"My seventh correspondent was J. WEINHOFER, vice-archdeacon at Pinkafield, in Hungary, a very pious, conscientious man, who had long been in correspondence with professor Sailer; but not having obtained satisfaction from his books and letters, in 1811, requested permission to visit him. To this Sailer consented, but wished him, on his way through Lintz, to call on me at Gallneukirch, and open his anxieties to me. Weinhofer called on me most unexpectedly, in May, told me of Sailer's recommendation, and laid open the state of his mind. God quieted and purified his heart by faith in Christ, and after spending some days with me, he returned home peaceful, thankful, and joyful, and postponed his journey to Landshut. What could be more natural than that he should often write to me of matters relating to faith and conscience, and seek further comfort and advice from me respecting the salvation that is in Christ? But we could both declare upon oath that we never thought of a secret association."

Boos then mentions other correspondents; the baron Grumpenberg, a Bavarian by birth —baron Rufin, also of Bavaria—Anna Schlatter, whose name has already occurred in this narrative-Maria Oberdorfer, by birth a Lutheranbishop Sailer's secretary-and Gallus Poggo, prefect of the Catholic Seminary at St. Gall.

Lastly, he refers to a person of the name of Grellet, who had been deputed by some Christians in North America to visit Sailer and his

F

disciples, in whose efforts to diffuse spiritual Christianity in the Romish church they took a deep interest. He had, however, no direct intercourse with Boos; for, having heard that neither he nor any other person in Gallneukirch understood either French or English, he merely sent a message to say that he felt most closely allied to him in spirit. He returned home by way of Nuremburg and Amsterdam; and having informed his friends in those places of the particulars of his visit, they collected six hundred florins, which were transmitted to Munich, with a request that Sailer and Boos would distribute them among the most needy persons in their connexion as they might think fit. Of this sum, however, none passed through Boos's hands, though he was informed that two-thirds of it was spent in charity, and the rest appropriated to publishing an edition of the New Testament.

CHAPTER XIX.

Answers to objections-The Bishop's injunction-The Emperor's decision-Boos's departure from Austria.

DURING the proceedings against Boos at this time, it was said, that these religious awakenings. were mere illusion and self-deception. which he answered:

To

"What proceeds from illusion and imagination is of short duration. But this awakening, this joy and peace in the Holy Ghost, through faith in Christ, has lasted with me and many hundreds of others, for twenty-five years-from 1790 in Kempten, to 1815 in Gallneukirch. There must, consequently, be truth and reality, and something Divine about it; for it is not conceivable that hundreds and thousands of individuals should deceive themselves for such a length of time together, particularly since this illusion, as it is called, has been all the while so constantly calumniated and persecuted. Mere illusion is soon gone, and will not stand a twenty-five years' trial.

"Paul, on his way to Damascus, was surrounded by a heavenly light, and, by the Lord's appearance and voice, was suddenly changed

from a wolf into a lamb. He was afterwards caught up into the third heaven, where he heard unutterable words; and frequently the Lord or an angel appeared to him in the night, and spoke to him. Was that also an illusion? Cold reason, inexperienced in Divine things, says, indeed, with Festus, 'Paul, thou art deluded! thou art beside thyself' (Acts xxvi. 24). But faith replies, 'I am not deluded, most noble Festus, but speak the words of truth and soberness. The king knoweth of these things. King Agrippa, believest thou this?'

"Alderman Höllinger, in Gallneukirch, five years ago, as everybody knows, was furious, like Saul, against Boos and the faith which he preached. But on Trinity Sunday, (in the year 1810,) while reading the passage in Rom. ix. 30-33, a heavenly light shone suddenly into his soul. From being a Saul,' said he, 'I became a Paul; I saw clearly that the clergyman was in the right, and that I was in the wrong.' With the Bible in his hand, he ran to me weeping, entreated my forgiveness before witnesses for all his calumnies against me, and has been ever since that time a most zealous defender of his pastor and the truth. Let any one tell this aged and pious man, that his faith and light are an illusion, and hear what reply he will make ! . .

"Christ is still carrying on the work which he began when he was on earth, in converting and saving men. Our awakenings are like those which He himself effected in Zaccheus,

Matthew, Peter, Paul, Nicodemus, the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well, Mary Magdalene, the man that was born blind, etc.; and like those effected by the apostles and their companions on the day of Pentecost, and in the instances of the Philippian jailer, Lydia, Cornelius, etc. Our awakened people have heard and received the same gospel with the same joy and thankfulness, as glad tidings which they had never heard before; and have walked in newness of life. .

"Our awakened people were formerly poor in spirit, mourning for their sins, hungering and thirsting after righteousness. Now we know that of such it is said, 'Theirs is the kingdom of heaven' and when the gospel is preached to such, it is always effectual, and must be so. Is it likely that the most humble, the most zealous, and the most pious people in the whole parish should be deluded, and that the proud and ungodly should alone have the true light?

"These awakenings have produced the most delightful fruits of virtue and godliness. Persons, for example, who formerly stole, gambled, and lived riotously, now do so no more. Many who formerly dreaded God like slaves, now love Him as children; and many who formerly neither read nor understood the Bible, now read and understand it with joy. Are these good fruits the effects of an illusion? Would that the whole world were thus deluded! Such illusions would neither be injurious to the government nor to the church, even were