Thomas Broughton was the son of English parents, who resided in Scotland.
His father was Commissioner of Excise, at Edinburgh, and had sixteen
children, born and baptized.
Even Mr. Broughton’s descendants seem to know nothing of his early life.
From Wesley, we learn, that he was a member of Exeter College, Oxford,
and that he joined the Methodists in 1732.[261]
On leaving the University, he appears, first of all, to have officiated
at Cowley, near Uxbridge; and, with such success, that, Sir John Harold
remarks, in a letter to Wesley, “Several of Mr. Broughton’s late
parishioners at Cowley forget not the assembling of themselves together.”
In 1736, he became curate at the Tower of London; undertook to preach to
the prisoners in Ludgate prison every Tuesday afternoon; and read prayers
every night to a religious society at Wapping. By means of Whitefield,
he was presented to St. Helen’s, Bishopsgate Street Within; and, through
faithfulness to his old Oxford friend, he lost it. The parishioners
objected to Whitefield having the use of Broughton’s pulpit. Broughton
answered, “Through Mr. Whitefield’s influence, I obtained the living
of St. Helen’s, and, if he insists upon it, he shall have my pulpit.”
Whitefield did insist, and Broughton lost his lectureship.
Like all the other Oxford Methodists, Broughton was ardently attached
to Wesley. In the spring of 1735, when the venerable Rector of Epworth
was at the point of death, he used his utmost endeavours, to secure the
appointment of Wesley to the vacant rectory; but without effect. In the
autumn of that year, Wesley went on his mission to Georgia; and Broughton
wrote to him the following self-abasing letter, which has not before been
published.
“OXON, _November 27, 1735_.
“DEAR SIR,—God grant, that, this letter may find you happily
arrived at the wished-for haven!
“O cross of Jesus! what a rock of offence art thou become to
the greatest part of Christians! The Christians of the present
times are ashamed of Christ; and thou, that art a teacher
in Israel, art thou unlearning this sure, this important
lesson,—‘All that will live godly in Christ Jesus, shall
suffer persecution’? You know I have. If I should say, that
I have not shrunk from under the cross, I should be a liar.
My own bad heart, and the observation I made of the agreeable
life of my London friends, occasioned my first abatements in
strictness of life and holiness of conversation. What pangs and
agonies of heart, I felt at intervals! I laboured for peace;
I panted after the love of God; but my heart grew foul, and
became a cage of unclean thoughts, for want of mortification
and self-denial. I embraced the doctrine of _imputed
righteousness_, and had mean thoughts of works. Almost every
day furnished me with new ideas of religion; but, alas! they
all savoured too much, I doubt, of flesh and blood. Since my
return from London, too, I have been amusing myself with pretty
dreams of true religion; nor am I awake yet. Good God! art
Thou as mighty to cast into hell NOW, as Thou wert seventeen
hundred years ago? Did the first Christians cry mightily unto
Thee to spare them, and did they see it _absolutely_ necessary
to work out their salvation with fear and trembling; and dare
I, who have been a wretch, and most excessively wicked sinner,
think to obtain heaven with less labour and sufferings? O! pray
for me, that Satan may not sift me as wheat! I am a worm, and
no man, tossed about with every blast of doctrine. Stablish,
strengthen, settle me, O my God!
“Mr. Battely has committed his parish to my care. O! that I may
feed his sheep, and be not a hireling! Mr. Salmon’s heart is
with you; but, he informs me, Mr. Clayton has convinced him,
that, he ought to abide where he is, till his parents cease to
forbid him going to Georgia. God will never suffer a supply of
fit and able men to be wanting to take charge of his work in
America.
“At Oxon, we hope to be stirring. The hand of the Lord will
uphold our fainting steps. Cease not, dear brother, to pray for
us, as we hope always to pray for you. Salute the brethren. We
all salute you.
“I am, dear sir, your most obliged and affectionate brother in
Christ,
“T. BROUGHTON.”
