said, "What is that?" I answered, "To destroy the works of the devil, to make an end of sin, and to bring in an everlasting righteousness." He said, "Shall you make me believe that any man can live without committing sin ?" I answered, “I cannot tell whether I can make you believe it or not; but this I can tell you, by the authoxity of God's word, that if you are not saved from your sins here, you must be damned."—" Well, he said, I care not what you say; for no man can live without committing sin, one day." I replied, " By your talk, it is as necessary for a man to commit sin, as to eat; for you say, he cannot live without it. Now, doth it keep his body or soul alive? Or do you believe that all mankind are to live in sin, and die without perfecting holiness in the fear of God, and so be damned without hope or help?" He answered, "No; God forbid." Then I said, "You must believe there is a purgatory, to cleanse the soul in after death. Sir, you and the devil speak one language; for he said to our mother Eve, Did God say, in the day that ye eat thereof, ye shall die? Ye shall not die.' God saith, The soul that sinneth, it shall die. But you say, The souls of all must continue in sin, and yet they shall not die!" He said, "You shock me; if things be as you say, what will become of the greatest part of mankind?” I replied, "Our Lord's word is, What is that to thee, follow thou me.' And he said, "I cannot but acknowledge you have the scripture on your side; but if you are right, we are sadly wrong. I never did hear one of you in my life, for our minister has warned us not to hear you, but I am determined to hear you this night." So he did, and thanked me kindly when I had done.

At my return home, I was told, that they were going to press men for his Majesty's service, and several of the ale-house-keepers and clergymen had agreed to press me for one. And I was advised not to preach for a season, by several of my neighbours. But I told them, I durst not leave off preaching, for any thing that man could do unto

me.

They replied, "You should consider that you have a wife and children, and that your wife is now big with

child; and if you be taken from them, what can the poor woman do, or how must she provide for her children?” I said, "Let God look to that. If wicked men be suffered to take away my life, for calling sinners to the blood of Jesus, the Lord, whose servant I am, will be a husband to the widow, and a father to the fatherless. And were I assured I should be banished or put to death for preaching, and my wife and children beg their bread barefoot, I durst not leave off; for the words of our Lord purHe that loveth father or mother, wife or children, or his own life, more than me, is not worthy of me : and he that would save his life, shall lose it; and he that will lose his life for my sake, shall save it.' Therefore pray for me, but do not tempt me to sin against my own soul."

sue me,

A few days after, I went to Pudsey; but when I got there, the people of the house durst not let me preach : they told me the constables had orders to press me; and desired me not to light, but go back directly. I rode down to a public-house, where the constable and some others met together, and talked with them: and the people said, he had orders to press me; but he said, "I will not, for you do not appear to be a vagrant, and my warrant runs for none but vagrants." Many of the people followed me into the lane, and I sat on horseback, exhorting them to keep close to God by prayer, and the Lord would build the walls of Jerusalem, in these troublesome times.

Soon after, I went to preach at Leeds. When I got there, I was told that two constables had orders to press me, if I preached that night. I said, "If the people will venture to hear, I dare not but preach ;" and immediately I went to the place, where was a large congregation gathered together, to whom I preached; and a blessed season it was. The two constables gave great heed to what was spoken, and never offered to disturb me, or any of the people, but went away like men that feared God.

I still kept hewing stone in the day time, and preaching every night. One day, as I was at work, the same Dissenting minister, that had stopped me one morning, came

to

to me, and began to ask me many questions. He seemed offended with my answers, and said, he would have none of my ifs and buts. I answered, "Sir, they are none of mine, they are the words of the Lord Jesus, and who is he that dares put asunder what the Lord hath joined together?" Then he replied, "Do you think Gol would cut you off, if you were to commit as great a sin as ever you committed in all your life?" I said, "I believe I should thereby cut myself off from God; for the prophet saith, Your sins have separated between you and your God.' And God saith, My people have committed two evils: for they have forsaken me, the fountain of living water, and have hewn out to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that will hold no water.' Now, Sir, God would not have said, They have forsaken me,' if they had never been acquainted with him; and I believe, that one of the cisterns which they had hewed to themselves, was the opinion you have in your head, that sin will not separate the soul from God." He said, "You do not understand the nature of God's decree; for God doth not look upon sin in the elect: he did not behold iniquity in Jacob, nor see sin in Israel." I said, "No, Sir, he did not, while Jacob was upright, and God was his glory. At that time, God rejoiced over him to do him good, with his whole heart, and with his whole soul; but when he committed whoredom with the daughters of Moab, and began to bow to their idols, then God's anger was kindled against Israel, and he cut off twenty-four thousand of them in his wrath, even the very people whom Balaam had pronounced blessed."

