applied, ‹ Though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor,' &c. and O, what communion I had with the despised Nazarene! how my soul was humbled before God for his goodness. The evening was calm;-the sun, setting with glorious lustre, shone on the mountains: the birds were singing; yea, all nature seemed to join with me in praising God: but what was best of all, I had a paradise within. O how shall I express the love, joy, and peace I feel every moment! It is impossible. Glory, glory, glory be to thy name, O Emmanuel, for thy presence. 0 may I never grieve thee; but be faithful unto death. Even so, Lord Jesus. “June 3, Whitsuntide.-O how my soul travails in pain for the giddy multitude. They will not come to Christ, that they might have life. Lord, thou knowest that I have warned some, and they have not taken warning. Lord, what can man do? how insignificant am I for this work. Alas! wherewith shall I pierce the scales of leviathan, or make the heart to feel that is hard as stone? Thou, only, O Lord, canst penetrate the scales, and pierce the heart of the sinner. I can but draw the bow at a venture. But do thou direct the arrow between the joints of the harness: kill the sin, and save the sinner, for thy mercy's sake. 66 Sun. June 6.-To-day my father and mother went to hear me preach at Davyhulme. It was the cry of my heart, Lord, open their eyes! I preached at noon from Psalm cxvi. 12, and at night from Amos iv. 12, 'Prepare to meet thy God.' I found great liberty in speaking for God: the Lord touched my tongue with a live coal from the altar; so that I was enabled to cry aloud, and spare not, to lift up my voice like a trumpet, and tell the people of their sins. O gracious Father, seal instruction on every heart, but particularly on my parents'. O Lord, shall they perish? **** Shall they feel the worm that never dieth, and the fire that is not quenched? God forbid! Oh! how can I bear this! O Lord, let me see them converted here, and may I reign with them and thee in thy kingdom for ever for Jesu's sake. Amen. "Mon. June 7.—This afternoon I spoke a few words that were not good to the use of edifying. The Lord gently shewed it me. O my God, may the time past suffice. May I think twice, before I speak once. Lord, let every act, word, thought, be love. Yea, Sat. June 19.-To-day, the enemy has been casting his fiery darts at me; he has often come in as a flood, but the Spirit of the Lord lifted up a standard against him. Blessed be his holy name. For these several days past I have every moment felt the presence and power of God to rest upon me. I have conversed with him as a man with his friend. I can tell him my wants, and he relieves them. Seeing my own ignorance, weakness, and inability to do any thing that is good without him, I hang upon him every moment as my only wisdom, strength, and tower. Very often, when things happen so that I can scarcely discern betwixt good and evil, I look unto him in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and He immediately makes it manifest, gives me strength, and brings me off more than conqueror. O my God, my Father, my Friend, may this communion which subsists between Thee and me, never, never be broken off; but may I be faithful unto death, that at last I may obtain a crown of life.” The preceding extracts from his diary, the last of which was written when only two months above seventeen years of age, supply sufficient evidence that his piety was genuine and deep; and that his experience in the things of God was beyond his years. It will, therefore, excite no surprise that he was urged, even at that early age, both by preachers and people, to engage in a work for which God had so graciously prepared him, but from which he was disposed to shrink, from a sense of its vast importance, and a consideration of his own youth and inexperience. It was about this time, and while in the blessed state of mind described in the preceding pages, that at the request of the Rev. John Murlin, and in conformity with the usages of the day, he wrote to the Rev. John Wesley, giving an account of his conversion, his call to preach, and the present state of his religious experience. This letter was dated June 3, 1784, and was accompanied by a communication of the same character from another young preacher in similar circumstances, whom my fa 'Brother G."