_LAST DAYS ON EARTH._
1784–1785.
FLETCHER took a profound interest, not only in Sunday Schools, which
were being opened in various places, but in an institution which has
long been the greatest of which the Methodists can boast. In 1783, Dr.
Coke and a few of his friends drew up “A Plan of the Society for the
Establishment of Missions among the Heathen.” This curious and most
interesting document is too long to be inserted here. Suffice it to say,
there is reason to believe that Fletcher was one of Coke’s counsellors.
It has been already stated that, in the summer of 1783, the Doctor, on
his way from Dublin, called at Madeley, and preached in Fletcher’s
church. Soon after this, Fletcher and his wife went to Dublin; and now,
at the beginning of the year 1784, Coke forwarded to Fletcher the
aforesaid “Plan,” and a list of his missionary subscribers, twenty-six
in number, seven of whom resided in Dublin. Is it chimerical to suppose
that the formation of this Missionary Society was a subject of
conversation between Coke and Fletcher, when the former was at Madeley,
and that it was mainly through Fletcher’s influence that so many of its
first subscribers were Dublin Methodists? It is a curious fact that
neither of the Wesleys appeared in the list of contributors, the reason
perhaps of which might be that they had not been consulted in drawing up
the “Plan.” Fletcher, however, subscribed £2 2_s._ 0_d._ of the first
year’s income, which amounted to £66 3_s._ 0_d._, and to him Coke sent
the “Plan” and the report, and also the following letter appended:—
“Near PLYMOUTH, _January 6, 1784_.
“MY VERY DEAR SIR,—Lest _Mr. Parker_ should neglect to send you one of
our Plans for the establishing 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. I entreat you to
pray for
“Your most affectionate Friend and Brother,
“THOMAS COKE.”
At this period, Fletcher was engaged in the last of his literary works.
The following, hitherto unpublished letter, may serve as an introduction
to the essays Fletcher was now writing. It was addressed to the “Rev.
Mr. Bouverot, Geneva;” and, though without date, was evidently written a
few days before Fletcher’s memorable visit to Dublin:—
“The Society of Christian Philosophers, which you mention, seems, in
this day, to be a useful Institution. The most redoubtable attacks
upon religion come from our modern Sadducees, who say there is neither
angel nor spirit; and the famous Dr. Priestly openly maintains that we
have no soul, or, at least, that it is no other than the animal
spirits. It may be, therefore, that God, who never leaves Himself
without witnesses, has permitted this Society for the maintenance of a
metaphysical doctrine so opposite to that of materialism. ‘Prove all
things; hold fast that which is good.’
“A Swedish gentleman, called Baron Swedenborg,[600] published many
pieces in England, and declared he had conversed with angels and
spirits for more than forty years, and that with as much familiarity
as with men. Some of his works have been translated into English.
There is one, of which I have the original Latin by me, entitled,
‘Mirabilia Coeli et Inferni,’ and which I mean to send you as soon as
I shall find a convenient opportunity. It is certain, if believers
were more detached from earthly things, and more concentred in Christ
by faith, they would converse with angels and with the spirits of the
departed saints, as the Patriarchs and first Christians were
accustomed to do. There would, indeed, in this, be some danger of
following after piety, with a view to such an advantage, through a
species of curiosity, which, if it ought not to be called the _back
door_, yet would not deserve to be entitled the _front_, which
consists in an humble faith disengaged from sense and from all
self-seeking,” etc., etc.
“I have not yet had leisure to cast my eyes over mys’ Next week, at
the invitation of many who love the Word of God, I mean to make a tour
into Ireland, from whence I propose returning before winter. Mr.
Wesley, who is eighty years of age, is now on a tour in the Low
Countries, where he preaches, even at Amsterdam.
“Assist me to bless God, who has sustained me hitherto, and who is my
light and my salvation in Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and
ever! Remember me before God in your prayers, as I have a continual
remembrance of you in mine.”
Footnote 600:
Swedenborg died in 1772.
Fletcher’s bold speculation, respecting the possibility of conversing
with angels and the spirits of departed saints, may be passed in
silence. The reader’s attention must now be asked to the famous Dr.
Priestley.
This remarkable man was born at Fieldhead, near Leeds, in 1733. While a
student at the Dissenting Academy, kept by Dr. Ashworth, at Daventry, he
became an Arian. His subsequent career need not here be traced. It is
enough to say, that, about the year 1767, while he was the minister of a
large congregation of Dissenters at Leeds, he embraced Socinianism; and
that, about 1781, he wrote and published his “History of the Corruptions
of Christianity,”—some of the teachings of which work Fletcher felt it
his duty to refute. Dr. Priestley died at Philadelphia, in the United
States of America, in 1804.
It has been already stated, that, early in the year 1785, Fletcher
published a second and enlarged edition of his poem, entitled, “La Grace
et la Nature.” At the end of that work, the following advertisement was
inserted: “Prêt à être publié en Anglois: A Rational Vindication of the
Catholic Faith, respecting the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost:
being the First Part of a Scriptural Vindication of Christ’s Divinity.
Inscribed to the Rev. Dr. Priestley.”
The Rev. Joseph Benson, the quondam tutor of Lady Huntingdon’s Trevecca
College, when Fletcher was its president, says this “Rational
Vindication” was left by Fletcher “not quite finished;” which assertion
seems to clash with Fletcher’s own advertisement just given. There can
be no doubt it was as finished as Fletcher meant it to be; though not as
complete as Mr. Benson thought it ought to be, and as he himself tried
to make it. In addition to this, however, Fletcher began a second essay,
entitled, “Socinianism Unscriptural; or, the Prophets and Apostles
vindicated from the Charge of holding the Doctrine of Christ’s mere
Humanity: being the Second Part of a Vindication of His Divinity.
Inscribed to the Rev. Dr. Priestley.” The first of these was intended to
be an answer to Priestley’s assertion that “the doctrine of the Trinity
is irrational;” and the second to refute his equally unfounded dogma,
that, the doctrine of Christ’s “divinity has no proper foundation in the
Old Testament,—the prophets speaking of the Messiah only as a man like
themselves;” nor in the “New Testament,—the Apostles never giving our
Lord any higher title than that of a man approved of God.” In Mr.
Benson’s opinion, both of the essays were left unfinished; and it is
certain that neither of them was published in Fletcher’s lifetime.
Rightly or wrongly, Mr. Benson—a very able theologian—undertook, after
Fletcher’s death, to write supplements to both, and then published them;
and these irrefutable productions of Mr. Benson’s pen have, ever since
1818, when he was the Methodist Connexional Editor, been improperly
incorporated in Fletcher’s “Collected Works.” Mr. Benson’s additions to
Fletcher’s essays are invaluable; but they ought, in fairness to both
authors, to be published separately. On this subject, however, nothing
more need be added. Fletcher’s replies to Priestley, which were printed
a few years subsequent to his death,[601] were revised by Wesley, who
writes, in his Journal:—
“1784, Saturday, March 27. I went to Madeley; and, at Mr. Fletcher’s
desire, revised his letters to Dr. Priestley. I think there is hardly
another man in England so fit to encounter him.—Sunday, 28.
Notwithstanding the severe weather, the church was more than filled. I
preached on part of the Epistle (Heb. ix. 13, etc.); in the afternoon,
ons’ and I believe God applied it to many hearts.”
Footnote 601:
The titles were:—1. “A Rational Vindication of the Catholic Faith:
being the First Part of a Vindication of Christ’s Divinity; inscribed
to the Rev. Dr. Priestley, by J. Fletcher, Vicar of Madeley, Salop.
Left imperfect by the Author, and now _revised_ and _finished_, at
Mrs. Fletcher’s request, by Joseph Benson, Hull.” 12mo, 223 pp. No
date, but published in 1788 or 1789. The work consists of fourteen
chapters, only four of which were written by Fletcher. The remaining
ten were Mr. Benson’s productions.
2. “Socinianism Unscriptural; or, the Prophets and Apostles vindicated
from the Charge of holding the Doctrine of Christ’s _mere Humanity_:
being the Second Part of a Vindication of His Divinity: inscribed to
the Rev. Dr. Priestley, by the late Rev. John Fletcher, Vicar of
Madeley, Salop. To which is added, a Demonstration of the want of
Common Sense in the New Testament Writers, etc., etc., in a Series of
Letters to the Rev. Mr. Wesley, by Joseph Benson. Birmingham: 1791.”
12mo, 239 pp. Fletcher’s part of the volume occupies 118 pages.
Never has there been a time when there was more need of essays like
those of Fletcher than that which is now passing. Socinianism, in
various shapes, even among many who think themselves orthodox, is
rampant; and the Methodist Book Committee would render incalculable
service to the cause of Christian truth, by publishing in a separate
form, and at as cheap a price as possible, Fletcher’s two unanswerable
replies to the redoubtable Dr. Priestley.
In his “Expostulatory Letter,” Fletcher writes:—
“While you invite archdeacons and bishops to defend their church and
the divinity of their Saviour, may the voice of a poor country vicar
be heard amidst the groans of the press which repeats your challenges?
