On Friday in the afternoon I left Bristol with Mr. Whitefield, in the midst of heavy rain. But the clouds soon dispersed, so that we had a fair, calm evening, and a serious congregation at Thornbury.

In the morning we breakfasted with a Quaker, who had been brought up in the Church of England: but being under strong convictions of inward sin, and applying to several persons for advice, they all judged him to be under a disorder of body, and gave advice accordingly. Some Quakers with whom he met about the same time, told him it was the hand of God upon his soul; and advised him to seek another sort of relief than those miserable comforters had recommended. Wo unto you, ye blind leaders of the blind! How long will ye pervert the right ways of the Lord? Ye who tell the mourners in Zion, much religion hath made you mad! Ye who send them whom God hath wounded to the devil for cure; to company, idle books or diversions! Thus shall they perish in their iniquity; but their blood shall God require at your hands!

We had an attentive congregation at Gloucester, in the evening. In the morning, Mr. Whitefield being gone forward, I preached to about five thousand there, on, Christ our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. It rained violently at five in the evening; notwithstanding which, two or three thousand people stayed, to whom I expounded that glorious vision of Ezekiel, of the resurrection of the dry bones.

On Monday 16, After preaching to two or three thousand on, What must I do to be saved? I returned to Bristol, and preached to about three thousand, on those words of Job, There the wicked cease from troubling; there the weary are at rest.

Tuesday 17, I rode to Bradford, five miles from Bath, whither I had been long invited to come. I waited on the minister, and desired leave to preach in his church. He said, "It was not usual to preach on the week days; but

if I could come thither on a Sunday, he should be glad of my assistance." Thence I went to a gentleman in the town, who had been present when I preached at Bath, and with the strongest marks of sincerity and affection, wished me good luck in the name of the Lord: But it was past. I found him now quite cold. He began disputing on several heads, and at last told me plainly, one of our college had informed him, "They always, took me to be a little crackbrained at Oxford."

However some persons who were not of his mind, having pitched on a convenient place, called Bear-field or Buryfield, on the top of the hill under which the town lies: 1 there offered Christ to about a thousand people, for wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. Thence I returned to Bath, and preached on, What must I do to be saved? to a larger audience than ever before. I was wondering the god of this world was so still: when at my return from the place of preaching, poor RM told me, he could not let me preach any more in his ground. I asked him, why? He said, "The people hurt his trees, and stole things out of his ground. And besides, added he, I have already by letting thee be here, merited the displeasure of my neighbours." O fear of man) who is above thee, but they who indeed worship God in spirit and in truth? Not even those who have one foot in the grave! Not even those who dwell in rooms of cedar; and who have heaped up gold as the dust, and silver as the sand of the sea!

Saturday 21, I began expounding a second time our Lord's sermon upon the Mount. In the morning, Sunday 22, as I was explaining, Blessed are the pure in spirit, to about three thousand people, we had a fair opportunity of shewing all men, what manner of spirit we were of: For in the middle of the sermon, the press-gang came, and seized on one of the hearers; (ye learned in the law, what becomes of Magna Charta, and of English liberty and property? Are not these mere sounds, while, on any pretence, there is such a thing as a press-gang suffered in the

land?) all the rest standing still, and none opening his mouth or lifting up his hand to resist them.

Monday 23, To guard young converts from fancying, that they had already attained or were already perfect, I preached on those words, So is the kingdom of God, as when a man easteth seed into the ground—And riseth day and night, and the seed buddeth forth and springeth up he knoweth not how—first the blade, then the ear, then full corn in the ear.

On several evenings this week, and particularly on Friday, many were deeply convinced; but none were delivered from that painful conviction, The children came to the birth; but there was not strength to bring forth. I fear we have grieved the Spirit of the jealous God, by questioning his work; and that, therefore, he is withdrawn from us for a season. But He will return, and abundantly pardon.

