,illustration3 ,,john ,,wesley1 ,m4,a4 ,,aged #he4 ,from a ,painting by ,romney4 7see page #efe47 ,engraved by ,j4 ,cochran ,new ,york4 ,harper ,brothers4 ,,the ,,life ,,and ,,times ,,of ,,the ,,rev4 ,,john ,,wesley1 ,m4,a41 ,founder of the ,methodists4 ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,l4 ,,tyerman1 ,,author ,,of 8,,the ,,life ,,and ,,times ,,of ,,rev4 ,s4 ,,wesley1 ,m4,a410 7,father of the ,revds4 ,j4 and ,c4 ,wesley74 ,,with ,,an ,,appendix ,,by ,,abel ,,stevens1 ,,ll4,d41 ,,author ,,of 8,,the ,,history ,,of ,,methodism40 ,,in ,,three ,,volumes4 ,,vol4 ,,iii4 ,illustration3 colophon ,,new ,,york3 ,,harper ,,brothers1 ,,publishers1 ,,franklin ,,square4 #ahgb4 ,,general ,,contents4 ,,vol4 ,,iii4 #agfh4 ,,page ,whitefield--,berridge--,countess of ,buchan--,conversation--,original ,letter by ,fletcher--,yearly ,collection--,wesley's first ,visit to ,chatham--,methodist ,jottings--,methodism in ,congleton1 etc4-- ,wesley's ,credulity--,christian ,perfection--,skirmishes before the ,battle--,wesley's ,will--,rev4 ,thomas ,adam--,fletcher of ,madeley-- ,singing--,illness of ,wesley's ,wife--,preaching and ,trading--,how to revive ,religion--,witness of the ,spirit--,spitalfields ,chapel-- ,laurence ,coughlan--,methodism at ,taunton1 ,frome1 and ,oxford--,chapel ,debts--,remarks on ,books--,expulsion of ,oxford ,students--,college at ,trevecca--,wesley's ,publications--,john ,wilkes #a-ch #agfi4 ,political ,excitement--,whitefield--,female ,preaching--,wesley in ,ireland--,hugh ,saunderson--,conference of #agfi--,methodism in ,america--,scheme to perpetuate ,methodism--,anniversary of ,trevecca ,college--8,shepherd of ,salisbury ,plain0--,calvinian ,controversy-- ,wesley's ,publications #ci-eg #aggj4 ,remarks on ,books--,christian ,perfection--,whitefield's ,college in ,georgia--,riding on ,horseback--,lady ,glenorchy--,methodism in ,sweden--,methodism at ,yeadon and ,loughborough--,conference of #aggj--;,doctrinal ,minutes--,calvinian ,controversy--,death of ,whitefield--,original ,letters--,wesley's ,publications--,toplady #eh-hc #agga4 ,rev4 ,richard ,de ,courcy--,sounds of coming ,battle--,wesley and the ,gospel ,magazine--,letter to ,lady ,huntingdon--,shirley's ,circular-- ,original ,letter by ,fletcher--,calvinian ,controversy--,methodist ,discipline--,female ,preaching--,wesley's ,publications #hd-aac #aggb4 ,slavery--,methodism at ,poplar--,correspondence with ,mr4 ,sparrow-- ,methodism at ,leek and ,nantwich--,david ,hume--,ministerial ,responsibility--,medical ,examination--,revivals in ,everton and ,weardale--,conference of #aggb--;,cornelius ,winter--,ceaseless ,labours--,national ,distress and its ,remedies--,the ,christian ,community--,calvinian ,controversy--,wesley's ,publications #aad-adf #aggc4 ,american ,rebellion--,wesley's proposed ,successor--,methodism in ,america and ,antigua--,itinerancy--,chapel ,debts--,wesley and his ,carriage--,wesley's ,book ,property--,conference of #aggc--;,feast and ,fast ,days--,communion of ,saints--,calvinian ,controversy-- ,wesley's ,publications #adg-afb #aggd4 ,wesley's ,health--,rev4 ,david ,simpson--,methodism at ,bury--,wesley in ,scotland--,a ,marvellous ,escape--,ghosts and ,witches--8,the ,fool of ,quality0--,wesley and an ,artist--,methodism in ,america and ,newfoundland--,conference of #aggd--,norwich ,methodism--,an ,adventure--,calvinian ,controversy--,wesley's ,publications-- ,slavery #afc-ahd #agge4 ,national ,excitement--,american ,war of ,independence--,death of ,peter ,bohler--,wesley dangerously ,ill in ,ireland--,congratulations-- ,giving ,advice--,conference of #agge--;,calvinian ,controversy-- ,william ,pine--,wesley's ,publications #ahe-baa #aggf4 ,fletcher travelling with ,wesley--,dr4 ,coke--,enforcing ,discipline-- ,methodism in ,london--,city ,road ,chapel--,plan of ,london ,circuit in #agib--,london ,circuit ,book--,methodism at ,chesterfield-- ,conference of #aggf--;,cantankerous ,methodists--,methodism in the ,isle of ,man--,quarrelling ,schoolboys--,wesley's ,wife-- ,wesley's ,publications--,wesley's ,loyalty #bab-bce #aggg4 ,american ,rebellion--,dr4 ,dodd--,city ,road ,chapel--,rev4 ,edward ,smyth--,catastrophe at ,colne--8,a ,snug ,circuit0--8,are the ,methodists a fallen ,people80--,john ,hilton--,fletcher at the ,conference of #aggg--,methodism in ,america--,francis ,asbury--,arminian ,magazine--,bishop ,lowth--8,strangers' ,friend ,society0--,rowland ,hill attacks ,wesley--,gospel ,magazine--,calvinian ,controversy-- ,wesley's ,publications #bcf-bfj #aggh4 ,thomas ,maxfield--,infamous ,publications--,death of ,toplady-- ,national ,alarm--,separation from the ,church--,conference of #aggh--,stationing ,preachers--,mission to ,africa proposed--,duncan ,mc,allum--,john ,baxter embarks for ,antigua--,opening of ,city ,road ,chapel--,rev4 ,james ,creighton--,discipline--,dissenters-- ,silas ,told--,proposals for ,arminian ,magazine--,errata #bfa-bhe #aggi4 ,national ,alarm--,prayer and ,fasting--,death of ,voltaire--,william ,shent in trouble--,methodism at ,oldham and ,padiham--,the ,angel at ,halifax--,methodism at ,inverness--,james ,boswell--,methodism at ,hinckley and ,coventry--,thomas ,maxfield--,jealousies--,charles ,wesley and the ,london ,preachers--,conference of #aggi--;,alexander ,mc,nab and ,rev4 ,edward ,smyth at ,bath--,wesley's right to ,rule-- ,charles ,wesley and ,mc,nab--,calvinian ,controversy--8,naval and ,military ,bible ,society0--,wesley's ,publications--,popery #bhf-cag #aghj4 ,the ,protestant ,association--,wesley's ,letters on ,popery--,rev4 ,arthur ,o',leary--,wesley visits ,lord ,george ,gordon--,methodism at ,delph--,wesley asks a ,favour--,methodism at ,pateley1 ,ripon1 ,newark1 etc4--,conference of #aghj--,separation from the ,church-- ,methodism in ,america--,letter to ,bishop ,lowth--,heresy of ,dr4 ,watts--,rev4 ,brian ,bury ,collins--,original ,letters--,oldham ,street ,chapel1 ,manchester--,sir ,harry ,trelawney--,jacob ,behmen--8,the ,fool of ,quality0--,wesley's ,publications #cah-cdd #agha4 ,wesley's ,nephews1 ,charles and ,samuel--,wesley writing ,sermons-- ,samuel ,bardsley and ,sheffield ,chapel--,methodism at ,manchester and ,bolton--,molly ,charlton--,methodism at ,preston--,fair weather ,preachers--,rev4 ,william ,dodwell--,sleep--,letters to ,wesley's ,niece--,wesley's ,nephews--,conference of #agha--,william ,hey-- ,death of ,wesley's ,wife--,letter to a ,statesman--,wesley's ,publications #cde-cfh #aghb4 ,methodist ,tract ,society--,lovefeast at ,macclesfield--,sir ,walter ,scott--,conference of #aghb--;,birstal ,chapel ,case--,rev4 ,thomas ,davenport--,rev4 ,mr4 ,thompson--,john ,trembath--,adam ,clarke--8,the ,dairyman's ,daughter0--,wesley's ,publications--,jacob ,behmen #cfi-chi #aghc4 ,preachers forbidden to be ,classleaders--,wesley ill--,trip to ,holland--,kingswood ,school--,william ,black and ,nova ,scotia--,a ,rejected ,candidate--,methodism at ,stafford--,wesley and the ,poor--,wesley's ,publications #cij-djg #aghd4 ,a ,seven ,months' ,journey--,morning ,preaching--,itinerancy--,children at ,stockton--,methodism at ,burnley--,sunday ,schools--,conference of #aghd--;,deed of ,declaration--,ordination of ,preachers for ,america--,two ,clergymen become ,dissenters--,ordination of ,preachers for ,scotland1 etc4--,letters on ,wesley's ,ordinations-- ,wesley a ,dissenter--,methodism at ,shrewsbury--,dancing--,letter to ,hon4 ,william ,pitt--,wesley's ,publications--,first ,race of ,methodist ,preachers #djh-deg #aghe4 ,william ,moore--,wesley in ,ireland--,spread of ,methodism--,death of ,perronet and ,fletcher--,conference of #aghe--,the oldest ,methodist now living--,thomas ,wride and his ,colleagues at ,norwich--,separation from the ,church--,wesley's ,publications-- ,dress #deh-dgj #aghf4 ,wesley on the ,wing--,scotch ,methodists a distinct ,church--,methodism at ,barnsley--,wesley at ,sheffield and ,wentworth ,house--,methodism at ,ilkestone--,conference of #aghf--,separation from the ,church-- ,first ,methodist ,missionary ,report--,proposed ,missions to ,india--,wesley's 8,studying ,hours0--,dr4 ,leifchild--,wesley's ,publications #dga-dhi #aghg4 ,separation from the ,church--,begging for the ,poor--,revival at ,burslem--,wesley in ,ireland--,a ,methodist ,shoemaker--,howard1 the ,philanthropist--,conference of #aghg--,separation from the ,church--,sir ,robert ,peel--,sunday ,schools--,singing--,a ,coachload of ,methodist ,preachers--,visit to the ,channel ,islands--,jonathan ,crowther--,antislavery ,society--,joseph ,entwisle and ,richard ,reece--,simeon catechizing ,wesley--,licensing ,chapels and ,preachers--,separation from the ,church--,wesley's ,popularity-- ,wesley's ,publications--,dress--,diversions--,ric hes #dij-ebj #aghh4 ,wesley on his ,style--,sunday ,schools--,prayer ,meetings--,death of ,charles ,wesley--,consecration of ,burial ,grounds--,incidents at ,bristol--,chapel at ,dumfries--,methodist ,membership--,a ,northern ,fanatic--,an ,early ,breakfast--,demoniacs--,a ,young ,poetess--,separation from the ,church--,end of the ,world--,conference of #aghh--,methodist ,prayer ,book--,preachers stripped of their ,gown and ,bands--,dewsbury ,chapel ,case--,john ,atlay and ,william ,eels--,itinerancy--,wesley without a ,sermon--,wesley's ,publications #eba-efd #aghi4 ,romney's ,portrait of ,wesley--,anecdotes of ,wesley--,commotion at ,dublin--,separation from the ,church--,rebellions--,thomas ,hanby--,an ,irish ,dinner ,party--,walter ,churchey--,a ,session of ,methodist 8,elders0--,conference of #aghi--;,a ,conference ,sermon-- ,gwennap ,pit--8,the lovely ,family at ,balham0--,mount ,pleasant ,chapel1 ,liverpool--,methodism at ,bideford--,wesley's ,publications-- ,wesley warning rich ,methodists #efe-eif #agij4 ,french ,revolution--,a ,five ,months' ,journey--,rev4 ,joseph ,easterbrook-- ,a ,three ,months' ,preaching ,plan--,methodism at ,stourport--,sunday ,schools--,death of a ,mocker--,a ,backslider ,healed--,adam ,clarke--,a ,yorkshire ,cavalcade--,separation from the ,church--,wesley's ,benefactions--,wesley's ,last ,will--,conference of #agij--,progress of ,methodism--,ruffled ,shirts--,a ,dublin ,revival--,christian ,perfection--,wesley's last ,out-door ,sermon--,a ,shoemaker and a ,sheep ,stealer--,henry ,crabb ,robinson--,crabbe1 the ,poet--,a ,large ,circuit--,wesley's ,publications--,separation from the ,church-- ,rich ,methodists ,warned--,wesley's last ,words to the ,methodists #eig-fdb #agia4 ,letters--,female ,preaching--,wesley's last ,letters--,wesley's last ,week of ,public ,labour--,wesley's last ,letter--,wesley's last ,song on ,earth--,wesley's ,death--,the ,funeral--,proposed ,monument in ,westminster ,abbey--,wesley's ,personal ,appearance1 ,scholarship1 ,knowledge1 ,writings1 ,preaching1 ,companionship1 ,piety1 and ,industry #fdc-ffj ,,the ,,life ,,and ,,times ,,of ,,the ,,rev4 ,,john ,,wesley1 ,m4,a4 #agfh4 ,age #fe ,during the year #agfh1 ,charles ,wesley1 with his brother's full concurrence1 removed his family from ,bristol to ,london1 which henceforth was his place of residence4#a ,whitefield spent the first half of the year in the metropolis4 ,in ,july1 he set out for ,scotland2 but1 about a month after1 returned to ,london to inter his wife1 who died on ,august #i4 ,his health was somewhat feeble2 but he continued to itinerate and preach to the utmost of his power4 ,his orphan house in ,america1 and ,lady ,huntingdon's college at ,trevecca1 demanded his attention1 and had it4 ,he and ,wesley were still warm hearted friends2 and yet there seems to have been a shade of coldness come over them4 ,hence the following1 written when the year was closing4 8,,tabernacle1 ,december #bh1 #agfh4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,very ,,dear ,,sir1--,pray have you or ,i committed the unpardonable sin1 because we differ in particular cases1 and act according to our consciences8 ,i imagine the common salvation is not promoted by keeping at such a distance4 ,enemies rejoice4 ,halfway friends especially are pleased4 8,you will be glad to hear1 that the time for completing the orphan house affair seems to be come4 ,do you know of a good1 judicious1 spiritual tutor8 ,will you1 without delay1 make the first present of your works to the library8 ,i hope we shall have a nursery for true ,christian ministers4 ,i know you will say ,amen4 ,yesterday ,i was fifty-four years old4 ,god be merciful to me a sinner6 ,though you are older1 ,i trust you will not get the start of me1 by going to heaven1 before1 reverend and very dear sir1 less than the least of all1 8,,george ,,whitefield40#b ,another letter1 of the same kind1 was addressed to ,wesley1 on ,new ,year's day1 by his old friend at ,everton4 8,,everton1 ,january #a1 #agfh4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,i see no reason why we should keep at a distance1 whilst we continue servants of the same ,master1 and especially when ,lot's herdsmen are so ready to lay their staves on our shoulders4 ,though my hand has been mute1 my heart is kindly affected towards you4 ,i trust we agree in essentials2 and1 therefore1 should leave each other at rest with his circumstantials4 ,i am weary of all disputes1 and desire to know nothing but ,jesus2 to love ,him1 trust ,him1 and serve ,him2 to choose and find ,him my only portion4 ,i would have ,him my meat1 my drink1 my clothing1 my sun1 my shield1 my ,lord1 my ,god1 my all4 ,amen4 8,when ,i saw you in town1 ,i gave you an invitation to ,everton2 and ,i now repeat it1 offering you very kindly the use of my house and church4 ,the ,lord accompany you in all your journeys6 ,kind love to your brother4 ,adieu6 8,,john ,,berridge40#c ,at the close of the year #agfg1 the ,earl of ,buchan died triumphing in the faith of ,christ4 ,he had been in the habit of hearing ,whitefield1 the ,wesleys1 and others1 at ,bath1 and had felt their ministry a blessing4 ,his last words were1 8,happy1 happy1 happy60 ,the inscription upon his coffin run thus3 8,his life was honourable1 his death blessed2 he sought earnestly peace with ,god1--he found it with unspeakable joy1 alone in the merits of ,christ ,jesus1 witnessed by the ,holy ,spirit to his soul40#d ,his countess dowager was a woman of deep piety1 of elegant taste1 and of great genius4 ,she was the mother of a numerous family1 and appointed ,venn1 ,berridge1 and ,wesley her domestic chaplains4 ,this was done through the intervention of ,lady ,huntingdon1#e to whom ,wesley addressed the following letter4 8,,london1 ,january #d1 #agfh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,lady1--,i am obliged to your ladyship1 and to ,lady ,buchan1 for such a mark of your regard as ,i did not at all expect4 ,i purpose to return her ladyship thanks by this post4 8,that remark is very striking1 as well as just2--,if it is the ,holy ,spirit that bears witness1 then all speaking against that ,witness is one species of blasphemy against the ,holy ,ghost4 ,and when this is done by those who profess to honour ,him1 it must in a peculiar manner grieve that blessed ,spirit4 ,yet1 ,i have been surprised to observe how many1 who affirm salvation by faith1 have lately run into this2 running full into ,mr4 ,sandeman's notion1 that faith is merely an assent to the ,bible2 and not only undervaluing1 but even ridiculing1 the whole experience of the children of ,god4 ,i rejoice1 that your ladyship is still preserved from that spreading contagion1 and also enabled plainly and openly to avow the plain1 old1 simple1 unfashionable gospel4 8,wishing your ladyship many happy years1 ,i remain1 my dear lady1 your very affectionate servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#f ,a few months after this1 ,wesley went to ,scotland1 where the ,countess of ,buchan resided1 and there wrote1 and probably preached1 his remarkable sermon1 8,the ,good ,steward10 in which1 with great emphasis1 he lays down the doctrine1 that we hold in trust our souls1 our bodies1 our goods1 and all our other talents2 and1 for the use of them1 must render an account at the judgment seat of ,christ4 ,this was dealing faithfully with his noble patroness1 as well as with others2 for the sermon was immediately published in #abmo1 #bd pages1 with the title1 8,the ,good ,steward4 ,a ,sermon1 by ,john ,wesley1 ,chaplain to the ,right ,honourable the ,countess ,dowager of ,buchan40 ,wesley was not the man to be elated by being noticed by the rich1 the noble1 and the great4 ,he was thankful for their help2 but far from being proud of their approbation4 ,many of his most trusted friends were poor and mean in reference to this world's goods2 but1 at the same time1 were possessed of riches incomparably superior to all the gold existing4 ,the following letter1 addressed to ,fletcher of ,madeley1 though a month or two out of its chronological order1 refers to these and to other matters4 8,,birmingham1 ,march #bj1 #agfh4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,mr4 ,eastbrook told me yesterday1 that you are sick of the conversation even of them who profess religion1--that you find it quite unprofitable1 if not hurtful1 to converse with them1 three or four hours together1 and are sometimes almost determined to shut yourself up1 as the less evil of the two4 8,i do not wonder at it at all1 especially considering with whom you have chiefly conversed for some time past1 namely1 the hearers of ,mr4 ,madan1 or ,mr4 ,bourian1 perhaps ,i might add1 of ,mr4 ,whitefield4 ,the conversing with these ,i have rarely found to be profitable to my soul4 ,rather it has damped my desires2 it has cooled my resolutions1 and ,i have commonly left them with a dry1 dissipated spirit4 8,and how can you expect it to be otherwise8 ,for do we not naturally catch their spirit with whom we converse8 ,and what spirit can we expect them to be of1 considering the preaching they sit under8 ,some happy exceptions ,i allow2 but1 in general1 do men gather grapes of thorns8 ,do they gather constant1 universal self denial1 the patience of hope1 the labour of love1 inward and outward self devotion1 from the doctrine of absolute decrees1 of irresistible grace1 of infallible perseverance8 ,do they gather these fruits from antinomian doctrine8 ,or from any that borders upon it8 ,do they gather them from that amorous way of praying to ,christ8 or that luscious way of preaching ,his righteousness8 ,i never found it so4 ,on the contrary1 ,i have found1 that even the precious doctrine of salvation by faith has need to be guarded with the utmost care1 or those who hear it will slight both inward and outward holiness4 8,i will go a step farther3 ,i seldom find it profitable for me to converse with any who are not athirst for perfection1 and who are not big with earnest expectation of receiving it every moment4 ,now you find none of these among those we are speaking of2 but many1 on the contrary1 who are in various ways1 directly and indirectly1 opposing the whole work of ,god1--that work1 ,i mean1 which ,god is carrying on1 throughout this kingdom1 by unlearned and plain men2 in consequence of which ,his influence must1 in some measure1 be withdrawn from them4 ,again3 you have1 for some time1 conversed a good deal with the genteel ,methodists4 ,now it matters not a straw what doctrine they hear1--whether they frequent the ,lock or ,west ,street4 ,they are1 almost all1 salt which has lost its savour1 if ever they had any4 ,they are thoroughly conformed to the maxims1 the spirit1 the fashions1 and customs of the world4 ,certainly then1 #8,nunquam ad eos homines ibis quin minor homo redibis4' 8,but were these or those of ever so excellent a spirit1 you conversed with them too long4 ,one had need to be an angel1 not a man1 to converse three or four hours at once1 to any purpose4 ,in the latter part of such conversation1 we shall doubtless lose all the profit we had gained before4 8,but have you not a remedy for all this in your hands8 ,in order to have truly profitable conversation1 may you not select persons clear both of ,calvinism and antinomianism8 not fond of that luscious way of talking1 but standing in awe of ,him they love2 who are vigorously working out their salvation1 and are athirst for full redemption1 and every moment expecting it1 if not already enjoying it8 ,it is true1 these will generally be poor and mean1 seldom possessed of either riches or learning1 unless there be now and then a rara avis in terris3 a ,miss ,march1 or ,betty ,johnson4 ,if you converse with these1 humbly and simply1 an hour at a time1 with prayer before and prayer after1 you will not complain of the unprofitableness of conversation1 or find any need of turning hermit4 8,as to the conference1 at ,worcester1 on lay preaching1 do not you observe almost all the lay preachers--7#a7 ,are connected with me8 and--7#b7 ,are maintainers of universal redemption8 ,hinc ill lacrym6 ,these gentlemen do not love me1 and do love particular redemption4 ,if these laymen were connected with them1 or if they were ,calvinists1 all would be well4 ,therefore1 ,i should apprehend you will have two things to do3--#a4 ,urge the argument1 the strength of which ,i believe is in the ,second ,appeal1 and1 above all1 in the ,letter to a ,clergyman4 #b4 ,apply to the conscience1 #8,you do not love ,mr4 ,wesley enough3 you love your opinions too much2 otherwise this debate would never have arisen3 for it is undeniable1 these quacks cure whom we cannot cure1 they save sinners all over the nation4 ,god is with them1 and works by them1 and has done so for near these thirty years4 ,therefore1 the opposing them is neither better nor worse than fighting against ,god4' 8,i am your ever affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#g ,one more letter may be introduced1 before we turn to ,wesley's journal4 ,at the beginning of #agfh1 a third son was born to ,charles ,wesley1 and it was naturally the wish of such a father1 that one of his three sons might become a minister of ,christ1--a wish1 however1 that was not realised4 ,wesley alludes to this1 and to the yearly collections and other things1 in the following to his brother1 showing that ,charles either seldom attended conference1 or1 if he did attend1 took little interest in its financial matters4 8,,london1 ,january #ae1 #agfh4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,six or seven hundred pounds is brought to a conference3 of which five hundred at least pays the debt4#h ,then extraordinary demands are answered4 ,how much remains for law8 ,i am now near #cjj out of pocket1 which ,i borrowed to pay ,mr4 ,pardon4 ,when ,i receive some more from ,newcastle1 ,i will send it to ,bristol2 probably very soon4 8,it is highly probable1 one of the three will stand before the ,lord4 ,but1 so far as ,i can learn1 such a thing has scarce been for these thousand years1 as a son1 father1 grandfather1 atavus1 tritavus1 preaching the gospel1 nay1 and the genuine gospel1 in a line4 ,you know1 ,mr4 ,white1 sometime chairman of the ,assembly of ,divines1 was my grandmother's father4 8,look upon our little ones at ,kingswood as often as you can4 ,a word from you will be a quickening to them4 ,oh how many talents are we entrusted with4 ,we have need to gird up the loins of our mind1 and run faster the small remainder of our race4 #8,one thing6'--let us mind one thing only2 and nothing great or small1 but as it ministers to it6 ,peace be with you and yours6 ,adieu6 8,,john ,,wesley40#i ,wesley's first journey from ,london1 in #agfh1 was on the #ahth of ,february1 to ,chatham4 ,methodism of some sort had existed here for a considerable time4 ,as early as #agea1 the ,gentleman's ,magazine relates1 that a man and his wife at ,chatham1 both of them being ,methodists1 had hanged themselves2 and that1 in order to prove the man a lunatic1 his friends produced1 to the coroner's jury1 the ,new ,testament1 on a roll of paper1 which the man had written with his blood4#aj ,wesley writes3 8,thursday1 ,february #ah--;,having been importunately pressed thereto1 ,i rode through a keen east wind to ,chatham4 ,about six in the evening1 ,i preached at the barracks1 in what they call the church4 ,it is a large room1 in which the chaplain reads prayers1 and preaches now and then4 ,it was soon as hot as an oven1 through the multitude of people2 some hundreds of whom were soldiers2 and they were #8all ear1' as ,mr4 ,boston says1 scarcely allowing themselves to breathe4 ,even between five and six the next morning1 the room was warm enough4 ,i suppose upwards of two hundred soldiers were a part of the audience4 ,many of these are already warring a good warfare40 ,this was ,wesley's first visit to ,chatham2 but not his last4 ,from the beginning1 he had loved soldiers1 and1 to the end1 it was always a pleasure to preach to them4 ,on ,march #f1 he set out on his long northern journey1 which occupied the next five months4 ,a few jottings respecting it may be acceptable4 ,at ,gloucester1 a 8noisy and mischievous mob0 had been 8taken in hand and tamed by an honest magistrate40 ,cheltenham was 8a quiet1 comfortable place10 despite the 8rector and the anabaptist minister40 ,at ,worcester1 the difficulty was1 where to preach1 no room being large enough to contain the people1 and it being too cold for them to stand in the open air4 ,at length1 a friend offered the use of his barn1 which 8was larger than many churches40 8,nothing10 says ,wesley1 8is wanting here but a commodious house40 ,such a house was built four years afterwards1#aa and lasted till #ahab1 when good old ,james ,m#8,kee ,byron and the ,worcester ,methodists were mad enough to build another costing upwards of #hjjj1 the great bulk of which was left to be paid by their successors4#ab ,at ,evesham1 ,wesley preached in the parish church2 and was announced1 by the vicar1 to do the same at ,pebworth2 but 8the squire of the parish0 interposed an interdict1 and therefore he preached in the open air4 ,at ,birmingham1 the tumults1 of so many years' continuance1 were 8now wholly suppressed by a resolute magistrate40 ,here ,wesley met 8with a venerable monument of antiquity1 ,george ,bridgins1 in the one hundred and seventh year of his age1 still able to walk to preaching1 and retaining his senses and understanding tolerably well40 ,on ,sunday1 ,march #bj1 ,wesley preached at ,west ,bromwich1 where a small society of about twenty persons had been kept together by ,francis ,asbury1 a native of a neighbouring parish1 but afterwards the ,methodist bishop of the ,united ,states4 ,five years before1 at ,wolverhampton1 the mob had levelled the ,methodist meeting-house to the ground1 and four young fellows concerned in the outrage had been sent to prison2#ac but now1 says ,wesley 8all was quiet3 only those who could not get into the house made a little noise for a time2 and some hundreds attended me to my lodging2 but it was with no other intent than to stare40 ,wesley pronounces ,newcastle under ,lyme 8one of the prettiest towns in ,england40 ,though it was extremely cold1 the largeness of the congregation constrained him to preach in the open air2 8a more attentive or better behaved congregation0 he 8scarce ever saw40 ,sixteen years later1 ,newcastle had a society of one hundred and nine members1 the leaders of whom were ,john ,glynn1 ,william ,bayley1 ,robert ,keeling1 and ,thomas ,bamfield4#ad ,at ,burslem1 on ,march #be1 he opened the new chapel2 and1 at ,congleton1 had 8an elegant1 yet earnestly attentive congregation10 the behaviour of the society having won the approbation of all the people in the town1 except 8the curate1 who still refused to give the sacrament to any who would not promise to hear the ,methodist preachers no more40 ,for nine years past1 the ,methodists had been wont to meet in a room provided by ,dr4 ,troutbeck1 behind his own residence2 and here they had been subjected to the same sort of outrages that most towns in the kingdom thought it their duty to commit upon the ,methodists4 ,drums were beaten to disturb their services2 dogs were let loose in their congregations2 and rotten eggs and filth were often hurled at them in plentiful profusion2 but1 by their godly behaviour1 they had outlived all this1 and now had a galleried chapel1 capable of containing about four hundred persons4 ,wesley spent ,sunday1 ,march #bg1 at ,macclesfield1 where he preached to 8thousands upon thousands40 ,a few years before1 ,george ,pearson and ,elizabeth ,clulow had opened a preaching house1 which would hold forty people1 and which1 to prevent ejectment1 they secured to themselves for forty years4 8,ah1 ,george60 said ,mrs4 ,clulow1 when they first went into it1 8we shall never be able to fill the place2 why1 it will hold forty folk20 to which ,mr4 ,pearson replied1 8,i'll warrant you2 hold up your heart40 ,the result was as ,george predicted4 ,in a month the room was crammed1 and a hole was cut through the chamber floor1 so that the preacher might1 at the same time1 address those above as well as those below4 ,soon after this1 ,mr4 ,ryles gave ground and materials for a chapel1 on condition that ,mrs4 ,clulow would pay the workmen their wages for building it4 ,this was done in #agfd1 and now1 in #agfh1 ,methodism in ,macclesfield was fairly started4#ae ,from ,macclesfield1 ,wesley proceeded to ,stockport1 ,manchester1 and ,new ,mills4 ,he writes3 8,wednesday1 ,march #cj--;,i rode to a little town called ,new ,mills1 and preached in their large new chapel1 which has a casement in every window1 three inches square6 ,that is the custom of the country60 ,this well ventilated chapel was built principally by ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,beard1 the parents of the wife of the late ,t4 ,holy1 ,esq41 of ,sheffield4#af ,coming to ,liverpool1 on ,april #f1 ,wesley says3 8,we had a huge congregation at ,liverpool2 but some pretty1 gay1 fluttering things did not behave with so much good manners as the mob at ,wigan4 ,the congregations in general were quite well behaved1 as well as large1 both morning and evening2 and ,i found the society both more numerous and more lively than ever it was before40 ,one of these 8huge congregations10 after a sermon by ,wesley1 on ,sunday1 ,april #aj1 were munificent enough to make a collection amounting to #a #ds4 #i;d42 and the society1 which was more numerous and lively than ever1 aided by the general congregations1 managed to contribute1 in their classes and at public collections1 from ,september #a1 #agfh1 to ,january #af1 #agfi1 the sum of #aj #ags4 #e;d4 for the support of the work of ,god among them4#ag ,such was ,liverpool ,methodism a hundred years ago6 ,on ,april #ai1 ,wesley arrived in ,glasgow1 and says3 8,we have few societies in ,scotland like this4 ,the greater part of the members not only have found peace with ,god1 but continue to walk in the light of ,his countenance4 ,that wise and good man1 ,mr4 ,gillies1 has been of great service to them1 encouraging them to abide in the grace of ,god40 ,three years before this1 ,thomas ,taylor had been sent to ,glasgow1 and1 after travelling several hundreds of miles to his appointment1 had1 as his first congregation1 two bakers' boys and two old women1 which congregation1 however1 kept increasing till it reached about two hundred4 ,taylor tells us1 that for want of means he never kept so many fast days as he did in ,glasgow2 and1 though he ultimately obtained a preaching room1 and formed a society1 and engaged to pay a precentor fourpence for each service at which he led off the psalms1 he found it so difficult to raise the money that he dismissed the psalms and the psalm singer all together4 ,he left behind him1 however1 a society of seventy members4 ,one of these was ,robert ,mackie1 who1 for thirty years1 acted as a faithful classleader2 and another was a poor old woman1 concerning whom ,john ,pawson1 in an unpublished letter1 tells the following story4 ,meeting in the street the minister of the kirk she had been accustomed to attend1 she was thus accosted3 8,oh1 ,janet1 where have ye been1 woman8 ,i have no seen ye at the kirk for long40 8,i go10 said ,janet1 8among the ,methodists40 8,among the ,methodists60 quoth the minister2 8why what gude get ye there1 woman80 8,glory to ,god60 replied ,janet1 8,i do get gude2 for ,god1 for ,christ's sake1 has forgiven me aw my sins60 8,ah1 ,janet10 said the minister1 8be not highminded1 but fear2 the devil is a cunning adversary40 8,i dunna care a button for the deevil10 answered ,janet1 8,i've gotten him under my feet4 ,i ken the deevil can do muckle deal1 but there is ane thing he canna do40 8,what is that1 ,janet80 8,he canna shed abroad the love of ,god in my heart2 and ,i am sure ,i've got it there60 8,weel1 weel60 replied the good tempered man1 8if ye have got there1 ,janet1 hold it fast1 and never let it go60 ,wesley's information was sometimes incorrect4 ,from what he had heard1 he expected to find a numerous and lively society at ,perth2 but1 instead of that1 he 8found not above two believers1 and scarce five awakened persons in it40 ,at ,aberdeen1 the society was knit together in peace and love1 and the congregations large and deeply attentive2 but1 among them1 were 8many rude1 stupid creatures1 who knew as little of reason as of religion10 and one of whom threw a potato at ,wesley4 ,having spent a month in ,scotland1 ,wesley reached ,berwick on the #ahth of ,may1 and proceeded to ,newcastle1 in the neighbourhood of which he employed the next ten days4 ,at ,sunderland1 he had an interview with ,elizabeth ,hobson1 a young woman of twenty-four years of age2 and took down1 from her own lips1 what he properly designates 8one of the strangest accounts that he ever read40 ,the substance of it is to illustrate her assertion1 that1 from her childhood1 when any of her neighbours died1 she used to see them1 either just at the time of their decease1 or a little previous4 ,he says3 8,the well known character of ,elizabeth ,hobson excludes all suspicion of fraud1 and the nature of the circumstances themselves excludes the possibility of delusion4 ,the reader may believe the narrative if he pleases2 or may disbelieve it1 without any offence to me4 ,meantime1 let him not be offended if ,i believe it1 till ,i see better reason to the contrary40 ,after this follow ,elizabeth ,hobson's bewildering statements4 ,wesley has been censured and ridiculed for this credulity4 ,southey says1 8he invalidated his own authority by listening to the most absurd tales and recording them as authenticated facts40 ,did ,wesley deserve this8 ,the reader must not forget the undeniable1 though mysterious1 supernatural noises in the ,epworth rectory4 ,he must also bear in mind1 that one of the most striking features in ,wesley's religious character was his deep rooted1 intense1 powerful1 and impelling conviction of the dread realities of an unseen world4 ,this great conviction took possession of the man2 he loved it1 cherished it1 tried to instil it into all his helpers and all his people2 and1 without it1 he would never have undertaken the ,herculean labour1 and endured the almost unparalleled opprobrium1 that he did4 ,besides1 his own justification of himself is more easily sneered at than answered4 ,he writes3-- 8,with my latest breath1 will ,i bear my testimony against giving up to infidels one great proof of the invisible world2 ,i mean1 that of witchcraft and apparitions1 confirmed by the testimony of all ages4 ,the ,english1 in general1 and1 indeed1 most of the men of learning in ,europe1 have given up all accounts of witches and apparitions1 as mere old wives' fables4 ,i am sorry for it2 and ,i willingly take this opportunity of entering my solemn protest against this violent compliment1 which so many that believe the ,bible pay to those who do not believe it4 ,i owe them no such service4 ,i take knowledge1 these are at the bottom of the outcry which has been raised1 and with such insolence spread throughout the nation1 in direct opposition not only to the ,bible1 but to the suffrage of the wisest and best of men in all ages and nations4 ,they well know 7whether ,christians know it1 or not7 that the giving up witchcraft is1 in effect1 giving up the ,bible2 and they know1 on the other hand1 that if but one account of the intercourse of men with separate spirits be admitted1 their whole castle in the air--deism1 atheism1 materialism--falls to the ground4 ,i know no reason1 therefore1 why we should suffer even this weapon to be wrested out of our hands4 ,indeed1 there are numerous arguments besides this1 which abundantly confute their vain imaginations4 ,but we need not be hooted out of one2 neither reason nor religion requires this4 ,one of the capital objections to all these accounts is1 #8,did you ever see an apparition yourself8' ,no1 nor did ,i ever see a murder2 yet ,i believe there is such a thing4 ,the testimony of unexceptionable witnesses fully convinces me both of the one and the other40#ah ,at the same time1 it is only fair to add that1 though ,wesley was a firm believer in witches and apparitions1 he was not the fanatic which some had been before him2 hence1 in #agfi1 he writes3 8,i read ,mr4 ,glanvill's #8,sadducismus ,triumphatus2' but some of his relations ,i cannot receive1 and much less his way of accounting for them4 ,all his talk of #8aerial and astral spirits1' ,i take to be stark nonsense4 ,indeed1 supposing the facts true1 ,i wonder a man of sense should attempt to account for them at all4 ,for who can explain the things of the invisible world1 but the inhabitants of it80 ,before proceeding further in ,wesley's history1 extracts from two or three of his letters1 belonging to this period1 may be inserted here4 ,separation from the ,church1 and the doctrine of ,christian perfection1 were points still far from being settled4 ,hence the following to his brother4 8,,edinburgh1 ,may #ad1 #agfh4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i am at my wits' end with regard to two things--the ,church1 and ,christian perfection4 ,unless both you and ,i stand in the gap in good earnest1 the ,methodists will drop them both4 ,talking will not avail4 ,we must do1 or be borne away4 ,will you set shoulder to shoulder8 ,if so1 think deeply upon the matter1 and tell me what can be done4 #8,age1 vir esto6 nervos intendas tuos4' ,peace be with you and yours6 ,adieu6 8,,john ,,wesley40#ai ,a month later1 ,wesley recurs to the same subject1 and congratulates his brother on the results of his removing to ,london4 8,june #ad1 #agfh4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i rejoice to hear1 from various persons1 so good an account of the work of ,god in ,london4 ,you did not come thither without the ,lord1 and you find your labour is not in vain4 ,i doubt not but you will see more and more fruit1 while you converse chiefly with them that are athirst for ,god4 ,i find a wonderful difference in myself when ,i am among these1 and when ,i am among fashionable ,methodists4 ,on this account1 the north of ,england suits me best1 where so many are groaning after full redemption4 8,but what shall we do8 ,i think it is high time1 that you and ,i1 at least1 should come to a point4 ,shall we go on in asserting perfection against all the world8 ,or shall we quietly let it drop8 ,we really must do one or the other2 and1 ,i apprehend1 the sooner the better4 ,what shall we jointly and explicitly maintain1 and recommend to all our preachers1 concerning the nature1 the time 7now or by-and-by71 and the manner of it8 instantaneous or not8 ,i am weary of intestine war2 of preachers quoting one of us against the other4 ,at length1 let us fix something for good and all1 either the same as formerly1 or different from it4--4 8,,john ,,wesley40#bj ,dr4 ,erskine's attack on ,wesley has been already mentioned 7see ,vol4 ,,ii41 p4 #ecj74 ,during ,wesley's visit to ,scotland1 he sought an interview with his opponent1 and refers to their points of difference in the following interesting letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,plendelieth1 of ,edinburgh4 8,may #bc1 #agfh4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,some years ago1 it was reported that ,i recommended the use of a crucifix1 to a man under sentence of death4 ,i traced this up to its author1 ,dr4 ,stennett1 an anabaptist teacher4 ,he was charged with it4 ,he answered1 #8,why ,i saw a crucifix in his cell 7a picture of ,christ on the cross71 and ,i knew ,mr4 ,wesley used to visit him1 so ,i supposed he had brought it4' ,this is the whole of the matter4 ,dr4 ,stennett himself ,i never saw2 nor did ,i ever see such a picture in the cell2 and ,i believe the whole tale is pure invention4 8,i had1 for some time1 given up the thought of an interview with ,mr4 ,erskine1 when ,i fell into the company of ,dr4 ,oswald4 ,he said1 #8,sir1 you do not know ,mr4 ,erskine4 ,i know him perfectly well4 ,send and desire an hour's conversation with him1 and ,i am sure he will understand you better4' ,i am glad ,i did send4 ,i have done my part1 and am now entirely satisfied4 ,i am likewise glad1 that ,mr4 ,erskine has spoken his mind4 ,i will answer with all simplicity1 in full confidence of satisfying you1 and all impartial men4 8,he objects1 7#a7 ,that ,i attack predestination as subversive of all religion1 and yet suffer my followers1 in ,scotland1 to remain in that opinion4 8,much of this is true4 ,i did attack predestination eight-and-twenty years ago2 and ,i do not believe now any predestination which implies irrespective reprobation4 ,but ,i do not believe1 it is necessarily subversive of all religion4 ,i think hot disputes are much more so4 ,therefore1 ,i never willingly dispute with any one about it2 and ,i advise all my friends1 not in ,scotland only1 but all over ,england and ,ireland1 to avoid all contention on the head1 and let every man remain in his own opinion4 ,can any man of candour blame me for this8 ,is there anything unfair or disingenuous about it8 8,he objects1 7#b7 ,that ,i #8assert the attainment of sinless perfection by all that are born of ,god4' ,i am sorry1 that ,mr4 ,erskine should affirm this again4 ,i need give no other answer than ,i gave before1 in the seventh page of the little tract ,i sent him two years ago4 ,i do not maintain this4 ,i do not believe it4 ,i believe ,christian perfection is not attained by any of the children of ,god1 till they are what the apostle ,john terms fathers2 and this ,i expressly declare in that sermon which ,mr4 ,erskine so largely quotes4 8,he objects1 7#c7 ,that ,i #8deny the imputation of ,christ's active obedience4' ,since ,i believed justification by faith1 which ,i have done upwards of thirty years1 ,i have constantly maintained1 that we are pardoned and accepted wholly for the sake of what ,christ hath both done and suffered for us4 ,two or three years ago1 ,mr4 ,madan's sister showed him what she had wrote down of a sermon which ,i had preached on this subject4 ,he entreated me to write down the whole and print it1 saying1 it would satisfy all my opponents4 ,i was not so sanguine as to expect this3 ,i understood mankind too well4 ,however1 ,i complied with his request2 a few were satisfied2 the rest continued just as they were before4 8,as long as ,mr4 ,erskine continues in the mind expressed in his ,theological ,essays1 there is no danger1 that he and ,i should agree1 any more than light and darkness4 ,i love and reverence him2 but not his doctrine4 ,i dread every approach to antinomianism4 ,i have seen the fruit of it1 over the three kingdoms4 ,i never said1 that ,mr4 ,erskine and ,i were agreed4 ,i will make our disagreement as public as ever he pleases3 only ,i must withal specify the particulars4 ,if he will fight with me1 it must be on this ground2 and then let him do what he will1 and what he can4 8,retaining a due sense of your friendly offices1 and praying for a blessing on all your labours1 ,i remain1 reverend and dear sir1 your affectionate brother and servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ba ,these were mutterings before the storm1--skirmishes before the battle1--a prelude to the great ,calvinian controversy of #aggj and onwards4 ,we abruptly turn to another matter4 ,wesley was a man who believed in the importance of making preparations for dying1 in more respects than one4 ,he writes on the last day of the year #aghf3 8,from these words1 #8,set thy house in order1' ,i strongly exhorted all who had not done it already1 to settle their temporal affairs without delay4 ,it is a strange madness which still possesses many1 that are in other respects men of understanding1 who put this off from day to day1 till death comes in an hour when they looked not for it40 ,wesley acted upon his own advice4 ,he was without money2 but he had books1 etc43 and to prevent quarrels after he was dead1 he made more wills than one respecting their disposal4 ,one executed in #agfh was1 of course1 different from his last1 executed in #aghi2 and1 as something more than a curiosity1 we subjoin a verbatim copy1 made from the original in ,wesley's own handwriting4 8,in the name of ,god4 ,amen6 ,i1 ,john ,wesley1 ,clerk1 revoking all other1 appoint this to be my last ,will and ,testament4 8,i bequeath to my brother ,charles ,wesley1 7but in case of his demise to the ,school in ,kingswood17 my ,hebrew1 ,greek1 ,latin1 ,french1 and ,german books 7except those1 in any language1 in the study at ,kingswood ,school1 which ,i bequeath to the said ,school2 and those in my studies at ,bristol1 ,newcastle upon ,tyne1 and ,dublin1 which ,i desire may remain there for the use of the ,travelling ,preachers72 and all my gowns1 cassocks1 and bands4 ,to ,james ,morgan1 ,i bequeath my watch2 to my faithful ,housekeeper1 ,ann ,smith1 ,mrs4 ,lefevre's ring2 to ,mr4 ,peter ,jaco1 my bureau at ,london2 to him1 to the ,rev4 ,william ,ley1 and to each ,travelling ,preacher1 who has them not already1 a set of my ,sermons1 ,appeals1 ,journals1 the ,notes on the ,new ,testament1 and the book on ,original ,sin2 to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,james ,roquet1 all my manuscripts2 to my dear friend1 ,mary ,bosanquet1 the set of my ,works2 to my dear daughter1 ,jane ,smith1 the #8,christian ,library1' now in my study at ,london4 8,i bequeath all my ,books1 which are for sale1 with the sole right of reprinting them1 7after paying my brother's ,rent ,charge upon them17 to ,mr4 ,melchias ,teulon1 ,hatter1 ,mr4 ,john ,horton1 ,silkdyer1 and ,mr4 ,john ,collinson1 ,hatter1 in ,trust1 the one moiety for the keeping the ,children of ,travelling ,preachers at the ,school 7to be chosen by the ,assistants at the ,yearly ,conference71 the other moiety for the continual relief of the ,poor of the ,united ,society in ,london4 ,only ,i bequeath to ,christiana ,simpson1 at ,aberdeen1 the ,books which shall remain with her1 at the time of my decease4 8,lastly1 ,i bequeath the residue of my ,books and ,goods to my wife1 ,mary ,wesley4 ,and ,i appoint the said ,melchias ,teulon1 ,john ,horton1 and ,john ,collinson1 ,executors of this my last ,will and ,testament4 8,witness my hand and seal1#bb this #bgth day of ,april1 #agfh1 8,,john ,,wesley4 8,witnesses3 8,,william ,,smith4 8,,thomas ,,simpson40 ,a man's will is a document in which he generally makes mention of his best beloved friends4 ,on this ground1 a few notes appended to ,wesley's will of #agfh may be useful4 #a4 ,wesley's principal bequest1 in #agfh1 was to ,kingswood school1 and to the poor of the society in ,london4 ,in #aghi1 this bequest was made to 8the general fund of the ,methodist conference1 in carrying on the work of ,god by itinerant preachers40 #b4 ,james ,roquet was made the trustee of ,wesley's manuscripts in #agfh2 but1 having died during the interim1 ,dr4 ,coke1 ,dr4 ,whitehead1 and ,henry ,moore were appointed in #aghi to take his place4 #c4 ,in #agfh1 he bequeathed all his gowns1 cassocks1 and bands to his brother2 in #aghi1 to the clergymen preaching in ,city ,road chapel1 ,london4 #d4 ,in #agfh1 ,james ,morgan was to have his watch2 but1 in #aghi1 ,james ,morgan was dead1 and ,joseph ,bradford got it4 #e4 ,in #agfh1 ,mrs4 ,martha ,hall had no bequest1 for her bad husband was then living2 in #aghi1 he was dead1 and hence her legacy of #dj4 #f4 ,in #agfh1 there was a legacy for his wife2 in #aghi1 his wife was in her grave4 #g4 ,wesley makes mention of his 8dear daughter1 ,jane ,smith40 ,this lady was really his wife's daughter1 who was now married to ,mr4 ,william ,smith1 of ,newcastle upon ,tyne1 one of the witnesses4 #h4 ,james ,roquet1 to whom ,wesley bequeathed his manuscripts1 was the son of a ,french ,protestant refugee1 was educated in the ,merchant ,taylors' school in ,london1 was converted under ,whitefield's ministry1 graduated at ,st4 ,john's college1 ,oxford1 became master in ,wesley's school at ,kingswood1 obtained episcopal ordination1 and was now curate of ,st4 ,werburgh1 ,bristol4 #i4 ,the ,rev4 ,william ,ley1 to whom ,wesley bequeathed a set of his publications1 was1 from the year #agfj to #agfc1 an itinerant preacher4 ,he was then episcopally ordained1 and was now the curate of ,lakenheath1 but likely to be dismissed by the vicar1 to whom his ,methodistic preaching and procedure were offensive4#bc #aj4 ,of one of the executors of ,wesley's will1 ,john ,collinson1 we can give no particulars4 #aa4 ,the second1 ,mr4 ,teulon1 was born at ,bromley1 in #agcd2 and was sent to school at ,nottingham4 ,at fourteen1 he was put apprentice to his uncle1 ,mr4 ,wagner1 of ,pall ,mall1 hatter to ,king ,george ,,ii4 ,he was converted under the ministry of ,romaine1 joined the ,methodists1 and1 in #agfa1 married ,miss ,mecham1 the daughter of one of the earliest ,methodists in ,london4 ,for four years1 he was ,wesley's ,london steward1 and was leader of a class4 ,he was a man of some literary taste1 and had read most of the best ,english authors4 ,he died in #ahjf1 respected and beloved by all who knew him4#bd #ab4 ,the third executor1 ,john ,horton1 was a member of the common council of ,london1 sensible1 well read1 serious without gloom1 cheerful without levity1 and polite without ceremony4 ,the unhappy differences after ,wesley's death induced him to leave the ,methodists1 and he went to reside at ,bristol4#be ,he retained his warm attachment1 however1 to 8the old ship10 as he was accustomed to designate ,wesley's system2 again attended the ,methodist preaching1 and1 only a few months before his death1 when his son was preparing for the university1 declared to ,henry ,moore1 that he would 8rather see his son a ,methodist preacher1 than archbishop of ,canterbury40 ,he died in peace about the year #ahjb4bf ,we left ,wesley at ,newcastle4 ,on the #cast of ,may1 he set out for ,weardale1 ,teesdale1 and ,swaledale1 where he spent the next four days4 ,at ,richmond1 he preached in the market place1 the ,yorkshire militia forming a considerable part of his congregation1--8a rude rabble rout1 without sense1 decency1 or good manners40 ,at ,barnardcastle1 the ,durham militia was a perfect contrast1 officers and soldiers all behaving well4 ,wesley's visit to the 8dales0 circuit was a pleasant one4 ,he writes3 8,i have not found so deep and lively a work in any other part of the kingdom as runs through the whole circuit1 particularly in the vales that wind between these horrid mountains40 ,returning to ,newcastle1 ,wesley visited ,south ,shields1 and preached to more than could hear him4 ,here the poor ,methodists were often beaten1 rolled in the mud and in the snow1 and sometimes narrowly escaped with life3 but1 continuing faithful1 ,god honoured them2 a cockpit was turned into a ,methodist chapel1#bg and ,methodism was firmly anchored4 ,on the #acth of ,june1 ,wesley left ,newcastle for the south1 and spent the next six weeks in visiting his societies in ,yorkshire and ,lincolnshire4 ,the ,rev4 ,thomas ,adam1 rector of ,wintringham1 one of the evangelical clergymen of the period1 has been already mentioned4 ,like some others1 this unquestionably pious man had become a determined opponent of the ,methodists1 and hence the following letter1 addressed to him by ,wesley4 8,,swinfleet1 ,july #ai1 #agfh4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,one of ,wintringham informed me yesterday1 that you said no sensible and well meaning man could hear1 and much less join1 the ,methodists2 because they all acted under a lie1 professing themselves members of the ,church of ,england1 while they licensed themselves as ,dissenters4 ,you are a little misinformed4 ,the greater part of the ,methodist preachers are not licensed at all2 and several of them that are1 are not licensed as ,dissenters4 8,we are1 in truth1 so far from being enemies to the ,church1 rather bigots to it4 ,i dare not1 like ,mr4 ,venn1 leave the parish church where ,i am1 to go to an ,independent meeting4 ,i dare not advise others to go thither1 rather than to church4 ,i advise all1 over whom ,i have any influence1 steadily to keep to the ,church4 ,meantime1 ,i advise them to see1 that the kingdom of ,god is within them2 that their hearts be full of love to ,god and man2 and to look upon all1 of whatever opinion1 who are like minded1 as their #8brother1 and sister1 and mother4' ,o sir6 what art of men or devils is this1 which makes you so studiously stand aloof from those who are thus minded8 ,i cannot but say to you1 as ,i did to ,mr4 ,walker1 #8,the ,methodists do not want you2 but you want them4' ,you want the life1 the spirit1 the power1 which they have2 not of themselves1 but by the free grace of ,god2 else how could it be1 that so good a man1 and so good a preacher1 should have so little fruit of his labour1 his unwearied labour1 for so many years8 ,have your parishioners the life of religion in their souls8 ,have they so much as the form of it8 ,are the people of ,wintringham1 in general1 any better than those of ,winterton1 or ,horton8 ,alas6 sir1 what is it that hinders your reaping the fruit of so much pains and so many prayers8 8,is it not possible this may be the very thing1 your setting yourself against those whom ,god owns1 by the continual conviction and conversion of sinners8 ,i fear1 as long as you in anywise oppose these1 your rod will not blossom1 neither will you see the desire of your soul1 in the prosperity of the souls committed to your charge4 8,i am1 dear sir1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#bh ,in his journey southwards1 ,wesley visited1 for the second time1 his friend ,fletcher1 at ,madeley1--a man1 in many respects1 the opposite of ,mr4 ,adam of ,wintringham1 and especially in his feelings towards the ,methodists4 ,so far from shunning them1 or being ashamed of them1 he1 as far as possible1 identified himself with them2 and1 at the very last conference before he died1 entreated ,wesley to make ,madeley a circuit town1 and to put ,john ,fletcher down as a supernumerary preacher there4 ,he made his kitchen a ,methodist chapel1 in which ,wesley's itinerants and his own curate regularly preached2 while his study was the place in which were penned the ablest defences of ,wesley's doctrines that were ever committed to the public press4 ,from ,madeley1 ,wesley went to ,shrewsbury1 where1 as early as #agdd1 there was a poor woman1 who had been converted in ,london under the preaching of the ,methodists1 and who now obtained a living1 by mending her neighbours' stockings4 ,while thus employed1 at their respective houses1 she would relate to them her religious experience1 read to them a sermon1 and then engage in prayer4 ,by this means1 she had already formed a society of sixteen or eighteen persons2 and the ,rev4 ,job ,orton1 the well known author1 a native of ,shrewsbury1 and at this time its presbyterian minister1 declared that this poor stocking-mending ,methodist was not only of 8an excellent and serious spirit10 but had had more success in converting sinners than he had had by all his preaching4#bi ,leaving ,shrewsbury1 ,wesley rode right through ,wales to ,pembroke1 where he 8read prayers1 preached1 and administered the sacrament to a serious congregation at ,st4 ,daniels20 and so tried to remove some misunderstandings among the ,methodists1 that he 8left the people full of good desires1 and in tolerable good humour with each other40 ,here ,methodism had been begun seven years before1 when ,thomas ,taylor traversed mountains1 forded rivers1 and plunged through bogs1 with an empty purse and an empty stomach1 seeking to save sinners with a zeal and a spirit of self denial worthy of the noblest missionary that ever lived4#cj ,at ,neath1 where the minister of the parish was just dead1 the churchwardens announced1 that ,wesley would preach in the parish church4 ,he did so1 but says3 8,i was greatly disgusted at the manner of singing4 #a4 ,twelve or fourteen persons kept it to themselves1 and quite shut out the congregation4 #b4 ,these repeated the same words1 contrary to all sense and reason1 six1 or eight1 or ten times over4 #c4 ,according to the shocking custom of modern music1 different persons sung different words at one and the same moment2 an intolerable insult on common sense1 and utterly incompatible with any devotion40 ,after more than five months of laborious travelling1 ,wesley came to ,bristol on ,saturday the #acth of ,august1 between eleven and twelve o'clock at night4 ,his conference had to open two days afterwards2 but the first news he heard was1 that his wife was dangerously ill in ,london4 ,he had about forty-eight hours before he must meet his preachers1 twenty-four of which were sabbatical4 ,the distance to ,london and back again was two hundred and twenty-eight miles2 the roads not the best2 and the mode of travelling a perfect contrast to what exists at present4 ,wesley was an aged man1 of more than sixty-five2 for nearly six months he had been travelling and preaching incessantly1 and might now fairly wish for a few hours' rest4 ,but no sooner did he hear of his wife's affliction1 than1 notwithstanding her unloving heart and life1 he started off to ,london1 which1 by travelling most of the sabbath day1 he reached at one o'clock on ,monday morning2 when1 finding that the fever was abated and the danger gone1 he set out again within an hour1 and1 by hard driving1 arrived in ,bristol on ,monday afternoon4 ,next morning he opened his annual conference1 and closed it the following ,friday1 exclaiming1 8,oh6 what can we do for more labourers8 ,we can only cry to the ,lord of the harvest40 ,one of the chief points discussed at the present conference was1 whether the itinerant preachers should be allowed to engage in trade4 ,this was a question at once delicate and difficult4 ,in the first place1 many of them had wives and children1 the provision for whose maintenance was of the most slender kind4 ,secondly1 the men were not ordained1 and had no clerical status whatever4 ,so far there seemed to be no difficulty4 ,but1 in the third place1 though not ordained1 the preachers were regarded by ,wesley as occupying1 to all practical intents and purposes1 the same position as the regular ministers of the ,church of ,england2 and1 hence1 he considered it as unseemly and as improper for his itinerants to be engaged in trade as it would be for the clergy of the ,established ,church4 8,god10 says he1 8has called us to supply their lack of service to the sheep that are without shepherds1 and to spend and be spent therein4 ,every travelling preacher solemnly professes to have nothing else to do2 and receives his little allowance for this very end1 that he may not need to do anything else1--that he may not be entangled in the things of this life1 but may give himself wholly to these things40 ,the result was1 the few preachers who had resorted to some kind of trade1 for the purpose of eking out the insufficient maintenance for their families were advised to give up their business as soon as possible1 and especially hawking drops 7which their wives might sell at home71 for it had 8a bad appearance1 and did not suit the dignity of their calling40 ,the increase of members during the year was #dcj4 ,wesley was not satisfied with this4 ,hence the question3 8,in many places the work of ,god seems to stand still4 ,what can be done to revive and enlarge it80 8,answer--#a4 ,much good has been done by the books which have been published2 and more would be1 if they were spread more effectually4 8#b4 ,let there be more field preaching2 without this1 the work of ,god will hardly increase in any place4 8#c4 ,let the preaching at five in the morning be constantly kept up1 wherever you can have twenty hearers4 ,this is the glory of the ,methodists6 ,whenever this is dropped1 they will dwindle away into nothing4 ,rising early is equally good for soul and body4 ,it helps the nerves better than a thousand medicines2 and1 in particular1 preserves the sight1 and prevents lowness of spirits1 more than can be well imagined4 8#d4 ,as soon as there are four men or women believers in any place1 put them into a band4 ,in every place where there are bands1 meet them constantly1 and encourage them to speak without reserve4 8#e4 ,be conscientiously exact in the whole ,methodist discipline4 ,one part of our discipline has been generally neglected1 namely1 the changing of the stewards4 ,this has been attended with many ill consequences2 many stewards have been ready to ride over the preachers head4 ,let every assistant1 at the next quarterly meeting1 change one steward at least1 in every society1 if there be therein any other man that can keep an account4 8#f4 ,beware of formality in singing1 or it will creep in upon us unawares4 ,is it not creeping in already1 by those complex tunes which it is scarce possible to sing with devotion8 ,such is1 #8,praise the ,lord1 ye blessed ones6' ,such the long quavering ,hallelujah1 annexed to the ,morning ,song tune1 which ,i defy any man living to sing devoutly4 ,the repeating the same word so often1 especially while another repeats different words1 shocks all common sense1 brings in dead formality1 and has no more of religion in it than a ,lancashire hornpipe4 ,do not suffer the people to sing too slow4 ,this naturally tends to formality1 and is brought in by those who have very strong or very weak voices4 ,why should not the assistant see1 that they be taught to sing in every large society8 8#g4 ,let a quarterly fast be observed in all our societies4 8#h4 ,which of us #8fasts every ,friday in the year'8 ,which of us fasts at all8 ,does not this show the present temper of our minds soft and unnerved8 ,how then can we advance the work of ,god1 though we may preach loud and long enough8 ,here is the root of the evil4 ,hence1 the work of ,god droops2 few are convinced1 few justified1 few of our brethren sanctified6 ,hence1 more and more doubt if we are to be sanctified at all till death4 ,that we may all speak the same thing1 ,i ask once for all1 #8,shall we defend this perfection or give it up'8 ,you all agree to defend it1 meaning thereby1 as we did from the beginning1 salvation from all sin1 by the love of ,god and our neighbour filling our heart4 ,you are all agreed1 we may be saved from all sin before death4 ,the substance then is settled4 ,but as to the circumstance1 is the change instantaneous or gradual8 ,it is both one and the other4 ,but should we in preaching insist upon both one and the other8 ,certainly4 ,but how far from entire sanctification are we still6 ,the religion of the ,methodists1 in general1 is not internal3 at least1 not deep1 universal1 uniform3 but superficial1 partial1 uneven4 ,and what pains do we take to make it otherwise8 ,do we visit from house to house1 according to the plan laid down in the minutes8 ,only spend half the time in this visiting1 which you spend in talking uselessly1 and you will have time enough4 ,do this1 particularly in confirming and building up believers4 ,then1 and not till then1 the work of the ,lord will prosper in your hands4 ,unless1 also1 we can take care of the rising generation1 the present revival of religion will be res unius tatis1 it will last only the age of a man4 ,spend an hour a week with the children1 in every large town1 whether you like it or not4 ,talk with them every time you see any at home4 ,pray in earnest for them4 ,diligently instruct and vehemently exhort all parents at their own houses4 ,read carefully the life of ,mr4 ,brainerd4 ,let us be followers of him1 as he was of ,christ2 in absolute self devotion1 in total deadness to the world1 and in fervent love to ,god and man4 ,we want nothing but this4 ,then the world and the devil must fall under our feet4 ,lastly1 let us keep to the ,church4 ,they that leave the ,church leave the ,methodists4 ,the clergy cannot separate us from our brethren2 the ,dissenting ministers can and do4 ,therefore1 carefully avoid whatever has a tendency to separate men from the ,church4 ,in particular1 preaching at any hour which hinders them from going to it4 ,let every assistant look to this4 ,let all the servants in our preaching houses go to church on ,sunday morning at least4 ,let every preacher likewise go always on ,sunday morning1 and1 when he can1 in the afternoon4 ,god will bless those who go on week days too1 as often as they have opportunity40 ,wesley's means1 then1 to promote a revival of the work of ,god1 were a diffusion of ,methodist literature1 field and morning preaching1 the enforcement of ,methodist discipline1 good singing1 quarterly fasts1 the preaching of the doctrine of ,christian perfection1 house to house visitation1 attention to the young1 continued union with the ,established ,church1 and1 above all and more than all1 more inward and outward religion among the preachers4 ,before leaving the conference of #agfh1 we insert a letter1 which1 so far as we are aware1 has not before been published1 except in the 8,methodist ,pocket ,book0 for #agii4 ,it was addressed to ,james ,morgan1 one of ,wesley's itinerant preachers1 well read1 and popular1 but who had sunk into a state of nervousness1 and had settled down in the city of ,dublin4 8,,st4 ,,just1 ,,near ,,the ,,land',s ,,end1 ,september #c1 #agfh4 8,,dear ,,jemmy1--,i have been thinking much of you2 and why should ,i not tell you all ,i think1 and all ,i fear1 concerning you8 8,i think all that you said at the conference upon the subject of the late debates was right4 ,and it amounted to no more than this3 #8the general rule is1 they who are in the favour of ,god know they are so4 ,but there may be some exceptions4 ,some may fear and love ,god1 and yet not be clearly conscious of ,his favour2 at least1 they may not dare to affirm that their sins are forgiven4' ,if you put the case thus1 ,i think no man in his senses will be tempted to contradict you2 for none can doubt1 but whoever loves ,god is in the favour of ,god4 ,but is not this a little misstating the case8 ,i do not conceive the question turned here2 but you said1 or was imagined to say1 #8all penitents are in ,god's favour'2 or1 #8all who mourn after ,god are in the favour of ,god4' ,and this was what many disliked2 because they thought it was unscriptural and unsafe1 as well as contrary to what we had always taught4 ,that this is contrary to what we had always taught1 is certain2 as all our hymns1 as well as other writings1 testify3 so that 7whether it be true or not71 it is1 without any question1 a new doctrine among the ,methodists4 ,we have always taught1 that a penitent mourned1 or was pained1 on this very account1 because he felt he was not in the favour of ,god1 but had the wrath of ,god abiding on him4 ,hence we supposed the language of his heart to be1 #8,lost and undone for aid ,i cry'2 and we believed he was really #8lost and undone1' till ,god did #8,peace1 righteousness1 and joy impart1 ,and speak ,himself into his heart4' 8,and ,i still apprehend this to be the scriptural doctrine1 confirmed1 not by a few detached texts1 but by the whole tenor of ,scripture1 and1 more particularly1 of the ,epistle to the ,romans4 ,but if so1 the contrary to it must be unsafe1 for that general reason1 because it is unscriptural2 to which one may add the particular reason1 that it naturally tends to lull mourners to sleep2 to make them say1 #8,peace1 peace' to their souls1 when there is no peace4 8,but it may be asked1 #8,will not this discourage mourners8' ,yes1 it will discourage them from stopping where they are2 it will discourage them from resting1 before they have the witness in themselves1 before ,christ is revealed in them4 ,but it will encourage them to seek in the gospel way2 to ask till they receive pardon and peace4 ,and we are to encourage them1 not by telling them they are in the favour of ,god1 though they do not know it2 7such a word as this we would never utter in a congregation1 at the peril of our souls27 but by assuring them1 #8,every one that seeketh findeth1 every one that asketh receiveth4' 8,i am afraid you have not been sufficiently wary in this2 but have given occasion to them that sought occasion4 ,but this is not all4 ,i doubt you did not #8see ,god's hand in ,shimei's tongue4' #8,unto you it was given to suffer' a little of what you extremely wanted1--obloquy and evil report4 ,but you did not acknowledge either the gift or the ,giver4 ,you saw only ,t4 ,olivers1 not ,god4 ,o ,jemmy1 you do not know yourself4 ,you cannot bear to be continually steeped in the esteem and praise of men4 ,therefore1 ,i tremble at your stay at ,dublin2 it is the most dangerous place for you under heaven6 ,all ,i can say is1 ,god can preserve you in the fiery furnace1 and ,i hope ,he will4 8,i am1 dear ,jemmy1 yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,a letter has been already inserted in which ,wesley congratulates his brother on the reports he had received respecting the success of his ministry in ,london4 ,this was somewhat premature1 for1 in reality1 instead of there being an increase in the ,london circuit1 there was a decrease of seventy members2 and there was a serious intention to abandon the chapel in ,spitalfields4 ,hence the following letter 8to the stewards of the ,foundery40 8,,pembroke1 ,august #f1 #agfh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brethren1--,the thing you mention is of no small concern1 and ought not to be determined hastily4 ,indeed1 it would be easy to answer1 if we considered only how to save money2 but we are to consider also how to save souls4 ,now1 ,i doubt whether we should act wisely in this respect were we to give up the chapel in ,spitalfields4 ,we have no other preaching place in or near that populous quarter of the town2 and a quarter which1 upon one account1 ,i prefer before almost any other2 namely1 that the people in general are more simple1 and less confused by any other preachers4 ,i think1 therefore1 it would not be well to give up this1 if we could gain a thousand pounds thereby4 ,i should look upon it as selling the souls of men for money2 which ,god will give us in due time without this4 ,that many who live near the ,foundery would be glad of it ,i allow1 because it would save them trouble4 ,but neither can ,i put the saving of trouble in competition with the saving of souls4 8,i am1 my dear brethren1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ca ,poor ,spitalfields6 ,noble ,wesley6 ,let the fashionable ,methodists of the present generation ponder such sentiments as these1 and hesitate before they abandon their old chapels1 because surrounded by none but the abject and the poor1 and because keeping them open involves expense and trouble4 ,it is a remarkable fact1 that almost in the very year in which ,methodism was founded in ,america1 it was instituted in ,newfoundland4 ,for nine years1 ,laurence ,coughlan was one of ,wesley's itinerants4 ,in #agfd1 he was ordained by ,erasmus1 the ,greek bishop1 and was put away from the ,methodist connexion4 ,in #agff1cb he was reordained by the ,bishop of ,london1 and was sent to ,newfoundland by the ,society for the ,propagation of the ,gospel in ,foreign ,parts4 ,it is true1 he went as a clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 but he took his ,methodism with him1 and established classes1 in which the present ,methodism of ,newfoundland had its origin4 ,in a letter to ,wesley1 he writes3 8,i am1 and do confess myself1 a ,methodist4 ,the name ,i love1 and hope ,i ever shall4 ,the plan which you first taught me1 as to doctrine and discipline1 ,i have followed4 ,we have the sacrament once a month1 and have about two hundred communicants4 ,this is more than all the other missionaries in the land have3 nor do ,i know of any who attend our sacrament1 who have not the fear of ,god2 and some are happy in ,his love4 ,there are some also whose mouths the ,lord hath opened to give a word of exhortation2 and ,i hope ,he will raise up many more40 ,it would be a pleasant task to trace the steps of ,mr4 ,coughlan in ,newfoundland2 but suffice it to remark that he returned to ,england1 and shortly after1 while conversing with ,wesley in his study1 was seized with paralysis1 and suddenly removed to his rest in heaven4#cc ,coughlan was one of those in ,london1 who professed to receive the blessing of ,christian perfection2 but1 like many others1 imbibed fantastic notions respecting it4 ,soon after the conference of #agfh1 ,wesley wrote to him as follows4 8,,dear ,,laurence1--,by a various train of providences you have been led to the very place where ,god intended you should be2 and you have reason to praise ,him1 that ,he has not suffered your labour there to be in vain4 ,in a short time1 how little will it signify1 whether we had lived in the ,summer ,islands1 or beneath #8,the rage of ,arctos and eternal frost6' 8,how soon will this dream of life be at an end6 ,and when we are once landed in eternity1 it will be all one1 whether we spent our time on earth in a palace1 or had not where to lay our head4 8,you never learned1 either from my conversation1 or preaching1 or writings1 that #8holiness consisted in a glow of joy4' ,i constantly told you quite the contrary3 ,i told you it was the love of ,god and our neighbour2 the image of ,god stamped on the heart2 the life of ,god in the soul of man2 the mind that was in ,christ1 enabling us to walk as ,christ also walked4 ,if ,mr4 ,maxfield1 or you1 took it to be anything else1 it was your own fault1 not mine2 and1 whenever you waked out of that dream1 you ought not to have laid the blame of it upon me4 ,perhaps you thought you had received what you had not4 ,but pray do not measure all men by yourself2 do not imagine you are the universal standard4 ,if you deceived yourself1 you should not infer that all others do4 ,many think they are justified1 and are not2 but we cannot infer1 that none are justified4 ,so neither1 if many think they are #8perfected in love1' and are not1 will it follow that none are so4 ,blessed be ,god1 though we set a hundred enthusiasts aside1 we are still #8encompassed with a cloud of witnesses1' who have testified1 and do testify1 in life and in death1 that perfection which ,i have taught these forty years6 ,this perfection cannot be a delusion1 unless the ,bible be a delusion too2 ,i mean1 loving ,god with all our hearts1 and our neighbour as ourselves4 ,i pin down all its opposers to this definition of it4 ,no evasion6 ,no shifting the question6 ,where is the delusion of this8 ,either you received this love1 or you did not4 ,if you did1 dare you call it a delusion8 ,if you received anything else1 it does not at all affect the question4 ,o ,laurence1 if sister ,coughlan and you ever did enjoy this1 humble yourselves before ,god for casting it away2 if you did not1 ,god grant you may6 8,yours1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#cd ,wesley had been incessantly travelling for nearly the last six months2 but no sooner were the sessions of the ,bristol conference ended1 than he started off to ,cornwall1 where he spent the interval between ,august #bf and ,september #ah4 ,on his way1 he preached to a serious congregation at ,taunton1 and asks1 8,shall we have fruit here also80 ,wesley might well ask this4 ,for many a long year1 he had been accustomed to preach at ,taunton1 and had been received either with stupid indifference or active contempt4 ,as early as #agdd1 he attempted to preach in the yard of the ,three ,cups inn2 but had no sooner named his text1 than the mayor came1 in all his full blown dignity1 and ordered the proclamation to be read1 and silenced the preacher4#ce ,almost a quarter of a century had elapsed since then2 and now there was a small society1 of which one of the members was ,thomas ,dingle1 who for sixty-three years was a chief supporter of the ,taunton society1 and one of its brightest ornaments4 ,wesley's labours in ,cornwall were ,herculean4 ,though now in the sixty-sixth year of his age1 for eight days together he preached1 8mostly in the open air1 three or four times a day10 and says1 8,i hardly felt any weariness1 first or last40 ,he was also not without adventures4 ,at ,polperro1 his bedroom was filled with pilchards and conger eels1 which made him glad to accept the offer of another4 ,at ,plymouth1 on his return1 a 8silly man talked without ceasing0 during the sermon1 till ,wesley desired the people 8to open to the right and left1 and let him look his garrulous disturber fairly in the face10 upon which the noisy prater 8pulled off his hat1 and quietly went away40 ,between ,charlton and ,lympsham1 the rivers were so swollen1 that ,wesley's horse had to swim1 and ,wesley himself had to be taken to his lodgings on an 8honest man's shoulders40 ,reaching ,bristol on ,september #bd1 ,wesley spent the next few days in visiting the neighbouring towns and villages4 ,at ,frome1 he found the liveliest society that there was in the ,wiltshire circuit3 a fact which greatly surprised him1 because the town was made up of a strange medley 8of men of all opinions1--anabaptists1 quakers1 presbyterians1 ,arians1 antinomians1 ,moravians1 and what not40 ,he adds3 8if any hold to the truth1 in the midst of all these1 surely the power must be of ,god40 ,the ,frome ,methodists1 however1 were not untrained recruits1 but veteran soldiers1 who had stood the brunt of many a furious and fiery fight4 ,twenty-two years before this1 ,methodism had been started in their town1 by a poor ,bristol pedlar1 who dealt in rags and small ware1 singing to the people ,wesley's hymns4 ,since then1 a vagabond barber--a tool in the hands of the parish priest--had dragged two ,methodist women to prison4 ,mrs4 ,seagram had been fined #bj for permitting her house to be used as a preaching place2 and1 not being able to pay the fine1 had had all her stock in trade and her household goods sold by public auction1 while she and her two fatherless children were turned penniless out of doors4 ,in one instance1 the mob rushed into the preaching room1 seized the benches1 and made a bonfire of them4 ,methodism in ,frome had outlived all this2 and1 despite the sectarianism of the town1 it was destined still to live and prosper4 ,on ,october #bd1 ,wesley set out for ,london1 and employed the first week in ,november in a preaching tour through the three counties of ,hertford1 ,bedford1 and ,northampton4 ,at ,hertford1 a chapel had been built by ,mr4 ,andrews1 who afterwards1 in #aggg1 gave to ,wesley's new chapel in ,city ,road the pulpit which has been used in ,methodism's cathedral from that time to this4#cf ,the second week in ,november was spent in a similar visitation of the societies in ,oxfordshire4 ,he writes3 8,i was desired to preach at ,oxford4 ,the room was throughly filled1 and not with curious1 but deeply serious hearers4 ,many of these desired1 that our travelling preachers would take them in their turn2 with which ,i willingly complied40 ,oxford had been ,methodism's cradle1 but the infant had long been absent4 ,henceforth1 ,methodism was one of ,oxford's institutions2 though1 for long1 long years1 it was a thing of feebleness and of small dimensions4 ,the 8,oxfordshire0 circuit extended over the greater part of ,berkshire1 ,wiltshire1 and ,buckinghamshire2 and1 even as late as #aghg1 there were throughout the circuit only four ,methodist chapels1 namely1 at ,oxford1 ,wycombe1 ,wallingford1 and ,witney4 ,at ,aylesbury1 the ,methodists preached in the baptists' chapel2 at ,newbury1 in an ironfounder's shop2 and at all the other places1 in private houses4 ,the small chapel in ,oxford was in ,new-,inn-,hall ,lane2#cg and the ,oxford home of the two unmarried preachers1 ,joseph ,entwisle and ,richard ,reece1 was a garret in the house of a journeyman shoemaker1 for which the society paid sixpence a week as rent2 and which had to serve them as dining room1 sitting room1 bedroom1 and study1#ch all in one4 ,the third week in ,november was occupied in meeting the ,london classes2 and the fourth in a tour in ,kent4 ,the rest of the year was chiefly spent in town4 ,wesley was fervent1 but not fanatical2 he loved earnestness in religious worship1 but not disorder4 ,hence the following letter to ,mr4 ,merryweather1 of ,yarm4 8,,lewisham1 ,december #aj1 #agfh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,the matter is short3 all things in ,divine worship must #8be done decently and in order4' ,two must never pray at the same time1 nor one interrupt another4 ,either ,alice ,brammah must take advice1 or the society must be warned to keep away from her4 ,these are the very things which were the beginning of poor ,george ,bell's fall4 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 ,,john ,,wesley40#ci ,we have already seen that1 by an enormous effort1 in the month of ,august1 ,wesley hurried from ,bristol to ,london to visit his afflicted wife4 ,on his return he wrote her as follows4 8,,my ,,love1--,i can make allowance for faintness1 and weakness1 and pain4 ,i remember when it was my own case1 at this very place1 and when you spared no pains in nursing and waiting upon me1 till it pleased ,god to make you the chief instrument in restoring my strength4 ,i am glad you have the advice of a skilful physician2 but you must not be surprised or discouraged if you do not recover your strength so soon as one might wish1 especially at this time of the year4 ,what is chiefly to be desired is1 that ,god may sanctify all ,his dispensations to you1 and that all may be the means of your being more entirely devoted to ,him1 whose favour is better than strength1 or health1 or life itself4 8,i am1 dear ,molly1 your ever affectionate husband1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,no sooner was ,wesley's wife convalescent1 than1 instead of waiting to welcome him to his home in ,london1 she1 in one of her insane piques1 took her departure to ,newcastle4 ,the following letter to his brother refers to this1 and also to his preparing an edition of ,young's 8,night ,thoughts10 and to other matters4 8,,london1 ,december #ag1 #agfh4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i thank you for your reproof4 ,there is reason in what you say4 ,if there was not evil1 there was the appearance of evil4 8,matters have not been well carried on at ,liverpool2 but #8what cannot be cured must be endured4' 8,why1 you simpleton1 you are cutting me out a month's work4 ,nay1 but ,i have no leisure nor inclination to write a book4 ,i intend only3 7#a7 to leave out what ,i most dislike2 7#b7 to mark what ,i most approve of2 7#c7 to prefix a short preface4 ,and ,i shall run the hazard of printing it at ,bristol4 ,there you yourself can read the proof sheets4 8,you do well with regard to my sister ,emily4 ,what farther is wanting ,i will supply4 ,i hear nothing from our friend at ,newcastle4 ,i am now a mere fellow of a college again4 ,adieu6 8,,john ,,wesley40#dj ,wesley was still troubled on account of the chapel debts4 ,nearly #fjjj had been contributed2 but there was still a debt of #ggbh upon the chapels in the ,united ,kingdom undefrayed4#da ,this gave rise to the following letter4 8,,london1 ,december1 #agfh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,last year1 ,mr4 ,h---- was much persuaded that1 by means of the yearly subscription1 our whole debt of above #aa1jjj would be paid within two years4 ,many of our brethren were more sanguine still4 ,they were persuaded that1 by generously exerting themselves1 and giving a large sum at once1 it would be paid in one year4 ,i did not expect this2 but ,i would not contradict1 because ,i would not discourage them4 ,the event was as ,i foresaw4 ,by the noble effort which many of our brethren made1 most of the pressing debts are already discharged1 amounting in the whole to near #gjjj4 ,but a debt of about #gjjj remains upon us still4 ,what can be done with regard to this8 ,i will tell you what occurs to my mind4 ,many of our brethren chose to subscribe yearly ten1 five1 three1 two guineas1 or less4 ,i doubt not but these will cheerfully pay the residue of their subscription1 and perhaps some of them will add a little thereto1 as they see the great occasion there is for it4 ,a few delayed subscribing1 because they wanted to see the event2 supposing the design to be impracticable1 and that #8nothing good would come out of it1' ,as it now appears that great good has come out of it1 that many burdens are already removed1 ,i cannot but earnestly exhort all these now to set their shoulders to the work4 ,now1 at least1 let them exert themselves1 for my sake1 for the gospel's sake1 and for the sake of their still afflicted brethren1 who groan under a load which they cannot well bear1 and yet cannot remove without our assistance4 ,several generously contributed at once1 in hope of paying the whole debt4 ,of them nothing more can be required1 but their prayers that others may be as openhearted as themselves4 ,nevertheless1 if of their own free goodwill they see good to add a little to their former benefactions--this1 as well as the former1 is lent unto the ,lord1 and what they lay out shall be paid them again4 ,ought ,i not to add1 that there were some of our brethren who did not answer my expectation8 ,i knew they were able to assist largely2 and ,i flattered myself they were not less willing than able1 as they owed me their own souls also1 and this was the first favour of the kind which ,i had requested of them4 ,let me be excused from saying any more of what is past4 ,let them now drop all excuses and objections1 and show they love me and their brethren1 and the work of ,god1 not in word only1 but in deed and in truth4 ,let me have joy over you1 my brethren1 in particular4 ,you have a measure of this world's goods1 and you see your brother hath need4 ,i have need of your help1 inasmuch as the burdens of my brethren are my own4 ,do not pass by on the other side2 but come and help as ,god has enabled you4 ,do all you can to lighten the labour1 and strengthen the hands1 of your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#db ,wesley was a great reader1 as well as a great writer2 and1 during the year #agfh1 his journal is enriched with an unusual number of his critical remarks4 ,a few may be given as specimens of others4 8,january #aa4--,this week ,i spent my scraps of time in reading ,mr4 ,wodrow's #8,history of the ,sufferings of the ,church of ,scotland4' ,it would transcend belief1 but that the vouchers are too authentic to admit of any exception4 ,o what a blessed governor was that goodnatured man1 so called1 ,king ,charles the ,second6 ,bloody ,queen ,mary was a lamb1 a mere dove1 in comparison of him60 8,april #bi4--;,i read over an extremely sensible book1 but one that surprised me much3 #8,an ,inquiry into the ,proofs of the ,charges commonly advanced against ,mary ,queen of ,scotland4' ,by means of original papers1 the author has made it clear3 7#a7 ,that she was altogether innocent of the murder of ,lord ,darnley1 and no way privy to it4 7#b7 ,that she married ,lord ,bothwell 7then near seventy years old1 herself but four-and-twenty71 from the pressing instance of the nobility in a body1 who1 at the same time1 assured her he was innocent of the king's murder4 7#c7 ,that ,murray1 ,morton1 and ,lethington1 themselves contrived that murder1 in order to charge it upon her2 as well as forged those vile letters and sonnets which they palmed upon the world for hers4 #8,but how then can we account for the quite contrary story1 which has been almost universally received8' ,most easily4 ,it was penned and published in ,french1 ,english1 and ,latin1 7by ,queen ,elizabeth's order17 by ,george ,buchanan1 who was secretary to ,lord ,murray and in ,queen ,elizabeth's pay2 so he was sure to throw dirt enough4 ,nor was she at liberty to answer for herself4 #8,but what then was ,queen ,elizabeth8' ,as just and merciful as ,nero1 and as good a ,christian as ,mahomet40 8,may #bj4--;,i went on reading that fine book1 ,bishop ,butler's #8,analogy4' ,but ,i doubt it is too hard for most of those for whom it is chiefly intended4 ,freethinkers1 so called1 are seldom close thinkers4 ,they will not be at the pains of reading such a book as this4 ,one that would profit them must dilute his sense1 or they will neither swallow nor digest it40 8,november #ai4--;,i read ,dr4 ,nowell's answer to ,mr4 ,hill1 concerning the expulsion of the students at ,oxford4 ,he has said all that could be said for that stretch of power2 and he says quite enough1 to clear the ,church of ,england from the charge of predestination3 a doctrine which he proves to be utterly inconsistent with the ,common ,prayer1 the ,communion ,service1 the ,office of ,baptism1 the articles1 the homilies1 and the other writings of those that compiled them40 ,the last extract refers to a matter too nearly allied to ,methodism to be passed without further notice4 8,on the #abth of ,march1 #agfh1 six students belonging to ,edmund hall1 ,oxford1 were expelled the university1 for holding ,methodistical tenets1 and taking upon them to pray1 read or expound the ,scriptures1 and sing hymns in private houses4 ,the principal of the hall1 ,dr4 ,dixon1 defended their doctrines from the thirty-nine articles of the ,established ,church1 and spoke in the highest terms of their piety and the exemplariness of their lives2 but sentence was pronounced against them4 ,dr4 ,nowell1 one of the heads of houses present1 observed1 that as these six gentlemen were expelled for having too much religion1 it would be very proper to inquire into the conduct of some who had too little40#dc ,the expelled students were ,benjamin ,kay1 ,thomas ,jones1 ,thomas ,grove1 ,erasmus ,middleton1 ,joseph ,shipman1 and ,james ,mathews4 ,the junta of expellers were ,drs4 ,durell1 ,randolph1 ,fothergill1 ,nowell1 and ,atterbury4#dd ,the charges brought against the young culprits were3 #a4 ,that they had held or frequented illicit conventicles1 where some of them1 though not in orders1 had preached and prayed extempore1 particularly in the house of a staymaker1 a woman who herself officiated and taught4 #b4 ,that some of them had been bred up to the lowest trades and occupations1 for one had been a weaver and kept a taphouse1 a second had been a barber1 a third a draper2 and further all were wholly illiterate1 and incapable of performing the statutable exercises of the university2 and were maintained at the charge of persons suspected of enthusiasm4 #c4 ,that they were attached to the sect called ,methodists1 and held their doctrines1 namely1 8that faith without works is sufficient for salvation2 that there is no necessity for good works2 that the immediate impulse of the ,spirit is to be waited for2 that once a child of ,god always a child of ,god2 and the like40 #d4 ,that one of them1 before his entrance into the university1 had preached1 and1 in defiance of his father's authority1 had connected himself with the ,methodists4 #e4 ,that some of them had behaved very irreverently and disrespectfully to their tutor1 and had industriously sought to cavil with and to vex him4#de ,it is right to add1 that none of these young men had been connected with ,wesley4 ,mr4 ,jones1 the barber1 had1 for some time resided1 with the ,rev4 ,john ,newton1 and1 under his instruction1 had made considerable progress in the ,greek and ,hebrew languages4 ,mr4 ,kay was of a respectable family1 and an excellent scholar1 and had an exhibition paid by the ,ironmongers' ,company4 ,mr4 ,mathews had been instructed by ,fletcher of ,madeley4 ,mr4 ,middleton had been under the tutelage of the ,rev4 ,thomas ,haweis4 ,of ,mr4 ,grove and ,mr4 ,shipman we know nothing1 except that the latter1 after his expulsion1 was admitted to the college of the ,countess of ,huntingdon1 at ,trevecca4 ,this act of ,oxford tyranny1 as might be expected1 created great commotion2 and numbers of tracts and pamphlets1 pro and con1 were published4 ,among others1 ,whitefield rushed into the battle1 in a 8,letter to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,durell10 #hvo1 #ej pages1 and defended the expelled with great vigour and effect2 as also did ,dr4 ,horne1 afterwards bishop of ,norwich4 ,macgowan published his 8,shaver10 in which he shaved the collegiate rulers with no gentle hand1 and1 in the process1 must have made them smart4 ,sir ,richard ,hill1 a young man of thirty-six1 who for some time past had been using his utmost endeavours to improve ,oxford morality1 issued his 8,pietas ,oxoniensis10 #hvo1 #he pages1 in which he belaboured the junta with unsparing severity4 ,several replies were written in justification of the ,oxford bull2 and1 after an immense expenditure of time1 and not a little display of angry temper1 this execrable act of the ,oxford authorities was allowed to repose in silence4 ,it is a fact1 however1 far too serious to be forgotten1 that while ,oxford university1 in past days1 has tolerated in its students the most notorious wickedness1 and while1 at the present day1 it tolerates ,german scepticism and ,romish heresy1 it once1 in one of its paroxysms of pious zeal1 ignominiously expelled six young men1 whose only crimes were1 that some of them had been ignobly bred1 and all had sung1 and prayed1 and read the ,scriptures in private houses4 ,the ,countess of ,huntingdon was accused of maintaining some or all of these young students at the ,oxford university2 and perhaps there was a modicum of truth in this4 ,be that as it may1 she soon made her young preachers independent of ,oxford help4 ,trevecca ,house1 in the parish of ,talgarth1 in ,wales1 was an ancient structure1 supposed to have been erected about the year #aagf4 ,this building the countess opened as a college1 five months after the expulsions just mentioned1--on the #bdth of ,august1 #agfh1 the anniversary of her ladyship's birthday4 ,whitefield preached at the opening2 ,fletcher was made the president2 and1 for a few months1 ,mr4 ,easterbrook the head master2 when ,joseph ,benson was appointed his successor4 ,of course1 ,fletcher was not expected to relinquish his charge at ,madeley2 but he was to attend the college at ,trevecca as often as he conveniently could2 to give advice1 with regard to the appointment of masters1 and the admission or exclusion of students2 to oversee their studies and conduct2 to assist their piety2 and to judge of their qualifications for the ministry4#df ,as is well known1 both ,fletcher and ,benson soon retired1 because of the doctrinal differences that sprang up2 but ,trevecca was still used as a seminary for the training of ,calvinistic ministers1 till #agib1 when the institution was removed to ,cheshunt1 in ,hertfordshire4 ,wesley from the beginning was in doubt of it1 though1 perhaps1 without reason4 ,in a letter to his brother1 dated 8,may #ai1 #agfh10 he writes3 8,i am glad ,mr4 ,fletcher has been with you4 ,but if the tutor fails1 what will become of our college at ,trevecca8 ,did you ever see anything more queer than their plan of institution8 ,pray who penned it1 man or woman8 ,i am afraid the visitor too will fail40#dg ,was there a tinge of jealousy in this8 ,we know not4 ,troubles1 it is true1 soon sprung up2 but the countess made ,trevecca her principal place of residence2 and within its walls were trained a noble band of earnest1 laborious1 and useful ministers4 ,the old building is now the residence of a ,celtic farmer4#dh ,o tempora6 ,o mores6 ,excepting the hubbub arising out of the ,oxford expulsions1 there was not much1 in #agfh1 that was antagonistic to the ,methodist movement4 ,a small1 paltry pamphlet was published1 with the title1 8,enthusiasm ,reprehended4 ,three ,letters to ,mr4 ,john ,wesley4 ,with ,strictures on his ,character1 the ,reception he met with at ,perth1 and his ,conduct on that occasion40 ,a #abmo volume1 of #bab pages1 was also issued1 entitled 8,sermons to ,asses02 and was dedicated to ,whitefield1 ,wesley1 ,romaine1 and ,madan4 ,besides these1 an eighteenpenny poem was published1 entitled 8,the ,hypocrite3 a comedy20 in which the writer tries to turn ,cibber's satire on disloyalty into a castigation of enthusiasm4 ,wesley's publications also were fewer than usual1 and hardly any of them original4 ,the following belong to this period4 #a4 8,a ,letter to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,rutherforth40 ,this has been already noticed in a previous chapter4 #b4 8,a ,caution to ,false ,prophets3 a ,sermon on ,matthew vii4 #ae-bj4 ,particularly recommended to the people called ,methodists40 #abmo1 #ab pages4 ,in this sermon1 ,wesley discusses a point which he confesses had puzzled him for many years1 namely1 whether it is right to hear a minister who is either immoral1 or who preaches false doctrine4 ,he still hesitates to pronounce an opinion1 and recommends those who were in doubt to 8wait upon ,god in prayer1 and then act according to the best light they had40 #c4 8,instructions for ,members of ,religious ,societies4 ,translated from the ,french40 ,under the date of ,february #bf1 #agfh1 ,wesley writes3 8,i translated from the ,french one of the most useful tracts ,i ever saw1 for those who desire to be #8fervent in spirit4' ,how little does ,god regard men's opinions6 ,what a multitude of wrong opinions are embraced by all the members of the ,church of ,rome6 ,yet how highly favoured have many of them been60 #d4 8,an ,extract from the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,law's ,later ,works40 ,two vols41 #abmo1 #bea and #bjd pages4 ,about a quarter of a century before this1 ,wesley had published an extract from ,law's 8,christian ,perfection02 an extract from his 8,serious ,call02 and an extract from his 8,serious ,answer to ,dr4 ,trapp40 ,he now published similar extracts from ,law's answer to 8,christianity as old as ,creation10 his 8,spirit of ,prayer10 his 8,spirit of ,love10 his 8,letters10 and his 8,address to the ,clergy40 #e4 8,an ,extract of the ,life of the late ,rev4 ,david ,brainerd40 #abmo1 #bgd pages4 ,just at the time when ,methodism was extending its mission to ,america and ,newfoundland1 ,wesley issued his life of one of the most devoted missionaries that ever lived3 a young man who died before he arrived at the age of thirty2 but whose piety1 for depth and fervour1 has seldom been excelled2 and whose four years' mission among the ,delaware and other ,indians1 from #agdc to #agdg1 would warm the heart and improve the character of all candidates for missionary work4 ,besides the above1 another publication belongs to the year #agfh1--8;,free ,thoughts on the ,present ,state of ,public ,affairs10 #abmo1 #dg pages4 ,this1 strictly speaking1 was ,wesley's first political pamphlet4 ,at the general election of #agfh1 ,john ,wilkes1 at the time an outlaw1 was returned to parliament by the county of ,middlesex2 and1 shortly after1 was arrested and committed to the ,king's ,bench prison4 ,for nearly a fortnight1 crowds collected outside the prison walls1 and soldiers were sent to protect the place4 ,a riot followed2 the soldiers fired2 six of the rioters were killed1 and fourteen badly wounded2 and the exploit got the name of the 8,massacre of ,st4 ,george's ,fields40 ,for months1 ,wilkes's business occupied the attention of court and cabinet2 when the wretched demagogue was sentenced to pay a fine of #ajjj1 to be imprisoned for two-and-twenty months1 and afterwards to find security for good behaviour for seven years4 ,while in prison1 he was at the zenith of his fame2 subscriptions were opened for the payment of his debts2 and his likenesses were so multiplied1 that portraits of him squinted from the signboards of half the public houses in the kingdom4 ,it was in the midst of such a state of things1 that ,wesley wrote the pamphlet already mentioned4 ,he admits that1 though 8cobblers1 tinkers1 porters1 and hackney coachmen0 think themselves wise enough 8to instruct both the king and his council10 he himself is 8not so deeply learned4 ,politics were beyond his province2 but he would use the privilege of an ,englishman to speak his naked thoughts40 8,i have10 he writes1 8no bias1 one way or the other4 ,i have no interest depending4 ,i want no man's favour1 having no hopes1 no fears1 from any man40 ,he then proceeds to defend the character of the king2 and maintains that1 as an outlaw1 ,wilkes was incapacitated to take a seat in the ,house of ,commons4 8,encumbered with no religion1 and disappointed in his application for place and power1 ,wilkes had set up for patriot1 vehemently inveighed against evil counsellors and grievances1 and was paid in ,french louis d'or for his agitative services40 ,wesley then expresses the opinion that1 8supposing things to take their natural course1 they must go from bad to worse2 the land will become a field of blood2 and many thousands of poor ,englishmen will sheathe their swords in each other's bowels1 for the diversion of their good neighbours4 ,then1 either a commonwealth will ensue1 or else a second ,cromwell4 ,one must be2 but it cannot be determined which1--,king ,wilkes1 or ,king ,mob40 ,,footnotes3 #a ,c4 ,wesley's ,life1 vol4 ii41 p4 #bdb4 #b ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghc1 p4 #fhd4 #c ,methodist ,magazine1 #aheg1 p4 #faf4 #d 8,life and ,times of ,countess of ,huntingdon10 vol4 i41 p4 #ag4 #e ,ibid4 vol4 ii41 p4 #dbg4 #f ,methodist ,magazine1 #aheg1 p4 #fic4 #g ,manuscript letter4 #h ,the meaning of this is1 that1 at least1 #ejj of what the ,methodists have always technically designated 8,the ,yearly ,collection10 was1 at this period1 employed in paying chapel debts4 ,except that for ,kingswood school1 this was the only connexional collection that ,wesley had2 and he strongly insisted that every ,methodist should render it support4 ,in an unpublished letter1 addressed to ,matthew ,lowes1 and dated ,march #aa1 #agfb1 ,wesley writes3 8,in the enclosed papers1 7which you may read in every society1 just before you meet the classes17 you will see the design of the general yearly collection1 to which every ,methodist in ,england is to contribute something4 ,if there is any who cannot give a halfpenny a year1 another will give it for him40 #i ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #abf4 #aj ,gentleman's ,magazine1 #agea1 p4 #agi4 #aa ,myles's ,history4 #ab ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbe1 p4 #abb2 and #ahbi1 p4 #ehe4 #ac ,gentleman's ,magazine1 #agfc1 p4 #dfc4 #ad ,burslem old circuit book4 #ae ,manuscript4 #af ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahab1 p4 #ecd2 and #ahdc1 p4 #hi4 #ag ,liverpool old society book4 #ah ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiv41 p4 #bgf4 #ai ,ibid4 vol4 xii41 p4 #abf4 #bj ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #abf4 ,all this confusion arose chiefly out of the half insane ravings of ,bell and his friends in #agfb4 ,in a long1 unpublished letter1 dated ,september #bi1 #agfd1 ,wesley writes3 8,i never staggered at all at the reveries of ,george ,bell4 ,i saw instantly1 at the beginning and from the beginning1 what was right and what was wrong2 but ,i saw withal1 #8,i have many things to speak1 but you cannot bear them now4' ,hence1 many imagined ,i was imposed upon2 and applauded themselves in their greater perspicacity2 as they do at this day4 #8,but if you knew it1' says his friend to ,gregory ,lopez1 #8why did you not tell me8' ,i answer with him1 #8,i do not speak all ,i know1 but what ,i judge needful4' ,still1 ,i am persuaded1 there is no state under heaven from which it is not possible to fall40 #ba ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghc1 p4 #fha4 #bb ,wesley's seal is a dove1 having in its mouth an olive branch1 and surrounded with the words 8,nuncia ,pacis40 #bc ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahje1 p4 #bgg4 #bd ,ibid4 #ahjh1 p4 #big4 #be ,theological ,magazine1 #ahjb1 p4 #ci4 #bf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahjc1 p4 #bae4 #bg ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahac1 p4 #dda4 #bh ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 iii41 p4 #cbj4 #bi ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahae1 p4 #dei4 #cj ,taylor's 8,redeeming ,grace40 #ca ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #cei4 #cb ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghe1 p4 #dia4 #cc ,atmore's 8,memorial02 and ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahea1 p4 #hfi4 #cd ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 iii41 p4 #cbd4 #ce ,gentleman's ,magazine1 #agdd1 p4 #ea4 #cf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbe1 p4 #ded4 #cg ,wesleyan ,times1 ,june #ai1 #ahdi4 #ch ,entwisle's ,memoir1 p4 #ca4 #ci ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbf1 p4 #dfd4 #dj ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #abg4 #da ,minutes of ,conference4 #db ,a manuscript circular1 signed by ,wesley himself4 #dc ,london ,magazine1 #agfh1 p4 #abe4 #dd ,philip's ,life of ,whitefield1 p4 #dib4 #de ,london ,magazine1 #agfh1 p4 #bad4 #df ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #bha4 #dg ,ibid4 vol4 xii41 p4 #abf4 #dh 8,life and ,times of ,howel ,harris10 p4 #bdf4 #agfi4 ,age #ff ,terrible was the political excitement at the commencement of #agfi4 ,it was now1 that the first of the celebrated letters of 8,junius0 appeared in the columns of the ,public ,advertiser4 ,these withering invectives became1 to a great extent1 the political textbook of the nation4 ,for years past1 ,ireland also had been turbulent1 split into factions1 and overrun by hordes of ,levellers and ,whiteboys1 ,oakboys and ,hearts of ,steel1 all bound together by secret oaths1 and a detestation of paying tithes4 ,the kingdom was full of wicked wits and scoffers2 and jokes1 repartees1 bonmots1 and sarcasms1 none of them distinguished for their loyalty1 began to spice a large number of the newspapers1 periodicals1 and pamphlets of the period4 ,never was ,methodism more greatly needed than now4 ,whitefield's work in ,england was nearly ended4 ,he and ,wesley were still united in bonds of ardent friendship4 ,the latter writes3 8,january #i1 #agfi--;,i spent a comfortable and profitable hour with ,mr4 ,whitefield1 in calling to mind the former times1 and the manner wherein ,god prepared us for a work which it had not then entered into our hearts to conceive40 ,on the day following1 ,wesley preached in the house of the ,countess of ,huntingdon1 in ,portland ,row1 and ,whitefield administered the sacrament4#di ,and seven weeks later1 ,wesley wrote again3 8,february #bg--;,i had one more agreeable conversation with my old friend and fellow labourer1 ,george ,whitefield4 ,his soul appeared to be vigorous still1 but his body was sinking apace2 and1 unless ,god interposes with ,his mighty hand1 he must soon finish his labours40 ,for six months more1 ,whitefield rambled over ,england1 preaching three or four times every week1 and exclaiming1 as though his youthful zest was unabated1 8,field preaching1 field preaching for ever40#ej ,at the beginning of ,september1 he embarked for ,georgia1 and addressed to ,wesley the following farewell letter4 8,,the ,,downs1 ,,on ,,board ,,the ,friendship1 ,captain ,ball1 ,september #ab1 #agfi4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,very ,,dear ,,sir1--,what hath ,god wrought for us1 in us1 by us6 ,i sailed out of these ,downs almost thirty-three years ago6 ,oh the height1 the depth1 the length1 the breadth of ,thy love1 ,o ,god6 ,surely it passeth knowledge4 ,help1 help1 ,o heavenly ,father1 to adore what we cannot fully comprehend6 ,i am glad to hear1 that you had such a pentecost season at the college2 one would hope1 that these are earnests of good things to come1 and that our ,lord will not yet remove ,his candlestick from among us4 ,duty is ours4 ,future things belong to ,him1 who always did1 and always will order all things well4 #8,leave to ,his sovereign sway1 ,to choose and to command2 ,so shall we wondering own ,his way1 ,how wise1 how strong ,his hand4' 8,mutual ,christian love will not permit you1 and those in connection with you1 to forget a willing pilgrim1 going now across the ,atlantic for the thirteenth time4 ,at present1 ,i am kept from staggering2 being fully persuaded1 that the voyage will be for the ,redeemer's glory1 and the welfare of precious and immortal souls4 ,oh to be kept from flagging in the latter stages of our road6 ,ipse1 ,deo volente1 sequar1 etsi non passibus quis4 ,cordial love and respect await your brother1 and all that are so kind as to inquire after1 and be concerned for1 8,reverend and very dear sir1 8,less than the least of all1 8,,george ,,whitefield40#ea ,thus the old friends parted1 not to meet again1 till they met in heaven4 ,twelve months afterwards1 the great orator was dead4 ,wesley spent the month of ,january in meeting the ,london classes1 and in a visit to ,sheerness and ,chatham4 ,in ,february1 he made a tour to ,norfolk2 and1 on the #fth of ,march1 set out for ,ireland1 and arrived in ,dublin on the #bbnd4 ,here we pause1 to insert two of his letters to two of his female correspondents4 ,the first was addressed to ,lady ,maxwell1 and refers to a subject of some interest1 though one on which opinions will differ4 8,,london1 ,march #c1 #agfi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,lady1--,i have heard my mother say1 #8,i have frequently been as fully assured1 that my father's spirit was with me1 as if ,i had seen him with my eyes4' ,but she did not explain herself any further4 ,i have myself many times found1 on a sudden1 so lively an apprehension of a deceased friend1 that ,i have sometimes turned about to look2 at the same time1 ,i have felt an uncommon affection for them4 ,but ,i never had anything of this kind with regard to any but those that died in faith4 ,in dreams1 ,i have had exceeding lively conversations with them2 and ,i doubt not but they were then very near4 8,i am1 my dear lady1 your ever affectionate servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#eb ,the next was addressed to ,sarah ,crosby1 the female preacher4 8,,chester1 ,march #ah1 #agfi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,the westerly winds detain me here4 ,when ,i am in ,ireland1 you have only to direct to ,dublin1 and the letter will find me4 8,i advise you1 as ,i did ,grace ,walton formerly--#a4 ,pray in private or public as much as you can4 #b4 ,even in public1 you may properly enough intermix short exhortations with prayer2 but keep as far from what is called preaching as you can2 therefore1 never take a text2 never speak in a continued discourse1 without some break1 above four or five minutes4 ,tell the people1 #8,we shall have another prayermeeting at such a time and place4' ,if ,hannah ,harrison had followed these few directions1 she might have been as useful now as ever4 8,as soon as you have time1 write more particularly and circumstantially2 and let sister ,bosanquet do the same4 ,there is now no hindrance in the way2 nothing to hinder you speaking as freely as you please to1 dear ,sally1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ec ,trouble awaited ,wesley in ,dublin4 ,james ,morgan and ,thomas ,olivers had quarrelled1#ed and the society had suffered loss4 ,besides this1 says ,wesley1 8,i was summoned1 by a poor creature who fed my horse three or four times while ,i was on board4 ,for this service he demanded ten shillings4 ,i gave him half-a-crown4 ,when ,i informed the court of this1 he was sharply reproved4 ,let all beware of these land sharks on our sea coasts60 ,on the #crd of ,april1 ,wesley left ,dublin for the provinces4 ,at ,armagh1 for the first time in his life1 he preached in a stable4 ,at ,kinnard1 he met an old acquaintance1 ,archdeacon ,c----e1 and1 at his request1 opened a new church1 which had just been built4 ,at ,londonderry1 he had1 what he calls1 8a brilliant congregation10 but says3 8,such a sight gives me no great pleasure2 as ,i have very little hope of doing them good3 only #8with ,god all things are possible4' ,in no other place in ,ireland has more pains been taken by the most able of our preachers4 ,and to how little purpose6 ,bands they have none3 four-and-forty persons in society6 ,the greater part of these heartless and cold4 ,the audience in general dead as stones40 ,at ,manorhamilton1 8all behaved well10 says he1 8but one young gentlewoman1 who laughed almost incessantly4 ,she knew there was nothing to laugh at2 but she thought she laughed prettily40 ,at ,cork1 the society had been gradually decreasing for seven years1 until now the number of members was reduced from #djj to #aij4 ,at ,portarlington1 the society once had a hundred and thirty members2 now it had only twenty-four4 ,fourteen weeks were spent in traversing all parts of ,ireland4 ,in some places1 there was declension and great discouragement2 in many1 ,wesley's ministry was accompanied with amazing power2 in none1 did he meet with brutal persecution4 ,occasionally a giddy girl would laugh1 or an empty headed man would sneer2 but the days of sticks and stones were over4 ,wesley returned to ,dublin on the #aeth of ,july2 met his ,irish preachers in conference2 and then1 on ,july #bd1 embarked for ,england2 having to open his ,english conference at ,leeds on ,august #a4 ,before reviewing its proceedings1 some further extracts must be given from his correspondence4 ,the first letter is remarkable4 ,we have scarcely met with another like it4 ,the fastidious may object to some of its expressions2 but it must be remembered that1 though ,wesley always employed plainness of speech1 he rarely employed coarseness4 ,besides1 desperate cases require desperate remedies4 ,in this instance1 ordinary language1 in all likelihood1 would have been useless4 ,the ,irish ,methodists were far from faultless2 and ,hugh ,saunderson1 to whom the letter was addressed1 and who had just commenced his itinerancy in the ,armagh circuit1 was far from being a model of perfection4 ,more than once had ,wesley to remonstrate with him for his irregularities2 and1 in #aggg1 had to expel him4 ,on one occasion1 in #aggd1 ,wesley himself was actually arrested on account of ,saunderson's peccant conduct4 ,the charge was1 that the man had robbed his wife 8of #ajj in money1 and upwards of #cj in goods2 and had1 beside that1 terrified her into madness2 so that1 through want of her help1 and the loss of business10 the prosecutor1 ,george ,sutherland1 8was damaged #ejj40 ,it was farther alleged1 that ,saunderson was one of ,wesley's preachers1 and that the two1 to evade ,mrs4 ,saunderson's pursuit1 were preparing to fly the country4 ,on such a pretext ,wesley was actually arrested1 and taken to the ,edinburgh ,tolbooth1 where he had to wait till his friends gave bail for his appearance4 ,this was done2 the case was tried2 and ,mr4 ,sutherland1 the prosecutor1 was fined #ajjj4 ,of ,saunderson's guilt we know nothing2 but1 three years afterwards1 ,wesley expelled him from his connexion2 and the man first set up at ,edinburgh1 and then divided the society at ,exeter1 where he 8pitched his standard and declared open war40#ee ,such was the culprit to whom ,wesley sent the letter following4 8,april #bd1 #agfi4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i shall now tell you the things which have been more or less upon my mind1 ever since ,i have been in the north of ,ireland4 ,if you forget them1 you will be a sufferer1 and so will the people2 if you observe them1 it will be for the good of both4 8#a4 ,to begin with little things4 ,if you regard your health1 touch no supper1 but a little milk or water gruel4 ,this will entirely1 by the blessing of ,god1 secure you from nervous disorders2 especially1 if you rise early every morning1 whether you preach or no4 8#b4 ,be steadily serious4 ,there is no country upon earth where this is more necessary than ,ireland2 as you generally are encompassed with those who1 with a little encouragement1 would laugh or trifle from morning to night4 8#c4 ,in every town1 visit all you can from house to house4 ,i say all you can2 for there will be some whom you cannot visit2 and if you examine1 instruct1 reprove1 exhort1 as need requires1 you will have no time hanging on your hands4 ,it is by this means1 that the societies are increased wherever ,t4 ,r4 goes2 he is preaching from morning to night1 warning every one1 that he may present every one perfect in ,christ ,jesus4 8#d4 ,but on this1 and every other occasion1 avoid all familiarity with women4 ,this is a deadly poison1 both to them and you4 ,you cannot be too wary in this respect4 ,therefore begin from this hour4 8#e4 ,the chief matter of your conversation1 as well as your preaching1 should doubtless be the weightier matters of the law4 ,yet1 there are several comparatively little things1 which you should earnestly inculcate from time to time2 for #8he that despiseth small things shall fall by little and little4' ,such are-- 87#a7 ,be active1 be diligent2 avoid all laziness1 sloth1 indolence4 ,fly from every degree1 every appearance of it2 else you will never be more than half a ,christian4 87#b7 ,be cleanly4 ,in this let the ,methodists take pattern by the ,quakers4 ,avoid all nastiness1 dirt1 slovenliness1 both in your person1 clothes1 house1 all about you4 ,do not stink above ground4 ,this is a bad fruit of laziness4 ,use all diligence to be clean4 87#c7 ,whatever clothes you wear let them be whole3 no rents1 no tatters1 no rags4 ,these are a scandal to either man or woman2 being another fruit of vile laziness4 ,mend your clothes1 or ,i shall never expect you to mend your lives4 ,let none ever see a ragged ,methodist4 87#d7 ,clean yourselves of lice4 ,these are a proof both of uncleanness and laziness4 ,take pains in this4 ,do not cut off your hair1 but clean it1 and keep it clean4 87#e7 ,cure yourselves and your family of the itch4 ,a spoonful of brimstone will cure you4 ,to let this run from year to year1 proves both sloth and uncleanness4 ,away with it at once4 ,let not the north be any longer a proverb of reproach to all the nation4 87#f7 ,use no tobacco unless prescribed by a physician4 ,it is an uncleanly and unwholesome self indulgence2 and the more customary it is1 the more resolutely should you break off from every degree of that vile custom4 87#g7 ,use no snuff unless prescribed by a physician4 ,i suppose no other nation in ,europe is in such vile bondage to this silly1 nasty1 dirty custom1 as the ,irish are2 but let the ,christians be in this bondage no longer4 ,assert your liberty1 and that all at once2 nothing will be done by degrees4 ,but just now you may break loose1 through ,christ strengthening you4 87#h7 ,touch no dram4 ,it is liquid fire4 ,it is a sure1 though slow poison4 ,it saps the very springs of life4 ,in ,ireland1 above all countries in the world1 ,i would sacredly abstain from this1 because the evil is so general4 ,to this1 and snuff1 and smoky cabins1 ,i impute the blindness which is so exceeding common throughout the nation4 8,i might have inserted under the second article1 what ,i particularly desire1 wherever you have preaching1 namely1 that there may be a little house4 ,let this be got without delay4 ,wherever it is not1 let none expect to see me4 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ef ,no apology is needed for the publication of this letter2 for ,wesley himself published it in his ,arminian ,magazine4 ,its picture of the ,irish and of the ,irish ,methodists is far from being fragrant and pleasant2 but it was doubtless true1 and shows that ,wesley was a great reformer in more respects than one4 ,all the ,irish ,methodists1 however1 must not be included in the company above alluded to4 ,the exceptions were not few1 but many1 and some of them distinguished4 ,one of these was ,mrs4 ,elizabeth ,bennis1 the first ,methodist in ,limerick1 in #agdi1 a lady of respectability and intelligence1 long the correspondent of ,wesley1 and who continued one of his devoted followers till her death in #ahjb4eg ,the following letter was addressed to her during ,wesley's present visit to the sister island1 and refers to an unfounded opinion which ,wesley had now renounced4 8,,cork1 ,may #cj1 #agfi4 8,,dear ,,sister1--,some years since1 ,i was inclined to think that none1 who had once enjoyed and then lost the pure love of ,god1 must ever look to enjoy it again till they were just stepping into eternity4 ,but experience has taught us better things4 ,we have1 at present1 numerous instances of those who have cast away that unspeakable blessing1 and now enjoy it in a larger measure than ever4 ,and should not this be your case8 ,because you are unworthy8 ,so were they4 ,because you have been an unfaithful steward8 ,so had they been also2 yet1 ,god healed them freely2 and so ,he will you1 only do not reason against ,him4 ,forget yourself4 ,worthy is the ,lamb3 you shall not die1 but live1 live all the life of heaven on earth4 ,you need nothing1 in order to this1 but faith2 and who gives this8 ,he that standeth at the door4 8,let there never more be any reserve between you and your truly affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#eh ,wesley arrived in ,leeds on ,saturday1 ,july #bi1 and on ,sunday1 the #cjth1 preached1 for the ,rev4 ,henry ,crook1 in ,hunslet church1 morning and afternoon4 ,mr4 ,crook was an old friend of the two ,wesleys4 ,as early as #agef1 ,charles ,wesley preached in his church at ,hunslet1 and speaks of hundreds of communicants1 most of whom had been awakened under ,mr4 ,crook's faithful ministry4#ei ,the conference1 at ,leeds1 opened on the #ast of ,august1 and 8a more loving one10 says ,wesley1 8we never had40 ,the ,intelligencer newspaper1 of ,august #h1 tells the public1 that1 8for a week past1 ,wesley had held a kind of visitation1 but what they call a conference1 with several hundreds of his preachers1 from most parts of ,great ,britain and ,ireland1 where he settled their several routes for the succeeding year40 ,it further states1 that 8a large sum of money0 was collected for the purpose of 8sending missionaries to ,america40#fj ,this was the 8tall talk0 of a newspaper4 8,wesley's itinerant preachers0 throughout the entire kingdom were only one hundred and eleven in number2 and the 8large sum0 collected for sending missionaries to ,america was #gj1 of which #ej was to be appropriated to the payment of the debt on the chapel in ,new ,york4 ,above two days of the time of the conference were spent in the arrangement of temporal matters1--a thing which annoyed ,wesley1 who therefore directed that1 in future1 as much of such business as possible should be done by the secretaries before the conference met4 ,the two topics of most interest were ,methodist missions1 and the perpetuation of the ,methodist system after ,wesley's death4 ,it is a fact worth remembering1 that already1 for years past1 ,methodism had been planted in the ,west ,indian islands1 by means of ,nathaniel ,gilbert and his co-workers4 ,laurence ,coughlan had recently taken it to ,newfoundland2 and a few soldiers had established it at ,gibraltar1 where there were thirty-two members1 fifteen of whom were rejoicing in the consciousness of personal pardon4#fa ,they had preaching every night and every morning1 their preachers being 8,brother ,morton10 ,henry ,ince1 of the #bnd ,regiment1 and ,henry ,hall1 of the ,royal ,scots2 six classmeetings were held every week1 and the work was prospering4#fb ,lord ,cornwallis1 the commanding officer1 issued a garrison order on ,june #i1 #agfi1 as follows3--8,whereas divers soldiers and inhabitants assemble themselves every evening to prayer1 it is the governor's positive order1 that no person whatever presume to molest them1 nor go into their meeting to behave indecently there40#fc ,wesley was acquainted with this2 but not a word is found in the conference minutes concerning it4 ,the truth is1 while ,methodism was now really planted in the ,west ,indies1 ,newfoundland1 ,gibraltar1 and ,america1 none needed help except ,america1 and1 hence1 none else are mentioned4 ,wesley1 his brother1 ,ingham1 and ,whitefield had all been in ,america2 and ,whitefield was about to go again4 ,the work was begun in ,georgia by the ,wesleys4 ,at the same time1 occurred the revival in ,new ,england1 under ,mr4 ,edwards and others4 ,whitefield came1 and not only preached in both1 but likewise all the way between1 a distance of many hundred miles4 ,hundreds1 perhaps thousands1 were converted by his ministry2 but1 for want of organisation and discipline1 the greater part of them had backslidden4#fd ,such was the state of things in #agfi4 ,four years before this1 a small number of ,methodist emigrants from ,ireland had landed in ,new ,york1 one of them being ,philip ,embury4 ,in #agff1 another ,methodist family followed1 of the name of ,heck4 ,mrs4 ,barbara ,heck was distressed to find that her predecessors had greatly declined in godliness4 ,at her request1 ,philip ,embury began to preach2 just at that juncture1 ,captain ,webb1 the barrackmaster at ,albany1 joined him2 a chapel was built2 a society formed2 and help was asked from ,england4#fe ,hence the thirteenth question at the conference of #agfi3 8,we have a pressing call from our brethren at ,new ,york1 who have built a preaching house1 to come over and help them4 ,who is willing to go80 ,answer3 8,richard ,boardman and ,joseph ,pilmoor40 ,q4 8,what can we do further in token of our brotherly love80 ,a4 8,let us now make a collection among ourselves4 ,this was immediately done2 and1 out of it1 #ej were allotted towards the payment of their debt1 and about #bj given to our brethren for their passage40 ,it is doubtful1 however1 whether this was1 as is generally supposed1 the first collection which the ,methodists made on behalf of their ,american mission4 ,six months before this1 ,wesley had permitted ,robert ,costerdine1 who was then the assistant in the ,sheffield circuit1 to 8read publicly1 on any ,sunday0 he liked1 the letter which had been received from ,new ,york1 and to 8receive what the hearers were willing to give40#ff ,it is more than possible1 that this was done2 but1 be that as it may1 ,boardman and ,pilmoor set sail1 and1 after a nine weeks' passage1 entered upon their work3 ,pilmoor at ,philadelphia1 and ,boardman at ,new ,york4 ,at ,philadelphia1 they found ,captain ,webb and a society of about a hundred members1 to whom1 and to thousands more1 ,pilmoor commenced preaching from the grand stand erected on the racecourse4 ,at ,new ,york1 ,boardman says1 the chapel would contain about #agjj hearers2 and that about a third part of the congregations got in1 and the other two thirds were glad to hear without4#fg ,space forbids further details1 except to add that1 two years afterwards1 the number of ,methodists in ,america was reported in the minutes of conference as #caf2 and that even a thing so innocent as sending preachers to ,america was too important for the wicked to pass without a sneer4 ,hence1 in a squib1 the public were informed1 that the following promotions in the ,church were about to be declared3 8,rev4 ,g4 ,whitefield1 ,archbishop of ,boston2 ,rev4 ,w4 ,romaine1 ,bishop of ,new ,york2 ,rev4 ,j4 ,wesley1 ,bishop of ,pennsylvania2 ,rev4 ,m4 ,madan1 ,bishop of the ,carolinas2 ,rev4 ,w4 ,shirley1 ,bishop of ,virginia2 and ,rev4 ,c4 ,wesley1 ,bishop of ,nova ,scotia40 ,it was added1 that as his majesty would soon have the livings of these gentlemen at his disposal1 he intended to provide for ,dr4 ,dodd1 and other court celebrities1#fh anxious to fill important places4 ,the other important matter brought before the conference of #agfi was the perpetuation of ,methodism after ,wesley's death2 and1 on ,friday1 ,august #d1 ,wesley read the following paper4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brethren1--#a4 ,it has long been my desire1 that all those ministers of our ,church1 who believe and preach salvation by faith1 might cordially agree between themselves1 and not hinder but help one another4 ,after occasionally pressing this1 in private conversation1 wherever ,i had opportunity1 ,i wrote down my thoughts upon the head1 and sent them to each in a letter4 ,out of fifty or sixty1 to whom ,i wrote1 only three vouchsafed me an answer4 ,so ,i give this up4 ,i can do no more4 ,they are a rope of sand1 and such they will continue4 8#b4 ,but it is otherwise with the travelling preachers in our connexion4 ,you are at present one body4 ,you act in concert with each other1 and by united counsels4 ,and now is the time to consider what can be done1 in order to continue this union4 ,indeed1 as long as ,i live1 there will be no great difficulty4 ,i am1 under ,god1 a centre of union to all our travelling1 as well as local preachers4 ,they all know me and my communication4 ,they all love me for my works' sake2 and1 therefore1 were it only out of regard to me1 they will continue connected with each other4 ,but by what means may this connection be preserved1 when ,god removes me from you8 8#c4 ,i take it for granted1 it cannot be preserved1 by any means1 between those who have not a single eye4 ,those who aim at anything but the glory of ,god1 and the salvation of men2 who desire or seek any earthly thing1 whether honour1 profit1 or ease1 will not1 cannot continue in the connexion2 it will not answer their design4 ,some of them1 perhaps a fourth of the whole number1 will procure preferment in the ,church4 ,others will turn ,independents1 and get separate congregations1 like ,john ,edwards and ,charles ,skelton4 ,lay your accounts with this1 and be not surprised if some1 you do not suspect1 be of this number4 8#d4 ,but what method can be taken1 to preserve a firm union between those who choose to remain together8 ,perhaps you might take some such steps as these4 ,on notice of my death1 let all the preachers1 in ,england and ,ireland1 repair to ,london within six weeks4 ,let them seek ,god by solemn fasting and prayer4 ,let them draw up articles of agreement1 to be signed by those who choose to act in concert4 ,let those be dismissed1 who do not choose it1 in the most friendly manner possible4 ,let them choose by votes a committee of three1 five1 or seven1 each of whom is to be moderator in his turn4 ,let the committee do what ,i do now2 propose preachers to be tried1 admitted1 or excluded2 fix the place of each preacher for the ensuing year1 and the time of next conference4 8#e4 ,can anything be done now1 in order to lay a foundation for this future union8 ,would it not be well1 for any that are willing1 to sign some articles of agreement before ,god calls me hence8 ,suppose something like these3-- 8#8,we1 whose names are underwritten1 being thoroughly convinced of the necessity of a close union between those whom ,god is pleased to use as instruments in this glorious work1 in order to preserve this union between ourselves1 are resolved1 ,god being our helper3 7#a7 ,to devote ourselves entirely to ,god2 denying ourselves1 taking up our cross daily1 steadily aiming at one thing1 to save our own souls1 and them that hear us4 7#b7 ,to preach the old ,methodist doctrines1 and no other1 contained in the minutes of the conferences4 7#c7 ,to observe and enforce the whole ,methodist discipline1 laid down in the said minutes4'0 ,such was ,wesley's propounded scheme4 ,the preachers wisely requested ,wesley to extract the most material part of the minutes1 and to send a copy to each itinerant1 to be seriously considered1--a request with which ,wesley complied during the following year1 by the publication of a pamphlet of sixty pages1 entitled1 8,minutes of several ,conversations between the ,rev4 ,messrs4 ,john and ,charles ,wesley and others40 ,this concluded the business of the conference2 and 8at the conclusion10 says ,wesley1 8all the preachers were melted down1 while they were singing those lines for me1-- #8,thou1 who so long hast saved me here1 ,a little longer save2 ,till freed from sin1 and freed from fear1 ,i sink into a grave3 ,till glad ,i lay my body down1 ,thy servant's steps attend2 ,and ,o6 my life of mercies crown ,with a triumphant end4'0#fi ,this was a beautiful finish to one of the most important conferences ,wesley ever held4 ,the next day1 he again started on his itinerancy of mercy1 and hastened to join in the anniversary services of the ,countess of ,huntingdon's college at ,trevecca4 ,these services really extended from ,august #ah to ,august #bd1 though ,wesley himself was there only on the two concluding days4 ,the gathering was a glorious one4 ,fletcher1 the president1 was there1 with his seraphic soul lighting up an almost unearthly face2 ,daniel ,rowlands also1 the rector of ,llangeitto and chaplain to the ,duke of ,leinster2 ,howel ,harris1 one of the bravest veterans in the group2 the ,rev4 ,walter ,shirley1 from ,ireland1 and others2 making eight clergymen altogether2 to whom must be added the ,countess of ,huntingdon1 the ,countess of ,buchan1 ,lady ,anne ,erskine1 and several of their relatives and friends4 ,there were a number of ,welsh exhorters2 and1 of course1 the students2 and likewise an immense concourse of communicants and spectators4 ,for seven days1 there was preaching twice a day2 the sacrament was repeatedly administered2 a lovefeast was held2 baskets of bread and meat were distributed in the courtyard among the country people2 and the whole season was what ,whitefield called a pentecost4#gj ,wesley preached twice1 gave an exhortation1 and administered the ,lord's supper to the countess's family1 and so ended his service in connection with what he designates 8the anniversary of her ladyship's school40 ,this was his first and last visit4 ,at this time1 ,joseph ,benson1 now in the twenty-first year of his age1 was classical master of ,wesley's school at ,kingswood1 and had1 with ,wesley's sanction1 entered himself at ,st4 ,edmund's hall1 ,oxford1 where he regularly kept his terms4 ,but now an effort was made to obtain his services as head master at ,trevecca4 ,wesley1 for more reasons than one1 was loth to lose him4 ,hence the letters following4 8,,cork1 ,may #bg1 #agfi4 8,,dear ,,joseph1--,you have now--what you never had before--a clear providential call to ,oxford4 ,if you keep a single eye1 and have courage and steadiness1 you may be an instrument of much good4 ,but you will tread on slippery ground2 and the serious persons you mention may do you more hurt than many others4 ,when ,i was at ,oxford1 ,i never was afraid of any but the almost ,christians4 ,if you give way to them and their prudence a hair's breadth1 you will be removed from the hope of the gospel4 ,if you are not moved1 if you tread in the same steps which my brother and ,i did1 you may be the means1 under ,god1 of raising another set of real ,bible ,christians4 ,how long the world will suffer them is in ,god's hand4 8,with regard to ,kingswood school1 ,i have one string more2 if that breaks1 ,i shall let it drop4 ,i have borne the burden one-and-twenty years2 ,i have done what ,i could2 now1 let some one else do more4 8,i am1 dear ,joseph1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ga ,again4 8,,london1 ,december #bf1 #agfi4 8,,dear ,,joseph1--,every man of sense1 who reads the rules of the school1 may easily conclude that a school so conducted by men of piety and understanding will exceed any other school or academy in ,great ,britain or ,ireland4 ,in this sentiment1 you can never be altered4 ,and if it was not so conducted since you were there1 why was it not8 ,you had power enough4 ,you have all the power which ,i have4 ,you may do what you please4 8#8,dirue et difica2 muta quadrata rotundis2' and ,i will second you to the uttermost4 8,trevecca is much more to ---- than ,kingswood is to me4 ,i mixes with everything4 ,it is my college1 my masters1 my students4 ,i do not speak so of this school4 ,it is not mine1 but the ,lord's4 ,i look for no more honour than money from it4 8,i am glad you defer your journey2 and am1 dear ,joseph1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#gb ,wesley was evidently sore about ,benson leaving him2 but1 a few weeks afterwards1 the exchange was made2 and then1 after nine months of faithful service at ,trevecca1 the young head master was unceremoniously dismissed1 because of his defending the doctrines of his friend ,wesley4 ,from ,trevecca1 ,wesley made his way to ,bristol1 which he reached on ,august #bf2 and1 from there1 set off to ,cornwall1 where he employed a week in visiting as many of his societies as he could in so short a period4 ,on getting back to ,bristol1 he inquired into the state of ,kingswood school1 and writes3 8,the grievance now is the number of children4 ,instead of thirty1 as ,i desired1 we have near fifty2 whereby our masters are burdened4 ,and it is scarce possible to keep them in so exact order as we might do a smaller number4 ,however1 this still comes nearer a ,christian school than any ,i know in the kingdom40 ,the next month was spent in the neighbourhood of ,bristol1 and was not without adventures4 ,at ,bradford1 he was surrounded by a noisy rabble2 8and one10 says he1 8called a gentleman1 had filled his pocket with rotten eggs2 but a young man smashed them all at once2 and1 in an instant1 he was perfume all over1 though it was not so sweet as balsam40 ,at ,salisbury1 the scene of so many of his sister ,patty's sorrows1 ,wesley writes3 8,i was as in a new world4 ,the congregation was alive1 and much more the society4 ,how pleasing would it be1 to be always with such6 ,but this is not our calling40 ,wesley had seen dark days here2 but now the sun was shining4 ,after the desolation caused by ,westley ,hall's disgraceful conduct1 the few remaining ,methodists took possession of a shop in ,greencroft ,street1 and then1 in #agei1 built themselves a chapel4#gc ,barbara ,hunt was one of their chief members1--a brave young woman1 now thirty-three years old1 but who lived long enough to be a ,methodist threescore years and three1 and died exclaiming1 8,o how glad should ,i be to clap my glad wings and tower away60#gd ,another was ,david ,saunders1 the hero of ,mrs4 ,hannah ,more's 8,shepherd of ,salisbury ,plain40 8,his coat10 says the fair authoress1 perhaps mixing a little fiction with fact1--8his coat had been1 in a long course of years1 so often patched with different sorts of cloth1 that it was now become hard to say which had been the original colour2 his stockings were covered with darns of different coloured worsted1 but had not a hole in them2 his shirt1 though nearly as coarse as the sails of a ship1 was as white as the drifted snow2 his open honest countenance bore strong marks of health and cheerfulness40 ,his good wife was cleanly1 thrifty1 and a hard worker2 and a happier man than the 8shepherd of ,salisbury plain0 did not exist4 ,david ,saunders was a shepherd in more respects than one4 ,while he tended his sheep1 he also1 as a faithful classleader1 watched over the souls committed to his care4 ,he died in peace1 in #agif1 at the age of eighty4#ge ,wesley got back to ,london on ,october #ad1 but two days afterwards set out for ,oxfordshire1 and spent the week in preaching at ,henley1 ,wallingford1 ,oxford1 ,witney1 ,broadmarston1 and ,wycombe4 ,the last week in ,october he employed at ,towcester1 ,northampton1 ,weedon1 ,bedford1 and other intervening towns1 preaching1 during his five days' tour1 not fewer than seventeen times in widely distant places4 ,at the beginning of ,november he went to ,norfolk2 at the end1 he visited his old friend ,perronet1 at ,shoreham1 and preached twice in his parish church4 ,even here1 in the vicar's kitchen1 there was ,methodist preaching every ,friday night1 and also a ,methodist society1 embracing ,mr4 ,kingswood1 ,mr4 ,sharp1 old ,mrs4 ,lightfoot and her servant maid1 poor dame ,cacket1 and bold1 masculine minded ,miss ,d4 ,perronet at the head of them4#gf ,except short tours to ,kent and ,sussex1 the remainder of the year was employed in ,london1 where he received letters from ,boardman and ,pilmoor in ,america1 and which he read to the ,london society4 ,he was importuned to visit ,america himself2 and1 though such a visit was utterly impracticable1 yet he was far from hasty in declining it4 ,hence the following1 addressed to his friend1 the ,rev4 ,walter ,sellon4 8,,london1 ,december #cj1 #agfi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,it is not yet determined whether ,i should go to ,america or not4 ,i have been importuned some time2 but nil sat firmi video4 ,i must have a clear call before ,i am at liberty to leave ,europe4 8,you should heat your milk1 but never let it boil2 boiling robs it of the most nutritious particles4 ,do not make too much haste in dealing with ,elisha ,coles2 ,i am afraid the treatise will be too short4 ,and pray add a word to that lively coxcomb1 ,mr4 ,toplady1 not only with regard to ,zanchius1 but his slander on the ,church of ,england4 ,you would do well to give a reading to both his tracts4 ,he does certainly believe himself to be the greatest genius in ,england4 ,pray take care1 or natis sit pro suis virtutibus4 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#gg ,mr4 ,toplady's two tracts1 referred to in this epistle1 were his 7#a7 8,church of ,england ,vindicated from the ,charge of ,arminianism1 in a ,letter to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,nowell2 occasioned by some passages in that gentleman's answer to the ,author of #8,pietas ,oxoniensis1'0 #hvo1 #acf pages3 and 7#b7 8,the ,doctrine of ,absolute ,predestination ,stated and ,asserted4 ,translated1 in great measure1 from the ,latin of ,jerom ,zanchius1 with some ,account of his ,life prefixed10 #hvo1 #acd pages4 ,both these pamphlets were published in #agfi4 ,all this1 and a great deal more1 really arose out of the expulsion of the ,oxford students in #agfh4 ,sir ,richard ,hill1 in defending them1 had warmly defended the ,calvinistic doctrine of predestination4 ,dr4 ,nowell1 in his ,answer1 had clearly shown1 that this was not the doctrine of the ,church of ,england2 and now impetuous ,augustus ,toplady hastened to the rescue1 and administered two allopathic doses of ,calvinism's most drastic tincture1 to cure the ,church of ,arminian disease and fever4 ,toplady's style is trenchant2 his doctrines are as near an approach to the doctrine of fate1 as held by ,plato1 ,seneca1 and other heathen writers1 as it is possible to conceive4 ,a more impious piece1 in the garb of piety1 was never published than his ,zanchius2 while his 8,church of ,england ,vindicated0 is rank with the most dogmatic and violent abuse of ,dr4 ,nowell and the ,arminian clergy4 ,it would be easy1 but not pleasant1 to give extracts2 and we can hardly recommend the reader to peruse the pamphlets for himself4 ,augustus ,toplady1 a stripling twenty-nine years of age1 is a pope infallible2 and all who hold opinions different to his are reprobate knaves1 or fools4 ,wesley was sick of controversial writing2 and1 besides1 he had no time for it4 ,walter ,sellon had leisure at his command1 and had already this year published his able treatise1 entitled1 8,the ,doctrine of ,general ,redemption considered10 #abmo1 #agh pages4 ,he was also now engaged in refuting a book hardly less horrible than the ,zanchius of ,augustus ,toplady1 namely1 8,a ,practical ,discourse of ,god's ,sovereignty10 #abmo1 #cdg pages1 by ,elisha ,coles1 a clerk to the ,east ,india ,company1 who died in #afhh4 ,sellon's book was soon issued1 with the title1 8,a ,defence of ,god's ,sovereignty1 against the impious and horrible ,aspersions cast upon it by ,elisha ,coles1 in his practical treatise on that subject40 ,in his preface1 he tells his readers1 he 8did intend to have exposed the errors and blasphemy0 of ,toplady's ,zanchius1 but when he 8found it would enlarge his work too much1 and especially when he understood that ,toplady had vilely slandered the ,church of ,england10 he chose 8to make it the subject of another book1 which the reader might expect unless it should be done by some abler hand40#gh ,controversial war was now begun in earnest1 and a severer battle was never fought4 ,sir ,richard ,hill1 ,augustus ,toplady1 and ,walter ,sellon were fairly in the lists1 and others soon after followed4 ,in the midst of all this1 ,wesley was savagely attacked in two letters1 published in the ,gospel ,magazine for #agfi1 entitled1 8,observations on ,mr4 ,j4 ,wesley's view of #8,the ,scripture ,doctrines of ,predestination1 ,election1 and ,reprobation4'0 ,he is accused of 8inexcusable vanity02 of 8impertinent quibbling02 of 8jesuitical sophistry02 of holding 8a scheme unscriptural and dangerous1 absurd and impious02 and of 8finespun reasoning worse than nothing40 ,the author complacently tells his readers1 in conclusion1 that1 though he had felt himself 8very resentful10 yet being 8called to imitate the lovely pattern of the lowly ,jesus1 he had answered ,wesley not with asperity1 but with the meekness of wisdom40 ,attacks upon ,wesley were made from other quarters4 ,it was a busy year with young ,toplady2 for1 besides the books already noticed1 he published a sixpenny pamphlet1 with the title1 8,many made ,righteous by the ,obedience of ,one4 ,two ,sermons on ,romans v4 #ai1 preached at ,bideford1 in #agdc1 by the late ,rev4 ,james ,hervey1 with a ,preface by ,augustus ,toplady40 ,some one else issued another1 entitled1 8,the ,jesuit ,detected10 in which the zealous advocate of ,mr4 ,hervey arrays ,wesley in the garb of the ,babylonian woman1 and then abuses him for looking so like her4 ,booth ,brathwaite1 unknown to fame1 published another sixpennyworth1 called 8,methodism a ,popish ,idol2 or1 the ,danger and ,harmony of ,enthusiasm and ,separation40 ,poor ,booth1 a bigot to church establishments1 raves against sectaries with abundant zeal1 little knowledge1 and less charity4 ,and to all these must be added1 8,the ,pretences of ,enthusiasts1 considered and confuted3 ,a ,sermon preached before the university of ,oxford1 at ,st4 ,mary's1 on ,sunday1 ,june #bf1 #agfh4 ,by ,william ,hawkins1 ,m4,a41 ,prebendary of ,wells1 late ,poetry ,professor1 and ,fellow of ,pembroke ,college1 in ,oxford4 ,published by desire40 #hvo1 #bg pages4 ,wesley's own publications in #agfi were not many4 #a4 8,an ,extract of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley's ,journal1 from ,october #bj1 #agfb1 to ,may #be1 #agfe40 #abmo1 #abd pages4 #b4 8,an ,extract from the ,journal of ,elizabeth ,harper40 #abmo1 #dg pages4 #c4 8,an ,extract of ,letters on ,religious ,subjects1 by ,mrs4 ,lefevre40 #abmo1 #ajf pages4 #d4 8,the ,witness of the ,spirit4 ,a ,sermon on ,romans viii4 #af40 ,dublin3 #abmo1 #af pages4 ,this important sermon was written at ,newry1 in #agfg4 ,wesley declares that his sentiments on the witness of the ,spirit were the same as they had been from the beginning4 8,the testimony of the ,spirit10 says he1 8is an inward impression on the soul of believers1 whereby the ,spirit of ,god directly testifies to their spirit1 that they are the children of ,god40 ,having established his doctrine1 and answered the objections to it1 he concludes with two pungent inferences3 8#a4 ,let none ever presume to rest in any supposed testimony of the ,spirit1 which is separate from the fruit of it4 #b4 ,let none rest in any supposed fruit of the ,spirit without the witness40 #e4 8,advices with respect to ,health4 ,extracted from a late ,author40 #abmo1 #bah pages4 ,the late author was ,dr4 ,tissot2 the book itself shows ,wesley's intense anxiety to be of use to the bodies as well as souls of his fellow creatures4 ,he strongly commends ,tissot's descriptions of diseases1 the fewness and cheapness of his medicines1 and his regimen2 but protests against his fondness for bleeding1 and for glysters2 against his ointment for the itch1 and his vehement recommendation of ,peruvian bark4 ,,footnotes3 #di 8,life and ,times of ,countess of ,huntingdon10 vol4 ii41 p4 #abf4 #ej ,whitefield's ,works1 vol4 iii41 p4 #chg4 #ea ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghc1 p4 #bgc4 #eb ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #cba4 #ec ,ibid4 vol4 xii41 p4 #cca4 #ed ,taylor's 8,redeeming ,grace10 p4 #di2 and ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 iii41 p4 #cej4 #ee ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 iv41 pp4 #af1 #agc1 #bbb4 #ef ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghd1 p4 #afe4 #eg ,irish ,evangelist1 ,may1 #ahfb4 #eh ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #cfb4 #ei ,c4 ,wesley's ,journal1 vol4 ii41 p4 #aag4 #fj ,smith's ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 i41 p4 #chj4 #fa ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghd1 p4 #aab4 #fb ,smith's ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 i41 p4 #chg4 #fc ,rule's 8,memoir of a ,mission to ,gibraltar10 p4 #e4 #fd ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 vii41 p4 #cib4 #fe ,about the same time1 ,thomas ,bell1 at ,charlestown1 wrote as follows3 8,mr4 ,wesley says1 the first message of the preachers is to the lost sheep of ,england4 ,and are there none in ,america8 ,they have strayed from ,england into the wild woods here1 and they are running wild after this world4 ,they are drinking their wine in bowls1 and are jumping and dancing1 and serving the devil1 in the groves and under the green trees4 ,and are not these lost sheep8 ,and will none of the preachers come here8 ,where is ,mr4 ,brownfield8 ,where is ,john ,pawson8 ,where is ,nicholas ,manners8 ,are they living1 and will they not come80--78,the ,centenary of ,methodism10 published by the ,primitive ,methodists in ,ireland1 in #ahci1 p4 #ahi47 #ff ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #egh4 #fg ,ibid4 #aghc1 p4 #bgf2 and #aghd1 p4 #afc4 #fh ,lloyd's ,evening ,post1 ,may #bf1 #agfi4 #fi ,methodist ,magazine1 #agii1 p4 #bec4 #gj 8,life and ,times of ,countess of ,huntingdon10 vol4 ii41 p4 #ii4 #ga ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #chc4 #gb ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #chd4 #gc ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcf1 p4 #eb4 #gd ,ibid4 #ahae1 p4 #df4 #ge 8,methodism in ,frome10 by ,tuck1 p4 #db4 #gf ,miss ,perronet's manuscript letters2 and ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahaa1 p4 #bcd4 #gg ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #db2 and manuscript letter4 #gh ,sellon's book was not published till #aggj1 and seems to have been revised by ,wesley1 who also approved of his dealing with ,toplady in a separate pamphlet4 ,hence the following1 addressed to ,sellon4 8,,lewisham1 ,february #ba1 #aggj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,do not make too much haste4 ,give everything the last touch4 ,it will be enough1 if the papers meet me at ,manchester1 before the end of ,march4 ,i believe it will be the best way to bestow a distinct pamphlet on that exquisite coxcomb4 ,surely wisdom will die with him6 ,i believe we can easily get his other tract1 which it would be well to sift to the very foundation1 in order to stop the mouth of that vain boaster4 ,i am1 etc41 ,,john ,,wesley40--7,manuscript letter47 #aggj4 ,age #fg ,wesley began the year #aggj with a covenant service in ,london1 at which eighteen hundred ,methodists were present1--a sight worth seeing4 ,in his leisure moments1 he employed himself in reading2 and1 as usual1 makes racy remarks on men and books4 ,having finished ,dr4 ,burnet's 8,theory of the ,earth10 he writes3 8,he is doubtless one of the firstrate writers1 both as to sense and style2 his language is remarkably clear1 unaffected1 nervous1 and elegant2 and none can deny1 that his theory is ingenious1 and consistent with itself40 ,he read ,rousseau upon education1 and says3 8,but how was ,i disappointed6 ,sure a more consummate coxcomb never saw the sun6 ,how amazingly full of himself6 ,whatever he speaks1 he pronounces as an oracle4 ,but many of his oracles are as palpably false as that #8young children never love old people4' ,but ,i object to his temper more than to his judgment3 he is a mere misanthrope1 a cynic all over4 ,so indeed is his brother infidel1 ,voltaire2 and well-nigh as great a coxcomb4 ,but he hides both his doggedness and vanity a little better2 whereas1 here it stares us in the face continually4 ,as to his book1 it is whimsical to the last degree2 grounded neither upon reason nor experience4 ,the advices1 which are good1 are trite and common1 only disguised under new expressions2 and those which are new1 which are really his own1 are lighter than vanity itself4 ,such discoveries ,i always expect from those who are too wise to believe their ,bibles40 ,baron ,emanuel ,swedenborg1 after rendering great service to science1 and thereby winning the esteem of ,charles ,,xii41 and receiving the honour of being enrolled among the members of the academies of ,upsal1 ,stockholm1 and ,petersburgh1 came to ,london in #agdc1 attended the ,moravian chapel in ,fetter ,lane1 went mad1#gi and began to write and publish the visionary books1 containing the creed of the ,swedenborgians4 ,wesley writes3 8,i sat down to read and seriously consider some of the writings of ,baron ,swedenborg4 ,i began with huge prejudice in his favour1 knowing him to be a pious man1 one of a strong understanding1 of much learning1 and one who thoroughly believed himself4 ,but ,i could not hold out long4 ,any one of his visions puts his real character out of doubt4 ,he is one of the most ingenious1 lively1 entertaining madmen1 that ever set pen to paper4 ,but his waking dreams are so wild1 so far remote both from ,scripture and common sense1 that one might as easily swallow the stories of #8,tom ,thumb1' or #8,jack the ,giant ,killer4'0 ,the baron died two years after this1 and was buried in the ,swedish church in ,wellclose ,square1 ,london4 ,in the month of ,february1 ,wesley1 for the last time1 took part in a religious service1 and administered the sacrament1 in the mansion of the ,countess of ,huntingdon1 in ,portland ,row4 ,thomas ,maxfield was present1 and though a few years before he had been one of the strongest sticklers in favour of the wild doctrines propounded by ,george ,bell and other sanctified ones in ,london1 he now1 in ,wesley's own presence1 spoke strongly against his doctrine of ,christian perfection4#hj ,this might be gratifying to her ladyship and her ,calvinistic friends2 but it would have been in better taste for ,maxfield1 at least1 to have maintained1 on such a subject1 a respectful silence4 ,no doubt1 foolish ideas had been circulated2 but ,wesley can hardly be held accountable for these4 ,his own doctrines on the subject were based upon ,scripture1 and these he was ready to defend1 and resolved to propagate4 ,it is true1 that his anticipations respecting the great work1 which was professedly wrought in ,london and elsewhere1 had not been realised4 ,even ,miss ,bosanquet had lost the blessing of ,christian perfection2#ha and ,wesley1 in a letter dated ,march #ae1 #aggj1 confesses that1 of those who professed to obtain it1 hardly one in thirty retained it4 8,many hundreds in ,london10 says he1 8were made partakers of it1 within sixteen or eighteen months2 but ,i doubt whether twenty of them are now as holy and as happy as they were40#hb ,this was a humiliating fact1 and gave to ,wesley's opponents a great advantage2 but1 in itself1 it was no disproof of ,wesley's doctrine2 and can scarcely be considered a satisfactory excuse for ,thomas ,maxfield1 of all men living1 attacking his friend in the house of his ,calvinistic foes4 ,wesley's friend ,whitefield was in ,america1 preaching with as much zest as ever2 and1 just at this juncture1 ,wesley addressed what proved to be his last letter to his old and always faithful coadjutor2 but the letter contains not a single syllable respecting the slight which had been cast upon him by a man whom gratitude ought to have taught better manners4 8,,lewisham1 ,february #ba1 #aggj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,mr4 ,keen informed me some time since of your safe arrival in ,carolina2 of which1 indeed1 ,i could not doubt for a moment1 notwithstanding the idle report of your being cast away1 which was so current in ,london4 ,i trust our ,lord has more work for you to do in ,europe1 as well as in ,america4 ,and who knows but before your return1 to ,england1 ,i may pay another visit to the new world8 ,i have been strongly solicited by several of our friends in ,new ,york and ,philadelphia4 ,they urge many reasons1 some of which appear to be of considerable weight2 and my age is no objection at all2 for ,i bless ,god my health is not barely as good1 but abundantly better in several respects1 than when ,i was five-and-twenty4 ,but there are so many reasons on the other side1 that1 as yet1 ,i can determine nothing2 so ,i must wait for further light4 ,here ,i am3 let the ,lord do with me as seemeth ,him good4 ,for the present1 ,i must beg of you to supply my lack of service1 by encouraging our preachers1 as you judge best 7who are as yet comparatively young and inexperienced72 by giving them such advices as you think proper2 and1 above all1 by exhorting them1 not only to love one another1 but1 if it be possible1 as much as lies in them1 to live peaceably with all men4 8,some time ago1 since you went hence1 ,i heard a circumstance1 which gave me a good deal of concern2 namely1 that the college or academy in ,georgia had swallowed up the orphan house4 ,shall ,i give my judgment without being asked8 ,methinks1 friendship requires ,i should4 ,are there not then two points which come in view8 a point of mercy1 and a point of justice8 ,with respect to the former1 may it not be inquired1 ,can anything on earth be a greater charity than to bring up orphans8 ,what is a college or an academy compared to this8 unless you could have such a college as perhaps is not upon earth4 ,i know the value of learning1 and am more in danger of prizing it too much than too little2 but1 still1 ,i cannot place the giving it to five hundred students on a level with saving the bodies1 if not the souls too1 of five hundred orphans4 ,but let us pass from the point of mercy to that of justice4 ,you had land given1 and collected money1 for an orphan house4 ,are you at liberty to apply this to any other purpose8 at least1 while there are any orphans in ,georgia left8 ,i just touch upon this1 though it is an important point1 and leave it to your own consideration1 whether part of it1 at least1 might not properly be applied to carry on the original design8 ,in speaking thus freely1 on so tender a subject1 ,i have given you a fresh proof of the sincerity with which ,i am your ever affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#hc ,the college business above mentioned was simply this4 ,six years before1 ,whitefield had informed the council of ,georgia1 that he had already expended #ab1jjj upon his ,orphan ,house2 that he was now anxious to attach to it a college1 to which the respectable inhabitants of ,georgia1 ,virginia1 and the ,west ,indies might send their sons to be educated2 that1 in order to accomplish his purpose1 he was prepared to lay out a considerable sum of money 8in purchasing a large number of negroes0 for the cultivation of the lands1 and for the 8future support of a president1 professors1 and tutors20 and that he now asked the council to grant him1 in trust1 for the purposes aforesaid1 two thousand acres of land1 on the north fork of ,turtle ,river4 ,the council yielded his request at once1 and with the greatest pleasure4 ,whitefield then memorialised the king to grant a charter for the founding of the college1 stating that1 if this were done1 he was 8ready to give up his present trust1 and make a free gift of all lands1 negroes1 goods1 and chattels1 which he now possessed in ,georgia1 for the support of the proposed institution1 to be called by the name of ,bethesda college1 in ,georgia40 ,a long official correspondence followed4 ,the government were not unwilling to grant a charter1 but they insisted that the president of the college should be a minister of the ,church of ,england1 and that there should be a daily use of the ,church liturgy4 ,these were conditions which ,whitefield respectfully declined2 and hence the charter asked for was refused4 ,the result was1 ,whitefield added to his ,georgian orphan house a public academy1 by the erection of two additional wings1 one hundred and fifty feet each in length2 and1 a month before ,wesley wrote his letter1 opened the new building1 by preaching before his excellency the governor1 and before the ,georgian council and assembly1 from1 8,the hands of ,zerubbabel have laid the foundations of this house1 ,his hands shall also finish it2 and thou shalt know that the ,lord of hosts hath sent me unto you2 for who hath despised the day of small things80 ,thus ,whitefield left behind him1 in ,america1 a complex orphanage and college1 for the support of which he had obtained grants of land to the extent of #chjj acres1 and had bought seventy-five male and female negroes for the purpose of cultivating his extensive farm1 and making it productive4#hd ,we have already seen that ,wesley was not only urged1 but was more than willing1 to visit his newly instituted societies in ,america4 ,pilmoor was working hard at ,new ,york1 and ,boardman at ,philadelphia2 a number of negroes had been converted2 the work was growing2 and the young evangelists--,boardman of seven1 and ,pilmoor of five years' standing--wished for advice and help4#he ,wesley had nearly arrived at the age of threescore years and ten2 but1 if his way had opened1 he would have bounded off across the ,atlantic with as little anxiety as he was accustomed to trot to the hospitable ,perronet home at ,shoreham4 ,the obstacles however were insurmountable4 ,there was no one1 during his absence1 to take his place as superintendent general of the societies in ,england1 ,scotland1 ,wales1 and ,ireland2 and to this must be added the strong objections of the people to let him go4 8,if ,i go to ,america10 said he1 8,i must do a thing which ,i hate as bad as ,i hate the devil40 8,what is that80 asked his friend4 8,i must keep a secret10 he answered2 meaning1 that he must conceal his purpose1 otherwise his societies would interfere1 and effectually prevent his going4#hf ,on the #eth of ,march1 ,wesley set out on his journey to the north1 which occupied the next five months4 ,coming to ,newbury1 he writes3 8,i had been much importuned to preach here4 ,but where8 ,the ,dissenters would not permit me to preach in their meetinghouse4 ,some were then desirous to hire the old playhouse2 but the good mayor would not suffer it to be so profaned6 ,so ,i made use of a workshop1--a large1 commodious place4 ,but it would1 by no means1 contain the congregation4 ,all that could hear behaved well40 ,from ,newbury1 ,wesley proceeded to ,bristol1 ,gloucester1 ,birmingham1 and ,wednesbury4 ,he then made his way1 through ,staffordshire and ,cheshire1 to ,manchester1 where he arrived at the end of ,march1 and made the following characteristic entry in his journal3 8,in this journey1 as well as in many others1 ,i observed a mistake that almost universally prevails4 ,near thirty years ago1 ,i was thinking1 #8,how is it that no horse ever stumbles while ,i am reading8' 7,history1 poetry1 and philosophy1 ,i commonly read on horseback1 having other employment at other times47 ,no account can possibly be given but this3 because1 then ,i throw the reins on his neck4 ,i then set myself to observe2 and ,i aver1 that1 in riding above a hundred thousand miles1 ,i scarce ever remember any horse 7except two that would fall head over heels any way71 to fall1 or make a considerable stumble1 while ,i rode with a slack rein4 ,to fancy1 therefore1 that a tight rein prevents stumbling is a capital blunder4 ,i have repeated the trial more frequently than most men in the kingdom can do4 ,a slack rein will prevent stumbling if anything will4 ,but in some horses nothing can40 ,from ,manchester1 ,wesley proceeded to ,liverpool1 ,whitehaven1 and ,carlisle1 preaching there1 and at intermediate places4 ,he writes3 8,at ,carlisle1 it was the day of small things2 the society consisting but of fifteen members40 ,methodism had been founded in this border city by ,robert ,bell1 an exciseman2 and its place of worship was a shed for sheltering carts4 ,at almost every meeting the mob attended2 stones and brickbats were often thrown1 and the ,methodists hissed at and otherwise abused4#hg ,leaving ,carlisle1 ,wesley made his way to ,edinburgh1 which he reached on ,april #bj1 and says3 8,i endeavoured to confirm those whom many had strove to turn out of the way4 ,what pity is it1 that the children of ,god should so zealously do the devil's work6 ,how is it1 that they are still ignorant of ,satan's devices8 ,lord1 what is man80 8,the congregations were nearly as usual2 but the society which1 when ,i was here before1 consisted of above one hundred and sixty members1 was now shrunk to about fifty4 ,such is the fruit of a single preacher's staying a whole year in one place1 together with the labours of good ,mr4 ,townshend60 ,it was at this time that ,wesley had his first interview with ,lady ,glenorchy4#hh ,she writes3 8,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,webster#hi and ,mr4 ,wesley met at my house1 and agreed on all doctrines on which they spoke1 except those of ,god's decrees1 predestination1 and the saints' perseverance4 ,i must1 according to the light ,i now have1 agree with ,dr4 ,webster4 ,nevertheless1 ,i hope ,mr4 ,wesley is a child of ,god4 ,he has been an instrument of saving souls2 as such1 ,i honour him1 and will countenance his preachers4 ,i have heard him preach thrice2 and should have been better pleased had he preached more of ,christ1 and less of himself40#ij ,lady ,glenorchy had recently opened ,st4 ,mary's chapel1 in which service was performed by presbyterians1 episcopalians1 and ,methodists2 but her ladyship now wished to have a schoolmaster and a minister of her own2 and1 notwithstanding her disparaging remarks on ,wesley1 she employed him to obtain them for her4 ,a few weeks later she wrote to him as follows4 8,,edinburgh1 ,may #bi1 #aggj4 8,,reverend ,,sir1--,when ,i consider how much you have to do1 and how very precious your time is1 ,i feel unwilling to give you the trouble of reading a letter from me2 yet ,i know not how to delay returning you my best thanks for the pains you have taken to procure me a ,christian innkeeper and schoolmaster4 ,and1 though you have not as yet been successful1 ,i hope you may find some before you reach ,london1 who are willing to leave their native country and friends for the sake of promoting the interest of ,christ's kingdom4 ,if ,mr4 ,eggleston's objections relate only to temporal things1 perhaps it may be in my power to remove them4 ,i am exceedingly obliged to you1 dear and honoured sir1 for your good advice2 it is agreeable to that small glimmering of light the ,lord has been pleased to give me for five years past4 ,let me entreat you to remember me at the throne of grace4 ,i am1 reverend sir1 with esteem and respect1 your obliged servant1 8,,willielma ,,glenorchy40#ia ,within a week after this1 ,wesley obtained her ladyship a schoolmaster2 and1 at the beginning of the year following1 sent her a minister1 the ,rev4 ,richard ,de ,courcy1 who had been a ,methodist in ,ireland1#ib had been educated at ,trinity college1 ,dublin1 had obtained deacon's orders1 and had officiated as curate to ,walter ,shirley4#ic ,lady ,glenorchy writes3 8,mr4 ,de ,courcy is quite the person ,mr4 ,wesley represented him1--of a sweet disposition1 and wishes only to preach ,christ to poor sinners wherever he finds an open door40#id ,this was in ,february1 #agga1 and yet1 within six months afterwards1 on ,june #bh1 her ladyship writes again3 8,before ,i left ,edinburgh1 ,i dismissed ,mr4 ,wesley's preachers from my chapel2 first1 because they deny the doctrines of imputed righteousness1 election1 and the saints' perseverance2 secondly1 because ,i found none of our gospel ministers would preach in the chapel1 if they continued to have the use of the pulpit2 thirdly1 because ,i found my own soul had been hurt by hearing them1 and ,i judged that others might be hurt by them also40#ie ,thus1 after ,wesley had served her ladyship to the utmost of his power1 he and his preachers were ignominiously expelled from the sacred precincts of ,st4 ,mary's1 and her chapel was left in the sole possession of ,mr4 ,de ,courcy and his ,calvinistic friends4 ,it is right to add that1 notwithstanding her ,calvinism1 ,lady ,glenorchy maintained1 to the end of life1 a warm friendship with her ,methodist friend1 ,lady ,maxwell1 whom1 at her death1 she appointed her sole executrix1 and the principal manager of her chapels1 both in ,england and across the border4#if ,to return to ,wesley4 ,from ,edinburgh1 he went to ,perth1 ,dunkeld1 and ,inverness1 at which last mentioned place ,benjamin and ,william ,chappel had been three months waiting for a vessel to return to ,london1 and had employed the time in meeting the people every night to sing and pray together4 ,benjamin ,chappel1 who thus begun ,methodism in ,inverness1 was a wheelwright1 and1 in after years1 had the honour of being the first ,methodist in ,prince ,edward's ,island4#ig ,at ,aberdeen1 as at ,inverness and ,nairn1 ,wesley preached in the kirk4 ,at ,arbroath1 the society1 though of but nine months' standing1 was the largest in ,scotland1 with the exception of that at ,aberdeen4 ,at ,dunbar he preached in the new chapel1 8the cheerfulest in the kingdom02 and1 on ,may #ba1 reached ,newcastle on ,tyne2 but here we pause to insert a letter of considerable interest4 ,within the last two years1 ,wesley had met at ,bristol with a clergyman1 who was one of the king of ,sweden's chaplains1 but who had recently spent several years in ,pennsylvania4 ,this gentleman1 ,dr4 ,wrangel1 had strongly requested that ,wesley would send preachers to ,america1 nearly twelve months before ,boardman and ,pilmoor were appointed2 and1 further1 to show his friendly feeling towards ,methodism he had preached in the ,bristol chapel to a crowd of ,methodists1 and 8gave10 says ,wesley1 8general satisfaction by the simplicity and life which accompanied his sound doctrine40 ,dr4 ,wrangel had now returned to ,sweden1 and wrote the following to ,wesley4 8,,stockholm1 ,may #e1 #aggj4 8,,dear ,,and ,,much ,,beloved ,,brother ,,in ,,christ ,,jesus1--,i hope my heart will ever be impressed with the warmest gratitude for the comfort ,i enjoyed in your society4 ,though absent in body1 ,i have often been amongst you4 ,when ,i left ,england1 ,i arrived first at ,gothenburg1 and lodged at the right reverend bishop1 ,dr4 ,lamberg's1 who was fellow chaplain with me at court4 ,i found him to be a great friend of yours4 ,he had heard you preach while on his travels in ,england4 ,i sent him your books1 and he was well pleased with what he read1 and desired me to remember him to you4 8,i have now been upwards of a year in ,stockholm1 and have officiated as chaplain to the king1 and at the same time preached in most of the churches here1 and ,i must say1 with uncommon success4 ,whenever ,i have preached the churches have been crowded4 ,the king1 on his deathbed1 made me a privy councillor4 ,when ,i spoke to him of the way of salvation1 he received the word with gladness1 and departed in the ,lord1 to the great edification and comfort of the whole family4 ,his queen also1 who is of ,english descent1 is eminent in piety4 ,this1 ,i hope1 will be attended with good consequences in favour of religion4 8,last parliament session several clergymen1 and amongst them four bishops1 agreed to my proposals concerning a society for propagating practical religion4 ,we intend1 as soon as the plan is rightly fixed1 to enter into correspondence with several parts of the world2 and we expect the honour of your correspondence also4 8,providence is about to settle me in a station of great importance4 ,i am about to be named the almoner of his majesty4 ,this office is of importance to religion in general4 ,finally1 my dear brother1 let me be included in all your prayers1 and let me hear from you4 ,i am1 with the greatest sincerity of affection1 dear and reverend brother1 your most humble and affectionate brother and servant1 8,c4 ,m4 ,,wrangel40#ih ,further correspondence followed1 from which we learn that ,dr4 ,wrangel himself1 like ,wesley1 had been an open air preacher2 but was now1 not only the king of ,sweden's almoner1 but 8president of the consistory at court1 and chaplain to all the royal orders40 ,he writes to ,wesley in #agga3 8,pray1 dear sir1 desire your society to intercede for me4 ,i send you enclosed the letter of admission to our society4 ,the rules1 not yet being printed in ,english1 we send in ,german4 ,i sincerely thank you for the kind present of your sermons and books4 ,i presented a copy of your sermon to the society1 which was very acceptable4 ,the society will have the life of ,mr4 ,whitefield inserted in their ,pastoral ,collections1 or account of the work of ,god abroad4 ,i beg of you1 sir1 to remember me kindly to all your friends1 not forgetting dear ,kingswood4 ,i have been greatly blessed in my labour amongst the great1 and shall soon give a particular account of it40#ii ,thus1 as ,england had its ,wesleys1 ,america its ,whitefield1 and ,wales its ,howel ,harris1 ,sweden also had its great reformer1--,dr4 ,wrangel1 once a field preacher1 but now a founder of a quasi missionary society1 and1 as a faithful minister of ,christ1 bearing his testimony before kings and princes4 ,through ,dr4 ,wrangel's friendship with ,wesley1 ,methodism had already1 fifty-six years before its appointment of the ,rev4 ,joseph ,rayner ,stephens to ,stockholm1 indirectly extended its influences to the ,swedish capital1 and had begun that wondrous work1 which1 fostered by the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,scott1 has issued in some of the most remarkable results recorded in mission history4 ,wesley left ,newcastle for ,london on the #aath of ,june1 and1 on his journey1 preached for the most part thrice a day4 ,at ,whitby1 one of his itinerants1 of six years' standing1 8had set up for himself2 his reasons for leaving the ,methodists being--7#a7 that they went to church2 7#b7 that they held perfection40 ,it is a remarkable fact1 that sixty-five of the ,whitby ,methodists professed to be entirely sanctified4 ,from ,whitby1 ,wesley proceeded along the east coast to ,robinhood's ,bay1 ,scarborough1 ,bridlington1 and ,hull4 ,from ,hull1 he made his way to ,beverley1 ,york1 ,tadcaster1 ,pateley1 ,otley1 ,yeadon1 ,heptonstall1 ,colne1 ,haworth1 and ,keighley4 ,the ,keighley1 or ,haworth1 circuit1 at this period1 extended from ,otley to ,whitehaven1 a distance of one hundred and twenty miles4#ajj ,yeadon has just been mentioned4 ,here ,james ,rhodes began to hold ,methodist prayer-meetings as early as #agdg2 and here his brother ,joseph preached the first ,methodist sermon in ,yeadon1 in the house of ,judith ,jackson4 ,here ,thomas ,mitchell1 one of ,wesley's bravest itinerants1 was trained2 and here ,william ,darney1 while preaching1 was attacked by a mob1 led on by ,reynolds1 curate of ,guiseley1 had eggs thrown at his face1 was dragged out of doors1 and then stamped upon4 ,here ,jonathan ,maskew1 by the same godless gang1 had his clothes torn off his back1 and1 in a state of nakedness1 was trailed over the rough stone pavement1 till he was a mass of bruises4 ,the bush burned1 but it was not consumed4 ,in #agff1 the first chapel was erected2 and now1 in #aggj1 it had to be enlarged4 ,at the beginning of ,july1 ,wesley spent about a week at ,leeds1 and in the surrounding towns and villages4 ,he visited the orphanage of ,miss ,bosanquet1 who had removed to ,cross ,hall1 ,morley4 ,her friend ,sarah ,crosby1 in a letter dated ,july #ac1 #aggj1 remarks3 8,mr4 ,wesley left ,leeds yesterday4 ,i never heard him preach better1 if so well4 ,in every sermon he set forth #8,christian perfection' in the most beautiful light4 ,mr4 ,rankin1 who travels with him1 is a blessed man1 and seems to fear no one's face4 ,i believe there has not been such a time at ,leeds for many years40#aja ,from ,leeds1 ,wesley proceeded to ,doncaster1 ,epworth1 ,horncastle1 ,louth1 and other places2 and then1 turning round1 came back to ,doncaster1 and1 from there1 went to ,rotherham1 ,sheffield1 ,derby1 and ,nottingham1 preaching1 not only there1 but in many of the intervening villages and towns4 ,he writes3 8,i preached at ,bingham1 and really admired the exquisite stupidity of the people4 ,they gaped and stared1 while ,i was speaking of death and judgment1 as if they had never heard of such things before4 ,and they were not helped by two surly1 ill mannered clergymen1 who seemed to be just as wise as themselves40 ,in ,loughborough market place1 he preached to a congregation of some thousands1 all of them still as night4 ,this was his first sermon here2 but1 four years previous to this1 some of his preachers had visited the town1 and1 among others1 converted by their ministry1 was ,thomas ,cook1 who in humility1 penitence1 and self denial1 was1 even among the first ,methodists1 almost without an equal4 ,for three months together1 he would live on barley bread and water1 often fasting1 from even nourishment like that1 for whole days together1 and praying the whole night through4 ,he invariably wore clothing of the coarsest material1 and when urged to use an overcoat answered3 8,when you can assure me1 that there is not a poor man destitute of one coat1 ,i may then perhaps wear two40 ,for ten years1 he prayed for all with whom he happened to converse2 and as he lived1 so he died1--humble1 holy1 loving1 and devout1--saying in answer to a question1 and with his characteristic self abasement1 8,oh no6 no funeral sermon for me60#ajb ,on ,thursday1 ,august #b1 after a five months' absence1 ,wesley got back to ,london2 and1 on ,august #g1 met his conference2 in reference to which1 the following unpublished letter1 addressed to ,mr4 ,merryweather1 at ,yarm1 is not without interest4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i have the credit of stationing the preachers2 but many of them go where they will go1 for all me4 ,for instance1 ,i have marked down ,james ,oddie and ,john ,nelson for ,yarm circuit the ensuing year2 yet1 ,i am not certain that either of them will come4 ,they can give twenty reasons for going elsewhere4 ,mr4 ,murlin says1 he must be in ,london4 ',tis certain he has a mind to be there2 therefore1 so it must be2 for you know a man of fortune is master of his own motions4 8,i am your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,the difficulties of conference1 in stationing preachers1 are not novel4 ,there were now fifty ,methodist circuits1 one of which was ,america6 ,there were a hundred and twenty itinerant preachers1 and #bi1djf members of society4 ,nearly #b1jjj had been subscribed1 during the year1 towards defraying the chapel debts2 and yet1 in consequence of new erections1 the aggregate debt was about the same4 ,his chapels were becoming ,wesley's greatest burdens4#ajc ,it was resolved1 that1 during the coming year1 no new chapel should be built1 nor any old one altered1 unless the entire expenditure were raised2 and a proposal was made to vest all the chapels in a general trust1 consisting of persons chosen from among the ,methodists throughout the kingdom4 ,this would have been a disastrous mistake4 ,fortunately it was not adopted4 ,kingswood school1 as usual1 was a trouble4 ,it had been opened two-and-twenty years1 and had had1 during that period1 eight classical masters1 five of whom had obtained episcopal ordination1 and now a sixth1 ,joseph ,benson1 had not only entered himself a graduate at ,oxford1 but had exchanged ,kingswood for ,trevecca4 ,no wonder that ,wesley1 at the conference of #aggj1 asked1 8,how can we secure our masters80 ,the answer was1 8,ask each1 before he is received1 ,do you design to stay here8 have you any thoughts of being ordained8 have you any design to preach80 ,it is a fact worth noting1 that1 during the remainder of ,wesley's lifetime1 there was only one more classical master who became an ordained clergyman1 and that was ,mr4 ,benson's immediate successor1 ,isaac ,twicross4#ajd ,wesley found1 that some of his preachers were still engaged in trade2 and1 hence1 it was now agreed1 that those who would not relinquish trading in cloth1 hardware1 pills1 drops1 and balsams1 should be excluded from the brotherhood2 but that1 if any of them1 like ,thomas ,hanby1 ,john ,oliver1 and ,james ,oddie1 had a share in ships1 there would be no objection to that4#aje ,the conference of #aggj1 however1 will always be memorable chiefly1 if not entirely1 for its doctrinal minutes4 ,from the first1 ,whitefield1 ,howel ,harris1 and their friends1 had been ,calvinists2 and so were many of the evangelical clergy1 patronised by the ,countess of ,huntingdon1 as ,romaine1 ,newton1 ,venn1 ,berridge1 ,shirley1 and others4 ,at an early period of their history1 the two ,wesleys agreed1 with the ,methodist ,calvinistic leaders1 to avoid preaching on ,calvinistic topics to the utmost extent possible4 ,charles ,wesley afterwards endorsed the document with the words 8,vain ,agreement40 ,so indeed it was3 in fact it could hardly be otherwise4 ,wesley1 more than once1 tried to meet his friends at a sort of halfway house2 but the attempt was dangerous1 it exposed ,wesley to suspicion1 and it issued in a failure4 ,we have already seen that1 in #agdc1 ,wesley1 for the purpose of terminating their disputes1 made concessions to ,whitefield1 respecting unconditional election1 irresistible grace1 and final perseverance1 which it was impossible to defend4 ,accordingly1 at the conference held a few months afterwards1 he honestly confessed1 that he had 8unawares leaned too much towards ,calvinism20#ajf and proceeded to propound doctrines1 which1 in substance1 were the same as those he now embodied in the theses of #aggj4 ,twenty-six years had elapsed since then2 but there was a striking resemblance between the two periods2 and1 substantially1 the same cause for outspokenness4 ,to say nothing more concerning ,whitefield's doctrines1 it is important to bear in mind1 that1 in #agdd1 ,moravianism1 or rather ,zinzendorfism1 had turned the doctrine of justification by faith only into an antinomian channel2 and now1 in #aggj1 the same thing was practically being done by not a few who1 at all events1 were called ,methodists4 ,mr4 ,fletcher's description of the antinomianism of the period is a frightful picture2 and though not so applicable to the followers of ,wesley as to those of the ,countess of ,huntingdon's connexion1 yet the former were not so free from the antinomian poison as they should have been4 ,hence the publication of ,wesley's theological theses2 substantially the same as he had enunciated in #agdd2 but not so guardedly expressed4 ,as they led to the longest and bitterest controversy in ,wesley's history1 we subjoin them in their entirety4 8,we said1 in #agdd1 #8,we have leaned too much toward ,calvinism4' ,wherein8 8#a4 ,with regard to man's faithfulness4 ,our ,lord himself taught us to use the expression2 and we ought never to be ashamed of it4 ,we ought steadily to assert1 on ,his authority1 that1 if a man is not #8faithful in the unrighteous mammon1' ,god will not give him the true riches4 8#b4 ,with regard to working for life4 ,this also our ,lord has expressly commanded us3 #8,labour1' 1 literally #8,work' #8for the meat that endureth to everlasting life4' ,and1 in fact1 every believer1 till he comes to glory1 works for as well as from life4 8#c4 ,we have received it as a maxim1 that #8a man is to do nothing in order to justification1' ,nothing can be more false4 ,whoever desires to find favour with ,god should #8cease from evil1 and learn to do well1' ,whoever repents should do #8works meet for repentance1' ,and if this is not in order to find favour1 what does he do them for8 8,review the whole affair3 #a4 ,who of us is now accepted of ,god8 ,he that now believes in ,christ with a loving and obedient heart4 8#b4 ,but who among those that never heard of ,christ8 ,he that feareth ,god and worketh righteousness1 according to the light he has4 8#c4 ,is this the same with #8he that is sincere'8 ,nearly1 if not quite4 8#d4 ,is not this #8salvation by works'8 ,not by the merit of works1 but by works as a condition4 8#e4 ,what have we been disputing about for these thirty years8 ,i am afraid1 about words4 8#f4 ,as to merit itself1 of which we have been so dreadfully afraid2 we are rewarded #8according to our works1' yea1 #8because of our works4' ,how does this differ from1 for the sake of our works8 ,and how differs this from secundum merita operum8 as our works deserve8 ,can you split this hair8 ,i doubt ,i cannot4 8#g4 ,the grand objection to one of the preceding propositions is drawn from matter of fact4 ,god does in fact justify those1 who1 by their own confession1 neither feared ,god nor wrought righteousness4 ,is this an exception to the general rule8 ,it is a doubt1 ,god makes any exception at all4 ,but how are we sure1 that the person in question never did fear ,god and work righteousness8 ,his own saying so is not proof2 for we know1 how all that are convinced of sin undervalue themselves in every respect4 8#h4 ,does not talking of a justified or a sanctified state tend to mislead men8 almost naturally leading them to trust in what was done in one moment8 ,whereas we are every hour and every moment pleasing or displeasing to ,god1 #8according to our works'2--according to the whole of our inward tempers1 and our outward behaviour40 ,what was the result of these loosely worded propositions8 ,the answer to this will extend over several years2 but suffice it to say at present that the publication gave huge offence to the whole host of ,calvinistic ,methodists2 and ,lady ,huntingdon declared1 that whoever did not wholly disavow the theses should quit her college4 ,mr4 ,benson1 her classical master1 so far from disavowing1 defended them1 and hence sprung up a correspondence between ,wesley and himself1 from which the following are extracts4 8,,bristol1 ,october #e1 #aggj4 8,,dear ,,joseph1--,i am glad you had the courage to speak your mind on so critical an occasion4 ,at all hazards1 do so still2 only with all possible tenderness and respect4 ,she is much devoted to ,god1 and has a thousand valuable and amiable qualities4 ,there is no great fear that ,i should be prejudiced against one whom ,i have intimately known for these thirty years4 ,and ,i know what is in man2 therefore1 ,i make large allowance for human weaknesses4 ,but what you say is exactly the state of the case4 ,they are #8jealous of their authority4' ,truly1 there is no cause3 ,longe mea discrepat illi et vox et ratio4 ,i fear and shun1 not desire1 authority of any kind4 ,only when ,god lays that burden upon me1 ,i bear it1 for ,his and the people's sake4 #8,child1' said my father to me when ,i was young1 #8you think to carry everything by dint of argument2 but you will find1 by-and-by1 how very little is ever done in the world by clear reason4' ,very little indeed6 ,passion and prejudice govern the world2 only under the name of reason4 ,it is our part1 by religion and reason1 to counteract them all we can4 ,it is yours1 in particular1 to do all that in you lies to soften the prejudices of those that are round about you1 and to calm the passions from which they spring4 ,blessed are the peacemakers6 ,whatever ,i say1 it will be all one4 ,they will find fault1 because ,i say it4 ,there is implicit envy at my power 7so called71 and a jealousy rising therefrom4 ,hence prejudice in a thousand forms2 hence objections springing up like mushrooms4 ,and while these causes remain1 they will spring up1 whatever ,i can do or say4 ,however1 keep thyself pure2 and then there need be no strangeness between you and1 dear ,joseph1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ajg 8,,london1 ,november #cj1 #aggj4 8,,dear ,,joseph1--,for several years1 ,i have been convinced that ,i had not done my duty with regard to that valuable woman2 that ,i had not told her what1 ,i was thoroughly assured1 no one else would dare to do1 and what ,i knew she would bear from no other person1 but possibly might bear from me4 ,but1 being unwilling to give her pain1 ,i put it off from time to time4 ,at length1 ,i did not dare to delay any longer1 lest death should call one of us hence4 ,so ,i1 at once1 delivered my own soul1 by telling her all that was in my heart4 ,it was my business1 my proper business1 so to do2 as none else either could or would do it4 ,neither did ,i at all take too much upon me3 ,i know the office of a ,christian minister4 ,if she is not profited1 it is her own fault1 not mine3 ,i have done my duty1 and ,i do not know there is one charge in that letter which was either unjust1 unimportant1 or aggravated2 any more than that against the doggerel hymns1 which are equally an insult upon poetry and common sense4 8,i am1 dear ,joseph1 your affectionate brother1 ,,john ,,wesley40#ajh ,the above refers to a letter which ,wesley had addressed to ,lady ,huntingdon2 but which has never yet been published4 ,evidently it was faithful1 and also unpalatable4 ,it seems to have strengthened prejudices against him1 instead of removing them4 ,his position also was not improved by anti-,calvinian publications over which he had no control4 ,mr4 ,william ,mason1 who had been one of ,wesley's classleaders1 but had left him1 and was now a magistrate of the county of ,surrey1 and resided at ,rotherhithe ,wall1#aji issued his 8,axe laid to the ,root of ,antinomian ,licentiousness2 extracted from the works of ,mr4 ,flavel40 #aggj3 #hvo1 #cf pages4 ,another writer1 signing himself 8,academicus10 gave to the public a small octavo volume of #abd pages1 entitled 8,the ,church of ,england ,vindicated from the ,rigid ,notions of ,calvinism02 in which ,sir ,richard ,hill is severely1 perhaps abusively1 flagellated for his virulent attack on ,dr4 ,adams of ,shrewsbury1 and the ,rev4 ,william ,romaine is charged with preaching a sermon which 8shocked every serious and rational ,christian that heard it40 ,all these incidents had to do with the lamentable anger and bitterness of the memorable ,calvinian controversy which will soon demand attention4 ,the sessions of the conference of #aggj being ended1 ,wesley set out for ,cornwall1 where he spent the next three weeks4 ,returning to ,bristol1 he and his brother1 at the beginning of ,october1 agreed1 at the request of the society1 to administer to them the ,lord's supper every other ,sunday2 which arrangement1 of course1 rendered it necessary1 that an ordained clergyman should reside at ,bristol1 or in its neighbourhood4 ,the rest of the year was occupied with his usual journeys to ,oxfordshire1 ,bedfordshire1 ,northamptonshire1 ,hertfordshire1 ,norfolk1 and ,kent4 ,poor ,whitefield was dead2 and ,wesley1 if the way was opened1 was quite ready to take his place1 by including ,america within the bounds of his vast ,methodist circuit4 ,hence the following to ,mrs4 ,marston1 of ,worcester4 8,december #ad1 #aggj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,if ,i live till spring1 and should have a clear1 pressing call1 ,i am as ready to embark for ,america1 as for ,ireland4 ,all places are alike to me3 ,i am attached to none in particular4 ,wherever the work of our ,lord is to be carried on1 that is my place for to-day4 ,and we live only for to-day3 it is not our part to take thought for to-morrow4 8,i am1 dear ,molly1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#aaj ,on ,saturday1 ,september #bi1 while on his way to ,boston1 in ,new ,england1 ,whitefield1 at the importunity of the people1 preached at ,exeter1 in the open air1 a sermon nearly two hours long4 ,at six o'clock next morning he was dead4 ,a friend1 addressing him just before he commenced his last sermon1 said1 8,sir1 you are more fit to go to bed than to preach40 8,true10 replied the dying evangelist2 and then turning aside1 he clasped his hands1 and1 looking up1 said3 8,lord ,jesus1 ,i am weary in ,thy work1 but not of ,thy work40 ,whitefield was buried1 where he died1 at ,newburyport4 ,every mark of respect was shown to his remains4 ,all the bells in the town tolled1 and the ships in the harbour fired mourning guns1 and hung their flags half-mast high4 ,in ,georgia1 all the black cloth in the stores was bought up1 and the church was hung with mourning2 the governor and council met at the statehouse in habiliments of sorrow1 and went in procession to hear a funeral sermon4 ,whitefield intended to be interred in ,tottenham ,court chapel1 and had told the congregation1 that he should like the ,wesley brothers to be interred beside him4 8,we will10 said he1 8all lie together4 ,you refuse them entrance here while living3 they can do you no harm when they are dead40#aaa ,whitefield's wish was not realised2 but1 at length1 ,wesley was admitted to ,whitefield's pulpit4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,joss announced in ,tottenham ,court chapel on ,november #aa1 that1 on the sabbath following1 ,wesley would preach a sermon there on ,whitefield's death1 as it had long ago been agreed between the two1 that whichever survived the other should preach the deceased's funeral discourse4#aab ,an immense multitude assembled4 8,it was10 says ,wesley1 8an awful season2 all were as still as night40 ,on the same day1 he preached again in ,whitefield's tabernacle in ,moorfields4 ,the hour appointed was half-past five2 but the place was filled at three1 and ,wesley began at four4 ,his text was the same at both places3 8,let me die the death of the righteous1 and let my last end be like his60 ,whitefield's characteristics were described as consisting of 8unparalleled zeal1 indefatigable activity1 tender heartedness to the afflicted1 and charitableness toward the poor1 the most generous friendship1 nice and unblemished modesty1 frankness and openness of conversation1 unflinching courage1 and steadiness in whatever he undertook for his ,master's sake40 ,wesley then sketched the doctrines ,whitefield preached1 and concluded thus4 8,these are the fundamental doctrines which he everywhere insisted on2 and may they not be summed up in two words1--the new birth1 and justification by faith8 ,these let us insist upon with all boldness1 at all times1 and in all places4 ,keep close to these good1 old1 unfashionable doctrines1 how many soever contradict and blaspheme4 ,go on1 my brethren1 in the name of the ,lord1 and in the power of ,his might4 ,let brother no more lift up sword against brother2 rather put ye on1 as the elect of ,god1 bowels of mercies1 humbleness of mind1 brotherly kindness1 gentleness1 longsuffering1 forbearing one another in love4 ,let the time past suffice for strife1 envy1 contention2 for biting and devouring one another4 ,o ,god1 with ,thee no word is impossible6 ,o that ,thou wouldest cause the mantle of ,thy prophet1 whom ,thou hast taken up1 now to fall on us that remain6 ,take away from us all anger and wrath1 and bitterness2 all clamour and evil speaking6 ,let ,thy ,spirit so rest upon us1 that from this hour we may be kind to each other1 tender hearted1 forgiving one another1 even as ,god for ,christ's sake hath forgiven us60 ,well did such sentiments harmonise with the spirit and the life of ,wesley's old and faithful friend2 and mournful is the fact1 that they were so soon utterly ignored by the party of which ,whitefield had been the chief4 ,no sooner was ,wesley's sermon preached and published1 than it was attacked1 because he had omitted to mention the election and final perseverance of the saints4 ,his doctrines of 8the new birth and justification by faith0 were a defective1 precarious scheme1 and abortive as to saving purposes2 because1 according to his tenets1 a man may be justified by faith1 and be born again1 and yet never enjoy eternal life1 unless he does more for himself1 to make his salvation effectual1 than has been done for him by the blood and righteousness of ,christ4#aac ,whitefield bequeathed his orphan house estate in ,georgia1 with all its 8buildings1 lands1 and negroes10 8to that elect lady1 that mother in ,israel1 that mirror of true and undefiled religion1 the ,right ,honourable ,selina1 ,countess ,dowager of ,huntingdon40 ,his two chapels in ,london1 with his books and furniture in the ,tabernacle house1 were left to his 8worthy1 trusty1 tried friends1 ,messrs4 ,daniel ,west and ,robert ,keen40 ,within the last three years1 he had become possessed1 by legacies1 of about #agjj1 including #gjj accruing to him at his wife's decease2 and this amount he bequeathed to a whole host of friends1 the largest share falling to the ,countess of ,huntingdon2 while1 in an addendum to his will1 he says3 8,i also leave a mourning ring to my honoured and dear friends and disinterested fellow labourers1 the ,rev4 ,messrs4 ,john and ,charles ,wesley1 in token of my indissoluble union with them1 in heart and ,christian affection1 notwithstanding our differences in judgment about some particular points of doctrine4 ,grace be with all them1 of whatever denomination1 that love our ,lord ,jesus1 our common ,lord1 in sincerity40#aad ,thus died one of the greatest ,christian orators that ever lived1--a man who1 though often heavily afflicted1 preached1 in four-and-thirty years1 upwards of eighteen thousand sermons1#aae many of them in the open air1 and often to enormous crowds1 and in the teeth of brutal persecution4#aaf ,space forbids enlargement2 but1 perhaps1 two unpublished letters1 belonging to this period1 may be welcome4 ,the first was addressed to ,matthew ,lowes1 and the second to ,miss ,foard1 who afterwards became ,mrs4 ,thornton1 of #hf1 ,blackman ,street1 ,southwark4 8,,london1 ,october #ac1 #aggj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,health you shall have1 if health be best2 if not1 sickness will be a greater blessing4 ,i am glad you have ,dr4 ,wilson near4 ,a more skilful man1 ,i suppose1 is not in ,england4 ,if you should continue weak1 7as ,i did from ,november to ,march17 good is the will of the ,lord4 ,you are not a superannuated preacher3 but you are a supernumerary4 ,i believe one of your boys is rejoicing in the love of ,god4 8,i am1 with love to sister ,lowes1 dear ,matthew1 your affectionate brother1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 8,december #bi1 #aggj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,when we had an opportunity of spending a day or two together1 you convinced me that you fear and love ,god1 and desire to enjoy all ,his promises4 ,and ,i found you less prejudiced1 than ,i expected1 against the doctrine of ,christian perfection4 ,i only want you to experience this3 to be #8all faith1 all gentleness1 all love4' ,labour to be wise1 and yet simple6 ,to steer between the extremes of neglecting to cultivate your understanding1 which is right2 and leaning to it1 which is fatally wrong4 ,and be free and open with1 my dear ,nancy1 your affectionate brother1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 ,little more1 in reference to #aggj1 remains to be related4 ,to a great extent1 mob violence was ended2 but ,wesley was still the target at which literary malice shot its shafts4 ,the aid of the ,muses was again invoked1 and some unknown poetaster issued an octavo pamphlet of #ci pages1 entitled1 8,the ,perfections of ,god1--a standing ,rule to try all ,doctrines and ,experience4 ,a ,poem humbly offered to the consideration of ,mr4 ,john ,wesley and his followers40 ,this was evidently the production of one of his ,calvinistic friends4 ,hence the following-- 8,shall ,wesley sow his hurtful tares1 ,and scatter round a thousand snares1 ,telling how ,god from wrath may turn1 ,and love the soul ,he thought to burn1 ,and how again ,his mind may move1 ,to hate1 where ,he has vowed to love1 ,how all mankind ,he fain would save1 ,yet longs for what ,he cannot have1 ,industrious thus to sound abroad ,a disappointed1 changing ,god80 ,again1 in reference to the 8,hymn on ,god's ,everlasting ,love10 we have the following choice morceau4 8,blush ,wesley1 blush1 be filled with shame1 ,doom thy vile poem to the flame2 ,what tongue thy horrid crime can tell8 ,put saints to sing the song of hell6 ,haste hence to ,rome1 thy proper place2 ,why should we share in thy disgrace8 ,we need no greater proof to see1 ,thy blasphemies with hers agree40 ,in addition to the above1 there was published a sermon of #cb pages1 #hvo1 entitled 8,methodistical ,deceit3 a ,sermon preached in the parish church of ,st4 ,matthew1 ,bethnal ,green1 by ,haddon ,smith1 curate of the said church40 ,it is right to say that ,mr4 ,smith's discourse is levelled against the ,calvinistic ,methodists1 of whom1 however1 he unfortunately speaks as though they were all the ,methodists that existed4 ,remembering the recent origin of the ,methodist movement1 and the unparalleled opposition it had been its lot to encounter1 it is somewhat amusing to find the ,bethnal ,green curate describing the ,methodists as 8the overbearing sect02 perhaps it was a lapsus lingu2 or perhaps the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,smith began to see1 that crushing the system with the iron heel of persecution only diffused its fragrance wider2 and that1 after all1 ,methodism1 instead of dying1 was every year more vigorous than ever4 ,mr4 ,smith was severely handled in a pamphlet of #dj pages1 with the title1 8,letters to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,haddon ,smith1 occasioned by his ,curious ,sermon entitled ,methodistical ,deceit2 by ,philalethes40 ,wesley's own publications1 in #aggj1 were as follows4 #a4 8,an ,extract from ,dr4 ,young's ,night ,thoughts1 on ,life1 ,death1 and ,immortality40 #abmo1 #bda pages4 ,wesley professed to have left out all the lines in ,young1 which he 8apprehended to be either childish1 or flat1 or turgid1 or obscure02 and appended brief explanations of the words and phrases1 which he thought would be scarcely understood by unlearned readers4 #b4 8,minutes of several ,conversations between the ,rev4 ,messrs4 ,john and ,charles ,wesley and others40 #hvo1 #fj pages4 ,this was a new and enlarged edition of the minutes published in #agfc1 embracing minutes of all the conferences held from that period to the year #aggj4 #c4 8,a ,sermon on the ,death of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,george ,whitefield40 #hvo1 #cb pages4 #d4 8,free ,thoughts on the ,present ,state of ,public ,affairs40 #hvo1 #dg pages4 ,this was published in the midst of the terrible national confusion1 produced by the dissolute and unprincipled anarchist1--the infamous ,john ,wilkes4 ,the pamphlet has been already noticed in a previous chapter4#aag #e4 ,it was ,wesley's purpose to leave ,augustus ,toplady in the hands of ,walter ,sellon4 ,he did this1 in one respect1 but not in another4 ,for instance1 he published a small #abmo tract of eight pages1 with the title1 8,what is an ,arminian80 ,he writes3 8,to say1 #8this man is an ,arminian1' has the same effect on many hearers as to say1 #8this is a mad dog4' ,it puts them into a fright at once2 they run away from him with all speed and diligence2 and will hardly stop1 unless it be to throw a stone at the dreadful and mischievous animal40 ,he then proceeds to show1 that the differences between an ,arminian and a ,calvinist may all be reduced to a single sentence1--the ,calvinist believes that ,god has eternally and absolutely decreed to save such and such persons1 and no others2 that these cannot resist the saving grace that ,he imparts2 and that they cannot finally fall from that grace1 which they are not able to resist4 ,an ,arminian holds doctrines just the opposite of these4 ,wesley concludes his tract by advising both ,arminian and ,calvinist preachers never to use1 either in public or private1 the word 8,calvinist10 or 8,arminian10 as a term of reproach1 seeing this was neither better nor worse than calling names1--a practice as inconsistent with good sense and good manners as it is with ,christianity itself4 #f4 ,besides this1 ,wesley issued another tract1 entitled1 8,the ,doctrine of ,absolute ,predestination ,stated and ,asserted4 ,by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,a4---- ,t----40 #abmo1 #ab pages4 ,this was a faithful abridgment of ,toplady's translation of ,zanchius1 without note or comment1 except a short advertisement at the beginning1 and a paragraph at the end1 both of which we give verbatim4 8,advertisement4--,it is granted1 that the ensuing tract is1 in good measure1 a translation4 ,nevertheless1 considering the unparalleled modesty and self diffidence of the young translator1 and the tenderness wherewith he treats his opponents1 it may well pass for an original40 ,this was stinging2 especially when compared with the concluding paragraph-- 8,the sum of all is this3 ,one in twenty 7suppose7 of mankind are elected2 nineteen in twenty are reprobated4 ,the elect shall be saved1 do what they will2 the reprobate shall be damned1 do what they can4 ,reader1 believe this1 or be damned4 ,witness my hand4 8,a---- ,t----40 ,this was the whole of ,wesley's offending4 ,his tract1 we again affirm1 was an honest1 faithful abridgment of ,toplady's pretended translation2 but the truth is1 by divesting the work of ,toplady of its cloudy verbiage1 the ,calvinistic theory was presented in a form enough to horrify every man of reason and religion4 ,what was the result8 ,wesley's ,abridgment was issued in the month of ,march1 #aggj4 ,poor ,toplady seems to have become insane with anger2 and1 before the same month expired1 had completed his answer1 which was published forthwith1 under the title of 8,a ,letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley3 relative to his pretended ,abridgment of ,zanchius on ,predestination40 #hvo1 #cj pages4 ,the most charitable excuse for this angry writer is1 that he had1 in a paroxysm of mortified vanity1 lost his balance1 and was now non compos mentis4 ,wesley had honestly abridged his work2 and had written the two brief paragraphs already quoted4 ,that was all3 and1 for this1 the irate young man of thirty1 who in former years had written to ,wesley in terms of the most filial respect1 now tells him that1 8for more than thirty years past he has been endeavouring to palm on his credulous followers his pernicious doctrines1 with all the sophistry of a jesuit1 and the dictatorial authority of a pope40 ,wesley is charged with acting 8the ignoble part of a lurking1 sly assassin40 ,he is exhorted to 8renounce the low1 serpentine cunning1 which puts him on falsifying what he finds himself unable to refute2 to dismiss those dirty subterfuges 7the last resources of mean1 malicious impotence71 which degrade the man of parts into a lying sophister1 and sink a divine into the level of an oyster woman40 ,wesley is told1 8that it once depended on the toss of a shilling whether he should be a ,calvinist or an ,arminian4 ,tails fell uppermost1 and he resolved to be an universalist40 ,the elect ,toplady continues3 8possessed of more than serpentine elability1 you cast your slough1 not once a year1 but1 almost1 once an hour4 ,hence1 your innumerable inconsistencies1 and flagrant self contradictions2 the jarring of your principles1 and the incoherence of your religious system4 ,somewhat like the necromantic soup in the tragedy of #8,macbeth1' your doctrines may be stirred into a chaotic jumble1 but witchcraft itself would strive in vain to bring them into coalition40 ,the gentlemanly polemic then informs ,wesley1 that he shall not hold himself obliged to again enter the lists with him1 if he 8descends to his customary recourse of false quotations1 despicable invective1 and unsupported dogmatisms4 ,an opponent10 continues this model of polite behaviour1 8an opponent1 who thinks to add weight to his arguments by scurrility and abuse1 resembles the insane person who rolled himself in the mud1 in order to make himself fine4 ,i would no more enter into a formal controversy with such a scribbler1 than ,i would contend1 for the wall1 with a chimney sweeper40 ,is it surprising that1 after this1 ,calvinism was discussed at the conference of #aggj2 and that1 just before it commenced its sittings1 ,wesley wrote the following unpublished letter to his friend1 ,mr4 ,merryweather1 at ,yarm8 8,,york1 ,june #bd1 #aggj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,mr4 ,augustus ,toplady ,i know well2 but ,i do not fight with chimney sweepers4 ,he is too dirty a writer for me to meddle with2 ,i should only foul my fingers4 ,i read his title page1 and troubled myself no farther4 ,i leave him to ,mr4 ,sellon4 ,he cannot be in better hands4 8,as long as you are seeking and expecting to love ,god with all your heart1 so long your soul will live4 8,i am your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,,footnotes3 #gi ,methodist ,magazine1 #agha1 p4 #df4 #hj 8,life and ,times of ,countess of ,huntingdon10 vol4 i41 p4 #chg4 #ha ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #cge4 #hb ,ibid4 p4 #cej4 #hc ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #adh4 #hd ,whitefield's ,works1 vol4 iii4 #he ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghd1 p4 #bbd4 #hf ,whitehead's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cde4 #hg ,thomas ,dixon's manuscript journal4 #hh 8,life of ,lady ,glenorchy10 p4 #aee4 #hi ,one of the ministers of the ,tolbooth church1--a man of great abilities and of polished manners1 but an avowed ,calvinist of the highest order4--7,lady ,glenorchy's ,life1 p4 #acb47 #ij 8,life of ,lady ,glenorchy10 p4 #aef4 #ia ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghd1 p4 #bgi4 #ib 8,life of ,lady ,glenorchy10 pp4 #afc1 #bbf4 #ic 8,life and ,times of ,lady ,huntingdon10 vol4 i41 p4 #aeg4 #id ,lady ,glenorchy's ,life1 p4 #bbc4 #ie ,ibid4 p4 #bci4 #if ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahaf1 p4 #gcj4 #ig ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahea1 p4 #hcg4 #ih ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghd1 p4 #ccj4 #ii ,ibid4 #aghd1 p4 #fad4 #ajj ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahad1 p4 #aff4 #aja ,manuscript4 #ajb ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahjg1 p4 #bdb4 #ajc ,the following hitherto unpublished letter was addressed to ,matthew ,lowes1 and refers both to circuit1 and connexional chapel1 debts4 8,,london1 ,march #b1 #aggj4 8,,dear ,,matthew1--,the way you propose for clearing the circuit is1 ,i think1 the very best which can be devised4 ,only let your fellow labourers second you heartily1 and the thing will be done4 8,four or five circuits exerted themselves nobly4 ,had all the rest done the same our burden would have been quite removed4 ,well1 we will fight till we die4 8,i am1 etc41 ,j4 ,,wesley40 #ajd ,myles's ,history4 #aje ,this had become a matter of grave importance4 ,matthew ,lowes1 one of ,wesley's most useful itinerants1 states1 in his unpublished ,autobiography1 that though the trading of the preachers1 in cloth1 groceries1 hardware1 etc41 was of considerable benefit to themselves and their families1 it was strongly objected to by the people3 7#a7 because it interfered with the businesses of ,methodists in the places which the preachers visited2 and 7#b7 because it was deemed inconsistent for a minister of the word of ,god to be engaged in any kind of trade whatever4 ,lowes' trading was chiefly confined to the sale of a valuable balsam1 of which he himself was the sole maker and vendor2 and which1 while of great use to the afflicted1 and a source of income to the poor itinerant1 did not in the least interfere with the business of others2 but even ,lowes was obliged to give up the itinerancy1 when1 for the sake of the suffering1 and1 for the benefit of his numerous family1 he refused to give up his balsam4 ,in #agga1 he was compelled to retire from the itinerant work1 partly for the reason just mentioned1 and partly on the ground of health1 and1 for about a quarter of a century afterwards1 acted as a local preacher at ,newcastle on ,tyne1 and supported himself1 his wife1 and his children1 chiefly by the sale of his useful medicine4 ,three months after his retirement1 ,wesley wrote to him the following1 now for the first time published4 8,,norwich1 ,november #aj1 #agga4 8,,dear ,,matthew1--,you should do all you can2 otherwise want of exercise will not lessen1 but increase your disorder4 ,certainly there is no objection to your making balsam1 while you are not considered as a travelling preacher4 ,i am1 with love to sister ,lowes1 your affectionate brother1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 #ajf ,minutes1 #agdd4 #ajg ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #che4 #ajh ,ibid4 p4 #chg4 #aji 8,life and ,times of ,countess of ,huntingdon10 vol4 i41 p4 #cfd4 #aaj ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbf1 p4 #geb4 #aaa ,j4 ,pawson's manuscripts4 #aab ,lloyd's ,evening ,post1 ,nov4 #af1 #aggj4 #aac ,gospel ,magazine1 #agga1 p4 #ci4 #aad ,lloyd's ,evening ,post1 #agga1 pp4 #abg1 #aci4 #aae ,gospel ,magazine1 #aggf1 p4 #ddc4 #aaf ,poor ,whitefield was pelted even after he was dead4 ,in the ,annual ,register1 for #aggj1 it is wickedly stated1 that his last visit to ,america was owing 8to an attachment to a woman1 by whom he had a child while his wife was living20 and it is added1 that 8this child was the first infant ever entered into his orphan house in ,georgia06 #aag ,wesley's 8,free ,thoughts0 were sharply criticised by an able writer1 in #agga1 in an octavo pamphlet of #eh pages1 with the title of 8,a ,letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley2 in answer to his late pamphlet1 entitled #8,free ,thoughts on the ,present ,state of ,public ,affairs4'0 #agga4 ,age #fh ,the year #agga was one of unceasing conflict4 ,the first two months1 as usual1 were spent in ,london1 during which ,wesley's wife1 in one of her insane piques1 and without assigning the slightest reason1 unceremoniously left his house in ,london1 and started for her own in ,pilgrim ,street1 ,newcastle4 ,it was on this occasion that ,wesley wrote the words so often quoted3 8,non eam reliqui2 non dimisi2 non revocabo40 ,on the #crd of ,march1 ,wesley set out for ,ireland1 where he laboured for the next few months4 ,affairs in ,scotland were a source of increasing anxiety4 ,hence the following letter to ,lady ,maxwell1 in reference to ,alexander ,mc,nab1 one of his itinerants1 and the ,rev4 ,richard ,de ,courcy1 who was about to become minister in ,lady ,glenorchy's chapel1 ,edinburgh4 8,,london1 ,january #bd1 #agga4 8,,my ,,dear ,,lady1--,although ,mr4 ,mc,nab is quite clear as to justification by faith1 and is1 in general1 a sound and good preacher1 yet1 ,i fear1 he is not clear of blame in this4 ,he is too warm and impatient of contradiction1 otherwise he must be lost to all common sense1 to preach against final perseverance in ,scotland4 ,from