Will not your sense of honour feel too great a disappointment in
seeing so mean a person step forth to present you with an
expostulatory letter, and to break a spear with you, on the very
ground where you think yourself invincible,—philosophy, reason, and
common sense?
“Conscious of the variety of your learning, and the greatness of your
reputation, I apologize for my boldness, by observing, that the Church
is my mother; that the feeblest child has a right to cry out when his
mother is stabbed to the heart; and that, when the Divine crown of our
Lord is publicly struck at, the least of believers may show his
astonishment at the antichristian deed.
“When the Socinians of the last century said that it was impossible to
believe God and man were united in the person of our Lord, the
Catholics replied, it was as easy to believe that God and man make one
Christ, as to believe that the immortal soul and the mortal body are
one man. And Dr. Sherlock added, that the best way for the Socinians
to set aside this argument against the mystery of our Lord’s
incarnation, was to deny the union of soul and body, because they
could not understand it; and openly to maintain, that man is a body
without a soul, a compound of mere matter.
“When that judicious divine dropped this hint, he little thought that
some philosophers of our day would be so desperately bent upon
divesting Christ of His Divine glory, that they would be content to
die like dogs, without leaving any surviving part of themselves, so
that they might win the day against the Catholic Church, and the
divinity of our Lord.
“I am sorry to observe that you have the dangerous honour to be at the
head of these bold philosophers. Dr. Berkeley was so singular as to
deny the existence of matter. According to his doctrine, there is
nothing but spirit in the world, and matter exists only in our ideas.
As a rival of his singularity, you run into the opposite extreme; you
annihilate our souls; you turn us into mere machines; we are nothing
but matter; and if you allow us any spirit, it is only such as can be
distilled like spirits of wine. Thus, if we believe you both, being
ground not only to atoms but to absolute nonentity between the two
millstones of your preposterous and contrary mistakes, we have neither
form nor substance, neither body nor soul!
“Glad am I, Sir, that when you made so free with the souls of men you
did not pass your philosophical sponge over the existence of the
Father of spirits, the great Soul which gives life and motion to the
universe. But, though you spare the Father’s dignity, you attack the
Son’s divinity; you deny the sanctifying influences of the Holy Ghost;
and, by hasty strides, you carry us back to a dwarf, mongrel
Christianity, made up of materialism, Judaism, and the baptism of
John.
“To gain this inglorious end, in yours’ you collect the capital errors
invented by fallen Christians in the corrupt ages of Christianity;
then, taking some of the most precious Gospel truths, you blend them
with these errors, and rendering them all equally odious, you turn
them promiscuously out of the Church as the ‘Corruptions of
Christianity.’ Thus you cleanse the temple of truth as our Lord would
have cleansed that of Jerusalem, if he had thrown down the tables of
show-bread as well as the tables of the money changers, and if He had
turned out the cherubim of glory as He did the beasts which defiled
that holy place. In short, you treat our Lord’s divinity as the Jews
treated His humanity when they numbered Him with felons, that the mob
might cry with a show of piety, ‘Away with Him! Crucify Him!’ with the
thieves, His accursed companions!”
On the mysterious and holy doctrine of the Trinity in unity, Fletcher
writes:—
“That there is a Supreme, Infinite, and Eternal Mind by which the
world was made, is evident from the works of creation and providence.
Every leaf of the trees which cover a thousand hills, every spire of
the grass which clothes a thousand vales, echoes, ‘There is a God.’
But the peculiar mode of His existence is far above our reach. Of this
we only know what He plainly reveals to us, and what we may infer from
what He hath plainly revealed; for sooner shall the vilest insect find
out the nature of man, than the brightest man shall of himself
discover the nature of God.
“It is agreed on all hands that the Supreme Being, compared with all
other beings, is One,—one Creator over numberless creatures, one
Infinite Being over myriads of finite beings, one Eternal Intelligence
over millions of temporary intelligences. The distance between the
things made and Him that made them being boundless, the living God
must stand for ever far higher above all that lives, than the sun
stands superior to all the beams it emits, and to all the tapers
lighted at its fire. In this sense, true Christians are all
Unitarians: God having plainly revealed His unity by the prophets, by
the Apostles, and by our Lord Himself, there is no doubt about this
point. And may the hand which writes these sheets wither a thousand
times over rather than it should designedly write one word against
this glorious and ever-adorable unity!
“But although the Supreme Being is One when He is compared to all
created beings, shall we quarrel with Him when He informs us that
notwithstanding he has no second in the universe of creatures, yet, in
Himself, He exists in a wonderful manner, insomuch that His own
eternal and perfect essence subsists, without division or separation,
under three adorable distinctions, which are called sometimes ‘the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost;’ and sometimes ‘the Father, the
Word, and the Spirit’? ‘Shall the thing formed say to Him that formed
it, Why hast Thou made me thus?’ or, Why dost Thou exist after such a
manner?”
Fletcher then proceeds to describe the different opponents of his
doctrine; namely,—
“_Tritheists_, who so unscripturally distinguish the Divine Persons as
to divide and separate them into three deities; and who, by this
means, run into polytheism, or the belief of many gods. _Ditheists_,
generally called Arians, who worship two gods, a great god and a
little god; the former uncreate, the latter created; the former God by
nature, and the latter only by courtesy. _Deists_, who so
unscripturally maintain the unity of the Divine essence as to admit
but one Divine subsistence;” and who include Jews, Mahometans,
Infidels, and Socinians.
Fletcher next undertakes to show and prove that God the Father has a
proper Son, by whom He made the world; that our Lord Jesus Christ
claimed the divine honour of being this Son; that He is the Redeemer and
Saviour of lost mankind; that He is to be the final and universal Judge;
and that divine worship was paid to Him by patriarchs, prophets, and
Apostles, and is His undoubted right.
Fletcher’s second pamphlet, entitled “Socinianism Unscriptural,”
consists of eight letters, addressed to Dr. Priestley, in which he shows
that Socinians err when they assert that the prophets always spoke of
the Messiah as of a mere man like themselves. He proves that our first
parents expected a _Divine_ Messiah, and that the _Divine Person_ who
appeared to the patriarchs, and to Moses, was Jehovah, the Son, or
Christ in His pre-existent state; that the foundation of the proofs of
Christ’s divinity, in the writings of the prophets, is laid in the three
original prophecies (Gen. iii. 15, xxii. 16, etc., and xlix. 8–10),
recorded by Moses concerning the Messiah; that all the prophets bear
witness to His Godhead, as do also the Evangelists and Apostles.
This is a meagre outline of Fletcher’s exceedingly able pamphlet, but
nothing more can be here attempted. Two brief extracts, however, may be
added, illustrative of his style:—
“I have proved that the king of Israel who brought his people out of
Egypt was Christ, in His pre-existent nature. Moses was the prime
minister of this great King; Joshua, the general of His armies; the
tabernacle, His palace; the mercy-seat, His throne; the ark, His royal
standard; the priests, His officers; the Levites, His guards; and the
shekinah, the visible display of His presence.”
“Read, dear Sir, the Scriptures without the veil of your system, and
you will see that the Messiah, the wonderful Person whom you so
constantly endeavour to degrade, was to be a mediating Prophet, like
Moses; an atoning Priest, like Aaron; a pacific King, like Solomon; a
royal Prophet, like David; a kingly Priest, like Melchisedec; the
Everlasting Father, as the Logos by whom all things were created; and
the Mighty God, as the proper Son of Him with whom He shares, in the
unity of the Divine Spirit, the supreme title of ‘Jehovah, Lord of
hosts.’”
It has been already shown in a letter which Fletcher addressed to Wesley
in 1755, the year of his conversion, that he was what is commonly called
a Millenarian. Twenty-nine years had elapsed since then. During this
long interval, no man had been a more diligent and devout student of the
Holy Scriptures than himself, and yet his Millenarian belief remained
unchanged. Hence the following remarkable passage in his “Socinianism
Unscriptural.” After quoting and paraphrasing Isa. lxvi. 15–24, Fletcher
proceeds to say:—
“Here ends Isaiah’s account of that glorious reign of Jehovah-Shiloh,
which the fathers called the ‘Millennium,’ as being to last a thousand
years, and during which it is probable our Lord will use these
extraordinary means to keep all the nations in the way of
obedience:—1. A constant display of His goodness over all the earth,
but particularly in and about Jerusalem, where the Lord will manifest
His glory, and bless His happy subjects with new manifestations of His
presence every Lord’s day and every new moon. 2. A distinguishing
interposition of Providence which will withhold the Messiah’s wonted
blessings from the disobedient (Zech. xiv. 17). 3. The constant
endeavours of the saints, martyrs, patriarchs, prophets, and Apostles,
raised from the dead and conversing with men, as Moses and Elijah did
with our Lord’s disciples upon the mount, where they were indulged
with a view of His glorified person, and of His ‘kingdom come with
power.’ These glorified high priests and kings, as ministers and
lieutenants of the Messiah, will rule all churches and states with
unerring wisdom and unwarped fidelity. 4. The care that the Lord
Himself will take to set apart for the ministry, under His glorified
saints, those who in every nation shall distinguish themselves by
their virtue and piety. This seems to be the meaning of His own words:
‘And when they shall come out of all nations to My holy mountain, I
will take of them for priests and Levites, saith the Lord,’ Isaiah
lxvi. 20, 21. 5. A standing display of the ministration of
condemnation, as appears from Isaiah lxvi. 24, and from other parallel
Scriptures. 6. At the same time that the ministration of condemnation
will powerfully work upon the fears of mankind to keep men in the way
of duty, an occasional display of the ministration of righteous mercy
will work upon their hopes. How will those hopes be fired when they
shall ‘see the Lamb’ of God ‘standing on the Mount Sion, and with Him’
His ‘hundred and forty-four thousand’ worthies, ‘having His Father’s
name,’ Divine Majesty, Irresistible Power, Ineffable Love, and Bliss
Inexpressible, ‘written on their foreheads!’ (Rev. xiv). But, 7. What
will peculiarly tend to keep men from lapsing into rebellion against
God will be the long life of the godly, and the untimely death of
those who shall offer to tread the paths of iniquity. The godly shall
attain to the years of antediluvian patriarchs, and the wicked shall
not live out half their days; they shall not live above a hundred
years; or, to speak after our manner, they shall die in their
childhood. This seems to be Isaiah’s meaning in Isaiah lxv. 17–25.”
