[532] City Road society book.
[533] _Methodist Magazine_, 1824, p. 307.
[534] Wesley’s Works, vol. xii., p. 143.
[535] Ibid. vol. xiii., p. 61.
[536] Wesley’s Works, vol. xiii., p. 66.
[537] _Methodist Magazine_, 1828, p. 46.
[538] Ibid. 1799, p. 161.
[539] Wesley’s Works, vol. xi., p. 334
[540] Among other places, Wesley preached at St. Austell,
where his host had a little girl, twelve years
of age, who had recently been admitted into the
Methodist society by Adam Clarke. That little girl
is now Mrs. Shaw, aged ninety-eight, and well
remembers Wesley taking her, more than once, in
his carriage for a drive, and showing her other
marks of affectionate attention. Mrs. Shaw--happy,
intelligent, and full of faith,--is a mother in
Israel, and probably the oldest Methodist now living.
The writer has in his possession, in Mrs. Shaw’s
own handwriting, a beautiful hymn of five stanzas,
composed by her, in the month of May, 1869.
[541] Thomas Dixon’s manuscript autobiography.
1786.
Age 83
Wesley spent the first two months of 1786 in London. He went to the
House of Lords at the opening of parliament, and heard King George
III. read the royal speech. He writes: “How agreeably was I surprised.
He pronounced every word with exact propriety. I much doubt whether
there be any other king in Europe, that is so just and natural a
speaker.”
Wesley had a remarkable season at City Road. While preaching, the
power of God came down; the preacher broke out in prayer; and the
congregation burst into a loud and general cry.
Of his own religious feelings he wrote:
“February 24, 1786.--I do not remember to have heard or read
anything like my own experience. Almost ever since I can
remember, I have been led on in a peculiar way. I go on in an
even line, being very little raised at one time, of depressed
at another. Count Zinzendorf observes, there are three
different ways wherein it pleases God to lead His people. Some
are guided, almost in every instance, by apposite texts of
Scripture. Others see a clear and plain reason for everything
they are to do. And, yet, others are led not so much by
Scripture and reason as by particular impressions. I am very
rarely led by impressions, but generally by reason and by
Scripture. I see abundantly more than I feel. I want to feel
more love and zeal for God.”[542]
On February 26, Wesley set out, in a snowstorm, on a journey which
occupied more than the next four months. His first halt was at
Newbury, where he had “a large and serious congregation;” but where,
he says, he passed such a night as he had not passed for forty years,
his lodging room being as cold as the outward air. He writes: “I could
not sleep at all till three in the morning. I rose at four, and set
out at five.”
The next fortnight was spent at Bristol and in its vicinity. On
Sunday, March 5, he went through an amount of labour which would have
appalled most men half his age. “I read prayers,” says he, “and
preached, and administered the sacrament to about five hundred
communicants. At three, I preached in Temple church; at five in the
New Room.”
Eight days later, he started off to Scotland, when the roads were
blocked up with snow, and the weather intensely cold. More than a week
was spent at Birmingham: during which he had another sacramental
service, as large as that at Bristol; and preached at Madeley a
funeral sermon for the sainted Fletcher, taking as his text Revelation
xiv. 1-7.[543] At Lane End, after it was dark, and in a piercingly
cold wind, he says: “I was constrained to preach abroad; and none of
us seemed to regard the weather, for God warmed our hearts.” At
Burslem, in the same inclement season, the congregation was such, that
the venerable preacher was obliged again to take his stand in the open
air. After preaching at Congleton, Macclesfield, and other places, he
came to Chapel-en-le-Frith, where a large number had been converted,
but who needed discipline. He writes: “Frequently three or four, yea,
ten or twelve, pray aloud all together. Some of them, perhaps many,
scream all together as loud as they possibly can. Some use improper,
yea, indecent, expressions in prayer. Several drop down as dead, and
are as stiff as a corpse; but, in a while, they start up, and cry,
‘Glory! Glory!’ perhaps twenty times together. Just so do the French
prophets, and very lately the jumpers, in Wales, bring the real work
into contempt. Yet, whenever we reprove them, it should be in the most
mild and gentle manner possible.”
At Bolton, he had, in his congregation, five hundred and fifty
children, all scholars in the Methodist Sunday-school; and it was
either now, or soon after, that he preached to them a sermon, from
Psalm xxxiv. 11, in which he engaged to use no word of more than two
syllables, and literally fulfilled his pledge.[544]
His congregations throughout Lancashire, and the west riding of
Yorkshire, were enormous, often compelling him to preach out of doors.
His popularity was greater than ever. Churches were offered for his
use; and accepted, at Haworth, Bingley, Heptonstall, Todmorden,
Horsforth, and York. Persecution had ceased; and everywhere the
Christian veteran was greeted with the welcomes of admiring and loving
crowds.
