fe wholly differing from that of
the world around him, and that such a renewal of life could only be
effected by the operation of the divine Spirit; and he does not appear
to have had serious difficulties about the doctrine of imputed
righteousness, although the ordinary evangelical doctrine on this matter
was emphatically repudiated and denounced by Law.

From Boehler he first learned to believe that every man, no matter how
moral, how pious, or how orthodox he may be, is in a state of damnation,
until, by a supernatural and instantaneous process wholly unlike that of
human reasoning, the conviction flashes upon his mind that the sacrifice
of Christ has been applied to and has expiated his sins; that this
supernatural and personal conviction or illumination is what is meant by
saving faith, and that it is inseparably accompanied by an absolute
assurance of salvation and by a complete dominion over sin. It cannot
exist where there is not a sense of the pardon of all past and of
freedom from all present sins. It is impossible that he who has
experienced it should be in serious and lasting doubt as to the fact;
for its fruits are constant peace--not one uneasy thought; "freedom from
sin--not one unholy desire." Repentance and fruits meet for repentance,
such as the forgiveness of those who have offended us, ceasing from evil
and doing good, may precede this faith, but good works in the
theological sense of the term spring from, and therefore can only
follow, faith.

Such, as clearly as I can state it, was the fundamental doctrine which
Wesley adopted from the Moravians. His mind was now thrown, through
causes very susceptible of a natural explanation, into an exceedingly
excited and abnormal condition, and he has himself chronicled with great
minuteness in his journal the incidents that follow. On Sunday, March
5, 1738, he tells us that Boehler first fully convinced him of the want
of that supernatural faith which alone could save. The shock was very
great, and the first impulse of Wesley was to abstain from preaching,
but his new master dissuaded him, saying: "Preach faith till you have
it; and then because you have faith you will preach faith." He followed
the advice, and several weeks passed in a state of extreme religious
excitement, broken, however, by strange fits of "indifference, dulness,
and coldness." While still believing himself to be in a state of
damnation, he preached the new doctrine with such passionate