o, that I was exercising my ministry about forty miles from
here. I was alone, Winifred being slightly indisposed, staying for a few
days at the house of an acquaintance; I had finished afternoon's
worship--the people had dispersed, and I was sitting solitary by my cart
under some green trees in a quiet retired place; suddenly a voice said to
me, 'Good evening, Pastor'; I looked up, and before me stood a man, at
least the appearance of a man, dressed in a black suit of rather a
singular fashion. He was about my own age, or somewhat older. As I
looked upon him, it appeared to me that I had seen him twice before
whilst preaching. I replied to his salutation, and perceiving that he
looked somewhat fatigued, I took out a stool from the cart, and asked him
to sit down. We began to discourse; I at first supposed that he might be
one of ourselves, some wandering minister; but I was soon undeceived.
Neither his language nor his ideas were those of any one of our body. He
spoke on all kinds of matters with much fluency; till at last he
mentioned my preaching, complimenting me on my powers. I replied, as
well I might, that I could claim no merit of my own, and that if I spoke
with any effect, it was only by the grace of God. As I uttered these
last words, a horrible kind of sneer came over his countenance, which
made me shudder, for there was something diabolical in it. I said little
more, but listened attentively to his discourse. At last he said that I
was engaged in a paltry cause, quite unworthy of one of my powers. 'How
can that be,' said I, 'even if I possessed all the powers in the world,
seeing that I am engaged in the cause of our Lord Jesus?'

"The same kind of sneer again came on his countenance, but he almost
instantly observed, that if I chose to forsake this same miserable cause,
from which nothing but contempt and privation were to be expected, he
would enlist me into another, from which I might expect both profit and
renown. An idea now came into my head, and I told him firmly, that if he
wished me to forsake my present profession and become a member of the
Church of England, I must absolutely decline; that I had no ill-will
against that Church, but I thought I could do most good in my present
position, which I would not forsake to be Archbishop of Canterbury.
Thereupon he burst into a strange laughter, and went away, repeating to
himself, 'Church of England! Archbishop of Canterbury!' A few days
afte