Chapter XXV: Part 25

“One in Yorkshire, who was dying for want of food, as she threw
up all she took, was saved by the following means: Boil crusts
of white bread to the consistence of a jelly; add a few drops
of lemon juice, and a little loaf sugar; take a spoonful once
or twice an hour. By all means, let him try this.

“If neither of these avail, (which I think will not be the
case,) remember the lady at Paris, who lived several weeks
without swallowing a grain, by applying thin slices of beef to
the stomach.

“But, above all, let prayer be made continually; and, probably,
he will be stronger after this illness than he has been these
ten years. Is anything too hard for God? On Sunday I am to be
at Birmingham; on Sunday sennight, at Madeley. My dear Sally,
adieu!

“JOHN WESLEY.”[613]

Nine days after this, on March 29, Charles Wesley died. It is a curious incident, that Wesley, at the time, was preaching in Shropshire, and (as was afterwards ascertained) he and his congregation, at the very moment of his brother’s exit, were singing:

“Come let us join our friends above,
That have obtained the prize,
And, on the eagle wings of love,
To joys celestial rise:
Let all the saints terrestrial sing,
With those to glory gone;
For all the servants of our King,
In earth and heaven, are one.

One family we dwell in Him,
One church, above, beneath,
Though now divided by the stream,
The narrow stream, of death:
One army of the living God,
To His command we bow;
Part of His host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing _now_.”[614]

Samuel Bradburn, the assistant in the City Road circuit, immediately dispatched a letter to Wesley, informing him of his brother’s death; but, in consequence of its being misdirected, it failed to reach him till April 4, the day before the burial. Wesley was at Macclesfield, and to get to London in time for the funeral was impossible. Hence the following letter to the bereaved widow.

“MACCLESFIELD, _April 4, 1788_.

“DEAR SISTER,--Half an hour ago, I received a letter from Mr.
Bradburn, informing me of my brother’s death. For eleven or
twelve days before, I had not one line concerning him. The last
I had was from Charles, which I delayed to answer, expecting
every day to receive some further information. We have only now
to learn that great lesson, ‘The Lord gave, and the Lord hath
taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord!’ If it had been
necessary, in order to serve either him or you, I should not
have thought much of coming up to London. Indeed, to serve you,
or your dear family, in anything that is in my power, will
always be a pleasure to, dear sister, your affectionate friend
and brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”[615]

Wesley had no disposition to tell the deep sorrows of his heart; but that he severely felt the departure of his brother, there can be no question. A fortnight afterwards, when at Bolton, he attempted to give out, as his second hymn, the one beginning with the words, “Come, O Thou Traveller unknown”; but when he came to the lines,--

“My company before is gone,
And I am left alone with Thee,”--

the bereaved old man sunk beneath emotion which was uncontrollable, burst into a flood of tears, sat down in the pulpit, and hid his face with his hands. The crowded congregation well knew the cause of his speechless excitement; singing ceased; and the chapel became a Bochim. At length, Wesley recovered himself, rose again, and went through a service which was never forgotten by those who were present at it.[616]

Wesley intended to write his brother’s life, and began to collect materials for it; but his other engagements were too numerous to admit of the fulfilment of his purpose. The following is the obituary published in the conference minutes.

“Mr. CHARLES WESLEY, who, after spending fourscore years with
much sorrow and pain, quietly retired into Abraham’s bosom. He
had no disease; but, after a gradual decay of some months,

‘The weary wheels of life stood still at last.’

His least praise was his talent for poetry; although Dr. Watts
did not scruple to say, that that single poem, ‘Wrestling
Jacob,’ was worth all the verses he himself had written.”

This is not the place, nor indeed have we room for it, to write a critique on the life and character of this remarkable man. It would be easy to give the opinions of those who knew him,--Whitehead, Moore, Coke, Bradburn, Clarke, and Pawson,--some in favour, and others to the contrary. Suffice it to say, that, had he done nothing more than furnish the Methodists, and the church of Christ generally, with his incomparable hymns, in which so many millions have devoutly worshipped the God of heaven, he would have rendered service to the cause of truth and piety which no language can adequately describe. His “hymns, and psalms, and spiritual songs,” for a hundred and thirty years, have been the metrical liturgy of the people called Methodists, and to them countless multitudes have been indebted for not a few of their richest blessings.

