Wednesday 7, Being greatly desirous to understand the ground of this matter, I had a long conference with Mr. Spangenberg. I agreed with all he said of the power of faith. I agreed, that whosoever is, by faith, born of God, doth not commit sin. But I could not agree, either, that none has any faith so long as he is liable to any doubt or fear: Or, that, till we have it we ought to abstain from the Lord's supper, or the other ordinances of God.

At eight, our society met at Fetter-lane. We sat an hour without speaking. The rest of the time was spent in dispute; one having proposed a question concerning the Lord's supper; which many warmly affirmed, none ought to receive till he had the full assurance of faith. I observed every day, Satan had gained over us. Many of those who once knew in whom they had believed, were thrown into idle reasonings, and thereby filled with doubts and fears, from which they now found no way to escape. Many were induced to deny the gift of God, and affirm they never had any faith at all; especially those who had fallen again into sin, and of consequence, into darkness. And almost all these had left off the means of grace, saying, They must now cease from their own works; they must now trust in Christ alone; They were poor sinners, and had nothing to do but to lie at his feet.

more and more, the advantage

Till Saturday, the 10th, I think I did not meet with one woman of the society who had not been upon the point of casting away her confidence in God. I then indeed found one, who, when many, according to their custom, laboured to persuade her she had no faith, replied with a spirit they were not able to resist, "I know that the life which I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. And he has never left me one moment since the hour he was made known to me in the breaking of bread."

What is to be inferred from this undeniable matter of fact, "One that had not faith, received it in the Lord's Supper?" Why, 1. That there are means of Grace, i. e. out

ward ordinances, whereby the inward grace of God, is ordinarily conveyed to man; whereby the faith that brings salvation is conveyed to them who before had it not; 2. That one of these means is the Lord's Supper; and, 3. That he who has not this faith, ought to wait for it, in the use both of this, and of the other means which God hath ordained.

Friday 9, I shewed how we are to examine ourselves, whether we be in the faith; and afterwards recommended to all, though especially to them that believed, true stillness, that is, a patient waiting upon God, by lowliness, meekness, and resignation, in all the ways of his holy law, and the works of his commandments.

All this week I endeavoured also, by private conversation, to comfort the feeble-minded, and to bring back the lame which had been turned out of the way, if haply it might be healed.

I asked

Monday 12, I left London, and in the evening expounded at Wycombe the story of the pharisee and the publican. The next morning, a young gentleman overtook me on the road, and after a while, asked me, if I had seen White"And what do you field's Journals? I told him, I had. think of them," said he; "don't you think they are d―n'd cant, enthusiasm from end to end? I think so." him, "Why do you think so?" He replied, "Why he talks so much about joy and stuff, and inward feelings. As I hope to be saved, I cannot tell what to make of it." I asked, "Did you ever feel the love of God in your heart? If not, how should you tell what to make of it? Whatever is spoken of the religion of the heart, and of the inward workings of the Spirit of God, must appear-enthusiasm to those who have not felt them: that is, if they take upon them to judge of the things which they own they know not."

At four in the afternoon I came to Oxford, and, to a small company in the evening, explained the nature and extent of that salvation, wherewith by grace we are saved through faith. The next evening, I shewed what it is to believe;

as well as, more largely, what are the fruits of true believing, from those words of the apostle, This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Thursday 15, My brother and I set out for Tiverton. About eleven I preached at Burford. On Saturday evening I explained at Bristol the nature and extent of Christian perfection; and at nine in the morning preached at Bath, on, I know that in me dwelleth no good thing.

In the afternoon I exhorted four or five thousand people at Bristol, neither to neglect, nor rest in, the means of grace. In the evening I endeavoured to lift up the hands that hung down, by declaring, He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoaking flax.

Monday 19, I earnestly exhorted those who had believed, to beware of two opposite extremes; the one, the thinking, while they were in light and joy, that the work was ended, when it was but just begun; the other, the thinking, when they were in heaviness, that it was not begun, because they found it was not ended.

