in them the grand doctrines which our late pastor and president so continually taught by word and writing, and so ably defended, than I doubt whether you will find in them, that there is a God, or that Jesus of Nazareth is his Son. 5. But we need not confine the term faith to the object of faith, the truths believed. The expression may also mean here our belief or persuasion of those truths. In this sense also let me recommend the faith of our departed pastor to your imitation. See that you be persuaded, truly and deeply persuaded, as he was, of the certainty and importance of these truths. See that the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, with all the great doctrines of it, come to you, as it did to the Thessalonians," not in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance." See that you so believe that it may be the power of God unto salvation to your believing souls: so that it may have its proper influence upon your temper and conduct, while you are, as it were, cast into the mould of it, and all your dispositions, words, and actions, are as becometh the gospel of Christ. 6. But some will perhaps be inclined to think that faith here means justifying and saving faith, even that faith in Christ, and in the mercy of God, and in the promises of the gospel through him, which whosoever hath is "justified from all things, has peace with God, has the love of God shed abroad in his heart, by the Holy Ghost given to him, and rejoices in hope of the glory of God." And certainly, my brethren, it is our duty to take care, that, in this sense also, we follow his faith: that, like him, we believe in Christ, so as to be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the deeds of the law;" that we believe with a faith of the operation of God, a faith working by love, a faith overcoming the world, and purifying the heart. This, indeed, is the most important point of all. For if "God so loved the world that he gave his only-begot ten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life;" it surely must be of the deepest importance that we believe aright on him; for eternal life is attained in this, and in no other way. 7. It is above all necessary that we, who speak in the name of God, have faith in this sense! that we be justified ourselves, converted, regenerated, and made new creatures in Christ Jesus. To preach this faith is our grand calling, nor need we go forth unless to preach it. Almost every other branch of Christian doctrine has advocates in abundance without us. But with regard to faith working by love, and justification by faith, together with Probably some a new birth, or a new creation, manifesting itself by universal holiness of heart and life, the case is different :-To preach these is the proper office of a Methodist preacher, this being the very doctrine, as we have seen in the former part of this discourse, which our late Rev. father continually inculcated. And if it be our duty to preach it, surely it is equally, or more, our duty to experience it. For certainly we would not wish to be hypocrites, going about and recommending to others what we have no experience of ourselves. 8. I shall only mention one thing more here. will think that faith here stands for faithfulness. And certainly there can be no impropriety in taking the word in this sense, whether primarily intended by the apostle or not, and recommending the faithfulness of our departed friend and father to your imitation. But who can describe his faith, in this view of it? Who can give those, that did not know him, any just idea of his faithfulness in the employment of his time, and of every talent his great Master had intrusted him with? Nay, who, that did not know him, would credit one half of what might be said, and must be said, if one do any justice to the subject? But it is my happiness this evening, to address those that in some measure knew him. And however marvellgus and bordering upon romance it might appear to others, you know it to be a fact, and therefore, will fully believe me when I say, that during the last fifty years of his life, there seldom was a day in which he did not preach twice, thrice, or even four times; travel, during nine months out of ten of the year, thirty, forty, fifty, or sixty miles, (and for many years on horseback,) answer half a dozen, or even a dozen letters; converse with a number of persons, and yet found time to write, and go on with some work intended for the press. So that we may reckon he generally preached one thousand, or twelve hundred sermons every year, travelled three thousand, or even four thousand miles, wrote two thousand letters, conversed privately with ten thousand, or twelve thousand people, over and above meeting societies, keeping watch-nights and love-feasts, administering the Lord's Supper to thousands of communicants in town and country, and writing and publishing, I know not how many books on all subjects. It would be incredible that any one man should go through so much work, if we did not know it to be a fact, that he went through it, and that through the help of God, by attending to one single circumstance, and that is, to the proper use of his time; observing himself most carefully the advice given to us, my brethren, in the large Minutes of Conference; "Be punctual, be diligent. be triflingly employed. Never be unemployed a moment: Never any more time in any place than is strictly necessary." 9. From about the twenty-second year of his age, when, as he tells his brother Samuel in a letter, "Leisure and he had taken leave of each other, and he proposed to be busy as long as he lived, if his health should be so long indulged to him;" he made it a constant rule, as is well known, to rise at four in the morning and from the observation of this rule, even sickness could scarcely prevent him. From that hour till he went to rest at night, (which was about nine) it may be safely said that he never willingly lost one moment. Amusement or relaxation he used none, save what arose from change of employment. His whole life was one scene of serious business. From morning to night, allowing time for his meals, he was either reading, or writing, or preaching, or travelling, or conversing seriously with those who applied to him for advice about matters temporal or spiritual. Nay, and frequently when on horseback, in the former part of his life, and almost always in the chaise (since he was obliged through weakness of body to make use of that means of conveyance) he was reading, unless when he judged it better to employ his thoughts in considering some subject intended for the pulpit or the press. 