About eight at night I preached again from the same place, but had the satisfaction of seeing my congrega tion trebly increased. After this I went to a friend's house to eat bread, and came to my inn, wishing that all felt the love of God shed abroad in their hearts as I did then. EVESHAM, PERSHORE, TEWKSBURY, AND GLOUCESter. Wednesday, July 4. Preached by seven in the morning at Evesham, and perceived the people's hearts most nearly knit to me. Breakfasted at a hospitable quaker's house, and went in company with about thirty to Pershore, where I was kindly invited by Mr Parks, the present incumbent. He gave me the meeting as I was going to the church; I read prayers, and preached with power. Several clergymen were present, and after sermon Mr Parks sent me his thanks, and gave me another invitation to Pershore. The inhabitants were much affected, and I was received gladly into some of their houses, and requested to come to others. -About five in the evening I took an affectionate leave of Evesham friends, and in company with about one hundred and twenty on horseback went to Tewkesbury, and never saw a town so much alarmed. The streets were crowded with people from all parts. I rode immediately through the town, preached to about six thousand hearers in a field lent us by Mr P—, but saw no constables that came either to molest or attend on me. My hour is not yet come. By and by it will be given me not only to believe on, but to suffer for Christ's name sake. Lord grant I may not deny him in any wise. Immediately after sermon I took horse, and reached Gloucester near midnight. The weather was very pleasant. God was pleased to refresh me with fresh communications from himself, and we went on our way rejoicing in the Lord, who still causes us to triumph in every place. Oh, for ever adored be his free grace in Christ! GLOUCESTER AND CHEFford. ing, as usual, to a numerous and exceedingly affected audience. My own heart was full of love to my dear countrymen, and they sincerely sympathized with me. Many friends after this came to take leave of me, and told me what God had done for their souls. Having wrote my journal, and despatched my private business, after joining in prayer, and singing with many, I left Gloucester. About five in the evening I reached Chefford-common, at seven preached till it was near dark to upwards of ten thousand people. A glorious increase since I was there last. Blessed be the Lord God or Israel, who delighteth in the prosperity of his servant. BRISTOL. Friday, July 6. Lay at the house of Mr. Wa-n, a clothier, two miles from Chefford. Rose at six, after family duty, and taking a little breakfast, we set forwards towards Bristol. At Petty France some friends met us, afterwards more joined us, and before we came within two miles of Bristol, our company increased very considerably. The people were much rejoiced at the news of my coming: their hearts seemed to leap for joy, and many thanksgivings were rendered to God in my behalf. The bells rang unknown to me. I was received as an angel of God. At seven in the evening I preached at Baptist-mills to about six or seven thousand people, who were much melted by the power of God's word. I hope they will receive a second benefit. Saturday, July 7. Breakfasted with Mr. L-y. Settled some affairs concerning our brethren, and had a useful conference about many things with my honoured friend Mr John Wesley. Dined at my sister's, gave the sacrament to a sick sister, paid another visit upon a matter of importance. Preached at Baptist- mills to near the same number of people as last night, and found that Bristol had great reason to bless God for the ministry of Mr John Wesley. The congregation I observed to be much more serious and affected than when I left them: and their loud and repeated amens, which they put up to every petition, as well as the exemplariness of their conversation in common life, plainly show that they have not received the grace of God in vain. Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but how is it that you cannot discern the sign of these times? That good, great good is done, is evident; either this is done by an evil or good spirit: if you say by an evil spirit, I answer in our Lord's own words, “If Satan be divided against Satan, how can his kingdom stand?" If by a good spirit, why do not the clergy and the rest of the Pharisees believe our report? What is it, but little less than blasphemy against the Holy Ghost, to impute the great work that has been in so short a time wrought in this kingdom, to delusion and the power of the devil? Sunday, July 8. Preached at the Bowling-green to about ten thousand people; greatly affected indeed. About eleven I preached again at Hannam-mount to near as many hearers, and at seven in the evening to about twenty thousand at Rose-green. My power I find much increased since I was here last. And such a visible alteration in the congregation for the better, therein convinces me more and more that God is with us of a truth. As our opposition increases, I doubt not but the