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important in their influence upon his future character and conduct. Mr. Charles Wood was a member of the Methodist Society, and met in Mr. Richard Barlow's class; and Mr. John Taylor, whose assistant my father now became, sincerely loved and served God. He was a class-leader among the Methodists, and an honour to the society. My father's employment was such, that a great part of his time was spent in company with Mr. Taylor, whose spirit and conversation were most beneficial in their influence; and when not with him, he worked alone, which gave him an opportunity for serious reflection.

A short time before his removal to Mr. Wood's, having heard from some of his young acquaintance a strange account of the people called Methodists,-a people of whom he had had no previous knowledge,-he was induced by curiosity to go and hear some of their preachers in the old chapel, Birchin lane, Manchester. The first whom he heard was the Rev. John Valton, a man of eminent piety and usefulness. The apostolic appearance of the preacher, together with his devout and solemn manner, arrested his attention, and the sermon made a deep impression on his mind. The subject was singularly applicable to his own case:-"Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee." Gen. xii. 1. He was particularly struck with the fixed and serious attention of the congregation during the sermon, and with their general and fervent responses during the prayer: he had never witnessed any thing like it before. The whole service impressed him favourably with respect to Methodism; and his providential introduction into the service of Mr. Wood, and to an acquaintance with Mr. Taylor, just at this critical juncture, had the effect of deepening this impression.

"On a review of this period of my life," he writes, “I cannot but greatly admire the wisdom and kindness of Providence. Every change appeared accidental; yet they were all ordered of the Lord. Every circumstance appears to me now to have been adjusted with the utmost wisdom, and adapted to promote the end which God had in view; viz. to wean me from the world and its vain pursuits, and to bring me to the knowledge of himself.

Truly the Lord has brought me by a way which I knew not; He has made darkness light before me, and crooked things straight. It was an occasion of great pain to my mind, when Mr. G. W.'s unaccountable fear of not having sufficient employment for me, had the effect upon him which it had. Little did I think that the Lord, by that very way, was accomplishing his gracious design of bringing me to himself. He hath done all things well.

Well does the poet say,

'Leave to his sovereign sway,

To choose and to command;

So shalt thou wond'ring own his way,

How wise, how strong his hand.'

O my God! I would in every future period of my life, trust in thee with all my heart, and not lean to my own understanding, In all my ways may I acknowledge thee, and do thou direct my paths."

He now became a regular hearer of the Methodist preachers, partly out of respect to Mr. Taylor, and partly as the result of the favourable impression on his mind produced by the first religious services among them which he had attended, His views of evangelical truth at this time were very indistinct; but the Lord was pleased gradually to enlighten his mind by his Holy Spirit, through the instrumentality of the truly scriptural ministry under which he now sat. He became seriously concerned about his personal salvation; and being satisfied that among the despised Methodists he should hear the genuine gospel of Christ, and enjoy peculiar advantages for getting and doing good, he united himself with the Society, and began to meet in class, when about fourteen years of age. This step was followed by the happiest results. He soon became deeply convinced of sin, and truly penitent; and, being instructed in the scriptural way of salvation "by grace through faith,” he earnestly sought the pardoning mercy of God. While anxiously seeking this blessing, a pious young man said to him, as they were walking together along Moseley street, in their way to the chapel, "Joseph, I will read you a hymn which those of us sing who know our sins forgiven." He then opened his hymn-book, and read that beautiful hymn on adoption, beginning,

"My God, I am thine, What a comfort divine,

What a blessing to know that my Jesus is mine." &c.

He was much struck with it, not having heard or read it before; and expressed an ardent desire to be enabled to adopt its language as descriptive of his own experience. He was much encouraged by the assurance given him by his pious friend, who himself lived in the personal enjoyment of this blessing, that he might soon attain it, and be enabled from happy experience to sing the hymn with him.

