talking with each person in the society apart, I hear, has been greatly blessed to them. I do not see how you could have dealt more favourably with TG- than you did. If he will leave the society, he must leave it. But if he does, you are clear.

I know not what to do more for poor Jenny Keith. Alas, from what a height is she fallen! What a burning and shining light was she six or seven years ago! But thus it ever was. Many of the first shall be last, and many of the last first.

How are you employed? from five in the morning till nine at night? For I suppose you want eight hours' sleep. What becomes of logic and Latin? Is your soul alive and more athirst for God? I am Your affectionate friend and brother.

CXLII. To the Same.

LONDON, December 10, 1751

MY DEAR BROTHER,-I thank C. Herrington for his letter. He should not fail to write, whenever he sees occasion. If you are strait ened for preachers, could not you make use of George Atchinson, from Stockton, for a time? I suppose James Tucker also is now with you. He is, I verily believe, honest of heart; but a little too wise in his own eyes. Speak plainly to him, if you should ever hear that any thing is amiss in his preaching or conversation.

Brother Reeves will be here in a day or two. But he cannot return into the north yet. I wish you would regulate a little at a time, as you find your health will permit. But you must carefully guard against any irregularity, either as to food, sleep, or labour. Your water should be neither quite warm (for fear of relaxing the tone of your stomach) nor quite cold. Of all flesh, mutton is the best for you; of all vegetables, turnips, potatoes, and apples, (roasted, boiled, or baked,) if you can bear them.

Take care you do not lose whether you learn more or not. first of March at our conference. invite.

any thing you have learned already, You must needs be here (if alive) the None will be present but those we

How apt is the corruptible body to press down the soul! But all shall work together for good.

Now you can sympathize a little with me. We must expect no thanks from man. Evil for good will be our constant portion here. But it is The Lord is at hand. I am

well.

Your affectionate friend and brother.

CXLIII.-To the Same.

LONDON, December 28, 1751.

MY DEAR BROTHER,-Your letter is the picture of your heart. It is honest and upright. I believe a journey to London will do you good. If you could borrow a horse to Leeds, you may take my mare from thence, which is in C. Shent's keeping. As you ride slow, and not many miles a day, I suppose she would bring you hither very well; and when you are here, we can casily find means to supply your other wants. I think it is ill husbandry for you to work with your hands, in order to get money; because you may be better employed. But, if you will

work, come and superintend my printing. I will give you forty pounds for the first year, and it will cost me nothing so to do. Afterward, if need be, I will increase your salary; and still you may preach as often as you can preach. However, come, whether you print, or preach, or not. Peace be with your spirit. I am

Your affectionate friend and brother.

CXLIV.-To Miss Furly, afterward Mrs. Downes.

DECEMBER 22, 1756,

It is a happy thing, if we can learn obedience by the things which wo suffer. Weakness of body, and heaviness of mind, will, I trust, have this good effect upon you. The particular lesson which you have now to learn, is, to be faithful in comparatively little things; particularly in conversation. God hath given you a tongue: Why? That you may praise him therewith; that all your conversation may be, for the time to come, "meet to minister grace to the hearers." Such conversation, and private prayer, exceedingly assist each other. By resolutely persisting, according to your little strength, in all works of piety and mercy, you are waiting on God in the old Scriptural way. And therein he will come and save you. Do not think he is afar off. He is nigh that justifieth, that sanctifieth. Beware you do not thrust him away from Rather say,

you.

"My heart would now receive thee, Lord:
Come in, my Lord, conie in!"

Write as often, and as freely, and fully as you please to

Your affectionate brother and servant.

CXLV. To the Same.

BRISTOL, May 18, 1757.

