The life of John Wesley, founder of the Methodist societies. 1st American official ed., with translations and notes

.

V

V

THE LIFE

EEV. JOHN ¥ESLEY, A.M.,

SOMETIME FELLOW OF LINCOLN COLLEGE, OXFORD,

FOUNDER OF THE METHODIST SOCIETIES.

BY RICHARD WATSON.

'Ev

[In labours more abundantly.]

FIRST AMERICAN OFFICIAL EDITION,

WITH TRANSLATIONS AND NOTES,

BY JOHN EMORY.

PUBLISHED 13Y CARLTON & PHILLIPS,

200 MULBERRY-STREET.

1853.

I

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

Mr. Wesley's Parentage — Mrs. Susanna Wesley — Samuel Wesley,
jun.— Mr. Wesley at School and College — Religious Impressions
and Inquiries— Ordination— College Honours — Charles Wesley's
early Life— Methodists at Oxford— Origin of the name Method.

ist .••••. Pages 7-17

CHAPTER II.

The Wesleys at Oxford — Their efforts to do good— Opposition —
Correspondence with Mr. Wesley, sen. — Mr. Samuel Wesley, and

Mrs. Wesley— Mr. John Wesley refuses to settle at Epvvorth

Remarks — Death of Mr. Wesley, sen. — The Wesleys engage to
go out to Georgia — Letter of Mr. Gambold . . . 17-34

CHAPTER III.

The Wesleys on their Voyage — Intercourse with the Moravians —
Conduct, Troubles, and Sufferings in Georgia — Affair of Miss
Hopkey — Mr. Wesley returns to England . . . 34-46

CHAPTER IV.

Mr. Wesley's Review of his religious Experience — Trouble of Mind
— Interview with Peter Bohler— Receives the doctrine of Justifies .
tion by Faith— Preaches it — Mr. Charles Wesley's religious Ex.
penance — Remarks L. .*. \'f ,.. .. . . » ( . . . 46-5!)

CHAPTER V.

State of Religion in the Nation— Mr. Wesley's Visit to Germany-
Return to England — His Labours in London — Meets with Mr.
Whithefield— Dr. Woodward's Societies— Mr. Charles Wesley's
Labours — Field Preaching — Remarks .... 59-73

CHAPTER VI.

Effect of the Labours of the Messrs. Wesloy and Mr. Whitefield at
Kingswood — Mr. Wesley at Bt-.lh — Statement of his doctrinal
Views— Separates from the Moravians in London— Formation of
the Methodist Society— Mr. Wesley's Mother— Correspondence
between Mr. John and Mr. Samuel Wesley on extraordinary Emo
tions, and the Doctrine of Assurance— Remarks— Enthusiasm—
Divirio Influence— Difference between Mr. Wesley and Mr. Wh'-tc.
field— Their Reconciliation — Mr. Maxfiold — Mr. Wesley's De
fence of his calling out Preachers to assist him in his Work-
Remarks 7 l>5

CHAPTER VII.

Persecution in London— Institution of Classes — Mr. Wesley chnrged
with being a Papist — His Labours in Yorkshire, Northumberland,
and Lincolnshire — Death of Mrs. Susanna Wesley — Labours and

4 CONTENTS.

Persecutions of Mr. Charles Wesley in Staffordshire and York
shire — Increase of the Societies — Mr. Wesley's Danger and Escape
at Wednesbury — His first Visit to Cornwall — Riots in Stafford.
slurs — Preaches for the last time before the University of Oxford-
Correspondence with the Rev. J. Erskine — His Sermon on " A
Catholic Spirit" — First Conference held — Remarks Pages 95-1 If

CHAPTER VIII.

Mr. Charles Wesley's Labours in Cornwall, Kent, Staffordshire, and
the north of England — Persecution at Devizes — Remarks — Mr.
Wesley at Newcastle — His Statement of the Case between the
Clergy and the Methodists — Remarks — Labours in Lincolnshire,
&,c. — Persecutions in Cornwall — Count Zinzendorf — Dr. Dod
dridge — Mr. Wesley a Writer of Tracts — His Sentiments on
Church Government — Extract from the Minutes of the early
Conferences — Remarks — Mr. Wesley's Labours in different parts
of the Kingdom — His zoal to diffuse useful Knowledge — Mobs in
Devonshire — Visits Ireland — Succeeded there by his Brother —
Persecutions in Dublin • , 116-166

CHAPTER IX.

Labours of the Preachers — Doctrinal Conversations of the Confer
ences — Justification — Repentance — Faith — Assurance — Remarks
— Fruits of justifying Faith — Sanctification — Witness of the
Spirit — Remarks — Spirit in which Mr. Wesley sought Truth —
Miscellaneous Extracts from the Minutes of the early Confer
ences — Notices of the Deaths of Preachers — Remarks . 167-181

CHAPTER X.

Early List of Circuits — Mr. Charles Wesley in London — Earthquake
there — Differences between Mr. Charles Wesloy and the Preach,
ers — Remarks — Respective Views of the Brothers — Mr. Wesley's
Marriage — Mr. Perronet — Kingsvvood School — Romarks — Mr.
Wesley visits Scotland — Letters — Sickness — Mr. Whitefiold's
Letter to him in Anticipation of his Death — Mr. Wesley's Re.
marks on Books — His Address to the Clergy — Remarks — Her.
vey's Letters . . . • • V . . . . 181-200

CHAPTER XI.

Methodism in America — Revivals of Religion — Remarks — Mr. Wcs
ley's Labours — Notices of Books from his Journals — Minutos of
the Conference of 1770 — Remarks — Mr. Shirley's Circular — Mr.
Wesley's " Declaration" — Controversy respecting the Minutes — •
Remarks — Increase of the Societies — Projects for the Management
of the Connection after Mr. Wesley's Death . . 200-228

CHAPTER XII.

Mr. Wesley's Sickness in Ireland — Letter to the Commissioners of
Excise — Visit to the Isle of Man — Opening of City Road Chapel —
" Arminian Magazine" — Disputes in the Society at B ith — Mr.
Wesley's Letter to a Noblenran — His Visit to Holland — " Deeo
of D.'chration"— Remarks 228-242

CONTENTS. 5

CHAPTER XIII.

State of the Societies in America — Ordination of Superintendents
and Elders for the American Societies — Remarks — Dr. Coke — Mr.
Asbury — Mr. Charles Wesley's Remonstrances — Ordinations for
Scotland — Remarks — Mr. Wesley's second Visit to Holland — His
Labours in England, Ireland, and the Norman Isles — Return to
London — Remarks — Extract from a Sermon by Bishop Copleston
— Mr. Wesley's Reflections on the progress of the Work, and on
entering his eighty-fifth Year .... Pages 242-272

CHAPTER XIV.

Death of Mr. Charles Wesley — His Character — His Hymns Re
marks — Mr. Montgomery's " Psalmist" — Anecdote of the Rev.
Samuel Wesley, sen. — Mr. Wesley's continued Labours — Reflec
tions on entering his eighty-eighth Year — Last Sickness — Death
— Funeral — Epitaph — Sketches of his Character by different
Writers ......... 273-306

CHAPTER XV.

Mr. Wesley and the Church — Modern Methodism and the Church-
Charges refuted — Mr. Wesley's Writings — Extent of the Me
thodist Societies at his death, and at the present time — Con
clusion 306-323

ADVERTISEMENT.

VARIOUS Lives or Memoirs of the Founder of Methodism have
already been laid before the public. But it has been frequently
remarked that such of these as contain the most approved accounts
of Mr. Wesley, have been carried out to a length which obstructs
their circulation, by the intermixture of details comparatively unin
teresting beyond the immediate circle of Wcsleyan Methodism. Tlio
present Life, therefore, without any design to supersede larger publi
cations, has been prepared with more special reference to general
readers. But, as it is contracted within moderate limits chiefly by
the exclusion of extraneous matter, it will, it is hoped, bo found
sufficiently comprehensive to give the reader an adequate view of the
life, labours and opinions of the eminent individual who is its subject ;
and to afford the means of correcting the most material errors and
misrepresentations which have had currency respecting him. On
several points the author has had the advantage of consulting unpub
lished papers, not known to preceding biographers, and which have
enabled him to place some particulars in a more satisfactory li Hit

London, May 10, 1831.

ADVERTISEMENT TO THIS EDITION.

IN this edition, translations are given of such passages in the dead
languages as are left untranslated in the London edition. It is en
larged, too, and wo hope enriched, by a variety of notes, on points of
peculiar importance in an American edition. The price, nevertheless,
is so extremely low as to be justified solely by the confident anticil
pation of very extensive sales. The profits, if any, (as of all other
publications from the Methodist EpiscopalPress,) will be scrupulously
applied to the spread of the Gospel, and to strictly charitable objects.

THE LIFE

OP

THE REV. JOHN WESLEY, A. M.

CHAPTER I.

JOHN and CHARLES WESLEY, the chief founders of that
religious body now commonly known by the name of the
Wesleyan Methodists, were the sons of the Rev. Samuel
Wesley, rector of Epworth, in Lincolnshire.

Of this clergyman, and his wife Mrs. Susanna Wesley,
who was the daughter of the Rev. Dr. Annesley, as well
as of the ancestors of both, an interesting account will be
found in Dr. Adam Clarke's " Memoirs of the Wesley
Family," and in the " Life of Mr. John Wesley" by Dr.
Whitehead, and the more recent one by Mr. Moore. They
will be noticed here only so far as a general knowledge of
their character may be necessary to assist our judgment as
to the opinions and conduct of their more celebrated sons.

The rector of Epworth, like his excellent wife, had
descended from parents distinguished for learning, piety,
and nonconformity. His father dying whilst he was young,
he forsook the Dissenters at an early period of life ; and his
conversion carried him into High Church principles, and
political toryism. He was not however so rigid in the
former as to prevent him from encouraging the early zeal
of his sons, John and Charles, at Oxford, although it was
even then somewhat irregular, when tried by the strictest
rules of Church order and custom ; and his toryism, suffi
ciently high in theory, was yet of that class which regarded
the rights of the subject tenderly in practice. He refused
flattering overtures made by the adherents of James II, to
induce him to support the measures of the court, and wrote
in favour of the Revolution of 1688 ; admiring it, probably,
less in a political view, than as rescuing a Protestant Church
from the dangerous influence of a Popish head. For this
service, he was presented with the living of Epworth, in
Lincolnshire, to which, a few years afterward, was added
that of Wroote, in the same county.

8 LIFE OF THB

He held the living of Epworth upward of forty years,
and was distinguished for the zeal and fidelity with which
he discharged his parish duties. Of his talents and learn
ing, his remaining works afford honourable evidence.

Mrs. Susanna Wesley, the mother of Mr. John Wesley,
was, as might be expected from the eminent character of
Dr. Samuel Annesley her father, educated with great care.
Like her husband, she also, at an early period of life,
renounced nonconformity, and became a member of the
Established Church, after, as her biographers tell us, she
had read and mastered the whole controversy on the sub
ject of separation ; of which, however, great as were her
natural and acquired talents, she must, at the age of thir
teen years, have been a very imperfect judge. The serious
habits impressed upon both by their education, did not for
sake them ; — " they feared God, and wrought righteous
ness ;" but we may perhaps account for that obscurity in
the views of each on several great points of evangelical
religion, and especially on justification by faith, and the
offices of the Holy Spirit, which hung over their minds for
many years, and indeed till toward the close of life, from
this early change of their religious connections. Their
theological reading, according to the fashion of the Church
people of that day, was now directed rather to the writings
of those divines of the English Church who were tinctured
more or less with a Pelagianized Arminianism, than to the
works of its founders ; their successors, the Puritans ; or
of those eminent men among the Nonconformists, whose
views of discipline they had renounced. They had parted
with Calvinism ; but, like many others, they renounced
with it, for want of spiritual discrimination, those truths
which were as fully maintained in the theology of Arminius,
and in that of their eminent son, who revived, and more
fully illustrated it, as in the writings of the most judicious
and spiritual Calvinistic divines themselves. Taylor, Til-
lotson, and Bull, who became their oracles, were Armi-
nians of a different class.

The advantage of such a parentage to the Wesleys was
great. From their earliest years they had an example in
the father of all that could render a clergyman respectable
and influential ; and, in the mother, there was a sanctified
wisdom, a masculine understanding, and an acquired

KEV. JOHN WESLEY. tf

knowledge, which they regarded with just deference after
they became men and scholars. The influence of a piety
so steadfast and uniform, joined to such qualities, and
softened by maternal tenderness, could scarcely fail to
produce effect. The firm and manly character, the prac
tical sense, the active and unwearied habits of the father,
with the calm, reflecting, and stable qualities of the mother,
were in particular inherited by Mr. John Wesley ; and in
him were most happily blended. A large portion of the
ecclesiastical principles and prejudices of the rector of
Epworth was also transmitted to his three sons ; but whilst
Samuel and Charles retained them least impaired, in John,
as we shall see, they sustained in future life considerable
modifications.

Samuel, the eldest son, was born in 1692 ; John, in
1703 ; and Charles, in 1708.

Samuel Wesley, junior, was educated at Westminster
school ; and in 1711 was elected to Christ Church, Oxford.
He was eminent for his learning, and was an excellent
poet, with great power of satire, and an elegant wit. He
held a considerable rank among the literary men of the
day, and finally settled as head master of the free school
of Tiverton, in Devonshire, where he died in 1739, in his
forty-ninth year.

Mrs. Wesley was the instructress of her children in their
early years. " I can find," says Dr. Whitehead, " no evidence
that the boys were ever put to any school in the country ;
their mother having a very bad opinion of the common
methods of instructing and governing children." She was
particularly led, it would seem, to interest herself in John,
who, when he was about six years old, had a providential
and singular escape from being burned to death, upon the
parsonage house being consumed.* There is a striking
passage in one of her private meditations, which contains
a reference to this event ; and indicates that she considered
it as laying her under a special obligation " to be more
particularly careful of the soul of a child whom God had so
mercifully provided for." The effect of this special care

* The memory of his deliverance, on this occasion, is preserved in
one of his early portraits, which has, below the head, the represent,
ation of a house in flames, with the motto, "Is not this a brand plucked
from the burning ?"

10 LIFE OF THE

on the part of the mother was, that, under the Divine bless,
ing, he became early serious ; for at the age of eight yeara
he was admitted by his father to partake of the sacrament.
In 1714, he was placed at the Charter house, "where he
was noticed for his diligence, and progress in learning."
( Whitehead's Life.) " Here, for his quietness, regularity,
and application, he became a favourite with the master,
Dr. Walker ; and through life he retained so great a pre
dilection for the place, that on his annual visit to London,
he made it a custom to walk through the scene of his boy
hood. To most men, every year would render a pilgrimage
of this kind more painful than the last ; but Wesley seems
never to have looked back with melancholy upon the days
that were gone ; earthly regrets of this kind could find no
room in one who was continually pressing onward to the
goal." (Souihey's Life.) When he had attained his seven,
teenth year, he was elected to Christ Church, Oxford,
"where he pursued his studies with great advantage, 1
believe under the direction of Dr. Wigan, a gentleman
eminent for his classical knowledge. Mr. Wesley's natural
temper in his youth was gay and sprightly, with a turn for
wit and humour. When he wras about twenty-one yeara
of age, * he appeared,' as Mr. Babcock has observed, « the
very sensible and acute collegian ; a young fellow of the
finest classical taste, of the most liberal and manly senti
ment^.' ( Westminster Magazine.) His perfect knowledge
of the classics gave a smooth polish to his wit, and an
air of superior elegance to all his compositions. He had
already begun to amuse himself occasionally with writing
verses, though most of his poetical pieces, at this period,
were, I believe, either imitations or translations of the Latin.
Some time in this year, however, he wrote an imitation of
the sixty-fifth Psalm, which he sent to his father, who says,

1 1 like your verses on the sixty-fifth Psalm ; and would not
have you bury your talent.' " (Whitehead's Life.)

Some time after this, when purposing to take deacon's
orders, he wras roused from the religious carelessness into
which he had fallen at college, and applied himself dili
gently to the reading of divinity. This more thoughtful
frame appears to have been indicated in his letters to his
mother, with whom he kept up a regular correspondence ;
for she replies, " The alteration of your temper has occa

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 11

eioned me much speculation. I, who am apt to be san
guine, hope it may proceed from the operations of God's
Holy Spirit, that, by taking off your relish for earthly
enjoyments, he may prepare and dispose your mind for a
more serious and close application to things of a more
sublime and spiritual nature. If it be so, happy are you
if you cherish those dispositions ; and now, in good earn
est, resolve to make religion the business of your life ;
for, after all, that is the one thing which, strictly speaking,
is necessary : all things beside are comparatively little to
the purposes of life. I heartily wish you would now enter
upon a strict examination of yourself, that you may know,
whether you have a reasonable hope of salvation by Jesus
Christ. If you have, the satisfaction of knowing it will
abundantly reward your pains ; if you have not, you will
find a more reasonable occasion for tears than can be met
with in a tragedy. This matter deserves great considera
tion by all, but especially by those designed for the minis
try ; who ought, above all things, to make their owrn calling
and election sure ; lest, after they have preached to others,
they themselves should be cast away."

This excellent advice was not lost upon him ; and indeed
his mother's admirable letters were among the principal
means, under God, of producing that still more decided
change in his views which soon afterward began to dis
play itself. He was now about twenty-two years of age.

The practical books most read by him at this period,
which was probably employed as a course of preparation
for holy orders, were, "The Christian's Pattern," by
Thomas a Kempis ; and Bishop Taylor's " Rules of Holy
Living and Dying ;" and his correspondence with his
parents respecting these authors shows how carefully he
was weighing their merits, and investigating their mean
ing, as regarding them in the light of spiritual instructors.
The letters of his mother on the points offered to her con
sideration by her son, show, in many respects, a deeply
thinking and discriminating mind ; but they are also in proof
that both she and her husband had given up their acquaint
ance, if they ever had any, with works which might have
been recommended as much more suitable to the state
of their son's mind, and far superior as a directory to
true Christianity. This to him w mid have been infinitely

12 LIFE OF THE

more important than discussing the peculiar views, and
adjusting the proportion of excellency and defect, which
may be found in such a writer as Kempis, whose " Chris-
tian's Pattern" is, where in reality excellent, a manual
rather for him who is a Christian already, than for him who
is seeking to become one.

A few things are however to be remarked in this cor
respondence which are of considerable interest, as showing
the bearings of Mr. Wesley's views as to those truths of
Avhich he afterward obtained a satisfactory conviction, and
then so clearly stated and defended.

The son, in writing to his mother on Bishop Taylor's
book, states several particulars which Bishop Taylor makes
necessary parts of humility and repentance ; one of which,
in reference to humility, is, that " we must be sure, in some
sense or other, to think ourselves the worst in every com
pany where we come." And in treating of repentance, he
says, " Whether God has forgiven us, or no, we know not ;
therefore be sorrowful for ever having sinned." " I take
the more notice of this last sentence," says Mr. Wesley,
" because it seems to contradict his own words in the next
section, where he says, that by the Lord's Supper all the
members are united to one another, and to Christ, the
head. The Holy Ghost confers on us the graces neces
sary for, and our souls receive the seeds of, an immortal
nature. Now, surely, these graces are not of so little
force as that we cannot perceive whether we have them
or not : if we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us, which he
will not do unless we are regenerate, certainly we must be
sensible of it. If we can never have any certainty of our
being in a state of salvation, good reason it is that every
moment should be spent, not in joy, but in fear and trem
bling ; and then undoubtedly, in this life, we are of all men
most miserable. God deliver us from such a fearful ex
pectation as this ! Humility is, undoubtedly, necessary to
salvation ; and if all these things are essential to humility,
who can be humble ? who can be saved ?"

The mother, in reply, suggests to him some good thoughts
and useful distinctions on the subject of humility ; but
omits to afford him any assistance on the point of the pos
sibility of obtaining a comfortable persuasion of being in a
state of salvation, through the influence of the Holy Spirit ;

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 13

which he already discerned to be the privilege of a real
believer, though as yet he was greatly perplexed as to the
means of attaining it. At this period too he makes the
important distinction between assurance of present, and
assurance of future, salvation ; by confounding which, so
many, from their objection to the Calvinistic notion of the
infallible perseverance of the saints, have given up the doc-
trine of assurance altogether. " That we can never be
so certain of the pardon of our sins, as to be assured they
will never rise up against us, I firmly believe. We know
that they will infallibly do so if ever we apostatize ; and I
am not satisfied what evidence there can be of our final
perseverance, till we have finished our course. But I am
persuaded we may know if we are now in a state of sal
vation, since that is expressly promised in the Holy Scrip
tures to our sincere endeavours ; and we are surely able
to judge of our own sincerity."

The latter part of this extract will, however, show how
much ho had yet to learn as to "the way to the Father."
Mrs. Wesley also corrects a defective definition of faith,
which her son's letter had contained, in the following
sensible remarks ; which are just, as far as they go, but
below the true Scriptural standard, and the proper concep
tion of that saving faith after which her son was inquiring :
"You are somewhat mistaken in your notions of faith.
Ail faith is an assent, but all assent is not faith. Some
truths are self-evident, and we assent to them because
they are so. Others, after a regular and formal process
of reason by way of deduction from some self-evident
principle, gain our assent. This is not properly faith, but
science. Some again we assent to, not because they are
self-evident, or because we have attained the knowledge
of them in a regular method by a train of arguments, but
because they have been revealed to us, either by God or
man ; and these are the proper objects of faith. The true
measure of faith is the authority of the revealer ; the weight
of which always holds proportion to our conviction of his
ability and integrity. Divine faith is an assent to whatever
God has revealed to us, because he has revealed it."

Predestination was another subject touched upon in this
interesting correspondence. Mr. Wesley was probably led
to it by his review of the Articles of the Church previous

14 LIFE OF THE

to his ordination ; and he thus expresses himself on this
controverted subject : " What then shall I say of predesti
nation 1 An everlasting purpose of God to deliver some
from damnation, does, I suppose, exclude all from that
deliverance who are not chosen. And if it was inevitably
decreed from eternity, that such a determinate part of man
kind should be saved, and none beside them, a vast ma-
jority of the world were only born to eternal death, without
so much as a possibility of avoiding it. How is this con.
sistent with either the Divine justice or mercy 1 Is it merci
ful to ordain a creature to everlasting misery ? Is it just to
punish a man for crimes which he could not but commit?
That God should be the author of sin and injustice, which
must, I think, be the consequence of maintaining this
opinion, is a contradiction to the clearest ideas we have of
the Divine nature and perfections." (Whitehead's Life.)

From these views he never departed ; and the terms he
uses contain indeed the only rational statement of the
whole question.

He was ordained deacon in September, 1725, and the
year following wras elected fellow of Lincoln College. His
previous seriousness had been the subject of much banter
and ridicule, and appears to have been urged against him,
in the election, by his opponents ; but his reputation for
learning and diligence, and the excellence of his character,
triumphed ; and, what was probably to him the greatest
pleasure, he had the gratification of seeing the joy this event
gave to his venerable parents, and which was emphatically
expressed in their letters. Several specimens of his poetry,
composed about this time, are given by his biographers,
which show that, had he cultivated that department of
literature, he would not have occupied an inferior place
among the tasteful and elegant votaries of verse : but he
soon found more serious and more useful employment.

He spent the summer after his election to the fellowship
with his parents, in Lincolnshire, and took that opportunity
of conversing with them at large upon those serious topics
which then fully occupied his mind. In September, he
returned to Oxford, and resumed his usual studies. " His
literary character was now established in the university ;
he was acknowledged by all parties to be a man of talents,
and an excellent critic in the learned languages. His

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 15

compositions were distinguished by an elegant simplicity
of style, and justness of thought, that strongly marked the
excellence of his classical taste. His skill in logic, or the
art of reasoning, was universally known and admired. The
high opinion that was entertained of him in these respects
was soon publicly expressed, by choosing him Greek lec
turer, and moderator of the classes, on the seventh of No
vember ; though he had only been elected fellow of the
college in March, was little more than twenty-three years
of age, and had not proceeded master of arts." (White-
head's Life.) He took this degree in February, 1727 ;
became his father's curate in August the same year , re
turned to Oxford in 1728, to obtain priest's orders ; and
paid another visit to Oxford in 1729 ; where, during his
stay, he attended the meetings of a small society formed
by his brother Charles, Mr. Morgan, and a few others, to
assist each other in their studies, and to consult how to
employ their time to the best advantage.

After about a month, he returned to Epworth ; but
upon Dr. Morley, the rector of his college, requiring his
residence, he quitted his father's curacy, and in November
again settled in Oxford. He now obtained pupils, and
became tutor in the college ; presided as moderator in the
disputations six times a week ; and had the chief direction
of a religious society. From this time he stood more
prominently forward in his religious character, and in
efforts to do good to others ; and began more fully to
prove that "they that will live godly in Christ Jesus,
must suffer persecution." It is however necessary to turn
to the history of Mr. Charles Wesley, whose labours in
the early periods of Methodism Avere inferior only to those
of his brother.

Charles Wesley was, as above stated, five years younger
than his brother John ; and was educated at Westminster
school, under his eldest brother, Samuel, from whom he
is said to have derived a still stronger tincture of High
Church principles than was imbibed under the paternal
roof. " When he had been some years at school, Mr. R.
Wesley, a gentleman of large fortune in Ireland, wrote to
his father, arid asked if he had any son named Charles ;
if so, he would make him his heir. Accordingly, a gentle
man in London brought money for his education several

10 LIFE OF THE

years. But one year another gentleman called, probably
Mr. Wesley himself, talked largely with him, and asked if
he was willing to go with him to Ireland. Mr. Charles
desired to write to his father, who answered immediately,
and referred it to his own choice. He chose to stay in
England." (Whitehead's Life, vol. i, p. 98.) "Mr. John
Wesley, in his account of his brother, calls this a fair es
cape. The fact is more remarkable than he was aware
of; for the person who inherited the property intended for
Charles Wesley, and who took the name of Wesley, or
Wellesley, in consequence, was the first Earl of Morning,
ton, grandfather of Marquis Wellesley and the Duke of
Wellington." (Southey's Life.)

The lively disposition of Charles, although he pursued
his studies diligently, and was unblamable in his conduct,
repelled all those exhortations to a more strictly religious
course which John seriously urged upon him, after he was
elected to Christ Church. During his brother's absence,
as his father's curate, his letters, however, became more
grave ; and when Mr. John Wesley returned to Oxford,
in November, 1729, " I found him," he observes, "in great
earnestness to save his soul." His own account of him.
self is, that he lost his first year at college in diversions ;
that the next, he set himself to study ; that diligence led
him into serious thinking ; that he went to the weekly
sacrament, persuading two or three students to accompany
him ; and that he observed the method of study prescribed
by the statutes of the university. " This," says he, " gained
me the harmless name of Methodist."* Thus it appears

* From the name of an ancient soct of physicians, siy some of
Mr. Wesley's biographers ; but probably the wits of Oxford, who
imposed the name, knew nothing of that sect of the middle ages.
The Nonconformists were often called, in derision, Methodists ;
and the name was probably transmitted from them ; or it might b^
given merely from the rigid adherence to method in study by Mr.
Charles Wesley. It is, however, somewhat worthy of notice, that
before the times of Nonconformity, properly so called, we find Me-
thodists mentioned as one of the minor sects in conjunction with
the Anabaptists ; for, as early as 1639, in a sermon preached at
Lambeth, they are rated in good set style for their aversion to rhe
torical sermons : — " Where are now our Anabaptists and plain pack
staff Methodists, who esteem of all flowers of rhetoric in sermons
no better than stinking weeds, and of all elegancies of speech no
better than profane spells ?" &c. Their fault in thoss days, it ap

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 17

that Charles was the first modern Methodist, and that he
in fact laid the foundations of the religious society which
continues to be distinguished by that appellation. To this
society Mr. John Wesley joined himself on his return to
reside at Oxford ; and by his influence and energy gave
additional vigour to their exertions to promote their own
spiritual improvement, and the good of others. The union
of system and efficiency which this association presented
well accorded with his practical and governing mind ; and,
no doubt, under the leadings of a superior agency, of which
he was unconscious, he was thus training himself to those
habits of regular and influential exertion and enterprize
which subsequently rendered him the instrument of a re
vival of religion throughout the land. Of the little society
of which, by the mere force of his character, he thus be-
came the head, Mr. Hervey, the author of the " Medita
tions," and the celebrated Whitefield, were members

CHAPTER II.

THE strictly religious profession which Mr. Wesley must
now be considered as making at Oxford, — a profession so
strongly marked as to become matter of public notice, and
accompanied with so much zeal as to excite both ridicule
and opposition, requires to be carefully examined. After
all, he thought himself to be but " almost," and not " alto-
gcther," a Christian, — a conclusion of a very perplexing
kind to many who have set up themselves for better judges
in his case, than he himself. From a similar cause, we
have seen St. Paul all but reproved by some divines for
representing himself " as the chief of sinners," at the time
when he was " blameless" as to « the righteousness of the

pears, was to prefer plain preaching; no bad compliment, though
an undesigned one. The epithet used to describe them may also
intimate that they were plain in dress and manners. At a later pe
riod, 1693, some of the Nonconformists who had renounced tho
imputation of Christ's righteousness in justification, except in the
merit of it, and whose views were somewhat similar to thoso of the
Wesleyan Methodists on tho imputation of faith for righteousness,
wore called by their brethren, the New Methodists. They were not
however a sect, but were so denominated from tho new method
which they took in stating the doctrine of justification. Thus we
hav3 a Calvinistic pamphlet, under this date, written against " the
principles of the New Methodists in tho great point of justification.**

2*

18 LIFE OP THE

law ;" and, but for the courtesy due to an inspired man, he
would, probably, in direct contradiction to his own words,
have been pronounced the chief of saints ; although his
heart remained a total stranger to humility and charity.

The Wesleys at Oxford were indeed not only in a higher
but in an essentially different state of religious experience
from that of Saul of Tarsus, notwithstanding his array of
legal zeal and external virtue ; but if our views of personal
religion must be taken from the New Testament, although
as to men they were blameless and exemplary, yet, in
respect to God, those internal changes had not taken place
in them which it is the office of real Christianity to effect.
They were, however, most sincere ; they were " faithful
in that which is little," and God gave them " the true
riches." They " sought God with all their heart ;" and
they ultimately found him, but in a way which at that time
" thyy knew not." The very writers, Bishop Taylor and
Mr. Law, who so powerfully wrought upon their con-
sciences, were among the most erring guides to that
" peace of God which passeth all understanding," for
which they sighed ; and those celebrated divines, excelled
by none for genius and eloquence, who could draw the
picture of a practical piety so copious and exact in its
external manifestations, were unable to teach that mystic
connection of the branches with the vine, from which the
only fruits which are of healthy growth and genuine flavour
can proceed. Both are too defective in their views of faith,
and of its object, the atonement of Christ, to be able to
direct a penitent and troubled spirit into the way of salva
tion, and to show how all the principles and acts of truly
Christian piety are sustained by a life of "faith in the Son of
God." To this subject, however, Mr. Wesley's own account
of himself will, subsequently, again call our attention.

Bishop Taylor's chapter on purity of intention first con.
vinced Mr. Wesley of the necessity of being holy in heart,
as well as regular in his outward conduct ; and having,
for the first time, formed an acquaintance with a religious
friend, " he began to alter the whole form of his conversa
tion, and to set in earnest upon a new life." " He com
municated every week. He watched against all sin,
whether in word or deed, and began to aim at, and pray
for, inward holiness;" (Journal;) but still with a painful

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 19

consciousness that he found not that which he so earnestly
sought. His error, at this period, was drawn from his
theological guides just mentioned ; he either confounded
svactification with justification, that is, a real with a rela
tive change, or he regarded sanctification as a preparation
for, and a condition of, justification. He had not yet
learned tho apostle's doctrine, the gratuitous justification
of " tha ungodly," when penitent, and upon the sole con-
dition of believing in Christ ; nor that upon this there fol
lows a " death" unto all inward and outward sin ; so that
he who is so justified can " no longer continue therein."
It is, however, deeply interesting, to trace the progress of
his mind through its agitations, inquiries, hopes, and fears,
until the moment when he found that steadfast peace which
never afterward forsook him, but gave serenity to his coun
tenance, and cheerfulness to his heart, to the last hour of
a prolonged life.

The effects of the strong impression which had been
made upon him by the practical writings of Taylor and
Law promptly manifested themselves. The discipline ho
maintained as a tutor over his pupils was more strict than
the university had been accustomed to witness ; and for
this reason, that it was more deeply and comprehensively
conscientious. He regarded himself as responsible to
God for exerting himself to his utmost, not only to pro
mote their learning, but to regulate their moral habits, and
to form their religious principles. Here his disciplinary
habits had their first manifestation. He required them to
rise very early ; he directed their reading, and controlled
their general conduct, by rules to which he exacted entire
obedience. This was not well taken by the friends of some ;
but from others he received very grateful letters; and
several of his pupils themselves were not insensible of the
obligations they owed to him, not only on a religious
account, but for thus enabling them to reap the full ad
vantages of that seat of learning, by restraining them from
its dissipations.

The little society of Methodists, as they were called,
began now to extend its operations. When Mr. Wesley
joined them, they committed its management to him, and
he has himself stated its original members : —

" In November, 1729, four youn^ gentlemen of Oxford,

20 LIFE OF THE

Mr. John Wesley, fellow of Lincoln College ; Mr. Charles
Wesley, snident* of Christ Church ; Mr. Morgan, com-
moner of Christ Church ; and Mr. Kirkman, of Merton
College, began to spend some evenings in a week together,
in reading chiefly the Greek Testament. The next year,
two or three of Mr. John Wesley's pupils desired the
lihcrty of meeting with them ; and afterward one of Mr.
Charles Wesley's pupils. It was in 1732 that Mr. Ing-
ham, of Queen's College, and Mr. Broughton, of Exeter,
were added to their number. To these, in April, was
joined Mr. Clayton, of Brazen-nose, with two or three of
his pupils. About the same time Mr. James Hervey was
permitted to meet with them, and afterward Mr. White-
field." (Journal)

Mr. Morgan led the way to their visiting the prisoners
in the Oxford gaol, for the purpose of affording them reli
gious instruction. They afterward resolved to spend two
or three hours a week in visiting and relieving the poor
and the sick, generally, where the parish ministers did not
object to it. This was, however, so novel a practice, and
might be deemed by some so contrary to Church order,
that Mr. Wesley consulted his father upon the point. Mr.
Wesley, senior, answered the inquiry in a noble letter,
equally honourable to his feelings as a father, and a minis-
ter of Christ. They had his full sanction for prosecuting
their pious labours ; he blessed God who had given him
two sons together at Oxford, who had received grace and
courage to turn the war against the world and the devil ; he
bids them defy reproach, and animates them in God's name
to go on in the path to which their Saviour had directed
them. At the same time, he advises them to consult with
the chaplain of the prison, and to obtain the approbation
of the bishop. This high sanction was obtained ; but it
was not sufficient to screen them from the rebukes of the
gravely lukewarm, or the malignantly vicious. Sarcasm
and serious opposition robbed them of one of their num
ber, who had not fortitude to bsar the shafts of ridicule,
or to resist the persuasion of friends ; and the opposition
being now headed by some persons of influence, Mr. Wes
ley had again recourse, by letter, to his father's counsel.
The answer deserves to be transcribed at length : —

" This day I received both yours, and this evening, in

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 21

the course of our reading, I thought I found an answer that
would be more proper, than any I myself could dictate ;
though since it will not be easily translated, I send it in the
original. IIoXX?j i^oi xa^^ig utfsp u/xwv ^sifXr^u^ai r^ -crap.
axXyfisi' {itfspirspitftfsuopcu TTJ %ap«.* What would you be?
Would you be angels 1 I question whether a mortal can
arrive to a greater degree of perfection than steadily to do
goc d, and for that very reason patiently and meekly to suf
fer evil. For my part, on the present view of your actions
and designs, my daily prayers are, that God would keep you
humble ; and then I am sure that if you continue ' to suf
fer for righteousness' sake,' though it be but in a lower
degree, the Spirit of God and of glory shall in some good
measure rest upon you. And you cannot but feel such a
satisfaction in your own minds as you would not part with
for all the world. Be never weary of well doing ; never
look back, for you know the prize and the crown are before
you ; though I can scarce think so meanly of you, as that
you should be discouraged with the ' crackling of thorns
under a pot.' Be not high-minded, but fear. Preserve an
equal temper of mind under whatever treatment you meet
with, from a not very just or well-natured world. Bear no
more sail than is necessary, but steer steady. The less
you value yourselves for these unfashionable duties, (as
there is no such thing as works of supererogation,) the
more all good and wise men will value you, if they see your
works are all of a piece ; or which is infinitely more, He
by whom actions and intentions are weighed will both
accept, esteem, and reward you.

" I hear my son John has the honour of being styled the
'Father of the Holy Club;' if it be so, I am sure I must
be the grandfather of it ; and I need not say, that I had
rather any of my sons should be so dignified and distin
guished, than to have the title of His HOLINESS." ( White-
head's Life.")

Thus encouraged they proceeded in their course with
meekness and constancy ; to relieve the poor they sacrificed
all the superfluities, and sometimes the conveniences of
life ; and they redoubled their efforts to produce religious
impressions upon their college acquaintance, as well as

* 2 Cor. vii, 4. Great is my glorying of you. I am filled with
comfort. I am exceeding joyful. — Authorized Version.

22 LIFK OF TIIK

upon the ignorant, the poor, and the sick. The apology
for these pious and praiseworthy efforts, which, on tho
increase of the outcry made against them, Mr. Wesley pub
lished in the modest form of queries, amply indicates the
low state of religious feeling in the university; and \\e
may well conclude with one of Mr. Wesley's biographers,
that " a voluntary scheme of so much private and public
good, such piety, with such beneficence* certainly merited
a different return ; and, if the university in general, instead
of ridiculing OT persecuting them, had had the grace to
imitate their example, it would have been much better
bolh for the public and themselves."

Even their eldest brother Samuel added his seasonable
exhortations to perseverance, in a short but vigorous letter •
— " I cannot say, I thought you always in every thing right ;
but I must now say, rather than you and Charles should
give over your whole course, especially what relates to the
castle, I would choose to follow either of you, nay, both
of you, to your graves. I cannot advise you better, than
in the words I proposed for a rnotto to a pamphlet, 2<ry]0'
topr/jo.; w£ rxx/xwv TWf^fWvOf* xaXs yap A4X.t)9Y Siptftiou xou vixav.
* Stand thou steadfast as a beaten anvil ; for it is the part
of a good champion to be flayed alive and to conquer.' "
(Whitekedtfi Life.)

Sickness, and cowardly desertion arising from weariness
of the cross, some time after this, reduced the number of
this little society of zealous young men, and the brothers
were left to stand almost alone; but they still persevered
with unabated /eal and diligence in their attempts to do
good, exhibiting a rare example of decision, only to be

accounted for by a preparing influence of God upon their

hearts, liiuM training them up for still more arduous service.
This it was which bad implanted in them those admirable
principles which are unreservedly laid open in a letter ot
Mr. John Wesley to his brother Samuel, who had begun
to think that they wen; pushing the strictness of their per-
sona.l piety too far : —

" 1. As to the end of my being, I lay it down for a rule,
that 1 cannot be too happy, or therefore too holy ; and
thence infer that (lie more steadily I keep my eye upon the
pri/.e of our high calling, and the more of my thoughts and
words and actions are directly pointed at the attainment of

REV. JOHN WESLKY. 23

it, the better. 2. As to the instituted means of attain,
ing it, I likewise lay it down for a rule, that I am to use
them every time I may. 3. As to prudential means, I
believe this rule holds of things indifferent in themselves ;
whatever I know to do me hurt, that to me is not indiffer
ent, but resolutely to be abstained from : whatever I know
to do me good, that to me is not indifferent, but resolutely
to be embraced." (Whilehead's Life.)

Adverting to this charge of overstrictness, and being
" righteous overmuch," he also earnestly requests his
mother to point out any instance in which she might judge
from their unreserved communications to her of every part
of their conduct, that they were too superstitious or enthu
siastic on the one hand, or too remiss on the other. Some
anxiety had indeed been created at home by the singularity
of their proceedings, and the opposition they had roused at
Oxford, which was probably the chief reason why the father
extended his journey from London to Oxford at the close
of the year 1731. He \vas, however, evidently satisfied
with his personal observations and inquiries ; for on his
return to London he writes to Mrs. Wesley, that he had
bceu well repaid for the expense and labour of his journey
to Oxford, "by the shining piety of our two sons."

In the midst of all this zeal, devotedness, and patience
of reproach, when the eye of man could see nothing but
a mature and vital Christianity, we are enabled to ascer
tain the state of Mr. Wesley's own heart as laid open by
himself. Speaking of a time a little subsequent to the
decided impressions he had received from the reading of
Bishop Taylor's "Holy Living and Dying," and Mr. Law's
" Serious Call," he says, " I was convinced, more than ever,
of the exceeding height and breadth and depth of the
law of God. The light flowed in so mightily upon my
soul, that every thing appeared in a new view. I cried
to God for help, and resolved not to prolong the time of
obeying him as I had never done before. And by my
continued endeavour to keep his whole law, inward and
outward, to the best of my power, I was persuaded that
I should be accepted of him ; and that I was even then in
a state of salvation."

He was now manifestly seeking justification before
God by efforts at a perfect obedience to his law ; nor was

84 LIFE OF THE

he then quite hopeless as to success. Some time after
ward, still clearly convinced as he had been from the first
that he was not in that state of mind, that settled enjoy,
inent of conscious peace with God, that love to him,
delight in him, and filial access to him, which the New
Testament describes as the privilege of a true believer,
but still diligently persevering in the rigid practice of
every discovered duty in the hope of seizing the great
prize by this means, he became greatly surprised that he
was so far from obtaining it. He was often dull and
formal in the use of the ordinances, and was on that
account thrown " into distress and perplexity ; so that he
seemed at a loss which way to proceed, to obtain the
happiness and security he wanted." (Whitehead.) The
deep tone of feeling, and the earnestness of his inquiries,
in the following passages from a letter to his mother,
written in 1732, present this state of his mind in a very
affecting light. He then needed some one more fully
instructed in the true doctrine of salvation, than even this
excellent and intelligent " guide of his youth," to teach
him to lay down the burden of his wounded and anxious
spirit, in self-despair as to his own efforts, at the foot of
the cross of Christ.

After mentioning Mr. Morgan, he observes : " One
consideration is enough to make me assent to his and
your judgment concerning the holy sacrament ; which is.
that we cannot allow Christ's human nature to be present
in it, without allowing either con- or tran-substantiation.
But that his Divinity is so united to us then, as he never
is but to worthy receivers, I firmly believe ; though the
manner of that union is utterly a mystery to me.

" That none but worthy receivers should find this effect
is not strange to me, when I observe, how small effect
many means of improvement have upon an unprepared
mind. Mr. Morgan and my brother were affected, as they
ought, by the observations you made on that glorious sub-
ject : but, though my understanding approved what was
excellent, yet my heart did not feel it. Why was this, but
because it was pre-engaged by those affections with which
wisdom will not dwell ? Because the animal mind can- j
not relish those truths which are spiritually discerned.
Yet I have those writings which the good Spirit gave to

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 25

that end ! I have many of those which he hath since as
sisted his servants to give us ; I have retirement to apply
these to my own soul daily ; I have means both of public
and private prayer ; and, above all, of partaking in that
sacrament once a week. What shall I do to make all
these blessings effectual? to gain from them that mind
which was also in Christ Jesus ?

" To all who give signs of their not being strangers to
it, I propose this question, — and why not to you rather
than any ? — Shall I quite break off my pursuit of all learn-
ing, but what immediately tends to practice? I once
desired to make a fair show in languages and philosophy ;
but it is past ; there is a more excellent way ; and if 1
cannot attain to any progress in the one, without throwing
up all thoughts of the other, why, fare it well ! yet a little
while, and we shall all be equal in knowledge, if we are in
virtue.

" 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
sleepest. 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 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 the shortest way ? Is it not to be humble ?
Surely this is a large step in the way. But the question
recurs, How am I to do this ? To own the necessity of
it, is not to be humble. In many things you have inter-
ceded for me and prevailed. Who knows but in this, too,
you may be successful ? If you can spare me only that
little part of Thursday evening which you formerly be
stowed upon me in another manner, I doubt not but it
would be as useful now, for correcting my heart, as it was
thon for forming my judgment.

"When I observe how fast life flies away, and how
slow improvement comes, I think one can never be too
much afraid of dying before one has learned to live. I
mean, even in the course of nature. For were I sure that
« the silver cord should not be violently loosed ;' that < the
wheel ' should not be « broken at the cistern/ till it was
3

26 LIFE OF THE

quite worn away by its own motion ; yet what a time would
this give me for such a work ! a moment, to transact the
business of eternity ! What are forty years in comparison
of this ? So that were I sure, what never man yet was
sure of, how little would it alter the case ! How justly
still might I cry out,

Downward I hasten to my destined place ;
There none obtain thy aid, none sing thy praise !
Soon shall I lie in death's deep ocean drown'd ;
Is mercy there, is sweet forgiveness found ?
O save me yet, while on the brink I stand ;
Rebuke these storms, and set me safe on land,
O make my longings and thy mercy sure !
Thou art the God of power.'" (Whitehead* s Life.}

It was not, therefore, as it has been hastily stated, that
he first learned from the Moravians that he was not a true
Christian. He had, at Oxford, a most painful conviction
that he was far below the evangelical standard. He had
then, as this letter sufficiently shows, a large measure of
"the spirit of bondage unto fear;" and that after which
his perplexed heart panted, was the " Spirit of adoption,"
by which he might " cry, Abba, Father."

During the summer of this year, 1732, Mr. Wesley
visited London, where he formed an acquaintance with
several respectable and pious persons. He also made
two journeys to Epworth. The latter of these was in or-
der to meet the whole family, which had assembled, upon
the father's request, once more before their final separa
tion by death. These and other journeys he performed
on foot, partly, no doubt, to avoid what he considered
needless expense, that he might, according to his rule,
have the more to distribute in charity ; and partly to
accustom himself to fatigue and hardship. "In these
excursions, he constantly preached on the Lord's day ; so
that he might now be called, in some degree, an itinerant
preacher." In the following year, he again visited Ep
worth, Manchester, and some other places ; but his occa
sional absence had a bad effect upon the still persecuted
society at Oxford, whose members shrunk from the stormf
and took the opportunity of his being away to shake off tho
strictness of the rules. The five-smd-twenty communi
cants at St. Mary's, he informs his father, had shrunk to

BEV. JOHN WESLEY. 27

five. Still his courage was unshaken, and he exerted him-
self the more, upon his return, to repair the loss. To-
ward the end of the year, his exertions of mind and body,
with an excess of abstemiousness, greatly affected his
health, and induced spitting of blood. His state was such
as greatly to alarm his friends ; but the vigour of his con-
etitution triumphed ; and this attack of disease served to
impress him the more deeply with eternal things, and to
give renewed ardour to his endeavours after universal
holiness, and to his plans for the religious benefit of his
fellow creatures.

A considerable trial to his feelings now awaited him.
The declining age of his father, who anxiously desired to
provide for the spiritual wrants of his parishioners in a
suitable manner, joined with the wishes of the people of
Epworth, and the concerns of the family for which no pro-
vision, it seems, had been made, induced him to write to
his son, to make interest for the next presentation to the
living. Mr. Wesley, from his reluctance to leave Oxford,
where he thought he should be far more useful, and
where, according to his own convictions, he was placed
in circumstances more conducive to his spiritual improve
ment, refused the proposal ; and the most urgent letters
of the different branches of the family were insufficient to
bend his resolution. His father wrote him a pathetic let-
ter, in which every consideration wras urged which might
answer his objections, or move his feelings. His brother
Samuel addressed him in a sterner mood, urging that he
was not at liberty to resolve against undertaking a cure of
souls, to which he was solemnly pledged by his ordina
tion ; and ridiculed his notion that he could not, so safely
to himself, or so usefully to others, take the charge of a
parish priest, as remain at Oxford. To all this he reite
rates, that his own holiness and usefulness could be pro-
moted no where so effectually as in his present station ;
that his retirement, his friends, and other advantages were
essential to his improvement ; that he was inadequate to the
charge of two thousand parishioners ; and that he did not
consider his ordination vows in the same light as his bro
ther. On the last point, indeed, he was supported by the
opinion of the bishop who ordained him, and whom he con
sulted on the question. These and other topics run through

28 LIFE OF THE

the correspondence, which, though it is not necessary t(
give entire, affords considerable insight into the state of
Mr. Wesley's mind. His conduct in this matter has been
criticised as unfeeling, without considering that the kind.
ness of his general character is a sufficient pledge, that the
refusal of the urgent request of a venerable father, and a
beloved mother whose widowhood would be unprovided for,
must have been to him sufficiently painful. Dr. Southey
thinks the correspondence not " creditable to his judg
ment ;" (Life of Wesley ;) but it would be hard to prove
that the leading consideration which influenced him, that
he was more usefully employed in doing good at the very
" fountain" from which the nation was to be so largely
supplied with its clergy, than as a country parish priest,
was not a very obvious truth. This conclusion, true or
false, was at least a very plausible one, and as such con.
cerned his conscience ; and his disregard of his own tern-
poral advantage, which certainly lay on the side of the
Epworth rectory, and his merging all consideration of the
interests of the family in the higher question of what he
regarded as a duty, might not appear instances of " good
judgment" to worldly minds, and yet be so in reality. His
leading reason, drawn from his greater usefulness at Ox
ford, being strong in itself, that he, with his wonted decision
of character, should stand firmly upon it, will create no
surprise ; but that some of his other reasons are less
weighty may be granted. They show that he had more
confidence in a certain class of means, to secure his reli
gious safety, than in the grace of God. This was the
natural effect of those notions of the efficacy of retirement,
and self-denial, and " the wisdom of flight" from danger,
which he had learned from Bishop Taylor ; whilst the
views he entertained of the necessity of exercising a minute
personal superintendence over every individual committed
to his charge, as being equally necessary to his own good
conscience, and to their salvation, led him to regard a
parish, containing two thousand souls, as too formidable
and fearful an undertaking. His religious judgment was
indeed as yet immature and perplexed ; but in reasoning
from his own principles, his natural judgment showed its
usual strength in the conclusions to which it conducted
him. Whatever weakness there might bo in the case was

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 29

the result of the imperfect state of his religious experience,
and of that dependence upon his own plans of attaining
spirituality, to which it gave rise ; but connecting him with
that great work which he was designed afterward to effect,
we must shut out also the doctrine of Providence, if we do
not see a higher hand than that of man in this determina
tion ; a hand which is not the less certainly employed,
when it works its ends through the secret volitions, aver-
gions, inclinations, and even prejudices of the human heart,
than when it more sensibly and immediately interposes to
hasten or retard our purposes. Mr. Wesley's father died
in April, 1735. He had been manifestly ripening for his
change ; and in his last moments had the consolation of
the presence of his two sons, John and Charles. " He had
no fear of death ; and the peace of God which he enjoyed
appeared sometimes to suspend his bodily sufferings, and,
when they recurred, to sustain his mind above them.
When, as nature seemed spent, and his speech was fail-
ing, his son John asked him whether he was not near
heaven, he answered, 'Yes, I am,' distinctly, and with a
voice of hope and joy. After John had used the com
mendatory prayer, he said, « Now you have done all :' these
were his last words, and ho passed away so peacefully
and insensibly, that his children continued over him a
considerable time in doubt whether or not the spirit was
departed. Mrs. Wesley, who for several days, whenever
she entered his chamber, had been carried out of it in a
fit, recovered her fortitude now, and said her prayers were
heard, for God had granted him an easy death, and had
strengthened her to bear it." (Soutliey's Life.} Brighter
views of the doctrine of faith had opened upon his mind,
during his sickness, and shed their influence upon his last
hours. This his sons afterward more clearly understood
than at the time.*

About the middle of this year, the trustees of the new
colony of Georgia, who wished to send out clergymen

* In some of the biographical notices which have been published of
this venerable man, he is represented as of a harsh and stern character.
On this point the Lite Miss Wesley observes, in a MS. letter beforo
me, " I never understood this from any of his children, who idolized
his memory, and spoke of his kindness. He certainly never forced his
daughter to marry Wright, UB it has been suggested." In the same
letter, Miss Wesley also corrects the current anocdote respecting the

30 LIFE OF THE

both to administer to the spiritual wants of the colonists,
and also to attempt the conversion of the Indians, directed
their attention to Mr. John Wesley, and some of his friends
at Oxford, as peculiarly qualified, both by zeal and piety,
and their habits of self-denial, for this service. After some
delay, and consultation with his family, he accepted the
offer; and thus, though Epworth could not draw him
from Oxford, an enterprize of a missionary character, and
presenting no temptations to ease and sloth, such as he
feared in a parish at home, overcame his scruples. This
itself is in proof that he had not resolved to remain in
Oxford, in preference to accepting the living of Epworth,
from selfish motives. In the question of usefulness, the
balance before inclined to Oxford ; and now that he
thought a greater field for doing good opened in America,
he yielded to that consideration. This mission was accom
panied also with the certainty of great hardships and suffer-
ings, which, according to his then defective, but most
sincere views, were necessary to his perfection. His
residence at Oxford now terminated, and this portion of
his life may be properly concluded with some passages of
a letter written by Mr. Gambold, a man of fine genius, as
some of his poems show, and of eminent holiness ; who,
some years afterward, left the Church of England, and
became a Moravian bishop. The letter was addressed to
one of Mr. Wesley's relations, and contains a lively de
scription of the character and proceedings of a friend,
whom he did not then expect to see again on earth : —

"About the middle of March, 1730, I became acquaint
ed with Mr. Charles Wesley, of Christ Church. After
some time, he introduced me to his brother John, of Lin
coln College. ' For he is somewhat older,' said he, ' than
I am, and can resolve your doubts better.' I never ob
served any person have a more real deference for another

Epworth clerk ami the rector's wig, which, though laughable enough,

implicates Mr. Wesley in an irreverent act, in tho house of God, of

which he was not capable. The clerk did appear ono Sunday, in

church, in tho ill-befitting, cast-off* wig of his master; and, to the

disturbance of tho gravity of the congregation, gave out the psalm,

" Like to an owl in ivy bush,

That fearsome thing am I."

But Mr. Wesley had no hand in selecting the psalm, which appears
to have been purely accidental.

KEY. JOHN WESLEY. 81

than he had for his brother ; which is the more remark-
able, because such near relations, being equals by birth,
and conscious to each other of all the little familiar pas.
sages of their lives, commonly stand too close to see the
ground there may be for such submission. Indeed he
followed his brother entirely; could I describe one of
them, I should describe both. I shall therefore say no
more of Charles, but that he was a man formed for friend
ship, who, by his cheerfulness and vivacity, would refresh
his friend's heart ; with attentive consideration, would
enter into, and settle all his concerns as far as he was
able ; he would do any thing for him, great or small ; and,
by a habit of mutual openness and freedom, would leave
no room for misunderstanding.

" The Wesleys were already talked of for some religious
piactices, which were first occasioned by Mr. Morgan, of
Christ Church. From these combined friends began a
little society. Mr. John AVesley was the chief manager,
for which he was very fit ; for he had not only more learn
ing and experience than the rest, but he was blessed with
such activity as to be always gaining ground, and such
steadiness that he lost none. What proposals he made to
any were sure to alarm them, because he was so much in
earnest ; nor could they afterward slight them, because they
saw him always the same. What supported this uniform
vigour was the care he took to consider well every affair
before he engaged in it, making all his decisions in the
fear of God, without passion, humour, or self-confidence.
For though he had naturally a very clear apprehension,
yet his exact prudence depended more on his humility and
singleness of heart. He had, I think, something of autho
rity in his countenance, yet he never assumed any thing
to himself above his companions ; any of them might speak
their mind, and their words were as strictly regarded by
him as his words were by them.

" Their undertaking included these several particulars :
i? converse with young students ; to visit the prisons ; to
instruct some poor families ; to take care of a school, and
a parish workhouse. They took great pains with the
younger members of the university, to rescue thorn from
bad company, and encourage them in a sober, studious life.
They would get them to breakfast, and over a dish of tea

32 LIFE OF THE

endeavour to fasten some pood hint upon them They
would bring them acquainted with other well-disposed
young men, give them assistance in the difficult parts of
their learning, and watch over them with the greatest ten
derness.

" Some or other of them went to the castle every day,
and another most commonly to Bocardo. Whoever went
to the castle was to read in the chapel to as many prison
ers as would attend, and to talk apart to the man or men
whom he had taken particularly in charge. When a new
prisoner came, their conversation with him for four or five
times was close and searching. If any one was under
sentence of death, or appeared to have some intentions of
a neAV life, they came every day to his assistance, and par
took in the conflict and suspense of those who should now
be found able, or not able, to lay hold on salvation. In
order to release those who were confined for small debts,
and to purchase books and other necessaries, they raised
a little fund, to which many of their acquaintance contri
buted quarterly. They had prayers at the castle most
Wednesdays and Fridays, a sermon on Sunday, and the
sacrament once a month.

" When they undertook any poor family, they saw them
at least once a week ; sometimes gave them money, admo
nished them of their vices, read to them, and examined
their children. The school was, I think, of Mr. Wesley's
own setting up ; however, he paid the mistress, and clothed
some, if not all, the children. When they went thither,
they inquired how each child behaved, saw their work,
heard them read and say their prayers, or catechism, and
explained part of it. In the same manner they taught
the children in the workhouse, and read to the old people
as they did to the prisoners.

" They seldom took any notice of the accusations brought
against them for their charitable employments ; but if they
did make any reply, it was commonly such a plain and
simple one, as if there was nothing more in the case, but
that they had just heard such doctrines of their Saviour,
and had believed, and done accordingly.

" I could say a great deal of his private piety, how it
was nourished by a continual recourse to God, and pre
served by a strict watchfulness in beating down pride, and

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 33

reducing the craftiness and impetuosity of nature to a child,
like simplicity, and in a good degree crowned with Divine
love, and victory over the whole set of earthly passions.
He thought prayer to be more his business than any thino-
else ; and I have seen him come out of his closet with a
serenity of countenance that was next to shining ; it dis
covered what he had been doing, and gave me double
hope of receiving wise directions, in the matter about
which I came to consult him. In all his motions he at
tended to the will of God. He had neither the presump
tion nor the leisure to anticipate things whose season was
not now ; and would show some uneasiness whenever any
of us, by impertinent speculations, were shifting off the
appointed improvement of the present minute.

" Because he required such a regulation of our studies
as might devote them all to God, he has been accused as
one that discouraged learning. Far from that; for the first
thing he struck at, in young men, was that indolence which
will not submit to close thinking. He earnestly recom.
mended to them a method and order in all their actions.

" If any one could have provoked him, I should ; for I
was very slow in coming into their measures, and very
remiss in doing my part. I frequently contradicted his
assertions ; or, which is much the same, distinguished upon
them. I hardly ever submitted to his advice at the time he
gave it, though I relented afterward. He is now gone to
Georgia as a missionary, where there is ignorance that
aspires after Divine wisdom, but no false learning that is
got above it. He is, I confess, still living ; and I know
that an advantageous character is more decently bestowed
on the deceased. But, beside that his condition is very like
that of the dead, being unconcerned in all we say, I am not
making any attempt on the opinion of the public, but only
studying a private edification. A family picture of him
his relations may be allowed to keep by them. And this
is the idea of Mr. Wesley, which I cherish for the service
of my own soul, and which I take the liberty likewise to
deposit with you." (WJiiteJiead' s Life.]

This letter is honourable to Mr. Gambold's friendship :
but he was not himself, at that time, of mature spiritual
discernment, nor had Mr. Wesley opened the state of his
heart to him with the freedom which we have secta in his

34 LIFE OF THE

letters to his mother. The external picture of the man is
exact ; but he was not inwardly that perfect Christian
which Mr. Gambold describes, nor had he that abiding
" interior peace." He was struggling with inward cor
ruptions, which made him still cry, " O wretched man that
I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death ?"
And he as yet put mortification, retirement, and contempt
of the world, too much in the place of that Divine atone-
ment, the virtue of which, when received by simple faith,
at once removes the sense of guilt, cheers the spirit by a
peaceful sense of acceptance through the merits of Christ,
and renews the whole heart after the image of God. He
was indeed attempting to work out " his own salvation
with fear and trembling;" but not as knowing that "it
is God that worketh in us to will and to do of his good
pleasure." He had not, in this respect, learned " to be
nothing," that he might " possess all things."

CHAPTER III.

MR. WESLEY now prepared for Georgia, the place where,
as he afterward said, " God humbled me, and proved me,
and showed me what was in my heart." But he was not
suffered to depart without remonstrances from friends,
which he answered calmly and at length, and the scoffs of
the profane, to which he made but brief reply. " What is
this, sir?" said one of the latter class to him ; " are you
turned Quixote too ? Will nothing serve you, but to en
counter windmills ?" To which he replied, " Sir, if the
Bible be not true, I am as very a fool and madman as you
can conceive; but if it be of God, I am sober-minded."

Mr. Charles Wesley, although in opposition to the opinion
of his brother Samuel, agreed to accompany him to Georgia,
and received holy orders. They were accompanied by Mr.
Ingham, of Queen's College, and Mr. Delamotte. That
Mr. Wesley considered the sacrifices and hardships of their
mission in the light of means of religious edification to
themselves, as well as the means of doing good to others,
is plain from his own account : " Our end in leaving our
native country was not to avoid want ; God had given us
plenty of temporal blessings ; nor to gain the dung and
dross of riches and honour; but singly this, to save our

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 35

souls, to live wholly to the glory of God." These observa
tions are sufficiently indicative of that dependence upon a
mortified course of life, and that seclusion from the tempt
ations of the world, which he then thought essential to
religious safety.

Georgia is now a flourishing state, and the number of
Methodist societies in it very considerable ; a result not
(hen certainly contemplated by the Wesleys, who laboured
there with little success, and quitted it almost in despair.
The first settlers from England embarked in 1732, with
Mr. James Oglethorpe at their head, who was also one of
the trustees under the charter. This gentleman founded
Savannah, and concluded a treaty with the Creek Indians.
Wars with both Spaniards and Indians, however, subse
quently arose, as well as domestic feuds ; and in 1752 tho
trustees surrendered their charter to the king, and it was
made a royal government. It was, therefore, in the infancy
of the colony that the Wesleys commenced their labours.

That they should experience trouble, vexation, and dis
appointment, was the natural result both of the circum
stances in which they were placed, and their own religious
habits and views. A small colony, and especially in its
infancy, is usually a focus of faction, discontent, and cen-
soriousness. The colonists are often disappointed, uneasy
in their circumstances, frustrated in their hopes, and impa
tient of authority. This was the case in Georgia ; and
although Mr. Oglethorpe upon the whole was a worthy
governor, he was subject to prejudices, and prone to be
misled by designing men. He certainly did not support
the Wesleys with that steadiness and uniformity which were
due to them ;* and on the other hand they were not fault
less, although their intentions were entirely upright. They
had high notions of clerical authority ; and their pastoral
faithfulness was probably rigid and repulsive ; for in spite
of the excellence of their own natural temper, an austere
cast had been given to their piety. They stood firmly on
little things, as well as great ; and held the reins of ecclesi
astical discipline with a tightness unsuitable to infant colo-

* Oglethorpe's good opinion of the brothers was, however, shown
by his anxiety to persuade Charles to return again to the colony,
after he had visited England ; and by the marked respect and even
reverence with which at a future period he treated John.

36 LIFE OF THE

nists especially, and which tended to provoke resistance.
Their integrity of heart, and the purity of their intentionG,
came forth without a stain : they must also be allowed to
have proceeded according to the best light they had ; but
they knew not yet " the love of Christ," nor how to sway
men's hearts by that all-commanding and controlling mo
tive ; and they aimed at making men Christians, in the
manner they sought that great attainment themselves, — by
a rigid and ascetic discipline.

On their passage, an exact plan for the employment of
time was arranged, and observed ; but the voyage is most
remarkable for bringing Mr. Wesley acquainted with the
members of the Moravian Church ; for, among the settlers
taken out, were twenty-six Germans of this communion.
Mr. Wesley immediately began to learn German, in order
to converse with them ; and David Nitchman, the Mora
vian bishop, and two others, received lessons in English.
On the passage they had several storms, in which Mr.
Wesley felt that the fear of death had not been taken awray
from him, and concluded therefore that he was not fit to
die ; on the contrary, he greatly admired the absence of all
slavish dread in the Germans. He says, " I had long
before observed the great seriousness of their behaviour.
Of their humility they had given a continual proof, by per
forming those servile offices for the other passengers which
none of the English would undertake ; for which they de
sired and would receive no pay ; saying it was « good for
their proud hearts, and their loving Saviour had done more
for them.' And every day had given them occasion of
showing a meekness, which no injury could move. If they
were pushed, struck, or thrown down, they rose again and
went away ; but no complaint was found in their mouth.
There was now an opportunity of trying whether they were
delivered from the spirit of fear, as well as from that of
pride, anger, and revenge. In the midst of the psalm
wherewith their service began, the sea broke over, split the
main sail in pieces, covered the ship, and poured in be-
tween the decks, as if the great deep had already swallow,
ed us up. A terrible screaming began among the English.
The Germans calmly sung on. I asked one of them
afterward, 'Was you not afraid?' He answered, *I thank
God, No.' I asked, ' But were not vour women and

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 37

hildren afraid ?' He replied mildly, ' No ; our v> omen
und children are not afraid to die.' " (Journal.)

Thus he had the first glimpse of a religious experience
which keeps the mind at peace in all circumstances, and
vanquishes that feeling which a formal and defective reli
gion may lull to temporary sleep, but cannot eradicate, —
"the fear of death."

They landed on the 6th of February, 1736, on a small
uninhabited island ; from whence Mr. Oglcthorpe proceed
ed to Savannah, and returned the next day, bringing with
him Mr. Spangenberg, one of the Moravian pastors,
already settled there.

" I soon found," says Mr. Wesley, " what spirit he was
of; and asked his advice with regard to my own conduct.
He said, ' My brother, I must first ask you one or two
questions. Have you the witness within yourself? Does
the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit, that you
are the child of God ?' I was surprised, and knew not
what to answer. He observed it, and asked, ' Do you
know Jesus Christ ?' I paused and said, I know he is the
Saviour of the world. 'True ;' replied he; 'but do you
know he has saved you ?' I answered, I hope he has died
to save me. He only added, ' Do you know yourself?' I
said, I do. But I fear they were vain words." (Journal.)

Mr. Charles Wesley took charge of Frederica, and Mr.
John of Savannah, where, the house not being ready, he
took up his residence with the Germans, with whose spirit
and conduct he became still more favorably impressed,
and whose mode of proceeding in the election and ordina
tion of a bishop carried him back he says to those primitive
times " where form and state were not ; but Paul the tent-
maker, and Peter the fisherman, presided ; yet with demon
stration of the Spirit, and power."

Mr. Wesley had not been long at Savannah before ho
heard from Charles of his troubles and opposition at Fred
erica. His presence among the licentious colonists, and
the frequent reproofs he administered, made him an object
of great hatred, and " plots were formed either to ruin him
in the opinion of Oglethorpe, or to take him off by vio
lence." (WhiteJiead's Life.) Oglethorpe was for a time
successfully practised upon, treated him with coldness,
and left him to endure the neatest privations. He lay

38 LI**- OF THE

upon the ground in the corner of a hut, and was denied the
luxury of a few boards for a bed. He was out of favour
with the governor; even the servants on that account
insulted him ; and, worn out with vexation and hardships,
he fell into a dangerous fever. In this state he was visited
by his brother John, who prevailed upon him to break a
resolution which " honour and indignation" had induced
him to form, of "starving rather than ask for necessaries."
Soon after this, Mr. Oglethorpe discovered the plots of
which he had been the victim, and was fully reconciled to
him. He then took charge of Savannah, whilst John sup
plied his place at Frederica ; and in July, 1736, he was
sent to England, charged with despatches from Mr. Ogle
thorpe to the trustees and the board of trade, and in Decem
ber, arrived at Deal ; thus terminating a service in which
he had preached with great fidelity and zeal ; but had met
with very unworthy returns.

Of the two places, Savannah appears to have been more
hopeful than Frederica ; and as Mr. John Wesley did not
find the door open for preaching to the Indians, he con
sulted \vith his companions, in what manner they might be
most useful to the Hock at Savannah. It was agreed,

1 . To advise the more serious among them, to form them
selves into a little society, and to meet once or twice a
week, in order to reprove, instruct, and exhort one another.

2. To select out of these a smaller number for a more
intimate union with each other ; which might be forwarded
partly by their conversing singly with each, and inviting
them all together to Mr. Wesley's house : and this accord
ingly they determined to do every Sunday in the afternoon.
" Here," says Dr. Whitehead, " we see the first rudiments
of the future economy of classes and bands."*

In this respect he probably learned something from the
Moravians and the whole plan fell in with his previous

* There was however nothing new in this. Mr. Wesley had doubt
less heard, in his visit to London, of the religious societies described
oy Dr. Woodward, which were encouraged by the more serious clergy,
and held weekly private meetings for religious edification. It is pro-
onble that he had even attended such meetings in the metropolis.
Wherever indeed a revival of serious religion has taken place, and
ministers have been in earnest to promote it, we see similar means
adopted, as by Baxter at Kidderminster, during his eminently sue
essful ministry there.

REV. JOHN WESLE1T. 30

views of discipline and method. The character of his
mind was eminently practical ; he was in earnest, and he
valued things just as they appeared to be adapted to pro
mote the edification and salvation of those committed to
his charge. A school was also established ; and the chil
dren regularly catechised by Mr. Wesley, both in private
and in the church. Evening meetings for the more serious
were also held at his house ; so actively did he apply
himself not only to the public services of the sanctuary, but
to evciy kind of engagement by which he might make " full
proof of his ministry." The religious state of his own
mind, however, remained much the same. He saw another
striking instance of the power of faith, in the peaceful and
edifying death of one of the Moravians ; and had another
proof that he himself was not saved from " the fear which
hath torment," in a severe storm of thunder and lightning.
Both indicated to him that he had not attained the state
of " the sons of God ;" but his views were still perplexed
and obscure. From a conversation which he had with
some Indians who had visited Savannah, he concluded that
the way was opened for him to preach among the Choc-
taws, and this he was desirous of attempting; but as
Savannah would have been left without a minister, the
governor objected ; and his friends were also of opinion,
that he could not then be spared from the colony.

In his visits to Frederica he met with great opposition
and much illiberal abuse ; in Savannah he was, however,
rapidly gaining influence, when a circumstance occurred
which issued in his departure from Georgia altogether. Ho
had formed an attachment to an accomplished young lady,
a Miss Hopkey,* niece to the wife of Mr. Causton, the
chief magistrate of Savannah, which she appears to have
returned, or at least encouraged. The biographers of Mr.
Wesley, Dr. Whitehcad, and Mr. Moore, differ as to the
fact, whether this connection was broken off by him, or by
the lady herself in consequence of his delays. The latter
professes to have received the whole account from Mr.
Wesley, and must therefore be presumed to be the best
authority. From this statement it appears that Mr. Dela-
motte suspected the sincerity of the lady's pretensions to
piety, and thought his friend Mr. Wesley, whose confiding

* Incorrectly called Miss Causton by Mr. Wesley's biographers.

40 LIFE OF THE

and unsuspecting heart prevented him at all times from
being a severe judge of others, was likely to be the victim
of artifices which he had not the skill or the inclination
to discern. His remonstrances led Mr. Wesley to refer
the question of his marriage with Miss Hopkey to the judg
ment of the elders of the Moravian Church, which he thought
he was at liberty to do, since the acquaintance, though it
had ripened into regard and thoughts of marriage, had not,
it seems, proceeded to any thing determinate. The Mo-
ravians advised him to proceed no farther ; and his con-
duct toward Miss Hopkey became cautious and distant,
very naturally to her mortification, and perhaps pain.
An entry in his journal shows that he had a consider
able struggle with his own feelings, and that his sense of
duty had exacted a great sacrifice from his heart. The
lady soon afterward married a Mr. Williamson ; but a
hostile feeling toward him had been left in the minds of
her friends, which the gossiping and censorious habits of a
small colony would not fail to keep alive. Though Mr.
Wesley did not certainly see her married to another with
perfect philosophy, it was not in his generous nature to
allow his former affection to turn into resentment, which
was the fault subsequently charged upon him ; and as he
soon saw many things in her to reprove, it is probable that
he thought his escape a fortunate one. Perhaps, consi
dering the singularity of his habits at that time, it was well
for the lady also ; which seems, indeed, jocosely intimated
in a passage of a letter of his brother Samuel to him on the
occasion, — " I am sorry you are disappointed in one match,
because you are unlikely to find another."

An opportunity for the manifestation of the secret preju
dice which had been nourished by the friends of the niece
of Mrs. Causton was afforded in about five months after
her marriage. Mr. Wesley adhered to the rubric of the
Church of England as to the administration of the sacra
ment, without respect of persons, and with arigidness which
was not at all common. He repelled those whom he
thought unworthy ; and when any one had neglected the
ordinance, he required him to signify his name the day
before he intended to communicate again. Some time
after Mrs. Williamson's marriage, he discovered several
things which he thought blamable in her conduct. These,

REV. JOH1V WESLEY. 41

as she continued to communicate, he mentioned to her,
and she in return became angry. For reasons, therefore,
which he stated to her in a letter, he repelled her from the
communion. This letter was written by desire of Mr.
Causton, who wished to have his reasons for repelling his
niece in writing : —

" At Mr. Causton's request I write once more. The
rules whereby I proceed are these : * So many as intend to
partake of the holy communion shall signify their names
to the curate, at least some time the day before.' This
you did not do.

" « And if any of these — have done any wrong to his
neighbour by word or deed, so that the congregation
be thereby otfended, the curate shall advertise him, that in
any wise he presume not to come to the Lord's table, until
he hath openly declared himself to have truly repented.'

" If you offer yourself at the Lord's table on Sunday, I
will advertise you, as I have done more than once, wherein
you have done wrong : and when you have openly declared
yourself to have truly repented, I will administer to you
the mysteries of God." (Journal.}

The storm now broke forth upon him. A warrant was
issued, and he was brought before the recorder and magis
trates, on the charges of Mr. Williamson, 1. That he had
defamed his wife. 2. That he had causelessly repelled her
from the holy communion. Mr. Wesley denied the first
charge ; and the second being wholly ecclesiastical, he
would not acknowledge the authority of the magistrate to
decide upon it. He was however told that he must appear
before the next court, holden at Savannah.

The Causton family became now most active in their
efforts to injure him. By them the reason why Mr. Wesley
had repelled Mrs. Williamson from the Lord's table was
stated to be his resentment against her for having refused
to marry him ; which they knew to be contrary to the fact.
Garbled extracts of his letters were read by Causton to
those whom he could collect to hear them, probably in
order to confirm this ; and Mrs. Williamson was prevailed
upon to swear to and sign a paper cantaining assertions
and insinuations injurious to his character. (Journal.)

The calm courage of the man w1 10 was thus so violently
and unjustly persecuted, was not lowever to be shaken.
4*

42 LIFE OF THE

« I sat still at home," says Mr. Wesley, « and I thank God
easy, having committed my cause to him, and remembered
his word, ' Blessed is the man that endureth temptation ;
for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life,
which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.' "
(Journal.)

As the sitting of the court drew near, Causton used every
art to influence the grand jury ; and when they met, gave
them "a long and earnest charge, 'to beware of spiritual
tyranny, and to oppose the new illegal authority which was
usurped over their consciences.' Mrs. Williamson's affi
davit was read ; and he then delivered to them a paper,
entitled, A list of grievances, presented by the grand jury

for Savannah, this day of August, 1737. In the after-

noon Mrs. Williamson was examined, who acknowledged
that she had no objections to make against Mr. Wesley's
conduct before her marriage. The next day Mr. and Mrs.
Causton were also examined, when she confessed, that it
was by her request Mr. Wesley had written to Mrs. Wil
liamson on the 5th of July : and Mr. Causton declared,
that if Mr. Wesley had asked his consent to have married
his niece, he should not have refused it. The grand jury
continued to examine these ecclesiastical grievances, which
occasioned warm debates till Thursday ; when Mr. Caus
ton being informed they had entered on matters beyond his
instructions, went to them, and behaved in such a manner,
that he turned forty-two, out of the forty-four, into a fixed
resolution to inquire into his whole behaviour. They
immediately entered on that business, and continued ex
amining witnesses all clay on Friday. On Saturday, Mr.
Causton finding all his efforts to stop them ineffectual,
adjourned the court till Thursday, the first of September,
and spared no pains, in the meantime, to bring them to
another mind. September 1 . — He so far prevailed, that the
majority of the grand jury returned the list of grievances
to the court, in some particulars altered, under the form of
two presentments, containing ten bills, only two of which
related to the affair of Mrs. Williamson ; and only one of
these was cognizable by that court, the rest being merely
ecclesiastical. September 2. — Mr. Wesley addressed the
court to this effect : « As to nine of the ten indictments
against me, I know this court can take no cognizance of

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 43

them ; they being matters of an ecclesiastical nature, and
this not an ecclesiastical court. But the tenth, concern,
ing my speaking and writing to Mrs. Williamson, is of a
secular nature ; and this therefore I desire may be tried
here, where the facts complained of were committed.'
Little answer was made, and that purely evasive.

"In the afternoon he moved the court again, for an
immediate trial at Savannah ; adding, ' that those who are
offended may clearly see whether I have done any wrong
to any one ; or whether I have not rather deserved the
thanks of Mrs. Williamson, Mr. Causton, and of the whole
family.' Mr. Causton's answer was full of civility and
respect. He observed, « Perhaps things would not have
bocn carried so far had you not said, you believed if Mr.
Causton appeared, the people would tear him to pieces ;
not so much out of love to you, as out of hatred to him
for his abominable practices.' If Mr. Wesley really spake
these words, he was certainly very imprudent, considering
the circumstances in which he was placed. But we too
often find in disputes, that the constructions of others on
what has been said are reported as the very words we have
spoken ; which I suspect to have been the case here. Mr.
Causton, however, sufficiently discovered the motives that
influenced his conduct in this business.

