EXTRACTS FROM FLETCHER'S LETTERS.
* * * * *
CHRIST-EXALTING JOY.
_To_ SARAH RYAN, _Wesley's housekeeper at Bristol, and to her
friend_, DOROTHY FURLEY:
"_October 1st_, 1759.
"DEAR SISTERS,--I have been putting off writing to you lest the action
of writing should divert my soul from the awful and delightful worship
it is engaged in. But I now conclude I shall be no loser if I invite
you to love Him my soul loveth; to dread Him my soul dreadeth; to
adore Him my soul adoreth.
"Sink with me before the throne of Grace; and, while the cherubim veil
their faces, and cry out in tender fear and exquisite trembling,
'Holy! Holy! Holy!' let us put our mouths in the dust, and echo back
the solemn sound, 'Holy! Holy! Holy!' Let us plunge ourselves in that
ocean of purity. Let us try to fathom the depths of Divine mercy; and,
convinced of the impossibility of such an attempt, let us lose
ourselves in them. Let us be comprehended by God, if we cannot
comprehend Him. Let us be supremely happy in God. Let the intenseness
of our happiness border upon misery, because we can make Him no
return. Let our head become waters, and our eyes a fountain of tears--
_tears_ of humble repentance, of solemn joy, of silent admiration, of
exalted adoration, of raptured desires, of inflamed transports, of
speechless awe. My God and my all! Your God and your all! Our God and
our all! Praise Him! With our souls blended into one by Divine love,
let us with one mouth glorify the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; our
Father, who is over all, through all, and in us all. "I charge you
before the Lord Jesus, who giveth life and more abundant life; I
entreat you by all the actings of faith, the stretchings of hope, the
flames of love you have ever felt, sink to greater depths of self-
abasing repentance; rise to greater heights of Christ-exalting joy.
And let Him, who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you
can ask or think, carry on, and fulfil in you the work of faith with
power; with that power whereby He subdueth all tilings unto Himself.
Be steadfast in hope, immovable in patience and love, always abounding
in the outward and inward labour of love; and receive the end of your
faith, the salvation of your souls. "I am, dear sisters, your well-
wisher,
"JOHN FLETCHER."
* * * * *
"Only a Methodist!"
To CHARLES WESLEY:
"MADELEY, October 12th, 1761.
"MY DEAR SIR,--You have always the goodness to encourage me, and your
encouragements are not unseasonable; for discouragements follow one
another with very little intermission. Those which are of an inward
nature are sufficiently known to you; but some others are peculiar to
myself, especially those I have had for eight days past, during
Madeley wake.
"Seeing that I could not suppress these bacchanals, I did all in my
power to moderate their madness; but my endeavours have had little or
no effect. You cannot well imagine how much the animosity of my
parishioners is heightened, and with what boldness it discovers itself
against me, because I preached against drunkenness, shows, and bull-
baiting. The publicans and maltmen will not forgive me. They think
that to preach against drunkenness, and to cut their purse, is the
same thing.
"My church begins not to be so well filled as it has been, and I
account for it thus: the curiosity of some of my hearers is satisfied,
and others are offended by the word; the roads are worse; and if it
shall ever please the Lord to pour His Spirit upon us, the time is not
yet come. The people, instead of saying, 'Let us go up to the house of
the Lord,' exclaim, 'Why should we go and hear a Methodist?'
"I should lose all patience with my flock if I had not more reason to
be satisfied with them than with myself. My own barrenness furnishes
me with excuses for theirs; and I wait the time when God shall give
seed to the sower and increase to the seed sown. In waiting that time,
I learn the meaning of this prayer, 'Thy will be done.'
"Believe me, your sincere, though unworthy friend,
"J. FLETCHER."
* * * * *
THE BELIEVER'S SONG.
To _Miss_ HATTON:
"MADELEY, _January 9th_, 1767.
"MY DEAR FRIEND,--The dream of life will soon be over; the morning of
eternity will soon succeed. Away then with all the shadows of time!
Away from them to the _Eternal Substance--to Jesus, the First and
the Last, by whom, and for whom, all things consist_. If you take
Jesus to be your head, by the mystery of faith, you will be united to
the resurrection and the life. The bitterness of death is past, my
dear friend. _Only_ look to Jesus. He died for you--died in your
place--died under the frowns of Heaven, that we might die under its
smiles. Regard neither unbelief nor doubt. Fear neither sin nor hell.
Choose neither life nor death. All these are swallowed up in the
immensity of Christ, and are triumphed over in His Cross. Fight the
good fight of faith. Hold fast your confidence in the atoning,
sanctifying blood of the Lamb of God. Confer no more with flesh and
blood. Go, meet the Bridegroom. Behold He cometh! Trim your lamp.
Quit yourself like a soldier of Jesus. I _entreat_ you, as a
companion in tribulation; I _charge_ you, as a minister, go, at
every breath you draw, to Him, who says, 'Him that cometh unto Me, I
will in no wise cast out'; and 'He that believeth in Me, though he
were dead, yet shall he live.' Joyfully sing the believer's song, 'O
Death, where is thy sting? O Grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be
to God, who giveth us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ!'