Leaving York on the 8th of May, Wesley, for the first time, visited
the town of Easingwold, where was a class of seventeen members, the
leader of which was John Barber;[545] and where a chapel had been
built, costing £140, only half of which was paid.[546] To open this
was the object of Wesley’s visit.
He then proceeded to Scotland, where the Methodists were now really a
distinct and separated church; for not only had Hanby, Pawson, and
others been ordained, and invested with gown and bands, but sacraments
were administered; and, while society tickets admitted to society
meetings and the lovefeasts, circular metal tokens seemed to become
the badge of church membership, having on one side the letters “M.
C.,” and on the other the words, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” The
tokens admitted the owners to the table of the Lord.
On the 1st of June, Wesley laid the foundation stone of a new chapel
at Alnwick; and, on the following Sunday, preached three times out of
doors, to vast congregations, at Gateshead and Newcastle.
On the 5th of June, he set out southwards. Pursuing his usual route,
he came to Hull, a fortnight afterwards, and, at the vicar’s
invitation, preached twice to immense crowds “in one of the largest
parish churches in England.” The next day, he rode seventy-six miles,
and preached at Malton, Pocklington, and Swinfleet. “Sufficient,” says
he, “for this day was the labour thereof; but still I was no more
tired than when I rose in the morning.” Can such a fact as this be
paralleled? The day after, he preached at Crowle, and Epworth; and the
next day after that, at Scotter, Brigg, and Grimsby. At Louth, for the
first time, he saw the people “affected.” At Gainsborough, his old
friend, Sir Nevil Hickman, was dead; but he made the yard of his house
his preaching place. On Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25, he
preached at New Inn, Newark, Retford, Misterton, Overthorpe, and
Epworth, six times, at six different towns, in two days, the preacher
himself eighty-three years of age!
He writes: “1786, June 30--I turned aside to Barnsley, formerly famous
for all manner of wickedness. They were then ready to tear any
Methodist preacher to pieces. Now not a dog wagged his tongue. I
preached near the market place to a large congregation; and, I
believe, the word sunk into many hearts; they seemed to drink in every
word. Surely God will have a people in this place.”
Wesley might well speak of the brutal wickedness of Barnsley. Three
years before, a man resolved to murder Henry Longden, ran up to him
while preaching, aimed a blow which would probably have been fatal,
but Longden leaped aside, and providentially escaped.[547] On another
occasion, Jeremiah Cocker, while preaching in the market place, was
pulled down, dragged through the streets, and pelted with rotten eggs,
one of which had a dead gosling in it. Cocker applied to the vicar of
Sheffield for protection; the rioters were committed for trial at the
Rotherham sessions; but were acquitted, on the ground that, though the
preacher was licensed to preach, the spot he chose was not licensed as
a preaching place! Here John Barber, a few months before Wesley’s
visit, was saluted with a shower of stones, was seriously hurt, and
was rescued by a friendly quaker, who lived in “Barnsley Folly.” At
another time, a mob, of some hundreds, assembled with cows’ horns,
drums, and other noisy instruments, and most effectually prevented the
preacher being heard. Mr. Raynor, a currier, having lent his house for
preaching, the Barnsley roughs made a bonfire at the door, compelled
the congregation to seek egress by some other way, and pelted them
most mercilessly with filth of the foulest kind. Such are specimens of
the treatment received by the poor Methodists in Barnsley, between the
years 1780 and 1786. The society was small, not numbering a dozen
members; and they had no preaching room, except Raynor’s house, till
about 1792, when Alexander Mather secured a small chamber over a
weaver’s shop in Church Street.[548]
From Barnsley, Wesley went to Sheffield, where he selected as his
text, “It is high time to awake out of sleep”; and an anonymous hearer
sent him a letter, saying, that he could remember nothing that he
said, except that “rising early was good for the nerves!” Here he
spent several days, held the quarterly meeting and a lovefeast,
administered the sacrament to six or seven hundred persons, visited
Wentworth House, baptized Joseph Benson’s infant daughter,[549] and
was Mr. Holy’s guest. After preaching, crowds were wont to follow him
to his hospitable lodging; the streets were lined, and the windows of
the houses thronged with eager but respectful gazers, Wesley all the
while emptying his pockets in scattering gifts among the poor. A vast
concourse of people assembled on the green, at the front of Mr. Holy’s
house; Wesley walked into the midst of them, knelt down, and asked God
to bless them. The place became a Bochim; the crowd wept and literally
wailed at the thought of losing him; he prayed again; and then darted
into Mr. Holy’s dwelling, and hid himself.[550] What a contrast to the
reception given to his brother in 1743!
His visit to Wentworth House has been mentioned. It is a curious fact,
but attentive readers of Wesley’s journal will easily perceive, that,
as Wesley grew older, he took far more interest in visiting scenes of
beauty and historic buildings than he did in the earlier parts of his
illustrious career. How to account for this, we know not; but so it
was.
