Not long after this Mr. Hill went up to London to attend Parliament, accompanied by his tutor and family On the road they stayed for a meal and to change horses at St. Albans, and Fletcher went for a brisk walk through the streets to stretch his limbs.
The horses were put to, but the tutor did not appear After some delay the post-chaise drove off, a horse being left in readiness for the tutor to mount and ride after them When in the evening he overtook the party, Mr. Hill enquired why he stayed behind He replied, “As I was walking I met with a poor old woman, who talked so sweetly of Jesus Christ that I knew not how the time passed away.”
“I shall wonder,” said Mrs. Hill, “if our tutor does not turn Methodist by-and-by.”
“Methodist, Madame!” asked he, puzzled; “pray what is that?”
“Why, the Methodists are a people that do nothing but pray,” was her rejoinder; “they are praying all day and all night.”
“Are they? Then by the help of God I will find them out,” said he decidedly.
He not only “found them out,” but joined a Methodist society, meeting with them whenever an opportunity presented itself.
Fletcher could not readily rid himself of the idea that “much doing” would make him acceptable unto God Gradually, however, he was brought to consider the value of “saving faith,” and writes in his diary:—
“Instead of going straight to Christ I have lost my time in fighting against sin with the dim light of reason, and the use of the means of grace I fear my notions of Christ are only speculative, and do not reach the heart. I never had faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God Then every thought, word, and work of mine have only been sin and wickedness before God, though ever so specious before men All my righteousness is as filthy rags I am a very devil, though of an inferior sort, and if I am not renewed before I go hence, hell will be my portion to all eternity....
“I begged of God to show me all the wickedness of my heart, and to fit me for His mercy I besought Him to increase my convictions, for I was afraid I did not mourn enough for my sins But I found relief in Mr. Wesley’s Journal, where I learned that we should not build on what we feel, but that we should go to Christ with all our sins and all our hardness of heart.