Leaving it to others to advocate or to attack these interpretations of
Scripture, the present writer will only add, that thus full of firm
unwavering faith in the Divine majesty and glorious kingship of his Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ, the devout and reverent Fletcher drew near to
the mysterious spirit-world.
In harmony with all this, Fletcher wrote to his friend, Mr. Henry
Brooke, of Dublin, as follows:—
“MADELEY, _April 27, 1784_.
“MY DEAR BROTHER,—Mercy, peace, and perfect love attend you, and your
dear partner, and the dear friends who live under your roof; and with
whom I beg you may abide under the cross, till, with John, Mary, and
Salome, you _all_ can say, ‘We are crucified with Him, and the life we
now live, we live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us, and
gave Himself for us.’
“With respect to the glory of the Lord, _it is at hand_; whatever
false wisdom and unbelief may whisper to our hearts. It can be no
farther off than the presence of Him, who _fills all in all_.
“With respect to what you say of the kingdom not coming with the
outward pomp, which is observable by the men of the world, it is
strictly true; but that there is an _inward_ display of _power_ and
_glory_ under Pentecostal Christianity is undeniable, both from our
Lord’s _promises_ to His imperfect disciples, and from their
_experiences_ after the kingdom of God was come to them with power. To
wait in deep resignation, and with a constant attention to what the
Lord will please to do or say concerning us and His Church; and to
leave to Him _the times and seasons_, is what I am chiefly called to
do; taking care to avoid falling into either _speculation_ careless of
_action_, or into the _activity_ which is devoid of _spirituality_. I
_would_ not have a lamp without oil; and I _could_ not have oil
without a lamp, and a vessel to hold it in for myself, and to
communicate it to others.
“Fare you all well in Christ! So prays
“JOHN FLETCHER.”[602]
Footnote 602:
“Thirteen Original Letters of the Rev. John Fletcher.” Bath, 1791, p.
36.
On the day that Fletcher penned the foregoing, his wife wrote as follows
to Mrs. Smyth, their hostess in Dublin. The letter, however, was signed,
“John and Mary Fletcher,” and has not before been published. It
furnishes a glimpse of the Madeley Methodists:—
“_April 27, 1784._
“MY VERY DEAR MADAM,—If anything I said in my last was attended with a
blessing, I give glory to my adorable Father. I am ready to wonder
that He ever works by so poor a worm.
“I wish you had been with us yesterday morning, in our upper chamber,
to hear the simple tales of our dear women. Do you remember a little
woman, who sat in the window of the room when you met the class, and
who expressed great desire for more of the life of God? It was she who
lived on horse-beans so many weeks, while suckling twins, for fear of
running into debt for bread. She has, since then, been greatly
exercised by poverty, temptation, and illness; but, in all, her desire
for the pure image of God seemed to rise above every other wish; and,
about a fortnight ago, the Lord poured out upon her such an abundance
of His Spirit, that nature almost sank beneath it. She told us
yesterday, that every moment she seems to be so surrounded with God,
and so penetrated with His love, that, said she, ‘I cannot help, many
times in the day, stopping in the midst of my work, when alone, to
shout aloud, Glory! Glory! Glory! My very heart is glad. Yes, my heart
is _so glad_, I could shout from morning till night; but, oh! I can
think of no words to tell what I see and feel of Jesus. I _can_ choose
nothing: I know _no will_—_no choice_: the will of God is my all.’ Had
you heard her speak, and also two others who have just found the Lord,
you would have wept tears of love and joy.
“Our love to Dr. Coke; and thank him for his two letters, which we
have received.
“Begging our tender regards to all our dear Christian friends, we
remain, with kindest remembrance and grateful acknowledgment to our
dear Mr. and Mrs. Smyth, their sincere though unworthy friends,
“JOHN AND MARY FLETCHER.”
The next is a letter which, I believe, has not before been published. It
was addressed to a sister of Lady Mary Fitzgerald, and is full of faith
in Christ:—
“Christ Jesus is alone the desirable, the everlasting distinction and
honour of men. All other advantages are like the down on the thistle,
blown away in a moment. Riches are incapable of satisfying; friends
are changeable; dear relations are taken away with a stroke; but, amid
all the changes of life, Christ is a Rock. To see Him by faith, to lay
hold on Him, to rely on Him, to live upon Him, this—this is the refuge
from the storm, the shadow from the heat.
“In order that you may obtain it, nothing more or less is required, on
your part, than a full and frequent confession of your own abominable
heart; and kneeling, as a true beggar, at the door of mercy, declaring
you come there only expecting notice and relief because God our
Saviour came to redeem incarnate devils and to convert them into
saints.
“I think you take a sure method to perplex yourself if you look at
yourself for proof of faith. Others must see it in your works; but you
must feel it in your heart. The glory of Jesus is, by faith, realized
to the mind in some such manner as an infinitely grand and beauteous
object in the firmament of heaven arrests the spectator on itself. It
captivates him; and, by the pleasure it imparts, he is led on to view
it. So it is with Jesus, our peace, strength, righteousness,
salvation.
“For my own part, I am often tempted to suspect whether I am not
speaking great swelling words of Christ, and yet am myself nothing
more than sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal; and I find that the
only successful way of answering this doubt is an immediate address to
Jesus Christ, and prayer to Him, to this effect: ‘Whosoever cometh
unto Thee, Thou wilt in no wise cast out. Lord, have I not come unto
Thee? Am I not depending on Thee for life, as a brand plucked out of
the fire? See if there be any way of wickedness in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting!’
“My eyes look to the blessed Jesus; my heart longs to be more in His
service; I mourn my corruptions; they are many and great. When I look
at Him, and contemplate His finished salvation, I admire, I adore, in
some measure I love. When I look at myself, my heart rises at the
sight,—black and selfish, proud and carnal, covetous and unclean. I
want all things that are good; but, oh! I have a blessed Lord Christ,
in whom all fulness dwells for me, and for my dear friend to whom I am
writing,—a fulness of pardon, wisdom, holiness, strength, peace,
salvation, righteousness,—a fulness of mercy, goodness, truth,—all
this, and ten thousand times more, without condition, without
qualification, without workings, without servings, only for receiving.
O blessed free grace of God! What a gift! And for whom? My dear
friend, for you. What says the everlasting God? ‘Believe He gave His
Son for sinners.’ Can God lie? Impossible! Can we have a better
foundation to build upon than the promise and the oath of God?
“My very dear friend, I know you will not be angry at my preachment. I
aim all I say at my own heart. I stand more in need of it than you;
and I always feel my heart refreshed when I am talking or thinking of
the blessed Jesus. But oh! how little I know of Him! O Thou light of
the world, enlighten me! Teach me to know more of Thy infinite,
unsearchable riches, that I may love Thee with an increasing love, and
serve Thee with an increasing zeal till Thou bring me to glory!”
Gratitude was one of Fletcher’s characteristics. Hence, when the son of
his dead friend, Mr. Charles Greenwood, of Stoke Newington, visited him
at Madeley, he wrote to the loving widow:—
“Madeley, June 20, 1784. The sight of Mr. Greenwood, in his son, has
brought some of my Newington scenes to my remembrance, and I beg leave
to convey my tribute of thanks by his hands. Thanks! Thanks! What,
nothing but words? There is my humbling case. I wish to requite your
manifold kindnesses, but I cannot. I must be satisfied to be ever your
insolvent debtor. Nature and grace do not love it. Proud nature lies
uneasy under great obligations; and thankful grace would be glad to
put something in the scale opposite to that which you have filled with
so many favours. But what shall I put? I wish I could send you all the
Bank of England, and all the Gospel of Christ; but the first is not
mine, and the second is already _yours_.”[603]
Footnote 603:
Letters, 1791, p. 300.
