energy of the Holy Ghost, to compel poor, wandering, weary, heavy-laden finners to come in. Armed with this panoply divine, and, as they think, authorised by the fame LORD, fome few of us continue to this day, amongst small and great, high and low, rich and poor, in Church or Chapel, in commons, ftreets, fields, whenfoever or wherefoever divine Providence opens a door, to teftify repentance towards God and faith in our Lord JESUS CHRIST : and this not out of contempt of, or in oppofition to the godly admonitions of our ecclefiaftical superiors, but because the love of CHRIST Conftraineth us,' and we think that a wo, a dreadful wo, awaits us if we preach not the Gofpel. Not that we are enemies to a decent or even epifcopal confecration, or setting apart Churches and Chapels for divine and holy worship: but we are more indifferent about the reputed outward fanctity of places, because our LORD, with great folemnity, faid unto the woman of Samaria," Woman, believe me, the hour cometh when ye fhall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerufalem, worship the Father: but the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers fhall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth." Hence we infer, that every place is then, and only then, properly called holy when, like the ground around the burning bufh, it is made holy by the divine prefence of Him who fpake to Mofes out of the bush; or like mount Tabor, which by the Apofle Peter is called by way of emphafis, the Holy Mount, because himfelf and James and John, not only had upon that mount a visible outward mani festation, feftation, but also a bleffed inward heart-felt fenfe of the Redeemer's excellent glory. It was undoubtedly this that made Peter break out into that exclamation: "Mafter, it is good for us to be here." And it was this that warmed, and not only warmed, but conftrained the enraptured Patriarch Jacob, when he had only the ground for his bed, the ftones for his pillow, and the open firmament for his curtains and furniture, to break forth into that extatic language, "How dreadful is this place! this is no other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven." If then, Reverend SIR, for this and fuch like things we are accounted irregular and disorderly, we are truly forry for it:-Sorry but not upon our own accounts, having the teftimony of a good confeience that we act with a fingle eye, and in direct conformity to the authority of the word of God.: but we are forry barely on account of our impeachers and condemners, efpecially those who being fet apart for the minifterial Office, and loaded with ecclefiaftical preferments, preach very feldom, or not at all; or, if they do preach now and then, preach only as though they were barely reading wall-lectures, and feldom or ever fo much as mention or quote the Homilies of our Church, though they havefubfcribed to an Article which fays, that "they contain a godly and wholesom doctrine, and which judges them to be read in Churches by the ministers diligently and diftinctly, that they may be underftood of the people." It is to be feared, that it is owing to fuch irregularity and disorder as this, that when when our people hear of our Articles or Homilies quoted by fome few in the pulpit, that they are ready to cry out, "What new doctrine is this? Thou bringeft certain ftrange things to our ears." At leaft if it is not fo at home, I am fure it is fo abroad. Hence it was that about three years ago, after I had been preaching to a very large auditory in one of the most polite places on the Continent of America, and in preaching, as is my ufual cuftom, had ftrongly been recommending the book of Homilies, numbers were stirred up to go to the ftores to purchase them: But upon inquiring after the book of Homilies, the Storekeeper, furprized at the novelty of the word Homilies, begged leave to know what Muslins they meant, and whether they were' not Hummims. What a pity therefore is it, Reverend STR, that the book of Homilies, which ought to be in every hand, and as common as our Common Prayer Books, fhould never yet have found a place in the large catalogue of books given away by the truly laudable Society for promoting Christian Knowledge, though founded foon after the glorious Revolution. If this be not remedied fome way or another, we shall very foon become diforderly indeed: our Pulpits will ftill continue to contradict our Reading-defks, and we fhall never have the honour of being filed regular and orderly, till, regardless of Subfcriptions, Oaths, Rubrics, and Ordination-Offices themselves,' our practices give the lie to our profeffions, and we seek the fleece and not the flock, and “ preach ourfelves, and not CHRIST JESUS Our LORD." Dead Dead Formalifts, and proud felf-righteous Bigots, may loudly exclaim and cry out, "the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are we !" They may not only cry out, but also caft out; and thinking they thereby do GoD fervice, though moft notoriously deficient in their own moral conduct, may plead confcience, and fay, "Let the LORD be glorified." But to fuch as these our LORD once faid, "Ye are they that juftify yourfelves before men, but God knoweth your hearts." Like the chief Priests, the Scribes and Pharifees of old, they may plead their Law; for the breach of which thefe irregulars, as they imagine, ought to be condemned and fuffer ; nay, time may come when they may be permitted to enforce their clamorous accufations by urging, as their godly predeceffors once did against our Mafter, that " we found thefe fellows perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute unto Cæfar: but Pilate knew that for envy they delivered Him." And though they could plead their Loyalty, and say, "If thou let this man go thou art not Cæfar's friend, we have no king but Cæfar;" yet both our LORD and his Apoftles rendred themselves, and ftrictly taught all that heard them, to "render unto Cæfar the things that are Cæfar's, and unto GOD the things that are GoD's." Fain would the Methodists copy after fuch gloriously divine examples: and, bleffed be GoD, after a trial of near forty years, upon the moft fevere fcrutiny, their LOYALTY cannot be justly fo much as once called in queftion: For as they fear GOD, fo they dearly dearly love and honour their King, their rightful Sovereign King GEORGE; and have been, and continue to be, fteady invariable friends to the Proteftant fucceffion in the illuftrious Houfe of Hanover." And if fo, fuppofing thefe Methodifts fhould be convicted of acting fomewhat irregular, fince it is only the irregularity of preaching and recommending unfeigned Love to GoD, and, for his great name fake, undiffembled, difinterested Loyalty to their king; is it not the intereft as well as duty of civil government, if not to encourage, yet not to oppose them? For it is certainly a most incontestable truth, that every additional profelyte to true Methodifm, is an additional loyal fubject to King GEORGE the Third, whom, with his Royal moft amiable Confort, our gracious Queen CHARLOTTE, the Methodists with one united voice earnestly pray GoD long to continue to be a nurfing Father and nurfing Mother to our Church and People of every denomination whatfoever. Every body is loudly complaining of the badnefs of our Times, and the degeneracy of our Morals. Sinners now proclaim their fin like Sodom, and the nation hath fuffered more than a fecond deluge by an inundation of every fin, and every kind of corruption that was ever committed or practifed under Heaven "The whole head is fick, the whole heart faint; from the crown of the head to the fole of our feet, we are full of wounds and bruifes, and putrifying fores." Shall there no man be found then to ftand in the gap? None dare to attempt at leaft to ftem the impetuous torrent? None venture to |