assault, and the violent colliers forced the quiet ones into the town. I seized one of the tallest, and earnestly besought him to follow me: "Yes,' he said, 'that he would, all the world over.' I pressed about six into Christ's service. We met several parties, and stopped and exhorted them to follow us and gleaning some from every company, we increased as we marched on, singing to the school. From one till

:

three o'clock, we spent in prayer, that evil might be prevented, and the lion chained. Then news was brought us, that the colliers were returned in peace. They had walked quietly into the city, without sticks or the least violence. A few of the better sort of them went to the mayor, and told their grievance; then they all returned as they came, without noise or disturbance. All who saw it were amazed. Nothing could more clearly have shown the change wrought among them, than this conduct on such an occasion.

"I found afterwards, that all our colliers to a man, had been forced away. Having learned of Christ not to resist evil, they went a mile with those who compelled them,* rather than free themselves by violence. One man the rioters dragged out of his sickbed, and threw into the Fish Ponds. Near twenty of Mr. Willis's men they had prevailed on, by threatening to fill up their pits, and bury them alive, if they did not come up and bear them company."+

November 6th.-He set out for Wales. Here, vain disputings and janglings about absolute predestination, had done much harm in several societies; even Howell Harris, embracing this doctrine, had been greatly estranged from his friend. Any doctrine comes poorly recommended to us, when it almost uniformly diminishes Christian love and friendship. That the diminution of Christian love was on the part of H. Harris, is evident from the following letter, which Mr. Wesley sent him from Cardiff, on the 10th of November.

"MY DEAREST FRIEND AND BROTHER,-In the name of Jesus Christ, I beseech you, if you have his glory and the good of souls at heart, to come immediately to meet me here. I trust we shall never be two, in time or eternity. O! my brother, I am grieved that Satan should get a moment's advantage over us; and am ready to lay my neck under your feet for Christ's sake. If your heart be as my heart, hasten, in the name of our dear Lord, to your second self."-This letter shows a mind susceptible of the strongest attachments of friendship, and does Mr. C. Wesley great honour. Howell Harris, however, did not come to him till the 18th, when he was at Lantrissant, and preparing to leave Wales. Mr. C. Wesley adds, "All misunderstanding vanished at the sight of each other, and our hearts were knit together as at the beginning. Before the Society met, several persons were with me, desiring that as I had now got him, I would reprove him openly. Some wanted me to preach against lay-preaching; some against predestination, &c. In my discourse, a gentleman, who had come thither on purpose, interrupted me by desiring I would now speak to Mr. Harris, since I was sent for to disprove his errors. I quashed all farther importunity by declaring, 'I am unwilling to speak of my brother Harris, *Mathew v, 41.

This was a common practice among these ungodly men. At those risings, they suffer: ed none to stay at home. Whether they would act or not, they must go with them.

because when I begin, I know not where to leave off, and should say so much good of him, as some of you could not bear.'"

During the sermon on the following Sunday, while Mr. C. Wesley was describing the state of the Pharisee, a physician of the place found himself hurt, and got up and walked out of the church. On the Tuesday following, being unusually heated with wine, and urged on by a company of players determined on mischief, he came to the house where the people were assembled, to demand satisfaction for the injury he supposed that he had received. He struck Mr. C. Wesley and several of the women with his cane, and raged like a madman, till the men forced him out of the room, and shut the door. Soon after, it was broken open by a justice of the peace, and the bailiff, or head magistrate. "The latter began expostulating with me," says Mr. Wesley, "upon the affront offered the Doctor. He said, as it was a public injury, I ought to make him a public satisfaction. I answered, Mr. Bailiff, I honour you for your office sake; but were you, or his Majesty King George, among my hearers, I should tell you both, that you are by nature sinners, or children of wrath, even as others. In the church while preaching, I have no superior but God, and shall not ask man leave to tell him of his sins. As a ruler, it is your duty to be "a terror to evil doers, but a praise to them that do well." Upon thus speaking to him, he became exceedingly civil, assured me of his good-will, and that he had come to prevent me from being insulted, and no one should touch a hair of my head.

