Mr. Whitefield returns to England--Writes to Mr. Ingham--Visits
Yorkshire--Lady Huntingdon in Yorkshire--Extraordinary
occurrence--Mr. Graves--Mr. Milner--Mr. Grimshaw--Conference
at Leeds--Mr. Ingham chosen General Overseer--Mr. Charles
Wesley--Mr. Whitefield at Haworth--Inghamite Churches--Church
Discipline--Inghamite Preachers--Mr. Newton visits
Yorkshire--His Letter to Mr. Wesley--Anecdote of his
preaching at Leeds--Mr. Romaine--His Opinion of the Inghamite
Churches--Lady Huntingdon at Aberford--Mr. Romaine preaches
in Mr. Ingham’s Chapels--Mr. George Burder--Mr. Romaine at
Haworth--Mr. Grimshaw--Sandeman’s Letters--Church Government.
Early in the month of July, 1748, Mr. Whitefield arrived in England,
after an absence of nearly four years. Lady Huntingdon had apprized
Lady Margaret Ingham of his return, and the joy that pervaded vast
numbers of persons in the metropolis at seeing him once more among
them. Mr. Ingham wrote to his old and endeared friend, and soon after
received an affectionate reply from the great and good man, who was now
actively engaged in preaching publicly and “privately to those that
were of reputation,” at Lady Huntingdon’s house. From this letter we
make an extract:--
“As for me, I am a poor, worthless pilgrim, and thought
long ere now to be with Him who has loved and given himself
for me. But it seems I am not yet to die, but live. O that
it may be to declare the work of the Lord! I think this is
the _thirteenth_ province I have been in within this
_twelvemonth_; in each of these our Lord has been pleased
to set his seal to my unworthy ministry. I came from Bermudas
last, where I left many souls seeking after Jesus of Nazareth.
In London, Bristol, Gloucester, and Wales, the glorious
Immanuel, since my arrival, has appeared to his people. In
about a fortnight I purpose leaving town again, in order to go
a circuit of about five hundred miles. I need not tell you how
glad I shall be, whenever opportunity offers, to see you face to
face. In the meanwhile let us correspond by letter. May Jesus
bless it to us both! I return cordial respects to Lady Margaret.
I pray the Lord to bless her and her little nursery. For the
present, Adieu.”
The year following Mr. Whitefield visited Yorkshire. Mr. Ingham and
Mr. Batty accompanied him through the country, and occasionally
preached with him. At Leeds, Mr. Charles Wesley announced him from
the pulpit, and afterwards introduced him to the pulpit at Newcastle.
Having preached about thirty times in Yorkshire, he accompanied Mr.
Ingham into Cheshire and Lancashire, where he was attended by amazing
multitudes. At Manchester they were gratified by meeting Mrs. Colonel
Galatin.
“I conversed (he says) for about two hours with the Captain and
some other officers upon the nature and necessity of the new
birth. He was affected, and I hope it was blessed. Since I left
them I have preached to many thousands in Rosindale, Aywood,
and Halifax, at Birstal, Pudsey, and Armley, and have had three
precious seasons here. Congregations are exceedingly large
indeed, and both the Established and Dissenting clergy are very
angry. They thundered, I hear, yesterday heartily. But truth
is great and will prevail, though preached in the fields and
streets.”
On some of these visits in Yorkshire he was accompanied by Lady
Huntingdon, who delighted in such scenes as she frequently witnessed,
both in this county and in Gloucestershire. “This (said her Ladyship)
the world calls enthusiasm, but I call it the work of God.”[147]
At one of these assemblies, when Mr. Whitefield mounted the temporary
scaffold to address the thousands spread before him, he was observed
to engage in secret prayer for a few seconds. Then casting a look over
the multitude, elevated his hands, and in an energetic manner implored
the divine blessing and presence. With a solemnity peculiarly his own,
he announced his text--“_It is appointed unto men once to die, and
after death the judgment_.” After a short pause, as he was about
to proceed, a wild, terrifying shriek issued from the centre of the
congregation. A momentary alarm and confusion ensued. Mr. Whitefield
waited to ascertain the cause, and besought the people to remain
still. Mr. Grimshaw hurried to the spot, and in a few minutes was seen
pressing through the crowd towards the place where Mr. Whitefield
stood. “Brother Whitefield (said he, with that energy which manifested
in the strongest manner the intensity of his feelings, and the ardour
of his concern for the salvation of sinners), you stand amongst the
dead and the dying--an immortal soul has been called into eternity--the
destroying angel is passing over the congregation; cry aloud and spare
not!” The awful occurrence was speedily announced to the people. After
the lapse of a few moments, Mr. Whitefield again announced his text.
