When
lie  says  that  faith  includes  both  adherence  and  assurance,  it  is  obvi-
ous that  he  does  not  mean  by  assurance,  the  assurance  of  personal
acceptance,  which  he  distinctly,  in  the  same  passage,  ascribes  to  tho
direct  testimony  of  the  Spirit  of  God  ;  but  the  assurance  that  Christ
"died  for  me"  "for  my  sins,"  which  special  manifestation  of  God's
love  in  Christ  to  me  as  an  individual,  producing  an  entire  trust  in
the  Divine  sacrifice  for  sin,  he  attributes  to  a  supernatural  elenchos
or  conviction. This,  however,  ho  considers  as  a  "  conviction"  in
order  to  faith  or  trust;  and  then  the  act  of  personal  and  entire  trust
in  this  manifested  love  and  goodness  is  succeeded  by  the  direct  tes-
timony of  the  Spirit  of  adoption,  which  he  tells  us  gives  a  man  "  the
assurance  that  he  is  a  child  of  God,  and  a  child  like  confidence  in
him."  And  when  ho  goes  on  so  truly  to  state,  that  "  in  tho  very
mature  of  the  thing,  the  assurance  goes  before  the  confidence"  and


REV. JOHN  WESLEY. 155

again  into  a  state  of  doubt,  or  fear,  or  darkness  ;  and  that
(ordinarily  at  least)  he  will  not,  unless  by  ignorance  or
unfaithfulness."  Assaults  of  doubt  and  fear  are  however
admitted,  even  after  great  confidence  and  joy ;  and  "  occa-
sional heaviness  of  spirit  before  large  manifestations  of  the
presence  and  favour  of  God."  To  these  views  of  doctrine
may  be  added,  that  regeneration  or  the  new  birth  is  held  to
be  concomitant  with  justification. "  Good  works  cannot  go
before  this  faith;  much  less  can  sanctification,which  implies
a  continued  course  of  good  works,  springing  from  holiness
of  heart ;  but  they  follow  after  :"  and  the  reason  given  for
this  is,  that  as  salvation,  which  includes  a  present  deliver-
ance from  sin,  a  restoration  of  the  soul  to  its  primitive
health,  the  renewing  of  the  soul  after  the  image  of  God,  all
holy  and  heavenly  tempers  and  conversation,  is  by  faith,
it  cannot  precede  faith,  which  is  the  appointed  instrument
of  attaining  it. 