his
earthly love has come to me--Johnny Whitelamb--as to a king. It has
taken no account of my worth, my weakness: in its bounty I am
swallowed up and do not weigh. To dream of it as holding tally with
me is to belittle and drag it down in thought to something scarcely
larger than myself. I share it with kings, as I share this star.
Can I think God's love less magnificent?"

But Molly shrank close to him. "Dear, do not talk of these great
things: they frighten me. I am so small--and we have so short a
while to be happy!"

CHAPTER VIII.

Samuel Wesley to the Lord Chancellor.

Westminster, January 14th, 1733-4.

My Lord,--The small rectory of Wroote, in the diocese and county
of Lincoln, adjoining to the Isle of Axholme, is in the gift of
the Lord Chancellor, and more then seven years since it was
conferred on Samuel Wesley, Rector of Epworth. It lies in our
low levels, and is often overflowed--four or five years since I
have had it; and the people have lost most or all the fruits of
the earth to that degree that it has hardly brought me in fifty
pounds per annum, _omnibus annis_, and some years not enough to
pay my curate there his salary of 30 pounds a year.

This living, by your lordship's permission and favour, I would
gladly resign to one Mr. John Whitelamb, born in the
neighbourhood of Wroote, as his father and grandfather lived in
it, when I took him from among the scholars of a charity school,
founded by one Mr. Travers, an attorney, brought him to my
house, and educated him there, where he was my amanuensis for
four years in transcribing my _Dissertations on the Book of
Job_, now well advanced in the press; and drawing my maps and
figures for it, as well as we could by the light of nature.
After this I sent him to Oxford, to my son John Wesley, Fellow
of Lincoln College, under whom he made such proficiency that he
was the last summer admitted by the Bishop of Oxford into
Deacon's Orders, and placed my curate in Epworth, while I came
up to town to expedite the printing my book.

Since I was here I gave consent to his marrying one of my seven
daughters, and they are married accordingly; and though I can
spare little more with her, yet I would gladly give them a
little glebe land at Wroote, where I am sure they will not want