Again a loud and piercing shriek proceeded from the spot where Lady
Huntingdon and Lady Margaret Ingham were standing. A shrill of horror
seemed to spread itself over the multitude when it was understood that
a _second_ person had fallen a victim to the king of terrors.
When the consternation had somewhat subsided, Mr. Whitefield gave
indications of his intention of proceeding with the service. The
excited feelings of many were wound up to their highest point. All was
hushed--not a sound was to be heard--and a stillness, like the awful
stillness of death, spread itself over the assembly, as he proceeded
in a strain of tremendous eloquence to warn the careless, Christless
sinner, to flee from the wrath to come.
In allusion to this journey, Mr. Charles Wesley bears a very singular
and striking testimony to the candour and liberality of Mr. Whitefield.
He had struggled hard to reconcile Mr. Bennett to the Wesleys, and
at Chinley and Bolton tried all the gentle arts of the peace-maker,
showing how easy it was for those who had a great and common end to
agree to differ on minor points.
“At Manchester (says Mr. C. Wesley) I rejoice to see the great
good Mr. Whitefield has done in our societies. He preached as
universally as my brother. He warned them everywhere against
apostasy, and insisted on the necessity of holiness after
justification. He beat down the separating spirit--highly
commending the prayers and services of our Church--charged our
people to meet their bands and classes constantly, and never to
leave the Methodists, or God would leave them. In a word, he did
his utmost to strengthen our hands, and he deserves the thanks
of all the Church for his abundant love.”
After itinerating through Lancashire, Mr. Whitefield, Mr. Grimshaw, Mr.
Ingham, and Mr. Milner proceeded to Manchester, Stockport, and Chinley,
where one of the separations above alluded to had taken place, and
where, as at Bolton, Mr. Whitefield endeavoured to heal the breach.
His heavenly frame of mind in this journey is no less remarkable
than his physical strength, which must have been renewed like that
of the eagle; and the list of places and dates at which he preached
would lead us to imagine that he must have possessed also the eagle’s
wings. He would stop at Rotherham, however, because the insults he had
formerly received there had tempted him to return no more. Then he
thought no good was done. Now he found the chief family of his “bitter
persecutors” (the Thorpes)[148] converted to God, and ready to welcome
him under their roof. Mr. Charles Wesley, who was then in Yorkshire,
met Mr. Grimshaw at Seacroft, and they proceeded together to Leeds,
where, he says, “I found my brother Whitefield, and was much refreshed
by the account of his abundant labours. I waited on him to our room,
and gladly sat under his word.” From Leeds he went to Birstal, “where
my congregation (says he) was a thousand or two less, through George
Whitefield’s preaching to-day at Haworth. Between four and five
thousand were left to receive my warning from Luke xxi. 34. After
church service we met again; every soul seemed to hang on the word. Two
such precious opportunities I have not enjoyed this many a day. It was
the old time revived. A weighty spirit rested on the congregation, and
they stood like men prepared to meet the Lord.”
At Leeds, Mr. Whitefield addressed an assembly of at least twenty
thousand. Even York could not withstand the fascination of his
field-preaching; there the Methodists thinned out the minister and
overawed the mob. At Bradford, no place of worship being large enough
to contain the crowd of hearers, he preached in a large open space near
the water-side.[149]
At Birstal a platform was erected at the foot of a hill adjoining
the town, whence Mr. Whitefield addressed a concourse of not fewer
than twenty thousand, who were ranged before him on the declivity of
a hill, in the form of an amphitheatre. At Haworth a temporary booth
was erected in a field, near the house of Mr. Grimshaw’s son, for
Mr. Whitefield and the other ministers. Not only the field, but the
woodland above it, were covered with crowds collected from different
parts. An unusual solemnity pervaded this vast multitude, and at the
close of the service the 100th psalm was sung, and concluded with Mr.