This is far from being a bright and joyous letter; and yet it is
conscientious and earnest. Like all the other Oxford Methodists,
Broughton was seeking to be saved by his own good works. These were far
from perfect; and, hence, his abasement, anguish, and despondency.
In 1737, in the course of his official duty, as curate at the Tower of
London, Broughton preached a sermon, which, by request of the commander
of the garrison, was published, with the title,—
“The Christian Soldier; or, the Duties of a Religious Life
recommended to the Army, from the Example of Cornelius.” Text,
Acts x. 1, 2.
In 1748, a second edition of this discourse was printed, with a
Dedication to The Right Honourable Lord Viscount Ossulstone, in which, in
reference to his style, Broughton says,—
“If your Lordship should think the Discourse, to the
soldiers,[262] penned with too much emotion of heart, and
warmth of expression,—if, as a spiritual watchman, the
preacher has lifted up his voice as a trumpet, sounded an
alarm, and uttered his words in thunder,—he would meekly
desire to be understood with candour, as accommodating himself
to the military genius and character, which disdain a cold,
lifeless, and unpersuasive harangue. He has indeed used great
plainness of speech; and the rather, because no one has a more
sincere regard for the profession, or a higher esteem for
those excellent persons, who worthily fill the chief and most
conspicuous posts in the army, than myself.”
The following brief extracts from Broughton’s sermon will furnish an idea
of his fidelity, and honest-speaking zeal. Having described the character
and conduct of Cornelius, he addressed his military audience as follows:—
“Cornelius was a devout man, and one that feared God. But are
there many of you, my brethren, of this religious disposition?
Not to enumerate all the instances of piety and devotion, in
which you are grossly and wholly defective, I will mention but
a few.
“And, first, in point of _sobriety_. Alas! my friends, what
strangers, nay, what enemies, are most of you to a sober,
temperate way of life. How frequently do you, the meaner sort
especially, through excess of liquor, _reel to and fro, and
stagger, and lie in the streets like dead men_! How insatiable
is your thirst after drink, as if the gratification of that
appetite was a joy unspeakable and full of comfort! To this
purpose, you assemble by troops in tippling-houses, where
you destroy your health, and waste your money and time, in
tumults, revellings, and drunkenness. In these houses, you
often sit till midnight, and prevent the morning watch, not
with hymns and psalms, as David did, but, with blasphemous rant
and obscene songs.
“Again, your offences, in point of _chastity_, are very
scandalous, and too notorious to be denied; insomuch, that, the
bare sight of you is suspicious and painful to the modest part
of the daughters of our land. Having eyes full of uncleanness
and adultery, you wander after pernicious deceivers, and give
yourselves loose to vile lusts and brutish affections. That I
do not charge you wrongfully, in this respect, is too manifest,
from the numerous and melancholy instances among you of
putrefied bodies and rotten bones.
“Cornelius prayed to God always. But where, alas! shall we find
this practice among you? Prayer seems to have been banished
from the army, and cursing and swearing brought in, in its
room. Most of you, I fear, live without prayer, and pass away
days, months, and years, without bending your knees to the
God who made you, to the Saviour that redeemed you, or to the
Holy Ghost who alone can sanctify your souls, and fit you
for heaven. Let me not seem uncharitable in this assertion:
I speak truth, when I pass this censure on the most of you:
for, if you did accustom yourselves to pray, the ears of good
Christians would not be so often stunned with that horrible din
of blasphemy, nor shocked with those dreadful oaths, curses,
and ungodly speeches, which daily and hourly proceed out of
your mouth. It is an unpleasant office, my friends, to reprove
you in this public manner; but many of you can bear me witness,
that, I have not spared private reproof, when, in my hearing,
the name of God has been by you blasphemed. Oh! that the horrid
practice of profane cursing and swearing was less frequent in
the army! Is it, my friends, a military accomplishment to curse
and swear? Do you imagine, that, it adds grace to your speech,
or manliness to your looks? Or do you fancy, that, it resembles
the roaring of a lion, and renders your presence terrible?
