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It is some time ago since I heard from cousin Daniel, therefore am at a loss with respect to your health, &c., but I have seldom much uneasiness about such of my friends as I have reason to believe are in the sure keeping, and under the careful eye of our gracious Redeemer; such I know shall want no real good, shall be exercised with no needless trouble, shall be forsaken in no kind of extremity. Sickness and health, life and death, are equally theirs, and shall all, in their turns, work together for their good. may, and we ought to sympathize in the troubles of our friends. But our concern is very apt to be extravagant, and out of due bounds. As Eliphaz says, "Shall mortal man be more just than God?" so it may well be asked, "Shall mortal man be more compassionate and tender than the God of all mercy?" Indeed my life and my experience are both very short, and it is but a weak testimony I can bear to the Lord's faithfulness, but something I can say I have found the word on which he has caused me to hope has been always fulfilled in its season, that he has at no time laid more upon me than he has enabled me to bear, and when I have in expectation been almost swallowed up, he has, beyond my hope, provided me a way to escape; so that, should this be the last letter I should write, I would here leave my record,

that "the Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and he knoweth those who put their trust in him." But you have had a much longer standing in the Christian warfare; you can, experiment. ally, I believe, say, with David, “Many are the afflictions of the righteous," but that you are this day living to say it, is an evident proof that "the Lord delivereth them out of them all." By this, (if by nothing else,) we may know that the Lord favours us, inasmuch as our enemies have not yet prevailed against us; for when we think of their numbers, their strength, their policy, and their vigilance; and reflect at the same time on our own weakness, blindness, and presumption, we may well cry out, "If the Lord had not helped us, our souls had long ago slept in silence." On the other hand, when we consider through what dangers and difficulties we have been thus far brought, we may bid a bold defiance to whatever yet lies in our way to the heavenly kingdom. The Lord who has saved us from the paw of the lion, and the paw of the bear, will likewise save us from every evil. This is the apostle's argument, 2 Cor. i. 10, He hath delivered in times past, he doth deliver us daily, and therefore we trust he will yet deliver us. He will be our sun and our shield, he will give us grace here, he will make our beds in sickness, he will walk with us even in the valley of the shadow of death, and he will give us glory, even a crown of glory, honour, immortality, and eternal life hereafter. O, we may well say, Blessed are the people that are in such a case; happy are the people who have the Lord their God so nigh unto them, in all they call upon him for. Let the world despise, let Satan rage, let trials come, blessed be God, we are not left alone, nor sent to the warfare at our own charges; we have complete armour for our defence, and the Captain of Salvation to lead us on to battle, who has already conquered for us, and has promised to conquer in us; yea, to make us more than conquerors through

was the harbinger of Whitefield and other successful preachers of the gospel, in the principality of Wales. From the documents still in my possession, I therefore transcribe the following extracts from unpublished letters of Howell Harris, which you will probably consider as neither unfit for your pages, nor uninteresting to your readers.

In February, 1739, soon after a spirit of controversy had arisen among the followers of Whitefield and Wesley, Mr. Harris thus wrote to the latter, in a manner both creditable to himself, and worthy of the gospel of Christ:

"In reading your sermon on Free Grace, I was grieved to find that, while maintaining general redemption, and avoiding the decree of reprobation, you deny particular election. I know that this doctrine is of no use to the souls of any but those who are called; and only so far of use to them, as to enable them to see farther into God's love to them; in that, when there was nothing in them to move him to it, they were called, while others were left to themselves. Such a view of his love increases our love to him; renders us more in love with holiness, as the image of so good a God; and makes all duties agreeable to us. Viewing ourselves as enemies by nature, and actual transgressors of his law, God's election of a certain number, known to himself, to be called by his ministers, and to have this call particularly applied by his Spirit, excludes boasting, but does not imply a decree of reprobation with respect to others; for he lays them under no necessity to sin, but condemns them for sinning. Pray come and help us in Wales, for we are much under the spirit of bondage; but I hope God is among us, though he is longer in bringing some to the freedom of the gospel than others. O pray that Christ may ever abide in me. If Christ be mine, then all is mine. I long for more assurance and greater degrees of holiness."

