10. Never let me enter into any long fchemes about future events, but in the general refer myfelf to God's care.

11. Let me labour after habitual gratitude and love to God and the Redeemer, practise self-denial, and never indulge any thing that may prove a temptation to youthful lufts. Let me guard against pride and vain-glory; remembering that I have all from God's hand, and that I have deferved the feverest punishment.

12. In all my ftudies, let me remember, that the fouls of men are immortal, and that Chrift died to redeem them.

13. Let me confecrate my fleep, and all my recreations, to God, and use them for his fake.

14. Let me frequently afk myself, What duty or what temptation is now before me.

15. Let me remember, that through the mercy of God in a Redeemer, I hope I am within a few days of heaven.

16. Let me be frequently furveying these Rules, and my Conduct as compared with the.

17. Let me frequently recollect, which of thefe Rules I have preient occasion for,

18. If I have grofsly erred in any of these particulars, let me not think that an excuse for erring in others.

The above Rules, practically attended to, may be fingularly useful, not to Minifters only, but alfo to all private Chriflians who defire to improve their minds in ufeful knowledge, and to be uniformly and deeply pious.

The SPIRITUALITY of the DIVINE BEING.

Say, celeftial Mufe! whofe purer birth,
Difdains the low material ties of earth;

By what bright images fhall be defin'd
The myftic nature of th' eternal Mind?
Or how fhall thought the dazzling height explore,
Where all that realon can is to adore!

That GOD's an immaterial effence pure,
Whom figure can't defcribe, nor parts immure;
Incapable of paffions, impulfe, fear,
In good pre-eminent, in truth fevere:

Uninix'd his nature, and fublim'd his pow'rs
From all the grofs allay that tempers ours;
Impervious to the man's or feraph's eye,
Beyond the ken of each exalted high;
Him would in vain material femblance feign,
Or figur'd fhrines the boundless GOD contain;
Object of faith!-he fhuns the view of fenfe,
Loft in the blaze of fightless excellence!

J. E.

Moft

Γ

Moft perfect, moft intelligent, moft wife,
In whom the fanctity of purenefs lies;
In whofe adjufting mind the whole is wrought,
Whofe form is fpirit! and whofe effence thought!
Are truths infcrib'd by Wisdom's brightest ray,
In characters that gild the face of day!

Reafon confefs'd (howe'er we may dispute,)
Fix'd boundary! difcovers man from brute;
But dim to us, exerts its fainter ray,
Deprefs'd in matter, and allied to clay!

In forms fuperior kindles lefs confin'd,

Whose dress is æther, and whose substance mind;
Yet all from Him, fupreme of Caufes, flow,
To Him their pow'rs and their existence owe;
From the bright cherub of the nobleft birth,
To the poor reasoning glow-worm plac'd on earth;
From matter then to spirit ftill afcend,
Through fpirit ftill refining, higher tend;
Purfue, on knowledge bent, the pathlefs road,
Pierce through infinitude in queft of GOD!
Still from thy fearch, the centre still shall fly,
Approaching ftill thou never fhalt come nigh!
So its bright orb th' afpiring flame would join,
But the vast distance mocks the fond design.

If He, Almighty! whose decree is fate,
Could, to display his pow'r, fubvert his flate;
Bid from his plaftic hand a greater rife,
Produce a master! and refign his skies,
Impart his incommunicable flame,
The myftic number of th' Eternal Name!
Then might revolting reafon's feeble ray,
Afpire to queftion GOD's all-perfect day!
Vain talk! the clay in the directing hand
The reafon of its form might fo demand,
As man prefume to question his difpofe,
From whom the pow'r he thus abufes flows.

Here paint, fair Mule! the worship God requires,
The foul inflam'd with chafte and holy fires!
Where love celeftial warms the happy breaft,
And from fincerity the thought's exprefs'd;
Where genuine piety and truth refin'd,
Re-confecrate the temple of the mind;
With grateful flames the living altars glow,"
And God descends to visit man below!'

ARMINIAN MAGAZINE.

W Ridley sculp·

Mr John Furnes

Aged 31,

Preacher of the Gospel.

Arminian Magazine,

For AUGUST 1796.

REASONS FOR METHODIS M.

[Continued from page 322. ]

HE Sermons are likewife delivered extempore. This method minifter and the people, than the reading a formal difcourfe. We have by this method the fimple and unadorned language of the heart; and the preacher feeling himself more interested in his fubject, neceffarily fpeaks with greater energy and pathos, and on this account is more likely to command the attention of his hearers.

It has been urged as an argument against the preaching of the Methodists, that they inculcate faith in contra-diftinction to works; that laying afide the neceffity of moral duties, they preach falvation by faith alone; this objection takes its rife, like many others of a fimilar nature, from ignorance. Now we affirm, that though works do not justify a man, yet, they afford the only evidence of a true faith. Genuine faith neceffarily produces the pureft morality, in like manner, as a good tree cannot fail to yield good fruit. And this is the only true foundation of mora lity. We cannot love our neighbour as ourselves, till we believe that God hath for Chrift fake loved us. And except we have a firm and lively faith in the promises of God, we never can fulfil thofe conditions, on which alone God will make good his promises to us. What induced Abraham to offer up his fon Ifaac, but faith? And how fhould we have ever known that he poffeffed fuch strong faith, had not his works fhewn it? So it is with every true believer. He proves his fidelity to his Mafter, by an obedience to his commands. Let a man have a well grounded faith, and a discharge of moral duties follows of course; we cannot indeed separate them; when once the heart has experienced a real change, a reformation of life is the invariable consequence; and till this change be effected, it will be to no purpose to preach up the excellency of abftract morality. It is like telling us what is our duty, and at the fame time with-holding the only means which can enable us to perform it. And though it were poffible for us without divine grace to keep the commandments, yet, ftill we could not be faved by our works, and we should fill come fhort of the glory of God. We are exprefsly told that "by the VOL. XIX. August 1796.

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