THE great point is, to pick out in Bristol, as in all places, such acquaintance as have a deep fear of God, a continual consciousness of his presence, and a strong thirst after his whole image. Such I take most of the leaders of bands to be; and such are many of the poor in the society but extremely few of the rich or honourable Methodists are of that number. My dear sister, I have been in pain for you on their account. When I talked with you last, you could relish the simplicity of the Gospel: you were athirst for all the mind that was in Christ, and wanted to walk just as he walked. O let none persuade you, either by example or advice, to make any, the least, deviation from that good way. Make no abatement: do not soften the plain, rough Gospel : do not

Measure back your steps to earth again.

Be not, either inwardly or outwardly, conformed to this world; but be a Christian altogether.

Health you shall have, if health be best. And He that gives it, will give a blessing with it; an increase of spiritual as well as of bodily strength: but it is strength to labour, not to sit still. And this strength will either increase or decrease, in the same proportion with your sense of his love. You may lose this sense either, 1. By committing sin. Or, 2. By omitting duty. Or, 3. By giving way to pride, anger, or

any other inward sin. Or, 4. By not watching unto prayer; by yielding to indolence, or spiritual sloth. But it is no more necessary that we should ever lose it, than it is necessary we should omit duty or commit sin. Mr. Law, therefore, speaking on this head, betrays deep ignorance both of the Scripture and the inward work of God. You are more liable to receive hurt from his late writings, than from any others which I know. I shall write to Sammy this morning: it would not have been amiss if you had spoken freely to me concerning him. Why should not you, now you have, in some measure, broke that natural shyness, speak all that is in your heart to, dear Miss Furly,

Your truly affectionate friend and brother.

CXLVI.-To the Same.

NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, June 14, 1757.

You have reason to praise God for what he has done, and to expect all that he has promised. Indeed, if it were required that you should work this in yourself, your impotence might be a bar to your expectations; and so might your unworthiness, if God required any merit of yours, in order to his working in you. But what impotence in you can be a bar to the almighty power of God? And what unworthiness can hinder the free love of God? his love in and through Christ Jesus? So that all the promises lie fair before you. The land flowing with milk and honey, the Canaan of his perfect love is open. Believe, and enter in!

It is an observation of one of the ancients, that it is far easier not to desire praise, than not to be pleased with it. A bare conviction that it is, generally speaking, deadly poison, may prevent cur desiring it; but nothing less than humble love filling the heart, will prevent our being pleased with it: for the sense of honour is as natural to man as the sense of tasting or feeling. But when that which is spiritual is fully come, this which is corruptly natural shall be done away.

Whatever enemies you have, it is enough that you have a Friend who is mightier than them all. O let him reign in your heart alone! Do not spare to speak with all freedom to, dear Miss Furly,

Your affectionate brother and servant.

CXLVII. To the Same.

JUNE 18, 1757.

1

I AM the more jealous over you, because I know you are liable to be much influenced by fair words; especially when they are spoken by persons of sense, and in an agreeable manner. And flesh and blood are powerful advocates for conformity to the world, particularly in little things. But, blessed be God, we have an unction from the Holy One, ready to teach us of all things. O let us attend to this inward teaching, which indeed is always consonant with the word. Then the word, applied by the Spirit, shall be a light in all our ways, and a lamp in all our paths.

Fight on, and conquer! Change of place, as you observe, is but a little thing But God has, in some measure, changed your heart, wherein you have great reason to rejoice. And, having received the first fruits of the Spirit, righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost, patiently

and earnestly wait for the great change, whereby every root of bitterness may be torn up.

You may profitably converse with even those honourable Christians, if you watch and pray that they do not infect you, 1. With Mystical notions, which stand in full opposition to plain old Bible divinity. Or, 2. With their odd, senseless jargon of a catholic spirit, whereby they have themselves suffered great loss. The spirit of the world, I think, you are aware of already; and indeed there is danger in every approach to it.

I have heard from both Mrs. Gaussen and Miss Bosanquet. There is a poor, queer old woman in Bristol, (if she is not gone to paradise,) with whom it might do you good to talk. John Jones knows her. Her name is Elizabeth Edgecomb. Peace be with your spirit. I am, dear Miss Furly,

Your affectionate brother and servant

DEAR MISS FURLY,-I cannot write to you now so fully as I would; but I must send a few lines. Mere temptation certainly does not weaken without yielding to temptation. Yet a heaviness and soreness may remain upon the spirit till there is a fresh discovery of the love of God.

