are much grieved to hear him. But others are greatly delighted with him. Ten or fourteen of them meet at our brother Clark's, with Mr. Molther, and make a mere jest of going to church or to the

sacrament.'

'You (Mr. Molther) believe, it is impossible for a man to use these ameans, without trusting in them.'

Believers (said Mr. Simpson) are not subject to ordinances, and unbelievers have nothing to do with them.' 'Believers need not, and unbelievers may not use them. These do not sin when they abstain from them; but those do sin, when they do not abstain.'

'For one who is not born of God, to read the Scriptures, or to pray, or to communicate, or to do any outward work, is deadly poison. - If he does any of these things, he destroys himself.' 'Mr. Bell ear-nestly defended this.'

'At eight the society (at Nottingham) met; I could not but observe-that not one who came in, used any prayer at all.-1 looked for one of ourhymn-books, but both that and the Bible were vanished away, and in the room thereof lay, the Moravian hymns and the Count's Sermons."

"One of our English brethren, joined with you, said in his public expounding, As many go to hell by praying, as by thieving. Another, I knew one, who, leaning over the back of a chair, received a great gift. But he must kneel down, to give God thanks. So he lost it immediately. And I know not whether he will ever have it again. And yet another, You have lost your first joy. Therefore you pray. That is the Devil. You read the Bible. That is the Devil. You communicate. That is the Devil'.

'They atlirmed, that there is no commandment in the New Testament, but to believe; that no other duty lies upon us; and, that when a man does believe, he is not bound or obliged, to do any thing which is commanded there.' 'Mr. St- told me, No one has any degree of faith, till he is perfect as God is perfect.' You believe there are no degrees in faith.' 'I have heard Mr. Molther affirm, that there is no justifying faith, where there is ever any doubt.' 'The moment a man is justified, he is sanctified wholly. Thenceforth, till death. he is neither more nor less holy. We are to grow in grace, but not in holiness."

2. I have frequently observed, that I wholly disapprove of all these positions, 'That there are no degrees in faith;' 'That in order to attain faith, we must abstain from all the ordinances of God;' 'That a believer does not grow in holiness,' and 'That he is not obliged to keep the commandments of God.' But I must also observe, 1. That you ought not to charge the Moravian church with the first of these; since in the very page from which you quote those words, There is no justifying faith where there is ever any doubt' that note occurs, In the preface to the second Journal, the Moravian church is cleared from this mistake.' 2. That with respect to the ordinances of God, their practice is better than their principle. They do use them themselves, I am a witness; and that with reverence and godly fear. Those expressions, however, of our own countrymen, are utterly indefensible; as, I think, are Mr. Molther's also; who was quickly after recalled into Germany. The great fault of the Moravian church seems to lie in not openly disclaiming all he had said: which in all probability they would have done, had they not leaned to the same opinion. I must, 3. Observe, that I never knew one of the Moravian church, but that single person affirm, That a believer does not grow in holiness.' And perhaps he would not affirm it, on reflection. But I am still afraid their whole church is tainted with quietism, Universal Salvation, and Antinomianism: 'I speak (as I said elsewhere) of Antinomian opinions, abstracted from practice, good or bad.'

3. But I should rejoice if there lay no other objection against them, than that of erroneous opinions. I know in some measure, how to have compassion on the ignorant: I know the incredible force of pre-possession. And God only knows, what ignorance or error (all things considered) is invincible; and what allowance his mercy will make in such cases, to those who desire to be led into all truth. But how far what follows may be imputed to invincible ignorance or pre-possession, I cannot tell.

Many of you greatly, yea above measure, exalt yourselves. (as a church) and despise others: I have scarcely heard one Moravian brother own his church to be wrong in any thing;' 'Many of you I have heard speak of it, as if it were infallible:' 'Some of you have set it up, as the judge of all the earth, of all persons as well as doctrines: Some of you have said, that there is no true church but yours; yea, that there are no true Christians out of it:' ' And your own members you ou require to have implicit faith in her decisions, and to pay implicit obedience to her directions."