Alas! vain men! no wise and good man looks upon a swearer to be
a hero, or accounts him a courageous person, because he is a
profane and wicked one.”
The preacher uttering such reproofs as these was, to say the least, a
courageous man,—a worthy brother of Wesley himself, who, four years
afterwards, preached his withering sermon, on “The Almost Christian”
before the Oxford University. Perhaps both were more pointed than
pleasant; but in the time-serving age in which we live, the pulpit would
be improved by a dash of that stern fidelity which was used by Wesley,
Broughton, and the first Methodists. It is far easier to condemn sins,
than to reprove sinners. It required greater heroism for Nathan to say to
David, “Thou art the man,” than to deliver Nathan’s parable concerning
the heinousness of David’s sin; and for Elijah to say to Ahab, “Thou and
thy father’s house have troubled Israel,” than to dwell on the general
evils of idolatry. John the Baptist was, not rude, but, courageous, when,
face to face, he told king Herod, “it was not lawful” for him to have his
brother Philip’s wife; and when, in a crowd of Pharisees and Sadducees,
he exclaimed, “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from
the wrath to come?” Who will accuse the Divine Redeemer of want of
manners, in His fearful utterance, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees,
hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear
beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all
uncleanness. Ye outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within are full
of hypocrisy and iniquity. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can
ye escape the damnation of hell?” Is such fidelity now common in the
pulpits of England? Is it less necessary now than it used to be in the
days of old? Are the congregations of the present day more educated and
refined than David, Ahab, Herod, and the scribes and Pharisees? Have
preachers improved upon the spirit and the courage of Nathan, Elijah, the
Baptist, and Jesus Christ? And have they discovered a more effectual mode
of addressing sinners? Is it not a fact, that, “Whatsoever things were
written aforetime were written for our learning”? Is it better and safer
to listen to those who “say to the seers, See not, and to the prophets,
Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy
deceits”; or to listen to the voice of God Himself, “O son of man, I have
set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore, thou shalt hear
the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked,
O wicked man, thou shalt surely die: if thou dost not speak to warn the
wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his
blood will I require at thine hand”?
This string of questions may be thought to indicate, that, the writer
approves of the rough fidelity of the Oxford Methodists, and is far
from satisfied with much of the preaching of the present day. Be it so.
He has no wish to avoid the odium, if odium it be. Fine preaching has
never effected great reformations. Preaching is often too polite to be
powerful. The pulpits of the age would be more successful if filled by
men like Wesley, Whitefield, and their friend Broughton. A luxurious,
self-indulgent generation needs, not obsequiousness, but, unflinching
honesty. Costly clothing, and refined tastes do not turn sinners into
saints; but is it not a truth, that, in many instances, they frighten
preachers from a faithful, uncompromising discharge of duty?
Broughton belonged to another class. He fearlessly reproved the sinner,
and as fearlessly told him of his danger. Addressing his congregation of
soldiers,—officers as well as privates,—the bold preacher says,—
“Let the serious consideration of hell-torments constrain
you to repent, and live like the devout Cornelius. When the
judgment is over, and this last sad sentence passed, ‘Depart
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire,’ the souls of the
damned will immediately be thrust into a ‘lake which burneth
with fire and brimstone;’ ‘where the worm dieth not, and the
fire is not quenched.’ In this doleful prison of darkness and
despair, condemned souls will be tormented with the devil and
his angels; and every part of them be racked with the sharpest
agony. The _whorish and adulterous eye_ will then be put out
in utter darkness. The _tongue_, that was used to _cursing,
swearing, and filthy talking_, will then be scorched with
tormenting flames, and be denied a drop of water to cool its
intolerable heat. The _body_, which used to be defiled with
_drunkenness and uncleanness_, will be burnt up as a firebrand.
