Things to do in Cape Town before we leave Part 4

In yesterday's post regarding things to do before we leave Cape Town in 6 days I posted a pic of Table Mountain taken from Big Bay. One of the things on our to-do list is to climb that mountain one more time, which we did today. Here is another view of Cape Town's Table Mountain:

We started our ascent from the lower cable station at 5am

Watched the city lights fade as the dawn lit the sky

Enjoyed this view of the small Robben Island to the right of Lion's Head

Once on the Contour Path we chose Platteklip Gorge as our path of final ascent

The rising sun catches the upper cable station

At the summit 3 hours later we were rewarded with this beautiful fluffy bed of cloud below us covering the city

Their is of course a much easier way of getting to the top of Table Mountain, and that is to take the aerial cableway which opens at 8am and takes all of about 4 minutes to do what took us 3 hours.

They Lied for the Church

29&30 Nov 1762: I retired, to transcribe my answer to Bishop Warburton. My fragments of time I employed in reading, and carefully considering, the lives of Magdalen de Pazzi, and some other eminent Romish saints. I could not but observe, 1. That many things related therein are highly improbable. I fear the relators did not scruple lying for the Church, or for the credit of their Order: 2. That many of their reputed virtues were really no virtues at all; being no fruits of the love of God or man, and no part of the mind which was in Christ Jesus: 3. That many of their applauded actions were neither commendable nor imitable: 4. That what was really good, in their tempers or lives, was so deeply tinctured with enthusiasm, that most readers would be far more likely to receive hurt than good from these accounts of them.