I can in no degree justify these things. And yet neither can I look upon them in the same light that you do, as * "some of the very worst things which are objected to the Church of Rome." They are exceedingly great mistakes: yet in as great mistakes have holy men both lived and died: Thomas à Kempis, for instance, and Francis Sales. And yet I doubt not, they are now in Abraham's bosom.

4. I am more concerned for their 'Despising and decrying self-denial; for their 'extending Christian liberty beyond all warrant of Holy Writ; for their 'Want of zeal for good works;' and above all for their supposing, that we may, on some accounts, zise guile:' in consequence of which they do 'use guile or dissimulation in many cases.' 'Nay, in many of them I have found (not in all, nor in most) much subtlety, much evasion and disguise; so becoming all things to all men, as to take the colour and shape of any that were near them. I can neither defend nor excuse those among the Moravians, whom I have found guilty of this. But neither can I condemn all for the sake of some. Every man shall give an

account of himself to God.

But you say, * "Your protesting against some of their opinions, is not sufficient to discharge you-Have you not prepared the way for these Moravians, by-countenancing and commending them: and by still speaking of them as if they were in the main the best Christians in the world, and only deluded or mistaken in a few points?"

I cannot speak of them otherwise than I think. And I still think, 1. That God has some thousands in our own church, who have the faith and love which is among them, without those errors either of judgment or practice; 2. That next to these, the body of the Moravian church, however mistaken some of them are, are in the main, of all whom I have seen, the best Christians in the world.

5. Because I am continually charged with inconsistency herein, even by the Moravians themselves, it may be 'needful to give a short account of what has occurred between us from the beginning." †My first acquaintance with the Moravian brethren began in my voyage to Georgia. Being then with many of them in the same ship, I narrowly observed their whole behaviour. And I greatly approved of all I saw.' (The particulars are related in the first Journal.)

From Feb. 14, 1735, to Dec. 2, 1737, being with them, (except when I went to Frederica or Carolina,) twice or thrice every day, I.loved and esteemed them more and more. Yet a few things I could not approve of. These I mentioned to them from time to time, and then commended the cause to God.

In February following I met with Peter Bohler. My heart clave to him as soon as he spoke. And the more we conversed, so much the more did I esteem both him and the Moravian church. So that I had no rest in my spirit, till I executed the design which I had formed long before; till after a short stay in Holland, I hastened forward, first to Marienbourn, and then to Hernhuth.'

It may be observed, that I had before seen a few things in the Moravians which I could not approve of. In this journey I saw a fere more, in the midst of many excellent things: in consequence whereof,

،

In Sept. 1738, soon after my return to England, I began the following letter to the Moravian church. But being fearful of trusting my own judgment, I determined to wait yet a little longer, and so laid it by unfinished."

'I CANNOT but rejoice in your steadfast faith, in your love to our blessed Redeemer, your deadness to the world, your meekness, temperance, and chastity, and love of one another. I greatly approve of your conferences and bands, of your methods of instructing children; and in general, of your great care of the souls committed to your charge.

But of some other things I stand in doubt, which I will mention in love and meekness. And I wish that, in order to remove those doubts, you would, on each of those heads, first, plainly answer, whether the fact be as I suppose; and if so, secondly, consider, whether it be right? Is not the Count all in all among you? Do you not magnify your own church too much? Do you not use guile and dissimulation in many cases? Are you not of a close, dark, reserved temper and behaviour?

It may easily be seen, that my objections then were nearly the same as now. (Only with this difference; I was not then assured, that the facts were as I supposed. Yet I cannot say my affection was lessened at all, for I did not dare to determine any thing.) But from Nov. 1, I could not but see more and more, things which I could not reconcile with the gospel.