manifestations of God's presence amongst us will increase also. Monday, July 9. On Thursday I received a letter from the bishop of Gloucester, in which his lordship affectionately admonished me to exercise my authority I received, in the manner it was given me. His lordship being of opinion that I ought to preach the gospel only in the congregation wherein I was lawfully appointed thereunto. To-day I sent his lordship the following answer :THE ANSWER. My lord, I thank your lordship for your lordship's kind letter. My frequent removes from place to place prevented my answering it sooner. I am greatly obliged to your lordship, in that you are pleased to watch over my soul, and to caution me against acting contrary to the commission given me at ordination. But if the commission we then receive, obliges us to preach no where but in that parish which is committed to our care, then all persons act contrary to their commission when they preach occasionally in any strange place, and, consequently, your lordship equally offends when you preach out of your own diocese. As for inveighing against the clergy, without cause, I deny the charge. What I say, I am ready to make good whenever your lordship pleases. Let those that bring reports to your lordship about my preaching, be brought face to face, and I am ready to give them an answer. St Paul exhorts Timothy not to receive an accusation against an elder under two or three witnesses. And even Nico demus could say, "the law suffered no man to be condemned unheard." I shall only add, that I hope your lordship will inspect into the lives of your other clergy, and censure them for being over remiss, as much as you censure me for being over righteous. It is their falling from their articles, and not preaching the truth as it is in Jesus, that has excited the present zeal of (whom they in derision call) the methodist preachers. Dr. Stebbing's sermon (for which I thank your lordship) confirms me more and more in my opinion, that I ought to be instant in season, and out of season. For to me, he seems to know no more of the true nature of regeneration than Nicodemus did when he came to Jesus by night. Your lordship may observe, that he does not speak a word of original sin, or the dreadful consequences of our fall in Adam, upon which the doctrine of the new birth is entirely founded. No; like other polite preachers, he seems to think, in the very beginning of his discourse, that St Paul's description of the wickedness of the heathen is only to be referred to them of past ages. Whereas I affirm we are all included as much under the guilt and consequence of sin as they were, and if any man preach any other doctrine he shall bear his punishment whosoever he be. Again, my lord, the doctor entirely mistakes us when we talk of the sensible operations of the Holy Ghost. He understands us just as those carnal Jews understood Jesus Christ, who, when our Lord talked of giving them that bread which came down from heaven, said, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Indeed, I know not that we do use the word sensible, when we are talking of the operations of the Spirit of God. But if we do, we do not mean that God's Spirit does manifest itself to our senses, but that it may be perceived by the soul, as really as is any sensible impression made upon the body. But to disprove this, the doctor brings our Lord's allusion to the wind in the third of St John, which is one of the best texts he could urge to prove it. For if the analogy of our Lord's discourse be carried on we shall find it amounts to thus much :That although the operations of the Spirit of God can no longer be accounted for than how the wind cometh, and whither it goeth; yet may they be as easily felt by the soul, as the wind may be felt by the body. My lord, indeed we speak what we know. "But," says the doctor," these men have no proof to offer for their inward manifestations." What proof, my lord, does the doctor require? Would he have us raise dead bodies? Have we not done greater things than these? I speak with all humility, has not God by our ministry raised many dead souls to a spiritual life? Verily, if men will not believe the evidence God has given that he sent us, neither would they believe though one rose from the dead. Besides, my lord, the doctor charges us with things we are entire strangers to, such as the denying men the use of God's creatures. Encouraging abstinence, prayer, &c. to the neglect of the duties of our stations. Lord, lay not this sin to his charge. Again, he says, " I suppose Mr Benjamin Seward to be a person believing in Christ, and blameless in his conversation, before what I call his conversion." But this is a direct untruth. For it was through the want of a living faith in Jesus Christ, which he now has, that he was not a Christian before, but a mere moralist. Your lordship knows that our article says, "Works done without the Spirit of God, and true faith in Jesus Christ, have the nature of sin." And such were all the works done by Mr Benjamin Seward before the time rnen |