For my own part, I have no doubt, but that the leading men among the Methodists were influenced, originally, by none but the best of all motives, a generous concern for the fouls of men. Nothing elfe, I think, can account for their conduct, as they were then circumstanced; but finding themselves, by degrees, at the head of a large body of people, and in the poffeffion of confiderable power and influence, they must not have been men, if they had not felt the natural love of power gratified in fuch a fituation; and they must have been more than men, if their fubfequent conduct had not been, more or lefs, influenced by it; and if they had not acted in many cafes, juft as the heads of any other party would have acted. I am far from meaning to infinuate by this, that their original motive is become extinct. I hope it is ftill the leading one with them; but it becomes every man to distrust himself, and carefully to examine his own heart. Otherwife, as I believe may have been the cafe with many perfecutors, we may begin with the love of God, or a regard to his glory, and end with the most diabolical difpofitions.

These observations may throw fome light on the feemingly different accounts that St. Paul gives of his own character and conduct, before he was converted to christianity. Before the chief priests and council of the Jews, he declared, Acts xxiii. 1. that he had lived in all good confcience before God until that day, and before

Agrippa,

Agrippa, Acts xxvi. 5. that he thought with himself he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jefus of Nazareth; whereas, writing to Timothy, he fays (1 Tim. i. 14, 15.) that he had been a blafphemer, a perfecutor, injurious, and the chief of finners, though, at the fame time, he adds, he had acted ignorantly, in unbelief. They may alfo ferve to illuftrate the following paffage in the prophet Jeremiah; and as the words are thofe of God himself, they ought to command a general and very ferious attention; and more efpecially should they alarm every man, who imagines himself to be actuated by religious motives, when he is inftigated to any act of violence against another; whether it be to the injury of his perfon, his fortune, his reputation, or his intereft. Jer. xvii. 9, 10. The heart is deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked, who can know it? I, the Lord, fearch the heart, I try the reins, even to give to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

The application of this doctrine may be made both by those who feem enraged at others, for holding opinions which they think damnable; and by those who infult and laugh at others, for opinions which they think to be merely ridiculous and abfurd. In many cafes, I am fatisfied, that the pure love of truth is, on both fides, abforbed in paffions of a very different nature. I could overlook every thing in a man, who, I thought, meant nothing but my everlasting wel

fare;

fare; or to inform me of any thing that I was ignorant of, and defirous of knowing; but thofe perfons who have these pretences in their mouths only, when they are far from their hearts (though they may deceive themselves as well as others) are by no means intitled to fo favourable a reception.

It behoves us, however, carefully to diftinguish between this latent infincerity, under the influence of which men deceive themselves, and that direct prevarication, with which those who are engaged in debate, are too ready to charge one another; as if their adverfaries knowingly concealed, or oppofed the truth. This is a crime of fo heinous a nature, that I fhould be very unwilling to impute it to any perfon whatever. It is poffible, indeed, that, in the heat of controverfy, when the eyes of the public are upon a person, and he is afraid of appearing in a difadvantageous light, he may use a little fophistry, in order to feem to have the better of an argument; but for a man voluntarily to undertake the defence of error, and knowingly to pervert the fcriptures, in order to make them favour his purpose; and especially to persist through life in avowing fentiments which he really believes to be falfe, argues the heart to be fo void of all principle of rectitude; it is fuch an infult upon the God of truth, and such a contempt of his judgments, that I think human nature could never become fo depraved and def

perate

perate as to be capable of it; and that no fituation in human life could fupply a fufficient temptation for fuch conduct.

If a man do but fufpect that he is engaged in a cause that will not bear examination, he is naturally disposed to be filent; or if, confiding in his fkill in difputation, he fhould be tempted to challenge another to oppugn it, it would be in converfation only; and it must manifest a degree of temerity equal to madness to proceed to write in fuch a cafe, when he could take no advantage either of his own prefence of mind, or of the weakness and embarrassment of his adverfary. There are fuch well known inftances of the force of prejudice, that I had rather afcribe any opinion, how abfurd foever, or any defence, how weak foever, in a man how fenfible and intelligent foever, in other refpects, to wrong judgment, than to a bad heart. I can hardly imagine any cafe, in which, exclufive of all confideration of candour and charity, the chance would not be in favour of the former.

If this remark be juft, with what caution and tenderness should we cenfure any person, with respect to a point of mere fpeculation. To abuse any one because he does not see things fo clearly as I may think I do myself, is cruel with respect to him; and has a much worse aspect with regard to God, who made us both, and who has placed us in our different fituations for feeing, judging, and acting. How fhould I be affect

ed

ed at the great day of judgment, to be convinced of the integrity, and perhaps the right judgment, alfo, of an adverfary, whom I should have treated in fo illiberal and infulting a

manner.

It is unhappy, in fome refpects, that chriftians. are divided into fo many fects and parties. This circumstance, however, was certainly foreseen, and therefore wifely permitted by that great and good being who governs all things; and it will, I doubt not, notwithstanding feveral intermediate ill effects, contribute, at laft, to the firmer eftablishment, and the greater efficacy of the chriftian scheme. In the mean time, let it be our joint care to obviate and leffen thofe neceffary intermediate and temporary evils, which result from our differences of opinion.

Let every question in debate be proposed to the freest examination; and, without indecent paffion, or perfonal animofity (which are equally a difgrace to us as men, or as christians) let us weigh the merits of every cause; and, without concealment or referve, advance every thing that occurs to us in fupport of our respective opinions. If the pure love of truth influence us, we fhall, in this way, much fooner find it. And, especially, being each of us confcious of the uprightness of our own intentions, let us not eafily admit a doubt of the fincerity of others. Let those who maintain that the mere holding of any opinions (without regard to the motives

and