Grimshaw’s favourite doxology--
“Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,” &c.
The volume of sound produced by the united voices of thousands, while
it re-echoed through the vale below, is said to have had such an effect
as no language can describe.
In May 1755, Mr. Ingham summoned several of his preachers[150] to meet
him at Leeds, in order to attend the Methodist Conference, which was
then sitting. Mr. Wesley admitted Mr. Ingham, but Mr. Batty, Mr. Allen,
and the other preachers were excluded--
“The point (says Mr. Wesley) on which we desired all the
preachers to speak their minds at large was, whether we ought to
separate from the Church? Whatever was advanced on the one side
or the other was seriously and calmly considered; and on the
third day we were all fully agreed in that general conclusion,
that, whether it was _lawful_ or not, it was no ways
_expedient_.”
Some time after the Conference at Leeds, Mr. Ingham went to
Derbyshire and Lincolnshire, and from thence to Ashby, on a visit
to Lady Huntingdon.[151] During his stay he preached frequently
at her Ladyship’s and in the neighbourhood, to very numerous
congregations. On his return to Yorkshire he was accompanied by her
Ladyship, who remained some time, and visited most of the societies
in the neighbourhood. Whilst she was in Yorkshire a general meeting
was held at Winewall. At this Conference it was agreed among the
preachers--_first_, that justification consists in the forgiveness
of sins, and an imputation of Christ’s righteousness, and that the
instrumental cause of this is faith in Christ; _secondly_,
that sanctification consists not in holy actions, but in the divine
life, new heart and spirit, which are given by Jesus Christ at our
justification; and love, joy, and peace, and all the graces or fruits
of the Spirit; and _lastly_, that all good works spring from
this, as fruit from a tree. At this meeting several matters relating
to Church government were discussed. And it being also agreed that
there should be a _general overseer_ chosen and appointed by the
preachers and with consent of the societies, Mr. Ingham was set apart
to the office; who then proceeded to the dedication of Mr. Batty and
Mr. Allen as his fellow-helpers. They severally gave an account to the
congregation of their conversion and call to the ministry, and being
examined respecting the doctrines they had preached and intended to
preach in future, were solemnly ordained by the laying on of hands and
prayer of the general overseer.
From this period, Lady Huntingdon used to call Mr. Ingham _a
Bishop_. She was, however, far from approving many of the rules and
regulations which had been adopted by the Conference on the subject
of Church government and discipline; and, whilst she was at Aberford,
conferred with Mr. Ingham for effecting a more perfect union, by
accommodating matters with Mr. Wesley. At this juncture Mr. Whitefield
again visited Yorkshire, and accompanied Mr. Ingham to Mr. Grimshaw’s,
where the subject of attempting a reconciliation with the Methodists
was renewed. Mr. Whitefield thereupon proceeded to Newcastle-upon-Tyne,
where he met Messrs. John and Charles Wesley, and was commissioned by
Mr. Ingham to offer them his house at Aberford, for the purpose of
discussing the subject; to which proposal Mr. Charles Wesley readily
assented, but his brother as decidedly objected. Mr. Ingham’s views
at that time were very different from Mr. Wesley’s, and, becoming
gradually more clear and scriptural, the line of separation became
still more marked and more distinct; so that, from that time forth, no
further steps were taken to effect a union with the Methodist body.
Most of the preachers who were raised up to assist Mr. Ingham,
like their predecessors, the first ministers of the Gospel, were
_plain_ men, called of God from their different secular vocations
to take upon them this office and ministry. Edmonson, Hunter, and
Brogden had passed the early part of their lives in the army: having
been brought to a knowledge of the Gospel through the instrumentality
of Mr. Ingham and those who laboured with him, they soon became
active, zealous, and intrepid soldiers of the cross, and, under the
great Captain of Salvation, wielded the sword of the Spirit with
extraordinary decision against the prince of the powers of darkness.