These I have set down with all simplicity :-Yet do I this, because I love them not? God knoweth: yea, and in part, I esteem them still: because I verily believe, they have a sincere desire to serve God; because many of them have tasted of his love, and some retain it in simplicity; because they love one another; because they have so much of the truth of the gospel, and so far abstain from outward sin. And, lastly, because their discipline is, in most respects, so truly excellent: (notwithstanding that visible blemish, the paying too much regard, to their great patron and benefactor, Count Zinzendorf.)

6. I believe, if you coolly consider this account, you will not find, either that it is inconsistent with itself; or that it lays you under any necessity of speaking in the following manner: *"What charms there may be in a demure look and a sour behaviour, I know not. But sure they must be in your eye very extraordinary, as they can be sufficient to cover such a multitude of errors and crimes, and keep up the same regard and affection for the authors and abettors of them. I doubt your regard for them was not lessened, till they began to interfere with what you thought your province. -You were influenced, not by a just resentment to see the honour of religion and virtue so injuriously and scandalously trampled upon, but by a fear of losing your own authority."

I doubt, there is scarcely one line of all these, which is consistent either with truth or love. But I will transcribe a few more, before I answer. "How could you so long and so intimately converse with, so much commend, and give such countenance to such desperately wicked people, as the Moravians, according to your own account, were known by you to be?-And you still speak of them, as if they were in the main, the best Christians in the world. In one place you say, ' A few things I could not approve of. But in God's name, Sir, is the contempt of almost the whole of our duty, of every Christian ordinance, to be so gently touched? Can detestation, int such a case, be too strongly expressed? Either they are some of the vilest wretches in the world, or you are the falsest accuser in the world. Christian charity has scarcely an allowance to make for them, as you have described them. If you have done this truly, they ought to be discouraged, by all means that can be imagined."

7. Let us now weigh these assertions. "They (i. e. the charms of their sour behaviour) must be in your eye very extraordinary."Do not you stumble at the threshold? The Moravians excel in sweetness of behaviour-"as they can be sufficient to cover such a multitude of errors and crimes" - Such a multitude of errors and crimes! I believe, as to errors, they hold universal salvation, and are partly Antinomians, (in opinion) and partly Quietists. And for this cause I cannot join with them. But where is the multitude of errors? Whosoever knows two or three hundred more, let him please to mention them.

Such a multitude of crimes too! That some of them have used guile, and are of a close and reserved behaviour, I know. And I excuse them not. But to this multitude of crimes I am an utter stranger. Let him prove this charge upon them who can. For me, I declare, I cannot.

"To keep up the same regard and affection." -Not so. My affection was not lessened, till after September, 1739, till I had proof of what I had feared before. But I had not the same degree of regard for them, when I saw the dark as well as the bright side of their character. "I doubt your regard for them was not lessened, till they began to interfere with what you thought your province." If this were only a doubt, it were not much amiss; but it presently shoots up into an assertion; equally groundless: for my regard for them lessened, even while I was in Georgia. But it increased again, after my return from thence, especially while I was at Hernhuth. And it gradually lessened again for some years, as I saw more and more which I approved not. How then does it appear, that I was influenced herein, "by a fear of losing mine own authority ? Not by a just resentment to see the honour of religion and virtue so scandalously trampled upon." -Trampled upon! By whom? Not by the Moravians: I never saw any such thing among them.

But what do you mean by a just resentment? I hope you do not mean, what is commonly called zeal: a flame which often 'sets on fire the whole course of nature, and is itself set on fire of hell.'Rivers of water run from my eyes, because men keep not thy law." This resentment, on such an occasion, I understand. From all other, may God deliver me!

8. You go on. "How could you so long and so intimately converse with such desperately wicked people, as the Moravians, according to your own account, were known by you to be?" O Sir, what another assertion is this! "The Moravians, according to your own account, were known by you to be desperately wicked people, while you intimately conversed with them!" Utterly false and in