Sermons, vol. I. p. 26. "Sincerity therefore is neceffa rily implied in the being almost a Christian; a real design to ferve God; a hearty desire to do his will; a fincere view of pleasing God in all things, in all his conversation, in all his actions, in all he does, or leaves undone. This defign, if any man be almost a Christian, runs through the whole tenor of his life.". -Was David mistaken when he faid, Pfal. cxix. 6. "Then shall I not be ashamed when I have a respect to all thy commandments?"

Ib. vol. II. p. 265.-269. In explaining Matth. vi. 19. he observes, that it is lawful to lay up what is necessary to discharge our juft debts; to provide for ourselves and families the plain neceffaries of life; to put our children in a capacity, when we are gone, to provide for them. felves thefe neceffaries, by diligent labour; and to enable us to carry on our worldly business in fuch measure as is fufficient to answer these purposes: but that labouring after a larger measure of worldly substance than will answer thefe purposes, is abfolutely forbidden.' -This tends to perplex tender confciences with endless fcruples. Ministers fhould beware of laying burdens on men which God has not laid. God has indeed denounced a woe against those that add house to house, and land to land, till there be no place in the earth; and has charged the rich to be rich in good works: but if it is lawful to tranfmit to our children an estate, which we ourselves inherited, as Mr Wesley acknowledges, why should it be unlawful to tranfinit to them an estate which we have acquired by honeft industry? Is not the last as lawful a property, and as entirely at our difpofal, as the first ?

Ib. p. 305. he thus explains Rom. x. 3, 4. "Being ignorant of that holiness of heart, which is termed God's righ• teousness, being his free gift through Chrift, and his own work by his Spirit, and labouring to establish that outfide righteousness, which may be termed their own, becaufę neither wrought by the Spirit of God, nor owned and accepted of him, but wrought by their own natural strength, they hardened themfelves against that faith, whereby alone it was poffible to attain this inward righteoufuels. For Chrift put an end to the law of external rites and ceremonies, that he might bring in a better righteousness through his blood, even the image of God into the inmost soul of every

every one that believeth." And, p. 306. he explains the righteousness which is of God by faith, Phil. iii. 9. to mean, that holiness of heart, which is the work of God through faith in Chrift.- -These interpretations should have been mentioned, when I was confidering his fcheme of juftification.

Sermons, vol. III. p. 47. "On the other hand, they, whofe hearers, if unrighteous before, remain unrighteous ftill, or at least void of any righteousness which exceeds the righteousness of the fcribes and Pharifees, they are false prophets, they are not fent of God; therefore their word falls to the ground. That a faithful minifter may labour without fuccefs, the fcripture denieth not, and experience confirms.

16. vol. II. p. 50. & feq. he denies the perfeverance of the faints, and represents the gradual manner of their apoftafy. And, p. 53. he fuppofes that faith and love were extinct in Peter, when he committed the act of dissimulation for which Paul withstood him to the face.

1b. vol. I. p. 8. "They (viz. believers) are alfo faved "from the fear, though not from the poffibility of falling "away from the grace of God, and coming fhort of the 66 great and precious promises.". -How one who believes his total and final apoftafy poffible can truly love God, and yet feel no fear of so dreadful an evil, is inconceivable.

Mr Wesley seems to maintain not only the attainablenefs of finlefs perfection in a prefent life, but that it is ac tually attained by every one born of God.

Character of a Methodist, 3d edit. p. 10. "Whatfoever he doth, is all to the glory of God. In all his em ployments of every kind, he not only aims at this, (which is implied in having a fingle eye), but actually attains it. His bufinefs and refreshments, as well as his prayers, all ferve to this great end. Whether he fit in his house, or walk by the way, he is promoting, in all he speaks or does, the one bufinefs of his life."

Sermons, vol. I. p. 9. He that is by faith born of God, finneth not, 1. By any habitual fin. 2. By any willful fin; for his will, while he abideth in the faith, is utterly fet against all fin, and abhorreth it as deadly poifon. 3. By any finful defire; for he continually defireth the holy and perfect

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perfect will of God; and any tendency to an unholy defire, he, by the grace of God, ftifleth in the birth. Nor, 4 By infirmities, whether in act, word, or thought; for his infirmities have no concurrence of his will; and without this they are not properly fins. Thus he that is born of God doth not commit fin: and though he cannot fay he hath not finned, yet now he finneth not.

Sermons, vol. II. p. 23. An immediate and constant fruit of this faith, whereby we are born of God, a fruit which can in no wise be separated from it, no not for an hour, is power over fin; power over outward fin of every kind; over every evil word and work; for wherefoever the blood of Chrift is thus applied, it purgeth the confcience from dead works and over inward fin; for it purifieth the heart from every unholy defire and temper.

Ib. p. 25. (Having cited 1 John iii. 9. to prove the be. liever's power over outward fin, he adds), " But some men will fay, True; whofoever is born of God doth not commit fin habitually." Habitually! whence is that? I read it not. It is not written in the book. God plainly faith, he doth not commit fin; and thou addeft, habitually! Who art thou that mendest the oracles of God? that addeft to the words of this book? Beware, I beseech thee, left God add to thee all the plagues that are written therein.

