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 candle; but notwithstanding the close attention I was obliged to pay to my trade, yet for a long time I read ten chapters in the Bible every day I alfo read and learned many hymns, and as foon as I could procure fome of Mr. Wesley's Tracts, Sermons, &c. I read them also; many of them I perused in Cloacina's Temple. (the place where my Lord Chesterfield advised his fon to read the claffics, but I did not apply them after reading to the farther use that his Lordship 'hints at.) I had fuch good eyes, that I often read by the light of the Moon, as my mafter 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 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 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 without the affurance of their fins being pardoned, they must be " ftrangers to the hope of Ifrael, and without God in the world." My good mistress wifely thought that a good stick was the best way of arguing with fuch an ignorant infatuated boy as I was, and had often recourse 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 verses as I deemed favourable to the doctrine of Original Sin, Juftification by Faith, imputed imputed Righteoufnefs, the doctrine of the Trinity, &c. On fuch parts I always placed. a particular emphafis, which puzzled and teazed the old lady a good deal. 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, fuch 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 side of the question than she had on her fide. As to St. James, I was almost ready to conclude, that he he was not quite orthodox, and fo at laft F did not much mind what he faid. Falfe opinions rooted in the mind, "Hoodwink the foul and keep our reason blind. "In controverted points can reafon fway, Hitherto I had not frequented the methodift meetings by the confent or knowledge of my mafter and miftrefs; nor had my zeal been fo great as to make me openly violate their commands. But as my zeal increased much faster than my knowledge, I foon difregarded their orders, and without hesitation ran away to hear a methodistical fermon as often as I could find opportunity. One Sunday morning at eight o'clock my mistress feeing her fons fet off, and knowing that they were gone to a methodist meeting, determined to prevent me from doing the fame by locking the door, which fhe accordingly did; on which in a fuperftitious mood, I opened the Bible for direction what to do (ignorant methodists often practise the fame fuperftitious fuperftitious method) and the firft words I read were these, "He has given his angels charge concerning thee, left at any time thou shouldest dafh thy foot against a stone." This was enough for me; fo without a moment's hesitation, I ran up two pair of stairs to my own room, and out of the window I leaped, to the great terror of my poor miftrefs. I got up immediately, and ran about two or three hundred yards, towards the meeting-house; but alas! I could run no farther; my feet and ancles were most intolerably bruised, fo that I was obliged to be carried back and put to bed; and it was more than a month before I recovered the ufe of my limbs. I was ignorant enough to think that the Lord had not used me very well, and refolved not to put fo much truft in him for the future. This my rafh adventure made a great noife in the town, and was talked of many miles round. Some few admired my amazing ftrength of faith, but the major part pitied |