might avoid much pain: but we should also lose much happiness. Therefore this is a state which I cannot desire. Rather give me the pleasure and pain too: rather let

"Plain life with heightening passions rise,

The boast or burden of an hour!"

But who has attained this? Who treads the middle path, equally remote from both extremes? I will tell you one that did, (although the remembrance of her still brings tears into my eyes,) that lovely saint, Jane Cooper! There was the due mixture of intellect and passion! I remember one of the last times I saw her, before her last illness, her look, her attitude, her words! My dear friend, be you a follower of her, as she was of Christ! J. W.

LETTER XXXIII.

June 9, 1775.

VERY possibly, if I should live seven years longer, we should be acquainted with each other. I verily think your reserve wears off; though only by a hair's breadth at a time. Quicken your pace. What you do, do quickly.—“Scarcely any thing important enough to write upon!" Why could you not say something about yourself? And is there any thing relating to your welfare, which is not important to me? Am not I concerned in every thing which concerns you? which either lessens or increases your happiness? I want you to be as happy, and in order thereto, as holy as an angel; that you may do the will of God on earth, as angels do in heaven.

I am less careful about your increase in knowledge, any farther than it tends to love. There is a danger of your laying more stress on this, than sound reason requires. Otherwise you would reap much profit from sermons, which do not improve your knowledge,—which do not apply to the understanding so directly as to the heart. I feel more want of heat than light: 1 value light: but it is nothing compared to love. Aim at this, my dear friend, in all public exercises: and then you will seldom be disappointed. Then you will not stop on the threshold of perfection;

(I trust you do not now ;) but will press on to the mark, to the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus: till you experimentally know all that love of God which passeth all (speculative) knowledge.

The lengthening of your life, and the restoring your health, are invaluable blessings: but do you ask how you shall improve them to the glory of the Giver? and are you willing to-know? then I will tell you how. Go and see the poor and sick in their own poor little hovels. Take up your cross, woman! Remember the faith! Jesus went before you, and will go with you. Put off the gentlewoman; you bear a higher character. You are an heir of God, and joint-heir thro' Christ! Are you not going to meet him in the air, with ten thousand of his saints? O be ready!

LETTER XXXIV.

J. W.

Feb. 7, 1776.

I HAVE found some of the uneducated poor, who have exquisite taste and sentiment; and many, very many, of the rich, who have scarcely any at all. But I do not speak of this: I want you to converse more, abundantly more, with the poorest of the people, who, if they have not taste, have souls, which you may forward in their way to heaven. And they have (many of them) faith, and the love of God, in a larger measure than any persons I know. Creep in among these, in spite of dirt, and a hundred disgusting circumstances: and thus put off the gentlewoman. Do not confine your conversation to genteel and elegant people; I should like this, as well as you do. But I cannot discover a precedent for it, in the life of our Lord, or any of his apostles. My dear friend, let you and I walk as he walked.

I now understand you with regard to the P-'s; but I fear, in this you are too delicate. It is certain their preaching is attended with the power of God to the hearts of many, and why not to your's? Is it not owing to a want of simplicity? "Are you going to hear Mr. Wesley," said a friend to Mr. Blackwell? "No," he answered, "I am

but it is likely I might; for I am exceedingly afraid of it, lest it should steal unawares, (as it always comes in disguise,) either upon myself or my friends. I know no way to escape it, but (having saved all we can) to give all we can. I think this is at present your rule as well as mine: and I trust it always will be.

We cannot impute too much to divine Providence, unless we make it interfere with our free-agency. I suppose that young woman, by saying, she did not believe God had any thing to do with it, only meant, that the passion itself was not at all from God, but altogether from evil nature: She could not mean, that God does not, in a thousand instances draw good out of evil, yea, that he may not sometimes permit us to be overtaken in a fault, to preserve us from a greater.

