darkness I have spoken of. But it was as suddenly taken away again -only by a very different subject, which was, a general view of the gospel, in its great and precious promises. Eternal life I perceived was in these, and that they all centered in Christ. A ray of glory presently broke in upon my mind, bringing to my view a human form, seated at the right hand of glory. While contemplating this object, many scriptures were brought to my mind, which I do not now recollect; but I cried out so loud, in blessing God for Christ Jesus, that I awaked Mrs. Wickes. I slept but little this night, being taken up with glorious supernatural objects. I had also a view of sin, as in itself an abominable thing indeed. The next morning, when I got up, I seemed to be in a new world, every thing I looked upon appeared to be light and glorious. After breakfast, I set off to tell my friend what had taken place; and when in the streets, the houses, the pavements, every thing I saw appeared glorious but especially man. I met one in the streets, whom I had never seen before or known since, and he appeared to be the most glorious being in all creation-his form, his limbs, his features, his motion, all appeared in my view as the master-piece of the works of God. My heart was now expanded with love and wonder, even to ecstacy. My soul cleaved to the dear people of God, and embraced all mankind. A sweet savour of these things lasted about ten days, when I lost their influence, and sunk again into dejection and deep distress. I feared that all I had experienced was delusion, and that God had suffered it, in justice for my sins. This filled my soul with such a degree of enmity against bis sovereignty, that I could, if in my power, have torn him from his throne. Oh how this exercise did rend my heart, and drink up my spirits!-it would force itself upon me against all opposition, until I was near despair. "But the Lord shortly appeared again, and gave me composure. This was produced by my mind being engaged one evening, in meditating on electing love and grace. These things he showed me to be real and precious, and my soul fully approved them. Now also, I had a view of the preciousness of the sacred Scriptures. The Bible appeared to be a rich jewel indeed. All other things on the earth, were in comparison with it as fodderwhich was the idea then on my mind. After this, there appeared a glory of such light and purity, as I had never seen before; and these things so operated on my powers, as to fill me with love and wonder, and entirely to destroy that enmity which had lately raged so powerfully. A sweet savour of these things lasted for a considerable time; and my friend prevailed with me to take a leading part in religious societies. A communion season approaching, the minister of the congregation with which I was connected, together with my friend who was ever watching over me, strongly persuaded me to join the church in that ordinance. But my heart trembled at the thought, and I held off as long as I could; yet when the time came, I consented, and joined the church on that occasion. My soul, at this time, longed to be fully owned and sealed to be Christ's for ever; but I was disappointed. I came home with fearful apprehensions that I had sealed my own damnation, by unworthily partaking; and I fell into a grievous state of darkness and hardness of heart. Truly, my heart got so hard, that no description on record could reach it. Adamant and nether millstone, seemed far more susceptible of impression; and sometimes when This was the Third Presbyterian congregation of Philadelphia; and its pastor at that time, was, it is believed, the Rev. Dr. John Smith. I was in the deepest anguish, it would, as it were, laugh in my face, and mock my groanings. "In this state I remained for many days, until one morning about daylight, when I was awaked by the crying of one of my children. I got up to its relief, and when I returned to my bed, these words came as if audibly spoken, I am the way'-Christ was brought into view as the eternal God, the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. In him all the promises were seen to be yea and amen, to the glory of God the Father. At the same time, many Scriptures were opened up to my mind; and with such an effect on my powers, that I seemed ready to burst, so that I cried out, stop thy hand, O Lord, I am but an earthen vessel. My hope was now strong, that my troubles were chiefly over; but alas! the sequel will show that they were but beginning"-We shall not farther transcribe this narrative in detail. The sequel, which he says would show that his troubles were but beginning, shows indeed a long series of spiritual conflicts; but they were, in fact, of the very same character with those recited above, only varied by circumstances, and with more alternations of deep depression and abounding consolationthe latter of much shorter duration than the former. Some letters which we shall insert, will sufficiently indicate what was the general state of his mind, for several years in succession. Immediately after what is stated in the latter part of the narrative as quoted above, he went to the state of Georgia, to view a large tract of land, for the purchase of which, a merchant in Philadelphia was in treaty, and by whom he was employed for this purpose. While at Savannah, his distress became so extreme, that it sensibly impaired his health, and led him to expect to die despairing and blaspheming God; so that he went on board the vessel in which his voyage was made, and put himself under the care of the captain, who happily had been an apprentice to himself. But he became composed on his way to the vessel, and on the night on which he expected his final destiny to be fixed, he obtained relief by what he describes as a most extraordinary kind of vision: It was in part explanatory, and on the whole the perfect contrast, of one which he had had the night before, and which had driven him so near to