_PUBLICATIONS AND CORRESPONDENCE IN
1777._
IN the year 1777, Fletcher terminated his controversy with the
Calvinists. He wrote:—
“To the best of my knowledge, I have not fixed one consequence upon
the principles of my opponents, which does not fairly and necessarily
flow from their doctrine. And I have endeavoured to do justice to
their piety, declaring, again and again, my full persuasion that they
abhor such consequences.”
His publications, in 1777, were the following:—
1. “The Doctrines of Grace and Justice equally essential to the pure
Gospel: Being some Remarks on the mischievous divisions caused among
Christians, by parting those doctrines. Being an Introduction to a Plan
of Reconciliation between the Defenders of the Doctrines of _Partial
Grace_, commonly called _Calvinists_; and the Defenders of the Doctrines
of _Impartial Justice_, commonly called _Arminians_. By John Fletcher,
Vicar of Madeley, Salop. London: Printed by R. Hawes, 1777.” 12mo, 39
pp.
It is needless to furnish an outline of this able pamphlet, inasmuch as
the doctrines it enforces and the doctrines it condemns are
substantially the same as have been repeatedly introduced to the
reader’s notice. There is one statement, however, which Fletcher’s
admirers have generally overlooked, but which proves, beyond
controversy, that Fletcher was, what is now-a-days called, a
Millenarian. After dwelling on what he designates the “four
dispensations,” namely, “Gentilism,” “Judaism,” “the Gospel of John the
Baptist,” and “the perfect Gospel of Christ,” which “is Gentilism,
Judaism, and the Baptism of John, arrived at their full maturity,” he
proceeds to argue that “another Gospel dispensation” is yet to come.
Hence the following:—
“In the Psalms, Prophets, Acts, Epistles, and especially in the
Revelation, we have a variety of promises, that, ‘in the day of His’
displayed ‘power,’ Christ will ‘come in His glory, to judge among the
heathen, to wound even kings in the day of His wrath, to root up the
wicked, to fill the places with their dead bodies, to smite in sunder’
antichrist, and ‘the heads over divers countries,’ and to ‘lift up
His’ triumphant ‘head’ on this very earth, where He once ‘bowed His’
wounded ‘head, and gave up the ghost.’ Compare Psalm cx. with Acts i.
11, 2 Thess. i. 10, Rev. xix., etc. In that great day, another Gospel
dispensation shall take place. We have it now in prophecy, as the Jews
had the Gospel of Christ’s first advent; but when Christ shall ‘come
to destroy the wicked, to be’ actually ‘glorified in His saints, and
admired in all them that believe,—in that day,’ ministers of the
Gospel shall no more prophesy, but, speaking a plain historical truth,
they shall lift up their voices as ‘the voice of many waters and
mighty thunderings, saying, Allelujah! for the Lord God Omnipotent
reigneth; the marriage of the Lamb is come; His wife, the church of
the first-born, has made herself ready; blessed and holy is he that
hath part in the first resurrection; he reigns with Christ a thousand
years’ (Rev. xix. 20). ‘Blessed are the meek, for they do inherit the
earth’ (Matt. x. 5). ‘The times of refreshing are come; and He has
sent Jesus Christ, who before was preached unto you, whom the heavens
did receive’ till this solemn season; but now are come ‘the times of
restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all
His holy prophets since the world began’ (Acts iii. 19, etc.) May the
Lord hasten this Gospel dispensation! and, till it take place, may,
‘the Spirit and the bride say, Come!’”
It must be granted that this is but remotely related to the Calvinian
controversy; but, in a Life of Fletcher, it is too interesting to be
omitted.
2. Fletcher’s second publication, in 1777, was a composite one, and
embraced, First, “Bible Arminianism and Bible Calvinism: A two-fold
Essay,—Part the First displaying the doctrines of Partial Grace, Part
the Second, those of Impartial Justice.” 12mo., 84 pp. Secondly, “The
Reconciliation; or, an Easy Method to unite the professing People of
God, by placing the Doctrines of Grace and Justice in such a light as to
make candid _Arminians_ Bible-Calvinists; and the candid Calvinists,
Bible-Arminians.” 12mo, 85 pp. Thirdly, to these was appended, “The
_Plan_ of Reconciliation,” the whole making a small 12mo volume of 187
pages. The pamphlets were dedicated to his friend “James Ireland, Esq.,
of Brislington, near Bristol,” as follows:—
“DEAR SIR,—To whom could a plan of reconciliation between the
Calvinists and Arminians be more properly dedicated, than to a son of
peace, whose heart, hand, and house are open to Calvinists, Arminians,
and neuters? You kindly receive the divines who contend for the
doctrines of grace; and I want words to describe the Christian
courtesy which you show me and other ministers who make a stand for
the doctrines of justice. To you I am indebted for the honour of a
friendly interview with the author[390] of the ‘Circular Letter,’
which I thought myself obliged to oppose; and, as you succeeded in
that labour of love, it is natural for me to hope that by your
influence, and by the patronage of such candid, generous peacemakers
as the gentleman” (John Thornton, Esq.) “to whom I have often compared
you, these reconciling sheets will be perused by some with more
attention than if they had no name prefixed to them but that of your
most obliged, affectionate friend and servant,
J. FLETCHER.
“NEWINGTON, _April 16, 1777_.”
Footnote 390:
The Rev. Walter Shirley.
It is a well-known fact that men like Romaine were often the guests of
Mr. Ireland; and that Berridge, Venn, and others of the same way of
thinking were always welcome guests in the mansion of Mr. Thornton.
Both, however, were large-hearted men, and wherever they met with
undoubted piety, whether in a Calvinist or an Arminian brother, they
were thankful and glad.
No record of the “friendly interview” between Fletcher and Walter
Shirley now exists; but, bearing in mind the position which Mr. Shirley
occupied, there cannot be a doubt that the result of their “interview”
would be considerable, and in harmony with the object at which Fletcher
was now strenuously aiming.
The task which Fletcher undertook was arduous, and he knew it. He
writes:—
“Some persons will urge that truth should never be sacrificed to love
and peace; that the Calvinists and the Arminians holding doctrines
diametrically opposite, one party, at least, must be totally in the
wrong; and, as the other party ought not to be reconciled to error,
the agreement, I propose, is impossible: it will never take place,
unless the Calvinists can be prevailed upon to give up unconditional
election, and their favourite doctrines of partial grace; or the
Arminians can be persuaded to part with conditional election, and
their favourite doctrines of impartial justice; and as this is too
great a sacrifice to be expected from either party, it is in vain to
attempt bringing about a reconciliation between them.
“This objection is weighty; but, far from discouraging me, it affords
me an opportunity of laying before my readers the ground of the hope I
entertain, to reconcile the Calvinists and the Arminians. I should,
indeed, utterly despair of effecting it, were I obliged to prove that
either party is entirely in the wrong; but I expect some success,
because my grand design is to demonstrate that both parties have an
important truth on their side.”
Fletcher proceeds to give his own view on the Calvinian side of the
question, as follows:—
“The partial election and reprobation of free grace is the gracious
and wise choice which God, as a sovereign and arbitrary Benefactor,
makes or refuses to make of some persons, churches, cities, and
nations, to bestow upon them, for His own mercy’s sake, more favours
than He does upon others. It is the partiality with which He imparts
His talents of nature, providence, and grace, to His creatures or
servants; giving five talents to some, two to others, and one to
others; not only without respect to their works, or acquired
worthiness of any sort, but frequently in opposition to all personal
demerit.”
This admirable definition of a sound doctrine is sustained by references
to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, and other Old Testament personages;
also to the cities of Jerusalem, Chorazin, and Bethsaida; to the
countries of Egypt, Judea, Syria, and England, etc.
Then, turning to the Arminian side of the controversy, Fletcher gives
the following equally correct definition:—
“The impartial election and reprobation of justice is the righteous
and wise choice which God, as an equitable and unbribed Judge, makes,
or refuses to make, of some persons, churches, cities, and nations,
judicially to bestow upon them, for Christ’s sake, gracious rewards,
according to His evangelical promises; or judicially to inflict upon
them, for righteousness’ sake, condign punishments, according to His
reasonable threatenings.”
This definition is also supported by a large number of Scripture
examples, showing Fletcher’s perfect knowledge of the holy books. He
then writes:—
“Rigid Calvinists and rigid Arminians are both in the wrong; the
former in obscuring the doctrines of impartial justice, and the latter
in clouding the doctrines of partial grace. But moderate Calvinists
and candid Arminians are very near each other, and very near the
truth; the difference there is between them being more owing to
confusion, want of proper explanation, and misapprehension of each
other’s sentiments, than to any real, inimical opposition to the
truth, or to one another.”
Fletcher next propounds his “Plan of Reconciliation.”
First of all, he adduces the well-known plan of union, which Wesley,
thirteen years before, had ineffectually proposed to the evangelical
clergymen of the Church of England, including Romaine, Shirley, Newton,
Venn, and Berridge; after which he proceeds to observe:—
“I do not see why such a plan might not be, in some degree, admitted
by all the ministers of the Gospel, whether they belong to or dissent
from the Establishment. I would extend my brotherly love to all
Christians in general, but more particularly to all Protestants, and
most particularly to all the Protestants of the Established Church;
but God forbid that I should exclude from my brotherly affection, and
occasional assistance, any true minister of Christ, because he casts
the Gospel net among the Presbyterians, the Independents, the Quakers,
or the Baptists! So far as they cordially aim at the conversion of
sinners, I will offer them the right hand of fellowship, and
communicate with them in spirit. Might not good men and sincere
ministers form themselves into a Society of reconcilers, whatever be
their denomination and mode of worship? There is a Society for
promoting religious knowledge among the poor; some of its members are
Churchmen and others Dissenters; some are Calvinists and others
Arminians; and yet it flourishes, and the design of it is happily
answered. Might not such a Society be formed for promoting peace and
love among professors? Is not charity preferable to knowledge? There
is another respectable Society for promoting the Christian faith among
the heathen; and why should there not be a Society for promoting
unanimity and toleration among Christians? Ought not the welfare of
our fellow-Christians to lie as near our hearts as that of the
heathen?
