were none present who seemed to sympathize in the impression that there was truth in the subject, or that it was worthy of investigation. I left the meeting much pained, and, if I rightly remember, not a little mortified; for there was much laughter over the subject, and I could not help feeling that I was regarded as a simpleton, for entertaining the thought that there could be any truth, in what seemed to them such palpable nonsense. I did not feel ready to say to them that I coincided with Mr. Miller; for the subject was new to me, and I had not sufficiently surveyed and examined the ground to attempt much by way of defending it, even if I had had an opportunity. Soon after this, I found opportunity to converse with an aged clergyman, for whom I have great respect, and who, as I then believed, had given more attention to the prophetic parts of the Scriptures than any other man in this country, and had written and published much, and with great acceptance. The firmness and fluency with which he opposed Mr. Miller's views, led me to feel that it might be owing to my ignorance that I was so much impressed on reading his book; and the reproach, which I saw would come upon me, if I advocated them, led me to lay the matter aside. Some time after, when a member of the Association asked what I then thought of Miller's book, I said, (for the sake of retaining his good opinion,) "I was

much overwhelmed with it at first, but now I don't think anything of it." The truth is, that the fear of man brought me into a snare; I was unwilling at this time to appear as an advocate of the truth defended by Mr. Miller; but neither Scripture nor argument had ever settled the convictions of my mind to the contrary.

After this, I left Boston and went to New Jersey, where my mind became deeply absorbed in examining the subject of full sanctification by faith in Christ. So fully had all my previous teachings set me against that doctrine, and so unprepared was I in my experience to appreciate its value, and the blessedness to be derived from it, that it was a long time before I felt established and confirmed in the belief and experience of it, as a doctrine of the Bible. But I was at length led by the Holy Spirit to cast myself by faith upon the faithfulness of Him, who is declared "faithful to sanctify us wholly, and to preserve our whole spirit and soul and body blameless unto the coming of Christ." In doing this, I have found a blessedness in Christ, which is indeed a "peace that passeth all understanding," and a "joy unspeakable and full of glory." Such was the power of the gospel which I now felt in my own soul, that I thought, if God were to fill the whole earth, as He had filled me, with the blissful manifestations of his spiritual presence, it would make this world a blessed

place indeed; and as I knew that he was able to do for us exceeding abundantly, above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us," and had said," But as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord," I preached, as the expected millennium, the universal prevalence, and experience of entire sanctification. Respecting the Christian's delightful privilege, to be "sanctified wholly, and preserved in spirit, soul and body, blameless to the coming of Christ," through his faith in the faithfulness of Him who hath called him, and will do it; I have the same blessed convictions and experience that I have for a considerable time entertained: but I think that I now better understand what that coming of Christ meant, to which God is faithful to preserve us blameless; and also better what Paul meant by exhorting "as many as be perfect," like him to "forget the things behind, and reach forth unto those before; and thus follow after, to apprehend that for which they are apprehended by Christ Jesus, if by any means they may attain unto the resurrection of the dead." In the state of mind which I have described, I remained up to the time when you called upon me, having delightful enjoyment in my soul, from receiving Christ as "of God made unto me sanctification," as well as "wisdom, righteousness, and redemption," and endeavoring, by all means in my power, to urge

the blessed doctrine and experience of holiness, or full sanctification through faith in Christ, upon all who call themselves his people. I rejoice, dear brother, in thus opening my feelings to you on this subject, that you are prepared to appreciate my feelings, by your connection with that branch of Christ's visible church, whose founder, and whose ministry, for the most part, I trust, to this day, have felt and preached the importance and practicability of being fully sanctified to God; and many of whose members, I believe, from my acquaintance with the writings of some, and my delightful personal intercourse with others, have, and do now enjoy this blessing in its rich experience. To "abide in Christ and sin not," I believed to be the privilege of all God's people, and felt that I had been taught it by the Holy Ghost; and when I thought of the coming of Christ, I said, the great question is, "Who shall abide the day of His coming, and who shall stand when he appeareth?" Let us see to it that we are prepared, by being wholly the Lord's, and then it matters not when the day arrives.

For preaching the doctrine and experience of entire sanctification, I lost my church connection, and became, in part, an ecclesiastical outcast. But I gained deliverance, in this process, from the fear of man, and learned the blessedness of fearing God, and Him only, and of relying on His arm, instead

of that fleshly arm of ecclesiastical countenance and support, on which I had been accustomed to lean.

I cannot say, my brother, that I felt anything like cordiality in seeing you; but I now bless God, and give you thanks for the call, and praise the name of the Lord, that I was so far emancipated from the power of the beast, as not to be afraid to examine a subject because it was unpopular.

After you left me, I examined the books which you gave me, and felt my former convictions respecting the truth and importance of the subject reviving. I looked into the words of Moses, and searched the prophets and the Psalms, not forgetting that Christ said, "All things written" therein "concerning me must be fulfilled." I felt myself surrounded with light and truth; but still I seem to have been more in the condition of one swimming, than of one who had found a firm place for his feet. About this time, I set apart a day of fasting and prayer, and laid myself before the Lord. While lying upon my face at the feet of my blessed Savior, I felt the following blessed promise most sweetly applied to my mind: The meek shall he guide in judgment, and the meek shall he teach his way.' I could not doubt that this application was by the Holy Spirit. I know that some may deride this idea, but I believe that it is the privilege of Christ's disciples to know the