the famous methodist preacher Whitefield; he is to preach, they fay to-night, I will go and hear him."

From thefe ftrange motives the young man declared he went to hear Mr. Whitefield. He preached that evening from Mat. iii. 7. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Mr. Whitefield," faid the young man, "defcribed the Sadducean character; this did not touch me, I thought myself as good a Chriftian as any man in England. From this he went to that of the Pharifees. He defcribed their exterior decency, but obferved that the poison of the viper rankled in their hearts. This rather fhook me. At length in the courfe of his fermon, he abruptly broke off; paufed for a few moments; then burst into a flood of tears; lifted up his hands and eyes, and exclaimed, 'O my hearers! the wrath's to come, the wrath's to come! These words funk into my heart, like lead into the waters. I wept, and when the fermon was ended, retired alone. For days and weeks I could think of little elfe. Thofe awful words would follow me, wherever I went,' The wrath's to come, the wrath's to come!'-The iffue was, that the young man, foon after, made a public profeffion of religion, and in a little time became a very confiderable preacher. He himself related the foregoing circumftance a few years fince, to

GAIUS.

AB

An interview with the late Mr. Berridge.

BOUT two years ago a friend of mine, wishing to enjoy an hour or two of Mr. B's company, rode over to Everton for that purpose. He was introduced by a diffenting minister in the neighbourhood, with whom Mr. B. lived upon terms of friendship. When feated, my friend requefted Mr. B. if agreeable, to favour them with a few outlines of his life. The venerable old man began, and related feveral things as narrated in the Firft Number of the Evangelical Magazine. But as fome are there unnoticed, I have felected the following, which I think will not be uninterefting to your readers.

"Soon after I began," faid he, "to preach the Gospel of Christ at Everton, the church was filled from the villages round us, and the neighbouring clergy felt themselves hurt at their churches being deferted. The fquire of my own

parish, too, was much offended. He did not like to fee fo many ftrangers, and be fo incommoded. Between them both it was refolved, if poffible, to turn me out of my living. For this purpofe, they complained of me to the bishop of the diocefe, that I had preached out of my own parish. I was soon after fent for by the bishop: I did not much like my errand, but I went.

"When I arrived, the bishop accofted me in a very abrupt manner: Well, Berridge, they tell me you go about preaching out of your own parith. Did I institute you to the livings of Ay, or E—y, or E—n, or P—n ?—No, my lord, faid I, neither do I claim any of thefe livings; the clergymen enjoy them undisturbed by me.'- Well, but you go and preach there, which you have no right to do;' It is true, my lord, I was one day at En, and there were a few poor people affembled together, and I admonished them to repent of their fins, and to believe in the Lord Jefus Christ for the falvation of their fouls; and I remember feeing five or fix clergymen that day, my lord, all out of their own parifhes upon E-n bowling-green.'-Poh!' faid his lordfhip, I tell you, you have no right to preach out of your own parish; and if you do not defift from it, you will very likely be fent to Huntingdon gaol.—' As to that, my lord, faid I, I have no greater liking to Huntingdon gaol than other people; but I had rather go thither with a good confcience, than live at my liberty without one.' Here his lordfhip looked very hard at me, and very gravely affured me, 'that I was befide myfelf, and that in a few months time I fhould either be better or worfe.' Then,' faid I, my lord, you make yourfelf quite happy in this business; for if I should be better, you fuppofe I fhall defift from this practice of my own accord ; and, if worse, you need not send me to Huntingdon gaol, as I fhall be provided with an accommodation in Bedlam.

"His Lordship now changed his mode of attack. Instead of threatning, he began to intreat: Berridge,' faid he, 'you know I have been your friend, and I wish to be fo ftill. I am continually teazed with the complaints of the clergymen around you. Only affure me that you will keep to your own parish; you may do as you please there. I have but little time to live; do not bring down my grey hairs with forrow to the grave.'

6

"At this inftant, two gentlemen were announced, who defired to fpeak with his lordfhip. Berridge,' faid he, go to your inn, and come again at fuch an hour, and dine with me.' I went, and on entering a private room, fell imme

I

diately upon my knees. I could bear threatning, but knew not how to withstand intreaty; especially the intreaty of a refpectable old man. At the appointed time I returned. At dinner, I was treated with great refpect. The two gentlemed alfo dined with us. I found they had been informed who I was, as they fometimes caft their eyes towards me in fome fuch manner as one would glance at a monster. After dinner, his lordship took me into the garden. Well, Berridge,' faid he, have you confidered of my request ?'— I have my lord,' faid I, and have been upon my knees concerning it.''Well, and will you promife me, that you will preach no more out of your own parish? It would af ford me great pleasure, faid I, to comply with your lordhip's request, if I could do it with a good confcience. am fatisfied, the Lord has bleffed my labours of this kind, and I dare not defist.'—' A good confcience!' faid his lordfhip, 'do you not know that it is contrary to the cannons of the church? There is one cannon, my lord.' I replied,' which faith, Go preach the Gospel to EVERY CREATURE.'why fhould you wish to interfere with the charge of other men?' one man cannot preach the Gospel to all men.'—, If they would preach the Gofpel themfelves,' faid I, 'there would be no need for my preaching it to their people; but as they do not, I cannot defift.' His lordship then parted with me in fome difpleasure. I returned home, not knowing what would befall me: but thankful to God that I had pre ferved a confcience void of offence.

