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PRICE,   FIFTY  VENTS. 

THE   LIFE  OF 

Rev.  JOHN  WESLEY,  A.  M. 

Written  from  a  Spiritual  Standpoint. 

WITH  FIVE  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

BY 

REV.   EDWARD    DA  VIES, 

AUTHOR  OF   "  THE  LIVES  OF  BISHOP  TAYLOR,  REV.  THOMAS  HARRISON, 

HESTER    ANN    ROGERS,  AND  FRANCIS    RIDLEY  HAVKRGAL," 

"  THE  LAW  OF  HOLINESS,"  "  CONTRAST  BETWEEN 

INFIDELITY  AND  CHRISTIANITY," 

" ILLUSTRATED  HANDBOOK 

ON  AFRICA,"  ETC. 


INTRODUCTION  BY  DR.  CHARLES  CULLIS. 


1  History  is  Philosophy  Teaching  by  Example.' 


HOLINESS  BOOK  CONCERN,  HEADING,  MASS. 

Willard   Tract    Repository,     Beacon    Hill    Place,    Boston    239 

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ft' 


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^•>-7 


THE   LIFE  OF 

4  4>>'«     «■ 


Rev.  JOHN  WESLEY,  A.  M. 


Written  from  a  Spiritual  Standpoint, 
WITH   FIVE   ILLUSTRATIONS. 

BY 

EEV.  EDWAED   DAVIES, 


AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  LIVES  OF  BISHOP  TAYLOR,  REV.  THOMAS  HARRISON, 

HESTER   ANN   ROGERS,  AND  FRANCIS    RIDLEY  HAVERGAL," 

"  THE  LAW  OF  HOLINESS,"  "  CONTRAST  BETWEEN 

INFIDELITY  AND  CHRISTIANITY," 

"ILLUSTRATED  HANDBOOK 

ON  AFRICA,"  ETC. 


INTRODUCTION  BY  DR.  CHARLES  CULLIS. 


i       j  a  1 1   &  a    I  c       j 
1  History  is  Philosophy  Teaching  by  Exan 


HOLINESS  BOOK  CONCERN,  READING,  MASS. 

Willard  Tract  Repository,    Beacon  Hill    Place,   Boston.  239 

Fourth  Avenue,  New  York,  and  813   Arch  Street,  Philadelphia; 

McDonald  &  Gill,  36  Bromfield   Street,  Boston ;    Palmer 

&  Hughes,  Bible  House.  New  York;  T.  T.  Tasker,  921 

Arch  Street,  Philadelphia;  T.  B.  Arnold,  106  Franklin 

Street,  Chicago ;  and  Religious  Booksellers  generally. 


THE  LltlAlY] 

OF  COMQtESsj 

WAtlllWOTOIll 


3^:^ 
.^^ 


To  the 

MINISTRY  AND  MEMBERSHIP 

of  the 

VARIOUS  BRANCHES  OF  THE  CHRISTIAN  CHURCH, 

and  to 

ALL  LOVERS  OF  A  PURE  LITERATURE 

THIS  VOLUME 
IS  MOST  RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED. 


Copyright,  1887,  by  E.  Davies. 


INTRODUCTION. 


MOT  long  since  a  company  of  ministers,  of  different 
denominations,  were  seated  together  at  dinner. 
One  of  the  number  (a  Methodist)  began  to  relate  an 
incident  in  the  life  of  Wesley.  Just  as  he  commenced, 
and  mentioned  the  name,  one  asked,  "Who  was  John 
Wesley?"  The  minister  began  to  explain,  to  describe 
John  Wesley,  at  which  there  was  a  general  laugh.  He 
found  he  was  casting  pearls  before — clergymen,  who 
knew  nearly  as  much  about  John  Wesley  as  he  did. 
And  so,  when  Rev.  E.  Davies  asked  me  to  write  an 
introduction  (as  I  had  suggested  the  preparation  of  a 
Life  of  John  Wesley  that  would  be  within  the  reach  of 
all  classes),  it  seemed  almost  as  needless  as  for  the 
Methodist  preacher  to  explain  who  John  Wesley  was. 
For,  in  the  life  and  times  of  this  torch-bearer  of  truth, 
was  enkindled  a  blaze  whose  light  and  glory  has  not 
been  extinguished,  nor,  indeed,  can  ever  be  while  reve- 
lation declares  the  fulness  of  salvation  in  Christ,  and 
the  great  heart  of  mankind  yearns  for  the  glorious 
reality. 

It  is  only  for  us  to  add,  thanks  be  unto  God  for 
giving  John  Wesley  to  the  world,  while  we  leave  our 
request  with  Him,  that  "  speaking  the  truth  in  love, 
we  may  grow  up  into  Him,  in  all  things,  which  is  the 
head,  even  Christ." 

Yours  in  Him, 

Charles  Cullis. 


PREFACE. 


REASONS    FOR    ANOTHER    LIFE     OF    JOHN    WESLEY. 

1.  To  refresh  the  memory  of  the  fathers  in  Israel, 
who  read  his  life  many  years  ago.  2.  To  furnish  the 
young  of  the  present  generation  with  a  live,  condensed, 
and    deeply   interesting   life   of    this   man    of    God. 

3.  To  place  this  life  within  the  reach  of  the  toiling 
millions,  at  a  small  price,  and  in  an  attractive  form. 

4.  To  bring  out  the  spiritual  part  of  this  remarkable 
life,  thus  furnishing  a  rich  feast  for  the  Christian 
reader.  5.  Because  Mr.  Tyermen,  in  his  elaborate 
"  Life  of  John  Wesley,"  is  so  severe  on  the  faults  — 
or  the  appearance  of  faults  —  in  Wesley's  life. 

There  seems  to  be  a  prevailing  disposition  to  spread 
out  any  defects  in  the  character  of  this  most  excellent 
man.  This  is  clearly  shown  in  the  following  criticism 
from  Dr.  Rigg,  in  his  "  Living  Wesley  :"  "  In  my  judg- 
ment, Mr.  Tyerman  has  over-done  his  fidelity.  He 
seems  to  have  acted  the  part,  almost  whenever  possible 
of  Advocatus  diaboli  —  to  have  chosen,  as  a  rule,  the 
worst  construction  which,  with  anything  like  probability, 
could  be  put  upon  Wesley's  life  and  character.  He 
never  gives  the  benefit  of  the  doubt,  as  it  seems  to  us, 
to  the  accused,  but  always  to  the  accuser.  Consider- 
ing who  and  what  Wesley  was,  and  what  his  ante- 
cedents and  independent  character  must  be  admitted 
to  have  been,  this  appears  not  to  be  judicially  fair. 
Besides  this,  there  is  a  tone  in  his  dealings  with 
Wesley   which   fairly   astonishes   one,    at    times ;    he 


PREFACE.  V 

censures,  he  pronounces,  he  condemns ;  and  this  too, 
in  a  tone  of  harshness,  in  some  instances,  and  of 
lofty  decision,  as  if  he  were  Wesley's  superior  and 
judge.  I  believe  that  Macaulay — it  is  quite  certain 
that  Southey  —  would  never  have  ventured,  in  so  ab- 
solute, unceremonious,  dictatorial  a  style,  to  pronounce 
censure  on  John  Wesley,  They  would  have  felt  their 
own  inferiority  to  him ;  that  if  he  sometimes  erred,  he 
was  at  least  a  great  and  good  man,  a  venerable  saint, 
as  to  whom  they  would  not  venture  to  pronounce  an 
unfavorable  judgment,  even  in  individual  acts  of  his 
life,  without  modesty  and  self-restraint — without  what 
the  Romans  would  have  called  verecundia.  Mr. 
Tyerman  has  not  been  restrained  by  any  such  feelings.' ' 

6.  I  have  written  this  book  at  the  request  of  a 
man  of  God,  whose  judgment  I  revere  more  than 
my  own,  who  has  kindly  consented  to  write  the 
Introduction. 

7.  In  waiting  this  book,  I  have  consulted  every 
book  I  could  find  on  John  Wesley,  in  the  public  and 
private  libraries  within  my  reach ;  and  have  searched 
as  for  hid  treasures,  to  find  the  striking  facts  of  this 
man's  wonderful  life.  I  have  spared  no  expense  of 
time  or  money  to  make  this  an  invaluable  book  to  the 
Christian  public ;  yea,  to  all  who  are  concerned  to 
know  the  life  and  times  of  this  heroic  and  God- 
honored  man. 

8.  It  has  seemed  to  me  that  no  one  author  has 
given  Mr.  Wesley  credit  for  the  deep-toned  spirituality 
that  he  possessed.  Many  writers  have  been  so  taken  up 
with  his  great  success  in  founding  Methodism,  and 
confounding   Calvinism,  that   they   have   only  looked 


VI  PREFACE. 

occasionally  to  the  secret  spring  of  all  his  success: 
namely,  his  close  and  constant  communion  with  God, 
and  his  utter  consecration  to  God,  to  do  all  his  will, 
and  to  do  it  all  the  time,  and  to  do  it  with  an  alacrity 
and  delight  that  resembles  the  angels  in  heaven,  who 
"run  and  return  like  a  flash  of  lightning,"  and  who 
were,  no  doubt,  constantly  attending  his  steps,  and 
protecting  his  life.  So  far  as  I  know  my  own  heart, 
I  have  written  this  book  in  an  atmosphere  of  perfect 
love,  and  have  sought  to  bring  out  those  heavenly 
traits  of  character  which  John  Wesley  undoubtedly 
possessed. 

9.  The  careful  reader  will  find,  not  only  the  life 
of  John  Wesley,  but  also  sketches  of  some  of  his 
fellow-laborers,  as  George  Whitefield,  John  Fletcher, 
Thomas  Walsh,  and  others. 

10.  I  lay  no  claim  to  originality,  unless  it  be  in 
the  selection  and  the  arrangement  of  the  materials  of 
which  this  book  is  composed. 

11.  I  ask,  and  expect,  the  kindly  forbearance  of 
my  superiors  in  learning,  and  in  writing,  who  will,  no 
doubt,  discover  many  imperfections.  I  have  simply 
done  what  I  could  to  embalm  the  memory,  and  hold 
up  the  example  of  that  eminent  apostle  of  the 
eighteenth  century,  whose  name  is  as  "ointment 
poured  forth,"  and  whose  memory  will  become  increas- 
ingly precious  as  time  and  eternity  roll  on.  It  is  all 
laid  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  who  is  indeed  the  Lord  of 
all,  by 

Edward  Da  vies. 

Heading,  Mass.,  Dec.  25,  1S86. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Prevailing  Wickedness  of  the  Times— Importance  of  Biography— 
Wesley's  Birth  and  Surroundings— Samuel  Wesley— Fire  at 
Epworth  Parsonage— Wesley's  Home  Education— Early  Ad- 
mitted to  the  Sacrament  — Mother's  Consecration— Charter 
House  School  — Ambition  — Confessions  of  Sin  —  Unnatural 
Noises  at  Epworth— Westminster  School— Oxford  College- 
Parents  Poor— Reads  "Christian  Pattern" — Begins  to  Write 
His  Journals— Discussion  on  Predestination. 

CHAPTER  II. 

Ordained  Deacon— Elected  Fellow  of  Lincoln  College— Master  of 
Arts— Ordained  Priest— Preaching  without  Power— Seeking 
Holiness— Careful  of  His  Company— Curate  for  His  Father- 
Rigid  Economy— Closet  Devotions— Reading  on  Horseback- 
Father  Dies— Moderator  of  the  Classes— Preached  at  St.  Mary's 
—Is  Not  Born  of  the  Spirit— Defines  Holiness— Begins  to  Pub- 
lish Books— John  and  Charles  Go  Out  Into  the  World  as  Re- 
formers. 

CHAPTER  III. 

Urged  to  Become  a  Missionary— Decides  to  Leave  All— Starts  for 
America— Hopes  to  be  Converted— Moravian  Brethren  on 
Board— Oglethorpe's  Rage  Subdued— Rough  Voyage— Wesley 
Afraid— Arrives  at  Savannah— Meets  Moravian  Elder— Con- 
fesses His  Need  of  True  Religion— Multiplied  Religious  Ser- 
vices—Opposition—Suffers by  Missing  His  Way— A  Woman 
Cuts  Off  His  Hair— Lacks  Spiritual  Power— Miss  Hopkey— 
Thinks  of  Marriage— Moravians  Discourage  Him— Complaints 
Against  Wesley— Advised  to  Return  to  England— Suffers  Much 
in  Reaching  a  Seaport— Sails  for  England— Self -Examination— 
Fearful  Storms  at  Sea — Lessons  Learned — Arrives  in  England 
—George  Whitefield's  Testimony. 

CHAPTER  IV. 

Oxford  Learning  and  Moravian  Teaching— Peter  Bohler  Convinced 
of  Unbelief— Living  Faith— Last  Retreat— Preaches  Faith  Be- 
fore He  Has  It— Charles  Wesley  Converted— John  Wesley  Con- 
verted—Fear  Turned   into   Love— Buffeted— Mother's   Joy— 


Vlll  CONTENTS. 

Visits  Hernhutt,  Germany— Greatly  Edified— Returned  to  Eng- 
land—Began to  Preach  with  Power — Many  Churches  Closed- 
Fiery  Zeal— Preached  at  Oxford— Life  of  Halyburton—  Charac - 
ter  of  a  Methodist— Love  Feast  in  Fetter  Lane— Persecutions- 
Wales— Building  Chapels— Blasphemers  Smitten— Class  Meet- 
ings Organized— Differs  from  Moravianism— Horrible  Decree 
of  Predestination. 

CHAPTER  V. 
Band  Meetings— Lay  Preachers— Wesley  in  Newcastle— Preached 
on  His  Father's  Tombstone— General  Rules— Holy  Triumph — 
Rabble  and  Riot — Evil  Spirits— Itinerant  Labors— Seeking  Ho- 
liness—His Life  Testimony— Christian  Perfection  Denned — 
Set  Against  Fanaticism. 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Mockers  Converted— Labors  at  Oxford— Nigh  Unto  Death— Prayer 
Prevails— Poetic  Spirit— Great  Itinerant— Crossing  the  Trent 
—  Quarterly  Class  Tickets  —  Awful  Convictions  —  Quaker's 
Dream— Fearful  Riots  in  "the  Black  Country  "—Power  Over 
Enemies— Divine  Peace— Charles  Wesley's  Courage— Prayer 
Book  in  a  Tavern— Conquering  Cornwall— Feeding  on  Berries 
—More  Chapel  Room  Wanted— Sick  Visitors— Satan  Opposes— 
His  Publications  Multiply— Earnest  Appeal  to  Men  of  Reason 
and  Religion — Content  with  His  Lot. 

CHAPTER  VII. 

John  Nelson  Pressed  for  a  Soldier— First  Conference— Doctrines 
Discussed— Questions  of  Discipline— Seminary  for  Workers- 
Cornwall— Great  Power  in  Preaching— Sick  of  Sublime  Divin- 
ity—Healed by  the  Prayer  of  Faith— Law  Taking  Its  Course- 
Labors  in  Wales— Bristol— Oxford's  Spiritual  Christianity- 
Resigned  His  Fellowship— Hard  Winter  Travels— Taken  In 
to  Custody— Still  Preaching— Methodists  in  Battle— Scotland- 
Christian  Perfection,  Testimonies  Thereon— Writing  and  Pub- 
lishing—Rules for  Bands— Prayer  of  Entire  Consecration- 
Jonathan  Edwards— Revival  Extravagances. 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Various  Controversies— Antinomianism— Offender  Humbled— Rules 
for  Stewards— Abridging  Useful  Books— "  I  am  John  Wesley 
Himself  "—Dread  of  Popularity— Charles  Stuart's  Invasion- 
Mighty  Prayers  for  Deliverance— Sick  of  Opinions— John  Nel- 
son—His Fearful  Persecutions— Wesley  Preaching  to  Great 
Crowds— Rev.    Vincent    Perronet— Methodism     Established— 


CONTENTS.  IX 

Sudden  Conversions— Constantly  Reading  and  Writing— Great 
Self-Possession  —  Great  Benevolence  —  Methodist  Singing— 
Watch-Nights— Ordination  for  His  Preachers— Gifts,  Graces, 
Fiuits  —  Prudent  Treatment  of  Entire  Sanctiiication  —  No 
Formal  Separation  from  the  Church— Methodism  a  Permanent 
Organization— Macauley's  Estimate  of  Wesley— His  Approach 
to  Death— Writes  His  Epitaph— Raised  in  Answer  to  Prayer- 
Writing  Books  when  Too  Weak  to  Preach. 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Preachers  in  Morpeth— Many  Electrified  in  London— Extensive 
Travels— Grace  Murray— John  Bennet— Fiery  Trials— Keeps  on 
Preaching— Is  Married  to  Mrs.  Yazel— Leaves  His  Bride,  and 
Goes  on  Preaching— Character  of  Mrs.  Wesley— She  Travels 
with  Wesley— They  Begin  a  Suffering  Life— Packet  of  Letters- 
Watched  over  for  Evil— She  Leaves  Him— Interpolated  Letters 
—Lays  Violent  Hands  on  His  Person— His  Kind  Letter— Thirty 
Years  Married  Misery— Her  Death— His  Sublime  Career. 

CHAPTER  X. 

Wesley's  Preaching— Great  Variety  of  Sermons— His  Style— Dr. 
Southey— Dr.  Riggs'  Estimate— Great  Power  over  the  People- 
Thomas  Jackson— Preaching  at  Epworth— His  Figure  in  the 
Pulpit— Fearless  and  Faithful— Examples— Preaching  before 
the  University— Cowper  on  Wesley— Dr.  Riggs'  Testimony- 
Preaching  at  Billingsgate— Dr.  Stevens'  Testimony. 

CHAPTER  XI. 

George  Whitefield  in  Scotland— His  Power  in  Preaching  and  in 
Self-Command  — People  of  Rank  Coming  to  Christ  — David 
Hume  — Slaying  Power  — Wesley  in  Scotland  — Christopher 
Hopper— Great  Indifference— Edinburgh— Plain  Preaching- 
No  Great  Success— Scotland  Not  Favorable  to  Methodism— 
Whitefield's  Opinion. 

CHAPTER  XH. 

Methodism  in  Ireland— Dublin  Society— Early  Impressions  not  last- 
ing—Excessive Cordiality— Charles  Wesley  in  Ireland— Fearful 
Persecutions  — Converts  Multiplied  — Catholic  Opposition- 
Wesley's  Hearty  Welcome— Great  Crowds— Preaches  on  the 
Terrors  of  the  Law— A  Loving  People,  of  Great  Simplicity- 
Three  Months  of  Mob  Rule  at  Cork— Charles  Wesley  in  Court- 
Charges  Against  Him— All  the  Preachers  in  Court— Chapels 
Built— John  Smith  and   Wm.   Hunter  Preaching  Among  the 


X  CONTENTS. 

Mountains— The  Saintly  Thomas  Walsh,  a  Converted  Papist- 
He  Preaches  with  Power  to  the  Catholics— His  Memory  a 
Concordance  of  the  Bible— Wesley  Spends  Six  Years  in 
Ireland— John  Fletcher  and  Thomas  Walsh— Walsh's  Death, 
after  a  Mighty  Conflict— Duncan  Wright  and  His  Career — Ad- 
Vice  to  an  Irish  Worker— Great  Liberality. 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Christian  Perfection  in  Its  Relation  to  John  Wesley— Its  History 
Among  the  Methodists— Wesley  in  1733— Revival  of  Sanctifica- 
tion  in  1760 — Methodist  day  of  Pentecost— Wesley's  Critical 
Examination  of  Witnesses— Sermons  on  Christian  Perfection- 
Summing  up  the  Whole  Matter  —  Warnings— Bishop  Gibson- 
Obtained  by  Faith— Description  of  a  Methodist— Wesley  Must 
Have  Professed  Perfect  Love— Wesley's  Profession  of  Perfect 
Love — He  Lived  a  Life  of  Holiness— Expressly  Professed  It — 
Dr.  Coke's  Delineation  of  Wesley— God" s  Chosen  Leader- 
Admission  of  Ministers  to  Conference— Tyerman's  Testimony 
Doubted— Dr.  Whitehead's  Estimate— Turning  the  Other  Cheek 
— Letter  to  Bishop  Asbury— Dr.  Buckley's  Answer. 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

John  Wesley  and  John  Fletcher— John  Wesley  and  Martin  Luther- 
Fletcher  on  Wesley— Their  First  Meeting— Lady  Huntingdon— 
Calvinistic  Controversy— God  Overruling  It  All- Fletcher's 
Checks— Lady  Huntingdon  Displeased— Six  Years'  Controversy 
—Its  Influence  on  the  World— Wesley's  Estimate  of  Fletcher- 
Fletcher's  Estimate  of  Himself. 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Wesley  in  Advanced  Life — Fruitful  in  Old  Age — Abstemious— Mar- 
vellous Old  Man— Great  Student— A  Wonder  to  Himself— Well 
Preserved  in  Body  and  Soul,  Reasons— Begins  to  Falter— Still 
Preaching— Benevolence— Desiring  Rest— Last  Out-door  Ser- 
vice—No Universalist— Letter  to  Adam  Clarke — Relation  to  the 
Church— Last  Sermon— Worn  Out  in  Body— Cheerful  in  Spirit 
Last  Sickness— No  Conflict^Triumphant  Death— Burial. 

CHAPTER  XYI. 

Estimates  of  His  Character— Wilberforce— Dr.  Punshon's  Testimony 
—Alexander  Knox— Dr.  Thomas  Coke's  Eulogy— Dr.  Riggs— 
Dr.  Abel  Stevens— Wesley  and  Bradford— Wesley  in  Westmin" 
ster  Abbey— Dean  Stanley— Wesley's  Travels— Dr.  Whitehead's 
Testimony. 


LIFE  OF  REV.  JOHN  WESLEY. 


CHAPTER  I. 


HIS   BIRTH   AND    EARLY   LIFE. 

The  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  was  a 
very  important  portion  of  British  history.  The 
English  army  under  the  Duke  of  Marlborough  had 
gained  many  victories  on  the  contiuent  of  Europe. 
It  is  said  that  philosophy  and  polite  learning 
flourished  beyond  any  former  period.  Sir  Isaac 
Newton  had  just  astonished  the  civilized  world 
with  his  wonderful  discoveries  in  science.  Indeed, 
this  was  called  the  Augustan  age  of  English 
literature. 

At  this  very  time  in  the  quiet  home  of  the  Ep- 
worth  rectory,  in  obscurity  and  poverty,  in  sorrow 
and  in  many  prayers,  Mrs.  Susanna  Wesley  and 
her  faithful  husband,  Samuel  Wesley,  were  train- 
ing up  a  worthy  family  of  noble  children,  two  of 
whom    were   to   be   the   means   of  reviving   the 


12  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

spirit  of  Christianity  in  its  primitive  simplicity 
and  power,  not  only  in  Great  Britain  but  all  over 
the  civilized  world. 

Infidelity  was  rampant  and  manifested  itself  not 
only  in  downright  blasphemy,  but  also  in  philo- 
sophical speculation.  The  writings  of  the  leading 
skeptics  of  the  age  were  scattered  among  the 
people ;  Hobbes,  Toland,  Collins,  Bolingbroke 
and  others.  Bishop  Burnet,  then  in  his  seventieth 
year,  said,  "I  cannot  look  on  without  the  deepest 
concern,  when  I  see  the  eminent  ruin  hanging 
over  the  church,  and,  by  consequence,  over  the 
whole  Eeformation.  The  outward  state  of  things 
is  black  enough,  God  knows,  but  that  which 
heightens  my  fears  arises  chiefly  from  the  inward 
state  into  which  we  are  fallen."  Bishop  Gibson 
says,  "Profaneness  and  iniquity  are  grown  bold 
and  open."  Bishop  Butler  wrote,  "It  is  come  to 
be  taken  for  granted  by  many  persons  that 
Christianity  is  not  so  much  a  subject  of  inquiry ; 
but  that  it  is  now  at  length  discovered  to  be 
fictitious.  Accordingly  they  treat  it  as  if  this 
were  an  agreed  point  among  all  people  of  discern- 
ment, and  nothing  remained  only  to  set  it  up  as  a 
principle  subject  of  mirth  and  ridicule."  Dr.  Isaac 
Watts  accounted  for  this  state  of  things  as  follows  : 
"I  am  well  satisfied  that  the  great  and  general 
reason  of  this  is  the  decay  of  vital  religion  in  the 


METHODISM.  13 

hearts  and  lives  of  men,  and  the  little  success  that 
the  ministrations  of  the  *gospel  have  had  of  late 
in  the  conversion  of  sinners  to  holiness."  Indeed 
it  seemed  as  though  England  had  well  nigh  filled 
up  the  measure  of  her  iniquity,  and  that  the 
judgments  of  God  might  have  fallen  upon  the 
nation  if  some  great  evangelizing  power  had  not 
been  raised  up  to  stem  this  tide  of  moral  and 
spiritual  death.  It  was  in  jiist  such  a  time  that 
the  founder  of  Methodism  was  born,  and  Method- 
ism began  to  prevail,  which  was  a  revival  Church 
in  its  spirit,  and  a  missionary  Church  in  its  organ- 
ization ;  a  resuscitation  of  the  spiritual  life  and 
practical  aims  of  primitive  Christianity." 

As  time  rolls  on  the  illustrious  dead  increase 
in  the  admiration  of  men  and  of  angels.  He  who 
writes  the  biography  of  another  is  holding  a  con- 
test with  time  and  with  oblivion,  to  preserve  the 
names  and  the  achievements  of  those  who  have 
gone  before.  He  is  holding  them  in  everlasting 
remembrance.  The  Holy  Bible  is  full  of  biog- 
raphies, both  of  the  righteous  and  of  the  wicked, 
"Who  being  dead,  yet  speak."  Some  one  has 
wisely  said  that,  "Of  all  species  of  literary  com- 
position, perhaps,  biography  is  the  most  delight- 
ful. The  attention  concentrated  on  one  individ- 
ual gives  a  unity  to  the  materials  of  which  it  is 
composed,   which  is  wanting  in  general  history. 


14  LITE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

The  train  of  incidents  through  which  it  conducts 
the  reader,  suggests  to  his  imagination  a  multitude 
of  analogies  and  comparisons ;  ancl  while  he  is 
following  the  course  of  events  which  mark  the  life 
of  him  who  is  the  subject  of  the  narrative,  he  is 
insensibly  compelled  to  take  a  retrospect  of  his 
own.  In  no  other  species  of  writing  are  we 
permitted  to  scrutinize  the  character  so  exactly, 
or  form  so  just  and  accurate  an  estimate  of  the 
excellencies  and  defects,  the  lights  aud  shades, 
the  blemishes  and  beauties,  of  an  individual  mind." 

John  Wesley  was  one  of  the  nineteen  children  of 
Mrs.  Susanna  Wesley  and  of  his  father,  Samuel 
Wesley.  Nine  of  these  children  died  in  infancy. 
John  Wesley  was  born  at  Epworth,  England, 
on  the  seventeenth  day  of  the  beautiful  month  of 
June,  1703. 

His  father  was  both  a  learned  and  a  laborious 
minister  of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  rector  of 
the  parish  of  Epworth  for  thirty-nine  years,  from 
1696  to  1735. 

When  John  Wesley  was  born,  Queen  Anne  had 
just  taken  the  throne  of  England.  Immorality 
was  predominant,  and  spiritual  darkness  prevailed. 
The  Bishop  of  Litchfield  said  in  a  sermon,  "The 
Lord's  day  is  now  the  devil's  market  day.  More 
lewdness,  more  drunkenness,  more  quarrels  and 
murders,  more   sin    is  contrived   and  committed 


COURT    OF    CHARLES    II.  15 

than  on  all  the  other  days  of  the  week.  Strong 
drinks  have  become  the  epidemic  distemper  of  the 
city  of  London.  Sin  in  general  has  become  so 
hardened  and  rampant,  as  that  immoralities  are 
defended,  yes,  justified  on  principle.  Every  kind 
of  sin  has  found  a  writer  to  teach  and  vindicate  it. 
Gin  drinking  had  become  a  mania,  on  the  signs 
of  some  of  these  gin  palaces  it  was  advertised  that 
they  would  make  a  man  drunk  for  a  penny,  and 
find  him  straw  to  lie  upon  till  he  was  sober.  The 
licentiousness  of  the  Court  of  Charles  II  still 
festered  amon^  the  higher  classes,  and  laziness 
and  dishonesty  among  the  lower  classes.  Super- 
stition flourished  till  they  imagined  every  old 
mansion  in  England  was  haunted  by  a  ghost. 
Extravagance  prevailed  among  the  rich  and  the 
poor.  Never  has  a  century  risen  on  Christian 
England  so  void  of  soul  and  faith  as  that  which 
opened  with  Queen  Anne,  and  which  reached  its 
misty  noon  beneath  the  Second  George,  a  dewless 
night  succeeded  by  a  sunless  dawn.  There  was 
no  freshness  in  the  past  and  no  promise  in  the 
future.  The  Puritans  were  perished  and  the 
Methodists  were  not  born.  The  philosopher  of 
the  age  was  Bolingbroke.  The  moralist  was 
Addison,  the  minstrel  was  Pope,  and  the  preacher 
was  Atterbury.  The  world  had  the  idle,  discon- 
tented look  of  the  morning  after  some  mad 
holiday."  « 


16  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

At  the  time  John  Wesley  was  born  his  brother 
Samuel  was  thirteen  years  of  age,  who  soon  after 
was  sent  to  the  Westminster  School,  where  he 
became  a  noted  scholar,  and  he  became  also 
acquainted  with  a  host  of  literary  friends. 

At  this  time  his  father  was  writing  the  history 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testament  in  verse.  Before 
John  Wesley  was  three  years  old  his  father  was 
put  in  goal  for  debt,  and  before  he  was  six  the 
parsonage  was  destroyed  by  fire.  At  the  time 
of  the  fire  Charles  Wesley  was  less  than  two  months 
old,  and  he,  with  John,  three  of  their  sisters  and 
their  nurse,  were  all  in  the  same  room  and  fast 
asleep.  Being  aroused,  the  nurse  seized  Charles 
and  told  the  rest  to  follow,  they  all  followed  the 
nurse  except  John,  who  was  still  asleep.  In  the 
midst  of  the  hurry,  the  venerable  father  counted 
his  children,  and  soon  found  that  John  was  not 
there,  but  meanwhile  John  awoke  and  climbed 
on  to  a  chair  and  stood  looking  out  of  the  window. 
Immediately  the  father  tried  to  ascend  the  flaming 
stairs  but  found  it  impossible.  He  dropped  on 
his  knees  in  the  blazing  hall  and  commended  him 
to  God.  But,  quick  as  thought,  one  man  stood 
upon  the  shoulders  of  another  and  took  the  dear 
boy  out  of  the  window  just  before  the  roof  fell  in. 
Thus  the  future  benefactor  of  his  race  and  the 
founder  of  Methodism  was  snatched  "as  a  brand 
from  the  burning." 


joiix's  disposition.  17 

Mrs.  Wesley  was  unique  in  the  principles  on 
Which  she  acted.  The  one  year  old  children  were 
taught  to  fear  the  rod,  and  were  only  to  cry  in 
softened  tones.  They  were  all  taught  the  Lord's 
prayer,  and  rudeness  was  never  seen  among  them. 
Six  hours  a  day  were  spent  in  school  and  loud 
talking  or  running  in  the  yard  was  strictly  forbid- 
den. Psalms  were  sung  every  morning  when 
school  was  opened,  and  also  at  night.  Mr.  Wes- 
ley helped  his  wife  in  educating  the  children. 

John  was  of  a  remarkably  studious  disposition 
from  the  beginning  and  was  led  in  all  he  did  by 
his  conscience  or  his  reason,  or  both.  When 
asked  to  do  anything  out  of  the  usual  way  he 
would  reply,  "I  thank  you — I  will  think  about 
it."  So  much  did  this  feature  prevail  that  his 
father  said,  "  Chi  Id,  you  think  to  carry  everything 
by  dint  of  argument,  but  you  will  find  how  little 
is  done  in  the  world  by  close  reasoning."  To 
Mrs.  Wesley  he  said,  "I  profess,  sweetheart,  I 
think  our  Jack  would  not  attend  to  the  most 
pressing  necessities  of  nature  unless  he  could 
give  a  reason  for  it."  There  was  such  a  spirit  of 
devotion  in  his  reasoning  son,  that  the  father 
permitted  him  to  come  to  the  Lord's  Supper  at 
the  age  of  eight  years.  When  he  was  ten  years 
of  age  his  father  said  that  he  had  not  sinned 
away  the  washing  of  the  Holy    Ghost  which  he 


18  LIFE    OF    KEY.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

received  at  baptism.  What  this  particular  wash- 
ing was  we  are  not  told.  There  is  a  washing  of 
regeneration,  and  a  renewing  of  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  he  did  at  length  receive,  which  turned  the 
whole  current  of  his  life.  No  doubt  the  grace  of 
God  was  at  work  in  that  young  heart.  He  had 
the  small  pox  about  this  time  and  bore  it  with  a 
manly  fortitude.  His  mother  writes  "Jack  has 
borne  his  disease  bravely  like  a  man,  and  indeed 
like  a  Christian,  without  complaint." 

When  John  Wesley  was  8  years  of  age  his 
mother  dedicated  herself  and  her  son  to  God  in 
the  following  lan<mao;e,  which  shows  that  she  had 
a  special  regard  for  him,  and  perhaps,  some  idea 
of  his  future  greatness:  "May  17,  1711.  Son 
John  : — What  shall  I  render  unto  the  Lord  for  all 
his  mercies?  The  little  unworthy  praise  that  I 
can  offer  is  so  mean  and  contemptible  an  offering, 
that  I  am  even  ashamed  to  tender  it.  But  Lord 
accept  it  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  and  pardon  the 
deficiency  of  this  sacrifice,  I  would  offer  thee  my- 
self and  all  that  thou  hast  given  me,  and  I  would 
resolve — O,  give  mo  grace  to  do  it — that  the  res- 
idue of  my  life  shall  be  devoted  to  thy  service, 
and  I  do  intend  to  be  more  particularly  careful  of 
the  soul  of  this  child,  that  thou  hast  so  mercifully 
provided  for,  than  ever  I  have  been ;  that  I  may 
do  my  endeavor  to  instill  into  his  mind  the  prin- 


THE  CHARTER  HOUSE  SCHOOL.        19 

ciple  of  true  religion  and  virtue.  Lord,  give  me 
grace  to  do  it  sincerely  and  prudently,  and  bless 
my  attempts  with  good  success."  Who  can  tell 
the  power  of  such  a  prayer  and  consecration  ? 

THE     CHARTER    HOUSE    SCHOOL. 

After  five  years  tuition  at  his  home,  at  the  age 
of  eleven  years,  John  Wesley  became  a  student 
of  the  Charter  House  School,  in  London.  This 
was  a  special  favor  as  the  annual  allowance  from 
the  endowment  for  each  scholar  was  forty  pounds 
a  year,  or  two  hundred  dollars.  This  scholarship 
was  secured  by  the  favor  of  the  Duke  of  Bucking- 
ham. Many  hardships  and  trials  awaited  him  in 
this  famous  school,  but  he  bore  them  bravely. 
The  older  boys  were  in  the  habit  of  taking  the 
animal  food  from  the  younger,  forcing  them  to 
become  vegetarians  against  their  will.  But  he 
prospered  in  spite  of  his  tormentors.  He  ran 
every  morning  three  times,  around  the  large  play- 
ground, as  his  father  had  directed.  His  trials  and 
triumphs  for  five  years  in  this  school  gave  him  an 
energy  of  character  and  an  unconquerable  patience, 
which  helped  to  give  him  a  mastery  of  himself  in 
time  to  come,  and  to  prepare  him  for  his  great 
life  work.  He  gained  a  commanding  position 
among  the  students,  by  a  vigorous  assiduity  in 
his  studies. 


20  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

He  was  often  in  a  discussion  with  the  younger 
scholars.  Rev.  A.  Tooke,  the  master,  noticing 
this  from  time  to  time,  invited  him  into  his  private 
study  and  inquired : 

' 'How  is  it  that  you  are  so  often  found  among 
the  boys  of  small  size,  and  of  inferior  talents,  and 
seek  not  the  company  of  your  equals."  To  which 
he  replied  in  his  characteristic  way  ;  '  'Better  to  rule 
in  hell,  than  to  serve  in  Heaven."  Some  have 
doubted  the  truthfulness  of  this. 

Surely  our  hero  had  an  ambition  which  is  com- 
mon to  men,  who  make  their  mark  in  the  church, 
or  in  the  world.  Dr.  Johnson  says:  "Provi- 
dence seldom  sends  any  into  the  world  with  an 
inclination  to  attempt  great  things,  who  have  not 
abilities  likewise  to  perform  them."  Addison 
says:  "Men  of  the  greatest  abilities  are  most 
fired  with  ambition  ;  and  on  the  contrary,  mean 
and  narrow  minds  are  the  least  actuated  by  it." 

John  Wesley  manifests  much  of  the  weakness 
of  human  nature,  and  writes  of  himself  while  at 
school  as  follows:  "Outward  restraints  being 
removed.  I  was  much  more  nesrli^ent  than  before, 
even  of  outward  duties,  and  almost  continually 
guilty  of  outward  sin,  which  I  knew  to  be  such. 
Though  they  were  not  scandalous  in  the  eyes  of 
the  world  ;  however,  I  still  read  the  Scriptures, 
and  said  my  prayers  morning  and  evening.     And 


NOISES   IN    THE    EPWORTII   PARSONAGE.  21 

what  I  now  hoped  to  be  saved  by,  Avas  :  1  Not 
being  as  bad  as  other  people.  2  Having  still  a 
kindness  for  religion.  And  3  Reading  the  Bible, 
going  to  church,  and  saying  my  prayers."  A 
very  slender  foundation  for  a  hope  of  heaven. 

Noises  in  the  Up  worth  parsonage. — While  John 
was  at  school  strange  noises  were  heard  at  the 
parsonage  at  Epworth.  Sometimes  there  were 
dismal  groans  as  of  one  dying.  Then  loud  rum- 
blings, footsteps  of  some  one  day  and  night,  most 
frequent  knockings  about  the  beds  at  night.  Mrs. 
Wesley  was  satisfied  there  was  something  super- 
natural in  the  noises.  Mr.  Wesley  called  it  a 
deaf  and  dumb  devil,  and  forbid  him  disturbing 
his  children.  The  door  was  violently  pushed 
against  Emily  when  there  was  no 'one  on  the  other 
side.  These  noises  were  so  distinctly  and  repeat- 
edly heard,  that  they  served  to  deepen  the  con- 
viction of  a  spiritual  and  an  invisible  world,  and 
"exercised  an  important  influence  on  the  mind  of 
John  Wesley  through  his  future  life." 

After  leaving  the  Charter  house  school,  he  went 
to  the  Westminister  school.  His  brother  Samuel 
wrote  to  his  father,  "My  brother  Jack,  I  can  faith- 
fully assure  you,  gives  you  no  manner  of  discour- 
agement from  believing  your  third  son  a  scholar. 
Jack  is  a  brave  boy,  learning  Hebrew  as  fast  as 
he  can."     Soon  after  this,  in   1720,  he  became  a 


22  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

scholar  in  Christ's  Church  college,  Oxford.  This 
was  one  of  the  finest  colleges  to  be  found  at  that 
ancient  seat  of  learning.  He  was  now  seventeen 
years  of  age,  just  blooming  into  early  manhood. 

His  religious  life  was  at  a  low  ebb,  still  he 
writes,  "I  said  my  prayers  both  in  public,  and  in 
private,  and  read,  with  the  Scriptures,  several 
other  books  of  religion,  especially  comments  on 
the  New  Testament ;  yet  I  had  not  all  this  while, 
so  much  as  a  notion  of  inward  holiness  ;  nay,  I 
went  on  habitually,  and  for  the  most  part,  very 
contentedly,  in  some  or  other  known  sin  ;  though 
with  some  intermissions,  and  short  struggles, 
especially  before  and  after  the  holy  communion, 
which  I  was  obliged  to  review  twice  a  year." 

His  health  was  not  good,  and  he  wrote  to  his 
mother  that  he  was  frequently  troubled  with 
bleeding  of  the  nose,  sometimes  he  was  almost 
choked.  Sometimes  he  could  not  stop  the  hem- 
orrhage till  he  stripped  himself  and  jumped  into 
the  river.  His  scholarship  yielded  him  £40  a 
year,  hardly  enough  to  meet  his  necessities.  His 
parents  could  help  him  but  little,  so  that  he  had  a 
good  opportunity  to  learn  the  right  use  of  money. 
His  tutors  were  both  considerate  and  generous. 
He  wrote  to  his  father  as  follows:  Nov.  1, 
1724,  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  from  Oxford : 
"I  would  be  exceeding  glad  to  keep  up  a   corres- 


joiin's  letter  to  his  father.  23 

pondence  with  my  sister  Emily,  if  she  were  will- 
ing'. I  have  written  once  or  twice,  to  my  sister 
Sukey  too,  but  have  not  had  an  answer,  either  from 
her,  or  from  my  sister  Kitty.  I  should  be  glad  to 
hear  how  things  go  on  at  Wroote  (where  his  father 
now  lived),  which  I  now  remember  with  more 
pleasure  than  Ep worth.  So  true  is  it,  at  least  in 
me,  that  the  persons  not  the  place  make  home  so 
pleasant."  Mr.  Babcock,  in  the  Westminister 
Magazine  writes  of  John  Wesley  as  he  was  in 
Oxford,  in  1724.  "He  appeared  like  a  very  sen- 
sible and  acute  collegian,  a  young  fellow  of  the 
finest  classical  taste,  and  most  liberal  to  manly 
sentiments.*' 

Nov.  24,  1724,  his  mother  wrote  to  John  "I 
wish  you  would  save  all  the  money  you  can  con- 
veniently spare,  not  to  spend  on  a  visit,  but  for  a 
wiser  and  better  purpose, — to  pay  debts,  and 
make  yourself  easy, — lam  not  without  hope  of 
seeing  you  next  summer,  if  it  please  God  to  pro- 
long my  mortal  life.  If  you  then  be  willing,  and 
have  time  allowed  you  to  accompany  me  to  Wroote 
I  will  leave  you  charges  as  God  shall  enable  me. 
I  hope  at  your  leisure  you  will  oblige  me  with 
some  of  your  verses,  on  any,  but  rather  on  religious 
subjects.  Dear  Jack,  I  beseech  Almighty  God  to 
bless  you.'* 


24  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

About  this  time  John  Wesley  was  greatly 
blessed  in  reading  "The  Christian  Pattern,"  by 
Thomas  a  Kempis  which  was  one  of  the  first  books 
that  Wesley  afterwards  published.  The  works  of 
Jeremy  Taylor,  and  of  William  Law,  also  had  a 
good  influence  upon  him  ;  yea,  they  were  his  chief 
religious  instructors  for  a  time,  and  helped  to 
mould  his  character.  Dr.  Rigg  says,  "He  became 
eventually  an  ascetic  somewhat  like  Kempis,  with 
a  mystical  bias  (due  partly  to  Law) ,  and  also  an 
overpowering  ritualistic  tendency,  but  at  all  times 
free  from  sombreness  of  coloring  or  moroseness  of 
temperament.  He  revolted  from  the  morbid 
teaching  of  Jeremy  Taylor." 

He  wrote  to  his  mother  in  1725,  "If  we  dwell 
in  Christ,  and  Christ  in  us  (which  we  will  not  do 
unless  we  are  regenerate),  certainly  we  must  be 
sensible  of  it.  If  we  can  never  have  any  certainty 
of  being  in  a  state  of  salvation,  good  reason  it  is 
that  every  moment  should  be  spent  not  in  joy,  but 
in  fear  and  trembling,  and  then  undoubtedly  we 
are  in  this  life,  of  all  men  most  miserable.  God 
deliver  us  from  such  a  miserable  expectation  as 
this." 

This  shows  that  he  believed  in  a  conscious  state 
of  present  salvation  from  guilt  and  fear,  that  may 
be  obtained  by  faith  in  Christ.  This,  we  shall 
find,  was  one  of  the  leading  doctrines  of  Method- 


HIS   JOURNALS.  25 

ism  that  was  thus  early  planted  in  his  mind,  Yet 
it  was  not  till  thirteen  years  afterwards  that  he 
obtained  the  assurance  of  salvation  by  a  living 
faith  in  Christ. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  he  began  to  write 
in  his  journal  a  more  exact  account  of  his  religious 
experience,  and  of  how  he  spent  every  hour. 
Thus  he  continued  to  do  to  the  end  of  his  event- 
ful life.  And  his  journals  are  among  the  most  in- 
teresting works  in  the  English  language.  "A  work 
not  only  containing  the  best  history  of  the  great 
Reformer,  and  of  the  rise,  and  growth  of  Method- 
ism, but  sparkling  with  the  most  racy  remarks 
respecting  men,  books,  places,  science  and  almost 
everything  with  which  the  writer  came  in  con- 
tact." 

From  those  journals  we  may  learn  the  work  of 
grace  that  was  going  on  in  his  heart  at  this  time, 
and  from  time  to  time. 

He  writes  concerning  Kempis  "Pattern."  When 
I  met  with  this  book  in  1726,  the  nature  and  extent 
of  inward  religion,  the  religion  of  the  heart,  now 
appeared  to  me  in  a  stronger  light  than  ever  it  had 
done  before.  I  saw  that  giving  even  all  my  life 
to  God,  (supposing  it  was  possible  to  do  this  and 
go  no  further) ,  would  profit  me  nothing,  unless  I 
gave  my  heart,  yea,  all  my  heart  to  him.  I 
saw   that  simplicity  of  intention,   and  purity  of 


26  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY, 

affection,  and  design  in  all  we  speak,  and  do,  and 
one  desire  ruling  all  our  tempers,  are  indeed  the 
wings  of  the  soul,  without  which  we  can  never 
ascend  to  God.  I  sought  after  this  from  that 
hour."  This  was  quite  clear  and  decided,  and 
i  showed  the  workings  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  on  his 
heart. 

In  reference  to  Taylor's  "Holy  Living  and 
Dying"  he  writes.  "In  reading  several  parts  of 
this  book  I  was  exceedingly  affected ;  that  part 
in  particular  that  related  to  purity  of  intention  ; 
instantly  I  resolved  to  dedicate  all  my  life  to  God, 
all  my  thoughts,  and  words,  and  actions, — being 
thoroughly  convinced  there  was  no  medium;  but 
that  every  part  of  my  life  —  not  some  only  —  must 
either  be  a  sacrifice  to  God,  or  myself,  that  is,  to 
the  devil."  All  this  time  his  aim  was  to  serve 
God,  and  his  fellow-men.  "No  man  could  be 
more  sincere,  earnest,  devout,  diligent,  and  self- 
denying  ;  and  no  doubt  God  smiled  on  this  earnest 
and  humble  endeavor  to  please  Jiim." 

When  Wesley  contemplated  being  ordained  a 
deacon  in  the  Episcopal  church,  he  had  quite  a 
conflict  in  his  mind  on  the  subject  of  predestination, 
and  of  his  acceptance  with  God.  To  assist  him  in 
his  preparation,  his  mother  wrote  him  a  kindly 
letter,  but  it  is  evident,  that  she  was  in  a  state  of 
uncertainty  herself,  as  to  the  possibility   of  our 


his  mother's  advice.  27 

knowledge  of  salvation,  for  she  speaks  about  hav- 
ing only  "a  reasonable  persuasion  of  the  forgive- 
ness of  our  sins,"  and  says  that  "such  a  certainty 
of  pardon,  as  cannot  possibly  admit  of  the  least 
doubt  or  scruple,  we  can  never  have  till  we  come 
to  Heaven." 

The  following  advice  is  more  hopeful,  and  more 
evangelical,  which  she  wrote  to  John  about 
this  time,  "If  you  would  be  free  from  fears  and 
doubts  concerning  your  future  happiness,  every 
morning  and  evening  commit  your  soul  to  Jesus 
Christ  in  a  full  faith  in  His  power,  and  he  will  save 
you.  If  you  do  this  seriously  and  constantly,  He 
will  take  you  under  His  conduct.  He  will  guide 
you  by  His  Holy  Spirit  into  the  way  of  truth,  and 
give  you  strength  to  walk  in  it." 

It  was  in  this  same  year,  1725,  that  Wesley  and 
his  mother  settled  between  themselves  the 
question  of  predestination  in  the  sense  in  which 
Wesley  always  taught  it  in  after  life.  Still  he 
had  but  little  idea  of  the  saving  faith  that  is  of 
the  heart  and  not  of  the  head,  and  which  is 
indeed  "of  the  operation  of  the  Holy  Ghost," 
which  "is  a  moral  and  a  spiritual  affection,  and 
act,  or  habit  of  acting,  of  the  highest  significance 
and  potency,  rooting  the  soul  in  Christ  and  God." 

Wesley's  testimony:  "I  distinctly  remember 
that  even  in   my  childhood,  even  when  I  was  at 


28  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

school,  I  have  often  said  "They  say  the  life  of  a 
school  boy  is  the  happiest  in  the  world,"  but  I  am 
sure  I  am  not  happy,  for  I  am  not  content  and  so 
cannot  be  happy.  When  I  had  lived  a  few  years 
longer,  being  in  the  vigor  of  youth,  a  stranger  to 
pain  and  sickness  and  particularly  to  lowness  of 
spirits  (which  I  do  not  remember  to  have  felt  one 
quarter  of  an  hour  ever  since  I  was  born)  having 
plenty  of  all  things,  in  the  midst  of  sensible  and 
amiable  friends  who  loved  me  and  I  loved  them, 
and  being  in  the  way  of  life  which  of  all  others 
suited  my  inclinations;  still  I  was  not  happy. 
I  wondered  why  I  was  not,  and  could  not  imagine 
what  the  reason  was.  Upon  the  coolest  reflection 
there  was  not  one  week  which  I  would  not  have 
thought  it  worth  while  to  have  lived  over  again, 
taking  it  with  every  inward  and  outward  sensa- 
tion, without  any  variation  at  all.  The  reason 
certainly  was  that  I  did  not  know  God,  the  source 
of  present  as  well  as  eternal  happiness." 


ORDINATION   AND   LABORS.  29 


CHAPTER  II. 


HIS   ORDINATION   AND   LABORS    AT   OXFORD. 

We  dow  approach  an  important  period  in  the 
life  of  Wesley.  He  had  long  had  it  upon  his 
heart  to  become  a  minister,  and  after  due  consid- 
eration, and  careful  preparation,  he  was  ordained 
a  deacon,  Sept.  19,  1725,  by  Bishop  Potter.  He 
preached  his  first  sermon  in  South  Leigh,  near 
Witney.  In  March,  1726,  he  was  elected  Fellow 
of  Lincoln  College,  Oxford.  This  was  a  great 
event  in  his  life,  as  it  gave  bim  a  wider  sphere  of 
usefulness,  and  afforded  him  a  good  temporal  sup- 
port; with  financial  ability  to  help  his  parents. 

He  writes  :  "I  am  shortly  to  take  my  Masters' 
degree.  I  shall  therefore  be  less  interrupted  by 
business  not  of  my  own  choosing.  I  have  drawn 
up  for  myself  a  scheme  of  studies  from  which  I 
do  not  intend,  for  some  years  at  least,  to  vary." 

Before  receiving  the  above  Degree,  he  delivered 
three  lectures,  one  on  natural  philosophy,  one  on 
moral  philosophy,  and  another  on  religion.  It 
is  a  pity  they  were  not  preserved.  He  was  made 
Master  of  Arts,  Feb.  14,  1727.  Tyerman  says, 
"In  disputation  for  this,  he  acquired  considerable 


30  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

reputation."  He  had  made  himself  master  of 
oriental  languages,  oratory  and  poetry,  meta- 
physics, logic  and  ethics,  as  well  as  divinity. 
Eight  months  after  his  election  as  a  Fellow  in 
Lincoln  College,  he  was  appointed  Greek  lecturer 
in  his  college,  and  Moderator  of  the  classes. 
This  gave  him  great  power  and  facility,  and  very 
much  helped  to  prepare  him  for  his  future  work 
of  life. 

Sept.  22,  1728,  he  was  ordained  a  priest  by  the 
same  Dr.  Potter  who  ordained  him  deacon.  A  few 
days  after  this  he  returned  to  Wroote,  to  assist  his 
father  in  preaching,  and  fulfilling  ministerial 
duties,  till  Nov.  22,  1729.  Ha  writes,  about  this 
time,  "  I  preached  much,  but  saw  but  little  fruit 
of  my  labors.  Indeed,  it  could  not  be  that  I 
should,  for  I  neither  laid  the  foundation  of  repen- 
tance, nor  of  believing  the  gospel ;  taking  it  for 
granted  that  all  to  whom  I  preached  were  believers, 
and  that  many  of  them  needed  no  repentance." 
Alas  !  that  so  many  ministers  fall  into  the  same 
snare  of  the  devil,  while  their  people  slide  quietly 
down  to  hell,  for  want  of  some  John  the  Baptist 
to  cry  out  ' '  Repent  ye  !  for  the  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand  ! " 

About  this  time  Wesley  writes  in  his  journal  : 
"I  set  apart  an  hour  or  two  a  day  for  religious 
retirement.     I  watched  against  all  sin,  whether  in 


A    FAITHFUL    SERVANT.  31 

word  or  deed.  I  began  to  aim  at,  and  to  pray  for, 
inward  holiness.  So  that  now,  doing  so  much, 
and  living  so  good  a  life,  I  doubted  not  but  I  was  a 
good  Christian." 

See  how  plainly  salvation  by  works  comes  out ! 
What  an  utter  want  of  self-renunciation,  and  of 
simple  faith  in  Christ  alone  for  salvation.  At 
another  time  he  writes,  "The  light  flows  in  so 
mightily  upon  my  soul  that  everything  appears  in 
a  new  light.  I  cried  to  God  for  help,  and  resolved 
not  to  prolong  the  time  of  obeying  him ;  and  by 
my  continued  endeavor  to  keep  his  whole  law, 
inward  and  outward,  to  the  utmost  of  my  power, 
I  was  persuaded  that  it  should  be  acceptable  to 
Him,  and  that  I  was  even  then  in  a  state  of  sal- 
vation." But  all  those  dead  works  brought  no 
true  rest  and  comfort  to  his  weary  soul.  He  was, 
indeed,  a  faithful  servant  of  the  Lord,  but  he  was 
not  an  adopted  son.  Hear  his  own  testimony  as 
he  writes,  years  afterward:  "I  believe  that 
neither  our  holiness  nor  good  works  are  any  part 
of  the  cause  of  our  justification,  but  the  death  and 
righteousness  of  Christ  are  the  whole  and  sole 
cause  of  it.  I  believe  that  no  good  works  can  be 
previous  to  justification." 

He  was  very  careful  in  the  selection  of  his 
company.  He  writes:  "I  resolved  to  have  no 
company  by  chance,  but  by  choice;  and  to  choose 


32  LIFE    OF   KEV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

such  only  as  would  help  me  on  my  way  to  heaven. 
I  prefer  such  a  retirement  as  would  exclude  me 
from  all  the  world,  for  a  time,  that  I  might  fill  the 
station  I  am  now  in.  Not  that  this  is  by  any 
means  unpleasant  to  me,  to  be  in  a  place  where  I 
might  confirm  or  implant  in  my  mind  what  habits 
I  could  without  interruption,  before  the  flexibility 
of  youth  is  over.  I  am  full  of  business,  but  have 
found  a  time  to  write,  without  taking  any  time 
from  that.  It  is  by  rising  an  hour  sooner  in  the 
morning,  and  going  into  company  an  hour  later 
at  night." 

His  plan  of  studies  was  as  follows  :  Monday 
and  Tuesday  were  devoted  to  Greek  and  Roman 
classics,  historians  and  poets.  Wednesday  to 
logic  and  ethics.  Thursday  to  Hebrew  and  Ara- 
bic. Friday  to  metaphysics  and  natural  philosophy. 
Saturdays  to  oratory  and  poetry,  chiefly  compos- 
ing. Sundays  to  divinity.  In  the  intermediate 
hours  between  these  fixed  studies,  he  perfected 
himself  in  the  French  language. 

Sometimes  he  amused  himself  with  experiments 
with  optics,  and  in  mathematics  studied  Euclid, 
Keil,  and  Sir  Isaac  Newton.  "  First  he  read  an 
author  regularly  through,  and  then  transcribed 
into  a  commonplace  book,  such  passages  as  he 
thought  important  or  beautiful.  In  this  way  he 
greatly  ..increased  his  stock  of  knowledge,  and 
inured  himself  to  hard  work." 


-     HI 


HE   LABORS   FOR   OTHERS.  33 

His  father  was  now  sixty-five  years  of  age,  and 
was  already  palsied ;  therefore  a  part  of  the  time 
Wesley  was  assisting  his  father  in  both  parts  of 
his  parish,  at  Ep worth  and  at  Wroote,  and  here 
he  remained,  as  we  have  said,  till  Nov.  22,  1729. 

