plained the nature of christian fellowship; and God knit our hearts together in the desire of knowing him. I spake with some, who told me they had wronged their neighbors in time past, and now their conscience will not let them rest till they have made restitution. I bid them tell the persons injured, it was this preaching had compelled them to do justice. One poor wretch told me before his wife, that he had lived in drunkenness, adultery, and all the works of the devil for twenty-one years: that he had beat her almost every day of that time; and never had any remorse till he heard us; but now he goes constantly to church, behaves lovingly to his wife, abhors the thing that is evil, especially his old sius. This is one instance out of many."

Sept. 5. He observes that the work now increased rapidly: one and another being frequently justified under the word. "Two," says he, "at the sacrament yesterday: two at the society. One overtook me going to the cathedral, and said, 'I have found something in the preaching, and cannot but think it is forgiveness. All the burden of my sins sunk away from off me, in a moment. I can do nothing but pray and cry Glory be to God. I have such a confidence in his love, as I never knew; I trample all sin and sorrow under my feet.' I bid him watch and pray, and expect greater things than these. Our old master the world, begins to take it ill, that so many desert and clean escape its pollutions. Innumerable stories are invented to stop the work: or rather are repeated, for they are the same we have heard a thousand times, as well as the primitive Christians."

Sept. 6. He rode to Kinsale, and at noon walked to the marketplace. The windows were filled with spectators rather than hearers. Many wild looking people stood with their hats on, in the street; and the boys were rude and noisy. Some well-dressed women stood behind him and listened. His text was, "Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and the maimed, and the halt and the blind." "I did," says he, "most earnestly invite them all to the great supper. It was fallow ground, yet the word was not all lost. Several settled into serious attention; others expressed their approbation; a few wept. In the evening the multitude so trod on one another, that it was some time before they could settle to hear. I received a blow with a stone on the side of my head, and called on the person to stand forth, and if I had done him any wrong, to strike me again. This little circumstance increased their attention. I lifted up my voice like a trumpet, and showed the people their transgressions and the way to be saved from them. They received my saying, and spake well of the truth. A sudden change was visible in their behavior afterwards, for God had touched their hearts. Even the Roman Catholics owned, None could find fault with what the man said.' A lady of the Romish Church would have me to her house. She assured me the governor of the town, as soon as he heard of my coming, had issued orders that none should disturb me: that a gentleman who offered to insult me, would have been torn in pieces by the Roman Catholics, had he not fled for it: and that the Catholics in general are my firm friends." It is worth ob

serving, that every denomination of Christians in Kinsale, claimed him as their own. He tells us, "The Presbyterians say, I am a Presbyterian; the people who go to Church, that I am a minister of theirs; and the Catholics are sure, I am a good Catholic in my heart." This is good evidence, that he confined himself in his public discourse, to the most essential doctrines of the Christian religion; which undoubtedly ought to be the practice of every itinerant preacher.

Mr. Wesley, in his excursions from Cork, had already visited Bandon once or twice, where the words he spake had considerable effect. On his return at this time from Kinsale, a poor man and his wife from Bandon met him, and pressed him so earnestly to give them another visit, that he could not resist their importunity. He went thither again, September the 12th, and the poor man and his wife soon found him out, and took him to their house in triumph. The neighbors flocked in, and "We had indeed,” says Mr. Wesley, "a feast of love. A prodigal came, who had been a monster of wickedness for many years, but is now returned to his Father: so are many of the town, who were wicked to a proverb. In the evening, I invited about four thousand sinners to the great supper. God hath given them the hearing ear. I went to Mrs. Jones's, a widow gentlewoman, who is determined to promote the work of God to the utmost of her power: all in the place seem like-minded, except the clergy! O why should they be the last to bring home their King! It grieved me to hear the poor encouragement given last Sunday to the crowds that flocked to church; which place some of them had not troubled for years before. We send them to church to hear ourselves railed at, and, what is far worse, the truth of God."

