Since my last, our troubles have increased. A young man having put in force the act for fuppreffing fwearing, against a parish officer, he ftirred up all the other half gentlemen, to remove him from the parish. Here I interpofed, and to do fo with effect, I took the young man into my fervice. By God's grace I have been enabled to conduct myfelf, in this matter, fo as to give them no handle against me, and, in fpite of all their cabals, I have got the better.

What has greatly encouraged them, is the behaviour of a magiftrate, who was at the first enclined to favour me, but afterwards turned against ine with pe culiar malevolence, and proceeded fo far as to threaten me, and all my flock of the rock church with imprifonment. Hitherto the Lord has food by me, and my little difficulties are nothing to me; but I fear I fupport them rather like a philofopher than a Chriftian. We were to have been mobbed with a drum laft Tuesday at the rock church; but their captain, a papift, behaved himself so very ill, that they were ashamed of him, and are made peaceable for the prefent. Ask of God to give me wisdom, refolution and love. The Lord give you a profperous journey. Adieu. I am, &c. I. F.

Madeley, July, 1763.

The Rev. Mr. Charles Wesley.

YOUR letter, my dear Sir, arrived fome days to late, to prevent my taking a falfe ftep refpecting the papift in question. Three weeks ago, I went to Ludlow to the Bishop's vifitation, and I thought the occafion favourable for my purpofe; but the churchwardens, when we were upon the spot, refused to fupport me, and the court has paid no regard to my prefentation. Thus I have gained fome experience, though at my own coft. The fermon did not touch the

*The rock church were a company of well-difpofed people, who affembled for hearing the word and prayer, at a small houfe built upon a rock, in Madeley Wood.

Aring with which I was whipped the laft vifitation, and I afterwards had the boldness to go and dine with the Bishop.

Many of my parishioners are ftrangely difconcerted at my bringing my gown back from Ludlow. With refpect to the magiftrate I mentioned, who, becaufe he acted as judge of the circuit two years ago, believes himself as able a lawyer as judge Fofter; he, for the prefent, contents himself with threatenings. I met him the other day, and after he had called me Jefuit, &c. and menaced me with his cane, affured me again, that he would foon put down our affemblies. How ridiculous is this impotent rage!

I have attempted to form a fociety, and in fpite of much oppofition and many difficulties, I hope by God's grace to fucceed. I preach, I exhort, I pray, &c. but as yet I feem to have caft the net on the wrong fide of the fhip. Lord Jefus, come thyfelf, and furnifh me with a divine commiffion! For fome months paft, I have laboured under an infuperable drowsiness : I could fleep day and night; and the hours which I ought to employ with Chrift on the mountain, I spend like Peter in the garden.

I congratulate you on your fafe arrival in London. May the Lord ftrengthen you in foul and body; may he fill you with wifdom and patience! Certainly, you need much of both, to pull up the tares without rooting up the wheat. I approve your design of examining the fate of things for yourfelf, before you engage in the bufinefs. May the Lord blefs the productions of your body, and thofe of your mind: May your little family and your books appear in the world, under the moft diftinguifhed protection of the Moft High! Adieu. Pray for me. I am, &c. I. F.

Rev. Mr. Charles Wesley.
My dear Sir,

Madeley, Aug. 1762.

I HAVE received your laft, and I rejoice that Dr. Turner, by whose skill the Lord once brought me up from the grave, has undertaken your cure. May he have the fame fuccefs with you, that he had with me; but, be that as it will, our comfort is to know, that God will do all for the beft.

I have ftill trials of all forts. Firft, Spiritual ones. My heart is hard: I have not that contrition, that filial fear, that sweet, humble melting of heart before the Lord, which I confider as effential to fpiritual chriflianity.