Hunter was the instrument of laying the foundation of a congregation
at Kirby Lonsdale, to which place he invited Mr. Ingham, Mr. Batty,
and Mr. Allen, all of whom preached there under much persecution and
opposition from Mr. Croft, minister of the parish, and Mr. Cock,
minister of Tunstal. Brogden was pressed for a soldier, having obtained
his discharge from the army many years before, while preaching in a
licensed house at Kirby Stephen, in Westmoreland. After remaining
in prison for some days, he was removed to Newcastle, where he was
confined _four_ months, at the expiration of which time he was
discharged, through the interest of Lady Huntingdon. It was not very
long since he died, having attained the age of one hundred years.
The Messrs. Allen, Batty, Edwards of Leeds, and Bennet of Chinley, had
received a liberal education. Others succeeded them: the Rev. James
Hartley and the Rev. Richard Smith, both of whom had been awakened
under Mr. Grimshaw’s preaching, became pastors of Baptist congregations
in Yorkshire; the Rev. James Crossley, also one of the fruits of Mr.
Grimshaw’s labours, minister of an Independent Church at Bradford; with
Mr. Molesworth, of Thornhill, and Mr. Fleetwood Churchill, gentlemen
descended from noble families, and moving in the upper walks of
life--all these laboured with Mr. Ingham, and most of them suffered
great persecution for the word of God and the testimony which they
held; but they were enabled to be faithful, and they “endured as seeing
Him who is invisible.”
The late Mr. Newton, also, occasionally laboured amongst Mr. Ingham’s
societies, preached in his chapels, and attended several of the general
meetings. He was a good deal in Yorkshire prior to his obtaining
ordination in the Established Church, and always preached for Mr.
Grimshaw and Mr. Ingham. In a letter to Mr. Wesley, dated November 14,
1760, Mr. Newton says:--
“I forgot to tell you in my last that I had the honour to
appear as a Methodist preacher. I was at Haworth---Mr. Grimshaw
was pressing, and prevailed. I spoke in his house to about
one hundred and fifty persons--a difficult auditory, in my
circumstances, about half Methodists and half Baptists. I was
afraid of displeasing both sides; but my text (John i. 29) led
me to dwell upon a point in which we were all agreed, and before
I had leisure to meddle with doctrines, as they are called, the
hour was expired. In short, it was a comfortable opportunity.
“Methinks, here again, you are ready to say, Very well; why not
go on in the same way? What more encouragement can you ask,
than to be assisted and accepted? But, however it may do for a
time or so, I have not strength of body or mind sufficient for
an itinerant preacher; my constitution has been broken for some
years. To ride a horse in the rain, or more than above thirty
miles in a day, usually discomposes and unfits me for anything;
then you must allow me to pay some regard to flesh and blood,
though I would not consult them. I have a maintenance now in my
hands, the gift of a kind Providence, and I do not see that I
have a call to involve myself, and a person who has entrusted
all her concerns to me (and must share in whatever I feel), in
want and difficulties. I have likewise an orphan sister, for
whom it is my duty to provide; consequently it cannot be my duty
to disable myself from fulfilling what I owe her. And still the
weightiest difficulty remains; too many of the preachers are
very different from Mr. Grimshaw; and who would wish to live in
the fire? So that, though I love the people called Methodists,
and vindicate them from unjust aspersions upon all occasions,
and suffer the reproach of the world for being one myself, yet
it seems not practicable for me to join them further than I
do. For the present I must remain as I am, and endeavour to be
as useful as I can in private life, till I can see further. I
shall always be obliged to you for your free sentiments on my
case.”[152]
About this period Mr. Romaine began to make frequent excursions to
the north of England. His father was a refugee, one of the victims
of the edict of Nantes. He settled in Hartlepool, in the county of
Durham, as a merchant, and became a member of the corporation, which
is a very ancient one. After his death, in 1757, his surviving widow
and one unmarried daughter continued the business, much respected and
beloved. One of his sisters married a Mr. Callendar, of Newcastle; the
other, a clergyman of the name of Heslup; and after they became serious
characters his visits to the north were more frequent than they had
previously been. Speaking of his family he used to say, “Mr. Whitefield
often put me in mind how singularly favoured I was. He had none of
his family converted; and my father and mother, and three sisters,
were like those blessed people--and Jesus loved Martha and her sister,
and Lazarus; and as they loved him again, so do we.” In a letter to
his sister, dated the year after his father’s decease, he says--“In
a little time I hope to be able to get all my churches provided for,
and then I shall inform you when I shall set out for the north. I have
had sad troubles with the new Vicar of St. Dunstan’s. He will let none
preach for me without a license, which puts me to great inconvenience;
but all is governed by One who knows what is best, for his own glory
and his people’s good.”
