iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was
upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed._" He is telling those poor
men and women that it was Jesus, the Son of God, who suffered this for
them, _because He loved them_.

The people, who numbered about twelve hundred, stood gaping and staring,
they had never heard anything like this before.

"Who are you?" shouted one man.

"What do you mean?" called out another.

The gentleman with the long hair and beautiful face answered them: "If
you want to know who I am, my name is John Wesley, and if you come to
yon hill at five o'clock to-night, I'll tell you what I mean."

At five o'clock the hill was covered with people from the top to the
bottom, and as Mr. Wesley stood with that great crowd round him, all
eager to learn about the wonderful Saviour who had died for them, and of
whom they had never heard, tears of pity filled his eyes, and a big love
for them filled his heart.

Oh, so sweetly and tenderly did he read to them God's own words: "_I
will heal their back-sliding, I will love them freely_;" and then he
told them the "Old, Old Story."

He told it very slowly:

"'That they might take it in,
That wonderful redemption,
God's remedy for sin.'

He told them the story simply:

'As to a little child,
For they were weak and weary,
And helpless and defi'ed.'

He told them the story softly:

'With earnest tones and grave,
For were they not the sinners
Whom Jesus came to save?'"

When the preacher finished, the people stood as if spell-bound, then
they all crowded and pressed round him, full of love and kindness
towards the man who had brought them such good news. They nearly
trampled him down in their eagerness to speak to him, and he had to slip
round a back way in order to escape. When he got to the inn where he was
staying, he found some of the people had got there before him; they had
come to beg and pray him to stay among them. No, he could not.

"Stay a few days," said one. No, he could not do that.

"Just one day more," they begged.

Poor Mr. Wesley was very loth to leave these eager hearers, but he had
promised to be in Bristol on the Tuesday, and this was Sunday night, and
it would take him all the time to get to his appointment, and he was a
man that could not break his word. So he was sadly obliged to refuse.

Before very long, however, Mr. Ch