After  having  spent  two  years  with  his  father, 
as  curate,  and  preaching  much  by  invitation  of  the 
rector  of  his  college,  he  returned  to  Oxford,  and 
took  pupils,  and  remained  there  for  the  six  years 
following. 

It  was  during  this  stay  at  Oxford  that  he  united 
with  his  brother  Charles,  and  Mr.  Morgan,  and 
Mr.  Kirkman,  for  mutual  and  personal  improve- 
ment and  edification.  "They  agreed  to  spend 
three  or  four  evenings  in  the  week  together,  in 
reading  the  Greek  Testament,  with  the  Greek  and 
Latin  classics.  On  Sunday  evenings  they  read 
divinity." 

Soon  they  began  to  labor  directly  for  the  good 
of  others.  In  the  summer  of  1730,  a  man  was 
lodged  in  the  goal  that  was  condemned  to  die  for 
killing  his  wife.  So  they  began  to  labor  for  this 
man's  salvation,  and  after  a  while,  to  visit  the 
prisoners  twice  a  week. 

Soon  they  extended  their  labors  to  the  sick  and 
and  poor  of  the  town.  This  practice  soon 
attracted  attention,  and  the  people  began  to  talk 
about  them.     But  they  steadily  pursued  their  way, 


34  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

and  became  so  zealous  in  this,  and  in  other  labors 
of  love,  and  were  so  Methodical  about  it,  that  at 
length  they  received  the  title  of '  'Methodists ,"  which 
title  has  followed  them  and  their  successors  ever 
since. 

Their  numbers  steadily  increased.  The  pupils 
of  both  John  and  Charles  Wesley  desired  to  join 
them;  also  Benjamin  Ingham  of  Queen's  College, 
and  T.  Broughton  of  Exeter ;  also  James  Hervey, 
author  of  the  "  Meditations."  And,  at  length, 
George  Whitefield  of  Pembroke.  This  company 
was  called  "  The  Holy  Club" 

We  may  judge  of  the  state  of  John  Wesley's 
mind  at  this  time  by  the  following  letter  to  his 
Mother :  ' 4  You  say  you  have  renounced  the 
world.  And  what  have  I  been  doing  all  this 
time  ?  What  have  I  done  ever  since  I  was  born  ? 
Why,  I  have  been  plunging  myself  into  it  more 
and  more.  It  is  enough.  Awake  thou  that  sleep- 
eth.  Is  there  not  one  Lord,  one  spirit,  one  hope 
of  our  calling ;  one  way  of  attaining  that  hope  ? 
Then  I  am  to  renounce  the  world  as  well  as  you. 
That  is  the  very  thing  that  I  want  to  do — to  draw 
off  my  affections  from  this  world  and  fix  them 
on  a  better.  But  how  ?  What  is  the  surest  and 
shortest  w,ay  ?  Is  it  not  to  be  humble?  Surely 
this  is  a  large  step  in  the  way.  But  the  question 
recurs  —  how  I  am  to  do  this?  To  own  the 
necessity  is  not  to  be  humble. 


HIS   LABORS   DESTROY   HIS    HEALTH.  35 

When  I  observe  how  fast  time  flies  away,  and 
how  slow  improvement  comes,  I  think  one  can- 
not be  too  much  afraid  of  dying  before  one  has 
learned  to  live.  I  mean  even  in  the  course  of  nature. 
For  were  I  sure  the  '  silver  cord '  should  be 
violently  loosed — till  it  was  quite  worn  away  by 
its  own  motion,  yet  what  time  would  this  give  me 
for  such  a  work  —  a  moment  to  transact  the  busi- 
ness of  eternity  !  So  that  were  I  sure,  how  little 
would  it  alter  the  case  !  How  justly  still  might 
I  cry  out : 

fc  Downward  I  hasten  to  my  destined  place, 
There  none  obtain  Thy  aid,  none  sing  Thy  praise; 
Soon  shall  1  lie  in  Death's  deep  ocean  drowned. 
Is  mercy  there?    Is  sweet  forgiveness  found? 
O,  save  me  yet,  while  on  the  brink  I  stand ; 
Eebuke  those  storms,  and  set  me  safe  on  land! 
O,  make  my  longings  and  Thy  mercy  sure. 
Thou  art  the  God  of  power.'  " 

This  shows  how  far  he  was  yet  from  the  joyful 
assurance  of  an  adopted  child  of  God. 

He  had  the  more  reason  to  think  of  eternity,  for 
his  unceasing  labors  tended  to  destroy  his  health, 
and  he  began  to  expectorate  so  much  blood  that 
his  body  was  quite  weak,  and  sometimes  his  life 
was  despaired  of.  Some  of  the  so-called  "  holy 
club"  left  it,  but  the  others  stood  firmly  to  their 
purpose  and  the  good  work:  went  on. 


36  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

As  his  father's  health  was  constantly  failing,  he 
desired  John  to  leave  Oxford  and  return  home 
and  assist  him  again  in  the  work  of  his  parish  at 
Ep worth  and  at  Wroote,  especially  as  John  was 
ordained  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  the  work 
that  he  was  doing  at  Oxford  was  not  strictly 
niinisteral.  John  referred  the  matter  to  the  Bishop, 
who  replied,  "  It  doth  not  seem  to  me,  that  at 
your  ordination  you  engaged  yourself  to  under- 
take the  care  of  any  parish,  providing  you  can, 
as  a  clergyman,  better  serve  God  and  His  Church  in 
your  present  or  some  other  station."  John  at 
once  replied,  "  That  I  can  as  a  clergyman,  better 
iserve  God  and  His  Church  in  my  present  status, 
I  have  all  reasonable  evidence."  So  he  continued 
his  studies  and  labors  at  that  favorite  seat  of  learn- 
ing. He  began  to  observe  Wednesdays  and  Fri- 
days as  days  of  fasting  and  prayer,  tasting  no  food 
till  3  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  denied  himself 
of  all  superfluities  and  even  of  some  of  the  necessi- 
ties of  life,  that  he  may  have  money  to  give  away. 
Having  £30  a  year  he  lived  on  £28,  and  gave 
away  £2.  The  next  year  he  received  £60  ;  he 
still  lived  on  £28,  and  gave  away  £32.  The 
following  year  out  of  £90,  he  gave  away  £62,  and 
the  next  year  £92  out  of  £120.  He  commenced  to 
rise  at  4  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  continued  the 
practice   for  sixty  years.     He    studied  the  Bible 


HE    WAS    ALWAYS    CHEERFUL.  37 

as  the  only  standard  of  truth  and  the  only  model  of 
pure  religion.  Gambold  says  of  Wesley  at  this 
time:  "He  was  always  cheerful  and  never 
arrogant.  By  strict  watchfulness,  beating  down 
his  impetuosity  until  it  became  a  childlike  sim- 
plicity. His  piety  was  nourished  by  continual 
communion  with  God,  for  he  thought  prayer  to 
be  his  greatest  duty.  I  have  often  seen  him  come 
out  of  his  closet  of  devotion  with  a  serenity  of 
countenance  that  iv  as  next  to  shining" 

Who  can  tell  what  blessed  fellowship  he  had 
with  God  in  those  hallowed  seasons  ?  He  writes 
of  himself:  "  In  this  refined  way  of  trusting  to 
my  own  righteousness,  I  dragged  on  heavily,  find- 
ing no  comfort  to  help  therein,  till  the  time  of  my 
leaving  England."  Rev.  R.  Green  says:  "He 
was  in  his  own  eyes  a  sinner,  in  the  eyes  of 
others  a  saint.  He  was  now  an  ascetic  of  the 
severest  kind,  having  schooled  his  body  into  un- 
hesitating submission  to  the  spirit." 

In  1730  he  accepted  a  curacy  near  Oxford, 
which  enabled  him  to  keep  a  horse  and  extended 
his  sphere  of  usefulness.  His  father  after  visiting 
his  sons  at  Oxford,  wrote  :  "  I  am  well  paid  both 
for  the  expense  and  labor  by  the  shining  piety 
of  my  two  sons."  John  and  Charles  walked  to 
Epworth  and  back  about  this  time,  reading  Latin 
as   they  passed  along.     In  1733   Wesley  rode  on 


38  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

horseback  to  Ep worth  to  see  his  father,  whose 
health  was  failing.  In  this  journey  he  began  the 
habit  of  reading  on  horseback,  which  he  continued 
for  forty  years,  till  advanced  years  compelled  him 
to  ride  in  a  carriage.  In  this  year  he  issued  one 
of  his  first  publications,  "Forms  of  Prayer,"  and 
preached  constantly  on  the  Lord's  day.  Thus  by 
arduous  study  and  constant  prayer  and  in  visiting 
the  sick  and  poor,  and  preaching  every  Sabbath, 
he  was  preparing  himself  for  the  work  of  his  most 
eventful  life.  He  was  disciplining  himself  in  soul 
and  body  for  future  service  for  God  and  man. 
This  variety  of  earnest  labor  continued  till  the 
year  1735,  when  his  father  died,  and  the  Epworth 
home  was  broken  up  and  the  family  dispersed. 
Wesley  left  Oxford  and  came  to  London  to  await 
the  openings  of  divine  providence. 

He  was  better  prepared  for  his  life's  work  from 
the  fact  that  while  at  Oxford,  as  we  have  seen,  he 
was  appointed  Moderator  and  presided  at  all  the 
disputations  of  the  students,  and  thus  he  became 
expert  in  all  manner  of  reasoning  and  ' '  in  dis- 
cerning and  pointing  out  the  well-covered  and 
plausible  fallacies."  He  writes,  "  I  have  since  found 
abundant  reasons  to  praise  God  for  giving  me  this 
honest  art.  By  this,  when  men  have  hedged  me 
in  by  what  they  called  demonstrations,  I  have  been 
many  times  able  to  dash  them  to  pieces ;  in  spite 


LIKE    SAUL    OF    TARSUS.  39 

of  all  its  covers,  to  touch  the  very  point  where  the 
fallacy  lay  and  it  flew  open  in  a  moment. "  Pre- 
siding six  times  a  week  o\ev  the  disputes  of  his 
students  prepared  him  to  preside  so  successfully 
over  his  ministers  in  Annual  Conferences  for  so 
many  years. 

While  at  Oxford  he  preached  at  St.  Mary's, 
before  the  university,  on  "The  circumcision  of  the 
heart,"  from  Romans  2:29.  In  this  sermon  he 
explains  very  clearly  and  with  energy  of  language 
his  views  of  Salvation  to  be  attained  in  this  life, 
from  which  he  never  varied  to  the  day  of  his  death. 
Still  he  greatly  lacked  light  on  how  to  attain  this 
Salvation,  though  he  sought  it  with  all  his  heart. 
He  was  an  honest  inquirer  after  gospel  light. 
Henry  Moore  says,  "The  truth  is,  he  was  like 
Saul  of  Tarsus,  'alive  without  the  law?  he  was  not 
yet  'slain  by  the  commandment,'  and  therefore  did 
not  come  to  God  in  his  true  character.  He  who 
justijieth  only  the  ungodly  could  not,  therefore, 
justify  him ;  the  faith  which  he  had  at  that  time 
could  not  be  imputed  to  him  for  righteousness  and 
hence  he  had  not  peace  and  joy  in  believing." 

This  is  undoubtedly  the  true  state  of  Wesley's 
mind  and  heart  at  this  time,  and  it  will  serve  to 
show  the  state  of  tens  of  thousands  in  the  Church 
of  Christ  and  of  some  in  the  ministry  of  the  Church 
of  the  present  day,  who  are  constantly  going  about 


40  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

to  establish  their  own  righteousness  and  have  not 
submitted  themselves  to  the  righteousness  of  God 
which  is  by  the  faith  of  Jesus  Christ. 

In  this  state  of  mind  no  wonder  the  fear  of  death 
was  not  taken  away,  for  when  he  was  greatly 
reduced  in  body  by  frequent  returns  of  spitting 
blood  and  when  in  the  night  he  was  so  suddenly  and 
violently  attacked  that  he  thought  he  should  die, 
he  cried  out,  "O  God  !  prepare  me  for  thy  coming 
and  come  when  thou  wilt." 

Let  no  one  think  me  severe  in  this  view  of  Wes- 
ley's spiritual  condition,  for  in  a  letter  to  Wm, 
Law,  May  14,  1738,  Wesley  writes,  "  Verily  you 
know  nothing  of  me,  you  discern  not  my  spirit  at 
all.  I  know  that  I  have  not  faith,  unless  the  faith 
of  a  devil,  the  faith  of  Judas,  that  speculative, 
national,  airy  shadow,  that  lives  in  the  head,  not 
in  the  heart.  But  what  is  this  to  faith  in  the  heart  ? 
But  what  is  this  to  living,  justifying  faith  in  the 
blood  of  Jesus  ?  The  faith  that  cleanseth  from  sin. 
That  gives  us  free  access  to  the  Father.  To  rejoice 
in  hope  of  the  glory  of  God;  to  have  the  love  of 
God  shed  abroad  in  the  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost, 
which  dwelleth  in  us,  and  the  Spirit  itself  bearing 
witness  with  our  spirits  that  we  are  the  children  of 
God." 

He  had  quite  clear  views  of  religious  things,  for 
he  writes  to  his    father,    "By    holiness    I    mean 


SUBJECT   TO   BUTT    AND    8 CORN".  41 

not  fastings  or  bodily  austerity,  or  any  other  means 
of  improvement ;  but  the  inward  temper,  toward 
which  all  things  are  subservient,  a  renewal  of  the 
soul  in  the  image  of  God.  I  mean  a  complex 
habit  of  lowliness,  meekness,  purity,  faith,  hope, 
and  the  love  of  God  and  man."  All  this  embraces 
the  experience  of  regeneration  whether  he  was  now 
regenerated  or  not. 

In  1735,  he  published  a  sermon  in  which  he  says, 
"  Perfect  holiness  is  not  found  on  earth,  but  death 
will  destroy  at  once  the  whole  body  of  sin  and 
therewith  its  companion,  pain."  How  contrary 
this  to  his  doctrine  in  his  "  Plain  account  of  Chris- 
tian Perfection." 

In  the  same  sermon  he  was  very  severe  on  the 
persecutors  of  "the  Methodists."  For  six  years 
he  and  his  associates  of  "The  Holy  Club"  had 
been  subject  to  butt  and  scorn,  and  now  as  he  was 
about  to  leave  Oxford,  he  finds  it  convenient  to 
rebuke  his  enemies. 

He  published  also  a  book  written  by  his  father, 
entitled  "Advice  to  Young  Clergymen." 

Having  spent,  with  his  brother  Charles,  six 
years  at  this  ancient  seat  of  learning,  they  finish 
their  labors  and  go  out  into  the  world.  "Two 
young  men,  without  a  name,  wdthout  friends,  with- 
out either  home  or  fortune,  set  out  from  college 
with  principles  totally  different  from  those  of  the 


42  LIFE    OF   KEV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

common  people,  to  oppose  all  the  world,  learned 
and  unlearned,  and  to  combat  popular  prejudices  of 
every  kind.  Their  first  principle  directly  attacked 
all  the  wickedness  ;  their  second  all  the  bigotry  in 
the  world.  Thus  they  attempted  a  reformation, 
not  of  opinions,  features,  trifles  not  worth  naming, 
but  of  men's  tempers  and  lives ;  of  vice  of  every 
kind  ;  of  everything  contrary  to  justice,  mercy,  or 
truth.  And  for  this  it  was  that  they  carried  their 
lives  in  their  hands,  and  that  both  the  great  and 
the  small  looked  upon  them  as  mad  dogs  and 
treated  them  as  such." 

But  they  were  chosen  vessels  of  the  Lord,  or- 
dained to  do  his  pleasure  and  bless  their  own  and 
all  succeeding  generations. 


MISSION   TO   AMERICA.  43 


CHAPTER  III. 


WESLEY  S   MISSION   TO    AMERICA. 

John  Wesley  has  now  left  his  retirement  at 
Oxford  and  gone  out  into  the  world  and  we  must 
not  be  surprised  if  we  find  that  the  world  treats 
him  roughly,  as  it  did  the  Son  of  God.  And  as 
Jesus,  when  he  began  his  ministry,  was  led  into 
the  wilderness  and  tempted  of  the  devil,  forty 
days  and  forty  nights,  we  must  not  think  it  strange 
if  Mr.  Wesley  has  some  of  the  same  experience. 

Having  left  Oxford,  and  having  no  particular 
work  before  him,  he  was  waiting  for  the  openings 
of  providence.  Just  then  Dr.  John  Burton,  of 
Corpus  Christi  College,  Oxford,  met  Wesley  in 
London  and  introduced  him  to  Mr.  Oglethorpe, 
who  urged  Mr.  Wesley  to  become  a  missionary 
to  the  English  colony  in  Georgia,  America.  He 
took  counsel  of  his  brother  Samuel,  and  of 
William  Law  and  others.  Then  he  went  to  Ep- 
worth  and  consulted  his  widowed  mother,  who 
said  "Had  I  twenty  sons,  I  should  rejoice  if  they 
were  all  so  employed." 

Soon  after  Wesley  decided  to  leave  all  and  go 
to  the  wilds  of  America  and  labor  to  convert  the 


44  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

Indians,  with  the  fond  but  delusive  hope,  that  if 
he  went  and  denied  himself  to  convert  the  Indians, 
of  course,  God  would  convert  him.  Salvation  by 
works  again,  but  salvation  never  came  in  that  way. 

Wesley  writes,  "My  chief  motive  is  the  hope 
of  saving  my  own  soul.  I  hope  to  learn  the  true 
sense  of  the  gospel  of  Christ  by  preaching  it  to 
the  heathen.  They  have  no  party,  no  interest  to 
serve,  and  are  therefore  fit  to  receive  the  gospel 
in  its  simplicity.  They  are  as  little  children, 
humble,  willing  to  learn  and  eager  to  do  the  will 
of  God.  I  have  been  a  grievious  sinner  from  my 
youth  up,  and  yet  am  laden  with  foolish  and  hurt- 
ful desires ;  but  I  am  assured,  if  I  be  once  con- 
verted myself,  God  will  then  employ  me  both  to 
strengthen  my  brethren  and  to  preach  his  name 
to  the  Gentiles.  I  cannot  attain  the  same  degree 
of  holiness  here  as  I  can  there." 

Alas  !  many  of  his  fond  expectations  were  cut 
off,  as  we  shall  see.  Just  before  he  sailed  on  the 
"Simnionds"  off  Gravesend,  he  wrote  to  his 
brother  Samuel,  "Elegance  of  style  is  not  to  be 
set  against  purity  of  heart ;  therefore,  whatever 
has  any  tendency  to  impair  that  purity  is  not  to 
be  tolerated,  much  less  recommended  for  the  sake 
of  that  elegance.  But  of  this  sort  are  most  of 
the  classics  read  in  large  schools,  many  of  them 
tending    to    inflame    the   lusts  of  the  flesh,  and 


HE    BEGINS    TO   LEARN    GERMAN.  45 

move  the  lusts  of  the  eyes,  and  the  pride  of  life. 
I  beseech  you  therefore,  by  the  mercies  of  God, 
who  would  have  us  holy  as  he  is  holy,  that  you 
banish  all  such  poison  from  your  school." 

He  went  on  board  Oct.  14,  1735.  He  began 
to  learn  the  German  language,  so  that  he  could 
talk  with  the  passengers,  and  in  self  denial,  that 
he  might  promote  his  own  piety.  He  left  off  the 
use  of  flesh  and  wine,  and  confined  himself  to  a 
vegetable  diet.  On  the  same  vessel  were  twenty- 
six  Moravians,  from  Herrnhut,  who  were  going 
out  to  join  their  brethren  in  America.  From 
various  delays,  they  did  not  fairly  set  sail  till 
Dec.  10th.  They  waited  for  a  man-of-war  which 
was  to  be  their  convoy.  They  had  a  fine  company 
on  board  including  Charles  Wesley,  Benjamin 
Ingham,  James  E.  Oglethorpe,  Charles  Delmotte 
and  David  Xitschman ,  a  German.  From  four  to  five 
in  the  morning  they  were  employed  in  private 
prayer.  From  five  to  seven  they  read  the  Bible 
together,  carefully  comparing  wrhat  they  read. 
At  seven  they  had  breakfast ;  at  eight,  public 
piayers  ;  from  nine  to  twelve  for  various  studies  ; 
so  they  filled  up  the  day 

uBetwixt  the   mount  and  multitude 
Doing  and  receiving  good." 

Ingham     wrote    of   the    Moravians    on    board, 

<kThey  are  a  good,  devout,  peaceable  and  heavenly 


46  LITE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

minded  people,  and  almost  the  only  time  you 
know  they  are  in  the  ship  is  when  they  are 
harmoniously  singing  the  praises  of  their  Creator. 
Their  example  is  very  edifying  ;  they  are  more  like 
the  primitive  Christians  than  any  church  now 
existing.  They  all  submit  themselves  to  their 
pastor,  in  everything. 

Wesley,  hearing  a  loud  noise  in  Mr.  Ogle- 
thorpe's state-room,  went  to  enquire  the  cause. 
"Excuse  me,  Mr.  Wesley,"  said  Mr.  Oglethorpe, 
6  'I  have  met  with  a  provocation  too  great  to  bear. 
This  Italian  servant  has  drunk  nearly  the  whole 
of  my  Cyprus  wine.  Ho  shall  be  tied  hand  and 
foot,  and  carried  to  the  man-of-war ;  for  I  never 
forgive."  "Then,"  said  Wesley,  with  great  calm- 
ness, "Then  I  hope,  sir,  you  never  sin."  He  was 
confounded,  his  vengeance  was  gone,  he  put  his 
hand  into  his  pocket,  pulled  out  a  bunch  of  keys, 
and  threw  them  at  his  servant,  saying,  "There, 
William  !  take  my  keys,  and  behave  better  in  the 
future." 

They  had  a  rough  passage  to  America.  Some 
times  they  were  in  great  danger.  The  sea  broke 
over  the  ship  and  shook  it  from  stem  to  stern, 
and  brought  down  the  main-yard  upon  the 
decks  and  dashed  through  the  cabin  windows. 
One  wave  broke  over  Wesley's  head  and  drenched 
him  to  the  skin.      Sometimes  the  sea    sparkled 


THEY   ANCHOR    IN   SAVANNAH    RIVER.  47 

and  smoked  as  if  on  fire,  and  the  air  blazed  with 
lightning.  The  Moravians  were  en^a^ed  in 
divine  service  and  kept  quite  calm,  but  the 
English  began  to  scream.  Wesley  was  afraid, 
for  he  was  neither  fit  to  die  nor  willing  to  die. 
He  was  greatly  astonished  at  the  calmness  of  the 
Germans,  for  even  their  women  and  children 
were  kept  in  perfect  peace.  He  could  not  under- 
stand this,  for  he  had  not  the  perfect  love  that 
casteth  out  fear. 

February  5,  1736,  they  anchored  in  the  Savan- 
nah river,  and  were  welcomed  by  the  firing  of 
cannon,  and  the  presenting  of  arms  by  the  free- 
holders of  this  new  Commonwealth.  Orders 
were  immediately  given  by  Oglethorpe  to  build 
a  church,  who  also  provided  the  materials. 
Savannah  had  only  forty  houses ;  the  principal 
buildings  were  a  court  house,  log-built  prison, 
storehouse,  a  grist  mill,  and  a  residence  for  the 
trustee's  steward.  There  was  an  Indian  town  not 
far  off.  The  climate  was  exceedingly  salubrious, 
good  land  and  excellent  water.  Each  male 
emigrant  was  allowed  a  musket,  bayonet,  hatchet, 
hammer,  shovel  and  hoe,  and  cluiing  the  first  year 
for  support,  each  one  had  312  lbs.  of  beef  or 
pork,  104  of  rice,  104  of  Indian  corn  or  peas, 
104  of  meal,  etc.  Proportionate  allowances  were 
made  for  women  and  children. 


48  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

The  Indians  had  no  literature,  no  religion,  and 
no  civil  government.  Many  of  them  were  glut- 
tons, drunkards,  thieves,  and  liars,  and  many  of 
them  were  murderers. 

Wesley  soon  found  himself  face  to  face  with  A. 
G.  Spangenberg,  the  Moravian  Elder,  of  whom 
he  asked  advice  how  to  proceed  in  this  new  world. 
The  former  replied,  "My  brother,  I  must  first  ask 
you  one  or  two  questions.  Have  you  the  witness 
within  yourself?  Does  the  Spirit  of  God  bear 
witness  that  you  are  a  child  of  God  ?  "  This  was 
quite  a  surprise  ;  he  could  not  answer.  "  Do  you 
know  Jesus  Christ?"  asked  Spangenberg.  "I 
know  he  is  the  Saviour  of  the  world."  "But 
does  he  save  you ? "  "I  hope  he  has  died  to  save 
me."  "Do  you  know  yourself?"  Wesley  re« 
plied,  "I  do."     ' 

It  was  worth  a  rough  passage  to  America  to 
come  into  contact  with  this  man  of  God.  It  was, 
no  doubt,  in  the  providence  of  God  that  the  future 
founder  of  Methodism  should  be  separated  three 
thousand  miles  from  his  home,  and  subjected  to  a 
series  of  severe  trials,  that  he  might  know  his  own 
weakness,  and  then,  at  the  same  time,  that  he 
should  learn  the  simple  way  of  salvation  by  faith, 
and  that  he  might  teach  it  to  millions  of  others  in 
all  time  to  come.     Surely 

"  God  moves  in  a  mysterious  way." 


HE   LIVES    WITH   THE    MORAVIANS.  49 

In  a  few  days  the  Indian  chiefs  were  introduced 
to  Wesley  and  his  company.  The  Indians  brought 
them  a  jar  of  milk,  hoping  that  they  would  feed — 
that  is,  instruct — their  children,  and  also  a  pot  of 
honey,  in  hope  that  they  would  be  sweet  to  them. 

Having  no  home,  Wesley  lived  with  the  Mora- 
vians for  a  time.  This  was  a  great  blessing,  for  it 
taught  him  the  true  spirit  of  the  gospel.  He  says  : 
"The  Moravians  were  always  employed,  always 
cheerful  themselves  and  in  good  humor  with  one 
another.     They  adorned  the  gospel  in  all  things." 

In  March,  Wesley  took  possession  of  the  rectory 
and  preached  his  first  sermom  from  1  Cor.  13  :  3, 
in  which  he  introduced  two  death-bed  scenes  — 
that  of  his  father,  and  one  in  Savannah — "a  spec- 
tacle worthy  to  be  seen  of  God  and  angels  and 
men.  He  held  three  services  on  the  Sabbath  and 
administered  the  sacrament  weekly." 

Charles  Wesley  went  with  Oglethorpe  to  lay 
out  the  town  of  Frederica,  and  became  his  secre- 
tary. John  Wesley  wrote  :  "We  are  likely  to 
stay  here  some  months.  It  is  pleasant  beyond  im- 
agination and  exceedingly  healthy."  The  Indians 
were  determined  not  to  hear  the  white  men's  gos- 
pel, and  as  the  English  in  Savannah  were  without 
a  pastor,  Wesley  decided  to  labor  among  them. 
He  was  surprised  to  find  himself  surrounded  by 
nothing  but   "respect  and  commendation."      In 


50  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY, 

three  weeks  he  established  morning  and  evening: 
public  prayers,  a  weekly  communion,  and  ser- 
vices on  Wednesday,  Friday  and  Sunday  nights. 
Charles  was  trying  to  reconcile  scolding  women, 
by  which  he  secured  the  hatred  of  them  all,  and 
baptizing  children  by  triune,  or  three-fold,  immer- 
sion. But  he  was  soon  treated  with  coldness  and 
charged  with  mutiny. 

There  was  too  much  praying  and  too  many  ser- 
vices for  Oglethorpe.  Complaints  began  to  multi- 
ply. Wesley's  soul  was  soon  tested  as  by  fire. 
One  of  his  congregation  said :  "I  like  nothing 
you  do ;  all  your  sermons  are  satires  upon  some 
particular  persons.  We  never  heard  of  such  a 
religion  before,  we  know  not  what  to  make  of  it. 
All  the  quarrels  since  your  arrival  have  been  on 
your  account.  There  is  neither  man  or  woman  in 
this  town  that  minds  a  word  you  say."  This  was 
in  Frederica,  where  Wesley  preached  for  four 
weeks. 

Charles  Wesley  returned  to  England  after 
spending  five  months  in  Georgia.  He  was  com- 
pletely discouraged. 

Wesley  went  again  to  Frederica,  which  was  a 
settlement  on  the  west  side  of  the  island  of  St. 
Simon's,  and  spent  twelve  weeks  in  hard  labor  to 
do  the  people  good.  But  the  prospects  for  good 
grew  less  and  less.  So  he  returned  to  Savannah, 
where  he  continued  to  labor  till  October  31,  1737, 


HE    WALKS    TO    COWPER.  51 

In  1736,  Wesley  and  Dclmotte  started  to  walk 
to  Cowpcr,  missed  their  way,  walked  through  a 
cypress  swamp  with  the  water  breast  high,  slept 
on  the  ground  in  their  wet  clothes,  which  during 
the  night  were  frozen  and  in  the  morning  were  as 
white  as  snow ;  they  fell  short  of  provisions  and 
were  glad  to  use  bear's  meat,  and  found  it  whole- 
some. Again  he  found  the  people  cold  and  heart- 
less. He  catechised  the  children  every  Saturday 
and  Sunday ;  held  three  meetings  a  day  on  Sun- 
day. He  labored  without  wages  other  than  food 
and  raiment — with  this  he  was  content  if  he  could 
have  seen  more  success  in  his  labors. 

Oglethorpe  came  into  mistrust  in  England,  but 
Wesley  said  all  he  could  in  his  favor.  Some 
thought  Wesley  was  sour  and  morose,  others  de 
clared  that  he  was  cheerful  and  pleasant.  Thus 
he  had  evil  report  and  good  report.  A  wicked 
woman  whom  he  had  offended,  decoyed  him  into 
her  house,  threw  him  down,  and  cut  off  those 
lovely  curls  that  he  had  tried  to  keep  so  well,  sc? 
that  he  looked  very  singular  with  long  hair  on  one 
side  and  short  hair  on  the  other.  He  greatly  de- 
sired to  do  the  people  good,  and  no  doubt  he  did 
do  much  good.  But  he  lacked  spiritual  power  be- 
cause he  was  not  converted. 

About  this  time  Wesley  was  introduced  to  Miss 
llopkcy  who  was  said  to  be  a  lady  of  good  sense, 


52  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

elegant  in  person  and  manners.  She  was  intro- 
duced as  an  enquirer  after  salvation.  She  tried 
to  gain  influence  over  him  by  constantly  seeking 
his  company.  After  a  time  Wesley  consulted  the 
Moravian  bishop  as  to  the  propriety  of  marriage, 
who  replied,  "Marriage  is  not  unlawful,  but 
whether  it  is  expedient  for  you,  and  whether  this 
lady  is  a  proper  wife  for  you,  ought  to  be  maturely 
weighed."  After  submitting  the  matter  to  the 
Moravian  elders  and  promising  to  abide  their  de- 
cision, they  advised  him  to  proceed  no  further  in 
the  matter.  He  replied,  "The  will  of  the  Lord  be 
done."  She  was  afterwards  married  to  Mr.  Wil- 
liamson. If  he  had  been  married  and  settled  at 
Savannah,  it  might  have  turned  the  whole  current 
of  his  wonderful  life.  No  doubt  he  was  provi- 
dentially led  and  delivered. 

At  length  a  list  of  grievances  were  brought  up 
against  Wesley,  mainly  in  relation  to  his  peculiar 
manner  of  church  work  and  ordinances  which 
were  supposed  to  differ  from  the  regular  Episco- 
pal service.  These  he  refused  to  answer,  as  they 
did  not  belong  to  the  civil  court,  but  to  the  ecclesi- 
astical. The  fact  was,  his  enemies  were  determined 
to  drive  him  out  of  the  colony,  and  took  these 
measures  to  accomplish  it. 

After  a  vast  variety  of  trials,  that  I  have  not 
time  nor  space  to  mention,  he  decided,  upon  the 


HE    SLEEPS    ON   THE    GROUND   IN    WINTER.         53 

recommendation  of  bis  friends,  that  it  was  his 
duty  to  return  to  England.  His  enemies  were 
bent  on  his  destruction — but  he  escaped,  as  a  bird 
out  of  the  snare  of  the  fowler.  He  and  his  com- 
panions went  by  boat  twenty  miles  to  Purrysburg, 
then  on  foot  to  Port  Royal.  Tramping  through 
trackless  forests  they  wandered  for  three  hours 
around  a  dismal  swamp,  forced  their  way  through 
a  difficult  thicket ;  they  tramped  from  an  hour 
before  sunrise  till  after  sunset  without  food,  except 
a  gingerbread  cake  which  Wesley  happened  to  have 
in  his  pocket.  After  digging  about  three  feet  they 
found  water.  They  thanked  God  and  took  cour- 
age, lay  down  on  the  ground  and  slept  that  winter 
night  in  December.  In  three  more  days  they 
reached  Port  Royal.  Then  they  sailed  for  Charles- 
ton in  a  small  craft  impelled  by  oars.  Cold  and 
hungry  they  arrived  in  safety  after  four  weary 
days  in  an  open  boat  and  in  cold  weather. 

December  22,  1737,  Wesley  and  Delmotte  set 
sail  for  England.  Wesley  could  not  be  idle,  so 
he  began  to  instruct -two  negro  lads  and  the  cabin 
boy  in  the  principles  of  the  Christian  religion.  On 
Sunday  he  had  morning  and  evening  prayers. 
They  were  struck  by  a  fearful  storm  in  the  middle 
of  the  Atlantic.  This  opened  the  way  for  Wesley 
to  speak  to  the  people  on  eternal  things.  He  also 
closely  examined  himself,  and  wrote,  in  the  ful- 


54  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

ness  of  his  heart,  January  8,  "By  the  most  in- 
fallible proof,  inward  feeling,  I  am  convinced,  1, 
Of  unbelief;  having  no  such  faith  in  Christ  as  will 
prevent  my  heart  from  being  troubled.  2.  Of 
pride,  throughout  my  life  past ;  inasmuch  as  I 
thought  I  had  what  I  find  I  have  not.  3.  Of  gross 
ir recollection ;  inasmuch  as  in  a  storm  I  cry  to 
God  every  moment — in  a  calm,  not.  4.  Of 
levity  and  laxuriancy  of  spirit  —  appearing  by  my 
speaking  words  not  tending  to  edify ;  but  most, 
by  my  manner  of  speaking  of  my  enemies. — Lord, 
save,  or  I  perish  !  Save  me.  1.  By  such  a  faith 
as  implies  peace  in  life  and  death.  2.  By  such 
humility  as  may  fill  my  heart  from  this  hour  for- 
ever with  a  piercing  uninterrupted  sense  that 
hitherto  I  have  done  nothing.  3.  By  such  a 
recollection  as  will  enable  me  to  cry  to  Thee  every 
moment.  4.  By  steadiness,  seriousness,  sobriety 
of  spirit,  avoiding,  as  fire,  every  word  that  tend- 
eth  not  to  edify,  and  never  speaking  of  any  who 
oppose  me  or  sin  against  God,  without  all  my  own 
sins  set  in  array  before  my  face." 

Not  far  from  Land's  End  they  had  another 
storm,  which  filled  his  mind  with  solemn  thought, 
when  he  wrote  :  "  I  went  to  America  to  convert 
the  Indians;  -but  Oh!  who  shall  convert  me? 
Who  is  he  who  will  deliver  me  from  this  evil 
heart  of  unbelief?     I  have  a  fair  summer  religion  ; 


"WHAT    MUST    I   DO   TO   BE    SAVED?"  55 

I  can  talk  well,  nay,  I  believe  myself  while  no 
danger  is  near.  But  let  death  look  me  in  the  face 
and  my  spirit  is  troubled  ;  nor  can  I  say,  <  To  die 
is  gain.'  " 

The  next  day  he  writes  :  "For  many  years  I 
have  been  tossed  about  by  various  w^inds  of  doc- 
trine. I  asked  long  ago,  '  What  must  I  do  to 
be  saved?'  The  Scripture  answered,  '  Keep  the 
commandments,  believe,  hope,  love  :  follow  after 
these  tempers  till  thou  hast  fully  attained,  that  is, 
till  death  ;  by  all  those  outward  works  and  means 
which  God  has  appointed ;  by  walking  as  Christ 
walked.'  " 

Again  he  wrote:  "It  is  upward  of  two  years 
since  I  left  my  native  country,  in  order  to  teach 
the  Georgia  Indians  Christianity ;  but  I  have 
learned  in  the  meantime — what  I  least  expected — 
that  I,  who  went  to  America  to  convert  others, 
was  never  converted  myself.  'I  am  not  mad? 
though  I  thus  speak,  but  'speak  the  words  of  truth 
and  soberness; '  if  haply  some  of  those  who  still 
dream  may  awake  and  see,  that  as  I  am,  so  are 
they. 

Are  they  read  in  philosophy?  So  am  I.  In 
ancient  or  modern  tongues?  So  was  I  also.  Are 
they  versed  in  the  science  of  divinity  ?  I  too  have 
studied  it  many  years.  Can  they  talk  fluently  on 
spiritual  things?     The  very  same  I  could  do.    Are 


56  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

they  plentious  in  alms  !  Behold,  I  give  all  my 
goods  to  feed  the  poor.  Do  they  give  of  their 
labor  as  well  as  of  their  substance  ?  I  have  labored 
more  abundantly  than  they  all.  Are  they  willing 
to  suffer  for  their  brethren?  I  have  thrown  off 
my  friends,  reputation,  ease,  country.  I  have  put 
my  life  in  my  hands,  wandered  in  strange  lands. 
I  have  given  my  body  to  be  devoured  by  the  deep, 
parched  up  with  heat,  consumed  by  toil  and  weari- 
ness, or  whatsoever  God  shall  please  to  bring  upon 
me.  But  does  all  this,  be  it  more  or  less,  it  mat- 
ters not,  make  me  acceptable  to  God?  This  then 
I  have  learned  in  the  ends  of  the  earth,  that  I  am 
fallen  short  of  the  glory  of  God ;  that  my  whole 
heart  is  altogether  corrupt  and  abominable,  and 
consequently  my  whole  life.  Seeing  that  it  cannot 
be  that  an  evil  tree  should  bring  forth  good  fruit, 
that  my  own  works,  my  own  sufferings,  my  own 
righteousness,  are  so  far  from  reconciliing  me  to  an 
offended  God,  so  far  from  making  any  atonement 
for  the  least  of  those  sins,  which  are  ?nore  than  the 
hairs  of  my  head,  that  the  most  specious  of  them 
need  an  atonement  themselves  or  they  cannot  abide 
the  righteous  judgment  of  God. 

If  it  be  said  I  have  faith,  I  answer,  so  have  the 
devils,  a  sort  of  faith,  still  they  are  strangers  to  the 
covenant  of  promise.  The  faith  I  want  is  a  sure 
trust  and  confidence  in  God,  that  through  the  merits 


GOD   HAS    HUMBLED   ME.  57 

of  Christ,  my  sins  are  forgiven,  and  I  reconciled 
to  the  favor  of  God.  God  has  humbled  me  and 
proved  me,  and  showed  me  what  was  in  my  heart.'' 

I  have  thus  let  Mr.  Wesley  speak  for  himself  on 
these  vital  matters,  that  others  may  see  their  own 
features  in  this  looking-glass,  and  also  that  Mr. 
Wesley  may  be  fully  understood,  and  that  his  future 
and  glorious  Christian  experience  may  appear  in 
its  true  light  and  thus  shall  God  be  glorified. 
While  Wesley  was  in  America,  Whitefield  was 
laboring  with  great  power  in  England.  Certain 
men  said  "He  preached  like  a  lion."  He  did  surely 
preach  with  great  vehemence  and  God  owned  his 
labors.  He  felt  that  he  was  commissioned  of  God 
to  call  sinners  to  repentence.  Southey  says,  "It 
is  apparent  that  though  the  Wesleys  should  never 
have  existed,  Whitefield  would  have  given  birth  to 
Methodism."  Some  will  be  disposed  to  doubt 
this.  Whitefield  had  produced  a  profound  impres- 
sion in  Bristol  and  in  London,  but  Providence 
opened  his  way  to  sail  for  Georgia  just  before 
Wesley  landed  in  England. 

Whitefield  wras  above  the  middle  stature,  wTell 
proportioned,  very  graceful  in  manner,  complexion 
fair,  features  regular,  eyes  small  and  lively.  His 
voice  excelled  in  melody  and  compass,  having  a 
great  variety  of  modulations.  Long  before  day 
the  streets  were  filled  with  people  going  to  hear 


58  LIFE    OF    KEY.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

him,  with  lanterns  in  their  hands.  Some  were 
jealous  but  others  were  glad. 

Let  none  suppose  that  the  labors  of  Wesley  in 
Georgia  were  a  failure,  for  when  Whitefield  arrived 
in  America  he  wrote,  "  The  good  Mr.  Wesley  has 
done  in  America  is  inexpressible.  His  name  is 
very  precious  among  the  people ;  he  has  laid  a 
foundation  that  I  hope  neither  men  nor  devils  will 
ever  be  able  to  shake." 

Wesley  himself  wrote,  "  After  steps  have  been 
taken  towards  publishing  the  glad  tidings  both  to 
the  African  and  American  heathens,  many  children 
have  learned  how  they  ought  to  serve  God,  and  to 
be  useful  to  their  neighbors." 


WONDERFUL   SUCCESS.  59 


CHAPTER  IV. 


HIS  CONVERSION  AND  WONDERFUL  SUCCESS. 

Neither  time,  nor  hardly  eternity  will  tell  the 
benefits  that  John  Wesley,  and  the  world  through 
him,  obtained  bv  the  teachings  of  the  Moravian 
Brethren.  After  all  his  learning  in  the  Oxford 
college  and  from  his  saintly  and  talented  mother, 
yet  he  had  to  enter  the  school  of  Christ  as  a  little 
child,  and  learn  the  simple  way  to  obtain  justifi- 
cation and  eternal  life  by  faith  alone. 

Whitefield  had  mightily  stirred  the  people  in 
London,  and  on  the  second  day  after  the  arrival  of 
John  Wesley  in  London,  he  preached  on  "If  any 
man  be  in  Christ  he  is  a  new  creature."  He  was 
determined  to  preach  the  truth  whether  he  enjoj^ed 
its  fullness  or  not.  Southey  says  of  this  sermon, 
1 '  It  was  so  high-strained  that  he  was  informed  he 
was  not  to  preach  in  that  pulpit  again."  Two  days 
after  he  met  three  Moravian  brethren,  Wenceslaus, 
Xcisser,  George  Schulius  and  Peter  Bohler.  It 
was  a  memorable  day  in  his  history.  He  conversed 
much  with  the  Moravians,  but  says,  "I  understood 
them  not,"  but  God  appointed  them  as  his  teachers 


60  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY, 

and  also  of  his  brother,  Charles.  Wesley  says,  "I 
was  clearly  convinced  of  unbelief,  of  the  want  of 
that  faith  whereby  alone  we  are  saved."  When  he 
asked  Bohler  if  he  should  preach  faith  when  he 
did  not  have  it,  he  was  told,  "By  all  means." 
"  But  what  can  I  preach  ?"  <  'Preach  faith  till  you 
have  it,  and  then  preach  it  because  you  have 
it."  So  he  began  to  preach  the  doctrine  though 
his  soul  drew  back.  He  not  only  preached  in  the 
pulpit  but  everywhere,  on  the  road,  in  the  taverns, 
to  the  learned  or  the  unlearned.  "A  man  who  sat 
with  his  hat  on  while  Wesley  said  grace,  turned 
pale,  confessed  his  sins  and  promised  to  seek  the 
Lord." 

He  was  amazed  at  the  account  the  Moravians 
gave  of  the  fruits  of  living  faith  and  the  holiness 
and  happiness  that  accompanied  it.  At  length  he 
assented  to  the  teachings  of  Bohler  on  faith,  but 
denied  that  it  could  be  instantaneous,  ' \  For  hitherto 
he  had  no  conception  of  that  perpetual  and  indivi- 
dual revelation  wrhich  is  now  the  doctrine  of  his 
sect.  He  could  not  understand  how  a  man  could 
at  once  be  thus  turned  from  darkness  to  light,  from 
sin  and  misery  to  righteousness  and  joy  in  the 
Holy  Ghost."  He  searched  the  Scriptures,  and 
was  amazed  to  find  how  many  were  instantly  saved 
who  came  to  Christ.  But  he  said  the  times  were 
now  changed  and  we  could  not  look  for  the  same 


LEFT  THE  ROOM  IX  AXGER.  61 

now.  But  Bohler  brought  him  living  witnesses, 
time  after  time,  who  had  been  thus  immediately 
Baved  from  all  their  sins.  Who  in  a  moment  had 
exercised  such  a  faith  in  Christ  as  translated  them 
out  of  darkness  into  the  marvellous  light  of  God. 
So  he  was  driven  out  of  this  last  retreat.  He 
wrote,  "Here  ended  my  disputings.  Lord  help 
my  unbelief!  I  resolved  to  seek  this  faith  to  the 
end.  1.  By  absolutely  renouncing  all  dependence 
upon  my  own  works  of  righteousness,  on  which  I 
had  really  grounded  my  hope  of  salvation,  though 
I  knew  it  not,  from  my  youth  up.  2.  By  adding 
to  the  constant  use  of  all  the  other  means  of  grace, 
continual  prayer  for  this  very  thing,  justifying, 
saving  faith  and  full  reliance  on  the  blood  of  Christ 
shed  for  me  :  a  trust  in  him  as  my  Christ,  as  my 
sole  justification,  salification  and  redemption." 

He  began  to  publish  these  mighty  facts  of  the 
gospel.  He  spoke  of  them  freely  in  the  Delmotte 
family  at  Blendon.  Mr.  Boughton  objected,  and 
Charles  Wesley  left  the  room  in  anger,  declaring 
that  these  new  doctrines  were  mischievous. 

From  Feb.  7,  1738,  to  May  4,  when  Bohler 
left  England,  Wesley  sought  opportunity  to  con- 
verse with  him.  He  sat  at  his  feet  as  a  little  child, 
content  to  be  counted  a  fool  that  he  might  learn 
the  heavenly  wisdom. 

Notwithstanding  Charles  opposed  so  earnestly, 


62  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

he  was  the  first  of  the  two  brothers  to  be  con- 
verted. While  sick  with  pleurisy,  christian  friends 
visited  him  and  sang  a  hymn  of  praise  to  the  Holy 
Ghost.  When  they  were  gone  he  was  enabled  to 
exercise  that  faith  in  Christ  that  brought  salvation, 
and  was  filled  with  love  and  peace.  He  heard  a 
voice  saying,  "  Believe,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved." 
"He  that  believeth  is  passed  from  death  unto  life." 
This  was  May  21,  1738. 

John  Wesley  had  to  endure  anguish  three  days 
more.  May  24,  he  opened  his  Bible  to  ' '  There  are 
given  unto  us  exceeding  great  and  precious  promi- 
ses,that  by  these  we  might  be  made  partakers  of  the 
divine  nature."  On  leaving  home  he  opened  to 
the  text,  "Thou  art  not  far  from  the  Kingdom  of 
God."  In  the  afternoon  he  went  to  St.  Paul's 
Cathedral,  where  the  anthem  was  full  of  comfort. 
At  night  he  was  at  the  society  meeting  at  Alders- 
gate  street,  where  a  person  read  Luther's  preface 
to  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  in  which  Luther 
teaches  what  faith  is,  and  also  that  faith  alone  justi- 
fies, possessed  of  it  the  heart  is  "  cheered,  elevated, 
excited  and  transported  with  sweet  affections 
toward  God."  Receiving  the  Holy  Ghost,  through 
faith,  the  soul  is  renewed  and  made  spiritual,  he  is 
impelled  to  fulfill  the  Law  by  the  vital  energy  in 
himself."  While  this  preface  was  being  read,  the 
Holy  Ghost  flashed  the  light  into  the  mind  and 


SANG    AND    PRAYED.  63 

Heart  of  Wesley  and  lie  was  bom  of  God.  He 
writes,  "I  felt  my  heart  strangely  warmed.  I 
felt  I  did  trust  in  Christ,  Christ  alone,  for  salva- 
tion ;  and  an  assurance  was  given  me,  that  he  had 
taken  away  my  sins,  even  mine,  and  saved  me 
from  the  law  of  sin  and  death.  And  I  then  testi- 
fied openly  to  all  there,  what  I  now  first  felt  in 
my  heart." 

This  was  wonderful,  glorious,  a  bright  morning 
after  a  long,  dark  night,  a  translation  from  "the 
kingdom  of  darkness  into  the  kingdom  of  God's 
dear  Son."  His  friends  gathered  around  him  and 
took  him  at  about  ten  o'clock,  to  see  his  brother. 
They  rejoiced  in  Christ  greatly  and  sang  and 
prayed  with  joy  unspeakable.  We  might  say  that 
Methodism  was  born  that  very  night.  A  form  of 
Christianity  which  was  soon  established  and  which 
shall  run  on  till  it  emerges  into  the  glories  of  the 
millenium. 

We  have  seen  how  intensely  pious  and  devoted 
to  God  he  was  before  this  ;  how  hard  he  worked 
in  the  fear  of  God  ;  now  he  worked  from  the  prin- 
ciple of  love,  for  he  had  the  love  of  God  shed 
abroad  in  his  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost  given  unto 
him. 

Soon  the  enemy  suggested  "This  cannot  be 
faith,  for  wThere  is  your  joy."  He  was  much  buf- 
feted with  temptations,   but  he  cried  to  God  and 


64  LITE    OE   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

they  fled  away.  He  writes,  "Herein  I  found  the 
difference  between  this  and  my  former  state  chief- 
ly consisted.  I  was  striving,  yea,  fighting  with 
all  my  might  under  the  law  as  well  as  under  grace. 
But  then  I  was  sometimes,  if  not  often  conquered  ; 
and  now  I  was  always  conqueror."  Before,  he 
worked  for  salvation  ;  now  he  worked  from  it. — 
Before,  he  worked  to  save  himself,  now  he  worked 
to  save  others."  When  he  related  all  this  to  his 
mother,  who  was  then  living  in  London,  and  was 
still  his  guide  and  counsellor,  she  strongly  ap- 
proved it ;  she  heartily  blessed  God  who  had 
brought  him  to  so  just  a  way  of  thinking,  It 
seems  strange  that  he  should  have  lived  till  he 
was  thirty-five  years  of  age  without  having  gained 
a  clear  apprehension  of  the  doctrine  and  experience 
of  justification  by  faith  in  Jesus  and  of  regenera- 
tion by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  yea,  and  he 
had  also  the  witness  of  the  Spirit  that  he  was  a 
child  of  God.  He  now  received  the  Spirit  of 
adoption  whereby  he  could  cry  out  "Abba, 
Father." 

Wesley  was  so  indebted  to  the  Moravians  for 
his  spiritual  enlightenment  that  he  was  led  to  visit 
Herrnhut,  Germany,  with  Ingham  and  six  others. 
At  Marienborn,  where  he  stayed  two  weeks,  he 
met  Zinzendorf,  who  had  there  organized  a  brother- 
hood of  about  fifty  disciples  from  various  countries. 


PETER     BOULKK. 


THE    POWER    OF    FAITH.  65 

Wesley  writes,  "I  continually  met  with  what  I 
sought  for,  living  proofs  of  the  power  of  faith; 
persons  saved  from  inward  as  well  as  outward  sin. 
by  the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  their  hearts ; 
and  from  all  doubt  and  fear,  by  the  abiding  witness 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  given  unto  them."  Zinzendorf 
taught  him  1.  That  justification  is  the  forgiveness 
of  sins  ;  2.  The  moment  a  man  flies  to  Christ  he  is 
justified ;  3.  And  has  peace  with  God,  but  not 
always  joy;  4.  Nor,  perhaps  he  may  not  know 
that  he  is  justified  till  long  after  ;  5.  For  the  assur- 
ance of  it  is  distinct  from  justification ;  6.  But 
others  may  know  he  is  justified  by  his  power 
over  sin,  by  his  seriousness,  by  his  love  of  the 
brethren  and  his  hunger  and  thirst  after  righteous- 
ness which  alone  prove  the  spiritual  life  to  be 
begun. 

He  reached  Herrnhut  August  1,  1738.  After 
making  his  observations  he  writes,  "God  has 
given  me  at  length  the  desire  of  my  heart.  I  am 
with  a  church  whose  conversation  is  in  Heaven,  in 
whom  is  the  mind  that  was  in  Christ  and  who 
walk  as  he  walked.  As  they  have  all  one  Lord 
and  one  faith,  so  they  are  all  partakers  of  one 
spirit,  the  spirit  of  meekness  and  love,  which  uni- 
formly and  continually  animates  all  their  conver- 
sation. 0,  how  high  and  how  holy  a  thing  Christ- 
ianity is,  and  how  widely  distant  from  that  which 


66  LIFE    OF -REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

is  so  called  though  it  neither  purifies  the  heart  nor 
renews  the  life,  after  the  image  of  our  blessed  Re- 
deemer." 

The  young  men  marched  around  the  town  in 
the  evening,  according  to  their  custom,  singing 
praise  with  instruments  of  music,  and  gathering 
in  a  circle  on  a  neighboring  hill  to  join  in  prayer. 
They  returned  with  songs  and  made  their  mutual 
adieus  by  commending  one  another  to  God  in  the 
great  square. 

They  called  their  graveyard  "  God's  acre"  and 
buried  their  dead  with  hymns.  Wesley  was  so 
delighted  that  he  would  gladly  have  spent  his  days 
with  them,  but  God  called  him  to  other  fields  of 
labor.  He  returned  to  England  with  many  rich 
lessons  that  he  never  forgot.  Who  can  tell  how 
much  Methodism  owes  to  this  visit  to  the  Mora- 
vians?    He  reached  England  in  Sept.,  1738. 

Peter  Bohler  wrote  to  Zinzendorf ,  ' '  I  travelled 
with  John  and  Charles  Wesley  from  London  to 
Oxford.  John  is  a  good  natured  man,  he  knew 
he  did  not  properly  believe  in  the  Saviour,  and 
was  willing  to  be  taught.  His  brother  is  much 
disturbed  in  his  mind,  but  does  not  know  how 
he  shall  begin  to  be  acquainted  with  the  Saviour. 
Our  mode  of  believing  in  the  Saviour  is  so  easy 
to  Englishmen  that  they  cannot  reconcile  them- 
selves to  it ;  if  it   were  a  little   more   artful  they 


his  brother's  preaching.  67 

would  much  sooner  find  their  way  into  it.  Of 
faith  in  Jesus  they  have  no  other  idea  than  the 
people  in  general  have.  They  justify  themselves, 
and  therefore  they  jilwa3Ts  take  it  for  granted  that 
they  believe  already,  and  try  to  prove  their  faith 
by  their  works,  and  thus  so  plague  and  torment 
themselves  that  they  are  at  heart  very  miserable." 
These  wise  and  mighty  words  will  serve  to  show 
why  these  Wesley s  were  so  long  in  obtaining  sal- 
vation, and  may  throw  some  light  upon  the  paths 
of  those  who  may  be  stumbling  along  the  same 
rugged  path. 

When  John  Wesley  returned  to  England  he 
found  that  his  brother  Charles  had  been  preaching 
with  so  much  power,  that  many  had  believed  and 
entered  into  the  same  rest  of  faith,  including  some 
ministers,  but  many  of  the  churches  were  closed 
against  him.  John  Wesley  began  at  once  to 
preach  this  great  salvation.  He  preached  three 
times  on  Sunday  besides  expounding  to  the  Mino- 
ries.  On  Monday  he  began  to  meet  the  society, 
which  was  composed  of  thirty-two  persons.  He 
preached  on  Monday  at  Bear  Yard,  and  on  Tuesday 
at  Aldersgate  street,  where  he  was  converted. 
On  Thursday  he  preached  at  Fetter  Lane,  and  on 
Saturday  at  Newgate.  On  Sunday  he  preached 
three  times. 