And, what is still worse, though the pleasures of sin are but
for a season, yet, the punishment of it will be without end;
for the smoke of the torment of the damned ascends up (saith
the Scripture) for ever and ever. The torments of hell are of a
never-ending duration; ‘and who,’ my friends, ‘can dwell with
everlasting burnings?’ O be wise, and consider these amazing
truths, that, ye may flee from the wrath to come. Bid, from
this hour, a final farewell to swearing, gaming, drunkenness,
and uncleanness. Be sober, be chaste, be temperate, keep holy
the Sabbath-day, flee idleness and bad company. Remember you
are Christ’s soldiers, and were listed under His banner at your
baptism. ‘Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways.’ The arms of
Divine mercy are still open to receive and embrace you. God
willeth not the death of sinners, but had rather they should
repent and be saved. Our Lord Jesus Christ is ready to own you,
and wash you from your sins in His own blood: and the Holy
Ghost continually ‘maketh intercession for you, with groanings
which cannot be uttered.’”
Such may be taken as a specimen of Broughton’s preaching, at all events
at the commencement of his ministry.
After a five months’ residence in Georgia, Charles Wesley returned to
England. Whitefield was ordained, by Bishop Benson, on the 20th of June
1736, and immediately commenced his marvellous career of preaching. At
the Christmas following, when only twenty-two years of age, he was fully
determined to join Wesley, Ingham, and Delamotte in America. Some of his
friends, however, protested against this, and, among others, his friend
Broughton, the result of which was, his departure was postponed until the
beginning of the year 1738. The following was Broughton’s letter on this
occasion:—
“LONDON, _January 28, 1737_.
“DEAREST SIR,—My instruments are ready, and I am sat down to
write to you; but how shall I accost you? With what matter
lengthen out my letter? Surely, I was never more at a loss than
now how to address my friend. And yet, the springs of love,
that issue from the fountain of my heart towards you, are not
dried up. Methinks, I have the same affection and esteem for
you as ever; but the _resolution_ you have taken to leave your
native country, and the melancholy consequences to the cause of
religion, which are likely to ensue therefrom; together with
the barren prospects of my inability to dissuade you from your
hasty undertaking, at least, till you have taken the advice of
a multitude of counsellors (in whom the wise man says there is
safety),—all these things put together, besides the weight and
variety of my own affairs, so entangle and distress me, that I
know not what to communicate to you. But good Mr. Wogan[263]
has expressed my sentiments to you in his own. His reasons
against your going to Georgia are my reasons, and the reasons
of several good men besides; particularly of Sir Erasmus
Philips, who laid his commands upon me to dehort you if I could.
“Dear Mr. Whitefield, let me entreat you to examine the
reasons. Surely, we ought to consider before we resolve, and to
weigh things well before we proceed to put them into execution.
Would you be glad to learn what are my objections against your
going? Alas! I have many things to say unto you upon that
head, but you cannot bear them now. All I would recommend to
you at present, is not to harden yourself against what may be
modestly and fairly alleged to your leaving England. Let not
your friends be accounted your enemies, because they tell you
the truth. Lastly, we all observe the golden rule of our Lord,
‘Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous
judgment.’
“My dear friend,—for you are so to me,—pardon my plain
dealing, and, if it deserves a worse name, yet, pardon it. I
conclude my letter with an excellent collect of our Church on
behalf of us both:—
“‘O God, forasmuch as without Thee, we are not able to please
Thee, mercifully grant that Thy Holy Spirit may, in all things,
direct and rule our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord.’
“I am, dear sir, your affectionate brother,
“THOMAS BROUGHTON.”[264]
“To the Rev. Mr. WHITEFIELD,
“At Mr. Grenville’s, a Grocer, in Wine Street, at Bristol.”
John Wesley arrived in England on February 1st, 1738. By repeated
interviews with Peter Böhler, he was converted to Böhler’s doctrines,
1. That, faith is “a sure trust and confidence which a man hath in
God, that, through the merits of Christ, his sins are forgiven, and he
reconciled to the favour of God. 2. That, the fruits of this faith are
the witness of the Spirit, and the new birth. And, 3. That, this faith is
given in a moment, and, that, instantaneously a man may be translated out
of darkness into light, out of sin and fear into holiness and happiness.”