True to his high church principles, Charles Wesley, instead of selecting the burial ground of his brother’s chapel in City Road, desired to be interred in the consecrated churchyard of St. Marylebone. This, to Wesley, was a painful disappointment. “It is a pity,” said he, in a letter to the Rev. Peard Dickenson, “but the remains of my brother had been deposited with mine. Certainly that ground is holy as any in England; and it contains a large quantity of ‘bonny dead.’”[617] So deeply did he feel this, that, seven weeks after his brother’s funeral, he wrote an article, at Dumfries, on the consecration of churches and burial grounds, which he published in his magazine; and in which, after showing, that there is no law of England, or of the English Church, enjoining such a practice, he remarks:

“Neither is it enjoined by the law of God. Where do we find one
word, in the New Testament, enjoining any such thing? Neither
do I remember any precedent of it in the purest ages of the
church. It seems to have entered, and gradually spread itself,
with the other innovations and superstitions of the Church of
Rome. For this reason, I never wished that any bishop should
consecrate any chapel or burial ground of mine. Indeed, I
should not dare to suffer it; as I am clearly persuaded the
thing is wrong in itself, being not authorised either by any
law of God, or by any law of the land. In consequence of which,
I conceive, that either the clerk or the sexton may as well
consecrate the church, or the churchyard, as the bishop. With
regard to the latter, I know not who could answer that plain
question: You say, ‘This is _consecrated ground_, so many feet
_broad_, and so many _long_’; but pray how _deep_ is it? ‘Deep!
what does that signify?’ Oh, a great deal! for if my grave be
dug too _deep_, I may happen to get out of the _consecrated
ground_! And who can tell, what unhappy consequences may follow
from this! I take the whole of this practice to be a mere relic
of Romish superstition. And I wonder, that any sensible
protestant should think it right to countenance it; much more
that any reasonable man should plead for the necessity of it!
Surely it is high time now, that we should be guided, not by
custom, but by Scripture and reason.”[618]

This was a heavy blow at his brother’s prejudice. Wesley himself resolved to be buried in the ground connected with the chapel in the City Road, and he wished his brother to be buried with him. To this Charles objected, because the ground had not been _consecrated by a bishop_! The objection was foolish; and the burial, in another place, occasioned considerable gossip. John Pawson, in a letter dated April 28, 1788, remarks: “Charles Wesley would not be buried at the new chapel, because it was not consecrated; nor by any of our ministers, but by one of his own choosing. He sent for the parson of the parish where he lived, and said: ‘Sir, whatever the world may have thought of me, I have lived, and I die, in the communion of the Church of England, and I will be buried in the yard of my parish church.’”[619] Wesley well knew that remarks like these were current; and he owed it to his people to publish his thoughts on a subject, which, however insignificant in itself, was not unlikely to be a gossiping gangrene in his societies.

Wesley’s affection for his brother was evinced in the continued kindness exercised towards his brother’s family. According to his own account book, he gave to them, in this the year of their bereavement, at least, two hundred guineas. He also assured his brother’s widow that, as long as he lived, he would help her to the utmost of his power. The two following letters may fitly draw the curtain on Charles Wesley’s death and burial.

“_July 25, 1788._

“MY DEAR SISTER,--You know well what a regard I had for Miss
Gwynne, before she was Mrs. Wesley. And it has not ceased from
that time till now. I am persuaded it never will. Therefore, I
will speak without reserve just what comes into my mind. I have
sometimes thought you are a little like me. My wife used to
tell me, ‘My dear, you are too generous. You don’t know the
value of money.’ I could not wholly deny the charge. Possibly,
you may sometimes lean to the same extreme. I know you are of a
generous spirit. You have an open heart, and an open hand. But
may it not sometimes be too open, more so than your
circumstances will allow? Is it not an instance of Christian,
as well as worldly, prudence, to cut our coat according to our
cloth? If your circumstances are a little narrower, should you
not contract your expenses too? I need but just give you this
hint, which I doubt not you will take kindly from, my dear
Sally,

“Your affectionate friend and brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”[620]

“_December 21, 1788._

“MY DEAR SISTER,--It is undoubtedly true, that some silly
people, (whether in the society or not I cannot tell,) have
frequently talked in that manner, both of my brother and me.
They have said, that we were well paid for our labours. And,
indeed, so we were, but not by man. Yet, this is no more than
we were to expect, especially from busybodies in other men’s
matters. And it is no more possible to restrain their tongues,
than it is to bind up the wind. But it is sufficient for us,
that our own conscience condemned us not; and that our record
is with the Most High.

