absolute, indispensable duty, to leave that child the bulk of my fortune; and to the rest just so much as would enable them to live in the manner they had been accustomed to do. "But what if all your children were equally ignorant of the true use of money?" I ought then, (hard saying! Who can hear it?) to give each what would keep him above want: and to bestow all the rest in such a manner as I judged would be most for the glory of God.

III. 1. But let not any man imagine, that he has done any thing barely by going thus far, by "gaining and saving all he can," if he were to stop here. All this is nothing, if a man go not forward, if he does not point all this at a further end. Nor, indeed, can a man properly be said to save any thing, if he only lays it up. You may as well throw your money into the sea, as bury it in the earth. And you may as well bury it in the earth, as in your chest, or in the Bank of England. Not to use, is effectually to throw it away. If, therefore, you would indeed "make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness," add the third rule to the two preceding. Having first gained all you can, and secondly saved all you can, then give all

you can.

2. In order to see the ground and reason of this, consider, When the possessor of heaven and earth brought you into being, and placed you in this world, he placed you here not as a proprietor, but a steward. As such he intrusted you for a season with goods of various kinds. But the sole property of these still rests in him, nor can ever be alienated from him. As you yourself are not your own, but his, such is, likewise, all that you enjoy. Such is your soul and your body, not your own, but God's. And so is your substance in particular. And he has told you in most clear and express terms, how you are to employ it for him, in such a manner, that it may be all a holy sacrifice, acceptable through Christ Jesus. And this light, easy service, he hath promised to reward with an eternal weight of glory.

3. The directions which God hath given us, touching the use of our worldly substance, may be comprised in the following particulars. If you desire to be a faithful and a wise steward, out of that portion of your Lord's goods, which he has for the present lodged in your hands, but with the right of resuming whenever it pleases him, First, provide things needful for yourself, food to eat, raiment to put on, whatever nature moderately requires, for preserving the body in health and strength Secondly, provide these for your wife, your children, your servants, or any others, who pertain to your household. If, when this is done, there be an overplus left, then "do good to them that are of the household of faith." If there be an overplus still, "as you have opportunity, do good unto all men." In so doing, you give all you can nay, in a sound sense, all you have: for all that is laid out in this manner, is really given to God. You "render unto God the things that are God's," not only by what you give to the poor, but also, by that which you expend in providing things needful for yourself and your household.

4. If then a doubt should at any time arise in your mind, concern

ing what you are going to expend, either on yourself or any part of your family, you have an easy way to remove it. Calmly and seriously inquire, 1. In expending this, am I acting according to my character? Am I acting herein, not as a proprietor, but as a steward of my Lord's goods? 2. Am I doing this in obedience to his word? In what portion of it does he require me so to do? 3. Can I offer up this action, this expense, as a sacrifice to God through Jesus Christ? 4. Have I reason to believe, that for this very work I shall have a reward at the resurrection of the just? You will seldom need any thing more to remove any doubt which arises on this head; but, by this four-fold consideration, you will receive clear light as to the way wherein you should go.

5. If any doubt still remain, you may farther examine yourself by prayer, according to those heads of inquiry. Try whether you can say to the Searcher of Hearts, your conscience not condemning you, "Lord, thou seest, I am going to expend this sum, on that food, apparel, furniture. And thou knowest, I act therein with a single eye, as a steward of thy goods, expending this portion of them thus, in pursuance of the design thou hadst in intrusting me with them. Thou knowest I do this in obedience to thy word, as thou commandest, and because thou commandest it. Let this, I beseech thee, be a holy sacrifice, acceptable through Jesus Christ! And give me a witness in myself, that for this labour of love, I shall have a recompense, when thou rewardest every man according to his works." Now, if your conscience bear you witness in the Holy Ghost, that this prayer is well-pleasing to God, then have you no reason to doubt, but that expense is right and good, and such as will never make you ashamed.