This, however, was an experience, which Wesley, as yet, had not realized;
and, hence, he came to the conclusion, that, notwithstanding all his
past piety and devotion, he was still without saving faith. Wesley
asked his friend Böhler, whether, being destitute of faith, he “ought
not to refrain from teaching others?” Böhler said, “No; do not hide in
the earth the talent God hath given you.” Accordingly, when Wesley, his
brother Charles, and Broughton met, on April 25, in the house of Mr.
Delamotte, at Blendon, the nature and fruits of faith became the subject
of discussion. Wesley propounded his new ideas “clearly and fully;” and
writes:—
“Mr. Broughton’s great objection was, he could never think,
that, I had not faith, who had done and suffered such things.
My brother was very angry, and told me, I did not know what
mischief I had done by talking thus.”
Charles Wesley’s account of this important meeting, held at five o’clock
in the morning, is more minute. He remarks:—
“1738, April 25. Soon after five, as we were met in our little
chapel, Mrs. Delamotte came to us. We sang, and fell into a
dispute whether conversion was gradual or instantaneous. My
brother was very positive for the latter, and very shocking;
and mentioned some late instances of gross sinners believing
in a moment. I was much offended at his worse than unedifying
discourse. Mrs. Delamotte left us abruptly. I stayed, and
insisted, a man need not know when first he had faith. His
obstinacy, in favouring the contrary opinion, drove me at last
out of the room. Mr. Broughton was only not so much scandalized
as myself. After dinner, he and my brother returned to town. I
stayed behind, and read them the ‘Life of Mr. Halyburton:’ one
instance, but only one, of instantaneous conversion.”
Strange to say, within three weeks after this religious fracas, Charles
Wesley became a convert to the very opinions which had given him such
huge offence; and began to pity and upbraid his friend Broughton for not
thinking like himself. Accordingly he writes:—
“May 11. I was carried in a chair to Mr. Bray’s” (the
Moravian), “who is to supply Böhler’s place. I found his
sister” (Bray’s) “in earnest pursuit of Christ; and his wife
well inclined to conversion. I had not been here long, when
Mr. Broughton called. I hoped to find him altered like myself;
but, alas! his time is not yet come. As to M. Turner, he gave
her up; ‘but for you, M. Bray,’ said he, ‘I hope you are still
in your senses, and not run mad after a faith which must be
felt.’ He went on contradicting and blaspheming. I thought it
my duty to withstand him, and to confess my want of faith. ‘God
help you, poor man,’ he replied; ‘if I could think you have not
faith, I am sure it would drive me to despair.’”
Charles Wesley was now as impassioned on the one side, as, three weeks
before, he had been on the other. He and Broughton became estranged.
Hence the following, in his journal:—
“1738, May 14. Several persons called to-day, and were
convinced of unbelief. Some of them afterwards went to Mr.
Broughton, and were soon made as easy as Satan and their own
hearts could wish.”
A week after this, Charles Wesley believed in Christ to the saving of
his soul; and became increasingly anxious for his friend Broughton. He
writes:—
“May 27. I was much assisted to intercede for poor Mr.
Broughton, who continues the very life of all those that oppose
the faith.”
“July 11. Tuesday. Mr. Sparks, this morning, asked me whether
I would preach for him at St. Helen’s. I agreed to supply Mr.
Broughton’s place, who is now at Oxford, arming our friends
against the faith. The pain in my side was very violent; but
no sooner did I enter the coach than the pain left me, and I
preached faith in Christ to a vast congregation, adding much
extempore. After sermon, Mrs. Hind, with whom Mr. Broughton
lodges, sent for me; owned her agreement to the doctrine, and
pressed me to come and talk with Mr. Broughton, who, she could
not but believe, must himself agree to it.”
