triumph. But God soon requited me. That night I dreamt I fell into a deep place full of frogs, and they seized on me from head to foot, and begun to eat the flesh off my bones. I was in great terror, and found exquisite pain until I awoke, sweating, and trembling, and half dead with fear.

About this time my dear father died of a consumption: I hope he was a true penitent. He was interred at Ryton church, with great solemnity, among his ancestors. I was then left to the care of my indulgent mother and brethren. Soon after my father's death, my eldest brother married, and they divided my father's farm, and the goods and chattels he left amongst them; but I was neglected and overlooked like one that did not belong to the family: but this did not give me the least concern. My disorder still continued, with my convictions. I prayed, wept, and looked towards the Hill of Sion. I found comfort, and a good hope through grace. I waited every day for my final dissolution, and longed to be with Christ. I loved God, the Redeemer, and all mankind. I was happy. After some time it pleased God to restore me to perfect health, beyond all human expectation. After my recovery, my mind was quickly drawn after the world again. I saw transitory objects in another point of view, than I had done during the time of my illness. My love to God and religion, and my desires after another world, soon grew very cold. I quenched the Holy Spirit, who departed and left me again to the folly of my own heart.

As I was the youngest child of the family, and had nothing left me, I judged it would be proper to think of some business to procure bread. And my mother and brother being willing to put me to the grammar school, and give me a good education, I accepted the offer, and concluded it was the best thing I could do: but in the interim, one Mr. Armstrong, a shopkeeper, wanted a boy, and sent for me. I embraced the opportunity, and prepared to go without delay. I thought I should escape the wearisome task of study, having nothing to do but to improve the learning I had already, to qualify me for a merchant's apprentice. My mother accompanied me to Mr. Armstrong's, and put me in possession of my new place. I went with great pleasure; and met with a kind reception. After I had been some time on trial, I was to be bound by indenture for seven years. This put my youthful mind into a new chain of reasoning. I thought I would never be bound to stand so long behind a counter; therefore, in spite of all persuasion, I left my place and returned home.

After this, a project entered into my head, that I would be a musician. I told my brother. He approved of it, bought me a violin, and provided me a master. I begun with great assiduity, and concluded I had found the very thing that would make me happy. I played away all my convictions, lost my taste for spiritual things, and banished all thoughts of a future world. I now employed myself in doing some little things in the house and about the farm; and all the time I had to spare, I spent in playing, singing, dancing, fishing, fowling, and whatever came next to my hand. I was then between fifteen and sixteen years of age, and begun to think of some employ

ment whereby I might have money to support my foolish desires. My brother kept waggon horses. When the waggon ways were first formed between the new coal mines and the river Tyne, the farmers were under an obligation to their landlords to employ a certain number of horses for that purpose. I was a strong, active young man, and thought I could manage a waggon very well. My brother was willing I should make the trial, and gave me a proper horse for that service. I soon made a great proficiency in this dirty, slavish, and dangerous occupation. And I was hugely pleased with my new department. Novelty pleases, whether the man sits on a throne or on a dunghill. I frequently boasted of my strength, agility, and skill in this sphere of action, and thought I was arrived at the summit of my preferment: I found it a singular pleasure in whatever company I was, to talk of feeding and guiding waggon horses, of waggons and waggon ways, the nature and value of coals; and concluded I only wanted a little money to make me a fitter, or a London crimp. My vain mind was as much taken up with those things, as the mathematicians with their abstruse science, or the philosophers with the wonders of nature. I followed this business, and the various branches of agriculture for about five years. During this period of my life, I was given up to folly. I greedily pursued, according to my ability, all the pleasures of the world. I spent nights and days together in hunting, cocking, card-playing, horse-races, or whatever the devil brought to town or country. And, oh grief of heart! gentlemen, clergymen, mechanics, and peasants, made up the crowd! But in the enjoyment of these poor toys, I had many severe checks, and sorrowful moments. The universe appeared as a vault wherein true comfort was entombed; and the sun himself as a lamp to show the gloomy horrors of a guilty mind. I often said in my cool intervals, hath the great God of love provided no better things than these for his reasonable creatures? Now at this time I was my own master, and lived without control. I followed my former pleasures, but with a trembling hand. I found Satan's service perfect drudgery, and all earthly objects empty and vain.