“Many gentlemen, some laymen and others clergymen, some Churchmen and
others Dissenters, wanted lately to procure the repeal of our articles
of religion. Notwithstanding the diversity of their employments,
principles, and denominations, they united, wrote circular letters,
drew up petitions, and used all their interest with men in power to
bring about their design. Again, some warm men thought it proper to
blow up the fire of discontent in the breasts of our American
fellow-subjects. How did they go about the dangerous work? With what
ardour did they speak and write, preach and print, fast and pray,
publish manifestoes and make them circulate, associate and strengthen
their associations, and at last venture their fortunes, reputations,
and lives, in the execution of their warlike project! Go, ye men of
peace, and do at least half as much to carry on your friendly design.
Associate, pray, preach, and print for the furtherance of peace.
“Might not moderate Calvinists send, with success, circular letters to
their rigid Calvinian brethren; and moderate Arminians to their rigid
Arminian brethren, to check rashness and recommend meekness,
moderation, and love? Might not the Calvinist ministers who patronise
the doctrines of grace display also the doctrines of justice, and open
their pulpits to those Arminian ministers who do it with caution? And
might not the Arminian ministers, who patronise the doctrines of
justice, make more of the doctrines of grace, preach as nearly as they
can like the judicious Calvinists, admit them into their pulpits, and
rejoice at every opportunity of showing them their esteem and
confidence? Might not such moderate Calvinists and Arminians as live
in the same towns, have from time to time a general sacrament, and
invite one another to it, to cement brotherly love by publicly
confessing the same Christ, by jointly taking Him for their common
head, and by acknowledging one another as fellow-members of His
mystical body?
“The sin of the want of union with our pious Calvinian or Arminian
brethren is attended with peculiar aggravations. We are not only
fellow-creatures, but fellow-subjects, fellow-Christians,
fellow-Protestants, and fellow-sufferers, in reputation at least, for
maintaining the capital doctrines of salvation by faith in Christ, and
of regeneration by the Spirit of God. How absurd is it for persons,
who thus share in the reproach, patience, and kingdom of Christ, to
embitter each other’s comforts, and add to the load of contempt, which
the men of the world cast upon them! Let Pagans, Mahometans, Jews,
Papists, and Deists do this work. We may reasonably expect it from
them. But for such Calvinists and Arminians as the world lumps
together under the name of Methodists, on account of their peculiar
profession of godliness,—for such companions in tribulation to ‘bite
and devour’ each other is highly unreasonable and peculiarly
scandalous.”
In such a spirit did the Arminian polemic address his Calvinian
opponents. The following is extracted from his concluding remarks:—
“God is my record how greatly I long after you all in the bowels of
Jesus Christ, in whom there is neither Greek nor Jew, neither bond nor
free, neither Calvinist nor Arminian, but Christ is all in all. Grant
me my humble, perhaps my dying request, reject not my plea for peace.
If it be not strong, it is earnest; for, considering my bodily
weakness, I write it at the hazard of my life: _animamque in vulnere
pono_.
“But why should I drop a hint about so insignificant a life, when I
can move you to accept of terms of reconciliation by the life and
death, by the resurrection and ascension, of our Lord Jesus Christ. I
recall the frivolous hint; and, by the unknown agonies of Him whom you
love, by His second coming, and by our gathering together unto Him, I
beseech you, put on, as the Protestant ‘elect of God, bowels of
mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering,
forbearing one another, and forgiving one another; even as Christ
loved and forgave you, so do ye.’ Instead of absurdly charging one
another with heresy, embrace one another, and triumph together in
Christ. Bless God, ye Arminians, for raising such men as the pious
Calvinists, to make a firm stand against Pharisaic delusions, and to
maintain, with you, the doctrine of man’s fallen state, and of God’s
partial grace, which the Pelagians attack with all their might. And,
ye Calvinists, rejoice that heaven has raised you such allies as the
godly Arminians, to oppose Manichean delusions, and to contend for the
doctrines of holiness and justice, which the Antinomians seem sworn to
destroy. Pharisaism will never yield but to the power of
Bible-Calvinism and the doctrines of grace. Nor can Antinomianism be
conquered without the help of Bible-Arminianism and the doctrines of
justice. When Pharisaism and Antinomianism shall be destroyed, the
Church will be sanctified, and ready to be presented to Christ a
glorious Church, ‘not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing.’
Then shall we sing with truth what we now sing without propriety,—
“‘Love, like death, has all destroy’d,
Render’d all distinctions void;
Names, and sects, and parties fall,
Thou, O Christ, art all in all.’”
Nothing more need be said respecting Fletcher’s praiseworthy effort to
put an end to the contentions then so rampant. No doubt, his object, to
some extent, was realized; but, for many a long year afterwards, not a
few of the Calvinists and Arminians bore a striking resemblance to the
ancient Jews and Samaritans. They worshipped the same God, but did not
love each other.
Fletcher spent four months, from December 16, 1776, to April 16, 1777,
in the hospitable home of his Methodist friends, Mr. and Mrs. Charles
Greenwood, at Stoke Newington; and never did he forget their remarkable
kindness to him. Here he wrote a long pastoral letter to his
parishioners on December 28, 1776; and, sixteen days afterwards,
another, from which the following extracts are taken:—
“NEWINGTON, _January 13, 1777_.
“MY DEAR COMPANIONS IN TRIBULATION,—All the children of God I love;
but, of all the children of God, none have so great a right to my love
as you. Your stated or occasional attendance on my poor ministry, as
well as the bonds of neighbourhood, and the many happy hours I have
spent with you before the throne of grace, endear you peculiarly to
me.
“With tears of grateful joy, I recollect the awful moments when we
have bound ourselves to stand to our baptismal vow: to renounce all
sin, to believe all the articles of the Christian faith, and to keep
God’s commandments to the end of our life. Asking pardon of God for
not keeping that vow better, I determine, with new courage and
delight, to love our _Covenant God_,[391] Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
with all my mind, heart, and strength; with all the powers of my
understanding, will, and affections.
“In my weak state of health, I find much comfort from my relation to
my _Covenant God_: I mean (1) My clear, explicit knowledge of the
Father as my Creator and Father; who so loved the world, you and me,
as to give His only-begotten Son, that we should not perish, but have
everlasting life. (2) I mean my relation to the adorable Person, who,
with the strength of His Godhead, and the strength of His pure
manhood, took away my sin. O how my soul exults in that dear Mediator!
O the comfort of cleaving to Christ by faith, and of finding Christ is
our all in all!
“I sometimes feel a desire of being buried where you are buried, and
of having my bones lie in a common earthen bed with yours; but I soon
resign that wish, and exult in thinking that, whatever distance there
may be between our graves, we can now bury our sins, cares, doubts,
and fears, in the one grave of our divine Saviour. If I, your poor
unworthy shepherd, am smitten, be not scattered; but rather be more
closely gathered unto Christ, and keep near each other in faith and
love, till you all receive our second Comforter and Advocate, the Holy
Ghost, the third Person in our _Covenant God_. He is with you; but, if
you plead the promise of the Father, ‘which,’ says Christ, ‘you have
heard of me, He will be _in_ you.’ He will fill your souls with His
light, love, and glory, according to that verse, which we have so
often sung together,—
“‘Refining fire, go through my heart,
Illuminate my soul,
Scatter thy life through every part,
And sanctify the whole.’
“This indwelling of the Comforter perfects the mystery of
sanctification in the believer’s soul. This is the highest blessing of
the Christian covenant on earth. Rejoicing in God our Creator, in God
our Redeemer, let us look for the full comfort of God our Sanctifier.
So shall we live and die in the faith, going on from faith to faith,
from strength to strength, from comfort to comfort, till Christ is all
in all to us all.
“I earnestly recommend to you my dear brother Greaves. Show him all
the love you have shown to me, and, if possible, show him more, who is
so much more deserving.”[392]
Footnote 391:
Wesley had held, in London, the usual “Covenant Service,” on
Wednesday, January 1st. Probably, Fletcher had attended it, and,
perhaps, taken part in it.
Footnote 392:
Letters, 1791, p. 30.
The letter from which these extracts are taken was forwarded to the care
of Mr. Wase, who, probably, was a Methodist Local Preacher. Mr. Wase
wished to be employed by the Church of England in America. Fletcher
disapproved of this. Hence the following to Mr. Wase, written on the
same day as the pastoral letter to the parishioners of Madeley. In fact,
the pastoral letter was appended to it.
“NEWINGTON, _January 13, 1777_.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,—I am two letters in your debt. I would have answered
them before now, but, venturing to ride out in the frost, the air was
too sharp for my weak lungs, and opened my wounds, which has thrown me
back again.
“I am glad to see, by your last, that you take up your shield again.
You will never prove a gainer by casting it away. Voluntary humility,
despondency, or even a defeat, should never make you give up your
confidence.
