well as I am now, I shall move northward, as usual. I am glad you have begun that little meeting for prayer. It will not be without a blessing. T. Lee may have half a dozen of the "Instructions for Children," to give as he sees needful. If you undertake the care of the books, I shall be under no farther concern about them; for I know what you do you will do in earnest. I wish you would immediately cause all the books which are at Birstal to be removed to your house. You will then be so kind as to send me a catalogue of them, and of the books which you would have sent down. All those who keep my books for the future, I shall desire to state their accounts once a month. But I do not know what you send me the bills for. I am, my dear sister, Your affectionate brother. CCCCXXII.-To the Same. MY DEAR SISTER, London, November 17, 1773. I AM afraid the assortment of books which is at Birstal house is exceeding imperfect. As soon, therefore, as we receive the account from you, we shall send down such small books as are wanting, and such as are most called for, and most useful. My health seems now to be as well established as for many years; and this we are sure of,— Health we shall have, if health be best. What have we to do, but to make the best use of all our talents; and according to our power to glorify Him with our bodies and with our spirits? I am, my dear sister, Yours affectionately. CCCCXXIII.-To the Same. MY DEAR SISTER, London, February 9, 1774. THE mob which hurt, not me, but the old hired chaise which I then used, made their assault some months since at Inniskillen in Ireland. We are little troubled at present with English mobs; and probably shall not while King George the Third lives. In July I hope to see you in Cross-Hall. My spring journey lies thus:-Manchester, April 4; Monday, April 18, Halifax; Tuesday, Huddersfield, Dewsbury; Thursday, Bradford; Sunday, 24, Haworth church. Surely, though we have seen great things already, we shall see greater than these." If thou canst believe!" That is the point: Then what is impossible? I am, my dear sister, Your affectionate brother. CCCCXXIV.-To the Same. Clones, May 29, 1775. MY DEAR SISTER, I was particularly glad to hear from you at this time, as I wanted to know how you was going on, and whether you was the person concerning whom one of our Preachers warily asked my advice. Whether you should part with your house, and things pertaining to it, is a very important question. The answering of this depends upon many circumstances which I am not yet acquainted with. But necessity has no law. It must be done, if income will not otherwise answer the your expenses. The last day of June I hope to be in Dublin, and the end of July in England. If I have a ready passage, probably I may have an opportunity of hiding myself a day or two with you; but I do not desire any of the Preachers to come to me till I send for them. If they do, I shall run away. I will not be in a crowd. Probably you know whether Mr. Saunderson is at Knaresborough. If he is, pray take up a cross for me. Write to him, in my name, and tell him, I desire him, without delay or excuse, to return to Bristol; otherwise, he will disoblige me for ever. I am, my dear sister, Your affectionate brother. ccccx CCCCXXV.-To the Same. London, February 23, 1778. MY DEAR SISTER, ALTHOUGH I hope to see you next week, I cannot but write a few lines. Who knows but the illness of Miss Bishop might be permitted for this very thing, that you might have a more clear and open way to help the women at Bath forward? What you have to do at Bristol does not yet appear: Providence will open itself by and by. I am glad Philly Cousens retains her confidence. See that she has something to do. I had not heard anything of Tommy Westall's daughter; and am glad she is so well disposed of. Let brother Taylor and Nancy Tripp do all they can for God. This is an acceptable time. I hope to see you on Tuesday afternoon; and am, My dear sister, Yours very affectionately. CCCCXXVI.-To the Same. MY DEAR SISTER, Bristol, August 5, 1780. I SNATCH time from the Conference to write two or three lines. I am in hopes Nancy Tripp will find a perfect cure. I am glad you have begun a prayer-meeting at Hunslet, and doubt not but it will be productive of much good. Hitherto we have had a blessed Conference. The case of the Church we shall fully consider by and by; and I believe we shall agree, that none who leave the Church shall remain with us. Peace be with all your spirits! I am, my dear sister, Yours most affectionately. CCCCXXVII.-To the Same. MY DEAR SISTER, London, December 18, 1780. I am glad to hear that the work of God is going on in your own soul, and in those about you. That young woman's dream is very remarkable, and gives us good encouragement to press on to the mark. I believe Mr. D. was the better for his journey; but he has very little fellowship with the Methodists. We have many here who have the same experience with honest George Clark, and far more clear ideas of the life of faith than he has. Such are George Hufflet, in the chapel at Spitalfields; Mary Landers, in the Tower; S. Collet, in BishopsgateStreet; S. Cayleys, at G. Clark's; Jenny Thornton, and some others, in the city; S. Peters, in the Curtains; Molly Monk, at Moorfields; S Garston and Charles Wheeler, in Old-Street. Joseph Bradford would introduce any one you sent to these, or to our select society. It will be well to advertise the tracts now. I remember you daily, and am, My dear sister, Your ever affectionate brother. CCCCXXVIII.-To the Same. MY DEAR SISTER, Bristol, September 15, 1785. I WANTED much to hear from you, being desirous to know whether you have thought where you should settle, if God should please to prolong your life. I should love to be as near you as I could; and on that account should be glad if you chose Bristol or London. I expect to be in town on Monday fortnight, October the first. Mr. Ireland has printed a thousand or two of your Letters, with some little variations, I think for the worse. Peace be with your spirit! I am, my dear sister, Ever yours. I am glad the people desire to join us. letter when I come to London. I shall reprint your CCCCXXIX.-To the Same. MY DEAR SISTER, Bristol, October 2, 1785. THERE is much of divine Providence in this, that the people are permitted to choose their own Curate. I believe Mr. Horne to be a sound Methodist, and think he will serve them well, if he can procure ordination. If he cannot, Mr. Dickenson may do near as well; a very pious and sensible young man, who has for two or three years served good Mr. Perronet, at Shoreham, but expects to be turned away by the new Vicar. Surely, your thought of spending much of your time in London is agreeable to the will of God. I never thoroughly approved of your going so far from it, although much good was drawn out of it. I hope to be there to-morrow. Should not you now consider me as your first human friend? I think none has a more sincere regard for you than, My dear sister, Yours most affectionately. CCCCXXX.-To the Same. MY DEAR SISTER, Norwich, October 22, 1785. THIS morning I received and read your papers. You have done justice to the character of that excellent man, as far as you could be expected to do in so small room. I do not observe any sentence that need be left out, and very few words that need to be omitted or altered: Only I omit a very little, which I had inserted before I received yours, in that part of my sermon which I had transcribed. I hope to procure some more materials, in order to the writing of his Life. May the Lord bless you, and keep you! I am, my dear sister, Yours in tender affection. CCCCXXXI.-To the Same. MY DEAR SISTER, London, January 13, 1786. WHEN I receive letters from other persons, I let them lie, perhaps a week or two, before I answer them: But it is otherwise when I hear from you. I then think much of losing a day, for fear I should give a moment's pain to one of the most faithful friends I have in the world. The circumstance you add respecting the behaviour of those Custom House Officers is very well worth relating. O what pity that it was not then made known to their superiors; that those inhospitable wretches might have been prevented from misusing other strangers! I think your advice is exactly right. With the materials I have already, or can procure in England, I will write and publish as soon as I conveniently can. I am, my very dear sister, Your ever affectionate brother. CCCCXXXII.-To the Same. MY DEAR SISTER, London, December 9, 1786. THE book is now finished: I have the last proof now before me. Two of the three accounts you give, I have at large. I only wait a few days, to see if my brother will write his Elegy. |