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opened their way. And many years experience has proved to us the utility of this plan. The three kingdoms are divided into a number of diftricts: each of thefe diftricts is divided into circuits and each circuit has, two, three, or four Preachers, according to its fituation and importance. Again, each circuit has a Superintendent, who has the care of every thing entrusted to him. Not that he is exempted from any part of the work; or has any temporal advantage from his office: much less has he any power to lord it over either his brethren, or over the people; only fome one must keep the various accounts of the circuit, and fee that every thing be done agreeable to the Rules of the Society and the Minutes of the Conference. Every district has a chairman, to whom either minifters or private members may complain, in any cafe that cannot be redreffed in his own circuit. The chairman can then fummon the preachers of the diftrict, and their judgment is conclufive till the annual meeting of the Conference, (which confifts of at least one from every circuit) whofe decifion is final. At Conference, every Preacher's character is examined, and if any objection be proved against him, he receives fuitable punishment, whether it be reproof, the being put from the office of fuperintendent, (if he have been in it) the being fufpended for a time, or entirely excluded.

"The minifters are then ftationed, according to the best judg ment that can be formed, where they are most likely to be useful, no one continuing above two years fucceffively in one circuit, unlefs God has been pleased to use him as the inftrument of a remarkable revival; and even then, no one ever ftays above the third year. Thus every thing is carried on with decency and order. The quarterly meetings are fubject to district meetings, and thefe are fubject to the Conference, or General Affembly, over which among us, there can be no control, and from whofe determinations there is no appeal.

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If we add to these their frequent Prayer-Meetings, in which a felect number of the members affemble together for the purpose of mutual edification; and confider the general uniformity of their conduct, that when vifiting one amongst another, their converfation is chiefly confined to fubjects of a religious nature, and that they scarce ever part without finging a hymn or praying, we muft admit that they have abundant means afforded them of increafing in the knowledge and love of God, and encouraging each other to perfevere in the paths of holineís and virtue.

66

Archdeacon Paley obferves, that the original teachers of the Chriftian Religion, in confequence of their new profeffion, entered upon a new and fingular courfe of life. After men became Christians, much of their time was fpent in prayer and devotion, in religious meetings, in celebrating the eucharist, in con

While the Rev. John Wefley lived, this Preacher was called the Affiftant, on account of affifling him. Now he is dead, that word is no longer fenfe, feeing that it has no relative to which it can with propriety be referred. ferences,

ferences, in exhortations, in preaching, in an affectionate intercourse with one another, and correfpondence with other Societies.

How exactly conformable are the habits and practice of the Methodists in our day, to the above account of the circumstances attending the early propagation of Chriftianity! May the Lord profper their labours with his bleffing; and crown with fuccefs the honeft endeavours of every faithful difciple of Jesus Christ!

SECT. II. On the Mode of performing Divine Service among the METHODISTS.

The service commences with finging, in which the greatest part of the congregation joins. The preacher next makes an extemporary prayer, and after a few more verfes of an hymn have been fung, the fermon follows, which is likewise delivered extempore. The people now join in another hymn, and the whole is concluded with a prayer and bleffing from the minifter. This, though a very plain and fimple, is nevertheless a folemn and edifying manner of celebrating Divine Worship. There are few devotional exercifes which more powerfully raise the foul to God, than the finging of pfalms. When the language of an hymn is poetical, fluent, and intelligible, when the fentiments expressed in it are truly pious and fcriptural, the mufic folemn, and the people ferious and earnest, I know of no employment better calculated to excite awful impreffions of the Divinity, and to ftir up our minds to a clofer communion with God.