"Twelve of the grand jurors now drew up a protest
against the proceedings of the majority, to be immediately
sent to the trustees in England. In this paper they gave
such clear and satisfactory reasons, under every bill, for
their dissent from the majority, as effectually did away all
just ground of complaint against Mr. Wesley, on the sub
jects of the prosecution." (Whitehead's Life.)

" He attended the court holden on November the third :
and again at the court held on tRe twenty-third ; urging
an immediate hearing of his case, that he might have an
opportunity of answering the allegations alleged against
him. But this the magistrates refused, and at the same
time countenanced every report to his disadvantage : whe
ther it was a mere invention, or founded on a malicious con
struction of any thing he did or said. Mr. Wesley perceiv
ing that he had not the most distant prospect of obtaining
justice ; that he was in a place where those in power were
combined together to oppress him ; and could any day

44 LIFE OF THE

procure evidence (as experience had shown) of words he
had never spoken, and of actions he had never done ; he-
ing disappointed, too, in the primary object of his mission,
preaching to the Indians ; he consulted his friends what he
ought to do ; who were of opinion with him, that by these
circumstances Providence did now call him to leave Sa
vannah. The next day he called on Mr. Causton, and
told him he designed to set out for England immediately."
(Whitehead's Life.)

The magistrates made a show of forbidding him to leave
the colony ; but he embarked openly, after having publicly
advertised his intention, no man interposing to prevent
him ; one leading object of these persecutions being to
drive him away. His sermons had been too faithful, and
his reproofs too poignant, to make his continuance desir
able to the majority of an irreligious colony.*

The root of all this opposition no doubt lay in the enmity
of his hearers to truth and holiness ; but its manifestation
might be occasioned in part by the strictness with which
he acted upon obsolete branches of ecclesiastical discipline,
and the unbending manner in which he insisted upon his
spiritual authority In the affair of Mrs. Williamson, he
stands perfectly exculpated from the base motives which
his enemies charged upon him ; but in the first stages, it
neither appears to have been managed with prudence, nor

[* The affair above explained, and other matters respecting Mr.
Wesley in Georgia, have been most unfairly arid unjustly represented
in various illiberal publications, and particularly in Lompriere's Bio.
graphical Dictionary, and Hale's History of the United Slates. The
injustice done to Mr. Wesley's memory in the latter work is the moro
especially reprehensible, as pains have been taken to introduce it
extensively into " schools." In this way many a youthful mind
becomes prepossessed with strong early prejudice against one of the
most devoted and the most honoured ambassadors for Christ that has
ever graced any age or nation, since the days of the holy apostles.
The influence of such prejudices extends itself in after life as well to
the Christian denomination generally of which that eminent man was,
under God, the Founder, as to his own memory. This the contrivers
of such school publications well know ; and it is this effect of such
books particularly that greatly aggravates the injustice and the mis
chief, as it tends, in fact, seriously to impede the spread of the Gospel
itself. In these circumstances it is with peculiar pleasure that we are
now enabled to issue a Life of Wesley, which, as well from the celo.
brity of its eminent author and its own intrinsic excellence, as from
its remarkable cheapness, will, wo doubt not, have a most extensiv»
circulation. — AMERICAN EDIT.]

KEY. JOHN WESLEY. 45

a proper degree of Christian courtesy. His enemies have
sneered at his declaration, that, after ho left Georgia, he
discovered that ho who went out to teach others Christianity
wras not a Christian himself; but had he been a Christian
in that full, evangelical sense, which he meant ; had he been
that which he afterward became, not only would the exclu
sion of Mrs. Williamson from the sacrament have been ef
fected in another manner, but his mission to Georgia would
probably have had a very different result. His preaching
was defective in that one great point, which gives to preach
ing its real power over the heart, " Christ crucified ;" and
his spirit, although naturally frank and amiable, was not
regenerated by that "power from on high," the first and
leading fruits of which are meekness and charity.

In the midst of his trials, Mr. Wesley received very con.
solatory letters from his friends, both in England and in
America; and there were many in Georgia itself who
rightly estimated the character and the labours of a man
who held five or six public services on the Lord's day, in
English, Italian, and French, for the benefit of a mixed
population ; — who spent his whole time in works of piety
and mercy, and who distributed his income so profusely in
charity that, for many months together, he had not " one
shilling in the house." His health, whilst in America, con
tinued good ; and it is in proof of the natural vigour of his
constitution, that he exposed himself to every change of
season, frequently slept on the ground, under the dews of
the night in summer, and in winter with his hair and clothes
frozen to the earth. He arrived in London, February 3d,
1738, and, notwithstanding his many exercises, reviewed
the result of his American labours with some satisfaction :
— " Many reasons I have to bless God for my having been
carried into that strange land contrary to all my preceding
resolutions. Hereby I trust he hath in some measure
« humbled me, and proved me, and shown me what was in
my heart.' Hereby I have been taught to ' beware of men.'
Hereby God has given me to know many of his servants,
particularly those of the Church of Hernhuth. Hereby my
passage is open to the writings of holy men, in the Ger
man, Spanish, and Italian tongues. All in Georgia have
heard the word of God ; some have believed, and began
to run well. A few steps have been taken toward pub.

40 LIFE OF TUB

Ushing 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 neighbour. And
those whom it most concerns have an opportunity of know
ing the state of their infant colony, and laying a firmer foun
dation of peace and happiness to many generations."

CHAPTER IV.

THE solemn review which Mr. Wesley made of the state
of his religious experience, both on his voyage home, and
soon after his landing in England, deserves to be particu
larly noticed, both for general instruction, and because it
stands in immediate connection with a point which has
especially perplexed those who have attributed his charges
against himself, as to the deficiency of his Christianity at
this period, to a strange and fanatical fancy. By the most
infallible of proofs, he tells us, — that of his feelings, — he
was convinced of his having " no such faith in Christ" as
prevented his heart from being troubled ; and he earnestly
prays to be " saved by such a faith as implies peace in life
and death." " I went to America to convert the Indians ;
but O, who shall convert me ! Who is he that will deliver
me from this evil heart of unbelief? I have a fair summer
religion ; I can talk well, nay, and believe myself, while
no danger is present ; but let death look me in the face,
and my spirit is troubled, nor can I say, 'To die is gain.'

* I have a sin of fear, that when I've spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore.' "

He thought therefore that a faith was attainable, which
should deliver him entirely from guilty dread, and fill him
with peace ; but of this faith itself, his notions were still
confused. He manifestly regarded it, generally, as a
principle of belief in the Gospel, which, by quickening his
efforts to self-mortification and entire obedience, would
raise him, through a renewed state of heart, into acceptance
and peace with God. This error is common. It regards
faith, not so much as the personal trust of a guilty and help
less sinner upon Christ for salvation and all the gifts of
spiritual life, but as working out sanctifying effects in the
heart and life, partly by natural, partly by supernatural

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 47

process, and thus producing peace of* conscience. But he
goes on with this interesting history of his heart.

" I was early warned against laying too much stress on
outward works, as the Papists do, or on a faith without
works, which, as it does not include, so it will never lead
to, true hope or charity." (Journal.)

Here he manifestly confounds the faith by which a man
is justified, which certainly does not " include" in itself
the moral effects of which he speaks, with the faith of a
man who is in a justified state, which necessarily produces
them because of that vital union into which it brings him
with Christ, his Saviour, by whom he is saved from the
power and love, as well as from the guilt, of sin.

" I fell among some Lutheran and Calvinist authors,
whose confused and indigested accounts magnified faith
to such an amazing size, that it quite hid all the rest of
the commandments." (Journal.)

This is perhaps a proof that he did not understand these
writers, any more than he did the Moravians in Georgia,
who failed to enlighten him on the subject of faith, although
he saw that they in fact possessed a " peace through believ
ing," which he had not, and yet painfully felt to be neces.
sary. The writers he mentions probably represented faith
only as necessaiy to justification ; whilst he conceived them
to teach, that faith only is necessary to final salvation.

" The English writers, such as Bishop Beveridge,
Bishop Taylor, and Mr. Nelson, a little relieved me from
these well-meaning, wrong-headed Germans. Their ac
counts of Christianity I could easily see to be, in the main,
consistent both with reason and Scripture." (Journal.)

Beveridge would have met his case more fully than
either Taylor or Nelson, had he been in a state of mind
to comprehend him ; and still better would he have been
instructed by studying, with as much care as he examined
Taylor and Law, the Homilies of his own Church, and
the works of her older divines.

The writings of the fathers then promised to give him
farther satisfaction ; but to them he at length took various
exceptions. He finally resorted to the Mystic writers,
" whose noble descriptions of union with God, and inter
nal religion, made every thing else appear mean, flat, and
insipid. But in truth they made good works appear so too,

48 LIFE OF THE

yea, and faith itself, and what not ? These gave me an
entire new view of religion, nothing like any I had before.
But, alas ! it was nothing like that religion which Christ
and his apostles lived and taught. I had a plenary dis.
pensation from all the commands of God ; the form ran
thus, « Love is all ; all the commands beside are onlv
means of love ; you must choose those which you feel aro
means to you, and use them as long as they are so.' Thus
were all the bands burst at once. And though I could
never fully come into this, nor contentedly omit what God
enjoined, yet, I know not how, I fluctuated between obe
dience and disobedience. I had no heart, no vigour, no
zeal in obeying, continually doubting whether I was right
or wrong, and never out of perplexities and entanglements.
Nor can I at this hour give a distinct account how or when
I came a little back toward the right way ; only my present
sense is this : — all the other enemies of Christianity are
triflers ; the Mystics are the most dangerous of its ene
mies. They stab it in the vitals ; and its most serious
professors are most likely to fall by them. May I praise
Him who hath snatched me out of this fire likewise, by
warning all others that it is set on fire of hell !" (Journal.)

He wras, however, delivered from the errors of the Mys
tics, only to be brought back to the point from which he
set out ; but his humble conclusion from the whole shows
that the end of this long and painful struggle was about
to be accomplished : — he was now brought fully to feel
and confess his utter helplessness, and was not " far from
the kingdom of God."

" And now," says he, " it is upward of two years since
I left my native country, in order to teach the Georgia
Indians the nature of Christianity ; but what have I learn
ed myself in the meantime ? Why, (what I least of all
suspected,) 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 was I. In ancient
or modern tongues 1 So was I also. Are they versed in
the science of divinity ? I too have studied it many years.
Can they talk fluently upon spiritual things ? The very

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 49

same I could do. Are they plenteous in alms ? Behold,
I give all my goods to feed the poor.

" Do they give of their labour as well as their substance ?
I have laboured more abundantly than they all. Are they
willing to suffer for their brethren ? I have thrown up my
friends, reputation, ease, country ; I have put my life in my
hand, wandering into strange lands ; I have given my body
to be devoured by the deep, parched up with heat, con-
sumed by toil and weariness, or whatever God shall please
to bring upon me. But does all this (be it more or less, it
matters not) make me acceptable to God ? Does all I
ever did, or can know, say, give, do, or suffer, justify me
in his sight ? yea, or the constant use of all the means of
grace ? (which, nevertheless, is meet, right, and our
bounden duty,) or that I know nothing of myself, that I
am, as touching outward, moral righteousness, blameless ?
or, to come closer yet, the having a rational conviction of
all the truths of Christianity 1 Does all this give a claim
to the holy, heavenly, Divine character of a Christian ? By
no means. If the oracles of God are true, if we are still
to abide by ' the law and the testimony,' all these things,
though when ennobled by faith in Christ, they are holy,
and just, and good, yet without it are < dung and dross.'

" This then have I 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, conse
quently, my whole life ; (seeing 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
reconciling me to an offended God, so far from making
any atonement for the least of those sins which * are more
in number than the hairs of my head,' that the most spe
cious of them need an atonement themselves, or they can-
riot abide his righteous judgment ; that having the sen
tence of death in my heart, and having nothing in or of
myself to plead, I have no hope but that of being justified
freely « through the redemption that is in Jesus ;' I have
no hope, but that if I seek I shall find the Christ, and * be
found in him, not having my own righteousness, but that
which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness
which is of God by faith.'

" If it be said that I have faith, (for many such things
5

50 LIFE OF THE

have I heard from many miserable comforters,) I answer,
So have the devils — a sort of faith ; but still they are
strangers to the covenant of promise. So the apostles
had even at Cana in Galilee, when Jesus first « manifested
forth his glory ;' even then they, in a sort, « believed on
him ;' but they had not then ' the faith that overcometh the
world.' The faith I want is * a sure trust and confidence
in God, that, through the merits of Christ, my sins are for.
given, and I reconciled to the favour of God.' I want that
faith which St. Paul recommends to all the world, espe
cially in his epistle to the Romans, — that faith which ena
bles every one that hath it to cry out, * I live not ; but
Christ liveth in me ; and the life which I now live, I live
by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave him
self for me.' I want that faith which none has, without
knowing that he hath it ; (though many imagine they have
it, who have it not ;) for whosoever hath it is freed from
sin ; the whole * body of sin is destroyed' in him : he is
freed from fear, * having peace with God through Christ,
and rejoicing in hope of the glory of God.' And he is
treed from doubt, « having the love of God shed abroad in
his heart, through the Holy Ghost which is given unto
him ; which Spirit itself beareth witness with his spirit,
that he is a child of God.' " (Journal.)

A spirit thus breathing after God, and anxious to be
taught " the way of God more perfectly," could not be
left in its darkness and solicitude. A few days after his
arrival in London, he met with Peter Bohler, a minister of
the Moravian Church. This was on February 7th, which
he marks as " a day much to be remembered," because
the conversation which he had with Bohler on the subject
of saving faith, a subject probably brought on by himself,
first opened his mind to true views on that subject, not
withstanding the objections with which he assaulted the
statements of the Moravian teacher, and which caused
Bohler more than once to exclaim, " My brother, that
philosophy of yours must be purged away." At Oxford,
whither he had gone to visit Charles, who was sick, he
again met with his Moravian friend, " by whom," he says,
" in the hand of the great God, I was clearly convinced
of unbelief, of the want of that faith whereby alone we are
saved with the full Christian salvation."

REV. JOHN WESLEY.

51

" He was now convinced that his faith had been too
much separated from an evangelical view of the promises
of a free justification, or pardon of sin, through the atone
ment and mediation of Christ alone, which was the reason
why he had been held in continual bondage and fear."
(Whitehead's Life.) In a few days he met Peter Bohler
again, — " who now," he says, " amazed me more and more,
by the account he gave of the fruits of living faith, the holi
ness and happiness which he affirmed to attend it. The
next morning I began the Greek Testament again, resolv
ing to abide by ' the law and the testimony,' being confident
that God would hereby show me whether this doctrine was
of God." (Journal.)

In a fourth conversation with this excellent man, he was
still more confirmed in the view, " that faith is, to use the
words of our Church, a sure trust and confidence which a
man has in God, that, through the merit of Christ, his sins
are forgiven, and he reconciled to the favour of God."
Some of his objections to Bohler's statements on instanta
neous conversion were also removed by a diligent exami
nation of the Scriptures. " I had," he observes, " but one
retreat left on this subject : Thus, I grant God wrought in
the first ages of Christianity ; but the times are changed.
What reason have I to believe he Avorks in the same man
ner now ? But, on Sunday, 22d, I was beat out of this
retreat, too, by the concurring evidence of several living
witnesses, who testified God had so wrought in themselves,
giving them, in a moment, such a faith in the blood of his
Son as translated them out of darkness into light, and from
sin and fear into holiness and happiness. Here ended my
disputing. I could now only cry out, * Lord, help thou my
unbelief!'"

He now began to declare that doctrine of faith which he
had been taught ; and those who were convinced of sin
gladly received it. He was also much confirmed in the
truth by hearing the experience of Mr. Hutchins of Pem
broke College, and Mrs. Fox : "Two living Avitnesses,"
he says, " that God can, at least, if he does not always,
give that faith whereof cometh salvation in a moment, as
lightning falling from heaven." (Journal.)

Mr. Wesley and a few others now formed themselves
into a religious society, which met in Fetter-lane. But

52 LIFE OF THE

although they thus assembled with the Moravians, they
remained members of the Church of England ; and after-
ward, when some of the Moravian teachers introduced new
doctrines, Mr. Wesley and his friends separated from them,
and formed that distinct community which has since been
known as "The Methodist Society." The rules of the
Fetter-lane Society were printed under the title of " Orders
of a Religious Society, meeting in Fetter-lane ; in obedi
ence to the command of God by St. James, and by the
advice of Peter Bohler, 1738."

As yet Mr. Wesley had not attained the blessing for
which he so earnestly sought, and now with clearer views.
His language as to himself, though still that of complaint,
was become, in truth, the language of a broken and a con
trite heart. It was no longer in the tone of a man, disap
pointed as to the results of his own efforts, and thrown into
distressing perplexity, as not knowing where to turn for
help. He was now bowed in lowly sorrow before the
throne ; but he knew that it was " the throne of grace ;" and
his cry was that of the publican, " God be merciful to me
a sinner." In a letter to a friend, he says, —

" I feel what you say, though not enough ; for I am under
the same condemnation. I see that the whole law of God
is holy, just, and good. I know every thought, every tem
per of my soul, ought to bear God's image and superscrip.
tion. But how am I fallen from the glory of God ! I feel
that « I am sold under sin.' I know that I too deserve
nothing but wrath, being full of all abominations, and having
no good thing in me to atone for them, or to remove the
wrath of God. All my works, my righteousness, my pray
ers, need an atonement for themselves. So that my mouth
is stopped. I have nothing to plead. God is holy : I am
unholy. God is a consuming fire : I am altogether a sin
ner, meet to be consumed.

" Yet I hear a voice, (and is it not the voice of God ?)
saying, * Believe and thou shalt be saved. He that believeth
is passed from death unto life. God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believ
eth on him should not perish, but have everlasting life.'"
(Journal. )

In this state of mind he continued till May the 24th, 1738,
aod then gives the following account of his conversion : — .

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 53

" I think, it was about five this morning, that I opened
my Testament on those words, ' There are given unto us
exceeding great and precious promises, that by these ye
might be partakers of the Divine nature,' 2 Pet. i, 4. Just
as I went out, I opened it again on those words, * Thou art
not far from the kingdom of God.' In the afternoon I was
asked to go to St. Paul's. The anthem was, * Out of the
deep have I called unto thee, O Lord : Lord, hear my voice.
O let thine ears consider well the voice of my complaint.
If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss,
O Lord, who may abide it 1 But there is mercy with thee ;
therefore thou shalt be feared. O Israel, trust in the Lord,
for with the Lord there is mercy, and with him is plen
teous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from all
his sins.'

" In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in
Aldersgate-street, where one was reading Luther's preface
to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine,
while he was describing the change which God works in
the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely
warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for sal.
vation : 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.'

" I began to pray with all my might, for those who had
in a more especial manner despitefully used me, and perse
cuted me. I then testified openly to all there, what I now
first felt in my heart. But it was not long before the ene
my suggested, « This cannot be faith, for where is thy joy ?'
Then was I taught, that peace and victory over sin are es
sential to faith in the Captain of our salvation : but, that as
to the transports of joy, that usually attend the beginning
of it, especially in those who have mourned deeply, God
sometimes giveth, sometimes withholdeth them, according
to the counsels of his own will." (Journal.)

After this he had some struggles with doubt ; but he
proceeded from " strength to strength," till he could say,
" Now I was always conqueror." His experience, nur
tured by habitual prayer, and deepened by unwearied exer
tion in the cause of his Saviour, settled into that steadfast
faith and solid peace, which the grace of God perfected in
him to the close of his long and active life.
•5*

54 LIFE OF THE

His brother Charles was also made partaker of the same
grace. They had passed together through the briers and
thorns, through the perplexities and shadows of the legal
wilderness, and the hour of their deliverance was not far
separated. Bohler visited Charles in his sickness at Ox-
ford, but " the pharisee within" was somewhat offended
when the honest German shook his head at learning that
his hope of salvation rested upon "his best endeavours."
After his recovery, the reading of Halyburton's Life pro.
duced in him a sense of his want of that faith which brings
" peace and joy in the Holy Ghost." Bohler visited him
again in London, and he began seriously to consider the
doctrine which he urged upon him. His convictions of his
state of danger, as a man unjustified before God, and of
his need of the faith whereof cometh salvation, increased,
and he spent his whole time in discoursing on these sub-
jects, in prayer, and reading the Scriptures. Luther on
the Galatians then fell into his hands, and on reading the
preface he observes : —

"I marvelled that we were so soon and entirely removed
from him that called us into the grace of Christ, unto an
other Gospel. Who would believe that our Church had
been founded on this important article of justification by
faith alone ? I am astonished I should ever think this a
new doctrine ; especially while our Articles and Homilies
stand unrepealed, and the key of knowledge is not yet
taken away. From this time I endeavoured to ground as
many of our friends as came to see me in this fundamental
truth, — salvation by faith alone, — not an idle, dead faith,
but a faith which works by love, and is incessantly produc
tive of all good works and all holiness." (J.mrnal.)

"On Whit Sunday, May 21st, he awoke in hope and
expectation of soon attaining the object ol rns wishes, the
knowledge of God reconciled in Christ Jesus. At nine
o'clock his brother and some friends came to him and sung
a hymn suited to the day. When they left him he betook
himself to prayer. Soon afterward a person came and
said, in a very solemn manner, « Believe in the name of
Jesus of Nazareth and thou shalt be healed of all thine
infirmities.' The words went through his heart, and ani
mated him with confidence. He looked into the Scripture,
and read, « Now Lord, what is my hope ? truly my hope is

BEV. JOHN WESLEY. 55

even in thee.' He then cast his eye on these words,
* He hath put a new song into my mouth, even thanks-
giving unto our God ; many shall see it and fear, and put
their trust in the Lord.' Afterward he opened upon
Isaiah xl, 1 : * Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith
our God ; speak comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto
her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is
pardoned, for she hath received of the Lord's hand double
for all her sins.' In reading these passages of Scripture,
he was enabled to view Christ as set forth to be a propi
tiation for his sins, through faith in his blood ; and he
received that peace and rest in God which he had so
earnestly sought.

"The next day he greatly rejoiced in reading the 107th
Psalm, so nobly descriptive, he observes, of what God had
done for his soul. He had a very humbling view of his
own weakness ; but was enabled to contemplate Christ in
his power to save to the uttermost all those who come unto
God by him." (WhiteheacTs Life.)

Such was the manner in which these excellent men,
whom God had been long preparing for the great work of
reviving Scriptural Christianity throughout these lands,
were at length themselves brought " into the liberty of the
sons of God." On the account thus given, a few observa
tions may not be misplaced.

It is easy to assail with ridicule such disclosures of the
exercises of minds impressed with the great concern of
salvation, and seeking for deliverance from a load of anxi
ety in "a way which they had not known;" and flippantly
to resolve all these shadowings of doubt, these dawnings
of hope, and the joyous influence of the full day of salva
tion, as some have done, into fancy, nervous affection, or
natural constitution. To every truly serious mind, these
will however appear subjects of a momentous character ;
and no one will proceed either safely or soberly to judge
of them, who does not previously inquire into the doctrine
of the New Testament on the subject of human salvation,
and apply the principles which he may find there, authen
ticated by infallible inspiration, to the examination of such
cases. If it be there declared that the state of man by
nature, and so long as he remains unforgiven by his of
fended God, is a state of awful peril, then the all-absorbing

56 LIFE OF THE

seriousness of that concern for deliverance from spiritual
danger, which was exhibited by the Wesleys, is a feeling
becoming our condition, and is the only rational frame of
mind which we can cultivate. If we are required to be
of "an humble and broken spirit," and if the very root of
a true repentance lies in a "godly sorrow" for sin; then
their humiliations and self reproaches were in correspond,
ence with a state of heart which is enjoined upon all by
an authority which we cannot dispute. If the appointed
method of man's salvation, laid down in the Gospel, be
gratuitous pardon through faith in the merits of Christ's
sacrifice, and if a method of seeking justification by works
of moral obedience to the Divine law, be plainly placed by
St. Paul in opposition to this, and declared to be vain and
fruitless ; then, if in this way the Wesleys sought their jus
tification before God, we see how true their own statement
must of necessity have been, that with all their efforts they
could obtain no solid peace of mind, no deliverance from
the enslaving fear of death and final punishment, because
they sought that by imperfect works which God has ap
pointed to be attained by faith alone. If it be said, that
their case was not parallel to that of the self-righteous
Jews, who did not receive the Christian religion, and there
fore that the argument of the apostle does not apply to
those who believe the Gospel, it will remain to be inquired,
whether the circumstance of a mere belief in the Christian
system, when added to works of imperfect obedience, makes
any essential difference in the case ; or, in other words,
whether justification may not be sought by endeavours to
obey the law, although the Judaism necessarily implied
in it may be arrayed in the garb of Christian terms and
phrases. If indeed by " works of the law" St. Paul had
meant only the ceremonial observances of the Jewish
Church, the case would be altered ; but his Epistle to the
Romans puts it beyond all doubt, that in his argument re
specting justification he speaks of the moral law, since his
grand reason to prove that by the works of the law no man
can be justified, is, that "by the law is the knoivledge of
sin." That law is recognized and embodied in the New
Testament, but its first office thero is to give " the know
ledge of sin," that men may be convinced, or, as St. Paul
forcibly says, "slain" by it : and it stands there in con.

REV. JOHN WESLE5T. 57

nection with the atonement for sin made by the sacrifice
upon the cross. Nor is the faith which delivers men from
the condemnation of a law which has been broken, and
never can be perfectly kept by man, a mere belief in the
truth of the doctrine of Christ, but reliance upon his sacri
fice, in which consists that personal act by which we be
come parties to the covenant of free and gratuitous justifi
cation ; and which then only stands sure to us, because then
only we accept the mercy of God, as exercised toward
us through Christ, and on the prescribed conditions. If
therefore in the matter of our justification, like the Wes-
leys before they obtained clearer light, and the divines who
were their early guides, we change the office of the moral
law, though we may still regard it as in some way con
nected with the Gospel, and call it by the general term of
Christianity, of which it in truth forms the preceptive part,
and resort to it, not that we may be convinced of the great
ness of our sins, and of our utter inability to commend
ourselves to a holy God, the requirements of whose law
have never been relaxed ; but as the means of qualifying
ourselves, by efforts of obedience to it, for the reception
of Divine mercy, and acquiring a fitness and worthiness for
the exercise of grace toward us ; then we reject the per
fection and suitableness of the atonement of Christ ; we
refuse to commit our whole case in the matter of our justi
fication to that atonement, according to the appointment of
God ; and as much seek justification by works of the law,
as did the Jews themselves. Such was the case with the
Wesleys, as stated by themselves. Theirs was not indeed
a state of heartless formality, and self-deluding Pharisaism,
aiming only at external obedience. It was just the reverse
of this : they were awakened to a sense of danger, and
they aimed, nay struggled with intense efforts after uni
versal holiness, inward and outward. But it was not a
state of salvation : and if we find a middle state like this de
scribed in the Scriptures ; a state in transit from dead for
mality to living faith and moral deliverance, the question
with respect to the truth of their representations, as to their
former state of experience, is settled. Such a middle state
we see plainly depicted by the Apostle Paul in the seventh
chapter of the Epistle to the Romans. There the mind
of the person described " consents to the law that it ia

58 LIFE OF THE

good,'' but finds in it only greater discoveries of his sin.
fulness and danger ; there the effort too is after universal
holiness, — "to will is present," but the power is wanting;
every struggle binds the chain tighter ; sighs and groans
are extorted, till self despair succeeds, and the true Deli
verer is seen and trusted in, — " O wretched man that I
am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death I" I
thank God through Jesus Christ my Lord.* The deliver
ance also in the case described by St. Paul is marked with
the same characters as that exhibited in the conversion of
the Wesleys, " There is now no condemnation to them that
are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh ; but after
the Spirit ; for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
hath made me free from the law of sin and death," —
"Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with
God, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Every thing in
the account of the change wrought in the two brothers,
and several of their friends about the same time, answers

* " All the time I was at Savannah I was thus beating the air.
Being ignorant of the righteousness of Christ, which, by a living
faith in him, bringeth salvation ' to every one that bslieveth,' I sought
to establish my own righteousness, and so laboured in the fire all
my days. I was now properly under the law ; I knew that ' the law
of God was spiritual ;' ' I consented to it that it was good. Yea, I
delighted in it after the inner man.' Yet I was 'carnal, sold under sin.'
Every day was I constrained to cry out, ' What I do, I allow not ;
for what I would I do not, but what I hate, that I do. To will is
indeed present with me ; but how to perform that which is good, I find
not. For the good which I would I do not ; but the evil which I would
not, that I do. I find a law, that when I would do good, evil is present
with me : even the law in my members warring against the law of my
mind, and still bringing me into captivity to the law of sin.'

"In this state, I was indeed fighting continually, but not conquering.
Before, I had willingly served sin ; now it was unwillingly ; but still I
served it. I fell and rose, and fell again. Sometimes I was overcome,
and in heaviness : sometimes I overcame, and was in joy. For, as in
tho former state, I had some foretastes of the terrors of the law, so had
I in this, of the comforts of the Gospel. During this whole strugglo
between nature and grace, which had now continued above ten years,
I had many remarkable returns to prayer, especially when I was in
trouble : I had many sensible comforts, which are indeed no other than
short anticipations of the life of faith. But I was still under the law,
not under grace, the state most who are called Christians are content
to live and die in. For I was only striving with, not freed from, sin :
neither had I ' the witness of the Spirit with my spirit.' And indeed
could not ; for ' I sought it not by faith, but as it were, by the works
of the law.' " (Wesley's Journal.)

REV. JOHN WESLEY. f»9

therefore to the New Testament. Nor was their expe
rience, or the doctrine upon which it was founded, new,
although in that age of declining piety unhappily not com-
mon. The Moravian statement of justifying faith was that
of all the Churches of the Reformation ; and through Peter
Bohler Mr. Wesley came first to understand the true doc-
trine of that Church of which he was a clergyman. His
mind was never so fully imbued with the letter and spirit
of that Article in which she has so truly interpreted St.
Paul as when he learned from him, almost in the words of
the Article itself, that " we are justified by faith only ;" and
that this is "a most wholesome doctrine." For the joyous
change of Mr. Wesley's feelings, upon his persuasion of
his personal interest in Christ through faith, those persons
who like Dr. Southey, (Life of Wesley,") have bestowed
apon it several philosophic solutions, might have found a
better reason had they either consulted St. Paul, who says,
" We joy in God, by whom we have received the recon
ciliation," or their own Church, which has emphatically
declared that the doctrine of justification by faith is not
only very wholesome, but also " very full of comfort "

CHAPTER V.

FROM this time Mr. Wesley commenced that laborious
and glorious ministry, which directly or indirectly was
made the instrument of the salvation of a multitude, not to
be numbered till " the day which shall make all things
manifest." That which he had experienced he preached
to others, with the confidence of one who had " the wit-
ness in himself;" and with a fulness of sympathy for all
who wandered in paths of darkness and distress, which
could not but be inspired by the recollection of his own
former perplexities.

At this period the religious and moral state of the nation
was such as to give the most serious concern to the few
remaining faithful. There is no need to draw a picture
darker than the truth, to add importance to the labours of
the two Wesleys, Mr. Whitefield, and their associates.
The view here taken has often been drawn by pens un
connected with and hostile to Methodism.

The Reformation from popery which so much promoted

60

LIFE OF THE

the instruction of the populace in Scotland, did much less
for the people of England, a great majority of whose lower
classes at the time of the rise of Methodism were even
ignorant of the art of reading ; in many places were semi-
barbarous in their manners ; and had been rescued from
the superstitions of popery, only to be left ignorant of every
thing beyond a few vague and general notions of religion.
Great numbers were destitute even of these; and there are
still agricultural districts in the southern and western coun
ties, where the case is not even at this moment much im
proved. A clergyman has lately asserted in print, that in
many villages of Devonshire the only form of prayer still
taught to their children by the peasantry are the goodly
verses handed down from their popish ancestors, —
" Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John,
Bless the bed that I. lie on," &c.

The degree of ignorance on all Scriptural subjects, and
of dull, uninquiring irreligiousness which prevails in many
other parts, is well known to those who have turned their
attention to such inquiries, and would be incredible to those
who have not.* A great impression was made in many
places by the zealous preachers who sprang forth at the
Reformation ; and in the large towns especially they turn
ed many of the people " from darkness to light." But the
great body of the popish parish priests went round with
the Reformation, without conviction, and performed the
new service, as they performed the old, in order to hold
fast their livings. As what was called Puritanism pre
vailed, more zealous preaching and more careful instruc
tion were employed ; and by such ministers as the two
thousand who were silenced by the act of uniformity, with
many equally excellent men who conformed to the re
established Church, a great body of religious and well-
instructed people were raised up ; and indeed before the
civil wars commenced the nation might be said to be in a
state of hopeful moral improvement. These troubles how
ever arose before the effect produced upon a state of
society sunk very low in vice and ignorance, could be
widely extended ; and the keen and ardent political feel-

* By far the greater number of the peasants in Hampshire and
Berkshire, lately tried under the special commissions for riots and
stack burning, were found unable to read.

REV. JOHN WESLEY.

61

ings which were then excited, and the demoralizing effects
of civil warfare, greatly injured the spirit of piety, by occu
pying the attention of men, and rousing their passions by
other, and often unhallowed, subjects. The effect was as
injurious upon the advocates of the old Church discipline
as upon those of the new, and probably worse ; because
it did not meet in them, for the most part, with principles
so genuine and active to resist it. In many of the latter
Antinomianism and fanaticism became conspicuous ; but
in the former a total irreligion, or a lifeless formality,
produced a haughty dislike of the spiritualities of religion,
or a sneering contempt of them. The mischief was com
pleted by the restoration of the Stuarts ; for whatever
advantages were gained by that event in a civil sense, it let
in a flood of licentiousness and impiety which swept away
almost every barrier that had been raised in the public
mind by the labours of former ages. Infidelity began its
ravages upon the principles of the higher and middle
classes ; the mass of the people remained uneducated, and
were Christians but in name, and by virtue of their bap
tism ; whilst many of the great doctrines of the Reforma
tion were banished both from the universities and the
pulpits. Archbishop Leighton complains that his " Church
was a fair carcass without a spirit ;" and Burnet observes,
that in his time " the clergy had less authority, and were
under more contempt, than those of any Church in Europe ;
for they were much the most remiss in their labours, and
the least severe in their lives." Nor did the case much
amend up to the period of which we speak. Dr. Southey
says, that " from the Restoration to the accession of the
House of Hanover the English Church could boast of its
brightest ornaments and ablest defenders, men who have
never been surpassed in erudition, in eloquence, or in
strength and subtlety of mind." This is true : but it is
equally so, that, with very few exceptions, these great
powers were not employed to teach, defend and inculcate
the doctrines of that Church on personal religion as it is
taught in her Liturgy, her Articles, and her Homilies, but
what often was subversive of them ; and the very autho
rity therefore which such writers acquired by their learned
and able works was in many respects mischievous. They
stood between the people and the better divines of the earlier

62 LIFE OF THE

age of the Church, and put them out of sight ; and they set
an example of preaching which, being generally followed,
placed the pulpit and the desk at perpetual variance, and
reduced an evangelical liturgy to a dead form which was
repeated without thought, or so explained as to take away
its meaning. A great proportion of the clergy, whatever
other learning they might possess, were grossly ignorant
of theology, and contented themselves with reading short
unmeaning sermons, purchased or pilfered, and formed
upon the lifeless theological system of the day. A little
Calvinism remained in the Church, and a little" evangelical
Arminianism ; but the prevalent divinity was Pelagian,
or what very nearly approached it. Natural religion was
the great subject of study, when theology was studied at
all. and was made the test and standard of revealed truth
The doctrine of the opus operatum of the Papists, as to
sacraments, was the faith of the divines of the older school :
and a refined system of ethics, unconnected with Christian
motives, and disjoined from the vital principles of religion
in the heart, was the favourite theory of the modern. The
body of the clergy neither knew nor cared about systems
of any kind. In a great number of instances they were
negligent and immoral ; often grossly so. The populace
of the large towns were ignorant and profligate ; and the
inhabitants of villages added to ignorance and profligacy
brutish and barbarous manners. A more striking instance
of the rapid deterioration of religious light and influence
in a country scarcely occurs, than in our own, from the
Restoration till the rise of Methodism. It affected not
only the Church, but the dissenting sects in no ordinary
degree. The Presbyterians had commenced their course
through Arianism down to Socinianism ; and those who
held the doctrines of Calvin had, in too many instances, by
a course of hot-house planting, luxuriated them into the
fatal and disgusting errors of Antinomianism. There were
indeed many happy exceptions ; but this was the general
state of religion and morals in the country, when the
Wesley s. Whitefield, and a few kindred spirits came forth,
ready to sacrifice ease, reputation, and even life itself, to
produce a reformation.

Before Mr. Wesley entered upon the career which after-
ward distinguished him, and having no preconceived plan

BEV. JOHN WESLEY. 63

nr course of conduct, but to seek good for himself, and to
do good to others, he visited the Moravian settlements in
G' rmany. On his journey he formed an acquaintance
with several pious ministers in Holland and Germany ;
and at Marienbourn was greatly edified by the conversa
tion of Count Zinzendorf, and others of the brethren, of
views he did not however in all respects even then
approve. From thence he proceeded to Hernhuth, -wh'-n;
he staid a fortnight, conversing with the elders, and observ
ing the economy of that Church, part of which with modi
fications he afterward introduced among his own societies.
The sermons of Christian David especially interested him ;
and of one of them, on " the ground of our faith," he gives
the substance ; which we may insert, both as excellent in
itself, and as it so well agrees with what Mr. Wesley after-
ward uniformly taught : —

" The word of reconciliation which the apostles preach
ed, as the foundation of all they taught, was, that 'we are
reconciled to God, not by our own works, nor by our own
righteousness, but wholly and solely by the blood of
Christ/

" But you will say, Must I not grieve and rnourn for my
sins? Must I not humble myself before my God? is
not this just and right? And rnu.st I not first do this be
fore I can expect God to be reconciled to me ? I answer,
It is just and right. You must be humbled before God.
You must have a broken and contrite heart. But then
observe, this is not vour own work. Do you grieve that you
are a sinner? This is the work of the Holy Ghost. Arc
you contrite? Are you humbled before God? Do you
indeed mourn, and is your heart broken within you? All
this worketh the self-same Spirit.

•• Ob-erve ajrairi. this is not the foundation. It is not this
by which you are justified. This is not the rightcoiMMH^
this is no part of the righteousness, by which you are re
conciled unto God. You grieve for your sins. You are
deeply humble. Your heart is broken. Well. But all
this is nothing to your justification.* The remission of
your sins is not owing to this cause, either in whole or in

* "This is not guarded. These things do not merit our justifica
tion, but they are' absolutely necessary in order to it. God never
pardons the impenitent." ( Wttley's Journal. j

64 LIFE OF THE

part. Nay observe farther, that it may hinder your justifi
cation ; that is, if you build any thing upon it ; if you think,
I must be so or so contrite : I must grieve more, before I
can be justified. Understand this well. To think you
must be more contrite, more humble, more grieved, more
sensible of the weight of sin, before you can be justified,
is, to lay your contrition, your grief, your humiliation for
the foundation of your being justified : at least for a part
of the foundation. Therefore it hinders your justification ;
and a hinderance it is which must be removed, before you
can lay the right foundation. The right foundation is, not
your contrition, (though that is not your own,) not your
righteousness, nothing of your own ; nothing that is
wrought in you by the Holy Ghost ; but it is something
without you, viz. the righteousness and blood of Christ.

" For this is the word, * To him that believeth on God
that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for right
eousness.' See ye not, that the foundation is nothing in
us 1 There is no connection between God and the ungodly.
There is no tie to unite them. They are altogether sepa
rate from each other. They have nothing in common.
There is nothing less or more in the ungodly, to join them
to God. Works, righteousness, contrition ? No. Ungod
liness only. This then do, if you will lay a right founda
tion : — Go straight to Christ with all your ungodliness.
Tell him, Thou whose eyes are as a flame of fire, search
ing my heart, seest that I am ungodly. I plead nothing
else. I do not say, I am humble or contrite ; but I am
ungodly. Therefore bring me to Him that justifieth the
ungodly. Let thy blood be the propitiation for me ; for
there is nothing in me but ungodliness.

" Here is a mystery. Here the wise men of the world
are lost, are taken in their own craftiness. This the
learned of the world cannot comprehend. It is foolishness
unto them. Sin is the only thing which divides men from
God. Sin (let him that heareth understand) is the only
thing which unites them to God ; that is, the only thing
which moves the Lamb of God to have compassion upon
them, and by his blood to give them access to the Father.

" This is the word of reconciliation which we preach.
This is the foundation which never can be moved. By
faith we are built upon this foundation ; and this faith also

HEV. JOHN WESLEY. 65

is the gift of God. It is his free gift, which he now and
ever giveth to every one that is willing to receive it. And
when they have received this gift of God, then their hearts
will melt for sorrow that they have offended him. But
this gift of God lives in the heart, not in the head. The
faith of the head, learned from men or books, is nothing
worth. It brings neither remission of sins, nor peace with
God. Labour then to believe with your whole heart. So
shall you have redemption through the blood of Christ. So
shall you be cleansed from all sin. So shall ye go on from
strength to strength, being renewed day by day in right
eousness and all true holiness." (Journal.^

" I would gladly," says Mr. Wesley, " have spent my
life here; but my Master calling me to labour in another
part of his vineyard, I was constrained to take my leave of
this happy place. O when shall this Christianity cover
the earth, as the « waters cover the sea !' " He adds in
another place, " I was exceedingly comforted and strength
ened by the conversation of this lovely people ; and
returned to England more fully determined to spend my
life in testifying the Gospel of the grace of God."
(Journal.)

He arrived in London in September, 1738. His fu
ture course of life does not appear to have been shaped
out in his mind ; no indication of this appears in any of
his letters, or other communication : so little ground is
there for the insinuation, which has been so often made,
that he early formed the scheme of making himself the
head of a sect. This, even those inconsistencies, con
sidering him as a Churchman, into which circumstances
afterward impelled him, sufficiently refute. That he was
averse to settle as a parish minister is certain ; and the
man who regarded " the world as his parish," must have
had large views of usefulness. That he kept in mind the
opinion of the bishop who ordained him, that he was at
liberty to decline settling as a parish priest, provided he
thought that he could serve the Church better in any other
way, is very probable ; and if he had any fixed pur
pose at all, at this time, beyond what ciicumstances daily
opened to him, and from which he might infer the path of
duty, it was to attempt to revive the spirit of religion in
the Church to which he belonged and which he loved, by

66 LIFE OF THE

preaching " the Gospel of the grace of God" in as many
of her pulpits as he should be permitted to occupy. This
was the course he pursued. Wherever he was invited,
he preached the obsolete doctrine of salvation by grace
through faith. In London great crowds followed him ;
the clergy generally excepted to his statement of the doc
trine ; the genteeler part of his audiences, Avhether they
attended to the sermon or not, were offended at the bus-
tie of crowded congregations ; and soon almost all the
churches of the metropolis, one after another, were shut
against him. He had, however, largely laboured in vari
ous parts of the metropolis in churches, rooms, houses,
and prisons ; and the effects produced were powerful and
lasting. Soon after, we find him at Oxford, employed in
writing to his friends abroad, communicating the good
news of a great awakening both in London and in that
city. To Dr. Koker, of Rotterdam, he writes, Oct. 13,
1738 : " His blessed Spirit has wrought so powerfully
both in London and Oxford, that there is a general
awakening, and multitudes are crying out, What must we
do to be saved ? So that till our gracious Master sendeth
more labourers into his harvest, all my time is much too
little for them." And to the Church at Hernhuth, he
writes under the same date : " We are endeavouring here,
also, by the grace Avhich is given us, to be followers of
you, as ye are of Christ. Fourteen were added to us
since our return ; so that we have now eight bands of
men, consisting of fifty-six persons, all of whom seek for
salvation only in the blood of Christ. As yet we have
only two small bands of women, the one of three, the
other of five persons. But here are many others who
only wait till we have leisure to instruct them how they
may most effectually build up one another in the faith and
love of Him who gave himself for them.

" Though my brother and I are not permitted to preach
in most of the churches in London, yet, thanks be to
God, there are others left, wherein we have liberty to speak
the truth as it is in Jesus. Likewise every evening, and
on set evenings in the week, at two several places, we
publish the word of reconciliation, sometimes to twenty
or thirty, sometimes to fifty or sixty, sometimes to three
or four hundred persons, met together to hear it."

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 67

In December he met Mr. Whitefield, who had returned
to London from America, " and they again took sweet coun
sel together." In the spring of the next year, he followed
Mr. Whitefield to Bristol, where he had preached with great
success in the open air. Mr. Wesley first expounded to a
little society,* accustomed to meet in Nicholas-street ; and
the next day he overcame his scruples, and preached abroad,
on an eminence near the city, to more than two thousand

* The " Societies" which Mr. Wesley mentions in his journals as
visited by him, for the purpose of expounding the Scriptures, in Lon
don and Bristol, were the remains of those which Dr. Woodward
describes, in an account first published about 1698 or 1699. They
began, about the year 1667, among a few young men in London, who,
under Dr. Horneck's preaching, and the morning lectures in Corn,
hill, were brought, says Dr. Woodward, " to a very affecting sense of
their sins, and began to apply themselves in a very serious way to re
ligious thoughts and purposes." They were advised by their minis,
ters to meet together weekly for " good discourse ;" and rules were
drawn up " for the better regulation of these meetings." They con
tributed weekly for the use of the poor, and stewards were appointed
to take care of and to disburse their charities. In the latter part of
the reign of James II, they met with discouragement ; but on the ac-
c^ssion of William and Mary they acquired new vigour. When Dr
Woodward wrote his account, there were about forty of these soci •
eties in activity, within the bills of mortality, a few in the country,
and nine in Ireland. Out of these societies about twenty associations
arose, in London, for the prosecution and suppression of vice ; and
both these, and tho private societies for religious edification, had for
a time much encouragement from several bishops, and from the queen
hersslf. By their rules they were obliged, at their weekly meetings,
to discourse only on such subjects as tended to practical holiness, and
to avoid all controversy ; and beside relieving the poor, they were to
promote schools, and the catechising of " young and ignorant persons
in their respective families." These societies certainly opened a
favourable prospect for the revival of religion in the Church of Eng-
Itind : but, whether they were cramped by clerical jealousy lest lay.
men should become too active in spiritual concerns ; or that from
their being bound by their orders to prosecute vice by calling in the
aid of the magistrate, their moral influence among the populace was
counteracted ; they appear to have declined from about 1710 ; and al
though several societies still remnined in London, Bristol, and a few
other places, at the time when Mr. Wesley commenced his labours,
they were not in a state of growth and activity. They had, however,
been the means of keeping the spark of piety from entire extinction.
The sixth edition of Dr. Woodward's account of these societies was
published in 1744 ; but from that time we hear no more of them ;
they either gradually died away, or were absorbed in the Methodist
Societies. This atlonst was the case with several of them in Lon
don and Bristol ; and with that of St. Ives, in Cornwall.

68 LIFE OF THE

persons. On this practice he observes, that though till lately
he had been so tenacious of every point relating to decency
and order, that he should have thought the saving of souls
almost a sin if it had not been clone in a church, yet, 4i I have
since seen abundant reason to adore the wise providence
of God herein, making a way for myriads of people, who
never troubled any church or were likely so to do, to hear
that word which they soon found to be the power of God
unto salvation."

The manner in which he filled up his time, may be seen
from the following account of his weekly labours at this
period, at or near Bristol. " My ordinary employment in
public was now as follows : Every morning I read prayers
and preached at Newgate. Every evening I expounded a
portion of Scripture, at one or more of the societies. On
Monday in the afternoon I preached abroad near Bristol.
On Tuesday at Bath and Two Mile Hill, alternately. On
Wednesday at Baptist Mills. Every other Thursday, neat
Pensford. Every other Friday, in another part of Kings
wood. On Saturday in the afternoon, and Sunday morning,
in the Bowling Green. On Sunday at eleven near Hannani
Mount, at two at Clifton, at five at Rose Green. And
hitherto, as my day is, so is my strength." (Journal.}

During Mr. Wesley's visit to Germany, his brother
Charles was zealously employed in preaching the same
doctrines, and with equal zeal, in the churches in London ;
and in holding meetings for prayer and expounding the
Scriptures. At this time he also visited Oxford, and was
made useful to several of his old college friends. When
his brother returned from Hernhuth, he met him with
great joy in London, and they " compared their experience
in the things of God." The doctrine of predestination,
on which so many disputes have arisen in the Church, and
which was soon to be warmly debated among the first
Methodists, was soon after started at a meeting for expo
sition. Mr. Charles contented himself with simply pro
testing against it. He now first began to preach extem
pore. In a conference which the brothers had with the
bishop of London, they cleared up some complaints as
to their doctrine which he had received against them,
and were upon the whole treated by him with liberality.
He strongly disapproved, however, of their practice 01

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 69

rebaptizing persons who had been baptized by Dissenters,
in which they exhibited the firm hold which their High
Church feelings still retained upon their minds. His
lordship showed himself, in this respect, not only more
liberal, but better versed in ecclesiastical law and usage.
The bishop at this, and at other interviews, guarded them
strongly against Antinomianism, of which, however, they
were in no danger. He was probably alarmed, as many
had been, at the stress they laid on faith, not knowing the
necessary connection of the faith they preached with uni
versal holiness. Mr. Whitefield was at this time at Ox-
ford, and pressed Charles earnestly to accept a college
living ; which, as Dr. Whitehead justly observes, " gives
pretty clear evidence that no plan of itinerant preaching
was yet fixed on, nor indeed thought of: had any such
plan been in agitation among them, it is very certain Mr.
Whitefield would not have urged this advice on Mr. Charles
Wesley, whom he loved as a brother, and whose labours he
highly esteemed." (Wliitehead's Life.}

About this time some disputes took place, in the Fetter,
lane Society, as to lay-preaching, and Mr. Charles Wes
ley, in the absence of his brother, declared warmly against
it. He had also, whilst Mr. John Wesley was still at
Bristol, a painful interview at Lambeth, with the arch
bishop of Canterbury. His Grace took no exceptions to
his doctrine, but condemned the irregularity of his pro
ceedings, and even hinted at proceeding to excommunica
tion. This threw him into great perplexity of mind, until
Mr. Whitefield, with characteristic boldness, urged him to
preach " in the fields the next Sunday : by which step he
would break down the bridge, render his retreat difficult
or impossible, and be forced to fight his way forward."
This advice he followed. "June 24th, I prayed," says
he, " and went forth in the name of Jesus Christ. * I
found near a thousand helpless sinners waiting for the
word in Moorfields. I invited them in my Master's
words, as well as name : Come unto me, all ye that labour
and are heavy-laden; and I will give you rest. The
Lord was with me, even me, the meanest of his messen
gers, according to his promise. At St. Paul's, the psalms,
lessons, &c, for the day, put new life into me : and so did
the sacrament. My load was gone, and all my doubts

70 LI*'E OF THE

and scruples. God shone on my path, and I knew this
was his will concerning me. I walked to Kennirigton
Common, and cried to multitudes upon multitudes, Repent
ye, and believe the Gospel. The Lord was my strength,
and my mouth, and my wisdom. O that all would there
fore praise the Lord for his goodness !"

At Oxford also, he had to sustain the severity of the dean
on the subject of field preaching ; but he seized the oppor
tunity of bearing his testimony to the doctrine of justifica
tion by faith, by preaching with great boldness before the
university. On his return to London, he resumed field
preaching in Moorfields, and on Kennington Common.
At one time it was computed that as many as ten thou
sand persons were collected, and great numbers were
roused to a serious inquiry after religion. His word was
occasionally attended with an overwhelming influence.

That great public attention should be excited by these
extraordinary and novel proceedings ; and that the digni
taries of the Church, and the advocates of stillness and
order, should take the alarm at them, as " doubting where-
unto this thing might grow," were inevitable consequences.
A doctrine so obsolete, that on its revival it was regarded
as new and dangerous, was now publicly proclaimed as
the doctrine of the apostles and reformers ; the con
sciousness of forgiveness of sins was professed by many,
and enforced as the possible attainment of all; several
clergymen of talents and learning, which would have given
influence to any cause, endued with mighty zeal, and with
a restless activity, instead of settling in parishes, were
preaching in various churches and private rooms, and to
vast multitudes in the open air, alternately in the metro
polis, and at Bristol, Oxford, and the interjacent places.
They alarmed the careless by bringing before them the
solemnities of the last judgment ; they explained the spi
rituality of that law, upon which the self-righteous trusted
for salvation, and convinced them that the justification of
man was by the grace of God alone through faith ; and
they roused the dozing adherents of mere forms, by teach,
ing that true religion implies a change of the whole heart
wrought by the Holy Ghost. With equal zeal and earnest*
ness, they checked the pruriency of the Calvinistic system,
as held by many Dissenters, by insisting that the law which

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 71

cannot justify, was still the rule of life, and the standard of
holiness to all true believers ; and taught that mere doc-
trinal views of evangelical truth, however correct, were
quite as vain and unprofitable as Pharisaism and formality
when made a substitute for vital faith, spirituality, and
practical holiness. All this zeal was supported and made
more noticeable, by the moral elevation of their character.
Their conduct was scrupulously hallowed; their spirit,
gentle, tender, and sympathizing ; their courage, bold and
undaunted ; their patience, proof against all reproach,
hardships, persecutions ; their charities to the poor abound,
ed to the full extent of all their resources ; their labours
were wholly gratuitous; and their wonderful activity, and
endurance of the fatigues of rapid travelling, seemed to
destroy the distance of place, and to give them a sort of
ubiquity in the vast circuit which they had then adopted
as the field of their labours. For all these reasons, they
" were men to be wondered at," even in this the infancy
of their career ; and as their ardour was increased by the
effects which followed, the conversion of great numbers to
God, of which the most satisfactory evidence was afford,
ed, it disappointed those who anticipated that their zeal
would soon cool, and that, " shorn of their strength" by
opposition, reproach, and exhausting labours, they would
become " like other men."

An infidel or semi-Christian philosophy has its theories
at hand to account for the appearance and conduct of such
extraordinary men. If their own supposed " artifices,"
and the " temptation to place themselves at the head of a
sect," will not solve the case ; it then resorts " to the cir
cumstances of the age," or to " that restless activity and
ambition" which finds in them "a promising sphere of
action, and is attracted onward by its first successes."
Even many serious Churchmen of later times, who con-
tend that the great men of the Reformation were raised up
by Divine Providence in mercy to the world, are kept by
sectarian prejudices from acknowledging a similar provi
dential leading in the case of the Wesleys, Whitefield, and
Howell Harris, because the whole of the good effected has
not rested within their own pale, and all the sheep collect
ed out of the wilderness have not been gathered into their
own fold. The sober Christian will, however, resort to

72 LIFE OF THE

the first principles of his own religion in order to form his
judgment. He will acknowledge that the Lord of the har.
vest has the prerogative of " sending forth his labourers ;"
that men who change the religious aspect of whole nations
cannot be the offspring of chance, or the creation of cir
cumstances ; that, whatever there may be of personal
fitness in them for the work, as in the eminent natural and
acquired talents of St. Paul ; and whatever there may be
in circumstances to favour their usefulness, these things
do not shut out the special agency of God, but make it the
more manifest ; since the first more strikingly marks his
agency in preparing his own servants, and training his sol
diers ; and the second, his wisdom in choosing the times
of their appearance, and the scenes of their labours, and
thus setting before them " an open door, and effectual."
Nor can it be allowed, if we abide by the doctrine of the
Scriptures, that a real spiritual good could have been so
extensively and uniformly effected, and "multitudes turned
to the Lord," unless God had been with the instruments,
seconding their labours, and "giving his own testimony to
the word of his grace." The hand of God is equally con
spicuous in connecting the leading events of their earlier
history with their future usefulness. They were men
"separated to the Gospel of God;" and every devout and
grateful Christian will not cease to recognize in their ap
pearance, labours, and successes, the mercy of God to a
land where " truth had fallen in the streets," and the people
were sitting in darkness, and in the shadow of death.

CHAPTER VI.

WE left Mr. Wesley at Bristol, in the summer of 1739,
to which scene of labour, after a visit to London, he again
returned. Kingswood was mentioned in the account given
by Mr. Wesley, in the preceding chapter, of his labours ;
and in this district, inhabited by colliers, and, from its rude
ness, a terror to the neighbourhood, the preaching of the
two brothers and of Mr. Whitefield was eminently success
ful. The colliers were even proverbial for wickedness ;
but many of them became truly exemplary for their piety.
These had been exhorted, it seems, to go to Bristol to

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 73

receive the sacrament ; but their numbers were so consi
derable that the Bristol clergy,* averse to the additional
labour imposed upon them, repelled them from the com-
munion, on the plea that they did not belong to their
parishes.

The effect of the leaven which had been thus placed in
this mass of barbarism was made conspicuous in the fol
lowing year, in the case of a riot, of which Mr. Charles
Wesley gives the following account. Being informed that
the colliers had risen, on account of the dearness of corn,
and were marching for Bristol, he rode out to meet them,
and talk with them. Many seemed disposed to return with
him to the school which had been built for their children ;
but the most desperate rushed violently upon them, beat
ing them, and driving them away from their pacific adviser
He adds, " I rode up to a ruffian, who was striking one of
our colliers, and prayed him rather to strike me. He
answered, ' No, not for all the world,' and was quite over
come. I turned upon another, who struck my horse, and
he also sunk into a lamb. Wherever I turned, Satan's
cause lost ground, so that they were obliged to make one
general assault, and the violent colliers forced the quiet
ones into the town. I seized one of the tallest, and ear
nestly besought him to follow me. Yes, he said, that he
would, all the Avorld over. I pressed about six into the
service. We met several parties, and stopped and exhort
ed them to follow us ; and gleaning some from every com
pany, we increased as we marched on singing to the school.
From one till three o'clock we spent in prayer, that evil
might be prevented, and the lion chained. Then news
was brought us that the colliers were returned in peace.
They had walked quietly into the city, without sticks or
the least violence. A few of the better sort of them went
to the mayor, and told their grievance ; then they all re
turned as they came, without noise or disturbance. All

* Several of the Bristol clergy were at that time of a persecuting
character. They induced a Captain Williams, the master of a vessel
trading to Georgia, to make an affidavit of some statements to the dis
advantage of Mr. Wesley in the affair of Mrs. Williamson ; but they
took care that he should set sail before they published it. This led
to the publication of Mr. Wesley's first journal, as he states in tho
preface. In that journal he gave his own account of the matter, and
they were silenced.

7

74 LIFE OF THE

who saw It were amazed. Nothing could more clearly
have shown the change wrought among them than this
conduct on such an occasion." — "I found afterward that
all our colliers to a man had been forced away. Having
learned of Christ not to resist evil, they went a mile with
those who compelled them, rather than free themselves by
violence. One man the rioters dragged out of his sick bed,
and threw him into the fish pond. Near twenty of Mr.
Willis's men they had prevailed on, by threatening to fill
up their pits, and bury them alive if they did not come up
and bear them company." — " It was a happy circumstance
that they forced so many of the Methodist colliers to go
with them ; as these, by their advice and example, restrain,
ed the savage fury of the others. This undoubtedly was
the true cause why they all returned home without making
any disturbance."

To a gentleman who requested some account of what
had been done in Kingswood, Mr. John Wesley wrote the
following statement : —

" Few persons have lived long in the west of England
who have not heard of the colliers of Kingswood, a people
famous, from the beginning hitherto, for neither fearing
God nor regarding man ; so ignorant of the things of God,
that they seemed but one remove fro-rn beasts that perish,
and therefore utterly without the desire of instruction, as
well as without the means of it.

" Many last winter used tauntingly to say of Mr. White-
field, « If he will convert heathens, why does not he go to
the colliers of Kingswood '?' In the spring he did so. And
as there were thousands who resorted to no place of public
worship, he went after them into their own * wilderness, to
seek and save that which was lost.' When he was called
away, others went into ' the highways and hedges, to coin,
pel them to come in.' And, by the grace of God, their
labour was not in vain. The scene is already changed.
Kingswood does not now, as a year ago, resound with
cursing and blasphemy. It is no more filled with drunk-
enness and uncleanness, and the idle diversions that natu
rally lead thereto. It is no longer full of wars and fightings,
of clamour and bitterness, of wrath and envyings. Peace
and love are there. Great numbers of the people are mild,
gentle, and easy to be entreated. They 'do not cry, neither

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 75

strive ;' and hardly is * their voice heard in the streets,' or
indeed in their own wood, unless when they are at their usual
evening diversion, singing praise unto God their Saviour."

At this time Mr. Wesley visited Bath, where the cele
brated Beau Nash, then lord of the ascendant in that city,
attempted to confront the field preacher.

" There was great expectation at Bath, of what a rioted
man was to do to me there : and I was much entreated
* not to preach ; because no one knew what might happen.'
By this report I also gained a much larger audience, among
whom were many of the rich and great. I told them plain
ly, the Scripture had concluded them all under sin, high
and low, rich and poor, one with another. Many of them
seemed to be not a little surprised, and were sinking apace
into seriousness, when their champion appeared, and,
coming close to me, asked by what authority I did these
things. I replied, By the authority of Jesus Christ, con
veyed to me by the (now) archbishop of Canterbury, when
he laid his hands upon me, and said, ' Take thou authority
to preach the Gospel.' He said, 'This is contrary to act
of parliament. This is a conventicle.' I answered, ' Sir,
the conventicles mentioned in that act (as the preamble
shows) are seditious meetings. But this is not such. Here
is no shadow of sedition. Therefore it is not contrary to
that act.' He replied, ' I say it is. And beside, your
preaching frightens people out of their wits.' ' Sir, did you
ever hear me preach ?' ' No.' ' How then can you judge
of what you never heard T ' Sir, by common report. Com
mon report is enough.' ' Give me leave, sir, to ask, Is not
your name Nash ?' ' My name is Nash.' * Sir, I dare
not judge of you by common report. I think it is not
enough to judge by.' Here he paused awhile, and having
recovered himself, asked, ' I desire to know what this peo
ple come here for ?' On which one replied, ' Sir, leave
him to me. Let an old woman answer him.' 'You, Mr.
Nash, take care of your body. We take care of our souls,
and for the good of our souls we come here.' He replied
not a word, but walked away.

" As I returned, the street was full of people, hurrying
to and fro, and speaking great words. But when any of
them asked, ' Which is he ?' and I replied, « I am he,'
they were immediately silent. Several ladies following

76 LIFE OF THE

me into Mr. Merchant's house, the servant told me, there
were some wanted to speak with me. I went to them,
and said, * I believe, ladies, the maid mistook ; you only
wanted to look at me.' I added, < I do not expect that
the rich and great should want either to speak with me, or
to hear me, for I speak the plain truth ; a thing you hear
little of, and do not desire to hear.' A few more words
passed between us, and I retired." (Journal.)

After visiting London, and preaching to vast multitudes
in Moorfields, on Kennington Common, and other places,
some of whom were strangely affected, and many effectu
ally awakened to a sense of sin. in October Mr. Wesley
had a pressing invitation to Wales, where, although the
churches were shut against him, he preached in private
houses, and in the open air, often during sharp frosts, and
was gladly received by the people. " I have seen," says
he, " no part of England so pleasant, for sixty or seventy
miles together, as those parts of Wales I have been in ,
and most of the inhabitants are indeed ripe for the Gospel.
I mean, if the expression t eems strange, they are earn-
estly desirous of being instructed in it ; and as utterly
ignorant of it they are as any Creek or Cherokee Indians.
1 do not mean they are ignorant of the name of Christ ;
many of them can say both the Lord's Prayer and the
Belief; nay, and some, all the Catechism ; but take them
out of the road of what they have learned by rote, and
they know no more (nine in ten of those with whom I
conversed) either of Gospel salvation, or of that faith
whereby alone we are saved, than Chicali, or Torno Cha-
chi. Now what spirit is he of who had rather these poor
creatures should perish for lack of knowledge than that
they should be saved, even by the exhortations of Howell
Harris, or an itinerant preacher 1 The word did not fall
to the ground. Many repented, and believed the Gospel.
And some joined together to strengthen each other's
hands in God, and to provoke one another to love and to
good works." (Journal.)

About this time he stated his doctrinal views in perhaps
as clear a manner, though in a summary form, as at any
period subsequently : —

"A serious clergyman desired to know in what points
we differed from the Church of England. I answered,

REV. JOHN WESLEY.

To the best of my knowledge, in none ; the doctrines we
preach are the doctrines of the Church of England, in-
deed the fundamental doctrines of the Church clearly laid
down, both in her Prayers, Articles, and Homilies.

•« He asked, « In what points then do you differ from
the other clergy of the Church of England?' I answered,
In none from that part of the clergy who adhere to the
doctrines of the Church ; but from that part of the clergy
who dissent from the Church (though they own it not) I
differ in the points following : —

" First, They speak of justification, either as the same
thing with sanctification, or as something consequent upon
it. I believe justification to be wholly distinct from sanc
tification, and necessarily antecedent to it.

" Secondly, They speak of our own holiness or good
works as the cause of our justification, or that for the
sake of which, on account of which, we are justified be
fore God. I believe, neither our own holiness nor good
works are any part of the cause of our justification ; but
that the death and righteousness of Christ are the wholo
and sole cause of it, or that for the sake of which, on ac
count of which, we are justified before God.

" Thirdly, They speak of good works as a condition
of justification, necessarily previous to it. I believe, no
good work can be previous to justification, nor, conse
quently, a condition of it ; but that we are justified,
(being till that hour ungodly, and therefore incapable
of doing any good work) by faith alone ; faith, without
works ; faith, though producing all, yet including no good
works.

" Fourthly, They speak of sanctification, or holiness,
as if it were an outward thing ; as if it consisted chiefly,
if not wholly, in these two points : 1. The doing no harm :
2. The doing good, as it is called ; that is, the using the
means of grace, and helping our neighbour.

" I believe it to be an inward thing, namely, « the lite
of God in the soul of man ; a participation of the Divine
nature ; the mind that was in Christ ;' or, < the renewal
of our heart after the image of Him that created us.'

" Lastly, They speak of the new birth as an outward
thing ; as if it were no more than baptism, or, at most, a
change from outward wickedness to outward goodness,
T*

78 LIFE OF THE

from a vicious to what is called a virtuous life. I believe
it to be an inward thing ; a change from inward wicked,
ness to inward goodness ; an entire change of our inmost
nature from the image of the devil, wherein we are born,
to the image of God ; a change from the love of the
creature to the love of the Creator, from earthly and sen
sual to heavenly and holy affections ; in a word, a change
from the tempers of the spirits of darkness to those of the
angels of God in heaven.

"There is therefore a wide, essential, fundamental,
irreconcilable difference between us ; so that if they speak
the truth as it is in Jesus, I am found a false witness be
fore God. But if I teach the way of God in truth, they
are blind leaders of the blind." (Journal.)

Disputes having arisen between the Methodists and
Moravians, who still formed one society at Fetter-lane,
Mr. Wesley returned to London. Over this society he
professed to have no authority, and, as it appeared, had
but little influence. Various new doctrines of a mystical
kind, which he thought dangerous, had been introduced by
several of the teachers ; and it seems he foresaw a sepa
ration from them to be inevitable, for he had taken a
place near Moorfields, which had been used as a foundery
for casting cannon ; and on this visit he preached in it to
very numerous congregations. He was on this and other
visits to London unsuccessful in settling the disputes
which had arisen in the society ; and in June, 1740, he
again came to London, and spent upward of a month
among them, occupied at intervals in the same attempt.
His efforts being fruitless, he read to them the following
paper : —

" About nine months ago, certain of you began to speak
contrary to the doctrine we had till then received. The
sum of what you asserted is this : 1. That there is no such
thing as weak faith : that there is no justifying faith, where
there is ever any doubt or fear ; or where there is not, in
the full sense, a new, a clean heart. 2. That a man ought
not to use those ordinances of God, which our Church
terms means of grace, before he has such a faith as ex
cludes all doubt and fear, and implies a new, a clean heart
3. You have often affirmed, that to search the Scriptures
to pray, 01 to communicate, before we have this faith, is t<

HEV. JOIIX WESLEY.

seek salvation by works ; and till these works are laid
aside, no man can receive faith.

" I believe these assertions to be flatly contrary to the
word of God. I have warned you hereof again and again,
and besought you to turn back to the law and to the testi
mony. I have borne with you long, hoping you would
turn!^ But as I find you more and more confirmed in the
error of your ways, nothing now remains but that I should
give you up to God. You that are of the same judgment
follow me." — " I then," adds Mr. Wesley, " without saying
any thing more, withdrew, as did eighteen or nineteen of
the society."

Those who continued to adhere to him then met at the
Foundery, the whole number amounting to about seventy-
two. The Moravian teacher Molther appears to have been
the chief author of the novel opinions objected to by Mr.
Wesley, whom however Peter Bohler thought Mr. Wesley
misunderstood ; which was not likely, as Mr. Charles
Wesley mentions the same things in his journal. Toward
the Moravian Church at large, Mr. Wesley continued to
feel an unabated affection ; but as he was never a member
of that Church, and maintained only a kind of co-fraternity
with those of them who were in London, when these be
came infected with novel opinions, his departure from
them, with such as were of the same mind as himself, and
were also members of the Church of England, was a step of
prudence and of peace. From a conversation which he had
with Count Zinzendorf a short time afterward, and which
he has published, it would seem that a refined species of
Antinomianism had crept in amongst the Moravians ; and
that the Count was at that time by no means a teacher of
the class of Peter Bohler. But, to affirm with Zinzendorf,
that there is nothing but imputed righteousness, and to re
ject inherent righteousness ; — to insist upon all our perfec
tion being in Christ, and to deny the Christian perfection
or maturit}^ which believers derive from him, — was not in
accordance with the Moravian Church, appears from the
following extract from the authorized exposition of their
doctrines by Spangenberg, which, as the perversions of
these " wrong-headed men" have been mentioned, it would
h •$ unjust to the body of Moravians to withhold : —

" Although this faith, which is so peci Jiar to all the

80 LIFE OP THE

children of God, that whoever has it not is no child of God,
does no outward wonders and signs, raises none from the
dead, removes no mountains, yet it does and performs other
things, which are of much greater importance. What
are those things ] Answer : We through faith attain to
the enjoyment of that which Christ hath by his sacrifice
purchased for us. We are, (1.) Through faith in Jesus
Christ made free from the dominion of sin. Paul says,
* Sin shall not have dominion over you, for ye are not un
der the law, but under grace,' Rom. vi, 14.

" All those who believe in Jesus Christ are freed from
the curse and condemnation of the law ; they obtain for
giveness of sins, become the adopted children of God, and
are sealed with the Holy Ghost. These are they, then,
who are made free from the dominion of sin, because they
are under grace. Now when they are thus exhorted, « Let
not sin reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it
in the lusts thereof; neither yield ye your members as in-
struments of unrighteousness unto sin,' &c, Rom. vi. 12,
13 ; they cannot say, O that is impossible for us; we are
but sinful men ; the flesh is weak, and the like. For they
have Jesus Christ, who saveth his people from their sins ;
they have a Father in heaven, who heareth their prayer
and supplication. The Holy Ghost dwells in their hearts,
and strengthens them in all that is good. If they therefore
do but rightly make use of the grace wherein through faith
they stand, then sin can have no dominion over them.
This is exactly what John says, 1st Epist. iii, 9, * Whoso
ever is born of God, doth not commit sin,' (he doth not
let sin reign, or have the dominion in his mortal body, that
he should obey it in the lusts thereof,) « for his seed re-
maineth in him ; and he cannot sin, because he is born of
God.' That is, his heart will comply with no such thing;
for he loves our Saviour, being a child of God, and a par-
taker of the Holy Ghost." (Exposition, pp. 215, 216.)

Not only Antinomian errors, but mystic notions of ceas
ing from ordinances and waiting for faith in stillness,
greatly prevailed also among the Moravians in London at
this time, and were afterward carried by them into many
of the country Methodist Societies in Yorkflhire,Derbyshirc,
and other places. Of the effect at Nottingham, Mr. Wesley
gives a curious account in his journal for June, 1743 :—

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 81

" In the afternoon we went on to Nottingham, where
Mr. Howe received us gladly. At eight the society met.
as usual. 1 could not but observe, 1. That the room was
not half full, which used, until very lately, to be crowded
within and without. 2. That not one person who came
in used any prayer at all ; but every one immediately sat
down, and began either talking to his neighbour, or look
ing about to see who was there. 3. That when I began
to pray, there appeared a general surprise, no one offering
to kneel down, and those who stood, choosing the most
easy, indolent posture which they conveniently could. I
afterward looked for one of our hymn books upon the
desk, (for I knew Mr. Howe had brought one from Lon
don,) but both that and the Bible were vanished away.
And in the room lay the Moravian Hymns, and the Count's
Sermons." (Journal.}

That incautious book, Luther on the Galatians, appears
to have been the source of the Antinomianism of the Mo
ravians ; and their quietism they learned from Madame
Guion, and other French mystic writers.

The Methodist Society, as that name distinguishes the
people who to this day acknowledge Mr. Wesley as their
founder under God, was, properly speaking, as a society
specially under his pastoral charge, collected in this year,
(1740,) at the chapel in Moorfields, where he regularly
preached, and where, by the blessing of God upon his and
Mr. Charles Wesley's labours, the society rapidly increas
ed. For this, and for the societies in Bristol, Kingswood,
and other parts, he, in 1743, drew up a set of rules, which
continue in force to the present time, and the observance
of which was then, and continues to be, the condition of
membership. They are so well known as to render it
unnecessary to quote them. It may only be observed,
that they enjoin no peculiar opinions, and relate entirely
to moral conduct, to charitable offices, and to the observ
ance of the ordinances of God. Churchmen or Dissent
ers, walking by these rules, might become and remain mem
bers of these societies, provided they held their doctrinal
views and disciplinary prepossessions in peace and cha
rity. The sole object of the union was to assist the mem
bers to " make their calling and election sure," by culti
vating the religion of the heart, and a holy conformity to

82 LIFE OF THE

the laws of Christ. These rules bear the signature of
John and Charles Wesley.

Mr. Wesley's mother about this time began to attend
his ministry. She had been somewhat prejudiced against
her sons by reports of their " errors" and " extravagan
cies ;" but was convinced, upon hearing them, that they
spoke "according to the oracles of God." There is an
interesting entry in Mr. Wesley's Journal respecting this
venerable woman : —

" September 3. 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 forgiveness of sins
now, or God's Spirit bearing witness with our spirit : much
less did she imagine, that this was the common privilege
of all true believers. ' Therefore,' said she, 'I never durst
ask for it myself. But twro or three weeks ago, while my
son Hall was pronouncing those words, in delivering the
cup to me, The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ which was
given for thee ; the words struck through my heart, and I
knew God for Christ's sake had forgiven me all my sins.'

" I asked, whether her father (Dr. Annesley) had not
the same faith ; and, whether she had not heard him
preach it to others. She answered, * He had it himself,
and declared a little before his death, that, for more than
forty years, he had no darkness, no fear, no doubt at all
of his being accepted in the Beloved.' But that, neverthe
less, she did not remember to have heard him preach, no,
not once, explicitly upon it : whence she supposed he also
looked upon it as the peculiar blessing of a few, not as
promised to all the people of God." (Journal.)

The extraordinary manner in which some persons were
frequently affected under Mr. Wesley's preaching, as well
as that of his coadjutors, now created much discussion,
and to many gave great offence. Some were seized with
trembling ; others sunk down and uttered loud and piercing
cries ; others fell into a kind of agony. In some instances
whilst prayer was offered for them, they rose up with a sud
den change of feeling, testifying that they had "redemption
through the blood of Christ, even the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of his grace." Mr. Samuel W^esley,
who denied the knowledge of the forgiveness of sins, treated
these things, in a correspondence with his brother, alter-

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 83

nately with sarcasm and serious severity, and particularly
attacked the doctrine of assurance. In this controversy,
Mr. John Wesley attaches no weight whatever to these out-
ward agitations ; but contends that he is bound to believe
the profession made by many, who had been so affected,
of an inward change, because that had been confirmed by
their subsequent conduct and spirit. On the subject of
assurance, the disputants put forth their logical acuteness ;
but the result appears to have been upon the whole in-
structive to the elder brother ; whose letters soften con-
siderabiy toward the close of the dispute. Mr. Samuel
Wesley died in the following November. The circum
stances to which he objected, although he knew them only
by report, and was too far removed from the scene to be
an accurate judge, have since that time furnished ample
subject for serious or satirical animadversion to many wri
ters, and to none more than to Dr. Southey. (Life of
Wesley.) A few general remarks upon this point may not
therefore be here out of place. By this writer it is affirm-
ed, that great importance was attached by Mr. Wesley to
those emotions, and bodily affections, which occasionally
occurred ; and that the most visionary persons, and those
who pretended ecstasies, dreams, &c, were, at least in the
early part of his ministry, the objects of his special respect,
as eminently holy and favoured. This is so far from the
fact, that it is difficult to meet with a divine whose views
of religion are more practical and definite. He did not
deny that occasionally "God," even now, "speaketh in a
dream, in a vision of the night," and that he may thus
"open the ears of men to instruction, and command them
to depart from iniquity ;" he believed that, in point of
fact, many indisputable cases of this kind have occurred
in modern times ; and in this belief he agreed with many
of the wisest and the best of men. He has recorded
some cases of what may be called ecstasy, generally with,
out an opinion of his own, leaving every one to form his
own judgment from the recorded fact. He unquestionably
believed in special effusions of the influence of the Holy
Spirit upon congregations and individuals, producing pow
erful emotions of mind, expressed in some instances by
bodily affections ; and he has furnished some facts on
which Dr. Southey has exercised his philosophy with a

84 LIFE OF THE

success, probably, more satisfactory to himself, than con.
vincing to his readers. But that any thing extraordinary,
either of bodily or mental affection, was with Mr. Wes-
ey, at any time of his life, of itself, deemed so important
as to be regarded as a mark of superior piety, is a most
unfounded assumption. Those of his sermons which con
tain the doctrines which he deemed essential ; his Notes
on the New Testament ; and the rules by which every
member of his societies was required to be governed, are
sufficiently in refutation of this notion. In them no re-
ference is made to any thing visionary as a part, however
small, of true religion ; unless, indeed, all spiritual reli
gion, changing the heart, and sanctifying the affections,
be thought visionary. The rule of admission into his so
cieties was " a desire to fly from the wrath to come," but
then the sincerity of this was to be evidenced by corres
ponding " fruits" in the conduct ; and on this condition
only, farther explained by detailed regulations, all of them
simple and practical, were the members to remain in con
nection with him. These rules are the standing evidence,
that, from the first formation of the Methodist societies,
neither a speculative nor a visionary scheme of religion
was the basis of their union. Had Mr. Wesley placed
religion, in the least, in those circumstances, he would
have set up a very different standard of doctrine in his
sermons ; and the rules of his societies would have borne
an equivocal and mystic character.