Tradition says, that Wesley was accompanied by Mr. Birks, of Thorpe,
and that, when they were leaving, Mr. Birks asked Mr. Hall, the
steward, if it would be agreeable for Mr. Wesley to pray with the
family before he left. Permission was courteously given; the household
were summoned; and Wentworth House was none the worse for the prayer
which the arch Methodist offered beneath its roof.
From Sheffield, Wesley proceeded, by way of Belper and Derby, to
Ilkestone. This was his first and last visit to the last mentioned
town, and the circumstances connected with it are worth relating. For
many years, the only Methodist in Ilkestone had been a poor old woman.
The preachers preached, but, apparently, without effect. At length,
the old woman died, and John Crook resolved to preach a funeral
sermon. A large congregation assembled at the front of a public house.
Mr. Crook stood upon a stone used by travellers for mounting horses.
The sermon was worthy of the Methodist apostle of the Isle of Man;
and, at its close, the preacher received a message from the vicar of
the parish, requesting him to wait upon him next morning. John went,
and was received with kindness. “Sir,” said the clergyman, “I heard
you preach last night with pleasure; in what college were you
educated?” “I never attended college,” was the answer. “Sir,” rejoined
the vicar, “I have heard many of the heads of our universities preach,
but I never heard a defence of our establishment equal to yours. You
are welcome to my pulpit next Sunday.” Crook replied, that he was not
ordained; and proposed that, instead of preaching _within_ the church,
he should preach at the church’s door. The proposal was accepted; the
vicar published from the pulpit the intended service; the itinerant
selected as his text, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be
saved; he that believeth not shall be damned;” under that sermon, the
priest was deeply convinced of sin, and next Sunday told his
congregation, that he was an earnest seeker of salvation; he learnt
that Crook was one of Wesley’s preachers, and sent to Wesley an
invitation;[551] and here, on Thursday July 6, we find him. He writes:
“Though the church is large, it was sufficiently crowded. The vicar
read prayers with great earnestness and propriety; I preached; and the
people seemed all ear. Surely good will be done in this place; though
it is strongly opposed both by the Calvinists and Socinians.”
Good was done. Among Wesley’s hearers was a joiner, Richard Birch.
Wesley’s discourse reached his heart. He was converted; and, finding
that there was in the town a class of four Methodists, he became the
fifth; and, before the year expired, he and his friends built a
chapel.
Wesley arrived in London, after an absence of nearly twenty weeks, on
July 13. Four days were spent in town, and then he started off again
to Bristol, for the purpose of holding his annual conference. He
writes:
“July 25, Tuesday--Our conference began: about eighty preachers
attended. We met every day at six and nine in the morning, and
at two in the afternoon. On Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning,
the characters of the preachers were considered. On Thursday,
in the afternoon, we permitted any of the society to be
present; and weighed what was said about separating from the
Church; but we all determined to continue therein, without one
dissenting voice; and I doubt not but this determination will
stand, at least, till I am removed into a better world. The
conference concluded on Tuesday morning, August 1. Great had
been the expectations of many, that we should have had warm
debates; but, by the mercy of God, we had none at all;
everything was transacted with great calmness; and we parted,
as we met, in peace and love.”
Separation from the Church was again the great question of the day.
From the above extract, taken from his journal, it is evident, that
Wesley was more than apprehensive that such a separation would occur
subsequent to his decease; but it is equally evident, that he was glad
to have it postponed till then. In an unpublished letter to Thomas
Taylor, dated February 21, 1786, he writes: “The wise bishop Gibson
once said, ‘Why cannot these gentlemen leave the Church? Then they
could do no more harm.’ Read ‘no more good,’ and it would have been a
truth. I believe, if we had then left the Church, we should not have
done a tenth of the good which we have done. But I do not insist upon
this head. I go calmly and quietly on my way, doing what I conceive to
be the will of God. I do not, will not, concern myself with what will
be done when I am dead. I take no thought about that. If I did, I
should probably shut myself up at Kingswood or Newcastle, and leave
you all to yourselves.”
“I love the Church,” said Wesley to his brother, in letters written
during the spring of 1786, “as sincerely as ever I did; and I tell our
societies everywhere, ‘The Methodists will not leave the Church, at
least while I live.’” “Eight or ten preachers, it is probable (but I
have not met with one yet), will say something about leaving the
Church, before the conference. It is not improbable many will be
driven out of it where there are Calvinist ministers.”
Such were Wesley’s wishes, and such were his apprehensions. Wesley
expected eight or ten of his preachers to bring the business before
conference. This was done by Dr. Coke, who had returned from his
_episcopal_ tour in the United States. Mr. Pawson writes:
“Dr. Coke thought, that our public services in the large towns
ought to be held in church hours, and was freely speaking in
the conference upon that subject, and urging its necessity from
the fact that nearly all the converted clergymen in the kingdom
were Calvinists. Upon hearing this, Mr. Charles Wesley, with a
very loud voice, and in great anger, cried out, ‘No,’ which was
the only word he uttered during the whole of the conference
sittings. Mr. Mather, however, got up and confirmed what Dr.
