chosen in Israel, he says, "If there be any feeling of Christ, any drop of heav enly dew, any spark of God's good Spirit within you; stir it up, be careful to build and edify, first yourselves, and then your flocks in his most holy faith, I say, first yourselves; for he, which will set the hearts of other men, on fire with the love of Christ, must himself burn with love. It is want of faith in ourselves, my brethren, which makes us watchless (careless) in building others. We forsake the Lord's inheritance, and feed it not. What is the reason of this? Our own desires are settled, where they should not be. We ourselves are like those women, which have a longing to eat coals and lime, and filth; we are fed, some with honor, some with ease, some with wealth. The gospel waxeth loathsome, and unpleasant to our taste. How should we then have a care to feed others with that we cannot fancy ourselves? If faith wax cold and slender in the heart of the prophet, it will soon perish from the ears of the people." "Tis not needful to add any reflections upon this pas

sage; every one will readily make them for himself; we are however reminded thereby of Solomon's words, (Eccl. c. i. v. 9, 10.) "There is no new thing under the sun; is there any thing whereof it may be said, see this is new? It hath been already of old time, which was before us." (Eccl. c. iii, v. 15.) "That which hath been is now, and that which is to be, hath already been."

To my shame be it spoken, though I had twice subscribed the article, which allows the book of Homilies to be sound and wholesome doctrine, I had never yet seen them, and understood not what that doctrine was. But now, being en gaged in a serious inquiry after truth, and Hooker's works having given me a more favorable opinion of these old authors, I was inclined to examine them; and read part of the book with some degree of attention. And though many things seemed hard sayings, that I could not receive; yet many others were made very useful to me, especially concerning justification. In short, I perceived, that that doctrine, which I had hitherto de

spised, as methodistical, was the standard doctrine of the established church, when that book was composed; and consequently, that it was so still; for that book has lost none of its authority, though much of its esteem, with those, who subscribe the thirty-nine articles. This weakened my prejudice, though it did not prove the doctrine true.

About this time a new and unexpected effect was produced by my preaching. I had hitherto been satisfied to see people regularly frequent the church, listen attentively to what was discoursed, and lead moral decent lives. The way, in which I had been led, was so smooth, and the progress I had made so gradual, I had lately so little experienced distressing concern for my own soul, and had so little acquaintance with persons conversant with these matters; that, though I declared the strictness, and spirituality, and sanction of the law of God, in an alarming manner; yet it never occurred to me, but that they who prafited thereby, would proceed in the same easy gradual way. But I had

scarce begun this new method of preaching, when application was made to me by persons in great distress about their souls; their consciences being awaken. ed to a sense of their lost condition by nature and practice, they were anxious in inquiring what they must do to be saved? I knew not well what to say to them, my views being very clouded, and my sentiments very perplexed concerning justification; but, being willing to give them the best counsel I could, I ex horted them to believe in the Lord Je sus Christ, though I was neither capable of instructing them concerning the true nature of faith, nor in what man. ner they were to seek for it. Howev er, I better understood my own meaning, when I advised them to study the scriptures, accompanied with prayer to God, to be led to the right understanding of them; and when I inculcated amendment of life. In this manner the Lord slowly brought them forwards; and though, for want of a better instruc tor, they were a considerable time, be. fore they arrived at establishment in the

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faith; yet some of them, having their minds less leavened with prejudice and the pride of reasoning, were more apt scholars in the school of Christ, than I was, and got the start of me in the knowledge, both of doctrine and duty; and in their turns became, though without intending it, in some things, my monitors, to my no small advantage.

This singular circumstance of being the instrument of a work of grace in others, whilst I myself so little understood the true gospel of Jesus Christ, very much increased my perplexity. I became doubly earnest to know the truth, lest I should mislead those, who confided their precious souls to me, as their spiritual instructor. This added to my diligence in reading and meditating on the word of God, and made me more earnest in prayer, to be guided to the knowledge of the truth. And under every difficulty, I constantly had recourse unto the Lord, to preserve me from ignorance and error, and to enable me to distinguish between the doctrines