Let your surviving friends triumph over you, as one faithful unto
death as one triumphing in death itself."
* * * * *
CHRIST THE TRUTH.
_To Mr._ CHARLES PERRONET, _who was suffering great affliction
of body and mind:_
"1772, September 7th.--MY VERY DEAR FRIEND,--No cross, no crown; the
heavier the cross, the brighter the crown.
"Oh, for a firm and lasting faith,
To credit all the Almighty saith!
"Faith--I mean the _evidence of things not seen_--is a powerful
cordial to support and exhilarate us under the heaviest pressures of
pain and temptation. By faith, we live upon the _invisible_,
_eternal_ God; we believe that _in Him_ we live, move, and
have our being; insensibly we slide from _self_ into _God_,
from the visible into the invisible, from the carnal into the
spiritual, from time into eternity. Here our spirits are ever young;
they live in and upon the very fountain of strength, sprightliness,
and joy. Oh! my dear friend, let us rest more upon the _truth as it
is in Jesus_. Of late, I have been brought to feed more upon Jesus
as _the truth_. I see more in Him in that character than I ever
did. I see Christ _the truth_ of my life, friends, relations,
sense, food, raiment, light, fire, resting-place. All out of Him are
but shadows. All _in Him_ are blessed sacraments; I mean visible
signs of the fountain, or vehicles to convey the streams of inward
grace."
* * * * *
UNINTERRUPTED PEACE.
_To_ CHARLES WESLEY:
"MADELEY, _May 11th_, 1776.
"MY DEAR BROTHER,--What are you doing in London? Are you ripening as
fast for the grave as I am? How should we lay out every moment for
God? For some days I have had the symptoms of an inward consumptive
decay--spitting of blood, etc. Thank God! I look at our last enemy
with great calmness.
"I still look for an outpouring of the Spirit, inwardly and outwardly.
Should I die before that great day I shall have the consolation to see
it from afar. Thank God! I enjoy uninterrupted peace in the midst of
my trials, which are, sometimes, not a few. Joy also I possess; but I
look for joy of a superior nature. I feel myself, in a good degree,
dead to praise and dispraise. I hope, at least, that it is so, because
I do not feel that the one lifts me up, or that the other dejects me.
I want to see a Pentecost Christian Church; and, if it is not to be
seen at this time upon earth, I am willing to go and see that glorious
wonder in Heaven. How is it with you? Are you ready to seize the crown
in the name of the Redeemer _reigning_ in your heart? We run a
race towards the grave. John is likely to outrun you, unless you have
a swift foot.
"Let us pray that God would renew our youth, as that of the eagle,
that we may bear fruit in our old age. I hope I shall see you
_before_ my death; if not, let us rejoice at the thought of
meeting in Heaven."
* * * * *
A WITNESS IN WORD AND DEED.
_To certain Methodists at Hull and York who invited him to visit the
great Methodist county:_
"LONDON, _November 12th_, 1776.
"MY DEAR BRETHREN,--I thank you for your kind letters and invitations
to visit you, and the brethren about you. I have often found an
attraction in Yorkshire. My desire was indeed a little selfish; I
wanted to improve by the conversation of my unknown brethren. If God
bids me be strong again, I shall be glad to try if He will be pleased
to comfort us by the mutual faith both of you and me. My desire is
that Christ may be glorified both in my life and death. If I have any
desire to live at any time, it is principally to be a witness, in word
and deed, of the dispensation of _power from on high_; and to
point out that kingdom which does not consist in word, but in
_power_, even in _righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy
Ghost_, the _Spirit of power_. I am writing an essay upon that
important part of the Christian doctrine.
"Should I be spared to visit you, the keep of a horse, and the poor
rider, will be all the burden I should lay on you; and that will be
more than my Heavenly Master indulged Himself in. I am just setting
out for Norwich with Mr. Wesley, whose renewed strength and immense
labours astonish me. What a pattern for preachers! His redeeming the
time is, if I mistake not, matchless.
"Should I never have the pleasure of thanking you in person for your
brotherly regard, I beg you will endeavour to meet me in the Kingdom
of our Father, where distance of time and place is lost in the fulness
of Him who is _all in all_. The way ye know--the penitential way
of a heart-felt faith working by obedient love."
* * * * *
IN THE BALANCES.
_To Mr._ IRELAND:
"NEWINGTON, _January 29th_, 1777.
"Thanks be to God, and to my dear friend, for favours upon favours,
for undeserved love and the most endearing tokens of it!
"I have received your obliging letters, full of kind offers; and your
jar, full of excellent grapes. May God open to you the book of life,
and seal upon your heart all the offers and promises it contains! May
the treasures of Christ's love, and all the fruits of the Spirit, be
open to my dear friend, and unwearied benefactor!