JW's Notes on RCL Gospel reading for Sunday 5th December

Mat 3:1 In those days - that is, while Jesus dwelt there. In the wilderness of Judea - This was a wilderness properly so called, a wild, barren, desolate place as was that also where our Lord was tempted. But, generally speaking, a wilderness in the New Testament means only a common, or less cultivated place, in opposition to pasture and arable land.
Mat 3:2 The kingdom of heaven, and the kingdom of God, are but two phrases for the same thing. They mean, not barely a future happy state, in heaven, but a state to be enjoyed on earth: the proper disposition for the glory of heaven, rather than the possession of it. Is at hand - As if he had said, God is about to erect that kingdom, spoken of by Daniel Dan_2:44; Dan_7:13-14; the kingdom of the God of heaven. It properly signifies here, the Gospel dispensation, in which subjects were to be gathered to God by his Son, and a society to be formed, which was to subsist first on earth, and afterward with God in glory. In some places of Scripture, the phrase more particularly denotes the state of it on earth: in ,others, it signifies only the state of glory: but it generally includes both. The Jews understood it of a temporal kingdom, the seat of which they supposed would be Jerusalem; and the expected sovereign of this kingdom they learned from Daniel to call the Son of man. Both John the Baptist and Christ took up that phrase, the kingdom of heaven, as they found it, and gradually taught the Jews (though greatly unwilling to learn) to understand it right. The very demand of repentance, as previous to it, showed it was a spiritual kingdom, and that no wicked man, how politic, brave, or learned soever, could possibly be a subject of it.
Mat 3:3 The way of the Lord - Of Christ. Make his paths straight - By removing every thing which might prove a hinderance to his gracious appearance. Isa_40:3.
Mat 3:4 John had his raiment of camels' hair - Coarse and rough, suiting his character and doctrine. A leathern girdle - Like Elijah, in whose spirit and power he came. His food was locusts and wild honey - Locusts are ranked among clean meats, Lev_11:22. But these were not always to be had. So in default of those, he fed on wild honey.
Mat 3:6 Confessing their sins - Of their own accord; freely and openly. Such prodigious numbers could hardly be baptized by immerging their whole bodies under water: nor can we think they were provided with change of raiment for it, which was scarcely practicable for such vast multitudes. And yet they could not be immerged naked with modesty, nor in their wearing apparel with safety. It seems, therefore, that they stood in ranks on the edge of the river, and that John, passing along before them, cast water on their heads or faces, by which means he might baptize many thousands in a day. And this way most naturally signified Christ's baptizing them with the Holy Ghost and with fire, which John spoke of, as prefigured by his baptizing with water, and which was eminently fulfilled, when the Holy Ghost sat upon the disciples in the appearance of tongues, or flames of fire.
Mat 3:7 The Pharisees were a very ancient sect among the Jews. They took their name from a Hebrew word, which signifies to separate, because they separated themselves from all other men. They were outwardly strict observers of the law, fasted often, made long prayers, rigorously kept the Sabbath, and paid all tithe, even of mint, anise, and cummin. Hence they were in high esteem among the people. But inwardly, they were full of pride and hypocrisy. The Sadducees were another sect among the Jews, only not so considerable as the Pharisees. They denied the existence of angels, and the immortality of the soul, and by consequence the resurrection of the dead. Ye brood of vipers - In like manner, the crafty Herod is styled a fox, and persons of insidious, ravenous, profane, or sensual dispositions, are named respectively by him who saw their hearts, serpents, dogs, wolves, and swine; terms which are not the random language of passion, but a judicious designation of the persons meant by them. For it was fitting such men should be marked out, either for a caution to others, or a warning to themselves.
Mat 3:8 Repentance is of two sorts; that which is termed legal, and that which is styled evangelical repentance. The former (which is the same that is spoken of here) is a thorough conviction of sin. The latter is a change of heart (and consequently of life) from all sin to all holiness.
Mat 3:9 And say not confidently - The word in the original, vulgarly rendered, Think not, seems here, and in many places, not to diminish, but rather add to the force of the word with which it is joined. We have Abraham to our father - It is almost incredible, how great the presumption of the Jews was on this their relation to Abraham. One of their famous sayings was, "Abraham sits near the gates of hell, and suffers no Israelite to go down into it." I say unto you - This preface always denotes the importance of what follows. Of these stones - Probably pointing to those which lay before them.
Mat 3:10 But the axe also already lieth - That is, there is no room for such idle pretences. Speedy execution is determined against all that do not repent. The comparison seems to be taken from a woodman that has laid down his axe to put off his coat, and then immediately goes to work to cut down the tree. This refers to the wrath to come in Mat_3:7. Is hewn down - Instantly, without farther delay.
Mat 3:11 He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire - He shall fill you with the Holy Ghost, inflaming your hearts with that fire of love, which many waters cannot quench. And this was done, even with a visible appearance as of fire, on the day of pentecost.
Mat 3:12 Whose fan - That is, the word of the Gospel. His floor - That is, his Church, which is now covered with a mixture of wheat and chaff. He will gather the wheat into the garner - Will lay up those who are truly good in heaven.

Things to do in Cape Town before we leave

 

In my previous post I mentioned 10 things we would really like to do one more time before leaving Cape Town. Well, Big Bay Brekko is done. The majority of readers of my blog are from the northern hemisphere. Let me tell you that if you ever come to my country, South Africa, a visit to Milnerton/Blaauwberg/Big Bay is essential for the best views of Cape Town's Table Mountain.

PS I have also and am still reflecting on the readings I mention in that post and have also made a start with regard to packing. 6 days left.

The pic below was taken from Big Bay just after sunset sometime last month

The very essence of true religion

Fri 26 to Mon 29 Nov 1784: I returned to London. Sunday 28, I preached a charity sermon at St. Paul’s, Covent Garden. It is the largest and the best constructed parish church that I have preached in for several years. Yet some hundreds were obliged to go away, not being able to get in. I strongly enforced the necessity of that humble, gentle, patient love, which is the very essence of true religion. Monday 29 in the evening, I preached at Hinxworth in Miss Harvey’s new house.

Hymn for the Week: For Believers Suffering

Thou, Lord, hast blest my going out, (Ps. 121:8)
O bless my coming in!
Compass my weakness round about, (Ps. 139:3)
And keep me safe from sin.

Still hide me in thy secret place, (Ps. 27:5)
Thy tabernacle spread;
Shelter me with preserving grace,
And screen my naked head.