In this dull, melancholy round, I dragged on for some time, without any real comfort or solid satisfaction. I was not happy, yet I believed there was something that could make me, but I knew not what it was, or where to find it. Sometimes I reflected on what I felt in my affliction, when I was a youth; but it appeared as a dream. I was frequently in great and imminent danger. But through the interpositions of a kind, unerring providence, I escaped ten thousand snares and deaths, by night and day, at home and abroad. One evening in particular, two of my companions and I were riding home in a waggon very jovially, and as we were passing over a very high battery, the horse started suddenly to one side, and snatched the waggon from the planks: immediately it overset, and turned over and over, to the bottom of the hill. The trembling spectators who beheld this awful event, concluded, with shrieks and cries, "They are all killed; their bones are broken in a thousand pieces." But to their great astonishment, and our unspeakable comfort, we were very little hurt.

After I had recovered my reason, and found I was alive, and out of hell, my stubborn heart yielded to my almighty deliverer. I feared his great name, wept for joy, and was overwheimed with grief for my folly. This deliverance wrought a deep conviction in my heart. The true light shined on my dark soul, and God laid me in the dust. I only wanted a spiritual guide to show me the way, but alas! I could not find him in the country.

In May 1742, we heard a strange report of one Wesley, a church clergyman that had been at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and had preached in Sandgate to many thousands who heard him with astonishment. This new thing made a huge noise. The populace entertained various conjectures about him; but few, if any, could tell the motive on which he came, or the end he had in view. He made a short blaze, soon disappeared, and left us in a great consternation. Some time after, his brother Charles came and preached at Tanfield-Cross. I ran with the multitude to hear this strange preacher. When I saw a man in a clergyman's habit, preaching at a public cross to a large auditory, some gaping, some laughing, and some weeping, I wondered what this could mean. When he had concluded, some said, He is a good man, and is sent to reform our land: others said, He is come to pervert and deceive us, and we ought to stone him out of our coasts. I said, If he is good man, good will be done, and it is plain we want a reformation; but if he is an impostor, he can only leave us as he found us, that is, without hope and without God in the world. I cannot tell what induced me to go so far, but I found I was in danger of being called a Methodist, and was glad to dismiss the conversation with a smile, and a piece of drollery.

In November, Mr. Wesley returned to Newcastle, formed a religious Society, and laid the foundation of the Orphan House. At the same time he visited Tanfield-Leigh, Wickham, Swalwell, and Horsely. His name was then well known in town and country.

All mouths were filled with Wesley and his followers: some for, and many against them. I knew very little of the matter, but thought

it was most prudent to join the general voice against the new way.

The spring following, 1743, John Brown, a plain farmer, removed

from Tanfield-Leigh to the Low-Spenn, and invited Mr. Wesley to his house. I then heard occasionally those preachers, who I thought could tell their story well, without stammering: but still found much fault with this strange method of proceeding. At this time there was a great clamour about religion, amongst all sects and parties, and I made a bustle among the rest. I said, I will read my Bible, say my prayers, go to my own parish church, reform my life, and be good and pious, without the scandal of the cross. Alas! I did not consider, "No cross, no crown."

I hobbled on in this lame, ignorant manner, till at last I became deeply serious. I saw there was more in religion than I enjoyed or understood. I saw that God had been striving with me from my infant days. I looked back with astonishment on his loud calls, compassionate helps, tender mercies, and great deliverances. He had raised me from the gates of death, when all human help failed. had saved me from perils and dangers by night and by day. He had

He

richly provided for me, when I was left to myself very young. A sight of these favours raised in my cold heart some sensations of gratitude to my bountiful benefactor. I said in my heart, shall I still trifle with the almighty God of heaven and earth? Shall I fly in the face of my infinite Creator? Shall I play with eternal things? Will God always strive with the children of men? My few days are passing away like a shadow; pale death is approaching; the Judge is standing at the door; eternity, eternity, is come! Alas! I am not ready. I am in my sins-unholy, unhappy, and therefore not prepared to die.

66

I will now cry to God for mercy.-He willeth not the death of a sinner. It is his pleasure to save me from sin and the punishment due to it. He waits to be gracious, that his great name may be exalted. He is good to all, and his mercy is over all his works." I am a monument of his sparing goodness, I will therefore look up and hope in his word. Behold, this is the accepted time, behold, this is the day of salvation. God hath sent his servants to show poor sinners the way of life. I was then determined to hear and judge for myself. God had now prepared my heart for the reception of the truth. I said, I will no longer be led by the laughing multitude, nor be deluded with the noise of vain tongues.

