[356] _Methodist Magazine_, 1781, p. 295.
[357] _Methodist Magazine_, 1781, p. 352.
[358] As a specimen of popish jesuitry, it may be added,
that O’Leary’s Remarks upon Wesley’s Letter were
first printed in six successive numbers of the
_Freeman’s Journal_; but were afterwards reprinted
in London with the following title, “Mr. O’Leary’s
Remarks on the Rev. Mr. Wesley’s Letter in Defence
of the Protestant Associations in England, to which
are prefixed Mr. Wesley’s Letters.” This was a popish
deception, intended, no doubt, to cast upon Wesley
the odium incurred by the Protestant Association
during the Gordon riots. The truth is: (1) Wesley
had not written more than a few lines in defence of
the appeal of that Association. (2) His two replies
to O’Leary, published in the _Freeman’s Journal_,
were suppressed in O’Leary’s pamphlet. (3) A spurious
letter was inserted, and palmed on the public as
genuine, which Wesley declared was not his, and
one which he had never seen before O’Leary printed
it.--(_Methodist Magazine_, 1781, p. 295.)
[359] _Methodist Magazine_, 1853, p. 785.
[360] Manuscript.
[361] _Methodist Magazine_, 1853, p. 786.
[362] Banning’s Memoirs (private circulation).
[363] Wesley’s Works, vol. xii., p. 379.
[364] Jackson’s Life of C. Wesley, vol. ii., p. 327.
[365] Minutes of Methodist Conferences in America.
[366] Wesley’s Works, vol. xii., p. 137.
[367] Whitehead’s Life of Wesley, vol. ii., p. 392.
[368] Dr. Coke, a young man of thirty-three, displayed, at
this period, a fussy officiousness, which scarcely
redounded to his honour. He wrote to Bradburn, to
the effect, that he suspected that he also was an
Arian; though it was only four years before, that
Thomas Taylor, at the London conference, had blamed
Bradburn for “preaching _too much_ on the Divinity of
Christ, and for being _too warm against the Arians_.”
(“Memoirs of Bradburn,” p. 225.) In an unpublished
letter, addressed to Bradburn, and dated October,
1779, Wesley asks: “Is there any truth in the report
that John Hampson has converted you to Arianism?”
[369] Benson’s Life, by Macdonald, p. 108.
[370] Wesley’s Works, vol. xii., p. 137.
[371] Manuscript letters.
[372] _Methodist Magazine_, 1845, p. 117.
[373] Minutes, 1780.
[374] _Methodist Magazine_, 1795, p. 268.
[375] Wesley’s words were verified. At Monmouth Mr. Yewdall
was mobbed by a bellowing rabble; but the society
increased one third.
[376] Wesley’s Works, vol. xiii., p. 10.
[377] Whitehead’s Life of Wesley, vol. ii., p. 395.
[378] _Methodist Magazine_, 1781, p. 189.
[379] Wesley’s Works, vol. ix., p. 491.
[380] _Methodist Magazine_, 1781, p. 185.
[381] Everett’s Life of Clarke.
[382] Ibid.
[383] I am not quite sure of this. In 1780, a 12mo tract
of 12 pages was published with the following
title:--“Jesus, altogether Lovely: or, a Letter to
some of the Single Women of the Methodist Society.
London: Printed by R. Hawes; and sold at the New
Chapel, in the City Road; and at the Rev. Mr.
Wesley’s Preaching Houses, in town and country.
1780.” The letter is dated, “Hoxton, March 10, 1763.”
It enforces chastity, poverty, and obedience; and is
written in a style strongly resembling Wesley’s.
1781.
Age 78
Wesley purposed to visit Ireland in 1781, but was prevented doing so;
and, hence, the months he was accustomed to spend in that island were
spent in an irregular itinerancy through England and Wales. He now
entered on the seventy-ninth year of his age; and, to obtain something
like a correct idea of his amazing energy and toil, it may be useful
to trace his footsteps more minutely than we have been wont to do
during the last few years.
He writes: “January 1, 1781--We began, as usual, the service at four”
(in the morning) “praising Him who, maugre all our enemies, had
brought us safe to the beginning of another year.”
At this period, his nephews, Charles and Samuel Wesley, were
attracting great attention by their musical performances. They had won
the friendship of the great musical composers, Dr. Boyce, Dr. Nares,
and Dr. Burney. Lords Le Despencer, Barrington, Aylesford, Dudley, and
others, were enraptured with them. The Earl of Mornington, for some
years, breakfasted weekly with them. Dr. Howard, the distinguished
organist, declared concerning Samuel, that he seemed to have “dropped
down from heaven.” Charles was introduced to George III., with whom he
became a great favourite. The result of this unparalleled popularity
was the institution, in Wesley’s brother’s house, of the series of
select concerts, already referred to, which were continued for several
years, the regular subscribers varying in number from thirty to fifty,
though eighty persons were often present; including not a few of the
English nobility, besides the Bishop of London, and the Danish and
Saxon ambassadors. On January 25, Wesley was there, and wrote: “I
spent an agreeable hour at a concert of my nephews. But I was a little
out of my element among lords and ladies. I love plain music and plain
company best.”
It was during this brief sojourn in London, in the beginning of 1781,
that Wesley wrote his stinging sermon on “Little children, keep
yourselves from idols”;[384] and his able discourse on, “For this
purpose was the Son of God manifested, that He might destroy the works
of the devil.” In the former he terribly belabours the man of
business, who retires from the activities of town to the laziness of
country life, where his only employment is altering, enlarging,
rebuilding, or decorating the old mansion house he has purchased, and
improving the stables, outhouses, and grounds, without ever thinking
of the God of heaven any more than he thinks of the king of France. In
the latter sermon, he strikes a heavy blow at the heresy of Dr. Watts,
which Benson, at the conference of 1780, had been accused of
embracing. He writes:
“I cannot at all believe the ingenious dream of Dr. Watts,
concerning the glorious humanity of Christ, which he supposes
to have existed before the world began, and to have been endued
with, I know not what, astonishing powers. Nay, I look upon
this to be an exceeding dangerous, yea, mischievous hypothesis;
as it quite excludes the force of very many Scriptures, which
have been hitherto thought to prove the Godhead of the Son.
