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Master, I have the odds of you, for I have a much worse opinion of myself than you can have."

At night when I went to receive my wages, he asked me if I was still obstinate? I answered, "I am determined not to break the Sabbath, for I will run the hazard of wanting bread here, before I would run the hazard of wanting water hereafter." He said, "Wesley has made a fool of thee, and thou wilt beggar thy family." I had a glorious Sabbath that day, for God blessed my soul wonderfully, both under the word, and at the sacrament.

I went on Monday morning to the Exchequer, to take care of my tools, not expecting to work there any more. But God hath the hearts of all men in his own hand: for he that was so wroth with me on the Saturday, now gave me good words, and bid me set the men to work. From that time he carved better for me than before, neither did he set any man to work on the Sabbath, as he had said he would. So I see it is good to obey God, and cast our care upon him, who will order all things well; for if we refuse to join with the wicked, it will be a restraint to them.

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In the time of my convictions, I never let my wife know my trouble; but now I could not eat my morsel alone, I therefore wrote to her and all my relations, to seek the same mercy that I had found. However, all I said seemed as idle tales to most of them.

Some weeks after, three gentlemen, (professed Deists) fell upon me, and reasoned with me for about an hour: but the Lord put such words in my mouth, that made them say, Mr. Wesley had taught me his own lesson, and I was sunk so deep into enthusiasm, that I was past recovery. Nevertheless, I see it is bad for weak believers to reason with men of corrupt principles, for after some time the enemy brought their words to my mind, and began to reason with me in this manner, 66 Suppose Jesus Christ should be an impostor, (as these men say he is,) thou art lost for ever." O! the distress I was in for a short time. But I made a stop, and said, "If Jesus Christ be not the Son of God, and my Saviour, I will be damned, for I will have no

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other." Then the cloud broke, and my soul was so filled with love, that I thought, if all the world, yea, and the devils in hell, were to set on me, they could not make me disbelieve that Jesus Christ is the very and true God, and my Redeemer.

I daily reproved all that sinned in the work where I was, so that none of them would swear in my presence. But having no Christian friend to converse with, I kept close to God in prayer, and read the Bible at all opportunities, and heard one of the Mr. Wesleys every Sunday,. and stirred up many others to hear them. And tho' I had many trials, I was so kept by the power of God, that nothing disturbed my peace for some time.

Once, however, as I was reading in the Bible, a gentle. woman (that lived in part of the house) brought me a book, and said, "You are often reading the Bible: if you please I will lend you this book: my mother," she added, took delight in reading therein." I thanked her, and began to read. For some pages it was agreeable to many things I had experienced in the time of conviction, but it was not at all correspondent to my experience, as to my conversion; pleading for sin after conversion to keep the saints humble, and making God the author of all sin.

Then the enemy began to reason with me, that I ought not to reprove sin any more. From that time my love began to cool both unto God and man, and my zeal for the salvation of others abated; and though the more I read, the worse I was, yet I was tempted to read it through.

Before I read in that book, I did not know there was a man in the world who held such an opinion: for in my trials I believed every threatening in the Bible was against the disobedient, and every promise to those that turn to God. But now I was tempted to think I was safe, do whatever I would. Yet I still prayed, "Lord, let me die, rather than live to sin against thee."

I had never spoken to Mr. Wesley in my life, nor con-versed with an experienced man about religion. I longed to find one to talk with, but I sought in vain; for I could find none.

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One time, as I was reasoning about what I had read, I opened the Bible on these words, "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth liberally, and upbraideth not." I then prayed, "O Lord, what I know not do thou teach me." And I thought I would wait upon the Lord in fasting and prayer, till he revealed his will to me and I did for several weeks fast from Thursday night to eight o'clock on Saturday morning, spending the time I was off my work either upon my knees at prayer, or in searching the Scriptures; and before I opened my Bible, prayed that God would open my understanding to comprehend what I read. I think the first scripture that was applied to me, was, "As ye have received the Lord Jesus, so walk in him:" Then I remembered what state my soul was in, when I first received his Spirit in my heart ; that it was filled with love to every soul, and I could pray for all my enemies as well as myself; but this book had turned me out of that blessed state I was in, by setting me to reason about opinions that I never heard of in my life, till several weeks after I had received the love of Christ therefore I said in my mind, let it be right or wrong, it is not necessary for salvation. I found the Lord to be my