Wesley’s annual Conference, in 1784, was held at Leeds. He writes, in
his Journal:—
“1784, Tuesday, _July 27_. Our Conference began; at which four of our
brethren, after long debate (in which Mr. Fletcher[604] took much
pains), acknowledged their fault, and all that was past was forgotten.
Thursday, July 29, being the public Thanksgiving Day, as there was not
room for us in the old church, I read prayers, as well as preached, at
our Room. I admired the whole service for the day. The prayers,
Scriptures, and every part of it, pointed at one thing: ‘Beloved, if
God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.’ Having five
clergymen to assist me, we administered the Lord’s Supper, as was
supposed, to sixteen or seventeen hundred persons. Sunday, August 1.
We were fifteen clergymen at the old church. Tuesday, August 3. Our
Conference concluded in much love, to the great disappointment of
all.”
Footnote 604:
Before attending the Conference, Fletcher visited Miss Ritchie, who
wrote: “1784, July 16. Mr. and Mrs. Fletcher visited Otley. I was
truly blessed and edified by their society. Our house was full of
company.” (“Memoir of Mrs. Mortimer,” by Agnes Bulmer, p. 97.)
Such is Wesley’s brief account of one of the most important Conferences
he ever held, and the last which Fletcher had the opportunity of
attending. During the year, Dr. Coke had begun the Methodist Foreign
Missionary Society; and Wesley had signed and sealed his famous “Deed of
Declaration,” constituting, for all time to come, the Legal Conference
of the Methodists, and defining the powers and duties of its members.
Charles Atmore, who was present, relates,[605] that, on the Sunday
evening before the Conference opened, the congregation, assembled to
hear Wesley, was four times greater than the chapel could contain, and,
therefore, Wesley “preached in a field adjoining, on the judgment of the
great day.” On Monday morning, Fletcher “preached an excellent sermon
from Matt. v. 13–16, ‘Ye are the salt of the earth,’” etc. At night,
Wesley took for his text, “Give the king Thy judgments, O God, and Thy
righteousness unto the king’s son.” On Tuesday morning, at five o’clock,
Henry Moore delivered a sermon founded upon “Casting all your care upon
Him; for He careth for you.” At the conclusion of the service, Wesley
“opened the Conference;” and, in the evening of the day, preached from,
“Even the very hairs of your head are all numbered,” etc. Next morning,
July 28, at five o’clock, the text of Thomas Taylor was, “What then?
notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretence, or in truth, Christ is
preached; and I therein do rejoice, yea, and will rejoice.” At night,
Wesley preached from, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Thursday, July 29,
“was a high day indeed.” At five a.m. Thomas Hanby discoursed on “My
grace is sufficient for thee,” etc. In the forenoon, Wesley expounded
and enforced 1 Cor. xiii. 1–4, “Though I speak with the tongues of men
and of angels, and have not charity,” etc. Then followed the sacramental
service, in which Wesley was assisted by Fletcher, Coke, Cornelius
Bayley, who had been Fletcher’s curate, Mr. Dillon, an ordained
clergyman from Ireland, and the well-known David Simpson, of
Macclesfield, the services of the day being concluded with another
sermon from Wesley, on the text, “This is the first and great
commandment.” At five a.m. on Friday, July 30, Joseph Pilmoor preached
from “I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right
hand, I shall not be moved”; and, at night, Fletcher, from, “These all
having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us
should not be made perfect.”[606] At seven o’clock on Sunday morning,
August 1, Fletcher preached again, taking as his text 1 Kings xiii. 26,
selected from the first lesson for the day: “It is the man of God, who
was disobedient unto the word of the Lord: therefore the Lord hath
delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him,
according to the word of the Lord, which he spake unto him.” Joseph
Benson, who was present, writes:—
“Mr. Fletcher drew such a picture of the degradation and misery of a
backsliding minister, and of the corruption and injury he introduced
into the Church of Christ, as produced a general and deep sensation,
not easily to be forgotten.”
Footnote 605:
_Wesleyan Methodist Magazine_, 1845, p. 12.
Footnote 606:
Respecting this sermon, John Beaumont, father of the celebrated Rev.
Dr. Joseph Beaumont, wrote: “Mr. Fletcher dwelt much on the context,
which speaks of the faith and works of the ancient worthies, and
strongly enforced what he termed a _working faith_. I was blessed
beyond description, and thought him certainly the most angelic man I
had ever heard.” (“The Experience and Travels of John Beaumont.”)
And Henry Moore, another of Fletcher’s auditors, remarks:—
“I was extremely impressed with the whole service: the shadow of the
Divine presence was seen among us, and His going forth was in our
sanctuary.”
Next morning, Mr. Moore himself had to preach. He writes:—
“I went to the chapel at the hour appointed, and, to my dismay, found
the venerable Mr. Fletcher in the pulpit, leaning upon his staff. My
first impression was to run away; but a moment’s reflection changed my
purpose. I ascended the pulpit and gave out the hymn; while I did so,
my knees smote one against the other: I knelt down to pray, and indeed
lifted my heart with my voice, that I might be endued with power and
wisdom from on high: my soul was calmed, and I took my text, and
continued the service, fully set free from fear, and strengthened in
my resolution ever to obey the voice of duty.”[607]
Footnote 607:
“Life of Henry Moore,” by Mrs. Smith, p. 321.
At five o’clock on the following morning, Wesley, eighty-one years of
age, again preached, selecting a text admirably adapted to be a sequel
to that chosen by Fletcher on the previous Sunday; and also peculiarly
suited to what had taken place in the Conference: “And Jeremiah said
unto the house of the Rechabites, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God
of Israel: Because ye have obeyed the commandment of Jonadab your
father, and kept all his precepts, and done according unto all that he
hath commanded you; therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of
Israel; Jonadab the son of Rechab shall not want a man to stand before
me for ever” (Jer. xxxv. 18, 19). The Conference was concluded on
Tuesday, August 3; and next morning, at five o’clock, Wesley delivered
another sermon, and immediately afterwards took the coach for Wales. His
last text, at this remarkable Conference, was, “Take heed unto thyself,
and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt
both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”[608]
Footnote 608:
_Wesleyan Methodist Magazine_, 1845, p. 14.
A purpose is intended to be served by these minute statements, namely,
to convey an idea of what Methodist Conferences were in the olden times,
and to indicate the chief preachers, and the _kind_ of texts they took.
It is a well-known fact that the great event of the Conference of 1784
was the rebellion raised in Wesley’s camp of preachers. In his “Deed of
Declaration,” he had appointed his brother Charles, Dr. Coke, James
Creighton, and ninety-seven of his itinerants to be, after his decease,
his legalized successors, and to exercise the powers he had exercised
from the beginning. By confining the number of the members of the legal
Conference to a hundred, he necessarily excluded not fewer than
ninety-two, whom he had employed in circuit work; and, among these,
there were several who had claims quite equal to many of the elected
ones, as, to wit, Thomas Lee, John Atlay, John Pritchard, John Pool,
John Hampson, sen., John Hampson, jun., William Eells, and Joseph
Pillmoor. Previous to the Conference being held, certain of the
non-elected preachers published a protest against Wesley’s partiality.
The crisis was a serious one. Fletcher was not included in the hundred,
probably because he desired to be left out; but he was intensely anxious
respecting apprehended results. Mrs. Fletcher wrote:—
“O how deeply was he affected for the welfare of his brethren, when we
were at Leeds, in the year 1784! When disputes arose among them, his
soul groaned beneath the burden. By two or three o’clock in the
morning, I was sure to hear him breathing out prayers for the peace
and prosperity of Sion; and when I said to him, I was afraid this
would hurt his health, and that I wished him to sleep more, he would
answer, ‘O Polly, the cause of God lies near my heart.’”
At the opening of the Conference, on July 27, Wesley mentioned the “Deed
of Declaration,” and the “Appeal” which had been published against it:—
“He showed that, from the commencement of Methodism, the annual
Conferences had always consisted of persons whom he had desired to
meet for the purpose of conferring with him. He insisted, that he had
a right to name the members of the Legal Conference, and to fix their
number. The ‘Appeal,’” he said, “represented him as unjust,
oppressive, and tyrannical, which he was not; the authors of it had
betrayed him; and, by doing so, had hurt the minds of many, and
kindled a flame throughout the kingdom. Hence, he required that they
should acknowledge their fault, and be sorry for it, or he could have
no further connection with them.”[609]
Footnote 609:
Benson’s “Life,” by Macdonald, p. 160.
For seven days, the dispute remained unsettled. Fletcher acted as
mediator.
“Never,” says Charles Atmore, “shall I forget the ardour and
earnestness with which Mr. Fletcher expostulated, even on his knees,
both with Mr. Wesley and the preachers. To the former, he said, ‘My
father! my father! they have offended, but they are your children!’ To
the latter, he exclaimed, ‘My brethren! my brethren! he is your
father!’ and then, portraying the work in which they were unitedly
engaged, he fell again on his knees, and with fervour and devotion
engaged in prayer. The Conference was bathed in tears; many sobbed
aloud.”[610]
Footnote 610:
_Wesleyan Methodist Magazine_, 1845, p. 15.