68  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

Thus  the  zeal  of  God's  work  devoured  him  up.  It 
was  more  than  his  meat  and  drink  to  glorify  God 
and  see  sinners  saved,  but  soon  one  church  after 
another  was  closed  against  him  because  he  applied 
the  truth  with  such  power  to  the  consciences  of 
the  people  that  they  would  not  endure  it.  But 
when  one  door  closed  another  door  was  opened. 
Many  prisoners  were  glad  to  hear  the  good  news  of 
salvation,  some  of  these  prisoners  were  really  con- 
verted to  God.  One  of  them  when  about  to  die, 
said,  "  I  feel  a  peace  which  I  could  not  have  be- 
lieved possible,  and  I  know  it  is  the  peace  of  God 
which  passeth  all  understanding."  Wesley  went 
to  Oxford  and  preached  a  memorable  sermon  on 
"  By  grace  are  ye  saved  through  faith,"  which  was 
afterwards  published.  In  it  he  showed  :  1.  That 
the  faith  through  which  we  are  saved  is  not  barely 
the  faith  of  the  heathen,  who  believes  that  God 
is,  and  that  he  is  a  rewarder  of  all  those  who  dili- 
gently seek  him  ;  2.  Nor  is  it  the  faith  of  a  devil 
who,  in  addition  to  the  faith  of  the  heathen,  be- 
lieves that  Jesus  is  the  Son  of  God,  the  Christ, 
the  Saviour  of  the  world  ;  3.  Nor  is  it  barely  the 
faith  which  the  apostles  had  in  Christ,  but  it  is  the 
full  reliance  on  the  blood  of  Christ  —  a  trust  in 
the  merits  of  his  life,  death  and  resurrection,  a 
recumbency  upon  him  as  our  atonement  and 
our  life,  as  given  for  us  and   living   in  us,  and,   in 


6  <  god's  free  GRACE. "  T)9 

consequence  thereof,  a  closing  with  him  and  cleav- 
ing to  him  as  our  wisdom,  righteousness,  sanctifi- 
cation  and  redemption,  or,  in  a  word,  our  salvation. 

The  salvation  that  such  a  faith  brings  is  :  1.  From 
the  guilt  of  sin  ;  2.  From  servile  fear  ;  3.  From 
the  power  of  sin.  He  is  pardoned  and  regene- 
rated, has  the  witness  of  the  spirit  and  lives  with- 
out sin  ;  surely  this  is  a  state  of  salvation.  To 
preach  salvation  by  faith  was  not  to  preach  against 
holiness  or  good  works.  This  faith  procures  holi- 
ness and  enables  us  to  perform  good  works. 

He  preached  another  sermon  on  "  God's  free 
grace,"  in  which  he  taught  that  the  grace  or  love 
of  God,  whence  cometh  our  salvation,  is  free  in 
all,  and  free  for  all.  Then  to  convince  all  that  he 
was  a  good  churchman  he  published  a  pamphiet  on 
"  The  doctrine  of  salvation,  faith  and  good  works, 
extracted  from  the  homilies  of  the  Church  of  En<r- 
land."  This  is  a  strong  and  forcible  defence, 
showing  that  the  very  doctrines  that  he  is  teaching 
are  plainly  taught  in  the  homilies  of  the  church 
he  had  loved  so  long.  The  plain  teaching  of  these 
doctrines  started  a  system  of  religion  that  has  led 
to  the  greatest  revival  of  modern  or  of  ancient 
times.  Wesley  defined  the  witness  of  the  Spirit 
as  "  the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  the  heart, 
producing  joy  which  no  man  taketh  away,  joy  un- 
speakable and  full  of  glory."     Again,  "I  believe 


70  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

every  Christian  who  has  not  received  it  should 
pray  for  the  witness  of  God's  Spirit  that  he  is  a 
child  of  God.  This  witness  I  believe  is  necessary 
to  my  salvation."  He  testifies  that  he  had  seen 
many  persons  changed  in  a  moment  from  the  spirit 
of  horror,  fear  and  despair,  to  a  spirit  of  hope,  joy 
and  peace,  and  from  sinful  desires,  till  then  reign- 
ing over  them,  to  a  pure  desire  of  doing  the  will  of 
God.  Ponder  well  the  following:  Sept.  3,  he 
writes,  "  I  talked  largely  with  my  mother,  who 
told  me  that  till  a  short  time  since  she  had  scarce 
heard  such  a  thing  mentioned  as  the  having  God's 
Spirit  bearing  witness  with  our  spirit,  much  less 
did  she  imagine  that  this  was  the  common  privi- 
lege of  all  true  believers,  "  therefore,"  she  said, 
' '  I  never  durst  ask  for  it  myself,  but  two  or  three 
weeks  ago,  while  my  son  Hall  was  pronouncing 
these  words,  in  delivering  the  cup  to  me,  '  The 
blood  of  Jesus  Christ  which  was  given  for  thee,' 
the  words  struck  through  my  heart,  and  I  knew 
that  God,  for  Christ's  sake,  had  forgiven  me  all 
my  sins."  So  it  seems  that  the  mother  of  the 
Wesleys  was  greatly  blessed  by  the  spiritual  light 
that  God  revealed  to  her  sons,  indeed  it  is  a  seri- 
ous question  whether,  up  to  this  time,  she  had 
ever  known  her  sins  forgiven. 

She  was  greatly  comforted  with   the   presence 
and  teachings  of  her  sons,   and   says,    "  I  am  be- 


BOOKS    HE    WROTE.  71 

conic  as  a  little  child  and  need  continual  succour." 
Wesley  wrote  an  abstract  of  the  life  of  Ihomas 
Halyburton,  a  Scotchman,  which  was  published  in 
London.  Tyerman  says,  "It  is  beautifully  written, 
and  is  a  most  edifying  book/'  He  published  also 
"  Nicodemus  :  or  a  treatise  on  the  fear  of  man  ;" 
also,  "  A  treatise  on  justification  by  faith  only  ;" 
also,  a  tract  entitled  "  The  character  of  a  Method- 
ists "A  Methodist  is  one  who  has  the  love  of 
God  shed  abroad  in  his  heart  by  the  Holy  Ghost 
given  unto  him ;  one  who  loves  the  Lord  his  God 
with  all  his  heart,  and  with  all  his  soul,  and  with 
all  his  mind,  and  with  all  his  strength,  rejoices 
evermore,  prays  without  ceasing,  and  in  every- 
thing; gives  thanks.  His  heart  is  full  of  love  to 
all  mankind  and  is  purified  from  envy,  malice, 
wrath  and  every  unkind  or  malign  affection.  His 
one  desire  and  the  one  design  of  his  life  is  not  to 
do  his  own  will,  but  the  will  of  Him  that  sent  him. 
He  keeps  not  only  some  or  most  of  God's  com- 
mandments, but  all,  from  the  least  unto  the  great- 
est. He  follows  not  the  customs  of  the  world ; 
for  vice  does  not  lose  its  nature  by  becoming  fash- 
ionable. He  cannot  lay  up  treasure  upon  earth 
any  more  than  he  can  take  fire  in  his  bosom.  He 
cannot  adorn  himself  on  any  pretense  with  gold 
or  costly  apparel.  He  cannot  join  in  any  diver- 
sion that  has  the  least  tendencjr  to  vice.     He  can- 


72  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

not  speak  evil  of  his  neighbor  any  more  than  he 
can  tell  a  lie.  He  cannot  utter  unkind  or  idle 
words.  No  corrupt  communication  ever  comes 
out  of  his  mouth.  He  does  good  unto  all  men." 
If  only  those  who  measure  up  to  this  full  grown 
manhood  are  Methodists,  then  there  are  many 
among  the  millions  of  Methodists  of  this  day  who 
are  not  worthy  of  the  name.  The  standard  is 
good,  let  us  measure  up  to  it."  Wesley  published 
also  this  year,  a  volume  of  hymns  and  sacred 
poems. 

The  two  Wesleys  with  Messrs.  Hall,  Kinchin, 
Ingham  and  Whitefield  and  about  sixty  of  their 
brethren  held  a  love  feast  in  Fetter  Lane.  About 
three  o'clock  in  the  morning  as  they  continued 
instant  in  prayer,  the  power  of  God  came  mightily 
upon  them,  insomuch  that  many  cried  out  for 
exceeding  joy,  and  many  fell  to  the  ground.  As 
soon  as  they  had  recovered  a  little  from  the  awe 
and  amazement,  which  the  presence  of  the  Divine 
Majesty  had  inspired.  They  broke  out  with  one 
voice  "We  praise  thee  O  God;  we  acknowledge 
thee  to  be  the  Lord."  It  was  a  pentecostal  season 
indeed.  God  often  manifested  ■  himself  in  these 
society  meetings  and  filled  them  with  his  glory. 
A  conference  of  seven  ministers  was  held  at 
Islington  to  consider  important  matters.  They 
continued  in  fasting  till  three  o'clock  in  the  after- 


PERSECUTIONS.  73 

noon,  then  parted  with  a  conviction  that  God  teas 
about  to  do  mighty  things  amony  them.  The  king- 
dom of  Christ  upon  earth  can  only  be  established 
by  such  seasons  of  continued  waiting  before  the 
Lord.  When  it  pleases  God  to  bestow  the  pente- 
costal  baptism  upon  his  chosen  few,  who  thereby 
become  mighty  to  the  pulling  down  of  strongholds, 
and  set  the  kingdom  on  a  blaze.  Every  Christian 
frequently  needs  a  personal  pentecost. 

During  these  days  Whitefield  having  returned 
from  America  was  preaching  to  vast  multitudes, 
sometimes  to  twenty  thousand,  who  at  times  were 
<  'all  affected  and  drenched  in  tears  together."  He 
had  a  special  adaptation  to  out-door  preaching 
and  helped  to  open  the  way  for  the  Wesleys  to 
reach  the  masses,  as  they  gathered  in  nature's 
temple,  under  the  canopy  of  heaven. 

Persecutions  were  in  perfect  order.  Satan 
always  rages  when  his  kingdom  is  in  danger. 
When  John  Wesley  was  preaching  in  Bristol  the 
mob  filled  the  court,  and  street,  and  alleys  around 
the  place,  and  shouted,  and  cried,  and  swore  fear- 
fully. A  number  of  the  rioters  were  arrested 
and  within  a  fortnight  one  of  them  had  hanged 
himself.  Another  was  seriously  sick  and  sent  to 
Mr.  Wesley  a  request  for  prayers,  and  a  third 
came  to  him  and  confessed  that  he  had  been  hired 
and  made  drunk,  but,  on  coming  to  the  place, 
found  himself  deprived  of  speech  and  power. 


74  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

Methodism  found  its  way  into  Wales,  for  Eng- 
land could  not  hold  it.  Wesley  and  Whitefield 
proclaimed  the  truth  to  the  candid  people  of  this 
province  and  great  was  the  fruit.  Howell  Harris 
having  studied  at  Oxford  for  the  church,  was  so 
disgusted  at  the  immorality  and  infidelity  that 
prevailed,  that  he  returned  to  Wales  and  began  to 
preach  publicly  and  from  house  to  house,  and 
soon  formed  several  societies,  and  thirty  of  them 
were  organized  before  Whitefield  went  to  Wales, 
and  in  three  years  more  they  numbered  three 
hundred.  Harris  was  only  a  lay  preacher,  for 
they  refused  to  ordain  him  because  of  his  irregu- 
larities. He  was  a  good  man,  full  of  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  faith,  and  much  people  were  added  to 
the  Lord." 

While  Whitefield  was  preaching  from  "God 
willeth  all  men  to  be  saved,"  at  Newgate  prison, 
and  praying  that  God  would  bear  witness  to  his 
words,  "One  and  another  and  another  sank  to  the 
earth  as  though  they  were  thunderstruck.  All 
Newgate  rang  with  the  cries  of  those  whom  the 
work  of  God  had  cut  to  the  heart." 

Methodism  prevailed  so  rapidly  in  Bristol  that 
they  found  it  both  necessary  and  convenient  to 
build  the  first  Methodist  chapel  in  the  world  in 
that  city.  Wesley  appointed  "eleven  feoffers" 
or   trustees,    who    were    to    take    the    financial 


FIRST    METIIODTST    CHURCH.  i  .) 

responsibility.  But  Whitefield  and  others  wrote 
him  that  they  could  not  help  him  to  build  this 
house  unless  he  held  it  in  his  own  name,  for  other- 
wise the  "feoffers  would  control  him  and  dismiss 
him  from  the  premises  whenever  he  did  not  please 
them.  He  followed  this  good  advice,  and  there- 
after all  his  church  property  was  held  in  his  own 
name  until  near  his  death,  when  he  gave  a  "deed 
of  declaration"  to  his  legal  conference,  "Decisions 
in  the  Court  of  Chancery,  made  under  this  doc- 
ument, have  given  security  to  the  property  and 
stability  to  the  whole  economy  of  Wesleyan 
Methodism  down  to  our  day." 

It  was  marvellous  in  the  eyes  of  all,  that  under 
the  quiet  preaching  of  John  Wesley  so  many 
should  be  slain  by  the  power  of  God.  While 
preaching  at  Bristol,  a  young  woman  sank  down 
in  violent  agony,  as  did  five  or  six  in  another 
meeting  in  the  evening.  The  mother  of  this 
daughter  was  greatly  offended,  but  she  too  fell 
down  slain  before  the  Lord.  A  bold  blasphemer 
was  smitten  before  the  Lord,  and  cried  out  in 
agony.  Sometimes  scores  were  smitten  at  once 
and  fell  as  dead  men,  including  a  traveller  who 
had  paused  but  a  few  minutes  to  hear  the  word  of 
the  Lord.  Somebody  lent  one  of  Wesley's  ser- 
wons  to  a  man  who  opposed  this  strange   power, 


76  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

and  while  he  was  reading  that  sermon,  he  sudden- 
ly  turned  pale,  fell  to  the  floor  and  cried  mightily 
to  God  for  mercy. 

Wesley  still  remained  a  minister  of  the  Epis- 
copal church  and  had  a  profound  regard  for  that 
organization.  But  he  was  providentially  led  to 
organize  the  Methodist  church  in  the  following 
manner.  He  writes,  "In  the  latter  part  of  the 
year  1739,  eight  or  ten  persons  came  to  me  in 
London  and  desired  that  I  should  spend  some 
time  in  prayer  with  them  and  advise  them  how  to 
flee  from  the  wrath  to  come  ;  this  was  the  rise  of 
the  United  Society.  Twelve  came  the  first  night, 
forty  the  next  and  soon  after  a  hundred."  Little 
did  John  Wesley  think  to  what  this  small  beginning 
would  grow. 

"See  how  great  a  flame  aspires, 
Kindled  by  a  spark  of  grace." 

Soon  after  this,  Whitefield  came  again  to 
America  and  extended  his  labors  even  to  Philadel- 
phia and  Boston,  and  his  words  were  in  the 
demonstration  of  the  Spirit  and  of  power.  About 
this  time  Whitefied  took  decided  ground  in  favor 
of  Calvinism,  while  Wesley  was  forever  firmly 
fixed  on  Arminianism.  Thus  those  true  and 
good  men  were  led  to  differ  in  opinion,  but  they 
still  were  one  in  heart,  and  labored  on  with 
unabated  zeal  till  the  Master  called  them  to  their 
heavenly  rest. 


DIFFERENCES    OF    OPINION.  ,  77 

There  were  also  differences  of  opinion  with 
Wesley  and  the  Moravian  brethren,  which  it  is  not 
necessary  to  detail.  No  doubt  the  providence  of 
God  would  have  Methodism  stand  out  alone  before 
the  world,  therefore  he  disentangled  it  from  its 
former  surroundings,  that  it  may  stand  out  boldly 
and  alone,  and  work  out  its  own  destiny  in  the 
Christian  world.  Wesley  had  a  reason  for  his 
conduct. 

On  the  question  of  predestination  he  writes  in 
his  sermon  on  Free  grace  :  ' '  According  to  predes- 
tination, free  grace  is  not  free  for  all,  but  only  for 
those  whom  God  hath  ordained  to  life.  The 
greater  part  of  mankind  hath  God  ordained  to 
death  and  it  is  not  free  for  them ;  them  hath  God 
hated,  and  therefore,  before  they  were  born,  de- 
creed that  they  should  die  eternally,  and  this  He 
absolutely  decreed  because  it  was  His  sovereign 
will.  Accordingly,  they  are  born  for  this  :  to  be 
destroyed  body  and  soul  in  hell.  And  they  grew 
up  under  the  irrevocable  curse  of  God,  without 
any  possibility  of  redemption."  He  objects  to 
this  doctrine,  1.  Because  it  renders  all  preaching 
vain;  2.  It  tends  to  destroy  that  holiness  which 
is  the  end  of  all  the  ordinances  of  God,  and  for 
many  other  reasons  ;  lastly,  "It  is  full  of  blas- 
phemy, for  it  represents  our  blessed  Lord  as  a 
hypocrite  and  dissembler,  in  saying  one  thing  and 


78  LIFE    OF  "REV.    JOHX   WESLEY. 

meaning  another, — in  pretending  a  love  which  He 
has  not ;  it  also  represents  the  most  holy  God  as 
more  false,  more  cruel  and  more  unjust  than  the 
devil,  for  in  point  of  fact,  it  says  God  has  con- 
demned millions  of  souls  to  everlasting  fire  for 
continuing;  in  sin  which,  for  want  of  grace  he  gives 
them  not,  they  are  unable  to  avoid.  This  is  the 
blasphemy  clearly  contained  in  this  horrible  decree 
of  predestination,  and  here  I  fix  my  foot.  On 
this  I  join  issue  with  every  asserter  of  it.  You 
represent  God  as  worse  than  the  devil.  You  say 
you  will  prove  it  from  scripture.  Hold  —  what 
will  you  prove  from  scripture  ?  that  God  is  worse 
than  the  devil  ?     It  cannot  be." 

I  have  neither  time  nor  inclination  to  enter  into 
this  controversy.  The  battle  has  been  fought  and 
the  victory  won  —  posterity  will  tell  hoy/  much 
has  been  gained  by  the  labors  of  the  well-trained 
and  logical  mind  of  John  Wesley. 

It  is  almost  too  early  to  speak  of  the  contro- 
versy between  John  Fletcher  and  the  Calvanists, 
which  discussion  has  done  so  much  to  influence 
the  Methodists  of  all  coming  ages. 


BAND   MEETINGS,  79 


CHAPTER  V. 


METHODISM  CONSOLIDATING,  AND    PREVAILING. 

We  have  seen  how  the  class-meetings  were  organ- 
ized, which  led  to  the  organization  of  the  Method- 
ist societies,  and  then  of  the  church.  It  may  be 
well  to  notice  how  the  Band  meetings  commenced. 
They  were  first  adopted  by  the  Moravians.  "Our 
band  meetings  are  small  companies  of  serious 
people  of  the  same  sex,  and  in  the  same  condi- 
tion of  life,  whether  married  or  single,  who  meet 
occasionally  to  converse  with  each  other  on  their 
religious  state,  and  to  engage  in  mutual  prayer. 
They  were  grounded  on,  'confess  your  faults  one 
to  another,  and  pray  one  for  another,  that  ye  may 
be  healed.'  They  met  weekly  to  confess  their  faults 
one  to  another,  and  for  mutual  edification.  The 
homily  on  repentance,  said  :  'We  ought  to  con- 
fess our  weaknesses,  and  infirmities  one  to  another 
to  the  end,  that  knowing  each  other's  frailties,  we 
may  the  more  earnestly  pray  together  unto 
Almighty  God  our  Heavenly  Father."5  Jeremy 
Taylor  has  well  said,  "He    who    would    preserve 


80  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

his  humility  should  choose  some  spiritual  person 
to  whom  he  shall  oblige  himself  to  discover  his 
very  thoughts  and  fancies,  every  act  of  his,  and 
all  his  intercourse  with  others,  in  which  there 
may  be  danger,  that  by  such  an  openness  of 
spirit  he  may  expose  every  blast  of  vain  glory, 
every  idle  thought  to  be  chastened  and  lessened 
by  the  rod  of  spiritual  discipline,  and  he  shall  find 
himself  tied  to  confess  every  proud  thought.  Every 
vanity  of  his  spirit  will  also  perceive  that  they 
must  not  dwell  with  him,  nor  find  any  kindness 
from  him.  Every  true  Christian  will  see  the 
necessity  and  blessedness  of  such  an  organiza- 
tion in  all  ages."  Next  to  the  class-meetings  per- 
haps, nothing  contributed  so  much  to  the  success 
of  Methodism  as  the  '  'Lay  ministry. "  It  seems 
to  have  been  no  part  of  the  original  plan  of 
Wesley  to  employ  laymen  in  preaching  the  gos- 
pel, but  God  raised  up  such  lay  preachers  as 
Thomas  Maxfield,  and  thrust  them  out,  and  gave 
them  great  success.  They  at  last  overcome  all  his 
prejudice  for  Church  orders,  and  compelled  Mr. 
Wesley  to  give  them  a  license,  not  only  to  exhort, 
but  also  to  preach  the  gospel.  This  victory  was 
not  gained  without  the  help  of  his  mother,  who 
when  she  found  that  he  was  going  to  prevent 
Maxfield  from  preaching,  she  told  him  plainly 
that    she    believed   Mr    Maxfield    was    as    much 


Wesley's  societies.  81 

called  of  God  to  preach  the  gospel,  as  was  John 
Wesley.  This  turned  the  scale,  and  settled  the 
question.  Wesley  would  not  fight  against  God. 
Henceforth  Thomas  Maxfield,  and  then  Thomas 
Richards,  and  others,  were  acknowledged  "as  sons 
in  the  gospel." 

In  the  seventy-third  year  of  her  age  Mrs. 
Wesley  departed  in  peace,  July  3,  1742,  while 
Wesley  and  five  of  his  sisters  stood  around  and 
sung  at  her  request,  a  hymn  of  praise.  She  was 
buried  among  the  illustrious  dead  of  Bunhill 
fields,  City  road,  London. 

Wesley's  Societies  increased,  and  so  did  his  lay 
ministers  ;  during  this  year  he  had  twenty-three 
itinerants  besides  several  local  preachers  among 
his  laymen,  who  travelled  and  preached,  con- 
tinually. They  had  great  success  in  Wales,  and 
societies  multiplied,  notwithstanding  the  mobs 
assailed  them.  Heaven  favored  them,  though  hell 
frowned  upon  them. 

Under  Wesley's  first  sermon  at  Moorfields,  John 
Nelson  was  converted,  who  was  an  honest  York- 
shire mason,  who  became  both  a  zealous  and  faith 
ful  preacher  of  the  gospel.  When  requested  to 
work  on  Sunday,  he  said,  "I  would  rather  starve 
than  offend  God."  He  fasted  once  a  week,  and 
gave  the  food  to  feed  the  poor.  He  was  one  of 
the  apostles  of  early  Methodism.     Born  in  York- 


82  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

shire,  he  became  one  of  the  chief  founders  of 
Methodism  in  that  county.  Many  of  the  profli- 
gates were  converted,  drunkards  became  sober. 
Ale  houses  were  closed  up,  and  the  word  of  God 
sounded  forth  to  Leeds,  Wakefield,  Halifax,  and 
all  the  west  of  Yorkshire.  While  Nelson  was 
thus  sweeping  through  Yorkshire,  Wesley  went 
to  Newcastle,  a  degraded  mining  region.  He 
walked  down  town,  where  he  found  drunkenness, 
cursing  and  swearing,  abounding  from  both 
children  and  parents.  At  seven  o'clock  on  Sun- 
day morning,  he  and  a  friend  began  to  sing  ;  a  few 
gathered,  and  before  he  finished,  there  were  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  hundred  listening  to  the  truth. 
"He  was  wounded  for  our  transgressions,"  was 
the  text.  The  people  were  amazed  at  his  offer  of 
mercy,  and  stood  '  <  gaping  and  staring."  At  5  p.  m. 
he  preached  again,  but  the  hill  was  covered  from 
top  to  bottom.  He  never  saw  such  a  multitude. 
Again  he  proclaimed  mercy  by  preaching  from  "I 
will  heal  their  backsliding."  They  were  ready  to 
tread  him  under  foot  out  of  pure  love  and  kind- 
ness. He  had  to  leave  them  and  go  and  join  Nel- 
son, still  they  clamored  for  the  bread  of  life. 
Soon  Charles  Wesley  preached  to  them,  and  then 
John  came  again  among  them.  A  society  was 
formed  and  a  church  was  built,  and  this  became 
one  of  the  strongholds  of  Methodism.     He  writes, 


FORMING    OF    SOCIETIES.  83 

"I  never  saw  a  work  of  God  in  any  other  place 
go  on  so  evenly  and  gradually,  continually  rising 
step  by  step." 

On  his  return  he  stopped  at  Ep worth,  but  the 
drunken  rector  refused  to  let  him  in  the  church, 
so  he  stood  upon  his  father's  tombstone  and 
preached  with  power  to  the  masses  that  thronged 
to  hear  the  word  of  life.  For  a  week  he  daily 
took  his  stand  above  the  ashes  of  his  father  and 
proclaimed  the  glorious  gospel  of  the  blessed  God. 
Some  of  the  converts  were  carried  before  a  justice 
of  the  peace,  who  enquired  what  they  had  done. 
'  'Why,  they  pretend  to  be  better  than  other  people, 
and  pray  from  morning  till  night."  "But  have 
they  done  nothing  else?"  "Yes,"  said  one  man, 
"they  have  converted  my  wife ;  before  this  she 
was  an  awful  scold,  but  now  she  is  as  quiet  as  a 
lamb."  "Then  take  them  home  and  let  them 
convert  all  the  scolds  in  the  town." 

Societies  were  forming  on  every  side,  and  chap- 
els were  already  built  in  Bristol,  London,  Kings- 
wood  and  Newcastle.  After  consulting  with  his 
brethren,  they  formed  the  General  Eules  of  the 
United  Societies,  which  has  been  incorporated  into 
the  constitutional  law  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church  of  America.  It  is  a  wonderful  setting 
forth  of  the  duties  of  those  who  would  be  true 
followers  of  the  Lamb  of  God  among  the  people 


84  LIFE    OF    11EV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

called  Methodists.  For  the  good  of  the  common 
reader,  and  for  all,  I  transcribe  the  whole.  It 
shows  the  wisdom  of  those  who  nlade  it,  and  of 
all  who  make  it  the  rule  of  their  lives. 

"This  was  the  rise  of  the  "United  Society,"  first 
in  Europe  and  then  in  America.  Such  a  society 
is  no  other  than  ' '  a  company  of  men  having  the 
form  and  seeking  the  power  of  godliness,  united 
in  order  to  pray  together,  to  receive  the  word  of 
exhortation,  and  to  watch  over  one  another  in  love, 
that  they  may  help  each  other  to  work  out  their 
salvation."  That  it  may  the  more  easily  be  dis- 
cerned whether  they  are  indeed  working  out  their 
own  salvation,  each  society  is  divided  into  smaller 
companies,  called  classes,  according  to  their  re- 
spective places  of  abode.  There  are  about  twelve 
persons  in  a  class,  one  of  whom  is  styled  the 
"leader."  It  is  his  duty  to  see  each  person  in  his 
class  once  a  week  at  least,  in  order  to  inquire  how 
their  souls  prosper;  to  advise,  reprove,  comfort 
or  exhort,  as  occasion  may  require ;  to  receive 
what  they  are  willing  to  give  toward  the  relief  of 
the  preachers,  church  and  poor;  to  meet  the  min- 
isters and  the  stewards  of  the  society  once  a  week, 
in  order  to  inform  the  minister  of  any  that  are 
sick,  or  of  any  that  walk  disorderly  and  will  not 
be  reproved ;  to  pay  the  stewards  what  they  have 
received  of  their  several  classes  in  the  week  pre- 


CONDITIONS   OF   ADMISSION.  85 

coding.  There  is  only  one  condition  previously 
required  of  those  who  desire  admission  into  these 
societies  —  "a  desire  to  flee  from  the  wrath  to 
come,  and  to  be  saved  from  their  sins."  But 
wherever  this  is  really  fixed  in  the  soul,  it  will  be 
shown  by  its  fruits.  It  is  therefore  expected  of 
all  who  continue  therein,  that  they  should  continue 
to  evidence  their  desire  of  salvation.  First,  by 
doing  no  harm,  by  avoiding  evil  of  every  kind, 
especially  that  which  is  most  generally  practiced, 
such  as  the  taking  of  the  name  of  God  in  vain ; 
the  profaning  the  day  of  the  Lord,  either  by  doing 
ordinary  work  therein,  or  by  buying  or  selling; 
drunkenness,  buying  or  selling  spirituous  liquors, 
or  drinking  them,  unless  in  cases  of  extreme 
necessity  ;  slaveholding,  buying  or  selling  slaves  ; 
fighting,  quarreling,  brawling,  brother  going  to 
law  with  brother  ;  returning  evil  for  evil,  or  railing 
for  railing ;  the  using  many  words  in  buying  or 
selling ;  the  buying  or  selling  goods  that  have  not 
paid  the  duty ;  the  giving  or  taking  things  on 
usury,  that  is,  unlawful  interest;  uncharitable  or 
unprofitable  conversation,  particularly  speaking 
evil  of  magistrates  or  of  ministers  ;  doing  to  others 
as  wre  would  not  they  should  do  unto  us  ;  doing 
what  we  know  is  not  for  the  glory  of  God,  as  the 
putting  on  of  gold  and  costly  apparel ;  the  taking 
such  diversions  as  cannot  be  used  in  the  name  of 


86  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

the  Lord  Jesus  ;  the  sin^ino*  those  sono*s,  or  read- 

■*  CD         CD  CD      ' 

ing  those  books,  which  do  not  tend  to  the  knowl- 
edge or  love  of  God ;  softness  and  needless  self- 
indulgence  ;  laying  up  treasure  upon  earth ;  bor- 
rowing without  a  probability  of  paying,  or  taking 
up  goods  without  a  probability  of  paying  for 
them. 

It  is  expected  of  all  who  continue  in  these  soci- 
eties, that  they  should  continue  to  evidence  their 
desire  of  salvation. 

Secondly,  by  doing  good :  by  being  in  every 
kind  merciful  after  their  power,  as  they  have 
opportunity,  doing  good  of  every  possible  sort, 
and,  as  far  as  possible,  to  all  men.  To  their 
bodies,  of  the  ability  which  God  giveth,  by  giving 
food  to  the  hungry,  by  clothing  the  naked,  by 
visiting  or  helping  them  that  are  sick  or  in  prison. 
To  their  souls,  by  instructing,  reproving,  or  ex- 
horting all  we  have  any  intercourse  with ;  tramp- 
ling under  foot  that  enthusiastic  doctrine,  that 
' '  we  are  not  to  do  good  unless  our  hearts  be  free 
to  it."  By  doing  good,  especially  to  them  that  are 
of  the  household  of  faith,  or  groaning  so  to  be ; 
employing  them  preferably  to  others  ;  buying  one 
of  another ;  helping  each  other  in  business ;  and 
so  much  the  more  because  the  world  will  love  its 
own,  and  them  only.  By  all  possible  diligence 
and  frugality,  that  the  Gospel  be  not  blamed.     By 


GENERAL    RULES.  87 

running  with  patience  the  race  which  is  set  before 
them,  denying  themselves  and  taking  up  their 
cross  daily ;  submitting  to  bear  the  reproach  of 
Christ,  to  be  as  the  filth  and  offscouring  of  the 
world ;  and  looking  that  men  should  say  all  man- 
ner of  evil  of  them  falsely  for  the  Lord's  sake. 

It  is  expected  of  all  who  desire  to  continue  in 
these  societies,  that  they  should  continue  to  evi- 
dence their  desire  of  salvation. 

Thirdly,  by  attending  upon  all  the  ordinances 
of  God,  such  as  the  public  worship  of  God  ;  the 
ministry  of  the  word,  either  read  or  expounded  ; 
the  Supper  of  the  Lord ;  family  and  private 
prayer  f  searching  the  Scriptures,  and  fasting  or 
abstinence. 

These  are  the  general  rules  of  our  societies,  all 
of  which  we  are  taught  of  God  to  observe,  even 
in  his  written  word,  which  is  the  only  rule,  and 
the  sufficient  rule,  both  of  our  faith  and  practice. 
And  all  these  we  know  His  Spirit  writes  on  truly 
awakened  hearts.  If  there  be  any  among  us  who 
observe  them  not,  who  habitually  break  any  of 
them,  let  it  be  known  unto  them  who  watch  over 
that  soul  as  they  who  must  give  an  account.  We 
will  admonish  him  of  the  error  of  his  ways.  We 
will  bear  with  him  for  a  season.  But  if  then  he 
repent  not,  be  hath  no  more  place  among  us.  We 
have  delivered  our  own  souls." 


88  LIFE    OF  REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

Thus  the  founder  of  Methodism  laid  down  these 
Scriptural  rules,  which  are  remarkable  for  their 
general  outline  of  Christian  duty,  and  also  for  the 
particular  manner  in  which  they  specify  the  vari- 
ous duties  of  the  followers  of  Christ.  No  doubt 
the  success  or  defeat  of  the  whole  church  has  been 
in  proportion  to  their  fidelity  or  want  of  fidelity 
to  these  "General  Rules."  Wesley  exclaimed, 
"Oh  that  we  may  never  make  anything  more  or 
less  the  term  of  union  with  us,  but  the  having  the 
mind  of  Christ  and  the  walking  as  he  walked." 

It  would  naturally  be  expected  that  people  who 
lived  by  these  rules  would  die  in  holy  triumph, 
and  so  it  was.  We  have  their  dying  testimonies 
before  us.  Anne  Cole,  being  asked  by  Wesley 
whether  she  chose  to  live  or  die,  answered,  "I 
choose  neither,  I  choose  nothing ;  I  am  in  my 
Saviour's  hands  and  I  have  no  will  but  his." 
Another  member  said,  "I  am  very  ill,  but  I  am 
very  well;  oh,  I  am  happy,  happy,  happy  !  My 
spirit  continually  rejoices  in  God  my  Saviour. 
Life  or  death  is  all  one  to  me.  I  have  no  dark- 
ness, no  cloud.  My  body  indeed  is  weak  and  in 
pain,  but  my  soul  is  all  joy  and  praise."  Jane 
Muncy  exclaimed,  "I  faint  not,  I  murmur  not,  I 
rejoice  evermore  and  in  everything  give  thanks. 
God  is  ever  with  me,  and  I  have  nothing  to  do 
but  praise  him."     Another  woman  cried  out  in  her 


PERSECUTION   PREVAILED.  89 

dying  agonies,  "Oh,  how  loving  God  is  to  me! 
but  he  is  loving  to  every  man,  and  loves  every 
soul  as  well  as  he  loves  mine."  Another  testifies, 
"  Death  stares  me  in  the  face,  but  I  fear  him  not." 
Hannah  Richardson  said,  "I  have  no  fear,  no 
doubt,  no  trouble.  Heaven  is  open.  I  see  Jesus 
Christ  with  all  his  angels  and  saints  in  white.  I 
see  what  I  cannot  utter  or  express."  Sister 
Hooper  exclaimed,  "I  am  in  great  pain,  but  in 
greater  joy."  Another  said,  "I  never  felt  such 
love  before  ;  I  love  every  soul ;  I  am  all  love,  and 
so  is  God."  Rachel  Peacock  sang  hymns  inces- 
santly, and  was  so  filled  with  joy  that  she  shouted, 
"Though  I  groan  I  feel  no  pain  at  all,  Christ  so 
rejoices  and  fills  my  heart." 

Still  persecution  prevailed,  the  enemies  of  God 
and  man  opposed.  At  Deptford,  while  Wesley 
was  preaching,  "many  poor  wretches  were  got 
together,  utterly  devoid  of  both  common  sense 
and  common  decency,  who  cried  aloud  as  though 
just  from  '  among  the  tombs.' "  In  London,  many 
men  of  the  baser  sort  mixed  themselves  with  the 
female  part  of  the  congregation,  and  behaved  with 
great  indecency.  They  knocked  down  the  con- 
stable who  ordered  them  to  keep  the  peace.  In 
Long  Lane  they  pelted  Wesley  with  stones ;  one 
of  great  size  passed  near  his  head.  In  Mary  la- 
bone  Fields,  in  the  midst  of  his   sermon  out  of 


90  LIFE    OF   REV,    JOHN  WESLEY. 

doors,  missiles  fell  thick  and  fast  on  every  side. 
In  Hoxton,  the  rabble  brought  an  ox,  which  they 
tried  to  drive  through  the  congregation.  At 
Swindon,  the  mob  surrounded  the  congregation, 
rang  a  bell,  blew  a  horn,  and  used  a  fire  engine  in 
drenching  them  with  water ;  guns  were  fired  over 
the  people's  heads,  and  rotten  eggs  were  plentiful. 
At  Hampton,  the  mob  beat  a  drum  and  fired 
squibs  and  crackers.  "For  an  half  hour,  hogs- 
wash  and  fetid  water  were  poured  upon  him  and 
his  congregation,  who  all  the  while  stood  perfectly 
still  in  secret  prayer,  with  their  eyes  and  hands 
lifted  up  to  heaven."  At  Stratton,  cudgels  were 
used  unmercifully ;  some  of  the  congregation  had 
blood  streaming  down  their  faces,  some  were 
dragged  away  by  the  hair  of  their  heads  ;  the  mob 
bellowed  and  roared  like  maniacs. 

Still  Methodism  went  on  and  prospered,  and 
went  on  from  conquering  to  conquer.  Sometimes 
the  powers  of  darkness  were  let  loose  and  evil 
spirits  seemed  to  have  possessed  some  of  the  peo- 
ple. 

Wesley  tells  of  a  young  woman  who  was  raving 
so  that  it  took  several  persons  to  hold  her. 
"  Anguish,  horror  and  despair  were  manifest  in 
her  countenance."  She  cried  out,  "  I  am  damned  ! 
Lost  forever !  Six  days  ago  you  might  have 
helped   me ;  but   it   is   passed.     I  am  the  devil's 


CONVERSIONS.  91 

now ;  I  have  given  myself  to  him ;  his  I  am,  him 
I  must  serve  ;  with  him  I  must  go  to  hell ;  I  will 
be  his,  I  will  serve  him,  I  will  go  with  him  to 
hell;  I  cannot  be  saved,  I  will  not  be  saved ;  I 
must,  I  will,  I  will  be  damned."  She  then  began 
praying  to  the  devil,  and  we  began,  "  Arm  of  the 
Lord,  awake,  awake!"  She  immediately  sunk 
down  as  if  asleep,  but  as  soon  as  we  left  oif  broke 
out  again  with  inexpressible  vehemence,  "Stony 
hearts  break  !  I  am  a  warning  unto  you.  Break, 
break,  poor  stony  hearts  !  Why  wrill  you  not 
break  ?  What  can  be  done  more  for  stony  hearts  ? 
I  am  damned  that  you  might  be  saved  !  Now 
break,  now  break,  poor  stony  hearts  !  You  need 
not  be  damned,  though  I  must."  She  then  fixed 
her  eyes  on  the  corner  of  the  ceiling  and  said, 
"There  he  is;  aye,  there  he  is!  Come,  good 
devil,  come.  Take  me  away,  I  am  yours,  I  will 
be  yours,  take  me  away?'  "We  interrupted  her 
again  by  calling  upon  God,  on  which  she  sunk 
down  as  before.  And  another  young  woman  be- 
gan to  roar  as  loud  as  she  had  done.  We  con- 
tinued in  prayer  till  past  eleven,  when  God,  in  a 
moment,  spoke  peace  into  the  soul  of  the  one  first 
tormented,  and  then  of  the  other,  and  they  both 
joined  in  singing  praise  to  him  who  had  stilled  the 
enemy  and  the  avenger."  If  the  devil  possessed 
men  and  women   in   the  days  of  the  Son  of  God, 


92  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

why  may  he  not  now?  And  if  Christ  cast  out 
devils  then,  why  not  now?  Sin  and  Satan,  and 
God  and  holiness,  are  just  the  same. 

Wesley  continued  his  itinerant  labors,  and  God 
made  his  preaching  a  great  blessing  to  the  people, 
and  although  he  found  himself  coming  short  of  the 
glory  of  God,  still  he  proclaimed  a  free  and  full 
salvation  to  all.  He,  and  two  friends,  rode  to 
Bradford,  where  he  preached  to  nearly  a  thousand 
persons,  who  seemed  deeply  affected.  Four  days 
after,  he  writes,  "  Having  been  provoked  to  speak 
unadvisedly  with  my  lips,  I  preached  on  Bowling 
Green  in  great  weakness  on  'Lazarus  come  forth.' 
I  was  surprised  that  any  good  should  be  done,  but 
God  quickens  others  by  those  who  are  dead  them- 
selves. A  man  came  to  me  and  declared  he  had 
now  received  the  Spirit  of  life,  and  so  did  a  woman 
at  the  same  time.  We  had  great  power  among 
us  while  I  displayed  the  believer's  privileges  from 
the  eighth  chapter  of  Romans.  The  next  day  I 
met  between  thirty  and  forty  colliers  and  their 
wives  at  Mr.  Willis',  and  administered  the  sacra- 
ment to  them,  but  found  no  comfort  myself  from 
that  or  any  other  ordinance.  I  always  find  strength 
for  the  work  of  the  ministry,  but  when  my  work 
is  over,  my  bodily  and  spiritual  strength  both 
leave  me.  I  can  pray  for  others,  not  for  myself. 
God,  by  me,  strengthens  the  weak  hands  and  con- 


LONGING    TO   BE    DISCHARGED.  93 

firms  the  feeble  knees,  yet  am  I  as  a  man  in  whom 
is  no  strength.  I  am  weary  and  faint  in  my  mind, 
continually  longing  to  be  discharged." 

Soon  after  this  he  had  power  to  pray  for  himself, 
and  confessed  that  it  was  good  for  him  to  be  in 
desertion.  He  was  greatly  strengthened  and  com- 
forted by  opening  his  Bible  to  Ish.  54  :  7,8  :  "  For 
a  small  moment  have  I  forsaken  thee  :  but  with 
great  mercies  will  I  gather  thee.  In  a  little  wrath 
I  hid  my  face  from  thee  for  a  moment ;  but  with 
everlasting  kindness  will  I  have  mercy  upon  thee, 
saith  the  Lord  thy  Redeemer."  He  saw  the  hand 
of  God  was  applying  the  rod,  but  he  was  in  sweet 
submission  to  the  divine  will. 

How  truly  could  he  adopt  the  following  as  the 
language  of  his  heart. 

"  O,  grant  that  nothing  in  my  soul 
May  dwell,  but  thy  pure  luve  alone! 

O,  may  thy  love  possess  me  whole, 
My  joy,  my  treasure  and  my  crown  ! 

Strange  flames  far  from  my  heart  remove, 

My  every  act,  word,  thought,  be  love ! 

He  writes  :  < '  Many  years  since,  I  saw  that  with- 
out holiness  no  man  could  see  the  Lord.  I  began 
by  following  after  it,  and  inciting  all  with  whom  I 
had  any  intercourse,  to  do  the  same.  Ten  years 
after  this  God  gave  me  a  clearer  view  than  I  had 
before  of  the  way  to  obtain  it,   namely,   by  faith 


94  LIFE    OF    KEY.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

in  the  Son  of  God,  and  immediately  I  declared  to 
all :  '  We  are  saved  from  sin,  we  are  made  holy 
by  faith.'  This  I  testified  in  private,  in  public,  in 
print,  and  God  confirmed  it  by  a  thousand  wit- 
nesses."— Vol.  yii,  p.  38. 

Again  he  whites,  "  In  the  evening,  while  I  was 
reading  prayers  at  Snowsfield,  I  found  such  light 
and  strength  as  I  never  remember  to  have  had  be- 
fore. I  saw  every  thought,  as  well  as  action  or 
word  just  as  it  was  rising  in  my  heart,  and  whether 
it  was  right  before  God,  or  tainted  with  pride  or 
selfishness.  I  awakened  the  next  morning,  by 
the  grace  of  God,  in  the  same  spirit,  and  living 
with  two  or  three  that  believed  in  Jesus,  I  felt 
such  an  awe  and  tender  sense  of  the  presence  of 
God  as  greatly  confirmed  me  therein,  so  that  God 
was  before  me  all  day  long.  I  sought  and  found 
him  in  every  place.  I  could  truly  say,  when  I  lay 
down  at  night,  'now  I  have  lived  a  day.' " 

Who  ever  will  search  through  the  writings  of 
John  Wesley  will  find  that  he  seldom  mentions 
his  experience  of  full  salvation.  It  is  not  so  much 
expressed  as  implied.  The  whole  work  of  his  de- 
voted life  testifies  that  he  was  entirely  sanctified. 
Who,  but  such  a  saint,  could  write  :  "  The  cir- 
cumcision of  the  heart  is  that  habitual  disposition 
of  soul  which,  in  the  sacred  writings,  is  termed 
holiness,    and    which    directly    implies    the  being 


CHRISTIAN    PERFECTION.  95 

cleansed  from  sin,  from  all  filthiness  both  of  the 
flesh  and  of  the  spirit,  and,  by  consequence,  the 
being  endowed  with  those  virtues  which  were  also 
in  Christ  Jesus;  the  being  so  renewed  in  the 
image  of  our  mind  as  to  be  perfect,  as  our  Father 
in  Heaven  is  perfect.  I  believe  it  to  be  an  inward 
thing,  namely,  the  life  of  God  in  the  soul  of  man, 
a  participation  of  the  Divine  nature,  the  mind  that 
was  in  Christ,  or  the  renewal  of  our  hearts  after 
the  image  of  Him  that  created  us.  What  is  then 
the  perfection  of  which  a  man  is  capable  while  he 
dwells  in  a  corruptible  body  ?  It  is  the  complying 
with  that  kind  command  :  '  My  son,  <rive  me  thy 
heart.'  It  is  the  loving  God  with  all  the  heart, 
and  with  all  the  soul,  and  with  all  the  mind.  This 
is  the  sum  of  Christian  perfection.  It  is  all  com- 
prised in  that  one  word,  love."  When  Dr.  Gib- 
son, the  Bishop  of  London,  asked  him  what  he 
meant  by  perfection,  he  told  him  without  any  dis- 
guise or  reserve,  who  replied:  "Mr.  Wesley,  if 
this  be  all  you  mean,  publish  it  to  all  the  world." 
He  answered,  "My  Lord,  I  will." 

At  the  first  conference,  in  1744,  Christian  per- 
fection was  defined,  "  A  renewal  in  the  image  of 
God,  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness.  To  be  a 
perfect  Christian  is  to  love  the  Lord  our  God  with 
all  our  heart,  soul,  mind  and  strength  — implying 


96  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY, 

the  destruction  of  all  inward  sin,  and  faith  in  the 

condition  and  instrument  by  which  such  a  state  of 

grace  is  obtained." 

No  wonder  that  he  could  sing : 

u  Jesus,  see  ray  panting  breast, 
See,  I  pant  in#thee  to  rest, 
Gladly  would  I  now  be  clean, 
Cleanse  me  now  from  every  sin." 

Then,  in  the  language  of  his  brother  Charles, 

he  could  exclaim  : 

;  Saviour,  to  thee  my  soul  looks  up, 

My  present  Saviour  thou ; 
With  all  the  confidence  of  hope, 
I  claim  the  blessing  now. 

'Tis  done!  thou  dost  this  moment  save, 

With  full  salvation  bless ; 
Redemption  through  thy  blood  I  have, 

And  spotless  love  and  peace." 

About  this  time  he  writes,  "  God  keeps  me  in 
constant  fear  lest  that,  by  any  means,  when  I  have 
preached  to  others,  I  myself  should  be  a  castaway. 
I  spoke  plainly  to  the  women  bands  of  their  un- 
advisedness,  their  want  of  love,  and  not  bearing 
one  another's  burdens.  We  found  an  immediate 
effect ;  some  were  convinced  they  had  thought  too 
highly  of  themselves,  and  that  their  first  love, 
like  their  first  joy,  was  only  a  foretaste  of  that 
temper  which  continually  rules  in  a  new  heart  — 
they  had  not  been  attentive  to  the  command,  '  go 
on  to  perfection'." 


IMPRESSIONS.  97 

Mr.  Wesley  was  fully  set  against  fanatacism. 
He  says,  "  The  spirit  of  enthusiasm  was  breaking 
in  upon  many  who  charged  their  own  imaginations 
on  the  word  of  God,  and  that  not  written,  but 
impressed  on  their  hearts.  If  these  impressions 
be  received  as  the  rule  of  action,  instead  of  the 
written  word,  I  know  nothing  so  wicked  or  absurd 
that  we  may  fall  into,   and  that  without  remedy." 

Again,  "  They  may  likewise  imagine  themselves 
to  be  influenced  or  directed  by  the  Spirit  when 
they  are  not.  How  many  will  impute  things  to  the 
Spirit  without  any  rational  or  Scriptural  ground  ? 
Such  are  they  who  imagine  they  either  do  or  shall 
receive  particular  directions  from  God,  not  only 
in  points  of  importance,  but  in  things  of  no  mo- 
ment in  the  most  trifling  circumstances  of  life, 
whereas,  in  these  cases,  God  has  given  us  our  own 
reason  for  a  guide,  though  never  excluding  the 
secret  assistance  of  his  Spirit. — '  To  the  law  and 
the  testimony !  —  this  is  the  general  method  of 
knowing  what  is  the  holy  and  acceptable  will  of 
God.'" 


98         ,  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


ESTABLISHING  METHODISM  EST  THE  UNITED  KINGDOM. 

The  power  of  God  still  attended  the  faithful 
preaching  of  the  gospel.  Many  were  struck 
under  conviction,  and  hardly  knew  what  struck 
them ;  but  they  were  laden  with  a  sense  of  their 
sins,  and  of  "the  wrath  to  come,"  so  that  they 
could  not  rest  till  they  were  truly  converted.  A 
man  who  had  been  an  atheist  for  twenty  years, 
came  to  the  Foundry  to  make  sport  of  Wesley's 
meeting,  but  God  arrested  him  in  his  sins,  and 
there  was  no  peace  in  his  soul  till  his  sins  were 
pardoned.  At  Bristol  the  power  of  God  came 
down  so  mightily,  that  "  some  wept  aloud,  some 
clapped  their  hands,  some  shouted,  and  the  rest 
sang  praise."  In  London,  while  a  violent  storm 
was  raging,  "  their  hearts  danced  for  joy,  praising 
the  glorious  God  that  maketh  the  thunder." 

Wesley  spent  three  weeks  in  Oxford,  in  1741, 
There  were  but  few  left  of  the  Oxford  Methodists. 
His  friend  Gambold  told  him  that  he  need  be 
under  no  fear  respecting -his  sermon  before  the 
University,  which  he  was  come  to  preach,  for  the 


RICHARD   VINEY.  99 

authorities  were  utterly  regardless  of  what  he 
said.  Here  he  met  Kichard  Viney,  an  Oxford 
Moravian  minister,  whose  person,  delivery,  and 
bearing  prevented  his  sermons  from  being  accept- 
able to  many  ;  yet  he  was  elected  president  of 
the  Society  of  Fetter  Lane. 

Wesley  preached  his  sermon  before  the  Uni- 
versity at  St.  Mary's,  to  the  largest  congregation 
he  had  ever  seen  at  Oxford.  His  text  was, 
"Almost  thou  persuadest  me  to  be  a  Christian." 
1.  What  is  implied  in  being  almost,  and  2.  What 
in  being  altogether  a  Christian?  To  be  almost  a 
Christian  implied:  1.  Heathen  honesty,  not  to 
defraud  a  fellow-man  of  his  right,  and,  if  possible, 
to  owe  no  man  anything.  2.  It  relates  to  truth, 
as  wrell  as  justice,  hence  it  pertained  to  slander, 
or  to  calling  God  to  witness  to  a  lie.  A  heathen 
hates  a  liar.  3.  It  relates  to  the  love  or  assistance 
that  heathens  expect  of  one  another.  Heathen 
honesty  extends  to  all  this.  The  second  thing 
implied  in  being  almost  a  Christian,  is  having  the 
form  of  godliness,  doing  nothing  which  the  gospel 
forbids.  Not  only  avoiding  all  actual  sin,  as 
murder,  adultery,  fornication,  or  theft,  but  also 
every  word  or  look  that,  either  directly  or 
indirectly,  tends  thereto.  He  is  no  reviler,  no 
brawler,  no  scoffer,  either  at  the  faults  or  infirmi- 
ties  of  his  neighbor.     He  labors   and  suffers  to 


100  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

promote  the  good  of  others.  He  uses  all  the 
means  of  grace,  including  family  and  private 
prayer.  And  he  does  all  this  in  sincerity,  having 
an  inward  principle  of  religion.  In  this  he  told 
his  own  experience,  for  he  says,  "I  did  go  thus 
for  many  years,  as  many  of  this  place  can  testify, 
using  diligence  to  eschew  all  evil,  and  to  have  a 
conscience  void  of  offence ;  redeeming  the  time ; 
buying  up  every  opportunity  of  doing  good  to  all 
men ;  yet  my  own  conscience  beareth  me  witness 
in  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  all  this  time  I  was  but 
almost  a  Christian.  What  is  implied  in  being 
altogether  a  Christian?  First,  the  love  of  God. 
Such  a  love  as  engrosses  the  whole  heart,  as  takes 
up  the  affections,  as  fills  the  entire  capacity  of 
the  soul.  Second,  love  to  our  neighbors.  Thou 
shalt  love  thy  neighbor  as  thyself.  My  neighbor 
is  every  man  in  the  world,  not  excepting  our 
enemies,  or  the  enemies  of  God.  Every  Chris- 
tian loveth  these  also  as  himself.  This  love  is 
long  suffering,  kind,  not  puffed  up.  All  this 
must  be  grounded  in  faith,  and  this  must  be  a 
faith  that  works  by  love."  I  have  given  but  an 
outline  of  this  excellent  sermon,  which  must  have 
had  a  salutary  effect  upon  that  large  and  intelli- 
gent audience. 

During  the    same   year,  while  Wesley  was   in 
Wales,  he  was  very  sick ;  yea,  nigh  unto  death. 


Wesley's  sickness.  101 

A  dangerous  fever  followed,  but  prayer  was 
offered,  and  a  day  of  fasting  was  appointed  at 
Brist  »1.  Yet  for  eight  days  he  was  near  eternity. 
Prayer  prevailed,  and  he  entered  again  on  his 
great  itinerant  labors.  He  says,  "It  was  a 
strange  thing  for  me,  who  have  not  kept  my  bed 
a  day  for  five  and  thirty  years.  I  was  a  prisoner 
for  three  weeks."  While  recovering  from  this, 
he  read  the  life  of  Philip  Henry,  and  of  Mathew 
Henry,  and  other  good  books. 

Ty erman  has  well  said  :  ' '  Great  revivals  of 
religion  have  generally  been  attended  by  copious 
productions  of  hymns  of  praise."  Thus  it  was  in 
the  rise  of  Methodism.  This  was  emphatically 
the  great  era  of  hymn  writing  in  the  English 
Church.  Watts,  Doddridge,  and  Erskine  poured 
forth  the  joys  of  their  converted  hearts,  and  fur- 
nished lyric  lines  which  have  been  used  in  sacred 
worship  by  millions.  But  of  all  the  hymnists 
then  living,  the  Wesleys  were  the  most  remark- 
able. A  competent  authority  has  estimated  that 
during  Wesley's  life,  there  were  published  not  less 
than  six  thousand  six  hundred  hymns  from  the 
pen  of  Charles  Wesley  only.  Having  furnished 
their  Societies  with  so  many  hymns,  no  wonder 
that  they  collected  and  furnished  tunes.  Their 
religion  made  them  happy,  and  happiness  always 
finds   vent   in    song.      The    old    Methodists  were 


102  LITE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

remarkable  for  their  singing,  because  their  hearts 
throbbed  with  joy  unspeakable.  Naturally  the 
Wesley s  were  full  of  poetry ;  and  religion,  so  far 
from  extinguishing  the  fire,  fanned  it  into  a  holy 
flame.  Their  taste  in  music  may  be  gathered 
from  Wesley's  direction  to  his  preachers:  "Suit 
the  tunes  to  the  words.  Avoid  complex  tunes, 
which  it  is  scarcely  possible  to  sing  with  devotion. 
Sing  no  anthems.  Do  not  suffer  the  people  to 
sing  too  slow.  In  every  Society  let  them  learn  to 
sing.  Let  the  women  sing  their  parts  alone. 
Exhort  every  one  in  the  congregation  to  sing,  not 
one  in  ten  only." 

Wesley  was,  indeed,  a  great  itinerant  preacher. 
In  1743,  he  spent  about  fourteen  weeks  in  Lon- 
don, ten  in  Bristol  and  vicinity,  thirteen  in 
Newcastle,  three  in  Cornwall,  and  twelve  in  the 
north  of  England.  He  travelled  on  horseback, 
reading  as  he  rode  along,  always  at  home  among 
the  rich  or  the  poor,  in  the  city  or  in  the  country ; 
always  about  his  Master's  work.  At  Sandhutton, 
while  baiting  his  horse,  he  found  sitting  in  the 
chimney  corner  of  the  public  house,  a  good- 
natured  man,  who  was  enjoying  his  grog  with 
gusto.  Wesley  spoke  to  him  about  sacred  things, 
having  no  suspicion  that  he  was  talking  to  the 
parish  priest ;  and  yet,  so  it  was  ;  but  the  reverend 
tippler  did  not  boil  over  with  offence,  but  begged 
his  reprover  to  call  upon  him  on  his  next  visit. 


