not exhorting you to dress as persons professing godliness; (and not to speak for a Christian duty is, in effect, to speak against it;) and positively, in private, either by jesting upon your exactness in observing the Scripture rule, or by insinuations, which, if you did not mind them then, yet would afterward weaken your soul. 4. You have been, and are at this day, "in perils among false brethren;" I mean, not only those of other congregations, who count strictness all one with bondage, but many of our own; in particular those who were once clearly convinced of the truth; but they have sinned away the conviction themselves, and now endeavour to harden others against it, at least by example; by returning again to the folly from which they were once clean escaped. But what is the example of all mankind, when it runs counter to Scripture and reason? I have warned you a thousand times not to regard any example which contradicts reason or Scripture. If it ever should be, (pray that it may not be, but if ever it should,) that I or my brother, my wife or his, or all of us together, should set an example contrary to Scripture and reason, I entreat you, regard it not at all; still let Scripture and reason prevail. 5. You who have passed the morning, perhaps the noon, of life, who find the shadows of the evening approach, set a better example to those that are to come, to the now rising generation. With you the day of life is far spent; the night of death is at hand. You have no time to lose; see that you redeem every moment that remains. Remove every thing out of the way, be it ever so small, (though indeed gay or costly apparel is not so,) that might any ways obstruct your lowliness and meekness, your seriousness of spirit, your single intention to glorify God, in all your thoughts and words and actions. Let no needless expense hinder your being, in the highest degree you possibly can, "rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate," till you are clothed with glory and immortality. Our carcasses will soon fall into the dust; then let the survivors adorn them with flowers. Meantime, let us regard those ornaments only that will accompany us into eternity. 6. You that are in the morning of your days, either your form is agreeable, or it is not. If it is not, do not make your person remarkable; rather let it lie hid in common apparel. On every account, it is your wisdom to recommend yourself to the eye of the mind; but especially to the eye of God, who reads the secrets of your hearts, and in whose sight the incorruptible ornaments alone are of great price. But if you would recommend yourself by dress, is any thing comparable to plain neatness? What kind of persons are those to whom you could be recommended by gay or costly apparel? None that are any way likely to make you happy; this pleases only the silliest and worst of men. At most, it gratifies only the silliest and worst principle in those who are of a nobler character. 7. To you, whom God has entrusted with a more pleasing form. chose ornaments are quite needless : The' adorning thee with so much art 13 but a barbarous skill; 'Tis like the poisoning of a dart, That is, to express ourselves in plain English, without any figure of poetry, it only tends to drag them into death everlasting, who were going fast enough before, by additional provocations to lust, or, at least, inordinate affection. Did you actually design to raise either of these in those who looked upon you? What! while you and they were in the more immediate presence of God? What profaneness and inhumanity mixed together! But if you designed it not, did you not foresee it? You might have done so without any extraordinary sagacity. "Nay, I did not care or think about it." And do you say this by way of excuse? You "scatter abroad arrows, firebands, and death," and do not care or think about it! 8. O let us walk more charitably and more wisely for the time to come! Let us all cast aside, from this very hour, whatever does not become men and women professing godliness; whatever does not spring from the love and fear of God, and minister thereto. Let our seriousness "shine before men," not our dress. Let all who see us know that we are not of this world. Let our adorning be that which fadeth not away; even righteousness and true holiness. If ye regard not weakening my hands, and grieving my spirit, yet grieve not the Holy Spirit of God. Do you ask, "But what shall I do with the gay or costly apparel, and with the ornaments, I have already? Must I suffer them to be lost? Ought I not to wear them, now I have them?" I answer, There is no loss like that of using them; wearing them is the greatest loss of all. But what then shalt thou do with them? Burn them, rather than wear them; throw them in the depth of the sea. Or, if thou canst with a clear conscience, sell them, and give the money to them that want; but buy no more at the peril of thy soul. Now be a faithful steward: after providing for those of thine own household, things needful for life and godliness, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, relieve the sick, the prisoner, the stranger, with all that thou hast: then shall God clothe thee with glory and honour in the presence of men and angels; and thou shalt "shine as the brightness of the firmament," yea, "as the stars for ever and ever." THOUGHTS UPON DRESS. LOUD Complaint has been made concerning a passage taken out of a little tract, entitled, "The Refined Courtier," which is inserted in the last April Magazine, p. 197.