This appears to have been on the last day but one that the Conference
sat. Hence Joseph Benson writes:—
“August 2. Our brethren, who had been concerned in the ‘Appeal,’
rejoiced our hearts, by acknowledging their fault, and making
submission. In consequence of their doing so, they were admitted among
their brethren, and appointed to Circuits.”[611]
Footnote 611:
Benson’s “Life,” by Macdonald, p. 160.
It may be added, that, the principal appellants—John Hampson, sen., and
John Hampson, jun., Joseph Pillmoor, John Atlay, and William Eells—soon
afterwards left the Connexion.
Two other incidents, concerning the Conference, must be mentioned.
It is a well-known fact, that, one of the most important questions asked
at Wesley’s Conferences was, “Are there any objections to any of our
preachers?” Upon the question being put, the names of all (Wesley’s name
included), were read seriatim. When this part of the business of the
Conference, in 1784, was reached, Fletcher rose from his seat, to
withdraw from the chapel.
“He was eagerly recalled, and asked why he would leave them?
‘Because,’ said he, ‘it is improper, and painful to my feelings, for
me to hear the minute failings of my brethren canvassed, unless my own
character be submitted to the same scrutiny.’ They promised, if he
would stay, that his character should be investigated. On these terms,
he consented to remain; and, when his name was read, an aged preacher
rose, bowed to him, and said, ‘I have but one thing to object to Mr.
Fletcher; God has given him a richer talent than his humility will
suffer him duly to appreciate. In confining himself to Madeley, he
puts his light, comparatively, under a bushel; whereas, if he would
come out more among us, he would draw immense congregations, and would
do much more good.’ In answer to this, Mr. Fletcher stated the tender
and sacred ties which bound him to his parish; its numerous
population; the daily calls for his services; the difficulty of
finding a proper substitute; his increasing infirmities, which
disqualified him for horse exercise; his unwillingness to leave Mrs.
Fletcher at home; and the expense of travelling in carriages. In reply
to his last argument, another preacher arose, and observed that the
expense of his journeys would be cheerfully paid; and that, though he
knew and highly approved Mr. Fletcher’s disinterestedness and delicacy
in pecuniary transactions, yet he feared there was a mixture of pride
in his objection; for that by no importunity could he be prevailed on
to accept a present to defray his expenses on his late visit to
Ireland. ‘A little explanation,’ replied Mr. Fletcher, ‘will set that
matter right. When I was invited to visit my friends at Dublin, I had
every desire to accept their invitation; but I wanted money for the
journey, and knew not how to obtain it. In this situation, I laid the
matter before the Lord, humbly requesting that, if the journey were a
providential opening to do good, I might have the means of performing
it. Shortly afterwards, I received an unexpected sum of money, and
took my journey. While in Dublin, I heard our friends commiserating
the distresses of the poor, and lamenting the inadequate means they
had to relieve them. When, therefore, they offered me a handsome
present, what could I do? The necessary expenses of my journey had
already been supplied; my general income was quite sufficient; I
needed nothing. Had I received the money, I should have given it away.
The poor of Dublin most needed, and were most worthy of, the money of
their generous countrymen. How then could I hesitate to beg that it
might be applied to their relief? You see, brethren, I could not in
conscience do otherwise than I did.’”[612]
Footnote 612:
Benson’s “Life of Fletcher.”
After these explanations, the honest old Methodist preachers, of course,
recorded no objection to the “_character_” of John Fletcher; but Wesley,
nearly a year afterwards, wrote to his brother Charles:—
“1785, June 2. About once a quarter, I hear from Mr. and Mrs.
Fletcher. I grudge his sitting still; but who can help it? I love ease
as well as he does; but I dare not take it while I believe there is
another world.”[613]
Footnote 613:
Wesley’s Works, vol. xii., p. 142.
Fletcher’s examination, on this occasion, took place by special
arrangement: if he had lived, perhaps, it would afterwards have been a
matter of course; for, about the middle of the Conference, he rose, and,
addressing Wesley, said:—
“I fear my successor will not be interested in the work of God, and my
flock may suffer. I have done what I could. I have built a chapel in
Madeley Wood, and I hope, Sir, you will continue to supply it, and
that Madeley may still be part of a Methodist Circuit. If you please,
I should be glad to be put down in the ‘Minutes’ as a supernumerary.”
Wesley was not easily moved, but even he could hardly bear this, and the
preachers burst into tears.[614]
Footnote 614:
Mrs. Fletcher’s “Life,” by H. Moore, p. 183.
The other incident, to be mentioned, was of a different kind, and is a
good illustration of the remarkable allegorical talent which Fletcher
possessed, and often exercised, not only in his published works, but in
his correspondence, and in conversation among his friends.
On March 31, 1784, Wesley visited Burslem, where Mr. Enoch Wood resided,
a Methodist, and an artist of great ability. Mr. Wood prevailed on
Wesley to permit him to model a bust from his person; and a considerable
number of copies were executed. The likeness was so striking, that, when
Wesley looked at the bust, he said to Mr. Wood, “If you touch it again,
you will mar it.” Every wrinkle, dimple, and vein of the face and
forehead were marked with perfect accuracy. Four months afterwards, Mr.
Wood went to the Conference at Leeds, and soon became one of the most
popular men there. Samuel Bardsley hoisted the artist on his shoulder;
at the moment, Fletcher was passing through the grave-yard, and was
told, by the applauding preachers, the name of the hero, so ludicrously
exhibited. Fletcher paused a moment, and then said, “Are you the young
man who made that beautiful likeness of Mr. Wesley?” Being answered in
the affirmative, and having been made acquainted with the whole process
of making the bust, he stood on a grave, and, putting his hand on the
artist’s shoulder, he began to spiritualize what he had heard, by using
it to illustrate the work of God, in the _new_ creation of the human
soul, by the power of the Holy Ghost. He spoke of the rough and
unpromising materials,—the corrupt nature derived from fallen Adam; he
showed how this, by the energy of the Holy Spirit, is softened and
melted down into godly sorrow; how it becomes _plastic_ in the hands of
the Divine Artist; how it is cast into a new mould: and how it is formed
after the likeness of Christ. His extemporaneous address lasted twenty
minutes, and was never forgotten by those who heard it.[615]
Footnote 615:
_Christian Miscellany_, 1848, p. 230.
It may be added that, some years afterwards, Dr. Adam Clarke obtained
from Mr. Wood the loan of the original mould, and had a bust cast in
solid brass, which is now in the possession of Mr. G. J. Stevenson. This
was lent to the sculptor who chiselled the marble effigy of Wesley, now
placed in the entrance-hall of the Wesleyan Theological Institution,
Richmond. The face and head of the effigy were obtained from it.[616]
Footnote 616:
Stevenson’s “Memorials of the Wesley Family,” p. 349.
On his return to Madeley, Fletcher wrote to his friend, Mr. Ireland, as
follows:—
“MADELEY, _September 13, 1784_.
“MY DEAR FRIEND,—I keep in my sentry-box till Providence removes me.
My situation is _quite suited_ to my little strength. I may do as much
or as little as I please, according to my weakness; and I have an
advantage, which I can have nowhere else in such a degree,—my little
field of action is just at my own door, so that if I happen to overdo
myself, I have but to step from my pulpit to my bed, and from my bed
to my grave. If I had a body full of vigour, and a purse full of
money, I should like well enough to travel about as Mr. Wesley does;
but as Providence does not call me to it, I readily submit. The snail
does best in its shell; were it to aim at galloping, like the
racehorse, it would be ridiculous indeed. My wife is quite of my mind
with respect to the call we have to a sedentary life. We are two poor
invalids, who between us make _half_ a labourer.
“We shall have tea cheap and light very dear;[617] I don’t admire the
change. Twenty thousand chambers walled up, and filled with foul air,
are converted into so many dungeons for the industrious artizan, who,
being compelled by this murderous tax, denies himself the benefit of
_light_ and _air_. Blessed be God! the light of heaven and the air of
the spiritual world are still free.
“My dear partner sweetly helps me to drink the dregs of life, and to
carry with ease the daily cross. We are not long for this world—we
_see_ it, we _feel_ it; and, by looking at death and his conqueror, we
fight beforehand our last battle with that last enemy whom our dear
Lord has overcome for us. That we may triumph over him with an humble,
Christian courage is the prayer of, my dear friend, yours,
“JOHN FLETCHER.”[618]
Footnote 617:
On June 21, Pitt moved several resolutions to put an end to smuggling
by reducing the duty upon tea from 50 to 12½ per cent.; and to
increase the window tax in proportion. These resolutions were passed,
though not without much debate.
Footnote 618:
Letters, 1791, p. 302.
Fletcher’s apprehension of the nearness of death, so far as he was
concerned, was realized; but his wife did not die until thirty-one years
after this, not a year of which passed without her keeping the
anniversary of their wedding-day. In the present year she wrote:—
“1784, November 12. We have been married three years this day. A good
day it has been to me! While reflecting on the wonderful goodness of
God in my providential union with my dear husband (so far, so very
far, beyond my warmest wishes), my heart was enlarged with desire to
render to my God a suitable return for all His mercies!”[619]
Footnote 619:
“Mrs. Fletcher’s Life,” by H. Moore, p. 158.