CLASS    TICKETS.  103 

When  he  and  John  Downes  reached  Darlington 
both  their  horses  lay  down  and  died.  The  next 
month,  as  he  was  leaving  London,  the  saddle 
slipped  over  the  horse's  neck,  Wesley  was  thrown 
over  the  horse's  head,  and  the  horse  ran  back  to 
Smithfield.  He  went  to  church  at  Exeter,  and 
says  :  ' '  The  sermon  was  quite  innocent  of  mean- 
ing. The  afternoon  sermon  was,  I  know  not 
what,  for  I  could  not  hear  a  single  sentence." 
In  leaving  Epworth  he  had  to  cross  the  Trent  in  a 
ferry  boat ;  a  terrible  storm  was  raging :  the 
cargo  consisted  of  threo  horses,  and  eight  men 
and  women.  In  the  midst  of  the  river,  the  side 
of  the  boat  was  under  water,  and  the  horses  and 
men  rolled  one  over  another,  while  Wesley  was 
laid  in  the  bottom,  pinned  down  with  a  large  iron 
bar,  and  utterly  unable  to  help  himself.  Pres- 
ently the  horses  jumped  into  the  water,  and  the 
boat  was  lightened,  and  came  safe  to  land. 

As  many  who  joined  the  Societies  were  of  a  low 
order,  no  wonder  if  some  of  them  proved 
unworthy  characters,  and  had  to  be  dismissed. 
Mr.  Wesley  devised  a  very  quiet  way  of  disposing 
of  these  undesirable  members.  He  had  a  printed 
class  ticket,  with  a  passage  of  scripture  printed 
upon  it,  with  a  blank  space  for  the  name  of  the 
member  to  whom  it  was  given.  These  tickets 
were  renewed  quarterly,  and  are  now  in  use  in 


104  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

the  Wesleyan  Society  in  England.  The  reception 
of  this  ticket  was  a  token  of  Christian  fellowship, 
and  the  showing  of  this  ticket  admitted  the  party 
to  the  love  feasts  of  those  days.  But  the  failure 
to  receive  this  ticket  was  a  proof  that  the  fellow- 
ship was  withdrawn,  and  you  had  no  right  to 
membership  in  the  church,  or  to  a  place  in  the 
love  feast.  Some  of  these  members  before  con- 
version were  noted  for  "  savage  ignorance  and  all 
kinds  of  wickedness."  Alas  !  some  fell  back  into 
sin. 

At  Newcastle  the  people  were  fearfully  convict- 
ed of  sin,  some  felt  as  though  a  sword  was  run- 
ning through  them.  Others  thought  a  great 
weight  was  upon  them ;  others  could  hardly 
breathe ;  others  felt  that  their  bodies  were  being 
torn  to  pieces.  Wesley  says,  "These  symptoms 
I  could  no  more  impute  to  any  natural  causes, 
than  to  the  Spirit  of  God.  I  can  make  no  doubt 
but  it  was  Satan  tearing  them,  as  they  were  com- 
ing to  Christ,  and  hence  proceeded  these  grievous 
cries,  whereby  he  might  design  both  to  discredit 
the  work  of  God  and  to  affright  fearful  people 
from  hearing  that  word  whereby  their  souls  might 
be  saved.  Charles  Wesley  said  "I  am  more  and 
more  convinced  it  was  a  device  of  Satan  to  stop 
the  course  of  the  gospel."  Many  to  whom  they 
preached  were  fierce  and  threatening.     They  were 


CHURCH    AT   NEWCASTLE.  105 

children  of  the  wicked  One,  who  were  held  fast  in 
Satan's  chains.  It  is  impossible  to  tell  what 
would  have  become  of  this  class  of  sinners,  all 
over  England,  Ireland,  Scotland  and  Wales,  or 
what  would  have  become  of  society  in  general,  if 
God  had  not  raised  up  Wesley  and  Whitefield 
and  their  fellow  workers,  to  go  out  and  proclaim 
the  gospel  of  Christ  from  one  end  of  the  land  to 
the  other. 

Most  of  these  people  were  poor  and  it  was  hard 
to  raise  money  to  build  churches.  Wesley  had 
but  very  little  when  he  began  to  build  the  church 
at  Newcastle,  but  God  raised  up  funds  from  time 
to  time.  A  good  Quaker  friend  sent  him  a  £100, 
saying  "I  had  a  dream.  I  saw  a  shepherd  with  a 
great  flock  of  sheep  ;  so  many  that  he  could  not 
get  them  into  the  fold.  Then  it  came  to  my  mind 
that  it  must  be  John  Wesley  who  wants  to  build 
a  chapel  at  Newcastle,  and  I  must  help  him.'*  So 
she  sent  the  money  just  in  time.  Chapels  were 
built  in  many  places  and  became  centres  of  moral 
and  spiritual  good. 

It  is  astonishing  how  the  powers  of  earth  and 
hell  were  stirred  in  some  places.  Clergymen  and 
people  raved  against  God  and  his  gospel,  and  the 
ministers  that  God  had  sent  to  proclaim  it.  For 
instance,  at  Walsal,  while  Charles  Wesley  was 
preaching  on  the  steps  of  the  market  house,  the 


106  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

mob  was  roaring  and  shouting  and  throwing  stones 
incessantly,  Many  struck  him,  but  not  to  hurt 
him.  In  another  place  they  began  pelting  them 
with  stones  and  dirt  and  smashed  in  the  windows 
of  the  Methodist  houses  in  Wednesbury,  Darlas- 
tan  and  West  Bromwich.  Sometimes  money  was 
extorted  and  furniture  broken,  and  even  the 
magistrate  swung  his  hat  in  derision  when  asked 
to  quiet  the  rabble.  Wesley  writes,  i 'I  received 
a  full  account  of  the  terrible  riots  in  Staffordshire  ; 
I  was  not  surprised  at  all,  after  the  advices  they 
had  received  from  the  pulpit,  as  well  as  from  the 
Episcopal  chair  ;  the  zealous  high  churchmen  had 
rose  and  cut  all  that  were  Methodists  in  pieces.'* 

They  went  to  Mary  Turner's  house  at  West 
Bromwich  and  hunted  her  and  her  two  daughters 
with  stones  and  stakes,  threatened  to  knock  them 
on  the  head  and  to  bury  them  in  a  ditch.  They 
came  to  John  Bird's  house,  felled  his  daughter, 
snatched  money  from  his  wife,  broke  ten  of  his 
windows,  besides  destroying  sash  frames,  shutters 
and  chest  of  drawers.  They  took  Humphrey 
Hands  by  the  throat,  swore  they  would  be  the 
death  of  him,  gave  him  a  great  swing  and  hurled 
him  on  the  ground.  On  rising,  they  struck  him 
on  the  eye  and  again  knocked  him  down ;  then 
they  smashed  his  windows  and  goods.     At  this 


DOINGS    OF   THE    MOB.  107 

very  time,  about  Wednesbury,  more  than  eighty 
houses  had  their  windows  damaged,  in  many  of 
which  not  three  panes  were  left  unbroken. 

John  Wesley  was  at  the  house  of  Francis 
Wards.  The  mob  beset  the  house,  and  cried  : 
"Bring  out  the  minister;  we  will  have  the 
minister ! "  At  Wesley's  request,  three  of  the 
most  furious  came  into  the  house,  and  after  the 
interchange  of  a  few  sentences,  were  perfectly 
appeased.  With  these  men  to  clear  the  way, 
Wesley  went  out,  and  standing  in  the  midst  of 
the  surging  mob,  asked  what  they  wanted  with 
him.  Some  said,  "We  want  you  to  go  with  us 
to  the  justice."  He  replied,  "That  I  will,  with 
all  my  heart ;"  and  away  they  went.  Before  they 
had  walked  a  mile,  the  night  came  on  accompanied 
with  heavy  rain.  The  magistrate  lived  two  miles 
away.  Some  pushed  forward,  and  told  Mr.  Lane, 
the  magistrate,  that  they  were  bringing  John 
Wesley  before  his  worship.  "  What  have  I  to  do 
with  Wesley?  take  him  back  again." 

But  when  they  insisted  upon  offering  their  com- 
plaint, their  spokesman  said:  "To  be  plain,  sir, 
if  I  must  speak  the  truth,  all  the  fault  that  I  find 
with  Wesley  is  that  he  preaches  better  than  our 
parsons."  Another  said:  "Sir,  it  is  a  downright 
shame ;  he  makes  people  rise  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning  to  sing  psalms.  What  advice  would  you 
give  us?"     "Go  home,  and  be  quiet,"  he  replied. 


108  LIFE    OF    KEV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

Then  they  hurried  Wesley  to  Walsal,  to  another 
magistrate,  who  refused  to  see  them.  Now  they 
must  trudge  back.  The  Walsal  mob  met  them, 
and  they  began  to  quarrel.  Wesley  was  left 
alone  in  the  hands  of  the  victorious  ruffians. 
One  struck  him  with  a  club.  Others  tried  to 
seize  him  by  the  collar,  and  pull  him  down. 
Another  lifted  his  arm  to  strike,  but  on  a  sudden, 
let  it  fall,  and  only  stroked  his  hair,  saying, 
"  What  soft  hair  he  has  I"  One  man  struck  him 
on  the  breast,  another  on  the  mouth,  so  that  the 
blood  gushed  out.  He  was  dragged  back  to 
Walsal,  and  attempting  to  enter  a  house,  the  door 
of  which  was  left  open,  he  was  seized  by  the  hair 
of  his  head  and  hindered.  He  was  then  paraded 
through  the  street,  from  one  end  of  Walsal  to  the 
other.  Here  he  stood  and  asked,  "What  evil 
have  I  done  ?  Which  of  you  have  I  wronged  in 
word  or  deed?"  Again  they  cried,  "  Bring  him 
away  ! "  Wesley  began  to  pray  ;  and  now  a  man 
who  just  before  headed  the  mob,  turned  and  said, 
"Sir,  I  will  spend  my  life  for  you;  follow  me 
and  no  one  shall  hurt  a  hair  of  your  head."  Two 
or  three  of  his  companions  joined  him,  the  mob 
parted,  and  these  brave  ruffians  —  one  of  them  a 
prize-fighter — took  Wesley  and  carried  him 
through  the  crowd.  He  writes  in  his  journal : 
"A  little   before  ten  o'clock,   God    brought  me 


"BLACK    COUNTRY."  109 

safe  to  Wednesbury,  having  lost  only  one  flap  of 
my  waistcoat,  and  a  little  skin  from  one  of  my 
hands.  From  the  beginning  to  the  end  I  found 
the  same  presence  of  mind  as  if  Iliad  been  sitting 
in  my  own  study.  But  I  took  no  thought  for  one 
moment  before  another.  Only  once  it  came  into 
my  mind  that  if  they  should  throw  me  into  the 
river,  it  would  spoil  the  papers  that  were  in  my 
pocket.  For  myself,  I  did  not  doubt  but  I  should 
swim  across,  having  but  a  thin  coat  and  a  light 
pair  of  boots." 

Such  was  the  beginning  of  Methodism  in  the 
"black  country,"  so  called  because  there  are  so 
many  coal  mines  and  blast  furnaces,  and  so  much 
smoke  from  burning  coal  into  coke  for  those 
furnaces.  Now  Methodism  flourishes  in  all  that 
region,  for  I  was  born  in  Dudley,  very  near  there, 
and  after  being  in  this  country  thirty  years,  I 
returned  and  found  Methodist  chapels  in  all  parts 
of  this  "black  country."  There  are  Wesleyan 
Methodist,  New  Connection  Methodist,  and  Prim- 
itive Methodist.  They  compose  a  great  part  of 
the  spiritual  power  of  that  community. 

In  five  days  after  Wesley  received  this  rough 
treatment,  Charles  Wesley  boldly  bearded  the 
lion  in  his  den,  by  preaching  there.  He  found  the 
poor  Methodists  "standing  fast  in  one  mind  and 
spirit,  in  nothing  terrified  by  their  adversaries." 


110  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

He  writes  :  "  Never  before  was  I  in  so  primitive 
an  assembly.  We  sang  praises  lustily,  and  with 
good  courage ;  and  could  all  set  our  seal  to  the 
truth  of  the  Lord's  saying :  '  Blessed  are  they 
that  are  persecuted  for  righteousness  sake.'  We 
assembled  before  day  to  sing  hymns  of  praise  to 
Christ,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  light,  I  walked  down 
the  town,  and  preached  boldly  on  Rev.  2  :  10. 
It  was  a  glorious  time,  but  souls  were  satisfied 
with  marrow  and  fatness,  and  we  longed  for  our 
Lord's  coming,  to  confess  us  before  His  Father 
and  His  holy  angels." 

All  were  struck  with  the  meek  behaviour  of 
John  Wesley  and  his  crowd.  Even  the  leader  of 
the  mob  was  converted  and  joined  the  Methodists. 
When  Charles  asked  him  what  he  thought  of  John 
Wesley  he  replied,  "I  think  of  him  !  I  thought 
he  was  a  mon  of  God,  and  God  was  on  his  side, 
when  so  mony  of  us  were  not  able  to  kill  one 
mon."  He  always  delighted  to  tell  how  God  stayed 
his  hands  when  he  wanted  to  kill  Wesley.  He 
died  in  Birmingham — only  a  few  miles  from  where 
he  was  converted — in  1789,  at  the  age  of  eighty- 
five  years  just  two  years  before  John  Wesley — 
what  a  reunion  in  the  glory-land  ! 

But  Satan  was  not  satisfied ;  worse  violence 
broke  out  in  this  region,  if  possible,  the  next  year, 
led  on  by  the  Vicar  of  Weduesbury,  whose  name 


SHAMEFULLY   ABUSED.  Ill 

we  will  not  write,  as  it  ought  to  perish.  He  drew 
up  a  paper  for  the  Methodists  to  sign  or  have 
their  houses  destroyed ;  they  were  to  promise  that 
they  would  never  read,  or  sing,  or  pray  together, 
or  hear  the  Methodist  parsons  any  more.  A  few 
signed,  but  the  mass  stood  firm.  In  less  than  a 
month  Charles  Wesley  came,  but  this  godless 
violence  went  on.  Homes  and  furniture  were 
destroyed  and  some  of  the  members  were  abused 
in  manners  too  shameful  to  record,  but  they  met 
together  morning  and  evening  in  great  peace  and 
love  and  nothing  terrified  by  their  adversaries. 

Cornwall  is  now  a  hot-bed  of  Methodism,  but 
the  time  was  when  it  was  the  hot-bed  of  sin  and 
degredation  ;  when  drinking,  cock-fighting,  bull- 
fighting and  wrestling  were  common.  It  is  said 
that  one  village  was  literally  without  a  Bible  or 
religious  book  except  the  book  of  common  prayer, 
kept  at  a  public  house.  In  a  fearful  storm  when 
they  thought  the  world  was  coming  to  an  end, 
they  fled  to  the  tavern  in  great  consternation,  that 
the  tapster  might  read  them  a  prayer.  Having 
fallen  upon  their  knees  he  seized  a  book  and 
began  to  read  about  storms  and  shipwrecks  and 
rafts,  until  his  mistress  found  out  that  there  was  a 
mistake,  and  cried  out  "Tom,  that's  Eobinson 
Crusoe."  "No,"  said  Tom,  "it  is  the  prayer 
book,  and  on  he  went  till  he  came  to  the  descrip- 


112  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

tion  of  man  Friday,  when  his  mistress  cried  out, 
"I  am  certain  you  are  reading  Robinson  Crusoe." 
" Well,  well,"  said  Tom,  ' 'suppose  I  am,  there 
are  as  good  prayers  in  Robinson  Crusoe  as  in  any 
other  book."  So  he  read  on  till  the  storm  abated. 
Thank  God !  all  were  not  as  ignorant  as  this, 
but  violence  was  the  order  of  the  day  in  Cornwall 
as  in  Staffordshire,  when  Methodism  was  finding 
its  way  in  those  parts.  At  St.  Ives  when  Charles 
Wesley  began  to  sing  the  mob  beat  a  drum  and 
shouted.  At  another  time  he  had  just  named  his 
text  when  they  rushed  upon  his  congregation  and 
threatened  to  murder  him.  The  windows  and 
furniture  were  destroyed,  yea,  everything  except 
the  bare  walls.  Women  were  beaten  and  dragged 
about  without  mercy.  They  broke  the  town 
clerk's  head  and  then  quarrelled  among  them- 
selves. Two  days  after,  the  mob  set  on  by  the 
parish  minister,  fell  upon  the  congregation  and 
swore  most  horribly  that  they  would  be  revenged 
on  them  for  taking  their  people  from  the  church 
and  making  such  disturbance  on  the  Sabbath. 
The  next  day  they  broke  up  the  service  with  eggs 
and  stones.  At  Poole  the  church  warden  shouted 
and  hallooed,  and  put  his  hat  to  Charles  Wesley's 
mouth  to  stop  him  from  preaching.  At  length 
the  mayor  of  St.  Ives  told  Mr.  Hoblin,  the  fire 


SOCIETY   OF    ST.    IVES  113 

and  fagot  minister,  that  he  would  not  be  perjured  to 
gratify  any  man's  malice."  He  appointed  twenty 
new  constables  to  suppress  the  riot. 

Soon  after  this  John  Wesley,  John  Nelson  and 
John  Downs  went  to  Cornwall ;  the  last  two  had 
but  one  horse,  so  they  rode  by  turns.  The 
Society  of  St.  Ives  increased  to  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty.  Nelson  worked  at  his  trade,  as  ma- 
son, part  of  the  time  and  preached  the  other  part. 
He  and  Wesley  slept  upon  the  floor ;  Wesley  had 
Nelson's  top  coat  for  a  pillow  and  Nelson  used 
Burkitt's  notes  on  the  New  Testament,  for  his. 
One  morning  about  three  o'clock,  after  using  this 
hard  bed  for  a  fortnight,  Wesley  turned  over  and 
jocosely  said :  "Brother  Nelson,  let  us  be  of  good 
cheer,  for  the  skin  is  off  but  one  side  yet." 

They  were  continually  preaching,  yet  it  was 
seldom  anyone  asked  them  to  eat  or  drink.  Wes- 
ley said,  "Brother  Nelson,  we  ought  to  be  thank- 
ful that  there  are  plenty  of  blackberries,  for  this 
is  the  best  country  I  ever  saw  for  getting  an 
appetite,  but  the  worst  for  getting  food." 

It  took  much  of  Wesley's  time  to  visit  the 
Societies  that  were  under  his  care,  in  London, 
Bristol,  Newcastle,  Kings  wood,  Staffordshire  and 
Cornwall.  In  Bristol  he  spoke  to  every  member 
of  the  Society  and  rejoiced  in  their  spiritual  pros- 
perity.    He  did  the  same  at  Kings  wood  and  said, 


114  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

"I  cannot  understand  how  any  minister  can  give 
up  his  account  with  joy  unless,  as  Ignatius  says, 
he  knows  all  his  flock  by  name  ;  not  overlooking 
the  men  servants  and  the  maid  servants.  In  London 
the  two  Wesleys  examined  the  flock  from  morning 
till  night,  and  also  at  Newcastle,  till  the  work 
was  completed.  There  was  now  in  London  1950 
members  and  before  the  year  1743  closed  they 
numbered  2200,  all  gathered  in  four  years. 

There  was  a  cry  for  more  chapel  room  in  Lon- 
don, when  God  provided  them  a  chapel  in  West 
street,  Sevendials,  which  was  built  sixty  years 
ago  by  the  French  Protestants,  being  offered  to 
Wesley,  he  opened  it  as  a  Methodist  chapel,  on 
Trinity  Sunday.  The  first  service  lasted  from 
ten  o'clock  till  three.  At  five  he  preached  at 
Great  Gardens,  then  met  the  leaders,  and  then 
the  bands.  In  London  he  and  Charles  officiated 
on  Sunday  mornings  and  evenings,  read  the  lit- 
urgy and  administered  the  sacraments.  The  com- 
munion services  sometimes  lasted  five  hours. 

Three  months  after,  Wesley  opened  another 
chapel  at  Snow^fields,  where  the  people  were  very 
wicked.  Wesley  thought  it  a  means  of  grace  to 
visit  the  people,  especially  the  poor  and  the  sick. 
Then  he  appointed  as  district  officers  in  his 
church,  "visitors  of  the  sick  and  poor."  Many 
lives    were    saved,    and   much    suffering   relieved 


PERSECUTION.  115 

thereby.  The  members  of  the  church  were  to  pay, 
if  able,  a  penny  a  week,  and  a  shilling  a  quarter 
for  the  support  of  the  cause.  Stewards  were 
appointed  to  receive  it.  In  London,  at  this  time, 
this  money  amounted  to  about  £8  per  week.  In  all 
the  societies  the  income  for  the  year  was  about 
£800,  out  of  which  all  chapel  expenses  and  debts 
were  to  be  paid,  as  well  as  relieving  the  sick 
and  poor. 

Persecution  showed  itself  again  in  various 
places.  In  Newcastle  three  parish  ministers 
agreed  to  exclude  from  the  communion  all  who 
would  not  cease  to  attend  Wesley's  services.  In 
Cowbridge,  when  Wesley  attempted  to  preach,  the 
mob  shouted,  blasphemed,  and  threw  showers  of 
stones.  At  Bristol  a  clergyman  preached  against 
the  upstart  Methodists.  When  about  to  do  the 
same  in  another  church,  he  fell  back  against  the 
pulpit  door,  and  before  long  he  expired.  He 
committed  the  sin  unto  death.  1  John,  5  :  16. 
The  people  of  Sheffield  were  ready  to  tear  the 
Methodists  in  pieces.  An  officer  presanted  his 
sword  at  the  breast  of  Charles  Wesley.  The 
meeting-house  was  ruthlessly  demolished,  while 
the  mob  was  encouraged  by  the  constable.  The 
press  was  very  abusive,  and  as  virulent  as  ever; 
but  Jesus  stood  by  his  faithful  few,  and  the  good 


116  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

work  rolled  on  in  increasing  power  on  every  side. 
God  made  "the  wrath  of  his  enemies  to  praise 
him." 

It  is  marvellous  how  such  a  busy  man  should 
find  time  to  write.  The  fact  is,  his  publications 
multiplied  all  the  time.  He  abridged  Bunyairs 
"Pilgrim's  Progress."  he  wrote  "Instructions  for 
Children,"  "Thoughts  on  Marriage  and  Celibacy," 
"Practical  Treatise  on  Christian  Perfection,"  an 
abridgement  ofWm.  Law's  book,  and  "An  Earn- 
est Appeal  to  Men  of  Reason  and  Religion." 
In  this  he  addressed  the  clergy  as  follows  :  "  For 
what  price  will  you  preach  eighteen  or  nineteen 
times  a  week,  and  this  throughout  the  year? 
What  shall  I  give  you  to  travel  seven  or  eight 
hundred  miles,  in  all  weathers,  every  two  or  three 
months  ?  For  what  salary  will  you  abstain  from 
all  other  diversions  than  the  doing  good  and 
praising  God?  I  am  mistaken  if  you  would 
not  prefer  strangling  to  such  a  life,  even  with 
thousands  of  gold  and  silver. 

I  will  now  tell  you  my  sense  of  these  matters, 
whether  you  will  hear  or  whether  you  will  forbear, 
food  and  raiment  I  have ;  such  food  as  I  choose 
to  eat,  and  such  raiment  as  I  choose  to  put  on  ;  I 
have  a  place  where  to  lay  my  head.  I  have  what 
is  needful  for  life  and  godliness.  I  apprehend  this 
is  all  the  world   can  afford.     The    kings    of  the 


ADDRESS  TO  THE  CLERGY.         117 

earth  can  give  me  no  more,  for  as  to  gold  and  sil- 
ver I  count  it  but  dross  ;  I  trample  it  under  my  feet ; 
I  esteem  it  just  as  the  mire  of  the  streets  ;  I  desire 
it  not ;  I  seek  it  not ;  I  only  fear  lest  any  of  it 
should  cleave  to  me  and  I  should  not  be  able  to 
shake  it  off  before  my  spirit  returns  to  God.  I 
will  take  care,  God  being  my  helper,  that  none  of 
the  accursed  thing  shall  be  found  in  my  tents 
when  the  Lord  calleth  me  hence.  Hear  ye  this 
all  ye  that  have  discovered  the  treasures  which 
I  am  to  leave  behind  me.  If  I  leave  behind  me 
£10  above  my  debts  and  my  books,  or  what  may 
happen  to  be  due  on  account  of  them,  you  and  all 
mankind  bear  witness  against  me,  that  I  lived  and 
died  a  thief  and  a  robber." 

Within  twelve  months  of  his  death,  he  closed 
his  cash  book  with  the  following  words,  written 
with  a  tremulous  hand:  "For  eighty-six  years 
I  have  kept  my  accounts  exactly ;  I  will  not 
attempt  it  any  longer,  being  satisfied  with  the 
continual  conviction  that  I  save  all  I  can,  and 
give  all  I  can  ;  that  is,  all  1  have."  Blessed  man  of 
God  !  would  that  his  followers  were  more  like  him  ! 
Dead  to  the  world,  and  alive  unto  God. 


118  LITE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


THE  FIRST  COHERENCE  AND  WHAT  FOLLOWED. 

John   Nelson  was    pressed   for    a    soldier,  and 
afterwards  put  in  prison  for  reproving  the  pro- 
fanity of  one  of  the  officers.     He  was  released  by 
the    influence    of  Lady  Huntingdon,  after   having 
been  marched  about  the  country  for  three  months. 
Wesley  revolted  from  such  scenes,  and  writes,  "I 
found   a  natural  wish,  O  for  ease  and  a  resting 
place  !     Not  yet,  but  eternity  is  at  hand."     Still 
he  plans  for  more  extended  labors  by  writing  let- 
ters to  several  clergymen  and  to  his  lay  preachers 
to  meet  him  in  London  and  give  him  "their  advice 
respecting   the   best   method    of  carrying  on  the 
work  of  God."    This  was  the  first  Methodist  Con- 
ference.     It  met  in  London,  June  25,  1744,  and 
was  held  in  the  Foundry.  Charles  Wesley  preached 
the  first  sermon.     This  conference  was  composed 
of  the  Wesleys  ;  John  Hodges,  rector  of  Wenvo, 
Wales  ;  Henry  Piers,  vicar  of  Buxley,  a  convert 
of  Charles  Wesley  ;  Samuel  Taylor,  vicar  of  Quin- 
ton ;  John    Meriton,  a    clergyman    of  the  Isle   of 


THE    VITAL    DOCTRINES.  119 

Man  ;  also  of  the  following  laymen,  Thomas  Max- 
field,  Thomas  Richards,  John  Bennet  and  John 
Downes. 

These  godly  men  said,  ' '  It  is  desired  that  every- 
thing be  considered  as  in  the  presence  of  God." 
The  following  question  was  formally  proposed  : 
"How  far  does  each  agree  to  submit  to  the  unan- 
imous judgment  of  the  rest?"  Mark  well  the 
answer,  "In  speculative  things,  each  can  only 
submit  as  far  as  his  judgment  shall  be  convinced ; 
in  every  practical  point,  so  far  as  we  can  without 
wounding  our  several  consciences." 

Having  settled  their  rules  and  regulations,  the 
conference  adjourned  for  a  season  of  prayer.  After 
this  they  considered  the  great  doctrines  of  Repent- 
ance, Faith,  Justification,  Sanctification,  and  the 
Witness  of  the  Spirit.  These  were  defined  with 
great  precision.  No  other  tenets  were  discussed 
only  as  they  related  to  these.  These  were  the 
vital  doctrines  that  those  early  ministers  delighted 
to  dwell  upon ;  they  formed  the  staple  of  their 
preaching,  and  were  one  of  the  main  causes  of 
their  success.  Questions  of  discipline  were  then 
considered.  They  decided  to  obey  the  bishops  of 
the  Episcopal  church  in  all  things  indifferent,  and 
observe  the  canons  of  the  church  as  far  as  they 
could  with  a  safe  conscience.  The  lay  preachers 
were   to    preach   so   as,   1,  To  invite;  2,  To  con- 


120  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

vince;  3,  To  offer  Christ;  4,  To  buildup;  and 
do  this  in  some  measure  in  every  sermon.  In  re- 
lation to  the  Episcopal  church,  they  decided  as 
their  opinion,  "  We  believe  that  the  Methodists 
will  either  be  thrust  out,  or  will  leaven  the  whole 
church."  During  the  session  the  conference  was 
received  at  the  mansion  of  Lady  Huntingdon. 
Wesley  preached  in  this  mansion  from  ' '  What 
hath  God  wrought?"  After  this  Whitefield 
preached  there,  and  thus  that  home  became  a 
house  of  God. 

"  Can  we  have  a  seminary  for  laborers?"  was 
among  the  questions  considered  at  this  conference, 
showing  that  this  was  deemed  important,  when 
possible.  "If  Gor*  spare  us  till  another  confer- 
ence," was  the  answer.  At  the  next  conference 
they  said,  "Not  till  God  gives  us  a  tutor."  At 
length  the  seminary  was  begun,  and  now  they 
have  three  theological  institutions  in  England. 
And  we  have  three  in  America,  besides  about  100 
colleges  and  seminaries.  They  dispersed  on  Fri- 
day without  making  any  provision  for  a  future 
session. 

Methodism  spread  with  great  power  in  Corn- 
wall. Wesley  writes  from  Gwennap,  "Here  the 
little  one  has  become  a  thousand  ;  what  an  amaz- 
ing work  has  God  wrought  in  one  year !  The 
whole  country  is  alarmed  and  gone  after  the  sound 


THE    POPULACE    FOLLOW    WESLEY.  121 

of  the  gospel.  In  vain  do  the  pulpits  ring  of 
popery  and  enthusiasm,  but  preachers  are  daily 
pressed  to  new  places  and  enabled  to  preach  five 
or  six  times  a  day.  Persecution  is  kept  off  till 
the  seed  takes  root.  Societies  are  springing  up 
everywhere.  The  whole  country  is  sensible  of 
the  change."  The  populace  of  the  town  followed 
Wesley  for  field  preaching,  covering  all  the  green 
plain  and  hills  of  the  natural  amphitheatre  of 
Gwennap.  He  spoke  for  three  hours,  and  knew 
not  when  to  stop.  He  could  hardly  get  away  from 
them,  they  were  so  hungry  for  the  word  of  life. 
"The  poor  people  were  ready  to  eat  them  up,  and 
sent  them  away  with  many  hearty  blessings.  Our 
Lord  rides  on  in  triumph  through  this  place." 

It  is  perfectly  wonderful  what  power  attended 
the  preaching  of  the  word  in  these  times.  Wes- 
ley's journals  blaze  out  with  flaming  records  of  the 
lightning  power  that  smote  the  sinners  and  made 
them  cry  out  as  though  they  were  dropping  into 
hell.  Such  cries  for  mercy  and  bewailing  their 
sins  has  seldom  been  seen  among  men.  Indeed, 
as  I  have  said  elsewhere,  I  believe  the  powers  of 
hell  were  mightily  disturbed,  yea,  that  Satan  him- 
self possessed  some  of  these  sinners,  and  had  to 
be  cast  out  by  the  power  of  the  Lord  Jesus.  Near 
Bristol,  after  preaching,  a  woman  came  to  him 
saying  very  abruptly,  "I  must  speak  with   you, 


122  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

and  will.  I  have  sinned  against  light  and  love. 
I  have  sinned  beyond  forgiving.  I  have  been 
cursing  you  in  my  heart,  and  blaspheming  God 
ever  since  I  came  here.  I  am  damned ;  I  know 
it ;  I  feel  it ;  I  am  in  hell ;  I  have  hell  in  my 
heart."  Wesley  invited  two  or  three  that  had 
faith  in  God  to  join  in  prayer  for  her.  Immedi- 
ately that  horrid  dread  was  taken  away,  and  she 
began  to  see  some  dawnings  of  hope. 

While  Wesley  was  preaching  at  Rose  Green,  a 
young  woman  sank  down  in  a  violent  agony  both 
of  body  and  mind,  as  did  five  or  six  others,  in  the 
evening,  at  whose  cries  some  were  greatly  offended. 
The  same  offence  was  given  in  Weaver's  Hall  by 
eight  or  nine  others. 

All  manner  of  characters  came  to  Wesley.  He 
tells  of  one  as  follows:  "One  came  to  me  by 
whom  I  used  to  profit  much.  But  her  conversa- 
tion was  now  too  high  for  me  ;  it  was  far  above, 
out  of  my  sight.  My  soul  is  sick  of  this  sublime 
divinity.  Let  me  think  and  speak  as  a  little  child. 
Let  my  religion  be  plain,  artless,  simple.  Meek- 
ness, temperance,  patience,  faith  and  love,  be  these 
my  highest  gifts ;  and  let  the  highest  words 
wherein  I  teach  them,  be  those  I  learn  from  the 
book  of  God  !  " 

At  Long  Lane,  many  came  to  disturb  the  meet- 
ing, and  procured  a  woman  to  lead  the  way.     The 


HE  TREATS  HIS  OPPOSEKS  WITH  CONTEMPT.        123 

instant  she  broke  out,  Wesley  says,  "I  turned 
upon  her,  and  declared  the  love  our  Lord  had  for 
her  soul.  We  then  prayed  that  he  would  confirm 
the  word  of  His  grace.  She  was  pricked  to  the 
heart,  and  shame  covered  her  face.  From  her  I 
turned  to  the  rest,  who  melted  away  like  water, 
and  were  as  men  who  had  no  strength.  But 
surely  some  of  them  shall  find  who  is  their  Rock 
and  their  strong  salvation." 

At  another  time  he  treated  his  opposers  with 
silent  contempt.  When  a  company  came  in  to 
disturb,  he  went  on  with  his  service.  No  one 
spoke  to  them  and  they  soon  went  away  in  shame. 
After  preaching  at  Kennington,  where  some 
opposed,  he  writes,  "When  I  came  home  I  found 
an  innumerable  mob  round  the  door,  who  opened 
all  their  throats  the  moment  they  saw  me.  I  de- 
sired my  friends  to  go  into  the  house,  and  then 
walking  into  the  midst  of  the  people,  proclaimed 
4  the  name  of  the  Lord,  gracious  and  merciful,  and 
repenting  him  of  the  evil.'  I  told  them  they  could 
not  flee  from  the  face  of  that  great  God,  and  there- 
fore besought  them  that  we  might  all  join  together 
in  crying  to  him  for  mercy.  To  this  they  readily 
agreed.  I  then  commended  them  to  his  grace, 
and  went  undisturbed  to  the  little  company  within." 

Wesley  makes  repeated  reference  to  being  healed 
in  body  by  the  prayer  of  faith,  for  he  evidently 


124  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

had  faith  in  God  for  his  body  as  well  as  his  soul. 
Hear  him,  "In  the  evening  I  explained  the  33d 
chapter  of  Ezekiel,  in  applying  which  I  was  sud- 
denly seized  with  such  a  pain  in  my  side  that  I 
could  not  speak.  I  knew  my  remedy,  and  imme- 
diately kneeled  down.  In  a  moment  the  pain  was 
gone,  and  the  voice  of  the  Lord  cried  aloud  to 
the  sinners,  'Why  will  you  die,  O  house  of 
Israel?'" 

At  another  time  he  writes,  "I  was  obliged  to 
lie  down  most  of  the  day,  my  bodily  strength  en- 
tirely failed  ;  yet  in  the  evening  my  weakness  was 
suspended,  while  I  was  calling  sinners  to  repent- 
ance. But  at  our  love  feast  that  followed,  beside 
the  pain  in  my  back  and  head  and  the  fever  which 
still  continued  upon  me,  just  as  I  began  to  pray  I 
was  seized  with  a  cough  that  I  could  hardly  speak. 
At  the  same  time  came  strongly  into  my  mind, 
'These  signs  shall  follow  them  that  believe.'  I 
called  on  Jesus  aloud  to  increase  my  faith  and  to 
confirm  'the  word  of  his  grace.'  While  I  was 
speaking,  my  pain  vanished  away,  the  fever  left 
me,  my  bodily  strength  returned,  and  for  many 
weeks  I  felt  neither  weakness  nor  pain  ;  unto  thee, 
O  Lord,  do  I  give  thanks." 

Yet  he  did  not  think  that  all  could  be  healed, 
for  he  called  on  one  of  his  members  who  was  in 
great  pain  and  drawing  near  to  death.     He  said 


WESLEY   LOVED   HIS    ENEMIES.  125 

nothing  about  faith  healing,  but  asked,  "Do  you 
faint  now  you  are  chastened  of  him?"  She  said, 
"Oh,  no,  no,  no;  I  faint  not,  I  murmur  not;  I 
rejoice  evermore."  " But  can  you  in  everything 
give  thanks?"  "  Yes,  I  do,  I  do."  "  God  will 
make  all  your  bed  in  your  sickness."  She  cried 
out,  "He  does,  he  does  !  I  have  nothing  to  desire  ; 
he  is  ever  with  me,  and  I  have  nothing  to  do  but 
to  praise  him."  She  breathed  the  same  spirit  of 
praise  and  soon  after  died  in  peace. 

While  Wesley  loved  his  enemies  and  often  sub- 
mitted to  many  abuses  from  them,  yet,  at  times, 
he  felt  that  he  must  avail  himself  of  the  law  of 
the  land  for  his  protection.  So,  when  preaching 
at  Long  Lane,  and  the  mob  were  breaking  down 
the  house  over  his  head,  having  spoken  to  them 
and  they  became  more  violent,  he  said,  "Let 
three  or  four  calm  men  take  hold  of  the  foremost 
and  charge  a  constable  with  him,  that  the  law  may 
take  its  course."  They  did  so,  and  brought  him 
into  the  house,  cursing  and  blaspheming  in  a 
dreadful  manner.  I  desired  five  or  six  to  go  with 
him  to  Justice  Copeland,  to  whom  they  nakedly 
related  the  fact.  He  was  immediately  bound  over 
for  trial."  Meanwhile  Richard  Smith,  one  of  their 
ringleaders,  was  arrested  by  the  power  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.  God  struck  him  to  the  heart,  also 
a  woman  who  wras   speaking  words   not  fit  to   be 


126  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

heard  or  repeated.  They  both  came  into  the 
house  and  fell  down  before  God.  Disturbance 
ceased,  and  the  prosecution  was  withdrawn. 

The  work  of  God  rolled  on  in  various  parts  of 
Cornwall ;  in  Crowan,  Wesley  preached  to  two  or 
three  thousand  miners  who  seemed  to  spring  out 
of  the    earth.     The    storm  of  persecution  lulled. 
Even   at   St.    Ives,   where    they  tore    down   the 
church,  the   saints  were  at  rest  and  in  prosperity, 
and  welcomed  him  with  grateful  tears.     At  Mor- 
vah,  he    found   150  in  the  Society,  and  a  chapel 
commenced.     Hosts  of  rioters  had  become  Meth- 
odists.    He   left   Cornwall   for  Wales,  where  he 
preached    several   days.      Returning    by  way   of 
Bristol  and  Kingswood,  and  proclaiming  the  word 
daily,  he   came  to   Oxford,  where  he   preached  a 
profound  sermon  before  the  University,  as  Fellow 
of  the    College,  upon  "Scriptural    Christianity." 
He  concluded  with  a  powerful  appeal  to  the  Uni- 
versity  dignitaries.     He  writes,   "I   preached,  I 
suppose,  for  the  last  time  at  St.  Mary's.     Be  it 
so.     I  am  now  clear  of  the  blood  of  these  men. 
I  have  fully  delivered  my  soul."     After  this  they 
refused  him  the  right  to  preach,  and  paid  another 
to   do  it.     At  length  he  resigned  his  Fellowship. 
"  Such  was  the  treatment  received  from  the  Uni- 
versity to  which  he  has  given  more  historical  im- 
portance than   any  other  graduate   of  his  own  or 
subsequent  times." 


HE    IS    TAKEN    INTO    CUSTODY.  127 

Now  he  was  fully  free  to  preach  the  gospel 
among  the  poor  and  build  up  his  Societies  that 
now  reached  from  Land's  End  to  Newcastle.  The 
latter  part  of  the  year  he  spent  in  the  north,  amid 
the  trials  of  an  unusual  winter — turnpikes  unknown 
and  snows  deep.  He  writes,  ''Many  a  rough 
journey  have  I  had  before,  but  one  like  this  I 
never  had,  between  wind  and  hail,  and  ice  and 
snow,  and  driving  sleet  and  piercing  cold ;  but  it 
is  past,  those  days  will  return  no  more,  and  there- 
fore are  as  though  they  had  never  been." 

Mobs  broke  out  in  some  places.  Some  of  the 
lay  preachers  were  driven  from  the  field.  One 
was  pressed  into  the  army.  Another  only  escaped 
by  running  from  street  to  street,  and,  entering  a 
private  house,  was  locked  up  in  a  closet  till  mid- 
night, and  then  passed  the  sentinels  and  escaped 
in  a  female  dress.  A  warrant  was  got  out  for 
John  Wesley  himself,  in  Cornwall.  He  was  taken 
into  custody,  but  they  were  surprised  to  find  him 
a  regular  clergyman  and  a  finished  gentleman. 
They  escorted  him  to  his  inn,  and  never  called  for 
him  again.  That  night  he  preached  in  his  favorite 
place  at  Gwennap.  Three  gentlemen  rode  into 
the  congregation,  saying,  "  Seize  him  !  Seize  him 
for  the  magistrates!"  The  people  refused,  but 
san£  a  hymn.  One  of  the  horsemen  seized  Wes- 
ley and   dragged  him  away.     Finding  he  was  not 


128  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

dealing  with  a  fanatic,  but  a  gentleman,  he  carried 
him  back  to  the  congregation. 

The  next  day,  at  Falmouth,  the  mob  assailed 
the  house  where  he  was.  The  family  escaped, 
leaving  Wesley  and  a  maid  to  brave  the  storm. 
Only  a  thin  partition  separated  them.  Wesley 
very  coolly  took  down  a  large  looking-glass  which 
hung  on  the  wall.  The  maid  advised  him  to  hide 
in  a  closet.  But  he  stood  just  where  he  was. 
When  the  door  was  smashed  in,  Wesley  stepped 
forth  among  them  bareheaded  and  said,  "  Here  I 
am.  Which  of  you  has  anything  to  say  to  me? 
To  which  of  you  have  I  done  any  wrong  ?  To 
you?  or  you?  or  you?  He  continued  speaking 
till  he  reached  the  middle  of  the  street ;  there  he 
took  his  stand  and  addressed  them  as  his  neigh- 
bors and  fellow-countrymen.  Several  of  the 
crowd  stepped  out  and  said,  "He  shall  speak; 
yes!  yes!"  He  was  conducted  to  a  house,  and 
left  the  town  in  a  boat. 

On  and  on  he  travelled  and  preached  amid  vile 
persecution  and  great  trials,  through  Cornwall 
and  back  again  into  Wales,  where  he  had  so  much 
prosperity  that  he  writes,  "We  are  here  in  a  new 
world,  as  it  were,  in  peace  and  honor  and  abun- 
dance ;  how  soon  should  I  melt  away  in  such  a 
sunshine,  but  the  goodness  of  God  suffers  it  not." 

John  Nelson  had  been  released  from  impress- 
ment  and  went  forth   everywhere  preaching  the 


JOHN  NELSON  RELEASED.  129 

word,  with  "a  courage  and  natural  adroitness 
which  seldom  failed  to  excite  the  admiration  of 
the  rabble."  Some  of  his  hearers  fell  to  the  ground 
and  cried  out,  "Lord  save  or  I  perish  !"  He  re- 
stored the  society  at  Bristol.  He  was  welcomed 
to  York  by  converts  and  friends.  His  eloquence 
subdued  the  crowd  at  Nottingham  Cross.  At  the 
close  of  his  sermon,  a  military  man  came  and 
begged  for  mercy.  At  another  place  a  man  rushed 
into  the  house  where  he  was  preaching  and  filled 
his  mouth  with  dirt.  He  came  near  choking,  but 
after  cleaning  his  mouth  he  went  on  with  his 
sermon. 

In  the  battle  of  Fontenoy,  May  1,  1745,  between 
the  French  and  the  English,  Clement,  one  of  the 
Methodist  preachers,  had  his  arm  broken  by  a 
musket  ball.  They  offered  to  carry  him  out  of 
battle,  but  he  said  "No,  I  have  an  arm  left  to 
hold  my  sword ;  I  will  not  go  yet."  When  an- 
other ball  broke  his  other  arm,  he  said,  "I  am  as 
happy  as  I  can  be  out  of  paradise."  John  Evans, 
another  preacher,  having  both  his  legs  shot  off, 
was  laid  across  a  cannon  to  die,  where,  as  long  as 
he  could  speak,  he  was  praising  God  and  exhort- 
ing all  around  him.  Haime,  another  preacher, 
believed  that  he  should  not  die  that  day.  After 
seven  hours'  hard  fighting  his  horse  was  killed. 
An  officer  cried,  ' '  Where  is  your  God  now  ?"   "Sir, 


130  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

he  is  here  with  me,  and* will  bring  me  out  of  this 
battle."  Presently  a  cannon  ball  took  off  this  offi- 
cer's head.  Soon  Haime's  horse  fell  upon  him. 
Someone  said,  "Haime  is  gone  now."  He  re- 
plied, "He  is  not  gone  yet."  He  still  walked  on, 
praising  God,  and  was  delivered.  He  saj^s, 
"  Surely  I  was  in  the  fiery  furnace,  but  it  did  not 
singe  a  hair  of  my  head.  The  hotter  the  battle 
grew  the  more  strength  was  given  me  ;  I  was  as 
full  of  joy  as  I  could  contain."  He  met  a  fellow- 
Christian  seeking  water,  and  covered  with  blood, 
who  said,  "Brother  Haime,  I  have  got  a  sore 
wound."  "  Have  you  got  Christ  in  your  heart?" 
"I  have,  and  have  had  him  all  this  day.  I  have 
seen  many  good  and  glorious  days,  with  much  of 
God,  but  I  never  saw  more  of  it  than  this  day. 
Glory  be  to  God  for  all  his  mercies  !  " 

Methodism  was  introduced  into  Scotland  by 
some  of  these  pious  soldiers.  Whitefield  met 
some  of  them  in  Scotland  three  years  after  this 
battle,  and  formed  them  into  a  society.  Thomas 
Rankin,  one  of  Wesley's  early  missionaries  to 
America,  formed  a  society  of  them  at  Dunbar,  his 
native  town  in  Scotland.  At  Mussel  borough  also 
a  society  was  formed.  Wesley  found  them  pros- 
pering twelve  years  after. 

During  this  year,  1744,  some  of  Wesley's  peo- 
ple began  to   profess  Christian   perfection.     He 


REJOICE    IN    THE    WORK    OF    GOD.  131 

listened  to  them  with  much  caution,  and  wrote, 
"I  was  with  two  persons  who  believe  they  are 
saved  from  all  sin.  Be  it  so  or  not,  why  should 
we  not  rejoice  in  the  work  of  God  so  far  as  it  is 
unquestionably  wrought  in   them?     For  instance, 

I  asked  John  C ,  '  Do  you  always  pray?     Do 

you  rejoice  evermore  ?  Do  you  in  everything  give 
thanks  ;  in  loss,  in  pain,  in  sickness,  weariness, 
disappointments?  Do  you  desire  nothing?  Do 
you  fear  nothing  ?  Do  you  feel  the  love  of  God 
continually  in  your  heart  ?  Have  you  a  witness  in 
whatever  you  speak  or  do,  that  it  is  pleasing  to 
God?'  If  he  can  solemnly  and  deliberately  an- 
swer in  the  affirmative,  why  do  I  not  rejoice  and 
praise  God  on  his  behalf?  Perhaps,  because  I 
have  an  exceedingly  complex  idea  of  sanctifica- 
tion,  or  a  sanctified  man.  And  so,  for  fear  he 
should  not  have  attained  all  I  include  in  that  idea, 
I  cannot  rejoice  in  what  he  has  attained." 

Just  before  Wesley  died  he  wrote,  "Four  or 
five  and  forty  years  ago  I  had  no  distinct  views  of 
what  the  apostle  meant  by  exhorting  us  to  '  go  on 
to  perfection,'  but  several  persons  in  London  that 
I  knew  to  be  truly  sincere  desired  to  give  me  an 
account  of  their  experience.  It  appeared  exceed- 
ing strange,  being  different  from  anything  that  I 
had  heard  before.  The  next  year  two  or  three 
more  persons  at  Bristol,  and  several  at  Kingswood, 


132  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

gave  me  exactly  the  same  account  of  their  experi- 
ence. A  few  years  after,  I  desired  all  in  London 
who  made  the  same  profession  to  come  to  me  alto- 
gether at  the  Foundry.  I  desired  that  man  of 
God,  Thomas  Walsh,  to  give  us  the  meeting  there. 
When  we  met,  first  one  of  us  and  then  another 
asked  them  the  most  searching  questions  we  could 
devise.  They  answered  every  one  without  hesita- 
tion and  with  the  utmost  simplicity,  so  that  we 
were  fully  persuaded  they  did  not  deceive  them- 
selves. From  1757  to  1759  their  numbers  multi- 
plied exceedingly.  In  London,  Bristol,  and  in 
various  parts  of  England  and  of  Ireland,  I  care- 
fully examined  most  of  these  myself.  In  London 
alone  I  found  652  members  of  our  society  who 
were  exceedingly  clear  in  their  experience,  and  of 
whose  testimony  I  could  see  no  reason  to  doubt. 
I  believe  no  year  has  passed  since  that  time, 
wherein  God  has  not  wrought  the  same  work  in 
many  others,  and  every  one  of  these,  without  a 
single  exception,  has  declared  that  this  deliver- 
ance from  sin  was  instantaneous;  that  the  change 
was  wrought  in  a  moment.  Had  half  of  these,  or 
two-thirds,  or  one  in  twenty,  declared  it  was  grad- 
ually wrought  in  them,  I  should  have  believed  this 
with  regard  to  them,  and  thought  that  some  were 
gradually  sanctified  and  some  instantaneously. 
But  as  I  have  not  found  in  so  large  a  space  of 


BUSY   WITH    HIS    PEX.  133 

time  a  single  person  speaking  thus,  I  cannot  but 
believe  that  sanctification  is  commonly,  if  not 
always,  an  instantaneous  work." 

This  is  very  candid,  and  ought  to  have  weight 
with  all  sincere  people.  The  same  topic  will  come 
up  again  in  these  pages. 

Wesley  was  very  busy  with  his  pen  this  year. 
He  published  the  sermon  he  preached  at  Oxford  ; 
also  an  extract  from  his  journal  from  1739  to 
1741  ;  also  rules  of  the  Band  Societies.  Before 
joining  these  bands  they  must  answer  affirmatively 
the  following  questions  :  "  Have  you  the  forgive- 
ness of  sin  ?  Peace  with  God  ?  The  witness  of  the 
Spirit  ?  Is  the  love  of  God  shed  abroad  in  your 
heart?  Has  no  sin  dominion  over  you?  Do  you 
desire  to  be  told  your  faults  ?  Do  you  desire  we 
should  tell  yon  whatsoever  we  think,  fear,  or  hear 
concerning  you?  Is  it  your  desire  and  design  on 
this  and  all  other  occasions  to  speak  everything 
that  is  in  your  heart  without  exception,  without 
disguise,  and  without  reserve?'' 

It  seems  to  me  that  all  will  agree  in  these  days 
a  number  of  these  rules  were  neither  wise  nor 
profitable.  No  wonder  they  have  passed  out  of 
use,  for  while  we  should  watch  over  one  another 
for  our  good,  we  should  hardly  find  time  to  stop 
and  tell  all  our  thoughts  or  fears,  or  hearsays  con- 
cerning each  other.     Yet,  no  doubt,  these  bands 


134  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

accomplished  much  good.  Another  of  Wesley's 
publications  was  "Modern  Christianity  Exempli- 
fied at  Wednesbury  and  other  adjacent  places." 
It  closes  with  the  following  remarkable  prayer  :  — 

"Lo,  I  come,  if  this  soul  and  body  may  be  use- 
ful to  anything,  to  do  thy  will,  O  God.  If  it 
please  thee  to  use  the  power  thou  hast  over  dust 
and  ashes,  here  they  are  to  suffer  thy  good  pleas- 
ure. If  thou  pleasest  to  visit  me  with  pain  or 
dishonor,  I  will  humble  myself  under  it,  and 
through  thy  grace  be  obedient  unto  death,  even 
the  death  of  the  cross.  Hereafter  no  man  can 
take  anything  away  from  me  ;  no  life,  no  honor, 
no  estate  ;  since  I  am  ready  to  lay  them  down  so 
soon  as  I  perceive  thou  requirest  them  at  my 
hands.  Nevertheless,  O  Father,  if  thou  be  will- 
ing, remove  this  cup  from  me ;  but  if  not,  thy 
will  be  done." 

This  is,  indeed,  the  prayer  of  entire  consecra- 
tion of  body,  soul,  spirit,  estate  and  all  to  God 
for  his  service  and  for  his  glory.  Such  a  conse- 
cration as  this  makes  faith  the  easiest  act  of  the 
soul.  It  leads  to  the  very  faith  that  brings  the 
fulness  of  God  into  the  soul  of  man.  Who  would 
say  that  Mr.  Wesley  lacked  entire  consecration  ox- 
entire  sanctification  ? 

Wesley  wrote  or  published  many  other  books 
this  year  that  I  have  not  time  or  space  to  mention, 


A   MARVELLOUS    REVIVAL.  135 

except  "The  Distinguishing  Marks  of  a  Work  of 
the  Spirit  of  God.  Extracted  from  Rev.  Jonathan 
Edwards'  book,  of  Northampton  in  New  England." 

Tyreman  justly  observes,  "By  publishing  this 
calm,  pointed,  argumentive  treatise,  Wesley  made 
its  sentiments  his  own,  and  from  it  the  reader  may 
easily  infer  what  were  Mr.  Wesley's  opinions  re- 
specting the  religious  revival  with  which  he  and 
his  cotemporaries  were  connected. 

This  marvellous  revival,  that  spread  all  over  the 
greater  part  of  the  colony  of  Massachusetts,  com- 
menced under  the  labors  of  Jonathan  Edwards,  m 
Northampton,  a  few  months  before  John  Wesley 
set  sail  for  Georgia.  Men  literally  cried  for  mercy. 
There  were  groanings  and  faintings ;  transports 
and  ecstacies ;  zeal  often  more  fervid  than  dis- 
creet. "Oft-times  the  people  were  wrought  up 
into  the  highest  transports  of  love,  joy  and  admi- 
ration, and"  had  such  views  of  the  divine  perfec- 
tions and  the  excellences  of  Christ,  that  for  five 
or  six  hours  together  their  souls  reposed  in  a  kind 
of  heavenly  elysium,  until  the  body  seemed  to 
sink  beneath  the  weight  of  divine  discoveries  and 
nature  was  deprived  of  all  ability  to  stand  or 
speak."  Dr.  Edwards  said,  "The  New  Jerusa- 
lem, in  this  respect,  had  begun  to  come  down 
from  heaven,  and  perhaps  never  were  more  of  the 
predilections  of  heaven's  glory  given  upon  earth." 


136  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

John  Wesley  observes  wisely,  "It  is  no  sign 
that  the  work  is  not  divine  because  it  is  carried  on 
in  a  very  unusual  and  extraordinary  manner.  The 
Holy  Spirit  is  sovereign  in  his  operations.  We 
ought  not  to  limit  God  when  he  has  not  limited 
himself.  Neither  is  a  work  to  be  judged  by  any 
effects  on  the  bodies  of  men,  such  as  tears,  tremb- 
ling, groans,  outcries,  agonies  or  faintings ;  for 
there  is  reason  to  believe  that  great  outpourings 
of  the  Spirit,  both  in  the  prophetic  and  apostolic 
ages,  were  not  wholly  without  these  extraordinary 
effects.  The  same  is  true  respecting  religious 
commotion  among  the  people,  for  this  is  the  natu- 
ral result  of  such  a  work.  '  Further,  though  many 
of  the  converts  may  be  guilty  of  many  impruden- 
cies  and  irregularities,  neither  is  this  the  sign  that 
the  work  is  not  of  God.  It  was  so  in  the  apos- 
tolic churches,  and  this  is  not  likely  to  cease  while 
weakness  is  one  of  the  elements  of  human  charac- 
ter. There  may  be  errors  of  judgment  and  some 
delusions  of  Satan  intermixed  with  the  revival, 
but  that  is  not  conclusive  evidence  that  the  work 
in  general  is  not  the  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
The  work  may  be  promoted  by  ministers  strongly 
preaching  the  terrors  of  the  law,  but  what  of  that  ? 
If  there  really  be  a  hell  of  dreadful  and  never- 
ending  torments,  ought  not  those  exposed  to  it  to 
be  earnestly  warned  of  their  fearful  danger  ?    For 


WHAT   WOULD   YOU    HAVE    MORE?  137 

ministers  to  preach  of  hell,  and  warn  sinners  to 
avoid  it  in  a  cold,  careless,  hesitating  manner,  is 
to  contradict  themselves  and  to  defeat  their  own 
purposes.  The  manner  in  which  the  thing  is  said 
is,  in  such  a  case,  more  effectual  than  the  words 
employed.  It  may  be  unreasonable  to  think  of 
frightening  a  man  to  heaven,  but  it  is  not  unreas- 
onable to  endeavor  to  frighten  him  away  from 
hell." 