A jealous fear of offending God is good. But what have you to do with any other fear? Let love cast it all out; and at the same time make you tenfold more afraid of doing any thing, small or great, which you cannot offer up as a holy sacrifice, acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

All who are without this fear (and much more all who call it legal; who revile the precious gift of God, and think it a hinderance to "the growing up in Christ ") are Antinomians in the inmost soul. Come not into their secret, my dear Miss Furly; but pray for more and more of that "legal spirit," and you will more and more rejoice

Your affectionate servant.

TREMENEARE, September 6, 1757.

WHY you should be afraid, on account of any thing you said to me, I do not know. Certainly if you had said whatever was in your heart, it might have been a means of lessening your burden, and not of increasing it. I believe you have often a desire, and almost a resolution, of saying a great deal to ine; but when you come to write or speak, your heart fails. Why should it? Why should you repress yourself? I should not despise but love you for your openness. It is the fruit and the proof of an honest heart. I know you are weak; I know a litttle of your particular weaknesses. But so much the more am I concerned for you, as a tender, sickly flower. Away then with this reserve; it answers no end, but to trouble and embarrass you. Tell me, freely and plainly, any difficulty you meet with; any enemy against whom you want help. Use me as a friend; as I hope you will use sister Crosby; and you will find

it a blessing to your soul. It will again bring the promise of holiness near; which indeed always seems to be far off when we give way to any known sin; when we any way grieve the Spirit of God. There may be some rare cases wherein God has determined not to bestow his perfect love till a little before death; but this I believe is uncommon: he does not usually put off the fulfilling of his promises. Seek, and you shall find; seek earnestly, and you shall finds peedily. Lift up the hands that hang down; deny yourself: take up your cross, whether that of meeting your class, or any other. Fight on, and victory is at hand! I am, dear Miss Furly,

Your affectionate servant.

CL.-To the Same.

ST. AUSTLE, CORNWALL, September 25, 1757. MY DEAR SISTER,-It is a rule with me to take nothing ill that is well meant; therefore you have no need ever to be afraid of my putting an ill construction on any thing you say; for I know you mean only to save your soul. In most genteel religious people there is so strange a mixture, that I have seldom much confidence in them. I love the poor; in many of them I find pure, genuine grace, unmixed with paint, folly, and affectation. But I think Mrs. Gaussen is upright of heart; and perhaps you may find one or two gentlewomen like her.

It is plain God sees it best for you frequently to walk in a thorny path. By this means he aims at destroying your pride of heart, and breaking your stubborn will. You have had large experience, that there is no substantial or lasting happiness but in him. O be true to yourself, and to your own experience! Do not seek it where it cannot be found. Hew out to yourself no more broken cisterns; but let all the springs of your happiness be in him.

You cannot be too careful to keep out of the way of any thing that has been the occasion of sin. And it is very possible to show civility and moderate respect to any person, without coming in the way of danger. All private conversation may be avoided, and ought to be, at all hazards. Do not run yourself into temptation; and God will deliver you from evil.

Nature and the devil will always oppose private prayer; but it is worth while to break through. That it is a cross, will not hinder its being a blessing; nay, often the more reluctance, the greater blessing.

I think it was not you who advised poor Sam to be a mere regular clergyman, unconnected with the Methodists. Certainly this is the best way to preferment: but it is not the best way to heaven, or to do good upon earth. When it is too late, the awakened clergy will probably see this. I am

Your affectionate brother.

CLI.-To the Same.

BRISTOL, October 21, 1757.

MY DEAR SISTER,-God will do his own work in his own manner, and exceeding variously in different persons. It matters not, whether it be wrought in a more pleasing or painful manner, so it is wrought; so nature is subdued, pride and self-will dethroned, and the will of