the first hour that ,i entered the kingdom1 it was a sacred rule with me never to preach on any controverted point1--at least1 not in a controversial way4 ,any one may see that this is only to put a sword into our enemies' hands4 ,it is the direct way to increase all their prejudices1 and to make all our labours fruitless4 8,you will shortly have a trial of another kind4 ,mr4 ,de ,courcy purposes to set out for ,edinburgh in a few days4 ,he was from a child a member of our societies in the south of ,ireland4 ,there he received remission of sins1 and was1 for some time1 groaning for full redemption4 ,but when he came to ,dublin the ,philistines were upon him1 and soon prevailed over him4 ,quickly1 he was convinced that #8there is no perfection1' and that #8all things depend on absolute and unchangeable decrees4' ,at first1 he was exceedingly warm upon these heads2 now1 he is far more calm4 ,his natural temper1 ,i think1 is good2 he is open1 friendly1 and generous4 ,he has also a good understanding1 and is not unacquainted with learning1 though not deeply versed therein4 ,he has no disagreeable person1 a pleasing address1 and is a lively as well as sensible preacher4 ,now1 when you add to this that he is quite new1 and very young1 you may judge how he will be admired and caressed4 ,how will a raw1 inexperienced youth be able to encounter this8 ,if there be not the greatest of miracles to preserve him1 will it not turn his brain8 ,and may he not then do far more hurt than either ,mr4 ,w---- or ,mr4 ,t---- did8 ,will he not prevent your friend from going on to perfection8 ,nay1 may he not shake you also8 ,at present1 indeed1 he is in an exceedingly loving spirit4 ,but will that continue long8 ,there will be danger on the one hand if it does2 there will be danger on the other if it does not4 8,it does not appear1 that any great change has been wrought in our neighbours by ,mr4 ,whitefield's death4 ,he had fixed the prejudice so deep1 that even he himself was not able to remove it2 yet1 our congregations have increased exceedingly1 and the work of ,god increases on every side4 ,i am glad you use more exercise4 ,it is good for both body and soul4 ,as soon as ,mr4 ,de ,courcy is come1 ,i shall be glad to hear how the prospect opens4 ,you will then need a larger share of the wisdom from above2 and ,i trust you will write with all openness to1 my dear lady1 your ever affectionate servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#aah ,it was ,wesley who obtained ,mr4 ,de ,courcy's services for ,lady ,glenorchy4 ,he knew the man1 and thought highly of him1 but also saw his danger2 and hence the warning to ,lady ,maxwell4 ,it would be a pleasant task to sketch the subsequent career of this devoted ,irishman2 but1 at present1 we must confine ourselves to ,edinburgh4 ,de ,courcy set out for the northern metropolis1 as ,wesley had said he would2 and1 immediately on his arrival at ,newcastle1 addressed to ,wesley the following4 8,february #i1 #agga4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,yesterday evening1 after a very tedious journey1 the ,lord brought me safe to ,newcastle4 ,when ,i reflect on the fatigue and dangers which attend travelling1 ,i should be astonished above measure that you have so indefatigably persevered in all the labours of an itinerant life for so many years1 were ,i not well assured that you have been supernaturally assisted in body and mind for that extensive work to which ,god has eminently chosen you4 8,i write this in ,mr4 ,mc,nab's chamber1 with whom1 and ,mr4 ,hanby1 ,i find great fellowship of spirit4 ,i have accepted your kind invitation1 and purpose taking up my abode with them till ,monday1 when ,i set out for ,edinburgh4 ,i would stay longer with your dear people here1 but that ,i find ,lady ,glenorchy is particularly anxious for my speedy arrival in ,edinburgh4 ,as my situation there will expose me to diversified trials1 do dear sir1 pray that ,i may be kept #8,humble1 teachable1 and mild1 ,patient as a little child1' 8,i remain1 reverend and dear sir1 your most affectionate1 but unworthy brother1 8,,richard ,,de ,,courcy40#aai ,a few days after ,de ,courcy's arrival1 ,wesley wrote a second time to ,lady ,maxwell1 as follows4 8,february #bf1 #agga4 8,,my ,,dear ,,lady1--,i cannot but think the chief reason of the little good done by our preachers in ,edinburgh is the opposition which has been made by the ministers of ,edinburgh1 as well as by the false brethren from ,england4 ,these steeled the hearts of the people against all the good impressions which might otherwise have been made2 so that the same preachers1 by whom ,god has constantly wrought1 not only in various parts of ,england1 but likewise in the northern parts of ,scotland1 were in ,edinburgh only not useless4 ,they felt a damp upon their spirits2 they had not their usual liberty of speech2 and the word they spoke seemed to rebound upon them1 and not to sink into the hearts of the hearers4 ,at my first coming1 ,i usually find something of this myself2 but the second or third time of preaching1 it is gone4 8,i think it will not be easy for any one to show us1 either1 that ,christ did not die for all1 or1 that ,he is not willing as well as able to cleanse from all sin1 even in the present world4 ,if your steady adherence to these great truths be termed bigotry1 yet you have no need to be ashamed4 ,you are reproached for ,christ's sake1 and the spirit of glory and of ,christ shall rest upon you4 ,perhaps our ,lord may use you to soften some of the harsh spirits1 and to preserve ,lady ,glenorchy1 or ,mr4 ,de ,courcy1 from being hurt by them4 8,i am1 my dear lady1 your very affectionate servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#abj ,from these letters1 it is painfully apparent that the ,calvinistic controversy was not confined to ,england4 ,edinburgh rang with discordant notes2 and1 in five months after ,mr4 ,de ,courcy's coming1 ,lady ,glenorchy dismissed ,wesley's preachers from her chapel1 assigning1 as her reason1 that they were not ,calvinists4#aba ,south of the ,tweed there were sounds of the coming battle2 hence the following extract from a letter to ,miss ,bishop4 8,february #af1 #agga4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--444 ,legality1 with most that use that term1 really means tenderness of conscience4 ,there is no propriety in the word1 if one would take it for seeking justification by works4 ,considering1 therefore1 how hard it is to fix the meaning of that odd term1 and how dreadfully it has been abused1 ,i think it highly advisable for all the ,methodists to lay it quite aside4 8,if ,mr4 ,shirley could find any other doctrine1 which he thought was peculiarly mine1 he would be as angry at it as he is at ,christian perfection4 ,but it is all well3 we are to go forward1 whoever goes back or turns aside4 ,perhaps we may see a new accomplishment of ,solomon's words1 #8,he that reproveth a man shall afterward find more favour than he who flattereth with his tongue4' ,but1 be that as it may1 ,i have done my duty3 ,i could no otherwise have delivered my own soul2 and no offence at all would have been given thereby1 had not pride stifled both religion and generosity4 ,but my letter#abb is now out of date3 it is mentioned no more2 there is a more plausible occasion found1 namely1 those eight terrible propositions which conclude the minutes of our conference4 ,at the instance of some who were sadly frightened thereby1 ,i have revised them over and over2 ,i have considered them in every point of view2 and truly1 the more ,i consider them1 the more ,i like them4 ,the more fully ,i am convinced1 not only that they are true1--agreeable both to ,scripture and sound experience1--but1 that they contain truths of the deepest importance1 and such as ought to be continually inculcated by those who would be pure from the blood of all men4 8,your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#abc ,benson had been dismissed from ,trevecca1 in the month of ,january1 for defending ,wesley's minutes2 and now ,fletcher1 the president of the college1 informed the ,countess of ,huntingdon1 that1 if all ,arminians were to be expelled1 he must be expelled4 ,this was a serious matter4 ,fletcher1 at ,trevecca1 had been1 according to ,benson1 8almost an angel in human flesh40 8,prayer1 praise1 love1 and zeal were the element in which he lived4 ,his one employment was to call1 entreat1 and urge others to ascend with him to the glorious ,source of being and blessedness4 ,he had leisure comparatively for nothing else4 ,languages1 arts1 sciences1 grammar1 rhetoric1 logic1 even divinity itself1 were all laid aside1 when he appeared in the schoolroom among the students4 ,his full heart would not suffer him to be silent2 and the students were readier to hearken to him than to attend to ,sallust1 ,virgil1 or ,cicero4 ,soon1 they were all in tears2 and then he would say1 #8,as many of you as are athirst for the fulness of the ,spirit1 follow me into my room4'0 ,away they trooped after him1 and would continue praying1 one after another1 for hours together1 till they could bear to kneel no longer2 ,fletcher1 in the midst1 so filled with the love of ,god1 that1 more than once1 he cried1 8,o my ,god1 withhold ,thy hand1 or the vessel will burst60#abd ,such a man in such a place was invaluable2 but he was not the man to truckle in the presence of arbitrary power4 ,hence the following to ,wesley4 8,,madeley1 ,february #bj1 #agga4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,i fear we are going1 or are already gone1 from our plan of catholicism at the college4 ,mr4 ,benson's affair has made me tell my mind to our ,deborah1 about bigotry1 partiality1 prejudice1 and everything that seemed to me contrary to the ,christian spirit in some late transactions4 ,the answer was1 that if one half of the things objected to by me was true1 there would be room for the cruelty of my charges2 but facts and words have been grossly misrepresented4 ,therefore1 my mouth is shut so far4 8,this1 however1 ,i have insisted1 and do insist1 upon1 if every ,arminian must quit the college1 ,i am discharged for one2 for ,i cannot give up the possibility of the salvation of all any more than ,i can give up the truth and love of ,god4 8,secondly1 ,i will be no party man1 nor give up my connections with any that fear ,god1 much less with ,mr4 ,wesley1 who shall be always welcome to my pulpit1 and ,i make no doubt will welcome me to his4 8,thirdly1 nobody shall prevent my following after an entire devotedness of heart to ,god1 by baiting my ,christian hopes and privileges under the name of perfection4 8,to this1 ,i have received no particular answer2 but1 as ,i set out for the college to-day1 ,i may get one viva voce4 8,though no letter writer1 ,i am and shall always remain1 reverend and dear sir1 your ready though unprofitable servant1 8,,john ,,fletcher40#abe ,the result of ,fletcher's visit to the college is given in the subjoined extracts from letters sent to ,benson4 8,march #bb1 #agga4 8,on my arrival at the college1 ,i found all very quiet1 ,i fear1 through the enemy's keeping his goods in peace4 ,while ,i preached1 ,i found myself as much shackled as ever ,i was in my life2 and1 after private prayer1 ,i concluded ,i was not in my place4 ,the same day ,i resigned my office to my lady1 and on ,wednesday to the students and the ,lord4 ,last ,friday ,i left them all in peace1 the servant1 but no more the president1 of the college40#abf 8,mr4 ,shirley has sent my lady a copy of part of the minutes of the last conference1 namely1 of the year #aggj4 ,they were called horrible and abominable4 ,my lady told me1 she must turn against them2 and that whoever did not fully disavow them must quit the college4 ,she accordingly ordered the master and all the students to write their sentiments upon them without reserve4 ,i did so2 explained them according to ,mr4 ,wesley's sentiments2 and approved the doctrine1 though not cautiously worded4 ,i concluded by observing1 that1 as after such a step on my part1 and such a declaration on my lady's1 ,i could no longer1 as an honest man1 stay in the college1 ,i took my leave of it2 wishing my lady might find a minister to preside over it less insufficient than 8,,john ,,fletcher40#abg ,so much respecting ,trevecca4 ,returning to ,wesley1 we find him defending himself in the following long letter1 published in ,lloyd's ,evening ,post for ,march #a1 #agga4 8,february #bf1 #agga4 8,,sir1--,the editor of a monthly publication1 pompously called ,the ,gospel ,magazine1 has violently fallen upon one and another1 who did not knowingly give him any provocation4 ,and whereas1 in other magazines1 the accused has liberty to answer for himself1 it is not so here4 ,this gentleman will publish only the charge2 but not the defence4 ,what can a person1 thus injuriously treated1 do8 ,to publish pamphlets1 on every head1 would not answer the end1 for the answer would not come into near so many hands as the objection4 ,is there then a better way than to appeal to candid men1 in one of the public papers1 by which means the antidote will operate both as widely and as speedily as the poison8 ,this method1 therefore1 ,i take at last1 after delaying as long as ,i could with innocence4 8,in that magazine for last month1 there is a warm attack upon my sermon on the death of ,mr4 ,whitefield4 ,the first charge is against the text1 #8,let me die the death of the righteous4' #8,how improper1' says ,mr4 ,r41#abh #8to apply the words of a mad prophet to so holy a man as ,mr4 ,whitefield4' 8,improper6 ,see how doctors differ6 ,i conceive nothing can possibly be more proper4 ,if ,mr4 ,r4 did indeed tell his congregation1 some of whom disliked his attacking my poor text before1 #8,let who will be vexed1 ,i do not care2 ,i will not justify ,balaam while ,i live'2 yet1 others imagine nothing would be more suitable than for ,balaam junior to use the words of his forefather2 especially1 as he did not apply them to ,mr4 ,whitefield1 but to himself4 ,surely a poor reprobate may1 without offence1 wish to die like one of the elect6 ,and ,i dare say1 every one understood me to mean this1 the moment he heard the text4 ,if not1 the very hymn ,i sung showed to whom ,i applied the words-- #8,oh that1 without a lingering groan1 ,i might the welcome word receive6 ,my body with my charge lay down1 ,and cease at once to work and live6' 8,but the main attack is on the sermon itself2 in which ,i am charged with asserting a gross falsehood1 in the face of ,god and the congregation1 and that knowing it to be such1 namely1 that #8the grand fundamental doctrines which ,mr4 ,whitefield everywhere preached1 were those of the new birth and justification by faith4' ,no1 says ,mr4 ,r41 not at all3 the grand fundamental doctrines1 which he everywhere preached1 were the everlasting covenant between the ,father and the ,son1 and absolute predestination flowing therefrom4 8,i join issue on this head4 ,whether the doctrines of the eternal covenant1 and of absolute predestination1 are the grand fundamental doctrines of ,christianity1 or not1 ,i affirm again--7#a7 that ,mr4 ,whitefield did not everywhere preach these2 7#b7 that he did everywhere preach the new birth1 and justification by faith4 8#a4 ,he did not everywhere preach the eternal covenant1 and absolute predestination4 ,in all the times ,i myself heard him preach1 ,i never heard him utter a sentence either on one or the other4 ,yea1 all the times he preached in ,west ,street chapel1 and in our other chapels throughout ,england1 he did not preach these doctrines at all1 no1 not in a single paragraph2 which1 by the bye1 is a demonstration that he did not think them the fundamental doctrines of ,christianity4 8#b4 ,both in ,west ,street chapel1 and all our other chapels throughout ,england1 he did preach the necessity of the new birth1 and justification by faith1 as clearly as he has done in his two volumes of printed sermons4 ,therefore1 all that ,i have asserted is true1 and provable by ten thousand witnesses4 8,nay1 says ,mr4 ,r41 #8,mr4 ,whitefield everywhere insisted on other fundamental doctrines1 from the foundation of which the new birth and justification by faith take their rise1 and with which they are inseparably connected4 ,these are the everlasting covenant1 which was entered into by the ,holy ,trinity1 and ,god the ,father's everlasting1 unchangeable election of sinners' 7in virtue of which a fiftieth part of mankind shall be saved1 do what they will2 and the other forty-nine parts shall be damned1 do what they can74 #8,these doctrines are not of a less essential nature than either regeneration or justification4 ,no1 by no means2 they are to the full equally essential to the glory of ,god4 ,yea1 there is an inseparable connection between them4 ,this is a most essential1 a most fundamental point4' 7,magazine1 p4 #da47 8,if so1 then every one who does not hold it must perish everlastingly4 ,if1 as you here assert1 he cannot be justified1 then he cannot be saved4 ,if1 as you say1 he cannot be born again1 he cannot see the kingdom of ,god4 8,after asserting this1 can ,mr4 ,r4 ever take the name of catholic love into his mouth8 ,is not this the very opposite to it8 the height and depth of bigotry8 ,does this spirit do honour to his opinion8 ,can we conceive anything more horrid8 ,is it not enough to make a person of humanity shudder8 ,yea1 to make his blood run cold8 8,i do not here enter into the merits of the cause4 ,i need not4 ,it is done to my hands4 ,the whole doctrine of predestination is thoroughly discussed in those three tracts lately printed3 #8,an ,answer to the ,eleven ,letters commonly ascribed to ,mr4 ,hervey'2 #8,arguments against ,general ,redemption ,considered'2 and #8,an ,answer to ,elisha ,coles4' ,till these are seriously and solidly refuted1 ,i have no more to say on that head4 ,but ,i must aver1 that the excluding all from salvation who do not believe the horrible decree is a most shocking insult on all mankind1 on common sense1 and common humanity4 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,of course1 this was too pungent to pass without notice4 ,accordingly1 in the ,gospel ,magazine for the month following1 there appeared an incisive review of ,sellon's ,answer to ,elisha ,coles1 which is described as 8a mite of reprobate silver1 cast into the ,foundery1 and coming out thence1 with the impress of that pride1 self righteousness1 and self sufficiency1 natural to men in their fallen1 unrenewed state40 ,sellon is accused of 8trifling effrontery10 and is said 8to have sunk far below the gentleman1 and to have lost all appearance of the ,christian02 and is further designated 8the ,cardinal ,bellarmine of the day2 the obsequious servant and faithful labourer to his holiness40 ,in a subsequent number of the same periodical1 published in the month of ,may1 ,wesley's minutes are attacked2 the writer1 8,a ,real ,protestant10 indignantly asking1 8,are not these the very doctrines of popery1 yea1 of popery unmasked8 ,is it not awful that #bi1djf souls1 who are in ,mr4 ,wesley's societies1 should be so dreadfully seduced from the protestant doctrines1 and deluded into a belief of the doctrines of the mother of harlots1 the whore of ,babylon1 the ,church of ,rome80 ,thus the bitter controversy proceeded4 ,comment would be easy2 but we prefer to let the chief actors speak2 and1 not to interrupt this painful scene1 proceed to give other letters bearing upon the subject1 so that the reader may have before him as full a view of the spirit and behaviour of both parties as it is possible to furnish4 ,while on his way to ,ireland1 ,wesley wrote the following to ,fletcher4 8,i always did1 for between these thirty and forty years1 clearly assert the total fall of man1 and his utter inability to do any good of himself2 the absolute necessity of the grace and ,spirit of ,god to raise even a good thought or desire in our hearts2 the ,lord's rewarding no work1 and accepting of none1 but so far as they proceed from ,his preventing1 convincing1 and converting grace through the ,beloved2 the blood and righteousness of ,christ being the sole meritorious cause of our salvation4 ,who is there in ,england1 that has asserted these things more strongly and steadily than ,i have done80#abi ,the next letter1 addressed to ,lady ,huntingdon1 was occasioned by one which her ladyship had sent to ,wesley's brother on the subject of his minutes1#acj and was dated 8,bath1 ,june #h1 #agga40 ,the countess brands the minutes as 8popery unmasked02 and declares that 8all ought to be deemed papists who do not disown them40 ,she thus concludes3 8as you have no part in this matter1 ,i find it difficult to blame your brother to you2 while as an honest man ,i must pity you1 as you must suffer equal disgrace1 and universal distrust1 from the supposed union with him40 ,charles ,wesley endorsed this unworthy letter with the words3 8,lady ,huntingdon's last2 unanswered by ,john ,wesley's brother40#aca ,charles ,wesley doubtless communicated the contents to his brother1 who was now in ,ireland2 in fact1 her ladyship requested him to do this3 and hence the following4 8,june #ai1 #agga4 8,,my ,,dear ,,lady1--,many years since1 ,i saw that #8without holiness no man shall see the ,lord4' ,i began following after it1 and inciting all with whom ,i had any intercourse to do the same4 ,ten years after1 ,god gave me a clearer view than ,i had before of the way how to attain this1 namely1 by faith in the ,son of ,god2 and1 immediately1 ,i declared to all1 #8,we are saved from sin1 we are made holy1 by faith4' ,this ,i testified in private1 in public1 in print2 and ,god confirmed it by a thousand witnesses4 ,i have continued to declare this1 for above thirty years2 and ,god has continued to confirm the word of ,his grace4 ,but1 during this time1 well-nigh all the religious world have set themselves in array against me1 and1 among the rest1 many of my own children1 following the example of one of my eldest sons1 ,mr4 ,whitefield4 ,their general cry has been1 #8,he is unsound in the faith2 he preaches another gospel6' ,i answer1 ,whether it be the same which they preach or not1 it is the same which ,i have preached for above thirty years4 ,this may easily appear from what ,i have published during that whole term4 ,i instance only in three sermons2 that on #8,salvation by ,faith1' printed in the year #agch2 that on #8,the ,lord our ,righteousness1' printed a few years since2 and that on ,mr4 ,whitefield's funeral1 printed only some months ago4 8,but it is said1 #8,oh but you printed ten lines in ,august last1 which contradict all your other writings4' ,be not so sure of this4 ,it is probable1 at least1 that ,i understand my own meaning as well as you do2 and that meaning ,i have yet again declared in the sermon last referred to4 ,by that1 interpret those ten lines1 and you will understand them better2 although ,i should think that any one might see1 even without this help1 that the lines in question do not refer to the condition of obtaining1 but of continuing in the favour of ,god4 ,but whether the sentiment contained in these lines be right or wrong1 and whether it be well or ill expressed1 the gospel which ,i now preach ,god does still confirm by new witnesses in every place2 perhaps never so much in this kingdom as within these last three months4 ,now1 ,i argue from glaring1 undeniable fact3 ,god cannot bear witness to a lie2 the gospel1 therefore1 which ,he confirms must be true in substance4 ,there may be opinions maintained at the same time which are not exactly true2 and who can be secure from these8 ,perhaps1 ,i thought myself so once4 ,when ,i was much younger than ,i am now1 ,i thought myself almost infallible2 but1 ,i bless ,god1 ,i know myself better now4 8,to be short4 ,such as ,i am1 ,i love you well4 ,you have one of the first places in my esteem and affection2 and you once had some regard for me4 ,but it cannot continue if it depends upon my seeing with your eyes1 or on my being in no mistake4 ,what if ,i was in as many as ,mr4 ,law himself8 ,if you were1 ,i should love you still1 provided your heart was still right with ,god4 ,my dear friend1 you seem not to have well learned yet the meaning of those words1 which ,i desire to have continually written upon my heart1 #8,whosoever doth the will of ,my ,father which is in heaven1 the same is ,my brother1 and sister1 and mother4' 8,i am1 my dear lady1 your affectionate 8,,john ,,wesley40#acb ,contemporaneously with the above letter1 the ,rev4 ,walter ,shirley and ,lady ,huntingdon sent the following circular to ,wesley1 as well as to a large number of their ,calvinian friends4 8,,sir1--,whereas ,mr4 ,wesley's conference is to be held at ,bristol1 on ,tuesday1 the #fth of ,august next1 it is proposed1 by ,lady ,huntingdon1 and many other ,christian friends1 7real protestants17 to have a meeting at ,bristol at the same time1 of such principal persons1 both clergy and laity1 who disapprove of the underwritten minutes#acc2 and as the same are thought injurious to the very fundamental#acd principles of ,christianity1 it is further proposed1 that they go in a body to the said conference1 and insist upon a formal recantation of the said minutes2 and1 in case of a refusal1 that they sign and publish their protest against them4 ,your presence1 sir1 on this occasion is particularly requested2 but1 if it should not suit your convenience to be there1 it is desired that you will transmit your sentiments on the subject to such person as you think proper to produce them4 ,it is submitted to you1 whether it would not be right1 in the opposition to be made to such a dreadful heresy1#acd to recommend it to as many of your ,christian friends1 as well of the ,dissenters as of the ,established ,church1 as you can prevail on to be there1 the cause being of so public a nature4 8,i am1 sir1 your obedient servant1 8,,walter ,,shirley4 8,p4,s4--,your answer is desired1 directed to the ,countess of ,huntingdon2 or the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,shirley2 or ,john ,lloyd1 ,esq41 in ,bath2 or ,mr4 ,james ,ireland1 merchant1 ,bristol2 or to ,thomas ,powis1 ,esq41 at ,berwick1 near ,shrewsbury2 or to ,richard ,hill1 ,esq41 at ,hawkstone1 near ,whitchurch1 ,shropshire4 ,lodgings will be provided4 ,inquire at ,mr4 ,ireland's1 ,bristol40 ,a fine confederacy of elected saints1 armed with self invested papal power to insist upon the recantation of poor ,wesley and his heretical preachers6 ,the modest and self diffident countess and her executive chaplain apologise for this high handed interference on the ground that they 8were warmly interested in the revival of spiritual religion and the doctrines of the ,reformation20 that they 8apprehended that the doctrines contained in the minutes had the most fatal tendency2 and1 in the strongest and most explicit terms1 maintained salvation by works02 and that ,wesley was not an ordinary personage1 but stood 8at the head of near thirty thousand people1--a veteran in the cause of the gospel1--one of the chiefs in the late reformation40#ace ,one would have thought that1 at least1 the last mentioned reason would have led them to adopt a less offensive and more respectful method of correcting his 8dreadful heresy10 than that of marching upon him and his conference en masse2 and imperiously insisting upon his recantation4 ,surely1 it would not have been too great a condescension for them and their friends1 first of all1 to have respectfully solicited of such 8a veteran and chief0 an explanation of what he meant2 and1 if they still found him to be in error1 to ask for an opportunity to reason the matter with him and to set him right4 ,but1 no2 this was far too troublesome for the elect of ,god1 who1 of course1 were right1 and all others wrong2 and1 hence1 the only action1 which would not impinge upon their sacred dignity1 was to march1 in solemn phalanx1 to the assembly of ,wesley and his poor itinerants1 and there 8insist upon a formal recantation02 and then1 in case the heretics should refuse to yield1 and because the valiant defenders of the truth were without power to imprison1 to banish1 or to burn1 it was piously proposed that1 for want of something more effectual1 they should content themselves with a public protest against the pestilential minutes4 ,one of ,shirley's circulars was handed to ,fletcher1 the ex-president of ,trevecca1 who wrote to ,wesley the following letter1 hitherto unpublished4 8,,madeley1 ,june #bd1 #agga4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,when ,i left ,wales1 where ,i had stood in the gap for peace1 ,i thought my poor endeavours were not altogether vain4 ,lady ,huntingdon said she would write civilly to you1 and desire you to explain yourself about your minutes4 ,i suppose you have not heard from her1 for she wrote me word since that she believed she must not meddle in the affair4 ,at least1 that is what ,i made of her letter4 ,upon receiving yours from ,chester1 ,i cut off that part of it where you expressed your belief of what is eminently called by us the doctrine of free grace2 and sent it to the college1 with a desire it might be sent to ,lady ,huntingdon4 ,she has returned it to me1 with a letter1 in which she expresses the greatest disapprobation of it4 ,the purport of her letter is1 to charge you with tergiversation1 and me with being the dupe of your impositions4 ,she has also wrote in stronger terms to her college4 8,things1 ,i hoped1 would have remained there2 but how am ,i surprised and grieved to see zeal borrowing the horn of discord1 and sounding an alarm throughout the religious world against you4 ,mr4 ,hutton called upon me last night1 and showed me a printed circular1 which ,i suppose is1 or will be1 sent to the serious clergy and laity throughout the land4 ,i have received none1 as ,i have lost1 ,i suppose1 my reputation of being a #8real protestant1' by what ,i wrote upon your minutes in ,wales4 8,this is an exact copy of the printed letter4 ,here follows ,shirley's circular as above4 8,i think it my duty1 dear sir1 to give you the earliest intelligence of this bold onset1 and to assure you that upon the evangelical principles1 mentioned in your last letter to me1 ,i1 for one1 shall be glad to stand by you and your doctrine to the last1 hoping that you will gladly remove stumbling blocks out of the way of the weak1 and alter such expressions as may create prejudice in the hearts of those who are inclined to admit it4 8,i write to ,mr4 ,shirley to expostulate with him1 and to request him to call in his circular letter4 ,he is the last man that should attack you4 ,his sermons contain propositions much more heretical and anti-,calvinistical than your minutes4 ,if my letters have not the desired effect1 ,i shall probably1 if you approve of them and correct them1 make them public for your justification4 8,i find ,mr4 ,ireland is to write to make you tamely recant without measuring swords1 or breaking a pike with our real protestants4 ,i wrote to him also4 8,i am1 dear sir1 your unworthy servant in the gospel1 8,,john ,,fletcher4 8,to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley1 at his ,preaching ,house in ,dublin1 ,ireland40 ,there was chivalry in this1--the real1 genuine chivalry of a noble mind and generous heart4 ,the ,swiss mountaineer was not the man to see a friend bullied without rushing to his rescue4 ,wesley was not without sympathy4 ,a few days later1 his faithful friend1 ,vincent ,perronet1 the vicar of ,shoreham1 who was also of ,swiss extraction1 wrote to him as follows4 8,,shoreham1 ,july #i1 #agga4 8,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am truly concerned1 that so laborious a servant of ,christ should be attacked in so violent a manner4 ,insulted by some1 without the least decency1 or regard to common decorum2 and threatened by others with a synodical sentence4 8,had ,i been honoured with an invitation from a great personage1 for whom ,i have a very high esteem1 ,i should have told her ladyship1 that ,i have no greater veneration for synods than the most excellent ,bishop ,nazianzen had formerly1 whose great learning and ,christian virtues could not screen him from the usual violence of those assemblies1 and who therefore desired to see no more of them4 8,however1 with regard to the merit of good works1 ,i should frankly have declared my abhorrence of the very sound of the word2 since ,i could not conceive how an unprofitable servant could merit anything from a holy ,god4 ,but then1 on the other hand1 ,i should have added1 that whoever should speak contemptuously of the diligent exercise of good works1 as if they derogated from the honour of ,christ1 ,i should tell such a divine1 that1 whether he found his divinity either in ,luther1 or ,calvin1 or the ,synod of ,dort1 it was no divinity of the gospel of ,christ2 since ,christ came to purify unto ,himself a peculiar people1 zealous of good works4 ,and as the ,holy ,spirit has assured us1 over and over1 that #8we shall be judged according to our works1' it is1 therefore1 no wonder that ,st4 ,paul should pray that his converts might be #8established in every good word and work4' ,besides1 ,i might have observed that the zealot who decries good works was acting a most ridiculous part with regard to faith2 for if his faith did not bring forth good works1 his faith was good for nothing4 8,however1 though such good works were the fruits of faith1 and consequently the fruit of the ,spirit of ,christ1 and1 for that reason1 must be acceptable to ,god1 yet1 ,i must have added1 so far as they were our works1 so far they wanted the blood of ,christ to wash away their defilements1 and to atone for their deficiencies2 and1 therefore1 even our best works can have no merit in them4 8,i should1 then1 have remonstrated to that worthy lady to the following purpose1--that if one1 who had laboured in the vineyard1 ,i believed1 full as much as any person since the days of the apostles1 was not thought worthy of the mantle of love1 for any mistake he might have made1 yet surely he had a right to expect1 that notice would have been given him to explain his meaning1 before his judge pronounced sentence4 ,this is a privilege granted to every supposed criminal in our courts of law1 and where this is denied that court is no better than a court of inquisition4 8,but now1 my dear brother1 what effect such a letter might have had1 ,i pretend not to say4 ,it would1 at the least1 have testified to that friendship1 which ,i have constantly had for you these twenty-five years4 ,may ,god direct us both1 and may our worst enemies be all brought to ,him6 ,you have my leave to make what use you please of this long letter4 8,i am1 my very dear brother1 yours most affectionately1 8,,vincent ,,perronet40#acf ,just at this juncture1 ,wesley drew up and printed1 at ,dublin1 under date 8,july #aj1 #agga10 a clear and logical exposition of the doctrines set forth in the minutes1 which he doubtless circulated among his preachers and friends4 ,at the top of the first page of one of the copies1 he requested ,miss ,bishop1 of ,bath1 not to 8show it before conference10 adding1 8if the ,calvinists do not1 or will not understand me1 ,i understand myself2 and ,i do not contradict anything ,i have written these thirty years4 ,poor ,mr4 ,shirley's triumph will be short40#acg ,wesley's views were the same as ,perronet's4 ,what were ,charles ,wesley's1 and what part was taken by him in this momentous controversy8 ,the biographer of the ,countess of ,huntingdon would have his readers to believe1 that ,charles disapproved of his brother's letter to her ladyship2 that he would reprove him for it2 and1 that he preferred peace above all things4#ach ,it might be so2 we have no means of gainsaying it4 ,it is doubtful whether he attended the conference in ,bristol2 in fact1 almost certain that he did not4 ,hence the following1 addressed to him only three days before the commencement of its sittings4 8,,kingswood1 ,august #c1 #agga4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i will not throw away ,thomas ,rankin on the people of ,london4 ,he shall go where they know the value of him4 8,we cannot put out what we never put in4 ,i do not use the word #8merit4' ,i never did1 neither do ,i now1 contend for the use of it4 ,but ,i ask you1 or any other1 a plain question3 and do not cry1 ,murder2 but give me an answer4 ,what is the difference between #8mereri1' and #8to deserve'8 or between #8deserving1' and #8meritum'8 ,i say still1 ,i cannot tell4 ,can you8 ,can ,mr4 ,shirley1 or any man living8 ,in asking this question1 ,i neither plead for merit1 nor against it4 ,i have nothing to do with it4 ,i have declared a thousand times1 there is no goodness in man till he is justified2 no merit1 either before or after2 that is1 taking the word in its proper sense3 for in a loose sense #8meritorious' means no more than #8rewardable4' 8,as to reprobation1 seeing they have drawn the sword1 ,i throw away the scabbard4 ,i send you a specimen4 ,let fifteen hundred of them be printed as soon as you please4#aci 8,nothing was ever yet expended out of the yearly collection1 without being immediately set down by the secretary4 ,i never took a shilling from that fund yet4 8,what you advise with regard to our behaviour toward our opposers exactly agrees with my sentiments4 ,i am full of business1 as you may suppose4 ,so adieu6 8,,john ,,wesley40#adj ,on the evening before ,wesley's conference assembled1 two letters were put into his hand1 one written by ,lady ,huntingdon1 the other by the ,rev4 ,walter ,shirley4 ,the purport of her ladyship's letter was1 that1 having learned that the proposed method of visiting his conference appeared to him and to his friends 8as an arbitrary way of proceeding1 she and her allies wished to inform him1 that they intended no personal disrespect1 but a degree of zeal against the principles established in the minutes1 which were repugnant to the whole plan of man's salvation under the new covenant of grace1 and also to the clear meaning of the ,established ,church1 as well as to all other protestant churches1 to whose foundations the highest honour and respect are due40#ada ,shirley's letter apologises for that part of his circular which seemed to assume1 that he and his friends had a 8civil right to go in a body to ,wesley's conference1 and insist on a formal recantation of the minutes40 ,all he meant was1 to send ,wesley a 8respectful message importing their design1 and requesting him to appoint a day and hour for the conference to receive them40 ,the reason why he had inserted 8the offensive expression1 #8insist upon a formal recantation1'0 7for which he now apologised17 was1 because 8it was supposed by some1 that1 instead of giving satisfaction on the points in question1 such a forced construction would be put on the meaning of the minutes1 as might elude the intended opposition1 and yet leave the doctrines therein contained entire and unrepealed40 ,shirley concludes by stating1 that the doctrines of the minutes appear to him 8evidently subversive of the fundamentals of ,christianity40#adb ,remembering that ,wesley was not under the slightest obligation to either the ,countess of ,huntingdon1 ,mr4 ,shirley1 or any of their ,calvinistic friends1 he might1 without any want of courtesy1 have treated with contempt a letter casting upon him the slur of trickishness1 and have declined to see its author2 but1 instead of that1 he appointed ,thursday1 ,august #h1 for the momentous interview4 ,accordingly1 on that day1 ,shirley1 and two other ministers of the ,countess of ,huntingdon's chapels1 together with ,messrs4 ,lloyd1 ,ireland1 and ,winter1 and two students 767 from ,trevecca college1 went to ,wesley's conference4 ,shirley's circular1 summoning a synod1 had been sent to all his sympathisers1 clerical and laical1 throughout the three kingdoms2 and the result was a grand convocation of less than half a score1 and even these included two laics belonging to ,bath and ,bristol1 and at least two young men1 still merely preparing for the ministry4 ,the thing was a ridiculous failure2 but not even on that account did ,wesley refuse to see the self elected deputies4 ,first of all1 ,wesley engaged in prayer4 ,then ,shirley desired to know if the letters of himself and ,lady ,huntingdon had been read to the conference4 ,being answered in the negative1 he asked leave to read them1 which was granted4 ,a lengthened conversation followed2 and then ,shirley produced a written declaration which he wished the conference to sign4 ,wesley read it1 and made some alterations1 which ,shirley says were 8not very material10 and then he and fifty-three of his preachers appended to it their signatures4#adc ,the declaration thus signed was as follows3-- 8,whereas the doctrinal points in the ,minutes of a ,conference1 held in ,london1 ,august #g1 #aggj1 have been understood to favour ,justification by ,works3 now the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley1 and others assembled in ,conference1 do declare1 that we had no such meaning2 and that we abhor the doctrine of ,justification by ,works as a most perilous and abominable doctrine2 and as the said ,minutes are not sufficiently guarded in the way they are expressed1 we hereby solemnly declare1 in the sight of ,god1 that we have no trust or confidence but in the alone merits of our ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ1 for ,justification or ,salvation either in life1 death or the day of judgment2 and though no one is a real ,christian believer1 7and consequently cannot be saved7 who doth not good works1 where there is time and opportunity1 yet our works have no part in meriting or purchasing our salvation#add from first to last1 either in whole or in part40 ,after the declaration had been agreed to1 ,shirley was requested 8to make some public acknowledgment1 that he had mistaken the meaning of the minutes40 ,shirley hesitated1 but at last consented1 and wrote a certificate to that effect4 ,in the meantime1 ,wesley had received from ,fletcher the manuscript copy of his 8,vindication of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley's ,last ,minutes3 occasioned by a circular1 printed letter1 inviting principal persons1 both clergy and laity1 as well of the ,dissenters as of the ,established ,church1 who disapprove of those ,minutes1 to oppose them in a body1 as a dreadful heresy3 in ,five ,letters to the ,hon4 and ,rev4 ,author of the circular letter40 ,wesley at once gave the manuscript to ,william ,pine to print and publish4 ,shirley1 hearing of this1 waited upon ,wesley the day after he and his friends had been to conference1 and requested that the manuscript should not be printed1 urging as their reason1 that ,fletcher himself wished for this1 8if matters should end peaceably40 ,wesley1 however1 persisted1 and the work was published without delay1 in a #abmo pamphlet of #ih pages4 ,whilst the manuscript was being printed1 ,wesley took the opportunity to reply to the letter of ,lady ,huntingdon1 which had been put into his hands the night before his conference commenced4 ,nine days had elapsed since then1 and now ,wesley1 on ,august #ad1 addresses her ladyship in the following unflinching terms1 his letter also showing that the publication of ,fletcher's 8,vindication0 was no after thought1 but was proceeding even while the conference was sitting4 8,,my ,,dear ,,lady1--,the principles established in the minutes ,i apprehend to be no way contrary to that great truth1 justification by faith1 or that consistent plan of doctrine1 which was once delivered to the saints4 ,i believe whoever calmly considers ,mr4 ,fletcher's ,letters will be convinced of this4 ,i fear1 therefore1 that #8zeal against those principles' is no less than zeal against the truth1 and against the honour of our ,lord4 ,the preservation of ,his honour appears so sacred to me1 and has done for above these forty years1 that ,i have counted1 and do count1 all things loss in comparison of it4 ,but till ,mr4 ,fletcher's ,letters are answered1 ,i must think everything spoken against these minutes is totally destructive of ,his honour1 and a palpable affront to ,him2 both as our ,prophet and ,priest1 but more especially as the ,king of ,his people4 ,those ,letters1 therefore1 which could not be suppressed without betraying the honour of our ,lord1 largely prove that the minutes lay no other foundation than that which is laid in ,scripture1 and which ,i have been laying1 and teaching others to lay1 for between thirty and forty years4 ,indeed1 it would be amazing that ,god should at this day prosper my labours as much if not more than ever1 by convincing as well as converting sinners1 if ,i was establishing another foundation1 repugnant to the whole plan of man's #8salvation under the covenant of grace1 as well as the clear meaning of our ,established ,church1 and all other protestant churches4' ,this is a charge indeed6 ,but ,i plead not guilty3 and till it is proved upon me1 ,i must subscribe myself1 my dear lady1 your ladyship's affectionate but much injured servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ade ,wesley had told his brother1 that as 8they had drawn the sword10 he himself should 8throw away the scabbard10 and now this was done4 ,shirley found the tables turned1 and1 instead of attacking others1 had to defend himself2 and hence1 in ,september1 he issued his 8,narrative of the ,principal ,circumstances relative to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley's late ,conference1 held in ,bristol1 ,august #f1 #agga40 #hvo1 #bd pages4 ,space prohibits any lengthened outline of ,fletcher's 8,vindication40 ,he gives 7#a7 a general view of ,wesley's doctrine2 7#b7 an account of the commendable design of his minutes2 7#c7 a vindication of their propositions4 ,it is in this production1 that he furnishes his fearful description of the antinomianism which was then so prevalent1 and which really rendered some utterance on the subject of good works a solemn necessity4 ,he also makes extracts from ,shirley's published sermons1 teaching the very doctrines which ,wesley's minutes teach2 to which quotations ,shirley's reply was1 that 8they were wrote many years ago when he had more zeal than light10 and that he had 8frequently wished that they were burnt40#adf ,fletcher concludes thus3-- 8,o sir1 have we not fightings enough without1 to employ all our time and strength8 ,must we also declare war and promote fightings within8 ,must we catch at every opportunity to stab one another8 ,what can be more cutting to an old minister of ,christ than to be traduced as a dreadful heretic1 in printed letters sent to the best men of the land1 through all ,england and ,scotland1 and signed by a person of your rank and piety8 ,while he is gone to a neighbouring kingdom1 to preach ,jesus ,christ1 to have his friends prejudiced1 his foes elevated1 and the fruit of his extensive ministry at the point of being blasted8 ,of the two greatest and most useful ministers ,i ever knew1 one is no more4 ,the other1 after amazing labours1 flies still1 with unwearied diligence1 through the three kingdoms1 calling sinners to repentance4 ,though oppressed with the weight of near seventy years1 and the cares of near thirty thousand souls1 he shames still1 by his unabated zeal and immense labours1 all the young ministers in ,england1 perhaps in ,christendom4 ,he has generally blown the gospel trumpet1 and rode twenty miles1 before most of the professors1 who despise his labours1 have left their downy pillows4 ,as he begins the day1 the week1 the year1 so he concludes them1 still intent upon extensive services for the glory of the ,redeemer1 and the good of souls4 ,and shall we lightly lift up our pens1 our tongues1 our hands against him8 ,no2 let them rather forget their cunning4 ,if we will quarrel1 can we find nobody to fall out with1 but the minister upon whom ,god puts the greatest honour80 ,shirley's 8,narrative0 was published in ,september1 in which he gives great prominence to one of ,fletcher's letters requesting his 8,vindication0 to be suppressed4 ,he furnishes an extract from one addressed to ,mr4 ,ireland1 dated ,august #ae1 to the following effect3 8,i feel for poor dear ,mr4 ,shirley1 whom ,i have1 7considering the present circumstances17 treated too severely in my vindication of the minutes4 ,my dear sir1 what must be done8 ,i am ready to defray1 by selling to my last shirt1 the expense of the printing of my ,vindication1 and suppress it40 ,this was characteristic of ,fletcher's large heartedness2 but the extract from his letter was a garbled one1 and rendered it necessary that he should again enter the field of battle1 and defend himself as well as others4 ,this was done at once1 and1 before the year was ended1 another production of his facile pen was published1 namely1 8,a ,second ,check to ,antinomianism3 occasioned by a late narrative1 in three letters1 to the ,hon4 and ,rev4 ,author4 ,by the ,vindicator of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley's ,minutes40 #abmo1 #aji pages4 ,he tells ,shirley1 that1 though it was perfectly true that he had written to ,mr4 ,ireland1 requesting his letters to be suppressed1 he had also stated to the same gentleman1 that 8the minutes must be vindicated1--that ,mr4 ,wesley owed this to the ,church1 to the #8real protestants1' to all his societies1 and to his own aspersed character40 ,he states3 8,i was going to preach when ,i had the news of your happy accommodation1 and was no sooner out of church1 than ,i wrote to beg my ,vindication might not appear in the dress in which ,i had put it4 ,i did not then1 nor do ,i yet1 repent having written upon the minutes2 but1 as matters are now1 ,i am very sorry ,i did not write in a general manner1 without taking notice of the circular letter1 and mentioning your dear name40#adg ,he adds1 that when he gave the manuscript to ,wesley1 he begged him to correct it1 and to expunge whatever might be 8unkind or too sharp40 ,wesley had assured him1 that 8he had expunged every tart expression02 and1 if so1 7for ,fletcher had not yet seen it in a printed form17 he was 8reconciled to its publication40 ,fletcher further adds1 that he had just received a letter 7,september #aa1 #agga7 from ,bristol1 stating that when ,thomas ,olivers1 who was now acting as ,wesley's editor1 heard of ,fletcher's wish to suppress his 8,vindication10 he had already announced to the ,bristol congregation1 that the work was in the press1 and would soon be ready4 8,besides10 continues ,fletcher1 in reference to ,thomas ,olivers being the only preacher who refused to sign the declaration at the conference1--8,besides1 ,mr4 ,olivers would have pleaded1 with smartness1 that he never approved of a patched up peace1--that he bore his testimony against it at the time it was made1--had a personal right to produce my arguments1 since both parties refused to hear his at the conference40 ,these facts are of great consequence1 inasmuch as ,shirley magnifies ,wesley's publication of ,fletcher's ,vindication into a heinous fault2 and others after him have endeavoured to brand ,wesley's character1 not only for perpetuating the war1 but for publishing ,fletcher's manuscript contrary to ,fletcher's wish4 ,this is utterly unjust4 ,the war was begun1 not by ,wesley1 but by the ,calvinists2 and surely the attacked was not presumptuous1 or wanton1 in endeavouring to defend himself4 ,it is true1 that1 in doing that1 he uses the sword of his friend ,fletcher2 but what of that8 ,the sword was given him to use1 on ,july #bg1 when on his return from ,ireland2 and1 though ,fletcher subsequently hesitated as to the propriety of the step he had taken1 it was not until the sword was brandished1 by ,fletcher's manuscript being committed to the press and actually announced for sale4 ,besides1 ,fletcher's hesitancy had reference1 not to the thing done1 but to the manner of its being done4 ,a vindication he considered to be imperatively required3 but he was afraid that his own was too personal4 ,shirley was aggrieved1 because he pretends to have thought that the signing of the declaration would have ended the matter2 but ,shirley conveniently forgets3 7#a7 that he himself had blackened ,wesley's character throughout the three kingdoms2 7#b7 that ,wesley and his preachers had conceded nothing to their adversaries1 except that the minutes of #aggj were 8not sufficiently guarded in the way in which they are expressed02 7#c7 that1 as ,fletcher abundantly demonstrates1 there was a terrible necessity for an enforcement of the doctrine of the minutes at this momentous period1 both the pulpits and pews of churches being infected with the deadly antinomianism of the late ,dr4 ,crisp2 and 7#d7 that1 after all1 the doctrine of the minutes was only one part of the controversy which the ,calvinists had raised1 and that there were other attacks on ,wesley1 made by men like ,augustus ,toplady1 and the editor of the ,gospel ,magazine1 which it was impossible1 and1 in fact1 would have been criminally disastrous1 to have passed without rebuke4 ,that ,fletcher did not regret the publishing of his ,vindication is evident from the alacrity he showed in the preparation and publishing of his 8,second ,check20 the chief object of which was to establish 8the doctrine of justification by works in the day of judgment02 and to reprove ,walter ,shirley for insinuating1 in his 8,narrative10 that this was a doctrine which ,wesley and his fifty-three itinerant preachers had given up4 ,shirley retired from the field of battle2 but others took up the gauntlet4 ,the ,gospel ,magazine1 faithful to its character1 was as furious as ever4 ,in its ,august number1 it published a review of the 8,church of ,england vindicated from the ,charge of ,absolute ,predestination10 declaring that ,wesley was its author's 8dictator and employer40 ,the work is pronounced 8a composition of low scurrility and illiberal abuse40 ,the writer is charged with having 8horribly blasphemed1 and daringly given the lie to the ,god of truth1 by asserting that any justified soul may at last perish in hell40 8,arminianism is a hodgepodge of human systems1 made up of grace and works1 so blended together as to destroy the true meaning of both40 ,in the same number was published ,cleon's poem on 8,wesley's apostasy from the genuine faith of the gospel1 an awful proof that evil men and seducers wax worse and worse40 ,one verse must serve as a specimen4 ,after describing the doctrine of ,wesley's minutes1 ,cleon writes3 8,in vain for worse may ,wesley search the globe1 ,a viper hatched beneath the harlot's robe2 ,rome1 in her glory1 has no greater boast1 ,than ,wesley aims--to all conviction lost40 ,in the ,september number1 8,simplex1 from the neighbourhood of the ,foundery10 expresses his astonishment1 that ,shirley and his friends should have been satisfied with the declaration1 signed at conference1 inasmuch as 8it denies not one tittle clearly asserted in the minutes40 ,wesley is credited with possessing 8the unfathomable policy of a dubious divine40 ,he is a 8fox10 who 8has had sagacity enough to elude his hunters20 and 8evidently shows that he never meant to recant what he had declared in the minutes1 when he signed the declaration40 ,in a subsequent number1 8,simplex0 reappears1 and tells his readers that he is 8sorry to see the name of a ,christian minister prefixed to such foul and futile productions as those of ,mr4 ,sellon4 ,mr4 ,fletcher's pen is more cleanly1 but every whit as unfair4 ,he is like a madman flinging abroad firebrands1 arrows1 and death1 amongst those who differ from him4 ,master ,thomas ,olivers has shocked common decency in his letter to ,mr4 ,toplady4 ,and ,mr4 ,wesley must be more explicit than he has been accustomed to be1 before he can give a satisfactory answer to ,simplex's querulous epistle40 ,these are moderate specimens of the tone and language of the ,gospel ,magazine4 ,another brace of antagonists must be mentioned1 ,richard and ,rowland ,hill1 the sons of ,sir ,rowland ,hill1 the former born in #agcb1 and the latter in #agde4 ,richard had been educated at ,westminster1 and had spent four or five years at ,magdalen college1 ,oxford4 ,rowland had been sent to ,eton1 and then to ,cambridge university4 ,both the brothers had turned preachers1 though1 as yet1 neither of them had been ordained4 ,they were young1 proud1 and irascible2 and1 with greater zeal than prudence1 entered into the ,calvinian conflict4 ,richard ,hill published#adh a sixpenny pamphlet1 #hvo1 of #ca pages1 entitled 8,a ,conversation between ,richard ,hill1 ,esq41 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,madan1 and ,father ,walsh1 superior of a convent of ,english ,benedictine monks at ,paris1 held at the said convent1 ,july #ac1 #agga1 relative to some doctrinal ,minutes1 advanced by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley and others1 at a conference in ,london1 ,august #g1 #aggj4 ,to which are added some ,remarks by the ,editor2 as also ,mr4 ,wesley's own ,declaration concerning his ,minutes1 versified by another ,hand40 ,a prodigiously long title of a supremely silly tract1 whose object is to show that ,wesley's doctrine was a great deal worse than popery2 in fact1 that 8popery is about midway between protestantism and ,mr4 ,j4 ,wesley40 ,we content ourselves with ,sir ,richard's poetical version of ,wesley's declaration3 8,whereas1 the religion and fate of three nations ,depend on the importance of our conversations2 ,and as some objections are thrown in our way1 ,our words have been construed to mean what they say2 ,be't known from henceforth1 to each friend and each brother1 ,whene'er we say one thing1 we mean quite another40 ,sir ,richard was not content with this4 ,he issued a penny #abmo tract of #ab pages1 with the title1 8,an ,answer to some capital ,errors contained in the ,minutes10 etc41 which finishes by reproducing the doggerel calumny just given1 as though it were far too precious to be entombed in the more costly pamphlet with which he had enriched the ,christian church4 ,his third publication1--by far the best1--was an octavo pamphlet of #dj pages1 entitled1 8,five ,letters to the ,reverend ,mr4 ,fletcher1 relative to his ,vindication of the ,minutes of the ,reverend ,mr4 ,john ,wesley40 ,apart from its theology1 of which we say nothing1 this was worthy of a scholar1 a ,christian1 and a gentleman4 ,the spirit of the piece is most loving1 and the style unexceptionable4 ,the publications1 on the other side1 in addition to those of ,fletcher1 were three in number4 ,first1 ,wesley's tract of #ab pages1 entitled1 8,the ,consequence ,proved02 without either the author's or the printer's name4 ,its object is to substantiate his former assertion1 that the gist of ,toplady's ,zanchius is to teach that 8one in twenty 7suppose7 of mankind are elected1 and nineteen in twenty are reprobate3 that the elect shall be saved1 do what they will2 and the reprobate shall be damned1 do what they can40 ,wesley says3 8,i have not leisure to consider the matter at large4 ,i can only make a few strictures1 and leave the young man 7,toplady7 to be farther corrected by one that is full his match1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,olivers40#adi ,to be handed over to ,thomas ,olivers was one of the bitterest pills that ,toplady had to swallow4 ,olivers was a man of great intellectual power2 but he had the misfortune to commence life as a ,welsh mechanic of not the highest order4 ,he was left an orphan when only four years old1 and had now attained the age of forty-six4 ,his publication1 #abmo1 #fj pages1 was entitled1 8,a ,letter to the ,reverend ,mr4 ,toplady1 occasioned by his late ,letter to the ,reverend ,mr4 ,wesley40 ,in invective and tart rebuke1 ,toplady met a match in the intrepid and fiery ,welshman who1 on behalf of ,wesley1 undertook to fight the furious predestinarian with the not too respectable weapons of his own choosing4 ,it certainly is difficult to decide which is the more proficient in the use of strong language4 ,it was a fisticuff encounter between a pugilistic pair1 whose thumping blows may be considered of equal force4 ,the third publication1 alluded to above1 was 8,the ,church of ,england ,vindicated from the ,charge of ,predestination1 as it is stated and asserted by the ,translator of ,jerome ,zanchius1 in his ,letter to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,nowell2 together with some ,animadversions on his ,translation of ,zanchius1 his ,letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley1 and his ,sermon on #a ,timothy i4 #aj40 #abmo1 #abi pages4 ,the author was the redoubtable ,walter ,sellon1 who1 for outspokenness1 was only second to ,toplady and ,olivers themselves4 ,at the same time1 however1 ,sellon's book evinces great ability and research1 and thoroughly demolishes the unfounded theories of an opponent1 whose pen was guided by bigotry rather than by ,christian discretion4 ,the castigation was severe1 but it was merited4 ,the lash of a scorpion whip is far from pleasant2 but the man who uses it has no reason to complain of another using it in self defence4 ,toplady had a right to wince and writhe2 but1 under the circumstances1 he had no right to foam1 as1 in succeeding chapters1 we shall find he did4 ,here1 for the present1 we shall leave this embittered conflict1 and trace the steps of the illustrious man whose high position seemed to engender the envy which led to the attack upon him2 but who1 excepting a short skirmish now and then1 pursued his high and holy mission with as much serenity as if the conflict had not existed4 ,he landed in ,ireland on ,march #bd1 and re-embarked for ,england on ,july #bbnd following4 ,at ,dublin1 the society had been jangling for years1 and1 as a consequence1 had suffered loss4 ,though not expressly stated1 it is clear that the cause of their quarreling was a dispute respecting the authority of the preachers and of the leaders respectively4 ,wesley1 as the fountain of ,methodistic law1 now laid it down that classleaders had no authority to restrain the assistant1 if they thought he acted improperly2 but might mildly speak to him1 and then refer the matter to ,wesley to be decided4 ,they had no 8authority to hinder a person from preaching1 or to displace a particular leader1 or to expel a particular member1 or to regulate the temporal and spiritual affairs of the society1 or to make any public collection1 or to receive the yearly subscription40 ,all this was the work of the assistant1 with one exception1 namely1 that the temporal affairs of the society were regulated by the society steward4 ,the power of a classleader simply consisted in authority to meet his class1 to receive their contributions1 and to visit his sick members2 and the power of all classleaders united was 8authority to show their classpapers to the assistant1 and to deliver the money they had received to the stewards1 and to bring in the names of the sick40 ,rightly or wrongly1 such was ,methodist discipline in #agga4 8,in the ,methodist discipline10 writes ,wesley1 8the wheels regularly stand thus3 the assistant1 the preachers1 the stewards1 the leaders1 the people4 ,but here the leaders1 who are the lowest wheel but one1 were quite got out of their place4 ,they were got at the top of all1 above the stewards1 the preachers1 yea1 and above the assistant himself4 ,to this chiefly1 ,i impute the gradual decay of the work of ,god in ,dublin40 8,nothing10 says he1 at ,londonderry1 where two years before he had organised a band of singers1 which through the preacher's neglect was now dispersed1 8,nothing will stand in the ,methodist plan unless the preacher has his heart and his hand in it4 ,every preacher1 therefore1 should consider it is not his business to mind this or that thing only1 but everything40 ,more than three months of ,wesley's time were spent1 not in ,dublin1 but in itinerating the ,irish provinces4 ,in many instances1 he was gladdened with the prosperity of the work of ,god2 in others1 as ,dublin1 ,athlone1 ,tullamore1 ,waterford1 ,cork1 and ,augher1 the aspect of things was far from promising4 ,while on this lengthened journey1 ,wesley made the following entry in his journal3 8#agga4 ,june #bh--,this day ,i entered the sixty-ninth year of my age4 ,i am still a wonder to myself4 ,my voice and strength are the same as at nine-and-twenty4 ,this also hath ,god wrought40 ,wesley remained in ,ireland until he was obliged to leave in order to meet his conference at ,bristol4 ,much space has been already occupied with an account of its important proceedings2 but it may be added that1 notwithstanding the ,calvinian disturbances1 there was reported an increase of #aicd members4 ,among others1 ,joseph ,benson was received on trial as an itinerant preacher2 and ,francis ,asbury and ,richard ,wright were sent as a reinforcement to ,america4 ,nearly #agjj were contributed to extinguish the chapel debts2 and1 to accomplish the thing at once1 it was recommended that1 upon an average1 every ,methodist1 in the three kingdoms1 should give1 for one year1 a penny a week4 8,if this is done10 says ,wesley1 8it will both pay our whole debt1 and supply all contingencies40 ,no sooner was the conference over than ,wesley set out for ,wales1 where he laboured nearly the next three weeks4 ,one of the ,sundays was spent in ,pembroke1 where he preached in two of the churches4 ,he writes3 8,many of the congregation were gay1 genteel people2 so ,i spake on the first elements of the gospel4 ,but ,i was still out of their depth4 ,oh how hard it is to be shallow enough for a polite audience60 ,returning to ,bristol on ,august #ca1 he employed the next month in visiting the societies surrounding that city4 ,twelve months before1 he had rejoiced over an apparently great religious revival in ,kingswood school2 but now1 says he1 8it is gone6 ,it is lost6 ,it is vanished away6 ,there is scarce any trace of it remaining6 ,then we must begin again2 and1 in due time1 we shall reap if we faint not40 ,just at this period1 ,dr4 ,william ,cadogan's book on the gout and all chronic diseases was attracting great attention4 ,dr4 ,johnson called it 8a good book in general1 but a foolish one in particulars40 ,wesley read the book1 and agrees with ,cadogan1 that 8very few of the chronic distempers are properly hereditary2 and that most of them spring either from indolence1 or intemperance1 or irregular passions4 ,but10 he adds1 and here he comes in conflict with modern teetotallers1 8but why should ,dr4 ,cadogan condemn wine toto genere1 which is one of the noblest cordials in nature8 ,yet stranger1 why should he condemn bread8 ,great whims belong to great men60 ,after an absence of seven months1 ,wesley got back to ,london on ,saturday1 ,october #e2 and1 on the ,monday following1 set out on his usual tour through the counties of ,bedford and ,northampton4 ,this occupied a week1 as did a similar visit to the societies in ,oxfordshire4 ,for many years1 ,wesley was accustomed to spend the last two or three months in each year in weekly journeys from ,london as a pastoral centre4 ,the ,bedfordshire and ,northamptonshire journey was one2 the ,oxfordshire another2 ,chatham and ,sheerness a third2 ,staplehurst1 ,rye1 ,winchelsea1 and other places a fourth2 and ,norfolk a fifth1 which generally occupied a longer time4 ,wesley concludes the year with this entry3 8,december #cj--;,at my brother's request1 ,i sat again for my picture4 ,this melancholy employment always reminds me of that natural reflection1-- #8,behold1 what frailty we in man may see6 ,his shadow is less given to change than he4'0 ,little more remains to be related respecting the year #agga1 except the points following4 ,it is a curious fact1 that1 in the year when ,fletcher began to render ,wesley important service by the publication of his 8,checks10 ,fletcher's future wife1 ,miss ,bosanquet1 applied to ,wesley for advice on the subject of female preaching4 ,our space prevents the possibility of discussing such a topic at the length which it deserves2 but ,wesley's letter1 hitherto unpublished1 will be acceptable1 as showing that1 however much importance he was disposed to attach to church order1 he was not the man to make all things bend to it4 8,,londonderry1 ,june #ac1 #agga4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,i think the strength of the cause rests there1--on your having an extraordinary call4 ,so1 ,i am persuaded1 has every one of our lay preachers2 otherwise1 ,i could not countenance his preaching at all4 ,it is plain to me1 that the whole work of ,god termed ,methodism is an extraordinary dispensation of ,his providence4 ,therefore1 ,i do not wonder if several things occur therein1 which do not fall under the ordinary rules of discipline4 ,st4 ,paul's ordinary rule was1 #8,i permit not a woman to speak in the congregation4' ,yet1 in extraordinary cases1 he made a few exceptions2 at ,corinth in particular4 8,i am1 my dear sister1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#aej ,in #agga1 ,wesley began a revision and republication of all the works which he had published during the last five-and-thirty years1 with the exception of his ,notes on the ,old and ,new ,testament1 his 8,christian ,library10 his 8,natural ,philosophy10 and his books for ,kingswood school4 ,it was during this year that he issued a careful reprint of the four volumes of sermons published in #agdf1 #dh1 #ej1 and #fj1 with the addition of ten sermons1 most of which had been published separately4 ,besides these1 he published five #abmo volumes of his collected works1 embracing the sermons just mentioned2 and making together about #ahjj printed pages1 in which he not only corrected the errors of the press1 but his own mistakes1 and did1 what has not been done in any subsequent edition of his works1--placed an asterisk before the passages and paragraphs which he judged were most worthy of the reader's notice4 ,he likewise published the fourteenth 8,extract0 from his journal1 extending from ,may #bg1 #agfe1 to ,may #e1 #agfh4 #abmo1 #abh pages4#aea ,his only other publications were his 8,consequence ,proved10 and his 8,defence0 of his minutes1 already mentioned2 and finally1 8,a ,letter to the ,reverend ,mr4 ,fleury10 of ,waterford1 in ,ireland4 ,mr4 ,fleury was a young parson1 who1 both in #agfi1 and now again in #agga1 had taken the opportunity of ,wesley's visits to ,waterford to preach against him4 ,wesley writes3 8#agga1 ,may #bh--;,at eleven1 and again in the afternoon1 ,i went to the cathedral1 where a young gentleman most valiantly encountered the #8grievous wolves1' as he termed the ,methodists4 ,i never heard a man strike more wide of the mark4 ,however1 the shallow discourse did good2 for it sent abundance of people1 rich and poor1 to hear and judge for themselves40 ,the 8young gentleman's0 two sermons1 which were published1 were made up of the stale objections and invectives that had been used1 by his superiors and seniors1 times without number4 ,wesley's letter is a characteristic reply to them4 ,,footnotes3 #aah ,lady ,maxwell's ,life1 p4 #gb4 #aai ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghd1 p4 #chh4 #abj ,lady ,maxwell's ,life1 p4 #bb4 #aba ,ibid4 #abb ,doubtless his letter to ,lady ,huntingdon4 #abc ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahje1 p4 #bgi4 #abd ,wesley's ,life of ,fletcher4 #abe ,manuscript letter4 #abf ,benson's ,life1 by ,treffry4 #abg ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xi41 p4 #bhe4 #abh ,probably ,mr4 ,romaine4 #abi ,fletcher's ,vindication1 #ast ,edit41 p4 #ba4 #acj 8,life and ,times of ,countess of ,huntingdon10 vol4 ii41 p4 #bdj4 #aca ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #bef4 #acb ,methodist ,magazine1 #agig1 p4 #efc4 #acc ,the minutes of the conference of #aggj4 #acd ,the italic words are emphasized in the original4 #ace ,shirley's 8,narrative10 p4 #e4 #acf ,methodist ,magazine1 #agig1 p4 #bec4 #acg ,smith's ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 i41 p4 #cid4 #ach 8,life and ,times of ,countess of ,huntingdon10 vol4 ii41 p4 #bcg4 #aci ,this was probably 8,the ,consequence ,proved10 to be noticed shortly4 #adj ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #abg4 #ada ,shirley's 8,narrative10 p4 #h4 #adb ,ibid4 p4 #aj4 #adc ,charles ,wesley's name is not in the list3 a further proof that1 strangely enough1 he was not at this most important conference4 #add ,this is the word in ,shirley's 8,narrative02 but in the ,gospel ,magazine for ,august1 #agga1 the word 8justification0 is used instead2 and there can be little doubt1 that this was the reading of the original declaration4 ,the difference at first seems slight1 but1 in reality1 it is of great importance1 as the readers of ,fletcher's 8,checks0 will easily perceive4 #ade ,whitehead's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cdi4 #adf ,shirley's 8,narrative40 #adg 8,second ,check10 #ast ,edit41 p4 #dj4 #adh ,see ,sir ,richard ,hill's ,life1 p4 #aia4 #adi ,there was also published1 at this period1 a smartly written rebuke of ,toplady1 and a defence of ,wesley1 entitled1 8,a ,letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,augustus ,toplady1 written in great part by himself1 relative to part of his printed ,letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley40 #hvo1 #ba pages4 #aej ,manuscript letter4 #aea ,as a curiosity1 and as tending to show that1 in this season of excitement1 all men were not ,wesley's enemies1 we give an extract from a review of this section of ,wesley's ,journal1 published in ,lloyd's ,evening ,post1 for ,january #bj1 #aggb3--8;,in this interval1 between ,may #bg1 #agfe1 and ,may #e1 #agfh1 this zealous and truly laborious missionary of the ,methodists1 who seems to consider the three kingdoms as his parochial cure1 twice traverses the greater part of ,ireland and ,scotland1 from ,londonderry to ,cork1 from ,aberdeen to ,dumfries1 visiting and confirming the churches1 besides making a progress1 chiefly on horseback 7in many places more than once71 through great part of ,wales1 and almost all the counties in ,england1 from ,newcastle to ,southampton1 from ,dover to ,penzance4 ,those who expect to find in this ,journal only the peculiar tenets of ,methodism will be agreeably disappointed1 as they are intermixed with such occasional reflections on men and manners1 on polite literature1 and even on polite places1 as prove that the writer is endued with a taste well cultivated both by reading and observation2 and above all with such a benevolence and sweetness of temper1 such an enlarged1 liberal1 and truly protestant way of thinking towards those who differ from him1 as clearly show that his heart1 at least1 is right1 and justly entitle him to that candour and forbearance1 which1 for the honour of our common religion1 we are glad to find he now generally receives40 #aggb4 ,age #fi ,wesley's first journey from ,london1 in #aggb1 was on the #afth of ,january1 when he came to ,luton1 and preached in the parish church4 ,the friendly clergyman1 who gave him this permission1 was the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,copleston1 whose son afterwards became a ,methodist local preacher1 and was driven from ,luton by the iron hand of persecution1 and then1 after preaching for a while at ,st4 ,albans1 introduced ,methodism into ,leighton ,buzzard1 where he died1 in #ahce1 at the age of seventy1 having been an earnest ,methodist more than fifty years4#aeb ,in a visit to ,dorking1 ,wesley read ,sterne's 8,sentimental ,journey10 and writes1 8,sentimental6 ,what is that8 ,it is not ,english2 he might as well say continental4 ,it is not sense4 ,it conveys no determinate idea2 yet one fool makes many1 and this nonsensical word 7who would believe it87 is become a fashionable one6 ,however1 the book agrees full well with the title2 for one is as queer as the other4 ,for oddity1 uncouthness1 and unlikeness to all the world beside1 ,i suppose the writer is without a rival40 ,this was a bold criticism on ,laurence ,sterne1 and his recently published book1 which was now immensely popular4 ,on his return from ,dorking1 on ,february #ab1 ,wesley writes3 8,i read a very different book1 published by an honest quaker1 on that execrable sum of all villanies1 commonly called the slave trade4 ,i read of nothing like it in the heathen world1 whether ancient or modern2 and it infinitely exceeds1 in every instance of barbarity1 whatever ,christian slaves suffer in ,mahommedan countries40 ,this is a remarkable utterance4 ,it was in this very year that ,granville ,sharpe1 the first of the ,english antislavery advocates1 began to take up the subject2 and it was not until fifteen years after this1 that the 8,society for the ,suppression of the ,slave ,trade0 was founded1 of which1 besides ,sharpe1 two of the chief members were ,thomas ,clarkson1 a young graduate of ,cambridge1 and ,william ,wilberforce1 who was then ,m4,p4 for the county of ,york4 ,the book which ,wesley read was probably written by ,anthony ,benezet1 a ,french protestant1 who1 after being educated in ,england1 became a quaker in ,philadelphia2 and1 in #agfb1 published the work which first attracted the attention of this country#aec to the inhuman traffic1 which ,wesley so justly designates 8that execrable sum of all villanies40 ,let it be noted that1 besides all his other honours1 ,john ,wesley1 the poor1 persecuted ,methodist1 was one of the first advocates on behalf of the enthralled ,african that ,england had1 and that1 sixty years before slavery was abolished in the dominions of ,great ,britain1 he denounced the thing in the strongest terms it was possible to employ4 ,before we accompany ,wesley on his long northern tour1 three other facts1 belonging to this period1 may be briefly mentioned4 ,ten years ago1 ,thomas ,maxfield had dishonourably forsaken his old friend1 and had set up a rival church in the neighbourhood of ,moorfields4 ,for some reason1 he now seemed to desire a reunion4 ,wesley was not the man to repel an overture even from one whose behaviour had been ungrateful and treacherous4 ,he met ,maxfield2 but writes3 8,he only seemed to desire a reunion2 for when we explained upon the head1 ,i found he meant just nothing40 ,wesley was now close upon the age of threescore years and ten4 ,his life had been a scene of unparalleled activity2 and1 though still possessed of amazing vigour1 he had not the energy he had been wont to have4 ,his friends in ,london saw this2 and hence the following entry in his journal4 8#aggb4 ,feb4 #ba4--;,i met several of my friends1 who had begun a subscription to prevent my riding on horseback1 which ,i cannot do quite so well1 since a hurt which ,i got some months ago4 ,if they continue it1 well2 if not1 ,i shall have strength according to my need40 ,wesley's last act before leaving ,london was to open a new chapel at ,poplar4 ,he writes3 8#aggb4 ,feb4 #bh--;,i opened the new preaching house in ,poplar3 one might say1 consecrated it2 for the ,english law 7notwithstanding the vulgar error7 does not require1 nay1 does not allow1 any other consecration of churches than by performing public service therein40 ,up to this period1 the preaching at ,poplar had been in private dwellings1 and in the workhouse1 the mistress of which was a ,methodist4 ,now a wooden building was erected in ,high ,street1 which was long called1 out of derision1 8the pantile shop40 ,one of the first members was ,benjamin ,king1 who previous to this attended ,gravel ,lane chapel1 ,wapping1 one of the oldest ,methodist meeting-houses in ,london1 but which was long since demolished for the making of the ,london ,docks4 ,for many a year1 ,methodism at ,poplar had a struggle for existence1 and often was ,wesley importuned to give up the preaching there2 but his constant answer was1 8,does the old woman0 7,mrs4 ,clippendale7 8who sits in the corner of the long pew1 still attend80 8,o yes10 was the reply2 8she never misses40 8,then for her sake keep going10 was ,wesley's rejoinder4 ,the venerable woman1 who was thus the means of perpetuating ,methodist preaching at ,poplar1 was a native of ,swalwell1 near ,newcastle1 and1 at twelve years of age1 received her first society ticket1 in #agde1 from the hands of ,wesley4 ,four years later1 she came to ,london1 and continued a faithful ,methodist for above seventy years4#aed ,strangely enough1 it was now currently reported that ,wesley was about to leave ,england for ,america4 ,the following refers to this4 8,,new ,,york1 ,april #a1 #aggb4 8,,reverend ,,sir1--,by a letter from ,mr4 ,lloyd1 of ,london1 we are informed that you incline to visit ,america4 ,mr4 ,whitefield's preaching was of unspeakable use to many2 but he preached mostly in the seaport towns1 and the most populous parts of the provinces1 where the gospel was known1 though not preached in power4 ,in the back parts1 which are now grown populous1 the inhabitants are still in a state of deplorable ignorance4 ,if some zealous and able teachers would engage heartily in the work of their conversion1 how soon might rivers spring forth in the desert1 and these owls and dragons of the wilderness give honour to ,god4 ,no doubt1 many in ,england and elsewhere1 who abound in wealth1 would contribute towards erecting schools to teach the children1 and also towards the support of preachers1 if such an undertaking was properly set on foot4 ,but who is qualified for this work8 ,i know none except yourself4 8,but1 dear sir1 what concerns me more than all is the unhappy condition of our negroes1 who are kept in worse than ,egyptian bondage4 ,the food we eat1 the clothes we wear1 and all the superfluities we possess1 are the produce of their labours2 and what do they receive in return8 ,nothing equivalent2 on the contrary1 we keep from them the key of knowledge2 so that their bodies and souls perish together in our service6 ,if1 therefore1 you are not too advanced in years1 ,i say to you1 in the name of ,god1 come over and help us2 in doing which you will greatly oblige many thousands1 and1 among the rest1 your friend and brother1 8,,jonathan ,,bryan40#aee ,did ,wesley seriously think of this8 ,we are not sure2 but the following characteristic letter to ,walter ,sellon will be read with interest4 8,february #a1 #aggb4 8,,dear ,,walter1--,you do not understand your information right4 ,observe1 #8,i am going to ,america to turn bishop4' ,you are to understand it in sensu composito4 ,i am not to be a bishop till ,i am in ,america4 ,while ,i am in ,europe1 therefore1 you have nothing to fear4 ,but as soon as ever you hear of my being landed in ,philadelphia1 it will be time for your apprehensions to revive4 ,it is true1 some of our preachers would not have me stay1 so long2 but ,i keep my old rule1 ,festina lente4 8,i am1 dear ,walter1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#aef ,previous to his leaving ,london1 ,wesley commenced a long correspondence1 which extended over the next two years1 with ,samuel ,sparrow1 ,esq41 a gentleman in the neighbourhood of ,sheffield1 who had published a volume1 entitled 8,family ,prayers and ,moral ,essays10 a copy of which was presented to ,wesley by the author4 ,the writer has before him the correspondence that ensued2 and perhaps the following extracts1 from some of ,wesley's letters1 will be acceptable4 8,to the questions which you propose ,i answer3 7#a7 ,i think that if a hundred1 or a hundred thousand1 sincere1 honest1 humble1 modest1 self diffident men were1 with attention and care1 to read the ,new ,testament1 uninfluenced by any but the ,holy ,spirit1 nine in ten of them1 at least1 if not every one1 would discover that the ,son of ,god was #8adorable1' and one ,god with the ,father2 and would be immediately led to #8honour ,him even as they honoured the ,father4' 87#b7 ,give a fair1 impartial reading to that account of mankind in their present state1 which is contained in the book on original sin4 ,it is no play of imagination1 but plain1 clear fact4 ,we see it with our eyes1 and hear it with our ears daily4 ,heathens1 ,turks1 ,jews1 ,christians of every nation1 are such men as are there described4 ,such are the tempers1 such the manners1 of lords1 gentlemen1 clergymen in ,england1 as well as of tradesmen and the low vulgar4 ,no man in his senses can deny it3 and none can account for it1 but upon the supposition of original sin4 8,on ,scripture and common sense ,i build all my principles2 and just so far as it agrees with these1 ,i regard human authority4 8,there is too #8just ground for charging the preachers both at ,blackfriars church1 the chapel at the ,lock1#aeg and the ,tabernacle1 with grievous want of charity2 for most of them flatly maintain1 #8all who do not believe as they believe1 are in a state of damnation2' all who do not believe the absolute decree of election1 which necessarily infers absolute reprobation4 ,my brother and ,i set out on two principles3 7#a7 ,none go to heaven without holiness of heart and life2 7#b7 ,whoever follows after this1 whatever his opinions be1 is my brother2 and we have not swerved a hair's breadth from either the one or the other to this day40 ,on the #ast of ,march ,wesley set out on his northern visitation1 and did not return to ,london until seven months afterwards4 ,it was now that he preached his first sermon in the town of ,leek1 where ,thomas ,hanby1 eighteen years before1 had formed a society at the peril of his life4 8,kill him1 kill him10 bawled the mob1 as they pelted him with showers of stones2 but the young evangelist1 then only in the twenty-first year of his age1 mercifully escaped2 and the rabble1 headed by a lawyer1 had to content themselves with merely burning him in effigy4#aeh ,wesley writes3 8,march #bg1 #aggb4--,while ,i was dining at ,leek1 some gentlemen of the town sent to desire ,i would give them a sermon4 ,as it seemed to be a providential call1 ,i did not think it right to refuse4 ,a large congregation quickly ran together1 and were deeply attentive40 ,a society had recently been gathered at ,nantwich1 of which ,mr4 ,salmon1 an eccentric ,christian gentleman1 and some of his sisters1 were members2 and hence ,nantwich was now added to the places which ,wesley had to visit4 ,this was probably the ,mr4 ,salmon who was to have gone with the ,wesleys to ,georgia1 but who was forcibly detained in his ,cheshire home by his father and mother1 who were distracted at the thought of their son leaving them4 ,joseph ,whittingham ,salmon had a good heart1 but muddy head4 ,soon after this1 he began to preach1#aei and1 at the death of his wife1 in #aghe1 published a long rigmarole funeral sermon1 #hvo1 #ci pages1 which he preached in ,barker ,street chapel1 ,nantwich1 and which is strongly spiced with the mystical delusion into which he had fallen4 ,it is scarcely too much to say1 that the weak mind of this well meaning man henceforth lost its balance1 and that mystic pride and cacoethes scribendi were the chief features that distinguished the close of a lengthened but lustreless life4 ,his wife1 however1 and several of the ,misses ,salmon were intelligent and earnest ,methodists1 and were among the earliest friends of ,hester ,ann ,roe1 afterwards ,mrs4 ,rogers4#afj ,there was another gentleman of note1 near ,nantwich1 ,sir ,thomas ,broughton1 of ,doddington ,hall1 who had a chapel in his park1 and who1 though not a ,methodist1 himself read or preached to the congregation the whole of ,wesley's sermons from first to last4#afa ,salmon tells us1 that this 8reverend baronet10 as he calls him1 at the death of his lady1 called together his eleven children and his thirty servants1 at eleven o'clock at night1 and then1 as they stood round the corpse1 amid midnight silence and the dim radiance of lighted tapers1 engaged in prayer1 previous to the interment1 the whole forming a scene not easily forgotten4 ,these were ,methodism's auxiliaries in the town of ,nantwich2 but1 for long years1 it had to struggle with adversity1 its members worshipping in an old hired baptist chapel until the year #ahjh1 when1 chiefly through the help of ,mr4 ,withinshaw1 a new chapel was erected1 and ,nantwich was made a circuit town4#afb ,on the #eth of ,april1 ,wesley reached ,bolton and ,manchester4 ,in reference to the former town he writes3 8,how wonderfully has ,god wrought in this place6 ,john ,bennet1 some years ago1 reduced this society from sevenscore to twelve2 and they are now risen to a hundred and seventy40 ,at ,manchester1 ,wesley 8drank tea at ,am4 ,o420 probably ,adam ,oldham's1 and remarks3 8,but how was ,i shocked6 ,the children that used to cling about me1 and drink in every word1 had been at a boarding school4 ,there they had unlearned all religion1 and even seriousness2 and had learned pride1 vanity1 affectation1 and whatever could guard them against the knowledge and love of ,god4 ,methodist parents1 who would send your girls headlong to hell1 send them to a fashionable boarding school60 ,proceeding by way of ,whitehaven and ,carlisle1 ,wesley came to ,glasgow on ,april #ah1 and1 a week later1 arrived at ,perth1 where he was the provost's guest1 and received an honour which fell to him only once again in his long lifetime4 ,he shall tell his own story4 8#aggb4 ,april #bh1 ,tuesday4 ,we walked through the ,duke of ,athol's gardens1 in which was one thing ,i never saw before1--a summerhouse in the middle of a greenhouse1 by means of which one might1 in the depth of winter1 enjoy the warmth of ,may1 and sit surrounded with greens and flowers on every side4 8,in the evening ,i preached once more at ,perth1 to a large and serious congregation4 ,afterwards they did me an honour ,i never thought of1--presented me with the freedom of the city4 ,the diploma ran thus3-- 8#8,magistratuum illustris ordo et honorandus senatorum ctus inclyt civitatis ,perthensis1 in debiti amoris et affectuum tesseram erga ,johannem ,wesley1 immunitatibus prfat civitatis1 societatis etiam et fraternitatis diliti privilegiis donarunt4 ,aprilis die #bh1 anno ,sal4 #aggb4' 8,i question whether any diploma from the city of ,london be more pompous1 or expressed in better ,latin40 ,eight days afterwards1 the magistrates of ,arbroath conferred on ,wesley a similar mark of their respect4 ,while in this part of ,scotland1 ,wesley read two ,scotch authors1 upon whom his criticisms are too racy to be omitted4 ,he writes3 8,in my way to ,perth1 ,i read over the first volume of ,dr4 ,robertson's #8,history of ,charles the ,fifth4' ,i know not when ,i have been so disappointed4 ,it might as well be called the ,history of ,alexander the ,great4 ,here is a quarto volume of eight or ten shillings' price1 containing dry verbose dissertations on feudal government1 the substance of all which might be comprised in half a sheet of paper6 ,but #8,charles the ,fifth6' ,where is ,charles the ,fifth8 #8,leave off thy reflections1 and give us thy tale6'0 8,may #e4 ,i read over1 in my journey to ,arbroath1 ,dr4 ,beattie's ingenious #8,inquiry after ,truth4' ,he is a writer quite equal to his subject1 and far above the match of all the minute philosophers1 ,david ,hume in particular1 the most insolent despiser of truth and virtue that ever appeared in the world4 ,and1 yet1 it seems some complain of this doctor's using him with too great severity6 ,i cannot understand how that can be1 unless he treated him with rudeness 7which he does not71 since he is an avowed enemy to ,god and man1 and to all that is sacred and valuable on earth40 ,on the #ith of ,may1 ,wesley reached ,edinburgh1 where his state of health was made the subject of an important medical examination4 ,it has been already stated that1 before he left ,london1 his friends there1 perceiving signs of age and debility1 had contributed to provide him a carriage in which to pursue his extensive and laborious journeys4 ,since then1 in less than ten weeks1 he had travelled1 in his chaise and on horseback1 from ,london to ,bristol1 and thence to ,birmingham1 ,nottingham1 ,macclesfield1 ,chester1 ,liverpool1 ,manchester1 ,whitehaven1 ,carlisle1 ,glasgow1 ,aberdeen1 and ,edinburgh1 preaching there1 and at a great number of intervening towns and villages1 sometimes as many as four sermons in a day4 ,he had had to encounter winter storms1 to wade mid-leg deep in snow1 and to travel roads so execrably bad1 that sometimes he was literally bogged4 ,not unfrequently he preached in the midst of piercing winds in the open air2 and yet1 there is not a single entry in his journal indicative of failing health4 ,never1 in his life1 was he more intent upon the prosecution of his great work than now4 ,writing to his brother from ,congleton1 and again from ,perth1 he says3 8,i find almost all our preachers1 in every circuit1 have done with ,christian perfection4 ,they say1 they believe it2 but they never preach it1 or not once in a quarter4 ,what is to be done8 ,shall we let it drop1 or make a point of it8 ,oh what a thing it is to have curam animarum6 ,you and ,i are called to this2 to save souls from death2 to watch over them as those that must give account6 ,if our office implied no more than preaching a few times in a week1 ,i could play with it2 so might you4 ,but how small a part of our duty 7yours as well as mine7 is this6 ,god says to you1 as well as me1 #8,do all thou canst1 be it more or less1 to save the souls for whom ,my ,son has died4' ,let this voice be ever sounding in our ears2 then shall we give up our account with joy4 ,eia age1 rumpe moras6 ,i am ashamed of my indolence and inactivity4 ,your business1 as well as mine1 is to save souls4 ,when we took priests' orders we undertook to make it our one business4 ,i think every day lost1 which is not 7mainly at least7 employed in this thing4 ,sum totus in illo4 8,i am glad you are to be at ,bristol soon4 ,to whom shall ,i leave my letters and papers8 ,i am quite at a loss4 ,i think ,mr4 ,fletcher is the best that occurs now4 ,adieu60#afc ,wesley was too busy to think of being ill4 ,he was not alarmed2 but his friends were4 ,hence1 the following addressed to ,charles ,wesley4 8,,shoreham1 ,april #ah1 #aggb4 8,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,brother1--,i doubt not1 but we both join in constant petitions1 at the throne of grace1 for the life and health of our dear absent friend1 thy brother4 ,by all accounts1 his valuable health is in a precarious state2 and unless ,god provides 7as ,i doubt not but ,he will71 for ,his people1 they will have abundant reason to mourn4 ,may ,god give thee a double portion of ,his ,spirit1 that thou mayest stand in the gap1 and prevent the flock being led by any who have not true gospel light in the head1 and great integrity in the heart6 ,my love to thy dear brother2 the same attends thee and my dear sister1 and all thy family4 ,the ,divine blessing be with all of us6 8,thine1 most affectionately1 8,,vincent ,,perronet40#afd ,probably it was the request of his friends1 rather than his own anxiety1 which induced ,wesley1 at ,edinburgh1 to submit to a medical examination4 ,at this period1 ,dr4 ,james ,hamilton was a young man of about two-and-thirty1 and was practising medicine in his native town of ,dunbar1 where he also had joined the ,methodists4 ,afterwards he removed to ,leeds1 and then to ,london1 where he was elected physician to the ,london ,dispensary1 and rose to eminence in the medical profession4 ,he died in ,finsbury ,square1 ,april #ba1 #ahbg1 at the age of eighty-seven1 having been a ,methodist upwards of sixty years1 and nearly as long a highly acceptable and useful local preacher4 ,dr4 ,alexander ,monro was a few years older4 ,such was his ability1 that1 at the age of twenty-two1 he was appointed professor of anatomy and surgery to the ,university of ,edinburgh2 and is said1 by the excellence of his lectures1 to have materially assisted in raising it to the highest celebrity as a school of medicine4 ,dr4 ,james ,gregory was now a young man in his twentieth year2 but1 two years later1 was appointed professor of the theory of physic1 and rose to such eminence in his profession as to draw pupils from all parts of the world4 ,these were the three physicians who attended ,wesley4 ,he writes3 8,may #ah--;,dr4 ,hamilton brought with him ,dr4 ,monro and ,dr4 ,gregory4 ,they satisfied me what my disorder was2 and told me there was but one method of cure4 ,perhaps but one natural one2 but ,i think ,god has more than one method of healing either the soul or the body40 ,wesley's disease was hydrocele4#afe ,a few months later1 he writes3 8,i am almost a disabled soldier4 ,i am forbid to ride1 and am obliged to travel mostly in a carriage40#aff ,that ,wesley's health was seriously affected there cannot be doubt4 ,lloyd's ,evening ,post1 for ,june #ae1 remarks3 8,by accounts from ,scotland1 we learn that the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley has had a dangerous fit of illness1 in which he was attended by three of the most eminent of the faculty there1 who gave him over2 but some younger gentlemen in practice have been luckily assistant to him1 and they have now hopes that he may continue his ministry many years longer40 ,wesley doubtless was amused with this4 ,during his ten days' stay in ,edinburgh1 he preached at least about half-a-dozen times2 and1 on the very day when the medical men met1 he opened a new chapel at ,leith1 and two days later started for ,newcastle1 preaching on his way at ,dunbar1 ,alnwick1 and ,morpeth4 ,reaching ,newcastle on ,may #be1 he spent the remainder of the week in the town and neighbourhood1 preaching1 on the ,sunday1 three times out of doors1 to immense and attentive congregations4 ,the first four days in the month of ,june were occupied with what he calls 8a little tour through the dales02 and1 in this brief period1 besides travelling scores of miles over 8the horrid mountains10 and examining societies1 he preached at least eight sermons4 ,he writes3 8from the top of an enormous mountain we had a view of ,weardale4 ,it is a lovely prospect4 ,the green1 gently rising meadows and fields1 on both sides of the little river1 clear as crystal1 were sprinkled over with innumerable little houses2 three in four of which1 if not nine in ten1 are sprung up since the ,methodists came hither4 ,since that time1 the beasts are turned into men1 and the wilderness into a fruitful field40 ,six months before this1 ,weardale had been blessed with a remarkable religious revival1 the penitent prayer-meetings often continuing till ten or eleven o'clock at night1 and sometimes till four in the morning4 ,on one occasion1 four young men1 seeking pardon1 remained on their knees for five hours together4 ,among others who found mercy was an old woman1 who1 twenty-three years before1 was the first in ,weardale to receive the ,methodists into her house4 ,sometimes as many as half-a-dozen 8lay on the ground together1 roaring for the disquietude of their hearts40 ,chiefly through the instrumentality of ,jane ,salkeld1 a schoolmistress1 thirty children were converted1 including ,phbe ,featherstone1 ,hannah ,watson1 and others whom ,wesley mentions4 ,not only does ,wesley give1 at great length1 the details of this revival2 but he compares it with that at ,everton thirteen years before4 ,his remarks are worth quoting4 8,it resembled the work at ,everton in many respects1 but not in all4 8,it resembled that work--7#a7 ,in its unexpected beginning2 no such work had ever been seen before either at ,everton or in ,weardale4 7#b7 ,in the swiftness of its progress1 ,i mean in the persons affected2 many of whom were in one day1 or even two or three hours1 both convinced of sin 7without any previous awakening71 and converted to ,god4 7#c7 ,in the number of persons both convinced and converted1 which was greater in a few months than it had been in ,weardale from the first preaching there1 or in ,everton for a century4 7#d7 ,in the outward symptoms which have attended it3 in both1 the sudden and violent emotions of mind affected the whole bodily frame2 insomuch that many trembled exceedingly1 many fell to the ground1 many were violently convulsed1 and many seemed to be in the agonies of death4 7#e7 ,in most of the instruments whom ,god employed3 these were plain1 artless men1 simple of heart1 but without any remarkable gifts2 men who1 almost literally1 knew #8nothing save ,jesus ,christ and ,him crucified4' 8,in these respects1 the work of ,god in ,weardale nearly resembled that at ,everton2 but1 in other respects1 they were widely different4 ,for--7#a7 ,that was the first work of ,god1 of the kind1 which had ever been in those parts in the memory of man2 this was only a revival of a work1 which had continued for many years4 ,now these circumstances are common at the dawn of a work1 but afterwards very uncommon4 ,i do not remember to have seen the like anywhere in the three kingdoms1 unless at the beginning of a work4 7#b7 ,although the former work was swift1 the latter was far swifter4 ,in general1 persons were both awakened and justified in a far shorter time4 7#c7 ,a far greater number were converted to ,god in ,weardale than about ,everton1 although the number of hearers about ,everton was abundantly greater than in ,weardale4 7#d7 ,although the outward symptoms were the same1 yet in ,weardale there were none of the dreams1 visions1 and revelations which abounded at ,everton2 and which1 though at first they undoubtedly were from ,god1 yet were afterwards fatally counterfeited by the devil4 7#e7 ,there was a great difference in the instruments whom ,god employed4 ,not one of those in or near ,everton had any experience in the guiding of souls4 ,none of them were more than #8babes in ,christ1' if any of them so much4 ,whereas1 in ,weardale1 not only the three preachers were1 ,i believe1 renewed in love1 but most of the leaders were deeply experienced in the work of ,god4 ,hence1 7#f7 we may easily account for the grand difference1 namely1 that the one work was so shallow1 and the other so deep4 ,many children here have had far deeper experience1 and more constant fellowship with ,god1 than the oldest man or woman at ,everton which ,i have seen or heard of40 ,such were ,wesley's moralisings on the ,weardale revival1 in #aggb1 in which less than a hundred people were converted1 and concerning which he says3 8upon the whole1 we may affirm1 such a work of ,god as this has not been seen before in the three kingdoms40 ,if this was so1 who will say that the former times were better than these8 ,how many thousands of aged ,methodists can easily call to mind far more remarkable revivals of the work of ,god than even that in ,weardale6 ,and1 further1 how was it that1 at ,wesley's visit two years after1 the results of this revival were almost reduced to nothing1 except that1 in consequence of the backslidings1 8the preachers were discouraged2 and jealousies1 heart burnings1 and evil surmisings1 were multiplied more and more08 ,wesley returned from ,weardale to ,newcastle on the #eth of ,june1 and here1 and in the immediate neighbourhood1 he spent the next ten days4 ,in the ,newcastle society1 there were fewer members than he had found two years before4 8,this10 says he1 8,i can impute to nothing but the want of visiting from house to house2 without which the people will hardly increase1 either in number or grace40 ,this was a sharp thrust at some of the most distinguished preachers of the day1 namely1 ,peter ,jaco1 ,joseph ,cownley1 ,thomas ,hanby1 ,matthew ,lowes1 ,thomas ,tennant1 ,william ,thompson1 and ,thomas ,simpson1 all of them appointed to ,newcastle at this period4 ,on ,june #ae1 ,wesley left ,newcastle1 and spent the next week in preaching at ,durham1 ,stockton1 ,yarm1 ,thirsk1 ,osmotherley1 ,hutton ,rudby1 ,stokesley1 ,castleton1 ,whitby1 ,robinhood's ,bay1 and ,scarborough4 ,this was pretty well1 for a man afflicted as ,wesley was1 and at the age of seventy4 ,eighteen months before this1 his termagant wife had abruptly left him1 and gone to her house at ,newcastle4 ,now that his health was so endangered1 she was returning with him1 whether to his comfort or otherwise we are not informed2 but1 at all events1 she had in ,wesley's chaise the undeserved luxury of a summer's ride through the most beautiful scenes of ,yorkshire4#afg ,from ,scarborough he proceeded to ,bridlington1 ,driffield1 ,beverley1 ,hull1 ,york1 ,tadcaster1 ,pateley ,bridge1 ,otley1 ,heptonstall1 ,keighley1 ,haworth1 ,bingley1 ,bradford1 ,halifax1 ,huddersfield1 ,morley1 ,birstal1 ,doncaster1 ,sheffield1 ,epworth1 ,brigg1 ,horncastle1 ,louth1 ,grimsby1 ,pontefract1 ,horbury1 ,wakefield1 and other places1 preaching at all of them1 until1 on ,august #b1 he got to ,leeds1 for the purpose of holding his annual conference4 ,this was enormous labour for any man1 and especially for an old man1 suffering from a severe and painful malady4 ,to all this must be added1 cottage accommodation1 hard beds1 and often hard living2 and1 though brutal persecution had considerably abated1 ,wesley was not entirely exempt from this2 for1 at ,halifax1 on ,july #h1 a ruffian struck him most violently on the face1 when1 with tears starting from his eyes1 the venerable saint acted upon the precept of his ,master3 8,whosoever shall smite thee on the right cheek1 turn to him the other also02 a display of heroic meekness which cowed the brutal coward1 and made him slink away into the ignoble crowd4#afh ,yet1 in the midst of all this1 there is not a single syllable1 in his journal1 concerning either persecution1 hardship1 debility1 or disease4 ,he writes3 8,on ,tuesday1 ,august #d1 our conference began4 ,generally1 during the time of conference1 as ,i was talking from morning to night1 ,i had used to desire one of our brethren to preach in the morning2 but1 having many things to say1 ,i resolved1 with ,god's help1 to preach mornings as well as evenings4 ,and ,i found no difference at all2 ,i was no more tired than with my usual labour2 that is1 no more than if ,i had been sitting still in my study from morning to night40 ,one of ,wesley's sermons1 preached to an immense congregation1 in a field behind the chapel1 was from ,isaiah lxvi4 #h1 #i3 8,who hath heard such a thing80 etc42 in which he dwelt upon the great work which ,god had wrought among the ,methodists1 discoursing on its rapidity1 depth1 extensiveness1 and its growing character4 8,it was10 says good old ,thomas ,rutherford1 8marrow and fatness to my soul40#afi ,wesley1 in needful cases1 was a brave defender of his preachers4 ,the following1 addressed to ,mr4 ,alexander ,clark1 of ,dublin1 and written at this period1 will be read with interest4 8,,sheffield1 ,august #aj1 #aggb4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,now the hurry of conference is over1 ,i get a little time to write4 ,when ,i chose you to be steward in ,dublin1 you both loved and esteemed your preachers2 but ,i find you have now drunk in the whole spirit of ,pat4 ,geoghegan4 ,o beware6 ,you are exceedingly deceived4 ,by this time1 ,i should be some judge of man2 and if ,i am1 all ,england and ,ireland cannot afford such a body of men1 number for number1 for sense and true experience1 both of men and things1 as the body of ,methodist preachers4 ,our leaders in ,london1 ,bristol1 and ,dublin are by no means weak men4 ,i would not be ashamed to compare them with a like number of tradesmen in every part of the three kingdoms4 ,but ,i assure you1 they are no more than children compared to the preachers in conference1 as you would be thoroughly convinced1 could you but have the opportunity of spending one day among them4 ,mr4 ,jaco will make a fair trial whether he can supply ,dublin alone2 if he cannot1 he shall have another to help1 for he must not kill himself to save charges4 ,but ,i dare not stint him to #bj a year4 ,he will waste nothing2 but he must want nothing4 ,you will make his stay among you1 in every respect1 as comfortable as you can4 8,i am your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#agj ,no sooner was the conference ended1 than ,wesley again started on his itinerancy of mercy4 ,on his way to ,burslem1 his chaise broke down2 but1 notwithstanding his disease1 rather than disappoint the people1 he mounted a horse and rode two-and-twenty miles1 arriving just in time for preaching4 ,on reaching ,trevecca1 on ,august #ad1 he met his old friend1 ,howel ,harris1 who1 while almost all others of his class had imbibed the most bitter feelings1 still remained faithful4 8,i have borne10 said the honest ,welshman1 8with these pert1 ignorant young men1 vulgarly called students1 till ,i cannot1 in conscience1 bear any longer4 ,they preach barefaced reprobation1 and so broad antinomianism1 that ,i have been constrained to oppose them to the face1 even in the public congregation40 ,this was no great compliment to the students of the ,countess of ,huntingdon1 especially as coming from a ,calvinist4 ,wesley1 almost as an apology1 adds to this3 8,it is no wonder that they should preach thus4 ,what better can be expected from raw lads1 of little understanding1 little learning1 and no experience80 ,it is pleasing to add1 that ,howel ,harris was not the only one of ,whitefield's friends who still stood true to ,wesley1 though differing from his views4 ,hence the following1 addressed to him by ,cornelius ,winter4 8,,brecon1 ,august #aj1 #aggb4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,do you ask what ,i have been about8 ,i answer1 preaching ,christ wherever a door has been opened to me4 ,sometimes ,i have cast a handful of seed on your ground2 and should it ever come to a harvest you are welcome to it3 it will become ,jesus's property at last4 ,what melancholy consequences from late productions6 ,they forbid me to be any longer an idle hearer or a careless reader4 ,i have been obliged1 from conscience1 to make a stand against dear ,mr4 ,fletcher's groundless arguments and most bitter invectives4#aga ,many things1 he has said1 are a proper antidote applied wrong1 and to improper objects1 and thereby become poison1 whereas they might have been a healing medicine4 ,but ,i must say no more on this subject2 ,i am writing to one who will give it little attention4 8,dr4 ,owen's #8,death of ,death' has been my favourite study of late2 and1 in consequence of embracing the doctrine therein contained1 ,i must agree to disagree with ,mr4 ,fletcher's thoughts1 and dear ,mr4 ,wesley's friendly pen4 ,excuse my frank acknowledgments1 and give me leave to differ and love4 ,god bless you to your latest period1 and make your last days your best6 ,so prays1 reverend and dear sir1 yours most respectfully and affectionately1 in our dear ,lord ,jesus1 8,,cornelius ,,winter40#agb ,from ,trevecca1 ,wesley proceeded to ,bristol1 and here1 and in the neighbourhood1 he employed the next seven weeks4 ,in ,bristol itself1 he 8visited the whole society from house to house1 taking them from west to east40 ,he not unfrequently preached in the open air1 and strikingly remarks3 8to this day field preaching is a cross to me2 but ,i know my commission1 and see no other way of preaching the gospel to every creature40 ,the children at ,kingswood1 and at ,miss ,owen's school at ,publow1 were almost all converted4 ,he writes3 8,i suppose such a visitation of children has not been known in ,england these hundred years60#agc 8,publow is now what ,leytonstone was once4 ,here is a family indeed4 ,such mistresses1 and such a company of children1 as ,i believe all ,england cannot parallel60 ,leaving ,bristol on ,october #e1 and preaching on his way at ,shaftesbury1 ,salisbury1 ,winchester1 and ,portsmouth1 he came to ,london on ,october #aj4 ,he had been seven months from home1 if indeed he had a home6 and yet1 after spending only one day in ,london1 he again set out on his usual preaching tour in the counties of ,bedford and ,northampton4 ,returning to ,london1 where he spent another day1 he started on his visitation in ,oxfordshire4 ,returning again to ,london1 and again spending a single day1 he went off1 on ,october #bf1 to ,norfolk1 where he employed a fortnight4 ,except making a journey into ,kent1 and another to ,hertfordshire1 the remainder of the year was passed in the metropolis4 ,here he again began expounding1 chiefly in the mornings1 8that compendium of all the ,holy ,scriptures1 the first epistle of ,st4 ,john40 ,now1 for the first time in his life1 he saw the chapel at ,snowsfields full4 ,he opened a new chapel at ,dorking1 and another in the parish of ,bromley4 ,he visited the sick ,methodists in ,london1 and 8was surprised that they were so few40 ,and on ,december #ca he wrote3 8,being greatly embarrassed by the necessities of the poor1 we spread all our wants before ,god in solemn prayer2 believing that ,he would sooner #8make windows in heaven' than suffer ,his truth to fail40 ,this reference to the poor requires further notice4 ,the long continued war1 a succession of inferior harvests1 and other unfavourable events1 had raised the price of provisions to such an extent1 that the distress of the nation had become alarming4 ,in the month of ,november1 the court of common council of ,london agreed to petition parliament to open the ports of the kingdom for the free importation of all kinds of grain2 and one of the members proposed that1 in order to prevent the unnecessary consumption of flour1 the making of starch should be prohibited4 ,long letters on the starved condition of the country were published in the newspapers and magazines4 ,some of them entered into elaborate calculations1 showing that1 in ,london only1 during the six winter months1 twenty thousand sheep and two thousand oxen were used in making soup for taverns1 and the tables of the great4 ,when the king opened parliament1 on ,november #bf1 he referred in his speech to the dearness of corn1 and recommended 8my lords and gentlemen0 to consider a scheme 8for alleviating the distresses of the poor40 ,this was done1 and bills were passed1 which substantially permitted the importation of foreign grown grain duty free4 ,in the midst of all this1 ,wesley was far from being an indifferent spectator2 and1 among the many letters which appeared in the periodicals of the day1 one written by himself was not the least important4 ,this letter1 published1 either by himself or others1 in ,lloyd's ,evening ,post1 for ,december #ba1 and in the ,leeds ,mercury for ,december #bi1 and in other newspapers and magazines1 is altogether too curious and characteristic to be omitted or abridged4 ,it is as follows4 8,to the ,editor of #8,lloyd's ,evening ,post4' 8,,sir1--,many excellent things have been lately published concerning the present scarcity of provisions4 ,and many causes have been assigned for it2 but is not something wanting in most of those publications8 ,one writer assigns one cause1 another one or two more1 and strongly insists upon them4 ,but who has assigned all the causes that manifestly concur to produce this melancholy effect8 at the same time pointing out1 how each particular cause affects the price of each particular sort of provision8 8,i would willingly offer to candid and benevolent men a few hints on this important subject1 proposing a few questions1 and adding to each what seems to be the plain and direct answer4 8,i4 #a4 ,i ask first1 ,why are thousands of people starving1 perishing for want1 in every part of ,england8 ,the fact ,i know3 ,i have seen it with my eyes1 in every corner of the land4 ,i have known those who could only afford to eat a little coarse food every other day4 ,i have known one picking up stinking sprats from a dunghill1 and carrying them home for herself and her children4 ,i have known another gathering the bones which the dogs had left in the streets1 and making broth of them1 to prolong a wretched life4 ,such is the case1 at this day1 of multitudes of people1 in a land flowing1 as it were1 with milk and honey2 abounding with all the necessaries1 the conveniences1 the superfluities of life6 8,now why is this8 ,why have all these nothing to eat8 ,because they have nothing to do4 ,they have no meat1 because they have no work4 8#b4 ,but why have they no work8 ,why are so many thousand people in ,london1 in ,bristol1 in ,norwich1 in every county from one end of ,england to the other1 utterly destitute of employment8 8,because the persons who used to employ them cannot afford to do it any longer4 ,many1 who employed fifty men1 now scarce employ ten4 ,those1 who employed twenty1 now employ one1 or none at all4 ,they cannot1 as they have no vent for their goods2 food now bearing so high a price1 that the generality of people are hardly able to buy anything else4 8#c4 ,but to descend from generals to particulars4 ,why is breadcorn so dear8 ,because such immense quantities of it are continually consumed by distilling4 ,indeed1 an eminent distiller1 near ,london1 hearing this1 warmly replied3 #8,nay1 my partner and ,i generally distil but a thousand quarters of corn a week4' ,perhaps so4 ,suppose five-and-twenty distillers1 in and near the town1 consume each only the same quantity4 ,here are five-and-twenty thousand quarters a week1 that is1 above twelve hundred and fifty thousand quarters a year1 consumed in and about ,london6 ,add the distillers throughout ,england1 and have we not reason to believe that half of the wheat produced in the kingdom is every year consumed1 not by so harmless a way as throwing it into the sea2 but by converting it into deadly poison--poison that naturally destroys1 not only the strength and life1 but also the morals of our countrymen6 8#8,well1 but this brings in a large revenue to the king4' ,is this an equivalent for the lives of his subjects8 ,would his majesty sell a hundred thousand of his subjects yearly to ,algiers for four hundred thousand pounds8 ,surely no4 ,will he then sell them for that sum1 to be butchered by their own countrymen8--#8,but otherwise the swine for the navy cannot be fed4' ,not unless they are fed with human flesh8 not unless they are fatted with human blood8 ,o tell it not in ,constantinople1 that the ,english raise the royal revenue by selling the blood and flesh of their countrymen6 8#d4 ,but why are oats so dear8 ,because there are four times the horses kept 7to speak within compass71 for coaches and chaises in particular1 than were some years ago4 ,unless1 therefore1 four times the oats grew now as grew then1 they cannot be at the same price4 ,if only twice as much is produced1 7which perhaps is near the truth17 the price will naturally be double to what it was4 8,as the dearness of grain of one kind will always raise the price of another1 so whatever causes the dearness of wheat and oats must raise the price of barley too4 ,to account therefore for the dearness of this1 we need only remember what has been observed above1 although some particular causes may concur in producing the same effect4 8#e4 ,why are beef and mutton so dear8 ,because most of the considerable farmers1 particularly in the northern counties1 who used to breed large numbers of sheep or horned cattle1 and frequently both1 no longer trouble themselves with either sheep1 or cows1 or oxen2 as they can turn their land to far better account1 by breeding horses alone4 ,such is the demand1 not only for coach and chaise horses1 which are bought and destroyed in incredible numbers2 but much more for bred horses1 which are yearly exported by hundreds1 yea thousands1 to ,france4 8#f4 ,but why are pork1 poultry1 and eggs so dear8 ,because of the monopolising of farms1 as mischievous a monopoly as was ever yet introduced into these kingdoms4 ,the land which was formerly divided among ten or twenty little farmers1 and enabled them comfortably to provide for their families1 is now generally engrossed by one great farmer4 ,one man farms an estate of a thousand a year1 which formerly maintained ten or twenty4 ,every one of these little farmers kept a few swine1 with some quantity of poultry2 and1 having little money1 was glad to send his bacon1 or pork1 or fowls and eggs1 to market continually4 ,hence1 the markets were plentifully served1 and plenty created cheapness2 but1 at present1 the great1 the gentlemen farmers1 are above attending to these little things4 ,they breed no poultry or swine1 unless for their own use2 consequently they send none to market4 ,hence1 it is not strange1 if two or three of these living near a market town occasion such a scarcity of these things1 by preventing the former supply1 that the price of them will be double or treble to what it was before4 ,hence1 7to instance in a small article17 in the same town where1 within my memory1 eggs were sold eight or ten a penny1 they are now sold six or eight a groat4 ,another cause why beef1 mutton1 pork1 and all kind of victuals are so dear1 is luxury4 ,what can stand against this8 ,will it not waste and destroy all that nature and art can produce8 ,if a person of quality will boil down three dozen of neat's tongues1 to make two or three quarts of soup 7and so proportionably in other things71 what wonder if provisions fail8 ,only look into the kitchens of the great1 the nobility1 and gentry1 almost without exception 7considering withal that the toe of the peasant treads upon the heel of the courtier71 and when you have observed the amazing waste which is made there1 you will no longer wonder at the scarcity1 and consequently dearness1 of the things which they use so much art to destroy4 8#g4 ,but why is land so dear8 ,because1 on all these accounts1 gentlemen cannot live as they have been accustomed to do1 without increasing their income1 which most of them cannot do but by raising their rents4 ,the farmer1 paying a higher rent for his land1 must have a higher price for the produce of it4 ,this again tends to raise the price of land4 ,and so the wheel runs round4 8#h4 ,but why is it1 that not only provisions and land1 but well-nigh everything else is so dear8 ,because of the enormous taxes which are laid on almost everything that can be named4 ,not only abundant taxes are raised from earth1 and fire1 and water2 but1 in ,england1 the ingenious statesmen have found a way to tax the very light6 ,only one element remains1 and surely some man of honour will1 ere long1 contrive to tax this also4 ,for how long shall the saucy air blow in the face of a gentleman1 nay1 a lord1 without paying for it8 8#i4 ,but why are the taxes so high8 ,because of the national debt4 ,they must be1 while this continues4 ,i have heard that the national expense1 in the time of peace1 was1 sixty years ago1 three millions a year4 ,now the bare interest of the public debt amounts to above four millions4 ,to raise which1 with the other expenses of government1 those taxes are absolutely necessary4 8,,ii4 ,here is the evil4 ,but where is the remedy8 ,perhaps it exceeds all the wisdom of man to tell4 ,but it may not be amiss to offer a few hints1 even on this delicate subject4 8#a4 ,what remedy is there for this sore evil8 ,many thousand poor people are starving4 ,find them work1 and you will find them meat4 ,they will then earn and eat their own bread4 8#b4 ,but how shall their masters give them work1 without ruining themselves8 ,procure vent for it1 and it will not hurt their masters to give them as much work as they can do2 and this will be done by sinking the price of provisions2 for then people will have money to buy other things too4 8#c4 ,but how can the price of wheat be reduced8 ,by prohibiting for ever that bane of health1 that destroyer of strength1 of life2 and of virtue1 distilling4 ,perhaps this alone will answer the whole design4 ,if anything more be needful1 may not all starch be made of rice1 and the importation of this1 as well as of wheat1 be encouraged8 8#d4 ,how can the price of oats be reduced8 ,by reducing the number of horses4 ,and may not this be effectually done--7#a7 by laying a tax of ten pounds on every horse exported to ,france2 7#b7 by laying an additional tax on gentlemen's carriages4 ,not so much for every wheel1 7barefaced1 shameless partiality67 but ten pounds yearly for every horse4 ,and these two taxes alone would nearly supply as much as is now given for leave to poison his majesty's liege subjects4 8#e4 ,how can the price of beef and mutton be reduced8 ,by increasing the breed of sheep and horned cattle4 ,and this would be increased sevenfold1 if the price of horses was reduced2 which it surely would be half in half1 by the method above mentioned4 8#f4 ,how can the price of pork and poultry be reduced8 ,first1 by letting no farms of above a hundred pounds a year4 ,secondly1 by repressing luxury1 either by example1 by laws1 or both4 8#g4 ,how may the price of land be reduced8 ,by all the methods above named1 all which tend to lessen the expense of housekeeping2 but especially the last1 restraining luxury1 which is the grand source of poverty4 8#h4 ,how may the taxes be reduced8 ,by discharging half the national debt1 and so saving at least two millions a year4 8,how this can be done the wisdom of the great council of the land can best determine4 8,i am1 sir1 your humble servant1 8,,john ,,wesley4 8,,dover1 ,december #i1 #aggb40 ,this was not the only thing that ,wesley and the ,methodists did1 to contribute to the happiness of the starving poor4 ,it was now that there was organised a band of pious ,methodists1 who made it their duty and their pleasure to visit the inmates of ,london workhouses1 and1 by prayer1 and reading1 and exhortation1 to lead them to ,him who is alone the great ,comforter4 ,that organisation has uninterruptedly existed down to the present time2 and though1 for the last twenty years1 it has ceased to be a purely ,methodist society1 its chief workers bear the ,methodistic name4#agd ,from the ninety-fifth annual report of what is now called 8,the ,christian ,community10 we learn that this society was 8established under the patronage of the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley1 in #aggb20 and that its agents1 all labouring gratuitously1 are regularly visiting the workhouses of ,shoreditch1 ,st4 ,luke's1 ,clerkenwell1 ,st4 ,george's in the ,east1 and ,bethnal ,green1 in eighty-eight halls and wards of which they hold religious services every week2 and that1 besides this1 they have three services weekly in ,cambridge ,heath female refuge2 visit between twenty and thirty low lodging houses1 in ,spitalfields1 every ,sunday night2 and1 during the year1 hold about #dfc services in the open air1 deliver nearly #adjj addresses1#age and distribute almost a quarter of a million of religious tracts4 ,not fewer than #abd visitors and exhorters are employed1 nearly the whole of whom have appointments every week4 ,into such a society has been developed the small band of godly ,methodists1 sent forth by ,wesley1 in #aggb1 to visit ,london paupers and ,london vagabonds4 ,its work is little known1 and its agents scarcely recognised2 but here1 in the very heart of ,london1 are #abd home missionaries1 toiling to convert the lowest of the low to the faith of ,christ1 receiving not a farthing for their services1 and carrying on their extensive machinery of tract distribution1 tent preaching1 and a circulating library1 at the small expense of about #bjj a year4 ,success to this unpretending and almost unknown society4 ,may the ,god of heaven prosper it1 in its great work1 more and more6 8,it is a shame10 wrote ,wesley to ,joseph ,benson1 on ,december #aa1 #aggb1 8,it is a shame for any ,methodist preacher to confine himself to one place4 ,we are debtors to all the world4 ,we are called to warn every one1 to exhort every one1 if by any means we may save some4 ,i love prayer-meetings1 and wish they were set up in every corner of the town40#agf ,such is a bird's eye view of the work done1 in #aggb1 by an old man1 acutely suffering from the disease already mentioned4 ,writing to his brother in ,november1 and again in ,december1 ,wesley says3 8,i have just made my tour through ,oxfordshire1 ,bedfordshire1 ,northamptonshire1 ,norfolk1 ,suffolk1 and ,essex2 but ,kent1 ,sussex1 and ,hertfordshire still remain to be visited2 only the visitation of the ,london classes1 a fortnight's work1 must come between4 8,if we only join faith and works in all our preaching1 we shall not fail of a blessing4 ,but of all preaching1 what is usually called gospel preaching is the most useless1 if not the most mischievous3 a dull1 yea1 or lively harangue on the sufferings of ,christ1 or salvation by faith1 without strongly inculcating holiness4 ,i see1 more and more1 that this naturally tends to drive holiness out of the world40 8,i have scarce had a day yet0 7,december #ae7 8in ,london1 except ,sundays1 and the time of visiting the classes4 ,dr4 ,ford has never come near me4 ,i am afraid1 evasit1 erupit4 ,i have wrote to ,mr4 ,fletcher to-day4 ,as ,mr4 ,hill is to fall upon me next1 ,mr4 ,fletcher will have a little time to breathe2 and probably a little more while ,mr4 ,hill is digesting my reply2 for whom ,i think we shall1 between us1 find work for some time4 8,you will not set shoulder to shoulder1 or you could say something about the ,church4 ,two are better than one4 ,if we live till ,august1 stand by me1 and we will put the matter home4 8,i often cry out1 ,vit me redde priori6 ,let me be again an ,oxford ,methodist4 ,i am often in doubt whether it would not be best for me to resume all my ,oxford rules1 great and small4 ,i did then walk closely with ,god1 and redeem the time4 ,but what have ,i been doing these thirty years8 ,my love to all4 ,adieu6--,,john ,,wesley40#agg ,the concluding sentences of these extracts sound strangely4 ,did afflicted ,wesley1 amid the ,london fog of a dark ,december day1 really think1 that the last thirty years had been comparatively wasted1 and that he was more pious when almost a cloistered monk within the walls of ,oxford1 than he was now1 a veteran evangelist1 flying through the three kingdoms1 and preaching the gospel of ,god his ,saviour8 ,his medical adviser came not near him2 ,sir ,richard ,hill was wantonly assailing him2 his brother1 except as a localised pastor in ,london and in ,bristol1 was of no use to him2 his wife1--bah6 ,is it surprising1 that even ,wesley had seasons of depression2 and that1 like others1 he was sometimes 8in heaviness through manifold temptations08 ,but it is time to turn to the ,calvinian controversy1 which we left raging in #agga4 ,wesley rarely mentions it1 either in his journal or in his letters1 and yet it continued with undiminished fury4 ,fletcher1 of ,madeley1 again entered the field of battle1 by publishing 8,a ,third ,check to ,antinomianism10 in a letter to ,sir ,richard ,hill1 #abmo1 #aad pages4 ,this was not only a defence of ,wesley1 but a triumphant answer to the 8,five ,letters0 of the baronet1 and is written in a style exceedingly beautiful and ,christian4 ,before the year was out1 it reached a second edition4 ,fletcher's other publication1 in #aggb1 was 8,logica ,genevensis2 or1 a ,fourth ,check to ,antinomianism3 in which ,st4 ,james's pure religion is defended against the charges1 and established upon the concessions1 of ,mr4 ,richard and ,mr4 ,rowland ,hill4 ,in a ,series of ,letters to those ,gentlemen40 #abmo1 #bcg pages4#agh ,it is no part of our present plan to give even the briefest analysis of these masterly productions4 ,suffice it to say1 that1 for sound scriptural argument1 able exposition1 lively imagination1 elegance of style1 polished irony1 and ,christian temper1 they have no superiors4 ,the two brothers1 notwithstanding their goodness1 their learning1 their genius1 and their pluck1 were but pigmies in the grasp of a ,goliath4 ,rowland ,hill1 a young man of twenty-seven1 had experienced the mortification of being refused ordination by not fewer than six bishops1 and was a roving evangelist1 preaching with great success in ,whitefield's ,london ,tabernacle1 in ,bristol1 ,bath1 and all over the west of ,england4 ,at the commencement of the controversy1 ,berridge wrote to him thus3 8,the late contest at ,bristol seems to turn upon this hinge1 whether it shall be ,pope ,john or ,pope ,joan4 ,my dear friend1 keep out of all controversy1 and wage no war but with the devil40#agi ,unfortunately for himself1 the young preacher did not follow the counsel of the vicar of ,everton1 but1 in #aggb1 issued an octavo pamphlet of #ga pages1 entitled 8,friendly ,remarks occasioned by the ,spirit and ,doctrines contained in the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,fletcher's ,vindication1 and more particularly in his ,second ,check to ,antinomianism1 to which is added a ,postscript1 occasioned by his ,third ,check40 ,the production is what might be expected from ,,young ,rowland ,hill4 ,fletcher is accused of using 8tartness of style10 8banter10 8contempt10 8numberless sneers1 taunts1 and sarcasms20 8infernal terms of darkness10 8bravado10 8slander10 8high flown metaphors10 8frothy declamation10 8odious appellations10 8glaring inconsistencies10 8palpable mistakes40 ,he says1 8,wesley has been a proverb for his contradictions for above thirty years40 ,the 8,hymns on ,god's ,everlasting ,love10 8formerly sent forth from the ,foundery10 are stigmatised as 8certain godly lampoons of famous memory40 ,this was pretty strong to come from a stripling not yet ordained4 ,his brother also was not a laggard4 ,without loss of time1 he published an octavo volume of #aea pages1 with the following gigantic title3 8,a ,review of all the ,doctrines taught by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley2 containing a full and particular ,answer to a ,book entitled #8,a ,second ,check to ,antinomianism4' ,in six ,letters to the ,author of that ,book2 wherein the ,doctrines of a twofold ,justification1 ,free ,will1 ,man's ,merit1 ,sinless ,perfection1 ,finished ,salvation1 and ,real ,antinomianism are particularly discussed1 and the ,puritan ,divines vindicated from the ,charges brought against them of holding ,mr4 ,wesley's ,doctrines4 ,to which is added1 a ,farrago of ,hot and ,cold ,medicines4 ,by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley1 ,author of the #8,preservative against ,unsettled ,notions in ,religion4' ,extracted from his own ,publications40 ,richard ,hill's scurrility is quite equal to his brother's4 ,he writes3 8,o my dear sir1 ,i never could have supposed that sneer1 banter1 and sarcasm1 yea1 notorious falsehoods1 calumny1 and gross perversions1 would have appeared under the sanction of your venerable name40 ,he tells ,fletcher that he 8dips his pen in gall10 and 8maintains his cause by artful insinuations40 8,in your first letter10 says he1 8,i really cannot find many lines together free from gross misrepresentations and perversions1 and hardly one single paragraph exempt from cutting sneers and low sarcasms40 8,your pages10 he adds1 8are as totally void of solid ,scripture argument as they are replete with calumny1 gross perversions and equivocations40 ,wesley is treated with the same bitterness as ,fletcher4 8,his opinions0 are said to be 8a mixture of ,pelagianism1 semi-,pelagianism1 ,arminianism1 popery1 mysticism1 and quakerism40 ,such quotations might be multiplied ad nauseam2 but the reader has had enough4 ,suffice it to add1 that1 before the year #aggb was ended1 the public was blessed with 8a second1 corrected and enlarged edition0 of this loving effusion of the ,salopian baronet4 ,besides all this1 ,sir ,richard published1 in #aggb1 another octavo pamphlet of #af pages1 with the title1 8,some ,remarks on a ,pamphlet entitled ,a ,third ,check to ,antinomianism10 a production brief1 but1 like the rest1 far too rancorous4 ,scurrility is almost a sure sign of feeble arguments and a defenceless cause4 ,the two ,hills were not ,wesley's only antagonists4 ,toplady issued his 8,more ,work for ,mr4 ,john ,wesley2 or1 a ,vindication of the ,decrees and ,providence of ,god from the ,defamations of a late printed paper1 entitled #8,the ,consequence ,proved4'0 #hvo1 #ajd pages3 #aggb4ahj ,in his advertisement1 ,toplady tells his readers1 that he bears not the least ill will to ,wesley2 and that his manuscript had lain by him for several weeks1 8merely with a view of striking out1 from time to time1 whatever might savour of undue asperity and intemperate warmth40 ,the following extracts will show how far ,toplady succeeded in his pious and loving wish4 8,mr4 ,wesley has as much of the insidious in his composition1 as he has of the acid2 and it would be difficult to say which predominates40 8,he is for adding the lion to the fox4 ,he wishes not only to wheedle1 but to thunder the ,church out of her ,calvinism4 ,he is1 like ,mahommed1 for propagating his religion by the sword4 ,peals of anathemas are issued1 and torrents of the lowest calumny are thrown out1 against all who abide by the thirty-nine articles4 ,pope ,john's authority may have some weight with such men as ,messrs4 ,walter ,sellon1 ,haddon ,smith1 and ,thomas ,olivers2 but not an inch beyond the purlieus of ignorance1 prejudice1 and superstition will his dictatorship extend40 8,his mode of phraseology is as pregnant with craft as his conduct is destitute of honour4 ,he first hatches blasphemy1 and then fathers it on others40 8,his forehead must be petrified1 and quite impervious to a blush40 8,he sits down1 and deliberately writes a known1 wilful1 palpable lie to the public40 8,he is a pitiful nibbler at the file he cannot bite40 8,thomas ,olivers1 a journeyman shoemaker1 retained by ,mr4 ,wesley as a lay preacher at the rate of #aj per annum1 is his bully in chief4 ,in chief1 did ,i say8 ,i had forgot the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,walter ,sellon2 prunella claims precedency of leather2 ,thomas is only second in commission4 ,mr4 ,wesley skulks for shelter under a cobbler's apron40 8,has ,tom1 the shoemaker1 more learning1 or more integrity1 than ,john the priest80 8,without the least heat or emotion1 ,i plainly say1 ,mr4 ,wesley lies40#aha ,the following is part of ,mr4 ,toplady's concluding paragraph4 8,one word to ,mr4 ,wesley himself1 and ,i have done4 ,time1 sir1 has already whitened your locks2 and the hour must shortly come1 which will transmit you to the tribunal of that ,god1 on whose sovereignty a great part of your life has been one continued assault4 ,at that bar ,i too must hold up my hand4 ,omniscience only can tell1 which of us shall first appear before the ,judge of all4 ,i shortly may1 you shortly must4 ,the part you have been permitted to act in the religious world will1 sooner or later1 sit heavy on your mind4 ,depend upon it1 a period will arrive when the ,father's electing mercy and the ,messiah's adorable righteousness1 will appear in your eyes1 even in yours1 to be the only safe anchorage for a dying sinner4 ,i mean1 unless you are actually given over to final obduration2 which1 ,i trust1 you are not2 and to which1 ,i most ardently beseech ,god1 you never may40 ,poor young ,augustus ,toplady1 now thirty-one years of age1 after doing his utmost to purge his pamphlet from offensive expressions1 thus1 by the electing grace of ,god1 speaks of a man approaching seventy4 ,little did he think1 that within seven years he himself would stand before that bar with which he threatened ,wesley2 and that the hoary headed man1 who he thought might be 8given over to final obduration10 would be his survivor nearly thirteen years4 ,besides all this public annoyance1 ,wesley and ,fletcher had sent to them anonymous letters of the vilest description4 ,two may suffice as specimens4 ,both have ,birmingham post mark1 and both were addressed to ,fletcher4 ,both are in the same handwriting2 the orthography of one is correct1 but of the other purposely otherwise4 ,in the first are ink sketches of ,wesley and ,fletcher in two pulpits1 and pelting each other with ,bibles4 ,in the other1 ,wesley is represented as being hanged1 and ,fletcher is shooting him after he is dead4 ,take an extract from the first1 which1 though bad enough1 is not the worst that it contains4 8,i ,,have sent you a short poem upon parson ,wesley4 #8,there wos a man1 ,hold ,wesley by name1 ,i rother think yo'll bee thee same1 ,from every porsun he gets tuppence a week-- ,i wish hee was hear1 and ,i'd give him a kick4 ,he open'd a meeting ,inn this town1 ,and all the benchees dyd fall doun1 ,i was in the meeting at the same tyme1 ,but ,o ,i cannot find a rheime4 ,you preach'd a ,charrity sermun wonce1 ,and sat in the pulpit like old ,punch4'0 ,what had ,wesley done to deserve all this8 ,literally nothing1 except publishing the brief and imperfect minutes of a conversation he had with his itinerant preachers in #aggj1 on the subject of ,calvinism2 and1 further1 three small tracts1 one an abridgment of ,toplady's ,zanchius2 another an answer to the question1 8,what is an ,arminian80 and the third1 8,the ,consequence ,proved40 ,this was absolutely the sum total of his offence so far as the public was concerned4 ,the minutes fill little more than an octavo page1 and contain not the slightest reflection upon any one under heaven4 ,the description of an ,arminian occupies only eight pages #abmo1 and merely states1 in the most temperate terms1 the difference between the ,arminian and ,calvinistic creeds4 ,from first to last1 the name of no living man is mentioned1 except the name of ,wesley himself4 ,the abridgment of ,toplady's ,zanchius fills only twelve pages #abmo1 and is honestly and fairly made4 ,the only thing in it1 that can1 with any degree of fairness1 be considered personal1 is the summing up of the principles of ,zanchius1 which occupy half-a-dozen lines1 and to which ,wesley appended the words1 characteristic enough of the young predestinarian whose translation he was abridging1 8,reader1 believe this1 or be damned4 ,witness my hand1 ,a---- ,t----40 ,then1 in reference to the third tract1 8,the ,consequence ,proved10 the printed matter fills just eight pages #abmo1 and there is absolutely nothing in it but what is fair argument1 except that ,wesley calls ,toplady 8a young1 bold man10 and says he will leave him 8to be farther corrected by one that is full his match1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,olivers40 ,this is all1 literally all2 the first and last2 the substance and the details of ,wesley's offending4 ,the two ,hills1 one of them not yet forty1 and the other not yet thirty years of age1 are never mentioned1 or in the least alluded to1 in any of ,wesley's publications just named4 ,and yet1 because an old man1 who1 for more than thirty years1 had been incessantly traversing the three kingdoms to preach the gospel of ,god his ,saviour1 happens to express1 in the most temperate language1 an opinion contrary to the ,calvinian creed1 he becomes the butt of the disgraceful abuse1 specimens of which have been given in the previous pages4 ,for many a long year1 ,wesley was lampooned in newspapers and magazines1 and in tracts and pamphlets written by two different classes of literary men--,samuel ,foote1 the comedian1 the representative of one1 and ,george ,lavington1 the merryandrew bishop1 the representative of the other3 but now these were silent2 and1 in their stead1 we have another set of opponents1 far more angry than the former ones1 animated by a spirit quite as bitter1 and using opprobrious epithets almost more offensive2 men believing themselves to be among ,god's elect1 called1 and converted2 loud religious professors1 and adepts in the art of railing2 profound admirers of the dead ,whitefield1 but perfect haters of ,whitefield's surviving friend1 ,wesley4 ,in turn1 ,wesley had encountered mobs and men of letters1 drunken parsons1 furious papists1 honest infidels1 and others2 but1 of all his enemies1 his last were his bitterest and worst1 ,calvinistic ,christians66 ,some will blame the writer for furnishing modern readers with specimens of the foul mouthed language used1 respecting ,wesley1 by some of the most flaming professors of ,christ's religion a hundred years ago4 ,his answer is1 the task is far from pleasant2 but without a knowledge of ,wesley's unmerited and unparalleled persecutions1 who can have a just conception of ,wesley's character8 ,the result of such exposures1 it is true1 is not only to enhance the fame of ,wesley1 but to blot the history of his opponents4 ,this no one regrets more deeply than the present writer2 but he cannot help it4 ,besides1 it is a fact1 which cannot be denied1 that there are some sins which1 even though repented of1 and pardoned1 are1 in the present world1 always punished4 ,a man rails1 and ,god forgives him2 but even forgiveness cannot prevent his railing injuring his character4 ,injured fame1 in such a case1 is a penalty unavoidable1 reasonable1 and right4 ,we have furnished specimens of the foolish and disgraceful ravings of ,richard and ,rowland ,hill4 ,what was ,wesley's reply8 ,there is a quiet irony in one of the entries in his journal1 which is worth quoting3 8#aggb4 ,july4 #aa--;,i was presented with ,mr4 ,hill's ,review1 a curiosity in its kind4 ,but it has nothing to do either with good nature or good manners2 for he is writing to an ,arminian4 ,i almost wonder at his passionate desire to measure swords with me4 ,this is the third time he has fallen upon me without fear or wit4 ,tandem extorquebis ut vapules40 ,accordingly1 ,wesley prepared and published 8,some ,remarks on ,mr4 ,hill's #8,review of all the ,doctrines taught by ,mr4 ,john ,wesley4'0 ,this is the tartest of ,wesley's publications1 and not without reason4 ,he writes3 8,mr4 ,fletcher imagined that his opponents would have received his words in the same spirit wherein they were spoken2 but they turn them all into poison4 ,he not only loses his sweet words1 but they are turned into bitterness1 are interpreted as mere sneer and sarcasm6 ,a good lesson for me6 ,i had designed to have transcribed ,mr4 ,fletcher's character of ,mr4 ,hill1#ahb and to have added a little thereto1 in hope of softening his spirit2 but ,i see it is in vain2 as well might one hope to soften #8,inexorable ,pluto1 king of shades6' 8,since he is capable of putting such a construction1 even upon ,mr4 ,fletcher's gentleness and mildness1 what will he not ascribe to me8 ,i have done1 therefore1 with humbling myself to these men1--to ,mr4 ,hill and his associates2 ,i have humbled myself to them for these thirty years1 but will do it no more4 ,i have done with attempting to soften their spirits2 it is all lost labour4 ,upon men of an ingenuous temper ,i have been able to fix an obligation4 ,bishop ,gibson1 ,dr4 ,church1 and even ,dr4 ,taylor1 were obliged to me for not pushing my advantage4 ,but it is not so with these2 whatever mercy you show1 you are to expect no mercy from them4 #8,mercy1' did ,i say8 ,alas6 ,i expect no justice2 no more than ,i have found already4 ,as they have wrested and distorted my words from the beginning1 so ,i expect they will do to the end4 ,mr4 ,hill's performance is a specimen4 ,such mercy1 such justice1 ,i am to expect6 ,for forty or fifty years1 ,i have been a little acquainted with controversial writers2 some of the ,romish persuasion1 some of our own ,church1 some ,dissenters of various denominations2 and ,i have found many among them as angry as he2 but one so bitter ,i have not found4 ,as a writer1 his name is ,wormwood40 ,this was unsheathing the sword1 and casting away the scabbard4 ,wesley proceeds1 in most trenchant style1 to defend himself against ,hill's grand objection1 self inconsistency4 ,our space renders it impossible to give an outline of ,wesley's answers to the charges1 so recklessly brought against him4 ,the following is a part of his conclusion3 8,i now look back on a train of incidents that have occurred for many months last past1 and adore a wise and gracious ,providence1 ordering all things well6 ,when the circular letter was first dispersed throughout ,great ,britain and ,ireland1 ,i did not conceive the immense good which ,god was about to bring out of that evil4 ,but no sooner did ,mr4 ,fletcher's first ,letters appear than the scene began to open2 and the design of ,providence opened more and more1 when ,mr4 ,shirley's ,narrative1 and ,mr4 ,hill's ,letters1 constrained him to write his ,second and ,third ,checks to ,antinomianism4 ,it was then indisputably clear1 that neither my brother nor ,i had borne a sufficient testimony to the truth4 ,for many years1 from a well meant1 but ill judged1 tenderness1 we had suffered the reprobation preachers 7vulgarly called #8gospel preachers'7 to spread their poison1 almost without opposition4 ,but1 at length1 they have awakened us out of sleep3 ,mr4 ,hill has answered for all his brethren1 roundly declaring1 that #8any agreement with election doubters is a covenant with death4' ,it is well3 we are now forewarned and forearmed4 ,we look for neither peace nor truce with any who do not openly and expressly renounce this diabolical sentiment4 ,but since ,god is on our side1 we will not fear what man can do unto us4 ,we never before saw our way clear1 to do any more than act on the defensive4 ,but since the circular letter has sounded the alarm1 has called forth all their hosts to war2 and since ,mr4 ,hill has answered the call1 drawing the sword1 and throwing away the scabbard2 what remains1 but to own the hand of ,god1 and make a virtue of necessity8 ,i will no more desire any ,arminian1 so called1 to remain only on the defensive4 ,rather chase the fiend1 reprobation1 to his own hell1 and every doctrine connected with it4 ,let none pity or spare one limb of either speculative or practical antinomianism1 or of any doctrine that naturally tends thereto2 only remembering that1 however we are treated by men1 who have a dispensation from the vulgar rules of justice and mercy1 we are not to fight them at their own weapons1 to return railing for railing4 ,those who plead the cause of the ,god of love are to imitate ,him they serve2 and1 however provoked1 to use no other weapons than those of truth and love1 of ,scripture and reason40 ,thus did ,wesley accept the challenge2 and it is not hazarding too much to make the assertion1 that ,fletcher's almost inimitable polemical productions1 and ,wesley's own sermons1 together with his ,arminian ,magazine1 started six years afterwards1 did what ,wesley wished1 namely drove the fiendish doctrine of reprobation to its 8own hell10 and gave a blow to the ,calvinian theory1 which has been felt from that time to this4 ,wesley's other publications1 in #aggb1 were the following4 #a4 ,a revised and enlarged edition of the minutes of his conferences4 #b4 ,the issue of eleven volumes of his revised and collected works1 making a little more than #cijj printed #abmo pages4 #c4 ,two political tracts3 one entitled1 8,thoughts upon ,liberty02 the other1 8,thoughts concerning the ,origin of ,power40 ,the disturbed state of the nation1 at this period1 has been already sketched4 ,junius and ,john ,wilkes were the arch agitators of the day1 and well-nigh drove the nation into rebellion4 ,hampson states that1 when the ,letters of ,junius appeared1 ,wesley offered his services to the government1 and proposed to answer them1 saying1 8,i will show the difference between rhetoric and logic40#ahc ,we have no means of either substantiating or contradicting this2 but ,wesley's 8,thoughts upon ,liberty0 fully show that ,wilkes1 the demagogue1 was no favourite of his1 and that ,king ,george had no truer or more loyal subject than the leader of the ,methodists4 ,in his second tract1 ,wesley combats the theory1 that the people of a nation are the 8origin of power40 ,he shows that1 if this were true1 every man1 woman1 and child ought to possess the electoral franchise1 and to be allowed to take a part in constituting parliaments and governmental cabinets4 ,he taunts1 with withering sarcasm1 the advocates of such a theory1 on the ground1 that they themselves resist the facts their theory implies1 because they allowed none to vote except freeholders of forty shillings yearly value1 and not even them unless they had arrived at the age of twenty one4 8,worse and worse10 he writes3 8after depriving half the human species of their natural rights for want of a beard2 after depriving myriads more for want of a stiff beard1 for not having lived one-and-twenty years2 you rob others of their birthright for want of money6 ,yet not altogether on this account either2 for here is an ,englishman who has money enough to buy the estates of fifty freeholders1 and yet he must not be numbered among the people because he has not two or three acres of land40 ,having shown the absurdities which1 as he thinks1 the theory involves1 he then concludes3 8,common sense brings us back to the grand truth1 #8,there is no power but of ,god4'0 ,wesley's tract is little known2 but the radical politicians of the present age would be none the worse for studying the principles to which it summarily adverts4#ahd ,,footnotes3 #aeb ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahce1 p4 #hjd4 #aec 8,encyclopdia ,britannica10 article 8,slavery40 #aed ,manuscript2 and ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahce1 p4 #did4 #aee ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghe1 p4 #afg4 #aef ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #dc4 #aeg ,messrs4 ,romaine and ,madan4 #aeh ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghj1 p4 #edf4 #aei ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghh1 p4 #bag4 #afj ,mrs4 ,rogers' manuscript journal4 #afa ,manuscript4 #afb ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdb1 p4 #gbh4 #afc ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #abi4 #afd ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghe1 p4 #afi4 #afe ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 iii41 p4 #ddi4 #aff ,ibid4 vol4 xii41 p4 #cfi4 #afg 8,memoir of ,mrs4 ,mortimer10 p4 #cg2 and ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 iii41 p4 #ddi4 #afh 8,methodism in ,halifax10 p4 #aba4 #afi ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahjh1 p4 #dhb4 #agj ,irish ,evangelist1 ,april1 #ahfd4 #aga ,wesley justly appends a note to this3 8,let the unbiased reader judge1 whether ,mr4 ,fletcher has made use of groundless arguments or bitter invectives40 #agb ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghe1 p4 #ccf4 #agc ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #ceg4 #agd ,mr4 ,george ,mackie has the credit of founding this society4 ,he died in #ahba1 after being a member of the ,methodist society more than fifty years1 and a zealous and respected local preacher for forty4--7,methodist ,magazine1 #ahba1 p4 #ici47 ,the rules of the ,christian ,community1 published in #ahaa1 required1 that1 8in order to admission1 every candidate must have been a member of the late ,rev4 ,john ,wesley's society twelve months2 a man of strict piety and irreproachable character2 and having a gift for prayer and exhortation40 #age ,the number of services held1 indoors and out1 during the year #ahfg1 was #feeh1 and the number of addresses given #gebd4 #agf ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 vii41 p4 #cij4 #agg ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 pp4 #acj1 #aca4 #agh ,toplady writes1 ,november #bg1 #aggb3 8,i am informed1 that inveterate troubler in ,israel1 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley1 has lately published a fourth squib against ,mr4 ,hill4 ,what a mercy it is1 that the enemies of the gospel1 amidst all their plenitude of malice1 have little skill and less power6 ,mr4 ,wesley1 considered as a reasoner1 is one of the most contemptible writers that ever set pen to paper60 7,toplady's ,posthumous ,works1 #hvo1 #aghj1 p4 #ccj47 #agi ,rowland ,hill's ,life1 p4 #dbh4 #ahj ,besides the above1 there were also published1 at this period1 the two following pamphlets1 by ,jonathan ,warne1 of ,southwark3 8,arminianism1 the ,back ,door to ,popery30 price one shilling4 ,and 8,the ,downfall of ,arminianism2 or ,arminians tried and cast1 before the ,right ,honourable the ,lord ,chief ,justice ,truth1 for holding and propagating false opinions concerning the five following points1 viz43 7#a7 ,absolute election2 7#b7 ,particular redemption2 7#c7 ,the efficacy of ,god's grace in conversion2 7#d7 ,the impotency of man's will in conversion2 7#e7 ,the final perseverance of the regenerate40 #hvo1 #ade pages4 #aha ,the italic words are emphasized in the original4 #ahb ,sir ,richard ,hill did not obtain his title till the death of his father1 in #aghc4 #ahc ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 iii41 p4 #afj4 #ahd ,to understand some of the allusions1 in these two political tracts1 it is necessary to remember that1 in #aggb1 a petition was presented to parliament1 signed by about #bej of the clergy1 and a considerable number of the members of the professions of civil law and physic1 praying to be relieved from the necessity of subscribing to the thirty-nine articles of the ,established ,church2 and that a bill was passed1 in the ,house of ,commons1 annulling that part of the ,act of ,toleration which authorised the infliction of heavy penalties upon the ministers1 schoolmasters1 and private tutors of ,dissenters1 unless they subscribed to all the doctrinal parts of the thirty-nine articles4 ,the bill passed the ,commons triumphantly2 the ,lords1 by a large majority1 rejected it6 #aggc4 ,age #gj ,the year #aggc will always be memorable in ,english annals4 ,it was now that the embryo rebellion in the ,american colonies broke out into overt acts4 ,insults were offered to the ,british flag2 a ,british ship of war was boarded and burnt2 and the cargoes of tea1 which ,lord ,north had allowed to be exported from ,england1 duty free1 were seized by rioters and sham ,indians1 and were discharged into the ocean with the utmost jubilation4 ,endless debates took place in the ,english parliament2 and fearful fights were fought on the coasts1 and in the wilds and prairies of ,america4 ,george ,washington was made commander in chief2 and 8,the ,congress of the ,thirteen ,united ,colonies0 was organised4 ,for long years1 the one great absorbing care of the ,british parliament was the war in the western world4 ,wesley's health was still seriously affected2 and1 hence1 he spent his leisure hours1 in the beginning of #aggc1 in examining his letters and other manuscripts1 so as to determine what he should leave behind him4 ,he writes3 8,i made an end of revising my letters2 and could not but make one remark1--that1 for above these forty years1 of all the friends who were once the most closely united1 and afterwards separated from me1 every one had separated himself6 ,he left me1 not ,i him4 ,and from both mine and their own letters1 the steps whereby they did this are clear and undeniable40 ,we have already seen1 that ,wesley thought of making ,fletcher of ,madeley his literary executor2 but he now did more than this4 ,hence the following letter1 sent to ,fletcher in ,january #aggc1 and written at ,shoreham1 doubtless at the venerable ,perronet's1 with whom ,wesley had gone to take counsel4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,what an amazing work has ,god wrought in these kingdoms1 in less than forty years6 ,and it not only continues1 but increases1 throughout ,england1 ,scotland1 and ,ireland2 nay1 it has lately spread into ,new ,york1 ,pennsylvania1 ,virginia1 ,maryland1 and ,carolina4 ,but the wise men of the world say1 #8,when ,mr4 ,wesley drops1 then all this is at an end6' ,and so surely it will1 unless1 before ,god calls him hence1 one is found to stand in his place4 ,for 4 4 ,i see1 more and more1 unless there be one 1 the work can never be carried on4 ,the body of the preachers are not united2 nor will any part of them submit to the rest2 so that1 either there must be one to preside over all1 or the work will indeed come to an end4 8,but who is sufficient for these things8 qualified to preside both over the preachers and people8 ,he must be a man of faith and love1 and one that has a single eye to the advancement of the kingdom of ,god4 ,he must have a clear understanding2 a knowledge of men and things1 particularly of the ,methodist doctrine and discipline2 a ready utterance2 diligence and activity1 with a tolerable share of health4 ,there must be added to these1 favour with the people1 with the ,methodists in general4 ,for unless ,god turn their eyes and their hearts toward him1 he will be quite incapable of the work4 ,he must1 likewise1 have some degree of learning2 because there are many adversaries1 learned as well as unlearned1 whose mouths must be stopped4 ,but this cannot be done1 unless he be able to meet them on their own ground4 8,but has ,god provided one so qualified8 ,who is he8 ,thou art the man6 ,god has given you a measure of loving faith2 and a single eye to ,his glory4 ,he has given you some knowledge of men and things2 particularly of the whole plan of ,methodism4 ,you are blessed with some health1 activity1 and diligence2 together with a degree of learning4 ,and to all these ,he has lately added1 by a way none could have foreseen1 favour both with the preachers and the whole people4 ,come out1 then1 in the name of ,god6 ,come to the help of the ,lord against the mighty6 ,come while ,i am alive and capable of labour6 ,come1 while ,i am able1 ,god assisting1 to build you up in faith1 to ripen your gifts1 and to introduce you to the people6 ,nil tanti4 ,what possible employment can you have1 which is of so great importance8 8,but you will naturally say1 #8,i am not equal to the task2 ,i have neither grace nor gifts for such an employment4' ,you say true2 it is certain you have not4 ,and who has8 ,but do you not know ,him who is able to give them8 ,perhaps not at once1 but rather day by day2 as each is1 so shall your strength be4 8#8,but this implies1' you may say1 #8a thousand crosses1 such as ,i feel ,i am not able to bear4' ,you are not able to bear them now2 and they are not now come4 ,whenever they do come1 will ,he not send them in due number1 weight and measure8 ,and will they not all be for your profit1 that you may be a partaker of ,his holiness8 8,without conferring1 therefore1 with flesh and blood1 come and strengthen the hands1 comfort the heart1 and share the labour of your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ahe ,this was a momentous proposal4 ,why was it not made to ,wesley's brother8 ,we cannot tell2 but the following is ,fletcher's answer4 8,,madeley1 ,february #f1 #aggc4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,i hope the ,lord1 who has so wonderfully stood by you hitherto1 will preserve you to see many of your sheep1 and me among the rest1 enter into rest4 ,should ,providence call you first1 ,i shall do my best1 by the ,lord's assistance1 to help your brother to gather the wreck1 and keep together those who are not absolutely bent upon throwing away the ,methodist doctrine or discipline4 ,every little help will then be necessary2 and1 ,i hope1 ,i shall not be backward to throw in my mite4 8,in the meantime1 you stand sometimes in need of an assistant to serve tables1 and occasionally to fill up a gap4 ,providence visibly appointed me to that office many years ago2 and1 though it no less evidently called me here1 yet ,i have not been without doubt1 especially for some years past1 whether it would not be expedient that ,i should resume my place as your deacon2 not with any view of presiding over the ,methodists after you1 7,god knows67 but to save you a little in your old age1 and be in the way of receiving1 and perhaps of doing1 more good4 ,i have sometimes considered how shameful it was that no clergyman should join you1 to keep in the ,church the work which the ,lord had enabled you to carry on therein2 and1 as the little estate ,i have in my native country is sufficient for my maintenance1 ,i have thought ,i would1 one day or other1 offer you and the ,methodists my free services4 8,while my love of retirement1 and my dread of appearing upon a higher stage than that ,i stand upon here1 made me linger1 ,i was providentially called to do something in ,lady ,huntingdon's plan2 but1 being shut out there1 it appears to me1 ,i am again called to my first work4 8,nevertheless1 ,i would not leave this place1 without a fuller persuasion that the time is quite come4 ,not that ,god uses me much now among my parishioners1 but because ,i have not sufficiently cleared my conscience from the blood of all men1 especially with regard to ferreting out the poor1 and expostulating with the rich1 who make it their business to fly from me4 ,in the meantime1 it shall be my employment to beg the ,lord to give me light1 and make me willing to go anywhere or nowhere1 to be anything or nothing4 8,i have laid my pen aside for some time2 nevertheless1 ,i resumed it last week1 at your brother's request1 to go on with my treatise on ,christian perfection4 ,i have made some alterations in the sheets you have seen1 and hope to have a few more ready for your correction1 against the time you come this way4 ,how deep is the subject6 ,what need have ,i of the ,spirit1 to search the deep things of ,god6 ,help me by your prayers1 till you can help me by word of mouth4 8,i am1 reverend and dear sir1 your willing1 though unprofitable1 servant in the gospel1 8,,john ,,fletcher40#ahf ,at the beginning of ,july1 ,wesley had an interview with ,fletcher at ,madeley1 and1 on reaching ,london1 sent him the following hitherto unpublished letter4 8,,lewisham1 ,july #ba1 #aggc4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,it was a great satisfaction to me1 that ,i had the opportunity1 which ,i so long desired1 of spending a little time with you4 ,and ,i really think it would answer many gracious designs of ,providence were we to spend a little more time together4 ,it might be of great advantage both to ourselves and the people1 who may otherwise soon be as sheep without a shepherd4 ,you say indeed1 #8whenever it pleases ,god to call me away1 you will do all you can to help them4' ,but will it not then be too late8 ,you may then expect grievous wolves to break in on every side2 and many to arise from among themselves1 speaking perverse things4 ,both the one and the other stand in awe of me1 and do not care to encounter me2 so that ,i am able1 whether they will or no1 to deliver the flock into your hands4 ,but no one else is4 ,and it seems1 this is the very time when it may be done with the least difficulty4 ,just now the minds of the people in general are1 on account of the ,checks1 greatly prejudiced in your favour4 ,should we not discern the providential time8 ,should we stay till the impression is worn away8 ,just now1 we have an opportunity of breaking the ice1 of making a little trial4 ,mr4 ,richardson is desirous of making an exchange with you1 and spending two or three weeks at ,madeley4 ,this might be done either now1 or in ,october1 when ,i hope to return from ,bristol4 ,and till something of this kind is done1 you will not have that for the people which alone can make your labour light in spending and being spent for them4 ,methinks 'tis pity we should lose any time2 for what a vapour is life6 8,i am1 dear sir1 your affectionate friend and brother1 ,,john ,,wesley40 ,so the matter ended1 though ,wesley was far from satisfied4 ,he writes3 8,i can never believe it was the will of ,god1 that such a burning and shining light should be hid under a bushel4 ,no2 instead of being confined to a country village1 it ought to have shone in every corner of our land4 ,he was full as much called to sound an alarm through all the nation as ,mr4 ,whitefield himself2 nay1 abundantly more so2 seeing he was far better qualified for that important work4 ,he had a far more striking person2 equal good breeding2 an equally winning address2 together with a richer flow of fancy2 a stronger understanding2 a far greater treasure of learning1 both in languages1 philosophy1 philology1 and divinity2 and1 above all1 a more deep and constant communion with the ,father1 and with the ,son ,jesus ,christ40#ahg ,no wonder that ,wesley was anxious for a suitable successor to take his place4 ,the work of which1 in the hand of ,god1 he was the principal supporter1 had not only spread throughout the three kingdoms1 but was rapidly extending beyond the ,atlantic4 ,already he had four of his itinerants in ,america2 and1 aged and feeble in health though he was1 he still entertained the thought of visiting that distant continent4#ahh ,among others1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,jarratt wrote him1 from ,virginia1 telling him that they had ninety-five parishes in the colony1 all1 excepting one1 supplied with clergymen1 but that ninety-three out of the ninety-four ministers appeared to be without 8the power and spirit of vital religion40 ,he thanks him for sending his preachers to ,america1 two of whom1 ,messrs4 ,pilmoor and ,williams1 were now labouring in ,virginia2 but asks1 8,what can two or three preachers do in such an extended country as this8 ,cannot you do something more for us8 ,cannot you send us a minister of the ,church of ,england1 to be stationed in the vacant parish8 ,i wish you could see how matters are among us4 ,this would serve instead of a thousand arguments1 to induce you to exert yourself in this affair40#ahi ,even this was not all4 ,during the year1 ,francis ,gilbert wrote to him from ,antigua1 telling him that 8almost the whole island seemed to be stirred up to seek the ,lord40 ,there were large congregations and constant preaching in his brother's house2 and they had1 at ,st4 ,john's1 a society of twenty whites and forty blacks4 8,here10 says ,mr4 ,gilbert1 8is work enough for three preachers2 as almost the entire island seems ripe for the gospel2 yet1 ,i cannot desire you to send them yet1 seeing the people are not at present able to bear the expenses2 for the fire1 the hurricane1 and the severe droughts have1 ,i suppose1 ruined two thirds of the inhabitants40#aij ,affairs in ,scotland were scarcely to ,wesley's mind4 ,writing to ,john ,bredin1 at ,aberdeen1 he says3 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,observe and enforce all our rules exactly as if you were in ,england1 or ,ireland4 ,by foolish complaisance our preachers1 in ,scotland1 have often done harm4 ,be all a ,methodist2 and strongly insist on full salvation to be received now by simple faith4 8,i am yours affectionately1 ,,john ,,wesley40#aia ,joseph ,benson had been urged to go to ,america2 but ,wesley deemed it desirable to send him across the ,tweed to put things right in the northern part of the kingdom4 8,god10 says he1 8has made practical divinity necessary1 and the devil controversial4 ,sometimes we must write and preach controversially2 but the less the better4 ,i think we have few1 if any1 of our travelling preachers1 that love controversy2 but there will always be men whose mouth it is necessary to stop2 antinomians and ,calvinists in particular4 ,by our long silence1 we have done much hurt1 both to them and the cause of ,god4 ,the more you preach abroad1 the better2 keep to the plain1 old ,methodist doctrine1 laid down in the minutes of the conference4 ,at ,trevecca1 you were a little warped from this2 but it was a right hand error4 ,you will be buried in ,scotland1 if you sell your mare and sit still4 ,keep her1 and ride continually4 ,sit not still1 at the peril of your soul and body6 ,billy ,thompson never satisfied me on this head1 not in the least degree4 ,i say still1 we will have travelling preachers in ,scotland1 or none4 ,our preachers shall either travel there1 as in ,england1 or else stay in ,england40#aib ,such were some of the difficulties which this veteran evangelist had to meet4 ,no wonder that he wished for help4 ,chapel debts1 also1 still pressed heavily upon him4 ,hence the following to ,mr4 ,hopper4 8,february #f1 #aggc4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i agreed last year1 though contrary to my judgment1 that we would have no more weekly subscriptions4 ,i purposed1 likewise1 in my own mind1 to concern myself with the debt no more4 ,but1 upon reflection1 it seemed to me1 there was one way still1 namely1 not to apply to the poor at all1 7though ,i would not reject any that offered17 but to take the burden on myself1 and try my personal interest with the rich4 ,i began at ,london1 where about #ejj are subscribed4 ,afterwards1 ,i wrote to many in the country4 ,liverpool circuit has subscribed about #ajj2 ,bradford circuit #acj4 ,it must be now or never4 ,i do not know that ,i shall concern myself with this matter any more4 ,till now we never had a rational prospect of clearing the whole debt in one year4 ,now it may be done4 ,it certainly will1 if our brethren1 in other circuits1 do as these above mentioned have done4 ,what ,i desire of you is to second the letters ,i have wrote1 encouraging each man of property in your circuit to exert himself2 at least1 to send me an answer3 this1 you know1 is but common civility4 ,now do what you can2 and show that you1 my old friend1 are not the last and least in love towards your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#aic ,it is now time to trace ,wesley's wanderings in #aggc4 ,on ,sunday evening1 ,march #g1 he set out from ,london to ,ireland1 taking1 for the first time1 his carriage with him1 which1 however1 he was deprived of the opportunity of using4 ,he writes3 8,march #cj--;,i was a little surprised to find the commissioners of the customs would not permit my chaise to be landed1 because1 they said1 the captain of a packet boat had no right to bring over goods4 ,poor pretence6 ,however1 ,i was more obliged to them than ,i then knew2 for had it come on shore1 it would have been utterly spoiled40 ,the result was1 that ,wesley had to hire a chaise instead of riding in his own2 a vehicle which at ,ballibac ferry went overboard1 and1 with difficulty1 was recovered2 and which1 on another occasion1 it took five hours to drag less than a dozen miles2 which1 in a third instance1 was disabled by the breaking of the hinder axletree2 and which1 more than once1 was in danger of being dashed to pieces by furious mobs4 ,everywhere his congregations were large4 ,in many instances1 he had whole troops of soldiers to hear him2 and nowhere did he meet with any serious disturbance1 except at ,waterford1 where the papists created a riot1 in which heavy blows were given2 and at ,enniskillen1 where a mob again and again fell upon the unfortunate carriage1 cut it with stones in several places1 smashed its windows1 and well-nigh covered it with sludge4 ,three months were spent in itinerating the sister kingdom4 ,scores of towns and villages1 between ,dublin and ,galway1 ,belfast and ,cork1 were favoured with his ministry2 and diversified were the incidents with which he met4 ,at ,eyrecourt1 the crowd gave him a loud huzza as he passed into the market place to preach4 ,at ,clare1 for want of other accommodation1 he was glad to accept a bed in the soldiers' barracks4 ,at ,castlebar1 on finding the 8,charter school a picture of slothfulness1 nastiness1 and desolation2 and all the children1 not only dirty1 but with their stockings hanging about their heels1 and in a most disreputable plight1 he reported the facts to the trustees at ,dublin1 with the hope of effecting a reformation40 ,at ,limerick1 ,william ,myles1 a youth in the seventeenth year of his age1 was one of ,wesley's hearers1 began to meet in class1 and1 five years afterwards1 became an itinerant preacher4#aid ,at ,armagh1 he wrote his invaluable sermon 8,on ,predestination10 preached it at ,londonderry1 and1 at the request of several of the clergy1 published it4#aie ,at ,armagh1 also1 he heard what he had not heard for fifty years1--an anthem in a church4 ,at ,lisburn1 all his spare time was taken up by poor patients1 who came to him for physic4 ,he writes3 8,what has fashion to do with physic8 ,why1 in ,ireland almost as much as with headdress4 ,blisters1 for anything or nothing1 were all the fashion when ,i was in ,ireland last4 ,now the grand fashionable medicine1 for twenty diseases1 is mercury sublimate6 ,why is it not a halter1 or a pistol8 ,they would cure a little more speedily40 ,on the #eth of ,july1 ,wesley started for ,england1 having to hold his annual conference in ,london4 ,he says3 8,about eleven we crossed ,dublin bar1 and were at ,hoylake the next afternoon4 ,this was the first night ,i ever lay awake in my life1 though ,i was at ease in body and mind4 ,i believe few can say this3 in seventy years ,i never lost one night's sleep40 ,wesley reached the metropolis on the #agth of ,july2 and1 on the #bast1 made the following entry in his journal3 8,we had our quarterly meeting at ,london2 at which ,i was surprised to find1 that our income does not yet meet our expense4 ,we were again near #bjj bad4 ,my private account ,i find still worse4 ,i have laboured as much as many writers2 and all my labour has gained me1 in seventy years1 a debt of five or six hundred pounds40 ,there is some obscurity in this1 as will appear from the following correspondence4 8,to ,messrs4 ,,thomas ,,ball and ,,alexander ,,mather4 8,,lewisham1 ,february #bg1 #aggb4aif 8,,the thing which ,i desire you to do is this1 to see that an exact account be kept of all the books in ,great ,britain and ,ireland1 printed and sold on my account4 ,you comprehend how many particulars are contained under this general4 ,to do this accurately will require much thought4 ,but you will bear that burden for ,god's sake1 and for the sake of your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 7,reply47 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,i beg to lay before you ,mr4 ,mather's account1 sent me by letter of the #ahth past1 of the gross value of your books1 taken in ,february and ,march1 #aggc2 viz43-- s4 d4 8,in ,london1 etc4 #cged #d #j ,bristol #dbec #d #h ,country #bgaf #a #h ,cash #ahc #b #a ,debts #bc #b #a -------------- #ajibi #ae #d ,stock in ,february1 #aggb #hhcc #j #g -------------- #bjif #ad #i -------------- 8,supposed to be owing in ,march last to printers1 binders1 etc41 #ejj4 8,i am1 reverend sir1 your most obedient and dutiful servant1 8,,thomas ,,ball4 8,examined #bast ,september1 #aggc3--,,thomas ,,marriott1 ,,richard ,,kemp40#aig ,according to the above statement1 ,wesley was in debt to printers and binders to the amount of #ejj2 but1 at the same time1 he was possessed of books whose gross value was nearly #aa1jjj4 ,how to reconcile the discrepancy we hardly know4 ,the facts are furnished as we find them4 ,one thing is certain1 there was something wrong4 ,some have supposed that ,wesley's wife had1 by means of false keys1 obtained access to the book steward's cash1 and helped herself2#aih but of that there is no conclusive proof2 and it is certainly neither generous nor just to assert the thing without proving it4 ,all that we know further is1 that poor ,samuel ,franks1 the book steward1 a man of great uprightness and earnest piety1#aii but naturally of a sensitive disposition1 within a fortnight1 fell into a fit of insanity1 and hanged himself4#bjj ,without mentioning this1 ,wesley writes3 8,october #f--,the rest of the week ,i made what inquiry ,i could into the state of my accounts4 ,some confusion had arisen from the sudden death of my bookkeeper2 but it was less than might have been expected40 ,here we must leave the matter4 ,on the supposition that ,wesley considered his stock of books not his own1 but merely held in trust for the general good1 it was quite correct1 that1 as the result of his literary labours1 he was in debt to the amount1 as he himself says1 8of five or six hundred pounds40 ,in one respect1 he was the possessor of a large amount of property2 in another1 he was actually in debt4 ,wesley's conference began in ,london on ,august #c4 ,he writes3 8,august #c--,our conference began4 ,i preached mornings as well as evenings2 and it was all one4 ,i found myself just as strong as if ,i had preached but once a day40 ,good old simple hearted ,samuel ,bardsley1 then an itinerant of five years' standing1 writes1 in a manuscript letter now before us3 8,i never was at a more comfortable conference4 ,we had a deal of love among us4 ,dear ,mr4 ,wesley laboured hard4 ,i had the pleasure of hearing him preach twelve times4 ,he said1 he had not preached so much at a conference these twenty years1 and never was more assisted40 ,it was now that ,joseph ,bradford was received on trial2 and that ,thomas ,olivers was appointed to be ,wesley's travelling companion2 honest ,bradford taking the place of ,olivers a year afterwards1 and retaining it for the next eight years4 ,wesley's effort to extinguish the chapel debts had resulted in a subscription amounting to #bbcg4 ,forty-seven preachers were present1 and1 8in order to lay a foundation for future union10 signed the following agreement4 8,,we whose names are underwritten1 being thoroughly convinced of the necessity of a close union between those whom ,god is pleased to use as instruments in this glorious work1 in order to preserve this union between ourselves1 are resolved1 ,god being our helper1-- 8,i4 ,to devote ourselves entirely to ,god3 denying ourselves1 taking up our cross daily1 steadily aiming at one thing1 to save our own souls1 and them that hear us4 8,,ii4 ,to preach the old ,methodist doctrines1 and no other1 contained in the minutes of the conferences4 8,,iii4 ,to observe and enforce the whole ,methodist discipline1 laid down in the said minutes40 ,wesley had failed in obtaining the consent of ,fletcher to be his successor2 and1 hence1 the drawing up and signing of this conferential compact4 ,on the first ,sunday night1 after the conference concluded1 ,wesley set out1 by coach1 on his accustomed tour to ,cornwall1 which occupied the next three weeks4 ,in returning1 he spent a month at ,bristol1 and among the societies round about4 ,on ,october #f1 he started in his chaise1 at two o'clock in the morning1 and1 in the evening1 arrived in ,london2 thus1 in one winter's day1 driving in his own conveyance a distance of one hundred and fourteen miles4 ,the rest of ,october1 except the ,sundays1 was spent in what he calls his 8little tours10 through the five counties of ,bedford1 ,northampton1 ,oxford1 ,buckingham1 and ,kent4 ,ten days1 in ,november1 were spent in ,norfolk2 then he met the ,london classes2 and afterwards went off to ,sussex1 and then to ,kent4 ,the last entry in his year's itinerary is3 8,london3 ,december #be1 and on the following days1 we had many happy opportunities of celebrating the solemn feast days1 according to the design of their institution4 ,we concluded the year with a fast day1 closed with a solemn watchnight40 ,thus1 in observing feast and fast days1 ended the year #aggc4 ,one of these1 of course1 was ,christmas day1 another ,st4 ,stephen's1 a third ,st4 ,john's1 and a fourth the ,innocents' day4 ,to some it may seem strange1 that ,wesley1 the ,methodist1 should observe such festivals as these2 but1 in such matters1 ,wesley was still the ,churchman4 ,besides1 throughout life1 it was one of his most sacred delights to think1 not only of the living1 but likewise of the dead4 ,on the #abth of ,june1 in this very year of #aggc1 he wrote a letter1 an extract from which is worth preserving4 8,it has1 in all ages1 been allowed1 that the communion of saints extends to those in paradise1 as well as those on earth1 as they are all one body1 united under one ,head2 and #8,can death's interposing tide ,spirits one in ,christ divide8' 8,but it is difficult to say1 either what kind1 or what degree of union1 may be between them4 ,it is not improbable1 their fellowship with us is far more sensible than ours with them4 ,suppose any of them are present1 they are hid from our eyes1 but we are not hid from their sight4 ,they1 no doubt1 clearly discern all our words and actions1 if not all our thoughts too4 ,for it is hard to think these walls of flesh and blood can intercept the view of an angelic being4 ,but we have1 in general1 only a faint and indistinct perception of their presence1 unless in some peculiar instances1 where it may answer some gracious ends of ,divine ,providence4 ,then it may please ,god to permit1 that they should be perceptible1 either by some of our outward senses1 or by an internal sense1 for which human language has not a name4 ,but ,i suppose this is not a common blessing4 ,i have known but few instances of it4 ,to keep up constant and close communion with ,god is the most likely mean to obtain this also40#bja ,up to the present1 nothing has been said concerning the progress1 in #aggc1 of the ,calvinian controversy4 ,fletcher's pen was not idle1 but the only works he published were3 first1 8,an ,appeal to ,matter of ,fact and ,common ,sense2 or1 a ,rational ,demonstration of ,man's ,corrupt and ,lost ,estate10 #abmo1 #bif pages2 and1 secondly1 8,a ,dreadful ,phenomenon ,described and ,improved1 being a ,particular ,account of the ,earthquake at ,madeley1 on ,may #bg1 #aggc30 #abmo1 #ajd pages4 ,neither of these1 however1 had any immediate bearing on the matters in dispute4 ,on the other side1 good old ,berridge1 of ,everton1 brought out his 8,christian ,world ,unmasked02 which1 if full of faults1 is1 at all events1 free from dulness2 a book1 like its author1 often odd1 sometimes coarse1 but always pious2 full of genius1 and full of goodness2 seasoned with ,calvinism's highest flavour1 but entirely free from the personal scurrility so characteristic of others4 ,toplady sent nothing to the press2 but his private letters were as full of bitterness as ever4 8,i am told10 he writes1 8that ,mr4 ,fletcher has it in contemplation to make an attack on me4 ,he is welcome4 ,i am ready for him4 ,tenderness has no effect on ,mr4 ,wesley and his pretended family of love4 ,for my own part1 ,i shall never attempt to hew such millstones with a feather4 ,they must be served as nettles2 press them close1 and they cannot sting4 ,cobbler ,tom laments publicly1 from his preaching tub 7misnamed a pulpit71 that such an antinomian as myself should have such crowded auditories1 while the preachers of the pure gospel 7by which he means free will1 merit1 and perfection7 are so thinly attended4 ,the envy1 malice1 and fury of ,wesley's party are inconceivable4 ,but1 as violently as they hate me1 ,i dare not1 ,i cannot hate them in return4 ,i have not so learned ,christ4 ,your idea of ,mr4 ,john ,wesley and his associates exactly tallies with mine4 ,abstracted from all warmth1 and from all prejudice1 ,i believe him to be the most rancorous hater of the gospel system that ever appeared in ,england4 ,i except not ,pelagius himself4 ,the latter had some remains of modesty1 and preserved some appearances of decency2 but the former has outlived all pretentions to both40#bjb ,could this impulsive reviler be actually sincere1 when he said he durst not1 and could not1 hate ,wesley and his party8 ,toplady1 so far as printing was concerned1 was silent2 but ,richard ,hill begun the year as vigorously as ever1 by publishing his 8,finishing ,stroke2 containing some ,strictures on the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,fletcher's pamphlet1 entitled1 #8,logica ,genevensis1 or a ,fourth ,check to ,antinomianism3'0 #hvo1 #eg pages4 ,this characteristic piece is dated ,january #b1 #aggc4 ,the author confesses1 that he had formed a resolution to be silent2 but 8,logica ,genevensis0 was too provoking to be passed in silence4 ,this1 however1 was to be the real 8finishing stroke40 ,sir ,richard writes3 8the unfair quotations you have made1 and the shocking misrepresentations and calumnies you have been guilty of1 will1 for the future1 prevent me from looking into any of your books1 if you should write a thousand volumes4 ,so here the controversy must end2 at least1 it shall end for me40 ,poor ,sir ,richard6 ,such was his resolve2 and yet1 almost before the printer's ink was dry1 his godly impetuosity sent forth another octavo pamphlet1 of the same size as the former one1 entitled 8,logica ,wesleiensis2 or the ,farrago ,double ,distilled4 ,with an heroic ,poem in ,praise of ,mr4 ,john ,wesley30 #fc pages4 ,hill1 as usual1 is angry and vindictive4 ,he tells his readers1 that he had never seen ,wesley 8above four or five times in his life2 once in the pulpit at ,west ,street chapel2 once at a friend's house2 and once or twice at his own lodgings in ,vine ,street40 ,he writes3 8,i find it just as easy to catch an eel by the tail1 as to lay hold of ,mr4 ,wesley for one single moment4 ,oh1 what quirks1 quibbles1 and evasions does this gentleman descend to1 in order to shift off his own inconsistencies60 ,as a specimen of the writer's 8heroic poem10 we give the following4 8,a choice ,preservative ,i have1 ,the like was never known2 ,with potions1 juleps1 drops1 and pukes1 ,peculiarly my own4 ,help ,cobbler ,tom1 and thou ,swiss friend1 ,to lay ,john ,calvin's ghost2 ,for what with cynics1 bigots1 bears1 ,i fear the day is lost4 ,we three shall incantations raise1 ,with thunderings1 lightnings1 hail2 ,and if the hobgoblin won't avaunt1 ,i'll bring my comet's tail40 ,sir ,richard was not content with this4 ,during the year1 he published another octavo pamphlet1 of #cj pages1 with the wordy title1 8,three ,letters written by ,richard ,hill1 ,esq41 to the ,rev4 ,j4 ,fletcher1 vicar of ,madeley1 setting forth ,mr4 ,hill's ,reasons for declining any further ,controversy relative to ,mr4 ,wesley's ,principles40 ,he states1 that he has heard that ,fletcher 8wishes to have done with controversy20 and upon the strength of this1 he has written to his ,london bookseller to stop the sale of his own publications4 ,he begs pardon for 8whatever may have savoured too much of his own spirit02 and says1 restraint should be put upon several of ,wesley's preachers1 8particularly upon one ,perronet1 of whose superlatively abusive and insolent little piece ,charles ,wesley had testified his abhorrence from the pulpit40 ,he wishes ,wesley to be made acquainted with the action he has taken1 and says3 8,if ,i stop the sale of my books1 ,i hope that of the ,four ,checks will be stopped also40 ,he adds1 that his mother's death had recently taken place2 and then1 at the end of his pamphlet1 gives 8a proposed title0 to ,fletcher's works1 and also 8,a ,creed for ,arminians and ,perfectionists02 the latter signed by 8,j4 ,f41 ,j4 ,w41 and ,w4 ,s40 ,such is the substance of the three letters1 which1 in the first instance1 were sent to ,fletcher privately1 and were not intended for publication4 ,by some means1 however1 the fact of the letters having been written became bruited abroad1 and certain hasty logicians deduced the unauthorised inference1 that ,sir ,richard had recanted his ,calvinian doctrines4 ,this was too bitter a pill to be swallowed2 and1 hence1 the writer1 who was weary of the war1 gave his private letters to the public1 and attached to them a preface which had better not been penned4 ,for instance1 he speaks of ,thomas ,olivers as 8a journeyman cordwainer1 who had written a pamphlet against him1 which1 though in itself black of the grain1 was afterwards lacquered up1 new soled1 and heel tapped by his master1 before it was exposed to sale40 ,he adds3 8,i shall not take the least notice of him1 or read a line of his composition1 any more than1 if ,i was travelling1 ,i would stop to lash1 or even order my footman to lash1 every impertinent little quadruped in a village1 that should come out and bark at me2 but would willingly let the contemptible animal have the satisfaction of thinking he had driven me out of sight40 ,he then proceeds to accuse ,fletcher of 8misrepresenting facts10 and of using 8artifices1 false glosses1 pious frauds1 declamation1 chicanery1 and evasion1 to throw dust into the eyes of his readers20 and concludes1 by saying1 that though he cannot read any more of the productions of ,fletcher's pen1 and1 therefore1 cannot write replies to them1 yet1 notwithstanding all in his letters to the contrary1 he shall still keep on sale his 8,paris ,conversation02 his 8,five ,letters02 his 8,review of ,wesley's ,doctrines02 his 8,logica ,wesleiensis02 and his 8,finishing ,stroke40 ,such was the position of ,sir ,richard ,hill in #aggc4 ,he wished for peace4 ,why8 ,because he was vanquished4 ,what action did ,wesley take8 ,on the #ast of ,april was published1 8,some ,remarks on ,mr4 ,hill's ,farrago ,double ,distilled4 ,by ,john ,wesley40#bjc #abmo1 #dd pages4 ,wesley's 8,remarks0 are characterised by his wonted keenness1 courtesy1 wit1 and brevity4 ,in conclusion1 he writes3 8,i beg leave1 in my turn1 to give you a few advices4 #a4 ,be calm4 ,do not venture into the field again till you are master of your temper4 #b4 ,be good natured4 ,passion is not commendable2 but ill nature still less4 #c4 ,be courteous4 ,show good manners1 as well as good nature1 to your opponent1 of whatever kind4 #d4 ,be merciful4 ,when you have gained an advantage over your opponent1 do not press it to the uttermost4 ,remember the honest quaker's advice to his friend a few years ago3 #8,art thou not content to lay ,john ,wesley upon his back1 but thou wilt tread his guts out8' #e4 ,in writing1 do not consider yourself as a man of fortune1 or take any liberty with others on that account4 ,men of sense simply consider what is written2 not whether the writer be a lord or a cobbler4 #f4 ,lastly1 ,remember1 #8for every idle word men shall speak1 they shall give an account in the day of judgment4' ,remember1 #8by thy words shalt thou be justified2 or by thy words shalt thou be condemned4'0 ,wesley's other publications1 in #aggc1 were nine #abmo volumes of his collected works1 making together #cdci pages4 ,in these were included five small works1 now first published3 namely1--#a4 8,an ,extract of ,two ,discourses on the ,conflagration and ,renovation of the ,world3 written by ,james ,knight1 ,d4,d41 late ,vicar of ,st4 ,sepulchre1 ,london20 in which1 by the way1 a theory is propounded antagonistic to the millenarian theory1 which ,wesley countenanced some years before4 #b4 8,an ,extract from a ,treatise concerning ,religious ,affections3 by the late ,rev4 ,jonathan ,edwards40 #c4 8,a ,short ,account of ,john ,dillon40 #d4 8,instructions for ,members of ,religious ,societies40 #e4 8,christian ,reflections4 ,translated from the ,french40 ,these 8,reflections0 are three hundred and thirty-six in number4 ,we give one as a specimen of the rest4 8,the three greatest punishments which ,god can inflict on sinners1 in this world1 are3 #a4 ,to let loose their own desires upon them4 #b4 ,to let them succeed in all they wish for4 ,and1 #c4 ,to suffer them to continue many years in the quiet enjoyment thereof40 ,besides the above1 ,wesley also published 8,a ,short ,roman ,history40 #abmo1 #aee pages4 ,,footnotes3 #ahe ,whitehead's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cee4 #ahf ,moore's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #bei4 #ahg ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xi41 p4 #bhh4 #ahh ,asbury's ,journal1 vol4 i41 p4 #gb4 #ahi ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghf1 p4 #cig4 #aij ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghf1 p4 #efg4 #aia ,wesleyan ,times1 ,may #ac1 #ahfa4 #aib ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 pp4 #cia1 #cib4 #aic ,wesley's ,works1 vol xii41 p4 #bia4 #aid ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahca1 p4 #bij4 #aie ,ibid4 #aghb1 pp4 #eje1 #efe4 #aif ,query3 ought not this to be #aggc8 #aig ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdb1 p4 #ajac4 #aih ,manuscript4 #aii ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdb1 p4 #ajab4 #bjj ,manuscript4 #bja ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahje1 p4 #ebj4 #bjb ,toplady's ,posthumous ,works1 #aghj1 pp4 #cdc-cdf4 #bjc ,lloyd's ,evening ,post1 ,april #b1 #aggc4 #aggd4 ,age #ga ,references have been made to the state of ,wesley's health4 ,his labours had been undiminished1 and yet many of his friends had been anxious and alarmed4 ,john ,pawson1 in an unpublished letter1 dated ,bristol1 ,october #ad1 #aggc1 remarks3 8,mr4 ,wesley has been with us for some time4 ,he seems to be declining very fast2 and ,i think there is great reason to fear that he will not be with us long40 ,there was sufficient cause for solicitude4 ,wesley's pain1 during the last three years1 must have been acute2 and it is perfectly marvellous how he managed1 without a murmur1 and without abatement1 to do the whole of his accustomed work4 ,at the beginning of #aggd1 the matter reached its crisis4 ,he writes3 8,january #d--,three or four years ago1 a stumbling horse threw me forward on the pommel of the saddle4 ,i felt a good deal of pain2 but it soon went off1 and ,i thought of it no more4 ,some months after1 ,i observed testiculum alterum altero duplo majorem esse4 ,i consulted a physician2 he told me it was a common case1 and did not imply any disease at all4 ,in ,may twelvemonth1 it was grown near as large as a hen's egg4 ,being then at ,edinburgh1 ,dr4 ,hamilton insisted on my having the advice of ,drs4 ,gregory and ,munro4 ,they immediately saw it was a hydrocele1 and advised me1 as soon as ,i came to ,london1 to aim at a radical cure1 which they judged might be effected in about sixteen days4 ,when ,i came to ,london1 ,i consulted ,mr4 ,wathen4 ,he advised me--7#a7 ,not to think of a radical cure1 which could not be hoped for1 without my lying in one posture fifteen or sixteen days2 and he did not know whether this might not give a wound to my constitution1 which ,i should never recover4 7#b7 ,to do nothing while ,i continued easy4 ,and this advice ,i was determined to take4 ,last month1 the swelling was often painful4 ,so on this day ,mr4 ,wathen performed the operation1 and drew off something more than half a pint of a thin1 yellow1 transparent water4 ,with this came out1 to his no small surprise1 a pearl of the size of a small shot2 which he supposed might be one cause of the disorder1 by occasioning a conflux of humours to the part40 ,such is ,wesley's own simple statement4 ,the disease was unquestionably a serious one2 and1 yet1 it is a surprising fact1 that1 only a week after the surgical operation1 he was again in harness1 and as actively employed as ever4 ,hence the following3 8,tuesday1 ,january #aa--;,i began1 at the east end of the town1 to visit the society from house to house4 ,i know no branch of the pastoral office which is of greater importance than this4 ,but it is so grievous to flesh and blood1 that ,i can prevail on few1 even of our preachers1 to undertake it40 ,wesley's zeal for the extension of his ,saviour's kingdom would hardly let him rest when rest was requisite4 ,his long life was an unbroken scene of gigantic action4 ,he worked as though nothing could be done without his working2 and yet no man more practically acknowledged1 that all his work1 without ,god's blessing1 would amount to nothing4 ,hence1 not only his own ceaseless prayers for the help and co-operation of his great ,master1 but also his appointment of fast days to be observed by the thousands of his followers4 ,many of these are mentioned in his journals1 but many were observed without being mentioned4 ,one of these occurred at the time of which we are now writing4 8,yesterday10 says ,samuel ,bardsley1 on ,january #be1 #aggd1 8yesterday ,i got a letter from ,mr4 ,wesley1 informing me that the #bhth instant is to be observed as a day of fasting and prayer for the prosperity of the gospel40#bjd ,numbers of such days were appointed4 ,no wonder ,wesley prospered4 ,the first two months of #aggd were chiefly spent in ,london2 and1 on ,march #f1 ,wesley set out on his northern visitation1 which1 as usual1 occupied his time till the conference was held in ,august4 ,this journey has been so often traversed1 that we shall no longer follow ,wesley step by step2 but merely advert to its chief incidents4 ,at ,wolverhampton he was met by his friend ,fletcher1 of ,madeley1 and says3 8,march #bb--;,at five in the morning ,i explained that important truth1 that ,god trieth us every moment1 weighs all our thoughts1 words1 and actions1 and is pleased or displeased with us1 according to our works4 ,i see more and more clearly1 that there is a great gulf fixed between us and all those1 who1 by denying this1 sap the very foundation both of inward and outward holiness40 ,when he had travelled as far as ,congleton1 he received intelligence which compelled him to retrace his steps1 and go back to ,bristol4 ,the entry in the journal of this old man of more than seventy is a curiosity4 8,wednesday1 ,march #cj--;,i went on to ,congleton1 where ,i received letters1 informing me that my presence was necessary at ,bristol4 ,so1 about one1 ,i took chaise1 and reached ,bristol about half an hour after one the next day4 ,having done my business in about two hours1 on ,friday in the afternoon ,i reached ,congleton again1 about a hundred and forty miles from ,bristol1 no more tired 7blessed be ,god67 than when ,i left it40 ,this is marvellous4 ,here we have a septuagenarian1 in feeble health1 travelling1 not by railway1 nor yet by coach1 but in his own private chaise1 in a wintry month1 and on roads not macadamised1 a distance of two hundred and eighty miles in about eight-and-forty hours1 and then quietly sitting down and1 without bombast1 but with profound gratitude1 recording the fact in the language above given4 ,can biography furnish a parallel to this8 ,we doubt it4 ,on ,easter day1 ,april #c1 ,wesley writes3 8,i went on to ,macclesfield1 and came just in time 7so is the scene changed here7 to walk to the old church1 with the mayor and the two ministers40 ,here we pause1 to notice a man1 who afterwards1 not only distinguished himself by his pen and ministerial labours1 but became one of ,wesley's sincerest and warmest friends4 ,one of the 8two ministers10 referred to in this extract1 was ,david ,simpson1 now a young man of twenty-eight4 ,born at ,ingleby ,arncliffe1 in ,yorkshire1 and educated at ,northallerton1 and at ,scorton1 he1 in #agff1 entered ,st4 ,john's college1 ,cambridge1 where he became acquainted with ,rowland ,hill1 and a select society of devout collegians1 and was converted4 ,on leaving college1 he was ordained1 and accepted the curacy of ,ramsden in ,essex4 ,he then removed to ,buckingham1 where1 by his extempore preaching of justification by faith1 and the nature and necessity of the new birth1 he provoked alike the hostility of the surrounding clergy and the sneers of unconverted laics4 ,about the year #aggb1 he accepted the invitation of ,charles ,roe1 ,esq41 to his residence at ,macclesfield1 and soon became curate of what ,wesley calls 8the old church10 but which1 at that period1 was the only church that ,macclesfield possessed4 ,here he married ,miss ,waldy1 of ,yarm1 a young lady of distinguished excellence and piety1 who died within six months after ,wesley's visit1 leaving to her young husband the care of an infant daughter4 ,mr4 ,simpson's faithful ministry was as much disliked at ,macclesfield as it had been at ,buckingham4 ,complaints of his ,methodism were made to his diocesan1 and twice he was suspended for preaching doctrines1 to which1 as a clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 he had solemnly subscribed4 ,expelled from the pulpit of the church1 he began to preach in the adjacent towns and villages4 ,just at this juncture1 the prime curacy of the church became vacant1 and1 the nomination being an appendage to the office of the mayor for the time being1 ,mr4 ,gould made him the offer1 and had the pleasure of seeing it accepted4 ,to prevent ,simpson's induction1 a petition1 with seventeen articles of accusation1 was transmitted to the bishop of ,chester1 all of which might be reduced to one1 namely1 that he was a ,methodist4 ,in reply1 he says1 in a letter to his lordship3 8,this is true4 ,my method is to preach the great truths of the gospel1 in as plain1 and earnest1 and affectionate a manner as ,i am able4 ,some1 hereby1 have become seriously concerned about their salvation4 ,the change is soon discovered2 they meet with one or another1 who invite them to attend the meetings of the ,methodists1 by which their number0 7the ,methodists7 8is increased to a considerable degree4 ,this is the truth4 ,i own the fact4 ,i confess myself unequal to the difficulty4 ,what would your lordship advise80 ,such was the conflict4 ,before it came to an issue1 ,mr4 ,roe1 at his own expense1 erected a church1 of which ,mr4 ,simpson became incumbent in #agge1 relinquishing1 at the same time1 the curacy which had been a bone of contention4 ,here he continued to exercise his successful ministry until #agii1 when he peacefully expired4 ,among many others1 who were benefited by ,simpson's preaching1 was a young female1 eighteen years of age1 who1 on the very day of ,wesley's visit1 above recorded1 found peace with ,god1 at ,simpson's sacramental service1 and afterwards became the ,hester ,ann ,rogers1 whose journals and letters have been read by myriads4 ,on leaving ,macclesfield1 ,wesley proceeded to ,manchester and other places4 ,at ,bury1 ,methodism had been cradled in a storm4 ,on some occasions1 the people were besmeared with the most offensive filth2 and on others were disturbed in their devotions by a huntsman blowing the hunter's horn4 ,again and again the vicar frustrated their attempts to erect a chapel2 but1 at length1 land at ,pitts o' th' ,moor was bought2 the poor ,methodists dug the clay and burnt the bricks2 some worked by day1 and others watched by night2 and now1 in #aggd1 the building was completed1 and1 on the #aeth of ,april1 ,wesley preached in it4 ,leaving ,lancashire for ,yorkshire1 ,wesley had1 for him1 the unusual honour of preaching on ,april #ag and #ah1 in three different churches1 at ,halifax1 ,huddersfield1 and ,heptonstall2 and1 on the ,sunday following1 he occupied the same position in the church at ,haworth4 ,a few days later1 we find him in ,scotland1 preaching 8to a people1 the greatest part of whom10 says he1 8hear much1 know everything1 and feel nothing40 ,here1 he tells us1 he heard sermons1 which unfortunately are too common at the present day1--sermons full of truth1 8but no more likely to awaken souls than an ,italian opera20 and1 hence1 he himself began to thunder about death1 and judgment1 and eternity4 ,at ,glasgow1 ,methodist matters were not at all to his satisfaction4 8,how is it10 he asks1 8that there is no increase in the society here8 ,it is exceeding easy to answer4 ,one preacher stays here two or three months at a time1 preaching on ,sunday mornings1 and three or four evenings in a week4 ,can a ,methodist preacher preserve either bodily health1 or spiritual life1 with this exercise8 ,and if he is but half alive1 what will the people be80 ,at ,greenock1 he found the same fault2 and1 at ,edinburgh1 writes3 8,here1 likewise1 the morning preaching had been given up2 consequently the people were few1 dead1 and cold4 ,things must be remedied1 or we must quit the ground40 ,wesley attended a ,scotch funeral1 with which he was disgusted4 8,o what a difference10 says he1 8is there between the ,english and ,scotch method of burial6 ,the ,english does honour to human nature2 and even to the poor remains1 that were once the temple of the ,holy ,ghost6 ,but when ,i see in ,scotland a coffin put into the earth1 and covered up without a word1 it reminds me of what was spoken of ,jehoiakim1 #8,he shall be buried with the burial of an ass6'0 ,at ,perth1 he says1 the generality of the people were so wise1 that they needed no more knowledge1 and so good1 that they needed no more religion2 and1 hence1 he gave them three thundering sermons1 two of them on hell and the day of judgment4 ,wesley's great difficulty in ,scotland was the objection to itinerancy4 8,i have written10 says he1 in a letter dated ,october #af1 #aggd1 8to ,dr4 ,hamilton1 that ,edinburgh and ,dunbar must be supplied by one preacher4 ,while ,i live1 itinerant preachers shall be itinerants3 ,i mean1 if they choose to remain in connection with me4 ,the society at ,greenock are entirely at their own disposal3 they may either have a preacher between them and ,glasgow1 or none at all4 ,but more than one between them they cannot have4 ,i have too much regard both for the bodies and souls of our preachers1 to let them be confined to one place any more4 ,i have weighed the matter1 and will serve the ,scots as we do the ,english1 or leave them40#bje ,the above was addressed to ,joseph ,benson1 at this time stationed in ,scotland1 and who has left a memento of ,wesley's visit which is worth quoting4 8,i was10 says he1 8constantly with him for a week4 ,i had an opportunity of examining narrowly his spirit and conduct2 and1 ,i assure you1 ,i am more than ever persuaded1 he is a none such4 ,i know not his fellow1 first1 for abilities1 natural and acquired2 and1 secondly1 for his incomparable diligence in the application of those abilities to the best of employments4 ,his lively fancy1 tenacious memory1 clear understanding1 ready elocution1 manly courage1 indefatigable industry1 really amaze me4 ,i admire1 but wish in vain to imitate1 his diligent improvement of every moment of time2 his wonderful exactness even in little things2 the order and regularity wherewith he does and treats everything he takes in hand2 together with his quick dispatch of business1 and calm1 cheerful serenity of soul4 ,i ought not to omit to mention1 what is very manifest to all who know him1 his resolution1 which no shocks of opposition can shake2 his patience1 which no length of trials can weary2 his zeal for the glory of ,god and the good of man1 which no waters of persecution or tribulation have yet been able to quench4 ,happy man6 ,long hast thou borne the burden and heat of the day1 amidst the insults of foes1 and the base treachery of seeming friends2 but thou shalt rest from thy labours1 and thy works shall follow thee60#bjf ,on the #ajth of ,june1 ,wesley reached ,newcastle1 and1 on the day after1 set out for ,wolsingham and the dales4 ,returning to ,newcastle1 he and his wife's daughter1 and two grandchildren1 had a marvellous escape from danger and death1 in which ,wesley believed that angels1 both good and bad1 took part4 ,the narrative cannot be given in fewer or better words than in his own4 ,we merely premise1 that ,horsley is a village a few miles west of ,newcastle2 and that ,mr4 ,smith had married ,mrs4 ,wesley's daughter4 ,wesley writes3 8,monday1 ,june #bj--;,about nine1 ,i set out for ,horsley1 with ,mr4 ,hopper and ,mr4 ,smith4 ,i took ,mrs4 ,smith1 and her two little girls1 in the chaise with me4 ,about two miles from the town1 just on the brow of the hill1 on a sudden both the horses set out1 without any visible cause1 and flew down the hill1 like an arrow4 ,in a minute1 ,john fell off the coach box4 ,the horses then went on full speed1 sometimes to the edge of the ditch on the right1 sometimes on the left4 ,a cart came up against them2 they avoided it as exactly as if the man had been on the box4 ,a narrow bridge was at the foot of the hill4 ,they went directly over the middle of it4 ,they ran up the next hill with the same speed2 many persons meeting us1 but getting out of the way4 ,near the top of the hill was a gate1 which led into a farmer's yard4 ,it stood open4 ,they turned short1 and run through it1 without touching the gate on one side1 or the post on the other4 ,i thought1 #8,the gate which is on the other side of the yard1 and is shut1 will stop them'2 but they rushed through it1 as if it had been a cobweb1 and galloped on through the cornfield4 ,the little girls cried out1 #8,grandpapa1 save us6' ,i told them1 #8,nothing will hurt you3 do not be afraid'2 feeling no more fear or care than if ,i had been sitting in my study4 ,the horses ran on1 till they came to the edge of a steep precipice4 ,just then ,mr4 ,smith1 who could not overtake us before1 galloped in between4 ,they stopped in a moment4 ,had they gone on ever so little1 he and we must have gone down together60 ,this was one of the narrowest escapes from death that ,wesley ever had2 and his remarks upon it are worth adding4 8,i am persuaded1 that both evil and good angels had a large share in this transaction3 how large we do not know now2 but we shall know hereafter4 ,i think some of the most remarkable circumstances were3 7#a7 ,both the horses1 which were tame and quiet as could be1 starting out in a moment1 just at the top of the hill1 and running down full speed4 7#b7 ,the coachman's being thrown on his head with such violence1 and yet not hurt at all4 7#c7 ,the chaise running again and again to the edge of each ditch1 and yet not into it4 7#d7 ,the avoiding the cart4 7#e7 ,the keeping just the middle of the bridge4 7#f7 ,the turning short through the first gate1 in a manner that no coachman in ,england could have turned them1 when in full gallop4 7#g7 ,the going through the second gate as if it had been but smoke1 without slackening their pace at all4 ,this would have been impossible1 had not the end of the chariot pole struck exactly on the centre of the gate2 whence the whole1 by the sudden impetuous shock1 was broke into small pieces4 ,lastly1 that ,mr4 ,smith struck in just then3 in a minute more we had been down the precipice4 #8,let those give thanks whom the ,lord hath redeemed1 and delivered from the hand of the enemy6'0 ,newcastle was one of ,wesley's favourite haunts4 ,however cruelly his wife treated him1 her daughter and her son in law1 ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,smith1 always seem to have shown him kindness2 and1 hence1 he always appeared to quit ,newcastle with reluctance4 ,he writes3 8,june #bg--;,i took my leave of this lovely place and people40 ,the next day was his birthday1 which he celebrated as follows3 8,this being the first day of my seventy-second year1 ,i was considering1 ,how is this1 that ,i find just the same strength as ,i did thirty years ago8 that my sight is considerably better now1 and my nerves firmer1 than they were then8 that ,i have none of the infirmities of old age1 and have lost several ,i had in my youth8 ,the grand cause is1 the good pleasure of ,god1 who doeth whatsoever pleaseth ,him4 ,the chief means are3 7#a7 ,my constantly rising at four1 for about fifty years4 7#b7 ,my generally preaching at five in the morning2 one of the most healthy exercises in the world4 7#c7 ,my never travelling less1 by sea or land1 than four thousand five hundred miles a year40 ,some will smile at this2 but those who think1 will hardly doubt1 that the three things mentioned1 so far from injuring health and shortening life1 were among the likeliest of all likely things to be the means of preserving the one1 and extending the other4 ,it is scarcely necessary to follow ,wesley1 in his wanderings through ,durham1 through the three ridings of the county of ,york1 and through ,lincolnshire2 and then right away through ,madeley1 ,worcester1 and ,cheltenham1 to ,bristol1 where he arrived on ,august #f4 ,the reader can easily find all this in his journal2 we here prefer to give a few extracts from his letters4 ,reference has just been made to ,wesley's vigour4 ,we incline to think that1 on his birthday1 in the bright month of ,june1 he was sometimes more jubilant than facts warranted4 ,at all events1 the following extract from a letter to his brother1 written within two months before his birthday came1 is scarcely in harmony with what was written then4 8,,whitehaven1 ,may #f1 #aggd4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,duty is all ,i consider4 ,trouble and reproach ,i value not4 ,and ,i am by no means clear1 that ,i can1 with a good conscience1 throw away what ,i think the providence of ,god has put into my hands4 ,were it not for the chancery suit1 ,i should