either below or above. They were all sweeter and cleaner than any prison I have seen either in England or elsewhere. 3. Being permitted to go into the larder, I observed the meat hanging up, two large quarters of beef. It was fresh and fat, and I verily think as good as I ever desire to eat. 4. A large quantity of bread lay on one side. A gentleman took up and cut one of the loaves. It was made of good flour, 5. Going thence to the was well baked, and perfectly well tasted. hospital, I found that, even in this sickly season, there are not thirty persons dangerously ill, out of twelve or thirteen hundred. 6. The hospital was sweeter and cleaner throughout than any hospital I ever saw in London. I think it my duty to declare these things, for clearing the innocent, and the honour of the English nation. Yet one thing I observed with concern. A great part of these men are almost naked; and winter is now coming upon them in a cold prison, and a colder climate than most of them have been accustomed to. But will not the humanity and generosity of the gentlemen of Bristol prevent or relieve this distress! Did they not make a notable precedent during the late war? And surely they are not weary of well doing. Tuesday night we did a little according to our power; but I shall rejoice if this be forgotten through the abundance administered by their liberality, in a manner which they judge most proper. Will it not be both for the honour of their city and country? for the credit of our religion, and for the glory of God, who knows how to return it seven fold into their bosom? I am Your humble servant. CCVIII. To the Society at Monyash, Derbyshire. POOLE, March 25, 1752. MY DEAR BRETHREN,-I should very willingly have spent a little time among you; but at present my time will not permit, I have so many places to visit, between Manchester, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and so on, to Berwick-upon-Tweed. Blessed be God, that you are not yet moved from the hope of the Gospel. He has permitted a fiery trial to fall upon you;* but I trust the sharpest part of it is past. May God enable you to stand fast together, in one mind and in one judgment! Watch over one another in love; and let not that which is lame be turned out of the way. Do all things without murmurings and disputings, following peace with all men; and the God of peace be with I am, my dear brethren, vou! Your affectionate brother. CCIX. To the Reverend Mr. Wanley, Dean of Ripon. YARM, July 9, 1766. REVEREND SIR,-The regard which I owe to a fellow Christian, and much more to a clergyman and a magistrate, constrains me to trouble you with a few lines, though I have no personal acquaintance with you. Ralph Bell has just been giving me an account of the late affair at Ripon. Probably the conduct of John Bennet, who renounced his connection with Mr. Wesley about this period, and vehemently preached against him in that part of the country.--EDIT. What he desires is, 1. To have the loss he has sustained repaired; and, 2. Liberty of conscience; that liberty which every man may claim as his right, by the law of God and nature; and to which every English man, in particular, has a right by the laws of his country. I well know the advantage these laws give us in the present case: I say us, because I make the case my own; as I think it my bounden duty to do. I have had many suits in the king's bench; and, blessed be God, I never lost one yet. But I would far rather put an amicable end to any dispute, where it can be done: not that I am afraid of being overborne by the expense; if I am not, I know them that are, able to bear it. But I love peace. I love my neighbour as myself; and would not willingly bring loss or trouble upon any man. Be so good as to impute to this motive my interfering in this matter. I am, reverend sir, Your servant for Christ's sake. CCX.-To Mary Yeoman, of Mousehole, Cornwall. ST. IVES, September 2, 1769. MY DEAR SISTER,-Your case is not peculiar. I have known many who are just as you are now: and the same God who delivered them is as ready to deliver you. I advise you to continue in the way, whether you find any benefit or not. Pray, as you can, though you are ever so cold or dead. Hear the preaching; keep to your class. The Lord is at hand he will abundantly pardon. I am : Your affectionate brother CCXI.-To Mr. Merryweather, of Yarm. LONDON, January 16, 1758. MY DEAR BROTHER,-If the work of God does so increase at Yarm, we must not let the opportunity slip. Therefore let the travelling preacher be there either every Sunday evening, or at least every other Sunday. No person must be allowed to preach or exhort among our people, whose life is not holy and unblamable; nor any who asserts any thing contrary to the Gospel which we have received. And if he does not own his fault and amend it, he cannot be a leader any longer. Peace be with you all. I am Your affectionate brother. CCXII. To the Same. BRENTFORD, January 24, 1760. MY DEAR BROTHER,-I received yours, with the bill, a day or two ago. I wish you would every where recommend two books in particular, "The Christian Pattern," and the " Primitive Physic." It is a great pity that any Methodist should be without them. I wonder brother Mather does not write to me. He should not forget his friends: I hope the gentleman with whom I breakfasted at Yarm has not forsaken you. Even the rich may enter into the kingdom: for with God all things are possible. See that you stir up the gift of God that is in you. What is our Lord's word to you?—" Let the dead bury their dead: but follow thou me!" I am Your affectionate brother. CCXIII. To the Same. LONDON, October 5, 1763. MY DEAR BROTHER,-Your letter was sent from hence to Bristol. But I had left Bristol before it came. I have no objection to Mr. Jaco's coming to Yarm to open the house: but I suppose he cannot stay long. He will soon be wanted again in his own circuit. It is strange that the number of hearers should decrease, if you have regular preaching. I hope the morning preaching is never omitted. If it be, every thing will droop. What relates to the account, I will give to Mr. Franks. Probably he will find where the mistake lies. O be in earnest! I am Your affectionate brother. CCXIV. To the Same. NEWCASTLE-UPON-TYNE, May 7, 1764. MY DEAR BROTHER,-I thank you for the receipts. There is nothing more sure, than that God is able and willing to give always what he gives once. And it is most certainly his design, that whatever he has given you, should abide with you for ever. But this can only be by simple faith. In this, reasoning is good for nothing. See that both of you be as little children. Your help is all laid up above, in the hand of Him that loves you. Look unto him, and receive what you want! Believe yourselves to heaven! I am Your affectionate brother. CCXV. To the Same. FEBRUARY 