nomianism? If this is the result of unguarded language merely, it is deeply to be deplored; but we fear that it is on such apprehensions of the divine law, that the doctrine of sinless perfection has in fact been founded and explained.

Such being the difference between the Methodist and the Calvinistic scheme of doctrine, there must be a corresponding difference, in the religious experience of those who are brought under their influence. This difference, as resulting from such diverse schemes of doctrine, we cannot now trace particularly. We must appeal to the judgment of our readers, whether, according to the preceding statements, a deep conviction of personal depravity; an unqualified consent to the law of God; unfeigned self-abasement and self-renunciation before him; an exclusive reliance on the mediation of Christ; adoring views of the perfection, government, and grace of God; disinterested aims at his glory; confidence in his promises; gratitude for redemption; and peaceful, steadfast, and purifying hope; are not appropriate effects of the one; and self-confidence, self-glorying, and self-preference, of the other. And how far does the description of evangelical love in the followand similar statements, differ from this conclusion? "The knowing ourselves justified through his blood, is the cause of our love to Christ." p. 66. "There is a necessity of knowing his love who first loved us, without which, we cannot love him again." p.

What is this but saying, that evangelical love, is a mere exercise of selfish feelings;-that it is excited, not by the excellence of the divine character, perceived by the mind, but only by the persuasion of a divine benefit received; that without this persuasion, love would be impossible, and therefore not obligatory; and consequently, that the impenitent, for their want of love to Christ, and even for that hostility which is involved in the want of love to him, are excusable;-and that all the wickedness both of men and devils, who have no persuasion, nor any reason for a persuasion, of Christ's love to them, by experiencing forgiveness, is to be justified. We do not charge these inferences upon Methodists, as adopted into their system of belief. But we say, that they are necessarily involved in the fundamental principles of that system. And we do ask, can that be true christian experience, which rests in any case upon principles leading to such conclusions? The passages of scripture quoted in support of these sentiments, such as "we love him because he first loved us," are totally misapplied. They teach us, indeed, that the mercies which we receive, are one cause or reason of our gratitude and love. But they do not intimate that they are the only or the primary cause. On the contrary, they distinctly state, that God's excellence and capacity of happiness are the primary cause of holy

love.

That the system of Methodism has extensively exerted a reforming influence upon mankind, and that many individuals have been converted to God by means of the truth which it embraces, we have no wish to deny. But, that the experience of a multitude who from time to time swell their lists of converts, is a mere transient excitement of natural feelings, the means employed for their conversion would lead us to fear; and their subsequent lives too painfully prove. The confidence with which they are inspired in their own sufficiency, at the outset of their religious inquiries; the application which is made to them, under their impenitent anxieties, of the promises of the gospel to the contrite; the rapturous congratulations which are poured out around them, at the first intimation of their transition from alarming apprehensions; and the mingled shoutings, ejaculations, thanksgivings, and strong appeals to the imagination, which attend the scene, are but ill suited to the deep, subdued, enlightened, and heart-felt emotions of a soul, in passing from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God. The excitement, accordingly, is in most instances as transient, as it is wild and tumultuous. We could name the places, within the circle of our personal observation, and those not two or three only, where conversions of this kind, a few years since, were frequent and many, of which scarcely any of them, Methodists themselves being judges, have resulted in "fruits meet for repentance." Nor is this peculiar to the Methodism of this country, or of the present day. It was the case under the conduct of its distinguished founder. In an account of a revival in a school at Kingswood, he says, "The children were shown a corpse and exhorted to repentance. A number of them immediately covenanted, that they would not sleep until they had found peace. They prayed all night and the next day, and for several successive days, until all felt their justification. In the evening, all the maids, and many of the boys, not having been used to so long and violent speaking, (for this had lasted from Tuesday till Saturday,) were worn out as to bodily strength, and so hoarse, that they were scarce able to speak; but they were strong in spirit, and full of joy and peace in believing." Twelve months afterwards, he wrote in his journal as follows. "I spent an hour with our children at Kingswood. It is strange! How long shall we be constrained to weave Penelope's web! What has become of the wonderful work of grace which God wrought in them last September! It is gone! It is lost! It is vanished away! There is scarce any trace of it remaining." Still, in scenes like these, there are such resemblances of effects wrought by divine influence, that no inconsiderable part of the members of our churches eagerly resort to them; persuade their families to accompany them; and even charge with indifference to the work of God,

their more cautious brethren who stand aloof. This we regard as one proof among others of a lamentable want of discrimination in our churches, concerning the nature of christian experience. Were Edwards on the Affections read now, as it was a few years since, many of our estimable members, who are now unconsciously giving their countenance to a spirit of fanaticism around us, would not only desist, but would give to revivals among ourselves, a better direction and a happier character. How a genuine spiritual experience may be distinguished from that which is false, is an inquiry, then, which not only comes home to the heart of every christian, in deciding on his personal hopes, but is of high practical importance in respect to his influence over others. In answer to this inquiry, which indeed, was our main object in taking up this subject, we shall now give such brief suggestions as our remaining space may allow.