At eight I exhorted the society to wait upon God in all his ordinances, and in so doing to be still, and suffer God to carry on his whole work in their souls. In that hour he was pleased to restore his light to many that sat in darkness two of whom, till then, thought he had quite cast. out their prayer, and turned his mercy from them.

Tuesday 20, We set out, and on Wednesday 21, in the afternoon, came to Tiverton. My poor sister was sorrowing almost as one without hope. Yet we could not but rejoice at hearing, from one who had attended my brother in all his weakness, that several days before he went hence, God had given him a calm and full assurance of his interest ir Christ. O may every one who opposes it, be thus convinced that this doctrine is of God!

Saturday 24, We accepted an invitation to Exeter, from one who came thence to comfort my sister in her affliction. And on Sunday 25, (Mr. D. having desired the pulpit, which was readily granted both for the morning and afternoon) I preached at St. Mary's, on, The kingdom of God

is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Dr. W- told me after sermon, "Sir, you must not preach in the afternoon. Not," said he, "that you preach any false doctrine; I allow all that you have said is true. And it is the doctrine of the Church of England; but it is not guarded; it is dangerous; it may lead people into enthusiasm or despair."

I did not readily see where the stress of this objection (so frequently started) lay. But upon a little reflection, I saw it plain. The real state of the case is this:-Religion is commonly thought to consist of three things; harmlessness, using the means of grace, and doing good, as it is called; that is, helping our neighbours, chiefly by giving alms. Accordingly, by a religious man is commonly meant, one that is honest, just, and fair in his dealings; that is constantly at church and sacrament; and that gives much alms, or, as it is usually termed, does much good.

Now, in explaining those words of the apostle, The kingdom of God (or true religion, the consequence of God's dwelling and reigning in the soul) is not meat and drink, I was necessarily led to shew, that religion does not properly consist in any or all of these three things; but that a man might both be harmless, use the means of grace, and do much good, and yet have no true religion at all. And sure it is, had God then impressed this great truth on any who before were ignorant of it, that impression would have occasioned such heaviness in his soul as the world always terms despair.

Again, in explaining those words, The kingdom of God (or true religion) is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, I insisted, that every follower of Christ ought to expect and pray for that peace of God which passeth all understanding, that rejoicing in hope of the glory of God, which is even now unspeakable and full of glory; and above all, as being the very life and soul of religion, without which it is all dead show, the love of God shed abroad in his heart, by the Holy Ghost given unto him, But all

this is "enthusiasm from end to end," to those who have the form of godliness but not the power.

I know indeed there is a way of explaining these texts, so that they shall mean just nothing: so that they shall express far less of inward religion, than the writings of Plato or Hierocles. And whoever guards them thus, but God forbid I should do it, will undoubtedly avoid all danger of either driving people into this despair, or leading them into this enthusiasm.

Tuesday 27, I wrote Mr. D., according to his request, a short account of what had been done in Kingswood, and of our present undertaking there. The account was as follows:

"Few persons have lived long in the west of England who have not heard of the colliers of Kingswood, a people famous from the beginning hitherto, for neither fearing God nor regarding man; so ignorant of the things of God, that they seemed but one remove from the beasts that perish; and therefore utterly without desire of instruction, as well as without the means of it.

"Many last winter used tauntingly to say of Mr. Whitefield, If he will convert Heathens, why does he not go to the colliers of Kingswood?' In spring he did so. And as there were thousands who resorted to no place of public worship, he went after them into their own wilderness to seek and save that which was lost. When he was called away, others went into the highways and hedges to compel them to come in. And, by the grace of God, their labour was not in vain. The scene is already changed. Kingswood does not now, as a year ago, resound with cursing and blasphemy. It is no more filled with drunkenness and uncleanness, and the idle diversions that naturally lead thereto. It is no longer full of wars and fightings, of clamour and bitterness, of wrath and envyings. Peace and love are there. Great numbers of the people are mild, gentle, and easy to be intreated. They do not cry, neither strive, and hardly is their voice heard in the streets: Or