“Take no hasty steps about removing. Your family and estate seem to me
to tie you where you are, unless you have a very striking call to
remove. You must not be above being employed in a little way. The
great Mr. Grimshaw” (of Haworth) “was not above walking some miles to
preach to seven or eight persons; and what are we when compared to
him? Our neighbours will want you more when Mr. Greaves and I are
gone. In the meantime, grow in meek, humble, patient, and resigned
love; and your temper, person, and labours will be more acceptable to
all around you. I saw last week a gentleman from America, who said,
all the church-livings there are in the gift of the Governor; and
those who get them are brought up at the American Colleges, and come
over for ordination to the Bishop of London. Supposing the peace were
made, and missionaries were wanted, you might be employed in America;
but of the latter I see little prospect; and you need not seek trials
beyond the seas, seeing yours at home are as much as you can stand
under.
“I have many things to say to you about your soul; but you will find
the substance of them in two of Mr. Wesley’s sermons, the one
entitled, ‘The Devices of Satan,’ and the other, ‘The Repentance of
Believers.’ I wish you would read one of them every day, till you have
reaped all the benefit that can be got from them. Nor eat your morsel
alone, but let all be benefited by the contents.
“When you meet with our serious friends at Broseley, Madeley, Madeley
Wood, the Dale, Dawley-Green, Wheater, Aston, Sheriff-Hales, and the
two Banks, give my kindest love to them, and read them the following
scrawl.[393]
“My kind love to Mrs. Wase, and all your and my friends by name. Thank
Michael Onions, and I. Owen; I shall answer their letters when I can,
if God spare me.
“Your affectionate brother,
“J. FLETCHER.”[394]
Footnote 393:
The Pastoral letter already mentioned. The places here named were,
probably, Fletcher’s _Methodist_ Circuit, in each of which Methodist
Societies had been formed.
Footnote 394:
Letters, 1791, p. 23; and _Wesleyan Methodist Magazine_, 1846, p. 141.
The good “Archbishop of Methodism,” the Rev. Vincent Perronet, Vicar of
Shoreham, Kent, and his noble daughter, invited Fletcher to visit them;
to whom Fletcher replied in the two following letters:—
“NEWINGTON, _January 19, 1777_.
“DEAR FATHER IN CHRIST,—I beg you to accept my multiplied thanks for
your repeated favours. You have twice entertained me, a worthless
stranger; and, not yet tired of the burden, you again kindly invite me
to share in the comforts of your house and family. Kind Providence
leaves me no room, at present, to hang a third burden upon you. The
good air and accommodations here, and the nearness to a variety of
helps, joined to the kindness of my friends and the weakness of my
body, forbid me to remove at present. God reward your labour of love
and fatherly offers! Should the Lord raise me up, I shall be better
able to reap the benefit of your instructions, a pleasure which I
promise myself some time, if the Lord pleases.
“I have of late thought much upon a method of reconciling the
Calvinists and Arminians. I have seen some Calvinian ministers, who
seem inclined to a plan of pacification. I wish I had strength enough
to draw the sketch of it for you. I think the thing is by no means
impracticable, if we would but look one another in the face, and pull
together at the feet of Him ‘who makes men to be of one mind in a
house,’ and who once made all believers to be of one soul in the
Church. Let us pray, hope, wait, and be ready to promote the blessing
of reconciliation; in which none could be more glad to second you,
than, honoured and dear Sir, your affectionate, obliged son in the
Gospel,
“J. FLETCHER.”[395]
Footnote 395:
Letters, 1791, p. 239.
In another letter, soon to be introduced, it will be seen that, among
the “Calvinian ministers,” whom Fletcher had seen, were the Rev. Walter
Shirley, the Rev. Rowland Hill, and the Rev. Dr. Peckwell.
In his letter to Miss Perronet, Fletcher dwells upon the great truth
which then filled his mind and heart, and which was the chief topic of
his conversation with his friends,—the mission of the Spirit, and His
sanctifying work. It was written on the same day as the letter to her
father:—
“NEWINGTON, _January 19, 1777_.
“DEAR MADAM,—I thank you for your care and kind nursing of me when at
Shoreham; and, especially, for the few lines with which you have
favoured me. They are so much the more agreeable to me, as they treat
of the one thing needful for the recovery of our souls,—‘the spirit of
power, of love, and of a sound mind;’ together with our need of it,
and the grand promise that this need shall be abundantly
supplied,—supplied by an outpouring of that ‘Spirit of life in Christ
Jesus, which makes us free from the law of sin and death.’ May we
hunger and thirst after righteousness in the Holy Ghost, and we shall
be filled! May we so come to our first Paraclete, Advocate, and
Comforter, as to receive the Second, as an _indwelling and overflowing
fountain_ of light, life, and love!
“I trust my view of this mystery is scriptural. The Father so loved
the world as to give us the first Advocate, Paraclete, and Comforter,
whom we love and receive as our Redeemer. The first Advocate has told
us, it was expedient that He should leave us, because, in that case,
He would send another Advocate, Paraclete, or Comforter, to _abide
with us_, and be _in us_ for ever, as our _Sanctifier_, our Urim and
Thummim, _our lights and perfections_, our oracle and guide. This is
the grand promise to Christians,—called _the promise of the Father_,
and brought by the Son. O may it be sealed on our hearts by _the
Spirit of promise_! May we ever cry—
“‘Seal thou our breasts, and let us wear
That pledge of love for ever there!’
“Then shall we be filled with pure, perfect love; for the love of the
Spirit perfects that of the Father and Son, and accomplishes the
mystery of God in the believing soul.
“Come then, let us look for it; this great salvation draws nigh. Let
us thank God more thankfully, more joyfully, more humbly, more
penitently, for Christ our first Comforter; and, hanging on His word,
let us ardently pray for the _fulness_ of His Spirit,—for the
indwelling of our second Comforter, who will lead us into all truth,
all love, all power. Let us join the few who _besiege_ the throne of
grace, and not cease putting the Lord in remembrance, till He has
again raised Himself a _Pentecostal Church_ in the earth,—I mean a
church of such believers as are all of one heart and one soul.”[396]
Footnote 396:
Letters, 1791, p. 240.
Fletcher’s friends were most ardently attached to him; and no wonder
that they were. The man seemed to be an incarnation of humble, loving
piety. All, in his serious illness, were eager to help him. Ten days
after the date of his letters to Mr. and Miss Perronet, he wrote, as
follows, to Mr. Ireland:—
“NEWINGTON, _January 29, 1777_.
“Thanks be to God, and to my dear friend, for favours upon favours,
for undeserved love and the most endearing tokens of it!
“I have received your obliging letters, full of kind offers; and your
jar, full of excellent grapes. May God open to you the book of life,
and seal upon your heart all the offers and promises it contains! May
the treasures of Christ’s love, and all the fruits of the Spirit, be
open to my dear friend, and unwearied benefactor!
“Last Sunday, Providence sent me Dr. Turner, who, under God, saved my
life, twenty-three years ago, in a dangerous illness; and I am
inclined to try what _his_ method will do. He orders me asses’ milk,
chicken, etc.; forbids me riding, and recommends the greatest
quietness. He prohibits the use of Bristol water; advises some water
of a purgative nature; and tries to promote expectoration by a method
that so far answers, though I spit by it more blood than before.
“With respect to my soul, I find it good to be in the balance,—awfully
weighed every day for life or death. I thank God, the latter has lost
its sting, and endears to me the Prince of Life. But O! I want Christ,
my resurrection, to be a thousand times more dear to me; and I doubt
not He will be so, when I am _filled_ with the Spirit of wisdom and
revelation in the knowledge of Him. Let us wait for that glory,
praising God for all we have received, and trusting Him for all we
have not yet received. Let our faith do justice to His veracity; our
hope to His goodness; and our love to all His perfections. It is good
to trust in the Lord; and His saints like well to hope in Him.
“I am provided here with every necessary and convenient blessing for
my state. The great have done me the honour of calling,—Mr. Shirley,
Mr. Rowland Hill, Mr. Peckwell, etc.[397] I exhort them to promote
peace in the Church, which they take kindly. Lady Huntingdon also has
written me a kind letter. This world to me is now become a _world of
love_.”[398]
Footnote 397:
Berridge, of Everton, also came to Fletcher at Stoke Newington.
“They met and parted in the spirit of Christian love; and I believe
saw each other no more in the body.” (The Works of the Rev. John
Berridge, A.M.; with a Memoir of his Life, by Rev. R. Whittingham, p.
63.)
Another, who visited him, was Dr. Price, who, afterwards, said, “I was
introduced to the company of a man, whose air and countenance bespoke
him fitted rather for the society of angels, than for the conversation
of men.” (Cox’s “Life of Fletcher,” p. 114.)
Footnote 398:
Letters, 1791, p. 242.
Madeley was the centre of a kind of Methodist circuit, which, however,
had no Methodist meeting-house. Services were held in cottages; chapels
did not exist. In the midst of his affliction, Fletcher and his friends
projected the building of one in Madeley Wood.[399] As will be seen in
subsequent letters, the execution of the scheme brought upon him
considerable anxiety. Robert Palmer was the builder, and the entire cost
was £296 17_s._ 5_d._, including £1 4_s._ 2_d._ “paid for drink for the
men with the teams,” and £3 12_s._ paid for “sixteen stones of malt, for
drink for the workmen.”[400] The following letter, addressed to Mr.
