perform even the most perfect service, according to the terms of the gospel. But where or when did he teach any such doctrine? Mr. Wesley understood Christianity better than to utter such jargon. In "his idea" these were inseparable. With him the performance of the conditions of the gospel, and the possession of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, were always associated. The principal term, or condition of the gospel, is faith in Christ: "This is the work of God, that ye believe in him whom he hath sent." Mr. Wesley taught this uniformly; and maintained with St. Paul, that "being justified by faith, we have PEACE with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: by whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we also JOY in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement."* If, therefore, in the terms or conditions of the gospel, you include faith, that faith which is of the operation of God's Spirit, which justifies the ungodly, and is the substance of things hoped for, you are exceedingly incorrect in asserting that Mr. Wesley taught that a man may "perform the most perfect service according to the terms of the gospel," and yet be destitute of "the inward feeling of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." What God had joined together, he did. not put asunder. *Rom. v. 1, 2—11. That all who name the name of Christ may comply with the terms of the gospel, and enjoy its promises, is the sincere prayer of, Reverend Sir, Your's in the cause of truth, J. STANLEY. LETTER IV. REVEREND SIR, ON what you call the "doctrine of inward feelings," you write with peculiar energy, and plainly indicate that you are not destitute of feeling. But as your energy is not in favour of, but against religious feeling, you will, no doubt, escape the suspicion of enthusiasm, and be ranked among rational Christians. By "inward feelings" you obviously intend what has generally been denominated religious feelings: such as religious fear, hope, sorrow, joy, desire, aversion, &c. These you call "dangerous," and "fatal," tending either to produce "a foolish, enthusiastic, and ill-founded confidence and presumption," otherwise black "despair." You indeed admit that "God can assuredly influence our inward feelings if he think fit," but suppose this is seldom or rather never the case in our day, for such influences are "miraculous impressions," and who does not know that the age of miracles is past? These feelings must therefore be considered as under the influence of causes purely physical-governed particularly "by the state of the health and constitution; and by that inexplicable result of the action of the nervous system, called animal spirits." Religious feelings you represent as the effervesrence of enthusiasm. But ought they to be thus represented? Are the passions, ever active on ordinary subjects, to be quiescent only on the great subject of religion? Are our fears to be alive to temporal, but not to spiritual danger? Are our hopes to be called into exercise by the prospect of the riches, or honours, or pleasures of this transitory state, and to remain uninfluenced by the promise of "eternal life?” Is our love to burn with ardour towards a fellow-creature, and shall we contemplate with a frigid apathy the uncreated excellence of Deity? Shall we feel grateful to an earthly benefactor, and remain destitute of this feeling towards our Divine Creator, Preserver, and Redeemer, who has crowned our lives with his goodness? When visited with affliction and loss, shall we mourn and lament: but when we have lost our innocence by transgression, and subjected ourselves to the bitter pains of eternal death, remain utterly unmoved? Or, finally, shall a criminal on receiving the royal pardon be overwhelmed with joy ; and shall not a sinner exult in the word of Divine reconciliation? If man be a creature capable of "inward feelings," their action should be in proportion to the exciting cause: and if so, they should be much more alive to the concerns of eternity, than to those of this life; for the disproportion between these is infinitely greater than that which exists between a drop and the ocean-an atom of dust and all the matter in the universe. Besides, to separate religion from "inward feelings," is absolutely to destroy it. For religion does not consist in mere "bodily exercise"-in the outward per F |