Madeley, Jan. 5th, 1763.

The Rev. Mr. Charles Wesley.
My dear Sir,

I CONGRATULATE you on the ftrength the Lord gave you last year, and I befeech him to fupply the lamp of your days with new oil, during the courfe of that upon which we are now entering. Above all, may he fill the veffel of your heart with the oil of gladnefs, and prepare you for all events which time may bring forth. May he enable you to carry the light of his glorious golpel into the hearts of thousands by your writings and fermons, and wifdom and grace into mine by your letters and converfation.

My foul does not experience a new life in this renovation of the year: O may the Almighty enable me to conclude it in a better fpirit than I have begun it! What I want is the light and mighty power of the Spirit of my God. Happy fhould I be, if, in the midst of all my preffing wants, I had the power and the will conftantly to caft my burdens at the feet of the Lord. As to my parish, we are juft where we were: we look for our Pentecoft, but we do not pray fufficiently to obtain it. We are left in tolerable quiet by all but the Sergeant, who fent a conftable to make enquiry concerning the life of his Majefty's fubjects, upon information that the cry of murder had been heard in my houfe on christmas day. This report originated in the cries of a young woman, who is of our fociety, and whom Satan has bound for fome months.

It seems to me, as if that old murderer proposed to ruin the fuccefs of my miniftry at Madeley, as he did at London, in the French church, by the means of Mifs Ad. She emaciates her body by faftings, falls into convulfions, fometimes in the church and fometimes in our private affemblies, and is perpetually tempted to fuicide: Her conftitution is confiderably weakened as well as her understanding. What to do in this cafe, I don't know; for those who are tempted in this manner, pay as little regard to reafon, as the

miferable people in bedlam. Prayer and fafting are our only refources: we propofe to reprefent her cafe to the Lord on Tuesday next, and on all the following Tuesdays; aid the weakness of our prayers, with all the power of yours. Adieu. That the Lord may ftrengthen you and yours in body and foul, is the earneft prayer of yours, 1. F.

Miss Hatton.

Dear Madam,

Madeley, Jan. 28th, 1763.

I SHARE in the joy, which your deliverance from your late trials gives to thofe who fhared in your perplexity. Heavinefs may endure for a night, but gladnefs cometh in the morning; and when it comes after a long, uneafy night, it is doubly welcome, and deferves double tribute of praifes. O be not wanting in that fweet duty I mean praifing, from a fenfe of the divine goodnefs, love, and patience towards us. Remember that you are brought from darkness to light, to fhew forth the praifes of him, who calleth you; and that your feet are fet at liberty for you to run, with patience, the race of prayer and praife, felf-denial and obedience, which the Lord hath fet before you.

Would you go on comfortably and steadily for the time to come, beg of the Lotd, to give you grace to follow the following advice. 1. Live, above earthly and creature comforts. 2. Beware of flatnefs and lukewarmnefs: this, if not carried immediately to the Lord, ends often in darknefs and deadnefs.-3. Value divine comforts above all things, and prize Chrift above all comforts, that if they fhould fail, you may ftill glory in the God of your falvation. 4. Let that, which torments others, make your happinefs-I mean felf-denial, and renouncing your own will. 5. Be ready to yield, with joy, to every conviction of the Spirit of God. 6. Be faithful to prefent grace, and afpire after a continual growth. 7. Live the prefent

moment to God, and avoid perplexing yourself about your past or future experience: By giving up yourself to Chrift, as you are, and being willing to receive him now, as he is, leaving all the reft to him, you will cut up a thoufand temptations by the roots. am, &c. I. F.

Miss Hatton.

Dear Madam,

Madeley, March 14th, 1763.

I

I AM very glad you perfift in taking up your cross, and following the Captain of our falvation. You must expect many a difficulty: fome of your greatest trials may come from your dearest friends without, and your nearest part within. I always found it profitable to expect the worst, for a temptation forefeen is half overcome. Let us count the coft daily, and learn to value all outward things as dung and drofs, that we may win Chrift.