desperation. The conclusion of his extended and particular account of this occurrence, is as follows. "I went early to my chamber, where there was a fire; and here I sat down on the carpet, reading and meditating on the first chapter of John's gospel,* in connexion with the third. Suddenly there appeared before me, as it were, a wilderness, with a human figure appearing in it. This I took to be John the Baptist, by his raiment of camel's hair. After some time, I had a view of all the different things I had lately seen, accompanied with a voice, sayingall these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me.' To which I quickly replied, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.' Now, although this reply seemed to be mine, yet I thought they were not my words, but that Christ had spoken them in the wilderness for me; which thought was very encouraging at the time. As I would not buy these things, they were again and again offered me as a gift; and still urged, until I got vexed, and said it was in vain to urge them any more, for I would have none of them. Here a question was asked-what then will you have? To which I replied 'I will have the portion of the poor, despised followers of Jesus, for time and eternity.' Then it was asked Is this your choice?' I answered 'yes, my deliberate choice.' At this the scene all vanished-and from that time, when I made this record, to the present that I am transcribing it in this book, which is a space of fourteen or fifteen years, I have not had any of the like exercises. For two or three years, I had various and sore conflicts with a body of sin, and the powers of darkness, which I made no record of. What I shall further mention, will be chiefly copies of letters wrote for a dear friend, I being at sea, when the exercises described, took place." Before we insert the letters to which Captain Wickes refers, as containing an account of his religious state, subsequently to the termination of his regular narrative, we think proper to give our views of some things already stated, and of every thing of a similar kind that may afterwards occur. In drawing up such a memoir as the present, we hold it to be incumbent on the writer to make known, if he can, how the subject of it did, in fact, feel, think and reason-The writer may make his own reflections afterwards. We have accordingly pursued this course. We have given captain Wickes' own narrative of his exercises, apprehensions and feelings; and have been glad that we have been enabled to do it from his own showing. But we must now remark, that we have no belief whatever in the reality of supernatural appearances of any kind. We believe that they ceased with the age of miracles; and that to admit their existence since, is to open the doorand has sometimes actually opened it widely-to the wildest reveries, and the most deplorable extravagances. Let a man believe that he has direct and supernatural intimations from invisible beings, good or bad, and he is in imminent danger of folly and fanaticism, in the extreme. That in the evil angels we have enemies and tempters of the most insidious kind, and in the good angels, friends, guardians and protectors, we have not the shadow of a doubt-The written word of God assures us of this truth. But we know not in what manner their agency is employed; nor have we any reason to believe that our external senses ever perceive them or their communications: and whatever may be their suggestions to our minds, those suggestions are, in all cases, to be tried by what we are taught in the holy scriptures, which we are to follow and obey, as the only safe and infallible guide. Neither are we to expect any new revelation, or miraculous interposition, from God himself. The canon of revelation is complete, and a fearful denunciation is on record, on those who shall pretend to add to it, as well as on those who shall attempt to take from it. We perceive from the late British periodicals, that both in England and Scotland, and among protestants too, miraculous occurrences-wonderful cures, and even the gift of tongueshave their subjects and their advocates. The Christian Observer has come forward, in the most decided manner, against all these pretensions, and we greatly rejoice to see it. The pious and intelligent conductors of that.excellent work maintain, (and our opinion entirely coincides with theirs) that all these strange appearances may be accounted for, from the known and natural operation of second causes-of the body on the mind, and the mind on the body-without any interposition of a supernatural kind. In persons of a very nervous temperament, or those who are only temporarily under strong nervous excitement, the most extraordinary phenomena do often and notoriously take place. In the case of captain Wickes, his 80 own narrative shows, and all who were acquainted with him knew from their own observation, that he was subject to a most afflictive melancholy. The only wonder is, not that his imagination should occasionally master his reason, but that its triumph over reason was, in the merciful order of God's providence, never permitted to be complete and permanent. He was habitually a man of a sound and discriminating mind, not only in common affairs, but in religion also. Of his piety, and very eminent piety, no body but himself entertained a doubt. That he was deceived by his excited imagination, in the things to which we have referred-as John Bunyan, and even Martin Luther, had been before him-may be believed, without detracting from the excellence of his general character. It is remarkable that he commonly reasoned rightly, even from mistaken facts, and always went to his Bible for instruction. We once knew a woman, whose acknowledged eminent piety had its origin, according to her own account, in hearing what she believed was a supernatural voice, calling her repeatedly by her proper name. This she construed into an indication that she had but a short time to live, and ought