* The passage objected to runs thus: "Let every one, when he appears in public, be decently clothed, according to his age, and the custom of the place where he lives." There is no fault in this. It is exactly right. Accordingly, when I appear in public, I am decently appareled, according to my age and the custom of England; sometimes in a short coat, sometimes in a night gown, sometimes in a gown and cassock. "He that does otherwise, seems to affect singularity." And though a Christian frequently may, yea, must, be singular, yet he never affects singularity; he only takes up his cross so far as conscience requires. Thus far, then, there is nothing which is not capable of a fair construction. "Nor is it sufficient that our gar * The Arminian Magazine for 1788.-Edit. ment be made of good cloth," (the author speaks all along of people of rank; particularly those that attend the court,) "but we should constrain ourselves to follow the garb where we reside," suppose at St. James's: "Seeing custom is the law and standard of decency, in all things of this nature." It certainly is; and I advise all the king's lords of the bedchamber, the queen's maids of honour, to follow it. All this, therefore, may bear a sound construction; nor does it contradict any thing which I have said or written. JOHN WESLEY. A CLEAR AND CONCISE DEMONSTRATION OF THE DIVINE INSPIRATION OF THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. THERE are four grand and powerful arguments which strongly induce us to believe that the Bible must be from God, viz. miracles, prophecies, the goodness of the doctrine, and the moral character of the penmen. All the miracles flow from divine power; all the prophecies from divine understanding; the goodness of the doctrine from divine goodness; and the moral character of the penmen, from divine holiness. Thus Christianity is built upon four grand pillars, viz. the power, understanding, goodness, and holiness of God. Divine power is the source of all the miracles; divine understanding, of all the prophecies; divine goodness, of the goodness of the doctrine; and divine holiness, of the moral character of the penmen. I beg leave to propose a short, clear, and strong argument to prove the divine inspiration of the Holy Scriptures. The Bible must be the invention either of good men or angels, bad men or devils, or of God. 1. It could not be the invention of good men or angels; for they neither would nor could make a book, and tell lies all the time they were writing it, saying, "Thus saith the Lord," when it was their own invention. 2. It could not be the invention of bad men or devils; for they would not make a book which commands al! duty, forbids all sin, and condemns their souls to hell to all eternity. 3. Therefore, I draw this conclusion, that the Bible must be given by divine inspiration. THE REAL CHARACTER OF MONTANUS. THERE is great variety of opinions, says a late eminent historian, about the time when Montanus first appeared to work signs and miracles; either by the operation of God, as the historian supposes, or by that of the devil transformed; and that in such a manner as nobody was able to discern, because both his life and doctrine were holy and blameless The tune when it began to be doubted, concerning the spirit which operated in him, and moved him after an extraordinary manner, whether it were a good or an evil one, is very uncertain; but it seems to be between the years of Christ, 150 and 170. However, so it was, that the sentiments of those sound in the faith, or the Christians in general, were much divided in their judgments. Of all the ancients, none was more express than he in the mystery of the incarnation, or seemed more to honour the person of Christ, and extol his merits. All the ancient heretics erred greatly from the truth, as to this; but he was clear in this respect, preaching up repentance, and faith in the name of the Lord Jesus alone, as the one Mediator between God and man. Neither is it denied that he was orthodox in the notion of the Church, as to Christian fellowship, rightly formed, according to the pattern delivered by Christ himself, and knit together by the bond of the Spirit, under pastors and officers of several orders, having a clear and certain mission from him whom they represent; but he, under the character of a prophet, as an order established in the Church, appeared (without bringing any new doctrine) for reviving what was decayed, and reforming what might be amiss; whereas others that had been