Again I find Mr. Harris writing to his friend, Mr. Wesley, in the way of remonstrance, and faithful admonition, but

still in the spirit of love. His letter is dated Trevecca, July 16, 1740, and is to the following effect:

"When I returned from Bristol, there were such reports of your holding no faith without a full and constant assurance, and no state of salvation without being wholly set at liberty, in the fullest sense of perfection, that many were afraid to come near me, hearing that I had been carried away with the same stream. Notwithstanding my endeavours to remove them, there are also prejudices against you for descrying the doctrine of election, which seem almost invincible. I have indeed been staggered myself on seeing some letters, from which I learn that, on the night I left London, you turned a brother out of the society, charging all to beware of him, and of such as conversed with him, purely because he held election. My dear brother, cannot you see, in a cooler spirit, what was at the bottom of this? Do you not act with the same stiff, unbroken, uncharitable spirit which you condemn in others? I assure you, from the conversation I had with that person, that I found all the tokens of the love of God in him, and had every reason to hope that he has the Spirit of Christ. As to some things which have been laid to his charge, I have spoken to one who was in London not six weeks ago, and had the best opportunity of being informed, who wholly acquits him. My dear brother, if the ministers of our dear Lord thus act towards one another, will not the enemy take advantage? If you exclude him from the society, and from the fraternity of the Methodists, you must exclude brother Whitefield, brother Seward, and myself; and if you continue to act thus, suffering those who are without to rejoice in our divisions, will you not grieve the Spirit of God in all the brethren? You wish to establish the confidence of poor sinners in the promises and assurances of the gospel. I never denied, but have always asserted, in the most explicit terms, that whoever will come to Christ, shall obtain mercy. But I hope I shall

ever contend, that it is owing to the special, distinguishing, irresistible grace, that we are saved. Can you say, in the presence of God, that it was your good improvement of preventing grace that brought you to believe? How did you strive, but could not, of yourself? And yet, while you show that man quenches the Spirit, and destroys his own soul, you attribute to man what you always found wanting in yourself! A power to be passive, to receive and confide in Christ, you found in the good pleasure of another and so it is, and ever will be. You are faithful and watchful, just so long as you are kept so. Look, then, to the teaching of God's Spirit, rather than to your reason and learning; and you will soon see that God chose you, and not you him. See what a tottering foundation you build on, even your own faithfulness, instead of God's unchangeableness! It is, indeed, God's willingness to receive poor sinners, and his covenant love, that should be set before those who are not made willing; and they should be exhorted to seek him with their whole heart; and yet the children of the covenant should know that their salvation does not depend upon themselves, but upon Christ. Cannot you see that your way is still the old covenant? It is not strengthening yourselves in the grace that is in Christ Jesus, but in that which is in ourselves. We would still have the power to save in our own hands, and cannot bear to be told that it is in the hands of another. My dear brother, was not the grace of God irresistible in you when you were brought to rely on the covenant of grace? Could you make yourself what you then were? And if all the world had what you then had, would not all be in the same state as yourself? Does not your reasoning make them that are saved to be under no greater obligation to God than those who are lost? O that you would not touch on this subject till God enlightens you! My dear brother, you grieve, by your reasonings and objections, the people of God, who feel his electing love. This arises

from prejudice, carnal reason, and the darkness of past ages. Pray for me, that my confidence may grow strong. Salute the brethren and sisters in my name. The more I write, the more I love you. Indeed, Sir, I am sure you are one of God's elect, and that you act honestly, according to the light you have. I love you, dear brother in Christ, with all the love I have."