6. You see, then, what it is, to "make yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness," and by what means you may procure, "that when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations." You see the nature and extent of true Christian prudence, so far as it relates to the use of that great talent, Money. Gain all you can, without hurting either yourself or your neighbour, in soul or body, by applying hereto with unintermitted diligence, and with all the understanding which God has given you. Save all you can, by cutting off every expense, which serves only to indulge foolish desire to gratify either the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life. Waste nothing, living or dying, on sin or folly, whether for yourself or your children. And then give all you can, or, in other words, give all you have to God. Do not stint yourself, like a Jew rather than a Christian, to this or that proportion. Render unto God, not a tenth, not a third, not half; but all that is God's, be it more or less: By employing all, on yourself, your household, the household of faith, and all mankind, in such a manner, that you may give a good account of your stewardship, when ye can be no longer stewards: In such a manner as the oracles of God direct, both by general and particular precepts: In such a manner, that whatever do may be "a sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour to God:" and

ye

that every act may be rewarded in that day, when the Lord cometh with all his saints.

7. Brethren, can we be either wise or faithful stewards, unless we thus manage our Lord's goods? We cannot, as not only the oracles of God, but our own conscience beareth witness. Then why should we delay? Why should we confer any longer with flesh and blood, or the men of the world? Our kingdom, our wisdom, is not of this world: Heathen custom is nothing to us. We follow no men any farther than they are followers of Christ. Hear ye him: yea, today, while it is called to-day, hear and obey his voice. At this hour, and from this hour, do his will: Fulfil his word, in this and in all things. I entreat you, in the name of the Lord Jesus, act up to the dignity of your calling. No more sloth! Whatsoever your hand findeth to do, do it with your might. No more waste! Cut off every expense which fashion, caprice, or flesh and blood demand. No more covetousness! But employ whatever God has intrusted you with, in doing good, all possible good, and in every possible kind and degree, to the household of faith, to all men. This is no small part of "the wisdom of the just :" Give all ye have, as well as all ye are, a spiritual sacrifice to him, who withheld not from you his Son, his only Son: So" laying up in store for yourselves a good foundation against the time to come, that ye may attain eternal life.”

SERMON LIV.

ON LAYING THE FOUNDATION OF THE NEW CHAPEL, CITYROAD, LONDON, APRIL 21, 1777.

"According to this time, it shall be said, What hath GOD wrought!" NUMBERS XXiii. 23.

1. WE need not now inquire, in what sense this was applicable to the children of Israel. It may be of more use to consider in what sense the words are applicable to ourselves: how far the people of England have reason to say, "According to this time, what hath God wrought !"

2. A great man, indeed, who, I trust, is now in a better world, Dr. Gibson, late lord bishop of London, in one of his charges to his clergy, flatly denies, that God has wrought any "extraordinary work" in our nation: nay, affirms, that to imagine any such thing, is no better than downright enthusiasm. It is so, if his lordship's supposition is true, if God has not wrought any extraordinary work. But,

if he really has, then we may believe and assert it, without incurring any such imputation.

3. Yet, a still greater man of a neighbouring nation, a burning and a shining light, equally eminent in piety and in learning, partly confirmed the bishop's supposition. For Bengelius being asked, Why he placed the grand revival of religion so late as the year 1836, replied, "I acknowledge all the prophecies would incline me to place it a century sooner. But an insurmountable difficulty lies in the way I cannot reconcile this to matter of fact. For I do not know of any remarkable work of God which has been wrought upon earth between the years 1730 and 1740" This is really surprising. It is strange that sensible men should know so little of what is done at so small a distance. How could so great a man be ignorant of what was transacted no farther off than England? Especially considering the accounts then published in Germany, some of which were tolerably impartial: nay, considering the particular account which I had sent, as early as the year 1742, to one well known through all the empire, Pastor (afterwards Superintendent) Steinmetz.