Then his brother in-law, who was by him, began to curse and swear, and lifted up his stick, saying, he could find in his heart to knock me down, and called me a damn'd dog; and said, "Canst thou have the impudence to talk so to a minister? Thou deservest thy brains beat out." I said, "Sir, here is an evidence of what I said, for you can be angry with me for preaching righteousness by Jesus Christ, but you do not reprove this man for blaspheming the holy Name of God," Then they went away, and left me to my work.

A little

A little after, as I was at work, a man came to me, and said, he had called at a public-house for a pint of ale, a lit-` tle way from Birstal, and he heard the landlord offer to lay five pounds with some that were drinking, that John Nelson would be sent for a soldier, before ten days were past. I replied, "The will of the Lord be done. If God permit it to be so, this also shall turn to the furtherance of the gospel." He said, "I would have you take care, for evil is determined against you.' I answered, "I am not my own, but the Lord's. He that lays hands on me, will burn his own fingers, and God will deliver me after he hath tried me."

Soon after, as I was at my work at another place, three gentlemen came to me, and one of them began to speak strongly against perfection. I gave him no answer. Then another began to talk about building; and said, "Hewing of stone is a fine art." I replied, "6 Sir, it was a fine art

once, when there were eighty thousand together, so skilled in the art, that every man's stones were perfectly fitted for the places they were to have in the temple, before they were brought off the mountain; so that when they came to Jerusalem, there was not one stroke to strike at them, nor the sound of a tool heard in the building. Sir, you will allow those men to be workmen that needed not to be ashamed: for their work was perfect before it came to Jerusalem." The gentleman said, "You are right, you are right; I will never speak against holiness being perfected in this world again; for certainly that house of God, at Jerusalem, was a type of the house eternal in the heavens, and every stone of that must be fitted perfectly for its place in this world, or it must not be admitted into that New Jerusalem." He added, "I thank you, and wish that all our preachers may so square their work after the rule of God's word, that they may not be ashamed when they come to give up their accounts to him who is Lord of the work."

Wherever I went to preach, for ten days together, I was told that the constables had orders to press me. My answer was, "The will of the Lord be done, for the fierceness of man shall turn to his praise."

On

On Friday, as I was hewing stone, it was in my mind, that trouble was near at hand; but the words of Isaiah were a stay to me: "I, even I, am he that comforteth you: Who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of man, that shall die; or of the son of man, which shall be made as grass?" And again it came to me, "Fear thou not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. Behold, all they that are incensed against thee shall be ashamed and confounded, they shall be as nothing, and they that strive with thee shall perish."

At night I was met as I was going to Adwalton, by one who told me, that the parson and alehouse-keepers had agreed to press me that night, and send me away the next morning; for the commissioners were to sit at Halifax, and they would dispatch me before I could get any one to appear in my behalf. And she said, I would have you turn back; for there is one alehouse-keeper that swears he will press you, if his arm rots from his shoulder." I answered, "I cannot fear, for God is on my side, and the word hath added strength to my soul this day. And if I fall into the hands of wicked men, God shall be glorified thereby; and when he hath proved me in the furnace, he will bring me forth as gold."

Accordingly I went to Adwalton, and expounded at John Booth's, to a well-behaved congregation. When I had done, Joseph Gibson, the constable's deputy, (an alehouse keeper, who found his craft was in danger,) pressed me for a soldier. I asked him by whose order? He said, "Several of the inhabitants of the town, who did not like so much preaching;" and by his own talk it appeared, they were those of his own craft, and the clergymen, who had agreed together.

He caused me to go to the White Hart, whither Mr. Charlesworth, and Mr. Holmes, of Sikehouse, and several more, went with us, and Mr. Charlesworth offered 5001. bail for me till the next day. But no bail was to be taken for a Methodist, (so called.) He protested I should go

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