That cases of real enthusiasm occurred at this and
subsequent periods is indeed allowed. There are always
nervous, dreamy, and excitable people to be found ; and
the emotion which was produced among those who were
ically so "pricked in the heart" as to cry with a sincerity
equal to that which was felt by those of old, " What shall
we do to be saved?" would often be communicated to
such persons by natural sympathy. No one could be
blamed for this, unless he had encouraged the excitement
for its own sake, or taught the people to regard it as a
sign of grace, Avhich most assuredly Mr. Wesley never did.
Nor is it correct to represent these effects, genuine and
factitious together, as peculiar to Methodism. A great
impression was made by the preaching of the Wesleys
and Mr. Whitefjejd in almost all places where they went.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 85

Thousands in the course of a few years, and of those too
who had lived in the greatest unconcern as to spiritual
things, and were most ignorant and depraved in their
habits, were recovered from their vices, and the moral ap
pearance of whole neighbourhoods was changed. Yet the
effects were not without precedent even in those circum
stances in which they have been thought most singular and
exceptionable. Great and rapid results of this kind were
produced in the first ages of Christianity, but not without
" outcries," and strong corporeal as well as mental emo
tions, nay, and extravagancies too. By perversion, even
condemnable heresies arose, and a rank and real enthu
siasm : but will any man from this argue against Chris
tianity itself; or asperse the labours and characters of those
holy men who planted its genuine root in Asia, Africa, and
Europe ? Will he say, that as, through the corrupt nature
of men, evil often accompanies good, one is to be con
founded with the other, and that those great evangelists
were the authors of the evil because they were the instru
ments of the benefit 1 Even in the decline of true piety
in the Church of Christ, there were not wanting holy and
zealous ministers to carry out the tidings of salvation to
Uie barbarous ancestors of European nations ; and strong
and effectual impressions were made by their faithful and
powerful preaching upon the savage multitudes who sur
rounded them, accompanied with many effects similar to
those which attended the preaching of the Wesleys and
Whitefield : but all who went on these sacred missions
were not enthusiasts ; nor were all the conversions effected
by them a mere exchange of superstitions. Such objectors
might have known that like effects often accompanied the
preaching of eminent men at the Reformation, and that
many of the Puritan and Nonconformist ministers had
similar successes in large districts in our own country.
They might have known that, in Scotland, and also among
the grave Presbyterians of New-England, previous to the
rise of Methodism, such impressions had not unfrequently
been produced by the ministry of faithful men, attended by
very similar circumstances ; and they might have been in
formed that, though on a smaller scale, the same results
have followed the ministry of modern missionaries of
different religious societies in various parts of the world

86 MFE OF THE

It may be laid down as a principle established by fact, that,
whenever a zealous and faithful ministry is raised up, after
a long spiritual death, the early effects of that ministry are
not only powerful, but often attended with extraordinary
circumstances ; nor are such extraordinary circumstances
necessarily extravagancies because they are not common.
If there be an explicit truth in Scripture, it is, that the sue-
cess of the ministry of the Gospel, and the conversion of
men, is the consequence of Divine influence ; and if there
be a well-ascertained fact in ecclesiastical story, it is, that
no great and indisputable results of this kind have been
produced but by men who have acknowledged this truth,
and have gone forth in humble dependence upon that pro-
mised co-operation contained in the words, " And, lo, I am
with you always, even to the end of the world." This
fact, equally striking and notorious, is a strong confirma
tion that the sense of the sacred oracles on this point was
not mistaken by them. The testimony of the word of God
is, that, as to ministerial success, " God giveth the in-
crease ;" the testimony of experience is, that no success
in producing true conversion has ever taken place in any
Church, but when this co-operation of God has been ac
knowledged and sought by the agents employed in it.

The doctrine of Divine influence, as necessary to the
conversion of men, being thus grounded on the evidence
of Scripture, and farther confirmed by fact, it may follow,
and that in perfect conformity with revelation, that such
influence may be dispensed in different degrees at different
periods. That it was more eminently exerted at the first
establishment of Christianity than at some other periods, is
certain; and that not only in extraordinary gifts, (for
though these might awaken attention and silence unbelief,
we have the evidence of Scripture history to prove, that
miracles cannot of themselves convert men from vice,) but
in sanctifying energy, without which the heart is never
brought to yield to the authority and will of God in its choice
and affections. That in various subsequent periods there
have been special dispensations of favour to nations, with
reference to the improvement of their moral state, is clear
from a fact which cannot be denied, that eminently holy
and gifted men have been raised up at such periods for the
benefit of the countries and the age in which they appearedr

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 87

from whose exertions they have derived the highest moral
advantages. For the reasons we have given, we cannot
refer the appearance of such men to chance, nor the for.
mation of their characters to the circumstances and spirit
of " stirring times." We leave these conclusions to the
philosophy of the world ; and recognize in the appearance
of such instruments, the merciful designs and specia^
grace of Him " who worketh all and in all." But the argu
ment is, that if such men have really been the instruments
of " turning many to righteousness," and that if the princi
ples of our religion forbid us to believe that this can be
done by any gifts or qualities in them, however lofty ; then
according to the Scripture doctrine, they were " workers
together with God," and the age in which they laboured was
distinguished by a larger effusion of the Holy Spirit upon
the minds of men. Why this should occur at one time
more eminently than at another, we pretend not to say : but
even this notion, so enthusiastic probably to many, is still
in conformity to the word of God, which declares that " the
wind bloweth where it listeth," and that the influence of the
Holy Spirit, like the atmosphere, is subject to laws not
ascertainable by man ; and if this effusion of his influence
argue especial, though undeserved, favour to particular
nations and ages, this is not more difficult to account for
than that, at some periods and places, men of eminent useful
ness should be sent into the world, when they do not appear
in others, which being a mere matter of fact, leaves no
room for cavil. This view likewise accords with what the
Scriptures teach us to expect as to the future. For the
accomplishment of the sublime consummation of the Divine
counsels, agents of great efficiency and qualifications, we
believe, will from time to time appear ; but our hope does not
rest on them, but on Him only who has explicitly promised
to "pour out his Spirit upon all flesh," at once to give effi
ciency to instruments in themselves feeble, however gifted,
and so " to order the unruly wills and passions of men,"
that they may be subdued and sanctified by the truth. If
such effusions of Divine influence be looked for, and on
such principles, as the means of spreading the power ot
Christianity generally, we may surely believe it quite
accordant both with the spirit and letter of Scripture, that
fhe same influence should often be exerted to preserve

88 LIFE OF THE

and to revive religion ; and that if nations already Chris-
tian, are to be the instruments of extending Christianity,
not in name only, but in its spirit and sanctity into all the
earth, they should be prepared for this high designation by
the special exercise of the same agency turning them from
what is merely formal in religion to its realities, and mak
ing them examples to others of the purifying grace of the
Gospel of God our Saviour. Let it then be supposed,
(no great presumption, indeed,) that Christians have quite
as good a foundation for these opinions as others can boast
for that paltry philosophy by which they would explain the
effects produced by the preaching of holy and zealous
ministers in different ages ; and we may conclude that such
effects, as far as they are genuine, are the result of Divine
influence ; and, when numerous and rapid, of a Divine
influence specially and eminently exerted, giving more
than ordinary assistance to the minds of men in their reli
gious concerns, and rendering the obstinate more inexcus
able by louder and more explicit calls. Of the extraordinary
circumstances which have usually accompanied such visit
ations, it may be said, that if some should be resolved into
purely natural causes, some into real enthusiasm, and
(under favour of our philosophers) others into Satanic
imitation, a sufficient number will remain, which can only
be explained by considering them as results of a strong
impression made upon the consciences and affections of
men by an influence ascertained to be Divine, though
usually exerted through human instrumentality, by its un
questionable effects upon the heart and life. Nor is it
either irrational or unscriptural to suppose, that times of
great national darkness and depravity, the case certainly
of this country at the outset of Mr. Wesley and his col
leagues in their glorious career, should require a strong
remedy ; and that the attention of a sleeping people should
be roused by circumstances which could not fail to be no
ticed by the most unthinking. We do not attach primary
importance to secondary circumstances ; but they are not
to be Avholly disregarded. The Lord was not in the wind,
nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but in the " still small
voice ;" yet that "still small voice" might not have been
heard, except by minds roused from their inattention by
the shaking of the earth, and the sounding of the storm.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 89

If, however, no special and peculiar effusion of Divine
influence on the minds of many of Mr. Wesley's hearers
be supposed ; if \ve only assume the exertion of that ordi
nary influence which, as we have seen, must accompany
the labours of every minister of Christ to render them
successful in saving men, the strong emotions often pro
duced by the preaching of the founder of Methodism, might
be accounted for on principles very different from those
adopted by many objectors. The multitudes to whom he
preached were generally grossly ignorant of the Gospel ;
and he poured upon their minds a flood of light : his dis-
coures were plain, pointed, earnest, and affectionate ; the
feeling produced was deep, piercing, and in numberless
cases, such as we have no right, if we believe the Bible,
to attribute to any other cause than that inward operation
of God with his truth which alone can render human means
effectual. Many of those on whom such impressions were
made retired in silence, and nurtured them by reflection.
The " stricken deer" hastened into solitude, there to bleed,
unobserved by all but God. This was the case with the
majority ; for visible and strong emotions were the occa
sional, and not the constant, results. At some seasons
indeed effects were produced which, on Christian princi
ples, we may hesitate not to say, can only be accounted for
on the assumption that the influence was both Divine and
special ; at others, the impression was great, but yet we
need assume nothing more than the ordinary blessing of
God which accompanies " the word of his grace," when
delivered in the fulness of faith and love, in order to ac
count for it. But beside those who were silently pierced,
and whose minds were sufficiently strong to command
their emotions, there were often many of a class not ac
customed to put such restraints upon themselves. To a
powerful feeling they offered but a slight resistance, and
it became visible. To many people, then, as now, this
would appear extravagant ; but on what principle can the
genuineness of the impression be questioned ? Only if no
subsequent fruit appeared. For if a true conversion fol
lowed, then, if there be truth in religion itself, the " finger
of God" must be acknowledged.

We have hitherto seen Mr. Wesley and Mr. Whitefield
labouring together in harmony, and uniting in a common
8*

90 MFE OF THE

design to promote the revival of Scriptural Christianity
through the land. But Mr. Wesley about this time being
impressed with the strong tendency of the CaMnistic doc-
trines to produce Antinomianism, published a sermon
against absolute predestination, at which Mr. Whitefield,
who some time previously had embraced that notion, took
offence. A controversy between them, embracing some
other points, ensued, w^hich issued in a temporary estrange-
ment ; and they laboured from this time independently of
each other ; their societies in London, Kingswood, and
other places, being kept quite separate.

A reconciliation howrever took place between Mr. Wes
ley and Mr. Whitefield in January, 1750, so that they
preached in each other's chapels. The following entry on
this subject appears in his journal: — "Friday 19th. In
the evening I read prayers at the chapel in West-street,
and Mr. Whitefield preached a plain, affectionate dis
course. Sunday 21. He read prayers, and I preached.
Sunday 28. I read prayers, and Mr. Whitefield preached.
How wise is God, in giving different talents to different
preachers ! So by the blessing of God, one more stumbling
block is removed." (Journal.)

The following extract from Mr. Whitefield's will is a
pleasing instance of generous, truly Christian feeling : —
" I leave a mourning ring to my honoured and dear friends,
and disinterested fellow labourers, the Rev. Messrs. John
and Charles Wesley, in token of my indissoluble union
with them in heart and Christian affection, notwithstand
ing our difference in judgment about some particular
points of doctrine." (Journal.)

Mr. Wesley, at Mr. Whitefield's own desire, preached
his funeral sermon at the Tabernacle, Moorfields.

Several preachers were now employed by Mr. Wesley
to assist in the growing work, which already had swelled
beyond even his and his brother's active powers suitably
to supply with the ministration of the word of God. Mr.
Charles Wesley had discouraged this from the beginning,
and even he himself hesitated : but with John, the promo
tion of religion was the first concern, and church order
the second, although inferior in consideration to that only.
With Charles, these views were often reversed. Mr. Wes.
ley, in the year 1741, had to caution his brother agains*

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 9l

joining the Moravians, after the example of Mr. Gambold,
to which he was at that time inclined ; and adds, " I am
not clear, that brother Maxfield should not expound at
Greyhound-lane ; nor can I as yet do without him. Our
clergymen have increased full as much as the preachers."
Mr. Maxfield's preaching had the strong sanction of the
countess of Huntingdon ; but so little of design, with
reference to the forming of a sect, had Mr. Wesley, in tho
employment of Mr. Maxfield, that, in his own absence
from London, he had only authorized him to pray with the
society, and to advise them as might be needful ; and
upon his beginning to preach, he hastened back to silence
him. On this his mother addressed him, " John, you
know what my sentiments have been. You cannot sus
pect me of favouring readily any thing of this kind. But
take care what you uo with respect to that young man,
for he is as surely called of God to preach, as you are.
Examine what have been the fruits of his preaching, and
hear him also yourself." He took this advice, and could
not venture to forbid him.

His defence of himself on this point we may pronounce
irrefutable, and turns upon the disappointment of his
hopes, that the parochial clergy would take the charge of
those who in different places had been turned to God by
his ministry, and that of his fellow labourers.

" It pleased God," says Mr. Wesley, " by two or three
ministers of the Church of England, to call many sinners
to repentance, who, in several parts, were undeniably
turned from a course of sin to a course of holiness.

" The ministers of the places where this was done ought
to have received those ministers with open arms ; and to
have taken those persons who had just begun to serve God,
into their particular care ; watching over them in tender
love, lest they should fall back into the snare of the devil.

" Instead of this, the greater part spoke of those minis-
ters, as if the devil, not God, had sent them. Some repel
led them from the Lord's table ; others stirred up the peo
ple against them, representing them even in their public
discourses, as fellows not fit to live ; papists, heretics,
traitors ; conspirators against their king and country.

" And how did they watch over the sinners lately re-
formed ? Fven as a leopard watcheth over his prey. They

92 LIFE OF THE

drove some of them from the Lord's table ; to which, til:
now, they had no desire to approach. They preached all
manner of evil concerning them, openly cursing them in
the name of the Lord. They turned many out of their
work, persuaded others to do so too, and harassed them
in all manner of ways.

" The event was, that some were wearied out, and so
turned back to the vomit again ; and then these good
pastors gloried over them, and endeavoured to shake others
by their example.

" When the ministers by whom God had helped them
before, came again to those places, great part of their
work was to begin again, if it could be begun again ; but
the relapsers were often so hardened in sin, that no im
pression could be made upon them.

" What could they do in a case of so extreme necessity,
•where so many souls lay at stake ?

" No clergyman would assist at all. The expedient
that remained was, to find some one among themselves
who was upright of heart, and of sound judgment in the
things of God ; and to desire him to meet the rest as often
as he could, in order to confirm them, as he was able, in
the ways of God, either by reading to them, or by prayer,
or by exhortation."

This statement may indeed be considered as affording
the key to all that which, with respect to Church order,
may be called irregularity in Mr. Wesley's future proceed
ings. God had given him large fruits of his ministry in
various places ; when he was absent from them, the peo
ple were " as sheep having no shepherd," or were rather
persecuted by their natural pastors, the clergy ; he was
reduced therefore to the necessity of leaving them without
religious care, or of providing it for them. He wisely chose
the latter; but true to his own principles, and even preju
dices, he carried this no farther than the necessity of the
case : the hours of service were in no instance to interfere
with those of the Establishment, and at the parish church
the members were exhorted to communicate. Thus a
religious society was raised up within the national Church
and with this anomaly, that as to all its interior arrange .
ments, as a society, it was independent of its ecclesiasti
cal authority. The irregularity was, in principle, as great

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 93

when the first step was taken as at any future time. It was
a form of practical and partial separation, though not of
theoretical dissent ; but it arose out of a moral necessity,
and existed for some years in such a state, that, had the
clergy been disposed to co-operate in this evident revival
and spread of true religion, and had the heads of the
Church been willing to sanction itinerant labours among
its ministers, and private religious meetings among the
serious part of the people for mutual edification, the great
body of Methodists might have been retained in commu
nion with the Church of England.

On this matter, which was often brought before the lead
ing and influential clergy, they made their own election.
They refused to co-operate ; they doubtless thought that they
acted right ; and, excepting the obloquy and persecution
with which they followed an innocent and pious people,
they perhaps did so ; for a great innovation would have
been made upon the discipline of the Church, for which,
at that time at least, it was little prepared. But the clergy,
having made their election, have no right, as some of
them continue to do, to censure either the founders of
Methodism or their people for making more ample provi
sion for their spiritual wants. It was imperative upon the
former to provide that pastoral care for the souls brought
to God by their labours, which the Church could not or
would not afford ; and the people had a Christian liberty
to follow that course which they seriously believed most
conducive to their own edification, as well as a liberty by
the veiy laws of their country. The violent clerical
writers against Methodism have usually forgotten, that no
man in England is bound to the national Church by any
thing but moral influence ; and that from every other tie
he is set free by the laws which recognize and protect reli
gious liberty. Mr. Wesley resisted all attempts at formal
separation, still hoping that a more friendly spirit would
spring up among the clergy ; and he even pressed hard
upon the consciences of his people to effect their uniform
and constant attendance at their parish churches, and at
the sacrament ; but he could not long and generally suc
ceed. Where the clergyman of a parish was moral or
pious there was no difficulty ; but cases of conscience were
continually arising among his societies, as to the lawful

J*4 LIFE OF THE

ness of attending the ministry of the irreligious and pro.
fane clergymen, who were then and long afterward found
throughout the land ; and as to hearing, and training up
children to hear, false and misleading doctrines, Pelagian.
Antinomian, or such as were directed in some form against
the religion of the heart as taught in the Scriptures, and
in the services of the national Church. These cases ex-
ceedingly perplexed Mr. Wesley ; and though he relaxed
his strictness in some instances, yet asht v\id not sufficient,
ly yield to meet the whole case, and perhaps could not do
it without adopting such an ecclesiastical organization of
his societies as would have contradicted the principles to
which, as to their relation to the Church, he had, perhaps,
overhastily and peremptorily committed himself; the effect
was, that long before his death, the attendance of the Me
thodists at such parish churches as had not pious ministers
was exceedingly scanty ; and as they were not permitted
public worship among themselves in the hours of Church
service, a great part of the Sabbath was lost to them, except
as they employed it in family and private exercises. So
also as to the Lord's Supper ; as it was not then adminis.
tered by their own preachers, it fell into great and painful
neglect. To meet the case in part, the two brothers, and
a few clergymen who joined them, had public service in
Church hours, in the chapels in London and some othei
places, and administered the Lord's Supper to numerous
communicants ; a measure, which, like other inconsisten-
cies of a similar kind, grew out of a sense of duty, warring
with, and restrained by, strong prepossessions, and the
very sincere but very unfounded hope just mentioned, that
a more friendly spirit would be awakened among the clergy,
and that all the sheep gathered out of the wilderness would
at length be kindly welcomed into the national fold. As
ecclesiastical irregularities, these measures stood, how-
ever, precisely on the same principle as those subsequent
changes which have rendered the body of Methodists still
more distinct and separate ; a subject to which reference
will again be made. The warmest advocates of Church
Methodism among ourselves were never consistent Church,
men ; and the Church writers, who have set up the exam-
pie of Mr. Wesley against his more modern followers, have
been wholly ignorant or unmindful of his history. Dr.

R.FV. JOHN WESLEY. 95

Hnd others who have fancied a plan of separation
in Mr. Wesley's mind from the beginning, though followed
cautiously and with policy " step by step," have shown a
better acquaintance with the facts of the progress of Me-
thodism ; though they have been most unjust to the pure
and undesigning mind of its founder ; who walked " step
by step," it is true, but only as Providence by an arrange
ment of circumstances seemed to lead the way ; and would
make no change but as a necessity, arising from conscien
tious views of the prosperity of a spiritual work, appeared
to dictate. Had he looked forward to the Arming of a
distinct sect, as an honour, he would have attempted to
enjoy it in its fulness during his life ; and had he been so
skilful a designer as some have represented him, he would
not have left a large body unprovided for, in many respects
essential to its prosperity and permanence, at his death.
He left his work unfinished, and knew that he should leave
it in that state ; but he threw the final results, in the spirit
of a strong faith, upon the care of Him whose hands he had
seen in it from the beginning.

CHAPTER VII.

WE have now to follow these apostolic men into still
more extended fields of labour, and to contests more for
midable. They had sustained many attacks from the press ;
and some frowns from the authorities of the Church. By
mobs they had occasionally been insulted both in England
and Wales. But in London, some riotous proceedings,
of a somewhat violent character, now occurred at their
places of worship. With respect to these, the following
anecdote is curious, as it shows that Mr. Wesley's zeal
was regarded with favour in a high quarter : " On the last
day of 1742, Sir John Ganson called upon Mr. Wesley,
and said, < Sir, you have no need to suffer these riotous
mobs to molest you, as they have done long. I and all
the other Middlesex magistrates have orders from auove
to do you justice whenever you apply to us.' Two or
three weeks after they did apply. Justice was done, though
not with rigour ; and from that time the Methodists had
pence in London." (WhiteJiPcuFs Life.)

96 LIFE OF THK

In the discipline of Methodism, the division of the soci
ety into classes is an important branch. Each class is
placed under a person of experience and piety, who meets
the others once a week, for prayer, and inquiry into the
religious state of each, in order to administer exhortation
and counsel. The origin of these classes was, however,
purely accidental. The chapel at Bristol was in debt ;
and it was agreed that each member of the society should
contribute one penny a week to reduce the burden. The
Bristol society was therefore divided into classes ; and
for convenience, one person was appointed to collect the
weekly subscriptions from each class, and to pay the
amount to the stewards. The advantage of this system,
wrhen turned to a higher purpose, at once struck the
methodical and practical mind of Mr. Wesley : he there
fore invited several " earnest and sensible men" to meet
him ; and the society in London was divided into classes
like that of Bristol, and placed under the spiritual care of
these tried and experienced persons. At first they visited
each person, at his own residence once a week ; but the
preferable mode of bringing each class together weekly
was at length adopted. These meetings are not, as some
have supposed, inquisitorial ; but their business is confined
to statements of religious experience, and the administra
tion of friendly and pious counsel. Mutual acquaintance
with each other is thus formed; the leader is the friend
and adviser of all ; and among the members, by their pray
ing so often with and for each other, the true " fellowship
of saints" is promoted. Opportunities are also thus afford-
ed for ascertaining the wants of the poorer members, and
obtaining relief for them ; and for visiting the sick : the
duty of a leader being to see his members once in the
week, either at the meeting, or, if absent from that, at
home. Upon this institution Mr. Wesley remarks, " Upon
reflection, I could not but observe, this is the very thing
which was from the beginning of Christian]' ly. In the
earliest times, those whom God had sent forth ' preach
ed the Gospel to every creature.' The body of hearers
were mostly either Jews or heathens. But as soon as
any of these were so convinced of the truth as to forsake
sin, and seek the Gospel of salvation, they immediately
joined them together, took an account of their names,

BEV. JOHN WESLEY. 97

advised them to watch over each other and met these
xaryj^fji-svoj, catechumens, as they were then called, apart
from the great congregation, that they might instruct,
rebuke, exhort, and pray with them, and for them, accord-
ing to their several necessities." (Journal.)

A current charge against Mr. Wesley, about this time,
was, that he was a papist ; and from the frequent refer,
ences to it in his journal, although it was treated by him
with characteristic sprightliness, it appears to have been
the occasion of much popular odium, arising from the fears
entertained by the nation of the movements of the Pre
tender. In his journal, March, 1741, he says, " Calling
on a person near Grosvenor Square, I found there was
but too much reason here for crying out of the increase of
popery, many converts to it being continually made by the
gentleman who preaches in Swallow-street three days in
every week. Now, why do not the champions, who are
continually crying out, « Popery, popery,' in Moorfields,
come hither, that they may not always be fighting ' as one
that beateth the air V Plainly, because they have no
mind to fight at all, but to show their valour without an
opponent. And they well know, they may defy popery at
the Foundery without any danger of contradiction." And
some time afterward, he remained in London, from whence
all papists had been ordered by proclamation to depart, a
week longer than he intended, that he might not seem to
plead guilty to the charge. The notion that the Method
ists were papists was also, in those times, the occasion of
their being persecuted in several places in the countiy.

Mr. Wesley now extended his labours northward. He
first accepted an invitation into Leicestershire, and has
the following amusing anecdote in his journal : " I stop
ped a little at Newport Pagnell, and then rode on till I
overtook a serious man, with whom I immediately fell into
conversation. He presently gave me to know what his
opinions were ; therefore I said nothing to contradict them.
But that did not content him ; he was quite uneasy to
know whether I held the doctrine of the decrees as he did
But I told him, over and over, we had better keep to prac
tical things, lest we should be angry at one another ; and
so we did for two miles, till he caught me unawares, and
dragged me into the dispute before I knew where I was.
9

98 LIFE OF THE

He then grew warmer and warmer ; — told me I was rotten
at heart, and supposed I was one of John Wesley's fol
lowers. I told him, ' No ! I am John Wesley himself!"
Upon which he appeared,

Improvisum aspris vcluti qui sentibus anguem
Pressit •

* as one who had unawares trodden on a snake,' and would
gladly have run away outright. But being the better
mounted of the two, I kept close to his side, and endea
voured to show him his heart till we came into the street
of Northampton." In this journey he visited Yorkshire.
At Birstal and the neighbourhood many persons had been
awakened to a serious concern by the conversation and
preaching of honest John Nelson, who had himself been
brought to the knowledge of God in London, by attending
the service at the Foundery, and had returned to his friends
in Yorkshire, chiefly moved by a strong desire to promote
their salvation. The natural genius of this excellent
man, who afterward suffered much persecution, and was
barbarously treated by the magistrates and clergy, was
admirably acute, and gave to his repartees a surprising
power and convincingness. He greatly excelled in con.
versation on religious subjects ; and his journal is one of
the most interesting pieces of biography published among
the Methodists. When Mr. Wesley reached Birstal, he
found that he had been the instrument of very extensive
good, so that the moral aspect of the town had been
changed. After preaching to a large congregation on
Birstal Hill, and on the side of Dewsbury Moor, and en-
couraging Mr. Nelson in his endeavours to do good, Mr.
Wesley proceeded to Newcastle-upon-Tyne, hoping to
have the same fruit of his labours among the colliers of
that district as he had seen among those of Kingswood.
So true was this lover of the souls of men to his own ad
vice to his preachers, " Go not only to those who need
you, but to those who need you most."

On walking through the town, after he had taken some
refreshment, he observes, " I was surprised ; so much
drunkenness, cursing, and swearing, even from the mouths
of little children, do I never remember to have seen and
heard before in so short a time." Sunday, May 30th, at
seven in the morning he walked down to Sand^ate. the

SEV. JOHN WESLEY Q9

poorest ana most contemptible part of the town, and stand,
ing at the end of the street with John Taylor, began to
sing the hundredth psalm. " Three or four people," says
he, " came out to see what was the matter, who soon in-
creased to four or five hundred. I suppose there might be
twelve or fifteen hundred before I had done preaching, to
whom I applied these solemn words, * He was wounded
for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities ;
the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and by his
stripes we are healed.' "

In returning southward, he preached in various parts of
Yorkshire ; and visiting Epworth, where a small society of
Methodists had been collected, and finding the use of the
church denied him, he stood upon his father's tomb, and
preached to a numerous congregation, who, as well as
himself, appear to have been deeply impressed with the
circumstance of the son speaking to them, as from the
ashes of his father, on those solemn subjects on which that
venerable parish priest had faithfully addressed them for so
many years. This was Sunday, June 6, 1742, and on the
Wednesday following, he humourously relates, " I rode
over to a neighbouring town, to wait upon a justice of
peace, a man of candour and understanding ; before whom,
I was informed, their angry neighbours had carried a whole
waggon load of these new heretics. But when he asked
what they had done, there was a deep silence ; for that
was a point their conductors had forgot. At length one
said, « Why, they pretend to be better than other people ;

and, beside, they pray from morning to night.' Mr. S

asked, < But have they done nothing beside ?' ' Yes, sir,'
said an old man, « An't please your worship, they have
convarted my wife. Till she went among them, she had
such a tongue ; and now she is as quiet as a lamb.' < Carry
them back, carry them back,' replied the justice, « and let
them convert all the scolds in the town.' " (Journal.}

On the Sunday following he also preached at Epworth,
and remarks, « At six I preached for the last time in Ep.
worth church yard (being to leave the town the next morn-
ing) to a vast multitude gathered together from all parts,
on the beginning of our Lord's Sermon on the Mount. x
continued among them for near three hours ; and yet we
scarce knew how to part. O let none think his labour of

100 LIFE OP THE

love is lost, because the fruit does not immediately appear.
Near forty years did my father labour here ; but he saw
little fruit of all his labour. I took some pains among this
people too ; and my strength also seemed to be spent in
vain. But now the fruit appeared. There were scarce
any in the town, on whom either my father or I had taken
any pains formerly, but the seed sown so long since now
sprung up, bringing forth repentance and remission of
sins." (Journal.)

The following remarks on-a sermon he heard at Pains,
wick occur in his journal about this time, and deserve
notice : — " I went to church at ten, and heard a remarkable
discourse, asserting, * that we are justified by faith alone ;
but that this faith, which is the previous condition of jus.
tification, is the complex of all Christian virtues, including
all holiness and good works in the very idea of it.'

" Alas ! How little is the difference between asserting,
either, 1. That we are justified by works, which is popery
bare-faced ; (and indeed so gross that the sober papists,
those of the council of Trent in particular, are ashamed
of it;) or, 2. That we are justified by faith and works,
which is popery refined or veiled ; (but with so thin a veil,
that every attentive observer must discern it is the same
still ;) or, 3. That we are justified by faith alone, but by
such a faith as includes all good works.* What a poor
•shift is this, — ' I will not say we are justified by works,
nor yet by faith and works, because I have subscribed
articles and homilies which maintain just the contrary.
No ; I say, we are justified by faith alone. But then by
faith I mean works !' "

After visiting Bristol, he was recalled to London, to at
tend the last moments of his mother : — "Friday, July 30th,
about three in the afternoon, I went to my mother, and
found her change was near. I sat down on the bed side.
She was in her last conflict, unable to speak, but, I believe,
quite sensible. Her look wras calm and serene, and her
eyes fixed upward, while we commended her soul to God.
From three to four, the silver cord was loosening, and the
wheel breaking at the cistern ; and then, without any

* Although the faith which justifies does not include good works,
it will, when it has justified us, produce and be followed by good
works, because it brings us into vital union with Christ.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 101

struggle, or sigh, or groan, the soul was set at liberty. We
stood round the bed, and fulfilled her last request, uttered
a little before she lost her speech, * Children, as soon as I
am released, sing a psalm of praise to God.' " (Journal.)

So decided a witness was this venerable and intellectual
woman of the assurance of faith ; a doctrine she had learn,
cd from her sons more clearly to understand. To their
sound views, on this Scriptural and important subject, the
latter years of her life, and her death, gave a testimony
which to them must have been, in the highest degree,
delightful and encouraging. The following beautiful ep^
taph, written by her son Charles, was inscribed on her
tomb-stone in Bunhill Fields : —

' IN sure and steadfast hope to rise,
And claim her mansion in the skies,
A Christian here her flesh laid down,
The cross exchanging for a crown.

True daughter of affliction, she,
Inured to pain and misery,
Mourn'd a long night of griefs and fears,
A legal night of seventy years.

The Father then reveal'd his Son,
Him in the broken bread made known :
She knew and felt her sins forgiven,
And found the earnest of her heaven.

Meet for the fellowship above,
She heard the call, ' Arise, my love 1'
' I come,' her dying looks replied,
And lamb-like, as her Lord, she died."

The labours of Mr. Charles Wesley had been very ex-
tended and arduous during the early part of the year 1743,
and, by the Divine blessing, eminently successful. From
the west of England he proceeded to the colliers of Staf
fordshire, who had before been visited, and found that the
society at Wednesbury had increased to more than three
hundred, of whose religious state he speaks, in his journal,
with strong feelings of joy. At Walsall, he preached on
the market-house steps : —

" The street was full of fierce Ephesian beasts, (the
principal man setting them on,) who roared and shouted,
and threw stones incessantly. At the conclusion a stream
of ruffians was suffered to beat me down from the steps : I
rose, and having given the blessing, was beat down again ;
9*

102 LIFE OF THE

and so a third time. When we had returned thanks to the
God of our salvation, I then from the steps bid them depart
in peace, and walked through the thickest of the rioters.
They reviled us, but had no commission to touch a hair of
our head."

He then proceeded to Birmingham, Nottingham, and
then to Sheffield. Here the infant society was as a " flock
among wolves ; the minister having so stirred up the
people, that they were ready to tear the Methodists in
pieces. At six o'clock, I went to the society house, next
door to our brother Bennet's. Hell from beneath was
moved to oppose us. As soon as I was in the desk, with
David Taylor, the floods began to lift up their voice. An
officer in the army contradicted and blasphemed. I took
no notice of him, but sung on. The stones flew thick,
striking the desk and the people. To save them, and the
house from being pulled down, I gave out, that I should
preach in the street, and look them in the face. The
whole army of the aliens followed me. The captain laid
hold on me, and began rioting : I gave him for answer,
*A Word in Season, or Advice to a Soldier.' I then
prayed, particularly for his majesty King George, and
* preached the Gospel with much contention.' The
stones often struck me in the face. I prayed for sinners,
as servants of their master, the devil ; upon which the
captain ran at me with great fury, threatening revenge for
abusing, as he called it, * the king, his master.' He forced
his way through the brethren, drew his sword, and pre
sented it to my breast. I immediately opened my breast,
and fixing my eye on his, and smiling in his face, calmly
said, ' I fear God, and honour the king.' His counte
nance fell in a moment, he fetched a deep sigh, and putting
up his sword, quietly left the place. He had said to one
of the company who afterward informed me, 'You shall
see if I do but hold my sword to his breast, he will faint
away.' So, perhaps, I should had I only his principles to
trust to ; but if at that time I was not afraid, no thanks to
my natural courage. We returned to our brother Bennet's,
and gave ourselves up to prayer. The rioters followed,
and exceeded in outrage all I have seen before. Those
at Moorfields, Cardiff, and Walsall, were lambs to these.
As there is no ' king in Israel,' I mean no magistrate iu

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 103

Sheffield, every man doeth as seemeth good in his own
eyes." The mob now formed the design of pulling down
the society house, and set upon their work, while Mr.
Charles Wesley and the people were praying and praising
God within. " It was a glorious time," says he, " with
us; every word of exhortation sunk deep, every prayer
was sealed, and many found the Spirit of glory resting upon
them." The next day the house was completely pulled
down, not one stone being left upon another. He then
preached again in the street, somewhat more quietly than
before ; but the rioters became very noisy in the evening,
and threatened to pull down the house where he lodged.
He went out to them and made a suitable exhortation, and
they soon afterward separated, and peace was restored.

At five the next morning, he took leave of the society
in these words, " Confirming the souls of the disciples,
and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we
must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of
God." He observes, "Our hearts were knit together,
and greatly comforted : we rejoiced in hope of the glorious
appearing of the great God, who had now delivered us
out of the mouth of the lions. David Taylor had informed
me, that the people of Thorpe, through which we should
pass, were exceedingly mad against us. So we found
them as we approached the place, and were turning down
the lane to Barley Hall. The ambush rose, and assaulted
us with stones, eggs, and dirt. My horse flew from side
to side, till he found his way through them. They wound
ed David Taylor in the forehead, and the wound bled
much. I turned back, and asked, what was the reason,
that a clergyman could not pass without such treatment.
At first the rioters scattered, but their captain rallying
them, answered with horrible imprecations and stones.
My horse took fright, and turned away with me down a
steep hill. The enemy pursued me from afar, and fol
lowed shouting. Blessed be God, I received no hurt,
only from the eggs and dirt. ' My clothes indeed abhorred
me,' and my arm pained me a little from a blow I received
at Sheffield'." (Journal.}

Such was the calm heroism with which these admirable
men prosecuted their early labours ; shrinking from no
danger, and firmly trusting their lives in the hands of God.

104 LIFE OP THK

Proceeding to Leeds, Mr. Charles Wesley preached "to
thousands," before Mr. Shent's door, and found the people
"prepared for the Lord." The clergy of Leeds treated
him with respect and deference, and obliged him to assist
at the sacrament : such indeed was their kindness, that
he began to fear the gleam of sunshine, "more than the
stones at Sheffield." He then went on to Newcastle,
where he not only abounded in public labours, but, as the
society had rapidly increased, he instituted a strict inves
tigation into their spiritual state, accurately distinguishing
between animal emotions, and the true work of God in the
heart, and leading all to try themselves by the only infalli
ble rule, their conformity to the word of God. So unjust
are the insinuations, that the founders of Methodism
allowed excited affections to pass as admitted proofs of a
change of heart. On this visit to Newcastle, Mr. Charles
Wesley remarks in his journal, that, since he had preached
the Gospel, he had never had greater success than at this
time at Newcastle. Soon after, his brother laid the
foundation of a place for the public worship of the society,
the size of which greatly startled some of the people, as
they doubted whether money could be raised to finish it.
" I was of another mind," he observes, " nothing doubting,
but as it was begun for the Lord's sake, he would provide
what was needful for finishing it." Many pecuniary diffi
culties arose in the completion of this work : but he
received timely supplies of money, sometimes from very
unexpected quarters. During this year new societies
were formed in the western, midland, and northern coun
ties, whilst those before collected continued greatly to
increase.

In the latter end of this year, 1743, Mr. Wesley appoint
ed in London visiters of the sick, as a distinct office in his
society. He says, "It was not long before the stewards
found a great difficulty with regard to the sick. Some
were ready to perish before they knew of their illness.
And when they did know, it was not in their power, (being
persons generally employed in trade,) to visit them so
often as they desired. When I was apprised of this, I
laid the case at large before the whole society ; showed
how impossible it was for the stewards to attend all that
were sick in all parts of the town ; desired the leaders of

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 105

the classes would more carefully inquire, and more con
stantly inform them, who were sick ; and asked. Who
among you is willing, as well as able, to supply this lack
of service ?

" The next morning, many willingly offered themselves.
I chose six and forty of them, whom I judged to be of the
most tender, loving spirit, divided the town into twenty-
three parts, and desired two of them to visit the sick in
each division.

" It is the business of a visiter of the sick,

"1. To see every sick person within his district thrice
a week. 2. To inquire into the state of their souls, and
advise them as occasion may require. 3. To inquire into
their disorders, and procure advice for them. 4. To
relieve them if they are in want. 5. To do any thing for
them, which he (or she) can do. 6. To bring in his
account weekly to the steward." — " Upon reflection, I
saw, how exactly in this also we had copied after the
primitive Church. What were the ancient deacons?
What was Phebe the deaconess, but such a visiter of the
sick?

" I did not think it needful to give them any particular
rules, beside those that follow : —

"1. Be plain and open in dealing with souls. 2. Be
mild, tender, patient. 3. Be cleanly in all you do for the
sick. 4. Be not nice."

The same year was remarkable in the life of Mr. Wes
ley, for his escape from one of the most dangerous of his
encounters with deluded and infuriated mobs. It was
first incited by a sermon preached in Wednesbury church,
by the clergyman. " I never," says Mr. Wesley, " heard
so wicked a sermon, and delivered with such bitterness of
voice and manner." Whilst Mr. Wesley was at Bristol,
he heard of the effect produced by this charitable address
of the minister to his parishioners, who was assisted in
stirring up the persecution against the society, as was very
frequent in those days, by the neighbouring magistrates,
— full of what they called Churchmanship and loyalty.
At Wednesbury, Darlaston, and West Bromwich, the mobs
were stimulated to abuse the Methodists in the most out
rageous manner ; even women and children were beaten,
stoned, and covered with mud ; their houses broken open,

106 LIFE OF THU

and their goods spoiled or carried away.* Mr. Wesley
hastened to comfort and advise this harassed people as
soon as the intelligence reached him, and preached at
noon at Wednesbury without molestation ; but in the after,
noon the mob surrounded the house. The result will best
be given from his own account, which displays at once
his own admirable presence of mind, and the singular
providence of God : —

" I was writing at Francis Ward's in the afternoon,
when the cry arose that the mob had beset the house.
We prayed that God would disperse them : and so it was ;
one went this way and another that, so that in half an
hour not a man was left. I told our brethren, Now is the
time to go ; but they pressed me exceedingly to stay.
So, that I might not offend them, I sat down, though I
tbresaw what would follow. Before five the mob sur
rounded the house again, and in greater numbers than
ever. The cry of one and all was, * Bring out the minis
ter, we will have the minister.' I desired one to take the
captain by the hand and bring him into the house. After
a few sentences interchanged between us, the lion was
become a lamb. I desired him to go, and bring one or
two of the most angry of his companions. He brought
in two, who were ready to swallow the ground with rage ;
but in two minutes they were as calm as he. I then bade
them make way, that I might go out among the people.
As soon as I was in the midst of them, I called for a
chair, and asked, ' What do any of you want with me ?'
Some said, * We want you to go with us to the justice.'
I replied, « That I will with all my heart.' I then spoke
a few words, which God applied ; so that they cried out
with might and main, « The gentleman is an honest gen
tleman, and we will spill our blood in his defence.' I
asked, < Shall we go to the justice to-night, or in the morn
ing ?' Most of them cried, * To-night, to-night !' on which
I went before, and two or three hundred followed, the rest
returning whence they came.

" The night came on before we had walked a mile,

* The descendants of some of these persecuted people still re
main, and show, one a cupboard, another some other piece of furni.
ture, the only article saved from the wreck, and preserved with
pious care, as a monument of the sufFeriiigs of their ancestors.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 107

together with heavy rain. However, on we went to Bent-
ley Hall, two miles from Wednesbury. One or two ran
before, to tell Mr. Lane they had brought Mr. Wesley
before his worship. Mr. Lane replied, « What have I to
do with Mr. Wesley? Go and carry him back again.' By
this time the main body came up, and began knocking at
the door. A servant told them Mr. Lane was in bed.
His son followed, and asked what was the matter. One
replied, ' Why, an't please you, they sing psalms all day ;
nay, and make folks rise at five in the morning : and
what M'ould your worship advise us to do V « To go home.'
said Mr. Lane, < and be quiet.'

" Here they were at a full stop, till one advised to go
to Justice Persehouse, at Walsal. All agreed to this : so
we hastened on, and about seven came to his house. But
Mr. Persehouse also sent word that he was in bed. Now
they were at a stand again : but at last they all thought
it the wisest course to make the best of their way home.
About fifty of them undertook to convoy me ; but we had
not gone a hundred yards, when the mob of Walsal came
pouring in like a flood, and bore down all before them.
The Darlaston mob made what defence they could ; but
they were weary, as well as outnumbered ; so that, in a
short time, many being knocked down, the rest went away,
and left me in their hands.

'* To attempt speaking was vain ; for the noise on every
side was like the roaring of the sea. So they dragged me
along till we came to the town, where seeing the door of
a large house open, I attempted to go in ; but a man
catching me by the hair, pulled me back into the middle
of the mob. They made no more stop till they had car
ried me through the main street, from one end of the town
to the other. I continued speaking all the time to those
within hearing, feeling no pain or weariness. At the
west end of the town, seeing a door half open, I made
toward it, and wrould have gone in ; but a gentleman in
the shop would not suffer me, saying they would pull the
house to the ground. However, I stood at the door and
asked, * Are you willing to hear me speak ?' Many cried
out, < No, no ! knock his brains out ; down with him ;
kill him at once.' Others said, « Nay, but we will hear
him first.' I began asking, « What evil have I done 1

1 08 LIFE OF THE

Which of you all have I wronged in word or deed V and
continued speaking for above a quarter of an hour, till my
voice suddenly failed. Then the floods began to lift up
their voice again ; many crying out, ' Bring him away !
bring him away !'

" In the meantime my strength and my voice returned,
and I broke out aloud into prayer. And now the man,
who just before headed the mob, turned and said, « Sir, I
will spend my life for you ; follow me, and not one soul
here shall touch a hair of your head.' Two or three of
his fellows confirmed his words, and got close to me
immediately. At the same time the gentleman in the
shop cried out, * For shame, for shame ; let him go.' An
honest butcher, who was a little farther off, said it was a
shame they should do thus ; and pulled back four or five,
one after another, who were running on the most fiercely.
The people then, as if it had been by common consent,
fell back to the right and left ; while those three or four
men took me between them, and carried me through them
all : but on the bridge the mob rallied again ; we there
fore went on one side, over the milldam, and thence
through the meadows; till, a little before ten, God
brought me 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 I had 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.

" The circumstances that follow I thought were parti
cularly remarkable : 1. Thai many endeavoured to throw
me down while we were going down hill, on a slippery
path, to the town ; as well judging, that if I was once
on the ground I should hardly rise any more. But I
made no stumble at all, nor the least slip, till I was
entirely out of their hands. 2. That although many
strove to lay hold on my collar or clothes to pull me
down, they could not fasten at all ; only one got fast hold

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 109

of the flap of my waistcoat, which was soon left in his
hand. 3. That a lusty man just behind struck at me
several times with a large oaken stick ; with which if he
had struck me once on the back part of my head, it would
have saved him all farther trouble : but every time the
blow was turned aside, I know not how. 4. That another
came rushing through the press, and raising his arm to
strike, on a sudden let it drop, and only stroked my head,
saying, « What soft hair he has !' 5. That I stopped
exactly at the mayor's door, as if I had known it, which
the mob doubtless thought I did, and found him standing
in the shop ; which gave the first check to the madness
of the people. 6. That the very first men whose hearts
wrere turned, were the heroes of the town, the captains
of the rabble on all occasions ; one of them having been
a prize fighter at the bear gardens. 7. That from first to
last I heard none give a reviling word, or call me by any
opprobrious name whatever. But the cry of one and all
was, « The preacher ! the preacher ! the parson ! the
minister !' 8. That no creature, at least within my hear
ing, laid any thing to my charge, either true or false ;
having in the hurry quite forgot to provide themselves with
an accusation of any kind. And, lastly, they were utterly
at a loss what they should do with me ; none proposing
any determinate thing, only, « Away with him ; kill him
at once.'

" When I came back to Francis Ward's, I found many
of our brethren waiting upon God. Many also whom I
had never seen before, came to rejoice with us ; and the
next morning as I rode through the town, in my way to
Nottingham, every one I met expressed such a cordial
affection, that I could scarce believe what I saw and
heard."

At Nottingham he met with Mr. Charles Wesley, who
has inserted in his journal a notice of the meeting, highly
characteristic of the spirit of martyrdom in which both of
them lived : —

" My brother came, delivered out of the mouth of the
lions ! His clothes were torn to tatters ; he looked like a
soldier of Christ. The mob of Wednesbury, Darlaston, and
Walsal, were permitted to take and carry him about for
several hours, with a full intent to murder him : but his

110 LIFE OF THE

work is not yet finished, or he had been now with the soula
under the altar." Undaunted by the usage of John,
Charles immediately set out for Wednesbury, to encourage
the societies.

In this year Mr. Wesley made his first journey into
Cornwall, where his brother, led by the same sympathies
to communicate the Gospel to the then rude and neglected
miners of that extreme part of the kingdom, as had induced
him to visit the colliers of Kingswood, Staffordshire, and
the north, had preceded him. Here he had preached in
various places, sometimes amidst mobs, " as desperate as
that at Sheffield." Mr. Wesley followed in August, and
came to St. Ives, where he found a small religious society,
which had been formed upon Dr. Woodward's plan. They
gladly received him, and formed the nucleus of the Method
ist societies in Cornwall, which from this time rapidly
increased. In this visit he spent three weeks, preaching
in the most populous parts of the mining district, with an
effect which still continues to be felt. In no part of Eng
land has Methodism obtained more influence than in the
west of Cornwall. It has become in fact the leading pro
fession of the people, and its moral effects upon society
may be looked upon with the highest satisfaction and
gratitude. Nor Avere the Cornish people ungrateful to the
instrument of the benefit. When he was last in the country,
in old age, the man who had formerly slept on the ground
for want of a lodging, and picked blackberries to satisfy
his hunger, and who had narrowly escaped with his life
from a desperate mob at Falmouth, passed through the
towns and villages as in a triumphal march, whilst the
windows were crowded with people, anxious to get a sight
of him, and to pronounce upon him their benedictions.

Between this visit and that of the next year, a hot perse
cution, both of the preachers and people, broke forth. The
preaching house at St. Ives was pulled to the ground : one
of the preachers was impressed and sent for a soldier, as
were several of the people : whilst being stoned, covered
with dirt, and abused, was the treatment which many others
of them met with from day to day. But notwithstanding
this, they who had been eminent for hurling, fighting,
drinking, and all manner of wickedness, continued eminent
for sobriety, pifty, and meekness The impressment of

REV. JOHN WESLEY. Ill

the preachers for soldiers by the magistrates was not, how-
ever, confined to Cornwall. About the same time John
Nelson and Thomas Beard were thus seized, and sent for
soldiers, for no other crime, either committed or pretended,
than that of calling sinners to repentance. The passive
heroism of John Nelson is well known. Thomas Beard
also was " nothing terrified by his adversaries ;" but his
body after a while sunk under affliction. He was then
lodged in the hospital of Newcastle, where he still praised
God continually. His fever increasing, he was let blood :
his arm festered, mortified, and was cut off; two or three
days after which, God signed his discharge, and called him
to his eternal home.

The riots in Staffordshire, also, still continued. " The
mob of Walsal, Darlaston, and Wednesbury, hired for the
purpose by their superiors, broke open their poor neigh
bours' houses at their pleasure by day and by night ;
extorting money from the few that had it, taking aivay or
destroying their victuals and goods, beating and wounding
their bodies, insulting the women, and openly declaring
they would destroy every Methodist in the country. Thus
his majesty's peaceable and loyal subjects were treated
for eight months, and were then publicly branded in the
Whitehall and London Evening Post, for rioters and
incendiaries!" (Whitehead's Life.}

Several other instances of the brutal maltreatment of
the preachers occurred in these early periods, which ended
in disablement, or premature death. The persecution at
St. Ives, Mr. Wesley observes, "was owing in great
measure to the indefatigable labours of Mr. Hoblin, and
Mr. Simmons, gentlemen worthy to be had in everlasting
remembrance for their unwearied endeavours to destroy
heresy.

Fortunati ainbo ! Siquid mea pagina possit,
Nulla dies unquam memori vos eximet eevo.

»' Happy both ! Long as my writings, shall your fame
remain."

In August, 1744, Mr. John Wesley preached for the
last time before the university of Oxford. Mr. Charles
Wesley was present, and observes in his journal : " My
brother bore his testimony before a crowded audience,
much increased by the races. Never have I seen a more

112 LIFE OP THE

attentive congregation ; they did not suffer a word to
escape them. Some of the heads of colleges stood up the
whole time, and fixed their eyes upon him. If they can
endure sound doctrine, like his, he will surely leave a
blessing behind him. The vice-chancellor sent after him,
and desired his notes, which he sealed up and sent imme
diately."

His own remarks upon this occasion are, " I urn now
clear of the blood of those men. I have fully delivered
my own soul. And I am well pleased that it should be
the very day on which, in the last century, near two thou
sand burning and shining lights Avere put out at one stroke.
Yet what a wide difference is there between their case and
mine ! They were turned out of house and home, and all
that they had ; whereas I am only hindered from preaching
in one place, without any other loss, and that in a kind of
honourable manner ; it being determined, that, when my
next turn to preach came, they would pay another person
to preach for me. And so they did twice or thrice, even
to the time I resigned my fellowship." (Journal.)

Mr. Wesley had at this time a correspondence with the
Rev. Jarnes Erskine, from whom he learned that several
pious ministers and others, in Scotland, duly appreciated
his character, and rejoiced in the success of his labours,
notwithstanding the difference of their sentiments. Mr.
Erskine's letter indeed contains a paragraph which
breathes a liberality not very common in those days, and
which may be useful in the present, after all our boast
ings of enlarged charity : "Are the points which give the
different denominations, (to Christians,) and from whence
proceed separate communities, animosities, evil speakings,
surmises, and, at least, coolness of affection, aptness to
misconstrue, slowness to think well of others, stiffness in
one's own conceits, and overvaluing one's own opinion,
&c, &c : are these points (at least among the far greatest
part of Protestants) as important, as clearly revealed, and
as essential, or as closely connected with the essentials of
practical Christianity, as the loving of one another with a
pure heart fervently, and not forsaking, much less refus
ing, the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of
some was, and now of almost all is?" (Journal.)

In a subsequent letter this excellent man expresses an

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 113

ardent wish for union among all those of different denomi
nations and opinions who love the Lord Jesus Christ ; and
on such a subject he was speaking to a kindred mind ; for
no man ever set a better example of Christian charity,
and nowhere is the excellence and obligation of that tern-
per more forcibly drawn and inculcated than in his most
interesting sermon on "A Catholic Spirit." With such a
testimony and example before them, his followers would
be the most inexcusable class of Christians were 'they to
indulge in that selfish sectarianism with which he was so
often unjustly charged ; and for which they, though not
faultless in this respect, have also been censured more
frequently and indiscriminately than they have merited.
It would scarcely be doing justice to this part of Mr.
Wesley's character not to insert an extract from the ser
mon alluded to : —

" Is thy heart right with God ? If it be, give me thy
hand. I do not mean, « Be of my opinion.' You need
not. I do not expect or desire it. Neither do I mean, 'I
will be of your opinion.' I cannot. It does not depend
on my choice ; I can no more think, than I can see or
hear, as I will. Keep you your opinion : I mine ; and
that as steadily as ever. You need not endeavour to
come over to me, or bring me over to you. I do not de
sire you to dispute those points, or to hear or speak one
word concerning them. Let all opinions alone on one
side and the other. Only 'give me thine hand.'

" I do not mean, ' Embrace my modes of worship ; or,
I will embrace yours.' This also is a thing which does
not depend either on your choice or mine. We must both
act as each is fully persuaded in his own mind. Hold you
fast that which you believe is most acceptable to God, and
I will do the same. I believe the Episcopal form of Church
government to be Scriptural and apostolical. If you think
the Presbyterian or Independent is better, think so still,
and act accordingly. I believe infants ought to be bap
tized, and that this may be done either by dipping or
sprinkling. If you are otherwise persuaded, be so still,
and follow your own persuasion. It appears to me, that
forms of prayer are of excellent use, particularly in the
great congregation. If you judge extemporary prayer to
be of more use, act suitable to your own judgment My
10*"

114 LIFE OP THE

sentiment is, that I ought not to forbid water, wherein per.
sons may be baptized ; and, that I ought to eat bread and
drink wine, as memorials of my dying Master. However,
if you are not convinced of this, act according to the light
you have. I have no desire to dispute with you one mo
ment upon any of the preceding heads. Let all these
smaller points stand aside. Let them never come into
sight. ' If thine heart be as my heart,' if thou love God
and all mankind, I ask no more : « Give me thy hand.'

" I mean, First, love me. And that not only as thou
lovest all mankind ; not only as thou lovest thine enemies,
or the enemies of God, those that hate thee, that < despite,
fully use thee, and persecute thee :' not only as a stranger,
as one of whom thou knowest neither good nor evil. I am
not satisfied with this. No ; ' If thine heart be right, as
mine with thy heart,' then love me with a very tender
affection, as a friend that is closer than a brother, as a
brother in Christ, a fellow citizen of the New Jerusalem,
a fellow soldier engaged in the same warfare, under the
same Captain of our salvation. Love me as a companion
in the kingdom and patience of Jesus, and a joint heir of
his glory.

" Love me (but in a higher degree than thou dost the
bulk of mankind) with the love that is 'long suffering and
kind ;' that is patient, if I am ignorant or out of the way,
bearing and not increasing my burden ; and is tender, soft,
and compassionate still ; that * envieth not,' if at any time
it please God to prosper me in this work even more than
thee. Love me with the love that ' is not provoked' either
at my follies or infirmities, or even at my acting (if it
should sometimes so appear to thee) not according to the
will of God. Love me so as to ' think no evil' of me, to
put aAvay all jealousy and evil surmising. Love me with
the love that * covereth all things ;' that never reveals
either my faults or infirmities, that 'believeth all things,' is
always willing to think the best, to put the fairest con-
struction on all my words and actions ; that « hopeth all
things ;' either that the thing related was never done, or
not done with such circumstances as are related ; or at
least, that it was done with a good intention, or in a sud
den stress of temptation. And hope to the end, that what
ever is amiss will, by the grace of God be corrected, and

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 115

whatever is wanting supplied, through the riches of his
mercy in Christ Jesus." (Sermons.)

And then, having shown how a catholic spirit differs
from practical and speculative latitudinarianism and indif
ference, he concludes : " A man of a catholic spirit is one
who, in the manner above mentioned, 'gives his hand' to all
whose 'hearts are right with his heart.' One who knows
how to value and praise God for all the advantages he en
joys, with regard to the knowledge of the things of God,
the true Scriptural manner of worshipping him ; and above
all, his union with a congregation fearing God and working
righteousness. One who, retaining these blessings with
the strictest care, keeping them as the apple of his eye, at
the same time loves as friends, as brethren in the Lord, as
members of Christ and children of God, as joint partakers
now of the present kingdom of God, and fellow heirs of his
eternal kingdom, all, of whatever opinion, or worship, or
congregation, who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, who
love God and man, who, rejoicing to please and fearing to
offend God, are careful to abstain from evil, and zealous of
good works. He is the man of a truly catholic spirit, who
bears all these continually upon his heart, who, having an
unspeakable tenderness for their persons, and longing for
their welfare, does not cease to commend them to God in
prayer, as Avell as to plead their cause before men ; who
speaks comfortably to them, and labours by all his words
to strengthen their hands in God. He assists them to the
uttermost of his power in all things, spiritual and temporal.
He is ready ' to spend and be spent for them ;' yea, ' to
lay down his life for their sake.' " (Sermons.)

The first CONFERENCE was held in June, 1744. The
societies had spread through various parts of the kingdom ;
and a number of preachers, under the name of assistants
and helpers, the former being superintendents of the latter,
had been engaged by Mr. Wesley in the work. Some
clergymen, also, more or less co-operated to promote these
attempts to spread the flame of true religion, and were not
yet afraid of the cross. These circumstances led to the dis
tribution of different parts of the kingdom into circuits, to
which certain preachers were for a time appointed, and were
then removed to others. The superintendence of the whole
was in the two brothers, but particularly in Mr. John Wes-

116 LIFE OF THE

ley. The annual conferences afforded, therefore, an admi
rable opportunity of conversing on important points and dis
tinctions of doctrine, that all might "speak the same thing"
in their public ministrations ; and of agreeing upon such a
discipline as the new circumstances in which the societies
were placed might require. The labours of the preachers
for the ensuing year were also arranged ; and consultation
was held on all matters connected with the promotion of
the work of God, in which they were engaged. Every thing
went on, however, not on preconceived plan, but " step by
step," as circumstances suggested, and led the way. To
the great principle of doing good to the souls of men,
eveiy thing -was subordinated ; not excepting even their
prejudices and fears, as will appear from the minutes of
the first conference, which was held in London, as just
stated, in 1744. The ultimate separation of the societies
from the Church, after the death of the first agents in the
work, was at that early period contemplated as a possibil
ity, and made a subject of conversation ; and the resolu
tion was, " We do and will do all we can to prevent those
consequences which are supposed to be likely to happen
after our death ; but we cannot, in good conscience, ne
glect the present opportunity of saving souls wrhile we live,
for fear of consequences which may possibly, or probably,
happen after we are dead." To this principle Mr. Wesley
was " faithful unto death," and it is the true key to his
public conduct. His brother, after some years, less stea
dily adhered to it ; and most of the clergymen, who at
tached themselves to Mr. Wesley in the earlier periods of
Methodism, found it too bold a position, and one which ex
posed them to too severe a fire, to be maintained by them.
It required a firmer courage than theirs to hold out at such
a post ; but the founder of Methodism never betrayed the
trust which circumstances had laid upon him.

CHAPTER VIII.

THE year 1745 was chiefly spent by Mr. Charles Wes
ley in London, Bristol, and Wales. In the early part of
the next year, he paid a visit to a society raised up by Mr.
Whitefield at Plymouth, and from thence proceeded into

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 117

Cornwall, where he preached in various places with great
success ; but in some of them amidst much persecution.
He reviewed this journey with great thankfulness, because
of the effects which had been produced by his ministry ;
and at the close of it he wrote the hymn beginning with
the stanza, —

" All thanks be to God,
Who scatters abroad
Throughout every place,

By the least of his servants, his savour of grace :
Who the victory gave
The praise let him have ;
For the work he hath done ;
All honour and glory to Jesus alone !"

On his return to London, through the introduction ot
Mr. E. Perronet, a pious young man, he visited the Rev.
Vincent Perronet, the venerable vicar of Shoreham, in Kent,
a very holy and excellent clergyman, of whose wise and
considerate counsels the Wesleys afterward frequently
availed themselves, in all matters which involved particu
lar difficulty. The name of Wesley was, however, it seems,
every where become a signal for riot ; for being invited to
perform service in Shoreham church, " as soon," says he,
" as I began to preach, the wild beasts began roaring,
stamping, blaspheming, ringing the bells, and turning the
church into a bear garden. I spoke on for half an hour,
though only the nearest could hear. The rioters followed
us to Mr. Perronet's house, raging, threatening, and throw,
ing stones. Charles Perronet hung over me to intercept
the blows. They continued their uproar after we got into
the house." (Journal.} Mr. E. Perronet returned with
him to London, and accompanied him on a tour to the
north. On the way, they visited Staffordshire, which was
still riotous and persecuting ; and Mr. Charles Wesley's
young friend had a second specimen of the violent and
ignorant prejudice with which these modern apostles were
followed. The mob beset the house at Tippen Green, and,
beating at the door, demanded entrance. "I sat still," says
he, " in the midst of them for half an hour, and was a little
concerned for E. Perronet, lest such rough treatment, at
his first setting out, should daunt him. But he abounded
in valour, and was for reasoning with the wild beasts before
they had spent any of their violence. He got a deal of

118 LIFE OP THE

abuse thereby, and not a little dirt, both of which he took
very patiently. I had no design to preach ; but being
called upon by so unexpected a congregation, 1 rose at
last, and read, « When the Son of man shall come in his
glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit
on the throne of his glory.' While I reasoned with them
of judgment to come, they grew calmer by little and little.
[ then spake to them, one by one, till the Lord had dis
armed them all. One who stood out the longest, I held
by the hand, and urged the love of Christ crucified, till, in
spite of both his natural and diabolical courage, he trem
bled like a leaf. I was constrained to break out into
prayer for him. Our leopards were all become lambs ;
and very kind we were at parting. Near midnight the
house was clear and quiet. We gave thanks to God for
our salvation, and slept in peace." (Journal.)

Proceeding onward to Dewsbury, he met with an in
stance of clerical candour, which, as it was rare in those
times, deserves to be recorded : " The minister did not
condemn the society unheard, but talked with them, ex.
amined into the doctrine they had been taught, and its
effects on their lives. When he found that as many as
had been affected by the preaching were evidently re
formed, and brought to church and sacrament, he testified
his approbation of the work, and rejoiced that sinners
were converted to God." (Whitehead's Life.)

After visiting Newcastle, he went, at the request of Mr.
Wardrobe, a dissenting minister, to Hexham, where the
following incidents occurred : " I walked directly to the
market place, and called sinners to repentance. A multi
tude of them stood staring at me, but all quiet. The Lord
opened my mouth, and they drew nearer and nearer, stole
off their hats, and listened ; none offered to interrupt, but
one unfortunate esquire who could get no one to second
him. His servants and the constables hid themselves ;
one he found, and bid him go and take me down. The
poor constable simply answered, * Sir, I cannot have the
face to do it, for what harm does he do V Several papists
attended, and the Church minister who had refused me
his pulpit with indignation. However, he came to hear
with his own ears. I wish all who hang us first \vould,
like him, try us afterward.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 119

" I walked back to Mr. Ord's through the people, who
acknowledged, « It is the truth, and none can speak against
it.' A constable followed, and told me, ' Sir Edward
Blacket orders you to disperse the town,' (depart, I suppose
he meant,) ' and not raise a disturbance here.' I sent my
respects to Sir Edward, and said, if he would give me
leave, I would wait upon him and satisfy him. He soon
returned with an answer that Sir Edward would have
nothing to say to me ; but if I preached again, and
raised a disturbance, he would put the law in execution
against me. I answered that I was not conscious of break
ing any law of God or man ; but if I did, I was ready to
suffer the penalty; that, as I had not given notice of
preaching again at the Cross, I should not preach again at
that place, nor cause a disturbance any where. I charged
the constable, a trembling, submissive soul, to assure his
worship that I reverenced him for his office' sake. The
only place I could get to preach in was a cock-pit, and I
expected Satan would come and fight me on his own
ground. 'Squire Roberts, the justice's son, laboured hard
to raise a mob, for which I was to be answerable ; but the
very boys ran away from him, when the poor 'squire per
suaded them to go down to the cock-pit and cry fire. I
called, in words then first heard in that place, « Repent
and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out.' God
struck the hard rock, and the waters gushed out. Never
have I seen a people more desirous of knowing the truth
at the first hearing. I passed the evening in conference
with Mr. Wardrobe. O that all our dissenting ministers
were like-minded, then would all dissensions cease for
ever ! November 28th, at six, we assembled again in our
chapel, the cock-pit. I imagined myself in the Pantheon,
or some heathen temple, and almost scrupled preaching
there at first ; but we found « the earth is the Lord's, and
the fulness thereof.' His presence consecrated the place.
Never have I found a greater sense of God than while we
were repeating his own prayer. I set before their eyes
Christ crucified. The rocks were melted, and gracious
tears flowed. We knew not how to part. I distributed
some books among them, which they received with the
utmost eagerness, begging me to come again, and to send
our preachers to them." (Journal.)

120 LIFE OF THE

After preaching in various parts of Lincolnshire, and the
midland counties, Mr. Charles Wesley returned to Lon
don : but soon, with unwearied spirit, in company with Mr.
Minton, he set off for Bristol, taking Devizes by the way,
where he had as narrow an escape for his life as his brother
had experienced at Wednesbury. An account of these
distinguished ministers of Christ would be imperfect with*
out a particular notice of a few of their greatest perils.
They show the wretched state of that country which they
were the appointed instruments of raising into a higher
moral and civil condition, and they illustrate their own
character. Each of the brothers might truly say with an
apostle, and his coadjutors, " We have not received the
spirit of fear, but of power, (courage,) of love, and of a
sound mind." They felt, too, that they had " received"
it ; for, with them, " boasting was excluded" by that " law
of faith" which led them in all things to trust in and to
glorify God. The account is taken from Mr. Charles
Wesley's journal. The Devizes mob had this peculiarity,
that it was led on not only by the curate, but by two dis
senters ! thus " Herod and Pilate were made friends :" —

"February 25th, — a day never to be forgotten. At
seven o'clock I walked quietly to Mrs. Philip's, and began
preaching a little before the time appointed. For three
quarters of an hour, I invited a few listening sinners to
Christ. Soon after, Satan's whole army assaulted the
house. We sat in a little ground room, and ordered all
the doors to be thrown open. They brought a hand engine
and began to play into the house. We kept our seats, and
they rushed into the passage ; just then, Mr. Borough, the
constable, came, and seizing the spout of the engine,
carried it off. They swore if he did not deliver it they
would pull down the house. At that time they might have
taken us prisoners ; we were close to them, and none to
interpose ; but they hurried out to fetch the larger engine.
In the meantime, we were advised to send for the mayor ;
but Mr. Mayor was gone out of town, in the sight of the
people, which gave great encouragement to these who
were already wrought up to a proper pitch by the curate,
and the gentlemen of the town, particularly Mr. Sutton
and Mr. Willy, dissenters, the two leading men. Mr. Sut.
ton frequently came out to the mob to keep up their spirits

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 121

He sent word to Mrs. Philips, that if she did not turn that
fellow out to the mob, he would send them to drag him out.
Mr. Willy passed by again and again, assuring the rioters
he would stand by them, and secure them from the law,
do what they would.

" The rioters now began playing the larger engine,
which broke the windows, flooded the rooms, and spoiled
the goods. We were withdrawn to a small upper room
in the back part of the house, seeing no way to escape
their violence, as they seemed under the full power of the
old murderer. They first laid hold on the man who kept
the society house, dragged him away, and threw him into
the horse pond, and, it was said, broke his back. Wo
gave ourselves unto prayer, believing the Lord would de
liver us ; how, or when, we saw not, nor any possible
way of escaping ; we therefore stood still to see the salva
tion of God. Every now and then some or other of our
friends wrould venture to us, but rather weakened our hands,
so that we were forced to stop our ears and look up.
Among the rest, the mayor's maid came, and told us her
mistress was in tears about me, and begged me to disguise
myself in woman's clothes, and try to make my escape.
Her heart had been turned toward us by the conversion of
her son, just on the brink of ruin. God laid his hand on
the poor prodigal, and instead of running to sea, he entered
the society. The rioters without continued playing their
engine, which diverted them for some time ; but their num
ber and fierceness still increased ; and the gentlemen sup
plied them with pitchers of ale, as much as they would
drink. They were now on the point of breaking in, when
Mr. Borough thought of reading the proclamation ; he did
so at the hazard of his life. In less than an hour, of above
a thousand wild beasts, none were left but the guard. Our
constable had applied to Mr. Street, the only justice in
town, who would not act. We found there was no help in
man, which drove us closer to the Lord ; and we prayed
with little intermission the whole day.

" Our enemies at their return made their main assault
at the back door, swearing horribly they would have me
if it cost them their lives. Many seeming accidents con
curred to prevent their breaking in. The man of the
house came home, and instead of turning me out as they
11

122 LIFE OF THB

expected, took part with us, and stemmed the tide for some
time. They now got a notion that I had made my escape,
and ran down to the inn, and played the engine there.
They forced the innkeeper to turn out our horses, which
lie immediately sent to Mr. Clark's, which drew the rabble
and their engine thither. But the resolute old man charged
and presented his gun till they retreated. Upon their
revisiting us, we stood in jeopardy every moment. Such
threatenings, curses, and blasphemies, I have never heard.
They seemed kept out by a continual miracle. I remem
bered the Roman senators, sitting in the forum, when the
Gauls broke in upon them, but thought there was a fitter
posture for Christians, and told my companion they should
take us off our knees. We were kept from all hurry and
discomposure of spirit by a Divine power resting upon us.
We prayed and conversed as freely as if we had been in
the midst of our brethren, and had great confidence that
the Lord would either deliver us from the danger, or in it.
In the height of the storm, just when we were falling into
the hands of the drunken, enraged multitude, Mr. Minton
was so little disturbed that he fell fast asleep.

" They were now close to us on every side, and over
our heads untiling the roof. A ruffian cried out, * Here
they are, behind the curtain.7 At this time we fully
expected their appearance, and retired to the furthermost
corner of the room, and I said, * This is the crisis.' In
that moment, Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea, and
there was a great calm. We heard not a breath without,
and wondered what was become of them. The silence
lasted for three quarters of an hour, before any one came
near us ; and we continued in mutual exhortation and
prayer, looking for deliverance. I often told my compa
nions, ' Now God is at work for us ; he is contriving our
escape ; he can turn these leopards into lambs ; can com
mand the heathen to bring his children on their shoulders,
and make our fiercest enemies the instruments of our de
liverance.' About three o'clock Mr. Clark knocked at the
door, and brought with him the persecuting constable. He
said, ' Sir, if you will promise never to preach here again,
the gentlemen and I will engage to bring you safe out of
town.' My answer was, « I shall promise no stich thing ;
setting aside my office, I will not give up my birth-right, as

BEV. JOHN WESLEY. 123

an Englishman, of visiting what place I please of his
majesty's dominions.' «Sir,' said the constable, 'we ex-
pect no such promise, that you will never come here
again ; only tell me that it is not your present intention,
that I may tell the gentlemen, who will then secure your
quiet departure.' I answered, « I cannot come again at this
time, because I must return to London a week hence.
But, observe, I make no promise of not preaching here
when the door is opened; and do not you say that I do.'

" He went away with this answer, and we betook our-
selves to prayer and thanksgiving. We perceived it was
the Lord's doing, and it was marvellous in our eyes. The
hearts of our adversaries were turned. Whether pity for
us, or fear for themselves, wrought strongest, God know-
eth ; probably the latter, for the mob were wrought up to
such a pitch of fury, that their masters dreaded the conse
quence, and therefore went about appeasing the multitude,
and charging them not to touch us in our departure.

" While the constable was gathering his posse, we got
our things from Mr. Clark's and prepared to go forth. The
whole multitude were without, expecting us, and saluted us
with a general shout. The man Mrs. Naylor had hired to
ride before her was, as we now perceived, one of the
rioters. This hopeful guide was to conduct us out of the
reach of his fellows. Mr, Minton and I took horse in the
face of our enemies, who began clamouring against us ; the
gentlemen were dispersed among the mob, to bridle them.
We rode a slow pace up the street, the whole multitude
pouring along on both sides, and attending us with loud
acclamations. Such fierceness and diabolical malice I
have not before seen in human faces. They ran up to our
horses as if they would swallow us, but did not know
which was Wesley. We felt great peace and acquiescence
in the honour done us, while the whole town were specta
tors of our march. When out of sight we mended our
pace, and about seven o'clock came to Wrexall. The
news of our danger was got thither before us ; but we
brought the welcome tidings of our deliverance. We
joined in hearty prayer to our Deliverer, singing the hymn,

* W vrship, and thanks, and blessings,' &c.
"February 26, 1 preached at Bath, and we rejoiced like

124 LIFE OP THE

men who take the spoil. We continued our triumph at
Bristol, and reaped the fruit of our labours and sufferings."

Amidst such storms, more or less violent, were the foun
dations of that work laid, the happy results of which tens
of thousands now enjoy in peace. But even the piety
which could hazard such labours and dangers for the sake
of " seeking and saving the lost;" and the heroic devoted-
ness which remained constant under them, has not been
able to win the praise of prejudiced writers on the subject
of Methodism. Dr. Southey (Life of Wesley) has little
sympathy with the sufferings which a persecuted people
were doomed in many places so callously to endure ; and
he finds in the heroism of their leaders a subject of reproach
and contempt, rather than of that admiration which, had
they occupied some poetical position, he had doubtless
expressed as forcibly and nobly as any man.

Mr. Whitefield, he tells us, had " a great longing to bo
persecuted," though the quotation from one of his letters,
on which he justifies the aspersion, shows nothing more
than a noble defiance of suffering, should it occur in the
course of what he esteemed his duty. Similar sarcasms
have been cast by infidels upon all who, in every age, havo
suffered for the sake of Christ ; and like those in which
Dr. Southey has indulged, they were intended to darken
the lustre of that patient courage which sprang out of love
to the Saviour and the souls of men, by resolving it into
spiritual pride, and a desire to render themselves conspicu
ous. Of John Nelson, one of Mr. Wesley's first lay
coadjutors, who endured no ordinary share of oppression
and suffering, as unprovoked and unmerited as the most
modest and humble demeanour on his part could render it,
Dr. Southey truly says, that " he had as high a spirit, and
as brave a heart as ever Englishman was blessed with ;"
yet even the narration of his wrongs, so scandalous to the
magistracy of the day, and which were sustained by him
in the full spirit of Christian constancy, is not dismissed
without a sneer at this honest and suffering man himself.
" To prison therefore Nelson was taken, to his hearfs con
tent." And so because he chose a prison rather than
violate his conscience, and endured imprisonments and
other injuries, with the unbending feeling of a high and
noble mind, corrected and controlled by " the meekness

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 125

and gentleness of Christ," imprisonment was his desire,
and the distinction which he is supposed to have derived
from it, his motive ! Before criticism so flippant and cal
lous, no character, however sacred and revered, could
stand. It might be applied with equal success to the per
secutions of the apostles, and the first Christians them
selves ; to the confessors in the reign of Mary ; and to
the whole " noble army of martyrs."