And, I am afraid, it was the grand means of turning that great
man aside from the faith once delivered to the saints; that is,
if he was turned aside, if that beautiful soliloquy be genuine,
which is printed among his posthumous works, wherein he so
earnestly beseeches the Son of God not to be displeased,
because he cannot believe Him to be coequal and coeternal with
the Father.”
Both these sermons enriched the _Arminian Magazine_ for 1781. In fact,
it is to the establishment of that periodical, that we are indebted
for many of the most elaborated sermons that Wesley ever published.
Besides the two above mentioned, Wesley, during the year 1781, wrote
at least three others. His sermon on “Zeal” is a remarkable
production, and was not inappropriate to the circumstances of a period
when so much excitement existed concerning popery. He says:
“Fervour for _opinion_ is not Christian zeal. How innumerable
are the mischiefs which this species of false zeal has
occasioned in the Christian world! How many of the excellent of
the earth have been cut off, by zealots, for the senseless
opinion of transubstantiation! Fervour for _indifferent things_
is not Christian zeal. How warmly did Bishop Ridley, and Bishop
Hooper, and other great men of that age, dispute about the
_sacerdotal vestments_! How eager was the contention, for
almost a hundred years, for and against wearing a surplice! Oh,
shame to man! I would as soon have disputed about a straw, or a
barleycorn!”[385]
Another of his homilies, written in 1781,[386] was his able discourse
on the province of reason in matters of religion; and another was his
unique sermon on “The Brute Creation,” in which he unhesitatingly
propounds the doctrine, not only that the brute creation will live
again, but likewise, that, when restored, they will possess a far
higher state of being than they possess at present; in fact, that they
will then be made what beasts, birds, insects, and fishes were when
first created.[387] This may seem a wild theory for an octogenarian to
advance; but it deserves more attention, on that account, than if it
had been an imaginative rocket let off by a stripling in his teens.
While on the subject of sermons, it may be added, that it was now
Wesley published, in his _Arminian Magazine_, his remarkable discourse
on the “Danger of Riches,”--the first of a series on that subject,
which he continued to issue to the end of life, and in which wealthy
Methodists and others are lashed with terrific power. “I do not
remember,” says he, “that in threescore years I have heard one sermon
preached on this subject. And what author, within the same term, has
declared it from the press? I do not know one. I have seen two or
three who just touch upon it; but none that treat of it professedly. I
have myself frequently touched upon it in preaching, and twice in what
I have published to the world: once in explaining our Lord’s sermon on
the mount, and once in the discourse on the mammon of unrighteousness.
But I have never yet either published or preached any sermon expressly
upon the subject. It is high time I should; that I should at length
speak as strongly and explicitly as I can, in order to leave a full
and clear testimony behind me, whenever it pleases God to call me
hence.”
One extract from this striking sermon must suffice.
“O ye Methodists, hear the word of the Lord! I have a message
from God to all men; but to _you_ above all. For above forty
years, I have been a servant to you and to your fathers. And I
have not been as a reed shaken by the wind; I have not varied
in my testimony. I have testified to you the very same thing,
from the first day even until now. But _who hath believed our
report_? I fear not many rich. I fear there is need to apply to
some of _you_ those terrible words of the apostle: ‘Go to now,
ye rich men! Weep and howl for the miseries which shall come
upon you. Your gold and silver is cankered, and the rust of
them shall witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it
were fire.’ Certainly it will, unless you both save all you
can, and give all you can. But who of you hath considered this,
since you first heard the will of the Lord concerning it? Who
is now determined to consider and practise it? By the grace of
God, begin to-day!
“O ye _lovers of money_, hear the word of the Lord! Suppose ye,
that money, though multiplied as the sand of the sea, can give
you happiness? Then you are _given up to a strong delusion, to
believe a lie_--a palpable lie, confuted daily by a thousand
experiments. Open your eyes. Look all around you! Are the
richest men the happiest? Have those the largest share of
content, who have the largest possessions? Is not the very
reverse true? Is it not a common observation, that the richest
of men are, in general, the most discontented, the most
miserable? Had not the far greater part of them more content,
when they had less money? Look into your own breasts. If you
are increased in goods, are you proportionably increased in
happiness? You have more substance; but have you more content?
You know the contrary. You know that, in seeking happiness from
riches, you are only striving to drink out of empty cups. And
let them be painted and gilded ever so finely, they are empty
still.”
Before we recur to Wesley’s journal, an unpublished letter may be
acceptable.
The preachers now labouring in the Sheffield circuit were James
Rogers, Alexander M‘Nab, and Samuel Bardsley. Mr. Rogers writes: “One
of my fellow labourers did not lovingly draw in the same yoke, and
soon after left the connexion. The uneasiness occasioned in the
society by his disaffection, for some months, threatened us with
disagreeable consequences; and our enemies expected a considerable
division among us; but ‘He that sitteth above the waterfloods’ found
means to prevent it. So that instead of losing in our number, we
found, at the end of the year, an increase of ninety-seven members.”
Of course, this refers to Alexander M‘Nab, who had rebelled against
Wesley’s authority in 1779. Samuel Bardsley was a man of peace, and,
moreover, one of the most laborious preachers Wesley had. Besides his
pulpit labours, he had rendered great service to the Sheffield
society, by a preaching excursion, undertaken for the purpose of
obtaining subscriptions for their chapel. His collecting book is
before us, with a list of the collections he made, and the donations
he obtained, in a tour extending from Sheffield to York, thence to
Hull, and thence, along the east coast, to Newcastle on Tyne.
Altogether, he gathered the sum of £89 15_s._ 11_d._; and, in doing
this, made thirty-one public collections, amounting, in the aggregate,
to £30 15_s._ 6¾_d._, and begged the balance of £59 0_s._
4¼_d._, of considerably more than three hundred different
subscribers, including in this number the inhabitants of not fewer
than forty-four towns and villages, whose munificent donations are
lumped together. When Bardsley had completed his tour, Wesley wrote
him as follows.
“NEAR LONDON, _February 10, 1781_.
“DEAR SAMMY,--I did not doubt but you would agree with the
people of Sheffield. They are a loving and affectionate people.
I am glad you were so successful in your labour of love for
them. That assistance was very seasonable.
“That misunderstanding, which was troublesome for a season, may
now be buried for ever. I am perfectly well satisfied, both of
the honesty and affection, both of brother Woodcroft and
brother Birks. So Satan’s devices are brought to nought.