judged heretics, were not only preachers of strange and monstrous opinions, but were utter enemies to all manner of discipline in the Church. It seems, therefore, by the best information we can procure at this distance of time, that Montanus was not only a truly good man, but one of the best men then upon earth; and that his real crime was, the severely reproving those who professed themselves Christians, while they neither had the mind that was in Christ, nor walked as Christ walked; but were conformable both in their temper and practice to the present evil world. LETTER ON PREACHING CHRIST. LONDON, December 20, 1751. MY DEAR FRIEND,-The point you speak of in your letter of September 21, is of a very important nature. I have had many serious thoughts concerning it, particularly for some months last past; therefore, I was not willing to speak hastily or slightly of it, but rather delayed till I could consider it thoroughly. I mean by preaching the Gospel, preaching the love of God to sinners, preaching the life, death, resurrection, and intercession of Christ, with all the blessings which, in consequence thereof, are freely given to true believers. By preaching the law, I mean, explaining and enforcing the commands of Christ, briefly comprised in the Sermon on the Mount. Now, it is certain, preaching the Gospel to penitent sinners "begets faith;" that it "sustains and increases spiritual life in true believers." Nay, sometimes it "teaches and guides" them that believe; yea, and "convinces them that believe not." So far all are agreed. But what is the stated means of feeding and comforting believers? What is the means, as of begetting spiritual life where it is not, so of sustaining and increasing it where it is? Here they divide. Some think, preaching the law only; others, preaching the Gospel only. I think, neither the one nor the other; but duly mixing both, in every place, if not in every sermon. I think, the right method of preaching is this: at our first beginning to preach at any place, after a general declaration of the love of God to sinners, and his willingness that they should be saved, to preach the law, in the strongest, the closest, the most searching manner possible; only intermixing the Gospel here and there, and showing it, as it were, afar off. After more and more persons are convinced of sin, we may mix more and more of the Gospel, in order to "beget faith," to raise into spiritual life those whom the law hath slain; but this is not to be done too hastily neither. Therefore, it is not expedient wholly to omit the law; not only because we may well suppose that many of our hearers are still unconvinced; but because otherwise there is danger, that many who are convinced will heal their own wounds slightly; therefore, it is only in private converse with a thoroughly convinced sinner, that we should preach nothing but the Gospel. If, indeed, we could suppose a whole congregation to be thus convinced, we should need to preach only the Gospel: and the same we might do, if our whole congregation were supposed to be newly justified. But when these grow in grace, and in the knowledge of Christ, a wise builder would preach the law to them again; only taking particular care to place every part of it in a Gospel light, as not only a command, but a privilege also, as a branch of the glorious liberty of the sons of God. He would take equal care to remind them, that this is not the cause, but the fruit, of their acceptance with God; that other cause, "other foundation can no man lay, than that which is laid, even Jesus Christ;" that we are still forgiven and accepted, only for the sake of what he hath done and suffered for us; and that all true obedience springs from love to him, grounded on his first loving us. He would labour, therefore, in preaching any part of the law, to keep the love of Christ continually before their eyes; that thence they might draw fresh life, vigour, and strength, to run the way of his commandments. Thus would he preach the law even to those who were pressing on to the mark. But to those who were careless, or drawing back, he would preach it in another manner, nearly as he did before they were convinced of sin. To those, meanwhile, who were earnest, but feeble-minded, he would preach the Gospel chiefly; yet variously intermixing more or less of the law, according to their various necessities. By preaching the law in the manner above described, he would teach them how to walk in Him whom they had received. Yea, and the same means (the main point wherein, it seems, your mistake lies) would both sustain and increase their spiritual life. For the commands are food, as well as the promises; food equally wholesome, equally substantial. These, also, duly applied, not only direct, but likewise nourish and strengthen the soul. Of this you appear not to have the least conception; therefore, I will endeavour to explain it. I ask, then, Do not all the children of God experience, that when God gives them to see deeper into his blessed |