“What has concerned me more than this idle slander is a trial
of another kind. I supposed, when John Atlay left me, that he
had left me one or two hundred pounds beforehand. On the
contrary, I am one or two hundred pounds behindhand, and shall
not recover myself till after Christmas. Some of the first
moneys I receive, I shall set apart for you; and in everything
that is in my power, you may depend upon the willing assistance
of,

“Dear Sally, your affectionate friend and brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”[621]

We must now return to Wesley’s journal. On the last day in February, he left London, for Bath and Bristol. The mayor of Bristol invited him to preach in the civic church, which invitation he accepted. His worship and most of the aldermen were present; and Wesley, fearing no man’s frown, and courting no man’s favour, took for his text the fearful narrative of the rich man and Lazarus; and then dined, with the rich men, at the rich man’s table, in the mansion house. The most remarkable incident, however, occurred in his own chapel on Thursday evening, the 6th of March. At that time, one of the great questions of the day was the subject of slavery; and Wesley had announced his intention to preach on it. The chapel, in consequence, was densely crowded, with both rich and poor. Wesley selected as his text, “God shall enlarge Japheth: and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem: and Canaan shall be his servant.” The rest we give in the words of Wesley himself. He writes:

“About the middle of the discourse, while there was on every
side attention still as night, a vehement noise arose, none
could tell why, and shot like lightning through the
congregation. The terror and confusion were inexpressible. You
might have imagined it was a city taken by storm. The people
rushed upon each other with the utmost violence; the benches
were broken in pieces; and nine tenths of the congregation
appeared to be struck with the same panic. In about six
minutes, the storm ceased, almost as suddenly as it rose; and,
all being calm, I went on without the least interruption. It
was the strangest incident of the kind I ever remember; and, I
believe, none can account for it, without supposing some
præternatural influence. Satan fought, lest his kingdom should
be delivered up. We set the next day apart as a day of fasting
and prayer, that God would remember those poor outcasts of
men,” [the slaves,] “and make a way for them to escape, and
break their chains asunder.”

The sceptic will sneer at Wesley’s solution; but, before he does so, he ought himself to supply a better. Opinions respecting this mysterious commotion will be different; but all parties will unite in admiring Wesley’s sympathy with the suffering slave. Wesley was the first Englishman who appointed a fast day to pray that slavery might cease.

On the 17th of March, Wesley set out on his journey to the north. Everywhere he had enormous congregations; and frequently was obliged, in wintry weather, to preach in the open air. Mrs. Fletcher, at Madeley, wrote: “I could not but discern a great change in him. His soul seems far more sunk into God, and such an unction attends his word, that each sermon was indeed spirit and life.”[622]

Exactly eight weeks were occupied in reaching the Scottish border; and, during this interval, Wesley preached more than eighty sermons, in fifty-seven different towns and villages. In seven instances, all in Yorkshire, he preached in churches. The crowds were greater than ever; and, almost in every place he visited, he found the work of God progressing.

On the 13th of May, Wesley visited Dumfries, where he had stationed Robert Dall, at the conference of 1787. Dumfries was without a chapel, and without a society; but Mr. Dall had just the sort of energy which such a place required; and Wesley knew it. The following letters to his home missionary have not before been published.

“LONDON, _December 1, 1787_.

“DEAR ROBERT,--You have reason to praise God, who has prospered
you, and given you to see the fruit of your labours. Our all
dispensing God has called us to preach the plain gospel. I am
glad your hands are strengthened in corresponding with the
brethren. I will desire any to change with you when you see it
best, and, if I live till spring, please God, I will visit you
at Dumfries.

“I am, with love to sister Dall, your affectionate friend and
brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”

“LONDON, _February 11, 1788_.

“DEAR ROBERT,--I allow you to build at Dumfries, providing any
one will lend a hundred guineas on interest

“I hope to see you, God willing, in May,

“I am, etc.,

“JOHN WESLEY.”

