I now return to state the goodness and mercy of the Lord towards me, in opening doors for me elsewhere to speak in his name! I never offered nor invited myself to preach at any place since the Lord opened my mouth. But it came to pass, that I went to a village called Ermington one Sunday morning, and heard a man preach from Psa. lv. 22. I thought he was very clear in the truth. I heard him again in the afternoon from Col. iii. 11: it was at the time the Catholic question was in agitation. He did not please me so well as in the morning; for he tried to make out that Christ was in union with politics. As I heard he was going to preach at Holbeton, another village, I thought I would give him another hearing; so I went on Sunday morning, June 13, 1819, for that purpose: but the Lord had purposed otherwise, for he did not come; and as some of the friends knew me, and had heard me preach, I was entreated so to do. This was a sore trial to me: I said I could not preach, but the friends said I must. I began to reflect on myself, wishing I had not come, and I thought that I would leave and go home; for which purpose, I put my hand to my hat to take it and go, but the Lord detained me, by bringing these words to my heart with power, "No man having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God" (Luke ix. 62). This was the second time, the Lord by this word kept me from gratifying my fleshly feelings, and brought me to a stand; and as I found it was the Lord's will, that I should preach, I stood up with much fear and trembling before the people, but the Lord sustained me. In the morning I preached from Prov. x. 30. "The righteous shall never be removed;" and in the afternoon from 1 Peter ii. 7. "Unto you therefore which believe he is precious.” My ever blessed Lord gave me a door of utterance, and all fears fled away.

my This circumstance was a mean in the Lord's hand to open another door for me. As some of the friends

were there from Ermington, and heard me with pleasure, they gave me an invitation to preach to them the next Sabbath. Accordingly I went. And after a time I preached to them and the friends at Holbeton alternately. Some preachers from Plymouth used to minister unto them; among whom a little jealousy arose at the mason being invited; but the Lord will work by whom he pleases, whoever may oppose it.

I continued preaching in those villages for about the space of five years; and the Lord was very gracious

unto us.

As it is thought that parsons get well paid, I will inform the reader how it was with me. My salary was not more than two shillings and sixpence a week during the time that I continued there: the people were poor, and the parson was poor; but some of us could rejoice in that dear Scripture, "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (2 Cor. viii. 9). The knowledge of this truth in the heart is more than silver and gold. I shall not forget the first money I received for preaching was five shillings; for I had been trudging about a long time before, and had received nothing. I carried the five shillings home to my wife, who began to think when she saw such fruit arising from having a parson for her husband, that our poverty would soon be at an end; but she was mistaken, for when this money was gone our poverty stuck fast by us still.

for

After a time, it pleased the Lord to open a way me to preach in Plymouth. Mr. Denham, the minister of Rehoboth chapel, had been preaching in my neighbourhood, where he became acquainted with me; and he said, if I came to Plymouth, I should preach in his chapel. It had been long on my mind to go there, to hear that blessed man of God, Dr. Hawker; but my poverty had prevented me; but the Lord will

;

work, and who shall let it? (Isa. xliii. 13); and so it came to pass, that on Whitsunday, May 21, 1822, I set off in the morning, and walked to Plymouth, and heard him preach in the morning from Acts ii. 33, "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear." It was to me a soul-refreshing time. And according to the request of Mr. Denham, I preached in his chapel on the Monday evening, May 22; the text was Acts xiii. 38, 39. I went into the pulpit with much fear and trembling; part of my fear arose from there being so many parsons present, for there were no less than six; and as I did not know so much about them as I do now, I thought they were wonderful men, and breathed a different air from others but, blessed be the Lord, he soon raised my mind above men and things; and enabled me to speak his word with boldness. It was a very novel thing to the town's folks, to hear such an unpolished creature from the pulpit, for my language was very harsh; and my Devonshire dialect, with my green coat, yellow buttons, coloured handkerchief, and yellow waistcoat, were altogether so new to the people, that they drew forth many remarks from some of them. But those who knew the blessing contained in the contents of the text, namely, forgivness of sins, and justification from all things by Jesus Christ, understood my language, and received the message; and we rejoiced together in the truth. I hope for the reader's permission to observe, that as it is not a suit of black clothes that will make a man a minister of Jesus Christ; neither has a suit of black clothes ever produced liberty my soul to preach the word since I have worn them. Many times have I stood in my own house preaching with life, light, and liberty in my soul, in my working clothes, excepting my coat, with my mason's apron twisted round me. It is to be feared, that much of the religious profession in our day consists more in outward