The real danger to which these excellent men were ex
posed is, however, concealed by Dr. Southey. White-
field's fears, or rather hopes of persecution, he says, " were
suited to the days of Queen Mary, Bishop Gardiner, and
Bishop Bonner; they were ridiculous or disgusting in
the time of George the Second, Archbishop Potter, and
Bishop Gibson." This is said because Mr. Whitefield
thought that he might probably be called to "resist unto
blood ;" and our author would have it supposed, that all
this was " safe boasting," in the reign of George the Se
cond, and whilst the English Church had its Archbishop
Potter and its Bishop Gibson. But not even in the early
part of the reign of George the Third, and with other
bishops in the Church as excellent as Potter and Gibson,
was the anticipation groundless. The real danger was in
fact so great from the brutality of the populace, the igno
rance and supineness of the magistrates, and the mob-
exciting activity of the clergy, one of whom was usually
the instigator of every tumult, that every man who went
forth on the errand of mercy in that day took his life in his
hand, and needed the spirit of a martyr, though he was not
in danger of suffering a martyr's death by regular civil or
ecclesiastical process. Dr. Southey has himself in part
furnished the confutation of his own suggestion, that little
danger was to be apprehended, by the brief statements he
has given of the hair-breadth escapes of the Wesleys, and
of the sufferings of John Nelson. But a volume might be
filled with accounts of outrages committed from that day
to our own, in different places, (for they now occasionally
occur in obscure and unenlightened parts of the country,)
upon the persons of Methodist preachers, for the sole fault
of visiting neglected places, and preaching the Gospel of
salvation to those who, if Christianity be true, are in a
state of spiritual darkness and danger. To be pelted with
U*

126 LIFE OF THE

stones, dragged through ponds, beaten with bludgeons,
rolled in mud, and to suffer other modes of ill treatment,
-was the anticipation of all the first preachers when they
entered upon their work ; and this was also the lot of many
of their hearers. Some lives were lost, and many shorten,
ed ; the most singular escapes are on record ; and if the
tragedy was not deeper, that was owing at length to the ex-
plicit declarations of George III. on the subject of tolera
tion, and the upright conduct of the judges in their circuits,
and in the higher courts, when an appeal was made to the
laws in some of the most atrocious cases. Assuredly, the
country magistrates in general, and the clergy, were en
titled to little share of the praise. Much of this is acknow
ledged by Dr. Southey ; but he attempts to throw a part
of the blame upon the Wesleys themselves. " Their doc
trines of perfection and assurance" were, he thinks, among
the causes of their persecution ; and " their zeal was not
tempered with discretion." With discretion, in his view
of it, their zeal was not tempered. Such discretion would
neither have put them in the way of persecution, nor
brought it upon them ; it would have disturbed no sinner
and saved no soul ; but they were not indiscreet in seek
ing danger, and provoking language never escaped lips in
which the law of meekness always triumphed : and as for
doctrines, the mobs and their exciters were then just as
discriminating as mobs have ever been from the beginning
of the world. They were usually stirred up by the clergy,
and other persons of influence in the neighbourhood, who
were almost as ignorant as the ruffians they employed to
assault the preachers and their peaceable congregations.
The description of the mob at Ephesus, in the Acts of the
Apostles, suited them as well as if they had been the origi
nal, and not the copy, — " Some cried one thing, and some
another ; for the assembly was confused ; and the most
part knew not wherefore they were come together." They
generally, however, agreed to pull down the preacher, and
to abuse both him and his hearers, men, women, and even
children ; and that because " they troubled them about
religion."

That immediate resort to God in prayer, which was
practised, in cases of " peril and danger," by these perse-
cuted ministers ; and their ascription of deliverances to

REV. JOHN WESLEV. 127

the Divine interposition, as in the instances above given,
have also been subjects of either grave rebuke, or semi-
infidel ridicule. It is not necessary to contend that every
particular instance which, in the journals of the Wesleys,
is referred to an immediate answer to prayer, was so in
reality; because a few cases may reasonably appear
doubtful. These, however, only prove that they culti
vated the habit of regarding God in all things, and of
gratefully acknowledging his hand in all the events of life ;
and if there was at any time any over application of these
excellent views and feelings, yet in minds so sober as to
make the word of God, diligently studied, their only guide
in all matters of practice, no injurious result could follow.
But we must reject the Bible altogether, if we shut out a
particular Providence ; and we reduce prayer to a real
absurdity, unless we allow that its very ground and rea
son is special interposition. Why, for instance, should a
Collect teach us to pray that " this day we may fall into
no sin, neither run into any kind of danger," if we do
not thereby place ourselves under a special protection of
God, and if our interests must necessarily be dragged after
the wheel of some general system of government ? Divine
interposition is indeed ordinarily invisible, and can be
known only from general results ; it impresses no mark
of interruption or of quickened activity upon the general
courses of things with which we may be surrounded ; it
works often unconsciously through our own faculties, and
through the wills and purposes of others, as unconscious
of it as wre ourselves ; yet even in this case, where the
indevout see man only, the better instructed acknowledge
God who " worketh all in all." But to say that the hand
of God is never specially marked in its operations ; that
his servants who are raised up by him for important ser
vices shall never receive proofs of his particular care ;
that an entire trust in him in the most critical circum
stances shall have no visible honour put upon it ; that
when we are " in all things" commanded to make our re
quests known unto God, the prayers which, in obedience
to that command, we offer to him in the time of trouble
shall never have a special answer, is to maintain notions
wholly subversive of piety, and which cannot be held with
out rejecting, or reducing to unmeaningness, many of the

128 LIFE OF THE

most explicit and important declarations of Holy Scnp
hire. These were not the views entertained by the Wes
leys ; and in their higher belief they coincided with good
men in all ages. They felt that they were about their
Master's business, and they trusted in their Master's care,
HO long as it might be for his glory that they should be
permitted to live. Nor for that were they anxious ; de
siring only, that whilst they lived they should " live unto
the Lord," and that when they died " they should die to
him ;" and that so " Christ might be magnified in their
body whether by life, or by death."

The labours of Mr. John Wesley, during the same
period of two years, may be abridged from his journal.
In the first month of the year 1745, we find him at Lon
don, and at Bristol and its neighbourhood. In February,
he made a journey, in the stormy and wintry weather of
that season, to Newcastle, preaching at various interme
diate places. The following extract shows the cheerful
and buoyant spirit with which he encountered these diffi
culties : —

" Many a rough journey have I had before ; but one
like this I never had, between wind and hail, and rain and
ice, and snow, and driving sleet, and piercing cold. But
it is past. Those days will return no more, and are there
fore as though they had never been.

" ' Pain, disappointment, sickness, strife,
Whate'er molests or troubles life ;
However grievous in its stay,
It shakes the tenement of clay,
When past, as nothing1 we esteem ;
And pain, like pleasure, is a dream.' " (Journal.")

As a specimen of that cool and self-possessed manner
which gave him so great a power over rude minds, we
may take the following anecdote. A man at Newcastle
had signalized himself by personal insults offered to him
in the streets ; and, upon inquiry, he found him an old
offender in persecuting the members of the society by
abusing and throwing stones at them. Upon this he sent
him the following note : —

" ROBERT YOUNG, — I expect to see you, between this
and Friday, and to hear from you, that you are sensible of
your fault. Otherwise, in pity to your soul, I shall be

BEV. JOHN WESLEY. 129

obliged to inform the magistrates of your assaulting me
yesterday in the street.

" I am your real friend,

"JOHN WESLEY.

" Within two or three hours, Robert Young came, and
promised a quite different behaviour. So did this gentle
reproof, if not save a soul from death, yet prevent a multi
tude of sins." (Journal.}

Whilst at Newcastle, he drew up the following case : —
" NEWCASTLE-UPON.TYNE, March 11, 1745-6.

"I have been drawing up this morning a short state of
the case between the clergy and us : I leave you to make
any such use of it as you believe will be to the glory of God.

" 1. About seven years since we began preaching inward,
present salvation, as attainable by faith alone.

" 2. For preaching this doctrine we were forbidden to
preach in the churches.

" 3. We then preached in private houses, as occasion
offered ; and when the houses could not contain the peo
ple, in the open air.

" 4. For this many of the clergy preached or printed
against us, as both heretics and schismatics.

" 5. Persons who were convinced of sin begged us to
advise them more particularly, how to flee from the wrath
to come. We replied, if they would all come at one time
(for they were numerous) we would endeavour it.

" 6. For this we were represented, both from the pulpit
and the press, (we have heard it with our ears, and seen
it with our eyes,) as introducing popery, raising sedition,
practising both against Church and State : and all man
ner of evil was publicly said both of us and those who
were accustomed to meet with us.

" 7. Finding some truth herein, viz. that some of those
who so met together, walked disorderly, we immediately
desired them not to come to us any more.

" 8. And the more steady were desired to overlook the
rest, that we might know if they walked according to the
Gospel.

" 9. But now several of the bishops began to speak
against us, either in conversation or in public.

" 10. On this encouragement several of the clergy stir
red up the people to treat us as outlaws or mad dogs.

150 LIFE OF THE

"11. The people did so, both in Staffordshire, Corn-
wall, and many other places.

" 12. And they do still, wherever they are not restrain,
ed by their fear of the secular magistrate.

" Thus the case stands at present. Now what can we
do, or what can you our brethren do toward healing this
breach? which is highly desirable; that we may with
stand with joint force, the still increasing flood of Popery,
Deism, and immorality.

" Desire of us any thing we can do with a safe con
science, and we will do it immediately. Will you meet us
here ? Will you do what we desire of you, so far as you
can with a safe conscience ?

"Let us come to particulars. Do you desire us, 1. To
preach another, or to desist from preaching this, doctrine ?

" We think you do not desire it, as knowing we cannot
do this with a safe conscience.

" Do you desire us, 2. To desist from preaching in pri
vate houses, or in the open air 1 As things are now cir
cumstanced, this would be the same as desiring us not to
preach at all.

"Do you desire us, 3. To desist from advising those
who now meet together for that purpose ? or, in other
words, to dissolve our societies ?

" We cannot do this with a safe conscience : for we
apprehend many souls would be lost thereby, and that
God would require their blood at our hands.

" Do you desire us, 4. To advise them only one by one ?

" This is impossible, because of their number.

" Do you desire us, 5. To suffer those who walk disor
derly still to mix with the rest ?

" Neither can we do this with a safe conscience ; be
cause evil communications corrupt good manners.

" Do you desire us, 6. To discharge those leaders of
bands or classes (as we term them) who overlook the rest ?

" This is in effect, to suffer the disorderly walkers still
to mix with the rest, which we dare not do.

" Do you desire us, lastly, to behave with reverence to
ward those who are overseers of the Church of God ? and
with tenderness, both to the character and persons of our
brethren, the inferior clergy ?

" By the grace of God, we can and will do this.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 131

our conscience beareth us witness, that we have already
laboured so to do ; and that, at all times and in all places.

" If you ask, what we desire of you to do, we answer,
1 . We do not desire any of you to let us preach in your
churches, either if you believe us to preach false doctrine,
or if you have, upon any other ground, the least scruple
concerning it. But we desire that any who believes us to
preach true doctrine, and has no scruple at all in this mat
ter, may not be either publicly or privately discouraged
from inviting us to preach in his church.

" 2. We do not desire that any one who thinks that we
are heretics or schismatics, and that it is his duty to preach
or print against us as such, should refrain therefrom, so
long as he thinks it his duty (although in this case the
breach can never be healed.)

" But -we desire that none will pass such a sentence,
until he has calmly considered both sides of the question ;
that he would not condemn us unheard, but first read what
we have written, and pray earnestly that God may direct
him in the right way.

" 3. We do not desire any favour, if either Popery, sedi
tion, or immorality be proved against us.

" But we desire, you will not credit, without proof, any
of those senseless tales that pass current with the vulgar ;
that, if you do not credit them yourselves, you will not
relate them to others ; (which we have known done ;)
yea, that you will confute them, so far as ye have oppor
tunity, and discountenance those who still retail them
abroad.

" 4. We do not desire any preferment, favour, or recom
mendation from those that are in authority, either in Church
or state. But we desire,

" 1. That if any thing material be laid to our charge, we
may be permitted to answer for ourselves. 2. That you
would hinder your dependents from stirring up the rabble
against us, who are certainly not the proper judges of
these matters ; and 3. That you would effectually sup
press, and thoroughly discountenance, all riots and popular
insurrections, which evidently strike at the foundation of
all government, whether of Church or state.

" Now these things you certainly can do, and that with
a safe conscience ; therefore, until these things are done,

132 LIFE OF THE

the continuance of the breach is chargeable on you and
you only." (Works, vol. iii, pp. 329-331.)

It is evident from this paper that Mr. Wesley's difficul-
ties, arising from his having raised up a distinct people,
within the national Church, pressed upon him. He desired
union and co-operation with the clergy, but his hope was
disappointed ; and perhaps it was much more than he
could reasonably indulge. It shows, however, his own
sincerity, and that he was not only led into his course of
irregularity, but impelled forward in it, by circumstances
Mrhich his zeal and piety had created, and which all his
prejudices in favour of the Church could not control.

After spending some time in Newcastle and the neigh-
bouring places, he visited Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Lan.
cashire, and Cheshire. On his return southward, he called
at Wednesbury, long the scene of riot, and preached in
peace. At Birmingham he had to abide the pelting of
stones and dirt ; and, on his return to London, he founu
some of the society inclined to Quakerism ; but by read
ing " Barclay's Apology" over with them, and commenting1
upon it, they were recovered. Antinomianism, both ot
Mystic and Calvinistic origin, also gave him trouble ; but
his testimony against it was unsparing. To erroneous
opinions, when innocent, no man was more tender ; but
when they infected the conduct, they met from him the
sternest resistance. " I would wish all to observe, that
the points in question between us and either the German
or English Antinomians are not points of opinion, but of
practice. We break with no man for his opinion. We
think and let think." (Journal.)

In the summer he proceeded to Cornwall, where Dr.
Borlase, the historian of that country, in the plenitude of his
magisterial authority, still carried on a systematic persecu
tion against the Methodists. He had made out an order
for Mr. Maxfield, who had been preaching in various
places, to be sent on board a man of wrar, but the captain
would not take him. A pious and peaceable miner, with
a wife and seven children, was also apprehended under the
doctor's warrant, because he had said " that he knew his
sins forgiven ;" and this zealous anti-heretic finally made
out a warrant against Mr. Wesley himself, but could find
no one to execute it. From Cornwall, where his ministry

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 133

had been attended with great effect, Mr. Wesley proceeded
to Wales, and thence to Bristol.

Count Zinzendorf, about this time directed the publica
tion of an advertisement, declaring that he and his people
had no connection with John and Charles Wesley ; and
concluded with a prophecy, that they would " soon run
their heads against a wall." On this Mr. Wesley contents
himself with coolly remarking, " We will not, if we can
help it."

He now proceeded northward ; and at Northampton
called on Dr. Doddridge, from whom he had previously
received several letters, breathing the most catholic spirit.
At Leeds the mob pelted him and the congregation with
dirt and stones ; and the next evening, being " in higher
excitement, they were ready," says he, "to knock out our
brains for joy that the duke of Tuscany was emperor."
On his arrival at Newcastle, the town was in the utmost
"onsternation, news having arrived that the pretender had
entered Edinburgh. By the most earnest preaching, he
endeavoured to turn this season of alarm to the spiritual
profit of the people, and the large congregations whom he
addressed in the streets heard with solemn attention. He
then visited Epworth, but speedily returned to Newcastle,
judging probably, that the place of anxiety and danger was
his post of duty. Here he made an offer to the general,
through one of the aldermen, to preach to the troops en-
camped near the town, whose dissolute language and man-
ners greatly affected him ; but he seems to have received
no favourable answer : so, after preaching a few times near
the camp, he returned southwards, endeavouring, at Leeds,
Birmingham, and other places, to turn the public agitation,
arising from the apprehension of civil war, to the best ac.
count, by enforcing « repentance toward God, and faith in
our Lord Jesus Christ."

Mr. Wesley had occasionally employed himself in writ
ing and getting printed small religious tracts, many thou
sands of which were distributed. This was revived with
vigour on his return to London this year ; and he thus, by
his example, was probably the first to apply, on any largo
scale, this important means of usefulness to the reforma
tion of the people. In the form of those excellent institu
tions called " tract societies," the same plan has now long

134 LIFE OF THE

been carried on systematically, to the great spiritual advan
tage of many thousands. At this period he observes, ad-
verting to the numerous small tracts he had written and
distributed, "It pleased God hereby to provoke others to
jealousy ; insomuch that the lord mayor had ordered a
large quantity of papers, dissuading from cursing and
swearing, to be printed, and distributed to the train-bands.
And this day, an * Earnest Exhortation to Serious Repent
ance' was given at every church door in or near London,
to every person who came out, and one left at the house of
every householder who was absent from church. I doubt
not but God gave a blessing therewith."*

In the early part of 1746, we find the following entry in
Mr. Wesley's journal : — " I set out for Bristol. On the
road I read over Lord King's Account of the Primitive
Church. In spite of the vehement prejudice of my educa
tion, I was ready to believe that this was a fair and impar
tial draught. But if so, it would follow, that bishops and
presbyters are (essentially) of one order ; and that origin
ally every Christian congregation was a Church indepen
dent on all others !"

The truth is, that Lord King came in only to confirm
him in views which he had for some time begun to enter
tain ; and they were such as show, that though he was a
Church of England man as to affection, which was strong
and sincere as far as its doctrines and its liturgy were con
cerned, and though he regarded it with great deference as

* Journal. — Previous to this we find him a tract writer and distri
butor ; for he observes in the year 1742, " I set out for Brentford with
Robert Swindels. The next day we reached Marlborough. When
one in the room beneath us was swearing desperately, Mr. Swindels
stepped down, and put into his hand the paper entitled Swear not at
all. He thanked him, and promised to swear no more. And he did not
while he was in the house." Mr. Wesley had already written tracts
entitled, " A Word to a Smuggler," "A Word to a Sabbath Breaker,"
" A Word to a Swearer," " A Word to a Drunkard," " A Word to a
Street- walker," " A Word to a Malefactor," and several others. He
published these that his preachers and people might have them to give
away to those who were guilty of these crimes, or in danger of falling
into them. He considered this as one great means of spreading the
knowledge of God. He also early gave his influence to the Sunday
school system. Mr. Raikes began his Sunday school in Gloucester
in 1784 ; and in January, 1785, Mr. Wesley published an account of
it in his magazine, and exhorted his societies to imitate that laudable
example.

BEV. JOHN WESLEY. 135

a legal institution, yet in respect of its ecclesiastical polity
he was even then very free in his opinions. At the second
conference in 1745, it was asked, " Is Episcopal, Presby
terian, or Independent church government, most agreeable
to reason ?" The answer is as follows : —

•' The plain origin of Church government seems to be
this : — Christ sends forth a person to preach the Gospel :
some of those who hear him, repent and believe in Christ :
they then desire him to watch over them, to build them up
in faith, and to guide their souls into paths of righteousness.
Here then is an independent congregation, subject to no
pastor, but their own ; neither liable to be controlled, in
things spiritual, by any other man, or body of men what
soever. But soon after, some from other parts, who were
occasionally present whilst he was speaking in the name
of the Lord, beseech him to come over and help them also.
He complies, yet not till he confers with the wisest and
holiest of his congregation ; and with their consent appoints
one who has gifts and grace to watch over his flock in his
absence. If it please God to raise another flock, in the
new place, before he leaves them, he does the same thing,
appointing one whom God hath fitted for the work to watch
over these souls also. In like manner, in every place where
it pleases God to gather a little flock by his word, he ap
points one in his absence, to take the oversight of the rest,
to assist them as of the ability which God giveth.

" These are deacons, or servants of the Church, and
they look upon their first pastor, as the common father of
all these congregations, and regard him in the same light,
and esteem him still as the shepherd of their souls. These
congregations are not strictly independent, as they depend
upon one pastor, though not upon each other.

" As these congregations increase, and the deacons
grow in years and grace, they need other subordinate
deacons, or hejpers, in respect of whom they may be called
presbyters or elders, as their father in the Lord may be
called the bishop or overseer of them all."*

[* It was in this relation, and from pressing necessity in circum
stances of extreme emergency, that Mr. Wesley, assisted by other
presbyters, ordained Dr. Coke, and through him Mr. Asbury, aa
superintendents, or bishops, of the American Methodist Churches

-AMERICAN KDIT.]

136 LIFE OF THE

This passage is important as it shows that from the first
he regarded his preachers, when called out and devoted to the
work, as, in respect of primitive antiquity and the universal
Church, parallel to deacons and presbyters. He also then
thought himself a Scriptural bishop. Lord King's researches
into antiquity served to confirm these sentiments and cor-
rected his former notion as to a distinction of orders.

It should here be stated, that at these early conferences
one sitting appears to have been devoted to conversation
on matters of discipline, in which the propriety of Mr.
Wesley's proceedings in forming societies, calling out
preachers, and originating a distinct religious community,
governed by its own laws, were considered ; and this neces
sarily led to the examination of general questions of Church
government and order. This will explain the reason why
in the conferences which Mr. Wesley, his brother, two or
three clergymen, and a few preachers held in the years
1744, 1745, 1746, and 1747, such subjects were discussed
as are contained in the above extract and in those which
follow. On these, as on all others, they set out with the
principle of examining every thing " to the foundation."

" Q. Can he be a spiritual governor of the Church who
is not a believer, not a member of it ?

" A. It seems not ; though he may be a governor in
outward things, by a power derived from the king.

" Q. What are properly the laws of the Church of England ?

" A. The Rubrics : and to these -we submit, as the ordi
nance of men, for the Lord's sake.

" Q. But is not the will of our governors a law ?

" A. No ; not of any governor, temporal or spiritual ,
therefore if any bishop wills that I should not preach the
Gospel, his will is no law to me.

" Q. But if he produce a law against your preaching ?

" A. I am to obey God rather than man."

" Q. Is mutual consent absolutely necessary between
the pastor and his flock ?

" A. No question. I cannot guide any soul, unless he
consent to be guided by me ; neither can any soul force
me to guide him, if I consent not.

" Q. Does the ceasing of this consent on either side
dissolve this relation ?

REV. JO11JN WESLEY. 137

" A. It must in the very nature of things. If a man no
longer consent to be guided by me, I am no longer his
guide ; I am free. If one will not guide me any longer,

T /* 1- _ ,"U ~ **T^1I "

I am free to seek one who will.

" Q. Does a Church in the New Testament always
mean a single congregation 1

" A, We believe it does ; we do not recollect any in.
stance to the contrary.

" Q. What instance or ground is there then in the New
Testament for a national Church ?

" A. We know none at all ; we apprehend it to be a
merely political institution.

" Q. Are the three orders of bishops, priests, and
deacons plainly described in the New Testament ?

" A. We think they are, and believe they generally
obtained in the Church of the apostolic age.

" Q. But are you assured that God designed the same
plan should obtain in all Churches, throughout all ages 1

" A. We are not assured of it, because we do not know
it is asserted in Holy Writ.

" Q. If the plan were essential to a Christian Church,
what must become of all foreign Reformed Churches ?

" A. It would follow they are no part of the Church of
Christ : a consequence full of shocking absurdity.

" Q. In what age was the divine right of Episcopacy
first asserted in England ?

" A. About the middle of Queen Elizabeth's reign : till
then all the bishops and clergy in England continually
allowed and joined in the ministrations of those who were
not episcopally ordained.

" Q. Must there not be numberless accidental variations
in the government of various Churches ?

" A. There must, in the nature of things. As God
variously dispenses his gifts of nature, providence, and
grace, both the offices themselves, and the officers in each,
ought to be varied from time to time.

" Q. Why is it that there is no determinate plan of
Church government appointed in Scripture ?

" A. Without doubt because the wisdom of God had a
regard to that necessary variety.
12*

138 LIFE OF THE

" Q. Was there any thought of uniformity in the gov
ernment of all Churches, until the time of Constantino ?

" A . It is certain there was not, nor would there have
been then had men consulted the word of God only."

Nothing therefore can be more clear, than that Mr.
Wesley laid the ground work of his future proceedings
after much deliberation, at this early stage of his progress.
He felt that a case of necessity had arisen, calling upon
him to provide a ministry and a government for the people
who had been raised up ; a necessity which rested upon
the obvious alternative, that they must either be furnished
with pastors of their own, or be left without sufficient aid
in the affairs of their souls. This led him closely to
examine the whole matter ; and he saw that when the
authority of Scripture alone was referred to in matters of
Church arrangement and regulation, it enjoined no parti
cular form of administration as binding, but left the appli
cation of certain great and inviolable principles to the piety
and prudence of those whom God might honour as the
instruments of usefulness to the souls of men. Here he
took his stand; and he proceeded to call forth preachers, and
set them apart, or ordain them* to the sacred office, and to

* Tho act of setting apart ministers by Mr. Wesley, but without
imposition of hands, is here called their ordination, although that
term has not been generally in use among us ; and may be objected
to by those who do not consider that imposition of hands, how
ever impressive as a form, and in most Churches the uniform prac.
tice, is still but a circumstance, and cannot enter into the essence
of ordination. That every religious society has the power to de
termine the mode in whicli " the separation" of its ministers "to
the Gospel of God" shall be visibly notified and expressed, will only
bo questioned by those whom prejudice and a wretched bigotry have
brought under their influence. What the body of Methodists now
practise in this respect, will, however, be allowed to stand on clearer
ground than the proceedings of Mr. Wesley, who still continued in
communion with the Church. It has therefore been generally sup.
posed that Mr. Wesley did not consider his appointment of preach
ers without imposition of hands, as an ordination to the ministry ;
but only as an irregular employment of laymen in the spiritual
office of merely expounding the Scriptures in a case of moral neces
sity. This, however, is not correct. They were not appointed to
expound or preach merely, but were solemnly set apart to the pas.
toral office, as the minutes of the Conferences show ; nor were
they regarded by him as laymen, except when in common parlance
they were distinguished from the clergy of the Church ; in which

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 139

nlarge the work by their means, under the full conviction
of his acting under as clear a Scriptural authority as could
be pleaded by Churchmen for Episcopacy, by the Presby
terians for Presbytery, or by the Congregationalists for
independency. Still he did not go beyond the necessity.
He could make this Scriptural appointment of ministers and
ordinances, without renouncing communion with the na
tional Church, and therefore he did not renounce it. In
these views Charles Wesley too, who was at every one of the
early conferences, concurred with him ; and if he thought
somewhat differently on these points afterward, it was
Charles who departed from first principles, not John. So
much for the accuracy of Dr. Whitehead, who constructed
his Life of the two brothers upon just the opposite opinion !

case he would have called any dissenting minister a layman. Tho
first extract from the minutes of the conferences above given, suffi
ciently shows that as to the Church of Christ at large, and as to his
own societies, he regarded the preachers when fully devoted to the
work, not as laymen, but as spiritual men, and ministers ; men, as he
says, "moved by the Holy Ghost," to preach the Gospel, and who
after trial were ordained to that and other branches of the pastoral
office. In his sketch of the origin of church government in that extract
he clearly had in view the conformity between what had taken place
in his own case, and that which must, in a great number of instances,
have occurred in the eirliest periods of Christianity ; and whilst he
evidently refers to himself as the father and bishop of the whole of the
societies, he tacitly compares his " assistants" to the ancient " presby
ters," and his " helpers" to the ancient " deacons." In point of fact, so
fully did he consider himself even in 1747, (whether consistently or
not, as a Churchman, let others determine, I speak only to the fact,)
as setting apart or ordaining to the ministry, that he appears to have
had thoughts of adding imposition of hands to his usual mode of ordi
nation, which was preceded by fasting and private prayer, and con
sisted of public examination, prayer, and appointment ; and he only
declines this for prudential reasons. "Why," says he, " do we not uso
more form in roceivinganew labourer ? 1. Because there is something
of stateliness in it, and we would be little and inconsiderable. 2. Be,
causa we would not make haste : we desire barely to follow providenca
as it gradually opens." (Minutes 0/1747.) Even this form therefore
was regarded as what might in other circumstances be required. The
baring of theso remarks upon some future ordinations of Mr. Wesley
by imposition of hands, will be pointed out in its proper place.*

[* Among the American Methodists, ordination, by imposition of
hands, has been uniformly practised from the time of the organiza
tion of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the year 1784. Our forms
of ordination were prepared by Mr. Wesley himself, and are sub
ptintially the same as those used in the Church of England, and tho
Protestant Episcopal Church in this country. — AMERICAN EDIT.]

140 LIFE OF TUB

The discipline which Mr. Wesley maintained in tho
societies, was lenient and long-suffering ; but where there
was an evil at the root, he had an unsparing hand. In
March, 1746, he came to Nottingham, and observes, " I
had long doubted what it was which hindered the work of
God here. But upon inquiry the case was plain. So many
of the society were either triflers, or disorderly walkers,
that the blessing of God could not rest upon them. So I
made short work by cutting off all such at a stroke, and
leaving only that little handful, who, as far as could be
judged, were really in earnest to save their souls.'

At Wednesbury and Birmingham he found that some
Antinomian teachers, the offspring of that seed which be
fore the recent revival of religion had been sown in various
parts of the country, and who, in that concern about spirit
ual things which now prevailed, began more zealously to
bestir themselves to mislead and destroy the souls of men,
under pretence of preaching a purer Gospel, had troubled
the societies. By personal conversation with some of these
teachers, in the presence of the people, he drew out tho
cdious extent to which they carried their notions of" Chris
tian liberty ;" and thus took an effectual method of expos
ing and confuting the deadly error.

Upon his return to London, it appeared that certain
pretended prophets had appeared in the metropolis, and had
excited the attention of many. He gratified his curiosity
by going to visit one of them, and with good-humoured
sarcasm observes, that as " he aimed at talking Latin, and
could not, he plainly showed that he did not understand his
own calling." Sober Scotland has in our own day exhibited
a similar fanaticism ; and the gift of tongues, pretended by
some persons there, appears to have proved quite as un
satisfactory an evidence of a Divine commission, as in this
case. In visiting Newgate he found a penitent and hopeful
malefactor ; and his journal affords a specimen of that
originality of remark, which peculiar cases, often perplex
ing to others, called forth from him. " A real, deep work
of God seemed to be already begun in his soul. Perhaps by
driving him too fast, Satan has driven him to God ; to that
repentance which shall never be repented of." When he
subsequently visited Dr. Dodd under condemnation, he is
reported to have replied to his apologies for receiving him

REV. JOHN WESLK1T. 141

in the condemned cell, " Courage, brother perhaps God
saw that nothing else would do."

Bristol, Wales, Devonshire, and Cornwall, occupied
Mr. Wesley's attention during the summer of 1746, and
London, Bristol, and the places adjacent, for the remainder
of the year. About this time also he received various
letters from the army abroad, giving an account of the
progress of religion among the soldiers, and of the brave
demeanour in battle of many of their Methodist comrades.
These accounts appear to have given him great satisfac
tion ; as showing the power of religion in new circum
stances, and as affording him an answer to his enemies,
who asserted that his doctrines had the effect of making
men dastardly, negligent of duty, and disloyal. In the
early part of the year 1747, we find him braving the snows
of February in Lincolnshire ; and in March he reached
Newcastle, to supply the absence of his brother from that
important station.

Among other excellencies possessed by this great man,
he was fond of smoothing the path of knowledge, to the
diffusion of which he devoted much attention, and for
which end he published several compendiums and brief
treatises on its most important branches. In this respect
also he was foremost to tread in a path which has been of
late years vigorously pursued, and must be reckoned as
one of the leaders of that class of wise and benevolent men,
who have exerted themselves to extend the benefits of use
ful information from the privileged orders of society, into
the middle and lower classes. " This week," says he, " I
read over with some young men, a Compendium of Rheto
ric, and a System of Ethics. I see not why a man of
tolerable understanding may not in six months' time, learn
more of solid philosophy than is commonly learned at Ox
ford in four (perhaps seven) years."

On his return from his labours in the north of England,
he called at Manchester, which he had formerly several
times visited in order to take counsel with his college friend
Clayton, and Dr. Byrom, and had preached in the churches.
He was now seen there in a new character. The small
house which was occupied by the society could not contain
a tenth part of the people, and he therefore walked to Sal-
ford Cross. " A numberless crowd of people partly ran

142 LIFE OF TH»

before, partly followed after me. I thought it best not to
sing, but looking round, asked abruptly, ' Why do you look
as if you had never seen me before ? Many of you have
seen ms in the neighbouring church, both preaching and
administering the sacrament.' I then gave out the text,
Seek ye the Lord while he may be found ; call upon him
while he is near. None interrupted at all, or made any
disturbance, till, as I was drawing to a conclusion, a big
man thrust in, with three or four more, and bade them
bring out the engine. Our friends desired me to remove
into a yard just by, which I did, and concluded in peace."
From the north he proceeded through Nottingham and
Staffordshire to London, and from thence to the west of
England. The influence which his calm courage often
gave him over mobs was remarkably shown on this jour
ney. " Within two miles of Plymouth, one overtook and
informed us, that the night before, all the Dock was in an
uproar ; and that a constable endeavouring to keep the
peace, was beaten and much hurt. As we were entering
the Dock, one met us, and desired we would go the back
way. ' For,' said he, ' there are thousands of people wait-
ing about Mr. Hyde's door.' We rode up straight into the
midst of them. They saluted us with three huzzas; after
which I alighted, took several of them by the hand, and
began to talk with them. I would gladly have passed an
hour among them, and believe if I had, there had been an
end of the riot ; but the day being far spent (for it was past
nine o'clock) I was persuaded to go in. The mob then
recovered their spirits, and fought valiantly with the doors
and windows. But about ten they were weary, and went
every man to his own home. The next day I preached at
four, and then spoke severally to a part of the society.
About six in the evening I went to the place where I
preached the last year. A little before we had ended the
hymn came a lieutenant, a famous man, with his retinue
of soldiers, drummers, and mob. When the drums ceased,
a gentleman-barber began to speak ; but his voice was
quickly drowned in the shouts of the multitude, who grew
fiercer and fiercer as their numbers increased. After wait
ing about a quarter of an hour, perceiving the violence of
the rabble still increasing, I walked down into the thickest
of them, and took the captain of the mob by the hand. He

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 143

immediately said, ' Sir, I will see you safe home. Sir, no
man shall touch you. Gentlemen, stand off. Give back.
I will knock the first man down that touches him.' We
walked on in great peace ; my conductor every now and
then stretching out his neck, (he was a very tall man,)
and looking round, to see if any behaved rudely, till we
came to Mr. Hyde's door. We then parted in much love.
I stayed in the street near half an hour after he was gone,
talking with the people, who had now forgot their anger,
and went away in high good humour."

In Cornwall we have a specimen of his prompt and
faithful habits of discipline.

" Wednesday 8 : I preached at St. Ives, then at Sithney.
On Thursday the stewards of all the societies met. I now
diligently inquired, what exhorters there were in each socie
ty ? Whether they had gifts meet for the work ? Whether
their lives were eminently holy ? And whether there appear
ed any fruit of their labour? I found upon the whole, 1.
That there were no fewer than eighteen exhorters in the
county : 2. That three of these had no gifts at all for the
work, neither natural, nor supernatural : 3. That a fourth
nad neither gifts nor grace, but was a dull, empty, self-
conceited man : 4. That a fifth had considerable gifts, but
had evidently made shipwreck of the grace of God. These
therefore I determined immediately to set aside, and advise
our societies not to hear them. 5. That J. B., A. L., and
J. W., had gifts and grace, and had been much blessed in
the work. Lastly, That the rest might be helpful when
there was no preacher, in their own or the neighbouring
societies, provided they would take no step without the
advice of those who had more experience than themselves.*'

In August he visited Ireland for the first time. Metho
dism had been introduced into Dublin by Mr. Williams,
one of the preachers, whose ministry had been attended
with great success, so that a considerable society had been
already formed. Mr. Wesley was allowed to preach once
at St. Mary's, " to as gay and senseless a congregation,"
he observes, " as I ever saw." This was not, however,
permitted a second time ; and he occupied the spacious yard
of the meeting house, both in the mornings and evenings,
preaching to large congregations of both poor and rich.
Arncxjg his hearera he had also the ministers of various

144 LITE OF THE

denominations. The state of the Catholics excited his
peculiar sympathy ; and as he could have little access to
them by preaching, he published an address specially for
their use. In his journal he makes a remark on the reli
gious neglect of this class of our fellow subjects by Pro
testants, which contains a reproof, the force of which has,
unhappily, extended to our own times : — " Nor is it any
wonder, that those who are born Papists, generally liv~
and die such ; when the Protestants can find no better
ways to convert them, than penal laws and acts of parlia
ment." The chief perplexities which Ireland has occa
sioned to the empire are to be traced to this neglect ; and
the dangers which have often sprung up to the state from
that quarter, have been, and continue to be, its appropriate
punishment. Mr. Wesley's visit, at this time, to Ireland
was short ; but he requested his brother to succeed him.
Mr. Charles Wesley, therefore, accompanied by another
preacher, Mr. Charles Perronet, one of the sons of the
venerable vicar of Shoreham, arrived there in September.
A persecution had broken out against the infant society
in Dublin, and " the first news," says Mr. Charles Wes
ley, " we heard was, that the little flock stood fast in the
storm of persecution, which arose as soon as rny brother
left them. The popish mob broke open their room, and
destroyed all before them. Some of them are sent to
Newgate, others bailed. What will be the event we know
not, till we see whether the grand jury will find the bill."
He afterward states that the grand jury threw out th<8
bill, and thus gave up the Methodists to the fury of a licen
tious mob. " God has called me to suffer affliction with
his people. I began my ministry with, ' Comfort ye,
comfort ye my people,' &c. I met the society and the
Lord knit our hearts together in love stronger than death.
We both wept and rejoiced for the consolation. God hath
sent me, I trust, to confirm these souls, and to keep them
together in the present distress." (Whitehead's Life.)

Mr. Charles Wesley spent the winter in Dublin, being
daily employed in preaching, and visiting the people. In
February he made an excursion into the country, where a
few preachers were already labouring, and, in some places,
with great success. Thus was the first active and sys
tematic agency for the conversion of the neglected people

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 145

of Ireland commenced by the Methodists ; and, till of late
years, it is greatly to be regretted that they were left to
labour almost alone. From that time, however, not only
was the spirit of religion revived in many Protestant parts
of the country, and many Papists converted to the truth,
but the itinerant plan, which was there adopted as in
England, enabled the preachers to visit a great number of
places where the Protestants were so few in numbers as
not to be able to keep up regular worship, or to make head,
when left to themselves, against popish influence. A bar
rier was thus erected against the farther encroachments of
popery ; and the light was kept burning in districts where
it would otherwise have been entirely extinguished. The
influence of the Methodist societies, would, however, have
oeen much more extensive, had not the large emigrations
which have been almost constantly setting in from Ireland
to America, borne away a greater number of their mem
bers in proportion than those of any other community.
Mr. Charles Wesley spent part of the year 1748 in Ire
land, and preached in several of the chief towns, and espe
cially at Cork, with great unction and success.

CHAPTER IX.

THE notices of the journeys and labours of these inde
fatigable ministers of Christ, given in the preceding chap
ter, afford but a specimen of the manner in which the foun
dations of the Methodist connection were carried out and
firmly laid. Nor were the preachers under their direction,
though labouring in more limited districts of country, scarce
ly less laboriously employed. At this period one of them
writes from Lancashire to Mr. Wesley : — " Many doors
are opened for preaching in these parts, but cannot be
supplied for want of preachers. 1 think some one should
be sent to assist me, otherwise we shall lose ground. My
circuit requires me to travel one hundred and fifty miles
in two weeks ; during which time I preach publicly thirty-
four times, beside meeting the societies, visiting the sick;
and transacting other affairs." (Whitehead's Life.)

Of the preachers some were engaged in business, and
preached at their leisure in their own neighbourhoods j
13

146 LIFE OF THE

but still, zealous for the salvation of men, they often took
considerable journeys. Others, gave themselves up, for
a time, to more extended labours, and then settled : but
the third class, who had become the regular " assistants"
and " helpers" of Mr. Wesley, were devoted wholly to the
work of the ministry ; and, after a period of probation,
and a scrutiny into their character and talents at the an.
nual conferences, were admitted, by solemn prayer, into
what was called " full connection," which, as we have
stated, was their ordination. No provision was, however,
made at this early period for their maintenance. They
took neither "purse nor scrip ;" they cast themselves upon
the providence of God, and the hospitality and kindness
of the societies, and were by them, like the primitive
preachers, " helped forward after a godly sort,"* on their
journeys, to open new places, and to instruct those for
whose souls " no man cared." It might be as truly said
of them as of the first propagators of Christianity, they
had " no certain dwelling place." Under the severity of
labour, and the wretched accommodations to which they
cheerfully submitted, many a fine constitution was broken,
and premature death was often induced.

The annual conferences have been mentioned ; and
that a correct view may be taken of the doctrines which
at those meetings it was agreed should be taught in the
societies, it will be necessary to go back to their com-
mencement. At first every doctrine was fully sifted in
successive " Conversations," and the great principles of a
godly discipline were drawn out into special regulations,
as circumstances appeared to require. After the body
had acquired greater maturity, these doctrinal discussions
became less frequent ; a standard and a test being ulti
mately established in a select number of Mr. Wesley's
doctrinal sermons, and in his " Notes on the New Testa-
ment." The free and pious spirit in which these inquiries
were entered into was strikingly marked at the first con
ferences, in the commencing exhortation : — " Let us all
pray for a willingness to receive light, to know of every
doctrine whether it be of God." The widest principle of

* The want of a provision for their wives and families, in the
early periods of Methodism, caused the loss of many eminent
preachers, who were obliged to settle in independent congregations.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 147

Christian liberty was also laid down, as suited to the infant
state of a society which was but just beginning to take its
ground, and to assume the appearance of order.

" Q. 3. How far does each of us agree to submit to the
judgment of the majority 1

" A. In speculative things, each can only submit so far
as his judgment shall be convinced ; in every practical
point, each will submit so far as he can, without wounding
his conscience.

" Q. 4. Can a Christian submit any farther than this to
any man, or number of men, upon earth ?

" A. It is plain he cannot ; either to bishop, convoca
tion, or general council. And this is that grand principle
of private judgment on which all the Reformers at home
and abroad proceeded : « Every man must judge for him-
self; because every man must give an account of himself
to God.' " (Minutes.)

Never, it may be affirmed, was the formation of any
Christian society marked by the recognition of principles
more liberal, or more fully in the spirit of the New Testa
ment.

To some of the doctrinal conversations of the first con
ferences, it is necessary to refer, in order to mark those
peculiarities of opinion which distinguish the Wesleyan
Methodists. It is, however, proper to observe that the
clergymen and others who thus assembled did not meet to
draw up formal articles of faith. They admitted those of
the Church of England ; and their principal object was to
ascertain how several of the doctrines relative to experi
mental Christianity, which they found stated in substance
in those articles, and farther illustrated in the Homilies,
were to be understood and explained. This light they
sought from mutual discussion, in which every thing was
brought to the standard of the word of inspired truth.

Their first subject was justification, which they describe
with great simplicity ; not loading it with epithets, as in
the systematic schools, nor perplexing it by verbal criticism.
It is defined to be " pardon," or " reception into -God's
favour;" a view which is amply supported by several
explicit passages of Scripture, in which the terms, " par
don," "forgiveness," and "remission of sins," are used
convertibly vith the term "justification." To be »« received

148 LIFE OF THE

into God's favour," according to these Minutes, is neces
sarily connected with the act of forgiveness, and is the
immediate and inseparable consequence of that gracious
procedure. The same may be said of adoption ; which, in
some theological schemes, is made to flow from regenera
tion, while the latter is held to commence previously to
justification. In Mr. Wesley's views adoption, as being
a relative change, is supposed to be necessarily involved
in justification, or the pardon of sin ; and regeneration to
flow from both, as an inward, moral change arising from the
powerful and efficacious work of the Holy Spirit who is in
that moment given to believers.* To their definition of
justification, the Minutes, add, " It is such a state that, if
we continue therein, we shall be finally saved;" thus
making final salvation conditional, and justification a state
which may be forfeited. All wilful sin was held to imply
a casting away of vital faith, and thereby to bring a man
under wrath and condemnation ; " nor is it possible for
him to have justifying faith again without previously re
penting." They also agree that faith is " the condition of
justification ;" adding, as the proof, " for every one that
believeth not is condemned, and every one who believes
is justified." In Mr. Wesley's sermon on justification by
faith, the office of faith in justifying is thus more largely
set forth : —

" Surely the difficulty of assenting to the proposition,
that faith is the only condition of justification, must arise
from not understanding it. We mean thereby thus much,
that it is the only thing, without which no one is justified ;
the only thing that is immediately, indispensably, absolute
ly requisite in order to pardon. As on the one hand,
though a man should have every thing else, without faith,
yet he cannot be justified ; so on the other, though he be
supposed to want every thing else, yet if he hath faith, he
cannot but be justified. For suppose a sinner of any kind
or degree, in a full sense of his total ungodliness, of his

* The connection of favour and adoption with pardon, arises from
the very nature of that act. Pardon, or forgiveness, is release from
tha penalties and forfeitures incurred by transgression. Of those
penalties, the loss of God's favour, and of filial relation to him was
among the most weighty ; — pardon, therefore, in its nature, or at least
in its natural consequences, implies a restoration to the blessings for.
lei ted, for else the penalty would in part remain in force

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 149

utter unability to think, speak, or do good, and his ab-
Holute meetness for hell fire ; suppose, I say, this sinner,
helpless and hopeless, casts himself wholy on the mercy
of God in Christ, (which indeed he cannot do but by the
grace of God,) who can doubt but he is forgiven in that
moment ? Who will affirm that any more is indispensably
required, before that sinner can be justified ?

" And at what time soever a sinner thus believes, be it
in his early childhood, in the strength of his years, or
when he is old and hoaiy -headed, God justifieth that un
godly one ; God, for the sake of his Son, pardoneth and
absolveth him, who had in him, till then, no good thing.
Repentance, indeed, God had given him before ; but that
repentance was neither more nor less than a deep sense of
the want of all good, and the presence of all evil. And
whatever good he hath or doeth from that hour, when he
first believes in God through Christ, faith does not find, but
bring. This is the fruit of faith. First, the tree is good,
and then the fruit is good also."

Mr. Wesley's views of repentance in this passage will
also be noted. Here, as at the first conference, he insists
that repentance, which is conviction of sin, and works meet
for repentance, go before justifying faith ; but he held, with
the Church of England, that all works, before justification,
had " the nature of sin :" and that, as they had no root in
the love of God, which can only arise from a persuasion
of his being reconciled to us, they could not constitute a
moral worthiness preparatory to pardon. That a true
repentance springs from the grace of God is certain ; but
whatever fruits it may bring forth, it changes not man's
relation to God. He is a sinner, and is justified as such ;
" for it is not a saint but a sinner that is forgiven, and under
the notion of a sinner." God justifieth the ungodly, not
the godly. (Sermons.) Repentance, according to his state
ment, is necessary to true faith ; but faith alone is the
direct and immediate instrument of pardon.

Those views of faith (of that faith by which a man, thus
penitent, comes to God through Christ) which are express
ed in the Minutes of this first conference, deserves a more
particular consideration. Here, as in defining justifica-
tion, the language of the schools, and of systematic philo
sophising divines, is laid aside, and a simple enunciation

150 LIFE OP THE

is made of the doctrine of the New Testament. " Faith
in general is a divine, supernatural elenchos, [evidence or
conviction] of things not seen, that is, of past, future, or
spiritual things. It is a spiritual sight of God, and the
things of God." (Minutes.)

In this description, faith is distinguished from mere
belief, or an intellectual conviction which the consideration
of the evidences of the truth of Scripture may produce,
and yet lead to no practical or saving consequence ; and
that there may be a sincere and undoubting belief of the
truth, without producing any saving effect, is a point Avhich
our very consciousness may sufficiently assure us of;
although, in order to support a particular theoiy on the
subject of faith, this has sometimes been denied. Trust
is constantly implied in the Scriptural account of accept
able and saving faith, and this is the sense in which it
was evidently taken in the above definition ; for its pro
duction in the heart is referred to supernatural agency,
and it is made to result from, and to be essentially con-
nected with, a demonstration of spiritual things, — such a
conviction, wrought by the teaching Spirit, as produces
not merely a full persuasion but a full reliance. Six
years before this time, Mr. Wesley, in a sermon before
the university of Oxford, had more at large expressed
the same views as to justifying faith : " Christian faith is
not only an assent to the whole Gospel of Christ, but also
a 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
Jiving in us. It is a sure confidence which a man hath in
God that, through the merits of Christ, his sins are forgiven,
and he reconciled to the favour of God ; and, in conse
quence hereof, a closing with him, and cleaving to him,
as our « wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemp
tion,' or, in one word, our salvation." (Sermons.)

It will however be remarked, that, in order to support
his view of the nature of justifying faith by the authority of
the Church of England, Mr. Wesley has quoted her words
from the Homily on Salvation in the latter part of the
above extract ; and he thereby involved the subject in an
obscurity which some time afterward he detected and
acknowledged. The incorrectness of the wording of the

BEV. JOHN WESLEY. 151

homily is indeed very apparent, although in substance it
is sound and Scriptural. When that homily defines justi
fying faith to be " a sure trust and confidence which a
man hath in God that his sins are forgiven, and he recon
ciled to the favour of God," it is clear that, by the founders
of the English Church, saving faith wras regarded not as
mere belief, but as an act of trust and confidence subsequent
to the discovery made to a man of his sin and danger, and
the fear and penitential sorrow which are thereby produced.
The object of that faith they make to be God, assuredly
referring to God in the exercise of his mercy through the
atonement and intercession of Christ ; and the trust and
confidence of which the homily speaks must be therefore
taken to imply a distinct recognition of the merits of Christ,
and a full reliance upon them. So far all is scripturally
correct, although not so fully expressed as could be desired.
That from such a faith exercised in these circumstances,
a " confidence," taking the word in the sense of persuasion
or assurance, that " a man's sins are forgiven, and he
reconciled to the favour of God," certainly follows, is the
doctrine of Scripture ; and the authority of the homily
may therefore also be quoted in favour of that view of
assurance at which Churchmen have so often stumbled, and
to which they have so often scornfully referred as the
fanatical invention of modern sectaries. There is, how-
ever, an error in the homily which lies not in its substance
and general intent, but in this, that it applies the same
terms, " trust and confidence," both to God's mercy in
Christ, which is its proper object, and to " the forgiveness
of sins," which is the consequence of a sure trust and con
fidence in God as exercising mercy "through Christ,"
because it is that in order to which the trust or confidence
is exercised. It follows, therefore, that either there is an
error in the latter part of the statement itself; justifying
faith not being a confidence that sin is forgiven, which is
absurd, because it is the condition previously required in
order to the forgiveness of sin ; or otherwise, wrhich is
probable, that the term " confidence," in the mind of the
writer of the homily, Avas taken in a different sense when
applied to God the object of trust, and to the forgiveness
of sin ; and, when referred to the latter, meant that persua
sion of the fact of being forgiven which must be attributed

152 LIFE OF THE

to a secret assurance of remission and acceptance by the
spirit of adoption, and which ordinarily closely follows, or
is immediately connected with, justifying faith, but which
is not of its essence. But " confidence" in this sense
implies filial confidence, the trust of a child, of one already
passed into the family of God, and hence this is rather the
description of the habitual faith of a justified man than of
the act by which a sinner is justified and adopted. Mr.
Wesley therefore soon perceived that the definition of
justifying faith in this homily needed some correction,
and he thus expressed his views in 1747, in a letter to
his brother : —

" Is justifying faith a sense of pardon 1 Negatur." It
is denied.

" By justifying faith I mean that faith which whosoever
hath not, is under the wrrath and the curse of God. By a
sense of pardon I mean a distinct, explicit assurance that
my sins are forgiven.

" I allow, 1. That there is such an explicit assurance.

2. That it is the common privilege of real Christians.

3. That it is the common Christian faith, which purifieth
the heart, and overcometh the world." * * * *

" But the assertion, that justifying faith is a sense of
pardon, is contrary to reason : it is flatly absurd. For how
can a sense of our having received pardon, be the condition
of our receiving it ?

" But does not our Church give this account of justify
ing faith ? I am sure she does of saving or Christian faith :
I think she does of justifying faith too. But to the law
and to the testimony. All men may err : but the wrord
of the Lord shall stand for ever."

Mr. Wesley, however, still regarded that trust in the
merits of Christ's death, in which justifying faith consists,
as resulting from a supernatural conviction that Christ
" loved me" as an individual, and "gave himself for me." In
this he placed the proof that faith is " the gift of God," a
work of the Holy Spirit, as being produced along with this
conviction, or immediately following it. From this super,
natural conviction, not only that God was in Christ
" reconciling the world unto himself," but that he died
" for my sins," there follows an entire committal of tho
case of the soul to the merits of the sacrifice of Christ, in

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 153

an act of trust ; — in that moment, he held, God pardons
and absolves him that so believes or trusts, and that this,
his pardon or justification, is then witnessed to him by the
Holy Ghost. Nor can a clearer or simpler view of stating
this great subject, in accordance with the Scriptures, be
well conceived. The state of a penitent is one of various
degrees of doubt, but all painful. He questions the love
of God to him, from a deep sense of his sin, although he
may allow that he loves all the world beside. Before he
can fully rely on Christ, and the promises of the Gospel,
he must have heightened and more influential views of
God's love in Christ, and of his own interest in it. It is
the office of the Holy Spirit " to take of the things of
Christ, and show them" to the humble mind. This office
of the Spirit agrees with that sXerxps or " divine convic
tion," of which Mr. Wesley speaks, and which shows,
with the power of demonstrative evidence, the love of
Christ to the individual himself in the intention of his
sacrifice. From this results an entire and joyful acquies
cence with the appointed method of salvation, and a full
reliance upon it, followed, according to the promise of
Scripture, with actual forgiveness, and the cheering testi
mony of the Spirit of adoption. Of this faith he allowed
different degrees, yet the lowest degree saving ; and also
different degrees of assurance, and therefore of joy. He
was careful to avoid binding the work of the Spirit to one
rule, and to distinguish between that peace which flows
from a comfortable persuasion of " acceptance through
Christ," and those higher joys which may be produced by
that more heightened assurance which God is pleased in
many cases to impart. He taught that the essence of true
justifying faith consists in the entire personal trust of the
man of a penitent and broken spirit upon the merits of
his Saviour, as having died for him ; and that to all who so
believe, faith is " imputed for righteousness," or in other
words, pardon was administered.*

* That Mr. Wesley did not hold that assurance of personal par
don is of the essence of justifying faith is certain, from the remarks
in his letter to his brother before quoted, in which he plainly states,
that to believe that I am pardoned in order to pardon, is an absur
dity and a contradiction. There will, however, appear some obscu
rity in a few other passages in his writings, unless we notice the
sense in which he uses certain terms, a matter in which he never

154 LIFE OF THE

The immediate fruits of justifying faith are stated in
these Minutes to be " peace, joy, love ; power over all
outward sin, and power to keep down inward sin."
Justifying faith, when lost, is not again attainable, except
by repentance and prayer ; but " no believer need come

felt himself bound by the systematic phraseology of scholastic the-
ologiuns. Thus there is an apparent discrepancy between the state,
inent of his views as given above, and the following passage in his
sormon on the " Scripture Way of Salvation :" —

" Taking the word in a more particular sense, faith is a Divino
evidence and conviction, not only that ' God was in Christ, recon
ciling the world unto himself;' but also that Christ loved me, and
gave himself for me. It is by faith (whether we term it, the essence,
or rather a property thereof ) that we receive Christ, that we receive
him in all his offices, as Prophet, Priest, and King. It is by this
that he is ' made of God unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and
sanctification, and redemption.'

" ' But is this tho faith of assurance, or the faith of adherence ?'
The Scripture mentions no such distinction. The apostle says,
' There is one faith, and one hope of our calling,' one Christian,
saving faith, ' as there is one Lord,' in whom we believe, and ' one
God and Father of us all.' And it is certain, this faith necessarily
implies an assurance (which is here only another word for evidence,
it being hard to tell the difference between them) that Christ loved
me, and gave himself for me. For ' he that believeth,' with the true
living faith, 'hath the witness in himself:' 'The Spirit witnesscth
with his spirit, that he is a child of God.' ' Because he is a son, God
hath sent forth the spirit of his Son into his heart, crying, Abba,
Father ;' giving him an assurance that he is so, and a child-like
confidence in him. But let it be observed that, in the very nature
of the thing, the assurance goes before the confidence. For a mnn
cinnot have a child-like confidence in God till he know he is a child
of God. Therefore, confidence, trust, reliance, adherence, or what,
ever else it be called, is not the first, as some have supposed, but the
second branch or act of faith."

Yet in fact the only difficulty arises from not attending to his
mode of stating the case, and his use of the term assurance. When
lie says that faith includes botli adherence and assurance, it is obvi
ous that he does not mean by assurance, the assurance of personal
acceptance, which he distinctly, in the same passage, ascribes to tho
direct testimony of the Spirit of God ; but the assurance that Christ
" died for me," " for my sins," which special manifestation of God's
love in Christ to rne as an individual, producing an entire trust in
the Divine sacrifice for sin, he attributes to a supernatural elenchos
or conviction. This, however, lie considers as a " conviction" in
order to faith or trust ; and then the act of personal and entire trust
in this manifested love and goodness is succeeded by the direct tes
timony of the Spirit of adoption, which he tells us gives a man " the
assurance that he is a child of God, and a child like confidence m
him." And when he goes on so truly to state, that " in the very
nature of the thinjr, the assurance goes before the confidence," and

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 155

again into a state of doubt, or fear, or darkness ; and that
(ordinarily at least) he will not, unless by ignorance or
unfaithfulness." Assaults of doubt and fear are however
admitted, even after great confidence and joy ; and " occa
sional heaviness of spirit before large manifestations of the
presence and favour of God." To these views of doctrine
may be added, that regeneration or the new birth is held to
be concomitant with justification. " Good works cannot go
before this faith; much less can sanctification,which implies
a continued course of good works, springing from holiness
of heart ; but they follow after :" and the reason given for
this is, that as salvation, which includes a present deliver-
ance from sin, a restoration of the soul to its primitive
health, the renewing of the soul after the image of God, all
holy and heavenly tempers and conversation, is by faith,
it cannot precede faith, which is the appointed instrument
of attaining it. To increase in all these branches of holi
ness, the exercise of faith in prayer, and the use of all the
means appointed by God, are also necessary ; a living faith
being that which unites the soul to Christ, and secures the
constant indwelling and influence of the Holy Spirit in the
heart. Such a faith must therefore necessarily lead to
universal holiness of heart and life, and stands as an im-

that " confidence, trust, or reliance," is not the first but the second
branch of faith, he evidently does not here mean that confidence and
trust in the merit of Christ by which we are justified, but filial
trust and confidence in God as our reconciled Father, which must
necessarily be subsequent to the other. According to Mr. Wesley's
views, the order of our passing into a state of justification and con
scious reconcilement to God, is, 1. True repentance, which, how
ever, gives us no worthiness, and establishes no claim upon pardon,
although it so necessarily precedes justifying faith, that alt trust
even in the merits of Christ for salvation would be presumptuous
and unauthorized without repentance ; since, as he says, " Christ
is not even to be offered to the careless sinner." (Sermon on " the
Law established through Faith,") 2. A supernatural elenchos, or
assured conviction, that " Christ loved me, and gave himself for
w<?," in the intention of his death ; inciting to and producing full
acquiescence with God's method of saving the guilty, and an entire
personal trust in Christ's atonement for sin. Of this trust, actual
justification is the result ; but then follows, 3. The direct testimony
of the Holy Spirit, giving assurance in different degrees, in different
persons, and often in the same person, that I am a child of God ;
and, 4. Filial confidence in God. The elenchos, the trust, the
Spirit's witness, and the filial confidence he held, were frequently,
but not always, so closely united as not to be distinguished as to
time, though each is, from its nature, successive and distinct.

156 LIFE OF THE

pregnable barrier against Pharisaism on the one hand, and
the pollutions of Antinomianism on the other.

On another doctrine, in defence of which Mr. Wesley
afterward wrote much, these early Minutes of Conference
contain perhaps the best epitome of his views, and may be
somewhat at length quoted.

" Q. 1. What is it to be sanctified?

" A. To be renewed in the image of God, in righteous-
ness and true holiness.

" Q. 2. Is faith the condition, or the instrument, of
aanctification 1

"A. It is both the condition and instrument of it. When
we begin to believe, then sanctification begins. And as
faith increases, holiness increases, till we are created anew.

" Q. 3. What is implied in being a perfect Christian ?

" A. The loving the Lord our God with all our heart,
and with all our mind, and soul, and strength, Deut. vi, 5 ;
xxx, 6 ; Ezek. xxxvi, 25-29.

" Q. 4. Does this imply that all inward sin is taken away?

»' A. Without doubt : or how could he be said to be
saved ' from all his uncleannesses ?' Ezek. xxxvi, 29 "

And again, —

" Q. 1. How much is allowed by our brethren who differ
from us, with regard to entire sanctification ?

" A. They grant, 1. That eveiy one must be entirely
sanctified in the article of death.

<k 2. That, till then, a believer daily grows in grace,
comes nearer and nearer to perfection.

u 3. That we ought to be continually pressing after this,
and to exhort all others so to do.

" Q. 2. What do we allow to them ?

" A. We grant, 1. That many of those who have died
in the faith, yea, the greater part of those we have known,
were not sanctified throughout, not made perfect in love,
till a little before death.

" 2. That the term « sanctified,' is continually applied
by St. Paul to all that were justified, were true believers.

" 3. That by this term alone, he rarely (if ever) means,
saved from all sin.

" 4. That, consequently, it is not proper to,use it in thia
sense, without adding the word 'wholly, entirely,' or the like.

" 5. That the inspired writers almost continually speak

*EV. JOHN WESLEY. 157

of or to those who were justified ; but very rarely, either of
or to those who were wholly sanctified.

" 6. That, consequently, it behoves us to speak in pub
lic almost continually of the state of justification ; but more
rarely, at least in full and explicit terms, concerning entire
sanctification.

" Q. 3. What then is the point wherein we divide ?

" A. It is this : whether we should expect to be saved
from all sin, before the article of death.

" Q. 4. Is there any clear Scripture promise of this ?
that God will save us from all sin ?

" A. There is : Psalm cxxx, 8, « He shall redeem Israel
from all his sins.'

" This is more largely expressed in the prophecy of
Ezekiel : « Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and
you shall be clean ; from all your filthiness and from all
your idols will I cleanse you. I will also save you from all
your uncleannesses :' chap xxxvi, 25, 29. No promise
can be more clear. And to this the apostle plainly refers
in that exhortation, * Having these promises, let us cleanse
ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of God,' 2 Cor. vii, 1. Equally clear
and express is that ancient promise, " The Lord thy God
will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy
soul,' Dent, xxx, 6.

" Q. 5. But does any assertion answerable to this, occur
in the New Testament ?

" A. There does, and that laid down in the plainest terms.
So St. John iii, 8, < For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil ;'
the works of the devil, without any limitation or restriction ;
but all sin is the work of the devil. Parallel to which is
that assertion of St. Paul, Eph. v, 25, 27, « Christ loved the
Church, and gave himself for it — that he might present it
to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle,
or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without
61emish.'

" And to the same effect is his assertion in the eighth ot
Romans, (verses 3, 4,) « God sent his Son — that the right-
eousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, walking not
after the flesh, but after the Soirit.'

158 LIFE OF THE

"Q. 6. Doea the New Testament afford any farther
ground for expecting to be saved from all sin ?

"A. Undoubtedly it does, both in those prayers and
commands which are equivalent to the strongest assertions.

" Q. 7. What prayers do you mean 1

"A. Players for entire sanctification ; which, were there
no such thing, would be mere mockery of God. Such in
particular are 1. 'Deliver us from evil;' or rather, 'from
the evil one.' Now when this is done, when we are
delivered from all evil, there can be no sin remaining. —

2. ' Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which
shall believe on me through their word ; that they all may
be one, as thou Father art in me, and I in thee ; that they
also may be one in us : I in them and thou in me, that they
may be made perfect in one,' John xvii, 20, 21, 23. —

3. 'I bow my knees unto the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ — that he would grant you — that ye, being
rooted and grounded in love, may be .able to comprehend
with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and height,
and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledge,
that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God,' Eph.
iii, 14, 16-19. 4. 'The very God of peace sanctify you
wholly. And I pray God, your whole spirit, soul, and
body, be preserved blameless, unto the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ,' 1 Thess. v, 23.

" Q. 8. What command is there to the same effect ?

"A. 1. 'Be ye perfect, as your Father which is in hea
ven is perfect,' Matt, vi, ult.

« 2. « Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with al> thy mind,' Matt,
xxii, 37. But if the love of God fill aj the heart, there
can be no sin there.

" Q. 9. But how does it appear, that this is to be done
before the article of death 1

" A. First, from the very nature of a command, which
is not given to the dead, but to the living.

" Therefore, « Thou shalt love God with all thy heart,
cannot mean, Thou shalt do this when thou diest, but
while thou livest.

" Secondly, from express texts of Scripture : —

" 1 « The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath
appeared to all men teaching us, that having renounced

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 159

ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should
live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world :
looking for — the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem
us from all iniquity ; and purify unto himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works,' Tit. ii, 11—14.

"2. * He hath raised up a horn of salvation for us —
to perform the mercy promised to our fathers : the oath
which he sware to our father Abraham, that he would
grant unto us, that we, being delivered out of the hands
of our enemies, should serve him without fear, in holiness
and righteousness before him, all the days of our life,'
Luke i, 69, &c.

"Q. 16. Does not the harshly preaching perfection,
tend to bring believers into a kind of bondage or slavish
fear?

"A. It does. Therefore we should always place it in
the most amiable light, so that it may excite only hope,
joy, and desire.

" Q. 17. Why may we not continue in the joy of faith,
even till we are made perfect ?

"A. Why indeed? since holy grief does not quench
this joy : since, even while we are under the cross, while
we deeply partake of the sufferings of Christ, we may
rejoice with joy unspeakable.

" Q. 18. Do we not discourage believers from rejoicing
evermore ?

" A. We ought not so to do. Let them, all their life
long, rejoice unto God, so it be with reverence. And
even if lightness or pride should mix with their joy let us
not strike at the joy itself, (this is the gift of God,) but
at that lightness or pride that the evil may cease, and the
good remain.

" Q. 20. But ought we not to be troubled on account
of the sinful nature which still remains in us ?

" A. It is good for us to have a deep sense of this,
and to be much ashamed before the Lord. But this
should only incite us the more earnestly to turn unto
Christ every moment, and to draw light, and life, and
gtrength from him, that we may go on, conquering and to
conquer. And therefore, when the sense of our sin most
abounds, the sense of his love should much more abound."

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The doctrine of assurance, and the source of it, the
testimony of the Holy Spirit, as the Spirit of adoption,
are frequently referred to in these early doctrinal con
versations. This however is more fully stated in Mr.
Wesley's sermons, and the following extracts will be
necessary to present his views on this subject in their true
light :—

" But what is the witness of the Spirit 1 The original
word jxapTupia may be rendered either, as it is in several
places,) the witness, or, less ambiguously, the testimony,
or the record : so it is rendered in our translation, 1 John
v, 11, * This is the record,' the testimony, the sum of
what God testifies in all the inspired writings, * that God
hath given unto us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.'
The testimony now under consideration is given by the
Spirit of God to and with our spirit. He is the Person
testifying. What he testifies to us is, « that we are the
children of God.' The immediate result of this testimony
is, « the fruit of the Spirit ;' namely, * love, joy, peace ;
long-suffering, gentleness, goodness.' And without these,
the testimony itself cannot continue. For, it is inevitably
destroyed, not only by the commission of any outward
sin, or the omission of known duty, but by giving way to
any inward sin : in a word, by whatever grieves the Holy
Spirit of God.

" 2. I observed many years ago, It is hard to find
words in the language of men, to explain the deep things
of God. Indeed there are none that will adequately
express what the Spirit of God works in his children.
But, perhaps, one might say, (desiring any Avho are taught
of God to correct, soften, or strengthen the expression,)
By the ' testimony of the Spirit' I mean, an inward impres
sion on the soul, whereby the Spirit of God immediately
and directly witnesses to my spirit, that I am a child of
God ; that « Jesus Christ hath loved me, and given himself
for me ;' that all my sins are blotted out, and I, even I, am
reconciled to God.

" 3. After twenty years' farther consideration, I see no
cause to retract any part of this. Neither do I conceive
how any of these expressions may be altered, so as to
make them more intelligible. I can only add, that if any
of the children of God will point out any other expres.

EEV. JOHN WESLEY. 161

sions which are more clear, or more agreeable to the word
of God, I will readily lay these aside.

" 4. Meantime let it be observed, I do not mean hereby,
that the Spirit of God testifies this by any outward voice :
no, nor always by an inward voice, although he may do
this sometimes. Neither do I suppose, that he always
applies to the heart (though he often may) one or more
texts of Scripture. But he so works upon the soul by his
immediate influence, and by a strong, though inexplicable
operation, that the stormy wind and troubled waves subside,
and there is a sweet calm : the heart resting as in the
arms of Jesus, and the sinner being clearly satisfied that
all his ' iniquities are forgiven, and his sins covered.'

" 5. Now what is the matter of dispute concerning this ?
Not, whether there be a witness or testimony of the
Spirit. Not, whether the Spirit does testify with our
spirit, that we are the children of God. None can deny
this, without flatly contradicting the Scriptures, and charg
ing a lie upon the God of truth. Therefore that there is
a testimony of the Spirit, is acknowledged by all parties.

" 6. Neither is it questioned, whether there is an indi
rect witness or testimony, that we are the children of God.
This is nearly, if not exactly, the same with 'the testimony
of a good conscience toward God ;' and is the result of
reason, or reflection on what we feel in our own souls.
Strictly speaking, it is a conclusion drawn partly from the
word of God, and partly from our own experience. The
word of God says, Every one who has the fruit of the
Spirit is a child of God. Experience or inward con
sciousness tells me, that I have the fruit of the Spirit ;
and hence I rationally conclude, therefore I am a child of
God. This is likewise allowed on all hands, and so is
no matter of controversy.

" 7. Nor do we assert, that there can be any real testi
mony of the Spirit, without the fruit of the Spirit. We
assert, on the contrary, that the fruit of the Spirit imme
diately springs from this testimony ; not always indeed in
the same degree even when the testimony is first given ;
and much less afterward : neither joy nor peace is always
at one stay. No, nor love : as neither is the testimony
itself always equally strong and clear.

" 8. But the point in question is, whether there be any
14*

162 LIFE OF THE

direct testimony of the Spirit at all ; whether there be any
other testimony of the Spirit, than that which arises from
a consciousness of the fruit.

" 1. I believe there is, because that is the plain, natural
meaning of the text, ' the Spirit itself beareth witness with
our spirit, that we are the children of God.' It is manifest,
here are two witnesses mentioned, who together testify the
same thing, the Spirit of God and our own spirit. The
late bishop of London, in his sermon on this text, seems
astonished that any one can doubt of this, which appears
upon the very face of the words. Now ' the testimony of
our own spirit, (says the bishop,) is one, which is the
consciousness of our own sincerity ;' or to express the
same thing a little more clearly, the consciousness of the
fruit of the Spirit. When our spirit is conscious of this, of
love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, it
easily infers, from these premises, that we are the children
of God.

" 2. It is true, that great man supposes the other witness
to be ' the consciousness of our own good works.' This,
he affirms, is ' the testimony of God's Spirit.' But this is
included in the testimony of our own spirit : yea, and in
sincerity, even according to the common sense of the word.
So the apostle, * Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our
conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have
our conversation in the world :' where it is plain, sincerity
refers to our words and actions, at least as much as to our
inward dispositions. So that this is not another witness,
but the very same that he mentioned before : the conscious
ness of our good works being only one branch of the con
sciousness of our sincerity. Consequently here is only
one witness still. If therefore the text speaks of two wit
nesses, one of these is not the consciousness of our good
works, neither of our sincerity : all this being manifestly
contained in * the testimony of our spirit.'

" 3. What then is the other witness ? This might easily
be learned, if the text itself were not sufficiently clear, from
the verse immediately preceding. * Ye have received, not
the spirit of bondage, but the Spirit of adoption, whereby
we cry, Abba, Father.' It follows, <The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children
of God.'

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 163

" 4. This is farther explained by the parallel text, Gal.
iv, 6 : ' Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit
of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.' Is not
this something immediate and direct, not the result of
reflection or argumentation? Does not this Spirit cry,
* Abba, Father,' in our hearts, the moment it is given 1
antecedently to any reflection upon our sincerity, yea, to
any reasoning whatsoever 1 And is not this the plain,
natural sense of the words, which strikes any one as soon
as he hears them? All these texts then, in their most
obvious meaning, describe a direct testimony of the Spirit.

" 5. That the testimony of the Spirit of God must, in the
very nature of things, be antecedent to the testimony of our
own spirit, may appear from this single consideration. We
must be holy in heart and life, before we can be conscious
that we are so. But we must love God before we can bo
holy at all, this being the root of all holiness. Now wo
cannot love God, till we know he loves us : ' we love him
because he first loved us.' And we cannot know his love
to us, till his Spirit witnesses it to our spirit. Since there
fore the testimony of his Spirit must precede the love of
God and all holiness, of consequence it must precede our
consciousness thereof."

A doctrine so often misrepresented and misunderstood
could not be so properly stated, as in Mr. Wesley's own
words ; and as many, and those even professing to be sober
Christians, have, principally with reference to this doctrine,
frequently opened upon this venerable man the full cry of
enthusiasm and fanatical delusion, it may be proper to add
a few explanatory and defensive remarks, and that not
merely for the sake of justice to his opinions, but in
support of a great doctrine of revelation, most intimately
connected with the hope and comfort of man.

And, 1. The doctrine of assurance as held by the founder
of Methodism was not the assurance of eternal salvation
as held by Calvinistic divines ; but that persuasion which
is given by the Holy Spirit to penitent and believing per
sons, that they are " now accepted of God, pardoned, and
adopted into God's family." It was an assurance, there
fore, on the ground of which no relaxation of religious
effort could be pleaded, and no unwatchfulness of spirit or
irregularity of life allowed : for he taught, that only by the

164 LIFE 0V THE

lively exercise of the same humble and obedient faith in
the merits and intercession of Christ, this state of mind
could be maintained, and it was made by him a motive
(influential as our desire of inward peace can be influential)
to vigilance and obedience.

2. This doctrine cannot be denied without disconnecting
religion from peace of mind, and habitual consolation.
For if it is the doctrine of the inspired records, and of all
orthodox Churches, that man is by nature prone to evil,
and that in practice he violates that law under which as a
creature he is placed, and is thereby exposed to punish
ment ; — if also it is there stated, that an act of grace and
pardon is promised on the conditions of repentance toward
God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ ; — if that repent
ance implies consideration of our ways, a sense of the
displeasure of almighty God, contrition of heart, and con
sequently trouble and grief of mind, mixed, however, with
hope, inspired by the promise of forgiveness, and which
leads to earnest supplication for the actual pardon of sin so
promised, it will follow from these premises, either, that
forgiveness is not to be expected till after the termination
of our course of probation, that is, in another life ; and
that, therefore, this trouble and apprehension of mind can
only be assuaged by the hope we may have of a favourable
final decision on our case ; — or, that sin is, in the present
life, forgiven as often as it is thus repented of, and as often
as we exercise the required and specific acts of trust in the
merits of our Saviour ; but that this forgiveness of our sins
is not in any way made known unto us : so that we are
left, as to our feelings, in precisely the same state as if sin
were not forgiven till after death, namely, in grief and
trouble of mind, relieved only by hope ; — or, that when sin
is forgiven by the mercy of God through Christ, we are,
by some means, assured of it, and peace and satisfaction
of mind take the place of anxiety and fear.

The first of these conclusions is sufficiently disproved
by the authority of Scripture, which exhibits justification
as a blessing attainable in this life, and represents it as
actually experienced by true believers. " Therefore being
justified by faith," &c. " There is now no condemnation
to them who are in Christ Jesus." " Whosoever believeth
is justified from all things," &c. The quotations might

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 165

be multiplied, but these are decisive. The notion, that
though an act of forgiveness may take place, we are unable
to ascertain a fact so important to us, is also irreconcila
ble with many texts in which the writers of the New Tes
tament speak of an experience, not confined personally to
themselves, or to those Christians who were endowed with
spiritual gifts, but common to all Christians. "Being
justified by faith we have peace with God." " We joy in
God, by whom we have received the reconciliation."
" Being reconciled unto God by the death of his Son."
" We have not received the spirit of bondage again unto
fear, but the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry, Abba,
Father." To these may be added innumerable passages
which express the comfort, the confidence, and the joy of
Christians ; their " friendship" with God ; their " access"
to him ; their entire union and delightful intercourse with
him ; and their absolute confidence in the success of their
prayers. All such passages are perfectly consistent with
deep humility and self diffidence ; but they are irreconci-
lable Avith a state of hostility between the parties, and
with an unascertained, and only hoped-for, restoration
of friendship and favour.