Tuesday, September 13. "We parted with many tears, and mutual blessings. I rode on to Kinsale. Here, also, the minister, Mr. P., instead of rejoicing to see so many publicans in the temple, entertained them with a railing accusation against me, as an impostor, an incendiary, and messenger of satan. Strange justice! that Mr. P. should be voted a friend of the church, and Ian enemy, who send hundreds into the church for him to drive them out again. September 16, the power of the Lord was present in the society at Cork; I marvel not that satan hates it: we never meet but some one or other is plucked out of his teeth. After a restless night of pain, I rose to confer with those who desired it. A woman insisted that the Lord had spoken peace to her trembling soul at the sacrament. Thomas Warburton asserted, that faith came to him by hearing; and that now he hates all sin with a perfect hatred, and could spend his whole life in prayer. Stephen Williams witnessed, 'Last night I found my heart burdened in your prayer; but I repeated after you till my speech was swallowed up. Then I felt myself, as it were, fainting, falling back, and sinking into destruction; when, on a sudden, I was lifted up, my heart lightened, my burden gone; and I saw all my sins at once so black, so many-but all taken away. I am now afraid of neither death, devil, nor hell. I am happier than I can tell you. I know God has, for Christ's sake, forgiven ut. Two others, in whom I found a real work of grace

begun, were Papists, till they heard the gospel, but are not reconciled to the church, even to the invisible church, or communion of saints. A few of these lost sheep we pick up, but seldom speak of it, lest our good Protestants should stir up the Papists to tear us in pieces. At Mr. Rolf's, a pious Dissenter, I heard of the extreme bitterness of his two ministers who make it their business to go from house to house, to set their people against the truth, threatening all who hear us with excommunication. So far beyond the Papists are these moderate men advanced in persecution."-Mr. Wesley now quitted this part of the kingdom, and, visiting several towns in his way back, he came safe to Dublin on the 27th of September.

October 8, he took his passage for England, and the next night landed at Holyhead. He wrote to a friend the following account of the dangers he had escaped. "On Saturday evening at half past eight, I entered that small boat, and were two hours in getting to the vessel. There was not then water to cross the bar; so we took our rest till eleven on Sunday morning. Then God sent us a fair wind, and we sailed smoothly before it five hours and a half. Towards evening the wind freshened upon us, and we had full enough of it. I was called to account for a bit of cake I had eat in the morning, and thrown into violent exercise. Up or down, in the cabin or on deck, made no difference: yet in the midst of it, I perceived a distinct heavy concern, for I knew not what. It was now pitch dark, and no small tempest lay upon us. The captain had ordered in all the sails. I kept mostly upon deck till half past eight, when, upon inquiry, he told me, he expected to be in the harbor by nine: I answered, we would compound for ten. While we were talking, the mainsail, as I take it, got loose; at the same time the small boat, for want of fastening, fell out of its place. The master called all hands on deck, and thrust me down into the cabin; when, in a minute, we heard a cry above, We have lost the mast!' A passenger ran up, and brought us worse news, that it was not the mast, but the poor master himself, whom I had scarcely left, when the boat, as they supposed, struck him and knocked him overboard. From that moment he was seen and heard no more. My soul was bowed before the Lord. I kneeled down, and commended the departing spirit to his mercy in Christ Jesus. I adored his distinguishing goodness. The one shall be taken, and the other left. I thought of those lines of Young: No warning given! unceremonious death! a sudden rush from life's meridian joys; a plunge opaque beyond conjecture.' The sailors were so confounded they knew not what they did. The decks were strewed with sails; the wind shifting about the compass; we just on the shore, and the vessel driving, where or how they knew not. One of our cabin passengers ran to the helm, and gave orders as captain, till they had righted the ship. But I ascribe it to our invisible Pilot, that we got safe to shore soon after ten. The storm was so high, that we doubted whether any boat would venture to fetch us. At last one answered and came. I thought it safer to lie in the vessel; but one calling, Mr. Wesley, you must come,' I followed, and by eleven o'clock found out my old lodgings at Rob

ert Griffiths. October 10, I blessed God that I did not stay in the vessel last night: a more tempestuous one, I do not remember."— He now wrote the following thanksgiving hymn:

With joy we embrace

The pledge of his grace,

In a moment outfly

These storms of affliction, and land in the sky.