Coke had said, which we all knew to be a truth.”[552]
This debate seems to have issued in the adoption of a document, which
Wesley drew up three days before the conference met.
“In what cases do we allow of service in church hours? I
answer:
“1. When the minister is a notoriously wicked man.
“2. When he preaches Arian, or any equally pernicious doctrine.
“3. When there are not churches in the town sufficient to
contain half the people.
“4. Where there is no church at all within two or three miles.
“We advise every one, who preaches in the church hours, to read
the psalms and lessons, with part of the church prayers;
because, we apprehend, this will endear the church service to
our brethren, who probably would be prejudiced against it, if
they heard none but extemporary prayer.”
Considering the character of not a few of the ministers of the Church
of England in 1786; remembering the number of pulpits from which were
preached Arianism, and especially Calvinism, both of which the
Methodists considered “_pernicious doctrines_”; and, further, bearing
in mind, the scanty provision made by the Established Church for the
great populations, these concessions, in reference to having Methodist
services in church hours, were really much more extensive than, at
first sight, appears.
This was the last conference at which Charles Wesley was present. At
its conclusion, he preached from his favourite text, “I will bring the
third part through the fire;” and told the congregation, that, after
the death of himself and his brother, there would be a split among the
Methodists, and not more than a third part of the preachers and of the
people would remain faithful to the Established Church. Upon these,
however, God would pour out His Spirit more abundantly than ever, and
His work would prosper in their hands. “This,” said he, “was the case
with the Moravians when Count Zinzendorf died. So it was when Mr.
Whitefield was removed; and thus it will be with the Methodists.”[553]
Before the conference was concluded, Charles Wesley wrote as follows
to the Rev. Mr. Latrobe, Moravian minister in London:
“My brother, and I, and the preachers were unanimous for
continuing in the old ship. The preachers of a Dissenting
spirit will probably, after our death, set up for themselves,
and draw away disciples after them. An old baptist minister,
forty years ago, told me, he looked on the Methodists as a
seminary for the Dissenters. My desire and design, from the
beginning to this day, is, to leave them in the lap of their
mother. The bishops might, if they pleased, save the largest
and soundest part of them back into the Church; perhaps to
leaven the whole lump, as Archbishop Potter said to me. _But I
fear, betwixt you and me, their lordships care for none of
these things._ The great evil, which I have dreaded for near
fifty years, is a schism.”[554]
Other matters were debated at the conference of 1786. The old rules
respecting the windows, doors, and pews of chapels were to be strictly
observed and kept; and no assistant was to allow collections for a new
chapel, “till every step had been taken to secure it, on the
conference plan, by a trust deed, a bond, or sufficient articles of
agreement.” And Wesley concluded by giving the following advices to
the preachers. (1) To re-establish morning preaching, in all large
towns, at least; and to exert themselves in restoring the bands, and
the select societies. (2) Always to conclude the service in about an
hour. (3) Never to scream. (4) Never to lean upon, or beat the Bible.
(5) Wherever they preached, to meet the society. (6) Not to go home at
nights, except in cases of the utmost necessity. (7) Never to preach
funeral sermons, but for eminently holy persons, to preach none for
hire, and to beware of panegyric, particularly in London. (8) To hold
more lovefeasts. (9) To introduce no new tunes; to see that none sing
too slow, and that the women sing their parts; and to exhort all to
sing, and all to stand at singing, as well as to kneel at prayers.
(10) To let none repeat the last line, unless the preacher does. And,
(11) To inform the leaders, that every assistant is to change both the
stewards and the leaders when he sees good; and that no leader has
power to put any person either into or out of the society.
Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Antigua were now Methodist circuits,
and had, unitedly, nine itinerant preachers, and 2179 members of
society. These were Methodist missions, though not designated such.
And here let it be remarked, that the Methodist Missionary Society was
really founded in 1784. Where is the proof of this?
The following is an exact copy of a printed document, kindly lent by
the Rev. G. Mather, and addressed, by Dr. Coke, to “The Rev. Mr.
Fletcher, at Madeley, near Shiffnal, Cheshire.”
“A Plan of the Society for the Establishment of Missions among
the Heathen.
“1. Every person who subscribes two guineas yearly, or more, is
to be admitted a member of the society.
“2. A general meeting of the subscribers shall be held annually
on the last Tuesday in January.
“3. The first general meeting shall be held on the last Tuesday
in January 1784, at No. 11, in West Street, near the Seven
Dials, London, at three o’clock in the afternoon.
“4. At every general meeting, a committee of seven, or more,
shall be chosen, by the majority of the subscribers, to
transact the business of the society for the ensuing year.
“5. The general meeting shall receive and examine the accounts
of the committee, for the preceding year, of all sums paid to
the use of the society, of the purposes to which the whole or
any part thereof shall have been applied, and also the report
of all they have done, and the advices they have received.