On the occasion of each of these visits to Yorkshire, Mr. Romaine,
as chaplain to Lady Huntingdon, was received by Mr. Ingham and Lady
Margaret with every mark of respect and polite attention. Mr. Romaine
was nearly of the same age and standing as Mr. Ingham; but, though
contemporaries at Oxford, they had been by no means companions;
for, while there, he had studiously avoided all connection with Mr.
Whitefield, Mr. Ingham, the Wesleys, Mr. Hervey, and others, the great
revivers of serious and heartfelt religion, who then began to associate
together, and to be noted for a variety of particular observances
and devotional exercises, which gained them the name of Methodists.
Engrossed with the eager pursuits of literature, united with a set of
scholars who began to be called Hutchinsonians, and having imbibed with
them all their high-church principles, he felt no relish for men of a
spirituality of temper which he had not yet learned to cultivate, and
from whose reproach, as Methodists, he naturally kept aloof.
During the vacations, when St. Dunstan’s was shut against him, he
constantly travelled about for Lady Huntingdon, preaching everywhere
the doctrine of the kingdom. Nowhere was he more warmly received than
at Aberford. We cannot refrain from noting the cordial remembrance
and regard he bears to his “dear brother Ingham,” whose chapels
he constantly attended, whose friendship he cultivated, and whose
ministry he so highly esteemed. Lady Margaret was a woman of superior
attainments, and he was attached to her in the best of bonds. At
a period when his poor stipend was wholly inadequate to provide
subsistence for his family, his necessities were often liberally
supplied by her bounty. Mr. Ingham sometimes accompanied him in his
preaching excursions into several parts of the county of Durham; Mr.
Romaine preaching wherever he obtained a church, and Mr. Ingham in the
Methodist chapels and private houses. During these visits to Yorkshire,
Mr. Romaine had many opportunities of conversing with Mr. Batty and
Mr. Allen, and other preachers amongst the Inghamites; occasionally
preached in some of the chapels, and attended several of their meetings
for the regulation of the order and discipline of the churches. That
he entertained a very high opinion of the work carried on by Mr.
Ingham and those who laboured with him is evident from the following
circumstance:--The late respected Mr. Burder was in company with Mr.
Romaine, about the year 1780, at the house of the late D. Parker, Esq.,
in the King’s Mews, when the conversation turned upon the congregations
and societies in Yorkshire and Lancashire raised by the labours of Mr.
Ingham and his faithful associates, and among the scattered remnants of
which Mr. Burder occasionally preached while he resided at Lancaster.
Mr. Romaine took up the subject with warmth, and, referring to that
period in which the Gospel gloriously prevailed in Mr. Ingham’s
Connexion (this, by the way, was also the period in which Mr. Romaine
experienced such hostility in London), he said: “If ever there was a
Church of Christ upon earth, that was one. I paid them a visit, and
had a great mind to join them. There was a blessed work of God among
that people, till that horrid blast from the north came upon them and
destroyed all!”
In September, 1760, Lady Huntingdon and Mr. Romaine arrived at
Aberford, on a visit to Mr. Ingham and Lady Margaret, and were present
at the general meeting of the ministers and members of the societies,
held at Wheatley, on the 27th of that month, when the choice of Church
officers was determined by lot.[153]
At the conclusion of this meeting, Mr. Ingham, Lady Margaret, Lady
Huntingdon, and Mr. Romaine visited several of the societies in
Yorkshire and Lancashire, Messrs. Ingham and Romaine preaching
alternately, almost every day, in some of the chapels. At Thinoaks,
where they remained several days, there was a large assemblage of
people, and two elders were ordained. It was agreed by Mr. Ingham
and the preachers, at this meeting, to recommend to the different
societies in the Connexion to make collections every Sabbath-day; and
the following circular notice was sent to all the Churches:--
“Dear Brethren--Being mindful of the words of the Apostle
Paul, we have determined to recommend to our societies to have
voluntary collections on the first day of the week, to defray
all expenses relative to the preachers, meetings, &c. &c. &c.
