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 muft fee it in your works, but you muft 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, righteoufnefs, food, falvation, and our all, we are penetrated with a confcioufnefs of it.-We fhould never reft fhort of this feeling, nor ever think we have it ftrong enough. This is to keep the faith; and our chief conflict and most conftant labour must be againft 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, I

"have

"have not I come to thee? Am not I, as a "brand plucked out of the fire, depending 66 upon thee for life? See if there be any way "of wickedness in me, and lead me in the way "everlasting."

My eye looks to the bleffed Jefus, my heart longs to be more in his fervice, my love-O that it were greater toward him! I mourn deeply for my corruptions, which are many and great. When I look at Him, and contemplate his great falvation, I adinire, I adore, and, in fome meafure, I love; but when I look at my felf, my heart rifes at the fight:-Black and devilish, felfish and proud, carnal and covetous, and most abominably unclean, I want all things which are good. 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, righteoufncfs and falvation-a fulness of love, mercy, goodness, truth. All this, and a thoufand times more than all this, without any worthiness 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 cleanfe 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 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 bringest me to glory! I. F.

Tern, Sep. 26th, 1760.

The Rev. Mr. Charles Wesley.

YOU anfwer me not, My

You

dear Sir: have you not received my laft, with a letter enclofed 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 anfwer to my firft from Tern. It might have comforted me, if I would, or could be comforted without Jefus; but I only afk ftrength to groan on, till I can fay, Totus mihi perplacet Chriftus.* Without the experience of this motto, yours will never raise me above a Devil, I 2

*Chrift is altogether lovely.

who

who can fay as well as me, Totus difpliceo mihi.*

I fend you here the copy of a part of a letter, which I have juft written to Lady Huntingdon. "The light I expected from our friend at Brif"tol is come, though from a different quarter. A fortnight ago, the Minifter of this parith, "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

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parith, who fell out with me, three years ago, "for preaching faith in his church: he received "me with the greateft kindnefs, 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 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

unaked. He was no fooner gone, than news "was brought that the old Clergyman, I men"tioned to your Ladyship, died fuddenly the "day before; and that fame day before I heard

it, Mr. Hill, meeting at the races 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 im"mediately agreed to, as Mr. Hill himfelf in"formed

*I am alogether hateful to myself.

"formed me in the evening, wishing 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 Ladyilip "would prefent my refpects and thanks to Lady Margaret and Mr. Ingham, and acquaint "them with the neceffity, which thete circum"ftances lay me under to follow the leadings of "Providence."

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This anfwer 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 defpiled 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 difcharge 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 fheep, 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 thefe extremes: I will be wholly pallive in the steps I muft 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.