“6. The committee, or the majority of them, shall have power:
First, to call in the sums subscribed, or any part thereof, and
to receive all collections, legacies, or other voluntary
contributions. Secondly, to agree with any they shall approve,
who may offer to go abroad, either as missionaries, or in any
civil employment. Thirdly, to procure the best instruction that
can be obtained for such persons, in the language of the
country for which they are intended, before they go abroad.
Fourthly, to provide for their expenses, in going and
continuing abroad, and for their return home, after such time,
and under such circumstances, as may be thought most expedient.
Fifthly, to print the Scriptures, or so much thereof as the
funds of the society may admit, for the use of any heathen
country. And, sixthly, to do every other act which to them may
appear necessary, so far as the common stock of the society
will allow, for carrying the design of the society into
execution.
“7. The committee shall keep an account of the subscribers’
names, and all sums received for the use of the society,
together with such extracts of the entries of their
proceedings, and advices, as may show those who are concerned
all that has been done both at home and abroad; which statement
shall be signed by at least three of the committee.
“8. The committee, for the new year, shall send a copy of the
report for the past year, to all the members of the society,
who were not present at the preceding general meeting, and
(free of postage) to every clergyman, minister, or other
person, from whom any collection, legacy, or other benefaction
shall have been received within the time concerning which the
report is made.
“9. The committee, if they see it necessary, shall have power
to choose a secretary.
“10. The committee shall, at no time, have any claim on the
members of the society, for any sum which may exceed the common
stock of the society.
“N.B. Those who subscribe before the first general meeting, and
to whom it may not be convenient to attend, are desired to
favour the general meeting, by letter according to the above
direction, with any important remarks which may occur to them
on the business, that the subscribers present may be assisted,
as far as possible, in settling the rules of the society to the
satisfaction of all concerned.
“We have been already favoured with the names of the following
subscribers, viz.
£ _s._ _d._
Dr. Coke 2 2 0
Rev. Mr. Simpson, Macclesfield 2 2 0
Rev. Mr. Bickerstaff, of Leicester 2 2 0
Mr. Rose, of Dorking 2 2 0
Mr. Horton, of London 2 2 0
Mr. Ryley, „ „ 2 2 0
Mr. Riddsdale, „ „ 2 2 0
Mr. Jay, „ „ 2 2 0
Mr. Dewey, „ „ 2 2 0
Mr. Mandell, of Bath 2 2 0
Mr. Jaques, of Wallingford 2 2 0
Mr. Butting, of High Wycombe 2 2 0
Mr. John Clark, of Newport,
in the Isle of Wight 2 2 0
Miss Eliza Johnson, of Bristol 2 2 0
Mr. Barton, of Isle of Wight 2 2 0
Mr. Henry Brooke, of Dublin 2 2 0
Master and Miss Blashford, of Dublin 4 4 0
Mrs. Kirkover, of Dublin 2 2 0
Mr. Smith, Russia merchant, of London 5 5 0
Mr. D’Olier, of Dublin 2 2 0
Mrs. Smyth, „ „ 2 2 0
The Rev. Mr. Fletcher, of Madeley 2 2 0
Miss Salmon 2 2 0
Mr. Houlton, of London,
an occasional subscriber 10 10 0
Mrs. King, of Dublin 2 2 0
-------------
£66 3 0
-------------
“_To all the real lovers of mankind._
“The present institution is so agreeable to the finest feelings
of piety and benevolence, that little need be added for its
recommendation. The candid of every denomination, (even those
who are entirely unconnected with the Methodists, and are
determined to be so,) will acknowledge the amazing change which
our preaching has wrought upon the ignorant and uncivilised, at
least, throughout these nations; and they will admit, that the
spirit of a missionary must be of the most zealous, most
devoted, and self denying kind; nor is anything more required
to constitute a missionary for the heathen nations, than good
sense, integrity, great piety, and amazing zeal. Men,
possessing all these qualifications in a high degree, we have
among us; and we doubt not but some of these will accept of the
arduous undertaking, not counting their lives dear, if they may
but promote the kingdom of Christ, and the present and eternal
welfare of their fellow creatures; and we trust nothing shall
be wanting, as far as time, strength, and abilities will admit,
to give the fullest and highest satisfaction to the promoters
of the plan, on the part of your devoted servants,
“THOMAS COKE,
“THOMAS PARKER.
“Those who are willing to promote the institution are desired
to send their names, places of abode, and sums subscribed, to
the Rev. Dr. Coke, in London, or Thomas Parker, Esq., barrister
at law, in York.”
Such was the first Methodist _missionary_ report ever published. On
the third page of the folio sheet, from which the above is taken, is
the following in manuscript.
“NEAR PLYMOUTH, _January 6, 1784_.