"While we were talking, the Doctor made another attempt to break in and get at me, but the two justices and others, with much trouble, got him away; and we continued our triumph in the name of the Lord our God. The shout of a King was among us. We sang unconcerned, though the players had beset the house, were armed, and threatened to burn it. The ground of their quarrel with me was, that the preaching of the Gospel had starved them. We prayed and sang with great tranquillity till one in the morning; then I lay down till three. I rose again and was scarcely got into the room, [where he was to preach at five,] when they discovered a player just by me, who had stolen in unobserved. They seized him, and F. Farley wrested a sword from him. There was no need of drawing it, for the point and blade were stript of the scabbard, about a hand's breadth. Great was our rejoicing within, and the uproar of the players without. My female advisers were by no means for my venturing out, but wished me to defer my journey. I preferred Mr. Wells's advice, of going with him through the midst of our enemies. We called on the poor creature they had secured. On sight of me he cried out, "Indeed, Mr. Wesley, I did not intend to do you any harm." That, I answered, was best known to God and his own heart; but I told him that my principle was to return good for evil, and therefore desired he might be released; and with Mr. Wells walked down to the water-side, no man forbidding me.”—The next day, November the 20th, he arrived safe in Bristol.

He goes on. " November 30th, I gave the sacrament to our sister Taylor, dying in triumph. Here is another witness to the truth of the Gospel we preach. Commend me to a religion, upon which I can trust my soul while entering into eternity.

"December 2d, I preached on the threefold office of Christ, at Kingswood, and never with greater power. It constrained even the Separatists (the Calvinists) to own, that God was with us of a truth. I rode back in a glorious storm of thunder, lightning, and rain; my spirit rejoicing in hope of the glory of God. He opened my mouth again in the Society, and I spoke in much grief, of our desolate mother, the Church of England. My heart yearns towards her, when I think upon her ruins; and it pitieth me to see her in the dust.

"December 5th, I was much refreshed in spirit among some of my friends the Quakers, by a writer of theirs, who strongly insists on the perfect death unto sin, and life unto righteousness, which every Christian experiences. Death must precede life, and condemnation justification. This he as clearly teaches as any of our first Reformers."

"Six

December 24th, Mr. C. Wesley set out, with Thomas Maxfield, for London, where they arrived the next day. On the 27th, he says, or seven hundred of us met from eleven o'clock till one, to praise God with the voice of joy and thanksgiving. He hath done great things for us already; but we shall see greater things than these. I dined at the house of a Dissenter, who was armed cap-a-pee with her faith of adherence, brimful of the Five Points, and going on to the perfection described in Romans the Seventh! On the 28th, I earnestly warned the Bands not to fancy they had new hearts before they had seen the deceitfulness of the old; not to think they would ever be above the necessity of prayer; not to yield for one moment to the spirit of judging. Mr. Aspernal told me strange things, and I fear true, of some new creatures of their own making, who have been caught in gross lies."

April 4th, 1741. Mr. C. Wesley set out for Bristol, and arrived there in safety the next day.-April 7th, he says, "I prayed by one, supposed to be at the point of death. He rejoiced to meet the king of terrors; and appeared so sweetly resigned, so ready for the Bridegroom, that I longed to change places with him.-April 11th, Found a dying sinner rejoicing in God her Saviour. At sight of me, she cried out, O how loving is God to me! But he is loving to every man; he loves every soul as well * as he loves mine.' Many like words she uttered in triumphant faith, and witnessed in death the universal love of Jesus Christ.-April 12th, To-day he called forth another of his dying witnesses. The young woman, whom, at my last visit, I left in utter despair, this morning broke out into the following expressions: I see, I see it now, that Jesus Christ died for me; and for all the world.' Some of her words to me were, 'Death stares me in the face, but I fear him not, he cannot hurt me:' And again,' Death may shake his dart in vain; God is love, pure love, love to every man!' The next I saw, was our brother S

With joyful eyes, and looks Divine,

Smiling and pleased in death.

April 13th, I gave the sacrament to the Bands of Kingswood, not of Bristol; in obedience, as I told them, to the Church of England, which requires a weekly sacrament at every Cathedral. But as they had it not there, and as, on this particular Sunday, they were refused it, at Temple-Church, (I myself, with many of them, having been repelled,)

*Not so well; but as really. The Lord certainly loves believers as he does not love those who will not have him to rule over them.

I therefore administered it to them in our school; and had we wanted a house, would justify doing it in the midst of the wood. I strongly urged the duty of receiving it, as often as they could be admitted to the Churches. Such a sacrament I never was present at before. We received the sure pledges of our Saviour's dying love; and were filled with all joy and peace in believing."-This, it seems, was the beginning of the practice of administering the sacrament at Kingswood: But only by Clergymen.

"April 20th, Returning from Baptist-Mills, I heard that our sister Richardson had finished her course.* My soul was filled with strong consolation, and struggled, as it were, to go out after her, as heavenward endeavouring. Jesus, my time is in thy hand: Only let me follow her, as she has followed Thee! The voice of joy and thanksgiving was in the congregation, while I spake of her death.