The Sabbath day following, Mr. Reeves preached at the Low-Spenn at one o'clock in the afternoon. I heard him with great attention but found a veil on my heart. I did not clearly see God's method of justifying a guilty sinner, through faith in the blood of his Son.

In the evening he preached again on those words, "And now abideth faith, hope, and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love." In his plain, pathetic manner he gave us a definition of these principal graces, with their inseparable concomitants, and showed the unspeakable happiness of all those who had a saving faith, a good hope, and the love of God. The word came home to my heart with energy. The veil was removed. The true light shined upon me, and I said, alas, I am undone ! If these things are true, and doubtless they are, I have only the faith of a devil, the hope of a hypocrite, and the love of this present evil world. My mouth was stopped.-I stood guilty before God.-My stout heart melted like wax before the fire. I trembled at the word.-My strength left me.-God frowned; his law condemned; conscience roared; Satan raged; and the pit was ready to receive me.

I quietly retired from the crowd into a little parlour to cover my shame. I sat down on the side of a bed, and reclined my guilty head on the pillow, in great distress of mind. It was the cry of my heart, God be merciful to me a sinner! Save, Lord, or I perish! Save, or I am lost, for ever lost! My all is guilt, pollution, misery, and helplessness. In this wretched situation I continued some time, shut up in unbelief as in a prison. I could only say, Lord help me! He then heard my cry, and sent me relief. A glorious light shone into my heart, and discovered to me the blessed plan of man's redemption, through the blood of a crucified Saviour. I saw God had fulfilled his great original promise. He sent his Son to save sinners, the chie

"" He

of sinners. He lived, suffered, and died for a lost world. tasted death for every man." He gave himself a ransom for all." I said, in my trouble, the Good Shepherd came from heaven to earth, to "seek and save that which was lost, to bring again that which was driven away, to bind up that which was broken, and to strengthen that which was sick." But I am lost, I am driven to the mouth of hell, ready to drop into the flames; I am broken to pieces; I am sick of sin, sick of myself, and sick of a vain world: I will therefore look unto the Lord; my God will hear me. He hath died for me. I shall, yea, doubtless, I shall obtain mercy, after all I have done. The God of truth hath promised mercy; the Son of his love hath procured mercy; the Spirit of truth is ready to reveal mercy; and the messengers of peace are come to proclaim mercy, free mercy, to every perishing sinner, through the blood of the everlasting covenant! I said, I can, I will, I do believe in the only true God, and in Jesus Christ whom he hath sent. I am freely justified. I am saved through faith in the blood of the Lamb. God is now my God in Christ. The love of God is shed abroad in my heart, by the Holy Ghost given unto me. The Spirit of bondage is gone. The Spirit of adoption is come. I can now cry, Abba Father. The same Spirit beareth witness with my spirit that I am a child of God. No enmity-no wrath-no curse no condemnation-the ruined sinner is saved. I then found a glorious, an undeniable change. God, Christ, angels, men, heaven, earth, and the whole creation appeared to me in a new light, and stood related to me in a manner I never knew before. I found love to my God, to his yoke, to his cross, to his saints, and to friends and enemies. I said, this is Bible religion, Scriptural Christianity, let men call it what they please: a delusion, enthusiasm, Methodism, or Mahometism, that is nothing to me: hard names do not change the nature of the thing. I then went on my way rejoicing; a wonder to my father's family; to all that knew me; and to myself. All my idols fell to the ground, before the ark of God. I found a perfect hatred to sin, and a complete victory over it.

Free grace,

The whole tenor of my life and conversation was new. infinite mercy, boundless love, made the change. My heart, my tongue, my hands, were now, in my little way, employed for my loving God. I was no longer of the world, therefore the world began immediately to hate me. Some said, ah! what think you? Christopher Hopper is converted! Others said, he hath received the Holy Ghost! Others said, he is mad, keep far from him, come not near his habitation. Some of a more compassionate turn, pitied me; but all agreed I had renounced my baptism, left the church, and was in a dangerous

situation.

Soon after, Mr. Wesley came to Low-Spenn, formed a little society, and made me a leader, to help and watch over them. I was but a novice, a young raw disciple, unskilled in the word of righteousness: but faith in Christ, and the love of God in my heart, overcame all the powers of darkness. I found unspeakable pleasure in doing and suffering the will of God. I laboured diligently with my hands: I owed no man any thing: I had enough for myself, and a little to for spare others. I attended four or five meetings every week: we prayed,