“I doubt not but James Rogers and you recommend our books in
every place, and the magazines in particular, which will be a
testimony for me, when I am no more seen.
“I am, dear Sammy, your affectionate brother,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[388]
On the 12th of February, Wesley set out on a week’s excursion to
Norfolk and back again to London, preaching at least ten sermons on
the way;[389] and, in wintry weather, travelling more than two hundred
miles.
Having spent a few more days in London, he then started, on Sunday,
March 4, (as he thought,) for Ireland, but spent a fortnight in the
vicinity of Bath and Bristol. Leaving Bristol on March 19, eleven days
were occupied in reaching Manchester, during which he preached more
than twenty sermons, some of them in the open air.
On March 30, he opened the chapel in Oldham Street, Manchester. He
writes: “Friday, March 30--I opened the new chapel at Manchester,
about the size of that in London. The whole congregation behaved with
the utmost seriousness. I trust much good will be done in this place.
Sunday, April 1--I began reading prayers at ten o’clock. Our country
friends flocked in from all sides. At the communion was such a sight
as I am persuaded was never seen in Manchester before: eleven or
twelve hundred communicants at once; and all of them fearing God.”
Thus began the history of a building, which, next to the chapel in
City Road, is the most interesting Methodist edifice in existence.
First of all, the Manchester Methodists had been located in a
miserable room on or near the present site of Bateman’s Buildings.
Removing thence, in 1750, they worshipped for thirty years in their
first chapel, which, up to a recent period, was a warehouse in Birchin
Lane.[390] Among the first members, in that old chapel, were: Mary
Bromley, for seventy years a Methodist, who died happy in God, at the
age of eighty-nine, in 1826:--Mrs. Leech, an upright follower of
Christ, who expired in the full assurance of a blessed immortality in
1770:--John Morris, whose autobiography, in the _Arminian Magazine_
for 1795, will be found to be full of more than romantic
interest:--Mr. Fildes, who, in the same year in which Raikes began his
work at Gloucester, opened a Sunday-school in a Manchester cellar, a
second in a garret, and a third in the first room in Manchester built
expressly for Sunday-school purposes, a room erected at Mr. Fildes’
own expense, behind his own dwelling house, in the neighbourhood of
London Road:[391]--Adam Oldham, a feltmaker, one of the first trustees
of Birchin Lane chapel,[392] who lived in a house on the site which
the Albion Hotel now occupies, for many years a useful Methodist,[393]
but afterwards a rich backslider, to whom Oldham Street owes its
name:--Richard Barlow, who, for sixty-five years, rose at half-past
four in summer, and at five in winter:--Mr. Brierley, a member of
Peter Kenworthy’s class, the leading singer in Oldham Street chapel,
and afterwards a magistrate:--John Moseley, a poor hatter in Millgate,
the grandfather of Sir Oswald Moseley, from whom Moseley Street
derived its name:--and Mrs. Bennett, a relative of John Moseley’s, and
the first female classleader in Manchester.[394] We wish we had space
for details respecting these old Manchester Methodist worthies, who
deserve far more honourable record than they have yet received.
From Manchester, Wesley went to Bolton, where he writes: “The society
here are true, original Methodists. They are not conformed to the
world, either in its maxims, its spirit, or its fashions; but are
simple followers of the Lamb; consequently they increase both in grace
and number.”
This was a high compliment to pay to George Escrick and his friends.
Their old chapel in New Acres had been converted into cottages; and,
in 1776, they had built another in Ridgway Gates, though not without a
united and great effort. The Rev. Mr. Fowles, a clergyman, had the
management of a sandbed from which they had to obtain their sand; and
hearing of their intentions, he announced, that, after the expiration
of five days, the sand would be charged half-a-crown a load. This, to
the poor Methodists, was a serious matter; but George Escrick was a
man of too much energy to be easily defeated. Accordingly, he, at
once, requested all the Methodists, young and old, strong and feeble,
active and otherwise, to repair with him to the sandpit, and to dig
and convey away all the sand they needed. To a man, they obeyed
George’s injunction, and, in a single day, got as much as their
intended chapel was likely to require. Michael Fenwick was then their
preacher, and kept running over the half-a-mile distance, between the
site of the new chapel and the clerical sandbed, encouraging the
people in their task, and, at one time, wanting to sing the hymn
beginning with “Before Jehovah’s awful throne”; but blunt George
Escrick, the weaver, imperatively stopped his spiritual superior,
telling him to take a spade in his hand, for there was a time for all
things, and this was a time to dig.
In this old Ridgway Gates chapel, William Grime used to conduct a band
meeting every Sunday morning at four o’clock; and, beneath it, Parson
Greenwood, one of the circuit preachers, whose only home was two
neighbouring attics, used to keep his victuals.[395] The head of the
circuit was Liverpool, and the following were the munificent sums
contributed quarterly, by the several societies, in 1776, when the
chapel was completed. Liverpool, £5 8_s._ 9_d._; Bolton, £7 14_s._
7_d._; Preston, 11_s._; Wigan, £1 10_s._; Meols, 11_s._; Top of Coal
Pits, 17_s._; Edgeworth, 10_s._ 6_d._; Moulden Water, 7_s._;
Shackerley, 10_s._; Aspul Moor, 7_s._; Chowbent, 10_s._ 6_d._;
Warrington, £1 1_s._; Northwich, £1 1_s._; Budworth, 12_s._ 3_d._;
Little Leigh, £1 9_s._ 6_d._; and Lamberhead Green, 7_s._ 6_d._ Such
was Liverpool circuit in 1776; and, out of these Methodist
contributions, three Methodist preachers and their families had to be
supported. No wonder that the cupboard, beneath the pulpit of the old
chapel, was big enough to serve Parson Greenwood for a pantry.
From Bolton, Wesley went to Wigan, and preached a funeral sermon for
Betty Brown, one of the first members of Wigan society, “beloved of
God, the delight of His children, a dread to wicked men, and a torment
to devils.”