Notwithstanding the difference of opinion now subsisting between these two servants of Christ, it appears that they were neither of them unmindful of the exhortation, "Let brotherly love continue." Of this one of Mr. Wesley's journals affords indubitable evidence, in which, under date of October, 1741, (being at Kingswood, and hearing that Mr. Harris desired to see him in Bristol,) he says: "I went, and found him with Mr. Humphreys and Mr. S. They immediately entered upon their favourite subject; on which, when we had disputed two hours, and were just where we were at first, I begged we might exchange controversy for prayer. We did so, and then parted in much love." On the following day Mr. Wesley writes:

He

"Howell Harris came to me at the New Room. He said that, as to the decree of reprobation, he denounced, and utterly abhorred it. As to the not falling from grace, he believed that it ought not to be mentioned to the unjustified, or to any that were slack and careless, much less that lived in sin; but only to the earnest, and disconsolate mourners. did himself believe it was possible for one to fall away, who had been enlightened with some knowledge of God, who had tasted of the heavenly gift, and been made a partaker of the Holy Ghost; and wished we could all agree to keep close, in the controverted points, to the very words of Holy Writ. He said that he accounted no man so justified as not to fall, till he had a thorough, abiding hatred to all sin, and a continual hunger and thirst after all righteousness. Blessed be thou of the Lord, thou man of peace! Still follow after peace and holiness."

On the subject of personal election and discriminating grace, my dear Sir, I have thought often and much, and have felt those difficulties which our Wesleyan brethren know how to state in defence of their own principles. But when I consider that election hinders no man's salvation, while it secures to the Saviour the fruit of his obedience unto death; and that our view of it leaves the non-elect where Mr. Wesley's doctrine leaves all mankind; I am constrained to embrace the sentiments of Mr. Harris, for the reasons which he has assigned, without pledging myself to the approval of every expression that may have been current in his time. To the question, "What hast thou which thou hast not received?" I am persuaded that we must answer: "Nothing." To the question, "Who maketh thee to differ?" I apprehend that every serious Christian will be ready to say, "By the grace of God, I am what I am." Wherever this difference is made, then, the election of the individual is

clearly implied, and the nature of the grace which makes the difference is as clear as the sun at noon-day. So it appears to me. But that we may "know the truth," and rejoice in it, let us pray for the teaching of the Holy Spirit, the fruit of which is "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, against which there is no law," in the true church of God. "If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vainglory, provoking one another, envying one another." Then shall we have an "Evangelical Alliance," against which the gates of hell cannot prevail, and sincere Christians will "be one" in every sense in which they either can, or ought to be so, on this side heaven. Hoping that there will be such an alliance, and rejoicing in every hopeful sign of it, I remain, yours truly, JOHN BULMER. 6, Windsor Terrace, St. Paul's, Bristol.

MY DEAR FRIEND,-On reading Mr. Bulmer's communication to you, inserted in your number for January, bearing the above title, it occurred to me as probable that many names which the Christian church ought not "willingly to let die," will soon be forgotten unless his example be followed, and those who like him are in possession of the requisite materials arrange them for publication. To arrest one name which is yet fragrant in the sphere in which the providence of God has placed me, from the oblivion into which the stream of time is rapidly bearing it away, is a task which I have therefore painfully imposed upon myself. It might have been performed many years ago, and much more efficiently by other hands which have long been mouldering in the grave. A few fragments only remain, and living memories can supply very little to enable me to link them to

gether into anything like a consistent narrative. But such as they are, they will not be uninteresting to your readers.

The Rev. Jonathan Evans, to whom several references are made in the Memoirs of Thomas Wilson, Esq., recently published, was born at Coventry about the year 1748-9. His parents were in somewhat humble circumstances; and it is believed made no profession of religion. In his youth he was employed in the warehouse of a ribbon manufacturer. Here he grew up to man's estate utterly regardless of his best interests, associating with profligate and profane companions. I have heard circumstances related of this period of his life which prove him to have been above his fellows-a zealous servant of Satan. His talents and energy raised him to this bad eminence, and he appeared to be proud of the distinction. His conversion took place about the year