Wesley  in  his  ' '  Appeal  to  Men  of  Reason  and 
Religion,"  who  were  in  doubt  whether  this  revival 
in  England  was  of  God,  said,  "  You  have  all  the 
proof  of  this  you  can  reasonably  expect  or  desire. 
That,  in  many  places,  abundance  of  notorious  sin- 
ners are  totally  reformed.  What  would  you  have 
more  ?  What  pretence  can  you  have  for  doubting 
any  longer  ?  " 


138  LIFE   OF   KEY.    JOHN   WESLEY. 


CHAPTER  Vin. 

WESLEY   IN   HIS   VARIOUS    DEPARTMENTS   OF   LABOR 

AND   SUCCESS. 

All  manner  of  controversies  sprang  up  among 
the  people,  but  John  Wesley  held  on  his  way  and 
contended  earnestly  for  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus. 
Mr.  Church  said  he  was  an  enthusiast  in  the  high- 
est degree.  He  replied,  "I  am  no  more  like  Mr. 
Church's  picture  of  an  enthusiast  than  he  is  like  a 
centaur.  I  make  the  word  of  God  the  rule  of  my 
life,  and  no  more  follow  any  secret  impulse  instead 
thereof,  than  I  follow  Mohammed  or  Confucius. 
I  rest  not  on  ecstacies  at  all,  for  I  never  feel  them. 
I  judge  of  my  spiritual  state  by  the  improvement 
of  my  heart  and  the  tenor  of  my  life  conjointly. 
I  desire  neither  my  dreams  or  my  waking  thoughts 
to  be  at  all  regarded,  unless  so  far  as  they  agree 
with  the  oracles  of  God." 

To  his  antinomian  friend  he  wrote,  "All  that  is 
really  uncommon  in  your  doctrine  is  a  heap  of 
absurdities,  in  most  of  which  you  grossly  contra- 
dict yourselves  as  well  as  Scripture  and  common 
sense.     In  the  meantime  you  boast  and  vapor  as 


RULES    FOR    THE    STEWARDS.  139 

if  you  were  the  men  and  wisdom  should  die  with 
you.  I  pray  God  to  humble  you  and  show  you 
all  that  is  in  your  hearts."  With  the  antinomians, 
preaching  the  law  was  an  abomination.  They 
would  preach  Christ  in  their  peculiar  way,  but 
without  one  word  either  of  holiness  or  good  works. 

Wesley  drafted  rules  for  the  stewards  of  his 
Societies  as  follows  :  "You  are  to  be  men  full  of 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  of  wisdom,  that  you  may  do 
all  things  in  a  manner  acceptable  to  God.  You 
are  continually  to  pray  and  endeavor  that  a  holy 
harmony  of  soul  may  in  all  things  subsist  among 
you,  that  in  every  stage  you  may  keep  the  unity 
of  the  Spirit  in  the  bonds  of  peace." 

Wesley  did  a  vast  amount  of  good  for  the  world 
by  abridging  many  useful  books  so  that  the  masses 
may  read  them.  If  he  had  copied  all  these  books 
it  would  have  taken  much  time,  but  he  had  a 
faculty  of  condensing  them  by  drawing  his  pen 
across  whatever  he  would  have  left  out,  and  the 
rest  was  printed. 

One  day  as  Wesley  was  riding  along  he  over- 
took a  serious-minded  man  with  whom  he  con- 
versed, who  soon  told  him  what  his  opinions  were, 
therefore  he  said  nothing  to  contradict.  Wesley 
avoided  stating  his  own  opinions,  but  at  length 
was  drawn  into  a  controversy.  The  man  raved 
and  said,  "You  are  rotten  at  heart.     I  expect  you 


140  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

are  one  of  John  Wesley's  followers."  He  replied, 
"No,  I  am  not  one  of  his  followers,  I  am  John 
Wesley  himself."  The  poor  man  seemed  like  a 
man  who  had*  trodden  upon  a  snake,  and  would 
have  run  away,  but  Wesley  being  on  the  best 
horse  kept  up  with  him  and  tried  to  show  him  his 
heart. 

These  were  days  of  trouble  in  England.  Charles 
Stuart  attempted  to  regain  the  throne  of  England 
for  his  family.  He  had  taken  Edinburg  and 
threatened  England  with  invasion.  The  liberties 
of  England  and  the  Protestant  faith  were  in  dan- 
ger. Day  after  day  the  news  was  alarming.  New- 
castle was  in  danger ;  the  people  were  placed 
under  arms  ;  the  walls  were  fortified  and  the  gates 
blocked  up.  Many  were  alarmed  for  the  Metho- 
dist chapel  and  society.  But  God  was  a  wall  of 
fire  to  them.  Wesley  preached  day  and  night, 
and  encouraged  the  loyalty  of  the  people.  He 
preached  on  wrestling  Jacob,  and  the  power  of 
God  fell  upon  the  people.  The  people  were 
greatly  moved  and  cried  mightily  to  God  to  de- 
liver his  majesty  King  George  and  spare  a  sinful 
land  a  little  longer. 

Of  the  general  effect  of  the  Methodist  labors, 
Wesley  wrote,  "The  grace  of  God  that  bringeth 
salvation,  present  salvation,  from  inward  and  out- 
ward sin,  hath  abounded  of  late  years  in  such  a 


JOHN   NELSON.  141 

degree  as  neither  we  nor  our  fathers  had  known. 
How  extensive  is  this  change  which  has  been 
wrought  in  the  minds  and  lives  of  the  people  ! 
Know  ye  not  that  the  sound  is  gone  forth  into  all 
the  land  ;  that  there  is  scarcely  a  city  or  consider- 
able town  to  be  found  where  some  have  not  been 
roused  out  of  the  sleep  of  death.  No  stress  has 
been  laid  upon  anything  as  necessary  to  salvation 
but  what  is  undeniably  contained  in  the  word  of 
God.  They  contend  for  nothing  trifling  as  if  it 
was  important,  for  nothing  indifferent  as  if  it  were 
necessary,  but  for  everj^thing  in  its  own  order." 

TKis  shows  the  genius  of  Methodism,  and  that 
none  may  say  that  Wesley  was  illiberal,  he  added, 
'•If  3rou  say  'Because  you  hold  opinions  which  I 
cannot  believe  are  true,'  I  answer,  believe  them 
true  or  false,  I  will  not  quarrel  with  you  about 
any  opinion,  only  see  that  your  heart  be  right 
toward  God.  Give  me  an  humble,  gentle  love  of 
God  and  man,  a  man  full  of  mercy  and  good 
fruits." 

None  of  the  lay  preachers  had  a  purer  spirit  or 
a  stronger  body  than  John  Nelson.  He  was  a 
kind  of  a  king  among  them,  and  was  intensely 
hated  and  violently  persecuted.  He.  was  a  stone- 
mason by  trade,  as  we  have  said.  He  labored 
with  good  success  in  Bristol,  and  ii\  Somersetshire 
and  Wiltshire.     No  man  had  such  success  in  mas- 


142  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

tering  hostilities.  At  Harborough  he  was  assailed 
by  nearly  the  whole  town,  men,  women  and  chil- 
dren, who  had  determined  to  hang  the  first  Meth- 
odist minister  that  came  to  their  town.  A  son  of 
a  parish  clergyman  was  the  leader  of  the  mob.  A 
partially  insane  man  was  to  put  the  rope  round 
Nelsons  neck,  and  a  butcher  stood  ready  to  drag 
him  to  the  river  to  drown.  But  while  Nelson  con- 
tinued to  preach  they  could  not  break  the  spell  of 
his  eloquence.  So  they  took  six  large  hand-bells 
to  drown  his  voice.  When  the  madman  came  up 
to  put  on  the  rope,  Nelson  pushed  it  aside,  and 
the  maniac  fell  as  though  he  had  been  knocked 
down  with  an  axe.  The  butcher  stood  trembling 
with  awe,  and  dared  not  touch  him.  A  constable 
turned  pale  and  led  the  minister  away  and  helped 
him  to  mount  his  horse,  and  bade  him  go  in  the 
name  of  the  Lord.  Nelson  exclaimed,  "Oh,  my 
God,  hitherto  thou  hast  helped  me  !  " 

Wesley  and  Nelson  took  sweet  counsel  together, 
reviewing  the  mercies  of  God  and  preparing  for 
new  labors,  trials  and  triumphs.  Wesley  went  on 
preaching  to  an  immense  crowd  at  Bristol,  Nel- 
son's home,  also  at  Manchester,  where  Nelson 
preached  with  power  the  first  Methodist  sermon 
about  two  years  before.  Then  he  went  to  Ply- 
mouth, where  the  mob  assailed  him  again.  The 
soldiers  and  rabble  greeted  him  with  huzzas.     He 


SHAMEFULLY    TREATED.  143 

rode  into  the  midst  of  them,  and  conquered  them 
as  usual.  He  took  the  lieutenant  by  the  hand 
and  subdued  him  by  a  few  words.  "Sir,"  ex- 
claimed the  soldier,  "no  man  shall  touch  you;  I 
will  see  you  safe  home.  Stand  off!  Give  back  ! 
I  will  knock  the  first  man  down  that  touches  him," 
and  led  him  safe  to  his  lodgings.  The  next  day 
he  preached  on  the  common  to  a  well-behaved 
congregation. 

Wesley  continued  his  labors  in  Cornwall,  Bris- 
tol and  Wales,  and  then  in  Ireland.  The  word  of 
God  had  free  course  and  prevailed.  Even  in 
Wednesbury,  in  the  ' '  Black  Country,"  he  preached 
to  vast  congregations.  At  Ep worth,  the  crowd 
was  so  great  that  Wesley  had  to  preach  in  the 
open  air  at  the  Cross  ;  ' '  almost  the  whole  town 
was  there." 

Wesley  barely  escaped  with  his  life  from  Bar- 
rowford,  and  in  many  places  he  was  shamefully 
treated ;  but  the  word  of  the  Lord  was  not  bound. 
The  Holy  Ghost  accompanied  the  word,  and  "signs 
and  wonders  were  wrought  in  the  name  of  the 
Holy  Child  Jesus."  Amid  all  the  strife  and  labor, 
Wesley  and  his  fellow-laborers  had  many  sources 
of  consolation.  They  had  established  their  cause 
throughout  the  land.  God,  through  their  preach- 
ing, had  changed  the  face  of  the  communities  in 
many  places.     Yea,  the  moral  aspect  of  the  nation 


144  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

was  changed,  for  multitudes  of  the  degraded  popu- 
lation had  been  raised  into  civilized  and  religious 
life.  "  Tens  of  thousands  had  been  rescued  from 
virtual  heathenism."  Many  marvelled  at  the  in- 
stantaneous changes  that  were  wrought  upon  the 
hearts  and  lives  of  the  people.  Southey  is  quite 
in  earnest  to  criticise  the  suddenness  of  the  won- 
ders. But  he  seemed  to  forget  that  "one  day  is 
with  the  Lord  as  a  thousand  years,  and  a  thousand 
years  as  one  day."  "  He  that  believeth  shall  be 
saved,"  and  "  He  that  believeth  hath  the  witness 
in  himself."  "O  ye  of  little  faith,"  God's  arm  is 
not  shortened.  "  Only  believe."  "All  things 
are  possible  to  him  that  believeth."  And  are  pos- 
sible the  moment  he  believes. 

Still  these  evangelists  went  on  and  made  good 
their  apostolic  boast,  for  "  the  hand  of  the  Lord 
was  with  them."  They  often  began  their  services 
at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning  in  winter  or  sum- 
mer, and  travelled,  mostly  on  horseback,  at  a  rate 
that  would  more  than  circumnavigate  the  earth 
every  five  years.  Charles  Wesley  was  constantly 
composing  those  spiritual  hymns  that  delight  the 
Christian  world  to-day.  He  published  several 
volumes  of  poems.  John  Wesley,  though  almost 
always  on  a  journey,  yet  declared  that  few  men 
enjoyed  more  solitude  than  he.  He  was  con- 
stantly reading  as  he  journeyed,  not   only  books 


CONVERTS.  145 

on  theology,  but  also  of  history,  antiquities,  and 
the  classic  poets.  He  was  also  exceedingly  fruit- 
ful with  his  pen.  He  wrote  books  enough  to  keep 
some  men  busy  for  a  lifetime.  He  assures  us  that 
ten  thousand  cares  were  no  more  inconvenience  to 
him  than  so  many  hairs  on  his  head,  and  his  con- 
tinual changing  intercourse  with  families  on  his 
route  have  become  to  them  a  welcome  occasion, 
not  only  of  religious  instruction  but  of  religious 
cheerfulness.  A  cotemporary  of  twenty  years 
testifies  that  "Wesley's  countenance  as  well  as 
conversation  expressed  an  habitual  gayety  of  heart, 
which  nothing  but  conscious  virtue  and  innocence 
could  have  bestowed ;  that  he  was  in  truth  the 
most  perfect  specimen  of  moral  happiness  he  had 
ever  seen,  and  that  his  acquaintance  with  him 
taught  him  better  than  anything  else  he  had  seen, 
or  heard,  or  read,  except  in  the  sacred  volume, 
what  a  heaven  upon  earth  is  implied  in  the  maturity 
of  Christian  piety.  He  was  the  presiding  mind 
of  dinner  parties,  as  well  by  the  good  humor  as 
the  good  sense  of  his  conversation/' 

The  tens  of  thousands  of  converts,  many  of 
them  from  the  lowly  walks  of  life,  would  naturally 
seek  for  religious  reading,  and  this  felt  want 
opened  the  way  for  Methodism  to  start  and  foster 
the  publication  of  a  variety  of  religious  books. 
Indeed  there  was  an  indefinite  market  for  the 
writings  of  John  Wesley. 


146  LITE    OF   EEV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

Wesley  gave  away  $150,000  in  the  course  of 
Ms  life.  At  the  same  time  he  cut  down  his  ex- 
penses to  the  lowest  point,  and  when  the  commis- 
sioners of  excise  sent  out  circulars  demanding  the 
families  to  give  an  account  of  their  taxable  plate, 
and  addressed  him  a  letter  saying,  "We  cannot 
doubt  but  you  have  plate  for  which  you  have  hith- 
erto neglected  to  make  an  entry,"  he  simply  re- 
plied, "1  have  two  silver  spoons  at  London,  and 
two  at  Bristol ;  this  is  all  the  plate  I  have  at  pres- 
ent, and  I  shall  not  buy  any  more  while  so  many 
around  me  want  bread." 

He  was  a  good  example  of  systematic  benevo- 
lence. He  remarked  in  early  life  that  he  had 
known  but  four  men  who  had  not  declined  in  reli- 
gion by  becoming  wealthy.  Later  in  life  he  cor- 
rected the  remark  and  made  no  exception.  There- 
fore he  guarded  scrupulously  against  this  danger 
by  giving  away  all  he  had  except  enough  to  carry 
on  his  business  and  meet  his  actual  necessities. 

Watch-nights  became  common  in  these  days. 
They  began  with  some  Kingswood  colliers  who 
had  been  used  to  spend  their  Saturday  nights  m 
sin.  When  they  were  converted  they  left  the 
taverns  and  spent  their  time  at  the  chapels,  even 
to  the  midnight  hour.  Wesley  was  advised  to 
put  an  end  to  this,  but  upon  consideration  he  could 
see  no  reason  for  doing  so.     After  years  of  expc- 


LAY   PREACHERS.  147 

rience  he  wrote,  "  Exceeding  great  are  the  bless- 
ings we  have  found  therein.  It  has  generally  been 
an  exceedingly  solemn  season."  For  a  time  watch- 
nights  were  held  monthly. 

As   the    Societies    increased,  the  lay  preachers 
were    more    and   more    called   for,  and   questions 
came  up  time  after  time  in  the  conferences  respect- 
ing  them.      "  How  shall  we    try  those  who    trust 
they  are  moved  by  the  Holy  Ghost  and  called  of 
God  to  preach?     First,  do  they  know  God  as  a 
pardoning    God?     Have    they  the    love    of    God 
abiding  in  them?     Do  they  desire  and  seek  noth- 
ing but   God?     Are  they  holy  in   all   manner   of 
conversation?     Second,  have  they  gifts  as  well  as 
grace  for  the  work?     Have  they,  in   some  toler- 
able degree,  a  clear,  sound  understanding?    Have 
they  a  just  conception  of  salvation  by  faith?  and 
has    God   given   them    any  degree    of  utterance? 
Do  they  speak  justly,  readily,  clearly?      Third, 
have  they  fruit?     Are  any  truly  convinced  of  sin, 
and  converted  to  God  by  their  preaching?"     "As 
long  as  these  three  marks  concur  in  any  one,  we 
believe"    affirmed    the    conference,    "that   he   is 
called  of  God  to  preach.     These  we  receive  as  a 
sufficient  proof  that  he  is   moved  thereto  by  the 
Holy  Ghost." 

When  Wesley  met   his   ministers  in  conference 
it  was  their  first  question  how  they  should  render 


148  LITE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

the  conference  eminently  an  occasion  of  prayer, 
watching  and  self-denial ;  always  to  set  God  before 
them,  and  spend  the  time  between  the  sessions  in 
devotions  and  in  visiting  the  sick. 

The  doctrine  of  entire  sanctification  they  asserted 
without  reserve,  but  with  important  cautions 
against  its  imprudent  treatment  in  the  pulpit  or 
out.  Would  it  be  wise  to  testify  of  this  great 
grace  if  we  had  it?  "Not  to  them  that  know  not 
God ;  it  would  only  provoke  them  to  contradict 
or  blaspheme  ;  nor  to  any  without  some  particular 
reason,  then  they  should  avoid  all  appearance  of 
boasting,  and  to  speak  more  loudly  and  convinc- 
ingly by  their  lives  than  by  their  tongues." 

The  whole  country  was  mapped  out  into  seven 
itinerant  districts.  Wales  and  Cornwall  each 
constituted  one.  This  was  the  first  intimation  of 
definite  circuits,  though  some  suppose  that  they 
existed  before.  This  work  went  on  till  John 
Wesley  claimed  the  whole  world  as  his  parish. 
The  conference  agreed  to  obey  the  rules  and 
govenors  of  the  Church  whenever  they  could  con- 
sistently, with  the  will  of  God,  when  ever  they 
could  not  they  would  quietly  obey  God.  For  a 
long  time  Wesley  Vas  careful  to  avoid  anything 
like  a  separation  from  the  Church.  His  members, 
in  general,  went  there  for  the  sacrament. 


SYSTEMATIC    PREACHING.  149 

Already  Methodism  had  accomplished  wonders 
in  the  world.  Wonderful  revivals  had  spread  all 
over  the  United  Kingdom,  and  along  the  Atlantic 
coast  of  America  ;  the  latter,  mainly  through  the 
labors  of  George  Whitefield.  The  Churches  in 
both  countries  had  been  greatly  quickened.  Lay 
preaching  had  been  established,  and  hundreds  of 
Societies  had  been  formed. 

England,  Wales  and  Ireland,  were  divided  into 
circuits  and  supplied  with  systematic  preaching 
by  a  ministerial  force  of  about  seventy  men.  It 
had  fought  its  way  through  the  bitterest  opposi- 
tion of  earth  and  hell.  It  had  chapels,  and  meet- 
ing-houses, and  parsonages.  It  had  brought  to 
the  front  in  preaching  and  in  experience  the  lead- 
ing doctrines  of  the  Bible,  Repentence,  Conversion, 
the  witness  of  the  Spirit,  and  entire  sanctification. 

"It  had  provided  the  first  of  a  series  of 
Acadamic  institutions,  which  has  since  extended 
with  its  progress,  and  was  contemplating  a  place 
of  ministerial  education,  which  has  since  been 
accomplished." 

All  this  great  work  was  accomplished  under  the 
leadership  of  John  Wesley,  who  stands  before  the 
ages  as  one  of  the  mighty  men  of  God,  of  whom 
Macauley  writes,  "  John  Wesley  was  a  man  whose 
eloquence  and  logical  acuteness  might  have  ren- 
dered him  eminent  in  literature  ;  whose  genius  for 


150  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

government  was  not  inferior  to  Richeleiu,  who 
devoted  all  his  powers  to  the  highest  good  of  his 
species."  And  whom  Burkle  styles,  "  The  first  of 
theological  statesman." 

The  modern  apostle  could  not  endure  all  the 
hardships  and  exposures  without  feeling  their 
effect  upon  his  body.  In  Nov.  1753,  he  was  near 
the  gates  of  death  with  consumption,  in  the  fifty- 
first  year  of  his  age.  He  had  taken  one  cold  after 
another,  and  had  labored  when  he  was  extremely 
weak.  He  had  a  settled  pain  in  his  left  breast,  a 
violent  cough  and  a  slow  fever.  In  the  night  he 
was  obliged  to  jump  out  of  bed  with  cramp,  and 
continued  walking  up  and  down  the  room,  though 
it  was  a  sharp  frost.  Still  he  preached  the  next 
day.  The  doctor  ordered  Mm  to  seek  the  country 
air,  rest,  drink  asses'  milk,  and  ride  every  day. 
Not  knowing  but  he  may  die,  he  says,  "to  pre- 
vent a  panegyric  I  wrote  as  follows  :  — 

HERE  LIETH   THE  BODY 
OF 

JOHN  WESLEY. 

A  brand  plucked  out  of  the  burning ; 

Who  died  of  a  consumption  in  the  fifty-first  year  of  his  age, 

Not  leaving,  after  his  debts  were  paid, 

ten  pounds  behind  him. 

Praying : 

1  God  be  merciful  to  me  a  sinner.' " 


AN    EXPERIMENT.  151 

If  he  died,  this  inscription  was  to  be  placed 
upon  his  tombstone.  Two  days  afterwards  he 
writes,  "  I  found  no  change  for  the  better.  The 
medicines  that  had  helped  me  before  now  took  no 
effect.  About  noon,  the  time  that  some  of  our 
brethren  had  set  apart  to  join  in  prayer,  a  thought 
came  into  my  mind  to  make  an  experiment.  So 
I  ordered  some  stone  brimstone  to  be  powdered, 
mixed  with  the  white  of  an  egg,  and  spread  on 
brown  paper,  which  I  applied  to  my  side.  The 
pain  ceased  in  five  minutes,  the  fever  left  in  half 
an  hour,  and  from  this  hour  I  began  to  recover 
strength.  The  next  day  I  was  able  to  ride,  which 
I  continued  to  do  every  day  till  January  1.  Nor 
did  the  weather  hinder  me  once." 

January  4,  he  was  at  Bristol,  drinking  the  water 
of  the  Hot  well  and  lodging  near  by.  In  two 
days  he  began  to  write  "Notes  on  the  New  Testa- 
ment," "A  work,"  he  says,  "which  I  should 
scarce  ever  have  attempted  had  I  not  been  so  ill 
as  not  to  be  able  to  travel  or  preach,  and  yet  so 
well  as  to  be  able  to  read  and  write.  I  went  on 
in  a  regular  method,  rising  at  my  hour,  and  writ- 
ing from  five  to  nine  at  night,  except  the  time  of 
riding,  half  an  hour  for  each  meal,  and  the  hour 
between  five  and  six  in  the  evening." 

So  that  God  who  added  fifteen  years  to  the  life 
of  Hezekiah,  in   answer  to  prayer,  added  thirty- 


152 


LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 


seven  years  to  the  life  of  John  Wesley,  years  that 
were  full  of  intense  usefulness  to  that  and  to  all 
succeeding  generations.  And,  please  observe, 
that  when  he  was  too  weak  to  travel  and  preach, 
he  filled  up  his  life  in  writing  books. 


ON   THE    WING.  153 


CHAPTER  IX. 

WESLEY    IN   HIS    MARRIED   LTFE. 

Wesley  was  intensely  active,  ever  on  the  wing, 
instant  in  season  and  out  of  season.  Speaking  to 
all  he  met  about  eternal  things.  On  the  land  or 
on  the  sea,  determined  not  to  miss  an  appoint- 
ment. Pushing  on  through  storm  and  flood,  even 
when  the  roads  were  washed  out  and  travelling 
was  dangerous.  Sometimes  on  horseback,  some- 
times on  foot,  sometimes  on  horseback  behind  an- 
other man.  He  felt  that  he  must  go,  and  continue 
to  go  all  seasons  of  the  year,  and  to  all  the  ends 
of  his  great  parish,  even  when  he  married  a  wife 
he  was  true  to  his  conviction  of  duty,  namely, 
"That  a  minister  could  not  give  an  account  to 
God  who  failed  to  preach  just  as  many  sermons 
after  he  was  married  as  before." 

And  now  we  must  consider  the  life  of  Wesley 
under  the  most  severe  trials  that  men  are  called 
to  endure.  For  more  than  forty  years  he  was 
unmarried.  Charles  advised  him  not  to  marry, 
because  he  thought  his  brother  was  able  to  do 
more  good  in  a  single  life.     For  a  long  time  John 


154  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY, 

Wesley  was  in  great  sympathy  with  Grace  Murray. 
She  had  travelled  and  labored  with  him,  and  was  in 
some  respects  worthy  of  his  hand  and  heart.  But 
after  she  had  promised  to  marry  him,  in  his 
absence,  she  was  persuaded  by  Charles  Wesley  to 
marry  John  Bennet,  who  was  one  of  Wesley's 
workers.  John  Wesley  was  severely  tried,  but, 
with  the  patience  of  a  saint,  and  with  the  coolness 
of  a  philosopher,  he  bore  up  under  his  great  dis- 
appointment, and  went  on  with  his  great  life  work. 
The  true  piety  and  manhood  of  John  Wesley 
are  manifest  in  this  trial,  when,  after  this  great 
disappointment,  he  was  introduced  to  Mr.  Bennet 
he  did  not  upbraid  him,  but  kissed  him.  Still  he 
was  deeply  afflicted,  as  the  following  letter  shows, 
written  to  Mr.  Bigg.  "My  Dear  Brother: — 
Since  I  was  six  years  old  I  never  met  with  so 
severe  a  trial  as  for  the  past  few  days.  For  ten 
years  God  has  been  preparing  a  fellow-laborer  for 
me,  by  a  wonderful  train  of  providences.  Last 
year  I  was  convinced  of  it,  therefore,  I  delayed 
not,  but,  thought  I  had  made  all  sure  beyond  a 
dangor  of  disappointment.  But  we  were  soon 
after  torn  asunder  by  a  whirlwind.  In  a  few 
months  the  storm  was  over  ;  I  then  used  more  pre- 
caution than  before,  and  fondly  told  myself  that 
the  day  of  evil  would  return  no  more.  But  it 
soon  returned.     The   waves   rose   again   since   I 


TIIE    FATAL    STROKE. 


155 


came  out  of  London.  I  fasted  and  prayed,  and 
strove  all  I  could,  but  the  sons  of  Zcruiah  were  too 
hard  for  me.  The  whole  fought  against  me,  but 
above  all  my  own  familiar  friend.  Then  was  the 
word  fulfilled  :  <  Son  of  man,  behold  !  I  take  from 
thee  the  desire  of  thine  eyes  at  a  stroke  ;  yet  shalt 
thou  not  lament,  neither  shall  thy  tears  run  down.' 
The  fatal  irrevocable  stroke  was  struck  on  Tues- 
day last.  Yesterday  I  saw  my  friend  (that  was), 
and  him  to  whom  she  is  sacrificed.  I  believe  you 
never  saw  such  a  scene.  But  why  should  a  living 
man  complain?  a  man  for  the  punishment  of  his 

sins." 

Tyerman  gives  an  elaborate  account  and  sums 
up  his  judgment  as  follows  :  "  John  Wesley  was 
a  dupe,  Grace  Murray  was  a  flirt,  John  Bennet 
was  a  cheat,  and  Charles  Wesley  was  a  sincere 
but  irritated  and  impetuous  and  officious  friend." 
It  seems  to  me  that  this  was  one  of  the  greatest 
deliverances  that  God  wrought  out  for  John 
Wesley.  It  is  a  wonder  unto  many  what  would 
have  been  the  consequences  upon  Wesley,  his 
ministers  and  his  societies,  if  he  had  married  this 
woman,  toward  whom  many  were  prejudiced,  and 
others  considered  her  unfit  for  Wesley's  wife; 
and  some  blame  him  for  letting  her  travel  with 
him. 

We  would  naturally  suppose  that  after  such  a 
fiery  trial  Wesley  would  have  to  take  a  week  or 


156  LITE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

two  to  rest.  But  he  showed  that  his  fortitude  was 
one  of  his  greatest  virtues,  for  the  very  next  day 
he  preached  once  at  Bristol  and  twice  at  Leeds. 
Then  he  spent  eight  days  at  Newcastle,  when 
there  was  a  glorious  outpouring  of  the  Holy  Spirit. 
He  writes,  "  We  felt  such  a  love  to  each  other  as 
we  could  not  express ;  such  a  spirit  of  supplica- 
tion, and  such  a  glad  acquiescence  in  all  the 
providences  of  God,  and  confidence  that  he  would 
withhold  from  us  no  good  thing."  Surely  this  is 
perfect  love.  It  is  the  charity  that  "  suffereth  long 
and  is  kind." 

Some  would  suppose  that  Wesley  would  not  try 
to  marry  again  after  this,  but  this  is  not  so,  for 
Feb.  18,  1751,  about  sixteen  months  after  this 
trial,  Wesley  was  married  to  Mrs.  Vazel,  a  widow 
lady  of  great  fortune,  consisting  of  £10,000 
wholly  secured  to  herself  and  four  children. 

Two  weeks  before,  he  told  Charles  that  he 
resolved  to  marry.  Charles  was  thunderstruck. 
Wesley  writes  to  his  friend  Mr.  Perronet,  "lam 
clearly  persuaded  that  I  ought  to  marry.  For 
many  years  I  remained  single,  because  I  believed  I 
could  be  more  useful  in  that  state.  And  I  praise 
God  who  enabled  me  to  do  so.  I  now  as  fully 
believe  that,  in  my  present  circumstances,  I  might 
be  more  useful  in  a  married  state."  Four  days 
after  this  he  met  the  single  men  of  the  London  soci- 


HE   LAMES   HIMSELF.  157 

ety  and  showed  them  how,  on  many  accounts,  it 
was  good  for  those  who  had  received  that  gift  from 
God  to  remain  single,  for  the  kingdom  of 
heaven's  sake,  unless  where  a  particular  case 
might  be  an  exception." 

He  was  intending  to  journey  to  the  north,  but 
slipped  on  London  bridge  and  lamed  himself. 
He  then  went  to  Mrs.  Vazel's,  on  Threadneedle 
street,  and  spent  seven  days  in  prayer,  reading 
and  conversation,  and  writing  a  Hebrew  grammar 
and  Lessons  for  children.  The  next  Sunday  he 
was  carried  to  the  Foundry  and  preached  while 
kneeling.  The  next  day,  lame  as  he  was,  he  led 
Mrs.  Vazel,  a  widow,  seven  years  younger  than 
himself,  to  the  hymeneal  altar,  still  unable  to  put 
his  foot  to  the  ground,  but  he  preached  the  next 
evening,  and  also  the  next  morning. 

In  two  weeks,  while  still  unable  to  walk,  he 
started  to  Bristol,  leaving  his  bride  at  home. 
After  holding  his  conference  in  that  city,  he 
returned  to  London,  and  six  days  after  set  out  for 
Scotland. 

Many  estimates  are  put  upon  the  character  of 
Mrs.  Wesley.  Henry  Moore  says,  "She  appeared 
to  be  truly  pious,  and  was  very  agreeable  in  her 
person  and  manners.  She  conformed  to  every 
company,  whether  of  the  rich  or  of  the  poor ;  and 
had  a  remarkable  facility  and  propriety  in  address- 


158  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

ino:  them  concerning  their  true  Interests . "  Richard 
Watson  says,  "she  was  a  woman  of  cultivated 
understanding,  and  she  appeared  to  Mr.  Wesley 
to  possess  every  other  qualification,  which  prom- 
ised to  increase  both  his  usefulness  and  his  happi- 
ness." Thomas  Jackson  says,  "Neither  in  under- 
standing nor  in  education  was  she  worthy  of  the 
eminent  man  to  whom  she  was  united."  Hampson 
says,  "The  connection  was  unfortunate,  there 
never  was  a  more  preposterous  union."  Tyerman 
says  "It  was  one  of  the  greatest  blunders  he  ever 
made.  His  marriage  was  ill-advised  and  ill- 
assorted.  They  married  in  haste  and  had  leisure 
to  repent.  To  the  end  of  life  both  of  them  suffered 
a  serious  penalty." 

Mrs.  Wesley's  money  soon  became  a  trouble. 
Wesley  writes,  "She  has  many  trials,  but  not  one 
more  than  God  knows  to  be  profitable  to  her." 
She  went  with  her  husband,  and  she  and  her 
daughter  endured  the  trials  of  a  long  journey  to 
the  north,  yea,  for  about  four  years  she  was,  in 
general,  his  travelling  companion.  But  in  the 
fall  of  that  year  there  was  a  change.  In  Nov., 
1752,  Vincent  Perronit  wrote  as  follows  to  Charles 
Wesley,  "I  am  truly  concerned  that  matters  are 
in  so  melancholy  a  situation.  I  think  the  unhappy 
lady  is  most  to  be  pitied,  though  the  gentleman's 
case  is  mournful  enough.     Their  sufferings  proceed 


CHASTISEMENTS .  159 

from  widely  different  causes.  His  are  the  visible 
chastisements  of  a  loving  Father ;  hers,  the  imme- 
diate effects  of  an  angry,  bitter  spirit ;  and  indeed, 
it  is  a  sad  consideration  that,  after  so  many  months 
have  elapsed,  the  same  warmth  and  bitterness 
should  remain ," 

Adam  Clarke  advised  the  ministers  to  marry 
women  of  good  natural  disposition,  so  that  if  they 
ever  get  low  in  religion  they  would  have  this  good 
nature  to  fall  back  upon.  Alas,  Mrs.  Wesley 
was  not  of  this  kind,  for  she  had  been  petted  by 
her  former  husband,  and  manifested  a  most  unholy 
temper  toward  Mr.  Wesley. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1755,  Wesley 
went  to  Cornwall  without  her,  and  while  there 
sent  a  packet  of  letters  to  Charles  Perronit,  which 
came  into  the  hands  of  a  jealous  wife.  She 
opened  the  packet  and  found  a  few  lines  directed 
to  Mrs.  Lefevre.  She  fell  into  a  furious  passion 
which  led  to  many  future  storms. 

Wesley  refers  to  his  trials  in  the  following  to 
Sarah  Ryan  :  "Your  last  letter  was  seasonable 
indeed.  I  was  growing  faint  in  mind.  The  being 
continually  watched  over  for  evil,  the  having  every 
word  I  spoke,  every  action  I  did,  watched,  with 
no  friendly  eye  ;  the  bearing  a  thousand  little  tart, 
unkind  reflections,  in  return  for  the  kindest  words 
I  could  devise, 


160  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

4  Like  drops  of  eating  water  on  the  marble, 
At  length  have  worn  my  sinking  spirits  down.' 

yet  I  could  not  say,  'Take  thy  plague  away 
from  me,'  but  only,  'Let  me  be  purified,  not  con- 
sumed.'" 

If,  after  months  or  years  of  such  unkind  treat- 
ment, he  would  return  the  kindest  words  that  he 
could  devise,  he  must  have  had  Christian  Perfec- 
tion, and  was  a  noble  exponent  of  it. 

She  left  him  for  awhile,  but   they  were   again 
united ;  but  in  heart  she  seemed  to  hate  him,  for 
at  one  time  she  seized  his  letters  and  other  papers, 
and  put  them  into  the  hands  of  his  enemies,  that 
they  might  be  printed  as  presumptive  proofs   of 
illicit  connections.     Then  she  interpolated  letters 
that  she  had  intercepted,  so  as  to  make  them  bear 
a  bad  construction,  and  then  read  them  to  differ- 
ent persons  in  private,  for  the  purpose  of  defaming 
him.     In  one  or  two  instances  she  published  inter- 
polated   or   forged   letters    in   the    public  prints. 
Frequently  she  would  drive  a  hundred  miles  to 
observe  who  was  in  the  carriage  with  her  husband 
when  he  drove  into  a  town.     More  than  once  she 
laid  violent  hands  upon  his  person,  and  tore  his 
hair.     John  Hampson  says,   "Once  when  I  was 
in  the  north  of  Ireland,  I  went  into  a  room,  and 
found  Mrs.  Wesley  foaming  with  rage.     Her  hus- 
band   was    on    the    floor,    where    she   had   been 


TORMENTED.  161 

trailing  him  by  the  hair  of  his  head ;  and  she 
herself  was  still  holding  in  her  hand,  venerable 
locks  which  she  had  plucked  out  by  the  roots.  I 
felt  as  though  I  could  have  knocked  the  soul  out 
of  her." 

Southey  says,  "Fain  would  she  have  made  him, 
like  Marc  Anthony,  give  up  all  for  love ;  and 
being  disappointed  in  that  hope,  she  tormented  him 
in  such  a  manner  by  her  outrageous  jealousy  and 
abominable  temper,  that  she  deserves  to  be 
classed  in  a  triad  with  Xantippe  and  the  wife 
of  Job." 

In  the  midst  of  all  this,  Wesley  wrote  her  as 
follows  : — 

' '  I  cannot  but  add  a  few  words  :  not  by  way  of 
reproach,  but  of  advice.  God  has  used  many 
means  to  curb  your  stubborn  will,  and  break  the 
impetuosity  of  your  temper.  He  has  given  you  a 
dutiful  but  sickly  daughter ;  He  has  taken  away 
one  of  your  sons  ;  another  has  been  a  grievous 
cross,  as  the  third  will  probably  be.  He  has  suf- 
fered you  to  be  defrauded  of  much  money.  He 
has  chastened  you  with  strong  pain.  Are  you 
more  humble,  more  gentle,  more  patient,  more 
placable  than  you  were?  I  fear  quite  the  reverse. 
Oh  !  bewrare,  lest  God  give  you  up  to  your  own 
heart's  lusts,  and  let  you  follow  your  own 
imaginations  ! 


162  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

Under  all  these  conflicts  it  might  be  an  unspeak- 
able blessing,  that  you  have  a  husband  who  knows 
your  temper  and  can   bear  with  it ;  who,  after  you 
have  tried  him  numberless  ways,  laid  to  his  charge 
things  that  he  knew  not,  robbed  him,   betrayed 
his   confidence,  revealed  his  secrets,   given  him  a 
thousand  treacherous  wounds,  purposely  aspersed 
and   murdered   his   character,  and   made    it   vour 
business   to    do    so,  under   the    poor   pretense  of 
vindicating  your  own  character,  who,  I  say,  after 
all  these  provocations,  is   still  willing  to  forgive 
you  all,  to   overlook  what  is   passed,  a&  if  it  had 
not  been,   and  to  receive  you   with   open  arms ; 
only  not   while  you  have  a  sword  in  your  hand, 
with  which  you  are  continually  striking  at  me, 
though  you  cannot  hurt  me.     If,  notwithstanding, 
you  continue  striking,  what    can  I,  what  can  all 
reasonable   men   think,  but   that    either   you    are 
utterly  out   of  your  senses,   or  your   eye  is   not 
single ;  that  you  married  me  for  my  money,  that, 
being  disappointed,  you   were   almost  always  out 
of  humor,  and  that  this  laid  you  open  to  a  thousand 
suspicions  which  once   awakened,  could  sleep  no 
more." 

"My  dear  Molly,  let  the  time  past  suffice.  As 
yet,  the  breach  may  be  repaired.  You  have 
wronged  me  much,  but  not  beyond  forgiveness. 
I  love   you   still,  and  am  as  clear  from  all  other 


A    LOVING    LETTER.  163 

women  as  the  day  I  was  born.  At  length  know 
me  and  know  yourself.  Your  enemy  I  cannot  be, 
but  let  me  be  your  friend.  Suspect  me  no  more, 
asperse  me  no  more,  provoke  me  no  more.  Do 
not  any  longer  contend  for  mastery,  for  power, 
money  or  praise.  Be  content  to  be  a  private,  in- 
significant person,  known  and  loved  by  God  and 
me.  Attempt  no  more  to  abridge  me  of  my  lib- 
erty, which  I  claim  by  the  laws  of  God  and  man. 
Leave  me  to  be  governed  by  God  and  my  own 
conscience.  Then  shall  I  govern  you  by  gentle 
sway,  and  show  that  I  do  indeed  love  you,  even 
as  Christ  the  Church." 

A  man  who  could  write  such  a  loving,  manly, 
noble  letter  to  such  an  abusive  and  unworthy  wife, 
surely  was  in  possession  of  perfect  love.  Yet 
this  letter  failed  to  do  her  good,  for  he  wrote  Jan. 
3,1771,  "  For  what  cause  I  know  not,  my  wife 
set  out  for  Newcastle  purposing  '  never  to  return.' 
JN~on  earn;  -non  dimisi;  non  revocabo /"  which 
means,  I  did  not  forsake  her;  I  did  not  dismiss 
her  ;  I  will  not  recall  her. 

In  May  of  the  next  -year  she  returned  with  him 
to  Bristol,  but  did  not  remain.  After  tingeins 
and  damaging  the  life  of  John  Wesley  for  thirty 
years,  she  died  at  the  age  of  seventy-one,  Oct.  8, 
1781.  Wesley  was  in  the  west  of  England  at 
the   time.     She   left  her  reduced  fortune  to  her 


164  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

son  ;  to  her  husband  she  left  only  a  ring.  Wesley 
was  not  informed  of  her  burial  till  a  day  or  two 
afterward. 

Charles  Wesley  was  intimate  with  the  family, 
and  he  declares  that  nothing  could  surpass  his 
brother's  patience  in  bearing  with  his  perverse  and 
peevish  spouse.  Tyerman  says,  "She  was  evi- 
dently a  woman  of  no  education,  beyond  the  abil- 
ity to  read  and  write  ; "  he  adds,  "The  truth  is, 
John  Wesley's  wife  was  scarcely  sane."  Mr. 
Jackson  writes,  "  Scores  of  documents  in  her 
handwriting  attest  the  violence  of  her  temper, 
and  warrant  the  conclusion  that  there  was  in  her 
a  certain  degree  of  mental  unsoundness."  This 
seems  to  be  a  charitable  way  to  excuse,  in  a 
measure,  the  madness  that  came  from  an  unholy 
and  frequently  indulged  evil  temper.  No  doubt 
God  watched  over  the  whole,  for  Wesley  repeat- 
edly told  Henry  Moore,  that  he  believed  the  Lord 
overruled  this  painful  business  for  his  good ;  and 
that,  if  Mrs.  Wesley  had  been  a  better  wife,  he 
misrht  have  been  unfaithful  in  the  great  work  to 
which  God  had  called  him,  and  might  have  sought 
too  much  to  please  her  according  to  her  own 
views.  Let  the  dead  bury  the  dead,  we  must  go 
on  with  the  history  of  one  of  the  greatest  men  of 
his  age,  who  was  so  great  that  even  thirty  years 
of  married  misery  could  not  swerve  him  from  his 


HIS   FAITH   IN   GOD.  165 

life's  great  work.  Some  one  has  well  said,  "It 
is  no  mean  proof  of  the  genuine  greatness  of  his 
character,  that  during  the  thirty  years  of  this 
domestic  wretchedness  his  public  career  never 
wavered,  nor  appeared  to  lose  one  jot  of  its  amaz- 
ing energy." 

Wesley  demonstrated  his  faith  in  God  under 
these  trials,  when  Charles  Wesley  urged  him  to 
stop  the  circulation  of  Mrs.  Wesley's  forged  or 
interpolated  letters  and  defend  his  character  as  a 
minister  before  the  world.  He  replied  :  ' '  Brother, 
when  I  devoted  to  God  my  ease,  my  time,  my 
life,  did  I  except  my  reputation?  No!  Tell 
Sally  I  will  take  her  to  Canterbury  to-morrow." 
Wesley  went  on  his  way,  and  God  took  care  of 
his  reputation  and  of  those  who  tried  to  destroy  it. 


166  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 


CHAPTEE  X. 


WESLEY   AS    A   PREACHER. 

John  Wesley  was  pre-eminently  a  preacher. 
For  more  than  sixty  years  he  preached  the  gos- 
pel. He  is  supposed  to  have  travelled  225,000 
miles,  and  to  have  preached  twice  a  day  for  about 
sixty  years;  and,  if  so,  he  must  have  preached 
more  than  43,000  times.  Of  course,  all  these 
sermons  were  not  elaborate  or  profound,  but  many 
of  them  were  both  elaborate  and  profound.  Many 
of  them  were  preached  to  small  congregations,  at 
five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  but  many  of  them 
were  preached  to  large  congregations  as  at  Gwen- 
nap,  where  he  sometimes  preached  to  fifteen  thou- 
sand people.  Some  of  them  were  short  sermons, 
but  some  of  them  were  long  sermons.  There 
were  times  when  he  had  such  a  hold  on  the  con- 
gregations that  he  held  them  spellbound  for  two 
or  three  hours.  Harnpson,  who  often  heard  him 
preach,  says,  "His  attitude  in  the  pulpit  was 
graceful  and  easy;  his  action  calm  and  natural, 
yet  pleasing  and   expressive ;  his  voice  not  loud, 


EXHAUSTED.  167 

but  clear  and  manly ;  his  style  neat,  simple,  per- 
spicuous, and  admirably  adapted  to  the  capacity 
of  his  hearers.  His  discourses,  in  point  of  com- 
position, were  extremely  different  on  different  oc- 
casions. We  have  frequently  heard  him  when  he 
was  excellent,  acute  and  ingenious  in  his  observa- 
tions, accurate  in  his  descriptions,  and  clear  and 
pointed  in  his  expositions.  Not  seldom  have  we 
found  him  the  reverse.  He  preached  too  fre- 
quently, and  the  consequence  was  inevitable.  On 
some  occasions  the  man  of  sense  and  learning  was 
totally  obscured.  He  became  flat  and  insipid. 
He  often  appeared  in  the  pulpit  when  totally  ex- 
hausted with  labor  and  want  of  rest ;  for,  wherever 
he  was,  he  made  it  a  point  to  preach  if  he  could 
stand  upon  his  legs.  He  was  often  logical  and 
convincing,  and  sometimes  descripitive ;  but  he 
never  soared  in  sublimity,  or  descended  into  the 
pathetic.  His  style  was  the  calm,  easy  flow  of 
the  placid  stream,  gliding  gently  within  its  banks, 
withont  the  least  ruffle  or  agitation  upon  its  sur- 
face." 

Whitehead  says,  "Wesley's  style  was  marked 
with  brevity  aud  perspicuity.  He  never  lost  sight 
of  the  rule  laid  down  by  Horace  — 

4  Concise  your  diction,  let  your  sense  be  clear, 
Not  with  a  weight  of  words  fatigue  the  ear.' 

His  words  were  pure,  proper  to  the  subject,  and 

precise  in  their  meaning." 


168  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

Dr.  Rigg,  in  his  "  Living  Wesley,"  says,  "  He 
was,  in  simple  truth,  the  most  awakening  and 
spiritually  penetrative  and  powerful  preacher  of 
his  age.  Whitefield  was  more  dramatic,  but  less 
intense  ;  more  pictorial,  but  less  close  and  forci- 
ble ;  less  incisive  and  conclusive.  In  Wesley's 
calmer  discourses,  lucid  and  engaging  exposition 
laid  the  basis  for  close  and  searching  application. 
In  his  more  intense  utterances,  logic  and  passion 
were  fused  into  a  white  heat  of  mingled  argument, 
denunciation  and  appeal,  often  of  the  most  per- 
sonal searchingness,  often  overwhelming  in  its 
vehement  home-thrusts.  Some  idea  of  his  most 
earnest  preaching  may  be  gained  from  his  <  Ap- 
peals to  Men  of  Eeason  and  Keligion,'  especially 
the  latter  portion  of  the  first  of  these,  and  from 
his  celebrated  sermon  on  '  Free  Grace.'" 

A  careful  reader  of  Wesley's  journals  will  not 
fail  to  find  many  examples  of  the  great  power  that 
God  gave  John  Wesley  over  the  hearts  and  minds 
of  the  masses  to  whom  he  preached  from  time  to 
time.  Oct.  7,  1739,  lie  writes,  "  Between  five  and 
six  I  called  upon  all  that  were  present,  about  three 
thousand,  at  Stemley,  on  a  little  green  near  the 
town,  to  accept  Christ  as  their  only  '  wisdom, 
righteousness,  sanctification  and  redemption.'  I 
was  strengthened  to  speak  as  I  never  did  before, 
and    continued    speaking    nearly   two    hours,   the 


AT    CARDIFF.  1(59 

darkness  of  the  night  and  the  little  lightning  not 
lessening  the  number,  but  increasing  the  serious- 
ness of  the  hearers."  Yet  this  was  the  fourth  ser- 
mon that  he  preached  that  day.  Even  after  this 
long  sermon  he  held  another  service,  in  which  he 
expounded  Christ's  Sermon  on  the  Mount  to  a 
small,  serious  company  at  Ebley.  Again,  at  Car- 
diff, his  heart  was  so  enlarged  while  preaching 
that  he  knew  not  how  to  give  over,  so  that  they 
continued  the  service  for  three  hours.  He  preached 
on  his  father's  tombstone  for  nearly  three  hours. 
At  Bristol,  on  the  anniversary  of  his  conversion, 
he  says,  "  I  was  constrained  to  continue  the  dis- 
course near  an  hour  longer  than  usual.  God 
poured  out  such  a  blessing  that  he  knew  not  how 
to  leave  off.  At  Limerick,  he  began  to  preach  at 
five,  and  kept  the  congregation  till  near  seven, 
"  hardly  knowing  how  the  time  went." 

The  venerable  Rev.  Thomas  Jackson  says,  "  No 
man  was  accustomed  to  address  larger  multitudes 
or  with  greater  success,  and  it  may  be  fairly  ques- 
tioned whether  any  minister  in  modern  ages  has 
been  instrumental  in  effecting  a  greater  number  of 
conversions.  He  possessed  all  the  essential  ele- 
ments of  a  great  preacher,  and  in  nothing  was  he 
inferior  to  his  eminent  friend  and  cotemporary, 
George  Whitefield,  except  in  voice  and  manner. 
In  respect  of  matter,  language  and  arrangement, 


170  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

his  sermons  were  vastly  superior  to  those  of  Mr. 
Whitefield.  Those  who  judge  Wesley's  ministry 
from  the  sermons  which  he  preached  and  published 
in  the  decline  of  life,  greatly  mistake  his  real 
character.  Till  he  was  enfeebled  by  age,  his  dis- 
courses were  not  at  all  remarkable  for  their 
brevity.  They  were  often  extended  to  a  consid- 
erable length.  Wesley,  the  preacher,  was  tethered 
by  no  lines  of  written  preparation  and  verbal 
recollection ;  he  spoke  with  extraordinary  power 
of  utterance  out  of  the  fulness  of  his  heart." 

The  eternal  God  who  raised  him  up  for  this 
great  work  gave  him  a  power  in  preaching  that 
ordinary  preachers  do  not  possess.  In  the  midst 
of  a  mob  he  called '" for  a  chair ;"  the  winds  were 
hushed  and  all  was  calm  and  still,;  my  heart  was 
filled  with  love,  my  eyes  with  tears  and  my  mouth 
with  arguments.  They  were  amazed  ;  they  were 
ashamed  ;  they  were  melted  down  ;  they  devoured 
every  word. 

This  shows  that  he  had  a  wonderful  power  over 
the  people.  "His  words  flowed  in  a  direct,  steady, 
powerful,  sometimes  a  rapid  stream,  and  every 
word  told,  because  every  word  had  its  proper 
meaning.  With  all  the  fulness  of  utterance,  the 
genuine  eloquence,  there  was  no  tautology,  no 
diffuseness  of  style,  no  dilution,  close,  logical, 
high  verbal,  adequate,  philosophic  culture  had  in 


SINNERS    GROANING.  171 

the  case  of  Wesley,  laid  the  basis  of  clear,  vivid, 
direct  and  copious  extempore  powers  of  speech, 
culture  and  discipline,  such  as  had  prepared  Cicero 
for  his  oratorical  successes,  helped  to  make  Wesley 
the  powerful,  persuasive,  and,  at  times,  the  thrill- 
ing and  electrifying  preacher  which  he  undoubtedly 
was. 

Think  of   this  powerful   preacher    proclaiming 
the  truth  for  eight  evenings  in  succession,  to  vast 
multitudes,  atEpworth,  having  been  shut  out  of  his 
father's  church,  he  took  his  stand  on  his  father's 
tomb,  and  with  the  inspiration  of  the  Almighty, 
he  proclaimed  the  gospel  of  Christ.     The  power 
of  God  attended  the  word,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell 
upon  the  people.     He  writes,  "While  I  was  speak- 
ing, several   dropped  down  as  dead ;  and  among 
the  rest  such  a  cry  was  heard,  of  sinners  groaning 
for  the  righteousness  of  faith,  as  almost  drowned 
my  voice.     I  observed  a  gentleman  there  who  was 
remarkable  for  not  pretending  to  be  of  any  religion 
at  all.     I  was  informed  that  he  had  not  been  at 
public  worship  for  upward  of  thirty  years.     See- 
ing him  stand  as  motionless  as  a  statue,  I  asked 
him  abruptly,  'Sir,  are  you  a  sinner?'     He  replied 
with  deep  and  broken  voice,  'Sinner  enough;'  and 
continued  staring  upward  till  his  wife  and  a  servant 
or  two,  who  were  all  in  tears,  put  him  into  the 
chaise  and  carried  him  home."     Here  the  power 
of  God  and  of  man  was  displayed. 


172  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

Let  us  take  a  look  at  the  person  of  this   dis- 
tinguished preacher  as  he  stood  in  the  pulpit.     Mr. 
Hampson,   an  eye  witness,   says,  "The  figure  of 
Mr.  Wesley  was  remarkable.     His  stature  was  of 
the  lowest ;  his  habit  of  body  in  every  period  of 
life,  the  reverse  of  corpulent,  and  expressive   of 
strict  temperance  and  continued  exercise ;  his  step 
was  firm,  and   his   appearance  till    within   a  few 
years  of  his  death,  vigorous  and  muscular.     His 
face,  for  an  old  man,  was  one  of  the  finest  we  have 
seen.     A  clear  smooth  forehead,  an  aquiline  nose, 
an  eye  the  brightest  and  the  most  piercing  that 
can  be   conceived,  and  a  freshness   of  complexion 
scarcely  ever  to  be  found  at  his  years,  and  impres- 
sive of  most  perfect  health,  conspired  to  render 
him  a  venerable  and  interesting  figure.      In  his 
countenance  and  demeanor,  there  was  a  cheerful- 
ness mingled   with   gravity ;    and  a  sprightliness 
which  was  the  natural  result  of  an  unusual  flow  of 
spirits,  and  yet  was  accompanied  with  every  mark 
of    the    most    serene    tranquility.       His    aspect, 
particularly  in   profile,  had  a  strong   character  of 
acuteness  of  penetration. 