Wase, refers to this humble edifice:—
“NEWINGTON, _February 18, 1777_.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,—My dear friend Ireland brought me, last week, Sir
John Elliott, who is esteemed the greatest physician in London, in
consumptive cases. He gave hopes of my recovery, upon using proper
diet and means. I was bled yesterday for the third time. I calmly
leave all to God, and use the means without trusting in them. Death
has lost its sting. I know not what hurry of spirit is, or unbelieving
fears, under my most terrifying symptoms. Glory be to God, for this
unspeakable mercy! Help me to praise Him for it.
“With respect to our intended room, I beg Mr. Palmer, Mr. Lloyd, and
yourself to consult about it, and that Mr. Palmer would contract for
the whole. I shall contribute £100, including £10 I have had for it
from Mr. Ireland, and £10 from Mr. Thornton.”[401]
Footnote 399:
The chapel was enlarged a short time before Fletcher’s death in 1785.
On the morning of the day when his friends began to hew the stones for
the enlargement, he went to the quarry, and said, “First of all, let
us pray.” The workers knelt upon the rock; Fletcher prayed in a way
that few besides himself could pray; and then, till duty called him
elsewhere, assisted in shaping the stones for the extension of the
building. (Crowther’s “Portraiture of Methodism,” p. 96.)
Footnote 400:
MS. in Fletcher’s own handwriting.
Footnote 401:
Letters, 1791, p. 24.
In other ways, Fletcher evinced his profound interest in the welfare of
his Madeley friends. Mr. Greaves occupied his pulpit, and preached, with
great acceptance, to his parishioners; but Mr. Greaves was not a priest,
and, therefore, was not qualified to administer the holy sacraments. To
meet the case, Fletcher wrote as follows to the Bishop of Hereford:—
“STOKE NEWINGTON, _March 22, 1777_.
“My LORD,—It is near a year since I was taken ill with a cough,
spitting of blood, and hectic fever. This complication of disorders
obliged me to go to Bristol last summer, for the benefit of the
waters; and it now detains me here, where I stay on account of the
greater mildness of the climate, and the help I can have from the
London physicians, who, as well as those of Bristol, absolutely forbid
me doing duty.
“It is with great difficulty that I have got my church properly
served. My chief assistant has been Mr. Greaves, a young clergyman of
the next diocese, who is only in deacon’s orders, and who, considering
my weak state of health, has kindly left his curacy to oblige and help
me. I give him a title, and do humbly recommend him to your lordship,
begging you would admit him to the holy order of priest; without which
he cannot properly supply my church, my parishioners having always
been used to a monthly sacrament, and dying people, in so populous a
part of the diocese, frequently wanting to have the ordinance
administered to them.
“I am sorry to be obliged to trouble your lordship on this occasion;
but hope, my lord, you will not deny me a favour which few clergymen
in your lordship’s diocese can want as much as your lordship’s dutiful
son and obedient servant,
“JOHN FLETCHER.”[402]
Footnote 402:
Unpublished MS.
With this letter, Fletcher sent the following certificate:—
“To the Right Reverend Father in God, James Lord Bishop of Hereford.
“These are to certify to your lordship that I, John Fletcher, Vicar of
Madeley, in the county of Salop and your lordship’s diocese of
Hereford, do hereby nominate and appoint Alexander Benjamin Greaves,
late Curate of Glossop, in Derbyshire, to perform the office of a
Curate in my church of Madeley aforesaid; and do promise to allow him
the yearly sum of £42 for his maintenance in the same; and to continue
him to officiate in my said church until he shall be otherwise
provided of some ecclesiastical preferment, unless, by fault by him
committed, he shall be lawfully removed from the same. And I hereby
solemnly declare that I do not fraudulently give this certificate to
entitle the said Alexander Benjamin Greaves to receive Holy Orders,
but with a real intention to employ him in my said church, according
to what is before expressed.
“Witness my hand this twenty-second day of March, in the year of our
Lord 1777,
“JOHN FLETCHER.”[403]
Footnote 403:
_Ibid._
The Perronet family at Shoreham dearly loved poor Fletcher. He had been
their guest, and they had seen his spirit. Damaris Perronet was
occasionally one of his correspondents; and William Perronet was now his
loving medical attendant. The saintly Charles Perronet had died in the
month of August, 1776, but was most tenderly remembered by all who knew
him. To Miss Perronet, Fletcher now wrote as follows:—
“NEWINGTON, _April 21, 1777_.
“MY DEAR FRIEND,—A thousand thanks to you for your kind, comfortable
lines. The prospect of going to see Jesus and His glorified members,
and among them your dear departed brother, my now _everliving friend_,
is enough to make me quietly and joyfully submit to leave all my
Shoreham friends, and all the excellent ones of the earth. But why do
I talk of leaving any of Christ’s members by going to be more
intimately united to the Head?
“‘We all are one who Him receive,
And each with each agree;
In Him the _One_, the _truth_ we live,
Blest _point_ of unity!’
“A point this which fills heaven and earth, which runs through time
and eternity. In it sickness is lost in health, and death in life.
There let us ever meet.
“I cannot tell you how much I am obliged to your dear brother for all
his kind brotherly attendance as a physician. He has given me his
time, his long walks, his remedies. He has brought me Dr. Turner
several times, and will not allow me to reimburse his expenses. Help
me to thank him for all his profusion of love, for I cannot
sufficiently do it myself.
“My duty to your father; I throw myself in spirit at his feet and ask
his blessing, and an interest in his prayers. Tell him that the Lord
is gracious to me; does not suffer the enemy to disturb my peace; and
gives me, in prospect, the victory over death. _Absolute resignation_
to the Divine will baffles a thousand temptations, and _confidence_ in
our Saviour carries us sweetly through a thousand trials.”[404]
Footnote 404:
Letters, 1791, p. 246.
The time of Fletcher’s happy sojourn with Mr. and Mrs. Greenwood at
Stoke Newington was now ended. One of the family wrote:—
“When he first came, he was, by Dr. Fothergill’s advice, under the
strictest observance of two things—rest and silence. These, together
with a milk diet, were supposed to be the only probable means of his
recovery. In consequence of these directions, he spoke exceeding
little. If ever he spoke more than usual, it did not fail to increase
his spitting of blood, of which indeed he was seldom quite clear,
although it was not violent. Therefore, a great part of his time was
spent in being read to; but it was not possible to restrain him
altogether from speaking. His natural vivacity, with his intense love
of Jesus, impelled him to speak; but on being reminded of his rule,
with a cheerful smile he was all submission, consenting by signs only
to stir up those about him to pray and praise. Those who had the
privilege of observing his spirit and conduct, will not scruple to say
that he was a living comment on his own account of Christian
perfection. When he was able to converse, his favourite subject was,
_the promise of the Father, the gift of the Holy Ghost_, including the
rich peculiar blessing of union with the Father and the Son, mentioned
in the prayer of our Lord, recorded in John xvii. ‘We must not be
content,’ said he, ‘to be only cleansed from sin; we must be filled
with the Spirit.’ One asking him, What was to be experienced in the
full accomplishment of _the promise_ of the Father? ‘O,’ said he,
‘what shall I say? All the sweetness of the drawings of the Father,
all the love of the Son, all the rich effusions of peace and joy in
the Holy Ghost, more than ever can be expressed are comprehended here!
To attain it, the Spirit maketh intercession in the soul, like a God
wrestling with a God.’
“In some of these favoured moments of converse, he mentioned several
circumstances, which, as none knew them but himself, would otherwise
have been buried in oblivion. ‘In the beginning,’ said he, ‘of my
spiritual course, I heard the voice of God in an articulate, but
inexpressibly awful sound, go through my soul in those words, _If any
man will be My disciple, let him deny himself._ At a later date, I was
favoured, like Moses, with a supernatural discovery of the glory of
God, in an ineffable converse with Him, face to face; so that whether
I was then in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell.’
“On another occasion he said, ‘About the time of my entering into the
ministry, I one evening wandered into a wood, musing on the importance
of the office I was going to undertake. I then began to pour out my
soul in prayer; when such a sense of the justice of God fell upon me,
and such a sense of His displeasure at sin, as absorbed all my powers,
and filled me with the agony of prayer for poor lost sinners. I
continued therein till the dawn of day; and I considered this as
designed of God, to impress upon me more deeply the meaning of those
solemn words, _Therefore, knowing the terrors of the Lord, we persuade
men._’
“One end of his retiring to Newington was that he might hide himself
from company; but this design was in nowise answered, for company came
from every side. He was continually visited by high and low, and by
persons of various denominations; one of whom being asked, when he
went away, what he thought of Mr. Fletcher, said, ‘I went to see a man
who had one foot in the grave; but I found a man who had one foot in
heaven.’ Among them who now visited him were several of his beloved
and honoured opponents, to whom he confirmed his love by the most
respectful and affectionate behaviour; but he did not give up any part
of the truth for which he had publicly contended; although some, from
whom one would have expected better things, did not scruple to affirm
the contrary.
“It was not without some difficulty that Mr. Ireland prevailed upon
him to sit for his picture. While the limner was drawing the outlines
of it he was exhorting both him and all that were in the room not only
to get the outlines drawn, but the colourings also of the image of
Jesus on their hearts. He had a very remarkable facility in making
allusions of this kind. To give an instance. Being ordered to be let
blood, while his blood was running into the cup he took occasion to
expatiate on the precious blood-shedding of the Lamb of God. And even
when he did not speak at all, the seraphic spirit which beamed from
his languid face, during those months of pain and weakness, was—
“‘A lecture silent, yet of sovereign use.’”