4. "But has there, indeed, been any extraordinary work of God wrought in England during this century?" This is an important question: it is certainly worthy of our serious consideration. And it is capable of being answered to the full satisfaction of every fair inquirer. He may easily be informed, what work it is, and in what manner it has been wrought. It is true, I am in one respect an improper person to give this information; as it will oblige me frequently to speak of myself, which may have the appearance of ostentation. But, with regard to this, I can only cast myself upon the candour of my hearers, being persuaded they will put the most favourable construction upon what is not a matter of choice, but of necessity. For there is no other person, if I decline the task, who can supply my place, who has a perfect knowledge of the work in question, from the beginning of it to this day. We may consider, First, The rise and progress of this work: Secondly, The nature of it.

I. 1. As to the rise of it. In the year 1725, a young student at Oxford was much affected by reading Kempis's Christian Pattern, and Bishop Taylor's Rules of Holy Living and Dying. He found an earnest desire to live according to those rules, and to flee from the wrath to come. He sought for some that would be his companions in the way, but could find none; so that, for several years, he was constrained to travel alone, having no man either to guide or to help him. But, in the year 1729, he found one who had the same desire. They then endeavoured to help each other, and, in the close of the year, were joined by two more. They soon agreed to spend two or three hours together every Sunday evening. Afterwards they met together two evenings, and, in a while, six evenings in the week: spending that time in reading the Scriptures, and provoking one another to love and to good works.

2. The regularity of their behaviour gave occasion to a young gentleman of the college to say, "I think we have got a new set of

Methodists:" alluding to a set of physicians, who began to flourish at Rome about the time of Nero, and continued for several ages. The name was new and quaint: it clave to them immediately. And from that time, both those four young gentlemen, and all that had any religious connexion with them, were distinguished by the name of Methodists.

3. In the four or five years following, another and another were added to the number, till, in the year 1735, there were fourteen of them who constantly met together. Three of these were Tutors in their several colleges; the rest, Bachelors of Arts, or under-graduates. They were all precisely of one judgment, as well as of one soul. All tenacious of order to the last degree, and observant, for conscience' sake, of every rule of the church, and every statute, both of the university, and of their respective colleges. They were all orthodox in every point; firmly believing, not only the three creeds, but whatsoever they judged to be the doctrine of the Church of England, as contained in her Articles and Homilies. As to that practice of the apostolic church, (which continued to the time of Tertullian, at least in many churches,) the "having all things in common," they had no rule, nor any formed design concerning it. But it was so in effect, and it could not be otherwise; for none was suffered to want any thing that another could spare. This was the infancy of the work. They had no conception of any thing that would follow. Indeed, they took no " thought for the morrow," desiring only to live " to-day."

4. Many imagined that little society would be dispersed, and Methodism (so called) come to an end, when, in October, 1735, my brother, Mr. Ingham, and I, were induced, by a strange chain of providences, to go over to the new colony in Georgia. Our design was to preach to the Indian nations bordering upon that province. But we were detained at Savannah and Frederica, by the importunity of the people who, having no other ministers, earnestly requested, that we would not leave them. After a time, I desired the most serious of them to meet me once or twice a week at my house. Here were the rudiments of a Methodist Society; but, notwithstanding this, both my brother and I were as vehemently attached to the Church as ever, and to every rubric of it: insomuch that I would never admit a Dissenter to the Lord's-Supper, unless he would be rebaptized. Nay, when the Lutheran minister of the Saltzburghers at Ebenezer, being at Savannah, desired to receive it, I told him I "did not dare to administer it to him, because I looked upon him as unbaptized: as I judged baptism by laymen to be invalid: and such I counted all that were not episcopally ordained."

5. Full of these sentiments, of this zeal for the Church, (from which, I bless God, he has now delivered me,) I returned to England in the beginning of February 1738. I was now in haste to retire to Oxford, and bury myself in my beloved obscurity. But I was detained in London, week after week, by the trustees for the colony of Georgia. In the mean time, I was continually importuned to preach in one