METHODISTS. The term Methodist was first given to Themison, the founder of a sect of physicians at Rome, which flourished about three hundred years, and had some of the greatest physicians of the age among its members.
In the seventeenth cent urythere sprung op a new species of polemic doctors, who were denominated Methodists, and distin. guished themselves by their zeal and dex terity in defending the church of Rome against the attacks of the Protestants. This sect is now no more ; and the ap pellation is made to designate the follow. era of the late Messrs.,John and Charles Wesley, and the societies founded by the Rev George Whitefield. They are di vided into Whitefieldian and Wesleyan Methodists. The members of the for. mer division embrace the doctrines of Calvin : the latter, as far as relates to Free-will, are Armenians. For an account of the doctrines held by the Whitefieldian Methodists, see article Catvi•irrs.
The following are the doctrines held by the Arminians or Wesleyan Methodists : 1. Justification by Faith only ; by which they mean, not only our acquittal at the last day, but present forgiveness, pardon of sins, and consequently acceptance with God.
2. They maintain, that the condition of justification is faith ; and hold, that not only without faith no one can be saved, but also, that as soon as any one has true faith, in that moment he is justified : this is called the New Birth. It should be un derstood, that this doctrine of justifica tion by faith only includes in it also the notion of the witness of the spirit : that is, according to the Methodists, an instan taneous, sensible impression, or " com fortable assurance," in the mind of the sinner, that his sins are forgiven, and that he stands justified before God ; but on this part of the doctrine there appears to be a difference of opinion among them. At the conference held in 1806, Mr. Jo seph Cooke was expelled from the con nexion, because he had taught, in two sermons, which he published, " that in whatever morhent a sinner returns to God, according to the requisitions of the gos pel, God accepts that sinner, and his wrath no longer abides upon him ; or, in other words, that the sinner is justified: and that, whether he has any comfortable persuasion of it in his own mind, or not."
For this, though he offered to prove that he had taught nothing which is not con tained in the writings of Wesley and Fletcher, Mr. Cooke was condemned un heard. " What," however, " be was not allowed to prove before the conference, he has since proved before the world." See his late publication, entitled " Me thodism condemned by Methodist Preachers, &c." 3. They maintain, that though good works cannot go before, yet they must al. ways follow,justifying faith.
4. They believe that it is the duty and privilege of all true believers to attain to a state of perfection, or, as they times express it, entire sanctification, fore they leave this life. This is a ite doctrine with the Wesleyan ists. it is thus described : " they believe that Christians may, nay ought to, attain to a state of moral perfection before death; and that this may be attained in a moment, just as they received the forgiveness of their sins. This work they assign chiefly to the third person in the Trinity, who is said to commence his cleansing tions the moment he speaks peace to the soul by the absolution of the sinner; and that he, the Holy Ghost, silently, and sometimes almost imperceptiblyproceeds to work on the remains of inbred sin, till, in a moment, the old man with his deeds is wholly put off, and the soul is purged from every stain, not having spot or wrin kle, or any such thing. This state of per. fection needs never be lost." Mr. Wesley asserted, that there is a state of sanctifi cation, from which the believer can never fall. It is proper to remark, that the Me thodists believe all the leading doctrines of other orthodox Christians, as far as re lates to original or birth-sin, the Trini ty, atonement, or the vicarious sacrifice of Christ, the eternity of hell torments, &c. They differ, however, from the Whitefieldian Methodists concerning pre destination, irresistible grace, imputed righteousness, the final perseverance of the saints, election, and reprobation.