To this interesting account, probably written by Mr. Greenwood himself,
Wesley adds:—
“It is necessary to be observed that this facility of raising useful
observations from the most trifling incidents, was one of those
peculiarities in Mr. Fletcher which cannot be proposed to our
imitation. In him, it partly resulted from nature, and was partly a
supernatural gift. But what was becoming and graceful in Mr. Fletcher,
would be disgustful almost in any other.”[405]
Footnote 405:
Wesley’s “Life of Fletcher.”
In the month of May, 1777, Fletcher left the hospitable home of Mr.
Greenwood, at Stoke Newington, and went to his kind friend Mr. Ireland,
at Brislington, near Bristol. In a letter dated “May 28, 1777,” and
addressed to his “very dear friends and benefactors Charles and Mary
Greenwood,” he wrote:—
“I thought myself a little better last Sunday, but I have since spit
more blood than I had done for weeks before. Glory be to God for every
providence! His will be done in me by health or sickness, by life or
death! All from Him is, and I trust will always be, welcome to your
obliged pensioner,
“J. FLETCHER.”[406]
Footnote 406:
Letters, 1791, p. 248.
To Michael Onions, one of the poor Methodists at Coalbrookdale, Fletcher
wrote:—
“BATH, _July 8, 1777_.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,—I heartily thank you for your kind letter; and, by
you, I desire to give my best thanks to the dear companions in
tribulation whom you meet, and who so kindly remember me. If I should
be spared to minister to you again, my desire is to do it with more
humility, zeal, diligence, and love. I hope to see you before the
summer is ended, if it please God to give me strength for the journey.
I am, in some respects, better than when I came here, and was enabled
to bury a corpse last Sunday to oblige the minister of the parish;
but, whether occasioned by that little exertion or something else, bad
symptoms have returned since. Be that as it may, all is well; for He,
who does all things well, rules and over-rules all.
“I have stood the heats we have had these two days better than I
expected. I desire you will help me to bless the Author of all good
for this and every other blessing of this life; but above all for the
lively hope of the next, and for Christ, our common hope, peace, joy,
wisdom, righteousness, salvation, and all. Don’t let me want the
reviving cordial of hearing that you stand together firm in the faith.
Look much at Jesus. Be much in private prayer. Forsake not the
assembling of yourselves together in little companies, as well as in
public. Walk in the sight of death and eternity, and ever pray for
your affectionate, but unworthy minister,
“J. FLETCHER.”[407]
“P.S.—Let none of your little companies want. If any do, you are
welcome to my house. Take any part of the furniture there, and make
use of it for their relief. And this shall be your full title for so
doing,
“Witness my hand, JOHN FLETCHER.”[408]
Footnote 407:
Letters, 1791, p. 26.
Footnote 408:
Wesley’s “Life of Fletcher.”
At this time, the Rev. Henry Venn was preaching in the chapel of the
Countess of Huntingdon at Bath; and Fletcher attended his ministry. Her
ladyship wrote:—
“Dear Mr. Venn has been preaching most successfully at Bath to
overflowing congregations. Captain Scott and Mr. Fletcher have been
there, and heard him preach in the chapel. The latter is far gone in a
consumptive disorder, but is alive to God, and ripening fast for
glory. We have exchanged several letters lately. As a last resource,
he is to accompany Mr. Ireland to the south of France.”[409]
Footnote 409:
“Life and Times of the Countess of Huntingdon,” vol. ii., p. 71.
When Mr. Venn had completed his services at Bath, he removed to the
house of Mr. Ireland, at Brislington, where Fletcher was an honoured
guest. Speaking of this visit, after Fletcher’s death, to a brother
clergyman, Venn remarked:—
“Sir, Mr. Fletcher was a luminary—a _luminary_ did I say? He was a
_sun_! I have known all the great men for these fifty years, but I
have known none like him. I was intimately acquainted with him, and
was under the same roof with him once for six weeks; during which time
I never heard him say a single word which was not proper to be spoken,
and which had not a tendency to minister grace to the hearers. One
time, meeting him when he was very ill, I said, ‘I am sorry to find
you so ill.’ Mr. Fletcher answered, with the greatest sweetness,
‘Sorry, Sir, why are you sorry? It is the chastisement of our heavenly
Father, and I rejoice in it. I love the rod of my God, and rejoice
therein as an expression of His love towards me.’ Never,” continued
Mr. Venn, “did I hear Mr. Fletcher speak ill of any one. He would pray
for those who walked disorderly, but he would not publish their
faults.”[410]
Footnote 410:
“Life and Times of the Countess of Huntingdon,” vol. ii., p. 72.
In a letter to the Rev. J. Stillingfleet, Mr. Venn remarked:—
“I have been six weeks with the extraordinary and very excellent Mr.
Fletcher. Oh that I might be like him! I strictly observed him, but, I
assure you, I never heard him speak anything but what was becoming a
pastor of Christ’s Church;—not a single unbecoming word of himself, or
of his antagonists, or of his friends. All his conversation tended to
excite to greater love and thankfulness, for the benefits of
redemption; whilst his whole deportment breathed humility and love. We
had many conversations. I told him, most freely, that I was shocked at
many things in his ‘Checks;’ and pointed them out to him. We widely
differ about the efficacy of Christ’s death, the nature of
justification, and the perfection of the saints; but I believe we
could live years together, as we did, in great love. He heard me
twice; and I was chaplain both morning and evening in the family, as
his lungs would not suffer him to speak long or loud. He desired his
love, by me, to all his Calvinistic brethren; and begged their pardon
for the asperity with which he had written. I am persuaded, as I told
him, that, if he were to live with some of those whom he has been
taught to conceive of as Antinomians, and hear them preach, he would
be much more reconciled to them.”[411]
Footnote 411:
“Life of Rev. Henry Venn, M.A.,” p. 240.
Mr. Venn’s last remarks were quite unneeded, for Fletcher always readily
allowed that the hearts and lives of his opponents were far better than
their creed.
At the close of the month of July, Wesley came to Bristol, to hold his
annual conference with his preachers, and wrote:—
“Wednesday, July 30. I spent an hour or two with Mr. Fletcher,
restored to life in answer to many prayers. How many providential ends
have been answered by his illness! And perhaps still greater will be
answered by his recovery.”[412]
Footnote 412:
Wesley’s Journal.
The “providential ends” meant by Wesley were, probably, the steps taken
by Fletcher to bring to an end the Calvinian controversy, which had so
greatly disturbed the Methodist movement during the last six years.
Wesley’s conference began on Tuesday, August 5, and ended on Friday,
August 8.[413] It was short, but important. Its most interesting event,
however, was the attendance of Fletcher. Thomas Taylor remarked, in his
unpublished diary,—
“On August 7, that great and good man Mr. Fletcher came into the
conference. My eyes flowed with tears at the sight of him. He spoke to
us in a very respectful manner, and took a solemn farewell. Dear, good
man! I never saw so many tears shed in my life.”
Footnote 413:
Wesley’s Journal.
Fletcher’s valued friend, Joseph Benson, wrote:—
“August 8. We have had an edifying conference. Mr. Fletcher’s visit
to-day and yesterday has been attended with a blessing. His
appearance, his exhortations, and his prayers, broke most of our
hearts, and filled us with shame and self-abasement, for our little
improvement.”[414]
Footnote 414:
Macdonald’s “Life of Benson,” p. 62.
In his “Life of Fletcher,” Benson says:—
“Mr. Fletcher happened to be passing by the door of the stable,
belonging to our chapel in Broadmead, when I was lighting from my
horse, ‘on my arrival in Bristol.’ I shall never forget with what a
heavenly air, and sweet countenance, he instantly came to me in the
stable, and, in a most solemn manner, put his hands upon my head, as
if he had been ordaining me for the sacred office of the ministry, and
prayed most fervently for and blessed me in the name of the Lord.”
By far the best account, however, of Fletcher in connection with the
Bristol Conference, was written, not by one of Wesley’s sturdy
Itinerants, but by a young Welshman, who was present, for the purpose of
offering himself for the Itinerant work. On account of his delicate
health and feeble voice, the offer of David Lloyd was not accepted; but,
some years afterwards, he was ordained by Bishop Horsley, who gave him
the living of Llanbister, which, even now, is not worth more than £150 a
year. The parsonage was a plain stone building, the door of which opened
into the main room of the house,—its floor consisting of stone slabs,
its fireplace wide, with benches in the corners, and the fire on the
hearth made principally of turf. On the same floor was another
apartment, which served as kitchen, and above were two humble bed-rooms.
“Such,” wrote the late Rev. James Dixon, D.D., who, at the commencement
of his ministry, was often the delighted guest of Mr. Lloyd,—“Such was
the residence of a philosopher, a poet, and a divine, who seemed to
enjoy, with unmixed contentment, the inheritance given him by
Providence.” Mr. Lloyd’s wife was a good old Methodist; their house was
the home of Methodist itinerant preachers; out of his small income, Mr.
Lloyd subscribed £10 a year to the Methodist and Church Missionary
Societies; presented to each a donation of £500; by his will, directed
that the residue of his property should be equally divided between these
two Societies; and built a Methodist chapel in his parish, secured it to
the Connexion by deed, and gave to it an endowment, “that Methodist
preaching,” as he said, “might continue in the parish as long as water
should run.”[415]
Footnote 415:
_Wesleyan Methodist Magazine._ Sixpenny Edition, 1863, pp. 1–8.
This remarkable man, for whom Dr. Dixon had the highest admiration,
wrote as follows to the Rev. Dr. Adam Clarke:—
“LLANBISTER, NEAR KNIGHTON, RADNORSHIRE,
“_November 7, 1821_.