Not long after this conversation, while Mr. Morris* was praying in the old chapel, Birchin lane, he was enabled to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ with his heart unto righteousness, and was filled with peace and joy through believing. He could now apply to himself as descriptive of his own experience, the words of the Apostle, Rom. v. 1, "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ:" and Rom. viii. 15—17," For ye have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ," &c. And he was able to sing with joy unspeakable the beautiful hymn on adoption already referred to, and which being associated in his mind with deeply interesting recollections, became a favourite hymn with him to the day of his death.

* This Mr. Morris was the John Morris, of whom a singular account is given in the Methodist Magazine for the year 1795, page 18. He was in many respects a remarkable man. Having been brought in an extraordinary manner out of the darkness and mental bondage of Popery, into evangelical light and liberty, he became zealous for God, and was made an instrument of much good to many souls.

CHAPTER II.

FROM HIS CONVERSION TO THE COMMENCEMENT OF HIS ITINERANCY AS A WESLEYAN MINISTER. 1781-1787.

BEING now "born of the Spirit," and made a happy partaker of the Divine nature, he was deeply concerned to "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ had made him free," and earnestly desirous to " grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” He was not unmindful of the natural instability of youth; and perceiving the danger to which he was exposed by the circumstance, that he was the only member of the family who was acquainted with experimental religion, he resolved as his only safety, "not to rest upon the mere surface of religion, but to drink deeply into its spirit:"a course which from personal experience of its advantage, he was accustomed in after life strongly to recommend to all young converts.

In order to this, he conscientiously availed himself of all the means of grace within his reach, and diligently redeemed the time, improving every leisure moment in reading such books as were calculated to store his mind with saving and useful knowledge. His hours of business at this time were early, and he was much engaged; yet he found leisure for improvement. He generally rose at four o'clock in the morning, both in summer and winter. At six, he was expected to be at Mr. Wood's warehouse, which was a mile distant from his father's house. The interval was spent in reading, meditation, and prayer, or in attendance at the five o'clock public services, which were frequent in those days. It was a great advantage that from his first outset in the divine life, he had access to a tolerably good library, belonging to the Methodist Society, which was kept in one of the rooms in the Preacher's house at Oldham street: of this he made a diligent use.

He also, agreeably to his grandfather's dying charge, sought acquaintance and cultivated friendship chiefly with those who were older, wiser, and better than himself, as one of the best preservatives against the evils incident to youth. He had, however, a few youthful friends: these were all pious. Robert Lomas, Thomas Simmonite, William Shelmerdine, and James Jackson, were among the most intimate of these; the first three of whom, like himself, afterwards became Wesleyan Ministers. These young men frequently met for purposes of intellectual and religious improvement, at the house of Thomas Slater, a hair dresser, in Church street, a truly pious man, who for some time suffered severely in his circumstances for his conscientious regard to the sanctity of the sabbath. But eventually the Lord blessed and prospered him.

The class-meetings and other means of grace peculiar to Methodism, were now found by my father to be highly instructive and edifying. At the early age of fifteen, he began to meet in private band with a pious Local Preacher of the name of Robert Brierley, who lived near Oldham street Chapel: he also regularly attended the meetings of the Select Bands at Oldham street. From these invaluable means, which in some societies have unhappily fallen into disuse, he derived the greatest spiritual advantage. About the same time, young as he was, he began to take an active part in assisting to hold public prayer-meetings, in Manchester and the neighbourhood.

Not long after his conversion, meeting somewhere with the old adage, "Every man has his foible;" the reflection occurred to his mind with great force,―Then I have mine; and by the grace of God, I will find it out, and set a special guard against it. He began to examine himself with more searching strictness than before, and found so many failings as greatly humbled and alarmed him he thought, however, that a hasty spirit was his greatest besetment. He earnestly sought grace to conquer it; and obtained such a measure, as to become so eminent for his meekness, patience, and prudent cautiousness, that few even of those who knew him best, would suspect that he had been naturally impatient, im

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