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of gift of fifty pounds per year, but after the old woman's panic and fear of damnation was over, she had recourfe to Chancery, and his Lordship annulled the deed of gift. His Lordship's remarks on fuch kinds of impofition are very curious, and worth your reading. See Collectanea Juridica, vol. 1. p. 458.

In fact, the very beft of the methodists are like children, elated or depreffed by mere trifles; and many who joined them while young and ignorant, quit their fociety as they attain to years of difcretion, or as their judgment is better informed.

I am,

Dear Friend,

Yours, &c.

LETTER

LETTER VIII.

"Religion's luftre is by native innocence

"Divinely fair, pure, and fimple from all arts;
"You daub and drefs her like a common mistress,
"The harlot of your fancies; and by adding

"Falfe beauties, which the wants not, make the world
"Sufpect her angel face is foul within."

Rowe's Tamerlane.

DEAR FRIEND,

THE

HE enthufiaftic notions which I had imbibed, and the desire I had to be talking about religious myfteries, &c. answered one valuable purpose; as it caused me to embrace every opportunity to learn to read, fo that I could foon read the easy parts of the Bible, Mr. Wesley's Hymns, &c. and every leisure minute was fo employed.

In the winter I was obliged to attend my work from fix in the morning until ten at night. In the fummer half year, I only worked as long as we could fee without canbut notwithstanding the close attention

dle;

I was obliged to pay to my trade, yet for a long time I read ten chapters in the Bible every day; I also read and learned many hymns, and as foon as I could procure fome of Mr. Wefley's Tracts, Sermons, &c. I read them alfo; many of them I perused in Cloacina's Temple, (the place where my Lord Chesterfield adviféd his fon to read the claffics, but I did not apply them after reading to the farther ufe that his Lordship hints at.)

I had fuch good eyes, that I often read by the light of the Moon, as my master would never permit me to take a candle into my room, and that prohibition I looked upon as a kind of persecution, but I always comforted myself with the thoughts of my being a dear child of God; and as fuch, that it was impoffible for me to escape perfecution from the children of the devil, which epithets I very piously applied to my good master and mistress. And fo ignorantly and imprudently zealous (being a real methodist) was I for

the

the good of their precious fouls, as fometimes to give them broad hints of it, and of the dangerous ftate they were in. Their pious good old minifter, the Reverend Mr. Harrifon, I called a blind leader of the blind;" and I more than once affured my mistress, that both he and his whole flock were in a state of damnation, being "ftrangers to the hope of Ifrael, and without God in the world." My good miftrefs wifely thought that a good stick was the best way of arguing with such an ignorant infatuated boy as I was, and had often recourfe to it; but I took care to give her a deal of trouble; for whenever I was ordered in my turn to read in the Bible, I always felected fuch chapters as I thought militated against Arians, Socinians, &c. and fuch verfes as I deemed favourable to the doctrine of Original Sin, Juftification by Faith, imputed Righteousness, the doctrine of the Trinity, &c. On fuch parts I always placed a particular emphasis, which puzzled and teazed the old lady a good deal. Among

F

Among other places I thought (having fo been taught by the methodists) that the fixteenth chapter of Ezekiel very much favoured the doctrines of original fin, imputed righteoufnefs, &c. that chapter I often felected and read to her, and the as often read the eighteenth chapter of the fame prophecy, for the fake of the parable of the Father's eating four grapes.

Whenever I read in St. Paul's Epiftles on juftification by faith alone, my good mistress would read in the Epistle of St. James, such paffages as fay that a man is not justified by faith alone, but by faith and works, which often embarraffed me not a little. However I comforted myself with the conceit of having more texts of Scripture on my fide of the queftion than fhe had on her fide. As to St. James, I was almoft ready to conclude, that he was not quite orthodox, and so at last I did not much mind what he faid.

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