not hesitate a moment4 8,my complaint increases by slow degrees1 much the same as before4 ,it seems1 ,i am likely to need a surgeon every nine or ten weeks4 ,mr4 ,hey1 of ,leeds1 vehemently advises me1 never to attempt what they call a radical cure4 8,i never said a word of #8publishing it after my death4'#bjg ,i judged it my duty to publish it now2 and ,i have as good a right to believe one way as any man has to believe another4 ,i was glad of an opportunity of declaring myself on the head4 ,i beg ,hugh ,bold to let me think as well as himself2 and to believe my judgment will go as far as his4 ,i have no doubt of the substance1 both of ,glanvil's and ,cotton ,mather's narratives4#bjh ,therefore1 in this point1 you that are otherwise minded1 bear with me4 ,veniam petimusque damusque vicissim4 ,remember1 ,i am1 upon full consideration1 and seventy years' experience1 just as obstinate in my opinion as you in yours4 ,do not you think1 the disturbances in my father's house were a ,cock ,lane story8 ,peace be with you and yours6 8,,john ,,wesley40#bji ,such was ,wesley's reply to his brother's remonstrance against the publication of his opinions on witchcraft and apparitions4 ,the next letter1 addressed to a lady in ,ireland1 refers to two important matters1--the ,calvinian controversy1 and ,wesley's method of dealing with contumacious ,methodists4 8,,leeds1 ,may #b1 #aggd4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,until ,mr4 ,hill and his associates puzzled the cause1 it was as plain as plain could be4 ,the ,methodists always held1 and have declared a thousand times1 the death of ,christ is the meritorious cause of our salvation2 that is1 of pardon1 holiness1 and glory3 loving1 obedient faith is the condition of glory4 ,this ,mr4 ,fletcher has so illustrated and confirmed1 as1 ,i think1 scarcely any one has done before since the apostles4 8,when ,mr4 ,w4 wrote me a vehement letter concerning the abuse he had received from the young men in ,limerick1 and his determination to put them all out of society1 if they did not acknowledge their fault1 ,i much wondered what could be the matter1 and only wrote him word1 #8,i never put any out of our society for anything they say of me4' 8,your ever affectionate 8,,john ,,wesley40#baj ,the ensuing letters have relation to a book1 an abridgment of which ,wesley afterwards published1 and concerning which some of his admirers have felt puzzled1 and others pained4 ,this is not the place for a disquisition on novels and novel reading2 but it is a curious fact1 that ,wesley1 the earnest and untiring evangelist1 found time1 not only to read a novel1 but to print it4 ,henry ,brooke1 ,esq41 an ,irish barrister1 was the son of an ,irish rector2 and1 besides a number of plays and poems1 in four volumes1 #hvo1 was the author of two novels1 8,the ,fool of ,quality10 and 8,juliet ,grenville40#baa ,his nephew1 ,henry1 was a devoted ,methodist1 a friend of ,fletcher1 and one of ,wesley's correspondents4 8,the ,fool of ,quality0 was first published1 in five vols41 in #agff1 and was thus criticised in the ,monthly ,review of that period4 8,a performance enriched by genius1 enlivened by fancy1 bewildered with enthusiasm1 and overrun with the visionary jargon of fanaticism4 ,we wish the author would give us an abridgment1 cleared from the sanctimonious rubbish by which its beauties are so much obscured4 ,in its present state1 it will be a favourite only with ,behmenites1 ,herrnhutters1 ,methodists1 ,hutchinsonians1 and some of the ,roman ,catholics40 ,this was the book which ,wesley read1 and concerning which he wrote to ,henry ,brooke1 the author's nephew4 8,,hull1 ,july #h1 #aggd4 8,,dear ,,harry1--,when ,i read over1 in ,ireland1 #8,the ,fool of ,quality1' ,i could not but observe the design of it1 to promote the religion of the heart1 and that it was well calculated to answer that design2 the same thing ,i observed1 a week or two ago1 concerning #8,juliet ,grenville4' ,yet1 there seemed to me to be a few passages1 both in the one and the other1 which might be altered for the better2 ,i do not mean1 so much with regard to the sentiments1 which are generally very just1 as with regard to the structure of the story1 which seemed here and there to be not quite clear4 ,i had1 at first1 a thought of writing to ,mr4 ,brooke himself1 but ,i did not know whether ,i might take the liberty4 ,few authors will thank you1 for imagining you are able to correct their works4 ,but1 if he could bear it1 and thinks it would be of any use1 ,i would give another reading to both these works1 and send him my thoughts without reserve1 just as they occur4 ,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#bab ,the answer to this was as follows4 8,,dublin1 ,august #f1 #aggd4 8,,reverend ,,sir1--,my uncle's health is greatly impaired4#bac ,a kind of vertigo continues not only to enfeeble his limbs1 but to interrupt his study and writing4 ,however1 ,i trust1 as his outward man decays1 his inward man is renewed daily4 8,he is deeply sensible of your very kind offer1 and most cordially embraces it4 ,he has desired me to express the warmth of his gratitude in the strongest terms1 and says he most cheerfully yields the volumes you mention1 to your superior judgment1 to prune1 erase1 and alter as you please4 ,he only wishes1 they could have had your eye before they appeared in public4 ,but it is not yet too late4 ,a second edition will appear with great advantage1 when they have undergone so kind a revisal4 ,but he is apprehensive1 your time is so precious1 that it may be too great an intrusion upon it1 unless made a work of leisure and opportunity4 ,yet1 as you have proffered it1 he will not give up the privilege2 but hopes leisure may be found for so friendly and generous a work4 8,i am1 reverend sir1 your most affectionate friend and brother1 8,h4 ,,brooke40#bad ,perhaps there have been published as many portraits of ,wesley as of any man that ever lived4 ,the year #aggd was1 in this respect1 remarkable4 ,at its commencement1 ,wesley writes3 8,i was desired by ,mrs4 ,wright1 of ,new ,york1 to let her take my effigy in waxwork4 ,she has that of ,mr4 ,whitefield and many others2 but none of them1 ,i think1 comes up to a well drawn picture40 ,query1 what has become of this waxwork effigy8 ,besides the waxwork figure1 there were others4 ,from the manuscript letters of ,samuel ,bardsley1 we learn that1 already1 the potters of ,staffordshire had printed his likeness on their crockery2 and ,mr4 ,voyes of ,corbridge had had it engraved on the seals he sold4 ,these are little facts2 but they indicate ,wesley's growing popularity4 ,the people ask for the portraits of public men only4 ,a man must be notorious before the masses wish to see him4 ,thus it was in the case of ,wesley4 ,for five-and-thirty years1 he had been before the public4 ,no man had been more bitterly persecuted by his enemies2 and no man was more ardently beloved by his friends4 ,his fame had spread throughout the three kingdoms2 and all sorts of artists began to use him for their own advantage4 ,wesley was not fond of sitting for his portrait1 though this was often done4 ,on one occasion1 while dining with a friend1 in the neighbourhood of ,blackfriars1 an eminent artist offered him ten guineas as a bribe1 to induce him to allow a cast of his face to be taken4 8,no10 said ,wesley1 8keep your money1 and urge me no further40 8,sir10 said the artist1 8,i will not detain you more than three minutes40 ,wesley consented2 the cast was taken2 and so also was the money3 but no sooner was ,wesley out of doors1 than he saw an agitated crowd1 surrounding an auctioneer1 who was about to sell1 not only the furniture of a poor debtor1 but the bed upon which he was actually dying4 ,in an instant1 ,wesley rushed into the throng1 seized the arm of the auctioneer1 and cried1 8,what's the debt80 8,ten guineas10 was the answer4 8,take it10 said ,wesley1 8and let the poor man have his furniture again20 and1 then turning to ,john ,broadbent1 who was with him1 he quietly observed1 8,brother ,broadbent1 ,i see why ,god sent me these ten guineas40#bae ,methodism in ,america has been mentioned4 ,the work there was now greatly growing4 ,twelve months before1 ,wesley had sent out one of his favourite preachers1 ,thomas ,rankin1 to act as a sort of generalissimo4 ,perhaps a wiser selection might have been made4 ,at all events1 ,rankin's honest hearted brusqueness sometimes gave offence4 ,boardman and ,pilmoor1 and ,asbury1 were all predecessors in point of time2 but they and four other itinerants had now to recognise ,rankin as their chief4 ,in age and ministerial standing1 they were nearly equal2 but ,rankin1 by ,wesley's favour1 had the preeminence4 ,asbury winced1 but was too good a man to raise rebellion4 ,he writes3 8#aggd1 ,may #be--,our conference began at ,philadelphia4 ,the overbearing spirit of a certain person had excited my fears4 ,my judgment was stubbornly opposed for a while1 and1 at last1 submitted to4 ,but it is my duty to bear all things with a meek and patient spirit4 ,our conference was attended with great power1 and all acquiesced in the future stations of the preachers4 ,if ,i were not deeply conscious of the truth and goodness of the cause in which ,i am engaged1 ,i should1 by no means1 stay here4 ,lord1 what a world is this6 yea1 what a religious world60#baf ,within two years1 the entire band were scattered by the colonial rebellion1 and apostolic ,asbury was the only one remaining4 ,meanwhile1 ,rankin sent to ,wesley an account of the first ,methodist conference in ,america1 and ,wesley replied to him as follows4 8,,epworth1 ,july #ba1 #aggd4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,in yours of ,may the #cjth1 you give me an agreeable account of your little conference in ,philadelphia4 ,i think ,g4 ,shadford and you desire no novelties1 but love good old ,methodist discipline and doctrine4 ,i have been lately thinking a good deal on one point1 wherein1 perhaps1 we have all been wanting4 ,we have not made it a rule1 as soon as ever persons were justified1 to remind them of going on to perfection4 ,whereas1 this is the very time preferable to all others4 ,they have then the simplicity of little children2 and they are fervent in spirit1 ready to cut off the right hand1 or to pluck out the right eye4 ,but1 if we once suffer this fervour to subside1 we shall find it hard enough to bring them again to this point4 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#bag ,before passing from ,america1 it is worth recording1 that it was in the year #aggd that ,methodism was introduced into another part of ,newfoundland4 ,in the month of ,march in that year1 ,john ,hoskins1 a ,london ,methodist1 and his son1 a lad of about sixteen years of age1 embarked at ,poole in ,dorsetshire1 and landed in ,newfoundland five weeks afterwards4 ,the intention of ,hoskins was to work there till he had obtained money enough to take him to ,new ,england1 where he wished to begin a school4 ,he landed at ,trinity penniless1 and utterly unknown1 and found himself in a 8rocky1 desolate country10 and surrounded by a 8few1 low1 mean huts1 built of wood40 ,he entered one to make inquiries as to how he might obtain subsistence2 the good woman of the hut gave him some seal and bread to eat2 and the minister of the place advised him to open a school at ,old ,perlican1 where about fifty families resided4 ,away he went1 a distance of one-and-twenty miles2 the people received him gladly2 and his school was opened4 ,here there was literally no religious worship whatever2 but the schoolmaster began to read the ,church prayers1 and ,wesley's sermons2 the people standing at a distance and looking at him as if he had been a monster4 ,he then proceeded to give extempore exhortations2 a few began to be serious2 some helped him to sing2 sixteen became penitent1 and were formed into a class2 and two or three soon found peace with ,god4 ,just at this juncture1 ,mr4 ,arthur ,thomy1 an ,irish merchant1 visited the place on business1 and preached twice or thrice1 confirming what ,hoskins had said1 and the society increased to forty members1 and the believers to eight4 ,thus was ,methodism begun at ,old ,perlican4 ,it soon spread4 ,island ,cove had a society of thirty1 and was the first to build a chapel4 ,at ,harbourgrace and ,carbonear1 where ,mr4 ,coughlan had laboured1 ,calvinism and antinomianism were rampant1 and ,methodism had dwindled to almost nothing4 ,the movement at ,old ,perlican was a new beginning2 and ,hoskins1 the schoolmaster1 and ,thomy1 the ,irish merchant1 were the chief actors4 ,thomy often travelled as far as fifty miles to preach2 and sometimes met with brutal treatment4 ,the ,irish were his bitterest enemies1 and1 on one occasion1 came with their shillalahs to kill him4 ,hoskins1 also1 had his share of persecution4 ,once he was daubed all over with tar1 and was further threatened to be stuck with feathers4 ,the work1 however1 prospered2 and1 in #aghe1 ,newfoundland became one of the circuits in ,wesley's minutes4 ,the conference1 at ,bristol1 was opened on ,august #i4 ,wesley writes3 8,the conference1 which begun and ended in love1 fully employed me on ,tuesday1 ,wednesday1 and ,thursday2 and we observed ,friday1 #abth1 as a day of fasting and prayer for the success of the gospel40 ,thomas ,taylor1 who was present1 says3 8,august #i--,most of the day was taken up in temporal matters1 which is dry business4 ,august #aj--,this morning our characters were examined1 and that closely4 ,the afternoon was chiefly spent in taking in new preachers4 ,in the evening1 ,mr4 ,wesley gave us but an indifferent sermon4 ,august #aa--,we spent this day pretty profitably in considering some things of importance2 especially how to prevent levity1 idleness1 and evil speaking4 ,at night1 ,mr4 ,wesley gave us a profitable discourse on brotherly love40#bah ,miss ,march1 in an unpublished letter1 dated ,august #bc1 #aggd1 observes3 8,our conference is now ended4 ,i promised myself a jubilee1 a time of holy rejoicing1 but found it rather a season of hurry and dissipation4 ,mr4 ,wesley opened the conference with a plan of great and necessary business4 ,his preaching was chiefly to the preachers1--of the searching1 reproving kind4 ,the preachers said there was much concord amongst them1 and one observed1 ,mr4 ,wesley seemed to do all the business himself4 ,friday was the best time1 and the evening sermon1 from ,matthew vii4 #bd1 was the prettiest and most simple discourse ,i ever heard on that text4 ,mr4 ,wesley left us on ,monday for ,wales4 ,when he first came he looked worn down with care and sorrow2 but he left us well and lively40 ,it was at this conference that ,samuel ,bradburn and ,james ,rogers were admitted on trial2 and that ,joseph ,pilmoor1 for some reason1 deserted ,thomas ,rankin in ,america1 and desisted from travelling4 ,no sooner was the conference over1 than ,wesley again set out on his evangelistic travels4 ,the next twelve days were spent in ,wales4 ,he returned to ,bristol for the ,sunday services on ,august #bh2 and1 on the day following1 started off to ,cornwall4 ,he came back to ,bristol on ,september #i1 and employed the next month in the city and its neighbourhood4 ,being the time of a parliamentary election1 he met the ,bristol society1 and advised those of them who had votes3--8#a4 ,to vote1 without fee or reward1 for the person they judged most worthy4 #b4 ,to speak no evil of the person they voted against4 #c4 ,to take care their spirits were not sharpened against those that voted on the other side40 ,wesley came to ,london on ,october #ae1 and spent the remainder of the year in his usual winter journeys4 ,norwich was again a trouble4 ,he writes3 8,never was a poor society so neglected as this has been for the year past4 ,the morning preaching was at an end2 the bands suffered all to fall in pieces2 and no care at all taken of the classes1 so that1 whether they met or not1 it was all one2 going to church and sacrament were forgotten2 and the people rambled hither and thither as they listed4 ,i met the society1 and told them plain1 ,i was resolved to have a regular society or none4 ,i then read the rules1 and desired every one to consider whether he was willing to walk by these rules or no4 ,those1 in particular1 of meeting their class every week1 unless hindered by distance or sickness2 and being constant at church and sacrament4 ,i desired those who were so minded to meet me the next night1 and the rest to stay away4 ,the next night we had far the greater part4 ,i spoke to every leader1 concerning every one under his care1 and put out every person whom they could not recommend to me4 ,after this was done1 out of #bjd members1 #agd remained4 ,and these points shall be carried1 if only fifty remain in society40 ,on his return to ,london1 he visited ,ely and ,st4 ,ives1 and met with an adventure which was strange1 even in his experience4 ,approaching ,ely1 ,mr4 ,dancer met him with a chaise4 ,for a mile and a half1 the road was inundated4 8,how must foot people come to ,ely80 he asked4 8,why10 replied simple ,mr4 ,dancer1 8they must wade40 ,the farther he went1 the more difficult and dangerous was the way4 ,between ,ely and ,st4 ,ives1 snow fell in great abundance1 and1 at considerable peril1 ,wesley's borrowed chaise was piloted by ,mr4 ,tubbs1 who trudged along1 at the horse's head1 and1 up to his knees in mud and water1 naively said1 8,we fen men don't mind a little dirt40 ,for four miles1 ,wesley was dragged through this 8slough of despond10 when further progress1 for the vehicle1 became impossible4 ,he tried to proceed on horseback2 but this also was soon impracticable1 the whole district being one wide waste of water4 8,here1 therefore10 says he1 8,i procured a boat1 full twice as large as a kneading trough4 ,i was at one end1 and a boy at the other1 who paddled me safe to ,erith2 where ,miss ,l---- waited for me with another chaise1 which brought me safe to ,st4 ,ives40 ,wesley concluded the year's itinerary thus3 8,december #be--;,during the twelve festival days1 we had the ,lord's supper daily2 a little emblem of the primitive church40 ,was this a lingering remnant of ,wesley's high churchism8 ,what would be said of the ,methodists of the present day1 were they to imitate the example of their founder8 ,the ,calvinian controversy still proceeded4 ,the ,gospel ,magazine told its readers1 that ,arminianism 8is a system founded in ignorance1 supported by pride1 and will end in delusion40 ,the ,hon4 and ,rev4 ,w4 ,b4 ,cadogan1 a young man of twenty-three1 and1 though not yet ordained1 already presented to the living of ,st4 ,giles1 ,reading1 burned ,wesley's works in his kitchen1 saying 8he was determined to form his opinions from the ,bible alone40#bai ,the two ,hills were silent1 with the exception of ,mr4 ,richard's 8,lash at ,enthusiasm1 in a ,dialogue founded upon real ,facts40 ,the principal ,calvinistic work1 published at this period1 was ,toplady's 8,historic ,proof of the ,doctrinal ,calvinism of the ,church of ,england10 in two volumes1 #hvo1 with an ,introduction1 most lamentably virulent4 ,the subject is repulsive2 but1 rightly to understand ,wesley's provocations and patience1 it is necessary to give extracts from this scandalous production of a conceited but clever man1 who acted as though the ,almighty had elected him to revile his neighbours1 without either sense or reason4 8,mr4 ,john ,wesley and ,mr4 ,walter ,sellon are a pair of insignificant adversaries1 who have arraigned1 tried1 and condemned the ,church of ,england4 ,in general1 they are so excessively scurrilous and abusive1 that contending with them resembles fighting with chimney sweepers1 or bathing in a mud pool40 8,mr4 ,walter ,sellon is ,mr4 ,john ,wesley's retainer general and whitewasher in ordinary4 ,arminianism is their mutual ,dulcinea del ,toboso4 ,high mounted on ,pine's ,rosinante1 forth sallies ,mr4 ,john from ,wine ,street1 ,bristol1 brandishing his reed1 and vowing vengeance against all1 who will not fall down and worship the ,dutch image which he has set up4 ,with an almost equal plenitude of zeal and prowess1 forth trots ,mr4 ,walter from ,ave ,maria ,lane1 low mounted on ,cabe's halting dapple4 ,the knight and the squire having met at the rendezvous appointed1 the former prances foremost1 and1 with as much haste as his limping steed will permit1 doth trusty ,walter amble after his master40 ,sellon is ,wesley's 8understrapper02 the 8junto are ,parthians aiming their arrows at the sun2 and wolves exhausting their strength by howling at the moon40 ,sellon 8dips his pen in the common sewer02 and ,wesley 8scatters firebrands40 8,the world has long seen1 that unmixed politeness can no more soften ,mr4 ,wesley's rugged rudeness1 than the melody of ,david's harp could lay the north wind40 ,sellon was 8a small body of ,pelagian divinity1 bound in calf1 neither gilt nor lettered02 8the meanest1 and most rancorous ,arminian priest that ever disgraced a surplice40 8,we would advise his ,arminian holiness of ,rome to cashier the image of ,st4 ,austin from serving any longer as a support to his easy chair2 and to procure an effigy of ,mr4 ,walter ,sellon1 to serve--not1 indeed1 upon due recollection1 as a stay to his holiness's throne--nor even as a prop to his footstool2 but as a leg to a certain convenience 7a sella perforata1 though not the sella porphyretica71 whereon1 ,i presume1 his holiness deigns1 occasionally1 to sit40 ,wesley's ,notes on the ,new ,testament are 8a wretched bundle of plagiarisms02 and he himself 8drives a larger traffic in blunders and blasphemies than any other blunder merchant this island has produced40 ,such are a few of the mild and merciful oracular utterances of the elect ,augustus ,toplady2 who says he blamed himself 8for handling ,wesley too gently1 and for only giving him the whip when he deserved a scorpion40 ,fletcher1 during #aggd1 published3--7#a7 8,the ,fictitious and the ,genuine ,creed2 being #8,a ,creed for ,arminians1' composed by ,richard ,hill1 ,esq42 to which is opposed a ,creed for those who believe that ,christ tasted death for every man40 #abmo1 #eb pages4 7#b7 8,logica ,genevensis continued2 or1 the first part of the ,fifth ,check to ,antinomianism1 containing an ,answer to #8,the ,finishing ,stroke' of ,richard ,hill1 ,esq42 in which some remarks upon ,mr4 ,fulsome's ,antinomian ,creed1 published by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,berridge1 are occasionally introduced40 #abmo1 #dh pages4 7#c7 8,logica ,genevensis continued2 or1 the second part of the ,fifth ,check to ,antinomianism1 containing a ,defence of #8,jack o' ,lanthorn1' and #8,the ,paper ,kite1' i4 e4 sincere obedience2 and of the #8,cobweb1' i4 e4 the evangelical law of liberty2 and of the #8,valiant ,sergeant1 ,j4 ,f41' i4 e4 the conditionality of perseverance1 attacked by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,berridge1 in his book called #8,the ,christian ,world ,unmasked4'0 #abmo1 #dd pages4 7#d7 8,the ,first ,part of an ,equal ,check to ,pharisaism and ,antinomianism40 #abmo1 #bfd pages4 7#e7 8,zelotes and ,honestus reconciled2 or1 an ,equal ,check to ,pharisaism and ,antinomianism continued3 being the first part of the ,scripture ,scales to weigh the ,gold of ,gospel ,truth4 ,with a ,preface containing some ,strictures upon the ,three ,letters of ,richard ,hill1 ,esq41 which have been lately published40 #abmo1 #age pages4 ,the whole of these publications1 extending to nearly #fjj pages1 are full of the greatest truths1 and1 like all ,fletcher's writings1 are entirely free from personal abuse1 and are worthy of a gentleman1 a scholar1 and a ,christian4 ,we can hardly say as much of another work1 published in #aggd3 8,a ,scourge to ,calumny1 in two parts1 inscribed to ,richard ,hill1 ,esq4 ,part the ,first1 demonstrating the ,absurdity of that ,gentleman's ,farrago4 ,part the ,second1 containing a full ,answer to all that is material in his ,farrago ,double ,distilled4 ,by ,thomas ,olivers40 #abmo1 #afh pages4 ,richard ,hill deserved all he got2 but ,fletcher would have hesitated before charging him1 as is done by ,olivers1 8with wilful untruth40 ,at the same time1 it is impossible not to have a feeling of admiration for the sturdy ,welshman1 when he says to the wealthy squire1 who had rudely called him ,tom the cobbler3 8,permit me to tell you1 sir1 that my name is as sacred to me1 as yours is to you4 ,if you were the greatest peer of the realm1 and ,i the poorest peasant1 the laws of ,god and of my country would authorise me to call you to an account1 for every insult offered to my character1 either as a fellow creature1 or as an ,englishman4 ,you have no more authority1 either from reason or religion1 to call me ,tom1 than ,i have to call you ,dick40 ,having hurled a lance in his own defence1 he then proceeds to defend ,wesley1 telling ,mr4 ,hill1 that the man he had maligned was one who had published a hundred volumes1 who travelled yearly about five thousand miles1 preached yearly about a thousand sermons1 visited as many sick beds as he preached sermons1 and wrote twice as many letters2 and who1 though now between seventy and eighty years of age1 8absolutely refused to abate1 in the smallest degree1 these mighty labours2 but might be seen1 at this very time1 with his silver locks about his ears1 and with a meagre1 worn out1 skeleton body1 smiling at storms and tempests1 at such labours and fatigues1 at such difficulties and dangers1 as1 ,i believe10 says ,olivers1 8would be absolutely intolerable to you1 sir1 in conjunction with any four of your most flaming ministers40 ,wesley's own publications1 in #aggd1 were not many4 ,first of all1 there was the fifteenth number of his ,journal1 already mentioned3 #abmo1 #aab pages4 ,then there was 8,an ,extract from ,dr4 ,cadogan's ,dissertations on the ,gout1 and all ,chronic ,diseases10 already referred to on page #aaa4 #abmo1 #di pages4 ,this was a bold stroke4 ,dr4 ,cadogan's work had not been more than ten years published2 it had been extremely popular1 and had run through several editions2 the doctor himself was now at the zenith of his fame1 and did not die for three-and-twenty years afterwards2 and1 yet1 ,wesley takes upon himself1 not to publish the work itself1 but an extract from it1 and to write a preface to it1 in which he objects to the doctor's wholesale condemnation of 8smoked and salted meats1 of pickles1 of wine1 and of flesh1 thoroughly roasted or boiled40 ,wesley says3 8,i recommend the book as the most masterly piece upon the subject1 which has yet appeared in the ,english language40 ,another of ,wesley's publications was 8,thoughts upon ,necessity10 #abmo1 #cc pages4 ,this was one of his most thoughtful and able tracts4 ,its purport may be gathered from a sentence in his preface1--8,i cannot believe the noblest creature in the visible world to be only a fine piece of clockwork40 ,to the above must be added his 8,thoughts on ,slavery10 #hvo1 #ec pages4 ,it ought never to be forgotten1 that ,john ,wesley was one of the very first of ,england's philanthropists to denounce the infamous evil of slavery4 ,statues1 and other honours1 declarative of a nation's homage1 have been justly awarded to ,wilberforce2 but ,wesley's record is on high2 and the day has yet to come when the influence of his advanced views will be duly and gratefully recognised4 ,even some of ,wesley's friends were strangely blinded to a system that he boldly denounced as the 8execrable sum of all villanies02 and ,whitefield himself1 only four years before1 had died the possessor of a large number of human beings1 who1 in his will1 were classed among his goods and chattels1 and whom he unceremoniously bequeathed to 8that elect lady1 the ,right ,honourable ,selina1 ,countess ,dowager of ,huntingdon40 ,wesley's pamphlet was no sooner issued than it brought upon him vindictive opposition1 in a two shilling book1 entitled 8,a ,supplement to ,mr4 ,wesley's #8,thoughts upon ,slavery'02 in which the writer does his utmost to make the leader of the ,methodists ridiculous4 ,wesley had counted the cost1 and expected this4 ,in ,america it was otherwise4 ,there1 at ,philadelphia1 ,mr4 ,anthony ,benezet republished ,wesley's tract at his own expense1 and sent to him a friendly salutation1 by ,william ,dillwyn1 8my old pupil10 says ,benezet1 8a valuable1 religiously minded person1 who is going a voyage to your country02#bbj and who1 thirteen years afterwards1 in #aghg1 became one of the founders of the ,society for the ,suppression of ,slavery4 ,wesley still continued the publication of his collected works2 and1 in #aggd1 seven additional volumes were issued1 making the entire number thirty-two4 ,the last seven1 with the exception of three small tracts1 consisted exclusively of his journals1 coming down to ,september #a1 #aggj4 ,perhaps there ought to be added another publication1 which1 though not printed by ,wesley1 was his production3 8,a ,sermon preached at the opening of the new ,meeting-house at ,wakefield1 on the #bhth of ,april1 #aggd1 by the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley3 taken down in shorthand1 at the time of delivery1 by ,mr4 ,williamson1 a teacher of that art1 and published at the request of many of the hearers4 ,leeds3 #aggd4 ,sold by all ,booksellers1 price threepence40 #hvo1 #ab pages4 ,the text is #a ,corinthians i4 #bc1 #bd4 ,the sermon1 perhaps properly1 has never been published in any edition of ,wesley's works4 ,though it contains nothing remarkable1 it would enrich the ,methodist ,magazine1 and would be gratefully welcomed by thousands of readers1 who1 without a reissue1 will never see it4 ,,footnotes3 #bjd ,manuscript letter4 #bje ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #cie4 #bjf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbe1 p4 #chf4 #bjg ,the following probably refers to the ghost stories1 in ,wesley's ,journal1 under date ,may #be1 #agfh4 ,the fifteenth number of his journal1 containing these accounts1 was published in this same year1 #aggd4 #bjh ,glanvil1 the author of 8,some ,considerations touching the being of ,witches and ,witchcraft02 and ,mather1 the author of 8,the ,wonders of the ,invisible ,world1 or the ,trials of ,witches40 #bji ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #aca4 #baj ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #cgc4 #baa ,mr4 ,brooke was three years the junior of ,wesley1 and1 about the time when ,methodism had its birth1 was the honoured friend of many of the most distinguished personages in ,london society4 ,swift prophesied wonders of him2 ,pope received him with open arms2 ,pitt paid him marked attention2 and the ,prince of ,wales presented him with valuable tokens of his friendship4 ,the publication however of his tragedy1 8,gustavus ,vasa10 offended the government1 and he retired to ,ireland1 and devoted his fine genius wholly to the muses4 ,he was a man of rare ability1 and an earnest ,christian4 #bab ,life of ,mr4 ,henry ,brooke1 p4 #ij4 #bac ,he died in #aghc1 three years after ,wesley published his revised and abridged edition in two vols41 #abmo4 #bad ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghg1 p4 #afj4 #bae ,christian ,miscellany1 #ahdf1 p4 #ic4 #baf ,asbury's ,journal1 vol4 i41 p4 #aab4 #bag ,palmer's 8,four ,years in the ,old ,world10 p4 #bfj4 #bah ,taylor's manuscript journal4 #bai ,memoirs of ,cadogan1 p4 #cg4 #bbj ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghg1 p4 #dd4 #agge4 ,age #gb ,according to his custom1 ,wesley spent the first two months of #agge in ,london1 and in short preaching excursions to ,northamptonshire and other places4 ,the nation1 at this period1 was in a state of the highest excitement4 ,on ,february #i1 the two houses of parliament presented an address to ,king ,george ,,iii41 stating that the ,british colonists in ,america had risen in rebellion1 and begging his majesty to 8take the most effectual measures to enforce obedience to the laws and authority of the supreme legislature40 ,his majesty's reply was affirmative2 and parliament was requested to increase both the naval and military forces4 ,wesley was not the man to be silent in great emergencies4 ,he writes3 8,sunday1 ,january #bi--;,finding many were dejected by the threatening posture of public affairs1 ,i strongly enforced our ,lord's words1 #8,why are ye fearful1 ,o ye of little faith8'0 ,three weeks later1 he preached at the ,foundery1 what the ,westminster ,journal described as1 8an awful sermon1 on the horrid effects of a civil war02 observing 8that1 of all scourges from ,god1 war was the most to be deprecated1 because it often swept away all traces of religion1 and even of humanity40 ,the text was ,daniel iv4 #bg3 8,let my counsel be acceptable to thee1 and break off thy sins by righteousness1 and thine iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor2 if it may be a lengthening of thy tranquillity40 ,both ,england and ,america were terribly excited2 but space prevents our entering into details4 ,suffice it to say1 that the alleged grievance of the ,american colonists was their being taxed1 without their consent1 by the ,english parliament4 ,dr4 ,johnson was known to be a great hater as well as a great genius4 8,sir10 said he1 concerning the miscellaneous and mongrel colonists across the ,atlantic1 8,sir1 they are a race of convicts1 and ought to be thankful for anything we allow them short of hanging40 ,no wonder that the ,english government1 already at their wits' end1 applied to ,johnson to assist them with his powerful pen4 ,he did so1 by the publication1 in #agge1 of his famous pamphlet1 entitled1 8,taxation no ,tyranny2 an ,answer to the ,resolutions and ,address of the ,american ,congress40#bba ,no sooner was it issued1 than1 with or without leave1 ,wesley abridged it1 and1 without the least reference to its origin1 published it as his own1 in a quarto sheet of four pages1 with the title1 8,a ,calm ,address to our ,american ,colonies4 ,by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley1 ,m4,a4 ,price one penny40 ,this was an injudicious and unwarrantable act1 except on the supposition that there was some secret understanding between him and ,johnson2 and even then the thing had too much the aspect of plagiarism to be wise4 ,johnson greatly reverenced ,patty ,hall1 ,wesley's unfortunate sister1 and always treated her as one of his confidential friends4 ,for ,wesley himself he also entertained great respect1 and was only vexed that he was not able to secure more of his company4 8,john ,wesley's conversation10 said he1 8is good1 but he is never at leisure4 ,he is always obliged to go at a certain hour4 ,this is very disagreeable to a man who loves to fold his legs and have out his talk1 as ,i do40#bbb ,there was unquestionably a friendship between the two2 and it is possible that ,wesley had ,johnson's consent to his publication of the abridgment of ,johnson's pamphlet4 ,in a letter to ,wesley1 dated ,february #f1 #aggf1 ,johnson wrote3 8,i have thanks to return for the addition of your important suffrage to my argument on the ,american question4 ,to have gained such a mind as yours may justly confirm me in my own opinion4 ,what effect my paper has had upon the public ,i know not2 but ,i have no reason to be discouraged4 ,the lecturer was surely in the right who1 though he saw his audience slinking away1 refused to quit the chair while ,plato stayed40#bbc ,this certainly gives some countenance to the supposition we have ventured to suggest4 ,still1 there can be no doubt that ,wesley fairly exposed himself to acrimonious attack by publishing the brochure as his own4 ,wesley was now one of the most conspicuous men in ,england2 and1 perhaps1 no ecclesiastical personage of the realm swayed a wider influence over the masses1 on questions involving religious interests4 ,hence1 the publication of his 8,calm ,address0 produced an unparalleled sensation2 and this was the greater1 because it was known that1 up to this period1 ,wesley had sympathised with the colonists rather than otherwise4 ,indeed1 he had declared five years before1 in his 8,free ,thoughts on ,public ,affairs03 8,i do not defend the measures which have been taken with regard to ,america2 ,i doubt whether any man can defend them1 either on the foot of law1 equity1 or prudence40 ,of course1 ,wesley had a perfect right to change his opinions1 which he says he did on reading ,johnson's 8,taxation no ,tyranny02 but when a public man like ,wesley does that1 he can hardly escape criticism of an unfriendly nature4 ,the world dislikes changelings1 and hesitates to trust them4 ,wesley1 in the teeth of former sentiments1 now made ,johnson's sentiments his own1 contending not only that the ,english parliament had power to tax the ,american colonies1 but also that it was a reasonable thing for the colonists to reimburse the mother country for some part of the large expense that had been incurred in defending the colonial rights1 and that the whole of the present agitation was promoted by a few men in ,england1 who were determined enemies to monarchy1 and who wished to establish a republican form of government1 which1 of all others1 was the most despotic4 ,the result was1 ,wesley was at once pounced upon as a plagiarist and a renegade of the worst description4 ,countless pamphlets were published1 only a few of which can be noticed here4 ,one of his principal antagonists was the ,rev4 ,caleb ,evans1 then a baptist minister at ,broadmead1 ,bristol1 and in the thirty-seventh year of his age1--a man of good sense1 a diligent student1 a faithful pastor1 and extensively useful2 but a rampant advocate of what was called liberty1 and1 therefore1 a well wisher to the republican rebellion across the ,atlantic4 ,evans's first publication was 8,a ,letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley1 occasioned by his #8,calm ,address'03 #abmo1 #bd pages4 ,he taunts ,wesley with having so suddenly changed his opinions2 with having1 at the late election1 advised the ,bristol ,methodists to vote for the 8,american candidate02 and with having1 at no remote period1 recommended a book entitled1 8,an ,argument in ,defence of the exclusive right claimed by the ,colonies to tax themselves40 ,wesley's reply to this was the republication of his 8,calm ,address10 with a preface prefixed1 in which he acknowledges that the 8,address0 was an extract 8of the chief arguments from #8,taxation no ,tyranny1'0 with 8an application0 of his own 8to those whom it most concerned40 ,in a page and a half he answers ,evans's objections1 and says that all 8the arguments in his tract may be contained in a nutshell40 ,another attack on ,wesley1 which1 before the year was out1 reached a second edition1 was 8,a ,cool ,reply to a ,calm ,address1 lately published by ,mr4 ,john ,wesley4 ,by ,t4 ,s40 #abmo1 #cc pages4 ,what this production lacked in argument it made up in scurrilous innuendo4 ,wesley is told that his 8religious principles are a species of popery10 and that he is in quest of 8a mitre02 though he 8ought to sit in sackcloth and pour dust upon his head40 ,evans also1 before the expiration of #agge1 issued a new edition of his letter1 #abmo1 #cb pages1 in the preface to which he waxes angry1 in exposing what he calls 8the shameful versatility and disingenuity of this artful man20 and does his utmost to fasten upon ,wesley a deliberate falsehood1 because ,wesley had denied that he had ever seen the book which ,evans had accused him of recommending1 though both ,william ,pine1 his own printer1 and the ,rev4 ,james ,roquet1 his friend1 were both prepared to attest on oath that he had recommended the book to them4 ,here then was a direct personal issue between them4 ,thomas ,olivers1 in his 8,full ,defence of the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley10 #abmo1 #bd pages1 published in #aggf1 gives the explanation4 ,wesley's denial was not owing to untruthfulness1 but forgetfulness4 8,mr4 ,wesley10 says ,olivers1 8is now an old man1 and yet has such a variety and multiplicity of business as few men could manage1 even in the prime of life4 ,there are few weeks in which he does not travel two or three hundred miles2 preach and exhort in public between twenty and thirty times1 and often more2 answer thirty or forty letters2 speak with as many persons in private1 concerning things of deep importance2 and prepare1 either in whole or in part1 something for the press4 ,add to all this1 that often1 in that short space of time1 a variety of tracts on different subjects pass through his hands1 particularly as he travels1 and that if any tract does not immediately relate to his office as a divine1 though he may give it a cursory reading1 yet he does not think it necessary to charge his memory with its contents3 ,i say1 when all these things are considered1 no one will think it strange that his memory should often fail40 ,this was a reasonable explanation of an awkward discrepancy2 but ,wesley1 who was incapable of falsehood1 hardly needed the defence of his ingenious friend ,olivers4 ,he had already written the following to ,mr4 ,roquet himself4 8,november #ab1 #agge4 8,,dear ,,james1--,i will now simply tell you the thing as it is4 ,as ,i was returning from the ,leeds conference1 one gave me the tract which you refer to1 part of which ,i read on my journey4 ,the spirit of it ,i observed to be admirably good2 and ,i then thought the arguments conclusive4 ,in consequence of which1 ,i suppose1 7though ,i do not remember it17 ,i recommended it both to you and others2 but ,i had so entirely forgotten it1 that even when it was brought to me the other day1 ,i could not recollect that ,i had seen it4 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#bbd ,besides the pamphlets already mentioned1 there were published1 in #agge3 8,a ,second ,answer to ,mr4 ,john ,wesley4 ,by ,w4 ,d40 #abmo1 #bb pages4 ,also1 8,a ,wolf in ,sheep's ,cloathing2 or an ,old ,jesuit ,unmasked4 ,containing an account of the wonderful apparition of ,father ,petre's ,ghost1 in the form of the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley4 ,by ,patrick ,bull1 ,esq40 #abmo1 #bd pages3 a vile production in which ,wesley is branded as 8a chaplain in ordinary to the ,furies1 or minister extraordinary to ,bellona1 goddess of war20 and is said to have 8solicited to be made bishop of ,quebec20 but who1 for 8the jacobitical doctrines contained in his #8,calm ,address1' deserves to be presented1 not with lawn sleeves1 but with a hempen neckcloth2 and1 instead of a mitre1 ought to have his head adorned with a white nightcap drawn over his eyes40 ,toplady was not likely to allow such an opportunity to pass without embracing it to vent his venom4 ,hence the publication of his #abmo tract of #bd pages1 entitled1 8,an ,old ,fox ,tarr'd and ,feather'd02 with a fox's head1 in canonicals1 for a frontispiece4 ,the opening sentence is characteristic of the whole effusion4 8,whereunto shall ,i liken ,mr4 ,john ,wesley8 and with what shall ,i compare him8 ,i will liken him unto a low and puny tadpole in divinity1 which proudly seeks to disembowel a high and mighty whale in politics40 ,he then proceeds to say1 that1 8both as to matter and expression ,wesley's #8,calm ,address' is a bundle of ,lilliputian shafts1 picked and stolen out of ,dr4 ,johnson's pincushion4 ,if ,mr4 ,wesley had the least spark of shame remaining1 the simple detection of such enormous literary theft would be more terrible to his feelings than an ,english pumping or an ,american tarring and feathering40 ,another pamphlet1 issued in the same year1 was 8,a ,constitutional ,answer to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley's #8,calm ,address to the ,american ,colonies'03 #abmo1 #bc pages4 ,the last sentence is as follows3 8,as ,i have formerly seen you1 with pleasure1 in the character of a ,christian minister1 doing some good in the moral world2 so it is with regret ,i now see you in the character of a court sycophant1 doing much more mischief in the political world2 injuring1 perhaps irreparably injuring1 your country40 8,americus10 also1 in the ,gentleman's ,magazine1#bbe had his fling against the poor ,methodist4 ,one sentence from his polished quiver must suffice1 as a specimen of others3 8,and now1 ,mr4 ,wesley1 ,i take my leave of you4 ,you have forgot the precept of your ,master1 that ,god and mammon cannot be served together4 ,you have one eye upon a pension1 and the other upon heaven1--one hand stretched out to the king1 and the other raised up to ,god4 ,i pray that the first may reward you1 and the last forgive you60 ,these extracts might be multiplied almost ad infinitum4 ,we only add1 that ,fletcher1 as well as ,olivers1 came to the defence of ,wesley4 ,the former published his 8,vindication of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley's #8,calm ,address'3 in some ,letters to ,mr4 ,caleb ,evans40 #abmo1 #gj pages4 ,this evoked from ,evans an unworthy acrimonious 8,reply10 #abmo1 #ajc pages1 in which the angry baptist not only rakes up the whole story respecting ,wesley1 ,roquet1 and ,pine1 but finishes by telling the loving and accomplished ,fletcher1 that he is 8the most verbose1 and most unmeaning and unfair disputant1 that ever took up the polemical gauntlet40 ,hampson and ,whitehead censure ,wesley for turning a politician4 ,this is a point upon which opinions will differ4 ,certain it is1 however1 that the political part which ,wesley took made him as many enemies as his caveat against ,calvinism had done4 ,within three weeks1 forty thousand copies of his 8,calm ,address0 were printed and put into circulation2 and excited so much anger among the ,english friends of the revolted colonists1 that they would willingly have burnt both him and his ,address together4 ,to accuse him of mercenary motives was an unfounded1 base1 malignant fabrication4 ,it is true1 that the government were so pleased with his little tract that copies were ordered to be distributed at the doors of all the metropolitan churches2 and it is said that one of the highest officers of state waited upon him1 asking whether government could in any way be of service to either himself or his people4 ,wesley replied that he 8looked for no favours1 and only desired the continuance of civil and religious privileges40 ,the nobleman pressed the question1 but again received the same answer4 ,in retiring1 he observed3 8,in all probability1 sir1 you have some charities which are dear to you2 by accepting #ej from the privy purse1 to appropriate as you may deem proper1 you will give great pleasure to those for whom ,i act40 ,this was accepted2 but 8,mr4 ,wesley10 says ,dr4 ,clarke1 who related the story1 8expressed himself to me as sorry that he had not requested to be made a royal missionary1 and to have the privilege of preaching in every church4#bbf0 ,this might be true2 but1 in conclusion1 we must add to it ,wesley's own account1 as published at the time1 in ,lloyd's ,evening ,post4 8,,sir1--,i have been seriously asked1--,from what motive did you publish your #8,calm ,address to the ,american ,colonies'8 8,i seriously answer1 ,not to get money4 ,had that been my motive1 ,i should have swelled it into a shilling pamphlet1 and have entered it at ,stationers' ,hall4 8,not to get preferment for myself1 or my brother's children4 ,i am a little too old to gape after it myself2 and if my brother or ,i sought it for them1 we have only to show them to the world4 8,not to please any man living1 high or low4 ,i know mankind too well4 ,i know they that love you for political service1 love you less than their dinner2 and they that hate you1 hate you worse than the devil4 8,least of all1 did ,i write with a view to inflame any2 just the contrary4 ,i contributed my mite toward putting out the flame which rages all over the land4 ,this ,i have more opportunity of observing than any other man in ,england4 ,i see with pain to what a height this already rises1 in every part of the nation4 ,and ,i see many pouring oil into the flame1 by crying out1 #8,how unjustly1 how cruelly1 the king is using the poor ,americans2 who are only contending for their liberty1 and for their legal privileges6' 8,now there is no possible way to put out this flame1 or hinder its rising higher and higher1 but to show that the ,americans are not used either cruelly or unjustly2 that they are not injured at all1 seeing they are not contending for liberty1--this they had even in its full extent1 both civil and religious2 neither for any legal privileges1 for they enjoy all that their charters grant4 ,but what they contend for is the illegal privilege of being exempt from parliamentary taxation1--a privilege this which no charter ever gave to any ,american colony yet2 which no charter can give1 unless it be confirmed both by king1 lords1 and commons2 which1 in fact1 our colonies never had2 which they never claimed till the present reign2 and probably they would not have claimed it now1 had they not been incited thereto by letters from ,england4 8,this being the real state of the question1 without any colouring or aggravation1 what impartial man can either blame the king1 or commend the ,americans8 8,with this view1 to quench the fire1 by laying the blame where it was due1 the #8,calm ,address' was written4 8,as to reviewers1 newswriters1 ,london ,magazines1 and all that kind of gentlemen1 they behave just as ,i expected they would4 ,and let them lick up ,mr4 ,toplady's spittle still2 a champion worthy of their cause4 8,sir1 ,i am your humble servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,thus things proceeded4 ,england was flooded with political pamphlets2 the houses of parliament echoed with the sonorous periods of senatorial oratory2 and the hill sides and river banks of ,america rang with sharp and dissonant peals of musketry4 ,blood had been shed at ,lexington2 and1 at the bungling battle at ,bunker ,hill1 the ,english had lost #ajej men1 in killed and wounded4 ,in the month of ,november1 ,wesley says3 8,i was desired to preach1 in ,bethnal ,green church1 a charity sermon for the widows and orphans of the soldiers that were killed in ,america4 ,knowing how many would seek occasion of offence1 ,i wrote down my sermon40 ,the discourse was immediately published1 with the title1 8,a ,sermon preached at ,st4 ,matthew's1 ,bethnal ,green1 on ,sunday1 ,november #ab1 #agge4 ,by ,john ,wesley1 ,m4,a4 ,for the benefit of the widows and orphans of the soldiers who lately fell near ,boston1 in ,new ,england40 #hvo1 #cc pages4 ,wesley speaks of the terrible distress from which the nation was suffering4 ,thousands were totally unemployed4 ,he had seen not a few of them 8standing in the streets1 with pale looks1 hollow eyes1 and meagre limbs40 ,he says1 he had 8known families1 who1 a few years ago1 lived in an easy1 genteel manner10 driven to the necessity of repairing to the fields 8to pick up the turnips which the cattle had left3 and which they boiled1 if they could get a few sticks for that purpose1 or otherwise ate them raw40 ,thousands had 8screamed for liberty till they were utterly distracted1 and their intellects quite confounded40 8,in every town1 men1 who were once of a calm1 mild1 friendly temper1 were now mad with party zeal1 foaming with rage against their quiet neighbours1 ready to tear out one another's throats1 and to plunge their swords into each other's bowels40 ,he then proceeds to descant1 in withering terms1 on the sins of the nation1--money getting1 lying1 gluttony1 idleness1 and profanity4 ,the sermon altogether1 considering the time and circumstances of its delivery1 was one of the boldest he ever preached2 and1 of course1 added to the rage that his 8,calm ,address0 had kindled4 ,the ,gospel ,magazine1 in reviewing it1 remarks3 8,so many barrels of tar have of late been lavished on ,mr4 ,wesley1 and so many bags of feathers have been shaken over him1 on account of his new political apostasy1 that it might seem unmerciful in us1 should we add to the anointings and to the powderings1 which he has already so plentifully1 though not undeservedly1 received4 ,we shall therefore1 from a principle of compassion1 touch his sermon with the tenderer hand1 and let the sermoniser himself very lightly off1 the enormity of his demerits considered40 ,and then the tender reviewer1 in his unmerited compassion1 proceeds to describe 8the sermon as being as dry as an old piece of leather that has been tanned five thousand times over02 and the preacher as 8a tip-top perfectionist in the art of lying40 ,all this revives a recollection of 8,the ,old ,fox tarred and feathered10--and of its polite author1 the ,rev4 ,augustus ,toplady1 who had just now become the courteous editor of the misnamed ,gospel ,magazine4 ,at the conference of #aggd1 ,wesley had #bbjd members of society in ,america1 and seven itinerant preachers1 ,messrs4 ,rankin1 ,asbury1 ,shadford1 ,williams1 ,king1 ,dempster1 and ,rodda2 and to direct these1 in the midst of a great rebellion1 required more than ordinary wisdom4 ,a few extracts from his letters to ,thomas ,rankin will not be without interest4 8,,london1 ,march #a1 #agge4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,as soon as possible1 you must come to a full and clear explanation1 both with brother ,asbury1 and with ,jemmy ,dempster4 ,but ,i advise brother ,asbury to return to ,england the first opportunity4 8,there is now a probability that ,god will hear prayer1 and turn the counsels of ,ahithophel into foolishness4 ,it is not unlikely that peace will be reestablished between ,england and the colonies4 ,but1 certainly1 the present doubtful situation of affairs may be improved to the benefit of many4 ,they may be strongly incited now #8to break off their sins by repentance1 if it may be a lengthening of their tranquillity1' 8,i add a line to all the preachers3-- 8,my ,dear ,brethren1--,you were never in your lives in so critical a situation as you are at this time4 ,it is your part to be peacemakers2 to be loving and tender to all2 but to addict yourselves to no party4 ,in spite of all solicitations1 of rough or smooth words1 say not one word against one or the other side4 ,keep yourselves pure3 do all you can to help and soften all2 but beware how you adopt another's jar4 ,see that you act in full union with each other2 this is of the utmost consequence4 ,not only let there be no bitterness or anger1 but no shyness or coldness1 between you4 ,mark all those who would set one of you against the other4 ,some such will never be wanting4 ,but give them no countenance2 rather ferret them out1 and drag them into open day4 ,the conduct of ,t4 ,rankin has been suitable to the ,methodist plan4 ,i hope all of you tread in his steps4 ,let your eye be single4 ,be in peace with each other1 and the ,god of peace will be with you40 ,under the same date1 ,charles ,wesley wrote to ,rankin as follows4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,as to public affairs1 ,i wish you to be like-minded with me4 ,i am of neither side1 and yet of both2 on the side of ,new ,england1 and of ,old4 ,private ,christians are excused1 exempted1 privileged1 to take no part in civil troubles4 ,we love all1 and pray for all1 with a sincere and impartial love4 ,faults there may be on both sides2 but such as neither you nor ,i can remedy3 therefore1 let us1 and all our children1 give ourselves unto prayer1 and so stand still and see the salvation of ,god40 ,the war was not the only thing that gave ,wesley trouble4 ,thomas ,rankin and ,francis ,asbury were not able to agree2 and ,miss ,gilbert had actually written to ,asbury1 stating that ,mr4 ,gilbert was about to leave ,antigua2 and wishing him to come1 and to take charge of the three hundred ,methodists in that island4 ,asbury was inclined to accept of this invitation2 but was deterred by his want of ordination1 and therefore1 as he thought1 want of authority to administer the sacraments of the ,christian church4 ,wesley wished him to return to ,england4 ,what a disaster1 if he had6#bbg ,these facts will cast light on the following letters4 8,,portarlington1 ,april #ba1 #agge4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,brother ,asbury has sent me a few lines1 and ,i thank him for them4 ,but ,i do not advise him to go to ,antigua4 ,let him come home without delay4 ,if one or two stout1 healthy young men would willingly offer themselves to that service1 ,i should have no objection2 but none should go1 unless he was fully persuaded in his own mind4 ,i am afraid1 you will soon find a day of trial3 the clouds are black both over ,england and ,america4 ,it is well if this summer passes over without some showers of blood4 ,and if the storm once begins in ,america1 it will soon spread to ,great ,britain4 8,i am1 dear ,tommy1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40 8,,ballinrobe1 ,may #ai1 #agge4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,i doubt not but brother ,asbury and you will part friends2 ,i hope ,i shall see him at the conference4 ,he is quite an upright man4 ,i apprehend he will go through his work more cheerfully when he is a little distance from me4 8,we must speak the plain truth1 wherever we are1 whether men will hear1 or whether they will forbear4 ,and among our societies we must enforce our rules1 with all mildness and steadiness4 8,never was there a time1 when it was more necessary for all that fear ,god1 both in ,england and in ,america1 to wrestle with ,god in mighty prayer4 ,in all the other judgments of ,god1 the inhabitants of the earth learn righteousness2 but wherever war breaks out1 ,god is forgotten1 if ,he be not set at open defiance4 ,what a glorious work of ,god was at ,cambuslang and ,kilsyth1 from #agdj to #agdd6 ,but the war that followed tore it all up by the roots1 and left scarce any trace of it behind2 insomuch that1 when ,i diligently inquired a few years after1 ,i could not find one that retained the life of ,god60 8,,clarmain1 ,june #ac1 #agge4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,i am afraid our correspondence1 for the time to come1 will be more uncertain than ever1 since the sword is drawn2 and it is well if they have not1 on both sides1 thrown away the scabbard4 ,what will the end of these things be1 either in ,europe or ,america8 ,it seems1 huge confusion and distress1 such as neither we nor our fathers had known6#bbh ,but it is enough1 if all issues in glory to ,god1 and peace and goodwill among men4 ,never had ,america such a call to repentance2 for1 unless general reformation prevent general destruction1 what a scene will soon be opened6 ,ruin and desolation must soon overspread the land2 and fair houses be turned into ruinous heaps4 ,but what are those strange phenomena which you speak of8 ,send me an account of just so much as you can depend on4 ,should you not appoint in ,america1 as we do in ,england and ,ireland1 one or more general days of fasting and prayer80 8,,near ,,leeds1 ,july #bh1 #agge4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,i rejoice to hear that the work of our ,lord still prospers in your hands4 ,if the temple is built even in troublous times1 it is not by the power of man4 ,i rejoice too over honest ,francis ,asbury1 and hope he will no more enter into temptation4 ,i know no reason why you should not print the names of the ,american preachers4 ,you may print an edition of the #8,christian ,pattern1' and apply the profits of it to the payment of the debt4 ,the societies should pay the passage of the preachers4 ,but you must not imagine1 that any more of them will come to ,america till these troubles are at an end4 8,certainly1 this is the point which we should insist upon1 in season and out of season4 ,the universal corruption of all orders and degrees of men loudly calls for the vengeance of ,god2 and1 inasmuch as all other nations are equally corrupt1 it seems ,god will punish us by one another4 ,what can prevent this1 but a universal1 or1 at least1 a general repentance80 8,,london1 ,august #ac1 #agge4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,i am not sorry that brother ,asbury stays with you another year4 ,in that time1 it will be seen what ,god will do with ,north ,america2 and you will easily judge whether our preachers are called to remain any longer therein4 ,if they are1 ,god will make their way plain1 and give them favour even with the men that delight in war4 ,the clouds do indeed gather more and more2 and it seems a heavy storm will follow2 certainly it will1 unless the prayers of the faithful obtain a longer reprieve40 8,,london1 ,october #bj1 #agge4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,i am glad you are going into ,north ,carolina2 and why not into ,south ,carolina too8 ,i apprehend1 those provinces would bear much fruit1 as most parts of them are fresh1 unbroken ground4 ,and as the people are further removed from the din of war1 they may be more susceptible of the gospel of peace4 8,a paper was sent to me lately1 occasioned by the troubles in ,america2 but it would not do good4 ,it is abundantly too tart2 and nothing of that kind will be of service now4 ,all parties are already too much sharpened against each other2 we must pour water1 not oil1 into the flame4 ,i had written a little tract#bbi upon the subject before ,i knew the ,american ports were shut up4 ,i think there is not one sharp word therein2 ,i did not design there should4 ,however1 many are excessively angry2 and would willingly burn me and it together4 ,indeed it is provoking2 ,i suppose above forty thousand of them have been printed in three weeks1 and still the demand for them is as great as ever4 8,i am entirely of your mind4 ,i am persuaded1 love and tender measures will do far more than violence4 ,and if ,i should have an interview with a great man1 which seems to be not unlikely1 ,i will tell him so1 without any circumlocution4 8,i am1 dear ,tommy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#bcj ,the 8great man0 referred to was probably ,lord ,north1 the prime minister of the ,english cabinet1 to whom1 and to the ,earl of ,dartmouth1 ,wesley had1 four months before1 addressed most important letters1 in which he strongly endeavoured to convince the government of the exceedingly critical condition of public matters4 ,no man in the kingdom had suffered more from the violation of ,english law than ,wesley had2 and yet now1 in ,england's extremity1 no man evinced a more loyal spirit than was evinced by him4 ,indeed1 his loyalty became1 in the eyes of his enemies1 a crime1 and brought him1 not reward1 but ruffianly reproach4 ,an extract from the letters to the two ministers of state may fitly1 for the present1 close these ,american reminiscences4 8,,armagh1 ,june #ae1 #agge4 8,,my ,,lord1--,whether my writing do any good or no1 it need do no harm2 for it rests with your lordship whether any eye but your own shall see it4 8,i do not enter upon the question1 whether the ,americans are in the right or in the wrong4 ,here all my prejudices are against the ,americans2 for ,i am a high churchman1#bca the son of a high churchman1 bred up1 from my childhood1 in the highest notions of passive obedience and non-resistance2 and yet1 in spite of all my long rooted prejudices1 ,i cannot avoid thinking1 if ,i think at all1 that an oppressed people asked for nothing more than their legal rights1 and that in the most modest and inoffensive manner that the nature of the thing would allow4#bcb ,but waiving all considerations of right and wrong1 ,i ask1 is it common sense to use force towards the ,americans8 ,these men will not be frightened2 and it seems1 they will not be conquered so easily as was at first imagined4 ,they will probably dispute every inch of ground2 and1 if they die1 die sword in hand4 ,indeed1 some of our valiant officers say1 #8,two thousand men will clear ,america of these rebels4' ,no1 nor twenty thousand1 be they rebels or not1 nor perhaps treble that number4 ,they are as strong men as you2 they are as valiant as you1 if not abundantly more valiant1 for they are one and all enthusiasts1--enthusiasts for liberty4 ,they are calm1 deliberate enthusiasts2 and we know how this principle #8breathes into softer souls stern love of war1 and thirst of vengeance1 and contempt of death4' ,we know men1 animated with this spirit1 will leap into a fire1 or rush into a cannon's mouth4 8#8,but they have no experience in war4' ,and how much more have our troops8 ,very few of them ever saw a battle4 #8,but they have no discipline4' ,that is an entire mistake4 ,already they have near as much as our army1 and they will learn more of it every day2 so that1 in a short time1 if the fatal occasion continue1 they will understand it as well as their assailants4#bcc #8,but they are divided amongst themselves4' ,no1 my lord1 they are terribly united2 not in the province of ,new ,england only1 but down as low as the ,jerseys and ,pennsylvania4 ,the bulk of the people are so united1 that to speak a word in favour of the present ,english measures would almost endanger a man's life4 ,those who informed me of this are no sycophants2 they say nothing to curry favour2 they have nothing to gain or lose by me4 ,but they speak with sorrow of heart what they have seen with their own eyes1 and heard with their own ears4 8,these men think1 one and all1 be it right or wrong1 that they are contending pro aris et focis2 for their wives1 children1 and liberty4 ,what an advantage have they herein over many that fight only for pay6 none of whom care a straw for the cause wherein they are engaged2 most of whom strongly disapprove of it4 ,have they not another considerable advantage8 ,is there occasion to recruit troops8 ,their supplies are at hand1 and all round about them4 ,ours are three thousand miles off4 ,are we then able to conquer the ,americans1 suppose they are left to themselves1 suppose all our neighbours should stand stock still1 and leave us and them to fight it out8 ,but we are not sure of this4 ,nor are we sure that all our neighbours will stand stock still4 ,i doubt they have not promised it2 and1 if they had1 could we rely upon those promises8 #8,yet1 it is not probable they will send ships or men to ,america4' ,is there not a shorter way8 ,do they not know where ,england and ,ireland lie8 ,and have they not troops1 as well as ships1 in readiness8 ,all ,europe is well apprised of this2 only the ,english know nothing of the matter6 ,what if they find means to land but two thousand men8 ,where are the troops in ,england or ,ireland to oppose them8 ,why1 cutting the throats of their brethren in ,america6 ,poor ,england1 in the meantime6 8#8,but we have our militia--our valiant1 disciplined militia4 ,these will effectually oppose them4' ,give me leave1 my lord1 to relate a little circumstance1 of which ,i was informed by a clergyman who knew the fact4 ,in #agaf1 a large body of militia were marching towards ,preston against the rebels4 ,in a wood1 which they were passing by1 a boy happened to discharge his fowling piece4 ,the soldiers gave up all for lost1 and1 by common consent1 threw down their arms1 and ran for life4 ,so much dependence is to be placed on our valorous militia4 8,but1 my lord1 this is not all4 ,we have thousands of enemies1 perhaps more dangerous than ,french or ,spaniards4 ,as ,i travel four or five thousand miles every year1 ,i have an opportunity of conversing freely with more persons of every denomination than any one else in the three kingdoms4 ,i cannot but know the general disposition of the people1--,english1 ,scots1 and ,irish2 and ,i know a large majority of them are exasperated almost to madness4 ,exactly so they were throughout ,england and ,scotland about the year #afdj1 and1 in a great measure1 by the same means2 by inflammatory papers1 which were spread1 as they are now1 with the utmost diligence1 in every corner of the land4 ,hereby the bulk of the population were effectually cured of all love and reverence for the king4 ,so that1 first despising1 then hating him1 they were just ripe for open rebellion4 ,and1 ,i assure your lordship1 so they are now4 ,they want nothing but a leader4 8,two circumstances more are deserving to be considered3 the one1 that there was1 at that time1 a decay of general trade almost throughout the kingdom2 the other1 there was a common dearness of provisions4 ,the case is the same1 in both respects1 at this day4 ,so that1 even now1 there are multitudes of people that1 having nothing to do1 and nothing to eat1 are ready for the first bidder2 and that1 without inquiring into the merits of the case1 would flock to any that would give them bread4 8,upon the whole1 ,i am really sometimes afraid that this evil is from the ,lord4 ,when ,i consider the astonishing luxury of the rich1 and the shocking impiety of rich and poor1 ,i doubt whether general dissoluteness of manners does not demand a general visitation4 ,perhaps the decree is already gone forth from the ,governor of the world4 ,perhaps even now3 #8,as he that buys1 surveys a ground1 ,so the destroying angel measures it around4 ,calm he surveys the perishing nation2 ,ruin behind him stalks1 and empty desolation4' 8,but we ,englishmen are too wise to acknowledge that ,god has anything to do in the world6 ,otherwise should we not seek ,him by fasting and prayer1 before ,he lets the lifted thunder drop8 ,o my lord1 if your lordship can do anything1 let it not be wanting6 ,for ,god's sake1 for the sake of the king1 of the nation1 of your lovely family1 remember ,rehoboam6 ,remember ,philip the ,second6 ,remember ,king ,charles the ,first6 8,i am1 with true regard1 my lord1 your lordship's obedient servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#bcd ,whatever may be thought of the principle advocated in ,wesley's 8,calm ,address to the ,american ,colonies10 namely1 that taxation without representation is no tyranny1 there can be no doubt that his letters to the premier and to the colonial secretary are full of warnings and foresight which were terribly fulfilled2 and1 for fidelity1 fulness1 terseness1 in short1 for multum in parvo1 were perhaps without a parallel in the correspondence of these ministers of state4 ,much space has been occupied with these ,american affairs4 ,if an apology were needed1 the reader might be courteously reminded 7#a7 that ,john ,wesley's 8,calm ,address0 threw1 not ,methodism only1 but the nation1 into a fever of excitement1 and1 directly and indirectly1 gave birth to scores of pamphlets on the same subject2 7#b7 that the ,american rebellion is one of the greatest events in ,english history2 and 7#c7 that1 in consequence of the great majority of the clergy of the ,english ,church fleeing from the colonies1 when the colonies most needed them1 ,methodism1 under the sagacious management of the apostolic ,asbury1 took the place which had hitherto been occupied by ,anglican episcopacy2 and1 henceforth1 literally became the predominant religion of what is likely to be the greatest and most prosperous country in the world4 ,we must now return to ,wesley in a more private capacity4 ,the reader has long lost sight of ,peter ,bohler4 ,in #agci1 after the conversion of the two ,wesleys1 ,bohler went to ,georgia1 and his life1 since then1 had been spent in unwearied ,christian work1 partly in ,america and partly in ,europe4 ,his labours now were nearly ended2 and1 on ,april #bg1 #agge1 he peacefully expired1 in ,london1 at the age of sixty-three4 ,for years past1 correspondence seems to have ceased between ,wesley and his early ,moravian friend4 ,within three months of ,bohler's death1 it was renewed4 ,wesley wrote to him on the #eth of ,february1 and ,bohler1 in a beautifully ,christian letter1 responded4 ,a few days later1 ,wesley wrote again1 as follows4 8,february #ah1 #agge4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,when ,i say1 #8,i hope ,i shall never be constrained to speak otherwise of them' 7the ,moravians71 ,i do not mean1 that ,i have any expectation this will ever happen4 ,probably it never will4 ,i never did speak but when ,i believed it was my duty so to do4 ,and1 if they would calmly consider what ,i have spoken from ,march #aj1 #agcf1 and were open to conviction1 they might be such ,christians as are hardly in the world besides4 ,i have not lost sight of you yet4 ,indeed1 ,i cannot1 if you are #8a city set upon a hill4' 8,perhaps no one living is a greater lover of peace1 or has laboured more for it1 than ,i2 particularly1 among the children of ,god4#bce ,i set out1 near fifty years ago1 with this principle1 #8,whosoever doeth the will of my ,father who is in heaven1 the same is my brother1 and sister1 and mother4' ,but there is no one living that has been more abused for his pains1 even to this day4 ,but it is all well4 ,by the grace of ,god1 ,i shall go on1 following peace with all men1 and loving your ,brethren beyond any body of men upon earth1 except the ,methodists4 8,wishing you every gospel blessing1 ,i remain your very affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#bcf ,thus ended ,wesley's intercourse with ,bohler1 till it was renewed in heaven4 ,eleven days after the above was written1 ,wesley left ,london for ,ireland1 proceeding1 as usual1 by way of ,bristol and the midland counties4 ,nothing remarkable occurred in his journey to ,liverpool4 ,of course1 he was preaching continually1 and1 winter though it was1 sometimes out of doors4 ,while doing so1 at ,newcastle under ,lyne1 8a buffoon10 he says1 8laboured to interrupt him2 but1 as he was bawling1 with his mouth wide open1 some arch boys gave him such a mouthful of dirt as quite satisfied him40 ,at ,dublin1 at the request of 8the good old dean10 he assisted in administering the ,lord's supper in ,st4 ,patrick's4 ,at ,maryborough1 he complied with the wish of the clergyman1 and preached in the parish church4 ,the ,methodist chapel at ,waterford he describes as 8a foul1 horrid1 miserable hole40 ,for the first time1 he preached at ,clones1 using1 as his church1 an old ,danish fort4 ,here ,methodism had been introduced about the year #agfh4 ,the papists were furious1 and magistrates refused to interfere2 but1 just when the place was about to be given up1 a military pensioner1 an old presbyterian1 took his stand in the centre of the market1 and1 shouldering his musket1 declared that he would shoot the first man that attempted to disturb the preacher4 ,the rioters were frightened2 and the rough old soldier mounted guard every sabbath afternoon1 until opposition ceased4#bcg ,at ,londonderry1 ,wesley accepted the bishop's invitation to dinner2 the prelate remarking1 8,i know you do not love our hours1 and will therefore order dinner to be on the table between two and three o'clock40 8,we had10 says ,wesley1 8a piece of boiled beef1 and an ,english pudding4 ,this is true good breeding40 ,at ,castle ,caulfield1 writes ,wesley1 with the utmost sang froid1 8the rain came plentifully1 through the thatch1 into my lodging room2 but ,i found no present inconvenience1 and was not careful for the morrow40 ,six days afterwards1 ,wesley was seized with illness1 which nearly proved fatal2 but for three days more1 though in a burning fever1 he continued travelling and preaching almost as usual4 ,he had now reached the town of ,lurgan1 where1 four years previously1 a society had been formed1 one of the first members being ,isaac ,bullock1 an old soldier1 who had been at the capture of several islands in the ,west ,indies1 and was one of sixty1 called 8the forlorn hope10 who1 in #agfb1 first entered the breach at the storming of ,havannah1 only six of the sixty escaping with their lives4 ,the house of this sturdy veteran was the preaching place of the ,lurgan ,methodists4#bch ,here ,wesley was obliged to succumb to fever4 ,he sent for a physician1 who told him he must rest4 ,wesley replied1 he could not1 as he 8had appointed to preach at several places1 and must preach as long as he could speak40 ,the doctor gave him medicine1 and off he went to ,tanderagee1 and then to a gentleman's seat1 three miles beyond ,lisburn1 where nature sank1 and the conquered evangelist was compelled to take his bed4 ,strength1 memory1 and mind entirely failed4 ,for three days1 he lay more dead than alive4 ,his tongue was black and swollen4 ,he was violently convulsed4 ,for some time his pulse was not discernible4 ,hope was almost gone2 when ,joseph ,bradford1 his travelling companion1 came with a cup1 and said1 8,sir1 you must take this40 ,wesley writes3 8,i thought1 #8,i will1 if ,i can swallow1 to please him2 for it will do me neither harm nor good4' ,immediately it set me a vomiting2 my heart began to beat1 and my pulse to play again2 and1 from that hour1 the extremity of the symptoms abated40 ,six days afterwards1 to the astonishment of his friends1 and1 as he says1 8trusting in ,god10 he set out for ,dublin1 where1 within a week1 he was preaching as usual4 ,this was a memorable epoch1 even in ,wesley's eventful life4 ,the house in which he lay so dangerously ill was the hospitable dwelling of ,mr4 ,gayer1 of ,derryaghey1#bci a devoted ,methodist of great respectability1 who had built a chapel in the village1 and1 for the accommodation of the preachers1 a room1 which went by the name of 8the prophet's chamber40 ,his daughter1 afterwards ,mrs4 ,wolfenden1 was now a converted girl1 sixteen years of age1 and1 with her mother1 was ,wesley's nurse4 ,great anxiety was felt for ,wesley's life1 and1 while a few select friends were praying that1 as in the case of ,hezekiah1 ,god would add to his days fifteen years1 ,mrs4 ,gayer suddenly rose from her knees1 and cried1 8,the prayer is granted60 ,marvellously enough1 ,wesley's recovery immediately commenced1 and he survived1 from ,june #agge to ,march #agia1 a period of just fifteen years1 and a few months over4 ,but even this was not all the wonder4 ,alexander ,mather1 at the time1 was at ,sheerness1 in ,kent1 where he read1 in the newspapers1 that ,wesley was actually dead4 ,mather says1 he was not able to give credence to this2 and1 before he went to preach1 he opened his ,bible on the words1 8,behold1 ,i will add unto thy days fifteen years0 7,isa4 xxxviii4 #e72 and away he went to the chapel1 and began to pray that the promise1 made to ,hezekiah1 might be fulfilled in the case of ,wesley4#bdj ,these are striking facts4 ,we give them as we find them4 ,the sceptic will sneer2 but the ,christian will exercise an unfaltering faith in the glorious text1 which1 in the history of the church1 has been confirmed in instances without number3 8,the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much40 ,the news of ,wesley's dangerous illness created the utmost consternation among his friends4 ,the following is a letter1 hitherto unpublished1 addressed by ,charles ,wesley to ,joseph ,bradford1 ,wesley's faithful companion4 8,,bristol1 ,june #bi1 #agge4 8,,dear ,,joseph1--,be of good cheer4 ,the ,lord liveth1 and all live to ,him4 ,your last is just arrived1 and has cut off all hope of my brother's recovery4 ,if he could hold out till now1 that is1 ten days longer1 he might recover2 but ,i dare not allow myself to hope it1 till ,i hear from you again4 ,the people here1 and in ,london1 and every place1 are swallowed up in sorrow4 ,but sorrow and death will soon be swallowed up in life everlasting4 ,you will be careful of my brother's papers1 etc41 till you see his executors4 ,god shall reward your fidelity and love4 ,i seem scarce separated from him whom ,i shall so very soon overtake4 ,we were united in our lives1 and in our death not divided4 ,brethren1 pray a very little longer for your loving servant--,,charles ,,wesley4 8,thursday ,evening4 8,yours of the #bjth1 ,i have this moment received4 ,it only confirms my fears4 ,my brother1 soon after you wrote1 in all probability1 entered into the joy of his ,lord4 ,yet write again1 and send me the particulars4 ,i have not1 and never more shall have1 strength for such a journey4 ,the ,lord prepare us for a speedy removal to our heavenly country6 8,,charles ,,wesley40 ,the tidings of ,wesley's recovery produced corresponding joy4 ,his old friend and former itinerant1 now the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,john ,jones1 of ,harwich1 wrote to him as follows4 8,,harwich1 ,july #bi1 #agge4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,i cannot express what ,i felt when ,i was informed that you were both senseless and speechless4 ,it was like life from the dead when ,i heard you were out of danger and able to sit up4 ,it gave me some hope1 that ,god has not yet given up these sinful nations1 and that ,he will strive with us a little longer4 ,time was when you would have taken my advice1 at least1 in some things4 ,let me entreat1 let me beseech you1 to preach less frequently1 and that only at the principal places4 ,you must be satisfied with directing others1 and doing less yourself4 ,you yourself do not know of how great importance your life is4 ,far be it from me to desire you not to travel2 ,i only beg you not to go beyond your strength4 8,,john ,,jones40#bda ,another friend1 in ,london1 wrote the following4 8,,london1 ,july #h1 #agge4 8,,reverend ,,sir1--,god1 who comforteth those who are cast down1 hath comforted us by graciously restoring you to us again4 ,the prayer of faith has saved the sick4 ,the voice of joy and gladness is now found in the dwellings of the righteous2 where eight days past there were mourning1 lamentation1 and woe4 ,every social repast was embittered1 and we literally mingled our drink with our tears4 ,could you1 from the bed of sickness1 have cast your eyes on the congregation1 the first sabbath in the month1 and beheld distress in every face1 keen anguish in every heart1 your generous soul would have been willing to have tarried awhile1 absent from your ,lord1 to return to comfort those mourners in ,sion4 ,the tidings of your recovery was received with melting gratitude and joyous tears4 ,o sir1 what a week of suspense and anguish6 ,you will not surely blame us1 that our prayers helped to detain you in the vale below4 ,forgive your weeping friends if they have brought you back from the skies3 surely1 in the end1 you will be amply recompensed6 ,o yes6 being longer employed in the work of faith1 and labour of love1 your crown will be the brighter40#bdb ,these are specimens of the loving congratulations of ,wesley's friends4#bdc ,his illness was sharp1 though short4 ,the only lasting effect was1 it stripped him1 at all events for months afterwards1 of his beautiful head of hair4#bdd ,having spent three weeks in ,dublin1 and regained his strength1 he1 on ,july #bc1 embarked for ,england1 having in the morning of that day again assisted in administering the ,lord's supper in ,st4 ,patrick's cathedral4 ,landing at ,parkgate1 he proceeded to ,leeds to meet his conference1 preaching1 as he travelled1 with as much zest as ever2 except that he spent a day or two at ,miss ,bosanquet's1 making conference preparations4 ,notwithstanding the warnings and entreaties of his friends1 his labours were unabated4 ,referring to his illness and recovery1 he wrote1 in #agha3 8,from this time0 7#agge7 8,i have1 by the grace of ,god1 gone on in the same track1 travelling between four and five thousand miles a year1 and1 once in two years1 going through ,great ,britain and ,ireland2 which1 by the blessing of ,god1 ,i am as well able to do now as ,i was twenty or thirty years ago4 ,about a hundred and thirty of my fellow labourers are continually employed in the same thing4 ,we all aim at one point1 not at profit1 any more than at ease1 or pleasure1 or the praise of men2 but to spread true religion through ,london1 ,dublin1 ,edinburgh1 and1 as we are able1 through the three kingdoms4 ,this is our point4 ,we leave every man to enjoy his own opinion1 and to use his own mode of worship1 desiring only1 that the love of ,god and his neighbour be the ruling principle in his heart1 and show itself in his life by a uniform practice of justice1 mercy1 and truth4 ,and1 accordingly1 we give the right hand of fellowship to every lover of ,god and man1 whatever his opinion or mode of worship be1 of which he is to give an account to ,god only40#bde ,dr4 ,jones's advice to ,wesley was lost labour4 ,wesley's life was a perpetual motion4 ,work seemed to be essential to its continuance4 ,there are but few who can sincerely sing the lines1 which he1 from his inmost heart1 sang so often3 8,oh that1 without a lingering groan1 ,i may the welcome word receive1 ,my body with my charge lay down1 ,and cease at once to work and live60 ,wesley1 however1 could give advice1 though it was not always that he took it4 ,the following extract from a letter to his brother1 written at this period1 contains an example of this1 besides referring to his publishing affairs and the movements of his miserable wife4 8,,londonderry1 ,june #b1 #agge4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i thought it strange1 that poor ,samuel ,franks should leave me #ijj in debt4 ,but it is stranger still1 that ,john ,atlay should have paid #afjj out of nine2 and that ,i am #afj in debt notwithstanding6 8,mr4 ,walthen's method of radical cure ,i shall hardly try4#bdf ,i am very easy1 and that is enough4 8,has my friend taken a house at ,bristol8 ,is ,noah with her8 ,what are they doing8 8,preach as much as you can1 and no more than you can4 ,you never will be much stronger till you add change of air to exercise2 riding two or three hundred miles point blank forward4 ,now you have an opportunity4 ,meet me at ,leeds with honest ,john ,murlin4 ,when you are tired you may change places with him4 ,you would return a stout1 healthy man4 8,peace be with you and yours6 ,adieu6 8,,john ,,wesley40#bdg ,another instance of advice giving is too racy to be omitted4 ,the letter was addressed to ,john ,king1 one of his preachers in ,america4 8,,near ,,leeds1 ,july #bh1 #agge4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,always take advice or reproof as a favour3 it is the surest mark of love4 8,i advised you once1 and you took it as an affront2 nevertheless ,i will do it once more4 8,scream no more1 at the peril of your soul4 ,god now warns you by me1 whom ,he has set over you4 ,speak as earnestly as you can2 but do not scream4 ,speak with all your heart2 but with a moderate voice4 ,it was said of our ,lord1 #8,he shall not cry'3 the word properly means1 ,he shall not scream4 ,herein1 be a follower of me1 as ,i am of ,christ4 ,i often speak loud1 often vehemently2 but ,i never scream2 ,i never strain myself4 ,i dare not3 ,i know it would be a sin against ,god and my own soul4 ,perhaps one reason why that good man1 ,thomas ,walsh1 yea1 and ,john ,manners too1 were in such grievous darkness before they died1 was1 because they shortened their own lives4 8,o ,john1 pray for an advisable and teachable temper6 ,by nature you are very far from it3 you are stubborn and headstrong4 ,your last letter was written in a very wrong spirit4 ,if you cannot take advice from others1 surely you might take it from your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#bdh ,the above characteristic letter was written at ,miss ,bosanquet's1 ,cross ,hall1 ,morley1 where ,wesley had arranged to have if possible1 a few days' retirement1 before he met his conference1 at ,leeds4 ,in a letter to that lady1 dated ,may #bi1 #agge1 and therefore previous to his illness1 he writes3 8,the last day of ,june1 ,i hope to be in ,dublin1 and the end of ,july in ,england4 ,if ,i have a ready passage1 probably ,i may have an opportunity of hiding myself a day or two with you2 but ,i do not desire any of the preachers to come to me till ,i send for them4 ,if they do1 ,i shall run away2 ,i will not be in a crowd40#bdi ,one or two days' retirement was not much for an old man to wish2 but it was more than he could get4 ,the preachers would not be prevented seeing him2 and who can blame them8 ,if the magnet attracts the needle1 the magnet has no right to censure the needle for yielding to its own attractive influence4 ,an extract from an unpublished letter1 written1 at this period1 by simple hearted1 loving ,samuel ,bardsley1 will illustrate what we mean4 8,i never was at a better conference4 ,the ,lord was with us of a truth4 ,had you seen us1 and our dear1 aged father and friend in the midst of us1 and beheld the freedom and harmony there were among us1 you would have blessed ,god on our behalf4 ,we seemed to be determined to live and preach the gospel more than ever4 ,on the ,thursday before the conference began1 ,mr4 ,oliver and ,i had the pleasure of drinking tea and supping with dear ,mr4 ,wesley1 at ,miss ,bosanquet's1 where we stopped all night4 ,we were there when he arrived from ,ireland1 and ,i need not tell you with what joy and thankfulness we received the man of ,god1 and especially as he appeared with his usual cheerfulness1 and as well as we had seen him for some years4 ,i had the pleasure of being with him alone1 and desired him not to send me far from home4 ,if he had proposed ,worcester to me1 ,i would have gone2 but1 as he did not1 ,i thought it best to leave it to him where to send me2 so he fixed me in this circuit 7,haworth71 which ,i shall love1 if ,i have health1 and live near to ,god40 ,the conference at ,leeds opened on ,august #a1 and concluded1 its sittings two days afterwards4 ,it was the largest that had assembled for many years1 and was unexampled for its free discussion4#bej ,wesley writes3 8,having received several letters1 intimating that many of the preachers were utterly unqualified for the work1 having neither grace nor gifts sufficient for it1 ,i determined to examine the weighty charge with all possible exactness4 ,in order to this1 ,i read those letters to all the conference2 and begged1 that every one would freely propose and enforce whatever objection he had to any one4 ,the objections proposed were considered at large2 in two or three difficult cases1 committees were appointed for that purpose4 ,in consequence of this1 we were all fully convinced1 that the charge advanced was without foundation2 that ,god has really sent those labourers into ,his vineyard1 and has qualified them for the work2 and we were all more closely united together than we had been for many years40 ,the very day after the conference concluded1 ,wesley again set out on his blessed wanderings1 and preached at ,bradford and ,great ,horton4 ,he then took coach to ,london2 spent five days there2 and then went off to ,wales1 ,bristol1 and ,cornwall2 and got back to ,london on ,october #f4 ,the remainder of the year was spent1 partly in the metropolis1 and partly in his usual tours through ,bedfordshire1 ,northamptonshire1 ,oxfordshire1 ,buckinghamshire1 ,norfolk1 ,kent1 and ,surrey4 ,the nation was too much excited1 in #agge1 to take much interest in the ,calvinian controversy2 which1 however1 still proceeded4 ,fletcher published 8,the ,second ,part of the ,scripture ,scales03 #abmo1 #bcg pages4 ,also1 8,the ,last ,check #agge to ,antinomianism4 ,a ,polemical ,essay on the ,twin ,doctrines of ,christian ,imperfection and a ,death ,purgatory40 #abmo1 #cbg pages4 ,toplady1 likewise1 issued 8,the ,scheme of ,christian and ,philosophical ,necessity ,asserted2 in opposition to ,mr4 ,john ,wesley's ,tract on that ,subject40 ,as usual1 ,toplady excelled in abusiveness4 ,he tells his readers1 that the chief ingredients in ,wesley's tract are 8an equal portion of gross heathenism1 ,pelagianism1 ,mahometism1 popery1 ,manicheanism1 ranterism1 and antinomianism1 culled1 dried1 and pulverized1 secundum artem2 and1 above all1 mingled with as much palpable atheism as could be possibly scraped together40 ,wesley is taunted as a 8poor gentleman1 who is necessarily an universal meddler2 and1 as necessarily1 an universal miscarrier40 8,he paddles in metaphysics1 knows a little1 presumes a great deal1 and so jumps to conclusions40 ,his 8,thoughts on ,necessity0 are 8as crude and dark as chaos40 ,this scurrility was a thing to which ,wesley had been long accustomed4 ,it was cast upon him by writers of all descriptions4 ,in this same year1 #agge1 an octavo pamphlet of #ce pages was published1 with the title1 8,a ,letter to a ,friend on the ,subject of ,methodism20 in which the anonymous writer1 among a multitude of other calumnies1 declares that the tendency of ,wesley's system is 8to fill parishes with whores1 rogues1 and bastards02 and defines ,methodist preaching as 8a ridiculous effusion1 delivered with an enthusiastic air1 a distorted countenance1 a whining1 snivelling accent1 and a soporific1 nasal twang40 ,wesley had too much of a gentleman's self respect to even notice vulgarities like these2 and yet they were far from being pleasant1 and tend to show that ,methodism struggled into its mighty manhood amid the incessant peltings of every kind of pitiless persecution4 ,the storm1 during ,wesley's lifetime1 from one quarter or another1 was perpetual2 but1 powerless to destroy1 it simply made the roots of the tree strike deeper4 ,two of ,wesley's publications1 in #agge1 have been already noticed4 ,the others were3 #a4 8,a ,sermon on #a ,john v4 #g40 ,dublin3 #abmo1 #ca pages4 #b4 8,the ,important ,question4 ,a ,sermon1 preached in ,taunton1 on ,september #ab1 #agge4 ,published at the ,request of many of the ,hearers1 for the ,benefit of a ,public ,charity40 #abmo1 #cc pages4 ,this sermon was delivered in the presbyterian chapel1 and was made the means of converting ,mrs4 ,stone1 in whose house ,dr4 ,coke1 shortly after1 met ,wesley's preachers1 to confer with them about his religious scruples2 and where he preached his first sermon outside the precincts of a parish church4#bea #c4 8,a ,concise ,history of ,england1 from the earliest times to the death of ,george ,,ii40 #abmo1 #d vols4 ,price1 to subscribers1 half a guinea4 ,wesley says1 his 8volumes contain the substance of the ,english history1 extracted chiefly from ,dr4 ,goldsmith1 ,rapin1 and ,smollett2 only with various corrections and additions40 ,wesley made a profit of #bjj by this publication2 but gave it all away the week he got it4#beb ,for many years1 ,william ,pine of ,bristol had been ,wesley's chief printer and publisher1 and had recently brought out a revised edition of ,wesley's collected works1 in thirty-two #abmo volumes4 ,henceforth1 the connection ceased4 ,pine became a red hot partisan of the rebellious colonists4 ,wesley disliked this1 and wrote as follows to his brother ,charles4 8,,leeds1 ,july #ca1 #agge4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i must not delay answering your important question1 #8,what can be done with ,william ,pine8' ,if he still1 after my earnest warning1 #8every week publishes barefaced treason1' ,i beg you would once more warn him1 in my name and in your own2 and if he slights or forgets this warning1 then give him his choice1 either to leave us quietly1 or to be publicly disowned4 ,at such a time as this1 when our foreign enemies are hovering over us1 and our own nation is all in a ferment1 it is particularly improper to say one word which tends to inflame the minds of the people40#bec ,thus ,wesley's loyalty to ,king ,george severed his connection with ,william ,pine1 the weekly publisher of the once popular ,felix ,farley's ,journal4 ,mr4 ,pine died in #ahjc4bed ,,footnotes3 #bba ,boswell's ,life of ,johnson4 #bbb ,ibid4 #bbc ,gentleman's ,magazine1 #agig1 p4 #dee4 #bbd ,olivers' 8,defence10 p4 #ai4 #bbe ,vol4 for #agge1 p4 #efa4 #bbf ,everett's ,life of ,dr4 ,a4 ,clarke4 #bbg ,asbury's ,journal4 #bbh ,words fearfully realised1 first in ,america1 next in ,france1 and then throughout all ,europe4 #bbi ,his 8,calm ,address40 #bcj ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 pp4 #cjb-cjh4 #bca ,did ,wesley mean this8 ,that is1 did he use it in any sense except that which immediately follows8 #bcb ,this may seem to clash with the tenor of ,wesley's 8,calm ,address02 but the reader must recollect1 that it was not until after the date of this letter that the 8,calm ,address0 was written2 and that ,wesley's change of opinions did not occur until after the ,leeds conference of #agge4 ,wesley's foresight1 throughout the whole of this fearful war1 was most remarkable4 #bcc ,it is a remarkable fact1 that this letter was written within forty-eight hours before the disgraceful and disastrous battle at ,bunker ,hill1 where ,wesley's warnings to the premier and colonial secretary of ,england were too amply verified4 ,with his itinerants in ,america1 ,wesley knew quite as much of ,american affairs as ,lord ,north1 and perhaps a little more4 #bcd ,smith's ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 i41 p4 #gbf2 and ,macmillan's ,magazine for ,december1 #ahgj4 #bce ,these were not empty words1 though ,wesley was almost perpetually in war4 ,in an unpublished letter1 to ,matthew ,lowes1 dated ,march #f1 #agei1 he writes3 8,what would one not do1 except sin1 that brotherly love may continue60 #bcf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahed1 p4 #fia4 #bcg ,life of ,henry ,moore4 #bch ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbg1 p4 #hjj4 #bci ,ibid4 #ahcd1 p4 #dac4 #bdj ,york society book4 #bda ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghg1 p4 #ddd4 #bdb ,ibid4 #aghg1 p4 #eeb4 #bdc ,a curious #abmo tract1 of four pages1 was published1 with the following title3 8,some ,verses1 occasioned by the severe ,illness1 much feared ,dissolution1 and almost miraculous ,restoration1 of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley1 at ,lisburne1 in ,ireland1 ,july #b1 #agge4 ,london3 printed for ,w4 ,kent1 ,no4 #aaf1 ,high ,holborn3 #agge40 ,these verses were directed to be sung 8to the tune of #8,oliver's4'0 #bdd ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #dfi4 #bde ,ibid4 vol4 xiii41 p4 #cei4 #bdf ,the cure of his hydrocele4 #bdg ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #acb4 #bdh ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #cji4 #bdi ,ibid4 p4 #cgh4 #bej ,manuscript letter by ,thomas ,hanby4 #bea ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbd1 p4 #efh4 #beb ,ibid4 #ahde1 p4 #aafh4 #bec ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #acc4 #bed ,j4 ,pawson's manuscript letter4 #aggf4 ,age #gc ,wesley's first act1 in #aggf1 was to join with eighteen hundred ,london ,methodists in renewing his covenant with ,god4 ,his next was to go to ,bristol1 partly to bury his brother-in-law1 poor ,westley ,hall2 and partly to restrain some of the ,bristol ,methodists1 who were in danger of turning republicans4 ,the health of ,fletcher of ,madeley being seriously affected by a violent cough1 accompanied by spitting of blood1 ,wesley believed nothing was so likely to restore his health as a long journey4 8,i therefore10 says he1 8proposed his taking a journey of some months with me1 through various parts of ,england and ,scotland2 telling him1 #8when you are tired1 or like it best1 you may come into my carriage2 but remember that riding on horseback is the best of all exercises for you1 so far as your strength will permit4'0#bee ,wesley proposed not only this1 but more than this1 as is evident from ,fletcher's answer1 hitherto unpublished4 8,,madeley1 ,january #i1 #aggf4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,i received last night the favour of yours from ,bristol4 ,my grand desire is to be just what the ,lord would have me be4 ,i could1 if you wanted a travelling assistant1 accompany you1 as my little strength would admit1 in some of your excursions2 but your recommending me to the societies1 as one who might succeed you1 7should the ,lord call you hence before me17 is a step to which ,i could by no means consent4 ,it would make me take my horse and gallop away4 ,besides1 such a step would1 at this juncture1 be1 ,i think1 peculiarly improper1 and would cast upon my vindication of your minutes such an odium as the ,calvinists have endeavoured to cast upon your #8,address4' ,it would make people suspect1 that what ,i have done for truth and conscience sake1 ,i have done with a view of being1 what ,mr4 ,toplady calls1 #8the bishop of ,moorfields4' ,we ought to give as little hold to the evil surmising and rash judgments of our opponents as may be4 ,if1 nevertheless1 ,providence throws in your way a clergyman willing to assist us1 it would be well to fall in with that circumstance4 8,i sent to you in ,london1 by the last post1 a manuscript entitled1 #8,a ,second ,check to ,civil ,antinomianism1' being an extract from the #8,homily against ,rebellion1' which ,i think might be spread at this time to shame ,mr4 ,roquet1 and to calm the people's mind4 ,whether it is worth publishing you will see4 ,i suppose it will make a threepenny tract4 8,what has made me glut our friends with my books is not my love to such publications2 but a desire to make an end of the controversy4 ,it is possible1 however1 that my design has miscarried1 and that ,i have disgusted1 rather than convinced1 the people4 ,i agree with you1 sir1 that now is the time to pray1--both for ourselves and our king1--for the ,church of ,england and that part of it which is called the ,methodists4 ,i cast my mite of supplication into the general treasure4 ,the ,lord guide1 support1 and strengthen you more and more unto the end6 8,i am1 reverend and dear sir1 your affectionate son and servant in the gospel1 8,,john ,,fletcher40#bef ,fletcher had overtaxed nature4 ,his day of activity was comparatively over4 ,true1 he lived nine years longer2 but1 for two years1 he lived in retirement with his friends1 ,mr4 ,greenwood at ,newington1 and ,mr4 ,ireland of ,bristol1 with the exception of the time he spent in travelling with ,wesley in quest of health2 and upwards of three years more were spent in ,switzerland2 when1 returning to ,england1 he was married1 on ,november #ab1 #agha1 to ,miss ,bosanquet1 and died on ,august #ad1 #aghe4 ,wesley writes3 8,he looked upon my proposal as a call from ,providence1 and willingly accepted it4 ,he set out1 7as ,i am accustomed to do17 early in the spring of #aggf1 and travelled1 by moderate journeys1 suited to his strength1 which gradually increased1 eleven or twelve hundred miles4 ,when we returned to ,london1 in the latter end of the year1 he was considerably better4 ,and1 ,i verily believe1 if he had travelled with me1 partly in the chaise and partly on horseback1 only a few months longer1 he would quite have recovered his health4 ,but this those about him would not permit2 so1 being detained in ,london by his kind1 but injudicious1 friends1 while ,i pursued my journeys1 his spitting of blood1 with all the other symptoms1 returned1 and rapidly increased1 till the physician pronounced him to be far advanced in pulmonary consumption40#beg ,no doubt1 ,wesley wished to have ,fletcher as his coadjutor and successor2 but ,providence determined otherwise4 ,fletcher had a great work to do1 and did it2 but it was not ordained that ,fletcher should take ,wesley's place4 ,it is a remarkable coincidence1 that1 in the very year when the health of ,fletcher failed1 ,wesley formed an acquaintance with ,thomas ,coke4 ,born and educated at ,brecon1 ,coke was now twenty-nine years of age4 ,he had taken his degrees at ,oxford1 had received episcopal ordination1 and1 at present1 was curate at ,south ,petherton4 ,mr4 ,brown1 a clergyman near ,taunton1 lent him the sermons and journals of ,wesley1 and the 8,checks0 of ,fletcher4 ,in the month of ,august1 #aggf1 ,wesley was ,mr4 ,brown's guest at ,kingston1 and ,coke went to see him4 ,wesley writes3 8#aggf1 ,august #ac--;,i preached at ,taunton1 and afterwards went with ,mr4 ,brown to ,kingston4 ,here ,i found a clergyman1 ,dr4 ,coke1 late a gentleman commoner of ,jesus college1 ,oxford1 who came twenty miles on purpose to meet me4 ,i had much conversation with him2 and a union then began1 which1 ,i trust1 shall never end40 ,the doctor expressed his doubts respecting the propriety of confining himself to one congregation4 ,wesley clasped his hands1 and1 in a manner peculiarly his own1 said3 8,brother1 go out1 go out1 and preach the gospel to all the world60#beh ,coke rode back to ,petherton pensive1 and yet consoled4 ,the tone of his ministry was now more decided than ever4 ,the parish was remodelled1 so to speak1 into a circuit4 ,on ,sundays1 after the second lesson1 he would read a paper of his appointments for the ensuing week1 with the place and time of service4 ,his innovations1 in preaching in cottages and barns1 took a sort of ,methodistic form1 by being systematically arranged4 ,the disgust of his opponents in the parish became intense2 and1 to prevent his having the opportunity of preaching a farewell sermon1 his rector1 without any previous notice1 at the close of a public service1 and in the presence of a listening congregation1 abruptly announced that ,coke was now dismissed4 ,the die was cast4 ,coke attended ,wesley's conference in ,bristol1 and1 on ,august #ai1 #aggg1 ,wesley writes3 8,i went to ,taunton with ,dr4 ,coke1 who1 being dismissed from his curacy1 has bid adieu to his honourable name1 and determined to cast in his lot with us40 ,henceforth1 ,thomas ,coke was a ,methodist itinerant preacher1 and became the great organiser of ,methodist missions in other lands4 ,when ,wesley enacted rules1 he meant them to be observed4 ,laxity in the enforcement of discipline was to him a thing intolerable4 ,he was a thorough disciplinarian himself1 and insisted that his preachers should copy his example4 ,good as were the first ,methodists1 they were not perfect4 ,then1 as now1 some were defective in their attendance at the weekly class4 ,in certain instances1 as we have already seen1 some were guilty of the crime of smuggling4 ,others1 in moderation1 were addicted to taking drams1 and others opium2 and it often happened that the oldest societies were the worst offenders4 ,in #aggf1 both ,london and ,newcastle were thus tainted2 and ,wesley was determined1 with a strong hand1 to purge them4 ,hence the following extracts from letters1 addressed1 at this period1 to ,joseph ,benson1 stationed at ,newcastle4 8,we must threaten no longer1 but perform4 ,in ,november last1 ,i told the ,london society1 #8,our rule is1 to meet a class once a week2 not once in two or three4 ,i now give you warning3 ,i will give tickets to none in ,february1 but those that have done this4' ,i have stood to my word4 ,go you and do likewise1 wherever you visit the classes4 ,begin1 if need be1 at ,newcastle1 and go on at ,sunderland4 ,promises to meet are now out of date4 ,those1 that have not met seven times in the quarter1 exclude4 ,read their names in the society2 and inform them all1 you will the next quarter exclude all that have not met twelve times2 that is1 unless they were hindered by distance1 sickness1 or by some unavoidable business4 ,and ,i pray1 without fear or favour1 remove the leaders1 whether of classes or bands1 who do not watch over the souls committed to their care #8as those that must give account4'0 ,what would become of ,methodist societies if these imperative directions of ,methodism's founder were enforced now8 ,benson had expelled a smuggler1 and ,wesley wrote3 8,you did right in excluding from our society so notorious an offender4 ,you have now a providential call to stand in the gap between the living and the dead4 ,fear nothing4 ,begin in the name of ,god1 and go through with it4 ,if only six will promise you to sin no more1 leave only six in society4 ,but my belief is1 a hundred and fifty are now clear of blame2 and1 if you are steady1 a hundred more will amend4 ,you must1 at all events1 tear up this evil by the roots4 ,the #8,word to a ,smuggler' should be read and dispersed4 ,and secure your fellow labourers1 that you may all speak one thing4 ,go on1 for ,god is with you6 ,not only the assistant1 but every preacher1 is concerned to see all our rules observed4 ,i desire brother ,rhodes will give no tickets1 either to those who have not constantly met their classes1 or to any that do not solemnly promise to deal in stolen goods no more4 ,he and you together may put a stop to this crying sin4 ,if any leader oppose1 you see your remedy2 put another in his place4 ,nay1 if he does not join heart and hand2 for #8he that gathereth not with you scattereth4' ,the #8,word to a ,smuggler' is plain and home1 and has done much good in ,kent4 ,taking opium is full as bad as taking drams4 ,it equally hurts the understanding1 and is1 if possible1 more pernicious to the health1 than even rum or brandy4 ,none should touch it1 if they have the least regard either for their souls or bodies40#bei ,the year #aggf was a period of great national distress2 and1 yet1 it was now that ,wesley started his scheme for the erection of ,methodism's cathedral1 the chapel in ,city ,road4 ,who will write a history of ,london ,methodism8 or1 which would be more popular1 who will give the ,methodists a monograph of the memories of ,wesley's 8new chapel0 in ,city ,road8 ,much might be said of the episcopal chapel in ,west ,street1 ,seven ,dials1 of which ,wesley obtained a lease1 and which he opened on the #bith of ,may1 #agdc1 as a ,methodist meeting-house1 and which was so occupied until #agih1 when it was superseded by the purchase of another episcopal chapel1 which then stood on part of the site of the present ,methodist chapel in ,great ,queen ,street4#bfj ,then there was the venerable chapel in ,spitalfields1 erected by the ,french protestants1 and used by ,wesley long before that in ,city ,road was built1 but which1 horresco referens6 has given place to the brewery of ,truman1 ,hanbury ,co42 and there is likewise its successor1 also originally a ,french protestant church1 and still used for ,methodist services1 a chapel which has recently had dark days of adversity1 but which is rich in religious memories1 and has witnessed many a marvellous revival of the work of ,god4 ,there is ,chelsea1 whose first ,methodist meeting place was an upper room in the house of an elderly woman1 ,mrs4 ,day1 who resided in ,royal ,hospital ,row2 and its next1 one of the dancing rooms in the celebrated ,ranelagh ,gardens1 for which a rent was paid of ten guineas per annum2 and in which ,wesley preached only about two months previous to his death1 taking as his text words which his long life had illustrated3 8,the king's business requires haste40#bfa ,there is ,lambeth1 where1 in #aggb1 good old ,john ,edwards opened his house for preaching2 and then converted an adjoining building into a decent chapel2 a man of vigorous mind1 retentive memory1 and fluent speech2 for almost forty years an effective local preacher1 and who1 while on a preaching expedition1 died at ,irchester1 in the county of ,northampton1 in #ahjc4bfb ,in ,london ,east1 there was the old chapel in ,gravel ,lane1 which1 in #ahaa1 was required for the ,london ,docks2 and its successor in ,back ,road1 required by the ,black wall railway company4#bfc ,there was the schoolroom near ,mill ,pond ,bridge1 ,rotherhithe1 succeeded by the purchased chapel in ,albion ,street4#bfd ,there was ,hoxton chapel1 which originally belonged to the ,dissenters2 and there were the venerable meeting-houses at ,wapping1 ,snowsfields1 ,peckham1 and other places4 ,all these have a history well worth writing1 to say nothing of the parent of them all1 the old pantile ,foundery1 ,methodism's honoured cradle2 and of which the ,methodists retained possession1 at least as late as the year #aghe1 when they received for it1 in the shape of rent1 #ad per year4#bfe ,then how rich the mine of ,london ,methodist biography6 ,confining ourselves to ,wesley's days1 there is--,mary ,cheesebrook1 originally a kept mistress1 converted in ,west ,street chapel1 never absent from the ,foundery preaching1 though1 to be in time1 she often had to run the distance1 and who1 every ,saturday1 after paying her little debts1 gave away all the money she had left1 leaving the morrow to take thought for the things of itself3--,mrs4 ,witham1 a mother in ,israel1 an eminent pattern of calm boldness for the truth1 of simplicity and godly sincerity1 of unwearied constancy in attending all the ordinances of ,god1 of zeal for ,god and for all good works1 and of self denial in every kind3--,elizabeth ,langdon1 whose trials were severe1 and her death tranquil3--,hannah ,lee1 a model of industry1 meekness1 and patience3--,mary ,naylor1 distinguished for her ,christian courage1 and plainness of speech and of apparel3--,thomas ,salmon1 a good and useful man3--,joseph ,norbury1 a faithful witness of ,jesus ,christ3--,william ,hurd1 a son of affliction1 whose end was peace3--,john ,matthews1 who1 for some months before his death1 was wont to say1 8,i have no more doubt of being in heaven1 than if ,i was there already02 and of whom ,wesley writes3 8,a man of so faultless a behaviour ,i have hardly ever been acquainted with4 ,during twenty years1 ,i do not remember his doing or saying anything which ,i would wish to have been unsaid or undone03--,ann ,wheeler1 who1 twenty-five years before her death1 while attending preaching in ,moorfields1 was struck in the forehead with a stone1 the mark of which her unborn daughter bore to her dying day3--,rebecca ,mills1 always firm and unmoved1 resting on the ,rock of ages1 and in life and death uniformly praising the ,god of her salvation3--,elizabeth ,duchesne1 for near forty years zealous of good works1 and who shortened her days by labouring for the poor beyond her strength3--,william ,osgood1 a good man1 who began life in poverty1 but increased more and more till he was worth several thousand pounds3--,michael ,hayes1 who lived above a hundred and four years1 mostly in vigorous health1 and as he lived1 so died1 praising ,god3--,mrs4 ,kiteley1 a perfect pattern of true womanhood1 a good wife1 a good parent1 a good mistress1 who1 after many years of active benevolence1 redeemed a poor friendless youth from prison1 took the jail distemper1 and died3--,heller ,tanner1 diligent1 patient1 loving to every man1 and zealous of good works3--,bilhah ,aspernell1 who1 for six-and-thirty years1 without intermission1 walked in the light of ,god's countenance1 was always in pain1 yet always rejoicing1 and going about doing good2 who on ,sunday evening met her class as usual1 and the next day sent for her old fellow traveller1 ,sarah ,clay1 and said to her1 8,sally1 ,i am going40 8,where are you going80 ,she cheerfully answered1 8,to my ,jesus1 to be sure60 and spoke no more3--,thomas ,vokins1 a man of a sorrowful spirit1 who always hung down his head like a bulrush1 but who died triumphing over pain and death1 and rejoicing with joy full of glory3--,mr4 ,bespham1 many years master of a man of war1 whose faith was full of mercy and good fruits3--,george ,parsons1 a flame of fire wherever he went1 losing no occasion of speaking or working for ,god2 so zealously1 so humbly1 so unreservedly devoted to ,god1 that few like him were left behind him3--,eleanor ,lee1 who lived in the enjoyment of perfect love for sixteen years1 and of whom ,wesley testified1 8,i never saw her do any action1 little or great1 nor heard her speak any word1 which ,i could reprove03--,ann ,thwayte1 a woman of faith and prayer1 for whom ,wesley preached a funeral sermon3--,merchant ,west1 a pattern of diligence in all things1 spiritual and temporal3--,charles ,greenwood1 a melancholy man1 full of doubts and fears1 but who1 two days before he died1 was made so unspeakably happy that he exclaimed1 8,god has revealed to me things which it is impossible for man to utter03--,george ,hufflet1 for many years a burning and shining light3--,ann ,sharland1 whose cancer in her breast caused her continual pain1 but who triumphed gloriously through ,christ2--and ,robert ,windsor1 prudent1 serious1 diligent1 full of mercy and good fruits4 ,all these died during ,wesley's lifetime4 ,the temptation to add to them is great4 ,we should like to tell of ,william ,palmer1 ,wesley's first classleader in ,london2 and of his son1 who was blind from infancy1 was one of the first to form the ,community1 or body of workhouse visitors1 often made preaching excursions into different parts of the country1 with ,wesley's sanction1 and died in #ahbb1 after being sixty-two years a ,methodist4#bff ,old ,thomas ,gibbs of ,lambeth1 also1 deserves a place in ,methodism's gallery1--a patriarch1 who lived to the age of one hundred and four years1 eighty-three of which he had been a member of ,wesley's society2 and who1 at his death1 in #ahbg1 was probably the oldest ,methodist in the world4#bfg ,there is ,isaac ,andrews1 one of the original subscribers to ,city ,road chapel1 a man of unimpeachable ,christian character1 a ,methodist of sixty years' standing1 who died at the age of eighty-two1 in #ahcb4bfh ,there is ,mrs4 ,maddan1 whose mother1 ,mrs4 ,varin1 was the eighth person whom ,wesley received into church fellowship1 when forming his infant society in ,fetter ,lane4 ,there are ,mrs4 ,mortimer and ,mrs4 ,bruce1 of whom the ,rev4 ,richard ,watson used to say1 8they were the two finest specimens of primitive ,methodism that he knew20 the latter being the daughter of parents who were among the eighteen persons who first joined ,wesley in ,christian fellowship1 in #agci4bfi ,we cannot find room for more4 ,for five-and-thirty years1 ,wesley and his friends had worshipped in 8the old ,foundery40 ,here hundreds1 perhaps thousands1 had been converted2 but1 as the building was only held on lease1 they were now in danger of losing it4 ,on ,october #ai1 #agge1 ,wesley1 writing to his brother1 says3 8on ,friday ,i hope to be in ,london1 and to talk with the committee about building a new ,foundery40#bgj ,a few months later1 he wrote again3 8#aggf1 ,march #a--;,as we cannot depend on having the ,foundery long1 we met to consult about building a new chapel4 ,our petition to the city for a piece of ground lies before their committee2 but when we shall get any further1 ,i know not3 so ,i determined to begin my circuit as usual2 but promised to return whenever ,i should receive notice that our petition was granted40 ,exactly five months after this1 ,wesley started the first subscription1 and1 at three meetings1 raised upwards of #ajjj4 ,in ,november following1 building plans were agreed upon2 in ,april #aggg1 ,wesley laid the foundation stone2 and on ,sunday1 ,november #a1 #aggh1 he opened his new sanctuary1 by preaching1 in the morning1 on part of ,solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple2 and in the afternoon1 on the hundred1 forty and four thousand standing with the ,lamb on mount ,zion4 ,he writes3 8,it is perfectly neat1 but not fine2 and contains far more people than the ,foundery3 ,i believe1 together with the morning chapel1 as many as the ,tabernacle40 ,the chapel in ,city ,road will always stand as a thanksgiving monument1 raised1 not by the ,london ,methodists merely1 but by ,methodists throughout the three kingdoms4 ,no sooner was it resolved to build1 than ,wesley issued the following circular1 an original copy of which now lies before us4 8,october #ah1 #aggf4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,the society at ,london have given assistance to their brethren in various parts of ,england4 ,they have done this for upwards of thirty years3 they have done it cheerfully and liberally4 ,the first year of the subscription for the general debt1 they subscribed above nine hundred pounds2 the next1 above three hundred2 and not much less every one of the ensuing years4 8,they now stand in need of assistance themselves4 ,they are under a necessity of building2 as the ,foundery1 with all the adjoining houses1 is shortly to be pulled down4 ,and the city of ,london has granted ground to build on2 but on condition of covering it1 and with large houses in front1 which1 together with the new chapel1 will1 at a very moderate computation1 cost upwards of six thousand pounds4 ,i must1 therefore1 beg the assistance of all our brethren4 ,now help the parent society1 which has helped others1 for so many years1 so willingly and so largely4 ,now help me1 who account this as a kindness done to myself2 perhaps1 the last of this sort which ,i shall ask of you4 ,subscribe what you conveniently can1 to be paid either now1 or at ,christmas1 or at ,ladyday next4 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley4 ,,john ,,duplex1 ,,charles ,,greenwood1 ,,richard ,,kemp1 8,the ,trustees are ,,samuel ,,chancellor1 ,,charles ,,wheeler1 ,,william ,,cowland1 ,,john ,,folgham40 ,we are afraid to enter into details1 respecting the ,new ,chapel1 in ,city ,road4 ,john ,pawson1 who was appointed to the office of assistant in the ,london circuit1 within two years after the chapel was opened1 tells us1 in an unpublished manuscript1 that the plan proposed was to build an elegant chapel1 such as even the lord mayor might attend1 without any diminishing of his official dignity2 and that it should be wholly supplied by ordained clergymen of the ,established ,church on ,sundays1 when the liturgy should be constantly read at both morning and evening service2 and this1 for a considerable time after the chapel was opened1 was regularly done4 ,no layman1 so called1--that is1 no itinerant preacher not episcopally ordained1 was allowed to officiate within its walls1 except on week days4 ,charles ,wesley1 ,thomas ,coke1 and ,john ,richardson were ,city ,road's only sabbatic priests3 ,pawson1 ,jaco1 ,rankin1 ,tennent1 ,olivers1 and others1 though better preachers than any of the trio1 were not admitted2 because their heads had not been touched by a bishop's fingers4 ,pawson says1 that ,richardson and ,coke disapproved of this arrangement2 but ,charles ,wesley persisted1 until the congregations so fell off1 and the society was thrown into such confusion1 that the trustees of the chapel met1 and waited on ,charles ,wesley with a request1 that he would not preach so often at ,city ,road1 but would go sometimes to ,west ,street on ,sundays1 and allow the itinerants to take his place on the hitherto forbidden ground4 ,charles reluctantly submitted2 but wrote to his brother1 casting all the blame upon the poor1 tabooed itinerants1 and stating that it was wholly owing to their deep rooted prejudices against the clergy of the ,established ,church1 that these events had happened4 ,for many years1 the men sat on one side the chapel1 and the women on the other2 and1 besides this1 there was another usage1 which would not be popular at the present day3 all the pews and seats were open4 ,large numbers paid for seats2 but no one was allowed to call a seat1 or a pew1 his own4 ,in #aghh1 the trustees endeavoured to make an alteration in both the respects just mentioned2 8thus overthrowing10 says ,wesley1 8at one blow1 the discipline which ,i have been establishing for fifty years60 ,he continues1 however3 8we had another meeting of the committee2 who1 after a calm and loving consultation1 judged it best--7#a7 that the men and women should sit separate still2 and 7#b7 that none should claim any pew as his own1 either in the new chapel1 or in ,west ,street40 ,the days of the old ,foundery have long been ended2 the 8,new ,chapel0 in ,city ,road still stands1 and we trust will ever stand1 by far the most sacred and attractive edifice in the ,methodistic world4 ,not for a hundred pretentious gothic structures would ,methodists of the olden type give up this4 ,though its ceiling may be somewhat low1 yet1 taken as a whole1 its architecture1 for neatness1 and commodiousness1 and solidity1 has been but rarely equalled1 by the more pretentious ,methodist buildings of the present day4 ,we are weary of gothic gaudiness1 sacrificing the interests of the church of ,god to the pride of showy architects1 and the medival whims of ,methodists in danger of relapsing into medival darkness4 ,let the present race of ,methodists have wisdom and modesty enough to build their chapels according to the plan adopted by a man1 in all respects1 their superior--,methodism's founder4 ,hail to old ,city ,road6 ,when we think of the ministers who have occupied its pulpit1 of the families who have filled its pews1 of the dead resting in graves round about its walls1 and of the interesting events which make up its story1--we feel that of all the ,methodist meeting-houses in existence1 gothic or otherwise1 marble or mudden1 there is not one to equal this4 ,for many a long year1 the chapel in ,city ,road was the head of ,london ,methodism2 and1 though there are now more than twenty heads1 all owe a respectful obeisance to this4 ,its circuit plan1 from ,june #ag to ,september #bc1 #agib1 eighteen inches broad and fifteen deep1 is simply headed1 8,a ,plan for the ,preachers in ,london20 the word ,methodist1 or ,methodism1 not being printed in any part of it4 ,the preaching places1 and hours of preaching1 are as follows3--,new ,chapel1 #i a4m4 and #e p4m42 ,west ,street1 #i1 #c and #g2 ,spitalfields1 #aj and #c2 ,wapping1 #aj and #e2 ,snowsfields1 #aj and #e2 ,lambeth1 #f2 ,westminster1 #e2 ,peckham1 #c2 ,rotherhithe1 #aj and #e2 ,deptford1 #g1 #aj1 and #e2 ,chelsea1 #f2 ,brentford1 #aj1 #b1 and #f2 ,dorking1 #aa1 #b1 and #e2 ,raynham1 #aj and #e2 ,purfleet1 #i and #e2 ,woolwich1 #b and #f2 ,wandsworth1 #f2 ,mitcham1 #b and #f2 ,croydon1 #b and #f2 ,bromley1 #c2 ,barnet1 #b and #e2 ,poplar1 #aa and #e2 ,bow1 #e2 ,stratford1 #aa and #e2 ,barking1 #e2 ,leyton1 #e2 ,grosvenor ,market1 #f2 ,ratcliff ,cross1 #b2 ,christ ,church1 #e2 ,clerkenwell1 #f2 ,kentish ,town1 #f2 and ,seven ,dials without an hour4 ,such was ,london circuit at the time when ,wesley died4 ,interesting citations might be made from the old ,city ,road society book1 extending from ,august #bc1 #aghd1 to ,july #i1 #ahjj4 ,we learn1 that sacramental collections were1 upon an average1 a little more than #c each2 and monthly collections1 for 8the furtherance of the gospel10 about #f #ajs4 ,the sacrament was administered once a week2 and what is now known among the ,methodists as a quarterly collection was then made once a month as just referred to4 ,the entire circuit income1 for #aghf1 was #hfb #afs4 #e;d41 which included sacramental collections and payments for graves1 all of which were then appropriated to circuit purposes4 ,strangely enough1 there is no entry of class moneys till #aghh1 from which time such entries were regularly made4 ,had the practice of collecting pence weekly in the classes been superseded by collections made at the weekly sacraments8 ,this is not improbable2 for1 from the time when class moneys are entered as a part of the circuit income1 the entries of sacramental collections1 and collections for the furtherance of the gospel1 cease4 ,for the year #aghg1 including all sources of income1 the average contribution per member per year was in this great ,london circuit #cs4 #aj;d41 or less than a shilling per member per quarter4 ,how far was this from the requirement of ,wesley's rules8 ,who will say that the former days were better than these8 ,besides1 all that was contributed was not current coin2 for in the same year there is a charge deducted of not less than #aj #ads4 #i;d4 for bad money given at collections4 ,many are the curious items in the list of circuit payments and allowances4 ,the yearly salary paid to ,wesley was #cj2 to his brother #fj2 to ,creighton1 #fa2 to ,dickenson1 #ej2 to ,coke1 #cj2 while the quarterage to the itinerants1 and to their wives respectively1 was #c each4 ,with a few more extracts we conclude this lengthened notice of ,london ,methodism1 during the last seven years of ,wesley's life4 8#aghd3 ,november #g1 a new pail1 half a crown2 ,december #f1 chain for dog1 two shillings4 #aghe3 ,january #d1 shaving the preachers1 #b #ajs4 #f;d42 ,february #ah1 8news pappers10 #acs42 ,may #ah1 lamplighter1 four weeks1 #fs42 ,august #h1 ,mr4 ,tennant1 to pay his debts1 and to send him to ,leeds1 #i #is42 ,august #ac1 letters1 four weeks1 #b #aes4 #h;d4 ,august #ai1 for shaving the preachers at conference1 #g #es4 #c;d4 #aghg3 ,february #b1 two trees for front of dwelling house1 #cs4 #f;d42 ,december #ag1 for curtain over the altar1 #e #as4 #i;d4 #aghi3 ,march #bh1 paid expenses of a hogshead of cider1 from ,guernsey1 a present to ,mr4 ,wesley1 #a #is42 ,july #g1 paid the man servant a quarter's wages1 #a #as42 ,december #bi1 paid ,mr4 ,moore for cold bath1 #a #as4 #agij3 ,july #a1 the hairdresser's bill1 #a #as41 for one quarter4 #agia3 ,february #bb1 paid the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley's salary 7the last he received7 #ae2 ,april #bj1 paid for ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley's horses standing at livery after his decease1 #a #aas4 #i;d42 ,december #c1 paid ,mr4 ,judd's bill for hanging the ,new ,chapel with black superfine cloth1 #da #afs40#bga ,these may seem little things to introduce into a work like this2 but little things often indicate greater1 and1 sometimes1 it is only by knowing minute matters that men can form a correct opinion of a great general system4 ,after this long1 but we hope not uninteresting digression1 we must return to ,wesley in #aggf4 ,on ,sunday evening1 ,march #c1 he set out from ,london to ,bristol1 and thence to his societies in the north4 ,the tour was not completed until the #aith of ,july following1 when he got back to ,london4 ,its incidents were much the same as previous ones1 except that he was permitted to preach in a larger number of churches than usual1--namely1 at ,pebworth1 ,chowbent1 ,heptonstall1 ,bingley1 ,haworth1 ,colne1 and at ,banff in ,scotland1#bgb a proof that clerical prejudice was subsiding1 and that the poor branded outcast was beginning to be regarded with a more favourable eye4 ,the churches that he occupied in ,yorkshire were crowded4 ,thomas ,taylor1 at that time in the ,haworth circuit1 writes1 in his unpublished diary3 8,saturday1 ,april #bg--,mr4 ,wesley preached at ,bradford1 at #e a4m4 ,at #aj1 to the surprise of many1 he preached in ,bingley church1 from ,acts xxiv4 #be4 ,i never saw him weep while preaching before now4 ,he spoke awfully1 and the congregation heard attentively4 ,the next day 7,sunday7 ,i heard him at ,keighley in the morning1 and then at ,haworth church4 ,afterwards1 the sacrament was administered1 but in too great a hurry4 ,several hundreds communicated in less than an hour4 ,we then dined1 in haste and confusion1 and drove off to ,colne4 ,i rode fast1 and got thither before ,mr4 ,wesley4 ,the street was filled with people waiting to welcome him2 but1 when about two miles from ,colne1 his chaise broke down1 which somewhat delayed his coming4 ,he mounted a horse1 however1 and so arrived in safety4 ,the crowd was so great that it was with difficulty we got into the church4 ,the sexton led us to the reading desk1 and thereby ,i got a seat4 ,mr4 ,wesley's text was ,revelation xx4 #ab4 ,at the beginning he was rather flat2 but1 at the end1 he spake many awful things40 ,wesley's journey to the north was always one continued panorama of toil and travel1 preaching and praying1 conferring with his preachers and visiting the sick4 ,hardly one in a thousand could have borne the burden of its labours without bending2 and yet ,wesley1 an old man1 was always1 in the midst of gigantic toils1 blithe and happy2 and never went northwards without making his large circuit larger4 ,besides other places1 he now1 for the first1 time1 preached at ,chesterfield4 ,three years before1 ,jeremiah ,cocker had gone from ,sheffield1 and stood on a table1 in the midst of the market place1 and begun to preach4 ,a man1 hired for the purpose1 pulled him down4 ,jerry again mounted his rostrum1 and was again pulled down4 ,a third time he ascended1 and a third time his assailant brought him to the ground4 ,the old ,adam now began to stir in the athletic preacher1 and1 seizing the man1 he gave him a shake hardly gentle4 8,that is not the spirit of ,christ10 shouted the mob1 which1 all at once1 had become pious4 8,i acknowledge it10 said ,jerry2 and again he jumped upon his table1 and finished his discourse4#bgc ,wesley opened the conference of #aggf1 in ,london1 on ,august #f1 and concluded it three days afterwards4 ,he writes3 8,in several conferences we have had great love and unity2 but in this there was1 over and above1 such a general seriousness and solemnity of spirit as we scarcely ever had before40 8,everything10 says ,thomas ,taylor1 8was conducted in great order4 ,a very strict scrutiny was made into every one's character2 and ,i am glad so few were found culpable40#bgd ,the truth is1 objections to the preachers had become so rife1 that ,wesley felt it to be his duty to interfere4 ,he writes3 8,it is objected1 that some of our preachers are utterly unqualified for the work1 and that others do it negligently1 as if they imagined they had nothing to do but to preach once or twice a day4 ,in order to silence this objection for ever1 which has been repeated ten times over1 the preachers were examined at large1 especially those concerning whom there was the least doubt4 ,the result was1 that one was excluded for inefficiency1 and two for misbehaviour4 ,and we were thoroughly satisfied1 that all the rest had both grace and gifts for the work wherein they are engaged4 ,i hope1 therefore1 we shall hear of this objection no more40 ,even in #aggf1 as now1 there were crabbed1 cantankerous ,methodists1 to whom discipline was a blessing4 ,those in ,ireland refused to contribute to the yearly collection1 saying1 it 8was nothing to them2 they would only bear their own expenses40 ,this was worse than foolish2 it was disloyal and unjust4 ,in their own fashion1 they were willing to feed and clothe the preachers sent to them2 but they expected some one else to pay their expenses for travelling1 and for the sickness of themselves and their families2 or1 perhaps1 these ,irish ,methodists had dreamt that itinerants travelled without expense1 and1 so far as sickness was concerned and the need of medicine1 were entirely exempted from the dire effects of ,adam's curse4 ,wesley says1 with honest indignation3 8,these are properly their expenses2 nor will we pay any part of them for the time to come1 unless their yearly contribution enable us so to do40 ,if the ,irish stopped supplies on one side of the channel1 ,wesley could stop supplies on the other side as well4 ,this probably was a dilemma which the simple ,hibernians had not studied4 ,there was another unpleasantness at the conference of #aggf4 ,circuit stewards complained1 that some of the preachers' wives were sluts1 and spoiled their houses2 and the preachers1 on the other hand1 complained that their houses were hardly homes1 for the people1 without ceremony1 crowded into them as into coffee houses4 ,wesley dealt with both complaints in his own laconic way2 directing that no 8known slut0 should have a house to spoil2 and that no person1 either on ,sundays or week days1 should go into the preacher's house except to ask a question4 ,the conference pronounced the opinion1 that ,calvinism had been the grand hindrance of the work of ,god2 and1 hence1 to stop its progress1 all the preachers were requested--7#a7 ,to read1 with carefulness1 the tracts published by ,wesley1 ,fletcher1 and ,sellon4 7#b7 ,to preach universal redemption frequently1 explicitly1 and lovingly4 7#c7 ,not to imitate the ,calvinist preachers in screaming1 allegorising1 and boasting2 but to visit as diligently as they did1 to answer all their objections1 to advise the ,methodists not to hear them1 to pray constantly and earnestly that ,god would stop the plague4 ,was it wise to publish this8 ,we doubt it2 and so did ,toplady1 for he immediately1 without note or comment1 republished it in his ,gospel ,magazine1 with the heading 8,authentic ,extract of what passed at a certain ,confabulation1 held at ,london1 ,august #f1 #aggf40 ,the ,isle of ,man now began to attract attention4 ,john ,crook was the son of a ,lancashire physician1 who squandered his own and his wife's fortunes1 and then died a miserable and untimely death at sea4 ,john was put apprentice to learn a laborious trade1 and then enlisted to be a soldier2 when he was sent to ,limerick1 where1 at the age of twenty-eight1 he was converted1 in the ,methodist chapel1 in the year #aggj4 ,having purchased his discharge from the army1 he returned to ,liverpool1 where he became a classleader1 and a local preacher4 ,at the beginning of #agge1 he went1 uncommissioned except by ,god ,himself1 to the ,isle of ,man1 and began to preach1 and had the lieutenant governor1 and his lady1 and all the family1 and the chief people in ,castletown1 to hear him4 ,numbers had been converted2 and persecution had begun to rage4 ,on ,july #af1 #aggf1 the following episcopal bull was issued4 8,to the several ,rectors1 ,vicars1 ,chaplains1 ,curates1 within the ,isle and ,diocese of ,man4 8,,reverend ,,brethren1--,whereas1 we have been informed1 that several unordained1 unauthorised1 and unqualified persons from other countries have presumed1 for some time past1 to preach and teach publicly1 and hold and maintain conventicles1 and have caused several weak persons to combine themselves together in a new society1 and have private meetings1 assemblies1 and congregations1 contrary to the doctrine1 government1 rites and ceremonies of the ,established ,church1 and the civil and ecclesiastical laws of this island-- 8,we do1 therefore1 for the prevention of schism1 and the establishment of uniformity of religious worship1 which so long hitherto has subsisted among us1 hereby desire and require each and every one of you1 to be vigilant and use your utmost endeavours to dissuade your respective flocks from following1 or being led and misguided by1 such incompetent teachers1 and to exhort1 incite1 and invite them devoutly to read the holy ,scripture1 to attend reverently the blessed sacraments of their parish church1 and the ghostly advice of their own ministers1 by which they will be better and more comfortably instructed in the meaning of grace and salvation1 than by the crude and pragmatical and inconsistent1 if not profane and blasphemous1 extempore effusions of these pretenders to the true religion2 and1 if afterwards they regard not the truth1 but obstinately persist in error1 then to know and find out the names of such persons1 within your respective parishes and chapelries1 as attend the public instructions of the said disorderly and unqualified teachers1 or frequent the said conventicles1 meetings1 assemblies1 and congregations2 and if1 upon due inquiry and certain information1 you discover1 or1 consistently with your own knowledge1 know any licensed schoolmaster1 mistress1 parish clerk1 or any other person1 who holds any office or employment by licence from us or our predecessors1 that you signify and make known to us in writing the names1 within one month after the receipt hereof1 as also unto our reverend vicars general or any one of them1 of the persons who attend the instructions of the said teachers1 or frequent the said conventicles4 8,and we1 likewise1 further desire and require each and every one of you1 in case any of the above mentioned unordained1 unauthorised1 and unqualified teachers shall1 at any time hereafter1 offer to partake of the holy communion in any of your respective churches or chapels1 that you repel him or them so offering1 and the minister so repelling them or any of them to give an account of the same unto us within fourteen days1 at the farthest1 as is directed in the rubric in that behalf4 8,given at ,peeltown1 ,july #af1 #aggf4 8,r4 ,,sodor ,,and ,,man4 8,p4,s4--,let these be forwarded1 in the usual manner1 and the time of receiving and forwarding be noted by each of you4 ,you will also take a copy thereof1 and publish it1 in ,english and ,manx1 at the usual time1 in your respective churches and chapels the ,sunday next after the receipt thereof40#bge ,such was the fulmen brutum discharged at the poor ,methodists from the episcopal battery of the ,isle of ,man4 ,twelve days later1 ,john ,crook wrote as follows to a friend at ,liverpool4 8,,castletown1 ,,isle ,,of ,,man1 ,july #bh1 #aggf4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am now in hot war4 ,the devil has stirred up the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,moor1 of ,douglas1 and made a firebrand of him1 to set all the island on fire4 ,this gentleman has set his schoolboys to work1 to write chosen texts of ,scripture against false prophets1 dreamers of dreams1 running and not being sent1 etc4 ,he has also picked up a ballad1 written1 ,i fancy1 by the late ,dr4 ,bowden1 and has dispersed manuscript copies of it1 and of the texts1 among the populace1 and put them into a most violent flame4 ,the effect on us1 as a society1 is1 we are hooted at1 slutched1 and stoned1 whenever we go to worship ,god4 ,mr4 ,moor's scholars1 in particular1 and the rabble of the town in general1 gather round our place of meeting1 and first sing the blasphemous ballad1 and then proceed to throw dirt and stones at the windows and door4 ,as for myself1 when ,i come out they plentifully salute me with channel dirt1 with which they have often plastered me pretty well4 ,when the scholars meet me at mid day1 they curse me most horribly1 and throw at me chips1 hard pieces of mortar1 potatoes1 stones1 or whatever comes to hand4 ,but if this were all1 we might do well enough2 but this brand has communicated the infectious blaze to the bishop1 who has issued a bull1 dated1 not ,rome1 but ,peeltown1 which was published in the churches last sabbath4 ,i have petitioned the governor for liberty of conscience1 but he and the bishop are so unanimous1 that1 he says1 he will not interfere in the case1 but wishes me to write a memorial setting forth my suit4 ,i am not willing to do this1 but have given ,mr4 ,wesley an account of the matter1 and hope he will direct me how to act4 8,i am1 your willing servant in the gospel1 8,,john ,,crook40#bgf ,wesley replied to ,mr4 ,crook as follows4 8,,london1 ,august #aj1 #aggf4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,by all means1 stay in the island till the storm be ended3 in your patience possess your soul4 ,beware of despising your opponents6 ,beware of anger and resentment6 ,return not evil for evil1 or railing for railing4 ,i advise you to keep1 with a few serious people1 a day of fasting and prayer4 ,god has the hearts of all men in ,his hands4 ,neither ,dr4 ,moor1 nor the bishop himself1 is out of ,his reach4 ,be fervent in prayer1 that ,god would arise and maintain ,his own cause4 ,assuredly1 ,he will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able to bear4 ,violent methods of redress are not to be used1 till all other methods fail4 ,i know pretty well the mind of ,lord ,mansfield1 and of one that is greater than he2 but1 if ,i appealed to them1 it would bring much expense and inconvenience on ,dr4 ,moor and others4 ,i would not willingly do this2 ,i love my neighbour as myself4 ,possibly1 they may think better1 and allow that liberty of conscience which belongs to every partaker of human nature1 and more especially to every one of his majesty's subjects in his ,british dominions4 ,to live peaceably with all men is the earnest desire of your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#bgg ,three years after this1 the ,isle of ,man was a flourishing ,methodist circuit1 with #ajea members of society4 ,no sooner was the conference in ,london ended1 than ,wesley set out1 on ,sunday afternoon1 ,august #aa1 for ,cornwall4 ,on his return1 he spent1 as usual1 about a month at ,bristol and in its vicinity4 ,he began what1 he says1 he had long intended1 visiting the ,bristol society from house to house1 setting apart at least two hours a day for that purpose4 ,he preached in the church at ,midsomer ,norton1 the rector making one of his congregation4 ,here an incident occurred which was characteristic of the man1 and is worth relating4 ,wesley was entertained at the house of ,mr4 ,bush1 a local preacher1 who kept a boarding school4 ,while there1 two of the boys quarrelled1 and cuffed and kicked each other most vigorously4 ,mrs4 ,bush brought the pugilists to ,wesley4 ,he talked to them1 and repeated the lines3 8,birds in their little nests agree1 ,and 'tis a shameful sight1 ,when children of one family ,fall out1 and chide1 and fight40 8,you must be reconciled10 said he2 8go and shake hands with each other40 ,they did so4 8,now10 he continued1 8put your arms round each other's neck1 and kiss each other40 ,this was also done4 8,now10 said he1 8come to me02 and1 taking two pieces of bread and butter1 he folded them together1 and desired each to take a part4 8,now10 he added1 8you have broken bread together40 ,he then put his hands upon their heads1 and blessed them4 ,the two tigers were turned into loving lambs2 they never forgot the old man's blessing2 and one of them became a magistrate in ,berks1 and related the occurrence with intense interest in after days4#bgh ,having returned to ,london1 ,wesley set out1 on ,november #ac1 accompanied by his invalid friend1 ,fletcher1 to ,norwich4 ,he says3 8,i took coach at twelve1 slept till six1 and then spent the time very agreeably in conversation1 singing1 and reading4 ,i read ,mr4 ,bolt's account of the affairs in the ,east ,indies4 ,what a scene is here opened6 ,what consummate villains1 what devils incarnate1 were the managers there6 ,what utter strangers to justice1 mercy1 and truth2 to every sentiment of humanity6 ,i believe no heathen history contains a parallel4 ,i remember none in all the annals of antiquity2 not even the divine ,cato1 or the virtuous ,brutus1 plundered the provinces committed to their charge with such merciless cruelty as the ,english have plundered the desolated provinces of ,hindostan40 ,the two friends returned to ,london on ,november #ba2 and1 a few days later1 ,wesley started on his accustomed visitation to ,bedfordshire1 etc42 and1 on the way1 read the poetical works of ,gray1 whom he pencils as 8sharp1 sensible1 and ingenious2 but proud1 morose1 envious1 passionate1 and resentful40 ,after this1 he made a tour through ,kent2 and then writes3 8,december #ca--,we concluded the year with solemn praise to ,god1 for continuing ,his great work in our land4 ,it has never been intermitted one year1 or one month1 since the year #agch2 in which my brother and ,i began to preach that strange doctrine of salvation by faith40 ,the ,calvinistic controversy was now in its last agonies2 but1 on the part of the elect1 was as acrimonious as ever4 ,some one published a twopenny pamphlet1 entitled1 8,a necessary ,alarm and most earnest ,caveto against ,tabernacle ,principles and ,tabernacle ,connections2 containing the substance of an extraordinary ,harangue and ,exhortation1 delivered at ,penzance1 in ,august1 #aggd2 on an extraordinary occasion4 ,by ,j4 ,w41 ,master of very extraordinary ,arts40 ,in this infamous burlesque1 ,wesley is treated with as much ridicule as the anonymous author could command2 and ,toplady1 in reviewing it1 in his ,gospel ,magazine1 of course commends it1 as 8a delicate satire on ,wesley10 and hopes that 8the cream of tartar1 so ably administered by the anonymous physician1 will prove a sweetener of the patient's crudities1 and conduce to carry off some portion of his self sufficiency40 ,wesley1 however1 had been so 8severely peppered and salted of late years10 that the considerate editor of the ,gospel ,magazine benevolently intimates that he shall1 on that account1 refrain from adding to the pepper and salt seasonings1 which 8must often have made ,wesley smart and wince like an eel dispossessed of its skin40#bgi ,this was bad enough2 but there were other things even worse4 ,wesley's wife1 7originally a not too respectable servant girl17 stole a number of ,wesley's letters1 and interpolated words1 and misinterpreted spiritual expressions1 so as to make the letters bear a bad construction4 ,she read them to an elect party of ,calvinists1 and agreed to send them to the ,morning ,post for publication4 ,two masked assassins1 who assumed the not inappropriate names of ,scorpion and ,snapdragon1 furiously assailed him1 in the ,london newspaper1 professing to ground their charges against him upon his own private papers1 which the woman1 who was legally his wife1 had put into their hands4 ,a more infamous episode does not occur in ,wesley's history4 ,the charges were cruel insinuations1 founded upon interpolated letters1 stolen by a faithless woman1 who1 in order to defame a husband of whom she was utterly unworthy1 not only committed theft but forgery1 and then put herself into the hands of a set of holy ,calvinists1 who employed her perfidy and meanness in injuring the man whom1 at the altar of the ,most ,high ,god1 she had sworn to love1 honour1 and obey4 ,this is strong language2 but the writer1 knowing more than he chooses to make public1 uses it with deliberate design4 ,charles ,wesley1 finding the use that was being made of his brother's papers1 was in the utmost consternation1 and went off in haste1 wishing him to postpone a journey1 and to stay in town to defend himself against his enemies4 ,wesley was as calm as his loving and faithful brother was excited4 8,i shall never forget10 said ,miss ,wesley1 8the manner in which my father accosted my mother on his return home4 #8,my brother1' said he1 #8is indeed an extraordinary man4 ,i placed before him the importance of the character of a minister2 and the evil consequences which might result from his indifference to it2 and urged him1 by every relative and public motive1 to answer for himself1 and stop the publication4 ,his reply was1 #8,brother1 when ,i devoted to ,god my ease1 my time1 my life1 did ,i except my reputation8 ,no1 ,tell ,sally ,i will take her to ,canterbury to-morrow4'0#bhj ,on the ,arminian side of the controversy1 the chief1 if not the only1 publication issued in #aggf1 was ,fletcher's masterly 8,answer to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,toplady's #8,vindication of the ,decrees1' etc40 #abmo1 #abh pages4 ,never was a bravo shaved with so sharp a razor1 and by so adept a hand4 ,except 8,an ,extract of the ,life of ,madame ,guion10 #abmo1 #bcj pages1 ,wesley's only publications1 in #aggf1 were the two political tracts following4 #a4 8,some ,observations on ,liberty1 occasioned by a late ,tract03 #abmo1 #cf pages4 ,and1 #b4 8,a ,seasonable ,address to the more ,serious ,part of the ,inhabitants of ,great ,britain1 respecting the ,unhappy ,contest between us and our ,american ,brethren2 with an occasional ,word interspersed to those of a different complexion03 #abmo1 #ah pages4 ,the former was an answer to ,dr4 ,price1 a ,unitarian minister far more famed for politics than for preaching1 who had recently published his 8,observations on the ,nature of ,civil ,liberty1 the ,principles of ,government1 and the ,justice and ,policy of the ,war with ,america40 ,this was considered the ablest work1 in exposition of the injurious policy pursued by ,england toward ,america1 that had yet been issued4 ,within less than two years1 eight editions were printed2 and1 in testimony of their approbation of it1 the common council of ,london presented to the author the freedom of the city in a golden box4 ,thus1 in fighting with ,dr4 ,price1 ,wesley was far from fighting with a shadow4 ,both of ,wesley's tracts display1 not only his wonted ability1 but his profound loyalty to the government of ,king ,george1 his benevolence of heart1 and his intense interest in the fratricidal war which was then raging4 ,a more loyal subject than ,wesley1 ,england never had2 perhaps1 indeed1 his loving loyalty sometimes made him somewhat blind to the faultiness of ruling powers4 ,no man was more obedient to law2 and no man more cheerfully paid his taxes4 ,the last mentioned might not amount to much2 but they were never tendered with a niggard's hand4 ,some imagined that he1 the bishop of #dj1jjj ,methodists1 was sure to have an enormous income1 and a silver chest well stocked with plate2 and that1 therefore1 his assessments ought to be higher than they were4 ,so1 for instance1 thought the commissioners of his majesty's excise1 in #aggf4 ,hence the following circular3 8,,reverend ,,sir1--,as the commissioners cannot doubt but you have plate for which you have hitherto neglected to make entry1 they have directed me to inform you1 that they expect you forthwith to make due entry of all your plate1 such entry to bear date from the commencement of the plate duty1 or from such time as you have owned1 used1 had1 or kept any quantity of silver plate1 chargeable by the act of parliament2 as1 in default hereof1 the board will be obliged to signify your refusal to their lordships4 ,an immediate answer is desired40 ,think of ,john ,wesley1 always on the wing1 having a hoard of silver plate to adorn his sumptuous table when feasting his ,epicurean coadjutors and his dinner loving friends4 ,the idea was almost too silly to be ridiculous4 ,wesley seems to have thought it so2 and his answer 7with which we close the present year7 was as follows4 8,,sir1--,i have two silver teaspoons at ,london1 and two at ,bristol4 ,this is all the plate which ,i have at present2 and ,i shall not buy any more1 while so many round me want bread4 8,i am1 sir1 your most humble servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,,footnotes3 #bee ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xi41 p4 #bij4 #bef ,manuscript letter4 #beg ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xi41 p4 #bij4 #beh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbd1 p4 #efh4 #bei ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 pp4 #cie-cig4 #bfj ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #ebb4 #bfa ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcj1 p4 #caj4 #bfb ,ibid4 #ahjc1 p4 #bhi4 #bfc ,ibid4 #ahdg1 p4 #ajb4 #bfd ,ibid4 #ahaf1 p4 #ddf4 #bfe ,city ,road society book4 #bff ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbc1 p4 #bjb4 #bfg ,ibid4 #ahbg1 p4 #dcj4 #bfh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcb1 p4 #dff4 #bfi ,ibid4 #ahcg1 p4 #cii4 #bgj ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #acd4 #bga ,it is a disgraceful fact that ,charles ,wesley was buried1 not at the expense of the ,london circuit1 but by private subscription4 ,nineteen ,london ,methodists subscribed #aj #acs4 #f;d41 and ,william ,marriott made up the deficiency of #c #cs4 ,the pages in the old society book1 on which this account is written1 were wafered together by four large wafers1 doubtless for the purpose of hiding the shame of the old ,methodists of #aghh4 #bgb ,the following was written to ,robert ,dall1 one of ,wesley's itinerants4 8,,banff1 ,january #a1 #aggg4 8,,dear ,,father ,,in ,,the ,,lord1--,the society has been stationary ever since you left us4 ,we are often neglected4 ,lately we had only one visit in eight weeks4 ,mr4 ,wesley was here on the #bjth of ,may last1 and preached on the ,parade from #b ,corinthians viii4 #i4 ,he supped at ,lord ,banff's1 and next night at ,admiral ,gordon's lady's house1 with a great number of great ones2 and1 at their request1 he preached in the ,english chapel to an elegant and crowded congregation4 ,we are1 etc41 ,,william ,,and ,,isabel ,,mcpherson40 7,manuscript letter47 #bgc ,manuscript4 #bgd ,taylor's manuscript journals4 #bge ,john ,crook's original copy4 #bgf ,manuscript letter4 #bgg ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahjh1 p4 #ajc4 #bgh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdb1 p4 #acf4 #bgi ,gospel ,magazine1 #aggf1 p4 #dge4 #bhj ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #bhc4 #aggg4 ,age #gd ,wesley was always full of work4 ,he began the year #aggg with a course of lectures on the book of ,ecclesiastes1 and says3 8,i never before had so clear a sight either of the meaning or the beauties of it2 neither did ,i imagine1 that the several parts of it were1 in so exquisite a manner1 connected together2 all tending to prove that grand truth1 that there is no happiness out of ,god40 ,he also spent an hour every morning with his ,london preachers1 ,messrs4 ,jaco1 ,hindmarsh1 ,murlin1 ,pilmoor1 ,atlay1 ,bradford1 and ,olivers1 in instructing them as he used to instruct his ,oxford pupils1 and in promoting their piety4 ,he likewise begun visiting the society1 many of whom he found in the deepest poverty1 and writes3 8,o why do not all the rich that fear ,god constantly visit the poor8 ,can they spend part of their spare time better8 ,certainly not3 so they will find in that day1 when #8every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour4'0 ,to his surprise1 he once more preached in a ,london church--,allhallows2 and says3 8,i found great liberty of spirit2 and the congregation seemed to be much affected4 ,how is this8 ,do ,i yet please men8 ,is the offence of the cross ceased8 ,it seems1 after being scandalous near fifty years1 ,i am at length growing into an honourable man40 ,at the beginning of the month of ,february1 he hurried off to ,bristol1 to quiet some of the society1 who were in danger of becoming disaffected towards government2 and preached from1 8,put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers40 ,finding that there had been repeated attempts to fire the city1 he preached again1 taking as his text1 8,is there any evil in the city1 and the ,lord hath not done it80 ,he also wrote and published1 8,a ,calm ,address to the ,inhabitants of ,england03 #abmo1 #bc pages4 ,he states1 that a year and a half ago1 from fifty to a hundred thousand copies of his 8,calm ,address to the ,american ,colonies0 had been dispersed1 and the effect had exceeded his most sanguine hopes4 ,this encouraged him now to address 8the inhabitants of ,old ,england40 ,he then gives an account of the rise and progress of the ,american rebellion1 tracing it back as far as the year #agcg4 ,he proceeds to state that1 after bawling for liberty1 no liberty was left in the confederate provinces of ,america2 the liberty of the press1 religious liberty1 and civil liberty were nonentities4 ,the lords of the congress were as absolute as the emperor of ,morocco2 whereas1 in ,england1 the fullest liberty was enjoyed1 8both as to religion1 life1 body1 and goods40 ,he tells the ,methodists that1 though many1 who go under that name1 hate the king and all his ministers1 only less than they hate an ,arminian1 he would no more continue in fellowship with those that were connected with him1 if they did this1 than he would continue in fellowship 8with whoremongers1 or sabbath breakers1 or thieves1 or drunkards1 or common swearers40 ,the whole tract is written in his most pungent style2 and1 whatever may be thought of the wisdom of ,wesley's politics1 all must admire his devoted loyalty4 ,of course1 like his 8,calm ,address to the ,american ,colonies10 it stirred a nest of hornets4 ,almost immediately1 there was published1 in the ,gospel ,magazine1 a poem reviling him in unmeasured terms4 ,he is represented as 8spitting venom1 spite1 and rage02 8,father ,johnny0 is accused of telling 8barefaced lies10 and is thus admonished in the last two lines3 8,o think of this1 thou grey haired sinner1 ,ere ,satan pick thy bones for dinner40 ,wesley returned to ,london on ,february #h1 and1 a week later1 fulfilled a painful duty4 ,for more than twenty years1 ,dr4 ,dodd had been one of the most popular preachers in the metropolis4 ,when at the zenith of his fame1 he1 in #aggd1 sent an anonymous letter to ,lady ,apsley1 offering #cjjj if she would prevail with her husband1 the lord chancellor1 to appoint him to the valuable rectory of ,st4 ,george's1 ,hanover ,square1 which was then vacant4 ,the writer was detected1 and1 as a consequence1 was struck out of the list of royal chaplains1 was assailed with bitter invectives by the press1 and was severely ridiculed by ,foote1 in a farce1 entitled 8,the ,cozeners40 ,withdrawing from ,england1 where he had now become an object of contempt1 he1 for a time1 found an asylum at ,geneva1 with his former pupil1 ,lord ,chesterfield4 ,on his return to this country1 he became editor of a newspaper1 and then a bankrupt4 ,in #aggf1 he visited ,france1 and1 with little regard to decency1 appeared in a phaeton at the races on the plains of ,sablons1 dressed in all the foppery of the country in which he then resided4 ,strange to say1 he was still popular1 as a preacher1 at the ,magdalen1 in ,london1 where he delivered his last discourse on ,february #b1 #aggg1 from the ominous text3 8,and among these nations shalt thou find no ease1 neither shall the sole of thy foot have rest2 but the ,lord shall give thee there a trembling heart1 and failing of eyes1 and sorrow of mind2 and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee2 and thou shalt fear day and night1 and shalt have none assurance of thy life40 ,only two days afterwards1 he forged the name of ,lord ,chesterfield to a bond for #dbjj1 on the security of which he obtained a considerable loan4 ,detection speedily ensued2 and1 before the month was ended1 he was arrested1 tried at the ,old ,bailey1 and was convicted4 ,the crime was forgery2 the penalty was death4 ,for four months1 the unhappy culprit was kept in prison4 ,his friends were indefatigable1 in their endeavours1 to obtain a commutation of his punishment4 ,even the city of ,london1 in its corporate capacity1 earnestly solicited that his sentence might not be carried into effect4 ,dr4 ,johnson1 with his weighty pen1 tried to arouse popular feeling in his favour1 alleging that petitions for clemency had been signed by above thirty thousand people1 and that justice might reasonably be satisfied with his imprisonment1 infamy1 exile1 penury1 and ruin4 ,all was of no avail2 and on ,june #bf the great preacher died a felon's death by the hands of the common hangman4 ,in the days of his prosperity1 ,dodd had been in the ranks of ,wesley's enemies2 and1 more than once1 had reviled him1 his people1 and his creed2 and1 yet1 strange to tell1 no sooner was he incarcerated for his crime1 than he sent for ,wesley to visit him4 ,the latter writes3 8#aggg1 ,february #ae--;,at the third message1 ,i took up my cross1 and went to see ,dr4 ,dodd1 in the ,compter4 ,i was greatly surprised4 ,he seemed1 though deeply affected1 yet thoroughly resigned to the will of ,god4 ,mrs4 ,dodd1 likewise1 behaved with the utmost propriety4 ,i doubt not1 ,god will bring good out of this evil40 8,february #ah--;,i visited him again1 and found him still in a desirable state of mind2 calmly giving himself up to whatsoever ,god should determine concerning him40 ,both ,wesley and his brother had always evinced an almost unequalled interest in the welfare of imprisoned convicts2 but1 remembering past treatment from this popular1 but now incarcerated1 preacher1 and also remembering the terrible scandal which he had brought upon ,christ's religion1 no wonder that ,wesley felt it a cross to visit him4 ,wesley1 however1 was not the man to shun a duty because it happened to be painful2 and there can be no doubt that1 if his itinerant engagements had not taken him away from ,london1 the gloom of the convict's cell would often have been relieved1 during the next four months1 by ,wesley's presence4 ,wesley had never even seen ,dr4 ,dodd1 either in public or in private1 until he saw him in ,wood ,street compter1 a few days before his removal to ,newgate to take his trial4 8,sir10 said the prisoner1 8,i have long desired to see you2 but ,i little thought1 that our first interview would be in such a place as this40 8,we conversed10 says ,wesley1 8about an hour2 he spoke of nothing but his soul1 and appeared to regard nothing in comparison of it40 ,at the second interview1 ,wesley spent half an hour with the poor wretched man4 8,sir10 said he1 8do not you find it difficult to preserve your recollection1 amidst all these lawyers and witnesses80 ,dodd answered3 8,it is difficult2 but ,i have one sure hold3 #8,lord1 not as ,i will1 but as ,thou wilt4'0 ,the third visit was after his sentence had been passed4 ,wesley writes3 8,he conversed about an hour2 but had not one word about any but spiritual things4 ,i found his mind still quiet and composed2 sorrowing1 but not without hope40 ,two days before the execution1 ,wesley went again4 8,sir10 said he1 8,i think you do not ask enough1 or expect enough1 from ,god your ,saviour4 ,the present blessing1 you may expect from ,him1 is to be filled with all joy1 as well as peace in believing40 8,o sir10 replied the doctor1 8it is not for such a sinner as ,i am to expect any joy in this world4 ,the utmost ,i can desire is peace2 and1 through the mercy of ,god1 that ,i have40 ,wesley adds3 8,we then spent a little time in prayer1 and ,i solemnly commended him to ,god4 ,he was exactly in such a temper as ,i wished4 ,he never1 at any time1 expressed the least murmuring or resentment at any one2 but entirely and calmly gave himself up to the will of ,god4 ,such a prisoner ,i scarce ever saw before2 much less1 such a condemned malefactor40 ,this was ,wesley's last interview4 ,two days later1 the once famous ,dr4 ,dodd was hanged1 ,wesley expressing the firm belief1 that angels took him from the gallows to the paradise of ,god4#bha ,perhaps more space has been devoted to ,dr4 ,dodd than some may think fitting2 but1 remembering the positions occupied respectively by ,dodd and ,wesley1--the one the most popular and fashionable preacher that ,london had1 and the other an outcast clergyman1 who1 for eight-and-thirty years1 had been reviled in every form that malice and ingenuity could devise1--it was no slight fact1 that1 as soon as ,dodd was face to face with death1 the man he sent for was1 not one of his old associates1 lay or clerical1 but the man who had been1 and still was1 the butt of national persecution1 and whom he himself in the days of his prosperity had treated disrespectfully4 ,dr4 ,dodd1 when he most needed them1 had more faith in ,wesley's counsels and ,wesley's prayers than he had in the counsels and prayers of those whom he had been accustomed to call his friends4 ,his confidence was not misplaced4 ,wesley did his best2 ,wesley's brother poured forth the feelings of his heart in 8,a ,prayer for ,dr4 ,dodd under ,condemnation02 and ,miss ,bosanquet wrote to the poor prisoner not a few of her ,christian letters4 ,the result was1 ,dodd1 on the very day of ,wesley's final visit1 thus addressed his lady correspondent3 8,my dear ,friend1--,on ,friday morning ,i am to be made immortal6 ,i die with a heart truly contrite1 and broken under a sense of its great and manifold offences1 but comforted and sustained by a firm faith in the pardoning love of ,jesus ,christ40#bhb ,on the #ajth of ,march1 ,wesley left ,london on a seventeen days' preaching tour to ,bristol and back again4 ,this was the year for his pastoral visitation in the north2 but1 he writes1 8,i cannot be long absent0 from ,london1 8while the new chapel is building40 ,in fact1 ,wesley became so interested in his great building scheme1 that he was tempted to turn architect himself4 8,it seems10 says he in a letter to ,miss ,ball1 of ,wycombe1 dated ,march #ac1 #aggg1 8it seems1 the time is come1 that you are to have a more commodious preaching house at ,high ,wycombe4 ,i will give you a plan of the building myself2 and employ whom you please to build40#bhc ,after all1 the ,methodists at ,wycombe might have had a worse architect than ,wesley4 ,ten days were spent in ,london1 and1 it being ,easter time1 ,wesley writes3 8,during the octave1 ,i administered the ,lord's supper every morning1 after the example of the primitive church40 ,on ,sunday1 ,april #f1 he set out on his northern journey1 making collections1 as he went1 for his ,london chapel4 ,when he had got only as far as ,lancashire1 he was obliged to return to ,london to lay the foundation stone on ,april #ba4 ,a week later1 he took coach for ,newcastle upon ,tyne4 ,here he spent four days1 and then again turned his face southward2 and1 preaching all the way1 reached the metropolis on the #agth of ,may4 ,having met the building committee1 which was his chief business in ,london1 and having1 with his brother1 visited ,dr4 ,dodd1 he1 a third time1 started north on ,sunday1 ,may #be4 ,he now hurried on to ,whitehaven1 and paid his first visit to the ,isle of ,man1 where he spent the first three days in the month of ,june1 and says3 8,a more loving1 simple hearted people than this ,i never saw2 and no wonder2 for they have but six papists1 and no ,dissenters1 in the island40 ,here he met with the ,rev4 ,e4 and ,mrs4 ,smyth1 the former a clergyman from ,ireland1 and the latter a young wife of twenty-two4 ,mr4 ,smyth had been ejected from his curacy for preaching the doctrines of the ,methodists1 and especially for daring to reprove 8the great man of the parish0 for living the life of an adulterer4 ,expelled from the ,established ,church1 he began to preach wherever he had a chance1 and became more extensively useful than ever4 ,though the nephew of an archbishop1 his home was a thatched cabin1 and his trials not a few4 ,hearing that ,wesley was about to visit the ,isle of ,man1 ,mr4 ,smyth and his wife came to meet him4 ,wesley received them with his customary kindness1 and1 during their stay1 met with a misadventure1 which is worth relating4 ,he writes3 8,i set out for ,douglas in the one-horse chaise1 ,mrs4 ,smyth riding with me4 ,in about an hour1 in spite of all ,i could do1 the headstrong horse ran the wheel against a large stone3 the chaise overset in a moment2 but we fell so gently on the smooth grass1 that neither of us was hurt at all40 ,such is ,wesley's account2 ,mrs4 ,smyth's reflects on ,wesley's charioteering capabilities4 8,he told me10 she writes1 8when we got into the carriage1 that he could drive a chaise forty years ago2 but1 poor dear man6 his hand seemed out of practice1 as ,i thought we should be overturned several times4 ,at last1 one of the wheels being mounted on one side of a ditch1 we were both pitched out on a green plain1 as the ,lord in mercy ordered it2 for had we been overset in some parts of the road1 it is more than probable we should have been killed on the spot4 ,i found no bad effects from the fall at the time2 but the next morning ,i was scarce able to stir1 and felt so sore and bruised that ,i thought it likely ,i should lay my bones in the churchyard at ,douglas40#bhd ,we shall meet with ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,smyth again2 suffice it to add1 that1 immediately after preaching at ,douglas1 ,wesley set sail for ,england2 and1 a few days after1 his newly acquired friends went back to ,ireland1 while he himself went on his way to ,london4 ,in his progress1 he1 for the first time1 preached at ,settle1 where ,methodism had recently been introduced by ,john ,read1 a poor clogger1 and where one of the first members was ,edward ,slater1 who became ,wesley's coachman4#bhe ,wesley proceeded to ,otley1 where ,miss ,ritchie1 apparently1 was dying2 to ,bradford1 where ,william ,brammah1 one of ,wesley's weakest preachers1 had been amazingly useful2 to ,birstal and ,huddersfield1 where thousands upon thousands assembled to hear him2 and to ,colne1 where1 as soon as he entered the pulpit1 the left hand gallery of the chapel fell1 with nearly two hundred persons in it4 ,william ,sagar1 a young man not then in business for himself1 had been the principal promoter of this erection1 and had made himself responsible for the payment of the cost4 ,when the walls were half way up1 the workmen became clamorous for their wages2 and ,mr4 ,sagar unfortunately was without funds2 but1 two or three days afterwards1 a gentleman1 unsolicited1 offered to lend him the money needed4 ,one trouble was got over1 but another was yet to come4 ,when the ill fated chapel was ready for the roof1 a gale of wind blew down the western gable1 and shook the entire edifice to its foundations4 ,and now1 to crown the whole1 through the malevolence of a carpenter who had purposely cut the timbers too short1 down fell the left hand gallery2 and1 though no lives were lost1 yet not a few of the people had their limbs broken1 and were otherwise severely injured4#bhf ,it was at this period that ,colne was made the head of what ,thomas ,taylor called 8a snug circuit02 though the circuit embraced the entire region constituting the ,todmorden1 ,bacup1 ,haslingden1 ,blackburn1 ,burnley1 ,preston1 ,garstang1 ,lancaster1 ,clitheroe1 and ,padiham circuits of the present day4 ,taylor was the assistant of the circuit before it was made so snug1 and was ,wesley's companion at the time of the ,colne catastrophe4 ,in his voluminous unpublished diary1 he tells us1 that at ,otley1 ,wesley not only preached1 but made a collection for his ,london chapel2 at ,bingley1 he preached in the parish church2 at ,keighley1 after preaching1 ,wesley stood on one side of the path and ,taylor on the other1 and1 with their hats in their hands1 collected upwards of #g for the new chapel in ,city ,road2 at ,colne1 ,taylor was with ,wesley in the pulpit when the gallery fell4 ,he writes3 8,oh1 what a scene ensued4 ,the dismal shrieks of those whose limbs were broken1 or who were otherwise injured1 and the cries of the women for their children1 were terrible4 ,happily no lives were lost1 and much less damage done than might have been expected4 ,as soon as the confusion was abated1 ,mr4 ,wesley preached out of doors2 but the catastrophe prevented many from hearing40#bhg ,wesley proceeded to ,derby1 where1 strangely enough1 another accident occurred1 which might have been as serious as that at ,colne4 ,an hour before the congregation assembled in the chapel1 part of the roof fell in2 the people1 however1 rushed to hear1 despite the doubtful state of the flimsy edifice2 and1 among others permanently benefited by ,wesley's ministry1 was ,catherine ,spencer1 who1 for sixty-four years1 adorned her religious profession by 8a meek and quiet spirit10 and who died at the age of eighty-six1 in #ahdc4bhh ,wesley got back to ,london on ,june #ba1 and1 a week later1 wrote3 8,june #bh--;,i have now completed my seventy-fourth year1 and1 by the peculiar favour of ,god1 ,i find my health and strength1 and all my faculties of body and mind1 just the same as they were at four-and-twenty40 ,a man1 on his birthday1 frequently reviews the past1 sifts the present1 and reflects upon the future4 ,at this period ,wesley wrote as follows to his legal friend1 ,walter ,churchey1 of ,brecon1 the birthplace of ,thomas ,coke4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,at present1 ,i am very safe2 for ,i am a good many pounds1 if not scores of pounds1 worse than nothing4 ,in my will1 ,i bequeath no money but what may happen to be in my pocket when ,i die4 8,dr4 ,coke promises fair1 and gives us reason to hope1 that he will1 bring forth1 not only blossoms1 but fruit4 ,he has hitherto behaved exceeding well1 and seems to be aware of his grand enemy--applause4 ,he will likewise be in danger from offence4 ,if you are acquainted with him1 a friendly letter might be of use1 and would be taken kindly4 ,he now stands on slippery ground1 and is in need of every help4 8,i am your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#bhi ,having spent nine days in ,london1 ,wesley set out1 on ,june #cj1 on a preaching tour which occupied the whole of the ensuing month4 ,proceeding by way of ,buckingham1 he visited ,oxford1 ,witney1 ,stroud1 ,gloucester1 ,tewkesbury1 ,worcester1 ,malvern2 and then passed through ,wales to ,bristol1 which he reached on ,july #bh4 ,here1 on ,august #e1 he opened his annual conference1 and writes3 8,as the report had been spread far and wide1 ,i now particularly inquired of every assistant1 #8,have you reason to believe1 from your own observation1 that the ,methodists are a fallen people8 ,is there a decay or an increase in the work of ,god where you have been8 ,are the societies in general more dead1 or more alive to ,god1 than they were some years ago8' ,the almost universal answer was3 #8,if we must know them by their fruits1 there is no decay in the work of ,god among the people in general4 ,the societies are not dead to ,god3 they are as much alive as they have been for many years4 ,and we look on this report as a mere device of ,satan1 to make our hands hang down4' 8#8,but how can this question be decided8' ,you can judge no further than you see4 ,you cannot judge of one part by another2 and none but myself has an opportunity of seeing the ,methodists throughout the three kingdoms4 8,but to come to a short issue4 ,in most places1 the ,methodists are still a poor1 despised people1 labouring under reproach1 and many inconveniences2 therefore1 wherever the power of ,god is not1 they decrease4 ,by this then1 you may form a sure judgment4 ,do the ,methodists in general decrease in number8 ,then they decrease in grace2 they are a fallen1 or1 at least1 a falling people4 ,but they do not decrease in number2 they continually increase2 therefore1 they are not a fallen people40 ,these are weighty words4 ,they show ,wesley's deep anxiety to maintain the genuine character of the work in which he was engaged2 and the test which he instituted was1 unquestionably1 under existing circumstances1 logical and conclusive4 ,the principal propagator of the report1 that the ,methodists were a fallen people1 was ,john ,hilton1 who1 for thirteen years1 had been an itinerant preacher4 ,dr4 ,stevens calls him 8an honest but weak headed man40 ,this is scarcely correct4 ,leaving his honesty an open question1 ,john ,hilton1 judged by his publications1 was far from being 8weak headed40 ,wesley says3 8,he told us he must withdraw from our connexion4 ,some would have reasoned with him1 but it was lost labour2 so we let him go in peace40 ,hilton was no sooner gone1 than he turned author1 and1 in #aggh1 besides an octavo pamphlet of #cb pages1 entitled1 8,the ,deplorable ,state of ,man10 he issued 8,reasons for ,quitting the ,methodist ,society2 being a ,defence of ,barclay's ,apology20 #hvo1 #ff pages4 ,dated1 8,melksham1 #crd month1 #bhth day1 #aggh40 ,he tells his readers1 that1 8a year ago1 ,barclay's ,apology converted him to the principles of the quakers20 and a broadbrimmed quaker ,john ,hilton henceforwards was4 ,both his pamphlets are written in a plain1 good1 nervous style1 and show1 that1 in point of education and mental power1 he was much superior to the mass of ,wesley's itinerants4#bij ,hilton was not without talent2 but like most who think themselves more religious than their neighbours1 he was sour and censorious4 8,what ,i have lamented in him1 for some years10 wrote ,wesley1 in a letter1 dated ,october #bb1 #aggg1 8is an aptness to condemn and despise his brethren4 ,there is no failing more infectious than this2 and it is much if you did not catch a little of it from him2 otherwise you would hardly say1 #8the body of ,methodists are degenerated4' ,you cannot possibly judge whether they are or not4 ,perhaps you converse with one or two hundred of them4 ,now allowing two thirds of these to be degenerated1 can you infer the same concerning thirty or forty thousand8 ,yet this ,i will allow1 two thirds of those who are grown rich are greatly degenerated4 ,they do not1 will not1 save all they can1 in order to give all they can2 and1 without doing this1 they cannot grow in grace1 nay1 they constantly grieve the ,holy ,spirit of ,god40#bia ,thomas ,taylor was at the conference of #aggg1 and tells us that1 on the conference ,sunday1 the morning service1 in the ,broadmead chapel1 lasted from half-past nine till nearly one o'clock2 that1 at five in the afternoon1 ,wesley preached to a large and serious crowd out of doors1 and afterwards1 in a full society meeting1 8expatiated upon the rules1 and said many useful things40 ,he preached again in the evening of the first day of conference1 but not longer than twenty minutes4 ,on ,august #g1 ,taylor writes3 8that great and good man ,mr4 ,fletcher came into conference4 ,my eyes flowed with tears at the sight of him4 ,he spoke to us in a very respectful manner1 and took a solemn farewell4 ,dear1 good man6 ,i never saw so many tears shed in all my life40#bib ,fletcher had sought health at ,stoke ,newington2 but was now the guest of ,mr4 ,ireland1 of ,bristol4 ,benson1 his fellow sufferer in the ,trevecca troubles1 writes3 8,we have had an edifying conference4 ,mr4 ,fletcher's visits have been attended with a blessing4 ,his appearance1 his exhortations1 and his prayers1 broke most of our hearts1 and filled us with shame and self abasement for our little improvement40#bic ,this was a memorable scene4 ,fletcher1 emaciated1 feeble1 and ghostlike1 entered the conference leaning on the arm of his host1 ,mr4 ,ireland4 ,in an instant1 the whole assembly stood up1 and ,wesley advanced to meet his almost seraphic friend4 ,the apparently dying man began to address the brave itinerants1 and1 before he had uttered a dozen sentences1 one and all were bathed in tears4 ,wesley1 fearing that ,fletcher was speaking too much1 abruptly knelt at his side and began to pray4 ,down fell the whole of ,wesley's preachers1 and joined in the devotion of their great leader4 ,the burden of ,wesley's supplication was1 that his friend might be spared to labour a little longer2 and this petition was urged with such fervency and faith1 that1 at last1 ,wesley closed by exclaiming with a confidence and an emphasis which seemed to thrill every heart3 8,he shall not die1 but live1 and declare the works of the ,lord40#bid ,the event verified ,wesley's words2 for though the pilgrim was already walking on the margin of the river of death1 and had heaven's own sunshine shining on him1 it was not until eight years after that he passed the gates of the celestial city4 ,at the conference of #aggf1 it was reported1 that there were #cadh ,methodists in ,america2 in the minutes of #aggg1 ,america is not mentioned4 ,still1 ,american ,methodism was not dead4 8,i have just received two letters from ,new ,york10 writes ,wesley on ,january #aa1 #aggg4 8,they inform me1 that all the ,methodists there are firm for the government1 and1 on that account1 persecuted by the rebels1 only not to the death2 that the preachers are still threatened1 but not stopped2 and1 that the work of ,god increases much in ,maryland and ,virginia40#bie ,the war was raging with terrific violence2 and some of the preachers1 as ,mr4 ,rodda1 were not so wise1 politically speaking1 as seemed desirable3 but1 despite all this1 ,methodism actually spread and prospered4 ,thomas ,rankin1 ,george ,shadford1 and others thought of fleeing from the field of conflict2 and it was only by ,asbury's solicitation1 that they were induced to stay awhile longer4 ,the baptists too became a hindrance4 8,like ghosts10 says ,asbury1 8they haunt us from place to place40 ,wesley's political tracts also were a serious stumbling block4#bif ,a ,methodist backslider enlisted three hundred men for the ,british army1 was arrested1 and hanged as a rebel against the government of his country4#big ,even peaceful1 prudent1 and loyal ,francis ,asbury was fined #e for preaching at ,nathan ,perrig's2 and1 in ,october #aggg1 ,rankin and ,rodda returned to ,england1 and ,shadford soon after1 leaving poor1 persecuted1 but faithful ,asbury the only one of ,wesley's itinerants that now remained at the post of duty1 and preaching peace to the people by ,jesus ,christ4 ,and here let us pause to say1 that a grander specimen of a ,christian apostle than ,francis ,asbury the world has never had4 ,much as we revere the memory of ,wesley1 we regard ,asbury with an almost equal veneration4 ,among the self denying1 laborious1 ,christian ministers of the past eighteen hundred years1 we believe1 that ,francis ,asbury has no superiors1 and but few that can be considered equals4 ,and yet1 how little does the church catholic1 indeed1 how little does the ,methodist section of it1 know concerning this great and grand1 because good1 old man6 ,the son of peasant parents1 ,asbury began to preach in ,staffordshire1 while yet a boy seventeen years of age2 and1 in #agga1 came to ,bristol to embark for ,america1 without a single penny in his pocket4 ,his first text in ,america was in perfect harmony with the forty-five years he spent in wandering through its woods and prairies3 8,i determined not to know anything among you1 save ,jesus ,christ1 and ,him crucified40 ,as early as #aggf1 he made it a rule1 besides travelling and preaching1 to read a hundred pages daily1 and to spend three hours out of every twenty-four in private prayer4 ,cabins of the most miserable description were1 in thousands of instances1 his happy homes2 and often1 when his horse cast a shoe in the wide wilderness1 in the absence of a blacksmith's shop1 this grand old bishop of the ,american ,methodists would make a piece of a bull's hide1 bound about his horse's foot1 serve in the place of iron4 ,his daily rides were often from thirty to fifty miles1 over mountains and swamps1 through bridgeless rivers and pathless woods1 his horse frequently weary and lame1 and he himself wet1 cold1 and hungry4 ,for forty-five years1 when steamboats1 stage coaches1 railways1 and almost roads1 were utterly unknown1 ,asbury made a tour of the ,american states1 travelling never less than five thousand1 and often more than six thousand1 miles a year1 and this generally on horseback2 climbing mountains2 creeping down declivities2 winding along valleys1 whose only inhabitants were birds1 wild beasts1 and ,indians2 crossing extended prairies without a companion and without a guide2 fording foaming rivers2 and wading through the most dangerous swamps1 where one false step might have engulfed him in a boggy grave4 ,usually1 he preached at least once every week day1 and thrice every ,sunday2 delivering1 during his ministry in ,america1 more than twenty thousand sermons4 ,his custom was to pray with every family on whom he called in his wide journeyings2 and if1 as sometimes happened1 he spent more days than one in some hospitable dwelling1 he was wont to have household prayer as often as there were household meals1 and to allow no visitor to come or go1 without asking1 on his knees1 that ,god would bless him4 ,besides an unknown number of camp meetings and quarterly meetings1 this venerable man attended and presided over seven conferences1 widely separate1 every year2 and1 during the same space of time1 wrote to his preachers and his friends1 upon an average1 about a thousand letters4 ,for this enormous service1 his episcopal salary was sixty-four dollars yearly and his travelling expenses4 ,early educational advantages he had none4 ,most of his life was spent on horseback1 in extemporised pulpits1 or in log cabins crowded with talking men and noisy women1 bawling children1 and barking dogs1--cabins which he was obliged to make his offices and studies1 and where1 with benumbed fingers1 frozen ink1 impracticable pens1 and rumpled paper1 he had to write his sermons1 his journals1 and his letters4 ,not unfrequently did he1 like others1 suffer from the malaria of a new1 uncultivated country2 and had headaches1 toothaches1 chills1 fevers1 and sore throats1 for his travelling companions4 ,and yet1 despite all this1 ,francis ,asbury was by no means an unlettered man4 ,he became proficient in ,latin1 ,greek1 and ,hebrew2 read the ,scriptures in the tongues in which they were originally written2 was acquainted with several branches of polite literature2 kept abreast with the history of his times2 and1 although not an orator1 was a dignified1 eloquent1 and impressive preacher4 ,thin1 tall1 and remarkably clean and neat1--in a plain drab frock coat1 waistcoat1 and breeches1 a neat stock1 and a broad brimmed1 low crowned hat1--this first and greatest ,methodist ,american bishop rode on horseback till he could ride no longer2 and then might be seen often hopping on crutches1 and helped in and out of his light spring wagon as he still pursued his wide episcopal wanderings4 ,thus lived ,francis ,asbury1 until1 in #ahaf1 at the age of threescore years and ten1 he died1 and was followed to his grave in ,baltimore by about twenty-five thousand of his friends4 ,before his death1 he solemnly enjoined that no life of him should be published2 and that injunction1 to the present1 has been substantially observed2 but1 if the reader wishes to see his monument1 we invite him to step within the living walls of the present ,methodist ,episcopal ,church of ,america1 and there1 while surveying the grand edifice of spiritual order and beauty1 we ask him1 as the inquirer in ,st4 ,paul's cathedral is asked1 to 8,look around60 ,this was the only one of ,wesley's ,english itinerants left in ,america in #aggg2 but1 though forsaken by his ,english colleagues1 he was not alone4 ,at this very time1 there were fifteen widely spread circuits2 thirty-four itinerant preachers1 who had been raised up by ,providence on the spot2 and not fewer than #fifh full and accredited members of society4 ,in other words1 though it was only eight years since ,wesley's conference had sent out ,boardman and ,pilmoor1 there were already more than one sixth as many ,methodists in ,america as there were1 at the end of thirty-eight years1 throughout the whole of ,england1 ,ireland1 ,scotland1 and ,wales4#bih ,to return to ,wesley4 ,after the ,bristol conference1 he spent a week in ,london1 during which he drew up proposals for the ,arminian ,magazine1 and met the committee appointed to superintend the building of the new chapel1 which was now ready for the roof4 ,he then1 on ,august #ah1 hurried off to ,cornwall2 and then to ,ireland1 where1 at ,dublin1 ,john ,hampson and ,samuel ,bradburn had expelled thirty-four members of society1 who were so dissatisfied with this act of imprudent zeal1 that ,wesley was obliged to go and give the contending parties a two days' hearing4 ,on ,saturday1 ,october #ah1 he got back to ,london4 ,the week after1 he spent in ,oxfordshire4 ,at ,high ,wycombe he meant to preach1 8but good ,mr4 ,james had procured a drummer to beat his drum at the window of the chapel10 and thus1 instead of preaching1 ,wesley could only pray and sing by turns1 during the time allotted for the service4 ,the next week was occupied in a preaching tour in ,northamptonshire2 and the fortnight afterwards in meeting the classes in and around ,london4 ,on ,november #ag1 he went on a flying visit to ,norfolk2 and1 on the #bcrd1 preached in ,lewisham church for the benefit of the ,humane ,society1 which had been established only three years before1 by ,dr4 ,cogan and ,dr4 ,hawes4 ,here1 of course1 he was the welcome guest of his old friend1 ,mr4 ,blackwell2 and1 during his visit1 he dined with the celebrated ,dr4 ,lowth1 bishop of ,london1 whose brother had married into ,mr4 ,blackwell's family4 8,his whole behaviour10 writes ,wesley1 8was worthy of a ,christian bishop2 easy1 affable1 and courteous2 and1 yet1 all his conversation spoke the dignity which was suitable to his character40 ,there is one incident1 however1 which ,wesley1 in his modesty1 has not related4 ,on proceeding to dinner1 the bishop refused to sit above ,wesley at the table1 saying with considerable emotion1 8,mr4 ,wesley1 may ,i be found at your feet in another world60 ,wesley objected to take the seat of precedence1 when the learned prelate obviated the difficulty1 by requesting1 as a favour1 that ,wesley would sit above him1 because his hearing was defective1 and he desired not to lose a sentence of ,wesley's conversation4#bii ,the remaining five weeks of the year #aggg were spent1 partly in the three counties of ,bedford1 ,huntingdon1 and ,hertford2 partly at ,bath1 where he laid the foundation stone of a new chapel2 and partly in ,london1 where he parted with ,fletcher on his way to ,switzerland4 ,he says3 8,we concluded the old year1 and began the new1 with prayer and thanksgiving4 ,four or five of the local preachers assisted me4 ,i was agreeably surprised2 their manner of praying being so artless and unlaboured1 and yet rational and scriptural1 both as to sense and expression40 ,such was ,wesley's watchnight service at the expiration of #aggg2 no preaching1 no exhortatory platitudes1 but simply prayer and thanksgiving1 offered by himself and a selection of his ,london local preachers4 ,wesley's successors have not improved on this4 ,it was during this memorable year1 that a society was instituted1 which was ultimately superseded by benevolent societies that yet exist4 ,six friends in ,london met1 at each other's house in rotation1 every ,sunday afternoon1 for the purpose of singing and prayer only4 ,they were soon entreated to visit the surrounding sick1 and1 finding many of them in deep poverty1 began to relieve their wants4 ,to do this1 they found it desirable to provide a fund1 by contributing themselves1 and asking contributions of their friends2 and shortly a society was formed1 sometimes called 8,the ,willow ,walk ,society1 near ,moorfields02 but more generally and properly1 8,the united ,society for ,visiting and ,relieving the ,sick40 ,a few years later1 the 8,strangers' ,friend ,society0 was started4 ,john ,gardner1 a retired soldier1 in his ,london visits1 met a man in a miserable garret1 dying of fistula4 ,he lay on the floor1 covered only with a sack1 without shirt1 cap1 or sheet4 ,the old soldier felt1 as every one must feel1 that to visit such cases1 without relieving them1 was not worthy of a ,christian2 and1 returning home1 he got fifteen of his ,methodist friends to join in a penny a week subscription for such a purpose4 ,his classleader1 jealous of his class-pence moneys1 instead of helping1 opposed the scheme4 ,gardner1 with a soldier's pluck1 was not to be silenced by a subordinate1 but wrote at once to ,wesley4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,a few of us are subscribing a penny a week each1 which is to be carried on the sabbath by one of ourselves1 who read and pray with the afflicted1 who1 according to the rules enclosed1 must be poor strangers1 having no parish1 or friend at hand to help them4 ,our benevolent plan is opposed by my classleader2 therefore1 we are constrained to seek your approbation before we proceed4 ,we are very poor1 and our whole stock is not yet twenty shillings3 will thank you1 therefore1 for any assistance you may please to afford your very humble servant1 8,,john ,,gardner40 ,wesley was the last man to stifle a project like this2 and1 hence1 his answer 8to ,mr4 ,john ,gardner1 ,no4 #ad1 in ,long ,lane1 ,smithfield10 was as follows4 8,,highbury ,,place1 ,december #ba1 #aghe4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i like the design and rules of your society1 and hope you will do good to many4 ,i will subscribe threepence a week1 and will give a guinea in advance1 if any one will call on me on ,saturday morning4 8,i am your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,the scheme was now fairly launched2 8,strangers' ,friend societies0 sprung up in ,bristol and other places2 ,wesley drew up their rules in #agij2 and wrote thus in his journal3 8,sunday1 ,march #ad--;,in the morning1 ,i met the strangers' society1 instituted wholly for the relief1 not of our society1 but for poor1 sick1 friendless strangers4 ,i do not know1 that ,i ever heard or read of such an institution till within a few years ago4 ,so this also is one of the fruits of ,methodism40#cjj ,such then was the origin of the present 8,strangers' ,friend ,society10 which1 until lately1 was patronised by royalty1 and which employed1 in #ahfh1 three hundred and fifty-two voluntary1 unpaid agents in its work of ,christian benevolence2 these good ,samaritans1 during the same year1 paying #cb1dfj visits1 relieving #fegg cases of distress1 and1 besides blankets1 flannels1 and cast off garments1 distributing #aibf #ads4 in ameliorating the miseries of 8the destitute sick poor1 without distinction of sect or country1 at their own habitations40 ,considering ,wesley's wide wanderings1 his daily preaching1 his supervision of societies1 and his multifarious correspondence1 to say nothing of his publication of tracts and books1 the reader wonders how an old man managed to keep the thousand wheels of his vast machinery in motion2 and1 yet1 in the midst of what to others would have been an unceasing and worrying bustle1 he was almost as tranquil as a hermit4 ,the following extract from a letter1 dated ,december #aj1 #aggg1 is racy and unique4 8,you do not understand my manner of life4 ,though ,i am always in haste1 ,i am never in a hurry2 because ,i never undertake any more work than ,i can go through with perfect calmness of spirit4 ,it is true1 ,i travel four or five thousand miles in a year2 but ,i generally travel alone in my carriage1 and1 consequently1 am as retired ten hours in a day as if ,i was in a wilderness4 ,on other days1 ,i never spend less than three hours1 frequently ten or twelve in the day1 alone4 ,so there are few persons in the kingdom who spend so many hours secluded from all company4 ,yet ,i find time to visit the sick and the poor2 and ,i must do it1 if ,i believe the ,bible1 if ,i believe these are the marks whereby the ,shepherd of ,israel will know and judge ,his sheep at the great day4 ,therefore1 when there are time and opportunity for it1 who can doubt1 but this is a matter of absolute duty8 ,when ,i was at ,oxford1 and lived almost like a hermit1 ,i saw not how any busy man could be saved4 ,i scarce thought it possible for a man to retain the ,christian spirit1 amidst the noise and bustle of the world4 ,god taught me better by my own experience4 ,i had ten times more business in ,america 7that is1 at intervals7 than ever ,i had in my life2 but it was no hindrance to silence of spirit40#cja ,wesley's incessant labours were not the only thing likely to perturb a human spirit4 ,as usual1 he was still the subject of acrimonious persecution4 ,in his sermon at the laying of the foundation stone of the chapel in ,city ,road1 he gave a history of the rise and progress of ,methodism1 in which he stated1 that ,whitefield1 by conversing with ,dissenters1 contracted strong prejudices against the ,church1 and that this led him to separate himself from ,wesley and his brother4 ,he also noticed the secession of ,ingham from the ,church2 and the setting up of the college at ,trevecca1 which was really a school for training ,dissenting ministers4 ,his object1 in all this1 was to show that1 though large numbers of reputed ,methodists had left the ,church1 he and his societies still remained faithful1 and were not deserving of the taunt of having formed a distinct party4 8,we do not10 says he1 8we will not1 form any separate sect1 but1 from principle1 remain1 what we always have been1 true members of the ,church of ,england40 ,whether ,wesley was strictly correct in this will admit of doubt2 but1 unquestionably1 he believed it to be the truth2 and1 as might be expected1 it aroused the anger of his quondam friends4 ,rowland ,hill worked himself into a rage1 and published1 in #aggg1 an octavo pamphlet of #dj pages1 with the title1 8,imposture ,detected1 and the ,dead ,vindicated2 in a ,letter to a ,friend3 containing some gentle ,strictures on the false and libellous ,harangue1 lately delivered by ,mr4 ,john ,wesley1 upon his laying the first stone of his new ,dissenting meeting-house1 near the ,city ,road40 ,wesley's sermon is designated 8a wretched harangue1 from which the blessed name of ,jesus is almost totally excluded40 ,mr4 ,hill remarks3 8by only erasing about half-a-dozen lines from the whole1 ,i might defy the shrewdest of his readers to discover whether the lying apostle of the ,foundery be a ,jew1 a papist1 a pagan1 or a ,turk40 ,he speaks of 8the late ever memorable ,mr4 ,whitefield being scratched out of his grave1 by the claws of a designing wolf10 meaning1 of course1 ,wesley4 ,he brands ,wesley as 8a libeller10 8a dealer in stolen wares10 and 8as being as unprincipled as a rook1 and as silly as a jackdaw1 first pilfering his neighbour's plumage1 and then going proudly forth1 displaying his borrowed tail to the eyes of a laughing world40 ,hill continues3 8persons that are toad eaters to ,mr4 ,john ,wesley stand in need of very wide throats1 and that which he wishes them to swallow is enough to choke an elephant40 8,he is for ever going about1 raising ,dissenting congregations1 and building ,dissenting meeting-houses the kingdom over40 8,venom distils from his graceless pen40 8,mr4 ,whitefield is blackened by the venomous quill of this grey headed enemy to all righteousness40 8,wesley is a crafty slanderer1 an unfeeling reviler1 a liar of the most gigantic magnitude1 a ,solomon in a cassock1 a wretch1 a disappointed ,orlando ,furioso1 a miscreant apostate1 whose perfection consists in his perfect hatred of all goodness and good men40 8,you cannot love the ,church10 continues this meek and elegant evangelist1 8unless you go to ,wesley's meeting-house2 nor be a friend to the established bishops1 priests1 and deacons1 unless you admire ,wesley's ragged legion of preaching barbers1 cobblers1 tinkers1 scavengers1 draymen1 and chimney sweepers40 ,has the reader had enough from the 8gentle strictures0 of this young divine1 not yet thirty-two years of age8 ,let him turn to the ,gospel ,magazine4 ,in reviewing ,wesley's sermon at ,city ,road1 the ,gospel editor describes ,wesley's ,methodism as a 8jumble of heresies1 truly and properly called ,wesleyism02 and nothing 8uttered by ,satan himself can be more impudent and more glaringly untrue0 than when ,wesley calls it 8the old religion of the ,bible1 of the primitive church1 and of the ,church of ,england40 ,for him to say1 that ,lady ,huntingdon 8labours to form independent congregations1 is as gross a falsehood as was ever coined at the ,foundery itself4 ,mr4 ,wesley's apostasy from the ,church is a chief reason why her ladyship has justly discarded him2 and her disavowal of him1 of his ,dissenting principles1 and of his sectarian conduct1 is the true reason1 why he has the insolence to spit his venom against one of the most respectable characters that ever existed40 8,with a baseness hardly to be paralleled1 ,mr4 ,wesley rakes into the ashes of a man1 whose name will descend with lustre to the latest posterity2 while that of the ,foundery wolf will moulder with his pilfered writings1 or only be remembered with contempt and execration4 ,o ,wesley1 ,wesley1 hide thy diminutive head6 nor let the most pestilent ,dissenter in the kingdom arraign the spotless memory of a ,churchman1 whose fervour and steadiness of attachment to his ecclesiastical mother have scarcely been equalled in the present age1 and never exceeded in any4 ,the truth is1 ,mr4 ,whitefield was too much a ,churchman for ,mr4 ,wesley's fanaticism to digest4 ,o ye deluded followers of this horrid man1 ,god open your eyes1 and pluck your feet out of the net6 lest ye sink into the threefold ditch of antichristian error1 of foul antinomianism1 and of eternal misery at last40#cjb ,this was tolerably strong2 but it was not enough4 ,the same periodical1 in its review of ,rowland ,hill's polite pamphlet1 begins thus3 8,hob in the well again2 or pope ,john once more in the suds6 ,seldom has literary punishment been administered with greater keenness and spirit1 than in this pamphlet2 and1 surely1 never was a punishment administered on a juster occasion1 nor to a more deserving delinquent4 ,when you take ,old ,nick by the nose1 it must be with a pair of red hot tongs40 ,the red hot reviewer reiterates the slander1 that ,charles ,wesley offered the ,greek bishop1 ,erasmus1 forty guineas1 upon condition that he would give his brother episcopal ordination2 and continues3 8,mr4 ,wesley's vile ingratitude to the name and memory of ,mr4 ,whitefield deserves the abhorrence and execration of all good men40 ,wesley is 8an unfeeling and unprincipled slanderer1 a vile traducer10 and1 in fact1 guilty of 8an extreme of malignity and baseness1 for which language has no name40#cjc ,such scurrility as this1 heaped upon an old man1 seventy-four years of age1 who had spent his long life in unparalleled labours to honour ,god1 and to benefit his fellow men1 is almost incredible4 ,but even this was not the worst that the immaculate ,gospel ,magazine provided for its readers4 ,in the same number1 from which the above abuse is extracted1 there is a long poem1 entitled1 8,the ,serpent and the ,fox2 or1 an interview between old ,nick and old ,john02 which strongly reminds us of a series of most infamous rhymed effusions which will have to be noticed in the ensuing year1 and in which ,wesley is always represented as a fox4 ,the poem now published was not only foul1 but1 in the highest degree1 profane4 ,it would be a crime to reproduce it4 ,suffice it to say1 that1 as if to aggravate its infernal features1 it immediately follows a really beautiful hymn of six stanzas 8,to ,god the ,holy ,ghost40 ,as a contrast1 and to furnish a specimen of the medley often found in this ,calvinistic periodical1 we furnish the reader with the last verse of the thoroughly good hymn1 and the first verse of the thoroughly bad poem4 ,addressing the ,divine ,spirit1 ,john ,stocker writes3 8,thou my dross and sin consume2 ,let ,thy inward kingdom come2 ,all my prayer and praise suggest2 ,dwell and reign within my breast40 ,we shrink from the task of so closely annexing to such a stanza1 the first1 and by far the least objectionable1 lines of the ribald poem of 8,the ,serpent and the ,fox02 but historical fidelity compels us4 8,there's a ,fox who resideth hard by1 ,the most perfect1 and holy1 and sly1 ,that e'er turned a coat1 or could pilfer and lie2 ,as this reverend ,reynard1 one day1 ,sat thinking what game next to play1 ,old ,nick came a seasonable visit to pay40 ,then follows a conversation1 in which ,wesley proposes to burn the ,calvinists in ,smithfield1 as ,bonner once burnt the protestants1 and the devil promises1 that1 while ,wesley shall be exalted 8with state0 to heaven's 8third storey10 all the ,whitefields and ,hills shall be 8turned back from the gate40 ,quantum sufficit6 of ,rowland ,hill1 both in prose and verse4 ,what had ,wesley to say to all this8 ,in his journal he writes3 8#aggg1 ,june #bf--;,i read the truly wonderful performance of ,mr4 ,rowland ,hill4 ,i stood amazed6 ,compared to him1 ,mr4 ,toplady himself is a very civil1 fair spoken gentleman6 ,june #bg--;,i wrote an answer to it2 #8not rendering railing for railing' 7,i have not so learned ,christ72 but #8speaking the truth in love4'0 ,wesley's reply was a penny tract of #ab pages1 #abmo1 with the title1 8,an ,answer to ,mr4 ,rowland ,hill's ,tract1 entitled1 #8,imposture ,detected4'0 ,he begins as follows3 8,in the tract just published by ,mr4 ,rowland ,hill1 there are several assertions which are not true4 ,and the whole pamphlet is wrote in an unchristian and ungentlemanly manner4 ,i shall first set down the assertions in order1 and then proceed to the manner40 ,this is the strongest language ,wesley uses4 ,indeed1 he writes as though ,hill's pamphlet amused him rather than otherwise4 ,some of his friends1 however1 were not so lenient4 ,thomas ,olivers rushed to the rescue1 with his characteristic fire1 and unmercifully put into the hands of the public a sixpenny 8,rod for the ,reviler02 and ,matthew ,goodenough1 a mechanic1 of ,bishopsgate ,street1 published 8,a ,letter to ,mr4 ,rowland ,hill10 #abmo1 #ba pages1 in which he tells 8the reviler0 that he had used a vindictive style of which a chimney sweep might properly be ashamed2 and1 from his malign spirit and rude manner of attacking ,mr4 ,wesley1 he might be mistaken for the chief of ,billingsgate4 ,hill1 as a preacher1 is taunted with ranting1 and roaring1 and squealing1 and bawling1 and twisting1 and twirling himself about like a merryandrew2 and is told that1 though 8a ,pelagian ,methodist stinks10 it was a comfort that the name of ,rowland ,hill was 8an odoriferous perfume1 a charming nosegay1 diffusing its fragrance wherever it appears1 and sweetly and effectually extinguishing the ftid exhalations of ,pelagian ordure60 ,not only in the ,welsh cobbler1 but in the ,bishopsgate mechanic1 ,rowland met with an ,oliver2 but1 like a beaten bull dog1 was not satisfied4 ,he at once issued another octavo pamphlet of #de pages1 entitled1 8,a ,full ,answer to the ,rev4 ,j4 ,wesley's ,remarks10 etc41 in which he humbly apologises for using too strong language in his former pamphlet2 and yet1 with a strange inconsistency1 commits the same fault in this4 ,wesley is again accused of 8pompous falsehood10 8barefaced untruth10 8ungodly craft10 8of calumniating the living1 and traducing the dead40 8,for full thirty years1 ,wesley had been travelling towards ,trent1 and was now got to his journey's end02 while ,fletcher--poor ,fletcher1 apparently dying of consumption--had 8published1 at the end of his third volume1 a most horrible manifesto1 in language almost blasphemous1 and had forged my brother's name0 7,sir ,richard ,hill71 8and mine1 at the conclusion of it40 ,but here we must leave this doughty warrior1 to whom the very name of ,wesley was what a scarlet cloak is to an infuriated bull4 ,some will object to the reviving of these disgraceful reminiscences4 ,our reiterated answer is1 that1 without them1 it is impossible for the reader rightly to estimate the character of ,wesley4 ,if they reflect dishonour on ,rowland ,hill1 we cannot help it4 ,rowland ,hill was a public man1 and1 like all other public men1 he must be content to pay a public penalty for his public crimes4 ,unfortunately1 this is not the last we shall hear of him4 ,besides those already mentioned1 ,wesley published1 in #aggg-- #a4 ,the sermon he preached1 on ,april #ba1 at the laying of the foundation stone of ,city ,road chapel4 #abmo1 #dg pages4 #b4 ,an ,extract from his ,journal1 from ,september #b1 #aggj1 to ,september #ab1 #aggc4 #abmo1 #aai pages4 #c4 8,a ,short ,account of the ,death of ,elizabeth ,hindmarsh10 a native of ,alnwick1 8who died ,september #f1 #aggg1 in the twenty-first year of her age40 #abmo1 #ab pages4 #d4 8,thoughts upon ,god's ,sovereignty40 #abmo1 #aa pages4 #e4 8,a ,sermon1 preached ,november #bc1 #aggg1 in ,lewisham ,church1 before the ,humane ,society40 #abmo1 #bd pages4 ,,footnotes3 #bha ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghc1 p4 #ceh4 #bhb ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #caa4 #bhc ,memoir of ,ball1 p4 #acg4 #bhd ,life of ,mrs4 ,smyth1 p4 #cc4 #bhe ,bardsley's manuscript letters4 #bhf ,manuscript memoir of ,mr4 ,sagar4 #bhg ,taylor's manuscript diary4 #bhh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdd1 p4 #gj4 #bhi ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #djf4 #bij ,mr4 ,moore says3 8this good man was possessed of eminent ministerial gifts1 but he fell into the mystic delusion4 ,he then became high minded and censorious2 and ,mr4 ,charles ,wesley1 in his hours of depression1 used too much to listen to him4 ,the quakers were jealous of him1 and kept him silent a long time1 to his great mortification4 ,but it was the very thing he needed1 it was good medicine to heal his sickness4 ,in one of his last conversations with me1 he said3 #8,i would not have thy people to think of changing2 they may be disappointed1' ,he was then in a sweet and humble spirit1 very different from that in which he left us40 7,moore's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 pp4 #bgc1 #bgd47 #bia ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahjg1 p4 #cbh4 #bib ,taylor's manuscript diary4 #bic ,treffry's ,life of ,benson4 #bid 8,anecdotes of the ,wesleys10 p4 #bgb4 #bie ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #cih4 #bif ,asbury's ,journal1 vol4 i41 p4 #agg4 #big ,smith's ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 i41 p4 #ddj4 #bih ,minutes of ,methodist ,conferences in ,america1 #agie4 #bii ,jackson's 8,centenary of ,methodism10 p4 #bja4 #cjj ,see ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #ffa4 #cja ,methodist ,magazine1 #agii1 p4 #efd4 #cjb ,gospel ,magazine1 #aggg1 p4 #ahb4 #cjc ,ibid4 p4 #ccg4 #aggh4 ,age #ge ,never in his life was ,wesley the subject of a more infamous press persecution than in #aggh4 ,first of all1 there was a pamphlet published1 in which ,thomas ,maxfield was pitiably preeminent4 ,this mendacious publication asserted that1 when ,whitefield went to ,america1 in #agda1 he handed over to the two ,wesleys thirty thousand people1 whose hearts the ,wesleys so turned against him1 that1 when he returned to ,england1 not three hundred would come to hear him4 ,it further alleged1 that 8vile contentions0 followed1 in which the ,wesleys 8raked the filthiest ashes1 to find some black story against their fellow preachers20 and that what had been published1 on both sides1 by the friends of ,whitefield and ,wesley1 within the last six years1 was a disgrace to all concerned4 ,wesley replied to this1 in 8,a ,letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,thomas ,maxfield1 occasioned by a late ,publication03 #hvo1 #aa pages4 ,he states1 with perfect truth1 that1 at the time referred to1 there were not five thousand ,methodists in the world2 that his own societies contained not more than fourteen or fifteen hundred members1 and ,whitefield's not so many4 ,he declares that1 so far from receiving thirty thousand people from ,whitefield in solemn trust1 the latter never delivered up to him one thousand1 nor one hundred4 ,he admits1 that division followed2 but affirms that ,whitefield himself occasioned it4 ,whitefield first published a treatise against him by name2 but he made no reply to it4 ,wesley asserts that ,whitefield constantly preached against him and his brother1 both in ,moorfields1 and in other public places4 ,even in the very ,foundery1 while ,charles ,wesley sat beside him1 he preached the absolute decrees1 in the most peremptory and offensive manner2 but1 instead of returning railing for railing1 they always and everywhere spoke of him in respectful terms4 ,and then1 with respect to the publications of the last six years1 ,wesley states that1 though the two ,hills1 and ,toplady1 had poured upon him1 in great abundance1 bitterness and wrath1 yea1 low1 base1 and virulent invective1 he himself had published only three tracts during the entire controversy1 and in none of them had he spoken one bitter1 passionate1 or disrespectful word4 8,where10 he asks1 8have ,i1 in one single sentence1 returned them railing for railing8 ,i have not so learned ,christ4 ,i dare not rail1 either at them or you4 ,i return not cursing but blessing4 ,that the ,god of love may bless them and you1 is the prayer of your injured1 yet still affectionate brother1 ,,john ,,wesley40 ,wesley's letter was worthy of himself4 ,true1 his statements1 respecting his old friend ,whitefield1 are scarcely to ,whitefield's honour2 but it must be borne in mind1 that they are not opinions1 but facts2 and facts not volunteered1 but extorted by the falsehoods of ,maxfield and those with whom ,maxfield now associated4 ,wesley replied to ,maxfield2 but the publications which must be next noticed were properly treated with the silent contempt they merited4 ,we reluctantly advert to these vile productions2 and yet1 for the reason already repeatedly assigned1 we must4 ,our notices shall be brief3 first1 for want of space2 and secondly1 because we can hardly make quotations without fouling our pages4 ,the publications were seven in number1 all1 except one1 printed by a man of the name of ,bew1 in ,paternoster ,row1 on the best of paper1 and in the best of type4 #a4 8,the ,gospel ,shop4 ,a comedy in five acts3 with a new prologue and epilogue1 intended for public representation1 but suppressed at the particular desire of some eminent divines4 ,by ,r4 ,hill1 ,esq41 of ,cambridge40 #hvo1 #hh pages4 ,the chief dramatis person are ,dr4 ,scapegoat1 ,parson ,prolix1 ,mr4 ,rackett1 and ,simon ,sycophant2 and an idea of the whole of this infamous production may be obtained from two lines taken from the motto on the title page4 8,beware6 these dire illusions6 strange to tell1 ,a gospel shop's the very spawn of hell60 #b4 8,the ,saints3 a satire40 #dto1 #cj pages2 with a frontispiece made up of two scrolls1 labelled respectively1 8,inspiration10 and 8,election10 a bottle inscribed with the word 8,gin10 and a satyr's head inscribed 8,perfection40 ,a ,methodist is described as a mixture of ignorance and folly1 piety and hypocrisy4 ,the whole tribe are 8downright scoundrels10 8religious mountebanks10 8wretches who make a trade of religion10 and 8show an uncommon concern for the next world1 only to raise their fortunes with greater security in this40 ,two lines must suffice as a specimen1 and1 for the sake of decency1 two of the words must be given in a skeletonised form4 ,of ,wesley it is said1 he 8,makes piety a b----d to aid his work1 ,outlies ,sam ,johnson1 and o--twh----s a ,turk40#cjd #c4 8,perfection2 a poetical epistle1 calmly addressed to the greatest hypocrite in ,england40 #dto1 price two shillings4 ,of course1 ,wesley was the hypocrite2 and the work is ornamented with an emblematical frontispiece in accordance with its foul and calumnious falsehoods4 #d4 8,the ,temple of ,imposture4 ,a poem by the author of #8,the ,saints1' #8,perfection1' etc40 #dto1 #ce pages4 ,this1 like all the others1 has a characteristic frontispiece1 in which ,wesley is represented as a huge serpent1 labelled 8,the subtlest beast of the field40 ,the serpent forms a circle1 inside of which1 among other things1 there are four books respectively inscribed1 8,koran10 8,bedlam's ,hymns10 8,druid ,hymns10 and 8,ignat4 ,loyola ,monita ,secreta02 also a gridiron1 called 8,mahommed's ,gridiron02 a sword1 inscribed 8,a ,calm ,address02 a bottle1 with a burning candle in its neck1 and labelled 8,gin02 and two scrolls1 one with the words 8,old ,light at ,mecca10 and the other1 8,new ,light in ,moorfields40 ,the professed object of the work is to show1 that1 in tyranny1 lust1 avarice1 persecution1 and imposture1 ,wesley is a successor of ,mahommed2 and1 in a bad sense1 an improved edition of ,ignatius ,loyola4 ,wesley is accused of long seeking to be made a bishop4 8,of all impostors since the flood10 he is denounced as the very worst2 while his preachers are 8mechanic missionaries1--bawling1 crafty1 illiterate wretches1 sent out by their priestly masters1 to sow seeds of false doctrine and fanaticism1 which spring up1 throughout the country1 in plentiful crops of idleness1 beggary1 madness1 and sometimes suicide40 #e4 8,the ,lovefeast4 ,a poem by the author of the #8,saints3 a satire1' etc40 #dto1 #dg pages4 ,here the frontispiece is a sort of chapel scene1 in which ,wesley1 as a fox1 dressed in canonicals1 is having a mitre placed upon his head by the goddess ,murcia1 while a parson behind waves his wig and shouts 8,hurrah10 and another hurries away with an air of disappointment and disgust4 ,wesley's ,foundery is described as 8a spiritual slop shop10 where he equips his 8preaching lubbers0 with all the necessary paraphernalia for playing their several parts2 while the preachers themselves are designated 8the worst of scum10 8smugglers of ,scripture phrases10 8learning's sworn foes10 8,jack ,cade's apostles10 and 8mere conduit pipes of rhapsody and cant40 ,the following are the last lines of the piece1 and are used concerning ,wesley himself4 8,feasts he may institute1 raise holy piles1 ,degrade his ,god to win a monarch's smiles2 ,permit corruption his false heart to taint1 ,live by imposture1 and yet die a saint2 ,but never while this hand can hold a pen1 ,shall he escape the scorn of honest men4 ,nor ,north1 nor ,mansfield shall the wizard save1 ,but ridicule shall scourge him to the grave-- ,there let him rot1 7so ,becket did before17 ,proud as a pope1 and faithless as a wh--re40 #f4 8,sketches for ,tabernacle ,frames40 #dto1 #cf pages4 ,in this1 the frontispiece consists of ,wesley1 again represented as a fox in canonicals1 with the crosier of a mock bishop behind him1 and round about a library of books1 which he is supposed to sell1 the shelves being labelled 8,primitive ,physic10 8,political ,pamphlets10 and 8,prayers1 ,sermons1 and ,hymns40 ,before him kneels a mechanic1 with an ass's head1 holding1 in one hand1 a bottle inscribed with the words 8,primitive ,physic10 and1 in the other1 a pamphlet called 8,a ,calm ,address10 while the poor asinine wretch himself is having his mouth opened by ,wesley1 who is about to indulge in the agreeable recreation of extracting his teeth4 ,at the top of the picture are two portraits1 one of ,james ,,ii41 indicative of ,wesley being a ,jacobite2 and the other of ,lucy ,cooper1 indicating him to be something worse4 ,the poem is dedicated to the 8,rev4 ,mr4 ,evans1 ,mr4 ,hill1 and ,mr4 ,hawes1 in acknowledgment of their services to the public40 ,after describing ,wesley by such epithets as 8a nostrum monger10 8a preacher1 pamphleteer1 and quack10 than whom 8few can whistle off rank nonsense better10 the work concludes with the two lines following3 8,his odious name should stink beyond the grave1 ,and truth proclaim him a recorded knave40 ,the reader has had more than enough of these dunghill rakings2 but1 in order to be saved from the hateful task of returning to this series of abominable poems1 we add another published in the year following4 #g4 8,fanatical ,conversion1 or ,methodism ,displayed4 ,illustrated and verified from ,j4 ,wesley's fanatical journals40 #aggi3 #dto1 #ee pages4 ,in two different copies we find two different frontispieces4 ,one is an ass1 on its hind legs1 preaching4 ,the other is much more elaborate1 and is too obscene to be fully described4 ,leaving out the parts referred to1 ,wesley1 as a clerical fox1 is represented as preaching in a barn1 his right hand in the coat pocket of a man called 8,old ,cloaths10 and his left taking a penny from a boy1 a tapster1 who has just been broaching a hogshead of 8,culvert's ,gin40 ,one man approaches the preacher1 with a cudgel1 crying1 8,give me my money60 ,another1 in the form of a donkey1 is making a most hideous noise1 and is called 8,brother ,bray40 ,a third is vomiting a black monster1 and represented as saying1 8,he's gone1 he's gone60 ,a fourth is standing on his head1 and shouting1 8,sure ,i am in heaven40 ,two others are hurling a squib at ,wesley's head1 and flourishing a scroll1 8,for the benefit of ,trick upon ,trick1 or ,methodism ,displayed40 ,at ,wesley's feet is the favourite bottle1 labelled 8,primitive ,physic02 and in the centre is1 what may be taken as the artist's name1 8,rowland ,hill1 #aggh40 ,the following four lines1 selected almost hap-hazard1 are a very moderate specimen of all the rest4 ,of course1 they are spoken concerning ,wesley4 8,reynard1 you're right6 ,heaven loves such pious frauds2 ,hence1 half your saints unmasked are who--s and b--ds3 ,nay1 mock apostles are but little less ,than devils lurking in fanatic dress40 ,we gladly leave these disgusting publications4 ,like dishonoured children1 they are without an acknowledged father4 ,who was their infamous author8 ,we neither know1 nor care to know2 but there are three facts concerning them which must be noticed4 ,first1 in almost the whole of them there is a most virulent attack on ,wesley's 8,calm ,address to the ,american ,colonies40 ,secondly1 though irreligious to a supreme degree1 they are levelled1 not against religion in general1 but against that particular form of it espoused by ,wesley4 ,thirdly1 throughout1 the ,calvinists are either passed sub silentio1 or with words of commendation2 and1 in footnotes and other places1 ,rowland ,hill is evidently in the writer's good graces4 ,we have read hundreds of tracts and pamphlets published against ,wesley2 but nothing which1 for profanity1 pollution1 and violent abuse1 equals these4 ,they display talent2 but talent prostituted to the most infernal purposes4 ,in style1 they resemble1--shall we say it8 the style of one of ,wesley's most calumnious ,calvinian opposers2 but we charitably1 though feebly1 hope1 that no man professing1 much less teaching1 the ,christian religion1 had to do with their production4 ,what had ,wesley done to merit all this8 ,nothing1 absolutely nothing4 ,he was an old man whose life had been spent in one great act of ,christian beneficence4 ,these wretched poems1 issued in the best style of the art of printing1 by ,j4 ,bew1 of ,paternoster ,row1 were the foul sputterings of a muse1 not naturally ignoble1 but envious of ,wesley's majestic goodness1 and animated with a feeling almost as malignant as the heart of ,apollyon4 ,so far from answering them1 ,wesley never even condescended to mention them1 in any journal or letter yet made public4 ,before we trace ,wesley's wanderings in #aggh1 there are two or three other facts which must be noticed4 ,on ,tuesday1 ,august #aa1 #aggh1 in the thirty-eighth year of his age1 occurred the death of the ,rev4 ,augustus ,toplady4 ,in more respects than one1 this was a memorable event to ,wesley and his friends4 ,in the death of ,toplady1 ,wesley lost one of his bitterest opponents2 and ,calvinism lost its ablest champion4 ,soon after1 the report was circulated1 that ,wesley had stated1 to some of his friends1 that ,toplady died in despair and uttering blasphemy4 ,sir ,richard ,hill rushed into print1 by sending an anonymous letter to the ,general ,advertiser1 requesting ,wesley either to deny the accusation1 or to produce his authority1 otherwise his character would suffer1 8for having vented a most gross1 malicious falsehood40 ,not content with this1 he published a pamphlet1 in the form of a 8,letter to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley10 in which1 as usual1 he made use of the most intemperate language1 telling ,wesley that1 unless he cleared himself from the charge alleged against him1 he would be branded 8as the raiser and fabricator of a most nefarious report10 and would be guilty of a sin little less 8than the unpardonable sin against the ,holy ,ghost40 ,the whole of this mare's nest was simply this3 ,mr4 ,gawkrodger1 of ,bridlington1 told ,sir ,richard ,hill1 that ,mr4 ,thomas ,robinson told him1 that ,wesley told him1 that ,toplady 8died in black despair and blasphemy40 ,if ,sir ,richard ,hill had courteously asked for an explanation1 ,wesley1 like a gentleman and a ,christian1 would have given one2 but1 having demanded it in the most offensive terms1 telling him that he had been 8vilifying the ashes and traducing the memory0 of ,toplady2 and that 8his grand design in all his publications1 whether sermons1 journals1 appeals1 preservatives1 or ,arminian magazines1 was that of trumpeting forth his own praises02 and that he was 8a man of cunning and subtlety1 and artifices1 and foul aspersions1 and quibbles1 and evasions10#cje--we say1 that ,sir ,richard ,hill having used such terms as these1 in the very letters in which he requested the explanation1 deserved1 not an answer1 but1 the silent contempt with which ,wesley wisely treated him4 ,in #aggh1 ,england was in great excitement4 ,panic was general2 and the country was thought to be on the brink of ruin4 ,it was this state of things which led ,wesley to publish the two political pamphlets following3 ,first1 8,a ,serious ,address to the ,people of ,england1 with regard to the state of the nation30 #abmo1 #bh pages2 the object of which was to show1 that ,england1 notwithstanding the war1 was in prosperity4 ,its cattle and vegetable productions were undiminished4 ,its inhabitants had increased a million within the last twenty years2 and1 during the same period1 hundreds of thousands of acres of unprofitable land had been put under tillage4 ,england might have lost eight hundred of its ships since the beginning of the war2 but it had also taken more than it had lost4 ,the trade with ,ireland had prodigiously increased2 and1 comparatively speaking1 the national debt was not so great as in #agei4 8,friends and countrymen60 writes ,wesley1 8let none deceive you with vain words6 ,let none1 by subtle reasonings1 or by artful1 elaborate harangues1 persuade you out of your senses4 ,let no sweet tongued orator1 by his smooth periods1 steal away your understanding2 no thundering talker fill you with vain fears1 of evils that have no being4 ,you are encompassed with liberty1 peace1 and plenty4 ,know the public1 as well as private1 blessings which you enjoy2 and be thankful to ,god and man40 ,the second1 and shorter tract1 was published1 with the title1 8,a ,compassionate ,address to the ,inhabitants of ,ireland03 #abmo1 #ab pages4 ,wesley laughs to scorn the report1 that ,general ,washington had an army of #fe1jjj men2 and says1 that 8the ,french will as soon swallow up the sea10 as swallow up old ,england2 that the ,spanish have not yet forgotten ,havannah2 and that the ,portuguese were 8not such arrant fools0 as to join in a confederacy with ,england's enemies4 ,these were odd topics for ,wesley to take up2 but the war excitement was now at its highest point4 ,liverpool1 ,manchester1 ,glasgow1 and ,edinburgh raised regiments at their own expense4 ,the ,whig opposition considered this to be highly reprehensible1 and accused ,lord ,north and the other members of the government with employing soldiers without consent of parliament1 and of entertaining designs dangerous to the liberties of the country4 ,fox moved1 in the ,house of ,commons1 that no more troops should be sent out of the kingdom2 alleging that a war with ,france and ,spain was imminent2 and that the navy was inefficient1 and the militia contemptible4 ,burke1 in a speech of three hours and a half duration1--said to be the greatest triumph of eloquence within the memory of man1--endeavoured to weaken the hands of government1 by dwelling on the ferocities and horrors committed by their savage auxiliaries in ,america1 the red ,indians4 ,lord ,george ,gordon1 who was not yet quite so mad as he became a year or two later1 expressed his earnest wish1 that ,lord ,north 8would call off his butchers from ,america1 retire with all the rest of his majesty's evil advisers1 and turn from his wickedness and live40 ,john ,wilkes1 the ex-lord mayor of ,london1 who had not yet attained to the post of city chamberlain1 but who was engaged in constant manuvres to escape out of the purgatory of duns1 or to draw more money from the purses of private friends1 was as lavish with his sarcasms1 ribaldry1 and drollery as ever1 and told the minister1 that nothing but a cessation of hostilities would save ,general ,howe from the fate of ,burgoyne4 ,france was exerting itself to the utmost1 to induce1 not only ,spain1 but also ,austria1 ,prussia1 ,russia1 and the other despotisms1 to become the allies and protectors of the young and free republic4 ,the king and his ministers were involved in the greatest difficulties2 and ,john ,wesley1 like a loyal man1 at the head of forty thousand ,methodists1 felt it to be a duty to assist them as he best could1 not only in private and in the pulpit1 but also with his pen4 ,having spent the first two months of #aggh in ,london and its vicinity1 ,wesley started1 at the commencement of ,march1 for ,ireland1 where he employed his time and energies till towards the end of ,july following2 but there was nothing in the tour so unusually remarkable as to demand attention4 ,the days of mob persecution were over2 and everywhere ,wesley was received with respect1 and1 in many places1 with affection4 ,at ,tullamore1 where he preached in the riding-house1 the commanding officer ordered all the soldiers to be present1 and attended himself1 with the rest of the officers4 ,at ,cork1 two companies of volunteers were present in the chapel1 while ,wesley preached2 the side gallery being filled with the men in scarlet1 and the front with the men in blue4 ,in one instance1 this old evangelist actually1 we had almost said cruelly1 drove a pair of horses sixty-eight miles in a single day4 ,in another instance1 coming to a slough near ,sligo1 a sturdy ,irishman took ,wesley over on his shoulders2 and others took his chaise4 ,at ,dublin1 his little conference of twenty preachers debated the duty of leaving the ,established ,church2 8but1 after a full discussion of the point10 says ,wesley1 8we all remained firm in our judgment1--that it is not our duty to leave the ,church1 wherein ,god has blessed us1 and does bless us still40 ,this discussion was brought about principally by the ,rev4 ,edward ,smyth1 already mentioned as a clergyman who had been expelled from his curacy for his fidelity to the truth4 ,at present1 he was in connection with the ,methodists2 and was now eager to persuade ,wesley and his preachers to separate from the ,church2 but without effect4 ,myles1 in his ,chronological ,history1 says1 that the minute adopted was the following3 8,is it not our duty to separate from the ,church1 considering the wickedness both of the clergy and the people8 ,answer4 ,we conceive not4 #a4 ,because both the priests and the people were full as wicked in the ,jewish church1 and yet ,god never commanded the holy ,israelites to separate from them4 #b4 ,neither did our ,lord command ,his disciples to separate from them2 ,he rather commanded the contrary4 #c4 ,hence1 it is clear1 that could not be the meaning of ,st4 ,paul's words1 #8,come out from among them1 and be ye separate4'0 ,this was an important action4 ,twenty years before1 ,wesley had wavered in his attachment to the ,church2 now and henceforth1 in language at least1 he was more decided4 ,this is a question which will repeatedly present itself in succeeding years4 ,on ,july #ai1 ,wesley left ,dublin to attend his ,english conference in ,leeds1 preaching on his way at ,liverpool1 ,bolton1 ,bury1 ,rochdale1 ,halifax1 ,bradford1 and ,birstal1 at which last mentioned place his congregation was supposed to number twelve or fourteen thousand persons4 ,wesley's notice of the ,leeds conference is brief4 ,he writes3 8#aggh4 ,tuesday1 ,august #d4--,our conference began3 so large a number of preachers never met at a conference before4 ,i preached morning and evening1 till ,thursday night2 then my voice began to fail2 so ,i desired two of our preachers to supply my place the next day4 ,on ,saturday the conference ended40 ,mr4 ,benson writes3 8,our conference is just ended1 the best ,i was ever at4 ,mr4 ,wesley has been in a sweet spirit1 has preached some excellent sermons1 has had extraordinary congregations1 and has dealt closely and plainly with the preachers1 setting two aside for misdemeanours40#cjf ,thomas ,taylor1 in his manuscript diary1 remarks3 8,august #e4--,to-day1 we permitted all sorts to come into the conference1 so that we had a large company4 ,the forenoon was occupied in speaking upon preaching houses4 ,in the afternoon1 the sending of missionaries to ,africa was considered4 ,the call seems doubtful4 ,afterwards1 the committee met1 and we were an hour and a half in speaking what might have been done in five minutes4 ,we are vastly tedious1 and have many long speeches to little purpose40 8,august #f4--,this day has been employed chiefly in stationing the preachers4 8,august #g4--,we were engaged in conference till after one o'clock2 and then the sacrament began1 at which1 ,i think1 two thousand were present40 ,three things are noticeable here4 #a4 ,others1 beside itinerant preachers1 were admitted to ,wesley's conference in #aggh4 #b4 ,long and tedious conferential speeches are not a novelty2 but were inflicted upon impatient and unwilling listeners in former days as they are sometimes inflicted now4 #c4 ,the conference had an immense sacrament such as ,methodist conferences and ,methodist congregations now never witness4 ,stationing preachers was then a difficulty as it is at present1 one of the four days being chiefly occupied with this4 ,some modern ,methodists seem to think1 that ,wesley1 in this1 acted as he pleased2 but that is hardly true4 ,the people then1 to say nothing about the preachers1 liked to have a voice in their appointments2 and then1 as now1 not unfrequently made worse selections than others would have made for them4 ,in the spring of the present year1 ,wesley significantly wrote1 while at ,bristol3 8,march #i--,on this and the following days ,i visited the society1 and found a good increase4 ,this year1 ,i myself 7which ,i have seldom done7 chose the preachers for ,bristol2 and these were plain men1 and likely to do more good than had been done in one year1 for these twenty years40 ,it is a curious fact1 that1 as this was the first conference in whose minutes the name of ,thomas ,coke appeared1 so also it was a conference remarkable for its discussion of the great question of ,christian missions1 to which ,coke1 soon after1 devoted his unwearied life4 ,the mission to ,africa has been mentioned4 ,mr4 ,benson writes3 8,the proposal was made in consequence of two young princes from ,calabar1 in ,guinea1 who desired that missionaries might be sent to instruct them in the ,english language1 and the great principles of ,christianity4 ,these young princes had been cruelly torn away from their own country1 and sold as slaves in ,america1 where they remained upwards of seven years4 ,an ,english master of a ship1 to whom they told their story1 pitied them1 and advised them to run away from their master1 which they did1 and were brought by him to ,england4 ,their case was examined1 and brought before ,lord ,mansfield2 and they were set at liberty4 ,they made some stay at ,bristol1 and were instructed by some of our people1 but especially by ,miss ,johnson4 ,after they had returned to their own country1 at their request1 two persons1 who were ,germans1 but members of our society at ,bristol1 were sent out to ,guinea2 but they both died either before1 or soon after1 they landed on that coast4 ,the young princes sent over petitions for others to go4 ,two good young men offered themselves for the difficult and dangerous service4 ,but1 after the matter was seriously considered1 it was concluded that the time had not arrived for sending missionaries to ,africa40#cjg ,one of the strangers1 who were present at the conference of #aggh1 was ,thomas ,thompson1 ,esq41 afterwards member of parliament for the town of ,hull1 and who1 at the first missionary meeting1 held at ,leeds1 stated that the discussion respecting this ,african mission lasted several hours1 and was marked by deep piety1 sound sense1 and powerful eloquence4 ,mr4 ,thompson continued3 8,the deepest impression1 however1 seemed to be made1 on the minds of all persons present1 by the short speech of a young man1 who appeared to be far gone in a consumption1 but who promptly offered himself as a missionary1 and1 in unaffected language1 declared his readiness to go to ,africa1 or to any other part of the world1 to which it might please ,god and his brethren to send him40#cjh ,who was this young man8 ,though not absolutely certain1 we believe it was ,duncan ,mc,allum4 ,at all events1 the following information1 hitherto unpublished1 will be acceptable4 ,the two ,african princes escaped from slavery1 about the year #agge1 after the breaking out of the ,american rebellion4 ,one of them was baptized at ,bristol2 and the other was seriously disposed4 ,the two ,germans1 who went out1 were brothers of the name of ,syndrum1 and were treated by the uncle of the princes with all possible attention4 ,when the intelligence of their death arrived in ,england1 ,dr4 ,coke addressed a circular to all the young itinerant preachers in the connexion1 asking for volunteers for this ,african mission1 and stating that they would be supported by a legacy of #ejj1 left1 for that purpose1 by ,miss ,johnson1 of ,bristol4#cji ,duncan ,mc,allum was now in the third year of his itinerancy1 and was stationed at ,dundee4 ,with a brave heart1 he offered his services1 even before the conference2 but1 without assigning reasons1 ,wesley declined accepting them4 ,hence the following hitherto unpublished letter4 8,,dublin1 ,july #ad1 #aggh4 8,,dear ,,duncan1--,i would have you change once in two months1 and will help you as to the expenses4 ,dwell in the land1 and be doing good1 and surely thou shalt be fed4 ,you have nothing to do at present in ,africa4 ,convert the heathen in ,scotland4 8,i am1 dear ,duncan1 yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,so the matter ended4 ,help for ,africa was deferred2 but it is a blessed fact that ,africans were being saved4 ,the successful efforts of ,mr4 ,gilbert in ,antigua have been already noticed2 and it is a remarkable coincidence1 that1 in this very year1 when ,coke first found a place in the conference minutes1 and when1 for the first time1 missions to the heathen were discussed at the conference sittings1 ,john ,baxter1 a ,methodist shipwright at ,chatham1 felt himself constrained to leave his friends1 and to embark for ,antigua1 principally1 as he himself expresses it1 that he 8might have an opportunity of speaking for ,god40 ,he landed on ,april #b1 and1 a fortnight after1 wrote to ,wesley1 telling him that the work1 begun by the late ,mr4 ,gilbert1 still remained4 ,he says3 8,the black people have been kept together by two black women1 who have continued praying and meeting with those who attended every night4 ,i preached to about thirty on ,saturday night4 ,on ,sunday morning1 to the same number2 and1 in the afternoon1 to about four or five hundred4 ,the old standers desire ,i would let you know that you have had many children in ,antigua whom you never saw4 ,i hope1 sir1 we shall have an interest in your prayers4 ,dear sir1 give me your advice4 ,provisions are very scarce2 but ,i have all things richly to enjoy2 as ,i have four shillings a day1 besides the king's provisions4 ,i am going to have a house built for me1 with as much ground as is needful4 ,i think ,god has sent me here for good to the poor souls1 who are glad to hear1 but unable to maintain1 a preacher40#caj ,little more remains to be said respecting the conference of #aggh1 except that it was resolved 8to receive no more married preachers1 because10 says ,wesley1 8we cannot keep them02#caa and1 further1 that two most characteristic minutes were adopted in reference to preachers who were nervous4 ,it was asked3 8,why do so many of our preachers fall into nervous disorders8 8,answer4 ,because they do not sufficiently observe ,dr4 ,cadogan's rules--to avoid indolence and intemperance4 8,they do indeed use exercise2 but many of them do not use enough1--not near so much as they did before they were preachers4 ,and sometimes they sit still a whole day4 ,this can never consist with health4 8,they are not intemperate in the vulgar sense2 they are neither drunkards nor gluttons2 but they take more food than nature requires1 particularly in the evening4 8,what advice would you give to those that are nervous8 8,answer4 ,advice is made for them that will take it2 but who are they8 one in ten1 or twenty8 8,then ,i advise3 7#a7 ,touch no dram1 tea1 tobacco1 or snuff2 7#b7 eat very light1 if any1 supper2 7#c7 breakfast on nettle or orange peel tea2 7#d7 lie down before ten1 rise before six2 7#e7 every day use as much exercise as you can bear2 or 7#f7 murder yourself by inches40 ,wesley acted upon his own advice4 ,whatever might be said of others1 he was not the man to be made nervous for want of exercise4 ,many ,methodist preachers claim and enjoy a holiday after conference4 ,with ,wesley it was otherwise4 ,the conference of #aggh closed on ,saturday1 ,august #h2 the next day1 ,wesley preached to a congregation of some thousands in the market place at ,dewsbury4 ,he then hurried off to ,london2 and thence to ,cornwall1 where he preached1 in ,gwennap amphitheatre1 it was believed1 to four-and-twenty thousand people4 ,during this lengthened journey1 he made the following curious entry in his journal4 8,september #a--;,i went to ,tiverton4 ,i was musing here on what ,i heard a good man say long since3 #8,once in seven years ,i burn all my sermons2 for it is a shame if ,i cannot write better sermons now than ,i could seven years ago4' ,whatever others can do1 ,i really cannot4 ,i cannot write a better sermon on the ,good ,steward1 than ,i did seven years ago2 ,i cannot write a better on the ,great ,assize1 than ,i did twenty years ago2 ,i cannot write a better on the ,use of ,money1 than ,i did near thirty years ago2 nay1 ,i know not that ,i can write a better on the ,circumcision of the ,heart1 than ,i did five-and-forty years ago4 ,perhaps1 indeed1 ,i may have read five or six hundred books more than ,i had then1 and may know a little more history1 or natural philosophy1 than ,i did2 but ,i am not sensible that this has made any essential addition to my knowledge in divinity4 ,forty years ago1 ,i knew and preached every ,christian doctrine which ,i preach now40 ,let the reader ponder this entry for a threefold purpose4 7#a7 ,to form an estimate of the extent of ,wesley's reading4 7#b7 ,to ascertain which sermons ,wesley thought his best4 7#c7 ,to find an answer to the charge that ,wesley changed his doctrines4 ,wesley1 on his return from ,cornwall1 arrived on ,september #d in ,bristol1 in the neighbourhood of which he spent the ensuing month4 ,the remainder of the year was occupied in ,london1 and in his usual tours through the counties of ,buckingham1 ,oxford1 ,bedford1 ,northampton1 ,hertford1 and ,kent2 and it may be mentioned1 as an evidence that the ,church of ,england began at last to appreciate its ejected minister1 that1 during this interval1 he preached1 by request1 to crowded congregations1 in not fewer than four of the ,london churches4 ,it was at this time1 also1 that he opened1 as already noticed1 the new chapel in ,city ,road4 ,on the day of opening1 he wrote as follows to ,mrs4 ,penelope ,cousins4 8,,london1 ,november #a1 #aggh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,it is just as it should be4 ,i have formerly said #8,i wonder how ,mr4 ,whitefield can go on6 ,for he has honour1 and comparatively1 no dishonour4 ,and this is test for human frailty too severe4' ,now ,i have not that insupportable burden4 ,i have honour enough in all reason2 but it is properly balanced with dishonour4 ,i have good report1 and 7what is absolutely necessary7 evil report too4 ,to-day ,i am to open our new chapel4 ,hence also will arise both honour and dishonour4 ,yet a little while1 and all these things1 that seem considerable now1 will pass away like a dream4 8,i am1 my dear ,penny1 yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#cab ,the opening of ,city ,road chapel rendered it necessary1 that ,wesley should have clerical coadjutors2 and he now received a letter from one who1 in after years1 rendered faithful and valuable service4 ,the ,rev4 ,james ,creighton was born in ,ireland1 in #agci2 and1 for fourteen years1 had been an ordained clergyman2 but it was only within the last two years that he had found peace with ,god1 through faith in ,jesus ,christ1 and that principally by reading the works of ,wesley4 ,he now began to preach in a barn1 about four miles from his parish church2 and1 then1 when the barn was no longer available1 in a chapel which was erected for him1 and in which he officiated for some time1 though the windows were unglazed1 and the mudden floor was such that his feet often sunk two inches deep during the performance of service4 ,his parish was sixteen miles in length1 and most of it mountainous and boggy2 but he frequently walked1 as well as rode1 through all parts of it1 in all kinds of weather4#cac ,while here1 he wrote the following to ,wesley4 8,,belterbelt1 ,october #bf1 #aggh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sir1--,i stand much in need of a judicious friend4 ,i am quite alone2 there are none of the ,methodists near me2 nor are there any yet thoroughly awakened within my cure4 ,the fault1 ,i must own1 is mine4 ,i have not been zealous enough2 yet1 this has not proceeded from the fear of man2 but ,i wished not to act precipitately1 and to raise the prejudices of the clergy as little as possible4 ,i meant well2 but ,i see ,i have acted wrong4 ,had ,i been persecuted1 ,i should have been much bolder2 but the people are so civil to me1 that it has1 in a great measure1 proved my ruin4 ,i have had such a sense of my ignorance and inability1 that ,i have been frequently tempted to think1 ,i ought to refrain entirely from preaching4 ,but1 again1 ,i thought ,i might1 perhaps1 be of some use here1 where the people are ready to listen to me1 yet are not willing to hear a ,methodist4 ,could ,i once open a door here for the ,methodist preachers1 ,i should willingly go to any part of the globe that ,god should call me to4 ,were ,i near you1 ,i should be too happy to fill the place of your assistant4 ,though we must lament the want of discipline in our ,church1 and though ,i admire the economy of the ,methodists1 yet ,i entirely agree with you1 that they ought not to leave the ,church4 ,so long as they mingle with the members of it1 they may be the means of converting them2 but1 if they separate1 they will thereby stop the ears and eyes of thousands4 ,these were my sentiments long before ,i heard that they were yours4 ,i never was bigoted to opinions1 and hope ,i never shall4 8,i remain1 dear sir1 your very humble servant1 and affectionate brother1 8,,james ,,creighton40#cad ,the discipline of the ,church of ,england was a thing over which ,wesley and his friends had no control4 ,with the discipline of the ,methodists it was otherwise4 ,hence1 the following characteristic letter1 hitherto unpublished1 addressed to one of his itinerants1 at ,brecon1 ,mr4 ,william ,church1 an ancestor of the ,rev4 ,henry ,l4 ,church1 who possesses the original4 8,,wallingford1 ,october #ac1 #aggh4 8,,dear ,,billy1--,the soul and the body make a man2 the ,spirit and discipline make a ,christian4 ,let ,john ,watson and you agree together1 and be exact in this wherever you go4 ,insist upon the observance of all the society rules1 by all the members of society2 and on the observance of all 7even the least7 of the band rules1 by all that meet in band4 ,i give1 for instance1 no band tickets to any woman1 who wears either ruffles or a high crowned cap4 ,if any will not lay aside these1 rather than lose that blessed means of improvement1 she is not worthy of it4 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,another unpublished letter1 of the same kind1 addressed to ,samuel ,bradburn1 will be welcome4 8,,london1 ,october #ag1 #aggh4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,i think you judge exactly right4 ,you are called to obey me1 as a son in the gospel4 ,but who can prove1 that you are so called to obey any other person8 ,what ,i require 7according to the twelfth rule of a helper7 of ,john ,hampson and you1 is1 that each of you1 in his turn1 spend four weeks1 and no more1 first at ,cork1 and then at ,bandon4 ,when1 therefore1 you have been at ,bandon1 ,i desire you to return straight to ,cork4 ,and1 if ,john ,hampson will not then go to ,bandon1 ,i will order one that will4 ,pray show this letter to ,mr4 ,mackrie1 whom ,i beg to assist you in this matter4 ,pass smoothly over the perverseness of those you have to do with1 and go straight forward4 ,it is abundantly sufficient1 that you have the testimony of a good conscience towards ,god4 8,i am1 dear ,sammy1 yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,reference is made1 in ,mr4 ,creighton's letter1 to the subject of the ,methodists leaving the ,established ,church2 and it has been already seen1 that this was a matter earnestly debated1 at the ,dublin conference1 during the present year4 ,the following letter1 sent to ,miss ,bishop1 is of great importance1 and1 though long1 must have insertion4 8,,london1 ,october #ah1 #aggh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,the original ,methodists were all of the ,church of ,england2 and the more awakened they were1 the more zealously they adhered to it1 in every point1 both of doctrine and discipline4 ,hence1 we inserted in the very first rules of our society1 #8they that leave the ,church leave us4' ,and this we did1 not as a point of prudence1 but a point of conscience4 ,we believed it unlawful to separate from the ,church1 unless sinful terms of communion were imposed4 ,just as did ,mr4 ,philip ,henry1 and most of those holy men that were contemporary with him4 8#8,but the ministers of it do not preach the gospel4' ,neither do some of the independent or anabaptist ministers4 ,calvinism is not the gospel3 nay1 it is further from it1 than most of the sermons ,i hear at the church4 ,these are very frequently unevangelical1 but they are not anti-evangelical4 ,few of the ,methodists are now in danger of imbibing error from the ,church ministers2 but they are in great danger of imbibing the grand error1 ,calvinism1 from some of the ,dissenting ministers4 ,perhaps thousands have done it already2 most of whom have drawn back to perdition4 ,i see more instances of this than any one else can do2 and1 on this ground also1 exhort all who would keep to the ,methodists1 and from ,calvinism1 to go to the church1 and not to the meeting4 8,but to speak freely3 ,i myself find more life in the ,church prayers1 than in any formal extemporary prayers of ,dissenters4 ,nay1 ,i find more profit in sermons on either good tempers1 or good works1 than in what are vulgarly called gospel sermons4 ,the term has now become a mere cant word3 ,i wish none of our society would use it4 ,it has no determinate meaning4 ,let but a pert1 self sufficient animal1 that has neither sense nor grace1 bawl out something about ,christ1 or ,his blood1 or justification by faith1 and his hearers cry out1 #8,what a fine gospel sermon6' ,surely the ,methodists have not so learned ,christ6 ,we know no gospel without salvation from sin4 ,there is a ,romish error which many protestants swallow unawares4 ,it is an avowed doctrine of the ,romish church1 that the #8pure intention of the minister is essential to the validity of the sacraments4' ,if so1 we ought not to attend the ministrations of an unholy man4 ,but in flat opposition to this1 our ,church teaches1 in the twenty-eighth article1 that #8the unworthiness of the minister does not hinder the validity of the sacraments4' ,although1 therefore1 there are many disagreeable circumstances1 yet1 ,i advise all our friends to keep to the ,church4 ,god has surely raised us up for the ,church chiefly1 that a little leaven may leaven the whole lump4 ,i wish you would seriously consider that little tract1 #8,reasons against a ,separation from the ,church of ,england4' ,these reasons were never yet answered2 ,i believe1 they never will4 8,i am1 my dear sister1 yours very affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#cae ,whatever may be thought of the validity of ,wesley's reasons1 there can be no question1 that1 in theory at least1 he was still firmly attached to the ,established ,church4 ,his enemies1 not without reason1 stigmatised him as a ,dissenter2 he persisted1 that he himself and the ,methodists were not ,dissenters4 ,who is possessed of competent authority to decide the doubt8 ,before passing to ,wesley's publications1 there is another matter which deserves attention4 ,one of the questions proposed at the conference of #aggh was1--8,is it not advisable for us to visit all the jails we can80 ,the answer was1--8,by all means4 ,there cannot be a greater charity40 ,from the first1 this was a duty to which ,wesley and his brother had devoted themselves to the utmost of their power2 and so also had many of their preachers and followers1 especially ,silas ,told1 a man who richly deserves a passing notice4 ,mr4 ,told was the son of a physician at ,bristol1 where he was born in #agaa4 ,at the age of fourteen1 he was bound apprentice as a sailor2 and1 for eleven years1 lived a life of adventurous romance4 ,in #agdj1 ,charles ,casper ,greaves1 a young bricklayer1 introduced him to the ,methodists4 ,in #agdd1 ,silas1 at ,wesley's request1 became the master of the ,foundery school1 and received a salary of #bf a year4 ,at the same time1 he began to visit the ,london prisons1 and to preach to debtors and malefactors4 ,there was not a prison in the metropolis1 nor scarcely a workhouse within twelve miles round it1 where ,silas ,told was not a frequent and welcome visitor4 ,the scenes he witnessed were horrible2 but for these the reader must turn to ,told's autobiography4 ,suffice it to add1 that ,silas ,told was preeminently1 in ,london1 the prison philanthropist1 the real1 though unrecognised chaplain of all its wretched prisoners4 ,for more than thirty years1 no man was better known1 or more welcome in the jails of the metropolis1 than he4 ,all sorts of criminals1 papists and protestants1 clung to him in their anguish1 for counsel and consolation4 ,notwithstanding opposition at the first1 he persisted in his enterprise1 till even turnkeys1 sheriffs1 and hangmen1 as well as prisoners1 were wont to weep while listening to his exhortations and his prayers4 ,silas ,told continued his great good work1 till he tottered under the weight of nearly threescore years and ten1 when he peacefully expired in ,december #aggh4 ,it was befitting that ,wesley himself should inter such at ,methodist4 ,he writes3 8#aggh1 ,sunday1 ,december #cj--;,i buried what was mortal of honest ,silas ,told4 ,for many years1 he attended the malefactors in ,newgate1 without fee or reward2 and ,i suppose no man for this hundred years has been so successful in that melancholy office4 ,god had given him peculiar talents for it2 and he had amazing success therein4 ,the greatest part of those whom he attended died in peace1 and many of them in the triumph of faith40 ,several of ,wesley's publications in #aggh have been already mentioned2 only two still require notice4 ,the first was 8,some ,account of the late ,work of ,god in ,north ,america1 in a ,sermon on ,ezekiel i4 #af40 #abmo1 #bc pages4 ,it was almost a misnomer to designate this a sermon2 but it was vastly popular1 and1 before the year was out1 reached a second edition4 ,it is really a brief historical statement of ,american affairs from #agcf to #aggh4 ,wesley begins with the colonisation of ,georgia1 passes on to the wonderful revival of religion in ,new ,england1 and speaks of the amazingly successful labours of ,whitefield1 but affirms that1 for want of forming his converts into societies1 the far greater part of them became backsliders4 ,he then traces the war to its origin1 and concludes by foretelling1 not the independency of the rebellious colonists1 which he says would be 8a heavy curse10 but a restoration of civil and ,christian liberty4 ,it is dangerous to turn prophet3 in one respect1 ,wesley's vaticination was soon falsified4 ,on ,august #ad1 #aggg1 ,wesley wrote3 8,i drew up proposals for the ,arminian ,magazine40 ,we are not aware that these 8,proposals0 have ever been reissued1 just as ,wesley published them2 and1 as an original copy now lies before us1 we insert the document verbatim4 8,proposals for printing1 by ,subscription1 the ,,arminian ,,magazine2 consisting of ,extracts1 and ,original ,treatises on ,universal ,redemption4 8,,conditions4 8#a4 ,a number1 containing #hj pages1 in octavo1 printed on fine paper1 and with a new type1 will be delivered monthly to each subscriber1 at the price of one shilling4 8#b4 ,it will be so printed1 as to bind up in volumes1 twelve numbers in a volume4 8#c4 ,this work will contain no news1 no politics1 no personal invectives1 nothing offensive either to religion1 decency1 good nature1 or good manners4 8#d4 ,the first number will be delivered on ,january #a1 #aggh1 and continued the first day of every month4 8#e4 ,subscriptions are taken in at the ,foundery1 ,london2 the ,new ,room1 ,bristol2 and by the booksellers in town and country4 8,to the ,reader4 8#a4 ,amidst the multitude of magazines which now swarm in the world1 there was one1 a few years ago1 termed ,the ,christian ,magazine1 which was of great use to mankind1 and did honour to the publishers4 ,but it was soon discontinued1 to the regret of many serious and sensible persons4 ,in the room of it1 started up a miscreated phantom1 called ,the ,spiritual ,magazine2 and1 not long after1 its twin sister1 oddly called ,the ,gospel ,magazine4 ,both of these are intended to show1 that ,god is not loving to every man1 that ,his mercy is not over all ,his works2 and1 consequently1 that ,christ did not die for all1 but for one in ten1 for the elect only4 8#b4 ,this comfortable doctrine1 the sum of which1 proposed in plain ,english1 is1 ,god before the foundation of the world absolutely and irrevocably decreed1 that #8some men shall be saved1 do what they will1 and the rest be damned1 do what they can1' has1 by these tracts1 been spread throughout the land1 with the utmost diligence4 ,and these champions of it have1 from the beginning1 proceeded in a manner worthy of their cause4 ,they have paid no more regard to good nature1 decency1 or good manners1 than to reason or truth4 ,all these they set utterly at defiance4 ,without any deviation from their plan1 they have defended their dear decrees1 with arguments worthy of ,bedlam1 and with language worthy of ,billingsgate4 8#c4 ,in the ,arminian ,magazine a very different opinion will be defended1 in a very different manner4 ,we maintain1 that ,god willeth all men to be saved1 by speaking the truth in love2 by arguments and illustrations drawn1 partly from ,scripture1 partly from reason2 proposed in as inoffensive a manner as the nature of the thing will permit4 ,not that we expect those on the other side of the question will use us as we use them4 ,yet1 we hope1 nothing will move us to return evil for evil2 or1 however provoked1 to render railing for railing4 8#d4 ,our design is1 to publish some of the most remarkable tracts on the universal love of ,god1 and ,his willingness to save all men from all sin1 which have been wrote in this and the last century4 ,some of these are now grown very scarce2 some have not appeared in ,english before4 ,to these will be added original pieces1 wrote either directly upon this subject1 or on those which are equally opposed by the patrons of particular redemption4 ,we are not yet determined1 whether to insert any poetry or not2 but we faithfully promise not to insert any doggrel4 ,if any verses are inserted1 they shall be such as will not shock either the understanding or the taste of the serious reader4 8#e4 ,we know nothing more proper to introduce a work of this kind than a sketch of the life and death of ,arminius2 a person1 with whom those1 who mention his name with the utmost indignity1 are commonly quite unacquainted1 of whom they know no more than of ,hermes ,trismegistus40 ,this1 though lengthy1 is too scarce and too curious a document to withhold from the ,methodist community2 moreover1 it was the commencement of a magazine1 now1 we believe1 the oldest religious periodical in the world2 a magazine which has flourished1 without interruption1 for ninety successive years2 and has been read by myriads in all quarters of the globe4 ,it has been said1 that ,mr4 ,walter ,churchey1 of ,brecon1 was the first to suggest to ,wesley the publication of this periodical2#caf ,wesley himself says1 that he had been desired to publish a magazine for near forty years before he complied with the request4#cag ,of course1 ,wesley is the best authority2 still there can be no doubt1 that ,mr4 ,churchey was one of his advisers4 ,the following letter furnishes evidence of this4 8,,london1 ,october #ah1 #aggg4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,we agree1 that no politics shall have a place in the ,arminian ,magazine4 ,but poetry will2 only my brother and ,i are the judges what pieces shall be admitted4 ,it may be1 some will think us too nice in our choice2 but that we cannot help4 ,as to a review of religious books1 it might be well2 but ,i have two objections4 7#a7 ,i scruple my own sufficiency for the work4 7#b7 ,i would not1 at any price1 be bound to read over all the present religious productions of the press4 8,i am your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#cah ,the first number of the magazine appeared on the #ast of ,january1 #aggh2 on the cover of which ,wesley said3 8,i am content this magazine should stand or fall by its own intrinsic value4 ,if it is a compound of falsehood1 ribaldry1 and nonsense1 let it sink into oblivion4 ,if it contains only the words of truth and soberness1 then let it meet with a favourable reception4 ,it will easily be observed1 that it contains fewer articles than any other magazine4 ,this is not by accident1 but design4 ,i have frequently been disgusted by the many bits and scraps of various kinds1 which make up a great part of most publications of this nature4 ,before one has well entered upon any subject1 it is at an end1 and referred to the next number2 a mere trick to decoy the reader to buy another and another number4 ,on the contrary1 ,i shall endeavour to begin and conclude as many things as possible in each number3 and1 with regard to taking the numbers that follow1 let every reader use his own discretion40 ,space forbids any lengthened outline of the contents of the first volume4 ,there are lives of ,arminius1 ,luther1 ,bernard ,gilpin1 ,bishop ,bedell1 ,peter ,jaco1 and ,john ,atlay4 ,there are half-a-dozen articles on the ,calvinian controversy1 some of them1 7rather in contradiction of ,wesley's announcement17 running through several numbers4 ,there are fifty-nine letters2 and nearly the same number of poetic pieces4 ,there are three portraits1 one of ,wesley himself1 one of ,peter ,jaco1 and the third of ,john ,atlay4 ,at the end of the copy now before us1 is a four paged letter1 dated ,londonderry1 ,june #e1 #aggh1 answering objections against the five numbers already issued4 ,one objection was1 there was not enough for money4 ,the reply was3 8,i write for those who judge of books1 not by the quantity1 but by the quality of them4 ,i spare both my reader's time and my own1 by couching my sense in as few words as ,i can4 ,those who prefer the dealers in many words may find them on every side40 ,a second objection was1 that there was not variety enough4 ,wesley answered3 8,here is all the variety ,i promised4 ,i promised the bulk of the magazine should treat of universal redemption4 ,do you blame me for not rambling from my subject8 ,it is not my manner1 ,i do not aim at it40 ,a third objection was1 8there is not variety in the historical part40 8,what do you mean80 says ,wesley4 8,would you have me insert bits and scraps of history2 or give1 in each number1 part of the life of one man1 and part of that of another8 ,i never proposed this3 ,i think it far better to select a few of the best lives ,i know1 and to go entirely through one before ,i enter upon another40 ,another objection was3 8you have no pictures or other decorations or embellishments which other magazines have40 ,wesley answers3 8,it is true4 ,but ,i will tell you what ,i have3 such paper as no magazine in ,england was ever printed upon before4 ,consider6 this one single article costs more than all their fine embellishments put together40 ,in concluding this notice of the first volume of the ,arminian ,magazine1 the following letter will be welcome4 ,it was addressed to ,thomas ,taylor1 and is here copied from the original4 8,,london1 ,january #ae1 #aggh4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,as to preaching1 you ought not to preach against that unscriptural1 blasphemous1 mischievous doctrine constantly2 no1 nor very frequently4 ,but you ought1 now and then1 to bear a full1 strong1 express testimony against it2 otherwise you are a sinner against ,god1 and the people1 and your own soul4 ,i have done this too seldom3 scarce once in fifty sermons4 ,i ought to do it once in fifteen or so4 8,as to writing or publishing1 the deadly poison has1 for many years1 been spread through ,england1 chiefly by means of those pestilent declamations1 ,the ,gospel1 and ,the ,spiritual ,magazine4 ,whatever is designed for an antidote to this poison must be spread in the same manner4 ,thousands have been thereby poisoned already1 and are now twice dead4 ,to guard those who are not poisoned yet1 7not to get money17 ,i fight them at their own weapons4 ,i oppose magazine to magazine1 though of a totally different kind4 ,but1 it seems1 you know nothing at all of the matter4 ,you do not appear to have read the ,proposals4#cai ,this magazine not only contains no railing1 but 7properly speaking7 no controversy4 ,it proves one point3 #8,god willeth all men to be saved1 and to come to the knowledge of the truth4' ,it goes straight forward1 taking notice of no opponents1 but invariably pursuing the one point4 ,and this is the only way to preserve the ,methodists1 and to make the ,calvinists quiet4 ,meantime1 both the letters and the lives1 which will make a considerable part of every number1 contain the marrow of experimental and practical religion2 so that nothing of the kind has appeared before4 ,therefore1 a magazine of this kind is a new thing in the land2 and those1 who formerly spoke against the magazine1 may1 with a good grace1 recommend this as being quite another thing1 and published on other motives4 ,i do not desire any ,calvinist to read it4 ,i publish it not to convince1 but to preserve4 ,i know1 by long experience1 they will never bend1 but when the war is carried into their own quarters4 ,this ,i will do1 as long as ,god spares my life2 and1 in love1 and in meekness of wisdom4 ,this is the way1 and the only way1 to establish lasting peace4 8,but is it not odd that a ,methodist1 a preacher1 an assistant1 should be the only one who sees my brother1 and me1 and the bulk of the preachers1 and the body of the people1 to be wrong8 ,tommy1 distrust yourself4 ,do not lean too much to your own understanding4 ,it is possible they may be right1 and you wrong4 ,you do not at all understand this affair4 ,we are well rid of those turbulent men4 ,with love to ,nancy1 8,your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,we only add1 that1 nearly to the end of ,wesley's life1 ,thomas ,olivers was a sort of sub-editor1 and corrector of the press2 but corrected so incorrectly1 that1 in ,august1 #aghi1 ,wesley writes3 8,i chose a new person to prepare the ,arminian ,magazine2 being obliged1 however unwillingly1 to drop ,mr4 ,olivers1 for only these two reasons3 #a4 ,the errata are unsufferable2 ,i have borne them for these twelve years1 but can bear them no longer4 #b4 ,several pieces are inserted without my knowledge1 both in prose and verse4 ,i must try whether these things cannot be amended for the short residue of my life40 ,,footnotes3 #cjd ,the words in the original are given in full4 #cje ,see memoirs of ,toplady1 prefixed to his works1 #aheg edit4 #cjf ,christian ,miscellany1 #ahdi1 p4 #hd4 #cjg ,memoirs of ,benson1 by ,macdonald1 p4 #ge4 #cjh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahad1 p4 #ejh4 #cji ,manuscript4 #caj ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghh1 p4 #chc4 #caa ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #bif4 #cab ,christian ,miscellany1 #ahej1 p4 #ed4 #cac ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghe4 #cad ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghh1 p4 #fjh4 #cae ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #cc4 #caf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbc1 p4 #acd4 #cag ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 iv41 p4 #ajg4 #cah ,ibid4 vol4 xii41 p4 #djg4 #cai ,taylor was opposed to the magazine4 ,in his unpublished diary1 he writes3 8#aggg4 ,december #ad--;,i wrote a long letter to ,mr4 ,wesley concerning the ,arminian ,magazine1 which ,i am persuaded will do hurt1 and no good40 #aggi4 ,age #gf ,the year #aggi was one of national alarm4 ,the remarkable trials of ,admiral ,keppel and ,sir ,hugh ,palliser occasioned fierce debates in parliament4 ,lord ,north and his colleagues were accused of being intermeddling1 shortsighted1 and incapable4 ,american agents were busy with ,irish malcontents2 and armed associations1 not the most loyal1 were formed in ,dublin and throughout the country4 ,the ,spanish ambassador quitted ,london1 after delivering to the secretary of state a hostile manifesto4 ,the ministry proposed1 that the militia should be doubled4 ,press warrants were issued in all directions1 and press gangs actively employed in increasing the navy4 ,france was jubilant4 ,england rang with reports of invasion1 and of new ,spanish armadas1 more terrible than that sent against ,queen ,elizabeth4 ,gibraltar was threatened2 and so was ,jersey4 ,paul ,jones1 at the head of a squadron manned by ,french and ,americans1 and desperadoes from various other countries1 menaced the whole of the eastern coast of ,england1 from ,flamborough ,head to the ,frith of the ,tay4 ,lord ,north's parliamentary majorities were dwindling4 ,george ,,iii4 had no decisive victories to report4 ,it was asserted that the ,american war had already added sixty-three millions to the national debt2 and ,charles ,fox declared that treachery1 and not ignorance1 must have prevailed in the national councils to reduce the country to its present miserable condition4 ,england throughout was in a panic4 ,in this emergency1 as in all others1 ,wesley was among the foremost to evince his loyalty4 ,on ,february #h1 he wrote3 8,finding many serious persons were much discouraged by prophets of evil1 confidently foretelling very heavy calamities which were coming upon our nation1 ,i endeavoured to lift up their hands1 by opening and applying ,psalm xliii4 #e1 #f40 ,two days later was the national fast1 when he preached on ,abraham interceding for the city of ,sodom4 ,to quiet the panic at ,newcastle1 he took for his text1 8,the ,lord sitteth above the waterfloods2 the ,lord reigneth a king for ever40 ,in a letter to ,bradburn1 he says3 8,it is the judgment of many1 that1 since the time of the ,invincible ,armada1 ,great ,britain and ,ireland were never in such danger from foreign enemies as they are at this day4 ,humanly speaking1 we are not able to contend with them1 either by sea or land4 ,they are watching over us as a leopard over his prey1 just ready to spring upon us4 ,they are mighty and rage horribly2 but the ,lord that dwelleth on high is mightier2 and now is the time1 at this awful crisis1 for the inhabitants of the land to learn righteousness4 ,i make no doubt1 but you improve the important opportunity1 and lift up your voice like a trumpet4 ,who knoweth but ,god may be entreated of us1 as ,he was for ,nineveh8 ,our brethren1 in various parts of ,england1 have set apart an hour in a week for prayer 7namely1 from eight till nine on ,sunday evening71 in behalf of our king and country4 ,should not the same be done in ,ireland too8 particularly at ,cork and ,bandon8 ,those who have not opportunity of meeting1 at the time1 may pray part of the hour in private4 ,meantime1 there is a text for you3 #8,i will not destroy it for ten's sake4'0#cbj ,besides this weekly prayer-meeting by the ,english ,methodists1 a ,methodist fast was observed in connection with the annual conference4 ,thomas ,taylor writes3 8,july #cj--,this day was observed as a fast on account of public affairs4 ,we met in the morning at five2 and1 after the sermon1 we continued in prayer till nine o'clock4 ,at one1 we met again1 and received the sacrament4 ,in the evening1 we kept a watchnight1 and ,i gave an exhortation4 ,but the people do not stay at watchnights in ,london1 as they do in the country40#cba ,a few days later1 we find ,wesley holding a noonday prayer-meeting1 at ,haverfordwest1 to intercede for the king and country4 ,at ,bristol1 he preached on ,david's prayer1 8,lord1 turn the counsel of ,ahithophel into foolishness02 and1 in ,october1 wrote again to ,samuel ,bradburn as follows4 8,,london1 ,october #aj1 #aggi4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,the alarm has been general in ,england as well as ,ireland2 particularly in the maritime parts4 ,but it has done abundantly more good than harm to the work of ,god4 ,the children of ,god have been greatly stirred up1 and have been more instant in prayer4 ,and many men of the world have been greatly awakened1 and continue so to this day4 ,most of those who have the fullest intercourse with ,god believe our enemies will never be permitted to land in ,england4 ,and1 indeed1 ,god has already given abundant proof of ,his hearing prayer3 first1 in their not landing at ,plymouth1 where they stayed gaping and staring for eight-and-forty hours1 while they might with all ease have destroyed both the dock and the town2 secondly1 in the malignant fever which has broken out in their fleet1 and already destroyed several thousands of men40#cbb ,infidelity will sneer at this2 but religion1 recognising a ruling ,providence1 will reverentially bow its head4 ,the crisis was terrible4 ,sixty-eight ,french and ,spanish ships of the line1 and many frigates and smaller vessels1 all commanded by ,d',orvilliers1 appeared off ,plymouth4 ,the ,british fleet did not exceed thirty-eight sail of the line1 and was absent at sea1 under the command of ,admiral ,hardy4 ,where was the difficulty of seizing ,plymouth8 ,wesley writes3 8,they might have entered it with perfect ease4 ,the wind was fair2 there was no fleet to oppose them2 there was scarce any garrison1 and the few men that were there had no wadding at all1 and but two rounds of powder2 and only two of the cannon were mounted40 ,and yet the combined fleet1 nearly twice the size of ,hardy's1 contented itself with a pompous parade in front of the unprotected town4 ,no wonder that ,wesley1 with grateful exultation1 preached from texts like the one he took at ,newcastle3 8,the ,lord sitteth above the waterfloods2 the ,lord reigneth a king for ever40 ,before we track ,wesley's wanderings in #aggi1 there is another matter which deserves mention4 ,on the #cjth of ,may1 #aggh1 ,voltaire died in ,paris1 in the eighty-fifth year of his age4 ,his death was what the death of an arch infidel might be expected to be4 ,the subjoined anecdote respecting it has long been widely published1 but1 perhaps1 never so nearly traced to its source as now4 ,wesley had been informed that one of the chaplains of ,george ,,iii4 was about to publish ,voltaire's pernicious works in a collected form2 and1 in a fit of godly indignation1 he wrote the following unpublished letter4 8,january #d1 #aggi4 8,,sir1--,in ,september last1 a gentleman1 near ,bristol1 showed me a letter1 which he had received from the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,fletcher1 at ,paris4 ,i desired him to give a transcript of one part of it1 which he immediately did4 ,it was as follows3 8#8,mr4 ,voltaire sent for ,monsieur ,tronclils1 first physician to the ,duke of ,orleans1 7one of his converts to infidelity17 and said to him1 8,sir1 ,i desire you will save my life4 ,i will give you half my fortune1 if you will lengthen out my days only six months4 ,if not1 ,i shall go to the devil1 and carry you with me40' 8,this is the man to whom a crowned head pays such a violent compliment6 ,nay1 this is the man whose works are now publishing by a divine of our own ,church2 yea1 a chaplain to his majesty4 ,pity but the king should know it4 ,if the publisher of that poor wretch's works writes a panegyric upon him or them1 ,i shall think it my duty to show the real value of those writings4 8,i am1 sir1 your humble servant1 ,j4 ,,wesley40 ,no man was a more determined opponent of evil than ,wesley was2 and1 at the same time1 no man was a more faithful friend4 ,the following is illustrative of this4 ,the ,methodists know something1 and might be told a great deal more1 respecting ,william ,shent1 the ,methodist barber of the town of ,leeds4 ,poor ,william was now in not undeserved embarrassment2 his friends forsook him2 but not so ,wesley4 ,hence the following1 hitherto unpublished1 letter to the ,methodist society in ,keighley4 8,,london1 ,january #aa1 #aggi4 8,i ,,have a few questions1 which ,i desire may be proposed to the society at ,keighley4 8,who was the occasion of the ,methodist preachers first setting foot in ,leeds8 ,william ,shent4 8,who received ,john ,nelson into his house at his first coming thither8 ,william ,shent4 8,who was it that invited me1 and received me when ,i came8 ,william ,shent4 8,who was it that stood by me while ,i preached in the street with stones flying on every side8 ,william ,shent4 8,who was it that bore the storm of persecution for the whole town1 and stemmed it at the peril of his life8 ,william ,shent4 8,whose word did ,god bless for many years in an eminent manner8 ,william ,shent's4 8,by whom were many children now in paradise begotten in the ,lord1 and many now alive8 ,william ,shent4 8,who is he that is ready now to be broken up1 and turned into the street8 ,william ,shent4 8,and does nobody care for this8 ,william ,shent fell into sin1 and was publicly expelled the society2 but must he be also starved8 ,must he with his grey hairs and all his children be without a place to lay his head8 ,can you suffer this8 ,oh1 tell it not in ,gath6 ,where is gratitude8 ,where is compassion8 ,where is ,christianity8 ,where is humanity8 ,where is concern for the cause of ,god8 ,who is a wise man among you8 ,who is concerned for the gospel8 ,who has put on bowels of mercy8 ,let him arise and exert himself in this matter4 ,you here all arise as one man1 and roll away the reproach4 ,let us set him on his feet once more4 ,it may save both him and his family4 ,but what we do1 let it be done quickly4 8,i am1 dear brethren1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,it is hardly necessary to track the steps of ,wesley throughout the whole of a journey which occupied the next five months4 ,he opened the new chapel at ,bath1 of which more must be said shortly4 ,on ,friday1 ,march #ai1 he preached in ,bengeworth church at noon2 and1 at six1 in the church at ,pebworth4 ,at ,west ,bromwich1 during a terrific storm of wind and hail1 he addressed a congregation in the open air4 ,at ,madeley1 he preached in the new chapel1 built by his friend ,fletcher1 in ,madeley ,wood4 ,he opened a new chapel at ,davyhulme1 ,manchester4 ,he also paid his first visit to ,oldham1 where he says3 8,i had such a congregation as ,i have not seen since ,i was in the ,cornish amphitheatre4 ,and all1 beside a few giddy children1 were seriously attentive40 ,this was a great improvement in the manners of the ,oldham people4 ,when ,matthew ,mayer commenced preaching here in #agfc1 he asked a man to allow him to stand before his door4 8,no10 replied the ,lancashire savage2 and then he swore that1 if ,mayer attempted to gather a congregation there1 he would cleave his skull4 ,having removed to the door of ,jonathan ,mabbot's1 in ,george ,street1 ,mayer mounted a stool2 but he had no sooner sung and prayed1 than the mob1 led on by churchwardens and constables1 surrounded him4 8,by what authority do you come hither80 asked the ,oldham functionaries4 8,by what authority do you ask me80 replied ,mr4 ,mayer4 8,pull him down1 pull him down60 cried the mob2 and then one of the constables upset the preacher's stool2 and the zealous guardians of the ,church shouted1 8,we want none of your preaching here40 ,on the ,sunday following1 while ,mayer was preaching1 the mob amused themselves by thrusting pins into the legs and arms of serious hearers2 and1 on the ,sunday after that1 a brute was hired for threepence halfpenny to strip himself stark naked1 and rush into the midst of ,mayer's congregation4 ,on another occasion1 ,john ,murlin was dragged from his horseblock pulpit1 and was thrown into a dungeon2 and1 on another1 ,james ,hall was honoured with the presence not only of the constables1 churchwardens1 and ,oldham mob1 but also of a huntsman and his hounds4 ,the churchwardens raved2 the constables brandished their official staves2 the mob bawled2 the dogs barked2 and the huntsman blew his horn with such vehemence that ,mr4 ,hall found it impossible to preach1 but1 for an hour and a half1 continued to sing and pray4#cbc ,leaving ,oldham1 ,wesley proceeded to ,northwich and other places in ,cheshire2 then to ,warrington1 ,liverpool1 ,bolton1 ,rochdale1 ,bacup1 and ,padiham4 ,he writes3 8,april #ac--;,at one o'clock1 ,i preached in the shell of the house at ,padiham1 where there is at length a prospect of peace1 after abundance of disturbance1 caused by one who neither fears ,god nor reverences man40 ,the chapel referred to1 in this extract1 was erected in the midst of the most determined opposition4 ,what was built during the day was frequently demolished during the night2 and it became necessary to appoint nocturnal watchers to guard the premises4 ,at length1 the building was completed1 and had1 in the front wall1 a stone with a sun dial1 serving for a clock1 and round about it an inscription1 which1 to future generations1 was a memento of bygone troubles3 8,they thrust sore at me that ,i might fall2 but the ,lord hath helped me1 and taken part against them that hated me40 ,from ,padiham1 ,wesley went to ,todmorden1 ,heptonstall1 ,ewood1 and ,halifax4 ,he writes3 8,april #ae--;,i went to ,halifax1 where a little thing had lately occasioned great disturbance4 ,an angel blowing a trumpet was placed on the sounding board over the pulpit4 ,many were vehemently against this2 others as vehemently for it3 but a total end was soon put to the contest1 for the angel vanished away40 8,behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth60 ,several of the ,halifax ,methodists1 thinking that the sounding board would be improved by some sort of ornament1 opened a subscription for that purpose1 and1 a fortnight before ,wesley's visit1 procured the celestial trumpeter which ,wesley mentions4 ,john ,murlin1 one of the preachers1 determined not to preach under the angel's expanded wings4 ,discussion sprung up1 in the midst of which ,wesley came4 ,the leaders were summoned2 a hot discussion followed2 and the votes1 for and against the angel1 were equal4 ,just at this juncture1 ,john ,hatton1 of ,lightcliffe1 entered1 and gave a vote for the angel's removal4 ,immediately1 the carved image was taken down2 ,john ,murlin hewed it in pieces2 and1 before midnight1 it was burnt in the chapel yard4 ,great was the consternation of these simple ,methodists1 when1 at the five o'clock preaching1 next morning1 they found their pet angel had vanished4 ,quarrelling ensued2 and several influential members1 in angelic indignation1 left the society which had destroyed the angelic ornament1 and1 in some instances1 remained to the end of life unconnected with any church whatever4#cbd ,proceeding to ,haworth1 ,wesley preached1 in the morning1 in the church2 but1 in the afternoon1 8thousands upon thousands being gathered together10 he was obliged to take his stand in the churchyard4 ,the next day1--,monday1 ,april #ai1--;he preached in the church at ,bingley2 and then went to ,otley4 8,on ,april #bd10 ,thomas ,taylor writes1 8,i met ,mr4 ,wesley at ,cross ,hall1 and found the old apostle as hearty and lively as ever4 ,the conversation at table was such as became our religious profession4 ,there were present two pious clergymen1 two of my brethren1 and several serious women4 ,on ,sunday1 ,april #be1 ,i went with ,mr4 ,wesley to ,birstal church1 after which he preached to1 ,i think1 the largest congregation ,i have ever seen in any place40#cbe ,at ,huddersfield1 ,wesley found a great revival of the work of ,god1 sometimes 8sixteen1 eighteen1 yea1 twenty10 being converted in a day4 ,at ,leeds1 ,dr4 ,kershaw1 the vicar1 desired him to assist at the sacrament4 ,ten clergymen were present1 and seven or eight hundred communicants4 ,at ,darlington1 he found some of the liveliest ,methodists in the north of ,england4 ,he preached in the market place1 and all behaved well1 except a party of the ,queen's ,dragoons4 ,at ,barnard ,castle1 the ,durham militia were assembled1--the handsomest body of soldiers he had ever seen1 except in ,ireland2 and all1 officers and soldiers1 came to hear him1 and were a pattern to the whole congregation4 ,he now made his way to ,newcastle1 and thence to ,scotland1 where he travelled as far north as ,inverness4 ,he writes3 8,june #h--;,i reached ,inverness1 but found a new face of things there4 ,good ,mr4 ,mackenzie had been1 for some years1 removed to ,abraham's bosom4 ,mr4 ,fraser1 his colleague1 a pious man1 of the old stamp1 was likewise gone to rest4 ,the three present ministers are of another kind2 so that ,i have no more place in the kirk2 and the wind and rain would not permit me to preach on the green4 ,however1 our house was large1 though gloomy enough4 ,being now informed1 7which ,i did not suspect before17 that the town was uncommonly given to drunkenness1 ,i used the utmost plainness of speech2 and ,i believe not without effect4 ,i then spent some time with the society1 increased from twelve to between fifty and sixty2#cbf many of these knew in whom they had believed2 so that all the pains which have been taken to stop the work of ,god here have hitherto been in vain40 ,a month later1 ,wesley wrote the following hitherto unpublished letter to ,mr4 ,mc,allum4 8,,epworth1 ,july #aj1 #aggi4 8,,dear ,,duncan1--,this is the circumstance which puzzles the case3 who can preach in ,erse but you8 ,cannot you then think of any preacher1 whom you love1 and who is a zealous1 active man8 ,inverness should by all means be a circuit by itself1 including as many towns as you please1 north and south4 ,i wish you would think of it1 and send me the plan to ,london4 8,did not sister ,anderson receive my letter8 ,i wonder she did not answer4 ,joseph ,moore utterly denies he ever offered her marriage4 ,i desired her to tell me the very words he spoke or wrote4 8,i am1 dear ,duncan1 yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley4 8,to ,mr4 ,duncan ,mc,allum1 at ,mr4 ,john ,watson's1 slater1 ,inverness40 ,wesley spent nearly a month in his evangelistic tour through ,scotland4 ,everywhere he was received with great respect and affection2 and he speaks of many 8times of refreshing from the presence of the ,lord40 ,he was introduced to several persons of distinction1 and1 among others1 to gossiping ,james ,boswell1 who writes3 8,though ,i differed from ,mr4 ,john ,wesley in some points1 ,i admired his various talents1 and loved his pious zeal4 ,at my request1 therefore1 ,dr4 ,johnson gave me a letter of introduction to him4 8,to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley4 8,may #c1 #aggi4 8,,sir1--,mr4 ,boswell1 a gentleman1 who has been long known to me1 is desirous of being known to you1 and has asked this recommendation1 which ,i give him with great willingness1 because ,i think it very much to be wished that worthy and religious men should be acquainted with each other4 8,i am1 sir1 your most humble servant1 8,,sam4 ,,johnson40 ,boswell adds1 that he presented the letter to ,wesley at ,edinburgh1 8and was very politely received40#cbg ,wesley1 in returning1 reached ,newcastle on ,june #bb1 and would fain have rested in a place to which he was tenderly attached4 ,he writes3 8,wednesday1 ,june #bc--;,i rested here4 ,lovely place1 and lovely company6 ,but ,i believe there is another world2 therefore ,i must #8arise and go hence4'0 ,accordingly1 next morning1 he set out for ,stockton upon ,tees1 and preached all the way along the east coast of ,england till he came to ,great ,grimsby4 8,here10 he says1 8,i found a little trial4 ,in this1 and many other parts of the kingdom1 those striplings1 who call themselves ,lady ,huntingdon's preachers1 have greatly hindered the work of ,god4 ,they have neither sense1 courage1 nor grace1 to go and beat up the devil's quarters1 in any place where ,christ has not been named2 but1 wherever we have entered as by storm1 and gathered a few souls1 often at the peril of our lives1 they creep in1 and1 by doubtful disputations1 set every one's sword against his brother4 ,one of these has just crept into ,grimsby1 and is striving to divide the poor little flock2 but ,i hope his labour will be in vain1 and they will still hold the unity of the ,spirit in the bond of peace40 ,having visited the societies in ,lincolnshire1 ,wesley proceeded to ,doncaster and ,sheffield1 and thence1 by way of ,derby1 ,nottingham1 ,leicester1 ,hinckley1 and ,coventry1 to ,london1 which he reached on ,july #bc4 ,wesley had not preached at ,hinckley since the year #agdd4 ,what led him to visit the town now8 ,we learn1 from the unpublished autobiography of ,thomas ,dixon1 who1 at this time1 was stationed in the ,leicestershire circuit1 that1 just before the conference of #aggi1 he attempted to introduce ,methodism into ,hinckley1 and not without success4 ,according to custom1 he took his stand in the street1 and began to sing4 ,the night was wet1 and his congregation was not only small1 but seemed so apprehensive of the ,methodist apparition1 that1 while they listened to him1 they also kept at a safe distance from him4 ,he preached again next morning to a congregation somewhat larger1 and then set out for ,tamworth4 ,this was his first and his last visit2 but a class was formed just after1#cbh which1 in #aghj1 contributed nearly a pound per quarter for the support of the work of ,god2#cbi and1 from that time to this1 ,methodism has had a place in ,hinckley4 ,then as it respects ,coventry1 this was the first sermon ,wesley delivered here4 ,he says3 8,july #ba--,when ,i came to ,coventry1 ,i found notice had been given for my preaching in the park2 but the heavy rain prevented4 ,i sent to the mayor1 desiring the use of the town hall4 ,he refused2 but1 the same day1 gave the use of it to a dancing master4 ,i then went to the women's market4 ,many soon gathered together1 and listened with all seriousness4 ,i preached there again the next morning1 and again in the evening40 ,as already stated1 from ,coventry ,wesley went to ,london4 ,the entry in his journal recording the journey is worthy of quotation4 8,i took coach for ,london4 ,i was nobly attended3 behind the coach were ten convicted felons1 loudly blaspheming1 and rattling their chains2 by my side sat a man with a loaded blunderbuss1 and another upon the coach40 ,before proceeding to notice the conference1 of #aggi1 two other matters demand attention4 ,thomas ,maxfield seceded from ,wesley in #agfc2 took away with him about two hundred members of ,wesley's society2 and became the minister of a separate and independent congregation4#ccj ,for some reason1 he now wished to return to ,wesley's connexion2 but to this ,wesley and his brother objected4 ,hence the following letters1 by ,charles ,wesley1 the first addressed to ,vincent ,perronet1 the second to ,wesley himself4 8,,london1 ,april #bj1 #aggi4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,my brother and ,i agreed not to receive ,mr4 ,maxfield again1 as a fellow labourer1 till he acknowledged his fault4 ,ought we not to wait for some word1 of his being sensible of his ingratitude8 ,ought we to trust him1 and the people to his care1 without it8 ,i have not the least spark of resentment towards ,mr4 ,maxfield2 but to deliver up our charge to him1 unconvinced1 is to betray them4 8,my brother's interest with the bishop is great1 7,i believe17 but my son ,samuel's is greater4 ,sam and the bishop are1 ,ego et rex meus4 8,your very affectionate and ever obliged servant1 8,,charles ,,wesley40#cca 8,,london1 ,april #bc1 #aggi4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i still love ,thomas ,maxfield4 ,i see some advantages to us1 as well as to him1 from his return to us1 provided he is first convinced4 ,receive him unconvinced1 and you will have to put him away again1 when perhaps it will scarce be in your power4 ,one more trial1 if you please1 we will make upon him1 in a conference between us three4 ,possibly we may gain our brother4 8,i shall be happy to hear you have saved poor ,william ,shent4 ,hopper and others will1 ,i know1 draw in their horns while you are talking with them1 and be perhaps convinced for a short time4 ,give them back their first love1 and their first poverty1 and they will not even wish to reign without us4 ,peter ,jaco1 ,john ,atlay1 and ,john ,pawson1 might1 ,i hope1 be set right by a friendly conference with us4 ,they then would strengthen their brethren1 or recover them4 8,your defect of mistrust needs my excess to guard it4 ,you cannot be taken by storm1 but may by surprise4 ,we seem designed for each other4 ,if we could and would be more together1 it might be better for both4 ,that ,i shall go first1 ,i cannot doubt4 ,the extraordinary strength1 continued to you1 is a promise of your longer continuance4 ,my strength and my work are very near their end4 8,,charles ,,wesley40#ccb ,the above letter refers to another matter besides that of the return of ,thomas ,maxfield4 ,charles ,wesley was still jealous of the preachers aspiring after power1 and especially of ,christopher ,hopper and his friends4 ,he seems to have thought1 that ,john ,atlay1 who was now the book steward in ,london1 and ,john ,pawson1 who was the ,london assistant1 and ,peter ,jaco1 who was a ,london supernumerary1 8might be set right by a friendly conference02 but of the other ,london preachers1 including ,thomas ,rankin and ,thomas ,coke1 he was in doubt4 ,he properly enough gives himself credit for an excess of caution2 but1 perhaps wrongly1 thinks his brother had not enough of it4 ,this was another important crisis in the history of the two ,wesleys4 ,it was only a few months before1 that ,city ,road chapel had been opened4 ,charles ,wesley1 ,thomas ,coke1 ,john ,richardson1 and ,john ,abraham1 were its officiating clergymen2 but ,john ,pawson1 ,thomas ,rankin1 ,thomas ,tennant1 and ,peter ,jaco1 were itinerant preachers1 appointed by the conference of #aggh1 to the ,london circuit1 of which the chapel in ,city ,road was now a part4 ,what was the result8 ,jealousies sprung up1 indirectly referred to in the above letter1 but mentioned in greater detail in another letter to be presently inserted4 ,before1 however1 that letter is introduced1 perhaps the following extracts from ,john ,pawson's unpublished manuscript memoir of ,dr4 ,whitehead will be acceptable1 and will cast light on ,wesley's difficulties4 ,mr4 ,pawson writes3 8,i was perhaps as well acquainted with the two brothers as any man now living4 ,that ,mr4 ,charles ,wesley was of a very suspicious temper is certainly true2 and that ,mr4 ,john ,wesley had far more charity1 in judging of persons in general1 7except the rich and great17 than his brother had1 is equally true4 ,but that he was so apt to be taken in with appearances is not true4 ,he was well able to form a judgment of particular persons1 and was as seldom mistaken as his brother4 ,i once heard him pleasantly say3 #8,my brother suspects everybody1 and he is continually imposed upon2 but ,i suspect nobody1 and ,i am never imposed upon4' ,it is well known that ,mr4 ,charles ,wesley was much prejudiced in favour of the clergy1 through the whole course of his life1 and that it was nothing but hard necessity that obliged him1 in any degree1 to continue the lay preachers4 ,he must have been blind indeed not to have seen1 that ,god had given to many of them1 at least1 very considerable ministerial gifts1 and that ,he attended their labours with great success2 but ,i am well persuaded1 that1 could he have found a sufficient number of clergymen to have carried on the work of ,god1 he would soon have disowned all the lay preachers4 ,he was glad of their assistance when he did not choose to preach himself2 and1 accordingly1 on a ,sunday evening1 he would always have a lay preacher appointed as well as himself1 lest a shower of rain1 or an agreeable visit1 should prevent his attending4 ,at a conference held in ,bristol many years ago1 about a dozen clergymen attended for the purpose of convincing us1 that we ought not to preach in any parish that was favoured with a gospel minister4 ,mr4 ,charles ,wesley took part with them1 and said1 #8,if ,i was stationed in any particular parish1 you should not preach there4' ,mr4 ,john ,hampson replied1 #8,i would preach there1 and never ask your leave2 and ,i should think ,i had as good a right for doing so1 as you had1' ,mr4 ,charles answered in great anger1 #8,you are a grievous wolf3 you will tear the flock when my brother and myself are dead1 unless ,god give you repentance4' ,mr4 ,charles was inclined to find out and magnify any supposed fault in the lay preachers2 but his brother treated them with respect1 and exercised a fatherly care over them4 ,i am persuaded that1 from the creation of the world1 there never existed a body of men who looked up to any single person with a more profound degree of reverence than the preachers did to ,mr4 ,wesley2 and ,i am bold to say1 that never did any man1 no1 not ,st4 ,paul himself1 possess so high a degree of power over so large a body of men as was possessed by him4 ,he used his power1 however1 for the edification of the people1 and abused it as little perhaps as any one man ever did4 ,when any difficulty occurred in governing the preachers1 it soon vanished4 ,the oldest1 the very best1 and those of them that had the greatest influence1 were ever ready to unite with him1 and to assist him to the utmost of their power4 ,the truth is1 if the preachers were in any danger at all1 it was of calling ,mr4 ,wesley #8,rabbi1' and implicitly obeying him in whatsoever he thought proper to command4 8,dr4 ,whitehead informs his readers1 that a party existed among the preachers1 who wished for a total separation from the ,established ,church1 and for the ,methodists to be formed into an independent body2 and represents ,dr4 ,coke as being at the head of that party4 ,i am well assured1 that this is incorrect4 ,the preachers only wished1 that the people1 who had grown weary of seeking the living among the dead1 and of asking bread of those who they well knew had only a stone to give them1 might be indulged with the lively ordinances of ,god2 and some of the people thought it very unjust1 not to say cruel1 that their ministers did not grant them the privilege of worshipping ,god at those particular times of the ,lord's day1 when both body and mind were best prepared for so doing4 ,it is true1 that a party existed1 both among the preachers and people1 who were inclined to believe1 that those whom ,god had called to preach might lawfully administer the sacraments2 as they were not able to perceive that it required a greater degree of wisdom and piety to qualify a person to baptize a child than to preach the word of ,god4 ,they likewise had scruples whether it was right to wish those ministers ,god speed1 by attending their ministry1 whom1 they felt convinced1 ,god had never sent4 ,but1 at the same time1 the preachers knew1 that there never was among themselves a sufficient number of acceptable men to supply all the ,methodist congregations2 and that1 if there had been1 and if an entire separation from the ,church had taken place1 the ,methodists were too poor to support such a multitude of ministers4 ,common prudence1 therefore1 prevented them from wishing for that which they knew could not be accomplished40 ,these are important statements1 coming from a man of ,mr4 ,pawson's ministerial standing1 and who was one of ,wesley's itinerant preachers during the last twenty-nine years of ,wesley's life4 ,they could be easily extended2 but1 perhaps1 enough has been said1 to show that the feeling1 between ,charles ,wesley and the preachers1 was not of the most friendly kind2 and this will prepare the reader for the following letter1 which ,charles1 at this period1 addressed to his brother4 8,,london1 ,june #af1 #aggi4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,mr4 ,b4 has been lately with the committee1 and was there informed1 that our preachers 7the three principal#ccc7 have written to the country preachers heavy complaints of their ill usage by the clergy here2 not1 ,i should suppose1 by quiet ,john ,richardson1--not by passive ,dr4 ,coke1 for he1 they say1 is gone to ,bristol1 that he may not be a witness of their cruel persecution4 ,the persecuting clergy1 therefore1 are neither more nor less than your own brother ,charles1 and the whole ground of their complaint against me is1 #8my serving the chapel on ,sunday afternoon1 as well as in the morning4' 8,but this is no new grievance2 for ,i constantly preached ,sunday morning and afternoon at ,bristol4 ,if they could exclude me here1 they would not long permit me there4 8,my reasons for preaching at the new chapel twice every ,sunday are3 #a4 ,because1 after you1 ,i have the best right4 #b4 ,because ,i have so short a time to preach anywhere4 #c4 ,because ,i am fully persuaded ,i can do more good there than in any other place4 ,they1 ,i know1 are of a different judgment1 and make no secret of it1 declaring everywhere1 #8that the work is stopping2 the society scattering2 and the congregation at the new chapel dwindled away and quite dead4' 8,i thank ,god1 the chapel is well filled4 ,last ,sunday ,i preached twice1 never with greater1 and seldom with equal1 effect4 ,after sermon1 ,mr4 ,rankin followed me to the vestry to assure me1 #8he had never spoken disrespectfully of us1 and that he was a great friend to the ,church4' ,at the same time1 a gentlewoman came1 filled with faith and love by the word just spoken4 ,i turned aside to let ,mr4 ,rankin examine her4 ,she said that1 a month ago1 she was brought up out of the pit of despair1 under my word4 ,he repeated his inquiries1 and she her answers1 to his satisfaction shall ,i say1 or dissatisfaction8 ,i would hope the former4 ,you will inquire when here 7only not of the preachers71 and judge for yourself whether my persevering ministry at the chapel has done good or hurt4 8,i think the preachers wrong1 and in the greatest danger through pride2 but ,i have1 and will have1 no quarrel with them4 ,mr4 ,kemp proposed to carry me to meet you on the last day's journey1 or ,i should not have thought of it4 ,i do not want to have the first word4 ,let them have the first and last4 ,i do not want to interfere in that government of yours1 or to appear at all at the congress4 ,a word of yours might turn the scale1 and send me directly to ,bristol4 8,it is just come into my mind1 #8,the lay preachers affect to believe ,i act as a clergyman in opposition to them4' ,to me1 it seems that ,i act as ,i do1 in goodwill to them1 as well as to the people4 ,if there was no man above them1 what would become of them8 ,how would they tear one another in pieces6 ,convince them1 if you can1 that they want a clergyman over them1 to keep them and the flock together4 ,convince them1 that it is impossible ,i should stand in their way long1 for ,i cannot 7should ,i live to the winter7 serve the new chapel ,sundays and holydays in all weathers4 ,persuade each of them to be the least1 not the greatest2 and then all will be right again4 ,you have no alternative but to conquer that spirit1 or to be conquered by it4 ,can you think1 ,i envy you your pre-eminence8 ,if ,god continues my strength1 ,i shall take the best care of the chapel till you return4 ,then ,i shall deliver up my charge to you1 and you alone4 8,,charles ,,wesley40#ccd ,this peevish epistle1 published in ,wesley's own ,arminian ,magazine1 will not add to the fair fame of ,methodism's great hymnist4 ,it was an unworthy production of a pen which wrote hundreds1 in fact1 thousands1 of sweet songs of praise4 ,john ,pawson--good1 but gossiping1--and ,thomas ,rankin--honest to the heart's inmost core1 but somewhat obstinate and overbearing1--were far from perfect2 but was it just in ,charles ,wesley to write to his brother respecting them in the querulous tone in which he did8 ,charles ,wesley says1 the ,city ,road chapel was well filled2 ,pawson says1 in the manuscript memoir of ,dr4 ,whitehead1 that 8the congregation fell off exceedingly2 and that the society was brought into great disorder40 ,charles ,wesley was a scholar1 and1 as a sacred poet1 was without a peer2 but we incline to think1 that ,john ,pawson and ,thomas ,rankin were more popular and powerful preachers than either he or any other of his ,city ,road clerical colleagues2 and it is not surprising1 that the people wished to hear them on ,sundays as well as week days2 and that the itinerants themselves1--one of whom was the appointed superintendent of the ,london circuit1 and the other of whom had been ,wesley's chosen superintendent of the whole of the ,methodist societies in ,america1--should think they had quite as much right as ,charles ,wesley1 ,thomas ,coke1 ,john ,richardson1 or ,john ,abraham1 to preach to ,sunday congregations in ,city ,road4 ,the truth is1 though1 in years past1 ,charles ,wesley's ministry had been exceedingly attractive and powerful1 it was now1 what shall we say8 ,john ,pawson writes3 8,when he was favoured with freedom of mind1 which was but seldom1 then his preaching was truly profitable2 but1 in general1 it was exceedingly dry and lifeless40 ,his sons ,charles and ,samuel1--the former twenty-one years of age1 and the latter thirteen1--were1 by their musical genius1 creating a sensation in the highest circles of ,london society2 and1 for several years1 conducted in their father's house a series of domestic subscription concerts1 of twelve nights' continuance1 in each season4 ,their father thoroughly approved of this4 8,i am clear10 says he1 8without a doubt1 that my sons' concert is after the will and order of ,providence40 ,wesley appends to this a note3 8,i am clear of another mind40#cce ,without staying to settle the dispute1 there can be no doubt that1 by these concerts1 ,charles ,wesley was brought into the society of a large number of the rich and great4 ,the simple minded ,london ,methodists were staggered at one of their great leaders having such musical performances in his house1 and at his mingling with persons1 who1 though highly genteel1 were not religious4 ,many began to regard him with suspicion2 his preaching popularity was waning2 ,pawson says1 8he was like ,samson shorn of his strength02 his health also was failing2 like most men of high poetic genius1 he was subject to melancholy moods3 put all these things together1 and the petulancy and suspicion of ,charles ,wesley's letter to his brother will not excite surprise4 ,this then was the state of things awaiting the venerable ,wesley1 on his return to ,london1 after a laborious preaching tour of five months' duration4 ,by an almost superhuman effort1 he had built and opened his new chapel in ,city ,road2 but things1 instead of being more prosperous than ever1 were in a state of disastrous commotion4 ,in this1 the first year after the chapel was opened1 there was a decrease of one hundred and twenty-three members in the ,london circuit1 though that circuit had now an unprecedented staff of ordained clergymen1 and four of the best itinerants in ,wesley's connexion4 ,ordinary men would have been discouraged and at their wits' end2 but not so the man who was born1 not to be conquered by difficulties1 but to conquer them4 ,wesley's conference of #aggi was commenced on ,august #c2 and it was now ascertained1 that nineteen other circuits besides ,london had a decrease of members4 ,wesley asked1 ,how can we account for this8 ,the reasons assigned were3--#a4 ,partly the neglect of outdoor preaching1 and of trying new places4 #b4 ,partly prejudice against the king1 and speaking evil of dignities4 #c4 ,but chiefly the increase of worldly mindedness1 and conformity to the world4 ,it was also resolved1 that no one speaking evil of those in authority1 or prophesying evil to the nation1 should be a ,methodist preacher4 ,itinerants were reproved for hastening home to their wives after preaching2 and were told1 they ought never to do this till they had met the society4 ,to revive the work in ,scotland1 the preachers were directed to preach in the open air as much as possible2 to try every town and village2 and to visit every member of society at home4 ,as soon as the conference was ended1 ,wesley set out1 with his brother and his family1 for ,wales1 where he spent a fortnight in preaching to large and deeply affected congregations4 ,he then proceeded to the west of ,england4 ,at ,exeter1 he writes3 8,i preached in a convenient room1 lately a school2 ,i suppose formerly a chapel4 ,it is both neat and solemn1 and is believed to contain four or five hundred people40 ,this was the meeting-house concerning which ,wesley wrote to ,samuel ,wells1 the assistant of the ,tiverton circuit1 as follows4 8,,london1 ,january #bh1 #aggi4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,according to the act of toleration--#a4 ,you are required to certify to the registrar of the bishop's court1 or the justices1 the place of your meeting for ,divine worship4 ,this is all you have to do4 ,you ask nothing at all of the bishop or justices4 8#b4 ,the registrar1 or clerk of the court1 is required to register the same1 and to give a certificate thereof to such persons as shall demand the same2 for which there shall be no greater fee or reward taken than sixpence4 8,i advise you to go once more to the sessions1 and say1 #8,gentlemen1 we have had advice from ,london2 we desire nothing at all of you2 but we demand of your clerk to register this place1 and to give us a certificate thereof2 or to answer the refusal at his peril4' 8,answer no questions to the justices1 or lawyers1 but with a bow1 and with repeating the words1 #8,our business is only with your clerk2 we demand of him what the act requires him to do4' 8,if you judge proper1 you may show this to any of the justices4 ,what ,i have written1 ,i am ready to defend4 8,you have led the justices into the mistake1 by your manner of addressing them4 ,beware of this for the time to come4 ,you have nothing to ask of them4 8,,john ,,wesley40#ccf ,on ,september #d1 ,wesley returned to ,bristol1 where he spent a month in visiting the surrounding societies4 ,he then made his way to ,london1 preaching at ,devizes1 ,winchester1 and ,portsmouth4 ,on leaving ,london1 he slept1 for the last time1 in the old ,foundery4 ,he now1 for the first time slept in the house1 in which he afterwards died1 in ,city ,road4 ,on ,october #aa1 he began his preaching tour to ,northamptonshire2 a week later to ,sussex2 and a week later still to ,norfolk4 ,he then commenced his annual examination of the ,london society1 and writes3 8,i did not find such an increase as ,i expected4 ,nay1 there was a considerable decrease1 plainly owing to a senseless jealousy that had crept in between our preachers40 ,this doubtless refers to the quarrel already mentioned4 ,unfortunately1 the strife was now extended to ,bath4 ,the assistant appointed at the late conference to the ,bristol circuit 7of which ,bath was part71 was ,alexander ,m#8,nab1 a native of ,perthshire1 in ,north ,britain1 and now in the thirty-fourth year of his age4 ,for thirteen years1 he had been an itinerant preacher1 and had laboured1 with considerable success1 in the three kingdoms4#ccg ,wesley1 writing to ,lady ,maxwell in #agga1 said3 8,mr4 ,m#8,nab is a sound and good preacher2 but too warm1 and impatient of contradiction40#cch ,thomas ,rutherford1 one of his colleagues1 writes3 8,i was particularly attached to him4 ,he was a most amiable1 sensible man1 and an excellent preacher4 ,he had the most copious flow of natural1 simple oratory1 of any man ,i ever heard4 ,there was an ease1 beauty1 sweetness1 and harmony in his style and language1 that was at once both striking and pleasing4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,webster once said1 #8,i have heard ,mr4 ,walker1 ,mr4 ,fordyce1 ,dr4 ,blair1 etc42 but ,mr4 ,m#8,nab is a greater orator than any of them4'0#cci ,at the conference of #aggg1 ,m#8,nab was appointed to ,edinburgh2 but found the chapel in such a ruinous condition1 that he spent #ejj in repairing it4 ,for this amount he was personally responsible2 and1 in order to extricate himself1 was requested1 by the following conference1 to visit the ,english societies for the purpose of asking assistance4#cdj ,while on this begging excursion1 he wrote a letter to ,robert ,dall1 which is inserted here to show the spirit of the man1 and that he wished for peace1 notwithstanding that he was soon involved in war4 8,,bradford1 ,april #bd1 #aggi4 8,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,brother1--,i hope persons and things are better at ,glasgow then when you went there4 ,i was grieved to hear of the disunion of the preachers1 and that it had hurt the people2 but trust ,god sent you to ,glasgow as a cure for their wounds4 ,in every place1 ,i find the prosperity of the work1 under ,god1 depends1 in a great measure1 upon the piety1 zeal1 and prudence of the preachers4 ,persons of that character ,god will honour1 to build up ,his church2 and ,i need not tell you1 we have need of faith in doing and suffering the ,divine will2 for1 without that1 we have not the necessary qualification to render us either holy1 happy1 or useful4 ,in my present employ1 ,i find both pleasure and pain2 but1 hitherto1 ,god has been with me1 and ,i believe will never leave me4 ,wishing you every blessing1 ,i am your truly affectionate brother1 8,,alex4 ,m#8,,nab40#cda ,such was one of the chief actors in the scene at ,bath4 ,another was the ,rev4 ,edward ,smyth1 who has been already mentioned1 and who had brought his wife to ,bath for the benefit of her health4 ,wesley writes3 8,god having greatly blessed the labours of ,mr4 ,smyth in the north of ,ireland1 ,i desired him to preach every ,sunday evening in our chapel1 while he remained in ,bath4 ,but1 as soon as ,i was gone1 ,mr4 ,m#8,nab vehemently opposed this2 affirming it was the common cause of all the lay preachers2 that they were appointed by the conference1 not by me2 and would not suffer the clergy to ride over their heads1 ,mr4 ,smyth in particular1 of whom he said all manner of evil4 ,others warmly defended him4 ,hence the society was torn in pieces1 and thrown into the utmost confusion40 ,such was the dispute4 ,what was the result8 ,on ,november #bb1 ,wesley and his brother set out from ,london to settle the disturbance4 ,the ,bath society was assembled4 ,wesley says3 8,i read to them a paper1 which ,i wrote1 near twenty years ago1 on a like occasion4 ,herein ,i observed1 that #8the rules of our preachers were fixed by me1 before any conference existed1' particularly the twelfth3 #8,above all1 you are to preach when and where ,i appoint4' ,by obstinately opposing which rule1 ,mr4 ,m#8,nab has made all this uproar4 ,in the morning1 at a meeting of the preachers1 ,i informed ,mr4 ,m#8,nab1 that1 as he did not agree to our fundamental rule1 ,i could not receive him as one of our preachers1 till he was of another mind4 ,wednesday1 ,november #bd1 ,i read the same paper to the society at ,bristol1 as ,i found the flame had spread thither also4 ,a few at ,bath separated from us on this account2 but the rest were thoroughly satisfied40 ,such is the entry in ,wesley's journal2 but eight months after this1 he writes3 8,mr4 ,m#8,nab quarrelling with ,mr4 ,smyth threw wildfire among the people at ,bath1 and occasioned anger1 jealousies1 judging each other1 backbiting1 and tale bearing without end2 and1 in spite of all the pains which have been taken1 the wound is not healed to this day40 ,wesley throws all the blame upon ,m#8,nab2 but it may fairly be doubted whether this was just4 ,there can be no question concerning ,wesley's abstract right to appoint to his chapels whom he pleased2 but the manner in which the right was exercised is not an improper subject for doubt and discussion4 ,wesley pleads what he did twenty years before2 but1 even allowing that his action then was right1 it remains to be proved1 that the same action1 under altered circumstances1 was prudent now4 ,during that interval1 the number of ,methodists and ,methodist preachers had more than doubled4 ,besides1 now that the number of itinerant preachers was more than a hundred and sixty2 and that many of them were men of great genius and talent1 as well as piety2 and that all had a right to take part in the deliberations of the annual conference1 which really made the appointments for the ensuing year1 ,wesley's claim to have the sole and exclusive power1 asserted in the document read to the ,bath society1 is a claim which can hardly be admitted4#cdb ,there is a forgetfulness of existing facts1 and therefore a fallaciousness1 in the following letter1 written on this subject a few weeks after the ,bath disturbances occurred4 8,january1 #aghj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,you seem not to have well considered the ,rules of a ,helper1 or the rise of ,methodism4 ,it pleased ,god1 by me1 to awaken1 first my brother1 and then a few others2 who severally desired of me1 as a favour1 that ,i would direct them in all things4 ,after my return from ,georgia1 many were both awakened and converted to ,god4 ,one1 and another1 and another of these desired to join with me as sons in the gospel1 to be directed by me4 ,i drew up a few plain rules 7observe there was no conference in being671 and permitted them to join me on these conditions4 ,whoever1 therefore1 violates these conditions1 particularly that of being directed by me in the work1 does1 ipso facto1 disjoin himself from me4 ,this brother ,m#8,nab has done 7but he cannot see that he has done amiss73 and he would have it a common cause2 that is1 he would have all the preachers do the same4 ,he thinks #8they have a right so to do4' ,so they have4 ,they have a right to disjoin themselves from me whenever they please4 ,but they cannot1 in the nature of the thing1 join with me any longer than they are directed by me4 ,and what1 if fifty of the preachers disjoined themselves6 ,what should ,i lose thereby8 ,only a great deal of labour and care1 which ,i do not seek2 but endure1 because no one else either can or will4 8,you seem likewise to have quite a wrong idea of a conference4 ,for above six years after my return to ,england1 there was no such thing4 ,i then desired some of my preachers to meet me1 in order to advise1 not control1 me4 ,and you may observe1 they had no power at all1 but what ,i exercised through them4 ,i chose to exercise the power which ,god had given me in this manner1 both to avoid ostentation1 and gently to habituate the people to obey them when ,i should be taken from their head4 ,but as long as ,i remain with them1 the fundamental rule of ,methodism remains inviolate4 ,as long as any preacher joins with me1 he is to be directed by me in his work4 ,do not you see then1 that brother ,m#8,nab1 whatever his intentions might be1 acted as wrong as wrong could be8 and that the representing of this as the common cause of the preachers was the way to common destruction1 the way to turn their heads1 and to set them in arms8 ,it was a blow at the very root of ,methodism4 ,i could not1 therefore1 do less than ,i did2 it was the very least that could be done1 for fear that evil should spread4 8,i do not willingly speak of these things at all2 but ,i do it now out of necessity2 because ,i perceive the mind of you1 and some others1 is a little hurt by not seeing them in a true light4 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#cdc ,this was ,wesley's defence of the boldest act of discipline he had ever exercised2 but we still doubt its wisdom and sufficiency4 ,all he says about the preachers placing themselves under his direction1 and about the first conferences1 is strictly true2 but ,methodist matters now were widely different from what they were when ,methodist conferences were first begun4 ,with all due deference to ,wesley1 ,methodism now was not wholly the work of ,wesley1 nor was it entirely dependent on him4 ,at this very time1 there was1 among the preachers1 a ministerial phalanx1 who had a right to be something more than mere advisers1-- servants in the gospel1 sometimes taken into the counsels of their chief1 but wholly at his disposal4 ,there were ,olivers1 ,pawson1 ,rankin1 ,murlin1 ,story1 ,whatcoat1 ,valton1 ,benson1 ,hanby1 ,manners1 ,taylor1 ,mather1 ,hopper1 ,vasey1 ,thompson1 ,pilmoor1 ,rhodes1 ,bradburn1 ,boardman1 the two ,hampsons1 ,barber1 ,rutherford1 ,moore1 ,myles1 and others1 whose names will always be memorable in ,methodistic history4 ,considering the talents1 the preaching power1 the untiring labours1 and the marvellous success of these distinguished men1 was it wise1 and was it fair1 for ,wesley to insist upon his retention of the absolute authority that he justly exercised when ,methodism was first commenced8 ,remembering the paltry pittance they received for their important and unceasing toil1 was it just1 that1 in a great religious movement1 now spread throughout the three kingdoms1 and to which they themselves had greatly contributed1 they should be employed as mere workmen1 without the least right to take a part in the arrangement of their respective spheres of labour1 and without a particle of authority1 except what was implied in their advices1 in the general legislation of a body now numbering more than forty thousand people8 ,was it surprising1 that ,wesley's expulsion of ,m#8,nab1 for claiming a pulpit to which he had been appointed at the conference1 but into which ,wesley desired to introduce an expelled ,irish clergyman1 should create dissatisfaction and incipient rebellion8 ,there can be no doubt1 that this was one of the most dangerous ordeals through which ,methodism passed in the lifetime of its founder4 ,it was hardly a fair statement of the case1 when ,wesley said1 that all that he would lose1 by fifty of his preachers leaving him1 would be 8a great deal of labour and care40 ,if such an event had happened1 ,methodism would have been split into fragments1 and1 as a system1 would have ceased to exist2 and ,wesley1 seeing the demolition of such a work1 would have been a sorrowful man for the remainder of his life4 ,the crisis1 in #aggi1 was most momentous4 ,it was really the first time that ,wesley's supreme and absolute power was professedly and openly resisted4 ,the whole question hinges on the point1 were the appointments to chapels and to circuits made by ,wesley and his conference of preachers conjointly8 or were they made by ,wesley himself alone8 ,wesley argues1 that the power of appointment rested solely with himself4 ,we can only answer1 that this was an unreasonable and dangerous power to wield4 ,under the circumstances1 ,wesley could not claim it1 without ignoring the reasonable claims of a large body of the most remarkable men that ,england has ever had2 and he could not exercise it without serious danger to himself and to his system4 ,alexander ,m#8,nab1 though comparatively young1 was not an ordinary man4 ,testimonies concerning his character1 eloquence1 and preaching power1 have been already given4 ,mr4 ,smyth was doubtless both sensible and pious2 but we greatly question whether he was as popular and powerful a preacher as the ,north ,briton4 ,no charge of unsound doctrine1 or of immorality1 or of incompetency1 or of inattention to discipline1 was made against ,m#8,nab4 ,he was faithfully and successfully doing the work to which he had been appointed4 ,he was popular with the people4 ,but because he refused1 at ,wesley's bidding1 to allow an ,irish stranger1 not at all his superior1 but1 probably1 his inferior in pulpit ability1 to take his place1 ,wesley1 at once1 by his own ipse dixit1 expelled him from his connexion of preachers4 ,however painful to do it1 we are bound to maintain that this was an injustice4 ,the act might be technically right2 but it was an almost popish assumption of autocratic authority1 and a most perilous--it might have been disastrous--exercise of disciplinary power4 ,it is true that no absolute rebellion followed1--a fact showing the simple minded piety of the ,methodist preachers and people1 and the marvellous influence of ,wesley over them1 and their almost unparalleled respect for his character and labours2 but there were great commotions and serious misgivings2 and1 if concessions had not been made1 there might have been open resistance1 and a consequent wreck of ,methodist success and hope4 ,here1 however1 another question occurs4 ,was ,wesley to be solely or principally blamed for this imprudent exercise of power8 ,we have no wish to shield him from censure1 when censure is merited2 but if others were to blame as well as he1 or if others were even more blamable than he1 it is only fair to his memory and name1 that the facts should be published4 ,charles ,wesley's quarrel with the ,london preachers has been already mentioned4 ,it occurred a few months only previous to the affair at ,bath4 ,there is no denying it1 that ,charles was violently opposed to lay preachers1 and was unreasonably jealous of their intriguing to obtain co-ordinate power with his brother1 and of their intention to use such power in effecting a separation of ,methodism from the ,established ,church4 ,on ,good ,friday1 #aggi1 he wrote to his brother3 8,the preachers do not love the ,church of ,england4 ,when we are gone1 a separation is inevitable4 ,do you not wish to keep as many good people in the ,church as you can8 ,something might be done now to save the remainder1 if you had resolution1 and would stand by me as firmly as ,i will by you4 ,consider what you are bound to do as a clergyman2 and what you do1 do quickly40#cdd ,it was in such a frame of mind1 that ,charles ,wesley heard of ,m#8,nab's resisting the authority of his brother at ,bath4 ,mr4 ,pawson1 who says he was perfectly acquainted with the affair1 tells us1 in his manuscript memoir of ,dr4 ,whitehead1 that ,charles ,wesley 8took fire at once1 and highly resented ,mr4 ,m#8,nab's behaviour4 ,he prevailed upon his brother1 after much strife and contention1 to exclude ,mr4 ,m#8,nab from the connexion2 and1 upon this condition1 he promised to attend him to ,bath4 ,accordingly the two brothers1 accompanied by ,dr4 ,coke and the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,collins1 went to ,bath with all possible secrecy1 and the sentence was pronounced upon poor ,mr4 ,m#8,nab agreeably to ,mr4 ,charles ,wesley's wish4 ,by this means1 the ,bath society was divided4 ,many of the people loved ,mr4 ,m#8,nab1 and thought it wrong that he should be condemned unheard4 ,the society at ,bristol also was thrown into great confusion2 and1 had it not been for the exertions of ,dr4 ,coke1 would have been divided like that at ,bath4 ,on the ,sunday evening after ,mr4 ,wesley's return to ,london1 he brought the matter before the ,london society1 and certainly degraded the preachers1 and laid them low even in the dust at his feet4 ,when he was gone from ,london1 ,mr4 ,charles1 after the sacrament at the new chapel1 prayed for his brother in the following words3 #8,lord1 preserve him from his rebellious sons4 ,though they curse him1 do ,thou bless him4 ,though they wish his death1 do ,thou prolong his life4 ,lord1 stand between the living and the dead1 and let not the curse of pride destroy them4'0 ,this was strange language to use1 in prayer1 and after a solemn sacrament2 but it was not dissimilar to the language of a 8,hymn for the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley10 which ,charles composed1 and which was 8sung by the society in ,bristol1 on ,sunday1 ,december #e1 #aggi10 only a fortnight after ,m#8,nab's expulsion4 8,jesus1 ,thy hated servant own1 ,and send the glorious ,spirit down1 ,in answer to our prayers2 ,while others curse1 and wish him dead1 ,do ,thou ,thy choicest blessings shed1 ,and crown his hoary hairs40--etc41 etc4#cde ,pawson was the superintendent of the ,london circuit1 and felt it his duty to write to ,charles ,wesley1 and remonstrate with him for using such language1 at such a time1 and in such a place4 ,an interview followed2 and ,pawson adds3 8,we came to an explanation1 and he was in high good humour2 but ,i have reason to believe1 he never forgave me4 ,he made his brother believe1 that ,mr4 ,m#8,nab was only the tool of a violent party among the preachers1 among whom there was a very powerful combination against his authority2 and that1 at the next conference1 they would show themselves40 ,pawson adds3 8,there was not a single grain of truth in this4 ,not one preacher in the whole connexion was concerned in the business1 save those who were stationed in the ,bristol circuit4 ,it is true1 that the preachers in general thought that ,mr4 ,m#8,nab was cruelly used2 and so they do to this day40 ,not to return to the subject1 it may be added1 that ,dr4 ,whitehead states that1 as the conference of #aghj drew near1 ,wesley 8was evidently intimidated10 and wrote to his brother requesting him to attend the conference4 ,charles answered as follows3 8,my reasons against accepting your invitation to the conference are3 7#a7 ,i can do no good2 7#b7 ,i can prevent no evil2 7#c7 ,i am afraid of being a partaker of other men's sins1 or of countenancing them by my presence2 7#d7 ,i am afraid of myself2 you know ,i cannot command my temper1 and you have not courage to stand by me4 ,i cannot trust your resolution2 unless you act with a vigour that is not in you1 conclamatum est1 our affairs are past hope4 8,i am not sure1 they will not prevail upon you to ordain them4 ,you claim the power1 and only say1 #8,it is not probable you shall ever exercise it4' ,probability on one side implies probability on the other2 and ,i want better security4 ,so ,i am to stand by1 and see the ruin of our cause6 ,you know how far you may depend on me2 let me know how far ,i may depend on you1 and on our preachers4 ,in the ,bath affair1 you acted with vigour for the first time2 but you could not hold out4 ,unmindful of your power and your infirmity1 you yielded to the rebel1 instead of his yielding to you4 ,you should not have employed him again till he had owned his fault4 ,this quite overturned my confidence in you1 which ,i should never have told you1 had ,i not been compelled4 ,if you think my advice can be of any use to you1 ,i will attend you to ,bristol1 and be always within call40#cdf ,poor ,wesley6 ,wishful to repair a wrong1 he had become reconciled to ,mr4 ,m#8,nab1 principally by the mediation of ,mr4 ,pawson and the preachers in ,london2#cdg but1 by this1 he had offended his brother1 by whom he had been goaded to the rash act at ,bath4 ,at the conference of #aghj1 ,m#8,nab was restored to his place among his brethren1 and was appointed to ,sheffield4 ,charles ,wesley was present1 and1 of course1 was exceedingly dissatisfied4 ,about a fortnight after1 he wrote the following letter to his brother4 8,i did not hope1 by my presence at the conference1 to do any good1 or prevent any evil4 ,so ,i told you in ,london4 ,yet ,i accepted your invitation1 only because you desired it4 ,and as ,i came merely to please you1 ,i resolved not to contradict your will in anything4 ,your will1 ,i perceived1 was to receive ,mr4 ,m#8,nab1 unhumbled1 unconvinced1 into your confidence1 and into your bosom4 ,he came uninvited1 and openly accused your curate for obeying your orders3 you suffered it2 and did not give ,mr4 ,m#8,nab the gentlest reproof for disobeying them1 and drawing others into his rebellion2 and endeavouring to engage all the preachers in it2 making an actual separation at ,bath1 and still keeping up his separate society4 ,my judgment was1 never to receive ,mr4 ,m#8,nab as a preacher till he acknowledged his fault4 ,but ,i submitted and attended in silence4 ,it was much easier for me to say nothing1 than to speak neither more nor less than you would approve4 ,i was sometimes strongly tempted to speak2 but1 if ,i had opened my mouth1 ,i should have spoiled all4 ,your design1 ,i believed1 was to keep all quiet4 ,i allow you your merit4 #8,tu maximus ille1 es unus qui nobis ,,cedendo restituis rem4' ,by a very few words1 ,i could have provoked your preachers to lay aside the mask2 but that was the very thing you guarded against2 and1 ,i suppose1 the reason for which you desired my presence was that ,i might be some sort of check to the independents4 ,still1 ,i think it better for the people1 that they 7the preachers7 should show themselves before your death than after it4 ,you think otherwise2 and ,i submit4 #8,satis1 jam satis spectata in te amicitia est mea2' and ,i am perfectly satisfied with my own insignificancy4 ,i have but one thing to do4 ,the ,lord make me ready for it60#cdh ,this was an angry letter of a baffled man4 ,it was grumbling in private what ought to have been said in public1 or not to have been said at all4 ,the insinuation respecting the preachers was unfounded and unworthy4 ,the desire that ,m#8,nab should acknowledge his fault was unjust1 for ,m#8,nab was really the aggrieved party4 ,charles ,wesley would have driven the preachers into rebellion2 his brother1 as ready to repair an injury as he was anxious to avoid committing one1 restored unanimity and confidence4 8,there was nothing at the conference10 writes ,john ,pawson1 8but peace1 harmony1 and love40 ,we only add1 that ,mr4 ,m#8,nab's subsequent appointments were honourable both to ,wesley and himself4 ,in #aghj1 he was sent to ,sheffield2 in #agha to ,manchester2 and in #aghb to ,newcastle4 ,he then retired1 8and resided for several years at ,sheffield1 where he was the pastor of a small congregation1 who highly esteemed him2 and there he finished his course about the year #agig40cdi ,mr4 ,smyth went back to ,ireland2 but1 in #aghb1 became one of ,wesley's ,london curates1 with a salary of sixty guineas yearly4#cej ,in #aghf1 he was appointed minister of ,bethesda chapel1 ,dublin2#cea where he rent the ,methodist society1 and took with him above a hundred persons1 amongst whom were the richer members of the ,dublin ,methodists4#ceb ,he then removed to ,manchester1 where he officiated as curate of ,st4 ,clement's and ,st4 ,luke's churches4 ,he was the author of several publications1 the chief of which were3--8,the ,fall and ,recovery of ,man4 ,a ,poem40 #aggg3 #abmo1 #ga pages4 8,james ,poulson further ,detected40 #aggh3 #abmo1 #eh pages4 8,twelve ,sermons on the most important ,subjects40 #aggh3 #abmo1 #bed pages4 8,st4 ,paul against ,calvin40 #ahji3 #abmo1 #aae pages4 ,and 8,a ,confutation of ,calvinism40 #ahaj3 #abmo1 #cia pages4 ,much space has been occupied with the disturbances at ,bath2 but1 considering the importance of the point at issue1 the facts connected with it were too important to be omitted4 ,the year #aggi1 like most previous ones1 was a year of trouble4 ,besides the anxiety and vexation arising out of ,mr4 ,m#8,nab's affair1 ,wesley was still annoyed with virulent attacks from his ,calvinist opponents4 ,his old friend1 ,john ,macgowan1 published 8,the ,foundry ,budget ,opened2 or1 the ,arcanum of ,wesleyanism ,disclosed40 ,the animus of ,macgowan's pamphlet may be inferred from his motto on the title page3 8,a man so various1 that he seemed to be ,not one1 but all mankind's epitome2 ,stiff in opinions1 always in the wrong2 ,was everything by starts1 but nothing long40 ,he tells his readers1 that 8for craft and cunning sophistry1 he will match the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley against any man that ever stained paper with pollution02 and throughout speaks of him in the most contemptuous terms4 ,of course1 this was too savoury a production to pass unnoticed by the ,gospel ,magazine4 ,wesley is accused1 in the review of it1 with using 8absurd1 unscriptural jargon and contradictions02 and with 8robbing ,father1 ,son1 and ,spirit1 of their glory as a covenant ,god2 and exalting the sinful1 proud nature of fallen man2 and militating against the whole tenor of ,scripture1 and of reformed ,christianity1 as professed by all protestant churches40 ,another hostile publication was 8,methodism and ,popery dissected and compared2 and the ,doctrines of both proved to be derived from a ,papal ,origin40 ,besides attacking ,whitefield1 ,rowland ,hill1 and others1 the anonymous author of this scurrilous pamphlet learnedly remarks1 that 8it would be less difficult to paint ,proteus1 in all his fabled shapes1 under one distinct figure1 than to describe ,wesley02 whom he is pleased to honour with epithets like the following3 8a living monument of apostolic frenzy02 8,jesuit02 8rank ,catholic20 8actor02 and 8anabaptist40 ,this was far from being pleasant2 but ,wesley was used to it2 and his character was too well established to need defence from such slanderous attacks4 ,it may be doubted whether he took the trouble to read a tithe of the malignant diatribes launched against him4 ,while on the subject of books1 it is due to ,methodism to notice an interesting fact not generally known4 ,the first ,bible society1 founded in ,great ,britain1 and perhaps in the world1 was established in #aggi1 and was the work of ,methodists4 ,george ,cussons and ,john ,davies1 after leaving the leaders' meeting in ,west ,street chapel1 entered into conversation1 and1 when near ,soho ,square1 formed a resolution to endeavour to raise a fund for supplying soldiers with pocket ,bibles4 ,they and a dozen of their friends united themselves into a society for promoting this object4 ,their meetings were held once a month in the house of ,mr4 ,dobson1 of ,oxford ,street4 ,john ,thornton1 ,esq41 of ,clapham1 became a generous subscriber4 ,the first parcel of ,bibles was sent from the vestry of ,wesley's ,west ,street chapel2 and the first sermon on behalf of the society was preached in the same chapel1 by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,collins1 from the appropriate words1 8,and the ,philistines were afraid1 for they said1 ,god is come into the camp4 ,and they said1 ,woe unto us6 for there hath not been such a thing heretofore40#cec ,thus arose 8,the ,naval and ,military ,bible ,society10--twenty-five years before the formation of 8,the ,british and ,foreign ,bible ,society0 in #ahjd1--;a society still in active operation1 and we believe the oldest association for the circulation of the word of ,god1 that now exists4 ,wesley still employed the press1 as well as pulpit1 in defending and spreading truth4 ,john ,atlay was his book steward1 of whose conscientiousness he had a high opinion4 ,hence the following unpublished letter1 sent to ,bradburn4 8,,edinburgh1 ,june #ai1 #aggi4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,i suppose ,john ,atlay has paid the money4 ,he is cautious to an extreme4 ,i hear what angry men say or write2 but ,i do not often regard it4 ,lemonade will cure any disorder of the bowels1 7whether it be with or without purging17 in a day or two4 ,you do well to spread the prayer-meetings up and down4 ,they seldom are in vain4 ,honest ,andrew ,dunlop#ced writes me word that the book money is stolen4 ,pray desire him to take care that the knave does not steal his teeth4 8,i am1 dear ,sammy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,wesley published1 in #aggi1 the seventeenth extract from his journal1 extending from ,september #ac1 #aggc1 to ,january #b1 #aggf2 #abmo1 #hb pages4 ,popery was beginning to be troublesome2 for parliament1 in the previous year1 had passed a bill removing from the ,english and ,irish papists the penalties and disabilities imposed upon them by the famous act1 8for the further preventing the growth of popery10 enacted in #afii4 ,wesley had been called a papist times without number2 but now1 in a time of danger1 he proved himself one of popery's most trenchant opponents4 ,his pamphlet1 now issued1 with the title1 8,popery ,calmly ,considered10 #abmo1 #be pages1 was one of the most timely and valuable productions of his pen4 ,scores of such pamphlets have been given to the public2 but not one superior to ,wesley's4 ,he writes3 8,in the following tract1 ,i propose1 first1 to lay down and examine the chief doctrines of the ,church of ,rome3 secondly1 to show the natural tendency of a few of those doctrines2 and that with all the plainness and all the calmness ,i can40 8,mr4 ,j4 ,russell10 observes ,charles ,wesley1 in a letter dated ,april #bc1 #aggi1 8tells me1 some of the bitterest ,calvinists are reconciled to you for the tract on popery4 ,it should be spread immediately through the three kingdoms40#cee ,we shall meet with popery again2 but1 meantime1 we wish the ,methodist book committee and conference would do1 at present1 what ,charles ,wesley wished to be done ninety years ago4 ,however urgent the case was in #aggi1 the necessity now is ninety times greater than it was then2 and ,john ,wesley's successors will be recreant to his protestant principles unless they do their duty as he did his4 ,it only remains1 before concluding the present chapter1 to notice ,wesley's ,arminian ,magazine4 ,this1 like the volume for #aggh1 was1 to a large extent1 controversial1 ,wesley believing that 8there never was more need1 in the memory of man1 of opposing the ,horrible ,decree1 than at this day2 for thousands1 in every part of ,england1 were still halting between two opinions1 and were exceedingly perplexed on this account40 ,among other pieces1 intended to refute the ,calvinian theory1 he republished his own 8,predestination ,calmly ,considered10 which he first printed in #ageb4 ,there are interesting lives of ,bishop ,bedell1 ,archbishop ,usher1 and ,dr4 ,donne1 the last mentioned by ,wesley's own pen1 though never included in his collected works4 ,there are short accounts of ten of his itinerant preachers1 accompanied by their respective portraits1 many of which he pronounces 8really striking40 ,there are ninety-three letters1 most of which1 says he1 8are closely practical and experimental40 ,there are about seventy poetical pieces1 one of which1 8,henry and ,emma1 a ,dialogue10 fills more than fourteen pages2 a sort of love story1 to which objections were not unreasonably raised4 ,wesley acknowledged that it was 8not strictly religious02 but maintains that there was 8nothing in it contrary to religion1 nothing that can offend the chastest ears02 that it was 8one of the finest poems in the ,english tongue1 both for sentiment and language02 and that those who could 8read it without tears must have a stupid and unfeeling heart40 ,all this might be true2 but1 with all due deference to ,wesley1 there can hardly be two opinions1 that it was out of its proper place when inserted in the ,arminian ,magazine4 ,,footnotes3 #cbj ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #aag4 #cba ,manuscript diary4 #cbb ,manuscript letter4 #cbc ,manuscripts4 #cbd 8,history of ,methodism in ,halifax40 #cbe ,manuscript diary4 #cbf ,how is it that there are not more ,methodists in ,inverness now than there were ninety years ago1 in the days of good old ,duncan ,mc,allum8 #cbg ,boswell's ,life of ,johnson4 #cbh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbc1 p4 #ggg4 #cbi ,ibid4 #ahef1 p4 #bcd4 #ccj ,atmore's 8,methodist ,memorial40 #cca ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbf1 p4 #bdd4 #ccb ,ibid4 #aghi1 p4 #chh4 #ccc ,these were ,pawson1 ,rankin1 and ,jaco4 ,the committee consisted of gentlemen appointed to manage the business of ,city ,road chapel4--7,pawson's manuscript47 #ccd ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghi1 p4 #dda4 #cce ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghi1 p4 #chg4 #ccf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbe1 p4 #def4 #ccg ,methodist ,magazine1 #aggi1 p4 #bdj4 #cch ,lady ,maxwell's ,life1 p4 #gj4 #cci ,rutherford's ,life1 p4 #id4 #cdj ,atmore's 8,methodist ,memorial40 #cda ,manuscript letter4 #cdb ,thomas ,taylor1 in his manuscript diary1 remarks3 8#aghj1 ,january #ad--;,i learned1 that ,mr4 ,m#8,nab is excluded the connexion2 but ,i cannot learn1 that he has merited such treatment4 ,a man who has been a credit to our cause1 whose moral character is unblamable1 and whose abilities are considerable1 is expelled for his integrity and uprightness4 ,being very uneasy on account of the expulsion1 ,i wrote ,mr4 ,wesley respecting it40 #cdc ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #acb4 #cdd ,whitehead's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cgb4 #cde ,christian ,miscellany1 #ahdi1 p4 #eg2 and 8,wesley ,poetry10 vol4 viii41 p4 #dae4 #cdf ,whitehead's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cgi4 #cdg ,pawson's manuscript4 #cdh ,whitehead's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #chj4 #cdi ,atmore's 8,methodist ,memorial40 #cej ,manuscript4 #cea 8,life and ,times of ,lady ,huntingdon10 vol4 ii41 p4 #bjb4 #ceb ,life of ,john ,valton1 p4 #ajj4 #cec ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbc1 p4 #gcg4 #ced ,the assistant of the ,limerick circuit4 #cee ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghi1 p4 #chg4 #aghj4 ,age #gg ,the year #aghj will always be marked in ,english history4 ,the nation was steeped in guilt and misery4 ,war was raging on almost every side4 ,trade was paralysed2 and taxes intolerable4 ,popery had been established in ,canada2 and1 by the repealing of the statutes of the #aath and #abth of ,king ,william ,,iii41 had received great encouragement in ,england4 ,the ,protestant ,association sprung into existence2 and the ,gordon riots followed4 ,the details of these events are full of profound interest and instruction2 but our limited space prevents enlargement4 ,suffice it to say1 that1 in this serious crisis1 ,wesley took an active interest4 ,he writes3 8#aghj4 ,january #ah--,receiving more and more accounts of the increase of popery1 ,i believed it my duty to write a letter concerning it1 which was afterwards inserted in the public papers4 ,many were grievously offended2 but ,i cannot help it2 ,i must follow my own conscience40 ,the following was ,wesley's unanswerable1 though obnoxious letter4 8,a ,letter to the ,printer of the ,public ,advertiser1 occasioned by the late ,act1 passed in favour of ,popery4 8,,city ,,road1 ,january #ba1 #aghj4 8,,sir1--,some time ago1 a pamphlet was sent me1 entitled #8,an ,appeal from the ,protestant ,association to the ,people of ,great ,britain4' ,a day or two since1 a kind of answer to this was put into my hands1 which pronounces #8its style contemptible1 its reasoning futile1 and its object malicious4' ,on the contrary1 ,i think the style of it is clear1 easy1 and natural2 the reasoning1 in general1 strong and conclusive2 the object1 or design1 kind and benevolent4 ,and in pursuance of the same kind and benevolent design1 namely1 to preserve our happy constitution1 ,i shall endeavour to confirm the substance of that tract by a few plain arguments4 8,with persecution ,i have nothing to do4 ,i persecute no man for his religious principles4 ,let there be as #8boundless a freedom in religion1' as any man can conceive4 ,but this does not touch the point2 ,i will set religion1 true or false1 utterly out of the question4 ,suppose the ,bible1 if you please1 to be a fable1 and the ,koran to be the word of ,god4 ,i consider not1 whether the ,romish religion be true or false2 ,i build nothing on one or the other supposition4 ,therefore1 away with all your commonplace declamation about intolerance and persecution in religion6 ,suppose every word of ,pope ,pius's creed to be true2 suppose the council of ,trent to have been infallible3 yet1 ,i insist upon it1 that no government1 not ,roman ,catholic1 ought to tolerate men of the ,roman ,catholic persuasion4 8,i prove this by a plain argument2 let him answer it that can4 ,that no ,roman ,catholic does or can give security for his allegiance or peaceable behaviour1 ,i prove thus4 ,it is a ,roman ,catholic maxim1 established1 not by private men1 but by a public council1 that #8no faith is to be kept with heretics4' ,this has been openly avowed by the council of ,constance2 but it never was openly disclaimed4 ,whether private persons avow or disavow it1 it is a fixed maxim of the ,church of ,rome4 ,but as long as it is so1 it is plain that the members of that church can give no reasonable security1 to any government1 of their allegiance or peaceable behaviour4 ,therefore1 they ought not to be tolerated by any government1 protestant1 ,mahommedan1 or pagan4 8,you may say1 #8,nay1 but they will take an oath of allegiance4' ,true1 five hundred oaths2 but the maxim1 #8no faith is to be kept with heretics1' sweeps them all away as a spider's web4 ,so that still1 no governors that are not ,roman ,catholics can have any security of their allegiance4 8,again1 those who acknowledge the spiritual power of the pope can give no security of their allegiance to any government2 but all ,roman ,catholics acknowledge this2 therefore1 they can give no security for their allegiance4 8,the power of granting pardons for all sins1 past1 present1 and to come1 is1 and has been1 for many centuries1 one branch of his spiritual power4 8,but those who acknowledge him to have this spiritual power can give no security for their allegiance2 since they believe the pope can pardon rebellions1 high treasons1 and all other sins whatsoever4 8,the power of dispensing with any promise1 oath1 or vow1 is another branch of the spiritual power of the pope4 ,and all who acknowledge his spiritual power must acknowledge this4 ,but whoever acknowledges the dispensing power of the pope can give no security for his allegiance to any government4 ,oaths and promises are none2 they are light as air2 a dispensation makes them all null and void4 8,nay1 not only the pope1 but even a priest has power to pardon sins6 ,this is an essential doctrine of the ,church of ,rome4 ,but they that acknowledge this cannot possibly give any security for their allegiance to any government4 ,oaths are no security at all2 for the priest can pardon both perjury and high treason4 8,setting then religion aside1 it is plain that1 upon principles of reason1 no government ought to tolerate men1 who cannot give any security to that government for their allegiance and peaceable behaviour4 ,but this no ,romanist can do1 not only while he holds that #8no faith is to be kept with heretics1' but so long as he acknowledges either priestly absolution or the spiritual power of the pope4 8#8,but the late act1' you say1 #8does not either tolerate or encourage ,roman ,catholics4' ,i appeal to matter of fact4 ,do not the ,romanists themselves understand it as a toleration8 ,you know they do4 ,and does it not already 7let alone what it may do by-and-by7 encourage them to preach openly1 to build chapels 7at ,bath and elsewhere71 to raise seminaries1 and to make numerous converts day by day1 to their intolerant1 persecuting principles8 ,i can point out1 if need be1 several of the persons4 ,and they are increasing daily4 8,but #8nothing dangerous to ,english liberty is to be apprehended from them4' ,i am not certain of that4 ,some time since1 a ,romish priest came to one ,i knew2 and1 after talking with her largely1 broke out1 #8,you are no heretic6 ,you have the experience of a real ,christian6' #8,and would you1' she asked1 #8burn me alive8' ,he said1 #8,god forbid6 unless it were for the good of the church6' 8,now what security could she have had for her life1 if it had depended on that man8 ,the good of the church would have burst all the ties of truth1 justice1 and mercy4 ,especially when seconded by the absolution of a priest1 or1 if need were1 a papal pardon4 8,if any please to answer this1 and to set his name1 ,i shall probably reply2 but the productions of anonymous writers ,i do not promise to take any notice of4 8,i am1 sir1 your humble servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,wesley's arguments are irrefutable2 and terrible is ,england's danger1 at the present day1 because such arguments1 instead of being answered1 have been dexterously1 but disastrously1 ignored by ,england's statesmen4 ,wesley's letter will probably be treated1 by many1 as they would treat an old almanack1 out of date2 but1 on ,february #ag1 #aghj1 it evoked the unanimous thanks of the ,protestant ,association2 and1 in the same month1 was published in the pages of ,wesley's bitterest antagonist1--the ,gospel ,magazine1--with an editorial note1 that it had 8been almost universally approved of10 and that it was a 8production of real merit40 ,wesley's letter was too damaging to the disloyalty and preposterous assumptions of popery1 to pass unnoticed4 ,his chief antagonist was the ,rev4 ,arthur ,o',leary1 the son of peasant parents1 and now a popish priest1 in the fiftieth year of his age4 ,o',leary's remarks on ,wesley's letter made an octavo pamphlet of #aja pages4 ,the friar tells the ,methodist1 that the temperature of ,ireland's climate and the quality of its soil had cleansed the veins of its papists 8from the sour and acid blood of the ,scythians and ,saxons40 ,he writes3 8,we are tender hearted1 we are good natured1 we have feelings4 ,we shed tears on the urns of the dead2 deplore the loss of hecatombs of victims slaughtered on the gloomy altars of religious bigotry2 cry in seeing the ruins of cities over which fanaticism has displayed the funeral torch2 and sincerely pity the blind zeal of our ,scotch and ,english neighbours1 whose constant character is to pity none1 for erecting the banners of persecution1 at a time when the inquisition is abolished in ,spain and ,milan1 and the protestant gentry are caressed at ,rome1 and live unmolested in the luxuriant plains of ,france and ,italy4 ,we are too wise to quarrel about religion4 ,the ,roman ,catholics sing their psalms in ,latin1 with a few inflections of the voice4 ,our protestant neighbours sing the same psalms in ,english1 on a larger scale of musical notes4 ,we never quarrel with our honest and worthy neighbours1 the quakers1 for not singing at all2 nor shall we ever quarrel with ,mr4 ,wesley for raising his voice to heaven1 and warbling forth his canticles on whatever tune he pleases4 ,we like social harmony2 and1 in civil music1 hate discordance4 ,thus1 when we go to the shambles1 we never inquire into the butcher's religion1 but into the quality of his meat4 ,we care not whether the ox was fed in the pope's territories1 or on the mountains of ,scotland2 provided the joint be good2 for1 though there be many heresies in old books1 we discover neither heresy nor superstition in beef and claret4 ,we divide them cheerfully with one another2 and1 though of different religions1 we sit over the bowl with as much cordiality as if we were at a lovefeast40 ,o',leary's quaint jocularity and rounded periods are amusing2 but they furnish not the slightest answer to ,wesley's allegations4 ,on ,march #bc1 ,wesley replied to ,o',leary1 in a letter addressed to the editors of the ,freeman's ,journal1 and from which the following is extracted4 8,mr4 ,o',leary's remarks are no more an answer to my letter1 than to the ,bull ,unigenitus4 ,his manner of writing is easy and pleasant2 but might it not as well be more serious8 ,the subject we are treating of is not a light one2 it moves me to tears1 rather than to laughter4 ,i plead for the safety of my country2 yea1 for the children that are yet unborn4 ,i would not have the ,roman ,catholics persecuted at all4 ,i would only have them hindered from doing hurt3 ,i would not put it in their power to cut the throats of their quiet neighbours40#cef ,o',leary published a 8,rejoinder to ,mr4 ,wesley's ,reply10 in which he was less jocular1 but not more logical4 ,of ,wesley's three reasons why it is not safe to tolerate papists1 two were left untouched1 and one was played with and evaded4 ,such a controversialist scarcely deserved an answer2 and1 yet1 ,wesley supplemented his second letter by a third1 dated ,chester1 ,march #ca1 #aghj4 ,after recapitulating his three reasons1 ,wesley writes3 8,nine parts in ten of ,mr4 ,o',leary's remarks are quite wide of the mark4 ,not that they are wide of his mark1 which is to introduce a plausible panegyric upon the ,roman ,catholics1 mixed with keen invectives against the protestants1 whether true or false it matters not4 ,all this is admirably well calculated to inspire the reader with aversion to these heretics1 and to bring them back to the holy1 harmless1 much injured ,church of ,rome6 ,close arguing he does not attempt2 but he vapours1 and skips to and fro1 and rambles to all points of the compass1 in a very lively and entertaining manner40 ,wesley thus concludes his long letter3 8,what security for my life can any man give me1 till he utterly renounces the council of ,constance8 ,what security can any ,romanist give a protestant1 till this doctrine is publicly abjured8 ,if ,mr4 ,o',leary has anything more to plead for this council1 ,i shall follow him step by step4 ,but let him keep his word1 and #8give a serious answer to a serious charge4' #8,drollery may come in when we are talking of roasting fowls'2 but not when we talk of #8roasting men4' 8,would ,i then wish the ,roman ,catholics to be persecuted8 ,i never said or hinted any such thing4 ,i abhor the thought3 it is foreign to all ,i have preached and wrote for these fifty years4 ,but ,i would wish the ,romanists in ,england 7,i had no others in view7 to be treated still with the same lenity that they have been these sixty years2 to be allowed both civil and religious liberty1 but not permitted to undermine ours4 ,i wish them to stand just as they did before the late act was passed3 not to be persecuted or hurt themselves2 but gently restrained from hurting their neighbours4 8,i am1 gentlemen1 your obedient servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ceg ,here the controversy ended4#ceh ,o',leary was baffled2 and1 to this day1 the arguments in ,wesley's letter of ,january #ba1 #aghj1 remain unanswered4 ,seven years afterwards2 when at ,cork1 ,wesley wrote3 8,a gentleman invited me to breakfast1 with my old antagonist1 ,father ,o',leary4 ,i was not at all displeased at being disappointed4 ,he is not the stiff1 queer man that ,i expected2 but of an easy1 genteel carriage1 and seems not to be wanting either in sense or learning40 ,it was during this controversy1 and while ,wesley was in the north of ,ireland1 that the fearful riots occurred1 which are so unfortunately associated with the name of ,lord ,george ,gordon1 and which were the cause of that nobleman's incarceration 7rightly or wrongly7 in the ,tower of ,london4 ,here ,wesley1 after repeated invitations1 visited him1 and writes3 8#aghj1 ,december #ai--;,i spent an hour with ,lord ,george ,gordon1 at his apartment in the ,tower4 ,our conversation turned upon popery and religion4 ,he seemed to be well acquainted with the ,bible2 and had abundance of other books1 enough to furnish a study4 ,i was agreeably surprised to find he did not complain of any person or thing2 and cannot but hope his confinement will take a right turn1 and prove a lasting blessing to him40 ,we return to more congenial matters4 ,wesley spent the first two months of #aghj in ,london and its vicinity4 ,on ,february #bh1 he started on his journey to the north4 ,among other places1 he now1 for the first time1 preached at ,delph4 ,he writes3 8,april #g--;,i went to ,delph1 a little village upon the mountains1 where a remarkable work of ,god is just broke out4 ,i was just set down1 when the minister sent me word1 ,i was welcome to preach in his church4 ,on hearing this1 many people walked thither immediately1 near a mile from the town2 but1 in ten minutes1 he sent me word his mind was changed4 ,we knew not then what to do1 till the trustees of the independent meeting offered us the use of their house4 ,it was quickly filled1 and truly ,god bore witness to ,his word40 ,the minister of the parish church was the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,heginbotham1 who had engaged ,mr4 ,stones as his curate4 ,mr4 ,stones was a sportsman1 fond of his dog and gun4 ,on one occasion1 a rough ,yorkshireman told him1 it would be better if he minded his study more and his gun less4 ,the curate took the hint2 his dogs and his guns were given up2 he became a thorough ,christian2 his ministry was greatly blessed2 an extensive religious awakening followed2 meetings for prayer were convened in private houses2 and not a few were scripturally converted4 ,opposition soon ensued1 on the ground that the poor1 by spending so much time in prayer1 would neglect their work1 and become chargeable to the parish4 ,the curate was dismissed2 the young converts applied to ,joseph ,benson1 then at ,manchester1 for help2 ,methodist preaching was commenced2 a room in ,millgate hired2 and a flourishing society was formed4#cei ,the case was named to ,wesley2 and1 a fortnight before his visit1 he signed the following legal looking document1 which to a ,methodist antiquarian will be welcome4 8,whereas for about twelve months last past1 the people called ,methodists have preached in a room at ,delph1 in ,saddleworth1 in the county of ,york1--the travelling preachers coming there regularly every fortnight from ,manchester1 besides local preachers occasionally on ,sundays4 ,and ,whereas the last summer such crowds attended1 that the room could not contain them1 the society also increasing very fast1 and a great likelihood of much good being done in the place1--,it is1 therefore1 thought necessary that a preaching house be erected at ,delph aforesaid1 twelve yards long and eight wide4 ,the expense of such a building1 according to the plan laid down1 will be vastly more than the society will be able to raise amongst themselves4 ,they have1 therefore1 requested our consent to go amongst our societies1 to ask the charitable contributions of such of our friends as would willingly encourage such an undertaking4 ,this is1 therefore1 to certify that we approve of the measure1 and recommend the same to our ,christian friends everywhere1 hoping they will readily and cheerfully contribute to the same4 8,,john ,,wesley4#cfj 8,,manchester1 ,march #be1 #aghj40 ,this formalised certificate smacks of the office of ,joseph ,mellor1 the ,methodist attorney of the town of ,delph2 and ,wesley must have been hard pressed for time when1 instead of writing a statement of the case himself1 he put his hand to such legal magniloquence4 ,suffice it to add1 the chapel was built1 with not more than #ajj of debt resting upon the premises4#cfa ,it was during this northern tour1 that ,wesley1 for the first time1 was denied the use of the church at ,haworth4 ,he writes3 8,sunday1 ,april #bc--,mr4 ,richardson being unwilling that ,i should preach any more in ,haworth church1 ,providence opened another2 ,i preached in ,bingley church1 both morning and afternoon4 ,this is considerably larger than the other40 ,it was either on this1 or some future occasion1 when ,wesley was preaching in ,bingley church1 that a rich man in the congregation1 who seemed to think that his wealth was a licence to practise bad manners1 sneered at the preacher and at his sentiments4 ,wesley paused1 and fixing his keen eye on the ,dives sitting in the seat of the scornful1 said3 8,i heed your sneers no more than ,i heed the fluttering of a butterfly2 but ,i know what good breeding is as well as any gentleman in the land40 ,it was now that ,wesley preached his first sermon in ,blackburn4 ,he writes3 8,april #bg--;,i preached in ,todmorden church with great enlargement of heart4 ,in the afternoon we went on to ,blackburn4 ,it seemed the whole town was moved2 and the question was where to put the congregation4 ,we could not stand abroad because of the sun2 so as many as could squeezed into the preaching house4 ,all the chief men of the town were there40 ,mr4 ,banning was ,wesley's host at ,blackburn2 and1 on one occasion1 took his venerable guest to see a neighbouring chapel which was in the course of being built4 8,mr4 ,banning10 said ,wesley1 8,i have a favour to ask4 ,let there be no pews in the body of this chapel1 except one for the leading singers4 ,be sure to make accommodation for the poor4 ,they are ,god's building materials in the erecting of ,his church4 ,the rich make good scaffolding1 but bad materials40#cfb ,weighty words6 ,one of ,methodism's evil omens1 at the present day1 is a disregard of the advice which ,wesley gave1 namely1 that1 in building chapels1 the ,methodists should never fail to provide ample accommodation for the poor4 ,it was a sign of ,wesley's growing popularity1 that1 though1 forty years before1 he had been indignantly expelled from the pulpits of the ,established ,church1 he was now invited1 in all parts of the country1 by rectors1 vicars1 curates1 and others1 to favour them with his services4 ,at ,pateley ,bridge1 in #ageb1 ,thomas ,lee1 the old itinerant1 and his ,methodist companions1 were subjected to treatment the most barbarous2 and1 on applying to the ,dean of ,ripon for protection1 were met with a churchman's scorn rather than a magistrate's just dealing4 ,now it was otherwise4 ,wesley writes3 8#aghj1 ,may #a--;,at ,pateley ,bridge1 the vicar offered me the use of his church4 ,though it was more than twice as large as our preaching house1 it was not near large enough to contain the congregation4 ,how vast is the increase of the work of ,god6 particularly in the most rugged and uncultivated places4 ,how does ,he #8send the springs' of grace also #8into the valleys1 that run among the hills6'0 ,leaving ,pateley1 ,wesley1 for the first time1 visited ,ripon4 ,he writes3 8,may #b--,we came to ,ripon1 and observed a remarkable turn of providence3 the great hindrance of the work of ,god in this place has suddenly disappeared2 and the poor people1 being delivered from their fear1 gladly flock together1 and hear ,his word4 ,the new preaching house was quickly more than filled40 ,four years previous to this1 ,thomas ,dixon was one of the ,ripon preachers1 and1 in his unpublished autobiography1 wrote3 8,upon our going to ,ripon1 we preached in a small room up a flight of stairs1 and even this we were to leave at ,martinmas4 ,but1 just at this time1 ,mr4 ,t4 ,dowson1 who had suffered much for the gospel's sake1 bought the premises where an old barn and stable stood4 ,he immediately pulled down the barn1 and built a decent chapel and a dwelling house upon the site1 and1 with such expedition1 that we were able to get into the shell of the new chapel by the time we had to leave the upstairs room4 ,by this means1 ,god gave the poor persecuted ,methodists1 in ,ripon1 a degree of rest they had never known before1 and the work1 from that time1 gradually grew40 ,on leaving ,ripon1 ,wesley proceeded 8through a delightful country to the immense ruins of ,garvaix ,abbey10 and thence across the 8horrid1 dreary1 enormous mountains0 to ,penrith1 another place where he now1 for the first time1 preached4 ,he writes3 8,may #e--;,in the evening1 a large room1 designed for an assembly1 was procured for me at ,penrith2 but several of the poor people were struck with panic1 for fear the room should fall4 ,finding there was no remedy1 ,i went down into the court below1 and preached in great peace to a multitude of well behaved people40 ,on ,may #aa1 ,wesley reached ,newcastle1 and thence proceeded to ,scotland4 ,on his return southwards1 we find him preaching at ,durham1 ,darlington1 ,northallerton1 ,boroughbridge1 and ,york4 ,making his way through ,lincolnshire1 he came to ,newark1 where1 twenty years before1 the mob had burnt the ,methodist pulpit in the market place2 and had not only pelted the preacher1 ,thomas ,lee1 with all sorts of missiles1 and dragged him to the river ,trent1 where they ducked and dabbled him without mercy1 but1 to complete the whole1 a painter came with his pot and brush1 and bedaubed him most ludicrously4 ,wesley writes3 8#aghj1 ,june #ab--,our friends at ,newark were divided as to the place where ,i should preach4 ,at length1 they found a convenient place1 covered on three sides1 and on the fourth open to the street4 ,it contained two or three thousand people well1 who appeared to hear as for life4 ,only one big man1 exceeding drunk1 was very noisy and turbulent1 till his wife 7fortissima ,tyndaridarum67 seized him by the collar1 gave him two or three hearty boxes on the ear1 and dragged him away like a calf4 ,but1 at length1 he got out of her hands1 crept in among the people1 and stood as quiet as a lamb40 ,on ,june #ac1 ,wesley wrote3 8,i accepted of an invitation from a gentleman at ,lincoln1 in which ,i had not set my foot for upwards of fifty years4 ,at six in the evening1 ,i preached in the castle yard to a large and attentive congregation4 ,they were all as quiet as if ,i had been at ,bristol4 ,will ,god have a people here also80 ,for seven years after this1 there was not a ,methodist in ,lincoln4 ,after an interval of many years1 ,wesley preached again at ,boston1 where1 in #ageg1 ,alexander ,mather1 the first ,methodist preacher there1 had his face plastered with mire taken from the kennels of the streets1 and his head laid open with a stone4 ,wesley spent his birthday in ,sheffield1 and wrote3 8,june #bh--;,i can hardly think ,i am entered this day into the seventy-eighth year of my age4 ,by the blessing of ,god1 ,i am just the same as when ,i entered the twenty-eighth4 ,this hath ,god wrought1 chiefly by my constant exercise1 my rising early1 and preaching morning and evening40 ,the next day1 he preached his first and last sermon at ,worksop4 ,he says3 8,i was desired to preach at ,worksop2 but when ,i came1 they had not fixed on any place4 ,at length1 they chose a lamentable one1 full of dirt and dust1 but without the least shelter from the scorching sun4 ,this few could bear2 so we had only a small company of as stupid people as ,i ever saw40 ,after this1 ,wesley made his way to ,london1 where he spent a week2 and1 then1 he and his brother set out for ,bristol1 for the purpose of holding his annual conference4 ,he writes3 8,august #a--,our conference began4 ,we have been always1 hitherto1 straitened for time4 ,it was now resolved1 #8,for the future1 we will allow nine or ten days for each conference2 that everything1 relative to the carrying on of the work of ,god1 may be maturely considered4'0 ,the conference1 in this instance1 lasted from ,august #a to ,august #i1 inclusive4 ,its main business was a revision of the minutes of conferences already held4 ,several alterations were made1 some of the chief being the following4 ,it was no longer to be a rule1 that ,methodists were to endeavour to preach most where ,wesley and his brother clergymen were allowed to preach in parish churches4 ,classmeetings were to be made more lively and profitable1 by removing improper leaders2 and care was to be taken1 that those appointed were not only men of sound judgment1 but truly pious4 ,if a preacher could secure twenty hearers at five o'clock in the morning1 he was to preach2 if not so many1 he was to sing and pray4 8,observe10 says ,wesley to his preachers1 8it is not your business to preach so many times1 and to take care of this or that society2 but to save as many souls as you can1 to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance1 and1 with all your power1 to build them up in that holiness without which they cannot see the ,lord4 ,and remember6 a ,methodist preacher is to mind every point1 great and small1 in the ,methodist discipline6 ,therefore1 you will need all the sense you have1 and to have all your wits about you40 ,it was agreed1 that the neglect of fasting was sufficient to account for their feebleness and faintness of spirit4 ,they were continually grieving the ,holy ,spirit of ,god1 by the habitual neglect of a plain duty4 8,let you and ,i10 says ,wesley1 8every ,friday 7beginning on the next71 avow this duty throughout the nation1 by touching no tea1 coffee1 or chocolate1 in the morning1 but1 7if we want it17 half-a-pint of milk or water gruel4 ,let us dine on potatoes1 and1 7if we need it17 eat three or four ounces of flesh in the evening4 ,at other times1 let us eat no flesh suppers4 ,these exceedingly tend to breed nervous disorders40 ,the rule was rescinded1 that no preacher ought to print anything without ,wesley's approbation4 ,the preachers were to join as one man in putting an end to the indecency of the people talking in the preaching houses1 before and after service4 ,complaints having been made1 that sluts had spoiled preachers' houses1 ,wesley writes3 8,let none1 that has spoiled one1 ever live in another4 ,but what a shame is this6 ,a preacher's wife should be a pattern of cleanliness1 in her person1 clothes1 and habitation4 ,let nothing slatternly be seen about her2 no rags1 no dirt1 no litter4 ,and she should be a pattern of industry2 always at work1 either for herself1 her husband1 or the poor4 ,i am not willing that any should live in the ,orphan ,house at ,newcastle1 or any preaching house1 who does not conform to this rule40 ,complaints were also made1 that people crowded into the preachers' houses as into coffee shops1 without invitation2 and it was ruled1 that no person should1 in future1 come into a preacher's house1 unless he wanted to ask a question4 ,some of these may appear to be minute matters2 but they are not without interest as indicative of the defects of ,methodists in the days of ,wesley4 ,there is reason to believe1 though the fact is not recorded in the minutes1 that the ,church question was again discussed at the conference of #aghj4 ,hence the following letter1 written to ,miss ,bosanquet4 8,,bristol1 ,august #e1 #aghj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,i snatch time from the conference to write two or three lines4 ,i am glad you have begun a prayer-meeting at ,hunslet1 and doubt not it will be productive of much good4 ,hitherto1 we have had a blessed conference4 ,the case of the ,church we shall fully consider by-and-by2 and1 ,i believe1 we shall agree that none who leave the ,church shall remain with us4 8,i am1 my dear sister1 yours most affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#cfc ,charles ,wesley was present1 and was far from satisfied4 ,he purposed to attend no more of these annual synods1 and wrote as follows3 8,why should ,i longer1 ,lord1 contend1 ,my last important moments spend ,in buffeting the air8 ,in warning those who will not see1 ,but rest in blind security1 ,and rush into the snare8 ,prophet of ills1 why should ,i live1 ,or1 by my sad forebodings1 grieve ,whom ,i can serve no more8 ,i only can their loss bewail1 ,till life's exhausted sorrows fail1 ,and the last pang is o'er40#cfd ,poor ,charles1 alarmed lest the ,methodists should leave the ,church1 retired from the conference to weep and die2 ,john to rejoice and work4 ,conference statistics have not been given annually2 but the following figures will show the progress made during the decade of years ending at the conference of #aghj4 ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ,circuits4 ,itinerant ,members4 ,kingswood ,preachers4 ,collection4 ---------------------------------------- ------ #aggj #ej #abc #bi1djf #bah #d #e #aghj #fd #aga #dc1hcj #djb #a #i ---------------------------------------- ------ ,increase #ad #dh #ad1dbd #ahc #ag #d ---------------------------------------- ---------------- ,to these numbers1 however1 must be added the ,methodists in the ,west ,indies1 and also #bj circuits1 #db itinerant preachers1 and #hejd members of society in ,america4#cfe ,the ,american conference met at ,baltimore on ,april #bd1 and agreed to continue in close communion with the ,church1 and to permit 8the friendly clergy0 to preach and administer the sacraments in ,methodist chapels4 ,hitherto1 neither ,asbury1 nor any other of the preachers in ,america1 had administered these ,christian ordinances to the ,methodist people2 and1 as the number of members was now rapidly increasing1 this was becoming a momentous question4 ,the want in ,england had been met1 to some extent1 by ,wesley and his brother and their clerical assistants2 but1 in ,america1 the ,methodists had no ordained clergyman to render service like this4 ,besides1 there the ,methodists were very differently situated from what ,methodists were in ,england4 ,in this country1 wherever there was a ,methodist society there was a parish church1 at which1 if they chose1 ,methodists might attend on sacramental occasions4 ,in ,america it was otherwise4 ,clergymen were few2 and parish churches far distant from each other2 and1 in many instances1 where ,methodist societies had been formed1 no church existed4 ,the case was becoming serious4 ,were these thousands of ,american ,methodists to be left without sacraments8 ,or were unordained ,methodist preachers to administer sacraments8 ,or was an effort to be made1 to send a clergyman of the ,church of ,england to supply this lack of sacred service8 ,or was ,wesley himself to assume episcopal functions1 and1 by ordination1 turn his preachers into priests8 ,these were serious difficulties to be surmounted4 ,to deprive eight thousand converted people of the most sacred ordinances of the church1 would have been a sin against the church's ,head4 ,to allow unordained preachers to administer baptism and the ,lord's supper was a thing for which ,wesley himself was not prepared2 though who can question1 that a man like ,francis ,asbury1 whom ,god had so signally honoured1 had as much right to do this as the most renowned priest or prelate in existence8 ,an alternative remained1 namely1 either to send the ,american ,methodists an ordained clergyman of the ,church of ,england2 or that ,wesley should take upon himself the office of ordainer1 and thus qualify his own itinerants for what was conceived to be a higher function than that of preaching the infinitely great and everlasting truths of ,christ's glorious gospel4 ,was ,wesley prepared for such a step as this8 ,fortunately1 this is a point on which we are not left to speculate4 ,in a letter to his brother1 dated ,june #h1 #aghj1 he writes3 8,read ,bishop ,stillingfleet's #8,irenicon1' or any impartial history of the ancient church1 and ,i believe you will think as ,i do4 ,i verily believe1 ,i have as good a right to ordain1 as to administer the ,lord's supper4 ,but ,i see abundance of reasons why ,i should not use that right1 unless ,i was turned out of the ,church4 ,at present1 we are just in our place40#cff ,as yet1 ,wesley1 for 8abundance of reasons10 hesitated to ordain his preachers2 and1 hence1 the only remaining expedient was to endeavour to secure an ordained clergyman of the ,church of ,england2 and this he attempted4 ,the following letter was addressed to ,dr4 ,lowth1 bishop of ,london1 two months after the date of his letter to his brother ,charles4 ,the reader will perceive1 that it was written the day after the close of the ,bristol conference4 ,it ought to be premised that1 previous to this1 ,wesley had applied to the bishop for a clerical helper1 and had met with a refusal4 8,august #aj1 #aghj4 8,,my ,,lord1--,some time since1 ,i received your lordship's favour1 for which ,i return your lordship my sincere thanks4 ,these persons did not apply to the ,society10 for ,propagating ,christian ,knowledge in ,foreign ,parts1 8because they had nothing to ask of them4 ,they wanted no salary for their minister3 they were themselves able and willing to maintain him4 ,they1 therefore1 applied1 by me1 to your lordship1 as members of the ,church of ,england1 and desirous so to continue1 begging the favour of your lordship1 after your lordship had examined him1 to ordain a pious man who might officiate as their minister4 8,but your lordship observes1 #8,there are three ministers in that country already4' ,true1 my lord3 but what are three1 to watch over all the souls in that extensive country8 ,will your lordship permit me to speak freely8 ,i dare not do otherwise4 ,i am on the verge of the grave1 and know not the hour when ,i shall drop into it4 ,suppose there were threescore of those missionaries in the country1 could ,i in conscience recommend these souls to their care8 ,do they take any care of their own souls8 ,if they do1 7,i speak it with concern17 ,i fear they are almost the only missionaries in ,america that do4 ,my lord1 ,i do not speak rashly3 ,i have been in ,america2 and so have several with whom ,i have lately conversed4 ,and both ,i and they know1 what manner of men the greater part of these are4 ,they are men who have neither the power of religion1 nor the form2 men that lay no claim to piety1 nor even decency4 8,give me leave1 my lord1 to speak more freely still3 perhaps it is the last time ,i shall trouble your lordship4 ,i know your lordship's abilities and extensive learning3 ,i believe1 what is far more1 that your lordship fears ,god4 ,i have heard1 that your lordship is unfashionably diligent in examining the candidates for holy orders2 yea1 that your lordship is generally at the pains of examining them yourself4 ,examining them6 in what respects8 ,why whether they understand a little ,latin and ,greek2 and can answer a few trite questions in the science of divinity6 ,alas1 how little does this avail6 ,does your lordship examine1 whether they serve ,christ or ,belial8 ,whether they love ,god or the world8 ,whether they ever had any serious thoughts about heaven or hell8 ,whether they have any real desire to save their own souls1 or the souls of others8 ,if not1 what have they to do with holy orders8 and what will become of the souls committed to their care8 8,my lord1 ,i do by no means despise learning3 ,i know the value of it too well4 ,but what is this1 particularly in a ,christian minister1 compared to piety8 ,what is it in a man that has no religion8 #8,as a jewel in a swine's snout4' 8,some time since1 ,i recommended to your lordship a plain man1 whom ,i had known above twenty years1 as a person of deep1 genuine piety1 and of unblamable conversation4 ,but he neither understood ,greek nor ,latin2 and he affirmed1 in so many words1 that #8he believed it was his duty to preach1 whether he was ordained or no4' ,i believe so too4 ,what became of him since1 ,i know not4 ,but ,i suppose he received presbyterian ordination2 and ,i cannot blame him if he did4 ,he might think any ordination better than none4 8,i do not know1 that ,mr4 ,hoskins had any favour to ask of the ,society4 ,he asked the favour of your lordship to ordain him1 that he might minister to a little flock in ,america4 ,but your lordship did not see good to ordain him3 but your lordship did see good to ordain1 and send to ,america1 other persons1 who knew something of ,greek and ,latin2 but knew no more of saving souls1 than of catching whales4 8,in this respect1 also1 ,i mourn for poor ,america2 for the sheep scattered up and down therein4 ,part of them have no shepherds at all1 particularly in the northern colonies2 and the case of the rest is little better1 for their own shepherds pity them not4 ,they cannot1 for they have no pity on themselves1 they take no thought or care about their own souls4 8,wishing your lordship every blessing from the great ,shepherd and ,bishop of our souls1 ,i remain1 my lord1 your lordship's dutiful son and servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#cfg ,did his lordship ever receive1 from any other 8dutiful son and servant10 a letter like this8 ,we doubt it4 ,wesley was foiled in his attempt to obtain episcopal ordination for an ,american ,methodist preacher3 no wonder1 that1 soon after1 he administered ordination himself4 ,before proceeding with ,wesley's history1 the insertion of a selection of his letters1 belonging to this period1 may be acceptable4 ,it is a terrible thing to write a dangerous book4 ,when ,joseph ,benson was a young man1 he read ,dr4 ,watts's 8,glory of ,christ as ,god-man10 and became a convert to his doctrine of the pre-existence of our ,lord's human soul4 ,speaking his mind too freely upon this unscriptural dogma1 ,benson was suspected to be an ,arian1 and was represented as such1 by ,dr4 ,coke1 all over the kingdom4#cfh ,at the conference of #aghj1 ,coke accused him of holding the ,arian heresy2 the matter was sifted2 ,benson was acquitted2 and ,coke offered to ask his pardon4 ,still1 ,benson1 for years afterwards1 held ,dr4 ,watts's dangerous speculation2 and it was not until he undertook the revision of ,fletcher's manuscripts1 that he laid aside the expression1 8pre-existent soul of ,christ20 8an expression10 says he1 8which neither reason1 nor ,scripture1 nor antiquity1 will warrant our using40#cfi ,dr4 ,watts's pernicious book1 and also the ,gordon riots1 7at this time raging17 are referred to in the following extract from a letter to ,charles ,wesley4 8,june #h1 #aghj4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i would not read over ,dr4 ,watts's tract for a hundred pounds4 ,you may read it1 and welcome4 ,i will not1 dare not1 move those subtle1 metaphysical controversies4 ,arianism is not in question2 it is ,eutychianism or ,nestorianism4 ,but what are they8 ,what neither ,i nor any one else understands4 ,but they are what tore the eastern and western churches asunder4 8,it is well ,i accepted none of ,lord ,george's invitations4 ,if the government suffers this tamely1 ,i know not what they will not suffer4 8,mr4 ,collins is not under my direction2 nor am ,i at all accountable for any steps he takes4 ,he is not in connection with the ,methodists4 ,he only helps us now and then4 ,i will suffer no disputing at the conference4 8,undoubtedly many of the patriots seriously intend to overturn the government2 but the hook is in their nose4 8,peace be with you all6 8,,john ,,wesley40#cgj ,the ,mr4 ,collins1 mentioned in the above extract1 was ,brian ,bury ,collins1 of the university of ,cambridge1 who1 without ever receiving a regular appointment1 continued to assist ,wesley1 in various parts of the kingdom1 until ,wesley's death in #agia4 ,a number of his manuscript letters1 all written in #aggi and #aghj1 now lie before us1 from which we learn1 that he regarded himself as having 8an unlimited preaching commission02 and that one of his great objects was to unite ,wesley's and ,whitefield's followers4 8,i could freely die10 says he1 8to see the ,tabernacles and ,foundery reconciled40 ,he began the year #aggi in the north of ,england1 where he sometimes preached five or six times a day4 ,he then removed to ,london1 ,bristol1 and the west1 where his health failed4 ,in ,may1 #aghj1 he was among his relatives at ,linwood1 and wrote3 8,i am not yet recovered from my late illness1 though ,i am much better than ,i have been4 ,my relations here receive me with more cordiality than ,i expected4 ,i find the ,divine presence in the churches where ,i preach2 but what the ,lord designs to do with me ,i cannot tell4 ,lately1 ,i have thought of spending a few weeks at ,cambridge4 ,i have also had fresh desires of being in full orders40 ,in pursuance of this1 ,mr4 ,collins went to ,st4 ,john's college1 ,cambridge1 where1 in ,july #aghj1 he took his master of arts degree4 ,by advice of the two ,wesleys1 he sought ordination2 and the dowager ,lady ,townsend gave him a recommendatory letter to the ,bishop of ,chester1 requesting that the rite might be administered in private2 but the bishop1 having heard of his irregular preaching1 hesitated until he had time to confer with his brother bishops4 ,ordination was ultimately obtained2 ,collins married1 and1 for a time1 was assistant to ,david ,simpson1 at ,macclesfield2 after this1 he again became a rover1 and preached in ,wesley's and ,lady ,huntingdon's chapels1 and wherever else he had a chance4 ,he writes3 8,i wish to do good unto all4 ,i do not love one and dislike another4 ,i can unite with all who are united to ,jesus4 ,i care not for names in the least40#cga ,these glimpses of a man whom ,wesley1 to the end of life1 repeatedly mentions in his journals1 will not be unwelcome4 ,of his subsequent career we know nothing2 except that its close was not as bright as its beginning4 ,a son of his lies interred in the burial ground of the new chapel in ,city ,road4#cgb ,one of the legislative acts of the conference of #aghj was to enforce the old rule1 that1 in ,methodist meeting-houses1 the men and women should sit apart4 ,in galleries1 where they had always sat together1 they might do so still2 but in all new erected galleries1 and in the seats below1 the old rule was to be rigidly observed4 8,if10 said ,wesley1 8,i come into any new house1 and see the men and women together1 ,i will immediately go out4 ,i hereby give public notice of this4 ,pray let it be observed40#cgc ,this sounds strangely at the present day2 but1 for some reason1 it was with ,wesley a matter of importance4 ,hence also the following unpublished letter to the leaders at ,sheffield4 8,,bristol1 ,september #d1 #aghj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brethren1--,let the persons1 who purpose to subvert the ,methodist plan1 by mixing men and women together in your chapel1 consider the consequence of so doing4 ,first1 ,i will never set foot in it more4 ,secondly1 ,i will forbid any collection to be made for it in any of our societies4 8,i am1 my dear brethren1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,two more letters1 now for the first time given to the public1 will be welcome4 ,they were addressed to ,samuel ,bradburn1 who had been three years in ,ireland1 and was now to remove to ,keighley4 8,,near ,,bristol1 ,september #af1 #aghj4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,i wanted to have ,betsy0 ,mrs4 ,bradburn 8a little nearer me4 ,and ,i wanted her to be acquainted with her twin soul1 ,miss ,ritchie1 the fellow to whom ,i scarce know in ,england4 ,but ,i do not like your crossing the sea till your children are a little stronger4 ,if there was stormy weather1 it might endanger their lives4 ,therefore1 it is better you should stay in ,ireland a little longer4 ,athlone circuit will suit you well2 and ,john ,bredin may be at ,keighley in your place4 8,now read over the minutes concerning the office of an assistant1 and exert yourself as to every branch of it4 ,i fear the late assistant neglected many articles2 dispersing the books in particular4 8,my love to ,betsy4 ,let her love ,molly ,pennington for my sake4 8,i am1 etc41 ,j4 ,,wesley40 8,,london1 ,october #bh1 #aghj4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,i am glad you are safe landed at ,keighley4 ,you will find there #8444 a port of ease ,from the rough rage of stormy seas4' 8,there are many amiable and gracious souls in ,cork2 but there are few in the whole kingdom of ,ireland to be named1 7either for depth of sense or grace17 with many1 very many persons in ,yorkshire1 particularly the west riding4 ,go to ,betsy ,ritchie1 at ,otley1 and then point me out such a young woman as she in ,ireland4 8,i think lemonade would cure any child of the flux4 8,now be exact in every branch of discipline2 and you will soon find what a people you are among4 8,i am1 with tender love to ,betsy1 dear ,sammy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,the following letter1 kindly supplied by the ,rev4 ,thomas ,w4 ,smith1 and now for the first time published1 was addressed 8,to ,mr4 ,valton1 at the preaching house1 in ,manchester40 ,oldham ,street chapel was now in course of erection1 and was opened by ,wesley seven months afterwards4 8,,bristol1 ,october #a1 #aghj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i expected the state of ,manchester circuit to be just such as you have found it4 ,but the power of the ,lord is able to heal them4 ,i fear ,s4 ,mayers was left unemployed1 because she loved perfection4 ,if you find a few more of the same spirit1 ,i believe you will find them employment4 ,the accommodations everywhere will mend1 if the preachers lovingly exert themselves4 ,i am glad you take some pains for the new chapel4 ,our brother ,brocklehurst will do anything that is reasonable4 8,in one thing only1 you and ,i do not agree2 but1 perhaps1 we shall when we have prayed over it3 ,i mean1 the giving me an extract of your life4 ,i cannot see the weight of your reasons against it4 #8,some are superficial4' ,what then8 ,all are not2 brother ,mather's and ,haime's in particular4 ,add one to these2 a more weighty one1 if you can4 ,you know what to omit1 and what to insert4 ,i really think you owe it 7in spite of shame and natural timidity7 to ,god and me and your brethren4 ,pray for light in this matter4 8,i am1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 ,the next1 though short1 is not devoid of interest4 ,for the first time1 it was published in the ,watchman newspaper1 as recently as ,october #ab1 #ahgj2 and was written on the same day as the foregoing one4 8,,bristol1 ,october #a1 #aghj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,joseph ,bradford has been at the gate of death2 but is now so far recovered1 that he thinks to set out to-morrow morning1 with me and his wife1 for ,london4 8,mr4 ,brackenbury likewise seems to be better1 with regard to his bodily health2 but he is married6 ,and ,i shall not be much disappointed if he soon takes leave of the ,methodists4 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 ,the following1 which has not before been published1 is kindly furnished by ,charles ,reed1 ,esq41 ,m4,p4 8,,london1 ,november #c1 #aghj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,disorderly walkers are better excluded than retained2 and ,i am well satisfied you will exclude no others4 ,i am glad you have made a beginning at ,trowbridge4 ,if it be possible1 say not one offensive word4 ,but you must declare the plain1 genuine gospel2 and1 sooner or later1 ,god will give you ,his blessing4 8,i am1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 ,another1 equally characteristic1 was sent to ,zechariah ,yewdall1 stationed in 8,glamorganshire0 circuit1 which extended 7from ,llanelly in ,wales to ,calvert in ,gloucestershire7 above a hundred miles1 and was traversed regularly every month4 ,mr4 ,yewdall was now in the second year of his itinerancy1 and1 at ,monmouth1 had met with brutal treatment4#cgd ,the letter also refers to the principle involved in ,mr4 ,m#8,nab's affair4 8,,london1 ,december #c1 #aghj4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,you mistake one thing4 ,it is ,i1 not the conference1 7according to the twelfth rule17 that station the preachers2 but ,i do it at the time of the conference1 that ,i may have the advice of my brethren4 ,but ,i have no thought of removing you from the ,glamorganshire circuit2 you are just in your right place4 ,but you say1 #8,many of the people are asleep4' ,they are2 and you are sent to awaken them out of sleep4 #8,but they are dead4' ,true2 and you are sent to raise the dead4 ,good will be done at ,monmouth#cge and ,neath in particular4 ,where no good can be done1 ,i would leave the old1 and try new places4 ,but you have need to be all alive yourselves1 if you would impart life to others4 ,and this cannot be without much self denial4 8,i am1 dear ,zachary1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#cgf ,after the conference at ,bristol was concluded1 ,wesley set out for ,cornwall4 ,some time before this1 ,sir ,harry ,trelawney1 a student of ,christ ,church1 ,oxford1 had become a zealous revivalist1 and had begun to preach at ,west ,looe1 where1 in #aggg1 he became the pastor of a congregation of his own raising1 and which worshipped in a meetinghouse fitted up at his own expense4 ,the novelty of the proceeding1 and the rank of the preacher1 created great excitement4 ,sir ,harry1 the descendant of one of the seven bishops who were committed to the ,tower in the reign of ,james ,,ii41 was made the hero of a witty book1 written by a clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 and entitled1 8,the ,spiritual ,quixote2 or the ,history of ,geoffry ,wildgoose1 ,esq40 #c vols41 #abmo3 #aggc4 ,the preaching baronet vindicated his nonconformity in 8,a ,letter addressed to the ,rev4 ,thomas ,alcock1 ,vicar of ,runcorn40 ,for a time1 the ,rev4 ,john ,clayton was his assistant1 but1 in #aggh1 removed to the ,weigh ,house congregation1 in ,london4 ,soon after1 ,sir ,harry returned to ,oxford2 procured ordination in the national establishment2 was made a country rector in the west of ,england2 whilst his chapel at ,west ,looe was ignominiously changed into a house for converting barley into malt4 ,he died in #ahcd4 ,it was about the time of ,wesley's visit to ,cornwall1 that he wrote the subjoined letter4 ,sir ,harry had been a ,calvinist1 and had been patronised by the ,countess of ,huntingdon's connexion2 but1 having renounced his ,calvinian tenets1 he was now regarded with disfavour4 ,some communication had passed between him and ,wesley on the subject2 ,wesley knew his danger2 and wrote to him as follows4 8,for a long time1 ,i have had a desire to see you1 but could not find an opportunity4 ,indeed1 ,i had reason to believe my company would not be agreeable2 as you were intimate with those who think they do ,god service by painting me in the most frightful colours4 ,it gives me much satisfaction to find1 that you have escaped out of the hands of those warm men4 ,it is not at all surprising1 that they should speak a little unkindly of you too in their turn4 ,it gave me no small satisfaction to learn from your own lips the falsehood of their allegation4 ,i believed it false before1 but could not affirm it so positively as ,i can do now4 8,indeed1 it would not have been without precedent1 if from one extreme you had run into another4 ,this was the case with that great man1 ,dr4 ,taylor4 ,for some years1 he was an earnest ,calvinist2 but1 afterwards1 judging he could not go far enough from that melancholy system1 he ran1 not only into ,arianism1 but into the very dregs of ,socinianism4 8,you have need to be thankful on another account likewise2 that is1 that your prejudices against the ,church of ,england are removing4 ,having had an opportunity of seeing several of the churches abroad1 and having deeply considered the several sorts of ,dissenters at home1 ,i am fully convinced1 that our own ,church1 with all her blemishes1 is nearer the scriptural plan than any other in ,europe4 8,i sincerely wish you may retain your former zeal for ,god2 only1 that it may be a zeal according to knowledge4 ,but there certainly will be a danger of your sinking into a careless1 lukewarm state1 without any zeal or spirit at all4 ,as you were surfeited with an irrational1 unscriptural religion1 you may easily slide into no religion at all2 or into a dead form1 that will never make you happy either in this world1 or in that which is to come4 8,wishing every spiritual blessing1 both to ,lady ,trelawney and you1 8,i am1 dear sir1 your affectionate servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#cgg ,wesley1 at the end of ,august1 returned to ,bristol1 and here he spent the month of ,september4 ,he then set out for ,london1 which he reached on ,october #g4 ,a week later he made a tour to ,tunbridge ,wells1 and other towns in ,kent4 ,after this1 we find him1 as usual1 visiting the societies in ,northamptonshire1 ,oxfordshire1 and ,bedfordshire4 ,the last month of the year was chiefly employed in ,london4 ,he read to the society1 and explained1 the ,large ,minutes of conference1 recently published2 and wrote3 8,i desire to do all things openly and above board4 ,i would have all the world1 and especially all of our society1 see not only the steps we take1 but the reasons why we take them40 ,he visited ,lord ,george ,gordon in the ,tower4 ,he went with some of his friends to the ,british ,museum4 ,he wrote his well known sermon on 8,this is the true ,god and eternal life10 fully establishing the doctrine which ,joseph ,benson1 at the conference1 had been accused of denying--the ,divinity of ,christ4#cgh ,he likewise wrote his 8,thoughts upon ,jacob ,behmen10 allowing the ,teuton to be a good man1 but charging him with propounding 8a crude1 indigested philosophy1 supported neither by ,scripture1 nor reason1 nor anything but his own ipse dixit20 and with using 8language that was never used since the world began1 queerness itself1 mere dog ,latin40 8,none10 says ,wesley1 8can understand it without much pains1 perhaps not without reading him thrice over4 ,i would not read him thrice over on any consideration4 7#a7 ,because it would be enough to crack any man's brain to brood so long over such unintelligible nonsense2 and 7#b7 because such a waste of time might provoke ,god to give me up to a strong delusion to believe a lie40#cgi ,wesley concludes the year with the following entry in his journal4 8,sunday1 ,december #ca--,we renewed our covenant with ,god4 ,we had the largest company that ,i ever remember2 perhaps two hundred more than we had last year4 ,and we had the greatest blessing4 ,several received either a sense of the pardoning love of ,god1 or power to love ,him with all their heart40 ,happy1 happy old man6 8,i do not remember10 said he1 only nine days before the year #aghj was ended1 8,i do not remember to have felt lowness of spirits for one quarter of an hour since ,i was born40#chj ,it only remains to notice ,wesley's publications in #aghj2 and this shall be done as briefly as possible4 ,his letters on popery1 his revised minutes of the conferences1 and his ,thoughts upon ,behmen1 have been already mentioned4 ,besides these1 there were-- #a4 8,directions for ,renewing our ,covenant with ,god40 #abmo1 #bc pages4 #b4 8,reflections on the ,rise and ,progress of the ,american ,rebellion40 #abmo1 #if pages4 #c4 8,the ,history of ,henry1 ,earl ,moreland40 ,abridged4 #b vols41 #abmo4 ,it has been already stated1 that this was a novel1 written by ,mr4 ,brooke1 and originally published1 in five vols41 in #agff1 with the title1 8,the ,fool of ,quality40 ,dr4 ,adam ,clarke once stated1 that ,mr4 ,brooke's nephew declared to him1 that1 8with the exception of a few touches of colouring1 everything in the book was founded in fact--even the very incidents were facts40#cha ,this might be so2 but still the colouring made the work a fiction2 and that an old evangelist1 like ,wesley1 bordering on fourscore years of age1 should revise1 abridge1 publish1 and circulate a novel1 has always been a perplexity to a certain section of ,wesley's admirers4 ,john ,easton1 one of his itinerants1 belonged to these4 ,after ,john had very freely condemned the conduct of his great leader1 ,wesley proposed to him the following interrogations in reference to three of the personages in this remarkable book4 ,wesley4--8,did you read ,vindex1 ,john80 ,easton4--8,yes1 sir40 ,w4--8,did you laugh1 ,john80 ,e4--8,no1 sir40 ,w4--8,did you read ,damon and ,pythias1 ,john80 ,e4--8,yes1 sir40 ,w4--8,did you cry1 ,john80 ,e4--8,no1 sir40 ,w41 lifting up his eyes1 and clasping his hands1 exclaimed3 8,o earth--earth--earth60#chb ,whatever may be thought and said on the general subject of novels and novel reading1 all must admit1 that 8,henry1 ,earl ,moreland10 is one of the most unexceptionable ever published4 ,wesley writes3 8,i recommend it as the most excellent in its kind1 that ,i have seen1 either in the ,english or any other language4 ,the lowest excellence therein is the style1 which is not only pure in the highest degree1 not only clear and proper1 every word being used in its true genuine meaning1 but frequently beautiful and elegant1 and1 where there is room for it1 truly sublime4 ,but what is of far greater value is the admirable sense1 which is conveyed herein3 as it sets forth in full view most of the important truths1 which are revealed in the oracles of ,god4 ,and these are not only well illustrated1 but also proved in an easy1 natural manner3 so that the thinking reader is taught1 without any trouble1 the most essential doctrines of religion4 8,but the greatest excellence of all in this treatise is1 that it continually strikes at the heart4 ,it perpetually aims at inspiring and increasing every right affection4 ,and it does this1 not by dry1 dull1 tedious precepts1 but by the liveliest examples that can be conceived3 by setting before your eyes one of the most beautiful pictures1 that was ever drawn in the world4 ,the strokes of this are so delicately fine1 the touches so easy1 natural1 and affecting1 that ,i know not who can survey it with tearless eyes1 unless he has a heart of stone4 ,i recommend it1 therefore1 to all those who are already1 or desire to be1 lovers of ,god and man40 ,the whole of this is strictly accurate2 and if this is not enough to justify ,wesley in the eyes of faultfinders1 like earthy ,john ,easton1 the task of doing so must be abandoned as a hopeless one4 ,besides1 it may be added1 that1 if ,wesley sinned1 his successors copied his example2 for1 twenty-two years after ,wesley's death1 the conference book-room published a fourth edition of the novel which ,wesley first published in #aghj4 #d4 8,a ,collection of ,hymns for the use of the ,people called ,methodists40 #abmo1 #ebj pages4 ,up to this period1 the hymns and the books used in ,methodist congregations had been endlessly varying2 now ,wesley issued a book which1 with slight alterations1 has been used from that time to this2 and prefixed the preface which has been read by millions2 and from which1 therefore1 we must content ourselves with quoting only the concluding hint1 which is far more needed now than even when first published4 8,many gentlemen have done my brother and me 7though without naming us7 the honour to reprint many of our hymns4 ,now they are perfectly welcome so to do1 provided they print them just as they are4 ,but ,i desire they would not attempt to mend them2 for they really are not able4 ,none of them is able to mend either the sense or the verse4 ,therefore1 ,i must beg of them one of these two favours3 either to let them stand just as they are1 to take them for better for worse2 or to add the true reading in the margin1 or at the bottom of the page2 that we may no longer be accountable either for the nonsense or for the doggerel of other men40 #e4 ,wesley's only other publication1 in #aghj1 was his ,arminian ,magazine1 #hvo1 #fhc pages4#chc ,the work contains ,goodwin's ,paraphrase on ,romans ix42 an extract from ,bird's 8,fate and ,destiny1 inconsistent with ,christianity20 lives of ,armelle ,nicolas and ,gregory ,lopes2 short accounts of ,thomas ,lee1 ,alexander ,mather1 ,john ,haime1 ,thomas ,mitchell1 ,thomas ,taylor1 ,thomas ,hanson1 ,thomas ,hanby1 and ,john ,mason4 ,there are about fifty valuable letters2 and about seventy poetic pieces4 ,also ,wesley's 8,thought on ,necessity10 and 8,thoughts upon ,taste40 ,to enlarge concerning these is superfluous4 ,the volume was quite equal to the former ones2 though ,wesley confesses1 that the portraits were not yet such as he desired2 and declares1 that he will have better1 or none at all4 ,,footnotes3 #cef ,methodist ,magazine1 #agha1 p4 #bie4 #ceg ,methodist ,magazine1 #agha1 p4 #ceb4 #ceh ,as a specimen of popish jesuitry1 it may be added1 that ,o',leary's ,remarks upon ,wesley's ,letter were first printed in six successive numbers of the ,freeman's ,journal2 but were afterwards reprinted in ,london with the following title1 8,mr4 ,o',leary's ,remarks on the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley's ,letter in ,defence of the ,protestant ,associations in ,england1 to which are prefixed ,mr4 ,wesley's ,letters40 ,this was a popish deception1 intended1 no doubt1 to cast upon ,wesley the odium incurred by the ,protestant ,association during the ,gordon riots4 ,the truth is3 7#a7 ,wesley had not written more than a few lines in defence of the appeal of that ,association4 7#b7 ,his two replies to ,o',leary1 published in the ,freeman's ,journal1 were suppressed in ,o',leary's pamphlet4 7#c7 ,a spurious letter was inserted1 and palmed on the public as genuine1 which ,wesley declared was not his1 and one which he had never seen before ,o',leary printed it4--7,methodist ,magazine1 #agha1 p4 #bie47 #cei ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahec1 p4 #ghe4 #cfj ,manuscript4 #cfa ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahec1 p4 #ghf4 #cfb ,banning's ,memoirs 7private circulation74 #cfc ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #cgi4 #cfd ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cbg4 #cfe ,minutes of ,methodist ,conferences in ,america4 #cff ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #acg4 #cfg ,whitehead's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cib4 #cfh ,dr4 ,coke1 a young man of thirty-three1 displayed1 at this period1 a fussy officiousness1 which scarcely redounded to his honour4 ,he wrote to ,bradburn1 to the effect1 that he suspected that he also was an ,arian2 though it was only four years before1 that ,thomas ,taylor1 at the ,london conference1 had blamed ,bradburn for 8preaching too much on the ,divinity of ,christ1 and for being too warm against the ,arians40 78,memoirs of ,bradburn10 p4 #bbe47 ,in an unpublished letter1 addressed to ,bradburn1 and dated ,october1 #aggi1 ,wesley asks3 8,is there any truth in the report that ,john ,hampson has converted you to ,arianism80 #cfi ,benson's ,life1 by ,macdonald1 p4 #ajh4 #cgj ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #acg4 #cga ,manuscript letters4 #cgb ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #aag4 #cgc ,minutes1 #aghj4 #cgd ,methodist ,magazine1 #agie1 p4 #bfh4 #cge ,wesley's words were verified4 ,at ,monmouth ,mr4 ,yewdall was mobbed by a bellowing rabble2 but the society increased one third4 #cgf ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #aj4 #cgg ,whitehead's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cie4 #cgh ,methodist ,magazine1 #agha1 p4 #ahi4 #cgi ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 ix41 p4 #dia4 #chj ,methodist ,magazine1 #agha1 p4 #ahe4 #cha ,everett's ,life of ,clarke4 #chb ,ibid4 #chc ,i am not quite sure of this4 ,in #aghj1 a #abmo tract of #ab pages was published with the following title3--8,jesus1 altogether ,lovely3 or1 a ,letter to some of the ,single ,women of the ,methodist ,society4 ,london3 ,printed by ,r4 ,hawes2 and sold at the ,new ,chapel1 in the ,city ,road2 and at the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley's ,preaching ,houses1 in town and country4 #aghj40 ,the letter is dated1 8,hoxton1 ,march #aj1 #agfc40 ,it enforces chastity1 poverty1 and obedience2 and is written in a style strongly resembling ,wesley's4 #agha4 ,age #gh ,wesley purposed to visit ,ireland in #agha1 but was prevented doing so2 and1 hence1 the months he was accustomed to spend in that island were spent in an irregular itinerancy through ,england and ,wales4 ,he now entered on the seventy-ninth year of his age2 and1 to obtain something like a correct idea of his amazing energy and toil1 it may be useful to trace his footsteps more minutely than we have been wont to do during the last few years4 ,he writes3 8,january #a1 #agha--,we began1 as usual1 the service at four0 7in the morning7 8praising ,him who1 maugre all our enemies1 had brought us safe to the beginning of another year40 ,at this period1 his nephews1 ,charles and ,samuel ,wesley1 were attracting great attention by their musical performances4 ,they had won the friendship of the great musical composers1 ,dr4 ,boyce1 ,dr4 ,nares1 and ,dr4 ,burney4 ,lords ,le ,despencer1 ,barrington1 ,aylesford1 ,dudley1 and others1 were enraptured with them4 ,the ,earl of ,mornington1 for some years1 breakfasted weekly with them4 ,dr4 ,howard1 the distinguished organist1 declared concerning ,samuel1 that he seemed to have 8dropped down from heaven40 ,charles was introduced to ,george ,,iii41 with whom he became a great favourite4 ,the result of this unparalleled popularity was the institution1 in ,wesley's brother's house1 of the series of select concerts1 already referred to1 which were continued for several years1 the regular subscribers varying in number from thirty to fifty1 though eighty persons were often present2 including not a few of the ,english nobility1 besides the ,bishop of ,london1 and the ,danish and ,saxon ambassadors4 ,on ,january #be1 ,wesley was there1 and wrote3 8,i spent an agreeable hour at a concert of my nephews4 ,but ,i was a little out of my element among lords and ladies4 ,i love plain music and plain company best40 ,it was during this brief sojourn in ,london1 in the beginning of #agha1 that ,wesley wrote his stinging sermon on 8,little children1 keep yourselves from idols02#chd and his able discourse on1 8,for this purpose was the ,son of ,god manifested1 that ,he might destroy the works of the devil40 ,in the former he terribly belabours the man of business1 who retires from the activities of town to the laziness of country life1 where his only employment is altering1 enlarging1 rebuilding1 or decorating the old mansion house he has purchased1 and improving the stables1 outhouses1 and grounds1 without ever thinking of the ,god of heaven any more than he thinks of the king of ,france4 ,in the latter sermon1 he strikes a heavy blow at the heresy of ,dr4 ,watts1 which ,benson1 at the conference of #aghj1 had been accused of embracing4 ,he writes3 8,i cannot at all believe the ingenious dream of ,dr4 ,watts1 concerning the glorious humanity of ,christ1 which he supposes to have existed before the world began1 and to have been endued with1 ,i know not what1 astonishing powers4 ,nay1 ,i look upon this to be an exceeding dangerous1 yea1 mischievous hypothesis2 as it quite excludes the force of very many ,scriptures1 which have been hitherto thought to prove the ,godhead of the ,son4 ,and1 ,i am afraid1 it was the grand means of turning that great man aside from the faith once delivered to the saints2 that is1 if he was turned aside1 if that beautiful soliloquy be genuine1 which is printed among his posthumous works1 wherein he so earnestly beseeches the ,son of ,god not to be displeased1 because he cannot believe ,him to be coequal and coeternal with the ,father40 ,both these sermons enriched the ,arminian ,magazine for #agha4 ,in fact1 it is to the establishment of that periodical1 that we are indebted for many of the most elaborated sermons that ,wesley ever published4 ,besides the two above mentioned1 ,wesley1 during the year #agha1 wrote at least three others4 ,his sermon on 8,zeal0 is a remarkable production1 and was not inappropriate to the circumstances of a period when so much excitement existed concerning popery4 ,he says3 8,fervour for opinion is not ,christian zeal4 ,how innumerable are the mischiefs which this species of false zeal has occasioned in the ,christian world6 ,how many of the excellent of the earth have been cut off1 by zealots1 for the senseless opinion of transubstantiation6 ,fervour for indifferent things is not ,christian zeal4 ,how warmly did ,bishop ,ridley1 and ,bishop ,hooper1 and other great men of that age1 dispute about the sacerdotal vestments6 ,how eager was the contention1 for almost a hundred years1 for and against wearing a surplice6 ,oh1 shame to man6 ,i would as soon have disputed about a straw1 or a barleycorn60#che ,another of his homilies1 written in #agha1chf was his able discourse on the province of reason in matters of religion2 and another was his unique sermon on 8,the ,brute ,creation10 in which he unhesitatingly propounds the doctrine1 not only that the brute creation will live again1 but likewise1 that1 when restored1 they will possess a far higher state of being than they possess at present2 in fact1 that they will then be made what beasts1 birds1 insects1 and fishes were when first created4#chg ,this may seem a wild theory for an octogenarian to advance2 but it deserves more attention1 on that account1 than if it had been an imaginative rocket let off by a stripling in his teens4 ,while on the subject of sermons1 it may be added1 that it was now ,wesley published1 in his ,arminian ,magazine1 his remarkable discourse on the 8,danger of ,riches10--the first of a series on that subject1 which he continued to issue to the end of life1 and in which wealthy ,methodists and others are lashed with terrific power4 8,i do not remember10 says he1 8that in threescore years ,i have heard one sermon preached on this subject4 ,and what author1 within the same term1 has declared it from the press8 ,i do not know one4 ,i have seen two or three who just touch upon it2 but none that treat of it professedly4 ,i have myself frequently touched upon it in preaching1 and twice in what ,i have published to the world3 once in explaining our ,lord's sermon on the mount1 and once in the discourse on the mammon of unrighteousness4 ,but ,i have never yet either published or preached any sermon expressly upon the subject4 ,it is high time ,i should2 that ,i should at length speak as strongly and explicitly as ,i can1 in order to leave a full and clear testimony behind me1 whenever it pleases ,god to call me hence40 ,one extract from this striking sermon must suffice4 8,o ye ,methodists1 hear the word of the ,lord6 ,i have a message from ,god to all men2 but to you above all4 ,for above forty years1 ,i have been a servant to you and to your fathers4 ,and ,i have not been as a reed shaken by the wind2 ,i have not varied in my testimony4 ,i have testified to you the very same thing1 from the first day even until now4 ,but who hath believed our report8 ,i fear not many rich4 ,i fear there is need to apply to some of you those terrible words of the apostle3 #8,go to now1 ye rich men6 ,weep and howl for the miseries which shall come upon you4 ,your gold and silver is cankered1 and the rust of them shall witness against you1 and shall eat your flesh as it were fire4' ,certainly it will1 unless you both save all you can1 and give all you can4 ,but who of you hath considered this1 since you first heard the will of the ,lord concerning it8 ,who is now determined to consider and practise it8 ,by the grace of ,god1 begin to-day6 8,o ye lovers of money1 hear the word of the ,lord6 ,suppose ye1 that money1 though multiplied as the sand of the sea1 can give you happiness8 ,then you are given up to a strong delusion1 to believe a lie--a palpable lie1 confuted daily by a thousand experiments4 ,open your eyes4 ,look all around you6 ,are the richest men the happiest8 ,have those the largest share of content1 who have the largest possessions8 ,is not the very reverse true8 ,is it not a common observation1 that the richest of men are1 in general1 the most discontented1 the most miserable8 ,had not the far greater part of them more content1 when they had less money8 ,look into your own breasts4 ,if you are increased in goods1 are you proportionably increased in happiness8 ,you have more substance2 but have you more content8 ,you know the contrary4 ,you know that1 in seeking happiness from riches1 you are only striving to drink out of empty cups4 ,and let them be painted and gilded ever so finely1 they are empty still40 ,before we recur to ,wesley's journal1 an unpublished letter may be acceptable4 ,the preachers now labouring in the ,sheffield circuit were ,james ,rogers1 ,alexander ,m#8,nab1 and ,samuel ,bardsley4 ,mr4 ,rogers writes3 8,one of my fellow labourers did not lovingly draw in the same yoke1 and soon after left the connexion4 ,the uneasiness occasioned in the society by his disaffection1 for some months1 threatened us with disagreeable consequences2 and our enemies expected a considerable division among us2 but #8,he that sitteth above the waterfloods' found means to prevent it4 ,so that instead of losing in our number1 we found1 at the end of the year1 an increase of ninety-seven members40 ,of course1 this refers to ,alexander ,m#8,nab1 who had rebelled against ,wesley's authority in #aggi4 ,samuel ,bardsley was a man of peace1 and1 moreover1 one of the most laborious preachers ,wesley had4 ,besides his pulpit labours1 he had rendered great service to the ,sheffield society1 by a preaching excursion1 undertaken for the purpose of obtaining subscriptions for their chapel4 ,his collecting book is before us1 with a list of the collections he made1 and the donations he obtained1 in a tour extending from ,sheffield to ,york1 thence to ,hull1 and thence1 along the east coast1 to ,newcastle on ,tyne4 ,altogether1 he gathered the sum of #hi #aes4 #aa;d42 and1 in doing this1 made thirty-one public collections1 amounting1 in the aggregate1 to #cj #aes4 #f;d41 and begged the balance of #ei #js4 #d;d41 of considerably more than three hundred different subscribers1 including in this number the inhabitants of not fewer than forty-four towns and villages1 whose munificent donations are lumped together4 ,when ,bardsley had completed his tour1 ,wesley wrote him as follows4 8,,near ,,london1 ,february #aj1 #agha4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,i did not doubt but you would agree with the people of ,sheffield4 ,they are a loving and affectionate people4 ,i am glad you were so successful in your labour of love for them4 ,that assistance was very seasonable4 8,that misunderstanding1 which was troublesome for a season1 may now be buried for ever4 ,i am perfectly well satisfied1 both of the honesty and affection1 both of brother ,woodcroft and brother ,birks4 ,so ,satan's devices are brought to nought4 8,i doubt not but ,james ,rogers and you recommend our books in every place1 and the magazines in particular1 which will be a testimony for me1 when ,i am no more seen4 8,i am1 dear ,sammy1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#chh ,on the #abth of ,february1 ,wesley set out on a week's excursion to ,norfolk and back again to ,london1 preaching at least ten sermons on the way2#chi and1 in wintry weather1 travelling more than two hundred miles4 ,having spent a few more days in ,london1 he then started1 on ,sunday1 ,march #d1 7as he thought17 for ,ireland1 but spent a fortnight in the vicinity of ,bath and ,bristol4 ,leaving ,bristol on ,march #ai1 eleven days were occupied in reaching ,manchester1 during which he preached more than twenty sermons1 some of them in the open air4 ,on ,march #cj1 he opened the chapel in ,oldham ,street1 ,manchester4 ,he writes3 8,friday1 ,march #cj--;,i opened the new chapel at ,manchester1 about the size of that in ,london4 ,the whole congregation behaved with the utmost seriousness4 ,i trust much good will be done in this place4 ,sunday1 ,april #a--;,i began reading prayers at ten o'clock4 ,our country friends flocked in from all sides4 ,at the communion was such a sight as ,i am persuaded was never seen in ,manchester before3 eleven or twelve hundred communicants at once2 and all of them fearing ,god40 ,thus began the history of a building1 which1 next to the chapel in ,city ,road1 is the most interesting ,methodist edifice in existence4 ,first of all1 the ,manchester ,methodists had been located in a miserable room on or near the present site of ,bateman's ,buildings4 ,removing thence1 in #agej1 they worshipped for thirty years in their first chapel1 which1 up to a recent period1 was a warehouse in ,birchin ,lane4#cij ,among the first members1 in that old chapel1 were3 ,mary ,bromley1 for seventy years a ,methodist1 who died happy in ,god1 at the age of eighty-nine1 in #ahbf3--,mrs4 ,leech1 an upright follower of ,christ1 who expired in the full assurance of a blessed immortality in #aggj3--;,john ,morris1 whose autobiography1 in the ,arminian ,magazine for #agie1 will be found to be full of more than romantic interest3--,mr4 ,fildes1 who1 in the same year in which ,raikes began his work at ,gloucester1 opened a ,sunday-school in a ,manchester cellar1 a second in a garret1 and a third in the first room in ,manchester built expressly for ,sunday-school purposes1 a room erected at ,mr4 ,fildes' own expense1 behind his own dwelling house1 in the neighbourhood of ,london ,road3#cia--;,adam ,oldham1 a feltmaker1 one of the first trustees of ,birchin ,lane chapel1#cib who lived in a house on the site which the ,albion ,hotel now occupies1 for many years a useful ,methodist1#cic but afterwards a rich backslider1 to whom ,oldham ,street owes its name3--,richard ,barlow1 who1 for sixty-five years1 rose at half-past four in summer1 and at five in winter3--,mr4 ,brierley1 a member of ,peter ,kenworthy's class1 the leading singer in ,oldham ,street chapel1 and afterwards a magistrate3--,john ,moseley1 a poor hatter in ,millgate1 the grandfather of ,sir ,oswald ,moseley1 from whom ,moseley ,street derived its name3--and ,mrs4 ,bennett1 a relative of ,john ,moseley's1 and the first female classleader in ,manchester4#cid ,we wish we had space for details respecting these old ,manchester ,methodist worthies1 who deserve far more honourable record than they have yet received4 ,from ,manchester1 ,wesley went to ,bolton1 where he writes3 8,the society here are true1 original ,methodists4 ,they are not conformed to the world1 either in its maxims1 its spirit1 or its fashions2 but are simple followers of the ,lamb2 consequently they increase both in grace and number40 ,this was a high compliment to pay to ,george ,escrick and his friends4 ,their old chapel in ,new ,acres had been converted into cottages2 and1 in #aggf1 they had built another in ,ridgway ,gates1 though not without a united and great effort4 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,fowles1 a clergyman1 had the management of a sandbed from which they had to obtain their sand2 and hearing of their intentions1 he announced1 that1 after the expiration of five days1 the sand would be charged half-a-crown a load4 ,this1 to the poor ,methodists1 was a serious matter2 but ,george ,escrick was a man of too much energy to be easily defeated4 ,accordingly1 he1 at once1 requested all the ,methodists1 young and old1 strong and feeble1 active and otherwise1 to repair with him to the sandpit1 and to dig and convey away all the sand they needed4 ,to a man1 they obeyed ,george's injunction1 and1 in a single day1 got as much as their intended chapel was likely to require4 ,michael ,fenwick was then their preacher1 and kept running over the half-a-mile distance1 between the site of the new chapel and the clerical sandbed1 encouraging the people in their task1 and1 at one time1 wanting to sing the hymn beginning with 8,before ,jehovah's awful throne02 but blunt ,george ,escrick1 the weaver1 imperatively stopped his spiritual superior1 telling him to take a spade in his hand1 for there was a time for all things1 and this was a time to dig4 ,in this old ,ridgway ,gates chapel1 ,william ,grime used to conduct a band meeting every ,sunday morning at four o'clock2 and1 beneath it1 ,parson ,greenwood1 one of the circuit preachers1 whose only home was two neighbouring attics1 used to keep his victuals4#cie ,the head of the circuit was ,liverpool1 and the following were the munificent sums contributed quarterly1 by the several societies1 in #aggf1 when the chapel was completed4 ,liverpool1 #e #hs4 #i;d42 ,bolton1 #g #ads4 #g;d42 ,preston1 #aas42 ,wigan1 #a #ajs42 ,meols1 #aas42 ,top of ,coal ,pits1 #ags42 ,edgeworth1 #ajs4 #f;d42 ,moulden ,water1 #gs42 ,shackerley1 #ajs42 ,aspul ,moor1 #gs42 ,chowbent1 #ajs4 #f;d42 ,warrington1 #a #as42 ,northwich1 #a #as42 ,budworth1 #abs4 #c;d42 ,little ,leigh1 #a #is4 #f;d42 and ,lamberhead ,green1 #gs4 #f;d4 ,such was ,liverpool circuit in #aggf2 and1 out of these ,methodist contributions1 three ,methodist preachers and their families had to be supported4 ,no wonder that the cupboard1 beneath the pulpit of the old chapel1 was big enough to serve ,parson ,greenwood for a pantry4 ,from ,bolton1 ,wesley went to ,wigan1 and preached a funeral sermon for ,betty ,brown1 one of the first members of ,wigan