“MY VERY DEAR SIR,--Lest Mr. Parker should neglect to send you
one of our plans for the establishment of foreign missions, I
take the liberty of doing it. Ten subscribers more, of two
guineas per annum, have favoured me with their names. If _you_
can get a few subscribers more, we shall be obliged to you.
“We have now a very wonderful outpouring of the Spirit in the
west of Cornwall. I have been obliged to make a winter campaign
of it, and preach here and there out of doors.
“I beg my affectionate respects to Mrs. Fletcher, and entreat
you to pray for your most affectionate friend and brother,
“THOMAS COKE.”
A few months after the above report was sent to Fletcher, Coke set
sail to America, and returned only in time to attend the English
conference of 1785. Henceforward, Christian missions absorbed his time
and energies.
It is a well known fact, that Warren Hastings was the first governor
general of India; and that, in 1786, his celebrated trial was
commenced, and was protracted for nearly eight years, during which one
hundred and forty days were spent in its prosecution. Space forbids
further remarks concerning this great event; but the excitement
created in England by the affairs of India had, doubtless, something
to do with the following correspondence between Dr. Coke and a
gentleman in that country. Coke had written to him as early as 1784,
respecting the establishment of missions in India, and now his
correspondent replied. He sympathises with Coke’s proposal, but
foresees the arduous character of the undertaking. He writes: “The
leading features in the character of the Mahommedans are pride and
cruelty, treachery and love of power; and those of the Hindoos, abject
servility, cunning, lying, dishonesty, and excessive love of money.”
“Humanly speaking, the probabilities of converting either the Hindoos
or Mahommedans appear to be very small.” Reasons are assigned for
this, showing the writer to be a well informed and accomplished man.
He proceeds to say: “The difficulties are great; greater it may be, in
some respects, than were those of the first preachers among the freer
and more polished people of the Roman empire. Nevertheless, the same
Divine power that then made a few obscure, and, for the most part,
unlearned men, triumph over the united resistance of the spiritual,
secular, and carnal powers of this world, remains unchanged.”
Coke answered this long and able letter, on January 25, 1786, and
said:
“At present, our openings in America, and the pressing
invitations we have lately received from Nova Scotia, the West
Indies, and the States, call for all the help we can possibly
afford our brethren in that quarter of the world. The high
esteem which the government has for Mr. Wesley, I am well
persuaded, would procure for us the assistance which you think
to be necessary; but Mr. Wesley himself seems to have a doubt
whether that would be the most excellent way. In Great Britain,
Ireland, and America, we have gone on what appears, at first
sight at least, to be a more evangelical plan. Our missionaries
have not at all concerned themselves with applications to the
civil power. They have been exact in their submission to all
its laws, and laid themselves out in the most extensive manner
for God. It appears very expedient, that our missionaries
should visit the settlements of the Danish missionaries in
India, and take every step they can to improve themselves in
the language of the people. Mr. Wesley is of opinion that not
less than half-a-dozen should be at first sent on such a
mission; and, as soon as the present extraordinary calls from
America are answered, I trust we shall be able to turn our
thoughts to Bengal.”[555]
For want of means, India had to be abandoned; but, in the month of
March, Coke issued “An Address to the Pious and Benevolent, proposing
an annual subscription for the support of Missionaries in the
Highlands and adjacent Islands of Scotland, the isles of Jersey,
Guernsey, and Newfoundland, the West Indies, and the provinces of Nova
Scotia and Quebec;” to which was prefixed the following letter by
Wesley.
“BRISTOL, _March 12, 1786_.
“DEAR SIR,--I greatly approve of your proposal, for raising a
subscription, in order to send missionaries to the highlands of
Scotland, the islands of Jersey and Guernsey, the Leeward
Islands, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland. It is not easy
to conceive the extreme want there is, in all these places, of
men that will not count their lives dear unto themselves, so
they may testify the gospel of the grace of God.
“I am, dear sir, your affectionate brother,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[556]
Coke commenced his Address as follows.
“_Dearly beloved in the Lord_,--Some time past, I took the
liberty of addressing you, in behalf of a mission intended to
be established in the British dominions in Asia; and many of
you very generously entered into that important plan. We have
not, indeed, lost sight of it at present; on the contrary, we
have lately received a letter of encouragement from a principal
gentleman in the province of Bengal. But the providence of God
has lately opened to us so many doors nearer home, that Mr.
Wesley thinks it imprudent to hazard, at present, the lives of
any of our preachers, by sending them to so great a distance,
and amidst so many uncertainties and difficulties; when so
large a field of action is afforded us in countries to which we
have so much easier admittance, and where the success, through
the blessing of God, is more or less certain.”
He then explains the openings in the places already mentioned. The
address is dated March 13, 1786.[557]
In this way, Methodist missions were fairly started; and, on September
24, 1786, Coke set sail, with Messrs. Hammet, Warrener, and Clarke;
Warrener being intended for Antigua; and Clarke and Hammet for
Newfoundland.[558]
Messrs. Garretson and Black were already labouring in Nova Scotia,
and, to them, Wesley addressed the following letters.