General rules are easily laid down. But it is not possible to apply them accurately in particular cases, without the anointing of the Holy One:-This alone, abiding with us, can teach us of all things. Thus our general rule is, "Thou shalt do no murder:" which plainly forbids every thing that tends to impair health; and implies that we use every probable means of preserving, or restoring it. But when we come to apply this to particular instances, we are presently in a labyrinth, and want that anointing which alone can make plain the way before our face, and direct us to do in every minute circumstance, what is acceptable to God.

You have abundant reason to praise God, both for spiritual and temporal blessings. Beware of indulging gloomy thoughts; they are the bane of thankfulness. You are encompassed with ten thousand mercies; let these sink you into humble thankfulness. J. W.

LETTER XXXVII.

Dec. 10, 1777.

YOU do not at all understand my manner of life. Tho' I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry; because I never undertake any more work than I can go through with

perfect calmness of spirit. It is true, I travel four or five thousand miles in a year. But I generally travel alone in my carriage: and consequently, am as retired ten hours in a day, as if I were in a wilderness. On other days, I never spend less than three hours (frequently ten or twelve) in the day alone. So there are few persons in the kingdom who spend so many hours secluded from all company. Yet I find time to visit the sick and the poor; and I must do it, if I believe the Bible, if I believe these are the marks whereby the Shepherd of Israel will know and judge his sheep at the great day, therefore when there is time and opportunity for it, who can doubt, but this is matter of absolute duty? When I was at Oxford, and lived almost like a hermit, I saw not how any busy man could be saved. I scarcely thought it possible for a man to retain the Christian spirit, amidst the noise and bustle of the world. God taught me better by my own experience. I had ten times more business in America (that is at intervals) than ever I had in my life. But it was no hindrance to silence of spirit.

Mr. Boehm was Chaplain to Prince George of Denmark, Secretary to him and Queen Ann; principal Manager of almost all the public charities in the kingdom, and employed in numberless private charities. An intimate friend, knowing this, said to him when they were alone, "Sir, are you not hurt by that amazing hurry of business? I have seen you in your office, surrounded with people, listening to one, dictating to another, and at the same time writing to a third:

-Could you then retain a sense of the presence of God?”, He answered, “ All that company, and all that business, no more hindered or lessened my communion with God, than if I had been all alone in a church kneeling before the communion-table." Was it not the same case with him, to whom Gregory Lopez said, "Go and be a hermit in Mexico?" I am concerned for you: I am sorry you should be content with lower degrees of usefulness and holiness than you are called to! But I cannot help it; so I submit ; -and am still,-my dear Miss M, your's in sincere affection, JOHN WESLEY.

TO THE REV. MR. L

Oct. 15, 1786. LAST night I had a long conversation with a few sensible men, concerning going to Church. I asked them what objection they had to the hearing of Mr. L. They answered, "They could not hear him: he generally spoke so low, that they lost a good part of what he said: and that what they could hear, was spoken in a dead, cold, languid manner, as if he did not feel any thing which he spoke." This would naturally disgust them the more, because Dr. Cleaned to the other extreme. I doubt there is some ground for their objection. But I should think, you might easily remove it. I asked again, "Have you any objection to any thing in his behaviour?" They answered, "One thing we cannot approve of; his being ashamed of the Methodists. His never recommending or defending them at all, we think, is a full proof of this: for every one knows his near relation and his many obligations to you. They know how you have loved and cherished him from a child." They might have added, "You owe your whole education to him: and therefore, in effect, your ordination,-your curacy,your school,-yea, and your wife: none of which you would in all likelihood, have had, had it not been for him."

I would add a word upon this head myself. I do not think you act wisely. Not one of your genteel friends can be depended on: they are mere summer-flies. Whereas had you condescended to make the Methodists your friends, they would have adhered to you one and all: and they are already no inconsiderable body of people: beside that, they are increasing more and more.

Suffer me now to speak a word between you and me. Is not the reason of your preaching so languidly and coldly, that you do not feel what you say? And why not? Because your soul is not alive to God! Do you know that your sins are forgiven? I fear not. Can you say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth?" I doubt, if you did know it once, whether you know it now! Have you fellowship with the