well as thofe of our homilies and articles. I know not what to fay to you of the state of my foul: I daily ftruggle in the flough of defpond, and I endeavour every day to climb the hill difficulty. I need wifdom, mildnefs and courage; and no man has lefs of them than I. O Jefus, my Saviour, draw me ftrongly to Him, who giveth wisdom to all who afk it, and upbraideth them not! As to the ftate of my parish, the profpect is yet difcouraging. New fcandals fucceed those that wear away; but offences must come happy fhall I be, if the offence cometh not by me! My churchwardens fpeak of hindering ftrangers from coming to the church, and of repelling them from the Lord's table; but, on these points, I am determined to make head against them. A club of 8o workmen in a neighbouring parish, being offended at their minifter, determined to come in proceffion to my church, and requefted me to preach a fermon for them; but I thought proper to decline it, and have thereby a little regained the good graces of the minifter, at leaft, for a time.. Farewell. I. F.

Madeley, Oct. 12th, 1761.

The Rev. Mr. Charles Welley.

My dear Sir,

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You have always the goodness to encourage me, and your encouragements are not unfeasonable; for difcouragements follow one after another with very little intermiffion. Those which

are

are of an inward nature are fufficiently known to you; but fome others are peculiar to myself, efpecially, thofe I have had for eight days paft, during Madeley wake. Seeing that I could not fupprefs these Bacchanals, I did all in my power to moderate their madness; but my endeavours have had little or no effect: the impotent dyke I oppofed only made the torrent fwell and foam, without ftopping its courfe. You cannot well imagine how much the animofity of my parishioners is heightened, and with what boldnefs it difcovers itself againft me, because I preached against drunkenness, fhews, and bullbaiting. The publicans and maltmen will not forgive me they think, that to preach against drunkennefs, and to cut their purfe, is the fame thing.

My church begins not to be fo well filled as it has been, and I account for it by the following reafons. The curiofity of fome of my hearers is fatisfied, and others are offended by the word; the roads are worse, and if it fhall ever pleafe the Lord to pour his Spirit upon us, the time is not yet come; for instead of faying, Let us go up together to the house of the Lord, they exclaim, Why Should we go and hear a Methodist ? I thould fofe all patience with my flock, if I had not more reason to be fatisfied with them, than with myself. My own barrennefs furnishes me with excufes for theirs; and I wait the time, when God fhall give feed to the fower, and increafe to the feed fown. In waiting that time, I learn the meaning of this prayer, Thy will be done! Believe me your fincere, tho' unworthy friend, I. F.

Madeley,

Madeley, May 16th, 1762.

The Rev. Mr. Charles Wefley.

My dear Sir,

I Have received your

letter giving me the

melancholy information of your daughter Sukey's death. What fhall I fay to you on the fubject? You know too well the dangers of that world, from which the Lord has recalled her, to repine at the premature felicity into which she has entered. We are yet in the vale of tears and miferies, but God has wiped away all tears from her eyes; let us then dry our eyes as well as we can, and haften to follow her. I hope that fatigue and grief will not wholly caft down Mrs. Wefley. Salute her from me, and tell her, I would with all my foul bear a part of her burden. Why do I fay a part? The Lord Jefus is ready to take upon him the whole. Let us go to him, bowed down under the weight of our temporal and fpiritual afflictions, and we fhall find that reft, which he has purchafed for us at fo great a price. Let us not forget to mingle our thanksgivings with our fighs. The one fhall be taken, faith the Lord, and the other shall be left. Bleffed be his holy name. his mercy ftill triumphs over his juftice!

A

Since my laft, our troubles have increased. 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 fervice. By God's grace, I have been

into

my

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enabled

enabled to conduct myself, 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 firft inclined to favour me, but afterwards turned against me with peculiar malevolence, and proceeded fo far as to threaten me, and all my flock of the rock church with imprisonment. Hitherto the Lord has ftood by me, and my little difficulties are nothing to me; but I fear I support them rather like a philofopher, than a Christian. We were to have been mobbed with a drum laft Tuesday at the rock church; but their captain, a papift, behaved himself fo very ill, that they were afhamed of him, and are made peaceable for the prefent. Afk of God to give me wifdom, refolution, and love. The Lord give you a profperous journey. Adieu. I am &c, L. F.

Madeley, July, 1762.

The Rev. Mr. Charles Wesley.

YOUR letter, my dear
Sir, arrived fome days

too late, to prevent my taking a falfe ftep refpecting the papift in queftion. Three weeks ago, I went to Ludlow to the Bishop's vifitation, and I thought the occafion favourable for my purpose;

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

purpofe; but the churchwardens, when we were upon the spot, refused to support me, and the court has paid no regard to my prefentation. Thus I have gained fome experience, tho' at my own coft. The fermon did not touch the ftring 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 dif concerted at my bringing my gown back from Ludlow. With refpect to the magiftrate I mentioned, who, because he acted as judge of the circuit two years ago, believes himfelf as able a lawyer as judge Fofter; he, for the present, contents himfelf with threatenings. I met him the other day, and after he had called me Jefuit &c; and menaced me with his cane, affured ne 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 furnish me with a divine commiffion! For fome months paft, I have laboured under an infuperable drowfinefs: I could fleep day and night; and the hours which I ought to employ with Chrift on the mountain, I fpend like Peter in the garden.

congratulate you on your fafe arrival in London. May the Lord ftrengthen you in foul and body; may he fill you with wildom and patience! Certainly, you need much of both, to pull up the tares without rooting up the K 2 wheat.