“LONDON, _September 30, 1786_.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,--I trust, before this comes to hand, you and
Dr. Coke will have met. I can exceedingly ill spare him from
England, as I have no clergyman capable of supplying his lack
of service; but I was convinced he was more wanted in America
than in Europe. I was far off from London when he set sail.
Most of those in England, who have riches, love money, even the
Methodists; at least, those who are called so. The poor are the
Christians. I am quite out of conceit with almost all those who
have this world’s goods. Let us take care to lay up treasure in
heaven.
“JOHN WESLEY.”[559]
“_November 30, 1786._
“MY DEAR BROTHER,--You have good reason to be thankful to God
that He lets you see the fruit of your labours. Whenever any
are awakened, you do well to join them together immediately.
But I do not advise you to go on too fast. It is not expedient
to break up more ground than you can keep; to preach at any
more places than you, or your brethren, can constantly attend.
To preach once in a place, and no more, very seldom does any
good; it only alarms the devil and his children, and makes them
more upon their guard against a first assault.
“Wherever there is any church service, I do not approve of any
appointment the same hour; because I love the Church of
England, and would assist, not oppose, it all I can. How do the
inhabitants of Shelburne, Halifax, and other parts of the
province, go on as to temporal things? Have they trade? Have
they sufficiency of food, and the other necessaries of life?
And do they increase or decrease in numbers? It seems there is
a scarcity of some things,--of good ink, for yours is so pale
that many of your words are not legible.
“As I take it for granted, that you have had several
conversations with Dr. Coke, I doubt not you proposed all your
difficulties to him, and received full satisfaction concerning
them. Probably, we shall send a little help for your building,
if we live till conference. Observe the rules for building laid
down in the minutes. I am afraid of another American
revolution....
“JOHN WESLEY.”[560]
Both the above were addressed to Garretson; the following was sent to
Black.
“LONDON, _November 26, 1786_.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,--It is indeed a matter of joy, that our Lord
is still carrying on His work throughout Great Britain and
Ireland. In the time of Dr. Jonathan Edwards, there were
several gracious showers in New England; but there were large
intermissions between one and another: whereas, with us there
has been no intermission at all for seven-and-forty years, but
the work of God has been continually increasing.
“The same thing, I am in hopes, you will now see in America
likewise. See that you expect it, and that you seek it in His
appointed ways, namely, with fasting and unintermitted prayer.
And take care that you be not at all discouraged, though you
should not always have an immediate answer. You know
‘His manner and His times are best.’
Therefore pray always! Pray, and faint not. I commend you all
to our Great Shepherd; and am your affectionate brother,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[561]
Wesley’s correspondence is so vast, that selection is difficult; but
two or three other letters, written in 1786, may be given here. The
first was sent to Mr. Lawrence Frost, of Liverpool, with a request
that it might be handed to the mayor, and has not been previously
published. One of Wesley’s preachers had been interrupted while
preaching to a large multitude, near the old Fishstones, and Wesley
wrote to the chief magistrate as follows.
“_To the Mayor of Liverpool._
“BRISTOL, _July 29, 1786_.
“SIR,--Some preachers, in connection with me, have thought it
their duty to call sinners to repentance even in the open air.
If they have violated any law thereby, let them suffer the
penalty of that law. But, if not, whoever molests them on that
account will be called to answer it in his majesty’s court of
King’s Bench. I have had a suit already in that court, with a
magistrate (Heap), and, if I am forced to it, am ready to
commence another.
“I am, sir, your obedient servant,
“JOHN WESLEY.”
The letter was effectual. Ever afterwards, the constables were civil,
and wisely let the Methodists alone.
William Simpson was one of Wesley’s itinerants, and, at this time, was
assistant in the Thirsk circuit, where he had to contend with troubles
somewhat different to those at Liverpool, but for which Wesley
prescribed as sharp a remedy. In the month of November, he wrote him
as follows.
“The Sunday preaching may continue at Jervas for the present. I
suppose the society at Jervas is as large as that at
Northallerton; and this is a point which is much to be
considered.
“You must needs expel out of the society at Knaresborough those
that _will_ be contentious. When you have to do with those
stubborn spirits, it is absolutely necessary, either to mend
them or end them: and ten persons of a quiet temper are better
than thirty contentious ones. Undoubtedly some of the eloquent
men will be sending me heavy complaints. It is well, therefore,
that you spoke first.
“I am, dear Billy, your affectionate friend and brother,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[562]
We must now return to Wesley’s journal. A week after the conclusion of
the Bristol conference, he set sail for Holland, accompanied by
Messrs. Broadbent and Brackenbury. There he mingled with many
Christian friends; gave many Scripture expositions in private houses;
saw many scenes of beauty; and employed all his leisure hours in
writing. On September 5, he returned to London, where he spent two
days in preaching and answering letters; and then set off to Bristol,
where he continued till September 26, when he got back to London, and
naively wrote: “I now applied myself in earnest to the writing of Mr.