At this period, Charles Wesley was intensely interested in the welfare
of half a score of malefactors, under sentence of death, in Newgate
prison, all of whom were executed at Tyburn, on the 19th of July. During
the last nine days they had to live, besides other visits, and personal
conversations with them, he preached to them at least six sermons, and
twice administered to them the holy Sacrament. On the day of execution,
he, and Broughton, and Mr. Sparks were at the prison as early as six
o’clock.[265] At Tyburn, these three earnest ministers ascended the cart
where, beneath the hideous gibbet, the ten poor wretches, with ropes
round their necks, stood awaiting their ignominious end. Charles Wesley
offered prayer, then Sparks, and then Broughton; after which the cart was
drawn away, and the lives of the miserable men were ended.
Charles Wesley believed that several of them had found peace with God;
and declared, that, the hour he spent beneath the Tyburn gallows “was
the most blessed hour of his life.” The alienation, however, between him
and Broughton still continued. Three weeks afterwards, they met at Mrs.
Hind’s, and resumed their old disputes. The details of the interview
are not recorded; but Charles declares, that, Broughton acknowledged,
he had never read the Homilies of the Established Church; and adds, “he
denied explicitly, that, we are saved by Christ’s imputed righteousness;
and affirmed, that, works do justify, and have a share in making us
righteous before God.” The two were earnest and eager disputants; but, to
use Charles Wesley’s words, they “parted good friends.”
After this, we lose sight of Broughton until the year 1741, when he was
chosen lecturer of Allhallows, Lombard Street;[266] and when he also
married.
The marriage was to have taken place early in the year; but had to be
postponed, in consequence of the death of Mr. Capel (the young lady’s
father), only two days before the time primarily appointed. In a long
letter, dated April 4, 1741, and addressed to Charles Morgan, Broughton
gives full particulars of Mr. Capel’s illness and decease, and relates,
that, Mr. C. had been married twenty-five years, and was buried in a
vault belonging to St. Peter’s, Cornhill. He then remarks:—
“Immortal and unchangeable God! to what changes is poor,
perishing mortality subjected to here below! To-day we live:
to-morrow we die. The rising sun beholds us fresh and blooming
in life: the setting, motionless, and pale, and sunk into the
arms of death. Though in the secret counsels of a wise and
gracious Providence, I do not doubt, yet, what a disagreeable
turn this melancholy accident has given to my affairs! O, my
more than brother! my virtuous and noble friend! let no earthly
thing, not even the most endearing and lovely Miranda, be too
much the object of your affections. Forgive the preacher. Our
God is a jealous God. He is jealous of His love, which often
causes Him to use mortifying means to wean us from the love of
the creature.
“I can add no more on this too tender subject, except, that,
the ever dear to me and devout Aspasia carries herself with
inimitable discretion, meekness, nay, Christian cheerfulness
and resignation, under this heavy stroke and unpleasant posture
of affairs. We both salute you in the tenderest and most hearty
manner; and, with eager desires, look forward to the next happy
month that promises us the blessing of seeing, and conversing
with so choice, so beloved a friend. Be not afraid to step
into the house of mourning. We will, for awhile, lay aside
our garments of heaviness, and anoint ourselves with the oil
of gladness, to welcome you on your arrival in England; and,
by prayers and best wishes for your future happiness, we will
add our mites to the crown of joy upon a certain affair that
promises you an abundance of happiness.
“I am, my dear Theophilus,[267] your friend,
“THOMAS BROUGHTON.”
It is a well-known fact, that, at this period, the vagaries of the
Moravians created great excitement in the religious world. Gambold openly
joined the Brethren, as Ingham had already done before him. Fickle
Westley Hall was tainted with their heresy; and even Charles Wesley, for
a season, was in danger of subsiding into their unscriptural _stillness_.