Sermons, vol. III. p. 203.-234. Chriftians are not fo perfect in this life as to be free, (1.) from ignorance; (2.) from mistakes; (3.) from infirmites, i. e. inward and outward imperfections, not of a moral nature, but such as dullness or confusedness of apprehenfion, a treacherous memory, &c; (4) from temptation. But, 1. Even babes in Chrift are in-fuch a fenfe perfect as not to commit fin. The least that can be implied in the expreffions, Rom. vi. 1 Pet. iv. 1, 2. 1 John iii. 8. v. 18. is, that all real Chriftians ceafe from outward tranfgreffions of God's law. It will not follow, that becaufe David, one of the holiest men among the Jews, did commit fin, that all Chriftians commit fin as long as they live. They who argue thus confider not our Lord's declaration, Matth. xi..11. that the leaft true believer is greater than the highest Old-te ftament faint. Solomon fays, there is no man that finneth not and unquestionably there was none in his days, nor

from

from the day that fin entered into the world, until the Son of God was manifested to take away our fins. We are told, John vii. 38. “The Holy Ghoft was not yet "given, because Jefus was not yet glorified," i. e. these fanctifying influences were not bestowed whereby men are made more than conquerors over fin. For the power of working miracles cannot be meant, that having been gi ven to the apostles, when first commiffioned to preach the gofpel. That this great falvation from fin was not given, till Jefus was glorified, Peter teftifies; where fpeaking of his brethren, as now receiving the end of their faith, the falvation of their fouls, he adds, that the prophets only foretold that grace, but did not enjoy it, 1 Pet. i. 9, 10. Sɔ far is David from being the standard of Chriftian perfection, that it is foretold, Zech.xii. 8. "He that is feeble among them shall be as David." 2. They who are strong in the Lord are freed from evil thoughts and evil tempers." Every one that is perfect, is as his Mafter, Luke vi. 40. "As he is fo are we in this world, I John iv. 17.'

I cannot stay to give a full extract of the fermon on Christian perfection, contained in the pages above referred ' to. But there is an answer to an obvious objection again his scheme, which I fhall transcribe, p. 218. "The apostles themselves, it is faid, committed fin: nay the greatest of them, Peter and Paul. St Paul, by his sharp contention with Barnabas, and St Peter, by his diffimulation at Antioch. Well, fuppofe both Peter and Paul did then commit fin; what is it you would infer from hence? that all the other apoftles committed fin fometimes? There is no fhadow of proof in this. Or, would you thence infer, that all the other Chriftians of the apoftolic age co nmitted ↑ fin worfe and worfe; this is fuch an inference as one would imagine a man in his fenfes could never have thought of.

Or will you argue thus? If two of the apostles did once commit fin, then all other Chriftians, in all ages, do and will commit fin as long as they live. Alas, my brother! a child of common understanding would be ashamed of fuch reafoning as this,"

Paul's contention with Barnabas is a strong prefump. tion against the attainableness of perfection in this life; because of all mere men he feems to have made the greatest

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eft advances towards it. But it is a demonftration of the falfehood of Mr Wefley's propofition, that even babes in Christ are in fo far perfect as not to commit fin. Mr Wefley will allow that Paul was then more than a babe in Christ, and yet he finned. To fay, he at that time fell from grace, will hardly quadrate with his fubfequent hiftory, at least if Mr Wesley is right in his ideas of the manner of knowing true prophets, from the fruits of their doctrine, as to themselves, and as to their hearers. Sermons, vol. III. p. 45.—47.

If we urge against this hypothefis 1 John i. 8. "If we "fay we have no fin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth " is not in us:" Mr Wesley replies, Sermons, vol. III. p. 223. as Barclay the Quaker did before him," that the 10th verfe fixes the sense of the 8th: “If we say we have "no fin" in the former, being explained by "if we say "we have not finned" in the latter verfe. Neither of thefe verfes affert that we fin now. And the question is not, whether we have finned heretofore."

If these writers have reason to infist, that the phrases of forgiving fins and cleanfing from all unrighteousness, v. 9. are not an useless tautology, I have equal reason to deny, that ver. 10. is a mere repetition of ver. 8.-The connection and fenfe of the four last verses, I take to be this. Ver. 7. "If we walk in the light, as he is in the "light, we have fellowship one with another, and the "blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all fin.' Here it might be asked, Have they who walk in the light, as God is in the light, any moral defilement, from which they need to be cleanfed by the blood of Jefus? Yes, fays the apostle, ver. 8. "If we say that we have no fin, we "deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” Sin, depravity of heart, ftill remains. We have it, we feel its workings, tho' its dominion is broken by conversion, and its power still further weakened by progreffive holiness. Nor does the efficacy of Christ's blood extend only to this, but alfo to these actual tranfgreffions, from which they that walk in the light are not wholly free. Ver. 9. “If "we confess our fins, he is faithful and juft to forgive us "our fins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Sins and unrighteousness here mean, our violating by ac

tual