help shewing it by strong cries and tears. At this another was much displeased, saying, "It was only nature, imagination, and animal spirits." O thou jealous God, lay not this sin to her charge! and let us not be wise above what is written!

Sunday 30, One came to me, by whom I used to profit much. But her conversation was now too high for me. It was far above, out of my sight. My soul is sick of this sublime divinity! Let me think and speak as a little child! Let my religion be plain, artless, simple! Meekness, temperance, patience, faith, and love, be these my highest gifts; and let the highest words wherein I teach them, be those I learn from the Book of God!

Monday 31, I had a long and particular conversation with Mr. Molther himself. I weighed all his words with the utmost care, desired him to explain what I did not understand; asked him again and again, "Do I not mistake what you say? Is this your meaning, or is it not?" So that I think, if God has given me any measure of understanding, I could not mistake him much.

As soon as I came home, I besought God to assist me, and not suffer the blind to go out of the way. I then wrote down what I conceived to be the difference between us, in the following words:

As to faith, you believe,

1. There are no degrees of faith, and that no man has any degree of it, before all things in him are become new, before he has the full assurance of faith, the abiding witness of the Spirit, or the clear perception that Christ dwelleth in him.

2. Accordingly, you believe, there is no justifying faith, or state of justification short of this.

3. Therefore, you believe, our brother Hutton, Edmonds, and others, had no justifying faith before they saw you.

4. And, in general, that that gift of God, which many received since Peter Bohler came into England, viz. “A sure confidence of the love of God to them," was not justifying faith.

5. And that the joy and love attending it were from animal spirits, from nature or imagination; not joy in the Holy Ghost, and the real love of God shed abroad in their hearts.

Whereas I believe,

1. There are degrees in faith, and that a man may have some degree of it before all things in him are become new, before he has the full assurance of faith, the abiding witness of the Spirit, or the clear perception that Christ dwelleth in him.

2. Accordingly, I believe, there is a degree of justifying faith (and consequently, a state of justification) short of, and commonly antecedent to, this.

3. And I believe our brother Hutton, with many others, had justifying faith long before they saw you.

4. And, in general, that that gift of God, which many received since Peter Bohler came into England, viz. "A sure confidence of the love of God to them," was justifying faith.

5. And that the joy and love attending it were not from animal spirits, from nature, or imagination; but a measure of joy in the Holy Ghost, and of the love of God shed abroad in their hearts.

As to the way to faith, you believe, that the way to attain it is to wait for Christ, and be still, i. e. not to use (what we term) the means of grace; not to go to church; not to communicate; not to fast; not to use so much private prayer; not to read the Scripture ;-(Because you believe, these are not means of grace, i. e. do not ordinarily convey God's grace to unbelievers; and that it is impossible for a man to use them, without trusting in them :)-Not to do temporal good; nor to attempt doing spiritual good; because you believe no fruit of the Spirit is given by those who have it not themselves; and that those who have not faith, are utterly blind, and therefore unable to guide other

souls.

VOL. II.

C

Whereas I believe, the way to attain it is, to wait for Christ and be still, in using all the means of grace. Therefore, I believe it right, for him who knows he has not faith, (i. e. that conquering faith) to go to church, to communicate, to fast, to use as much private prayer as he can, and to read the Scripture ;-(Because I believe these are means of grace, i. e. do ordinarily convey God's grace to unbelievers and that it is possible, for a man to use them, without trusting in them :)-To do all the temporal good he can, and to endeavour after doing spiritual good: Because I know many fruits of the Spirit are given by those who have them not themselves. And that those who have not faith, or but in the lowest degree, may have more light from God, more wisdom for the guiding of other souls, than many that are strong in faith.

As to the manner of propagating the Faith, you believe, as I have also heard others affirm, that we may, on some accounts, use guile; by saying what we know will deceive the hearers, or lead them to think the thing which is not; by describing things a little beyond the truth, in order to their coming up to it; by speaking as if we meant what we do not.