In  dress  he  was  a  pattern  of  neatness  and  sim- 
plicity. A  narrow  plaited  stock  or  necktie,  a  coat 
with  small  upright  collar,  no  buckles  at  the  knees, 
no  silk  or  velvet  on  any  part  of  his  apparel,  and 
a  head  as  white  as  snow  gave  an  idea  of  something 


NOT    AFRAID.  173 

primitive  and  apostolical ;  while  an  air  of  neatness 
and  cleanliness  was  diffused  over  his  whole  person." 
Wesley  was  both  a  fearless  and  a  faithful  preacher. 
He  was  not  afraid  to  declare  the  whole  council  of 
God   whether  men  would   bear  or  whether  they 
would  forbear.     He   could  stand  up  and   say  "I 
call  heaven  and  earth  to   witness  this  day.     The 
trumpet    has    not   given  an  uncertain    sound  for 
nearly  fifty  years  last  past.     O  God,  thou   know- 
est  I  have  borne  a  clear  and  a  faithful  testimony  ! 
In  print,  in  preaching,  in  meeting  the  society,  I 
have  not  shunned  to  declare  the  whole  council  of 
God ;  I  am  therefore   clear  of  the  blood   of  those 
who  will  not  hear.     It  lies  upon  their  own  heads." 
He  was  not  afraid  to  preach  as  plainly  as   the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  warn  men  to  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come.     He  just  as  firmty  believed  in  hell  as  in 
heaven,  and  was  quite  sure  that  his  hearers  must 
spend  their   eternity  in  heaven   or  in  hell.      He 
declared  at  one  time  "Mine  and  your  desert  is 
hell,  and  it  is  mercy,  free,  undeserved  mercy,  that 
we  are  not  now  in  unquenchable  fire."     The  natural 
•  man  lies   in  the  valley   of  the   shadow  of  death. 
He  sees  not  that  he  stands  on  the  edge  of  the  pit, 
therefore  he  fears  it  not ;  he  has  not  understanding 
enough  to  fear."     At  another  time  he  said,  "Art 
thou   thoroughly   convinced    that   thou    deservest 
everlasting  damnation  ?     Would  God  do  thee  any 


174  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

wrong  if  he  commanded  the  earth  to  open  and 
swallow  thee  up  ? — if  thou  wert  to  go  down  into 
the  pit,  into  the  fire  that  never  shall  be  quenched." 
At  another  time  he  said,  "To  say  that  ye  cannot 
be  born  again,  that  there  is  no  new  birth  but  in 
baptism,  is  to  seal  your  own  damnation,  to  con- 
sign j^ou  to  hell,  without  help,  without  hope. 
Thousands  do  really  believe  that  they  have  found 
a  broad  way  which  leadeth  not  to  destruction ." 
He  preached  as  though  he  saw  men  on  the  brink 
of  ruin.  He  sought  to  tear  away  the  false  hopes 
of  his  hearers  as  follows  :  "If  you  had  done  no 
harm  to  any  man,  if  you  had  abstained  from  all 
wilful  sin ;  if  you  had  done  all  the  good  you  could 
to  all  men,  and  constantly  attended  all  the  ord- 
inances of  God,  all  this  will  not  keep  you  from 
hell,  except  ye  be  born  again." 

Mr.  Hampson  has  told  us  of  Wesley's  head 
being  "white  as  snow ;"  this  was  in  the  later  part 
of  his  life.  The  celebrated  Kinnicutt  heard  Wes- 
ley preach  his  last  sermon  before  his  University, 
in  1744,  when  Wesley  was  thirty-seven  years  of 
age.  He  says  "His  black  hair,  quite  smooth  and 
parted  very  exactly,  added  to  a  peculiar  compos- 
ure in  his  countenance,  showed  him  to  be  an 
uncommon  man.  I  think  his  discourse  as  to  style 
and  delivery,  would  have  been  uncommonly 
pleasing  to  others  as  well  as  to  myself.  He  is 
allowed  to  be  a  man   of  great  parts." 


EARNEST    PURPOSE.  175 

The  poet  Cowper  writes  of  Wesley  in  language 
that  cannot  be  mistaken,  as  follows  : — 

u  Who,  when  occasion  justified  its  use, 
Had  wit  as  bright,  as  ready  to  produce. 
Could  fetch  the  records  from  earlier  age, 
Or  from  philosophy's  enlightened  page, 
His  rich  materials,  and  regale  your  ear 
With  strains  it  was  a  privilege  to  hear. 
Yet,  above  all,  his  luxury  supreme, 
And  his  chief  glory  was  the  gospel  theme : 
There  he  was  copious  as  old  Greece  or  Eome, 
His  happy  eloquence  seemed  there  at  home ; 
Ambitious  not  to  shine  or  to  excel. 
But  to  treat  justly  what  he  loved  so  well." 

Dr.  Rigg  says,  "In  regard  to  Wesley  in  his 
early  Oxford  clays,  calm,  serene,  methodical  as 
Wesley  was,  there  wTas  a  deep,  steadfast  fire  of 
earnest  purpose  about  him ;  and  notwithstanding 
the  smallness  of  his  stature,  there  was  an  elevation 
of  character  and  of  bearing  visible  to  all  with 
whom  he  had  intercourse,  which  gave  him  a  won- 
derful power  of  command,  however  quiet  were  his 
words,  and  however  placid  his  deportment.  But 
the  extraordinary  power  of  his  preaching,  while 
it  owed  something,  no  doubt,  to  this  tone  and 
presence  of  calm,  unconscious  authority,  was  due 
mainly,  essentially,  to  the  searching  and  impor- 
tunate closeness  and  fidelity  with  which  he  dealt 
with  the  consciences  of  his  hearers,  and  the  pas- 
sionate  vehemence    with    which    he    urged    and 


176  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

entreated  them  to  turn  to  Christ  and  be  saved. 
His  words  went  with  a  sudden  and  startling  shock 
straight  home  into  the  core  of  the  guilty  sinner's 
consciousness  and  heart." 

No  wonder  they  often  fell  down  before  God, 
smitten  by  the  sword  of  the  Spirit,  crying  out  in 
the  bitterness  of  their  soul,  "God  be  merciful  to 
us  sinners  ! "  I  respectfully  commend  all  John 
Wesley's  published  sermons  to  my  readers, 
especially  the  one  on  "The  Original  Nature, 
Property  and  Use  of  Law,"  his  sermon  on  "Free 
Grace,"  and  that  on  "  Christian  Perfection."  By 
the  time  you  have  read  these,  you  will  want  to 
read  the  rest. 

Rev.  John  M.  Pike  writes  : — 

' '  Wesley's  preaching  had  the  accuracy  of  a 
scholar,  the  authority  of  an  ambassador,  the 
unction  of  a  saint,  the  power  of  God.  It  was 
always  searching,  but  often  terrible  and  severe  — 
except  when  addressed  to  congregations  rich, 
respectable  and  polite." 

A  friend  said  to  him,  after  he  had  preached  to  a 
genteel  audience  from  the  words,  "  ye  serpents, 
ye  generation  of  vipers,  how  can  ye  escape  the 
damnation  of  hell ;  "  "  such  a  sermon  would  have 
been  suitable  at  Billingsgate,  but  it  was  highly 
improper  here."  Quaintly  and  significantly  Wes- 
ley replied,   "If  I  had  been  in  Billingsgate,  my 


A   PROBLEM.  177 

text  would  have  been,  *  Behold  the  Lamb  of  God, 
which  taketh  awaj^  the  sin  of  the  world.'' 

One  day  Wesley  was  passing  Billingsgate  mar- 
ket, whilst  two  of  the  women  were  quarrelling 
furiously.  His  companion  wanted  to  pass  on,  but 
Wesley  replied:  "  Stay,  Sammy,  stay  and  learn 
how  to  preach." 

Dr.  Abel  Stevens  says:  uAs  a  preacher  he 
remains  a  problem  to  us.  It  is  at  least  difficult  to 
explain,  at  this  late  day,  the  secret  of  his  great 
power  in  the  pulpit,  aside  from  the  divine  influ- 
ence which  is  pledged  to  all  faithful  ministers, 
there  must  have  been  some  peculiar  power  in  his 
address  which  the  records  of  the  times  have 
failed  to  describe  ;  his  action  was  calm  and  natural, 
yet  pleasing  and  expressive ;  his  voice  not  loud, 
but  clear,  agreeable,  and  masculine ;  his  style 
neat  and  perspicuous." 


178  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 


CHAPTER   XI. 


METHODISM   IN    SCOTLAND. 

George  Whitefield  did  much  to  introduce  Meth- 
odism into  Scotland.  He  was  invited  there  by 
Ralph  and  Ebenezer  Erskine,  those  remarkable 
men  who  had  made  a  secession  in  the  Scotch 
church.  He  made  his  first  visit  in  1741,  and 
preached  his  first  sermon  in  the  seceding  meeting- 
house at  Dunfermline. 

His  success  in  Scotland  was  greater  than  it  had 
been  in  England.  He  writes,  "  Glory  to  God  ! 
he  is  doing  great  things  here.  I  walk  in  the  con- 
tinual sunshine  of  his  countenance.  Congrega- 
tions consist  of  many  thousands.  Never  did  I  see 
so  many  Bibles,  nor  people  looking  into  them, 
when  I  am  expounding,  with  such  attention. 
Plenty  of  tears  flow  from  the  hearers'  eyes.  I 
preach  twice  daily,  and  expound  at  private  houses 
at  night.  I  am  employed  in  speaking  to  souls  in 
distress  great  part  of  the  day.  Every  morning  I 
have  a  constant  levee  of  wounded  souls,  many  of 
whom  are  quite  slain  by  the  law.     At  seven  in 


THE    LORD    IS    WITH    US.  179 

the  morning  (this  was  at  Edinburg)  we  have  a 
lecture  in  the  fields,  attended  not  only  by  the  com- 
mon people  but  also  by  persons  of  great  rank.  I 
have  reason  to  believe  that  several  of  the  latter 
are  coming  to  Christ.  I  am  only  afraid  lest  the 
people  should  idolize  the  instrument,  and  not  look 
enough  at  the  glorious  Jesus  in  whom  alone  I  de- 
sire  to  glory.  I  walk  continually  in  the  comforts 
of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  the  love  of  Christ  quite  strikes 
me  dumb.     O  grace,  grace  !  let  that  be  my  song." 

Again  he  writes,  "Yesterday  I  preached  three 
times  and  lectured  at  night.  This  day  Jesus  has 
enabled  me  to  preach  seven  times,  once  in  the 
Church,  twice  in  the  girls'  hospital,  once  in  the 
park,  once  at  the  old  people's  hospital,  and  twice 
at  a  private  house  ;  notwithstanding,  I  am  now  as 
fresh  as  when  I  rose  this  morning.  It  would  de- 
light you  to  see  the  effects  of  the  power  of  God. 
Both  in  the  Church  and  park,  the  Lord  is  with  us. 
The  girls  in  the  hospital  were  greatly  affected, 
and  so  were  the  standers-by.  The  Holy  Ghost 
seemed  to  come  down  like  a  rushing,  mighty  wind. 
The  mourning  of  the  people  was  like  the  weeping 
in  the  valley  of  Hadad-Rimmon.  They  appear 
more  and  more  hungry.  Every  day  I  hear  of 
some  fresh  good  wrought  by  the  power  of  God. 
I  scarce  know  how  to  leave  Scotland." 

Dr.  Franklin  says  of  George  Whitefield,  '-It 
would  have  been  fortunate  for  his  reputation  if  he 


180  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

had  left  no  written  works,  as  his  talents  then 
would  have  been  estimated  by  the  effects  which 
they  are  known  to  have  produced.  By  hearing 
him  often  I  came  to  distinguish  easily  between 
sermons  newly  composed  and  those  which  had 
often  been  preached.  His  delivery  of  the  latter 
was  so  improved  by  repetition,  that  every  accent, 
every  emphasis,  every  modulation  of  voice,  was 
so  perfectly  well  turned  and  well  placed  that, 
without  being  interested  in  the  subject,  one  could 
not  help  being  pleased  with  the  discourse ;  a 
pleasure  of  much  the  same  kind  with  that  received 
from  an  excellent  piece  of  music.  His  elocution 
was  perfect;  he  never  stumbled  at  a  word,  or 
hesitated  for  want  of  one.  Sometimes  he  would 
weep  as  though  his  heart  would  break,  and  say, 
'You  blame  me  for  weeping,  but  how  can  I  help 
it  when  you  will  not  weep  for  yourselves,  though 
your  immortal  souls  are  on  the  brink  of  destruc- 
tion and  you  may  never  have  another  opportunity 
to  be  saved?'  Sometimes  he  would  depict  the 
agonies  of  Christ :  '  Look  yonder  !  What  is  it  I 
see  ?  It  is  my  agonizing  Lord  !  Hark  !  hark  !  do 
you  not  hear?  Oh,  my  Father,  if  it  be  possible 
let  this  cup  pass  from  me  !  nevertheless,  not  my 
will  but  thine  be  done.'" 

David    Hume   said  he  was   the  most  ingenious 
preacher  he  had  ever  heard.     When  he  made  his 


WIIITEFIELD    IN    SCOTLAND.  181 

second  visit  to  Scotland,  he  was  met  on  the  shore 
at  Leith  by  multitudes,  weeping  and  blessing  him. 
They  followed  his  coach  to  Edinburg,  pressing  to 
welcome  him  when  he  alighted  and  to  hold  him  in 
their  arms.     His  preaching  was  wonderful.     God 
did  marvellous  things  by  his  labors.     He  writes, 
"  I  preached  at  two  to   a  vast  multitude,  and  at 
six  and  at  nine.     Such  a  commotion,  surely,  was 
never  heard  of,  especially  at  eleven  at  night.     For 
about  an  hour  and  a  half  there  was  such  weeping, 
so  many  falling  into  deep  distress  and  expressing 
it  in  various  ways,  as  is  inexpressible.     The  peo- 
ple seem  to  be  slain  by  scores.     They  are  carried 
off  and  come  into  the  houses  like  soldiers  w^ounded 
in  battle.     Scarce  ever  was  such  a  sis;ht  in  Scot- 
land.     There    were,    undoubtedly,    upwards     of 
20,000  persons.     Two  tents  were  set  up,  and  the 
holy  sacrament  was    administered   in    the    fields. 
When  I  began  to  serve  a  table,  the  power  of  God 
was  felt  by  numbers  ;  but  the  people  crowded  so 
upon  me  that  I  was   obliged  to  desist  and  go  to 
preach  at  one   of  the  tents,  whilst  the  ministers 
served  the  rest  of  the  tables.     On  Monday  morn- 
ing, I  preached  again  to  near  as  many,  but  such  a 
universal    stir  I  never   saw  before.     The  motion 
fled  as  swift  as  lightning  from  end  to  end  of  the 
auditorium.      You    might    have    seen   thousands 
bathed  in   tears,  some   at  the  same  time  wringing 


182  LIFE    OF   KEY.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

their  hands,  others  almost   swooning,  others  cry- 
ing out  for  mercy." 

Whitefield  made  many  other  visits  to  Scotland, 
but  formed  no  Societies,  and  while  he  was  gone 
much  of  the  good  seed  was  scattered  and  lost. 

Wesley  made  his  first  visit  to  Scotland  in  April, 
1751,  in  company  with  Christopher  Hopper  who 
had  returned  with  him  from  Ireland.  We  have 
already  noticed  that  the  Methodist  dragoons  from 
the  regiment  of  John  Haime,  in  Flanders,  had 
formed  Societies  in  Dunbar  and  Musselborough. 
Wesley  was  welcomed  at  the  latter  place.  He 
preached  while  the  people  stood  around  him  as 
statues,  respectful  but  too  cold  for  the  ardor  of 
Methodists.  "Nevertheless,"  Wesley  says,  "the 
prejudice  which  the  devil  had  been  several  years 
in  planting  was  plucked  up  in  an  hour."  He  was 
invited  to  stay  some  time,  with  an  offer  of  a  larger 
place  to  preach  in.  Wesley  had  to  leave,  but 
Hopper  returned  and  preached,  and  thus  began  a 
good  work  in  Scotland.  This  lay  evangelist  after- 
wards preached  with  power  at  Edinburg,  Dunbar, 
Leith,  Dundee  and  Aberdeen.  He  wrote,  "God 
blessed  our  work  and  raised  up  witnesses  that  he 
had  sent  us  to  the  North  Britons  also." 

In  the  spring  of  1753,  Wesley  went  again  to 
Scotland.  He  was  courteously  received  by  Mr.  Gil- 
lies at  Glasgow.     He  preached  outside  the  town  in 


THEY   FILLED    THE    FIELD.  183 

the  early  morn,  but  the  Scotch  were  not  used  to 
so  early  meetings  ;  but  few  were  there ;  but  six 
times  as  many  came  to  hear  him  in  a  tent  in  the 
afternoon.  The  power  of  God  touched  their 
hearts.  The  next  day  he  preached  in  the  kirk, 
by  the  courtesy  of  Mr.  Gillies.  The  church  would 
not  hold  the  vast  congregation,  so  he  preached  out 
of  doors.  More  than  a  thousand  listened  to  him 
in  a  shower  of  rain.  The  last  sermon  was  heard 
by  so  great  a  crowd  that  they  filled  the  field  from 
side  to  side.  But  he  found  the  apparent  respect 
mostly  indifference.  They  did  not  persecute  and 
they  would  not  follow.  He  said  afterward,  "They 
knoiv  everything  but  they  feel  nothing."  He  was 
perplexed  to  know  "  why  the  hand  of  the  Lord, 
who  does  nothing  without  a  cause,  was  almost  en- 
tirely stayed  in  Scotland.4' 

He  went  again  in  1757,  and  the  kirk  could  not 
hold  the  people.  Some  brought  their  children  to 
be  baptized.  At  one  time  2000  retired  unable  to 
hear.  He  formed  the  dragoon  Methodists  at  Mus- 
selburg  and  Dunbar,  and  was  encouraged  to  find 
them  strong  in  faith.  The  men  whose  piety  had 
been  tried  by  the  fires  of  the  battle  of  Fontenoy, 
had  introduced  a  living  faith  in  both  these  places. 

Wesley  writes,  "We  rode  to  Edinburg,  one  of 
the  dirtiest  cities  I  ever  saw,  not  excepting  Colen 
in  Germany.     We  returned  to  Musselburg  to  din- 


184  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

ner,  where  we  were  followed  by  a  party  of  gen- 
tlemen from  Edinburg.  I  used  great  plainness  of 
speech  toward  them,  and  they  all  received  it  in 
love." 

At  another  time  he  writes,  "I  found  myself 
much  out  of  order,  till  the  flux  stopped  at  once 
without  any  medicine.  I  was  afraid  I  could  not 
go  round  by  Kelso.  Vain  fear  !  God  took  care 
for  this  also.  The  wind  that  had  been  full  east 
for  several  days,  turned  this  morning  full  west, 
and  blew  just  in  our  face,  and  about  ten  the  clouds 
rose  and  kept  us  cool  till  we  reached  Kelso. 
When  I  preached  I  spared  neither  rich  nor  poor. 
I  almost  wondered  at  myself,  not  being  usual 
with  me  to  use  so  keen  and  cutting  expressions. 
I  believe  many  felt  that,  for  all  their  form,  they 
were  but  heathens  still.  Near  as  many  were 
present  the  next  day,  to  whom  I  spoke  full  as 
plain  as  before.  Many  looked  at  us  as  if  they 
would  look  us  through,  but  the  shyness  peculiar 
to  this  nation  prevented  them  saying  anything  to 
me,  good  or  bad,  while  I  walked  through  them  to 
our  Inn.  In  the  afternoon  I  came  ,to  Alnwick, 
and  at  six  I  preached  in  the  court-house  to  a  con- 
gregation of  another  spirit." 

The  next  day  he  writes,  "  At  seven  they  gath- 
ered from  all  parts,  and  I  was  greatly  refreshed 
among  them.     At  five  I  was  obliged  to  go  into 


LIVING    STOXES.  185 

the  market-place.  Oh,  what  a  difference  there  is 
between  these  living  stones  and  the  dead,  unfeel- 
ing multitudes  in  Scotland  ! 

In  1779,  Wesley  wrote  of  one  place  in  Scot- 
land :  "In  five  years  I  found  five  members  had 
been  gained.  What,  then,  have  our  preachers 
been  doing  all  this  time?  They  have  taken  great 
care  not  to  speak  too  plain  lest  they  should  give 
offence."  Hear  that,  ye  ministers  who  have  no 
success  in  your  preaching ;  are  you  afraid  of  the 
face  of  clay,  and  therefore  barren  and  unfruitful? 
He  goes  on  to  tell  of  another  reason:  "When 
Mr.  Brackenbury  preached  the  old  Methodist  doc- 
trine, one  of  them  said,  *  You  must  not  preach 
such  doctrine  here.  The  doctrine  of  perfection  is 
not  calculated  for  the  meridian  of  Edinburgh 
Waving,  then,  all  other  hinderances,  is  it  any 
wonder  that  the  work  of  God  has  not  prospered 
here?" 

Alas,  that  there  are  so  many  meridians  in  our 
day  where  the  distinctive  doctrine  of  Methodism, 
Holiness,  is  neither  preached  nor  practiced;  no 
wonder  there  is  no  prosperity,  for  human  nature 
and  the  grace  of  God  are  just  the  same  now  as 
then.  But  these  preachers  had  preached  four 
evenings  in  a  week  and  on  Sunday  morning,  yet 
there  was  no  success  because  they  feared  the  peo- 
ple  and  failed  to  preach  on  Christian  Perfection. 


18G  LITE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

Dr.  Adam  Clarke,  in  1826,  said,  "I  consider 
Methodism  as  having  no  hold  of  Scotland  but  in 
Glasgow  and  Edinburg." 

Whitefield  said  to  Wesley,  "  You  have  no  busi- 
ness in  Scotland,  for  your  principles  are  so  well 
known  that  if  you  spoke  like  an  angel  none  would 
hear  you,  and,  if  they  did,  you  would  have  noth- 
ing to  do  but  dispute  with  one  and  another  from 
morning  to  night." 


VICTORIES.  187 


CHAPTER  XII. 


WESLEY    IN     IRELAND. 

Some  of  the  greatest  victories  of  Methodism 
have  been  achieved  in  Ireland.  Ireland  refused 
the  Reformation,  and  stubbornly  adhered  to  the 
Church  of  Rome.  This  reacted  against  her  both 
in  civil,  religious  and  in  political  life  and  tended 
to  her  continual  degradation. 

August  9,  1747,  Wesley  reached  Dublin.  He 
went  immediately  to  St.  Mary's  Church,  and  in 
the  afternoon,  by  invitation  he  preached  to  "as 
gay  and  careless  a  congregation"  as  he  had  ever 
seen.  Thomas  Williams  had  already  formed  a 
Society  in  Dublin  of  nearly  300  members.  Wes- 
ley examined  them  personally  and  found  them 
strong  in  the  faith,  and  docile  and  cordial  in  spirit. 
He  pronounced  the  Irish  people" the  politest  people 
lever  saw."  He  exclaimed,  "What  a  nation  is 
this  !  every  man,  woman  and  child,  except  a  few 
of  the  vulgar,  not  only  patiently,  but  gladly  suffers 
the  word  of  exhortation."     First  impressions  are 


188  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WE8LEV. 

said  to  last  the  longest.     Not  so  in  this  case,  for 
he  found  some  of  the  most  bitter  opposition  on 
this   "Green  Isle."     He  had  a  fine   bearing  as  he 
preached  to  crowds  at  the  Society's  chapel.     Many- 
wealthy  citizens  were    present.     He  thought  he 
might  have  had  a  larger  church  in  Dublin  than  in 
London  if  he  could  have  stayed  there  long  enough. 
He  soon  found  out  that  the  Irish  need  double  care 
because  their  excessive  cordiality  exposed  them  to 
evil  as  well  as  to  good  impressions.     After  spend- 
ing   fourteen    days    among   them,    he    sailed   for 
England.     Charles  arrived  in  Ireland  in  two  weeks 
and  spent  about  six  months  in  that  country.     He 
found  already,  that  a  Papist  mob  had  broken  into 
the  chapel  and  had  stolen  goods  from  a  store-house 
which  appertained  thereto,  and  had  made  a  bonfire 
of  them   and   of   the   seats,    window   cases    and 
pulpit,  besides  wounding  the  members  of  the  Soci- 
ety, and  threatened  to  murder  all  who  met  with 
them.     A  regular  Irish  riot  which  left  the  Mayor 
powerless.      Wesley  met  the    Society  privately, 
but  the  rabble  followed  him  through  the  streets 
with  shouts  of  derision. 

John  Cenwick,  after  preaching  a  week  in  Dub- 
lin and  breasting  the  fearful  persecution,  writes, 
"Woe  is  me  now,  for  my  soul  is  wearied  because 
of  the  murderers  which  the  city  is  full  of.  The 
mob  seldom  parts  without  killing  some  one."     A 


MURDERERS. 


189 


Methodist  was  knocked  down,  cut  in  several  places 
and  then  thrown  into  a  cellar,  where  stones  were 
cast  upon  him.  Another  was  so  abused  and 
stamped  upon  that  he  died.  The  murderers  were 
tried  and  acquitted,  as  usual.  A  woman  was 
beaten  to  death,  and  a  constable,  who  was  protect- 
ing Wesley,  was  knocked  down  and  dragged  on 
the  earth  till  he  died.  Charles  Wesley  escaped 
without  a  wound,  but  he  was  chased  through  the 
streets  ;  but  their  firmness  at  last  discouraged  the 
Irish  mob  so  that  Wesley  preached  on  the  green 
to  as  fine  a  congregation  as  at  the  Foundry  in  Lon- 
don. The  Holy  Ghost  was  in  the  word  for  the 
prayers  and  sobs  of  the  people  often  drowned  his 
voice.  Converts  multiplied.  Money  was  raised 
and  a  better  place  of  worship  was  built.  Wesley 
sometimes  preached  five  times  a  day. 

At  Athlone,  Wesley  was  mobbed  and  struck 
with  a  stone.  One  of  his  companions  was  severe- 
ly wounded.  The  mob  was  aroused  by  a  Catholic 
priest.  Many  Protestants  stood  by  Wesley.  At 
Phillipstown  he  was  welcomed  by  a  party  of 
dragoons,  who  were  all  turned  from  darkness  to 
light  and  then  formed  into  a  Methodist  Society. 
He  returned  to  Dublin  and  found  the  Society  in- 
creasing. On  the  arrival  of  John  Wesley,  Charles 
returned  to  England  with  the  blessing  of  hundreds 
if  not  thousands  who  had    been   blessed    by    his 


190  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

preaching.      Methodism   had   found  a  footing  in 
Ireland  which  she  will  never  relinquish. 

John  Wesley  had  a  hearty  welcome  on  his  return. 
His  voice  could  hardly  be  heard  for  the  praises  of 
the  people.  He  found  nearly  400  in  the  Societies. 
He  preached  daily,  beginning  at  5  o'clock  in  the 
morning.  The  mob  had  been  conquered  and  peace 
prevailed.  He  went  on  from  town  to  town  con- 
firming the  souls  of  the  disciples.  Sometimes 
most  of  the  people  were  in  tears ;  but  he  adds, 
' 'The  water  spread  too  wide  to  be  deep,"  for  he 
found  not  one  of  them  under  very  deep  conviction. 
He  asked  one  man  how  he  had  lived  in  times  past. 
He  spread  abroad  his  hands  and  said  with  many 
tears,  "Here  I  stand  a  giay-headed  monster  of  all 
manner  of  wickedness." 

A  vast  crowd  came  to  hear  him  at  Athlone,  but 
the  priest  came  and  drove  them  away  before  him 
like  a  flock  of  sheep.  Failing  to  deeply  impress 
them  in  ordinary  preaching  Wesley  preached  in 
the  evening  on  a  threatening  text,  which  he  seldom 
did.  He  writes  "I  preached  on  the  terrors  of  the 
law  in  the  strongest  manner  I  was  able  ;  still  those 
who  were  ready  to  eat  every  word,  do  not  appear 
to  digest  any  part  of  it."  Yet,  soon  a  Society 
was  formed.  He  says  they  were  immeasurably 
loving  people :  his  heart  was  touched  with  their 
affectionate  simplicity.     At  Tullamore  the  people 


IRISH   CONVERT.  191 

would  not  cover  their  heads  in  a  hail-storm,  while 
he  preached,  though  he  requested  them  to  do  so. 
After  three  months  hard  work  in  Ireland  he  re- 
turned to  England. 

The  saintly  and  sainted  Thomas  Walsh  was  con- 
verted in  Limerick,  under  the  labors  of  Robert 
Swindells,  while  preaching  from  "Come  unto  me 
all  ye  that  labor  and  are  heavy  laden  and  I  w^ill 
give  you  rest."  Twenty  years  afterward,  John 
Wesley  wrote  of  his  Irish  convert,  "I  know  a 
young  man  who  is  so  thoroughly  acquainted  with 
the  Bible  that  if  he  was  questioned  concerning 
any  Hebrew  word  in  the  Old,  or  any  Greek  word 
in  the  New  Testament,  he  would  tell,  after  a  brief 
pause,  not  only  how  often  the  one  or  the  other 
occurred  in  the  Bible,  but  also  what  it  meant  in 
every  place.  Such  a  master  of  Biblical  knowledge 
I  never  saw  before  and  I  never  expect  to  see  again." 

"He  lived  as  in  another  world  from  this  time. 
A  more  saintly  life  than  he  exemplified  from  this 
time  down  to  his  death  cannot  be  found  in  the 
records  of  Papal  or  Protestant  piety."  Southey 
justly  says,  "The  Life  of  Thomas  Walsh  might 
indeed  almost  convince  a  Catholic  that  saints  are 
to  be  found  in  other  communions  as  well  as  in  the 
Church  of  Rome."  "He  saw  in  Methodism  a 
genuine  reproduction  of  the  apostolic  Church  and 
gave  himself  to   study,  that  he  might  the  better 


192  LIFE    OP    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

promote  its  marvellous  mission.  Besides  his 
native  Irish  tongue  he  mastered  the  English,  Latin, 
Greek  and  Hebrew ;  the  latter  was  especially  a 
sublime  delight  to  him,  as  the  tongue  in  which 
God  himself  had  originally  spoken  to  man.  He 
rose  at  four  in  the  morning  for  the  remainder  of 
his  life,  to  study  it  and  to  read  it,  often  upon  his 
knees.  He  exclaims  "O  truly  laudable  and  worthy 
study !  whereby  a  man  is  enabled  to  converse 
with  God,  with  holy  angels,  with  patriarchs  and 
prophets  and  clearly  unfold  to  men  the  mind  of 
God  from  the  language  of  God."  He  believed 
that  a  divine  inspiration  helped  him  about  these 
sacred  studies.  Probably  no  man  ever  excelled 
him  in  the  knowledge  of  the  word  of  God.  His 
memory  was  a  concordance  to  the  entire  Bible." 

His  studies  were  mixed  with  ejaculations  of 
praise  and  supplication.  "  Turning  his  face  to 
the  wall,  and  lifting  up  his  heart  and  countenance 
to  heaven,  with  his  arms  clasped  about  his  breast, 
he  would  stand  some  time  before  the  Lord  in 
solemn  recollection,  and  again  return  to  his  work." 
His  prayer  was,  "I  fain  would  rest  in  Thee!  I 
thirst  for  the  divine  life  ;  I  pray  for  the  Spirit  of 
illumination  ;  I  cast  my  soul  upon  Jesus  Christ, 
the  God  of  glory,  and  the  Redeemer  of  the  world. 
I  desire  to  be  conformable  unto  him,  his  friend, 
servant,  disciple,  and  sacrifice." 


THOMAS    WALSH.  193 

He  walked  thirty  miles  to  his  first  appointment, 
which  was  in  a  barn,  where  he  spoke  with  power, 
amid  tears  and  contradictions.  He  went  like  a 
flame  through  Leinster  and  Connaught,  preaching 
twice  or  thrice  a  day.  His  command  of  the  Irish 
tongue  gave  him  power  over  the  Papists. 

Thomas  Walsh  continued  to  preach  and  flame 
like  a  seraph.  He  fasted  and  denied  himself 
excessively.  At  twenty-five  he  looked  like  a 
man  of  forty,  and  would  preach  when  he  was  not 
able.  He  wrote,  "Thou  knowest  iny  desire,  thou 
knowest  there  has  never  been  a  saint  upon  earth 
whom  I  do  not  desire  to  resemble  in  doins:  and 
suffering  thy  will."  It  is  said  that  his  public 
prayers  were  so  fervent  and  arduous  that  it 
seemed  as  though  the  heavens  were  burst  open, 
and  God  himself  appeared  in  the  congregation. 

Two  years  afterward  Walsh  died,  after  strug- 
gling for  months  with  doubts  and  agonies  that  few 
ever  suffer.  He  came  almost  to  the  extremity  of 
mental  anguish,  if  not  despair  of  his  salvation. 
"His  great  soiil  lay  thus,  as  it  were,  in  ruins,  and 
poured  out  many  a  heavy  groan  and  speechless 
tear  from  an  oppressed  heart  and  dying  body." 
Prayers  were  offered  for  him  in  many  places,  and 
God  gave  him  the  victory.  Just  before  he  died 
he  requested  to  be  left  alone  for  a  few  minutes  '  •  to 
meditate   a   little."       He   remained   in   profound 


194  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

prayer,  and  self-recollection  for  some  time,  and 
then  broke  out  in  exclamation  :  "  He  is  come!  he 
is  come!  My  beloved  is  mine  and  I  am  his  — 
his  forever!"  and  thus  he  departed  to  his  eternal 
triumph. 

Duncan  Wright  was  a  Scotchman,  but  belonged 
to  the  army  in  Ireland.  He  was  early  convicted 
of  his  need  of  religion,  but  failing  to  find  grace, 
he  plunged  into  sin,  and  enlisted  at  the  age  of 
eighteen.  His  religious  convictions  followed  him. 
He  went  with  the  soldiers  to  the  Methodist  meet- 
ings in  Limerick.  He  spent  nights  in  weeping, 
till  the  Lord  brought  him,  in  an  instant,  out  of 
darkness  into  his  marvellous  light.  For  two 
years  he  had  great  trials,  he  felt  that  he  must 
preach  the  gospel,  but  he  resisted.  But  after  a 
while  Wesley  sent  him  out  as  a  traveling  preacher. 
He  traveled  much  in  Ireland,  and  sometimes  in 
company  with  Wesley.  He  also  preached  in 
Scotland,  and  occupied  important  circuits  in  Eng- 
land. He  died  at  his  post  after  thirty  years  of 
labor  for  Christ. 

Wesley  gives  the  following  advice  to  one  of  his 
Irish  workers  :  "  Dear  Brother, — I  shall  now  tell 
you  the  things  that  have  been  more  or  less  on  my 
mind :  Be  steadily  serious.  There  is  no  country 
upon  earth  where  this  is  more  necessary  than 
in   Ireland,    as    you  are    generally   encompassed 


BENEFACTIONS .  195 

with  those  who,  with  a  little  encouragement, 
wrould  laugh  and  trifle  from  morning  till  night. 
In  every  town  visit  all  you  can  from  house  to 
house  ;  but  on  this  and  every  other  occasion,  avoid 
all  familiarity  with  women;  this  is  deadly  poison, 
both  to  them  and  you.  You  cannot  be  too  wary 
in  this  respect.  Be  active,  be  diligent ;  avoid  all 
laziness,  sloth,  indolence  ;  fly  from  every  danger, 
every  appearance  of  it,  else  you  will  never  be 
more  than  half  a  Christian." 

Wesley  found  the  Irish  more  generous  than  the 
English.  One  gentleman  gave  the  land  and  meet- 
ing house  at  Athlone.  Thomas  Jones  gave 
between  three  and  four  hundred  pounds  toward 
the  chapel  at  Cork.  Mr.  Lunell  gave  four  hun- 
dred pounds  toward  the  chapel  at  Dublin. 
Wesley  writes,  "I  know  no  such  benefactions 
among  the  Methodists  in  England." 


196  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 


CHAPTER  Xm. 


WESLEY    ON   CHRISTIAN   PERFECTION. 

God  had  indeed  wrought  wonders  among  the 
people  both  in  England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  and 
Wales.  Vast  multitudes  had  been  truly  converted, 
and  this  great  work,  with  many  of  them,  had 
been  wrought  suddenly ;  they  had  been  justified 
freely  from  all  their  transgressions.  They 
obtained  the  regeneration  of  their  hearts  by  the 
power  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  they  had  the  Spirit 
itself  witnessing  with  their  spirits  that  they  were 
the  children  of  God.  They  were  heirs  of  God, 
joint  heirs  with  Jesus  Christ. 

All  this  was  the  natural  result  of  the  plain 
proclamation  of  God's  eternal  truth,  which  pro- 
duced a  conviction  of  sin,  a  hatred  to  sin,  and  a 
genuine  turning  from  sin  to  God.  As  men  and 
women  became  established  in  this  grace  of  regen- 
eration, they  began  to  hunger  and  thirst  after 
entire  sanctification,  after  all  the  mind  that  was 
in    Christ.         Yet   they    "felt   the    flesh    lusting 


CIRCUMCISION    OF    THE    HEART.  197 

against  the  Spirit,  and  the  Spirit  against  the  flesh." 
They  felt  that  they  must  "put  off  the  old  man, 
with  his  deeds,  and  put  on  the  new  man,  which  is 
created  in  righteousness  and  true  holiness." 

Wesley  had  held  the  doctrine  of  Christian  Per- 
fection since  1733,  when  he  preached  that  sermon 
on  the  Circumcision  of  the  heart.  He  had  declared 
that  "Holiness  is  the  grand  deposztum  which  God 
has  given  to  the  people  called  Methodists,  and 
chiefly  to  propagate  this,  it  appears  God  has 
raised  them  up." 

In  1760  the  Holy  Spirit  was  poured  out  in  great 
power,  and  multitudes  were  entirely  sanctified. 
Wesley  writes,  "Here  began  that  glorious  work 
of  sanctification  which  had  been  nearly  at  a  stand 
for  twenty  years;  from  time  to  time  it  spread, 
first  through  Yorkshire,  then  in  London,  and  in 
many  parts  of  England,  and  through  various 
places  in  Ireland.  And  wherever  the  work  of 
sanctification  increased,  the  whole  work  of  God 
increased  in  all  its  branches." 

Charles  Wesley  had  been  looking  for  a  Method- 
ist  day  of  Pentecost,  when  it  would  be  as  com- 
mon to  hear  that  some  one  had  been  sanctified,  as 
it  was  now  to  hear  that  they  w^ere  converted.  In 
1762  John  Wesley  found  about  four  hundred 
witnesses  of  sanctification  in  the  London  Societies. 
The  revival  was  more  remarkable  in  Dublin  than 


198  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

in  London.  "After  a  deep  conviction  of  inbred 
sin,  they  had  been  so  filled  with  faith  and  love 
that  sin  vanished,  and  they  found  from  that  time, 
no  pride,  no  anger,  nor  unbelief.  They  could 
rejoice  evermore,  pray  without  ceasing,  and  in 
everything  give  thanks.  Whether  we  call  this 
the  destruction  or  the  suspension  of  sin,  it  is  a 
glorious  work  of  God ;  such  a  work  as,  consider- 
ing both  the  depth  and  extent,  we  never  saw  in 
these  kingdoms  before.  The  peculiar  work  of 
the  season  has  been  the  perfecting  of  the  saints." 
These  saints  testified  that  "They  felt  no 
inward  sin,  and  committed  no  outward  sin.  That 
they  saw  and  loved  God  every  moment ;  and 
prayed,  rejoiced  and  gave  thanks  evermore.  That 
they  had  constantly  as  clear  a  witness  from  God 
of  sanctification  as  they  had  of  justification." 
Wesley  says,  "In  this  1  do  rejoice,  and  will 
rejoice,  call  it  what  you  please.  I  would  that 
thousands  had  experienced  this  much ;  let  them 
after  experience  as  much  more  as  God  pleases." 
Again  he  writes,  "Whether  they  are  saved  from 
sin  or  not,  they  are  certainly  full  of  faith  and 
love,  and  peculiarly  helpful  to  my  soul." 

Newcastle  was  an  exception  to  this  revival  of 
holiness,  because  they  sought  it  by  their  works, 
and  thought  it  was  to  come  gradually,  and  never 
expected  it  to  come  in  a  moment,  by  simple  faith, 


SCRIPTURAL   EXPERIENCE.  199 

in  the  very  same  manner  as  they  received  justifi- 
cation. 

Wesley  says,  "I  know  many  who  love  God 
with  all  the  heart,  mind,  soul,  and  strength.  He 
is  their  one  desire,  their  one  delight,  and  they  are 
continually  happy  in  him ;  they  love  their  neigh- 
bor as  themselves.  They  feel  as  sincere,  fervent, 
constant  desire  for  the  happiness  of  every  man, 
good  or  bad,  friend  or  foe,  as  for  their  own. 
Their  souls  are  continually  streaming  up  to  God 
in  holy  joy,  prayer  and  praise.  This  is  plain, 
sound,  scriptural  experience.  And  of  this  we 
have  more  and  more  living  witnesses." 

Wesley  went  to  London,  and  immediately  began 
a  course  of  sermons  on  Christian  Perfection,  and 
writes,  "Many  do  daily  experience  an  unspeak- 
able change.  After  being  deeply  convinced  of 
inbred  sin,  particularly  of  pride,  self-will,  and 
unbelief,  in  a  moment  they  feel  all  faith,  all  love  ; 
no  pride,  no  self-will,  nor  anger.  I  ascribe  it  to 
the  Spirit  of  God." 

Wesley  was  very  explicit  in  his  teachings  on 
this  great  doctrine  and  experience.  He  writes, 
"By  perfection  I  mean  the  humble,  gentle, 
patient  love  of  God  and  man,  ruling  all  our 
tempers,  works,  and  actions,  the  whole  heart  and 
the  whole  life.  It  is  such  a  love  of  God  and  our 
neighbors  as  implies  deliverance  from  all  sin." 


200  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

In  speaking  of  those  who  were  panting  for 
purity,  he  writes,  "Now  they  see  all  the  hidden 
abominations  of  their  hearts,  the  depths  of  pride, 
and  self,  and  hell ;  yet  having  the  witness  in  them- 
selves that  they  are  the  children  of  God.  So 
that  it  is  possible  to  have  pride,  and  self,  and  hell 
in  a  regenerate  heart  before  it  is  wholly  sanctified. 
Again  he  writes  of  the  regenerate  before  they  are 
sanctified :  ' '  He  frequently  finds  his  will  more 
or  less  exalting  itself  against  the  will  of  God. 
He  wills  something  because  it  is  pleasing  to 
nature,  which  is  not  pleasing  to  God."  This  is 
inbred  sin,  which  entire  sanctification  destroys. 
Wesley  sums  up  the  whole  matter  as  follows: — 

' '  1 .  There  is  such  a  thing  as  Christian  Perfec- 
tion, for  it  is  taught  in  the  Bible.  2.  It  is  not  as 
early  as  justification,  for  justified  persons  are  to 
go  on  to  perfection.  3.  It  is  not  as  late  as  death, 
for  St.  Paul  speaks  of  those  who  were  '  already 
perfect.'  4  It  is  not  absolute,  for  this  perfection 
belongs  neither  to  men  nor  to  angels,  but  to  God 
only.  5.  It  does  not  make  a  man  infallible. 
No  one  is  infallible  while  he  remains  in  the  body. 
6.  Perfect  love,  1  John  4:  18,  This  is  the 
essence  of  it.  Its  properties,  or  inseparable  fruits 
are,  rejoicing  evermore,  praying  without  ceasing, 
and  in  every  thing  giving  thanks.  7.  It  is  im- 
provable.     It  is  so  far  from  lying  in  an  indivisible 


INSTANTLY    SANCTIFIED.  201 

point,  from  being  incapable  of  increase,  that  one 
perfected  in  love  may  grow  in  grace  far  swifter 
than  he  did  before.     8.    It  is  amissible — capable 
of  being  lost ;  but  we  were  not  thoroughly  con- 
vinced of  this  for  several  years.     9.    It   is    con- 
stantly preceded  and  followed  by  a  gradual  work. 
10.     But    is    it    in    itself  instantaneous    or   not? 
Some  have  been  instantly  sanctified,  no  one  can 
deny  this ;  but  in  some,  this  change  is  not  instan- 
taneous ;  they  did  not  perceive  the  instant  when 
it  was  wrought.     It  is  often  difficult  to  perceive 
the  instant  in  which  life  ceases.     There  must  be  a 
last  moment  of  its  existence,  and  the  first  moment 
of  our  deliverance  from  it.     11.    Some  say,  'This 
doctrine  has  been  much  abused.'     So  has  the  doc- 
trine of  justification."     He  concludes  as  follows  : 
"Therefore,    all    our   preachers    should    make    a 
point  of  preaching  Christian  Perfection  to  believ- 
ers constantly,  strongly  and  explicitly.     And  all 
believers  should  mind   this  one   thing,  and    con- 
tinually agonize  for  it." 

To  one  of  his  friends  he  wrote,  "It  is  exceeding 
certain  that  God  did  give  you  the  Second  Bless- 
ing, properly  so  called.  He  delivered  you  from 
the  root  of  bitterness,  from  inbred  as  well  as 
actual  sin."  Again  he  writes," By  salvation  I 
mean  a  present  deliverance  from  sin,  a  restoration 
of  the   soul  to  its  primitive  health,   its  original 


202  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

purity  ;  a  recovery  of  the  divine  nature,  a  renewal 
of  the  soul  after  the  image  of  God ;  this  implies 
all  holy  and  heavenly  tempers,  and  by  consequence, 
all  holy  conversation."  To  a  friend  he  writes, 
•*I  want  you  to  be  all  love.  This  is  the  perfection 
I  believe  and  teach,  and  this  perfection  is  consistent 
with  a  thousand  nervous  disorders."  Again,  "A 
person  may  be  cleansed  from  all  sinful  tempers, 
and  yet  need  the  atoning  blood  for  negligences 
and  ignorances  ;  for  both  words  and  actions,  as 
well  as  omissions,  which  are,  in  a  sense,  trans- 
gressions of  the  perfect  law.  I  believe  no  one  is 
clear  of  these  till  he  lays  down  this  corruptible 
body." 

Wesley  advised  the  sanctified  to  watch  against 
pride,  fanaticism,  antinomianism,  the  sins  of 
omission,  and  against  desiring  anything  but  God. 
Against  schism  in  the  church.  They  must  be 
exemplary  in  all  things.  He  adds,  "Where 
Christian  Perfection  is  not  strongly  and  explicitly 
preached,  there  is  seldom  any  remarkable  blessing 
from  God,  and  consequently  little  addition  to  the 
Society,  and  little  life  in  the  members  of  it." 

This  wonderful  experience  is  obtained  by  faith, 
and  faith  is  always  in  the  present  tense.  There- 
fore we  may  expect  it  as  we  are.  Wesley  says, 
66  It  is  important  to  observe  that  there  is  an 
inseparable  connection  between  these  three  points  : 


Wesley's  profession.  203 

expect  it  by  faith,  expect  it  as  you  are,  and 
expect  it  now.  To  deny  one  of  them  is  to  deny 
them  all."  To  expect  it  at  death,  or  at  some 
future  time,  is  about  the  same  as  not  expecting  it 
at  all.  He  observes  that  "We  should  never 
preach  this  perfection  in  a  harsh  spirit,  but  place 
it  in  the  most  amiable  light,  that  it  may  excite 
hope,  joy,  and  desire." 

john  Wesley's  profession  of  entire 
sanctification. 

lt  In  the  early  part  of  his  career  he  wrote, 
"My  brother  and  I  read  the  Bible,  saw  inward 
and  outward  holiness  therein,  followed  after  it  and 
incited  others  to  do  so.  We  saw  that  holiness 
comes  by  faith,  and  that  we  must  be  justified 
before  we  are  sanctified ;  but  holiness  was  our 
point — inward  and  outward  holiness.  God  then 
thrust  us  out  to  raise  up  a  holy  people."  Even 
before  this  he  writes,  "In  1725  I  met  with  Bishop 
Taylor's  'Kules  for  holy  living  and  dying."  I  was 
struck  particularly  with  the  chapter  on  intention 
and  felt  a  fixed  intention  to  give  myself  to  God. 
In  this  I  was  much  confirmed  soon  after  by  the 
'Christian  pattern'  and  longed  to  give  my  heart  to 
God.  This  is  just  what  I  mean  by  perfection  now. 
I  sought  after  it  from  that  very  honr." — Journal, 
May,  1765. 


204  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

2.  Two  years  afterward  he  read  Law's  Christian 
Perfection,  and  'Serious  Call/'  when  he  resolved 
to  be  all  devoted  to  God,  in  body,  soul  and  spirit. 

In  1730,  he  writes,  "I  then  saw,  in  a  stronger 
light  than  ever  before,  that  only  one  thing  is  need- 
ful, even  faith  that  worketh  by  the  love  of  God 
and  man,  all  inward  and  outward  holiness ;  and  I 
groaned  to  love  God  with  all  my  heart  and  to 
serve  Him  with  all  my  strength."  Who  will  say 
that  he  did  not  obtain  it? 

3.  Jan.   1,    1733,  he  preached  his   wonderful 

sermon  on  the  Circumcision  of  the  heart  whicjti  he 

afterward     declared    contained    all   that   he   then 

taught  concerning  salvation  from  all  sin,  and  loving 

God  with  an  undivided  heart.     In  1735  he  preached 

a  sermon  at  Epworth  in  which  he  spoke  with  the 

utmost  clearness,  of  having  one  design,  one  desire, 

one  love  and  of  pursuing  the  one  end  of  life  in  all 

our  words  and  actions.     In  1738  he  expressed  his 

desires  as  follows  : 

"O  grant  that  nothing  in  my  soul 
May  dwell  but  thy  pure  love  alone ! 

O  may  thy  love  possess  me  whole, 
My  joy,  my  treasure,  and  my  crown! 

Strange  flames  far  from  my  heart  remove, 
My  every  act,  word,  thought  belove." 

Eev.  John  M.  Pike  has  truly  said,  "Any  state- 
ment of  Wesley's  experience  that  did  not  refer  to 
Christian  Perfection,  or  perfect  love,  would  be 
incomplete." 


MEEKNESS    OF   MOSES.  205 

4.     In  the  very    nature  of  things,  and  in  the 
natural  order  of  events,  John  Wesley  must  have 
enjo3^ed  entire  sanctification.     1.     Because  he  met 
the  conditions  on  which  it  is  obtained.    2.    Because 
he  never  could  have  known  so  much  about  it,  as 
to  tell  how  to  get  it  and  how  to  keep  it,  and  how 
to  promote  it  in  others.     No  man  could  teach  it  and 
preach  it  as  he  did  for  so  many  years  unless  he  had 
the  genuine  experience  himself.     He  writes,  "It  re- 
quires a  great  degree  of  watchfulness  to  retain  the 
the  perfect  love  of  God,  and  one  great  means  of 
retaining  it  is,  frankly  to  declare  what  Grod  has 
given   you."     How    did   he    know   this    only    by 
experience  ?     3.     He  must  have  had  it  or  he  could 
not  have  been  so  successful  in  preaching  this  full- 
ness to  others.     4.    He  bore  the  fruits  of  Christian 
perfection.     He  was  "absolutely  absorbed  in  the 
service  of  the  Master  for  fifty  or  sixty  years.     He 
certainly  had  perfect  love,  and  perfect  self-denial 
for  the  good  of  others.     He  had  an  almost  bound- 
less  benevolence    and    perfect     self-control    and 
patience.     He  seemed  almost  to  have  the  meekness 
of  Moses.     In  the  midst  of  the  fiercest  mobs  and 
riots  he  was  kept  in  perfect  peace. 

5.  Then  he  expressly  professes  this  experience 
in  the  following  hymn.  It  is  the  relation  of  his 
Christian  experience  in  poetry  and  is  exceedingly 
forcible. 


206  LITE    OF   KEV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

How  happy  is  the  pilgrim's  lot, 

How  free  from  every  anxious  thought, 

From  worldly  hope  and  fear; 
Confined  to  neither  court  nor  cell, 
His  soul  disdains  on  earth  to  dwell — 

He  only  sojourns  here. 

This  happiness  in  part  is  mine, 
Already  saved  from  low  design, 

From  every  creature  love. 
Blest  with  the  scorn  of  finite  good, 
My  soul  is  lighten'd  of  its  load, 

And  seeks  the  things  above. 

The  things  eternal  I  pursue ; 
A  happiness  beyond  the  view 

Of  those  that  basely  pant 
For  things  by  nature  felt  and  seen ; 
Their  honor,  wealth,  and  pleasure  mean 

I  neither  have  nor  want. 

I  have  no  babes  to  hold  me  here ; 
But  children  more  securely  dear 

For  mine  I  hnmbly  claim : 
Better  than  daughters  or  than  sons, 
Temples  divine  of  living  stones, 

Inscribed  with  Jesusr  name. 

No  foot  of  land  do  I  possess ; 
No  cottage  in  this  wilderness ; 

A  poor,  wa3^faring  man, 
I  lodge  awhile  in  tents  below, 
Or  gladly  wander  to  and  fro, 

Till  I  my  Canaan  gain. 

Nothing  on  earth  I  call  my  own ; 
A  stranger  to  the  world— unknown — 
I  all  their  goods  despise ; 


HOME    IN   HEAVEN.  207 

I  trample  on  their  whole  delight, 
And  seek  a  city  out  of  sight, 
A  city  in  the  skies. 

There  is  my  house  and  portion  fair; 
My  treasure  and  my  heart  are  there, 

And  my  abiding  home : 
For  me  my  elder  brethren  stay, 
And  angels  beckon  me  away, 

And  Jesus  bids  me  come." 

A  man  saved  from  "every  creature  love"  and 
"every  low  design,"  who  "scorns  finite  good"  and 
"seeks  only  the  things  above,"  who  "neither  has 
nor  wants  worldly  honor,  wealth  or  pleasure,"  who 
chooses  to  be  a  "poor  wayfaring  man  without 
cottage  or  foot  of  land,"  who  "tramples  upon  this 
world's  delights"  and  who  "has  his  heart  and 
treasure  and  abiding  home  in  heaven."  Surely 
such  a  man  has  made  the  highest  profession  that  a 
mortal  can  make  this  side  of  heaven  itself. 

6.  If  John  Wesley  was  not  &  possessor  and  a 
professor  of  Christian  perfection,  of  which  he 
preached  and  wrote  so  much  and  so  effectively, 
then  he  was  one  of  the  greatest  deceivers  of  his 
times. 

7.  I  will  refer  the  reader  to  Dr.  Coke's  delin- 
eation of  the  character  of  John  Wesley  as  given 
at  the  close  of  this  book,  and  after  a  careful 
consideration  of  that  estimate  of  this  godly  man, 
tell   me,  if  you  please,  if  the  whole  tenor  of  his 


208  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

words  and  works  and  motives  were  not  such  as 
would  naturally  flow  from  the  heart  of  a  man  who 
was  wholly  sanctified  to  God. 

8.  Who,  but  a  man  in  the  experience  of  perfect 
love  could  write  as  follows:  "lain  content  with 
whatever  entertainment  I  meet  with,  and  my  com- 
panions are  always  in  good  humor,  because  they  are 
with  me.  This  must  be  the  spirit  of  all  who  take 
journeys  with  me  ;  if  a  dinner  ill  dressed,  a  hard 
bed,  a  poor  room,  a  shower  of  rain  or  a  dirty  road 
will  put  them  out  of  humor,  it  puts  a  burden  upon 
me  greater  than  all  the  rest  put  together.  By  the 
grace  of  God  I  never  fret.  I  repine  at  nothing. 
I  see  God  sitting  upon  his  throne  ruling  all  things 
well.5 

9.  At  one  time  when  in  a  large  party  of  friends, 
the  company  was  convulsed  with  laughter,  in  the 
momentary  pause  that  followed,  Wesley  arose  and 
lifting  up  his  hand,  in  his  peculiar  manner,  said, 

u  Still  may  I  walk  as  in  thy  sight, 

My  strict  observer  see ; 
And   thou  by   reverent  love  unite 

My  childlike  heart  to  thee. 
Still  let  me  till  my  days  are  passed, 

At  Jesus'  feet  abide ; 
So  shall  he  lift  me  up  at  last, 

And  seat  me  by  his  side." 

The  Holy  Spirit  rested  upon  the  company  in  a 
moment,  as  this  holy  man  thus  lifted  up  his  holy 
hands  " without  wrath  or  doubting." 


FULL    OF   FAITH.  209 

10.  Let  the  candid  reader  study  carefully 
Wesley's  journals  and  see  how  many  immediate 
answers  to  prayers  he  obtained,  for  the  recovery 
of  his  body,  for  the  changing  of  the  wind  in  a 
storm,  for  the  cessation  of  rain,  or  the  covering 
of  the  sun  with  a  cloud  to  accommodate  his  out- 
door preaching,  and  in  many  other  emergencies. 
He  must  have  been  full  of  faith  and  the  Holy 
Ghost,  or  he  could  not  have  touched  the  throne 
of  God  in  a  moment  and  obtained  immediate 
deliverance. 

11.  It  would  almost  be  a  reflection  upon  the 
Almighty  to  suppose  that  he  raised  up  the  people 
called  Methodists  ;  whose  duty  it  was  to  experience 
and  proclaim  this  Christian  Perfection  to  all  the 
world,  and  let  John  Wesley  be  the  chief  instru- 
mentality ;  the  leading  spirit  and  great  expounder 
and  defender  of  this  doctrine  and  experience,  and 
yet  not  have  the  experience  in  his  own  sonl.  Nay, 
verily  !  it  cannot  be.  His  whole  life  and  spirit 
and  word  and  work  declare  to  all  the  world  that 
he  was  "dead  indeed  unto  sin  and  alive  unto  God. 

12.  In  April,  1764,  Wesley  writes  about  his 
preaching  at  Grimsby,  "I  explained  at  large  the 
nature  of  Christian  Perfection ;  many  who  had 
doubted  of  it  before  were  fully  satisfied."  May 
we  not  reasonably  conclude  that  he  was  simply 
telling  his   own  experience  at  the  time?     Is  not 


210  LIFE   OF   KEV.    JOHN  WESLEY. 

this  a  fair  inference  that  he  spoke  out  of  his  own 
heart?     It  is,  verily. 

