low, and in part from the people in whose house he kept his
shop, and with whom I lived. When I came to know these things I was very
uneasy; and on finding that it was unsafe to sleep with my bed-fellow, I
got fresh lodgings. This vexed my bed-fellow and all his family, and
made them my enemies. I spoke of these things to my superintendent, but
he advised me to be cautious what I did and said in reference to such
matters. And he told me a story that he had met with in a work on the
ministry by an American, which he had just been reading. This author
said, that out of fifty ministers whom he had known expelled from their
holy office, only one or two had been expelled for immoral conduct or
gross inconsistency: all the rest had been discarded on account of
imprudences. This was meant to deter me from interfering either by word
or deed with faulty members of society. And he backed his ungodly
counsel by as bad an example. For he not only left those wicked people
to pursue their evil courses undisturbed, but visited at their houses,
allowed his family to receive presents from them, and, when he was
leaving the circuit, did himself accept from their unclean hands a
portion of their filthy gains, in the shape of a testimonial of their
respect for his great abilities and distinguished virtues. This person,
whose general conduct was much in keeping with the facts I have given
above, though he was the foremost minister in the Connexion, proved my
most persistent adversary in after life, and never rested till he had
brought about my expulsion from the ministry.

14. I will mention another affair to show what notions certain members
of the church had of what was required of Christians in reference to
business matters. I bought some handkerchiefs of a man, a member of
society, in Chester, on his assurance that they would wash. When we
washed them they came to pieces. I asked the man afterwards if he was
aware when he sold the handkerchiefs that they were rotten. He said he
was. "Then why did you sell me them?" I asked. He said he had bought
them for good ones himself, and that he could not afford to lose what he
had given for them. I wanted such people to be dealt with according to
the rules of Christian discipline.

15. There were many other sad facts, far more than I have either time or
disposition to mention, which forced themselves on my notice, and
obliged me, in conscience, to plead and labor for reform. There seemed a
dread