“REV. AND DEAR SIR,—At the conference of the Methodist preachers, held
at Bristol in the year 1777, an interview took place between the Rev.
Mr. Wesley and the Rev. John Fletcher, of Madeley. I was both an eye-
and ear-witness to the facts I here relate. The Rev. Mr. Fletcher had
for a long time laboured under the effects of a deep-rooted
consumption, which was then adjudged to be rapidly advancing to its
final crisis. He was advised by the faculty to make the tour of the
Continent, and to breathe his native air. He resided, at that time,
with Mr. Ireland, a gentleman of known celebrity for the exercise of
catholic love towards all such as possessed the essential attributes
of great and good men. On the forenoon of a day, when the sitting of
the Conference was drawing to a close, tidings announced the approach
of Mr. Fletcher. As he entered the vestibule of the New Room,
supported by Mr. Ireland, I can never forget the visible impulse of
esteem which his venerable presence excited in the house. The whole
assembly stood up, as if moved by an electric shock. Mr. Wesley rose,
_ex cathedrâ_, and advanced a few paces to receive his highly
respected friend and reverend brother, whose visage seemed strongly to
bode that he stood on the verge of the grave; while his eyes,
sparkling with seraphic love, indicated that he dwelt in the suburbs
of heaven. In this his languid but happy state, he addressed the
Conference, on their work and his own views, in a strain of holy and
pathetic eloquence, which no language of mine can adequately express.
The influence of his spirit and pathos seemed to bear down all before
it. I never saw such an instantaneous effect produced in a religious
assembly, either before or since. He had scarcely pronounced a dozen
sentences before a hundred preachers, to speak in round numbers, were
immersed in tears. Time can never efface from my mind the recollection
and image of what I then felt and saw. Such a scene I never expect to
witness again on this side eternity. Mr. Wesley, in order to relieve
his languid friend from the fatigue and injury which might arise from
a too long and arduous exertion of the lungs through much speaking,
abruptly kneeled down at his side, the whole congress of preachers
doing the same, while, in a concise and energetic manner, he prayed
for Mr. Fletcher’s restoration to health and a longer exercise of his
ministerial labours. Mr. Wesley closed his prayer with the following
prophetic promise, pronounced in his peculiar manner, and with a
confidence and emphasis which seemed to thrill through every heart,
‘HE SHALL NOT DIE, BUT LIVE, AND DECLARE THE WORKS OF THE LORD.’ The
event verified the prediction. Mr. Fletcher lived for eight succeeding
years, exerting all the zeal of a primitive missionary, and enjoying
all the esteem of a holy patriarch.
“I am, dear Sir, with high regard and esteem, your sincere friend and
humble servant,
“DAVID LLOYD.”[416]
Footnote 416:
“Life of Adam Clarke, LL.D.,” by Rev. Samuel Dunn, p. 127.
Remembering the position which Fletcher had occupied, during the last
six years, as the valiant and greatly abused expounder and defender of
Wesley’s Anti-Calvinian doctrines, and also bearing in mind the
heavenly-mindedness in which Fletcher was now living, and, apparently,
dying, there is no room to wonder at Mr. Lloyd’s account, or to doubt of
its being strictly accurate. Who can adequately conceive the influence
of Fletcher’s visit on the piety and usefulness of Wesley’s conclave of
Itinerant Preachers? This is one of the secrets to be revealed
hereafter.
Another incident, belonging to this period, must be introduced. James
Rogers was now a young Itinerant of five years’ standing, but already
possessed the confidence and esteem of Wesley, and afterwards had the
honour of seeing Wesley die. No doubt, all of Wesley’s Preachers, at
this time assembled in Bristol, would have been delighted to be
introduced to poor Fletcher at Brislington; but, on account of his state
of health, this was a privilege not many were permitted to enjoy. James
Rogers was one of the favoured few, and he shall be allowed, in his own
artless way, to tell the story of his interview, and of an open-air
sacramental service. During the previous year, he had been stationed in
Edinburgh; now he was appointed to Cornwall. He writes:—
“In the year 1777, I was appointed to labour in the east of Cornwall.
A journey of between four and five hundred miles was no small fatigue,
in my then weak state of body; but the Lord was with me. I took my
appointment as from God, and set out in His name, and found sweet
communion with Him in the way.
“I had long desired to see that most eminently pious man of God, Mr.
Fletcher; and now an opportunity offered. Stopping at Bristol a few
days, to rest myself and horse, I heard of his being at Mr. Ireland’s,
about three miles off, and, with two of my brethren, took a ride to
see him. When we came there, he was returning from a ride, which he
was advised by his physician to take every day. Dismounting from his
horse, he came to us with arms spread open, and eyes lifted up to
heaven. His apostolic appearance, with the whole of his deportment,
greatly affected me. The first words he spoke, while yet standing in
the stable by his horse, were a part of the sixteenth chapter of St.
John’s Gospel. He pointed out from thence the descent of the Holy
Ghost, as the great promise of the Father, and the privilege of all
New Testament believers, in a manner I had never heard before. My soul
was dissolved into tenderness, and became as melting wax before the
fire.
“As an invidious report had been spread, that he had renounced what he
had lately written against Calvinism, I took the liberty to mention
the report, and asked him what he thought had given rise to it? He
replied, he could not tell, except that he had refrained from speaking
on controverted points since he came to Mr. Ireland’s: partly, by
reason of the poor state of his health; and partly, because he did not
wish to grieve his kind friend, by making his house a field of
controversy; but he assured us, he had not seen cause to repent of
what he had written in defence of the Rev. Mr. Wesley’s ‘Minutes.’
And, though he believed his close application to study had been the
means of reducing his body to the state in which we then saw it, yet,
he said, if he fell a victim, it was in a good cause.
“After a little conversation upon his darling topic, the _universal
love of God in Christ Jesus_, we were about to take our leave, when
Mr. Ireland sent his footman into the yard with a bottle of red wine,
and some slices of bread upon a waiter. We all uncovered our heads,
while Mr. Fletcher craved a blessing upon the same; which he had no
sooner done, than he handed first the bread to each, and, lifting up
his eyes to heaven, pronounced these words, ‘The body of our Lord
Jesus Christ, which was given for thee, preserve thy body and soul
unto everlasting life.’ Afterwards, handing the wine, he repeated in
like manner, ‘The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ,’ etc. Such a
sacrament I never had before. A sense of the Divine presence rested
upon us all; and we were melted into floods of tears. His worthy
friend, Mr. Ireland, grieved to see him exhaust his little strength by
so much speaking, took him by the arm, and almost forced him into the
house; while he kept looking wistfully, and speaking to us, as long as
we could see him. We then mounted our horses, and rode away. That hour
more than repaid me for my whole journey from Edinburgh to
Cornwall.”[417]
Footnote 417:
“Experience and Labours of James Rogers,” written by himself, 1796, p.
22.
The scene so simply described is worthy of being painted by an artistic
Methodist.
About the same time, Fletcher wrote as follows to the venerable Vicar of
Shoreham, the Rev. Vincent Perronet.
“1777, September 6. My very dear father,—I humbly thank you for the
honour and consolation of your two kind letters. Your vouchsafing to
remember a poor, unprofitable worm, is to me a sure token that my
heavenly Father remembers me. He is God, and therefore I am not
consumed. He is a _merciful, all-gracious God_, and therefore I am
blessed with sympathizing friends and gracious helpers on all sides. O
Sir! if in this disordered, imperfect state of the Church, I meet with
so much kindness, what shall I not meet with, when the millennium you
pray for shall begin? O that the happy thought, the glorious hope may
animate me to perfect holiness in the fear of God; that I may be
accounted worthy to escape the terrible judgments, which will make way
for that happy state of things, and that I may have a part in the
first resurrection, if I am numbered among the dead before that happy
period begin!
“‘Oh! for a firm and lasting faith,
To credit all the Almighty saith!
To embrace the promise of His Son,
And call that glorious rest our own!’
“We are saved by hope at this time; but hope that is seen is not hope.
Let us abound, then, in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost: so
shall we antedate the millennium, take the kingdom, and enjoy
beforehand the rest, which remains for the people of God.
“One of my parishioners brought a horse, last week, to carry me home;
and desired to walk by my side all the way. By the advice of your dear
son, Mr. William Perronet, who still continues to bestow upon me all
the help I could expect from the most loving brother, I sent the man
back. I thank God, I am a little stronger than when I came here. I
kiss the rod, lean on the staff, and wait the end. I yesterday saw a
physician, who told me my case is not yet an absolutely lost case. But
the prospect of languishing two or three years longer, a burden to
everybody, a help to none, would be very painful, if the will of God
and the covenant of life in Christ Jesus did not sanctify all
circumstances, and dispel every gloom. I remember, with grateful joy,
the happy days I spent at Shoreham: _Tecum vivere amem; tecum obeam
lubens_. But, what is better still, I shall live with the Lord and
with you for ever and ever.
“Your obliged servant and affectionate son,
“J. FLETCHER.”[418]
Footnote 418:
Benson’s “Life of Fletcher.”
The next letter has not before been published. It was addressed to the
lady who afterwards became his wife:—
“BRISTOL, _October 20, 1777_.