13.  Wesley  must  have  had  the  experience  of 
entire  sanctification  or  he  could  not  have  been 
consistent  with  his  conduct  towards  his  preachers, 
nor  honest  before  God.  In  1766  he  became  so 
urgent  about  his  ministers  enjoying  perfect  love, 
that  he  instituted  a  list  of  questions  which  were 
proposed  to  all  his  ministers  before  they  were 
received  into  the  conference,  as  follows  :  "Have 
you  faith  in  God  ?  Are  you  going  on  to  perfection  ? 
Do  you  expect  to  be  made  perfect  in  love  in  this 
life  ?  Are  you  groaning  after  it?  Are  you  resolved 
to  devote  yourself  wholly  to  God  and  his  work? 

Who  but  a  hypocrita  could  stand  at  the  door  of 
the  conference  and  urge  these  questions  upon  all 
the  ministers  if  he  were  not  made  perfect  in  love 

himself? 

14.  Mr.  Tyerman,  in  his  excellent  life  of  John 
Wesley,  is  very  generous  in  his  many  and  large 
references  to  Christian  Perfection.  But,  it  seems 
to  me,  he  is  not  just  or  true  to  history  when  he 
says  of  this  holy  and  venerable  man  of  God,  "He 
preached  the  doctrine  (of  Christian  Perfection) 
most  explicitly  and  strongly,  especially  after  the 
period  of  which  we  are  writing,  but  where  is  the 
proof  that  he  ever  experienced  it."  If  Mr.  Tyer- 
man still  lives,  let  him  read  what  evidence  I  have 


CRYING   OUT.  211 

produced  in  this  chapter.  But  he  goes  on  to  say, 
"It  is  an  important  fact,  that,  so  far  as  there  is 
evidence  to  show,  to  the  day  of  his  death,  he 
never  made  the  same  profession  as  hundreds  of 
his  people  did."  Surely  a  certain  minister  is 
right  when  he  says,  "The  life  of  John  Wesley,  by 
Mr.  Tyerman,  was' written  in  an  atmosphere  quite 
distant  from  perfect  love."  Of  course  Mr.  Tyer- 
man means  to  say  that  Mr.  Wesley  did  not  profess 
Christian  Perfection  even  to  the  day  of  his  death. 
Then  the  Lord  raised  John  Wesley  and  thrust 
him  out  to  raise  up  a  holy  people,  and  kept  him 
in  the  front  of  this  holy  work  and  enabled  him  to 
write  and  preach  on  this  subject  as  no  man  ever 
did ;  yet  he  never  had  the  experience  himself. 
No,  beloved,  this  cannot  be  ! 

15.  We  have  shown  that  as  early  as  1730, 
Wesley  was  crying  out  for  all  inward  and  outward 
holiness,  and  he  groaned  to  love  God  with  all  his 
heart,  and  to  serve  him  with  all  his  strength ;  and 
this  was  the  drift  and  tenor  of  the  sixty-one 
remaining  years  of  his  life.  He  walked  with  God 
in  "the  way  of  holiness,"  and  of  perfect  love  to 
God  and  man. 

16.  Wesley  wrote  to  his  father,  "I  conclude 
that  when  I  am  most  holy  myself,  then  I  could 
most  promote  holiness  in  others."  Then  as  he 
was    always    successfully   promoting   holiness   in 


212  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

others  by  his   life    and   preaching,  then   he  must 
have  been  holy  himself. 

17.  Dr.  Whitehead  says,  "He  studied  to  be 
gentle,  yet  vigilant  and  faithful  to  all.  He  pos- 
sessed himself  in  patience  and  preserved  himself 
unprovoked,  nay,  even  unruffled  in  the  midst  of 
persecution,  reproach  and  all  manner  of  abuse  of 
his  person  and  name."  Then  he  did  possess 
Christian  Perfection  and  demonstrated  it  to  the 
world. 

18.  I  have  just  discovered  that  Mr.  Tyerman 
quotes  a  part  of  the  above  hymn  by  John  Wesley, 
and  says,  "The  whole  hymn  is  strikingly  descrip- 
tive of  Wesley's  own  condition  and  experience." 
Still  he  contends  that  Wesley  never  professed 
entire  sanctification.  How  strange  !  It  is  strange 
also  that  Mr.  Tyerman  did  not  quote  the  whole 
hj^mn,  but  left  out  the  three  stanzas  that  are  the 
most  expressive  of  the  fulness  of  God  in  the  soul, 
namely,  the  three  first  stanzas  that  I  have  quoted, 
I  am  astonished  at  this,  as  Mr.  Tyerman  is  the 
most  elaborate  writer  of  Mr.  Wesley's  life  and 
as  he  claims  in  his  Preface  that  "Nothing  likely  to 
be  of  general  interest  has  been  withheld.  What- 
ever else  the  work  may  be,  it  is  honest"  We 
answer,  it  is  certainly  of  general  interest  that  the 
millions  of  Methodists  of  this,  and  of  all  coming 
generations,  should  know  the  height  and  depth  of 


LOVE    STORIES.  213 

the  religious  experience  of  their  venerable  founder 
and  it  would  certainly   have   been   honest  to   have 
quoted  the  hymn  just  as  Wesley  wrote  it.     Why 
this  was  not  done  it  is  not  forme  to  say.     I  only 
state  the  facts.     Charity  would  say,   "It  was  for 
want   of  room."     But   there    is    no    plea    on   this 
account  when  he  fills   so  very  many  of  his  pages 
with  what  may   be   called  "the   love   stories"  con- 
nected with  the  life  of  Wesley,  which,  to  me,  are 
almost  sickening  in  their  detail;  and  this  remark 
applies  just  as  much   to  Dr.   Riggs'  book,  "The 
Living  Wesley,"  as   to   Mr.  Tyerman's   extensive 
works.     It  seems  to  me    almost    like  catering  to 
the  corrupt  taste  of  this  generation  and  also  like 
magnifying  the  weaknesses,  rather  than  the  excel- 
lences of  this  pre-eminently  godly  man.     Dr.  Riggs 
has  produced  a  most  excellent  book  from  which  I 
am  delighted  to  quote  in   this   book.     But,  in  all 
candor  I  would  ask   why    forty-two    pages,  one- 
sixth  of  that  book,  after  the  Introduction,  should 
be  given  to  the  details  of  two  love  stories.     In  the 
language  of  Dr.  Riggs   to    Mr.  Tyerman  I  would 
say,   "If  he   (Dr.  Riggs)   were,  in  future  editions 
to  spare  us  needless    details  of  the  sort  we  have 
indicated,  he  might  save  space  for  such  statements, 
reflections  and  general  views,  here  and  there,  as 
would  more  distinctly  represent  Wesley's  character, 
position    and    motives,    than  has  now    been    done 
even  in  these — this — volume." 


214  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

19.  See  the  perfection  of  John  Wesley's  love 
and  patience  in  the  following :  At  Dewsbury,  a 
person  full  of  rage,  pressed  through  the  throng, 
and  struck  him  violently  on  the  face.  Weslej7', 
with  tears  in  his  eyes,  recollecting  the  precept  of 
Jesus,  turned  to  him  the  other  cheek.  His  assail- 
ant was  awed  by  this  spirit  of  Christ,  and  slunk 
back  into  the  crowd.  Who  but  the  possessor  of 
Christian  Perfection  could  act  in  this  manner? 
Who? 

The  following  question  was  submitted  to  Dr. 
James  M.  Buckley  : — 

"  Have  we  any  record  of  Mr.  Wesley  professing 
to  be  entirely  sanctified ;  and  if  so,  where  may  it 
be  found?"  Dr.  Buckley  answers,  in  the  Chris- 
tian Advocate:  "This  question  reappears  from 
time  to  time,  as  though  of  great  importance.  We 
know  of  no  record  of  his  explicitly  professing,  or 
saying  in  so  many  words,  '  I  am  entirely  sancti- 
fied ;'  no  record  of  uttering  words  to  that  effect. 
But  we  have  no  more  doubt  that  he  habitually 
professed  it  than  that  he  professed  conversion. 
The  relation  John  Wesley  sustained  to  his  fol- 
lowers, and  to  this  doctrine,  makes  it  certain  that 
he  professed  it,  and  almost  certain  that  there 
would  be  no  special  record  of  it. 

1.  All  Wesley's  followers  assumed  him  to  be 
what  he  urged  them  to  be.     Before  they  were  in 


ENTIRE    SAXCTIFICATIOX.  215 

a  situation  to  make  records,  his  position  was  so 
fixed  that  to  record  his  descriptions  of  this  state 
would  have  been  unthought  of. 

2.  He  preached  entire  sanctification,  and  urged 
it  upon  his  follows. 

3.  He  defended  its  attainability  in  many  pub- 
lic controversies. 

4.  He  urged  and  defended  the  profession  of  it, 
under  certain  conditions  and  safeguards ;  made 
lists  of  professors ;  told  men  they  had  lost  it 
because  they  did  not  profess ;  and  said  and  did  so 
many  things,  only  to  be  explained  upon  the 
assumption  that  he  professed  to  enjoy  the  blessing, 
that  no  other  opinion  can  support  it," 


216  LITE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


JOHN  WESLEY  AND  JOHN  FLETCHER. 

In  carefully  reading  the  lives  of  John  Wesley 
and  of  John  Fletcher,  it  seems  to  me  that  in  no 
age  since  St.  John  the  divine  have  lived  two  such 
men  as  these.  Fletcher  stood  in  the  same  relation 
to  John  Wesley  as  Melancthon  did  to  Martin 
Luther,  that  of  a  defender.  When  Wesley  re- 
nounced Calvinism,  and  showed  up  its  awful  hor- 
rors, his  enemies  came  down  upon  him  as  though 
they  would  swallow  him  up.  He  made  a  bold 
defence  himself  and  wielded  a  vigorous  war,  but 
it  took  the  powerful,  pungent  pen  of  John  Fletcher 
to  disarm  his  enemies  on  the  right  and  on  the  left. 
I  have  neither  time  nor  space  to  enter  largely  into 
this  discussion,  but  it  is  due  to  the  reader  that  we 
consider  these  two  illustrious  men  and  their  rela- 
tion to  one  another. 

They  were  closely  attached  to  each  other. 
Fletcher  says,  after  travelling  with  Wesley  through 
three  counties,  "I  find  it  good  to  be  with  this  ex- 


A    HELPMEET.  217 

traprdinary  servant  of  God.     I  think  his  diligence 
and  wisdom  are  matchless.     It  is   a  good  school 
for  me,  only  I   am  too  old  a  scholar  to  make  any 
proficiency."     Wesley    in    his    many    labors    had 
preached    so    much,  that   at   Snowfields,  in  1757, 
his   strength  failed.     He  prayed  for  some  one  to 
come  and  help  him.      Just  then,  John  Fletcher, 
who  had  just  been  ordained  a  priest,  came  to  his 
assistance.     Wesley  wrote,    "How  wonderful  are 
the   ways    of   God  !     When    my  bodily  strength 
failed,  and  no  clergyman  in  England  was  able  and 
willing  to   assist  me,  he    sent  me   help  from  the 
mountains  of  Switzerland,  and  a  helpmeet  for  me 
in    every  respect !     Where    could    I   have    found 
such  another?"     Fletcher  thus  came  as  an  anircl 
of  mercy,  and  never  left  Wesley  till  the   angels 
came   and  carried  him  to  Paradise,  twenty-eight 
years   afterward.     During   all  this  time  this  man 
of  the  deepest  piety  was  of  invaluable  service  to 
John  Wesley  in  particular,  and  to  Methodism  ia 
general.     John    Fletcher   was    born    at    Xyons, 
among  the  mountains   of  Switzerland,  Sept.   12, 
1729,  so  that  he  was   twenty-six  years  younger 
than  John  Wesley.     Fletcher  refused  to  become 
a    pastor  of  a  rich   Church   at  Dunham,  because 
they  paid  too  much  money  (£400  a  year)  and  be- 
cause  they  required  too   little   labor.     Noble  ex- 
ample !     He    settled    in   the    poor   but   populous 


218  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN  WESLEY. 

parish  of  Madeley,  where  poverty  had  its  habita- 
tion, and  piety  soon  began  to  abound.  Here  he 
lived  at  the  feet  of  Jesus,  a  life  of  entire  devo- 
tion. Here  he  wrote  those  immortal  Checks  to 
Antinomianism.  Here  he  exhibited  such  a  dead- 
ness  to  the  world,  and  such  a  living  unto  God, 
as  this  world  has  seldom  seen.  I  hope  to  live 
long  enough  to  write  his  life  and  to  enjoy  more  of 
the  same  fulness  of  God. 

Fletcher  was  appointed  president  of  the  theo- 
logical school  of  Lady  Huntington  at  Trevecca. 
His  frequent  visits  were  received  with  great  de- 
light. Here  he  met  Joseph  Benson,  and  of  one 
of  these  visits  Benson  writes,  "The  reader  will 
pardon  me  if  he  thinks  I  exceed  ;  my  heart  kindles 
while  I  write.  Here  it  was  that  I  saw,  shall  I 
say,  an  angel  in  human  flesh  ?  I  should  not  far 
exceed  the  truth  if  I  said  so.  But  here  I  saw  a 
descendant  of  fallen  Adam  so  fully  raised  above 
the  ruins  of  the  fall,  that  though  by  the  body  he 
was  tied  down  to  the  earth,  yet  was  his  whole 
conversation  in  heaven;  yet  was  his  life  from  day 
to  day  'hid with  Christ  in  God .'  Prayer,  praise, 
love,  zeal,  all  ardent;  elevated  above  what  one 
would  think  attainable  in  this  state  of  frailty,  were 
the  elements  in  which  he  continually  lived.  I  fre- 
quently thought  while  attending  his  heavenly  dis- 
course and  divine   spirit  that  he  was  so  different 


FOREKNOWLEDGE    OF    GOD.  219 

from  and  superior  to  the  generality  of  mankind  as 
to  look  more  like  Moses  or  Elijah,  or  some  prophet 
or  apostle  come  again  from  the  dead,  than  a  mor- 
tal man  dwelling  in  a  house  of  clay  !" 

The  Calvinistic  controversy  began  when  Wesley 
definitely  took  the  Arminian  view  of  this  question 
in  his  letters  to  his  mother  from  Oxford.  He 
could  not  accept  even  "the  modern  qualifications 
of  Calvinism  stated  in  the  pious,  compromising 
spirit  of  Baxter."  Some  contending  that  in  pre- 
destinating the  elect  to  be  saved,  God  had  only 
passed  by  the  reprobates,  leaving  them  to  their 
own  natural  wickedness  and  fate,  Wesley  replied 
that,  "According  to  this,  the  foreknowledge  of 
God  created  the  reprobate  in  his  wickedness  and 
under  his  inevitable  doom,  and  he  would  devolve 
upon  them  the  formidable  task  of  showing  how 
then  the  unassisted  offcast  could  be  held  responsi- 
ble for  his  fate.  He  would  require  them  also  to 
reconcile  with  such  a  condition  of  perhaps  nine- 
tenths  of  the  human  race,  the  divine  beneficence, 
the  scriptural  warnings  and  invitations  addressed 
to  them."  If  it  was  impossible  for  them  to  be 
saved,  why  should  they  be  invited  to  come  to 
Christ  for  salvation? 

Fletcher  often  made  preaching  visits  to  London, 
Bath,  Bristol,  Wales  and  Yorkshire.  Meanwhile, 
Wesley  often  visited  Madeley ;  it  was  one  of  his 


220  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

favorite  stopping-places.  Antinomian  Calvinism 
was  one  of  the  worst  foes  that  Wesley  had  to  face. 
It  was  both  subtle  and  powerful.  Fletcher  said 
of  the  almost  general  Antinomianism  of  the  con- 
gregations,  "If  the  Lord  does  not  put  a  stop  to 
this  growing  evil,  we  shall  soon  see  everywhere 
what  we  see  in  too  many  places,  self-conceited, 
unhumbled  men  rising  up  against  the  truths  and 
the  ministers  of  God.  We  stand  now  as  much  in 
need  of  a  reformation  from  Antinomianism  as  our 
ancestors  did  of  a  reformation  from  Popery." 

The  Lord  sat  in  the  heavens  and  overruled  this 
whole  controversy  for  his  own  glory  and  tho  fur- 
therance of  the  truth  as  it  is  in  Jesus.  Wesley  s 
conference  adopted  certain  statements  called  a 
i 'Minute,"  which  was  calculated  to  guard  against 
this  terrible  tendency  to  Antinomianism.  Lady 
Huntington  and  her  followers  were  alarmed,  and 
determined  to  compel  Wesley's  conference  to  re- 
tract this  "Minute"  the  next  time  they  met.  Mr. 
Shirley's  Irish  zeal  was  aroused ;  he  demanded 
satisfaction.  Meanwhile,  John  Fletcher  had  writ- 
ten Mr.  Shirley  a  number  of  very  able  letters, 
which  could  not  be  gainsaid,  and  these  formed 
what  is  called  ' '  Fletcher's  First  Check  to  Anti- 
nomianism," which  were  followed  by  other  letters 
of  defence  that  make  three  large  volumes,  written 
as  with   a   pen   of  fire   dipped  in  the  oil  of  free 


ARMINIUS    AND   GEOTIUS.  221 

grace.  Mr.  Shirley,  the  "  warm-hearted  Irish- 
man," showed  more  zeal  than  wisdom,  hut  Fletcher 
showed  more  wisdom  than  zeal.  And  his  defence 
of  the  doctrines  of  Methodism  remains,  and  will 
remain  to  the  end  of  time.  Dr.  Stevens  says, 
' '  This  discussion  gave  permanent  character  to  the 
Armiuian  theology.  It  was  a  resurrection  to  the 
faith  wrhich  the  Synod  of  Dort  had  proscribed. 
It  gave  greater  permanence  to  the  doctrines  of 
Arminius  and  Grotius  ;  to  spread  evangelical  Ar- 
minianism  over  England  and  over  all  the  Protest- 
ant  portion  of  the  new  world,  and  more  or  less 
round  the  whole  world  ;  to  modify,  to  mollify  it 
might  rather  be  said,  the  theological  tone  of  evan- 
gelical Christendom  and  probably  of  all  coming 
time." 

Fletcher's  defence  of  Arminianism  cost  him  the 
favor  of  Lady  Huntington,  and  also  his  position 
as  president  in  her  seat  of  learning.  But  he 
"advanced  through  these  discussions  with  a  tri- 
umphant step,  logically  and  morally  triumphant ; 
with  a  Christian  temper  that  knows  no  disturb- 
ance, and  logic  that  admits  of  no  refutation." 
Some  wrote  him  privately  to  discontinue  the  dis- 
cussion, but  he  could  not.  For  six  years  the 
controversy  raged.  Fletcher's  health  declined 
during  this  battle  so  that  he  wrote  with  one  foot 
almost,  in  heaven  and  the  other  in  the  grave. 


222  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

Dr.  Stevens  says,  "  Fletcher's  checks  tire  read 
more  to-day  than  during  the  heat  of  the  contro- 
versy. They  control  the  opinions  of  the  largest 
and  most  effective  body  of  clergymen  on  the  earth. 
They  have  been  more  influential  in  the  denomina- 
tion than  Wesley's  own  controvertial  writings  on 
the  subject.  This  controversy  has  unquestionably 
influenced,  if  not  directly  through  Fletcher's 
writings,  yet  indirectly  through  Methodism,  the 
subsequent  tone  of  theological  thought  in  much  of 
the  Protestant  world." 

Fletcher  maintained  his  integrity  to  God  and 
the  truth  till  he  exchanged  earth  for  heaven,  Aug. 
14,  1785,  not  quite  six  years  before  the  death  of 
Wesley.  Mr.  Wesley's  estimate  of  Fletcher  was 
as  follows  :  "I  would  only  observe  that,  for  many 
years,'  I  despaired  of  finding  an  inhabitant  of 
Great  Britain  that  could  stand  in  any  degree  of 
comparison  with  Gregory  Lopez  or  Mons.  de- 
Eenty.  But  let  any  impartial  person  judge  if 
Mr.  Fletcher  was  at  all  inferior  to  them.  Did  he 
not  experience  deep  communion  with  God,  and  as 
high  a  measure  of  inward  holiness  as  was  experi- 
enced by  either  one  or  the  other  of  those  burning 
and  shining  lights  ?  And  it  is  certain  his  outward 
lio;ht  shone  before  men  with  full  as  bright  a  lustre 
as  theirs.  I  was  intimately  acquainted  with  him 
for  thirty  years.     I  conversed  with  him  morning, 


DEEPLY   DEVOTED.  223 

noon  and  night,  without  the  least  reserve,  during 
a  journey  of  many  hundred  miles,  and  in  all  that 
time  I  never  heard  him  speak  an  improper  word 
or  saw  him  do  an  improper  action.  To  conclude, 
within  four-score  years  I  have  known  many  excel- 
lent men,  holy  in  heart  and  life,  but  one  equal  to 
him  I  have  not  known ;  one  so  uniformly  and 
deeply  devoted  to  God,  so  unblamable  a  man  in 
every  respect  I  have  not  found  either  in  Europe 
or  America.  Nor  do  I  expect  to  find  another 
such  on  this  side  eternity." 

Mark  the  following  :  Fletcher  wrote  to  Charles 
Wesley,  "I  thank  God  I  feel  myself  in  a  good 
degree  dead  to  praise  or  dispraise ;  I  hope,  at 
least,  that  it  is  so,  because  I  do  not  feel  that  one 
lifts  me  up,  or  that  the  other  dejects  me.  I  want 
to  see  a  Penticostal  Christian  Church  ;  and,  if  it  is 
not  to  be  seen  at  this  time  upon  earth,  I  am  will- 
ing to  go  and  see  this  glorious  wonder  in  heaven." 


224  LIFE    OF   KEV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 


CHAPTER   XV. 


WESLEY  IN  ADVANCED  LIFE  AND  IN  DEATH. 

This  illustrious  man  of  God  was  instant  in  sea- 
son and  out  of  season.  He  was  fresh  and  flourish- 
ing and  bringing  forth  abundant  fruit,  even  in  old 
age.  He  could  truly  say,  "Leisure  and  I  have 
taken  leave  of  one  another.  I  propose  to  be  busy 
as  long  as  I  live,  if  my  health  is  so  long  indulged 
to  me."  At  another  time  he  said,  "  Let  me  not 
live  to  be  useless ;  a  picture  of  human  nature  in 
disgrace,  feeble  in  body  and  mind,  slow  of  speech 
and  understanding."  This  prayer  was  signally 
answered.  In  his  sixty-eighth  year  he  writes, 
"How  marvellous  are  the  ways  of  God!  How 
has  he  kept  me  even  from  a  child  ?  From  ten  to 
thirteen  or  fourteen  I  had  little  but  bread  to  eat. 
I  believe  that  this  was  so  far  from  hurting  me 
that  it  laid  the  foundation  of  lasting  health. 
When  I  grew  up,  in  consequence  of  reading  Dr. 
Cheyne,  I  chose  to  eat  sparingly  and  drink  water. 
This  was  another  great  means  of  continuing  my 
health  till  I  was  about  seven  and  twenty.     I  then 


BRINK    OF   DEATH.  225 

began  spitting  of  blood,  which  continued  several 
years.  A  warm  climate  cured  this.  I  was  after- 
ward brought  to  the  brink  of  death  by  a  fever, 
but  it  left  me  healthier  than  before.  Eleven  years 
after,  I  was  in  the  third  stage  of  consumption. 
In  three  months  it  pleased  God  to  remove  this 
also.  Since  that  time  I  have  known  neither  pain 
nor  sickness,  and  am  now  healthier  than  I  was 
forty  years  ago.     This  hath  God  wrought !  " 

His  whole  manner  of  life  was  laid  out  and  car- 
ried out  as  though  it  was  devised  for  a  long  and 
vigorous  life.  He  kept  the  sunshine  of  good 
nature  shining  upon  him  continually.  He  cast  his 
numerous  cares  and  burdens  upon  the  Lord.  He 
carried  his  bodily  sickness  to  the  Lord,  and  was 
repeatedly  healed  in  answer  to  prayer.  When 
advised  to  try  certain  prescriptions,  he  replied, 
11 1  am  not  inclined  to  try  either  of  them ;  I  know 
a  physician  who  has  a  shorter  cure  than  either  one 
or  the  other."  Yet,  after  two  years,  he  yielded 
to  an  operation  for  a  hydrocele  that  troubled  him, 
and  more  than  a  pint  of  a  thin,  yellow,  transparent 
water  was  extracted,  and  also  a  pearl  of  the  size 
of  a  small  shot. 

July  28,  1774,  Wesley  writes,  "  This  being  my 
birthday,  the  first  day  of  my  seventy-second  year, 
I  was  considering,  how  is  this,  that  I  find  just  the 
same   strength  as   I  did  thirty  years  ago  ?     That 


226  LIFE    OF   KEV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

my  sight  is  considerable  better  now,  and  my 
nerves  firmer,  than  they  were  then?  That  I  have 
none  of  the  infirmities  of  old  age,  and  have  lost 
several  I  had  in  my  youth?  The  grand  cause  is, 
the  good  pleasure  of  God  who  doeth  whatsoever 
pleaseth  him.  The  chief  means  are  :  1.  My  con- 
stantly rising  at  four  for  about  fifty  years.  2.  My 
generally  preaching  at  five  in  the  morning ;  one 
of  the  most  healthy  exercises  in  the  world.  3. 
My  never  travelling  less,  by  sea  or  land,  than 
4500  miles  in  a  year."  Even  in  his  seventy-eighth 
year  he  writes,  "By  the  blessing  of  God  I  am 
just  the  same  as  when  I  was  twenty-eight.*'  In 
1769  he  weighed  122  pounds  ;  in  1783  he  weighed 
not  a  pound  more  or  less. 

Dr.  Southey  writes,  "Mr.  Wesley  continued  to 
be  the  same  marvellous  old  man.  No  one  wTho 
ever  saw  him,  even  casually,  in  his  old  age,  can 
have  forgotten  his  venerable  appearance.  His 
face  was  remarkably  fine  ;  his  complexion  fresh  to 
the  last  week  of  his  life  ;  his  eye  quick  and  keen 
nnd  active."  He  says,  "I  am  never  in  a  hurry 
because  I  never  undertake  any  more  work  than  I 
can  go  through  with  perfect  calmness  of  spirit. 
It  is  true  I  travel  four  or  five  thousand  miles  in  a 
year,  but  I  generally  travel  alone  in  my  carriage, 
and  consequently  am  as  retired  ten  hours  in  a  day 
as  if  I  were  in  a  Avilderness.     On   other  days  I 


HIS    EIGHTY-THIRD    YEAR.  227 

never  spend  less  than  three  hours,  and  frequently 
ten  or  twelve,  in  a  day,  alone." 

It  was  in  this  seclusion  that  he  found  time  to 
read  so  extensively,  and  to  write  so  many  books 
and  hold  such  sweet  communion  with  God  in 
prayer.  When  he  had  completed  his  eighty-second 
year,  he  says,  "Is  anything  too  hard  for  God? 
It  is  now  eleven  years  since  I  have  felt  any  such 
thing  as  weariness.  Many  times  I  speak  till  my 
voice  fails  and  I  can  speak  no  longer.  Frequently 
I  walk  till  my  strength  fails  and  I  can  walk  no 
farther ;  yet,  even  then,  I  feel  no  sensation  of 
weariness,  but  I  am  perfectly  easy  from  head  to 
foot.  I  dare  not  impute  this  to  natural  causes  ;  it 
is  the  will  of  God." 

June,  1786,  he  writes,  "I  have  entered  the 
eighty-third  year  of  my  age.  I  am  a  wonder  to 
myself.  It  is  now  twelve  years  since  I  felt  any 
such  sensation  of  weariness.  I  am  never  tired 
(such  is  the  goodness  of  God)  either  with  writing, 
preaching  or  travelling.  One  natural  cause  un- 
doubtedly is  my  continual  exercise  and  change  of 
air.  How  the  latter  contributes  to  health  I  know 
not,  but  it  certainly  does."  Feb.  25,  1788,  he 
writes,  "  What  difference  do  I  feel  by  an  increase 
of  years  ?  I  find  :  1 .  Less  activity  ;  I  walk  slower, 
particularly  up-hill  ^  2.  My  memory  is  not  so 
quick.     3.  I  cannot  read  so  well  by  candle-light. 


228  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

But  I  bless   God  all  my  other  powers  of  body 
and  mind  remain  just  as  they  were." 

Again  he  writes,  "I  this  day  enter  upon  my 
eighty-fifth  year.  What  cause  have  I  to  praise 
God,  as  for  a  thousand  spiritual  blessings,  so  for 
bodily  blessings  also.  How  little  have  I  suffered 
yet  by  the  rush  of  time's  numerous  years  ?  It  is 
true  I  am  not  so  agile  as  I  was  in  time  past.  I 
do  not  run  or  walk  as  fast  as  I  did ;  my  sight  is  a 
little  decayed,  my  left  eye  is  grown  dim  and  hardly 
serves  me  to  read.  I  have  daily  some  pain  in  the 
ball  of  my  right  eye,  as  also  in  my  right  temple, 
and  in  my  right  shoulder  and  arm.  I  find  some- 
decay  in  my  memory,  not  in  regard  to  what  I 
have  read  or  heard,  twenty,  forty  or  sixty  years 
ago.  Neither  do  I  find  any  decay  in  my  hearing, 
smell,  taste  or  appetite,  though  I  want  but  a  third 
of  the  food  I  did  once ;  nor  do  I  feel  any  such 
thing  as  weariness,  either  in  travelling  or  preach- 
ing. I  am  not  conscious  of  any  decay  in  writing 
sermons,  which  I  do  as  readily  and  I  believe  as 
correctly  as  ever.  To  what  cause  can  I  impute 
this,  that  I  am  as  I  am?  Doubtless  to  the  power 
of  God  fitting  me  for  the  work  to  which  I  am 
called  as  long  as  he  pleases  to  continue  me  therein  ; 
and  next,  subordinately  to  this,  to  the  prayers  of 
his  children.  May  we  not  impute  it  to  inferior 
means:   1.  To    my  constant  exercise  and  change 


WARNING.  229 

of  air?  2.  To  my  never  having  lost  a  night's 
sleep  since  I  was  born?  3.  To  my  having  sleep 
at  command,  so  that  whenever  I  feel  myself  almost 
worn  out  I  call  it  and  it  comes,  day  or  night?  4. 
To  my  constantly  rising  at  four  in  the  morning 
for  above  fifty  years  ?  5.  To  my  constant  preach- 
ing at  five  in  the  morning  for  fifty  years?  6.  To 
my  having  had  so  little  pain  in  my  life,  or  so  little 
sorrow  or  anxious  care?  Even  now,  although  I 
find  pain  daily  in  my  eye,  or  temple  or  arm,  yet 
it  is  never  violent  and  seldom  lasts  many  minutes 
at  a  time.  Whether  or  no  this  is  sent  to  give  me 
warning  that  I  am  shortly  to  quit  this  tabernacle, 
I  do  not  know ;  but,  be  it  one  way  or  the  other, 
I  have  only  to  say  :  — 

My  remnant  of  days 

I  spend  to  his  praise, 
Who  died  the  whole  world  to  redeem ; 

Be  they  many  or  few. 

My  days  are  his  due, 
And  they  all  are  devoted  to  him." 

Jan.  1,  1790,  at  the  age  of  eighty-six  years  and 

seven  months,  he  writes,  "I  am  now  an  old  man, 

decayed  from  head  to   foot.     My  eyes  are  dim, 

my  right  hand  shakes  much,  my  mouth  is  hot  and 

dry  every  morning.      I   have    a    lingering    fever 

almost  every  day  ;  my  motion   is  weak  and  slow. 

However,  blessed   be    God,  I    do    not   slack   my 

labor,  I  can  preach  and  write  still." 


230  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHX    WESLEY. 

June  26,  1790,  he  writes,  "This  day  I  enter 
my  eighty-eighth  year.  For  above  eighty-six 
years  I  found  none  of  the  infirmities  of  old  age ; 
my  eyes  did  not  wax  dim,  neither  was  my  natural 
strength  abated  ;  but  last  August  I  found  almost 
a  sudden  change.  My  eyes  were  so  dim  that  no 
glasses  would  help  me.  My  strength  quite  for- 
sook me ;  probably  will  not  return  in  this  world. 
But  I  feel  no  pain  from  head  to  foot,  only  it  seems 
nature  is  exhausted,  and,  humanly  speaking,  will 
sink  more  and  more  till  — 

4  The  weary  springs  of  life  stand  still  at  last.'  v 

Mark  the  wisdom  of  the  following  letter  to  the 
celebrated  Ann  Cutler:  "My  Dear  Sister. — 
There  is  something  in  the  dealings  of  God  with 
your  soul  which  is  out  of  the  common  way.  But 
I  have  known  several  whom  he  has  been  pleased 
to  lead  in  exactly  the  same  way,  and  particularly 
in  manifesting  to  them  distinctly  the  three  persons 
of  the  ever-blessed  Trinity.  You  may  tell  all 
your  experience  to  me  any  time,  but  will  need  to 
be  cautious  in  speaking  to  others,  for  they  would 
not  understand  what  you  say.  Go  on  in  the  name 
of  God,  and  in  the  power  of  his  might.  Pray  for 
the  whole  spirit  of  humility,  and  I  wish  that  you 
would  write  and  speak  without  reserve  to  me." 

Mr.  Wesley  is  nearing  his  end.  Mr.  Atmore, 
from  Darlington,  writes  concerning  John  Wesley, 


HIGHLY   HONORED.  231 

' '  We  heard  him  preach  in  the  evening  from  '  He 
is  before  all  things,  and  by  him  all  things  consist.' 
He  appears  very  feeble ;  and  no  wonder,  he  being 
nearly  eighty-seven  years  of  age.  His  sight  has 
failed  so  much  that  he  cannot  see  to  give  out  a 
hymn,  yet  his  voice  is  strong  and  his  spirits  re- 
markably lively.  Surely  this  great  man  is  the 
orodigy  of  the  present  age."  Yet  he  was  up  and 
off  the  next  morning  to  Newcastle,  where  he 
preached  the  next  evening. 

Mr.  Atmore  writes  again  of  John  Wesley,  "He 
vas  highly  honored  in  his  ministry ;  particularly 
to  one  who  had  been  in  a  state  of  great  despair 
for  many  years.  As  soon  as  he  arrived  at  the 
Orphan  house,  he  inquired  after  this  individual, 
and  I  accompanied  him  in  visiting  him.  As  soon 
as  he  entered  the  room  w^here  the  poor  man  was, 
he  went  up  to  him  ind  said,  'Brother  Reed,  I 
have  a  word  from  God  unto  thee  ;  Jesus  Christ 
maketh  thee  whole.'  He  then  knelt  down  to  pray, 
and  such  a  season  I  have  seldom  experienced. 
Hope  instantly  sprung  up,  and  despair  gave  place  ; 
and,  although  Reed  had  not  been  out  of  his  bed 
for  several  j7ears,  he  went  that  evening  to  hear 
Mr.  Wesley  preach,  and  God  graciously  confirmed 
the  testimony  of  his  servant  in  restoring  him  to 
'the  light  of  his  countenance.'" 

In  the  last  year  of  Wesley's  life,  he  travelled 
nearly  eighty  miles  in  a  single  day,  and  preached 


232  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

in  the  evening  without  any  pain.  He  writes, 
"The  Lord  does  what  pleaseth  him.  Peace  be 
with  your  spirits." 

To  the  end  of  time  John  Wesley's  example  in 
money  matters  will  stand  as  a  marble  monument 
of    his    rigid    economy   and    almost    unbounded 
benevolence.     He  literally  lived  and  labored  for 
the  good  of  others.     His  income  was  £30  a  year 
from   the   London    Circuit,  and   the   profits   of  a 
Book  Concern  that  yielded  quite  an  income ;   but 
he  gave  it  all  to  the  extension  of  the  work  and  to 
help   his    needy  friends,    except   occasionally  he 
would  need  a  suit  of  clothes.     He  kept  an  exact 
account  of  his  income  and  of  his  gifts  and  ex- 
penses, so   that   he    could  write,  July  16,  1790, 
"N.  B.     For  upwards  of  eighty-six  years  I  have 
kept  my  accounts  exactly.     I  will  not  attempt  it 
any  longer."     In   1783,  he  and  his  stewards  gave 
away  by  his   orders  £738.     In  the  last  year  he 
kept  account  he  gave  away  £826,  and  writes,  "I 
can  be  accurate — ,     Not  as  I  will ,  but  as  thou  wilt." 
The  first  sentence  was  unfinished,  which  is  a  mark 
of  the  infirmity  of  his  age.     It  is  supposed  that 
he  gave  away  £30,000  during  his  life,  and  Henry 
Moore  thinks  that  this  was  increased  several  thou- 
sand more. 

In  his  will  he  gave  his  book  business  to  the 
Methodist  Conference  in  trust  "for  carrying  on 


WITHOUT    A    PURSE.  233 

the  work    of  God    by  itinerant  preachers."     This 
was  subject  to  a  rent  charge  of  £85  a  year  to  the 
widow  and  children  of  his  brother  Charles.     His 
furniture,  books  and  whatever  belonged  to  him  in 
Kings  wood,  were  given  to  Coke,  Mather  &  Moore, , 
"in  trust  to  be  still  used  in  teaching  the  children 
of  poor  travelling  preachers."     All  his  books  and 
manuscripts  were  carefully  given  in  his  will.     But, 
observe,  there  was  no  money  put  out  at  interest, 
and  all  his  chapels  were  in  the  hands  of  trustees. 
So  that  he  had  nothing  hoarded.      "He  died  as  he 
lived,  without  a  purse.     He  set  a  good  example 
in  executing  his  own  will  as  far  as  possible,  and 
now  had  nothing  to   bequeath  except  wThat  in  his 
lifetime    could   not   easily  be   turned    into    coin." 
Surely  the  grace  of  God  triumphed  over  all  self- 
ishness,   or   love    of    ease,    or   worldly    display. 
Blessed   man,   of  blessed    memory,  who  will    be 
worthy  to  wear  thy  mantle  ?     Who  will  tread  in 
thy  gracious  steps? 

He  continued  to  preach  on  every  possible  occa- 
sion. He  was  so  simple  in  his  preaching  that  one 
woman  exclaimed,  "Is  that  the  great  Mr.  Wesley  ? 
Why  a  child  could  understand  him."  A  friend 
replied,  "Yes,  in  this  he  displays  his  greatness, 
that  while  the  most  ignorant  can  understand  him, 
the  most  learned  are  edified  and  can  take  no 
offence." 


234  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

About  this  time  he  preached  at  Epworth  mar- 
ket-place to  such  a  congregation  as  was  never  seen 
at  Epworth  before.  Six  months  before  he  died 
he  wrote,  "My  body  seems  nearly  to  have  done 
its  work  and  is  almost  worn  out.  Last  month  my 
strength  was  nearly  gone,  and  I  would  have  sat 
almost  still  from  morning  to  night.  But  blessed 
be  God,  I  crept  about  a  little  and  made  shift  to 
preach  once  a  da}7.  On  Monday  1  ventured  a 
little  further,  and  after  I  had  preached  three  times, 
once  in  the  open  air,  I  found  my  strength  so  re- 
stored that  I  could  have  preached  again  without 

inconvenience.    J    am    glad   Brother  D has 

more  light  upon  full  sanctification.  This  doctrine 
is  the  grand  deposition  which  God  has  lodged  with 
the  people  called  Methodists,  and  for  the  sake  of 
propagating  this  chiefly  he  appeared  to  have 
raised  thern  up." 

The  next  Sunday  he  preached  twice  in  the  City 
Eoad  chapel,  and  held  a  love-feast.  Bev.  James 
Rogers  says,  ''Many  souls  were  greatly  comforted. 
Indeed,  his  preaching,  during  the  whole  winter, 
•  was  attended  with  uncommon  unction ;  he  fre- 
quently spoke,  both  in  his  sermons  and  exhorta- 
tions, as  if  each  time  were  to  be  his  last.  His 
conversations  in  his  family  seemed  to  indicate  a 
presentiment  of  death.  He  frequently  spoke  of 
the  state  of  separate  spirits  and  their  particular 
employments." 


held  urn  up.  235 

He  travelled  sixty  miles  to  Rye  and  preached 
to  a  serious  congregation.  The  next  day  he 
preached  at  Winchelsea,  beneath  an  ash  tree  in  a 
church-yard.  This  was  his  last  service  in  the  open 
air.  Pie  returned  to  London  for  the  services  of 
the  next  Sabbath.  Then  he  went  to  preach  at 
Colchester.  "He  stood  in  a  wide  pulpit,  and  on 
each  side  of  him  stood  a  minister,  and  the  two 
held  him  up,  having  their  arms  under  his  armpits. 
His  feeble  voice  was  hardly  audible,  but  his  rever- 
ent countenance,  especially  his  long  white  locks, 
formed  a  picture  never  to  be  forgotten.  There 
was  a  vast  crowd  of  lovers  and  admirers." 

In  a  letter  he  wisely  says,  "It  cannot  be  that 
the  people  should  grow  in  grace  unless  they  give 
themselves  to  reading.  A  reading  people  will 
always  be  a  knowing  people.  A  people  who  talk 
much  will  know  little."  In  another  letter  he  says, 
"The  danger  of  ruin  to  Methodism  is,  our  preach- 
ers, many  of  them,  are  fallen.  They  are  not 
spiritual.  They  are  not  alive  to  God.  They  are 
soft,  enervated,  fearful  of  shame,  toil,  hardship." 

Some  would  have  us  believe  that  John  Wesley 
was  a  Universalist  because  he  favored  the  circula- 
tion of  a  tract  that  looked  in  that  direction.  But 
this  cannot  be,  for  he  was  always  outspoken  on 
the  subjects  of  heaven  and  of  hell,  and  of  the 
eternal  consequences  of  sin,  as  anyone  will  plainly 


236  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

see  that  will  search  his  writings.     Dr.  M.  Buckley 
quotes  the  following  :  — 

"In  a  sermon  on  Jer.  viii,  22,  written  in  Dub- 
lin, July  2,  1789,  two  years  and  three  months 
after  he  republished  this  tract,  Wesley  says, 
'  Then,  if  you  have  any  desire  to  escape  the  dam- 
nation of  hell,  give  all  you  can;  otherwise  I  can 
have  no  more  hope  of  your  salvation  than  of  that 
of  Judas  Iscariot.  I  call  God  to  record  upon  my 
soul  that  I  advise  no  more  than  I  practice.  *  *  * 
Still 

;  I  give  up  every  plea  beside, 
Lord,  I  am  damned  !  but  Thou  hast  died.' " 

4 'See  his  terrible  sermon  on  'The  Eich  Fool/ 
written  at  Balham,  Feb.  19,  1790  :  '  How  replete 
with  folly  and  madness  is  every  part  of  this  won- 
derful soliloquy  !  Eat  and  drink  !  Will  thy  spirit 
then  eat  and  drink?  Yea,  but  not  of  earthly 
food.  Thou  wilt  soon  eat  livid  flame,  and  drink 
of  the  lake  of  fire  burning  with  brimstone.  But 
wilt  thou  then  drink  and  be  merry?  Nay,  there 
will  be  no  mirth  in  those  horrid  shades.  Those 
caverns  will  resound  with  no  music,  but  weeping 
and  wailing  and  gnashing  of  teeth  ! ' ' 

In  a  letter  to  Adam  Clarke,  Nov.  26,  1790,  he 
writes,  "To  retain  the  grace  of  God  is  much  more 
than  to  gain  it ;  hardly  one  in  three  does  this. 
And  this  should  be  strongly  and  explicitly  urged 


HIS    TWO    PRINCIPLES.  237 

upon  all  who  have  tasted  of  perfect  love.  If  we 
can  prove  that  any  of  our  local  preachers  or  lead- 
ers, either  directly  or  indirectly,  speak  against  it, 
let  him  be  a  local  preacher  or  leader  no  longer. 
I  doubt  whether  he  should  continue  in  the  Society. 
Because  he  that  could  speak  thus  in  our  congre- 
gations, cannot  be  an  honest  man." 

On  the  separation  from  the  Church  he  writes, 
1 '  I  never  had  any  design  of  separating  from  the 
Church.  I  have  no  such  design  now.  I  do  not 
believe  the  Methodists  in  general  design  it  when 
I  am  no  more  seen.  I  do,  and  will  do,  all  that  is 
in  my  power  to  prevent  such  an  event.  Never- 
theless, in  spite  of  all  that  I  can  do,  many  of 
them  will  separate  from  it.  These  will  be  so  bold 
and  injudicious  as  to  form  a  separate  party.  I 
declare  once  more  that  I  live  and  die  a  member  of 
the  Church  of  England,  and  that  none  who  regard 
my  judgment  or  advice  will  ever  separate  from  it." 

But  while  he  did  not  separate  from  the  Church, 
he  decidedly  varied  from  the  order  of  her  exer- 
cises in  preaching  in  the  open  air,  praying  extem- 
pore, forming  Societies,  and  employing  lay 
preachers.  On  which  account  some  said  he  was 
inconsistent ;  but  he  explains  by  calling  attention 
to  his  two  principles.  1 .  '  'That  I  dare  not  separate 
from  the  Church ;  that  I  believe  it  would  be  a  sin 
so  to  do.     2.  That  I  believe  it  would  be  a  sin  not 


238  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

to  vary  from  it  in  the  points  above  mentioned. 
Put  these  points  together  and  inconsistency  van- 
ishes away.  I  have  been  true  to  my  profession 
from  1730  to  this  day." 

The  last  sermon  that  Wesley  wrote  was  upon 
faith.  He  was  nearing  the  eternal  world,  and 
wrote,  "  How  will  this  material  universe  appear 
to  a  disembodied  spirit?  Who  can  tell  whether 
any  of  these  objects  that  now  surround  us  will 
appear  the  same  as  they  do  now  ?  What  astonish- 
ing scenes  will  then  discover  themselves  to  our 
newly-opening  senses  ?  How  many  orders  of  be- 
ings not  discovered  by  organs  of  flesh  and  blood  ? 
Perhaps  thrones,  dominions,  principalities  and 
powers  !  And  shall  we  not  then,  as  far  as  angels 
ken,  survey  the  bounds  of  creation  and  see  every 
place  where  the  Almighty 

6  Stopped  his  rapid  wheels,  and  said, 
This  be  thy  just  circumference,  O  wv>rld.' 

Yea,  shall  we  not  be  able  to  move  quick  as 
thought  through  the  wide  realms  of  uncreated 
night?  Above  all,  the  moment  we  step  into  eter- 
nity, shall  we  not  feel  ourselves  swallowed  up  of 
him,  who  is  in  this  and  every  place,  who  fillcth 
heaven  and  earth?  It  is  only  the  thin  veil  of 
flesh  and  blood  which  now  hinders  us  from  per- 
ceiving that  the  great  Creator  cannot  but  fill  the 
whole  immensity  of  space.     But  then  the  veil  will 


HIS    END    WAS    NEAR.  239 

disappear,  and  he  will  appear  in  unclouded 
majesty,  God  over  all,  blessed  for  ever." 

He  continued  his  labors  and  travels  to  the  very 
last.  About  ten  days  before  he  died,  he  wrote, 
"  I  purpose,  if  God  permit,  to  set  out  for  Bristol 
on  the  28th,"  which  was  two  days  before  he  died, 
"I  hope  to  be  in  Worcester  about  the  22d  of 
March." 

But  his  end  was  near.  He  was  utterly  unfit  for 
service  the  next  Sabbath,  and  was  obliged  to  lie 
down  again  and  slept  for  three  hours.  He  went 
to  bed  in  the  afternoon,  but  after  two  of  his  ser- 
mons had  been  read  to  him  he  came  down  to  sup- 
per. The  next  Tuesday  he  preached  at  City  Road 
chapel,  and  then  met  the  leaders.  The  next  day 
he  went  with  James  Roofers  eighteen  miles  and 
preached  his  last  sermon  at  Leatherhead,  in  a 
dining-room,  from  "Seek  ye  the  Lord  while  he 
may  be  found."  The  next  day  he  wrote  his  last 
letter  to  Wilberforce  upon  the  freedom  of  the 
slaves.  The  next  day  he  returned  to  City  Road, 
and  requested  to  be  left  half  an  hour  alone  ;  when 
the  time  expired,  Joseph  Bradford  found  him  so 
sick  that  he  sent  for  Dr.  Whitehead.  The  next 
day  was  passed  in  drowsiness  and  sleep.  The 
next  day,  being  Sunday,  he  seemed  better,  got  up 
and  looked  cheerful.  But  his  weakness  increased 
the  next  day,  and  he  spent  it  mostly  in  sleep.     In 


240  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

a  low  voice  he  said,  "There  is  no  way  into  the 

holiest  but  by  the  blood  of  Jesus."     Notes  were 

dispatched   to   the   preachers   for   special   prayer. 

But  his  work  was  done.     The  day  before  he  died, 

when  asked  if  he  suffered  pain,  he  said  "No,"  and 

began  singing, — 

u  All  glory  to  God  in  the  sky, 

And  peace  upon  eavth  be  restored ; 
O,  Jesus,  exalted  on  high, 
Appear  our  omnipotent  Lord." 

He  desired  to  write,  but  was  not  able.  When 
asked  what  he  would  write,  he  said,  "Nothing 
but  that  the  God  is  with  us."  While  they  were 
arranging  his  clothes  for  him  to  get  up,  he  began 
singing, — 

"I'll  praise  my  maker  while  I've  breath; 

And,  when  my  voice  is  lost  in  death, 

Praise  shall  employ  my  nobler  powers; 

My  days  of  praise  shall  ne'er  be  past, 

While  life,  and  thought,  and  being  last, 

Or  immortality  endures." 

When  seated  in  his  chair  he  said,  "Lord,  thou 

givest  strength  to  those  that  can  speak,  and  to 

those  who  cannot.     Speak,  Lord,  to  all  our  hearts, 

and   let  them  know  that  thou  looseth  tongues." 

He  then  sang  his  last  song  on  earth, — 

"  To  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost, 
Who  sweetly  all  agree—" 

Full   of  happiness,   but   utterly  exhausted,   he 

was    put   to    bed,  where,  after  a  short  but  quiet 


THE    DYING   PATRIARCH*  241 

sloop,  lie  opened  his  eyes,  and,  addressing  the 
weeping  watchers  who  stood  around  him,  said, 
"Pray  and  praise."  Which,  of  course,  was  done. 
To  Joseph  Bradford  he  said,  "  I  would  have  every- 
thing ready  for  my  executors.  Let  me  be  buried 
in  nothing  but  what  is  woolen,  and  let  my  corpse 
be  carried  in  my  coffin  into  the  chapel."  Again 
he  cried  out,  "Pray  and  praise."  They  fell  upon 
their  knees  around  the  dying  patriarch,  and  fer- 
vent prayers  were  offered,  to  which  he  responded 
as  heartily  as  possible,  especially  when  John 
Broadbent  prayed  that  God  would  bless  the  sys- 
tem of  doctrine  and  discipline  which  Wesley  had 
been  the  means  of  establishing.  With  the  utmost 
placidity  he  saluted  each*  one  present,  shook  hands 
and  said,  "Farewell !  farewell !" 

Conflict  there  was  none.  It  was  the  peaceful 
setting  of  a  glorious  sun  undimmed  by  the  small- 
est intervening  cloud.  With  difficulty  he  re- 
quested them  to  scatter  everywhere  his  sermon, 
"The  love  of  God  to  fallen  man."  With  great 
and  well-nigh  supernatural  strength  he  said,  "Best 
of  all  is,  God  is  with  us."  Then,  lifting  his  arm 
in  grateful  triumph,  he  emphatically  reiterated, 
"The  best  of  all  is,  God  is  with  us."  At  another 
time  he  said,  "The  clouds  drop  fatness."  And 
then,  "The  Lord  of  Hosts  is  with  us;  the  God 
of  Jacob  is  our  refuge.     Pray  and  praise."     And 


242  LIFE    OF' REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

again  his  friends  bowed  before  God.  Scores  of 
times  through  the  night  he  said,  "Til  praise,  I'll 
praise,"  but  could  add  nothing  more.  Next  morn- 
ing, Wednesday,  March  2,  1791,  Joseph  Bradford 
prayed  with  him.  It  was  a  few  minutes  before 
ten  o'clock.  Around  the  bed  there  knelt  his 
niece,  Miss  Sarah  Wesley ;  one  of  his  executors, 
Mr.  Horton ;  his  medical  attendant,  Dr.  White- 
head;  his  book  steward,  George  Whitfield;  the 
present  occupiers  of  his  house,  James  Rogers  and 
Hester  Ann  Rogers  and  their  little  boy  ;  and  his 
friends  and  visitors,  Robert  Carr  Brackenbury 
and  Elizabeth  Ritchie.  Bradford  was  the  mouth- 
piece of  the  other  ten.  Wesley's  last  word  was 
"Farewell !  farewell !"  and  then  as  Joseph  Brad- 
ford was  saying,  "Lift  up  your  heads,  O  ye  gates, 
and  be  ye  lifted  up  ye  everlasting  doors,  aud  this 
heir  of  glory  shall  come  in,"  Wesley  gathered  up 
his  feet  in  the  presence  of  them  all,  and  without  a 
groan  and  without  a  sigh,  was  gone.  Standing 
around  that  sacred  spot  they  sang, — 

u  Waiting  to  receive  thy  spirit, 
Lo !  the  Saviour  stands  above ; 
Shows  the  purchase  of  his  merits, 
Reaches  out  the  crown  of  love." 

Then  they  knelt  again,  and  prayed  that  the 
mantle  of  this  ascending  Elijah  may  rest  upon  his 
followers.  A  heavenly  smile  rested  upon  his  fea- 
tures.    The  room  seemed  filled  with  the  Divine 


BURIED.  243 

presence.  The  excitement  was  so  great  that  it 
was  determined  to  have  the  funeral  at  five  4.  M. 
Short  as  the  notice  was,  hundreds  attended,  and  to 
each  one  was  given  a  biscuit  in  an  envelope, 
engraved  with  a  beautiful  portrait  of  the  departed, 
dressed  in  canonicals,  surmounted  with  a  halo  and 
a  crown. 

He  was  buried  in  the  cemetery  of  the  City  Road 
Chapel.  Six  poor  men  carried  him  to  his  grave, 
for  which  they  received  twenty  shillings  each, 
this  was  according  to  Wesley's  request ;  for  the 
same  reason  there  was  no  hearse,  coach,  escutcheon, 
or  pomp,  "except  the  tears  of  those  that  loved 
him." 

Dean  Stanley,  when  visiting  the  City  Road 
Cemetery,  asked  an  old  man:  "By  whom  was  this 
cemetery  consecrated?"  He  answered,  "It  was 
consecrated  by  the  bones  of  that  holy  man,  that 
holy  servant  of  God,  John  Wesley." 

Mr.  Tyerman  has  well  said  of  Wesley,  "He 
stands  alone,  he  has  no  successors,  no  one  like  him 
went  before,  no  cotempory  was  co-equal.  There 
was  a  wholeness  about  the  man,  such  as  is  rarely 
seen.  His  physique,  his  genius,  his  wit,  his  pene- 
tration, his  judgment,  his  memory,  his  benefi- 
cence, his  manners,  his  dress,  make  him  as  perfect 
as  we  ever  expect  man  to  be  on  this  side  of 
heaven." 


244  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY, 

Dr.  Dobbin  says:  "  A  greater  poet  may  arise 
than  Homer  or  Milton,  a  greater  theologian  than 
Calvin,  a  greater  philosopher  than  Bacon,  a  greater 
dramatist  than  any  of  ancient  or  modern  fame ; 
but  a  more  distinguished  revivalist  of  Churches 
than  John  Wesley,  never  !  " 


HIS   CHARACTER.  245 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE  CHARACTER  OF  JOHN  WESLEY. 