Robert Dall was one of Wesley’s favourites, and so was his Christian wife, to whom, said Wesley, in another unpublished letter now before us, “God has given both sense and grace.” This godly couple set all their energies to work; and, by begging of their friends in all parts of the United Kingdom, succeeded, in three months, in building the unique chapel which Wesley describes below. The effort was regarded as gigantic; and Wesley’s visit was a sort of triumphant top stone to the whole affair. “Such,” writes Mrs. Gordon Playdell to Mr. Dall, “such was the general prejudice against Mr. Wesley, that I really feared his coming would end your hopeful prosperity; but God has disappointed all my fears, and outdone all my hopes. The popularity, which met him here, was marvellous. The turn in his favour was such as none but God could have brought about. You have been all along respected, and the esteem for you grows more and more. Your pious, unwearied attentions to the poor criminals have increased the general regard for you, and your sermons in the jail been much approved.”[623] “Mr. Wesley,” wrote Charles Atmore, “was much pleased with Dumfries and you. He has given you a place in his journal, and what you have done at Dumfries will be a memorial of you to all generations.”

We could quote a large number of other letters relative to the same subject; but the above is a sufficient preface to the following racy extract from Wesley’s journal.

“May 13--To-day, we went through lovely roads to Dumfries.
Robert Dall soon found me out. He has behaved exceeding well,
and done much good here: but he is a bold man; he has begun
building a preaching house, larger than any in Scotland, except
those in Glasgow and Edinburgh! In the evening, I preached
abroad in a convenient street, on one side of the town. Rich
and poor attended from every quarter, of whatever denomination;
and every one seemed to hear for life. Surely the Scots are the
best hearers in Europe! At five, next morning, I was importuned
to preach in the preaching house; but such an one I never saw
before. It had no windows at all: so that, although the sun
shone bright, we could see nothing without candles.”

Wesley’s next halting place was Glasgow. It had been widely reported, by some of the Scottish ministers, that he was about to publish a new edition of the Bible, and to leave out part of the Epistle to the Romans, St. John’s Apocalypse, and other portions of the inspired writings;[624] but, notwithstanding this, says Charles Atmore, in the letter before quoted, “he was far better received in Glasgow than ever.”

Here he spent three days; preached six sermons; gave an account concerning the rise and progress of Methodism; and ordained John Barber.[625]

Speaking of the Glasgow chapel, Wesley writes: “It will contain about as many as the chapel at Bath. But oh the difference! It has the pulpit on one side; and has exactly the look of a presbyterian meeting-house. It is the very sister of our house at Brentford. Perhaps an omen of what will be when I am gone.”

In his address on Methodism, which was delivered to the congregation, he remarked:

“There is no other religious society under heaven, which
requires nothing of men in order to their admission into it,
but a desire to save their souls. Look all around you, you
cannot be admitted into the church, or society of the
presbyterians, anabaptists, quakers, or any others, unless you
hold the same opinions with them, and adhere to the same mode
of worship. The Methodists alone do not insist on your holding
this or that opinion; but they think and let think. Neither do
they impose any particular mode of worship; but you may
continue to worship in your former manner, be it what it may.
Now, I do not know any other religious society, either ancient
or modern, wherein such liberty of conscience is now allowed,
or has been allowed, since the age of the apostles. Here is our
glorying; and a glorying peculiar to us. What society shares it
with us?”

From Glasgow, Wesley went to Edinburgh, where he wrote: “I still find a frankness and openness in the people of Edinburgh, which I find in few other parts of the kingdom. I spent two days among them with much satisfaction; and I was not at all disappointed, in finding no such increase, either in the congregation or the society, as many expected from their leaving the kirk.”

Wesley here recognises the Edinburgh Methodists as a _separated_ people, in other words, a _church_; but adroitly intimates, that the result was not equal to what many of his friends had ventured to expect. How stands the case? In 1766, when the numbers were first given, Edinburgh circuit had 165 members of society, who, in the next four years, dwindled to 62. Then the circuit rallied, and, in four years more, the numbers rose to 287. In the next quadrennial period, we find them reduced to 161. In 1785, when the ordinations for Scotland took place, Edinburgh had 134 Methodists; now, in 1788, it had 330; which, however, at Wesley’s death in 1791, were reduced to 205. These are curious statistics; and help to cast light on Wesley’s meaning.