The hymns used in the Methodi ft chapels, appear to me in a peculiar manner to have this effect. They are adapted to all ftates and conditions of the mind, and to all fituations in life. The finner is here awakened to a fenfe of his own corrupt nature; the foul that is panting after God, and feeking redemption through the blood of Chrift, is encouraged to fupplicate with boldness the throne of grace; and those who have already expe rienced the pardoning love of God, may feel their devotion ftrengthened, their confidence renewed, and their hearts re-kindled with holy zeal. The power, wifdom, and goodness of God in the Creation, the love of Chrift in the redemption of the world, and the efficacy of the Holy Spirit in cleanfing us from all unrighteousness by his fanctifying grace, are here particularly infifted upon. The mifery of the wicked, and the happiness of the just, are painted in glowing colours, forcibly calculated to infpire terror in the one, and joy and perfeverance in the other. Many of the hymns are fimply expreffive of reverence, praise, and gratitude to the Supreme Being. Many are hortatory, and are full of feasonable advice and inftruction adapted to all ages, all ranks of men, all denominations of Chriftians. Some are confolatory, calculated to revive the drooping spirit, to inspire

* Vide Paley's Evidences of Christianity, page 38.

patience

patience and refignation under afflictions, to difpel our fears, and to animate our hopes. In fhort, the general tendency of thefe hymns, is to enforce fentiments of piety to God, love to our fellow creatures, and a due refignation of our own thoughts and difpofitions.

And if we add, that the Singing is usually conducted with fo lemnity and order, and accompanied with an appearance at least of refpectful devotion, we fhall not wonder that this form of worship conftitutes fo confiderable a part of the service. I pals on to confider the fubject of prayer. Prayer is the life and foul of religion. It opens a door of communication betwixt God and man, and is the means we are required to make ufe of to obtain any promifed bleffing. It is a duty which we, as Chrif tians, are peculiarly bound to perform. God has commanded it ; Chrift has given us an example of it in his own perfon, by praying himself to his Father; and we are not only enjoined, but even invited and encouraged to prefent ourselves as fuppliants at the throne of grace. What a privilege is this? What an unfpeakable honour, that man is permitted to address his Maker, with full affurance that his prayers fhall be heard and his requests granted? How ought he to love and praife God for fuch condefcenfion, and how earneftly folicitous fhould he be to perform this duty, in the most acceptable manner?

Now one of the chief purposes of prayer is edification, "Let all things be done to edifying," faith the Apoftle, 1 Cor. xiv. 26. And furely this advice can never be more applicable than when, we are addreffing the Majefty of Heaven. How can we expect our petitions will be heard, or our praises accepted, if we approach God with our lips at a time when our hearts are estranged from him? Is it not a fpecies of mockery to beg of the Lord to pardon our fins, and give us grace to amend them, when at the fame inftant we neither feel remorfe for the one, nor fee any neceffity for the other? And how inconfiftently does that man act, who, while on his knees at church, can pray for the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, and in a few minutes after pofitively deny that there is any fuch thing as infpiration in these days ? Is it to be wondered at, that fuch a one fhould live and die a stranger to its influences? In fhort, if we reflect that GOD is a Spirit, and that He is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth, we cannot expect to render Him an acceptable fervice, unless our whole affections be centred in him alone, and our fouls animated with a fenfe of his perfections.

"Prayer, (as an excellent writer expreffes it,*) is the continual panting or breathing of the heart after GOD; it flays for no particular hours; its petitions are not picked out of manuals of devotion; it loves its own language; it fpeaks most when it fays leaft."

* Dr. WATTS.

For my own part, I confefs I always feel most edified and ftrengthened by extemporary prayer. When I pray in this man. ner myself, my foul is more alive to God, my thoughts are more firmly fixed on the particular subject of each petition, and I praise God for those inftances of his love, which more powerfully occur to my recollection, and which excite the warmest impreffions of gratitude, and I entreat Him to bestow those bleffings in particular of which I find the greatest need; I maintain a juft free. dom of foul in my addreffes; I change, I enlarge, I contract, I add or omit according to my peculiar fentiments, or the previous ftate of my mind. If I am affailed by temptation, I apply earnestly for grace to overcome it: If through divine affiftance I have been enabled to triumph over any of my fpiritual enemies, this calls for a particular return of gratitude and praise: If I perceive my faith weak, or my confidence diminished, I pray that God would help my unbelief, and replenish me with His Spirit: if fick or afflicted, I entreat the Lord for patience and refignation: if I do any thing acceptable or pleafing to Him, I prefent myself at his footstool with humility and reverence, giving Him all the glory.