To thee for refuge may I run (Num. 35:6)
From sin's alluring snare,
Ready its first approach to shun, (1 Thess. 5:22)
And watching unto prayer. (1 Pet. 4:7)

O that I never, never more
Might from thy ways depart!
Here let me give my wand'rings o'er,
By giving thee my heart.

Fix my new heart on things above, (Col. 3:2; Ezek. 36:26)
And then from earth release;
I ask not life; but let me love, (1 Kgs. 3:11)
And lay me down in peace. (Ps. 4:8)

Sunday, the First Day of the Week

FIRST DAY OF THE WEEK or SUNDAY or THE LORD’S DAY

This series on Biblical Timing (read the introduction here) is being posted in a very haphazard way. Having looked in some detail at Day Six (read that post here), the day animals and then humans were created, and the day that humans became animals and murdered God the Son, I now want to look at Day One, called Sunday by us today, but also towards the end of the New Testament, called the LORD's day.

The following readings are just some Day One references from Scripture. Not surprisingly, the day we remember as the day when God said Let there be light,is also the day that the Light of the World would be raised from the dead in order to shine His light on ALL the world ALWAYS. Day one is also the day (Pentecost) that the disciples would receive POWER to become and to be light of the world themselves.

Day one is also the day that the early church would set apart every week to remember and celebrate the Resurrection and they began to call it the LORD's day. Each first day of the week, Sunday, thus became a “little Easter.”

It is important to bear in mind that in the early church (first century) by far the majority of new Christians were (like Jesus) Jews who embraced Jesus as the fulfilment of prophecy and as the promised Messiah. Therefore throughout the New Testament you see the 'early Christians' like Peter, John, Paul, etc, going to the Temple and synagogue, keeping the Sabbath (Day 7, what we call Saturday) and ALSO meeting on Day One to remember and celebrate in the breaking of bread and in worship the LORD's resurrection. They were Sabbath keepers on Day 7 AND Resurrection celebrators on Day One.

In my own life as a born again Christian there was a time when Day 7 (Sabbath) and Day 1 (Sunday) morphed into one day and in retrospect I realise that I lost, or actually never really got to know and enjoy, the beauty that each day has to offer, and the unique remembrance and celebration that each one requires. I have had to discover that God's timing is in fact the best timing there is for my own spiritual growth and for my growth in personal holiness.

Day One in Scripture

Gen 1-5 In the beginning, when God created the universe, the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water. Then God commanded, "Let there be light"---and light appeared. God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness, and he named the light "Day" and the darkness "Night." Evening passed and morning came---that was the first day.

Mar 16:1-2 And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.

or another translation of the same verses

Mar 16:1-2 After the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices to go and anoint the body of Jesus. Very early on Sunday morning, at sunrise, they went to the tomb.

Mar 16:9 Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven devils.

Joh 20:19 It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. "Peace be with you," he said.

Act 20:7 And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.

1Co 16:2 On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, so that when I come no collections will have to be made.

Rev 1:10 On the Lord's day the Spirit took control of me, and I heard a loud voice, that sounded like a trumpet, speaking behind me.

Prayer for Sundays from the Book of Common Prayer

O God, you make us glad with the weekly remembrance of the glorious resurrection of your Son our Lord: Give us this day such blessing through our worship of you, that the week to come may be spent in your favor; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Prayer of the Week: First Sunday of Advent from BCP

Almighty God, give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armor of light, now in the time of this mortal life in which your Son Jesus Christ came to visit us in great humility; that in the last day, when he shall come again in his glorious majesty to judge both the living and the dead, we may rise to the life immortal; through him who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Our Advent Hope. My last sermon at Parow Wesley

Our Advent Hope

This sermon was based on the Revised Common Lectionary Year C Gospel reading for the first Sunday in Advent (28/11/2010). It was my last preaching appointment at Parow Wesley Methodist Church, where I served for 4 years.

Text: Luke 21:25-36

The reading set for the first Sunday in Advent begins with these verses:

There will be strange things happening to the sun, the moon, and the stars. On earth whole countries will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the sea and the raging tides.

People will faint from fear as they wait for what is coming over the whole earth, for the powers in space will be driven from their courses.

What is being prophesied here? Is this what is going to happen when I leave Cape Town and Parow Wesley Methodist Church?

