very crowded, I one Sunday evening thought he spoke particularly to me, and the imagination had a powerful effect upon me.

I believe it was the Christmas previous to this, while at a card-table, I was taking some undue liberty with Mr. Whitefield's ministry, in the way of burlesque; a Scotch woman who was sitting by, but not in the party, very smartly reproved me, desired I would take an opportunity to read and pray over the eighth chapter of the epistle to the Romans, till I understood it; and added she was persuaded I should no longer despise Mr. Whitefield's ministry. I never can forget the remorse I felt from the reproof; and the advice, after I was awakened, produced a peculiar attention to the Scripture recommended to my attention.

In the year 1755, I had occasion to make a purchase of a box, of which I was informed a poor woman wanted to dispose. She afterwards informed me, there was something in my appearShe desired ance that engaged her attention. I would pay her a visit. I was ready to receive her invitation, and drank tea with her the next Sunday. Like one truly taught of God, and desirous of communicating what she knew of him, she entered upon religious subjects. She asked me, if I had ever heard Mr. Whitefield; I replied I had once or twice, and had no objection to him, for I perceived she knew not how to speak affectionately enough of him. But I said I could not be reconciled to his lay preachers; and I urged the common objection against them. I began to speak in high terms of my favourite preachers at church, and as she proposed my going with her to

hear Mr. Whitefield, I urged her to go with me to hear those I had mentioned.

She was soon tired of my fare, and told me my favourite preachers could not give her what she wanted. It was by first going with her to the Tabernacle, that I was more peculiarly struck with the largeness of the congregation-the solemnity that sat upon it-the melody of the singing-Mr. Whitefield's striking appearance, and his earnestness in preaching. From this time prejudice had no more place in my breast. Mr. Whitefield became increasingly dear to me, and I embraced all opportunities to hear him. Yet I had no knowledge of the evil of sin, and the depravity of my nature. On the 9th of April, 1760, being the Wednesday in the Easter-week, and the close of the holidays, as I was playing at cards with my fellow-servants; recollecting I might that evening hear Mr. Whitefield, I broke off in the midst of the game, which much discomposed and enraged my companions, who suspected where I was going. It was a night much to be remembered. I have reason to hope the scales of ignorance then fell from my eyes, a sense of my misery opened gradually to me, and I diligently inquired what I should do to be saved. I never more, however, played a game at cards. The text I well remember, was 1 Cor. xv. 51, 52. The introduction to the sermon, " Come, my brethren, we have from Sunday till yesterday been meditating upon the resurrection of our Lord, it is now time that we should think about our own." Could I recite the whole sermon, and it should read acceptably, it would want the energy, viva voce, which was so

A

very peculiar to the preacher, that a resemblance is no where to be found. But it was God in the preacher that made the word efficacious; to him be the glory. It is a mercy he is not confined to the abilities of men whose talents are superior to those of their brethren. Much good was at that time doing by the instrumentality of men whose gifts were very inconsiderable; and the Lord could have wrought upon my soul by an inferior preacher. The state of things at the Tabernacle and Tottenham-court chapel, then differed from what it is at the present day, in this, that the supplies were not very considerable, Mr. Kinsman excepted. Hence there was a very great disproportion in the congregation; yet conversions were very frequent, by means of the substitutes provided by Mr. Whitefield in his absence, notwithstanding the inferiority of their gifts to his own.

It is not by might nor by power,' which is but to say, it is not by human eloquence, but by the Spirit of the Lord, that work is wrought upon the soul which is essential to salvation. That the Lord may go on to honour your gifts, and that you may ever give him the glory of that good work he performs by you, is the prayer of,

My dear friend,

Yours, &c.

LETTER IV.

MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,

In compliance with your request, my own history must be entwined with the history of others.

L

I keep in mind the remark you made to me in a late conversation, namely, that it was the opinion of some, that there had not been sufficient notice taken of Mr. Whitefield as a preacher, and that you wished I would endeavour to exhibit him more particularly in that view. I doubt I shall fail in the attempt; though my close connexion with his person as a private humble friend, as well as the attention I paid to his ministry, may be supposed to give me an advantage in writing upon this head.

The time he set apart for preparations for the pulpit, during my connexion with him, was not to be distinguished from the time he appropriated to other business. If he wanted to write a pamphlet upon any occasion, he was closeted; nor would he allow access to him, but on an emergency, while he was engaged in the work. But I never knew him engaged in the composition of a ser mon until he was on board ship, when he enployed himself partly in the composition of sermons, and reading very attentively the history of England, written by different authors. He had formed a design of writing the history of Methodism, but never entered upon it. He was never more in retirement on a Saturday than on another day; nor sequestered at any particular time for a period longer than he used for his ordinary devotions. I never met with any thing like the form of a skeleton of a sermon among his papers, with which I was permitted to be very familiar, nor did he ever give me any idea of the importance of being habituated to the planning of a sermon. It is not injustice to his great character to say, I

belive he knew nothing about such a kind of exercise.

Usually for an hour or two before he entered the pulpit, he claimed retirement; and on a sab. bath day morning more particularly, he was accustomed to have Clarke's Bible, Matthew Henry's Comment, and Cruden's Concordance within his reach his frame at that time was more than ordinarily devotional; I say more than ordinarily, because, though there was a vast vein of pleasantry usually in him, the intervals of conversation evidently appeared to be filled up with private ejaculation connected with praise. His rest was much interrupted, and his thoughts were much engaged with God in the night. He has often said at the close of his very warm address, "This sermon I got when most of you who now hear me were fast asleep." He made very minute observations, and was much disposed to be conversant with life, from the lowest mechanic to the first characters in the land. He let nothing escape him, but turned all into gold that admitted of improvement; and, in one way or another, the occurrence of the week or the day, furnished him with matter for the pulpit.-A specimen-when an extraordinary trial was going forward, he would be present; and on observing the formality of the judge putting on his black cap to pronounce seutence, I have known him avail himself of it in the close of a sermon; with his eyes full of tears, and his heart almost too big to admit of speech, dropping into a momentary pause" I'am going now to put on my condemning cap: sinner, I must do it; I must pronounce sentence upon