"At half past nine o'clock, I took horse in a perfect hurricane, and was wet through in less than ten minutes; but I rode on, thankful that I was not at sea. Near five in the afternoon, I entered the boat at Baldon-ferry, with a clergyman and others, who crowded our small crazy vessel. The water was exceedingly rough, our horses frightened, and we looking to be overset every moment. The minister acknowledged he never was in the like danger. We were half drowned in the boat. I sat at the bottom, with him and a woman, who stuck very close to me, so that my being able to swim would not have helped me. But the Lord was my support. I cried out to my brother clergyman, Fear not, Christian-the hairs of our head are all numbered.' Our trial lasted near half an hour, when we landed wet and weary in the dark night. The minister was my guide to Carnarvon; and by the way entertained me with the praises of a lay-preacher, he had lately heard and talked with. He could say nothing against his preaching, but heartily wished him ordained. His name, he told me, was Howel Harris. He took me to his own inn, and at last found out who I was, which increased our intimacy." Mr. Wesley pursued his

journey to Garth, which place he reached October 13. Here he staid about a week, and, on the 21st, arrived safe in Bristol.

He now confined his labors in the gospel, for some months, to London, Bristol, and the neighboring places, making an occasional excursion to Garth, in Wales. April 9, 1749, he was married by his brother, at Garth, to Miss Sarah Gwynne, a young lady of good sense, piety, and agreeable accomplishments. Mr. John Wesley observes, "It was a solemn day, such as became the dignity of a christian marriage."

STATING SOME FURTHER PARTICULARS CONCERNING MR. CHARLES WESLEY; WITH AN ACCOUNT OF HIS DEATH IN 1789.

MR. WESLEY's Journal now begins to fail us. There is no account of his proceedings, sometimes for months, sometimes for years together. There are, however, a few particulars recorded till the year 1756, which may be useful and entertaining to the reader, and throw some light on the history of Methodism. It does not appear that his marriage either interrupted his labors, or lessened his usefulness. April 29, about three weeks after he was married, he wrote thus to his brother: "I hope this will find you prospering in Ireland. I left Garth yesterday sennight. Mr. Gwynne, with Sally and Betty, accompanied me to Abergavenny. There I left them on Saturday morning, and got hither (Bristol) by one o'clock. Over-riding occasioned a fever-I was too eager for the work, and therefore believe, God checked me by that short sickness. Till Wednesday evening at Weaver's Hall, my strength and understanding did not return; but from that time the Lord has been with us of a truth. More zeal, more life, more power, I have not felt for some years (I wish my mentioning this may not lessen it:) so that hitherto marriage has been no hindrance. You will hardly believe it sits so light upon me. Some farther proof I had of my heart on Saturday last, when the fever threatened most. I did not find, so far I can say, any unwillingness to die, on account of any I should leave behind: neither did death appear less desirable than formerly-which I own gave me great pleasure, and made me shed tears of joy. I almost believe, nothing shall hurt me: that the world, the flesh, and the devil, shall keep their distance; or, by assaulting, leave me more than conqueror. On Thursday, I propose setting out for London, by Oxford, with T. Maxfield. If they will give me a year of grace, I shall wonder and thank you. I hope you came time enough to save J. Cownly, &c. Set your time for returning; when abouts at least. Will you meet me at Ludlow? It is a thousand pities you should not be here, when

*The phraseology here is rather low, and I am persuaded would not have been used by Mr. Wesley, but in this familiar aul careless way of writing to his brother.