1. True christian experience, is not to be distinguished by the degree or the succession of anxiety and joy, which a person may have felt. There may be great mental distress on the subject of religion, without even a thorough conviction of sin. There are persons overwhelmed with the apprehension of their sinking into hell, of their being surrounded with fiends, of the day of grace being past, or of their sins being unpardonable, who have scarcely any conviction of the nature of sin, as an offense against a being of infinite glory, or of its extent, as consisting in a heart of opposition to the law of holiness. There are those who tell of their "hearts of stone," their "load of guilt," and their "sins set in order before them," and who are really tempted beyond measure, who yet, when inquired of, can tell of nothing in which sin most essentially consists; and who seem to have no distinct perception of any one feeling in their hearts, that is contrary to the holiness of God. As there may be terror without conviction, so there may be conviction, clear and deep, without conversion. The work of the Holy Spirit, on moral agents, may be arrested. And this may be done by their entertaining a delusive hope, as well as by a more direct resistance. Let a person who has for years been struggling with a condemning conscience, and the dread of an expected judgment, find his latent convictions and suppressed fears brought up anew by the Spirit of God, with a power too great to be overcome; and then let him lay hold of some imaginary evidence of a saving change, as a witness from God, that he is forgiven. What more is necessary, to make his burden remove; a transport of joy possesses his mind, and his happiness for a few moments appears to him greater than the sum of what he had found in his whole life before? Most unsafe would it be to trust to such a transition of feeling, however wonderful or joyful, because it may be the result of natural principles, as well as of a spiritual change.

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2. Nor can a genuine experience be distinguished by the existence or fervor of other strong affections, which may be mingled with it. There are those who feel assured of the genuineness of their religion, because of the love to God and men which it involves. Such love as they feel, they are confident, can proceed from no evil source. It is certainly true, that nothing is more heavenly than christian love. It is more excellent than knowledge, prophecy, miracles, or the powers of speech which men or angels use. It is the chief of christian graces, the life, the essence of them all. But in proportion to its excellence, should be our care to distinguish it: for the scriptures admonish us that there are false resemblances of love. What fervor of love to our Savior, appeared in the multitudes who, at various times, were brought under a temporary persuasion that he was their expected Messiah! How zealously they followed him over deserts and seas, and adherred to him by day and by night; and, as though the ground were not good enough for him to tread upon, spread their garments in the way, and shouted Hosanna to the Son of David! Yet no sooner were their selfish expectations crossed, than their vociferations were no less earnest and frequentcrucify him! crucify him!" The same thing, he said, would be true of men in other times. "Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold, but he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved:" implying that the love, which, amidst abounding inquity does not endure, but waxes cold, is not that which accompanies salvation. So the event has proved. Such was the love of the Galatian converts towards the apostle Paul, that they would have been ready to pluck out their eyes and give them to him; yet he afterwards found occasion to fear, that their blessedness had come to nothing. And what minister of the gospel has not found occasion to entertain, in regard to some who had been hopefully converted under his labors, the same fears? Nor is this wonderful. Let a person suddenly pass from distressing fears of hell, to a confident persuasion of his interest in the divine favor, and he must of course, by the operation of natural principles, be filled with admiration of the God and Savior who, as he imagines, has done so great things for him. Nor is love to his Divine Benefactor the only affection. He is impressed with his unworthiness of so wonderful a mercy; as Saul, when told of his designation to the throne of Israel, said, "Am not I a Benjaminite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?" He is moved with a sense of his ingratitude to so gracious a deliverer; as that false hearted king confessed with tears his ingratitude to David, when spared by him from instant death. He delights in others who admire the change, as the worst of men love their admirers and flatterers; and he is moved also with commiseration for persons around him, whom he regards as being in

their sins, and earnestly endeavors to persuade them to seek the same deliverance which he has found, as the instinctive feelings of humanity incline men to pity their fellow-beings when in danger, and to desire their rescue. From the common principles of our nature, there may be a semblance not only of christian joy and love, but of christian humility, brotherly affection, compassion for sinners, and zeal for their conversion. The mere existence of such affections, therefore, does not distinguish the work of the Holy Spirit; nor does the strength of them; more especially since a mere flow of natural feelings under delusive apprehensions, meets not the resistance by which affections truly spiritual are always clogged and opposed.

3. Nor is genuine experience distinguished by the freedom in prayer, or fluency of other religious addresses which may accompany it. There are many persons, who, if they see any of their acquaintances who had been reserved on subjects of religion, suddenly coming forth with fluent and copious expressions of religious feeling, hastily conclude, that they must have been divinely taught. If they see this in children, or in persons who had been ignorant, diffident, and unused to public addresses, the evidence of a divine influence seems to them beyond a reasonable doubt. "Such a person's mouth," they say, "is opened, his tongue is loosed, he speaks the language of Canaan, his soul is enlarged to speak the praises of God, and as water from a fountain, the sentiments and feelings of religion flow from his heart. Surely he would be incapable of this, were he not divinely assisted." But how deceptive is such a conclusion! Where, in all the bible are we referred to such effects, as evidences of christian character? Or what is there, in the nature of such effects, to distinguish the christian graces? The most which they prove is, that a person is strongly affected with subjects pertaining to religion. It is the nature of the affections, whatever objects may engage them, to open the lips in free and earnest communications. The starving beggar, is earnest in petitioning for relief at our doors; and the anxious mother, whose child has wandered into lonely woods, or been torn from her arms by a ruffian, is eloquent in pleading with her neighbors to recover it. So when persons are free and earnest in religious addresses, it is indeed a satisfactory proof of strong emotions; but the nature of those emotions it cannot prove; for they may, in any degree of strength, originate in natural feelings, as well as the grace of God. Such emotions may be founded in delusion, as well as in the knowledge of the truth. An overweening forwardness in expressing them, so far from indicating their spirituality, is rather an indication of dominant pride. It is a pertinent remark of a distinguished experimental writer, that "a Pharisee's trumpet shall be heard to the town's end, while simplicity walks through the town unseen."

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