high life. But has it not a more extenfive fenfe? Does it not rather mean, the feeking happiness in the praife of men, which above all things engenders Pride? When this is pursued in a more pompous way, by kings, or illuftrious men, we call it Thirft for Glory: when it is fought in a lower way by ordinary men, it is filed, Taking care of our Reputation. In plain terms, it is feeking the honour that cometh of men, inftead of that which cometh of God only. 16. But what creates a difficulty here is this, we are requir ed, not only to give no offence to any one, and to provide things honeft in the fight of all men, but to please all men for their good to edification. But how difficult is it to do this, with a fingle eye to God? We ought to do all that in us lies, to prevent the good that is in us from being evil spoken of. Yea, we ought to value a clear reputation, if it be given us, only less than a good confcience. But yet, if we feek our happiness therein, we are liable to perish in our idolatry. 17. To which of the preceding Heads is the Love of money to be referred? Perhaps fometimes to one and fometimes to another, as it is a means of procuring gratifications, cither for the defire of the flesh, for the defire of the eyes, or for the pride of life. In any of these cafes, money is only pursued, in order to a farther end. But it is fometimes purfued for its own fake, without any farther view. One who is properly a Mifer, loves and feeks money for its own fake. He looks no farther, but places his happiness in the acquiring or the poffeffing of it. And this is a fpecies of idolatry, distant from all the preceding; and indeed the loweft, baseft idolatry, of which the human foul is capable. To feek happiness either in gratifying this, or any other of the defires above-mentioned, is effectually to renounce the true God, and to fet up an idol in his place. In a word, so many objects as there are in the world, wherein men feek happiness inftead of feeking it in God, so many idols they fet up in their hearts; fo many species of idolatry they practice. Hh VOL. IV. 18. I would 18. I would take notice of only one more, which, though it in fome meafure falls in with feveral of the preceding, yet in many refpects is diftinct from them all, I mean, the idoliz ing any human creature. Undoubtedly it is the will of God that we should all love one another. It is his will, that we fhould love our Relations and our Chriflian brethren with a peculiar love and thofe in particular, whom he has made particularly profitable to our fouls. These we are commanded to love fervently: yet ftill with a pure heart. But is not this impoffible with man? To retain the ftrength and tenderness of affection, and yet, without any flain to the foul, with unspotted purity? I do not mean only unfpotted by luft. I know, this is poffible. I know a perfon may have an unutterable affection for another, without any defire of this kind. But is it without idolatry? Is it not loving the creature more than the Creator? Is it not putting a man or woman in the place of God? Giving them your heart. Let this be carefully confidered, even by those whom God has joined together; by Husbands and Wives, Parents and Children. It cannot be denied, that these ought to love one another tenderly: they are commanded fo to do. But they are neither commanded, nor permitted, to love one another idolatroufly! Yet how common is this? How frequently is a Hufband, a Wife, a Child, put in the place of God? How many that are accounted good Chriftians, fix their affections on each other, fo as to leave no place for God? They feek their happiness in the creature, not in the Creator. One may truly fay to the other, "I view thee, Lord and End of my Defires." That is, "I defire nothing more but thee! Thou art the thing that I long for! All my defire is unto thee, and unto the remembrance of thy name." idolatry, I cannot tell what is! Now, if this is not flat [To be concluded in our next.] Same I Some Account of Mr. WILLIAM GREEN. Was born in London, Sept. 22, 1739. My mother being pregnant with me, heard the first fermon which Mr. Wesley preached at the Foundry. Soon after, she found peace with God, and walked warthy of the Gofpel to the day of her death, having been a member of the Society, upwards of thirty years. I had the first part of my Education at the Foundry-School, fo that I was early inftructed in the principles of Religion. But I was no better than if I had not been inftructed at all; for God was not in all my thoughts. Between thirteen and, fourteen I was put apprentice to a man who had some degree of the fear of God. For about three years he was able to manage me; but