3. The services of the Church of which Mr. Wesley
was a minister, may be pleaded also in support of his
opinions on this subject. Those services, though, with
propriety, as being designed for the use not of true Chris
tians only, but of mixed congregations, they abound in
acts of confession, and the expressions of spiritual grief,
exhibit also this confidence and peace, as objects of earnest
desire and hopeful anticipation, and as blessings attainable
in the present life. We pray to be made " children by
adoption and grace ;" to be " relieved from the fear of
punishment by the comfort of God's grace ;" not to be
" left comfortless, but that God, the King of glory, would
send to us the Holy Ghost to comfort us ;" and that by
the same Spirit having a right judgment in all things, " we
may evermore rejoice in his holy comfort." In the prayer
directed to be used for one troubled in mind or in con
science, we have also the following impressive petitions :
" Break not the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax.
Shut not up thy tender mercies in displeasure, but make
him to hear of joy and gladness, that the bones which thou

166 LIFE OF THE

hast broken may rejoice. Deliver him from the fear of
the enemy, and lift up the light of thy countenance upon
him, and give him peace" Now unless it be contended,
that by these petitions we are directed to seek what we
can never find, and always to follow that which Ave can
never overtake, the Church, in the spirit of the New Tes
tament, assumes that the forgiveness of sins, and the relief
of the sorrows of the penitent state, are attainable, with
those consequent comforts and joys which can only arise
from some assurance of mind,*by whatever means and in
whatever degree communicated, that we have a personal
interest in the general promise, and that we are reconciled
to God by the death of his Son. For since the general
promise is made to many who will never be benefited by it,
it cannot of itself be the ground of a settled religious peace
of mind. As it is a promise of blessings to be individually
experienced, unless I can have personal experience of them,
it holds up to hope what can never come into fruition.*

* " Faith is not merely a speculative but a practical acknowledg
ment of Jesus as the Christ — an effort and motion of the mind toward
God; when the sinner, convinced of sin, accepts with thankfulness
the proffered terms of pardon, and in humble confidence applying
individually to himself the benefit of the general atonement, in the
elevated language of a venerable father of the Church, drinks of the
stream which flows from the Redeemer's side. The effect is, that in
a little he is filled with that perfect love of God which castcth out fear,
— he cleaves to God with the entire affection of the soul. And from
this active lively faith, overcoming the world, subduing carnal self,
all those good works do necessarily spring, which God hath before
ordained that we should walk in them." — Bishop Horsley's Sermons.

" The purchase, therefore, was paid at once, yet must be severally
reckoned to every soul whom it shall benefit. If we have not a hand
to take what Christ's hand doth either hold or offer, what is sufficient
in him cannot be effectual to us. The spiritual hand, whereby we
apprehend the sweet offer of our Saviour, is faith, which, in short,
is no other than an affiance in the Mediator. Receive peace, and bo
happy : believe, and thou hast received. Thus it is that we have an
interest in all that God hath promised, or Christ hath performed.
Thus have we from God both forgiveness and love, the ground of
all whether peace or glory." — Bishop Hall's Heaven upon Earth.

" It is the property of saving faith, that it hath a force to appro,
priate, and make Christ our own. Without this, a general remote
belief would have been cold comfort. ' He loved me, and gave him.
self for we,' saith St. Paul. What saith St. Chrysostom ? « Did
Christ die only for St. Paul ? No. Non excludit, sed appropriat ;•
ne excludes not others, but he will secure himself." — Bishop Brown-
rigg'a Sermon on Easter Day.

REV. JOHN WKS1,EV. 167

An assurance, therefore, that those sins which were felt
to " be a burden intolerable" are forgiven, and that all
ground of that apprehension of future punishment which
causes the penitent to " bewail his manifold sins" is re-
moved by restoration to the favour of the offended God,
must be allowed, or nothing would be more incongruous
and indeed impossible than the comfort, the peace, the
rejoicing of spirit, which, in the Scriptures, are attributed
to believers. If, indeed, self condemnation, and the appre
hension of danger, had no foundation but in the imagina
tion, the case would be totally altered. Where there is
no danger, deliverance is visionary ; and the joy it inspires
is raving, and not reason. But if a real danger exists ;
and if we cannot escape it except by an act of grace on
the part of almighty God, wre must have some evidence of
his gracious interposition in our case, or the guilty gloom
will abide upon us. The more sincere and earnest a
person is in the affairs of his salvation, the more miserable
he must become if there be no possibility of his knowing
that the wrath of God no longer abideth upon him : — then
the ways of wisdom would be no longer " ways of pleasant-
ness, and paths of peace."

4. Few real Christians, therefore, have ever denied the
possibility of our becoming so persuaded of the favour and
good will of God toward us as to produce substantial com
fort to the mind ; but they have differed in opinion as to
the means by which this is acquired. Some have said that
we obtain it by inference ; others, by the direct inward tes
timony of the Holy Spirit. The latter, as we have seen,
was the opinion of Mr. Wesley ; but he never failed to
connect this doctrine with another, which, on the authority
of St. Paul, he calls " the witness of our own spirit," —
" the consciousness of having received, in and by the Spirit
of adoption, the tempers mentioned in the wrord of God, as
belonging to his adopted children — a consciousness that
we are inwardly conformed, by the Spirit of God, to the
image of his Son, and that we walk before him in justice,
mercy, and truth, doing the things which are pleasing in
his sight." These two testimonies he never put asunder
although he assigned them distinct offices ; and this cannot
be overlooked if justice be done to his opinions. In order
to prevent presumption, he reminds his readers that the

168 LIFE OF THE

direct lestimony of the Holy Spirit is subsequent to true
repentance and faith ; and on the other hand, to guard
a gainst delusion, he asks, " How am I assured that I d"
not mistake the voice of the Spirit ? Even by the testi
mony of my own spirit, ' by the answer of a good con-
science toward God :' hereby you shall know that you
are in no delusion, that you have not deceived your own
soul. The immediate fruits of the Spirit ruling in the
heart are love, joy, peace, bowels of mercies, humbleness
of mind, meekness, gentleness, long suffering. And the
outward fruits are the doing good to all men, and a uniform
obedience to all the commands of God." Where then is
the enthusiasm of the doctrine as thus stated ? An enthu
siastic doctrine is unsupported by the sacred records ; but
in confirmation of this we read, " The Spirit itself bcareth
witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God."
Here the witnesses are the Spirit of God, and our own
spirit ; and the fact to which the testimony is given, is,
that " we are the children of God." — " And because ye
are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your
hearts, crying, Abba, Father !" To these passages may
be added all those texts which speak of the inward inter
course of the Spirit of God with believers ; of his dwelling
in them, and abiding with them as the source of comfort
and peace ; and which, therefore, imply the doctrine. Nor
can such passages be interpreted otherwise than as teach
ing the doctrine of assurance, conveyed immediately to
the mind of true believers by the Holy Spirit, without allow
ing such principles of construction as would render the
sense of Scripture uncertain, and unsettle the evidence of
some of the most important doctrines of our religion.

It is true that a more " sober" and " less dangerous"
method, as it has been called, of obtaining a comfortablo
assurance of our justification before God, has been insist
ed upon as equally consistent with the word of God ; but,
upon examination, it will be found delusive. This is what
is termed a process of inference, and is thus explained
The question at issue is, " Am I a child of God ?" The
Scriptures declare that " as many as are led by the Spirit
of God are the sons of God." I inquire then, whether I
have the Spirit of God ; and, in order to determine this, 1
examine whether 1 have " the fruits of the Spirit." Now

Hl'.V. JOHN WESLEY 169

"the fruits of the Spirit are love, joy, peace, gentleness,
goodness, meekness, faith, temperance ;" and having suffi
cient evidence of the existence of these fruits, I conclude
that I have the Spirit of God, and am, therefore, a pardoned
and accepted child of God. This is the statement. But
among these enumerated fruits of the Spirit we find Jove,
joy, and peace, as well as gentleness, goodness, meekness,
fidelity, and temperance ; and if it be said that no man has
a rignt to assume that "he is so led by the Spirit of God,"
as to conclude that he is a child of God, who has only the
affections of " peace and joy" to ground his confidence
upon, we have as good a reason to affirm the same thing,
if he has "meekness and temperance," without "love, and
peace, and joy ;" — the love, the peace, and the joy, being
as much fruits of the Spirit as the moral qualities also
enumerated.

But can "love,'; love to God as our Father; "peace,"
peace with God, as in a state of friendship with us ; and
"joy," "joy in God by whom we have received the recon
ciliation" exist at all without a previous or concomitant
assurance of the Divine forgiveness and favour? Surely
nothing is so clear, that it is not possible to love God as a
Father and a Friend, whilst he is sitill regarded as an of-
fended Sovereign and a vengeful Judge ; and that to feel a
sense of his displeasure., and to be at " peace" with him,
and to rejoice in him, are contradictions : and if so, the
very ground of this inference, that we are in the Divine
favour, and adopted into his family is taken away. This
whole inferential process proceeds upon dividing the undi
vided fruit of the Spirit, for which we have assuredly no
authority; nor indeed have we any reason to conclude that
we have that gentleness, that goodness, that meekness,
&c, which the apostle describes, should the " love, joy,
and peace," which he places among the eading fruits of
the Spirit, be wanting. If then the whole undivided fruit of
the Spirit be taken as the medium of ascertaining the fact
of our forgiveness and adoption, and if it is even absurd
to suppose that we can love God, whilst yet we feel him
to be angry with us ; and that we can rejoice and have
peace, whilst the fearful apprehensions of the consequences
of unremitted sin are not removed from our minds, then
the only ground of our " love, joy, and peace," is pardon
15

170 LIFE OF THE

revealed and witnessed, directly and immediately, by the
Spirit of adoption.*

The mind of Mr. Wesley was also too discriminating not
to perceive, that, in the scheme of attaining assurance by
inference from moral changes only, there was a total neglect
of the offices explicitly ascribed to the Holy Spirit in the
New Testament, and which on this scheme are unnecessary
These are clearly stated to be that of " bearing witness"
with the spirits of believers, that they are the children of
God ; that of the Spirit of adoption, by which they call God
Father in the special sense in which it is correlative to that
sonship which AVC obtain only by a justifying faith in Christ ;
and that of a Comforter, promised to the disciples to abide
with them "for ever," that their "joy might be full."

Enough has been said on this subject to show that

* The precedence of the direct witness of the Spirit of God to the
indirect witness of our own, and the dependence of the latter upon
the former, are very clearly stated by three divines of great authority ;
to whom I refer the rather, because many of their followers of the
present day have become very obscure in their statements of this
branch of Christian experience: —

" St. Paul means that the Spirit of God gives such a testimony
to us, that he being our guide and teacher, our spirit concludes our
adoption of God to be certain. For our own mind, of itself, inde
pendent of the preceding testimony of the Spirit, [nisi prtzcunte
Spiritus testimonio,] could not produce this persuasion in us. For
whilst the Spirit witnesses that we are the sons of God, he at the
same time inspires this confidence into our minds, that we are bold
to call God our Father." — CALVIN on Romans viii, 16.

"Romans viii, 16, 'The Spirit itself bcareth witness with our
spirits that we are the sons of God :' the witness which our own
spirits do give unto our adoption is the work and effect of the Holy
Spirit in us ; if it were not, it would be false, and not confirmed by
the testimony of the Spirit himself, who is the Spirit of truth. « And
none knoweth the things of God but the Spirit of God,' 1 Cor. ii, 11.
If he declare not our sonship in us and to us, we cannot know it.
How dotli he then bear witness to our spirits ? What is the distinct
testimony ? It must be some such act of his as evidenceth itself to
be from him, inuncdiatsly, unto them that are concerned in it, that
is, those unto whom it is given " — DR. OWEN on the Spirit, sect. 9.

" The Spirit of adoption doth not only excite us to call upon God
us our Father, bu it doth ascertain and assure us, as before, that we
nre his children. And this it doth not by an outward voice, as God
the Father to Jesus Christ, nor by an angel, as to Daniel and the
Virgin Mary, but by an inward and secret suggestion, whereby he
raiseth our hearts to this persuasion, that God is our Father, and we
are his children. This is not the testimony of the graces and operations
of the Spirit, but of the Spirit itself,"— POOLE on Romans viii, 16.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 171

Mr. Wesley, on this doctrine, was neither rash nor incon
siderate, much less enthusiastic. It is grounded on no
forced, no fanciful interpretation of Scripture ; and it main
tains, as of possible attainment, one of the most important
and richest comforts of the human mind. It leaves no
doubt as to a question which, whilst problematical, must,
if we are earnest in seeking our salvation, be fatal to our
peace ; it supposes an intercourse between God and the
minds of good men, which is, surely in the full and genuine
spirit of the Christian religion, eminently called the "minis-
tration of the Spirit ;" and it is, as taught by him, vitally
connected with sober, practical piety. That, like the doc
trine of justification by faith alone, it is capable of abuse,
is very true. Many have perverted both the one and the
other. Faith with some has been made a discharge from
duty ; and with respect to the direct witness of the Spirit,
fancy has, no doubt, been taken, in some instances, for
reality. But this could never legitimately follow from the
holy preaching of the founder of Methodism. His view of
the doctrine is so opposed to license and real enthusiasm,
to pride and self sufficiency, that it can only be made to
encourage them by so manifest a perversion, that it has
never occurred except among those most ignorant of his
writings. He never encouraged any to expect this grace
but the truly penitent, and he prescribed to them "fruits
meet for repentance." He believed that justification was
always accompanied by a renewal of the heart, and as con
stantly taught, that the comfort " of the Holy Ghost" could
remain the portion only of the humble and spiritual, and
was uniformly and exclusively connected with a sanctify
ing and obedient faith. He saw that the fruits of the Spirit
were "love, joy, peace," as well as "gentleness, goodness,
meekness, and faith ;" but he also taught that all who were
not living under the constant influence of the latter would
fatally deceive themselves by any pretensions to the former.
Such were the views of the first Methodists, on these
important points, and such are the unchanged opinions of
their successors to this day. They may be called peculiari
ties, because they differed in some respects from the same
doctrines of justification, faith, assurance, and sanctifica-
tion, when associated with various modifications of Calvin
ism ; and although somewhat similar doctrines are found

172 LIFE OF THE

in many Arminian writers, yet in the theology of the Wes.
leys they derive life and vigour from the stronger views
of the grace of God which were taught them by their
Moravian and Calvinistic brethren.

No man more honestly sought truth than Mr. Wesley,
and none more rigidly tried all systems by the law and the
testimony. As to authority he was " a man of one book ;"
and whatever may be thought peculiar in his views, he
drew from that source by the best application of his judg
ment.* He wanted not, however, authority of another
kind for his leading opinions. On the article of justifica
tion he agreed with all the Reformed Churches ; his notion
of saving faith was substantially that of the divines of the
best ages of the Reformation, and of still earlier times ;
nor was his doctrine of the direct witness of the Spirit to
our adoption one as to which any exclusive peculiarity
could be attributed to him, except that he more largely and
zealously preached it than any other man in modern times.
It was the doctrine of Luther, Calvin, Beza, Arminius, and
others of equally eminent rank abroad and at home. We

* The following beautiful and striking passage, illustrative of the
above remark, is from the preface to his sermons : —

" To candid, reasonable men, I am not afraid to lay open what have
been the inmost thoughts of my heart. I have thought, I am a creature
of a day, passing througli life, as an arrow through the air. I am a
spirit come from God, and returning to God : just hovering over the
great gulf; till, a few moments hence, I am no more seen ! I drop
into an unchangeable eternity ! I want to know one thing, the way
to heaven : how to land safe on that happy shore. God himself has
condescended to teach the way ; for this very end he came from
heaven. Ho hath written it down in a book ! O give me that book !
At any price, give me the book of God ! I have it : here is knowledge
enough for me. Let me be homo unius libri. [A man of one book. J
Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men. I sit down alone!
only God is here. In his presence I open, I read his book ; for this
end, to find the way to heaven. Is there a doubt concerning the
meaning of what I read ? Does any thing appear dark and intricate ?
I lift up my heart to the Father of Lights. — Lord, is it not thy word,
' If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God.' Thou ' givest liber-
ally, and upbraidest not.' Thou hast said, ' If any be willing to do
thy will, he shall know.' I am willing to do : let me know thy will.
I then search after arid consider parallel passages of Scripture,
'comparing spiritual things with spiritual.' I meditate theroon,
M ith all the attention and earnestness of which my mind is capable.
If any doubt still remain, I consult thoso who are experienced in the
things of God ; and then, the writings, whereby, being dead, they
yet speak. And what I thus learn, that I teach."

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 173

may add also that such prelates and divines as Hooper,
Andrews, Hall, Hooker, Usher, Brownrigg, Wake, Pear-
son, Barrow, Owen, and Poole, have expressed it in terms
as explicit, and with equal deference to the testimony of
the word of God.

The minutes of the early conferences are not confined
to doctrinal discussions ; but we see in them the frame of
the discipline of the body, growing up from year to year,
and embodied in many copious directions and arrange
ments. The most important of these remain in force to
this day, although some in a maturer state of the society
have gone into disuse. This discipline need not particu
larly be specified, as being for the most part well known
and established ; but a few miscellaneous particulars may
be selected from the minutes of several successive years,
as being in some instances of great importance, and in
others characteristic, and occasionally amusing.

The duty of obeying bishops was considered at the very
first conference of 1744 ; and the conclusion is, that this
obedience extends only to things indifferent ; a rather
strict narrowing up of canonical obedience, at this early
period. — The establishment of " a seminary for labourers"
was a subject of consideration at this conference also, but
was postponed. The reasons why it was not afterward
carried into effect appear to have been, the rapid spread
of the work, and the consequent demand for additional
preachers. Mr. Wesley also looked to Kingswood school
as subsidiary to this design. In the meantime he enjoined
the study of the Greek and Latin poets and historians, as
well as the original Scriptures, upon the preachers ; and
a large course of theological and general reading. This
shows his views as to the subserviency of literature to
usefulness in the ministry.*

* As the subject of a seminary or college has been of late brought
under discussion, it may be not uninteresting to those who have not
access to the manuscript copies of the first minutes, extracts from
which only aro in print, to give the passages which relate to this sub.
ject from the complete minutes of 1744 and 1745. In the former year
it is asked. " Can we have a seminary for labourers ?" and the answer
is, "If God spare us till another conference." The next year the
subject was resumed, " Can we have a seminary for labourers yet ?"
Answer. " Not till God gives us a proper tutor." So that the institu.
tion was actually resolved upon, and delayed only by circumstances:
15*

174 LIFE OF THE

No preaching was to be continued where societies were
not raised up. It seems to have been a fixed maxim with
the Wesleys, not to spend time in cultivating barren ground.
No band ticket was to be given to the wearers of ruffles,
— a practice which, though then common, accorded not
with their notions either of good taste, or of the duty of
economizing money in order to charity. — Equal strictness
was observed as to the dress of females. Simplex mun~
ditiis [plainness with neatness] was Mr. Wesley's classi
cal rule; and the exclusive " ornament of a meek and
quiet spirit," his Scriptural one. — All who married unbe
lievers were to be expelled from society. — The people
were required not only to stand during singing, but whilst
the text was read. This excellent custom now continues
only in Ireland. — Dram-drinking and pawnbroking were
also sins of exclusion : so that, in fact, the Methodist
Societies were the first temperance societies. — Reading
was enjoined as a religious duty, and every preacher was
bound to circulate every new book published or recom
mended by Mr. Wesley; so anxious was he to spread
useful knowledge through society, and to improve at once
the intellects and the hearts of his people. — The officers
of the society are said to be "clergymen, assistants,
helpers, stewards, leaders of bands, leaders of classes,
visiters of the sick, school masters, and house keepers."
The last class will in the present day create a smile ; but
at that time their business was to reside in the houses built
in several of the large towns, where both Mr. Wesley and
the preachers took up their abode during their stay. They
were elderly and pious women, who, being once invested
with an official character, extended it sometimes from the
house to the church, to the occasional annoyance of the
preachers. As married preachers began to occupy the
houses, they were at length dispensed with. — Smuggling
and the buying of uncustomed goods had frequent anathe
mas dealt out against them, and expulsion was the unmiti
gated penalty. — Respect of persons was strictly forbidden
to the preachers, who were also enjoined to be easy of
access to all. — Eveiy preacher was to promise rather to
break a limb than to disappoint a congregation. — No
preacher was to be continued who could not preach twice
every day. — He was to take care that only suitable tunes

KEV. JOHN WESLEY. 175

should be sung ; and was advised to use in public only
hymns of prayer and praise, not those descriptive of states
of mind. — Lemonade was to be taken after preaching, or
candied orange peel, or a little warm ale ; but egg and wine,
and late suppers, are denounced as downright poison. —
The views entertained of a call to the ministry, deserve
quoting in full : —

" Q. How shall we try those who think they are moved
by the Holy Ghost, and called of God to preach 1

"A. Inquire, 1. Do they know God as a pardoning
God ? Have they the love of God abiding in them 1 Do
they desire and seek nothing but God ? And are they holy
in all manner of conversation ?

" 2. Have they gifts (as well as grace) for the work ?
Have they a clear, sound understanding 1 Have they a right
judgment in the things of God ? Have they a just concep
tion of salvation by faith ? And has God given them any
degree of utterance ? Do they speak justly, readily,
clearly?

" 3. 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, we believe
he is called of God to preach."

The probation of the preachers was at first one year ; but
was afterward extended to four. — The following minute
of 1745 shows, that Mr. Charles Wesley was never consi
dered as co-ordinate with his brother in the government of
the societies : —

" Q. Should not my brother follow me step by step, and
Mr. Meriton (another clergyman) him?

" A. As far as possible."

What Mr. Wesley was next to write, was a matter on
which he asked the advice of the conference for several
years. — A little stock of medicines, to be dispensed to the
poor, was ordered to be provided for London, Bristol, and
Newcastle. It is not generally known that Mr. Wesley
pursued a course of regular medical study, whilst at
Oxford. — Preachers were cautioned against giving out long
hymns ; and wero exhorted to choose the tunes, that so
they might be suitable to the hymn. — Copies of the
minutes of the conference were to be written out and
given to each member present : when the number of

176 LIFE OF THE

preachers increased, printing was adopted.* In 1749, it
seems to have been proposed that the societies eveiy where
should be considered one, of which the London society
should be the mother church. This however came to
nothing. The societies indeed were one, but the centre
of union was first Mr. Wesley himself, then the conference
of preachers. In the same year all chapels were directed
to be built after the model of that of Rotherham, and the
number of circuits, each very extensive, had increased
to twenty-two. — Regular funds for the support of the
preachers, and for aiding worn-out preachers, began now
to be established. — A regular settlement of the chapels
upon trustees had been enjoined in 1749 ; and in 1765, a
person was appointed to be sent through England to
survey the deeds, and supply wanting trustees. — All
chapel windows were to be sashed ; no " tub pulpits" were
to be allowed ; and men and women were every where to
sit apart. — The societies are warned against little oaths,
such as " my life," " my honour," &c, and against " com
pliments," and unmeaning words. — In general, many are
reproved for talking too much, and reading too little. — In
1776, all octagon chapels are directed to be built like that
at Yarm ; and all square ones like that at Scarborough. —
No Chinese paling was to be set up before any chapel ;
and the people are forbidden to crowd into the preachers'
houses, as though they were coffee houses. — No leaders'
meeting was to be held without the presence of a preacher,
and the spirit of debating at all meetings was to be strictly
guarded against. — If bankrupts did not pay their debts
when they are able, they were to be excluded the society.
— Sluts were to be kept out of the preachers' houses, and
cleanliness was held to be next to godliness.

Thus to a number of little things among many greater
and weightier matters, the active mind, the taste, and the
orderly habits, of the founder of Methodism applied itself.
Every thing was, however, kind and bland in his manner

* Perhaps not more than one or two manuscript copies of the com
plete minutes of the conferences from 1744 to 1747 are in existence.
That which lr>s hefore me, and from which extracts have been made
in the preceding pages, wants two or three of the first pages of the
minutes of 1744. It was not written by Mr. Wesley ; but is a copy
corrected by his own hand in different places. This is mentioned, as
Bcveral of the extracts will be new even to some of the senior preachers

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 177

of injunction ; and when he was disappointed as to the
exact observance of his regulations, his displeasure was
admirably proportioned to the weight of the case. No man
generally knew better how to estimate the relative import
ance of things, and to give each its proper place and rank,
although it would be to deny to him the infirmity of human
nature to suppose that this rule of proportion was always
observed. If little things were by him sometimes made
great ; this praise, however, he had without abatement, that
he never made great things little.

The notices of the deaths of the preachers year by year
in the early minutes, all bear the impress of the brevity and
point of Mr. Wesley's style. The first time that the regular
question, " What preachers have died this year ?" appears,
is in the minutes of 1777. A fe\v sketches of character
from this laconic obituary in different years, will illustrate
his manner of keeping these annual records : —

" Thomas Hosking, a young man, just entering on the
work ; zealous, active, and of an unblamable behaviour.
And Richard Burke, a man of faith and patience, made
perfect through sufferings : one who joined the wisdom and
calmness of age, with the simplicity of childhood."

" Richard Boardman, a pious, good-natured, sensible
man, greatly beloved of all that knew him. He was ono
of the two first that freely offered themselves to the service
of our brethren in America. He died of an apoplectic
fit, and preached the night before his death. It seems he
might have been eminently useful, but good is the will of
the Lord.

" Robert Swindells had been with us above forty years.
He was an Israelite indeed. In all those years I never
knew him to speak a word which he did not mean ; and
he always spoke the truth in love ; I believe, no one ever
heard him speak an unkind word. He went through ex
quisite pain (by the stone) for many years ; but he was not
weary. He was still

' Patient in bearing ill, and doing well.'

" One thing he had almost peculiar to himself; he had no
enemy ! So remarkably was that word fulfilled, < Blessed
are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy.'

" James Barry was for many years a faithful labourer
in our Lord's vineyard. And as he laboured much, so he

178 LIFE OF THE

suffered much ; but with unwearied patience. In his death
he suffered nothing, stealing quietly away in a kind of
lethargy.

" Thomas Payne was a bold soldier of Jesus Christ.
His temper was uncommonly vehement ; but before he
went hence, all that vehemence was gone, and the lion was
become a lamb. He went away in the full triumph of faith,
praising God with his latest breath.

"Robert Naylor, a zealous, active young man, was
caught away by a fever, in the strength of his years. But
it was in a good hour ; for he returned to Him whom his
soul loved, in the full assurance of faith.

"A fall from his horse, which was at first thought of
little consequence, occasioned the death of John Liver-
more ; a plain, honest man, much devoted to God, and
determined to live and die in the best of services."

" John Prickard, a man thoroughly devoted to God,
and an eminent pattern of holiness : and Jacob Rowell,
a faithful old soldier, fairly worn out in his Master's
service."

"Thomas Mitchell, an old soldier of Jesus Christ."

"John Fletcher, [vicar of Madeley,] a pattern of all
holiness, scarce to be paralleled in a century; and J. Pea
cock, young in years, but old in grace ; a pattern of all
holiness, full of faith, and love, and zeal for God.

" Jeremiah Robertshaw, who was a good soldier of Je
sus Christ, fairly worn out in his Master's service. He
was a pattern of patience for many years, labouring under
sharp, and almost continual pain, of meekness and gentle
ness to all men, and of simplicity and godly sincerity.

" Joshua Keighley, who was a young man deeply de
voted to God, and greatly beloved by all that knew him.
He was

1 About the marriage state to prove,
But death had swifter wings than love.*

" Charles Wesley, who, after spending fourscore years
with much sorrow and pain, quietly retired into Abraham's
bosom. He had no disease ; but after a gradual decay of
some months,

' The weary wheels of life stood still at last.'
His least praise was, his talent for poetry : although
Dr. Watts 'lid not scruple to say, that « that single poem,

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 179

Wrestling Jacob, was worth all the verses he himself had
written.'

" John Mayly, worn out in the service of his Master :
he suffered much in his last illness, and died triumphant in
the Lord."

Thus neither his brother Charles, nor Mr. Fletcher, had
a longer eulogy than any other preacher ; — so great was
Mr. Wesley's love of brevity.

The " care of the Churches" now had come upon him,
and was increasing ; he had a responsibility to man as well
as to God for the right management of a people whom his
labours and those of his coadjutors had formed into a body
distinct from the National Church, and indeed as to all
ecclesiastical control separate from it, although, in part,
the members were attendants on her services. He was
most anxious that this people should be raised to the high
est state of religious and moral excellence ; that they should
be exemplary in all the relations of life, civil and domestic ;
wise in the Scriptures ; well read in useful books ; self
denying in their conduct almost to severity ; and liberal in
their charities, in order to which they were enjoined to
abstain from all unnecessary indulgences, and to be plair
and frugal in dress. They were expected to rise early to
a religious service at five o'clock, and to attend some
evening service, if possible, several times in the week ; and,
beside their own Sabbath meetings, to be punctual in
observing the services of the Church. They were to add
to all this the most zealous efforts to do good to the bodies
and souls of those who were around them ; and to per-
severe in all these things with an ardour and an unwea-
riedness equal to his own. With these great objects so
strongly impressed upon his mind, that he should feel com
pelled to superintend every part of the system he had put
into operation, and attend to every thing great or little
which he conceived to retard or accelerate its motion, was
the natural consequence, and became with him matter of
imperative conscience. A nobler object man could not
propose to himself, than thus to spread the truth and the
example of a living and practical Christianity through the
land, and to revive the spirit of piety in a fallen Church,
and among a neglected people ; and he had sufficient
proofs from the wonderful success which had followed :

180 LIFE OF THE

success too of the most unequivocal kind, because thn
hearts of" multitudes had been turned to the Lord," that he
was in the path of duty, and that the work was of God ;
but the standard which he set up in his own mind and in
his rules, both for his preachers and people, was so high,
that, in the midst of all those refreshing joys which the
review of the work often brought, feelings of disappoint
ment, and something like vexation, occasionally break
forth in the minutes of his conferences. On the preach
ers in their circuits an activity, an occupation of time, and
an attention to various duties had been enjoined, similar to
his own ; but the regulations, under which they were placed,
were often minute, and in minor matters they were often
failing, even when, in other respects, they most faithfully
and laboriously fulfilled their ministry. Stewards, leaders,
and trustees, come in also occasionally for their share of
remonstrance and rebuke on account of inattention ; whilst
the societies, as being exposed to the various errors of the
day, and to the ordinary influences of the temptations of an
earthly state, sometimes declined, and then again revived ;
in some places were negligent, and in others were almost
every thing he could wish them to be, so that he could say,
with an apostle, respecting them, " Great is my glorying."
To Mr. Wesley's frequent trials of patience were to be
added the controversies, often very illiberal, in which he
was engaged, and the constant misrepresentations and per
secutions, to which he and the societies were for many
years exposed. When all these things are considered, and
when it is also recollected how much every man who him
self works by a strict method is apt to be affected by the
irregularities and carelessness of others ; the full and
tranquil flow of his zeal and energy, and the temper, at
once so strict and so mild, which breathes in the minutes
of the conferences, place him in a very admirable point of
light. Vexation and disappointment passed over his serene
mind like the light clouds over the bright summer field.
The principle of an entire devotedness to serve God, and
"his generation according to the will of God," in him
never relaxed ; and the words of one of his own beautiful
hymns, to which, in advanced life, in a conversation with a
friend, he once alluded, as expressing his own past and
habitual experience, were in him finely realized : —

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 181

" Jesus, confirm my heart's desire,

To work, and speak, and think for thee ;
Still let me guard the holy fire,

And still stir up thy gift in me.
" Ready for all thy perfect will,

My acts of faith, and love repeat,
Till death thy endless mercies seal,
And make the sacrifice complete."

CHAPTER X.

THE doctrines and principal branches of the discipline
of the body being generally settled, Mr. Wesley desisted
from publishing extracts from the minutes of the annual
conferences from 1749 to 1765. In the minutes of the
latter year we find for the first time a published list of the
circuits, and of the preachers.* The circuits were then
twenty-jive in England, extending from Cornwall to New-
castle-upon-Tyne ; in Scotland four ; in Wales two ; in
Ireland eight ; in all thirty-nine. The total number of the
preachers, given up entirely to the work, and acting under
Mr. Wesley's direction, had then risen to ninety-two. But
it will be necessary to look back upon the labours of the
two brothers during this interval. Instead, however, of
tracing Mr. Wesley's journeys into various parts of the
kingdom in detail from his journals, which present one
uniform and unwearied activity in his high calling, it will
be sufficient to notice the principal incidents.

Mr. Charles Wesley married in 1749, yet still continued
his labours with but little abatement. He was in London
at the time of the earthquake, and was preaching at the
Foundery early in the morning when the second shock oc
curred. The entry in his journal presents him in a sublime
attitude, and may be given as an instance of what may be
truly called the majesty of faith : " March 8th, 1750. This
morning, a quarter after five, we had another shock of an

* In the manuscript copy of the first minutes before mentioned,
lists of circuits occasionally appear, as in 1746 : — " How many cir
cuits are there ? Answer. — Seven. 1. London, including Surrey and
Kent. 2. Bristol, including Somersetshire, Portland, Wiltshire, Ox
fordshire and Gloucestershire. 3. Cornwall. 4. Evesham, including
Shrewsbury, Leominster, Hereford, Stroud, and Wednesbury. 5,
York, including Yorkshire, Cheshire, Lancashire, Derbyshire, Not.
tinghamshiro, and Lincolnshire. 6. Newcastle. 7. Wales."

182 LIFE OF THE

earthquake far more violent than that of February 8th. I
was just repeating my text, when it shook the Foundery so
violently, that we all expected it to fall on our heads. A
great cry followed from the women and children. I imme
diately called out, « Therefore we will not fear, though the
earth be moved, and the hills be carried into the midst of the
sea ; for the Lord of hosts is with us ; the God of Jacob
is our refuge.' He filled my heart with faith, and my mouth
with words, shaking their souls as well as their bodies. The
earth moved westward, then eastward, then westward again,
through all London and Westminster. It was a strong and
jarring motion, attended with a rumbling noise like that of
thunder. Many houses were much shaken, and some chim
neys thrown down, but without any farther hurt." (Journal. )
The impression produced in London by this visitation
is thus recorded in a letter from Mr. Briggs to Mr. John
Wesley : — " This great city has been, for some days past,
under terrible apprehensions of another earthquake. Yes
terday, thousands fled out of town, it having been confi
dently asserted by a dragoon, that he had a revelation that
great part of London, and Westminster especially, would
be destroyed by an earthquake on the 4th instant between
twelve and one at night. The whole city was under dire
ful apprehensions. Places of worship were crowded with
frightened sinners, especially our two chapels, and the Ta
bernacle, where Mr. Whitefield preached. Several of the
classes came to their leaders, and desired that they would
spend the night with them in prayer ; which was done, and
God gave them a blessing. Indeed all around was awful.
Being not at all convinced of the prophet's mission, and
having no call from any of my brethren, I went to bed at
my usual time, believing I was safe in the hands of Christ ;
and likewise, that, by doing so, I should be the more ready
to rise to the preaching in the morning ; which I did,
praised be my kind Protector." In a postscript he adds,
" Though crowds left the town on Wednesday night, yet
crowds were left behind ; multitudes of whom, for fear of
being suddenly overwhelmed, left their houses, and repair
ed to the fields, and open places in the city. Tower Hill,
Moorfields, but above all, Hyde Park, were filled, the best
part of the night, with men, women, and children, lament
ing. Some, with stronger imaginations than others, mostly

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 183

women, ran crying in the streets, * An earthquake ! an
earthquake !' Such distress, perhaps, is not recorded to
have happened before in this careless city. Mr. White-
field preached at midnight in Hyde Park. Surely God will
visit this city ; it will be a time of mercy to some. O may
I be found watching !" (Whitehead's Life.)

So ready were these great preachers of the time to take
advantage of every event by which they might lead men
to God. One knows not which most to admire, Mr.
Whitefield preaching at midnight in Hyde Park to a crowd
of affrighted people, expecting the earth to swallow them
up ; or Mr. Charles Wesley, with the very ground reeling
under him, calling out to the congregation, "Therefore
will we not fear, though the earth be moved, and the hills
be carried into the midst of the sea ; for the Lord of
hosts is with us ; the God of Jacob is our refuge ;" and
using this as his text.

The detected immorality and expulsion of one of the
preachers, James Wheatley,* led the brothers to determine
upon instituting a more strict inquiry into the life and be
haviour of every preacher in connection with them. Mr.
Charles Wesley undertook that office, as being perhaps
more confident in his own discernment of character, and
less influenced by affection to the preachers. The result
was, however, highly creditable to them, for no irregularity
of conduct was detected ; but as the visitation was not con
ducted, to say the least of it, in the bland manner in whicn
it would have been executed by Mr. John Wesley, who
was indeed alone regarded as the father of the Connection,
it led, as might be expected, to bickerings. Many of the
preachers did not come up to Mr. Charles Wesley's no
tions of attachment to the Church ; some began to Avish
a little larger share in the government ; and a few did not

* Mr. Wesley has been censured by some persons for sanctioning
•lie publication of a pamphlet on the " Duties of Husbands and
Wives," written, as they supposed, by this wretched man, and espe
cially for doing this after the misconduct of the author had been
brought to light. But the charge is without foundation. The pam.
phlet in question wns not written by James Wheatley, the preacher,
but by William Whateley, the Puritan minister of Banbury ; a man of
the most exemplary piety, and one of the best practical writers of his
age, who died in 1639. The work from which the pamphlet was ex.
tracted is entitled, "A Bride-Bush," and bears the date of 1619 ;
[which was at loast a hundred years before Wheatley was born.

184 LIFE OF THE

rise to his standard of ministerial abilities, although r»f this
he judged only by report. From this time a stronger feel
ing of disunion between the preachers and him grew up,
which ultimately led to his taking a much less active part
in the affairs of the body, except to interfere occasionally
with his advice, and, in still later years, now and then to
censure the increasing irregularity of his brother's proceed,
ings. The fact was, Mr. John Wesley was only carried
forward by the same stream which had impelled both the
brothers irretrievably far beyond the line prescribed to re
gular Churchmen ; and Charles was chafing himself Avith
the vain attempt to buffet back the tide, or at least to ren
der it stationary. He saw, no doubt, during the visitation
which he had lately undertaken, a growing tendency to
separation from the Church both among many of the preach
ers and the people, which, although it was the natural, nay,
almost necessary, result of the circumstances in which
they were placed, he somewhat uncandidly attributed to
the ambition of the former ; and, laying it down as a neces
sary qualification, that no preacher ought to be employed
without giving some explicit pledge as to his purpose of
adherence to the Church, he attempted to associate him
self with his brother in the management, with equal power
to call preachers into the work, and then to govern them.
He appears laudably to have wished to improve their ta
lents ; but he proposed also greatly to restrict their num
ber, and to subject them to stricter tests as to their attach
ment to the Establishment. Here began an important
difference between the two brothers. Some impression
was made upon the mind of Mr. John Wesley by his bro
ther's letters written to him during his tour of inquisition,
principally as they exaggerated the growing danger of sepa
ration from the Church ; and upon Charles's return to
London, John was persuaded, although " with difficulty,"
to sign an agreement, engaging that no preacher should be
called into the Avork except by both of them conjointly, nor
any re-admitted but with mutual consent. The intention
of Charles was evidently to obtain a controlling power over
his brother's proceedings ; but there was one great rule to
which Mr. John Wesley was more steadily faithful. This
was to carry on and extend that which he knew to be the
work of God, without regarding probable future conse-

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 185

qucnces of separation from the Church after his death ;*
which was in fact the principle on which they had agreed
at the first conference of 1774, (See pages 115, 116,) and
to which Charles stood pledged as fully as himself. It
seems, therefore, that when Mr. John Wesley more fully
discovered his brother's intention to restrict the number of
preachers, under the plea of employing only men of supe
rior abilities ; and more especially after all that had passed
between Charles and them during the inquisitorial visita
tion just named had been reported to him, he felt little
disposed to assent to his having co-authority with himself
in the management of the connection ; and Charles with
drawing more from public life, the government remained
with John still more exclusively than before. This acqui
sition of entire authority, as it has been called, has been
referred to by one of Mr. Wesley's biographers as a proof
of his ambition, and his inability to bear a rival. The affec
tion of the brothers itself affords a strong presumption
against the existence of any such jealousy between them :
and beside we find no previous instance of a single strug
gle for authority. But the fact was, that John always led
the way, as sole director, with Charles as a confidential
adviser ; and they long acted together in this relation as
with one soul. In the present case it was Charles only
who grasped at a power which he had not previously pos
sessed ; and this was for a moment yielded, though hesi
tatingly, upon an exparte statement, and under views not
fully manifested. When, however, those were disclosed,
John recoiled ; and his brother, by a partial secession from
the work, left the whole care of it upon his hands. Mr.
Charles Wesley had indeed, some time before this, rather
hastily interposed to prevent the marriage of his brother
with a very pious and respectable woman, Mrs. Grace
Murray, to whom he was attached, and that probably under
the influence of a little family pride, as she was not in an
elevated rank of life ;f and this affair, in which there ap
pears to have been somewhat of treachery, although no

* " Church or no Church," he observes in one of his letters to
Charles, "we must attend to the work of saving souls." And in
another, " I neither set it up, nor pull it down ; but let you and 1
build the city of God."

t Mr. Charles Wesley and Mr. Whitefield got the lady hastily
married to Mr. Bennett, one of the preachers, whilst his brother was
16*

186 LIFE OF THE

doubt well intended, had for the first time interrupted their
harmony. But it is not at all likely that any feeling of re
sentment remained in the mind of John ; and indeed the
commission of visitation, with which Charles had heen

at a distance, probably not being himself aware, any more than sho
of the strength of his attachment. The following extract from one
of Mr.Wcsley's unpublished letters shows, however, that he deeply felt
it : — " The sons of Zeruiah were too strong for me. The whole world
fought against mo, 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, irrecoverable stroke was struck on
Thursday last. Yesterday I saw my friend, (that was,) and him to
whom she is sacrificed. 'But why should a living man complain, a
man for the punishment of his sins ?' " The following passages, from
a letter of the venerable vicar of Shoreham to Mr. Charles, intimate
how much he sympathized with Mr. John Wesley on the occasion,
and how anxious he was to prevent a breach between the brothers,
which this,certainly unbrotherly, act, the only one into which Charles
seems to have been betrayed, was near producing. The letter is dated,
Shoreham, 1749 : — "Yours came this day to hand. I leave you to
guess how such news must affect a person whose very soul is one with
yours, and our friend. Let me conjure you to soothe his sorrows.
Pour nothing but oil and wine into his wounds. Indulge no views,
no designs, but what tend to the honour of God, the promoting tho
kingdom of his dear Son, and tho healing of our wounded friend.
How would the Philistines rejoice could they hear that Saul and
Jonathan were in danger from their own swords !"

I have seen an explanation of Mr. Charles Wesley's conduct in
this affair by the late Miss Wesley ; but as the matter occurred before
her birth, I have much doubt as to her perfect knowledge of the
circumstances, so that I shall not fully state it. She lays the fault
chiefly on the lady's want of explicitness ; states that she had formed
a previous, but concealed, attachment to Mr. Bennett ; and that Mr.
Charles having discovered this, ho hastened tho marriage.

Whatever the ostensible reason might be, it was no doubt eagerly
seized by Mr. Charles Wesley as an occasion of breaking off" a match,
which he appears some time before to have interfered with, influ
enced, it is most probable, by the consideration of Mrs. Murray's
inferior rank. From this feeling Mr. John Wesley was much more
exempt, as the following anecdote, found in one of Miss Wesley's
letters, indicates in a way very creditable to his amiable temper : —
44 My brother Charles had an attachment in early youth to an amiable
girl of inferior birth ; this was much opposed by my mother and her
family, who mentioned it with concern to my uncle. Finding from my
father that this was the chief objection, my uncle only replied, 'Then
there is no family blood ? I hear the girl is good ; but of no family?
4 Nor fortune either,' said my mother. He made no reply ; but sent
my brother a sum of money as a wedding present ; and I believe sin
cerely regretted that he was ultimately crossed in his inclination "

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 187

invested, was a sufficient proof that confidence had been
restored. The true reason of the difference was, that the
one wished to contract the work, from fear of the probable
consequence of separation from the Church ; the other
pursued his course of enlarging and extending it, resolving
to prevent separation to the best of his power, but leaving
that issue in higher hands. Still, however, the affection
of the brothers remained unimpaired.

In the year 1751, as Mr. Wesley was still resolved to
marry, believing that his usefulness would be thereby pro
moted, he took to wife Mrs. Vizelle, a widow lady of inde
pendent fortune. She was a woman of a cultivated under
standing, as her remaining letters testify ; and that she ap
peared to Mr. Wesley to possess every other qualification,
which promised to increase both his usefulness and happi
ness, we may conclude from his having made choice of her as
his companion. We must suppose, also, that as he never
intended to relax his labours, and adopt a more settled mode
of life, this matter also was fully understood, and agreed to
before marriage. But whatever good qualities Mrs. Wesley
might appear to have, they were at length wholly swallowed
up in the fierce passion of jealousy. For some time she
travelled with him ; but becoming weary of this, and not
being able to bind him down to a more domestic life, this
passion increased. The violence of her temper broke out
also against Mr. Charles Wesley and his wife. This arose
from very trifling circumstances, magnified into personal
slights ; and various unpleasant scenes are mentioned in
Mr. Charles Wesley's unpublished letters, and described with
a sprightliness which, whilst it shows that he was uncon
scious of having given her any just cause of offence, equally
indicates the absence of sympathy. Perhaps this had been
worn out by the long continuance of her caustic attacks
upon him and his family, both by word and by letter. Cer
tainly Mr. Charles Wesley must have felt her to be an an.
noying correspondent, if we may judge from some of her
letters still preserved, and in which, singular as it may
appear, she zealously contends for her husband's superiority,
and is indignant that he should be wearing himself out with
excessive labour, whilst Charles was remaining at home
in ease. Dr. Southey has candidly and justly stated the
matter between her and her persecuted husband : —

188 LIFE OF THR

" Had Mrs. Wesley been capable of understanding her
husband's character, she could not possibly have been
jealous; but the spirit of jealousy possessed her, and drove
her to the most unwarrantable actions. It is said that she
frequently travelled a hundred miles for the purpose of
watching, from a window, who was in the carnage with
him when he entered a town. She searched his pockets,
opened his letters, put his letters and papers into the hands
of his enemies, in hopes that they might be made use of
to blast his character, and sometimes laid violent hands
upon him and tore his hair. She frequently left his house,
and, upon his earnest entreaties, returned again ; till, after
having thus disquieted twenty years of his life, as far as it
was possible for any domestic vexations to disquiet a man
whose life was passed in loco-motion, she seized on part
of his journals, and many other papers, which were never
restored, and departed, leaving word that she never in
tended to return. He simply states the fact in his journal,
saying, that he knew not what the cause had been ; and
he briefly adds, Non earn reliqui, non dimisi, non revocabo ;
4 1 did not forsake her, I did not dismiss her, I will not
recall her.' " (Southey's Life.)

The Avorst part of Mrs. Wesley's conduct, and which
only the supposition of a degree of insanity, excited by
jealousy, can palliate, was that she interpolated several
letters, which she had intercepted, so as to make them bear
a bad construction ; and as Mr. Wesley had alwavs main
tained a large correspondence with all classes of persons,
and among others with pious females, in some of whose
letters there were strong expressions of Christian affection,
she availed herself of this means of defaming him. Some
of these she read to different persons in private, and
especially to Mr. Wesley's opponents and enemies, adding
extempore passages in the same tone of voice, but taking
care not to allow the letters themselves to be read bv
the auditors ; and in one or two instances she published
interpolated or forged letters in the public prints. How
he conducted himself amidst these vexations, the follow
ing passages in a letter from Miss Wesley to a friend,
written a little before her death, will show. They are
at once important, as explanatory of the kind of annoy,
ance to which this unhappy marriage subjected her uncle.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 189

and as containing an anecdote strongly illustrative of his
character : —

" I think it was in the year 1775 my uncle promised to
take me with him to Canterbury and Dover. About this
time Mrs. Wesley had obtained some letters which she
used to the most injurious purposes, misinterpreting spirit-
ual expressions, and interpolating words. These she read
to some Calvinists, and they were to be sent to the Morn-
ing Post. A Calvinist gentleman, who esteemed my
father and uncle, came to the former, and told him that,
for the sake of religion, the publication should be stopped,
and Mr. John Wesley be allowed to answer for himself.
As Mrs. Wesley had read, but did not show the letters to
him, he had some doubts of their authenticity ; and though
they were addressed to Mr. John Wesley, they might be
forgeries ; at any rate he ought not to leave town at such
a juncture, but clear the matter satisfactorily.

" My dear father, to whom the reputation of my uncle
was far dearer than his own, immediately saw the import-
ance of refutation, and set off to the Foundery to induce
him to postpone his journey, while I, in my own mind,
was lamenting such a disappointment, having anticipated
it with all the impatience natural to my years. Never
shall I forget the manner in which my father accosted my
mother on his return home. * My brother,' says he, * is
indeed an extraordinary man. I placed before him the
importance of the character of a minister ; the evil conse
quences which might result from his indifference to it ;
the cause of religion ; stumbling blocks cast in the way of
the weak ; and urged him by every relative and public
motive to answer for himself, and stop the publication.
His reply was, Brother, when I devoted to God my ease,
rny time, my life, did I except my reputation ? No. Tell
Sally I will take her to Canterbury to-morrow.'

" I ought to add, that the letters in question were satis
factorily proved to be mutilated, and no scandal resulted
from his trust in God."

Some of these letters mutilated, interpolated, or forged
by this unhappy woman, have got into different hands, and
are still preserved. In the papers of the Wesley family,
recently collected, there are, however, sufficient materials
for a full explanation of the whole case in detail ; but as

190 LIFE OF THE

Mr. Wesley himself spared it, no one will, I presume, evei
farther disturb this unpleasant affair, unless some publica •
tion on the part of an enemy, for the sake of gain, or tc
gratify a party feeling, should render it necessary to defend
the character of this holy and unsuspecting man.*

A school at Kingswood, near Bristol, for the children of
the poor, had been long built ; but that neighbourhood was
also fixed upon by Mr. Wesley for an institution, in which
the sons of the preachers, and those of the richer Method,
ists, should receive at once the best education, and the
most efficient religious training. It was opened in June,
1748, and he published soon after a " Short Account" of
tke institution, with the plan of education adopted, par
ticularly for those who were to remain so long in it as to
go through a course of academical learning ; and adds,

* The following passage, in a letter from Mr. Perronet to Mr.
Charles Wesley, dated Shoreham, Nov. 3, 1752, shows that Mr. Wes
ley's matrimonial afflictions must have commenced a very short time
after marriage : — " I am truly concerned that matters are in so melan
choly a situation. I think the unhappy lady is most, to be pitied,
though the gentleman's case is mournful enough. Their sufferings
proceed from widely different causes. His are the visible chastise,
meats of a loving Father. Her's the immediate 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."
This truly venerable and holy man died in 1785, in the ninety-second
year of his age. Two days before his death, his grand-daughter, Miss
Briggs, who attended him day and night, read to him the three last
chapters of Isaiah. He then desired her to go into the garden, to take
a little fresh air. Upon her return, she found him in an ecstacy, with
the tears running down his cheeks, from a deep and lively sense of the
glorious things which she had just been reading to him ; and which,
he believed, would shortly be fulfilled in a still more glorious sense
than heretofore. He continued unspeakably happy all that day. On
Sunday, his happiness seemed even to increase, till he retired to rest.
Miss Briggs then went into the room to see if any thing was wanting ;
and as she stood at the feet of the bed, he smiled and said, " God bless
tliee, my dear child, and all that belongs to thee ! Yea, he will bless
thee !" This he earnestly repeated till she left the room. When she
went in the next morning, his happy spirit had returned to God !

Mr. Perronet, like those great and good men, Messrs. Grirnshaw
and Fletcher, continued steadily attached to Mr. Wesley and to tho
Methodists. He received the preachers joyfully, fitted up a room in
the parsonage house for their use, and attended their ministry himself
at every opportunity. His house was one of the regular places of the
Kent circuit, and so continued to the day of his death. All his family
were members of the society, and two of his sons preachers.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 101

" Whoever carefully goes through this course will be a
better scholar than nine in ten of the graduates at Oxford
and Cambridge." In this great and good design lie grasped
at too much ; and the school came in time to be confined
to the sons of the preachers, and ceased, as at first, to re
ceive boarders. Indeed, from the increase of the preachers'
families, the school was rapidly filled, and required enlarge
ment at different times ; and finally it was necessary to
establish a second school at Woodhouse Grove, in Yorkshire.
The circumstance of the preachers being so much from
nome, and removing every one or two years from their
circuits, rendered an institution of this kind imperative ; and,
as it necessarily grew out of the system of itinerancy, it
was cheerfully and liberally, though often inadequately,
supported by private subscriptions, and a public annual
collection throughout all the congregations. The most grati
fying moral results have followed ; and a useful and religious
education has been secured to the sons of the preachers,
many of whom, especially of late years, having afforded
undeniable proofs of genuine conversion, and of a Divine
call to public labours in the Church of Christ, have been
admitted into the ministry, and are among its highest orna
ments, or its brightest hopes. It is however to be regretted
that the original plan of Mr. Wesley, to found an institu
tion for the connection at large, which should unite the
advantages of a school and a college, has not been resumed
in later and more favourable times. Various circumstances,
at that early period, militated against the success of this
excellent project, which have gradually disappeared ; and
if in that infant state of the cause, Mr. Wesley wisely
thought that Methodism should provide for all its wants,
religious and educational, within itself; much more in
cumbent is it to do so now. Many of the sons of our friends,
for want of such a provision, have been placed in schools
where their religious principles have been neglected or per
verted ; and too often have been taught to ridicule, or to be
ashamed of, the religious profession of their fathers.*

[* The striking application of the above remarks to the state of
things in relation to Methodism in this country, cannot escape the
observation of intelligent readers ; and it is no little gratification to
perceive that the testimony of both Mr. Wesley's and Mr. Wat.
son's approbation stands thus recorded in support of the views
which, with many others of our brethren in America, wo have

192 LIFE OF THE

In 1753, Mr. Wesley visited Scotland a second time,
and preached at Glasgow to large congregations. He had
gone there on the invitation of that excellent man, Dr.
Gillies, minister of the College kirk, who, a few days after
he left, wrote to him as follows : — " The singing of hymns
here meets with greater opposition than I expected. Seri
ous people are much divided. Those of better under
standing and education are silent ; but many others are so
prejudiced, especially at the singing publicly, that they
speak openly against it, and look upon me as led to do a
very wrong or sinful thing. I beg your advice, whether to
answer them only by continuing in the practice of the thing,
with such as have freedom to join, looking to the Lord for
a blessing upon his own ordinance : or, if I should publish
a sheet of arguments from reason, and Scripture, and the
example of the godly. Your experience of the most
effectual way of dealing with people's prejudices, makes
your advice on this head of the greater importance.

" I bless the Lord for the benefit and comfort of your
acquaintance, for your important assistance in my His
torical Collections, and for your edifying conversation and
sermons in this place. May our gracious God prosper you
wherever you are. O my dear sir, pray for your brother,
that I may be employed in doing something for the ad
vancement of His glory, who has done so much for me,
and who is my only hope."

This prejudice in favour of their own doggerel version
of the Psalms of David generally remains among the
Scotch to this day ; and even in the Wesleyan societies
raised up there, great opposition was at first made to the
use of hymns. The Historical Collections of Dr. Gillies,
mentioned in his letter, do justice to that revival of religion
in this country of which Methodism was the instrument,
and gives many valuable accounts of similar revivals, and
special effusions of the Holy Spirit upon the Churches of
Christ in different ages.

The following extracts from two of Mr. Wesley's letters

steadily entertained and frequently expressed, on this important
subject. The public developments recently made of the fatal con.
sequences of sending Protestant youth to seminaries under the
direction of Papists especially, are worthy of the deepest and most
serious consideration. — AMER. EDIT.]

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 193

written about this time, show how meekly this admirable
man could take reproof; and with how patient a temper he
could deal with peevish and complaining men.

" You give," says he, " five reasons why the Rev. Mr.

P will come no more amongst us: 1. 'Because we

despise the ministers of the Church of England.' This I
flatly deny. I am answering letters this very post, which
bitterly blame me for just the contrary. 2. « Because so
much backbiting and evil-speaking is suffered amongst our
people.' It is not suffered ; all possible means are used,
both to prevent and remove it. 3. « Because I, who have
written so much against hoarding up money, have put out
seven hundred pounds to interest.' I never put sixpence
out to interest since I was born ; nor had I ever one hun
dred pounds together, my own, since I came into the world.
4. ' Because our lay preachers have told many stories of
my brother and me.' If they did, I am sorry for them :
when I hear the particulars I can answer, and perhaps
make those ashamed who believed them. 5. ' Because we
did not help a friend in distress.' We did help him as far
as we were able. « But we might have made his case known

to Mr. G , Lady H , &c.' So we did, more than

once ; but we could not pull money from them, whether
they would or no. Therefore these reasons are of no
weight. You conclude with praying, that God would re
move pride and malice from amongst us. Of pride I have
too much ; of malice I have none : however, the prayer is
good, and I thank you for it."

The other letter from which I shall give an extract was
written apparently to a gentleman of some rank and influ
ence : — " I do not recollect, for I kept no copy of my last,
that I charged you with want of humility, or meekness.
Doubtless these may be found in the most splendid palaces.
But did they ever move a man to build a splendid palace ?
Upon what motive you did this, I know not ; but you are
to answer it to God, not to me.

" If your soul is as much alive to God, if your thirst
after pardon and holiness is as strong, if you are as dead
to the desire of the eye and the pride of life, as you were
six or seven years ago, I rejoice ; if not, I pray God
you may ; and then you will know how to value a real
friend.

17

191 LIFE OF THE

" With regard to myself, you do well to warn me against
1 popularity, a thirst of power and of applause ; against
envy, producing a seeming contempt for the conveniences
or grandeur of this life ; against an affected humility ;
against sparing from myself to give to others, from no
other motive than ostentation.' I am not conscious to
myself, that this is my case. However the warning is
always friendly , and it is always seasonable, considering
how deceitful my heart is, and how many the enemies that
surround me. What follows I do not understand : — « You
behold me in the ditch, wherein you helped, though inno
cently, to cast me, and with a Levitical pity pass by on
the other side. He and you, sir, have not any merit, though
Providence should permit all these sufferings to work
together for my good.' I do not comprehend one line of
this, and therefore cannot plead either guilty, or not guilty.
I presume, they are some that are dependent on me, who,
you say, * keep not the commandments of God ; who show
a repugnance to serve and obey ; who are as full of pride
and arrogance, as of filth and nastiness ; who do not pay
lawful debts, nor comply with civil obligations ; who make
the waiting on the offices of religion, a plea for sloth and
idleness ; who, after I had strongly recommended them,
did not perform their moral duty, but increased the number
of those incumbrances which they forced on you, against
your will.' To this I can only say, 1. I know not whom
you mean ; I am not certain that I can so much as guess
at one of them. 2. Whoever they are, had they followed
my instructions, they would have acted in a quite different
, manner. 3. If you will tell me them by name, I will re
nounce all fellowship with them."

In the autumn of 1753, Mr. Wesley was threatened with
consumption, brought on by repeated attacks of cold. By
the advice of Dr. Fothergill he retired to Lewisham ; and
here, not knowing how it might please God to dispose of
him, and wishing " to prevent vile panegyric" in case of
death, he wrote his Epitaph as follows : —

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 193

5B}ere I etft

THE BODY OF JOHN WESLEY,

A BRAND PLUCKED OUT OF THE BURNING J

WHO DIED OF A CONSUMPTION IN THE FIFTY-FIRST

YEAR OF HIS AGE.

NOT LEAVING, AFTER HIS DEBTS ARE PAID,

TEN POUNDS BEHIND HIM :

PRAYING,

God be merciful to me an unprofitable servant !
He ordered that this, if any, inscription, should be placed on his tornb stone.

During Mr. Wesley's illness, Mr. Whitefield wrote to
him in a strain which shows the fulness of affection which
existed between those great and good men, notwithstand.
ing their differences of opinion : —

" BRISTOL, Dec. 3, 1753.

" REV. AND VERY DEAR SIR, — If seeing you so weak
when leaving London distressed me, the news and pros-
pect of your approaching dissolution hath quite weighed
me down. I pity myself and the Church, but not you. A
radiant throne awaits you, and ere long you will enter into
your Master's joy. Yonder he stands with a massy crown,
ready to put it on your head, amidst an admiring throng of
saints and angels. But I, poor I, that have been waiting
for my dissolution these nineteen years, must be left behind
to grovel here below ! Well ! this is my comfort : it can-
not be long ere the chariots will be sent even for worthless
me. If prayers can detain them, even you, Rev. and very
dear sir, shall not leave us yet : but if the decree has gone
forth, that you must now fall asleep in Jesus, may he kiss
your soul away, and give you to die in the embraces of
triumphant love ! If in the land of the dying, I hope to pay
my last respects to you next week. If not, Rev. and very
dear sir, F — a — r — e — w — e — 11. Ego sequar, etsi non
passibus &quis.* My heart is too big, tears trickle down
too fast, and you are, I fear, too weak for me to enlarge.
Underneath you may there be Christ's everlasting arms !

I commend you to his never failing mercy, and am, Rev.
and very dear sir, your most affectionate, sympathizing,
and afflicted younger brother in the Gospel of our common
Lord, G. WHITEFIELD."

* " I shall follow, though not with equal stops1'

196 LIFE OF THE

From Lewisham he removed to the Hot Wells, near
Bristol ; and, ever intent upon improving time, began his
Notes on the New Testament. For some time after this,
he appears to have remained in an invalid state. During
his retirement at Paddington he read a work which made
a forcible attack upon his prejudices as a Churchman ;
and soon afterward, another, which still farther shook the
deference he had once been disposed to pay to ecclesias.
tical antiquity.

" In my hours of walking, I read Dr. Calamy's Abridg
ment of Mr. Baxter's Life. What a scene is opened there !
In spite of all my prejudices of education, I could not but
Bee, that the poor Nonconformists had been used without
either justice or mercy ; and that many of the Protestant
bishops of King Charles had neither more religion nor
humanity than the Popish bishops of Queen Mary."

" I read Mr. Baxter's History of the Councils. It is
utterly astonishing, and would be wholly incredible, but
that his vouchers are beyond all exception. What a com-
pany of execrable wretches have they been, (one cannot
justly give them a milder title,) who have, almost in every
age since St. Cyprian, taken upon them to govern the
Church ! How has one council been perpetually cursing
another ; and delivering all over to Satan, whether prede
cessors or contemporaries, who did not implicitly receive
their determinations, though generally trifling, sometimes
false, and frequently unintelligible, or self-contradictory !
Surely Mohammedanism was let loose to reform the Chris
tians ! I know not but Constantinople has gained by the
change."

During Mr. Wesley's illness, Mr. Charles Wesley went
forth to visit the societies, and to supply his brother's place.

In 1755, at the conference held in Leeds, a subject
which had been frequently stirring itself, was formally
discussed : —

"The point on which we desired all the preachers to
speak their minds at large, was, whether we ought to se
parate from the Church. Whatever was advanced on one
side or the other was seriously and calmly considered :
and on the third day we were all fully agreed in that gene,
ral conclusion, that, whether it was lawful or not, it was
no ways expedient."

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 197

Part of the preachers were, without restraint, permitted
to speak in favour of a measure, which, in former confer
ences, would not have been listened to in the shape of
discussion ; and the conclusion was, that the question of
the lawfulness of separation was evaded, and the whole
matter was reduced to " expediency." Of this confer,
ence we have no minutes ; but where was Mr. Charles
Wesley?* Mr. Charles Perronet and some others, for
whom Mr. Wesley had great respect, were at this time
urging him to make full provision for the spiritual wants of
his people, as being in fact in a state of real and hopeless
separation from the Church ; and he did some years after
ward so far relax, as to allow of preaching in Church
hours under certain circumstances, as 1. When the minister
was wicked, or held pernicious doctrine ; 2. When the
churches would not contain the population of a town, or
where the church was distant. In that case he prescribed
reading the psalms and lessons and part of the liturgy.
And for this purpose, as well as for the use of the American
societies, he published his Abridgment of the Common
Prayer, under the title of the "Sunday Service of the
Methodists."

In 1756 he printed an Address to the Clergy, plain,
affectionate, and powerful ; breathing at once the spirit of
an apostle, and the feeling of a brother. Happy if that
call had been heard ! He might perhaps be influenced in
this by a still lingering hope of a revival of the spirit of
zeal and piety among the ministers of the Established
Church ; in which case that separation of his people from
the Church, which he began to foresee as otherwise inevi
table, he thought might be prevented ; and this he had
undoubtedly much at heart. Under the same view it pro
bably was that in 1764 he addressed a circular to all the
serious clergy whom he knew, inviting them to a closer
co-operation in promoting the influence of religion in the
land, without any sacrifice of opinion, and being still at
liberty, as to outward order, to remain " quite regular, or

* Three years after, Mr. Wesley published twelve reasons against
separation, all however of a prudential kind. To these Mr. Charles
Wesley added his separate testimony ; but as to himself, he adds that
he thought it not lawful. Here then was another difference in the
view* of the brothers.

198 LIFE 01' THE

quite irregular, or partly regular and partly irregular." Of
the thirty-four clergymen addressed, only three returned
any answer. This seems to have surprised both him and
some of his biographers. The reason is, however, very
obvious : Mr. Wesley did not propose to abandon his plan
and his preachers, or to get the latter ordained and settled
in curacies, as proposed a few years before by Mr. Walker
of Truro ; and the matter had now obviously gone too far
for the clergy to attach themselves to Methodism. They
saw, with perhaps clearer eyes than Mr. Wesley's, that the
Methodists could not now be embodied in the Church ; and
that for them to co-operate directly with him, would only
be to partake of his reproach, and to put difficulties in
their own way, to which they had not the same call. A
few clergymen, and but a few, still continued to give him,
with fulness of heart, the right hand of fellowship, and to
co-operate in some degree with him. Backward he could
not go ; but the forward career of still more extended use
fulness was before him. From this time he gave up all
h^pe of a formal connection with even the pious clergy.
" They are," he observes, " a rope of sand, and such they
will continue ;" and he therefore set himself with deep
seriousness to perpetuate the union of his preachers. At
the conference of 1769, he read a paper, the object of
which was to bind the preachers together by a closer tie,
and to provide for the continuance of their union after his
death. They were to engage solemnly to devote them
selves to God, to preach the old Methodist doctrines, and
to maintain the whole Methodist discipline : after Mr. Wes
ley's death they were to repair to London, and those who
chose to act in concert were to draw up articles of agree
ment ; whilst such as did not so agree were to be dismissed
" in the most friendly way possible." They were then to
choose a committee by vote, each of the members of which
was to be moderator in his turn, and this committee was
to enjoy Mr. Wesley's power of proposing preachers to be
admitted or excluded, of appointing their stations for the
ensuing year, and of fixing the time of the next conference.
This appears to have been the first sketch of an ecclesias-
tical constitution for the body, and it mainly consisted in
the entire delegation of the power which Mr. Wesley had
always exercised, to a committee of preachers to be chosen

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 199

by the rest when assembled in conference. The form of
government he thus proposed was therefore a species of
episcopacy, to be exercised by a committee of three, five,
or seven, as the case might be. Another and a more eligi
ble provision was subsequently made ; but this sufficiently
shows that Mr. Wesley had given up all hope of union
with the Church ; and his efforts were henceforth directed
merely to prevent any thing like formal separation, and the
open renunciation of her communion, during his own life,
by allowing his preachers to administer the sacraments.

About this time much prejudice was excited against
Mr. Wesley in Scotland by the republication of Hervey's
Eleven Letters. He had three times visited this coun
try ; and, preaching only upon the fundamental truths of
Christianity, had been received with great affection. The
societies had increased, and several of his preachers were
stationed in different towns. Lady Frances Gardiner, the
widow of Colonel Gardiner, and other persons eminent
for piety and rank, attended the Methodist ministry ; but
the publication of this wretched work caused a temporary
odium. Hervey, who had been one of the little band at
Oxford, became a Calvinist ; and as his notions grew more
rigid with age, so his former feelings of gratitude and
friendship to Mr. Wesley were blunted. He had also fallen
into the hands of Cudworth, a decided Antinomian, who
" put in and out" of the Letters " what he pleased." They
were not, however, published until Hervey's death, and
against his dying injunction. It is just to so excellent a
man to record this fact ; but the work was published in
England, and republished, with a violent preface by Dr.
Erskine, in Scotland ; and among the Calvinists it produced
the effect of inspiring great horror of Mr. Wesley as a
most pestilent heretic, whom it was doing God service to
abuse without measure or modesty. The feelings of Mr.
Charles Wesley at this treatment of his brother may be
gathered from the answer he returned upon being requested
to write Hervey's epitaph : —

Orf BEING DESIRED TO WRITE AN EPITAPH FOR MR. JAMES HERVEY.

" O'ER-REACH'D, impell'd by a sly Gnostick's art,
To stab his father, guide, and faithful friend,
Would pious Hervey act the accuser's part ?
And could a life like his in malice end 1

200

LIFE OP THE

" No : by redeeming love the snare is broke ;
In death his rash ingratitude he blames ;
Desires and wills the evil to revoke,

And dooms the unfinish'd libel to the flames.
" Who then for filthy gain betray'd his trust,

And show'd a kinsman's fault in open light ?
Let him adorn the monumental bust, —

The' encomium fair in brass or marble write :
" Or if they need a nobler trophy raise,

As long as Tlieron and Aspasio live,
Let Madan or Romaine record his praise ;

Enough that Wesley's brother can forgive ."'*

The unfavourable impression made by Hervey's Letters,
surcharged by Cudworth's Antinomian venom, was how
ever quickly effaced from all but the bigots ; and with
them, judging from Moncrief's Life of Erskine, it remains
to this day. In his future visits to Scotland Mr. Wesley
was received with marks of the highest respect, and at
Perth he had the freedom of the city handsomely conferred
upon him.

CHAPTER XL

METHODISM having begun to make some progress in
America, in consequence of the emigration of some of the
* Mr. Charles Wesley, however, afterward wrote and published
some verses upon Mr. Hervey's death, in which the kind recollections
of old friendship are embodied, and the anticipations of a happy
meeting in heaven arc sweetly expressed. The following are the
concluding stanzas : —

" Father, to us vouchsafe the grace,

Which brought our friend victorious through :
Lot us his shining footsteps trace,

Let us his steadfast faith pursue ;
Follow this follower of the Lamb,
And conquer all through Jesus' name.
*' Free from the law of sin and death,

Free from the Antinomian leaven,
He led his Master's life beneath ;

And, labouring for the rest of heaven,
By active love and watchful prayer,
He show'd his heart already there.
" O might we all, like him, believe,

And keep the faith, and win the prize .'
Father, prepare and then receive

Our hallow'd spirits to the skies,
To chant with all our friends above,
Thy glorious, everlasting love "

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 201

members of the society from England and Ireland,* Mr.
Wesley inquired of the preachers at the conference of
1769, whether any of them would embark in that service.
Messrs. Boardman and Pilmoor, two excellent men, of
good gifts, volunteered their services, and were sent to
take the charge of the societies. From this time the work
spread with great rapidity ; more than twenty preachers
had devoted themselves to it previously to the war of inde
pendence ; and societies were raised up in Maryland,
Virginia, New-York, and Pennsylvania. j" During the
war they still prosecuted their labours ; though as several
of them took the side of the mother country, they were
exposed to danger.:}: Others, with more discretion, held
on their way in silence, speaking only of the things of
God. The warm loyalty of Mr. Wesley led him to pub
lish a pamphlet on the subject of the quarrel, entitled,

[* Ireland seems to have had the special honour of furnishing the
chief instruments in forming the first Methodist societies in Ame
rica. Mr. Philip Embury, who formed the first permanent society
in the city of New-York, in 1766, and Mr. Robert Strawbridge, in
Frederick county, Maryland, in the same year, wore both from Ire*
land. — AMERICAN EDIT.]

[t New-Jersey, and we think Delaware, ought to be added here ;
and in 1776 a circuit was formed in North Carolina also. Deli-
ware especially ought ever to be honoured by us for her generous
and early protection afforded to Methodism in the time of its greatest
trial. It was within that small state, where the laws, (to quote the
words of Mr. Cooper,) were more favourable, and the rulers and
influential men more friendly, that Mr. Asbury, when the storm of
the revolutionary war was at its height, and persecution raged furi
ously, found an asylum in the house of his never-to-be-forgotten
friend, Judge White. — AMERICAN EDIT.]

[I Some of the English preachers did act imprudently in this respect,
and were under the necessity, in consequence, of leaving America.
Mr. Asbury's course was marked " with more discretion ;" which wo
are happy to perceive is also Mr. Watson's view of the subject. Of
the American preachers, there is no evidence within our knowledge
that any of them " took the side of the mother country ;" although
some of them, as well as of the members, were subjected to suspicion
and persecution, in consequence of their connection with Mr.Wesley,
a known loyalist, and of the imprudence of some of the English
preachers above mentioned ; and also on account of their own consci
entious scruples in relation to the spirit and practice of war in gene
ral, and particularly in regard to the nature of the oaths required of
them in some of the states, and which they refused to take. For a
fuller account of those times and scenes, the reader may consult tho
Life of Garrettson by Dr. Bangs, and a small volume entitled Cooper
on Asbury, by the Rev. Ezekiol Cooper. — AMERICAN EDIT.]

202 M*'E or THE

« A Calm Address to the American Colonies ;" but the
copies which were shipped for America were laid hold of
by a friend, who suppressed them; so that the work
remained unknown in the colonies until a considerable
time afterward. This was probably a fortunate incident
for the infant cause. After the war had terminated, politi
cal views were of course laid aside, and Mr. Wesley made
a provision for the government of his American societies,
which will be subsequently adverted to. They became, of
course, independent of British Methodism, but have most
honourably preserved the doctrines, the general discipline,
and, above all, the spirit of the body. Great, and even
astonishing, has been their success in that new and rising
country, to the wide-spread settlements of which their plan
of itinerancy was admirably adapted. The Methodists
are become, as to numbers, the leading religious body of
the Union ; and their annual increase is very great. In
the last year it was thirty-six thousand, making a total in
their communion of one thousand nine hundred ministers,
and four hundred and seventy-six thousand members,
having, as stated in a recent statistical account published
in the United States, upward of two millions, five hun
dred thousand of the population under their immediate
influence. In the number of their ministers, members, and
congregations, the Baptists nearly equal the Methodists ;
and these two bodies, both itinerant in their labours,* have
left all the other religious denominations far behind. It is
also satisfactory to remark, that the leading preachers and
members of the Methodist Church in the United States
appear to be looking forward with enlarged views, and
with prudent regard, to the future, and to aim at the cul
tivation of learning in conjunction with piety. Several
colleges have been from time to time established; and
recently a university, for the education of the youth of the

[* As regards the Baptists, this is a mistake. In their numbers
too, both of ministers and members, however respectable, they are,
we think, much less nearly equal to those of the Methodist commu
nion than our excellent author seems to suppose. In making a cor-
rect statistical comparison of the number of ministers particularly,
in the two communions, on the principle of enumeration which wo
believe our Baptist brethren adopt, all the local as well as the itine
rant ministers of the Methodist Episcopal Church ought to be
eluded ; and then there is almost no comparison. We make not

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 203

American Connection has been founded.* The work in
the United States has been distinguished by frequent and
extraordinary revivals of religion, in which a signal effect
nas been produced upon the moral condition of large dis
tricts of country, and great numbers of people have been
rapidly brought under a concern for their salvation. In
the contemplation of results so vast, and in so few years,
we may devoutly exclaim, " What hath God wrought !"

The mention of what are called revivals of religion in
the United States may properly here lead us to notice,
that, in Great Britain also, almost every Methodist society
has at different times experienced some sudden and extra-
ordinary increase of members, the result of what has been
believed to be, and that not without good reason, a special
effusion of Divine influence upon the minds of men.
Sometimes these effects have attended the preaching of
eminently energetic preachers, but have often appeared
where those stationed in the circuits have not been
remarkably distinguished for energy or pathos. Some
times they have followed the continued and earnest prayers
of the people ; at others they have come suddenly and
unlocked for. The effects however have been, that the
piety of the societies has been greatly quickened, and
rendered more deep and active, and that their number
has increased ; and of the real conversion of many who
have thus been wrought upon, often very suddenly, the
best evidence has been afforded. To sudden conversions,
as such, great objections have been indeed taken. For
these, however, there is but little reason ; for if we believe
the testimony of Scripture, that the Spirit is not only given
to the disciples of Christ, after they assume that character,
but in order to their becoming such ; that, according to

this note with any view or disposition to disparage, in any respect,
the numerous and respectable denomination to which it relates ; but
simply for the sake of what we believe to be due in a faithful record
of historical facts. — AMERICAN EDIT.]

[* The Wcsleyan University, recently established at Middletown,
in the state of Connecticut, is by no means designed for the education,
of the youth of the Methodist Connection exclusively. It is founded
on the general principles of other American colleges and universities,
and for the education of youth generally. All classes, without subjec
tion to any religious test, or any question in regard to their religious
tenets, provided only their moral conduct be good, are admitted on the
same terms, and to the enjoyment of equal privileges. — AM, EDIT.]

204

LIFE OF THE

the words of our Lord, this Spirit is sent '* to convince the
world of sin," to the end that they may believe in Christ ,
and that the Gospel, faithfully and fully proclaimed by the
ministers of Christ, is " the power of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth," and is made so by the accom
panying influence of the Holy Ghost ; who shall prescribe
a mode to Divine operation ? Who, if he believes in such
an influence accompanying the truth, shall presume to say
that when that truth is proposed, the attention of the care
less shall be roused only by a gradual and slow process ? —
that the heart shall not be brought into a state of right
feeling as to eternal concerns, but by a reiteration of
means which we think most adapted to produce that
effect? — that no influence on the mind is genuine and
Divine, if it operates not in a prescribed manner ? — that
the Holy Spirit shall not avail himself of the variety
which exists in the mental constitutions of men, to effect
his purposes of mercy by different methods ? — and that the
operations of grace shall not present, as well as those of
nature, that beauteous variety which so much illustrates
the glory of Him " who worketh all in all ?" And, far
ther, who shall say, that even the peculiarities of men's
natures shall not, in some instances, be set aside in the
course of a Divine and secret operation, which touching
the springs of action, and opening the sources of feeling,
gives an intensity of energy to the one, and a flow to the
other, more eminently indicative of the finger of God in a
work which his own glory, and the humility proper to man,
require should be known and acknowledged as His work
alone 1 Assuredly there is nothing in the reason of the
case to fix the manner of producing such effects to one
rule, and nothing in Scripture. Instances of sudden con
version occur in the New Testament in sufficient number
to warrant us to conclude, that this may be often the mode
adopted by Divine wisdom, and especially in a slumbering
age, to arouse attention to long-despised and neglected
truths. The conversions at the day of pentecost were
sudden, and, for any thing that appears to the contrary,
they were real ; for the persons so influenced were
thought worthy to be " added to the Church." Nor was it
by the miracle of tongues that the effect was produced. If
miracles could have converted them, they had witnessed

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 205

greater than even that glorious day exhibited. The dead
had been raised up in their sight, the earth had quaked
beneath their feet, the sun had hid himself and made an
untimely night, and Christ himself had arisen from a tomb
sealed and watched. It was not by the impression of the
miracle of tongues alone, but by that supervenient gracious
influence which operated with the demonstrative sermon
of Peter, after the miracle had excited the attention of his
hearers, that they were " pricked in their hearts, and cried,
Men and brethren, what shall we do ?"