“DEAR MADAM,—The hope of thanking you in person for the favour of your
friendly directions, as well as bodily weakness, has prevented me
sending you a letter full of grateful acknowledgments. But, as
Providence may postpone your intended journey to Bath, and hasten mine
into Spain, or into eternity, I trouble you with these lines to
testify how indebted I am to you for thinking of admitting me into the
number of your patients. I have not tried your remedy yet, because the
gentlemen of the faculty, who have attended me here, say, that, though
it might be very good for persons of a cold, phlegmatic habit of body,
it is improper for those who are, like myself, of a dry, bilious
habit. I have taken the bark and rhubarb for some days, and I thought
yesterday that the former medicine had removed the spitting of blood;
but to-night it has again made its appearance. However, I think I can
speak a little better, though I cannot bear the motion of a horse so
well as I could two months ago.
“All is well that comes from our heavenly Friend and Physician. Shall
we receive the sweet at His hands, and not the bitter? Is not His
every dispensation of providence and grace to be received with
thankfulness? I would not get well against His will for all the world,
and for what I esteem more than all the world,—the pleasure of seeing
those whom He has chosen out of the world. If Providence parts us on
earth, we shall meet in heaven.
“I have had it, however, in my thoughts to antedate that pleasure with
respect to you and your devoted family:[419] I was once going to take
the pen to ask your leave to enter and die under your friendly roof;
but the fear of troubling you and taking a step contrary to the
leadings of Providence, made me decline. If you have not a poor
Lazarus at your door to trouble you, you have Lazarus’s Friend in your
sight and heart, to comfort and save you. May He, every day, appear
more glorious in your sight, and may you, every hour, drink deeper
into His Spirit!
“My Christian love waits upon Mrs. Crosby, Miss Hurrel, and Miss
Ritchie.[420] I hope the Lord binds you each day closer to Himself and
to each other, and enables you to see and experience the glory of the
promise made to the daughters and handmaids, as well as to the sons
and servants of the Lord. Oh, what a day when we shall all be so
filled with power from on high, as to go forth and prophesy, and water
the Lord’s drooping plants and barren parched garden with _rivers of
living water flowing from our own souls_; and when an ardent fire of
Divine love will make us put our candle to the chaff of sin, and fire
all the harvests and tents of the Laodiceans! As Abraham saw the day
of _Christ_, our _first Comforter_, and was glad, so I see the day of
the _Spirit_, our _other Comforter_, and rejoice. May you live to
enjoy it! May you and yours hasten it by the pleadings of mighty
prayer! To thank the _Father_ for the unspeakable gift of His Son; and
to look to both for the fulness of that other _gift of God_, for that
_well of living water_ which Christ offered to the woman of Samaria,
is a blessed work, in which I beg you would assist your obliged
brother,
“J. FLETCHER.
“Miss Bosanquet,
“At Cross Hall,
“Near _Leads_,
“Yorkshire, by Manchester.”
Bristol postmark.
Footnote 419:
Miss Bosanquet kept an orphanage, wholly at her own expense.
Footnote 420:
Three grand old Methodists, and, at least, one of them a preacheress.
In another letter to Miss Bosanquet, written about the same time, he
remarked:—
“I calmly wait, in unshaken resignation, for the full salvation of
God: ready to trust Him, to venture on His faithful love and on the
sure mercies of David, either at midnight, noonday, or cock-crowing:
for my time is in His hand, and His time is best, and shall be my
time. Death has lost his sting; and I know not what hurry of spirits
is, or what are unbelieving fears, under the most trying
circumstances. Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift.”[421]
Footnote 421:
Mrs. Fletcher’s “Letter to Mons. H. L. De la Flechere,” 1786, p. 35.
At the same period, Fletcher commenced a correspondence with another
distinguished lady, the Right Hon. Lady Mary Fitzgerald, daughter of the
Earl of Bristol, and aunt of Lord Liverpool. She had been married to
George Fitzgerald, Esq., and, for about twelve years past, had been an
exemplary member of the Methodist Society. The friendship between her
and Wesley was great, and Wesley visited her only nine days before his
death. In 1815, at the age of ninety, her clothing caught fire, and she
died, her last words being, “Come, Lord Jesus, my blessed Redeemer, come
and receive my spirit!” In conformity with a clause in her will, her
remains were interred in the burial ground at the front of City Road
Chapel; and, in memory of her, there is a plain white marble tablet in
that sacred edifice.[422] The following is an extract from Fletcher’s
letter to this Methodist lady:—
“_October 21, 1777._
“HONOURED AND DEAR MADAM,—The honour of your Christian letter humbles
me; and the idea of your taking half-a-dozen steps, much more that of
your taking a journey, to consult so mean a creature as myself, lays
me in the dust. My brothers and sisters invite me once more to breathe
my native air, and the physicians recommend to me a journey to the
continent. If I go, I shall probably pass through London, and, in that
case, I could have the honour of waiting upon you. I say, probably,
because I shall have to accompany my friend and a serious family, who
intend to spend the winter in the south of France, or in Spain; and I
do not yet know whether they design to embark at Dover, or at some
port in the west of England.
“You have been afflicted as well as myself. May our maladies yield the
peaceable fruits of righteousness, complete deadness to the world, and
increased faith in the mercy, love, and power of Him, who supports
under the greatest trials, and can make our extremity of weakness an
opportunity of displaying the greatness of His power!
“I have taken the bark for some days, and it seems to have been
blessed to the removal of my spitting of blood. Time will decide
whether it be a real removal, or only a suspension of that symptom.
Either will prove a blessing, as His will is our health. To live
singly to God, the best method is to desire it in _meekness_; to
spread the desire in _quietness_ before Him who inspires it; to offer
Him _now_ all we have and are, _as we can_; and to open our mouth of
expectation wide, that He may fill it with all His fulness, or that He
may _try our patience_, and teach us to know our _total helplessness_.
With respect to the weeping frame of repentance, and the joyous one of
faith, they are both good alternately; but the latter is the better of
the two, because it enables us to do, and suffer, and praise, which
honours Christ more. Both are happily mixed. May they be so in you,
Madam, and in your unworthy and obliged servant,
“J. FLETCHER.”[423]
Footnote 422:
Stevenson’s “City Road Chapel.”
Footnote 423:
Letters, 1791, p. 256.
To another lady, Mrs. Thornton, Fletcher wrote:—
“I spend more time in giving my friends an account of my health, than
the matter is worth. You will see by the enclosed, which I beg you to
send to the post, when you have shown it to Mr. John and Charles
Wesley, how their poor servant does. I am kept in sweet peace, and am
looking for the triumphant joy of my Lord, and for the fulness
expressed in these words, which sweetly filled the sleepless hours of
last night,—
“‘Drawn—and redeem’d—and seal’d,
I bless the One and Three;
With Father, Son, and Spirit fill’d
To all eternity.’
“With respect to my body, I sleep less, and spit more blood than I did
when you were here, nor can I bear the least trot of an easy horse. If
this continues many days, instead of thinking to go and see my friends
on the continent, I shall turn my steps to my earthly home, to be
ready to lay my bones in my churchyard. Two of my parishioners came to
convey me safe home, and had persuaded me to go with them in a
post-chaise; but I had so bad a night before the day that I was to set
out, that I gave it up. I have nothing to look at but Jesus and the
grave. May I so look at them, as to live in my Resurrection and my
life; and die in all the meekness and holiness of my Lord and my
all.”[424]
Footnote 424:
Letters, 1791, pp. 249, 253.
Fletcher having decided to go to the continent, it became necessary to
arrange monetary and other matters before he started. To two of his
friends at Madeley, Mr. Thomas York and Mr. Daniel Edmunds, he wrote as
follows:—
“BRISTOL, _November, 1777_.
“MY DEAR FRIENDS,—The debt of gratitude I owe to a dying sister, who
once took a long journey to see me, when I was ill in Germany, and
whom I just stopped from coming, last winter, to Newington to nurse
me,—the unanimous advice of the physicians whom I have consulted,—and
the opportunity of travelling with serious friends,—have at last
determined me to remove to a warmer climate. As it is very doubtful
whether I shall be able to stand the journey; and, if I do, whether I
shall be able to come back to England; and, if I come back, whether I
shall be able to serve my church, it is right to make what provision I
can to have it properly served while I live, and to secure some
spiritual assistance to my serious parishioners when I shall die.
“I have attempted to build a house in Madeley Wood, about the centre
of my parish, where I should be glad the children might be taught to
read and write in the day, and the grown-up people might hear the Word
of God in the evening, when they can get an Evangelist to preach it to
them; and where the serious people might assemble for social worship
when they have no teacher. The expense of that building, and paying
for the ground it stands upon, have involved me in some difficulties;
especially as my ill health has put on me the additional expense of an
assistant.
“If I had strength, I would serve my church alone, board as cheaply as
I could, and save what I was able to do from the produce of the living
to clear the debt, and leave that little token of my love, free from
encumbrances, to my parishioners.
“But, as Providence orders things otherwise, I have another object,
which is to secure a faithful minister to serve the church while I
live. Providence has sent me dear Mr. Greaves, who loves the people,
and is loved by them. I should be glad to make him comfortable; and,
as all the care of my flock, by my illness, devolves upon him, I would
not hesitate for a moment to let him have all the profit of the
living, if it were not for the debt contracted about the room. My
difficulty lies, then, between what I owe to my fellow-labourer, and
what I owe to my parishioners, whom I should be sorry to have burdened
with a debt contracted for the room.
“My agreement with Mr. Greaves was to allow him forty guineas a year,
out of which I was to deduct twelve for his board; but, as I cannot
board him when I go abroad, I design to allow him, during my absence,
£50 a-year, together with the use of my house, furniture, garden, and
my horse, if he chooses to keep one; reserving the use of a room, and
a stall in the stable, to entertain the preachers who help us in their
Round: not doubting but that the serious people will gladly find them
and their horses proper necessaries.
