fealed, by fome, perhaps undifcerned, unfaithfulness; who, thereupon, for a season departed from him, and left him weak and like another man.

5. But it may be faid, "The Gospel Covenant does not promise entire freedom from fin." What do you mean by the word fin? Thofe numberlefs weakneffes and follies, fometimes (improperly) termed fins of infirmity? If you mean only this, we fhall not put off thefe but with our bodies. But if you mean, "It does not promise entire freedom from fin, in its proper fenfe, or from committing fin;" this is by no means true, unless the Scripture be falfe: For thus it is written : "Whofoever is born of God, doth not commit fin;" (unless he lofe the Spirit of Adoption, if not finally, yet for a while, as did this child of God,) "for his feed remaineth in him, and he cannot fin, because he is born of God." He cannot fin fo long as "he keepeth himself;" for then "that wicked one toucheth him not," 1 John iii. 9. v. 18.

6. We fee then how to judge of that other affertion, "That the mercy of God to his fons in Chrift Jefus, extends to all infirmities, follies, and fins, multiplied relapses not excepted." We grant, many of the chil dren of God find mercy, notwithstanding multiplied relapses. But though it is poffible a man may be a child of God, who is not fully freed from fin; it does not follow, that freedom from fin is impoffible: or, that it is not to be expected by all; for it is promifed. It is defcribed, by the Holy Ghost, as the common privilege of all. And "God will be mindful, (O let us be fo!) of his covenant and promise, which he hath made to a thousand generations."

7. This caution is neceffary to be remembered, that ye who are weak be not offended. Neither be ye offended, when ye hear the wifdom of the world pronounce all this,mere enthufiafm: a hard word, which moft of those who are fondeft of it, no more underftand than they do Arabic. Ask, in the spirit of meeknefs, him who calls it fo, "Is the kingdom of God set up in your foul? Do you feel that peace of God which paffeth all understanding? Do you rejoice with joy

unfpeakable and full of glory? Is the love of God fhed abroad in your heart, by the Holy Ghoft which dwelleth in you ?" If not, you are no judge of these matters. You cannot difcern the things of the Spirit of God. They are enthusiasm, madness, foolishness to you: for they are spiritually difcerned.

8 Afk fuch a one, (but with meekness and love,) "Are you taught of God? Do you know that he abideth in you? Have you the revelation of the Holy Ghoft, (they are the words of our own Church,) infpiring into you the true meaning of Scripture ?" If you have not, with all your human science and worldly wisdom, you know nothing yet as you ought to know. Whatever you are in other refpects, as to the things of God, you are an unlearned and ignorant man. And if you are unstable too, you will wreft thefe, as you do alfo the other fcriptures, to your own deftruction.

9. Be not then surprised, ye that wait for peace, and joy, and love, through faith in the blood of Jefus, that fuch judges as these are continually crying out, "Enthufiafm!" if you speak of the inward operations of the Holy Spirit. And as to you who have already peace with God, through our Lord Jefus Chrift, who now feel his love fhed abroad in your hearts, by the Holy Ghoft which is given unto you; with whofe fpirit the Spirit of God beareth witness, that ye are the sons of God; it is your part to confirm your love toward them, in all lowlinefs and meeknefs. (For who is it that maketh thee to differ? Or what haft thou, which thou haft not received?) And to plead earneftly for them at the throne of grace, that the Day-Star may appear in their hearts alfo, and the Sun of Righteoufnefs at length arise upon them, with healing in his wings! London, February 9, 1738-9.

JOHN WESLEY.

THE

LIFE OF MR. HALIBURTON.

PART I. CHAPTER I.

A foort Account of his Birth and Life, till ten years of Age.

1. MR. THOMAS HALIBURTON was born at Dublin, in the parish of Aberdalgy, (of which his father was fome time Minister,) on December 25, 1674. The three former parts of the following account were written by himself; the laft is partly extracted from his Diary, and partly taken from eye and ear-witneffes.

