to flee more and more to that glorious and complete righteousness that Jesus Christ wrought

out.

The more your souls prosper, the more you will see of the freeness and distinguishing nature of God's grace, that all is of grace. We are all naturally free-willers, and generally young ones say, O we have found the Messiah, of whom Moses and the Prophets spoke; which is right, except the word we have found; for the believer a little after learns, that the Messiah had found him. I mention this, because we ought not to make persons offenders for a word; we should bear with young Christians, and not knock a young child's brains out, because he cannot speak blank verse.

Let it not be forgotten also, that the more your souls prosper, the more you will get above the world. You cannot think that I mean you should be negligent about the things of this life. Nothing tries my temper more, than to see any about me idle; an idle person tempts the devil to tempt him. In the state of paradise Adam and Eve were to dress the garden, and not to be idle there; after the fall they were to till the ground: but if any body says that the Methodists think to be idle, they injure them. We tell people to rise and be at their work early and late, that they may redeem time to attend the word. If all that speak against the Methodists were as diligent, it would be better for their wives and families. What do you think a true Methodist will be idle? no, he will be busy with his hands, he knows time is precious, and therefore he will work hard that he may have to give to them that need, and at the same time he will live above the world;

and you know the earth is under your feet, so is the world. When he goes to sleep he will say, I care not whether I awake more. I can look back, and tell you of hundreds and hundreds that once seemed alive to God, and have been drawn away with a little filthy, nasty dirt. How many places are there empty here, that have been filled with persons that once were zealous in their attendance? As a person the other day, to whose having a place it was objected, that he was a Methodist; no says he, I have not been a Methodist these two years. I do not, for my part, wish people joy when they get money; only take care it does not get into, and put your eyes out; if your money increases, let your zeal for good works increase. Perhaps some stranger will say. I thought you was against good works. I tell you the truth, I am against good works. don't run away before I have finished my sentence; we are against good works being put in the room of Christ, as the ground of our acceptance; but we look upon it, if we have a right faith, our faith will work by love. Ever since I was a boy, I remember to have heard a story of a poor indigent beggar, who asked a clergy man to give him his alms, which being refused, he said, will you please, Sir, to give me your blessing; says he, God bless you: O, replied the beggar, you would not give me that if it was worth any thing. There are many who will talk friendly to you, but if they suppose you are come for any thing, they will run away as from a pick-pocket; whereas, if our souls prospered, we should count it more blessed to give than to receive. When we rise from our beds this would be our question to ourselves, what can I do for God to-day? what can I do for the poor?

have I two, or five, or ten talents? God help me to do for the poor as much as if I knew I was to live only this day.

In a word, if your souls prosper, my dear hearrers, you will grow in love, there are some good souls, but very narrow souls; they are so afraid of loving people that differ from them, that it makes me uneasy to see it. Party Spirits creep in among Christians, & whereas it was formerly said see how these Christians love one another! no it may be said, see how these Christians hate one another! I declare from the bottom of my heart, that I am more and more convinced that the principles I have preached are the word of God. Pray what do you do at Change; is there such a thing as a Presbyterian, or Independent, or Church-walk there? is there any Chambers there for the Presbyterians, and Independents, and Church-men to deal in; People may boast of there wildfirezeal for God, till they can't bear the sight of a person that differs from them. The apostle commends Gaius for his catholic love to strangers. That was a glorious saying of a good woman in Scotland, Come in, says she, ye blessed of the Lord; I have a house that will hold a hundred, and a heart that will hold ten thousand. give us such a heart; he that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God. I could mention twenty marks, and so go on, wire-drawing till nine or ten o'-“ slock; but it is best to deal with our souls as with our bodies, to eat but little at a time. It is so with preaching; though I don't proceed any farther in my discourse, God bless what has been said.

God

But is there a child of God here that can go away, without a drooping heart; I don't speak that you may think me humble: I love sincerity,

F

inward and outward, and hate guile. When I think what God has done for me, how often he has pruned me, and dug and dung'd about me, and when I think how little I have done for God, it makes me weep, if possible, tears of blood; it makes me cry O my leanness, my leanness as I expressed myself with my friend to day. This makes me long, if my strength of body would permit, to begin to be in earnest for my Lord. What say you, my dear friends, have all of you got the same temper? have you made the progress you ought to have done! O London! London! highly favoured London! what would some people give for thy privileges? what would the people I was called to preach to but this day se'ennight? A good, a right honorable lady, about three and twenty miles off, has brought the gospel there. The people that I preached to longed and thirsted after the same message; they said they thought they never heard the truth before. You have the manna poured out round the camp, and I am afraid are calling it light bread; at least, I am afraid you have had a bad digestion. Consider of it, and for Jesus Christ's sake tremble for fear God should remove his candle-stick from among you. Labourers are sick; those that did once labour are almost worn out, and others they only bring themselves into a narrow sphere, and so confine their usefulness. There are few that like to go out into the fields; broken heads and dead cats are no more the ornaments of a Methodist, but silk scarves. Those honorable badges are now no more: the languor has got from the ministers to the people, and if you don't take care, we shall all fall dead together. The Lord Jesus rouse us, the Son of God rouse us all. Ye should show

you

the world the way, and ye that have been Methodists of many years standing, show the young ones that have not the cross to bear as we once had, what ancient Methodism was.

As for you who are quite negligent about the prosperity of your souls, who only mind your bodies, who are more afraid of a pimple in your faces, than of the rottenness of your hearts; that will say, O give me a good bottle and a fowl, and keep the prosperity of your souls to yourselves. You had better take care what you say, for fear God should take you at your word. I knew some

tradesmen and farmers, and one had got a wife perhaps with a fortune too, who prayed they might be excused, they never came to the supper, and God sent them to hell for it too; this may be your case. I was told to-day of a young woman, that was very well on Sunday when she left her friends, when she came home was racked with pain, had an inflammation in her bowels, and is now a breathless corpse. Another that I heard of, a Christless preacher, that always minded his body, when he was near death, he said to his wife, I see hell opened for me, I see the damned tormented, I see such a one in hell that I debauched; in the midst of his agony he said, I am coming to thee, I am coming, I must be damned, God will damn my soul, and died. Take care of jesting with God; there is room enough in hell, and if you neglect the prosperity of your souls what will become of you? what will you give for a grain of hope, when God requires your souls? awake thou that sleepest; hark! hark! hark! hear the word of the Lord, the living God. Help me, O ye children of God: I am come with a warrant from Jesus of Nazareth to night. Ye