* Mr. Wes 66 ther mentions in his diary as "Scarborough, June 20, 1784. "MY DEAR BRETHREN, "HAVING very little time, I take the opportunity of answering you both together. You have great reason to bless God continually, who has dealt so graciously with you. You have good encouragement to put forth all your strength in publishing the glad tidings of salvation. You are particularly called to declare to believers that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin. Watch and pray that you may be little in your own eyes. 66 "I am, my dear Brethren, Your affectionate Brother, 66 At that early period in the history of Methodism, the various examinations and other preliminary steps which now precede introduction into our itinerant ministry, were unknown. The circumstances of the Connexion differed widely from what they now are. There was little in the wasting toils and privations which were the ordinary lot of a Methodist Preacher, to tempt any one whose heart did not glow with love to God and zeal for his glory, and whose bowels of compassion did not yearn over perishing souls. The usual course was, for the Assistant" to recommend to Mr Wesley on his own responsibility such young men as appeared to the best of his judgment, fitted for the work of the ministry, and called of God to it. This was done, sometimes with, and frequently without, consulting the Quarterly Meeting; and in some instances, without communication with the individual himself concerned. And Mr. Wesley, who exercised both the affectionate solicitude and the authority of a father, over the whole connexion, appointed them to such stations as he thought proper. It some This "Brother G." appears to have been David Gordon, a native of Ireland, who then resided in Manchester, and for some time met in hand with my father in Mr. Shelmerdine's room. He was called into the work of the ministry by Mr. Wesley, in 1786, travelled about fourteen years in Ireland, and died in 1800. Such times happened that a young man had no knowledge of such appointment until the Conference was over. was the case with the subject of this memoir. The Conference of 1784 was held at Leeds. It commenced on Tuesday, the 27th of July, and closed on the following Tuesday, Aug. 3rd. In the printed Minutes for this year is found the following appoinment : "Northampton.-Joseph Harper, William Entwisle." There is a mistake here of the Christian name, William being inserted instead of Joseph. William was the name of his father, who was not a member of society, or even a regular hearer of the Methodists; and of a younger brother, who at that time was only four years old. My father did not hear of this appointment until two days after the sittings of the Conference closed. Although he had looked forward to the itinerant ministry as his ultimate destination, yet so early an appointment was quite unexpected, and the tidings exceedingly perplexed and excited him. This will not create surprise when it is considered, that he was then but little more than seventeen years old, and that he was under engagements to Messrs. Wood & Co. as their apprentice. They might possibly have released him from his obligations had he requested it; but a consideration of his youth and inexperience led him to question the propriety of doing this, and inclined him to think it better to remain in his present situation a year or two longer, still labouring as a Local Preacher. Being much perplexed, he committed his way to the Lord, and looked to him for direction. On the following Monday, Aug. 9, Mr. Murlin, who had been Superintendent of the Manchester Circuit the preceding year, but who was now relieved from the cares of office by Mr. Pawson, returned from Conference; when, my father writes, "It was so ordered that I must not at present travel. Glory be to God! he orders all things well." The preachers appointed to the Manchester Circuit this Conference were, the Rev. Messrs. Pawson, Murlin, and John Goodwin, — eminent men, whose ministry could not fail to promote his improvement in the knowledge and love of God. With the first two of these honoured servants of the Lord, a friendship now com menced, which continued unimpaired until they were called to their great reward. Under their direction he laboured diligently as a Local Preacher, frequently preaching on week-nights as well as on the Lord's Day, and extending his visits as far as Middleton, Rochdale, New Mills, Hayfield, Bolton, Bury, Wigan, Oldham, Stockport, and Warrington, as well as the places at present included within the limits of the five Manchester and Altrincham Circuits.* Mr. Entwisle was the first Methodist Preacher who was allowed to preach quietly in the street at Altrineham, his extreme youth probably disarming the hostility of the mob. A society was soon after formed; and before he began to travel, he had the satisfaction to see a good chapel erected. Altrincham has now been for several years the head of a circuit. His religious experience about this time appears to have been generally of the same satisfactory and joyous character as that described in the former extracts. He habitually "hearkened to the voice of the Lord," and his Of the extent of the Manchester Circuit in those days the reader will be able to judge from the following extract from one of Mr. Pawson's manuscripts, giving his appointments for six weeks: |