therefore, without delay, to prepare for death; and this was followed by the usual exercises which precede and terminate in a sound conversion. Now, admit the hearing of the voice to be imaginary, as we have no doubt that it was, still it was true that it was her duty immediately to prepare for death. It was the belief of this truth, and the performance of the consequent duty, which under the divine blessing, terminated so favourably; and the same causes would have produced the same effects, and in thousands of instances do really produce them, without any miraculous voice. Beside, in the case before us, the woman concerned, to our certain knowledge, lived a number of years after she heard the voice: so that the miracle, if we suppose it to be one and her construction of it right, must be considered as having announced a falsehood; and if her interpretation was not the right one, then the miracle was utterly useless. In absurdities like this, imaginary miracles often terminate; and a handle is furnished to infidels, which they are ever ready to employ, to the injury of all religion, and the discrediting of all revelation. (To be continued.) PRACTICAL METHODISM. (Continued from p. 25.) Rev. and dear Sir, The present paper, I shall devote to a few strictures on that characteristick of our Methodist brethren, which, for want of a better word, I shall term their exclusiveness. Much of the real glory of the present age, is derived from the benevolent plans and societies to which it has given origin. Adopting the maxim that "union is power," evangelical denominations of Christians have formed themselves into societies, whose great objects are, to promote the glory of God, and extend evangelical religion. These societies are formed on principles strictly Christian, and truly liberal. The effect produced by them, is already seen and felt throughout the world. And, perhaps, in no instance are their beneficial effects so obvious, as in the love and harmony which they have created between brethren, who, before, were separated in heart and feeling. As it respects these societies, I will state some facts respecting the conduct of the Methodists in regard to them, for the purpose of illustrating their exclusive spirit. And first, as it regards the BIBLE. SOCIETY. This must be considered the most noble and Catholick institution in our land. Publishing the Bible, as it does, without note or comment, and without the Apocrypha, it is reasonable to suppose that it should engage in its support, every Protestant denomination. Concentrated action, is powerful action; and the same powers, when applied in the same direction, produce results which they never could do, if divided. It would seem that this simple principle should annihilate all opposition to the Bible Society, and induce the most bigoted zealots to unite in its support. But neither this, nor any other principle, has ever produced this effect fully upon the Methodists; for until the present day, as a denomination, they are open in their opposition to it. It is true that some of that communion are in the Board of Managers, and are elected year after year, to a seat among its directors; but their election is more the result of the policy of the Society to retain a national character, than on account of any general co-operation received. We have now our Methodist Bible Society. Having found an opportunity to quarrel with the Young Men's Bible Society of New York, they soon transferred the controversy from that branch, to the parent institution. The tocsin was sounded through the Advocate, ycleped Christian, and echoed through the country by the "circuit riders;" and as sure as you live, at the next conference, the Methodist Bible Society came to life. Since that time, they have been rallying their 450,000 members to its support, and that too, with a great degree of success. For so completely marshalled and servile are their members, generally, that the bishops, riders, and editors have but to say to one go, and he goes; to another come, and he comes; and to another do this, and he doeth it. His holiness at Rome, could not desire more implicit obedience VOL. IX.-Ch. Adv. from his Catholick subjects, than that which is generally rendered by the members of the Methodist church, to their bishops and riders. The American Sunday School Union, is next deserving of notice. This noble institution is, perhaps, second to none in existence. With the operation of Sunday Schools, commenced a new era in the history of our species. When the National Society was formed, a few years since, the utmost care was taken to free its constitution from every thing calculated to excite the prejudice of any denomination. In my opinion, this object was admirably effected. But yet the exclusive spirit of Methodism, would not admit of co-operation, even here. Like the Bible Society, the Sunday School Union retains, in its Board of Managers, and in its Publishing Committee, a due representation from the Methodist Society, but it is for precisely the same objectto retain its national character. Whilst a few Methodists are its warm friends, the great body of them are its warm foes. Let facts testify to the truth of this remark. At the last anniversary of the Sunday School Union, a resolution was passed, to supply the valley of the Mississippi, as far as practicable, with Sunday Schools, within a limited period. Reason and piety would dictate, that the announcement of that resolution, would create no feeling but joy and exultation in every Christian heart. But how different was its effect upon our Methodist friends! Their innuendoes; questioning of motives and objects-their sly and cunning remarks, more detrimental to the cause than open hostility, are too generally known, and of too recent a date, to need specification. From the east to the west the alarm has been given, and opposition excited against carrying that resolution into effect. Those acquainted with the conduct of "circuit riders" as it re L |