8, 1766. MY DEAR BROTHER,-Where Christian perfection is not strongly and explicitly preached, there is seldom any remarkable blessing from God; and, consequently, little addition to the society, and little life in the members of it. Therefere, if Jacob Rowell is grown faint, and says but little about it, do you supply his lack of service. Speak and spare Let not regard for any man induce you to betray the truth of God. Till you press the believers to expect full salvation now, you must not look for any revival. not. It is certain, God does at some times, without any cause known to us, shower down his grace in an extraordinary manner. And he does, in some instances, delay to give either justifying or sanctifying grace, for reasons which are not discovered to us. These are some of those secrets of his government which it hath pleased him to reserve in his own breast. I hope you and your wife keep all you have, and grasp Your affectionate brother. for more. I am MY DEAR BROTHER,-The matter is short: all things in divine worship must "be done decently and in order." Two must never pray at the same time, nor one interrupt another. Either Alice Brammah must take advice, or the society must be warned to keep away from her. These are the very things which were the beginning of poor George Bell's fall. I am, with love to sister Merryweather, Your affectionate brother. CCXVII.-To the Same. LONDON, October 9, 1786. DEAR GEORGE,-Do not wish to have a grain less of sensibility than you have. I love you the better for it; and so does He that is greater than all. That family I know and love well: we will help them all we can. I have no access to Mr. Thornton: the Calvinists take care to keep him to themselves. But if you will give them five pounds from me, John Atlay will answer your draft here. I am, with best wishes to all the family, dear George, Your affectionate brother. CCXVIII.-To Mrs. Emma Moon, Yarm. NORWICH, December 6, 1767 MY DEAR SISTER,-I can easily believe that nothing would be want ing to me, which it was in your power to supply: for I am persuaded your heart is as my heart, as is the case with all the "souls who Himself vouchsafes to unite in fellowship divine." What is always in your power is, to bear me before the throne of grace. One thing in particular which I frequently desire is, "a calm evening of a various day;" that I may have no conflicts at the last, but rather, if God sees good, before "my flesh and my heart faileth." In every place where Mr. Whitefield has been, he has laboured in the same friendly, Christian manner. God has indeed effectually broken down the wall of partition which was between us. Thirty years ago we were one: then the sower of tares rent us asunder: but now a stronger than him has made us one again. There is no weakness either in our body or mind, but Satan endeavours to avail himself of it. That kind of dulness or listlessness I take to be originally a pure effect of bodily constitution. As such it is not imputable to us in any degree, unless we give way to it. So long as we diligently resist, it is no more blamable than sleepiness, or weariness of body. Do many of those who were saved from sin in your neighbourhood stand fast in their liberty? or have one half, if not the greater part, been moved from their steadfastness? How is it that so many are moved? that in many places so few, comparatively, stand? Have you lately conversed with sister Heslop? Does she retain all the life she had? Does John Eland? and some others at Hutton? Peace be multiplied upon you! I am, my dear sister, Your affectionate brother CCXIX. To the Same. LONDON, January 24, 1768. MY DEAR SISTER,-Formerly, when persons reproached me for doing thus and thus, I have very frequently said, "In truth, I have not done it yet; but by the grace of God, I will." This seems to be the very case with you. You are accused for what you did not, but ought to have done. You ought to have informed me from time to time, not indeed of trifies, or idle reports, but of things which you judged to be a real hinderance to the work of God. And God permitted you to be reminded of this omission by those who intended nothing less. Opposition from their brethren has been one cause why so many who were set free have not retained their liberty. But perhaps there was another more general cause: they had not proper help. One just saved from sin is like a new-born child, and needs as careful nursing. But these had it not. How few were as nursing fathers! How few cherished them as a nurse her own children! So that the greater part were weakened, if not destroyed, before their sinews were knit, for want of that prudent and tender care which their state necessarily required. Do all that you can to cherish them that are left; and never forget Your affectionate brother. CCXX. To a Member of the Society. MARCH 4, 1760. CERTAINLY the more freedom you use, the more advantage you will find. But at the same time it will be needful continually to remember from whom every good and perfect gift cometh. If he blesses our intercourse with each other, then we shall never repent of the labour. It is a blessing indeed, when God uncovers our hearts, and clearly shows us what spirit we are of. But there is no manner of necessity that this self-knowledge should make us miserable. Certainly the highest degree of it is well consistent both with peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Therefore how deeply soever you may be convinced of pride, self-will, peevishness, or any other inbred sin, see that you do not let go that confidence, whereby you may still rejoice in God your Saviour. Some, indeed, have been quite unhappy, though they retained their faith, through desire on the one hand, and conviction on the other. But that is nothing to you; you need never give up any thing which you have already received: you will not, if you keep close to that,― For this my vehement soul stands still; We have a fuller, clearer knowledge of our own members, than of those belonging to other societies; and may therefore, without any culpable partiality, have a better opinion of them. It is a great thing to spend all our time to the glory of God. But you need not be scrupulous as to the precise time of reading and praying; I mean, as to the dividing it between one and the other. A few minutes one way or the other, are of no great importance. May He who loves you fill you with his pure love! I am Your affectionate brother. CCXXI. To the Same. MARCH 29, 1760. HAVING a little longer reprieve, I snatch the opportunity of writing a few lines before we embark. Prayer is certainly the grand means of drawing near to God; and all others are helpful to us only so far as they are mixed with, or prepare us for, this. The comfort of it may be taken away by wandering thoughts, but not the benefit: violently to fight |