in

adornings, in wearing apparel, and mock-modesty, than in the power of God in the heart. Allow me to add, I hate, and ever shall hate, the gown and bib in dissenting chapels. The next day, after preaching at Mr. Denham's chapel, I left Plymouth, and through the Lord's tender mercy, I arrived at home in safety. Thus the Lord laid the foundation openly, of what had been purposed in the secret counsels of eternity; namely, my settlement in Plymouth. "This also cometh forth from the Lord of hosts, who is wonderful in counsel, and excellent in working" (Isa. xxxviii. 29). I continued for some time after this to go about in the villages," preaching peace by Jesus Christ; for he is Lord of all" (Acts x. 36). And I feel a great pleasure to be enabled to speak positively of the Lord's goodness and mercy personally manifested unto me; and to render the following testimony to the praise and honour of my ever blessed Lord. As I was brought up in the church of England, I was a theoretical trinitarian; and as I had never been shaken in mind concerning the doctrine of the Trinity, the Lord, who performeth the things that are appointed for me (Job xxiii. 14), was pleased to permit me to be shaken and much exercised in my mind about it; so that he might settle me in the blessedness of the same, in the dear experience of it in my own heart. Prior to this, a Mr. Baring and his colleague, who had seceded from the church of England, had been in Plymouth propagating their hellish doctrine of Sabellianism, denying in toto the personality of the eternal Spirit, and the divine person and godhead of our most glorious Christ. There were some who seemed to be pillars in the church (Gal. ii. 9) that caught the Sabellian contagion and strange fire (Lev. x. 1), and became followers of their pernicious ways (2 Pet. ii. 2), under the cloak of maliciousness (1 Pet. ii. 16), being filled with all unrighteousness, &c. (Rom. i. 29); and serpent-like, with all subtilty (2 Cor. xi. 3), they began to creep into the country, and publish these doctrines of devils

(1 Tim. iv. 1), beguiling unstable souls (2 Pet. ii. 14); and they would, if it had been possible, have deceived the very elect (Mat. xxiv. 24). I heard two of these gentlemen preach, who walked in craftiness and handled the word of God deceitfully (2 Cor. iv. 2), and I withstood them to the face (Gal. ii. 11); and with the ability the Lord had given me, I contended with them earnestly for the faith once delivered unto the saints (Jude 3); for we are witnesses against all such characters, as well as witnesses for the truth in Jesus. By their preaching I was not moved from, but believed in, the doctrine of the Trinity as firmly as ever. I even thought that I could stand the torrent of all opposition against it; but when I was brought to hear their subtile reasoning, by which the mystery of faith was wholly set aside, Satan worked on my reasoning faculties until I was completely bewildered; the Sabellian argument appeared so plausible, and to me so reasonable. On the other hand, I heard those who argued against the foregoing system, by natural comparisons, such as that man was a trinity-body, soul, and spirit. But such a comparison would not do for me; this trinity would be separated by death; but I thought, if there were a trinity of persons in God, there must be also an unbroken unity. The sun was also used as an emblem, being a body of fire, light, and heat; then the three colours in the rainbow; and three candles burning and but one light. Whilst I thought of these things my mind was much agitated; and as by reasoning I knew not what to believe, I poured out my heart to the Lord, to keep me from every false way, and according to his promise, to guide me into all truth (John xvi. 13). I read my Bible with an ardent desire in my soul to the Lord, that he would settle the matter in my heart. I saw the doctrine clear enough in the word, as I thought, but I had no firm satisfaction in my soul from it. But, as I was at Ermington one evening, a sharp contention took place between some persons on the subject; a great deal of pro and con