But I believe, that we may not use guile on any account whatsoever; that we may not, on any account, say what we know will, and design should, deceive the hearers; that we may not describe things one jot beyond the truth, whether they come up to it or not; and that we may not speak, on any pretence, as if we meant, what indeed we do not.

Lastly, As to the fruits of your thus propagating the Faith in England, you believe, much good has been done by it; many unsettled from a false foundation; many brought into true stillness, in order to their coming to the true foundation; some grounded thereon, who were wrong before, but are right now. On the contrary, I believe that very little good, but much hurt has been done by it; many, who were beginning to build holiness and good works on the true foundation of faith in Jesus, being now wholly

unsettled and lost in vain reasonings and doubtful disputations; many others being brought into a false, unscriptural stillness; so that they are not likely to come to any true foundation; and many, being grounded on a faith which is without works, so that they, who were right before, are wrong now.

Tuesday, January 1, I endeavoured to explain to our brethren, the true, christian, scriptural stillness, by largely unfolding those solemn words, Be still, and know that I am God.

Wednesday 2, I earnestly besought them all to stand in the old paths; and no longer to subvert one another's souls, by idle controversies and strife of words. They all seemed convinced. We then cried to God to heal all our backslidings. And he sent forth such a spirit of peace and love as we had not known for many months before.

Thursday 3, I left London, and the next evening came to Oxford, where I spent the two following days in looking over the letters which I had received for the sixteen or eighteen years last past. How few traces of inward religion are here! I found but one among all my correspondents, who declared (what I well remember at that time I knew not how to understand), that "God had shed abroad his love in his heart, and given him the peace that passeth all understanding." But, who believed his report? Should I conceal a sad truth? Or declare it, for the profit of others? He was expelled out of his society as a madman, and being disowned by his friends, and despised and forsaken of all men, lived obscure and unknown for a few months, and then went to him whom his soul loved.

Monday 7, I left Oxford. In the evening I preached at Burford; the next evening at Malmsbury; and on Wednesday 9, I once more described the exceeding great and precious promises at Bristol.

Saturday 12, I explained the former part of Heb. vi. and many were renewed again to repentance.

Sunday 13, While the sacrament was administering at the house of a person that was sick in Kingswood, a woman

who had been before much tempted of the devil, sunk down as one dead. One could not perceive, by any motion of her breast, that she breathed, and her pulse was very hardly discernible. A strange sort of dissimulation this! I would wish those who think it so, only to stop their own breath and pulse one hour; and I will then subscribe to their opinion.

Monday 14, I began expounding the Scriptures in order, at the New Room at six in the morning; by which mean many more attend the college prayers, which immediately follow, than ever before. In the afternoon I preached at Downend, four miles from Bristol, on, God hath given unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son: Tuesday 15, at Sison, five miles from Bristol, on, the blood which cleanseth us from all sin. After preaching, I visited a young man dangerously ill, who, a day or two after, cried out aloud, "Lord Jesus, thou knowest that I love thee! And I have thee, and will never let thee go," and died immediately.

Thursday 17, I preached at Kendalshire, six miles from Bristol, on, Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin.

Sunday 20, My heart was enlarged at Kingswood in declaring, Ye are saved through faith. And the woman who had been so torn of the devil last week, was now made partaker of this salvation; being above measure filled with the love of God, and with all peace and joy in believing.

Monday 21, I preached at Hannam, four miles from Bristol. In the evening I made a collection in our congregation for the relief of the poor, without Lawford's-gate; who having no work, because of the severe frost, and no assistance from the parish wherein they lived, were reduced to the last extremity. I made another collection on Thursday, and a third on Sunday; by which we were enabled to feed a hundred, sometimes a hundred and fifty a day, of those whom we found to need it most.

Tuesday 22, I preached at Bridge-gate, six miles from Bristol: Thursday 24, at Westerleigh, eight miles from thence; in the evening, at the New-Room, I expounded