ΚΕ

The New Room

April 22d.-I hastened to the joyful funeral. was crowded within and without. I spake largely of her whose faith they might safely follow. Great was my glorying and rejoicing over her. She, being dead, yet spake in words of faith and love, which ought to be had in remembrance. We were, in a measure, partakers of her joy, a joy unspeakable and full of glory.' The whole society followed her to the grave, through all the city. Satan raged exceedingly in his children, who threw dirt and stones at us. After the burial, we joined in the following hymn,

Come let us, who in Christ believe,
With Saints and Angels join, &c.

"May 1st. I visited a sister dying in the Lord: Then two others, one mourning after, the other rejoicing in, God her Saviour. I was now informed that another of our sisters, E. Smith, is gone home in triumph. She witnessed a good confession of the universal Saviour, and gave up her spirit with these words, 'I go to my heavenly Father!

"May 4.—I rejoiced over our sister Hooper. The outward man decayeth, but the inner man is renewed. For one whole night, she had wrestled with all the powers of darkness; but having done all, she stood unshaken. From henceforth she was kept in perfect peace, and that wicked one touched her not.-I saw her again in great bodily weakness, but strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. I spoke with her physician, who said he had little hope of her recovery; Only,' added he, she has no dread upon her spirits, which is generally the worst symptom. Most people die for fear of dying; but I never met with such people as yours. They are none of them afraid of death; but calm, and patient, and resigned to the last.'-He had said to her, Madam, be not cast down.'-She answered, smiling, Sir, I shall never be cast down.'

"May 6th.-Found our sister Hooper just at the haven. She expressed, while able to speak, her fulness of confidence and love; and her desire to be with Christ. At my next visit, I saw her in the last conflict. The angel of death was come, and there were but a few moments between her and a blessed eternity. We poured out our souls to God, for her, her children, ourselves, the church and ministers, and for all mankind. My soul was tenderly affected for her sufferings, but the joy swallowed up the sorrow. How much then did her consolation's * He wrote a fine hymn upon her death.-See the Funeral Hymns. 40

Vol. I.

abound! The servants of Christ, comparatively speaking, suffer nothing. I asked her, whether she was not in great pain? 'Yes,' she answered, but in greater joy. I would not be without either.'-But do you not prefer life or death?-She replied, All is alike to me; let Christ choose, I have no will of my own.'-Her spirit ascended to God, and we kneeled down and gave God thanks from the ground of our heart. Then we had recourse to the book of comfort, and found it written, 'Let us therefore labour to enter into that rest: Even so, come, Lord Jesus! and give us an inheritance among all them that are sanctified.

"May 8th.-We solemnized her funeral,* and rejoiced over her with singing. A great multitude attended her to the grave. There we sang another hymn of triumph. I found myself pressed in spirit to speak to those who contradicted and blasphemed. While I reasoned on death and judgment to come, many trembled; one woman cried out in horrible agony. We returned to the room, and continued our solemn rejoicings, all desiring to be dissolved and to be with Christ."

O how much it is to be lamented, that such a man should ever have preferred rest! That he should ever have ceased going about doing good.

"May 31st.-Throughout this day, I found my strength increase with my labour. I read, in the society, my account of Hannah Richardson. She, being dead, yet spake so powerfully to our hearts, that my voice was lost in the sorrowful sighing of such as be in captivity. To several, God showed himself the God of consolation; particularly to two young Welshmen, whom his providence sent hither from Caermarthen. They had heard most dreadful stories of us, Arminians, Freewillers, Perfectionists, Papists; which all vanished like smoke, when they came to hear with their own ears. God applied to their hearts the word of his power. I took them to my lodgings, and stocked them with books; then sent them away, recommended to the grace of God, which bringeth salvation to all men.

"June 16th.-I preached in Kingswood, on the dreadful word, SELL ALL,' [that is, Do, and use, all things for God.] How has the Devil baffled those teachers, who, for fear of setting men upon works, forbear urging this first universal duty! If enforcing, Christ's words be to preach works, I hope I shall preach works as long as I live."

July 11th. Mr. C. Wesley preached five times this day; once at Bristol, twice at Kingswood, again at a place called Sawford, and at Bath. He observes," Satan took it ill to be attacked in his headquarters, that Sodom of our land, Bath. He raged horribly in his children. They went out, and came back again, and mocked, and at last roared, as if each man's name had been Legion. The sincere were melted into tears, and strong desires of salvation."-It is pleasing to reflect on the change which has taken place in Bath, since the time of which Mr. C. Wesley is here speaking. God has raised up many faithful witnesses of his truth, both among the Methodists, and other denominations, who have been ornaments to the Christian profession; and at present the Gospel is preached there without molestation.

sary.

This was a very early interment; but I suppose the state of the body made it neces This account was printed. See Mr. John Wesley's Works, vol. xiii, page 213.