suggested to his mind, but they immediately vanished away. In the afternoon he was greatly strengthened by these words in the 43d of Isaiah, which he saw were spoken to encourage and comfort the true Israel of God, in every age of his church. "But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, "Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, fear not : "for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy thou art mine. When thou passest through name; "the waters I will be with thee: and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest "through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither "shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord "thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour."

Mr.

Mr. Wesley had long been well acquainted with the Scriptures; he had now an enlarged and distinct view of the doctrines of the gospel; and experienced in himself the blessings it promiseth to those who cordially embrace them. A man thus qualified to instruct others, will find many occasions of prayer and praise, which will suggest matter adapted to particular persons and circumstances. If he be a man of tolerable good sense and some vigour of thought, and especially if he have had a liberal education, he will never want words to express the ideas and feelings of his own mind. Such a person will therefore often find a prescribed form of prayer to be a restraint upon the exercise of his own powers, under circumstances which become powerful incentives to an animated and vigorous exercise of them; and by varying from the words and matter suggested by the occasion, it will often throw a damp on the ardour of his soul, and in some degree obstruct the proffit of his devotion. We may observe likewise, that a form of prayer becomes familiar by frequent repetition; and according to a well-known principle in human nature, the more familiar an object, or a form of words become, the less effect they have on the mind, and the difficulty is encreased of fixing the attention sufficiently to feel the full effect which otherwise they would produce. Hence it is, that we find the most solemn forms of prayer, in frequent use, are often repeated by rote, without the least attention to the meaning and importance of the words, unless a person be under some affliction, which disposes him to feel their application to himself. Extempore prayer has therefore a great advantage crer set forms, in awakening and keeping up the attention of an audience.

Mr.

Mr. Wesley now began to pray occasionally without a form, with advantage and comfort to himself and others. It was however a new practice with him, and he seemed surprised both at his boldness and readiness in performing it, and hence he says, "Not unto me, O Lord, not unto me, but unto thy name be the glory."

Both the Mr. Wesleys were greatly censured by some persons, particularly by their brother Samuel, when they began this practice. The most sensible and moderate men have allowed, that a form of prayer may be useful to some particular persons in private; and that it may be proper on some occasions in public worship. But the more zealous advocates for forms of prayer are not satisfied with this; they wish to bind them upon all persons as an universal rule of prayer in public worship, from which we ought in no instance to depart. This appears unjustifiable on any ground whatever. To say that we shall not ask a favour of God, nor return him thanks; that we shall hold no intercourse with him in our public assemblies, but in a set of words dictated to us by others, is an assumption of power in sacred things, which is not warranted either by Scripture or reason: it seems altogether as improper as to confine our intercourse with one another to prescribed forms of conversation. Were this restraint imposed upon us we should immediately feel the hardship, and see the impropriety of it; and the one appears as ill adapted to edification and comfort, as the other would be.

This day an old friend called upon him, under great apprehensions that he was running mad. His fears were not a little increased, when he heard him speak of some instances of the power and goodness of God. His friend told him that he expected to see rays of light round

round his head; and said a good deal more in the same strain. Finding by Mr. Wesley's conversation that he was past recovery, he begged him to fly from London, and took his leave in despair of doing him any good.

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May the 23d, he wrote a hymn on his own conversion. Upon shewing it to Mr. Bray, a thought was suggested to his mind, that he had done wrong and displeased God. His heart immediately sunk within him; but the shock lasted only for a moment; "I clearly discerned, (says he,) it was a device of the enemy to keep glory from God. It is most usual "with him to preach humility when speaking would 66 endanger his kingdom and do honour to Christ. "Least of all would he have us tell what God has done "for our souls, so tenderly does he guard us against pride. But God has shewed me, that he can defend me from it while speaking for him. In his name "therefore, and through his strength, I will perform my vows unto the Lord, of not hiding his righteous, ness within my heart."

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Mr. Wesley had now satisfactory evidence that he was a pardoned sinner, accepted of God in Christ Jesus, and quickened by his Spirit. He enjoyed constant peace, was extremely watchful over the motions of his own heart, and had a degree of strength to resist temptation and to do the will of God, which he had not

found before his justification; but he felt no great emotion of mind nor transport of joy in any of the means of grace. He now intended to receive the sacrament, and was fearful lest he should be as flat and comfortless in the ordinance as formerly: he received it without any very sensible effect on his mind more than usual, but with this difference from his former state, that he found himself, after it was over, calm and serene, fully satisfied with the goodness of God to his soul, and free from doubt, fear

or scruple, of his interest in Christ. In this way he was early taught by experience, to place little confidence in any of those sudden and transient impressions which are often made on the mind in public or private acts of devotion. Nor was he uneasy because destitute of that rapturous joy which some persons have experienced: he was thankful for the more calm and more permanent operations of divine grace on the mind, by which his heart was kept in peace, staid upon God, and watching unto prayer.

May 28, he rose in great heaviness, which neither private nor joint prayer with others could remove. At last he betook himself to intercession for his relations, and was greatly enlarged therein, particularly for a most proffligate sinner. He spent the morning with James Hutton in prayer, singing, and rejoicing. In the afternoon his brother came, and after prayer for success on their ministry, Mr. John Wesley, set out intending to go to Tiverton, and Mr. Charles began writing his sermon after his conversion, "In the name of Christ his prophet."

He had before this time been the means of leading several persons to a knowledge of themselves, and to a sense of their want of faith in Christ: he was now the instrument in the hands of God of bringing one to an experimental knowledge of salvation by the remission of sin, so that she rejoiced in God her Saviour. A severe exercise of faith and patience soon followed. June the 1st, he found his mind so exceedingly dull and heavy that he had scarcely any power to pray. This state increased upon him for several days till at length he became insensible of any comfort, or of any impression of good upon his mind in the means of grace. He was averse to prayer, and though he had but just recovered

trength