There will be strange things happening to the sun, the moon, and the stars. On earth whole countries will be in despair, afraid of the roar of the sea and the raging tides.

People will faint from fear as they wait for what is coming over the whole earth, for the powers in space will be driven from their courses.

I think not.

Verse 27 makes things a little clearer:

Then the Son of Man will appear, coming in a cloud with great power and glory.

Jesus here in his last teaching in Luke's gospel is talking about the fact that he will come again.

The season of Advent, which begins today, is a season which is meant to remind us that Jesus came, that Jesus comes, and that Jesus will come again.

So it is a season of waiting.... which is a very good spiritual discipline to learn in this age of instant everything.

It is a reminder that after 1000 years of waiting, Jesus, the promised and prophesied Messiah, came to his people, to Israel..... at last.... eventually!

It is a reminder that the Jesus who came to his people, comes to his people still........ in ways of course that are too many to mention...... he comes and meets us in the sacrament of Holy Communion; in reading the Scriptures faithfully, Jesus comes to us; in prayer, Jesus comes to us; in service to others, Jesus comes to us and through us, to others; etc, etc, etc.

So Advent reminds us that Jesus came, that he comes...... and of course Advent reminds us that Jesus will come again and much of Jesus teaching, and most of the rest of the New Testament, and I would hope nearly all of my preaching, is all about how to live as we expect and prepare for his Second Coming.

So, verse 27 reminds us that Jesus will come again.

Then in verse 28 Jesus says:

When these things begin to happen, stand up and raise your heads, because your salvation is near."

Hang on a moment, I thought that my salvation was here already, that I am saved, that I am born again, not that I will only be saved and be born again and be a Christian when Jesus returns.

And here we see one of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God that shouldn't, but does confuse so many. The Kingdom of God has come, it came with Christ, and it comes in you when you turn to him (remember the Greek word I've taught you..... metanoia.... changing your mind, often translated as repentance, but really meaning changing the way you think and therefore live). So the Kingdom comes when you turn to him, and it will come in those who you are praying for when they eventually come to think differently (repent) and are born-again, and of course the Kingdom will come in all its fullness when Jesus returns; then every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

We call this the “already and not yet” aspect of the Kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God prophesied by the Old Testament prophets has come in Jesus, it is here, and it is near, so that people can step into it, but it is not yet here in all its fullness. In a sense it is like the weather at the moment here in the Cape; Summer has come, it has arrived, but we all know that it is not yet here in all its fullness....but come in all it's fulness it certainly will! So too the Kingdom of God.

And one of the things we realise each year as we mark the beginning of Advent is that the coming of the Kingdom of God, the coming of the reign of God, depends on us. What we do, what you and I do, will either hasten or slow down, the coming of the Kingdom of God into the world around us. By our actions, our good works, God's Kingdom comes to the world around us. By our lack of actions, our lack of good works, or our refusal to act in certain ways, God's Kingdom is hindered, prevented from coming.

And so Jesus tells them the parable of the fig tree:

Then Jesus told them this parable: "Think of the fig tree and all the other trees.

When you see their leaves beginning to appear, you know that summer is near.

In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know that the Kingdom of God is about to come.

Here Jesus points out another of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God; he says look at all the trees; there are times when they are dead, and then..... you see leaves appearing, and then you know that summer, and more leaves and more shade, and even fruit, is on the way!

He is reminding us here of a mystery he would teach in many different ways during his ministry, that in this Kingdom, things often have to die, before their can be new life. In this parable, and on so many occasions in his ministry, he reminds us that death and decay are never the last words in this Kingdom. He taught that truth in many ways, and he demonstrated that truth in raising children and Lazarus from the dead.

And that, if anything, sums up the Advent hope, and the Kingdom truth:

The best is always yet to come, the dead looking fig tree is not the end of the story;

The dead looking marriage is not the end of the story.

The dead looking career or job is not the end of the story.

The decaying, dying, dead looking country, is not the end of the story.

The dead looking church is not the end of the story.

The tortured, dead, buried Jesus is not the end of the story.