My heart is at prefent full of an advice, which I have just given, with fome fuccefs, to the Ifraelites in the wildernefs, about this place: Spend, in "feeling after Chrift, by the prayer of fuch faith as "you have, whether it be dark or luminous, the time

you have hitherto spent in defponding thoughts, in "perplexing confiderations upon the badnefs, or un66 certainty of your ftate, and come now to the Lord "Jefus with your prefent wants, daring to believe

that he waits to be gracious to you." Chrift is the way, the high way to the Father, and an high way is as free for a fickly beggar as a glorious prince. If it is fuggefted," you are too prefumptuous to intrude "without ceremony upon him, that is glorious in "holiness, and fearful in praises ;"-anfwer in looking up to Jefus,

"Be it I myfelf deceive,

Yet I muft, I must believe." I am with fincerity, &c. I. F.

Mr. Samuel Hatton.
Dear Sir,

Madeley, April 22d, 1763.

I AM glad to find by your welcome letter, that Jefus is ftill precious to you. O may he be fo an hundred fold more both to me and you! May we live only to fhew forth his praife, and grow up into him in all things!

As for me, I have reafon to praife God, that he gives me patience to throw in my weak line, till he gives the word and enables me to caft the net on the right fide, and enclofe a multitude of finners. The hope of this bears me up above the toils of a night of ignorance, perplexity, and trials of every fort. I find, bleffed be God, that all things work together for my good, whether it be fuccefs or want of fuccefs, joy or grief, fickness or ease, bad or good report: all encourages or humbles me.

With respect to Mifs Hattons, I hope they will call no man upon earth master, and that they will steer clear of the rocks of prejudice and bigotry, against which fo many profeffors fplit daily, even when they think they are at the greateft diftance from them.

I am quite of your opinion about the mifchief that fome profeffors (puffed up in their own flefly minds) do in the church of Chrift under the mask of fanctity; but my Master bids me bear with the tares until the harvest, left in rooting them up, I fhould promifcuously pull up the wheat alfo. As to Mr. Wesley's fyftem of perfection, it tends rather to promote humility than pride, if I may credit his defcription of it in the lines following:

"Now let me gain perfection's height,
Now let me into nothing fall,

- Be less than nothing in my fight,

And feel that Chrift is all in all."

More than this do I not defire, and I hope that, short of this, nothing will fatisfy either my dear friend or

me.

With respect to "one Mr. Bn, having been fo bold as to affert in your room, that our falvation was conditional," he may be orthodox enough, in my poor judgment, although he faid fo. Indeed the meritorious part of our falvation is unconditional on our fide, and if Mr. B-n talks of meritorious conditions, he is a stranger to the gofpel: But, that the application of this falvation is conditional, I gather from every doctrinal chapter in the bible, efpecially from*

Have you drank in the doctrine of particular redemption, contrary to the thoughts of your esteemed friend, Count Z- -f? But be that as it will, let us ftill make the best of our way to the dear Saviour, and drop all our particular opinions in his univerfal, unbounded love; and whereinfoever any of us is wrong the Lord will reveal it unto us. Pray for my flock; and pray for, Dear Sir, your fincere friend and affectionate brother, in Chrift, I. F.

Madeley, July 26th, 1763. The Rev. Mr. Charles Wesley. My dear Sir,

I HAVE for two months waited impatiently for fome news of you-but in vain. Are you alive paralytic gouty-flothful-or too busy to write a line to your friends at Madeley? If you have not leifure to write a line, write a word-I am well, or I am ill: God grant it may be the former!

Every thing is pretty quiet here now. Many of our offences die away; though not long ago, I had trials in abundance, but bleffed be the Lord he gave me his peace. It is not, however without fighting that I keep it. One of my late trials might have had confequences to make me quit Madeley, and, I praise God, I am ready to do it without looking behind me, Luke xiii. 3. and Mark xvi. 16.