could manage with less, I proposed a slight reduction of this salary, which was acceded to. A friend then remembered that my family had to be conveyed from Manchester; and one after another freely subscribed for the purpose. I accepted six pounds, and declined further contributions: wrote at once to my wife, who was now quite restored, to wind up at Manchester, and to meet me with our children at Newcastle-under-Lyne; thence they came in a gig, and I accompanied them on horseback, our friends the Rileys having supplied those means of conveyance. We reached Oakley Mills in April, 1822, stayed a few days there with our kind and hospitable friends, afterwards went to Mr. Sambrook's, and thence to our destined habitation.

The house which was appropriated to our use, was neat and comfortable, with a good garden, and at the end of it a pleasant meadow, in which I had free permission to walk. Our kind friends had laid in for us stores of all manner of provisions for some days. In so ample a way did the Lord provide for us, that I can only regret, in looking back upon his benefits, that I was so little thankful: and in this I am constrained to plead guilty before God; and yet I may be allowed to hope, that I was not without some desire to live before him in thankfulness and obedience.

CHAPTER XII.

MARKET DRAYTON.-[1822-25.]

FAVOURED IN THE PULPIT-THE CROSS SENT-FIRST MINISTERIAL TRIAL OPPONENTS REMOVED-DEATH OF CHILD-LETTERS-GOES TO SUPPLY AT DEVIZES.

DURING the first Sabbaths of my residence at Market Drayton, the Lord favoured me in the pulpit with much of his presence, and great power, and enlargement of soul; but after my hands were fairly put to the plough, He sent the cross. I had now to pass through my first great ministerial trial as a pastor.

Among the members of the church were two leading men, brothers, one of whom, after my first sermon, had been the foremost in urging the congregation to engage me permanently; but in a few weeks had changed his note, and was then the only member who opposed the church in their choice. These, considering themselves to be learned men, thought it their wisdom to despise my preaching; and as I was unlearned, they expected or hoped to succeed in putting me to silence, even in the midst of my sermon. this purpose they used to take up a position opposite the pulpit, laugh and sneer, and with pencil and paper in hand, write down what they called my unlearned blunders. They also attempted to prejudice the people by giving out that I preached experience, and not the gospel, and in this they succeeded with some of the outside hearers, and they gained a few followers. To render the cross still more painful, darkness

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began to envelop my mind, so that, like Samson, I had to grind in the prison-house; but I was encouraged to arise and thresh energetically by the frequent coming of these words: "What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the Lord." Jer. xxiii. 28. And the Lord was very kind in supporting me under this my first severe ministerial trial, by sending me this comforting passage: "The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning.

It happened one evening that I had entered the pulpit without a text; the little congregation was all assembled, and the second hymn was nearly finished, and there sat my opponents in front, expecting my halting! Not a passage presented itself, and I could only come to the conclusion that my mouth was to be stopped, and that the adversaries at last were to have their triumph. Satan suggested that I had better escape at once through the vestry; and I was meditating my escape accordingly, while the last lines of the hymn were being sung. At this crisis, these words came powerfully to my mind: "Son of man, thou therefore gird up thy loins, and arise, and speak unto them all that I command thee: be not dismayed at their faces, lest I confound thee before them." Ezek. ii. and Jer. i. 17. Freed from the fear of man, I immediately rose and opened upon the forty-second Psalm. And such a measure of extraordinary liberty and power was bestowed upon me, that even my two opponents were compelled to acknowledge it in part. I now found that there was a necessity for me to continue to thresh, and I did so; and was often reminded of Samson, when he took hold of the two main pillars of the house, and bowed with all his might.

Meantime, some of God's children fed high under the word, and showed me no little sympathy, whilst the two critics kept up their opposition, and their fforts to draw away more of my hearers. Failing in

this, they shortly left me with their followers, and having procured a new pulpit, they carried it past my house in procession, the chief men heading it. They threatened that they would soon have me out of the place, and truly I had my own fears on the matter. But the trial drove me to the right quarter, and I was not long in finding deliverance. One of these leaders commenced preaching; he set out with very high doctrines, then rapidly sunk as low: this produced dissensions amongst them, and in about four months they broke up.

Painful as are such trials, I believe them to be appointed of God, and that they are at times overruled for good: "For the wrath of man shall praise Him, and the remainder of wrath He will restrain." "Offences must needs come, but woe unto the man by whom the offence cometh." Eventually the two leading men were removed, by the hand of God, out of the country, and we were strongly upheld, and became more united and peaceable than before.

But I was soon initiated into a new kind of pastoral trial,-irregularities among the flock. The church at Market Drayton had, previous to my arrival, been the seat of much disorder, and there was still enough of it left to cause me great uneasiness.

Besides this trouble, I suffered also in reproving disorders, from the danger of falling into an angry and scolding spirit. One Sabbath morning, after I had, as I imagined, disburdened my conscience, I entered the vestry vastly pleased that I had been so honest and faithful. It was then my practice to retire directly after service, to pray for a blessing on my labours. I went to my room for this purpose, and on kneeling down the Lord sent me a sharp word of reproof and correction: "The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose

themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will." 2 Tim. ii. 24-26. This powerful instruction was afterwards of great use to me; it was the beginning of some lessons that were needful to teach me how to behave myself in his work: "For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God."

I am convinced that it is most difficult rightly to discharge the duties of the ministry: to be faithful to the souls of men, and yet loving; to be wise as a serpent, yet innocent and free from guile; bold as a lion, yet harmless as a dove: to be valiant for the truth, yet no brawler; honest among men, and not covetous; to be suspected, withstood, despised, abhorred, and yet to be found faithful unto death. Who is sufficient for these things?

In addition to my labours at Market Drayton, I went once a fortnight to Nantwich, in Cheshire, (where I had a little knot of good friends, who showed me much kindness,) and preached in a farm-house. I also preached at Hook Gate, and at one or two other places, and occasionally at Birmingham, among some of my old friends: by this time there had been another division there. During this period I had many mercies, spiritual and temporal. It had been my practice for several years to wander into the fields and retired spots, that I might pour out my soul before God, unrestrained by the presence of man. I found the country around Market Drayton delightful, and in my daily walks, where I could serve God without interruption, many a sweet and pleasant hour have I spent in this way: they were truly golden hours to my soul.

In temporal things we had always a sufficiency, but no surplus. My salary was small, yet the gracious Lord never suffered us to want. I named that place