But

"I took no meafure for my own prefervation, but Divine Providence wrought for me in a way that I never expected. When I was at Clare Hall, I was particularly acquainted with a fellow of that college; and we were both upon terms of intimacy with Mr. Pitt, the late lord Chatham, who was at that time alfo at the univerfity. This fellow of Clare Hall, when I began to preach the Gofpel, became my enemy, and did me fome injury in the ecclefiaftical privileges, which before hand I had enjoyed. At length, however, when he heard that I was likely to come into trouble, and to be turned out of my living at Everton, his heart relented. He began to think, it feems, within himself, we fhall ruin this poor fellow among us. This was juft about the time that I was fent for by the bilhop. Of his own accord he writes a letter to Mr. Pitt, faying nothing about my methodism, but, to this effect: Our old friend Berridge has got a living in Bedfordthire, and, I am informed, he hath a fquire in his parish, that gives him a deal of trouble, has accufed him to the bifhop of the diocefe, and, it is faid, will turn him out of his li

ving: I wish you could contrive to put a stop to these proceedings.' Mr Pitt was at that time a young man, and not chufing to apply to the bishop himself, fpoke to a certain no blemen, to whom the bishop was indebted for his promotion. This noblemen within a few days made it his business to fee the bishop, who was then in London. 'My Lord,' faid he, 'I am informed you have a very honeft fellow, one Berridge, in your diocefe, and that he has been ill-treated by a litigious fquire who lives in his parish. He has accused him, I am told, to your lordship, and wishes to turn him out of his living. You would oblige me, my lord, if you would take no notice of that fquire, and not fuffer the honest man to be interrupted in his living.' The bishop was astonished, and could not imagine in what manner things could have thus got round: It would not do however to object; he was obliged to bow compliance, and fo I continued ever after uninterrupted in my fphere of action*."

After this interefting narration was ended, which had alternately drawn fmiles and tears from my friend and his companion, they requefted him to pray with them one five minutes before they departed: No;" faid the good old man to my friend; "you fhall pray with me."—" Well, but if I begin, perhaps you will conclude? He consented. After my friend had ended, he, without rifing from his knees, took up his petitions; and with fuch fweet folemnity, fuch holy familiarity with God, and fuch ardent love to Chrift, poured out his foul, that the like was feldom feen. They parted, and my friend declares, he thinks he thall never forget the favour of the interview to his dying day.

J: SUTCLIFFE, Olney.

An Argument against the Doctrine of Universal Salvation.

THE 'HE Doctrine of Univerfal Salvation implies that all, who by the righteous Judge of the world may be doomed to hell, will be finally delivered from their fufferings, and

* The squire having waited on the bishop to know the result of the summons, had the mortification to learn, that his purpose was defeated. On his return home, his partisans in this prosecution fled to know what was determined on, saying, "Well have you got the old Devil out ?" He replied, "No; nor do I think the very Devil himself can get him out."

made eternally happy. Now if it can be proved of any one. who hath ever exiited, that he will never be made thus happy the universality of falvation is at once deftroyed. Let the reader recollect, is a cafe in point, what our Lord faid of Judas, Matt. xxvi. 24. It had been good for that man if he had never been born.

I cannot help remarking that the difcourfe, of which this expreffion is a part, is not a figurative defcription of any character or event; but a plain recital of facts. Neither is the expreffion itself a mere proverbial faying, borrowed from common ufage, and applied to the particular cafe of Judas; for no traces can be found of any fuch proverb amongst the Jews. We must therefore conclude that the paffage ought to be understood according to the plain literal import of the words it contains. Thus understood, it must neceffarily refer to the whole exiftence, both here and hereafter, of the perfon of whom Chrift fpeaks. If a man fhould fpend many years upon earth, and spend them wholly in fuffering, his life might be called a miferable life; yet, if endless happiness were to follow, he could not, on the whole, be pronounced a miferable character. So, on the contrary, if a man should enjoy upon earth many years of uninterrupted happiness ; yet, if endless mifery were to follow, it would demonftrate that his existence, on the whole, is wretched. Thefe remarks are equally applicable to every individual of the hu

man race.

With regard to Judas in particular, the measure of his mifery, according to our Lord's declaration, muft exceed that of his happiness. If he had never been born, it is true, he would have been prevented from enjoying a certain degree of pleafure: But it is equally true that he would also have efcaped a larger proportion of pain; fo that, on the whole, the balance would have been in his favour. But if it were poffible for him to be finally plucked as a brand from the burning, the affertion of Christ would be found untrue. Let us fuppofe him to fuffer ten thousand millions of ages in hell, and that every moment of pain, when laid in the balance, would be found equal to the enjoyment of ten thousand million of ages spent in the blifsful prefence of God; yet, if that blifs be endless, there will arrive a period when his happiness will be more than equal to all his fufferings. If judas is to be finally received into heaven, and there to remain forever, can it then with any propriety be faid of him, that it had been good for that man, if he had never been born? Surely no. The advocates for univerfal falvation are confequently reduced to this dilemma: Either they must, on