In the power of the Holy Ghost resteth all ability to know God, and to please him. It is he that purifieth the mind by his secret working. He enlighteneth the heart to conceive worthy thoughts of Almighty God. He sitteth on the tongue of man, to stir him to speak his honour. He only ministereth spiritual strength to the powers of the soul and body. And if we have any gift whereby we may profit our neighbour, all is wrought by this one and self-same Spirit.' *

Every proposition which I have any where advanced concerning those operations of the Holy Ghost, which I believe are common to all Christians in all ages, is here clearly maintained by our own church.

Being fully convinced of this, I could not well understand, for many years, how it was, that on the mentioning any of these great truths, even among men of education, the cry immediately arose, "An enthusiast, an enthusiast!" But I now plainly perceive, this is only an old fallacy in a new shape. To object enthusiasm to any person or doctrine, is but a decent method of begging the question. It generally spares the objector the trouble of reasoning, and is a shorter and easier way of carrying his cause.

For instance: I assert, that "till a man receives the Holy Ghost, he is without God in the world; that he cannot know the things of God, unless God reveal them unto him by his Spirit; no, nor have even one holy or heavenly temper, without the inspiration of the Holy One." Now should one who is conscious to himself, that he has experienced none of these things, attempt to confute these propositions either from Scripture or antiquity, it might prove a difficult task. What then shall he do? Why, cry out, "Enthusiasm! Fanaticism!" and the work is done. "But is it not mere enthusiasm or fanaticism to talk of the New Birth?" So one might imagine from the manner in which your Lordship talks of it. "The Spirit did not

* Hom. for Rogation-week. P. III.

stop till it had manifested itself in the last effort of his power, the New Birth, (p. 123.) The New Birth began in storms and tempests, in cries and ecstacies, in tumults and confusions, (p. 126.) Persons who had no sense of religion, that is, no ecstatic feelings, or pains of the New Birth, (p. 180.) What can be the issue of the New Birth, attended with those infernal throes? (p. 170.) Why should he elicit sense from these Gentiles, when they were finally to be deprived of it in ecstacies and New Births? (p. 225.) All these circumstances Mr. W. has declared to be constant symptoms of the New Birth?" p. 222.

So the New Birth is, throughout the whole tract, the standing topic of ridicule !

"No, not the New Birth itself, but your enthusiastic, ridiculous account of it." What is then my account of the New Birth? I gave it some years ago in these words:

'It is that great change which God works in the soul, when he brings it into life: when he raises it from the death of sin to the life of righteousness. It is the change wrought in the whole soul by the almighty Spirit of God, when it is created anew in Christ Jesus,' when it is renewed after the image of God, in righteousness and true holiness: when the love of the world is changed into the love of God, pride into humility, passion into meekness; hatred, envy, malice, into a sincere, tender, disinterested love to all mankind. In a word, it is that change whereby the earthly, sensual, devilish mind,' is turned into the mind which was in Christ Jesus." Vol. IV. of Sermons.

This is my account of the New Birth. What is there ridiculous or enthusiastic in it?

"But what do you mean by those tempests, and cries, and pains, and infernal throes attending the New Birth?" I will tell you as plainly as I can, in the very same words I used to Dr. Church, (after premising, that some experience much, some very little of these pains and throes.)

When men feel in themselves the heavy burthen of sin, see damnation to be the reward of it, behold with the eye of their mind the horror of hell, they tremble, they quake, and are inwardly touched with sorrowfulness of heart, and cannot but accuse themselves, and open their grief unto Almighty God, and call to him for mercy.This being done seriously, their mind is so occupied, partly with sorrow and heaviness, partly with an earnest desire to be delivered from this danger of hell and damnation, that all desire of meat and drink is laid apart, and loathing of all worldly things and pleasures comes in place, so that nothing then liketh them more than to weep, to lament, to mourn, and both with words and behaviour of body, to shew themselves weary of life.'

'Now, permit me to ask, What, if before you had observed, that these were the very words of our own church, one of your acquaintance or parishioners had come and told you, that ever since he heard a sermon at the Foundry, he saw damnation before him, and beheld with the eye of his mind the horror of hell! What if he had trembled and quaked, and been so taken up, 'partly with sorrow and heaviness, partly with an earnest desire to be delivered from the danger of hell and damnation, as to weep, to lament, to mourn, and both with words and behaviour, to shew himself weary of life? Would you have scrupled to say, "Here is another deplorable instance of the Methodists driving men to distraction?" *

I have now finished, as my time permits, what I had to say, either concerning myself, or on the Operations of the Holy Spirit. In doing this, I have used great plainness of speech, and yet, I hope, without rudeness. If any thing of that kind has slipped from me, I am ready to retract it. I desire, on the one hand, to accept no man's person;' and yet, on the other, to give 'honour to whom honour is due.

* Second Letter to Dr. Church.

If your lordship should think it worth your while to spend any more words upon me, may I presume to request one thing of your lordship, to be more serious? It cannot injure your lordship's character, or your cause. Truth is great, and will prevail.

Wishing your lordship all temporal and spiritual blessings, I am,

MY LORD,

Your Lordship's dutiful Son and Servant,

Nov. 26, 1762.

JOHN WESLEY,

A

LETTER TO A PERSON

LATELY JOINED WITH

THE PEOPLE CALLED QUAKERS,

IN ANSWER TO A LETTER WRITTEN BY HIM.

BRISTOL, FEB. 10, 1747-8.

YOU ask me, "Is there any difference between Quaker

ism and Christianity?" I think there is.

What that differ

ence is, I will tell you as plainly as I can. I will first set down the account of Quakerism (so called) which is given by Robert Barclay: and then add, wherein it agrees with, and wherein it differs from, Christianity.

I. "Seeing the height of all happiness is placed in the true knowledge of God, the right understanding of this is what is most necessary to be known in the first place.

II. "It is by the Spirit alone that the true knowledge of God hath been, is, and can be revealed. And these revela. tions, which are absolutely necessary for the building up of true faith, neither do nor can ever contradict right reason or the testimony of the Scriptures."

Thus far there is no difference between Quakerism and Christianity.

"Yet these revelations are. not to be subjected to the examination of the Scriptures as to a touchstone.”

YA