Where, however, as is fometimes the cafe, the spirit of prayer is languid, and we want words to exprefs the fentiments of our hearts, we shall be benefited by having recourse to a written form of devotion. "A dull and heavy hour in the clofet has often been relieved by the use of such compofures of mingled meditation and prayer and many a dry and barren heart has been enabled to offer up in prayer a fweet facrifice to God, in the words of ano ther man. "'*

The Methodists in their fervice generally ufe extemporary prayer. And this appears to me to have many advantages. A conftant repetition of the fame prayers, begets fometimes an habit of indifference; the mind being lefs vigorously intent, is apt to wander after other objects; and how happily foever the words might be at firft chofen, we ftill want fomething new, to keep our thoughts alive. On the contrary, when we hear a minifter delivering the fpontaneous and unpremeditated effufions of his heart, we naturally imbibe a portion of the fame fpirit which appears to influence him; our expectations are raised, our attention is fixed, our fouls are in patient waiting for the descent of the Holy Spirit; and our lips are ready to pronounce an hearty Amen at the close of every petition.

Again, if it be enquired what are the general fubjects of our petitions, I answer, thofe which are expreffed in the service of the Church. Seeing ourselves to be finners and guilty before God, we pray that he would pardon our offences, and give us true repentance. We befeech him that he would enable us by

VOL. XIX. July 1796.

* Dr. WATTS.

his

his grace to overcome all our fpiritual enemies, that he would take away from us all hardness of heart, all pride and malice, all envy and uncharitableness, that he would increase our faith, ftrengthen our fellowship with him, and our union with one another, and fanctify us unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works. We make interceffions for all men; we pray for the King and all who are in authority, for the diffusion of religious Knowledge, for the prevalence of Divine Truth; for the alleviation of human mifery, for the fupply of all our neceffary wants. Knowing that the first step towards repentance is a conviction of fin, we pray God to awaken every fleeping confcience; and relying upon his gracious promifes, we entreat him to heal every broken spirit, and to comfort every mourning heart. And as of ourselves we can do nothing that is good, we earnestly pray above all things for the infpiration of the Holy Spirit. [To be continued. ]

A DISCOURSE ON LUKE X. 27.

"Thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy ftrength, and with all thy. mind; and thy neighbour as thyfelf."

A

DOCTOR of the Law obferving the high reputation which our bleffed Lord had acquired through all Palestine by his Doctrine and Miracles, wifhed to put him to a trial which might either embarrass him, or caufe him to fpeak fomething that might be turned against himself. It was probably on a Sabbath-day when Jefus was teaching in the fynagogue, that this doctor arofe in the midft of the affembly and propofed a vague and general queftion, to which it was not eafy to give a complete and precife anfwer; "Mafter, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Jefus knowing the heart of his adverfary, would not truft himself to him; but by a queftion which from the nature of his office he was obliged for his public credit to reply to, he obliged him to give an answer against himself, "What is written in the Law? How readeft thou?" To which he anfwered in the words of the text, "Thou fhalt love the Lord thy God," &c.

In thefe words mention is made of three kinds of love; the love of God, the love of our neighbour, and the love of ourfelves. These ought not to be confounded with each other; the nature of each fhould be diftin&tly confidered; and when this is done, feveral modes of fpeech may be clearly understood, which otherwife might appear contradictory: for the term LOVE, in relation to GOD, our neighbour, and ourselves, does not prefent the fame fenfe.

As it certainly is of the laft importance to us to love God, Let us endeavour to confider,

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