2. The common occurrences of the life of one in all refpects fo inconfiderable, are not worth recording; and if recorded, could be of little ufe either to myself or others. But, if I can recount what has paft between God and my foul, fo as to discover not only the parts of this work, the feveral advances it made, the oppofition made to it, and its victory over the oppofition of the world, the devil, and my own heart; if I can repre fent this work in its order, it may be of great ufe to my own eftablishment; and, fhould it fall into the hands of any other Chriftian, it might not be unuseful: ́for the work of God in all is, as to the fubftance, the fame and uniform; and, as face anfwers to face in a glafs, fo does one Chriftian's experience answer to another's, and both to the Word of God.

3. I came into the world with a nature wholly cor rupted, and a heart fully fet in me to do evil. And from the morning of my days, though I was under the great light of the Gofpel, and the infpection of pious parents, and not yet corrupted by cuftom; yet the

imaginations of my heart, and the whole tenour of my life were only evil continually.

4. Indeed, in this period of my life, I had unusual advantages. My parents were eminently religious; I continually heard the found of divine truth in their inftructions, and had the beauty of holiness set before my eyes in their example. They kept me from ill company, and habituated me early to fuch outward duties as I was capable of. But this care of my father during his life, (which ended October, 1682,) and of my mother after his death, did not change, but only hide nature. And, though I cannot remember all the particulars from the fourth or fifth year of my life, yet I do remember the general bent of my mind, which was even then wholly fet against God: infomuch, that when I now furvey the decalogue, and review this portion of my time, notwithftanding the great diftance, I ftill diftinctly remember, and could easily enumerate, many inftances of the oppofition of my heart unto every one of its precepts.

5. For many years, it is true, the fins of this part of my life were entirely out of my thoughts. But when God began to convince me of fin, even those I had long fince forgotten, thofe that were of an older date than any thing else I could remember, and not attended with any fuch remarkable circumstances as could be supposed to make a deep impreffion on my memory, were brought on my mind with unusual distinctness. Whence I cannot but obferve, 1. What exact notice the holy God takes of what men país over as pardonable follies. 2. How juft reason we have to fear, that in the ftrokes we feel in riper years, God is "making us to poffefs the iniquities of our youth." 3. What an exact register confcience, God's deputy, keeps; how early it begins; how accurate it is, (even when it seems to fleep,) and how it will justify his severity against finners at the laft day. O how far up will it fetch its accounts of those evils which we mind nothing of! When God fhall open our eyes to difcern thofe "prints which he fetteth upon the heels of our feet; when the books fhall be opened, and the dead, small and great, judged out of the things that are written therein !"

8

6. When I review this first period of my life, what reafon have I to be afhamed, and even confounded, to think I have spent ten years of a fhort life, without almost a rational thought, undoubtedly, without any that was not finful. And this being matter of undoubted experience, I have herein a strong confirmation of my faith, as to the guilt of Adam's fin, and its imputation to his pofterity. For, 1. From a child the bent of my foul was "enmity against God." Nor was this the effect of custom or education. No; there was a sweet confpiracy of precept, discipline, and example, to carry me the contrary way. Nor can I charge the fault of this on my conftitution of body, or any thing that might in a natural way proceed from my parents. Yet was this enmity fo ftrong, as not to be fuppreft, much less fubdued, by the utmost care, and the best outward means. This is an undoubted fact. 2. To fay, I was thus originally framed without refpect to any fin chargeable on me, is a position so full of flat contrariety to all the notions I can entertain of God, to his wifdom, his equity, and his goodnefs, that I cannot think of it without horror. 3. Penal, then, this corruption must be, as death and difeafes are. And whereof can it be a punishment, if not of Adam's fin? While then these things are fo plain in fact, and the deduction fo eafy from them, whatever fubtle arguments any use against this great truth, I have no reafon to be moved thereby.

7. Hence, lastly, I am taught what estimate to make of thofe good inclinations with which fome are said to be born. Either they are the early effects of preventing grace; or of education, cuftom, occafional reftraints, and freedom from temptation. A natural temper may be easily influenced by fome of the fe, and by the conftitution of the body, to a diftafte of those groffer fins, which make the most noise in the world. Yet all this is but fin under a difguife: and the odds is not great. The one fort of finners promife good fruit, but deceive; whereas the openly profane forbid expectation. And yet of this laft fort more receive the gofpel than of the former. "A certain man had two fons: and he came