The only true rule of judging of professed conversion is
its fruits. The modes of it may vary from circumstances
of which we are not the fit judges, and never shall be,
until we know more of the mystic powers of mind, and of
that intercourse which Almighty God, in his goodness,
condescends to hold with it.

It is granted, however, that in such cases a spurious
feeling has been often mixed up with these genuine visit
ations ; that some ardent minds, when even sincere, have
not sufficiently respected the rules of propriety in their
acts of worship ; that some religious deception has taken
place ; that some persons have confounded susceptibility
of feeling with depth of grace ; that censoriousness and
spiritual pride have displaced that humility and charity
which must exist wherever the influence of the Spirit of
God is really present; and that, in some cases, a real
fanaticism has sprung up, as in the case of George Bell and
his followers in London, at an early period of Methodism.
But these are accidents, — tares sown in the field among
the good seed, which were never spared by Mr. Wesley
or his most judicious successors. In the early stages of
their growth indeed, and before they assumed a decided
character, they were careful lest, by plucking them up,
they should root out the good seed also ; but both in Great
Britain and in America, no extravagance has ever been
encouraged by the authorities of either society, and no
importance is attached to any thing but the genuine fruits
of conversion.

In the early part of 1770, we find Mr. Wesley, as usual,
prosecuting his indefatigable labours in different parts of
the kingdom, and every where diffusing the influence of
spirituality and zeal, and the light of a "sound doctrine."

206 LIFE OF THE

His journals present a picture of unwearied exertion, suc>
as was perhaps never before exhibited, and in themselves
they form ample volumes, of great interest, not only as a
record of his astonishing and successful labours, but from
their miscellaneous and almost uniformly instructive cha
racter. Now he is seen braving the storms and tempests
in his journeys, fearless of the snows of winter, and the
heats of summer; then, with a deep susceptibility of all
that is beautiful and grand in nature, recording the plea
sures produced by a smiling landscape, or by mountain
scenery : — Here turning aside to view some curious object
of nature ; there some splendid mansion of the great ; show
ing at the same time in his pious and often elegant, though
brief reflections, with what skill he made all things contri
bute to devotion and cheerfulness. Again, we trace him
into his proper work, preaching in crowded chapels, or to
multitudes collected in the most public resorts in towns, or
in the most picturesque places of their vicinity. Now he
is seen by the side of the sick and dying, and then, sur
rounded with his societies, uttering his pastoral advices.
An interesting and instructive letter frequently occurs ;
then a jet of playful and good-humoured wit upon his perse
cutors, or the stupidity of his casual hearers ; occasionally,
in spite of the philosophers, an apparition story is given as
he heard it, and of which his readers are left to judge ; and
often we meet with a grateful record of providential escapes,
from the falls of his horses, or from the violence of mobs.
Notices of books also appear, which are often exceedingly
just and striking ; always short and characteristic ; and as
he read much on his journeys, they are very frequent. A
few of these notices, in his journal of this year, taken
without selection, may be given as a specimen : —

" I read with all the attention 1 was master of, Mr.
Hutchinson's Life, and Mr. Spearman's Index to his
Works. And I was more convinced than ever, 1. That
he had not the least conception, much less experience, of
inward religion : 2. That an ingenious man may prove
just what he pleases, by well-devised Scriptural etymolo
gies : especially if he be in the fashion, if he affect to read
the Hebrew without vowels : and, 3. That his whole hypo
thesis, philosophical and theological, is unsupported by
any solid proof.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 207

** I sat down to read and seriously consider some of the
writings of Baron Swedenborg. I began with huge preju
dice in his favour, knowing him to be a pious man, one of
a strong understanding, of much learning, and one who
thoroughly believed himself. But I could not hold out
long. Any one of his visions puts his real character out of
doubt. He is one of the most ingenious, lively, entertain,
ing madmen, that ever set pen to paper. But his waking
dreams are so wild, so far remote both from Scripture and
common sense, that one might as easily swallow the stories
of Tom Thumb, or Jack the Giant-killer.

" I met with an ingenious book, the late Lord Lyttle-
ton's 'Dialogues of the Dead.' A great part of it I could
heartily subscribe to, though not to every word. I believe
Madam Guion was in several mistakes, speculative and
practical too ; yet I would no more dare to call her, than
her friend Archbishop Fenelon, 'a distracted enthusiast.'
She was undoubtedly a woman of a very uncommon under
standing, and of excellent piety. Nor was she any more
' a lunatic,' than she was a ' heretic.'

" Another of this lively writer's assertions is, « Martin
has spawned a strange brood of fellows, called Methodists,
Moravians, Hutchinsonians, who are madder than Jack
was in his worst days.' I would ask any one who knows
what good breeding means, Is this language for a noble
man or for a porter ? But let the language be as it may,
is the sentiment just ? To say nothing of the Methodists,
(although some of them too are not quite out of their
senses,) could his lordship show me in England many more
sensible men than Mr. Gambold, and Mr. Okeley 1 And
yet both of these were called Moravians. Or could he point
out many men of stronger and deeper understanding than
Dr. Home and Mr. William Jones 1 (if he could pardon
them for believing the Trinity!) And yet both of these
are Hutchinsonians. What pity is it that so ingenious a
man, like many others gone before him, should pass so
peremptory a sentence, in a cause which he does not under
stand ! Indeed, how could he understand it ? How much
has he read upon the question ? What sensible Methodist,
Moravian, or Hutchinsonian, did he ever calmly converse
with ? What does he know of them, but from the carica
tures drawn by Bishop Lavington, or Bishop Warburton ?

208 LIFE OF THE

And did he ever give himself the trouble of reading the
answers to those warm, lively men ? Why should a good,
natured and a thinking man thus condemn whole bodies
of men by the lump ? In this I can neither read the gen-
tleman, the scholar, nor the Christian."

" I set out for London ; and read over in the way that
celebrated book, ' Martin Luther's Comment on the Epistle
to the Galatians.' I was utterly ashamed. How have
I esteemed this book, only because I had heard it so com-
mended by others ! or, at best, because I had read some
excellent sentences, occasionally quoted from it ! But what
shall I say, now I judge for myself? now I see with my
own eyes ? Why, not only that the author makes nothing
out, clears up not one considerable difficulty ; that he is
quite shallow in his remarks on many passages, and muddy
and confused almost on all : but that he is deeply tinctured
with Mysticism throughout, and hence often dangerously
wrong. To instance only in one or two points. How
does he (almost in the words of Tauler) decry reason,
right or wrong, as an irreconcilable enemy to the Gospel
of Christ ! Whereas, what is reason (the faculty so called)
but the power of apprehending, judging and discoursing ? —
which power is no more to be condemned in the gross,
than seeing, hearing, or feeling. Again, how blasphemously
does he speak of good works and of the law of God ;
constantly coupling the law with sin, death, hell, or the
devil ; and teaching, that Christ delivers us from them all
alike. Whereas it can no more be proved by Scripture,
that Christ delivers us from the law of God, than that he
delivers us from holiness or from heaven. Here (I appre
hend) is the real spring of the grand error of the Mora
vians. They follow Luther, for better for worse. Hence
their ' No works, no law, no commandment.' But who art
thou that < speakest evil of the law, and judgest the law ?'

" I read over, and partly transcribed, Bishop Bull's ' Har-
monia Apostolica.' The position with which he sets out
is this, ' that all good works, and not faith alone, are the
necessarily previous condition of justification,' or the for
giveness of our sins. But in the middle of the treatise he
asserts, 'that faith alone is the condition of justification ;'
* for faith,' says he, 'referred to justification, means all
inward and outward good works.' In the latter end he

RKV. JOHN WESLEY. 209

affirms, * that there are two justifications : and that only
inward good works necessarily precede the former, but
both inward and outward the latter.' "

Mr. Wesley meant this brief but just analysis to be
Bishop Bull's refutation, and it is sufficient.

" Looking for a book in our college library, I took down,
by mistake, the Works of Episcopius ; which opening on an
account of the Synod of Dort, I believed it might be useful
to read it through. But what a scene is here disclosed !
I wonder not at the heavy curse of God, which so soon
after fell on the Church and nation. What a pity it is,
that the holy Synod of Trent, and that of Dort, did not sit
at the same time ! — nearly allied as they were, not only as
to the purity of doctrine, which each of them established,
but also as to the spirit wherewith they acted ; — if the
latter did not exceed.

" Being in the Bodleian library, I lit on Mr. Calvin's
account of the case of Michael Servetus ; several of
whose letters he occasionally inserts : wherein Servetus
often declares in terms, « I believe the Father is God, the
Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.' Mr. Calvin,
however, paints him such a monster as never was, an
Arian, a blasphemer, and what not ; beside strewing over
him his flowers of dog, devil, swine, and so on, which are
the usual appellations he gives to his opponents. But still
he utterly denies his being the cause of Servetus's death.
' No,' says he : ' I only advised our magistrates, as having
a right to restrain heretics by the sword, to seize upon and
try that arch-heretic. But after he was condemned, I said
not one word about his execution !' "

The above may be taken as instances of his laconic re-
views of books.

Mr. Wesley's defence of the power he exercised in the
government of the Methodist societies may also here be
given ; observing that it is easier, considering the circum
stances in which he was placed, to carp at it, than to find
a solid answer. Few men, it is true, have had so much
power : but on the other hand he could not have retained
'it in a perfectly voluntary society, had he not used it mild,
ly and wisely, and with a perfectly disinterested and public
spirit.

" What is that power ? It is a power of admitting into
18*

210 LIFE OF THE

and excluding from the societies under my care ;
ing and removing stewards ; of receiving or not receiving
helpers ; of appointing them when, where, and how to help
me, and of desiring any of them to confer with me when I
see good. And as it was merely in ohedience to the
providence of God, and for the good of the people, that I
at first accepted this power, which I never sought ; so it
is on the same consideration, not for profit, honour, or
pleasure, that I use it at this day.

" * But several gentlemen are offended at your having so
much power.' I did not seek any part of it. But when
it was come unawares, not daring to bury that talent, I
used it to the best of my judgment. Yet I never was
fond of it. I always did, and do now, bear it as my bur-
den, the burden which God lays upon me ; and therefore
I dare not lay it down.

"But if you can tell me any one, or any five men, to
whom I may transfer this burden, who can and will do
just what I do now, I will heartily thank both them and
you." (Wesley's Works.)

This year, 1770, is memorable in the history of Me-
thodism, for having given birth to a long and very ardent
controversy on the doctrines of Calvinism. It took its
rise from the publication of the Minutes of the Confer
ence, in which it was determined, that, in some particulars
then pointed out, the preachers had " leaned too much to
Calvinism." This is easily explained. Mr. Whitefield,
and Howell Harris, the early coadjutors of the Wesleys,
became Calvinists ; but the affection, which existed among
this little band, was strong ; and as they all agreed in
preaching, what was at that time most needed, the doctrine
of salvation by faith, " an agreement" was made at a very
early period, between the Wesleys and Howell Harris, to
forget all peculiarities of opinion as much as possible in
their sermons, to use as far as they could, with a good con.
science, the same phrases in expressing the points on
which they substantially agreed, and to avoid controversy.
Such an agreement shows the liberal feeling which existed
among the parties ; but it was not of a nature to be so
rigidly kept as to give entire satisfaction. On these arti
cles of peace, we find therefore, endorsed, at a subsequent
period, in the hand-writing of Mr. Charles Wesley, " Vain

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 211

agreement." Mr. Wesley's anxiety to maintain unity of
effort as well as affection with Mr. Whitefield, led him
also, in 1743, to concede to his Calvinistic views, as far
as possible ; and he appears not to have been disposed to
deny, though he says he could not prove it, that some per
sons might be unconditionally elected to eternal glory ;
but not to the necessary exclusion of any other from salva
tion. And he was then " inclined to believe" that there
is a state attainable in this life, " from which a man can
not finally fall." But he was subsequently convinced by
the arguments of Mr. Thomas Walsh, that this was an
error.* These considerations will account for the exist
ence of what Mr. Wesley called " a leaning to Calvinism,"
both in himself, and among some of the preachers, and
rendered a review of the case necessary.'!' Though the
leaders had approached so near " the very edge of Calvin
ism" on one side, and "of Antinomianism" also, with
safety, it was not to be wondered at that others should
overstep the line. Beside, circumstances had greatly
changed. A strong tide of Antinomianism had set in,
and threatened great injury to practical godliness through
out the land. Dr. Southey attributes this to the natural
tendency of Methodism ; but here he shows himself only
partially acquainted with the subject. The decline of reli-

* Mr. Walsh was received by Mr. Wesley as a preacher, in 1750,
and died in 1759. The following is Mr. Wesley's character of him : —
" That blessed man sometimes preached in Irish, mostly in English ;
and wherever he preached, whether in English or Irish, the word was
sharper than a two-edged sword. So that I do not remember ever to
have known any preacher, who, in so few years as he remained upon
earth, was an instrument of converting so many sinners from tho
error of their ways. By violent straining of his voice, he contracted
a true pulmonary consumption, which carried him off. O what a
man to be snatched away in the strength of his years ! Surely thy
'judgments are a great deep !'

" lie was 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 little pause, not
only how often one or the other occurred in the Bible, but also what
it meant in every place. Such a master of Biblical knowledge I
never knew before, and never expect to see again."

t Mr. Wesley's Sermon on Imputed Righteousness is an instance
of his anxiety to approach his Calvinistic brethren, in his modes of
expression, as far as possible ; and in this attempt he sometimes laid
himself open to bo misunderstood on both sides.

SJ12 LIFE OF THE

gion among many of the Dissenting Churches, had scat,
tered the seeds of this heresy all around them, though not
without calling forth a noble testimony against it from
some of their ablest ministers ; and when they began to
feel the influence of the revival of piety in the last century,
the tares sprung up with the plants of better quality. The
Calvinism taught by Mr. Howell Harris, and Mr. White-
field, was also perverted by many of their hearers to sanc
tion the same error. Several of the evangelical clergy,
likewise, who had no immediate connection with Mr.
Wesley, were Calvinists of the highest grade ; and as
their number increased, their incautious statements of the
doctrines of grace and faith, carried beyond their own
intentions, became more mischievous. To show, how
ever, that Antinomianism can graft itself upon other stocks
beside that of the Calvinistic decrees, it was found also
among many of the Moravians ; and the Methodists did
not escape. Wherever, indeed, the doctrine of justifica
tion by faith is preached, there is a danger, as St. Paul
himself anticipated in his Epistle to the Romans, lest
perverse, vain, and evil minds should pervert it to licen
tiousness ; heavenly as it is in authority, and pure in its
influence, when rightly understood. In fact, there is no such
exclusive connection between the more sober Calvinistic
theories of predestination, and t'his great error, as some
have supposed. It is too often met with, also, among
those who hold the doctrine of general redemption ; though
it must be acknowledged that, for the most part, such
persons, at length, go over to predestinarian notions, as
affording, at least, some collateral confirmation of the
solifidian theory. That Calvinistic opinions, in their
various forms, were at this time greatly revived and dif
fused, is certain. The religious excitement produced gave
activity to theological inquiries ; and speculative minds,
especially those who had some taste for metaphysical dis
cussions, were soon entangled in questions of predestina
tion, prescience, necessity, and human freedom. The
views of Calvin on these subjects were also held by many,
who, connecting them with vital and saving truths, were
honoured with great usefulness ; and as the Wesleyan
societies were often involved in these discussions, and in
danger of having their faith unsettled, and their practical

REV. JOHN WKSLEY. 213

piety injured by those in whom Calvinism had begun to
luxuriate into the ease and carelessness of Antinomian
license, no subject at that period more urgently required
attention. For this reason, Mr. Wesley brought it before
his conference of preachers. The withering effects of
this delusion were also strongly pointed out in his sermons,
and were afterward still more powerfully depicted by the
master pencil of Mr. Fletcher, in those great works to
which he now began to apply himself, in order to stem
the torrent. Dr. Southey has fallen into the error of
imagining that Mr. Fletcher's descriptions of the ravages
of Antinomianism were drawn from its effects upon the
Wesleyan societies; but that mistake arose from his not
adverting to the circumstance, that neither Mr. Wesley
nor Mr. Fletcher confined their cares to these societies,
but kept an equally watchful eye upon the state of reli
gion in the land at large, and consequently in the Church
of which they were ministers. The societies under Mr.
Wesley's charge were indeed at no time more than very
partially affected by this form of error. Still, in some
places they had suffered, and in all were exposed to dan
ger ; and as Mr. Wesley regarded them, not only as a
people given to him by God to preserve from error, but to
engage to bear a zealous and steadfast testimony " against
the evils of the time ;" in every place he endeavoured to
prepare them for their warfare, by instructing them fully
in the questions at issue.

The Minutes of 1770 contained, therefore, the following
passages : —

"We said, in 1744, « We have leaned too much toward
Calvinism.' Wherein?

" 1. With regard to man's faithfulness. Our Lord him
self taught us to use the expression. And we ought never
to be ashamed of it. We ought steadily to assert, on his
authority, that if a man is not ' faithful in the unrighteous
mammon,' God will not give 'him the true riches.'

"2. With regard to 'working for life.' This also our
Lord has expressly commanded us. ' Labour,' gpya^eo'd?,
literally, ' work for the meat that endureth to everlasting
life.' And in fact, every believer, till he comes to glory,
works for as well as from life.

" 3. We have received it as a maxim, that < a man is to

214 LIFE 01 THE

do nothing in order to justification.' Nothing can be more
false. Whoever desires to find favour with God should
' cease from evil, and learn to do well.' Whoever repents
should do « works meet for repentance.' And if this is not
in order to find favour, what does he do them for ?

" Review the whole affair.

" 1. Who of us is now accepted of God]

" He that now believes in Christ, with a loving and
obedient heart.

" 2. But who among those that never heard of Christ ?

" He that feareth God and worketh righteousness ac
cording to the light he has.

" 3. Is this the same with * he that is sincere ?'

" Nearly, if not quite.

" 4. Is not this « salvation by works V

" Not by the merit of works, but by works as a condition.

" 6. What have we then been disputing about for these
thirty years ?

" I am afraid, about words.

" 7. The grand objection to one of the preceding pro-
positions is drawn from matter of fact. God does in fact
justify those who, by their own confession, neither feared
God nor wrought righteousness. Is this an exception to
the general rule ?

"It is a doubt, whether God makes any exception at all.
But how are we sure that the person in question never did
fear God and work righteousness ? His own saying so is
not proof: for we know how all that are convinced of sin
undervalue themselves in every respect.

" 8. Does not talking of a justified or a sanctified state
tend to mislead men? almost naturally leading them to
trust in what was done in one moment ? Whereas we are
every hour and every moment pleasing or displeasing to
God, 'according to our works;' — according to the whole
of our inward tempers, and our outward behaviour."

That these were passages calculated to awaken suspi
cion, and that they gave the appearance of inconsistency
to Mr. Wesley's opinions, and indicated a tendency to run
to one extreme, in order to avoid another, — an error which
Mr. Wesley more generally avoided than most men, — can-
not be denied. They, however, when fairly examined,
expressed nothing but what is found in substance in the

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 215

doctrinal conversations at the conferences from 1744 to
1747 ; but the sentiments were put in a stronger form, and
were made to bear directly against the Antinomian opinions
of the day. To " man's faithfulness" nothing surely
could be reasonably objected ; it is enjoined upon believers
in the whole Gospel, and might have been known by the
objectors to have been always held by Mr. Wesley, but so
as necessarily to imply a constant dependence upon the
influence of the Holy Spirit. That the rewards of eternity
are also to be distributed in higher or lower degrees
according to the obedient works of believers, yet still on a
principle of grace, is a doctrine held by divines of almost
every class, and is confirmed by many passages of Scrip
ture. To the Antinomian notion, that a man is to do
nothing in order to justification, Mr. Wesley opposes the
same sentiment which he held in 1744, that previously to
justification men must repent, and, if there be opportunity,
do works meet for repentance ; and when he asks, " if
they do them not in order to justification, what do they do
them for?" — these words are far enough from intimating
that such works are meritorious, although they are capable
of being misunderstood. Repentance is indeed a condition of
justification, as well as faith, but indirectly and remotely, —
" Repent ye and believe the Gospel ;" and seeing that Mr.
Wesley, so expressly in the same page, shuts out the
merit of works, no one could be justly offended with this
statement (except as far as the phrase is concerned) who
did not embrace some obvious form of practical error.

The doctrine of the acceptance of such heathens as
" fear God and work righteousness," might be offensive to
those who shut out all heathens, as such, from the mercies
of God, — a tenet, however, which is not necessarily con
nected with Calvinism ; and it ought not to have been ob
jected to by others, unless Mr. Wesley had stated, as some
of his opponents understood him to do, that " a heathen
might be saved without a Saviour." No such thought was
ever entertained by him, as Mr. Fletcher observes in his
defence ; for he held that whenever a heathen is accepted,
it is merely through the merits of Christ, although it is in
connection with his " fearing God, and working righteous,
ness." " ' But how comes he to see that God is to be
feared, and that righteousness is his delight ?' Because a

216 LIFE OF THE

beam of our Sun of righteousness shines in his darkness.
All is therefore of grace ; the light, the works of righteous,
ness done by that light, and acceptance in consequence of
them." (Fletcher's Works.)

But when the Minutes went on to state that this shows
that salvation is by works as a "condition, though not
by the merit of works," the highest point of heresy was
supposed to be reached. Yet from this charge, though
it derived some colour from a paradoxical mode of ex-
pression not to be commended, Mr. Fletcher brings off his
friend unhurt : —

" Our Church expresses herself more fully on this head
in the Homily on Salvation, to which the article refers.
' St. Paul,' says she, * declares nothing [necessary] on the
behalf of man concerning his justification, but only a true
and lively faith, and yet (N. B.) that faith does not shut out
repentance, hope, love, [of desire wrhen we are coming,
love of delight when we are come,] dread, and the fear of
God, to be joined with it in every man that is justified ;
but it shutteth them out from the office of justifying ; so
that they be all present together in him that is justified, yet
they justify not all together.' This is agreeable to St.
Peter's doctrine, maintained by Mr. Wesley. Only faith
in Christ for Christians, and faith in the light of their
dispensation for heathens, is necessary in order to accept
ance : but though faith only justifies, yet it is never alone ;
for repentance, hope, love of desire, and the fear of God,
necessarily accompany this faith, if it be living. Our
Church therefore is not at all against works proceeding
from, or accompanying faith in all its stages. She grants,
that whether faith seeks or finds its object, whether it
longs for or embraces it, it is still a lively, active, and
working grace. She is only against the vain conceit that
works have any hand in meriting justification or purchas
ing salvation, which is what Mr. Wesley likewise strongly
opposes.

" If any still urge, ' I do not love the word condition ;'
I reply, it is no wonder ; since thousands so hate the thing,
that they even choose to go to hell, rather than perform it.
But let an old worthy divine, approved by all but Crisp's
disciples, tell you what we mean by condition : « An
antecedent condition (says Mr. Flavel in his « Discourse

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 217

of Errors') signifies no more than an act of ours, which,
though it be neither perfect in any degree, nor in the least
meritorious of the benefit conferred, nor performed in our
own natural strength, is yet, according to the constitution
of the covenant, required of us, in order to the blessings
consequent thereupon, by virtue of the promise ; and
consequently, benefits and mercies granted in this order
are and must be suspended by the donor, till it be per
formed.' Such a condition we affirm faith to be, with all
that faith necessarily implies." (Fletcher's Works.)

The greatest stone of stumbling was, however, the
remarks on merit: —

" As to merit itself, of which we have been so dreadfully
afraid : we are rewarded « according to our works,' yea,
•because of our works.' How does this differ from,
4 for the sake of our works ?' And how differs this from
secundum merita operum, « as our works deserve ?' Can
you split this hair? I doubt I cannot."

The outcry of " dreadful heresy" raised against him,
particularly on this article, was the more uncandid, because
by explaining the phrase secundum merita operum, to
mean, as our works deserve, it was clear, especially taking
the passage in connection with what he had previously
stated, that he understood merit in that loose, and not
perhaps always correct, sense in which it had often been
used by several of the ancient fathers ; and also that he
was not speaking of our present justification, but of our
final reward. But here Mr. Fletcher shall again be
heard : —

" If Mr. Wesley meant, that we are saved by the merit
of works, and not entirely by that of Christ, you might
exclaim against his proposition as erroneous ; and I would
echo back your exclamation. But as he flatly denies it in
those words, ' Not by the merit of works,' and has con
stantly asserted the contrary for above thirty years, we
cannot, without monstrous injustice, fix that sense upon
the word merit in this paragraph.

" Divesting himself of bigotry and party spirit, he gene
rously acknowledges truth even when it is held forth by
his adversaries : an instance of candour worthy of our
imitation ! He sees that God offers and gives his children,
here on earth, particular rewards for particular instances
19

218 LITE OF THE

of obedience. He knows that when a man is saved me
ritoriously by Christ, and conditionally by (or if you please,
upon the terms of) the work of faith, the patience of hope,
and the labour of love, he shall particularly be rewarded in
heaven for his works : and he observes, that the Scriptures
steadily maintain, we are recompensed according to our
works, yea, because of our works.

" The former of these assertions is plain from the para-
ble of the talents, and from these words of our Lord, Matt,
xvi, 27, « The Son of man shall come in the glory of his
Father, and reward every man according to his works ;'
unbelievers according to the various degrees of demerit
belonging to their evil works ; (for some of them shall
comparatively ' be beaten with few stripes ;') and believers
according to the various degrees of excellence found in their
good works ; l for as one star differeth from another star in
glory, so also is the resurrection of the' righteous 'dead.'

" If we detach from the word merit the idea of * obliga
tion on God's part to bestow any thing upon creatures, who
have a thousand times forfeited their comforts and exist-
ence,' — if we take it in the sense we fix to it in a hundred
cases ; for instance this : « A master may reward his scho
lars according to the merit of their exercises, or he may
not ; for the merit of the best exercise can never bind him
to bestow a premium for it, unless he has promised it of
his own accord,' — if we take, I say, the word merit in this
simple sense, it may be joined to the word good works, and
bear an evangelical meaning.

" To be convinced of it, candid reader, consider, with
Mr. Wesley, that ' God accepts and rewards no work but
so far as it proceeds from his own grace through the Be
loved.' Forget not that Christ's Spirit is the savour of
each believer's salt, and that he puts excellence into the
good works of his people, or else they could not be good.
Remember, he is as much concerned in the good tempers,
words, and actions of his living members, as a tree is con
cerned in the sap, leaves, and fruit of the branches it bears,
John xv, 5. Consider, I say, all this, and tell us whether
it can reflect dishonour upon Christ and his grace, to affirm,
that as his personal merit — the merit of his holy life and
painful death — * opens the kingdom of heaven to all be
lievers ;' so the merit of those works which he enables his

REV JOHN WESLEY. 219

members to do, will determine the peculiar degrees of glory
graciously allotted to each of them." (Fletcher's Works.]

Mr. Fletcher came forward to defend his venerable
friend, on account of the great uproar which the Calvinistic
party had raised against him upon the publication of these
minutes. The countess of Huntingdon had taken serious
alarm and offence ; and the Rev. Walter Shirley, her brother
and chaplain, had written a circular letter to all the serious
clergy, and several others, inviting them to go in a body to
the ensuing conference, and " insist upon a formal recanta
tion of the said minutes, and, in case of a refusal, to sign and
publish their protest against them." Mr. Shirley and a few
others accordingly attended the Bristol conference, where,
says Mr. Wesley, " we had more preachers than usual in
consequence of Mr. Shirley's circular letter. At ten on
Thursday morning he came, with nine or ten of his friends :
we conversed freely for about two hours ; and, I believe, they
were satisfied, that we were not such * dreadful heretics' as
they imagined, but were tolerably sound in the faith."

The meeting was creditable to each party. Mr. Wesley
acknowledged that the minutes were " not sufficiently guard
ed." This must be felt by all ; they were out of his usual
manner of expressing himself, and he had said the same
truths often in a clearer, and safer, and even stronger man
ner. He certainly did not mean to alter his previous opi
nions, or formally to adopt other terms in which to express
them ; and therefore to employ new modes of speaking,
though for a temporary purpose, was not without danger,
although they were capable of an innocent explanation.
Even Mr. Fletcher confesses that the minutes wore " a new
aspect ;" and that at first they appeared to him " unguarded,
if not erroneous." Mr. Wesley showed his candour in admit,
ting the former ; and to prevent all future misconstruction,
he and the conference issued the following " Declaration," to
which was appended a note from Mr. Shirley, acknowledg
ing his mistake as to the meaning of the minutes : —

" BRISTOL, August 9, 1771.

" WHEREAS the doctrinal points in the minutes of a con-
ference held in London, August 7, 1770, have been under,
stood to favour 'justification by works :' now the Rev. John
Wrcsley and others, assembled in conference, do declare that
we had no such meaning ; and that we abhor the doctrine of

220 LIFE OF THE

* justification by works,' as a most perilous and abominable
doctrine. And as the said minutes are not sufficiently guard-
ed in the way they are expressed, we hereby solemnly de
clare, in the sight of God, that we have no trust or confidence
but in the alone merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ
for justification or salvation, either in life, death, or the day
of judgment. And though no one is a real Christian be
liever (and consequently cannot be saved) who doeth not
good works, where there is time and opportunity ; yet our
works have no part in meriting or purchasing our justifi
cation, from first to last, either in whole or in part.

"Signed by the Rev. Mr. Wesley and fifty-threo
preachers."

MR. SHIRLEY'S NOTE.

** Mr. Shirley's Christian respects wait on Mr. Wesley.
The declaration agreed to in conference the 8th of August,
1771, has convinced Mr. Shirley he had mistaken the mean
ing of the doctrinal points in the minutes of the conference
held in London, August 7, 1770 ; and he hereby wishes to
testify the full satisfaction he has in the said declaration,
and his hearty concurrence and agreement with the same.

" Mr. Wesley is at full liberty to make what use he
pleases of this. — August 10, 1771."*

* This affair is capable of more illustration than it has received
from Mr. Wesley's biographers hitherto. Mr. Shirley's circular let.
ter was naturally resented by Mr. Wesley, as being published befort,
any explanations respecting the minutes had been asked from him
their author ; and also from its assuming that Mr. S., and the clergy
who might obey his summons, had the right to come into the confer
ence, and to demand a recantation. Mr. Shirley, therefore, soon
found, that he must approach in a more brotherly manner, or that
Mr. Wesley and the conference would have no intercourse with him
This led Lady Huntingdon and Mr. Shirley to address explanatory
letters to Mr. Wesley. " As the method of proceeding, as well as the
terms in which we had delivered ourselves," s iys Mr. Shirley, " was
objected to by many as by no means proper, and in submission to tho
precept, ' Give no offence to Jew or Gentile, or to the Church of God,*
Lady Huntingdon and I wrote the following letters, which were deli,
vored to Mr. Wesley the evening before the conference met." Lidy
Huntingdon says, " As you and your friends, and many others, have
objected to the mode of the application to you in conference, as au
arbitrary way of proceeding, we wish to retract what a more delibe.
rate consideration might have prevented," &c. Mr. Shirley's letter
acknowledges "that tho circular was too hastily drawn up, and im.
properly expressed ; and therefore, for the offensive expressions in it,
u'e desire we may be hereby understood to make every suitable sub.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 221

Mr. Fletcher had entitled his Defence of Mr. Wesley
"The First Check to Antinomianism ;" but he did not

mission to you." On this explanation, Mr. Shirley and his friends
were invited by Mr. Wesley to come to the conference on the third
day of its sitting. Mr. Shirley's published narrative thus pro.
ceeds : — " To say the truth, I was pleased that the invitation came
from Mr. Wesley, without any application made on our parts, that
there might not be left the least room for censuring our proceedings
as violent. On that day therefore, I went thither, accompanied
with the Rev. Mr. Glascot, the Rev. Mr. Owen, (two ministers offi
ciating in Lady Huntingdon's chapels,) John Lloyd, Esq., of Bath ;
Mr. James Ireland, merchant of Bristol ; Mr. Winter, and two stu
dents belonging to Lady Huntingdon's college.

" I shall only give you a brief detail of what passed, and rather
the substance of what was spoken, than the exact words ; omitting
likewise many things of no great weight or consequence.

" After Mr. Wesley had prayed, I desired to know whether Lady
Huntingdon's letter and mine "to Mr. Wesley had been read to the
conference. Being answered in the negative, I begged leave to read
the copies of them ; which was granted. I then said that I hoped the
submission made was satisfactory to the gentlemen of the conference.
This was admitted ; but then it was urged, that as the offence given
by the circular letter had been very public, so ought the letter of sub
mission. I therefore readily consented to the publication of it, and
have now fulfilled my promise. Mr. Wesley then stood up ; the
purport of his speech was a sketch of his ministry from his first set
ting out to the present time ; with a view (as I understood) to prove
that he had ever maintained justification by faith, and that thero
was nothing in the minutes contrary thereunto. He complained of
ill treatment from many persons, that he apprehended had been
under obligations to him ; and said that the present opposition was
not to the minutes, but to himself personally. In answer I assured
them in the most solemn manner, that, with respect to myself, my
opposition was not to Mr. Wesley, or any particular person, but to
the doctrines themselves. And they were pleased thus far to give
me credit. I then proceeded to speak to the point ; informed them
of the great and general offence the minutes had given ; that I had
numerous protests and testimonies against them sent me from Scot
land, and from various parts of these kingdoms; that it must seem
very extraordinary indeed, if so many men of sense and learning
should bo mistaken, and that there was nothing really offensive in
the plain, natural import of the minutes ; that I believed they them
selves (whatever meaning they might have intended) would allow
that the more obvious meaning was reprehensible ; and, therefore,
I recommdcded to them, nay I begged and entreated for the Lord's
sake, that they would go as far as they could with a good con
science, in giving the world satisfaction. I said I hopsd they would
not take offence, (for I did not mean to give it,) as my proposing
to them a declaration which I had drawn up, wishing that some-
tiling at least analogous to it might be agreed to. I then took tho
liberty to read it ; and Mr. Wesley, after he had made some (not
19*

222 LIFE OF THE

content himself with evangelizing the apparently legal
minutes, and defending the doctrinal consistency and or-

very material) alterations in it, readily consented to sign it ; in
which he was followed by fifty-three of the preachers in connection
with him ; there being only one or two that were against it.

" Thus was this important matter settled. But one of the preachers
(namely, Mr. Thomas Olivers) kept us a long time in debate ; stren
uously opposed the declaration ; and to the last would not consent
to sign it. He maintained that our second justification (that is, at
the day of judgment) is by works; and he saw very clearly that for
one that holds that tenet solemnly * to declare in the sight of God
that he lias no trust or confidence but in the alone merits of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for justification or salvation, either
in life, death, or the day of judgment,' would be acting neither a
consistent nor an upright part ; for all the subtilties of metaphysi
cal distinction can never reconcile tenets so diametrically opposite
as these. But, blessed be God, Mr. Wesley, and fifty-three of his
preachers, do not agree with Mr. Olivers in this material article ;
for it appears from their subscribing the declaration, that they do
not maintain a second justification by works.

" After the declaration had been agreed to, it was required of me,
on my part, that I would make some public acknowledgment that
I had mistaken the meaning of the minutes. Here I hesitated a
little ; for though I was desirous to do every thing (consistently
with truth and a good conscience) for the establishment of peaco
and Christian fellowship ; yet I was very unwilling to give any
thing under my hand that might seem to countenance the minutes
in their obvious sense. But then, when I was asked by one of tho
preachers whether I did not believe Mr. Wesley to be an honest
man ; I was distressed on tho other hand, lest, by refusing what was
desired, I should seem to infer a doubt to Mr. Wesley's disadvan
tage. Having confidence, therefore, in Mr. Wesloy's integrity, who
had declared he had no such meaning in the minutes, as was fa
vourable to justification by works ; and considering that every man
is the best judge of his own meaning, and has a right, so far, to our
credit, and that, though nothing else could, yet the declaration did
convince me, they had some other meaning than what appeared ; —
I say, (these things considered,) I promised them satisfaction in
this particular; and, a few days afterward, sent Mr. Wesley the
following message, with which he was very well pleased : —

[Then follows Mr. Shirley's note as given above.]

" Thus far all was well. The foundation was secured. And, with
respect to lesser matters of difference, we might well bear with ono
another ; and if either party should see occasion to oppose the other's
peculiar opinion, it might bo done without vehemence, and without
using any reproachful terms. The whole was conducted with great
decency on all sides. We concluded with prayer, and with the
warmest indications of mutual peace and love. For my own part,
believe me, I was perfectly sincere ; and thought this one of the hap
piest, and most honourable; days of my life."

Tho whole conduct of Mr. Shirloy, in this affair, affords a pleasing

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 223

thodoxy of Mr. Wesley. He incidentally discussed various
other points of the quinquarticular controversy ; and he,
as well us Mr. Wesley, was quickly assailed by a number
of replies not couched in the most courteous style. Mr.
Fletcher's skill and admirable temper so fully fitted him to
conduct the dispute which had arisen, that Mr. Wesley left
the contest chiefly to him, and calmly pursued his labours ;
and the whole issued in a series of publications, from the
pen of the vicar of Madeley, which, as a whole, can scarcely
be too highly praised or valued.* While the language
endures, they will effectually operate as checks to Antino-
mianism in every subtle form which it may assume ; and
present the pure and beautiful system of evangelical truth,
as well guarded on the other hand against Pelagian self
sufficiency. The Rev. Augustus Toplady, Mr. (afterward
Sir Richard) Hill, and his brother, the Rev. Rowland Hill,
with the Rev. John Berridge, were his principal antago
nists ; but his learning, his acuteness, his brilliant talent at
illustrating an argument, and above all, the hallowed spirit
in which he conducted the controversy, gave him a mighty
superiority over his opponents ; and although there will be
a difference of opinion, according to the systems which
different readers have, adopted, as to the side on which the
victory of argument remains ; there can be none as to
which bore away the prize of temper. Amidst the scur
rilities and vulgar abuse of Mr. Toplady, otherwise an able
writer, and a man of learning, and the coarse virulence or
buffoonery of the Hills and Berridge,f it is refreshing to

contrast to that of the Hills, Toplady, and others, who soon rushed
hot and rockless into the controversy. Mr. Shirley, it is true,
complains, that after this adjustment, Mr. Fletcher should have so
severely attacked him in his five letters ; but he appears never
to have departed from the meekness of a Christian and the manners
of a gentleman.

* It ought to be observed, that Mr. Fletcher's writings are not to
ho considered, in every particular, as expressing the views of Mr
Wesby, and the body of Methodists ; and that, though greatly
admired among us, they are not reckoned among the standards of
our doctrines.

t The titles of several of the pieces, written by Toplady and others,
such as "An old Fox tarrod and feathered;" "The Serpent and tho
Fox;" "Pope John," &c ; are sufficient evidences of the temper and
manners of this band of controversialists. In what the Rev. Rowland
fiill calls " Some Gentle Strictures" on a sermon by Mr. Wesley,

224 LIFE OF THE

remark, in the writings of "the saintly Fletcher," so lii». a
union of strength and meekness ; an edge so keen, and
yet so smooth ; and a heart kept in such perfect chanty
with his assailants, and so intent upon establishing truth,
not for victory, but for salvation.

In this dispute Mr. Wesley wrote but little, and that
chiefly in defence of his own consistency, in reply to Mi ,
Hill. His pamphlets also are models of temper, logical
and calm, but occasionally powerfully reproving ; not so
much as feeling that he had received abuse and insult, as
holding it his duty to bring the aggressor to a due sense
of his own misdoings. The conclusion of his first reply
to Mr. Hill is a strong illustration : —

" Having now answered the queries you proposed, suffer
me, sir, to propose one to you ; the same which a gentleman
of your own opinion proposed to me some years since : — •
1 Sir, how is it that as soon as a man comes to the know-
ledge of THE TRUTH, it spoils his temper ?' That it does
so I had observed over and over, as well as Mr. J. had.
But how can we account for it? Has the truth (so Mr. J.
termed what many love to term the doctrine of free grace)
a natural tendency to spoil the temper ? To inspire pride,
haughtiness, superciliousness ? To make a man ' wiser in
his own eyes than seven men that can render a reason ?'
Does it naturally turn a man into a cynic, a bear, a Top-
preached on laying the foundation stone of the City Road Chapel,
Mr. Wesley is subjected to certain not very gentle objurgations,
which it would be too sickening a task to copy or to read. The Gos
pel Magazine, so called, was equally unmeasured in its abuse, and
as vulgar ; but to do justice to all parties, the Calvinists even of that
day disapproved of this publication, and it was given up. Even Mr.
Rowland Hill appears to have incurred the displeasure of some of
his brethren ; for in a second edition of his "Gentle Strictures," he
explains himself, — awkwardly enough, certainly, — that when he
called Mr. Wesley "wretch," and " miscreant," they must remem.
her that "wretch" means "an unhappy person;" and "miscreant,"
" one whose belief is wrong !" We have happily no recent instances
of equally unbrotherly and unchristian temper in connection with
this controversy, except in the bitter and unsanctified spirit of
Bogue and Bennett's History of the Dissenters. The two doctors,
however, were in the habit of declining the merit of the passages
on Methodism, in favour of each other; and to which of them the
honour of their authorship is due, has ne-ver yet, I believe, been
ascertained. — " Where there is shame," says Dr. Johnson, " thera
may in time be virtue."

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 225

lady ? Does it at once set him free from all the restraints
of good nature, decency, and good manners ? Cannot a
man hold distinguishing grace, as it is called, but he must
distinguish himself for passion, sourness, bitterness ? Must
a man, as soon as he looks upon himself to be an absolute
favourite of Heaven, look upon all that oppose him as Dia-
bolonians, as predestinated dogs of hell ? Truly, the melan
choly instance now before us would almost induce us to
think so. For who was of a more amiable temper than
Mr. Hill, a few years ago ? When I first conversed with
him in London, I thought I had seldom seen a man of for-
tune who appeared to be of a more humble, modest, gentle,
friendly disposition. And yet this same Mr. H., when he
has one e been grounded in the knowledge of THE TRUTH,
is of a temper as totally different from this, as light is from
darkness ! He is now haughty, supercilious, disdaining
his opponents, as unworthy to be set with the dogs of his
flock ! He is violent, impetuous, bitter of spirit ! in a word,
the author of the Review !

" O sir, what a commendation is this of your doctrine ?
Look at Mr. Hill the Arminian ! The loving, amiable,
generous, friendly man. Look at Mr. Hill the Calvinist !
Is it the same person ? this spiteful, morose, touchy man ?
Alas, what has the knowledge of THE TRUTH done ? What
a deplorable change has it made ? Sir, I love you still ;
though I cannot esteem you, as I did once. Let me en
treat you, if not for the honour of God, yet for the honour
of your cause, avoid, for the time to come, all anger, all
spite, all sourness and bitterness, all contemptuous usage
of your opponents, not inferior to you, unless in fortune.
O put on again bowels of mercies, kindness, gentleness,
long suffering ; endeavouring to hold, even with them that
differ from you in opinion, the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace !"

This controversy, painful as it was in many respects,
and the cause of much unhallowed joy to the profane wits
of the day, who were not a little gratified at this exhibition
of what they termed " spiritual gladiatorship," has been
productive of important consequences in this country. It
showed to the pious and moderate Calvinists how well the
richest views of evangelical truth could be united with Ar.
minianism ; and it affected, by its bold and fearless exhi

LIFE OF THE

bitlon of the logical consequeces of the doctrines or the
decrees, much greater moderation in those who still admit-
ted them, and gave birth to some softened modifications of
Calvinism in the age that followed ; — an effect which has
remained to this day. The disputes on these subjects
have, since that time, been less frequent, and more tern-
perate ; nor have good men so much laboured to depart to
the greatest distance from each other, as to find a ground
on which they could make the nearest approaches. This
has been especially the case between the Methodists and
the evangelical Dissenters. Of late a Calvinism of a higher
and sterner form has sprung up among a certain sect of the
clergy of the Church of England ; though some of them,
whatever their private theory may be, feel that these points
are not fit subjects for the edification of their congrega
tions in public discourses. Of Calvinism since the period
of this controversy the Methodist preachers and societies
have been in no danger ; so powerful and complete was its
effect upon them. At no conference, since that of 1770, has
it been necessary again to ask, " Wherein have we leaned
too much to Calvinism ?" There has been indeed, not in
the body, but in some of its ministers occasionally, a leaning
to what is worse than Calvinism, — to a sapless, legal, and
philosophizing theology. The influence of the opinions of
the majority of the preachers has always, however, coun
teracted this ; and the true balance between the extremes
of each system, as set up in the doctrinal writings of Mr.
Wesley,has beenof late years better preserved than formerly.
Those writings are, indeed, more read and better appreci
ated in the Connection, than at some former periods ; and
perhaps at the present time they exert a more powerful
influence than they ever did over the theological views of
both preachers and people. To this the admirably com
plete, correct, and elegant edition of Mr. Wesley's Works,
lately put forth by the labour and judgment of the Rev
Thomas Jackson, will still farther contribute. Numerous
valuable pieces on different subjects, which had been quite
lost to the public, have been recovered ; and others, but
very partially known, have been collected.*

[* An American stereotype edition of this Complete and Standard
Edition of Mr. Wesley's Works, carefully revised, will be issued from
the Methodist Episcopal Press in November next. It will be hand.

REV. JOH1S' WESLEY. 227

In the midst of all these controversies and cares, the
societies continued to spread and flourish under the influ
ence of the zeal and piety of the preachers, animated by
the ceaseless activity and regular visits of Mr. Wesley,
who, though now upward of seventy years of age, seemed
to possess his natural strength unabated.* His thoughts
were, however, frequently turning with anxiety to some
arrangement for the government of the Connection after
his death ; and not being satisfied that the plan he had
sketched out a few years before would provide for a case
of so much consequence, he directed his attention to Mr.
Fletcher, and warmly invited him to come forth into the
work, and to allow himself to be introduced by him to the
societies and preachers as their future head. Earnestly
as this wras pressed, Mr. Fletcher could not be induced to
undertake a task to which, in his humility, he thought
himself inadequate. This seems to have been his only
objection ; but had he accepted the offer, the plan would
have failed, as Mr. Fletcher was a few years afterward
called into another world. From Mr. Charles Wesley, who
had become a family man, and had nearly given up tra
velling, he had no hope as a successor ; and even then a
farther settlement would have been necessary, because he
could not be expected long to survive his brother. Still,
therefore, this important matter remained undetermined.
At the time the overture was made to Mr. Fletcher, the
preachers who were fully engaged in the work amounted
to one hundred and fifty ; and the societies, in Great Bri
tain and Ireland, to upward of thirty-five thousand, exclu
sive of the regular hearers. This rapid and constant

somely executed on three qualities of paper, and will be farther
improved by numerous translations, notes peculiarly adapted to
America, and an original preface. — AMERICAN EDIT. — July, 1831.]
* In his seventy-second year he thus speaks of himself, " This
being my birth day, 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 my sight is considerably better now, and my
nerves firmer, than they were then ? that I have none of the infirm i-
ties of old age, and have lost several I had in my youth ? The grand
cause is the good pleasure of God, who doeth whatsoever pleaaeth
him. The chief means are, 1. My constantly 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 four thousand five hundred miles in a vear."

228 LIFE OF THE

enlargement of the Connection heightened the urgency of
the question of its future settlement ; and it is pleasing to
remark, that Mr. Charles Wesley at length entered into
this feeling, and offered his suggestions. In spite of the
little misunderstandings which had arisen, he maintained
a strong interest in a work of which he had been so emi
nent an instrument ; and this grew upon him in his latter
years. Thus we have seen him springing into activity upon
the sickness of his brother, before mentioned, and perform,
ing for him the full " work of an evangelist," by travelling
in his place ; and, upon Mr. Wesley's recovery, his labours
were afforded locally to the chapels in London and Bristol,
to the great edification of the congregations. In one of his
latest letters to his brother, entering into the question of a
provision for the settlement of the future government of
the Connection, he says, " I served West-street chapel on
Friday and Sunday. Stand to your own proposal : ' Let us
agree to differ.' I leave America and Scotland to your
latest thoughts and recognitions ; only observing now, that
you are exactly right, — Keep your authority wrhile you
live ; and, after your death, detur digniori, [let it be given
to the worthiest individual,] or rather, dignioribus, [to the
worthiest individuals.] You cannot settle the succession.
You cannot divine how God will settle it."

Thus Charles gave up as hopeless the return to the
Church, and suggested the plan which his brother adopted,
to devolve the government, not indeed upon one, but upon
many whom he esteemed " the worthiest," for age, expe
rience, talent, and moderation.

CHAPTER XII.

IN 1775, Mr. Wesley, during a tour in the north of
Ireland, had a dangerous sickness, occasioned by sleeping
on the ground, in an orchard, in the hot weather, which he
says he had been " accustomed to do for forty years without
ever being injured by it." He was slow to admit that old
age had arrived, or he trusted to triumph long over its
infirmities. The consequence in this case, however, was
that, after manfully struggling with the incipient symptoms
of the complaint, and attempting to throw them off by
reading, journeying, and preaching, he sunk into a severe

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 229

fever, from which, after lying insensible, for some days,
he recovered with extraordinary rapidity ; and resumed a
service which, extended as it had been through so many
years, was not yet to be terminated. Whilst in London
the next year, the following incident occurred : —

An order had been made by the house of lords, " That
the commissioners of his majesty's excise do write circu
lar letters to all persons whom they have reason to suspect
to have plate, as also to those who have not paid regularly
the duty on the same," &c. In consequence of this order,
the accountant general for household plate sent Mr. Wes
ley a copy of the order, with the following letter : —

" REVEREND SIR, — As the commissioners cannot doubt
but you have plate for which you have hitherto neglected
to make an entry, they have directed me to send you the
above copy of the lords' order, and to inform you they
expect that you forthwith make due entry of all your plate,
such entry to bear date from the commencement of the
plate duty, or from such time as you have owned, used,
had, or kept any quantity of silver plate, chargeable by
the act of parliament ; as in default hereof, the board will
be obliged to signify your refusal to their lordships.

*' N. B. An immediate answer is desired."

Mr. Wesley replied as follows : —

" SIR, — I have two silver tea spoons at London, and two
at Bristol. This is all the plate which I have at present ;
and I shall not buy any more while so many around me
want bread. I am, sir, your most humble servant,

" JOHN WESLEY."

No doubt the commissioners of his majesty's excise
thought that the head of so numerous a people had not
forgotten his own interests, and that the interior of his
episcopal residence in London was not without superflui
ties and splendour.

The bishop of Sodor and Man having written a pastoral
letter to all the clergy within his diocess, to warn their
flocks against Methodism, and exhorting them to present
all who attended its meetings in the spiritual courts, and
to repel every Methodist preacher from the sacrament, Mr.
Wesley hastened to the island, and in May, 1777, landed
at Douglas. In every place he appears to have been cor-

230 LIFE OF THE

dially received by all ranks; and his prompt visit probably
put a stop to this threatened ecclesiastical violence, for nc
farther mention is made of it. The societies in the island
continued to flourish ; and, on Mr. Wesley's second visit,
he found a new bishop of a more liberal character.

The Foundery having become too small for the comfort
able accommodation of the congregation in that part of
London, and being also gloomy and dilapidated, a new-
chapel had been erected. " November 1st," says Mr.
Wesley, " was the day appointed for opening the new cha
pel in the City Road. It is perfectly neat, but not tine,
and contains far more than the Foundery ; I believe, toge
ther with the morning chapel, as many as the Tabernacle.
Many were afraid that the multitudes, crowding from all
parts, would have occasioned much disturbance ; but they
were happily disappointed ; there was none at all : all was
quietness, decency, and order. I preached on part of
Solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple ; and
both in the morning and afternoon God was eminently
present in the midst of the congregation." (Journal.)

Here the brothers agreed to officiate as often as possi
ble till the congregation should be settled. Two resident
clergymen were also employed at this chapel as curates,
for reading the full Church service, administering the
sacraments, and burying the dead. But Mr. Charles Wes
ley took some little offence at the liberty given to the
preachers to officiate in his brother's absence, and when
he himself could not supply. His letter of complaint pro
duced, however, no change in his brother's appointments,
nor was it likely. Mr. Wesley knew well that his own
preaching at the new chapel, and the ministrations of the
other clergymen, during the hours of service in the parish
church, without a license from the bishop, or the acknow
ledgment of his spiritual jurisdiction, was just as irregular
an affair, considered ecclesiastically, as the other. The City
Road chapel, with its establishment of clergy, service in
canonical hours, and sacraments, was in the eye of the law,
as much as any Dissenting place of worship in London, a
conventicle ; though, when tried by a better rule, it was
eminently, in those days of power and simplicity, " none
other than the house of God, and the gate of heaven," to
devout worshippers. An influence of a very extraordinary

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 231

kind often rested upon the vast congregations assembled
there ; thousands were trained up in it for the kingdom of
God ; and the society exhibited a greater number of mem
bers, perhaps, than any other, except that in Bristol, who,
for intelligence, deep experience in the things of God, sta
bility, meekness of spirit, and holiness of life, were at once
the ornaments of Methodism, and an influential example
to the other societies of the metropolis.

In 1778 Mr. Wesley began to publish a periodical work,
which he entitled, " The Arminian Magazine ; consisting
of Extracts and Original Treatises on Universal Redemp
tion." He needed a medium through which he could
reply to the numerous attacks made upon him ; and he
made use of it farther to introduce into general circulation
several choice treatises on Universal Redemption, and to
publish selections from his valuable correspondence with
pious persons. He conducted this work while he lived ;
and it is still continued by the conference, under the title
of the "Wesleyan Methodist Magazine," on the same
general principles as to its theology, though on a more
enlarged plan.

A dispute of a somewhat serious aspect arose in the fol
lowing year out of the appointment of a clergyman by Mr.
Wesley to preach every Sunday evening in the chapel at
Bath. It was not probable that the preachers of the circuit
should pay the same deference to a strange clergyman,
recently introduced, as to Mr. Wesley ; but when this ex
clusive occupation of the pulpit on Sunday evenings was
objected to by them and part of the society, Mr. Wesley,
supported by his brother, who had accompanied him to
Bath, stood firmly upon his right to appoint when and
where the preachers should officiate, as a fundamental part
of the compact between them ; and the assistant preacher,
Mr. M'Nab, was suspended until "he came to another
mind." As Mr. M'Nab who had thus fallen under Mr.
Wesley's displeasure was supported by many of the other
preachers, a stormy conference was anticipated. To this
meeting Mr. Wesley, therefore, foreseeing that his autho
rity would be put to the trial, strongly invited his brother,
in order that he might assist him with his advice. At first
Mr. Charles Wesley declined, on the ground that he coula
not trust to his brother's vigour and resolution. He, how

232 LIFE OF THE

ever, attended, but when he saw that Mr. Wesley was
determined to heal the breach by concession, he kept entire
silence. The offending preacher was received back with
out censure ; and, from this time, Dr. Whitehead thinks that
Mr. Wesley's authority in the conference declined. This
is not correct ; but that authority was exercised in a differ
ent manner. Many of the preachers had become old in
the work ; and were men of great talents, tried fidelity, and
influence with the societies. These qualities were duly
appreciated by Mr. Wesley, who now regarded them more
than formerly, when they were young, and inexperienced,
as his counsellors and coadjutors. It was an eminent
proof of Mr. Wesley's practical wisdom, that he never
attempted to contend with circumstances not to be con-
trolled ; and from this time he placed his supremacy no
longer upon authority, but upon the influence of wisdom,
character, and age, and thus confirmed rather than dimi
nished it. Had Mr. Charles Wesley felt sure of being
supported by his brother with what he called " vigour," it
is plain from his letter on the occasion, that he would have
stood upon the alternative of the unconditional submission
of all the preachers, or a separation. His brother chose
a more excellent way, and no doubt foresaw, not only that
if a separation had been driven on by violence, it would
have been an extensive one ; but that among the societies
which remained the same process would naturally, and
necessarily, at some future time take place, and so nothing
be ultimately gained, to counterbalance the immediate
mischief. The silence maintained by Mr. Charles Wesley
in this conference did him also great honour. He suspected
" the warmth of his temper ;" he saw that, as his brother
was bent upon conciliation, any thing he could say would
only endanger the mutual confidence between him and his
preachers, and he held his peace. He himself believed
that a formal separation of the body of preachers and people
from the Church would inevitably take place after his
brother's death, and thought it best to bring on the crisis
before that event. "You," says he to his brother, " think
otherwise, and I submit." The fact has been, that no such
separation as he feared, that is, separation on such princi
ples, and under such feelings of hostility to the Established
Church, has yet taken place.

KEV. JOHN WESLEY. 233

The following letter written by Mr. Wesley in 1782, to
a nobleman high in office, shows how much his mind was
alive to every thing which concerned the morals and reli
gion of the country, and is an instance of the happy man
ner in which he could unite courtesy with reproof without
destroying its point. A report prevailed that the ministry
designed to embody the militia, and exercise them on a
Sunday : —

" MY LORD, — If I wrong your lordship I am sorry for
it ; but I really believe your lordship fears God ; and I
hope your lordship has no unfavourable opinion of the
Christian revelation. This encourages me to trouble your
lordship with a few lines, which otherwise I should not
take upon me to do.

" Above thirty years ago, a motion was made in parlia
ment, for raising and embodying the militia, and for exer
cising them, to save time, on Sunday. When the motion
was like to pass, an old gentleman stood up and said, « Mr.
Speaker, I have one objection to this : I believe an old
book, called the Bible.' The members looked at one ano
ther, and the motion was dropped.

" Must not all others, who believe the Bible, have the
very same objection ? And from what I have seen, I can
not but think, these are still three-fourths of the nation.
Now, setting religion out of the question, is it expedient
to give such a shock to so many millions of people at
once ? And certainly it would shock them extremely : it
would wound them in a very tender part. For would not
they, would not all England, would not all Europe, consi
der this as a virtual repeal of the Bible ? And would not
all serious persons say, < We have little religion in the land
now ; but by this step we shall have less still. For where-
ever this pretty show is to be seen, the people will flock
together ; and will lounge away so much time before and
after it, that the churches will be emptier than they are
already !'

" My lord, I am concerned for this on a double account.
First, because I have personal obligations to your lordship,
and would fain, even for this reason, recommend jour
lordship to the love and esteem of all over whom I have
any influence. Secondly, because I now reverence your
lordship for your office' sake ; and believe it to be my
20*

234 LIFE OP THE

bounden duty to do all that is in my little power, to advance
your lordship's influence and reputation.

" Will your lordship permit me to add a word in my old-
fashioned way 1 I pray Him that has all power in heaven
and earth, to prosper all your endeavours for the public
good, and am, my lord, your lordship's willing servant,

"JonN WESLEY."

In 1783 Mr. Wesley paid a visit to Holland, having
been pressed to undertake this journey by a Mr. Fergu
son, formerly a member of the London society, who had
made acquaintance with some pious people, who, having
read Mr. Wesley's Sermons, were desirous of seeing him.

The following are extracts from his journal ; and they
will be read with pleasure, both as exhibiting his activity
at so advanced an age, and as they present an interesting
picture of his intercourse writh a pious remnant in several
parts of that morally deteriorated country : —

" Wednesday, June 11. — I took coach with Mr. Bracken,
bury, Broadbent, and Whitfield ; and in the evening we
reached Harwich. I went immediately to Dr. Jones, who
received me in the most affectionate manner : about nine
in the morning we sailed; and at nine on Friday 13,
landed at Helvoetsluys. Here we hired a coach for Briel ;
but were forced to hire a waggon also, to carry a box, which
one of us could have carried on his shoulders. At Briel
we took a boat to Rotterdam. We had not been long there,
when Mr. Bennet, a bookseller, who had invited me to his
house, called for me. But as Mr. Loyal, the minister of
the Scotch congregation, had invited me, he gave up hin
claim, and went with us to Mr. Loyal's. I found a friendly
sensible, hospitable, and I am persuaded, a pious man.

" Saturday 14. — I had much conversation with the two
English ministers, sensible, well-bred, serious men. These,
as well as Mr. Loyal, were very willing I should preach in
their churches ; but they thought it would be best for me
to preach in the episcopal church. By our conversing
freely together many prejudices were removed, and all our
hearts seemed to be united together.

*' Sunday 15. — The episcopal church is not quite so large
as the chapel in West-street : it is very elegant both with
out and within. The service began at half past nine. Such
a congregation had not often been there before. E preached

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 235

on, « God created man in his own image.' The people
1 seemed all, but their attention, dead.' In the afternoon
the church was so filled, as (they informed me) it had not
been for these fifty years. I preached on, « God hath given
us eternal life ; and this life is in his Son.' I believe God
applied it to many hearts. Were it only for this hour, I
am glad I came to Holland.

"Monday 16. — We set out in a track-skuit for the
Hague : by the way we saw a curiosity ; — the gallows
near the canal surrounded with a knot of beautiful trees !
so the dying man will have one pleasant prospect here,
whatever befalls him hereafter !

" At eleven we came to Delft, a large, handsome town ;
where we spent an hour at a merchant's house ; who, as
well as his wife, a veiy agreeable woman, seemed both to
fear and to love God. Afterward we saw the great church,
I think nearly, if not quite, as long as York Minster. It
is exceedingly light and elegant within, and every part is
kept exquisitely clean.

" When we came to the Hague, though we had heard
much of it, we were not disappointed. It is indeed beauti
ful beyond expression. Many of the houses are exceed
ingly grand, and are finely intermixed with water and
wood ; yet not too close, but so as to be sufficiently ven
tilated by the air.

" Being invited to tea by Madam de Vassenaar, (one of
the first quality in the Hague,) I waited upon her in the
•ifternoon. She received us with that easy openness and
affability, which is almost peculiar to Christians and per
sons of quality. Soon after came ten or twelve ladies
more who seemed to be of her own rank, (though dressed
quite plainly,) and two most agreeable gentlemen : one
of whom, I afterward understood, was a colonel in the
prince's guards. After tea I expounded the three first
verses of the thirteenth chapter of the First Epistle to the
Corinthians : Captain M. interpreted, sentence by sen
tence. I then prayed, and Colonel V. after me. I believe
this hour was well employed.

"Tuesday 17. — We dined at Mrs. L 's, in such a

family as I have seldom seen. Her mother, upward of
seventy, seemed to be continually rejoicing in God he,"
Saviour. The daughter breathes the same spirit ; and her

236 LIFE OF THE

grandchildren, three little girls and a boy, seem to be all
love. I have not seen four such children together in Eng.
land. A gentleman coming in after dinner, I found a
particular desire to pray for him. In a little while he
melted into tears, as indeed did most of the company.
Wednesday 18. — In the afternoon Madam de Vassenaar in
vited us to a meeting at a neighbouring lady's house. 1
expounded Gal. vi, 14, and Mr. M. interpreted as before.

" Thursday 19. — We took boat at seven. Mrs. L., and
one of her relations, being unwilling to part so soon, bore
us company to Leyden, a large and populous town, but not
so pleasant as Rotterdam. In the afternoon we went on
to Haerlem, where a plain good man and his wife received
us in a most affectionate manner. At six we took boat
again : as it was filled from end to end, I was afraid we
should not have a very pleasant journey. After Mr. Fer
guson had told the people who we were, we made a slight
excuse, and sung a hymn : they were all attention. We
then talked a little, by means of our interpreter, and desired
that any of them who pleased would sing. Four persons
did so, and sung well : after awhile we sung again. So
did one or two of them : and all our hearts were strangely
knit together, so that when we came to Amsterdam, they
dismissed us with abundance of blessings.

" Friday 20. — At five in the evening we drank tea at a

merchant's, Mr. G 's, where I had a long conversation

with Mr. de H., one of the most learned as well as popular
ministers in the city ; and I believe (what is far more im
portant) he is truly alive to God. He spoke Latin well,
and seemed to be one of a strong understanding, as well as
of an excellent spirit. In returning to our inn, we called
at a stationer's, and though we spent but a few minutes, it
was enough to convince us of his strong affection, even to
strangers. What a change does the grace of God make in
the heart ! Shyness and stiffness are now no more !

" Sunday 22. — I went to the New Church, so called
still, though four or five hundred years old. It is larger,
higher, and better illuminated than most of our cathedrals.
The screen that divides the church from the choir, is of
polished brass, and shines like gold. I understood the
psalms that were sung, and the text well, and a little of the
sermon ; which Mr. de II . delivered with great earnestness.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 237

At two I began the service at the English church, an ele
gant building, about the size of West-street chapel; only it
has no galleries, nor have any of the churches in Holland.
I preached on Isaiah Iv, 6, 7, and I am persuaded many
received the truth in the love thereof.

" After service I spent another hour at Mr. V.'s. Mrs.
V. again asked me abundance of questions concerning
deliverance from sin, and seemed a good deal better satis-
fied with regard to the great and precious promises. Thence
we went to Mr. B., who had lately found peace with God,
He was full of faith and love, and could hardly mention the
goodness of God without tears. His wife appeared to be
of the same spirit, so that our hearts were soon knit to
gether. From thence we went to another family, where a
large company were assembled : but all seemed open to
receive instruction, and desirous to be altogether Christians.

" Wednesday 25.— We took boat for Haerlem. The
great church here is a noble structure, equalled by few
cathedrals in England, either in length, breadth, or height :
the organ is the largest I ever saw, and is said to be the
finest in Europe. Hence we went to Mr. Van K.'s, whose
wife was convinced of sin, and brought to God, by reading
Mr. Whitefield's Sermons.

" Here we were at home. Before dinner we took a walk
in Haerlem wood. It adjoins to the town, and is cut out
in many shady walks, with lovely vistas shooting out every
way. The walk from the Hague to Scheveling is pleasant ;
those near Amsterdam more so ; but these exceed them all.

" We returned in the afternoon to Amsterdam, and in the
evening took leave of as many of our friends as we could.
How entirely were we mistaken in the Hollanders, suppos
ing them to be of a cold, phlegmatic, unfriendly temper ! I
have not met with a more warmly affectionate people in all
Europe ! No, not in Ireland ! x

" Thursday 26. — Our friends having largely provided us
with wine and fruits for our little journey, we took boat in
a lovely morning for Utrecht, with Mr. Van K.'s sister,
who in the way gave us a striking account. « In that house,'
eaid she, (pointing to it as we went by,) 'my husband and I
lived ; and that church adjoining it, was his church. Five
years ago, we were sitting together, being in perfect health,
when he dropped down, and in a quarter of an hour died •

238 LIFE OF THE

I lifted up my heart and said, Lord, ihou art my husband
now; and found no will but his.' This was a trial worthy
of a Christian : and she has ever since made her word good.
We were scarcely got to our inn at Utrecht when Miss L.
came ; I found her just such as I expected. She came
on purpose from her father's country house, where all the
family were. I observe of all the pious people in Holland,
that, without any rule but the word of God, they dress as
plainly as Miss March did formerly, and Miss Johnson
does now ! And considering the vast disadvantage they
are under, having no connection with each other, and
being under no such discipline at all as we are, I wonder
at the grace of God that is in them.

" Saturday 28. — I have this day lived fourscore years ;
and by the mercy of God, my eyes are not waxed dim, and
what little strength of body or mind I had thirty years
since, is just the same I have now. God grant I may never
live to be useless. Rather may I

' My body with my charge lay down,
And cease at once to work and live.'

•' Sunday 29. — At ten I began the service in the English
church in Utrecht. I believe all the English in the city
were present, and forty or fifty Hollanders. I preached on
the 13th of the First of Corinthians, I think as searchingly
as ever in my life. Afterward a merchant invited me to
dinner : for six years he had been at death's door by an
asthma, and was extremely ill last night ; but this morning,
without any visible cause, he was well, and walked across
the city to the church. He seemed to be deeply acquainted
with religion, and made me promise, if I came to Utrecht
again, to make his house my home.

" In the evening, a large company of us met at Miss L.'s,
where I was desired to repeat the substance of my morning
sermon. I did so, Mr. Toydemea, (the professor of law
in the university,) interpreting it sentence by sentence.
They then sung a Dutch hymn, and we an English one.
Afterward Mr. Regulet, a venerable old man, spent some
time in prayer for the establishment of peace and love
between the two nations.

"Tuesday, July 1. — I called on as many as I could of
rny friends, and we parted with much affection. We then

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 239

hired a yacht, which brought us to Helvoetsluys, about
eleven the next day. At two we went on board : but the
wind turning against us, we did not reach Harwich till
about nine on Friday morning. After a little rest, we
procured a carriage, and reached London about eleven at
night.

" I can by no means regret either the trouble or expense
which attended this little journey. It opened me a way
into, as it were, a new world, where the land, the buildings
the people, the customs were all such as I had never seen
before : but as those with whom I conversed were of tho
same spirit with my friends in England, I was as much
at home in Utrecht and Amsterdam, as in Bristol and
London."

That provision for the stability and the government oi
the Connection after his death, which had been to Mr
Wesley a matter of serious concern for several years, was
accomplished in 1784, and gave him, whenever he subse
quently adverted to the subject, the greatest satisfaction.
From this time he felt that he had nothing more to do,
than to spend his remaining life in the same spiritual la
hours in which he had been so long engaged ; and that he
had done all that a true prudence required, to provide for
the continuance and extension of a work which had so
strangely enlarged under his superintendence.

This settlement was effected by a legal instrument,
enrolled in chancery, called " A Deed of Declaration," in
which one hundred preachers, mentioned by name, were
declared to be " the conference of the people called Me-
thodists." By means of this deed, a legal description was
given to the term conference, and the settlement of the
chapels upon trustees was provided for ; so that the ap
pointment of preachers to officiate in them should be vested
in the conference, as it had heretofore been in Mr. Wes
ley. The deed also declares how the succession and iden
tity of the yearly conference is to be continued, and con
tains various regulations as to the choice of a president
and secretary, the filling up of vacancies, expulsions, &c.
Thus " the succession," as it was called in Mr. Charles
Wesley's letter, above quoted, was provided for ; and the
conference, with its president, chosen annually, came into
Ihe place of the fcunder of the Connection, and has so

240 LIFE OF THE

continued to the present day. As the whole of the preach-
era were not included in the deed, and a few who thought
themselves equally entitled to be of the hundred preachers
who thus formed the legal conference, were excepted,
some dissatisfaction arose ; but as all the preachers were
eligible to be introduced into that body, as vacancies oc
curred, this feeling was but partial, and soon subsided.*
All the preachers in full connection were also allowed to
vote in the conference ; and subsequently, those who were
not of the hundred, but had been in connection a certain
number of years, were permitted, by their votes, to put the
president into nomination for the confirmation of the legal
conference. Thus all reasonable ground for mistrust and
jealousy was removed from the body of the preachers at
large ; and with respect to the hundred preachers them-
selves, the president being chosen annually, and each being
eligible to that honour, efficiency of administration was
wisely connected with equality. The consequence has
been, that the preachers have generally remained most
firmly united by affection and mutual confidence, and that
few serious disputes have ever arisen among them, or have
extended beyond a very few individuals. Ecclesiastical
history does not, perhaps, present an instance of an equal
number of ministers brought into contact so close, and
called so frequently together, for the discussion of various
subjects, among whom so much general unanimity, both
as to doctrines and points of discipline has prevailed, join
ed with so much real good will and friendship toward
each other, for so great a number of years. This is the
more remarkable, as by their frequent changes from sta
tion to station, opposite interests and feelings are very

* " Messrs. John Hampson, sen., and John Hampson, jun., his son ,
William Eells, and Joseph Pilmoor, with a few other travelling
preachers, were greatly offended that their names were not inserted
in the deed. By Mr. Fletcher's friendly efforts, a partial reconcilh-
tion was effected between them and Mr. Wesley ; but it was of short
continuance. Soon after the conference, 1784, Mr. Hampson, sonior,
became an independent minister; but being old and infirm, and the
people poor among whom he laboured, he was assisted out of the
preachers' fund while he lived. He died in the year 1795. Mr.
Hampson, jun., procured ordination in the Established Church, and
got a living in Sunderland, in the north of England. Mr. Eells also
left the Connection, and, some time after, joined Mr. Atlay p*
Dewsbury ; and Mr. Pilmoor went to America." — Mylet.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 241

often brought into conflict. The final decisions of the
conference on their appointment to these stations, gene-
rally the most perplexing part of its annual business, are,
however, cheerfully or patiently submitted to, from the
knowledge that each has of the public spirit with which
that body is actuated, and the frank and brotherly manner
in which all its proceedings are conducted. The order of
proceeding in the business of the conference is the same
as in the days of Mr. Wesley. It admits candidates for
the ministry, on proper recommendation from the superin
tendents and district meetings ; examines those who have
completed their probation of four years, and receives the
approved into full connection, which is its ordination;
investigates, without any exception, the character and
talents of those who are already in connection year by
year ; appoints the stations of the year ensuing ; sends
additional preachers to new places ; receives the reports
of the committees appointed to manage and distribute
various funds ; reviews the state of the societies ; and
issues an annual pastoral address. At the time of the
meeting of the conferences, beside the Sunday services,
public worship is held early in the morning, and in the
evening of every day except Saturday, which is usually
attended by great multitudes. The business of each con-
ference, exclusive of that done in committees which meet
previously, occupies, on the average, about a fortnight in
every year. Were it not for the district meetings, com-
posed of the preachers, and the stewards of a number of
circuits, or stations, in different parts of the kingdom, (an
arrangement which was adopted after Mr. Wesley's death,)
the business of the conference would require a much longer
time to transact ; but in these meetings much is prepared
for its final decision.

In this important and wise settlement of the govern,
ment of the Connection by its founder, there appears but
one regulation which seems to controvert that leading
maxim to which he had always respect, namely, to be
guided by circumstances in matters not determined by some
great principle. I allude to the proviso which obliges the
conference not to appoint any preacher to the same chapel
for more than three years successively, thus binding an
itinerant ministry upon the societies for ever. Whether
21

242 LIFE OF THE

this system of changing ministers be essential to the spi
ritual interests of the body or not, or whether it might not
be usefully modified, will be matters of opinion ; but 1h«
point ought perhaps to have been left more at liberty *

CHAPTER XIII.

THE state in which the separation of the United States
from the mother country left the Methodist American

[* With the most respectful deference for the judgment of our be.
loved author, whose Methodistical orthodoxy can so rarely even be
questioned, we must beg leave to say that in our humble opinion this
very proviso in Mr. Wesley's Deed of Declaration, for the permanent
establishment of the fundamental principles by which the conference
should ever thereafter be governed, was one of the wisest measures in
the whole instrument ; and in this opinion, we greatly mistake if
ninety-nine hundredths, at least, of the whole American Methodist
Episcopal body do riot accord. The great inconvenience of this sys
tern to itinerant ministers themselves, and the consequent ternpta
tion to modify or to depart from it, we well know ; and so did Mr.
Wesley. His own inclination from youth, he often declared, was
to saunter among academic shades, and be a philosophical sluggard,
rather than an itinerant preacher. He knew that similar tempta
tions, with the enjoyments of domestic life, «fcc, would increase in
their enticing power, as Methodism itself should increase, and the
circumstances both of the people and of the preachers become im
proved. And believing, as he firmly did, that an itinerant ministry
was essential to the most rapid and extensive spread of the Gospel,
and to the salvation of the greatest number of souls, till time shall end,
he hence, in conformity with this conviction, made this an unaltera
ble principle in the economy of which he was the founder. And has
not all our experience attested his wisdom ? Mr. Watson, we know,
says no more than that " perhaps" the point ought to have been left
more at liberty ; and is by no means to be understood, we are persuad
ed, as being in favour of a change, even if the liberty were possessed.
Indeed, other denominations are now beginning both to sea the
incomparable efficiency of the itinerant system, and to act upon it ; — -
not only by the establishment of itinerant missions, but of regular dr.
cuits, very much on our plan. We wish them God speed. But let us
not retrograde whilst others advance. Rather, let us give the more
parnest heed that none tike our crown, — that we lose not the things
we have already wrought, but receive a full reward. It is the glory of
reviving this apostolical system that sheds its brightest lustre on the
name and the memory of Wesley. May it be that of his successors to
perpetuate it, and, in order thereto, to keep themselves beyond the
reach of even temptation to do otherwise. If in this note we seem to
dissent in any measure from an incidental suggestion of our excellent
author, we have the satisfaction, on the other hand, to be sustained
by the judgment and wisdom of Mr. Wesley. — AMERICAN EDIT.]