An effort was made to re-unite Wesley’s London Societies with the
Moravians at Fetter Lane; and Wesley and Zinzendorf had a memorable
conference in Gray’s Inn public promenade. Whitefield, also, for the time
being, was so out of favour with the Brotherhood, that James Hutton, who
had been his publisher, refused to have any further transactions with
him; and, to add to his annoyance, “the people of the world,” he says,
“fled from him as from a viper,” because of his “injudicious and too
severe expressions against Archbishop Tillotson, the author of the old
Duty of Man.” Hooker, the mendacious editor of the _Weekly Miscellany_,
in his trenchant style, was attacking both Moravians and Methodists
indiscriminately; and a Mr. Hopson, one of the twelve stewards of the
Religious Societies, pronounced excommunication, from their fellowship,
against all the members who were guilty of the crime of hearing the
Moravian Brethren, or Wesley, or Whitefield preach.
In this miserable fracas, Broughton was not an uninterested spectator. It
is said, that, Mr. Hopson, just mentioned, was instigated by the Bishop
of London, and, that, his lordship also entertained the idea of bringing
the Moravian proceedings under the notice of Parliament. It is also
alleged, that, Broughton became one of his most active agents; and, that,
to accomplish the bishop’s scheme of stamping out the Moravian heresy,
he availed himself of the services of Mr. Bray, an ex-Moravian, who
“made it his business to go among the Brethren, construing all they did
to suit his purpose, and then spreading calumnies concerning them.” Be
that as it might, a pamphlet was printed, but not published, against both
the Methodists and Moravians, containing, among other things, a letter,
which Spangenberg had formerly addressed to Bray, and which was now made
to tell against the Brotherhood. With what correctness we know not, the
author of the “Memoirs of James Hutton” writes,—
“This pamphlet, which had been chiefly managed by Mr. Broughton,
was not published, but industriously circulated among the
Religious Societies in the metropolis. Broughton is charged
with writing statements in it against the Brethren, altogether
at variance with his personal knowledge and conviction, from
fear lest the world should look upon him as one of the Brethren.
Brother Gambold was deputed to visit him, and point out the
consequences of such duplicity; and the result of Gambold’s
visit appears in the following memorandum of the 2nd of
January, 1742: ‘Mr. Broughton is much prejudiced against us,
and he and Ziegenhagen’ (chaplain at the court of George II.)
‘lay their heads together to find fault, and the pamphlet, now
printed, is read in all the Religious Societies in town.’”
No doubt there is some truth in this. Broughton was incapable of the
cowardice and misrepresentation alleged against him; but there can be
no question, that, he strongly disapproved of some of the doctrines
and usages of the Moravians; and no fault can be found with him for
this. Like all new religious movements, Moravianism was inexperienced,
excitable, and, to some extent, erratic. Infancy cannot be expected to
possess the perfection of manhood. With the best intentions, many of
the Brethren said and did foolish things. Broughton censured this, and
so also did his old friends, Wesley and Whitefield; but it is possible,
that, he was desirous of going further than they. Wesley and Whitefield
would have weeded Moravianism; Broughton and the Bishop of London would
have totally uprooted it.
Nor is there anything in this to excite surprise. Broughton was full of
religious zeal and intensely earnest; but he was a rigid Churchman, and,
therefore, not in favour of sectarists. Besides, while firmly holding
most of the leading doctrines of the Christian faith, he had a strong
antipathy, as already seen, to those dogmas of the Brethren, which the
Wesley brothers had been taught by Böhler. To what extent his opposition
to Methodism and Moravianism was carried, it is impossible to determine.
Neither can it be ascertained, whether he cherished his repugnance to
Wesley’s newly-found doctrines to the end of life. Charles Wesley, on
visiting Newgate prison, in 1743, observes,—
“I found the poor souls turned out of the way by Mr. Broughton.
He told them, ‘There is no knowing our sins forgiven; and, if
any could expect it, not such wretches as they, but the good
people, who had done so and so. As for _his_ part, he had it
not himself; therefore, it was plain they could not receive
it.’”