Leaving Wigan, Wesley proceeded to Chester, and thence to Alpraham,
where he did for “good old sister Cawley, a mother in Israel, and a
pattern of all good works,” what he had done for Betty Brown. Arriving
at Warrington, he says: “I put a stop to a bad custom, which was
creeping in here: a few men, who had fine voices, sang a psalm which
no one knew, in a tune fit for an opera, wherein three, four, or five
persons sung different words at the same time! What an insult upon
common sense! What a burlesque upon public worship! No custom can
excuse such a mixture of profaneness and absurdity.”
Desiring to reach Ireland as soon as possible, Wesley embarked at
Liverpool, on the 12th of April; but, on getting out to sea, was
overtaken with a storm; and, in an hour, was so affected as he had not
been for forty years before. For two days, he was unable to swallow
anything solid larger than a pea, and was bruised and sore from head
to foot, and ill able to turn himself in bed. The sea grew rougher;
the horses of Wesley and his companions became turbulent; and the
hatches were closed. Water, three feet in depth, was in the hold; the
ship refused to obey the helm, and was furiously driving on lee shore.
Wesley says: “I called our brethren, Floyd, Snowden, and Bradford, to
prayers; and we found free access to the throne of grace. Soon after,
we got, I know not how, into Holyhead harbour, after being
sufficiently buffeted by the winds and waves for two days and two
nights. The more I considered, the more I was convinced, it was not
the will of God I should go to Ireland at this time. So we went into
the stage coach without delay, and the next evening came to Chester.”
Baffled in his purpose to visit Ireland, Wesley set out on a preaching
tour to Whitchurch, Shrewsbury, Brecon, Broseley, Worcester,
Brecknock, Carmarthen, Pembroke, Haverfordwest, Tracoon, Newport,
Narberth, Llanelly, Swansea, Neath, Bridgend, Cowbridge, Cardiff, and
Monmouth. On the 16th of May, he got back to Worcester, having
completed the circuit in a month, and preached about thirty times.
He now proceeded to Kidderminster, Salop, Whitchurch, Nantwich,
Northwich, and, on May 18, arrived in Manchester, having preached each
night and morning.
At Manchester, he writes: “I preached a funeral sermon for Mary
Charlton, an Israelite indeed. From the hour that she first knew the
pardoning love of God, she never lost sight of it for a moment. Eleven
years ago, she believed that God had cleansed her from all sin; and
she showed, that she had not believed in vain, by her holy and
unblamable conversation.”
Molly Charlton was the sweetheart of good old Samuel Bardsley, the
only one he ever had. They wished to marry; but the difficulty of
providing for married preachers was so great, that Wesley and Pawson
interfered, and the nuptial engagement was broken off. In four quarto
manuscript volumes, containing Bardsley’s diary, and in Pawson’s
letter concerning this business, and likewise the letter of poor
disappointed Molly (all in the writer’s possession), there are some
racy facts, and traits of personal character, which may be given to
the public at some future time.
Leaving Manchester on May 21, Wesley made his way to Warrington,
Chowbent, Bolton, Kabb, Blackburn, and Preston.
In reference to the last mentioned place, he writes: “May 24--I went
on to Preston, where the old prejudice seems to be quite forgotten.
The little society has fitted up a large and convenient room, where I
preached to a candid audience. Every one seemed to be considerably
affected.”
Who was the founder of this little society? Twelve years previous to
Wesley’s visit, John Wood, one of the first Methodists at Padiham,
attended Preston sessions, to obtain a licence to preach. Having
granted it, one of the magistrates, a clergyman, seeing a number of
rude and noisy people outside the sessions house, said to John,
perhaps with more sarcasm than sincerity: “There, go and reform that
crowd!” John bowed, thanked his worship for his licence, left the
court, entered the crowd in full authority, and preached in
peace.[396] Six years after this, in 1775, Samuel Bradburn formed the
first Methodist class in Preston;[397] and now, in 1781, Martha
Thompson, Roger Crane, William Bramwell, of immortal memory, and a few
others, had hired an old calendering house, in Lord Street, for a
place of meeting, and had fairly begun a work in proud Preston, which,
despite the popery of the place, has grown into one of the most
prosperous societies in the kingdom.
Wesley next proceeded to the Isle of Man, where he spent eight days,
“visited the island round, east, south, north, and west”; preached, at
least, a dozen times; and, in a population of thirty thousand, found
above two thousand Methodists, with a score of “stout, well looking”
local preachers, not surpassed in England. “I was thoroughly
convinced,” says he, “that we have no such circuit as this, either in
England, Scotland, or Ireland. It is shut up from the world; and,
having little trade, is visited by scarce any strangers. Here are no
papists, no Dissenters of any kind, no Calvinists, no disputers. Here
is no opposition, either from the governor, from the bishop, or from
the bulk of the clergy. One or two of them did oppose for a time; but
they seem now to understand better. So that we have now rather too
little than too much reproach. The natives are a plain, artless,
simple people; unpolished, that is, unpolluted; few of them are rich
or genteel; the far greater part, moderately poor. The local preachers
are men of faith and love, knit together in one mind and one judgment.
They speak either Manx or English, and follow a regular plan, which
the assistant gives them monthly.”
On leaving the Isle of Man, Wesley proceeded to Newcastle, preaching,
on the way, at Cockermouth, Ballantyne, and Carlisle.
Can it be that this flying evangelist was an old man of nearly eighty?
No wonder that he sometimes sang--
“Oh that without one lingering groan
I may the welcome word receive,
My body with my charge lay down,
And cease at once to work and live!”
Without work, Wesley could not live. The following unpublished letter,
written at this period, is strongly characteristic of the man. It was
addressed to Samuel Bradburn, at Keighley.
“_June 16, 1781._
“DEAR SAMMY,--We have no supernumerary preachers, except John
Furz, who is so from old age. If John Oliver lives till the
conference, and desires it, I suppose he may be upon the same
footing. The more exercise he uses, winter or summer, the more
health he will have. I can face the north wind at seventy-seven
better than I could at seven-and-twenty. But if you _moan over
him_, you will kill him outright. A word in your ear. I am but
half pleased with Christopher Hopper’s proceedings.[398] I do
not admire _fair weather preachers_. You must stop local
preachers who are loaded with debt. There are few healthier
places in England than Keighley. Neither Dublin nor Cork is to
compare with it. But have a care! or you will kill Betsy! Do
not constrain God to take her away!
“I am, dear Sammy, your affectionate friend and brother,
“JOHN WESLEY.”