On May 25, Wesley reached Newcastle, which, for the next fortnight, was the centre of his labours. Two incidents, in connection with this visit, are worth recording.

Three years before, John Hampson, jun., greatly offended, had relinquished the itinerancy, and was now a clergyman at Sunderland. Strangely enough, Hampson invited Wesley to occupy his pulpit, and Wesley willingly accepted the invitation. The church was crowded both morning and afternoon.

The other incident occurred at Stanhope, famed “for nothing but a very uncommon degree of wickedness.” The preaching place was an upper room, and the congregation large. Presently, the main beam, that supported the room, gave way, and a frightful hubbub followed. “One man,” says Wesley, “leaped out of the window; the rest quietly went out; and nothing was hurt except a poor dog beneath the window. I then preached in the open air, to twice or thrice as many as the room would have contained, who were all attention.” This, which might have been a serious catastrophe, happened at five o’clock on a summer’s morning.

On the 9th of June, Wesley left Newcastle for the south. Reaching Darlington, he writes:

“Margaret Barlow came to me; and I asked her abundance of
questions. I was soon convinced, that she was not only sincere,
but deep in grace; and, therefore, incapable of deceit. I was
convinced likewise, that she had frequent intercourse with a
spirit that appeared to her in the form of an angel. I know not
how to judge of the rest. Her account was:--‘For above a year,
I have seen this angel, whose face is exceeding beautiful: her
raiment white as snow, and glistering like silver; her voice
unspeakably soft and musical. She tells me many things before
they come to pass. She foretold I should be ill at such a time,
in such a manner, and well at such an hour; and it was so
exactly. She has said, such a person shall die at such a time;
and he did so. Above two months ago, she told me your brother
was dead; (I did not know you had a brother;) and that he was
in heaven. And some time since, she told me, you will die in
less than a year. But what she has most earnestly and
frequently told me, is, that God will, in a short time, be
avenged on obstinate sinners, and will destroy them with fire
from heaven.’”

Wesley adds:

“Whether this will be so or no, I cannot tell; but when we were
alone there was a wonderful power in her words; and, as the
Indian said to David Brainerd, ‘They did good to my heart.’ It
is above a year since this girl was visited in this manner,
being then between fourteen and fifteen years old. But she was
then quite a womanish girl, and of unblamable behaviour.
Suppose that which appeared to her was really an angel; yet
from the face, the voice, and the apparel, she might easily
mistake him for a female; and this mistake is of little
consequence. Much good has already resulted from this odd
event; and is likely to ensue; provided those who believe, and
those who disbelieve, her report, have but patience with each
other.”

Marvellous! Who was Margaret Barlow? The answer involves an episode in Methodistic history.

In the conference minutes for 1778, John Blades is reported as one of Wesley’s itinerant preachers on trial; but, beyond this, he is never mentioned. Blades was a native of Northumberland, a weakminded fanatic, totally unfit for the itinerant work. Perhaps, for this reason, he was not appointed to a circuit. For some years, however, he acted, in the capacity of a local preacher, in the north of England. He then began to preach consummate nonsense respecting the privileges of believers, and, with such success that, when he left the Methodists in 1784, he was enabled to form separate societies in a large number of places in the county of Durham, and in the north of Yorkshire. Among his followers, who were called _Bladonians_,[626] was Ralph Hodgson, a miller at West Auckland, in whose house Margaret Barlow was a servant. We have before us a long unpublished letter, written by this dusty enthusiast, only a fortnight before Wesley’s interview with his servant girl at Darlington. It is addressed to “Mr. Richard Steel, Tanner, Wolsingham. With all possible speed”: and is dated, May 27, 1788. Hodgson tells his friend Steel that an angel from the Lord had appeared to him, and stated that the “wicked were about to be destroyed from off the face of the earth.” He also urges Steel to join with him in making this angelic revelation as widely known as possible.