I  am  aware  that  much  of  what  I  have  written 
already  relates  to  the  character  of  Mr.  Wesley. 
Yet  there  are  certain  writers  of  notoriety  that 
ought  to  have  a  special  notice.  Wilberforce  said, 
"I  consider  Wesley  as  the  most  influential  mind 
of  the  last  century, — the  man  who  will  have  pro- 
duced the  greatest  effects  centuries,  or  perhaps 
milleniums  hence,  if  the  present  race  of  men 
should  continue  so  long."  Dr.  Punshon  says,  "In 
general  scholarship  and  knowledge  he  had  few 
superiors  ;  whilst  such  was  his  acquaintance  with 
the  New  Testament  that,  when  at  a  loss  to  repeat 
a  text  in  the  words  of  the  authorized  translation, 
he  was  never  at  a  loss  to  quote  it  in  the  original 
Greek.  In  social  life  Wesley  was  a  Christian 
gentleman,  and  with  perfect  care  accommodated 
himself  to  both  the  high  and  the  low,  the  rich  and 
the  poor.  Placid,  benevolent  and  full  of  anecdote, 
wit  and   wisdom,  his  conversation  was  not  often 


246  LIFE    OF    KEV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

equalled.  Though  never  trifling  he  was  always 
cheerful ;  sometimes  saying,  'I  dare  no  more  fret 
than  to  curse  or  swear/  His  industry  was  almost 
without  a  parallel.  In  many  things  he  was  gentle 
and  easy  to  be  entreated ;  but  in  his  earnestness 
in  redeeming  time  he  was  decisive  and  inexorable. 
While  waiting  for  his  carriage  he  said,  'I  have 
lost  ten  minutes  forever.5  His  hands  were  always 
full,  but  his  action  was  never  fettered.  He  was 
always  moving,  and  yet  in  the  midst  of  his  toils 
betraying  no  more  haste  than  a  planet  in  its 
course.  His  mission  was  too  great  to  allow  time 
for  trifles.  Outwardly  calm  while  his  heart  was 
burning  within  him  ;  with  an  even  temper  held  in 
almost  perfect  control,  with  a  fine  flow  of  animal 
spirits,  which  he  says  he  never  remembered  to 
have  been  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour  below  zero  ; 
never  unemployed,  but  never  in  a  hurry. 

And  now  to  sum  up  the  whole,  look  upon  this 
character,  at  first  'like  the  young  moon  with  a 
ragged  edge,  still  in  its  imperfection  beautiful,  but 
waxing  lovelier  and  larger  until,  full  orbed  and 
calm,  it  shines  in  its  completeness  before  men.' 
Think  of  the  elements  which  you  suppose  neces- 
sary to  moral  greatness.  Fervent  piety,  strong- 
faith  in  God,  a  self-sacrificing  purpose  in  life, 
manly  daring,  womanly  tenderness,  an  industry 
which  never  tires,  a  benevolence  which  never  says 


FRESH    AS    A    BOY.  247 

'It  is  enough  ;'  an  almost  perfect  control  of  passion, 
an  almost  perfect  abnegation  of  selfishness,  a  cath- 
olic heart  and  wide  spread  sympathy,  a  gentle- 
man's courtesy  and  a  scholar's  learning — if  these 
things  make  up  an  artistic  wholeness  of  character 
which  the  world  should  reverence,  then  look  at 
that  little  old  man  with  the  band  and  cassock, 
walking  at  a  brisk  pace,  neat  in  his  dress  and  brisk 
in  his  manner,  with  aquiline  nose  and  quick 
bright  eye,  silver  hair  and  clear  smooth  forehead 
and  color  fresh  as  a  boy's.  Go  mark  them  well, 
for  that  wholeness  of  character  is  his  and  his  name 
is  John  Wesley  and  in  the  apt  words  of  one  who 
has  deeply  studied  him,  'a  greater,  and  by  the 
grace  of  God,  a  better  man  the  world  has  not 
known  since  the  clays  of  St.  Paul.'" 

Dr.  Punshon  gives  also  the  following  testimony 
of  John  Wesley  especially  upon  the  point  of 
honor.  "Neither  can  I  do  more  than  mention  the 
gradual  growth  of  honor  which  sat  upon  his  fore- 
head like  a  crown  ;  how  prejudice  changed  into 
respect,  and  troops  of  friends  gave  reverance  in 
his  kindly  age  ;  how  John  Howard  blest  his  loving 
words,  and  under  their  inspiration,  went  forth  to 
his  prison  journey  with  greater  heart  than  ever. 
How  Bishop  Lowth  sat  at  his  feet  and  hoped  that 
he  might  be  found  there  in  another  world.  How 
Samuel  Johnson  delighted  in  his  conversation  ;  how 


248  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

Alexander  Knox  kindled  in  rapture  as  he  recalled 
the  fine  old  man,  with  a  child's  heart  and  a  seraph's 
faith ;  realizing  his  notion  of  angelic  goodness, 
and  finally,  how,  in  perfect  peace  and  leaving  a 
reformed  nation  and  a  flourishing  church  as  his 
monument,  the  good  John  Wesley  died." 

Mr.  Alexander  Knox  said  when  Wesley  was 
eighty-six  years  of  age,  "I  was  delighted  to  find 
his  cheerfulness  in  no  respect  abated.  It  was  too 
obvious  that  his  bodily  frame  was  sinking,  but  his 
spirit  was  as  alert  as  ever,  and  he  was  little  less 
the  life  of  the  company  he  happened  to  be  in  than 
he  had  been  three  and  twenty  years  before,  when  I 
first  knew  him.  Such  unclouded  sunshine  in  the 
deepest  winter  of  age,  and  on  the  very  verge  of 
eternity,  bespoke  a  mind  whose  recollections  were 
as  unsullied  as  its  present  sensations  were  serene. 
Dr.  Conybeare  said,  "John  Wesley  will  always 
be  thought  a  man  of  sound  sense,  though  an 
enthusiast." 

Dr.  Thomas  Coke,  LL.  D.,  in  a  funeral  ser- 
mon preached  in  Baltimore  and  in  Philadelphia 
said,  in  describing  the  character  of  Wesley : 

1.  Notice  his  communion  with  God;  very  few 
alive  have  enjoyed  more  opportunities  than  I  of 
observing  his  private  walk  with  God.  For  months 
together  we  have  resided  under  the  same  roof. 
For  weeks  I  have  been  with  him  continually  for 


BEXT   FOR    GOD.  249 

twenty-two  or  more  hours  of  the  day.  The  first 
hour  in  the  morning  he  consecrated  to  solemn 
prayer  and  meditation  ;  and  indeed  all  his  employ- 
ment was  of  such  a  nature,  whether  he  was  en- 
gaged in  public  or  in  private,  in  preaching  or  visit- 
ing the  sick,  in  composition  or  in  correspondence, 
as  led  him  immediately  to  God.  His  mind  seemed 
bent  for  God,  except  during  the  little  time  he 
daily  allowed  for  his  friends  and  his  meals,  and 
then,  though  most  agreeable  of  companions,  every 
anecdote  that  he  related  so  illustrated  his  subject, 
and  indeed  the  whole  of  his  conversation,  directly 
tended  to  the  improvement  of  the  mind.  But 
sometimes  on  these  occasions  he  would  break 
forth  with  such  an  unction  and  such  a  power,  as 
would  devote  the  minds  of  the  company  to  heaven- 
ly things,  more  perhaps  than  the  most  elegant 
sermons. 

2.  His  crucifixion  to  the  world  no  one  can 
doubt  that  is  the  least  acquainted  with  the  tenor 
of  his  life.  The  employment  he  delighted  in 
above  every  other,  abstractedly  from  the  will  of 
God  and  the  happiness  of  his  fellow-creatures  was 

kIn  academic  groves  to  seek  for  truth,' 
to  search  the  records  of  antiquity,   and  converse 
with  the  mighty  dead  in  the  groves  and  gardens 
of  Oxford.      He    had    a  handsome    settlement  as 
Fellow  of  a  college  ;  and  such  authority  as  would 


250  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN    WESLEY. 

have  enabled  him  to  enjoy  his  philosophic  pleas- 
ures to  their  utmost  extent.  His  mind  was  exactly 
formed  for  the  obstrusest  studies,  but  he  sacrificed 
the  whole  to  the  will  of  God  and  the  insatiable 
desire  of  his  soul  for  doing  good. 

3.  His  self-denial  also  kept  equal  pace  with 
all  the  other  fruits  of  true  religion.  For  three 
years  while  in  Georgia  he  lived  on  nothing  but 
vegetables,  milk  and  water.  Sometimes,  when 
the  work  demanded  it,  he  would  endure  exquisite 
hardships  for  the  want  of  food ;  even  to  the  sup- 
porting himself  and  his  fellow  travellers  on  the 
very  berries  which  grew  upon  the  hedges  of  the 
field.  His  whole  life  was  perfect  order  and  reg- 
ularity, so  that,  his  friend  said  'he  moves  like  a 
clock.' 

4.  His  boldness  and  fidelity  in  reproof  have 
perhaps  been  equalled  but  by  few.  All  that  read 
his  writings,  or  that  attended  his  ministry,  will 
know  how  he  freed  himself  from  the  blood  of  all 
men,  both  rich  and  poor. 

5.  His  singleness  of  eye  throughout  the  whole, 
made  one  of  the  most  shining  traits  of  his  life. 
No  one  could  pass  a  full  judgment  on  this,  but 
those  who  were  his  most  intimate  acquaintances, 
and  were  enabled  to  take  so  minute  a  view  of  his 
proceedings  as  to  connect  whole  series  of  actions, 
and  draw  their  inference  accordingly.     And  such 


AN    EXCESS    OF    MERCY.  251 

a  view  taken  for  many  years,  I  can  without  hesita- 
tion declare  that  I  never  knew  one,  concerning 
whom  I  could  form  any  mature  judgment  that 
sacrificed  ease,  pleasure,  profit,  friends  to  the  wel- 
fare of  the  church  of  Christ  with  so  much  freedom 
as  Mr.  Wesley.  Nay,  those  sacrifices  were  made 
with  such  perfect  liberty  as  to  be  rendered  on  that 
very  account  quite  hid  from  the  inattentive  ob- 
server; and  yet,  few,  if  any,  could  feel  more 
sensibly  than  he ;  he  was  formed  for  friendship. 

6.  His  benevolence  was  unbounded.  Thous- 
ands of  poor  will  remember  him  with  grateful 
acknowledgements,  while  life  continues.  All  that 
he  gained  by  the  circulation  of  his  writings  was 
laid  out  in  this  blessed  channel.  Sometimes, 
indeed,  the  love  which  believeth  and  hopeth  all 
things,  of  which  he  had  so  large  a  share,  laid  him 
open  to  impositions ;  and  wisdom  then  slept  at  the 
door  of  love ;  and  if  there  was  any  fault  in  his 
public  character,  it  was  an  excess  of  mercy. 

7.  But  how  shall  I  describe  his  labors.  Fol- 
low him  for  two  generations,  for  nearly  sixty 
years,  from  country  to  country,  from  kingdom  to 
kingdom,  crying  to  hundreds  of  thousands  : 
'  Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  thou  shalt 
be  saved!'  And  this  was  the  burden  of  his 
discourse, — faith  in  Jesus  Christ,  the  faith  that 
works  by  love,  while  his  congregation  hung  upon 


252  LITE    OF  REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

his  lips,  and  were   delighted  with   the    music    of 
his  voice. 

Again,  how  shall  I  describe  the  labors  of  his 
pen  !     How  follow  him  through  a  hundred  volumes 
and  more  of  divinity,  philosophy,  history,  physics, 
grammar  —  as     an    author,    translator,    abridger, 
compiler  !      How  was  it  possible  that  a  man  who 
traveled   annually  four  or   five   thousand   miles ; 
who  preached  regularly,  till  within  a  short  time  of 
his  death,  two  or  three  times  in  a  day ;  who  con- 
stantly   kept     up     an    extensive    correspondence 
through  England,  Scotland,  Ireland,  America, — 
how  was  it  possible  that  a  man  so  engaged,  should 
publish  such  an  amazing  library  for  the  benefit  of 
his  people — for  the  benefit  of  mankind  ?     I  answer, 
he  husbanded  every  moment  beyond  any  person 
I  ever  heard  or  read  of.     He  gathered  up  all  the 
fragments.     In  this  point  of  view,  I  know  not  but 
we  may  challenge  the  benefactors  of  mankind  in 
the  present  and  past  ages,  without  excepting  St. 
Paul  himself,  that  he  was  more  abundant  in  labors 
than  them  all.     For  this  end  he  allowed  himself 
only  six  hours  and  a  half  in  his  bed,  for  about 
sixty  years,  rising  every  morning  at  four  o'clock. 
8.     His  success,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  was 
equal  to  all  the  rest.     We  learn  from  his  journals 
that  when  he  first  stepped  forth  in  the  name  of 
lb  )  Lord,  to  set  his  public  seal    to  the  truth  of 


WONDETC  OF  THE  WOULD.  253 

that  fundamental  doctrine  of  the  gospel,  justifica- 
tion by  faith,  people    daily   fell    down   as    dead, 
under  the  power  of  his  word,  through  the  force  of 
divine  conviction.     In  after  years  his  grand  talents 
seemed  to  be  the  establishing   of  believers,  and 
the  -goverment  of  the  church.     In  regard  to  the 
first,  I  know  no  one  who  was  at  all  to  be  compared 
to  him ;  such  an  unction  accompanied  his  word, 
when  he  opened  the  heights  and  depths,  lengths 
and  breadths  of  the  love  of  Christ.     In  regard  to 
the  latter, — his  government  and  management  of 
the  vftst  connection  under  his  care,  was,  I  think  I 
may  say,  the  wonder  of  the  world.     That  a  single 
person  should  raise  a  Society  of  Christian   pro- 
fessors, amounting,  at  his  death,  to  130,000,  and 
should  preserve  union  among  them  on  the  strictest 
principles  of  Christian  discipline,  is,  as  I  believe, 
not  to  be  paralleled  in  the  history  of  the  Church. " 
The  following  beautiful  picture  of  Mr.  "Wesley 
is  found   in    WoodfalPs   Diary,  June    17,   1791  : 
"His  indefatigable  zeal    in   the  discharge  of  his 
duty  has  been  long  witnessed  by  the  world ;  but 
as  mankind  are  not  always  inclined  to  put  a  gen- 
erous construction  upon  the  exertions  of  singular 
talents,    his    motives   were   imputed    to    love    of 
popularity,  ambition,  and  lucre.     It  now  appears 
that  he  was  actuated  by  a  disinterested  regard  to 
the  immortal  interest  of  mankind.     He  observed 


254  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

so  rigid  temperance,  and  allowed  himself  so  little 
repose,  that  he  seemed  to  be  above  the  infirmities 
of  nature,  and  to  act  independent  of  the  earthly 
tabernacle  he  occupied.  The  recital  of  the  occur- 
ances  of  every  day  would  be  the  highest 
encomium." 

Dr.  Eiggs  says,  "No  single  man  for  centuries 
has  moved  the  world  as  Wesley  has  moved  it ; 
since  Luther,  no  man." 

Dr.  Stevens  is  very  elaborate,  and  takes  a 
sweeping  view  of  the  whole  man  and  his  sublime 
character.  He  says,  "Wesley  seemed  to  be  con- 
ducting at  once,  the  usual  lives  of  three  or  four 
men, —  if,  indeed,  the  word  usual  can  be  applied 
to  any  department  of  his  life.  In  either  his 
literary  labors  or  his  travels,  his  functions  as  an 
ecclesiastical  legislator  and  administrator,  or  his 
labors  as  an  evangelist  or  preacher,  he  has  seldom 
been  surpassed;  his  travels,  his  studies,  or  his 
ministerial  labors  were  each  more  than  sufficient 
for  any  ordinary  man.  He  possessed,  in  an  emi- 
nent degree,  one  trait  of  a  master  mind, — the 
power  of  comprehending  and  managing  at  once, 
the  outlines  and  details  of  plans.  It  is  this  power 
that  forms  the  philosophical  genius  in  science ;  it 
is  essential  to  the  successful  commander  and  the 
great  statesman.  It  is  illustrated  in  the  whole 
economical  system  of  Methodism. 


COOL    CALCULATION.  255 

Like  Luther,  he  knew  the  importance  of  the 
press  ;  he  kept  it  teeming  with  his  publications. 
LTnlike  many  men  given  to  various  exertions,  and 
many  plans,  he  was  accurate  and  profound.  He 
was  an  adept  in  classical  literature  and  the  use  of 
the  classical  tongues ;  his  writings  are  adorned 
with  their  finest  passages.  His,  temperament  was 
warm,  but  not  fiery.  His  intellect  never  inflamed  5 
but  always  glowing — a  serene  radiance.  His 
immense  labors  were  accomplished,  not  by  the 
impulses  of  restless  enthusiasm,- but  by  the  cool 
calculation  of  his  plans,  and  the  steady  self- 
possession  with  which  he  pursued  them.  He 
habitually  exemplified  his  favorite  maxim, '  Always 
in  haste,  never  in  a  hurry.'  He  was  as  economical 
of  his  time  as  the  miser  could  be  of  his  money." 

Fletcher  said  of  him,  "Though  pressed  with 
the  weight  of  near  seventy  years,  and  the  care  of 
near  thirty  thousand  souls,  he  shames  us  still  by 
his  unabated  zeal  and  immense  labors,  all  the 
young  ministers  of  England." 

"One  of  the  finest  spectacles  in  human  life  is 
the  sight  of  an  old  man  sustaining  his  career  of 
action  and  endurance  to  the  last,  with  an  unwaver- 
ing spirit.  Such  was  Wesley.  He  sought  no 
repose  from  his  labors  till  death.  Activity  was 
the  normal  condition  of  happiness  to  him,  as  it 
must   be   to   all   healthful  minds.     After  he  was 


256  LIFE    OF    KEV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

eighty   years    of  age    he   visited   Holland   twice. 
The  calm  ministerial  authority  which  so  character- 
ized him  was  not  assumed ;  it  was  the  spontaneous 
;  effect  of  a  true  and  natural  courage. 

A  fine  humor  pervaded  the  nature  of  Wesley, 
and  often  gave  a  striking  readiness  and  pertinency 
to  his  words.  This  humor  enhanced  the  blandness 
of  his  piety  and  enabled  him  to  convey  reproof  in 
a  manner  which  could  hardly  be  resisted  with  ill- 
temper." 

He  had  a  power  of  administering  reproof  which 
was  exemplary.  Bradford  was  his  travelling  com- 
panion. Wesley  directed  him  to  carry  a  packet 
of  letters  to  the  post.  Bradford  wanted  to  hear 
his  sermon  first,  but  Wesley  was  urgent.  Brad- 
ford still  refused.  Wesley  said  "  Then  }rou  and  I 
must  part."  "  Very  good,  sir,"  replied  Bradford. 
They  slept  over  it,  but  Bradford  would  not  relent. 
Wesley  said  "Must  we  part?"  "Please  your- 
self" he  replied.  "  Will  you  not  ask  my  forgive- 
ness." "No,  sir."  "Then  I  will  ask  yours." 
Thus  this  great  man  showed  the  superiority  of  his 
mind  and  the  greatness  of  his  soul. 

He  met  a  burly  fellow  on  the  street,  who  said 
"I  never  turn  out  for  a  fool."  Wesley  replied, 
pleasantly,  "  I  do,"  and  gave  him  tbe  road. 

It  is  sometimes  asked  whether  he  is  entitled  to 
rank  in  the  highest  class  of  great  men.     In  view 


WESTMINSTER    ABBEY.  257 

of  all  that  he  did  and  said,  let  the  reader  decide 
for  himself. 

What  greater  honor  could  England  confer  on 
John  Wesley  than  to  place  his  memorial  tablet 
among  her  great  men  in  Westminster  Abbey  ? 

In  the  early  spring  of  1876,  the  late  Dean  Stan- 
ley unveiled  in  Westminster  Abbey,  London,  the 
memorial  tablet,  in  which  was  sunken  in  two 
medallion  profiles  the  simple  inscription, 

JOHN   WESLEY,    M.    A. 
Born  June  17,  1703  :  died  March  2,  1791. 

CHARLES    WESLEY,    M.    A. 
Born  December  17,  1707 :  died  March  29,  1788. 

No  words  of  eulogy  are  added,  but  there  is  a 
sculptured  scene  of  historic  interest  which  repre- 
sents Wesley  preaching  on  his  father's  gravestone. 

The  venerable  Dean  said,  "John  Wesley  is 
represented  as  preaching  on  his  father's  tomb,  and 
I  have  always  thought  that  that  is,  as  it  were,  a 
parable  which  represented  his  relation  to  National 
Institutions.  Pic  took  his  stand  upon  his  father's 
tomb — on  the  venerable  and  ancestral  traditions 
of  the  country  and  the  church.  That  was  the 
stand  from  which  he  addressed  the  world  ;  it  was 
not  from  the  points  of  disagreement  but  from  the 


258  LIFE    OF    REV.    JOHN   WESLEA. 

points  of  agreement  with  them  in  the  Christian 
religion,  that  he  produced  those  great  effects 
which  have  never  since  died  out  in  English  Chris- 
tendom. It  is  because  of  his  having  been  in  that 
age,  which  I  am  inclined  to  think  has  been  unduly 
disparaged,  the  revival  of  religious  fervor  among 
our  churches,  that  we  all  feel  we  owe  him  a  debt 
of  gratitude,  and  that  he  ought  to  have  his  mon- 
ument placed  among  those  of  the  benefactors  of 
England."  And  he  might  have  added,  of  the 
world.  Three  simple  sentences  of  John  and 
Charles  Wesley  are  engraved  upon  the  tablet 
beneath  that  sculptured  scene.  First,  "I  look 
upon  all  the  world  as  my  parish,"  which  indicates 
the  secret  spring  of  Wesley's  wide-spread  activity. 
The  second  sentence  is  "Best  of  all,  God  is  with 
us."  This  was  the  great  truth  that  cheered  him 
in  his  great  toil,  as  well  as  comforted  him  in  his 
dying  hour.  The  third,  "  God  buries  his  work, 
man  but  carries  on  his  work,"  was  the  jubilant 
utterance  of  Charles  Wesley.  Dean  Stanley  con- 
cluded by  saying,  "Men  take  their  places  amongst 
the  great  by  merit  of  great  deeds.  And  by  tnis 
rule,  these  men  had  a  perfect  right  to  this  national 
and  lasting  honor." 

"Thus  the  wheel  turns  round.  One  hundred 
and  thirty  years  ago,  Wesley  was  shut  out  of 
ever3r  church  in  England  :  now  marble  medallion 


THE    BEST    ABUSED    MAN.  259 

profiles  of  himself  and  his  brother,  accompanied 
with  suitable  inscriptions,  are  deemed  worthy  of 
a  niche  in  England's  grandest  cathedral.  The 
man  who,  a  century  ago,  was  the  best  abused  man 
in  the  British  isles,  is  now  hardly  ever  mentioned 
but  with  affectionate  respect.  In  the  literature  of 
the  age  ;  in  its  lectures  and  debates  ;  in  chapels 
and  in  churches;  in  synods,  congresses,  and  all 
sorts  of  conferences ;  by  the  highest  lords  and 
most  illustrious  commoners,  the  once  persecuted 
Methodist  is  now  extolled. " 

It  is  said  that  Wesley  travelled  225,000  miles 
after  he  became  an  itinerant.  He  is  supposed  to 
have  preached  40,500  sermons  in  fifty  years. 
Dr.  Whitehead  gives  the  following:  "Now  that 
Mr.  Wesley  is  dead,  I  may  be  allowed  to  estimate 
his  character,  and  the  loss  which  the  world  has 
sustained  by  his  death.  Upon  a  fair  account  it 
seems  to  be  such  as  not  only  annihilates  all  re- 
proaches that  have  been  cast  upon  him,  but  also 
as  does  honor  to  mankind ;  at  the  same  time,  it 
reproaches  them.  His  natural  and  acquired  abil- 
ities were  both  of  the  highest  rank.  His  appre- 
hension was  lively  and  distinct.  Though  his  tem- 
per was  naturally  warm,  his  manners  were  gentle, 
simple  and  uniform.  His  labors  and  studies  were 
wonderful.  He  studied  to  be  gentle,  yet  vigilant 
and   faithful  to  all.     He  was  free  from  being;  a 


260  LIFE    OF   REV.    JOHN   WESLEY. 

slave  to  any  passion  or  pursuit  that    can  fix  a 
blemish  upon  his  character." 

He  also  gives  the  following:  "Very  lately,  I 
had  an  opportunity,  for  some  days  together,  of 
observing  Mr.  Wesley  with  attention.  I  endeav- 
ored to  consider  him  not  so  much  with  the  eye  of 
a  friend,  as  with  the  impartiality  of  a  philosopher  ; 
and  I  must  declare  that  every  hour  that  I  spent 
in  his  company  afforded  me  fresh  reasons  for 
esteem  and  veneration.  So  fine  an  old  man  I 
never  saw.  The  happiness  of  his  mind  issued 
forth  in  his  countenance.  Every  look  showed 
how  fully  he  enjoyed  '  the  gay  remembrance  of  a 
life  well  spent.'  And  wherever  he  went,  he  dif- 
fused a  portion  of  his  own  felicity.  Easy  and 
affable  in  his  demeanor,  he  accommodated  himself 
to  every  sort  of  company,  and  showed  how  hap- 
pily the  most  finished  courtesy  may  be  blended 
with  the  most  perfect  piety.  In  his  conversation, 
we  might  be  at  a  loss  whether  to  admire  most  his 
fine  classical  taste,  his  extensive  knowledge  of 
men  and  things,  or  his  overflowing  goodness  of 
heart.  While  the  grave  and  serious  were  charmed 
with  his  wisdom,  his  sportive  sallies  of  innocent 
mirth  delighted  even  the  young  and  thoughtless, 
and  both  saw  in  his  uninterrupted  cheerfulness 
the  excellency  of  true  religion.  In  him,  even  old 
age  appeared  delightful,  like  an  evening  without 


A    CONSTANT    FLAME.  261 

a  cloud.  "  His  indefatigable  zeal  in  the  dis- 
charge of  his  duty,  has  long  been  witnessed  by 
the  world.  Had  he  loved  wealth,  he  might  have 
accumulated  without  bound.  Had  he  been  fond 
of  power,  his  influence  would  have  been  worth 
courting  by  any  party.  His  zeal  was  not  a  tran- 
sient blaze,  but  a  constant  flame." 

"  See  how  great  a  flame  aspires, 
Kindled  by  a  spark  of  grace ! 
Jesus'  love  the  nations  fires, 
Sets  the  kingdoms  on  a  blaze. 

Saw  ye  not  the  cloud  arise, 

Little  as  a  human  hand? 
Now  it  spreads  along  the  skies, 

Hangs  o'er  all  the  thirsty  land. 

Lo!  the  promise  of  a  shower 

Drops  ahead}'  from  above; 
But  the  Lord  will  shortly  pour 

All  the  spirit  of  His  love." 


NOTICES  OF  THE  PRESS 

OP 

THE  GIFT  OF  THE  HOLT  GHOST 

The  Believer's  Privilege, 

AND 

SELECT  SERMONS  ON  CHRISTIAN  EXPERIENCE. 
By  Rev.  E.  DAVIES,  Evangelist. 


From  Rev.  R.  W.  ALLEN,  in  "The  Methodist  Home  Journal." 

11  The  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  the  Believer's  Privilege," 
1b  the  title  of  a  work  issued  by  Rev.  E.  Davies.  It  contains  seven  chap- 
ters, bearing  the  following  titles :  —  "  The  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  *'  Brief 
History  of  the  Three  Dispensations,""  The  Results  of  the  Fiery  Baptism," 
"  The  Holy  Ghost  Ruling  in  the  Early  Christian  Church,"  "  The  Holy 
Ghost  in  the  Church  of  the  Present  Day,"  "  Testimonies  of  its  Baptism," 
and  "  Testimonies  Continued,"  with  an  Appendix  on  u  The  Three  Dispen- 
sations." It  is  written  in  a  vigorous,  clear,  earnest  style,  Methodistic  and 
Scriptural,  and  its  circulation  at  the  present  time  will  have  a  most  excel- 
lent effect  on  the  Church.  What  the  Church  especially  needs  is  the  Pen- 
tecostal baptism,  and  this  book  will  greatly  assist  in  obtaining  it.  We 
say  to  all,  Read  it  with  prayer,  and  it  will  lead  you  into  the  higher  and 
richer  experiences  of  the  Christian  dispensation.  The  author  has  done  an 
excellent  work  in  preparing  and  publishing  this  book. 


From  Rev.  Dr.  SHERMAN, 

"  The  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  by  Rev.  E.  Davies,  the  Evange- 
list, who  employs  his  pen  as  freely  as  his  voice  in  preaching  Christ. 
Like  his  other  work*  this  is  marked  by  clearness,  point,  directness  of 
aim,  and  *  certain  earnestness  and  incisiveness,  which  will  not  fail  to  profit 
the  reade.  In  plain,  Saxon  language,  he  strikes  home  to  the  heart, 
opening  to  the  view  of  the  seeker  the  nature  and  offices  of  the  Spirit, 
and  the  possibility  of  entire  purity  through  his  influence.  The  book 
ean  only  do  good,  and  should  be  widely  read. 


WORKS  OF   REV.   E.  DAVIE**, 


NOTICES  OF  "THE  LAW  OE  HOLINESS'* 

*•  Rev.  E.  Davies  has  prepared  another  of  his  useful  manuw* 
This  one  is,  in  some  respects,  the  best  of  his  list,  and  will  prov* 
an  excellent  little  volume  rbr  distribution.  It  is  a  plain  and  well- 
enforced  exposition  of  the  spirit  of  the  Decalogue.  It  is  a  good 
'  counter  irritant'  to  the  prevalence  of  Antinoraianism.  One  of  its 
best  features  is  the  epitome  at  the  close  of  Harris's  prize  essay  on 
Covetousness."—  Zion's  Herald. 

44  It  is  a  very  direct  and  practical  volume  on  the  Ten  Command- 
ments. Its  special  excellence  is  its  earnestness.  However,  it  is 
intended,  in  a  great  measure,  to  be  a  hand-book  for  ministers  and 
philanthropists."  —  Congregationalism 

"  Rev.  E.  Davies  has  added  to  his  growing  list  of  books  a  work 
entitled  The  Laav  of  Holiness.  The  brief,  pungent  introduc- 
tion, laying  bare  at  a  flash  the  woeful  picture  of  the  decay  of  pub- 
lic conscience.  It  is  one  of  the  best  things  he  has  ever  written. 
The  aim  of  the  book  is  to  arouse  the  public  to  realize  the  binding 
and  practical  application  of  the  '  Ten  Commandments  '  at  the  pres- 
ent time." —  Contributor. 

"  We  welcome  all  books  that  help  the  cultivation  of  personal 
holiness.  Of  this  sort  is  Rev.  C.  G.  Finney's  Lectures  to  Chris- 
tians, whose  earnest  teaching  will  benefit  others  than  professing 
Christians.  We  may  say  the  same  thing  of  The  Law  of  Holi- 
ness :  an  exposition  of  the  Ten  Commandments,  by  Rev.  E. 
Davies;  a  simple  and  strong  enforcement  of  moral  obligation.*' 
—  The  Independent. 

"It  is  an  exposition  and  application  of  the  Ten  Commandments. 
The  author  starts  out  by  impeaching  the  gospel  ministry,  and  lay 
ing  the  prevalent  immorality  at  their  doors." —  The  Interior. 

"  This  is  another  book  on  the  subject  of  holiness,  by  Rev.  E. 
Davies,  whose  earnest  soul  and  ready  pen  have  lor>g  since  been 
known  to  the  readers  of  the  Epistle.  The  author  treats  the  subject 
of  his  work  from  a  different  standpoint  from  wrhich  it  is  usually 
treated.  He  shows  that  the  Ten  Commandments  contain  the  ele- 
ments of  holiness  as  required  of  us  in  the  gospel.  It  contains 
much  that  is  of  real  value.  Selections  from  Harris's  '  Xamraon  ' 
should  be  read  frequently."  —  Living  Epistle. 

"  It  is  designed  to  show  the  excellence,  binding  force,  and  adap- 
tation of  the  commandments  to  regulate  the  moral"  conduct  &f  man- 
kind in  all  ages.  It  contains  many  excellent  things,  and  cannot  be 
read  without  profit."  —  Dr.  D.  Sherman,  in  New  England  Meth- 
odist. 

"  This  is  a  collection  of  writings  Gearing  on  the  subject  o^  holi 
ness.  The  author  is  an  evangelist,  and  the  sermons  expository  of 
the  Decalogue  are  the  product  of  efforts  h2  has  felt  obliged  to 
make  to  bring  men  to  a  sense  of  sin.  As  expositions  they  me  very 
good.  Besides  these,  there  are  several  essays  on  moral  law,  and 
copious  selections  from  a  prize  essay  on  Covetousness."  —  Heral\ 
and  Presbyter, 

*'  There  is  much  good  instruction  in  this  book,  and  it  is  de  ngned  .J 
counteract  the  fearful  immoralities  that  prevail  in  the  prestM  tii»>> 
The  selections  from  Harris    MaminoD'  ar  good  and  timely.** 
Christian  Standard, 


From  THE  METHODIST  HOME  JOUBNAL. 

Rev.  E.  Davies,  convinced  of  the  utility  of  the  press,  and  the  powei 
of  a  live  book  to  help  forward  the  spiritual  life  of  the  Church,  is  en- 
gaged not  only  in  personal  effort,  but  keeps  his  pen  busy  for  God.  A 
new  publication  noticed  and  commended  by  our  Boston  correspondent, 
entitled  "  The  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost,"  is  a  portable  book  of  108  pages. 
It  also  contains  nine  stirring  sermons  on  Christian  Experience,  which  fill 
70  pages.  The  book  is  bound  in  fine  clo'.h,  gilt  back  and  centre,  for  the 
small  sum  of  80  cents,  and  is  also  furnished  in  neat,  substantial  paper 
binding,  for  50  cents  per  copy. 


From  THE  NEW  YOKE  WEEKLY  WITNESS. 

Rev.  E.  Da  vies  has  taken  advantage  of  the  interest  gathering  around 
Trinity  Sunday  to  bring  out  this  volume,  which  gives  proof  of  the  Divinity 
of  the  Holy  Ghost,  a  Brief  History  of  the  Three  Dispensations,  and  some 
new  testimonies  of  living  divines  to  the  reality  and  power  of  the  baptism 
of  the  Holy  Spirit.  This  book  may  be  perused  with  profit  by  Christians 
of  all  denominations. 


From  THE  METHODIST. 

M  The  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  the  Believer's  Privilege,* 
by  Rev.  E.  Davies,  contains  the  substance  of  a  number  of  sermons  on 
the  means  of  obtaining  the  highest  Experience  of  Christian  Life,  the 
Baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  author  is  well  known  as  an  earnest  and 
effective  Evangelist,  and  a  welcome  contributor  to  church  papers,  and  aa 
the  author  of  several  works  adapted  to  revival  occasions,  and  on  holiness. 
Published  by  the  author,  Reading,  Mass.,  and  by  the  religious  publishing 
houses  of  Boston  and  Philadelphia. 


From  ZION'S  HEBALD. 

Rev.  E.  Davies,  the  indefatigable  Evangelist,  keeps  his  pen  as  busy  as 
his  tongue.  He  has  just  issued  "The  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  This 
instructive  book  contains  discourses,  testimonies,  and  exhortations,  upon 
the  higher  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  redeemed  heart.  It  furnishes 
good  seed  for  a  spiritual  harvest. 


BISHOP  R.  S.  FOSTER 

Says,  ••  It  is  just  the  book  for  the  masses,  and  cannot  fail  to  do  good." 

Send  your  orders  to  the  author, 

RE^JDrNTG-,  MASS. 

Liberal  Discount  to  Afmisteis,  Publishers,  and  Book  Agents. 


TESTIMONIALS. 

"Ihave  read  the  « Life  of  Frances  Ridley  Havergal,  by  Rev. 
E.  Davies.'  I  find  he  has  done  his  work  admirably;  no  Chris- 
tian can  read  this  biography  without  acquiring  a  sharp  appetite 
for  the  heavenly  manna  on  which  this  saint  of  God  fed  and 
grew  so  strong  and  beautiful.  Mr.  Davies  is  doing  eminent  ser- 
vice to  the  Church  by  reducing  the  size  and  cost  of  books  which 
have  become  sacred  classics,  thus  bringing  them  within  the 
reach  of  the  toiling  millions.  I  have  read  this  book  with  great 
spiritual  profit.  Let  every  evangelical  preacher  see  that  this 
book  is  within  reach  of  his  young  people.  "—Rev.  Daniel 
Steele,  D.D. 

"  Mr.  Davies  has  conferred  a  great  favor  upon  the  Christian 
public,  by  the  preparation  and  publication  of  this  book;  a  work 
which  clearly  unfolds  one  of  the  most  interesting  and  beautiful 
characters  known  in  this  century." — Rev.  Asa  Mahan,  D.  D.t 
LL.  D.t  in  "Divine  Life." 

"  Rev.  E.  Davies,  the  Evangelist,  issues  a  well  condensed  life 
of  that  devoted  and  talented  woman,  F.  R.  Havergal.  The 
flavor  of  this  consecrated  life  still  lingers  among  us.  This 
neatly  printed  volume,  which  is  sold  for  fifty  cents,  will  prove 
an  evangelist  of  peace  and  faith  wherever  it  goes."— Zion's 
Herald. 

"  Rev.  E.  Davies  has  just  prepared  and  published  a  charming 
sketch  of  the  life  of  Miss  Havergal,  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
characters  in  modern  times,  whose  intense  personal  devotion 
to  God,  and  fine  practical  writings,  places  her  name  among  the 
immortals . ' '—  Grove  Record. 

"  Thisvbookhas  been  prepared  with  great  care,  and  contains 
a  complete  account  of  the  brilliant  life  and  writings  of  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  women  of  the  age."— Southern  Churchman. 

"  The  *  Life  of  Miss  Havergal '  is  a  rich  feast  for  religious 
readers.  Mr.  Davies  has  made  a  useful  and  interesting  book 
for  Sunday  Schools.  He  has  given  an  account  of  her  religous 
experience  pnd  deep-toned  spirituality."—^.  T.  Independent. 

"Miss  Havergal' s  views  of  Scripture  are  marvellously  fresh, 
striking  and  helpful.  With  a  single  stroke  she  makes  old  and 
familiar  passages  yield  new  meanings.  This  spiritual  art  has 
made  her  name  dear  to  thousands.  This  sketch  will  be  a  rich 
feast  for  all  who  love  the  Word  of  God."— Lutheran  Observer. 

"A  small,  incisive,  substantial,  cheap,  and  invaluable  work. 
Who  can  estimate  the  influence  of  this  quiet,  devout,  yet  ener- 
getic woman?  Read  carefully  this  comprehensive  summary 
of  her  life."—  Christian  Standard. 

"  Miss  Havergal  seems  to  have  been  a  person  of  rare  spiritual 
experiences  and  of  rare  qualifications  for  noting  and  recording 
them.  This  sketeh  is  a  succinct  account  of  her  devoted  life. 
The  influence  of  such  lives  extends  far  beyond  their  own 
church  and  lifts  higher  the  lives  of  all  Christians."— The  Ad- 
vance, Chicago.  • 

"  A  well  told  story  of  a  remarkable  character,  and  a  good 
book  for  young  people  and  Sunday  School  libraries.  It  is  a 
book  which  devout  readers  can  read  with  interest  and  profit. 
The  whole  work  is  warm  with  glowing  Christian  experience." 
Western  Christian  Advocate. 

"  We  have  here  all  that  is  essential  in  the  life  of  this  extra- 
ordinary woman.  It  is  well  arranged,  well  printed,  and  well 
bound,  and  neatly  embellished,  and  all  for  the  sum  of  fifty 
cents."— Christian  Witness. 


WORKS  OF  REV.  E.  DAVIES. 

THE    GIFT    OF    THE    HOLY    GHOST,   and  Select 

Sermons.    Price,  enamel  paper  covers,  50  cents;  cloth,  80  cts. 
M  It  is  just  the  book  for  the  masses,  and  cannot  fail  to  do  good." 

— Bishop  R.  S.  Foster. 

THE   BELIEVER'S  HANDBOOK  ON  HOLINESS.      Con- 
taining eight  Lectures.    12mo.    Price,  enamel  paper,  25  cts.; 
cloth,  40  cents. 
"  This  is  truly  an  excellent  work.    Most  heartily  do  we  commend 

it  to  all."— Mrs.  Phebe  Palmer. 

THE  GIFT  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST  AND  BELIEV- 
ER'S HANDBOOK.    In  One  volume.    Cloth,  $1. 

THE  BOY  PREACHER,  or  The  Life  and  Labors  of 
Rev.  Thomas  Hakrison.     Fine  Steel  Portrait.     Price,  $1, 
Enlarged  Edition. 
"  A  wonderful  record  of  God's  marvellous  works." 

GEMS  AND  PEARLS,  for  Parents  and  Children. 

For  Family  Reading  and  Sabbath  Schools.     Fine  Steel  En- 
graving.   Price  75  cents. 
"  Rev.  E.  Davies  lias  collected  a  goodly  number  of  Gems  and 

Pearls.    Many  of  them  are  severally  worth  the  price  of  the  book. 

Read  it." — Dr.  Fowler,  in  New  York  Christian  Advocate. 

THE  LAW  OF  HOLINESS,    an  Exposition  of  the 
Ten  Commandments.     Showing  the  relation  of  the  Deca- 
logue to  the  Gospel  and  to  the  Moral  Universe.    Large  16mo. 
Price  75  cents. 
"  It  is  clear,  sharp,  and  discriminating.     It  gives  a  practical 

application  of  the  moral  law  to  the  duties  of  Christian  life,  and 

is  a  fresh  presentation  of  this  important  subject."  —  Rev.  J.  A. 

Wo  d. 

DAILY  FOOD  FOR   CHRISTIAN   WORKERS.    Price 
15  cents;  gilt  edges,  20  cents;  paper,  10  cents. 
It  is  adapted  to  the  highest  experiences  of  Christian  life. 

CONTRAST    BETWEEN    CHRISTIANITY  AND  IN- 
FIDELITY.   A  Book  of  Reference  for  Ministers  and  Christian 
Workers.    Price,  paper,  20  cents;  cloth,  40  cents. 
"  This  book  is  worthy  of  a  place  in  any  dbrary."  —  Lutheran   Ob- 
server. 

SELECTIONS  FROM  HARRIS'  MAMMON.  An  in- 
valuable book.    Price  10  cents. 

MEMOIRS  AND  JOURNAL  OF  MRS.  HESTER  ANN 
KOGEliS.    Condensed  and  combined.    Price,  cloth,  50  cents. 

LIFE  OF  FRANCES  RIDLEY  HAYERGAL.  With 
choice  selections  from  her  writings.  Price  only  50  cents;  gilt,  75  cts. 
"  No  Christian  can  read  this  biography  without   acquiring  a  sharp 

appetite  for  the  heavenly  manna  on  which  this  saint  of  God  fed,  and  grew 

so  strong  and  beautiful."  — Rev.  D.  Steele,  D.D. 

Any  book  sent  by  mail  on  receipt  of  price. 

HOLINESS  BOOK  CONCERN,  Reading,  Mass. 


THE  BOY  PREACHER; 

OE, 

THE  LIFE  AND  LABORS  OF  REV.  THOMAS  HARRISON. 

With  sketches  of  the  most  remarkable  Revivals  in 
which  he  has  been  engaged. 

Fine  Steel  Portrait,       •  Price  $1.00. 

"  The  remarkable  labors  of  Mr.  Harrison,  the  young  revivalist, 
are  fully  described  in  this  volume,  and  by  the  practiced  pen  of 
one  who,  himself,  has  been  an  evangelist  for  ten  years,  and 
whose  publications  on  religious  subjects  are  favorably  known  to 
many  of  our  readers.  The  fame  of  the  extraordinary  results 
of  the  several  religious  awakenings  with  which  Mr.  Harrison 
has  been  connected,  will  undoubtedly  make  no  little  demand  for 
this  book.  A  portrait  of  Mr.  Harrison  accompanies  the 
volume." 


LIFE,  JOURNAL,  AND  SPIRITUAL  LETTERS 

OF 

MRS.  HESTER  ANN  ROGERS. 

Condensed  and  combined.    Price  50  cents. 

This  deeply  spiritual  book  will  greatly  help  all  who  are 
panting  for  heart  purity,  and  all  who  are  seeking  to  be  estab- 
lished in  the  doctrine  and  experience  of  entire  sanctification. 


The  Contrast  between  Infidelity  and  Chris- 
tianity, AS  SEEN  FROM  THE  STANDPOINT  OF  DEATH 

Bed  Testimonies.     Price,  cloth,  40  cts. 

A  BOOK  OF  REFERENCE  FOR  MINISTERS  AND  CHRISTIAN  WORKERS. 

"  These  testimonies  of  Christians  and  Infidels  are  of  the  best 
loofic  to  prove  the  immortality  of  the  soul  and  the  divinity  of  the 
Christian  religion.  This  hook  is  w <or thy  of  a  place  in  any  lib- 
rary," —  Lutheran  Observer, 

Gems  and    Pearls  for  Parents  and  Children. 

For  Family   Heading   and    Sabbath   Schools.     Fine 

steel  engraving.     Price  75  cts. 

A  fine  selection  of  original  and  selected  articles,  any 
one  of  a  number  of  which  is  worth  the  price  of  the 
book. 

The  Law  of  Holiness*     An  Exposition  of  the 
Ten  Commandments.     Showing  the  Relation  of  the 
Decalogue  to  the  Gospel  and  to  the   Moral  Universe. 
Also,  in  same  vol.,  an  abridgment  of  Harris's  Prize 
Essay  on  Covetousness.    Large  I61110.    Price  75  cts. 
This  book  is  designed  to  check  the  awful  tide  of  im- 
morality that  is  flooding  the  land  and  the  world,  and  to 
6how  the  eternal  obligation  of  the  moral  law,  and  to  be 
a  handbook  for  ministers  and  philanthropists.     It  should 
be  widely  circulated  and  diligently  read,  and  cannot  fail 
to  do  good. 

Me  Leadeth  31e  ;  or,  The  Personal  Narrative, 
Religious  Experience,  and  Christian  Labors,  of 
Rev.    E.    Davies.       12mo.       Fine   steel   engraving. 
Price  $1.00. 
This  is  a  life  portrait  of  an  earnest,  successful  laborer 

in  the  Gospel  field.     Its  thrilling  incidents  have  melted 

and  fired  many  hearts. 

The  Life  and  Sufferings  of  Lizzie  O.  Smith. 

12mo.     Enamel  paper  covers,  35  cts. 
Miss  Smith  has  lain  upon  her  bed  for  forty  years,  and 
is  poor.     This  book  is  published  for  her  benefit. 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AUTHOR,  AT  THK 

HOLINESS  BOOK  CONCERN,  HEADING,  MASS. 

On  sale  by  J.  P.  Magek,  Boston;  Phillips  &  Hunt,  805 
Broadwav,  New  York;  IIlTCnCOCK  &  WALDEN,  Cincinnati  ititf 
Chicago;"  Rev.  A.  Gather,  921  Arch  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


WORKS   OF   REV.  E.  DAV1ES. 


The  Gift  of  the  Holy   Ghost*   and    Select 

Sermons*      12mo.      Price,  enamel  paper  covers, 

50  cts. ;  cloth  covers,  80  cts. 

'*  It  is  written  in  a  clear  and  vigorous  style,  and  is  scriptural. 
Its  circulation  at  the  present  time  would  have  a  most  excellent 
effect  upon  the  church.  The  author  has  done  an  excellent  work 
in  preparing-  and  publishing  this  book."  —  Rev.  R.  W.  Allen. 

44  Rev.  E.  Davies,  the  Evangelist,  employs  his  pen  as  freely  as 
his  voice  in  preaching  Christ.  Like  his  other  works  it  is  marked 
with  clearness,  point,  directness  of  aim,  and  a  certain  earnestness 
and  incisiveness,  which  will  not  fail  to  profit  the  render.  Jn  plain 
Saxon  language,  it  strikes  home  to  the  heart.  This  book  can  only 
do  good,  and  should  be  widely  read."  —  Dr.  D.  Sherman. 

**  This  book  contains  the  substance  of  a  number  of  sermons  on 
the  means  of  obtaining  the  highest  experience  of  Christian  life, 
the  Baptism  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  author  is  well  known  as 
an  earnest  and  effective  evangelist,  and  a  welcome  contributor  to 
church  papers,  and  as  the  author  of  several  works  on  holiness. " 

—  The  Methodist. 

tl  It  is  just  the  hook  for  the  masses,  and  cannot  fail  to  do  good.'* 

—  Bishop  R.  S.  Foster. 

The  Believer's  Hand  Boole  on  Holiness,  show- 
ing how  to  enter  and  how  to  dwell  in  the  Canaan 
op  Perfect  Love.  Containing  Eight  Lectures 
12mo.     Price,  enamel  paper,  25  cts. ;  cloth,  40  cts. 

"  This  is  truly  an  excellent  work.  We  have  perused  its  pages 
with  profit.  Most  heartily  do  we  commend  it  to  all  who  are 
interested  in  heart-holiness."  —  Mrs.  Phebe  Palmer." 

"  It  sets  forth  the  Bible  view  of  holiness  and  love —  two  made 
one  in  their  completeness,  in  clear  and  cogent  terms.  Everybody 
will  be  better  for  prayerfully  reading  its  sacred  teachings."  — 
Bishop  Haven. 

44  A  good  book.  It  is  terse,  apt,  practical,  and  will  furnish  the 
young  and  ardent  beginner  with  ready  and  strong  weapons 
against  his  spiritual  foes." —  Rev.  W.  H.  Boole. 

"  It  is  plain,  direct  and  comprehensive,  and  is  in  all  respects  not 
only  a  convenient  but  a  valuable  manual.  We  commend  it  to  all  .*■ 

—  Rev.  Wm.  McDonald. 

•'  It  is  the  most  definite  and  practical  exposition  of  the  dovirma 
of  entire  sanctitication  I  have  ever  seen.  A  most  excellent  work* 
and  within  the  reach  of  all."  —  Rev.  W.  H.  Frees. 

The  Gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost  and  Believer'* 
Hand  Booh*     In  one  volume.     Cloth,  $1.00. 


THE  CONTRAST 


BETWEEN 


INFIDELITY  AND   CHRISTIANITY 


AS  SEEN  IN 


DEATH-BED    TESTIMONIES. 


BY 


REV.  E.  DAVIE S,  Evangelist, 

AUTHOR  OF  MTIIE  GIFT  OF  THE  HOLT  GH08T,'*  "THE  BELIEVER'S 

HAND-BOOK,"    "  GEMS    AND    PEABLB," 

"HE  LEADETH  ME." 


Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous.  —  Balaam. 


HOLINESS    BOOK    CONCERN, 

READING,  MASS. 


Trice  40  cents,  cloth  ;   20  cents,  paper. 


FRANCES  RIDLEY  HAVERGAL: 

A  FULL  SKETCH  OF  HER  LIFE, 


CHOICE   SELECTIONS 


FROM    HER 


PROSE    AND    POETICAL    WRITINGS. 


By  REV.  E.  DA  VIES,  Evangelist, 

AUTHOR  OF  "THE  GIFT  OF  THE  HOLY  GHOST,"   "BELIEVER'S 
HANDBOOK,"  "  THE  BOY  PREACHER,"  ETC. 


'She  being  dead  yet  speaketh." 


HOLINESS  BOOK  CONCERN",  READING,  MASS. 

Willard  Tract  Repository,   Beacon  Hill  Place,  Boston,   239  Fourth 
Avenue,  New  York,   813  Arch  Street,   Philadelphia;     McDonald  Ac 
Gill,  36  Bromfield  Street;  Boston;    Palmer   &   Hughes,    Bible 
House    New  York;    T.  T.  TASKER,    921    Arch   Street,    Phila- 
delphia:   T.   B.  Arnold,   10G    Franklin .Street,   Chicago. 
And   Religious  Booksellers   Generally. 


.life  of  Wm.  Taylor, 

BISHOP  OF  AFRICA. 

BY     3FLIE3V-     DE3-     DikVIBS. 

Illustrated  with  a   Fine    Steel  Portrait,   Three    Pictures  of  Africa 
and  One  of  Ceylon. 


PRICE,  SEVENTY-FIVE  CENTS. 


OPINIONS  OF  THE  PRESS. 

"This  is  a  spirited  book  by  an  earnest  admirer  of  the  latest, 
and,  in  an  eminent  sense,  the  best  of  all  the  African  explorers. 

As  a  trumpet  call  to  the  Church,  we  expect  good  to  come  of 
this  volume." — Daniel  Curry,  D.  D.y  LL.D. 

"It  is  an  interesting  and  soul-inspiring  volume." — Dr.  Cullis. 

"  We  have  seldom  found  a  book  which  has  stirred  our  souls 
as  this  one  has  done.  There  is  that  in  it  which  will  inspire 
faith,  courage,  confidence.  There  is  a  vast  amount  of  informa- 
tion concerning  Africa.  This  is  one  of  the  books  that  will 
live.  The  author,  with  his  usual  tact,  has  succeeded  in  bring- 
ing together  the  chief  items  of  interest  in  the  mission  work  of 
this  modern  apostle ;  and  the  man  and  his  work  stand  out  before 
the  reader  upon  its  pages." — Chicago  Free  Methodist. 

•*  The  book  is  entertainingly  written  and  sufficiently  full  to 
give  the  reader  an  intelligent  acquaintance  with  its  subject." 

"The  book  presents  the  truth  in  distinct  out-line,  and  will  do 
good,  and  only  good  to  the  careful  reader." 

"This  book  needs  no  commendation  to  sell  it.  It  sketches 
rapidly  the  early  life  and  labors,  and,  more  largely,  the 
recent  history  ol  Bishop  Taylor." 

"  It  contains  210  pages  and  a  fine  steel  portrait  of  the 
remarkable  man  who  is  pursuing  his  way  into  the  interior  of 
Africa. 

"The  remarkable  life  story  of  the  heroic  evangelist  who  is 
now  directing  the  Methodist  forces  into  the  heart  of  Africa,  is 
told  by  Rev.  E.  Davies.  Many  will  be  glad  to  know  that  the 
life  of  Bishop  Taylor  can  be  obtained  in  so  compendious  a 
form  as  it  is  here  presented." — S.  S.  Times. 


HOLINESS  BOOK  CONCERN,  READING,  MASS. 


AN  ILLUSTRATED  HAP  BOOK  OH  AFRICA. 


GIVING     AN    ACCOUNT    OF    ITS    PEOPLE,    ITS    CLIMATE,     ITS 

RESOURCES,      ITS      DISCOVERIES,     RIVERS,     LAKES,     AND 

SOME  OF  ITS  MISSIONS.      PRICE,  TWENTY-FIVE  CENTS. 

Testimonials. 

Rev.  Daniel  Steele,  D.  D.,  writes:  "I  have  read  your 
Illustrated  Hand  Book  on  Africa  with  great  interest. 
Not  many  people  have  time  to  read  Stanley's  large  volumes, 
and  a  still  smaller  number  can  afford  to  own  them.  Your 
Hand  Book,  scattered  widely  among  Christian  people,  will 
awaken  our  interest  in  the  great  enterprise  of  the  evangel- 
ization of  the  dark  continent.  I  hope  you  will  be  called 
upon  for  a  hundred  thousand  copies." 

u  Our  enterprising  and  indefatigable  co-laborer,  Kev.  E. 
Davies,  has  published  an  Illustrated  Hand  Book  on 
Africa.  We  have  read  it  several  times,  studied  the  newly 
made  map,  looked  at  the  striking  pictures,  and  it  is  surpris- 
ing to  see  the  amount  of  valuable  information  he  has 
gathered  so  rapidly  together."  And  again,-  "  Not  one  person 
interested  in  Bishop  Taylor's  work  ought  to  be  without  this 
Hand  Book.  It  contains  ninety  large  pages  of  excellent 
reading,  ten  illustrations,  and  a  map  of  the  New  Congo 
State."     Rev.  K.  I.  D.  Pepper,  in  Christian  Standard. 

%t  Those  who  have  not  access  to  larger  works  will  find  this 
very  useful,  as  giving  a  good  deal  of  information  in  a  brief 
space  touching  Africa,  its  rivers, lakes,  animals,  inhabitants, 
idolatries,   and  products."     Christian    Standard*  Cincinnati. 

uRev.  E.  Davies,  as  a  compiler  of  books,  exhibits  a 
degree  of  energy  and  activity  quite  on  a  par  with  his 
chosen  profession  of  an  evangelist  at  large,  in  the  harvest 
held,  where  he  has  met  with  a  large  and  substantial  measure 
of  success.  For  Bishop  Taylor  and  his  missions,  Bro. 
Davies  has  evinced  uncommon  interest;  this  led  him  to 
prepare  and  publish  a  popular  life  sketch  of  the  great 
missionary.  Now  he  has  written  and  published  an  Illus- 
trated Hand  Book  on  Africa.  The  appearance  of  such 
a  publication  just  at  this  juncture  is  timely,  not  only  for  the 
specific  information  it  contains  for  those  who  may  join  their 
fortunes  with  Bishop  Taylor,  but  for  the  general  public, 
who  are  without  access  to  the  sources  of  such  historical  and 
geographical  facts  as  are  grouped  in  this  convenient  form," 
Dr.  A.  Wallace  in  Ocean  Grove  Record. 


HOLINESS  BOOK  CONCERN,  HEADING,  MASS. 


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