afterwards I neither regarded the threatenings of my mafter, nor the counfels of an affectionate mother, but ran on in my own ways. When my apprenticeship was out, I was for ten years a faithful fervant of the Devil. But for the laft two years, I was very far from being a willing captive; one hour praying against fin, the next falling into it. I could truly fay, The good that I would, I do not; but the evil which I would not, that I do. About July 1770, a perfon lent me one of Mr. Wefley's Journals. I read it with prayers and tears; feeing much beauty in being perfecuted for righteousnefs fake. Soon after, I read Bishop Taylor's Rules for Holy Living and Dying: one paffage ftruck me much: "A true lover of God is more grieved on account of an impure dream, than one who does not love him is, on account of a grofs outward fin." And it And it put me upon praying earneftly, that God would give me his love. In Auguft following, Mr. Wesley coming to town, I went with eagerness to hear him. His text was, My fon give me thy heart. But he shot over my head; I understood nothing about it. However I went in the evening to Moorfields, and heard Mr. Murlin preach. And there it pleased God to touch my heart. I went directly home greatly affected: fo that my wife, though a ferious woman, could not imagine what was the matter with me. But these impreffions wore off, and I ·ftill continued a flave to gaming, my besetting fin. However I continued to hear on Sundays, and was much pleased with what I heard. And after a time, my dear mother, by much perfuafion, prevailed upon me to meet in a Clafs. From this time my chains began to fall off. I think, I had not met above three times, before all my outward fins left me, and I fhook off all my old companions. I was now a close attendant on all the means of Grace. I clearly faw, that I was a fallen fpirit; and I as clearly faw, that religion was to restore me to that image of God from which I fell. It was now the fear of God took place in my foul. But in this I was greatly mistaken; I thought myself a good Believer; whereas I was then as ignorant of the nature of faith, as I am now of Greek. Soon after, I heard Mr. Wesley preach on, Believe in the Lord Jefus Chrift, and thou' fhalt be faved. I liftened very attentively, but ftill could not find out what Faith was. 66 The fame evening I went to Mr. Maxfield's Chapel. He He faid, was preaching upon the fame text. Faith is a divine conviction, that Chrift died for me." But I found, I could no more give myself this conviction, than I could make a world. It was now the Holy Ghoft convinced me of fin, because I believed not in Jefus, I went home in deep heavinefs, and toid my wife, I was an unbeliever, and that if I died as I was, I should go to hell. I was utterly flain by thofe words, He that believeth not, fhall be damned. For want of this conviction of unbelief, how many thoufands ftop fhort of faving Faith? But though I was fo fully convinced of fin, I was fo far from being difcouraged, that I was all hope, knowing that if all the fins of the world were upon me, the mercies of God infinitely furpaffed them all. About Christmas I went to hear the Letters read. One of which gave an account of a wonderful work among the children at Kingswood, fome of whom were determined, not to eat or fleep till they knew their fins were forgiven. I went home full of the fpirit of mourning, and yet big with earnest expectation. The next day my forrow was fo great, that I could do no work: till upon praying with a friend, the cloud began to disperse, and light broke into my foul. But I was determined, not to be satisfied with any thing fhort of an asfurance of pardon. In this fituation of mind I went to bed. About two o'clock the next morning, Dec. 30, 1770, I was waked by a full fenfe of the love of God. The skies poured down righteousness into my soul, and I could boldly say, "For me, I now believe he died! He made my every crime his own." I was now happy in God; his Spirit bearing witness with my spirit that I was a child of God. But about three days after, I was forely tempted; and a thought ftriking into my mind, that I was to be a Preacher, this put me upon many reasonings, which ftrengthened the temptation. I believe the thought was from God: yet, for fix weeks I was greatly perplexed. However, I never loft, for one moment, the sense of my Acceptance. Yea, and I knew the work of the Spirit was going on, and felt the bleffedness of enduring temptation. Being at Spitalfields on Sunday, I was greatly strengthened while those words were finging, "Even now the Lord doth His bleffing from above, A kindly gracious shower pour Of heart-reviving love: My |