On her birthday, two months previously, she had written in her journal:—
“September 12. This day I am forty-five years old. I have had such a
sense of the goodness of God toward me as I cannot express. I am
filled with favours. I have the best of husbands, who daily grows more
and more spiritual, and I think more healthful, being far better than
when we first married. My call also is so clear, and I have such
liberty in the work, and such sweet encouragement among the people. My
servant, too, is much improved, and as faithful as if she were my own
child. An income quite comfortable, and a good deal to help the poor
with! O what shall I render to the Lord for all the mercies He hath
shown unto me!”
In this happy home, Fletcher wrote the following happy letter to a
youth, his godson, by name John Fennel:—
“MADELEY, _November 28, 1784_.
“DEAR JOHN,—I rejoice to hear that you think of a better world; and of
that better part which Mary, and your mother—another Mary—chose before
you. May all her prayers, and, above all, may the dew of heaven, come
down upon your soul in solemn thoughts, heavenly desires, and strong
resolutions to be the Lord’s, cost what it will. Let the language of
your heart and lips be, ‘I will be a follower of Christ, a child of
God, an inheritor of the kingdom of heaven.’ A noble promise this! of
which I have so peculiar a right to put you in mind. In order to be
this happy and holy soul, you must not forget that your Christian
name, your Christian vow, and ten thousand reasons beside, bind you to
turn your back upon the world, the flesh, and the devil; and to set
yourself to look steadfastly to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, your
Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier.
“Dear John, you have no time to lose. We have calls here to the young
without end. I lately buried, in our churchyard, two brothers and
sisters in the same grave. Be you also ready! I was praying for you
some nights ago on my bed, in my sleepless hours; and I asked for you
the faith of righteous Abel, the chastity of Joseph, the early piety
of Samuel, the right choice of young Solomon, the self-denial and
abstinence of Daniel, together with the early zeal and undaunted
courage of his three friends; but, above all, I asked that you might
follow John the Baptist and John the Apostle as they followed our
Lord. Back, earnestly back my prayers. So shall you be faithful,
diligent, godly; a blessing to all around you, and a comfort to your
affectionate old friend and minister,
“JOHN FLETCHER.”[620]
Footnote 620:
_The Youth’s Instructor_, 1835, p. 305.
At this period, the Rev. Charles Simeon, a young man of twenty-five, and
full of faith and zeal, was rising into great popularity among the
Methodist clergymen of the day. He was an intimate friend of Berridge
and of Henry Venn; and had recently visited Riland at Birmingham,
Cadogan at Reading, Pentycross at Wallingford, and Robinson at
Leicester;[621] and now, toward the end of 1784, he came to Fletcher at
Madeley. As soon as he entered the vicarage, Fletcher took him by the
hand and brought him into the parlour, where the two engaged in prayer.
That being ended, Fletcher asked Simeon to preach in the church. After
some hesitation, Simeon consented; and away went Fletcher, bell in hand,
through the village, and, ringing as loudly as he could, told the people
they must attend church, for a young clergyman from Cambridge had come
to preach to them.
Footnote 621:
“Simeon’s Memoirs,” by W. Carus, M.A.
After the service in the church, Fletcher and his visitor went for a
walk, in the course of which they entered the ironworks. Simeon was
surprised at the aptitude of Fletcher to turn everything he saw to
spiritual profit. To one of the ironworkers, hammering on an anvil, he
remarked, “O, pray to God that He may hammer that hard heart of yours.”
To another, who was heating a bar of iron, “Ah! thus it is that God
tries His children in the furnace of affliction.” And to a third, who
was drawing a furnace, “See, Thomas! if _you_ can make such a furnace as
that, think what a furnace God can make for sinners.”[622]
Footnote 622:
_Christian Miscellany_, 1848, p. 326.
Soon after this, Wesley wrote:—
“1784, Monday, December 20. I went to Hinxworth, where I had the
satisfaction of meeting Mr. Simeon, Fellow of King’s College in
Cambridge. He has spent some time with Mr. Fletcher, at Madeley: two
kindred souls; much resembling each other both in fervour of spirit
and in the earnestness of their address. He gave me the pleasing
information that there are three parishes in Cambridge wherein true
Scriptural religion is preached, and several young gentlemen who are
happy partakers of it.”[623]
Footnote 623:
Wesley’s Journal.
Fletcher, the Madeley revivalist, was closing his last year on earth;
Simeon, the Cambridge one, lived and laboured for more than half a
century afterwards; and who can say that in Simeon’s life and labours
the influence of Fletcher’s spirit and example was not an element?
A few more extracts from Fletcher’s letters, and then the end will come.
Already he seemed to be waiting to “gather up his feet,” and die. In a
letter to Mrs. Thornton, a friend of the Greenwood family, at Stoke
Newington, he wrote:—
“Madeley, _January 21, 1785_. I make just shift to fill up my little
sentry box, by the help of my dear partner. Had we more strength, we
should have opportunity enough to exert it. O that we were but truly
faithful in our little place! Your great stage of London is too high
for people of little ability and little strength; and, therefore, we
are afraid of venturing upon it. We should be glad to rise high in
usefulness; but God, who needs us not, calls us to sink in deep
resignation and humility. His will be done!”[624]
Footnote 624:
Letters, 1791, p. 303.
Three weeks later, he wrote to the Right Hon. Lady Mary Fitzgerald, as
follows:—
“Madeley, February 11, 1785. Who are we, my lady, that we should not
be swallowed up by the holy, loving, living Spirit, who fills heaven
and earth? Whether we consider it or not, there He is, a true, holy,
loving, merciful God. Assent to it, my lady, believe it; rejoice in
it. Let Him be God, _all in all_; your God in Christ Jesus. What an
ocean of love to swim in—to dive into!”[625]
Footnote 625:
_Ibid._, p. 304.
From Fletcher’s letter to Wesley in 1755, and his “Socinianism
Unscriptural,” written during the last years of his life, it is
undeniably evident that Fletcher was a Millenarian. The following
letter, to Mr. Henry Brooke, of Dublin, refers to the same subject, but
shows that he was not so confident with respect to some of his views as
he had been heretofore—
“MADELEY, _February 28, 1785_.[626]
“MY DEAR BROTHER,—We are all shadows. Your mortal parent has passed
away; and we must pass away after him. A lesson I learn daily, is to
see things and persons in their _invisible root_, and in their
_eternal principle_; where they are not subject to change, decay, and
death; but where they blossom and shine in the primæval excellence
allotted them by their gracious Creator. By this means, I learn to
walk by faith, and not by sight. Tracing His image, in all the
footsteps of nature, and finding out that which is of God _in
ourselves_, is the true wisdom, genuine godliness. I hope you will
never be afraid, nor ashamed of it. I see no danger in these studies
and meditations, provided we still keep the end in view—the _all_ of
God, and the _shadowy nothingness_ of all that is visible.
“With respect to the great Pentecostal display of the Spirit’s glory,
I still look for it within and without; and to look for it aright is
the lesson I am learning. I am now led to be afraid of that in my
nature, which would be for pomp, show, and visible glory. I am afraid
of falling, by such an expectation, into what I call a spiritual
Judaizing; into a looking for Christ’s coming in my own pompous
conceit, which might make me reject Him, if _His_ wisdom, to crucify
_mine_, chose to come in a meaner way: if, instead of coming in His
Father’s glory, He chose to come meek, riding, not on the cherubim,
but on the foal of an ass. Our Saviour said, with respect to His going
to the feast, ‘My time is not yet come:’ whether His time to come and
turn the thieves and buyers out of the outward church is yet come, I
know not. I doubt Jerusalem, and the holy place, are yet given to be
trodden under foot by the Gentiles. But _my_ Jerusalem! why it is not
swallowed up of that which comes down from heaven, is a question which
I wait to be solved by the teaching of the great Prophet, who is alone
possessed of Urim and Thummim. The mighty power to wrestle with Him is
all divine: and I often pray,—
“‘That mighty faith on me bestow,
Which cannot ask in vain,
Which holds and will not let Thee go,
Till I my suit obtain:
“‘Till Thou into my soul inspire
That perfect love unknown,
And tell my infinite desire,
Whate’er Thou wilt be done.’
“In short, the Lord crucifies my _wisdom_ and my _will_ every way; but
I must be crucified as the _thieves_. _All my bones must be broken_;
for there is still in me that impatience of wisdom, which would stir,
when the tempter says, ‘Come down from the cross.’ It is not for us to
know the times and seasons, the manner and mystical means of God’s
working; but only to hunger and thirst, and lie passive before the
great Potter. I begin to be content to be a vessel of _clay_ or of
_wood_, so that I may be emptied of self, and filled with my God, my
all.
