tremely ill, and his health was with difficulty restored.

Having experienced the pardoning mercy of God, he walked in the fear of the Lord, and enjoyed the comfort of the Holy Ghost. That he might more clearly perceive what was his Christian calling, and enjoy all the salvation purchased by the blood of Christ, he regularly perused the sacred volume, and implored Divine direction. Being obedient to the teachings of the Spirit, it was not long before he was convinced of the necessity of a farther work of grace upon his heart. He now saw that it was his privilege to be cleansed from all sin. Miss Brew, now Mrs. George Barker, heard him relate the manner in which he received this great blessing of entire sanctification, nearly in the following words: "I was for some time deeply convinced of my need of purity, and sought it carefully with tears and entreaties, and sacri. fice; thinking nothing too much to give up, nothing too much to do or suffer, if I might but attain this pearl of great price. Yet I found it not; nor knew the reason why, till the Lord showed me I had erred in the way of seeking it. I did not seek it by faith alone, but, as it were, by the works of the law. Being now convinced of my error, I sought the blessing by faith only. Still it tarried a little, but I waited for it in the way of faith. When in the house of a friend at Liverpool, whither I had gone to settle some temporal affairs previously to my going out to travel, I was sitting," said

he, "as it might be on this chair," pointing to the chair on which he sat, "with my mind engaged in various meditations concerning my affairs and future prospects, my heart now and then lifted up to God, but not particularly about this blessing,-heaven came down to earth; it came to my soul. The Lord, for whom I had waited, came suddenly to the temple of my heart; and I had an immediate evidence that this was the blessing I had for some time been seeking. My soul was then all wonder, love, and praise. It is now about twenty-six years ago; I have walked in this liberty ever since. Glory be to God! I have been kept by his power. By faith I stand. In this as in all other instances, I have proved the devil to be a liar : -he suggested to me a few minutes after I received the blessing, that I should not hold it long, it was too great to be retained,-and that I had better not profess it."

Proceeding, he said, "I walked fifteen miles that night to a place where I had an appointment to preach; and, at every step I trod, the temptation was repeated, 'Do not profess sanctification, for thou wilt lose it.' But in preaching that night, the temptation was removed, and my soul was again filled with glory and with God. I then declared to the people what God had done for my soul; and I have done so on every proper occasion since that time, believing it to be a duty incumbent upon me. For God does not impart blessings to his children to be concealed in their own bosoms, but to be

made known to all who fear him and desire the enjoyment of the same privileges. I think such a blessing cannot be retained, without professing it at every fit opportunity; for thus we glorify God, and 'with the mouth make confession unto salvation.'"

This account is much in unison with the following declarations on the same subject by the Rev. John Fletcher, of Madeley. They are extracted from the diary of that excellent woman, the late Mrs. Hester Ann Rogers; and are here inserted that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word of this glorious doctrine may be established."

Leeds, Aug. 24, 1781.—That dear man of God, Mr. Fletcher, came with Miss Bosanquet, (now Mrs. Fletcher,) to dine at Mr. Smith's in Park-Row; and also to meet the select society. After dinner, I took an opportunity to beg he would explain an expression he once used to Miss Loxdale in a letter, viz. 'That on all who are renewed in love, God bestows the gift of prophecy.' He called for the Bible,—then read and sweetly explained the second chapter of the Acts: observing, to 'prophesy,' in the sense he meant, was to magnify God with the new heart of love, and the new tongue of praise, as they did who, on the day of Pentecost, were filled with the Holy Ghost!-and he insisted that believers are now called to make the same confession, seeing we may all prove the same baptismal fire. He showed that the day of Pentecost was only the opening of the dispen

sation of the Holy Ghost,-the great promise of the Father! And that the latter day glory,' which he believed was near at hand, should far exceed the first effusion of the Spirit. Therefore seeing they then bore witness to the grace of our Lord, so should we; and, like them, spread the flame of love! Then, after singing a hymn, he cried,' O to be filled with the Holy Ghost! I want to be filled! O my friends, let us wrestle for a more abundant outpouring of the Spirit!' To me he said, 'Come, my sister, will you covenant with me this day to pray for the fulness of the Spirit? Will you be a witness for Jesus?'-I answered, with flowing tears,In the strengh of Jesus I will.' He cried, Glory, glory, glory be to God! Lord, strengthen thy handmaid to keep this covenant even unto death.' He then said,—' My dear brethren and sisters, God is here! I feel him in this place! But I would hide my face in the dust, because I have been ashamed to declare what he hath done for me! For years I have grieved his Spirit,—but I am deeply humbled: and he has again restored my soul! Last Wednesday evening he spoke to me by these. words, "Reckon yourselves therefore to be dead indeed unto sin; but alive unto God, through Jesus Christ our Lord." I obeyed the voice of God: I now obey it; and tell you all, to the praise of his love, I am freed from sin! Yes, I rejoice to declare it, and to bear witness to the glory of his grace, that "I am dead unto sin, and alive unto God, through Jesus Christ,"

who is my Lord and King! I received this blessing four or five times before; but I lost it by not observing the order of God, who hath told us, "With the heart, man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth, confession is made unto salvation." But the enemy of fered his bait under various colours, to keep me from a public declaration of what my Lord had wrought.

"When I first received his grace, Satan bid me wait awhile, till I saw more of the fruits; I resolved to do so, but I soon began to doubt of the witness, which before I had felt in my heart; and was in a little time sensible I had lost both. A second time, after receiving this salvation, (with shame I confess it,) I was kept from being a witness for my Lord, by the suggestion, Thou art a public character; the eyes of all are upon thee; and if, as before, by any means thou lose the blessing, it will be a dishonor to the doctrine of heart holiness, &c." I held my peace, and again forfeited the gift of God! At another time, I was prevailed upon to hide it by reasoning,-"How few, even of the children of God, will receive this testimony! many of them supposing every transgression of the Adamic law is sin: and therefore if I profess myself to be free from sin, all these will give my profession the lie, because I am not free in their sense :-I am not free from ignorance, mistakes, and various infirmities. I will therefore enjoy what God has wrought in me, but I will not say I am perfect in love."