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by faith, imputed righteousness, the doctrine of the trinity, &c. On such parts I always placed a particular emphasis, which puzzled and teazed the old lady a good deal.

Among other places I thought (having so been taught by the Methodists) that the sixteenth chapter of Ezekiel very much favoured the doctrines of original sin, imputed righteousness, &c.; that chapter I often selected and read to her, and she has often read the eighteenth chapter of the same prophecy, for the sake of the parable of the father's eating sour grapes.

Whenever I read in St Paul's epistles on justification by faith alone, my good mistress would read in the epistle of St James, such passages as say that a man is not justified by faith alone, but by faith and works, which often embarrassed me not a little. However, I comforted myself with the conceit of having more texts of scripture on my side of the question than she had on her side. As to St James, I was almost ready to conclude, that he was not quite orthodox, and so at last I did not much mind what he said.

66- - False opinions rooted in the mind,

Hoodwink the soul and keep our reason blind.
In controverted points can reason sway,
When passion or conceit hurries us away?"

Hitherto I had not frequented the Methodist meetings by the consent or knowledge of my master and mistress; nor had my zeal been so great as to make me openly violate their commands. But as my zeal increased much faster than my knowledge, I soon disregarded their orders, and without hesitation ran away to hear a methodistical sermon as often as I could find an opportunity. One Sunday, morning at eight o'clock my mistress seeing her sons set off, and knowing that they were gone to a Methodist meeting, determined to prevent me from doing the same by locking the door, which she accordingly did; on which,

in a superstitious mood, I opened the bible for direction what to do, (ignorant Methodists often practise the same superstitious method,) and the first words I read were these, "He has given his angels charge concerning thee, lest at any time thou shouldest dash thy foot against a stone." This was enough for me; so without a moment's hesitation, I ran up two pair of stairs to my own room, and out of the window I leaped, to the great terror of my poor mistress. I got up immediately, and ran about two or three hundred yards towards the meeting house; but alas! I could run no farther, my feet and ancles were most intolerably bruised, so that I was obliged to be carried back and put to bed; and it was more than a month before I recovered the use of my limbs. I was ignorant enough to think that the Lord had not used me very well, and resolved not to put so much trust in him for the future.

This my rash adventure made a great noise in the town, and was talked of many miles round. Some few admired my amazing strength of faith, but the major part pitied me, as a poor ignorant deluded and infatuated boy.

"The neighbours star'd and sigh'd, yet blessed the lad, Some deem'd him wondrous wise, some believed him mad." DR BEATTIE.

LETTER IX.

"One makes the rugged paths so smooth and even
None but an ill-bred man can miss of heaven.
Another quits his stockings, breeches, shirt,
Because he fancies virtue dwells in dirt:
While all concur to take away the stress
From weightier points, and lay it on the less."
STILLINGFLEET on Conversation.

"'Gad, I've a thriving traffic in my eye.
Near the mad mansions of Moorfields I'll bawl;
Friends, fathers, mothers, sisters, sons and all,
Shut up your shops, and listen to my call!"

DEAR FRIEND,

FOOTE.

In the fourth year of my apprenticeship my master died. Now although he was a good husband, a good father, and a good master, &c., yet, as he had not the methodistical faith, and could not pronounce the Shibboleth of that sect, I piously feared that he was gone to hell.

My mistress thought that his death was hastened by his uneasy reflections on the bad behaviour of his sons, after they commenced Methodists; as before they were converted each was dutiful and attended to his trade, but after they became saints they attended so much to their spiritual concerns that they acted as though they supposed they were to be fed and clothed by miracles, like Mr Huntingdon, who informs in his book called "The Bank of Faith," that the Lord sent him a pair of breeches, that a dog brought him mutton to eat, fish died at night in a pond on purpose to be eaten by him in the morning; money, and in short everything he could desire, he obtained by prayer. Mr Wesley used to cure a violent pan in his head the same way, as he relates in his journals. Thus, as Foote says,

"With labour, toil, all second means dispence,
And live a rent-charge upon Providence.'

To give you a better idea of methodistical ignorance and neglect of ordinary means of living, &c. I will relate one instance more. Mary Hubbard (an old woman of Mr Wesley's society) would often wash her linen, hang it out to dry, and go away to work in the fields, or to Taunton market, four miles from her house; and when blamed, she would answer, "That the Lord watched over her, and all that she had, and that he would prevent any person from stealing her two old smocks, or if he permitted them to be stolen, he would send her two new in their stead." And I seriously assure you, sir, that there are many thousand Mary Hubbards amongst the Methodists.

As I had been bound to my mistress as well as my master, I was of course an apprentice still. But after my master's death I obtained more liberty of conscience, (as I called it,) so that I not only went to hear the Methodist sermons, but was also admitted into their society; and I believe they never had a more devout enthusiastical member; for several years I regularly attended every sermon and all their private meetings.

"I, like a hackney-coachman, knew
Short way to heav'n by a clew,

Could cut across, and save the road
That guided to the blest abode."

As you are probably unacquainted with the nature of these private meetings, a short account of them may perhaps afford you some amusement.

Mr Wesley instituted amongst his people, besides the public preachings, several kinds of private meetings; and as the prayer-meeting is the least private of any of them, I will first take notice of that.

To the prayer-meetings, which were in general held in private houses, they often invited people who were

not of their society. A hymn was first sung, then they all knelt, and the first person who felt a motion made an extemporary prayer; when he had done, another began, and so on, for about two hours.

"There every soul a face of sorrow wears,
And not one sign of happiness appears;
But looks of terror and dejected eyes,
Despairing murmurs, and heart-rending sighs!
No eye doth wander, and no lip doth smile,
But holy horrors chill us all the while."

YOUNG OFFicer.

It so happened sometimes, that one of the brethren began to pray without having the gift of prayer, (as they call it,) and then he often stuck fast, like some of the young orators at Coachmaker's Hall, &c. Prayermeetings were held in such high esteem amongst them, that they asserted, more were "born again," and more made free from all the remains of sin," or in other words of their own, "made perfect as God is perfect," in these kinds of meeting, than at public preaching, &c. Thus, as Pomfret says,

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"The spirits heated will strange things produce."

But it is impossible for you, my friend, to form any just idea of these assemblies, except you had been present at them: one wheedles and coaxes the Divine Being in his addresses; another is amorous and luscious; and a third so rude and commanding, he will even tell the Deity that he must be a liar if he does not grant all they ask. In this manner will they work up one another's imaginations until they may actually be said to be in a state of intoxication, and whilst in this intoxicated state, it often happens that some of them recollect a text of scripture, such as, thy sins are forgiven thee," or "go and sin no more," &c., and then they declare themselves to be born again, or to be sanctified, &c.

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They have another kind of private meeting after the public preaching on Sunday evenings, in which