you are ever so cold or dead. Hear the preaching; keep to your class. The Lord is at hand: He will abundantly pardon. I am Your affectionate brother. CCXI.-To Mr. Merryweather, of Yarm. MY DEAR BROther, London, January 16, 1758. If the work of God does so increase at Yarm, we must not let the opportunity slip. Therefore let the Travelling Preacher be there either every Sunday evening, or at least every other Sunday. No person must be allowed to preach or exhort among our people, whose life is not holy and unblamable; nor any who asserts anything contrary to the gospel which we have received. And if he does not own his fault and amend it, he cannot be a Leader any longer. Peace be with you all. I am Your affectionate brother. CCXII-To the Same. MY DEAR BROTHER, Brentford, January 24, 1760. I RECEIVED yours, with the bill, a day or two ago. I wish you would everywhere recommend two books in particular, "The Christian Pattern," and the "Primitive Physic." It is a great pity that any Methodist should be without them. I wonder brother Mather does not write to me. He should not forget his friends: I hope the gentleman with whom I breakfasted at Yarm has not forsaken you. Even the rich may enter into the kingdom: For with God all things are possible. See that you stir up the gift of God that is in you. What is our Lord's word to you?" Let the dead bury their dead: But follow thou me !" I am Your affectionate brother. CCXIII.-To the Same. London, October 5, 1763. MY DEAR BROTHER, YOUR letter was sent from hence to Bristol. But I had left Bristol before it came. I have no objection to Mr. Jaco's coming to Yarm to open the house: But I suppose he cannot stay long. He will soon be wanted again in his own Circuit. It is strange that the number of hearers should decrease, if you have regular preaching. I hope the morning preaching is never omitted. If it be, everything will droop. What relates to the account, I will give to Mr. Franks. Probably he will find where the mistake lies. O be in earnest ! I am Your affectionate brother. CCXIV. To the Same. MY DEAR BROTHER, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, May 7, 1764. I THANK you for the receipts. There is nothing more sure, than that God is able and willing to give always what he gives once. And it is most certainly his design, that whatever he has given you, should abide with you for ever. But this can only be by simple faith. In this, reasoning is good for nothing. See that both of you be as little children. Your help is all laid up above, in the hand of Him that loves you. Look unto Him, and receive what you want! Believe yourselves to heaven! I am Your affectionate brother. CCXV.-To the Same. MY DEAR BROTHER, February 8, 1766. WHERE Christian perfection is not strongly and explicitly preached, there is seldom any remarkable blessing from God; and, consequently, little addition to the society, and little life in the members of it. Therefore, if Jacob Rowell is grown faint, and says but little about it, do you supply his lack of service. Speak and spare not. Let not regard for any man induce you to betray the truth of God. Till you press the believers to expect full salvation now, you must not look for any revival. It is certain, God does at some times, without any cause known to us, shower down his grace in an extraordinary manner. And he does, in some instances, delay to give either justifying or sanctifying grace, for reasons which are not discovered to us. These are some of those secrets of his government, which it hath pleased him to reserve in his own breast. I hope you and your wife keep all you have, and gasp for more. I am Your affectionate brother. CCXVI.-To the Same. MY DEAR BROther, Lewisham, December 10, 1768. THE matter is short: All things in divine worship must "be done decently and in order." Two must never pray at the same time, nor one interrupt another. Either Alice Brammah must take advice, or the society must be warned to keep away from her. These are the very things which were the beginning of poor George Bell's fall. DEAR GEORGE, I am, with love to sister Merryweather, CCXVII. To the Same. London, October 9, 1786. Do not wish to have a grain less of sensibility than you have. I love you the better for it: And so does He that is greater than all. That family I know and love well: We will help them all we can. I have no access to Mr. Thornton: The Calvinists take care to keep him to themselves. But if you will give them five pounds from me, John Atlay will answer your draft here. I am, with best wishes to all the family, Dear George, CCXVIII.-To Mrs. Emma Moon, Yarm. MY DEAR SISTER, Norwich, December 6, 1767. I CAN easily believe that nothing would be wanting to me, which it was in your power to supply: For I am persuaded your heart is as my heart, as is the case with all the "souls whom Himself vouchsafes to unite in fellowship divine." What is always in your power is, to bear me before the throne of grace. One thing in particular which I frequently desire is, a calm evening of a various day;" that I may have no conflicts at the 66 last, but rather, if God sees good, before "my flesh and my heart faileth." In every place where Mr. Whitefield has been, he has laboured in the same friendly, Christian manner. God has indeed effectually broken down the wall of partition which was between us. Thirty years ago we were one: Then the sower of tares rent us asunder: But now a stronger than him has made us one again. There is no weakness either in our body or mind, but Satan endeavours to avail himself of it. That kind of dulness or listlessness I take to be originally a pure effect of bodily constitution. As such, it is not imputable to us in any degree, unless we give way to it. So long as we diligently resist, it is no more blamable than sleepiness, or weariness of body. Do many of those who were saved from sin in your neighbourhood stand fast in their liberty? or have one half, if not the greater part, been moved from their steadfastness? How is it that so many are moved? that in many places so few, comparatively, stand? Have you lately conversed with sister Heslop? Does she retain all the life she had? Does John Eland? and some others at Hutton? FORMERLY, when persons reproached me for doing thus and thus, I have very frequently said, "In truth, I have not done it yet; but, by the grace of God, I will." This seems to be the very case with you. You are accused for what you did not, but ought to have done. You ought to have informed me from time to time, not indeed of trifles, or idle reports, but of things which you judged to be a real hinderance to the work of God. And God permitted you to be reminded of this omission by those who intended nothing less. Opposition from their brethren has been one cause why so many who were set free have not retained their liberty. But perhaps there was another more general cause: They had not proper help. One just saved from sin is like a new-born child, and needs as careful nursing. But these had it not. How few were as nursing fathers! How few cherished them as a nurse her own children! So that the greater part were weakened, if not destroyed, before their sinews were knit, for want of that prudent and tender care which their state necessarily required. Do all that you can to cherish them that are left; and never forget Your affectionate brother. CCXX.-To a Member of the Society. March 4, 1760. CERTAINLY the more freedom you use, the more advantage you will find. But at the same time it will be needful continually to remember from whom every good and perfect gift cometh. If He blesses our intercourse with each other, then we shall never repent of the labour. It is a blessing indeed, when God uncovers our hearts, and clearly shows us what spirit we are of. But there is no manner of necessity that this self-knowledge should make us miserable. Certainly the highest degree of it is well consistent both with peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Therefore how deeply soever you may be convinced of pride, self-will, peevishness, or any other inbred sin, see that you do not let go that confidence, whereby you may still rejoice in God your Saviour. Some, indeed, have been quite unhappy, though they retained their faith, through desire on the one hand, and conviction on the other. But that is nothing to you; you need never give up anything which you have already received: You will not, if you keep close to that, For this my vehement soul stands still; We have a fuller, clearer knowledge of our own members, than of those belonging to other societies; and may therefore, without any culpable partiality, have a better opinion of them. It is a great thing to spend all our time to the glory of God. But you need not be scrupulous as to the precise time of reading and praying; I mean, as to the dividing it between one and the other. A few minutes, one way or the other, are of no great importance. |