Wesley spent eight days at Newcastle, and in its vicinity, and
preached, at least, ten or a dozen times. He then visited his
societies between there and York. At Thirsk, in a letter to his
brother, Wesley wrote:
“THIRSK, _June 27, 1781_.
“DEAR BROTHER,--This is the last day of my seventy-eighth year;
and (such is the power of God) I feel as if it were my
twenty-eighth. Next Saturday, I expect to be at Epworth; the
second, at Boston; the third, at Sheffield. I take the
opportunity of a broken year, to visit those parts of
Lincolnshire, which I have not seen before, but once, these
twenty years.
“From several, I have lately heard, that God has blessed your
preaching. See your calling! ‘Cease at once to work and live!’
Peace be with all your spirits!
“JOHN WESLEY.”[399]
Two days after this, Wesley arrived at Epworth, and wrote: “I have now
preached thrice a day for seven days following; but it is just the
same as if it had been but one.” Twelve days were spent in
Lincolnshire, during which he preached more than a score of sermons.
Among other places, Grantham was favoured with his ministry. He
writes: “July 9--I preached at Grantham, in the open air, for no house
would contain the congregation; and none made the least disturbance.”
At the village of Welby, the Rev. W. Dodwell was minister; and, in his
church, Wesley preached twice on the day before he preached at
Grantham. Mr. Dodwell was the pastor of Welby parish for nearly half a
century, and died in 1824, when he presented, by deed of gift, £10,000
to the Wesleyan Missionary Society, and an equal sum to the British
and Foreign Bible Society.[400] He was present at Wesley’s conference
of preachers in 1782.[401]
After visiting many other societies in Lincolnshire during the next
ten days, Wesley, on July 23, “passed into Yorkshire,” and preached at
Yeadon, Bradford, Halifax, Greetland, Huddersfield, Longwood House,
Mirfield, Daw Green, Birstal, Tadcaster, York, Malton, Scarborough,
Beverley, Hull, and Pocklington; and, at the beginning of August,
arrived in Leeds, for the purpose of holding his annual conference;
but, before giving an account of its proceedings, two letters to two
ladies, both written on the same day, will be acceptable. The first
was to his niece, Miss Sarah Wesley, then a young lady about
twenty--afterwards a personal friend of a large and distinguished
literary circle, including Mrs. Hannah More, Miss Porter, Miss Aikin,
Miss Edgeworth, Mrs. Barbauld, and others,--and who died in 1828, at
the age of sixty-eight, some of her last words being, “I have peace,
but not joy.”[402]
“NEAR LEEDS, _July 17, 1781_.
“MY DEAR SALLY,--Without an _endeavour_ to please God, and to
give up our own will, we never shall attain His favour. But
till we have attained it, till we have the Spirit of adoption,
we cannot actually give up our own wills to Him. Shall I tell
you freely what I judge to be the grand hindrance to your
attaining it? Yea, to your attaining more health both of body
and mind than you have ever had, or, at least, for a long
season? I believe it is, what very few people are aware of,
intemperance in sleep. All are intemperate in sleep, who sleep
more than nature requires; and how much it does require is
easily known. There is, indeed, no universal rule,--none that
will suit all constitutions. But, after all the observations
and experience I have been able to make for upwards of fifty
years, I am fully persuaded that men, in general, need between
six and seven hours’ sleep in twenty-four; and women, in
general, a little more,--namely between seven and eight.
“But what ill consequences are there in lying longer in
bed,--suppose nine hours in four-and-twenty?
“1. It hurts the body. Whether you sleep or no, (and, indeed,
it commonly prevents sound sleep,) it, as it were, soddens and
parboils the flesh, and sows the seeds of numerous disorders;
of all nervous diseases in particular, as weakness, faintness,
lowness of spirits, nervous headaches, and consequent weakness
of sight.
“2. It hurts the mind; it weakens the understanding; it blunts
the imagination; it weakens the memory; it dulls all the nobler
affections. It takes off the edge of the soul, impairs its
vigour and firmness, and infuses a wrong softness, quite
inconsistent with the character of a good soldier of Jesus
Christ. It grieves the Holy Spirit of God, and prevents, or, at
least, lessens, those blessed influences which tend to make
you, not almost, but altogether, a Christian.
“I advise you, therefore, from this day forward, not trusting
in yourself, but in Him that raiseth the dead, to take exactly
so much sleep as nature requires. If you need between seven and
eight hours, then, in the name of God, begin this very night,
in spite of all temptation to the contrary. Lie down at ten
o’clock, and rise between five and six, whether you sleep or
no. If your head aches in the day, bear it. In a week you will
sleep sound. If you can take this advice, you may receive more
from,
“My dear Sally, yours most affectionately,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[403]
The other letter was addressed to Miss Bishop, who became a Methodist
about the year 1767, and who, from that time, had been one of Wesley’s
correspondents. Many of his most spiritual letters were written to
this Christian lady, who, though poor, was a gentlewoman. For some
years, she had kept a school in Bath or its neighbourhood; but, in
1777, had been seized with spitting of blood, and had been thrown upon
the kindness of her friends in Bristol.[404] Recently, however, she
had commenced another school at Keynsham, which, said Wesley, “is
worthy to be called a Christian school;”[405] though, it would seem,
some of the Bristol people wished to make it more fashionable than
Wesley liked.
“NEAR LEEDS, _July 17, 1781_.
“MY DEAR SISTER,--If I live to meet the society in Bristol
again, I shall kill or cure the fault of those unwise and
unkind parents, who make their children finer than themselves.
I shall make their ears tingle. As to you, I advise you, first,
to be a Bible Christian yourself, inwardly and outwardly. Be
not a hair’s breadth more conformable to the fashions of the
world than you were when I saw you last. Then, train up your
children in the selfsame way. Say to them, with all mildness
and firmness, ‘Be ye followers of me, even as I am of Christ.’
Whoever is pleased or displeased, keep to this; to _Christian,
primitive simplicity_. Perhaps you will at first lose some
scholars thereby; but regard it not: God will provide you more.
And be assured, nothing shall be wanting that is in the power
of,
“My dear sister, your affectionate friend and brother,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[406]
Two or three other letters may be given here. The first is copied from
the original now before us, and, we believe, has not before been
published.