Fletcher’s life, having procured the best materials I could. To this I
dedicated all the time I could spare, till November, from five in the
morning till eight at night. These are my studying hours; I cannot
write longer in a day without hurting my eyes.” We should think not!
Fifteen hours a day of unintermitting labour in the case of a man
eighty-three years of age! “Once or twice,” he wrote on December 12,
“Once or twice, I have been a little out of order this autumn; but it
was only for a day or two at a time. In general, my health has been
better for these last ten years, than it ever was for ten years
together since I was born. Ever since that good fever, which I had in
the north of Ireland, I have had, as it were, a new constitution. All
my pains and aches have forsaken me, and I am a stranger even to
weariness of any kind. This is the Lord’s doing, and it may well be
marvellous in all our eyes.”[563]
At the beginning of October, he went on a preaching excursion to
Chatham and Sheerness. Then he set off to Norfolk; and, on his way
back to town, preached Mrs. Shewell’s funeral sermon at Barnet. At
this period, the father of the late Rev. Dr. Leifchild was the chief
Methodist in Barnet, and the doctor himself a little boy. “Upon
arriving,” wrote this distinguished minister, “he drove to my father’s
house; and, when the door of his carriage was opened, he came out
arrayed in his canonicals. Childlike, I ran to lay hold of him, but my
father pulled me back; upon which, extending his hand, he said:
‘Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of
such is the kingdom of heaven.’”
The next five weeks were spent in London, partly in preaching, partly
in meeting classes, and partly in writing Fletcher’s Life. The only
holiday he took was a trip to Hampton Court, which he pronounced
“the finest palace the king of England had”; but even this was
scarcely a holiday, for he preached at Wandsworth on his way back to
town. He had a brush with the Deptford Methodists, who urgently
requested to be allowed to have service in the Methodist chapel at the
same time as there was service in the church. “It is easy to see,” he
writes, “that this would be a formal separation from the Church. We
fixed both our morning and evening service, all over England, at such
hours as not to interfere with the Church; with this very
design,--that those of the Church, if they chose it, might attend both
the one and the other. But to fix it at the same hour is obliging them
to separate either from the Church or us; and this I judge to be, not
only inexpedient, but totally unlawful for me to do.” This style of
reasoning can only be harmonized with the enactments of the previous
conference, on the supposition that the Church minister at Deptford
was not such as Wesley then described.
Wesley concluded the year by preaching from, “Set thy house in order,”
and, among other things, strongly exhorted the people to make their
wills.
Except the Life of Fletcher, 12mo, 227 pages, Wesley seems to have
published nothing, in 1786, but his _Arminian Magazine_, 8vo, 688
pages.
The volume bears the same character as previous ones. There are again
six original sermons by Wesley: the Church; Divine Providence; Schism;
Friendship with the World; Visiting the Sick; and the Eternity of God.
The sermon on the Church was a sermon for the times; and, remembering
the agitation among the Methodists on the subject of separation, an
extract here will not be out of place.
“The catholic, or universal, church is all the persons in the
universe, whom God hath so called out of the world, as to be
one body, united by one Spirit, having one faith, one hope, one
baptism; one God and Father of all, who is above all, and
through all, and in them all. That part of this great body, of
the universal church, which inhabits any one kingdom or nation,
we may properly term a _national_ church, as the Church of
France, the Church of England, the Church of Scotland. A
smaller part, of the universal church, are the Christians that
inhabit any city or town, as the church of Ephesus. Two or
three Christian brethren united together are a church in the
narrowest sense. Such was the church in the house of Philemon,
and that in the house of Nymphas. A particular church may,
therefore, consist of any number of members, whether two or
three, or two or three millions. But still, whether they be
larger or smaller, the same idea is to be preserved. They are
one body, and have one Spirit, one Lord, one hope, one faith,
one baptism, one God and Father of all.”
One more extract, from the _Magazine_ for 1786, must suffice.
Addressing those afflicted with lowness of spirits, Wesley writes:
“1. Sacredly abstain from all spirituous liquors. Touch them
not, on any pretence whatever. To others they may sometimes be
of use; but to nervous persons they are deadly poison.
“2. If you drink any, drink but little tea, and none at all
without eating, or without sugar and cream.
“3. Every day of your life, take, at least, an hour’s exercise,
between breakfast and dinner.
“4. Take no more food than nature requires. Dine upon one
thing, except pudding or pie. Eat no flesh at supper; but
something light and easy of digestion.
“5. Sleep early, and rise early. Unless you are ill, never lie
in bed much above seven hours. Then you will never lie awake;
your flesh will be firm, and your spirits lively.
“6. Above all, beware of anger! beware of worldly sorrow!
beware of the fear that hath torment! beware of foolish and
hurtful desires! beware of inordinate affection!”