“I am exceeding glad that your dear partner goes on simply and
believingly. Such a companion is a great blessing; for when two shall
agree touching one thing in prayer, it shall be done. My wife and I
endeavour to fathom the meaning of that deep promise. Join us, and let
us search after that which exceeds _knowledge_—I mean the wisdom, and
the power, the love, and the faithfulness of God.
“Adieu! _Be God’s_, as the French say, and see God is _yours_ in
Christ, for you,[627] for brothers Dugdale, Shannon, Pickering, Mrs.
Blashford, etc.
“We are your obliged friends,
“JOHN AND MARY FLETCHER.”[628]
Footnote 626:
In an unpublished letter, dated, “Sunday Evening, _February 27,
1785_,” and signed “John and Mary Fletcher,” but evidently written by
the latter, it is said:—“My dear Mr. Fletcher has had a bad cold; but
is better. He is all alive, and living for eternity.”
Footnote 627:
These names are in the _original_ letter.
Footnote 628:
Letters, 1791, p. 307.
It must be confessed that there is a little mysticism in Fletcher’s
letter; but let it pass. The next was written a month later. The Rev.
Peard Dickenson was now in the twenty-sixth year of his age. He had been
ordained a deacon, on June 16, 1783, and, a few months afterwards, had
been ordained a priest by the Archbishop of Canterbury. He was now the
Curate of the venerable Vicar of Shoreham, the Rev. Vincent Perronet,
and wrote to Fletcher, asking his advice respecting pastoral visitation.
Fletcher replied, as follows:—
“MADELEY, _March 29, 1785_.
“DEAR SIR,—I did not answer your obliging letter, because I thought it
would be presumption in me to advise you, when you have my reverend
father, Mr. Perronet, to advise with. To send a line, in those
circumstances, appeared to me like ‘sending coals to Newcastle.’
“However, having now an opportunity to forward a letter to London, I
shall say what I have thought on the subject. It is exceeding well to
visit from house to house, even the Infidels, to feel their pulse, and
to see whether they do not begin to entertain more favourable thoughts
of ‘the pearl of great price’ than grunting ‘swine’ or snarling ‘dogs’
generally do. Such visits, half upon the footing of Christian love,
and half upon the footing of human civility, may tend to remove
prejudices. In some cases, writing a letter with tenderness, or giving
a little tract suited to the circumstances of the person, may clear
our own conscience, though it should do him no good.
“My love, respects, and duty, to your venerable Vicar, who, I am told,
is now your grandfather.[629] I hope the report is well grounded; and,
if it is, I wish you joy on entering into so respectable a family; and
I wish you and your partner all the help and comfort I find in mine;
who, as well as myself, desires to be kindly remembered to all the
dear family at Shoreham.
“I am, dear Sir, your affectionate brother and servant in Christ,
“JOHN FLETCHER.”[630]
Footnote 629:
This was a premature statement. Mr. Dickenson did not marry Miss
Briggs, Mr. Perronet’s grand-daughter, until three years later.
Footnote 630:
_Wesleyan Methodist Magazine_, 1825, p. 745.
The Rev. Melville Horne was one of Fletcher’s protegees. At Wesley’s
Conference, in 1784, he had been “admitted on trial,” as a Methodist
Itinerant Preacher, and appointed to the Liverpool circuit. It is well
known that, after this, he obtained episcopal ordination, became curate
at Madeley, published a collection of Fletcher’s letters in 1791, went
as a missionary to Western Africa, and, on his return to England, rose
to considerable distinction. Fletcher had lent the young itinerant
certain books, and now wrote to him the following letter, which refers
to a practice which must have been of recent adoption. Romaine made it a
rule to read nothing but the Bible; wisely or unwisely, Fletcher had
begun, to some extent, to copy his example:—
“MADELEY, _May 10, 1785_.
“DEAR BROTHER,—I am sorry you should have been uneasy about the books.
I received them safely, after they had lain for some days at Salop. I
seldom look into any book but my Bible; not out of contempt, as if I
thought they cannot teach me what I do not know; but because, ‘_Vita
brevis, ars longa_,’ I may never look into them again.
“Go on improving yourself by reading, but above all by _meditation_
and _prayer_: and allow our Lord to refine you in the fire of
temptation. Where you see a want, at home or abroad, within or
without, look upon that want as a warning to avoid the cause of the
leanness you perceive, and a call to secure the blessings which are
ready to take their flight; for sometimes ‘_the true riches_,’ like
those of this world, make themselves wings and flee away. The heavenly
dove may be grieved, and take its flight to humbler and more peaceful
roofs. I am glad you do not want hard or violent measures: I hope you
will never countenance them, no, not against what you dislike. I
believe things will turn out very well at the Conference, and I shall
be a witness of it, if the Lord gives me a commission to be a
spectator of the order and quietness of those who shall be there. If
not, I shall help you by prayer to draw the blessing of love upon our
friends.[631]
“In being moderate, humble, and truly desirous to be a Christian,—that
is, to be the _least_, the _last_, and the _servant_ of all, we avoid
running ourselves into difficulties; we escape many temptations, and
many mortifying disappointments. For my part, as I expect nothing from
men, they cannot disappoint me; and, as I expect all good things from
God, in the _time_, _way_, _measure_, and _manner_ it pleaseth Him to
bestow, here I cannot be disappointed; because He does, and will do,
all things well.
“I trust you labour for God and souls, not for praise and self. When
the latter are our aim, God, in mercy, blesses us with barrenness,
that we may give up Barabbas, and release the humble Jesus, whom we
crucify afresh by setting the thief on the throne, and the Lord of
glory as our footstool: for so do those who preach Christ out of
contention, or that they may have the praise of men.
“That God may bless you and your labours is the prayer of your old
brother,
“JOHN FLETCHER.”[632]
Footnote 631:
Evidently, Fletcher hoped to attend Wesley’s Conference, begun in
London on July 26, 1785, but his hope was not fulfilled.
Footnote 632:
Letters, 1791, p. 309.
A capital letter for a young Methodist preacher, like Melville Horne,
who, six years afterwards, published it for the benefit of all Methodist
probationers.
At this time, fever was raging at Madeley. Mr. W. Bosanquet, in an
unpublished letter, addressed to his sister, Mrs. Fletcher, and dated
“Bishopsgate Street, May 16, 1785,” observed:—
“I am very happy to hear that both you and Mr. Fletcher have escaped
the fevers, having been so much among them. The poor must feel
themselves greatly obliged for this; for it is of much more use to
visit them when sick than even to give them money.”
The revered Vicar of Shoreham, the Rev. Vincent Perronet, died exactly a
week before the date of this letter, and was buried on May 14, by
Charles Wesley, who wrote to Mrs. Fletcher, as follows:—
“MARYLEBONE, _May 24, 1785_.
“MY DEAR SISTER,—If you love Mr. Fletcher, you ought to love the poor
Methodists; for to their prayers you owe him, and he you. I found
words, and the people faith, while we heard, at Bristol” (in 1776),
“that our friend was just departing.[633] You have been the instrument
of adding some years to his valuable life. Remember, for the short
time that I shall want your prayers, my dear friend, your old faithful
servant,
“C. WESLEY.”
Footnote 633:
The reference is to the hymn quoted at page 362 of the present work.
And then, on the same sheet, the poet of Methodism wrote to Fletcher
himself the following:—
“MY VERY DEAR BROTHER,—You ought to have paid the last office, instead
of me, to our most venerable Archbishop at Shoreham. On Sunday, I
deposited the sacred ashes in his partner’s grave, and preached twice.
His death was such as his life promised. For many years, he breathed
the pure spirit of love. The survivor who follows him nearest is
_longo proximus intervallo_.
“A fortnight ago, I preached the condemned sermon to above twenty
criminals. Every one of them, I have good grounds to believe, died
penitent. Twenty more must die next week.
“Sally presents her duty and love: the rest join. Direct to me in
Marylebone, and help me to depart in peace.”[634]
Footnote 634:
“Memoir of Mrs. Mortimer,” p. 101.
This, probably, was the last letter which Fletcher received from his old
and loving friend. Within three years afterwards, Charles Wesley did
“depart in peace.” Fletcher’s last letters, written eight weeks after
the date of the foregoing, were addressed to James Ireland, Esq., and to
Lady Mary Fitzgerald. It has been already stated that fever was fatally
prevalent at Madeley in the summer of 1785, and an extract from a letter
written by William Bosanquet, Esq., expressing his happiness that
Fletcher and his wife had escaped the pestilence, has been already
given. Soon after that, the sister of Mr. Bosanquet caught the
infection; and Fletcher wrote as follows to Mr. Ireland:—
“MADELEY, _July 19, 1785_.
“MY DEAR FRIEND,—Blessed be God, we are still alive, and, in the midst
of many infirmities, we enjoy a degree of health, spiritually and
bodily. O how good was the Lord, to come as Son of man to live here
for us, and to come in His Spirit to live in us for ever! This is a
mystery of godliness. The Lord make us _full_ witnesses of it!
