same time,
that it was an honour, to be allowed to supply the temporal wants of any
of the servants of Christ. The latter point I added, as it seemed right to
me, to give out the whole counsel of God, as far as I knew it. On the next
day, Wednesday, I left, and having preached in two or three places near
Exmouth, and taken leave of my friends there, I returned to Teignmouth.

Here I preached again three times on the Lord's day, none saying we wish
you not to preach, though many of the hearers did not hear with enjoyment.
Some of them left, and never returned; some left, but returned after
awhile. Others came to the chapel, who had not been in the habit of
attending there previous to my coming. There was sufficient proof that the
work of God was going on, for there were those who were glad to hear what
I preached, overlooking the infirmities of the foreigner, delighting in
the food for their souls, without caring much about the form in which the
truth was set before them; and these were not less spiritual than the
rest: and there were those who objected decidedly; some, however,
manifesting merely the weakness of brethren, and others the bitterness of
the opposers of the cross. There was, in addition to this, a great stir, a
spirit of inquiry, and a searching of the Scriptures, whether these things
were so. And what is more than all, God set His seal upon the work, in
converting sinners. Twelve weeks I stood in this same position, whilst the
Lord graciously supplied my temporal wants, through two brethren, unasked
for. After this time, the whole little church, eighteen in number,
unanimously gave me an invitation to become their pastor. My answer to
them was, that their invitation did not show me more than I had seen
before, that it was the will of God that I should remain with them, yet
that for their sakes I could not but rejoice in this invitation, as it was
a proof to me that God had blessed them through my instrumentality, in
making them thus of one mind. I also expressly stated to the brethren,
that I should only stay so long with them, as I saw it clearly to be the
will of the Lord; for I had not given up my intention of going from place
to place, if the Lord would allow me to do so. The brethren, at the same
time, now offered to supply my temporal wants, by giving me L55. a year,
which sum was afterwards somewhat increased, on account of the increase of
the church.

I now had Teignmouth for my residence, but I d