"Last Sunday, Providence sent me Dr. Turner, who, under God, saved my
life, twenty-three years ago, in a dangerous illness; and I am
inclined to try what _his_ method will do. He orders me asses'
milk, chicken, etc.; forbids me riding, and recommends the greatest
quietness. He prohibits the use of Bristol water; advises some water
of a purgative nature; and tries to promote expectoration by a method
that so far answers, though I spit by it more blood than before.
"With respect to my soul, I find it good to be in the balance--awfully
weighed every day for life or death. I thank God the latter has lost
its sting, and endears to me the Prince of Life. But oh, I want
Christ, my resurrection, to be a thousand times more dear to me; and I
doubt not He will be so, when I am _filled_ with the spirit of
wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. Let us wait for that
glory, praising God for all we have received, and trusting Him for all
we have not yet received. Let our faith do justice to His veracity;
our hope to His goodness; and our love to all His perfections. It is
good to trust in the Lord; and His saints like well to hope in Him."
* * * * *
MAKE HASTE TO CHRIST.
_To Mr._ WILLIAM WASE:
"BRISTOL, _November_, 1777.
"MY DEAR BROTHER,--Go to Mrs. Cound, and tell her I charge her, in the
name of God, to give up the world, to set out with all speed for
Heaven, and to join the few about her who fear God. If she refuses,
call again; call weekly, if not daily, and warn her from me till she
is ripe for glory. Tell the brethren at Broseley that I did my body an
injury the last time I preached to them on the Green; but, if they
took the warning, I do not repine. Give my love to George Crannage;
tell him to make haste to Christ, and not to doze away his last days.
"The physician has not yet given me up; but, I bless God, I do not
wait for his farewell, to give myself up to my God and Saviour. I
write by stealth, as my friends here would have me forbear writing,
and even talking; but I will never part with my privilege of writing
and shouting, '_Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory' over
sin, death, and the grave 'through Jesus Christ._' To Him be glory
for ever and ever! Amen!"
* * * * *
DIG HARD FOR HIDDEN TREASURE.
_To the Methodists in and about Madeley:_
"MY DEAR COMPANIONS IN TRIBULATION,--Peace and mercy, faith, hope, and
love be multiplied to you all from the Father of mercies through the
Lord Jesus Christ, by the spirit of grace! I thank you for your kind
remembrance of me in your prayers. I am yet spared to pray for you.
Oh, that I had more power with God! I would bring down Heaven into all
your hearts. Strive together in love for the living faith, the
glorious hope, the sanctifying love once delivered to the saints. Look
to Jesus. Move on; run yourselves in the heavenly race, and let each
sweetly draw his brother along, till the whole company appears before
the redeeming God in Sion.
"I hope God will, in His mercy, spare me to see you in the flesh; and
if I cannot labour for you, I shall gladly suffer with you. If you
will put health into my flesh, joy into my heart, and life into my
whole frame, be of _one heart_ and of _one soul_. Count
nothing your _own_ but your _sin_ and _shame_; and bury
that dreadful property in the grave of our Saviour. Let all you are
and have be His who bought you. Dig hard in the _Gospel_ mines
for hidden treasure. Blow hard the furnace of prayer with the bellows
of faith until you are melted into love, and the dross of sin is
purged out of every heart. Get together into Jesus, the heavenly ark,
and sweetly sail into the ocean of eternity; so shall you be true
miners, furnacemen, and bargemen. Farewell, in Jesus! Tell Mrs. Counds
I shall greatly rejoice if she remembers Lot's wife."
* * * * *
THE DREGS OF LIFE.
_To Mr_. IRELAND:
"MADELEY, _September 13th_, 1784.
"MY DEAR FRIEND,--I keep in my sentry-box till Providence removes me.
My situation is _quite suited_ to my little strength. I may do as
much or as little as I please, according to my weakness; and I have an
advantage, which I can have nowhere else in such a degree--my little
field of action is just at my own door, so that if I happen to overdo
myself, I have but to step from my pulpit to my bed, and from my bed
to my grave. If I had a body full of vigour, and a purse full of
money, I should like well enough to travel about as Mr. Wesley does;
but as Providence does not call me to it I readily submit. The snail
does best in its shell; were it to aim at galloping, like the
racehorse, it would be ridiculous indeed. My wife is quite of my mind
with respect to the call we have to a sedentary life. We are two poor
invalids, who between us make _half_ a labourer.
"We shall have tea cheap and light very dear; I don't admire the
change. Twenty thousand chambers walled up, and filled with foul air,
are converted into so many dungeons for the industrious artisan, who,
being compelled by this murderous tax, denies himself the benefit of
_light_ and _air_. Blessed be God! the light of Heaven and
the air of the spiritual world are still free.
"My dear partner sweetly helps me to drink the dregs of life, and to
carry with ease the daily cross. We are not long for this world--we
_see_ it, we _feel_ it; and, by looking at death and his
conqueror, we fight beforehand our last battle with that last enemy
whom our dear Lord has overcome for us. That we may triumph over him
with an humble, Christian courage, is the prayer of my dear friend,
yours,
"JOHN FLETCHER."