It is a curious fact that Hodgson waited upon Wesley at Newcastle, for the purpose of converting him to his opinions; and that he accompanied his clairvoyant servant, Margaret Barlow, to meet Wesley at the house of Thomas Pickering, at Darlington. He also wrote a long letter, dated “West Auckland, October 26, 1788,” to the Rev. Mr. Agutter, St. Mary Magdalen college, Oxford, in which he informed that gentleman that Margaret Barlow had been his servant about two years; that she had attended the services of the Methodists; that an angel had appeared to her in the form of a female, and with a lustre brighter than the light of a thousand candles; that the angel had come to her in the daytime as well as night; and had made known to her the state of many who were dead, as well as many who were still alive; but that the principal matter, which the angel had revealed, was the exact day when the wicked would be destroyed. Margaret also had been much disturbed by the appearance of two evil spirits, both clad in black, and wearing horns; but the recital of her visions had produced effects great and blessed.

What was the result of all this religious raving? Margaret, at length, announced the exact day when the destruction of the wicked was to be accomplished. Intense excitement followed. Some sold their clothing and property, and distributed the proceeds among the poor; and others exulted at the thought of the possessions of the wicked being distributed among themselves. The day came, numbers having sat up all night to watch its dawning. Portentous signs appeared. The heavens gathered blackness, lightnings flashed, and thunders roared. At Barnardcastle it was the day of the weekly market. The people were frantic, some with hope, and some with fear. Cries were heard, “It is coming! It is coming!” The business of the market was suspended; and consternation was general. At length, the clouds were scattered, the heavens brightened, the day passed over, and all things continued as they were. The bubble burst; Blades, Hodgson, his wife, and Margaret Barlow were discredited, and fled across the Atlantic; where most, if not all of them, joined the shakers, whose principles and morals, to say the least, were capable of great improvement.

The reader will excuse this lengthened digression concerning a mad miller and his servant maid. We have purposely omitted the numerous stories, of a similar description, which Wesley has inserted in his journal and magazine; but one instance seemed necessary, to illustrate what was unquestionably a feature in Wesley’s character,--excessive credulity in receiving doubtful proofs of the existence and nearness of an unseen world of spirits. We are not inclined to say hard things concerning this. It was a weakness, but not a sin. Besides, though some of the stories, referred to, were ridiculously foolish, it would be rashness to deny that some of the others were strictly and startlingly true. And further, we honestly declare that, in an age like this, when the general tendency is to scepticism rather than to credulity, we should hail, as no bad omen, the appearance of a disposition, like that of Wesley, to cherish, not denounce, any and every evidence of another and future state of being.

On leaving Darlington, Wesley proceeded to Whitby, where he was advertised to open a new chapel; but, as often happens now, when the day arrived, the building was far from being ready. For want of stairs, the people had to be admitted to the gallery through one of the back windows near the pulpit; and, for want of a gallery front, a number of stalwart Yorkshiremen squatted themselves all round the gallery ledge, their backs protecting the people behind them, and their feet dangling over the heads of those below.[627] Wesley writes:

“June 13, Friday.--At eight, I preached to a lovely
congregation at Stokesley; and, at eleven, in Guisborough, to
one far larger. In the evening, I preached at Whitby, in the
new house, thoroughly filled above and below. The unfinished
galleries, having as yet no fronts, were frightful to look
upon. It is the most curious house we have in England. You go
up to it by about forty steps; and have then before you a lofty
front, I judge, near fifty feet high, and fifty-four feet
broad.”

Wesley spent the next two days in Whitby, preaching twice on Saturday, and thrice on Sunday, and finishing up with a Yorkshire lovefeast.

From the “_plain people at Whitby_,” Wesley went to the Scarborough _elegants_; and thence to Bridlington, Malton, Beverley, and Hull. In the last mentioned town, Joseph Benson and the Methodists had recently erected George Yard chapel, an edifice of which Benson was immensely proud, and whose account of its opening services, six months before, drew from Wesley the following laconic letter.

“DEAR JOSEPH,--I greatly rejoice in the erection of your new
preaching house; and in the tokens of the Divine presence with
which you and the people were favoured at the opening; but if
it be at all equal to the new chapel in London, I will engage
to eat it.

“I am, yours affectionately,

“JOHN WESLEY.”[628]

Wesley’s new chapel in City Road was his _beau ideal_, and great was his jealousy of all pretentious competitors; but still he was obliged to acknowledge, that even George Yard chapel, Hull, was “well built, and elegantly finished; handsome, but not gaudy.”