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 243

Societies, had become a matter of serious concern to Mr.
Wesley, and presented to him a new case, for which it was
imperative to make some provision. This, however, could
not be done but by a proceeding which he foresaw would
lay him open to much remark, and some censure from the
rigid English Episcopalians. But with him, the principle
of making every thing indifferent give place to the neces
sity of doing good or preventing evil, was paramount ; and
when that necessity was clearly made out, he was not a man
to hesitate. The mission of Messrs. Boardman and Pil-
moor to America has been already mentioned. Two
years afterward, in 1771, Mr. Wesley sent out Messrs.
Asbury and Wright ; and in 1773, Messrs. Rankin and
Shadford. In 1777, the preachers in the different circuits
in America had amounted to forty, and the societies had
also greatly increased. These were scattered in towns
and settlements so distant that it required constant and
extensive travelling from the preachers to supply them with
the word of God.* The two last-mentioned preachers
returned, after employing themselves on the mission for
about five years ; and Mr. Asbury, a true itinerant, who in
this respect followed in America the unwearied example of
Mr. Wesley, gradually acquired a great and deserved influ
ence, which, supported as it was by his excellent sense,
moderating temper, and entire devotedness to the service
of God, increased rather than diminished to the end of a
protracted life. The American preachers, like those in
England, were at first restrained by Mr. Wesley from
administering either of the sacraments ; but when, through
the war, and the acquisition of independence by the States,
most of the clergy of the Church of England had left the
country, neither the children of the members of the Mc-

[* Messrs. Boardman and Pilmoor returned to England in 1774;
Messrs. Rankin and Rodda in 1777 ; and Mr. Shadford in 1778. Mr.
Pilmoor came to America, agnin after the revolutionary war, took
orders in the Protestant Episcopal Church, and died, at an advanced
age, in Philadelphia. Mr. Watson states, in a preceding note, that
Mr. Pilmoor was one of those fuw itinerant preachers who were much
offended because his name was not inserted in Mr. Wesley's Deed of
Declaration, constituting the legal conference. This, in all proba
bility, had a principal influence in his coming to America again, and
taking orders in the Protestant Episcopal Church. We believe, how.
ever, that he always continued friendly with our body, and lived and
died an evangelical and highly respected minister. — AMERICAN EDIT.]

244 LIFE OF THE

thodist Societies could be baptized, nor the Lord's Supper
administered among them, without a change of the original
plan. Mr. Asbuiy's predilections for the former order of
things prevented him from listening to the request of the
American societies to be formed into a regular Church,
and furnished with all its spiritual privileges ; and a divi
sion had already taken place among them. This breach,
however, Mr. Asbury had the address to heal ; and at the
peace he laid the whole case before Mr. Wesley. The
result will be seen in the following letter : —

" To Dr. Coke, Mr. Asbury, and our Brethren in
North America.

" BRISTOL, September 10, 1784.

" By a very uncommon train of providences, many of the
provinces of North America are totally disjoined from their
mother country, and erected into independent States. The
English government has no authority over them, either civil
or ecclesiastical, any more than over the States of Holland.
A civil authority is exercised over them, partly by the con
gress, partly by the provincial assemblies. But no one
either exercises or claims any ecclesiastical authority at
all. In this peculiar situation, some thousands of the
inhabitants of these States desire my advice ; and in com
pliance with their desire, I have drawn up a little sketch.

" Lord King's account of the primitive Church convinced
me, many years ago, that bishops and presbyters are the
same order, and consequently have the same right to ordain.
For many years I have been importuned, from time to time,
to exercise this right, by ordaining part of our travelling
preachers ; but I have still refused, not only for peace' sake,
but because I was determined, as little as possible, to violate
the established order of the National Church to which I be
longed.

"But the case is widely different between England and
North America. Here there are bishops who have a legal
jurisdiction. In America there are none, neither any parish
ministers. So that, for some hundred miles together, there
is none either to baptize or to administer the Lord's Supper.
Here, therefore, my scruples are at an end ; and I conceive
myself at full liberty, as I violate no order, and invade no
man's right, by appointing and sending labourers into the
harvest.

HEV. JOHN WESLEY. 245

" 1 have accordingly appointed Dr. Coke and Mr. Fran-
cis Asbury to be joint superintendents over our brethren
in North America, as also Richard Whatcoat and Thomas
Vasey to act as elders among them, by baptizing and
administering the Lord's Supper. And I have prepared a
liturgy, little differing from that of the Church of England,
(I think the best constituted national Church in the world,)
which I advise all the travelling preachers to use on the
Lord's day, in all the congregations, reading the litany
only on Wednesdays and Fridays, and praying extempore
on all other days. I also advise the elders to administer
the Supper of the Lord on every Lord's day.

" If any one will point out a more rational and Scrip.
tural way of feeding and guiding those poor sheep in the
wilderness, I will gladly embrace it. At present I cannot
see any better method than that I have taken.

" It has, indeed, been proposed to desire the English
bishops to ordain part of our preachers for America. But
to this I object, 1. I desired the bishop of London to
ordain only one, but could not prevail : 2. If they consent
ed, we know the slowness of their proceedings ; but the
matter admits of no delay : 3. If they would ordain them
now, they would likewise expect to govern them. And
how grievously would this entangle us ? 4. As our Ameri
can brethren are now totally disentangled both from the
state and from the English hierarchy, we dare not entangle
them again either with the one or the other. They are now
at full liberty simply to follow the Scriptures and the pri
mitive Church. And we judge it best that they should
stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has so strangely
made them free. JOHN WESLEY."

Two persons were thus appointed as superintendents or
bishops, and two as elders, with power to administer the
sacraments, and the American Methodists were formed
into a Church, because they could no longer remain a so
ciety attached to a colonial establishment which then had
ceased to exist. The propriety and even necessity of this
step is sufficiently apparent ; but the mode adopted expos
ed Mr. Wesley to the sarcasms of his brother, who was
not a convert to his opinion as to the identity of the order
of bishops and presbyters ; and to all High Churchmen the
proceeding has had the appearance of great irregularity.
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246 LIFE OF THE

The only real irregularity, however, has been generally
overlooked, whilst a merely apparent one has been made
the chief subject of animadversion. The true anomaly
was, that a clergyman of the Church of England should
ordain, in any form, without separating from that Church,
and formally disavowing its authority ; and yet, if its spi
ritual governors did not choose to censure and disown him
for denying the figment of the uninterrupted succession,
which he openly said " he knew to be a fable ;" for maintain-
ing that bishops and priests were originally one order only ;
(points, let it be observed, which perhaps but few Church
men will now, and certainly but few at that time, would
very seriously maintain, so decisive is the evidence of Scrip
ture and antiquity against them, and so completely was the
doctrine of the three orders given up by the founders of the
English Church itself;)* nor, finally, for proceeding to act
apon that principle by giving orders ; it would be hard to
prove that he was under any moral obligation to withdraw
from the Church. The bishops did not institute proceed
ings against him, and why should he formally renounce
them altogether ? It was doubtless such a view of his lib
erty, in this respect, that made him say on this occasion,

* " I am not ashamed of the room and office winch I have given
unto me by Christ to preach his Gospel ; for it is the power of God,
that is to say, the elect organ or instrument ordained by God, and
endued with such virtue and efficacy, that it is able to give, and
administer effectually, everlasting life unto all those that will be
lieve and obey unto the same.

" Item. That this office, this power and authority, was committed
and given by Christ and his apostles unto certain persons only,
that is to say, unto priests and bishops whom they did elect, call
and admit thereunto, by their prayers, and imposition of their
hands.

" The truth is, there is no mention made of any degrees or dis
tinctions in orders, but only of deacons or ministers, and of prirst.s
or bishops." A DECLARATION MADE OF THE FUNCTIONS AND DIVIXK
INSTITUTION OF BISHOPS AND PRIESTS, Regno Hen. [in the reign of
Henry] vm, circitcr [about] A. D. 1537-40.

This declaration was signed by Cromwell, the Ticar-geneiMl,
Cranmer and Holgatc, the archbishops, with many of their sufFra.
gans, together with other persons intituled,

" Sacra Theologian, Juris Ecclesiastici et Civilis, Profe88ore»tn
[Professors of Divinity, and of Ecclesiastical and Civil Law.]

Archbishop Usher's plan for comprehending the Presbyterians
and Episcopalians in the time of Charles I, was also founded upon
the principle of bishops and presbyters being one order.

REV. JOHA WESLEY. 247

in answer to his brother. " I firmly believe that I am a
Scriptural e-tfiVxotf o£ as much as any man in England, or in
Europe ; for the uninterrupted succession I know to be a
fable, which no man ever did or can prove. But this does,
in no wise, interfere with my remaining in the Church of
England ; from which I have no more desire to separate
than I had fifty years ago."

The point which has been most insisted upon is the ab
surdity of a priest ordaining bishops. But this absurdity
could not arise from the principle which Mr, Wesley had
adopted, viz. that the orders were identical ; and the cen
sure therefore rests only upon the assumption, that bishops
,lnd priests were of different orders, which he denied. He
never did pretend to ordain bishops in the modern sense,
but only according to his view of primitive episcopacy. Lit-
tie -importance, therefore, is to be attached to Mr. Moore's
statement, (Life of Wesley,} that Mr. Wesley having named
Dr. Coke and Mr. Asbury simply superintendents, he was
displeased when, in America, they took the title of bishops.
The only objection he could have to the name was, that
from long association it was likely to convey a meaning
beyond his own intention. But this was a matter of mere
prudential feeling, confined to himself: so that neither are
Dr. Coke and Mr. Asbury to be blamed for using that
appellation in Mr. Wesley's sense, which was the same as
presbyter as far as order was concerned ; nor the Ameri
can societies, (as they have sometimes inconsiderately
been,) for calling themselves, in the same view, "The
American Methodist Episcopal Church ;" since their epis
copacy is founded upon the principle of bishops and presby
ters being of the same degree, — a more extended office only
being assigned to the former, as in the primitive Church.
For though nothing can be more obvious than that the
primitive pastors are called bishops, or presbyters indis
criminately in the New Testament : yet at an early period
those presbyters were, bv way of distinction, denominated
bishops, Mrho presided in the meetings of the presbyters,
aud were finally invested with the government of several
Churches, with their respective presbyteries ; so that two
offices were then, as in this case, grafted upon the same
order. Such an arrangement was highly proper for Ame
rica, where many of the preachers were young, and had

248 LIFE OF THE

also to labour in distant and extensive circuits, and were
therefore incapable of assisting, advising, or controlling
each other. A travelling episcopacy, or superintendency,
was there an extension of the office of elder or presbyter,
but it of course created no other distinction ; and the bish
ops of the Methodist Church in America have in practice
as well exemplified the primitive spirit, as in principle they
were conformed to the primitive discipline. Dr. Coke was
only an occasional visitant in America, and though in the
sense of office he was a bishop there, when he returned
home, as here he had no such office, so he used no such
title, and made no such pretension. Of this excellent man,
it ought here to be said, that occasional visits to America
could not satisfy his ardent mind ; he became the founder
and soul of the Methodist missions in various parts of the
world, first under the direction of Mr. Wesley, and then in
conjunction with the conference ; and by his voyages, tra
vels, and labours, he erected a monument of noble and disin
terested zeal and charity, which will never be obliterated.*
But Mr. Asbury remained the preaching, travelling, self-
denying bishop of the American societies, till afterward
others were associated with him, plain and simple in their
manners as the rest of their brethren, and distinguished
from them only by " labours more abundant."

It was by thus absurdly confounding episcopacy in the
modern acceptation, and in Mr. Wesley's view, that a
good deal of misplaced wit was played off on this occa
sion ; and not a little bitterness \vas expressed by many.
He, however, performed a great and a good work, and not
only provided for the spiritual wants of a people who indi
rectly had sprung from his labours ; but gave to the Ame
rican Church a form of administration admirably suited to
a new and extensive empire, and under which the socie
ties have, by the Divine blessing, prospered beyond all
precedent. Some letters passed between him and Mr.
Charles Wesley on the subject of the American ordina-

* Dr. Coke connected himself with Mr. "YVesloy in 1776, ns stated
by the latter in his journal : — " Being at Kingston, near Taunton, I
found a clergyman, Dr. Coke, late gentleman commoner of Jesus
College, in Oxford, who came twenty miles on purpose. I had
much conversation with him, and a union then began, which, I trust,
shall never end." His name did not appear on the minuter till tha
year 1778. In that year he was appointed to labour in London

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 249

tions. The first, written by Charles, was warm and rc-
monstrative ; the second, upon receiving his brother's
calm answer, was more mild, and shows, that he was less
afraid of what his brother had done for America, than that
Dr. Coke, on his return, should form the Methodists of
England into a regular and separate Church also ! The
concluding paragraph of this letter is, however, so affect
ing, so illustrative of that oneness of heart which no
difference of opinion between the brothers could destroy,
that it would be unjust to the memory of both, not to
insert it : —

" I thank you for your intention to remain my friend.
Herein my heart is as your heart. Whom God hath joined,
let not man put asunder. We have taken each other for
better for worse, till death do us — part ? no : but eternally
unite. Therefore, in the love which never faileth, I am,
" Your affectionate friend and brother,

« C. WESLEY,"

Some time after this, Mr. Wesley appointed several of
the English preachers, by imposition of hands, to adminis
ter the sacraments to the societies in Scotland. There
the English establishment did net extend, and a necessity
of a somewhat similar kind existed, though not of so press
ing a nature as in America. He, however, steadily objected
to give this liberty, generally, to his preachers in England :
and those who administered the sacraments in Scotland
were not permitted to perform the same office in England
upon their return. The reason why he refused to appoint
in the same manner, and for the same purpose, for Eng
land is stated in the letter above given. He was satisfied
of his power, as a ] resbyter, to ordain for such an admi
nistration ; but, he says, " I have still refused, not only for
peace' sake, but, because I Avas determined as little as pos
sible to violate the established order of the National Church
to which I belonged." This was a prudent principle most
sincerely held by him ; and it explains his conduct in those
particulars for which he has been censured by opposite
parties. When it could not be avoided, without sacrificing
some real good, he did violate " the established order,"
thinking that this order was in itself merely prudential.
When that necessity did not exist, his own predilections,
and the prejudices of many members of his societies,

250 LIFE OF THE

enforced upon him this abstinence from innovation. It may,
however, be asked, in what light Mr. Wesley's appoint-
ments to the ministry, in the case of his own preachers,
ought to be viewed. That they were ordinations to the
work and office of the ministry, cannot be reasonably and
Scripturally doubted ; and that they were so in his own
intention, we have before shown from his own minutes.
It was required of them, as early as 1746, to profess to be
"moved by the Holy Ghost, and to be called of God to
preach." This professed call was to be tested by their
piety, their gifts, and their usefulness ; all which points
were investigated ; and after probation they were solemnly
received by prayer " to labour with him in the Gospel ;"
and from that time were devoted wholly to their spiritual
work,* including the pastoral care of societies. Here was
ordination, though without imposition of hands, which,
although an impressive ceremony, enters not, as both the
Scriptures and the nature of the thing itself point out, into
the essence of ordination ; which is a separation of men,
by ministers, to the work of the ministry by solemn prayer.
This was done at every conference, by Mr. Wesley, who,
as he had, as early as 1747, given up the uninterrupted
succession, and the distinct order of bishops as a fable,
left himself, therefore, at liberty to appoint to the ministry
in his own way. He made, it is true, a distinction at one
time between the primitive offices of evangelists or teach
ers, and pastors, as to the right of giving the sacraments,
which he thought belonged to the latter only ; but as this
implied, that the primitive pastors had powers, which the
primitive evangelists, who ordained them, had not, it was
too unsupported a notion for him long to maintain. (Se<?
Moore's Life of Wesley, book viii, chap, ii.) Yet, had
this view of the case been allowed, the preachers were not
mere teachers, but pastors in the fullest sense. They not
only taught, but guided, and managed the societies ; receiv
ing members, excluding members, and administering pri
vate, as well as public, admonitions ; and if they were
constituted teachers and pastors by his ordination, without

* It is observable, that in the conference of 1768 he enjoined ab.
stinence from all secular things upon them, both on the Scriptural
principle, 1 Tim. iv, 13; and on the ground, that the Church, "in
her office of ordination," required this of ministers.

KEV. JOHN WESLEY. 201

the circumstance of the imposition of hands, it is utterly
impossible to conceive that that ceremony conveyed any
larger right, as such, to administer the sacraments, in the
case of the few he did ordain in that manner for Scotland
and America. As to them it was a form of permission
and appointment to exercise the right. His appointments
to the ministry every conference necessarily conveyed all
the rights of a pastor, because they conveyed the pastoral
office ; but still it did not follow, that all the abstract rights
of the ministry thus conveyed to the body of the preachers,
should be actually used. It was not imperative upon them
to exercise all their functions ; and he assumed no impro
per authority as the father and founder of the Connection,
to determine to what extent it was prudent to exercise
them, provided he was satisfied that the sacraments were
not put out of the power of the societies to observe. He ex-
ercised this suspending authority even over those preachers
whom he appointed to give the sacraments in Scotland, by
prohibiting them from administering in the English socie
ties, over which they became pastors. So little difference
did his ordination by imposition of hands make in their
case, even in his own estimation.* It was, when it fol
lowed the usual mode of introducing candidates into the
ministry, a mere form of permission to exercise a previous
right in a particular place, and a solemn designation to
this service according to a liturgico1 form which he greatly
admired ; but the true ordination of those who were so
set ipart to administer the sacraments to the ministry itself,
was the same as that of the rest of their brethren, and took
place at the same time. Thus, in Mr. Wesley's strongest
language to Mr. Charles Perronet and the other preachers
who thought it their duty to administer, he places his objec
tion upon the decisive ground of his thinking it " a sin ;"
but not from their want of true ordination, to which he
makes no allusion jf but he thought it sinful, because it

* When a few of the preachers received ordination from a Greek
bishop, then in England, and from whom he was falsely reported
himself to have sought consecration ; he would not suffer them to
administer, although he did not doubt that the Greek was a true
bishop.

t As early as 1756, he says to some of the preachers, "You think
it is a duty to administer. Do so, and therein follow your own
conscience." That is, they were at liberty to leave him ; but not a

252 LIFE OF THE

would be injurious to the work of God, and so contrary to
his word and will. That it was not in his view " a sin,"
for want of mere imposition of hands, is clear from the
facts, that, in one case, he gave to one of the preachers
leave to baptize and give the sacrament in particular cir
cumstances, although he had no other ordination than his
being " received into full connection" at the conference
like the rest ; and allowed two others, Mr. Highfield in
England, and Mr. Myles in Dublin, to assist him in giving
the sacrament to the great offence of the Church people
there.* That the original designation of the preachers to
the ministry was considered by the conferences after his
death, — when they were obliged, in order to meet the
spiritual wants and Scriptural demands of the people, to
administer the Lord's Supper to the societies in England,
— as a true and full ordination to the whole office of the
Christian ministry, is clear from their authorizing the
preachers to give the sacraments, when requested by the
societies, without re-ordination for this purpose, although
they had Mr. Wesley's Presbyterian ordination by impo
sition of hands among themselves, and at their command,
if they had judged it necessary to employ it. Their whole
proceeding in this respect was merely to grant permission
to exercise powers which they believed to have been pre
viously conveyed by Mr. Wesley, in doing which they
differed from him only in not marking that permission with
any new form. Perhaps it might have been an improve
ment, had they accompanied all their future ordinations by
the laying on of the hands of the president for the time

word about the invalidity of their appointment to the whole work
of the ministry.

* Mr. Wesley's innovations on Church order in Dublin, appear,
from several of his letters, to have produced somewhat outr.igsous
attacks upon him from several quarters in that city. In one of them
he says, " Every week I am bespattered in the public papers.
Many are in tears on the occasion ; many terribly frightened, nnd
crying out, « O what will the end be ?' What will it be ? Why,
glory to God in the highest, and peace and good will among men."
Such was his rejoinder to these High Church alarms. At the saina
time it must be conceded, that, however faithful Mr. Wesley was in
abiding bv his leading principle of making mere adherence to what
was called " regular," give place to the higher obligation of doing
good, he was sometimes apt, in defending himself, to be too tenacious
of appearing perfectly consistent.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 253

being, assisted by a few of the senior preachers, and by
using the fine Ordination Service of the Church of Eng
land : not indeed, tha.t this would have given a tittle more
of validity to the act ; but the imposition of hands would
have been in conformity to the usage of the majority of
Churches, and an instance of deference to an ancient
Scriptural form of solemn designation and blessing, used
on various occasions. The whole of Mr. Wesley's pro
ceedings, both as to America and Scotland, would have
been as valid on Scriptural grounds, had there been no
other form used than simple prayer for men, already in the
ministry, going forth on an important mission ; but as the
New Testament exhibited a profitable example of imposi
tion of hands in the case of Paul and Barnabas, who had
been long before ordained to the highest order of the
ministry, when sent forth into a new field of labour, this
example was followed.*

* From the preceding observations, it will appear that Mr. Wes
ley's ordinations, both for America and Scotland, stood upon much
the same ground. The full powers of the ministry had before been
conveyed to the parties ; but now they had a special designation to
exercise them in every respect, in a new and peculiar sphere. Still
their ordination, by imposition of hands, did not imply that their
former ordination was deficient, as to the right of administering the
sacraments which it conveyed ; for then, how came Dr. Coke, who
was already a presbyter of the Church of England, to be ordained
again, when, according to Mr. Wesley's own view, he could not bo
higher in order than a presbyter, although his powers might be en-
larged as to their application ? The conference after Mr. Wesley's
death took therefore the true ground, in considering the act of ad
mission into the ministry, so as to be devoted wholly to it, and to
exercise the pastoral charge, to b'j a true and Scriptural ordination
both to preach the word and to administer the sacraments ; making
wholly light of the absurd pretensions of a few among the preachers,
who thought that they had received something more than their
brethren from the mere ceremony of the imposition of Mr. Wesley's
hands, subsequent to their ordinary appointment by him when re.
ceived into the body. Some of these, at the first conference after
Mr. Wesley's death, stood upon this point ; but Mr. Benson refuted
their notion, that imposition of hands was essential to ordination.
He proved from the New Testament that this was but a circumstance,
and showed that the body had always possessed a ministry Scrip,
turally and therefore validly ordained, although not in the most
customary or perhaps in the most influential form. With Mr. Ban.
son the conference coincided ; so that ordination, without imposition
of hands, has continued to be the general practice to the present time.
It is remarkable, that the few preachers who insisted upon imposition

254 LIFE OF THE

But we return to the continued and unabated labours of
this venerable servant of God. In 1786, at the Bristol
conference, the old subject of separating from the Church
was again discussed, and, "without one dissenting voice,"
it was determined to continue therein ; " which determina-
tion," he remarks, " will, I doubt not, stand, at least till I
am removed into a better world." After the conference
was concluded, he paid a second visit to Holland, in
company with Mr. Brackenbury and Mr. Broadbent,
preached in various places, expounded to private companies,
and engaged in conversation with many learned and pious
individuals. On his return to England, his journal presents
the usual record of constant preaching and travelling,
interspersed with useful remark, and incident. A few
gleanings from it will be read with interest : —

"Dec. 23, 1786. — By great importunity I was induced
(having little hope of doing good) to visit two of the felons
in Newgate, who lay under sentence of death. They
appeared serious : but I can lay little stress on appearances
of this kind. However, I wrote in their behalf to a great
man. And perhaps it was in consequence of this that they
had a reprieve.

" Sunday 24. — I was desired to preach at the Old Jewry :
but the church was cold, and so was the congregation. We
had congregations of another kind the next day, Christmas-
day, at four in the morning, as well as five in the evening,
at the New Chapel, and at West-street Chapel about noon.

"Sunday 31. — From those words of Isaiah to Hezekiah.
4 Set thy house in order,' I strongly exhorted all who had
not done it already, to settle their temporal affairs without

of hands being essential to ordination, and plumed themselves upon
being distinguished from their brethren because Mr. Wesley's hands
had been laid upon them, did not remember a passage in a published
letter of Mr. Wesley to Mr. Walker of Truro, dated as long before
as 1756, which sufficiently shows how totally disconnected the two
things were in his mind ; or that, if they adverted to it, its bearing
in his controversy with Mr. Walker should not have been perceived:
"That the seven deacons were outwardly ordained even to that low
office, cannot be denied. But Paul and Barnabas were separated for
the work to which they were called. This was not ordaining them ;
it was only inducting them to the province for which our Lord had
appointed them. For this end the prophets and teachers fasted,
prayed, and 'laid their hands upon them,' a rite which was used,
not in ordination only, but in blessing, and on many other occasions."

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 255

delay. It is a strange madness which still possesses many
who are in other respects men of understanding, that they
put this off from day to day, till death comes in an hour
when they look not for it.

" Friday, Jan. 5, 1787, and in the vacant hours of the
following days, I read Dr. Hunter's Lectures. They are
very lively and ingenious. The language is good, and the
thoughts generally just. But they do not suit my taste.
I do not admire that florid way of writing. Good sense
does not need to be so studiously adorned. I love St.
Fohn's style, as well as matter.

"Sunday, Feb. 25. — After taking a solemn leave of our
friends, both at West-street and the New Chapel, I took
the mail coach, and the next evening reached Exeter
a little after ten o'clock. Tuesday, 27. — We went on to
Plymouth Dock. The large, new house, far the best in
the west of England, was well filled, though on so short a
warning : and they seemed cordially to receive the exhort-
ation, * Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous.' I had the
satisfaction to find the society here in a more flourishing
state than ever. Notwithstanding all the pains that have
been taken, and all the art that has been used to tear them
asunder, they cleave close together, and consequently
increase in number as well as in strength.

" Wednesday, March 7. — It rained much while we were
at Plymouth and at the Dock, and most of the way from
the Dock to Exeter. But we had lovely weather to-day,
and came into Bath early in the evening. So crowded a
house I had not seen here for many years. I fully delivered
my own soul, by strongly enforcing those awful words,
1 Many are called, but few are chosen.' I believe the wrord
sunk deep into many hearts. The next evening we had
another large congregation equally serious. Thursday 8.
I went on to Bristol, and the same afternoon Mrs. Fletcher
came thither from Madeley. The congregation in the
evening was exceedingly large. I took knowledge what
spirit they were of. Indeed the work of God has much in-
creased in Bristol since I was here last, especially among the
young men, many of whom are a pattern to all the society.

" Monday, April 2. — About noon I preached at Stockport,
and in the evening at Manchester, where I fully delivered
my own soul, both then and the next day. Wednesday 4. I

256 LIFE OF THE

went to Chester, and preached in the evening on Heb. iii, 12.
Finding there was no packet at Parkgate, I immediately
took places in the mail coach for Holyhead. The porter
called us at two in the morning on Thursday, but came
again in half an hour to inform us the coach was full : so
they returned rny money, and at four I took a post chaise.
We overtook the coach at Conway, and crossing the ferry
with the passengers, went forward without delay : so we
came to Holyhead an hour before them, and went on board
between eleven and twelve o'clock. At one we left the
harbour, and at two the next day came into Dublin bay.

•« On the road, and in the ship, I read Mr. Blackwell's
( Sacred Classics Illustrated and Defended.' I think he
fully proves his point, that there are no expressions in the
New Testament which are not found in the best and purest
Greek authors. In the evening we had a Sunday's con
gregation, and a blessing from on high.

•' Sunday 8. (Easter day.) — I preached in Bethesda, Mr.
Smyth's new chapel : it is very neat, but not gay, and I
believe will hold about as many people as West-street
chapel. Mr. Smyth read prayers, and gave out the hymns,
which were sung by fifteen or twenty fine singers : the
rest of the congregation listening with much attention, and
as much devotion as they would have done to an opera.
But is this Christian worship ? Or ought it ever to be
suffered in a Christian church? It was thought we had
between seven and eight hundred communicants : and
indeed the power of God was in the midst of them. Our
own room in the evening was well filled with people, arid
with the presence of God.

" On Monday and Tuesday I preached again at Bethesda .,
and God touched several hearts, even of the rich and great :
so that, for the time at least, they were ' almost persuaded
to be Christians.' It seems as if the good providence of
God had prepared this place for those rich and honourable
sinners who will not deign to receive any message from
God, but in a genteel way.

" Friday 27. — We went to Kilkenny, nine and twenty
Irish miles from Mount Mellick. Religion was here at a
low ebb, and scarcely any society left, when God sent
three troops of horse. Several of the men are full of faith
and love ; since they came, the work of God has revived

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 257

I never saw the house so filled since it was built. And
the power of God seemed to rest upon the congregation,
as if he would still have a people in this place.

"Wed., April 9. — We went to Bandon : here also there
has been a remarkable work of God, and yet not without
many backsliders. It was therefore my chief business to
strengthen the weak, and recall the wanderers. So in
the evening I preached in the assembly room, (which was
offered me by the provost,) on, ' How shall I give thee
up, Ephraim ¥ — and God applied his word. At noon we
took a walk to Castle Barnard. Mr. Barnard has given it
a beautiful front, nearly resembling that of Lord Mans
field's house at Caen Wood, and opened part of his lovely
park to the house, which I think has now as beautiful
a situation as Rockingham-house in Yorkshire. Mr.
Barnard much resembles, in person and air, the late Sir
George Saville. Though he is far the richest person in
these parts, he keeps no race horses or hounds, but loves
his wife and home, and spends his time and fortune in
improving his estate, and employing the poor. Gentlemen
of this spirit are a blessing to their neighbourhood. May
God increase their number !

" In the evening, finding no building would contain the
congregation, I stood in the main street, and testified to a
listening multitude, 'This is not your rest.' I then ad-
ministered the Lord's Supper to the society, and God gave
us a remarkable blessing.

" Friday, May 25. — I had a day of rest in this lovely
family, (Mr. Slack's,) only preaching morning and evening.
Saturday 26. — I preached at Ballyconnel about eleven. In
the afternoon I took a walk in the bishop of Kilmore's
garden. The house is finely situated ; has two fronts, and
is fit for a nobleman. We then went into the church yard,
and saw the venerable tomb, a plain fiat stone inscribed,
* Deposition Gulielmi Bedel, quondam Episcopi Kilmoren-
sis ,' [' The body of William Bedel, formerly bishop of
Kilmore ;'] over whom even the rebel army sung, ' Re-
quiescat in pace ultimus Anglorum.' ' Let the last of the
Englishmen rest in peace.' At seven I preached to a
large congregation : it blew a storm, but most of the con-
gregation were covered by a kind of shed raised for the
purpose : and not a few were greatly comforted.
22*

258 LIFE OF THE

*' Tuesday 29. — One of my horses I was obliged to
leave in Dublin, and afterward another ; having bought
two to supply their places. The third soon got a swelling
in his shoulder, so that we doubted whether we could go
on. And a boy at Clones, riding (1 suppose galloping) tho
fourth over stones, the horse fell and nearly lamed himself:
howrever, we went on softly to Aughalun, and found such
a congregation as I had not seen before in the kingdom.
The tent (that is, a covered pulpit) was placed at the foot of
a green, sloping mountain, on the side of which the huge
multitude sat (as their manner is) row above row. While
I was explaining, * God hath given unto us his Holy Spirit,'
he was indeed poured out in a wonderful manner. Tears
of joy, and cries were heard on every side ; only so far
suppressed as not to drown my voice. I cannot but hope
that many will have cause to bless God for that hour to
all eternity.

t; Thursday 31. — We went over mountains and dales to
Kerlish Lodge, where we met with a hearty welcome, both
from Alexander Boyle, and his amiable wife, who are pat.
terns to all the country. Mr. Boyle had spoken to Dr.
Wilson, the rector of a neighbouring town, concerning my
preaching in the church, who wrote to the bishop, and re-
ceived a letter in answer, giving a full and free consent.
The doctor desired me to breakfast with him. Meantime
one of his parishioners, a warm seceder, took away the key
of the church, so I preached in a neighbouring orchard :
I believe not in vain. The rector and his wife were in the
front of the congregation. Afterward we took a view of
Lord Abercorn's place. The house has a lovely situation :
and the front of it is as elegant as any I have seen either
in Great Britain or Ireland. The grounds are delightful
indeed, perhaps equal to any in the kingdom.

" About five in the evening I preached at Killrail. No
house would contain the congregation ; so I preached in
the open air. The wind was piercingly cold, but the peo
ple regarded it not. Afterward I administered the Lord's
Supper to about a hundred of them, and then slept in peace.

" Wednesday, June 6. — I took leave of my dear friends
at Londonderry, and drove to Newton Limavady. I had
no design to preach there. But while we were at break-
fast, the people wrere gathered so fast that I could not deny

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 259

them. The house was soon filled from end to end. I
explained to them the fellowship believers have with God.
Thence I went on to Colerain, and preached at six, (as I
did two years ago,) in the barrack yard. The wind was
high and sharp enough ; but the people here are good old
soldiers. Many attended at five in the morning, and a
large congregation about six in the evening ; most of
whom, I believe, tasted the good word ; for God was with
us of a truth.

" Tuesday 12th. — We came through a most beautiful
country to Downpatrick, a much larger town than I ima
gined ; I think not much inferior to Sligo. The evening
was uncommonly mild and bright, there not being a
cloud in the sky. The tall firs shaded us on every side,
and the fruitful fields were spread all around. The peo
ple were, I think, half as many more as were at Lisburn
even on Sunday evening. On them I enforced those im
portant words, * Acquaint thyself now with him, and be at
peace.'

" Wednesday 13th. — Being informed we had only six
and twenty miles to go, we did not set out till between six
and seven. The country was uncommonly pleasant, run
ning between two high ridges of mountains ; but it was up
hill and down all the way, so that we did not reach Rath-
friland till nearly noon. Mr. Barber, the Presbyterian
minister, (a princely personage, I believe six feet and a
half high,) offering me his new, spacious preaching house,
the congregation quickly gathered together. I began
without delay to open and enforce, 'Now God command-
eth all men, every where, to repent.' I took chaise the
instant I had done ; but the road being still up hill and
down, we were two hours going what they called six miles.
I then quitted the chaise, and rode forward. But even
then, four miles, so called, took an hour and a half riding ;
tso that I did not reach Dr. Lesley's, at Tandaragee, till
half an hour past four. About six I stood upon the step .
at Mr. Godly's door, and preached on, * This is not your
rest,' to a larger congregation, by a third, than even that
at Downpatrick. I scarcely remember to have seen a
larger, unless in London, Yorkshire, or Cornwall.

" Tuesday 26th. — Dublin. We were agreeably sur
prised with the arrival of Dr. Coke, who came from Phila-

260 LIFE OP THE

delphia, in nine and twenty days, and gave us a pleasing
account of the work of God in America. Thursday 28th.
I had a conversation with Mr. Howard, I think one of the
greatest men in Europe. Nothing but the mighty power
of God can enable him to go through his difficult and
dangerous employments. But what can hurt us, if God
be on our side ?

" Sunday, July 22. — Manchester. Our service began
at ten. Notwithstanding the severe cold, which has con
tinued many days, the house was well filled ; but my
work was easy, as Dr. Coke assisted me. As many as
could crowded in, in the evening ; but many were obliged
to go away. Afterward I spent a comfortable hour with
the society.

" Friday 27th. — We went on to Bolton. Here are eight
hundred poor children taught in our Sunday schools by
about eighty masters, who receive no pay but what they
are to receive from their great Master. About a hundred
of them, part boys, and part girls, are taught to sing. And
they sung so true, that, all singing together, they seemed
to be but one voice. The house was thoroughly filled,
while I explained and applied the first and great com
mandment. What is all morality or religion without this 1
A mere castle in the air. In the evening, many of the
children still hovering round the house, I desired forty or
fifty to come in and sing,

' Vital spark of heavenly flame.'

Although some of them were silent, not being able to sing
for tears, yet the harmony was such as I believe could not
be equalled in the king's chapel.

" Monday, August 6th. — Having taken the whole coach
for Birmingham, we set out, expecting to be there, as usual,
about five in the evening. But having six persons within,
and eight without, the coach could not bear the burden,
but broke down before three in the morning. Having
patched it together as well as we could, we went on to
Congleton, and got another. In an hour or two this broke
also ; and one of the horses was so thoroughly tired, that
he could hardly set one foot before the other. After all
these hinderanoes, we got to Birmingham just at seven.
Finding a large congregation waiting, I stepped out of the
coach into the house, and began preaching without delay

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 261

And such was the goodness of God, that I found no more
weariness when I had done than if I had rested all the day.

" Here I took a tender leave of Mrs. Heath and her
lovely daughters, about to embark with Mr. Heath for
America, whom I hardly expect to see any more till we
meet in Abraham's bosom.

"Friday 10th. — Southampton. At six I preached on
Hebrews iv, 14. In the afternoon I went with a gentle-
man (Mr. Taylor) to hear the famous musician that plays
upon the glasses. By my appearing there, (as I had fore
seen) a heap of gentry attended in the evening. Arid 1
believe several of them, as well as Mr. T. himself, did not
come in vain.

" Tuesday 14th. — Sailing on with a fair wind, we fully
expected to reach Guernsey in the afternoon ; but the
wind turning contrary, and blowing hard, we found that
would be impossible. We then judged it best to put in at
the isle of Alderney ; but we were very near being ship
wrecked in the bay. About eight I went down to a con
venient spot on the beach, and began giving out a hymn ;
a woman and two little children joined us immediately.
Before the hymn was ended, wre had a tolerable congre
gation, all of whom behaved well : part indeed continued
at forty or fifty yards' distance, but they were all quiet
and attentive.

" It happened, to speak in the vulgar phrase, that three
or four who sailed with us from England, a gentleman,
with his wife and sister, were near relations of the gover
nor. He came to us this morning ; and when I went into
the room behaved with the utmost courtesy. This little
circumstance may remove prejudice, and make a more
open way for the Gospel.

" Soon after we set sail ; and after a very pleasant pas
sage, through little islands on either hand, we came to the
venerable castle, standing on a rock, about a quarter of a
mile from Guernsey. The isle itself makes a beautiful
appearance, spreading as a crescent to the right and left ;
about seven miles long and five broad, part high land and
part low. The town itself is boldly situated, rising higher
and higher from the water. The first thing I observed in
it was very narrow streets, and exceedingly high houses.
But we quickly went on to Mr. de Jersey's, hardly a mile

262 LIFE OF THE

from the town. Here I found a most cordial welcome,
both from the master of the house and all his family. I
preached at seven, in a large room, to as deeply serious a
congregation as I ever saw, on ' Jesus Christ, of God
made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and
redemption.'

" Monday 20. — We took ship between three and four in
the morning, in a very small inconvenient sloop, and not
a swift sailer, so that we were seven hours in sailing what
is called seven leagues. About eleven we landed at St.
Helier's, and went straight to Mr. Brackenbury's house.
It stands very pleasantly near the end of the town, and
has a large convenient garden, with a lovely range of
fruitful hills, which rise at a small distance from it. I
preached in the evening to an exceedingly serious congre
gation, on Matt, iii, ult. And almost as many were pre
sent at five in the morning, whom I exhorted to go on to
perfection, which many of them, Mr. Clarke informs me,
are earnestly endeavouring to do.

" Thursday 23. — I rode to St. Mary's, five or six miles
from St. Helier's, through shady, pleasant lanes. None
at the house could speak English, but I had interpreters
enow. In the evening our large room was thoroughly
filled. I preached on, ' By grace ye are saved, through
faith :' Mr. Brackenbury interpreted sentence by sen
tence, and God owned his word, though delivered in so
awkward a manner : but especially in prayer ; I prayed
in English, and Mr. B. in French.

" Saturday 25. — Having now leisure, I finished a sermon
on * Discerning the Signs of the Times.' This morning I
had a particular conversation, (as I had once or twice
before) with Jeannie Bisson of this town, such a young
woman as I have hardly seen elsewrhere. She seems to
be wholly devoted to God, and to have constant commu
nion with him. She has a clear and strong understanding,
and I cannot perceive the least tincture of enthusiasm. I
am afraid she will not live long. I am amazed at the
grace of God which is in her. I think she is far beyond
Madam Guion in deep communion with God : and I doubt
whether I have found her fellow in England. Precious as
my time is, it Would have been worth my while to come to
Jersey, had it been only to see this prodigy of grace.

BEV. JOHN WESLEY. '263

•• Monday 27. — I thought when I left Southampton to
have been there again at this day ; but God's thoughts
were not as my thoughts. Here we are, shut up in Jer
sey, for how long we cannot tell. But it is all well ; for
thou, Lord, hast done it. It is my part to improve the time
as it is not likely I should ever have another opportunity
of visiting these islands.

" Tuesday 28. — Being still detained by contrary winds,
I preached at six in the evening, to a larger congregation
than ever, in the assembly room. It conveniently contains
five or six hundred people.

"Wednesday 29. — I designed to have followed the blow
in the morning ; but I had quite lost my voice : however,
it was restored in the evening, and I believe all in the
assembly room (more than the last evening) heard dis
tinctly, while I explained and applied, « I saw the dead, small
and great, stand before God.' In the morning, Thursday
30, I took a solemn leave of the society. We set out
about nine, and reached St. Peter's in the afternoon. —
Good is the will of the Lord. I trust he has something
more for us to do here also. After preaching to a larger
congregation than was expected, on so short a notice, on,
« God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,' I
returned to Mont Plaisir, to stay just as long as it should
please God. I preached there in the morning, Friday 31,
to a congregation serious as death.

"Saturday, September 1. — This day twelvemonth I was
detained in Holland by contrary winds. All is well, so
we are doing and suffering the will of our Lord. In the
evening, the storm driving us into the house again, I
strongly exhorted a very genteel audience, (such as I have
rarely seen in England,) to « ask for the old paths, and
walk therein.'

"Sunday 2. — Being still pent up by the north-east wind,
Dr. Coke preached at six in the morning to a deeply af
fected congregation. I preached at eight, on Rom. viii,
33. At one, Mr. Vivian, a local preacher, preached in
French, the language of the island. At five, as the house
would not contain half the congregation, I preached in a
tolerably sheltered place, on the 'joy there is in heaven
over one sinner that repenteth ;' and both high and low
seemed to hear it gladly. I then designed to meet the

264 LIFE OF THE

society, but could not. The people pressed so eagerly on
every side, that the house was filled presently ; so that I
could only give a general exhortation, ' to walk worthy of
their profession.'

" I was in hopes of sailing in the morning, Monday 3,
but the storm so increased, that it was judged impracticable.
The congregation, however, in the evening increased every
day ; and they appeared to be more and more affected ;
so that I believe we were not detained for nothing : but
for the spiritual and eternal good of many.

" Tuesday 4. — The storm continued, so that we could
not stir. I took a walk to-day, through what is called the
New Ground, where the gentry are accustomed to wralk in
the evening : both the upper ground, which is as level as a
bowling green, and the lower, which is planted with rows
of trees, is wonderfully beautiful. In the evening I fully
delivered my own soul by showing what it is to 'build upon
a rock.' But still we could not sail, the wind being quite
contrary as well as exceedingly high. It was the same on
Wednesday. In the afternoon we drank tea at a friend's
who was mentioning a captain just come from France, that
proposed to sail in the morning for Penzance, for which the
wind would serve, though not for Southampton. In this
we plainly saw the hand of God : so we agreed with him
immediately.

" Penzance, Saturday 8. — Dr. Coke preached at six to
as many as the preaching house would contain. At ten I
was obliged to take the field, by the multitude of people
that flocked together. I found a very uncommon liberty
of speech among them, and cannot doubt but the work of
God will flourish in this place. In the evening I preached
at St. Ives, (but it being the market day, so that I could
not stand, as usual, in the market place,) in a very con-
venient field at the end of the town, to a very numerous
congregation, I need scarcely add, and very serious ; for
such are all the congregations in the county of Cornwall.

" Sunday 9. — About nine I preached at the copper works,
three or four miles from St. Ives, to a large congregation,
gathered from all parts, I believe 'with the demonstration
of the Spirit.' I then met the society in the preaching
house, which is unlike any other in England, both as to
its form and material It is exactly round, and composed

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 265

wholly of brazen slags, which I suppose will last as long
as <he earth. Between one and two I began in the mar-
ket place at Redruth to the largest congregation I ever
saw there. They not only filled all the windows, but sat
on the tops of the houses. About five I began in the
amphitheatre at Gwennap : I suppose we had a thousand
more than ever were there before : but it was all one ; my
voice was strengthened accordingly, so that every one
could hear distinctly.

" London, Sunday, Nov. 4. — The congregation at the
New Chapel was far larger than usual ; and the number of
communicants was so great, that I was obliged to conse
crate thrice. Monday 5. — In my way to Dorking, I read
Mr. Duff's Essay on Genius. It is beyond all comparison
deeper and more judicious than Dr. G.'s essay on that
subject. If the doctor had seen it, which one can hardly
doubt, it is a wonder he would publish his essay : yet I
cannot approve of his method. Why does he not first
define his term, that we may know what he is talking
about ? I doubt, because his own idea of it was not clear.
For genius is not imagination, any more than it is inven
tion. If we mean by it a quality of the soul, it is, in its
widest acceptation, an extraordinary capacity either for
some particular art or science, or for all, for whatever may
be undertaken. So Euclid had a genius for mathematics,
Tully for oratory : Aristotle and Lord Bacon had a uni
versal genius applicable to every thing.

"Friday 9. — A friend offering to bear my expenses, I set
out in the evening, and on Saturday 10, dined at Notting
ham. The preaching house, one of the most elegant in
England, was pretty well filled in the evening.

"Sunday 11. — At ten, we had a lovely congregation;
and a very numerous one in the afternoon : but I believe
the house would hardly contain one half of those that came
to it. I preached a charity sermon for the infirmary,
which was the design of my coming. This is not a county
infirmary, but is open to all England, yea to all the world.
And every thing about it is so neat, so convenient, and so
well ordered, that I have seen none like it in the three
kingdoms. Monday 12. — In the afternoon we took coach
again, and on Tuesday returned to London.

" Sunday 25. — I preached two charity sermons at West-
23

266 LIFE OF THE

street in behalf of our poor children ; in which I endea
voured to warn them, and all that have the care of them,
against that English sin, ungodliness, that reproach of our
nation, wherein we excel all the inhabitants of the earth.

" Tuesday, Dec. 4. — I retired to Rainham to prepare
another edition of the New Testament for the press.

" London, Sunday 9. — I went down at half an hour past
five, but found no preacher in the chapel, though we had
three or four in the house : so I preached myself. After
ward inquiring why none of my family attended the morn-
ing preaching, they said it was because they sat up too
late. I resolved to put a stop to this : and, therefore,
ordered, that, 1. Every one under my roof should go to
bed at nine : that, 2. Every one might attend the morning
preaching : and so they have done ever since.

"Monday 10.— I was desired to see the celebrated wax
work at the museum in Spring Gardens. It exhibits most
of the crowned heads in Europe, and shows their charac
ters in their countenances. Sense and majesty appear in
the king of Spain : dulness and sottishness in the king of
France : infernal subtilty in the late king of Prussia : (as
well as in the skeleton Voltaire :) calmness and humanity
in the emperor, and king of Portugal : exquisite stupidity
in the prince of Orange : and amazing coarseness, with
every thing that is unamiable, in the Czarina.

" Sunday 16. — After preaching at Spitalfields, I hastened
to St. John's, Clerkenwell, and preached a charity sermon
for the Finsbury Dispensary, as I would gladly counte
nance every institution of the kind.

" Saturday 22. — I yielded to the importunity of a painter,
and sat, an hour arid a half in all, for my picture. I think
it is the best that ever was taken. But what is the picture
of a man above fourscore !"

These extracts are from the journal of 1787, when Mr.
Wesley was in his eighty-fifth year. The labours and
journeys of almost every day are similarly noticed, exhibit
ing at once a singular instance of natural strength, sus
tained, doubtless, by the special blessing of God, and of
an entire consecration of time to the service of mankind,
of which no similar example is probably on record, and
which is rendered still more wonderful by the consi-
deration that it had been continued for more than half a

KEV. JOHN WESLEY. 267

century, on the same scale of exertion, and almost without
intermission. The vigour of his mind at this age is also
as remarkable ; the same power of acute observation as
formerly is manifested ; the same taste for reading and
criticism ; the same facility in literary composition. Nor
is the buoyant cheerfulness of his spirit a less striking
feature. Nothing of the old man of unrenewed nature
appears ; no forebodings of evil ; no querulous compari
sons of the present with the past ; — there is the same
delight in the beautiful scenes of nature ; the same enjoy
ment of conversation, provided it had the two qualities of
usefulness and brevity ; the same joy in hopeful appear-
ances of good ; and the same tact at turning the edge of
little discomforts and disappointments by the power of an
undisturbed equanimity. Above all we see the man of
one business, living only to serve God and his generation,
" instant in season and out of season," seriously intent,
not upon doing so much duty, but upon saving souls ; and
preaching, conversing, and writing for this end alone. And
yet this is the man whom we still sometimes see made the
object of the sneers of infidel or semi-infidel philosophers ;
and whom book makers, when they have turned the inter
esting points of his character and history into a marketable
commodity, endeavour to dress up in the garb of a fanatic,
or a dreamer, by way of rendering their wrorks more ac
ceptable to frivolous readers, — the man to whose labours,
few even of the evangelical clergy of the National Church
have the heart or the courage to do justice ; forgetting
how much that improved state of piety which exists in the
Establishment is owing to the indirect influence of his long
life of labour, and his successful ministry ; and that even
very many of themselves have sprung from families where
Methodism first lighted the lamp of religious knowledge,
and produced a religious influence. It will indeed provoke
a smile, to observe what effort often discovers itself in wri
ters of this party, when referring to the religious state of the
nation in the last and present century, to keep this apostolic
man wholly out of sight, as though he had never existed ;
feeling, we suppose, that because he did not conform to the
order of their Church in all particulars, it wrould be a sin
against their own orthodoxy even to name him as one of
those great instruments in the hands of God, who, in mercy

268 LIFE OF THE

to these lands, were raised up to effect that vast moral and
religious change, the benefits of which they themselves so
richly enjoy. This may be attributed not only to that ex-
elusive spirit which marks so many of the clergy of this
class, even beyond others, notwithstanding their piety and
general excellence, but to the Calvinism which many of
them have imbibed. The evangelical Arminianism of
Wesley has been forgiven by the orthodox Dissenters ; but,
by a curious anomaly, not by the Calvinistic party of the
Church. It is probably better understood by the former *

* The following passage from a sermon lately preached in his
dioccss, by Bishop Coplestone, maybe quoted both as a better speci
men of the spirit of a Churchman than that above referred to, and
as, perhaps, the only instance in which any thing approaching to a
due estimate of Mr. Wesley's character, and the value of his labours
has been suffered publicly to escape the lips of a prelate. It was die .
tated evidently by a candid and liberal feeling, though not without
being influenced by some of those mistaken views which will bo
corrected at the close of this account of Mr. Wesley's life : —

" And here, not only candour and equity, but a just sense of the
constitution of Christ's Church, compels me to draw a marked line
of distinction between those whose religious assemblies arc supple,
mentary, as it were, to our own establishment, offering spiritual
comfort and instruction to hundreds unable to find it elsewhere,
and those organized communities which exclude from their society
any that communicate in the blessed sacrament of the Lord's Sup
per with the National Church.

" Of the former, I would not only think and speak mildly, but in
many cases I would commend the piety and zeal which animates
them, full of danger as it is to depart from the apostolic ordinance,
even in matters of outward discipline and order. The author and
founder of those societies (for he was careful himself to keep them
from being formed into a sect) was a regularly ordained minister, a
man orthodox in his belief, simple and disinterested in his own
views, and adorned with the most amiable and distinguishing vir
tues of a true Christian. He found thousands of his countrymen,
though nominally Christians, yet as ignorant of true Christianity
as infidels and heathens ; and in too many instances (it is useless
to conceal or disguise the fact) ignorant, either through the inatten
tion of the government in not providing for increased numbers, or
through the carelessness and neglect of those whom the National
Church had appointed to bo their pastors.

" But the beginning of schism, like that of strife, is as when one
letteth out water. The gentls stream of piety and benevolence in
which this practice originated, irrigating only and refreshing some
parched or barren lands, soon became a swelling and rapid torrent,
widening as it flowed on, and opening for itself a breach which it
may yet require the care and prudence of ages to close. And even
the pious author himself was not proof against that snare of Satan

REV. JOHN WESLEV. 209

At the time to which the above extracts from his jour-
nal refer, Mr. Wesley had, however, no reason to com-
plain of any want of respect, or of a due appreciation of
his labours by the serious of all parties, although he re-

\vhich, through the vanity and weakness of human nature, led him
hi his latter years to assume the authority of an apostle, and to esta
blish a fraternity within the Church, to he called after his own name,
and to remain a lasting monument of his activity and zeal. But over
errors such as these let us cast a veil ; and rather rejoice in reflect-
ing on the many whom he reclaimed from sin and wickedness, and
taught to seek for salvation through the merits of their Saviour.

" Of such, I repeat, wherever a like deficiency of religious means
is found, we ought to speak, not only with tenderness, but with
brotherly love and esteem."

It seams pretty obvious that Bishop Coplestone has taken his im
pressions from Southcy's life of the founder of Methodism, although
somewhat modified by better views of spiritual religion. The moral
destitution of the country, and the negligence of the Church are
acknowledged, as well as the important effects produced by Mr.
Wesley's labours, at least in their early stages ; and yet these results
are spoken of as somewhat of a religious calamity ! The beginning
of " schism," as to Church order, is compared to the letting out of
water ; and a fearful " breach" out of the Established Church com
pletes the picture. How little does this sensible and amiable bishop
know of the facts of the case ! — as for instance, 1. That the Method,
ist Societies were in great part gathered, not out of Church goers,
but Church ncglectcrs. 2. That the effect was generally, for many
years, to increase the attendance at Church, and to lay the founda
tion in a great number of places, especially in the more populous
towns, of large Church congregations which have continued to this
day. 3. That the still more extensive and ultimate result was, after
persecution or silent contempt had been tried in vain, and when it
was found that obstinate perseverance in neglect would not be any
longer tolerated, that the Establishment was roused into an activity
by which it has doubtless been greatly benefited as far as respects
its moral influence, the only influence of a Church which can be
permanent or valuable. 4. That very few of the Methodists of the
present day would in all probability have been, in any sense which
Bishop Coplestone would value, Church people ; and so this sup
posed loss of ecclesiastical members affords but an imaginary ground
for the regrets with which he seems to surround it. The intimation
of Mr. Wesley's ambition is imitated from Southey. But of this
enough has been said in refutation. Bishop Coplestone indeed re
gards it mildly as an infirmity, which he would charitably cover with
Mr. Wesley's numerous and eminent virtues. That is kind; but
Mr. Wesley himself would have taken a severer view of this "weak
ness," had he been conscious of the passion of ambition, in the sense
in which it is here used. One might ask this respectable prelate to
review the case, and say where Mr. Wesley, allowing him his consci
entious conviction that he was bound to incessant activity in doing
good to the souls of men, could have stopped ? How he could have
23*

270 LIFE OF THE

garded it not with improper exultation, but passed through
" honour/' as he had passed through " dishonour" in the for
mer years of his life, as " seeing Him who is invisible."
This period of his life must have been to him, on a much
higher account, one of rich reflection. In his journal of
1785, March 24, he observes, — " I was now considering
how strangely the grain of mustard seed, planted about
fifty years ago, had grown up. It has spread through all
Great Britain, and Ireland, the Isle of Wight, and the Isle of
Man ; then to America, through the whole continent, into
Canada, the Leeward Islands, and Newfoundland. And the
societies, in all these parts, walk by one rule, knowing that
religion is in holy tempers, and striving to worship God,
not in form only, but likewise in spirit and in truth."

He must, indeed, have been insensible to the emotions
of a generous nature, had he not felt an honest satisfaction,
that he had lived down calumnies ; and that where mobs
formerly awaited him, he met with the kind and cheering
attentions of the most respectable persons of all religious
persuasions, in every part of the country. But, more than
this, he could compare the dearth and barrenness of one
age with the living verdure and fertility of another. Long
forgotten truths had been made familiar ; — a neglected
population had been brought within the range of Christian
instruction, and the constant preaching of the word of life
by faithful men ; — religious societies had been raised up
through the land, generally distinguished by piety and
zeal • — by the blessing of God upon the labours of Mr.
Whitefield, and others of his first associates, the old
Dissenting Churches had been quickened into life, and
new ones multiplied ; the Established Church had been

disposed of his societies, in the then existing state of the Church ?
And whether, if he had this " ambition" to be the head of a sect,
his whole life did not lay restraints upon it, since, from nearly the
very first outset of his itinerancy and success, it has been shown in
this work, by extracts from the minutes of his first conferences,
that he took views of ecclesiastical polity which then set him quite
at liberty, had he chosen it, to form his societies into a regular
Church, to put himself at their head, and to kindle up a spirit of
hostility to the Establishment, and of warm partisanship in his
own favour, throughout the land? A vicious ambition would have
preferred this course. But it is not necessary to anticipate tho
remarks which will follow on theso subjects.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 271

awakened from her lethargy; the number of faithful
ministers in her parishes greatly multiplied ; the influence
of religion spread into the colonies, and the United States
of America; and above all, a vast multitude, the fruit of
his own ministerial zeal and faithfulness, had, since the
time in which he commenced his labours, departed into a
better world. These thoughts must often have passed
through his mind, and inspired his heart with devou.
thanksgivings, although no allusion is ever made to them
in a boastful manner. For the past, he knew to whom
the praise belonged ; and the future he left to God, certain
at least of meeting in heaven a greater number ot glorified
spirits of whose salvation he had been, under God, the
instrument, than any minister of modern ages. That
"joyful hope" may explain an incident, which occurred
toward the close of life, at the City Road Chapel, London.
After prayers had been read one Sunday forenoon, he
ascended the pulpit ; where, instead of announcing the
hymn immediately, he, to the great surprise of the congre
gation, stood silent, with his eyes closed, for the space of
at least ten minutes, wrapt in thought ; and then with a
feeling which at once conveyed to all present the subject
which had so absorbed his attention, gave out the hymn
commencing with the lines : —

" Come, let us join our frionds above,
Who have obtained the prize," &c.

It was also his constant practice to preach on All Saints
Day, which was with him a favourite festival, on commu
nion with the saints in heaven ; a practice probably arising
out of the same delightful association of remembrances
and hope.

On his attaining his eighty-fifth year, he makes tlu>
following reflections : —

" I this day enter on my eighty-fifth year. And 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 numerous years !' It is true,
I am not so agile as I was in times past : I do not run or
walk so fast as I did. My sight is a little decayed. My
left eye is grown dim, and hardly serves me to read. 1
have daily some pain in the ball of my right eye, as also
in my right temple, (occasioned by a blow received some

'272 LIFE OF THE

time since,) and in my right shoulder and arm, which I
impute partly to a sprain, and partly to the rheumatism.
I find likewise some decay in my memory, with regard to
names and things lately past ; but not at all with regard
to what I have read or heard, twenty, forty, or sixty years
ago. Neither do I find any decay in my hearing, sme.l,
taste, or appetite, (though I want but a third part of the
food I once did,) nor do I feel any such thing as weariness,
either in travelling or preaching. And I am not conscious
of any decay in writing sermons, which I do as readily,
and 1 believe as correctly, as ever.

"To what cause can I impute this, that I am as I am?
First, doubtless, to the power of God, fitting me for the
work to which I am called, as long as he pleases to con-
tinue me therein : and next, subordinately to this, to the
prayers of his children. May we not impute it, as inferior
means: 1. To my constant exercise and change of air?
2. To my never having lost a night's sleep, sick or well,
at land or sea, 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
having constantly, for above sixty years, risen at four in
the morning ? 5. To my constant preaching at five in the
morning, for above fifty years ? 6. To my having had so little
pain in my life, and so little sorrow or anxious care? Even
now, though I find pain daily in my eye, temple, or arm, yet
it is never violent, and seldom lasts many minutes at a time.

" Whether or not 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 are all devoted to Him !' "

And, referring to some persons in the nation who
thought themselves endowed with the gift of prophecy, he
adds, " If this is to be the last year of my life, according to
some of these prophets, I hope it will be the best. I am
not careful about it, but heartily receive the advice of the
angel in Milton, —

4 How well is thine, how long permit to heaven.' "

REV. JOHN WESLEY.

CHAPTER XIV.

THE brothers, whose affection no differences of opinion
and no conflicts of party could diminish, were now to be
separated by death. Of the last days of Mr. Charles
Wesley, Dr. Whitehead gives the following account : —

"Mr. Charles W^esley had a weak body, and a poor
state of health, during the greatest part of his life. I
believe he laid the foundation of both at Oxford by too
close application to study, and abstinence from food. He
rode much on horseback, which probably contributed to
lengthen out life to a good old age. I visited him several
times in his last sickness; and his body was indeed
reduced to the most extreme state of weakness. He pos
sessed that state of mind which he had been always
pleased to see in others, — unaffected humility, and holy
resignation to the will of God. He had no transports of
joy, but solid hope and unshaken confidence in Christ,
which kept his mind in perfect peace. A few days before
his death he composed the following lines. Having been
silent and quiet for some time, he called Mrs. Wesley to
him, and bid her write as he dictated : —

' In age and feebleness extreme,
Who shall a sinful worm redeem ?
Jesus, my only hope thou art,
Strength of my failing flesh and heart ;
O could I catch a smile from thee,
And drop into eternity !'

"He died, March 29th, 1788, aged seventy-nine years
and three months ; and was buried, April 5th, in Mary-
bone church yard at his own desire. The pall was sup
ported by eight clergymen of the Church of England. On
his tomb stone are the following lines, written by himself
on the death of one of his friends : they could not be
more aptly applied to any person than, to Mr. Charles
Wesley :—

1 With poverty of spirit bless'd,
Rest, happy saint, in Jesus rest ;
A sinner saved, through grace forgiven,
Redeem'd from earth to reign in heaven !
Thy labours of unwearied love,
By thee forgot, are crown'd above ;
Crown'd through the mercy of thy Lord,
With a free, full, immense reward !'

274 LIFE OF THE

" Mr. Charles Wesley was of a warm and lively dispo.
sition, of great frankness and integrity, and generous and
steady in his friendships. In conversation he was pleas
ing, instructive, and cheerful ; and his observations were
often seasoned with wit and humour. His religion was
genuine and unaffected. As a minister, he was familiarly
acquainted with every part of divinity ; and his mind was
furnished with an uncommon knowledge of the Scriptures.
His discourses from the pulpit \vere not dry and systematic,
but flowed from the present views and feelings of his own
mind. He had a remarkable talent of expressing the most
important truths with simplicity and energy ; and his dis
courses were sometimes truly apostolic, forcing conviction
on the hearers in spite of the most determined opposition.
As a husband, a father, and a friend, his character was
amiable. Mrs. Wesley brought him five children, of whom
two sons and a daughter are still living.* The sons dis
covered so fine a taste for music, at an early period of life,

* Miss Wesley, a lady of eminent talents, and great excellence,
died September 19, 1828.

It would be improper to withhold, as I have them before me, in the
unpublished letters with which I have been favoured, some incidental
remarks of the late Miss Wesley, on the character of her father : —

" Mr. Moore seems to think that my father preferred rest to going
about to do good. He had a rising family, and considered it his duty
to confine his labours to Bristol and London, where he laboured most
sedulously in ministerial offices ; and judged that it was incumbent
upon him to watch over the youth of his sons, especially in a profes
sion which nature so strongly pointed out, but which was peculiarly
dangerous. He always said his brother was formed to lead, and he
to follow. No one ever more rejoiced in another's superiority, or
was more willing to confess it. Mr. Moore's statement of his absence
of mind in his younger days was probably correct, as lie was born
impetuous, and ardent, and sincere. But what a change must have
taken place when we were born ! For his exactness in his accounts,
in his manuscripts, in his bureau, &c, equalled my uncle's. Not in
hii» dress, indeed ; for my mother said, if she did not watch over
him, he might have put on an old for a new coat, and marched out.
Such was his power of abstraction, that he could read and compose
with his children in the room, and visiters talking around him. He
was near forty when he married, and had eight children, of whom we
were the youngest. So kind and amiable a character in domestic
life can scarcely be imagined. The tenderness he showed in every
weakness, and the sympathy in every pain, would fill sheets to de
scribe. But, I am not writing his eulogy; only I must add, with so
warm a temper, he never was heard to spoak an angry word to a ser
vant, or known to strike a child in anger, — and he knew no guile I"

REV. JOHN WJBSLLY. 275

that they excited general astonishment ; and they are now
iastly admired by the best judges for their talents in that
pleasing art. The Methodists are greatly indebted to
Charles Wesley for his unwearied labours and great use-
fulness at the first formation of the societies, when every
step was attended with difficulty and danger. And being
dead he yet speaketh by his numerous and excellent hymns,
written for the use of the societies, which still continue to
be the means of daily edification and comfort to thousands."
( Whitehead's Life.)

For the spiritual advantages which the Methodists have
derived from his inestimable hymns, which are in constant
use in their congregations, as well as for his early labours,
the memory of Mr. Charles Wesley indeed deserves to be
had in their everlasting remembrance ; and they are not
insensible of the value of the gift. Their taste has been
formed by this high standard ; and, notwithstanding all the
charges of illiteracy, and want of mental cultivation, which
have been often brought against them, we may venture to
say, there are few collections of psalms and hymns in use
in any other congregations, that would, as a whole, be)
tolerated amongst them ; — so powerful has been the effect
produced by his superior compositions. The clear and
decisive character of the religious experience which they
describe ; their force, and life, and earnestness ; com-
mended them, at the first, to the piety of the societies, and,
through that, insensibly elevated the judgment of thousands,
who, otherwise, might have relished, as strongly as others,
the rudeness of the old version of the Psalms, the tamo
ness of the new, and the tinsel metaphors and vapid sen-
timentalisms which disfigure numerous compositions of
different authors, in most collections of hymns in use. It
would seem, indeed, from the very small number of really
good psalms and hymns, which are adapted to public wor
ship and the use of religious societies, that this branch of
sacred poetry has not been very successfully cultivated ;
and that the* combination of genius, judgment, and taste,
requisite to produce them, is very rarely found. Germany
is said to be more abundant in good hymns than England ;
and some of the most excellent of the Wesleyan hymns are
imitations of German hymns admirably versified. But in pur
language the number is small. Hymns, indeed, abounding

276 LIFE OF THE

n sweet thoughts, though often feebly expressed, and such
as may be used profitably in the closet or the family circle,
are not so rare. But the true sacred lyric, suited for
public worship, and the select assemblies of the devout,
is as scarce as it is valuable. From the rustic rhyming of
Sternhold and Hopkins, to the psalms and hymns of Dr.
Watts, the advance was indeed unspeakably great. A few,
however, only of the latter, in comparison of the whole
number, are unexceptionable throughout. When they are
so, they leave nothing to be desired ; but many of Dr.
Watts's compositions begin well, often nobly, and then fall
off into dulness and puerility ; and not a few are utterly
worthless, as being poor in thought, and still more so in
expression. The piety and sweetness of Doddridge's
hymns must be felt ; but they are often verbose and lan
guid, and withal faulty and affected in their metaphors.
The Olney Collection has many delightful hymns for pri
vate use ; but they are far from being generally fit for the
public services of religion, and are often in bad taste ; not
even excepting many of Cowper's. This may be spoken
without irreverence, for the greatest poets have not proved
the best hymn-makers. Milton made but one tolerable
psalm ; and still more modern poets of note have seldom
fully redeemed the credit of their class. The fact seems
to be, that when the mind is very rich in sentiment and
imagery, those qualities are usually infused into sacred
song in too large proportions. Sentiment and genuine
religious feeling are things quite distinct, and seldom har
monize ; at least, though they may sometimes approach to
the verge of each other, they will not amalgamate ; and
exuberance of metaphor is inconsistent with strong and
absorbing devotion, and proves too artificial to express the
natural language of the heart. The talent of correct and
vigorous versification is, for these reasons, more likely to
produce the true " spiritual song" than luxuriance of ima
gination and great creative genius, provided the requisite
theological and devotional qualities be also present. A
hymn suitable for social worship ought to be terse and
vigorous ; and it is improved when every verse closes with
a sense so full and pointed as frequently to make soni
approach to the character of the ancient epigram ; or, as
Mr. Montgomery has happily expressed it, " each stanza

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 277

should be a poetical time, played down to the last note."
The meaning ought also to be so obvious as to be compre
hended at once, that men may speak to God directly,
without being distracted by investigating the real meaning
of the words put into their lips. And when metaphor is
efficiently employed, it must be generally such as the
Scriptures have already sanctioned ; for with tJieir imagery
we are all familiar, and it stands consecrated to the service
of the sanctuary by inspired authority. Yet even this ought
not to be adopted in an extended form, approaching to
allegory ; and is always more successful when rather lightly
touched and suggested, than when dwelt upon with parti
cularity. Cowper's fine hymn on Providence is greatly
improved by omitting the stanza : —

" His purposes will ripen fast,

Unfolding every hour ;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower."

This is a figure not only not found in sacred inspired
poetry, but which has too much prettiness to be the vehicle
of a sublime thought, and the verse has moreover the fault
of an absurd antithesis, as well as a false rhyme. Many
modern hymns are indeed as objectionable from the cha
racter of their imagery, as from the rneagreness of their
thoughts ; and there are a few somewhat popular, which,
leaving out or changing a few sacred terms, would chime
agreeably enough to the most common sentimental subjects.

To Dr. Watts and to Mr. Charles Wesley the largest
share of gratitude is due, in modern times, from the
Churches of Christ, for that rich supply of " psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs," in which the assemblies of
the pious may make melody unto the Lord, in strains
which "angels might often delight to hear." No others
are to be named with these sweet singers of the spiritual
Israel ; and it is probable that, through the medium of their
verse chiefly, will the devotions of our Churches be poured
lorth till time shall be no more. No other poets ever
attained such elevation as this. They honoured God in
their gifts, and God has thus honoured them to be the
mouth of his people to him, in their solemn assemblies, in
their private devotions, and in the struggles of death itself.

It would be an unpardonable task to compare the merits

278 LIFE OF THE

of these two great psalmists. Each had excellencies not
found in the other. Watts, however, excels Mr. Charles
Wesley, only in the sweeter flow of his numbers, and in
the feeling and sympathy of those of his hymns which are
designed to administer comfort to the afflicted. In compo
sition, he was, in all respects, decidedly his inferior, — in
good taste, classic elegance, uniformity of excellence, cor
rect rhyming, and vigour. As to the theology of their
hymns respectively, leaving particular doctrines out of the
question, the great truths of religious experience are also
far more clearly and forcibly embodied by Mr. Charles
Wesley than by Dr. Watts. Most justly does his brother
say of them in his preface to " the Collection of Hymns
for the use of the people called Methodists," of which
only a few are his own, and almost all the rest from the
pen of Mr. Charles Wesley, — " In these hymns there is
no doggerel, no botches, nothing put in to patch up the
rhyme, no feeble expletives. Here is nothing turgid or
bombastic, on the one hand, or low and creeping on the
other. Here are no cant expressions, no words without
meaning. Here are (allowT me to say) both the purity, the
strength and the elegance of the English language ; and,
at the same time, the utmost simplicity and plainness,
suited to every capacity."*

* In this collection, beside a few hymns by Mr. John Wesley, there
are four or five from Dr. Watts. Several are translations by the
Wesleys : one from the Spanish, " O God, my God, myall thou art,"
&c : one from the French, " Come, Saviour Jesus, from above :" and
the others from the German hymns of the Lutheran and Moravian
Churches. Several of these translated hymns Mr. Montgomery has
inserted in his " Psalmist," and marked " Moravian." They appear
indeed in the Moravian Hymn Book, but in departments there, in
which are also found the hymns of Dr. Watts and other English au
thors. The preface of the edition of 1754, the first authorized collection
of the English Moravians, and which embodies their former unauthor
ized publications, acknowledges " the foregoing labours of Mr. Jacobi
and the Rev. Mr. Wesley" in the translation of German hymns of the
sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, beside extracts of English ones
of the eighteenth, from "Watts, Stennett, Davis, Erskine, Wesley,"
&c ; which acknowledgment was no doubt overlooked by Mr. Mont
gomery. The hymns translated by the Wesleys, and said by Mr.
Montgomery in his collection to be " Moravian" are, " Thou hidden
love of God, whose height ;" " Thee will I love, my strength, my
tower ;" " Shall I for fear of feeble man ;" " O thou who earnest from
above ;" " Now I have found the ground wherein ;" " Mv soul before

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 279

Few persons ever wrote so much poetry of the sacred
and devotional kind, as Mr. Charles Wesley. It amounts

thee prostrate lies ;" and "Holy Lamb, who thee receive." Now all
these were published by the Weslcys before the Moravian Hymn
Book of 1754, in which the "foregoing labours of Mr. Wesley," in
translating from the German are acknowledged ; and indeed most of
them appear in the very first hymn books published by John and
Charles Wesley, two of which bear date so early as 1739, fifteen
yours previous to the publication of the authorized Moravian Collec
tion. As translations, they arc not therefore " Moravian ;" and, when
they are translated from "the German," it does not follow that they
all have a Moravian original, though some of them may ; for the
Moravian German book, like the English, as we learn from the preface
to their English hymn book, "consists as well of hymns out of pro-

is a Moravian German hymn ; but the translation is by Mr. Charles
Wesley; whilst "Give to the winds thy fears," also marked Mo
ravian is a German hymn of the Lutheran Church, and the trans,
lation is Mr. Charles Wesley's. Of this hymn there is a version in
the Moravian English Hymn Book ; the last stanza of which, when
placed beside Mr. C. Wesley's, will show with what strength of in
ternal evidence his translations distinguish themselves : —

WESLEY'S. MORAVIAN.

Thou seest our weakness, Lord, 0 Lord, thou seest our weakness,

Our hearts are known to thee : Yet know'st what our hearts mean :

O lift thou up the sinking hand, Against desponding slackness,

Confirm the feeble knee ! Our feeble knees sustain.

Let us in life and death, Till, and beyond death's valley,

Thy steadfast truth declare : Let us thy truth declare ;

And publish with our latest breath Yea, then emphatically,

Thy love and guardian care. Boast of thy guardian care.

Some other comparisons might be made between Mr. C. Wesley's
translations from Gorman hymns and those from the same originals
found in the Moravian Hymn Book, which would sufficiently show
that the Moravians, then at least, had no translator into English verse
at all comparable to him ; and indeed they had sufficient taste gene
rally to adopt his translations in preference. But this is no reason
why he should lose the credit of his own admirable performances in
this department. Respect to literary justice has drawn out this note
to so great a length ; and it was the more necessary to state the
matter correctly, because Mr. Montgomery's " Psalmist" might in
future mislead. The first editions of the Hymns and Sacred Poems,
by the Wesleys, viz., those of 1739, 1743, and 1745, in which most of
the above hymns are found, with several others in the Moravian
Hymn Book, are now become scarce, and in a few years may not bo
forthcoming to correct the error. For this reason it may also be
noticed that Mr. Montgomery has inserted in his collection several
hymns by Charles Wesley as the composition of "authors unknown."
These, too, are found in the early editions of the Wesley Hymns and
Posins, and in some later ones, as, "Come let us who in Christ

280 LIFE OF THE

to forty-eight distinct publications of different sizes, from
the duodecimo volume, to the pamphlet of one or two sheets.
Beside what is published, several thick quarto volumes
of poetry in MS. remain, chiefly consisting of brief illus
trations or paraphrases of the leading texts in the Gospels
and Acts of the Apostles, and not inferior to his " Short
Hymns on the chief passages of the Old and New Testa
ments," which have passed through several editions. A few
of his poems are playful, a few others are keenly satirical.
He satirized his brother's ordinations, and the preachers ;
but, High Churchman as he was, he is very unsparing in
the use of his poetic whip upon the persecuting and irre
ligious clergy. Of this, some of his published, and several
of his unpublished paraphrases, on passages of the Gospels,

believe ;" " Come, O thou all-victorious Lord ;" " Fountain of being,
source of good;" "God of my life, whose gracious power ;" "Jesus,
my strength, my hope ;" " Jesus, the name high over all ;" " Leader
of faithful souls, and guide;" "O that thou would'st the heavens
rent ;" " Spirit of truth, come down ;" " Thee, O my God and King ;"
" Thy ceaseless, unexhausted love ;" and, " When quiet in my house
I sit." There are two ways of accounting for Mr.Montgomery's want
of information as to these hymns ; — that he was not in possession of
the early editions of hymns published by John and Charles Wesley ; —
and that some of the hymns in the hymn book in use amongst us,
which he has ascribed to authors unknown, are parts of longer hymns,
and were selected by Mr. John Wesley from his brother's poetry,
sometimes from the middle or end of a piece, so that the first lines
would not be found in the old indexes when consulted. Mr, Charles
Wesley's hymns have not been unfrequently claimed for others, with
out any design to be unjust. In the Christian Observer, a few years
ago, that exquisite production of one of his happiest moments, "Jesus,
lover of my soul," was assigned to Mr. Madan, although published
by Mr. Charles Wesley, in the year 1743 ; and the translation from
the French, " Come, Saviour Jesus, from above," is found in the
poetical works of Dr. John Byrom, published in 1773, although it
appears in the Wesley " Hymns and Poems" of 1739. The proba
bility is, that a copy of it was found among Byrom's papers, and so
the editor of his poems concluded it to be his. A correct list of the
different editions of the Hymns and Sacred Poems published by the
Wesleys will be found in the last volume of Wesley's Works, recently
completed. The editions of'1739 are scarce, and it ought to be noticed
that there are two distinct works published under the same title of
"Hymns and Sacred Poems," each bearing that date. The hymn
book now in use was compiled by Mr. John Wresley out of the pre.
ceding hymn books, of different sizes and editions, and from his bro
ther's "Festival Hymns," " Scripture Hymns,'* &c. The whole
underwent his severe criticism, and he abridged and corrected them
with a taste and judgment which greatly increased their value.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 281

and the Acts of the Apostles, in which the persecuting deeds
of the scribes arid Pharisees are recorded, afford some caus
tic specimens ;* and sufficiently indicate that he did not bear
the contumely and opposition of his High Church brethren
with the equanimity and gentleness of his brother John
He also took a part in the Calvinistic controversy, by
writing his Hymns or Poems on God's universal love. But
by far the greater part of his poetry was consecrated to
promote the work of God in the heart. Never were its
different branches, from the first awakening of the soul out
of the sleep of sin, to its state of perfected holiness, with
all its intermediate conflicts and exercises, more justly or
scripturally expressed ; and there is, perhaps, no uninspired
book from which, as to " the deep things of God," so
much is to be learned, as from his hymn book in use in
the Methodist congregations. The funeral hymns in this
collection have but little of the softness of sorrow, — per-
haps too little ; but they are written in that fulness of faith,
which exclaims over the open tomb, — " Thanks be to God
who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."
The hymns on the last day are characterized also by the
same unflinching faith, which, rejoicing in the smile of the
Judge, defies the wild uproar of elements, and the general

* As almost all the family were poets, so they were all character
ized by a vein of satire. This they appear to have inherited from their
father, whose wit was both ready and pungent. The following is an
instance copied from the Gentleman's Magazine, for the year 1802 : —

"The authenticity of the following extempore grace by the Rev.
Samuel Wesley, (father of the Rev. John,) formerly rector of Epworth,
may be relied on. It is given on the authority of the late William
Barn card, Esq., of Gainsborough, whoso father, the preserver of John
from the fire of 1707, was present at the time it was spoken, at
Temple Bclwood, after dinner. Mr. P., at whose house they dined,
was a strange compound of avarice and oddity ; many of his sin.
gularities are still remembered.