“NEAR LEEDS, _July 25, 1781_.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,--As long as you give yourself up to God
without reserve, you may be assured He will give you His
blessing. Indeed, you have already received a thousand
blessings; but the greatest of all is yet behind,--Christ in a
sinless heart, reigning the Lord of every motion there. It is
good for you to hold fast what you have attained, and to be
continually aspiring after this. And you will never find more
life in your own soul than while you are earnestly exhorting
others to go on to perfection. Many will blame you for doing
it; but regard not that. Go on, through honour and dishonour.
_This one thing I do_, is your motto; I will save my own soul
and them that hear me.
“I am, your affectionate brother,
“J. WESLEY.”
Wesley had told his niece, that, if she took his advice with respect
to sleep, she might hear from him again. It seems, the advice was
adopted; hence the following letter, written seven weeks after the
former one.
“BRISTOL, _September 4, 1781_.
“MY DEAR SALLY,--It is certain the Author of our nature
designed that we should not destroy, but regulate, our desire
for knowledge. What course you may take in order to this, I
will now briefly point out.
“1. You want to know God, in order to enjoy Him in time and
eternity.
“2. All you want to know of Him is contained in one book, the
Bible. And all that you learn is to be referred to this, either
directly or remotely.
“3. Would it not be well, then, to spend, at least, an hour a
day in reading and meditating on the Bible? reading, every
morning and evening, a portion of the Old and New Testament,
with the Explanatory Notes?
“4. Might you not read two or three hours in the morning, and
one or two in the afternoon? When you are tired of severer
studies, you may relax your mind by history or poetry.
“5. The first thing you should understand a little of is
grammar. You may read first Kingswood English Grammar, and then
Bishop Lowth’s Introduction.
“6. You should acquire, if you have not already, some knowledge
of arithmetic. Dilworth’s Arithmetic would suffice.
“7. For geography, I think you need only read over Randal’s or
Guthrie’s Geographical Grammar.
“8. Watts’ Logic is not a very good one; but I believe you
cannot find a better.
“9. In natural philosophy, you have all that you need to know
in the ‘Survey of the Wisdom of God in Creation.’ But you may
add the Glasgow abridgment of Mr. Hutchinson’s works.
“10. With any, or all, of the foregoing studies, you may
intermix that of history. You may begin with Rollin’s Ancient
History; and afterwards read, in order, the Concise History of
the Church, Burnet’s History of the Reformation, the Concise
History of England, Clarendon’s History of the Rebellion,
Neal’s History of the Puritans, his History of New England, and
Robertson’s History of America.
“11. In metaphysics, you may read Locke’s Essay on the Human
Understanding, and Malebranche’s Search after Truth.
“12. For poetry, you may read Spenser’s Fairy Queen, and select
parts of Shakspeare, Fairfax, or Hoole; Godfrey of Bouillon,
Paradise Lost, the Night Thoughts, and Young’s Moral and Sacred
Poems.
“13. You may begin and end with divinity; in which I will only
add, to the books mentioned before, Bishop Pearson on the
Creed, and the Christian Library. By this course of study, you
may gain all the knowledge which any reasonable Christian
needs. But remember, before all, in all, and above all, your
great point is, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ
whom He hath sent.
“I am, my dear Sally, your affectionate uncle,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[407]
Though Miss Wesley was now in her twenty-first year, and had yet to
begin Kingswood English Grammar, still, assuming that henceforward she
acted upon the advice of her venerable uncle, it is not surprising,
that she ultimately became the well informed woman which her father’s
biographer says she was. Her brother Charles was three years older
than herself; her brother Samuel six years younger. The brothers were
musical prodigies; their uncle took a deep interest in their welfare;
and wrote to Charles, on August 4, and September 8, 1781, as follows.
“MY DEAR CHARLES,--There is a debt of love, which I should have
paid before now; but I must not delay it any longer. I have
long observed you with a curious eye; not as a musician, but as
an immortal spirit, that is come forth from God the Father of
spirits, and is returning to Him in a few moments. But have you
well considered this? Methinks, if you had, it would be ever
uppermost in your thoughts. For what trifles, in comparison of
this, are all the shining baubles in the world! God has
favoured you with many advantages. You have health, strength,
and a thousand outward blessings. And why should you not have
all inward blessings, which God hath purchased for those that
love Him? You are good humoured, mild, and harmless; but,
unless you are born again, you cannot see the kingdom of God!
You are now, as it were, on the crisis of your fate; just
launching into life, and ready to fix your choice, whether you
will have God or the world for your happiness. You cannot avoid
being very frequently among elegant men and women, that are
without God in the world; but, as your _business_, rather than
your _choice_, calls you into the fire, I trust that you will
not be burnt; seeing He, whom you desire to serve, is able to
deliver you, even out of the burning fiery furnace.
“I am, dear Charles, your very affectionate uncle,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[408]
Charles Wesley, junior, who had been already introduced to the court
of George III., lived to become the organist of George IV., and the
musical preceptor of the long lamented Princess Charlotte. He never
married; but resided, first with his widowed mother, and then with his
sister Sarah,--was a man of deep devotional feeling, an attendant at
Methodist chapels, a lover of Methodist preachers, and died, in 1834,
humming Handel’s music, and was buried in the same grave as his father
and mother in Marylebone churchyard. Poor Samuel was seduced into the
popish church before he arrived at the age of twenty; and, thereby,
brought the grey hairs of his father with sorrow to the grave. He
composed a high mass for the use of the chapel of Pope Pius VI., and
received that pontiff’s thanks.[409] Like many others, he found it an
easy step from popery to infidelity, and wrote: “In this life, my only
consolation is in the belief of fatalism, which, although a gloomy
asylum, is as bright as I can bear, till convinced of that truth which
a launch into the great gulf only can demonstrate.” He survived his
brother Charles and his sister Sarah; in his last days became a
penitent; died in 1837; and was buried in the sepulchre of his
parents.[410]
The conference of 1781 was a memorable gathering. It was preceded, on
Sunday, August 5, by a service in the parish church, at Leeds, such as
was probably never witnessed within its walls, either before or since.