“But I know so little what my income may be, that I am not sure it
will yield Mr. Greaves £50, after paying all the expenses of the
living. Now I beg you will consult together, and see whether the
Vicar’s income, _i.e._, tithes, etc., etc., will discharge all the
expenses of the living, and leave a residue sufficient to pay a
stipend of £50. I except the royalty, which I have appropriated to the
expense of the Room. If it be, well; if there be any surplus, let it
be applied to the Room; if there be anything short, then Mr. Greaves
may have the whole, and take his chance in that respect, as it will be
only taking the Vicar’s chance; for I doubt if sometimes, after
necessary charges defrayed, the Vicars have had a clear £50.
“I beg you will let me know how the balance of my account stands,
that, some way or other, I may order it to be paid immediately; for,
if the balance is against me, I could not leave England comfortably
without having settled the payment. A letter will settle this business
as well as if twenty friends were at the trouble of taking a journey;
and talking is far worse for me than reading or writing.
“Ten thousand pardons, my dear friends, for troubling you with this
scrawl about worldly matters. I am quite tired with writing, but I
cannot lay by my pen without desiring my best Christian love to all my
dear companions in tribulation, and neighbours in Shropshire;
especially to Mrs. York, Miss Simpson, Mrs. Harper, Mr. Scott, Winny
Edmunds, and all enquiring friends. Thank Molly for her good
management, and tell her I recommend her to our common Heavenly
Master. If she wants to go to London, or to come to Bristol, I shall
give her such a character as will help her to some good place. I
heartily thank Daniel, both as churchwarden and as receiver and
house-steward; and I beg Mr. York to pay him a proper salary.
“I am, in the best bonds, your affectionate neighbour, friend, and
minister,
J. FLETCHER.”[425]
Footnote 425:
Letters, 1791, p. 34.
A letter on small matters, so far as the reader is concerned; but a
letter unveiling Fletcher’s heart, and exhibiting his perfect
unworldliness. The following, extracted from a letter to Mr. William
Wase, reveals other characteristics:—
“BRISTOL, _November, 1777_.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,—Go to Mrs. Cound, and tell her, I charge her, in the
name of God, to give up the world, to set out with all speed for
heaven, and to join the few about her who fear God. If she refuses,
call again; call weekly, if not daily, and warn her from me till she
is ripe for glory. Tell the brethren at Broseley that I did my body an
injury the last time I preached to them on the Green; but, if they
took the warning, I do not repine. Give my love to George Crannage;
tell him to make haste to Christ, and not to doze away his last days.
“The physician has not yet given me up; but, I bless God, I do not
wait for his farewell, to give myself up to my God and Saviour. I
write by stealth, as my friends here would have me forbear writing,
and even talking; but I will never part with my privilege of writing
and shouting, _‘Thanks be to God who giveth us the victory’ over sin,
death, and the grave ‘through Jesus Christ.’_ To Him be glory for ever
and ever! Amen!”[426]
Footnote 426:
_Ibid_, p. 36.
To his congregation in Madeley Church, Fletcher wrote as follows:—
“BRISTOL, _November 26, 1777_.
“To the Brethren who hear the Word of God in the parish church of
Madeley.
“MY DEAR BRETHREN,—I thank you for the declaration of your
affectionate remembrance, which you sent me by John Owen, the
messenger of your brotherly love.
“As various reasons prevent my coming to take leave of you in “erson,
permit me to do it by letter. The hope of recovering a little
strength, to serve you again in the Gospel, makes me take the advice
of the physicians, who say that removing to a drier air and warmer
climate may be of great service to my health.
“I am more and more persuaded that I have not declared unto you
cunningly devised fables, and that the Gospel I have had the honour of
preaching, though feebly, among you, is the power of God to salvation,
to every one who believes it.
“Want of time does not permit me to give you more than the following
directions. Have, every day, lower thoughts of yourselves, higher
thoughts of Christ, kinder thoughts of your brethren, and more hopeful
thoughts of all around you. Love to assemble in the great
congregation; but, above all, love to pray to your Father in secret;
consider your Saviour; and listen for your Sanctifier. Wait all day
long for His glorious appearing within you; and, when you are
together, by suitable prayers, proper hymns, and enlivening
exhortations, keep up your earnest expectation of His pardoning and
sanctifying love. Let not a drop satisfy you; desire an ocean. Do not
eat your morsel by yourselves, like selfish, niggardly people, but be
ready to share it with all. Let every one with whom you converse be
the better for your conversation. Be burning and shining lights
wherever you are. Set the fire of divine love to the hellish stubble
of sin. Be valiant for the truth. Be champions for love. Be sons of
thunder against sin; and sons of consolation towards humbled sinners.
Be faithful to your God, your king, and your masters. Let not the good
ways of God be blasphemed through any of you.
“You have need of patience, as well as of faith and power. You must
learn to _suffer_, as well as _do_ the will of God. Think it not
strange to pass through fiery trials. Let your faith be firm in a
tempest. Let your hope in Christ be as a sure anchor cast within the
veil; and your patient love will soon outride the storm. God is the
same merciful and faithful God, ‘_yesterday, to-day, and for ever_.’
Believe in His threefold name. Rejoice in every degree of His great
salvation. Triumph in hope of the glory which shall be revealed. Do
not forget to be thankful for a cup of water; much less for being out
of hell, for the means of grace, the forgiveness of sins, the blood of
Jesus, the communion of saints on earth, and the future glorification
of saints in heaven. Strongly, heartily believe every Gospel truth,
especially the latter part of the Apostles’ Creed. Believe it till
your faith becomes the substance of the eternal life you hope for; and
then, come life, come death, either or both will be welcome to you,
as, through grace, I find they are to me.
“If I am no more permitted to minister to you in the land of the
living, I rejoice at the thought that I shall, perhaps, be allowed to
accompany the angels, who, if you continue in the faith, will be
commissioned to carry your souls into Abraham’s bosom. If our bodies
do not moulder away in the same grave, our spirits shall be sweetly
lost in the same sea of divine and brotherly love. I hope to see you
again in the flesh; but my sweetest and firmest hope is to meet you
where there are no parting seas, no interposing mountains, no
sickness, no death, no fear of loving too much, no shame for loving
too little.
“I earnestly recommend you to the pastoral care of the great Shepherd
and Bishop of souls, to the brotherly care of one another, and to the
ministerial care of my substitute. Should I be spared to come back,
let me have the joy of finding you all of one heart and one soul;
continuing steadfast in the Apostles’ doctrine, in fellowship one with
another, and in communion with our sin-pardoning and sin-abhorring
God.”[427]
Footnote 427:
Letters, 1791, p. 40.
Immediately after the date of this pastoral epistle, in company with Mr.
Ireland, two of his daughters, and another family, Fletcher left
Brislington for the south of France. During a halt at Reading, he wrote
the following to the Rev. Vincent Perronet, the venerable vicar of
Shoreham:—
“READING, _December 2, 1777_.
“HONOURED AND DEAR SIR,—I acknowledge, though late, the favour of your
letter. I have given up the thought of going to my parish, and am now
on the road to a warmer climate. The Lord may bless as much the change
of air, as He has blessed the last remedy your son prescribed for me—I
mean the bark. If I should mend a little, I would begin to have faith
in your prophecy. In the meantime, let us have faith in Christ, more
faith day by day, till all the sayings of Christ are verified to us
and in us. Should I go to Geneva, I shall enquire after the Swiss
friends of my dear benefactors at Shoreham, to whose prayers I humbly
recommend myself and my dear fellow-travellers, one of whom, my little
god-daughter, is but eight weeks old.”[428]
Footnote 428:
Benson’s “Life of Fletcher.”
At the same time, and on the same sheet, he wrote as follows to Miss
Damaris Perronet:—
“MY DEAR FRIEND,—I snatch a moment upon the road to acknowledge the
favour of your letter, and to wish you joy in seeing the Lord is
faithful in rewarding as well as punishing. I once met a gentleman, an
infidel, abroad, who said, ‘Men have no faith: if they believed that
by forsaking houses, lands, and friends, they should receive a
hundredfold, they would instantly renounce all: for who would not
carry all his money to the bank of heaven, to receive a hundredfold
interest?’ The Papists have made so bad a use of the doctrine of the
rewardableness of works, that we dare neither preach it, nor hold it
in a scriptural manner. For my part, I think that if it were properly
received, it would make a great alteration in the professing world.
_You_ dare receive it; try the mighty use of it; and when you have
fully experienced it, do not keep your light to yourself, but impart
it to all within the reach of your tongue and pen. I am glad you see
that every reward, bestowed upon a reprieved sinner, has free-grace
for its foundation, and the blood of Christ for its mark. May the
richest rewards of Divine grace be yours in consequence of the most
exalted faithfulness; and let me beseech you to pray that I may follow
you, as you follow Christ, till our reward be full.”[429]
Footnote 429:
_Methodist Magazine_, 1804, p. 520.
Thus did Fletcher leave England, reiterating one of the great truths
that he had been explaining and defending during the last six years. On
the next day after the date of his letter, he arrived at Stoke
Newington. Wesley writes:—
“Wednesday, _December 3, 1777_. I visited as many of the sick as I
could in the north-east part of the town; and spent the evening at
Newington, with Mr. Fletcher, almost miraculously recovering from his
consumption. On Thursday, December 4, he set out, with Mr. Ireland,
for the south of France.”[430]
Footnote 430:
Wesley’s Journal.