“A week ago, I was tried to the quick by a fever with which my dear
wife was afflicted. Two persons, whom she had visited, having been
carried off, within a pistol-shot of our house, I dreaded her being
the third. But the Lord has heard prayer, and she is spared. Oh, what
is life! ‘On what a slender thread hang everlasting things!’ My
comfort, however, is, that this _thread_ is as strong as the will of
God, and the word of His grace, which cannot be broken.
“That grace and peace, love and thankful joy, may ever attend you is
the wish of your most obliged friends,
“JOHN AND MARY FLETCHER.”[635]
Footnote 635:
Letters, 1791, p. 310.
The day after this, he wrote the following to the Right Honorable Lady
Mary Fitzgerald:—
“MADELEY, _July 20, 1785_.
“HON. AND DEAR LADY,—We have received your kind letter, and have
mournfully acquiesced in the will of our heavenly Father, who, by
various infirmities and providences, weans us from ourselves and our
friends, that we may be His without reserve. It was, perhaps, a
peculiar mercy that Providence blocked up your way to this place this
summer. A bad putrid fever carries off several people in these parts.
Two of our neighbours died of it last week; and my wife, who had
visited them, was taken in so violent a manner, that I was obliged to
offer her up to God in good earnest, as an oblation worthy a son of
Abraham. I hope the worst is over; but her weakness will long preach
to me, as well as my own.
“Dying people, we live in the midst of dying people. O let us live in
sight of a dying, rising Saviour; and the prospect of death will
become first tolerable, and then joyous! Or, if we weep, as our Lord,
at the grave of our friends, or at the side of their deathbeds, we
shall triumph in hope that all will be for the glory of God, and the
good of our souls.
“I am, my dear lady, etc.,
“JOHN FLETCHER.”[636]
Footnote 636:
Fletcher’s Works, vol. viii., p. 329.
Twenty-five days after writing this, his last letter, Fletcher himself
was dead. His wife, who had so narrowly escaped becoming a victim to the
prevailing fever, shall tell the remainder of his earthly story. The day
after the funeral, she wrote a letter to Wesley, a copy of which she
immediately gave to Fletcher’s “old friend, Winifred Edmunds, whose
son,” says she, “prints it for the satisfaction of many who have made
applications for some account of God’s dealings with my beloved husband.
I consider this a debt I owe to his dear orphans at Madeley; and, as it
is probable I may be called away by the same fever, perhaps this may be
the last office of love I can yield them.” The title of the publication
was, “A Letter to the Rev. Mr. Wesley, on the Death of the Rev. Mr.
Fletcher, Vicar of Madeley, in Shropshire. Madeley: Printed by J.
Edmunds.” 16mo, 16 pp. About the same time, however, Mrs. Fletcher
wrote a much longer account, which was printed with the following title:
“A Letter to Mons. H. L. de la Flechere, Assessor Ballival of Nyon, in
the Canton of Berne, Switzerland, on the Death of his Brother, the
Reverend John William De la Flechere, Twenty-five Years Vicar of
Madeley, Shropshire. London, 1786.” 12mo, 64 pp. From these two
publications, the following account is taken. Writing to Fletcher’s
brother, the mourning widow said:—
“As there is no one to whom my dearest husband was more closely united
than yourself, so there is no one who can more tenderly sympathize
with me in a loss _so mutual_. You have expressed a desire to receive
from my own pen some account of a life the most angelic I have ever
known; and I will endeavour to comply with your request as far as my
weak state of body and torn nerves will permit.
“From the beginning, he was a laborious workman in his Lord’s
vineyard, till he had spent himself in the best of services and was
ripening fast for glory. Those sinners who fled from him he pursued to
every corner of his parish by all sorts of ways, public and private,
early and late, in season and out of season, entreating and warning
them to flee from the wrath to come. Some made it an excuse for not
attending the service on Sunday _mornings_ that they did not awake
early enough to get their families ready. He promised to be their
watchman; and, taking a bell in his hand, was accustomed, at five in
the morning, to go round the more distant parts of the parish,
reminding the inhabitants of their invitation to the house of God.
“But he did not confine his labours to this parish. For many years, he
regularly preached at places eight, ten, or sixteen miles distant,
returning home the same night, though he seldom reached it before one
or two in the morning. At a little Society, which he had gathered
about six miles from Madeley, he preached two or three times in a week
at five in the morning. As to visiting the sick, this was a duty for
which he was ever ready. If he heard the knocker in the middle of the
coldest winter night, his window was instantly thrown up, and the
uniform answer was, ‘_I will attend you immediately_.’
“His frequent journeys to Trevecca, where he superintended a college
of young men designed for the ministry, added much to his other
fatigues,—riding on bad roads and wading through waters. Very often,
in travelling through Wales, he was obliged to lie in damp and
unsuitable lodgings; which, I have heard him observe, gave a deep
stroke to his constitution.
“With regard to the _success_ of his labours, it is a subject on which
he has so often stopped my mouth that I will only say, besides the
great reformation that has taken place in this parish, as to outward
behaviour, he has left behind him a goodly company of upright, earnest
people, whom he had gathered into little Societies, and who now mourn,
as sheep bereaved of their dear shepherd.
“Never did I behold any one more dead to the things of the world. I
have heard him say he was never happier than when he had given away
the last penny he had in the house. If at any time I had gold in the
drawer, it seemed to afford him no comfort; but if he could find a
handful of small silver when going out to visit the sick, he would
express as much pleasure over it as a miser would in discovering a bag
of hidden treasure. He was never better pleased with my employment
than when he had set me to prepare food or physic for the poor. He
could hardly relish his dinner if some sick neighbour had not a part;
nor could I sometimes keep the linen in his drawers for the same
reason. On Sabbath days, he provided refreshments for numbers of
people who came from a distance to hear the Word, and his house was
devoted to their convenience. Once a poor widow, who feared God, being
brought into difficulties, he immediately took all his pewter from the
kitchen shelves, saying, ‘This I can do without; it will relieve your
want, and a wooden trencher serves me better.’ Sometimes, in epidemic
disorders, when the neighbours were afraid to nurse the sick, he has
gone from house to house seeking help for them; and, when none could
be found, has offered to sit up with the sick himself. In his younger
years, he was ready to weep when five or six letters were brought, at
threepence or fourpence a-piece, and he, perhaps, had only a shilling
in the house to distribute among the poor to whom he was going.
Frequently would he say to me, ‘O Mary, cannot we do without beer? Let
us drink water, and buy less meat, that our necessities may give way
to the extremities of the poor.’ But with all his charity, he was
careful to avoid debts. While he gave all he could, he made it a rule
to pay ready money for everything, believing this was the only way to
keep the mind free from cares.
“He always had a steady, firm reliance upon the love and faithfulness
of God. Sometimes, when I have expressed a fear of trials, he would
answer, ‘The Lord orders all, and I leave everything to Him. I always
seem conscious He gives His angels charge concerning us, and therefore
think we are equally safe everywhere.’ He had many remarkable
deliverances. Sometimes, both himself and his horse, in dark nights,
have fallen down steep places, and yet both have been preserved. Once,
I believe in Wales, in passing over a wooden bridge it broke asunder,
and he and his mare sank into the river, but both got safe to land.
“A little before his last illness, being on his knees in prayer for
light whether he should go to London or not,[637] the answer seemed to
him, ‘No, not to London, but to your grave.’ Acquainting me with this,
he said, with a heavenly smile, ‘Satan would represent this as
something awful, _the cold grave, the cold grave_!’ On the following
Sabbath (which I think was the next day), the anthem sung in the
church was the Twenty-third Psalm. On his return home, he observed how
the words of the Psalm had been blest to him; and from that time he
seemed to be without the least temptation.
“Still, there was scarce a night but some part of it was spent in
groans for the souls and bodies of those committed to his care. I
really dreaded his hearing either of the sins or sufferings of any of
his people before he went to bed, knowing how strong the impression
would be upon his mind.
“In the last years of his life, he never, except once, travelled far
from home without being in danger of a relapse into his consumption;
and after his return, he would be weeks before he recovered his usual
strength. He also sometimes said to me that, though he had been
engaged in the work of the Lord in various places and situations, the
seasons of his closest communion with God were always in his own house
and church.
“With regard to his communion with God, he constantly endeavoured to
maintain an uninterrupted sense of the Divine presence. In order to
this, he was slow of speech, and had the greatest government of his
words. He acted, he spake, he thought, as under the immediate eye of
God. Thus setting God always before him, he remained unmoved, at all
times possessing internal recollection. I never saw him diverted
therefrom on any occasion whatever. I travelled with him above a
thousand miles, during which journeys neither change of company,
place, nor circumstances ever seemed to make the least difference in
his fixed attention to the presence of God. He was always striving to
raise his own and every other spirit into close and immediate
intercourse with God; and I can say, with truth, that all his union
with me was so mingled with prayer and praise, that every employment
and every meal were perfumed therewith.
“Some time ago, when the fever began to rage among us, he preached a
sermon on visiting the sick; in which he seemed to be carried out of
himself, observing, ‘What do you fear? You are afraid of catching the
distemper, and of dying with those who have it. O fear no more! What
an honour to die in your Master’s service! If this were permitted to
me, I should esteem it a singular favour.’