Secondly, the oppofition made to my miniftry increafes. A young clergyman, who lives in Madeley Wood, where he has great influence, has openly declared war against me, by pafting on the church door a paper, in which he charges me with rebellion, schifin, and being a disturber of the public peace. He puts himself at the head of the gentlemen of the parish, (as they term themselves) and fupported by the recorder of Wenlock, he is determined to put in force the Conventicle Act against me. A few weeks ago, the widow who lives in the rock church, and a young man, who read and prayed in my abfence, were taken up. I attended them before the justice, and the young clergyman with his troop were prefent. They called me Jefuit, &c. and the juftice tried to frighten me, by faying, "that he would put the act in force though we should affemble only in my own house." I pleaded my cause as well as I could, but feeing he was determined to hear no reafon, 1 told him, "he must do as he pleased, and that if the act in question concerned us, we were ready to fuffer all its rigours." In his rage, he went the next day to Wenlock, and propofed to grant a warrant to have me apprehended; but as the other juftices were of opinion, that the bufinefs did not come under their cognizance, but

belonged to the Spiritual Court, he was obliged to fwallow his fpittle alone. Mr. Madan, whom I have confulted, tells me, the act may be enforced against the miftrefs of the houfe, the young man, and all who were prefent. The churchwardens talk of putting me in the Spiritual Court, for meeting in houfes, &c. But what is worst of all, three falfe witneffes offer to prove upon oath, that I am a liar; and fome of my followers (as they are called) have difhonoured their profeffion, to the great joy of their adverfaries.

In the midft. of thefe difficulties, I have reason to bless the Lord that my heart is not troubled: Forget me not in your prayers. Your, I. F.

Mr. Vaughan. ¡Dear Sir,

Madeley, Sept. 4th, 1762.

I AM very glad to hear your delight is ftill in the ways of the Lord, and, I truft, you will never ftop till you find them all pleasantnefs to you. Fight the good fight of faith; break through all temptations, dejections, wandering, worldly thoughts; through all unprofitable companions, and the backwardness of an unbelieving heart, and carnal mind: struggle, I fay, until you touch Jefus, and feel healing, comforting virtue, proceeding from him; and when you know clearly the way to him, repeat the touch, till you find he lives in you, by the powerful operations of the loving fpirit. Then you will fay, with St. Paul, I live. the life of God, yet not I, but Chrift who liveth in

me.

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I rejoice that you enquire, where Chrift maketh his flock to reft at noon. The reft from the guilt, and power of fin, you will find only in inward holinefs and this I apprehend to confift in, what St. Paul calls, The kingdom of God-righteousness, which excludes all guilt; peace, which banishes all fear that hath torment; and joy, which can no more fubfift with doubts, anxiety, and unftablenefs of mind, than

light can fubfift with darkness. That there is a state, wherein this kingdom is fet up, firmly fet up in the heart, you may fee from our Lord's fermon on the mount, by his prieftly prayer in St. John, by_the Epiftle of that Apoftle, and various parts of the Epiftles of St. Paul and St. James.

To aim aright at this liberty of the children of God, requires a continual acting of faith-of a naked faith in a naked promife, such as, The Son of God was manifested to destroy the works of the devil-The law of the Spirit of life, in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of sin and death-I can do all things, through Christ who strengtheneth me. By a naked faith in a naked promife, I do not mean a bare affent, that God is faithful, and that fuch a promife in the book of God, may be fulfilled in me; but a bold, hearty, fteady, venturing of my foul, body and fpirit, upon the ruth of the promife, with an appropriating act. It is mine, because I am a finner; and I am determined to believe, come what will. Here you must shut the eye of carnal reafon, and ftop the ear of the mind to the reafonings of the Serpent; which, were you to reafon with him, would be endless, and would foon draw you out of the fimple way of that faith, by which we are both juftified and fanctified.

You must alfo remember, that it is your privilege to go to Chrift, by, fuch a faith now, and every fucceeding moment; and that you are to bring nothing, but a careless, diftra&ted, toffed, hardened heartjuft fuch a one, as you have now. Here lies the grand miftake of many poor miferable, but precious fouls; they are afraid to believe, left it fhould be prefumption, because they have not as yet comfort, joy, love, &c. not confidering, that this is to look for fruit, before the tree is planted. Beware, then, of looking for any grace, previous to your believing; and let this be uppermoft in your mind.

The Lord make you wife as a ferpent, and harmless as the loving dove; but beware of the ferpent's food, duft, and the dove's bane, bird-lime-worldly cares.