Wesley preached; eighteen clergymen, inclusive of himself, Coke, and
Fletcher, were present; and, at the Lord’s supper, there were about
eleven hundred communicants, the ordinance being administered by
Wesley and ten other ministers.[411]
Connexional affairs created anxiety. Thomas Taylor, in his manuscript
diary, remarks: “I feel much concern respecting several things; but
how to have them remedied I cannot tell. Many things are exceedingly
wrong; but whom to trust to attempt amendment I know not. I sometimes
think, the whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint.”
Wesley writes: “August 6--I desired Mr. Fletcher, Dr. Coke, and four
more of our brethren, to meet every evening, that we might consult
together on any difficulty that occurred. On August 7, our conference
began, at which were present about seventy preachers, whom I had
severally invited to come and assist me with their advice, in carrying
on the great work of God.”
The burden of so many preachers being present was found to be greater
than the Leeds society could conveniently bear; and it was agreed that
every preacher should pay the expenses of his horse keep during the
conference sittings. There were more preachers’ wives in the connexion
than there were houses to lodge them, or money to find them
maintenance; and it was resolved, that no more married preachers
should be admitted, except in cases of necessity.[412] Some of the
preachers had printed, both in verse and prose, without Wesley’s
consent or correction. Among others, James Kershaw had recently issued
a quarto sized book, of 134 pages, entitled, “The Methodist; attempted
in Plain Metre.” It was thought, that these productions had brought a
reproach upon the Methodists, and had hindered the spreading of more
profitable books; and it was determined that, in future, no preacher
should print anything till it had been corrected by Wesley, and that
the profits thereof should go into the common stock. Wesley’s Notes on
the Old Testament had now been published sixteen years, and yet the
edition had not been sold. To get rid of the remaining copies, it was
directed that they should be sold at half price.
A number of Methodists at Baildon, in Yorkshire, had written to
Wesley, stating that, in accordance with his instructions, they
attended the services of their parish church; but their minister
preached what they considered to be “dangerously false doctrine,”
inasmuch as he publicly declared, that men “must not hope to be
perfected in love, on this side eternity”; and this had made them
doubt whether they ought to hear him. Wesley laid their letter before
the conference, and, as the difficulty applied to many others besides
the Methodists at Baildon, he invited a friendly and free discussion.
It was unanimously agreed: (1) That it was highly expedient, that all
the Methodists, who had been bred therein, should attend the service
of the church as often as possible. But that, (2) If the minister
began either to preach the absolute decrees, or to rail at, and
ridicule Christian perfection, they should quietly go out of the
church; yet attend it again the next opportunity.” Wesley adds: “I
have, since that time, revolved this matter over and over in my mind;
and the more I consider it, the more I am convinced, this was the best
answer that could be given. Only, I must earnestly caution our friends
not to be critical; not to make a man an offender for a word; no, nor
for a few sentences, which any who believe the decrees may drop
without design.”[413] “It is a delicate and important point, on which
I cannot lay down any general rule. All I can say, at present, is, if
it does not hurt you, hear them; if it does, refrain. Be determined by
your own conscience.”[414]
But this was not all that occurred, on the Church question, at the
conference of 1781. One of the principal Methodists, in Leeds, was
William Hey, now in the forty-fifth year of his age, a medical man of
great repute, an intimate friend and correspondent of Dr. Priestley,
and who had been a Methodist for seven-and-twenty years. Mr. Hey
intimated to Wesley his desire to address the conference, and to offer
some suggestions and advice; declaring, at the same time, that, if his
proposals were rejected, he could no longer remain a member of the
Methodist society. By Wesley’s permission he began to read a paper, to
the effect, that Dissenting ideas had been, for many years, gradually
growing among the Methodists. In proof of this, he held that the
Methodists preached in places already supplied with pious ministers;
that meetings in some instances were held in church hours; that the
intervals of church service were so filled up with public and private
assemblies, that there was no time for suitable refreshment, nor
opportunity for instructing families; that many of the largest
societies rarely went to church, and some never carried their children
there; and that church ministers, who formed societies for private
instruction, were looked upon with an envious eye. Such were the
complaints which Mr. Hey intended to lay before the conference; but,
as he proceeded, the marks of disapprobation were such that Wesley
interposed, and said: “As there is much other business before us,
brother Hey must defer reading the remainder of his paper to another
time.”
Brother Hey forthwith left the society; a few months later he was
elected alderman; and, more than once, filled the office of chief
magistrate in the town of Leeds. Of his ability and piety there can be
no question; but Wesley was not prepared to allow him to be the
dictator of the Methodists.[415]
No sooner was the conference over than the venerable Wesley again set
out on his gospel wanderings. He preached at Sheffield, and then,
taking coach with Dr. Coke, travelled day and night till he arrived in
London. Two days were spent in the metropolis, and then off he set, on
Sunday night, August 19, by coach to Cornwall. We need not follow him.
Suffice it to say, that, in eight days, he preached in Cornwall, at
least, thirteen sermons, five of them in the open air, and one in
Gwennap Pit, to a congregation computed at more than twenty thousand
people.
On September 6, he got back to Bristol, in the neighbourhood of which,
according to his custom, he spent a month. While here, he wrote the
following characteristic letter to Mr. Elijah Bush, a young
schoolmaster at Midsomer Norton, who wished to marry a lady to whom
his father and mother objected.
“COLEFORD, _September 11, 1781_.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,--I was much concerned yesterday, when I heard
you were likely to marry a woman against the consent of your
parents. I have never, in an observation of fifty years, known
such a marriage attended with a blessing. I know not how it
should be, since it is flatly contrary to the fifth
commandment. I told my own mother, pressing me to marry, ‘I
dare not allow you a positive voice herein; I dare not marry a
person because you bid me. But I must allow you a negative
voice: I will marry no person if you forbid. I know it would be
a sin against God.’ Take care what you do. Mr. S. is not a
proper judge: he hopes to separate you from the Methodists; and
I expect, if you take this step, that will be the end.
“I am, your affectionate brother,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[416]
Mr. Bush acted upon Wesley’s advice; became the leader of the Midsomer
Norton society, and a local preacher; and died a faithful Methodist in
1845.[417]
There are other unhappy marriages besides those contrary to the fifth
commandment. Wesley’s was one. For thirty years, he paid a fearful
penalty for his rash act in 1751; but now his matrimonial misery
ended. Leaving Bristol on October 7, and preaching on his way at
Devizes, Sarum, Winchester, and in the Isle of Wight, he arrived in
London on October 12, and, under the same date, wrote in his journal:
“I was informed my wife died on Monday.” (October 8.) “This evening
she was buried, though I was not informed of it till a day or two
after.”
