and bring my family, to hear them preach the gofpel, I had not as yet found freedom to go: but hearing that John Wesley was to preach that evening in the open market-place, I was not easy to avoid going. So I went, and standing at a friend's fhop door, I heard him begin with the following preamble or introduction:

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Before I unfold to you the oracles of God I "must first remove a stumbling block out of the. way, which is this; I understand one John "Curtis from Bristol hath of late been travelling "in these parts, and endeavouring to lay waste "that good work, which it hath pleased God to carry on by our hands, giving out that he was formerly a Methodist and acquainted with me. "Now he never was a Methodist to my knowledge, and I think he could not be one in or "about Bristol without it: and as to any acquaintance with the faid John Curtis, I folemnly declare I never had any; only I remember being twice in his company occasionally about eight years ago. I hope no man will account me

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an offender for speaking the truth. If George "Fox were here he would embrace me for it."

This was the fubftance of his introduction in the fame words, or very nearly the fame, in which

he delivered it, for I gave good attention to this part. Then he proceeded to what he called unfolding the oracles of God, which I thought was ftamping the matter far too high.

That evening I got two friends to accompany me to his lodging to speak to him hereupon. At the first mentioning of the fubject he discovered fome warmth. "I tell you John Curtis has done ❝ more harm in his journey through these parts, " than ever he will do good as long as he lives. He "has gone about fcattering poifon." This high charge he undertook to prove thus. "What poifon is to the body, that bigotry is to the

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mind; but John Curtis has been industrious "to fow bigotry, that is to fow disaffection in "the hearts of chriftians toward one another, barely on account of difference in opinion."

To all this I replied to the following import, "I was an entire ftranger to John Curtis, till "he came into these parts, fince which I had "made use of the opportunity of contracting "an acquaintance with him, and being pretty "much in his company, I have known him "to be influenced with the univerfal love of God, and that he has endeavoured to propa

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gate the fame in others. This thou canst

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"never call scattering poifon; and if my account differ from thine, fo doth the founda"tion on which it is built. For thine is on

ly upon hearfay, which is too flender a foun"dation whereupon publicly to afperfe any man's "character who is not prefent to answer and "vindicate himfelf." At this he feemed fomewhat confufed, and acknowledged that he had not duly confidered that part of the matter; but he thought he might depend on the fundry repeated informations, he had received from different quar

ters.

"I farther observed to him that he ought "to have duly regarded our Lord's directions not to judge, &c. For if any good is done it is the Lord that doth it, and in what way, "and by what inftruments he pleases; and there"fore all the glory of it is due to him alone, "and no part of that glory or honour to any in"ftrument, which can do nothing of itself, and "that it would be a fin in any inftrument to "take to itself what was due to God only; "and that if John Curtis faithfully did what the "Lord directed, he would be accepted, though

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no fhining outward effects fhould arife from

" it.'

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"And in regard to what thou haft alledged "of his fowing difaffection in the hearts of Chriftians, towards one another, barely on ac"count of difference in opinion; fomething occurs "to me on that head, which is, that John Curtis might be endued with a sense of the dan

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ger, which some might be in of magnifying "and extolling certain men inftead of giving all

glory to God; and might apprehend it to be "his duty to caution and guard them against "that danger, which might be misconstrued by fome, as feeking to fow difaffection toward "those men and their adherents;" or to this effect.

This opportunity concluded peaceably, with John Welley's acknowledging, "that it had been "to his edification, and that he therefore wished "he could get the like opportunities with our "friends more frequently; that he faw fome

things in a clearer light than he had done before, and that he would never fay any thing against John Curtis publicly again, unless he "administered a real foundation for it." I heard he had the day before made the fame preamble, or to the fame purport before his fermon at Edenderry, and would probably have gone on fo from place to place.

I writ to John Curtis hereupon, who answered that he never pretended to, nor ever spoke of his having any intimate intimate acquaintance with John Wesley; but that he was regularly a methodist for fome time, he fent me a certificate, figned by feveral of the fame fraternity, and fome other testimonials.

Hereupon he wrote to John Wesley, and fent me over copies of the letters that paffed between them. I did not fee that this paper-war, if continued, would be likely to ferve any good purpofe, and fo I wrote to him, and it dropped. And all the ufe I made of the above-faid teftimonials was occafionally to fhew them to fome of the methodists and to one of their ministers.

I was glad to fee fome in that part awakened out of their fleep of darkness, to a thoughtfulnefs about their fouls, and fincerely wished the encrease and promotion of folid piety; but I had opportunity to obferve there, that thofe who were innocent and well minded before, have continued the most steady and circumfpect in their conduct; that thofe who had before gone into grofs pollutions, being induced to believe that regeneration was an inftantaneous, not a gradual work, did not fufficiently remain under