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hold, to rely upon him, to live upon him, this is the refuge from the ftorm, the fhadow from the heat. May it be given to you abudantly! And in order to obtain it, nothing more or lefs is required of you, than a full and frequent confeffion of your own abo

inable nature and heart, than kneeling as a true beggar at the door of mercy, declaring you came there expecting notice and relief, only becaufe God our Saviour came to redeem incarnate devils, and, for the glory of his grace, to convert them into faints and fervants of the living God, into children of God and heirs of glory.

I think you take a fure method to perplex yourfelf, if you want to fee your own faith, or look for one moment at yourself for proof of your faith; others must see it in your works, but you must feel it in your heart. The glory of Jefus is now, by faith, realized to the mind, in fome fuch manner as an infinitely grand and beautiful object, which appears in the firmament of heaven it arrefts and fixes the attention of the fpectators on itself; it captivates them, and by the pleasure it imparts, they are led on to view it: fo when Jefus is our peace, ftrength, righteousness, food, falvation, and our all, we are penetrated with a confcioufnefs of it. We should never reft short of this feeling, nor ever think we have it strong enough.— This is to keep the faith; and our chief conflict and moft conftant labour must be against our own heart, the things of the world, and the fuggeftions of our great enemy, who are all intent to divert us from this one object, which Mary placed herself before; or to make us doubt whether in the life and death of Immanuel, there was fuch unfearchable riches and efficacy, fuch a complete falvation for all his people, or whether we are in that number. For my own part, I am often tempted to fufpect, whether I am not fpeaking great fwelling words of Chrift, and yet am no more than founding brafs or a tinkling cymbal; and I find the only fuccefsful way of anfwering this doubt, is immediately to addrefs to Jefus a prayer to this

effect whofoever cometh to thee, thou wilt in no wife caft out: Lord, have not I come to thee? Am 'not I, as a brand plucked out of the fire, depend'ing upon thee for life? See if there be any way of 'wickedness in me, and lead me in the way everlast'ing.'

My eye looks to the bleffed Jefus, my heart longs to be more in his fervice, my love-O that it were greater towards him! I mourn deeply for my corruptions, which are many and great. When I look at im, and contemplate his great falvation, I admire, I adore, and, in fome measure, love; but when I look at myfelf, my heart rifes at the fight. But I have a bleffed, bleffed Lord, Chrift Jefus, in whom all fulness dwells for me, and for the dear friend to whom I am writing; a fulness of pardon, wifdom, holiness, ftrength, peace, righteoufnefs and falvation—a fulness of love, mercy, goodness, truth. All this, and a thoufand times more than all this, without any worthinefs or merit, only for receiving. O bleffed free grace of God! O bleffed be his name for Jefus Chrift? What a gift! and for whom? For you, my dear friend, if you are without ftrength, if you are in your nature an enemy, all this is for you. What fays the everlasting God? Believe, that he gave his Son for finners; and, as a finner, believe in Jefus. He came to fave the loft; then, as a loft foul, believe in him. He came to cleanse the filthy; then, as a filthy foul, believe in him. And why fhould we not thus believe? Can God lie? Impoffible! Can we have a better foundation to build on, than the promife and oath of God?

My dear friend, I know you will not be angry at my preachment; I aim it all at my own heart; I ftand more in need of it than you, and I always feel my heart refreshed when I am talking or thinking of Jefus. It is a feaft to my finful foul, when I am meditating on the glories which compofe his bleffed name. But O how dark and ignorant, how little, how exceeding little, do I know of him! O, thou light of the world, enlighten my foul! Teach me to know

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more of thy infinite and unfearchable riches, thou great God-man, that I may love thee with an increafing love, and ferve thee with an increafing zeal, till thou bringeft me to glory! I. F.

Tern, Sept. 26th, 1760. The Rev. Mr. Charles Wesley.