10. We see in him the wonders that time can do; "Time," (as Dr. Young says) "Than gold more sacred, more a load Than lead to fools, and fools reputed wise." And we see, too, in him the fulfilment of that gracious promise, To him that hath shall be given. He had, that is, employed, according to the design of the Giver, the time vouchsafed him, and therefore the Lord gave him much of it. Consider him as awake and active from four in the morning till nine or ten at night, and you will find reason to conclude that he lived more in one year than many do in a half a dozen. Add to this, that the Lord protracted his life to the long date of, at least, eighty-eight years. So that his life was long indeed, longer, all things considered, than almost any in these latter ages do or will attain to; and what is better, wholly employed for the glory of God and the good of mankind. It may be safely said, that from the time he was twenty-two years of age, till his dying day, he hardly ever em ployed one hour, wrote one line, travelled one mile, or almost uttered one sentence, but what was, at least, designed by him to be useful to his fellow-creatures, nay, and in general, one way or other, was useful. 11. How may thousands have been relieved, or cured in bodily complaints, by his advice given verbally, or in that most useful little book, termed Primitive Physic. How many tens of thousands owe to him, under God, the health, yea, and everlasting happiness of their souls! How many families and individuals, at variance, has he reconciled, and how much peace and harmony has he been a mean of imparting where it never had been, or of restoring where it had been lost! How many drunken and debauched husbands and fathers have been reclaimed from their vices, and their families saved from beggary and ruin; and how much industry, frugality, temperance, and chastity, and of consequence prosperity, have through him, been spread through this and other kingdoms! How many hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands of miserable objects have been, or still are, relieved by his own charities, or by those of which he was, under God, the main-spring, and either set on foot, or promoted! How many at this moment, are praising God on earth that ever there was such a man, and how many more in heaven! How many thousands and myriads, during these fifty or sixty years that he has so successfully exercised his ministry on earth, converted to God by his instrumentality, directly or indirectly, have gone before him to paradise, and were ready to bid him welcome when he arrived! and how many hundreds of thousands, in England, Scotland, Ireland, America, and the West Indies, nay, and in other parts of the earth to which his writings have reached, or may hereafter reach, are waiting, or shall hereafter wait, to follow after! Oh! what a meeting, my dear brethren! How many sons and daughters, begotten by him through the gospel, shall at that day rise up and call him blessed! shall own and confess him their spiritual father, while he looks round with astonishment, and asks, Who hath begotten me these? These, where had they been? "I will invite you, my father and my friend," (said Mr. Hervey in a letter to him, dated in the year 1736,)" to meet me among the spirits of the just made perfect, since I am not likely to see you any more in the flesh. Then will I bid you welcome, yea, I will tell of your love before the universal assembly, and at the tremendous tribunal. I will hear, with joy, the Lord Jesus say of (Oh! you that are greatly beloved!) Well done, good and faithful you, servant! You have served your Lord and your generation with your might. You have finished the work which my Father gave you to do. If others have turned their thousands, you have turned your ten thousands from the power of Satan unto God. Receive, therefore, a glorious kingdom, a beautiful and immortal crown from my hand. Enter with the children I have given you, with the souls you have won, O thou blessed one, thou heir of glory! enter in at those everlasting doors, and receive there the reward of thy labours, even fulness of joy for ever and ever." 13. And if Mr. Hervey be so eager to come forward and welcome our venerable father into heavenly mansions, shall his son in the gospel, Mr. Fletcher, be backward? Shall his dear brother and fellow-labourer, Mr. Charles Wesley, stand aloof? Shall Mr. Whitefield, whose labours commenced with his, and who with him bore the burden and heat of the day, but finished his task many years sooner?-Shall not he rise up and bid him enter? Methinks even Mr. Toplady has lost his bitterness, and is melted into love! But why should I name individuals? An immense multitude that knew him in the flesh, and that never knew him, shall join the inviting and applauding chorus; prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers, saints, confessors, and martyrs, gathered out of every nation and age, shall be glad to testify their love towards so faithful and eminent a servant of God, and of the Lord Jesus. May we, my brethren, be of this company! I hope in God many of us shall. Many of you have long been, and are at this moment, the sincere friends of the Lord Jesus, and therefore, of whatever denomination or party, cannot be his enemies, cannot be the enemies of one so owned of God, and who has been made such an universal blessing to mankind. 14. Thus have I been led, without intending it, to speak also of the end of his conversation," and to anticipate, in a great measure, what might have been advanced under the third head. I shall, therefore only add to what has been said, that the wonderful success God gave to his labours, the amazing reformation he made him the great instrument of effecting in this and other kingdoms, the glorious exit he made out of life, after having persevered in the good way in which he had begun, to the end; and the great and blessed reward which, we doubt not, he partly has received already, and will hereafter more abundantly receive at the resurrection of the just, these particulars all included in Texa avaspoons, that end of his conversation which we are called upon to consider, certainly contains strong and powerful arguments why |