society1 8beloved of ,god1 the delight of ,his children1 a dread to wicked men1 and a torment to devils40 ,leaving ,wigan1 ,wesley proceeded to ,chester1 and thence to ,alpraham1 where he did for 8good old sister ,cawley1 a mother in ,israel1 and a pattern of all good works10 what he had done for ,betty ,brown4 ,arriving at ,warrington1 he says3 8,i put a stop to a bad custom1 which was creeping in here3 a few men1 who had fine voices1 sang a psalm which no one knew1 in a tune fit for an opera1 wherein three1 four1 or five persons sung different words at the same time6 ,what an insult upon common sense6 ,what a burlesque upon public worship6 ,no custom can excuse such a mixture of profaneness and absurdity40 ,desiring to reach ,ireland as soon as possible1 ,wesley embarked at ,liverpool1 on the #abth of ,april2 but1 on getting out to sea1 was overtaken with a storm2 and1 in an hour1 was so affected as he had not been for forty years before4 ,for two days1 he was unable to swallow anything solid larger than a pea1 and was bruised and sore from head to foot1 and ill able to turn himself in bed4 ,the sea grew rougher2 the horses of ,wesley and his companions became turbulent2 and the hatches were closed4 ,water1 three feet in depth1 was in the hold2 the ship refused to obey the helm1 and was furiously driving on lee shore4 ,wesley says3 8,i called our brethren1 ,floyd1 ,snowden1 and ,bradford1 to prayers2 and we found free access to the throne of grace4 ,soon after1 we got1 ,i know not how1 into ,holyhead harbour1 after being sufficiently buffeted by the winds and waves for two days and two nights4 ,the more ,i considered1 the more ,i was convinced1 it was not the will of ,god ,i should go to ,ireland at this time4 ,so we went into the stage coach without delay1 and the next evening came to ,chester40 ,baffled in his purpose to visit ,ireland1 ,wesley set out on a preaching tour to ,whitchurch1 ,shrewsbury1 ,brecon1 ,broseley1 ,worcester1 ,brecknock1 ,carmarthen1 ,pembroke1 ,haverfordwest1 ,tracoon1 ,newport1 ,narberth1 ,llanelly1 ,swansea1 ,neath1 ,bridgend1 ,cowbridge1 ,cardiff1 and ,monmouth4 ,on the #afth of ,may1 he got back to ,worcester1 having completed the circuit in a month1 and preached about thirty times4 ,he now proceeded to ,kidderminster1 ,salop1 ,whitchurch1 ,nantwich1 ,northwich1 and1 on ,may #ah1 arrived in ,manchester1 having preached each night and morning4 ,at ,manchester1 he writes3 8,i preached a funeral sermon for ,mary ,charlton1 an ,israelite indeed4 ,from the hour that she first knew the pardoning love of ,god1 she never lost sight of it for a moment4 ,eleven years ago1 she believed that ,god had cleansed her from all sin2 and she showed1 that she had not believed in vain1 by her holy and unblamable conversation40 ,molly ,charlton was the sweetheart of good old ,samuel ,bardsley1 the only one he ever had4 ,they wished to marry2 but the difficulty of providing for married preachers was so great1 that ,wesley and ,pawson interfered1 and the nuptial engagement was broken off4 ,in four quarto manuscript volumes1 containing ,bardsley's diary1 and in ,pawson's letter concerning this business1 and likewise the letter of poor disappointed ,molly 7all in the writer's possession71 there are some racy facts1 and traits of personal character1 which may be given to the public at some future time4 ,leaving ,manchester on ,may #ba1 ,wesley made his way to ,warrington1 ,chowbent1 ,bolton1 ,kabb1 ,blackburn1 and ,preston4 ,in reference to the last mentioned place1 he writes3 8,may #bd--;,i went on to ,preston1 where the old prejudice seems to be quite forgotten4 ,the little society has fitted up a large and convenient room1 where ,i preached to a candid audience4 ,every one seemed to be considerably affected40 ,who was the founder of this little society8 ,twelve years previous to ,wesley's visit1 ,john ,wood1 one of the first ,methodists at ,padiham1 attended ,preston sessions1 to obtain a licence to preach4 ,having granted it1 one of the magistrates1 a clergyman1 seeing a number of rude and noisy people outside the sessions house1 said to ,john1 perhaps with more sarcasm than sincerity3 8,there1 go and reform that crowd60 ,john bowed1 thanked his worship for his licence1 left the court1 entered the crowd in full authority1 and preached in peace4#cif ,six years after this1 in #agge1 ,samuel ,bradburn formed the first ,methodist class in ,preston2#cig and now1 in #agha1 ,martha ,thompson1 ,roger ,crane1 ,william ,bramwell1 of immortal memory1 and a few others1 had hired an old calendering house1 in ,lord ,street1 for a place of meeting1 and had fairly begun a work in proud ,preston1 which1 despite the popery of the place1 has grown into one of the most prosperous societies in the kingdom4 ,wesley next proceeded to the ,isle of ,man1 where he spent eight days1 8visited the island round1 east1 south1 north1 and west02 preached1 at least1 a dozen times2 and1 in a population of thirty thousand1 found above two thousand ,methodists1 with a score of 8stout1 well looking0 local preachers1 not surpassed in ,england4 8,i was thoroughly convinced10 says he1 8that we have no such circuit as this1 either in ,england1 ,scotland1 or ,ireland4 ,it is shut up from the world2 and1 having little trade1 is visited by scarce any strangers4 ,here are no papists1 no ,dissenters of any kind1 no ,calvinists1 no disputers4 ,here is no opposition1 either from the governor1 from the bishop1 or from the bulk of the clergy4 ,one or two of them did oppose for a time2 but they seem now to understand better4 ,so that we have now rather too little than too much reproach4 ,the natives are a plain1 artless1 simple people2 unpolished1 that is1 unpolluted2 few of them are rich or genteel2 the far greater part1 moderately poor4 ,the local preachers are men of faith and love1 knit together in one mind and one judgment4 ,they speak either ,manx or ,english1 and follow a regular plan1 which the assistant gives them monthly40 ,on leaving the ,isle of ,man1 ,wesley proceeded to ,newcastle1 preaching1 on the way1 at ,cockermouth1 ,ballantyne1 and ,carlisle4 ,can it be that this flying evangelist was an old man of nearly eighty8 ,no wonder that he sometimes sang-- 8,oh that without one lingering groan ,i may the welcome word receive1 ,my body with my charge lay down1 ,and cease at once to work and live60 ,without work1 ,wesley could not live4 ,the following unpublished letter1 written at this period1 is strongly characteristic of the man4 ,it was addressed to ,samuel ,bradburn1 at ,keighley4 8,june #af1 #agha4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,we have no supernumerary preachers1 except ,john ,furz1 who is so from old age4 ,if ,john ,oliver lives till the conference1 and desires it1 ,i suppose he may be upon the same footing4 ,the more exercise he uses1 winter or summer1 the more health he will have4 ,i can face the north wind at seventy-seven better than ,i could at seven-and-twenty4 ,but if you moan over him1 you will kill him outright4 ,a word in your ear4 ,i am but half pleased with ,christopher ,hopper's proceedings4#cih ,i do not admire fair weather preachers4 ,you must stop local preachers who are loaded with debt4 ,there are few healthier places in ,england than ,keighley4 ,neither ,dublin nor ,cork is to compare with it4 ,but have a care6 or you will kill ,betsy6 ,do not constrain ,god to take her away6 8,i am1 dear ,sammy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,wesley spent eight days at ,newcastle1 and in its vicinity1 and preached1 at least1 ten or a dozen times4 ,he then visited his societies between there and ,york4 ,at ,thirsk1 in a letter to his brother1 ,wesley wrote3 8,,thirsk1 ,june #bg1 #agha4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,this is the last day of my seventy-eighth year2 and 7such is the power of ,god7 ,i feel as if it were my twenty-eighth4 ,next ,saturday1 ,i expect to be at ,epworth2 the second1 at ,boston2 the third1 at ,sheffield4 ,i take the opportunity of a broken year1 to visit those parts of ,lincolnshire1 which ,i have not seen before1 but once1 these twenty years4 8,from several1 ,i have lately heard1 that ,god has blessed your preaching4 ,see your calling6 #8,cease at once to work and live6' ,peace be with all your spirits6 8,,john ,,wesley40#cii ,two days after this1 ,wesley arrived at ,epworth1 and wrote3 8,i have now preached thrice a day for seven days following2 but it is just the same as if it had been but one40 ,twelve days were spent in ,lincolnshire1 during which he preached more than a score of sermons4 ,among other places1 ,grantham was favoured with his ministry4 ,he writes3 8,july #i--;,i preached at ,grantham1 in the open air1 for no house would contain the congregation2 and none made the least disturbance40 ,at the village of ,welby1 the ,rev4 ,w4 ,dodwell was minister2 and1 in his church1 ,wesley preached twice on the day before he preached at ,grantham4 ,mr4 ,dodwell was the pastor of ,welby parish for nearly half a century1 and died in #ahbd1 when he presented1 by deed of gift1 #aj1jjj to the ,wesleyan ,missionary ,society1 and an equal sum to the ,british and ,foreign ,bible ,society4#djj ,he was present at ,wesley's conference of preachers in #aghb4dja ,after visiting many other societies in ,lincolnshire during the next ten days1 ,wesley1 on ,july #bc1 8passed into ,yorkshire10 and preached at ,yeadon1 ,bradford1 ,halifax1 ,greetland1 ,huddersfield1 ,longwood ,house1 ,mirfield1 ,daw ,green1 ,birstal1 ,tadcaster1 ,york1 ,malton1 ,scarborough1 ,beverley1 ,hull1 and ,pocklington2 and1 at the beginning of ,august1 arrived in ,leeds1 for the purpose of holding his annual conference2 but1 before giving an account of its proceedings1 two letters to two ladies1 both written on the same day1 will be acceptable4 ,the first was to his niece1 ,miss ,sarah ,wesley1 then a young lady about twenty--afterwards a personal friend of a large and distinguished literary circle1 including ,mrs4 ,hannah ,more1 ,miss ,porter1 ,miss ,aikin1 ,miss ,edgeworth1 ,mrs4 ,barbauld1 and others1--and who died in #ahbh1 at the age of sixty-eight1 some of her last words being1 8,i have peace1 but not joy40#djb 8,,near ,,leeds1 ,july #ag1 #agha4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sally1--,without an endeavour to please ,god1 and to give up our own will1 we never shall attain ,his favour4 ,but till we have attained it1 till we have the ,spirit of adoption1 we cannot actually give up our own wills to ,him4 ,shall ,i tell you freely what ,i judge to be the grand hindrance to your attaining it8 ,yea1 to your attaining more health both of body and mind than you have ever had1 or1 at least1 for a long season8 ,i believe it is1 what very few people are aware of1 intemperance in sleep4 ,all are intemperate in sleep1 who sleep more than nature requires2 and how much it does require is easily known4 ,there is1 indeed1 no universal rule1--none that will suit all constitutions4 ,but1 after all the observations and experience ,i have been able to make for upwards of fifty years1 ,i am fully persuaded that men1 in general1 need between six and seven hours' sleep in twenty-four2 and women1 in general1 a little more1--namely between seven and eight4 8,but what ill consequences are there in lying longer in bed1--suppose nine hours in four-and-twenty8 8#a4 ,it hurts the body4 ,whether you sleep or no1 7and1 indeed1 it commonly prevents sound sleep17 it1 as it were1 soddens and parboils the flesh1 and sows the seeds of numerous disorders2 of all nervous diseases in particular1 as weakness1 faintness1 lowness of spirits1 nervous headaches1 and consequent weakness of sight4 8#b4 ,it hurts the mind2 it weakens the understanding2 it blunts the imagination2 it weakens the memory2 it dulls all the nobler affections4 ,it takes off the edge of the soul1 impairs its vigour and firmness1 and infuses a wrong softness1 quite inconsistent with the character of a good soldier of ,jesus ,christ4 ,it grieves the ,holy ,spirit of ,god1 and prevents1 or1 at least1 lessens1 those blessed influences which tend to make you1 not almost1 but altogether1 a ,christian4 8,i advise you1 therefore1 from this day forward1 not trusting in yourself1 but in ,him that raiseth the dead1 to take exactly so much sleep as nature requires4 ,if you need between seven and eight hours1 then1 in the name of ,god1 begin this very night1 in spite of all temptation to the contrary4 ,lie down at ten o'clock1 and rise between five and six1 whether you sleep or no4 ,if your head aches in the day1 bear it4 ,in a week you will sleep sound4 ,if you can take this advice1 you may receive more from1 8,my dear ,sally1 yours most affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#djc ,the other letter was addressed to ,miss ,bishop1 who became a ,methodist about the year #agfg1 and who1 from that time1 had been one of ,wesley's correspondents4 ,many of his most spiritual letters were written to this ,christian lady1 who1 though poor1 was a gentlewoman4 ,for some years1 she had kept a school in ,bath or its neighbourhood2 but1 in #aggg1 had been seized with spitting of blood1 and had been thrown upon the kindness of her friends in ,bristol4#djd ,recently1 however1 she had commenced another school at ,keynsham1 which1 said ,wesley1 8is worthy to be called a ,christian school20#dje though1 it would seem1 some of the ,bristol people wished to make it more fashionable than ,wesley liked4 8,,near ,,leeds1 ,july #ag1 #agha4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,if ,i live to meet the society in ,bristol again1 ,i shall kill or cure the fault of those unwise and unkind parents1 who make their children finer than themselves4 ,i shall make their ears tingle4 ,as to you1 ,i advise you1 first1 to be a ,bible ,christian yourself1 inwardly and outwardly4 ,be not a hair's breadth more conformable to the fashions of the world than you were when ,i saw you last4 ,then1 train up your children in the selfsame way4 ,say to them1 with all mildness and firmness1 #8,be ye followers of me1 even as ,i am of ,christ4' ,whoever is pleased or displeased1 keep to this2 to ,christian1 primitive simplicity4 ,perhaps you will at first lose some scholars thereby2 but regard it not3 ,god will provide you more4 ,and be assured1 nothing shall be wanting that is in the power of1 8,my dear sister1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#djf ,two or three other letters may be given here4 ,the first is copied from the original now before us1 and1 we believe1 has not before been published4 8,,near ,,leeds1 ,july #be1 #agha4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,as long as you give yourself up to ,god without reserve1 you may be assured ,he will give you ,his blessing4 ,indeed1 you have already received a thousand blessings2 but the greatest of all is yet behind1--,christ in a sinless heart1 reigning the ,lord of every motion there4 ,it is good for you to hold fast what you have attained1 and to be continually aspiring after this4 ,and you will never find more life in your own soul than while you are earnestly exhorting others to go on to perfection4 ,many will blame you for doing it2 but regard not that4 ,go on1 through honour and dishonour4 ,this one thing ,i do1 is your motto2 ,i will save my own soul and them that hear me4 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 ,wesley had told his niece1 that1 if she took his advice with respect to sleep1 she might hear from him again4 ,it seems1 the advice was adopted2 hence the following letter1 written seven weeks after the former one4 8,,bristol1 ,september #d1 #agha4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sally1--,it is certain the ,author of our nature designed that we should not destroy1 but regulate1 our desire for knowledge4 ,what course you may take in order to this1 ,i will now briefly point out4 8#a4 ,you want to know ,god1 in order to enjoy ,him in time and eternity4 8#b4 ,all you want to know of ,him is contained in one book1 the ,bible4 ,and all that you learn is to be referred to this1 either directly or remotely4 8#c4 ,would it not be well1 then1 to spend1 at least1 an hour a day in reading and meditating on the ,bible8 reading1 every morning and evening1 a portion of the ,old and ,new ,testament1 with the ,explanatory ,notes8 8#d4 ,might you not read two or three hours in the morning1 and one or two in the afternoon8 ,when you are tired of severer studies1 you may relax your mind by history or poetry4 8#e4 ,the first thing you should understand a little of is grammar4 ,you may read first ,kingswood ,english ,grammar1 and then ,bishop ,lowth's ,introduction4 8#f4 ,you should acquire1 if you have not already1 some knowledge of arithmetic4 ,dilworth's ,arithmetic would suffice4 8#g4 ,for geography1 ,i think you need only read over ,randal's or ,guthrie's ,geographical ,grammar4 8#h4 ,watts' ,logic is not a very good one2 but ,i believe you cannot find a better4 8#i4 ,in natural philosophy1 you have all that you need to know in the #8,survey of the ,wisdom of ,god in ,creation4' ,but you may add the ,glasgow abridgment of ,mr4 ,hutchinson's works4 8#aj4 ,with any1 or all1 of the foregoing studies1 you may intermix that of history4 ,you may begin with ,rollin's ,ancient ,history2 and afterwards read1 in order1 the ,concise ,history of the ,church1 ,burnet's ,history of the ,reformation1 the ,concise ,history of ,england1 ,clarendon's ,history of the ,rebellion1 ,neal's ,history of the ,puritans1 his ,history of ,new ,england1 and ,robertson's ,history of ,america4 8#aa4 ,in metaphysics1 you may read ,locke's ,essay on the ,human ,understanding1 and ,malebranche's ,search after ,truth4 8#ab4 ,for poetry1 you may read ,spenser's ,fairy ,queen1 and select parts of ,shakspeare1 ,fairfax1 or ,hoole2 ,godfrey of ,bouillon1 ,paradise ,lost1 the ,night ,thoughts1 and ,young's ,moral and ,sacred ,poems4 8#ac4 ,you may begin and end with divinity2 in which ,i will only add1 to the books mentioned before1 ,bishop ,pearson on the ,creed1 and the ,christian ,library4 ,by this course of study1 you may gain all the knowledge which any reasonable ,christian needs4 ,but remember1 before all1 in all1 and above all1 your great point is1 to know the only true ,god1 and ,jesus ,christ whom ,he hath sent4 8,i am1 my dear ,sally1 your affectionate uncle1 8,,john ,,wesley40#djg ,though ,miss ,wesley was now in her twenty-first year1 and had yet to begin ,kingswood ,english ,grammar1 still1 assuming that henceforward she acted upon the advice of her venerable uncle1 it is not surprising1 that she ultimately became the well informed woman which her father's biographer says she was4 ,her brother ,charles was three years older than herself2 her brother ,samuel six years younger4 ,the brothers were musical prodigies2 their uncle took a deep interest in their welfare2 and wrote to ,charles1 on ,august #d1 and ,september #h1 #agha1 as follows4 8,,my ,,dear ,,charles1--,there is a debt of love1 which ,i should have paid before now2 but ,i must not delay it any longer4 ,i have long observed you with a curious eye2 not as a musician1 but as an immortal spirit1 that is come forth from ,god the ,father of spirits1 and is returning to ,him in a few moments4 ,but have you well considered this8 ,methinks1 if you had1 it would be ever uppermost in your thoughts4 ,for what trifles1 in comparison of this1 are all the shining baubles in the world6 ,god has favoured you with many advantages4 ,you have health1 strength1 and a thousand outward blessings4 ,and why should you not have all inward blessings1 which ,god hath purchased for those that love ,him8 ,you are good humoured1 mild1 and harmless2 but1 unless you are born again1 you cannot see the kingdom of ,god6 ,you are now1 as it were1 on the crisis of your fate2 just launching into life1 and ready to fix your choice1 whether you will have ,god or the world for your happiness4 ,you cannot avoid being very frequently among elegant men and women1 that are without ,god in the world2 but1 as your business1 rather than your choice1 calls you into the fire1 ,i trust that you will not be burnt2 seeing ,he1 whom you desire to serve1 is able to deliver you1 even out of the burning fiery furnace4 8,i am1 dear ,charles1 your very affectionate uncle1 8,,john ,,wesley40#djh ,charles ,wesley1 junior1 who had been already introduced to the court of ,george ,,iii41 lived to become the organist of ,george ,,iv41 and the musical preceptor of the long lamented ,princess ,charlotte4 ,he never married2 but resided1 first with his widowed mother1 and then with his sister ,sarah1--was a man of deep devotional feeling1 an attendant at ,methodist chapels1 a lover of ,methodist preachers1 and died1 in #ahcd1 humming ,handel's music1 and was buried in the same grave as his father and mother in ,marylebone churchyard4 ,poor ,samuel was seduced into the popish church before he arrived at the age of twenty2 and1 thereby1 brought the grey hairs of his father with sorrow to the grave4 ,he composed a high mass for the use of the chapel of ,pope ,pius ,,vi41 and received that pontiff's thanks4#dji ,like many others1 he found it an easy step from popery to infidelity1 and wrote3 8,in this life1 my only consolation is in the belief of fatalism1 which1 although a gloomy asylum1 is as bright as ,i can bear1 till convinced of that truth which a launch into the great gulf only can demonstrate40 ,he survived his brother ,charles and his sister ,sarah2 in his last days became a penitent2 died in #ahcg2 and was buried in the sepulchre of his parents4#daj ,the conference of #agha was a memorable gathering4 ,it was preceded1 on ,sunday1 ,august #e1 by a service in the parish church1 at ,leeds1 such as was probably never witnessed within its walls1 either before or since4 ,wesley preached2 eighteen clergymen1 inclusive of himself1 ,coke1 and ,fletcher1 were present2 and1 at the ,lord's supper1 there were about eleven hundred communicants1 the ordinance being administered by ,wesley and ten other ministers4#daa ,connexional affairs created anxiety4 ,thomas ,taylor1 in his manuscript diary1 remarks3 8,i feel much concern respecting several things2 but how to have them remedied ,i cannot tell4 ,many things are exceedingly wrong2 but whom to trust to attempt amendment ,i know not4 ,i sometimes think1 the whole head is sick1 and the whole heart faint40 ,wesley writes3 8,august #f--;,i desired ,mr4 ,fletcher1 ,dr4 ,coke1 and four more of our brethren1 to meet every evening1 that we might consult together on any difficulty that occurred4 ,on ,august #g1 our conference began1 at which were present about seventy preachers1 whom ,i had severally invited to come and assist me with their advice1 in carrying on the great work of ,god40 ,the burden of so many preachers being present was found to be greater than the ,leeds society could conveniently bear2 and it was agreed that every preacher should pay the expenses of his horse keep during the conference sittings4 ,there were more preachers' wives in the connexion than there were houses to lodge them1 or money to find them maintenance2 and it was resolved1 that no more married preachers should be admitted1 except in cases of necessity4#dab ,some of the preachers had printed1 both in verse and prose1 without ,wesley's consent or correction4 ,among others1 ,james ,kershaw had recently issued a quarto sized book1 of #acd pages1 entitled1 8,the ,methodist2 attempted in ,plain ,metre40 ,it was thought1 that these productions had brought a reproach upon the ,methodists1 and had hindered the spreading of more profitable books2 and it was determined that1 in future1 no preacher should print anything till it had been corrected by ,wesley1 and that the profits thereof should go into the common stock4 ,wesley's ,notes on the ,old ,testament had now been published sixteen years1 and yet the edition had not been sold4 ,to get rid of the remaining copies1 it was directed that they should be sold at half price4 ,a number of ,methodists at ,baildon1 in ,yorkshire1 had written to ,wesley1 stating that1 in accordance with his instructions1 they attended the services of their parish church2 but their minister preached what they considered to be 8dangerously false doctrine10 inasmuch as he publicly declared1 that men 8must not hope to be perfected in love1 on this side eternity02 and this had made them doubt whether they ought to hear him4 ,wesley laid their letter before the conference1 and1 as the difficulty applied to many others besides the ,methodists at ,baildon1 he invited a friendly and free discussion4 ,it was unanimously agreed3 7#a7 ,that it was highly expedient1 that all the ,methodists1 who had been bred therein1 should attend the service of the church as often as possible4 ,but that1 7#b7 ,if the minister began either to preach the absolute decrees1 or to rail at1 and ridicule ,christian perfection1 they should quietly go out of the church2 yet attend it again the next opportunity40 ,wesley adds3 8,i have1 since that time1 revolved this matter over and over in my mind2 and the more ,i consider it1 the more ,i am convinced1 this was the best answer that could be given4 ,only1 ,i must earnestly caution our friends not to be critical2 not to make a man an offender for a word2 no1 nor for a few sentences1 which any who believe the decrees may drop without design40#dac 8,it is a delicate and important point1 on which ,i cannot lay down any general rule4 ,all ,i can say1 at present1 is1 if it does not hurt you1 hear them2 if it does1 refrain4 ,be determined by your own conscience40#dad ,but this was not all that occurred1 on the ,church question1 at the conference of #agha4 ,one of the principal ,methodists1 in ,leeds1 was ,william ,hey1 now in the forty-fifth year of his age1 a medical man of great repute1 an intimate friend and correspondent of ,dr4 ,priestley1 and who had been a ,methodist for seven-and-twenty years4 ,mr4 ,hey intimated to ,wesley his desire to address the conference1 and to offer some suggestions and advice2 declaring1 at the same time1 that1 if his proposals were rejected1 he could no longer remain a member of the ,methodist society4 ,by ,wesley's permission he began to read a paper1 to the effect1 that ,dissenting ideas had been1 for many years1 gradually growing among the ,methodists4 ,in proof of this1 he held that the ,methodists preached in places already supplied with pious ministers2 that meetings in some instances were held in church hours2 that the intervals of church service were so filled up with public and private assemblies1 that there was no time for suitable refreshment1 nor opportunity for instructing families2 that many of the largest societies rarely went to church1 and some never carried their children there2 and that church ministers1 who formed societies for private instruction1 were looked upon with an envious eye4 ,such were the complaints which ,mr4 ,hey intended to lay before the conference2 but1 as he proceeded1 the marks of disapprobation were such that ,wesley interposed1 and said3 8,as there is much other business before us1 brother ,hey must defer reading the remainder of his paper to another time40 ,brother ,hey forthwith left the society2 a few months later he was elected alderman2 and1 more than once1 filled the office of chief magistrate in the town of ,leeds4 ,of his ability and piety there can be no question2 but ,wesley was not prepared to allow him to be the dictator of the ,methodists4#dae ,no sooner was the conference over than the venerable ,wesley again set out on his gospel wanderings4 ,he preached at ,sheffield1 and then1 taking coach with ,dr4 ,coke1 travelled day and night till he arrived in ,london4 ,two days were spent in the metropolis1 and then off he set1 on ,sunday night1 ,august #ai1 by coach to ,cornwall4 ,we need not follow him4 ,suffice it to say1 that1 in eight days1 he preached in ,cornwall1 at least1 thirteen sermons1 five of them in the open air1 and one in ,gwennap ,pit1 to a congregation computed at more than twenty thousand people4 ,on ,september #f1 he got back to ,bristol1 in the neighbourhood of which1 according to his custom1 he spent a month4 ,while here1 he wrote the following characteristic letter to ,mr4 ,elijah ,bush1 a young schoolmaster at ,midsomer ,norton1 who wished to marry a lady to whom his father and mother objected4 8,,coleford1 ,september #aa1 #agha4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i was much concerned yesterday1 when ,i heard you were likely to marry a woman against the consent of your parents4 ,i have never1 in an observation of fifty years1 known such a marriage attended with a blessing4 ,i know not how it should be1 since it is flatly contrary to the fifth commandment4 ,i told my own mother1 pressing me to marry1 #8,i dare not allow you a positive voice herein2 ,i dare not marry a person because you bid me4 ,but ,i must allow you a negative voice3 ,i will marry no person if you forbid4 ,i know it would be a sin against ,god4' ,take care what you do4 ,mr4 ,s4 is not a proper judge3 he hopes to separate you from the ,methodists2 and ,i expect1 if you take this step1 that will be the end4 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#daf ,mr4 ,bush acted upon ,wesley's advice2 became the leader of the ,midsomer ,norton society1 and a local preacher2 and died a faithful ,methodist in #ahde4dag ,there are other unhappy marriages besides those contrary to the fifth commandment4 ,wesley's was one4 ,for thirty years1 he paid a fearful penalty for his rash act in #agea2 but now his matrimonial misery ended4 ,leaving ,bristol on ,october #g1 and preaching on his way at ,devizes1 ,sarum1 ,winchester1 and in the ,isle of ,wight1 he arrived in ,london on ,october #ab1 and1 under the same date1 wrote in his journal3 8,i was informed my wife died on ,monday40 7,october #h47 8,this evening she was buried1 though ,i was not informed of it till a day or two after40 ,mourning for such a wife would have been hypocrisy4 ,three days after1 on ,october #ae1 the widower set out to visit his societies in ,oxfordshire4 ,on a similar errand1 he went off to ,norfolk4 ,on ,november #e1 he began meeting the ,london classes1 and says3 8,i found a considerable increase in the society4 ,this ,i impute chiefly to a small company of young persons1 who have kept a prayer-meeting at five every morning40 ,he then set out on his tours through ,northamptonshire1 ,huntingdonshire1 ,bedfordshire1 ,sussex1 and ,kent1 and concluded the year in ,london4 ,the war still raged2 ,english disasters were multiplied2 the ministry was tottering1 and soon after fell2 with which fall the conflict in ,america concluded4 ,it was at this period1 that a rumour gained credence1 that the administration intended to propose the embodying of the militia1 and their being exercised on ,sundays4 ,wesley was an ardent friend of the ministry of ,lord ,north2 and1 of course1 a staunch defender of the sanctity of the sabbath4 ,accordingly1 towards the close of #agha1 he addressed the following letter to a nobleman1 then high in office4 8,,my ,,lord1--,if ,i wrong your lordship1 ,i am sorry for it2 but ,i really believe your lordship fears ,god3 and ,i hope your lordship has no unfavourable opinion of the ,christian revelation4 ,this encourages me to trouble your lordship with a few lines1 which otherwise ,i should not take upon me to do4 8,above thirty years ago1 a motion was made in parliament for raising and embodying the militia1 and for exercising them1 to save time1 on ,sunday4 ,when the motion was like to pass1 an old gentleman stood up and said3 #8,mr4 ,speaker1 ,i have one objection to this3 ,i believe an old book1 called the ,bible1' ,the members looked at one another1 and the motion was dropped4 8,must not all others1 who believe the ,bible1 have the very same objection8 ,and from what ,i have seen1 ,i cannot but think1 these are still three fourths of the nation4 ,now1 setting religion out of the question1 is it expedient to give such a shock to so many millions of people at once8 ,and certainly it would shock them extremely2 it would wound them in a very tender part4 ,for would not they1 would not all ,england1 would not all ,europe1 consider this as a virtual repeal of the ,bible8 ,and would not all serious persons say1 #8,we have little religion in the land now2 but1 by this step1 we shall have less still4 ,for wherever this pretty show is to be seen1 the people will flock together2 and will lounge away so much time before and after it1 that the churches will be emptier than they are at present6' 8,my lord1 ,i am concerned for this on a double account4 ,first1 because ,i have personal obligations to your lordship1 and would fain1 even for this reason1 recommend your lordship to the love and esteem of all over whom ,i have any influence4 ,secondly1 because ,i now reverence your lordship for your office sake1 and believe it to be my bounden duty to do all1 that is in my little power1 to advance your lordship's influence and reputation4 8,will your lordship permit me to add a word in my old fashioned way8 ,i pray ,him1 that has all power in heaven and earth1 to prosper all your endeavours for the public good2 and am1 my lord1 your lordship's willing servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#dah ,for some reason1 no such bill was introduced into parliament4 ,a few months later1 ,lord ,north and his colleagues tendered to the king their resignation1 and peace negotiations were commenced4 ,before concluding the present year1 it only remains to notice ,wesley's publications in #agha4 #a4 8,an ,extract of a ,letter to the ,right ,honourable ,lord ,viscount ,h----e1 on his ,naval ,conduct in the ,american ,war40 #abmo1 #bg pages4 #b4 8,a ,concise ,ecclesiastical ,history1 from the ,birth of ,christ to the ,beginning of the present ,century4 ,in four volumes40 #abmo4 ,the proposals for printing this work by subscription are now before us2 from which it appears1 that the price of the four volumes1 to subscribers1 was ten shillings1 and that booksellers1 subscribing for six copies1 should have a seventh gratis4 ,the book1 in fact1 is ,wesley's abridgment of ,mosheim1 to which is added1 8,a ,short ,history of the ,people called ,methodists10 filling #aab printed pages1 and dated 8,london1 ,november #af1 #agha40 #c4 ,the ,arminian ,magazine4 #hvo1 #fhh pages4 ,in his preface1 ,wesley says3 8,i dare not fill up any publication of mine with bits and scraps1 to humour any one living4 ,it is true1 ,i am not fond of verbose writers1 neither of very long treatises4 ,i conceive1 the size of a book is not always the measure of the writer's understanding4 ,nay1 ,i believe1 if angels were to write books1 we should have very few folios4 ,but1 neither am ,i fond of tracts1 that begin and end before they have cleared up anything40 ,besides six original sermons1 the principal article1 in the magazine of #agha is ,wesley's own translation of ,castellio's ,dialogues on ,predestination4 ,there is a long and interesting account of ,kingswood school4 ,wesley writes3--8,i love the very sight of ,oxford2 but my prejudice in its favour is considerably abated3 ,i do not admire it as ,i once did2 and1 whether ,i did or not1 ,i am now constrained to make a virtue of necessity40 ,he then refers to the expulsion1 and exclusion of students1 because of their being ,methodists2 and continues3 8,i am much obliged to ,dr4 ,nowell and others1 for not holding me longer in suspense1 but dealing so frankly and openly4 ,and1 blessed be ,god6 ,i can do all the business1 which ,i have in hand1 without them4 ,honour or preferment ,i do not want1 any more than a feather in my cap2 and ,i trust1 most of those who are educated at our school are1 and will be1 of the same mind4 ,as to the knowledge of the tongues1 and of arts and sciences1 with whatever is termed academical learning1 if those who have a tolerable capacity for them do not advance more at ,kingswood in three years1 than the generality of students at ,oxford and ,cambridge do in seven1 ,i will bear the blame for ever40 ,he then meets the objection1 that young men could not have at ,kingswood the advantages they would have at the university1 from professors1 tutors1 public exercises1 and company4 ,he maintains1 that it would be no loss to the universities if all their professorships were abolished4 ,some of the tutors1 he admits1 were worthy of all honour1 but many were utterly unqualified for the work they had undertaken4 ,as to the public exercises1 he himself had never 8found them any other than useless interruptions of useful studies40 ,as to company1 he writes3 8,it is most true1 that the moment a young man sets his foot either in ,oxford or ,cambridge1 he is surrounded with company of all kinds1 except that which will do him good2 with loungers and triflers of every sort2 with men who no more concern themselves with learning than with religion4 ,company1 therefore1 is usually so far from being an advantage to those who enter at either university1 that it is the grand nuisance1 as well as disgrace1 of both2 the pit that swallows unwary youths by thousands4 ,i bless ,god6 we have no such choice of company at ,kingswood2 nor ever will1 till my head is laid4 ,there is no trifler1 no lounger1 no drone there2 much less any drunkard1 sabbath breaker1 or common swearer4 ,whoever accounts this a disadvantage may find a remedy at any college in ,oxford or ,cambridge40 ,,footnotes3 #chd ,methodist ,magazine1 #agha1 p4 #cjc4 #che ,methodist ,magazine1 #agha1 p4 #ebb4 #chf ,ibid4 p4 #fcf4 #chg ,ibid4 #aghb1 p4 #fi4 #chh ,original manuscript letter4 #chi ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #h4 #cij ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahea1 p4 #eef4 #cia ,ibid1 #ahfj1 p4 #cgi4 #cib ,manuscript4 #cic ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghb1 p4 #cca4 #cid ,manuscript4 #cie ,manuscript4 #cif ,manuscript4 #cig ,bradburn's ,memoirs1 p4 #dg4 #cih ,then at ,colne1 in the thirty-fourth year of his itinerancy4 #cii ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #ach4 #djj 8,history of ,methodism in ,grantham40 #dja ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #dge4 #djb ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley2 and ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbh1 p4 #gai4 #djc ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdd1 p4 #bhh4 #djd ,manuscript letter by ,miss ,march4 #dje ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 iv41 p4 #bjg4 #djf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahjg1 p4 #dga2 and ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #cf4 #djg ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdf1 p4 #deb4 #djh ,ibid4 #ahdd1 p4 #efb4 #dji ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #caf4 #daj ,wesley ,banner1 #ahea4 #daa ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbi1 p4 #ebh4 #dab ,the following letter was written to ,duncan ,wright1 assistant in ,yarm circuit1 a few months later4 8,,london1 ,november #bd1 #agha4 8,,dear ,,duncan1--,surely you and ,i may speak freely to each other2 for we love one another4 ,if ,george ,holder goes out1 either you must keep his mother1 or she must go to the workhouse4 ,you must not give an exhortation to the bands1 but encourage them to speak4 ,i would be much obliged to you if you would 7#a7 accept the key of the book room1 and immediately take the books into your own care2 7#b7 clip the wings of the local preachers1 stewards1 and leaders1 changing them as need requires2 7#c7 fix bands where they are wanting2 7#d7 if ,james ,bogie is willing to remain single1 let him travel2 7#e7 do not receive the blind man hastily1 let him be thoroughly tried first2 7#f7 be of good courage1 and conquer everything4 ,i am1 dear ,duncan1 etc41 ,,john ,,wesley40--7,watchman1 ,jan4 #h1 #ahfh47 #dac ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghb1 p4 #aec4 #dad ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #bcb4 #dae ,life of ,hey4 #daf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdh1 p4 #ajee4 #dag ,ibid4 #dah ,whitehead's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #djj4 #aghb4 ,age #gi ,as usual1 ,wesley spent the first two months of the new year in ,london4 ,the most notable occurrence1 during this period1 was the institution of a tract society1--the first that was ever formed4 ,the ,religious ,tract ,society was originated in #agii2 ,wesley's1 seventeen years previous to this4 ,we have before us an original document printed in #aghc1 entitled1 8,a ,plan of the ,society1 instituted in ,january1 #aghb1 to distribute ,religious ,tracts among the ,poor40 ,the rules are three4 8#a4 ,every member must subscribe half-a-guinea1 a guinea1 or more1 annually4 #b4 ,a proportionable quota of tracts shall be delivered yearly to each subscriber1 according to his subscription1 and1 as nearly as possible1 at prime cost1 and carriage paid4 #c4 ,every subscriber shall have a right to choose his own tracts1 if he please2 otherwise1 he will receive a proportionable variety of the whole40 ,after this follows a list of thirty tracts already printed1 all of them either written or published by ,wesley4 ,then there is subjoined the following3 8,an ,extract of the ,original ,proposals40 8,i cannot but earnestly recommend this to all those who desire to see true scriptural ,christianity spread throughout these nations4 ,men wholly unawakened will not take pains to read the ,bible4 ,they have no relish for it4 ,but a small tract may engage their attention for half-an-hour2 and may1 by the blessing of ,god1 prepare them for going forward4 8,,john ,,wesley4 8,,london1 ,january #be1 #aghb40 ,though ,wesley's tract society does not now exist1 in the form in which it was instituted in #aghb1 it is a fact worth noting1 that1 in #ahfg1 ,wesley's book room1 in ,city ,road1 sold not fewer than one million five hundred and seventy thousand tracts1 all printed and published by itself2#dai and that the number of its distinct and separate tract publications1 in #ahga1 is not less than #abej4 ,we have said1 the ,methodist ,tract ,society was the first that was ever formed4 ,it is true that1 in #afii1 8,the ,society for ,promoting ,christian ,knowledge0 was founded2 and1 in #agej1 8,the ,society for ,promoting ,religious ,knowledge among the ,poor02 but1 strictly speaking1 neither of these was a tract society4 ,in this respect1 as in others1 ,wesley was a pioneer4 ,as early as #agde1 he speaks of 8giving away some thousands of little tracts among the common people02 and long before #aghb1 had written1 and published1 besides a large number of separate and short sermons1 at least scores of penny publications4 ,and yet ,mr4 ,jones1 the corresponding secretary of the ,religious ,tract ,society1 in his jubilee volume of #gjj pages1 while professing to trace the origin of tract distribution1 entirely omits the name of ,wesley1 who saw the value and the power of a tract more than fifty years before the ,religious ,tract ,society had a name4 ,was this intentional8 ,we trust not4 ,on ,sunday1 the #crd of ,march1 ,wesley took coach for ,bristol1 where he spent the next fortnight4 ,he then started off on his long northern journey4 ,on his way1 he called at ,madeley1 where 8both ,mr4 and ,mrs4 ,fletcher complained1 that1 after all the pains they had taken1 they could not prevail on the people to join in society1 no1 nor even to meet in class40 ,what the vicar and his new wife 7,miss ,bosanquet7 failed to do1 ,wesley accomplished4 ,he preached two rousing sermons2 and 8then desired those1 who were willing to join together for ,christian fellowship1 to call upon him and ,mr4 ,fletcher after service4 ,ninety-four persons did so3 about as many men as women40 ,wesley adds3 8,we explained to them the nature of a ,christian society1 and they willingly joined therein40 ,wesley then proceeded to ,congleton1 where 8the ,calvinists were striving to make havoc of the flock02 and to ,macclesfield1 where he spent ,good ,friday and ,easter ,sunday4 ,on the former day1 he preached twice1 in the ,rev4 ,david ,simpson's church2 and1 with his assistance1 administered the sacrament to about thirteen hundred persons2 on the latter day1 he also preached twice in the same edifice2 again administered to eight hundred communicants2 and1 in the evening1 preached in the ,methodist chapel1 and held a lovefeast at which sixteen or eighteen persons professed to live in the enjoyment of the blessing of perfect love4 8,about forty10 says ,hester ,ann ,rogers1 in the unpublished portion of her diary1 8made a noble confession40 ,among these were herself1 ,george ,bradock1 ,joseph ,roe1 ,john ,booby1 ,t4 ,ridgway1 ,joseph ,norberry1 ,billy ,sharpley1 ,s4 ,bradshaw1 and ,john ,goostry2 the last of whom ,wesley ordered to stand on the form1 that the people might hear him4 8,mr4 ,wesley10 continues ,mrs4 ,rogers1 8kept the lovefeast two hours1 a thing which ,i never knew him do before2 but his soul was filled with thankfulness1 for so many witnesses of redeeming love and full salvation40 ,it would be tedious to mention all the places ,wesley visited4 ,suffice it to say1 that1 at ,ashton under ,lyne1 he preached in the new chapel1 which had the following inscription over the door3 8,can any good come out of ,nazareth8 ,come and see60 ,at ,oldham1 8a whole troop of boys and girls would not be contented till he shook each by the hand40 ,at ,st4 ,helen's1 he preached in the house of ,joseph ,harris1 who had removed from ,kingswood1 8to take care of the copper works40 ,at ,wigan1 he 8saw an uncommon sight1--the preaching house filled1 yea1 crowded40 ,at ,epworth1 there had been a marvellous revival4 ,at ,thorne1 fifty had found peace with ,god within two months4 ,at ,edinburgh1 he was the guest of ,lady ,maxwell1 and visited her school of forty poor children1 many of whom were without shoes2 but not a girl1 in rags1 was without her ruffles4 ,at ,kelso1 he fell1 head foremost1 down the stairs of ,dr4 ,douglas's house1 but mercifully escaped without serious injury4#dbj ,at ,york1 he entered into his eightieth year1 and wrote3 8,blessed be ,god6 my time is not labour and sorrow4 ,i find no more pain or bodily infirmities than at five-and-twenty4 ,this ,i still impute--7#a7 ,to the power of ,god1 fitting me for what ,he calls me to4 7#b7 ,to my still travelling four or five thousand miles a year4 7#c7 ,to my sleeping1 night or day1 whenever ,i want it4 7#d7 ,to my rising at a set hour4 7#e7 ,to my constant preaching1 particularly in the morning40 ,wesley reached ,london1 after an absence of more than four months1 on ,july #bj4 ,here he held his conference4 ,he writes3 8,friday1 ,august #b1 we observed as a day of fasting and prayer for a blessing on the ensuing conference2 and ,i believe ,god clothed ,his word with power in an uncommon manner throughout the week2 so that1 were it only on this account1 the preachers who came from all parts found their labour was not in vain40 ,among other questions debated at this conference1 was the sabbath4 ,methodists1 in some instances1 visited barbers' shops on ,sundays2 and1 in others1 practised military exercises1 as volunteers1 or were spectators of such exercises4 ,this led the conference to enact1 that no members of society should have their hair dressed on ,sundays2 and that1 as far as possible1 those barbers should be patronised who observed the sabbath's sanctity4 ,it was further determined1 that any ,methodist1 who practised military exercises on the sabbath1 as a volunteer1 should be expelled2 and that any one who1 after proper admonition1 continued a spectator of such sabbath drills should undergo the same penalty4 ,though not absolutely forbidden1 preachers were recommended not to powder their hair1 nor to wear artificial curls4 ,the weekly and quarterly contributions having been shamefully neglected in many of the societies1 the assistants and leaders were to remind the people of the original rule1 that 8every member contributes one penny weekly1 7unless he is in extreme poverty17 and one shilling quarterly40 ,wesley adds3 8,money lovers are the pest of every ,christian society4 ,they have been the main cause of destroying every revival of religion4 ,they will destroy us1 if we do not put them away4 ,a man not worth a shilling enters our society4 ,yet he freely gives a penny a week4 ,five years after1 he is worth scores of pounds2 he gives a penny a week still4 ,i must think this man covetous1 unless he assures me he bestows his charity some other way4 ,for every one is covetous1 whose beneficence does not increase in the same proportion as his substance40 ,the most troublesome subject of discussion was the case of the ,birstal chapel4 ,it was asked1 8,what can be done with regard to the preaching house at ,birstal80 ,answer4 8,if the trustees still refuse to settle it on the ,methodist plan3 #a4 ,let a plain statement of the case be drawn up4 #b4 ,let a collection be made throughout all ,england1 in order to purchase ground1 and to build another preaching house as near the present as may be40 ,this was an important matter1 on account of its involving one of ,methodism's fundamental principles1 namely1 that the conference alone shall have the power of appointing preachers to preach in ,methodist chapels4 ,this was the first time that the question was fairly raised4 ,it was seen1 that the issue1 either way1 would be most momentous4 ,it affected not ,birstal merely1 but the whole ,methodist connexion2 and not the present only1 but the future4 ,great excitement was created4 ,the controversy1 among other great results1 led to the drawing up and enrolment of ,methodism's ,magna ,charta1 ,wesley's deed of declaration1 in #aghd4 ,altogether1 this was one of the most important events in ,wesley's history2 and1 hence1 a detailed account of it will not be inappropriate4 ,the original chapel at ,birstal was erected1 under the auspices of ,john ,nelson1 about the year #agea4 ,by the deed of settlement1 the right of occupying the pulpit was given1 first1 to the two ,wesleys in succession1 and then to ,grimshaw of ,haworth2 but1 after the decease of these three ministers1 the trustees were to elect their own preachers monthly2 and all such preachers1 so long as they continued in this office1 were to preach in the chapel twice every ,sunday1 every ,christmas day1 ,new ,year's day1 and ,good ,friday1 and also every ,thursday night1 as had been1 up to #agea1 8usual and customary to be done40 ,such was the substance of the obnoxious clause2 which hitherto1 however1 had created no difficulty4 ,in #aghb1 it was found necessary1 either to enlarge the old chapel1 or to build a new one in its place4 ,contributions were given for this purpose2 but were not sufficient4 ,it was ascertained1 that the sum of #cej additional would be required1 and that eight of the intended trustees would have to advance the money4 ,to give them security1 a deed of transfer was prepared1 in which ,john and ,charles ,wesley1 for the considerations therein mentioned1 sold to certain specified trustees the old premises1 with the following agreements in reference to the enlarged1 or the new chapel1 which was to be provided to meet the growing necessities of the ,birstal ,methodists4 #a4 ,the trustees advancing the #cej were to have1 as their security1 8the rents and profits to arise from the hearers' pews and seats40 #b4 ,the new or enlarged chapel was to be occupied1 during their lifetime1 by ,john and ,charles ,wesley1 or by those whom they might from time to time appoint4 #c4 ,after their death1 the appointment of preachers1 to preach in the said chapel1 was to be made by the trustees1 and by 8such members of the ,methodist society as had been classleaders for three years1 within the circumjacent villages of ,birstal1 ,great ,gomersal1 ,little ,gomersal1 ,birkenshaw1 ,adwalton1 ,drighlington1 ,batley1 ,carlinghow1 and ,heckmondwike2 or by the major part of such trustees and classleaders40 ,provided always1 that the said preachers preach no other doctrine than is contained in ,mr4 ,wesley's ,notes upon the ,old and ,new ,testament2 that they preach in the said chapel twice every ,sunday1 and at least one evening every week2 and that they hold the said premises and exercise the function of a preacher only during the goodwill and pleasure of the major part of the aforesaid trustees and classleaders4 ,after this1 followed a number of provisoes in reference to pew rents1 etc4 7#a7 ,the rents were to be applied in keeping the premises in repair4 7#b7 ,in paying interest upon the debt of #cej1 at #e per cent4 per annum4 7#c7 ,in maintaining the preacher for the time being1 for which purpose1 however1 not more than #aj a year should be appropriated1 until after the whole of the #cej had been repaid2 when1 after deducting for repairs and lasting improvements1 the whole of the clear rents and profits arising from the pews and seats should be given 8for and towards the maintenance and support of the preachers or pastors for the time being of the said society at ,birstal40 ,it was further provided1 that the appointment and removal of chapel stewards should be vested in the preachers1 trustees1 and classleaders aforesaid1 or the major part of them1 notice of their meetings for such purpose1 however1 having to be publicly read to the congregation on three successive ,sunday evenings immediately preceding4 ,certain rooms also in a dwelling house1 on the premises1 were to be at the use of the stewards and leaders1 for the purpose of transacting business and meeting classes4 ,the above is an abstract of all the important points in the new trust deed of #aghb4 ,that deed had attached to it the following signatures4 ,john ,aspinall1 ,joseph ,bennett1 ,james ,blackburn1 ,john ,tempest1 ,jonathan ,brearley1 ,benjamin ,mallinson1 ,anthony ,williamson1 ,nathaniel ,harrison1 ,john ,white1 ,joseph ,nelson1 ,william ,booth1 ,john ,wesley1 ,joseph ,charlesworth1 ,charles ,gunson1 ,john ,armitage1 ,joseph ,lee1 ,thomas ,crowther1 ,william ,tempest1 ,isaac ,smith1 ,william ,chadwick4 ,wesley's signature was witnessed by ,thomas ,briscoe and ,alexander ,mather4 ,the deed was dated ,may #ad1 #aghb1 and was enrolled on the #aath of ,october following4 ,it may be added1 that1 of the above signers1 ,aspinall1 ,bennett1 ,blackburn1 ,tempest1 ,brierley1 ,williamson1 ,harrison1 ,white1 ,nelson1 and ,booth were old trustees2 ,mallinson1 ,charlesworth1 ,gunson1 ,armitage1 ,lee1 ,crowther1 ,w4 ,tempest1 ,smith1 and ,chadwick were the new trustees4 ,the deed of #aghb was widely different from that of #agea1 and1 as the vice chancellor ruled in #ahed1 so far as it purported to vary the trusts of the latter deed1 it was void and of no effect2#dba but it still contained the obnoxious clause1 giving power to other parties than ,wesley's conference1 to appoint the preachers4 ,wesley says1 in a letter to his brother1 dated ,may #bh1 #aghb3 8,the trustees brought to me the deed1 at ,daw ,green1 which they read over1 and desired me to sign4 ,we disputed upon it about an hour4 ,i then gave them a positive answer1 that ,i would not sign it2 and1 leaving them abruptly1 went up into my room4 ,at night1 a little before ,i went to bed1 they came again1 got round and worried me down4 ,but1 ,i think1 they cannot worry you4 ,may you not very properly write to ,mr4 ,valton8 #8,if the trustees will settle the ,birstal house on the ,methodist plan1 ,i will sign their deed with all my heart2 but1 if they build a house for a presbyterian meeting-house1 ,i will not1 dare not1 have anything to do with it4'0#dbb ,wesley committed a mistake2 but1 be it borne in mind1 that he was now an old man of nearly eighty1 and that ,alexander ,mather1 and ,thomas ,briscoe1 the superintendents of the ,leeds and ,birstal circuits1 were participators in his folly4 ,in an unpublished letter to ,samuel ,bradburn1 then stationed at ,bradford1 ,wesley wrote3 8,,london1 ,november #i1 #aghb4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,i abhor the thought of giving to twenty men the power to place or displace the preacher in their congregations4 ,how would he then dare to speak an unpleasing truth8 ,and1 if he did1 what would become of him8 ,this must never be the case1 while ,i live1 among the ,methodists4 ,and ,birstal is a leading case1 the first of an avowed violation of our plan4 ,therefore1 the point must be carried for the ,methodist preachers now or never2 and ,i alone can carry it1 which ,i will1 ,god being my helper4 ,you are not a match for the silver tongue1 nor brother ,hopper4 ,but do not1 to please any of your new friends forsake 8,your true old friend1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,charles ,wesley acted upon his brother's advice4 ,he entered into correspondence with the ,birstal reformers4 ,in answer to their objection1 that 8the present trustees could not legally transfer any of their power to the conference10 he asks3 8,then how can they transfer any of their power to the leaders80 ,he continues3 8,you add1--#8,as long as the conference appoints preachers with candid impartiality1 we doubt not their appointments will be acquiesced in by the trustees and classleaders4' ,but1 according to this deed1 the conference has no more business than the parliament to appoint preachers at all4 ,to touch on one more point4 ,from the beginning of ,methodism till now1 the assistants appointed the stewards in all societies2 but this deed gives the trustees and leaders this power2 which they think is #8necessary to ensure the repayment of the #cej to be advanced for the building4' ,necessary6 ,not at all4 ,how many thousand pounds1 advanced for buildings1 have been paid within these forty years1 though all the stewards in ,england1 ,scotland1 and ,ireland1 have been hitherto appointed by my brother or the assistants6 ,you conclude your letter with a very just observation3 #8the civil and religious rights of mankind have seldom been promoted by the assemblies of ecclesiastics of any denomination2 and they never will be1 unless they are composed of men devoted to ,god1 and dead to all the allurements of ease1 and avarice1 and ambition4' ,this is undoubtedly true2 and this1 we humbly hope1 is the real character of most 7at least7 of those persons that meet in our assemblies4 ,we hope1 likewise1 that #8their consultations will always be moderated by some wise and truly religious man'2 otherwise1 that ,god will sweep away the very name of ,methodist from the earth4 ,upon the whole1 ,i cannot1 ,i dare not sign that deed4 ,i can have nothing to do with it4 ,if the house should1 nevertheless1 be built1 and settled upon that plan1 ,i apprehend the consequence would be this3 #a4 ,no ,methodist preacher would ever preach in it4 ,if any did1 the whole body would disclaim him4 #b4 ,my brother would immediately set a subscription on foot for buying ground and building another house4 ,the trustees then might do what they pleased with theirs40#dbc ,this letter was written a week before the conference of #aghb was opened2 and was a reply to one written by ,james ,carr1 the trustees' attorney1 who1 soon afterwards1 addressed the following unpublished letter to ,mr4 ,charlesworth4 8,,my ,,good ,,friend1--,having an insuperable aversion to recite my own simple performances1 ,i here enclose a correct copy of my letter to ,mr4 ,charles ,wesley4 8,i know1 that you and the other framers of the present trust deed1 were actuated by the purest1 most equitable1 and disinterested motives2 and1 therefore1 in my address to ,mr4 ,wesley1 ,i held myself bound1 by every tie of justice1 to explain and enforce the grounds and reasons of your conduct1 with all the energy in my power4 ,i hope1 ,i have no immodest opinion of my poor abilities1 when ,i assert1 that the reasons1 by me alleged1 for modifying the deed1 in the manner described1 cannot be fairly answered or refuted1 by ,mr4 ,mather1 or ,mr4 ,c4 ,wesley4 ,ingenuity may perplex1 wit may ridicule1 sophistry may misinterpret1 or prejudice may dislike a deed framed contrary to received systems or opinions4 ,but when it is calmly considered1 that the poor1 beneficent founders of the preaching house had an undoubted right to settle it in what manner they thought meet2 that it would be impious1 as well as illegal1 to abrogate their constitution2 that you could only modify and improve it in a way consistent with their manifest intention2 that the honour of religion required you to make a legal and effectual provision for payment of a just debt2--when these things1 ,i say1 are calmly considered1 candour must admit1 every preacher of righteousness must acknowledge1 that the present trust deed is modelled with that rectitude and propriety1 which become ,christian men4 8,as nothing can discourage me when ,i am engaged in a righteous cause1 ,i mean to write again to ,mr4 ,charles ,wesley2 and1 therefore1 if ,i have omitted1 in my former address1 any topics or arguments which occur to you or friends1 ,i wish you would specify them in writing2 though ,i shall certainly now speak to him more in a professional style than in a religious one4 8,yours most sincerely1 8,,james ,,carr40 ,in the mean time1 the new chapel was built1 and ,dr4 ,coke took up the matter4 ,the following also is a letter now for the first time published4 ,it was addressed to ,mr4 ,charlesworth4 8,,bristol1 ,october #ah1 #aghb4 8,,sir1--,there is but one argument1 which you have used1 which appears to me to have any force in it against the many uncontrovertible arguments1 which ,i have urged on the other side4 ,it is this3 is it not unjust1 that the persons who have advanced money on the building1 which has been lately erected1 should lose that money1 when they advanced it upon the word of ,mr4 ,wesley1 and would not have advanced it on any other ground8 ,in answer to this1 ,i observe1 that1 as ,i am in this business the servant of the conference1 and have invested in me a discretionary power to act as ,i see occasion1 ,i will1 therefore1 remove this objection as far as justice1 equity1 and my trust1 will admit me to go4 ,for this purpose1 ,i promise and engage1 that the interest of the money1 which has been lent on the lately erected building1 shall be regularly paid1 either out of the profits of that building1 or out of the profits of the building which is to be erected1 or out of the profits of both of them together1 so long as the two ,messrs4 ,wesley live2 and1 after their decease1 as long as the lately erected building is at the disposal of the ,methodist conference1 and no longer4 ,provided1 that either of the chapels1 or both of them together1 produce an income sufficient to pay the aforesaid interest1 after paying for the necessary repairs1 and the #aj paid to the support of the preachers1 be deducted4 ,provided1 also1 that the debt itself which has been already incurred1 remain upon the lately erected edifice1 and upon that alone1--,i promise and engage1 that the aforesaid interest shall be paid to the creditors annually in preference to every other payment1 except the said necessary repairs1 and #aj towards the support of the preachers4 8,i am1 sir1 your humble servant in the gospel1 8,,thomas ,,coke40 ,shortly after1 ,dr4 ,coke published a #abmo tract of #ab pages1 entitled1 8,an ,address to the inhabitants of ,birstal1 and the adjacent villages40 ,he relates how the attorney of the trustees obtained ,wesley's signature to the deed4 ,he states1 that ,charles ,wesley had not signed1 and1 he believed1 never would4 ,the 8amazing deed0 had been discussed at the late conference1 and had created just alarm2 and he 7,dr4 ,coke7 had been delegated to carry into execution the minute that was passed2 but1 upon application to the trustees1 he had 8found the greatest part of them determined to hold fast their unlimited and most dangerous power40 ,he answers the objection1 8,would it not be equally dangerous to invest this power in the conference80 by saying1 8,no3 for the plan of settlement1 adopted by the conference1 ties them down to the principles of religion at present held by the ,methodists40 ,he relates1 that he had proposed to the trustees to submit the matter to the arbitration of the attorney general1 or some other eminent counsellor2 and had engaged that1 if the opinion thus obtained was the same as that of the trustees and ,mr4 ,carr1 8,birstal preaching house should be considered an exempt case1 and the trustees should be suffered quietly to retain all the power which they had at present02 with the understanding1 on the other hand1 that1 if the legal opinion of the arbitrator was1 8that the surviving trustees1 with the consent of the original proprietor1 and all the parties concerned1 could resettle the house on the ,methodist plan1 they would resettle it accordingly40 ,he had also added1 at another meeting1 that1 in such a case1 he would give a bond of five or six hundred pounds1 that the trustees1 who had advanced the #cej1 should not only have their interest1 but their principal paid them1 in instalments of #ej per annum2 and1 further1 that he would engage1 that all subscribers to the recently erected building1 8who signified their desire of having their money returned1 should have it returned to them within two years40 ,the trustees1 however1 8obstinately refused to comply with this40 ,coke continues3 8,afterwards1 another plan of reconciliation was proposed1 by one of themselves1 to which we all consented1 namely1 that all the trustees should bind themselves by a deed1 that if they1 or the major part of them1 should agree1 after the demise of the ,messrs4 ,wesley1 to choose an independent teacher1 they should be obliged to signify1 this their intention1 by three years' notice to the conference1 or to the moderator of the conference for the time being2 with a provision1 that1 if the preachers were ever to desist from meeting in regular conference1 as they did at present1 or to deviate from the grand ,methodist plan on which they at present act1 then the full power should immediately devolve upon the trustees1 and they might1 without any previous notice whatever1 choose an independent teacher40 ,such was the unanimous agreement4 ,a rough draft of the intended deed was made1 and 7horresco referens67 was brought1 by the attorney of the trustees1 to ,dr4 ,coke on the ,sunday following4 ,on reading it1 ,coke found a few words inserted1 which upset the whole4 ,it read3 8,if the said trustees and leaders1 or the major part of them1 shall at any time1 in their judgment1 think that the said conference deviates from the grand ,methodist plan1 then10 etc41 8thus constituting themselves judges in their own cause40 ,dr4 ,coke objected to this2 and they seemed willing to give it up2 but 8desired that another meeting might be held on the following ,sunday6 at which all the leaders might be present1 that their consent might also be procured40 ,the conference representative agreed to this2 ,sunday came2 and the trustees and leaders 8would not move a single step40 ,such had been the negotiations1 and such was the state of affairs1 when ,dr4 ,coke published his pamphlet in ,november1 #aghb4 ,he makes an appeal 8to the congregation1 and to the society10 and concludes with the following prayer3 8,o ,thou ,lover of concord and ,prince of peace1 keep these little ones under ,thy fostering wing4 ,preserve them from the silken tongued sycophant1 the sly deceiver1 who seeks his own1 and not the things of ,jesus ,christ4 ,hide them for a little moment in the chambers of ,thy love1 till this and every indignation be overpast4 ,keep them close to the bleeding side of ,jesus1 and close to the affectionate hearts of their faithful pastors for ever40 ,what more was done8 ,two months after this1 on ,january #c1 #aghc1 ,wesley issued a folio circular1 entitled1 8,the ,case of the ,birstal ,house40#dbd ,this all can read for themselves in ,wesley's collected works 7vol4 xiii41 p4 #bfj74 ,suffice it to say1 that the reasons assigned by ,wesley1 why neither the ,birstal1 nor any other ,methodist chapel1 should be settled according to the ,birstal deed1 were3 7#a7 ,it would put an end to itinerant preaching1 for when the trustees got a preacher whom they liked1 they would keep him4 7#b7 ,it would put a bridle in the preacher's mouth2 for how would he dare to speak the full and the whole truth1 when he was liable to lose his bread8 7#c7 8,the power of the trustees was greater than that of any nobleman2 yea1 or of the king himself4 ,where he is patron1 he can put in a preacher1 but he cannot put him out40 ,he concludes3 8,no ,methodist trustees1 if ,i can help it1 shall1 after my death1 any more than while ,i live1 have the power of placing and displacing the preachers40 ,so the thing went on4 ,a case was submitted to ,mr4 ,john ,maddocks1 barrister1 for his opinion1 as to the possibility of legally making such an alteration in trust deeds1 as was desired in the ,birstal case4 ,his opinion1 dated 8,lincoln's ,inn1 ,july #bd1 #aghc10 is before us1 and is to the effect1 that such an alteration might be made4 ,on the #eth of ,september following1 ,wesley met the nineteen trustees1 and offered to allow the same clause to be inserted in a new deed as was inserted in the deed of the chapel in ,city ,road1 namely1 8,in case the doctrine or practice of any preacher should1 in the opinion of the major part of the trustees1 be not conformable to ,mr4 ,wesley's ,sermons and ,notes on the ,new ,testament1 on representing this1 another preacher shall be sent within three months40 ,five of the trustees were willing to accept of this2 the rest refused4 ,in an unpublished letter1 written by ,dr4 ,coke1 and addressed to ,mr4 ,benson1 only ten days after this interview1 there are some other particulars given4 ,wesley first told the trustees1 he wished their chapel to be settled according to the ,methodist plan contained in the minutes of conference4 ,he then offered to allow the clause to be inserted which has just been mentioned2 adding1 8this was never allowed to any trustees before1 and never shall again while ,i live40 ,he further offered to relieve the trustees of their #cej debt1 promising to give #ajj himself1 and saying1 8,this ,i do1 because ,i love you1 and for old acquaintance sake40 ,and he further promised to make them a present of the piece of ground which ,dr4 ,coke had purchased for the site of another chapel4 ,the names of the five consenting trustees were1 ,nathaniel ,harrison1 ,anthony ,williamson1 ,john ,aspinall1 ,joseph ,bennett1 and ,james ,blackburn4#dbe ,the dissentient trustees took time to think4 ,on ,september #be1 #aghc1 ,christopher ,hopper wrote to one of them1 ,mr4 ,charlesworth1 in a somewhat ambiguous style1 as follows4 8,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,joseph1--,it gives me pleasure to hear that you were so well satisfied with ,mr4 ,wesley's temper and conduct2 and ,i am glad to hear you behaved so well4 ,solemn conference6 ,great expectations6 ,grand overture6 ,but alas6 no decision6 ,mortifying indeed6 ,i still wish we never had given you any trouble1 but patiently waited the event4 ,but1 if you are determined to stand your ground after this meeting1 ,i cannot tell what the consequence will be4 ,great grace be on you all6 8,c4 ,,hopper40#dbf ,reflection often brings wisdom4 ,on the #acth of ,january1 #aghd1 ,mr4 ,charlesworth wrote to ,wesley1 saying1 that his offer would now be accepted4 ,he says1 with a ,yorkshire keenness1 which smacks of avarice-- 8,we cannot but acknowledge your goodness in promising the land1 and the money towards paying our debt1 which will be two very convenient articles at this place1 as we are in great want of both4 8,i am1 reverend and dear sir1 for and on behalf of the trustees1 8,yours very affectionately1 8,,joseph ,,charlesworth40#dbg ,the result was1 a new deed was made1 giving the conference power to appoint preachers2 and this serious hubbub1 pro tem41 subsided4 ,we shall soon have to recur to the same subject2 and this apparently long and tedious digression may serve as an introduction to what will have to be said hereafter4 ,the controversy was the first battle fought for restricting1 or rather for setting aside1 an ecclesiastical power1 which has grown to be the greatest exercised by any church throughout the whole of the ,christian world2 and perhaps1 on this ground1 the writer will be pardoned for trespassing on the reader's patience2 and especially as many of the incidents are now for the first time published4#dbh ,we return to ,wesley4 ,of course1 the dispute at ,birstal led to much unpleasantness2 but ,wesley was firm in maintaining discipline4 ,hence the following1 addressed to ,mr4 ,valton1 then one of the ,birstal preachers4 8,june #ah1 #aghb4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i cannot allow ,j---- ,s---- to be any longer a leader2 and1 if he will lead the class1 whether ,i will or no1 ,i require you to put him out of our society4 ,if twenty of his class will leave the society too1 they must4 ,the first loss is the best4 ,better forty members should be lost1 than our discipline be lost4 ,they are no ,methodists1 that will bear no restraints4 ,explain this at large to the society4 8,i am1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#dbi ,wesley's clerical friends were now regularly and constantly increasing4 ,he had1 to some extent1 outlived their brotherly persecution4 ,they began to appreciate his motives and his services2 and1 so far from hooting and hissing him1 began to greet him1 to court his company1 and to ask his counsel4 ,among others of this description may be mentioned the ,rev4 ,thomas ,davenport1 who was now in his sixtieth year1 but had only recently found peace with ,god1 and that principally through ,wesley's help4#dcj ,wesley wrote to him as follows4 8,,bristol1 ,august #ad1 #aghb4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,it would have given me a good deal of satisfaction to have had a little conversation with you4 ,but ,i do not stay long in one place4 ,i have no resting place on earth3 #8,a poor wayfaring man1 ,i dwell in tents below1 ,or gladly wander to and fro1 ,till ,i my ,canaan gain4' 8,you would have been very welcome at our conference4 ,mr4 ,pugh and ,mr4 ,dodwell#dca were present at it2 and1 ,i believe1 are more determined than ever to spend their whole strength in saving their own souls1 and them that hear them4 8,i believe1 that one of our preachers1 who are stationed in the ,leicester circuit1 will call upon you at ,alexton2 and ,i make no doubt but some of the seed which you have been long sowing will then grow up4 ,no one should wish or pray for persecution4 ,on the contrary1 we are to avoid it1 to the uttermost of our power4 #8,when they persecute you in one city1 flee unto another4' ,yet1 when it does come1 notwithstanding all our care to avoid it1 ,god will extract good out of evil4 8,to-morrow ,i am to set out for ,cornwall4 ,in about three weeks1 ,i expect to be here again4 ,in the beginning of ,october1 ,i generally move towards ,london2 in the neighbourhood of which ,i usually spend the winter4 8,i am1 dear sir1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#dcb ,the day after this letter was written1 ,wesley set out westwards4 ,on reaching ,exeter1 where his old antagonist1 ,bishop ,lavington1 once resided1 he met with a most friendly welcome2 and1 by invitation1 dined on the ,sunday1 with the bishop1 in his palace1 five other clergymen and four of the aldermen of ,exeter being present besides himself4 ,arriving at ,plymouth1 ,wesley preached in the ,square1 and1 while doing so1 a regiment of soldiers1 with military music1 marched into it4 ,no sooner1 however1 did the commanding officer perceive the preacher1 than he stopped the music1 and drew up his men to listen4 8,they were all still as night20 says ,wesley1 8nor did any of them stir1 till ,i had pronounced the blessing40 ,in ,cornwall1 he found an old clerical friend at the point of death1 the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,thompson1 rector of ,st4 ,gennis4 ,it was now thirty-seven years since ,wesley first preached in ,mr4 ,thompson's church1 and1 throughout the whole of that period1 they had been faithful friends4 ,the dying rector wished once more to see his old acquaintance4 ,wesley1 borrowing the best horse he could find1 and riding as fast as he was able1 says3 8,i found ,mr4 ,thompson just alive1 but quite sensible4 ,he had many doubts concerning his final state1 and rather feared1 than desired1 to die2 so that my whole business was to comfort him1 and to increase and confirm his confidence in ,god4 ,he desired me to administer the ,lord's supper1 which ,i willingly did2 and ,i left him much happier than ,i found him1 calmly waiting till his change should come40 ,while riding to see his friend1 ,mr4 ,thompson1 ,wesley was accosted by an old acquaintance of another sort4 ,he writes3 8,on the way1 ,i met with a white headed old man1 who caught me by the hand1 and said1 #8,sir1 do you not know me8' ,i answered1 #8,no4' ,he said1 #8,my father1 my father6 ,i am poor ,john ,trembath4' ,i desired him to speak to me in the evening at ,launceston2 which he did4 ,he was1 for some time1 reduced to extreme poverty1 so as to hedge and ditch for bread2 but1 in his distress1 he cried unto ,god1 who sent him an answer of peace4 ,he1 likewise1 enabled him to cure a gentleman that was desperately ill1 and afterwards several others2 so that he grew into reputation1 and gained a competent livelihood4 #8,and now1' said he1 #8,i want for nothing3 ,i am happier than ever ,i was in my life4'0 ,who was ,john ,trembath8 ,one of ,wesley's first itinerants1 who commenced his ministry in #agdc1 and1 for several years1 laboured with diligence under ,wesley's direction1#dcc--;a man of great eloquence and zeal1#dcd--;a burning and shining light1 and a workman who1 at one time1 according to ,wesley1 had no need to be ashamed1#dce--;a preacher not deep1 and yet so popular as to be almost idolised by the people2#dcf but who1 alas6 for the last twenty years1 had sunk into an extreme of sin1 and shame1 and misery4 ,naturally vain1 the applauses of the people spoiled him4 ,he became bouncing1 and boastful1 and not always truthful4 ,he married1 gave up reading1 turned to farming1 and kept company with men who had just wit enough to 8talk of bullocks10 and to 8smoke1 drink1 and flatter him40 ,he became a sportsman1 and was suspected of smuggling4#dcg ,his career was almost a romance4 ,but now1 to use ,wesley's language1 8,john ,trembath was alive again40#dch ,a month after the strange interview above related1 ,trembath wrote to ,wesley3 8,though ,god has forgiven me1 yet ,i cannot forgive myself for the precious time ,i have wasted1 the years ,i have lost1 and the glorious harvest ,i have neglected40#dci ,poor ,trembath died of paralysis1 at ,cork1 about the year #agic4ddj ,such were the old friends whom ,wesley met in ,cornwall4 ,getting back to ,bristol1 on ,september #f1 he found a new one1 young1 but warm hearted1 honest1 and faithful4 ,adam ,clarke1 just emerging out of his teens1 had arrived from ,ireland4 ,he had travelled from ,birmingham to ,bristol upon a penny loaf and a halfpennyworth of apples2 and had just three halfpence left when he got to ,kingswood school4 ,he met with a reception from ,simpson1 the head master1 as frigid as cold heartedness could make it4 ,simpson's stupid1 imperious wife made bad things worse1 by suspecting that the young ,irishman might be afflicted with the itch1 and by making him rub himself from head to foot with ,jackson's ointment4 ,this 8infernal unguent10 as ,adam calls it1 made him smell worse than a polecat4 ,his only sustenance was bread and milk2 and not enough of that4 ,for more than three weeks1 no one performed any kind act for him4 ,as for ,mrs4 ,simpson1 he feared her as he feared the devil4 ,at length1 ,wesley arrived from ,cornwall2 ,clarke was introduced2 ,wesley laid his hands upon his head1 and spent a few minutes in beseeching ,god to bless him2 and then gave him his commission to proceed to ,wiltshire as a ,methodist preacher4 ,fifty years after this1 ,adam ,clarke died in ,london1--an old itinerant preacher1 without a spot on the fair escutcheon of his character1--one of the most extensively learned scholars of the age1--a voluminous author1--the friend of philosophers and princes1--and a man intensely beloved by nearly all who knew him4 ,wesley left ,bristol for ,london on ,october #g1 and1 on his way1 preached at ,newport in the ,isle of ,wight4 ,he writes3 8,this place seems now ripe for the gospel1 opposition is at an end40 ,at1 ,newport the first ,methodist preaching place was a room in ,node ,hill2 and the opposition1 referred to by ,wesley1 consisted of the beating of drums1 tin kettles1 and bells2 the throwing of rotten eggs1 sticks1 and stones2 sparrows let loose in the room for the purpose of putting out the lights2 and covering the chimney top and fastening the door1 in order to stifle the imprisoned worshippers4 ,it was at ,newport1 that ,robert ,wallbridge heard ,wesley preach2 was converted2 became a ,methodist2 and a ,methodist local preacher4 ,elizabeth ,wallbridge1 his sister1 was now a light haired1 ruddy faced1 and merry hearted girl1 of twelve years old4 ,of scholastic learning she had but a slender share2 and had to earn her bread as a household servant4 ,she had a high flow of spirits1 vanity1 and ready wit1 and was inordinately fond of dress4 ,elizabeth was converted under the ministry of ,james ,crabb1 a ,methodist preacher1 became a ,methodist herself1 and continued such to the end of life4 ,her father joined the church presided over by the ,rev4 ,daniel ,tyerman1 who published an account of him1 in a well written tract1 a short time before he set sail on his mission to the ,south ,sea islands4 ,elizabeth's brother ,robert1 for more than forty years1 was a ,methodist local preacher1 and died at ,newport in #ahcg4 ,elizabeth herself died1 at the age of thirty-one1 in the year #ahja2 the ,rev4 ,legh ,richmond visited her in her last moments2 and afterwards wrote her life1 with the title of 8,the ,dairyman's ,daughter10 omitting to state1 however1 that his heroine was a ,methodist4 ,millions of copies of that publication have been circulated2 it has been translated into1 at least1 thirty languages2 and1 thirty years ago1 it had been the means of the conversion of three hundred and fifty persons4#dda ,wesley reached ,london on ,october #aa4 ,here1 and in eight or nine of the southern counties of ,england1 he spent1 according to his custom1 the remainder of the year4 ,his publications1 in #aghb1 were few in number4 #a4 ,an ,extract from his ,journal1 from ,january #a1 #aggf1 to ,august #e1 #aggi4 #abmo1 #aab pages4 #b4 8,alleine's ,alarm to the ,unconverted40 #abmo1 #ajg pages4 #c4 8,an ,estimate of the ,manners of the present ,times40 #abmo1 #bc pages4 ,this was an exceedingly characteristic piece4 ,with terrible severity1 he lashes the vices of the age2 the slothfulness of people of fashion2 the increase of luxury1 both in meat1 drink1 dress1 and furniture2 and lewdness of every kind4 ,he writes3 8,a total ignorance of ,god is almost universal among us4 ,the exceptions are exceeding few1 whether among the learned or unlearned4 ,high and low1 cobblers1 tinkers1 hackney coachmen1 men and maid servants1 soldiers1 sailors1 tradesmen of all ranks1 lawyers1 physicians1 gentlemen1 lords1 are as ignorant of the ,creator of the world as ,mahommedans or pagans40 #d4 ,the ,arminian ,magazine4 #hvo1 #fhj pages4 ,here we have an engraving of the new chapel in ,city ,road1 with portraits of ,george ,story1 etc4 ,about forty pages are filled with a continuation of ,wesley's translation of the ,dialogues of ,castellio on ,election and ,free ,will4 ,there are long extracts from ,wesley's 8,survey of the ,wisdom of ,god in ,creation02 and from ,dr4 ,watts's ,treatise on the ,passions4 ,remarks upon ,locke's ,essay on the ,human ,understanding make a part of every number4 ,memoirs and happy deaths are more numerous than ever4 ,there are sixty letters1 and as many poems4 ,there are six original sermons by ,wesley himself4 ,one1 on 8,redeeming the ,time10 is a vigorous enforcement of the principles propounded in his letter to his niece in #agha4ddb ,another is a remarkable homily on 8,dust thou art1 and unto dust shalt thou return02 and another1 equally striking1 is on ,god's six days' work4 ,then there is his magnificent sermon on1 8,not as the transgression1 so is the free gift40 ,and1 lastly1 there is his terrific discourse on the ,punishments of ,hell4 ,if the ,arminian ,magazine had done nothing more than give birth to sermons like these1 it would have rendered incalculable service to the cause of ,christ4 ,in addition to the above1 the magazine contains several original articles1 by ,wesley's pen1 of great interest and importance4 ,in one1 on ,persecuting ,papists1 he says3 8,i set out in early life with an utter abhorrence of persecution in every form1 and a full conviction1 that every man has a right to worship ,god1 according to his own conscience4 ,i would not hurt a hair of the head of ,romanists4 ,meantime1 ,i would not put it into their power to hurt me1 or any other persons whom they believe to be heretics4 ,i would neither kill1 nor be killed4 ,i wish them well2 but ,i dare not trust them40 ,in another article there is an onslaught on the 8,divinity and ,philosophy of the highly illuminated ,jacob ,behmen02 concluding thus3 8,may we not pronounce1 with the utmost certainty1 of one who thus distorts1 mangles1 and murders the word of ,god1 ,that the light which is in him is darkness2 that he is illuminated from beneath1 rather than from above2 and that he ought to be styled ,demonosopher1 rather than ,theosopher80 ,this was savage2 and ,wesley's old friend1 ,mr4 ,harry ,brooke1 of ,dublin1 wrote him a letter of earnest remonstrance2 to which ,wesley replied as follows4 8,april #ba1 #aghc4 8,,dear ,,harry1--,your letter gave me pleasure and pain4 ,it gave me pleasure1 because it was written in a mild and loving spirit2 but it gave me pain1 because ,i found ,i had pained you1 whom ,i so tenderly love and esteem4 ,but ,i shall do it no more4 ,i sincerely thank you for your kind reproof4 ,it is a precious balm1 and will1 ,i trust1 in the hands of the ,great ,physician1 be the means of healing my sickness4 ,i am so sensible of your real friendship herein1 that ,i cannot write without tears4 ,the words you mention were too strong4 ,they will no more fall from my mouth4 8,i am1 dear ,harry1 affectionately yours1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ddc ,this may serve as an erratum1 belonging to the ,arminian ,magazine of #aghb4 ,,footnotes3 #dai ,methodist ,recorder1 ,aug4 #af1 #ahfg4 #dbj ,it was doubtless at this time that he had a youthful hearer1 who afterwards became the renowned ,sir ,walter ,scott4 ,in a letter to ,southey1 dated ,abbotsford1 ,april #d1 #ahai1 ,scott writes3 8,when ,i was about twelve years old1 ,i heard ,wesley preach more than once1 standing on a chair1 in ,kelso churchyard4 ,he was a most venerable figure1 but his sermons were vastly too colloquial for the taste of ,saunders4 ,he told many excellent stories4 ,one ,i remember1 which he said had happened to him at ,edinburgh4 #8,a drunken dragoon1' said ,wesley1 #8was commencing an assertion in military fashion1 ,g----d eternally d----n me1 just as ,i was passing4 ,i touched the poor man on the shoulder1 and when he turned round fiercely1 said calmly1 ,you mean1 ,god bless you4' ,in the mode of telling the story1 he failed not to make us sensible how much this patriarchal appearance1 and mild yet bold rebuke1 overawed the soldier1 who touched his hat1 thanked him1 and1 ,i think1 came to chapel that evening40--78,memoirs of ,sir ,walter ,scott10 by ,j4 ,g4 ,lockhart1 ,esq47 #dba ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahed1 p4 #ahd4 #dbb ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #ach4 #dbc ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #adj4 #dbd ,the copy before us is addressed 8,to ,mr4 ,thompson1 at the ,methodist chapel1 ,hull10 and is signed by ,wesley in his own handwriting4 #dbe ,coke's manuscript letter4 #dbf ,manuscript letter4 #dbg ,ibid4 #dbh ,for the manuscripts that have been used1 ,i am indebted to the kindness of ,mr4 ,clapham1 of ,birstal4 #dbi ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbd1 p4 #cjg4 #dcj ,ibid4 #agij1 pp4 #ajf1 #afc4 #dca ,both clergymen4 #dcb ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #dge4 #dcc ,myles's ,history4 #dcd ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbf1 p4 #gid4 #dce ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #cji4 #dcf ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghb1 p4 #dfh4 #dcg ,ibid4 #agih1 p4 #dib2 and #aghj1 p4 #ddh4 #dch ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #ac4 #dci ,methodist ,magazine1 #agij1 p4 #eeg4 #ddj ,everett's 8,methodism in ,sheffield40 #dda ,dyson's 8,history of ,methodism in the ,isle of ,wight40 #ddb ,in #aghc1 this sermon was reprinted1 in a separate form1 without ,wesley's knowledge1 by a gentleman of ,cambridge1 in #abmo4 #ddc ,walton's 8,memorial of ,w4 ,law10 p4 #ia2 and ,brooke's ,life1 p4 #aid4 #aghc4 ,age #hj ,one of the first entries in ,wesley's journal1 in #aghc1 is the following4 8,friday1 ,january #aj--;,i paid one more visit to ,mr4 ,perronet1 now in his ninetieth year4 ,i do not know so venerable a man4 ,his understanding is little1 if at all1 impaired2 and his heart seems to be all love4 ,a little longer1 ,i hope1 he will remain here1 to be a blessing to all that see and hear him40 ,this is beautiful1 after an unbroken friendship of about forty years4 ,another entry1 equally deserving of being noted1 was as follows3 8,sunday1 ,january #ai--;,i preached in ,st4 ,thomas's church in the afternoon1 and at ,st4 ,swithin's in the evening4 ,the tide is now turned2 so that ,i have more invitations to preach in churches than ,i can accept of40 ,what a contrast between #aghc and #agci6 ,wesley was an unendowed clergyman2 but was not unsupported4 ,the funds1 raised for his purposes1 were large2 but his own appropriation from them1 not equal to the poor parson's1 who was 8passing rich on #dj a year40 ,in reference to the ,london annual audit1 he writes3 8,friday1 ,february #ba--;,at our yearly meeting for that purpose1 we examined our yearly accounts1 and found the money received1 7just answering the expense17 was upwards of #cjjj a year4 ,but that is nothing to me3 what ,i receive of it1 yearly1 is neither more nor less than #cj40 ,wesley was an old man2 but he was still an outdoor preacher3 for five-and-forty years he had been branded as a schismatic and a ,dissenter2 but he was still an ardent ,churchman4 ,hence the following1 addressed to ,joseph ,taylor1 one of his itinerant preachers4 8,,london1 ,january #af1 #aghc4 8,,dear ,,joseph1--,i am glad to hear so good an account of ,marazion4 ,you must endeavour to hire a larger room at ,truro4 ,we shall not build any more in haste4 ,i often preach abroad1 in winter as well as summer4 8,in my journals1 in the magazine1 in every possible way1 ,i have advised the ,methodists to keep to the ,church4 ,they that do this most prosper best in their souls2 ,i have observed it long4 ,if ever the ,methodists in general were to leave the ,church1 ,i must leave them4 8,i am1 dear ,joseph1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ddd ,an extract from another letter may be inserted here1 showing that1 rightly or wrongly1 the ,methodist preachers of the present day have departed from one of the principles of their founder4 ,ministerial classes are now almost general4 ,hear what ,wesley had to say1 on this subject1 to ,john ,cricket1 then stationed1 with ,henry ,moore1 at ,londonderry4 8,,london1 ,february #aj1 #aghc4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,you must immediately resume the form at least of a ,methodist society4 ,i positively forbid you1 or any preacher1 to be a leader2 rather put the most insignificant person in each class to be the leader of it4 ,and try if you cannot persuade three men1 if no more1 and three women1 to meet in band4 8,hope to the end6 ,you shall see better days6 ,the plainer you speak1 the more good you will do4 ,derry will bear plain dealing4 ,i am just as well as ,i was forty years ago4 8,i am1 yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#dde ,the hale old man soon found himself in a different plight4 ,on ,march #b1 he set off for ,bristol1 in the neighbourhood of which he spent the next twelve days1 preaching and meeting classes4 ,he then became seriously unwell2 but1 for two days longer1 continued preaching1 when he was obliged to take his bed4 ,he had a deep tearing cough2 was weak and heavy1 and in a fever4 ,he had fixed the next morning for commencing his journey to ,ireland1 and had sent notice to ,stroud1 and various other places1 of the days wherein he purposed to visit them4 ,fortunately1 the ,rev4 ,brian ,collins was at hand1 and undertook to supply his appointments as far as ,worcester4 ,accordingly1 ,mr4 ,collins1 in the morning of ,march #ag1 set out to preach at ,stroud2 but ,wesley1 finding himself better1 in the afternoon1 imprudently set out after him1 and actually gave a short exhortation to the ,stroud society4 ,for the next three days1 he was dangerously ill4 ,the whole nervous system was violently agitated4 ,his cough was most distressing4 ,he was seized with cramp4 ,he was bereft of strength1 8scarce able to move1 and much less to think40 ,before leaving ,bristol1 he wrote the following unpublished letter to ,miss ,hester ,ann ,roe1 afterwards ,mrs4 ,rogers4 8,,bristol1 ,march #af1 #aghc4 8,,my ,,dear ,,hetty1--,it has frequently been on my mind of late1 that my pilgrimage is nearly at an end2 and one of our sisters here told us this morning a particular dream which she had two months ago4 ,she dreamt1 that the time of conference was come1 and that she was in a church expecting me to enter2 when she saw a coffin brought in1 followed by ,dr4 ,coke and ,mr4 ,fletcher1 and then by all our preachers walking two and two4 ,a fortnight ago1 she dreamt the same dream again4 ,such a burying ,i have ordered in my will1 absolutely forbidding either hearse or coach4 8,i intended to have written a good deal more4 ,for a few days1 ,i have had just such a fever as ,i had in ,ireland a few years ago4 ,but all is well4 ,i am in no pain2 but the wheel of life seems scarcely able to move4 ,yet1 ,i made a shift to preach this morning to a crowded audience1 and hope to say something to them this afternoon4 ,i love that word1 #8,and ,ishmael died in the presence of all his brethren4' 8,i am1 in life or death1 my dear sister1 yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ddf ,what was the result8 ,the news of ,wesley's being dangerously ill flew far and wide4 ,a number of the preachers met together to pray for a further prolongation of his life2 and1 from that time1 he rapidly recovered4#ddg ,for three days he lay at ,stroud1 in great danger4 ,on the morning of the fourth day1 he wrote3 8,a violent fit of the cramp carried the fever quite away2 and1 perceiving this1 ,i took chaise without delay1 and reached ,worcester in the afternoon4 ,here ,i overtook ,mr4 ,collins1 who had supplied all my appointments1 with a remarkable blessing to the people2 and1 the next morning1 ,i gave a short exhortation1 and then went on to ,birmingham40 ,at ,birmingham1 he was electrified1 and 8ventured to preach three quarters of an hour40 ,he then made his way to ,hinckley1 where1 for three days1 he preached morning and evening1 8to a serious and well behaved people40 ,he then visited other societies on his way to ,holyhead1 and reached ,dublin on ,april #ac4 ,for three weeks1 he was the guest of ,mr4 ,henry ,brooke1 and was employed in healing serious divisions in the ,dublin society4#ddh ,four days were spent in holding a conference with his ,irish preachers1 at which1 he says1 8all was peace and love40 8,i wish10 he writes1 8all our ,english preachers were of the same spirit with the ,irish1 among whom is no jarring string4 ,i never saw such simplicity and teachableness run through a body of preachers before40#ddi ,this was a high compliment paid to ,thomas ,rutherford1 ,andrew ,blair1 ,zechariah ,yewdall1 ,richard ,boardman1 ,thomas ,barber1 ,henry ,moore1 ,john ,cricket1 ,john ,crook1 and their twenty-six colleagues in ,christian enterprise and labour4 ,wesley embarked for ,england on the #hth of ,may1 and1 after preaching at ,warrington1 ,liverpool1 ,wigan1 ,bolton1 and other places1 reached ,manchester nine days afterwards4 ,here he had an enormous sacramental service1 at which thirteen or fourteen hundred communicants were present3 8such a sight10 says he1 8as1 ,i believe1 was never seen in ,manchester before40 8,i believe10 he adds1 8there is no place but ,london where we have so many souls so deeply devoted to ,god40 ,leaving ,manchester1 he proceeded to ,macclesfield1 where a week never passed 8in which some were not justified1 and some renewed in love40 ,he preached1 for the first time1 at ,buxton1 where ,john ,knowles and his wife were almost the only ,methodists1 and frequently rode on horseback to ,stockport1 a distance of sixteen miles1 to hear the ,methodist preachers4#dej ,here he married a couple of his friends1 and preached in the parish church4 ,he arrived in ,london on ,may #ca4 ,on ,june #aa1 accompanied by ,messrs4 ,brackenbury1 ,broadbent1 and ,whitfield1 he set out for ,holland4 ,for more than forty years1 ,wesley had been incessantly at work forming ,methodist societies4 ,up to the present1 he had never indulged in the luxury of a ministerial holiday2 and we are not sure1 that his trip to ,holland should be regarded in such a light as that4 ,still1 there was a difference between this journey and others4 ,in other instances1 his object was to institute ,methodist societies1 or to strengthen those already formed2 in this instance1 that was no part of the object at which he aimed4 ,he went1 says ,mr4 ,moore1 8partly for relaxation1 and partly to indulge and enlarge his catholic spirit1 by forming an acquaintance with the truly pious in foreign nations40 ,the fact is1 one of his own local preachers1 whom he highly esteemed1 ,mr4 ,william ,ferguson1 had removed to ,holland1 and1 by his earnest piety1 had attracted the attention of the public generally1 including many of the principal inhabitants and persons in authority4 ,he spoke much of ,wesley and of the ,methodists1 and distributed ,wesley's sermons among his friends4 ,the result was a general wish to see the veteran evangelist1 and to hear him for themselves4 ,one difficulty1 however1 was in the way4 ,wesley was acquainted1 to a greater or less extent1 with the ,hebrew1 ,greek1 and ,latin1 the ,english1 ,french1 ,german1 and ,spanish languages2 but he knew nought of ,dutch4 ,this objection was surmounted by ,mr4 ,ferguson's son1 ,jonathan1 offering to act as his interpreter4#dea ,accordingly1 off ,wesley went1 accompanied by the three preachers above mentioned4 ,his visit was eminently pleasant4 ,ministers of religion welcomed him2 and persons of high rank showed him honour4 ,at ,rotterdam1 he preached twice1 in the episcopal church1 to large congregations1 and says3 8,were it only for this1 ,i am glad ,i came to ,holland40 ,at the ,hague1 in the house of a lady of the first quality1 he met a dozen ladies and two military gentlemen1 expounded the first three verses of the thirteenth of the first epistle to the ,corinthians1 and prayed1 ,captain ,m---- interpreting sentence by sentence4 ,wesley writes3 8,i believe1 this hour was well employed40 ,he held a sort of service in the passenger boat between ,haarlem and ,amsterdam4 ,that is1 he and his friends began to sing a hymn2 the people listened2 ,wesley talked2 ,ferguson interpreted2 8and all our hearts10 says ,wesley1 8were strangely knit together1 so that1 when we came to ,amsterdam1 they dismissed us with abundance of blessings40 ,at ,utrecht1 ,wesley wrote3 8,june #bh--;,i have this day lived fourscore years2 and1 by the mercy of ,god1 my eyes are not waxed dim1 and what little strength of body or mind ,i had thirty years since1 just the same ,i have now4 ,god grant ,i may never live to be useless6 rather may ,i #8,my body with my charge lay down1 ,and cease at once to work and live6'0 ,on the same day1 he made a short excursion4 ,hence1 the following extract from the diary of the ,moravian congregation at ,zeyst3 8#aghc1 ,june #bh4--,we kept the children's prayer day4 ,the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley1 the well known ,methodist minister1 arrived here in the afternoon1 with several other ministers4 ,after visiting his old friend1 ,brother ,anton1 he paid a hurried visit to the brethren's house1 and sisters' house2 and then attended a children's lovefeast1 at three o'clock2 on which occasion1 as it happened to be his eightieth birthday1 the children sang a few benedictory verses for him2 the congregation closing the service by singing #8,the grace of our ,lord be with us all6' ,at #d4cj p4m4 he and his companions returned to ,utrecht1 where he had preached the day before40 ,wesley spent altogether seventeen days in ,holland1 and was delighted with his visit4 ,he writes3 8,i can by no means regret either the trouble or expense1 which attended this little journey4 ,it opened me a way into1 as it were1 a new world2 where the land1 the buildings1 the people1 the customs1 were all such as ,i had never seen before4 ,but as those with whom ,i conversed were of the same spirit with my friends in ,england1 ,i was as much at home in ,utrecht and ,amsterdam1 as in ,bristol and ,london40 8,there is a blessed work at the ,hague1 and many other of the principal cities2 and1 in their simplicity of spirit1 and plainness of dress1 the believers vie with the old ,english ,methodists4 ,in affection1 they are not inferior to any4 ,it was with the utmost difficulty we could break from them40#deb 8,two of our sisters1 when we left the ,hague1 came twelve miles with us on the way2 and one of our brethren1 of ,amsterdam1 came to take leave of us to ,utrecht1 above thirty miles4 ,i believe1 if my life be prolonged1 ,i shall pay them a visit at least every other year4 ,had ,i had a little more time1 ,i would have visited our brethren in ,friesland1 and ,westphalia likewise2 for a glorious work of ,god is lately broken out in both these provinces40#dec ,wesley got back to ,london on ,july #d4 ,ten days later1 he set off to his conference at ,bristol4 8,i expect10 says he1 8a good deal of difficulty at this conference1 and shall stand in need of the prayers of you and your friends40#ded ,his apprehension was realised2 hence the following entry in his journal3 8,july #bi--,our conference began1 at which we considered two important points3 first1 the case of ,birstal house2 and1 secondly1 the state of ,kingswood school4 ,with regard to the former1 our brethren earnestly desired1 that ,i would go to ,birstal myself1 believing this would be the most effectual way of bringing the trustees to reason4 ,with regard to the latter1 we all agreed1 that either the school should cease1 or the rules of it be particularly observed3 particularly1 that the children should never play1 and that a master should be always present with them40 ,we need not recur to the first of these points1 except to add1 that the ,birstal chapel case1 no doubt1 led to the adoption of the following resolutions3 8,question #ba4 ,what houses are to be built this year8 8,answer4 ,none that are not already begun4 8,q4 #bb4 ,has not the needless multiplying of preaching houses been a great evil8 8,a4 ,so it appears4 8,q4 #bc4 ,how may this be prevented8 8,a4 ,by permitting none for the future to beg for any house1 except in the circuit where it stands4 8,q4 #bd4 ,what can be done to get all our preaching houses settled on the conference plan8 8,a4 ,let ,dr4 ,coke visit the societies throughout ,england1 as far as is necessary for the accomplishment of this end2 and let the respective assistants give him all the support in their power40 ,such was the commission given to ,dr4 ,coke1 a weary and worrying one4 ,kingswood school1 however1 was as great a bore as ,birstal chapel4 ,it had now existed for five-and-thirty years2 it had been to ,wesley a source of almost ceaseless trouble1 and was now in a worse state than ever4 ,nevertheless1 it was a far famed institution2 and1 besides the sons of itinerant preachers1 it had1 at this very time1 parlour boarders from ,denmark1 ,norway1 ,sweden1 and the ,west ,indies4 ,none of the scholars however1 were remarkable for piety or learning2 and the young gentlemen1 just mentioned1 had spoiled the discipline of the school4 ,thomas ,simpson1 ,m4,a41 was head master2 ,mrs4 ,simpson housekeeper2 ,cornelius ,bayley was ,english teacher1 with a salary of #ab per annum and his board2 ,vincent de ,boudry was occasional ,french teacher2 and ,c4 ,r4 ,bond a sort of half boarder1 and assistant to ,bayley4#dee 8,my design in building the house at ,kingswood10 says ,wesley1 8was to have therein a ,christian family2 every member whereof1 7children excepted17 should be alive to ,god1 and a pattern of all holiness4 ,here it was that ,i proposed to educate a few children1 according to the accuracy of the ,christian model4 ,and almost as soon as we began1 ,god gave us a token for good1 four of the children receiving a clear sense of pardon4 ,but1 at present1 the school does not1 in any wise1 answer the design of its institution1 either with regard to religion or learning4 ,the children are not religious3 they have not the power1 and hardly the form of religion4 ,neither do they improve in learning better than at other schools2 no1 nor yet so well4 ,insomuch1 that some of our friends have been obliged to remove their children to other schools4 ,and no wonder that they improve so little either in religion or learning2 for the rules of the school are not observed at all4 ,all in the house ought to rise1 take their three meals1 and go to bed at a fixed hour4 ,but they do not4 ,the children ought never to be alone1 but always in the presence of a master4 ,this is totally neglected2 in consequence of which1 they run up and down the wood1 and mix1 yea1 fight with the colliers' children4 ,they ought never to play3 but they do1 every day2 yea1 in the school4 ,three maids are sufficient2 now there are four2 and but one1 at most1 truly pious4 8,how may these evils be remedied1 and the school reduced to its original plan8 ,it must be mended or ended3 for no school is better than the present school4 ,can any be a master1 that does not rise at five1 observe all the rules1 and see that others observe them8 ,there should be three masters1 and an usher1 chiefly to be with the children out of school4 ,the head master should have nothing to do with temporal things40#def ,this was a dark picture2 doubtless the result of bad management4 ,easy1 good tempered ,mr4 ,simpson was a scholar2 his wife1 the real governor1 was an ogress4 ,a woman that rubbed ,adam ,clarke with the 8infernal unguent0 to cure him of an imaginary itch2 thrust him into a solitary room1 with a wretched old bedstead1 and left him there without book or fire2 and from whom ,adam1 when he heard her voice1 was disposed to run in the utmost fright1 was not the woman to manage ,kingswood school4 8,she was probably very clever10 says ,clarke2 8all stood in awe of her2 for my own part1 ,i feared her more than ,i feared ,satan himself4 ,the school was the worst ,i had ever seen1 though the teachers were men of adequate learning4 ,it was perfectly disorganised2 and1 in several respects1 each did what was right in his own eyes4 ,there was no efficient plan pursued2 they mocked at religion2 and trampled under foot all the laws4 ,the little children of the preachers suffered great indignities2 and1 it is to be feared1 their treatment there gave many of them a rooted enmity against religion for life4 ,the parlour boarders had every kind of respect paid to them1 and the others were shamefully neglected4 ,scarcely any care was taken either of their bodies or souls40 ,poor ,kingswood6 ,could all this be strictly accurate8 ,probably it was2 for the following1 given as a fact1 prepares the mind for almost anything in the form of stupidity1 and ignorant confusion4 8,at the table10 writes ,adam ,clarke1 8every person when he drank was obliged to run the following gauntlet4 ,he must drink the health of ,mr4 ,simpson1 ,mrs4 ,simpson1 ,miss ,simpson1 ,mr4 ,bayley1 ,mr4 ,de ,boudry1 all the foreign gentlemen1 then all the parlour boarders1 down one side of the long table1 and up the other1 one by one1 and all the visitors who might happen to be there3 after which it was lawful for him to drink his glass of beer40#deg ,wesley was quite right4 ,no school at all was better than such a school as this4 ,it was high time to mend it or end it4 ,in his magazine1 for the very month in which the conference of #aghc was held1 ,wesley published an article1 by his own pen1 entitled1 8,a ,thought on the ,manner of ,educating ,children10 in which he strongly maintains1 that all education ought to be religious2 but adds1 probably with the state of ,kingswood in his eye1--8,even religious masters may still be mistaken with regard to the manner of instilling religion into children4 ,they may not have the spirit of government1 to which some even good men are utter strangers4 ,they may habitually lean to this or that extreme1 of remissness or of severity4 ,and if they either give children too much of their own will1 or needlessly and churlishly restrain them2 if they either use no punishment at all1 or more than is necessary1 the leaning either to one extreme or the other may frustrate all their endeavours4 ,in the latter case1 it will not be strange1 if religion stink in the nostrils of those that were so educated4 ,they will naturally look on it as an austere1 melancholy thing2 and1 if they think it necessary to salvation1 they will esteem it a necessary evil1 and so put it off as long as possible40 ,wesley was not the man to hesitate in changing his officials when change was necessary4 ,mr4 ,simpson was dismissed2 ,thomas ,mc,geary1 ,a4,m41 a young man of twenty-two1 took his place4#deh ,cornelius ,bayley had previously made up his mind to leave1 in order to enter the ministry of the ,established ,church2#dei and ,thomas ,welch1 an assistant in a school at ,coventry1 applied to be appointed his successor4 ,wesley wrote to him as follows4 8,,bristol1 ,august #ae1 #aghc4 8,,dear ,,thomas1--,you seem to be the man ,i want4 ,as to salary1 you will have #cj a year2 board1 etc41 will be thirty more4 ,but do not come for money4 7#a7 ,do not come at all1 unless purely to raise a ,christian school4 7#b7 ,anybody behaving ill1 ,i will turn away immediately4 7#c7 ,i expect you to be in the school eight hours a day4 7#d7 ,in all things1 ,i expect you should be circumspect4 ,but you will judge better by considering the printed rules4 ,the sooner you come the better4 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#dfj ,mr4 ,welch was a young man of twenty-three4 ,two years before1 he had become a ,methodist4 ,the ,coventry society1 then extremely feeble1 was loath to lose him2 and some of its members succeeded in persuading him to remain where he was4 ,he wrote to ,wesley to this effect2 and ,wesley answered3 8,you use me very ill4 ,i have turned away three masters on your account4 ,the person1 who gives you this advice1 is wanting either in common sense or common honesty40#dfa ,mr4 ,welch became a valuable local preacher1 and lived and died a ,methodist4 ,thomas ,jones took the place that he declined1 and1 for three years1 retained it1 when he was ordained a clergyman of the ,church of ,england4 ,this was ,wesley's last complaint of ,kingswood4 ,twelve months afterwards1 the school and family were visited with a gracious outpouring of ,god's good ,spirit4 ,in #aghf1 he says3 8,i found the school in excellent order40 8,it is now one of the pleasantest spots in ,england4 ,i found all things just according to my desire2 the rules being well observed1 and the whole behaviour of the children showing1 that they were now managed with the wisdom that cometh from above40 ,in #aghg1 he expressed himself to the same effect1 as1 in fact1 he did to the end of life4 ,the last entry in his journal1 in reference to this memorable place1--a child1 always with him a pet1 though often troublesome1--was this3 8#aghi1 ,september #aa--;,i went over to ,kingswood3 sweet recess6 where everything is now just as ,i wish4 ,but #8,man was not born in shades to lie6' ,let us work now2 we shall rest by-and-by4 ,i spent some time with the children2 all of whom behaved well3 several are much awakened1 and a few rejoicing in the favour of ,god40 ,we must now bid a final adieu to dear old ,kingswood school1 the sacred scene of so many ,methodistic memories1 and turn to other matters connected with the conference of #aghc4 ,the number of members was reported to be #de1iee2 but all these were ,methodists within the limits of the ,united ,kingdom4 ,no account was taken of the #ac1gdj ,methodists in ,america4 ,no mention was made of ,antigua1 where nearly #bjjj persons had joined ,john ,baxter's society2 and where1 in this very year1 the first ,methodist chapel in the torrid zone was completed4#dfb ,nova ,scotia also is not noticed2 though it had been the scene of a most blessed work1 and ,william ,black had written to ,wesley1 urgently asking him to send them preachers4 ,the following were ,wesley's answers4 8,,london1 ,february #bf1 #aghc4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i did indeed very strongly expostulate with the ,bishop of ,london1 concerning his refusing to ordain a pious man1 without learning1 while he ordained others that1 to my knowledge1 had no piety1 and but a moderate share of learning4 8,our next conference will begin in ,july2 and ,i have great hopes1 we shall then be able to send you assistance4 ,one of our preachers informs me1 he is willing to go to any part of ,africa or ,america4 ,he does not regard danger or toil2 nor1 indeed1 does he count his life dear unto himself1 so that he may testify the gospel of the grace of ,god1 and win sinners to ,christ4 ,but ,i cannot advise any person to go alone4 ,our ,lord sent ,his disciples two and two4 ,and ,i do not despair of finding another young man1 as much devoted to ,god as he4 8,of ,calvinism1 mysticism1 and antinomianism1 have a care2 for they are the bane of true religion2 and one or other of them has been the grand hindrance of the work of ,god1 wherever it has broke out4 8,i am1 my dear brother1 yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#dfc ,the second letter to ,william ,black was as follows4 8,,london1 ,july #ac1 #aghc4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,it is a rule with me1 to answer all the letters which ,i receive4 ,if1 therefore1 you have not received an answer to every letter which you have written1 it must be1 either that your letter or my answer has been intercepted4 8,i do not wonder at all1 that1 after that great and extraordinary work of ,god1 there should be a remarkable decay4 ,so we have found it in almost all places4 ,a swift increase is generally followed by a decrease equally swift4 ,all we can do to prevent it1 is continually to exhort all who have tasted that the ,lord is gracious1 to remember our ,lord's words1 #8,watch and pray that ye enter not into temptation4' 8,the school at ,kingswood is exceeding full2 nevertheless there shall be room for you4 ,and it is very probable1 if you should live to return to ,halifax1 you may carry one or more preachers with you4 ,i hope you will live as brethren1 and have a free and open intercourse with each other4 8,i am1 my dear brother1 affectionately yours1 8,,john ,,wesley40#dfd ,such was the wish of ,william ,black2 and such was ,wesley's intention2 but it was not until #aghe1 that ,nova ,scotia appeared in the minutes of conference as a ,methodist circuit4 8,the harvest truly was great2 but the labourers were few40 ,and yet all that offered were not accepted4 ,at the conference of #aghc1 there was present a young ,welshman1 of middle stature1 thin and delicate1 with a somewhat elongated face1 an eye of genius1 and a capacious forehead1 who offered himself as an itinerant preacher1 but whom ,wesley and his brethren1 from the delicacy of his health and the feebleness of his voice1 thought not equal to the arduous labours of the itinerant office4 ,he had been converted under the preaching of ,samuel ,bardsley1 and1 soon after his offer was declined by ,wesley1 was ordained by ,bishop ,horsley1 and became vicar of ,llanbister4 ,the vicarage had a parlour1 with a slab stone floor1 an open chimney1 and a hearth on which burnt a fire of wood and turf4 ,it had a kitchen1 and two upper rooms of the same humble character4 ,for many a long year this was the home of the ,rev4 ,david ,lloyd1 8a philosopher1 a poet1 and a divine10 says ,dr4 ,dixon1 8who seemed to enjoy1 with unmixed contentment1 the inheritance given him by ,providence40 ,for fifty years1 his wife was a ,methodist1 and his parsonage a ,methodist preachers' home4 ,besides poetical works of considerable merit1 the good vicar became the author of a large octavo volume of very valuable essays1 entitled 8,hor ,theologic40#dfe ,mr4 ,lloyd was a perfect enthusiast on the missionary question1 and gave a subscription of #aj a year to the ,methodist and ,church missionary societies respectively2 presented each with a donation of #ejj2 and left the residue of his property1 after other demands had been satisfied1 to be equally divided between these two institutions4 ,he also built a ,methodist chapel on his estate1 and secured it to the connexion by deed4 ,thus1 as a diligent clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 and the friend and host of ,methodist preachers1 lived and died the good vicar of ,llanbister1--a candidate rejected by the conference of #aghc4dff ,in the midst of this conference1 ,wesley was again seized with an alarming illness4 ,dr4 ,drummond attended him twice a day4 ,his friends thought1 that his end was come2 and he himself apprehended that the cramp would probably reach his stomach1 and occasion sudden death4 8,i have been reflecting on my past life01 said he to his faithful nurse1 ,joseph ,bradford2 8,i have been wandering up and down between fifty and sixty years1 endeavouring1 in my poor way1 to do a little good to my fellow creatures2 and1 now1 it is probable that there are but a few steps between me and death2 and what have ,i to trust to for salvation8 ,i can see nothing which ,i have done or suffered1 that will bear looking at4 ,i have no other plea than this3 #8,i the chief of sinners am1 ,but ,jesus died for me4'0#dfg ,for eighteen days1 ,wesley hung between life and death1 when1 finding himself somewhat better1 and 8being10 as he says1 8unwilling to be idle10 he spent an hour with the ,bristol penitents4 ,the day following1 he preached twice1 and1 the day after that1 on ,monday1 ,august #be1 set out again on his much loved gospel ramblings4 ,death itself1 to ,wesley1 was more desirable than life without work4 ,preaching on his way at ,gloucester1 ,worcester1 and ,birmingham1 he came1 on ,august #bi1 to ,stafford1 where he writes3 8,i preached1 for the first time1 to a large and deeply attentive congregation4 ,it is now the day of small things here2 but the grain of mustard seed may grow up into a great tree40 ,four years before this1 ,dr4 ,coke was passing through ,stafford1 and1 while dining at the inn1 sent the bellman round to announce to the inhabitants that he would preach in the market place4 ,jeremiah ,brettell1 his companion1 took a table from the hostelry2 the doctor mounted2 the people came2 all listened with deep attention2 and some expressed a wish for the visit to be repeated4 ,soon after1 a little society was formed1#dfh which1 in #aghd1 consisted of sixteen members1 ,henry ,robinson being leader4#dfi ,from ,stafford1 ,wesley made his way to ,macclesfield1 where he preached twice in the ,rev4 ,david ,simpson's church1 and had a sacramental service1 at which seven hundred communicants were present4 ,he was now proceeding to ,birstal1 to effect the settlement with the ,birstal chapel trustees1 as already related4 ,the journey occupied sixteen days2 the distance was five or six hundred miles2 according to his wont1 he preached all the way there and back2 and yet1 the old man1 who a month before had been on the very verge of death1 returned to ,bristol on the #acth of ,september1 almost as vigorous as ever4 ,an unpublished letter1 belonging to this period1 may be welcome here4 ,it was addressed to ,john ,atlay1 his book steward4 8,,leeds1 ,september #c1 #aghc4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,the schoolmasters for ,kingswood are fixed1 and expected there every day4 ,mr4 ,simpson's sister is the housekeeper1 who is come hither in her way to ,bristol4 ,let no man or woman go to ,west ,street chapel without my appointment4 ,it is a matter of deep concern4 ,the building or not building1 at ,birstal1 does not depend upon me1 but the trustees4 ,j4 ,fenwick is to correct the press chiefly1 in the absence of ,dr4 ,coke1 and to transcribe tracts for me4 ,and he may receive his little salary1 at least1 till ,i return to ,london4 8,i am1 with love to sister ,atlay1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,wesley remained in the neighbourhood of ,bristol till ,october #f1 and employed the interval1 not only in preaching1 but in begging money to relieve the distresses of the destitute1 and in visiting the poor recipients at their own houses4 8,i was surprised10 says he1 8to find no murmuring spirits among them1 but many that were truly happy in ,god2 and all of them appeared to be exceeding thankful for the scanty relief which they received40 ,no wonder1 that such a man was popular2 and no wonder1 that his presence was a loadstone drawing the poor around him4 ,sometimes1 however1 their absence would have been more welcome than their company4 ,a month after this1 ,wesley was at ,norwich1 and1 when leaving1 had a whole host of poverty stricken people about his carriage4 ,his purse was low1 containing only what was necessary to take him back to ,london2 and the clamour of the mendicant crowd1 for once1 disturbed his temper4 ,somewhat sharply he said3 8,i have nothing for you4 ,do you suppose ,i can support the poor in every place80 ,at the moment1 he was entering his carriage2 his foot slipped2 and he fell upon the ground4 ,feeling as though ,god ,himself had rebuked him for his hasty words1 he turned to ,joseph ,bradford1 and1 with subdued emphasis1 remarked3 8,it is all right1 ,joseph2 it is all right2 it is only what ,i deserved2 for if ,i had no other good to give1 ,i ought1 at least1 to have given them good words40#dgj ,the concluding months of the year were employed1 as usual1 partly in ,london1 and partly in the surrounding counties4 ,considering ,wesley's advanced age1 his labours are without parallel4 ,here we have1--not a man of ,herculean frame1 big1 brawny1 and heavy1 fed on the daintiest diet1 and stimulated with the costliest wines1--but a man small in stature1 his weight eight stones and ten pounds 7exactly the same as it was fourteen years before71 his age eighty1 without indulgences1 feeding1 for eight months in every year1 chiefly at the tables of the poor1 sleeping on all sorts of beds and in all sorts of rooms1 without a wife1 without a child1 really without a home2 and yet a man always cheerful1 always happy1 always hard at work1 flying with all the sprightliness of youth throughout the three kingdoms1 preaching twice every day1 indoors and out of doors1 in churches1 chapels1 cottages1 and sheds1 and everywhere superintending the complex and growing interests of the numerous societies which had sprung into buoyant being through the labours of himself and his godly helpers4 ,the man was a marvel1 such as the world sees only now and then4 ,once show him the path of duty1 and with a dauntless step he trod it4 ,nothing frightened him2 nothing could allure from the post assigned to him by ,providence4 ,however arduous the work1 and however great the privations and the dangers1 if his ,master bid him go1 he went1 trusting in his ,master's power for defence and help4 8,my brother ,charles10 he once remarked1 8amid the difficulties of our early ministry1 used to say3 #8,if the ,lord would give me wings1 ,i would fly4' ,i used to answer1 #8,if the ,lord bid me fly1 ,i would trust ,him for the wings4'0#dga ,one of the last acts of this youthful octogenarian1 in #aghc1 was to pay a pastoral visit to another of the most remarkable men of that period1--,dr4 ,samuel ,johnson1 who was now suffering his last illness1 and died twelve months afterwards4 ,wesley's publications1 in #aghc1 were the following4 #a4 8,the ,spirit of ,prayer40 #bd pages1 #abmo4 #b4 8,baxter's ,call to the ,unconverted40 #gf pages1 #abmo4 #c4 8,the ,important ,question4 ,a ,sermon4 ,by ,john ,wesley40 #bc pages1 #abmo4 ,besides these1 ,wesley also published many new editions of former tracts1 for the use of his recently instituted tract society1 most of these reissues having upon the title page1 8,this tract is not to be sold1 but given away40 ,his principal publication1 however1 was his ,arminian ,magazine1 and this was as vigorously conducted as before4 ,again1 we have half-a-dozen original sermons1 by ,wesley himself1 all of them remarkable1 and among the most able that he ever published4 ,these include his two discourses on good and fallen angels2 in which he propounds the doctrine1 that good angels minister to our happiness1 by assisting us in our searches after truth1 by preserving us in danger1 by dreams1 etc43 and that all evil angels are united under one common head2 and are often the authors of accidents1 diseases1 fires1 storms1 and earthquakes4 ,then there is his elaborate sermon on 8,the ,mystery of ,iniquity10 in which he expresses the opinion1 that the 8greatest blow that genuine ,christianity ever received was when ,constantine the ,great called himself a ,christian1 and poured in a flood of riches1 honours1 and power upon the ,christians1 more especially upon the clergy40 ,next we have his curious homily on the ,spread of ,christianity1 where he hazards the conjecture that truth will be transmitted from this nation to that1 until at last it reaches the ,south ,sea islands4 ,and1 finally1 there are his characteristic sermons on ,family ,religion1 and on ,training ,children4 ,as usual1 every number of the magazine has an article on the ,calvinian controversy4 ,biographical accounts are still numerous4 ,extracts from his own ,natural ,philosophy1 and from ,locke's ,essay on the ,human ,understanding1 form a part of each of the twelve numbers2 as do also ,benson's letters in reply to ,madan's treatise on polygamy2 likewise extracts from ,dr4 ,hilldrop's able 8,thoughts on the ,brute ,creation10 professedly to prove a theory which ,wesley liked1 the ultimate restoration of the brute creation2 and a series of profoundly thoughtful articles on 8,the ,true ,original of the ,soul40 ,nine numbers have extracts from ,baxter's 8,certainty of the ,world of ,spirits1 fully evinced by unquestionable ,histories of ,apparitions and ,witchcrafts40 ,there are forty-five letters2 forty-one poems2 and a number of portraits1 including those of ,john ,hampson and ,william ,thom1 both of whom left the ,methodist connexion4 ,there are also long continued extracts from ,bryant's ,analysis of ,ancient ,mythology1 which ,wesley pronounces to be 8one of the most remarkable books1 in its kind1 which has been published for centuries40 ,and1 finally1 there are ,wesley's 8,thoughts on the ,writings of ,baron ,swedenborg40 ,the baron1 a little before he died1 presented ,wesley with his last and largest theological work1 the 8,true ,christian ,religion02 but he failed to make a convert of him4 ,wesley believed him to be insane1 and traced his insanity to a fever1 which he had in ,london1 when 8he ran into the street stark naked1 proclaimed himself the ,messiah1 and rolled himself in the mire40 ,he was a 8fine genius1--majestic though in ruins40 ,,footnotes3 #ddd ,the ,wesleyan1 ,sept4 #i1 #ahdf4 #dde ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiv41 p4 #cdc4 #ddf ,manuscript letter4 #ddg ,mrs4 ,rogers' ,life1 p4 #dgc4 #ddh ,life of ,brooke1 p4 #ajj4 #ddi ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #ada4 #dej ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahea1 p4 #cac4 #dea ,the ,fergusons1 father and son1 were notable persons4 ,mr4 ,ferguson1 sen41 was a well known local preacher for upwards of sixty years2 ,jonathan1 his son1 was a friend1 and sometimes the travelling companion1 of ,john ,howard the philanthropist4 ,he was a hearty ,methodist1 a happy ,christian1 and1 at the age of eighty1 died a triumphant death1 at ,islington1 in #ahdd4--7,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #bib47 #deb ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #ceh4 #dec ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #fj4 #ded ,ibid4 p4 #fj4 #dee ,simpson was a man of learning and piety1 but too easy for his situation4 ,on leaving ,kingswood1 he wished to become an itinerant preacher1 but set up a school at ,keynsham1 where his son ultimately was made vicar4 ,bayley was a good ,hebrew scholar1 became a doctor of divinity1 had a church1 ,st4 ,james's1 built for him in ,manchester1 and was highly respected for his piety1 usefulness1 and high church principles4 ,de ,boudry began a school on ,kingsdown1 ,bristol1 and long bore the character of a pious1 steady1 honest man4 ,bond was affectionate1 but not talented1 and aspired to become a clergyman4 ,such is the testimony of ,adam ,clarke2 and it is only fair to give it as a counterpoise to the discreditable state of the ,kingswood school committed to their care4 #def ,minutes of ,conference1 #aghc4 #deg 8,life of ,adam ,clarke10 in three vols41 #ahcc1 vol4 i41 pp4 #aec-afh4 #deh ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghh1 p4 #a4 #dei ,manuscript letter4 #dfj ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahag1 p4 #cbd4 #dfa ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahag1 p4 #cbd4 #dfb ,coke's ,life1 by ,drew1 p4 #afg4 #dfc ,black's ,memoirs1 p4 #ii4 #dfd ,black's ,memoirs1 p4 #aji4 #dfe ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahaf1 p4 #hcb4 #dff ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahfc1 sixpenny edition1 p4 #a4 #dfg ,moore's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #chi4 #dfh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcj1 p4 #feg4 #dfi ,the names were3 ,henry ,robinson1 ,mary ,robinson1 ,charles ,machin1 ,john ,smith1 ,ann ,stockdale1 ,william ,holding1 ,sarah ,holding1 ,john ,rowland1 ,sarah ,jervis1 ,thomas ,smith1 ,elizabeth ,smith1 ,john ,ward1 ,ann ,ward1 ,john ,kelsall1 ,thomas ,elley1 and ,william ,freepound4--7,burslem old circuit book47 #dgj ,everett's ,life of ,clarke4 #dga ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbe1 p4 #cij4 #aghd4 ,age #ha ,dr4 ,whitehead calls the year #aghd 8the grand climacteric year of ,methodism1 because of the changes which now took place in the form of its original constitution4 ,not10 says he1 8that these changes destroyed at once the original constitution of ,methodism2 but the seeds of its corruption and final dissolution were this year solemnly planted1 and have since been carefully watered and nursed by a powerful party among the preachers40#dgb ,the doctor was an able man2 but he can scarcely be called a prophet4 ,of course1 he refers to ,wesley's deed of declaration1 and ,wesley's ordination of bishops for ,america2 both of which must have due attention1 before we conclude the present year4 ,wesley himself1 according to his own correspondence1 seemed to grow younger as he grew older4 ,in a letter to 8the ,rev4 ,walter ,sellon1 at ,ledsham1 near ,ferrybridge1 ,yorkshire10 and dated1 8,london1 ,january #aj1 #aghd10 he writes3 8,on the #bhth of last ,june1 ,i finished my eightieth year4 ,when ,i was young1 ,i had weak eyes1 trembling hands1 and abundance of infirmities4 ,but1 by the blessing of ,god1 ,i have outlived them all4 ,i have no infirmities now1 but what ,i judge to be inseparable from flesh and blood4 ,this hath ,god wrought4 ,i am afraid you want the grand medicine which ,i use1--exercise and change of air40#dgc ,on the same day1 he wrote another letter1 now also1 like the former1 for the first time published4 ,methodism had recently been introduced1 by a company of soldiers1 into the ,channel islands2 and ,mr4 ,robert ,carr ,brackenbury1 with his servant1 ,alexander ,kilham1 had gone to promote its interests4 ,the letter was addressed1 8,robert ,carr ,brackenbury1 ,esq41 in ,st4 ,heliers1 ,isle of ,jersey40 8,,london1 ,january #aj1 #aghd4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,while those poor sheep were scattered abroad1 without any shepherd1 and without any connection with each other1 it is no wonder that they were cold and dead4 ,i am glad you have gathered a few of them together1 and1 surely1 if prayer be made concerning it1 ,god will provide you with a convenient place to meet in4 ,perhaps an application to the gentlemen1 who have hired the ballroom1 might not be without success4 8',tis pity but you had the #8,earnest ,appeal' to present to the governor1 as well as the minister4 ,i trust both you and our newly connected brethren will overcome evil with good4 ,we can easily print the rules here1 and send them down with some other books4 ',tis good that every one should know our whole plan4 ,we do not want any man to go on blindfold4 ,peace be with your spirit6 8,i am1 dear sir1 your affectionate friend1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 ,the first two months of #aghd were chiefly spent in ,london1 with the exception of a flying visit to ,colchester1 and another to ,nottingham2 ,wesley's errand to the last mentioned place being to 8preach a charity sermon for the general hospital40 ,he had a grand covenant service in ,city ,road chapel1 attended by upwards of eighteen hundred people4 ,he took counsel with the ,london preachers1 as to the desirability of the ,methodists sending missionaries to ,india4 ,he read 8,orlando ,furioso10 and says1 8,ariosto had1 doubtless1 an uncommon genius1 and subsequent poets have been greatly indebted to him2 yet1 it is hard to say1 which was the most out of his senses1 the hero or the poet4 ,he has not the least regard even to probability2 his marvellous transcends all conception4 ,who1 that is not himself out of his senses1 would compare ,ariosto with ,tasso80 ,on the #ast of ,march1 the venerable ,wesley1--as agile as a boy1 above fourscore years of age1 and yet reading the ,italian poet with all the zest of a youth still at school1--set out on a seven months' journey1 first to ,bristol1 then to ,scotland1 then to ,leeds1 then through ,wales to the west of ,england1 and then to ,london1 which he reached on ,october #i4 ,with a hasty step1 we must try to follow him4 ,wesley1 as opportunity permitted1 8intermeddled with all wisdom10 and1 to the end of life1 showed1 that a man is never too old to learn4 ,at ,bradford1 in ,wiltshire1 he says3 8,i was convinced of two vulgar errors2 the one1 that nightingales will not live in cages2 the other1 that they only sing a month or two in the year4 ,samuel ,rayner has now three nightingales in cages2 and they sing almost all day long1 from ,november to ,august40 ,at ,stroud1 he wrote3 8,here1 to my surprise1 ,i found the morning preaching was given up1 as also in the neighbouring places4 ,if this be the case while ,i am alive1 what must it be when ,i am gone8 ,give up this1 and ,methodism too will degenerate into a mere sect1 only distinguished by some opinions and modes of worship40 ,wesley considered1 that preaching at five o'clock in the morning was the healthiest exercise in the world2 and probably he was not far from being right4 ,but besides this1 these early matutinal services had now1 for five-and-forty years1 been one of the things which made the ,methodists 8a peculiar people10 as well as 8zealous of good works40 ,no other church or community1 in ,england1 had a service like this4 ,it was a religious ordinance which ,wesley dearly loved4 ,in thousands of instances1 he and his friends had proved the words1 8,those that seek ,me early shall find ,me40 ,no wonder then1 that he evinced alarm when he found the ,methodists giving up the morning services4 ,three weeks after he was at backslidden ,stroud1 he came to ,chester1 and expressed himself in the strongest terms on this subject4 ,he writes3 8,i was surprised1 when ,i came to ,chester1 to find that there also morning preaching was quite left off1 for this worthy reason3 #8,because the people will not come1 or1 at least1 not in the winter4' ,if so1 the ,methodists are a fallen people4 ,here is proof4 ,they have #8lost their first love'2 and they never will or can recover it1 till they #8do the first works4' ,as soon as ,i set foot in ,georgia1 ,i began preaching at five in the morning2 and every communicant1 that is1 every serious person in the town1 constantly attended throughout the year2 ,i mean1 came every morning1 winter and summer1 unless in the case of sickness4 ,they did so till ,i left the province4 ,in the year #agch1 when ,god began ,his great work in ,england1 ,i began preaching at the same hour1 winter and summer1 and never wanted a congregation4 ,if they will not attend now1 they have lost their zeal2 and then1 it cannot be denied1 they are a fallen people4 ,and1 in the meantime1 we are labouring to secure the preaching houses to the next generation6 ,in the name of ,god1 let us1 if possible1 secure the present generation from drawing back to perdition6 ,let all the preachers1 that are still alive to ,god1 join together as one man1 fast and pray1 lift up their voice as a trumpet1 be instant1 in season1 out of season1 to convince them that are fallen2 and exhort them instantly to #8repent1 and do the first works'3 this in particular1--rising in the morning1 without which neither their souls nor bodies can long remain in health40 ,perhaps this was looking at the thing too seriously4 ,that early morning service is highly profitable cannot reasonably be called in question2 but1 that it should begin at the hour of five may fairly be disputed4 ,early risers are persons to be envied2 they breathe the purest air1 listen to the sweetest songs1 and have promptings to worship ,god that the sluggard never feels4 ,at ,tewkesbury1 ,wesley had to correct the 8impropriety of standing at prayer1 and sitting while singing praise40 ,at ,worcester1 he 8preached1 to a crowded audience1 in ,st4 ,andrew's church40 ,at ,madeley1 he preached twice in the parish church1 revised the vicar's letters to ,dr4 ,priestley1 and declared1 that there was hardly another man in ,england1 so fit to encounter the great ,socinian philosopher as his friend from the mountains of ,switzerland4 ,at ,stafford1 he preached1 to 8a small company1 in a deplorable hole1 formerly a stable40 ,at ,lane ,end1 near ,newcastle under ,lyne1 in the face of one of the most piercing winds of the month of ,march1 he preached1 by moonlight1 in the open air1 the congregation being four times larger than the chapel could contain4 ,at ,burslem1 also1 for the same reason1 he was obliged to abandon the chapel for the field4 ,at ,manchester1 on ,easter ,sunday1 he had 8near a thousand communicants02 ,thomas ,taylor says1 twelve hundred4#dgd ,thus he employed himself all the way to ,whitehaven1 where he 8had all the church ministers0 to hear him1 8and most of the gentry in the town02 and1 to his evident surprise1 8they all behaved with as much decency as if they had been colliers40 ,at ,edinburgh1 he writes3 8,i am amazed at this people4 ,use the most cutting words1 and apply them in the most pointed manner1 still they hear1 but feel no more than the seats they sit upon40 ,throughout ,scotland1 morning preaching and prayer-meetings had almost vanished4 8,at ,aberdeen10 he writes1 8,i talked largely with the preachers1 and showed them the hurt it did both to them and the people1 for any one preacher to stay six or eight weeks together in one place4 ,neither can he find matter for preaching every morning and evening1 nor will the people come to hear him4 ,hence1 he grows cold by lying in bed1 and so do the people4 ,whereas1 if he never stays more than a fortnight together in one place1 he may find matter enough1 and the people will gladly hear him4 ,the preachers immediately drew up such a plan for this circuit1 which they determined to pursue40 ,from ,aberdeen1 ,wesley went1 by invitation1 to ,lady ,banff's at ,old ,meldrum1 where he preached twice2 and thence to ,keith1 where he had a congregation to his heart's content1 all the people poor1 and 8not a silk coat among them40 ,at ,forres1 he was the guest of ,sir ,lodowick ,grant4 ,in making his way to ,inverness1 by the mistake of his coachman1 he had to trudge1 through heavy rain1 twelve miles and a half on foot1 but says1 he 8was no more tired0 than when he first set out4 ,at ,elgin1 he preached in the church1 and significantly remarks3 8,i do not despair of good being done even here1 provided the preachers be #8sons of thunder4'0 ,at ,newburgh1 he found 8the liveliest society in the kingdom40 ,at ,melval ,house1 8the grand and beautiful seat of ,lord ,leven10 he was hospitably entertained by the countess and her family1 and1 at their desire1 preached from1 8,it is appointed unto men once to die40 ,here1 also1 he wrote his 8,thoughts on ,nervous ,disorders40 ,his next halting place was at ,lady ,maxwell's1 8who appeared to be clearly saved from sin1 although exceedingly depressed by the tottering tenement of clay40 ,after thus visiting most of the important towns in ,scotland1 ,wesley reached ,newcastle1 where1 on ,whitsunday1 he preached thrice to large congregations4 ,a week later1 he again set out1 on his unwearied mission2 and1 at ,stockton1 8found an uncommon work of ,god among the children10 upwards of sixty of whom1 from the age of 8six to fourteen1 were under serious impressions1 and earnestly desirous to save their souls40 ,he writes3 8,as soon as ,i came down from the desk1 ,i was enclosed by a body of children2 all of whom sunk down upon their knees3 so ,i kneeled down myself1 and began praying for them40 ,beautiful picture this1 well worth painting6 ,no wonder that he adds3 8abundance of people ran back into the house4 ,the fire kindled1 and ran from heart to heart1 till few1 if any1 were unaffected4 ,is not this a new thing in the earth8 ,god begins ,his work in children4 ,thus it has been also in ,cornwall1 ,manchester1 and ,epworth4 ,thus the flame spreads to those of riper years2 till at length they all know ,him1 and praise ,him from the least unto the greatest40 ,having visited the 8dales10 ,darlington1 ,northallerton1 ,thirsk1 ,osmotherley1 and other places1 he made his way to ,whitby1 where he wrote3 8,the society here may be a pattern to all in ,england4 ,they despise all ornaments but good works1 together with a meek and quiet spirit4 ,i did not see a ruffle1 no1 nor a fashionable cap among them2 though many of them are in easy circumstances4 ,about forty had a clear witness of being saved from inbred sin2 and seemed to walk in the full light of ,god's countenance40 ,at ,scarborough1 ,wesley attended church1 and was regaled with one of the bitterest sermons he ever heard4 8,so10 says he1 8all ,i have done1 to persuade the people to attend the church1 is overturned at once6 ,and all who preach thus will drive the ,methodists from the church1 in spite of all that ,i can do40 ,two years after this1 in a letter to his brother1 he wrote3 8,the last time ,i was at ,scarborough1 ,i earnestly exhorted our people to go to church2 and ,i went myself4 ,but the wretched minister preached such a sermon1 that ,i could not in conscience advise them to hear him any more40#dge ,from ,scarborough1 ,wesley proceeded along the east coast to ,hull2 thence to ,pocklington and ,york2 and thence to ,epworth1 where he spent his birthday1 and preached in the market place of the town1 whose church1 for nine-and-thirty years1 had been blessed with the able and faithful ministry of his honoured father4 ,he writes3 8,june #bh--,to-day ,i entered on my eighty-second year1 and found myself just as strong to labour1 and as fit for any exercise of body or mind1 as ,i was forty years ago4 ,i do not impute this to second causes1 but to the sovereign ,lord of all4 ,it is ,he who bids the sun of life stand still1 so long as it pleaseth ,him4 ,i am as strong at eighty-one1 as ,i was at twenty-one2 but abundantly more healthy1 being a stranger to the headache1 toothache1 and other bodily disorders which attended me in my youth4 ,we can only say1 #8,the ,lord reigneth6' ,while we live1 let us live to ,him60 ,having spent a week in visiting the ,lincolnshire societies1 ,wesley proceeded to various towns in the west riding of ,yorkshire2 and thence1 for the first time1 to ,burnley4 ,he writes3 8,burnley had been tried for many years1 but without effect4 ,now1 high and low1 rich and poor1 flocked together from all quarters2 and all were eager to hear1 except one man1 who was the town crier4 ,he began to bawl amain1 till his wife ran to him1 and literally stopped his noise2 she seized him with one hand1 and clapped the other upon his mouth1 so that he could not get out one word4 ,god then began a work1 which1 ,i am persuaded1 will not soon come to an end40 ,wesley's words were verified4 ,thomas ,dixon1 who was appointed to the ,colne circuit in #aghd1 remarks1 in his unpublished diary3 8,the work of ,god at ,burnley was very young2 but many1 during this year1 were converted4 ,the great men of the place were angry1 and agreed to banish the ,methodist preachers from the town4 ,the proprietor of the preaching house sent us notice to quit the premises2 and the rest of the gentlemen pledged themselves not to let us have another4 ,but about a month before the expiration of the notice1 the ,lord converted a man1 who had a house of his own1 which he opened to the preachers2 and now we had a better preaching place than we had before4 ,soon after a chapel was erected40 ,one of the first members was ,john ,eagin1 who1 for fifty years1 maintained an unspotted character2 and died1 in #ahcf1 saying1 8,i am happy40#dgf ,leaving ,burnley1 ,wesley went to ,otley1 where1 marvellous to relate6 he had a two days' rest4 ,he then1 on ,july #ah1 preached twice in ,bingley church1 a great part of his congregation being obliged to stand outside4 ,he writes3 8,before service1 ,i stepped into the ,sunday-school1 which contains two hundred and forty children1 taught every ,sunday by several masters1 and superintended by the curate4 ,so many children1 in one parish1 are restrained from open sin1 and taught a little good manners1 at least1 as well as to read the ,bible4 ,i find these schools springing up wherever ,i go4 ,perhaps ,god may have a deeper end therein1 than men are aware of4 ,who knows but some of these schools may become nurseries for ,christians80 ,this is ,wesley's first notice of ,sunday-schools4 ,though such schools had long existed in a few isolated cases1 it was not until now that they attracted public attention4 ,miss ,ball's ,methodist ,sunday-school at ,high ,wycombe has been already mentioned2 and it has also been stated1 that ,miss ,cooke1 a ,methodist young lady 7afterwards the wife of ,samuel ,bradburn71 was the first to suggest to ,robert ,raikes the idea of instituting a ,sunday-school at ,gloucester4 ,raikes commenced that school about the year #aghc4 ,at all events1 his account of it was dated ,gloucester1 ,june #e1 #aghd1 and was published in the ,january number of ,wesley's ,arminian ,magazine1 for #aghe1 with the title1 8,an ,account of the ,sunday ,charity ,schools1 lately begun in various parts of ,england40 ,wesley was one of the first to catch and patronise the ,sunday-school idea4 ,at ,bingley1 he visited the school before preaching in the church1 and gave to ,sunday-schools one of their happiest designations1 8nurseries for ,christians40 ,similar institutions had been begun in ,leeds1 where ,wesley was about to hold his conference4 ,the town was already divided into seven divisions2 and had twenty-six schools1 containing above two thousand scholars1 taught by forty-five masters4 ,each school commenced at one o'clock in the afternoon1 the children being taught reading1 writing1 and religion4 ,at three1 they were taken to their respective churches2 then conducted back to school1 where a portion of some useful book was read1 a psalm sung1 and the whole concluded with a form of prayer1 composed and printed for that purpose4 ,boys and girls were kept separate4 ,there were four 8inquisitors10 persons whose office it was to spend ,sunday afternoon in visiting the twenty-six schools1 to ascertain who were absent1 and then in seeking the absentees at their homes or in the public streets4 ,the masters were mostly pious men1 and were paid from one to two shillings a ,sunday for their services1 according to their respective qualifications4 ,each had a written list of his scholars' names1 which he was required to call over1 every ,sunday1 at half-past one1 and half-past five4 ,five clergymen visited the schools1 and gave addresses2 and the expenses of the first year1 ending in ,july #aghd1 were about #bcd4 ,such were the ,sunday-schools at ,leeds when ,wesley1 for the first time1 visited one in the neighbouring town of ,bingley4 ,manchester also had taken up ,raikes' ,methodist idea2 and1 on the #ast of ,august1 #aghd1 ,wesley's old friend1 the ,rev4 ,cornelius ,bayley1 ,d4,d41 who for ten years had been one of the masters of ,kingswood school1 but was now an ordained clergyman in this important city1 published an 8,address to the ,public on ,sunday-,schools10 in which he gave an account of the schools at ,leeds1 and urged the men of ,manchester to copy so excellent an example4 ,bayley's address produced a powerful effect2 the magistrates patronised his scheme2 and the result was1 that ,cornelius ,bayley1 ,d4,d41 the quondam ,methodist1 and master of ,wesley's ,kingswood school1 became one of the chief1 though not only1 instruments of establishing ,sunday-schools in ,manchester and its neighbourhood4#dgg ,after visiting some of the intermediate towns and villages1 ,wesley arrived at ,leeds1 for the purpose of holding his annual conference4 ,he writes3 8,july #be1 ,sunday--,i preached to several thousands at ,birstal1 and to1 at least1 as many at ,leeds4 ,july #bg1 ,tuesday--,our conference began2 at which four of our brethren1 after long debate 7in which ,mr4 ,fletcher took much pains7 acknowledged their fault1 and all that was past was forgotten4 ,july #bi1 ,thursday--,being the public thanksgiving day1 as there was not room for us in the old church1 ,i read prayers1 as well as preached1 at our room4 ,having five clergymen to assist me1 we administered the ,lord's supper1 as was supposed1 to sixteen or seventeen hundred persons4 ,august #a1 ,sunday--,we were fifteen clergymen at the old church4 ,august #c1 ,tuesday--,our conference concluded in much love1 to the great disappointment of all40 ,such are ,wesley's brief notices of this momentous conference4 ,some additional incidents must be added4 ,the war of ,american independence was now ended1 and the day of public thanksgiving had reference to that event4 ,in the morning1 at five1 ,thomas ,hanby preached from1 8,my grace is sufficient for thee40 ,wesley's text1 previous to the almost unparalleled sacramental service1 was #a ,corinthians xiii4 #a-d4 ,the five clergymen who assisted him were ,messrs4 ,coke1 ,fletcher1 ,dillon1 ,bayley1 and ,simpson4 ,in the afternoon1 the business of the conference was resumed2 and1 at night1 ,wesley preached again1 taking as his text1 8,this is the first and great commandment40 ,altogether1 ,wesley preached not fewer than eight times during this important session1 besides regulating the ticklish and difficult business that had to be transacted4#dgh ,the 8long debate10 which ,wesley mentions1 had reference to the deed of declaration1 which must now have the best attention that space permits us to give it4 ,at an early period of his history1 ,wesley published a model deed for the settlement of chapels1 to the effect1 that the trustees1 for the time being1 should permit ,wesley himself and such other persons as he might1 from time to time1 appoint1 to have the free use of such premises1 to preach therein ,god's holy word4 ,in case of his death1 the same right was secured to his brother2 and providing that his brother's decease occurred before that of ,william ,grimshaw1 the same prerogatives were to belong to the last mentioned4 ,after the death of the three clergymen1 the chapels were to be held1 in trust1 for the sole use of such persons as might be appointed at the yearly conference of the people called ,methodists1 provided1 that the said persons preached no other doctrines than those contained in ,wesley's ,notes on the ,new ,testament1 and in his four volumes of sermons4#dgi ,thus the matter stood in #aghd4 ,according to ,myles' ,chronological ,history1 there were1 at this time1 in the ,united ,kingdom1 three hundred and fifty-nine ,methodist chapels2 and it may be fairly presumed1 that most of these were settled substantially according to the provisions of the deed above mentioned4 ,here it may be asked1 what necessity was there for a further deed8 ,the answer is1 that1 as yet1 there was no legal definition of what was meant by the term 8conference of the people called ,methodists40 ,to supply this defect1 ,wesley1 on the #bhth of ,february1 #aghd1 executed his famous deed of declaration1 which1 a few days afterwards1 was enrolled in the high court of chancery4 ,to use the language of the deed itself1 its object was 8to explain the words1 #8yearly conference of the people called ,methodists1' and to declare what persons are members of the said conference1 and how the succession and identity thereof is to be continued40 ,the document proceeds to state1 that the said conference had always consisted of ,methodist preachers whom ,wesley had annually invited to meet him for the following purposes3 namely1 to advise with him for the promotion of the gospel of ,christ2 to appoint the said preachers1 and other preachers and exhorters in connection with him1 to the use and enjoyment of chapels conveyed upon trust as aforesaid2 to expel unworthy preachers2 and to admit others on probation4 ,the deed then gives the names and addresses of one hundred preachers1 who are now declared to be the members of the said conference2 and proceeds to state 7#a7 ,that they and their successors1 for the time being for ever1 shall assemble once a year4 7#b7 ,that the act of the majority shall be the act of the whole4 7#c7 ,that their first business1 when they assemble1 shall be to fill up vacancies4 7#d7 ,that no act of the conference assembled shall be valid unless forty of its members are present4 7#e7 ,that the duration of the yearly conference shall not be less than five days1 nor more than three weeks4 7#f7 ,that1 immediately after filling up vacancies1 they shall choose a president and secretary of their assembly out of themselves4 7#g7 ,that any member of the conference1 absenting himself from the yearly assembly thereof for two years successively1 without the consent or dispensation of the conference1 and who is not present on the first day of the third yearly assembly thereof1 shall forthwith cease to be a member1 as though he were naturally dead4 7#h7 ,that the conference shall and may expel any member thereof1 or any person admitted into connection therewith1 for any cause which to the conference may seem fit or necessary4 7#i7 ,that they may admit into connection with them any person1 of whom they approve1 to be preachers of ,god's holy word1 under the care and direction of the conference4 7#aj7 ,that no person shall be elected a member of the conference1 who has not been admitted into connection with the conference1 as a preacher1 for twelve months4 7#aa7 ,that the conference shall not appoint any person to the use of a chapel or chapels1 who is not either a member of the conference1 or admitted into connection with the same1 or upon trial2 and that no person shall be appointed for more than three years successively1 except ordained ministers of the ,church of ,england4 7#ab7 ,that the conference may appoint the place of holding the yearly assembly thereof1 at any other town1 or city1 than ,london1 ,bristol1 or ,leeds4 7#ac7 ,that the conference may1 when it shall seem expedient1 send any of its members as delegates to ,ireland1 or other parts out of the kingdom of ,great ,britain1 to act on its behalf1 and with all the powers of the conference itself4 7#ad7 ,that all resolutions and acts whatsoever of the conference shall be written in the journals of the conference1 and be signed by the president and secretary thereof for the time being4 7#ae7 ,that whenever the conference shall be reduced under the number of forty members1 and continue so reduced for three years successively2 or whenever the members thereof shall decline or neglect to meet together annually during the space of three years1 the conference of the people called ,methodists shall be extinguished1 and all its powers1 privileges1 and advantages shall cease4 7#af7 ,that nothing in this deed shall extinguish or lessen the life estate of the said ,john ,wesley and ,charles ,wesley1 or either of them1 in any of the chapels in which they now have1 or may have1 any estate or interest1 power or authority whatsoever4 ,such was ,wesley's deed of declaration1--a deed recognised in the trust deeds of all the chapels that ,methodism builds2 and1 hence1 a deed investing a hundred ,methodist preachers with the unexampled power of determining1 irrespective of trustees1 societies1 and congregations1 who shall be the officiating ministers in the thousands of chapels occupied by ,methodist societies at home and abroad1 throughout the ,united ,kingdom and throughout the world4 ,we repeat1 this is an unexampled power2 and the ministers1 invested with it1 ought to feel1 that they have a corresponding responsibility to ,god and to ,his church4 ,high is the honour2 the responsibility is fearful4 ,if ,methodism should ever fail in its duty1 or fall to pieces1 they1 above all men else1 must bear the blame4 ,we purposely refrain from raising the vexed question about the kind of church government1 involved in this great settlement2 and proceed to notice the history of the deed of declaration1 up to the time of its being signed on ,february #bh1 #aghd4 ,mr4 ,pawson1 in his manuscript memoir of ,dr4 ,whitehead1 states that1 from the year #agej1 all ,methodist chapels were settled according to the provisions of the model deed that has been already mentioned2 but several of the 8wisest and best preachers0 were not satisfied1 and1 from time to time1 brought up the matter at the yearly conferences1 and earnestly urged ,wesley to do something more to preserve the chapels for the purpose which the original builders intended4 ,wesley replied1 that the trust deed in itself was quite sufficient2 that it had been drawn up by three of the most eminent counsellors in ,london2 and that1 even supposing there might be some defect in it1 no one would be so mad as to go to law with an entire body of people like the ,methodists4 ,such reasoning failed to satisfy the preachers1 especially ,messrs4 ,hampson and ,oddie1 both of whom1 says ,pawson1 8were men of remarkably deep understanding and sound judgment40 ,at length1 ,wesley began to yield to the pressure that was brought upon him2 and various schemes were propounded to accomplish the purpose upon which men like ,hampson and ,oddie had set their hearts4 ,one was to consolidate all the chapels in the connexion into a general trust1 the trustees to be chosen out of all the large societies throughout the three kingdoms4 ,another was to have all the chapel deeds brought to ,london1 and deposited in a strong box1 to be provided for the purpose2 and1 in execution of this project1 many were actually sent1 and some were thereby lost4 ,all this occurred previous to ,dr4 ,coke's uniting himself with ,wesley2 and1 from ,pawson's testimony1 we now turn to that of ,coke4 ,in his 8,address to the ,methodist ,society in ,great ,britain and ,ireland1 on the ,settlement of ,preaching ,houses10 ,coke relates that1 at the conference of #aghb1 the preachers seemed to be universally alarmed at the danger arising from the want of a legal definition of what was meant by the term1 8the conference of the people called ,methodists02 and unanimously wished some method to be taken to remove a danger which appeared to them to be pregnant with evils of the first magnitude4 ,in consequence of this1 ,coke took the opinion of ,mr4 ,maddox1 one of the first counsel of the day1 and ascertained1 that the law would not recognise the conference1 without some further definition2 and1 consequently1 that there was nothing to preserve the ,methodist connexion from being shivered into a thousand fragments after ,wesley's death4 ,to prevent this1 ,mr4 ,maddox advised1 that ,wesley should execute a deed1 specifying the persons by name who composed the conference1 together with the mode of succession for its perpetuity4 ,dr4 ,coke read ,mr4 ,maddox's opinion to the conference of #aghc2 and the whole conference expressed their wish that such a deed should be drawn up and executed4 ,coke immediately set to work1 and1 with the assistance of ,mr4 ,clulow1 a solicitor1 and ,mr4 ,maddox1 the barrister1 a draft of the deed was carefully prepared1 and submitted to ,wesley for his approval4 ,coke's opinion was1 that every preacher1 in full connexion1 should have his name inserted2 and that admission into full connexion should1 in the future1 be looked upon as admission into membership with the conference4 ,wesley demurred to this1 and determined to limit the number of members to one hundred1 and1 without any advice from ,coke1 made his own selections4 ,in this form1 the deed was executed2 and ,coke sent copies of it to all the assistants of circuits throughout the ,united ,kingdom4#dhj ,we believe that this is1 substantially1 all that can be said respecting the origin of what has been termed ,methodism's ,magna ,charta4 ,what was the result8 ,there were1 at the conference of #aghc1 one hundred and ninety-two preachers appointed to sixty-nine circuits1 throughout the three kingdoms4 ,we have no hesitancy in saying1 that we think it would have been wise to have inserted the names of the whole of these in the deed of declaration1 with the exception of twenty-two1 who were still on trial1 and not admitted into full connexion4 ,all seemed to have an equal right to this2 and1 thereby1 all would have been satisfied4 ,instead of this1 ,wesley proceeded to the invidious task of selecting a hundred1 and rejecting ninety-two4 ,it was a perilous experiment2 and the peril was augmented by the mode in which the experiment was made4 ,for instance1 sixteen were elected who had travelled less than four years2 whereas among the rejected were the following4 ,thomas ,lee travelled #cf years4 ,john ,atlay 0 #ba 0 ,joseph ,thompson 0 #be 0 ,john ,poole 0 #be 0 ,william ,ashman 0 #ai 0 ,jonathan ,hern 0 #ae 0 ,william ,eels 0 #ab 0 ,thomas ,mitchell 0 #cf 0 ,joseph ,pilmoor 0 #ai 0 ,besides1 where was the fairness of choosing and refusing the following preachers1 who1 at the time1 were colleagues in the same circuit8 ,names of ,years ,names of ,rejected4 ,years ,chosen4 standing4 standing4 ,joshua ,keighley #c ,william ,horner #ac ,joseph ,cole #c ,simon ,day #ag ,jonathan ,cousins #c ,robert ,empringham #ba ,william ,green #c ,john ,hampson1 sen4 #ca ,joseph ,taylor #f ,john ,wittam #af ,william ,hoskins #a ,john ,watson #ab ,william ,myles #f ,john ,hampson1 jun4 #f ,george ,snowden #ad ,william ,simpson #d ,thomas ,johnson #ca ,james ,wray #b ,thomas ,wride #ae ,henry ,foster #c ,george ,mowat #ac ,wesley doubtless had a right to make any selection that he liked2 but those who were not selected had an equal right to grumble2 and we are not surprised that1 sooner or later1 not fewer than nearly thirty of the rejected withdrew from the connexion altogether4 ,john ,pawson writes3 8,mr4 ,wesley1 designedly or otherwise1 left out the names of several of the old and respectable preachers2 and these good men were exceedingly grieved and not without reason4 ,many of the trustees also were alarmed1 thinking that we wished to make the chapels our own property2 but nothing of the kind was ever contemplated4 ,the one design of the deed1 to my certain knowledge1 was to prevent any preacher1 who might be inclined to settle1 from taking possession of any of our chapels4 ,the preachers1 whose names were inserted in the deed1 so far from being desirous to be distinguished above their brethren1 very cheerfully complied with ,mr4 ,wesley's desire1 and gave up every privilege granted to them in the deed1 except that of electing their own president and secretary1 which appears to me to be a matter of little consequence40#dha ,there can be no question1 that the deed of declaration occasioned great excitement4 ,john ,hampson1 jun41 says3 8,every itinerant had always considered himself as a member of conference2 and1 hence1 when the ninety-one1 who were to be excluded1 saw the deed1 it was with astonishment and indignation4 ,the injustice of the thing stared them in the face2 and they found that1 in consenting to such a deed1 they had consented1 that all the affairs of the connexion should be lodged in the hundred mentioned in the declaration2 that they should be the lords and rulers of the rest2 and should have it in their power to turn any other preacher out of the conference1 and tell him he had no business there4 ,the exclusion itself was both an iniquitous and a mortifying measure4 ,but the partiality of it rendered it still more oppressive4 ,some of the oldest and ablest preachers1 in the connexion1 were excluded4 ,many of the selected members were not only deficient in abilities1 but some of them1 at the time of their insertion in the deed1 were only upon trial2 while the chief qualifications of others were ignorance1 fanaticism1 and ductility4 ,under such circumstances1 it is no wonder if the persons excluded thought themselves aggrieved4 ,they were really so1 and they made no scruple to declare their sentiments4 ,they sent circular letters1 inviting all the preachers to canvass the business at the ensuing conference2 and a large number assembled4 ,many of them were as averse to the deed1 as those who had so decidedly opposed it1 and had repeatedly execrated the measure1 both by letter and in conversation2 but they had not the courage to avow their sentiments in conference4 ,mr4 ,wesley made a speech1 and invited all who were of his mind to stand up4 ,they all rose to a man4 ,the five were found guilty1 and it was unanimously determined1 that they should either make concessions or be dismissed4 ,urged by the entreaties of ,mr4 ,fletcher1 and anxious for the restoration of peace1 the preachers in the opposition apologised to ,mr4 ,wesley1 for printing the circular letter1 without having first appealed to conference40#dhb ,such1 in substance1 and omitting acrid comments1 is the account given by ,john ,hampson1 jun42 and there can be little doubt that1 in the main1 it is quite correct4 ,the printed circular he mentions was issued by his father1 and was entitled1 8,an ,appeal to the ,reverend ,john and ,charles ,wesley2 to all the preachers who act in connection with them2 and to every member of their respective societies in ,england1 ,scotland1 ,ireland1 and ,america40#dhc ,another circular was drawn up by ,james ,oddie1 in the form of a petition to ,wesley and the legalised conference1 to the effect1 that the preachers1 whose names had been inserted in the deed1 would sign an agreement that1 at the death of ,wesley1 they would refrain from taking any advantage of their position1 but would invite the excluded to their first conference1 and would treat them1 in all respects1 as equals4 ,this was first suggested by ,robert ,oastler1 of ,thirsk2 and was widely circulated1 and received with favour2#dhd and1 perhaps1 it was this that evoked the following letter1 which was written on ,april #g1 #aghe1 and entrusted to ,joseph ,bradford1 to deliver to the conference1 at their first meeting after the writer's death4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brethren1--,some of our travelling preachers have expressed a fear1 that1 after my decease1 you would exclude them1 either from preaching in connection with you1 or from some other privileges which they now enjoy4 ,i know no other way to prevent any such inconvenience1 than to leave these my last words with you4 8,i beseech you1 by the mercies of ,god1 that you never avail yourselves of the deed of declaration1 to assume any superiority over your brethren2 but let all things go on1 among those itinerants who choose to remain together1 exactly in the same manner as when ,i was with you1 so far as circumstances will permit4 8,in particular1 ,i beseech you1 if you ever loved me1 and if you now love ,god and your brethren1 to have no respect of persons in stationing the preachers1 in choosing children for ,kingswood school1 in disposing of the yearly contribution and the preachers' fund1 or any other of the public money2 but do all things with a single eye1 as ,i have done from the beginning4 ,go on thus1 doing all things without prejudice or partiality1 and ,god will be with you even to the end4 8,,john ,,wesley40#dhe ,this was a serious crisis in the history of ,methodism4 ,fortunately1 it passed over without any other immediate consequences than the retirement of the five principal opponents to the deed of declaration1 namely1 the two ,hampsons1 ,joseph ,pilmoor1 ,william ,eels1 and ,john ,atlay4 ,considerable excitement1 however1 existed2 and1 in the spring of #aghe1 ,wesley found it desirable to write his 8,thoughts upon some late ,occurrences40 ,he gives the history of the origin of his conferences2 and states that the term conference meant not so much conversation1 as the persons that conferred1 that it had become necessary to define the term1 and that1 at the conference of #aghc1 he had been requested to fix the determinate meaning of the word4 ,he accordingly took counsel's opinion how to act1 and was advised to execute a deed of declaration4 ,at first1 he thought of naming only ten or twelve2 but1 on second thoughts1 he believed there would be more safety in a greater number of counsellors1 and1 therefore1 named a hundred2 as many as1 he judged1 could meet without too great expense1 and without leaving any circuit without preachers while the conference assembled4 ,he adds3 8,in naming these preachers1 as ,i had no adviser1 so ,i had no respect of persons2 but ,i simply set down those that1 according to the best of my judgment1 were most proper4 ,but ,i am not infallible4 ,i might mistake1 and think better of some than they deserved4 ,however1 ,i did my best2 if ,i did wrong1 it was not the error of my will1 but of my judgment4 8,this was the rise1 and this the nature1 of that famous deed of declaration1--that vile1 wicked deed1 concerning which you have heard such an outcry6 ,and now1 can any one tell me how to mend it1 or how it could have been made better8 #8,o yes4 ,you might have inserted two hundred1 as well as one hundred1 preachers4' ,no2 for then the expense of meeting would have been double1 and all the circuits would have been without preachers4 #8,but you might have named other preachers instead of these4' ,true1 if ,i had thought as well of them as they did of themselves4 ,but ,i did not3 therefore1 ,i could do no otherwise than ,i did1 without sinning against ,god and my own conscience4 8#8,but what need was there for any deed at all8' ,there was the utmost need of it2 without some authentic deed fixing the meaning of the term1 the moment ,i died1 the conference had been nothing4 ,therefore1 any of the proprietors of the land on which our preaching houses were built might have seized them for their own use2 and there would have been none to hinder them2 for the conference would have been nobody1 a mere empty name4 8,you see then1 in all the pains ,i have taken about this absolutely necessary deed1 ,i have been labouring1 not for myself 7,i have no interest therein71 but for the whole body of ,methodists2 in order to fix them upon such a foundation as is likely to stand as long as the sun and moon endure4 ,that is1 if they continue to walk by faith1 and to show forth their faith by their works2 otherwise1 ,i pray ,god to root out the memorial of them from the earth4 8,,john ,,wesley4#dhf 8,,plymouth ,,dock1 ,march #c1 #aghe40 ,we have done4 ,all the facts1 within our knowledge1 have been given4 ,the reader must form his own opinion4 ,comment would be easy2 but we purposely refrain2 only adding1 that1 by ,wesley's famous deed of declaration1 the ,methodist conference became a legally incorporated institution2 and that1 without this1 the ,methodist itinerancy must have ceased1 and ,methodism itself have been broken up into congregational churches4 ,we must now advert to another matter1 which1 if not of equal1 was of great importance1 namely1 the episcopal organisation of the ,methodist societies in ,america4 ,this has been the subject of bewildering controversy for more than eighty years4 ,wesley and ,coke have been bitterly assailed1 and as warmly defended4 ,we will narrate the facts as simply and briefly as we can4 ,during the ,american war1 which was now ended1 the ,american ,methodists had multiplied with marvellous rapidity4 ,in #aggd1 they numbered #bjgc2 in #aghd1 they were #ad1ihh2 showing an increase of #ab1iae4 ,they had #df circuits1 and #hc itinerant1 besides some hundreds of local1 preachers4#dhg ,all these1 so far as the sacraments were concerned1 were as sheep without shepherds4 ,some of the clergymen of the ,church of ,england had taken military commissions in the army2 others were destitute of both piety and sense2 and nearly all opposed and persecuted the ,methodists to the utmost of their power4 ,bishop ,white testified1 that 8the ,church of ,england was becoming more and more unpopular1--with some1 because it was not considered as promoting piety1--and with others1 because they thought the provision for it a useless burden on the community40 ,at the termination of the revolutionary struggle1 says ,dr4 ,hawks1 himself a clergyman1 8a large number of the churches in ,virginia were destroyed or irreparably injured2 twenty-three of her ninety-five parishes were extinct or forsaken2 and of the remaining seventy-two1 thirty-four were destitute of ministerial services2 while of her ninety-eight clergymen1 only twenty-eight remained40 ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,jarratt1 another clergyman of the ,church of ,england1 stated1 that 8most of the clergy preached what was little better than deism10 and were bitter revilers and persecutors of those who preached the truth4#dhh ,under these circumstances1 the ,methodists demanded of their preachers the administration of the sacraments4 ,many of the societies had been months1 some of them years1 without these sacred ordinances4 ,five years before this1 in #aggi1 the preachers in the south proceeded to ordain themselves by the hands of three of their senior members1 unwilling that their people should longer be denied the ,lord's supper1 and their children and probationary members the rite of baptism4 ,asbury was greatly annoyed at this1 and1 a year afterwards1 with difficulty succeeded in persuading them to suspend the administration of the sacraments till further advice could be received from ,wesley4#dhi ,asbury wrote to ,wesley1 telling him of the greatness of the work1 and of the division that had taken place in ,virginia1 on account of the people's uneasiness respecting the sacraments4 ,thousands of their children were unbaptized1 and the members of the societies1 in general1 had not partaken of the ,lord's supper for many years4#dij 8,dear sir10 says he1 on ,march #bj1 #aghd1 8we are greatly in need of help4 ,a minister1 and such preachers as you can fully recommend1 will be very acceptable4 ,without your recommendation1 we shall receive none4 ,but nothing is so pleasing to me1 sir1 as the thought of seeing you here2 which is the ardent desire of thousands more in ,america40#dia ,wesley's going was impossible4 ,he had tried 7as we have already seen7 to induce ,bishop ,lowth to ordain a minister1 and had failed4 ,what else remained8 ,he thought of ,dr4 ,coke1 who replied as follows4 8,,near ,,dublin1 ,april #ag1 #aghd4 8,,honoured ,,and ,,very ,,dear ,,sir1--,i intended to trouble you no more about my going to ,america2 but your observations incline me to address you again on the subject4 8,if some one1 in whom you could place the fullest confidence1 and whom you think likely to have sufficient influence and prudence and delicacy of conduct for the purpose1 were to go over and return1 you would then have a source of sufficient information to determine on any points or propositions4 ,i may be destitute of the last mentioned essential qualification 7to the former ,i lay claim without reserve72 otherwise my taking such a voyage might be expedient4 8,by this means1 you might have fuller information concerning the state of the country and the societies than epistolary correspondence can give you2 and there might be a cement of union1 remaining after your death1 between the societies and preachers of the two countries4 ,if the awful event of your decease should happen before my removal to the world of spirits1 it is almost certain1 that ,i should have business enough1 of indispensable importance1 on my hands in these kingdoms4 8,i am1 dear sir1 your most dutiful and most affectionate son1 8,,thomas ,,coke40#dib ,this is a curiously expressed letter2 but if it means anything1 it means1 that if ,wesley would be good enough to think and say1 that ,coke had 8sufficient influence1 and prudence1 and delicacy of conduct10 he was willing to become ,wesley's envoy to the ,american ,methodists4 ,here the matter rested1 until the assembling of the conference at ,leeds4 ,mr4 ,pawson1 in his manuscript memoir of ,dr4 ,whitehead1 relates1 that ordination was first proposed by ,wesley himself in his select committee of consultation4 ,pawson was a member1 and was present4 ,he writes3 8,the preachers were astonished when this was mentioned1 and1 to a man1 opposed it4 ,but ,i plainly saw that it would be done1 as ,mr4 ,wesley's mind appeared to be quite made up40 ,coke1 ,whatcoat1 and ,vasey were appointed to ,america2 and1 six days after the conference concluded1 ,coke wrote to ,wesley as follows4 8,august #i1 #aghd4 8,,honoured ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,the more maturely ,i consider the subject1 the more expedient it appears to me1 that the power of ordaining others should be received by me from you1 by the imposition of your hands2 and that you should lay hands on brother ,whatcoat and brother ,vasey1 for the following reasons3 7#a7 ,it seems to me the most scriptural way1 and most agreeable to the practice of the primitive churches4 7#b7 ,i may want all the influence1 in ,america1 which you can throw into my scale4 ,mr4 ,brackenbury informed me at ,leeds1 that he saw a letter from ,mr4 ,asbury1 in which he observed that he would not receive any person1 deputed by you1 with any part of the superintendency of the work invested in him2 or words which evidently implied so much4 ,i do not find the least degree of prejudice in my mind against ,mr4 ,asbury2 on the contrary1 ,i find a very great love and esteem2 and am determined not to stir a finger without his consent1 unless necessity obliges me2 but rather to be at his feet in all things4 ,but1 as the journey is long1 and you cannot spare me often1 it is well to provide against all events2 and ,i am satisfied that an authority1 formally received from you1 will be fully admitted2 and that my exercising the office of ordination1 without that formal authority1 may be disputed1 and perhaps1 on other accounts1 opposed4 ,i think you have tried me too often to doubt1 whether ,i will1 in any degree1 use the power you are pleased to invest me with1 farther than ,i believe absolutely necessary for the prosperity of the work4 8,in respect of my brethren ,whatcoat and ,vasey1 it is very uncertain whether any of the clergy1 mentioned by brother ,rankin1 except ,mr4 ,jarratt1 will stir a step with me in the work2 and it is by no means certain1 that even he will choose to join me in ordaining2 and propriety and universal practice make it expedient1 that ,i should have two presbyters with me in this work4 ,in short1 it appears to me1 that everything should be prepared1 and everything proper be done1 that can possibly be done1 on this side the water4 ,you can do all this in ,mr4 ,c----n's house1 in your chamber2 and afterwards1 7according to ,mr4 ,fletcher's advice17 give us letters testimonial of the different offices with which you have been pleased to invest us4 ,for the purpose of laying hands on brothers ,whatcoat and ,vasey1 ,i can bring ,mr4 ,creighton down with me1 by which you will have two presbyters with you4 8,in respect to brother ,rankin's argument1 that you will escape a great deal of odium by omitting this1 it is nothing4 ,either it will be known1 or not known4 ,if not known1 then no odium will arise2 but if known1 you will be obliged to acknowledge1 that ,i acted under your direction1 or suffer me to sink under the weight of my enemies1 with perhaps your brother at the head of them4 ,i shall entreat you to ponder these things4 8,your most dutiful1 ,,thomas ,,coke40#dic ,would it not seem from this1 that ,wesley had no idea of ordaining any one himself2 but1 that he intended ,coke1 who1 as a presbyter of the same church1 had coequal power1 to go out to ,america for that purpose8 ,there can be no question1 that there is force in ,dr4 ,whitehead's critique1 that 8,dr4 ,coke had the same right to ordain ,mr4 ,wesley1 that ,mr4 ,wesley had to ordain ,dr4 ,coke40 ,wesley1 we think1 never intended doing this2 but1 at ,coke's request1 he acquiesced4 ,of his power to ordain others1 ,wesley had no doubt4 ,nearly forty years before this1 he had been convinced1 by ,lord ,king's ,account of the ,primitive ,church1 8that bishops and presbyters are of one order40 ,in #agef1 he wrote3 8,i still believe the episcopal form of church government1 to agree with the practice and writings of the apostles2 but1 that it is prescribed in ,scripture1 ,i do not believe4 ,this opinion1 which ,i once zealously espoused1 ,i have been heartily ashamed of1 ever since ,i read ,bishop ,stillingfleet's #8,irenicon4' ,i think he has unanswerably proved1 that neither ,christ nor ,his apostles prescribe any particular form of church government2 and that the plea of ,divine right1 for diocesan episcopacy1 was never heard of in the primitive church40#did ,again1 in #agfa1 in a letter to a friend1 he repeated1 that ,stillingfleet had fully convinced him1 that to believe that none but episcopal ordination was valid 8was an entire mistake40#die ,and again1 in #aghj1 he shocked the high church bigotry of his brother1 by declaring1 8,i verily believe ,i have as good a right to ordain1 as to administer the ,lord's supper40#dif ,his right to ordain1 then1 was no new assumption of ,wesley1 adopted in his old age1 or in his imbecility1 as some of his critics have alleged4 ,it was a firm conviction of forty years' standing4 ,besides1 there was another fact1 which might have some influence with him1 but which none of his biographers have noticed4 ,the ,methodists1 under the care of the ,countess of ,huntingdon1 stood in the same relation to the ,church of ,england that the ,methodists under ,wesley did4 ,they varied1 not dissented1 from the ,church4 ,recently1 however1 there had been a formal and avowed secession4 ,many of ,lady ,huntingdon's chapels were supplied by ordained clergymen1 and1 among others1 a large building in ,spafields1 previously known as the ,pantheon4 ,this edifice stood in the parish of ,clerkenwell1 of which the ,rev4 ,william ,sellon was minister4 ,mr4 ,sellon claimed the right of appointing ministers and clerks to the ,spafields chapel2 also the right of himself to officiate within its walls as often as he liked4 ,he further demanded the sum of #dj a year1 in consideration of his permitting two of the ,countess's preachers to occupy the said chapel2 also all the sacramental collections2 and four collections yearly1 for the benefit of the children of the charity school of ,clerkenwell parish2 and1 finally1 that1 for the due performance of these demands1 the proprietors should sign a bond for #ajjj4 ,of course1 the proprietors refused to comply with such demands4 ,mr4 ,sellon then instituted a suit in the consistorial court of the ,bishop of ,london1 and cited the ,revs4 ,messrs4 ,jones and ,taylor1 the officiating clergymen1 and both of them ordained1 to answer for their irregularity in preaching in a place not episcopally consecrated1 and for carrying on ,divine worship there1 contrary to the wish of the minister of the parish4 ,verdicts were obtained against them4 ,the question was then removed to the ecclesiastical courts2 and was again decided against the ministers of the countess1 and in favour of ,mr4 ,sellon1 who obtained the name of ,sanballat4 ,this was a momentous matter4 ,hitherto1 ,romaine1 ,venn1 and others had preached for the countess2 but now1 as ordained clergymen1 in danger of prosecution1 they had to withdraw their services2 and some of the most important chapels were left without supplies4 ,the crisis was serious4 ,the countess took counsel with her friends2 and1 at length1 it was determined1 that ,messrs4 ,wills and ,taylor should formally secede from the ,church of ,england1 and should take upon themselves to ordain others3 both of them had received episcopal ordination themselves1 both were scholars and able preachers1 and ,mr4 ,wills had married ,miss ,wheeler1 the countess's niece4 ,accordingly1 these two ministers issued an address to the archbishops and bishops of the ,church of ,england1 stating that1 because they could not1 as clergymen of the ,established ,church1 continue preaching to their present congregations1 without 8knowingly and wilfully opposing the ,church's laws10 they had resolved to secede peaceably1 and to put themselves under the protection of the ,toleration ,act4 ,here then was a formal ,methodist secession from the ,established ,church4 ,but more than this3 on ,march #i1 #aghc1 these two seceding clergymen began to do what ,wesley did eighteen months afterwards1--they held their first ordination4 ,this was in ,spafields chapel4 ,the service commenced at #i a4m41 and lasted about seven hours4 ,the names of the six young men1 then set apart to the ,christian ministry1 were ,thomas ,jones1 ,samuel ,beaufoy1 ,thomas ,cannon1 ,john ,johnson1 ,william ,green1 and ,joel ,abraham ,knight4 ,during the service1 ,mr4 ,wills addressed the congregation1 and assigned his reasons for believing that he had the right to ordain1 namely1 that presbyters and bishops were the same order1 and that1 as he and ,mr4 ,taylor had been ordained presbyters1 they had really been ordained bishops1 and had as much right to ordain others as any bishop in the land4#dig ,wesley was acquainted with all this1 though he never mentions it4 ,for aught he knew1 an action might be commenced against himself and the other clergymen preaching in ,city ,road1 ,west ,street1 and elsewhere1 similar to that which had been successfully prosecuted against the ,countess of ,huntingdon's preachers at ,spafields4 ,it was time to look about4 ,he held exactly the same views respecting presbyters and bishops that had been publicly avowed by ,messrs4 ,wills and ,taylor2 and now1 in ,september #aghd1 reduced them to practice by proceeding to ,bristol1 and there ordaining ,coke1 ,whatcoat1 and ,vasey4 ,passing by the ordinations of ,whatcoat and ,vasey1 which involve no difficulty except ,wesley's churchmanship1 the ordination of ,coke is a perplexing puzzle4 ,coke had been already ordained a deacon and a priest of the ,church of ,england2 and1 hence1 his ministerial status was the same as ,wesley's4 ,what further ordination was needed8 ,wesley intended none2 but ,coke wished it4 ,wesley was the founder and father of the ,methodists4 ,there were #ae1jjj in ,america whom he had never seen4 ,in no sense were these members of the ,church of ,england2 for1 at the termination of the war1 no state church was recognised4 ,what were they8 ,not presbyterians1 not ,dissenters1 not quakers1 not anything1 except simple ,methodists4 ,they were without sacraments4 ,they wished to have them4 ,as ,christians1 they had a right to them4 ,but who was to administer8 ,common sense would have said1 the men by whose preaching they had been converted2 but here priestly prejudice stepped in1 and forbad men1 whom ,god had called to preach1 to administer the sacraments1 until episcopal or presbyterian hands had been put upon them4 ,things were brought into a dead lock4 ,the question was1 are the ,methodist preachers in ,america to administer the sacraments without ordination8 ,or shall ,wesley or some one else go from ,england to give them ordination8 ,wesley1 a man of action1 decided to send ,coke1 and ,coke consented2 but1 before starting1 he wished to have an additional ordination himself4 ,what was that ordination to be8 ,the only one possible was this4 ,wesley was the venerable father of the #ae1jjj ,methodists in ,america4 ,he was not able to visit them himself2 but sends them ,dr4 ,coke4 ,the doctor pretends1 that it is more than possible1 that some of the ,american preachers and societies will refuse to acknowledge his authority4 ,to remove this objection1 ,wesley1 at ,bristol1 in a private room1 holds a religious service1 puts his hands upon the head of ,coke1 and1 7to use his own words17 sets him apart as a superintendent of the work in ,america1 and gives him a written testimonial to that effect4 ,this was all that ,wesley did1 and all that ,wesley meant2 but we greatly doubt whether it was all that the departing envoy wished4 ,with the highest respect for ,dr4 ,coke1 and his general excellences1 it is no detraction to assert1 that he was dangerously ambitious1 and that the height of his ambition was a desire to be a bishop4 ,some years after this1 ,coke1 unknown to ,wesley and ,asbury1 addressed a confidential letter to ,dr4 ,white1 bishop of the protestant episcopal church of ,pennsylvania1 which1 if it meant anything1 meant that he would like the ,methodists of ,america to be reunited to the ,english ,church1 on condition that he himself was ordained to be their bishop4 ,in #agid1 he secretly summoned a meeting1 at ,lichfield1 of the most influential of the ,english preachers1 and passed a resolution1 that the conference should appoint an order of bishops1 to ordain deacons and elders1 he himself1 of course1 expecting to be a member of the prelatical brotherhood4 ,and again1 it is a well known fact1 that1 within twelve months of his lamented death1 he wrote to the ,earl of ,liverpool1 stating that he was willing to return most fully into the bosom of the ,established ,church1 on condition1 that his royal highness the ,prince ,regent1 and the government1 would appoint him their bishop in ,india4 ,these are unpleasant facts2 which we would rather have consigned to oblivion1 had they not been necessary to vindicate ,wesley from the huge inconsistency of ordaining a coequal presbyter to be a bishop4 ,wesley meant the ceremony to be a mere formality likely to recommend his delegate to the favour of the ,methodists in ,america3 ,coke1 in his ambition1 wished1 and intended it to be considered as1 an ordination to a bishopric4 ,this will be clear as we proceed farther4 ,the following are the 8letters testimonial10 which ,coke asked to have4 8,to all to whom these presents shall come1 ,john ,wesley1 late ,fellow of ,lincoln ,college in ,oxford1 ,presbyter of the ,church of ,england1 sendeth greeting4 8,whereas many of the people in the southern provinces of ,north ,america1 who desire to continue under my care1 and still adhere to the doctrine and discipline of the ,church of ,england1 are greatly distressed for want of ministers to administer the sacraments of baptism and the ,lord's supper1 according to the usage of the same ,church2 and whereas there does not appear to be any other way of supplying them with ministers3 8,know all men1 that ,i1 ,john ,wesley1 think myself to be providentially called1 at this time1 to set apart some persons for the work of the ministry in ,america4 ,and1 therefore1 under the protection of almighty ,god1 and with a single eye to ,his glory1 ,i have this day set apart as a superintendent1 by the imposition of my hands1 and prayer1 7being assisted by other ordained ministers1#dih7 ,thomas ,coke1 doctor of civil law1 a presbyter of the ,church of ,england1 and a man whom ,i judge to be well qualified for that great work4 ,and ,i do hereby recommend him to all whom it may concern1 as a fit person to preside over the flock of ,christ4 ,in testimony whereof1 ,i have hereunto set my hand and seal1 this second day of ,september1 in the year of our ,lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-four4 8,,john ,,wesley40#dii 8,,bristol1 ,september #aj1 #aghd4 8,to ,dr4 ,coke1 ,mr4 ,asbury1 and our ,brethren in ,north ,america4 8,,by a very uncommon train of providences1 many of the provinces of ,north ,america are totally disjoined from the mother country1 and erected into independent states4 ,the ,english government has no authority over them1 either civil or ecclesiastical1 any more than over the states of ,holland4 ,a civil authority is exercised over them1 partly by the congress1 partly by the provincial assemblies4 ,but no one either exercises or claims any ecclesiastical authority at all4 ,in this peculiar situation1 some thousands of the inhabitants of these states desire my advice1 and1 in compliance with their desire1 ,i have drawn up a little sketch4 8,lord ,king's account of the primitive church convinced me1 many years ago1 that bishops and presbyters are the same order1 and consequently have the same right to ordain4 ,for many years1 ,i have been importuned1 from time to time1 to exercise this right1 by ordaining part of our travelling preachers4 ,but ,i have still refused2 not only for peace sake1 but because ,i was determined1 as little as possible1 to violate the established order of the national church to which ,i belonged4 8,but the case is widely different between ,england and ,north ,america4 ,here there are bishops1 who have a legal jurisdiction2 in ,america there are none1 neither any parish minister2 so that1 for some hundreds of miles together1 there is none either to baptize1 or to administer the ,lord's supper4 ,here1 therefore1 my scruples are at an end2 and ,i conceive myself at full liberty1 as ,i violate no order1 and invade no man's rights1 by appointing and sending labourers into the harvest4 8,i have accordingly appointed ,dr4 ,coke and ,mr4 ,francis ,asbury to be joint superintendents over our brethren in ,north ,america2 as also ,richard ,whatcoat and ,thomas ,vasey1 to act as elders among them1 by baptizing and administering the ,lord's supper4 ,and ,i have prepared a liturgy1 little differing from that of the ,church of ,england1 7,i think the best constituted national church in the world17 which ,i advise all the travelling preachers to use on the ,lord's day1 in all the congregations1 reading the litany only on ,wednesdays and ,fridays1 and praying extempore on all other days4 ,i also advise the elders to administer the supper of the ,lord1 on every ,lord's day4 8,if any one will point out a more rational and scriptural way of feeding and guiding these poor sheep in the wilderness1 ,i will gladly embrace it4 ,at present1 ,i cannot see any better method than that ,i have taken4 8,it has1 indeed1 been proposed to desire the ,english bishops to ordain part of our preachers for ,america4 ,but to this ,i object3 7#a7 ,i desired the ,bishop of ,london to ordain one1 but could not prevail4 7#b7 ,if they consented1 we know the slowness of their proceedings2 but the matter admits of no delay4 7#c7 ,if they would ordain them now1 they would expect to govern them2 and how grievously would this entangle us6 7#d7 ,as our ,american brethren are now totally disentangled1 both from the state and the ,english hierarchy1 we dare not entangle them again1 either with the one or the other4 ,they are now at full liberty1 simply to follow the ,scriptures and the primitive church4 ,and we judge it best1 that they should stand fast in that liberty1 wherewith ,god has so strangely set them free4 8,,john ,,wesley40#ejj 8,these are the steps10 says ,wesley in another place1 8which1 not of choice1 but necessity1 ,i have slowly and deliberately taken4 ,if any one is pleased to call this separating from the ,church1 he may4 ,but the law of ,england does not call it so2 nor can any one properly be said so to do1 unless1 out of conscience1 he refuses to join in the service1 and partake of the sacraments administered therein40#eja ,eight days after the date of the above letter1 ,coke1 ,whatcoat1 and ,vasey set sail for ,america1 where they arrived on ,november #c4 ,a conference of nearly sixty preachers met in ,baltimore on ,december #bd4 ,three days later1 ,coke ordained ,asbury2 and the two then ordained a number of elders and deacons4 ,coke preached a sermon1 which was published1 with the title1 8,the ,substance of a ,sermon preached at ,baltimore1 in the ,state of ,maryland1 before the ,general ,conference of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 on the #bgth of ,december1 #aghd1 at the ,ordination of the ,rev4 ,francis ,asbury to the office of ,superintendent4 ,by ,thomas ,coke1 ,,ll4,d41 ,superintendent of the said ,church4 ,published at the desire of the ,conference40 #abmo1 #bb pages4 ,the title is worth observing4 ,coke and ,asbury are superintendents2 the ,methodist church is episcopal1--a church governed by bishops4 ,the sermon begins with an onslaught on the ,church of ,england in ,america4 8,the churches had1 in general1 been filled with the parasites and bottle companions of the rich and great4 ,the humble and importunate entreaties1 of the oppressed flocks1 were contemned and despised4 ,the drunkard1 the fornicator1 and the extortioner1 triumphed over bleeding ,zion1 because they were faithful abettors of the ruling powers4 ,but these intolerable fetters were now struck off2 and the antichristian union1 which before subsisted between church and state1 was broken asunder40 ,coke then proceeds to answer the question1 8,what right have you to exercise the episcopal office80 8,to me10 says he1 8the most manifest and clear4 ,god has been pleased1 by ,mr4 ,wesley1 to raise up1 in ,america and ,europe1 a numerous society1 well known by the name of ,methodists4 ,the whole body have invariably esteemed this man as their chief pastor1 under ,christ2 and we are fully persuaded1 he has a right to ordain4 ,besides1 we have every qualification for an episcopal church1 which that of ,alexandria possessed for two hundred years2 our bishops1 or superintendents 7as we rather call them71 having been elected by the suffrages of the whole body of our ministers through the continent1 assembled in general conference40 ,this is scarcely conclusive reasoning1 but it shows that1 from the very first1 ,coke assumed1 what ,wesley never gave him1 the title of a bishop4 ,five years later1 in ,may1 #aghi1 ,coke and ,asbury presented an address to ,washington1 the president of the ,united ,states1 beginning with the words1 8,we1 the bishops of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church02#ejb and at the conference of the same year the first question asked was3 8,who are the persons that exercise the episcopal office in the ,methodist church in ,europe and ,america8 ,answer4 ,john ,wesley1 ,thomas ,coke1 and ,francis ,asbury1 by regular order and succession40#ejc ,this grandiloquent parade of office must not be ascribed to ,wesley4 ,he never sanctioned it2 he positively condemned it4 ,besides1 even allowing that ,coke and ,asbury had a right to designate themselves bishops of the ,methodist churches in ,america1 what was their authority for pronouncing ,wesley the bishop of the ,methodist church in ,europe8 ,they had none4 ,it was an unwarrantable liberty taken with the name of a venerable man1 who had censured the use of such an appellation1 and whose humility and modesty ,coke would have been none the worse for copying4 ,as it was1 ,wesley was held up to ridicule1 and made to suffer1 on account of the episcopal ambition of his friends4 ,we have no fault to find with the ,american ,methodists being called the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church4 ,they have the fullest right to such a designation if they choose to use it2 but it was a name which ,wesley never used2 and to censure him for ordaining bishops is to censure him for what he never did4 ,he ordained a superintendent2 but he never thought to call him bishop4 ,hence the following to ,asbury4 8,,london1 ,september #bj1 #aghh4 8444 ,there is indeed a wide difference between the relation wherein you stand to the ,americans1 and the relation wherein ,i stand to all the ,methodists4 ,you are the elder brother of the ,american ,methodists2 ,i am1 under ,god1 the father of the whole family4 ,therefore1 ,i naturally care for you all in a manner no other person can do4 ,therefore1 ,i1 in a measure1 provide for you all2 for the supplies which ,dr4 ,coke provides for you1 he could not provide1 were it not for me1--were it not that ,i not only permit him to collect1 but also support him in so doing4 8,but in one point1 my dear brother1 ,i am a little afraid1 both the doctor and you differ from me4 ,i study to be little2 you study to be great4 ,i creep2 you strut along4 ,i found a school2 you a college6 nay1 and call it after your own names6#ejd ,o1 beware2 do not seek to be something6 ,let me be nothing1 and #8,christ be all in all6' 8,one instance of this1 of your greatness1 has given me great concern4 ,how can you1 how dare you1 suffer yourself to be called bishop8 ,i shudder1 ,i start at the very thought6 ,men may call me a knave or a fool1 a rascal1 a scoundrel1 and ,i am content2 but they shall never1 by my consent1 call me bishop6 ,for my sake1 for ,god's sake1 for ,christ's sake1 put a full end to this6 ,let the presbyterians do what they please1 but let the ,methodists know their calling better4 8,thus1 my dear ,franky1 ,i have told you all that is in my heart4 ,and let this1 when ,i am no more seen1 bear witness how sincerely ,i am your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#eje ,coke1 in his letter1 dated ,august #i1 #aghd1 mentions the 8odium0 which ,wesley was likely to incur by the ordinations which he himself was soliciting2 and1 with a want of chivalry not to be commended1 requests ,wesley to acknowledge that the deed was all his own1 otherwise ,coke would 8sink under the weight of his enemies1 with ,charles ,wesley at the head of them40 ,the apprehension was not unfounded4 ,charles ,wesley knew nothing of the ordinations in ,bristol till they were over2 but1 of course1 it was impossible to keep them secret2 and great was the excitement which the revelation created4 ,one of the preachers wrote3 8,ordination among ,methodists6 ,amazing indeed6 ,surely it never began in the midst of a multitude of counsellors2 and1 ,i greatly fear1 the ,son of ,man was not secretary of state1 or not present1 when the business was brought on and carried4 ,who is the father of this monster1 so long dreaded by the father of his people1 and by most of his sons8 ,whoever he be1 time will prove him to be a felon to ,methodism1 and discover his assassinating knife sticking fast in the vitals of its body4 ,years to come will speak in groans the opprobrious anniversary of our religious madness for gowns and bands40 ,another wrote3 8,i wish they had been asleep when they began this business of ordination3 it is neither episcopal nor presbyterian2 but a mere hodge-podge of inconsistencies40#ejf ,on ,april #bh1 #aghe1 ,charles ,wesley addressed a long letter to ,dr4 ,chandler1 an episcopal clergyman1 who was about to embark for ,america1 from which the following is an extract4 8,i never lost my dread of separation1 or ceased to guard our societies against it4 ,i frequently told them3 #8,i am your servant as long as you remain in the ,church of ,england2 but no longer4 ,should you forsake her1 you would renounce me4' 8,some of the lay preachers very early discovered an inclination to separate1 which induced my brother to print his #8,reasons against ,separation4' ,as often as it appeared1 we beat down the schismatical spirit4 ,if any one did leave the ,church1 at the same time he left our society4 ,for near fifty years1 we kept the sheep in the fold2 and1 having filled the number of our days1 only waited to depart in peace4 8,after our having continued friends for above seventy years1 and fellow labourers for above fifty1 can anything but death part us8 ,i can scarcely yet believe it1 that1 in his eighty-second year1 my brother1 my old1 intimate friend and companion1 should have assumed the episcopal character1 ordained elders1 consecrated a bishop1 and sent him to ordain our lay preachers in ,america6 ,i was then in ,bristol1 at his elbow2 yet he never gave me the least hint of his intention4 ,how was he surprised into so rash an action8 ,he certainly persuaded himself that it was right4 8,lord ,mansfield told me last year1 that ordination was separation4 ,this my brother does not and will not see2 or that he has renounced the principles and practice of his whole life2 that he has acted contrary to all his declarations1 protestations1 and writings2 robbed his friends of their boasting2 and left an indelible blot on his name1 as long as it shall be remembered6 8,thus our partnership here is dissolved1 but not our friendship4 ,i have taken him for better for worse1 till death do us part2 or1 rather1 reunite us in love inseparable4 ,i have lived on earth a little too long1 who have lived to see this evil day4 ,but ,i shall very soon be taken from it1 in stedfast faith1 that the ,lord will maintain ,his own cause1 and carry on ,his own work1 and fulfil ,his promise to ,his church1 #8,lo1 ,i am with you always1 even to the end6' 8,what will become of these poor sheep in the wilderness1 the ,american ,methodists8 ,how have they been betrayed into a separation from the ,church of ,england1 which their preachers and they no more intended than the ,methodists here6 ,had they had patience a little longer1 they would have seen a real bishop in ,america1 consecrated by three ,scotch bishops1 who have their consecration from the ,english bishops1 and are acknowledged by them as the same with themselves4 ,there is1 therefore1 not the least difference betwixt the members of ,bishop ,seabury's#ejg church1 and the members of the ,church of ,england4 ,he told me he looked upon the ,methodists in ,america as sound members of the ,church1 and was ready to ordain any of their preachers whom he should find duly qualified4 ,his ordination would be indeed genuine1 valid1 and episcopal4 ,but what are your poor ,methodists now8 ,only a new sect of presbyterians4 ,and1 after my brother's death1 which is now so near1 what will be their end8 ,they will lose all their influence and importance2 they will turn aside to vain janglings2 they will settle again upon their lees2 and1 like other sects of ,dissenters1 come to nothing40#ejh ,charles ,wesley hints1 that his brother was 8surprised into the rash act0 of ordaining4 ,perhaps he was2 but did he afterwards regret it8 ,in answering this question1 we must use materials which properly belong to succeeding years4#eji ,it is a fact1 which cannot be denied1 that1 while ,wesley himself was1 to some extent1 welcomed in ,scotland1 by the ministers of the kirk1 the ,methodists1 in many instances1 were substantially in the same position as the ,methodists in ,america4 ,there were1 indeed1 clergymen of the ,english ,church in ,scotland2 but several of them absolutely refused to admit the ,methodists to the sacraments1 except on the condition that they would renounce all future connection with the ,methodist ministry and discipline4#eaj ,there was1 therefore1 the same necessity to ordain for the one country as for the other4 ,accordingly1 ,wesley1 in his journal1 writes3 8#aghe3 ,august #a--;,having1 with a few select friends1 weighed the matter thoroughly1 ,i yielded to their judgment1 and set apart three of our well tried preachers1 ,john ,pawson1 ,thomas ,hanby1 and ,joseph ,taylor1 to minister in ,scotland40 ,a year afterwards1 at the conference of #aghf1 he ordained ,joshua ,keighley and ,charles ,atmore1 for ,scotland2 ,william ,warrener1 for ,antigua2 and ,william ,hammet1 for ,newfoundland4 ,a year later1 five others were ordained2 in #aghh1 when ,wesley was in ,scotland1 ,john ,barber and ,joseph ,cownley received ordination at his hands2 and1 at the ensuing conference1 seven others1 including ,alexander ,mather1 who was ordained to the office1 not only of deacon and elder1 but of superintendent4 ,on ,ash ,wednesday in #aghi1 ,wesley ordained ,henry ,moore and ,thomas ,rankin2 and this1 we believe1 completes the list of those upon whom ,wesley laid his hands4 ,all these ordinations were in private2 and many of them at four o'clock in the morning4 ,some of the favoured ones were intended for ,scotland2 some for foreign missions2 and a few1 as ,mather1 ,moore1 and ,rankin1 were employed in ,england4 ,in most instances1 probably in all1 they were ordained deacons on one day2 and1 on the day following1 received the ordination of elders1 ,wesley giving to each letters testimonial4#eaa ,wesley justified his ordinations for ,scotland thus4 8,after ,dr4 ,coke's return from ,america1 many of our friends begged ,i would consider the case of ,scotland1 where we had been labouring for many years1 and had seen so little fruit of our labours4 ,multitudes1 indeed1 have set out well1 but they were soon turned out of the way2 chiefly by their ministers either disputing against the truth1 or refusing to admit them to the ,lord's supper1 yea1 or to baptize their children1 unless they would promise to have no fellowship with the ,methodists4 ,many1 who did so1 soon lost all they had gained1 and became more the children of hell than before4 ,to prevent this1 ,i1 at length1 consented to take the same step with regard to ,scotland1 which ,i had done with regard to ,america4 ,but this is not a separation from the ,church at all4 ,not from the ,church of ,scotland1 for we were never connected therewith1 any further than we are now3 nor from the ,church of ,england2 for this is not concerned in the steps which are taken in ,scotland4 ,whatever then is done in ,america1 or ,scotland1 is no separation from the ,church of ,england4 ,i have no thought of this2 ,i have many objections against it4 ,it is a totally different case4 #8,but for all this1 is it not possible there may be such a separation after you are dead8' ,undoubtedly it is4 ,but what ,i said at our first conference above forty years ago1 ,i say still3 #8,i dare not omit doing what good ,i can while ,i live1 for fear of evils that may follow when ,i am dead4'0#eab ,there is some force in this1 so far as it regards ,scotland4 ,the ,scotch ,methodists never professed themselves to be members of the ,church of ,england2 in fact1 they regarded that church almost with as much abhorrence as they cherished towards the ,church of ,rome4 ,hence the following extract from one of ,pawson's unpublished letters1 dated 8,edinburgh1 ,october #h1 #aghe40 8,dr4 ,coke intends to be with us on ,sunday1 the #bcrd instant1 when we are to have the sacrament again2 but ,mr4 ,wesley is against us having it in the ,scotch form1 and ,i am well satisfied our new plan will answer no end at all in ,scotland1 but will prove a hindrance to the work of ,god4 ,the people generally hate the very name of ,prayer-,book1 and everything belonging to it1 as they have always been taught to believe it a limb of antichrist1 and very little better than the popish mass-book4 ,popery1 prelacy1 and all such things1 they hold in the greatest detestation4 ,they would soon tell us3 #8,i dunna ken what you mean by these unca inventions4 ,we belong to the gude old kirk of ,scotland1 and will not join with the whore of ,babylon at all4'0 ,in reference to the ,english ordinations1 ,mr4 ,pawson writes3 8,mr4 ,wesley knew the state of the societies in ,england required such measures to be taken1 or many of the people would leave the connexion2 and had the preachers1 after his death1 only acted upon his plan1 and quietly granted the people1 who desired the sacraments1 that privilege1 no division would have taken place4#eac ,he foresaw1 that the ,methodists would soon become a distinct body4 ,he was deeply prejudiced against presbyterian1 and as much in favour of episcopal1 government4 ,in order1 therefore1 to preserve all that is valuable in the ,church of ,england among the ,methodists1 he ordained ,mr4 ,mather and ,dr4 ,coke1 bishops4 ,these he undoubtedly designed should ordain others4 ,mr4 ,mather told us so at the ,manchester conference1 in #agia4ead ,i believe1 ,mr4 ,wesley's first thought of ordaining arose out of the bishop of ,london refusing to ordain a preacher for ,america2 but that he originally intended to ordain preachers for ,england is what ,i never could believe2 and1 with respect to ,scotland1 he often declared to me1 and in the congregation at ,edinburgh1 that he was over persuaded to it4 ,and1 a few months before his death1 he was so annoyed with ,dr4 ,coke's conduct1 in persuading the people to depart from the original plan1 that he threatened1 in a letter1 to have no more to do with him1 unless he desisted from such a course of procedure40#eae ,we give this as we find it2 and now turn to a deeply interesting correspondence between ,wesley and his brother4 ,within a fortnight after the ordination of ,pawson1 ,hanby1 and ,taylor1 at the conference of #aghe1 and in which ,wesley1 ,coke1 and ,creighton took part1#eaf ,charles ,wesley wrote to his brother as follows4 8,,bristol1 ,august #ad1 #aghe4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i have been reading over again your #8,reasons against a ,separation1' printed in #ageh1 and your ,works2 and entreat you1 in the name of ,god1 and for ,christ's sake1 to read them again yourself1 with previous prayer1 and stop1 and proceed no farther1 till you receive an answer to your inquiry1 #8,lord1 what wouldst ,thou have me to do8' 8,every word of your eleven pages deserves the deepest consideration2 not to mention my testimony and hymns4 ,only the seventh ,i could wish you to read1--a prophecy which ,i pray ,god may never come to pass4 8,near thirty years1 since then1 you have stood against the importunate solicitations of your preachers1 who