“In pursuance of these directions, I immediately went to Mr.
Gerard, the Bishop of Oxford’s chaplain, who was likewise the
person that took care of the prisoners when any were condemned
to die (at other times they were left to their own care).
I proposed to him our design of serving them as far as we
could, and my own intention to preach there once a month, if
the bishop approved of it. He much commended our design, and
said he would answer for the bishop’s approbation, to whom he
would take the first opportunity of mentioning it. It was not
long before he informed me that he had done so, and that his
lordship not only gave his permission, but was greatly pleased
with the undertaking, and hoped it would have the desired
success.”[6]
Methodism, in its beneficence, was now fairly started. Its first object
was a condemned felon; its first visitor, William Morgan; its first
approver, Wesley’s father; and its next the Bishop of Oxford, with his
chaplain, Mr. Gerard.
The small band of godly collegians soon became the butt of ridicule.
Robert Kirkham especially was stigmatized as a member of _The Holy Club_;
and his college (Merton) became immensely merry at the expense of him and
his companions. On December 1st, 1730, Wesley’s father addressed to them
a letter to inspire them with confidence and hope:—
“Upon this encouragement,” writes Wesley, “we still continued
to meet together as usual; and to confirm one another, as well
as we could, in our resolutions to communicate as often as we
had opportunity (which is here once a week); and to do what
service we could to our acquaintance, the prisoners, and two or
three poor families in the town.”
To the reading of the Greek Testament, and the visiting of prisoners and
the poor, we here have weekly communion added to the programme of Oxford
Methodism. What was the result?