that this trial had been revealed to me before it came on; but, alas! "God speaketh once, yea, twice, yet man perceiveth it not. In a dream, in a vision of the night, when deep sleep falleth upon men, in slumbering upon the bed; then he openeth the ears of men, and sealeth their instruction," &c. Job xxxiii. 14-16. I had one night the following dream, which was rather awful. I dreamed that I was in a large field; and, behold, a beast of an ill shape and dreadful appearance ran at me open-mouthed in a most furious manner. This beast was somewhat like a lion, rough-haired, and had a most dreadful wide mouth. In running furiously at me, he started back when he was within the space of a yard, which amazed me much, as he approached so near. At the formidable appearance of the creature I was dreadfully terrified in my sleep, especially as he suddenly made at me the second time, and appeared to come rather closer; but still he started back, as before. The third time the creature flew at me, but still was checked when he approached very near me. At length, when I found he could not reach me, I stood still, to see what was the occasion of it. When I perceived a chain go quite round the loins of the beast; and, behold at the end of the chain stood one of the most handsome men I ever beheld, with his face shining like the face of an angel. He held the chain in his hand; and,

when I looked at him in the face, he smiled sweetly upon me and kept the beast close to his feet. Accordingly, when I saw that the creature was kept by a chain in his hand, I took up stones and threw at it; and, in swinging my arms, I awoke. I could not then help thinking that that dream was from God, as a prelude to some temptation, it appeared so scriptural. I considered the devil's being compared to a dog and a lion. First, to a dog; "Deliver my soul from the sword, my darling from the power of the dog," Psal. xxii. 20. Secondly, to a lion; "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour; whom resist stedfast in the faith," 1 Pet. v. 8, 9. The chain which I saw in my dream appeared to be scriptural also. "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,” Rev. xx. 1, 2. This angel is Christ Jesus, the angel of the everlasting covenant, as appears from his having the key of the bottomless pit; as you read, "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death," Rev. i. 18. Throwing stones at him seemed to be likewise scriptural; as it is written, "The Lord of Hosts shall

defend them; and they shall devour, and subdue with sling stones," Zech. ix. 15.

Having got rid of this internal cross, I soon found some external ones. But these are nothing when compared to the hiding of God's countenance, which resembles hell the most of any thing, because his frowns in a cloud always reflect wrath; as it is written, "In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee," Isa. liv. 8.

Upon the whole, I found there was a daily cross for me to take up, and rather more than faith and patience could manage at times; but none so dreadful to an indulged child as the hiding of his father's countenance. My next cross was the oppositions I met with from erroneous men. At Farnham, in Surry, a free-will Baptist minister began to cavil at me as soon as I had delivered my message; and the contention lasted till midnight; but God enabled me to stand n y ground till he was quite out of breath, and I believe of ammunition too. Carnal reason against the decrees of God is like attempting to overturn a mountain of brass with the web of a spider. The gentleman, enraged and routed, afterwards sent me a challenge to dispute with me at a public house, where he would bring many friends with him, as witnesses of the great exploits of free agency. Howbeit, I had no occa

sion to go there to hear lectures on the trophies of free-agency; I could get at them nearer home; for my own heart told me that wherever free agency was enshrined, there the devil himself was enthroned. There never was yet a freeagent in this world, since Adam's fall, except Christ, that was not under the dominion of the devil, and led captive by him into the commission of every besetting sin. I accordingly sent that gentleman word that I should continue to preach at the places to which I was called; nor would I give place to the devil, if he came in my way; but I had no warrant to meet Satan half way, nor to contend with him upon unconsecrated ground.

After this an Arian Baptist beset me at Worpolsdon, in Surry, and brought others with him. These harassed me at times for a year or two; but God enabled me to oppose their errors as fast as they discovered themselves; nor did I lose one sheep by means of these evening wolves.

Some of my friends were angry with me at times for being so warm and severe in my delivery; but the Saviour's reproofs, given to the angels of the churches in the Revelations, bore me out, and warranted me in my zeal; nor could my friends persuade me to be a dumb dog while these wolves haunted the fold. There was also a Scotch Seceder at Guildford, whose head was very well furnished, who at times contended

with this old leading Arian; and I was told that he overthrew his arguments; but soon afterwards he fell into that very error himself, and then plunged into open profanity; so that he is now an Arian both in principle and practice. This circumstance effectually taught me that a wellfurnished head is not sufficient to keep the devil out of the heart. Satan does not mind the head, it is the heart that he wants: The strong man armed keeps possession of the palace. The devil mimics the Most High in this respect; for God says, 'My son, give me thine heart."

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I found all these oppositions of great service to me: for God gave me so uncommon a spirit of meekness at my first setting off to preach, that I found myself rather too tender to declare the whole counsel of God. I was more fit for the character of a nurse than for that of a soldier. But, when these Arians came to tear up the very foundation of my hope, that spirit of meekness gave way to a fiery zeal. When I came in private before God my soul was overwhelmed with contrition; but when I got into my pulpit I was clad with zeal as with a cloak. Farewell meek

ness, when we have to do with devils; God grant that my bowels may never sound with compassion on that ground where the vengeance of heaven burns with indignation! When our dear Redeemer was with his disciples, Mary and Martha, at their brother's grave, he wept and groaned