ed on the same
principle, in various parts of the country; and several young preachers
left the body to which I had belonged, or were expelled on account of
their attachment to me, and became their ministers. And the churches
prospered. Numbers of people joined them, both from the world and from
other religious communities.

For nearly two years things went on very happily at Newcastle, and the
church was very prosperous. I labored to the utmost extent of my powers.
I preached twice every Sunday to my own congregation, and once to
another congregation at Gateshead, or in the country. I visited the
churches also in every part of the land, preaching and lecturing
continually.

All this time my old opponents continued their abuse. Though I
relinquished no Christian doctrine, and added to the truth no dreams or
speculations of my own, but employed myself continually in preaching the
great practical principles of the Gospel, and in urging my hearers to
love and good works, they assailed me with the bitterest hatred. And the
more the churches with which I was connected prospered, the more
furiously my enemies raged.

And when people left other denominations to unite with my friends,
ministers and members of those denominations joined my opponents in
their evil work. They preached abusive sermons and published abusive
pamphlets. There was eager, angry controversy on every hand. Hard words
were used on both sides. The feelings of both parties were heated to a
high pitch. And as is usual in such cases, both parties, under the
influence of their passions, came to the conclusion that their opponents
were neither sound in doctrine, nor good in character.

Towards the close of the second year I got into trouble at Newcastle. A
religious reformer of the name of George Bird came to the town. His
father was a clergyman in the Church of England, and he himself was
rector of Cumberworth. He was recommended to me by some of my friends
who lived near Cumberworth, and as he was wishful to spend some time in
Newcastle and the neighborhood, I took him into my house, and gave him a
home. He had published a book on the Reform of the Church of England,
urging the abolition of a number of abuses, and recommending the
restoration of what he considered true Christian discipline. His idea
was, that Christians should meet for religious _worship apart_ from
people of the world,--that though preachers might _preach_ to mixed
audiences, they should