of the old theology-not its experimental nor its practical, but its speculative character. The best sentiments of human nature revolted at its ideas of the divine government; and men in flying from one extreme passed to the other; in escaping from the desolate rocks of Scylla they plunged into the vortex of Charybdis. Arminianism is the safe position between the two extremes. In their transition they could not but cross it; and hence Arminianism has been charged with the responsibility of their errors. Arminianism is no more responsible for them than Calvinism is for the errors of the Mohammedans, who believe with Calvin in predesti

nation.

The following three statements are not unworthy a little attention :—

1. Arminianism has almost always been combined with serious errors among those who have been repelled from Calvinism. But,

2. There is no one doctrine in Arminianism, as preached by Methodists, which has a natural tendency to laxity in religion. It has less of this liability than Calvinism, logically compared, doctrine for doctrine.

3. During the very period that errors, connected with Arminianism, have been desolating the Presbyterian churches of old England, and

the Congregational of New-England, an Arminian organization has been growing, in these very countries, into immense strength and numbers, spreading itself out to the ends of the earth, and, in this land at least, exceeding, by nearly two-thirds, the combined numbers of the Congregational and Presbyterian Calvinists, until it has become the largest sect in these States, and with scarcely a defection of a pastor or church to those heresies which have raged in the former.

Which, then, is the cause of these heresiesCalvinism or Arminianism?

WESLEYAN ANECDOTES.

"Marvelous things."-Psalmist.

YESTERDAY I spent a most agreeable afternoon with Rev. R. R., of the Wesleyan Conference, an excellent man, intelligent, refined, deeply evangelical, and sufficiently advanced in years to possess, in combination with mature experience and sound judgment, the mellow sentiments and cheerful temper of a ripe old age. He was one of the colaborers of Wesley, and abounds in most entertaining anecdotes of early Methodism. Now, it so happens that my humor runs in this current, and Mr. R.'s seemed perfectly to coalesce with it, so that the colloquial stream flowed rapidly and merrily. I put down snatches of the conversation.

He had witnessed some of the extraordinary physical effects of religious excitement which occur at our camp meetings, and remarked that they seldom appeared now-a-days on the other. side of the waters. Neither of us knew how to account for these anomalous circumstances except on some yet undiscovered law of the nervous system. They had at first puzzled Mr. Wesley much; he believed them to proceed sometimes from the devil, at others from VOL. II.-11

divine influence; but, in his later years, discouraged them decidedly. Mr. R. had witnessed these phenomena, at their first appearance, at Kingswood, and described them as altogether inexplicable. The stoutest men fell to the earth as suddenly as if shot through the heart; bold blasphemers were instantly seized with agony and cried aloud for mercy, and scores were sometimes strewed on the ground at once, insensible as dead men. A traveler, at one time, was passing by, but, on pausing a moment to hear the sermon, was directly smitten to the earth, and lay there apparently without life. A Quaker, who was admonishing the by-standers against these strange scenes, as affectation and hypocrisy, was himself struck down, as by an unseen hand, while the words of reproach were even upon his lips. A weaver, a great disliker of dissenters, fearing that the new excitement would alienate his neighbors from the church, went about zealously among them to prove that it was the work of Satan, and would endanger their souls. A new convert lent him one of Wesley's sermons; while reading it he suddenly turned pale, fell to the floor, and roared so mightily that the people ran into the house from the streets and found him sweating, weeping, and screaming in anguish.

A

Mr. R. referred, with much interest, to many of his old associates in the itinerancy. He had never heard a preacher superior to Samuel Bradburn. He was full of sublimity, mighty, grasping thoughts and melting pathos, and yet mingled with the whole, in the strongest contrasts, an exhaustless wit. Dr. Coke, said Mr. R., used to declare that there was but one man whom he could hear preach longer than fortyfive minutes, and he was Samuel Bradburn. number of young preachers were speaking once rather whiningly of having given up all for the ministry. They put too much emphasis on their sacrifices, in Bradburn's estimation; he wished to rebuke them, and did it with his usual felicity. He had been a cobbler himself, as well as a tinker, and most of the young men in the company had been in equally humble occupations. "Yes, dear brethren," exclaimed he, some of you have had to sacrifice your all for the itinerancy; but we old men have had our share of these trials. As for myself, I made a double sacrifice, for I gave up for the ministry two of the best awls in the kingdoma great sacrifice truly to become an ambassador of God in the church and a gentleman in society !"

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