' Thanks for this feast, for 'tis no less
Than eating manna in the wilderness ;
Hero meagre Famine bears controlless sway,
And ever drives each fainting wretch away.
Yet here, (O how beyond a saint's belief!)
We've socn the glories of a chine of beef;
Hr;re chimneys smoke, which never smoked before,
And we have dined, where we shall dine no more.' "

The design of this odd extemporaneous effusion we are bound to
believe, was not to indulge in levitv, but to convey a useful reproof
24*

282 LIFE OF THE

conflagration itself. In several of these, Mr. Charles
Wesley has admirably Christianized the "just man" of
Horace, dreadless, amidst the ruins of a world ;

"Sifractus illabatur orbis,

1/npuvidum ferient ruince, ;"

If a dissolved world should fall upon him, its ruins would strike
him fearless ;]

placing the same fine thought in various aspects, and illus
trating it by different circumstances. His hymns of invi
tation are sweet and persuasive ; and those on justification
by faith, admirably illustrative of that important doctrine.
Of the value set upon this hymn book by the Methodist
congregations, this is a sufficient proof, that above sixty
thousand copies are sold yearly in the United Kingdom
alone.* The number in the United States of America
must be considerably larger.

With reference to his brother's poetry a remark is inci
dentally and somewhat oddly introduced, by Mr. Wesley,
in his journal of 1790, Jan. 28 : —

" I retired to Peckham, and at leisure hours read part
of a very pretty trifle, the life of Mrs. Bellamy. Surely
never did any since John Dryden study more

4 To make vice pleasing, and damnation shine,'
than this lively and elegant writer. She has a fine ima
gination, a strong understanding, an easy style, improved
by much reading ; a fine, benevolent temper, and every
qualification that could consist with a total ignorance of
God : but God was not in all her thoughts. Abundance
of anecdotes she inserts, which may be true or false. One
of them, concerning Mr. Garrick, is curious : she says,
' When he was taking ship for England, a lady presented
him with a parcel, which she desired him not to open till
he was at sea. When he did, he found Wesley's Hymns,
which he immediately threw over board.' I cannot believe
it. I think Mr. G. had more sense. He knew my brother
\vell. And he knew him to be not only far superior in
learning, but in poetry, to Mr. Thomson, and all his thea-

* As the number of hymns in this book, adapted for mixed congre
gations and festivaloccasions,was not thought sufficient, a supplement
is now added ; containing about an equal number of hymns, by Mr.
Charles Wesley, and by other authors. Some of the best hymns hu
ever wrote are found in this smaller collection, chiefly on the festival*

REV. JOHN WESLEY 283

trical writers put together : none of them can equal him,
either in strong nervous sense, or purity and elegance of
language. The musical compositions of his sons are not
more excellent than the poetical ones of their father."

The last end of the truly venerable John Wesley was
now also approaching. He was on his regular pastoral
visit to Ireland, when he entered his eighty-seventh year,
on which he remarks in his journal : " This day I enter
on my eighty-seventh year. I now find I grow old. 1. My
sight is decayed, so that I cannot read a small print, un
less in a strong light. 2. My strength is decayed, so that
I walk much slower than I did some years since. 3. My
memory of names, whether of persons or places, is decayed,
till I stop a little to recollect them. What I should be
afraid of is, if I took thought for the morrow, that my
body should weigh down my mind, arid create either stub
bornness, by the decrease of my understanding, or pee
vishness, by the increase of bodily infirmities : but thou
shalt answer for me, O Lord my God !"

Notwithstanding these infirmities, we find him still act
ing under the impression — " I must be about my Father's
business." Although in comparison of his former rapidity
of movement, he crept rather than ran ; it was still in the
same ceaseless course of service. After holding the Irish
conference in Dublin, and the English conference at
Leeds, in August, he returned to London ; from thence he
set out to Bristol, and proceeded on his usual tour through
the west of England, and Cornwall. Notwithstanding his
regular visits to Cornwall, he appears, from some reason,
not to have turned aside to Falmouth, since the time of
his preaching there forty years before, when he met with
so violent a reception. He now paid that place a visit, and
remarks, — " The last time I was here, about forty years
ago, I was taken prisoner by an immense mob, gaping and
roaring like lions ; but how is the tide turned ! High and
low now lined the streets from one end of the town to the
other, out of stark love and kindness, gaping and staring
as if the king were going by. In the evening I preached
on the smooth top of the hill, at a small distance from the
sea, to the largest congregation I have ever seen in Corn-
wall, except in or near Redruth ; and such a time I have
not known before, since I returned from Ireland. God

284 LIFE OK THE

moved wonderfully on the hearts of tho people, who ill
seemed to know the day of their visitation."

From Cornwall he returned by way of Bristol and Bath
to London. In the early part of the next year, we find him
again at Bristol ; from whence he proceeded, preaching at
several of the intermediate towns, to Birmingham ; and
from thence through Staffordshire to Madeley, where we
find the following affecting entry in his journal : —

" At nine I preached to a select congregation on the
deep things of God ; and in the evening on, ' He is able
to save unto the uttermost all them that come unto God
through him.' Friday 26, I finished my sermon on the
* Wedding Garment ;' perhaps the last that I shall write.
My eyes are now waxed dim. My natural force is abated ;
however, while I can, I would fain do a little for God, be-
fore I drop into the dust."

The societies in Cheshire, Lancashire, and the north of
England, once more, and for the last time, saw the man,
to whom, under God, they owed their religious existence.
On his return southward, he passed through the East Rid
ing of Yorkshire, to Hull ; preaching in every place as on
the brink of eternity. He also visited Epworth, and va
rious parts of Lincolnshire ; and, upon attaining his eighty-
eighth year, has the following reflections : —

" This day I enter into 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 likewise now quite forsook me, and pro
bably 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
' The weary springs of life stand still at last.' "

" This," says Dr. Whitehead, " at length was literally
the case ; the death of Mr. Wesley, like that of his brother
Charles, being one of those rare instances in which nature,
drooping under the load of years, sinks by a gentle decay.
For several years preceding his death, this decay was, per
haps, more visible to others than to himself, particularly by
a more frequent disposition to sleep during the day, by a
growing defect in memory, a faculty he once possessed in

KEY. JOHN WESLEY. 285

a bigh degree of perfection, and by a general diminution
of the vigour and agility he had so long enjoyed. His
labours, however, suffered little interruption ; and when
the summons came, it found him, as he always wished it
should, in the harness, still occupied in his Master's work !"

Still his journal records his regular visitation of the
principal places where societies existed, and exhibits the
same variety and raciness of remark on men and books,
and other subjects, although writing must, at that time,
have become exceedingly difficult to him from the failure
of his sight. This most interesting record of unparalleled
labours "in the Gospel" was, for this reason, it is pre
sumed, discontinued, and closes on Sunday, October
'24th, 1790, when he states that he preached twice at
Spitalfields church. He continued, however, during the
autumn and winter, to visit various places till February,
continually praying, " Lord, let me not live to be useless."
The following account of his last days is taken from the
memoir prefixed to the edition of his works by the Rev.
Joseph Benson, and is there inserted as a proper close to
his journal : —

" He preached, as usual, in different places in London
and its vicinity, generally meeting the society after preach
ing in each place, and exhorting them to love as brethren,
to fear God, and honour the king, which he wished them
to consider as his last advice. He then usually, if not in
variably, concluded, with giving out that verse, —
' O that, without a lingering groan,

I may the welcome word receive ;
My body with my charge lay down,
And cease at once to work and live.'

" He proceeded in this way till the usual time of his
leaving London approached, when, with a view to take his
accustomed journey through Ireland or Scotland, he sent
his chaise and horses before him to Bristol, and took places
for himself and his friend in the Bath coach. But his mind,
with all its vigour, could no longer uphold his Avorn-out
and sinking body. Its powers ceased, although by slow
and almost imperceptible degrees, to perform their sundry
offices, until, as he often expressed himself,

4 The weary wheels of life stood still at last.'

"Thursday, February 17, 1791, he preached at Lam-

286 LIFE OF THE

beth ; but, on his return, seemed much indisposed, and
said, he had taken cold. The next day, however, he read
and wrote as usual ; and in the evening, preached at Chel
sea, from, " The King's business requires haste," although
with some difficulty, having a high degree of fever upon
him. Indeed he was obliged to stop once or twice, inform,
ing the people that his cold so affected his voice as to
prevent his speaking without those necessary pauses. On
Saturday he still persevered in his usual employments,
though, to those about him, his complaints seemed evi
dently increasing. He dined at Islington, and at dinner
desired a friend to read to him four chapters out of the
book of Job, viz., from the fourth to the seventh inclusive.
On Sunday he rose early, according to custom, but quite
unfit for any of his usual Sabbath day's exercises. At
seven o'clock he was obliged to lie down, and slept be-
tween three and four hours. When he awoke, he said, " I
have not had such a comfortable sleep this fortnight past."
In the afternoon he lay down again, and slept an hour or
two. Afterward two of his own discourses on our Lord's
Sermon on the Mount were read to him, and in the even,
ing he came down to supper.

" Monday the 21st, he seemed much better ; and though
his friends tried to dissuade him from it, he would keep
an engagement, made some time before, to dine at Twick
enham. In his way thither he called on Lady Mary
Fitzgerald : the conversation was truly profitable, and
well became a last visit. On Tuesday he went on with
his usual work, preached in the evening at the chapel in
the City-Road, and seemed much better than he had been
for some days. On Wednesday he went to Leatherhead,
and preached to a small company on, " Seek ye the Lord
while he may be found ; call ye upon him while he is near."
This proved to be his last sermon : here ended the public
labours of this great minister of Jesus Christ. On Thurs
day he paid a visit to Mr. Wolff's family at Balham, where
he was cheerful, and seemed nearly as well as usual, till
Friday, about breakfast time, when he grew very heavy.
About eleven o'clock he returned home, extremely ill-
His friends were struck with the manner of his getting
out of the carriage, and still more with his apparent weak-
ness when he went up stairs and sat down in his chaii.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 287

He now desired to be left alone, and not to be interrupted
by any one, for half an hour. When that time was expired,
some mulled wine was brought him, of which he drank a
little. In a few minutes he threw it up, and said, ' I must
lie down.' His friends were now alarmed, and Dr. White-
head was immediately sent for. On his entering the room,
he said in a cheerful voice, « Doctor, they are more afraid
than hurt.' Most of this day he lay in bed, had a quick
pulse, with a considerable degree of fever and stupor.
And Saturday, the 26th, he continued in much the same
state ; taking very little either of medicine or nourishment.
" Sunday morning he seemed much better, got up, and
took a cup of tea. Sitting in his chair, he looked quite
cheerful, and repeated the latter part of the verse, in his
brother Charles's Scripture Hymns, on « Forsake me not
when my strength failethj viz : —

« Till glad I lay this body down,

Thy servant, Lord, attend ;
And, O ! my life of mercy crown
With a triumphant end.'

Soon after, in a most emphatical manner, he said, * Our
friend Lazarus sleepeth.' Exerting himself to converse
with some friends, he was soon fatigued, and obliged to
lie down. After lying quiet some time, he looked up, and
said, ' Speak to me ; I cannot speak.' On which one of
the company said, ' Shall we pray with you, sir ?' He ear
nestly replied, 'Yes.' And while they prayed, his whole
soul seemed engaged with God for an answer, and his
hearty Amen showed that he perfectly understood what
was said. About half an hour after, he said, * There is
no need of more ; when at Bristol my words were,

' I the chief of sinners am,
But Jesus died for me.' *

* At the Bristol conferences in 1783, Mr. Wesley was taken very
ill ; neither lie nor his friends thought he could recover. From the
nature of his complaint, he supposed a spasm would seize his stomach,
and, probably, occasion sudden death. Under these views of his situ
ation, he said to Mr. Bradford, " I have been reflecting on my past
life : I have been wandering up and down, between fifty and sixty
years, endeavouring, in my poor way, to do a little good to my fellow
creatures : and now it is probable, that there are but a few steps
between me nnd death ; and what nave I to trust to for salvation ?

288 LIFE OF THE

" One said, * Is this the present language of ;; our heart,
and do you now feel as you did then ?' He repHed, * Yes.'
When the same person repeated,

' Bold I approach the eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own ;'

and added, ' 'Tis enough. He our precious Immanuel has
purchased, has promised, all ;' he earnestly replied, « He
is all ! He is all !' After this the fever was very high, and,
at times, affected his recollection ; but even then, though
his head was subject to a temporary derangement, his
heart seemed wholly engaged in his Master's work. In
the evening he got up again, and, while sitting in his chair,
he said, « How necessary it is for every one to be on the
right foundation !

' I the chief of sinners am,
But Jesus died for me !' "

" Monday, the 28th, his weakness increased. He slept
most of the day, and spoke but little ; yet that little testi
fied how much his whole heart was taken up in the care
of the societies, the glory of God, and the promotion of
the things pertaining to that kingdom to which he was
hastening. Once he said, in a low but distinct manner,
• There is no way into the holiest, but by the blood of
Jesus.' He afterward inquired what the words were from
which he had preached a little before at Hampstead. Being
told they were these, « Ye know the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes
he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be
rich :' he replied, 'That is the foundation, the only founda
tion : there is no other.' This day Dr. Whitehead desired
he might be asked, if he would have any other physician
called in to attend him ; but this he absolutely refused.
It is remarkable that he suffered very little pain, never
complaining of any during his illness, but once of a pain

I can see nothing which I have done or suffered, that will boar
looking at. I have no other plea than this.,

' I the chief of sinners am,
But Jesus died for me.' "

The sentiment here expressed, and his referonco to it in his last
sickness, plainly show how steadily he had persevered in tho same
views of tho Gospel.

REV. JOHN WESLE\. 239

.n his left breast. This was a restless night. Tuesday
morning he sung two verses of a hymn : then lying still,
as if to recover strength, he called for pen and ink ; but
when they were brought, he could not write. A person
said, < Let me write for you, sir : tell me what you would
say.' He replied, * Nothing, but that God is with us.'
In the forenoon he said, « I will get up.' While they were
preparing his clothes, he broke out in a manner which,
considering his extreme weakness, astonished all present,
in singing,

• I'll praise my Maker while I've breath,
And when my voico 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 !'

" Having got him into his chair, they observed him
change for death. But he, regardless of his dying body,
said, with a weak voice, * 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 loosest
tongues.' He then sung,

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

Here his voice failed. After gasping for breath, he said,
* Now we have done all.' He was then laid in the bed,
from which he rose no more. After resting a little he
called to those that were with him to 'pray and praise.'
They kneeled down, and the room seemed to be filled
vvith the Divine presence. A little after, he said, * Let me
be buried in nothing but what is woollen, and let my
corpse be carried into the chapel.' Then, as if he had
done with all below, he again begged they would pray and
praise. Several friends that were in the house being
called up, they all kneeled down again to prayer, at which
time his fervour of spirit was manifest to every one pre
sent. But in particular parts of the prayer, his whole soul
seemed to be engaged in a manner which evidently showed
how ardently he longed for the full accomplishment of
their united desires. And when one of the preachers was
praying in a very expressive manner, that if God were
about to take away their father to his eternal rest, he
25

290 LIFK OF TUB

would be pleased to continue and increase his blessing
upon the doctrine and discipline which he had long- mude
his servant the means of propagating and establishing in
the world ; such a degree of fervour accompanied his loud
Amen, as was every way expressive of his soul's l.?eing
engaged in the answer of the petitions. On rising from
their knees, he took hold of all their hands, and, with the
utmost placidness, saluted them, and said, 'Farewell,
farewell.'

" A little after, a person coming in, he strove to speak,
but could not. Finding they could not understand him,
he paused a little, and then, with all the remaining strength
he had, cried out, The best of all is, God is with us ; and,
soon after, lifting up his dying ami in token of victory, and
raising his feeble voice with a holy triumph not to be ex
pressed, he again repeated the heart-reviving words, Tht,
best of all is, God is with us. Being told that his brother's
widow was come, he said, « He giveth his servants rest.'
He thanked her, as she pressed his hand, and affection
ately endeavoured to kiss her. On his lips being wetted,
he said, * We thank thee, O Lord, for these and all thy
mercies : bless the Church and king ; and grant us truth
and peace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, for ever and
ever !' At another time he said, ' He causeth his servants
to lie down in peace.' Then pausing a little, he cried.
4 The clouds drop fatness!' and soon after, 'The Lord is
with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge !' He then called
those present to prayer: and though he was greatly ex^
hausted, he appeared still more fervent in spirit. These
exertions were, however, too much for his feeble frame ;
and most of the night following, though he often attempted
to repeat the psalm before mentioned, he could only utter,
' I'll praise — I'll praise !'

" On Wednesday morning the closing scene drew near,
Mr. Bradford, his faithful friend, prayed with him, and the
last words he was heard to articulate were, « Farewell !'
A few minutes before ten, while several of his friends were
kneeling around his bed, without a lingering groan, this
man of God, this beloved pastor of thousands, entered into
the joy of his Lord.

" He was in the eighty-eighth year of his age, bad been
sixty-five years in the ministry ; and the preceding panes

REV. JOHN WKfiLEV. 291

will be a lasting memorial of his uncommon zeal, diligence,
and usefulness, in his Master's work, for more than half a
century. His death was an admirable close to so laborious
and useful a life.

" At the desire of many of his friends his corpse was
placed in the new chapel, and remained there the day
before his interment. His face during that time had a
heavenly smile upon it, and a beauty which was admired
by all that saw it.

'• March the 9th was the day appointed for his interment.
The preachers then in London requested that Dr. White-
head should deliver the funeral discourse ; and the execu
tors afterward approved of the appointment. The intention
was to carry the corpse into the chapel, and place it in a
raised situation before the pulpit during the service. But
the crowds which came to see the body while it lay in the
coffin, both in the private house, and especially in the chapel
the day before his funeral, were so great, that his friends
were apprehensive of a tumult, if they should adopt the
plan first intended. It was therefore resolved, the evening
before, to bury him between five and six in the morning.
Though the time of notice to his friends was short, and
the design itself was spoken of with great caution, yet a
considerable number of persons attended at that early hour.
The late Rev. Mr. Richardson, who now lies with him in
the same vault, read the funeral service in a manner that
made it peculiarly affecting. When he came to that part
of it, • Forasmuch as it hath pleased almighty God to take
'unto himself the soul of our dear brother? &c, he substi
tuted, with the most tender emphasis, the epithet father,
instead of brother, which had so powerful an effect on the
congregation, that from silent tears they seemed universally
to burst out into loud weeping.

INSCRIPTION ON HIS COFFIN.

JOHANNES WESLEY, A.M.

Olim Soc. Coll. Lin. Oxon.
Ob. 2do. die Martii, 1791.

An. yEt. 88.*

- "John Wesley, Master of Arts, formerly Fellow of Lincoln
''•"Isge, Oxford, died on the second day of March, 1791, in the
-eighth year of his age."

292 LIFE OF THE

" The discourse by Dr. Whitehead was delivered in the
chapel at the hour appointed in the forenoon, to an asto
nishing multitude of people; among whom were many
ministers of the Gospel, both of the Establishment and
Dissenters. The audience was still and solemn as night ;
and all seemed to carry away with them enlarged views
of Mr. Wesley's character, and serious impressions of the
importance of religion."

The following is the inscription on the marble tablet
erected to his memory, in the chapel, City Road : —

to tbe
OF THK REV. JOHN WESLEY, M. A.

SOMETIME FELLOW OF LINCOLN COLLEGE, OXFORD
A Man in learning and sincere Piety

Scarcely inferior to any ;

In Zeal, Ministerial Labours, and extensive Usefulness,
Superior, perhaps, to all Men,

Since the days of ST. PAUL.

Regardless of Fatigue, personal Danger, and Disgrace,
He went out into the highways and hedges,

Calling Sinners to Repentance,

And Publishing the GOSPEL of Peace.

He was the Founder of the Methodist Societies,

And the chief Promoter and Patron

Of the Plan of Itinerant Preaching,

Which he extended through GREAT BRITAIN and IRELAND,
The WEST INDIES, and AMERICA,

With unexampled Success.
He was born the 17th of June, 1703 ;

And died the 2d of March, 1791,
In sure and certain hope of Eternal Life,

Through tho Atonement and Mediation of a Crucified Saviour.
He was sixty-five Years in the Ministry,

And fifty -two an Itinerant Preacher:
He lived to see, in thcso KINGDOMS only,

About three hundred Itinerant,

And one thousand Local Preachers,

Raised up from the midst of his own People ;

And eighty thousand Persons in the Societies under his care.

His name will be ever had in grateful Remembrance

By all who rejoice in the universal Spread

Of the Gospol of CHRIST.

Soli Deo Gloria.
[Glory to God alone.]

It would be superfluous in closing this account of a man
at once so extraordinary and so truly great, for me to a*

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 293

tempt a delineation of his character, since this has been
done so ably that nothing can easily be added, with good
effect. 1 shall therefore insert Dr. Whitehead's own
summary, with notices by others who were personally
acquainted with him. Taken together they transmit an
interesting and instructive picture of the founder of
Methodism, to future ages.

Dr. Whitehcad observes : —

"Some persons have affected to insinuate that Mr.
Wesley was a man of slender capacity ; but certainly with
great injustice. His apprehension was clear, his penetra
tion quick, and his judgment discriminative and sound ;
of which his controversial writings, and his celebrity in the
stations he held at Oxford, when young, are sufficient
proofs. In governing a large body of preachers and peo
pic, of various habits, interests, and principles, with asto
nishing calmness and regularity for many years, he showed
a strong and capacious mind, that could comprehend and
combine together a vast variety of circumstances, and
direct their influence through the great body he governed.
As a scholar, he certainly held a conspicuous rank. Ho
was a critic in the Latin and Greek classics ; and was well
acquainted with the Hebrew, and with several modern
tongues. But the Greek was his favourite language, in
which his knowledge was extensive and accurate. At
college, he had studied Euclid, Keil, Sir Isaac Newton's
Optics, &c : but he never entered far into the more ab
struse parts, or the higher branches of the mathematics ;
finding they would fascinate his mind, absorb his attention,
and divert him from the pursuit of the more important
objects of his own profession.

" Natural History was a field in which he walked at
every opportunity, and contemplated with infinite pleasure
the wisdom, the power, and the goodness of God, in the
structure of natural bodies, and in the various instincts and
habits of the animal creation. But he was obliged to view
these wonderful works of God, in the labours and records
of others ; his various and continual employments of a
higher nature, not permitting him to make experiments and
observations for himself.*

* Ho, however, employed much leisure time whilst at college in
the study of anatomy and medicine.
25*

294 LIFE OF THE

" As a writer, Mr. Wesley certainly possessed talents,
sufficient to procure him considerable reputation. But
he did not write for fame : his object was chiefly to instruct
and benefit that numerous class of people who have little
learning, little money, and but little time to spare for read,
ing. In all his writings he constantly kept these circum
stances in view. Content with doing good, he used no
trappings merely to please, or to gain applause. The dis
tinguishing character of his style is brevity and perspicuity-
He never lost sight of the rule which Horace gives : —
' Est brevitate opus, ut currat sententia, neti se

Impediat verbis lassas onerantibus aures?
' Concise your diction, let your sense be clear,
Nor with a weight of words fatigue the ear.'

In all his writings his words are well chosen, pure, proper
to his subject, and precise in their meaning. His senten
ces commonly have the attributes of clearness, unity, and
strength : and whenever he took time, and gave the neces
sary attention to his subject, both his manner of treating it,
and his style, show the hand of a master.*

" The following is a just character of Mr. Wesley as a
preacher : ' His attitude in the pulpit was graceful and
easy ; his action calm and natural, yet pleasing and expres
sive : his voice not loud, but clear and manly : his style
neat, simple, and perspicuous ; and admirably adapted to
the capacity of his hearers. His discourses, in point of
composition, were extremely different on different occa
sions. When he gave himself sufficient time for prepara
tion, he succeeded; but when he did not, he frequently
failed.' It was indeed manifest to his friends, for many
years before he died, that his employments were too many,
and that he preached too often, to appear with the same
advantage at all times in the pulpit. His sermons were
always short : he was seldom more than half an hour in
delivering a discourse, sometimes not so long. His sub
jects were judiciously chosen ; instructive and interesting to
the audience, and well adapted to gain attention and warm
the heart.

* His Treatise on Original Sin ; his Appeals, and some of his
Sermons, are instances of finished and careful composition ; and are
equally to be admired for clearness of method, and the force of many
passages which are truly eloquent.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 295

"The labours of Mr. Wesley in the work of the minis,
try, for fifty years together, were without precedent.
During this period, he travelled about four thousand five
hundred miles every year, one year with another chiefly
on horseback. It had been impossible for him to accom
plish this almost incredible degree of exertion, without
great punctuality and care in the management of his time.
He had stated hours for every purpose : and his only re
laxation was a change of employment. His rules were
like the laws of the Medes and Persians, absolute and irre
vocable. He had a peculiar pleasure in reading and study,
and every literary man knows how apt this passion is to
make him encroach on the time which ought to be em
ployed in other duties : he had a high relish for conversa^
tion, especially with pious, learned, and sensible men : but
whenever the hour came when he was to set out on a jour
ney, he instantly quitted the company with which he might
be engaged, without any apparent reluctance. For fifty-
two years, or upward, he generally delivered two, frequently
three or four, sermons in a day. But calculating only two
sermons a day, and allowing, as a writer of his life has
done, fifty annually for extraordinary occasions, the whole
number of sermons he preached during this period will be
forty thousand five hundred and sixty. To these must be
added, an infinite number of exhortations to the societies
after preaching, and in other occasional meetings, at which
he assisted.

" Tn social life, Mr. Wesley was lively and conversa
tional. He had the talent of making himself exceedingly
agreeable in company : and having been much accustomed
to society, the rules of good breeding were habitual to him.
The abstraction of a scholar did not appear in his beha
viour; but he was attentive and polite. He spoke a good
deal where he saw it was expected, which was almost always
the case wherever he visited. Having seen much of the
world in his travels, and read more, his mind was stored
with an infinite number of anecdotes and observations :
and the manner in which he related them was no inconsi
derable addition to the entertainment and instruction they
afforded. It was impossible to be long in his company,
oither in public or private, without partaking of his placid
Cheerfulness; which was not abated by the infirmities of

298 LIFE OF TUB

age, or the approach of death; but was as conspicuous at
fourscore and seven, as at one and twenty.

" A remarkable feature in Mr. Wesley's character, was
his placability. Having an active penetrating mind, his
temper was naturally quick, and even tending to sharpness.
The influence of religion, and the constant habit of patient
thinking, had in a great measure corrected this disposition.
In general he preserved an air of sedateness and tranquilli.
ty, which formed a striking contrast to the liveliness con
spicuous in all his actions. Persecution, abuse, and injury,
lie bore from strangers, not only without anger, but without
any apparent emotion ; and what he said of himself was
strictly true, that he had a great facility in forgiving inju
ries. Submission, on the part of the offender, presently
disarmed his resentment, and he would treat him with great
kindness and cordiality. No man was ever more free from
jealousy or suspicion than Mr. Wesley, or laid himself
more open to the impositions of others. Though his con
fidence was often abused, and circumstances sometimes
took place which would have made almost any other man
suspicious, yet he suspected no one ; nor was it easy to
convince him that any one had intentionally deceived him ;
and when facts had demonstrated that this was actually the
case, he would allow no more than that it was so in that
single instance. If the person acknowledged his fault, he
believed him sincere, and would trust him again. If we
view this temper of his mind in connection with the circum
stance that his most private papers lay open to the inspec
tion of those constantly about him, it will afford as strong
a proof as can well be given, of the integrity of his own
mind ; and that he was at the farthest distance from any
intention to deceive, or impose upon others.

-'The temperance of Mr. Wesley was extraordinary.
When at college he carried this so far, that his friends
thought him blamable. But he never imposed upon others
the same degree of rigour he exercised upon himself. He
only said, I must be the best judge of what is hurtful or
beneficial to me. Among other things, he was remarkable
for moderation in sleep ; and his notion of it cannot be
better explained than in his own words. Healthy men,
says he, « require about six hours' sleep ; healthy women,
a little above seven, in four and twenty. If any one desires

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 297

to know exactly what quantity of sleep his own constitution
requires, he may very easily make the experiment, which I
made ahout sixty years ago. I then waked every night
about twelve or one, and lay awake for some time. I
readily concluded, that this arose from my being in bed
longer than nature required. To be satisfied, I procured
an alarum, which waked me the next morning at seven,
(nearly an hour earlier than I rose the day before,) yet
I lay awake again at night. The second morning I rose
at six ; but notwithstanding this, I lay awake the second
night. The third morning I rose at five ; but, neverthe
less, I lay awake the third night. The fourth morning I
rose at four, as, by the grace of God, I have done ever
since : and I lay awake no more. And I do not now lie
awake, taking the year round, a quarter of an hour toge
ther in a month. By the same experiment, rising earlier
and earlier every morning, may any one find how much
sleep he wants.'

" It must, however, be observed, that, for many years
before his death, Mr. Wesley slept more or less during the
day ; and his great readiness to fall asleep at any time
when fatigued, was a considerable means of keeping up
his strength, and enabling him to go through so much
labour. He never could endure to sleep on a soft bed.
Even in the latter part of life, when the infirmities of age
pressed upon him, his whole conduct was at the greatest
distance from softness or effeminacy.

"A writer of Mr. Wesley's Life, from whom some
observations respecting his general character have already
been taken, has farther observed, Perhaps the most chari
table man in England was Mr. Wesley. His liberality to
the poor knew no bounds but an empty pocket. He gave
away, not merely a certain part of his income, but all that
he had : his own wants provided for, he devoted all the rest
to the necessities of others. He entered upon this good
work at a very early period. We are told, that, 'when he
had thirty pounds a year, he lived on twenty, eight, and
gave away forty shillings. The next year, receiving sixty
pounds, he still lived on twenty-eight, and gave away two
and thirty. The third year he received ninety pounds, and
gave away sixty-two. The fourth year he received one
hundred and twenty pounds. Still he lived on twenty-eight,

298 LIFE OF THE

and gave to the poor ninety-two.' In this ratio he pro.
ceeded during the rest of his life ; and, in the course of
fifty years, it has heen supposed, he gave away between
twenty arid thirty thousand pounds ;* a great part of which,
most other men would have put out at interest, upon good
security.

" In the distribution of his money, Mr. Wesley was as
disinterested as he was charitable. He had no regard to
family connections, nor even to the wants of the preachers
who laboured with him, in preference to strangers. He
knew that these had some friends ; and he thought that the
poor destitute stranger might have none, and therefore had
the first claim on his liberality. When a trifling legacy has
been paid him, he has been known to dispose of it in some
charitable way before he slept, that it might not remain his
own property for one night. He often declared that his
own hands should be his executors ; and though he gained
all he could by his publications, and saved all he could,
not wasting so much as a sheet of paper ; yet, by giving all
he could, he was preserved from laying up treasures upon
earth. He had said in print, that, if he died worth more
than ten pounds, independent of his books, and the arrears
of his fellowship, which he then held, he would give the
world leave to call him * a thief and a robber.' This
declaration, made in the integrity of his heart, and the
height of his zeal, laid him under some inconveniences
afterward, from circumstances which he could not at that
time foresee. Yet in this, as all his friends expected, he
literally kept his word, as far as human foresight could
reach. His chaise and horses, his clothes, and a few trifles
of that kind, were all, his books excepted, that he left at
his death. Whatever might be the value of his books, this
altered not the case, as they were placed in the hands of
trustees, and the profits arising from the sale of them were
to be applied to the use and benefit of the conference for
public purposes ; reserving only a few legacies and a rent
charge of eighty-five pounds a year to be paid to his
brother's widow, which was in fact a debt, in consideration
for the copy-right of his brother's hymns.

"Among the other excellencies of Mr. Wesley, his mo

* Money chiefly arising from the constant and large sale of hi«
writings, and the works he abridged.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 299

deration in controversy deserves to be noticed. Writers
of controversy too often forget, that their own character is
intimately connected with the manner in which they treat
others : and if they have no regard for their opponents,
they ought to have some respect for themselves. When
a writer becomes personal and abusive, it affords a fair
presumption against his arguments, and tends to put his
readers on their guard. Most of Mr. Wesley's opponents
were of this description ; their railing was much more
violent than their reasons were cogent. Mr. Wesley kept
his temper, and wrote like a Christian, a gentleman, and
a scholar. He might have taken the words of the excellent
Hooker, as a motto to his polemical tracts, « To your rail
ing, I say nothing ; for your reasons take what follows.'
He admired the temper in which Mr. Law wrote contro
versy : only in some instances Mr. Law shows a contempt
for his opponents, which Mr. Wesley thought highly
improper."

To these remarks of Dr. Whitehead may be added two
or three sketches of Mr. Wesley's character drawn up by
different persons, and printed soon after his death. The
first is anonymous : —

" Now that Mr. John Wesley has finished his course
upon earth, I may be allowed to estimate his character,
and the loss the world has sustained by his death. Upon
a fair account, it appears to be such, as not only annihilates
all the reproaches that have been cast upon him ; but such
as does honour to mankind, at the same time that it re.
preaches them. His natural and acquired abilities were
both of the highest rank. His apprehension was lively and
distinct; his learning extensive. His judgment, though not
inliilliblej was, in most cases, excellent. His mind was
steadfast and resolved His elocution was ready and clear,
graceful and easy, accurate and unaffected. As a writer,
his style, though unstudied, ana flowing with natural ease,
yet for accuracy and perspicuity was such as may vie with
the best writers m the English language. Though hi a
temper was naturally warm, his manners were gentle,
simple, and uniform. Never were such happy talents
better seconded by an unrelenting perseverance in those
courses which his singular endowments, and his zealous
love to the interests of mankind, marked out for him. His

300 LIFE OF THE

constitution was excellent : and never was a constitution
less abused, less spared, or more excellently applied, in
an exact subservience to the faculties of his mind. His
labours and studies were wonderful. The latter were not
confined to theology only, but extended to every subject
that tended either to the improvement or the rational enter
tainment of the mind. If we consider his reading by itself,
his writings and his other labours by themselves, any one
of them will appear sufficient to have kept a person of
ordinary application busy during his whole life. In short,
the transactions of his life could never have been perform
ed, without the utmost exertion of two qualities, which
depended, not upon his capacity, but on the uniform stead
fastness of his resolution. These were inflexible temper
ance, and unexampled economy of time. In these he was
a pattern to the age he lived in ; and an example, to what
a surprising extent a man may render himself useful in his
generation, by temperance and punctuality. His friends
and followers have no reason to be ashamed of the name
of Methodist, which he has entailed upon them : as, for an
uninterrupted course of years, he has given the wrorld an
instance of the possibility of living without wasting a
single hour ; and of the advantage of a regular distribution
of time, in discharging the important duties and purposes
of life. Few ages have more needed such a public testi
mony to the value of time ; and perhaps none have had a
more conspicuous example of the perfection to which the
improvement of it may be carried.

" As a minister, his labours were unparalleled, and
such as nothing could have supported him under but the
warmest zeal for the doctrine he taught, and for the
eternal interests of mankind. He studied to be gentle,
yet vigilant and faithful toward all. He possessed himself
in patience, and preserved himself unprovoked, nay, even
unruffled, in the midst of persecution, reproach, and all
manner of abuse both of his person and name. But let
his own works praise him. He now enjoys the fruits of
his labours, and that praise which he sought, not of men,
but of God.

" To finish the portrait. Examine the general tenor of
his life, and it will be found self-evidently inconsistent
with his being a slave to any one passion or pursuit, that

BEV. JOH:X WESLEV. 301

can ftx a blemish on his character. Of what use were the
accumulation of wealth to him, who, through his whole
course, never allowed himself to taste the repose of indo
lence, or even of the common indulgence in the use of the
necessaries of life ? Free from the partiality of any party,
the sketcher of this excellent character, with a friendly
tear, pays it as a just tribute to the memory of so grea't
and good a man. who, when alive was his friend."
Of Mr. Wesley. Mr. Alexander Knox says : —
•• ^^ ery lately. I had an opportunity, for some days to
gether, of observing Mr. Wesley with attention. I e'ndea-
voured to consider him, not so much with the eye of a
friend, as with the impartiality of a philosopher: and I
must declare, every hour I spent in his company afforded
me fresh reasons for esteem and veneration. So tine an
old man I never saw. The happiness of his mind beamed
forth in his countenance. Every look showed how fully
he enjoyed « the gay remembrance of a life well spent :
and wherever he went, he diffused a portion of his OWD
felicity. Easy and affable in his demeanour, he accommo
dated himself to every sort of company, and showed how
happily 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 over
flowing 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 excel
lency of true religion. No cynical remarks on the levity
of youth imbittered his discourse : no applausive retro
spect to past times marked his present discontent. In him,
even old age appeared delightful, like an evening without
a cloud ; and it was impossible to observe him without
wishing fervently, • May my latter end be like his !'

" But I find myself unequal to the task of delineating
such a character. What I have said may to some appear
as panegyric ; but there are numbers, and those of ta?t<?
und discernment too, who can bear witness to the truth,
though by no means to the perfectness, of the sketch I
have attempted. With such I have been frequently in his
company ; and every one of them, I am persuaded", would

302 J.IFK OF THE

subscribe to all I have said. For my own part, I never
was so happy as while with him, and scarcely ever felt
more poignant regret than at parting from him ; for well
I knew. 'I ne'er should look upon his like again.'"

The following account of Mr. Wesley appeared soon
after his death in a very respectable publication ; and
was afterward inserted in WoodfalTs Diary, London, 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 generous construction on the
exertions of singular talents, his motives were imputed to
the love of popularity, ambition, and lucre. It now ap
pears that he was actuated by a disinterested regard to the
immortal interests of mankind. He laboured, and studied,
and preached, and wrote, to propagate what he believed to
be the Gospel of Christ. The intervals of these engage,
ments were employed in governing and regulating the
concerns of his numerous societies ; assisting the neces
sities, solving the difficulties, and soothing the afflictions
of his hearers. He observed so rigid a temperance, and
.allowed himself so little repose, that he seemed to be above
the infirmities of nature, and to act independent of the earth
ly tenement he occupied. The recital of the occurrences of
every day of his life would be the greatest encomium.

" Had he loved wealth, he might have accumulated it
without bounds. Had he been fond of power, his influ
ence would have been worth courting by any party. I do
not say he was without ambition ; he had that which
Christianity need not blush at, and which virtue is proud
to confess. I do not mean that which is gratified by
splendour and large possessions ; but that which corn-
mands the hearts and affections, the homage and gratitude,
of thousands. For him they felt sentiments of veneration,
only inferior to those which they paid to Heaven : to him
they looked as their father, their benefactor, their guide to
glory and immortality : for him they fell prostrate before
God, with prayers and tears, to spare his doom, and pro.
long his stay. Such a recompense as this is sufficient to
repay the toils of the longest life. Short of this, greatness
is contemptible impotence. Before this, lofty prelates
bow, and princes hide their diminished heads.

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 303

" His zeal was not a transient blaze, but a steady and
constant flame. The ardour of his spirit was neither
damped by difficulty, nor subdued by age. This was
ascribed by himself to the power of Divine grace ; by the
world, to enthusiasm. Be it what it will, it is what philo
sophers must envy, and infidels respect ; it is that which
gives energy to the soul, and without which there can be
no greatness or heroism.

" Why should we condemn that in religion, which we
applaud in every other profession and pursuit ? He had a
vigour and elevation of mind, which nothing but the belief
of the Divine favour and presence could inspire. This
threw a lustre round his infirmities, changed his bed of
sickness into a triumphal car, and made his exit resemble
an apotheosis rather than a dissolution.

" He was qualified to excel in every branch of litera
ture : he was well versed in the learned tongues, in
metaphysics, in oratory, in logic, in criticism, and every
requisite of a Christian minister. His style was nervous,
clear, and manly ; his preaching was pathetic and persua
sive ; his journals are artless and interesting ; and his
compositions and compilations to promote knowledge and
piety, were almost innumerable.

" I do not say he was without faults, or above mistakes ;
but they were lost in the multitude of his excellencies and
virtues.

"To gain the admiration of an ignorant and superstitious
age, requires only a little artifice and address ; to stand
the test of these times, when all pretensions to sanctity are
stigmatized as hypocrisy, is a proof of genuine piety and
real usefulness. His great object was, to revive the obso
lete doctrines and extinguished spirit of the Church of
England ; and they, who are its friends, cannot be his
enemies. Yet for this he was treated as a fanatic and
impostor, and exposed to every species of slander and per
secution. Even bishops and dignitaries entered the lists
against him ; but he never declined the combat, and gene
rally prove dvictorious. He appealed to the Homilies, the
Articles, and the Scriptures, as vouchers for his doctrine ;
and they wrho could not decide upon the merits of the
controversy, were witnesses of the effects of his labours ;
and they judged of the tree by its fruit. It is true, he did

304 LIFE OP THE

not succeed much in the higher walks of life ; but that
impeached his cause no more, than it did that of the first
planters of the Gospel. However, if he had been capable
of assuming vanity on that score, he might have ranked
among his friends some persons of the first distinction,
who would have done honour to any party. After surviv
ing almost all his adversaries, and acquiring respect among
those who were the most distant from his principles, he lived
to see the plant he had reared, spreading its branches far and
wide, and inviting not only these kingdoms, but the west-
ern world, to repose under its shade. No sect, since the
first ages of Christianity, could boast a founder of such
extensive talents and endowments. If he had been a can
didate for literary fame, he might have succeeded to his
utmost wishes ; but he sought not the praise of man ; he
regarded learning only as the instrument of usefulness.
The great purpose of his life was doing good. For this
he relinquished all honour and preferment ; to this he
dedicated all his powers of body and mind ; at all times
and in all places, in season and out of season, by gentle,
ness, by terror, by argument, by persuasion, by reason, by
interest, by every motive and every inducement, he strove,
with unwearied assiduity, to turn men from the error of
their ways, and awaken them to virtue and religion. To
the bed of sickness, or the couch of prosperity ; to the
prison, the hospital, the house of mourning, or the house
of feasting, wherever there was a friend to serve, or a soul
to save, he readily repaired ; to administer assistance or
advice, reproof or consolation. He thought no office too
humiliating, no condescension too low, no undertaking too
arduous, to reclaim the meanest of God's offspring. The
souls of all men were equally precious in his sight, and
the value of an immortal creature beyond all estimation.
He penetrated the abodes of wretchedness and ignorance,
to rescue the profligate from perdition ; and he comrnuni.
cated the light of life to those who sat in darkness and the
shadow of death. He changed the outcasts of society
into useful members ; civilized even savages, and filled
those lips with prayer and praise that had been accustomed
only to oaths and imprecations. But as the strongest
religious impressions are apt to become languid without
discipline and practice, he divided his people into classes

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 305

and bands, according to their attainments. He appointed
frequent meetings for prayer and conversation, where they
gave an account of their experience, their hopes and fears,
their joys and troubles ; by which means they were united
to each other, and to their common profession. They
became sentinels upon each other's conduct, and securities
for each other's character. Thus the seeds he sowed
sprang up and flourished, bearing the rich fruits of every
grace and virtue. Thus he governed and preserved his
numerous societies, watching their improvement with a
paternal care, and encouraging them to be faithful to the
end.

" But I will not attempt to draw his full character, nor
to estimate the extent of his labours and services. They
will be best known when he shall deliver up his commis
sion into the hands of his great Master."

The following is a description of Mr. Wesley's person : —

" The figure of Mr. Wesley was remarkable. His
stature was low ; his habit of body, in every period of life,
the reverse of corpulent, and expressive of strict temper,
ance and continual exercise ; and, notwithstanding his
small size, 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 most piercing that can be conceived ; and a
freshness of complexion, scarcely ever to be found at his
years, and expressive of the most perfect health, con
spired to render him a venerable and interesting figure.
Few have seen him without being struck with his appear
ance : and many, who had been greatly prejudiced against
him, have been known to change their opinion the moment
they were introduced into his presence. In his counte
nance and demeanour, there was a cheerfulness mingled
with gravity ; a sprightliness, which was the natural result
of an unusual flow of spirits, and yet was accompanied
with every mark of the most serene tranquillity. His
aspect, particularly in profile, had a strong character of
acuteness and penetration.

" In dress, he was a pattern of neatness and simplicity :
a narrow plaited stock ; a coat, with a small upright collar ;
no buckles at his knees ; no silk or velvet in any part of
26*

309 LIFE OF THE

his apparel ; and a head as white as snow, gave an idea of
something primitive and apostolic ; while an air of neat-
ness and cleanliness was diffused over his whole person,"

CHAPTER XV.

A FEW miscellaneous topics remain to be noticed. One
of the chief reasons why full and willing justice has not
been always done to the labours of Mr. Wesley, has
doubtless arisen from the facts, that whatever his views
might be, he raised up a people who in his life time formed
a religious body independent of the Church, whilst yet not
nominally separated from it ; and that since his death,
although that separation does not affect all the members,
yet the great mass of the societies, with all the preachers,
are as completely separated from the Establishment, as
any body of professed Dissenters. That a strict Church
man should consider this as a great counterbalance to the
good affected by Methodism is very natural, — and he has
a right to his opinions, provided he holds them in charity.
Still, however, this subject is so frequently dwelt upon
under mistaken and imperfect views, that it demands a few
additional remarks.

As far as Mr. Wesley's character is concerned, enough
has been said to show the sincerity with which he disa
vowed all intention of separating from the Church, and of
making his people separatists. This, certainly, notwith
standing the freedom of his opinions on Church govern
ment, cannot be charged upon him in the early period of
his career ; and although, in what we may call the second
period, he saw so strong a tendency to separation that his
fears were often excited, yet he may surely be allowed still
to have proceeded straight forward, with perfect honesty
of mind, in the same course, with more of hope on this
subject, than of fear. Several eminent writers of the Church
party have thought, that even modern Methodism, though
existing now in a form apparently less friendly to union,
might still with advantage be attached to the Church, and
have seen but little difficulty in the project. Why then
might not Mr. Wesley, even after his societies had acquir.
ed considerable maturity, still hope that those simple institu.
tions for promoting piety, which he had commenced, might

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 307

have been recognized by the Church, and hoped that the
spirit of religion, revived already to so great an extent,
might still farther so influence the members of the Church
and its clergy, as to dispose them to view his societies with
more cordiality ? He took care, therefore, and all his prin
ciples and feelings favoured the caution, that no obstacles
should be placed in the way of the closest connection of
his societies with the Establishment. Their services were
very seldom held in the hours of her public service ; the
Methodists formed in many parishes the great body of her
communicants ; thousands of them died in her communion ;
and the preachers were not ordinarily permitted to admi
nister either of the sacraments to the people among whom
they laboured. There can be no charge, therefore, against
his sincerity at this period, any more than in the first. We
may think his hopes to have been without any foundation ;
and so they proved ; and the idea of uniting the modern
Methodists to the Church is a very visionary one, but has
doubtless been maintained by several Churchmen with great
sincerity. Separation from the Church, at a later period
of Mr. Wesley's life, was certainly anticipated. That must
be allowed ; but an enlightened Churchman ought to think
that Mr. Wesley's conduct was still worthy of praise, not
of censure ; for when a partial separation was in realitv
foreseen as probable, it had no sanction from him, and he
appeared determined so to employ his influence to his last
breath, that if separation did ensue, it should assume the
mildest form possible, and be deprived of all feelings of
hostility. His example, the spirit of his writings, and his
advices all tended to this; and the fact is, that, though
Methodism now stands in a different relation to the Esta
blishment than in the days of Mr. Wesley, dissent has never
been formally professed by the body, and for obvious rea
sons. The first is, that the separation of the greater part
of the society from the Church, did not in any great degree
result from the principles assumed by the professed Dis
senters, and which are usually made prominent in their
discussions on the subject of establishments ; the second,
that a considerable number of the Methodists actually con
tinue in the communion of the Church of England to this
day ; and the third, that to leave that communion is not,
in any sense, a condition of membership with us. All the

308 LIFE OF THE

services of the Church and her sacraments m-iy be observ.
ed by any person in the Wesleyan societies who chooses it,
and they are actually observed by many.

It was owing to these circumstances that Methodism did
not rush down, but gently glided, into a state of partial
division from the Church ; and this, by neither arousing
party passions, nor exciting discussions on abstract points
of Church polity, has left the general feeling of affection to
all that is excellent in the Establishment unimpaired. No
intemperate attacks upon it have been ever sanctioned ;
the attendance of the Methodists upon its services was
never discouraged ; and it is surely of some account that
a vast mass of people throughout the country have been
held in a state of friendly feeling toward a clergy who have
nevertheless generally treated them with disdain and con
tumely, and many of whom have zealously employed them-
selves in nursing feelings of bigoted dislike to them among
their friends and neighbours. Yet after all, the prevalent
sentiment of the Methodists, as a body, toward the Esta
blishment has been that of friendship. It was so, when the
Church was in a lower religious state than it is at present ;
and its more recent religious improvement has not dimi
nished the feeling. I may venture to say, that there is a
warmer regard toward the Church among the body of the
Methodists now, than there was in the days of Mr. Wes
ley ; although there were then more Methodists than at pre
sent who professed to be of her communion. We have no
respect at all to her exclusive claims of Divfne right, or her
three orders of ministers ; and yet have no objection to her
episcopacy, when Scripturally understood, or her services.
We smile at the claims she sometimes assumes to be the
exclusive instructress of the people, in a country where the
statute law has given them the right to be taught by whom
they please, and as explicitly protects dissent as conformi
ty ; but we rejoice that she has great influence with the
mass of the population, whenever that influence is used for
the promotion of true religion and good morals. We wish
her prosperity and perpetuity, as we wish all other Chris
tian Churches ; and the more so, as we recognize in her
'<the mother of us all," and can never contemplate without
the deepest admiration her noble army of confessors and
martyrs, and the illustrious train of her divines, whose

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 309

writings have been, and continue to be, the light of Chris-
tendom. If Churchmen think this feeling of any import,
ance, let them reciprocate it ; and though the formal union
of which some of them have spoken is visionary, a still
stronger bond of friendship might be established ; and each
might thus become more formidable against the errors and
evils of the times ; — for a people who have nearly half as
many places of worship in the kingdom as there are parish
churches, cannot be without influence.

Nor have the true causes which led to the separation of
the Methodists from the Church been, in general, rightly
stated. Some of the violent adherents of " the old plan,"
as it was called, among ourselves, have, ignorantly or in a
party spirit, attributed this to the ambition and intrigues of
the preachers ; but the true causes were — that the clergy,
generally, did not preach the doctrines of their own Church
and of the reformation ; and that many of them did not
adorn their profession by their lives. It may be added,
that in no small number of cases, the clergy were the perse-
cutors and calumniators of the Wesleyan societies ; that
the sermons in the churches were often intemperate at
tacks upon their characters and opinions ; and that the
Methodists were frequently regarded as intruders at the
table of the Lord, rather than as welcome communicants.
These were the reasons why, long before Mr. Wesley's
death, a great number of his societies were anxious to have
the sacraments from the hands of their own preachers,
under whose ministry they were instructed and edified, in
who?e characters they had confidence, and with respect to
whom they knew, that if any one disgraced his profession,
he would not be suffered long to exercise it.

Such were the true causes which led to the partial sepa
ration of the Methodist Societies from the communion of
the Church, after the death of Mr. Wesley ; and this is an
answer to the objection, repeated a thousand times, that
we have departed from Mr. Wesley's principles. The
fact is, that though full relief to the consciences of the so
cieties in general was refused by Mr. Wesley's authority,
yet he himself was obliged to allow a relaxation from his
own rule in London, and some other principal towns, by
giving the Lord's Supper himself, or obtaining pious clergy
men to administer it in his chapels. After his death it

310 LIFE OF THE

was out of the power of the conference, had they not felt
the force of the reasons urged upon them, to prevent the
administration of the sacraments to the people by their own
preachers. Yet in the controversy which this subject ex
cited, speculative principles had little part. The question
stood on plain practical grounds : — Shall the societies be
obliged, from their conscientious scruples, to neglect an
ordinance of God 1 Or shall we drive them to the Dissent
ers, whose peculiar doctrines they do not believe ? Or shall
we under certain regulations accede to their wishes 1 So
far from Mr. Wesley's principles and views having lost their
influence with the conference, the sacraments were forced
upon none, and recommended to none. The old principles
were held as fast as higher duties would allow. Many
indeed of the people, and some of the preachers, opposed
even these concessions ; but the plan which was adopted
to meet cases of conscientious scruple, and yet to avoid
encouraging a departure from the primitive system, leaving
every individual to act in this respect as he was persuaded
in his own mind, and receive the Lord's Supper at church
or at chapel, was at length by both parties in England cor-
dially acquiesced in, as warranted equally by principle and
by prudence. Assuredly the Church would have gained
nothing by a different measure, for the dissidents would
have been compelled to join other communions. Had the
Church been provided early with an evangelical and a holy
ministry, that separation would not have taken place ; for
the controversy between the Church and the Dissenters
was little kown, and still less regarded by the majority of
the Methodist Societies at that time ; and the case is not
greatly altered at the present day. The clergy had lost
their hold upon the people generally, through neglect ; and
that revival of the spirit of truth and holiness, which we
are now so happy to witness among them, came too lato
to prevent the results just stated.

And what should we do now, if we were disposed to re-
vert to the state of things in Mr. Wesley's time ? It is true
we should more rarely meet with immoral clergymen ; and
so that part of the case would be relieved as a matter of
conscience. But would the Methodist Societies meet with
friendly clergymen ; with men who would bear with so
many communicants, in addition to those who now attend

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 311

their churches ? And if they were brought to attend the
services of their parish churches, would they be disposed
long to hear those of the clergy who never preach the doc
trines of the articles of their own Church ? — or those who
follow some great names of the present day, and neologise
as far as decency permits ? — or those of the evangelical
party, whose discourses are strongly impregnated with
Calvinism? — or those who place their speculations on the
prophecies among the means of grace and salvation ? Our
people would neither hear such clergymen themselves, nor
could they conscientiously train up their families to listen
to what they believe great error ; and so if we were to
go back, as w^e have been exhorted, to Mr. Wesley's first
plan, the majority of our people would, as then, neither
attend Church nor sacrament, and the same process
would have to be repeated again, with probably less peace
ful results.

" But ' great evil' has resulted to the Church from Me
thodism." This has been often said, certainly never
substantiated ; and this defence of the hostile feeling of
many Churchmen toward Mr. Wesley and his societies
stands upon no solid ground. On the contrary, it seems
not at all difficult to make it plainly appear that great
good has resulted to the Church, as well as to the nation.
When this question is under consideration by Churchmen,
they look at the mere fact that a great body of people
have been raised up, as they say, out of the Church, within
a century past, excelling in number almost, if not entirely,
the whole of the old bodies of Dissenters ; and they as
sume that if the Wesleys and Mr. Whitefield had never
appeared, the Church would have been in as improved a
state as now, with none but the old Dissenters to contend
with. There is great fallacy in both these views, which
merits to be pointed out.

When the Messrs. Wesley, Mr. Whitefield, and their
early coadjutors entered upon their itinerant career, it is
a matter of fact and history, that no general plans for the
illumination of the nation were either in operation, or in
the contemplation of any one. Nothing had this bearing.
There were no persons associated in such institutions of
any kind, making this a common object. The pious labours
of a few zealous clergymen, (and few they were,) and of

312 LIFE OF THE

the ministers of other denominations, were confined to
their own parishes and congregations. There were no
means of general application in existence, to remove the
ignorance and correct the vices which were almost uni
versal. The measures taken by the founders of Methodism
to correct existing evils were on a large scale. They
acted in concert ; they conceived nohle designs. They
visited the large towns ; they laboured in the populous
mining, manufacturing, and commercial districts ; they
preached in places of public resort ; they formed religious
societies, and inspired them with zeal for the instruction
and salvation of their neighbours ; they employed men of
zeal, character, and competent acquaintance with practi
cal and experimental religion, to assist them in this work
as it widened before them ; and they gave it their vigilant
superintendence. The benefits they were the means of
producing were not confined to individuals ; they influ
enced whole neighbourhoods. Religious knowledge was
spread, and religious influence exerted. The manners of
the rude were civilized ; barbarous sports and pastimes fell
greatly into disuse ; and a higher standard of morals was
erected, of itself of no small importance to the reformation
of manners.

It is a matter of history, that, beside those means which
were afforded by their personal labours, and by the auxili
aries they brought forward to their assistance, in order to
revive and extend the spirit of religion in the nation, for a
great number of years no other means of extensive appli
cation were employed to promote this end. The effects
which were thus produced began, however, after a consi
derable time had elapsed, to operate collaterally as well as
, directly. Many of the clergy were aroused, and the doc
trines of the Articles and the Homilies began to be heard
more distinctly and more frequently in their pulpits. Holy
and zealous men in different denominations began to laboui
for the public instruction and reformation. The institution
of Sunday schools, though devised by a Churchman, was,
at first, but slowly encouraged. The Methodists and Dis
senters were carrying those schools to a great extent when
the members of the Church followed : some from a fear,
laudable enough, lest the body of the poor should be alien
ated from the Establishment ; others, as perceiving in the

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 313

institution the means of conveying instruction and religious
influence to those who most needed them. The circula
tion of the Scriptures by Bible Societies followed ; but still
that was an effect of the new order of principles and feel-
ings which had been introduced into the nation. These
principles of zeal for the moral improvement of society
farther led, at a later period, to general measures for the
education of the poor by the two great national education
societies, which promise so much benefit to the country.
All these efforts for enlightening and moralizing the people
may be traced to several intermediate causes ; but it is
only justice to the memory of such men as the Wesleys
and Whitefield, men so often flippantly branded as enthu
siasts, to state, that they all primarily sprung from that
spirit, which, under God, they were the means of exciting
in a slumbering Church, and in a dark and neglected land.
This is a point not to be denied ; for long before any of
those efforts for public instruction and reformation which
could be considered national were called forth, those as-
persed men were pursuing their gigantic labours among the
profligate population of London, and of the principal towns
of the kingdom ; among the miners of Cornwall, the col
liers of Kingswood and Newcastle, and the manufacturers
of Yorkshire and Lancashire ; whilst the preachers they
employed were every year spreading themselves into dark,
semi-barbarous villages in the most secluded parts of the
kingdom ; enduring bitter privations, and encountering,
almost daily, the insults of rude mobs, that they might
convey to them the knowledge of religion.

Now, in order to judge of these efforts, and to ascertain
what " evil" has resulted to the Church of England from
Mr. Wesley's measures, it is but fair to consider what the
state of the country and of the Church must in all human
probability have been, had he and his associates never
appeared, or confined themselves to the obscurity of Ep-
worth and similar parishes. It is not denied that other
means and agents might have been raised up by God to
effect the purposes of his mercy ; but it is denied that any
such were raised up, — for this is matter of fact. No agency
has appeared in the Church, or out of it, tending to the
general instruction and evangelizing of the nation, and
operating on a large scale, which is not much subseo J^n*
27

314 LIFE OF THE

111 its origin to the exertions of the Messrs. Wesley and
Whitefield ; and which may not be traced to the spirit which
they excited, and often into the very bosoms of those who
derived their first light and influence, either directly or
indirectly, from them. What was and not what might
have been, can only be made the ground of argument.

But for their labours, therefore, and the labours of those
persons in the Church, among the Dissenters, and theii
own people, whom they imbued with the same spirit, that
state of things in the Church of England, and in the coun
try at large, which has been already described, must have
continued, at least, for many years, for any thing which
appears to the contrary ; — for no substitute for their exer
tions was supplied by any party. They took the place of
none who were exerting themselves : they opposed no
obstacle to the operation of any plan of usefulness, had it
been in preparation. If they therefore had not appeared,
and kindled that flame of religious feeling which ultimately
spread into many denominations of Christians, and thus
gave birth to that variety of effort which now diffuses itself
through the land, it is a very erroneous conclusion to sup
pose, that a later period would have found the nation and
the Church at all improved. The probability, almost
amounting to certainty, is, that both would have been
found still more deteriorated, and in a state which would
have presented obstacles much more formidable to their
recovery. For all who have given attention to such sub
jects must know, that a number of those demoralizing
causes were then coming into operation, which, with all
the counteractions since supplied by the Church, and the
different religious sects, by schools, and by Bibles, have
produced very injurious effects upon the morals and prin
ciples of the nation ; — that the tide of an unprecedented
commercial prosperity began then to flow into the country,
and continued, for a long succession of years, to render
the means of sensual indulgence more ample, and to cor
rupt more deeply all ranks of society ; — that in conse
quence of the independence thus given to the lower orders
in many of the most populous districts, the moral control
and influence of the higher became gradually weaker ; —
that the agitation of political subjects, during the American
quarrel and the French revolution, with the part which

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 315

even the operative classes were able to take in such dis
cussions by means of an extended education, produced, as
will always be the case among the half-informed, a strong
tendency to republicanism, a restless desire of political
change on every pinching of the times, and its constant
concomitant, an aversion to the National Establishment,
partly as the result of ill-digested theories, and partly
because this feeling was encouraged by the negligent
habits of many of the clergy, and the absence of that influ
ence which they might have acquired in their parishes by
careful pastoral attentions. To all this is to be added the
diffusion of infidel principles, both of foreign and home
growth, which, from the studies of the learned, descended
into the shop of the mechanic, and, embodied in cheap and
popular works, found their way into every part of the em
pire. To counteract agencies and principles so active
and so pernicious, it is granted that no means have yet
been applied of complete adequacy. This is the reason
why their effects are so rife in the present day, and that
\ve are now in the midst of a state of things which no con-
siderate man can contemplate without some anxiety. —
These circumstances, so devastating to morals and good
principles, could only have been fully neutralized by the
ardent exertions of every clergyman in his parish, of every
dissenting minister in his congregation, of every Methodist
preacher in his circuit, of every private Christian in his
own circle, or in the place which useful and pious institu
tions of various kinds would have assigned him ; and even
then the special blessing of God would have been neces
sary to give effect to the whole. But had no correctives
been applied, what had been the present state of the
nation and of the Church ? The labours of the founders of
Methodism were, from the beginning, directly counteractive
of the evils just mentioned ; and those have little reason
to stigmatize them who deplore such evils most, and yet
have done least for their correction and restraint. Where-
ever these men went, they planted the principles of religion
in the minds of the multitudes who heard them ; they acted
on the offensive against immorality, infidelity, and error ;
the societies they raised were employed in doing good to
all ; the persons they associated with them in the wrork of
national reformation were always engaged in diffusing

810 LIFE OF THE

piety; and though great multitudes were beyond their
reach, they spread themselves into every part of the land,
turning the attention of men to religious concerns, calm,
ing their passions, guarding them against the strifes of the
world, enjoining the Scriptural principles of "obedience to
magistrates," and a sober, temperate, peaceable, and bene
volent conduct. The direct effect of their exertions was
great ; and it increased in energy and extent as the demo-
ralizing causes before mentioned acquired also greater acti
vity ; and when their indirect influence began to appear more
fully in the National Church, and in other religious bodies,
remedies more commensurate with the evils existing in
the country began to be applied. I shall not affect to say
what would have been the state of the Church of England
under the uncontrolled operation of all the causes of moral
deterioration, and civil strife, to which I have adverted ;
or what hold that Church would have had upon the people
at this day, if the spirit of religion had not been revived in
the country, and if, when ancient prejudices were destroyed
or weakened by the general spread of information among
men, no new bond between it and the nation at large had
been created. But if, as I am happy to believe, the
National Church has much more influence and much more
respect now than formerly ; and if its influence and the
respect due to it are increasing with the increase of its
evangelical clergy, all this is owing to the existence of a
stronger spirit of piety ; and in producing that, the first
great instruments were the men \vhose labours have been
mentioned in the preceding pages. Not only has the
spirit which they excited improved the religious state of
the Church, but it has disposed the great body of religious
people, not of the Church, to admire and respect those
numerous members of the Establishment, both clergymen
and laics, whose eminent piety, talents, and usefulness,
have done more to abate the prejudices arising from differ
ent views of Church government, than a thousand treatises
could have effected, however eloquently written, or ably
argued.

It may also be asked, Who are the persons whom the
Methodists have alienated from the Church? In this too,
the Church writers have laboured under great mistakes.
They have "alienated" those, for the most part, who never

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 317

were, in any substantial sense, and never would have been,
of the Church. Very few of her pious members have at
any time been separated from her communion by a con-
nection with us ; and many who became serious through
the Methodist ministry, continued attendants on her ser
vices, and observers of her sacraments. This was the
case during the life of Mr. Wesley, and in many instances
is so still ; and when an actual separation of a few persons
has occurred, it has been much more than compensated
by a return of others from us to the Church, especially of
opulent persons, or their children, in consequence of that
superior influence which an established Church must always
exert upon people of that class. For the rest, they have
been brought chiefly from the ranks of the ignorant and
the careless ; persons who had little knowledge, and no
experience of the power of religion ; negligent of religious
worship of every kind, and many of whom, but for the
agency of Methodism, would have swelled the ranks of
those who are equally disaffected to Church and state. If
such persons are not now Churchmen, they are influ.
enced by no feelings hostile to the institutions of theii
country.

Such considerations may tend to convey more sober
views on a subject often taken up in heat : — that they will
quite disarm the feeling against which they are levelled is
more than can be hoped for, considering the effects of
party spirit, and the many forms of virtue which it simu
lates. However, it is nothing new for the Methodists to
endure reproach, and to be subject to misrepresentations.
Perhaps something of an exclusive spirit may have grown
up amongst us in consequence ; but, if so, it has this pal
liation, that we are quite as expansive as the circumstances
in which we have ever been placed could lead any reason
able man to anticipate. It might almost be said of us, "Lo,
the people shall dwell alone." The high Churchman has
persecuted us because we are separatists ; the high Dis
senter has often looked upon us with hostility, because we
would not see that an establishment necessarily, and in se,
[in itself,] involved a sin against the supremacy of Christ ;
the rigid Calvinist has disliked us because we hold the
redemption of all men ; the Pelagianized Arminian, because
we contend for salvation by grace ; the Antinomian, be-
27*

318 LIFE OF THE

cause we insist upon the perpetual obligation of the moral
law ; the moralist, because we exalt faith ; the disaffected,
because we hold that loyalty and religion are inseparable ;
the political tory, because he cannot think that separatists
from the Church can be loyal to the throne ; the philoso
pher, because he deems us fanatics ; whilst semi-infidel
liberals generally exclude us from all share in their libe
rality, except it be in their liberality of abuse. In the mean
time, we have occasionally been favoured with a smile,
though somewhat of a condescending one, from the lofty
Churchman ; and often with a fraternal embrace from pious
and liberal Dissenters : and if we act upon the principles
left us by our great founder, we shall make a meek and
lowly temper an essential part of our religion : and, after
his example, move onward in the path of doing good,
through " honour and dishonour, through evil report and
good report," remembering that one fundamental principle
of Wesleyan Methodism is ANTI-SECTARIANISM AND A

CATHOLIC SPIRIT.

To return, however, to Mr. Wesley : Among the cen
sures which have been frequently directed against him, are
his alleged love of power, and his credulity. The first is
a vice ; the second but a weakness ; and they stand there
fore upon different grounds.

As to the love of power, it may be granted that, like
many minds who seem born to direct, he desired to acquire
influence ; and, when he attained it, he employed his one
talent so as to make it gain more talents. If he had loved
power for its own sake, or to minister to selfish purposes,
or to injure others, this would have been a great blemish ;
but he sacrificed no principle of his own, and no interest
or right of others, for its gratification. He gained power,
as all great and good men gain it, by the very greatness
and goodness with which they are endowed, and of which
others are always more sensible than themselves. It
devolved upon him without any contrivance ; and when he
knewT he possessed it, no instance is on record of his hav
ing abused it. This is surely virtue, not vice, and virtue
of the highest order. The only proof attempted to be given
that he loved power, is, that he never devolved his authority
over the societies upon others ; but this is capable of an
easy explanation. He could not have shared his power

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 319

among many, without drawing up a formal constitution of
Church government for his societies, which would have
amounted to a formal separation from the Church ; and it
would have been an insane action had he devolved it upon
one, and placed himself, and the wrork he had effected,
under the management of any individual to whom his
societies could not stand in the same filial relation as to
himself. He, however, exercised his influence by aid of
the counsel of others ; and allowed the free discussion of
all prudential matters in the conference. Had he been
armed with legal power to inflict pains and penalties, he
ought to have distrusted himself, as every wise and good
man would do, and to have voluntarily put himself beyond
the reach of temptation to abuse what mere man, without
check, can seldom use aright. This I grant ; but tho
control to which he was subject was, that the union of his
societies with him was perfectly voluntary, so that over
them he could have no influence at all but what was
founded upon character, and public spirit, and fatherly
affection. The powder which he exercised has descended
to the conference of preachers ; and, as in his case, this
has been often very absurdly complained of, as though it
were parallel to the power of civil government, or to that
of an established Church, supported by statutes and the civil
arm. But this power, like his, is moral influence only,
founded upon the pastoral character, and can exist only
upon the basis of the confidence inspired by the fact of its
generally just and salutary exercise among a people who
neither are nor can be under any compulsion.*

On the charge of credulity, it may be observed, that
Mr. Wesley lived in an age in which he thought men in
danger of believing too little, rather than too much, and
his belief in apparitions is at least no proof of a credulous,
ness peculiar to himself. With respect to the " strange
accounts" which he inserted in his Magazine, and strange
indeed some of them were, it has been falsely assumed

[* This topic is one on which the calumniators of Methodism in
America also have often harped. The just and obvious view of it
so forcibly exhibited above by Mr. Watson, has been repeatedly pre
sented too, in answer to the croakers in this country. It is one
which can neither be misapprehended nor resisted, except by sheer
ignorance, or by an invincible determination to persist in calumny
for its own sake. — AMERICAN EDIT.]

LIFE OF THE

that he himself believed them entirely. This is not true.
He frequently remarks, that he gives no opinion, or that
" he knows not what to make of the account," or that " he
leaves every one to form his own judgment concerning it."
He met with those relations in reading, or received them
from persons deemed by him credible, and he put them on
record as facts reported to have happened. Nowr as to an
unbeliever, one sees not what sound objection he can make
to that being recorded wrhich has commanded the faith of
others ; for as a part of the history of human opinions, such
accounts are curious, and have their use. It neither fol
lowed, that the editor of the work believed every account,
nor that his readers should consider it true because it was
printed. It was for them to judge of the evidence on which
the relation stood. Many of these accounts, however, Mr.
Wesley did credit, because he thought that they stood on
credible testimony ; and he published them for that very
purpose, for which he believed they were permitted to occur,
— to confirm the faith of men in an invisible state, and in
the immortality of the soul. These were his motives for
inserting such articles in his Magazine ; and to the censure
which has been passed upon him on this account, may be
opposed the words of the learned Dr. Henry More, in his
Letter to Glanville, the author of " Sadducismus Trium-
pJiatus :" [Sadducism triumphed over :] " Wherefore let
the small philosophic Sir Toplings of this present age
deride as much as they will, those that lay out their pains
in committing to writing certain well-attested stories of
apparitions, do real service to true religion and sound phi
losophy ; and they most effectually contribute to the con
founding of infidelity and Atheism, even in the judgment
of the Atheists themselves, who are as much afraid of the
truth of these stories as an ape is of a whip, and therefore
force themselves with might and main to disbelieve them,
by reason of the dreadful consequence of them, as to them
selves." It is sensibly observed by Jortin, in his remarks
on the diabolical possessions in the age of our Lord, that
" one reason for wrhich Divine Providence should suffer
evil spirits to exert their malignant powers at that time,
might be to give a check to Sadducism among the Jews,
and Atheism among the Gentiles, and to remove in some
measure these two great impediments to the reception of

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 321

the Gospel.** For moral uses, supernatural visitations
may have heen allowed in subsequent ages ; and he who
believes in them, only spreads their moral the farther by
giving them publicity. Before such a person can be fairly
censured, the ground of his faith ought to be disproved,
for he only acts consistently with that faith. This task
would, however, prove somewhat difficult.

Mr. Wesley was a voluminous writer ; arid as he was
one of the great instruments in reviving the spirit of reli-
gion in these lands, so he led the way in those praiseworthy
attempts which have been made to diffuse useful informa
tion of every kind, and to smooth the path of knowledge
to the middle and lower ranks of society. Beside books
on religious subjects, he published many small and cheap
treatises on various branches of science ; plain and excel,
lent grammars of the dead languages ; expurgated editions
of the classic authors ; histories, civil and ecclesiastical ;
and numerous abridgments of important works.*

It is his especial praise, that he took an early part in
denouncing the iniquities of the African slave trade, and
in arousing the conscience of the nation on the subject.
In Bristol, at that time a dark den of slave traders, he
courageously preached openly against it, defying the rage
of the slave merchants and the mob ; and his spirited and
ably reasoned tract on slavery continues to be admired
and quoted to the present time. It may be added, that

* Mr. Wesley's principal writings are, his Translation of the New
Testament, with Explanatory Notes, quarto ; his Journals, G vols.,
duodecimo ; his Sermons, 9 volumes, duodecimo ; his Appeal to Men
of Reason and Religion ; his defence of the Doctrine of Original
Sin, in Answer to Dr. Taylor ; his answers to Mr. Church, and Bi
shops Lavington and Warburton ; and his Predestination Calmly
Considered, beside many smaller tracts on various important sub
jects. His works were published by himself in thirty-two volumes,
duodecimo, in the year 1771. An edition of thorn in fourteen large
octavo volumes has just been completed ; with his work on the New
Testament in two volumes of the same size. In addition to hia
original compositions, Mr. Wesley published upward of a hundred
and twenty different works, mostly abridged from other authors ;
among which are grammars in five different languages ; the Chris
tian Library, in fifty duodecimo volumes; thirteen volumes of the
Arminhn Magazine ; a History of England, and a general Eccle
siastical History, in four volumes each ; a Compendium of Natural
Philosophy, in five volumes ; and an Exposition of the Old Testa-
oicut, in three quarto volumes.

322 LIFE OF THE

one of the last letters he ever wrote was to Mr. Wilber.
force, exhorting him to perseverance in a work, of which
he was one of the leading instruments, — the effecting the
abolition of the traffic in the nerves and blood of man.

At the time of Mr. Wesley's death, the number of mem-
bers in connection with him in Europe, America, and the
West India Islands, was 80,000. At the last conference,
1830, the numbers returned were, in Great Britain 249,278 ;
in Ireland 22,897 ; in the foreign missions 41,186 ; total
313,360, exclusive of near half a million of persons in the
societies in the states of America. As to the field of la-
hour at home, the number of circuits in the United King,
tlom, was, at the time of his death, 115. At present they
are 399. The number of mission stations was 8 in the
West Indies, and 8 in British America : at present there
are 150. The number of preachers left by him was 312.
It is now 993, in the United Kingdom ; and 193 in the
foreign missions. In the United States of America the
number of preachers is about 2000.

Such have been the results of the labours of this great
and good man. Whether they are still to diffuse a hal
lowing influence through the country, and convey the bles
sings of Christianity to heathen lands with the same rapidity
and with the same vigour, will, under the Divine blessing,
depend upon those who have received from him the trust
of a system of religious agency, to be employed with the
same singleness of heart, the same benevolent zeal for the
spiritual benefit of mankind, and the same dependence
upon the Holy Spirit. I know not that it bears upon it
any marks of decay, although it may require to be accom
modated in a few particulars to the new circumstances
with which it is surrounded. The doctrinal views which
Mr. Wesley held, were probably never better .understood,
or more accurately stated in the discourses of the preach
ers ; and the moral discipline of the body, in all its essen
tial parts, was never more cordially approved by the people
generally, or enforced with greater faithfulness by their
pastors. Very numerous are the converts who are every
year won from the world, brought under religious influence,
and placed in the enjoyment of means and ordinances
favourable to their growth in religious knowledge and holy
habits ; and many are constantly passing into eternitvf of

REV. JOHN WESLEY. 323

whose " good hope through grace," the testimony is in the
highest degree satisfactory. If Methodism continue in
vigour and purity to future ages, it will still be associated
with the name of its founder, and encircle his memory
with increasing lustre ; and if it should fall into the for
mality and decays which have proved the lot of many other
religious bodies, he will not lose his reward. Still a glo
rious harvest of saved souls is laid up in the heavenly gar
ner, which will be his " rejoicing in the day of the Lord ;"
whilst the indirect influence of his labours upon the other
religious bodies and institutions of the country will justly
entitle him to be considered as one of the most honoured
instruments of reviving and extending the influence of re
ligion that, since the time of the apostles, have been raised
up by the providence of God.

THE END.

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