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wheat. I approve your defign of examining the ftate of things for yourself, before you engage in the bufinefs. May the Lord blefs the productions of your body and those 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.

Madeley, Aug. 1762.

The Rev. Mr. Charles Wefley.

My dear Sir,

I

Have received your laft,

and I rejoice that Dr.

Turner, by whofe fkill 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. First, fpiritual ones. My heart is hard: I have not that contrition, that filial fear, that fweet, humble melting of heart before the Lord, which I confider as eflential to fpiritual Chriftianity.

Secondly, the oppofition made to my ministry increales. A young Clergyman, who lives in Madeley Wood, where he has great influence, has openly declared war againft me, by pafting on the church door a paper, in which he charges me with rebellion, fchifm, and being a difturber of the publick peace. He puts himself at the head of the gentlemen of the parish, (as they

term

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 juftice, 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, tho' we fhould affemble only in my own houfe." I pleaded my caufe as well as I could, but feeing he was determined to hear no reafon, I told him, he muft do as he pleased, and that if the Act in queftion 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 A&t may be enforced against the miftrefs of the houfe, the young man, and all who were prefent. The churchwardens talk of put-. ting 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 our adverfaries.

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

3

Madeley,

Madeley, Sep. 4th, 1762.

Mr. Vaughan.

Dear Sir,

I

Am very glad to hear your delight is ftill in the ways of the Lord, and, I truft, you will never stop 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: ftruggle, 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 operation of his loving Spirit. 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 ma-keth his flock to reft at noon. The reft from the guilt, and power of fin, you will find only in inward holiness: and this I apprehend to confift in, what St. Paul calls, The kingdom of Godrighteousness, 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 flate, 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

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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, fuch as, The Son of God was manifefted TO DESTROY the works of the Devil-The law of the Spirit of life, in Chrift Jefus, hath made me FREE from the law of fin and deathI can do ALL things, through Chrift, who frengtheneth 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 is in the book of God may be fulfilled in ine; but a bold, hearty, fteady venturing of my foul, body, and fpirit, upon the truth 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 muft fhut the eye of carnal reason, and ftop the ear of the mind to the reasonings of the Serpent; which, were you to reafon with him, would be endlefs, and would foon draw you out of the fimple way of that faith, by which we are both justified 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, distracted, toffed, hardened heart-just 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 should 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

harmless as the loving dove; but beware of the ferpent's food, duft, and the dove's bane, birdlime-worldly-cares. O, my friend, what is the world? A flying fhadow. As we fly through it, let us lofe ourfelves in the Eternal Substance. Farewell in the Lord. Yours, L. F.

Madeley, Sep. 20th, 1768.

The Rev. Mr. Charles Welley.

My dear Sir,

IT

T is well for me, I have not an implicit faith in your half promises of coming to see me. I am forry that my delay has furnished you with an apology; but comfort myself still with the idea, that you will not wholly deprive me of the pleafure of embracing you; and that your vifit is only poftponed for a little feafon.

"The Crede quod habes et habes"* is not very different from those words of Christ, What things foever ye defire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. The humble reafon of the believer, and the irrational prefumption of the enthufiaft, draw this doc trine to the right hand or the left. But to fplit the hair, here lies the difficulty. I have told you that I am no party man: I am neither for nor against the witnefs for Chriftian Perfection, without examination. I complain of those who deceive themselves; I honour those who do honour to their profeffion; and I wish we could find out the right way of reconciling

*Believe that you have it, and you have it.

Mark xi. 24.

the

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