This is all very good news, isn't it?

Friends, think of the fig tree and all the other trees, their leaves will appear and spring followed by summer, will happen.

That is the truth!

So this is our Advent hope: the Jesus who came, will come again and until he comes again, he will continue to come here and now in prayer, in sacrament, in Scripture, in fellowship, in worship, in service to the least among us, and so on and so on and so on. Until he comes again, he will continue to come!

He comes!

And so Jesus ends his teaching ministry the way he began it, talking and teaching about the Kingdom of God and showing us a way to live whereby his Kingdom comes where-ever we, born-again Christians, find ourselves.

I end my preaching and teaching ministry here in Parow Wesley Methodist Church, in the same way, talking about the Kingdom of God and how we are to live in it, here and now, in Parow.

One can do all kinds of things with computers nowadays, so I did a search on Friday of the Gospels and I looked up the things Jesus spoke most about:

I looked up sin: in the four Gospels, Jesus mentions it 18 times;

I looked up repent and repentance: In the four Gospels, Jesus talks about these 19 times;

I looked up the save and salvation: in the four Gospels, Jesus talks about these 45 times;

I looked up kingdom: In the four Gospels, Jesus talks about kingdom 127 times!

That word more than any other was on his lips and in his actions.

I hope that that word has been on my lips and in my actions more than any other.

My last 'preaching' words to you therefore from this pulpit are words that John the Baptist said, that Jesus said and that I say:

The Kingdom of God is near, repent and believe the good news.

So dead a congregation have I scarce seen

Sun 28 Nov 1742: I preached both at five in the room, and at eight in the hospital, on ‘Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins.’ We then walked over to Tanfield Lea, about seven miles from Newcastle. Here a large company of people were gathered together from all the country round about, to whom I expounded the former part of the fifth chapter to the Romans. But so dead, senseless, unaffected a congregation have I scarce seen, except at Whickham. Whether gospel or law, or English or Greek, seemed all one to them!
Yet the seed sown even here was not quite lost. For on Thursday morning, between four and five, John Brown, then of Tanfield Lea, was waked out of sleep by the voice that raiseth the dead. And ever since he has been full of love and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.
At four I preached in the Hospital Square to the largest congregation I had seen since we left London, on Jesus Christ ‘our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption’.

A Prayer for Saturdays from BCP

Almighty God, who after the creation of the world rested from all your works and sanctified a day of rest for all your creatures: Grant that we, putting away all earthly anxieties, may be duly prepared for the service of your sanctuary, and that our rest here upon earth may be a preparation for the eternal rest promised to your people in heaven; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

St Patrick did not convert Ireland to Christianity

So on Friday 26, I took coach again and on Saturday reached London.
In this journey I read Dr. Warner’s History of Ireland, from its first settlement to the English conquest. And after calm deliberation, I make no scruple to pronounce it a mere senseless romance. I do not believe one leaf of it is true from the beginning to the end. I totally reject the authorities on which he builds: I will not take Flagherty’s or Keating’s word for a farthing. I doubt not, Ireland was, before the Christian era, full as barbarous as Scotland or England. Indeed it appears from their own accounts that the Irish in general were continually plundering and murdering each other from the earliest ages to that period. And so they were ever since, by the account of Dr. Warner himself, till they were restrained by the English. How then were they converted by St. Patrick (cousin-german to St. George!)? To what religion? Not to Christianity. Neither in his age nor the following had they the least savour of Christianity, either in their lives or their tempers.

Cold kept them from falling asleep while I preached

Fri 26 Nov 1742: Between twelve and one I preached in a convenient ground at Whickham, two or three miles from Newcastle. I spoke strong, rough words; but I did not perceive that any regarded what was spoken. The people indeed were exceeding quiet, and the cold kept them from falling asleep, till (before two) I left them, very well satisfied with the preacher and with themselves.