have scarcely at last prevailed4 ,i was your natural ally1 and faithful friend2 and1 while you continued faithful to yourself1 we two could chase a thousand4 8,but when once you began ordaining in ,america1 ,i knew1 and you knew1 that your preachers here would never rest till you ordained them4 ,you told me1 they would separate by-and-by4 ,the doctor tells us the same4 ,his ,methodist episcopal church in ,baltimore was intended to beget a ,methodist episcopal church here4 ,you know he comes1 armed with your authority1 to make us all ,dissenters4 ,one of your sons assured me1 that not a preacher in ,london would refuse orders from the doctor4 8,alas6 what trouble are you preparing for yourself1 as well as for me1 and for your oldest1 truest1 and best friends6 ,before you have quite broken down the bridge1 stop1 and consider6 ,if your sons have no regard for you1 have some regard for yourself4 ,go to your grave in peace2 at least1 suffer me to go first1 before this ruin is under your hand4 ,so much1 ,i think1 you owe to my father1 to my brother1 and to me1 as to stay till ,i am taken from the evil4 ,i am on the brink of the grave4 ,do not push me in1 or embitter my last moments4 ,let us not leave an indelible blot on our memory2 but let us leave behind us the name and character of honest men4 8,this letter is a debt to our parents1 and to our brother1 as well as to you1 and to 8,your faithful friend1 8,,charles ,,wesley40#eag ,five days afterwards1 ,wesley replied as follows4 ,the line of poetry was his brother's4 8,,plymouth1 ,august #ai1 #aghe4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i will tell you my thoughts with all simplicity1 and wait for better information4 ,if you agree with me1 well2 if not1 we can1 as ,mr4 ,whitefield used to say1 agree to disagree4 8,for these forty years1 ,i have been in doubt concerning that question1 ,what obedience is due to #8,heathenish priests and mitred infidels'8 8,i have1 from time to time1 proposed my doubts to the most pious and sensible clergymen ,i knew4 ,but they gave me no satisfaction4 ,rather1 they seemed to be puzzled as well as me4 8,obedience ,i always paid to the bishops1 in obedience to the laws of the land4 ,but ,i cannot see1 that ,i am under any obligation to obey them further than those laws require4 8,it is in obedience to these laws1 that ,i have never exercised in ,england the power which1 ,i believe1 ,god has given me4 ,i firmly believe1 ,i am a scriptural 1 as much as any man in ,england1 or in ,europe2 for the uninterrupted succession ,i know to be a fable1 which no man ever did or can prove4 ,but this does in no wise interfere with my remaining in the ,church of ,england1 from which ,i have no more desire to separate than ,i had fifty years ago4 ,i still attend all the ordinances of the ,church1 at all opportunities2 and ,i constantly and earnestly advise all that are connected with me so to do4 ,when ,mr4 ,smyth pressed us to separate from the ,church1 he meant1 #8,go to church no more4' ,and this was what ,i meant twenty-seven years ago1 when ,i persuaded our brethren not to separate from the ,church4 8,but here another question occurs3 #8,what is the ,church of ,england8' ,it is not all the people of ,england4 ,papists and ,dissenters are no part thereof4 ,it is not all the people of ,england1 except papists and ,dissenters4 ,then we should have a glorious church indeed6 ,no2 according to our twentieth article1 a particular church is #8a congregation of faithful people among whom the word of ,god is preached1 and the sacraments duly administered4' ,here is a true logical definition1 containing both the essence and the properties of a church4 ,what then1 according to this definition1 is the ,church of ,england8 ,does it mean all the believers in ,england 7except the papists and ,dissenters7 who have the word of ,god and the sacraments duly administered among them8 ,i fear1 this does not come up to your idea of the ,church of ,england4 ,well1 what more do you include in the phrase8 #8,why1 all the believers that adhere to the doctrine and discipline established by the convocation under ,queen ,elizabeth4' ,nay1 that discipline is well-nigh vanished away2 and the doctrine both you and ,i adhere to4 8,all these #8,reasons against a ,separation from the ,church1' in this sense1 ,i subscribe to still4 ,what then are you frighted at8 ,i no more separate from it now than ,i did in #ageh4 ,i submit still 7though sometimes with a doubting conscience7 to #8mitred infidels1' ,i do1 indeed1 vary from them in some points of doctrine1 and in some points of discipline 7by preaching abroad1 for instance1 by praying extempore1 and by forming societies72 but not a hair's breadth farther than ,i believe to be meet1 right1 and my bounden duty4 ,i walk still by the same rule ,i have done for between forty and fifty years4 ,i do nothing rashly4 ,it is not likely ,i should4 ,the high day of my blood is over4 ,if you will go on hand in hand with me1 do4 ,but do not hinder me1 if you will not help4 ,perhaps if you had kept close to me1 ,i might have done better4 ,however1 with or without help1 ,i creep on2 and as ,i have been hitherto1 so ,i trust ,i shall always be1 8,your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#eah ,to this letter ,charles ,wesley returned the following reply4 8,,marylebone1 ,september #h1 #aghe4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i will tell you my thoughts with the same simplicity4 ,there is no danger of our quarrelling2 for the second blow makes the quarrel2 and you are the last man upon earth whom ,i would wish to quarrel with4 8,that juvenile line of mine1 #8,heathenish priests1 and mitred infidels1' ,i disown1 renounce1 and with shame recant4 ,i never knew of more than one #8mitred infidel1' and for him ,i took ,mr4 ,law's word4 8,i do not understand what obedience to the bishops you dread4 ,they have let us alone1 and left us to act just as we pleased1 for these fifty years4 ,at present1 some of them are quite friendly toward us1 particularly toward you4 ,the churches are all open to you2 and never could there be less pretence for a separation4 8,that you are a scriptural 1 or overseer1 ,i do not dispute4 ,and so is every minister who has the cure of souls4 ,neither need we dispute whether the uninterrupted succession be fabulous1 as you believe2 or real1 as ,i believe2 or whether ,lord ,king be right or wrong4 8,your definition of the ,church of ,england is the same in prose with mine in verse4 ,by the way1 read over my #8,epistle1' to oblige me1 and tell me you have read it1 and likewise your own #8,reasons4' 8,you write1 #8all these reasons against a separation from the ,church1 ,i subscribe to still4 ,what then are you frighted at8 ,i no more separate from it than ,i did in the year #ageh2 ,i submit still to its bishops2 ,i do indeed vary from them in some points of discipline2 7by preaching abroad1 for instance1 praying extempore1 and by forming societies'72 7might you not add1 and by ordaining874 #8,i still walk by the same rule ,i have done for between forty and fifty years2 ,i do nothing rashly4' 8,if ,i could prove your actual separation1 ,i would not2 neither wish to see it proved by any other4 ,but do you not allow1 that the doctor has separated8 ,do you not know and approve of his avowed design and resolution to get all the ,methodists of the three kingdoms into a distinct1 compact body8 ,have you seen his ordination sermon8 ,is the high day of his blood over8 ,does he do nothing rashly8 ,have you not made yourself the author of all his actions8 ,i need not remind you1 qui facit per alium facit per se4 8,i must not leave unanswered your surprising question1 #8,what then are you frighted at8' ,at the doctor's rashness1 and your supporting him in his ambitious pursuits2 at an approaching schism1 as causeless and unprovoked as the ,american rebellion2 at your own eternal disgrace1 and all those frightful evils which your #8,reasons' describe4 8#8,if you will go on hand in hand with me1 do4' ,i do go1 or rather creep on1 in the old way in which we set out together1 and trust to continue in it1 till ,i finish my course4 8#8,perhaps if you had kept close to me1 ,i might have done better4' ,when you took that fatal step at ,bristol1 ,i kept as close to you as close could be2 for ,i was all the time at your elbow4 ,you might certainly have done better1 if you had taken me into your counsel4 8,i thank you for your intention to remain my friend2 herein my heart is as your heart2 whom ,god hath joined let not man put asunder4 ,we have taken each other for better for worse1 till death do us--part8 ,no2 but unite eternally4 ,therefore1 in the love which never faileth1 ,i am your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,charles ,,wesley40#eai ,five days later1 ,wesley replied4 8,september #ac1 #aghe4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i see no use of you and me disputing together2 for neither of us is likely to convince the other4 ,you say1 ,i separate from the ,church2 ,i say1 ,i do not4 ,then let it stand4 8,your verse is a sad truth4 ,i see fifty times more of ,england than you do2 and ,i find few exceptions to it4 8,i believe ,dr4 ,coke is as free from ambition as from covetousness4 ,he has done nothing rashly1 that ,i know2 but he has spoken rashly1 which he retracted the moment ,i spoke to him of it4 ,to publish1 as his present thoughts1 what he had before retracted1 was not fair play4 ,he is now such a right hand to me as ,thomas ,walsh was4 ,if you will not or cannot help me yourself1 do not hinder those that can and will4 ,i must and will save as many souls as ,i can while ,i live1 without being careful about what may possibly be when ,i die4 8,i pray do not confound the intellects of the people in ,london4 ,you may thereby a little weaken my hands1 but you will greatly weaken your own4 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#ebj ,wesley failed to grapple with his brother's question2 or rather he declined4 ,charles's point evidently was the same as ,lord ,mansfield's1--8ordination was separation40 ,no doubt this was strictly accurate4 ,wesley was too keen sighted not to see it2 but he was too much a churchman to acknowledge it4 ,he felt himself unable to reply to his brother's argument2 and1 therefore1 really did not attempt to reply at all4 ,two brief letters more1 and then we quit the subject of ordination4 ,six days after the date of the above1 ,charles ,wesley replied as follows4 8,,london1 ,september #ai1 #aghe4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i did not say1 you separate from the ,church2 but ,i did say1 #8,if ,i could prove it1 ,i would not4' 8,that #8sad truth' is not a new truth2 you saw it when you expressed in your #8,reasons' such tenderness of love for the unconverted clergy4 8,of your second ,thomas ,walsh we had better talk than write4 8,how #8confound their intellects'8 how #8weaken your hands'8 ,i know nothing which ,i do to prevent the possible separation1 but pray4 ,god forbid ,i should sin against ,him by ceasing to pray for the ,church of ,england1 and for you1 while my breath remains in me6 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,,charles ,,wesley40#eba ,again3 8,,bristol1 ,july #bg1 #aghf4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i cannot rest1 living or dying1 unless ,i deal as faithfully with you as ,i am persuaded you would deal with me1 if you were in my place1 and ,i in yours4 8,i believe you have been too hasty in ordaining4 ,i believe ,god left you to yourself in that matter1 as ,he left ,hezekiah1 to show you the secret pride which was in your heart4 ,i believe ,lord ,mansfield's decisive words to me1 #8ordination is separation4' 8,thus ,i have discharged my duty to ,god and ,his church1 and approved myself your faithful friend and affectionate brother1 8,,charles ,,wesley40#ebb ,this is a long1 and1 we fear1 a wearisome account of what1 abstractedly considered1 was a trivial thing4 ,john ,wesley's preachers1 being called of ,god1 were as much ministers of ,christ1 and as much entitled to administer the sacraments of the church1 without the imposition of his hands as with it4 ,we raise no objection to the formality2 we think it right1 and1 because of its solemnity1 likely to be useful2 but to contend that the thing itself is necessary1 would be to condemn all the grand old ,methodist preachers1 who flourished from the year #agie1 when their administration of sacraments was authorised by the ,methodist conference1 to the year #ahcf1 when1 for the first time1 ordination by imposition of hands was solemnly enacted1 and declared to be a 8standing rule and usage in future years40 ,this1 however1 is not the point in question4 ,the right or wrong1 of ordaining1 is left to others to discuss4 ,there can be no doubt that1 as a minister of ,christ1 ,wesley had as much right to ordain as any bishop1 priest1 or presbytery in existence2 but he had no right to this as a clergyman of the ,church of ,england2 and1 by acting as he did1 he became1 what he was unwilling to acknowledge1 a ,dissenter1 a separatist from that church4 ,such was the opinion of ,lord ,mansfield2 and such was the argument of ,wesley's brother4 ,wesley refused to acknowledge this2 but1 feeling the impossibility of the thing1 he declined to attempt refuting it4 ,with great inconsistency1 he still persisted in calling himself a member of the ,church of ,england2#ebc and1 as will be seen1 to the day of his death1 told the ,methodists that if they left the ,church they would leave him4 ,all things considered1 this was not surprising2 but it was absurd4 ,great allowance must be made for ,wesley2 but to reconcile ,wesley's practice and profession1 in this matter1 during the last seven years of his eventful life1 is simply impossible4 ,much space has been occupied with these recitals2 but1 remembering that no event1 in ,wesley's history1 has occasioned more controversy than his act of ordaining preachers1 it became a duty to give all the facts concerning it within our knowledge4 ,we now return to the conference of #aghd4 ,as soon as its sessions ended1 ,wesley again set out on his evangelistic ramblings2 and1 two days afterwards1 came to ,shrewsbury1 and preached a funeral sermon 8in memory of good ,john ,appleton40 ,john was a currier1 and became a ,methodist under circumstances somewhat peculiar1 and which are worth relating4 ,while at ,bristol1 he happened to go into a church1 where the minister preached a violent sermon1 which he had already delivered in two other churches1 against 8the upstart ,methodists40 ,shortly after1 he had to preach again in the church of ,st4 ,nicholas1 but1 while announcing his text1 was suddenly seized with a rattling in his throat1 fell backward against the pulpit door1 rolled down the steps1 was carried home1 and died4 ,mr4 ,appleton was present1 and was so greatly shocked with this event1 that1 when he returned to ,shrewsbury1 he took a house1 in which he fitted up a room for religious service1 and began to preach himself4 ,in #agha1 at his own expense1 he built the ,methodists a chapel1 which ,wesley opened4 ,a more devoted ,christian it would be difficult to find than good ,john ,appleton4 ,his labour1 as a working currier1 was hard2 but1 for many years1 besides preaching every ,sunday1 he preached twice a week on the week days1 and had full and attentive congregations4 ,he died in the full triumph of faith on the #ast of ,may1 #aghd4ebd ,from ,shrewsbury1 ,wesley made his way1 through ,wales1 to ,bristol1 which he reached on ,august #bi1 and where1 a few days afterwards1 he ordained ,coke1 ,whatcoat1 and ,vasey4 ,the next month was spent in incessant preaching in the surrounding neighbourhood4 ,here we pause to insert two of his remarkable letters3 the first to ,miss ,bishop1 the mistress of a boarding school2 the second to the ,right ,hon4 ,william ,pitt1 now in the twenty-fifth year of his age1 and prime minister of ,england4 8,,haverfordwest1 ,august #ah1 #aghd4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,it seems ,god ,himself has already decided the question concerning dancing4 ,he has shown ,his approbation of your conduct1 by sending these children to you again4 ,if dancing be not evil in itself1 yet1 it leads young women to numberless evils4 ,and the hazard of these1 on the one side1 seems far to overbalance the little inconveniences1 on the other4 ,therefore1 thus much may certainly be said1 you have chosen the more excellent way4 8,i would recommend very few novels to young persons1 for fear they should be desirous of more4 ,mr4 ,brooke wrote one more1 beside the #8,earl of ,moreland1' #8,the ,history of the ,human ,heart4' ,i think1 it is well worth reading1 though it is not equal to his former production4 ,the want of novels may be more than supplied by well chosen history3 such as #8,the ,concise ,history of ,england1' #8,the ,concise ,history of the ,church1' ,rollin's ,ancient ,history1 ,hooke's ,roman ,history 7the only impartial one extant71 and a few more4 ,for the elder and more sensible children1 ,malebranche's #8,search after ,truth' is an excellent ,french book4 ,perhaps1 you might add ,locke's #8,essay on the ,human ,understanding1' with the remarks upon it in the ,arminian ,magazine4 ,i had forgotten that beautiful book1 #8,the ,travels of ,cyrus1' whether in ,french or ,english4 8,i always am your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ebe ,the letter to ,pitt was one such as prime ministers seldom get4 8,,bath1 ,september #f1 #aghd4 8,,sir1--,your former goodness1 shown to ,mr4 ,ellison1#ebf emboldens me to take the liberty of recommending to your notice an old friend1 ,lieutenant ,webb4#ebg 8,on my mentioning formerly some of his services to ,lord ,north1 his lordship was pleased to order him #ajj a year4 ,but as it has since been reduced1 it is hardly a maintenance for himself and his family4 ,if you would be so good as to remember him in this1 or any other way1 ,i should esteem it a particular favour4 8,will you excuse me1 sir1 for going out of my province by hinting a few things1 which have been long upon my mind8 ,if those hints do not deserve any further notice1 they may be forgiven and forgotten4 8,new taxes must undoubtedly be imposed2 but may not more money be produced by the old ones8 ,for instance3 8#a4 ,when the land tax is four shillings in the pound1 ,i know some towns which pay regularly seven or five pence4 ,nay1 ,i know one town where they pay one penny in the pound4 ,is there no help for this8 8#b4 ,as to the window tax3 ,i know a gentleman who has near a hundred windows in his house1 and he told me he paid for twenty4 8#c4 ,the same gentleman told me3 #8,we have above one hundred men servants in this town1 but not above ten are paid for4' 8#d4 ,i firmly believe1 that1 in ,cornwall alone1 the king is defrauded of half a million yearly in customs4 ,what does this amount to in all ,great ,britain8 ,surely not so little as five millions4 8#e4 ,servants of distillers inform me1 that their masters do not pay for a fortieth part of what they distil4 ,and this duty last year1 7if ,i am rightly informed17 amounted only to #bj1jjj4 ,but have not the spirits distilled this year cost #bj1jjj lives of his majesty's liege subjects8 ,is not then the blood of these men vilely bartered for #bj1jjj8 not to say anything of the enormous wickedness1 which has been occasioned thereby2 and not to suppose that these poor wretches have any souls6 ,but1 7to consider money alone17 is the king a gainer1 or an immense loser8 ,to say nothing of many millions of quarters of corn destroyed1 which1 if exported1 would have added more than #bj1jjj to the revenue1 be it considered1 #8,dead men pay no taxes1' ,so that1 by the death of #bj1jjj persons yearly1 7and this computation is far under the mark17 the revenue loses far more than it gains4 8,but ,i may urge another consideration to you4 ,you are a man4 ,you have not lost human feelings4 ,you do not love to drink human blood4 ,you are a son of ,lord ,chatham4 ,nay1 if ,i mistake not1 you are a ,christian4 ,dare you then sustain a sinking nation8 ,is the ,god whom you serve able to deliver from ten thousand enemies8 ,i believe ,he is4 ,nay1 and you believe it4 ,o1 may you fear nothing but displeasing ,him6 8,may ,i add a word on another head8 ,how would your benevolent heart rejoice1 if a stop could be put to that scandal of the ,english nation1 suicide6 8,the present laws against it avail nothing2 for every such murderer is brought in non compos4 ,if he was a poor man1 the jurors forswear themselves from pity4 ,if he was rich1 they hope to be well paid for it4 ,so no ignominy pursues either the living or the dead1 and self murder increases daily4 ,but what help8 8,i conceive this horrid crime might be totally prevented1 and that without doing the least hurt to either the living or the dead4 ,do you not remember1 sir1 how the rage for self murder among the ,spartan matrons was stopped at once8 ,would it not have the same effect in ,england1 if an act of parliament were passed1 repealing all other acts and appointing that every self murderer should be hanged in chains8 8,suppose your influence could prevent suicide by this means1 you would do more service to your country than any prime minister has done these hundred years4 ,your name would be precious to all true ,englishmen as long as ,england continued a nation4 ,and1 what is infinitely more1 a greater ,monarch than ,king ,george would say to you1 #8,well done1 good and faithful servant4' ,i earnestly commit you to ,his care1 and am1 sir1 your willing servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ebh ,methodism was established not only in ,america1 but also in ,nova ,scotia and ,newfoundland1 though neither of these countries found a place in the conference minutes till #aghe4 ,william ,black1 now a young man of twenty-four1 had begun to pray and preach1 and had witnessed the conversion of hundreds4 ,societies had been formed2 and quarterly meetings held2 and1 for three years1 ,black had devoted himself wholly to the work of the ministry1 without being formally recognised as one of ,wesley's itinerant preachers4 ,he had encountered no ordinary difficulties in the prosecution of his work4 ,the ,rev4 ,henry ,alline1 a ,calvinist preacher1 had divided his societies1 by sowing the seeds of antinomian error2 and ,methodist meetings had been illegally disturbed1 and broken up1 by ,english soldiers3 but1 in the midst of all1 young ,black courageously persevered4 ,he applied to ,wesley for assistance2 and he himself expressed a wish to come to ,kingswood school to fit himself more fully for the ,christian ministry4 ,during the year #aghd1 ,wesley addressed to him the two following letters4 8,,inverness1 ,may #aa1 #aghd4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am glad you have given a little assistance to our brethren at ,halifax1 and along the coast4 ,there is no charity under heaven to be compared to this1--the bringing light to the poor heathens1 that are called ,christians1 but1 nevertheless1 still sit in darkness and the shadow of death4 ,i am in great hopes1 that some of the emigrants1 from ,new ,york1 are really alive to ,god4 ,and1 if so1 they will every way be a valuable acquisition to the province where their lot is now cast4 8,there is no part of ,calvinism or antinomianism which is not fully answered in some part of our writings2 particularly in the #8,preservative against ,unsettled ,notions in ,religion4' ,i have no more to do with answering books4 ,it will be sufficient if you recommend1 to ,mr4 ,alline's friends1 some of the tracts that are already written4 ,as to himself1 ,i fear he is wiser in his own eyes than seven men that can render a reason4 8,the work of ,god goes on with a steady pace in various parts of ,england4 ,but1 still1 the love of many will wax cold1 while many others are continually added to supply their place4 ,in the west of ,england1 in ,lancashire1 and in ,yorkshire1 ,god still mightily makes bare ,his arm4 ,he convinces many1 justifies many1 and many are perfected in love4 8,my great advice to those who are united together1 is1 ,let brotherly love continue6 ,see that ye fall not out by the way6 ,hold the unity of the ,spirit in the bond of peace6 ,bear ye one another's burdens1 and so fulfil the law of ,christ6 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ebi 8,,london1 ,october #ae1 #aghd4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,a letter of yours1 some time ago1 gave me hopes of meeting you in ,england2 as you seemed desirous of spending some time here1 to improve yourself in learning4 ,but1 as you have now entered into a different state1 ,i do not expect we shall meet in this world4 ,but you have a large field of action where you are1 without wandering into ,europe4 ,your present parish is wide enough1 namely1 ,nova ,scotia and ,newfoundland4 ,i do not advise you to go any farther4 ,in the ,united ,states1 there are abundance of preacher4 ,they can spare four preachers to you1 better than you can spare one to them4 ,if ,i am rightly informed1 they have already sent you one or two2 and they may afford you one or two more1 if it please ,god to give a prosperous voyage to ,dr4 ,coke and his fellow labourers4 ,does there not want a closer and more direct connection between you of the north1 and the societies under ,francis ,asbury8 ,is it not more advisable1 that you should have a constant correspondence with each other1 and act by united counsels8 ,perhaps it is for want of this1 that so many have drawn back4 ,i want a more particular account of the societies in ,nova ,scotia and ,newfoundland4 ,i am not at all glad of ,mr4 ,scurr's intention to remove from ,nova ,scotia to the south4 ,that is going from a place1 where he is much wanted1 to a place where he is not wanted4 ,i think1 if he got #aj1jjj thereby1 it would be but a poor bargain2 that is1 upon the supposition1 which you and ,i make1 that souls are of more value than gold4 ,peace be with all your spirits6 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ecj ,wesley returned to ,london on ,october #i1 and1 nine days afterwards1 set out on his usual visit to the societies in ,oxfordshire4 ,he then went off to ,norfolk2 and spent the rest of the year in ,london1 and the surrounding counties4 ,he had a long interview with ,pascal ,paoli1 the great ,corsican general4 ,he visited convicts1 under sentence of death1 in ,newgate1 preached the condemned criminals' sermon1 forty-seven of these unhappy creatures being present1 all in chains1 and most of them in tears4 ,burglars broke into his house1 in ,city ,road4 ,he met with ,simeon1 who had been with ,fletcher at ,madeley1 and1 for fifty-three years afterwards1 was rector of ,trinity church1 ,cambridge4 ,jottings like these might be multiplied2 ,wesley's life was full of them4 ,we conclude with an unpublished letter to ,henry ,moore1 who was now at ,dublin4 8,,london1 ,november #d1 #aghd4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am glad you spoke freely to ,mr4 ,collins4 ,he is a good man1 but not very adviseable4 ,if he should declare open war in ,england1 he will do little or no harm4 ,mr4 ,smyth will not be fond of him1 if he preaches at ,plunkett ,street4#eca ,there will not soon be a coalition between ,arminianism and ,calvinism4 ,this we found even in ,holland4 8,if ,james ,rogers and you keep to the ,church still1 a few1 ,i doubt not1 will follow your example4 ,we made just allowance enough for leaving the ,church at the last conference4 8,i am1 with kind love to ,nancy1 yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,besides 8,the ,sunday ,service of the ,methodists in ,america10 and a tract or two1 ,wesley published nothing1 in #aghd1 except his ,arminian ,magazine4 ,this was as racy and rich as ever4 8,the ,calvinist ,cabinet ,unlocked0 was continued from the previous volume1 and run through the whole of this4 ,like its predecessors1 it contained six original sermons by ,wesley himself4 ,in that on ,dissipation1 he expresses the startling opinion3 8,there is not1 on the face of the earth1 another nation so perfectly dissipated and ungodly as ,england2 not only so totally without ,god in the world1 but so openly setting ,him at defiance4 ,there never was an age1 that we read of in history1 since ,julius ,csar1 since ,noah1 since ,adam1 wherein dissipation and ungodliness did so generally prevail1 both among high and low1 rich and poor40 ,in the sermon on ,patience1 he gives an interesting account of the way in which he was led to embrace the doctrine of ,christian perfection2 and observes that1 in #agfb1 there were #feb members of the ,london society1 who professed to have attained to this state of grace4 ,that on the text1 8,we know in part10 is a marvellous production1 such as none but a man like ,wesley could have written4 ,in the sermon on the 8,wisdom and ,knowledge of ,god10 as displayed in the history of the church1 after giving one of his most interesting accounts of the rise of ,methodism1 he does not hide the fact1 that many of the ,methodist preachers and people had not been faithful4 ,speaking of the first preachers1 he says1 they 8were young1 poor1 ignorant men1 without experience1 learning1 or art2 but simple of heart1 devoted to ,god1 full of faith and zeal1 seeking no honour1 no profit1 no pleasure1 no ease1 but merely to save souls2 fearing neither want1 pain1 persecution1 nor whatever man could do unto them3 yea1 not counting their lives dear unto them1 so they might finish their course with joy40 ,but in process of time1 8several of the preachers increased in other knowledge2 but not proportionably in the knowledge of ,god4 ,they grew less simple1 less alive to ,god1 and less devoted to ,him4 ,they were less zealous for ,god1 and consequently less active1 less diligent in ,his service4 ,some of them begun to desire the praise of men1 and not the praise of ,god only2 some1 to be weary of a wandering life1 and to seek ease and quietness4 ,some began to fear the faces of men2 to be ashamed of their calling2 to be unwilling to deny themselves1 to take up their cross daily1 and endure hardness as good soldiers of ,jesus ,christ4 ,wherever these preachers laboured1 there was not much fruit of their labours4 ,their word was not1 as formerly1 clothed with power2 it carried with it no demonstration of the ,spirit60 ,weighty words these6 especially as coming from an old man of more than eighty1 one of the keenest observers of facts1 himself the founder of ,methodism1 now nearly at the close of his remarkable career4 ,and equally pungent are his remarks respecting the people4 ,referring to the causes of ,methodist backslidings1 he writes3 8,but of all the temptations1 none so struck at the whole work of ,god1 as the deceitfulness of riches2 a thousand melancholy proofs of which ,i have seen1 within these last fifty years4 ,i have not known threescore rich persons1 perhaps not half the number1 during threescore years1 who1 as far as ,i can judge1 were not less holy than they would have been1 had they been poor4 ,by riches1 ,i mean not thousands of pounds2 but any more than will procure the conveniences of life40 8,having gained and saved all you can1 give all you can3 else your money will eat your flesh as fire1 and will sink you to the nethermost hell6 ,o beware of laying up treasures upon earth6 ,is it not treasuring up wrath against the day of wrath8 ,lord6 ,i have warned them3 but if they will not be warned1 what can ,i do more8 ,i can only give them up unto their own hearts' lusts1 and let them follow their own imaginations6 ,by not taking this warning1 it is certain many of the ,methodists are already fallen4 ,many are falling at this very time4 ,and there is great reason to apprehend1 that many more will fall1 most of whom will rise no more60 ,if ,wesley found it necessary to say this in #aghd1 what would he have said in #ahga8 ,in the sermons1 on ,obedience to ,parents1 and ,companionship with the ,wicked1 the reader will find most valuable advices1 such as none but a long experienced casuist like ,wesley has wisdom and confidence enough to give4 ,further description of the ,magazine1 for #aghd1 is scarcely needed4 ,the letters and the poetry are quite equal to those in the former volumes2 the biographies are rich in ,christian experience2 the anecdotes quaint and instructive4 ,extracts from his 8,natural ,philosophy0 are given in every number1 and also from ,bryant's ,ancient ,mythology4 ,benson's ,letters on ,polygamy run through the whole4 ,the supernatural disturbances at ,epworth parsonage are related2 and1 as if in anticipation of his own death1 ,wesley tells his readers1 that1 not 8to lessen the honour of the house of ,god1 or infect it with unwholesome vapours1 he has left orders to bury his remains1 not in the new chapel in ,city ,road1 but in the burying ground adjoining it20 and then1 to show that 8epitaphs ought to be prepared by persons who have some knowledge of grammatical and typographical accuracy2 and not be left to illiterate relations1 parish clerks1 or stonemasons1 to the great scandal of the nation in general1 and of religion in particular10 he gives the following1 taken from a tombstone in ,arbroath churchyard4 8,here lyis ,alexand ,peter1 present ,town ,treasurer of ,arbroth1 who died ---- day ,january #afcj4 8,such a ,treasurer was not since1 nor yet before1 ,for common works1 calsais1 brigs1 and schoir-- ,of all others he did excel2 ,he deviced our skoel1 and he hung our bell40 ,,footnotes3 #dgb ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #djd4 #dgc ,manuscript letter4 #dgd ,manuscript diary4 #dge ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #add4 #dgf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcf1 p4 #cig4 #dgg ,on ,sunday1 ,september #ah1 #ahgj1 the ,london ,road ,methodist ,sunday-school1 ,manchester1 removed from their somewhat dingy premises to a new and more commodious building1 erected in ,grosvenor ,street ,east1 and adjoining the ,wesleyan chapel there4 ,a card commemorative of the event was presented to each person joining in the day's proceedings1 with the following inscription3 8,london ,road ,wesleyan ,sunday ,school1 founded in #aghe1 by ,john ,lancaster1 and first conducted by him in a cellar at the corner of ,travis ,street4 ,it was soon after removed to a room in ,worsley ,street1 built specially for its accommodation1 and there carried on until ,november #aj1 #ahaa1 when it took possession of the then new schools1 situated behind ,borough ,buildings1 and there continued until this day1 when it was again removed to the recently erected building adjoining the ,grosvenor ,street chapel1 in commemoration of which event this card is presented to ----4 ,manchester1 ,september #ah1 #ahgj40 #dgh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 pp4 #ab1 #ac4 #dgi ,minutes of ,conference1 vol4 i41 p4 #da4 #dhj ,drew's ,life of ,coke1 p4 #cg4 #dha ,manuscript memoir of ,whitehead4 #dhb ,hampson's ,life of ,wesley4 #dhc ,smith's ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 i41 p4 #ebc4 #dhd ,manuscript4 #dhe ,myles' ,history1 p4 #bja4 #dhf ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghe1 p4 #bfi4 #dhg ,american minutes4 #dhh ,bangs' 8,original ,church of ,christ10 p4 #aad4 #dhi ,stevens' ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 ii41 p4 #bab4 #dij ,moore's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cbf4 #dia ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghf1 p4 #fhb4 #dib ,manuscript letter4 #dic ,whitehead's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #dag4 #did ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #bjj4 #die ,ibid4 p4 #bbc4 #dif ,ibid4 vol4 xii41 p4 #acg4 #dig 8,life and ,times of ,lady ,huntingdon20 and 8,authentic ,narrative of ,primary ,ordination in ,spafields ,chapel1 #aghd40 #dih ,the ,rev4 ,james ,creighton was present2 but ,charles ,wesley was not1 though he was in ,bristol at the time4--7,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #chi47 #dii ,drew's ,life of ,coke1 p4 #ff4 #ejj ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghe1 p4 #fjb4 #eja ,ibid4 #aghf1 p4 #fgg4 #ejb ,coke's ,life1 by ,etheridge4 #ejc ,american minutes4 #ejd ,cokesbury college1 twice burned down4 #eje ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #gj4 #ejf ,whitehead's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #dai4 #ejg ,dr4 ,samuel ,seabury was a missionary of the ,society for the ,propagation of the ,gospel4 ,after the ratification of the treaty of peace1 the ,american episcopal church felt it necessary1 not to remain dependent on the good offices of a prelate residing in ,england1 but to have bishops of its own4 ,accordingly1 the clergy in ,connecticut assembled in a voluntary convention1 and elected ,seabury4 ,the election was easily accomplished2 the consecration was more difficult4 ,seabury came to ,england1 asking of the archbishops of the ,english ,church a boon which1 for a hundred and fifty years1 had been asked in vain1 namely1 that episcopalians in ,america might have ordained bishops of their own4 ,at the time1 the see of ,canterbury was vacant2 and the archbishop of ,york was unable to take measures for the consecration of an ,american citizen1 without the authority of parliament4 ,a long delay was unavoidable1 and1 under the circumstances1 ,seabury proceeded to ,scotland1 where he applied for consecration to the bishops of the ,scottish episcopal church4 ,his application was granted1 and he was solemnly ordained at ,aberdeen1 on ,november #ad1 #aghd1 by the bishops of ,aberdeen1 ,ross1 and ,moray4--7,caswall's ,american ,church1 p4 #abd47 ,this will explain the meaning of ,c4 ,wesley's letter2 but is it surprising that1 amid all these changes1 difficulties1 and confusions1 ,wesley took upon himself to ordain deacons and presbyters for the abandoned ,methodists of ,america8 #ejh ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cib4 #eji ,the ,rev4 ,james ,creighton1 in his reply to ,bradburn's pamphlet in #agic1 affirms that ,wesley repented1 with tears1 that he had ordained any of his preachers4 ,he states1 that he expressed his sorrow for this at the conference of #aghi1 and occasionally afterwards till his death4 ,creighton adds3 8,about six weeks before he died1 he said1 #8,the preachers are now too powerful for me4'0 ,this must pass for as much as it is worth2 ,james ,creighton was a clergyman4 #eaj ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #chb4 #eaa ,manuscripts2 also ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahfg1 p4 #fbb4 #eab ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghf1 p4 #fgh4 #eac ,manuscript memoir of ,whitehead4 #ead ,manuscript letter4 #eae ,manuscript letter4 #eaf ,pawson's manuscript4 #eag ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cid4 #eah ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghf1 p4 #ej4 #eai ,c4 ,wesley's ,life1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cih4 #ebj ,ibid4 #eba ,c4 ,wesley's ,life1 vol4 ii1 p4 #cih4 #ebb ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahfg1 p4 #fbe4 #ebc ,let us suppose ,john ,hampson1 not only to have formed societies1 different from the ,methodist societies1 but also to have ordained local preachers to administer to them the sacraments2 and let us suppose further1 that1 despite this1 ,john ,hampson still persisted in calling himself a ,methodist3 and we have a case analogous to that of ,wesley4 ,under such circumstances1 would ,wesley have admitted ,hampson's claim to continued membership among the ,methodists8 ,we trow not2 and yet this is exactly the sort of claim which he himself makes in reference to the ,church of ,england4 #ebd ,methodist ,magazine1 #agij1 p4 #fcf4 #ebe ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahjg1 p4 #dgb2 and ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #cf4 #ebf ,wesley's nephew1 an excise officer 7,clarke's 8,wesley ,family10 vol4 ii41 p4 #bgc74 #ebg ,commonly called ,captain ,webb4 #ebh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahej1 p4 #afa4 #ebi ,black's ,memoirs1 p4 #aab4 #ecj ,black's ,memoirs1 p4 #abf4 #eca ,the ,rev4 ,edward ,smyth was about to become minister of ,bethesda chapel1 ,dublin4 ,the ,rev4 ,brian ,collins seems to have been in ,dublin at the same time4 #aghe4 ,age #hb ,wesley began the year #aghe1 by spending five days in walking through ,london1 often ankle deep in sludge and melting snow1 to beg #bjj1 which he employed in purchasing clothing for the poor4 ,he visited the destitute in their own houses1 8to see with his own eyes what their wants were1 and how they might be effectually relieved40 ,besides preaching in his own chapels1 he preached in ,spitalfields1 ,st4 ,ethelburga's1 and ,stepney churches4 ,as usual1 he met the ,london classes1 from which he received1 as ticket money1 #dh #gs41 out of which he was paid his quarter's salary1 #ae4ecb ,his activity was unabated and marvellous4 ,he wrote as follows1 to ,mr4 ,stretton1 in ,newfoundland4 8,,london1 ,february #be1 #aghe4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,if that deadly enemy of true religion1 popery1 is breaking in upon you1 there is indeed no time to be lost2 for it is far easier to prevent the plague than to stop it4 ,last autumn ,dr4 ,coke sailed from ,england1 and is now visiting the flock in the midland provinces of ,america1 and setting them on the ,new ,testament plan1 to which they all willingly and joyfully conform4 ,i trust1 they will no more want such pastors1 as are after ,god's own heart4 ,after he has gone through these parts1 he intends to see the brethren in ,nova ,scotia1 probably attended with one or two able preachers1 who will be willing to abide there4 ,a day or two ago1 ,i wrote and desired him to call upon our brethren also in ,newfoundland1 and leave a preacher there likewise4 ,about food and raiment we take no thought2 our heavenly ,father knoweth that we need these things1 and ,he will provide2 only let us be faithful and diligent in feeding ,his flock4 ,your preacher will be ordained4 ,you shall want no assistance that is in the power of your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ecc ,at the previous conference1 ,wesley had appointed ,william ,moore to ,plymouth4 ,moore was an itinerant of ten years' standing1 and was dissatisfied with ,wesley's deed of declaration2 and1 instead of serving ,wesley1 as he had done formerly1 he dissevered the connection4 ,he hired a room1 drew away about forty of the ,plymouth ,methodists1 and formed a society of his own4 ,he issued 8,an ,appeal to the ,inhabitants of the ,town of ,saltash10 #hvo1 #h pages2 telling the people1 that he preached none other doctrines than those contained in the articles1 homilies1 and prayers of the ,church of ,england2 that he coveted no man's silver1 gold1 or apparel2 and that he was actuated only by a sincere desire to serve them4 ,moore was evidently a man of education1 courage1 and ,christian zeal2 and might have occupied a superior position among his brethren4 ,but ,wesley's seeming partiality1 in the constitution of his conference1 led to ,moore's secession2 and here1 at ,plymouth1 he had become a somewhat formidable rival4 ,wesley was summoned1 and1 in a most bitter frost1 off he went1 on ,february #bh1 to put wrong things right4 ,here he spent six days1 and left the society 8confirmed in the truth more than ever40 ,leaving ,plymouth1 ,wesley came to ,bristol1 where he employed a fortnight in visiting and preaching to neighbouring societies4 ,on ,march #ba1 he started off to ,ireland1 preaching all the way to ,liverpool1 and1 notwithstanding frost and snow1 and bitter cold1 frequently in the open air4 ,he arrived at ,dublin on ,april #aa1 and found 8two such preachers10 ,james ,rogers and ,andrew ,blair1 8with two such wives as he knew not where to find again40 ,having spent a week in ,dublin1 he set out for the provinces4 ,he often preached in churches1 and not unfrequently in the open air4 ,everywhere1 with one or two exceptions1 the people welcomed him2 congregations were large1 and societies1 in general1 were lively4 ,two months were occupied in this employment4 ,his labours were almost incredible4 ,all over ,ireland he went1 preaching every day1 and often twice or thrice a day1 not only in ,methodist meeting-houses1 but in churches1 presbyterian chapels1 in factories1 in bowling greens1 in assembly rooms1 in courthouses1 in barns1 in 8sloping meadows10 in 8shady orchards10 in groves and avenues1 in linen halls1 in churchyards and streets1 everywhere1 where he had a chance4 ,we know1 with certainty1 that1 minute as are the details of ,wesley's journals1 he1 by no means1 mentions every sermon that he delivered1 and every society that he visited2 and yet1 in this two months' ,irish provincial tour1 he records the names of not fewer than between fifty and sixty towns1 in which he preached1 collectively1 about fourscore discourses4 ,at ,prosperous1 he found a town built within the last five years1 by ,captain ,brooke1 who employed two thousand people in the manufacturing of cotton2 a ,methodist society of fifty members had been formed2 and ,wesley preached to two crowded congregations4 ,on his way to ,cork1 he was met by about thirty horsemen1 who escorted him to the city1 where he met a society of about four hundred members1 considerably more than there are at the present time4 ,at ,kinsale1 8all behaved well1 but a few officers40 ,he adds3 8the poor in ,ireland1 in general1 are well behaved2 all the ill breeding is among well dressed people40 ,at ,limerick1 he assisted at a service1 in the cathedral1 which lasted from eleven o'clock till three4 ,at ,killchrist1 he was the guest of ,colonel ,pearse2 but says1 8the house being full of genteel company1 ,i was out of my element2 there being no room to talk upon the only subject which deserves the attention of a rational creature40 ,at ,ballinrobe1 he visited the charter school1 the children of which were ragged and dirty4 8,the schoolroom was not much bigger than a small closet30 three beds had to serve for fifteen boys1 and five for nineteen girls2 and five farthings a day were allowed the master for the sustenance of each of the hunger bitten pupils4 ,wesley was so disgusted with the thing1 that he reported the case to the commissioners for charter schools in ,dublin4 ,on ,june #ah1 he got back to ,dublin1 where he spent his birthday1 on the #bhth1 and wrote3 8,by the good providence of ,god1 ,i finished the eighty-second year of my age4 ,is anything too hard for ,god8 ,it is now eleven years since ,i have felt any such thing as weariness3 many times ,i speak till my voice fails1 and ,i can speak no longer2 frequently ,i walk till my strength fails1 and ,i can walk no farther2 yet1 even then1 ,i feel no sensation of weariness1 but am perfectly easy from head to foot4 ,i dare not impute this to natural causes2 it is the will of ,god40 ,having held the ,irish conference he set sail for ,england1 on ,july #aj1 leaving1 says he1 8the work of ,god increasing in every part of the kingdom1 more than it has done for many years40 8,here is a set of excellent young preachers2 nine in ten of them are much devoted to ,god4 ,i think1 number for number1 they exceed their fellow labourers in ,england40#ecd ,the following letter refers to the same subject1 and is too interesting to be omitted4 ,it was addressed to ,miss ,ritchie4 8,,dublin1 ,june #bf1 #aghe4 8,,my ,,dear ,,betsy1--,our ,lord has indeed poured out abundance of blessings1 almost in every part of this kingdom4 ,i have now gone through every province1 and visited all the chief societies1 and ,i have found far the greater part of them increasing both in number and strength4 ,many are convinced of sin2 many justified2 and not a few perfected in love4 ,one means of which is1 that several of our young preachers1 of whom we made little account1 appear to be1 contrary to all expectation1 men full of faith and of the ,holy ,ghost2 and they are pushing out1 to the right hand and the left2 and1 wherever they go1 ,god prospers their labours4 ,i know not whether ,thomas ,walsh will not revive in two1 if not three1 of them4 8,many years1 ago ,i was saying3 #8,i cannot imagine how ,mr4 ,whitefield can keep his soul alive1 as he is not now going through honour and dishonour1 evil report and good report2 having nothing but honour and good report attending him wherever he goes4' ,it is now my own case2 ,i am just in the condition now that he was then in4 ,i am become1 ,i know not how1 an honourable man4 ,the scandal of the cross is ceased2 and all the kingdom1 rich and poor1 papists and protestants1 behave with courtesy1 nay1 and seeming good will6 ,it seems as if ,i had well-nigh finished my course1 and our ,lord was giving me an honourable discharge4 8,peace be with your spirit6 ,adieu6 8,,john ,,wesley40#ece ,a letter1 from ,wesley to ,mr4 ,stretton1 has been already given1 announcing that preachers were about to be sent to ,nova ,scotia and ,newfoundland4 ,this was already done2 and ,freeborn ,garretson and ,james ,cromwell were labouring1 in the former country1 with great success4 ,wesley1 while in ,ireland1 wrote to ,garretson as follows4 8,,dublin1 ,june #af1 #aghe4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am glad brother ,cromwell and you have undertaken that #8labour of love' of visiting ,nova ,scotia2 and doubt not but you act in full concert with the little handful1 who were almost alone till you came4 ,it will be the wisest way to make all those who desire to join together1 thoroughly acquainted with the whole ,methodist plan2 and to accustom them1 from the very beginning1 to the accurate observance of all our rules4 ,let none of them rest in being half ,christians4 ,whatever they do1 let them do it with their might2 and it will be well1 as soon as any of them find peace with ,god1 to exhort them to #8go on to perfection4' ,the more explicitly and strongly you press all believers to aspire after full sanctification1 as attainable now by simple faith1 the more the whole work of ,god will prosper4 8,i do not expect any great matters from the bishop4 ,i doubt his eye is not single2 and if it be not1 he will do little good to you1 or any one else4 ,it may be a comfort to you1 that you have no need of him4 ,you want nothing which he can give4 8,you do not know the state of the ,english ,methodists2 they do not roll in money1 like many of the ,american ,methodists4 ,it is with the utmost difficulty1 that we can raise five or six hundred pounds a year to supply our contingent expenses2 so that it is entirely impracticable to raise #ejj among them to build houses in ,america4 ,it is true1 they might do much2 but it is a sad observation1 they that have most money have usually least grace4 8,the peace of ,god be with all your spirits6 ,i am your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ecf ,thus was ,methodism spreading4 ,we find it firmly planted throughout the whole of the ,united ,kingdom4 ,its members in ,america were counted by thousands4 ,it had its societies in the ,west ,indies4 ,it had taken root in ,newfoundland and ,nova ,scotia4 ,and1 besides all this1 it was beginning to exert indirectly a benign influence on other lands1 where1 since then1 religion has been extensively revived4 ,the ,methodist mission to ,sweden1 begun by ,joseph ,rayner ,stephens1 in #ahbf1 was facilitated by ,methodist feeling1 imbibed from ,wesley1 in #aghe4 ,hence the following letter1 from an aged clergyman of the established church of ,sweden1 written in #ahbg1 and addressed to ,mr4 ,stephens4 8,it affected my heart to see1 in the newspapers of ,stockholm1 that an adherent to the famous and venerable ,mr4 ,j4 ,wesley had established a chapel1 for ,divine service1 in our metropolis4 ,mr4 ,wesley was an old acquaintance of mine when ,i resided in ,england in the years #aghd-hf4 ,he was more2 he was my dear friend1 and with him ,i agreed in his ,christian principles and opinions4 ,i was exceedingly pleased with him1 and with his religion of love1 joy1 and peace4 ,i very often waited on him at his house2 and ,i was several times in company with him in the circle of his friends1 where ,i went to prayer with them4 ,i learned of him1 to be a father to the people that might be entrusted to me4 ,i shall never forget the amiable ,mr4 ,wesley4 ,he was so good as to give me a remembrance of him1 by a present of one of his writings1 called #8,an ,appeal1' etc41 in which he wrote these lines1 #8,domino ,n4 ,s4 ,s4 dono dedit ,johannes ,wesley1 circ4 ,kal4 ,augusti1 #aghe4' ,he gave me also several other of his ,christian pamphlets4 ,i am far advanced in age2 towards seventy-six years old3 but1 if the almighty ,god grant me life and health1 perhaps ,i may make a tour to ,stockholm next summer1 when ,i have done with my catechumens2 and then ,i shall certainly wait upon you1 and make one of your auditory4#ecg ,while ,wesley was forming new friendships1 old ones were being severed by death4 ,it was in #aghe1 that he thus lost two of the most valuable and valued friends that he ever had1--,vincent ,perronet1 and ,john ,fletcher1 the vicars of ,shoreham and ,madeley4 ,the former was in the ninety-second year of his age1 and died1 while ,wesley was in ,ireland1 on the #ith of ,may4 ,charles ,wesley buried him1 and preached his funeral sermon4 ,for the last twenty years1 he had enjoyed such a degree of fellowship with ,god as rarely falls to the lot of man in the present world4 ,he lived chiefly in his library2 but1 when he mingled with his friends1 was always cheerful4 ,his favourite study was the fulfilment of prophecy1 and the second coming and visible reign of ,christ on earth4#ech ,while ,perronet was the oldest1 ,fletcher was the most valuable friend that ,wesley had4 ,no man had rendered1 to ,methodism and its founder1 the service that the vicar of ,madeley had4 ,compared with the vicar of ,shoreham1 he was young2 but his life was fraught with incalculable blessings to the church of ,christ4 ,only four years before his death1 he had married ,miss ,bosanquet1 who1 for thirty years1 revered his memory1 and remained his widow1 till the two were reunited in a better world than this4 ,as we have already seen1 he was present at ,wesley's last conference1 in ,leeds2 and it was chiefly by his almost angelic interposition and services1 that the results of that conference were not much more disastrous than they were4 ,his wife was with him1 and writes3 8,o how deeply was he affected concerning the welfare of his brethren6 ,when any little disputes arose among them1 his inmost soul groaned beneath the burden2 and1 by two or three in the morning1 ,i was sure to hear him breathing out prayer for the peace and prosperity of ,zion4 ,when ,i observed to him1 ,i was afraid it would hurt his health1 and wished him to sleep more1 he would answer1 #8,o ,polly1 the cause of ,god lies near my heart6'0#eci ,twelve months afterwards1 this seraphic man expired1 some of his last words being3 8,o ,polly1 my dear ,polly1 ,god is love6 ,shout6 shout aloud6 ,i want a gust of praise to go to the ends of the earth60 ,he died ,august #ad1 #aghe1 having1 on the previous sabbath1 read prayers1 preached1 and administered the ,lord's supper1 in his parish church4 ,wesley1 at the time1 was in the west of ,england1 and unable either to see him1 or to attend his funeral2 but1 as soon as possible1 he published a sermon in memory of him1 taking the same text as his brother ,charles had taken at the death of ,perronet3 8,mark the perfect man1 and behold the upright2 for the end of that man is peace40 ,wesley writes3 8,i was intimately acquainted with him for above thirty years2 ,i conversed with him morning1 noon1 and night1 without the least reserve1 during a journey of many hundred miles2 and1 in all that time1 ,i never heard him speak one improper word1 nor saw him do an improper action4 ,many exemplary men have ,i known1 holy in heart and life1 within fourscore years2 but one equal to him ,i have not known1 one so inwardly and outwardly devoted to ,god4 ,so unblamable a character1 in every respect1 ,i have not found either in ,europe or ,america2 and ,i scarce expect to find such another on this side of eternity40 ,wesley arrived in ,london1 from ,ireland1 on ,july #ad2 and1 on the following ,sunday1 preached1 morning and evening1 on the education of children4 ,the next morning1 at five o'clock1 he met the children of the congregation at ,city ,road1 the morning chapel being full of juveniles1 and many standing in the larger chapel4 ,the service was unique4 ,when1 either before or since1 was there such a congregation at such an hour8 ,wesley writes3 8,july #bf1 ,tuesday--,our conference began2 at which about seventy preachers were present1 whom ,i had invited by name4 ,one consequence of this was1 that we had no contention or altercation at all2 but everything proposed was calmly considered1 and determined as we judged would be most for the glory of ,god40 ,the deed of declaration was again discussed2 and seventy preachers present signed documents1 that they approved of it4 ,eight preachers left the connexion1 including ,william ,moore and the two ,hampsons4 ,nova ,scotia1 ,newfoundland1 and ,antigua1 for the first time1 appeared in the list of circuits4 ,it was declared1 that it was improper to sell books1 to employ hairdressers1 or to talk of worldly things1 on ,sundays2 and that it was entirely wrong to send ,methodist children to dancing schools1 and for dancing masters to be admitted into ,methodist boarding schools4 ,the conference was closed on ,august #c1 and1 five days afterwards1 ,wesley set out for ,cornwall2#edj and on ,september #c got back to ,bristol1 where he wrote3 8,sunday1 ,september #d--;,finding a report had been spread abroad1 that ,i was going to leave the ,church1 to satisfy those that were grieved concerning it1 ,i openly declared in the evening1 that ,i had no more thought of separating from the ,church than ,i had forty years ago40 ,here1 and in the neighbourhood1 he spent a month4 ,on ,october #c1 he returned to ,london2 and1 the next day1 set out for ,hertfordshire4 ,a week later1 he was off to ,oxfordshire2 and the week after that1 to ,norfolk4 ,he writes3 8,october #bb--;,i returned to ,norwich2 and1 in the evening1 spoke home to an uncommonly large congregation2 telling them1 #8,of all the people ,i have seen in the kingdom1 for between forty and fifty years1 you have been the most fickle1 and yet the most stubborn4' ,however1 our labour has not been lost1 for many have died in peace2 and ,god is able to say to the residue of these dry bones1 #8,live6'0 ,querulous and quarrelsome ,thomas ,wride was1 at this time1 the assistant in ,norwich circuit1 and1 from a large mass of his manuscripts in the author's possession1 the following facts are gleaned4 ,a monument to the memory of ,mr4 ,turner had been erected in the chapel1 on which were chiselled certain 8doggrel verses10 with which ,wride was greatly dissatisfied4 ,he had told the society1 on ,september #d1 what they might expect from him1 in reference to meeting in class1 showing tickets1 etc42 and says 8the terror of his countenance had awed them1 and several had owned that they were afraid of him40 ,he had received a quantity of sermons for sale1 and1 among others1 ,dr4 ,coke's sermon1 preached in ,baltimore1 at the ordination of ,asbury2 which1 he says1 he is reluctant to put into circulation4 ,he writes3 8,it amounts to a formal separation from the ,church of ,england1 and1 in the end1 will tear up ,methodism by the roots4 ,whatever may be said of ,america1 ,i cannot think it right1 for us here1 to declare ourselves independent of the ,church of ,england1 while we enjoy the privileges we have always done4 ,i dread the consequence2 for1 if we are independents1 hardly any will come to us1 but such as choose to change their religion2 whereas1 those to whom the ,methodists have been mainly useful had no religion to change40 ,wride was also dissatisfied with his colleagues2 for ,j4 ,mc,kersey would sing a hymn between the first prayer and the sermon2 and ,james ,mc,byron would permit the congregations to sing anthems4 ,mc,kersey also refused to preach at five in the mornings2 for though1 as he said1 he could rise soon enough1 he was not able to preach till he had had his breakfast2 and1 in consequence1 ,wride had advised him to take his breakfast to bed with him4 ,wride acknowledges1 that the ,methodists at ,norwich had not been used to morning preaching4 ,the rich would not attend2 and1 as the poor did not begin to work till eight o'clock1 and could not afford to burn a fire1 they were reluctant to rise so early4 ,hence1 when he himself had preached1 his congregation consisted only of his wife and two others4 ,mr4 ,mc,kersey1 further1 had neglected the select band2 and had declared he would 8rather go twelve miles than meet the children40 ,wride multiplies complaints against the leading singers1 and against the leaders1 ,messrs4 ,booty1 ,best1 ,james and ,george ,hay1 ,kilburn1 ,senior1 ,flegg1 and ,johnson2 and declares that a preacher1 sent to ,norwich circuit1 ought to combine in himself the qualities of 8the lion1 the lamb1 the dove1 the serpent1 and the ox40 ,poor ,wride6 ,the contention continued1 and1 early in #aghf1 ,wesley had to remove him to another post of duty2 but1 before doing so1 he addressed to him the following letters1 which have not before been published4 8,,london1 ,november #h1 #aghe4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,james ,byron is an amiable young man2 at present full of faith and love4 ,if possible1 guard him from those that will be inclined to love him too well4 ,then he will be as useful a fellow labourer as you can desire4 ,and set him a pattern in all things4 8,i am1 dear ,tommy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 8,,london1 ,november #ag1 #aghe4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,deal plainly1 and yet tenderly with ,james ,byron1 and he will be a very useful labourer4 ,but none can be a ,methodist preacher1 unless he is both able and willing to preach in the morning2 which is the most healthy exercise in the world4 ,i desire1 that none of our preachers would sing oftener than twice at one service4 ,we need nothing to fill up our hour4 8,in every place1 where there is a sufficient number of believers1 do all you can to prevail upon them to meet in band4 ,be mild2 be serious2 and you will conquer all things4 8,i am1 dear ,tommy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 8,,london1 ,december #ad1 #aghe4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,have patience with the young men1 and they will mend upon your hands4 ,but remember6 soft and fair goes far4 ,for twenty years and upwards1 we had good morning congregations at ,norwich2 but they might begin at six till ,ladyday4 ,i desire brother ,byron to try what he can do3 better days will come4 8,i pray1 let the doggrel hymn be no more sung in our chapel4 ,if they do not soon come to their senses at ,norwich1 ,i will remove you to ,colchester4 ,be mild6 ,be serious6 8,i am1 dear ,tommy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,tommy ,wride was not the only preacher that gave ,wesley trouble4 ,for twelve years1 ,michael ,moorhouse had been one of his itinerants1 and had had his share of persecution4 ,in #aggh1 while preaching in the marketplace at ,melton ,mowbray1 he was pulled down by a ruthless mob1 and1 with three other peaceable men1 dragged to the ,black ,hole1 where means were used to impress him for the army4#eda ,moorhouse now was discontented1 and1 in #aghe1 published a broadsheet of sixteen columns1 in small type1 entitled 8,an ,appeal to ,honest ,men10 and full of petty grievances1 particularly with regard to the influence of ,john ,crook and ,wesley1 and respecting his own appointments to inferior circuits4 ,at the conference of #aghf1 he left the work2 and then embodied the wailings of his ,appeal in an octavo volume of #abh pages1 with the title1 8,defence of ,mr4 ,michael ,moorhouse1 written by himself40 ,he bitterly complains of ,wesley for suffering some of the wives of his preachers to dine on potatoes and buttermilk1 while others were pampered with good cheer2 and for allowing their husbands to wear great coats1 and to use umbrellas on a rainy day4 ,the ,monthly ,review1 in noticing poor ,moorhouse's notable production1 quietly remarks3 8,the labourer is certainly worthy of his hire1 but1 in adjusting the hire to the labourer1 a good deal must depend on the workman's skill2 and1 if we are to judge of ,master ,michael ,moorhouse's preaching abilities1 from his illiterate and silly performance1 we do not see how his master could have afforded him higher wages3 perhaps he might fare better1 if he were to return to his lawful occupation40 ,these were among the petty annoyances of ,wesley's busy life4 ,he had1 in all conscience1 enough to do without these2 but1 in his position1 such vexations were inevitable4 ,returning from ,norfolk1 ,wesley spent the rest of the year in ,london1 and in preaching tours through ,northamptonshire and ,kent4 ,before proceeding to notice his publications1 it is right to say that1 at this time1 an important pamphlet of twelve pages was issued with the following title3 8,free ,thoughts concerning a ,separation of the ,people called ,methodists from the ,church of ,england1 addressed to the ,preachers in the ,methodist ,connexion1 by a ,layman of the ,methodist society40 ,the pamphlet may be taken as an echo of the opinions then prevalent1 and a brief account of it may be useful4 ,the writer states1 that the arguments1 used in favour of separation1 are1 not that the government1 service1 and doctrine of the ,church are unscriptural1 but1 that the clergy are not converted men2 that ,methodism loses many of its members through the sacraments not being administered2 that the ,church of ,england is a fallen church2 that the time is fully come when the ,methodists ought to be an independent body2 that the good effects of separation are already seen in the continent of ,america2 and that separation will probably take place at ,mr4 ,wesley's death4 ,having endeavoured to refute these arguments1 the author proceeds to give his reasons against separation3 namely 7#a7 many of the ,methodists are zealous for the ,church of ,england1 and would be offended2 7#b7 separation implies ordination1 which would be a bone of contention1 an apple of discord1 among the preachers1 as to who should be ordainers2 7#c7 these 8gownsmen or ordainers would have the government of the body more and more devolved upon them1 and1 instead of being itinerants1 would become resident in one place1 the itinerant plan thereby becoming gradually weakened1 or continued only by raw lads on trial40 ,the arguments1 pro and con1 are given as we find them2 and merely to show the grounds taken by the opposing parties in #aghe4 ,excepting ,fletcher's funeral sermon1 #hvo1 #cb pages1 ,wesley's publications were only four in number4 #a4 8,a ,pocket ,hymn ,book for the use of ,christians of all ,denominations40 #bdmo1 #bjh pages4 #b4 8,an ,extract from the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley's ,journal1 from ,august #i1 #aggi1 to ,august #bj1 #aghb40 #abmo1 #ib pages4 #c4 8,a ,call to the ,unconverted4 ,by ,r4 ,baxter40 #abmo1 #gf pages4 #d4 ,the ,arminian ,magazine4 #hvo1 #ffh pages4 ,the ,arminian ,magazine contains extracts from ,dr4 ,whitby's ,discourses on the ,five ,points1 and from ,maundrell's ,journey from ,aleppo to ,jerusalem4 ,there are biographical accounts of ,william ,mc,cormick1 ,martha ,rogers1 ,nancy ,bissaker1 ,james ,creighton1 ,ann ,roylands1 ,john ,pritchard1 and many others4 ,there are more than thirty letters1 and as many poetic pieces4 ,there is ,wesley's sermon on his favourite text1 #a ,corinthians xiii4 #a-c4 ,also his sermon on perfection1 in which his most matured views1 on this momentous subject1 are stated with his wonted lucidity4 ,the sermon on ,hebrews xiii4 #ag is remarkable4 ,the point he endeavours to establish is1 that1 8,it is the duty of every private ,christian to obey his spiritual pastor1 by either doing or leaving undone anything of an indifferent nature2 anything that is in no way determined in the word of ,god40 ,in applying the principle to himself and the ,methodists1 he asks3 8,do you take my advice with regard to dress8 ,i published that advice above thirty years ago2 ,i have repeated it a thousand times since4 ,i have advised you to lay aside all needless ornaments3 to avoid all needless expense3 to be patterns of plainness to all that are round about you4 ,have you taken this advice8 ,are you all exemplarily plain in your apparel8 as plain as quakers or ,moravians8 ,if not1 you declare hereby to all the world1 that you will not obey them that are over you in the ,lord40 ,wesley's doctrine may be disputed2 but the practical use to which he puts it deserves attention4 ,there are three more of his original sermons--on ,john i4 #dg2 ,philippians ii4 #ab1 #ac2 and ,revelation xxi4 #e--which are well worth reading4 ,,footnotes3 #ecb ,city ,road society book4 #ecc ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbd1 p4 #cjg4 #ecd ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #adc4 #ece ,ibid4 vol4 xiii41 p4 #fa4 #ecf ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #ff4 #ecg ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbh1 p4 #df4 #ech ,ibid4 #agii1 p4 #afa4 #eci ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xi41 p4 #ccd #edj ,among other places1 ,wesley preached at ,st4 ,austell1 where his host had a little girl1 twelve years of age1 who had recently been admitted into the ,methodist society by ,adam ,clarke4 ,that little girl is now ,mrs4 ,shaw1 aged ninety-eight1 and well remembers ,wesley taking her1 more than once1 in his carriage for a drive1 and showing her other marks of affectionate attention4 ,mrs4 ,shaw--happy1 intelligent1 and full of faith1--is a mother in ,israel1 and probably the oldest ,methodist now living4 ,the writer has in his possession1 in ,mrs4 ,shaw's own handwriting1 a beautiful hymn of five stanzas1 composed by her1 in the month of ,may1 #ahfi4 #eda ,thomas ,dixon's manuscript autobiography4 #aghf4 ,age #hc ,wesley spent the first two months of #aghf in ,london4 ,he went to the ,house of ,lords at the opening of parliament1 and heard ,king ,george ,,iii4 read the royal speech4 ,he writes3 8,how agreeably was ,i surprised4 ,he pronounced every word with exact propriety4 ,i much doubt whether there be any other king in ,europe1 that is so just and natural a speaker40 ,wesley had a remarkable season at ,city ,road4 ,while preaching1 the power of ,god came down2 the preacher broke out in prayer2 and the congregation burst into a loud and general cry4 ,of his own religious feelings he wrote3 8,february #bd1 #aghf4--;,i do not remember to have heard or read anything like my own experience4 ,almost ever since ,i can remember1 ,i have been led on in a peculiar way4 ,i go on in an even line1 being very little raised at one time1 of depressed at another4 ,count ,zinzendorf observes1 there are three different ways wherein it pleases ,god to lead ,his people4 ,some are guided1 almost in every instance1 by apposite texts of ,scripture4 ,others see a clear and plain reason for everything they are to do4 ,and1 yet1 others are led not so much by ,scripture and reason as by particular impressions4 ,i am very rarely led by impressions1 but generally by reason and by ,scripture4 ,i see abundantly more than ,i feel4 ,i want to feel more love and zeal for ,god40#edb ,on ,february #bf1 ,wesley set out1 in a snowstorm1 on a journey which occupied more than the next four months4 ,his first halt was at ,newbury1 where he had 8a large and serious congregation20 but where1 he says1 he passed such a night as he had not passed for forty years1 his lodging room being as cold as the outward air4 ,he writes3 8,i could not sleep at all till three in the morning4 ,i rose at four1 and set out at five40 ,the next fortnight was spent at ,bristol and in its vicinity4 ,on ,sunday1 ,march #e1 he went through an amount of labour which would have appalled most men half his age4 8,i read prayers10 says he1 8and preached1 and administered the sacrament to about five hundred communicants4 ,at three1 ,i preached in ,temple church2 at five in the ,new ,room40 ,eight days later1 he started off to ,scotland1 when the roads were blocked up with snow1 and the weather intensely cold4 ,more than a week was spent at ,birmingham3 during which he had another sacramental service1 as large as that at ,bristol2 and preached at ,madeley a funeral sermon for the sainted ,fletcher1 taking as his text ,revelation xiv4 #a-g4edc ,at ,lane ,end1 after it was dark1 and in a piercingly cold wind1 he says3 8,i was constrained to preach abroad2 and none of us seemed to regard the weather1 for ,god warmed our hearts40 ,at ,burslem1 in the same inclement season1 the congregation was such1 that the venerable preacher was obliged again to take his stand in the open air4 ,after preaching at ,congleton1 ,macclesfield1 and other places1 he came to ,chapel-en-le-,frith1 where a large number had been converted1 but who needed discipline4 ,he writes3 8,frequently three or four1 yea1 ten or twelve1 pray aloud all together4 ,some of them1 perhaps many1 scream all together as loud as they possibly can4 ,some use improper1 yea1 indecent1 expressions in prayer4 ,several drop down as dead1 and are as stiff as a corpse2 but1 in a while1 they start up1 and cry1 #8,glory6 ,glory6' perhaps twenty times together4 ,just so do the ,french prophets1 and very lately the jumpers1 in ,wales1 bring the real work into contempt4 ,yet1 whenever we reprove them1 it should be in the most mild and gentle manner possible40 ,at ,bolton1 he had1 in his congregation1 five hundred and fifty children1 all scholars in the ,methodist ,sunday-school2 and it was either now1 or soon after1 that he preached to them a sermon1 from ,psalm xxxiv4 #aa1 in which he engaged to use no word of more than two syllables1 and literally fulfilled his pledge4#edd ,his congregations throughout ,lancashire1 and the west riding of ,yorkshire1 were enormous1 often compelling him to preach out of doors4 ,his popularity was greater than ever4 ,churches were offered for his use2 and accepted1 at ,haworth1 ,bingley1 ,heptonstall1 ,todmorden1 ,horsforth1 and ,york4 ,persecution had ceased2 and everywhere the ,christian veteran was greeted with the welcomes of admiring and loving crowds4 ,leaving ,york on the #hth of ,may1 ,wesley1 for the first time1 visited the town of ,easingwold1 where was a class of seventeen members1 the leader of which was ,john ,barber2#ede and where a chapel had been built1 costing #adj1 only half of which was paid4#edf ,to open this was the object of ,wesley's visit4 ,he then proceeded to ,scotland1 where the ,methodists were now really a distinct and separated church2 for not only had ,hanby1 ,pawson1 and others been ordained1 and invested with gown and bands1 but sacraments were administered2 and1 while society tickets admitted to society meetings and the lovefeasts1 circular metal tokens seemed to become the badge of church membership1 having on one side the letters 8,m4 ,c410 and on the other the words1 8,do this in remembrance of ,me40 ,the tokens admitted the owners to the table of the ,lord4 ,on the #ast of ,june1 ,wesley laid the foundation stone of a new chapel at ,alnwick2 and1 on the following ,sunday1 preached three times out of doors1 to vast congregations1 at ,gateshead and ,newcastle4 ,on the #eth of ,june1 he set out southwards4 ,pursuing his usual route1 he came to ,hull1 a fortnight afterwards1 and1 at the vicar's invitation1 preached twice to immense crowds 8in one of the largest parish churches in ,england40 ,the next day1 he rode seventy-six miles1 and preached at ,malton1 ,pocklington1 and ,swinfleet4 8,sufficient10 says he1 8for this day was the labour thereof2 but still ,i was no more tired than when ,i rose in the morning40 ,can such a fact as this be paralleled8 ,the day after1 he preached at ,crowle1 and ,epworth2 and the next day after that1 at ,scotter1 ,brigg1 and ,grimsby4 ,at ,louth1 for the first time1 he saw the people 8affected40 ,at ,gainsborough1 his old friend1 ,sir ,nevil ,hickman1 was dead2 but he made the yard of his house his preaching place4 ,on ,saturday and ,sunday1 ,june #bd and #be1 he preached at ,new ,inn1 ,newark1 ,retford1 ,misterton1 ,overthorpe1 and ,epworth1 six times1 at six different towns1 in two days1 the preacher himself eighty-three years of age6 ,he writes3 8#aghf1 ,june #cj--;,i turned aside to ,barnsley1 formerly famous for all manner of wickedness4 ,they were then ready to tear any ,methodist preacher to pieces4 ,now not a dog wagged his tongue4 ,i preached near the market place to a large congregation2 and1 ,i believe1 the word sunk into many hearts2 they seemed to drink in every word4 ,surely ,god will have a people in this place40 ,wesley might well speak of the brutal wickedness of ,barnsley4 ,three years before1 a man resolved to murder ,henry ,longden1 ran up to him while preaching1 aimed a blow which would probably have been fatal1 but ,longden leaped aside1 and providentially escaped4#edg ,on another occasion1 ,jeremiah ,cocker1 while preaching in the market place1 was pulled down1 dragged through the streets1 and pelted with rotten eggs1 one of which had a dead gosling in it4 ,cocker applied to the vicar of ,sheffield for protection2 the rioters were committed for trial at the ,rotherham sessions2 but were acquitted1 on the ground that1 though the preacher was licensed to preach1 the spot he chose was not licensed as a preaching place6 ,here ,john ,barber1 a few months before ,wesley's visit1 was saluted with a shower of stones1 was seriously hurt1 and was rescued by a friendly quaker1 who lived in 8,barnsley ,folly40 ,at another time1 a mob1 of some hundreds1 assembled with cows' horns1 drums1 and other noisy instruments1 and most effectually prevented the preacher being heard4 ,mr4 ,raynor1 a currier1 having lent his house for preaching1 the ,barnsley roughs made a bonfire at the door1 compelled the congregation to seek egress by some other way1 and pelted them most mercilessly with filth of the foulest kind4 ,such are specimens of the treatment received by the poor ,methodists in ,barnsley1 between the years #aghj and #aghf4 ,the society was small1 not numbering a dozen members2 and they had no preaching room1 except ,raynor's house1 till about #agib1 when ,alexander ,mather secured a small chamber over a weaver's shop in ,church ,street4#edh ,from ,barnsley1 ,wesley went to ,sheffield1 where he selected as his text1 8,it is high time to awake out of sleep02 and an anonymous hearer sent him a letter1 saying1 that he could remember nothing that he said1 except that 8rising early was good for the nerves60 ,here he spent several days1 held the quarterly meeting and a lovefeast1 administered the sacrament to six or seven hundred persons1 visited ,wentworth ,house1 baptized ,joseph ,benson's infant daughter1#edi and was ,mr4 ,holy's guest4 ,after preaching1 crowds were wont to follow him to his hospitable lodging2 the streets were lined1 and the windows of the houses thronged with eager but respectful gazers1 ,wesley all the while emptying his pockets in scattering gifts among the poor4 ,a vast concourse of people assembled on the green1 at the front of ,mr4 ,holy's house2 ,wesley walked into the midst of them1 knelt down1 and asked ,god to bless them4 ,the place became a ,bochim2 the crowd wept and literally wailed at the thought of losing him2 he prayed again2 and then darted into ,mr4 ,holy's dwelling1 and hid himself4#eej ,what a contrast to the reception given to his brother in #agdc6 ,his visit to ,wentworth ,house has been mentioned4 ,it is a curious fact1 but attentive readers of ,wesley's journal will easily perceive1 that1 as ,wesley grew older1 he took far more interest in visiting scenes of beauty and historic buildings than he did in the earlier parts of his illustrious career4 ,how to account for this1 we know not2 but so it was4 ,tradition says1 that ,wesley was accompanied by ,mr4 ,birks1 of ,thorpe1 and that1 when they were leaving1 ,mr4 ,birks asked ,mr4 ,hall1 the steward1 if it would be agreeable for ,mr4 ,wesley to pray with the family before he left4 ,permission was courteously given2 the household were summoned2 and ,wentworth ,house was none the worse for the prayer which the arch ,methodist offered beneath its roof4 ,from ,sheffield1 ,wesley proceeded1 by way of ,belper and ,derby1 to ,ilkestone4 ,this was his first and last visit to the last mentioned town1 and the circumstances connected with it are worth relating4 ,for many years1 the only ,methodist in ,ilkestone had been a poor old woman4 ,the preachers preached1 but1 apparently1 without effect4 ,at length1 the old woman died1 and ,john ,crook resolved to preach a funeral sermon4 ,a large congregation assembled at the front of a public house4 ,mr4 ,crook stood upon a stone used by travellers for mounting horses4 ,the sermon was worthy of the ,methodist apostle of the ,isle of ,man2 and1 at its close1 the preacher received a message from the vicar of the parish1 requesting him to wait upon him next morning4 ,john went1 and was received with kindness4 8,sir10 said the clergyman1 8,i heard you preach last night with pleasure2 in what college were you educated80 8,i never attended college10 was the answer4 8,sir10 rejoined the vicar1 8,i have heard many of the heads of our universities preach1 but ,i never heard a defence of our establishment equal to yours4 ,you are welcome to my pulpit next ,sunday40 ,crook replied1 that he was not ordained2 and proposed that1 instead of preaching within the church1 he should preach at the church's door4 ,the proposal was accepted2 the vicar published from the pulpit the intended service2 the itinerant selected as his text1 8,he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved2 he that believeth not shall be damned20 under that sermon1 the priest was deeply convinced of sin1 and next ,sunday told his congregation1 that he was an earnest seeker of salvation2 he learnt that ,crook was one of ,wesley's preachers1 and sent to ,wesley an invitation2#eea and here1 on ,thursday ,july #f1 we find him4 ,he writes3 8,though the church is large1 it was sufficiently crowded4 ,the vicar read prayers with great earnestness and propriety2 ,i preached2 and the people seemed all ear4 ,surely good will be done in this place2 though it is strongly opposed both by the ,calvinists and ,socinians40 ,good was done4 ,among ,wesley's hearers was a joiner1 ,richard ,birch4 ,wesley's discourse reached his heart4 ,he was converted2 and1 finding that there was in the town a class of four ,methodists1 he became the fifth2 and1 before the year expired1 he and his friends built a chapel4 ,wesley arrived in ,london1 after an absence of nearly twenty weeks1 on ,july #ac4 ,four days were spent in town1 and then he started off again to ,bristol1 for the purpose of holding his annual conference4 ,he writes3 8,july #be1 ,tuesday--,our conference began3 about eighty preachers attended4 ,we met every day at six and nine in the morning1 and at two in the afternoon4 ,on ,tuesday1 and on ,wednesday morning1 the characters of the preachers were considered4 ,on ,thursday1 in the afternoon1 we permitted any of the society to be present2 and weighed what was said about separating from the ,church2 but we all determined to continue therein1 without one dissenting voice2 and ,i doubt not but this determination will stand1 at least1 till ,i am removed into a better world4 ,the conference concluded on ,tuesday morning1 ,august #a4 ,great had been the expectations of many1 that we should have had warm debates2 but1 by the mercy of ,god1 we had none at all2 everything was transacted with great calmness2 and we parted1 as we met1 in peace and love40 ,separation from the ,church was again the great question of the day4 ,from the above extract1 taken from his journal1 it is evident1 that ,wesley was more than apprehensive that such a separation would occur subsequent to his decease2 but it is equally evident1 that he was glad to have it postponed till then4 ,in an unpublished letter to ,thomas ,taylor1 dated ,february #ba1 #aghf1 he writes3 8,the wise bishop ,gibson once said1 #8,why cannot these gentlemen leave the ,church8 ,then they could do no more harm4' ,read #8no more good1' and it would have been a truth4 ,i believe1 if we had then left the ,church1 we should not have done a tenth of the good which we have done4 ,but ,i do not insist upon this head4 ,i go calmly and quietly on my way1 doing what ,i conceive to be the will of ,god4 ,i do not1 will not1 concern myself with what will be done when ,i am dead4 ,i take no thought about that4 ,if ,i did1 ,i should probably shut myself up at ,kingswood or ,newcastle1 and leave you all to yourselves40 8,i love the ,church10 said ,wesley to his brother1 in letters written during the spring of #aghf1 8as sincerely as ever ,i did2 and ,i tell our societies everywhere1 #8,the ,methodists will not leave the ,church1 at least while ,i live4'0 8,eight or ten preachers1 it is probable 7but ,i have not met with one yet71 will say something about leaving the ,church1 before the conference4 ,it is not improbable many will be driven out of it where there are ,calvinist ministers40 ,such were ,wesley's wishes1 and such were his apprehensions4 ,wesley expected eight or ten of his preachers to bring the business before conference4 ,this was done by ,dr4 ,coke1 who had returned from his episcopal tour in the ,united ,states4 ,mr4 ,pawson writes3 8,dr4 ,coke thought1 that our public services in the large towns ought to be held in church hours1 and was freely speaking in the conference upon that subject1 and urging its necessity from the fact that nearly all the converted clergymen in the kingdom were ,calvinists4 ,upon hearing this1 ,mr4 ,charles ,wesley1 with a very loud voice1 and in great anger1 cried out1 #8,no1' which was the only word he uttered during the whole of the conference sittings4 ,mr4 ,mather1 however1 got up and confirmed what ,dr4 ,coke had said1 which we all knew to be a truth40#eeb ,this debate seems to have issued in the adoption of a document1 which ,wesley drew up three days before the conference met4 8,in what cases do we allow of service in church hours8 ,i answer3 8#a4 ,when the minister is a notoriously wicked man4 8#b4 ,when he preaches ,arian1 or any equally pernicious doctrine4 8#c4 ,when there are not churches in the town sufficient to contain half the people4 8#d4 ,where there is no church at all within two or three miles4 8,we advise every one1 who preaches in the church hours1 to read the psalms and lessons1 with part of the church prayers2 because1 we apprehend1 this will endear the church service to our brethren1 who probably would be prejudiced against it1 if they heard none but extemporary prayer40 ,considering the character of not a few of the ministers of the ,church of ,england in #aghf2 remembering the number of pulpits from which were preached ,arianism1 and especially ,calvinism1 both of which the ,methodists considered 8pernicious doctrines02 and1 further1 bearing in mind1 the scanty provision made by the ,established ,church for the great populations1 these concessions1 in reference to having ,methodist services in church hours1 were really much more extensive than1 at first sight1 appears4 ,this was the last conference at which ,charles ,wesley was present4 ,at its conclusion1 he preached from his favourite text1 8,i will bring the third part through the fire20 and told the congregation1 that1 after the death of himself and his brother1 there would be a split among the ,methodists1 and not more than a third part of the preachers and of the people would remain faithful to the ,established ,church4 ,upon these1 however1 ,god would pour out ,his ,spirit more abundantly than ever1 and ,his work would prosper in their hands4 8,this10 said he1 8was the case with the ,moravians when ,count ,zinzendorf died4 ,so it was when ,mr4 ,whitefield was removed2 and thus it will be with the ,methodists40#eec ,before the conference was concluded1 ,charles ,wesley wrote as follows to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,latrobe1 ,moravian minister in ,london3 8,my brother1 and ,i1 and the preachers were unanimous for continuing in the old ship4 ,the preachers of a ,dissenting spirit will probably1 after our death1 set up for themselves1 and draw away disciples after them4 ,an old baptist minister1 forty years ago1 told me1 he looked on the ,methodists as a seminary for the ,dissenters4 ,my desire and design1 from the beginning to this day1 is1 to leave them in the lap of their mother4 ,the bishops might1 if they pleased1 save the largest and soundest part of them back into the ,church2 perhaps to leaven the whole lump1 as ,archbishop ,potter said to me4 ,but ,i fear1 betwixt you and me1 their lordships care for none of these things4 ,the great evil1 which ,i have dreaded for near fifty years1 is a schism40#eed ,other matters were debated at the conference of #aghf4 ,the old rules respecting the windows1 doors1 and pews of chapels were to be strictly observed and kept2 and no assistant was to allow collections for a new chapel1 8till every step had been taken to secure it1 on the conference plan1 by a trust deed1 a bond1 or sufficient articles of agreement40 ,and ,wesley concluded by giving the following advices to the preachers4 7#a7 ,to re-establish morning preaching1 in all large towns1 at least2 and to exert themselves in restoring the bands1 and the select societies4 7#b7 ,always to conclude the service in about an hour4 7#c7 ,never to scream4 7#d7 ,never to lean upon1 or beat the ,bible4 7#e7 ,wherever they preached1 to meet the society4 7#f7 ,not to go home at nights1 except in cases of the utmost necessity4 7#g7 ,never to preach funeral sermons1 but for eminently holy persons1 to preach none for hire1 and to beware of panegyric1 particularly in ,london4 7#h7 ,to hold more lovefeasts4 7#i7 ,to introduce no new tunes2 to see that none sing too slow1 and that the women sing their parts2 and to exhort all to sing1 and all to stand at singing1 as well as to kneel at prayers4 7#aj7 ,to let none repeat the last line1 unless the preacher does4 ,and1 7#aa7 ,to inform the leaders1 that every assistant is to change both the stewards and the leaders when he sees good2 and that no leader has power to put any person either into or out of the society4 ,nova ,scotia1 ,newfoundland1 and ,antigua were now ,methodist circuits1 and had1 unitedly1 nine itinerant preachers1 and #bagi members of society4 ,these were ,methodist missions1 though not designated such4 ,and here let it be remarked1 that the ,methodist ,missionary ,society was really founded in #aghd4 ,where is the proof of this8 ,the following is an exact copy of a printed document1 kindly lent by the ,rev4 ,g4 ,mather1 and addressed1 by ,dr4 ,coke1 to 8,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,fletcher1 at ,madeley1 near ,shiffnal1 ,cheshire40 8,a ,plan of the ,society for the ,establishment of ,missions among the ,heathen4 8#a4 ,every person who subscribes two guineas yearly1 or more1 is to be admitted a member of the society4 8#b4 ,a general meeting of the subscribers shall be held annually on the last ,tuesday in ,january4 8#c4 ,the first general meeting shall be held on the last ,tuesday in ,january #aghd1 at ,no4 #aa1 in ,west ,street1 near the ,seven ,dials1 ,london1 at three o'clock in the afternoon4 8#d4 ,at every general meeting1 a committee of seven1 or more1 shall be chosen1 by the majority of the subscribers1 to transact the business of the society for the ensuing year4 8#e4 ,the general meeting shall receive and examine the accounts of the committee1 for the preceding year1 of all sums paid to the use of the society1 of the purposes to which the whole or any part thereof shall have been applied1 and also the report of all they have done1 and the advices they have received4 8#f4 ,the committee1 or the majority of them1 shall have power3 ,first1 to call in the sums subscribed1 or any part thereof1 and to receive all collections1 legacies1 or other voluntary contributions4 ,secondly1 to agree with any they shall approve1 who may offer to go abroad1 either as missionaries1 or in any civil employment4 ,thirdly1 to procure the best instruction that can be obtained for such persons1 in the language of the country for which they are intended1 before they go abroad4 ,fourthly1 to provide for their expenses1 in going and continuing abroad1 and for their return home1 after such time1 and under such circumstances1 as may be thought most expedient4 ,fifthly1 to print the ,scriptures1 or so much thereof as the funds of the society may admit1 for the use of any heathen country4 ,and1 sixthly1 to do every other act which to them may appear necessary1 so far as the common stock of the society will allow1 for carrying the design of the society into execution4 8#g4 ,the committee shall keep an account of the subscribers' names1 and all sums received for the use of the society1 together with such extracts of the entries of their proceedings1 and advices1 as may show those who are concerned all that has been done both at home and abroad2 which statement shall be signed by at least three of the committee4 8#h4 ,the committee1 for the new year1 shall send a copy of the report for the past year1 to all the members of the society1 who were not present at the preceding general meeting1 and 7free of postage7 to every clergyman1 minister1 or other person1 from whom any collection1 legacy1 or other benefaction shall have been received within the time concerning which the report is made4 8#i4 ,the committee1 if they see it necessary1 shall have power to choose a secretary4 8#aj4 ,the committee shall1 at no time1 have any claim on the members of the society1 for any sum which may exceed the common stock of the society4 8,n4,b4 ,those who subscribe before the first general meeting1 and to whom it may not be convenient to attend1 are desired to favour the general meeting1 by letter according to the above direction1 with any important remarks which may occur to them on the business1 that the subscribers present may be assisted1 as far as possible1 in settling the rules of the society to the satisfaction of all concerned4 8,we have been already favoured with the names of the following subscribers1 viz4 s4 d4 ,dr4 ,coke #b #b #j ,rev4 ,mr4 ,simpson1 ,macclesfield #b #b #j ,rev4 ,mr4 ,bickerstaff1 of ,leicester #b #b #j ,mr4 ,rose1 of ,dorking #b #b #j ,mr4 ,horton1 of ,london #b #b #j ,mr4 ,ryley1 #b #b #j ,mr4 ,riddsdale1 #b #b #j ,mr4 ,jay1 #b #b #j ,mr4 ,dewey1 #b #b #j ,mr4 ,mandell1 of ,bath #b #b #j ,mr4 ,jaques1 of ,wallingford #b #b #j ,mr4 ,butting1 of ,high ,wycombe #b #b #j ,mr4 ,john ,clark1 of ,newport1 in the ,isle of ,wight #b #b #j ,miss ,eliza ,johnson1 of ,bristol #b #b #j ,mr4 ,barton1 of ,isle of ,wight #b #b #j ,mr4 ,henry ,brooke1 of ,dublin #b #b #j ,master and ,miss ,blashford1 of ,dublin #d #d #j ,mrs4 ,kirkover1 of ,dublin #b #b #j ,mr4 ,smith1 ,russia merchant1 of ,london #e #e #j ,mr4 ,d',olier1 of ,dublin #b #b #j ,mrs4 ,smyth1 #b #b #j ,the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,fletcher1 of ,madeley #b #b #j ,miss ,salmon #b #b #j ,mr4 ,houlton1 of ,london1 an occasional subscriber #aj #aj #j ,mrs4 ,king1 of ,dublin #b #b #j ------------- #ff #c #j ------------- 8,to all the real lovers of mankind4 8,the present institution is so agreeable to the finest feelings of piety and benevolence1 that little need be added for its recommendation4 ,the candid of every denomination1 7even those who are entirely unconnected with the ,methodists1 and are determined to be so17 will acknowledge the amazing change which our preaching has wrought upon the ignorant and uncivilised1 at least1 throughout these nations2 and they will admit1 that the spirit of a missionary must be of the most zealous1 most devoted1 and self denying kind2 nor is anything more required to constitute a missionary for the heathen nations1 than good sense1 integrity1 great piety1 and amazing zeal4 ,men1 possessing all these qualifications in a high degree1 we have among us2 and we doubt not but some of these will accept of the arduous undertaking1 not counting their lives dear1 if they may but promote the kingdom of ,christ1 and the present and eternal welfare of their fellow creatures2 and we trust nothing shall be wanting1 as far as time1 strength1 and abilities will admit1 to give the fullest and highest satisfaction to the promoters of the plan1 on the part of your devoted servants1 8,,thomas ,,coke1 8,,thomas ,,parker4 8,those who are willing to promote the institution are desired to send their names1 places of abode1 and sums subscribed1 to the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,coke1 in ,london1 or ,thomas ,parker1 ,esq41 barrister at law1 in ,york40 ,such was the first ,methodist missionary report ever published4 ,on the third page of the folio sheet1 from which the above is taken1 is the following in manuscript4 8,,near ,,plymouth1 ,january #f1 #aghd4 8,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,sir1--,lest ,mr4 ,parker should neglect to send you one of our plans for the establishment of foreign missions1 ,i take the liberty of doing it4 ,ten subscribers more1 of two guineas per annum1 have favoured me with their names4 ,if you can get a few subscribers more1 we shall be obliged to you4 8,we have now a very wonderful outpouring of the ,spirit in the west of ,cornwall4 ,i have been obliged to make a winter campaign of it1 and preach here and there out of doors4 8,i beg my affectionate respects to ,mrs4 ,fletcher1 and entreat you to pray for your most affectionate friend and brother1 8,,thomas ,,coke40 ,a few months after the above report was sent to ,fletcher1 ,coke set sail to ,america1 and returned only in time to attend the ,english conference of #aghe4 ,henceforward1 ,christian missions absorbed his time and energies4 ,it is a well known fact1 that ,warren ,hastings was the first governor general of ,india2 and that1 in #aghf1 his celebrated trial was commenced1 and was protracted for nearly eight years1 during which one hundred and forty days were spent in its prosecution4 ,space forbids further remarks concerning this great event2 but the excitement created in ,england by the affairs of ,india had1 doubtless1 something to do with the following correspondence between ,dr4 ,coke and a gentleman in that country4 ,coke had written to him as early as #aghd1 respecting the establishment of missions in ,india1 and now his correspondent replied4 ,he sympathises with ,coke's proposal1 but foresees the arduous character of the undertaking4 ,he writes3 8,the leading features in the character of the ,mahommedans are pride and cruelty1 treachery and love of power2 and those of the ,hindoos1 abject servility1 cunning1 lying1 dishonesty1 and excessive love of money40 8,humanly speaking1 the probabilities of converting either the ,hindoos or ,mahommedans appear to be very small40 ,reasons are assigned for this1 showing the writer to be a well informed and accomplished man4 ,he proceeds to say3 8,the difficulties are great2 greater it may be1 in some respects1 than were those of the first preachers among the freer and more polished people of the ,roman empire4 ,nevertheless1 the same ,divine power that then made a few obscure1 and1 for the most part1 unlearned men1 triumph over the united resistance of the spiritual1 secular1 and carnal powers of this world1 remains unchanged40 ,coke answered this long and able letter1 on ,january #be1 #aghf1 and said3 8,at present1 our openings in ,america1 and the pressing invitations we have lately received from ,nova ,scotia1 the ,west ,indies1 and the ,states1 call for all the help we can possibly afford our brethren in that quarter of the world4 ,the high esteem which the government has for ,mr4 ,wesley1 ,i am well persuaded1 would procure for us the assistance which you think to be necessary2 but ,mr4 ,wesley himself seems to have a doubt whether that would be the most excellent way4 ,in ,great ,britain1 ,ireland1 and ,america1 we have gone on what appears1 at first sight at least1 to be a more evangelical plan4 ,our missionaries have not at all concerned themselves with applications to the civil power4 ,they have been exact in their submission to all its laws1 and laid themselves out in the most extensive manner for ,god4 ,it appears very expedient1 that our missionaries should visit the settlements of the ,danish missionaries in ,india1 and take every step they can to improve themselves in the language of the people4 ,mr4 ,wesley is of opinion that not less than half-a-dozen should be at first sent on such a mission2 and1 as soon as the present extraordinary calls from ,america are answered1 ,i trust we shall be able to turn our thoughts to ,bengal40#eee ,for want of means1 ,india had to be abandoned2 but1 in the month of ,march1 ,coke issued 8,an ,address to the ,pious and ,benevolent1 proposing an annual subscription for the support of ,missionaries in the ,highlands and adjacent ,islands of ,scotland1 the isles of ,jersey1 ,guernsey1 and ,newfoundland1 the ,west ,indies1 and the provinces of ,nova ,scotia and ,quebec20 to which was prefixed the following letter by ,wesley4 8,,bristol1 ,march #ab1 #aghf4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,i greatly approve of your proposal1 for raising a subscription1 in order to send missionaries to the highlands of ,scotland1 the islands of ,jersey and ,guernsey1 the ,leeward ,islands1 ,quebec1 ,nova ,scotia1 and ,newfoundland4 ,it is not easy to conceive the extreme want there is1 in all these places1 of men that will not count their lives dear unto themselves1 so they may testify the gospel of the grace of ,god4 8,i am1 dear sir1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#eef ,coke commenced his ,address as follows4 8,dearly beloved in the ,lord1--,some time past1 ,i took the liberty of addressing you1 in behalf of a mission intended to be established in the ,british dominions in ,asia2 and many of you very generously entered into that important plan4 ,we have not1 indeed1 lost sight of it at present2 on the contrary1 we have lately received a letter of encouragement from a principal gentleman in the province of ,bengal4 ,but the providence of ,god has lately opened to us so many doors nearer home1 that ,mr4 ,wesley thinks it imprudent to hazard1 at present1 the lives of any of our preachers1 by sending them to so great a distance1 and amidst so many uncertainties and difficulties2 when so large a field of action is afforded us in countries to which we have so much easier admittance1 and where the success1 through the blessing of ,god1 is more or less certain40 ,he then explains the openings in the places already mentioned4 ,the address is dated ,march #ac1 #aghf4eeg ,in this way1 ,methodist missions were fairly started2 and1 on ,september #bd1 #aghf1 ,coke set sail1 with ,messrs4 ,hammet1 ,warrener1 and ,clarke2 ,warrener being intended for ,antigua2 and ,clarke and ,hammet for ,newfoundland4#eeh ,messrs4 ,garretson and ,black were already labouring in ,nova ,scotia1 and1 to them1 ,wesley addressed the following letters4 8,,london1 ,september #cj1 #aghf4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i trust1 before this comes to hand1 you and ,dr4 ,coke will have met4 ,i can exceedingly ill spare him from ,england1 as ,i have no clergyman capable of supplying his lack of service2 but ,i was convinced he was more wanted in ,america than in ,europe4 ,i was far off from ,london when he set sail4 ,most of those in ,england1 who have riches1 love money1 even the ,methodists2 at least1 those who are called so4 ,the poor are the ,christians4 ,i am quite out of conceit with almost all those who have this world's goods4 ,let us take care to lay up treasure in heaven4 8,,john ,,wesley40#eei 8,november #cj1 #aghf4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,you have good reason to be thankful to ,god that ,he lets you see the fruit of your labours4 ,whenever any are awakened1 you do well to join them together immediately4 ,but ,i do not advise you to go on too fast4 ,it is not expedient to break up more ground than you can keep2 to preach at any more places than you1 or your brethren1 can constantly attend4 ,to preach once in a place1 and no more1 very seldom does any good2 it only alarms the devil and his children1 and makes them more upon their guard against a first assault4 8,wherever there is any church service1 ,i do not approve of any appointment the same hour2 because ,i love the ,church of ,england1 and would assist1 not oppose1 it all ,i can4 ,how do the inhabitants of ,shelburne1 ,halifax1 and other parts of the province1 go on as to temporal things8 ,have they trade8 ,have they sufficiency of food1 and the other necessaries of life8 ,and do they increase or decrease in numbers8 ,it seems there is a scarcity of some things1--of good ink1 for yours is so pale that many of your words are not legible4 8,as ,i take it for granted1 that you have had several conversations with ,dr4 ,coke1 ,i doubt not you proposed all your difficulties to him1 and received full satisfaction concerning them4 ,probably1 we shall send a little help for your building1 if we live till conference4 ,observe the rules for building laid down in the minutes4 ,i am afraid of another ,american revolution4444 8,,john ,,wesley40#efj ,both the above were addressed to ,garretson2 the following was sent to ,black4 8,,london1 ,november #bf1 #aghf4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,it is indeed a matter of joy1 that our ,lord is still carrying on ,his work throughout ,great ,britain and ,ireland4 ,in the time of ,dr4 ,jonathan ,edwards1 there were several gracious showers in ,new ,england2 but there were large intermissions between one and another3 whereas1 with us there has been no intermission at all for seven-and-forty years1 but the work of ,god has been continually increasing4 8,the same thing1 ,i am in hopes1 you will now see in ,america likewise4 ,see that you expect it1 and that you seek it in ,his appointed ways1 namely1 with fasting and unintermitted prayer4 ,and take care that you be not at all discouraged1 though you should not always have an immediate answer4 ,you know #8,his manner and ,his times are best4' ,therefore pray always6 ,pray1 and faint not4 ,i commend you all to our ,great ,shepherd2 and am your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#efa ,wesley's correspondence is so vast1 that selection is difficult2 but two or three other letters1 written in #aghf1 may be given here4 ,the first was sent to ,mr4 ,lawrence ,frost1 of ,liverpool1 with a request that it might be handed to the mayor1 and has not been previously published4 ,one of ,wesley's preachers had been interrupted while preaching to a large multitude1 near the old ,fishstones1 and ,wesley wrote to the chief magistrate as follows4 8,to the ,mayor of ,liverpool4 8,,bristol1 ,july #bi1 #aghf4 8,,sir1--,some preachers1 in connection with me1 have thought it their duty to call sinners to repentance even in the open air4 ,if they have violated any law thereby1 let them suffer the penalty of that law4 ,but1 if not1 whoever molests them on that account will be called to answer it in his majesty's court of ,king's ,bench4 ,i have had a suit already in that court1 with a magistrate 7,heap71 and1 if ,i am forced to it1 am ready to commence another4 8,i am1 sir1 your obedient servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,the letter was effectual4 ,ever afterwards1 the constables were civil1 and wisely let the ,methodists alone4 ,william ,simpson was one of ,wesley's itinerants1 and1 at this time1 was assistant in the ,thirsk circuit1 where he had to contend with troubles somewhat different to those at ,liverpool1 but for which ,wesley prescribed as sharp a remedy4 ,in the month of ,november1 he wrote him as follows4 8,the ,sunday preaching may continue at ,jervas for the present4 ,i suppose the society at ,jervas is as large as that at ,northallerton2 and this is a point which is much to be considered4 8,you must needs expel out of the society at ,knaresborough those that will be contentious4 ,when you have to do with those stubborn spirits1 it is absolutely necessary1 either to mend them or end them3 and ten persons of a quiet temper are better than thirty contentious ones4 ,undoubtedly some of the eloquent men will be sending me heavy complaints4 ,it is well1 therefore1 that you spoke first4 8,i am1 dear ,billy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#efb ,we must now return to ,wesley's journal4 ,a week after the conclusion of the ,bristol conference1 he set sail for ,holland1 accompanied by ,messrs4 ,broadbent and ,brackenbury4 ,there he mingled with many ,christian friends2 gave many ,scripture expositions in private houses2 saw many scenes of beauty2 and employed all his leisure hours in writing4 ,on ,september #e1 he returned to ,london1 where he spent two days in preaching and answering letters2 and then set off to ,bristol1 where he continued till ,september #bf1 when he got back to ,london1 and naively wrote3 8,i now applied myself in earnest to the writing of ,mr4 ,fletcher's life1 having procured the best materials ,i could4 ,to this ,i dedicated all the time ,i could spare1 till ,november1 from five in the morning till eight at night4 ,these are my studying hours2 ,i cannot write longer in a day without hurting my eyes40 ,we should think not6 ,fifteen hours a day of unintermitting labour in the case of a man eighty-three years of age6 8,once or twice10 he wrote on ,december #ab1 8,once or twice1 ,i have been a little out of order this autumn2 but it was only for a day or two at a time4 ,in general1 my health has been better for these last ten years1 than it ever was for ten years together since ,i was born4 ,ever since that good fever1 which ,i had in the north of ,ireland1 ,i have had1 as it were1 a new constitution4 ,all my pains and aches have forsaken me1 and ,i am a stranger even to weariness of any kind4 ,this is the ,lord's doing1 and it may well be marvellous in all our eyes40#efc ,at the beginning of ,october1 he went on a preaching excursion to ,chatham and ,sheerness4 ,then he set off to ,norfolk2 and1 on his way back to town1 preached ,mrs4 ,shewell's funeral sermon at ,barnet4 ,at this period1 the father of the late ,rev4 ,dr4 ,leifchild was the chief ,methodist in ,barnet1 and the doctor himself a little boy4 8,upon arriving10 wrote this distinguished minister1 8he drove to my father's house2 and1 when the door of his carriage was opened1 he came out arrayed in his canonicals4 ,childlike1 ,i ran to lay hold of him1 but my father pulled me back2 upon which1 extending his hand1 he said3 #8,suffer little children to come unto me1 and forbid them not1 for of such is the kingdom of heaven4'0 ,the next five weeks were spent in ,london1 partly in preaching1 partly in meeting classes1 and partly in writing ,fletcher's ,life4 ,the only holiday he took was a trip to ,hampton ,court1 which he pronounced 8the finest palace the king of ,england had02 but even this was scarcely a holiday1 for he preached at ,wandsworth on his way back to town4 ,he had a brush with the ,deptford ,methodists1 who urgently requested to be allowed to have service in the ,methodist chapel at the same time as there was service in the church4 8,it is easy to see10 he writes1 8that this would be a formal separation from the ,church4 ,we fixed both our morning and evening service1 all over ,england1 at such hours as not to interfere with the ,church2 with this very design1--that those of the ,church1 if they chose it1 might attend both the one and the other4 ,but to fix it at the same hour is obliging them to separate either from the ,church or us2 and this ,i judge to be1 not only inexpedient1 but totally unlawful for me to do40 ,this style of reasoning can only be harmonized with the enactments of the previous conference1 on the supposition that the ,church minister at ,deptford was not such as ,wesley then described4 ,wesley concluded the year by preaching from1 8,set thy house in order10 and1 among other things1 strongly exhorted the people to make their wills4 ,except the ,life of ,fletcher1 #abmo1 #bbg pages1 ,wesley seems to have published nothing1 in #aghf1 but his ,arminian ,magazine1 #hvo1 #fhh pages4 ,the volume bears the same character as previous ones4 ,there are again six original sermons by ,wesley3 the ,church2 ,divine ,providence2 ,schism2 ,friendship with the ,world2 ,visiting the ,sick2 and the ,eternity of ,god4 ,the sermon on the ,church was a sermon for the times2 and1 remembering the agitation among the ,methodists on the subject of separation1 an extract here will not be out of place4 8,the catholic1 or universal1 church is all the persons in the universe1 whom ,god hath so called out of the world1 as to be one body1 united by one ,spirit1 having one faith1 one hope1 one baptism2 one ,god and ,father of all1 who is above all1 and through all1 and in them all4 ,that part of this great body1 of the universal church1 which inhabits any one kingdom or nation1 we may properly term a national church1 as the ,church of ,france1 the ,church of ,england1 the ,church of ,scotland4 ,a smaller part1 of the universal church1 are the ,christians that inhabit any city or town1 as the church of ,ephesus4 ,two or three ,christian brethren united together are a church in the narrowest sense4 ,such was the church in the house of ,philemon1 and that in the house of ,nymphas4 ,a particular church may1 therefore1 consist of any number of members1 whether two or three1 or two or three millions4 ,but still1 whether they be larger or smaller1 the same idea is to be preserved4 ,they are one body1 and have one ,spirit1 one ,lord1 one hope1 one faith1 one baptism1 one ,god and ,father of all40 ,one more extract1 from the ,magazine for #aghf1 must suffice4 ,addressing those afflicted with lowness of spirits1 ,wesley writes3 8#a4 ,sacredly abstain from all spirituous liquors4 ,touch them not1 on any pretence whatever4 ,to others they may sometimes be of use2 but to nervous persons they are deadly poison4 8#b4 ,if you drink any1 drink but little tea1 and none at all without eating1 or without sugar and cream4 8#c4 ,every day of your life1 take1 at least1 an hour's exercise1 between breakfast and dinner4 8#d4 ,take no more food than nature requires4 ,dine upon one thing1 except pudding or pie4 ,eat no flesh at supper2 but something light and easy of digestion4 8#e4 ,sleep early1 and rise early4 ,unless you are ill1 never lie in bed much above seven hours4 ,then you will never lie awake2 your flesh will be firm1 and your spirits lively4 8#f4 ,above all1 beware of anger6 beware of worldly sorrow6 beware of the fear that hath torment6 beware of foolish and hurtful desires6 beware of inordinate affection60 ,,footnotes3 #edb ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #fb4 #edc ,mrs4 ,mortimer's ,life4 #edd ,banning's ,memoirs4 #ede ,manuscript4 #edf ,manuscript letter by ,mather4 #edg ,longden's ,life4 #edh ,manuscripts4 #edi ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcf1 p4 #aff4 #eej ,manuscript4 #eea ,memoirs of ,rev4 ,h4 ,taft1 ,m4,d41 p4 #f4 #eeb ,unpublished manuscript4 #eec ,pawson's manuscripts4 #eed ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 by ,jackson1 vol ii41 p4 #djb4 #eee ,methodist ,magazine1 #agib1 p4 #ccc4 #eef ,ibid4 #ahdj1 p4 #egd4 #eeg ,ibid4 p4 #egg4 #eeh ,coke's ,life4 #eei ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #fg4 #efj ,ibid4 #efa ,memoirs of ,black1 p4 #aeh4 #efb ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 pp4 #hf1 #hg4 #efc ,ibid4 vol4 xiii41 p4 #ib4 #aghg4 ,age #hd ,wesley writes3 8#aghg4 ,monday1 ,january #a--,we began the service at four in the morning1 to an unusually large congregation4 ,we had another comfortable opportunity at the new chapel at the usual hour1 and a third in the evening at ,west ,street40 8,january #b--;,i went to ,deptford2 but it seemed1 ,i was got into a den of lions4 ,most of the leading men of the society were mad for separating from the ,church4 ,i endeavoured to reason with them1 but in vain3 they had neither sense nor even good manners left4 ,at length1 after meeting the whole society1 ,i told them3 #8,if you are resolved1 you may have your service in church hours2 but1 remember1 from that time1 you will see my face no more4' ,this struck deep2 and1 from that hour1 ,i have heard no more of separating from the ,church40 ,considering the steps that ,wesley had already taken1 this is somewhat amusing2 as are also the two following letters1 written soon after1 the first to ,william ,percival1#efd and the second to ,samuel ,bardsley4 8,,london1 ,february #ag1 #aghg4 8,,dear ,,billy1--,you cannot be too watchful against evil speaking1 or too zealous for the poor ,church of ,england4 ,i commend sister ,percival for having her child baptized there1 and for returning public thanks4 ,by all means1 go to church as often as you can1 and exhort all the ,methodists so to do4 ,they that are enemies to the ,church are enemies to me4 ,i am a friend to it1 and ever was4 ,by our reading prayers1 we prevent our people contracting an hatred for forms of prayer2 which would naturally be the case1 if we always prayed extempore4 8,i am1 dear ,billy1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#efe 8,,birmingham1 ,march #be1 #aghg4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,brother ,jackson should advise brother ,ridall1#eff not to please the devil by preaching himself to death4 ,i still think1 when the ,methodists leave the ,church of ,england1 ,god will leave them4 ,every year more and more of the clergy are convinced of the truth1 and grow well affected towards us4 ,it would be contrary to all common sense1 as well as to good conscience1 to make a separation now4 8,i am1 dear ,sammy1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#efg ,before proceeding with ,wesley's history1 we insert another letter belonging to this period4 ,it is now for the first time published1 and refers to ,john ,hutchinson1 the founder of ,hutchinsonianism4 8,,london1 ,february #d1 #aghg4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,i think ,mr4 ,hutchinson was a man of strong understanding1 but greatly obscured by uncommon pride and sourness of temper4 ,he was the twin soul of ,dr4 ,bentley4 ,many of his remarks ,i exceedingly approve of4 ,that upon the sin of ,uzzah is highly probable4 ,his writings to me are far more agreeable than those of ,dr4 ,harmer2#efh an exceeding pretty writer1 who seems to propose ,dr4 ,blair for his pattern4 ,both the one and the other are quite too elegant for me4 ,give me plain1 strong ,dr4 ,horne4 ,your letters 7as well as your conversation7 are always agreeable to1 my dear sister1 8,your affectionate friend and brother1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 ,wesley was always ready for all kinds of useful work1--reading1 writing1 preaching1 praying1 and begging for the poor4 ,towards the close of his career1 especially1 he seems to have commenced almost every year by an effort to relieve the miseries of his destitute fellow creatures4 ,accordingly1 at the opening of #aghg1 five days were spent in traversing the streets of ,london to obtain subscriptions for this purpose4 ,about two hundred members of his own ,london society were in great distress2 and he hoped to provide for them and for others1 at least1 food and clothing4 ,he writes3 8,i was much disappointed4 ,six or seven1 indeed1 of our brethren1 gave #aj apiece4 ,if forty or fifty had done this1 ,i could have carried my design into execution4 ,however1 much good was done with #bjj1 and many sorrowful hearts made glad40 ,seven years previous to this1 ,wesley had preached his first sermon at ,newark upon ,trent4 ,he was now invited to open a new chapel there2 and took coach1 for that purpose1 on ,february #i1 travelled all night1 and arrived next day4 ,on ,sunday morning1 ,february #aa1 at nine o'clock1 he preached in the 8lightsome1 cheerful building02 and again at half-past five in the afternoon2 when the mayor and several aldermen of the town were present4 ,this was a kind of service which now frequently fell to ,wesley's lot4 ,on ,sunday1 ,february #be1 after preaching twice in ,london1 he took the mail coach1 and1 by travelling all night1 arrived at ,exeter in about four-and-twenty hours4 ,he then hurried off to ,plymouth1 and opened a new chapel there4 ,on ,sunday morning1 ,march #d1 he conducted a service1 which lasted from half-past nine to nearly one o'clock2 and1 in the evening1 the throng was such1 that1 in order to reach the pulpit1 he was literally lifted over the people's heads4 ,at five o'clock next morning1 the chapel was again crowded2 and1 at six1 he departed by coach1 8leaving10 says he1 8such a flame behind us as was never kindled here before40 ,notwithstanding the heavy services of the previous day1 he travelled all the way to ,exeter in a continuous rain1 and again preached 8to as many as could possibly squeeze0 into the chapel2 and says1 8,i know not1 that ,i ever saw such an impression made on the people of ,exeter before40 ,after this1 he proceeded to ,bristol1 where 8the work of ,god had much increased1 especially among the young men10 but where1 out of sixteen hundred members1 only five1 or ten1 or1 at the most1 a dozen hearers formed the five o'clock morning congregations4 ,wesley says1 he strongly warned them of their indolence2 and1 during his stay1 the congregations were increased to three hundred2 but even this was small1 considering the prestige of the place1 and the fame of the unequalled minister4 ,wesley now was suffering considerable anxiety respecting ,dr4 ,coke1 who1 with his three missionaries1 had set sail1 five months before1 for ,newfoundland1 but who1 unknown to ,wesley1 had been drifted to the ,west ,indies4 ,hence the following1 addressed to ,william ,black4 8,,london1 ,february #bj1 #aghg4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,after various unfortunate hindrances and delays1 ,dr4 ,coke embarked on board a small brig1 in the middle of ,october1 and was1 by furious winds1 twice beat back into the harbour4 ,they set sail a third time1 with a crazy1 shattered vessel1 on the #ahth of ,october4 ,we have not heard anything either from him or of him since4 ,i hope you have heard of him in ,america4 8,you have great reason to be thankful to ,god for the progress of ,his work in ,nova ,scotia4 ,this is far from being the case in ,newfoundland1 where poor ,john ,mc,geary appears to be utterly discouraged2 not only through want of success1 but through want of the conveniences1 yea1 necessaries of life4 ,truly1 if ,i could have supposed1 that those who made me fair promises would have suffered a preacher to want bread1 ,i should have sent him into other parts1 where he would have wanted nothing4 8,i hear very different accounts of the state of your provinces4 ,is there plenty or scarcity in ,nova ,scotia1 and ,new ,england8 ,how does it fare with ,halifax and ,shelburne1 in particular8 ,do the buildings and people increase or decrease8 ,public accounts ,i cannot at all depend upon2 but upon your word ,i can depend4 ,peace be with all your spirits6 8,i am1 dear ,billy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#efi ,on ,march #ai1 ,wesley left ,bristol for ,ireland1 preaching on the way at ,stroud1 ,cirencester1 ,gloucester1 and numerous other places4 ,at ,birmingham1 he administered the sacrament to seven or eight hundred communicants4 ,at ,wolverhampton1 he opened a new chapel4 ,at ,burslem1 he held one of the most remarkable lovefeasts he had ever witnessed2 for here there had been 8such an outpouring of the ,spirit as had not been in any other part of the kingdom2 particularly in the meetings for prayer4 ,fifteen or twenty had been justified in a day2 some of them the most notorious1 abandoned sinners1 in all the country40 ,he 8appointed to preach at five in the morning of ,march #cj1 but1 soon after four1 he was saluted by a concert of music1 both vocal and instrumental1 making the air ring1 with a hymn to the tune of ,judas ,maccabeus4 ,it was10 says he1 8a good prelude2 so ,i began almost half an hour before five2 yet the house was crowded both above and below40 ,he writes3 8,saturday1 ,march #ca--;,i went on to ,macclesfield1 and found a people still alive to ,god1 in spite of swiftly increasing riches4 ,if they continue so1 it will be the only instance ,i have known1 in above half a century4 ,i warned them in the strongest terms ,i could1 and believe some of them had ears to hear40 ,he arrived in ,dublin on ,good ,friday1 ,april #f4 ,on ,easter ,sunday he preached in ,bethesda chapel1 of which his friend1 the ,rev4 ,edward ,smyth1 was chaplain4 ,he writes3 8,mr4 ,smyth read prayers1 and gave out the hymns1 which were sung by fifteen or twenty fine singers2 the rest of the congregation listening with much attention1 and as much devotion1 as they would have done to an opera4 ,but is this ,christian worship8 ,or ought it ever to be suffered in a ,christian church8 ,it was thought we had between seven and eight hundred communicants40 ,at this period1 the ,dublin society1 with the exception of that in ,london1 was the largest in the world1 containing upwards of eleven hundred members1 being more than there were in the whole of the five ,dublin circuits in #ahgj6 ,having spent ten days in ,dublin1 he set out for the provinces4 ,it would be1 substantially1 a reiteration of former narratives1 to follow him in his wanderings4 ,he met with no persecution2 but1 on the contrary1 with the warmest welcomes4 ,almost everywhere the work of ,god was prospering2 and the people vied with each other to show him kindness4 ,he writes3 8,may #bi--,the old murderer is restrained from hurting me2 but it seems he has power over my horses4 ,one of them ,i was obliged to leave in ,dublin1 and afterwards another1 having bought two to supply their places2 the third soon got an ugly swelling in his shoulders1 so that we doubted whether we could go on2 and a boy at ,clones1 riding1 ,i suppose galloping1 the fourth over stones1 the horse fell and nearly lamed himself40 ,perhaps ,wesley blamed the devil when he ought to have blamed his own long journeys4 ,it was in one of these ,irish tours that1 preaching at a certain place in the afternoon1 and being expected1 in the evening1 at a town several miles distant1 he desired his chaise to be ready at the close of the service1 so that he might start at once4 ,as he left the chapel1 the people1 as usual1 crowded about him1 to shake hands with him2 among others1 a ,methodist shoemaker pressed forward1 and put into his hand a brown paper parcel1 saying with manifest emotion3 8,sir1 this may be of use to you in your journey40 ,wesley thanked him1 put the parcel into his pocket1 and away he went4 ,after travelling some distance1 his curiosity prompted him to examine the nature of ,crispin's present1 which he found to be an awl and a strong waxed thread4 ,the road was rugged and lonely2 and after a sudden jerk1 the horses stopped4 8,what's the matter80 asked ,wesley4 8,matter enough60 replied the coachman2 8one of the traces is broken1 and we can't go on40 ,wesley bethought him of his awl and thread2 they were at once produced2 the trace was mended2 and so1 by the poor shoemaker's gift1 the congregation was saved from being disappointed of their preacher1 and ,wesley from a tiresome detention in a houseless neighbourhood4#egj ,wesley got back to ,dublin on the #bast of ,june1 having preached considerably more than a hundred times during his ten weeks' tour4 ,a week later1 on his birthday1 ,june #bh1 he wrote3 8,i had the pleasure of a conversation with ,mr4 ,howard1 ,i think one of the greatest men in ,europe4 ,nothing1 but the mighty power of ,god1 can enable him to go through his difficult and dangerous employments40 ,the great philanthropist was as much pleased with ,wesley1 as ,wesley was with him4 8,i was encouraged by him10 said he to ,alexander ,knox1 ,esq41 8to go on vigorously with my own designs4 ,i saw in him how much a single man might achieve by zeal and perseverance2 and ,i thought1 why may not ,i do as much in my way1 as ,mr4 ,wesley has done in his1 if ,i am only as assiduous and persevering8 and ,i determined ,i would pursue my work with more alacrity than ever40#ega ,howard1 in early life1 had heard ,wesley preach1 in ,bedfordshire1 and was deeply impressed with his discourse4 ,in #aghi1 he called at ,wesley's house1 in ,london1 to present him with his latest publication1 8,an ,account of the ,principal ,lazarettos in ,europe10 in quarto2 but ,wesley was not at home4 8,present10 said he1 8my respects and love to ,mr4 ,wesley2 tell him1 ,i had hoped to have seen him once more3 perhaps1 we may meet again in this world1 but1 if not1 we shall meet ,i trust in a better40#egb ,and away he went on his mission of mercy to ,russia1 where he fell an honoured victim to his benevolence1 on ,january #bj1 #agij4 ,having held his ,irish conference1 ,wesley preached his farewell sermon1 in ,dublin1 on the #aath of ,july2 and arriving in ,england on the #abth1 he proceeded to ,manchester1 in the neighbourhood of which he continued until ,august #f4 ,here he held his ,english conference1 though1 in his journal1 he never mentions it4 ,the preachers were specially invited2 but1 on what principle the invitations were given1 it is difficult to state4 ,thomas ,taylor was assistant at ,leeds1 within fifty miles of ,manchester1 and moreover was one of the hundred mentioned in ,wesley's deed of declaration2 but he was also in favour of the ,methodists having the sacraments from the hands of their own preachers2 in other words1 he was in favour of separation from the ,established ,church2 and1 perhaps1 this was one of the reasons why he was not invited to the conference at ,manchester4 ,at all events1 he writes3 8,mr4 ,wesley has sent his special summons to each preacher whom he wishes to attend conference1 and has expressly forbidden any one else to go4 ,i am unbidden1 and think ,i am ill used4 ,after labouring1 with some degree of success1 for more than twenty-four years1 and without a crime having ever been alleged against1 me1 ,i am debarred of a privilege granted to others who were converted under me1 and whom ,i took into society4 ,this is a flagrant injustice4 ,besides1 ,i am a member of the legal conference4 ,i'll venture to go1 let consequences be what they may4 ,if ,i am thrown overboard1 ,i will swim as well as ,i can1 believing the ,lord will take me up40 ,mr4 ,taylor's complaint was not without reason4 ,he went2 but says1 he had little satisfaction1 for much of the time was spent in trying to supersede the hymn-book published by ,robert ,spence4#egc ,the original edition of the minutes of the ,manchester conference is now before us1 #abmo1 #bj pages2 but there is not a single syllable on what was the great question of the day1 separation from the ,church4 ,and yet this was a question again and again introduced4 ,two years before1 ,wesley had ordained ,pawson for ,scotland1 and1 ever since1 had addressed him as 8reverend10 ,pawson wearing gown and bands1 and administering the sacraments to the ,scottish ,methodists4 ,now that ,pawson was brought back to ,england1 he had to doff his canonicals1 and had his letters from ,wesley inscribed with 8,mr410 instead of 8,rev40 ,he loudly remonstrated2 but got no redress2 and at length1 like a good ,christian1 more anxious to save souls than to wear sacerdotal robes1 submitted to obey orders which were strangely inconsistent with ,wesley's ordaining acts1 and went on his way rejoicing4 ,pawson writes as follows1 to his bosom friend1 ,charles ,atmore4 8,,thorner1 ,august #h1 #aghg4 8,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,brother1--,our conference ended on last ,saturday4 ,there were many preachers1 and abundance of people1 ,i think more than ,i ever saw at any conference before4 ,almost the whole time was taken up with temporal affairs4 ,mr4 ,wesley was in great haste1 as he and ,dr4 ,coke were going to ,guernsey and ,jersey4 ,there has been a general revival of the work of ,god4 ,mr4 ,wesley seems more determined to abide in the ,church than ever4 ,he talked about it again and again1 in the public conference1 in the society1 etc42 and in such a hot1 fiery spirit1 as ,i did not like to see4 ,he talked of fighting with a flail1 and of putting all out of society who do not go to church4 ,we are to be just what we were before we came to ,scotland1--no sacraments1 no gowns1 no nothing at all of any kind whatsoever4 ,with much entreaty1 ,i got him to ordain ,mr4 ,mc,allum and ,suter4 ,two more were ordained1 one for the ,west ,indies1 and one for ,nova ,scotia4 8,charles ,wesley1 the ,sunday before the conference opened1 spoke1 to the society in ,london1 to this effect3 #8,i told you1 forty years ago1 that1 from among yourselves1 grievous wolves would arise1 who would rend and tear the flock4 ,you now see my words fulfilled4 ,these self created bishops1 and self made priests1 are the very men4 ,but ,i charge you all1 in the presence of ,god1 never receive the sacrament from any of them4'#egd ,so you see1 he has discharged the people from receiving the sacrament of his own brother2 for who but he is the self created bishop8 ,o cursed prejudice6 ,o furious bigotry6 ,how does the fire from hell burn in that poor miserable man's breast6 8,perhaps1 if ,i live till next conference1 ,i may petition to return to ,scotland1 as there seems to be no prospect of doing anything1 but just in the old way1 while ,mr4 ,wesley lives4 ,solomon says1 there is no new thing under the sun2 but here we see something1 which1 ,i believe1 was never seen in the ,christian church before1--that men1 approved of ,god and their brethren1 and that for many years1 should be regularly ordained1 and act in the capacity of ministers1 and yet should be deposed from that office by one single man1 and that without any crime committed1 great or small1 real or pretended4 ,even the pope himself never acted such a part as this4 ,what an astonishing degree of power does our aged father and friend exercise6 ,however1 ,i am satisfied1 and have nothing but love in my heart toward the good old man4 ,but really it will not bear the light at all4 ,most affectionately yours1 8,,john ,,pawson40#ege ,this was pretty strong to come from a man like ,pawson2 but it furnishes a glimpse of the proceedings of the conference of #aghg1 concerning which so little has been written1 and shows the awkward position into which ,wesley had put himself by his ordinations of men from whom he now withdrew the authority that he had previously given4 ,never1 however1 had ,methodism been so prosperous as now4 ,the increase of members1 in the ,united ,kingdom1 during the present year1 was nearly four thousand2 and in ,america1 #fhdi4 ,letters1 dated ,august1 #aghg1 contain most marvellous intelligence4 ,it was computed that1 in ,brunswick county1 ,virginia1 not fewer than seven thousand persons were under deep conviction of their sin and danger2 and as many as fifty in a day were savingly converted4 ,at a recent quarterly meeting1 six thousand were assembled1 and hundreds were crying for mercy1 including some of the principal inhabitants of the land1 and not a few who had been persecutors4#egf ,the ,manchester conference concluded on ,saturday1 ,august #d1 and1 on the following day1 besides meeting the select society1 ,wesley preached twice1 and1 with the assistance of his brother clergymen1 administered the sacrament to twelve or thirteen hundred communicants4 ,there are two other incidents1 in connection with this conference1 too interesting to be omitted4 ,at this period1 the grandfather of the present ,sir ,robert ,peel was thirty-seven years of age1 and one of the most successful men in ,lancashire4 ,the leisure of his youthful days had been spent in reading and study1 and1 before he attained to his majority1 a great portion of his time had been devoted to the improvement of machinery4 ,at the age of twenty-three1 he embarked in the cotton trade1 and1 by his industry and perseverance1 had already become a man of wealth1 though his riches fell immensely short of the two millions which1 it is said1 he left behind him at his death in #ahcj4 ,wesley writes3 8#aghg1 ,july #bg--;,i was invited to breakfast at ,bury1 by ,mr4 ,peel1 a calico printer2 who1 a few years ago1 began with #ejj1 and is now supposed to have gained #ej1jjj4 ,oh1 what a miracle if he lose not his soul60 ,the invitation was accepted1 and1 long after this1 when the calico printer had become a baronet1 and had entered parliament1 ,wesley's visit was one of the pleasing reminiscences of his remarkable career4 ,to the end of life1 he cherished a warm affection for the ,methodists4 8,my lads10 said he1 when some of his ,methodist workmen applied to him for the site of ,tamworth chapel1#egg 8,my lads1 do not build your chapel too large1 for people like to go to a little chapel well filled better than to a larger one comparatively empty4 ,i often go to your chapels in ,manchester1 ,liverpool1 and ,london1 and have no wish to find myself alone in a large pew1 and pointed at as ,sir ,robert ,peel4 ,i have left most of my works in ,lancashire under the management of ,methodists1 and they serve me excellently well4 ,when ,i resided there1 ,i asked ,mr4 ,wesley1 at one of his conferences1 to come and breakfast with me2 and he agreed1 on condition that he might bring some of his children with him4 ,of course1 ,i consented1 and he came accompanied by six-and-thirty of his itinerant preachers40 ,this was a curious episode in the history both of ,wesley and the founder of the distinguished family that bears his name4 ,no man in the nation took a greater interest in the institution of ,sunday-schools than ,wesley4 8,i am glad10 said he1 to ,richard ,rodda1 in a letter dated ,january #ag1 #aghg1 8,i am glad you have taken in hand that blessed work of setting up ,sunday-schools in ,chester4 ,it seems1 these will be one great means of reviving religion throughout the nation4 ,i wonder ,satan has not sent out some able champion against them40#egh ,it was three years since ,raikes had first called attention to the importance of ,sunday-schools in the ,gloucester ,journal2 and already these 8nurseries for ,christians0 had begun to dot and to adorn the country4 ,that at ,chester altogether originated with the ,chester ,methodists1 though the rules were submitted to the bishop of the diocese1 and had his entire approval4 ,it contained nearly seven hundred children1 who were taken to church once every ,sunday4 8,we had no intention10 said ,richard ,rodda1 8as some persons represented1 to make disciples to ,methodism1 but to train them up in the nurture and admonition of the ,lord1 that they might become useful members of civil and religious society40#egi ,some idea may be formed of the popularity of this new institution of the ,christian church1 from the fact that1 in #aghe1 a ,sunday-school society was formed1 which1 within two years1 was the means of establishing more than two hundred schools2 and that it was calculated1 in #aghg1 that the number of children then taught in ,sunday-schools exceeded two hundred thousand4#ehj ,as already stated1 more than once1 there were a few which existed long before ,raikes' school at ,gloucester1--as1 for instance1 ,miss ,hannah ,ball's1 at ,wycombe1 founded in #agfi4 ,there was also another at ,little ,lever1 the birthplace of ,oliver ,heywood1 four miles from ,bolton1 in ,lancashire4 ,here ,james ,hey resided1 a poor man who obtained a living by winding bobbins for weavers4 ,about the year #agge1 ,james got the use of a room in a cottage1 to which1 twice every ,sunday1 he summoned the boys and girls of the neighbourhood1 to teach them reading1 his substitute for a bell being an old brass mortar and pestle4 ,mr4 ,adam ,crompton1 the paper manufacturer1 sent him a supply of books2 three branch establishments were formed2 subscriptions were given2 and a shilling per ,sunday paid to each teacher for his ,sunday services4#eha ,in ,june #aghe1 a ,methodist school was started in the old ,ridgway ,gates chapel1 ,bolton1 chiefly through the instrumentality of ,george ,eskrick1 who was its principal manager as long as he lived4 ,one of the scholars present1 the first ,sunday1 was ,peter ,haslam1 eleven years of age1 afterwards a most devout and useful itinerant preacher1#ehb--the first fruits of others who1 in the same institution1 received their first trainings for the ,christian ministry4 ,in the course of a few years1 the number of scholars1 attending the ,bolton ,sunday-school1 was #b1jjj2 and the average number1 for the first thirty years of its existence1 was #ahjj4ehc ,children came to it1 several miles1 from all the country round about4 ,reading and writing were taught4 ,each class was spoken to separately every ,sunday on religious subjects4 ,the masters were devoted to their work1 and all gave their services gratuitously4 ,the change in the manners and morals of the children was marvellous2 and about a hundred of them sang like seraphs4#ehd ,no wonder1 that such a school attracted the attention of ,wesley4 ,hence1 on the very day when he and six-and-thirty of his itinerants breakfasted with the father of the ,peels1 he wrote3 8,from ,mr4 ,peel's we went to ,bolton4 ,here are eight hundred poor children1 taught in our ,sunday-schools1 by about eighty masters1 who receive no pay but what they are to receive from their ,great ,master4 ,about a hundred of them1 part boys and part girls1 are taught to sing2 and they sang so true1 that1 all singing together1 there seemed to be but one voice4 ,the house was throughly filled1 while ,i explained and applied the first commandment4 ,what is all morality or religion without this8 ,a mere castle in the air4 ,in the evening1 many of the children still hovering round the house1 ,i desired forty or fifty to come in and sing1 #8,vital spark of heavenly flame4' ,although some of them were silent1 not being able to sing for tears1 yet the harmony was such as ,i believe could not be equalled in the king's chapel40 ,this was not bounce1 nor was it the random garrulity of an aged man4 ,nine months afterwards1 ,wesley came again1 and wrote3 8,this ,i must avow1 there is not such another set of singers in any of the ,methodist congregations in the three kingdoms as there is at ,bolton4 ,there cannot be2 for we have near a hundred such trebles1--boys and girls1 selected out of our ,sunday-schools1 and accurately taught--as are not to be found together in any chapel1 cathedral1 or music room within the four seas4 ,besides1 the spirit with which they all sing1 and the beauty of many of them1 so suits the melody1 that ,i defy any to exceed it2 except the singing of angels in our ,father's house40 ,good singing is a good thing1 and1 like most other good things1 is far from being common4 ,had this been the only result of ,bolton ,sunday-school1 the school would have existed to good purpose4 ,but hear ,wesley's description1 written 8,sunday1 ,april #bj1 #aghh10 and let ,methodist ,sunday-school teachers now conscientiously and diligently endeavour to make their establishments resemble that at ,bolton then4 8,at eight1 and at one1 the house was throughly filled4 ,about three1 ,i met between #ijj and a thousand of the children belonging to our ,sunday-schools4 ,i never saw such a sight before4 ,they were all exactly clean1 as well as plain1 in their apparel4 ,all were serious and well behaved4 ,many1 both boys and girls1 had as beautiful faces as1 ,i believe1 ,england or ,europe can afford4 ,when they all sung together1 and none of them out of tune1 the melody was beyond that of any theatre2 and1 what is the best of all1 many of them truly fear ,god1 and some rejoice in ,his salvation4 ,these are a pattern to all the town4 ,their usual diversion is to visit the poor that are sick1 7sometimes six1 or eight1 or ten together17 to exhort1 comfort1 and pray with them4 ,frequently ten or more of them get together to sing and pray by themselves2 sometimes thirty or forty2 and are so earnestly engaged1 alternately singing1 praying1 and crying1 that they know not how to part40 ,we have already stated that1 the day after ,wesley closed his conference at ,manchester1 he preached twice1 and1 assisted by others1 administered the ,lord's supper to twelve or thirteen hundred persons4 ,the next day1 ,august #f1 he secured the whole of the coach1 that ran between ,manchester and ,birmingham1 for himself and his friends4 ,six packed themselves within1 and eight arranged themselves without1 and off they all set at midnight2 but even the presence of fourteen ,methodist preachers was not an insurance against accident4 ,no doubt1 many a hymn was sung as they whisked away through beautiful ,cheshire scenery1 the stars shining approvingly1 and the fields all round wrapped in solemn silence2 but1 a little before three in the morning1 when approaching ,congleton1 the coach broke down beneath its unwonted burden1 and had to be abandoned for another4 ,in about an hour1 number two was crippled like number one2 while one of the horses was so knocked up as to be scarcely able to go at all4 ,this ,methodist monopoly of the ,birmingham stage coach issued1 not in a moonlight pleasure trip1 but in a series of disasters which men so pious and so good had not expected4 ,the distance was not great2 but nineteen hours were spent in getting over it4 ,the party arrived at ,birmingham at #g p4m42 ,wesley found a congregation waiting2 he stepped out of the coach into the chapel1 and began preaching without delay4 8,and such10 says he1 8was the goodness of ,god1 that ,i found no more weariness when ,i had done than if ,i had rested all the day40 ,this was marvellous1 in the case of an old man1 above eighty2 but1 notwithstanding this1 he was off again1 before five o'clock next morning2 travelled nearly eleven hours2 and1 at night1 preached in the new chapel at ,gloucester4 ,but even this was not all4 ,the morning after1 he set out again at two o'clock1 travelled till half-past four in the afternoon1 and preached at ,salisbury in the evening4 ,next morning at four1 he took chaise to ,southampton1 where1 on ,august #i and #aj1 he preached thrice4 ,here the ,methodists worshipped in an auction room2 and then in a loft1 used by a bricklayer in stowing away his scaffolding1 and which acquired imperishable fame as the spiritual birthplace of ,elizabeth ,wallbridge1 the 8,dairyman's ,daughter40#ehe ,wesley1 accompanied by ,dr4 ,coke and ,joseph ,bradford1 was now on his way to the ,channel islands2 where ,methodism had been introduced as early as the year #aghc1 by certain ,methodist soldiers1 who wrote to ,england for a preacher4 ,robert ,carr ,brackenbury1 a gentleman of fortune1 rented a house in the town of ,st4 ,heliers1 ,jersey2 and he and his attendant1 ,alexander ,kilham1 preached throughout the island1 amid violent persecution1 but with great success4#ehf ,at the conference of #aghf1 ,adam ,clarke was sent2 and now there were1 in the three islands of ,jersey1 ,guernsey1 and ,alderney1 ,methodist societies containing three hundred members4 ,on ,saturday1 ,august #aa1 ,wesley and his friends started from ,southampton for ,guernsey1 but1 before the day was ended1 had to put into ,yarmouth harbour1 in the ,isle of ,wight1 where they were detained till ,monday1 but improved their detention by preaching four times in the market house4 ,on ,monday the storm had abated1 and they again set out2 but1 in the afternoon1 were glad to seek shelter at ,swanage1 where ,wesley found a small society1 and preached in the presbyterian chapel4 ,again they went on board1 and hoped to reach ,guernsey on ,tuesday afternoon2 but the storm obliged them to steer for the isle of ,alderney1 in the bay of which they narrowly escaped being dashed to pieces4 ,having slept in a five bedded room1 and preached upon the beach1 they again set sail for ,guernsey1 where they at last arrived1 and were warmly welcomed by ,mr4 ,de ,jersey4 ,here five days were spent1 during which ,wesley preached seven sermons1 and dined at the governor's4 ,on ,monday1 ,august #bj1 they landed in ,jersey1 where they were detained by storms and hurricanes till the #bhth4 ,during the eight days1 ,wesley preached a dozen sermons1 ,mr4 ,brackenbury acting as his interpreter4 ,on the #bhth1 he returned to ,guernsey1 where1 by stress of weather1 he was obliged to stay till ,september #f1 but still employed himself as actively as ever4 ,he then sailed for ,penzance1 in ,cornwall1 and arrived in safety4 ,wesley's labours in the ,channel islands were greatly blessed2 but his voyages were adventurous1 and1 more than once1 extremely dangerous4 ,they were also rich in religious incidents4 ,on one occasion1 two of the sailors1 who were aloft1 swore most dreadfully2 and1 greatly to the surprise of his companions1 ,wesley seemed not to notice them4 ,at length1 the sailors still swearing1 ,wesley looked up to them1 and said3 8,swear louder1 and then perhaps ,god ,almighty will hear you40 ,the ironical reproof stopped the blasphemy4#ehg ,another incident is worth relating4 ,wesley writes in his journal3 8,september #f--,we went on board with a fair1 moderate wind2 but we had just entered the ship when the wind died away4 ,we cried to ,god for help2 and it presently sprung up1 exactly fair1 and did not cease till it brought us into ,penzance bay40 ,this is all2 but ,adam ,clarke1 who was present1 gives further details4 ,wesley was reading in the cabin2 but1 hearing the noise and bustle occasioned by putting about the vessel1 to stand on her different tacks1 he looked out of the cabin door1 and asked what was matter4 ,being told1 he quietly remarked1 8,then let us go to prayer40 ,coke1 ,bradford1 and ,clarke having prayed1 ,wesley began3 8,almighty and everlasting ,god1 ,thou hast sway everywhere1 and all things serve the purposes of ,thy will3 ,thou holdest the winds in ,thy hands1 and sittest upon the waterfloods1 and reignest a ,king for ever3 command these winds and these waves that they obey ,thee2 and take us speedily and safely to the haven whither we would be60 ,the power of his petition was felt by all3 he rose from his knees1 made no remark1 and resumed his reading4 ,clarke went on deck1 and1 to his surprise1 found the vessel standing her right course1 with a steady breeze1 which brought them safe to ,cornwall4#ehh ,wesley was more than satisfied with his trip to these lovely islands4 8,here10 says he1 8is an open door3 high and low1 rich and poor1 receive the word gladly2 so that ,i could not regret being detained by contrary winds several days longer than we intended40#ehi ,wesley's landing in ,cornwall was unexpected1 but not unwelcome4 ,he writes3 8,we appeared to our friends here as men risen from the dead4 ,great was their rejoicing over us2 and great was the power of ,god in the midst of the congregation40 ,on ,saturday1 ,september #h1 he preached twice1 out of doors1 to large congregations2 and1 the day following1 thrice1 besides meeting a society in a chapel 8exactly round1 and composed wholly of brazen slags1 which10 says ,wesley1 8,i suppose will last as long as the earth40 ,on ,september #ad1 he got to ,bristol1 where he spent the next three weeks4 ,first of all1 8with the assistance of two of his friends1 he had to answer abundance of letters10 the accumulation of the last five weeks4 ,then1 he had to visit the 8country societies0 round about1 and1 among others1 that at ,castle ,carey1 where the mob had thrown the first preacher1 that visited the place1 into a horse pond4 ,on ,october #h1 he returned to ,london1 where he employed the next few days 8in answering letters1 and preparing matter for the magazine40 ,one or two of the letters1 belonging to this period1 may be inserted here4 ,the first was addressed to ,william ,black1 in ,nova ,scotia1 who was considerably troubled with a recent importation from ,scotland1 in the form of a presbyterian minister1 who was more a ,socinian than a ,calvinist4 8,,near ,,bath1 ,september #bf1 #aghg4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,you have great reason to praise ,god for the great things that ,he hath done1 and to expect still greater things than these4 ,your grand difficulty1 now1 will be to guard your flock against that accomplished seducer4 ,when you mentioned a person came from ,scotland1 ,i took it for granted that he was a ,calvinist4 ,but ,i find it is not so well2 for ,i take a ,socinian to be far worse than even a predestinarian4 ,nevertheless1 ,i advise you and all our preachers1 never oppose him openly4 ,doing thus would only give the unawakened world an advantage against you all4 ,i advise you farther1 never speak severely1 much less contemptuously1 of him in any mixed company4 ,you must use no weapons in opposing him1 but only those of truth and love4 ,your wisdom is3 7#a7 ,strongly to inculcate the doctrines which he denies2 but without taking any notice of him1 or seeming to know that any one does deny them4 7#b7 ,to advise all our brethren 7but not in public7 never to hear him1 at the peril of their souls4 ,and 7#c7 narrowly to inquire whether any one is staggered1 and to set such an one right as soon as possible4 ,thus1 by the blessing of ,god1 even those that are lame will not be turned out of the way4 ,peace be with your spirit6 8,i am1 dear ,billy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#eij ,the next has not before been published4 ,jonathan ,crowther and ,duncan ,mc,allum had been appointed to succeed ,edward ,burbeck and ,joshua ,keighley1 in ,scotland4 ,on arriving1 they found the former 8dying of fever in a lousy bed02 and the latter already dead and buried4 ,their journey had been adventurous and dangerous2 their circuit 7,inverness7 was large2 and their allowances next to nothing2 for ,crowther received only fifty shillings for the whole year's labour2 and forty of these he spent in removing to ,dunbar4 ,he wrote to ,wesley3 8,no man is fit for ,inverness circuit1 unless his flesh be brass1 his bones iron1 and his heart harder than a stoic's40 ,after giving an account of the death of ,burbeck and ,keighley1 he adds3 8,i too shall probably be sacrificed in this miserable corner2 and1 if ,i were doing good1 ,i should be content 7if ,i had them7 to sacrifice seven lives every year2 but to live in misery1 and to die in banishment1 for next to nothing1 is afflicting indeed40#eia ,poor ,crowther was downhearted1 and no wonder4 ,wesley's reply was characteristic4 8,,near ,,bath1 ,september #be1 #aghg4 8,,dear ,,jonathan1--,the sum of the matter is1 you want money2 and money you shall have1 if ,i can beg1 borrow1 or anything but steal4 ,i say1 therefore1 #8,dwell in the land1 and be doing good1 and1 verily1 thou shalt be fed4' ,i should be sorry for the death of ,mr4 ,burbeck1 but that ,i know ,god does all things well2 and1 if ,his work prospers in your hands1 this will make your labours light4 ,our preachers now find1 in the north of ,scotland1 what they formerly found all over ,england2 yet they went on2 and when ,i had only blackberries to eat in ,cornwall1 still ,god gave me strength sufficient for my work4 ,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40 8,p4,s4--,to ,mr4 ,atlay3 ,pay to ,jonathan ,crowther1 or his order1 ,five ,guineas4 8,,john ,,wesley40#eib ,the next two letters refer to a case of discipline in the ,channel islands1 in which ,wesley displayed greater liberality than some of his itinerants4 ,the first was written to ,robert ,carr ,brackenbury1 the second to ,adam ,clarke4 8,,london1 ,october #bj1 #aghg4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,mr4 ---- is undoubtedly a good young man2 and has a tolerably good understanding4 ,but he thinks it better than it is2 and1 in consequence1 is apt to put himself in your or my place4 ,for these fifty years1 if any one said1 #8,if you do not put such an one out of society1 ,i will go out of it'2 ,i have said1 #8,pray go2 ,i1 not you1 are to judge who shall stay4' ,i1 therefore1 greatly approve of your purpose1 to give ,mr4 ,w---- a full hearing in the presence of all the preachers4 ,i have often repented of judging too severely2 but very seldom of being too merciful4 ,as the point is undoubtedly of very great importance1 it deserved serious consideration2 and ,i am glad you took the pains to consider it1 and discussed it so admirably well1 according to ,scripture and sound reason4 8,i ever am1 dear sir1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#eic 8,,london1 ,december #h1 #aghg4 8444 ,brother de ,queteville and you do not mind what ,i say4 ,i do not wonder at him1 7he does not know me17 but ,i do at you4 ,his natural temper is stern2 yours is not4 ,therefore1 ,i expect you to regard me1 whether he does or no4 ,we have no such custom among our societies1 nor ever had1 as for a man to acknowledge his fault before a whole society4 ,there shall be no such custom while ,i live4 ,if he acknowledge it before the preachers it is enough4 8,,john ,,wesley40#eid ,in the month of ,may of the present year1 there was instituted1 in ,london1 a society for the suppression of the slave trade1 of which the chief members were ,granville ,sharp1 ,william ,dillwyn1 ,thomas ,clarkson1 and ,william ,wilberforce4 ,in this1 as in other great beneficent movements1 ,wesley was one of the pioneers4 ,thirteen years previously1 he had published his 8,thoughts upon ,slavery02 and1 at the commencement of the present year1 had inserted a long letter1 on the same subject1 in his ,arminian ,magazine4 ,the formation of an antislavery society was to him a joy2 and he1 at once1 wrote to the committee1 expressing his satisfaction4 ,he desired to warn them1 that they must expect great difficulties and great opposition2 for those interested in the system of slavery were a powerful body1 and would employ hireling writers1 who would have neither justice nor mercy4 ,as for himself1 he would do all he could to promote the object of their institution4 ,he would reprint a new and large edition of his 8,thoughts on ,slavery10 and circulate it among his friends in ,england and ,ireland1 to whom he would add a few words in favour of their design4 ,he then concluded in these words3 8,i commend you to ,him1 who is able to carry you through all opposition1 and support you under all discouragements40 ,on the #cjth of ,october1 #aghg1 he sent a second letter1 which was read to the society1 and in which he said1 that he had now read the publications which the committee had sent him1 and that he took1 if possible1 a still deeper interest in their cause4 ,he exhorted them to more than ordinary diligence and perseverance2 to be prepared for opposition2 to be cautious about the manner of procuring information and evidence1 that no stain might fall upon their character2 and to take care that the question should be argued as well upon the consideration of interest as of humanity and justice1 the former of which he feared would have more weight than the latter4#eie ,wesley fulfilled his promise to render help4 ,hence the following to ,mr4 ,thomas ,funnell1 ,lewes1 ,sussex4 8,november #bd1 #aghg4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,whatever assistance ,i can give those generous men1 who join to oppose that execrable trade1 ,i certainly shall give4 ,i have printed a large edition of the #8,thoughts on ,slavery1' and dispersed them to every part of ,england4 ,but there will be vehement opposition made1 both by slave merchants and slave holders2 and they are mighty men3 but our comfort is1 ,he that dwelleth on high is mightier4 8,i am1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#eif ,thus began a struggle1 which lasted six-and-forty years1 and terminated in the ,emancipation ,act1 which took effect on ,august #a1 #ahcd4 ,wesley died four years after the fight commenced2 ,wilberforce just as the victory was being won1 for he expired while the resolutions1 preparatory to the bill1 were being passed in the ,house of ,commons4 ,the last three months of the year #aghg were spent in ,london1 and in the usual journeys through the surrounding counties4 ,on ,october #ae1 he began what he calls his 8little tour through ,oxfordshire10 and preached twice a day1 besides travelling4 ,at this time1 ,joseph ,entwisle and ,richard ,reece were in the 8,oxfordshire0 circuit4 ,the former1 a young man of twenty1 while riding with ,wesley1 had the misfortune to have a horse whose pace was swifter than its steps were sure4 ,the nag fell with suddenness1 the young preacher made a summersault over the head of the prostrate animal1 and alighted on his feet unhurt4 8,well done60 cried ,wesley1 delighted with the agility of his youthful friend1 and1 no doubt1 remembering many of his own marvellous escapes1--8,well done1 ,joseph6 ,i could not have done better than that myself40#eig ,richard ,reece also used to relate an anecdote respecting ,wesley's visit to this1 his first circuit1 in #aghg4 ,wesley was accompanied by ,thomas ,rankin1 and the two came to ,oxford1 where ,wesley had to preach in the chapel in ,new ,inn ,hall ,lane4 ,the front gallery was filled with gownsmen1 who1 whatever other accomplishments they had acquired1 still lacked the politeness of gentlemen1 for1 as soon as ,wesley began to read his text1 the beardless boys1 in gowns and college caps1 began to cheer4 ,up jumped ,rankin1 his ,scotch blood boiling1 and1 with stentorian voice1 cried3 8,in the name of ,god1 gentlemen1 what can ye mean1 to interrupt and insult a servant of the ,lord1 about to preach salvation80 ,wesley1 more used to such behaviour than his impetuous friend1 calmly said1 8,sit down1 ,tommy1 sit down02 and then quietly proceeded with his discourse4#eih ,in his excursion through ,kent1 ,wesley preached both morning and evening1 every day4 ,in ,hertfordshire1 he met ,simeon from ,cambridge4 8,sir10 said young ,simeon1 8,sir1 ,i understand you are called an ,arminian2 now ,i am sometimes called a ,calvinist1 and therefore1 ,i suppose1 we are to draw daggers4 ,but1 before ,i begin to combat1 with your permission1 ,i will ask you a few questions1 not from impertinent curiosity1 but for real instruction4 ,pray sir1 do you feel yourself a depraved creature1 so depraved that you would never have thought of turning to ,god1 if ,god had not put it into your heart80 8,yes10 said the veteran1 8,i do indeed40 8,and do you utterly despair of recommending yourself to ,god by anything that you can do2 and look for salvation solely through the blood and righteousness of ,christ80 8,yes1 solely through ,christ40 8,but1 sir1 supposing you were first saved by ,christ1 are you not somehow or other to save yourself afterwards1 by your good works80 8,no2 ,i must be saved by ,christ1 from first to last40 8,allowing1 then1 that you were first turned by the grace of ,god1 are you not in some way or other to keep yourself by your own power80 8,no40 8,what1 then8 are you to be upheld every hour and every moment by ,god1 as much as an infant in its mother's arms80 8,yes1 altogether40 8,and is all your hope in the grace and mercy of ,god1 to preserve you unto ,his heavenly kingdom80 8,yes1 ,i have no hope but in ,him40 8,then1 sir1 with your leave1 ,i will put up my dagger again3 for this is all my ,calvinism2 this is my election1 my justification1 my final perseverance4 ,it is in substance all that ,i hold1 and as ,i hold it2 and1 therefore1 if you please1 instead of searching out terms and phrases to be a ground of contention between us1 we will cordially unite in those things wherein we agree40#eii ,such was the catechetical examination instituted by a young parson of twenty-eight1 and submitted to by an old man of eighty-four4 ,in ,november1 ,wesley took another step1 which virtually involved a separation from the ,church of ,england4 ,seventeen years before1 in warning his preachers against such a separation1 he had not only directed them and the people to attend the services and sacraments of the ,church1 but to guard against calling preachers 8ministers10 and their places of worship 8meeting-houses40 8,do not10 said he1 8license them as such3 the proper form of a petition to the judge or justice is1 #8,a4 ,b4 desires to have his house in ,c-- licensed for public worship4'0 ,he continued3 8,do not license yourself till you are constrained2 and then not as a ,dissenter1 but a ,methodist4 ,it is time enough when you are prosecuted1 to take the oaths4 ,and by so doing you are licensed40#fjj ,hitherto1 ,wesley had been opposed to licensing1 except in cases of necessity1 simply on the ground that this savoured of separation from the ,established ,church4 ,now he writes3 8#aghg1 ,november #c--;,i had a long conversation with ,mr4 ,clulow10 his legal adviser1 8on that execrable act called the ,conventicle ,act4 ,after consulting the ,act of ,toleration1 with that of the fourteenth of ,queen ,anne1 we were both clearly convinced1 that it was the safest way to license all our chapels1 and all our travelling preachers1 not as ,dissenters1 but simply #8preachers of the gospel'2 and that no justice1 or bench of justices1 has any authority to refuse licensing either the house or the preachers40 ,the 8execrable ,conventicle ,act0 was levelled against ,dissenters from the ,church of ,england2 the ,act of ,toleration was passed for the relief of such ,dissenters2 and ,wesley1 by availing himself of the provisions of that act1 ipso facto1 conceded the point that the ,methodists were ,dissenters4 ,he still1 however1 persisted in asserting that the ,methodists were members of the ,church of ,england2 and this involved both him and them in further difficulties4 ,in some instances1 the magistrates remarked3 8,you profess yourselves to be members of the ,church of ,england2 therefore1 your licences are worthless2 nor can you1 as members of the ,church1 receive any benefit from the ,act of ,toleration40 ,this was a subtle distinction2 and ,wesley saw that the ,methodists must either profess themselves ,dissenters1 or be subjected to an indefinite amount of trouble4 ,he was unwilling to alter their relation to the ,established ,church2 and yet he wished them to be saved from this embarrassment4 ,hence the following1 addressed to a member of parliament4#fja 8,,dear ,,sir1--,last month1 a few poor people met together in ,somersetshire1 to pray1 and to praise ,god1 in a friend's house2 there was no preaching at all4 ,two neighbouring justices fined the man of the house #bj4 ,i suppose1 he was not worth twenty shillings4 ,upon this1 his household goods were distrained1 and sold to pay the fine4 ,he appealed to the quarter sessions2 but all the justices averred1 #8,the ,methodists could have no relief from the ,act of ,toleration1 because they went to church2 and that1 so long as they did so1 the ,conventicle ,act should be executed upon them4' 8,last ,sunday1 when one of our preachers was beginning to speak to a quiet congregation1 a neighbouring justice sent a constable to seize him1 though he was licensed2 and would not release him till he had paid #bj1 telling him his licence was good for nothing1 #8because he was a ,churchman4' 8,now1 sir1 what can the ,methodists do8 ,they are liable to be ruined by the ,conventicle ,act1 and they have no relief from the ,act of ,toleration6 ,if this is not oppression1 what is8 ,where then is ,english liberty8 the liberty of ,christians1 yea1 of every rational creature8 who1 as such1 has a right to worship ,god according to his own conscience4 ,but1 waiving the question of right and wrong1 what prudence is there in oppressing such a body of loyal subjects8 ,if these good magistrates could drive them1 not only out of ,somersetshire1 but out of ,england1 who would be gainers thereby8 ,not his majesty1 whom we honour and love2 not his ministers1 whom we love and serve for his sake4 ,do they wish to throw away so many thousand friends1 who are now bound to them by stronger ties than that of interest8 ,if you will speak a word to ,mr4 ,pitt on that head1 you will oblige yours1 etc4 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,about the same time1 ,wesley wrote as follows to a bishop4#fjb 8,,my ,,lord1--,i am a dying man1 having already one foot in the grave4 ,humanly speaking1 ,i cannot long creep upon the earth1 being now nearer ninety than eighty years of age4 ,but ,i cannot die in peace1 before ,i have discharged this office of ,christian love to your lordship4 ,i write without ceremony1 as neither hoping nor fearing anything from your lordship1 or any man living4 ,and ,i ask1 in the name and presence of ,him1 to whom both you and ,i are shortly to give an account1 why do you trouble those that are quiet in the land2 those that fear ,god and work righteousness8 ,does your lordship know what the ,methodists are8 ,that many thousands of them are zealous members of the ,church of ,england2 and strongly attached1 not only to his majesty1 but to his present ministry8 ,why should your lordship1 setting religion out of the question1 throw away such a body of respectable friends8 ,is it for their religious sentiments8 ,alas1 my lord1 is this a time to persecute any man for conscience sake8 ,i beseech you1 my lord1 do as you would be done to4 ,you are a man of sense2 you are a man of learning2 nay1 ,i verily believe1 7what is of infinitely more value17 you are a man of piety4 ,then think1 and let think4 ,i pray ,god to bless you with the choicest of ,his blessings4 8,i am1 my lord1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#fjc ,is it surprising1 that the ,methodists wished to separate from the ,church of ,england1 and that ,wesley was led1 in fact driven1 to take the dissenting steps he did8 ,and yet1 to the very last1 we find him still adhering to the church of his early choice4 ,already the ,methodists had begun to have service in church hours2 but this was far from having his warm approval4 ,only two days after his consultation with ,mr4 ,clulow1 he went to ,dorking1 where he wrote3 8,the congregation was1 as usual1 large and serious4 ,but there is no increase in the society4 ,so that we have profited nothing by having our service in the church hours1 which some imagined would have done wonders4 ,i do not know that it has done more good anywhere in ,england2 in ,scotland ,i believe it has40 ,if possible1 ,wesley was more popular than ever4 ,he writes3 8,november #d--,the congregation at the new chapel0 ,city ,road 8was far larger than usual2 and the number of communicants was so great1 that ,i was obliged to consecrate thrice40 8,november #i--;,a friend offering to bear my expenses1 ,i set out to ,nottingham1 where ,i preached a charity sermon for the infirmary1 which was the design of my coming4 ,this is not a county infirmary1 but is open to all ,england2 yea1 to all the world2 and everything about it is so neat1 so convenient1 and so well ordered1 that ,i have seen none like it in the three kingdoms40#fjd 8,november #be--;,i preached two charity sermons at ,west ,street1 in behalf of our poor children40 8,december #af--;,after preaching at ,spitalfields1 ,i hastened to ,st4 ,john's1 ,clerkenwell1 and preached a charity sermon for the ,finsbury dispensary2 as ,i would gladly countenance every institution of the kind40 ,all this was extra work2 for ,wesley's chief employment1 at the end of every year1 was preaching to the ,london ,methodists1 and meeting the ,london classes4 ,strange to say1 the latter was to ,wesley an irksome task4 ,hence he writes3 8#aghg1 ,november #ai--;,i began the unpleasing work of visiting the classes4 ,i still continue to do this in ,london and ,bristol1 as well as in ,cork and ,dublin4 ,with the other societies1 their respective assistants supply my lack of service40 ,there were also other things1 far from pleasant1 requiring his attention4 ,a ,laodicean spirit had crept in among the ,london ,methodists1 and1 in strong terms1 he had to warn them of their sin and danger4 ,they were also #cjj in debt1 and he found it necessary to devise means to make the income equal to the expenditure4 ,his preachers also1 and his household1 vexed him4 ,he writes3 8#aghg4 ,sunday1 ,december #i--;,i went down at half-hour past five1 but found no preacher in the chapel1 though we had three or four in the house2 so ,i preached myself4 ,afterwards1 inquiring why none of my family attended the morning preaching1 they said it was because they sat up too late4 ,i resolved to put a stop to this2 and1 therefore1 ordered1 that 7#a7 every one under my roof should go to bed at nine2 that 7#b7 every one might attend the morning preaching2 and so they have done ever since40 ,amid all this labour and annoyance1 it is amusing to find this venerable man1 in the eighty-fifth year of his age1 visiting what then answered to the ,madame ,tussaud's exhibition of #ahga1 and evincing a curiosity and a keenness of observation not often equalled by the visitors of the present time4 ,hence the following4 8,december #aj--;,i was desired to see the celebrated waxwork at the museum in ,spring ,gardens4 ,it exhibits most of the crowned heads in ,europe1 and shows their characters in their countenance4 ,sense and majesty appear in the king of ,spain2 dulness and sottishness in the king of ,france2 infernal subtlety in the late king of ,prussia2 7as well as in the skeleton ,voltaire27 calmness and humanity in the emperor1 and king of ,portugal2 exquisite stupidity in the prince of ,orange2 and amazing coarseness1 with everything that is unamiable1 in czarina4 ,with the exception of contributing to the ,arminian ,magazine1 ,wesley's literary life was ended4 ,he revised former publications1 as1 for instance1 his ,notes on the ,new ,testament2 and he occasionally published an extract from some other author2 but all the original productions of his mind and pen were now published in the magazine4 ,during this present year1 he committed to the press a new pocket hymn-book1 #bdmo1 #bdj pages2 but the work was compiled1 not written1 and was intended as a substitute for the volume issued in #aghe4 ,he also published 8,conjectures concerning the ,nature of ,future ,happiness4 ,translated from the ,french of ,monsieur ,bonnet1 of ,geneva30 #abmo1 #ab pages1--a remarkable tract1 little known1 but full of thought4#fje ,the following is ,wesley's address 8,to the ,reader40 8,dublin1 ,april #g1 #aghg4 ,i am happy in communicating to men of sense in this kingdom1 and at a very low price1 one of the most sensible tracts ,i ever read4--,,john ,,wesley40 ,the magazine1 as usual1 contains six original sermons by ,wesley1 several of them among the most able and interesting that he ever wrote4 ,that on ,temptation is marked by great discrimination and beauty4 ,the one on ,dress fearlessly denounces what was then1 and still is1 a fearfully prevailing evil4 ,having laid down the principles1 that 8slovenliness is no part of religion02 and that 8there may undoubtedly be a moderate difference of apparel1 between persons of different stations02 he proceeds to show1 that the natural effects of 8adorning ourselves with gold1 or pearls1 or costly array10 are pride1 vanity1 anger1 and lust2 and concludes with one of his most withering addresses to the ,methodists then living1 and which the ,methodists of the present day would do well to ponder4 8,have not many of you grown finer as fast as you have grown richer8 ,as you increased in substance1 have you not increased in dress8 ,witness the profusion of ribbons1 gauze1 or linen about your heads6 ,what have you profited then by bearing the reproach of ,christ8 by being called ,methodists8 ,are you not as fashionably dressed as others of your rank that are no ,methodists8 ,do you ask1 #8,but may we not as well buy fashionable things as unfashionable8' ,i answer1 ,not if they give you a bold1 immodest look1 as those huge hats1 bonnets1 headdresses do4 ,and not1 if they cost more4 #8,but ,i can afford it4' ,oh1 lay aside for ever that idle nonsensical word6 ,no ,christian can afford to waste any part of the substance which ,god has entrusted him with4 ,how can it be1 that1 after so many warnings1 you persist in the same folly8 ,is it not hence8 ,there are among you some that neither profit themselves by all they hear1 nor are willing that others should2 and these1 if any of you are almost persuaded to dress as ,christians1 reason1 and rally1 and laugh you out of it4 ,o ye pretty triflers1 ,i entreat you not to do the devil's work any longer4 ,whatever ye do yourselves1 do not harden the hearts of others4 ,and you1 that are of a better mind1 avoid these tempters with all possible care4 ,you answer1 universal custom is against me4 ,not only the profane1 but the religious world1 run violently the other way4 ,look into1 ,i do not say the theatres1 but the churches1 nay1 and the meetings of every denomination 7except a few old fashioned quakers1 or the people called ,moravians72 look into the congregations1 in ,london or elsewhere1 of those that are styled gospel ministers2 look into ,northampton chapel1 yea1 into the ,tabernacle1 or the chapel in ,tottenham ,court ,road2 nay1 look into the chapel in ,west ,street1 or that in the ,city ,road2 look at the very people that sit under the pulpit1 or by the side of it1--and are not those that can afford it 7,i can hardly refrain from doing them the honour of naming their names7 as richly1 as fashionably adorned1 as those of the same rank in other places8 ,this is a melancholy truth4 ,i am ashamed of it2 but ,i know not how to help it4 ,i call heaven and earth to witness this day1 that it is not my fault4 ,the trumpet has not given an uncertain sound1 for near fifty years last past4 ,o ,god6 ,thou knowest ,i have borne a clear and faithful testimony4 ,in print1 in preaching1 in meeting the society1 ,i have not shunned to declare the whole counsel of ,god4 ,i am1 therefore1 clear of the blood of those that will not hear4 ,it lies upon their own heads4 ,and1 yet1 ,i warn you once more1 in the name1 and in the presence of ,god1 that the number of those that rebel against ,god is no excuse for their rebellion4 ,he hath expressly told us1 ,thou shalt not follow the multitude to do evil4 ,i conjure you1 all who have any regard for me1 show me1 before ,i go hence1 that ,i have not laboured1 even in this respect1 in vain1 for near half a century4 ,let me see1 before ,i die1 a ,methodist congregation full as plainly dressed as a quaker congregation4 ,only be more consistent with yourselves4 ,let your dress be cheap as well as plain2 otherwise1 you do but trifle with ,god and me1 and your own souls4 ,i pray1 let there be no costly silks among you1 how grave soever they may be4 ,let there be no quaker linen1 proverbially so called1 for their exquisite fineness2 no ,brussels lace2 no elephantine hats or bonnets1 those scandals of female modesty4 ,be all of a piece1 dressed1 from head to foot1 as persons professing godliness2 professing to do everything small and great1 with the single view of pleasing ,god40 ,wesley's sermon on the ,lord's ,supper was written in #agcb1 and has been already noticed4 ,to the sentiments then avowed1 he still adhered4 ,that on the ,more ,excellent ,way is characteristic of himself2 and re-enforces his views on early rising1 on the manner of transacting business1 on food1 conversation1 amusements1 and money4 ,one or two extracts may be given4 8,diversions are of various kinds4 ,some are almost peculiar to men1 as the sports of the field1--hunting1 shooting1 fishing4 ,others are indifferently used by persons of both sexes1--as races1 masquerades1 plays1 assemblies1 balls1 cards1 dancing and music2 to which may be added1 the reading of plays1 novels1 romances1 newspapers1 and fashionable poetry4 ,some diversions1 which were formerly in great request1 are now fallen into disrepute4 ,the nobility and gentry1 7in ,england at least17 seem totally to disregard the once fashionable diversion of hawking2 and the vulgar themselves are no longer diverted by men hacking and hewing each other in pieces at broad sword4 ,the noble game of quarter staff1 likewise1 is now exercised by very few4 ,yea1 cudgelling has lost its humour1 even in ,wales itself4 ,bear baiting is now very seldom seen1 and bull baiting not very often4 ,and it seems cock fighting would totally cease in ,england1 were it not for two or three right honourable patrons4 ,it is not needful to say anything more of these foul #8remains of ,gothic barbarity1' than that they are a reproach1 not only to all religion1 but even to human nature4 ,one would not pass so severe a censure on the sports of the field4 ,let those1 who have nothing better to do1 still run foxes and hares out of breath4 ,neither need much be said about horse races1 till some man of sense will undertake to defend them4 ,it seems a great deal more may be said in defence of seeing a serious tragedy4 ,i could not do it with a clear conscience1 at least1 not in an ,english theatre1 the sink of all profaneness and debauchery2 but possibly others can4 ,i cannot say quite so much for balls1 or assemblies2 which are more reputable than masquerades1 but must be allowed1 by all impartial persons1 to have exactly the same tendency4 ,so undoubtedly have all public dancings4 ,of playing at cards1 ,i say the same as seeing of plays4 ,i could not do it with a clear conscience4 ,but ,i am not obliged to pass any sentence on those that are otherwise minded4 ,i leave them to their own ,master2 to ,him let them stand or fall4 8,but supposing these1 as well as the reading of plays1 novels1 newspapers1 and the like1 to be quite innocent diversions1 yet are there not more excellent ways of diverting themselves1 for those that love or fear ,god8 ,would men of fortune divert themselves in the open air8 ,they may do it1 by cultivating and improving their lands1 by planting their grounds1 by laying out1 carrying on1 and perfecting their gardens and orchards4 ,at other times1 they may visit and converse with the most serious and sensible of their neighbours2 or they may visit the sick1 the poor1 the widows1 and fatherless in their afflictions4 ,do they desire to divert themselves in the house8 ,they may read useful history1 pious and elegant poetry1 or several branches of natural philosophy4 ,if you have time1 you may divert yourselves by music1 and perhaps by philosophical experiments4 ,but1 above all1 when you have once learned the use of prayer1 you will find1 that this will fill every space of life1 be interfused with all your employments1 and1 wherever you are1 whatever you do1 embrace you on every side4 ,then you will be able to say boldly3 #8,with me no melancholy void1 ,no moment lingers unemployed1 ,or unimproved below2 ,my weariness of life is gone1 ,who live to serve my ,god alone1 ,and only ,jesus know4'0 ,on the subject of money1 ,wesley's 8,more ,excellent ,way10 to the worldly minded1 is equally startling1 but one which he himself1 for fifty years1 invariably adopted4 8,if you have a family1 seriously consider1 before ,god1 how much each member of it wants1 in order to have what is needful for life and godliness4 ,and1 in general1 do not allow them less1 nor much more than you allow yourself4 ,this being done1 fix your purpose1 to gain no more4 ,i charge you1 in the name of ,god1 do not increase your substance6 ,as it comes daily or yearly1 so let it go3 otherwise you lay up treasures upon earth2 and this our ,lord as flatly forbids1 as murder and adultery4 ,by doing it1 therefore1 you would treasure up to yourselves wrath against the day of wrath1 and revelation of the righteous judgment of ,god4 ,but suppose it were not forbidden1 how can you1 on principles of reason1 spend your money in a way1 which ,god may possibly forgive1 instead of spending it in a manner which ,he will certainly reward8 ,you will have no reward in heaven1 for what you lay up3 you will1 for what you lay out4 ,every pound you put into the earthly bank is sunk2 it brings no interest above4 ,but every pound you give to the poor is put into the bank of heaven2 and it will bring glorious interest2 yea1 and such as will be accumulating to all eternity40 ,this was plain speaking2 but who will undertake to gainsay it8 ,the sermon on ,christian ,courtesy is full of the wisdom of an aged1 and widely experienced1 saint2 while that on ,former ,times ,better than ,these is equally remarkable1 and well worth reading4 ,the ,arminian ,magazine for #aghg is enriched1 as usual1 with letters1 poetry1 biography1 apparition anecdotes1 and choice extracts from other writers2 but1 besides these1 there are a few other productions from ,wesley's pen1 as his able article 8,on ,allegorical ,writings in general1 and especially the ,parables of our ,lord02 and his weighty 8,thoughts upon ,methodism40 ,we can only afford space for an extract from the latter4 ,he writes3 8,i am not afraid1 that the people called ,methodists should ever cease to exist either in ,europe or ,america4 ,but ,i am afraid1 lest they should only exist as a dead sect1 having the form of religion without the power4 ,and this undoubtedly will be the case1 unless they hold fast both the doctrine1 spirit1 and discipline with which they first set out40 ,after describing the rise of ,methodism1 he proceeds3 8,from this short sketch of ,methodism1 any man of understanding may easily discern1 that it is only plain1 scriptural religion1 guarded by a few prudential regulations4 ,the essence of it is holiness of heart and life2 the circumstantials all point to this4 ,and as long as they are joined together in the people called ,methodists1 no weapon formed against them shall prosper4 ,but1 if even the circumstantial parts are despised1 the essential will soon be lost4 ,and if ever the essential parts should evaporate1 what remains will be dung and dross4 8,it nearly concerns us to see how the case stands with us at present4 ,i fear1 wherever riches have increased 7exceeding few are the exceptions7 the essence of religion1 the mind that was in ,christ1 has decreased in the same proportion4 ,therefore1 ,i do not see how it is possible1 in the nature of things1 for any revival of true religion to continue long4 ,for religion must necessarily produce both industry and frugality2 and these cannot but produce riches4 ,but as riches increase1 so will pride1 anger1 and love of the world in all its branches4 8,how then is it possible that ,methodism1 that is1 the religion of the heart1 though it flourishes now as a green bay tree1 should continue in this state8 ,for the ,methodists in every place grow diligent and frugal2 consequently1 they increase in goods4 ,hence1 they proportionably increase in pride1 in the desire of the flesh1 the desire of the eyes1 and the pride of life4 ,so1 although the form of religion remains1 the spirit is swiftly vanishing away4 8,is there no way to prevent this8 this continual declension of pure religion8 ,we ought not to forbid people to be diligent and frugal2 we must exhort all ,christians1 to gain all they can1 and to save all they can3 that is1 in effect1 to grow rich6 ,what way then1 ,i ask again1 can we take1 that our money may not sink us to the nethermost hell8 ,there is one way1 and there is no other under heaven4 ,if those who gain all they can1 and save all they can1 will likewise give all they can1 then the more they gain1 the more they will grow in grace1 and the more treasure they will lay up in heaven40 ,wesley knew not how to flatter4 ,however painful to himself or to others1 when he deemed it needful1 he never tried to conceal his thoughts4 ,the above was not likely to win him the applause of prosperous and rich ,methodists2 but that to him was a matter of indifference4 ,his great anxiety was to perpetuate ,methodism1--not merely ,methodists4 ,,footnotes3 #efd ,percival was one of the itinerant preachers at ,newcastle on ,tyne4 #efe ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcd1 p4 #fgd4 #eff ,bardsley's colleagues in ,colne circuit4 #efg ,manuscript letter in ,british ,museum4 #efh ,dr4 ,harmer had recently published vols4 iii4 and iv4 of his 8,observations on various ,passages of ,scripture40 #efi ,black's ,memoirs1 p4 #ahe4 #egj ,memoirs of ,burgess4 #ega ,life of ,henry ,moore1 p4 #bga4 #egb ,ibid4 p4 #bgb4 #egc ,manuscript journal4 #egd ,in his 8,short ,hymns on ,select ,passages of the ,holy ,scriptures10 published in #agfb1 ,charles ,wesley wrote1 concerning the poor itinerants3 8,raised from the people's lowest lees1 ,guard1 ,lord1 ,thy preaching witnesses1 ,nor let their pride the honour claim ,of sealing covenants in ,thy name3 ,rather than suffer them to dare ,usurp the priestly character1 ,save from the arrogant offence1 ,and snatch them uncorrupted hence40 7,hymn on ,numbers xvi4 #aj47 8,wesley ,poetry10 vol4 ix41 p4 #gi4 #ege ,manuscript letter4 #egf ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghh1 p4 #dhf4 ,it is only fair to add that all was not sunshine in ,america4 ,at the conference of #aghd1 the ,american preachers had recorded a declaration that1 8during the life of ,mr4 ,wesley they were ready to obey his commands in matters belonging to church government02 but1 in #aghg1 and thenceforward1 this declaration was omitted from their printed minutes4 ,why8 ,because ,wesley1 without consulting them1 had changed the time and place of holding their conference1 and had appointed ,richard ,whatcoat to be co-superintendent with ,francis ,asbury4--7,etheridge's ,life of ,coke1 p4 #agc47 ,dr4 ,coke was present1 and1 in a letter printed four years afterwards1 pronounced this an 8excommunication0 of ,wesley1 and declared that1 in his opinion1 it hastened ,wesley's death2 for1 8from the time he was informed of it1 he began to hang down his head1 and to think he had lived long enough40--78,impartial ,statement of the known ,inconsistencies of ,rev4 ,dr4 ,coke40 ,by ,william ,hammet3 #agib47 ,we gravely doubt the correctness of ,dr4 ,coke's opinion4 #egg ,wesley ,banner1 #ahej1 p4 #aad4 #egh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdf1 p4 #efb4 #egi ,ibid4 #ehj ,ibid4 p4 #efc4 #eha ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcf1 p4 #bhf4 ,the ,rev4 ,david ,simpson1 also1 is said to have commenced ,sunday-schools1 in ,macclesfield1 as early as the year #aggh4--7;,evangelical ,magazine1 #ahdb1 p4 #hd47 #ehb ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahje1 p4 #a4 #ehc ,manuscript letter4 #ehd ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghh1 p4 #dij4 #ehe ,smith's ,history of ,methodism4 #ehf ,drew's ,life of ,coke4 #ehg ,reynolds's 8,anecdotes of ,wesley10 p4 #be4 #ehh ,life of ,clarke1 vol4 i41 p4 #bei4 #ehi ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #hj4 #eij ,black's ,memoirs1 p4 #bjj4 #eia ,crowther's manuscript autobiography4 #eib ,ibid4 #eic ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #f4 #eid ,wesleyan ,times1 ,sept4 #bh1 #ahfh4 #eie ,clarkson's 8,abolition of the ,slave ,trade10 vol4 i41 p4 #ddg4 #eif ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbg1 p4 #cia4 #eig ,entwisle's ,memoir1 p4 #cf4 #eih ,wesleyan ,times1 ,june #ai1 #ahdi4 #eii 8,wesley the ,worthy10 by ,dr4 ,dobbin1 p4 #ia4 #fjj ,large ,minutes1 #aggj4 #fja ,henry ,moore says this letter was written in the autumn of #agij2 and that1 when the lawyer1 at the head of the persecution1 boasted that he would drive ,methodism out of ,somersetshire1 ,wesley quietly remarked1 8,yes1 when he can drive ,god out of it40--7,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #chc47 #fjb ,this letter is without date4 ,henry ,moore says it was written about #agij4 7,wesley's ,life1 vol4 ii41 p4 #chc47 #fjc ,atmore's 8,history of ,persecution10 p4 #dbj4 #fjd ,the infirmary was built in #agha1 on land partly given by the ,duke of ,newcastle1 and partly by the corporation4 ,during the first thirty years of its existence1 it afforded assistance to #cc1ibf persons4 #fje ,its republication would enrich the pages of the ,methodist ,magazine of the present day4 ,one conjecture is1 that1 after the resurrection1 8our eyes may unite in themselves the qualities of microscopes and telescopes1 and accommodate themselves exactly to all distances40 #aghh4 ,age #he ,wesley had published1 in the ten volumes of his ,arminian ,magazine already issued1 forty-two original sermons by himself2 and he now ascertained1 that a clergyman1 in the west of ,england1 intended to reprint them in a separate form4 ,wesley had been frequently solicited to do this himself2 but had as often answered1 8,i leave this for my executors40 ,now1 to prevent piracy1 he determined to be his own republisher2 and issued these invaluable discourses1 with a few others1 in four volumes1 #abmo2 to which he prefixed a preface1 from which the following characteristic extract is taken4 8,is there need to apologise to sensible persons for the plainness of my style8 ,a gentleman1 whom ,i much love and respect1 lately informed me1 with much tenderness and courtesy1 that men of candour made great allowance for the decay of my faculties2 and did not expect me to write now1 either with regard to sentiment or language1 as ,i did thirty or forty years ago4 ,perhaps they are decayed2 though ,i am not conscious of it4 ,but is not this a fit occasion to explain myself concerning the style which ,i use from choice1 not necessity8 ,i could even now write as floridly and rhetorically as even the admired ,dr4 ,b----2 but ,i dare not2 because ,i seek the honour that cometh from ,god only4 ,what is the praise of man to me1 that have one foot in the grave1 and am stepping into the land whence ,i shall not return8 ,therefore1 ,i dare no more write in a fine style than wear a fine coat4 ,but were it otherwise1 had ,i time to spare1 ,i should still write just as ,i do4 ,i should purposely decline1 what many admire1 a highly ornamental style4 ,i cannot admire ,french oratory2 ,i despise it from my heart4 ,let those that please be in raptures at the pretty1 elegant sentences of ,massillon or ,bourdaloue2 but give me the plain nervous style of ,dr4 ,south1 ,dr4 ,bates1 or ,mr4 ,john ,howe2 and1 for elegance1 show me any ,french writer who exceeds ,dean ,young1 or ,mr4 ,seed4 ,let who will admire the ,french frippery1 ,i am still for plain sound ,english4 8,i think a preacher or writer of sermons has lost his way1 when he imitates any of the ,french orators2 even the most famous of them2 even ,massillon or ,bourdaloue4 ,only let his language be plain1 proper1 and clear2 and it is enough4 ,god ,himself has told us how to speak1 both as to the matter and manner3 #8,if any man speak' in the name of ,god1 #8let him speak as the oracles of ,god'2 and if he would imitate any part of these above the rest1 let it be the ,first ,epistle of ,st4 ,john4 ,this is the style1 the most excellent style1 for every gospel preacher4 ,and let him aim at no more ornament than he finds in that sentence1 which is the sum of the whole gospel1 #8,we love ,him1 because ,he first loved us4'0 ,wesley's journal for the first two months of #aghh is lost2 but existing letters show1 that the time was spent in ,london4 ,the following have not hitherto been published2 and1 though brief1 refer to two subjects of the highest interest1--,sunday-schools and cottage prayer-meetings4 ,the first was addressed to ,duncan ,wright1 who was now at ,bolton2 the second to ,william ,simpson1 at ,stockton upon ,tees4 8,,london1 ,january #i1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,duncan1--,you send me a comfortable account of the work of ,god in your circuit4 ,i cannot doubt but a blessing redounds to you all for the sake of the poor children4 ,i verily think1 these ,sunday-schools are one of the noblest specimens of charity1 which have been set on foot in ,england since the time of ,william the ,conqueror4 8,if ,michael ,fenwick has a mind to go to ,dumfries and assist ,robert ,dall1 you may give him three guineas1 which he must husband well4 ,he may write to me from thence4 8,i am1 dear ,duncan1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 8,,london1 ,january #ah1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,billy1--,you did exceeding well to enlarge the number of prayer-meetings1 and to fix them in serious courts4 ,i do not know that any means of grace whatever has been more owned of ,god than this4 8,it is not now1 but at the time of conference1 that children are received into ,kingswood school4 8,i am glad sister ,moor has not forgotten me4 ,i hope sister ,middleton also thinks of me sometimes4 ,you are welcome to the four volumes of sermons4 8,i am1 dear ,billy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,charles ,wesley was now dying4 ,long1 loving1 and faithful had been the friendship between the two brothers4 ,their opinions had often differed2 but their affection had never failed4 ,their most serious difference had been on the subject of separation from the ,church of ,england1 ordinations1 and the administration of the sacraments2 but1 even on these matters1 ,charles1 while writing strongly1 never wrote unbrotherly4 ,his last letter1 in our possession1 on these disputed topics1 is as follows4 8,april #i1 #aghg4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i served ,west ,street chapel on ,friday and ,sunday4 ,next ,saturday1 ,i propose to sleep in your bed4 ,stand to your own proposal3 #8,let us agree to differ4' ,i leave ,america and ,scotland to your latest thoughts and recognitions2 only observing now1 that you are exactly right4 ,keep your authority while you live2 and1 after your death1 detur digniori1 or rather1 dignioribus4 ,you cannot settle the succession3 you cannot divine how ,god will settle it4 ,have the people of ---- given you leave to die1 ,e4 ,a4 ,p4 ,j48#fjf 8,i am1 etc41 8,c4 ,,wesley40#fjg ,it would almost seem from this1 that ,charles was disposed to abandon his objections to the ordinations for ,america and ,scotland2 but1 be that as it may1 we have here some of his last thoughts respecting the ,methodists4 ,he evidently believed that1 after his brother's death1 they would exist as a separated people1 and he wished them to be governed by those of themselves who were worthiest4 ,wesley loved his brother1 and on ,february #ah1 #aghh1 addressed to him the following laconic note4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,you must go out every day1 or die4 ,do not die to save charges4 ,you certainly need not want anything as long as ,i live4 8,,john ,,wesley40#fjh ,ten days after this1 ,wesley left ,london1 for his long northern journey1 saying3 8,if ,i see it again1 well2 if not1 ,i pray ,god to raise up others1 that will be more faithful and more successful in ,his work6 ,i find1 by an increase of years1 7#a7 ,less activity2 ,i walk slower1 particularly up hill3 7#b7 ,my memory is not so quick3 7#c7 ,i cannot read so well by candlelight4 ,but1 ,i bless ,god1 that all my other powers of body and mind remain just what they were40 ,a month later1 ,wesley's brother had entered into rest4 ,they had parted1 not to meet again till they met in heaven4 ,wesley1 however1 thought that his brother might recover4 ,hence the following1 written on ,march #b4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,many inquire after you1 and express much affection1 and desire of seeing you4 ,in good time6 ,you are first suffering the will of ,god4 ,afterwards1 ,he has a little more for you to do3 that is1 provided you now take up your cross1 7for that it frequently must be17 and go out1 at least1 an hour in a day4 ,i would not blame you1 if it were two or three4 ,never mind expense4 ,i can make that up4 ,you shall not die to save charges4 ,peace be with all your spirits6 8,,john ,,wesley40#fji ,three days later he wrote again4 8,march #e1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i hope you keep to your rule1 of going out every day1 although it may sometimes be a cross4 ,keep to this but one month1 and ,i am persuaded you will be as well as you were at this time twelve-month4 ,adieu6 8,,john ,,wesley40#faj ,here1 with one exception1 epistolary correspondence between the two brothers ceased4 ,charles was too feeble to continue it1 and his daughter became his substitute4 ,in reply to one of her letters1 ,wesley wrote as follows4 8,,bristol1 ,march #g1 #aghh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sally1--,when my appetite was entirely gone1 so that all ,i could take at dinner was a roasted turnip1 it was restored in a few days1 by riding out daily1 after taking ten drops of elixir of vitriol in a glass of water4 ,it is highly probable1 this would have the same effect in my brother's case4 ,but1 in the mean time1 ,i wish he would see ,dr4 ,whitehead4 ,i am persuaded there is not such another physician in ,england2 although1 to confound human wisdom1 he does not know how to cure his own wife4 8,he must lie in bed as little as possible in the daytime2 otherwise it will hinder his sleeping at night4 8,now1 ,sally1 tell your brothers from me1 that their tenderly respectful behaviour to their father1 7even to asking his pardon1 if in anything they have offended him17 will be the best cordial for him under heaven4 ,i know not but they may save his life thereby4 ,to know nothing will be wanting1 on your part1 gives great satisfaction to1 my dear ,sally1 8,yours very affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#faa ,to ,samuel ,bradburn1 now stationed in ,london1 ,wesley addressed the following hitherto unpublished letter4 8,,bristol1 ,march #ac1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,with regard to my brother1 ,i advise you3 7#a7 ,whether he will or no1 7at least1 if not done already17 carry ,dr4 ,whitehead to him4 7#b7 ,if he cannot go out1 and yet must have exercise or die1 persuade him to use ---- twice or thrice a day1 and procure one for him4 7#c7 ,i earnestly advise him to be electrified2 not shocked1 but only filled with electric fire4 7#d7 ,inquire if he has made his will1 though ,i think it scarcely possible he should have delayed it4 8,the tunes1 which brother ,rhodes left with you1 should be immediately printed in the cheap form4 ,kind love to ,sophy4 8,i am1 dear ,sammy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 ,four days later1 ,wesley wrote his last letter to his brother4 8,,bristol1 ,march #ag1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,i am just setting out on my northern journey1 but must snatch time to write two or three lines4 ,i stand and admire the wise and gracious dispensations of ,divine providence6 ,never was there before so loud a call to all that are under your roof4 ,if they have not hitherto sufficiently regarded either you1 or the ,god of their fathers1 what is more calculated to convince them1 than to see you so long hovering upon the borders of the grave8 ,and1 ,i verily believe1 if they receive the admonition1 ,god will raise you up again4 ,i know you have the sentence of death in yourself3 so had ,i more than twelve years ago4 ,i know nature is utterly exhausted3 but is not nature subject to ,his word8 ,i do not depend upon physicians1 but upon ,him that raiseth the dead4 ,only let your whole family stir themselves up1 and be instant in prayer2 then ,i have only to say to each1 #8,if thou canst believe1 thou shalt see the glory of ,god6' ,be strong in the ,lord1 and in the power of ,his might4 ,adieu6 8,,john ,,wesley40#fab ,another letter must be inserted1 written three days after the above1 to his niece1 ,miss ,wesley4 8,,worcester1 ,march #bj1 #aghh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sally1--,mr4 ,whitefield had1 for a considerable time1 thrown up all the food he took4 ,i advised him to slit a large onion across the grain1 and bind it warm on the pit of his stomach4 ,he vomited no more4 ,pray apply this to my brother's stomach1 the next time he eats4 8,one in ,yorkshire1 who was dying for want of food1 as she threw up all she took1 was saved by the following means3 ,boil crusts of white bread to the consistence of a jelly2 add a few drops of lemon juice1 and a little loaf sugar2 take a spoonful once or twice an hour4 ,by all means1 let him try this4 8,if neither of these avail1 7which ,i think will not be the case17 remember the lady at ,paris1 who lived several weeks without swallowing a grain1 by applying thin slices of beef to the stomach4 8,but1 above all1 let prayer be made continually2 and1 probably1 he will be stronger after this illness than he has been these ten years4 ,is anything too hard for ,god8 ,on ,sunday ,i am to be at ,birmingham2 on ,sunday sennight1 at ,madeley4 ,my dear ,sally1 adieu6 8,,john ,,wesley40#fac ,nine days after this1 on ,march #bi1 ,charles ,wesley died4 ,it is a curious incident1 that ,wesley1 at the time1 was preaching in ,shropshire1 and 7as was afterwards ascertained7 he and his congregation1 at the very moment of his brother's exit1 were singing3 8,come let us join our friends above1 ,that have obtained the prize1 ,and1 on the eagle wings of love1 ,to joys celestial rise3 ,let all the saints terrestrial sing1 ,with those to glory gone2 ,for all the servants of our ,king1 ,in earth and heaven1 are one4 ,one family we dwell in ,him1 ,one church1 above1 beneath1 ,though now divided by the stream1 ,the narrow stream1 of death3 ,one army of the living ,god1 ,to ,his command we bow2 ,part of ,his host have crossed the flood1 ,and part are crossing now40#fad ,samuel ,bradburn1 the assistant in the ,city ,road circuit1 immediately dispatched a letter to ,wesley1 informing him of his brother's death2 but1 in consequence of its being misdirected1 it failed to reach him till ,april #d1 the day before the burial4 ,wesley was at ,macclesfield1 and to get to ,london in time for the funeral was impossible4 ,hence the following letter to the bereaved widow4 8,,macclesfield1 ,april #d1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,sister1--,half an hour ago1 ,i received a letter from ,mr4 ,bradburn1 informing me of my brother's death4 ,for eleven or twelve days before1 ,i had not one line concerning him4 ,the last ,i had was from ,charles1 which ,i delayed to answer1 expecting every day to receive some further information4 ,we have only now to learn that great lesson1 #8,the ,lord gave1 and the ,lord hath taken away2 blessed be the name of the ,lord6' ,if it had been necessary1 in order to serve either him or you1 ,i should not have thought much of coming up to ,london4 ,indeed1 to serve you1 or your dear family1 in anything that is in my power1 will always be a pleasure to1 dear sister1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fae ,wesley had no disposition to tell the deep sorrows of his heart2 but that he severely felt the departure of his brother1 there can be no question4 ,a fortnight afterwards1 when at ,bolton1 he attempted to give out1 as his second hymn1 the one beginning with the words1 8,come1 ,o ,thou ,traveller unknown02 but when he came to the lines1-- 8,my company before is gone1 ,and ,i am left alone with ,thee10-- the bereaved old man sunk beneath emotion which was uncontrollable1 burst into a flood of tears1 sat down in the pulpit1 and hid his face with his hands4 ,the crowded congregation well knew the cause of his speechless excitement2 singing ceased2 and the chapel became a ,bochim4 ,at length1 ,wesley recovered himself1 rose again1 and went through a service which was never forgotten by those who were present at it4#faf ,wesley intended to write his brother's life1 and began to collect materials for it2 but his other engagements were too numerous to admit of the fulfilment of his purpose4 ,the following is the obituary published in the conference minutes4 8,mr4 ,,charles ,,wesley1 who1 after spending fourscore years with much sorrow and pain1 quietly retired into ,abraham's bosom4 ,he had no disease2 but1 after a gradual decay of some months1 #8,the weary wheels of life stood still at last4' ,his least praise was his talent for poetry2 although ,dr4 ,watts did not scruple to say1 that that single poem1 #8,wrestling ,jacob1' was worth all the verses he himself had written40 ,this is not the place1 nor indeed have we room for it1 to write a critique on the life and character of this remarkable man4 ,it would be easy to give the opinions of those who knew him1--,whitehead1 ,moore1 ,coke1 ,bradburn1 ,clarke1 and ,pawson1--some in favour1 and others to the contrary4 ,suffice it to say1 that1 had he done nothing more than furnish the ,methodists1 and the church of ,christ generally1 with his incomparable hymns1 in which so many millions have devoutly worshipped the ,god of heaven1 he would have rendered service to the cause of truth and piety which no language can adequately describe4 ,his 8hymns1 and psalms1 and spiritual songs10 for a hundred and thirty years1 have been the metrical liturgy of the people called ,methodists1 and to them countless multitudes have been indebted for not a few of their richest blessings4 ,true to his high church principles1 ,charles ,wesley1 instead of selecting the burial ground of his brother's chapel in ,city ,road1 desired to be interred in the consecrated churchyard of ,st4 ,marylebone4 ,this1 to ,wesley1 was a painful disappointment4 8,it is a pity10 said he1 in a letter to the ,rev4 ,peard ,dickenson1 8but the remains of my brother had been deposited with mine4 ,certainly that ground is holy as any in ,england2 and it contains a large quantity of #8bonny dead4'0#fag ,so deeply did he feel this1 that1 seven weeks after his brother's funeral1 he wrote an article1 at ,dumfries1 on the consecration of churches and burial grounds1 which he published in his magazine2 and in which1 after showing1 that there is no law of ,england1 or of the ,english ,church1 enjoining such a practice1 he remarks3 8,neither is it enjoined by the law of ,god4 ,where do we find one word1 in the ,new ,testament1 enjoining any such thing8 ,neither do ,i remember any precedent of it in the purest ages of the church4 ,it seems to have entered1 and gradually spread itself1 with the other innovations and superstitions of the ,church of ,rome4 ,for this reason1 ,i never wished that any bishop should consecrate any chapel or burial ground of mine4 ,indeed1 ,i should not dare to suffer it2 as ,i am clearly persuaded the thing is wrong in itself1 being not authorised either by any law of ,god1 or by any law of the land4 ,in consequence of which1 ,i conceive1 that either the clerk or the sexton may as well consecrate the church1 or the churchyard1 as the bishop4 ,with regard to the latter1 ,i know not who could answer that plain question3 ,you say1 #8,this is consecrated ground1 so many feet broad1 and so many long'2 but pray how deep is it8 #8,deep6 what does that signify8' ,oh1 a great deal6 for if my grave be dug too deep1 ,i may happen to get out of the consecrated ground6 ,and who can tell1 what unhappy consequences may follow from this6 ,i take the whole of this practice to be a mere relic of ,romish superstition4 ,and ,i wonder1 that any sensible protestant should think it right to countenance it2 much more that any reasonable man should plead for the necessity of it6 ,surely it is high time now1 that we should be guided1 not by custom1 but by ,scripture and reason40#fah ,this was a heavy blow at his brother's prejudice4 ,wesley himself resolved to be buried in the ground connected with the chapel in the ,city ,road1 and he wished his brother to be buried with him4 ,to this ,charles objected1 because the ground had not been consecrated by a bishop6 ,the objection was foolish2 and the burial1 in another place1 occasioned considerable gossip4 ,john ,pawson1 in a letter dated ,april #bh1 #aghh1 remarks3 8,charles ,wesley would not be buried at the new chapel1 because it was not consecrated2 nor by any of our ministers1 but by one of his own choosing4 ,he sent for the parson of the parish where he lived1 and said3 #8,sir1 whatever the world may have thought of me1 ,i have lived1 and ,i die1 in the communion of the ,church of ,england1 and ,i will be buried in the yard of my parish church4'0#fai ,wesley well knew that remarks like these were current2 and he owed it to his people to publish his thoughts on a subject1 which1 however insignificant in itself1 was not unlikely to be a gossiping gangrene in his societies4 ,wesley's affection for his brother was evinced in the continued kindness exercised towards his brother's family4 ,according to his own account book1 he gave to them1 in this the year of their bereavement1 at least1 two hundred guineas4 ,he also assured his brother's widow that1 as long as he lived1 he would help her to the utmost of his power4 ,the two following letters may fitly draw the curtain on ,charles ,wesley's death and burial4 8,july #be1 #aghh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,you know well what a regard ,i had for ,miss ,gwynne1 before she was ,mrs4 ,wesley4 ,and it has not ceased from that time till now4 ,i am persuaded it never will4 ,therefore1 ,i will speak without reserve just what comes into my mind4 ,i have sometimes thought you are a little like me4 ,my wife used to tell me1 #8,my dear1 you are too generous4 ,you don't know the value of money4' ,i could not wholly deny the charge4 ,possibly1 you may sometimes lean to the same extreme4 ,i know you are of a generous spirit4 ,you have an open heart1 and an open hand4 ,but may it not sometimes be too open1 more so than your circumstances will allow8 ,is it not an instance of ,christian1 as well as worldly1 prudence1 to cut our coat according to our cloth8 ,if your circumstances are a little narrower1 should you not contract your expenses too8 ,i need but just give you this hint1 which ,i doubt not you will take kindly from1 my dear ,sally1 8,your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fbj 8,december #ba1 #aghh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,it is undoubtedly true1 that some silly people1 7whether in the society or not ,i cannot tell17 have frequently talked in that manner1 both of my brother and me4 ,they have said1 that we were well paid for our labours4 ,and1 indeed1 so we were1 but not by man4 ,yet1 this is no more than we were to expect1 especially from busybodies in other men's matters4 ,and it is no more possible to restrain their tongues1 than it is to bind up the wind4 ,but it is sufficient for us1 that our own conscience condemned us not2 and that our record is with the ,most ,high4 8,what has concerned me more than this idle slander is a trial of another kind4 ,i supposed1 when ,john ,atlay left me1 that he had left me one or two hundred pounds beforehand4 ,on the contrary1 ,i am one or two hundred pounds behindhand1 and shall not recover myself till after ,christmas4 ,some of the first moneys ,i receive1 ,i shall set apart for you2 and in everything that is in my power1 you may depend upon the willing assistance of1 8,dear ,sally1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fba ,we must now return to ,wesley's journal4 ,on the last day in ,february1 he left ,london1 for ,bath and ,bristol4 ,the mayor of ,bristol invited him to preach in the civic church1 which invitation he accepted4 ,his worship and most of the aldermen were present2 and ,wesley1 fearing no