Saviour before I knew there was a man in the world of that opinion; and, before I read of it, I loved both God and man better than I have done since, and was more useful in reproving and doing good than I am now. I then prayed that God would give me that simplicity and godly sincerity that I walked in when he first revealed Christ in my heart. And he answered me in a wonderful manner, so that my tongue was loosed to reprove, and my heart again enlarged to soul of man. pray for every

I now went on my way rejoicing for some days; and had so much of the Lord all the day long, that my soul seemed to breathe its life in God as naturally as my body breathed life in the common air. But one day I reproved a man for swearing; when he told me he was predestinated to it, and did not trouble himself about it at all, for if he was one of the elect he should be saved; but if not, all he could do would not alter God's decree; so that all I caid

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to him seemed to take no more hold of him than if I had thrown a leather ball against a rock. I thought God was very good to me, who kept me ignorant of those opinions till I knew my part in the all-atoning blood: for I feared if I had heard such things in the time of my distress, they would have been the destruction of my body and soul.-Yet I durst not say any thing against that opinion, but wished I had some experienced man to converse with about it, for I was brought into heaviness again by reasoning; but, alas! not one could I find.

I still continued to wait on the Lord, with fasting and prayer. One fast-day, being greatly perplexed, I open ed the book on these words, "As I live, saith the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of a sinner." Then my heart was set at liberty; and I cried out, "Glory be to thee, O Lord, for thou hast given me thy word, and thy Spirit in my heart, to bear witness that thou art no respecter of persons."

Now I found such a desire for the salvation of souls, that I hired one of the men to go and hear Mr. Wesley preach; who hath since told me, it was the best thing both for him and his wife that ever man did for them.

All that hard winter, I still fasted from Thursday night. to Saturday morning; and gave away the meat that I should have eaten to the poor, spending my time in praying and reading the Scripture.

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About this time several came to see me, who finding me at work, looked at each other like men amazed, and said they were glad to see me so well. I told them I had not had not one day's sickness for six months. They said, “ A man that worked at the Treasury with you, told us, you had been hearing that false prophet, Wesley, and he had made you go mad, and incapable of working." "Well, said I, here is my master, he can testify that I have not lost one day's work this half year, nor was I ever better able to do any work in all my life; but I have heard Mr. Wesley, and have reason to bless God for it, for he is God's messenger for my good. Some words that I spoke seem, ed to stick in them; so that I hope Satan will lose ground by that false and ill-grounded report, C 2

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The enemy, however, now came upon me with other temptations, and prepared such instruments to destroy my soul, that I feared I should be overcome, and perish at last : for wherever I went the snare was laid for me, and my soul was so harassed with my wicked dreams, that I have often awaked and found my pillow wet with tears, after thinking that the enemy would reason with me about some sin I had committed in my dream: but this drove me more to prayer, and shewed me my corrupt nature in such a light, that I abhorred myself, and thought the Lord never undertook to save one more like the devil in nature than I was. And it was often impressed on my mind, that if I held out to the end, I should have great reason to sing louder in the Redeemer's praise than any other soul in Heaven.

I would fain have known whether any one that had the grace of God in him, was tempted day and night as I was; but my business being altogether at the court-end of the town, I had no one to open my mind to. Then I took up the Bible, and, after praying, happened on these words of St. James, "Blessed is the man that endureth tempta tion for when he is tried he shall receive the crown of glory, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him."

One night, after a day of fasting, I dreamt that I was in Yorkshire, in my working clothes, going home; and as I went by Paul Champion's, I heard a mighty cry, as of a multitude of people in distress; and I saw in my dream, the large court behind John Rhodes's as full of people as they could stand by one another. All on a sudden, they began to scream and tumble one over another, and I asked, what was the matter? and they told me, Satan was let loose among them, and begged of me to get out of the way, for he was coming. But I said, "By the grace of God I will not turn to the right hand or to the left for him.” Then

I thought I saw him in the shape of a red bull, running through the people, as a beast runs through the standing corn; yet did not offer to gore any of them, but made directly at me, as if he would run his horns into my heart. Then I cried out, "Lord, help me!" and immediately

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