as nearly every house was under clerical influence, and those who sent for him were afraid of incurring the clergyman's displeasure. A good woman at length obtained the consent of her husband to lend their house for the occasion, indifferent to consequences. A congregation was soon assembled, and Samuel commenced with singing and prayer. During the second hymn, a noise was heard at the door, when Samuel left his stand, and went to enquire into the cause. He was met at the entrance by the clergyman, accompanied by another gentleman, to whom he announced himself as the preacher.

Clergyman. "We want none of your preaching here, and are resolved not to have it."

Samuel. "Sir, I preached the gospel here before you were born, and I will live to preach it when you are gone.'

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look among the lower orders of society, and to see whether a person could not be found, possessed of piety and ministerial qualifications This was received with indignation by several of the inhabitants of Comana, and one lofty spirited gentleman, whose views as little accorded with those of Gregory, as they would have done with those of the little Christian flock at Ledsham, in after ages, told the worthy bishop by way of derision, that if he wished them to take a person from the scum of the people, they might as well select Alexander the collier from their ranks. Gregory took the hint, and sent for Alexander, who appeared before them, ragged in his apparel, and besmeared, like Samuel, with the filth of his employment, exciting the laughter of the less sedate among the assembly. The bishop soon perceived him to be a man of both talent and piety; and after withdrawing with him, and instructing him how to act, returned to the assembly and delivered a discourse on the nature of the pastoral office. It was not long before Alexander, who was a comely, looking man, was again presented to the brethren, washed, and attired in the canonicals of the episcopal order, and was chosen-collier as he had been, bishop of Comana, with only one dissenting voice! Though there is no doubt, that Alexander was by far Samuel's superior in point of intellect, yet the coal, the smoke, and the soot, had an amazing influence on the more elegant in both cases; and the Wesleyan body was as great a help to the latter, as Gregory was to the former.

Cler. "I tell you, I will not suffer you to preach here. This house is my property."

Sam. "Why, Sir, you do not preach the gospel to the people, for you deny inspiration, and no man can preach it but by inspiration of the Spirit of God."

Cler. "I discharge you from preaching in this house."

To this authority Samuel reluctantly submitted, as it would have been imprudent to encourage the occupants to persist in resisting their landlord; the people were therefore dismissed. The clergyman, however, mistook his opponent, if he concluded that the field was his own; for though the preacher was driven from the house, he was not driven from his purpose. On returning home, he wrote a long, faithful letter to the reverend gentleman; informing him, in connexion with the admonitions sent, that on the following Sabbath, he should again visit Ledsham-occupy a piece of waste land in the village, to which he could lay no claim, as it belonged to the Lord of the Manor-and should there, in his own cart, preach to the people; giving him an invitation at the same time to attend, and to correct him in any thing he might advance contrary to the Scriptures or Book of Common Prayer. As he made no secret of either his letter or his intentions, the report of his visit to Ledsham, in defiance of the newly inducted minister, soon spread among the neighbouring villagers. The day arrived-the people flocked to the place from a circle of some miles. Samuel, after unyoking his horse, appeared in his cart, occupying it as a pulpit for the occasion, accompanied by four local preachers-the air rang with the song of praise-end a gracious influence

attended the word. The clergyman and his lady stood at a distance hearkening to what was said. Samuel, towards the close, told them that he loved the church, and hoped, that “as soon as the bells" gave gave "over tinkling," they would accompany him, and join in its service. "We all went,' he observed, "and I never saw a church so full in my life. The aisles, the communion-place, and bell-house, were all crammed full. What was best of all, the clerk was on our side, and gave out a hymn tune. Such glorious music, I never heard in a church before. The parson, poor young man! was overfaced with us, and could not preach; so that he had to employ another person." As a substitute is not so easily obtained, in an emergency of this kind, in the Establishment as among the Dissenters, it is probable that the person was prepared for the duties of the day, independent of this circumstance, and that Samuel attributed to the congregation, that which originated in indisposition. This is the more likely, from what Samuel adds; "The poor young man went off to London next morning, where he died, and was brought back to be buried about six months after." This fact, taken in connexion with Samuel's declaration, "I preached the gospel here before you were born, and will live to preach it when you are gone, falls upon the heart with peculiar solemnity. It ought not to be omitted, that the clergyman beckoned the churchwarden to him after the service, and stated that he had enquired into the character of the old blacksmith-found that he was a very good man-and wished him to be informed from himself, that he mit preach in the village whenever he judged proper.

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CHAPTER VI.

His qualifications for soliciting pecuniary aid-an unsuccessful application to a clergyman-relieves his circuit from a debt of seventy pounds-his anxiety to obtain a chapel at Aberforda miser, and his manner of addressing him-a chapel erected -a visit to Rochdale-administers seasonable relief to a preacher's family-his scriptural views of charity-supplies a poor family with coals-regales part of a company of soldiers on a forced march-an amusing domestic scene-visitation of the sick-gives up the use of tobacco from principle-his indisposition, and inattention to the advice of his medical attendant -the good effects of his state of mind upon others-raises a subscription for a poor man-relieves a poor female-his love to the missionary cause-origin of missionary meetings among the Wesleyans.

Such was the native restlessness of Samuel's character, that, like quicksilver, the slightest impulse propelled and continued him in motion. With the exception of sleep, or the utter exhaustion of his physical powers, he scarcely knew a pause in the work of God. This promptitude to be serviceable to others, the general esteem in which he was held, together with a peculiar fitness for benevolent enterprize-the latter of which was founded on his own generosity-his simplicity of manner, a certain straightforwardness, which knew no fear, and saw no difficulties, rendered him a desirable person to engage in any purpose of soliciting pecuniary aid. According, he was selected by a committee formed for ion, and was commissioned to go throute circuit in which he resided, to

collect subscriptions, in order to relieve it from its financial embarrasments. Clothed with proper authority, and furnished with a book in which to enter the names of his subscribers, he went forth with the freshness and spirit of the husbandman entering for the first time in the season into the harvest-field. He saw the fields white, and in his view had nothing to do but put in the sickle. He found few obstructions; and among those few-created, by the way, by his own imprudence he records one which may be considered more amusing than vexatious.

"I went to Ricall," says he;" and as I purposed going to all the houses in the town, I thought there would be no harm in calling upon the church clergyman. I did so; and found him in his garden. I presented my book, which he gave me again, and looked at me." The look would have had a withering effect upon many of Samuel's superiors; but the same spirit and views which emboldened him to make the application, supported him in the rebuff with which he met. 66 "I am surprised," said the clergyman, "that you should make such a request; that you should ask me to support dissenters from the Church of England!" Samuel stopped him short, with "No, Sir, we are not dissenters; the Church has dissented from us. The Methodists are good churchmen, where the gospel is preached. And as for myself, I never turned my back on a brief when I went to the church.” Though wiser heads than his own would have found it difficult to charge dissenterism upon the Church, he was correct in his denial of the application of the epithet tothodist body. The retort was more equitachupported when