YOU answer me not, my dear Sir: have you not received my laft, with a letter enclosed from my Lady Huntingdon? But it is with an ill grace I complain, when I ought rather to thank you for the confolatory letter, which you wrote me in answer to my firft from Tern. It might have comforted me, if I would, or could be comforted without Jefus; but I only ask ftrength to groan on, till I can fay, Totus mihi perplacet Chriftus.* Without the experience of this motto, yours will never raife me above a Devil who can fay as well as me, Totus difpliceo mihi.†

I fend you here the copy of part of a letter, which I have just written to Lady Huntingdon. The light I expected from our friend at Bristol is come, though from a different quarter. A fortnight ago, the minister of this parish, with whom I have had no connection for thefe two years, fent me word, (I know not why) that his pulpit fhould be at my fervice at any time, and feems now very friendly. Some days after, I ventured, without defign, a vifit of civility to the vicar of a neighbouring parish, who fell out with me three years ago, for preaching faith in his church; he received me with the 'greatest kindness, and faid often, he would have me take care of fouls fome where or other. Laft Sunday, the vicar of Madeley, to whom I was formerly curate, coming to pay a visit here, expreffed 6 great regard for me, feemed to be quite reconciled, and affured me, that he would do all that was in his power to ferve me; of which he yesterday gave 'me a proof, by fending me a teftimonial unasked.

*Chrift is altogether lovely. I am altogether hateful to myself.

"He was no fooner gone, than news was brought that the old clergyman, I mentioned to your Ladyfhip, 'died fuddenly the day before; and that fame day before I heard it, Mr. Hill, meeting his nephew who is patron of Madeley, told him, that, if he 'would prefent me to Madeley, he would give the vicar of that parish the living vacated by the old clergyman's death. This was immediately agreed to, as Mr. Hill himself informed me in the evening, wifhing me joy. This new promife, the manner in which Mr. Hill forced me from London to be here at this time, and the kindness of the three minifters I mentioned, whofe hearts feemed to be turned at ' this juncture, to fign my teftimonials for inftitution, are fo many orders to be ftill, and wait till the door is quite open or fhut. I beg, therefore, your Ladyfhip would prefent my refpects and thanks to Lady Margaret and Mr. Ingham, and acquaint them with the neceffity, which thefe circumftances lay me under to follow the leadings of Provi'dence."

This answer is agreeable to the advice you have fo repeatedly given me, not to refift Providence, but to follow its leadings. I am, however, inwardly in fufpenfe; my heart revolts at the idea of being here alone, oppofed by my fuperiors, hated by my neighbours, and defpifed by all the world. Without piety, without talents, without refolution, how fhall I repel the affaults and furmount the obftacles which I forefee, if I discharge my duty at Madeley with fidelity? On the other hand, to reject this prefentation, to burn this certificate, and to leave in the defert the sheep, whom the Lord has evidently brought me into the world to feed, appears to me nothing but obftinacy and refined felf-love. I will hold a middle courfe between these extremes: I will be wholly paffive in the steps I must take, and active in praying the Lord to deliver me from the evil one, and to conduct me in the way he would have me to go.

If you fee any thing better, inform me of it speedily; and, at the fame time, remember me in all your prayers, that if this matter be not of the Lord, the enmity of the bishop of Litchfield, who must counterfign my teftimonials, the threats of the chaplain. of the bishop of Hereford, who was a witnefs to my preaching at Welt-ftreet, the objections drawn from my not being naturalized, or fome other obftacle may prevent the kind intentions of Mr. Hill. Adieu. I am, &c. I. F.

Madeley, March 10th, 1761.

Rev. Mr. Charles Wesley.

My dear Sir,

I THANK you for your elegy on Dr. Mn. It is pathetic and truly chriftian. As I read it, I could not refrain my tears ;-tears, fo much the more fweet, as they originated in a fecret hope, that I fhould one day ftrip off the polluted rags of my own righteoufnefs, and put on the Lord Jefus Chrift, like the Chriftian hero of your poem.

I feel more and more, that I neither abide in Chrift, nor Chrift in me; neverthelefs, I do not fo feel it, as to feek him without remiffion. O wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from this heart of unbelief? Bleffed be God, who has promifed me this deliverance, through our Lord Jefus Chrift!

My new convert has with great difficulty efcaped the wiles of the devil; who, by fifty vifions, had fet her on the pinnacle of the temple. Thanks be to God, fhe has come down, without being caft headlong. I have had more trouble with her vifions, than with her unbelief. Two other perfons profefs, that they have received the confolations of divine love I wait for their fruits.

A few days ago, I was violently tempted to quit Madeley: the fpirit of Jonah had fo feized upon my heart, that I had the infolence to murmur against the Lord; but the ftorm is now happily calmed, at least

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