Farewell!”
On the return of Mr. Ingham and his party to Aberford they were joined
by Mr. Grimshaw. Mr. Romaine engaged to preach at Haworth, and there
was a very numerous assemblage. The prayers were read in the church by
Mr. Grimshaw, who then announced to the congregation that “his brother
Romaine would preach the glorious Gospel from brother Whitefield’s
pulpit in the churchyard.” Mr. Romaine, who was averse to open air
preaching, complied in this instance, and preached most powerfully.
In the year 1759, Mr. Ingham first read a part of “Sandeman’s Letters
on Theron and Aspasio,” and Glas’s “Testimony of the King of Martyrs,”
and at his request Mr. Batty and Mr. Allen undertook a journey into
Scotland _privately_, for the purpose of acquiring more distinct
information. At Edinburgh they were introduced to Mr. Sandeman; at
Dundee they met Mr. Glas, and returned with the Sandemanian principles
and practice, when several warm debates took place amongst the members
of Mr. Ingham’s societies respecting the nature of a _true_
Church, of which we have not a more liberal and genuine definition than
is given in one of the Thirty-nine Articles of the Church of England.
The Church is “a society of faithful people, where the word of God
is truly preached, and the sacraments duly administered.” Let bigots
dispute about modes and forms. If we belong to the best aggregate
society originally, into which corruption of principle and practice has
entered so as to infect the teacher, our duty is to quit such a teacher
and the society which maintains communion with him, and to seek the
fundamentals of a true Church wherever they may be found, and to join
with that in which, according to the best of our knowledge, the word
of God is preached in the greatest purity, and adorned in the practice
of the bishop, presbyter, or pastor, with his congregation, in the
greatest spirituality.
The societies in connexion with Mr. Ingham might be considered
Baxterians in sentiment, and liberal in their connexion with all good
men, until these fiery disciplinarians taught them to believe the
congregation plan unscriptural, and to laugh at their former views
of experience. Mr. Allen made the first breach. He expressed his
dissatisfaction with the use of the lot, objected to the choice of
elders, and became jealous of the authority which Mr. Ingham exercised
over the people. But Mr. Ingham, being determined to proceed with the
validity of his commission as general overseer, and the authority
of the lot, wished the dissatisfied to withdraw. Frequent attempts
were made towards a reconciliation between the two parties: Lady
Huntingdon wrote, Mr. Romaine visited Yorkshire, Mr. Whitefield prayed
and wept--but all proved ineffectual. This was a severe trial to Mr.
Ingham, which he never after recovered. Disputes without end arose,
excommunication upon excommunication followed, they condemned one
another for hair-breadth differences, and were thus split, like a
wrecked ship, into a thousand pieces. Out of upwards of _eighty_
flourishing Churches only thirteen remained!
He who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks has seen
fit to withdraw his light from those Churches, who were contending
so earnestly, not for the faith, but for forms, and ceremonies,
and matters non-essential. The true Church is _Catholic_, or
universal: not monopolized by any one body of professing Christians,
but essentially a _spiritual Church_. The Scriptures everywhere
afford abundant proof of how little importance the outward forms and
administrations in the Church are, compared with holding the Head,
Christ, and believing the glory of his person and sacrifice.
The claims of mutual forbearance are infinitely stronger than the
pretensions of any _exclusive Church_; the _outward administration_ of
Church order must be a much less important concern than all the various
denominations have supposed, and the inward blessings enjoyed in the
conscience constitute the essence, and fill the volume of the sacred
records. Every believer in Jesus, who is a partaker of the grace of
God in truth, is a member of the true Church, to whatever particular
denomination of Christians he may belong: and popes, bishops,
presbyters, pastors, or deacons, without this, are but the limbs of
Antichrist, of the synagogue of Satan, and can belong to no Church
acknowledged by the Great Shepherd and Bishop of Souls.