Mourning for such a wife would have been hypocrisy. Three days after,
on October 15, the widower set out to visit his societies in
Oxfordshire. On a similar errand, he went off to Norfolk. On November
5, he began meeting the London classes, and says: “I found a
considerable increase in the society. This I impute chiefly to a small
company of young persons, who have kept a prayer-meeting at five every
morning.” He then set out on his tours through Northamptonshire,
Huntingdonshire, Bedfordshire, Sussex, and Kent, and concluded the
year in London.
The war still raged; English disasters were multiplied; the ministry
was tottering, and soon after fell; with which fall the conflict in
America concluded. It was at this period, that a rumour gained
credence, that the administration intended to propose the embodying of
the militia, and their being exercised on Sundays. Wesley was an
ardent friend of the ministry of Lord North; and, of course, a staunch
defender of the sanctity of the sabbath. Accordingly, towards the
close of 1781, he addressed the following letter to a nobleman, then
high in office.
“MY LORD,--If I wrong your lordship, I am sorry for it; but I
really believe your lordship fears God: and I hope your
lordship has no unfavourable opinion of the Christian
revelation. This encourages me to trouble your lordship with a
few lines, which otherwise I should not take upon me to do.
“Above thirty years ago, a motion was made in parliament for
raising and embodying the militia, and for exercising them, to
save time, on Sunday. When the motion was like to pass, an old
gentleman stood up and said: ‘Mr. Speaker, I have one objection
to this: I believe an old book, called the Bible,’ The members
looked at one another, and the motion was dropped.
“Must not all others, who believe the Bible, have the very same
objection? And from what I have seen, I cannot but think, these
are still three fourths of the nation. Now, setting religion
out of the question, is it expedient to give such a shock to so
many millions of people at once? And certainly it would shock
them extremely; it would wound them in a very tender part. For
would not they, would not all England, would not all Europe,
consider this as a virtual repeal of the Bible? And would not
all serious persons say, ‘We have little religion in the land
now; but, by this step, we shall have less still. For wherever
this pretty show is to be seen, the people will flock together;
and will lounge away so much time before and after it, that the
churches will be emptier than they are at present!’
“My lord, I am concerned for this on a double account. First,
because I have personal obligations to your lordship, and would
fain, even for this reason, recommend your lordship to the love
and esteem of all over whom I have any influence. Secondly,
because I now reverence your lordship for your office sake, and
believe it to be my bounden duty to do all, that is in my
little power, to advance your lordship’s influence and
reputation.
“Will your lordship permit me to add a word in my old fashioned
way? I pray Him, that has all power in heaven and earth, to
prosper all your endeavours for the public good; and am, my
lord, your lordship’s willing servant,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[418]
For some reason, no such bill was introduced into parliament. A few
months later, Lord North and his colleagues tendered to the king their
resignation, and peace negotiations were commenced.
Before concluding the present year, it only remains to notice Wesley’s
publications in 1781.
1. “An Extract of a Letter to the Right Honourable Lord Viscount
H----e, on his Naval Conduct in the American War.” 12mo, 27 pages.
2. “A Concise Ecclesiastical History, from the Birth of Christ to the
Beginning of the present Century. In four volumes.” 12mo. The
proposals for printing this work by subscription are now before us;
from which it appears, that the price of the four volumes, to
subscribers, was ten shillings, and that booksellers, subscribing for
six copies, should have a seventh gratis. The book, in fact, is
Wesley’s abridgment of Mosheim, to which is added, “A Short History of
the People called Methodists,” filling 112 printed pages, and dated
“London, November 16, 1781.”
3. The _Arminian Magazine_. 8vo, 688 pages. In his preface, Wesley
says: “I dare not fill up any publication of mine with bits and
scraps, to humour any one living. It is true, I am not fond of verbose
writers, neither of very long treatises. I conceive, the size of a
book is not always the measure of the writer’s understanding. Nay, I
believe, if angels were to write books, we should have very few
folios. But, neither am I fond of tracts, that begin and end before
they have cleared up anything.”
Besides six original sermons, the principal article, in the magazine
of 1781 is Wesley’s own translation of Castellio’s Dialogues on
Predestination. There is a long and interesting account of Kingswood
school. Wesley writes:--“I love the very sight of Oxford; but my
prejudice in its favour is considerably abated: I do not admire it as
I once did; and, whether I did or not, I am now constrained to make a
virtue of necessity.” He then refers to the expulsion, and exclusion
of students, because of their being Methodists; and continues: “I am
much obliged to Dr. Nowell and others, for not holding me longer in
suspense, but dealing so frankly and openly. And, blessed be God! I
can do all the business, which I have in hand, without them. Honour or
preferment I do not want, any more than a feather in my cap; and I
trust, most of those who are educated at our school are, and will be,
of the same mind. As to the knowledge of the tongues, and of arts and
sciences, with whatever is termed academical learning, if those who
have a tolerable capacity for them do not advance more at Kingswood in
three years, than the generality of students at Oxford and Cambridge
do in seven, I will bear the blame for ever.” He then meets the
objection, that young men could not have at Kingswood the advantages
they would have at the university, from professors, tutors, public
exercises, and company. He maintains, that it would be no loss to the
universities if all their professorships were abolished. Some of the
tutors, he admits, were worthy of all honour, but many were utterly
unqualified for the work they had undertaken. As to the public
exercises, he himself had never “found them any other than useless
interruptions of useful studies.” As to company, he writes: “It is
most true, that the moment a young man sets his foot either in Oxford
or Cambridge, he is surrounded with company of all kinds, except that
which will do him good; with loungers and triflers of every sort; with
men who no more concern themselves with learning than with religion.
Company, therefore, is usually so far from being an advantage to those
who enter at either university, that it is the grand nuisance, as well
as disgrace, of both; the pit that swallows unwary youths by
thousands. I bless God! we have no such _choice of company at
Kingswood_; nor ever will, till my head is laid. There is no trifler,
no lounger, no drone there; much less any drunkard, sabbath breaker,
or common swearer. Whoever accounts this a disadvantage may find a
remedy at any college in Oxford or Cambridge.”