Collect of Thanksgiving Day from BCP

Almighty and gracious Father, we give you thanks for the fruits of the earth in their season and for the labors of those who harvest them. Make us, we pray, faithful stewards of your great bounty, for the provision of our necessities and the relief of all who are in need, to the glory of your Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

I might as well have preached in Greek

Thu 25 Nov 1784: I desired the people would sit below in the morning, supposing not many would be present. But I was much mistaken. Notwithstanding the darkness and rain, the house was filled both above and below. And never did I see the people who appeared more ready prepared for the Lord. Returning through Brackley, I was informed that notice had been given of my preaching there at nine in the town-hall. So I began without delay. The congregation was large and attentive, but seemed to understand me no more than if I had been talking Greek. But the society seemed alive to God and striving to enter in at the strait gate.
In the evening, I preached at poor, dead Towcester. But is not God able to raise the dead? There was a considerable shaking among the dry bones. And who knows but these dry bones may live?

Roaring (? “Toronto Blessing”) as JW Preaches

Thu 25 Nov 1742: In the evening God was pleased to wound many more who were quiet and at ease. And I could not but observe that here the very best people, so called, were as deeply convinced as open sinners. Several of these were now constrained to roar aloud for the disquietness of their hearts; and these generally not young (as in most other places), but either middle-aged or well stricken in years.
I never saw a work of God, in any other place, so evenly and gradually carried on. It continually rises step by step. Not so much seems to be done at any one time as hath frequently been at Bristol or London; but something at every time. It is the same with particular souls. I saw none in that triumph of faith which has been so common in other places. But the believers go on, calm and steady. Let God do as seemeth him good.

Things to do in Cape Town before we leave in 10 days time

In my previous post I commented on the joy of encountering new ridiculously colourful bishops as one of the positives of the itinerant ministry. Read that post here. Now the time to itinerate (read about that here) is close and it's time for final lists of things to do before leaving Cape Town, surely one of the more beautiful places to live.

1. Reflect on Matthew, Mark and Luke's accounts of the sending out of the 12 and the 72 and ask myself: Can I say as we leave here that "the Kingdom of God has come near you"?
Can I say that where my wife Chris and I have been, the Kingdom of God has been?

2. Pack.

3. Have High Tea at the Nellie (The Mount Nelson Hotel)

4. See Table Mountain all lit up on a clear summer evening.

5. Do the Cape Town Eye at sunset

6. Have one last breakfast at Blaauwberg looking over Table Bay.

7. Have fish and chips at the harbour at Hout Bay as the fishing boats return in the evening.

8. Climb up Table Mountain one last time

9. Reflect on whether wherever I've been, the Kingdom of God has been.

10. Pack and leave behind Africa's most beautiful city.

Prayer for the Week from BCP

Almighty and everlasting God, whose will it is to restore all things in your well-beloved Son, the King of kings and Lord of lords: Mercifully grant that the peoples of the earth, divided and enslaved by sin, may be freed and brought together under his most gracious rule; who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

Local Preachers Rebel against JW and Appeal to Conference

Mon 22 Nov 1779: My brother and I set out for Bath, on a very extraordinary occasion. Some time since, Mr. Smyth, a clergyman whose labours God had greatly blessed in the north of Ireland, brought his wife over to Bath, who had been for some time in a declining state of health. I desired him to preach every Sunday evening in our chapel, while he remained there. But as soon as I was gone Mr. McNab, one of our preachers, vehemently opposed that; affirming it was the common cause of all the lay preachers; that they were appointed by the Conference, not by me, and would not suffer the clergy to ride over their heads—Mr. Smyth in particular, of whom he said all manner of evil. Others warmly defended him. Hence the society was torn in pieces and thrown into the utmost confusion. On Tuesday 23, I read to the society a paper which I wrote near twenty years ago on a like occasion. Herein I observed that ‘the rules of our preachers were fixed by me, before any Conference existed’, particularly the twelfth: ‘Above all, you are to preach when and where I appoint.’ By obstinately opposing which rule Mr. McNab has made all this uproar. In the morning, at a meeting of the preachers, I informed Mr. McNab that as he did not agree to our fundamental rule, I could not receive him as one of our preachers till he was of another mind. On Wednesday 24, I read the same paper to the society at Bristol, as I found the flame had spread thither also. A few at Bath separated from us on this account; but the rest were thoroughly satisfied.