Monday 30, Two more were in strong pain, both their souls and bodies being well nigh torn asunder, But though we cried unto God, there was no answer, neither did He as yet deliver them at all.

One of these had been remarkably zealous against those that cried out and made a noise, being sure that any of them might help it if they would. And the same opinion she was in still, until the moment she was struck through as with a sword, and fell trembling to the ground. She then cried aloud, though not articulately, her words being swallowed up. In this pain she continued twelve of fourteen hours, and then her soul was set at liberty. But her master (for she was a servant until that time, at a gentleman's in town) forbid her returning to him, saying, "He would have none in his house, who had received the Holy Ghost."

Tuesday 31, I preached at Bradford to above two thousand, many of whom were of the better rank, on What must I do to be saved? They all behaved with decency, and none went away until the service was ended. While I was preaching at Bath, in my return, some of the audience did

not behave so well, being, I fear, a little too nearly con cerned, when I came to the application of those words, Not only this our craft is in danger to be set at nought; but also that the temple of the great goddess Diana should be despised whom all Asia and the world worship.

Having A Caution against Religious Delusion," put into my hands about this time, I thought it my duty to write to the author of it: which I accordingly did, in the following terms:

"REVEREND SIR,

"1. You charge me (for I am called a Methodist, and consequently included within your charge), with vain and confident boastings, rash, uncharitable censures, damning all who do not feel what I feel; not allowing men to be in a salvable state, unless they have experienced some sudden operation, which may be distinguished as the hand of God upon them, overpowering as it were the soul:' With ' denying men the use of God's creatures, which He hath appointed to be received with thanksgiving, and encouraging abstinence, prayer, and other religious exercises, to the neglect of the duties of our station.' O Sir, can you prove this charge upon me? The Lord shall judge in that day!

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"2. I do indeed go out into the highways and hedges to call poor sinners to Christ. But not in a tumultuous manner;' not to the disturbance of the public peace, or the prejudice of families.' Neither herein do I break any law which I know; much less set at nought all rule and authority.' Nor can I be said to intrude into the labours' of those who do not labour at all; but suffer thousands of those for whom Christ died, to perish for lack of knowledge.

"3. They perish for want of knowing, that we as well as the heathens, are alienated from the life of God: that every one of us, by the corruption of our inmost nature, is very far gone from original righteousness; so far, that

every person born into the world, deserveth God's wrath and damnation: that we have by nature no power either to help ourselves, or even to call upon God to help us; all our tempers and works, in our natural state, being only evil continually. So that our coming to Christ, as well as theirs, must infer a great and mighty change. It must infer, not only an outward change, from stealing, lying, and all corrupt communication; but a thorough change of heart, an inward renewal in the spirit of our mind. Accordingly, the old man implies infinitely more than outward evil conversation, even an evil heart of unbelief, corrupted by pride, and a thousand deceitful lusts. Of consequence, the new man must imply infinitely more than outward good conversation, even a good heart, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness: a heart full of that faith, which, working by love, produces all holiness of conversation.

"4. The change from the former of these states to the latter, is what I call the new birth. But you say, 'I am not content with this plain and easy notion of it, but fill myself and others with fantastical conceits about it.' Alas, Sir, how can you prove this? And if you cannot prove it, what amends can you make, either to God, or to me, or to the world, for publicly asserting a gross falsehood?

"5. Perhaps you say, 'You can prove this of Mr. Whitefield?' What then? This is nothing to me. I am not accountable for his words. The journal you quote I never saw, until it was in print. But indeed you wrong him as much as me: first, where you represent him as judging the notions of the Quakers in general (concerning being led by the Spirit) to be right and good; whereas he speaks only of those particular men with whom he wast then conversing. And again, where you say, he supposes a person believing in Christ,—to be without any saving knowledge of him. He supposes no such thing; to believe in Christ was the very thing he supposed wanting: as understanding that term believing to imply, not only an