man's frown1 and courting no man's favour1 took for his text the fearful narrative of the rich man and ,lazarus2 and then dined1 with the rich men1 at the rich man's table1 in the mansion house4 ,the most remarkable incident1 however1 occurred in his own chapel on ,thursday evening1 the #fth of ,march4 ,at that time1 one of the great questions of the day was the subject of slavery2 and ,wesley had announced his intention to preach on it4 ,the chapel1 in consequence1 was densely crowded1 with both rich and poor4 ,wesley selected as his text1 8,god shall enlarge ,japheth3 and he shall dwell in the tents of ,shem3 and ,canaan shall be his servant40 ,the rest we give in the words of ,wesley himself4 ,he writes3 8,about the middle of the discourse1 while there was on every side attention still as night1 a vehement noise arose1 none could tell why1 and shot like lightning through the congregation4 ,the terror and confusion were inexpressible4 ,you might have imagined it was a city taken by storm4 ,the people rushed upon each other with the utmost violence2 the benches were broken in pieces2 and nine tenths of the congregation appeared to be struck with the same panic4 ,in about six minutes1 the storm ceased1 almost as suddenly as it rose2 and1 all being calm1 ,i went on without the least interruption4 ,it was the strangest incident of the kind ,i ever remember2 and1 ,i believe1 none can account for it1 without supposing some prternatural influence4 ,satan fought1 lest his kingdom should be delivered up4 ,we set the next day apart as a day of fasting and prayer1 that ,god would remember those poor outcasts of men10 the slaves1 8and make a way for them to escape1 and break their chains asunder40 ,the sceptic will sneer at ,wesley's solution2 but1 before he does so1 he ought himself to supply a better4 ,opinions respecting this mysterious commotion will be different2 but all parties will unite in admiring ,wesley's sympathy with the suffering slave4 ,wesley was the first ,englishman who appointed a fast day to pray that slavery might cease4 ,on the #agth of ,march1 ,wesley set out on his journey to the north4 ,everywhere he had enormous congregations2 and frequently was obliged1 in wintry weather1 to preach in the open air4 ,mrs4 ,fletcher1 at ,madeley1 wrote3 8,i could not but discern a great change in him4 ,his soul seems far more sunk into ,god1 and such an unction attends his word1 that each sermon was indeed spirit and life40#fbb ,exactly eight weeks were occupied in reaching the ,scottish border2 and1 during this interval1 ,wesley preached more than eighty sermons1 in fifty-seven different towns and villages4 ,in seven instances1 all in ,yorkshire1 he preached in churches4 ,the crowds were greater than ever2 and1 almost in every place he visited1 he found the work of ,god progressing4 ,on the #acth of ,may1 ,wesley visited ,dumfries1 where he had stationed ,robert ,dall1 at the conference of #aghg4 ,dumfries was without a chapel1 and without a society2 but ,mr4 ,dall had just the sort of energy which such a place required2 and ,wesley knew it4 ,the following letters to his home missionary have not before been published4 8,,london1 ,december #a1 #aghg4 8,,dear ,,robert1--,you have reason to praise ,god1 who has prospered you1 and given you to see the fruit of your labours4 ,our all dispensing ,god has called us to preach the plain gospel4 ,i am glad your hands are strengthened in corresponding with the brethren4 ,i will desire any to change with you when you see it best1 and1 if ,i live till spring1 please ,god1 ,i will visit you at ,dumfries4 8,i am1 with love to sister ,dall1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 8,,london1 ,february #aa1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,robert1--,i allow you to build at ,dumfries1 providing any one will lend a hundred guineas on interest 8,i hope to see you1 ,god willing1 in ,may1 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,robert ,dall was one of ,wesley's favourites1 and so was his ,christian wife1 to whom1 said ,wesley1 in another unpublished letter now before us1 8,god has given both sense and grace40 ,this godly couple set all their energies to work2 and1 by begging of their friends in all parts of the ,united ,kingdom1 succeeded1 in three months1 in building the unique chapel which ,wesley describes below4 ,the effort was regarded as gigantic2 and ,wesley's visit was a sort of triumphant top stone to the whole affair4 8,such10 writes ,mrs4 ,gordon ,playdell to ,mr4 ,dall1 8such was the general prejudice against ,mr4 ,wesley1 that ,i really feared his coming would end your hopeful prosperity2 but ,god has disappointed all my fears1 and outdone all my hopes4 ,the popularity1 which met him here1 was marvellous4 ,the turn in his favour was such as none but ,god could have brought about4 ,you have been all along respected1 and the esteem for you grows more and more4 ,your pious1 unwearied attentions to the poor criminals have increased the general regard for you1 and your sermons in the jail been much approved40#fbc 8,mr4 ,wesley10 wrote ,charles ,atmore1 8was much pleased with ,dumfries and you4 ,he has given you a place in his journal1 and what you have done at ,dumfries will be a memorial of you to all generations40 ,we could quote a large number of other letters relative to the same subject2 but the above is a sufficient preface to the following racy extract from ,wesley's journal4 8,may #ac--,to-day1 we went through lovely roads to ,dumfries4 ,robert ,dall soon found me out4 ,he has behaved exceeding well1 and done much good here3 but he is a bold man2 he has begun building a preaching house1 larger than any in ,scotland1 except those in ,glasgow and ,edinburgh6 ,in the evening1 ,i preached abroad in a convenient street1 on one side of the town4 ,rich and poor attended from every quarter1 of whatever denomination2 and every one seemed to hear for life4 ,surely the ,scots are the best hearers in ,europe6 ,at five1 next morning1 ,i was importuned to preach in the preaching house2 but such an one ,i never saw before4 ,it had no windows at all3 so that1 although the sun shone bright1 we could see nothing without candles40 ,wesley's next halting place was ,glasgow4 ,it had been widely reported1 by some of the ,scottish ministers1 that he was about to publish a new edition of the ,bible1 and to leave out part of the ,epistle to the ,romans1 ,st4 ,john's ,apocalypse1 and other portions of the inspired writings2#fbd but1 notwithstanding this1 says ,charles ,atmore1 in the letter before quoted1 8he was far better received in ,glasgow than ever40 ,here he spent three days2 preached six sermons2 gave an account concerning the rise and progress of ,methodism2 and ordained ,john ,barber4#fbe ,speaking of the ,glasgow chapel1 ,wesley writes3 8,it will contain about as many as the chapel at ,bath4 ,but oh the difference6 ,it has the pulpit on one side2 and has exactly the look of a presbyterian meeting-house4 ,it is the very sister of our house at ,brentford4 ,perhaps an omen of what will be when ,i am gone40 ,in his address on ,methodism1 which was delivered to the congregation1 he remarked3 8,there is no other religious society under heaven1 which requires nothing of men in order to their admission into it1 but a desire to save their souls4 ,look all around you1 you cannot be admitted into the church1 or society of the presbyterians1 anabaptists1 quakers1 or any others1 unless you hold the same opinions with them1 and adhere to the same mode of worship4 ,the ,methodists alone do not insist on your holding this or that opinion2 but they think and let think4 ,neither do they impose any particular mode of worship2 but you may continue to worship in your former manner1 be it what it may4 ,now1 ,i do not know any other religious society1 either ancient or modern1 wherein such liberty of conscience is now allowed1 or has been allowed1 since the age of the apostles4 ,here is our glorying2 and a glorying peculiar to us4 ,what society shares it with us80 ,from ,glasgow1 ,wesley went to ,edinburgh1 where he wrote3 8,i still find a frankness and openness in the people of ,edinburgh1 which ,i find in few other parts of the kingdom4 ,i spent two days among them with much satisfaction2 and ,i was not at all disappointed1 in finding no such increase1 either in the congregation or the society1 as many expected from their leaving the kirk40 ,wesley here recognises the ,edinburgh ,methodists as a separated people1 in other words1 a church2 but adroitly intimates1 that the result was not equal to what many of his friends had ventured to expect4 ,how stands the case8 ,in #agff1 when the numbers were first given1 ,edinburgh circuit had #afe members of society1 who1 in the next four years1 dwindled to #fb4 ,then the circuit rallied1 and1 in four years more1 the numbers rose to #bhg4 ,in the next quadrennial period1 we find them reduced to #afa4 ,in #aghe1 when the ordinations for ,scotland took place1 ,edinburgh had #acd ,methodists2 now1 in #aghh1 it had #ccj2 which1 however1 at ,wesley's death in #agia1 were reduced to #bje4 ,these are curious statistics2 and help to cast light on ,wesley's meaning4 ,on ,may #be1 ,wesley reached ,newcastle1 which1 for the next fortnight1 was the centre of his labours4 ,two incidents1 in connection with this visit1 are worth recording4 ,three years before1 ,john ,hampson1 jun41 greatly offended1 had relinquished the itinerancy1 and was now a clergyman at ,sunderland4 ,strangely enough1 ,hampson invited ,wesley to occupy his pulpit1 and ,wesley willingly accepted the invitation4 ,the church was crowded both morning and afternoon4 ,the other incident occurred at ,stanhope1 famed 8for nothing but a very uncommon degree of wickedness40 ,the preaching place was an upper room1 and the congregation large4 ,presently1 the main beam1 that supported the room1 gave way1 and a frightful hubbub followed4 8,one man10 says ,wesley1 8leaped out of the window2 the rest quietly went out2 and nothing was hurt except a poor dog beneath the window4 ,i then preached in the open air1 to twice or thrice as many as the room would have contained1 who were all attention40 ,this1 which might have been a serious catastrophe1 happened at five o'clock on a summer's morning4 ,on the #ith of ,june1 ,wesley left ,newcastle for the south4 ,reaching ,darlington1 he writes3 8,margaret ,barlow came to me2 and ,i asked her abundance of questions4 ,i was soon convinced1 that she was not only sincere1 but deep in grace2 and1 therefore1 incapable of deceit4 ,i was convinced likewise1 that she had frequent intercourse with a spirit that appeared to her in the form of an angel4 ,i know not how to judge of the rest4 ,her account was3--#8,for above a year1 ,i have seen this angel1 whose face is exceeding beautiful3 her raiment white as snow1 and glistering like silver2 her voice unspeakably soft and musical4 ,she tells me many things before they come to pass4 ,she foretold ,i should be ill at such a time1 in such a manner1 and well at such an hour2 and it was so exactly4 ,she has said1 such a person shall die at such a time2 and he did so4 ,above two months ago1 she told me your brother was dead2 7,i did not know you had a brother27 and that he was in heaven4 ,and some time since1 she told me1 you will die in less than a year4 ,but what she has most earnestly and frequently told me1 is1 that ,god will1 in a short time1 be avenged on obstinate sinners1 and will destroy them with fire from heaven4'0 ,wesley adds3 8,whether this will be so or no1 ,i cannot tell2 but when we were alone there was a wonderful power in her words2 and1 as the ,indian said to ,david ,brainerd1 #8,they did good to my heart4' ,it is above a year since this girl was visited in this manner1 being then between fourteen and fifteen years old4 ,but she was then quite a womanish girl1 and of unblamable behaviour4 ,suppose that which appeared to her was really an angel2 yet from the face1 the voice1 and the apparel1 she might easily mistake him for a female2 and this mistake is of little consequence4 ,much good has already resulted from this odd event2 and is likely to ensue2 provided those who believe1 and those who disbelieve1 her report1 have but patience with each other40 ,marvellous6 ,who was ,margaret ,barlow8 ,the answer involves an episode in ,methodistic history4 ,in the conference minutes for #aggh1 ,john ,blades is reported as one of ,wesley's itinerant preachers on trial2 but1 beyond this1 he is never mentioned4 ,blades was a native of ,northumberland1 a weakminded fanatic1 totally unfit for the itinerant work4 ,perhaps1 for this reason1 he was not appointed to a circuit4 ,for some years1 however1 he acted1 in the capacity of a local preacher1 in the north of ,england4 ,he then began to preach consummate nonsense respecting the privileges of believers1 and1 with such success that1 when he left the ,methodists in #aghd1 he was enabled to form separate societies in a large number of places in the county of ,durham1 and in the north of ,yorkshire4 ,among his followers1 who were called ,bladonians1#fbf was ,ralph ,hodgson1 a miller at ,west ,auckland1 in whose house ,margaret ,barlow was a servant4 ,we have before us a long unpublished letter1 written by this dusty enthusiast1 only a fortnight before ,wesley's interview with his servant girl at ,darlington4 ,it is addressed to 8,mr4 ,richard ,steel1 ,tanner1 ,wolsingham4 ,with all possible speed03 and is dated1 ,may #bg1 #aghh4 ,hodgson tells his friend ,steel that an angel from the ,lord had appeared to him1 and stated that the 8wicked were about to be destroyed from off the face of the earth40 ,he also urges ,steel to join with him in making this angelic revelation as widely known as possible4 ,it is a curious fact that ,hodgson waited upon ,wesley at ,newcastle1 for the purpose of converting him to his opinions2 and that he accompanied his clairvoyant servant1 ,margaret ,barlow1 to meet ,wesley at the house of ,thomas ,pickering1 at ,darlington4 ,he also wrote a long letter1 dated 8,west ,auckland1 ,october #bf1 #aghh10 to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,agutter1 ,st4 ,mary ,magdalen college1 ,oxford1 in which he informed that gentleman that ,margaret ,barlow had been his servant about two years2 that she had attended the services of the ,methodists2 that an angel had appeared to her in the form of a female1 and with a lustre brighter than the light of a thousand candles2 that the angel had come to her in the daytime as well as night2 and had made known to her the state of many who were dead1 as well as many who were still alive2 but that the principal matter1 which the angel had revealed1 was the exact day when the wicked would be destroyed4 ,margaret also had been much disturbed by the appearance of two evil spirits1 both clad in black1 and wearing horns2 but the recital of her visions had produced effects great and blessed4 ,what was the result of all this religious raving8 ,margaret1 at length1 announced the exact day when the destruction of the wicked was to be accomplished4 ,intense excitement followed4 ,some sold their clothing and property1 and distributed the proceeds among the poor2 and others exulted at the thought of the possessions of the wicked being distributed among themselves4 ,the day came1 numbers having sat up all night to watch its dawning4 ,portentous signs appeared4 ,the heavens gathered blackness1 lightnings flashed1 and thunders roared4 ,at ,barnardcastle it was the day of the weekly market4 ,the people were frantic1 some with hope1 and some with fear4 ,cries were heard1 8,it is coming6 ,it is coming60 ,the business of the market was suspended2 and consternation was general4 ,at length1 the clouds were scattered1 the heavens brightened1 the day passed over1 and all things continued as they were4 ,the bubble burst2 ,blades1 ,hodgson1 his wife1 and ,margaret ,barlow were discredited1 and fled across the ,atlantic2 where most1 if not all of them1 joined the shakers1 whose principles and morals1 to say the least1 were capable of great improvement4 ,the reader will excuse this lengthened digression concerning a mad miller and his servant maid4 ,we have purposely omitted the numerous stories1 of a similar description1 which ,wesley has inserted in his journal and magazine2 but one instance seemed necessary1 to illustrate what was unquestionably a feature in ,wesley's character1--excessive credulity in receiving doubtful proofs of the existence and nearness of an unseen world of spirits4 ,we are not inclined to say hard things concerning this4 ,it was a weakness1 but not a sin4 ,besides1 though some of the stories1 referred to1 were ridiculously foolish1 it would be rashness to deny that some of the others were strictly and startlingly true4 ,and further1 we honestly declare that1 in an age like this1 when the general tendency is to scepticism rather than to credulity1 we should hail1 as no bad omen1 the appearance of a disposition1 like that of ,wesley1 to cherish1 not denounce1 any and every evidence of another and future state of being4 ,on leaving ,darlington1 ,wesley proceeded to ,whitby1 where he was advertised to open a new chapel2 but1 as often happens now1 when the day arrived1 the building was far from being ready4 ,for want of stairs1 the people had to be admitted to the gallery through one of the back windows near the pulpit2 and1 for want of a gallery front1 a number of stalwart ,yorkshiremen squatted themselves all round the gallery ledge1 their backs protecting the people behind them1 and their feet dangling over the heads of those below4#fbg ,wesley writes3 8,june #ac1 ,friday4--,at eight1 ,i preached to a lovely congregation at ,stokesley2 and1 at eleven1 in ,guisborough1 to one far larger4 ,in the evening1 ,i preached at ,whitby1 in the new house1 thoroughly filled above and below4 ,the unfinished galleries1 having as yet no fronts1 were frightful to look upon4 ,it is the most curious house we have in ,england4 ,you go up to it by about forty steps2 and have then before you a lofty front1 ,i judge1 near fifty feet high1 and fifty-four feet broad40 ,wesley spent the next two days in ,whitby1 preaching twice on ,saturday1 and thrice on ,sunday1 and finishing up with a ,yorkshire lovefeast4 ,from the 8plain people at ,whitby10 ,wesley went to the ,scarborough elegants2 and thence to ,bridlington1 ,malton1 ,beverley1 and ,hull4 ,in the last mentioned town1 ,joseph ,benson and the ,methodists had recently erected ,george ,yard chapel1 an edifice of which ,benson was immensely proud1 and whose account of its opening services1 six months before1 drew from ,wesley the following laconic letter4 8,,dear ,,joseph1--,i greatly rejoice in the erection of your new preaching house2 and in the tokens of the ,divine presence with which you and the people were favoured at the opening2 but if it be at all equal to the new chapel in ,london1 ,i will engage to eat it4 8,i am1 yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fbh ,wesley's new chapel in ,city ,road was his beau ideal1 and great was his jealousy of all pretentious competitors2 but still he was obliged to acknowledge1 that even ,george ,yard chapel1 ,hull1 was 8well built1 and elegantly finished2 handsome1 but not gaudy40 ,during his stay in ,hull1 he preached twice in the high church1 by the invitation of the vicar1 ,mr4 ,clark2 and thrice in ,benson's pet chapel4 ,notwithstanding his three heavy services on the previous day1 ,wesley1 an old man1 in the eighty-fifth year of his age1 set out on ,june #bc1 and not only travelled all the way from ,hull to ,york1 but1 preached four sermons in four different towns and villages4 ,at ,york a happy reconciliation was brought about4 ,wesley had been greatly annoyed with ,robert ,spence for publishing the 8,york ,hymn ,book02 and ,robert had been so grieved by ,wesley's strictures as to be strongly tempted to leave the ,methodists4 ,wesley and the grand old ,methodist at ,york1 however1 were not the men to harbour malice2 and1 by appointment1 the offending bookseller breakfasted with ,wesley1 at three o'clock in the morning1 and all past differences were consigned to the shades of charitable oblivion4#fbi ,a three o'clock breakfast6 ,and yet1 this1 with ,wesley1 was not at all unusual4 ,his energy1 diligence1 and punctuality were marvellous4 ,addressing his coachman1 at this early breakfast in the city of ,york1 he said1 8,have the carriage at the door at four4 ,i do not mean a quarter or five minutes past1 but four40 ,the man knew what his master meant2 and1 as the minster clock struck four1 ,wesley had shaken hands with ,robert ,spence1 and was entering his chaise4#fcj ,railways1 since then1 have helped to make some men punctual2 but ,wesley was perfect in this human excellence long before railway engines began to whistle4 ,wesley made his way to ,epworth1 where he spent his birthday4 ,he writes3 8,june #bh4--;,i this day enter on my eighty-fifth year#fca3 and what cause have ,i to praise ,god1 as for a thousand spiritual blessings1 so1 for bodily blessings also6 ,how little have ,i suffered yet by #8the rush of numerous years6' ,it is true1 ,i am not so agile as ,i was in times past4 ,i do not run or walk so fast as ,i did2 my sight is a little decayed2 my left eye is grown dim1 and hardly serves me to read2 ,i have daily some pain in the ball of my right eye1 as also in my right temple1 7occasioned by a blow received some months since17 and in my right shoulder and arm1 which ,i impute partly to a sprain1 and partly to the rheumatism4 ,i find1 likewise1 some decay in my memory1 with regard to names and things lately past2 but not at all with regard to what ,i have read or heard twenty1 forty1 or sixty years ago2 neither do ,i find any decay in my hearing1 smell1 taste1 or appetite2 7though ,i want but a third part of the food ,i did once27 nor do ,i feel any such thing as weariness1 either in travelling or preaching2 and ,i am not conscious of any decay in writing sermons2 which ,i do as readily1 and ,i believe1 as correctly1 as ever4 8,to what cause can ,i impute this1 that ,i am as ,i am8 ,first1 doubtless1 to the power of ,god1 fitting me for the work to which ,i am called1 as long as ,he pleases to continue me therein2 and1 next1 subordinately to this1 to the prayers of ,his children4 8,may we not impute it1 as inferior means1 7#a7 ,to my constant exercise and change of air8 7#b7 ,to my never having lost a night's sleep1 sick or well1 at land or at sea1 since ,i was born8 7#c7 ,to my having sleep at command2 so that1 whenever ,i feel myself almost worn out1 ,i call it1 and it comes1 day or night8 7#d7 ,to my having constantly1 for above sixty years1 risen at four in the morning8 7#e7 ,to my constant preaching at five in the morning1 for above fifty years8 7#f7 ,to my having had so little pain in my life2 and so little sorrow1 or anxious care8 8,even now1 though ,i find pain daily in my eye1 or temple1 or arm2 yet it is never violent1 and seldom lasts many minutes at a time4 ,whether or not this is sent to give me warning1 that ,i am shortly to quit this tabernacle1 ,i do not know2 but be it one way or the other1 ,i have only to say1 #8,my remnant of days ,i spend to ,his praise1 ,who died the whole world to redeem3 ,be they many or few1 ,my days are ,his due1 ,and they all are devoted to ,him4'0 ,wesley's two texts on this memorable birthday were appropriate4 ,here1 eighty-five years before1 he had been born1 in the ,epworth parsonage2 and now1 in the morning1 he preached from1 8,so teach us to number our days1 that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom02 and1 in the evening1 from1 8,beware1 therefore1 lest that come upon you1 which is spoken of in the prophets2 behold1 ye despisers1 and wonder1 and perish2 for ,i work a work in your days1 a work which ye shall in no wise believe1 though a man declare it unto you40 ,this may be a fitting place to insert a selection from ,wesley's letters1 written in the previous six months4 ,the first was addressed to ,william ,black1 one of his missionaries in ,nova ,scotia4 ,black had related to ,wesley the cases of certain demoniacs1 and particularly one which he himself had seen4 ,when ,black approached1 it was with the utmost difficulty that four men could hold the poor wretch1 and prevent him doing the missionary serious injury4 ,black immediately fell upon his knees1 and began to pray4 ,in an instant1 the frenzy of the man subsided2 and the lips1 that a few moments before had uttered blasphemy1 began to syllable the praises of the great ,redeemer4 ,wesley's letter is as follows4 8,,gloucester1 ,march #ai1 #aghh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am glad to find you are still going on in the glorious work to which you are called4 ,we have need to make haste therein2 to use all diligence4 ,for the work is great2 the day is short2 and lonely is the night wherein no man can work4 8,it is well that ,satan is constrained to show himself so plainly in the case of those poor demoniacs4 ,thereby1 he weakens his own kingdom1 and excites us to assault him more zealously4 ,in the beginning of the work in ,england and ,ireland1 we had many cases of the kind4 ,but he now chooses to assault us by subtlety more than by strength4 8,i wish you would do all you possibly can to keep our brethren in peace with each other4 ,your pains will not be lost on poor ,john ,mc,geary4 ,there is much good in him4 ,indeed1 he is naturally of a bold1 forward temper2 but ,i hope his zeal is now according to knowledge4 8,praying that you may increase with all the increase of ,god1 ,i am your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fcb ,the next is brief1 but interesting4 ,agnes ,collinson was now a remarkable child1 twelve years old4 ,six years afterwards1 she became the wife of ,mr4 ,joseph ,bulmer2 and lived to be the authoress of 8,messiah's ,kingdom10 in twelve books1 #dhf pages1 and of the beautiful hymn1 which is so often sung at the laying of the foundation stones of ,methodist chapels1 8,thou who hast in ,zion laid10 etc4 ,mrs4 ,bulmer was born a poet1 and1 at the death of ,charles ,wesley1 wrote an elegy1 which was sent to the surviving brother1 and evoked the following characteristic letter4 8,,my ,,dear ,,maiden1--,beware of pride2 beware of flattery2 suffer none to commend you to your face2 remember1 one good temper is of more value1 in the sight of ,god1 than a thousand good verses4 ,all you want is to have the mind that was in ,christ1 and to walk as ,christ walked4 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#fcc ,the following is now for the first time published4 ,william ,simpson1 to whom it was addressed1 was assistant in the ,yarm circuit4 8,,near ,,colne1 ,april #bf1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,billy1--,you did well to expel those who marry ungodly persons1--a real evil1 which we never can tolerate4 ,you should speak to every believer singly concerning meeting in band4 ,there were always some in ,yarm circuit1 though not many4 ,no circuit ever did1 or ever will flourish1 unless there are bands in the large societies4 ,it is a good sign1 that so many of our preachers are willing to contribute to those necessary expenses4 ,they used to be much straitened in their bowels1 whenever money was wanted4 ,you have now good encouragement to remain another year in the circuit4 ,but you know two preachers do not remain in the same circuit more than one year4 8,i am1 dear ,billy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,dr4 ,coke was an innovator4 ,finding that many of the ,dublin ,methodists were in the habit of attending ,dissenting chapels on the sabbath1 he1 in order to prevent this1 directed that1 on three ,sundays out of four1 there should be service in ,whitefriar ,street chapel in church hours2 and that1 on the fourth1 the ,methodists should be recommended to attend ,st4 ,patrick's church1 and receive the sacrament4#fcd ,henry ,moore was the assistant in the ,dublin circuit2 was nearly as old a man as ,coke2 and1 as a preacher1 his superior4 ,coke's assumption to act as ,wesley's vicar gave great offence1 and the new arrangement had to be abandoned4#fce ,the following letters refer to this ,dublin fracas1 and are not without interest1 as evincing ,wesley's persistent adherence to the ,established ,church4 ,the first three were addressed to ,moore2 the fourth to ,coke4 8,,leeds1 ,may #f1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,henry1--,the doctor is too warm4 ,he ought to have had more regard to so respectable a body of men as applied to him4 ,i am a ,church of ,england man2 and1 as ,i said fifty years ago1 so ,i say still1 in the ,church ,i will live and die1 unless ,i am thrust out4 ,we must have no more service at ,whitefriars in the church hours4 ,leave all contention before it be meddled with4 ,follow after peace4 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#fcf 8,,whitehaven1 ,may #aa1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,henry1--,still1 the more ,i reflect1 the more ,i am convinced1 that the ,methodists ought not to leave the ,church4 ,i judge1 that to lose a thousand1 yea1 ten thousand1 of our people1 would be a less evil than this4 #8,but many had much comfort in this4' ,so they would in any new thing4 ,i believe ,satan himself would give them comfort herein2 for he knows what the end would be4 ,our glory has hitherto been not to be a separate body3 #8,hoc ,ithacus velit4' 8,but whatever ,mr4 ,smyth does1 ,i am for the old way4 ,i advise you to abide in it1 till you find another new event1 although1 indeed1 you may expect it every day2 namely1 the removal of your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fcg 8,,glasgow1 ,may #ab1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,henry1--,i allow two points3 #a4 ,that1 while ,dr4 ,coke is in ,dublin1 he may have service at eleven o'clock as before4 #b4 ,that1 on condition that our brethren will attend ,st4 ,patrick's one ,sunday in four1 you may read prayers the other three in the room4 ,when ,dr4 ,coke returns from ,dublin1 he should immediately send me word who is proper to succeed you there4 ,i shall be glad1 if ,i can1 to have ,nancy and you at ,bristol next year4 ,it is not unlikely1 ,i may finish my course there2 and1 if so1 ,i should love to have her to close my eyes4 ,my brother said1 ,i should follow him within the year4 ,but1 be that as it may1 by ,god's help1 ,i will live to-day4 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#fch 8,,glasgow1 ,may #af1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,i came hither this morning4 ,there is a fair opening at ,dumfries1 and a prospect of much good4 ,i like your proposal concerning ,joseph ,cownley1#fci and will talk with him about it if ,i live to see ,newcastle4 8,as ,i said before1 so ,i say still1 ,i cannot1 ,i dare not1 leave the ,church1 for the reasons we all agreed to thirty years ago in the conference at ,leeds4 ,thus far only ,i could go4 ,on condition1 that our people would receive the ,lord's supper once a month either at ,st4 ,patrick's1 or their own parish church 7the reasonableness of which should be strongly and largely explained71--on this condition1 ,i would allow ,henry ,moore to read the morning service at ,whitefriars on the other ,sundays4 8,i wonder at the imprudence of ,mr4 ,edward ,smyth1 to say nothing of his unkindness4 ,you did well in changing the stewards at ,waterford4 8,i am1 dear sir1 yours most affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fdj ,the following1 hitherto unpublished1 letter was addressed to ,thomas ,taylor1 then stationed at ,manchester1 and refers to a gigantic evil which still exists4 8,,near ,,newcastle1 ,june #g1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,i have no time to spend on controversy about the ,church1 unless ,i had leisure to write a folio4 8,it is no wonder1 that every one should be ruined who concerns himself with that execrable bill trade4 ,in ,london1 ,i expel every one out of our society who has anything to do with it4 ,whoever endorses a bill1 7that is1 promises to pay17 for more than he is worth1 is either a fool or a knave4 8,i am1 dear ,tommy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,when ,wesley was at ,bradford1 in the month of ,may1 he preached in the parish church1 and1 in the course of his sermon1 quoted the opinion of ,bengelius1 that the millennial reign of ,christ would begin in the year #ahcf4 ,some one present circulated this as the opinion of ,wesley himself2 and1 as the opinion of such a man was regarded of high importance1 the rumoured prophecy ran throughout the kingdom1 and more than one of ,wesley's friends wrote to ask if what was said was true4 ,the following is ,wesley's reply to ,christopher ,hopper4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i said nothing1 less or more1 in ,bradford church1 concerning the end of the world1 neither concerning my own opinion1 but what follows3--,that ,bengelius had given it as his opinion1 not that the world would then end1 but1 that the millennial reign of ,christ would begin in the year #ahcf4 ,i have no opinion at all upon the head2 ,i can determine nothing about it4 ,these calculations are far above1 out of my sight4 ,i have only one thing to do1--to save my soul1 and those that hear me4 8,i am1 yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fda ,we left ,wesley celebrating his eighty-sixth birthday1 in his birthplace1 ,epworth4 ,here he preached four or five sermons1 held a lovefeast1 and attended sacred service in his father's church4 ,he writes3 8,mr4 ,gibson read the prayers with seriousness1 and preached a plain1 useful sermon2 but ,i was sorry to see scarce twenty communicants1 half of whom came on my account4 ,i was informed1 likewise1 that scarce fifty persons used to attend the ,sunday service4 ,what can be done to remedy this sore evil8 ,i fain would prevent the members here from leaving the ,church2 but ,i cannot do it4 ,as ,mr4 ,gibson is not a pious man1 but rather an enemy to piety1 who frequently preaches against the truth1 and those that hold and love it1 ,i cannot1 with all my influence1 persuade them either to hear him1 or to attend the sacrament administered by him4 ,if ,i cannot carry this point even while ,i live1 who then can do it when ,i die8 ,and the case of ,epworth is the case of every church1 where the minister neither loves nor preaches the gospel2 the ,methodists will not attend his administrations4 ,what then is to be done80 ,this is amusing4 ,here we find ,wesley acknowledging1 that1 in the very place where his father had been rector for nearly forty years1 the ,methodists had1 ipso facto1 separated from the ,church1 and that he1 with all his influence1 had not sufficient power to hinder it4 ,during the next fortnight1 ,wesley preached1 on an average1 twice a day1 until his arrival in ,london1 on ,july #ae4 ,the following letters belong to this period4 ,the first was addressed to ,mr4 ,john ,mann1 one of his missionaries in ,nova ,scotia4 8,june #cj1 #aghh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am greatly concerned for the prosperity of the work of ,god in ,nova ,scotia4 ,it seems some way to lie nearer my heart than even that in the ,united ,states2 many of our brethren there are1 we may hope1 strong in the ,lord1 and in the power of ,his might2 but ,i look upon those in the northern provinces to be younger1 and tender children1 and consequently to stand in need of our utmost care4 ,i hope all of you1 that watch over them1 are exactly of one mind1 and of one judgment2 that you take care always to speak the same things1 and to watch over one another in love4 8,mr4 ,wray is a workman that need not be ashamed4 ,i am glad to hear of his safe arrival4 ,although he has not much learning1#fdb he has1 what is far better1 uprightness of heart1 and devotedness to ,god4 ,i doubt not but he and you will be one1 and go on your way hand in hand4 ,whatever opposers you meet with1 ,calvinists1 papists1 antinomians1 or any other1 have a particular care1 that they do not take up too much either of your thoughts or time4 ,you have better work2 keep to your one point1 ,christ dying for us1 and living in us2 so will you fulfil the joy of1 8,my dear brethren1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fdc ,the following was addressed to ,samuel ,bradburn1 and1 up to the present1 has not been published4 8,,epworth1 ,july #f1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,to-morrow evening1 ,i hope to be at ,doncaster2 on ,wednesday1 at ,sheffield2 and to-morrow sennight1 at ,london1 bringing my daughter with me4 ,that evening ,i should not object to preaching at ,west ,street4 ,on ,tuesday morning1 ,i would breakfast in ,chesterfield ,street1 if my sister will be ready at eight o'clock4 ,then ,i must hide myself till ,sunday2 when ,i will preach at one or the other chapel for ,kingswood4 ,peace be with you and yours6 8,i am1 dear ,sammy1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,the next1 addressed to ,mr4 ,jasper ,winscomb1 is also now for the first time printed4 8,,london1 ,july #af1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,jasper1--,if all our society at ,portsmouth1 or elsewhere1 separate from the ,church1 ,i cannot help it4 ,but1 ,i will not4 ,therefore1 ,i can in no wise consent to the having service in church hours4 ,you used to love the ,church2 then keep to it1 and exhort all our people to do the same4 ,if it be true1 that brother ,hayter is used to talk against the other preachers1 as well as against ,thomas ,warwick1 brother ,hayter and ,i shall not agree4 ,of dividing circuits we may speak at the conference4 8,i am1 dear ,jasper1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,the following also has not before been published4 ,it was addressed to 8,mr4 ,churchey1 attorney at law1 near the ,hay1 ,brecon02 and refers to certain poetical productions which ,mr4 ,churchey wished to print4 8,,near ,,london1 ,july #bb1 #aghh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am glad you spoke to ,mr4 ,cowper4#fdd ,what pity it is that such talents as his should be employed in so useless a manner6 8,mr4 ,bradburn delivered your papers to me a few days ago2 but this is so busy a time1 that ,i had not leisure to go through them till to-day4 ,in the ,translation of the ,art of ,printing1 there are many very good lines2 but there are some that want a good deal of filing2 and many that are obscure4 ,the sense is so much clouded1 that it is not easy to be understood4 ,for many years1 ,i have not had any booksellers but ,mr4 ,atlay and my assistants4 ,some of the shorter copies are good sense and good poetry4 8,my dear brother has left a translation of the ,book of ,psalms1 and verses enough to make1 at least1 six volumes in duodecimo4 ,i could but ill spare him1 now ,i am myself so far declined into the vale of years4 ,but it is the ,lord2 let ,him do what seemeth ,him good4 ,our time is now short4 ,let my dear sister ,churchey1 and you1 and ,i make the best of it4 8,i am your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,a week after the above letter was written1 ,wesley opened his conference1 which continued its sittings till ,august #f4 ,besides presiding1 he preached every evening1 and on the conference ,sunday twice4 ,the last day was kept as a solemn fast1--prayer-meetings being held at five1 nine1 and one1 and the day concluded with a watchnight4 ,no wonder1 that the old ,methodist preachers returned from conferences1 to their respective circuits1 like flames of fire4 ,wesley writes3 8,one of the most important points considered at this conference was that of leaving the ,church4 ,the sum of a long conversation was3 7#a7 that1 in a course of fifty years1 we had neither premeditatedly nor willingly varied from it in one article either of doctrine or discipline2 7#b7 that we were not yet conscious of varying from it in any point of doctrine2 7#c7 that we have1 in a course of years1 out of necessity1 not of choice1 slowly and warily varied in some points of discipline1 by preaching in the fields1 by extemporary prayer1 by employing lay preachers1 by forming and regulating societies1 and by holding yearly conferences4 ,but we did none of these things till we were convinced we could no longer omit them1 but at the peril of our souls40 ,this was correct so far as it went2 but ,wesley ought to have added1 the ordaining of preachers1 the licensing of chapels2 and1 further1 that in this selfsame year he had published a #abmo volume of #dcj pages1 entitled1 8,the ,sunday ,service of the ,methodists2 with other ,occasional ,services02 in reality1 an altered edition of the ,prayer-,book of the ,church of ,england1 attached to which was a 8,collection of ,psalms and ,hymns for the ,lord's ,day10 composed by himself and his brother4 ,wesley1 in his preface1 says3 8,little alteration is made in the following edition of it1 ,the ,prayer-,book1 except in the following instances3 8#a4 ,most of the holy days 7so called7 are omitted1 as1 at present1 answering no valuable end4 8#b4 ,the service of the ,lord's day1 the length of which has often been complained of1 is considerably shortened4 8#c4 ,some sentences1 in the offices of baptism1 and for the burial of the dead1 are omitted4 ,and1 8#d4 ,many psalms left out1 and many parts of the others1 as being highly improper for the mouths of a ,christian congregation40 ,throughout his book1 ,wesley uses the word 8minister10 instead of the objectionable word 8priest40 ,the half popish canticle in the morning prayer1 8,benedicite1 omnia opera10 is left out4 ,in the communion service1 the word 8elder0 is used instead of 8priest02 and1 in the public baptism of infants1 ,wesley dispenses with signing the child with the sign of the cross1 and leaves out the sentence1 in the thanksgiving1 that 8it hath pleased ,god to regenerate this infant with ,his ,holy ,spirit40 ,the 8order of confirmation0 is omitted1 and no reference is made to godfathers and godmothers4 ,the 8order for the visitation of the sick0 is totally expunged1 and of course the popish absolution1 8by ,his 7,christ's7 authority committed to me1 ,i absolve thee from all thy sins1 in the name of the ,father1 and of the ,son1 and of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,amen40 ,in lieu of the three forms for ordaining deacons1 priests1 and bishops1 ,wesley gives three for 8ordaining superintendents1 elders1 and deacons40 ,wesley takes equal liberty with the articles of religion4 ,some are entirely omitted2 others are abridged1 or variously altered4 ,we find no fault with all this4 ,upon the whole1 we regard ,wesley's expurgations as emendations4#fde ,his prayer-book is purged from popish and ,calvinian errors2 and1 in that respect1 is superior to the prayer-book of the ,church of ,england4 ,this1 however1 is not the point in question2 but rather1 whether1 after ,wesley had done all this1 he could be fairly and honestly considered a member and minister of the ,established ,church4 ,the ,rev4 ,g4 ,nott1 in his ,bampton lecture1 delivered eleven years after ,wesley's death1 elaborately argued this matter1 and returned a negative reply2 and1 we confess1 it seems impossible to refute his general conclusion1 namely1 that both 8,wesley and ,whitefield are to be regarded as separatists from the ,church of ,england40#fdf ,to the day of his death1 ,wesley protested against this2 but his warmest friends must admit that1 though both were undeniably sincere1 yet1 in this respect1 profession and practice were at variance4 ,three years before this1 he had ordained ,joseph ,taylor1 who1 ever since1 had preached in gown and bands1 and administered the sacraments in ,scotland4 ,joseph was now appointed to ,nottingham circuit2 and1 of course1 as an ordained minister1 dreamed that he was the same in ,england as he had been in ,scotland4 ,but not so4 ,wesley1 who1 three years before1 had frocked his itinerant for the people across the ,tweed1 now unfrocked him for the people bordering on the ,trent4 ,hence the following4 8,,london1 ,november #af1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,joseph1--,i take knowledge of your spirit1 and believe it is your desire to do all things right4 ,our friends in ,newark should not have forgotten1 that we have determined over and over #8not to leave the ,church4' ,before they had given you that foolish advice1 they should have consulted me4 ,i desire you would not wear the surplice1 nor administer the ,lord's supper1 any more4 8,i am1 dear ,joseph1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fdg ,such was the frequent clashing between practice and profession4 ,the prayer-book1 above mentioned1 had been put into the hands of the ,methodists2 and yet1 because of its alterations and abridgments1 it was of no use in services conducted in the ,church of ,england4 ,for what then was it intended8 ,the following extract1 from the minutes of conference in #aghh1 supplies an answer4 8,q4 #ba4 ,what further directions may be given concerning the prayers of the ,church of ,england8 8,a4 ,the assistants shall have a discretionary power to read the ,prayer-,book in the preaching houses on ,sunday mornings1 where they think it expedient1 if the generality of the society acquiesce with it2 on condition that ,divine service never be performed in the church hours on the ,sundays when the sacrament is administered in the parish church where the preaching house is situated2 and that the people be strenuously exhorted to attend the sacrament in the parish church on those ,sundays40 ,this may be vaguely worded2 but there can be no mistake about its meaning4 ,by ,wesley's authority1 and that of his conference1 assistants everywhere were permitted to do what ,dr4 ,coke had authorised to be done in ,dublin1 namely1 that1 on certain conditions1 there should be ,divine service in ,methodist chapels in the same hours as ,divine service was performed in the parish churches adjoining them4 ,if this was not separation1 what was it8 ,there were two other points discussed at the conference of #aghh1 of great importance4 ,many of the preachers were shamefully left without adequate support1 and were actually obliged1 either to starve from hunger1 or to go from house to house to obtain their meals4 ,wesley was annoyed1 perhaps indignant2 and1 to remedy this glaring evil1 the assistants were directed to enforce1 that every member1 who could afford it1 should contribute1 in the classmeetings1 a penny per week1 and a shilling per quarter1 at the quarterly visitation1 for the maintenance of the preachers appointed to watch over them4 ,and1 in addition1 ,wesley issued the following address4 8,to our ,societies in ,england and ,ireland4 8,,fifty years ago1 and for several years following1 all our preachers were single men1 when1 in process of time1 a few of them married4 ,those with whom they laboured maintained both them and their wives1 there being then no settled allowance either for the one or the other4 ,but above thirty years ago1 it was found most convenient to fix a stated allowance for both1#fdh and this was found by the circuits where they were stationed2 till one year some of the circuits complained of poverty4 ,dr4 ,coke and ,i supplied what was wanting4 ,the next year1 the number of wives increasing1 three or four of them were supplied out of the contingent fund4 ,this was a bad precedent1 for more and more wives were thrown upon this fund1 till it was likely to be swallowed up thereby4#fdi ,we could think of no way to prevent this1 but to consider the state of our societies in ,england and ,ireland1 and to beg the members of each circuit to give us that assistance which they can easily do without hurting their families4 8,within these fifty years1 the substance of the ,methodists is increased in proportion to their numbers4 ,therefore1 if you are not straitened in your own bowels1 this will be no grievance1 but you will cheerfully give food and raiment to those who give up all their time1 and strength1 and labour to your service4 8,,london1 ,august #b1 #aghh4 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,no wonder that1 in his later years1 ,wesley so often wrote and spoke of the corrupting influence of the riches of rich ,methodists6 ,the other affair1 which demanded the attention of ,wesley's conference1 in #aghh1 was equally unpleasant4 ,six years before1 as we have already seen1 the trustees1 at ,birstal1 claimed the power of appointing preachers to their chapel4 ,this was followed by the deed of declaration in #aghd4 ,at the very time this deed was being signed1 the same subject was revived at ,dewsbury1 a town contiguous to ,birstal4 ,here it had been proposed to build a new chapel4 ,mr4 ,valton1 the assistant1 refused to move in the matter1 unless it was agreed that the chapel should be settled according to the conference plan4 ,mr4 ,heald and some others wished to obtain from ,wesley certain concessions1 and wrote to ,john ,atlay1 the book steward1 to secure them4 ,atlay replied as follows4 8,,london1 ,february #bc1 #aghd4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sir1--,i have1 this morning1 been with ,mr4 ,wesley1 and have laid your letter before him4#fej ,he is not only willing1 but desires1 it be inserted in your deed1 that1 if ever the conference1 or the preacher appointed by conference1 refuse or neglect to provide a preacher for your chapel for three or four ,sundays1 then the trustees shall have it in their own power to call one whom they please1 and the power of nomination shall be theirs in future4 8,if any preacher1 appointed to serve your chapel1 should be proved guilty of immorality1 the trustees shall have a power to reject him2 and1 if the conference does not send another to fill up his place1 you shall have a power to call one to do it4 8,,john ,,atlay40 ,on the receipt of this letter1 ,valton solicited subscriptions1 and preached at the laying of the foundation stone4#fea ,five days after the date of the above letter1 the deed of declaration was executed2 and1 among other names omitted1 in the constitution of the legal conference1 were those of ,john ,atlay and ,william ,eels1 the first of whom had been a preacher one-and-twenty years1 and the second twelve4 ,this1 by no means1 increased ,atlay's loyalty4 ,in an unpublished letter1 dated ,september #ag1 #aghe1 he writes3 8,mr4 ,hampson is well provided for4 ,i have begun to do a little business for myself as coal merchant2 and have reason to think it will do well for me4 ,i have not left the book room1 nor do ,i intend it at present4 ,i have my trials2 but the disagreeable things ,i have met with1 in our connexion1 have really raised my heart to ,god40 ,in another1 bearing date1 ,april #ah1 #aghf1 he says3 8,you smile at my commencing coal merchant4 ,there was a time when ,i could have trusted to my good old friend0 7,wesley7 8for everything that ,i wanted1 or was likely to want2 but late occurrences have given me a check2 and1 ,i really think1 the thing is right in the sight of the ,lord40 ,he then proceeds to state that he had lately been attending the ministry of ,mr4 ,latrobe1 the ,moravian minister1 and that he increasingly admired him every time he heard him4 ,these extracts may help to throw some light on ,atlay's subsequent conduct4 ,meanwhile1 ,dewsbury chapel was completed1 and a draft of the trust deed was sent1 by ,parson ,greenwood1 to ,manchester conference1 in #aghg1 for perusal4 ,this was handed officially to ,alexander ,mather1 who strongly objected to its provisions2 and complained that the trustees had not inserted a clause1 to the effect1 8that no preacher should be sent away till he was tried1 and found guilty1 before his peers1 or the neighbouring assistant preachers40 ,the trustees refused to yield1 thus1 in reality1 making themselves1 as ,dr4 ,coke put it1 8accusers1 jury1 judges1 and executioners40#feb ,wesley had appointed ,parson ,greenwood and ,william ,percival to the ,dewsbury circuit2 but1 on ,october #bc1 he instructed them to abandon the chapel and to leave the trustees to provide for themselves to their hearts' content4 ,mr4 ,mather1 at the time1 was in the ,sheffield circuit1 and obtained ,wesley's consent to become mediator between the contending parties4 ,accordingly he went1 and proposed to the trustees that they should have power3 7#a7 ,to mortgage the premises for the debt unpaid4 7#b7 ,to let the seats at any price they liked4 7#c7 ,to appoint their own stewards1 and dispose of their own income4 ,he further proposed1 that no assistant should expel a trustee from the society but by the consent of the majority of his co-trustees4 ,all this was palatable2 but what followed was otherwise4 ,mather1 of course1 had no objection to a preacher being dismissed for immorality1 as was proposed in ,atlay's letter2 but he wished to institute a court in which the accused might have a fair and impartial trial2 and1 hence1 requested that a clause might be inserted in the trust deed1 providing that three of the nearest assistants should be judges2 that1 if they found the charges proved1 they should join with the trustees in requesting ,wesley1 or the president of the conference for the time being1 to remove the guilty preacher1 and to send another in his place2 that1 if this was not done within a specified time1 the trustees should do it themselves2 and that1 if the conference next ensuing did not send another preacher1 then the election of preachers was to remain with the trustees1 and the power of conference1 to appoint preachers to ,dewsbury chapel1 to be forfeited for ever4 ,this the trustees stubbornly rejected2 and the further consideration of the matter was postponed till ,february #e1 #aghh4 ,at this second interview1 it was proposed by ,mr4 ,mather1 that an appeal should be made to the subscribers to decide whether the clauses he had named should be inserted in the deed2 and that their decision should be final4 ,this also was refused2 and now1 when all further negotiation seemed impossible1 ,mather1 by ,wesley's request1 informed the seatholders1 8that they were not to pay any more rent till the matter was settled between him and the trustees40 ,thus the affair was left till the conference of #aghh2 when a committee met on the subject4 ,john ,atlay was present1 and remarked1 that if he were to go down to ,dewsbury he would soon settle matters with the trustees4 ,mather objected to ,atlay's suggestion1 and said3 8,mr4 ,atlay1 it is reported1 that you have promised the trustees1 that1 if ,mr4 ,wesley withdraws the preachers from ,dewsbury1 you will yourself go and serve them4 ,i ask you then1 before ,god and these brethren1 have you made any such promise1 or have you not80 ,atlay reluctantly acknowledged1 that he had2 and1 further1 that he had also advised the ,methodists at ,malton not to settle their chapel on the conference plan4 ,next morning ,wesley wrote as follows4 8,to the ,trustees of ,dewsbury4 8,,london1 ,july #cj1 #aghh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brethren1--,the question between us is1 #8,by whom shall the preachers sent1 from time to time1 to ,dewsbury be judged8' ,you say1 #8,by the trustees4' ,i say1 #8,by their peers--the preachers met in conference4' ,you say1 #8,give up this1 and we will receive them4' ,i say1 #8,i cannot1 ,i dare not1 give up this4' ,therefore1 if you will not receive them on these terms1 you renounce connection with your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,as the trustees still held out1 the conference decided that another deputation1 consisting of ,mather1 ,pawson1 ,thompson1 ,greenwood1 and ,percival1 should meet at ,dewsbury on ,august #ad4 ,the deputies asked1 8,have you executed a trust deed80 ,the trustees answered1 8,yes40 8,can we see it80 8,no40 8,will you add to it a clause such as ,mr4 ,wesley wishes80 8,no40 ,such1 in substance1 were the proceedings of the meeting4 ,the result was1 as before stated1 the preachers1 who had been appointed at ,dewsbury1 were at once removed2 the chapel was abandoned2 and the preachers in the ,birstal circuit once more commenced ,methodism at ,dewsbury1 by preaching in the open streets4#fec ,five days after the date of the ,dewsbury meeting1 ,john ,atlay1 who1 as we have seen1 had joined to ,wesley's book stewardship the business of a coal merchant1 and had also been toying with the ,dewsbury trustees1 wrote as follows to ,wesley4 8,,london1 ,august #ai1 #aghh4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,i was in hopes matters at ,dewsbury would have been made up2 but1 by a letter yesterday1 ,i am informed that their preachers are removed from them1 and their place declared vacant2 in consequence of which1 the trustees have most solemnly called me to come amongst them4 ,they plead my promise2 and ,i cannot go back from it4 ,with me a promise is sacred1 though it should be ever so much to my hurt2 and1 as to temporals1 it must hurt me much4 ,but ,i regard not that1 if there is a prospect that ,i shall be much more useful there than ,i ever have been1 or can be1 in ,london4 ,but it gives me more pain than ,i can express1 when ,i tell you that1 in order to go there1 ,i must quit the book room4 ,the longest that ,i can stay in it will be till the #beth of ,september2 and1 by that time1 you will be able to get one for my place4 ,i think the fittest man in the world for it is ,joseph ,bradford4 ,if he should be appointed1 he may come directly1 and stay with us till we go2 and1 by that time1 ,i could teach him more than he can learn in three months without me2 but these things ,i leave to your superior judgment4 8,i have only now to request a few things of you4 ,do not be angry with me for leaving you1 after having spent fifteen of the best years of my life in serving you1 with more care1 fear1 labour1 and pain1 than all the years of my life have produced4 ,do not blame me for going to a people you have left2 they are the ,lord's redeemed ones1 and some of them living members of ,his body4 ,do not disown me1 nor forbid my preaching in any of your places2 but give me leave1 where and when it is agreeable to the preachers1 to preach in your houses4 ,but if this request cannot be complied with1 then drop me silently2 and let me be of too little consequence to say anything about me from the pulpit or press4 ,i beg you will write by return of post2 and do not write unkindly to your faithful servant and friend1 8,,john ,,atlay40#fed ,was this the whine of a mercenary man8 or was it the genuine effusion of a loving and honest heart8 ,the reader must answer for himself2 remembering1 however1 that the ,dewsbury chapel had been built1 not by the money of the trustees1 but by the subscriptions of the ,methodists2 that three years previous to this1 ,atlay had entertained the thought of ultimately leaving ,wesley's stewardship1 and1 with an eye to that1 had begun the business of selling coals2 and1 further1 that1 since then1 he had unquestionably encouraged the ,dewsbury trustees in their rebellion1 by promising to become their preacher1 when ,wesley withdrew his4 ,what was ,wesley's answer to his double dealing friend8 8,,pembroke1 ,august #bc1 #aghh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,if you are persuaded1 that such a promise 7which is the whole and sole cause of the breach at ,dewsbury7 is binding1 you must follow your persuasion4 ,you will have blame enough from other persons2 my hand shall not be upon you4 ,if ,i can do you good1 ,i will2 but shall certainly do you no harm4 ,george ,whitfield is the person ,i choose to succeed you4 ,i wish you would teach him as much as you can without delay4 8,i am1 with kind love to sister ,atlay1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,thus did ,wesley dispose of his book steward's mischievous promise2 his pert nomination of ,joseph ,bradford as his successor2 and his whimpering prayer that ,wesley would not punish him for his naughty tricks4 ,it is hardly necessary to insert the whole of the correspondence4 ,suffice it to say1 that ,wesley requested ,atlay1 before he left1 to employ 8one or two proper persons to take an inventory of all the books in the shop and under the chapel10 so that ,george ,whitfield might know what was put into his care4 ,atlay's reply to this was the following4 8,,london1 ,september #bj1 #aghh4 8,,reverend ,,and ,,dear ,,sir1--,we have almost this moment finished our job of taking the stock2 and1 as near as we can tell1 your stock is this day worth #ac1gea #ahs4 #e;d41 according to the prices fixed in the catalogue4 ,however1 you may be sure it is not less than that4 ,most of these are saleable things4 ,you will be sure to find sale for them1 if you live2 and1 if not1 they will be of equal value to those to whom you leave them4 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,atlay40 ,atlay went to ,dewsbury on ,september #bd1 and took possession of the chapel built with the money of ,methodists4 ,we have before us a number of ,mr4 ,pawson's letters1 written at this period1 and in reference to the ,dewsbury unpleasantness4 ,pawson went1 and preached to the discontented ,methodists2 and spent two days in endeavouring to put them right2 but without effect4 ,mr4 ,mather was 8highly offended0 on account of this2 and ,mr4 ,atlay wrote to ,pawson 8a thundering letter40 ,under date of ,september #af1 #aghh1 ,pawson says3 8,you see the blessedness of striving to make peace4 ,the assistants of the neighbouring circuits are to preach in the streets at ,dewsbury1 in their turns4 ,this is pain and grief to me4 ,to preach in opposition1 ,methodists against ,methodists1 is painful beyond expression4 ,i believe all might have been prevented by loving1 prudent preachers4 ,we have had a few unworthy men among us1 who have been a great burden to us and to the people2 but we do not lay them aside4 ,therefore1 the people will oblige us to do it1 by making deeds like that at ,dewsbury4 ,some of our preachers do not live near to ,god1 and do not endeavour1 by reading and prayer1 to render themselves acceptable to the people4 ,but now it seems as though the people would make them look about them a little40 ,from other unpublished letters1 we learn that ,atlay and ,eels#fee had large congregations2 that they had taken with them the whole of the ,dewsbury society1 except a good man and his wife1 of the name of ,drake2 and that one of the trustees soon became a bankrupt1 and was said to have squandered a considerable amount of ,atlay's money4 ,difficulties speedily ensued2 hence the following1 extracted from a letter dated 8,,birstal1 ,december #ah1 #aghi4 8444 ,mr4 ,atlay and ,mr4 ,eels cannot supply the places they have at present4 ,they want another preacher1 but cannot get one4 ,they have tried to get ,mr4 ,holmes1 who left us last conference1 but he is engaged to ,sheerness1 as the society there is divided4 ,besides1 ,i understand1 they are all for the ,church1 and utterly against separation1 ordination1 etc4 ,the devil can no longer set the men of the world against us2 but he is trying a much more effectual way1 setting the people and preachers one against another4 8,,john ,,pawson40#fef ,thus did ,mr4 ,atlay really set up an imperium in imperio4 ,he called himself a ,methodist2 and yet was setting ,methodism's founder at defiance4 ,not content with taking possession of the ,dewsbury circuit1 he went to ,shields1 and there1 and in ,newcastle1 and other places1 founded separate societies4 ,at length1 he and his friend ,eels quarrelled4 ,hence the following4 8,,birstal1 ,may #ag1 #agia4 8444 ,mr4 ,atlay and ,mr4 ,eels have differed and parted4 ,mr4 ,atlay is gone to ,london1 and whether he will return to ,dewsbury is quite uncertain4 ,i believe very few desire or expect it4 ,he has treated ,mr4 ,eels in a very unkind and unbrotherly manner ever since he came to ,dewsbury1 and ,mr4 ,eels was determined to bear it no longer4 ,the trustees had a meeting1 and determined that ,mr4 ,eels should stay2 and be1 in every respect1 equal to ,mr4 ,atlay4 ,they are greatly displeased with ,mr4 ,atlay's conduct1 as well as with his doctrines4 ,he has got deep into ,mr4 ,manners'#feg opinions1 and says that he has believed them these twenty years4 ,mr4 ,eels is very friendly1 and ,i believe most sincerely wishes a reconciliation1 and ,i hope will endeavour to bring it about4 8,,john ,,pawson40#feh ,william ,eels died within two years after this4 ,in the meantime1 the ,dewsbury trustees began to entertain 8shocking opinions0 of their friend ,atlay2 and in ,september1 #agib1 sent for ,pawson to effect a reunion4#fei ,we need not pursue the subject farther4 ,here we have the rise1 the progress1 and collapse of the ,atlayite rebellion4 ,we could give a number of ,atlay's letters1 showing that1 in #aghi1 he coquetted with ,alexander ,mc,nab1 and tried to secure the co-operation of ,james ,oddie4 ,but the traitorous book steward has already occupied more space than his worth deserves4 ,we only add1 that1 to all his other faults1 he added that of circulating the most infamous reports reflecting on ,wesley's moral character2#ffj which extorted from ,wesley the following characteristic 8,word to whom it may ,concern10 inserted in his ,magazine for #agij1 just after the appearance of ,atlay's pamphlet on the subject4 8,,in ,august1 #aghh1 ,mr4 ,atlay wrote me word1 #8,i must look out for another servant1 for he would go to ,dewsbury on ,september #be4' ,so far was ,i from #8bidding him go1' that ,i knew nothing of it till that hour4 ,but ,i then told him1 #8,go and serve them'3 seeing ,i found he would serve me no longer4 8,he sent me word that ,i had in ,london #ac1gea #ahs4 #e;d41 stock in books4 ,desiring to know exactly1 ,i employed two booksellers to take an account of my stock4 ,the account they brought in1 ,october #ca1 #aghh1 was3 #8,value of stock1 errors excepted1 #dhbg #ajs4 #c;d4 #8,john ,parsons1 ,thomas ,scollick4' 8,why did ,john ,atlay so wonderfully overrate my stock8 ,certainly to do me honour in the eyes of the world4 8,i never approved of his going to ,dewsbury2 but ,i submitted to what ,i could not help4 8,with respect to ,dewsbury ,house1 there never was any dispute about the property of preaching houses1 that was an artful misrepresentation2 but merely the appointing of preachers in them4 8,if ,john ,atlay has a mind to throw any more dirt upon me1 ,i do not know ,i shall take any pains to wipe it off4 ,i have but a few days to live2 and ,i wish to spend those in peace4 8,,london1 ,feb4 #be1 #agij4 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,these are long1 perhaps tedious1 statements2 but they are not without interest1 as helping to illustrate the life and character of ,wesley4 ,his career was a long continued scene of trouble4 ,mobs assailed him first2 then parsons and pamphleteers2 then his friends1 the ,calvinists2 and1 last of all1 his vexations were chiefly those occasioned by some of his own faithless followers4 ,not to return to ,dewsbury1 it may be added here1 that1 at the conference of #aghi1 the preachers subscribed #bjf towards the erection of a new chapel2 and ,wesley issued two circulars1 stating the case to the ,methodists in general1 and asking their assistance4 ,after mentioning that the former chapel had been built by the contributions of the people1 7the trustees themselves not giving a quarter of what it cost17 he continues3 8,observe1 here is no dispute about the right of houses at all4 ,i have no right to any preaching house in ,england4 ,what ,i claim is1 a right of stationing the preachers4 ,this these trustees have robbed me of in the present instance4 ,therefore1 only one of these two ways can be taken2 either to sue for this house1 or to build another3 we prefer the latter1 being the most friendly way4 8,i beg1 therefore1 my brethren1 for the love of ,god2 for the love of me1 your old and well-nigh worn out servant2 for the love of ancient ,methodism1 which1 if itinerancy is interrupted1 will speedily come to nothing2 for the love of justice1 mercy1 and truth1 which are all so grievously violated by the detention of this house2 that you will set your shoulders to the necessary work4 ,be not straitened in your own bowels4 ,we have never had such a cause before4 ,let not then unkind1 unjust1 fraudulent men1 have cause to rejoice in their bad labour4 ,this is a common cause4 ,exert yourselves to the utmost4 ,i have subscribed #ej4 ,so has ,dr4 ,coke4 ,the preachers have done all they could4 ,o let them that have much give plenteously6 ,perhaps1 this is the last labour of love ,i may have occasion to recommend to you2 let it then stand as one more monument of your real gratitude to1 my dear brethren1 your old1 affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ffa ,we now return to the conference of #aghh4 ,these were not the only things to try ,wesley's patience4 ,an effort was made to set aside the itinerant plan in ,scotland1--a plan to which1 as already shown1 ,wesley attached the utmost importance4 ,this evoked the following letter to ,lady ,maxwell4 8,,london1 ,august #h1 #aghh4 8,,my ,,dear ,,lady1--,it is certain1 many persons1 both in ,scotland and ,england1 would be well pleased to have the same preachers always4 ,but we cannot forsake the plan of acting1 which we have followed from the beginning4 ,for fifty years1 ,god has been pleased to bless the itinerant plan2 the last year most of all2 it must not be altered1 till ,i am removed2 and1 ,i hope1 it will remain till our ,lord comes to reign upon earth4 8,,john ,,wesley40#ffb ,to the same effect was another1 written three months later1 and addressed to ,jasper ,winscomb4 8,,london1 ,november #h1 #aghh4 8,,dear ,,jasper1--,william ,cashman advised you like a heathen4 ,mr4 ,valton deserves pay1 as well as you do4 ,but he does not want it1 and1 therefore1 scorns to take it1 knowing the poverty of the land4 8,i am glad to hear so good an account of the ,isle of ,wight4 ,the work of ,god will flourish1 there1 if it be steadily pursued4 8,no preacher ought to stay either at ,portsmouth1 or ,sarum1 or any other place1 a whole week together4 ,that is not the ,methodist plan at all4 ,it is a novel abuse4 8,i am1 dear ,jasper1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ffc ,on the #ajth of ,august1 ,wesley set out for ,wales and the west of ,england2 generally preaching twice a day1 and on the ,sundays thrice1 and everywhere to crowded congregations4 ,on the #bhth of ,september1 he returned to ,london1 and1 two days after1 went off to ,norfolk4 ,the remainder of the year was employed1 as usual1 in the metropolis and the surrounding counties4 ,these were not pleasure trips2 but made in wintry weather1 in frost and snow2 the veteran of eighty-five preaching almost daily1 both night and morning1 and attending to a thousand things which demanded his attention4#ffd ,he writes4 8,december #aj1 and the following days1 ,i corrected my brother's posthumous poems2 being short psalms1 and hymns on the four gospels1 and the ,acts of the ,apostles4 ,they make five volumes in quarto1 containing eighteen or nineteen hundred pages4 ,many of them are little1 if any1 inferior to his former poems1 having the same justness and strength of thought1 with the same beauty of expression2 yea1 the same keenness of wit on proper occasions1 as bright and piercing as ever4 ,some are bad2 some mean2 some most excellently good4 ,they give the true sense of ,scripture1 always in good ,english1 generally in good verse2 many of them are equal to most1 if not to any1 he ever wrote2 but some still savour of that poisonous mysticism1 with which we were both not a little tainted before we went to ,america4 ,this gave a gloomy cast1 first to his mind1 and then to many of his verses2 this made him frequently describe religion as a melancholy thing2 this so often sounded in his ears1 #8,to the desert6' and strongly persuaded in favour of solitude40 ,what had ,wesley to say respecting himself8 ,he writes4 8,about this time0 ,december #ae 8,i was reflecting on the gentle steps whereby age steals upon us4 ,take only one instance4 ,four years ago1 my sight was as good as it was at five-and-twenty4 ,i then began to observe1 that ,i did not see things quite so clear with my left eye as with my right2 all objects appeared a little browner to that eye4 ,i began next to find a little difficulty in reading a small print by candlelight4 ,a year after1 ,i found it in reading such a print by daylight4 ,in the winter of #aghf1 ,i could not well read our four shilling hymn-book1 unless with a large candle2 the next year1 ,i could not read letters1 if wrote with a small or bad hand4 ,last winter1 a pearl appeared on my left eye1 the sight of which grew exceeding dim4 ,the right eye seems unaltered2 only ,i am a great deal nearer sighted than ever ,i was4 ,thus are #8those that look out at the windows darkened'2 one of the marks of old age4 ,but1 ,i bless ,god1 #8the grasshopper is' not #8a burden4' ,i am still capable of travelling1 and my memory is much the same as it ever was2 and so1 ,i think1 is my understanding40 ,thus did ,wesley take stock of himself4 ,on ,christmas day1 he preached at four o'clock in the morning1 in ,city ,road1 again at eleven1 and in ,west ,street in the evening4 ,on the last ,sunday in the year1 he had an exceedingly large congregation in ,allhallows church1 ,lombard ,street2 and1 concerning this1 there is an anecdote worth relating4 ,the sermon was for the benefit of forty-eight poor children belonging to ,st4 ,ethelburga society4 8,sir10 said ,wesley to his attendant while putting on his gown1 8it is above fifty years since ,i first preached in this church2 ,i remember it from a particular circumstance4 ,i came without a sermon2 and1 going up the pulpit stairs1 ,i hesitated1 and returned into the vestry1 under much mental confusion and agitation4 ,a woman1 who stood by1 noticed my concern1 and said1 #8,pray1 sir1 what is the matter8' ,i replied1 #8,i have not brought a sermon with me4' ,putting her hand on my shoulder1 she said1 #8,is that all8 ,cannot you trust ,god for a sermon8' ,this question had such an effect upon me1 that ,i ascended the pulpit1 preached extempore1 with great freedom to myself1 and acceptance to the people2 and have never since taken a written sermon into the pulpit40#ffe 8,a word spoken in due season1 how good is it60 ,wesley's publications1 in #aghh1 have all been noticed1 except his ,magazine2 and1 concerning this1 it is not needful to say much4 ,there are1 as usual1 six new sermons from the venerable editor's own pen3 namely1 ,on ,reproving ,sin2 ,the ,signs of the ,times2 ,man2 ,the ,ministry of ,wicked ,ministers2 ,conscience2 and ,faith4 ,wesley concludes the first of these thus3 8,i have now only a few words to add unto you1 my brethren1 who are vulgarly called ,methodists4 ,i never heard or read of any considerable revival of religion1 which was not attended with a spirit of reproving4 ,i believe1 it cannot be otherwise2 for what is faith unless it worketh by love8 ,thus it was in every part of ,england1 when the present revival of religion began about fifty years ago4 ,all the subjects of that revival1--all the ,methodists1 in every place1 were reprovers of outward sin4 ,and1 indeed1 so are all that1 being justified by faith1 have peace with ,god through ,jesus ,christ4 ,such they are at first2 and if they use that precious gift1 it will never be taken away4 ,come1 brethren6 ,in the name of ,god1 let us begin again6 ,rich or poor1 let us all arise as one man6 ,and1 in any wise1 let every man rebuke his neighbour1 and not suffer sin upon him60 ,wesley's sermon1 on attending the ministry of unconverted ministers1 would never have been written1 had he not been pressed by the objections of ,methodists1 and yet determined to prevent their leaving the ,established ,church4 ,its arguments are specious1 not sound4 ,it might puzzle the simple minded ,methodists2 but it would not convince them they were wrong4 ,it was a feeble attempt to get converted people to sit under an unconverted ministry4 ,we conclude with one extract4 8,it has been loudly affirmed1 that most of those persons now in connection with me1 who believe it their duty to call sinners to repentance1 having been taken immediately from low trades1 tailors1 shoemakers1 and the like1 are a set of poor1 stupid1 illiterate men1 that scarce know their right hand from their left2 yet1 ,i cannot but say1 that ,i would sooner cut off my right hand1 than suffer one of them to speak a word in any of our chapels1 if ,i had not reasonable proof1 that he had more knowledge in the holy ,scriptures1 more knowledge of himself1 more knowledge of ,god and of the things of ,god1 than nine in ten of the clergymen ,i have conversed with1 either at the universities1 or elsewhere4 ,undoubtedly1 there are many clergymen in these kingdoms1 that are not only free from outward sin1 but men of eminent learning1 and1 what is infinitely more1 deeply acquainted with ,god4 ,but1 still1 ,i am constrained to confess1 that the far greater part of those ministers ,i have conversed with1 for above half a century1 have not been holy men1--not devoted to ,god1--not deeply acquainted either with ,god or themselves40 ,such was ,wesley's reluctant confession2 and yet1 to prevent what he called a separation from the ,established ,church1 he elaborately persuades the ,methodists1 that they ought to receive the sacraments from these men2 instead of requiring them at the hands of the converted artisans1 who had preached so successfully1 and who1 according to ,wesley's own confession1 were1 even in point of scriptural knowledge1 the superiors of the unconverted gentlemen1 trained in colleges1 and made priests or deacons--not by ,christ1--but by bishops6 ,,footnotes3 #fjf ,four letters1 standing for ,ecclesi ,anglican ,presbyter ,johannes3 8,john1 presbyter of the ,church of ,england40 ,wesley1 in early life1 sometimes used this signature in writing to his brother4 #fjg ,moore's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cei4 #fjh ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #dcg4 #fji ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #dch4 #faj ,ibid4 p4 #dch4 #faa ,ibid4 p4 #dci4 #fab ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #ddj4 #fac ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #dda4 #fad 8,the ,allens of ,shiney ,row10 p4 #ei4 #fae ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #ddb4 #faf ,methodist ,recorder1 ,dec4 #e1 #ahfa4 #fag ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #dde4 #fah ,methodist ,magazine1 #aghh1 p4 #edc4 #fai ,manuscript letter4 #fbj ,jackson's ,life of ,c4 ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #ddi4 #fba ,ibid4 #fbb ,mrs4 ,fletcher's ,life1 p4 #bea4 #fbc ,manuscript letter4 #fbd ,j4 ,pawson's manuscript letter4 #fbe ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #aaa4 #fbf ,methodist ,magazine1 #agig1 p4 #eec4 #fbg ,memoir of ,mrs4 ,knaggs4 #fbh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcf1 p4 #dib4 #fbi ,memoirs of ,spence1 p4 #bf4 #fcj ,ibid4 #fca ,it ought to have been eighty-sixth4 #fcb ,black's ,memoirs1 p4 #bai4 #fcc ,bulmer's ,memoir1 p4 #d4 #fcd ,smith's 8,methodism in ,ireland40 #fce ,ibid4 #fcf ,manuscript letters in ,mission ,house4 #fcg ,ibid4 #fch ,ibid4 #fci ,a proposal to ordain him4 ,see ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #aab4 #fdj ,manuscript letters in ,mission ,house4 #fda ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #bih4 #fdb ,james ,wray was a member of ,wesley's legalised conference4 ,after travelling six years in ,english circuits1 he now went1 as an ordained missionary superintendent to ,nova ,scotia4 ,it is a curious fact that the ,nova ,scotians objected to him1 not only on the ground of his want of learning1 but because he was an ,englishman6 ,on hearing of this1 ,wesley1 in an unpublished letter1 wrote3 8,o ,american gratitude6 ,lord1 ,i appeal to ,thee60 #fdc ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiv41 p4 #cdc4 #fdd ,cowper had recently published 8,the ,task10 and was now employed in his translation of ,homer4 ,in another letter1 ,wesley says3 8,i think ,mr4 ,cowper has done as much as is possible to be done with his lamentable story4 ,i can only wish he had a better subject40 #fde ,except in the case of the psalms1 where about thirty are discarded1 and about sixty mutilated4 ,the propriety of this may be fairly doubted4 #fdf ,see ,nott's ,bampton ,lecture1 #ahjb4 #fdg ,the ,wesleyan1 ,nov4 #d1 #ahdf4 #fdh ,as a curious specimen of the way in which things were managed in the early days of ,methodism1 the following extracts are given from 8,the ,dales0 circuit book1 whose accounts extend from #agfe to #agia4 s4 d4 8#agfe4 ,dec4 #g4 ,thomas ,rankin4 ,two meals1 and horse one night #a #j #agff4 ,march #bi4 ,john ,ellis4 ,six meals1 and horse three nights1 shirt washed1 and pennyworth of paper #b #aj 0 ,sept4 #bh4 ,jeremiah ,robertshaw4 ,twelve meals1 and horse four nights1 and shirt washing #e #c0 ,the reader can calculate how many meals a day were allowed to these godly men1 and how much per meal4 ,besides these allowances for board1 each preacher was entitled to receive1 as quarterage1 for himself #c2 and1 for his wife1 if he had one1 #b #ajs4 #fdi ,the contingent fund1 raised by the yearly collection in the classes1 was originally intended to defray law expenses1 and to pay1 or reduce1 chapel debts4 ,in this year1 #aghh1 the income of the fund was #abjc #gs4 #a;d41 out of which was paid for law expenses1 #cg #ds4 #b;d42 for chapels1 #ajf #aes4 #j;d42 and for the deficiencies of the preachers and their families1 #dcc #ahs4 #a;d4 ,it was high time for ,wesley to take action2 though his effort to correct the evil was without effect4 #fej ,in a #abmo pamphlet1 published in #aghh1 and entitled1 8,a ,reply to what the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,coke is pleased to call #8,the ,state of the ,dewsbury ,house1' being a ,vindication of the ,conduct of the ,trustees of that ,house10--it is stated1 that the questions proposed to ,wesley by ,mr4 ,heald were3 7#a7 8,if the conference should neglect to supply the house with preachers1 would it be understood to remain the property of the conference1 or would the trustees have a power to provide for themselves8 7#b7 ,if any preacher1 sent them1 should be found guilty of immorality1 would the trustees have a power of rejecting him80 ,it further states1 that the trustees had1 in ,wesley's own handwriting1 a paragraph to the effect that 8the assistants and leaders were to be the proper judges0 of a preacher charged with immorality4 ,this certainly clashes with ,wesley's letter1 given hereafter1 and dated ,july #cj1 #aghh4 #fea 8,the ,state of ,dewsbury ,house40 ,by ,dr4 ,coke4 #feb ,by the kindness of ,mr4 ,robinson1 of ,dewsbury1 we have before us a copy of the original trust deed1 from which we learn that1 if1 after a vacancy1 ,wesley or the conference refused or neglected1 for the space of forty days1 to appoint a preacher2 or if the preacher appointed should 8not conduct or conform himself to the satisfaction of the trustees or1 the major part of them1 it should be lawful for the said trustees1 or such major part1 not only to displace such preacher1 7after giving him one month's previous notice thereof in writing17 but also to appoint such other preacher as they should deem more proper1 and better qualified to benefit the society40 ,the deed is dated ,january #ca1 #aghh1 and the names and occupations of the trustees are as follows4 ,john ,heald1 maltster4 ,john ,robinson1 weaver4 ,joseph ,gill1 clothier4 ,john ,beaumont1 cordwainer4 ,john ,lancaster1 currier4 ,john ,howgate1 sen41 clothier4 ,john ,howgate1 jun41 clothier4 ,bartholmew ,archer1 clothier4 ,william ,walker1 clothier4 ,john ,thorns1 clothier4 ,isaac ,wilman1 clothier4 ,abraham ,thomas1 clothier4 ,timothy ,parker1 clothier4 ,john ,hirst1 clothier4 ,joseph ,bennett1 farmer4 ,thomas ,bromley1 clothier4 ,benjamin ,whitaker1 farmer4 #fec ,mather's 8,state of ,dewsbury ,house40 #fed 8,letters by ,rev4 ,j4 ,wesley and ,mr4 ,john ,atlay40 #agij4 #fee ,by some strange oversight1 ,william ,eels1 at the conference of #aghh1 was left without an appointment2 and1 at the time of ,atlay's arrival there1 was actually at ,dewsbury1 endeavouring to make peace4 ,hearing of this1 and mistaking ,eels' motive1 ,mr4 ,mather impetuously took steps to prevent his preaching in other ,methodist pulpits4 8,this was the only cause of his uniting with ,john ,atlay40--7,pawson's manuscripts47 #fef ,unpublished letter4 #feg ,nicholas ,manners was one of ,wesley's itinerant preachers from #agei to #aghd4 ,he was an able man4 ,his heresy1 in substance1 was1 that1 in consequence of the work and death of ,christ1 all men are born in the same state as that in which ,adam stood previous to his fall4 #feh ,unpublished letter4 #fei ,pawson's manuscript letters4 #ffj ,we have1 in manuscript1 his most malignant slander1 but prefer withholding it4 ,no wonder ,john ,atlay wrote1 in a letter to ,mr4 ,merryweather1 of ,yarm1 in #aghe1 8,you know ,i never mount high in profession of grace40 #ffa ,methodist ,magazine1 #agij1 p4 #ajc4 #ffb ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #cbh4 #ffc ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahei1 p4 #bdg4 #ffd ,among other places1 he preached at ,sevenoaks1 and is said to have used these words3 8,when a sinner is awakened1 the baptists begin to trouble him about outward forms1 and modes of worship1 and that of baptism4 ,they had better cut his throat10 etc4 ,whether the exact words were used we have no means of knowing2 but a warm controversy sprung out of the affair4 ,mr4 ,william ,kingsford issued 8,a ,vindication of the ,baptists from the ,criminality of a ,charge exhibited against them by the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley40 ,this was answered by ,t4 ,c41 supposed by ,kingsford to be the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,coleman4 7,query ,thomas ,coke87 ,and this was replied to by ,kingsford in a shilling pamphlet1 bearing the title1 8,three ,letters to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley1 containing remarks on a ,piece lately published1 with his approbation1 and ,three ,challenges to all the ,methodists in the ,kingdom40 ,the whole thing was 8much ado about nothing40 #ffe ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbe1 p4 #aje4 #aghi4 ,age #hf ,wesley wrote3 8,january #a1 #aghi--;,if this is to be the last year of my life1 according to some of those prophecies1 ,i hope it will be the best4 ,i am not careful about it1 but heartily receive the advice of the angel in ,milton1-- #8,how well is thine2 how long1 permit to ,heaven4' 8,january #e--;,i once more sat for my picture4 ,mr4 ,romney is a painter indeed4 ,he struck off an exact likeness at once2 and did more in an hour than ,sir ,joshua did in ten4#fff 8,january #i--;,i left no money to anyone in my will1 because ,i had none4 ,but now1 considering that1 whenever ,i am removed1 money will soon arise by sale of books1 ,i added a few legacies by a codicil1 to be paid as soon as may be4 ,but ,i would fain do a little good while ,i live2 for who can tell what will come after him80 8,january #aa--;,i again warned the congregation1 as strongly as ,i could1 against conformity to the world4 ,but who will take the warning8 ,if hardly one in ten1 yet is my record with the ,most ,high40 8,january #bj--;,i retired in order to finish my year's accounts4 ,if possible1 ,i must be a better economist2 for1 instead of having anything beforehand1 ,i am now considerably in debt2 but this ,i do not like4 ,i would fain settle even my accounts before ,i die40 ,it was at this period that the following unpublished letter was written4 ,duncan ,mc,allum had been ordained by ,wesley in #aghg1 and the reader will observe that1 instead of addressing him as he addressed his preachers in general1 he gives him the title of 8reverend40 8,,london1 ,january #bj1 #aghi4 8,,dear ,,duncan1--,by all means choose trustees without delay2 and let them be such as belong to the circuit2 only such as you can depend upon1 both for judgment and honesty4 ,i think it is by prayer that you must alter the purpose of the ,earl of ,findlater4 ,i am not at all surprised at the behaviour of ,john ,atlay4 ,in a year or two1 he will find whether he has changed for the better4 ,he was the first occasion of the division at ,dewsbury1 by sending word to the trustees1 that1 if the conference would not supply them with preachers1 he would come himself1 and settle among them4 8,i am1 with love to sister ,mc,allum1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley4 8,to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,mc,allum1 ,inverness40 ,four days later1 he wrote as follows to ,freeborn ,garretson1 in ,america4 8,,london1 ,january #bd1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,it signifies but little where we are1 so we are but fully employed for our good ,master4 ,whether you went1 therefore1 to the east1 it is all one1 so you were labouring to promote ,his work4 ,you are following the order of ,his providence1 wherever it appeared1 as a holy man expressed it1 in a kind of holy disordered order4 ,but there is one expression1 that occurs twice or thrice in yours1 which gives me some concern3 you speak of finding freedom to do this or that4 ,this is a word much liable to be abused4 ,if ,i have plain ,scripture1 or plain reason1 for doing a thing1--well4 ,these are my rules1 and my only rules4 ,i regard not whether ,i had freedom or no4 ,this is an unscriptural expression1 and a very fallacious rule4 ,i wish to be in every point1 great and small1 a scriptural1 rational ,christian4 8,i am1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ffg ,at the end of ,january1 ,wesley went to open new chapels at ,rye and ,winchelsea4 ,returning to ,london1 the month of ,february was spent in preaching1 in writing1 in meeting classes and the local preachers1 and in ordaining ,henry ,moore and ,thomas ,rankin1 the last of his preachers upon whom he laid his hands4#ffh ,the following anecdotes1 related in the ,life of ,moore1 belong to the present year1 and are strikingly characteristic of ,wesley and his friends4 ,one of the leading men1 in the ,london circuit1 7though not a member17 had been in the habit of receiving the sacrament from the hands of ,wesley and his brother clergymen1 but had fallen into sin4 ,henry ,moore waited upon him for an explanation of his conduct1 and1 not being satisfied1 told him he should be obliged to refuse him a note of admission to the ,lord's supper4 ,the gentleman was annoyed1 and went to one of ,wesley's clergy1 whom he persuaded to apply to ,wesley on his behalf4 ,entering the vestry while ,wesley was writing the note1 ,moore with his honest sternness accosted him3 8,sir1 do you mean to give a note of admission to ,mr4 ----80 8,yes1 ,henry10 replied ,wesley1 8,i have reason to believe the report of his conduct is a mistake40 8,i have fully examined it10 answered ,moore1 8and ,i find it no mistake2 and1 if you give him a note1 ,i shall not take the sacrament myself40 ,wesley1 in reply1 observed1 8,i would take the sacrament if the devil himself were there40 8,so would ,i10 said ,moore1 8but not if you gave him a note of admission40 ,the ,irishman came off with flying colours2 for ,wesley put the note into the fire1 and left the erring one to think and to repent4 ,mrs4 ,hall was ,wesley's only surviving sister1 and was an inmate of his house1 but not a ,methodist4 ,one day1 the two called on ,henry ,moore4 8,brother10 said ,mrs4 ,hall1 8,i should like to attend the religious meetings of your people4 ,have ,i your leave80 8,o yes10 said he1 8you may go to them40 8,then10 rejoined this friend of the great ,dr4 ,johnson1 8having your permission1 ,i shall not ask that of any one else40 8,yes1 you must20 replied her brother1 remembering that ,moore was circuit assistant1 8when ,i am not here1 you must ask leave of ,henry ,moore40 ,in these days1 it was customary for the itinerant and local preachers to take breakfast together1 on ,sunday mornings1 at ,city ,road4 ,on one occasion1 when ,wesley was present1 a young man rose and found fault with one of his seniors4 ,the ,scotch blood of ,thomas ,rankin was roused1 and he sharply rebuked the juvenile for his impertinence2 but1 in turn1 was as sharply rebuked himself4 ,wesley instantly replied3 8,i will thank the youngest man among you to tell me of any fault you see in me2 in doing so1 ,i shall consider him as my best friend40 ,this was quite enough to silence ,rankin4 8,henry ,moore10 said ,wesley1 8you are a witness that what ,john ,atlay said1 when he left us1 is untrue4 ,he said1 #8,mr4 ,wesley could never bear a man who contradicted him4' ,now no man in ,england has contradicted me as much as you have done2 and yet1 ,henry1 ,i love you still4 ,you are right40 ,hundreds of such anecdotes might be given3 these must serve as specimens4 ,on ,sunday1 the #ast of ,march1 after preaching to two crowded congregations1 in ,city ,road1 ,wesley and three of his preachers took coach for ,bath2 and 8spent10 says he1 8a comfortable night1 partly in sound sleep1 and partly in singing praise to ,god40 ,such1 after a hard day1 at seven o'clock in a winter's night1 was the start of an old man of eighty-six1 on a five months' preaching tour6 ,at ,bath and ,bristol1 he spent a fortnight1 in preaching and meeting classes1 and then set out for ,ireland4 ,on the way1 he preached at ,stroud1 ,gloucester1 and ,tewkesbury4 ,at ,birmingham1 he opened a new chapel1 and remarks3 8,saturday1 ,march #ba--;,i had a day of rest1 only preaching morning and evening40 ,the passage from ,holyhead1 instead of occupying four hours1 as at present1 occupied thirty-six1 and1 during it1 the venerable voyager was a serious sufferer4 8,i do not remember10 he writes1 8that ,i was ever so sick at sea before2 but this was little to the cramp which held most of the night with little intermission40 ,he arrived at ,dublin quay at eight on ,sunday morning1 and1 notwithstanding the illness from which he had suffered1 went direct to ,dublin chapel1 and 8preached on the sickness and recovery of ,king ,hezekiah and ,king ,george10 and afterwards administered the sacrament to about five hundred people4 ,at this sacramental service1 he employed his assistant1 ,william ,myles1 in giving the cup to the communicants2 an act which occasioned huge offence1 for ,william ,myles was not ordained4 ,in the week following1 a long paragraph appeared in the ,dublin ,evening ,post1 setting forth1 that 8the ,church was in danger6 and calling upon the archbishop to use his authority2 for a ,mr4 ,william ,myles1 a layman1 had assisted ,mr4 ,wesley in administering the ,lord's supper2 the greatest innovation that had been witnessed for the last fifty years60 8,this brought on10 says ,mr4 ,myles1 8a newspaper controversy1 which continued for three months4 ,my name was bandied about to some purpose2 but ,i endeavoured in patience to possess my soul4 ,at the expiration of the three months1 the subscribers desired the printer to put no more ,methodist nonsense into his paper2 and he had the good sense to listen to the requisition of his customers1 which happily terminated this exquisitely silly controversy40#ffi ,on ,wesley's arrival at ,dublin1 he had1 to use his own expression1 8letter upon letter10 concerning the alteration in the ,sunday service1 which had been introduced by ,dr4 ,coke2 and1 hence1 he addressed the following4 8,to certain ,persons in ,dublin4 8,,whitefriar ,,street1 ,,dublin1 ,march #ca1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brethren1--,i much approve of the manner and spirit wherein you write concerning these tender points4 ,i explained myself upon them1 in some measure1 on ,sunday3 ,i will do it more fully now4 8,at present1 ,i have nothing to do with ,dr4 ,coke3 but ,i answer for myself4 ,i do not separate from the ,church1 nor have any intention so to do4 ,neither do they1 that meet on ,sunday noon1 separate from the ,church1 any more than they did before3 nay1 less2 for they attend the church and sacrament oftener now than they did two years ago4 8#8,but this occasions much strife4' ,true2 but they make the strife who do not attend the service4 ,let them quietly either come or stay away1 and there will be no strife at all4 8#8,but those that attend say1 those that do not are fallen from grace4' ,no1 they do not give them a bad word2 but they surely will fall from grace1 if they do not let them alone who follow their own consciences4 8,but you #8fear this will make way for a total separation from the ,church4' ,you have no ground for this fear4 ,there can be no such separation while ,i live4 ,leave to ,god what may come after4 8,but1 to speak plainly1 do not you separate from the ,church8 ,yea1 much more than those you blame8 ,pray1 how often have you been at church since ,christmas8 ,twelve times in twelve weeks8 ,and how long have you been so fond of the ,church8 ,are you fond of it at all8 ,do not you go oftener to a ,dissenting meeting than either to ,st4 ,patrick's1 or your parish church8 8,my dear brethren1 you and ,i have but a short time to stay together4 #8,my race of glory is run1 and race of shame2 and ,i shall shortly be with those that rest4' ,therefore1 as one that loves you well1 and has loved you long1 ,i advise you1 in the presence and in the fear of ,god3 7#a7 ,either quietly attend the ,sunday service1 or quietly refrain from it2 then there will be no strife at all4 ,now you make the strife of which you complain4 7#b7 ,make not this a pretence for being weary of well doing4 ,do not1 for so poor a reason1 withdraw your subscription from the school or the preachers4 ,what a miserable revenge would this be6 ,never let it be said1 that my friend ,a---- ,k----1 that brother ,d----1 or ,b----1 were capable of this4 ,from this hour1 let this idle strife be buried in eternal oblivion4 ,talk not of it any more4 ,if it be possible1 think not of it any more4 ,rather think1 #8the ,judge standeth at the door2' let us prepare to meet our ,god6 8,,john ,,wesley40#fgj ,such was ,wesley's attempt to defend the ,dublin ,methodist service in church hours2 or rather1 such was his attack on those who were opposed to it4 ,no doubt his accusations were founded upon facts2 but this was hardly an answer to the argument of objectors1 that having service in church hours was1 ipso facto1 separation from the ,church4 ,he tells us1 that one consequence of ,dr4 ,coke's new arrangement was1 that three times more ,methodists now went to ,st4 ,patrick's1 on the first ,sunday in every month1 than had done for ten or twenty years before2 and that1 on the first ,sunday of ,april1 when he went himself1 many of them went with him2 the number of communicants being about five hundred1 or1 in other words1 more communicants1 on that single ,sunday1 than ,st4 ,patrick's used to have the whole year round1 before the ,methodists were known in ,ireland4 ,the arrangement1 says ,wesley1 that the ,methodists in ,dublin should have service in church hours1 8on condition that they would attend ,st4 ,patrick's every first ,sunday in the month1 was made1 not to prepare for1 but to prevent1 a separation from the ,church40 ,there can be no question1 that this was ,wesley's wish2 but it may be doubted whether it was ,dr4 ,coke's intention4 ,during this ,dublin fracas1 ,wesley sent1 at least1 one letter to the public papers4 ,the following is an extract4 8,to the ,printer of the #8,dublin ,chronicle4' 8,,londonderry1 ,june #b1 #aghi4 8,,sir1--,as soon as ,i was gone from ,dublin1 the ,observer came forth1 only with his face covered4 ,afterwards1 he came out1 under another name1 and made a silly defence for me1 that he might have the honour of answering it4 ,his words are smoother than oil1 and flow 7who can doubt it87 from mere love both to me and the people4 8,but what does this smooth1 candid writer endeavour to prove1 with all the softness and good humour imaginable8 ,only this point1 7to explain it in plain ,english17 that ,i am a double tongued knave1 an old crafty hypocrite1 who have used religion merely for a cloak1 and have worn a mask for these fifty years1 saying one thing and meaning another4 ,a bold charge this1 only it happens that matter of fact contradicts it from beginning to end40 ,wesley then proceeds to give an outline of his history from his youth to the time when he took the ,french churches in ,west ,street1 ,seven ,dials1 and in ,spitalfields1 and he and his brother began to preach in them in church hours2 and states that the two archbishops of ,canterbury1 ,potter and ,secker1 and the two bishops of ,london1 ,gibson and ,lowth1 never blamed them for this1 or thought or called it separation from the ,church2 only1 on one occasion1 ,archbishop ,potter said3 8,these gentlemen are irregular2 but they have done good1 and ,i pray ,god to bless them40 ,wesley continues3 8,it may be observed that1 all this time1 if my brother or ,i were ill1 ,i desired one of our other preachers1 though not ordained1 to preach in either of the chapels1 after reading part of the ,church prayers4 ,this both my brother and ,i judged would endear the ,church prayers to them1 whereas1 if they were used wholly to extemporary prayer1 they would naturally contract a kind of contempt1 if not aversion1 to forms of prayer2 so careful were we1 from the beginning1 to prevent their leaving the ,church4 8,when the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,edward ,smyth came to live in ,dublin1 he earnestly advised me to leave the ,church2 meaning thereby1 7as all sensible men do17 to renounce all connection with it1 to attend the services of it no more1 and to advise all our societies to take the same steps4 ,i judged this to be a matter of great importance1 and would1 therefore1 do nothing hastily2 but referred it to the body of preachers1 then met in conference4 ,we had several meetings1 in which he proposed all his reasons for it at large4 ,they were severally considered1 and answered1 and we all determined not to leave the ,church4 8,a year ago1 ,dr4 ,coke began officiating at our chapel in ,dublin4 ,this was no more than had been done in ,london for between forty and fifty years4 ,some persons immediately began to cry out1 #8,this is leaving the ,church1 which ,mr4 ,wesley has continually declared he would never do4' ,and ,i declare so still4 ,but ,i appeal to all the world1 ,i appeal to common sense1 ,i appeal to the ,observer himself1 could ,i mean hereby1 #8,i will not have service in church hours'8 ,no2 but ,i denied1 and do deny still1 that this is leaving the ,church1 either in the sense of ,bishop ,gibson1 or of ,mr4 ,smyth at the ,dublin conference4 ,yet1 by this outcry1 many well meaning people were frighted well-nigh out of their senses4 8#8,but see the consequence of having ,sunday service here6 ,see the confusion this occasioned6' ,some time since1 while a popular preacher was preaching at ,leeds1 one cried out1 #8,fire6 ,fire6' ,the people took fright1 some leaped over the gallery1 and several legs and arms were broken4 ,but upon whom were these consequences to be charged8 ,not on the preacher1 but on him that made the outcry4 ,apply this to the present case4 ,i have kindled no more fire in ,dublin than ,i did in ,london4 ,it is the ,observer and a few other mischief makers1 who fright the people out of their senses2 and they must answer to ,god for the consequence4 8,this is my answer to them that trouble me1 and will not let my grey hairs go down to the grave in peace4 ,i am not a man of duplicity2 ,i am not an old hypocrite1 a double tongued knave4 ,more than forty years1 ,i have frequented ,ireland4 ,i have wished to do some good here4 ,i now tell a plain tale1 that #8the good that is in me may not be evil spoken of4' ,i have no temporal end to serve4 ,i seek not the honour that cometh of men4 ,it is not for pleasure1 that1 at this time of life1 ,i travel three or four thousand miles a year4 ,it is not for gain4 #8,no foot of land do ,i possess1 ,no cottage in this wilderness2 ,a poor wayfaring man1 ,i lodge awhile in tents below1 ,or gladly wander to and fro1 ,till ,i my ,canaan gain4' 8,,john ,,wesley4 8,p4,s4 ,at the desire of a friend1 ,i add a few words in answer to one or two other objections4 8,first4 ,when ,i said1 #8,i believe ,i am a scriptural bishop1' ,i spoke on ,lord ,king's supposition1 that bishops and presbyters are essentially one order4 8,secondly4 ,i did desire ,mr4 ,myles to assist me in delivering the cup4 ,now1 be this right or wrong1 how does it prove the point now in question1 that ,i leave the ,church8 ,i ask 7#b7 ,what law of the ,church forbids this8 ,and 7#c7 ,what law of the primitive church8 ,did not the priest in the primitive church send both the bread and wine to the sick by whom he pleased1 though not ordained at all8 8,thirdly4 ,the ,observer affirms1 #8,to say you will not leave the church1 meaning thereby all true believers in ,england1 is trifling4' ,certainly2 but ,i do not mean so when ,i say1 #8,i will not leave the ,church4' ,i mean1 unless ,i see more reason for it than ,i ever yet saw1 ,i will not leave the ,church of ,england as by law established1 while the breath of ,god is in my nostrils40#fga ,such was ,wesley's manifesto in #aghi2 in reality1 a defence of a thing he had often condemned1--,methodist service in church hours4 ,while ,wesley was thus attacked in the public press1 he met with the greatest respect and attention from several persons of distinguished rank in ,dublin and its environs2 the ,earl of ,moira among the number4 8,they seemed10 says ,mr4 ,myles1 8to think it a blessing to have him beneath their roof40#fgb ,many of them flocked to hear him1 on ,good ,friday1 when he preached1 morning and evening1 in the elegant chapel of his old clerical dissenting friend1 the ,rev4 ,edward ,smyth4 ,neither grand people1 however1 nor grand chapels1 were at all prized by ,wesley1 except as they furnished opportunities of ,christian usefulness4 8,at both times on ,good ,friday10 says he1 8we had a brilliant congregation1 among whom were honourable and right honourable persons2 but ,i felt they were all given into my hands2 for ,god was in the midst4 ,what a mercy it is1 what a marvellous condescension in ,god1 to provide such places as ,bethesda1 and ,lady ,huntingdon's chapels1 for these delicate hearers1 who could not bear sound doctrine if it were not set off with these pretty trifles60 ,dublin was not the only place which1 at this time1 gave ,wesley trouble4 ,the ,dewsbury circuit was entirely wrested by his traitorous book steward2 and now1 the same rebellion against giving ,wesley1 and 7after his death7 ,wesley's conference1 the sole power to appoint preachers1 was showing itself at ,shields4 ,hence the following1 addressed to the three itinerant preachers stationed in the ,newcastle circuit4 8,,dublin1 ,april #aa1 #aghi4 8,i require you three1 ,peter ,mill1 ,joseph ,thompson1 and ,john ,stamp1 without consulting or regarding any person whatever1 to require a positive answer of ,edward ,coats1 within three weeks after the receipt of this1 #8,will you1 or will you not1 settle the house at ,milburn ,place1 ,north ,shields1 on the ,methodist plan8' ,if he will not do it within another week1 ,i farther require that none of you preach in that house1 unless you will renounce all connection with your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley4 8,i am at a point4 ,i will be trifled with no longer40#fgc ,was this more hasty than wise8 ,john ,pawson seemed to think so4 ,the following is taken from one of his unpublished letters1 to ,charles ,atmore1 dated 8,leeds1 ,may #i1 #aghi40 8,what a pity it is that ,mr4 ,wesley will pursue these violent measures6 ,if he goes thus1 there will be divisions upon divisions among us4 ,mr4 ,hanby informs me1 that1 at ,north and ,south ,shields1 and at ,alnwick1 they refuse to settle their houses upon the conference plan2 and1 at ,newcastle1 they have been talking of building a chapel for the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,collins1 and of inviting some of the best preachers to settle among them1 and make a circuit by themselves4 ,i suppose ,mr4 ,sagar would tell you1 they had strange commotions among them when he was there40 ,but even this was not all4 ,in #aghe1 ,wesley ordained ,john ,pawson and ,thomas ,hanby for ,scotland2 where1 for two years1 they had administered the sacraments1 and had preached in gown and bands4 ,in #aghg1 as already stated1 he brought them back to ,england1 commanded them to doff their canonicals1 and1 being in ,england1 to discontinue their sacramental services4 ,this1 to ,pawson1 was exceedingly annoying2 but he hardly had the pluck of ,hanby in resisting it4 ,hanby and ,joseph ,taylor1 7who had also been ordained1 and was in the same dubious position17 were now stationed in the ,nottingham circuit2 and many of the ,methodists1 aware of their ordination1 naturally wished them to administer to them the ,christian ordinances2 but this ,wesley imperiously prohibited4 ,taylor yielded2 ,hanby persisted4 ,the following extracts1 from two of his unprinted letters1 will be read with interest4 ,the first was addressed to ,james ,oddie2 the second to ,richard ,rodda4 8,,grantham1 ,may #ba1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,very ,,dear ,,brother1--,i have been in deep waters on account of my administering the ,lord's supper1 which ,i think it my duty to do1 especially to those who1 for conscience sake1 cannot go to church4 ,mr4 ,wesley ordered me to desist4 ,i told him1 if ,i did1 ,i should sin1 because ,i was persuaded it was my duty4 ,then he instructed the ,london clergy and preachers to take me in hand4 ,i have received their letter1 and have replied1 that ,i must still do as ,i have done2 and that1 if ,mr4 ,wesley has given me up into their hands1 they must act according to their own judgment2 for what ,i was now doing was from a ,divine conviction of my duty4 ,thus the matter rests4 ,for some time1 ,i have expected another preacher to take my place2 but1 as he has not come1 perhaps1 they will refer the matter to conference4 ,mr4 ,wesley has ordered ,joseph ,taylor1 7who opposes me all he can17 to remove the leaders who have promoted the sacraments2 if he does so1 ,i expect there will be a division4 8,see1 my brother1 my situation4 ,i am much afraid of myself1 lest ,i should defile my conscience by yielding to the importunity of the preachers4 ,i am of all others the most improper person to make a stand in defence of ,christ's precious and most neglected ordinance4 ,however1 hitherto1 through infinite mercy1 ,i have been firm and immovable2 and our solemnities are much owned of ,god2 and ,i have much employment in the sacred service4 ,i meet with great opposition from the high church bigots2 but yet there are many1 who will stand by me1 let the consequence be what it will4 8,let me hear from you soon2 and advise your very affectionate friend and brother1 8,,thomas ,,hanby40 8,,plumtree1 ,june #d1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,friend1--,o yes6 my sin is not to be forgiven unless ,i repent1 which ,i cannot do4 ,that is too late1 because ,i cannot seek it with tears4 ,mr4 ,wesley has declared1 that he will exclude the preachers who administer the ,lord's supper in ,england4 ,for some time1 ,i have expected to be unshipped2 but whether hands are scarce1 or ,i am to be permitted to finish my voyage1 which will be the last week in ,july1 ,i cannot tell4 8,i came under no such obligations to ,mr4 ,wesley1 not to administer in ,england4 ,if this prohibition had been laid upon me1 ,i hope ,i should have refused his offer of nothing4 ,i am in the fire1 but1 like the salamander1 ,i live there4 ,i am up to the chin in deep waters2 but not drowned4 ,mr4 ,mather sent me a threatening bull2 ,mr4 ,wesley a second2 and1 to complete the work1 the clergy in ,london1 ,mr4 ,rankin and ,mr4 ,moore1 joined their artillery4 ,the last in command is my colleague1 ,joseph ,taylor1 who opposes me with the utmost warmth4 ,you will readily conclude1 #8,poor ,hanby will be overpowered by numbers4' ,true2 but ,i still keep the field1 for all that1 and mean to die there4 ,i am single handed1 for my brethren1 who promised to support me1 have deserted to the strongest party1 not an unusual case4 ,i grant1 that those who are called to preach have an equal right to administer2 but do not talk of #8depreciating ordination4' ,mr4 ,wesley did that1 seven years ago1 when he published in the newspapers those who had presumed to be ordained by the ,greek bishop4 ,i expect1 he will depreciate me1 though he himself ordained me1 and commanded me to administer the ordinances in the church of ,god4 8,when the great opposition against the sacraments was formed1 ,mr4 ,taylor had administered once2 and ,i had promised to do so in two other places2 and when my engagements were fulfilled1 ,i proposed to desist from proceeding further1 7as he had done17 for ,i saw there was no withstanding so formidable a body4 ,however1 ,i was brought into deep distress of mind1 by the earnest request of the people1 who had not communicated for years1 and who would not communicate with drinking1 whoring1 swearing1 and fighting parsons4 ,the ,lord let me see that ,his ordinance was become obsolete1 and that it was an unreasonable stretch of power1 in any human creature1 to say1 #8,if you will not communicate with these wicked men1 you shall not communicate at all4' ,this appeared to me as an abrogation of ,christ's commanded ordinance1 for which no one1 either man or angel1 had authority4 ,i saw it was my duty to stand forth in defence of this ordinance1 and to suffer for it2 for suffer ,i am sure to do4 ,mr4 ,wesley1 for many years1 has treated me contemptuously1 putting me beneath the weakest and most suspicious characters1 7viz4 ,briscoe and ,fenwick17 and1 therefore1 ,i expect no favour in that quarter4 8,i begin to look out for some poor cottage1 to which ,i may retire1 and wait the opening of ,providence4 #8,vox populi vox ,dei1' is my motto2 and1 whatever others may say or think of me1 ,i have no other motive but the principle of ,divine love4 ,i can promise my sect neither riches nor honour1 by my opposition to the conference2 but quite the reverse4 ,to be expelled the connexion1 after thirty-five years of uninterrupted labour1 is1 to me1 a very painful thought2 but ,i see ,i must suffer it2 and shall only take away with me this motto1 #8,driven from ,methodism for defending the injured1 and nearly abrogated and obsolete1 ordinance of ,christ4' ,farewell1 ,mr4 ,wesley6 ,farewell1 ,mr4 ,rodda6 ,farewell1 conference6 8,i have written ,mr4 ,wesley my reasons for acting in opposition to his will1 and my reasons why ,i must still act as ,i do2 but he has given me no answer4 ,well1 ,i am nothing4 ,i only want to be the servant of ,god2 and ,i see ,i must be ,his servant in ,his own way4 ,if we may judge of the propriety of our action1 by ,his sacred presence1 ,i can assure you the tokens of that presence are wonderfully manifested in our assemblies4 8,many of the people in this circuit intend to apply again for the ordinance2 and1 perhaps1 their petition will be treated with the same contempt as their last was at ,manchester4 8,i am your very affectionate1 and much obliged friend and brother1 8,,thomas ,,hanby40 ,this was a painful state of things2 ,dewsbury1 ,shields1 ,nottingham1 and ,dublin1 in rebellion2 and now ,thomas ,hanby1 ordained by ,wesley1 and one of his best preachers1 in danger of expulsion1 for doing what he deemed to be his duty4 ,fortunately1 this unbending minister was saved2 and became the elected president of the fourth conference that was held after ,wesley's death4 ,on ,christmas day1 in #agif1 he preached thrice in ,nottingham1 and met four or five classes for the renewal of their quarterly tickets4 ,this was his last labour of love4 ,four days afterwards1 he died1 saying3 8,i am departing2 but ,i have fought a good fight40#fgd ,wesley left ,dublin1 on his preaching tour through the ,irish provinces1 on the #acth of ,april1 and returned on the #aith of ,june4 ,in this nine weeks' journey he preached about a hundred sermons1 in more than sixty different towns and villages1 at least a dozen times in the open air1 half-a-dozen times in churches1 and once in a place which1 he says1 was 8large1 but not elegant--a cow house40 ,during a part of the time1 he was seriously unwell1 being attacked with a complaint which was new to him1 diabetes4 ,he wrote to ,london for the advice of ,dr4 ,whitehead1 and1 though the disease abated under the doctor's treatment1 he suffered from it1 more or less1 to the time of his decease4#fge 8,i was delighted10 says ,mr4 ,alexander ,knox1 8to find his cheerfulness in no respect abated4 ,it was too obvious that his bodily frame was sinking2 but his spirit was as alert as ever2 and he was little less the life of the company he happened to be in1 than he had been three-and-twenty years before1 when ,i first knew him4 ,such unclouded sunshine of the breast1 in the deepest winter of age1 and on the felt verge of eternity1 bespoke a mind whose recollections were as unsullied as its present sensations were serene40 ,in illustration of ,mr4 ,knox's testimony1 an anecdote may be added4 ,at this time1 ,mr4 7afterwards the ,rev47 ,joseph ,burgess was quartermaster of a regiment of soldiers in ,sligo barracks1 and had the honour of entertaining ,wesley as his guest4 ,a large party of friends were assembled to meet the venerable visitor at dinner2 and1 while the meal was in progress1 he suddenly laid down his knife and fork1 clasped his hands1 and lifted up his eyes1 as in the attitude of praise and prayer4 ,in an instant1 feasting was suspended1 and all the guests were silent4 ,wesley then gave out1 and sang with great animation1 8,and can we forget1 ,in tasting our meat1 ,the angelical food which ere long we shall eat2 ,when enrolled with the blest1 ,in glory we rest1 ,and for ever sit down at the heavenly feast80 ,the happy old man1 so near to the gates of heaven1 then quietly resumed his knife and fork2 and all felt that this beautiful spontaneous episode1 in the midst of an ,irish dinner1 had done them good4#fgf ,wesley spent three weeks more in ,dublin and its vicinity4 ,he visited the classes1 which contained above a thousand members1 after he had excluded about a hundred4 ,he also held his ,irish conference1 at which1 of the sixty preachers then employed in the sister island1 between forty and fifty were present4 ,he writes3 8,i found such a body of men as ,i hardly believed could have been found together in ,ireland2 men of so sound experience1 so deep piety1 and so strong understanding4 ,i am convinced1 they are no way inferior to the ,english conference1 except it be in number4 ,i never saw such a number of preachers before1 so unanimous in all points1 particularly as to leaving the ,church1 which none of them had the least thought of4 ,it is no wonder1 that there has been this year so large an increase of the society40 ,on the conference ,sunday1 ,wesley and his preachers1 and a large number of the ,dublin ,methodists1 attended the service in ,st4 ,patrick's4 8,the dean10 says he1 8preached a serious1 useful sermon2 and we had such a company of communicants as1 ,i suppose1 had scarce been seen there together1 for above a hundred years40 ,on his birthday he wrote3 8,june #bh4--,this day ,i enter on my eighty-sixth year4#fgg ,i now find1 ,i grow old3 7#a7 ,my sight is decayed2 so that ,i cannot read a small print1 unless in a strong light4 7#b7 ,my strength is decayed2 so that ,i walk much slower than ,i did some years since4 7#c7 ,my memory of names1 whether of persons or places1 is decayed2 till ,i stop a little to recollect them4 ,what ,i should be afraid of1 is1 if ,i took thought for the morrow1 that my body should weigh down my mind2 and create either stubbornness1 by the decrease of my understanding1 or peevishness1 by the increase of bodily infirmities3 but ,thou shalt answer for me1 ,o ,lord my ,god40 ,at length1 on ,july #ab1 ,wesley bid adieu to the shores of ,ireland1 for ever4 ,it was a touching scene4 ,multitudes followed him to the ship4 ,before he went on board1 he read a hymn2 and the crowd1 as far as emotion would let them1 joined the sainted patriarch in singing4 ,he then dropped upon his knees1 and asked ,god to bless them1 their families1 the ,church1 and ,ireland4 ,shaking of hands followed2 many wept most profusely2 and not a few fell on the old man's neck and kissed him4 ,he stepped on deck2 the vessel moved2 and then1 with his hands still lifted up in prayer1 the winds of heaven wafted him from an island which he dearly loved2 and the warm hearted ,irish ,methodists 8saw his face no more40#fgh ,before proceeding with ,wesley's history1 another selection from his letters may be welcome4 ,the first was addressed to a man who deserves a passing notice4 ,walter ,churchey was an enthusiastic ,welshman2 a lawyer with a large family and a slender purse2 a good1 earnest1 conceited old ,methodist1 who1 unfortunately for his wife and children1 had more delight in writing poetry than he had employment in preparing briefs4 ,he was one of ,wesley's correspondents as early as #agga2fgi exchanged letters with ,wesley's brother ,charles2 was an acquaintance of the saintly ,fletcher2 and an intimate friend of ,joseph ,benson and ,dr4 ,coke4 ,he claimed the honour1 which belonged to others1 of having first suggested to ,wesley the publishing of his ,arminian ,magazine2#fhj and1 in a manuscript letter before us1 states that he it was who originated the scheme for reducing what he calls 8the national debt0 of ,methodism in the year #ahjj4 ,he was a good man1 though perhaps flighty1 very diligent but very poor1 a warm admirer of ,methodist doctrine1 but withal a millenarian1 who wrote1 in the letter just mentioned3 8,i have lost my friend1 ,wesley2 but ,i shall see him again1 perhaps soon1 even upon earth1 where the sufferers for ,christ are to rise to reign in ,his spiritual kingdom on earth a thousand years4 ,i grow daily a greater ,brotherite40#fha ,in #aghf1 ,churchey wished to enrich the world with his poetical productions2 and1 among others1 consulted ,wesley and the poet ,cowper4 ,the latter1 in reply1 remarked3 8,i find your versification smooth1 your language correct and forcible1 and especially in your translation of the ,art of ,printing4 ,but you ask me1 would ,i advise you to publish8 ,i would advise every man to publish1 whose subjects are well chosen1 whose sentiments are just1 and who can afford to be a loser1 if that should happen1 by his publication40#fhb ,thus encouraged1 the sanguine ,welshman set to work2 ,wesley helped him in obtaining subscribers2 the poems were published2 the reviewers were revilers2 and poor ,churchey was poorer than ever4 ,the following letters1 among others1 were addressed to this worthy1 but needy man4 ,the first and second have not before been published4 8,,london1 ,february #aa1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,on ,monday1 ,march #b1 ,i hope to be in ,bath or ,bristol1 and then we may talk about the number of copies4 ,i have been much more concerned than you1 for these sixty years1 in printing books1 both with and without subscription2 and ,i still think1 with all our skill and industry1 we shall be hard set to procure three hundred subscribers4 ,perhaps three hundred may promise2 but we must never imagine that all who promise will perform4 ,but of this we may talk more1 when we meet at ,bristol4 8,i suppose every one that loves ,king ,george loves ,mr4 ,pitt4 ,peace be with all your spirits6 8,i am your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 8,,clones1 ,may #be1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i am afraid of delay4 ,i doubt1 ,i shall not be able to be as good as our word1 although1 in the last proposals1 ,i have protracted the time of delivery till the #ast of ,august4 ,as you are not a stripling1 ,i wonder you have not yet learnt the difference between promise and performance4 ,i allow1 at least1 five-and-twenty per cent2 and1 from this conviction1 ,i say to each of my subscribers 7what1 indeed1 you cannot say so decently to yours71 #8,sir1 down with your money4' 8,i know ,dr4 ,ogilvie well4 ,he is a lovely man and an excellent poet4 ,i commend you for inoculating the children4 ,i believe the hand of ,god is in our present work3 therefore1 it must prosper4 ,indeed1 ,i love sister ,churchey1 and am your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,the following1 besides referring to ,churchey's poems1 is possessed of interest as containing an allusion to the prayer-book published in #aghh2 and also ,wesley's final testimony concerning the great philanthropist1 ,john ,howard1 who died seven months afterwards4 8,,dublin1 ,june #bj1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,michael ---- is an original4 ,he tells lies innumerable1 many of them plausible enough4 ,but many talk full as plausibly as he2 and they that can believe him1 may4 8,i do not doubt1 but some part of your verse1 as well as prose1 will reach the hearts of some of the rich4 8,dr4 ,coke made two or three little alterations in the prayer-book without my knowledge4 ,i took particular care throughout1 to alter nothing merely for altering's sake4 ,in religion1 ,i am for as few innovations as possible2 ,i love the old wine best4 ,and if it were only on this account1 ,i prefer #8which' before #8who art in heaven4' 8,mr4 ,howard is really an extraordinary man4 ,god has raised him up to be a blessing to many nations4 ,i do not doubt1 but there has been something more than natural in his preservation hitherto1 and should not wonder if the providence of ,god should hereafter be still more conspicuous in his favour4 8,about three weeks hence1 ,i expect to embark for ,england4 ,peace be with you and yours6 8,i am your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fhc ,while in ,ireland1 ,wesley was troubled with the affairs of ,scotland4 ,two years before this1 ,john ,pawson1 eager to exercise his newly acquired episcopal or presbyterian power1--whichever the reader has a mind to call it1--began1 in ,glasgow1 a species of ,methodism1 which was not ,wesley's1 but his own4 ,he ordained seven elders1 who were to meet weekly1 and to have the supervision of the temporal and spiritual affairs of the ,glasgow ,methodists4 ,in a book1 ,pawson wrote the rules1 which were to regulate their conduct4 ,among others1 one regulation was1 that no person should be admitted into the society1 or be expelled from it1 but by a majority of these ordained elders2 for1 though the itinerant preacher might preside at their meetings1 he was not allowed to vote4 ,no doubt1 honest but simple ,pawson expected good and great results4 ,the elders1 however1 like ,pawson1 had no notion of being invested with ecclesiastical office without using it2 and1 hence1 all sorts of paltry cases were got up1 apparently for the purpose of enabling the newly fledged elders to show their skill in settling them4 ,one must suffice1 as a specimen4 ,thomas ,tassey1 the most vigilant and active of the official seven1 alleged that ,peggy ---- had become a lodger with ,peggy ----1 and had committed theft2 and that1 as the time for the administration of the sacrament was approaching1 the charge against ,peggy ---- ought to be judicially examined4 ,accordingly1 a sessions was appointed4 ,the elders1 the accuser1 the accused1 and the witnesses were present4 ,beside these1 there were also the two circuit preachers1 ,jonathan ,crowther and ,joseph ,cownley1 whom ,crowther justly designates 8two poor ciphers10 seeing1 though they might preside1 they had no power to vote4 ,the charge was1 that when ,peggy ---- went to lodge with ,peggy ----1 the latter ,peggy bought half an ounce of tea1 and a farthing's worth of oil2 that these household provisions did not last so long as usual2 and that the probability was1 that the property of ,peggy ---- had1 to some extent1 been feloniously appropriated by her lodger1 ,peggy ----4 ,the affair was so serious1 and withal so solemnly conducted1 that it became needful to adjourn4 ,at the second sessions1 ,crowther 7who1 though not allowed to vote1 had a right to examine witnesses71 asked the ,peggy whose property was in question1 how often she had made herself tea out of the half ounce1 part of which had been stolen4 ,peggy dolorously answered1 8,only seven times40 ,she was then examined respecting her farthing's worth of oil2 and it was ascertained1 that1 though it had not lasted as long as usual1 she had been using a new feather in applying it2 and it was thought that the new feather might have absorbed the quantity which ,peggy1 the lodger1 was accused of stealing4 ,so the matter ended4 ,jonathan ,crowther was disgusted1 and told ,pawson's ordained elders1 that their discipline resembled the wisdom of ,solomon1 for it took cognisance of everything1 from the hyssop on the wall to the cedars of mount ,lebanon4 ,the system had been instituted by ,pawson1 one of ,wesley's confidential friends1 and a preacher of seventeen years' standing4 ,crowther was young and inexperienced1 only in the fifth year of his itinerant life2 but he was gifted with common sense1 and saw that1 if this ordained machinery was continued1 ,methodism must be ruined4 ,wesley had been in ,scotland twelve months before2 but1 strangely enough1 appears to have been kept in ignorance of the new court at ,glasgow4 ,at all events1 ,jonathan ,crowther now wrote to him2 and received the following decisive answer4 8,,cork1 ,may #aj1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--#8,sessions'6 #8elders'6 ,we ,methodists have no such custom1 neither any of the churches of ,god that are under our care4 ,i require you1 ,jonathan ,crowther1 immediately to dissolve that session 7so called7 at ,glasgow4 ,discharge them from meeting any more4 ,and if they will leave the society1 let them leave it4 ,we acknowledge only preachers1 stewards1 and leaders among us1 over which the assistant in each circuit presides4 ,you ought to have kept to the ,methodist plan from the beginning4 ,who had my authority to vary from it8 ,if the people of ,glasgow1 or any other place1 are weary of us1 we will leave them to themselves4 ,but we are willing to be still their servants1 for ,christ's sake1 according to our own discipline1 but no other4 8,,john ,,wesley40#fhd ,before accompanying ,wesley on his way back to ,england1 we insert another letter1 which is abridged in ,wesley's collected works4 ,adam ,clarke was in the isle of ,jersey2 but ,wesley wished him to remove to ,dublin1 on account of the disturbed state of the society in that city4 ,his old friend1 the ,rev4 ,edward ,smyth1 was now one of his bitter enemies4 ,hence the following4 8,,near ,,dublin1 ,june #be1 #aghi4 8,,dear ,,adam1--,you send me good news with regard to the islands4 ,who can hurt us1 if ,god is on our side8 ,trials may come1 but they are all good4 ,i have not been so tried for many years4 ,every week and almost every day1 ,i am bespattered in the public papers1 either by ,mr4 ,smyth1 or by ,mr4 ,mann1 his curate4 ,smooth1 but bitter as wormwood1 are their words2 and five or six of our richest members have left the society1 because 7they say7 #8,i have left the ,church4' ,many are in tears on account of it2 and many are terribly frightened1 and crying out1 #8,oh6 what will the end be8' ,what will it be8 ,why1 #8,glory to ,god in the highest1 peace on earth1 and goodwill among men4' 8,but1 meantime1 what is to be done8 ,what will be the most effectual means to stem this furious torrent8 ,i have just visited the classes1 and find still in the society upwards of a thousand members2 and1 among these1 many as deep ,christians as any ,i have met with in ,europe4 ,but who is able to watch over them1 that they may not be moved from their steadfastness8 ,i know none more proper than ,adam ,clarke and his wife4 ,indeed1 it may seem hard for them to go into a strange land again4 ,well1 you may come to me at ,leeds1 at the latter end of next month2 and if you can show me any that are more proper1 ,i will send them in your stead4#fhe ,that ,god may be glorified1 is all that is desired by1 dear ,adam1 8,your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fhf ,it has been already stated1 that ,wesley embarked for ,england on ,july #ab4 ,william ,myles was with him1 and says3 8,we had a pleasant passage2 ,mr4 ,wesley preached1 and we sang hymns most of the way40#fhg ,the passage lasted about six-and-thirty hours4 ,after holding services at ,chester and ,northwich1 ,wesley made his way to ,manchester1 where he and ,coke administered the sacrament to about twelve hundred communicants4 ,at ,dewsbury1 where ,john ,atlay had taken both the ,methodists and their chapel1 ,wesley preached out of doors1 in a drenching rain4 ,he then proceeded to ,leeds for the purpose of holding his annual conference2 and1 on the day before it began its sessions1 preached from what would be a good conference text at the present time3 8,o ,timothy1 keep that which is committed to thy trust1 avoiding profane and vain babblings1 and oppositions of science falsely so called40 ,as usual1 ,wesley1 besides conducting the business of the conference1 preached every day during its sittings2 and his texts throughout were equally well timed1 namely3 8,train up a child in the way he should go2 and when he is old he will not depart from it40 8,we through the ,spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith40 8,woe unto the world because of offences6 for it must needs be that offences come2 but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh40 8,to the weak became ,i as weak1 that ,i might gain the weak2 ,i am made all things to all men1 that ,i might by all means save some40 8,well1 ,master1 ,thou hast said the truth2 for there is one ,god2 and there is none other but ,he40 8,i have a message from ,god unto thee40 8,if any man speak1 let him speak as the oracles of ,god40#fhh ,here was a word in season for every one4 ,rare was the treat to attend a conference like this4 ,on the conference ,sunday1 ,wesley seems to have devolved the preaching upon others2 but the day was not an idle one4 ,he writes3 8with the assistance of three other clergymen1 ,i administered the sacrament to fifteen or sixteen hundred persons40 ,when and where are such sacramental services held at present8 ,what may be called the conference sermon was preached by a local preacher1 perhaps the only instance of the kind in ,methodism's history4 ,james ,hamilton1 ,m4,d41 was the preacher2 his text1 8,trust ye not in lying words1 saying1 the temple of the ,lord1 the temple of the ,lord1 the temple of the ,lord1 are these40 ,his sermon was printed1 and was sold 8at the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley's preaching houses in town and country10 with the following title3 8,a ,sermon preached at ,leeds1 ,july #bi1 #aghi1 before the ,methodist ,preachers1 assembled in ,conference1 and a large body of the people in connection with them2 and now published at the request of many of the ,hearers40 ,this also was a sermon for the times1 and evidently had ,wesley's approbation4 ,its gist may be gathered from a few brief extracts4 ,after dwelling on the functions of the priests and scribes of the ,jewish church1 the preacher said3 8,but as all external religion is of no use1 any farther than as it advances the spiritual kingdom of ,christ in the soul2 and as the ,jews too often lost sight of this1 resting in their types and ceremonies1 ,god called a race of men1 named prophets1 who had nothing to do with the priesthood2 men full of the ,holy ,ghost2 and sent them to declare that all external religion is nothing worth1 when it fails to produce purity of heart4 ,the prophets were1 7with two or three exceptions17 what we call laymen1--taken from the common occupations in ,juda1 chiefly farmers and shepherds1--holy men1 men of strong faith1 their hearts overflowing with zeal for the honour of ,god1--men of invincible courage1 practising the strictest temperance1 and clothed in the plainest manner40 ,dr4 ,hamilton then proceeded to argue1 that ,methodist preachers bore some analogy to these special messengers of ,god in ancient times2 and after an affectionate allusion to the two ,wesleys1 and to ,whitefield1 continued3 8,and here mark the ,divine wisdom4 ,although their brother priests in the ,church thrust them from them1 and although their names were cast out as evil above the names of all men1 they ever retained a strong and affectionate attachment to the men who had thus abused them1 and to the ,church of which they were members2 and this has been1 in the overruling hand of ,god1 the great means of carrying on that glorious spiritual work which we now behold4 ,had it not been for this attachment1 the ,methodists would have1 long ere this1 become a distinct body1 separate from the ,church and all others2 and1 ,i fear1 in consequence thereof1 would have sunk into the dead formality of the numerous sects1 with which the world is harassed and divided40 ,then proceeding to address the assembled conference1 the preacher added3 8,will ye bear with me1 ye spiritual messengers of the ,lord1 while ,i presume to say a few words to you8 ,see with what a holy calling ye are called2 for what a glorious and important end ,god has raised you up6 ,even to set spiritual religion before the eyes of all men2 to cry to men of all opinions1 sects1 and parties1 #8,trust not unto lying words1 saying1 ,the temple of the ,lord are these'2 to bring them1 from resting in external duties1 to the possession of internal holiness2 from an opinion in the head1 to the love of ,god in the heart4 ,let then the dead bury their dead6 ,let the formalist and the pharisee1 the church bigot and the sectary1 contend for ways of thinking1 gestures in worship1 and modes of church government2 but may ye never forget1 that ye are sent for a nobler end2 that your commission is the same as ,paul's1 not to baptize1 but to preach the gospel4 ,although ,i am neither a prophet1 nor the son of a prophet2 yet forgive me when ,i express my fears1 that1 if ever the ,methodists leave their several churches2 if ever ye set up as a separate people by external distinctions and creeds2 if ye substitute a silken gown and sash for rough garments and a leathern girdle1 and call one another1 ,rabbi6 ,rabbi6 then the glory will depart from you1 and ,god will raise up another people4 ,he will call other lay preachers1 no matter by what name2 and ,he will send them to call you from opinions and forms1 and to sound in your ears1 #8,trust not unto lying words1 saying1 ,the temple of the ,lord1 the temple of the ,lord1 the temple of the ,lord are these4'0 ,hamilton's sermon1 to say the least1 was ingenious2 and referring as it does to the great topic of the day1 separation from the ,church1 these extracts will not be regarded as out of place4 ,wesley says1 there were about a hundred preachers present at the conference2 ,atmore says1 about a hundred and thirty2#fhi be that as it may1 one hundred and fifteen of them signed a declaration1 that they entirely approved of ,methodist chapels being settled on the conference plan2 and1 among these1 were several who1 soon after1 distinguished themselves as ,methodist reformers1 namely1 ,william ,thom1 ,henry ,taylor1 and ,alexander ,kilham4 ,the principal subjects discussed are thus referred to in ,wesley's journal4 8,july #bh--,the case of separation from the ,church was largely considered1 and we were all unanimous against it4 ,august #a--,we considered the case of ,dewsbury house1 which the self elected trustees have robbed us of4 ,the point they contended for was this1--that they should have a right of rejecting any preachers they disapproved of4 ,but this1 we say1 would destroy itinerancy4 ,so they chose ,john ,atlay for a preacher1 who adopted ,william ,eels for his curate4 ,nothing remained but to build another preaching house1 towards which we subscribed #bjf on the spot40 ,besides these1 some other points were decided2 namely1 that the preachers should read the rules of the society in every society once a quarter2 that no person should be admitted to lovefeasts without a society ticket1 or a note from the assistant2 that every watchnight should be continued till midnight2 that the collections at lovefeasts should be most conscientiously given to the poor2 that preachers should not go out to supper1 and should be home before nine at night2 that preachers' children should dress exactly according to the band rules2 that only one preacher should come in future to the conference from ,scotland1 except those that were to be admitted into full connexion2 and that no books should be published without ,wesley's sanction1 and that those approved by him should be printed at his press in ,london1 and be sold by his book steward4 ,we give these legislative enactments as we find them4 ,the last bore hardly on strong minded writers1 like ,thomas ,taylor and ,joseph ,benson4 ,the day after the conference concluded1 ,wesley set out for ,london1 and thence1 for the last time1 to ,cornwall4 ,his first day's journey was seventy miles1 and his second eighty1 and to this amount of labour was added preaching4 ,one day in ,london was devoted to business2 on the next1 which was ,sunday1 the patriarchal preacher delivered two sermons in the chapel in ,city ,road1 set out at seven o'clock1 p4m41 travelled all night1 and reached ,bristol about noon on ,monday4 ,without delay1 he hurried on to ,plymouth1 preaching at ,taunton1 ,collumpton1 and ,exeter4 ,at ,plymouth there had been1 what he calls1 a 8senseless quarrel02 but he administered the sacrament to six hundred people1 and preached to an enormous congregation out of doors4 ,arriving at ,st4 ,austell1 he says3 8,i knew not where to preach1 the street being so dirty1 and the preaching house so small4 ,at length1 we determined to squeeze as many as we could into the preaching house2 and truly ,god was there40 ,at ,truro1 the street1 leading to the chapel1 being blocked up with starving tinners demanding an increase to their wages1 and a troop of soldiers who were keeping peace1 ,wesley was obliged to preach 8under the coinage hall40 ,forty years had elapsed since he was last at ,falmouth1 and then he was 8taken prisoner by an immense mob1 gaping and roaring like lions2 now high and low lined the street1 from one end of the town to the other1 out of stark love and kindness02 and he preached to the largest congregation he had ever seen in ,cornwall1 except in or near ,redruth4 ,the same sort of scenes awaited him at ,helstone1 ,st4 ,just1 ,newlyn1 and ,penzance4 ,in ,gwennap pit his congregation was calculated at five-and-twenty thousand4 ,this remarkable spot was first used by ,wesley1 as a place for preaching1 in #agfb1 on account of the wind being so boisterous as to prevent him occupying his usual stand in the town itself4 8,at a small distance10 says he1 8was a hollow capable of containing many thousand people4 ,i stood on one side of this amphitheatre1 toward the top1 with the people beneath1 and on all sides40 ,many since then had been the marvellous scenes he had witnessed in this 8the finest natural amphitheatre in the kingdom40 ,there can be little doubt1 that the estimated numbers were sometimes greater than the real2 but still1 it was here1 on this ,cornish common1 that ,wesley had the largest congregations to whom he ever preached4 ,the place is now one of the 8sights0 of ,cornwall4 ,here an annual service has been held ever since ,wesley's death2 and now1 on every ,whitmonday1 thousands wend their way1 in every style of conveyance1 from the donkey cart of the poor peasant to the dashing carriage of the wealthy squire1 and assembling within the area and around the banks of this consecrated hollow1 join in one vast act of worship1 offered to the ,god of heaven4 ,here we have ,methodism's yearly pilgrimage1 made by hosts of ,cornish ,methodists1 not to honour man1 but to commemorate the mercies of their fathers' ,god1 and to ask ,his help and blessing on behalf of themselves and their posterity4 ,eleven days were spent in ,cornwall1 during which ,wesley preached1 at least1 seventeen times1 nine of which were in the open air4 8,there is10 says he1 8a fair prospect in ,cornwall1 from ,launceston to the ,land's ,end40 ,on his way back1 we find him preaching at ,tavistock1 ,plymouth1 ,exeter1 ,tiverton1 ,halberton1 ,taunton1 ,castle ,carey1 ,ditcheat1 and ,shepton ,mallet1 eleven sermons1 in seven days1 besides the travelling from ,cornwall to ,bristol4 ,no wonder that the venerable traveller sometimes started at three o'clock in the morning6 ,bristol was the centre of ,wesley's labours from ,september #e to ,october #e4 ,on one of the ,sundays1 he preached twice in his own chapel1 and once in ,temple church2 but writes3 8,it was full as much as ,i could do4 ,i doubt ,i must not hereafter attempt to preach more than twice a day40 ,on ,october #e1 he started from ,bristol at four o'clock in the morning1 for ,london4 ,arriving in town1 he wrote3 8,i am now as well1 by the good providence of ,god1 as ,i am likely to be while ,i live4 ,my sight is so decayed1 that ,i cannot well read by candlelight2 but ,i can write as well as ever2 and my strength is much lessened1 so that ,i cannot easily preach above twice a day4 ,but1 ,i bless ,god1 my memory is not much decayed2 and my understanding is as clear as it has been these fifty years40 ,having spent five days in ,london1 he set out for ,norfolk4 ,the remainder of the year was employed1 as usual1 partly in ,london1 and partly in his long accustomed preaching tours to the surrounding counties4 ,on the last ,sunday in the year1 he occupied the pulpit of ,st4 ,luke's1 his parish church4 8,the tables are turned10 says he2 8,i have now more invitations to preach in churches than ,i can accept of40 ,one of his ,london retreats was1 what he calls1 8the lovely family at ,balham40 ,this was1 doubtless1 the family of ,george ,wolff1 ,esq41 one of his executors1--a merchant1 and also consul general to the court of ,denmark1--a gentleman of unassuming manners1 deeply pious1 and one of the most liberal of the metropolitan ,methodists1--for many years the confidential friend of ,wesley1 and who died at ,balham1 in #ahbh1 at the age of ninety-two4#fij ,before concluding the year1 we insert a further selection from ,wesley's letters4 ,the first was to his nephew1 ,samuel ,wesley1 the musical genius1 now twenty-three years of age1 and is strikingly characteristic of the venerable writer4 8,,near ,,bristol1 ,september #af1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sammy1--,it gives me pleasure to hear1 that you have so much resolution1 that you go to bed at ten1 and rise at four o'clock4 ,let not the increase of cold affright you from your purposes4 ,bear your cross1 and it will bear you4 ,i advise you carefully to read over ,kempis1 the ,life of ,gregory ,lopez1 and that of ,mons4 de ,renty4 ,they are all among my brother's books4 8,i am1 dear ,sammy1 your affectionate uncle and friend1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fia ,the next beautifully illustrates the benevolence of ,wesley1 and the faithfulness of his friendship4 ,mr4 ,salmon1 at the time referred to1 was not a member of the ,methodist society1 but only an occasional hearer2 and1 yet1 the instance of his liberality1 which ,wesley mentions1 was not the only one which does honour to his character4 ,in #agfb1 ,wesley opened a new chapel at ,shepton ,mallet1 with a mudden floor2 and1 in this state1 it was occupied for years1 when ,mr4 ,salmon gave the stewards #dj to improve the floor1 and to supply back rails to the benches4#fib ,richard ,rodda1 to whom the following was addressed1 now filled the office of assistant at ,manchester4 8,,wallingford1 ,october #bd1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,you are a man whom ,i can trust3 whatever you do1 you will do it with your might4 ,some years since1 we wanted a preaching place near ,coleford1 in ,somersetshire4 ,a neighbouring gentleman1 ,mr4 ,salmon1 gave us ground to build on1 and timber for the house1 and desired me to use his house as my own4 ,he is now by wicked men reduced to want4 8,i am informed1 a master for a poorhouse is wanted at ,manchester4 ,pray inquire1 and1 if it be so1 leave no means untried to procure the place for him4 ,apply1 in my name1 to ,b4 ,barlow1 ,d4 ,yates1 ,t4 ,phillips1 ,dr4 ,easton1 ,mr4 ,brocklehurst1 ,stonehouse1 and all that have a regard for me4 ,make all the interest you can4 ,leave no stone unturned4 #8,join hands with ,god to make a good man live4' ,i hope you will send me word in ,london1 that you have exerted yourself1 and are not without a prospect of success4 8,i am1 dear ,richard1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fic ,the following letter is now1 for the first time1 published4 ,the ,liverpool ,methodists were about to build their ,mount ,pleasant chapel4 ,an expenditure of #aajj startled ,wesley4 ,what would he have said to the expenditure of as many thousands8 ,and yet ,liverpool ,methodism does the one now with as much nonchalance as it did the other then4 ,the letter was addressed to ,mr4 ,lawrence ,frost4 8,,london1 ,october #bc1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,you are bold people6 ,two hundred pounds1 purchase money1 besides nine hundred pounds6 ,but ,i do not use to damp any good design4 ,go on in the name of ,god4 ,it is true1 your deed is clumsy enough4 ,i am surprised1 that no ,methodist will take my advice4 ,i have more experience1 in these things1 than any attorney in the land4 ,and have ,i not the ,methodist interest as much at heart8 ,oh1 why will you alter the beautiful deed we have already8 why will you employ any attorney at all8 ,only to seek a knot in a bulrush2 only to puzzle the cause4 ,well1 comfort yourself4 ,you will not long be troubled with 8,your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,the next1 which was written to ,william ,black1 in ,nova ,scotia1 is interesting as containing a reference to ,wesley's labours1 and his professed adherence to the ,church4 8,,london1 ,november #ba1 #aghi4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,your letter has given me great satisfaction4 ,my fears are vanished away4 ,i am persuaded1 brother ,wray1 ,stretton1 and you1 will go on hand in hand1 and that each of you will take an equal share in the common labour4 ,i do so myself4 ,i labour now just as ,i did twenty or forty years ago4 ,by all means1 proceed by common consent1 and think not of separating from the ,church of ,england4 ,i am more and more confirmed in the judgment which our whole conference passed on that head1 in the year #ageh4 8,i am your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fid ,thirty-two years before1 ,wesley preached his first and last sermon in ,bideford4 ,for long it had been a barren soil1 but1 in #aghh1 was made a circuit town2 and now simple minded1 sanctified ,samuel ,bardsley was labouring with great success4 8,i am glad10 says ,wesley to this godly man1 8to hear so good an account of the work of ,god at ,bideford4 ,it had held out long1 and seemed to bid defiance to the gospel40#fie ,bardsley was all alone2 and ,michael ,fenwick1 fond of meddling1 wrote to him3 8,dear ,sammy1--,write a pressing letter every post1 until ,mr4 ,wesley sends you another preacher4 ,it is cruel to let you be all alone in that great wide circuit2 and ,i will tell ,mr4 ,wesley so4 ,i am glad1 that ,col4 ,buck is the reigning mayor with you4 ,pray1 when you see him1 give my ,christian respects to him1 and tell him1 ,i am glad he is raised to be the first magistrate in ,bideford40 ,fenwick was without an appointment1 and was resident at ,hexham4 ,wesley took him at his word1 and sent him to ,bideford4 ,poor ,michael seems to have been a stormy petrel4 ,no sooner was he come1 than there was serious trouble4 ,hence the following4 8,december #be1 #aghi4 8,,most ,,esteemed ,,friend1--,yesterday1 ,i waited upon the lord lieutenant for this county1 ,lord ,fortescue1 and we spent an hour together in a close1 pointed conversation1 respecting the hot persecution at ,bideford4 ,his lordship told me1 he will go over and inquire into matters1 for he thinks our lives are in danger1 seeing that the mayor of ,bideford and the other justices have thrown open the flood gates to the mob1 to do with us as they please4 ,i recommended to his lordship the #bcrd of ,matthew1 7only changing the word ,jerusalem into that of ,bideford17 in which our blessed ,lord describes the men4 ,his lordship is greatly alarmed at our present situation2 but1 the next week1 he will be with his majesty1 and will let him know of our treatment2 and they must take the consequences4 ,my dear brother1 never fear3 only believe2 and we shall see great things in due time4 ,i shall conquer1 or die in the field4 8,i am your affectionate friend1 8,,michael ,,fenwick40#fif ,the above not only furnishes a glimpse of ,methodist affairs at ,bideford1 but casts light on the following letters1 which ,wesley sent to ,bardsley4 8,,northampton1 ,november #be1 #aghi4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,yours of the #bast instant was sent to me hither4 ,you have done exceeding well to take the upper room4 ,if need be1 we will help you out4 ,let us have no law1 if it be possible to avoid it3 that is the last and worst remedy4 ,try every other remedy first4 ,it is a good providence1 that the mayor of ,bideford is a friendly man4 ,prayer will avail much in all cases4 ,encourage our poor people to be instant in prayer4 ,take care of poor ,michael2 and do not forget1 8,dear ,sammy1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fig 8,,newcastle ,,under ,,lyne1 ,march #bi1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,sammy1--,take particular care1 that neither ,michael ,fenwick1 nor any other1 give any just offence2 and especially1 that they offend not ,god2 then ,he will make your enemies to be at peace with you4 8,if ,i remember well1 ,i did write to the mayor of ,bideford2 and ,i expect1 that makes him more quiet4 ,by meekness1 gentleness1 and patience1 with faith and prayer1 you will prevail at ,torrington also4 ,you have only to go on calmly and steadily1 and ,god will arise and maintain ,his own cause4 ,only let us labour to have a conscience void of offence toward ,god1 and toward man4 8,i am1 dear ,sammy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fih ,all must admire this advice4 ,during this year of storm and tempest1 the ,bideford ,methodists increased from eighty-three to one hundred and forty4 ,we insert one more letter4 ,in the ,isle of ,man there were #befi ,methodists1 within five hundred of the number there are at present4 ,then there was one circuit2 now there are four3 then there were three itinerant preachers2 now there are ten4 ,george ,holder was assistant2 and to him ,wesley addressed the following4 8,,near ,,london1 ,november #bi1 #aghi4 8,,dear ,,george1--,you did well to remember the case of ,dewsbury house1 and to send what you could to ,mr4 ,mather4 8,i exceedingly disapprove of publishing anything in the ,manx language4 ,on the contrary1 we should do everything in our power to abolish it from the earth1 and persuade every member of our society to learn and talk ,english4 ,this would be much hindered by providing them with hymns in their own language4 ,therefore1 gently and quietly let the proposal drop4 8,i hope you and your fellow labourers are of one heart4 ,peace be with your spirits6 8,i am1 dear ,george1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#fii ,wesley would take no step to gratify the linguistic folly of the ,manx ,methodists2 but he was still actively employed in supplying books to his ,english readers4 ,his publications1 in #aghi1 were3 #a4 8,the ,life of ,mr4 ,silas ,told40 #ahmo1 #aac pages4 #b4 8,a ,short ,account of the ,life and ,death of ,jane ,newland1 of ,dublin40 #abmo1 #ab pages4 #c4 8,an ,extract of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,john ,wesley's ,journal1 from ,september #d1 #aghb1 to ,june #bh1 #aghf40 #abmo1 #acd pages4 #d4 8,minutes of ,several ,conversations between the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,wesley and others4 ,from the year #agdd1 to the year #aghi40 #abmo1 #ea pages4 #e4 ,his chief publication1 of course1 was his ,arminian ,magazine1 #hvo1 #fgi pages4 ,as usual1 it contains six of his own sermons4 ,those on ,man1 ,faith1 and the ,omnipresence of ,god1 are among the ablest he ever wrote4 ,that on the ,rich ,man and ,lazarus is a powerful exposition of the text1 which ,wesley believed to be1 not merely a parable1 but a history4 ,the sermon on ,riches is boldly faithful1 and must have made the rich ,methodists of that period wince and tremble2 as1 indeed1 it ought to make such ,methodists wince and tremble at the present day4 ,the following1 addressed to rich men1 are the concluding paragraphs4 8,o how pitiable is your condition6 ,and who is able to help you8 ,you need more plain dealing than any men in the world2 and you meet with less4 ,for how few dare to speak as plain to you1 as they would to one of your servants8 ,no man living that either hopes to gain anything by your favour1 or fears to lose anything by your displeasure4 ,oh that ,god would give me acceptable words1 and cause them to sink deep into your hearts6 ,many of you have known me long1 well-nigh from your infancy6 ,you have frequently helped me1 when ,i stood in need4 ,may ,i not say1 you loved me8 ,but now the time of our parting is at hand2 my feet are just stumbling upon the dark mountains4 ,i would leave one word with you1 before ,i go hence2 and you may remember it when ,i am no more seen4 8,o let your heart be whole with ,god6 ,seek your happiness in ,him1 and ,him alone4 ,beware1 that you cleave not to the dust6 ,this earth is not your place4 ,see that you use this world as not abusing it2 use the world1 and enjoy ,god4 ,sit as loose to all things here below1 as if you were a poor beggar4 ,be a good steward of the manifold gifts of ,god2 that1 when you are called to give an account of your stewardship1 ,he may say1 #8,well done1 good and faithful servant2 enter thou into the joy of thy ,lord4'0 ,nothing can be plainer than that1 for several of the last years of his life1 ,wesley regarded the growing riches of the ,methodists as one of their greatest dangers4 ,his magazines1 to say nothing of his letters and his journals1 are full of this4 ,hence1 his eighteen lengthy extracts on the ,surest ,way of ,thriving1 running through the whole of the magazine of #aghh1 and part of that for #aghi4 ,hence1 the solemn warning1 contained in his brief article on 8,the ,origin of ,image ,worship among ,christians02 an article meriting the serious thought of those wealthy ,methodists1 who are adorning 787 their chapels with painted windows and emblematic pulpits4 ,citations might be multiplied1 all tending to show that1 rightly or wrongly1 ,wesley regarded the growth of riches among ,christians1 not as a good to be desired1 but as a necessary evil1 and a serious danger4 ,the only sermon1 which remains unnoticed1 is that on ,god's ,vineyard1--a sermon on the doctrine1 spiritual helps1 discipline1 and outward protection of ,methodism4 ,he tells us that1 notwithstanding the assistance they received from ,peter ,bohler1 he and the other ,oxford ,methodists 8were never clearly convinced1 that we are justified by faith alone1 till they carefully consulted the homilies of the ,church of ,england1 and compared them with the sacred writings1 particularly ,st4 ,paul's epistle to the ,romans40 ,he propounds the principle1 which ,dr4 ,james ,hamilton enlarged upon in his conference sermon1 already mentioned1 that for the ,methodists to have become a separate sect1 like the ,moravians1 8would have been a direct contradiction to the whole design of ,god in raising them up1 to spread scriptural religion throughout the land1 among people of every denomination1 leaving every one to hold his own opinions1 and to follow his own mode of worship40 ,having shown the great advantages that the ,methodists had enjoyed1 his early hopes concerning them1 and how these hopes had hardly been realised1 he concludes with the following address to the rich members of the society4 8,o ye that have riches in possession1 once more hear the word of the ,lord6 ,ye that are rich in this world1 that have food to eat1 and raiment to put on1 and something over6 ,are you clear of the curse8 of loving the world8 ,are you sensible of your danger8 ,do you feel1 #8,how hardly will they that have riches enter into the kingdom of heaven'8 ,do you continue unburnt in the midst of fire8 ,are you untouched with the love of the world8 ,are you clear from the desire of the flesh1 the desire of the eye1 and the pride of life8 ,do you put a knife to your throat when you sit down to meat1 lest your table should be a snare to you8 ,is not your belly your god8 ,is not eating and drinking1 or any other pleasure of sense1 the greatest pleasure you enjoy8 ,do not you seek happiness in dress1 furniture1 pictures1 gardens2 or anything else that pleases the eye8 ,do not you grow soft and delicate8 unable to bear cold1 heat1 the wind or the rain1 as you did when you were poor8 ,are you not increasing in goods1 laying up treasures on earth2 instead of restoring to ,god1 in the poor1 not so much or so much1 but all that you can spare6 ,surely #8it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle1 than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven6'0 ,there are other contributions by ,wesley1 in the ,magazine for #aghi1 which ought to have attention4 ,there is an exquisitely drawn up article on 8,the ,nature of ,inspiration1 clearly explained and enforced1 as applicable to the ,old and ,new ,testament02 and also his piece 8,on the ,manners of the ,times02 neither of which has been included in ,wesley's collected works4 ,and there are also his 8,thoughts on ,separation from the ,church10 and his 8,thoughts upon a late ,phenomenon20 both of them really on the same subject4 ,after showing how revivals of religion have generally ended in the formation of separate sects1 and thereby rarely lasted1 according to ,luther's dictum1 8longer than a generation1 that is1 thirty years10 ,wesley remarks3 8,the ,methodists have been solicited again and again1 to separate from the ,established ,church1 and to form themselves into a distinct body1 independent of all other religious societies4 ,thirty years ago1 this was seriously considered among them1 at a general conference4 ,all the arguments1 urged on one side and the other1 were considered at large2 and it was determined1 without one dissenting voice1 that they #8ought not to separate from the ,church4' 8,this is a new thing in the world2 this is the peculiar glory of the people called ,methodists4 ,in spite of all manner of temptations1 they will not separate from the ,church4 ,what many so earnestly covet1 they abhor2 they will not be a distinct body4 ,now what instance have we of this before1 either in ancient or modern history1 of a body of people1 in such circumstances1 who will not be a distinct party1 but choose to remain in connection with their own church1 that they may be more effectually the servants of all8 ,this1 ,i say again1 is an utterly new phenomenon6 ,i never saw1 heard1 or read of anything like it4 ,the ,methodists will not separate from the ,church1 although continually reproached for doing it2 although it would free them from abundance of inconveniences1 and make their path much smoother and easier2 and although many of their friends earnestly advise1 and their enemies provoke them to it1--the clergy in particular2 most of whom1 far from thanking them for continuing in the ,church1 use all the means in their power1 fair and unfair1 to drive them out of it40 ,,footnotes3 #fff ,the photographic portrait1 in the present volume1 is taken from ,romney's painting1 by the kind permission of its possessor1 the ,rev4 ,g4 ,stringer ,rowe4 #ffg ,life of ,garretson4 #ffh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahfg1 p4 #fbc4 #ffi ,methodist ,magazine1 #agig1 p4 #cac4 #fgj ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #bec4 #fga ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #bed4 #fgb ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahca1 p4 #bih4 #fgc ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #aag4 #fgd ,atmore's 8,methodist ,memorial40 #fge ,moore's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #cgi4 #fgf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdj1 p4 #edc4 #fgg ,it ought to have been eighty-seventh4 #fgh 8,anecdotes of the ,wesleys10 p4 #cab4 #fgi ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #djd4 #fhj ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbc1 p4 #acd4 #fha ,a reference to ,richard ,brothers1 the prophecy expounder of that period4 #fhb ,cowper's ,works1 ,bohn's edit41 vol4 iii41 p4 #cgj4 #fhc ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #dji4 #fhd ,crowther's manuscript autobiography4 #fhe ,thomas ,rutherford was sent in this emergency4 #fhf ,wesleyan ,times1 ,june #aa1 #ahff4 #fhg ,methodist ,magazine1 #agig1 p4 #cac4 #fhh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #aae4 #fhi ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #aae4 #fij ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbh1 p4 #bhf4 #fia ,wesley ,banner1 #ahea1 p4 #dje4 #fib ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbg1 p4 #bhe4 #fic ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #dgh4 #fid ,black's ,memoirs1 p4 #bea4 #fie ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #dgb4 #fif ,manuscript letter4 #fig ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbe1 p4 #fge4 #fih ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xii41 p4 #dgc4 #fii ,ibid4 vol4 xiii41 p4 #ajh4 #agij4 ,age #hg ,wesley's career is drawing to a close4 ,he himself was on the 8,delectable mountains10 basking in the sheen of the celestial city2 but all around him1 or rather beneath him1 was darkness and confusion4 ,the riots of #aghi were about to culminate in the indescribable horrors of the ,french revolution4 ,burke wrote against this terrible upheaving2 ,dr4 ,price applauded it4 ,english newspapers1 all at once1 became ,gallican and republican2 and overflowed with abuse of the old constitution1--abuse of the ,church1--abuse of the aristocracy1--abuse of almost everything except the ,french insurrection1 and the men who made it4 ,thomas ,paine and his friends were in the highest feather2 and infidel and revolutionary pamphlets were published with prodigal profusion4 ,even ,fox1 in parliament1 declared that the ,french army1 by refusing to obey the court and to act against the people1 had set a glorious example to all the armies of ,europe2 to which ,burke1 who had hitherto been ,fox's friend1 replied1 that the revolutionists were 8an irrational1 unprincipled1 proscribing1 confiscating1 plundering1 ferocious1 bloody1 tyrannical democracy40 ,it was amid such excitement1 that ,wesley spent his last days on earth4 ,he began the year in ,london1 and wrote in his journal3 8#agij1 ,january #a4--;,i am now an old man1 decayed from head to foot3 my eyes are dim2 my right hand shakes much2 my mouth is hot and dry every morning2 ,i have a lingering fever almost every day2 my motion is weak and slow4 ,however1 blessed be ,god1 ,i do not slack my labour2 ,i can preach and write still40 ,henry ,moore observes3 8,being in the house with him when he wrote thus1 ,i was greatly surprised4 ,i knew it must be as he said2 but ,i could not imagine his weakness was so great4 ,he still rose at his usual hour1 four o'clock1 and went through the many duties of the day1 not indeed with the same apparent vigour1 but without complaint1 and with a degree of resolution that was astonishing40#gjj ,on ,saturday1 ,january #b1 he preached at ,snowsfields4 ,the next day1 ,sunday1 he held the covenant service in the ,city ,road chapel1 at which nearly two thousand persons were present4 ,a few days were then devoted to writing letters1 two of which we give4 ,the first has not before been published4 ,it was addressed to ,daniel ,jackson1 then appointed to the ,stockport circuit4 8,,london1 ,january #b1 #agij4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,it is no wonder many of the societies should be in a poor condition1 considering what poor care has lately been taken of them4 ,they will soon find the difference4 8,the books that are damaged you may give away as you judge proper4 8,none ought to have made a collection for any place before the house at ,dewsbury was built4 ,however1 do what you can1 and you do enough4 8,i am1 with love to sister ,jackson1 8,your affectionate friend and brother1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 ,the next was written to ,john ,mason1 the assistant in the ,st4 ,austell circuit4 8,,near ,,london1 ,january #ac1 #agij4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,as long as ,i live1 the people shall have no share in choosing either stewards or leaders among the ,methodists4 ,we have not1 and never had1 any such custom4 ,we are no republicans1 and never intend to be4 ,it would be better for those1 that are so minded1 to go quietly away4 ,i have been uniform1 both in doctrine and discipline1 for above these fifty years2 and it is a little too late for me to turn into a new path1 now ,i am old and grey headed4 ,neither good old brother ,porna 7,god bless him67 expects it from me1 nor brother ,wood1 nor brother ,flamank4 8,if you and ,i shall be called hence this year1 we may bless ,god that we have not lived in vain4 ,come1 let us have a few more strokes at ,satan's kingdom1 and then we shall depart in peace6 8,i am1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#gja ,on ,sunday1 ,january #ag1 ,wesley buried ,mrs4 ,dornford1 a good woman2 and preached her funeral sermon4 ,in the afternoon1 he preached to a large congregation1 in the church of ,great ,st4 ,helen's4 ,on ,monday1 ,january #be1 he went to ,dorking1 8and laboured to awaken a harmless1 honest1 drowsy people1 who1 for many years1 seemed to stand stock still1 neither increasing nor decreasing40 ,on ,january #bi1 ,wesley writes3 8,we held our general quarterly meeting1 whereby it appeared1 that the society received and expended about #cjjj a year2 but our expense still exceeds our income40 ,the next eight days were employed in meeting the ,london classes1 containing about #bejj members4 ,during the month of ,february1 we find him preaching a funeral sermon for ,robert ,windsor2 and sermons to children--beautiful sights--at ,west ,street1 and at ,city ,road4 ,he retired to his friend ,mr4 ,wolff's1 at ,balham1 8to finish his sermons1 and to put all his little things in order40 ,he 8submitted to importunity1 and once more sat for his picture40 ,he 8dined at ,mr4 ,baker's1 one of the sheriffs of ,london2 a plain man1 who still lived in an inn yard60 ,on ,sunday1 ,february #bh1 which1 for five months1 was his last day in ,london1 he preached to enormous congregations1 at ,city ,road1 ,west ,street1 and ,brentford2 and then started off on his long journey to the north4 ,before we follow him1 two short letters may be welcome2 the first to ,adam ,clarke at ,bristol1 the second to ,miss ,bisson in the ,channel islands4 8,,london1 ,february #aa1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,adam1--,on ,monday1 ,march #a1 ,i hope to set out hence2 and to preach that evening1 and on ,tuesday1 at half-past six o'clock1 at ,bath4 ,on ,thursday1 if he desires it1 ,i will dine at ,mr4 ,durbin's2 and1 on ,monday following1 begin as usual to meet the classes4 ,i am not at all sorry that ,james ,gore is removed from this evil world4 ,you and ,i shall follow him in due time2 as soon as our work is done4 ,many of our friends have been lately gathered into the garner1 as ripe shocks of wheat4 ,peace be with both your spirits6 ,i am1 dear ,adam1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gjb 8,,london1 ,february #ac1 #agij4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,i love to see your name at the bottom of a letter1 especially when it brings me the good news1 that your spirit is still rejoicing in ,god your ,saviour4 ,my sight is so far decayed1 that ,i cannot well read a small print by candlelight2 but ,i can write almost as well as ever ,i could2 and it does me no harm1 but rather good1 to preach once or twice a day4 ,a few days since1 ,i had a letter from one of our sisters in ,scotland1 whose experience agrees much with yours2 only she goes farther2 she speaks of being #8taken up into heaven1 surrounded with the blessed ,trinity1 and let into ,god the ,father4' ,i commend you to ,his care2 and am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,wesley spent a fortnight at ,bath1 ,bristol1 and ,kingswood2 preached daily2 visited the sick2 and met the ,bristol classes4 ,on one of the ,sundays1 at least1 he preached thrice2 having on the night previous occupied the pulpit of his friend1 the ,rev4 ,joseph ,easterbrook1 in ,temple church4 ,he writes3 8,mr4 ,easterbrook has lately been very ill2 but ,god has again lifted up his head to be a father to the poor a little longer40#gjc ,this indefatigable clergyman was the son of the ,bristol bellman2 was educated at ,kingswood school2 became assistant master at ,trevecca college2 obtained ordination2 was presented to ,temple church by the ,bristol corporation2 and succeeded ,james ,roquet as chaplain of ,newgate prison4#gjd ,fletcher1 in writing to the ,countess of ,huntingdon concerning him1 says1 when he first entered ,trevecca1 he began to live upon water and potatoes2 and yet1 besides attending to his scholastic duties1 he preached every evening in the week1 and occasionally as many as four times on ,sundays4 ,atmore states that1 in ,bristol1 it was ,easterbrook's invariable rule to send those1 who were awakened under his ministry1 to meet in class among the ,methodists4 ,his work was now nearly ended4 ,when ,wesley came again to ,bristol1 in ,september1 he wrote3 8,mr4 ,easterbrook is ill of a disorder which no physician understands1 and which it seems ,god alone can cure4 ,he is a pattern to all ,bristol1 and indeed to all in ,england2 having1 besides his other incessant labours1 which were never intermitted1 preached in every house in his parish60 ,within four months after this1 ,easterbrook was dead1 and ,henry ,moore preached for him a funeral sermon1 which was printed4 ,he died on the #bast of ,january1 #agia1 in the fortieth year of his age1 some of his last words being 8,god does all things well4 ,i have no fear of death or of judgment40#gje ,while at ,bristol1 ,wesley addressed the following characteristic letter1 not before published1 to ,jasper ,winscomb1 one of his preachers in the ,isle of ,wight4 ,what would ,wesley have said concerning the circuit divisions of the present day8 8,,bristol1 ,march #ac1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,jasper1--,the story of ,thomas ,whitwood is very remarkable1 and the story is well told1 and ,god has done much honour to him by the happy effects which have been consequent on his death4 ,i am in no haste at all concerning building1 without having paid some more of our debts4 ,i am likewise in no haste to multiply preachers1 or to divide circuits4 ,most of our circuits are too small rather than too large4 ,i wish we had no circuit with fewer than three preachers on it1 or less than four hundred miles' riding in four weeks4 ,certainly1 no circuit shall be divided before conference4 ,if we do not take care we shall all degenerate into milksops4 #8,soldiers of ,christ1 arise6' 8,i am1 dear ,jasper1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,on leaving ,london1 the following circular1 bearing ,wesley's signature1 was issued1 indicating to his friends the places he meant to visit1 in his journey to the north4 ,it furnishes a bird's eye view of the ,herculean labours of an old man nearly eighty-seven years of age1 and also helps to fill up a gap in ,wesley's journal4 ,it must be remembered1 that the means of transit in #agij were not what they are at present2 and that1 at every place mentioned1 ,wesley preached at least once1 and often several times more than that4 ,it will also be seen1 that from three to four days were employed in some of the principal societies1 where he arranged to spend his ,sundays4 8,,london1 ,march #a1 #agij4 8,as many persons desire to know where ,i am from this time till the conference1 ,i here set down my route1 which1 if ,god permit1 ,i shall keep till that time4 ,march4 ,monday1 #ae1 ,stroud2 #af1 ,gloucester2 #ag1 ,worcester2 #ah1 ,stourport2 #ai1 ,birmingham4 ,monday1 #bb1 ,wednesbury2 #bc1 ,dudley and ,wolverhampton2 #bd1 ,madeley2 #be1 ,salop2 #bf1 ,madeley2 #bg1 ,newcastle under ,lyne2 #bh1 ,lane ,end and ,burslem4 ,monday1 #bi1 ,congleton2 #cj1 ,macclesfield4 ,april4 ,thursday1 #a1 ,stockport2 #b1 ,manchester4 ,monday1 #e1 ,nantwich and ,liverpool2 #g1 ,warrington and ,chester2 #i1 ,wigan2 #aj1 ,bolton4 ,monday1 #ab1 ,blackburn2 #ac1 ,colne2 #ag1 ,keighley2 #ah1 ,haworth and ,halifax4 ,tuesday1 #bj1 ,huddersfield2 #ba1 ,dewsbury2 #bd1 ,wakefield2 #be1 ,birstal and ,leeds4 ,tuesday1 #bg1 ,bradford2 #bi1 ,otley4 ,may4 ,saturday1 #a1 ,parkgate2 #b1 ,york2 #d1 ,pocklington2 #f1,newcastle4 ,monday1 #aj1 ,alnwick2 #ab1 ,dunbar2 #ac1 ,edinburgh4 ,tuesday1 #ah1 ,dundee2 #ai1 ,arbroath2 #bj1 ,aberdeen4 8,n4,b4 ,i have not yet finally settled the rest of my plan4 ,i probably shall1 if ,i come to ,york4 ,many persons are continually teasing me to visit more places4 ,now let them judge whether ,i have not work enough4 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,to this circular1 two postscripts were added1 by some other hand1 namely3 8,those persons1 who have occasion to write to ,mr4 ,wesley1 are requested to direct their letters according to this plan1 and not to ,london40 8,our friends here earnestly desire that ,mr4 ,wesley may be remembered in prayer1 especially at the next quarterly fast1 that his strength may be continued1 and1 if it please ,god1 increased also40 ,such was ,wesley's plan of travel and of labour for the next ten weeks2 but even this was a mere outline2 and it will be found1 as we follow him1 that he preached at many places besides the above mentioned4 ,at ,stroud1 on ,march #ae1 hundreds were unable to get into the chapel4 ,on the day following1 he preached to two other crowds1 at ,painswick1 and at ,gloucester1 ,march #ag1 the chapel at ,tewkesbury was not large enough to hold the noonday congregation2 and at ,worcester1 in the evening1 he 8found much comfort among a well established people40 ,twenty years before this1 ,stourport did not exist2 now there were a couple of streets1 at least1 and also a prosperous trade4 ,in #aghj1 ,john ,cowell came with his family from ,wolverhampton2 and1 soon after1 ,thomas ,hanby preached the first ,methodist sermon1 in an upper room1 at ,mr4 ,morris's4#gjf ,a chapel was soon erected1 towards which ,mr4 ,cowell was a large contributor4 ,the chapel was to be occupied by both ,calvinist and ,arminian preachers4 ,the ,arminians were speedily ejected2 and1 rather than appeal to law1 ,mr4 ,cowell1 at his own expense1 built another and a larger chapel1 which ,wesley opened in #aghh4 ,he now visited them again2 had a crowded congregation2 was pleased with their attention2 but writes3 8,the moment ,i ceased speaking1 fourscore or one hundred begun talking all at once4 ,i do not remember to have been present at such a scene before4 ,this must be amended2 otherwise1 if ,i should live1 ,i will see ,stourport no more40 ,march #ai1 at eleven a4m41 ,wesley preached at ,quinton2 and1 at night1 to a densely packed congregation at ,birmingham4 ,next day1 ,saturday1 the same scene was repeated2 and1 on ,sunday1 when he opened a new meeting-house1 and preached twice1 hundreds of people were unable to get in4 ,joseph ,benson1 at this time stationed in ,birmingham1 met ,wesley at ,stourport1 and writes3 8,i found him much stronger and better than ,i expected4 ,still his sight is so defective1 that he is much at a loss in giving out hymns1 in reading his text1 and in referring to any portion of ,scripture4 ,in conversation1 he seemed much as usual1 lively and entertaining40#gjg ,on ,monday1 ,march #bb1 at ,wednesbury1 as many as could squeezed into the chapel1 and the rest were fain to be listeners outside4 ,the next day1 he opened a new meeting-house1 8one of the neatest in ,england10 at ,dudley2 and1 at night1 preached at ,wolverhampton4 ,three days were spent at ,madeley and ,salop2 one sermon was written2 and four were preached4 ,week day though it was1 ,madeley church was crowded2 and so also was the meeting place at ,salop2 but concerning the ,salopians1 ,wesley writes3 8,i was much ashamed for them4 ,the moment ,i had done speaking1 ,i suppose fifty of them were talking all at once2 and no wonder they had neither sense nor good manners1 for they were gentlefolks60 ,the halt at ,madeley gave him the opportunity1 not only to write his sermon on the wedding garment1 but to write letters to his friends4 ,to ,adam ,clarke he expresses the opinion1 that 8animal magnetism is diabolical from the beginning to the end20 he also advises him to consult ,dr4 ,whitehead about his health1 and requests him to follow all the doctor's directions1 8except the leaving off preaching02 naively adding1 8,i think1 if ,i had taken this advice many years since1 ,i should not have been a living man40#gjh ,charles ,atmore had recently commenced a ,sunday-school1 in the ,orphan ,house1 at ,newcastle1 consisting of seventy teachers and more than a thousand children4#gji ,and ,michael ,longridge1 one of ,wesley's best local preachers1 in the north of ,england1 had published a #abmo pamphlet of #ac pages1 entitled1 8,sunday-schools ,recommended as a ,religious ,institution3 with a ,plan for their ,extension at a small ,expense40 ,all this had ,wesley's cordial approval2 and1 hence1 the following letter to ,atmore1 which1 besides a reference to the ,sunday-schools1 also contains an addition to ,wesley's preaching plan4 8,,madeley1 ,march #bd1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,charles1--,i am glad you have set up ,sunday-schools in ,newcastle4 ,it is one of the noblest institutions which has been seen in ,europe for some centuries1 and will increase more and more1 provided the teachers and inspectors do their duties4 ,nothing can prevent the increase of this blessed work1 but the neglect of the instruments4 ,therefore1 be sure to watch over these with all care1 that they may not grow weary in well doing4 8,i shall be at ,darlington1 if ,god permit1 on ,tuesday and ,wednesday1 ,may #dth and #eth2 on ,thursday1 at ,durham to preach at twelve o'clock at noon2 and at ,newcastle between four and five in the afternoon4 ,grace be with you and yours6 8,i am1 dear ,charles1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gaj ,to return4 ,according to announcement1 ,wesley1 on ,saturday1 ,march #bg1 preached at ,newcastle under ,lyne2 and1 on the day following1 twice1 to large crowds1 in the open air1 at ,lane ,end1 and at ,burslem4 ,at nine o'clock on ,monday morning1 he opened ,tunstall new chapel1 8the most elegant he had seen since he left ,bath02 and1 at night1 preached at ,congleton1 the clergyman of the parish1 8the mayor1 and all the heads of the town10 forming a part of his congregation4 ,he quietly remarks3 8,that ,i might not overshoot them1 ,i preached on1 #8,so teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom4'0 ,two days were spent at ,macclesfield1 and two crowded audiences were addressed4 ,here1 also1 one of his horses died4 ,on ,april #a1 he had a large congregation at ,stockport4 ,the next day1 ,good ,friday1 he preached at ,oldham and ,manchester2 and1 at the latter place1 again on ,saturday4 ,on ,easter ,sunday1 at ,manchester1 he preached twice1 and held a sacramental service at which there were about sixteen hundred communicants6 ,next day1 he preached thrice1 at ,altrincham1 ,northwich1 and ,chester2 and1 in each place1 had crowded congregations4 ,at ,warrington1 8the chapel was well filled with serious hearers02 and1 at ,liverpool1 multitudes were not able to get in4 ,at ,wigan1 the chapel 8was more than filled02 and 8in the lovely house at ,bolton0 he preached to1 what he calls1 8one of the loveliest congregations in ,england40 ,this was on ,april #aj2 and1 from this date to ,may #bd1 there is a chasm in ,wesley's journal1 which we shall endeavour to fill up2 first of all1 however1 giving an unpublished letter1 addressed to ,thomas ,taylor1 who1 with ,william ,simpson1 was stationed at ,hull4 8,,manchester1 ,april #d1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,i did not approve of ,dr4 ,coke's making collections either in yours or any other circuit4 ,i told him so1 and am not well pleased with his doing it4 ,it was very ill done4 ,it is exceeding probable1 that sea bathing will be of use to brother ,simpson1 especially if he be temperate in all things4 8,i do not know what you mean concerning talking #8about the ,church4' ,i advise all our brethren1 that have been brought up in the ,church1 to continue there2 and there ,i leave the matter4 ,the ,methodists are to spread life among all denominations2 which they will do1 till they form a separate sect4 8,i am1 dear ,tommy1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,according to ,wesley's plan1 the week1 intervening between ,april #aj and #ag1 was to be spent in visiting ,blackburn1 ,colne1 ,keighley1 ,haworth1 and ,halifax4 ,but1 besides these places1 he also preached at ,preston1 from ,revelation xxii4 #ag2 and was the guest of ,mrs4 ,emmett of ,walton1#gaa where he wrote the following letter to the celebrated ,ann ,cutler1 commonly called 8praying ,nanny40 8,,walton1 ,april #ae1 #agij4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,there is something in the dealings of ,god with your soul1 which is out of the common way4 ,but ,i have known several whom ,he has been pleased to lead in exactly the same way1 and particularly in manifesting to them distinctly the three ,persons of the ever blessed ,trinity4 ,you may tell all your experience to me any time2 but will need to be cautious in speaking to others1 for they would not understand what you say4 ,go on in the name of ,god1 and in the power of ,his might4 ,pray for the whole spirit of humility2 and ,i wish that you would write and speak without reserve to1 dear ,nanny1 8,yours affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#gab ,wesley spent ,april #ba at ,halifax2#gac and1 in connection with his visit here1 preached at ,bradshaw1 where1 on his tottering up the pulpit stairs1 the whole congregation burst into a flood of tears4 ,more than once1 his memory failed him1 and ,joseph ,bradford and ,william ,thompson had to act the part of remembrancers4 ,the visit was memorable in more respects than one4 ,while the congregation was waiting for the venerable preacher1 and a crowd was assembled at the door1 a woman of the name of ,wilson mockingly exclaimed1 8,they are waiting for their ,god02 no sooner was the sentence uttered than she fell senseless to the ground1 and1 the day following1 she expired4#gad ,the next few days1 according to ,wesley's plan1 were employed at ,huddersfield1 ,dewsbury1 ,wakefield1 ,birstal1 ,leeds1 ,bradford1 and ,otley4 ,on the #crd of ,may1 he came to ,york4 ,thomas ,taylor1 in his unpublished diary1 remarks3 8,may #c--;,i went to ,york1 and was amazed to meet such a number of travelling preachers1 fifteen or sixteen of them4 ,mr4 ,wesley preached a useful sermon2 and1 after preaching1 we had a meeting respecting one of our number who was accused of drunkenness40 ,on the #eth of ,may1 ,wesley was met at ,darlington by his son in law1 ,mr4 ,william ,smith1 and by ,charles ,atmore1 from ,newcastle4 ,atmore writes3 8,we heard him preach in the evening1 from #8,he is before all things1 and by ,him all things consist4' ,he appears very feeble2 and no wonder1 he being nearly eighty-seven years of age4 ,his sight has failed so much1 that he cannot see to give out the hymn2 yet his voice is strong1 and his spirits remarkably lively4 ,surely this great and good man is the prodigy of the present age40 ,old as he was1 ,wesley set out next morning1 at half-past three o'clock1 for ,newcastle1 where he preached1 in the evening1 from ,isaiah lvii4 #a1 #b4 ,the following night 7,friday7 he preached again his remarkable sermon to the children of the ,sunday-school1 taking as his text ,psalm xxxiv4 #aa2 the sermon being literally composed and delivered in words of not more than two syllables4#gae ,on ,saturday1 ,may #h1 we find him at ,north ,shields1 preaching1 says ,atmore1 8an excellent sermon1 from #8,what things were gain to me1 these ,i counted loss for ,christ4'0 ,next day1 ,sunday1 ,may #i1 he addressed a crowd of several thousands1 on ,byker ,hill1 from ,matthew vii4 #bd2 and1 in the evening1 at the ,orphan ,house1 took his old favourite text1 8,by grace are ye saved1 through faith40 8,the house10 writes ,atmore1 8was much crowded1 and many hundreds returned1 not being able to obtain an entrance40 ,atmore continues3 8,he was highly honoured in his ministry2 particularly to one who had been in a state of great despair for many years4 ,as soon as he arrived at the ,orphan ,house1 ,mr4 ,wesley inquired after this individual1 and ,i accompanied him in visiting him4 ,as soon as he entered the room1 where the poor man was1 he went up to him1 and said1 #8,brother ,reed1 ,i have a word from ,god unto thee2 ,jesus ,christ maketh thee whole4' ,he then knelt down to pray2 and such a season ,i have seldom experienced4 ,hope instantly sprang up1 and despair gave place2 and1 although ,reed had not been out of his habitation1 nor even from his wretched bed1 for several years1 he went that evening to hear ,mr4 ,wesley preach2 and ,god graciously confirmed the testimony of ,his servant in restoring him to #8the light of ,his countenance4'0#gaf ,on ,monday1 ,may #aj1 ,wesley proceeded on his journey to ,scotland4 ,of his labours during the next fortnight1 we have no record2 but1 on ,may #be1 we find him preaching to a crowded audience at ,aberdeen2 then at ,brechin1 ,glasgow1 and ,dumfries4 ,the last mentioned town was now a part of the ,glasgow circuit1 and had1 as its resident preacher1 ,mr4 ,yewdall1 who writes3 8,in the latter end of ,may1 ,mr4 ,wesley visited us4 ,he came from ,glasgow that day1 7about seventy miles17 but his strength was almost exhausted1 and1 when he attempted to preach1 very few could hear him4 ,his sight was likewise much decayed1 so that he could neither read the hymn or text4 ,the wheels of life were ready to stand still2 but his conversation was agreeably edifying1 being mixed with the wisdom and gravity of a parent1 and the artless simplicity of a child40#gag ,from ,dumfries1 ,wesley proceeded1 on ,june #b1 to ,carlisle1 where the chapel would not near contain his congregation4 ,thence he went to ,hexham1 where he 8found a loving people1 much alive to ,god1 and consequently increasing daily40 ,on ,friday1 ,june #d1 he once again1 and1 for the last time1 reached ,newcastle4 ,he writes3 8,in this and ,kingswood house1 were ,i to do my own will1 ,i should choose to spend the short remainder of my days4 ,but it cannot be2 this is not my rest4 ,this and the next evening1 we had a numerous congregation2 and the people seemed much alive4 ,sunday1 ,june #f1 ,i was invited to preach in ,lemsley church1 on the side of ,gateshead ,fell2 but1 some hours after1 the minister changed his mind4 ,so ,i preached in our own preaching house1 which contained the greater part of the congregation2 among whom were ,sir ,henry ,liddell and his lady1 with a great number of his servants4 ,the chapel was hot as a stove2 but neither high nor low seemed to regard it3 for ,god was there6 ,the ,orphan ,house was equally crowded in the evening2 but the rain would not suffer me to preach abroad4 ,monday1 ,june #g1 ,i transcribed the stations of the preachers4 ,tuesday1 ,june #h1 ,i wrote a form for settling the preaching houses1 without any superfluous words1 which shall be used for the time to come1 verbatim1 for all the houses to which ,i contribute anything4 ,i will no more encourage that villainous tautology of lawyers1 which is the scandal of our nation4 ,in the evening1 ,i preached to the children of our ,sunday-school2 six or seven hundred of whom were present4 ,observe1 none of our masters or mistresses teach for pay2 they seek a reward that man cannot give40 ,two days after this1 ,wesley left ,newcastle1 where he had spent so many happy hours1 for ever4 ,before we follow him1 three more of his letters may be acceptable2 the first to ,henry ,moore1 the second to the wife of ,adam ,clarke1 the third to ,miss ,bisson4 8,,dumfries1 ,june #a1 #agij4 8,,my ,,dear ,,henry1--,so ,i am upon the borders of ,england once again4 ,my sight is much as it was1 but ,i doubt ,i shall not recover my strength1 till ,i use that noble medicine1 preaching in the morning4 ,but where can we put poor ,adam ,clarke8 ,he must not preach himself to death4 ,what circuit is he equal to8 ,where can he have rest as well as labour8 ,the best place ,i can think of1 at present1 is ,leeds4 8,the dying words of the ,prince of ,orange are much upon my mind this morning3 #8,lord have mercy upon the people6' ,i never saw so much likelihood of doing good in ,scotland as there is now1 if all our preachers here would be ,methodists indeed6 ,tell dear ,nancy to love me as well as she can4 8,i am1 my dear ,henry1 etc41 8,j4 ,,wesley40#gah 8,,dumfries1 ,june #a1 #agij4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,the great question is1 ,what can be done for ,adam ,clarke8 ,now1 will you save his life8 ,look round2 consider if there be any circuit where he can have much rest1 and little work2 or shall he and you spend ,september in my rooms at ,kingswood1 on condition that he shall preach but twice a week1 and ride to the ,hotwells every day8 ,i think he must do this1 or die2 and ,i do not want him 7neither do you7 to run away from us in haste4 ,you need not be told1 that this will be attended with some expense2 if it be1 we can make it easy4 ,i am apt to think this will be the best way4 ,in the meantime1 let him do as much as he can1 and no more4 8,it is probable1 ,i shall stay with you a little longer1 as my strength does not much decline4 ,i travelled yesterday nearly eighty miles1 and preached in the evening without any pain4 ,the ,lord does what pleases ,him4 ,peace be with all your spirits6 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gai 8,,newcastle1 ,june #f1 #agij4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,to hear from you is always a pleasure to me2 though it is a pleasure mixed with concern when ,i hear of your weakness or sickness2 only ,i know the ,lord loveth whom ,he chasteneth4 ,but of what kind is your illness8 ,perhaps ,i might be enabled to tell you how to remove it2 and if you can recover your health1 you ought2 for health is a great blessing4 8,in ,august last1 my strength failed almost at once2 and my sight1 in a great measure1 went from me4 ,but all is well2 ,i can still write almost as easily as ever2 and ,i can read in a clear light2 and1 ,i think1 if ,i could not read or write at all1 ,i could still say something for ,god4 ,when you have more strength1 tell me more of the work of ,god1 whether in yourself or those round about you4 ,and ought you not to let me know if you are in any temporal distress8 ,for everything that concerns you1 concerns1 my dear ,jenny1 yours most affectionately1 8,,john ,,wesley40#gbj ,on leaving ,newcastle1 on the #ajth of ,june1 ,wesley proceeded1 over rough roads and high hills1 a distance of at least thirty miles1 to ,weardale1 where he preached both at noon and night4 ,on the #aath1 he preached twice in the open air1 at ,stanhope and at ,durham1 the crowds being so immense that the chapels were utterly unable to contain them4 ,the #abth and #acth he spent at ,sunderland1 where he preached thrice3 once in the ,methodist chapel2 a second time in ,monkwearmouth church1 for the benefit of the ,sunday-school2 and a third1 to many thousands of people1 out of doors4 ,during the ensuing week1 we find him preaching at ,hartlepool1 ,stockton1 ,yarm1 ,potto1 ,hutton ,rudby1 ,stokesley1 and ,whitby4 ,at the last mentioned town1 he spent ,sunday1 ,june #bj1 preached twice1 attended church1 and wrote in his journal3 8,it was very providential1 that part of the adjoining mountain fell down1 and demolished our old meeting-house1 with many houses besides2 by which means we have one of the most beautiful chapels in ,great ,britain1 finely situated on the steep side of the mountain4 ,in all ,england1 ,i have not seen a more affectionate people than those at ,whitby40 ,this was high praise of these ,yorkshire fishermen2 but it was not unmerited4 ,warm hearts often beat under rough exteriors4 ,besides1 the ,methodist society at ,whitby was now well-nigh a model4 ,most of the two hundred and fifty members met in band4 ,their itinerant preachers preached to them three mornings every week2 and1 on the other mornings1 they were either supplied with local preachers1 or held prayer-meetings4 ,at noon1 every ,friday1 they had their intercession meeting2 and1 after the toils of the week were ended1 they met together every ,saturday night1 to ask ,god to fit their minds and hearts for the services of ,sunday4#gba ,on ,june #ba1 ,wesley preached at ,pickering and ,malton2 and1 on the following days1 at ,scarborough1 ,bridlington1 ,beverley1 and ,hull4 ,at ,hull1 he spent ,sunday1 ,june #bg1 and also his birthday4 ,he writes3 8,friday1 ,june #be--;,about noon ,i preached at ,beverley1 to a serious1 well behaved congregation2 and1 in the evening1 to one equally serious1 and far more numerous1 at ,hull4 ,saturday1 #bf1 was a day of satisfaction4 ,i preached at seven in the morning1 and at six in the evening1 to as many as our house would contain2 the ground being too wet for the congregation to stand abroad40 ,this is a simple entry1 and gives no idea of the commotion created by ,wesley's visit4 ,thomas ,taylor1 who was now the assistant in the ,hull circuit1 writes in his diary3 8,i and many friends from ,hull met ,mr4 ,wesley at ,beverley4 ,we dined at an inn4 ,he preached1 and we hastened to ,hull4 ,many people attending this evening40 ,taylor is as laconic as ,wesley2 but1 from another source1 we learn1 that the 8many friends from ,hull0 were a regular cavalcade of forty persons1 some in chaises1 and the rest on horses4 ,all these dined with ,wesley at his inn at ,beverley2 spirits were lively1 and conversation brisk2 but1 in the midst of it1 and while all present were utterly oblivious of the flight of time1 ,wesley pulled out his watch1 started on his feet1 bid his friends good day1 stepped into his carriage1 and was gone before they had time to remonstrate1 or to wish him to wait for the cavalcade to attend him4 ,horses were saddled1 and carriages got ready with as much celerity as possible2 but the old man was on his way1 and it was with the utmost difficulty that 8the horsemen and the chariots0 overtook the illustrious visitor in sufficient time to do him honour in the sight of their fellow citizens4#gbb ,on his birthday1 he wrote3 8,monday1 ,june #bh4--,this day1 ,i enter into my eighty-eighth year4 ,for above eighty-six years1 ,i found none of the infirmities of old age2 my eyes did not wax dim1 neither was my natural strength abated2 but1 last ,august1 ,i found almost a sudden change4 ,my eyes were so dim1 that no glasses would help me4 ,my strength likewise now quite forsook me2 and probably will not return in this world4 ,but ,i feel no pain from head to foot2 only it seems nature is exhausted2 and1 humanly speaking1 will sink more and more1 till #8the weary springs of life stand still at last4'0 ,thus did the venerable man calmly contemplate the inevitable closing of his remarkable career4 ,no weary child of innocence ever went to its welcome couch with greater serenity than ,wesley went down the steps leading to his sepulchre4 ,here we pause again1 to insert another selection of his letters4 ,the first was addressed to ,william ,black1 in ,nova ,scotia4 8,,sunderland1 ,june #ad1 #agij4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,you did well to send me an account of your little societies4 ,here is a good beginning1 though it is1 as yet1 in many places1 a day of small things2 and although it does not please ,god to carry on ,his work so rapidly with you as in the ,united ,states4 ,but one soul is worth all the merchandise in the world2 and1 whoever gets money1 do you win souls4 8,never was there1 throughout ,england1 ,scotland1 and ,ireland1 so great a thirst for the pure word of ,god as there is at this day4 ,the same we find in the little islands of ,man1 ,wight1 ,jersey1 ,guernsey1 and ,alderney in the ,western ,ocean4 ,in the ,isle of ,man alone 7thirty miles long7 the societies contain about four-and-twenty hundred members4 ,i have just now finished my route through ,scotland1 where ,i never had such congregations before4 ,so it pleases ,god to give me a little more to do1 before ,he calls me hence4 8,what has become of brother ,scurr1 ,dodson1 and our other ,yorkshire friends8 ,some of them doubtless are gone into a farther country2 but some ,i suppose remain4 ,i doubt you do not keep up a constant intercourse with each other4 ,love as brethren6 8,i am1 dear ,william1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gbc ,the following1 kindly lent by ,charles ,reed1 ,esq41 ,m4,p41 has not before been published4 ,it was addressed to ,william ,thom1 the assistant appointed to ,sarum circuit4 8,,malton1 ,june #ba1 #agij4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,i concur in the judgment of my brother1 that the using of the form of prayer will tend to unite our people to the ,church1 rather than to separate them from it2 especially if you earnestly insist on their going to church every fourth ,sunday4 8,i am very indifferent concerning the preaching house1 and shall not concern myself about it any more4 ,i have lost #aj by it already1 although to no purpose4 ,if anything more is done concerning it1 it must be done by the people at ,sarum themselves4 8,i am1 with love to sister ,thom1 dear ,billy1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 ,the next was addressed to a bishop1 whose name is not given4 8,,hull1 ,june #bf1 #agij4 8,,my ,,lord1--,it may seem strange1 that one1 who is not acquainted with your lordship1 should trouble you with a letter4 ,but ,i am constrained to do it2 ,i believe it is my duty both to ,god and your lordship4 ,and ,i must speak plain2 having nothing to hope or fear in this world1 which ,i am on the point of leaving4 8,the ,methodists1 in general1 my lord1 are members of the ,church of ,england4 ,they hold all her doctrines1 attend her service1 and partake of her sacraments4 ,they do not willingly do harm to any one1 but do what good they can to all4 ,to encourage each other herein1 they frequently spend an hour together in prayer and mutual exhortation4 ,permit me then to ask1 #8,cui bono8 for what reasonable end1 would your lordship drive these people out of the ,church8' ,are they not as quiet1 as inoffensive1 nay1 as pious1 as any of their neighbours8 except perhaps here and there a hairbrained man1 who knows not what he is about4 ,do you ask1 #8,who drives them out of the ,church8' ,your lordship does2 and that in the most cruel manner2 yea1 and the most disingenuous manner4 ,they desire a licence to worship ,god after their own conscience4 ,your lordship refuses it2 and then punishes them for not having a licence6 ,so your lordship leaves them only this alternative1 #8,leave the ,church or starve4' ,and is it a ,christian1 yea1 a protestant bishop1 that so persecutes his own flock8 ,i say persecutes2 for it is persecution1 to all intents and purposes4 ,you do not burn them1 indeed1 but you starve them2 and how small is the difference6 ,and your lordship does this1 under colour of a vile1 execrable law1 not a whit better than that de hretico comburendo6 ,so persecution1 which is banished out of ,france1 is again countenanced in ,england6 8,o my lord1 for ,god's sake1 for ,christ's sake1 for pity's sake1 suffer the poor people to enjoy their religious1 as well as civil liberty6 ,i am on the brink of eternity6 ,perhaps so is your lordship too6 ,how soon may you also be called1 to give an account of your stewardship1 to the great ,shepherd and ,bishop of our souls6 ,may ,he enable both you and me to do it with joy6 ,so prays1 my lord1 your lordship's dutiful son and servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40#gbd ,the following letter is without date1 but is too characteristic to be omitted4 8,you give five reasons why the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,p---- will come no more among us4 #a4 ,because we despise the ministers of the ,church of ,england4 ,this ,i flatly deny3 ,i am answering letters1 this very post1 which bitterly blame me for just the contrary4 #b4 ,because so much backbiting and evil speaking is suffered amongst our people4 ,it is not suffered2 all possible means are used1 both to prevent and remove it4 #c4 ,because ,i1 who have written so much against hoarding up money1 have put out #gjj to interest4 ,i never put sixpence out to interest since ,i was born2 nor had ,i ever #ajj together1 my own1 since ,i came into the world4 #d4 ,because our lay preachers have told many stories of my brother and me4 ,if they did1 ,i am sorry for them2 when ,i hear the particulars1 ,i can answer1 and1 perhaps1 make those ashamed who believed them4 #e4 ,because we did not help a friend in distress4 ,we did help him as far as we were able4 #8,but we might have made his case known to ,mr4 ,g41 ,lady ,h41 etc4' ,so we did1 more than once2 but we could not pull money from them1 whether they would or no4 ,therefore1 these reasons are of no weight4 ,you conclude with praying1 that ,god would remove pride and malice from amongst us4 ,of pride1 ,i have too much2 of malice1 ,i have none2 however1 the prayer is good1 and ,i thank you for it40#gbe ,the next was addressed to ,adam ,clarke1 then at ,bristol4 8,june #bh1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,adam1--,i often wonder at the people of ,bristol4 ,they are so honest1 yet so dull1 'tis scarce possible to strike any fire into them4 ,only with ,god all things are possible4 ,many years ago1 ,i put the society at ,bath into a way wherein1 if they had persevered1 they would now have owed nothing4 ,they were at ,plymouth but thirty in number1 and their debt was #adjj4 ,i advised them1 let every member subscribe monthly what he can2 and a hundred at the ,dock promised to do the same4 #8,i1' said one1 #8will give a crown a month'2 #8,i1' said another1 #8half-a-crown4' ,many subscribed a shilling1 sixpence1 or threepence a month4 ,and now the debt is paid4 ,i began such a subscription in ,bath2 as ,i have done in many places with success4 ,but they left it off in two or three weeks4 ,why8 ,because ,i gave four guineas to prevent one1 that was arrested1 from going to jail6 ,good reason1 was it not8 #8,why1' said one and another1 #8might he not have given it to me8' 8,on ,monday four weeks1 ,i shall probably set out for ,bristol4 ,peace be with your spirits4 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gbf ,while on money matters1 let an explanation be given4 ,wesley asserts1 in one of the foregoing letters1 that he never had1 at one time1 since he was born1 #ajj that was his own4 ,no doubt1 excepting an occasional legacy1 this was strictly true2 and yet1 towards the close of life1 a year never passed without his giving hundreds of pounds away in charity4 ,wesley not only kept a journal of his labours1 but account books of his income and expenditure4 ,the last of these has1 at the end of it1 the following entry1 in ,wesley's own handwriting1 but in penmanship which it is extremely difficult to decipher3 8,n4,b4 ,for upwards of eighty-six years1#gbg ,i have kept my accounts exactly4 ,i will not attempt it any longer1 being satisfied with the continual conviction1 that ,i save all ,i can1 and give all ,i can1 that is1 all ,i have4 8,,john ,,wesley1 8,july #af1 #agij40 ,what was ,wesley's income8 ,he had #cj a year from the ,london circuit2#gbh and1 in the country1 the ,methodists occasionally1 but not often1 paid his hostelry bill1 and other similar expenses incurred in travelling4 ,but this was not all4 ,wesley was the proprietor of a large publishing and book concern1 from which he derived considerable profits2 but be the profits what they might1 they were at once distributed in the work of ,god1 and in acts of charity4 ,in as brief a form as possible1 we give1 from the book above mentioned1 a few items belonging to the last nine years of ,wesley's life4 ,in #aghb1 ,wesley received #cfa #ais4 ,of this1 he spent #e #ais4 for clothes4 ,the balance1 #cef1 he1 with his own hands1 gave away2 and1 during the same year1 ,john ,atlay1 his book steward1 by his directions1 gave a further sum of #bcg #acs42 making #eic #acs4 for the year4 ,in #aghc1 he1 and his steward by his orders1 gave #hcb #as4 #f;d4 ,in #aghd1 #ecd #ags4 #f;d4 ,in #aghe1 #hea #abs4 ,in #aghf1 #gch #es4 ,in #aghg1 including his travelling expenses1 #ifa #ds4 ,in #aghh1 the last year ,atlay acted for him1 the two united gave in charity #gch #ds4 ,at the end of his accounts for #aghi1 he writes3 8,i have given this year by myself #bjf #j #j ,by ,george ,whitfield#gbi #efj #j #j ,travelling #fj #j #j 8,but ,i can be accurate no#gcj 444 #8,not as ,i will1 but as ,thou wilt4'0 ,no one can dispute that the profits of ,wesley's book establishment were as much his own property as the profits of any of the great publishing houses in ,paternoster ,row2 but1 of these profits1 he literally spent none upon himself1 except for an occasional suit of clothes4 ,all were most scrupulously given1 as fast as they were realised1 and sometimes faster1 to the support and extension of the great work to which his long life was cheerfully devoted1 and to the relief of the distresses of his fellow creatures as far as he had the power4 ,dr4 ,whitehead says1 it was supposed that1 in the course of fifty years1 ,wesley gave away between twenty and thirty thousand pounds4 ,henry ,moore writes3 8,mr4 ,wesley's accounts lie before me1 and his expenses are noted with the greatest exactness4 ,every penny is recorded2 and1 ,i am persuaded1 the supposed #cj1jjj might be increased several thousands more40#gca ,wesley made a will1 in which he bequeathed his book business1 and his books then on sale1 7subject to a rent charge of #he a year to the widow and children of his brother17 to the ,methodist conference1 in trust 8for carrying on the work of ,god1 by itinerant preachers02 his furniture1 books1 and whatever else belonged to him at ,kingswood1 to ,coke1 ,mather1 and ,moore1 8in trust1 to be still employed in teaching and maintaining the children of poor travelling preachers02 all the books which belonged to him in his studies at ,london and other places1 to ,coke1 ,whitehead1 and ,moore1 8in trust1 for the use of the preachers who shall labour there from time to time02 all his manuscripts to the same ,coke1 ,whitehead1 and ,moore1 8to be burned1 or published1 as they saw good02 his gowns1 cassocks1 sashes1 and bands in ,city ,road chapel1 8for the use of the clergymen attending there02 his 8pelisse to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,creighton02 all the rest of his 8wearing apparel to four of the travelling preachers that wanted it most02 his watch to ,joseph ,bradford2 his gold seal to ,elizabeth ,ritchie2 his chaise and horses to ,james ,ward and ,charles ,wheeler1 8in trust1 to be sold1 and the money to be divided1 one half to ,hannah ,abbott1 and the other to the members of the select society02 and copies of the eight volumes of his sermons to 8each travelling preacher who should remain in the connexion six months after his decease40 ,all this was property1 but not money4 ,hitherto1 not a coin has been bequeathed2 but still there are six clauses in ,wesley's will1 which may be designated monetary4 ,we give them in substance1 though the first two seem to contradict each other4 7#a7 ,all the coins1 and whatever else was found in the drawer of his bureau at ,london1 to his granddaughters1 ,mary and ,jane ,smith4 7#b7 ,whatever money remained in his bureau and pockets1 to ,thomas ,briscoe1 ,william ,collins1 ,john ,easton1 and ,isaac ,brown4 7#c7 ,out of the first money arising from the sale of books1 #dj to his sister ,martha1 #dj to ,mr4 ,creighton1 and #fj to the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,heath4 7#d7 ,the annuity of #e1 left by ,roger ,shiel to ,kingswood school1 to be paid to ,henry ,brooke1 ,arthur ,keene1 and ,william ,whitestone4 7#e7 ,a pound each to the six poor men who should carry his body to the grave4 7#f7 ,any personal estate1 undisposed of1 to be given to his two nieces1 ,e4 ,ellison1 ,s4 ,collet1 equally4 ,the reader has here the substance of ,wesley's will4 ,where were his hoardings1 his money put out to interest1 his landed1 household1 and chapel property8 ,he had none4 ,he died1 as he had lived1 without a purse4 ,he had been his own executor as far as possible2 and now had nothing to bequeath1 except what1 in his lifetime1 could not easily be turned into current coin4 ,we return to his itinerary4 ,leaving ,hull1 ,wesley proceeded to ,lincolnshire4 ,on ,june #bi1 the crowd at ,owston was such that he had to preach in the open air4 ,at ,lincoln1 his text was1 8,one thing is needful40 8,is this the great ,mr4 ,wesley80 exclaimed a lady when retiring3 8why1 the poorest person in the chapel might understand him40 8,yes10 replied a gentleman2 8in this he displays his greatness1 that while the most ignorant can understand him1 the most learned are edified1 and can take no offence40#gcb ,on ,friday1 ,july #b1 he preached twice1 once out of doors at ,newton1 and a second time in the chapel at ,gainsborough4 ,on ,saturday1 he preached at ,epworth1 and met the society4 ,on ,sunday1 ,july #d1 he attended his father's church1 where the congregation was five times1 and the attendance at sacrament ten times1 larger than usual4 ,besides this1 he preached at ,misterton1 to a great multitude1 8under a spreading tree02 and1 in ,epworth market place1 to 8such a congregation as was never seen at ,epworth before40 ,here occurs an eight weeks' hiatus in ,wesley's journal4 ,the space between ,july #d and ,august #bg we shall fill up in the best way we can4 ,at ,doncaster1 where he had a crowded congregation1 a burly butcher1 noted for his popery1 his wickedness1 and his pugilistic feats1 was converted1 became a ,methodist1 and1 to his dying day1 continued a peaceful1 humble1 loving ,christian4#gcc ,this was probably on ,july #e1 as1 on the day following1 he was at ,rotherham4#gcd ,there can be no question1 that ,sheffield also would be visited2 and1 most likely1 ,derby and ,nottingham2 also perhaps ,castle ,donington1 ,leicester1 ,coventry1 and other places4 ,at all events1 the ,castle ,donington old stewards' book contains this item3 8#agij4 ,paid for ,mr4 ,wesley's carriage through the circuit1 #a #fs40#gce ,we cannot trace him farther2 but1 three weeks after he was at ,doncaster and ,rotherham1 he opened his conference at ,bristol1--the last that he attended4 ,charles ,atmore writes3 8,mr4 ,wesley appeared very feeble2 his eyesight had failed so much that he could not see to give out the hymns2 yet his voice was strong1 his spirit remarkably lively1 and the powers of his mind1 and his love towards his fellow creatures1 were as bright and as ardent as ever40#gcf ,the only legislation at this conference was concerning preachers and preaching houses4 ,in reference to the latter1 it was determined3 7#a7 ,that1 in future1 all chapels should be built on the same plan as those in ,bath and in ,city ,road4 7#b7 ,no chapel should be undertaken without the consent of a majority of the connexional building committee4 7#c7 ,not a stone was to be laid1 till the chapel was settled after the ,methodist form1 verbatim2 nor until two thirds of the estimated expense were subscribed2 and no collections were to be made for any chapel except in the circuit where it was to be erected4 ,then in reference to preachers3 7#a7 ,none1 in future1 were to attend conference1 except those whose travelling expenses were paid by the circuits in which they respectively laboured4 ,those in ,scotland and ,wales were to be the only exceptions4 7#b7 ,the assistants were to tell the people1 that every circuit must bear its own burden1 and that those circuits which 8did not provide for their preachers and their children1 7except ,scotland1 ,ireland1 and ,wales17 should have no more preachers sent to them1 for the time to come1 than they would provide for40 7#c7 ,no assistant was to take into society any one put out by his predecessor1 without consulting him4 7#d7 ,preachers were never to hasten home to their families1 after evening preaching1 till they had met the society4 7#e7 ,no preacher was to leave conference before the conclusion of it1 without consent publicly obtained4 7#f7 ,no preacher was to preach three times the same day to the same congregation2 or oftener than twice on a week day1 or thrice on ,sundays4 ,in reference to the last of these regulations1 ,adam ,clarke relates that ,wesley was outwitted4 ,in a private meeting with some of his principal and senior preachers1 ,wesley proposed that no preacher should preach thrice on the same day4 ,messrs4 ,mather1 ,pawson1 ,thompson1 and others objected4 ,wesley replied3 8,it must be given up2 we shall lose our preachers by such excessive labour40 ,they answered3 8,we have all done so2 and you1 even at a very advanced age1 have continued to do so40 8,what ,i have done10 said he1 8is out of the question3 my life and strength have been under an especial providence2 besides1 ,i know better than they how to preach without injuring myself2 and no man can preach thrice a day without killing himself sooner or later2 and the custom shall not be continued40 ,the objectors pressed the point no further1 finding that he was determined2 but deceived him after all1 by altering the minute thus1 when it was sent to press3 8,no preacher shall preach three times the same day1 to the same congregation40 ,this was not ingenuous4 ,wesley was right2 and ,methodism has paid an incalculable penalty by disregarding his almost dying wish4 ,clarke justly remarks3 8,he who preaches the gospel1 as he ought1 must do it with his whole strength of body and soul2 and he who undertakes a labour of this kind thrice every ,lord's day will infallibly shorten his life by it4 ,he who1 instead of preaching1 talks to the people1--merely speaks about good things1 or tells a religious story1--will never injure himself by such an employment3 but such a person does not labour in the word and doctrine2 he tells his tale2 and1 as he preaches1 so his congregation believes2 and sinners are left as he found them40 #gcg ,during the last decade of years in ,wesley's life1 ,methodism had made amazing progress4 ,in #aghj1 there were #fd circuits in the ,united ,kingdom2 now there were #aae4 ,then there were #aga itinerant preachers employed2 now there were #bid4 ,then there were #dc1chj members of society2 now there were #ga1efh4 ,then there were no missionary stations2 now #ai missionaries were appointed to ,antigua1 ,barbadoes1 ,st4 ,vincent's1 ,st4 ,christopher's1 ,nevis1 ,tortola1 ,jamaica1 ,nova ,scotia1 and ,newfoundland1 which had an aggregate membership of #ecej persons1--#hjj in ,nova ,scotia and ,newfoundland1 and #deej in the ,west ,indies4 ,in #aghj1 there were in ,america twenty circuits1 #db itinerant preachers1 and #hejd members of society4 ,in #agij1 there were #aad circuits1 #bbh itinerant preachers1 and #eg1fca members of society4 ,these statistics1 put into another form1 will stand thus4 ---------------------------------------- ---------- ,methodist ,methodist ,methodist ,circuits ,itinerant ,members4 throughout ,preachers4 the world4 ---------------------------------------- ---------- #agij #bdj #eda #acd1edi #aghj #hd #bac #eb1ccd ---------------------------------------- ---------- ,,increase #aef #cbh #hb1bae in #aj years ---------------------------------------- ---------- ,marvellous had been the success of ,methodism up to the year #aghj2 and1 yet1 the results during the last ten years of ,wesley's life were much more than double the united results of the forty years preceding6 ,before leaving the conference of #agij1 we insert an unpublished letter1 addressed by ,miss ,ritchie to the wife of one of ,wesley's clerical assistants1 the ,rev4 ,peard ,dickenson4 8,august #c1 #agij4 8444 ,i felt much for our ,zion previous to the conference4 ,our dear and honoured father's state of health was alarming2 but prayer was heard1 and he is much better1 and things have such an appearance as revives my hope that we shall still go on in the good old way4 8,mr4 ,wesley has very openly and fully declared his sentiments respecting the impropriety of a separation from the ,church2 and the preachers1 in general1 have agreed to abide by the old plan4 ,i sincerely pity ,dr4 ,coke2 but ,i really believe good will be brought out of evil4 8,the preachers have had a most searching conference1 and the ,lord has been very present4 ,the preachers' dress has been largely debated1 and what is verging towards worldly conformity is to be laid aside4 ,we all lament dress as a growing evil among the ,methodists2 and1 if the preachers are not patterns in this respect1 how can they exhort the people8 ,one morning1 at breakfast1 among a very few select friends1 ,mr4 ,wesley said he had some things to complain of1 which he had better mention before half-a-dozen persons than before a hundred4 ,among other things1 he spoke with disapprobation of the ruffles on ,mr4 ,dickenson's shirts4 ,i endeavoured to soften matters1 saying1 that you desired to take them off1 and that1 if this was not already done1 it was because you had been prevented2 on which ,i was requested to mention to you the conversation which had taken place4 ,my dear sister1 let me beg of you then1 never to let ,mr4 ,dickenson wear a ruffled shirt again4 ,you both love our dear father too well to grieve him4 ,yours in ,jesus1 8,,elizabeth ,,ritchie40 ,as soon as the ,bristol conference was ended1 the veteran evangelist again set out on his glorious mission1 and spent the next three weeks in ,wales4 ,at ,brecon1 he preached in the town hall2 and in ,watton chapel1 on the state of the church at ,ephesus1 and our ,lord's lamentation over ,jerusalem4#gch ,at ,haverfordwest1 he wrote as follows1 to ,thomas ,roberts1 then a young preacher1 of four years' standing1 whom he had just appointed to the ,bristol circuit4 8,,haverfordwest1 ,august #ac1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,now ,i shall make a trial of you1 whether ,i can confide in you or no4 ,since ,i came hither1 ,i have been much concerned4 ,this is the most important circuit in all ,wales2 but it has been vilely neglected by the assistant1 whom1 therefore1 ,i can trust no more4 ,i can trust you1 even in so critical a case4 ,i desire1 therefore1 that1 whoever opposes1 you will set out immediately1 and come hither as soon as ever you can4 ,i wish you could meet me at ,cardiff1 or ,cowbridge4 ,you will see1 by the printed plan1 when ,i shall be at either of those places4 ,if you have not notice enough to do this1 meet me to-morrow sennight at the ,new ,passage1 unless you can get a passage by the weekly boat to ,swansea4 ,if it be possible1 do not fail4 ,it may be1 this may be the beginning of a lasting friendship between you and1 dear ,tommy1 yours1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gci ,at ,pembroke1 ,wesley wrote the following to ,mr4 ,william ,mears1 a useful local preacher1 at ,rochester4 8,,pembroke1 ,august #af1 #agij4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,it is my desire that all things be done to the satisfaction of all parties4 ,if1 therefore1 it be more convenient1 let brother ,pritchard's#gdj family be at ,canterbury1 and sister ,boone#gda lodge in ,chatham house4 8,why do you not again set on foot a weekly subscription in order to lessen your debt8 ,have neither the preachers nor the people any spirit in them8 ,who begins8 ,i will give half-a-crown a week for a year1 if all of you will make it up twenty shillings4 8,i am1 dear ,billy1 your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#gdb ,in a letter to his niece1 ,miss ,sarah ,wesley1 dated 8,near ,cowbridge1 ,august #ah1 #agij10 he writes3 8,i always reprove profane sailors1 or1 what is worse1 profane gentlemen2 and many of them will receive it civilly1 if not thankfully4 ,they all know1 captains as well as common men1 that swearing is not necessary4 ,and1 even now1 we have captains of several men-of-war who do not swear at all2 and never were men better obeyed40#gdc ,thus was ,wesley always about his heavenly ,father's work4 ,on ,august #bg1 he returned to ,bristol1 in the neighbourhood of which he was busily employed till ,september #bg4 ,in the morning of ,sunday1 ,august #bi1 he read prayers1 preached1 and administered the ,lord's supper1 a service in which1 without assistance1 he was occupied for three full hours2 and1 yet1 in the afternoon1 he preached again1 out of doors4 ,the next day1 we find him preaching twice1 at ,castle ,carey1 and ,ditcheat4 ,on ,tuesday #ca1 he was visited by a lusus natur1 ,william ,kingston1 born without arms1 who1 in ,wesley's presence1 took his teacup between his toes1 and the toast with his other foot2 and afterwards1 by another feat1 showed himself to be a man of no mean penmanship4 ,on the same day1 ,wesley had 8a lovely congregation at ,shepton ,mallet10 and a crowded one at ,pensford4 ,during the remainder of the week1 he preached at ,bristol1 and corrected and abridged the ,life of ,mrs4 ,scudamore4 ,on ,saturday1 ,september #d1 he went to ,bath and preached2 and on ,sunday1 the #eth1 writes3 8,at ten we had a numerous congregation1 and more communicants than ever ,i saw here before4 ,this day1 ,i cut off that vile custom1 ,i know not when or how it began1 of preaching three times a day by the same preacher to the same congregation2 enough to weary out both the bodies and minds of the speaker1 as well as his hearers40 ,on ,monday1 ,tuesday1 and ,wednesday1 in the ensuing week1 he preached once daily1 and on ,friday twice4 ,on ,sunday1 ,september #ab1 he employed himself in ,bristol1 and1 during the week following1 met the classes1 containing #idd members1 and likewise preached at ,thornbury1 and at ,kingswood4 ,in labour like this the whole month was spent4 ,at the preceding conference1 ,wesley had appointed ,adam ,clarke to the ,dublin circuit1 and1 on ,september #e1 ,adam wrote him a long letter1 telling him that ,thomas ,rutherford had been laid aside by rheumatic fever1 and that the results of a religious revival had been destroyed by the extravagant irregularities of those who conducted the prayer-meetings during ,mr4 ,rutherford's illness4 ,these meetings had been1 and still were1 kept up till ten or eleven o'clock on ,sunday nights1 and sometimes till twelve and one2 and it was no uncommon thing for a person1 in the midst of them1 to give an exhortation of half or three quarters of an hour's continuance4 ,clarke wished to correct these irregularities1 and wrote to ,wesley for advice1#gdd who replied to him as follows4 8,,bristol1 ,september #i1 #agij4 8,dear ,adam1--,did not the terrible weather that you had at sea make you forget your fatigue by land8 ,come1 set one against the other1 and you have no great reason to complain of your journey4 8,you will have need of all the courage and prudence ,god has given you4 ,indeed1 you will want constant supplies of both4 ,very gently1 and very steadily1 you should proceed between the rocks on either hand4 ,in the great revival at ,london1 my first difficulty was1 to bring into temper those who opposed the work2 and my next1 to check and regulate the extravagances of those that promoted it4 ,and this was far the hardest part of the work2 for many of them would bear no check at all4 ,but ,i followed one rule1 though with all calmness3 #8,you must either bend or break4' ,meantime1 while you act exactly right1 expect to be blamed by both sides4 ,i will give you a few directions4 7#a7 ,see that no prayer-meeting continue later than nine at night1 particularly on ,sunday3 let the house be emptied before the clock strikes nine4 7#b7 ,let there be no exhortation at any prayer-meeting4 7#c7 ,beware of jealousy1 or judging one another4 7#d7 ,never think a man is an enemy to the work1 because he reproves irregularities4 ,peace be with you and yours6 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gde ,clarke acted upon ,wesley's good advice1 and wrote him the results4 ,wesley answered4 8,,bedford1 ,october #bh1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,adam1--,i am glad my letter had so good an effect4 ,i dearly love our precious society in ,dublin1 and cannot but be keenly sensible of anything that gives them disturbance4 ,i am glad our leaders have adopted that excellent method of regularly changing their classes4 ,wherever this has been done1 it has been a means of quickening both the leaders and the people4 ,i wish this custom could be more extensively introduced4 8,you did well to prevent all irregular and turbulent prayer-meetings1 and1 at all hazards1 to keep the meetings of the society private4 8,poor ,mr4 ,smyth is now used just as he used me4 ,he must either bend or break4 ,although you cannot solicit any of ,bethesda to join with us1 yet neither can you refuse them when they offer their hand4 8,you do well to offer all possible courtesy to ,mr4 ,william ,smyth and his family4 8,as long as the society in ,dublin continues upward of a thousand1 you will have no reason to complain4 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gdf ,before returning to ,wesley's journal1 another letter may be welcome4 ,it was addressed to ,mr4 ,robert ,c4 ,brackenbury4 ,wesley's reference to himself is touching2 and his remarks on the doctrine of ,christian perfection ought to be remembered4 8,,bristol1 ,september #ae1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,i am glad to find you are in better bodily health1 and not weary and faint in your mind4 ,my body seems nearly to have done its work1 and to be almost worn out4 ,last month1 my strength was nearly gone1 and ,i could have sat almost still from morning to night4 ,but1 blessed be ,god1 ,i crept about a little1 and made shift to preach once a day4 ,on ,monday1 ,i ventured a little further2 and1 after ,i had preached three times 7once in the open air71 ,i found my strength so restored1 that ,i could have preached again without inconvenience4 8,i am glad brother ,d---- has more light with regard to full sanctification4 ,this doctrine is the grand depositum which ,god has lodged with the people called ,methodists2 and1 for the sake of propagating this chiefly1 ,he appeared to have raised them up4 8,i congratulate you upon sitting loose to all below2 stedfast in the liberty wherewith ,christ has made you free4 ,moderate riding on horseback1 chiefly in the south of ,england1 would improve your health4 ,if you choose to accompany me1 in any of my little journeys on this side ,christmas1 whenever you were tired you might go into my carriage4 ,i am not so ready a writer as ,i was once2 but1 ,i bless ,god1 ,i can scrawl a little1--enough to assure you that1 8,i am1 dear sir1 your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#gdg ,on ,monday1 ,september #bg1 ,wesley set out from ,bristol to ,london1 and preached at ,devizes and ,salisbury4 ,on ,wednesday we find him preaching at ,winchester and ,portsmouth2 and on ,thursday and ,friday at ,newport1 in the ,isle of ,wight4 ,on ,saturday1 ,october #b1 he left ,portsmouth1 at two o'clock in the morning2 and1 at ,cobham1 twenty miles from ,london1 was met by ,james and ,hester ,ann ,rogers1 and six other friends1 in carriages1 to welcome him4#gdh ,mr4 ,rogers writes3 8,he arrived in good health and spirits4 ,we all dined at ,cobham1 and1 about six in the evening1 reached ,london1 where we praised the ,lord with joyful hearts40#gdi ,the next day1 ,sunday1 ,october #c1 he preached twice in the ,city ,road chapel1 and held a lovefeast4 ,rogers says3 8,many souls were greatly comforted4 ,indeed1 his preaching1 during the whole winter1 was attended with uncommon unction2 and he frequently spoke1 both in his sermons and exhortations1 as if each time were to be his last2 and often desired the people to receive what he advanced as his dying charge4 ,his conversation also1 in his family1 seemed to indicate a presentiment of death4 ,he frequently spoke of the state of separate spirits1 and their particular employments2 and1 for the last three months of his life1 there were scarcely three evenings passed together1 but he gave out and sung1 in the family1 the hymn beginning with the line1 #8,shrinking from the cold hand of death4'0#gej ,after spending two short days in ,london1 ,wesley set off1 on ,october #e1 to ,rye1 a distance of upwards of sixty miles1 and preached to a large and serious congregation4 ,the day after1 for the last time1 he preached in the open air4 ,this was at ,winchelsea1 beneath an ash tree1 in the churchyard1--a tree long protected by the vicar of the parish1 and known for miles round1 by the name of 8,wesley's ,tree10 though often mutilated by pilgrim ,methodists1 who chopped and lopped it for wood to make it into ,methodist snuff boxes1 and other un ,wesleyan mementoes of ,wesley's last outdoor preaching service4 ,on one occasion1 a local preacher was detected in the act of bearing away a bough in pious triumph1 was apprehended for the theft1 had to beg for mercy1 was solemnly reprimanded1 and was threatened with transportation1 in case of repeating the offence4 ,wesley's text1 at ,winchelsea1 was a part of ,christ's first outdoor sermon1 8,the kingdom of ,god is at hand2 repent ye1 and believe the gospel20 and he writes3 8,it seemed as if all that heard were1 for the present1 almost persuaded to be ,christians40 ,robert ,miller was with him at the time1 and says3 8,the word was attended with mighty power1 and the tears of the people flowed in torrents40#gea ,on the evening of the same day1 he preached again at ,rye4 ,returning to ,london1 for the services on ,sunday1 ,october #aj1 ,wesley started on the day following for ,norfolk4 ,at ,colchester1 things were disheartening1 but he says he had1 8on ,monday and ,tuesday evenings1 wonderful congregations of rich and poor1 clergy and laity40 ,one of his hearers was a shoemaker1 a young man of twenty-four1 who was then convinced of sin1 became a useful local preacher1 and often returned from his appointments besmeared1 from head to foot1 with the filthy missiles of persecuting mobs4 ,william ,candler1 the preaching shoemaker1 took a deep interest in the spiritual welfare of soldiers1 and was not unrewarded2 for1 one morning1 to his great surprise1 he received a government commission to make military shoes1 and an extraordinary despatch1 from the ,colchester commanding officer1 that all the shoemakers in the regiments stationed at ,harwich1 ,ipswich1 and ,colchester1 should assist him in executing the martial order4 ,for near fifty years1 ,william ,candler rendered important service to the cause of ,christ1 and then1 in #ahch1 died1 kissing his family1 and whispering to each1 8,good bye2 ,god bless you60#geb ,in years past1 ,colchester had been one of ,wesley's favourite places2 but now1 he says1 8the society was lessened1 and cold enough2 preaching was discontinued1 and the spirit of ,methodism quite gone1 from the preachers and the people40 ,all this was the result of the clerical interference of the ,rev4 ,mr4 ,s----1 of ,st4 ,peter's1 who had adopted the theory1 that1 wherever there was a gospel ministry in the ,church1 ,methodist preaching ought to cease1 and ,methodist societies be handed over to the care of the gospel clergyman4 ,to accomplish this at ,colchester1 no pains were spared1 and even gifts and bribes were used4 ,wesley was annoyed1 and1 in the course of his sermon1 said3 8,i understand there is a sheep stealer in ,colchester1 who takes both sheep and lambs from his neighbour's fold at will4 ,now1 ,i charge that man to desist2 or to meet me1 and answer for his deeds1 at the bar of ,god1 in the day of judgment40 ,the reverend gentleman was present2 and his subsequent conduct showed that he was not a forgetful hearer4#gec ,wesley had1 in his congregation1 at ,colchester1 another remarkable hearer1 ,henry ,crabb ,robinson1 who writes3 8,it was1 ,i believe1 in ,october #agij1 that ,i heard ,john ,wesley in the great round meeting-house at ,colchester4 ,he stood in a wide pulpit1 and on each side of him stood a minister1 and the two held him up1 having their hands under his armpits4 ,his feeble voice was barely audible2 but his reverend countenance1 especially his long white locks1 formed a picture never to be forgotten4 ,there was a vast crowd of lovers and admirers4 ,it was for the most part a pantomime1 but the pantomime went to the heart4 ,of the kind1 ,i never saw anything comparable to it in after life40 ,considering the long picturesque life which ,mr4 ,robinson lived subsequent to this1 the last sentence is remarkable4 ,in a letter dated ,october #ah1 #agij1 this young auditor1 then fifteen years of age1 remarks3 8,i felt great satisfaction last week in hearing that veteran in the service of ,god1 the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley4 ,at another time1 and not knowing the man1 ,i should almost have ridiculed his figure4 ,far from it now4 ,i looked upon him with a respect bordering upon enthusiasm4 ,after the people had sung one verse of a hymn1 he arose and said3 #8,it gives me a great pleasure to find that you have not lost your singing2 neither men nor women4 ,you have not forgotten a single note4 ,and ,i hope1 by the assistance of ,god1 which enables you to sing well1 you may do all other things well4' ,a universal #8,amen' followed4 ,at the end of every head or division of his discourse1 he finished by a kind of prayer1 a momentary wish as it were1 not consisting of more than three or four words1 which was always followed by a universal buzz4 ,his discourse was short4 ,the text ,i could not hear4 ,after the last prayer1 he rose up and addressed the people on liberality of sentiment1 and spoke much against refusing to join with any congregation on account of difference in opinion40#ged ,on ,wednesday1 ,october #ac1 ,wesley went from ,colchester to ,norwich1 and writes3 8,i preached2 but the house would in nowise contain the congregation4 ,how wonderfully is the tide turned6 ,i am become an honourable man at ,norwich4 ,god has1 at length1 made our enemies to be at peace with us2 and scarce any but antinomians open their mouths against us40 ,the next day1 he preached at ,yarmouth1 to a congregation 8far too large to get into the chapel40 ,and the day following at ,lowestoft4 ,here again1 he had another distinguished hearer1 the poet ,crabbe2 and repeated the well known lines from ,anacreon1 with an application of his own4 8,oft am ,i by woman told1 ,poor ,anacreon6 thou grow'st old2 ,see1 thine hairs are falling all3 ,poor ,anacreon6 how they fall6 ,whether ,i grow old or no1 ,by these signs1 ,i do not know2 ,but this ,i need not to be told1 ',tis time to live1 if ,i grow old40 ,crabbe was greatly struck with the reverend appearance of the aged preacher1 with his cheerful air1 and the beautiful cadence he gave to the lines he quoted2 and1 after the service1 was introduced to him1 and was received with benevolent politeness4#gee ,on ,saturday1 ,october #af1 ,wesley preached at ,loddon and at ,norwich2 and1 next day1 twice again in the latter city1 besides administering the sacrament at seven o'clock in the morning1 to about one hundred and fifty persons4 ,he writes3 8,i take knowledge1 that the last year's preachers were in earnest4 ,afterwards1 we went to our own parish church2 although there was no sermon there1 nor at any of the thirty-six churches in the town1 save the cathedral and ,st4 ,peter's40 ,who will say that ,methodist preaching was not needed in this non-preaching diocesan city8 ,on ,monday1 ,october #ah1 ,wesley preached at ,swaffham1 and at ,lynn4 ,at the latter place1 he preached again on ,tuesday1 administered the sacrament1#gef made a collection for the ,sunday-schools1 and had present to hear him all the clergymen of the town1 except one1 whose lameness prevented his attending4 ,on ,wednesday1 the #bjth1 he occupied the church at ,diss1 one of the largest in the county4 8,i suppose10 says he1 8it has not been so filled these hundred years40 ,his text was1 8,seek ye the ,lord while ,he may be found02 and the results of the sermon were remarkable and lasting4#geg ,on the evening of the same day1 and also on the day following1 he preached at ,bury ,st4 ,edmunds2 and on ,friday1 ,october #bb1 returned to ,london4 ,the last entry1 in ,wesley's published journal1 is dated two days later4 8,sunday1 ,october #bd--;,i explained1 to a numerous congregation1 in ,spitalfields church1 #8the whole armour of ,god1' ,st4 ,paul's1 ,shadwell1 was still more crowded in the afternoon1 while ,i enforced that important truth1 #8one thing is needful'2 and ,i hope many1 even then1 resolved to choose the better part40 ,there can be little doubt1 that the rest of the year was occupied with what ,wesley often called his 8little journeys10 into ,bedfordshire1 ,northamptonshire1 ,hertfordshire1 ,kent1 etc4 ,the reader will catch glimpses of him in the following letters4 ,the first was addressed to his niece1 ,miss ,sarah ,wesley1 at ,mrs4 ,whitcomb's1 in ,margate4 ,the reference to his relatives is significant and painful4 8,,london1 ,october #e1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,sally1--,i am glad you are situated so comfortably4 ,mrs4 ,whitcomb does really fear ,god2 and1 ,i hope1 before you leave her house1 will know what it is to love ,him4 ,providence has not sent you to spend a little time in ,margate merely on your own account4 ,before you leave it1 she1 with several others1 shall have reason to praise ,god that you came4 ,see that you lose no time4 ,a word spoken in season how good is it6 ,warn every one1 and exhort every one1 if by any means you may save some4 #8,in the morning sow thy seed1 and in the evening withhold not thy hand2 for thou knowest not which shall prosper4' ,say not1 #8,i can do nothing1 ,i am slow of speech4' ,true2 but who made the tongue8 ,you have seen sister ,boon1 a loving1 simple hearted woman4 ,be a follower of her1 as she is of ,christ4 ,why should you not meet in her class8 ,i think you will not be ashamed4 ,is it not a good opportunity of coming a little nearer to them that love you well8 ,let me have the comfort of one relation1 at least1 that will be an assistant to me in the blessed work of ,god4 8,i must visit other places before ,i come into ,kent1 as well as visit the classes in ,london2 so that ,i cannot be at ,margate till the latter end of next month4 ,if you stay there till then1 you will see me4 8,i am1 my dear ,sally1 your affectionate uncle1 8,,john ,,wesley40#geh ,the next was written the day after his return to town from ,norfolk1 and was addressed to ,james ,macdonald1 then stationed at ,newry1 in ,ireland4 ,it will be seen1 that the ,methodist sin of neglecting fasting is not of recent growth4 8,,london1 ,october #bc1 #agij4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,you have great reason to praise ,god for ,his late glorious work at and near ,newry2 and ,i make no doubt1 but it will continue1 yea1 and increase1 if the subjects of it continue to walk humbly and closely with ,god4 ,exhort all our brethren steadily to wait upon ,god in the appointed means of fasting and prayer2 the former of which has been almost universally neglected by the ,methodists1 both in ,england and ,ireland4 ,but it is a true remark of ,kempis3 #8,the more thou deniest thyself1 the more thou wilt grow in grace4' 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gei ,something has been already said respecting the division of circuits4 ,the ,dales circuit in #agij had forty-three preaching places1 including ,barnardcastle1 ,bishop ,auckland1 ,appleby1 ,alstone1 ,allendale1 ,wolsingham1 ,hexham1 ,penrith1 and ,kendal1--now all of them circuit towns themselves4 ,the nearest neighbouring circuit1 eastwards1 was ,yarm2 westwards1 ,whitehaven2 northwards1 ,newcastle2 and southwards1 ,thirsk4 ,this will give the reader an idea of the enormous region embraced in the ,dales circuit at the time to which we are now adverting4 ,within the same border1 there are now not fewer than at least twenty circuit towns1 most of them the centre of a large cluster of smaller towns and villages4#gfj ,the ,dales circuit1 in #agij1 had three itinerant preachers1 and #ihj members of society1 who contributed for the maintenance of their preaching triumvirate1 during the quarter in which ,wesley died1 the sum of #bi #hs4 #f;d41 sevenpence per member per quarter1 and affording #i #afs4 #b;d4 for the support of each preacher1 his wife1 and family1 and the general maintenance of ,methodist machinery throughout the circuit4#gfa ,george ,holder was the assistant1 and ,jonathan ,hern and ,john ,wittam were his colleagues4 ,the feed was poor1 the pay pauperish1 the journeys long1 the roads bad1 the region mountainous1 and the work heavy4 ,there was a wish to divide the circuit2 but the following was ,wesley's reply to ,holder4 8,,london1 ,october #cj1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,george1--,the assistant in every circuit 7not the leaders7 is to determine how each preacher is to travel4 ,if ,jonathan ,hern will not1 or cannot1 take his turn with his fellow labourers1 ,i must send another that will4 ,i do not like dividing circuits4 ,could not three or more of the northern places be added to the ,sunderland or ,newcastle circuits1 in order to lessen yours1 and bring it into a six weeks' circuit8 ,pray send me the manner of your travelling through your circuit4 ,i think1 ,i shall order it better4 8,i am1 with love to sister ,holder1 dear ,george1 yours1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gfb ,a small circuit then was one of the things which ,wesley thought inimical to the interests of ,methodism4 ,was ,wesley right8 ,unless ,methodist preachers can become thoroughly pastoral in their habits1--a thing which triennial changes render extremely difficult1--would it not be better for circuits to be of such a size as to make daily preaching a healthy duty1 instead of being so circumscribed that one or two sermons1 between sabbaths1 is all that their necessities require8 ,this is a serious problem1 which we must leave to be solved by others4 ,another hindrance1 as ,wesley thought1 to ,methodist progress1 was the neglect of reading4 ,hence the following extract from an unpublished letter1 dated ,november #h1 #agij4 8,if you and your wife strengthen each other's hands in ,god1 then you will surely receive a blessing from ,him4 ,but it is not abundance of money1 or any creature1 that can make us happy without ,him4 8,it cannot be that the people should grow in grace1 unless they give themselves to reading4 ,a reading people will always be a knowing people4 ,a people who talk much will know little4 ,press this upon them with your might2 and you will soon see the fruit of your labours40 ,an extract from another letter may be given here4 ,the letter was addressed to ,alexander ,mather4 8,no1 ,aleck1 no6 ,the danger of ruin to ,methodism does not lie here4 ,it springs from quite a different quarter4 ,our preachers1 many of them1 are fallen4 ,they are not spiritual4 ,they are not alive to ,god4 ,they are soft1 enervated1 fearful of shame1 toil1 hardship4 ,they have not the spirit which ,god gave to ,thomas ,lee at ,pateley ,bridge1 or to you at ,boston4 ,give me one hundred preachers1 who fear nothing but sin1 and desire nothing but ,god1 and ,i care not a straw whether they be clergymen or laymen1 such alone will shake the gates of hell1 and set up the kingdom of heaven upon earth40#gfc ,as we have often shown1 ,wesley regarded the preaching of the doctrine of ,christian perfection as of the utmost importance4 ,the following letter to ,adam ,clarke is to the same effect4 8,,london1 ,november #bf1 #agij4 8,,dear ,,adam1--,to retain the grace of ,god1 is much more than to gain it2 hardly one in three does this4 ,and this should be strongly and explicitly urged on all who have tasted of perfect love4 ,if we can prove that any of our local preachers or leaders1 either directly or indirectly1 speak against it1 let him be a local preacher or leader no longer4 ,i doubt whether he should continue in society4 ,because he1 that could speak thus in our congregations1 cannot be an honest man4 ,i wish sister ,clarke to do what she can1 but no more than she can4 ,betsy ,ritchie1 ,miss ,johnson1 and ,mary ,clarke are women after my own heart4 ,last week ,i had an excellent letter from ,mrs4 ,pawson1 7a glorious witness of full salvation17 showing how impossible it is to retain pure love without growing therein4 ,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gfd ,such letters might be greatly multiplied4 ,we only add another4 ,he was now an old man1 and extremely feeble2 and ,mr4 ,ireland1 having heard that claret wine had been recommended to him by his medical adviser1 sent him a small case as a present4 ,the wine was seized by the custom house authorities1 to whom ,wesley addressed the following laconic letter4 8,,city ,,road1 ,november #ad1 #agij4 8,,gentlemen1--,two or three days ago1 ,mr4 ,ireland sent me1 as a present1 two dozen of ,french claret1 which ,i am ordered to drink1 during my present weakness4 ,at the ,white ,swan it was seized4 ,beg it may be restored to1 8,your obedient servant1 8,,john ,,wesley4 8,whatever duty comes due1 ,i will see duly paid40 ,the letter seems to have been returned to the dying man2 and1 across it1 a government official curtly wrote3 8,no4 ,m4 ,w40#gfe ,wesley's only publication1 in #agij1 besides the thirteenth volume of his ,magazine1 was his translation of 8,the ,new ,testament1 with an ,analysis of the several ,books and ,chapters40 #afmo1 #dbd pages4 ,in his preface1 he remarks3 8,in this edition1 the translation is brought as near as possible to the original2 yet the alterations are few and seemingly small2 but they may be of considerable importance4 ,though the old division of chapters is retained1 for the more easy finding of any text1 yet the whole is likewise divided1 according to the sense1 into distinct sections2 a little circumstance which makes many passages more intelligible to the reader4 ,the analysis of every book and epistle is prefixed to it4 ,and this view of the general scope of each will give light to all the particulars40 ,it ought to be remarked1 that this is1 by no means1 a verbatim reprint of ,wesley's translation1 published with his ,notes in #agee4 ,the book is extremely scarce2 but the variations are too numerous and minute to be pointed out in a work like this4 ,as it respects the ,magazine1 there can be no doubt1 that all the articles composing it may be considered to be in harmony with ,wesley's own sentiments2 but1 as usual1 in this review1 we only notice the articles which ,wesley himself contributed2 and that1 principally1 for the purpose of obtaining knowledge of his latest opinions and feelings4 ,we pass over his 8,thoughts on ,memory02 his critique on ,captain ,wilson's 8,account of the ,pelew ,islands02 and his 8,thoughts on ,suicide02 and direct attention to his last1 his dying manifesto1 on separation from the ,established ,church4 ,the article is dated1 8,december #aa1 #aghi10 and is in the ,april number of the ,magazine for #agij4 ,he states that1 next to the primitive church1 he had1 from childhood1 esteemed the ,church of ,england as the most scriptural1 national church in the world2 and had1 therefore1 not only assented to all the doctrines1 but observed all the rubric in the liturgy2 and that with all possible exactness1 even at the peril of his life4 ,he proceeds to give the history of the rise of ,methodism1 and of his own irregularities2 and thus concludes3 8,i never had any design of separating from the ,church4 ,i have no such design now4 ,i do not believe1 the ,methodists in general design it1 when ,i am no more seen4 ,i do1 and will do1 all that is in my power to prevent such an event4 ,nevertheless1 in spite of all that ,i can do1 many of them will separate from it 7although1 ,i am apt to think1 not one half1 perhaps not one third of them74 ,these will be so bold and injudicious as to form a separate party1 which1 consequently1 will dwindle away into a dry1 dull1 separate party4 ,in flat opposition to these1 ,i declare once more1 that ,i live and die a member of the ,church of ,england2 and that none1 who regard my judgment or advice1 will ever separate from it40 ,to the same effect is his sermon on 8,no man taketh this honour unto himself1 but he that is called of ,god1 as was ,aaron10--a sermon which he wrote at ,cork1 in ,may #aghi1 and published in his magazine1 twelve months afterwards4 ,he correctly maintains that1 in ancient times1 the offices of priest and preacher were entirely distinct4 ,priests were not preachers2 and preachers1 or prophets1 were not priests4 ,he argues that1 in the ,new ,testament1 the office of an evangelist is not the same as that of a pastor4 ,pastors presided over the flock1 and administered the sacraments2 evangelists helped them1 and preached the word4 ,he asserts that the same distinction is recognised in the ,english1 presbyterian1 and ,roman churches2 and then1 coming to ,methodism1 tells his readers that ,methodist itinerant preachers are evangelists1 not pastors2 and that their work is wholly and solely to preach1 not to administer sacraments4 ,his address to them is worth quoting4 8,god has commissioned you to call sinners to repentance2 but it does by no means follow from hence1 that ye are commissioned to baptize1 or to administer the ,lord's supper4 ,ye never dreamt of this1 for ten or twenty years after ye began to preach4 ,ye did not then1 like ,korah ,dathan1 and ,abiram1 seek the priesthood also4 ,ye knew1 #8,no man taketh this honour to himself1 but he that is called of ,god1 as was ,aaron4' ,o contain yourselves within your own bounds4 ,be content with preaching the gospel4 ,do the work of evangelists4 ,i earnestly advise you1 abide in your place2 keep your own station4 ,ye were fifty years ago1--those of you that were then ,methodist preachers1--extraordinary messengers of ,god1 not going in your own will1 but thrust out1 not to supersede1 but to provoke to jealousy the ordinary messengers4 ,in ,god's name1 stop there6 ,both1 by your preaching and example1 provoke them to love and good works4 ,ye are a new phenomenon in the earth2 a body of people1 who1 being of no sect or party1 are friends to all parties1 and endeavour to forward all1 in the knowledge and love of ,god and man4 ,ye yourselves were1 at first1 called in the ,church of ,england2 and though ye have and will have a thousand temptations to leave it1 regard them not4 ,be ,church of ,england men still4 ,do not cast away the peculiar glory which ,god hath put upon you1 and frustrate the design of ,providence1 the very end for which ,god raised you up40 ,in reply to the charge that he himself had already separated from the ,church1 ,wesley allows1 that he deviated from the rules of the ,church in 8preaching abroad10 in 8praying extempore10 in forming societies1 and in employing lay preachers2 but he adds3 8,all this is not separating from the ,church4 ,so far from it1 that1 whenever ,i have opportunity1 ,i attend the ,church service myself1 and advise all our societies so to do4 ,nevertheless1 the generality even of religious people naturally think1 #8,i am inconsistent4' ,and they cannot but think so1 unless they observe my two principles4 ,the one1 that ,i dare not separate from the ,church1 that ,i believe it would be a sin so to do2 the other1 that ,i believe it would be a sin not to vary from it in the points above mentioned4 ,i say1 put these two principles together1 first1 ,i will not separate from the ,church2 yet1 secondly1 in cases of necessity1 ,i will vary from it2 and inconsistency vanishes away4 ,i have been true to my profession from #agcj to this day40 ,here we leave the matter4 ,this is the last time we shall quote ,wesley on separation from the ,church4 ,we care not either to vindicate or to condemn his thoughts and course of conduct4 ,in a few lines1 ,wesley here says all that can be said in favour of the anomalous position in which he stood3 he did not separate1 but he varied from the ,church of ,england4 ,it will be difficult for either sophistry or sound argument to make either more or less than this of the vexed question1--the difference between ,wesley's profession and his practice in reference to his continued adherence to1 or separation from1 the ,established ,church4 ,he lived and died a hearty1 but inconsistent ,churchman4 ,there is another point which must be mentioned4 ,the reader has already seen ,wesley's intense anxiety in reference to rich ,methodists4 ,in the last fourteen sermons that he wrote1 during the last two years of his eventful life1 and which were1 for the first time1 published in the magazines for #agij1 #agia1 and #agib1 he again and again1 in the strongest and most affecting language1 reverts to this momentous matter4 ,exception may be taken to his opinions2 but they are worthy of being quoted4 ,they are the last sentiments of an old man1 with unparalleled experience2 and1 throughout a long life1 were by himself reduced to practice4 ,the following are extracts4 ,in the remarkable sermon1 on ,jeremiah viii4 #bb1 written in ,dublin1 ,july #b1 #aghi1 in which he tries to answer the question1 8,why has ,christianity done so little good in the world80 he writes3 8,who regards those solemn words1 ,lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth8 ,of the three rules1 which are laid down on this head1 in the sermon on ,the ,mammon of ,unrighteousness1 you may find many that observe the first rule1 namely1 ,gain all you can4 ,you may find a few that observe the second1 ,save all you can4 ,but how many have you found1 that observe the third rule1 ,give all you can8 ,have you reason to believe1 that five hundred of these are to be found among fifty thousand ,methodists8 ,and1 yet1 nothing can be more plain1 than that all who observe the two first rules1 without the third1 will be twofold more the children of hell than ever they were before4 8,o that ,god would enable me once more1 before ,i go hence and am no more seen1 to lift up my voice like a trumpet to those who gain and save all they can1 but do not give all they can6 ,ye are the men1 some of the chief men1 who continually grieve the ,holy ,spirit of ,god1 and1 in a great measure1 stop ,his gracious influence from descending on our assemblies4 ,many of your brethren1 beloved of ,god1 have not food to eat2 they have not raiment to put on2 they have not a place where to lay their head4 ,and why are they thus distressed8 ,because you impiously1 unjustly1 and cruelly detain from them what your ,master and theirs lodges in your hands1 on purpose to supply their wants4 ,in the name of ,god1 what are you doing8 ,do you neither fear ,god1 nor regard man8 ,why do you not deal your bread to the hungry8 ,and cover the naked with a garment8 ,have you laid out1 in your own costly apparel1 what would have answered both these intentions8 ,did ,god command you so to do8 ,does ,he commend you for so doing8 ,did ,he entrust you with ,his1--not your1--goods for this end8 ,and does ,he now say1 #8,servant of ,god1 well done'8 ,you well know ,he does not4 ,this idle expense has no approbation1 either from ,god or your own conscience4 ,but1 you say1 #8,you can afford it6' ,o be ashamed to take such miserable nonsense into your mouths4 ,never more utter such stupid cant1 such palpable absurdity6 ,can any steward afford to be an arrant knave8 to waste his lord's goods8 ,can any servant afford to lay out his master's money1 any otherwise than his master appoints him8 ,so far from it1 that whoever does this ought to be excluded from a ,christian society4 8,i am distressed4 ,i know not what to do4 ,i see what ,i might have done once4 ,i might have said peremptorily and expressly1 #8,here ,i am3 ,i and my ,bible4 ,i will not1 ,i dare not1 vary from this book1 either in great things or small4 ,i have no power to dispense with one jot or tittle of what is contained therein4 ,i am determined to be a ,bible ,christian1 not almost but altogether4 ,who will meet me on this ground8 ,join me on this1 or not at all4' ,with regard to dress in particular1 ,i might have been as firm1 7and ,i now see it would have been far better17 as either the people called quakers1 or the ,moravian brethren4 ,i might have said1 #8,this is our manner of dress1 which we know is both scriptural and rational4 ,if you join with us1 you are to dress as we do3 but you need not join us unless you please4' ,but alas6 the time is now past4 ,and what ,i can do now1 ,i cannot tell4 ,the ,methodists grow more and more self indulgent1 because they grow rich4 ,although many of them are still deplorably poor 7,tell it not in ,gath2 publish it not in the streets of ,askelon671 yet many others1 in the space of twenty1 thirty1 or forty years1 are twenty1 thirty1 yea1 a hundred times richer than they were when they first entered the society4 ,and it is an observation which admits of few exceptions1 that nine in ten of these decreased in grace1 in the same proportion as they increased in wealth4 ,indeed1 according to the natural tendency of riches1 we cannot expect it to be otherwise4 8,but how astonishing a thing is this6 ,does it not seem 7and yet this cannot be67 that true scriptural ,christianity has a tendency1 in process of time1 to undermine and destroy itself8 ,for1 wherever it spreads1 it must cause diligence and frugality1 which1 in the natural course of things1 beget riches4 ,and riches naturally beget pride1 love of the world1 and every temper that is destructive to ,christianity4 ,now1 if there be no way to prevent this1 ,christianity is inconsistent with itself1 and1 of consequence1 cannot stand1 cannot long continue among any people2 since1 wherever it generally prevails1 it saps its own foundation4 8,but1 allowing that diligence and frugality must produce riches1 is there no means to hinder riches destroying the religion of those that possess them8 ,i can see only one possible way2 find out another who can4 ,do you gain all you can1 and save all you can8 ,then you must1 in the nature of things1 grow rich4 ,then if you have any desire to escape the damnation of hell1 give all you can2 otherwise ,i can have no more hope of your salvation1 than for that of ,judas ,iscariot4 8,i call ,god to record upon my soul1 that ,i advise no more than ,i practise4 ,i do1 blessed be ,god1 gain1 and save1 and give all ,i can4 ,and so1 ,i trust in ,god1 ,i shall do1 while the breath of ,god is in my nostrils4 ,but what then8 ,i count all things but loss1 for the excellency of the knowledge of ,jesus1 my ,lord6 ,still #8,i give up every plea beside1 ,lord1 ,i am damned6 but ,thou hast died6'0#gff ,to the same effect is ,wesley's searching and terrible sermon1 on the ,rich ,fool1 written at ,balham1 ,february #ai1 #agij2 and another written at ,bristol1 ,september #ba1 #agij1 on the text1 8,if riches increase1 set not thine heart upon them40 ,in the latter sermon1 he writes3 8,by whatsoever means thy riches increase1 whether with or without labour2 whether by trade1 legacies1 or any other way1 unless thy charities increase in the same proportion1--unless thou givest a full tenth of thy substance1 of thy fixed and occasional income1 thou dost undoubtedly set thy heart upon thy gold1 and it will eat thy flesh as fire4 8,but ,o6 who can convince a rich man1 that he sets his heart upon riches8 ,for considerably above half a century1 ,i have spoken on this head1 with all the plainness that was in my power4 ,but with how little effect8 ,i doubt whether ,i have1 in all that time1 convinced fifty misers of covetousness4 8,i have a message from ,god unto thee1 ,o rich man1 whether thou wilt hear1 or whether thou wilt forbear4 ,riches have increased with thee2 at the peril of thy soul1 set not thine heart upon them4 ,be thankful to ,him that gave thee such a talent1 so much power of doing good4 ,yet dare not to rejoice over them1 but with fear and trembling4 8,let us descend to particulars2 and see that each of you deal faithfully with his own soul4 ,if any of you have now twice1 thrice1 or four times as much substance as when you first saw my face1 faithfully examine yourselves1 and see if you do not set your hearts1 if not directly on riches themselves1 yet1 on some of the things that are purchaseable thereby1 which comes to the same thing4 ,do you not eat more plentifully or more delicately than you did ten or twenty years ago8 ,do not you use more drink1 or drink of a more costly kind1 than you did then8 ,do you sleep on as hard a bed as you did once1 suppose your health will bear it8 ,do you fast as often now you are rich1 as you did when you were poor8 ,ought you not in all reason to do this1 rather more often than more seldom8 ,i am afraid1 your own heart condemns you4 ,you are not clear in this matter4 8,do not some of you seek no small part of happiness in that trifle of trifles1 dress8 ,do not you bestow more money1 or1 which is the same1 more time and pains upon it1 than you did once8 ,i doubt this is not done to please ,god4 ,then it pleases the devil4 ,if you laid aside your needless ornaments1 some years since1 ruffles1 necklaces1 spider caps1 ugly1 unbecoming bonnets1 costly linen1 expensive laces1 have you not1 in defiance of religion and reason1 taken to them again8 8,after having served you between sixty and seventy years1 with dim eyes1 shaking hands1 and tottering feet1 ,i give you one more advice before ,i sink into the dust4 ,mark those words of ,st4 ,paul1 ,those that desire1 or endeavour1 to be rich1 that moment1 fall into temptation2 yea1 a deep gulf of temptation1 out of which nothing less than ,almighty power can deliver them4 ,permit me to come a little closer still3 perhaps ,i may not trouble you any more on this head4 ,i am pained for you that are rich in this world4 ,do you give all you can8 ,you who receive #ejj a year1 and spend only #bjj1 do you give #cjj back to ,god8 ,if not1 you certainly rob ,god of that #cjj4 #8,nay1 may ,i not do what ,i will with my own8' ,here lies the ground of your mistake4 ,it is not your own4 ,it cannot be1 unless you are ,lord of heaven and earth4 #8,however1 ,i must provide for my children4' ,certainly4 ,but how8 ,by making them rich8 ,when you will probably make them heathens1 as some of you have done already4 ,leave them enough to live on1 not in idleness and luxury1 but by honest industry4 ,and if you have not children1 upon what scriptural or rational principle can you leave a groat behind you1 more than will bury you8 ,i pray consider3 ,what are you the better for what you leave behind you8 ,what does it signify1 whether you leave behind you ten thousand pounds1 or ten thousand shoes and boots8 ,oh1 leave nothing behind you6 ,send all you have before you into a better world6 ,lend it1 lend it all unto the ,lord1 and it shall be paid you again6 ,is there any danger that ,his truth should fail8 ,it is fixed as the pillars of heaven4 ,haste1 haste1 my brethren1 haste6 lest you be called away1 before you have settled what you have1 on this security60#gfg ,to say the least1 this was plain speaking1 such as is seldom heard at present2 the following1 in the sermon on ,matthew vi4 #bb1 #bc1 written at ,bristol1 ,september #be1 #aghi1 is terrific4 8,how great is the darkness of that execrable wretch 7,i can give him no better title1 be he rich or poor71 who will sell his own child to the devil6 who will barter her own eternal happiness1 for any quantity of gold or silver6 ,what a monster would any man be accounted1 who devoured the flesh of his own offspring6 ,and is he not as great a monster1 who1 by his own act and deed1 gives her to be devoured by that roaring lion8 ,as he certainly does 7so far as is in his power71 who marries her to an ungodly man4 #8,but he is rich2 he has #aj1jjj6' ,what if it were #ajj1jjj8 ,the more the worse2 the less probability will she have of escaping the damnation of hell4 ,with what face wilt thou look upon her1 when she tells thee in the realms below1 #8,thou hast plunged me into this place of torment6 ,hadst thou given me to a good man1 however poor1 ,i might now have been in ,abraham's bosom6' 8,are any of you1 that are called ,methodists1 seeking to marry your children well 7as the cant phrase is71 that is1 to sell them to some purchaser1 that has much money1 but little or no religion8 ,have ye profited no more by all ye have heard8 ,man1 woman1 think what you are about4 ,dare you also sell your child to the devil8 ,you undoubtedly do this 7as far as in you lies71 when you marry a son or a daughter to a child of the devil1 though it be one that wallows in gold and silver4 ,o take warning in time6 ,beware of the gilded bait6 ,death and hell are hid beneath4 ,prefer grace before gold and precious stones2 glory in heaven1 to riches on earth6 ,if you do not1 you are worse than the very ,canaanites4 ,they only made their children pass through the fire to ,moloch4 ,you make yours pass into the fire that never shall be quenched1 and to stay in it for ever4 ,o how great is the darkness that causes you1 after you have done this1 to wipe your mouth and say1 you have done no evil6 8,upwards of fifty years1 ,i have ministered unto you4 ,i have been your servant for ,christ's sake4 ,during this time1 ,i have given you many solemn warnings on this head4 ,i now give you one more1 perhaps the last4 ,dare any of you1 in choosing your calling or situation1 eye the things on earth1 rather than the things above8 ,in choosing a profession or a companion of life for your child1 do you look at earth or heaven8 ,and can you deliberately prefer1 either for yourself or your offspring1 a child of the devil with money1 to a child of ,god without it8 ,repent1 repent of your vile earthly mindedness6 ,renounce the title of ,christians2 or prefer1 both in your own case and the case of your children1 grace to money1 and heaven to earth4 ,for the time to come1 at least1 let your eye be single1 that your whole body may be full of light60 ,these were ,wesley's last words to the ,methodists4 ,the extracts are long2 but1 in this money making1 mammon worshipping1 intensely worldly age1 they may be useful4 ,the other sermons1 published in the last year of ,wesley's life1 and in the year subsequent to his death1 are well worthy of the reader's notice4 ,that on 8,knowing ,christ after the flesh0 is perhaps the only one1 in the ,english language1 on such a subject4 ,that on the text1 8,there is one ,god10 is characteristically thoughtful1 keen1 logical1 and evangelical4 ,that on 8,walking by ,faith10 terse1 vigorous1 earnest1 practical1 and terribly faithful4 ,that on 8,the ,wedding ,garment10 an excellent exposition of an often ill used text4 ,that on 8,the ,deceitfulness of the ,human ,heart0 is one which none but a man like ,wesley could have preached4 ,that on 8,atheism10 ingenious1 searching1 and powerful4 ,that on 8,the ,treasure in ,earthen ,vessels10 simple and beautiful4 ,while that on 8,life like a ,dream0 was being printed on the very day when ,wesley's corpse lay in the chapel in ,city ,road2 and that on 8,faith1 the evidence of things not seen10 was the last he ever wrote1 and was finished only six weeks previous to his death4 ,both the last mentioned deserve quoting4 ,they are the profoundly interesting musings of an old man1 conscious that he must soon enter the spiritual and unseen world4 ,imagining a disembodied soul before him1 he thus soliloquises4 8,now that your eyes are open1 see how inexpressibly different are all the things that are now around you6 ,what a difference do you perceive in yourself6 ,where is your body8 ,your house of clay8 ,where are your limbs8 your hands1 your feet1 your head8 ,there they lie2 cold1 insensible6 ,what a change is in the immortal spirit6 ,you see everything around you3 but how8 ,not with eyes of flesh and blood6 ,you hear2 but not by a stream of undulating air1 striking on an extended membrane4 ,you feel2 but in how wonderful a manner6 ,you have no nerves to convey the ethereal fire to the common sensory2 rather are you not now all eye1 all ear1 all feeling1 all perception80 ,again1 in his last1 the sermon on faith3 8,how will this material universe appear to a disembodied spirit8 ,who can tell whether any of these objects1 that now surround us1 will appear the same as they do now8 ,what astonishing scenes will then discover themselves to our newly opening senses6 ,probably fields of ether1 not only tenfold1 but ten thousand fold1 #8the length of this terrene4' ,and with what variety of furniture1 animate and inanimate6 ,how many orders of beings1 not discovered by organs of flesh and blood6 ,perhaps #8thrones1 dominions1 principalities1 and1 powers6' ,and shall we not then1 as far as angels' ken1 survey the bounds of creation1 and see every place where the ,almighty #8,stopped ,his rapid wheels1 and said1 ,this be thy just circumference1 ,o world6' ,yea1 shall we not be able to move1 quick as thought1 through the wide realms of uncreated night8 ,above all1 the moment we step into eternity1 shall we not feel ourselves swallowed up of ,him1 who is in this and every place1 who filleth heaven and earth8 ,it is only the veil of flesh and blood which now hinders us from perceiving1 that the great ,creator cannot but fill the whole immensity of space2 ,he is every moment above us1 beneath us1 and on every side4 ,indeed1 in this dark abode1 this land of shadows1 this region of sin and death1 the thick cloud1 which is interposed between1 conceals ,him from our sight4 ,but then the veil will disappear1 and ,he will appear in unclouded majesty1 ,god over all1 blessed for ever60 ,the blessed old man already had glimpses of the shining ones1 and of the gates of that celestial city1 into which1 six weeks after these words were written1 he triumphantly entered4 ,,footnotes3 #gjj ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #chj4 #gja ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcj1 p4 #bea4 #gjb ,dunn's ,life of ,clarke1 p4 #gb4 #gjc ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #aje4 #gjd ,pawson's manuscripts4 #gje ,moore's sermon4 #gjf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcb1 p4 #eid4 #gjg ,benson's ,life1 by ,macdonald1 p4 #bji4 #gjh ,dunn's ,life of ,clarke1 pp4 #gb1 #gc4 #gji ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #aai4 #gaj ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #aac4 #gaa 8,methodism in ,preston10 p4 #dd4 #gab ,cutler's ,life1 p4 #e4 #gac ,methodist ,magazine1 #agib1 p4 #ff4 #gad 8,methodism in ,halifax10 p4 #aha4 #gae ,see page #dgb of this volume4 #gaf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahde1 p4 #aba4 #gag ,methodist ,magazine1 #agie1 p4 #dbc4 #gah ,moore's ,life1 p4 #hi4 #gai ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #id4 #gbj ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #aje4 #gba ,kilham's ,life1 by ,blackwell1 p4 #aad4 #gbb ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcf1 p4 #did4 #gbc ,black's ,memoirs1 p4 #bfe4 #gbd ,moore's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 p4 #chd4 #gbe ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #aci4 #gbf ,dunn's ,life of ,clarke1 p4 #gc4 #gbg ,ought it not to be sixty-eight4 #gbh ,an error occurred in the first edition of this volume1 on page #bbd4 ,it was there stated1 that ,wesley received #fj a year2 it ought to have been #cj4 ,according to the old circuit book1 at ,city ,road1 it was the custom to pay him #ae in the first quarter of each year1 and #ae in the last4 #gbi ,now his steward4 #gcj ,the sentence is unfinished4 #gca ,samuel ,bradburn remarks3 8,i know that1 from the conference of #aghj to the conference of #agha1 he gave away1 in private charities1 above #adjj4 ,he told me himself1 in #aghg1 that he never gave away1 out of his own pocket1 less than #ajjj a year40 ,bradburn adds3 8,he never relieved poor people in the street1 but he either took off1 or removed1 his hat to them1 when they thanked him40 #gcb ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahbe1 p4 #be4 #gcc ,ibid4 #ahbh1 p4 #gda2 and ,christian ,miscellany1 #ahdg1 p4 #agc4 #gcd ,methodist ,magazine1 #agib1 p4 #bhh4 #gce ,ibid4 #ahef1 p4 #bcd4 #gcf ,ibid4 #ahde1 p4 #abc4 #gcg ,clarke's ,life1 vol4 i41 p4 #bgg4 #gch ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdg1 p4 #baa4 #gci ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcg1 p4 #aa4 #gdj ,the assistant in ,chatham circuit4 #gda ,the wife of ,charles ,boone1 the assistant in ,canterbury circuit4 #gdb ,local ,preachers' ,magazine1 #ahea1 p4 #ge4 #gdc ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdg1 p4 #fef4 #gdd ,wesleyan ,times1 ,june #aa1 #ahff4 #gde ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #ih4 #gdf ,wesleyan ,times1 ,june #aa1 #ahff4 #gdg ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #h4 #gdh ,this was done with the approbation of the ,london stewards1 who paid #a #ais4 for the carriages and expenses4 7,city ,road society book47 #gdi ,life of ,james ,rogers1 p4 #dd4 #gej ,life of ,james ,rogers1 p4 #dd4 #gea ,youth's ,instructor1 #ahcc1 p4 #ccj4 #geb ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahda1 p4 #a4 #gec ,ibid4 #ged 8,diary1 ,reminiscences1 and ,correspondence of ,henry ,crabb ,robinson10 vol4 i41 p4 #bj4 #gee ,crabbe's ,life4 #gef ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahef1 p4 #bjc4 #geg ,reynolds' 8,anecdotes of ,wesley10 p4 #ci4 #geh ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahdf1 p4 #aahi4 #gei ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #aac4 #gfj ,merely in the circuits above mentioned 7a fraction of the ,dales circuit7 there are1 at present1 #ghai members4 7,see ,minutes of ,conference1 #ahgj47 #gfa ,circuit manuscript books4 #gfb ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #aji4 #gfc ,sigston's ,life of ,bramwell4 #gfd ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #ii4 #gfe ,manuscript letter1 kindly lent by ,charles ,reed1 ,esq41 ,m4,p4 #gff ,methodist ,magazine1 #agij1 pp4 #cdh1 #djj1 etc4 #gfg ,methodist ,magazine1 #agib1 p4 #cda1 etc4 #agia4 ,age #hh ,only two months of ,wesley's eventful life are left unnarrated4 ,the following letters1 belonging to this period1 will be read with interest4 ,the first was addressed to ,adam ,clarke1 who1 in ,dublin1 had buried his eldest daughter1 and was himself dangerously afflicted with rheumatic affection in the head4#gfh 8,january #c1 #agia4 8,,dear ,,adam1--,you startle me when you talk of grieving so much for the death of an infant4 ,this is certainly a proof of inordinate affection2 and1 if you love them thus1 all your children will die4 ,how did ,mr4 ,de ,renty behave when he supposed his wife to be dying8 ,there is a pattern for a ,christian4 8,but you forget to send me anything about magnetism4 ,john ,bredin is a weak brother3 let him not complain4 ,he behaved ill both at ,jersey and ,guernsey2 but let him behave well now1 and that will be forgotten4 ,i wish my dear sister ,clarke and you many happy years2 and am1 dear ,adam1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#gfi ,the next has not before been published4 ,it was written to ,thomas ,taylor1 then in the ,hull circuit4 ,dr4 ,king was made archbishop of ,dublin in #agjb1 and died in #agbi4 ,he was author of 8,de ,origine ,mali10 written to prove1 that the existence of natural and moral evil is not incompatible with the power and goodness of the ,deity1 and may be accounted for without the supposition of an evil principle4 8,,london1 ,january #f1 #agia4 8,,dear ,,tommy1--,with regard to the powerful workings of the ,spirit1 ,i think those words of our ,lord are chiefly to be understood3 #8,the wind bloweth where it listeth1 and thou hearest the sound thereof1' 7thou art sure of the fact17 #8but canst not tell whence it cometh1 or whither it goeth4' 8,make your yearly subscription when you see best1 only take care it does not interfere with any other subscription4 8,the tract of ,archbishop ,king has been particularly admired by many persons of excellent sense4 ,i do not admire it so much as they do2 but ,i like it well4 ,yet1 ,i have corrected a far better tract on the same subject1 perhaps1 the last ,i shall have to publish4#ggj 8,indeed1 ,i hope ,i shall not live to be useless4 ,i wish you and yours many happy years1 and am1 dear ,tommy1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,the next letter1 addressed to ,miss ,bolton of ,witney1 contains an important reference to ,wesley's state of health4 8,,london1 ,january #ab1 #agia4 8,,my ,,dear ,,nancy1--,i thank you for your welcome present1 and rejoice to hear that your health is better4 ,what is it1 which is good for us1 that our ,lord will not give1 if we can but trust ,him8 8,these four last days1 ,i have had better health than ,i had for several months before4 ,only my sight continues much as it was4 ,but good is the will of the ,lord4 8,i am1 dear ,nancy1 affectionately yours1 8,j4 ,,wesley40#gga ,the following was addressed to the wife of ,adam ,clarke1 and refers to her husband's serious affliction1 as well as to the loss of their daughter4 8,,london1 ,january #ah1 #agia4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,before this time1 ,i hope ,god has heard prayer1 and given brother ,clarke a little more ease4 ,i should suspect a dropsy in the brain1 which1 though formerly judged incurable1 has lately been cured4 8,both brother ,clarke and you have large proofs that whom the ,lord loveth ,he chasteneth4 ,he knoweth the way whence you go2 when you have been tried1 you shall come forth as gold4 8,i wonder at the folly of ,mr4 ,v4 ,surely1 he is a very weak man4 ,but ,i shall judge better when ,i have seen his performances4 ,peace be multiplied again6 8,i am1 my dear sister1 ever yours1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ggb ,john ,booth was now assistant in ,keighley circuit1 and to him was addressed the following4 8,,london1 ,january #bi1 #agia4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,you give me a very agreeable account of the progress of the work of ,god in your circuit4 ,as to the poor1 self conceited enthusiasts in ,keighley1 it seems best that you should never name them in public2 but1 when occasion offers1 strike at the root of their errors1 by clearly proving the truth which they deny4 ,and whenever you meet with any of them in private1 then speak and spare not4 ,whenever you have opportunity of speaking to believers1 urge them to go on to perfection4 ,spare no pains2 and ,god1 even our own ,god1 still give you ,his blessing6 8,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#ggc ,miss ,cambridge was an ,irish ,methodist1 twenty-nine years of age1 and had established meetings in various parts of the town of ,bandon1 at which she prayed and occasionally exhorted4 ,she had also held similar meetings at ,kinsale1 ,youghal1 and other places4 ,many of the ,methodists1 and some of the ,methodist preachers1 pronounced her public addresses to be entirely irregular1 and what ought not to be tolerated in the ,christian church4 ,she wrote to ,wesley for advice2 and received the following reply1--,wesley's last utterance on female preaching4 8,,london1 ,january #ca1 #agia4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sister1--,i received your letter an hour ago4 ,i thank you for writing so largely and so freely2 do so always to me as your friend1 as one that loves you well4 ,mr4 ,barber has the glory of ,god at heart2 and so have his fellow labourers4 ,give them all honour1 and obey them in all things as far as conscience permits4 ,but it will not permit you to be silent when ,god commands you to speak2 yet1 ,i would have you give as little offence as possible2 and1 therefore1 ,i would advise you not to speak at any place where a preacher is speaking at the same time1 lest you should draw away his hearers4 ,also1 avoid the first appearance of pride or magnifying yourself4 ,if you want books1 or anything1 let me know2 ,i have your happiness much at heart4 ,during the little time ,i have to stay on earth1 pray for1 8,your affectionate brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ggd ,ezekiel ,cooper was the son of an officer in the army of the ,american revolution1 and was now twenty-eight years of age1 and a ,methodist preacher at ,annapolis4 ,he was a man of great mental vigour and versatility1 almost unequalled in debate1 and was called1 by the ,american ,methodists1 ,lycurgus1 in reference to his profound wisdom4 ,he was a diligent student1 and a close observer of men and things1 lived a long life of celibacy1 was frugal to a fault1 left behind him an estate of about fifty thousand dollars1 and died in #ahdg1 the oldest ,methodist preacher in the world4 ,when he entered the ministry in #aghc1 the ,american ,methodists numbered eighty-three preachers1 and fifteen thousand members2 when he died1 their ministry numbered five thousand1 and their membership above a million4#gge ,to him ,wesley wrote the last letter which he posted to ,america4 8,,near ,,london1 ,february #a1 #agia4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,those that desire to write1 or to say anything1 to me1 have no time to lose1 for time has shaken me by the hand1 and death is not far behind4 ,but ,i have reason to be thankful for the time that is past4 ,i felt few of the infirmities of old age1 for fourscore and six years4 ,it was not till a year and a half ago1 that my strength and my sight failed4 ,and still ,i am enabled to scrawl a little1 and to creep1 though ,i cannot run4 ,probably ,i should not be able to do so much1 did not many of you assist me by your prayers4 8,i have given a distinct account of the work of ,god1 which has been wrought in ,britain and ,ireland1 for more than half a century4 ,we want some of you to give us a connected relation1 of what our ,lord has been doing in ,america1 since the time that ,richard ,boardman accepted the invitation1 and left his country to serve you4 ,see that you never give place to one thought of separating from your brethren in ,europe4 ,lose no opportunity of declaring to all men1 that the ,methodists are one people in all the world1 and that it is their full determination so to continue1-- #8,though mountains rise1 and oceans roll1 ,to sever us in vain4' 8,to the care of our common ,lord ,i commit you1 and am your affectionate friend and brother1 8,,john ,,wesley40#ggf ,such was ,wesley's dying legacy to the transatlantic ,methodists4 ,the next is brief1 but full of interest4 ,for many years ,wesley had been accustomed to leave ,london1 on1 or about1 the #ast of ,march1 for what he was accustomed to call his long journey1 to the north1 or to ,ireland4 ,though so aged and feeble1 he fully intended to do the same again2 and ,henry ,moore relates1 that1 in reference to this1 he actually sent his chaise and his horses before him to ,bristol1 and took places for himself and his friends in the ,bath coach2 but1 almost on the very day when he purposed to begin afresh his 8long journey0 on earth1 the venerable pilgrim left earth for heaven4 8,,london1 ,february #f1 #agia4 8,,dear ,,sir1--,on ,wednesday1 ,march #ag1 ,i purpose1 if ,god permit1 to come from ,gloucester to ,worcester2 and1 on ,thursday1 the #ahth1 to ,stourport4 ,if our friends at ,worcester are displeased1 we cannot help it4 ,wishing you and yours all happiness1 8,i am1 dear sir1 your affectionate servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,the letter was addressed to ,mr4 ,york1 of ,stourport2 but was not sent4 ,at the bottom of it is the last line that ,wesley ever wrote4 8,february #bh--,this morning ,i found this in my bureau40#ggg ,in a letter1 given on page #fbb1 ,mr4 ,thomas ,roberts was directed1 in an emergency1 to leave ,bristol for ,haverfordwest circuit4 ,he went1 and had to encounter difficulties4 ,wesley now wrote to him as follows4 8,,london1 ,february #h1 #agia4 8,,my ,,dear ,,brother1--,who was it that opposed your reducing the preachers1 in the circuit1 to two8 and on what pretence8 ,we must needs reduce all our expenses everywhere as far as possible4 ,you must never leave off till you carry this point1 and constitute bands in each large society4 ,when the lecture begins at ,carmarthen1 it will then be time enough to prevent any ill effects of it4 ,i am glad to hear your journey home has not been in vain4 ,my best wishes attend my friends at ,traison and ,langwair4 8,i am1 dear ,tommy1 yours1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40 ,the original1 from which this is copied1 was written by an amanuensis1 but is signed in ,wesley's own tremulous handwriting4 ,we have already seen that ,adam ,clarke had been dangerously ill in ,dublin4 ,in fact1 it was reported in ,england that he was dead2 and ,william ,stevens actually preached his funeral sermon in the isle of ,jersey4 ,he was now slowly recovering1 had entered himself a medical student in ,trinity college1 ,dublin1 and had founded a 8,strangers' ,friend ,society10 like those already instituted in ,london1 and in ,bristol4#ggh ,to him ,wesley now addressed the following4 8,,london1 ,february #i1 #agia4 8,,dear ,,adam1--,you have great reason to bless ,god for giving you strength according to your day4 ,he has indeed supported you in an uncommon manner under these complicated afflictions4 ,you may well say1 #8,i will put my trust in ,thee as long as ,i live4' ,i will desire ,dr4 ,whitehead thoroughly to consider your case1 and to give us his thoughts upon it4 ,i am not afraid of your doing too little1 but too much4 ,i am in continual danger of this4 ,do little at a time1 that you may do the more4 ,my love to sisters ,cookman and ,boyle1 but it is a doubt with me whether ,i shall cross the seas any more4 8,what preacher was it who first omitted meeting the select society8 ,i wonder it did not destroy the work6 8,you have done right in setting up the strangers' society3 it is an excellent institution4 8,i am quite at a loss concerning ,mr4 ,maddan2 ,i know not what to think of him4 ,send me your best thoughts concerning him4 8,let not the excluded preachers by any means creep in again4 ,in any wise1 write1 and send me your thoughts on animal magnetism4 ,i set my face against that device of ,satan4 ,two of our preachers here are in danger of that satanical delusion2 but1 if they persist to defend it1 ,i must drop them4 ,i know its principles full well4 8,with much love to your wife1 ,i am1 etc41 8,,john ,,wesley40#ggi ,wesley was quite ready to 8cross seas10 as he had already done so often1 in his ,master's service2 but he might well doubt his ability4 ,exactly three weeks after writing thus to ,adam ,clarke1 he crossed the dark river of death4 ,for sixty-five years1 ,wesley had been an earnest1 laborious1 self denying1 and unceasing preacher of 8the glorious gospel of the blessed ,god02 and1 notwithstanding his extreme age and feebleness1 he continued in his beloved employ until within seven days of his decease4 ,the following was his last week of public labour4 ,on ,thursday1 ,february #ag1 he preached at ,lambeth1 then a thriving suburban village1 from the text1 8,labour not for the meat which perisheth2 but for that which endureth to everlasting life40 ,returning home1 he seemed to be unwell1 and said he had taken cold4 ,friday the #ahth1 he read and wrote as usual1 dined at ,mr4 ,urling's1 and preached at ,chelsea1 in the evening1 from the words1 8,the king's business requireth haste40 ,once or twice he was obliged to stop1 and to tell the people that his cold so affected his voice as to prevent his speaking without these necessary pauses4 ,he had1 as usual1 arranged to meet the classes for the renewal of their tickets2 but was persuaded to leave this part of his work to his companions1 ,james ,rogers1 and ,joseph ,bradford4 ,saturday1 the #aith1 was principally employed in reading and writing4 ,the following was addressed to ,mrs4 ,susanna ,knapp1 of ,worcester1 and shows his unquenchable ,christian ardour4 8,,london1 ,february #ai1 #agia4 8,,my ,,dear ,,suky1--,as the state of my health is exceeding wavering1 and waxes worse1 ,i cannot yet lay down any plans for my future journeys4 ,indeed1 ,i propose1 if ,god permit1 to set out for ,bristol on the #bhth instant2 but how much further ,i shall be able to go1 ,i cannot yet determine4 ,if ,i am pretty well1 ,i hope to be at ,worcester about the #bbnd of ,march4 ,to find you and yours in health of body and mind will be a great pleasure to1 8,my dear ,suky1 yours affectionately1 8,j4 ,,wesley40 #ghj ,on the same day1 ,wesley went out to dinner1 at ,mrs4 ,griffith's1 ,islington1 and1 while there1 desired a friend to read to him the fourth and three following chapters of the book of ,job1 containing the speech of ,eliphaz1 and the answer of ,job1 and strikingly appropriate to the case of a dying man4 ,after dinner1 he purposed to meet the penitents at ,city ,road1 but was prevailed on to allow ,mr4 ,brackenbury to take his place4 ,next morning 7,sunday7 he rose1 at his usual hour1 but was utterly unfit for the sabbath services4 ,at seven o'clock1 he was obliged to lie down again2 and slept for above three hours4 ,in the afternoon1 he had again to go to bed2 had another sleep2 and then1 after two of his own sermons had been read to him1 came downstairs to supper4 ,on ,monday1 the #bast1 he seemed better1 and1 despite persuasion1 would fulfil an engagement he had made to dine at ,twickenham4 ,his niece1 ,miss ,sarah ,wesley1 and ,miss ,ritchie1 went with him4 ,on the way he called upon ,lady ,mary ,fitzgerald1 and conversed and prayed most sweetly4 ,tuesday1 the #bbnd1 he proceeded with his usual work2 dined at ,mr4 ,horton's1 ,islington2 and preached in ,city ,road chapel1 from1 8,we through the ,spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith40 ,after this1 he met the leaders4 ,wednesday1 ,february #bc1 he arose at four a4m41 as he also did the day following1 and1 accompanied by ,mr4 ,rogers1 set out to ,leatherhead1 eighteen miles from ,london1 to visit a magistrate1 in whose dining room he preached1 from 8,seek ye the ,lord while ,he may be found2 call upon ,him while ,he is near40 ,this was ,wesley's last sermon4 ,thursday1 ,february #bd1 he spent with his old friend1 ,mr4 ,wolff1 at ,balham1 where he was cheerful1 and seemed nearly as well as usual4#gha ,during the day1 he wrote his last letter1 which was addressed to ,wilberforce1 who had brought before parliament the question1 which ,wesley was one of the first to advocate1 the abolition of slavery4 8,,london1 ,february #bd1 #agia4 8,,my ,,dear ,,sir1--,unless the ,divine ,power has raised you up to be as ,athanasius1 contra mundum1 ,i see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise1 in opposing that execrable villainy1 which is the scandal of religion1 of ,england1 and of human nature4 ,unless ,god has raised you up for this very thing1 you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils2 but1 if ,god be for you1 who can be against you8 ,are all of them together stronger than ,god8 ,o6 #8be not weary in well doing4' ,go on1 in the name of ,god1 and in the power of ,his might1 till even ,american slavery1 the vilest that ever saw the sun1 shall vanish away before it4 8,reading this morning a tract1 wrote by a poor ,african1 ,i was particularly struck by that circumstance1--that a man who has a black skin1 being wronged or outraged by a white man1 can have no redress2 it being a law1 in our colonies1 that the oath of a black1 against a white1 goes for nothing4 ,what villainy is this6 8,that ,he who has guided you1 from your youth up1 may continue to strengthen you in this and all things1 is the prayer of1 dear sir1 8,your affectionate servant1 8,,john ,,wesley40 #ghb ,friday1 ,february #be1 ,mr4 ,wolff having brought him home1 to ,city ,road1 ,wesley went upstairs1 and requested that1 for half an hour1 he should be left alone4 ,when the time expired1 faithful ,joseph ,bradford found him so unwell1 that he sent for ,dr4 ,whitehead4 8,doctor10 said the dying patriarch1 8they are more afraid than hurt40 ,saturday1 ,february #bf1 was principally passed in drowsiness and sleep4 ,sunday morning1 ,february #bg1 he seemed better1 got up1 sat in his chair1 looked cheerful1 and repeated1 from one of his brother's hymns1-- 8,till glad ,i lay this body down1 ,thy servant1 ,lord1 attend6 ,and oh6 my life of mercy crown ,with a triumphant end60 ,and then1 soon after1 with marked emphasis1 he said1 8,our friend ,lazarus sleepeth40 ,his niece1 ,miss ,wesley1 and ,miss ,ritchie prayed with him4 8,when at ,bristol10 said he1 alluding to his illness there in #agec1 8my words were1 #8,i the chief of sinners am1 ,but ,jesus died for me6'0 ,miss ,ritchie asked1 8,is that your language now80 8,yes10 said he4 8,christ is all6 ,he is all60 ,he then dozed1 and sometimes wandered2 but1 in his wanderings1 was always preaching or meeting classes4 ,on ,monday1 ,february #bh1 his weakness increased4 ,dr4 ,whitehead wished for further assistance4 ,wesley replied3 8,dr4 ,whitehead knows my constitution better than any one4 ,i am quite satisfied1 and will have no one else40#ghc ,most of the day was spent in sleep4 ,he seldom spoke2 but1 once1 in a wakeful interval1 was heard saying1 in a low1 distinct voice1 8,there is no way into the holiest1 but by the blood of ,jesus40 ,then referring to the text1 8,ye know the grace of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 that1 though ,he was rich10 etc41 he remarked1 with solemn emphasis1 8,that is the foundation1 the only foundation1 there is no other40 ,it was now evident to all1 that he was beginning to sleep his last sleep4 ,his friends were intensely anxious and alarmed4 ,poor1 broken hearted1 ,joseph ,bradford despatched notes to the preachers1 asking their prayers1 in the following terms4 8,february #bg1 #agia4 8,,dear ,,brother1--,mr4 ,wesley is very ill3 pray6 pray6 pray6 8,i am your affectionate brother1 8,,joseph ,,bradford40#ghd ,all was unavailing4 ,wesley's work was ended4 ,on ,tuesday1 ,march #a1 after a restless night1 being asked if he suffered pain1 he answered1 8,no10 and began singing1-- 8,all glory to ,god in the sky1 ,and peace upon earth be restored6 ,o ,jesus1 exalted on high1 ,appear our omnipotent ,lord4 ,who1 meanly in ,bethlehem born1 ,didst stoop to redeem a lost race1 ,once more to ,thy people return1 ,and reign in ,thy kingdom of grace4 ,oh1 wouldst ,thou again be made known1 ,again in the ,spirit descend2 ,and set up in each of ,thy own ,a kingdom that never shall end6 ,thou only art able to bless1 ,and make the glad nations obey1 ,and bid the dire enmity cease1 ,and bow the whole world to ,thy sway40 ,here1 while breathing faith and universal benevolence1 his strength failed4 8,i want to write10 said he4 ,a pen was put into his hand1 and paper was placed before him4 ,his hand had forgot its cunning4 8,i cannot10 said the dying man4 8,let me write for you10 remarked ,miss ,ritchie3 8tell me what you wish to say40 8,nothing10 he replied1 8but that ,god is with us40 8,i will get up10 said he2 and1 while his friends were arranging his clothes1 the happy old man again began singing1-- 8,i'll praise my ,maker while ,i've breath2 ,and1 when my voice is lost in death1 ,praise shall employ my nobler powers3 ,my days of praise shall ne'er be past1 ,while life1 and thought1 and being last1 ,or immortality endures4 ,happy the man whose hopes rely ,on ,israel's ,god2 ,he made the sky1 ,and earth1 and seas1 with all their train2 ,his truth for ever stands secure1 ,he saves the' oppressed1 ,he feeds the poor1 ,and none shall find ,his promise vain40 ,once more seated in his chair1 he1 in a weak voice1 said3 8,lord1 ,thou givest strength to those that can speak1 and to those that cannot4 ,speak1 ,lord1 to all our hearts1 and let them know that ,thou loosest tongues40 ,and again he began to sing1 what proved to be his last song on earth3 8,to ,father1 ,son1 and ,holy ,ghost1 ,who sweetly all agree40 ,but here his voice failed1 and1 after gasping for breath1 he said3 8,now we have done4 ,let us all go40 ,full of happiness1 but utterly exhausted1 he was put to bed1 where1 after a short but quiet sleep1 he opened his eyes1 and1 addressing the weeping watchers who stood around him1 said1 8,pray1 and praise60 and1 of course1 they at once complied4 ,then he asked ,joseph ,bradford about the key and contents of his bureau1 remarking1 8,i would have all things ready for my executors4 ,let me be buried in nothing but what is woollen1 and let my corpse be carried in my coffin into the chapel40 ,and then1 as if no other earthly matters required his attention1 he again called out1 8,pray and praise60 ,down fell his friends upon their knees1 and fervent were the dying patriarch's responses1 especially to ,john ,broadbent's prayer1 that ,god would still bless the system of doctrine and discipline1 which ,wesley had been the means of establishing4 ,on rising1 from prayer1 each watcher drew near to the bed of the expiring saint1 and1 with affectionate solicitude1 awaited the coming of the shining ones to conduct him home4 ,with the utmost placidity1 he saluted each one present1 shook hands1 and said1 8,farewell6 farewell60 ,conflict there was none4 ,the scene was the peaceful setting of a glorious sun1 undisturbed by the slightest soughing wind1 undimmed by the smallest intervening cloud4 ,he tried to speak2 but his friends found it difficult to make out what he meant1 except that he wished his sermon on 8,the ,love of ,god to ,fallen ,man10 founded on the text1 8,not as the offence1 so also is the free gift10 to be 8scattered abroad1 and given to everybody40#ghe ,seeing that those around him were at a loss to understand what he tried to say1 the grand old ,christian gladiator paused2 and1 summoning1 for a final effort1 all the little strength he had remaining1 he exclaimed1 in a tone well-nigh supernatural1 8,the best of all is1 ,god is with us60 ,and then1 after another pause1 and while lifting his arm in grateful triumph1 he emphatically reiterated1 8,the best of all is1 ,god is with us60 ,nature was once more exhausted4 ,some one wetted his parched lips4 8,it will not do10 said he2 8we must take the consequence4 ,never mind the poor carcase40 ,james ,rogers and ,thomas ,rankin were standing by his bed2 but his sight was so nearly gone1 that he was unable to recognise their features4 8,who are these80 he asked4 8,sir10 said ,mr4 ,rogers1 8we are come to rejoice with you2 you are going to receive your crown40 8,it is the ,lord's doing10 replied ,wesley1 8and it is marvellous in our eyes40 ,being told that his brother's widow had come to see him1 he thanked her1 affectionately endeavoured to kiss her1 and remarked1 8,he giveth ,his servants rest40 ,she wet his lips2 on which he repeated his constant thanksgiving after meals3 8,we thank ,thee1 ,o ,lord1 for these and all ,thy mercies4 ,bless the ,church and king1 and grant us truth and peace1 through ,jesus ,christ our ,lord1 for ever and ever60 ,then1 pausing a little1 he cried1 8,the clouds drop fatness40 ,after another pause1 8,the ,lord of hosts is with us2 the ,god of ,jacob is our refuge6 ,pray and praise60 ,and again his friends fell upon their knees4 ,during the night1 he scores of times repeated the words1 8,i'll praise4 ,i'll praise60 but could say nothing more4 ,next morning1 ,wednesday1 ,march #b1 ,joseph ,bradford prayed with him4 ,it was a few minutes before ten o'clock4 ,around the bed there knelt his niece1 ,miss ,sarah ,wesley2 one of his executors1 ,mr4 ,horton2 his medical attendant1 ,dr4 ,whitehead2 his book steward1 ,george ,whitfield2 the present occupants of his house1 ,james and ,hester ,ann ,rogers1 and their little boy2 and his friends and visitors1 ,robert ,carr ,brackenbury1 and ,elizabeth ,ritchie1--eleven persons altogether4 ,bradford1 so long ,wesley's faithful friend and travelling companion1 was the mouthpiece of the other ten4 8,farewell60 cried ,wesley1--the last word he uttered2 and then1 as ,joseph ,bradford was saying1 8,lift up your heads1 ,o ye gates2 and be ye lift up1 ye everlasting doors2 and this heir of glory shall come in60 ,wesley gathered up his feet in the presence of his brethren2 and1 without a groan and without a sigh1 was gone4 ,he died about ten o'clock a4m41 on ,wednesday1 ,march #b1 #agia4ghf ,what followed8 8,children60 said ,john ,wesley's mother1 8as soon as ,i am dead1 sing a song of praise60 ,as soon as ,wesley himself died1 his friends1 standing about his corpse1 sang3 8,waiting to receive thy spirit1 ,lo6 the ,saviour stands above2 ,shows the purchase of ,his merit1 ,reaches out the crown of love40 ,and then they knelt down1 and prayed1 that the mantle of the ascended ,elijah might rest upon his followers4#ghg ,wesley's remains were interred1 behind the chapel in ,city ,road1 on the #ith of ,march4 ,such was the excitement created by his death1 that1 within twelve hours only before the funeral took place1 it was determined1 in order to prevent the assembling of an inconvenient crowd1 that the funereal solemnities should be performed at the early hour of five a4m4 ,the notice to his friends was short2 but hundreds attended2 and to each one was given a biscuit1 in an envelope1 engraven with a beautifully executed portrait of the departed1 dressed in canonicals1 surmounted by a halo and a crown4 ,much remains unsaid2 but our space is gone4 ,whilst the present pages are passing through the press1 we learn1 that 8a most eligible site1 in ,westminster ,abbey1 has been courteously offered10 by the dean of that noble edifice1 for the erection of a 8public monument0 to ,wesley and his brother ,charles2 and that arrangements are being made to secure the services of 8a first class sculptor10 at the cost of about #hjj4 ,thus the wheel turns round4 ,one hundred and thirty years ago1 ,wesley was shut out of every church in ,england2 now marble medallion profiles of himself and his brother1 accompanied with suitable inscriptions1 are deemed deserving of a niche in ,england's grandest cathedral4 ,the man who1 a century since1 was the best abused man in the ,british isles1 is now hardly ever mentioned but with affectionate respect4 ,in the literature of the age2 in its lectures and debates2 in chapels and in churches2 in synods1 congresses1 and all sorts of conferences2 by the highest lords and the most illustrious commoners1 the once persecuted ,methodist is now extolled2 and the judgment of ,southey1 in a letter to ,wilberforce1 is tacitly confirmed3 8,i consider ,wesley as the most influential mind of the last century1--the man who will have produced the greatest effects1 centuries1 or perhaps millenniums hence1 if the present race of men should continue so long40 ,in person1 ,wesley was rather below the middle size1 but beautifully proportioned1 without an atom of superfluous flesh1 yet muscular and strong2 with a forehead clear and smooth1 a bright1 penetrating eye1 and a lovely face1 which retained the freshness of its complexion to the latest period of his life4 ,in general scholarship and knowledge1 he had few superiors2 whilst such was his acquaintance with the ,new ,testament1 that1 when at a loss to repeat a text in the words of the authorised translation1 he was never at a loss to quote it in the original ,greek4 ,as an author1 the chief characteristics of his style are brevity1 perspicuity1 and strength4 ,he abhorred verboseness1 and constantly endeavoured to say everything in the fewest words possible4 8,i never think10 said he1 8of my style at all1 but just set down the words that come first4 ,only when ,i transcribe anything for the press1 then ,i think it my duty to see that every phrase be clear1 pure1 proper1 and easy4 ,conciseness1 which is now as it were natural to me1 brings quantum sufficit of strength40 ,not for want of genius1 but for want of time1 and for want of disposition to make it otherwise1 his style is one of naked and self dependent strength1 unaccompanied with gaudy colouring1 and equally undiluted with the pretentious puerilities of weak and little minds4 ,it is impossible to abridge his writings without omitting thoughts as well as words4 ,who can abridge ,euclid's ,elements without maiming them8 ,and who can take from the works of ,wesley without reducing their specific gravity8 ,in the pulpit1 ,wesley's attitude was graceful and easy2 his action calm1 natural1 pleasing1 and expressive2 and his voice1 not loud1 but clear and manly4 ,whitefield was the greater orator2 ,wesley the better divine4 ,wesley's preaching was without ,whitefield's ,demosthenic eloquence2 but it had the accuracy of a scholar1 the authority of an ambassador1 the unction of a saint1 the power of ,god4 ,it was always searching2 but not often terrible and severe1 except when addressed to congregations rich1 respectable1 and polite4 8,sir10 said a friend to him1 after he had preached to a genteel audience from the words1 8,ye serpents1 ye generation of vipers1 how can ye escape the damnation of hell80 8,sir10 said ,wesley's offended hearer1 8such a sermon would have been suitable in ,billingsgate2 but it was highly improper here02 to whom ,wesley quietly1 but significantly1 remarked3 8,if ,i had been in ,billingsgate1 my text should have been1 #8,behold the ,lamb of ,god1 which taketh away the sin of the world4'0 ,the poor need to be told the terribleness of their danger1 and the rich more2 but1 unfortunately1 the poor hear most of this1 and the rich least4 ,wesley was a faithful minister to both4 ,in social life1 ,wesley was a ,christian gentleman1 and1 with perfect ease1 accommodated himself to both the high and low1 the rich and poor4 ,placid1 benevolent1 and full of anecdote1 wit1 and wisdom1 his conversation was not often equalled2 and was generally concluded with two or three verses of a hymn1 applicable to what had just been spoken4 ,though never trifling1 he was always cheerful2 sometimes saying1 8,i dare no more fret than curse or swear40 ,his sprightliness among his friends never left him2 but was as conspicuous at eighty-seven as at seventeen4 ,he was at home in mansions1 and equally in cottages2 courteous to all1 and especially to the young1 often remarking1 8,i reverence the young1 because they may be useful after ,i am dead40 ,of his piety nothing need be said4 8,his modesty10 writes ,bradburn1 8prevented him saying much concerning his own religious feelings4 ,in public1 he hardly ever spoke of the state of his own soul2 but1 in #agha1 he told me that his experience might almost at any time be expressed in the following lines3 #8,o ,thou1 who camest from above1 ,the pure celestial fire to' impart1 ,kindle a flame of sacred love ,on the mean altar of my heart6 ,there let it for ,thy glory burn1 ,with inextinguishable blaze1 ,and trembling to its source return1 ,in humble love and fervent praise6'0 ,his industry is almost without a parallel4 ,in many things1 he was gentle and easy to be entreated2 but1 in his earnestness in redeeming time1 he was decisive and inexorable4 ,while kept waiting for his carriage1 on one occasion1 he passionately exclaimed1 8,i have lost ten minutes for ever60 8,you have no need to be in a hurry60 said a friend3 8,hurry10 he replied1 8,i have no time to be in a hurry40 ,it has been calculated1 that1 during the fifty years of his itinerant ministry1 he travelled a quarter of a million of miles1 and preached more than forty thousand sermons4 ,in these volumes1 we have seen him rising with the lark1 travelling with the sun1 preaching throughout the three kingdoms1 and always acting in harmony with his own well known utterance1 8,the world is my parish60 ,looking at his travelling1 the marvel is how he found time to write2 and1 looking at his books1 the marvel is how he found time to preach4 ,his hands were always full2 but his action was never fluttered4 ,he was always moving1 and yet1 in the midst of his ceaseless toils1 betraying no more bustle than a planet in its course4 ,his mission was too great to allow time for trifles4 ,was ,wesley without faults8 ,not so2 no man but 8the ,man ,christ ,jesus0 ever was4 ,wesley1 for instance1 was naturally irritable2 but even that was better than being apathetic4 8,tommy10 said ,wesley once1 8touch that60 pointing to a dock4 ,the itinerant did so4 8,do you feel anything80 asked ,wesley4 8,no10 replied his friend4 8,touch that60 continued ,wesley1 pointing to a nettle4 ,his companion obeyed1 and1 in consequence1 was stung4 8,now1 ,tommy10 remarked ,wesley1 8some men are like docks2 say what you will to them1 they are stupid and insensible4 ,others are like nettles2 touch them1 and they resent it4 ,tommy1 you are a nettle2 and1 for my part1 ,i would rather have to do with a nettle than a dock40 ,numberless instances of ,wesley's wit and repartee might easily be given4 8,stop that man from speaking60 exclaimed ,charles ,wesley at one of the early conferences1 when a preacher rose up1 and1 full of the love of ,christ and irrepressible emotion1 began to relate his religious experience4 8,stop that man from speaking60 said ,charles2 8let us attend to business60 but still the good man proceeded4 8,unless he stops1 ,i'll leave the conference10 continued ,charles4 ,wesley himself1 revelling in the itinerant's religious recital1 effectually cooled the warmth of his brother's temper by quietly remarking1 8,reach him his hat60 ,on another occasion1 when about to dine with a rich ,methodist1 one of his preachers1 who was present1 with more piety than politeness1 cried out3 8,o sir1 what a sumptuous dinner6 ,things are very different to what they were formerly6 ,there is now but little self denial amongst the ,methodists60 ,wesley pointed to the abundantly furnished table1 and then silenced the preacher's untimely eloquence by saying1 8,my brother1 there is a fine opportunity for self denial now40 ,thus was ,wesley always 8instant in season1 and out of season40 ,always and everywhere he was ready to turn passing incidents to practical account4 8,pray1 sir1 let us go10 said one of his friends1 whilst two women1 near ,billingsgate market1 were quarrelling most furiously1 and using language far more forceful than pious3 8,pray1 sir1 let us go2 ,i cannot stand it40 8,stay1 ,sammy10 replied ,wesley1 as he looked at the viragoes1 who were evidently inspired1 though not from heaven4 8,stay1 ,sammy10 answered the man who had eyes for everything2 8stay1 and learn how to preach60 ,we must close4 ,taking him altogether1 ,wesley is a man sui generis4 ,he stands alone3 he has had no successor2 no one like him went before2 no contemporary was a coequal4 ,there was a wholeness about the man1 such as is rarely seen4 ,his physique1 his genius1 his wit1 his penetration1 his judgment1 his memory1 his beneficence1 his religion1 his diligence1 his conversation1 his courteousness1 his manners1 and his dress1--made him as perfect as we ever expect man to be on this side heaven4 8,a greater poet may rise than ,homer or ,milton10 writes ,dr4 ,dobbin1 8a greater theologian than ,calvin1 a greater philosopher than ,bacon1 a greater dramatist than any of ancient or modern fame2 but a more distinguished revivalist of the churches than ,john ,wesley1 never40 8,he was a man10 says ,lord ,macaulay1 8whose eloquence and logical acuteness might have rendered him eminent in literature2 whose genius for government was not inferior to that of ,richelieu2 and who devoted all his powers1 in defiance of obloquy and derision1 to what he sincerely considered the highest good of his species40 ,but1 in the case of a man like ,wesley1 panegyric is out of place4 ,he is one of the very few1 whose memory can afford to do without it4 ,his well won and world wide fame requires no inscription on his monumental marble1--whether in ,england or in ,america1 in ,westminster or in ,washington1--more elaborate than this3 ,,john ,,wesley1 ,born1 ,a4,d4 #agjc4 ,died1 ,a4,d4 #agia4 ,,footnotes3 #gfh ,clarke's ,life1 vol4 i41 pp4 #bgh1 #bhc4 #gfi ,wesley ,banner1 #aheb1 p4 #bge2 and ,wesleyan ,times1 ,june #a1 #ahff #ggj ,this was probably 8,an ,essay on the ,liberty of ,moral ,agents10 published consecutively in the first five numbers of the ,arminian ,magazine for #agia1 and concerning which ,wesley writes3 8,i do not remember to have ever seen a more strong and beautiful treatise on moral liberty than the following2 which ,i1 therefore1 earnestly recommend to the consideration of all those who desire #8to vindicate the ways of ,god with man4'0 #gga ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #aeg4 #ggb ,dunn's ,life of ,clarke1 p4 #hj4 #ggc ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #adf4 #ggd ,memoir of ,miss ,a4 ,cambridge1 p4 #ci4 #gge ,sprague's 8,annals of the ,american ,methodist ,pulpit40 #ggf ,methodist ,magazine1 #ahjd1 p4 #df4 #ggg ,wesley's ,works1 vol4 xiii41 p4 #adg4 #ggh ,everett's ,life of ,clarke4 #ggi ,wesleyan ,times1 ,june #a1 #ahff4 #ghj ,manuscript letter1 kindly lent by ,mr4 ,dimbleby of ,malvern4 #gha ,life of ,james ,rogers4 #ghb ,wilberforce's ,life1 vol4 i41 p4 #big2 and ,moore's ,life of ,wesley1 vol4 ii41 ,p4 #dcg4 #ghc ,jacob ,jones1 ,esq41 however1 seems to have been called in4 ,he was then a young man1 and had just joined the ,methodists4 ,he died1 in ,finsbury ,square1 in #ahcj4--7,methodist ,magazine1 #ahcj1 p4 #eaa47 #ghd ,smith's 8,history of ,methodism10 vol4 i41 p4 #fjh4 #ghe ,in compliance with his wish1 ten thousand copies were printed1 and gratuitously distributed4 7,rogers' ,life47 #ghf ,james ,rogers' ,life4 #ghg 8,authentic ,narrative10 #agia4 ,,appendix4 ,as some ,american ,methodists have expressed dissatisfaction with ,mr4 ,tyerman's views 7vol4 iii41 p4 #dbf et seq47 of ,wesley's ordination of ,coke and organization of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 the following exhaustive review of the question is cited from ,dr4 ,abel ,stevens's ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 ii41 p4 #bji et seq4 ,it is another of the great providential facts of ,wesley's history that the same year which gave a constitutional security to ,methodism in ,great ,britain was signalized by its episcopal organization in ,america1 a measure which1 by its consequences1 may well be ranked among the most important events of ,wesley's important life4 ,here again did he follow1 with simple wisdom1 the guidance of that divine ,providence1 the recognition of which in the affairs of men1 and especially in the affairs of the ,church1 was the crowning maxim of his philosophy and the crowning fact of his policy4 ,he had been providentially preparing for this new and momentous exigency by that gradual development of his personal opinions which we have already traced4 ,bigoted even1 as a ,high-,churchman1 at the beginning of his career1 we have seen him1 year after year1 attaining more liberal views of ecclesiastical policy4 ,nearly forty years before his ordinations for ,america1 he had1 after reading ,lord ,king's 8,primitive ,church10 renounced the opinion that a distinction of order1 rather than of office1 existed between bishops and presbyters4#ghh ,fifteen years later he denied the necessity1 though not the expediency1 of episcopal ordination4 ,bishop ,stillingfleet had convinced him that it was 8an entire mistake that none but episcopal ordination was valid40#ghi ,henceforth he held that presbyters and bishops1 identical in order1 differing only in office1 had essentially the same right of ordination4 ,it was not possible for a man like ,wesley1 keen1 quick1 fearless1 and candid1 to remain long in any ecclesiastical prejudice now that he was on this track of progressive opinions4 ,he soon broke away from all other regard for questions of ,church government than that of ,scriptural expediency2 and as early as #agef1 when in his maturest intellectual vigor1 he declares3 8,as to my own judgment1 ,i still believe #8the episcopal form of ,church government to be ,scriptural and apostolical'--,i mean1 well agreeing with the practice and writings of the apostles2 but that it is prescribed in ,scripture ,i do not believe4 ,this opinion1 which ,i once zealously espoused1 ,i have been heartily ashamed of ever since ,i read ,bishop ,stillingfleet's #8,irenicon4' ,i think he has unanswerably proved that #8neither ,christ nor his apostles prescribe any particular form of ,church government1 and that the plea of divine right for diocesan episcopacy was never heard of in the primitive ,church4'0#gij ,it was1 then1 by no new assumption in his old age--in his imbecility1 as some of his critics allege1 that he now met the necessities of ,american ,methodism by ordaining men to provide for them4 ,his keenest-eyed associates could as yet detect no declension of his faculties2 and if they could1 still his course in this case was in accordance with the reasonings of his best days1 and he but repeats his long-established opinions when he now asserts1 8,i firmly believe ,i am a ,scriptural episcopos as much as any man in ,england1 for the uninterrupted succession ,i know to be a fable1 which no man ever did or can prove40#gia ,methodism had spread rapidly in ,america1 notwithstanding the war of the ,revolution4 ,it now comprised eighty-three traveling preachers1 besides some hundreds of local preachers1 and about fifteen thousand members and many thousands of hearers1 and its ecclesiastical plans were extending a network of powerful agencies over the country4 ,the ,revolution had not only dissolved the civil1 but also the ecclesiastical relations of the colonies to ,england4 ,many of the ,english clergy1 on whom the ,methodist societies had depended for the sacraments1 had fled from the land1 or had entered political or military life1 and the ,episcopal ,church had been generally disabled4 ,in ,virginia1 the centre of its colonial strength1 it had rapidly declined1 morally as well as numerically4 ,at the ,declaration of ,independence it included not more than one third of the population of that province4#gib ,at the beginning of the war the sixty-one counties of ,virginia contained ninety-five parishes1 one hundred and sixty-four churches1 and ninety-one clergymen4 ,at the conclusion of the contest many of her churches were in ruins1 nearly a fourth of her parishes 8extinct or forsaken10 and thirty-four of the remaining seventy-two were without pastoral supplies2 twenty-eight only of her ninety-one clergymen remained1 and these1 with an addition1 soon after the war1 of eight from other parts of the country1 ministered in but thirty-six parishes4#gic ,in the year in which ,wesley ordained an ,american ,methodist bishop1 8memorials0 to the ,virginia ,legislature for the incorporation of the 8,protestant ,episcopal ,church in ,virginia10 and for other advantages to religion1 were met by counter petitions that 8no step might be taken in aid of religion1 but that it might be left to its own superior and successful influence40#gid ,the memorials were postponed till the next session1 and then rejected2 but a bill for the 8incorporation of all religious societies which may apply for the same0 was adopted4 ,in other parts of the country the ,english ,church never had been numerically strong1 and its existence was now precarious1 except in two or three large cities4 ,under these circumstances the ,methodists demanded of their preachers the administration of the sacraments4 ,many of the societies had been months1 some of them years1 without them4 ,the demand was not only urgent1 it was logically valid1 but by the majority of the preachers it was not deemed expedient4 ,the prudent delay which ,wesley1 notwithstanding his liberal ecclesiastical principles1 had practiced in ,england1 afforded a lesson which their good sense could not disregard4 ,they exhorted their people1 therefore1 to wait patiently till he could be consulted4 ,thomas ,rankin1 one of ,wesley's missionaries1 presiding at the ,conference of ,deer ,creek1 ,maryland1 #aggg1 induced them to delay one year4 ,at the next session the subject was again prudently postponed1 as no ,english preacher was present1 ,rankin having returned to ,england1 and ,asbury being absent and sick4 ,in #aggi the question occasioned a virtual schism1 the preachers of the ,south being resolute for the administration of the sacraments1 those of the ,north still pleading for patient delay4 ,the latter met in ,conference at ,judge ,white's residence1 the retreat of ,asbury1 in ,delaware2 the former at ,brockenback ,church1 ,fluvanna ,county1 ,virginia1 where they made their own appointments1 and proceeded to ordain themselves by the hands of three of their senior members1 unwilling that their people should longer be denied their right to the ,lord's ,supper1 and their children and probationary members the rite of baptism4 ,at the session of #aghj ,asbury was authorized to visit the ,southern preachers1 and1 if possible1 conciliate them4 ,he met them in ,conference2 they appeared determined not to recede1 but at last consented to suspend the administration of the sacraments till further advice could be received from ,wesley4 ,the breach was thus happily repaired1 but must evidently soon again be opened if redress should not be obtained4#gie ,what could ,wesley do under these circumstances8 ,what but exercise the right of ordination which he had for years theoretically claimed1 but practically and prudently declined8 ,he had importuned the authorities of the ,english ,church in behalf of the ,americans4 ,in this very year he had written two letters to ,lowth1 ,bishop of ,london1 imploring ordination for a single preacher1 who might appease the urgency of the ,american brethren by traveling among them as a presbyter1 and by giving them the sacraments2 but the request was denied1 ,lowth replying that 8there are three ministers in that country already40 8,what are these10 rejoined ,wesley1 8to watch over all that extensive country8 ,i mourn for poor ,america1 for the sheep scattered up and down therein--part of them have no shepherds at all1 and the case of the rest is little better1 for their shepherds pity them not40#gif ,if there was any imprudence on the part of ,wesley in this emergency1 it was certainly in his long-continued patience1 for he delayed yet nearly four years4 ,when he yielded1 it was only after the triumph of the ,american arms and the acknowledged independence of the colonies2 and not then till urged to it by his most revered counselors4 ,fletcher1 of ,madeley1 was one of these4 ,that good man's interest for ,american ,methodism should endear his memory to the ,american ,church4 ,he had thoughts at one time of going to the ,new ,world and of giving himself to its struggling societies1 but his feeble health forbade him4 ,fletcher was present with ,wesley and ,coke at the ,leeds ,conference of #aghd1 and there1 with his assistance1#gig the question was brought to an issue4 ,wesley had previously consulted with ,coke respecting it4 ,he represented to ,coke that as the ,revolution had separated the ,united ,states from the mother country1 and the ,episcopal ,establishment was utterly abolished in the ,states1 it became his duty1 as providentially at the head of the ,methodist societies1 to obey their demand and furnish for them the means of grace4 ,he referred to the example of the ,alexandrian ,church1 which1 at the death of its bishops1 provided their successors through ordination by its presbyters--a historical fact exemplified during two hundred years4 ,recognized as their founder by the ,american ,methodists1 required by them to provide for their new necessities1 and unable to induce the ,english prelates to do so1 he proposed to appoint ,coke1 that he might go to the ,american societies as their superintendent or bishop1 ordain their preachers1 and thus afford them the sacraments with the least possible irregularity4 ,coke hesitated1 but in two months wrote to ,wesley accepting the office4#gih ,accordingly1 accompanied by ,rev4 ,james ,creighton1 a presbyter of the ,church of ,england1 ,coke met him at ,bristol1 and on the second of ,september1 #aghd1 was ordained superintendent or bishop of the ,methodist societies in ,america1 an act of as high propriety and dignity as it was of urgent necessity4 ,richard ,whatcoat and ,thomas ,vasey were at the same time ordained presbyters2 and on the third of ,november1 attended by his two presbyters 7the number necessary to assist a bishop in ordination1 according to the usages of the ,english ,church71 ,coke arrived in the ,republic1 and proceeded to ordain ,francis ,asbury1 first as a deacon1 then as a presbyter1 and finally as a bishop1 and to settle the organization of ,american ,methodism1 one of the most important ecclesiastical events 7whether for good or evil7 of the eighteenth century1 or indeed since the ,reformation1 as its historical consequences attest4 ,the ,colonial ,english ,church being dissolved by the ,revolution1 its dwindled fragments were yet floating1 as had been the ,methodist societies1 on the stormy tide of events4 ,methodism preceded it in reorganization4 ,the ,methodist bishops were the first ,protestant bishops1 and ,methodism was the first ,protestant ,episcopal ,church of the ,new ,world2#gii and as ,wesley had given it the ,anglican ,articles of ,religion 7omitting the seventeenth1 on ,predestination71 and the ,liturgy1 wisely abridged1 it became1 both by its precedent organization and its subsequent numerical importance1 the real successor to the ,anglican ,church in ,america4 ,of course this extraordinary but necessary measure met with opposition from ,charles ,wesley4 ,he still retained his ,high-,church opinions2 he denounced the ordinations as schism2 with his usual haste he predicted that ,coke would return from 8his ,methodist ,episcopal ,church in ,baltimore0 to 8make us all ,dissenters here40 ,the poet was no legislator2 he became pathetic in his remonstrances to his brother2 8alas60 he wrote1 8what trouble are you preparing for yourself1 as well as for me1 and for your oldest1 truest1 best friends6 ,before you have quite broken down the bridge1 stop and consider6 ,if your sons have no regard for you1 have some for yourself4 ,go to your grave in peace2 at least suffer me to go first1 before this ruin is under your hand40 ,he did soon after go to his grave in peace1 except the alarms of his imaginary fears1 and the only evidence of the predicted 8ruin0 is seen to-day in the prevalent and permanent success of ,methodism in both hemispheres4 ,the next year after the ordination of ,coke1 ,wesley records in his ,journal3 8,i was now considering how strangely the grain of mustard-seed1 planted about fifty years ago1 had grown up4 ,it spread through all ,great ,britain and ,ireland1 the ,isle of ,wight1 and the ,isle of ,man2 then to ,america1 through the whole continent1 into ,canada1 the ,leeward ,islands1 and ,newfoundland4 ,and the societies in all these parts walk by one rule1 knowing religion is holy tempers1 and striving to worship ,god1 not in form only1 but likewise in spirit and in truth40 ,his policy becomes more and more liberal as he now finds it necessary to fortify his cause before his approaching death4 ,the following year 7#aghf7 he ordained six or seven more preachers1 sending some to ,scotland1 and others to the ,west ,indies1#hjj but he ordained none as yet for ,england1 where he and his clerical friends could partially supply the sacraments4 ,three years later he ordained ,mather1 ,rankin1 and ,moore4#hja ,about a score of lay preachers received ordination from his hands1 and for no other purpose but that they might administer the sacraments in cases of necessity4 ,thus did providential events give shape and security to ,methodism1 as its aged leader approached his end4 ,no act of ,wesley's public life has been more misrepresented1 if not misunderstood1 than his ordination of ,coke1 and the consequent episcopal organization of his ,american societies4 ,churchmen1 so called1 have especially insisted that he did not design to confer upon ,coke the character of a bishop2 that ,coke's new office was designed to be a species of supervisory appointment1 vague and contingent--something widely different from episcopacy1 however difficult to define2 and that1 therefore1 the distinct existence of ,american ,methodism1 as an episcopal ,church1 is a fact contrary to the intention of ,wesley4 ,no extant forensic argument1 founded upon documentary evidence1 is stronger than would be a right collocation of the evidence which sustains the claim of ,american ,methodism respecting this question4 ,all ,methodist authorities1 ,british as well as ,american1 support that claim2 its proofs have been more or less cited again and again1 but they have not usually been drawn out in detail4 ,presented in their right series1 they become absolutely decisive1 and must conclude the controversy with all candid minds4 ,it is appropriate1 at this point of our narrative1 to review the argument4 ,in stating the facts which compose it1 in their successive relations one to another1 some repetition will be necessary2 but the highest logic--mathematical demonstration itself--is that in which not only the postulates1 but the successive proofs most often recur to strengthen the advancing demonstration4 ,it has been seen that1 as before the ,american ,revolution the two countries were under one government1 the two ,methodist bodies were also4 ,wesley's 8,minutes0 were the discipline of the ,american as well as the ,british ,methodists2 and ,asbury represented his person in ,america1 vested with much greater powers than have since belonged to the ,american ,methodist bishops4 ,thus was the ,american ,church governed for years by the paternal direction of ,wesley4 ,it has been further shown that1 as none of the ,american preachers were ordained1 the societies were dependent for the sacraments upon the clergy of the ,english ,church in the colonies2 that at the ,revolution most of these left the country1 and the ,methodists were thereby deprived of those means of grace2 that many societies insisted upon having them without ordination2 that a general strife ensued1 and a large portion of the ,southern societies revolted2 that a compromise was effected until they could apply to ,wesley for powers to ordain and to administer the sacraments2 and that1 in meeting their demand1 he ordained and sent over ,dr4 ,coke1 with episcopal powers1 under the name of superintendent1 to ordain ,francis ,asbury a 8joint superintendent10 and to ordain the preachers to the offices of deacons and elders4 ,he sent also a printed liturgy1 or 8,sunday ,service10 containing1 besides the usual prayers1 forms for 8ordaining superintendents1 elders1 and deacons10 the 8,articles of ,religion10 and 8,a ,collection of ,psalms and ,hymns40 ,coke also bore from him a circular letter to the societies1 stating reasons for the new measures1 the chief one being the demand of the ,american societies4 ,when ,coke arrived1 the preachers assembled in ,baltimore to receive him and the new arrangements borne by him from ,wesley4 ,the adoption of the provisions thus made by ,wesley1 at the request of 8some thousands of the inhabitants of these states10 is what is called the 8organization0 of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church4 ,the 8,minutes10 which had before been the law of the ,church1 were continued1 with such additions as were required by these new arrangements4 ,there was no revolution of the ,church polity1 and no new powers were imparted to ,asbury1 except authority to ordain4 ,every thing proceeded as before1 except that the ,american societies no longer depended upon the ,church of ,england for the sacraments1 but received them from their own preachers4 ,thus1 then1 it appears that the so-called 8organization0 of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church at ,baltimore was simply and substantially the adoption of the system appointed by ,wesley4 ,in respect to the very term 8episcopal0 itself1 the ,conference of ,baltimore said1 in their 8,minutes0 of the so-called organization1 that1 8following the counsel of ,mr4 ,john ,wesley1 who recommended the episcopal mode of ,church government1 we thought it best to become an episcopal ,church40#hjb ,the ,minutes containing this declaration were1 six months afterward1 in the hands of ,wesley1 and were published in ,england without a word of disapprobation from him2 and when ,coke was attacked in an ,english pamphlet for his proceedings at ,baltimore1 he publicly defended himself by declaring that he had 8done nothing without the direction of ,mr4 ,wesley40 ,this he did in a publication1 under the eye of ,wesley4#hjc ,it should be frankly admitted1 however1 that ,wesley1 while he established the ,american episcopacy1 did not approve the use of the title of 8bishop10 because of the adventitious dignities associated with it4 ,but let it be borne in mind that the ,american societies had been in existence nearly four years under the express title of an 8,episcopal ,church10 with the uninterrupted approbation of ,wesley1 before the name bishop was personally applied to their superintendents4#hjd ,not till this term was so applied did he demur4 ,he then wrote a letter to ,bishop ,asbury objecting strongly to his being 8called a bishop40 ,and it is on this letter1 more than any thing else1 that the opponents of ,methodism have founded their allegation that ,wesley did not design to establish the ,american ,methodist episcopacy1 but that ,coke and the ,baltimore ,conference exceeded his intentions in assuming it4 ,quotations from this letter have been incessantly given in a form adapted only to produce a false effect1 for the letter can be rightly comprehended only by the aid of the historical facts of the case4 ,did ,wesley1 then1 design1 by his ordination of ,coke1 to confer on him the office of a bishop1 and to constitute the ,american ,methodist societies an episcopal ,church8 ,three things are to be assumed as preliminary to this inquiry3 #a4 ,that ,wesley was a decided ,episcopalian4 ,what man was ever more attached to the national episcopacy of ,england8 ,we have already cited proofs that he believed the 8episcopal form of ,church government to be ,scriptural and apostolical10 that is1 8well agreeing with the practice and writings of the apostles10 though that it is prescribed in ,scripture he did not believe4 #b4 ,that ,wesley1 while he believed in episcopacy1 belonged to that class of ,episcopalians who contend that episcopacy is not a distinct 8order0 7in the usual technical or ecclesiastical sense of the term71 but a distinct office in the ministry2 that bishops and presbyters1 or elders1 are of the same order1 and have essentially the same prerogatives2 but that1 for convenience1 some of this order may be raised to the episcopal office1 and some of the functions originally pertaining to the whole order1 as ordination1 for example1 may be confined to them2 the presbyter thus elevated being but primus inter pares--the first among equals--a presiding officer4#hje #c4 ,that the words episcopos 7,greek71 superintendent 7,latin71 and bishop 7,english7#hjf have the same meaning1 namely1 an overseer4 ,with these preliminaries1 we recur to the questions1 ,did ,wesley appoint ,coke to the episcopal office8 ,did he establish the ,american ,methodist episcopacy8 ,let us look at the evidence4 #a4 ,wesley mentions1 in ,coke's certificate of ordination1 as a reason for ordaining him1 that the ,methodists in ,america desired 8still to adhere to the doctrine and discipline of the ,church of ,england40#hjg ,that ,church in ,america was dissolved by the ,revolution2 he therefore appointed ,coke1 with an episcopal form of government1 a ritual1 and articles of religion1 to meet the exigency4 ,if ,coke was appointed merely to some such indefinite and contingent supervisory office as 8,church0 writers allege1 if he possessed not the authoritative functions of episcopacy1 wherein did his appointment answer the purpose mentioned by ,wesley--8the discipline of the ,church of ,england80 ,wherein consists the main feature of the discipline of the ,english ,church8 ,in its episcopal superintendence4 ,wherein does ,american ,methodism resemble it8 ,certainly not in class-meetings1 itinerancy1 and other characteristic peculiarities1 but in its episcopal regimen4 ,wesley's language is without sense if this is not its meaning4 #b4 ,why did ,wesley attach so much importance to the appointment if it was of the secondary character alleged8 ,he says in his circular letter respecting ,coke's ordination1 8,for many years ,i have been importuned1 from time to time1 to exercise this right by ordaining part of our traveling preachers2 but ,i have still refused1 not only for peace' sake1 but because ,i was determined as little as possible to violate the established order of the national ,church to which ,i belonged4 ,but the case is widely different between ,england and ,america4 ,here there are bishops who have a legal jurisdiction4 ,in ,america there are none1 neither any parish ministers1 so that for some hundred miles together there are none either to baptize or administer the sacrament4 ,here1 therefore1 my scruples are at an end60 ,scruples6 ,what could have been his 8scruples0 about sending ,coke on such a secondary errand as the opponents of the ,methodist episcopacy assert8 ,he had already sent ,asbury and others to ,america1 and to ,asbury he had actually assigned such a special yet secondary office1 but unaccompanied with the ordination and authority of episcopacy4 ,this he had done years before1 without any scruple whatever2 but during all this time he had been scrupling about this new and solemn measure1 till the ,revolution relieved him by abolishing the jurisdiction of the ,english bishops in the colonies4 ,there is certainly sheer absurdity in all this if ,wesley merely gave to ,coke and ,asbury a sort of indefinite though special commission in the ,american ,church1 not including in it the distinctive functions of episcopacy4 ,we can conceive of nothing in the nature of such a commission to excite such scruples--a commission which had long since been given to ,asbury4 ,again3 ,when ,wesley proposed to ,coke his ordination to this new office1 some six or seven months before it was conferred1 ,coke 8was startled at a measure so unprecedented in modern days10 and doubted ,wesley's authority to ordain him1 as ,wesley himself was not a bishop4#hjh ,wesley recommended him to read ,lord ,king's ,primitive ,church1 and gave him time to reflect4 ,coke passed two months in ,scotland1 and1 on satisfying his doubts1 wrote to ,wesley accepting the appointment1 and was afterward ordained1 with solemn forms and the imposition of hands1 by ,wesley1 assisted by presbyters of the ,church of ,england4 ,what could have possibly been the pertinency of all these former scruples of ,wesley1 this surprise1 and doubt1 and delay of ,coke1 this reference to ecclesiastical antiquity1 and to a book which demonstrates the right of presbyters to ordain bishops in given cases1 and these solemn forms1 if they related merely to the alleged species of appointment1 especially as this very species of commission had already existed for some years in the person of ,asbury8 #c4 ,it is evident1 beyond all question1 that ,wesley did not consider this solemn act in the subordinate sense of an appointment1 but as an 8ordination10 using the word in its strictest ecclesiastical application4 ,in his circular letter he says1 8,for many years ,i have been importuned 444 to exercise this right by ordaining a part of our traveling preachers2 but ,i have still refused 444 because ,i was determined as little as possible to violate the established order of the national ,church4444 ,here my scruples are at an end40 ,here the word ordaining is expressly used2 and if the new appointment was not a regular 8ordination10 but a species of nondescript commission1 solemnized by the mere forms of ordination1 how could it be an interference with the 8established order of the national ,church80 ,how1 especially1 could it be such an interference1 in any important sense different from that which ,wesley had already1 for years1 been exercising without 8scruple10 in sending to ,america his unordained preachers8 ,it was clearly an ordination1 in the ecclesiastical sense of the term2 but there have been only three ordinations claimed in the ,christian world1 namely1 to the offices of1 #a4 ,deacons2 #b4 ,elders or presbyters2 and1 #c4 ,bishops4 ,if1 then1 ,coke was ordained by ,wesley1 and was not ordained a bishop1 it becomes at once a pertinent but unanswerable question1 ,to what was he ordained8 ,he had been a presbyter for years4 ,to what1 then1 did ,wesley ordain him1 if not to the next recognized office8 ,let it be remembered that ,whatcoat and ,vasey were ordained elders for ,america at the time of ,coke's ordination1 but by a distinct act4 ,if ,coke did not receive a higher ordination 7that is1 episcopal1 for this is the only higher one71 why was he ordained separately from them1 though on the same occasion8 ,and why did ,wesley1 in his circular letter1 declare to the ,american ,methodists that1 while ,whatcoat and ,vasey were 8to act as elders among them10 ,coke and ,asbury were 8to be joint superintendents over them80 #d4 ,wesley1 in his circular letter1 appeals to ,lord ,king's ,sketch of the ,primitive ,church to show that he1 as a presbyter1 had a right1 under his peculiar circumstances1 to perform these ordinations4 ,lord ,king establishes the second of the above preliminary statements1 and the right of presbyters to ordain4 ,and ,wesley cites particularly his reference to the ,alexandrian ,church1 where1 on the decease of a bishop1 the presbyters ordained his successor4 ,why now this reference to ,lord ,king and the ,alexandrian ,church--proving that presbyters could ordain--in justification of ,wesley's proceedings1 if he did not ordain8 ,and if he did ordain ,coke1 it may again be asked1 as ,coke was already a presbyter1 ,to what was he thus ordained1 if it was not to the only remaining office--the episcopacy8 ,and still more pointedly may it be asked1 ,what propriety was there in ,wesley's justifying himself by referring to the ordination of bishops by the presbyters of ,alexandria if he himself had not ordained a bishop8 #e4 ,wesley prepared at this time a ,prayer-,book for the ,american ,church--an abridgment of the ,english ,liturgy--to be used under the new arrangement4 ,it contains the forms for the ordination of1 #a4 ,deacons2 #b4 ,elders2 #c4 ,superintendents2 and directs expressly that all preachers elected to the office of deacon1 elder1 or superintendent shall be presented to the superintendent 8to be ordained40 ,let it be remarked then1 #a4 ,that here the very word ordain is used4 #b4 ,we have here the three distinct offices of the ministry stated in order1 according to the understanding of ,wesley1 and of all ,episcopalians throughout the world4 #c4 ,that not only is the name of bishop changed to that of superintendent1 but the name of presbyter1 or priest1 to that of elder--the new names being in both cases synonymous with the old ones4 ,if the change of the former name implies a difference in the office also1 why does not the change in the latter imply the same8 #d4 ,these forms of ordination were taken from the forms in the ,english ,liturgy for the ordination of deacons1 presbyters1 and bishops1 the names of the latter two being changed to synonymous terms1 namely1 elders and superintendents4 ,the opponents of the ,methodist episcopacy readily grant that elder means presbyter1 yet1 as soon as superintendents are mentioned as bishops1 they protest4 #e4 ,these forms show that ,wesley not only created the ,methodist episcopacy1 but designed it to continue after ,coke and ,asbury's decease2 they were printed for permanent use4 #f4 ,by reading ,coke's letter to ,wesley1 consenting to and directing about his proposed ordination1 it will be seen that ,whatcoat and ,vasey were ordained presbyters at ,coke's request1 because 8propriety and universal practice10 he says1 8make it expedient that ,i should have two presbyters with me in this work40#hji ,that is1 ,coke requests1 and ,wesley grants1 that two presbyters shall be ordained to accompany ,coke in his new office1 because 8propriety and universal practice0 require that two presbyters assist a bishop in ordaining2 and yet ,coke was not appointed to the office of a bishop6 ,coke in this letter1 let it be repeated1 requests that these two men should be made 8presbyters20 ,wesley complies2 and yet1 in the forms of the ,prayer-,book1 or ,discipline1 they are called 8elders40 ,the name only was changed1 therefore1 not the thing2 why1 then1 is not the inference just1 that the other change in these forms1 that of bishop to superintendent1 is only in the name1 not in the thing8 ,the rule certainly ought to 8work both ways40 #g4 ,charles ,wesley was a rigid ,high-,churchman1 and opposed to all ordinations by his brother4 ,the latter knew his views so well that he would not expose the present measure to interruption by acquainting him with it till it was consummated4 ,though ,charles ,wesley was a presbyter of the ,church of ,england1 and in the town at the time1 yet other presbyters were summoned to meet the demand of 8propriety and universal practice0 on such occasions1 while he was carefully avoided4 ,now why this remarkable precaution against the ,high-,church prejudices of his brother respecting ordinations if he did not in these proceedings ordain8 ,if it be replied that ,charles was not only opposed to his brother's ordaining a bishop1 but equally to his ordaining to the other offices of the ministry1 and1 therefore1 the ordinations might have been confined to the latter1 and yet such precautions be proper1 it may then be asked again1 ,how can we suppose ,coke to be now ordained to these lower offices when he had already received them1 and had exercised them for years8 #h4 ,as soon as ,charles ,wesley learned these proceedings he was profoundly afflicted4 ,his correspondence with his brother#haj shows that he understood them in the manner that the ,american ,methodists do1 and ,wesley never corrected this interpretation4 ,he defends himself1 but never denies the facts4 ,charles ,wesley speaks of ,coke's 8,methodist ,episcopal ,church in ,baltimore10 alluding to the name assumed by the ,american ,church at its organization in that city4 ,wesley1 in his reply1 utters not a word in denial or disapproval of this title1 but simply vindicates the necessity of his course in respect to the ,american ,methodists4 ,charles ,wesley1 in response1 speaks of the doctor's 8ambition0 and 8rashness40 ,wesley1 though he knew the ,church had been organized at ,baltimore with the title of 8,episcopal10 and had used the very word 8bishop10 but not as a personal title1 says1 8,i believe ,dr4 ,coke as free from ambition as covetousness4 ,he has done nothing rashly that ,i know40 ,charles ,wesley1 in his letter to ,dr4 ,chandler1 a clergyman about to sail for ,america1 speaks of his brother having 8assumed the episcopal character1 ordained elders1 consecrated a bishop1 and sent him to ordain our lay preachers in ,america10 showing thus what the office really was1 though the name was changed4 ,evidently it was only the appellation of bishop1 applied to the superintendents in person1 that ,wesley disapproved4 #i4 ,the ,conference at which the ,church was organized terminated ,january #a1 #aghe4 ,the ,minutes were published by ,coke1 with the title 8,general ,minutes of the ,conferences of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church in ,america40 ,the ,minutes1 as has been stated1 expressly say that the ,american societies were formed into an ,episcopal ,church1 and this1 too1 at the 8recommendation0 of ,wesley4 ,by ,july1 ,coke was with ,wesley at the ,british ,conference4 ,by the #bfth of the preceding ,june1 his own ,journal1 containing this phrase1 was inspected by ,wesley4 ,coke also took to ,england the ,american ,minutes1 and they were printed on a press which ,wesley used1 and under his own eye4 ,the ,baltimore proceedings were therefore known to ,wesley1 but we hear of no remonstrance from him4 ,they soon became known1 by the ,minutes1 to the public2 and when ,coke was attacked publicly for what he had done1 he replied1 as we have seen1 through the press1 that 8he had done nothing but under the direction of ,mr4 ,wesley40 ,wesley never denied it4 ,how are all these facts explicable on the supposition that ,coke and ,asbury had ambitiously broken over ,wesley's restrictions8 #aj4 ,one of ,charles ,wesley's greatest fears was1 as we have noticed1 that the ,english preachers would be ordained by ,coke4 ,he had prevailed upon his brother to refuse them ordination for years4 ,he now writes1 with deep concern1 that 8not a preacher in ,london would refuse orders from the doctor40 8,he comes armed with your authority to make us all ,dissenters40 ,now1 why all this sudden disposition of the ,english preachers to receive 8orders from the doctor10 if it was not understood that he had received episcopal powers1 and they despaired of ever getting ordination from the national bishops8 ,if it is replied1 they believed1 with ,wesley1 that1 under necessary circumstances1 presbyters could ordain1 and therefore desired it from ,coke1 not in view of his new appointment1 but because he was a presbyter of the ,church of ,england1 then it may be properly asked1 why did they not seek it before8 for ,coke had been a presbyter among them for years4 ,why start up with such a demand all at once as soon as they learned of the new position of ,coke8 ,and how could ,charles ,wesley say in this case1 8,he comes armed with your authority80 for his authority as a presbyter he obtained from a bishop of the ,english ,church years before he knew ,wesley4 #aa4 ,the term bishop was not personally applied in the ,discipline to the ,american superintendents till about three years after the 8organization0 of the ,church1 and ,wesley's objurgatory letter to ,asbury was not written till four years after it4 ,during all this interval1 however1 the ,american societies were called an 8,episcopal ,church40 ,six months after adopting the name1 its ,minutes were1 as stated1 inspected by ,wesley1 and published under his auspices2 they were called the 8,minutes of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church in ,america20 and they expressly declare that1 8following the counsel of ,mr4 ,john ,wesley1 who recommended the episcopal mode of ,church government1 we thought it best to become an ,episcopal ,church20 yet1 as has been shown1 during this long interim ,wesley never uttered a syllable against this assumption6 ,when his brother writes him1 accusing ,coke of rashness1 he replies that 8the doctor has done nothing rashly20 and when ,coke is accused through the press1 he declares1 under ,wesley's eye1 and without contradiction1 that 8he had done nothing without the direction of ,mr4 ,wesley40 ,what1 now1 do all these incidents imply8 ,what but that ,wesley did approve the ,american episcopacy--that it was established by his direction8 ,yet four years after1 when the appellation of bishop had been applied personally to the ,american episcopoi1 this letter of ,wesley was written4 ,what further does this imply8 ,what but that it was not the thing he condemned1 but the name8 ,the thing had existed for years uncondemned1 nay1 defended by him2 the very name 8,episcopal10 so far as it applied to the ,church collectively1 he did not condemn2 the title 8bishop10 as a definition or synonym of 8superintendent0 in the ,minutes1 he did not condemn2 but the personal title of bishop he disapproved1 because of its objectionable associations4 ,is it possible to escape this inference8 ,thus we see that1 whatever view we take of the subject1 we are compelled to one conclusion3 that ,wesley did create and establish the ,american ,methodist episcopate4 ,the man who gainsays such evidence must be given up as incorrigible4 ,there can be no reasoning with him4 ,and now1 what is the sum of this evidence8 ,it has already been presented with sufficient detail1 but let us retrace the successive and decisive steps of the argument4 ,here we have ,wesley proposing to establish 8the discipline of the ,church of ,england0 among the ,american ,methodists1 and to do so he ordains for them bishops1 and gives them an episcopal regimen2 yet1 according to their antagonists1 he never designed them to be a distinct ,church1 but only a 8society0 in the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church6 ,wesley and ,coke have 8scruples10 delays1 references to antiquity1 imposition of hands1 and other solemn forms1 conforming to the 8universal practice0 of episcopal ordination1 and yet all concerning some nondescript kind of appointment1 analogous to that which is conferred upon a missionary in charge over his brethren in a foreign station6 ,wesley speaks of it as 8ordaining10 and of his refusing to use the right before the ,revolution because it would have interfered with the 8established order of the national ,church20 and yet a mere secondary commission of ,coke1 such a one as had existed in the person of ,asbury for years1 is the momentous interference with the established order of the national ,church--though there was nothing in that order with which it could interfere1 the national ,church never having had any such appointments6 ,wesley solemnly 8ordains0 ,coke2 and yet it is not to the episcopal office1 though he had been ordained to all the other offices to which ordination is appropriate years before6 ,wesley ordains two other men to the office of elders1 and at the same time separately and formally ordains ,coke1 who had already borne this office2 but still ,coke's new office is not the only remaining one that could be conferred upon him6 ,wesley refers to the ordination of bishops by the presbyters of ,alexandria in justification of his ordination of ,coke1 and yet he does not ordain ,coke a bishop6 ,wesley prepares for the ,american ,church a ,prayer-,book1 abridged from that of the ,church of ,england1 prescribing the ,english forms for the three offices of deacons1 presbyters1 and bishops2 the two former are admitted unquestionably to be what they are in ,england1 and yet the latter is explained into something new and anomalous1 answering to nothing ever heard of in the ,church of ,england or in any other episcopal ,church6 ,in these forms the old names of two of the offices are changed to new but synonymous appellations--that of presbyter or priest to elder1 that of bishop to superintendent2 in the former case1 the change of the name is not for a moment supposed to imply a change of the thing1 and yet1 in the other case1 the change of the name invalidates entirely the thing1 without a particle more evidence for it in one case than in the other6 ,charles ,wesley1 being a ,high-,churchman1 is kept unaware of his brother's proceedings till they are accomplished1 though he is in the town at the time of the ordination2 and yet it is no ordination1 but a species of appointment against which he could have had no episcopal prejudice whatever6 ,when he learns the facts he is overwhelmed with surprise1 and in his correspondence exclaims against his 8brother's consecration of a bishop10 and 8,dr4 ,coke's ,methodist ,episcopal ,church0 at ,baltimore2 and ,wesley1 in his replies1 never denies these titles1 but simply vindicates his ordinations1 and says that ,coke had 8done nothing rashly20 yet there was no bishop1 no episcopal office appointed1 no distinct episcopal ,church established1 but ,coke had fabricated the whole6 ,when the preachers in ,england1 trained1 from childhood1 under episcopacy1 hear of ,coke's new office1 they are1 to the great alarm of ,charles ,wesley1 suddenly seized with a desire to be ordained by ,coke1 though they fully know that he is no bishop1 but the same presbyter that he had been among them for years6 ,in six months after the organization of the ,american ,church1 ,coke publishes its ,minutes1 with the title 8,methodist ,episcopal ,church in ,america10 in ,london1 under the eye of ,wesley1 and in these ,minutes it is declared that ,wesley 8recommended the episcopal mode of ,church government20 but no remonstrance is heard from ,wesley6 ,when ,coke is condemned through the press for his proceedings1 he publicly replies that he had done 8nothing without the direction of ,mr4 ,wesley20 no rebuke follows from ,wesley1 but ,coke goes on as usual1 active in his ,conferences1 and maintained in his new position2 and yet his ,american proceedings were an ambitious plot1 contrary to the will of ,wesley6 ,the ,american ,methodists had borne the title 8,episcopal ,church10 with ,wesley's full approval1 for four years1 when1 on the use of the personal title of bishop1 ,wesley writes his letter to ,asbury2 and yet it is not the mere personal title he condemns1 but the office which for four years he had left uncondemned1 nay1 had vindicated6 ,and now1 looking again at this series of arguments1 will not the ,american ,methodists be acquitted of presumption when they assume that they may here make a triumphant stand1 surrounded by evidence altogether impregnable8 ,the mighty ecclesiastical system under which it has pleased ,god to give them and their families spiritual shelter and fellowship with his saints1 and whose efficiency has surprised the ,christian world1 is not1 as their opponents would represent1 an imposition of their preachers1 and contrary to the wishes of ,wesley1 but was legitimately received from his hands as the providential founder of ,methodism4 ,if ,wesley's strong repugnance to the mere name of bishop had been expressed before its adoption by the ,american ,church1 it would probably not have been adopted4 ,still1 the ,american ,church was now a separate organization1 and was at perfect liberty to dissent from ,wesley on a matter of mere expediency4 ,the ,church thought it had good reasons to use the name4 ,the ,american ,methodists were mostly of ,english origin4 ,the people of their country among whom ,methodism was most successful were either from ,england or of immediate ,english descent1 and had been educated to consider episcopacy a wholesome and apostolical government of the ,church4 ,the ,church approved and had the office1 why not1 then1 have the name8 especially as1 without the name1 the office itself would be liable to lose1 in the eyes of the people1 its peculiar character1 and thereby fail in that appeal to their long-established opinions which ,methodism had a right1 both from principle and expediency1 to make8 ,the ,english ,establishment having been dissolved in this country1 and the ,protestant ,episcopalians not being yet organized on an independent basis1 and the episcopal organization of the ,methodists having preceded that of the ,protestant ,episcopalians1 the ,methodist ,church had a clear right to present itself to the ,american public as competent to aid in supplying the place of the abolished ,establishment1 having the same essential principles without its peculiar defects4 ,and may not the circumstance of the assumption of an episcopal character1 nominally as well as really1 by the ,american ,methodists1 be considered providential8 ,episcopacy1 both in ,america and ,england1 has reached an excess of presumption and arrogance4 ,the moderate party1 once declared by ,bishop ,white1 of the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church1 to include a large majority of ,american ,episcopalians1#haa has nearly disappeared4 ,was it not providential1 under these circumstances1 that a body of ,christians should appear1 exceeding every other in success1 and nominally and practically bearing an episcopal character1 without any of its presumptuous pretensions8 ,amid the uncharitable assumptions of prelatical ,episcopalians1 the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church stands forth a monument of the laborious and simple episcopacy of the early ages1 its success1 as well as its humility1 contrasting it signally with its more pretentious but feebler sister4 ,it has thus practically vindicated episcopacy as an expedient form of ecclesiastical government1 and assuredly it needs vindication in these days4 ,such1 then1 is the evidence which should1 with all men of self-respectful candor1 conclude decisively the question of ,wesley's design and agency in the organization of ,american ,methodism4 ,driven from this ground1 objectors retreat to an equally untenable one by alleging that the episcopal organization of the societies in ,america is to be attributed to the influence of ambitious counselors over ,wesley in the imbecility of his old age4 ,it has already been shown that he as yet betrayed no such imbecility2 but it has still more conclusively been demonstrated that the ecclesiastical opinions which sanction this great act were adopted in the prime of his manhood4 ,they were the well-considered and fully demonstrated convictions of two score years1 before he yielded to the unavoidable necessity of giving them practical effect4 ,few facts in the history of ,methodism are more interesting and instructive than the gradual development of ,wesley's own mind and character under his extraordinary and accumulating responsibilities2 it has therefore been studiously traced throughout the preceding pages4 ,no reader who has followed our narrative will accept this last objection to the ,american ,methodist episcopacy1 and no possible ground of argument remains for its opponents but the prelatical charge against its legitimacy1 founded in the traditional and exploded ecclesiasticism of obsolete ages4 ,methodists are content1 with ,wesley1 to pronounce the apostolic succession 8a fable which no man ever did1 or ever can prove10 and believe that1 in this age1 they need not anxiously challenge any advantage which their opponents can claim from a pretension so incompatible alike with the letter and the charity of the ,gospel1 as well as with the ,christian enlightenment of modern times4#hab ,attempts have been made to impugn ,coke1 as having overweeningly led ,wesley into this important measure4#hac ,the charge1 however1 were it valid1 could not affect the validity of the measure itself as genuinely ,wesleyan1 and as giving to ,american ,methodism an ,episcopal organization4 ,after the preceding review1 no one can doubt that the whole proceeding was in accordance with ,wesley's own views of ,church government4 ,he was1 as we have seen1 a decided ,episcopalian1 and he designed to give the ,american ,methodist1 as he says1 8the discipline of the ,church of ,england20 that is to say1 an ,episcopal regimen4 ,his appeal to ,lord ,king's proof1 that the presbyters of ,alexandria ordained bishops1 could otherwise have no relevancy4 ,his use of this proof with ,coke1 while the latter hesitated1 shows what was his original design1 and it is impossible to conceive what merely ,presbyterian system1 without a 8superintendency0 or episcopate1 could at this time fit into the itinerant ministerial scheme of the ,american ,church1 where ,rankin and ,asbury had hitherto been superintendents1 though without ordination or the power to ordain4 ,whether ,coke influenced ,wesley or not does not1 then1 let it be repeated1 affect the main question4 ,whether ,wesley was influenced or not1 he did construct and solemnly appoint the ,episcopal system of the ,american ,methodists1 such as it was adopted by the ,conference of #aghd2 he did provide for its perpetuation by abridging1 printing1 and sending over with ,coke the ,english ,liturgy1 containing its forms of ordination for the threefold ministerial functions recognized in the ,anglican ,church1 and all these acts were in strict accordance with his long-avowed ideas of ,church government4 ,coke's character alone1 then1 is concerned in this charge4 ,that character1 however1 is dear to all ,methodists1 and important1 not to the validity1 but to the historical character of the ,american episcopate4 ,he is to stand forever as its first representative4 ,i have elsewhere sketched his remarkable life and character4#had ,though he had essential greatness1 he had1 doubtless1 characteristic weaknesses also4 ,there have been few great men without them4 ,the faults of such men become the more noticeable1 either by contrast with or by partaking of their greatness2 and the vanity of ordinary human nature is eagerly disposed1 in self-gratulation1 to criticise1 as peculiar defects of superior minds1 infirmities which are common to all4 ,practical energy was his chief intellectual trait1 and1 if it was sometimes effervescent1 it was never evanescent4 ,he had a leading agency in the greatest facts of ,methodism1 and it was impossible that the series of momentous deeds which mark his career could have been the result of mere accident or fortune4 ,they must have been legitimate to the man4 ,neither ,whitefield nor ,wesley exceeded him in ministerial travels4 ,it is probable that no ,methodist of his day1 it is doubtful whether any ,protestant of his day1 contributed more from his own property for the spread of the ,gospel4 ,his biographer says that he expended the whole of his patrimonial estate1 which was large1 on his missions and their chapels4 ,he was married twice2 both his wives were like-minded with himself1 and both had considerable fortunes1 which were used like his own4 ,in #agid was published an account of his missionary receipts and disbursements for the preceding year1 from which it appeared that there were due him nearly eleven thousand dollars2 but he gave the whole sum to the cause4 ,flying1 during nearly forty years1 over ,england1 ,scotland1 ,wales1 and ,ireland2 crossing the ,atlantic eighteen times2 traversing the ,united ,states and the ,west ,indies2 the first who suggested the organization of ,english ,methodism by ,wesley's ,deed of ,declaration2 the organizer1 under ,wesley1 of ,american ,methodism2 one of the first1 if not the very first1 of ,protestant bishops in the ,western hemisphere2 the founder of the ,methodist missions in the ,west ,indies1 in ,africa1 and in ,asia1 as well as in ,ireland1 ,wales1 and ,england2 the official and almost sole director of the missionary operations of the denomination during his long public life1 and the founder of the first ,tract ,society in the world1 he must be recognized as one of the chief representative men of modern religious history1 if not1 indeed1 as ,asbury pronounced him1 8the greatest man of the last century as a minister of ,christ40 ,asbury1 who hesitated not thus to place him above ,wesley 8as a minister of ,christ10 knew him well1 and especially knew him in those transactions for which he has been most blamed4 ,a settled and wealthy clergyman of the ,establishment1 bearing the highest literary title which its universities could give1 a man of high family and high prospects1 he forsook1 under the influence of deepened religious feelings1 all his apparent advantages1 to become a wandering evangelist in ,wesley's despised but heroic band of itinerants4 ,he became1 as ,wesley called him1 8the right hand0 of the great founder4 ,his spirit flamed with evangelic zeal4 ,he expressed truly his own character in the exclamation1 recorded on the high seas1 when passing for the first time to ,america1 8,i want the wings of an eagle and the voice of a trumpet1 that ,i may proclaim the ,gospel through the ,east and the ,west1 the ,north and the ,south40 ,he seemed almost ubiquitous in the ,united ,states1 superintending its ministry1 and in the ,united ,kingdom1 administering the affairs of the ,wesleyan ,church1 founding and conducting its ,irish1 its ,welsh1 its 8,domestic10 and its ,foreign ,missions1 virtually embodying in his own person the whole missionary enterprise of ,english ,methodism4 ,when an old man of nearly seventy years he conceived the project of introducing ,methodism into ,asia4 ,he presented himself before the ,british ,conference1 and1 against great opposition1 entreated1 with tears1 to be sent as a missionary to ,india1 offering to defray the expenses of himself and seven chosen colleagues4 ,the ,conference could not resist his appeal1 and at length1 on the #cjth of ,december1 #ahac1 he departed with his little band1 consisting of nine persons besides himself4 ,he died on the voyage1 and was buried in the ,indian ,ocean2 but1 though the great leader was no more1 his spirit remained1 and the successful ,east ,indian ,missions of ,methodism are the sublime results4 ,history should respect the reputation of such a man4 ,the charge of his leading ,wesley into the measures for the organization of the ,american ,church is made in spite of the express testimony of ,drew1 his intimate friend and biographer1 who says that 8,wesley1 in his study1 #8,city ,road1' first divulged his purpose to ,coke10 and that1 arguing with him there on the ordination of bishops by presbyters in the ,alexandrian ,church1 he concluded by proposing 8that1 being himself a presbyter1 ,coke should accept ordination from his hands1 and proceed to the continent of ,america to superintend the societies in the ,united ,states40#hae ,a letter from ,coke to ,wesley1 proposing that a messenger should be sent to ,america to inspect the field and report to ,wesley1 has been cited as proof of ,coke's overweening wish for such an appointment4#haf ,the hostile critic seems not to be aware that this letter was written after ,wesley's proposition to send ,coke as superintendent4 ,the conversation in ,wesley's ,london study was in ,february1 #aghd4 ,coke's letter1 proposing a preliminary inspection and report of the wants of the ,american societies1 was not written till the middle of ,april 8,near ,dublin1 ,april #ag1 #aghd04 ,it was actually sent while he was yet considering ,wesley's proposition4 ,it showed his hesitancy rather than his eagerness for the new office4 ,thus far1 then1 no solicitation1 no selfish management1 is apparent in the course of ,coke4 ,if1 contrary to ,drew's express statement1 the particular act of ,coke's ordination by ,wesley was by the request of ,coke himself1 it does not materially affect the question of either the ,american ,church system or ,coke's character4 ,wesley undoubtedly designed1 as we have seen1 that the former should be a system of superintendency1 of practical episcopacy 8conformed to the discipline of the ,church of ,england10 as he expressly says--such as1 in fact1 it had hitherto been1 except that its superintendents had not yet the function of ordination1 which was now to be supplied4 ,if he had not at first designed to ordain ,coke 7according to his reasoning about the ,alexandrian example71 it was doubtless because he had assumed that ,coke1 being already a presbyter1 could1 in accordance with that example1 ordain ,asbury a superintendent1 and complete the organization of the ,american ,church4 ,now ,wesley had1 as we have seen1 for years believed in the essential parity of presbyters and bishops1 and their equal right to ordain4 ,coke's request 7if any there were7 for more formal authorization by ,wesley himself was perfectly correspondent with ,wesley's theory and design1 and1 this being the fact1 it was indisputably expedient1 as ,wesley himself saw4 ,the agitations and debates among the ,american ,methodists rendered it necessary that he should bear with him the highest possible sanction of ,wesley1 who was recognized as founder and superintendent of the whole ,methodist cause4 ,coke's liability to disaffected criticism at home1 especially from ,charles ,wesley 7whose opinions were well known71 gave him a right to claim1 as he did in his letter to ,wesley1 that the latter should 8be obliged to acknowledge that ,i acted under your direction0--a phrase which would have been inadmissible had not ,wesley's designs corresponded fully with his own4 ,this objection to ,coke1 then1 is not relevant4 ,his course was logical2 it was prudent2 it was necessary2 and its historical results have proved its supreme wisdom4 ,almost every other disputed act of ,coke's life has been adduced to confirm the unfounded objection to his course in this great measure4 ,it has been alleged that he wrote to ,bishop ,white1 of ,philadelphia1 that 8he would like the ,methodists of ,america to be reunited to the ,english ,american ,protestant ,episcopal ,church on condition that he himself were ordained to be their bishop40#hag ,coke was already a bishop1 and ,asbury another1 in ,america2 their denomination was already more extended than the ,protestant ,episcopal ,church1 and it had an immeasurably better prospect in the new republic4 ,coke's impulsive zeal and catholicity led him to think1 what many ,churchmen1 if not ,methodists1 have since thought1 that a union of the two bodies would be a blessing to common ,christianity4 ,if he was imprudent1 he was nevertheless charitable in his desire4 ,it did more credit to his heart than discredit to his head4 ,he did not propose it1 as alleged1 in order to be 8ordained their bishop40 ,he included his ,episcopal colleague1 ,asbury1 and all his ministerial brethren4 ,the union was to be made 8on terms which in no wise compromised the honor or rights of the ,methodist ,episcopal ,church40#hah 8,i never did apply10 says ,coke1 8to the ,general ,convention1 or any other ,convention1 for reconsecration4 ,i never intended that either ,bishop ,asbury or myself should give up our episcopal office if the junction were to take place40 ,it has been alleged against him1 as an 8unpleasant fact10 and as illustrating his course in the present case with ,wesley1 that he solicited the 8,prince ,regent and the government to appoint him their bishop in ,india10 and this 8within twelve months of his lamented death40#hai ,this aspersion is founded in incidents connected with that last heroic mission to ,india above noticed1 for which1 in his old age1 he sublimely sacrificed his property1 his episcopal functions in ,america1 and his life1 but founded the whole ,east ,india ,methodist work4 ,the ,british domination there had1 to his eyes1 opened a door for the ,gospel to all ,asia4 ,for some years he had been planning and working for a mission to the ,hindoos2 the ,east ,india ,company's government 8had steadily opposed0 their evangelization2 ,coke knew that he could not accomplish his grand designs without authority from the home government in an episcopal appointment2 for this reason he sought that appointment4 ,he was still a priest of the national ,church1 and the ,wesleyans were all yet considered as members of that ,church4 ,he proved the purity of his purpose when his application failed1 for then1 as we have seen1 he stood1 an aged and broken man1 before the ,british ,conference1 and extorted1 by his entreaties1 his tears1 and the pledge of his own property1 its consent to let him go1 with a corps of ,methodist evangelists1 and attempt the great work in the only way that remained for him4#hbj ,again1 it is alleged that 8in #agid he secretly summoned a meeting of the most influential of the ,english preachers1 and passed a resolution that the ,conference should appoint an order of bishops to ordain deacons and elders1 he himself1 of course1 expecting to be a member of the prelatical brotherhood40#hba ,the real facts of this case1 as in the others1 need but to be correctly stated to fully vindicate ,coke4 ,wesley had been dead some three years2 the ,wesleyans were in the greatest anxiety and distraction respecting their permanent organization during these years2 the very existence of the body seemed periled2 ministerial disputes and popular agitation prevailed1 ending at last in the ,kilham schism2 the people were clamoring for the sacraments--the preachers were not empowered1 by ordination1 to administer them4 8,at present we really have no government10 wrote ,pawson1 the president of the ,conference1 toward the latter part of #agic4 8,it will by no means answer our ends to dispute one with another as to which is the most scriptural form of ,church government4 ,we should consider our present circumstances1 and endeavor to agree upon some method by which our people may have the ordinances of ,god1 and1 at the same time1 be preserved from division4 ,i care not a rush whether it be ,episcopal or ,presbyterian2 ,i believe neither of them to be purely scriptural4 ,but our preachers and people in general are prejudiced against the latter2 consequently1 if the former will answer our end1 we ought to embrace it4 ,indeed1 ,i believe it will suit our present plan far better than the other4 ,the design of ,mr4 ,wesley will weigh much with many1 which now evidently appears to have been this3 ,he foresaw that the ,methodists would1 after his death1 soon become a distinct people2 he was deeply prejudiced against a ,presbyterian1 and was as much in favor of an ,episcopal form of government4 ,in order1 therefore1 to preserve all that was valuable in the ,church of ,england among the ,methodists1 he ordained ,mr4 ,mather and ,dr4 ,coke bishops4 ,these he undoubtedly designed should ordain others4 ,mr4 ,mather told us so at the ,manchester ,conference1 but we did not then understand him4 ,i see no way of coming to any good settlement but on the plan ,i mentioned before4 ,i sincerely wish that ,dr4 ,coke and ,mr4 ,mather may be allowed to be what they are1 bishops4 ,we must have ordination among us at any rate40#hbb ,it was in these circumstances that ,coke met some of the most venerable and devoted preachers at ,litchfield4 ,he 8addressed them on the agitated state of the ,connection1 and the perils which menaced it2 he referred to the success of ,methodism in the ,new ,world under its ,episcopal organization1 and the relief which ,wesley's establishment of this form of government there had given to a similar controversy4 ,he offered ordination to the brethren who were present4 ,his motive was disinterested1 for he already possessed the ,episcopal office and dignity1 conferred by an authority which they all venerated above that of any archbishop of the realm4 ,most of the meeting approved his proposition1 but ,moore1 who had been ordained by ,wesley1 very wisely suggested that they should confine their proceedings to the discussion of its practicability1 and defer its decision to the next ,conference4 ,he1 however1 pronounced the measure a scriptural and suitable expedient for the government of any ,christian ,church4 ,mather concurred with ,moore4 ,they adjourned after adopting a series of resolutions which were to be submitted with all their signatures to the ,annual ,conference40#hbc ,it is certainly remarkable that a sinister motive could be imputed to ,coke in these circumstances--to him who had already a diocese co-extensive with the ,united ,states of ,america4 ,an impartial revision1 then1 of all the facts directly or indirectly involved in this discussion1 results1 first1 in a vindication of the ,episcopal government1 adopted at ,baltimore in #aghd1 as the genuine work of ,wesley himself1 accordant with his previously declared opinions on the subject2 and1 secondly1 of ,coke's conduct respecting it1 as also in the other above facts alleged against him4 ,wesley was just when1 after the whole measure had transpired1 he declared ,coke to 8have done nothing rashly10 and that he was 8as free from ambition as from covetousness40 ,,footnotes3 #ghh ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 i41 book iii41 chap4 v4 ,the persistent misrepresentations of him on this point are astonishing4 ,the ,rev4 ,edwin ,sidney 7,life of ,walker1 of ,truro1 p4 #bfj7 says that 8when he wanted ordained preachers for ,america1 he1 of a sudden1 in his old age1 found out1 by reading ,lord ,king's ,account of the ,primitive ,church1 that bishops and presbyters are of the same order40 ,this inexcusable violation of historical truth is common in the writings of ,churchmen against ,methodism4 #ghi ,a ,letter to a ,friend1 ,works1 vol4 vii41 p4 #cja4 #gij ,letter to ,rev4 ,mr4 ,clark1 ,works1 vol4 vii41 p4 #bhd4 #gia 8,on the ,church10 ,works1 vol4 vii41 p4 #cab4 #gib ,burk's ,history of ,virginia1 vol4 ii41 p4 #ahj4 ,hawks 7,contributions to the ,ecclesiastical ,history of the ,united ,states of ,america1 vol4 i41 chap4 ix47 doubts ,burk's estimate4 ,dr4 ,hawks's volume needs important emendations1 especially in respect to ,methodism4 #gic ,hawks's 8,contributions10 vol4 i41 chap4 x4 #gid ,journals of the ,virginia ,assembly1 #aghd4 #gie ,bangs's ,hist4 ,m4 ,e4 ,church1 vol4 i41 pp4 #ace-g4 #gif ,works1 vol4 vii41 p4 #bca4 #gig ,coke's ,letter to ,wesley1 ,smith's ,history of ,wesleyan ,methodism1 vol4 i41 book ii41 chap4 #f4 #gih ,drew's ,life of ,coke1 chap4 #e4 #gii ,unless the ,moravians are to be considered an exception4 #hjj ,jackson's ,charles ,wesley1 chap4 #bf4 #hja 8,to administer the sacraments of baptism and the ,lord's ,supper according to the usages of the ,church of ,england10 says the certificate of ordination 7see it in ,life of ,henry ,moore1 p4 #acd1 ,am4 ed472 and yet a living ,churchman 7,dr4 ,pusey's ,letter to the ,bishop of ,oxford1 p4 #aea7 says that 8,wesley reluctantly took the step of ordaining at all20 and that 8to the last he refused1 in the strongest terms1 his consent that those thus ordained should take upon them to administer the sacraments4 ,he felt that it exceeded his powers1 and so inhibited it1 however it might diminish the numbers of the society he had formed40 ,the biographers of ,wilberforce 7vol4 i41 p4 #bdh7 also say3 8,nor were any of his preachers suffered during his lifetime to attempt to administer the sacraments of his ,church40 ,it is high time that such fictions should cease among ,english ,churchmen4 ,it seems that they have yet to learn how thorough and noble a heretic ,wesley really was4 #hjb ,minutes of #aghe1 in ,minutes of the ,annual ,conference of the ,m4 ,e4 ,church1 vol4 i41 p4 #bb4 ,new ,york1 #ahdj4 #hjc ,drew's ,life of ,coke1 chap4 #f4 ,his assailant is supposed to have been ,charles ,wesley4 ,etheredge's ,coke1 book ii41 chap4 #g4 #hjd ,it had been used1 however1 all this time1 in the ,minutes1 as explanatory of the word 8superintendent40 ,the ,minutes say that1 8following the counsel of ,mr4 ,john ,wesley1 who recommended the episcopal mode of ,church government1 we thought it best to become an episcopal ,church1 making the episcopal office elective1 and the elected superintendent1 or bishop1 amenable to the body of ministers and preachers40 ,minutes1 vol4 i41 p4 #bb4 ,new ,york1 #ahdj4 ,it was not in the bishops' address to ,washington in #aghi that the title was first personally assumed4 ,the ,discipline of #aghg so used it4 ,emory's ,history of the ,discipline1 p4 #hb4 ,but1 as we have just seen1 the title was inserted in the ,minutes of the ,organization of the ,church 7#aghd1 #aghe7 as synonymous with 8superintendent40 ,minutes #aghe1 vol4 i41 p4 #bb4 ,wesley's letter of reproof to ,asbury was written before the bishops' address to ,washington4 #hje ,see his circular letter to the ,american ,societies1 ,drew's ,coke1 chap4 #e4 #hjf ,bishop 7,saxon1 bischop7 is a corruption of the ,latinized ,greek word episcopus4 ,its analogy to the second and third syllables of the latter is obvious4 #hjg ,drew's ,life of ,coke1 chap4 #e4 #hjh ,drew's ,life of ,coke1 chap4 #e4 #hji ,smith's ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 i41 book ii41 chap1 vi41 p4 #eda4 #haj ,jackson's ,charles ,wesley1 chap4 #bf4 #haa ,case of the ,prot4 ,epis4 ,church in the ,united ,states1 etc41 p4 #be4 #hab ,wesley was in good company among ,churchmen in his denunciation of the 8fable0 of the succession4 ,chillingworth said1 8,i am fully persuaded there hath been no such succession40 ,bishop ,stillingfleet declares that 8this succession is as muddy as the ,tiber itself40 ,bishop ,hoadley asserts1 8,it hath not pleased ,god1 in his providence1 to keep up any proof of the least probability1 or moral possibility1 of a regular uninterrupted succession2 but there is a great appearance1 and1 humanly speaking1 a certainty to the contrary1 that the succession hath often been interrupted40 ,archbishop ,whately says 8there is not a minister in all ,christendom who is able to trace up1 with approach to certainty1 his spiritual pedigree40 #hac ,tyerman's ,wesley1 vol4 iii4 ,an4 #aghd4 #had ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 iii41 passim4 ,history of the ,m4 ,e4 ,church1 vol4 ii41 p4 #aea2 vol4 iv41 p4 #ejc4 #hae ,drew's ,life of ,coke1 p4 #fb4 ,etheridge 7,life of ,coke1 p4 #aja7 says3 8,a writer in the ,quarterly ,review affirms that it was ,coke who first requested ,wesley to make him a bishop1 and send him as such to ,america4 ,the opposite is the truth3 the request came from ,wesley1 and took ,coke by surprise4 ,he had not even given the clerical question involved in the project any serious consideration2 and he first required of ,wesley some time for investigation1 before he could express with confidence an opinion upon it at all4 ,he now applied himself to those ,biblical and patristic studies which bear upon the subject1 and after the lapse of two months1 spent partly in ,scotland1 communicated to ,wesley that the conclusions at which he had arrived enabled him1 without any hesitation1 to concur with himself as to the abstract lawfulness of the measure which had been propounded40 #haf ,tyerman's ,wesley1 vol4 iii41 p4 #dbh4 #hag ,tyerman1 vol4 iii41 p4 #cdd4 #hah ,history of ,m4 ,e4 ,church1 vol4 iii41 p4 #da4 ,also vol4 iv41 p4 #ddc4 #hai ,tyerman1 vol4 iii41 p4 #dcd4 #hbj ,see ,etheridge's ,coke1 p4 #cfh4 ,etheridge gives all the facts of the case1 and fully vindicates ,coke from the charge of unchristian ambition4 #hba ,tyerman1 vol4 iii41 p4 #dcd4 #hbb ,smith1 ,history of ,methodism1 etc41 vol4 ii41 p4 #d1 #c4 ,stevens's ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 iii41 p4 #ea4 #hbc ,history of ,methodism1 vol4 iii41 p4 #eb4 ,,index4 ,aberdeen1 ii4 #djd1 #dgj1 #efh2 iii4 #aj1 #daa4 8,act of ,toleration10 ii4 #che4 ,adam1 ,rev4 ,thomas1 ii4 #bji1 #bea2 iii4 #ah4 ,adams1 ,rev4 ,mr41 i4 #dhe4 ,adams1 ,thomas1 i4 #ecf4 8,advice to a ,young ,clergyman10 i4 #ajf4 ,affleck1 ,andrew1 ii4 #dga4 ,african ,methodist ,episcopal ,church1 i4 #i4 ,african ,mission proposed1 iii4 #bgb4 ,agutter1 ,rev4 ,mr41 iii4 #ecf4 ,alemouth1 ii4 #adj4 ,alliance1 ,quadruple1 ii4 #eeg4 ,alnwick1 ii4 #aff1 #bgf1 #cbh2 ii4 #dgc1 #egc4 ,alpraham1 iii4 #ceb4 ,ambition1 i4 #bj4 ,american ,colonies1 i4 #aad4 ,american ,indians1 i4 #aae1 #abd1 #acj4 ,american ,methodism1 i4 #h1 #i2 iii4 #dg1 #fj1 #fb1 #ge1 #aaf1 #aea1 #age1 #aid1 #bdh1 #cca1 #dbf1 #dih1 #fdf4 ,american ,rebellion1 iii4 #adg1 #ahe1 #bcg4 ,american ,wesleyan ,methodists1 i4 #i4 ,amsterdam1 i4 #aig2 iii4 #cid1 #cie4 ,andrews1 ,mr41 iii4 #bh4 ,andrews1 ,rev4 ,john1 i4 #dbh2 ii4 #dic4 ,animal ,magnetism1 iii4 #fjc1 #fdh4 ,annesley1 ,dr4 ,samuel1 i4 #bhe4 ,antigua1 iii4 #aea1 #aie1 #bgc4 ,antinomianism1 i4 #dgg1 #dha1 #eai2 ii4 #djj2 iii4 #ad4 ,antislavery ,society1 iii4 #ejh4 ,apparitions1 i4 #bb1 #bc2 iii4 #aa1 #dj1 #da4 ,appleton1 ,john1 iii4 #ddi4 ,arbroath1 iii4 #ff1 #abj1 #deg4 ,armagh1 ii4 #fja2 iii4 #da1 #aed4 ,arminian ,magazine1 iii4 #bea1 #bhj1 #caf1 #cdd1 #cdf1 #cfg1 #chh1 #djf1 #dee1 #dfi1 #dhh1 #ejh1 #eae1 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#ii1 #afa4 ,wesley's ,sister ,martha 7,mrs4 ,hall71 ii4 #djf1 #ehi2 iii4 #af1 #efg4 ,wesley's ,sister ,mehetabel 7,mrs4 ,wright71 ii4 #gd1 #djf4 ,wesley's ,will1 in #agfh1 iii4 #ae4 ,wesley's ,will1 in #aghi1 iii4 #faf4 ,wesleyan ,methodism1 i4 #c4 ,wesleyan ,reform ,union1 i4 #g4 ,west1 ,hon4 ,james1 ii4 #bcd4 ,west ,bromwich1 i4 #djf2 iii4 #g1 #bij4 ,west ,street ,chapel1 i4 #dba4 ,westall1 ,thomas1 i4 #ddj1 #dec4 ,westminster ,journal1 i4 #dgc2 ii4 #cig4 ,whatcoat1 ,richard1 i4 #ddb2 iii4 #dbh4 ,wheatley1 ,benjamin1 i4 #edc4 ,wheatley1 ,james1 ii4 #aba1 #ahi1 #cji1 #cac1 #cbe4 ,wheatley1 ,rev4 ,charles1 i4 #bdj4 ,whiston1 ,rev4 ,thomas1 i4 #cbe4 ,whitaker1 ,john1 ii4 #daj4 ,whitby1 ii4 #dji2 iii4 #fh1 #dac1 #ech1 #faj4 ,whitchurch1 ii4 #cci4 ,white1 ,rev4 ,george1 ii4 #ae4 ,whitefield1 ,rev4 ,george1 i4 #fh1 #ajd1 #ajh1 #acb1 #ada1 #aga1 #agi1 #bba1 #bbf1 #bcb1 #bcc1 #bdc1 #bdg1 #bej1 #beb1 #bed1 #bfi1 #bgg1 #caa-caf1 #cba1 #cbb1 #cbg1 #ccf1 #cdb1 #cdd1 #cdf-cdi1 #cgb1 #djb1 #dad1 #dbf1 #dcg1 #dee1 #dgj1 #dgg1 #ejf1 #ece2 ii4 #ai1 #bb1 #bd1 #cb1 #cc1 #db1 #ec1 #fh1 #ie1 #aah1 #acb1 #acg1 #adg1 #aej1 #aed1 #aef1 #afg1 #age1 #ahe1 #bji1 #bai1 #bbc1 #bbh1 #bcd1 #bgb1 #big1 #cff1 #cga1 #cgc1 #cif1 #dae1 #daf1 #dbf1 #dca1 #ddh1 #dei1 #dfc1 #dgj1 #dic1 #dig1 #ecg1 #edh1 #eef1 #efb1 #eie1 #fjh1 #fad2 iii4 #a1 #cd1 #ci1 #fj1 #ga1 #gf1 #gh1 #he1 #hi1 #bee1 #bfa4 ,whitehaven1 ii4 #aag1 #ejd2 iii4 #daa4 ,whitehead1 ,dr41 ii4 #ajc1 #dgd2 iii4 #af1 #bih1 #faf1 #fej1 #fea4 ,whitelamb1 ,rev4 ,john1 i4 #fh1 #chi4 ,whitfield1 ,george1 iii4 #cic1 #eeg1 #fej4 ,whitford1 ,john1 ii4 #eg1 #ahg4 ,wickedness1 ,abounding1 i4 #bae1 #ejc1 #ecb2 ii4 #gb4 ,wickham1 ii4 #ada4 ,wigan1 ii4 #eff2 iii4 #ceb1 #cga4 ,wilberforce1 ,william1 iii4 #aae1 #eji1 #fej4 ,wilder1 ,rev4 ,john1 i4 #bci4 ,wilkes1 ,john1 iii4 #cg1 #ha1 #ade4 ,wilkinson1 ,benjamin1 ii4 #daa4 ,williams1 ,rev4 ,joseph1 i4 #beb1 #ecf4 ,williams1 ,robert1 i4 #dbi4 ,williams1 ,thomas1 i4 #eeg2 ii4 #ecf4 ,williams1 ,william1 ii4 #dha4 ,williamson1 ,william1 i4 #adf1 #adi1 #afc4 ,wills1 ,rev4 ,mr41 iii4 #dca4 ,winchelsea1 iii4 #eff1 #fbf4 ,windsor1 i4 #agd4 ,windsor1 ,robert1 ii4 #ahi4 ,winscomb1 ,jasper1 iii4 #edf1 #efa1 #fja4 ,winter1 ,cornelius1 ii4 #faf2 iii4 #abh4 ,witchcraft1 iii4 #aa1 #aga4 ,witness of the ,spirit1 i4 #aij-aie1 #bja1 #bjg1 #bhe1 #eeb2 ii4 #afh1 #baf1 #dia2 iii4 #bd1 #eg4 ,witney1 ii4 #dih4 ,wogan1 ,william1 i4 #ach4 ,wolfenden1 ,mrs41 iii4 #bjc4 ,wolff1 ,george1 iii4 #ehi1 #eii1 #fej4 ,wolverhampton1 ii4 #cii2 iii4 #g1 #afd1 #dic4 ,wood1 ,john1 iii4 #ced4 ,wood1 ,samuel1 ii4 #add4 ,wooler1 ii4 #bgf4 ,worcester1 ii4 #abg2 iii4 #g1 #fdg1 #fdi4 ,worksop1 iii4 #cbh4 ,worship1 ,methodist1 ii4 #bhb1 #egf4 ,wrangel1 ,dr41 iii4 #ff4 ,wray1 ,james1 iii4 #edf4 ,wrestlingworth1 ii4 #caa4 ,wride1 ,thomas1 iii4 #dff4 ,wright1 ,duncan1 ii4 #efi2 iii4 #cfb1 #ebb4 ,wroote1 i4 #eg4 ,wycombe1 ii4 #ecd2 iii4 #bda1 #bea4 ,yarm1 ii4 #ab1 #bgg1 #djh1 #efi2 iii4 #hc4 ,yarmouth1 ii4 #eee1 #fae4 ,yeadon1 iii4 #fh4 ,yearly ,collection1 iii4 #e1 #eea4 ,yewdall1 ,zechariah1 ii4 #dga2 iii4 #cch1 #fjh4 ,york1 ii4 #abj1 #adj1 #bad1 #bgh1 #cbg1 #daj1 #ejj1 #ega2 iii4 #eci1 #fjf4 ,yorkshire ,methodism1 ii4 #fjh4 ,zeal1 ,christian1 iii4 #cdf4 ,zinzendorf1 ,count1 i4 #aha1 #aif-aih1 #bjf1 #bih1 #cjj1 #cci1 #dgg2 ii4 #eh1 #hh1 #ig1 #aaf1 #bbj4 ,,valuable ,,religious ,,works ,,published ,,by ,,harper ,,brothers1 ,,new ,,york4 ,,harper ,,brothers will send either of the following works by mail1 postage prepaid1 to any part of the ,united ,states1 on receipt of the price4 ,barnes's ,notes on the ,new ,testament4 ,new ,edition4 ,revised1 with ,maps and ,illustrations4 ,now ready3 ,gospels1 #b vols42 ,acts1 #a vol42 ,romans1 #a vol42 ,first ,corinthians1 #a vol42 ,second ,corinthians and ,galatians1 #a vol4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ej per vol4 ,barnes's ,evidences of ,christianity4 ,lectures on the ,evidences of ,christianity in the ,nineteenth ,century4 ,by ,,albert ,,barnes4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ge4 ,robertson's ,life and ,works4 ,harper's ,complete ,edition of the ,life and ,works of the ,rev4 ,f4 ,w4 ,,robertson1 ,incumbent of ,brighton4 ,in ,two ,volumes4 #a #ej each4 ,,robertson',s ,,life1 ,,letters1 ,,lectures ,,on ,,corinthians1 ,,and ,,addresses4 ,complete in ,one ,volume4 ,with ,portrait on ,steel4 ,large #abmo1 #hdj pages1 ,cloth1 #a #ej2 ,half ,calf1 #c #be4 ,,robertson',s ,,sermons4 ,complete in ,one ,volume4 ,with ,portrait on ,steel4 ,large #abmo1 #hch pages1 ,cloth1 #a #ej2 ,half ,calf1 #c #be4 ,beecher's ,morning and ,evening ,exercises4 ,morning and ,evening ,devotional ,exercises3 selected from the ,published and ,unpublished ,writings of the ,rev4 ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher4 ,edited by ,,lyman ,,abbott4 ,with ,portrait on ,steel4 ,crown #hvo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,beecher's ,sermons4 ,sermons by ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher1 ,plymouth ,church1 ,brooklyn4 ,selected from ,published and ,unpublished ,discourses1 and ,revised by their ,author4 ,in ,two ,volumes4 ,with ,steel ,portrait by ,halpin4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,light at ,evening ,time4 ,a ,book of ,support and ,comfort for the ,aged4 ,edited by ,,john ,,stanford ,,holme1 ,d4,d4 ,printed from large type on toned paper1 #dto1 ,cloth1 ,beveled ,edges1 #b #ej4 ,cocker's ,christianity and ,greek ,philosophy4 ,christianity and ,greek ,philosophy2 or1 the ,relation between ,spontaneous and ,reflective ,thought in ,greece and the ,positive ,teaching of ,christ and his ,apostles4 ,by ,b4 ,f4 ,,cocker1 ,d4,d41 ,professor of ,moral and ,mental ,philosophy in ,michigan ,university4 ,crown #hvo1 ,cloth1 #b #ge4 ,macgregor's ,rob ,roy on the ,jordan4 ,the ,rob ,roy on the ,jordan1 ,nile1 ,red ,sea1 and ,gennesareth1 c4 ,a ,canoe ,cruise in ,palestine and ,egypt1 and the ,waters of ,damascus4 ,by ,j4 ,,macgregor1 ,m4,a4 ,with ,maps and ,illustrations4 ,crown #hvo1 ,cloth1 #b #ej4 ,krummacher's ,david4 ,david1 the ,king of ,israel3 a ,portrait drawn from ,bible ,history and the ,book of ,psalms4 ,by ,,frederick ,,william ,,krummacher1 ,d4,d41 ,author of 8,elijah the ,tishbite10 c4 ,translated under the express sanction of the ,author by the ,rev4 ,m4 ,g4 ,,easton1 ,m4,a4 ,with a ,letter from ,dr4 ,krummacher to his ,american ,readers1 and a ,portrait4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ge4 ,the ,student's ,old ,testament ,history4 ,the ,old ,testament ,history4 ,from the ,creation to the ,return of the ,jews from ,captivity4 ,edited by ,,william ,,smith1 ,,ll4,d4 ,with ,maps and ,woodcuts4 ,large #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,the ,student's ,new ,testament ,history4 ,the ,new ,testament ,history4 ,with an ,introduction1 connecting the ,history of the ,old and ,new ,testaments4 ,edited by ,,william ,,smith1 ,,ll4,d4 ,with ,maps and ,woodcuts4 ,large #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,m#8,whorter's ,hand-,book of the ,new ,testament4 ,a ,popular ,hand-,book of the ,new ,testament4 ,by ,,george ,,cumming ,m#8,,whorter4 #afmo1 ,cloth1 #a #jj4 ,m#8,clintock and ,strong's ,cyclopdia4 ,cyclopdia of ,biblical1 ,theological1 and ,ecclesiastical ,literature4 ,by the late ,rev4 ,,john ,m#8,,clintock1 ,d4,d41 and ,,james ,,strong1 ,s4,t4,d4 ,with numerous ,maps and ,illustrations4 ,vols4 ,i4-,,iv41 comprising the ,letters ,a to ,j1 are now ready4 ,price per vol41 in ,cloth1 #e #jj2 ,sheep1 #f #jj2 ,half ,morocco1 #h #jj4 ,the ,land and the ,book4 ,or1 ,biblical ,illustrations drawn from the ,manners and ,customs1 the ,scenes and the ,scenery of the ,holy ,land4 ,by ,w4 ,m4 ,,thomson1 ,d4,d41 ,twenty-five ,years a ,missionary of the ,a4,b4,c4,f4,m4 in ,syria and ,palestine4 ,with two elaborate ,maps of ,palestine1 an accurate ,plan of ,jerusalem1 and ,several ,hundred ,engravings1 representing the ,scenery1 ,topography1 and ,productions of the ,holy ,land1 and the ,costumes1 ,manners1 and ,habits of the ,people4 ,two elegant ,large #abmo ,volumes1 ,cloth1 #e #jj2 ,sheep1 #f #jj2 ,half ,calf1 #h #ej4 ,southey's ,wesley4 ,life of ,john ,wesley1 and the ,rise and ,progress of ,methodism4 ,by ,,robert ,,southey1 ,,ll4,d4 ,with ,notes by the late ,,samuel ,t4 ,,coleridge1 and ,remarks on the ,life and ,character of ,john ,wesley by the late ,,alexander ,,knox4 ,edited by the ,rev4 ,,charles ,c4 ,,southey1 ,m4,a4 ,second ,american ,edition1 with ,notes1 c41 by the ,rev4 ,,daniel ,,curry1 ,d4,d4 #b vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #ej4 ,taylor's ,wesley and ,methodism4 ,by ,,isaac ,,taylor4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ej4 ,for a full list of ,,harper ,,brothers' ,publications1 including many works of great interest on ,religious1 ,historical1 and ,social topics1 as well as the most important books of ,travel and ,adventure1 see ,,harper',s ,,catalogue1 which will be sent by mail on receipt of ,six ,cents in postage stamps4 ,,valuable ,,standard ,,works ,,for ,,public ,,and ,,private ,,libraries1 ,,published ,,by ,,harper ,,brothers1 ,,new ,,york4 ,for a full ,list of ,books suitable for ,libraries1 see ,,harper ,,brothers' ,,trade-,,list and ,,catalogue1 which may be had gratuitously on application to the ,publishers personally1 or by letter enclosing ,five ,cents4 ,,harper ,,brothers will send any of the following works by mail1 postage prepaid1 to any part of the ,united ,states1 on receipt of the price4 ,,motley',s ,,dutch ,,republic4 ,the ,rise of the ,dutch ,republic4 ,by ,,john ,,lothrop ,,motley1 ,,ll4,d41 ,d4,c4,l4 ,with a ,portrait of ,william of ,orange4 #c vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #aj #ej4 ,,motley',s ,,united ,,netherlands4 ,history of the ,united ,netherlands3 from the ,death of ,william the ,silent to the ,twelve ,years' ,truce--#afji4 ,with a full ,view of the ,english-,dutch ,struggle against ,spain1 and of the ,origin and ,destruction of the ,spanish ,armada4 ,by ,,john ,,lothrop ,,motley1 ,,ll4,d41 ,d4,c4,l4 ,portraits4 #d vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #ad #jj4 ,,napoleon',s ,,life ,,of ,c,,sar4 ,the ,history of ,julius ,csar4 ,by ,his ,imperial ,majesty ,,napoleon ,,iii4 ,two ,volumes ready4 ,library ,edition1 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #c #ej per vol4 ,maps to ,vols4 ,i4 and ,,ii4 sold separately4 ,price #a #ej each1 ,,net4 ,,haydn',s ,,dictionary ,,of ,,dates1 relating to all ,ages and ,nations4 ,for ,universal ,reference4 ,edited by ,,benjamin ,,vincent1 ,assistant ,secretary and ,keeper of the ,library of the ,royal ,institution of ,great ,britain2 and ,revised for the ,use of ,american ,readers4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj2 ,sheep1 #f #jj4 ,,macgregor',s ,,rob ,,roy ,,on ,,the ,,jordan4 ,the ,rob ,roy on the ,jordan1 ,nile1 ,red ,sea1 and ,gennesareth1 c4 ,a ,canoe ,cruise in ,palestine and ,egypt1 and the ,waters of ,damascus4 ,by ,j4 ,,macgregor1 ,m4,a4 ,with ,maps and ,illustrations4 ,crown #hvo1 ,cloth1 #b #ej4 ,,wallace',s ,,malay ,,archipelago4 ,the ,malay ,archipelago3 the ,land of the ,orang-,utan and the ,bird of ,paradise4 ,a ,narrative of ,travel1 #ahed-ahfb4 ,with ,studies of ,man and ,nature4 ,by ,,alfred ,,russel ,,wallace4 ,with ,ten ,maps and ,fifty-one ,elegant ,illustrations4 ,crown #hvo1 ,cloth1 #c #ej4 ,,whymper',s ,,alaska4 ,travel and ,adventure in the ,territory of ,alaska1 formerly ,russian ,america--now ,ceded to the ,united ,states--and in various other parts of the ,north ,pacific4 ,by ,,frederick ,,whymper4 ,with ,map and ,illustrations4 ,crown #hvo1 ,cloth1 #b #ej4 ,,orton',s ,,andes ,,and ,,the ,,amazon4 ,the ,andes and the ,amazon2 or1 ,across the ,continent of ,south ,america4 ,by ,,james ,,orton1 ,m4,a41 ,professor of ,natural ,history in ,vassar ,college1 ,poughkeepsie1 ,n4 ,y41 and ,corresponding ,member of the ,academy of ,natural ,sciences1 ,philadelphia4 ,with a ,new ,map of ,equatorial ,america and numerous ,illustrations4 ,crown #hvo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,,winchell',s ,,sketches ,,of ,,creation4 ,sketches of ,creation3 a ,popular ,view of some of the ,grand ,conclusions of the ,sciences in reference to the ,history of ,matter and of ,life4 ,together with a ,statement of the ,intimations of ,science respecting the ,primordial ,condition and the ,ultimate ,destiny of the ,earth and the ,solar ,system4 ,by ,,alexander ,,winchell1 ,,ll4,d41 ,professor of ,geology1 ,zoology1 and ,botany in the ,university of ,michigan1 and ,director of the ,state ,geological ,survey4 ,with ,illustrations4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,,white',s ,,massacre ,,of ,,st4 ,,bartholomew4 ,the ,massacre of ,st4 ,bartholomew3 ,preceded by a ,history of the ,religious ,wars in the ,reign of ,charles ,,ix4 ,by ,,henry ,,white1 ,m4,a4 ,with ,illustrations4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #a #ge4 ,,lossing',s ,,field-,,book ,,of ,,the ,,revolution4 ,pictorial ,field-,book of the ,revolution2 or1 ,illustrations1 by ,pen and ,pencil1 of the ,history1 ,biography1 ,scenery1 ,relics1 and ,traditions of the ,war for ,independence4 ,by ,benson ,j4 ,lossing4 #b vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #ad #jj2 ,sheep1 #ae #jj2 ,half ,calf1 #ah #jj2 ,full ,turkey ,morocco1 #bb #jj4 ,,lossing',s ,,field-,,book ,,of ,,the ,,war ,,of #ahab4 ,pictorial ,field-,book of the ,war of #ahab2 or1 ,illustrations1 by ,pen and ,pencil1 of the ,history1 ,biography1 ,scenery1 ,relics1 and ,traditions of the ,last ,war for ,american ,independence4 ,by ,,benson ,j4 ,,lossing4 ,with several hundred ,engravings on ,wood1 by ,lossing and ,barritt1 chiefly from ,original ,sketches by the ,author4 #ajhh pages1 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #g #jj2 ,sheep1 #h #ej2 ,half ,calf1 #aj #jj4 ,,alford',s ,,greek ,,testament4 ,the ,greek ,testament3 with a critically revised ,text2 a ,digest of ,various ,readings2 ,marginal ,references to ,verbal and ,idiomatic ,usage2 ,prolegomena2 and a ,critical and ,exegetical ,commentary4 ,for the ,use of ,theological ,students and ,ministers4 ,by ,,henry ,,alford1 ,d4,d41 ,dean of ,canterbury4 ,vol4 ,i41 containing the ,four ,gospels4 #idd pages1 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #f #jj2 ,sheep1 #f #ej4 ,,abbott',s ,,frederick ,,the ,,great4 ,the ,history of ,frederick the ,second1 called ,frederick the ,great4 ,by ,,john ,s4 ,c4 ,,abbott4 ,elegantly ,illustrated4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,abbott',s ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,french ,,revolution4 ,the ,french ,revolution of #aghi1 as viewed in the ,light of ,republican ,institutions4 ,by ,,john ,s4 ,c4 ,,abbott4 ,with #ajj ,engravings4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,abbott',s ,,napoleon ,,bonaparte4 ,the ,history of ,napoleon ,bonaparte4 ,by ,,john ,s4 ,c4 ,,abbott4 ,with ,maps1 ,woodcuts1 and ,portraits on ,steel4 #b vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #aj #jj4 ,,abbott',s ,,napoleon ,,at ,,st4 ,,helena2 or1 ,interesting ,anecdotes and ,remarkable ,conversations of the ,emperor during the ,five and a ,half ,years of his ,captivity4 ,collected from the ,memorials of ,las ,casas1 ,o',meara1 ,montholon1 ,antommarchi1 and others4 ,by ,,john ,s4 ,c4 ,,abbott4 ,with ,illustrations4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,addison',s ,,complete ,,works4 ,the ,works of ,joseph ,addison1 embracing the whole of the 8,spectator40 ,complete in #c vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #f #jj4 ,,alcock',s ,,japan4 ,the ,capital of the ,tycoon3 a ,narrative of a ,three ,years' ,residence in ,japan4 ,by ,sir ,,rutherford ,,alcock1 ,k4,c4,b41 ,her ,majesty's ,envoy ,extraordinary and ,minister ,plenipotentiary in ,japan4 ,with ,maps and ,engravings4 #b vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #c #ej4 ,,alison',s ,,history ,,of ,,europe4 ,,first ,,series3 ,from the ,commencement of the ,french ,revolution1 in #aghi1 to the ,restoration of the ,bourbons1 in #ahae4 ,in addition to the ,notes on ,chapter ,,lxxvi41 which correct the errors of the original work concerning the ,united ,states1 a copious ,analytical ,index has been appended to this ,american edition4 ,,second ,,series3 ,from the ,fall of ,napoleon1 in #ahae1 to the ,accession of ,louis ,napoleon1 in #aheb4 #h vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #af #jj4 ,,baldwin',s ,,pre-,,historic ,,nations4 ,pre-,historic ,nations2 or1 ,inquiries concerning some of the ,great ,peoples and ,civilizations of ,antiquity1 and their ,probable ,relation to a still ,older ,civilization of the ,ethiopians or ,cushites of ,arabia4 ,by ,,john ,d4 ,,baldwin1 ,member of the ,american ,oriental ,society4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ge4 ,,barth',s ,,north ,,and ,,central ,,africa4 ,travels and ,discoveries in ,north and ,central ,africa3 being a ,journal of an ,expedition undertaken under the ,auspices of ,h4 ,b4 ,m4's ,government1 in the ,years #ahdi-ahee4 ,by ,,henry ,,barth1 ,ph4,d41 ,d4,c4,l4 ,illustrated4 #c vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #ab #jj4 ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher',s ,,sermons4 ,sermons by ,,henry ,,ward ,,beecher1 ,plymouth ,church1 ,brooklyn4 ,selected from ,published and ,unpublished ,discourses1 and ,revised by their ,author4 ,with ,steel ,portrait4 ,complete in #b vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,lyman ,,beecher',s ,,autobiography1 c4 ,autobiography1 ,correspondence1 c41 of ,lyman ,beecher1 ,d4,d4 ,edited by his ,son1 ,,charles ,,beecher4 ,with ,three ,steel ,portraits1 and ,engravings on ,wood4 ,in #b vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,boswell',s ,,johnson4 ,the ,life of ,samuel ,johnson1 ,,ll4,d4 ,including a ,journey to the ,hebrides4 ,by ,,james ,,boswell1 ,esq4 ,a ,new ,edition1 with numerous ,additions and ,notes4 ,by ,,john ,,wilson ,,croker1 ,,ll4,d41 ,f4,r4,s4 ,portrait of ,boswell4 #b vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #d #jj4 ,,draper',s ,,civil ,,war4 ,history of the ,american ,civil ,war4 ,by ,,john ,w4 ,,draper1 ,m4,d41 ,,ll4,d41 ,professor of ,chemistry and ,physiology in the ,university of ,new ,york4 ,in ,three ,vols4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #c #ej per vol4 ,,draper',s ,,intellectual ,,development ,,of ,,europe4 ,a ,history of the ,intellectual ,development of ,europe4 ,by ,,john ,w4 ,,draper1 ,m4,d41 ,,ll4,d41 ,professor of ,chemistry and ,physiology in the ,university of ,new ,york4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,draper',s ,,american ,,civil ,,policy4 ,thoughts on the ,future ,civil ,policy of ,america4 ,by ,,john ,w4 ,,draper1 ,m4,d41 ,,ll4,d41 ,professor of ,chemistry and ,physiology in the ,university of ,new ,york4 ,crown #hvo1 ,cloth1 #b #ej4 ,,du ,,chaillu',s ,,africa4 ,explorations and ,adventures in ,equatorial ,africa3 with ,accounts of the ,manners and ,customs of the ,people1 and of the ,chase of the ,gorilla1 the ,crocodile1 ,leopard1 ,elephant1 ,hippopotamus1 and other ,animals4 ,by ,,paul ,b4 ,,du ,,chaillu4 ,numerous ,illustrations4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,bellows',s ,,old ,,world4 ,the ,old ,world in its ,new ,face3 ,impressions of ,europe in #ahfg-ahfh4 ,by ,,henry ,w4 ,,bellows4 #b vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #c #ej4 ,,brodhead',s ,,history ,,of ,,new ,,york4 ,history of the ,state of ,new ,york4 ,by ,,john ,,romeyn ,,brodhead4 #afji-afia4 #b vols4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #c #jj per vol4 ,,brougham',s ,,autobiography4 ,life and ,times of ,,henry1 ,,lord ,,brougham4 ,written by ,himself4 ,in ,three ,volumes4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj per vol4 ,,bulwer',s ,,prose ,,works4 ,miscellaneous ,prose ,works of ,edward ,bulwer1 ,lord ,lytton4 #b vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #c #ej4 ,,bulwer',s ,,horace4 ,the ,odes and ,epodes of ,horace4 ,a ,metrical ,translation into ,english4 ,with ,introduction and ,commentaries4 ,by ,,lord ,,lytton4 ,with ,latin ,text from the ,editions of ,orelli1 ,macleane1 and ,yonge4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ge4 ,,bulwer',s ,,king ,,arthur4 ,a ,poem4 ,by ,,earl ,,lytton4 ,new ,edition4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ge4 ,,burns',s ,,life ,,and ,,works4 ,the ,life and ,works of ,robert ,burns4 ,edited by ,,robert ,,chambers4 #d vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #f #jj4 ,,reindeer1 ,,dogs1 ,,and ,,snow-,,shoes4 ,a ,journal of ,siberian ,travel and ,explorations made in the ,years #ahfe-'fg4 ,by ,,richard ,j4 ,,bush1 late of the ,russo-,american ,telegraph ,expedition4 ,illustrated4 ,crown #hvo1 ,cloth1 #c #jj4 ,,carlyle',s ,,frederick ,,the ,,great4 ,history of ,friedrich ,,ii41 called ,frederick the ,great4 ,by ,,thomas ,,carlyle4 ,portraits1 ,maps1 ,plans1 c4 #f vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #ab #jj4 ,,carlyle',s ,,french ,,revolution4 ,history of the ,french ,revolution4 ,newly ,revised by the ,author1 with ,index1 c4 #b vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #c #ej4 ,,carlyle',s ,,oliver ,,cromwell4 ,letters and ,speeches of ,oliver ,cromwell4 ,with ,elucidations and ,connecting ,narrative4 #b vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #c #ej4 ,,chalmers',s ,,posthumous ,,works4 ,the ,posthumous ,works of ,dr4 ,chalmers4 ,edited by his ,son-in-,law1 ,rev4 ,,william ,,hanna1 ,,ll4,d4 ,complete in #i vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #ac #ej4 ,,coleridge',s ,,complete ,,works4 ,the ,complete ,works of ,samuel ,taylor ,coleridge4 ,with an ,introductory ,essay upon his ,philosophical and ,theological ,opinions4 ,edited by ,professor ,,shedd4 ,complete in ,seven ,vols4 ,with a fine ,portrait4 ,small #hvo1 ,cloth1 #aj #ej4 ,,curtis',s ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,constitution4 ,history of the ,origin1 ,formation1 and ,adoption of the ,constitution of the ,united ,states4 ,by ,,george ,,ticknor ,,curtis4 #b vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #f #jj4 ,,doolittle',s ,,china4 ,social ,life of the ,chinese3 with some ,account of their ,religious1 ,governmental1 ,educational1 and ,business ,customs and ,opinions4 ,with special but not exclusive ,reference to ,fuhchau4 ,by ,rev4 ,,justus ,,doolittle1 ,fourteen ,years ,member of the ,fuhchau ,mission of the ,american ,board4 ,illustrated with more than #aej characteristic ,engravings on ,wood4 #b vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,gibbon',s ,,rome4 ,history of the ,decline and ,fall of the ,roman ,empire4 ,by ,,edward ,,gibbon4 ,with ,notes by ,rev4 ,h4 ,h4 ,,milman and ,m4 ,,guizot4 ,a new cheap ,edition4 ,to which is added a complete ,index of the whole ,work1 and a ,portrait of the ,author4 #f vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #i #jj4 ,,harper',s ,,new ,,classical ,,library4 ,literal ,translations4 ,the following ,volumes are now ready4 ,portraits4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ej each4 ,c,,sar4--,,virgil4--,,sallust4--,,horac e4--,,cicero',s ,,orations4-- ,,cicero',s ,,offices1 ,c4--,,cicero ,,on ,,oratory ,,and ,,orators4-- ,,tacitus 7#b vols474--,,terence4--,,sophocles4--,,juv enal4-- ,,xenophon4--,,homer',s ,,iliad4--,,homer',s ,,odyssey4--,,herodotus4-- ,,demosthenes4--,,thucydides4--,,schylus 4--,,euripides 7#b vols474--,,livy 7#b vols474 ,,davis',s ,,carthage4 ,carthage and her ,remains3 being an ,account of the ,excavations and ,researches on the ,site of the ,phnician ,metropolis in ,africa and other adjacent ,places4 ,conducted under the ,auspices of ,her ,majesty's ,government4 ,by ,dr4 ,,davis1 ,f4,r4,g4,s4 ,profusely ,illustrated with ,maps1 ,woodcuts1 ,chromo-,lithographs1 c4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #d #jj4 ,,edgeworth',s 7,,miss7 ,,novels4 ,with ,engravings4 #aj vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #ae #jj4 ,,grote',s ,,history ,,of ,,greece4 #ab vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #ah #jj4 ,,helps',s ,,spanish ,,conquest4 ,the ,spanish ,conquest in ,america1 and its ,relation to the ,history of ,slavery and to the ,government of ,colonies4 ,by ,,arthur ,,helps4 #d vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #f #jj4 ,,hale',s 7,,mrs47 ,,woman',s ,,record4 ,woman's ,record2 or1 ,biographical ,sketches of all ,distinguished ,women1 from the ,creation to the ,present ,time4 ,arranged in ,four ,eras1 with ,selections from ,female ,writers of each ,era4 ,by ,mrs4 ,,sarah ,,josepha ,,hale4 ,illustrated with more than #bjj ,portraits4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,hall',s ,,arctic ,,researches4 ,arctic ,researches and ,life among the ,esquimaux3 being the ,narrative of an ,expedition in ,search of ,sir ,john ,franklin1 in the ,years #ahfj1 #ahfa1 and #ahfb4 ,by ,,charles ,,francis ,,hall4 ,with ,maps and #ajj ,illustrations4 ,the ,illustrations are from ,original ,drawings by ,charles ,parsons1 ,henry ,l4 ,stephens1 ,solomon ,eytinge1 ,w4 ,s4 ,l4 ,jewett1 and ,granville ,perkins1 after ,sketches by ,captain ,hall4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,hallam',s ,,constitutional ,,history ,,of ,,england1 from the ,accession of ,henry ,,vii4 to the ,death of ,george ,,ii4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,,hallam',s ,,literature4 ,introduction to the ,literature of ,europe during the ,fifteenth1 ,sixteenth1 and ,seventeenth ,centuries4 ,by ,,henry ,,hallam4 #b vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #d #jj4 ,,hallam',s ,,middle ,,ages4 ,state of ,europe during the ,middle ,ages4 ,by ,,henry ,,hallam4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,,hildreth',s ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,united ,,states4 ,,first ,,series3 ,from the ,first ,settlement of the ,country to the ,adoption of the ,federal ,constitution4 ,,second ,,series3 ,from the ,adoption of the ,federal ,constitution to the ,end of the ,sixteenth ,congress4 #f vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #ah #jj4 ,,hume',s ,,history ,,of ,,england4 ,history of ,england1 from the ,invasion of ,julius ,csar to the ,abdication of ,james ,,ii41 #afhh4 ,by ,,david ,,hume4 ,a new ,edition1 with the ,author's last ,corrections and ,improvements4 ,to which is ,prefixed a short ,account of his ,life1 written by ,himself4 ,with a ,portrait of the ,author4 #f vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #i #jj4 ,,jay',s ,,works4 ,complete ,works of ,rev4 ,william ,jay3 comprising his ,sermons1 ,family ,discourses1 ,morning and ,evening ,exercises for every ,day in the ,year1 ,family ,prayers1 c4 ,author's enlarged ,edition1 revised4 #c vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #f #jj4 ,,jefferson',s ,,domestic ,,life4 ,the ,domestic ,life of ,thomas ,jefferson3 compiled from ,family ,letters and ,reminiscences by his ,great-,granddaughter1 ,,sarah ,n4 ,,randolph4 ,with ,illustrations4 ,crown #hvo1 ,illuminated ,cloth1 ,beveled ,edges1 #b #ej4 ,,johnson',s ,,complete ,,works4 ,the ,works of ,samuel ,johnson1 ,,ll4,d4 ,with an ,essay on his ,life and ,genius1 by ,,arthur ,,murphy1 ,esq4 ,portrait of ,johnson4 #b vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #d #jj4 ,,kinglake',s ,,crimean ,,war4 ,the ,invasion of the ,crimea1 and an ,account of its ,progress down to the ,death of ,lord ,raglan4 ,by ,,alexander ,,william ,,kinglake4 ,with ,maps and ,plans4 ,two ,vols4 ready4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj per vol4 ,,kingsley',s ,,west ,,indies4 ,at ,last3 ,a ,christmas in the ,west ,indies4 ,by ,,charles ,,kingsley4 ,illustrated4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ej4 ,,krummacher',s ,,david1 ,,king ,,of ,,israel4 ,david1 the ,king of ,israel3 a ,portrait drawn from ,bible ,history and the ,book of ,psalms4 ,by ,,frederick ,,william ,,krummacher1 ,d4,d41 ,author of 8,elijah the ,tishbite10 c4 ,translated under the express ,sanction of the ,author by the ,rev4 ,m4 ,g4 ,,easton1 ,m4,a4 ,with a ,letter from ,dr4 ,krummacher to his ,american ,readers1 and a ,portrait4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ge4 ,,lamb',s ,,complete ,,works4 ,the ,works of ,charles ,lamb4 ,comprising his ,letters1 ,poems1 ,essays of ,elia1 ,essays upon ,shakspeare1 ,hogarth1 c41 and a ,sketch of his ,life1 with the ,final ,memorials1 by ,t4 ,,noon ,,talfourd4 ,portrait4 #b vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #c #jj4 ,,livingstone',s ,,south ,,africa4 ,missionary ,travels and ,researches in ,south ,africa2 including a ,sketch of ,sixteen ,years' ,residence in the ,interior of ,africa1 and a ,journey from the ,cape of ,good ,hope to ,loando on the ,west ,coast2 thence across the ,continent1 down the ,river ,zambesi1 to the ,eastern ,ocean4 ,by ,,david ,,livingstone1 ,,ll4,d41 ,d4,c4,l4 ,with ,portrait1 ,maps by ,arrowsmith1 and numerous ,illustrations4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #d #ej4 ,,livingstones' ,,zambesi4 ,narrative of an ,expedition to the ,zambesi and its ,tributaries1 and of the ,discovery of the ,lakes ,shirwa and ,nyassa4 #aheh-ahfd4 ,by ,,david and ,,charles ,,livingstone4 ,with ,map and ,illustrations4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,m#8,,clintock ,,strong',s ,,cyclop,,dia4 ,cyclopdia of ,biblical1 ,theological1 and ,ecclesiastical ,literature4 ,prepared by the ,rev4 ,,john ,m#8,,clintock1 ,d4,d41 and ,,james ,,strong1 ,s4,t4,d4 #c vols4 now ready4 ,royal #hvo4 ,price per vol41 ,cloth1 #e #jj2 ,sheep1 #f #jj2 ,half ,morocco1 #h #jj4 ,,marcy',s ,,army ,,life ,,on ,,the ,,border4 ,thirty ,years of ,army ,life on the ,border4 ,comprising ,descriptions of the ,indian ,nomads of the ,plains2 ,explorations of ,new ,territory2 a ,trip across the ,rocky ,mountains in the ,winter2 ,descriptions of the ,habits of ,different ,animals found in the ,west1 and the ,methods of ,hunting them2 with ,incidents in the ,life of ,different ,frontier ,men1 c41 c4 ,by ,brevet ,brigadier-,general ,r4 ,b4 ,,marcy1 ,u4,s4,a41 ,author of 8,the ,prairie ,traveller40 ,with numerous ,illustrations4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 ,beveled ,edges1 #c #jj4 ,,macaulay',s ,,history ,,of ,,england4 ,the ,history of ,england from the ,accession of ,james ,,ii4 ,by ,,thomas ,,babington ,,macaulay4 ,with an ,original ,portrait of the ,author4 #e vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #aj #jj2 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #g #ej4 ,,mosheim',s ,,ecclesiastical ,,history1 ,ancient and ,modern2 in which the ,rise1 ,progress1 and ,variation of ,church ,power are considered in their ,connection with the ,state of ,learning and ,philosophy1 and the ,political ,history of ,europe during that ,period4 ,translated1 with ,notes1 c41 by ,a4 ,,maclaine1 ,d4,d4 ,a new ,edition1 continued to #ahbf1 by ,c4 ,,coote1 ,,ll4,d4 #b vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #d #jj4 ,,nevius',s ,,china4 ,china and the ,chinese3 a ,general ,description of the ,country and its ,inhabitants2 its ,civilization and ,form of ,government2 its ,religious and ,social ,institutions2 its ,intercourse with other ,nations2 and its ,present ,condition and ,prospects4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,john ,l4 ,,nevius1 ,ten ,years a ,missionary in ,china4 ,with a ,map and ,illustrations4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #a #ge4 ,,olin',s 7,,dr47 ,,life ,,and ,,letters4 #b vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #c #jj4 ,,olin',s 7,,dr47 ,,travels4 ,travels in ,egypt1 ,arabia ,petra1 and the ,holy ,land4 ,engravings4 #b vols41 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #c #jj4 ,,olin',s 7,,dr47 ,,works4 ,the ,works of ,stephen ,olin1 ,d4,d41 late ,president of the ,wesleyan ,university4 #b vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #c #jj4 ,,oliphant',s ,,china ,,and ,,japan4 ,narrative of the ,earl of ,elgin's ,mission to ,china and ,japan1 in the ,years #aheg1 '#eh1 '#ei4 ,by ,,laurence ,,oliphant1 ,private ,secretary to ,lord ,elgin4 ,illustrations4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #c #ej4 ,,oliphant',s 7,,mrs47 ,,life ,,of ,,edward ,,irving4 ,the ,life of ,edward ,irving1 ,minister of the ,national ,scotch ,church1 ,london4 ,illustrated by his ,journals and ,correspondence4 ,by ,mrs4 ,,oliphant4 ,portrait4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #c #ej4 ,,rawlinson',s ,,manual ,,of ,,ancient ,,history4 ,a ,manual of ,ancient ,history1 from the ,earliest ,times to the ,fall of the ,western ,empire4 ,comprising the ,history of ,chalda1 ,assyria1 ,media1 ,babylonia1 ,lydia1 ,phnicia1 ,syria1 ,juda1 ,egypt1 ,carthage1 ,persia1 ,greece1 ,macedonia1 ,parthia1 and ,rome4 ,by ,,george ,,rawlinson1 ,m4,a41 ,camden ,professor of ,ancient ,history in the ,university of ,oxford4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #ej4 ,,reclus',s ,,the ,,earth4 ,the ,earth3 a ,descriptive ,history of the ,phenomena and ,life of the ,globe4 ,by ,,elis,e ,,reclus4 ,translated by the late ,b4 ,b4 ,woodward1 and ,edited by ,henry ,woodward4 ,with #bcd ,maps and ,illustrations1 and #bc ,page ,maps printed in ,colors4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,poets ,,of ,,the ,,nineteenth ,,century4 ,the ,poets of the ,nineteenth ,century4 ,selected and ,edited by the ,rev4 ,,robert ,,aris ,,willmott4 ,with ,english and ,american ,additions1 arranged by ,,evert ,a4 ,,duyckinck1 ,editor of 8,cyclopdia of ,american ,literature40 ,comprising ,selections from the ,greatest ,authors of the ,age4 ,superbly ,illustrated with #acb ,engravings from ,designs by the most ,eminent ,artists4 ,in elegant small #dto form1 printed on ,superfine ,tinted ,paper1 richly bound in extra ,cloth1 ,beveled1 ,gilt ,edges1 #f #jj2 ,half ,calf1 #f #jj2 ,full ,turkey ,morocco1 #aj #jj4 ,,shakspeare4 ,the ,dramatic ,works of ,william ,shakspeare1 with the ,corrections and ,illustrations of ,dr4 ,,johnson1 ,g4 ,,steevens1 and others4 ,revised by ,,isaac ,,reed4 ,engravings4 #f vols41 ,royal #abmo1 ,cloth1 #i #jj4 ,,smiles',s ,,life ,,of ,,the ,,stephensons4 ,the ,life of ,george ,stephenson1 and of his ,son1 ,robert ,stephenson2 comprising1 also1 a ,history of the ,invention and ,introduction of the ,railway ,locomotive4 ,by ,,samuel ,,smiles1 ,author of 8,self-,help10 c4 ,with ,steel ,portraits and numerous ,illustrations4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #c #jj4 ,,smiles',s ,,history ,,of ,,the ,,huguenots4 ,the ,huguenots3 their ,settlements1 ,churches1 and ,industries in ,england and ,ireland4 ,by ,,samuel ,,smiles4 ,with an ,appendix relating to the ,huguenots in ,america4 ,crown #hvo1 ,cloth1 #a #ge4 ,,speke',s ,,africa4 ,journal of the ,discovery of the ,source of the ,nile4 ,by ,captain ,,john ,,hanning ,,speke1 ,captain ,h4 ,m4 ,indian ,army1 ,fellow and ,gold ,medalist of the ,royal ,geographical ,society1 ,hon4 ,corresponding ,member and ,gold ,medalist of the ,french ,geographical ,society1 c4 ,with ,maps and ,portraits and numerous ,illustrations1 chiefly from ,drawings by ,captain ,,grant4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 uniform with ,livingstone1 ,barth1 ,burton1 c41 #d #jj4 ,,strickland',s 7,,miss7 ,,queens ,,of ,,scotland4 ,lives of the ,queens of ,scotland and ,english ,princesses connected with the ,regal ,succession of ,great ,britain4 ,by ,,agnes ,,strickland4 #h vols41 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #ab #jj4 ,,the ,,student',s ,,series4 ,france4 ,engravings4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,gibbon4 ,engravings4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,greece4 ,engravings4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,hume4 ,engravings4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,rome4 ,by ,liddell4 ,engravings4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,old ,testament ,history4 ,engravings4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,new ,testament ,history4 ,engravings4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,strickland's ,queens of ,england4 ,abridged4 ,engravings4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,ancient ,history of the ,east4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,hallam's ,middle ,ages4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,lyell's ,elements of ,geology4 #abmo1 ,cloth1 #b #jj4 ,,tennyson',s ,,complete ,,poems4 ,the ,complete ,poems of ,alfred ,tennyson1 ,poet ,laureate4 ,with numerous ,illustrations by ,eminent ,artists1 and ,three ,characteristic ,portraits4 #hvo1 ,paper1 #ge cents2 ,cloth1 #a #be4 ,,thomson',s ,,land ,,and ,,the ,,book4 ,the ,land and the ,book2 or1 ,biblical ,illustrations drawn from the ,manners and ,customs1 the ,scenes and the ,scenery of the ,holy ,land4 ,by ,w4 ,m4 ,,thomson1 ,d4,d41 ,twenty-five ,years a ,missionary of the ,a4,b4,c4,f4,m4 in ,syria and ,palestine4 ,with two elaborate ,maps of ,palestine1 an accurate ,plan of ,jerusalem1 and several hundred ,engravings1 representing the ,scenery1 ,topography1 and ,productions of the ,holy ,land1 and the ,costumes1 ,manners1 and ,habits of the ,people4 #b large #abmo vols41 ,cloth1 #e #jj4 ,,tyerman',s ,,wesley4 ,the ,life and ,times of the ,rev4 ,john ,wesley1 ,m4,a41 ,founder of the ,methodists4 ,by the ,rev4 ,,luke ,,tyerman1 ,author of 8,the ,life of ,rev4 ,samuel ,wesley40 ,portraits4 #c vols41 ,crown #hvo4 ,v,,mb,,ry',s ,,central ,,asia4 ,travels in ,central ,asia4 ,being the ,account of a ,journey from ,teheran across the ,turkoman ,desert1 on the ,eastern ,shore of the ,caspian1 to ,khiva1 ,bokhara1 and ,samarcand1 performed in the ,year #ahfc4 ,by ,,arminius ,v,,mb,,ry1 ,member of the ,hungarian ,academy of ,pesth1 by whom he was sent on this ,scientific ,mission4 ,with ,map and ,woodcuts4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 #d #ej4 ,,wood',s ,,homes ,,without ,,hands4 ,homes ,without ,hands3 being a ,description of the ,habitations of ,animals1 classed according to their ,principle of ,construction4 ,by ,j4 ,g4 ,,wood1 ,m4,a41 ,f4,l4,s4 ,with about #adj ,illustrations4 #hvo1 ,cloth1 ,beveled ,edges1 #d #ej4 ,transcriber's ,note3 ,words and phrases in italics are surrounded by underscores1 like this4 ,footnotes were renumbered sequentially and were moved to the end of each chapter4 ,there is no anchor for ,footnote #gjc4 ,it was added where it may belong4 ,there are two anchors to ,footnote #acd4 ,sidenotes displaying ,wesley's age were changed to follow the chapter title4 ,obsolete and alternative spellings were not changed4 ,nine misspelled words were corrected4