During his stay in Hull, he preached twice in the high church, by the invitation of the vicar, Mr. Clark; and thrice in Benson’s pet chapel.

Notwithstanding his three heavy services on the previous day, Wesley, an old man, in the eighty-fifth year of his age, set out on June 23, and not only travelled all the way from Hull to York, but, preached four sermons in four different towns and villages.

At York a happy reconciliation was brought about. Wesley had been greatly annoyed with Robert Spence for publishing the “York Hymn Book”; and Robert had been so grieved by Wesley’s strictures as to be strongly tempted to leave the Methodists. Wesley and the grand old Methodist at York, however, were not the men to harbour malice; and, by appointment, the offending bookseller breakfasted with Wesley, _at three o’clock_ in the morning, and all past differences were consigned to the shades of charitable oblivion.[629]

A three o’clock breakfast! And yet, this, with Wesley, was not at all unusual. His energy, diligence, and punctuality were marvellous. Addressing his coachman, at this early breakfast in the city of York, he said, “Have the carriage at the door at four. I do not mean a quarter or five minutes past, but four.” The man knew what his master meant; and, as the minster clock struck four, Wesley had shaken hands with Robert Spence, and was entering his chaise.[630] Railways, since then, have helped to make some men punctual; but Wesley was perfect in this human excellence long before railway engines began to whistle.

Wesley made his way to Epworth, where he spent his birthday. He writes:

“June 28.--I this day enter on my eighty-fifth year[631]: and
what cause have I to praise God, as for a thousand spiritual
blessings, so, for bodily blessings also! How little have I
suffered yet by ‘the rush of numerous years!’ It is true, I am
not so agile as I was in times past. I do not run or walk so
fast as I did; my sight is a little decayed; my left eye is
grown dim, and hardly serves me to read; I have daily some pain
in the ball of my right eye, as also in my right temple,
(occasioned by a blow received some months since,) and in my
right shoulder and arm, which I impute partly to a sprain, and
partly to the rheumatism. I find, likewise, some decay in my
memory, with regard to names and things lately past; but not at
all with regard to what I have read or heard twenty, forty, or
sixty years ago; neither do I find any decay in my hearing,
smell, taste, or appetite; (though I want but a third part of
the food I did once;) nor do I feel any such thing as
weariness, either in travelling or preaching; and I am not
conscious of any decay in writing sermons; which I do as
readily, and I believe, as correctly, as ever.

“To what cause can I impute this, that I am as I am? First,
doubtless, to the power of God, fitting me for the work to
which I am called, as long as He pleases to continue me
therein; and, next, subordinately to this, to the prayers of
His children.

“May we not impute it, as inferior means, (1) To my constant
exercise and change of air? (2) To my never having lost a
night’s sleep, sick or well, at land or at sea, since I was
born? (3) To my having sleep at command; so that, whenever I
feel myself almost worn out, I call it, and it comes, day or
night? (4) To my having constantly, for above sixty years,
risen at four in the morning? (5) To my constant preaching at
five in the morning, for above fifty years? (6) To my having
had so little pain in my life; and so little sorrow, or anxious
care?

“Even now, though I find pain daily in my eye, or temple, or
arm; yet it is never violent, and seldom lasts many minutes at
a time. Whether or not this is sent to give me warning, that I
am shortly to quit this tabernacle, I do not know; but be it
one way or the other, I have only to say,

‘My remnant of days
I spend to His praise,
Who died the whole world to redeem:
Be they many or few,
My days are His due,
And they all are devoted to Him.’”

Wesley’s two texts on this memorable birthday were appropriate. Here, eighty-five years before, he had been born, in the Epworth parsonage; and now, in the morning, he preached from, “So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom”; and, in the evening, from, “Beware, therefore, lest that come upon you, which is spoken of in the prophets; behold, ye despisers, and wonder, and perish; for I work a work in your days, a work which ye shall in no wise believe, though a man declare it unto you.”

This may be a fitting place to insert a selection from Wesley’s letters, written in the previous six months.

The first was addressed to William Black, one of his missionaries in Nova Scotia. Black had related to Wesley the cases of certain demoniacs, and particularly one which he himself had seen. When Black approached, it was with the utmost difficulty that four men could hold the poor wretch, and prevent him doing the missionary serious injury. Black immediately fell upon his knees, and began to pray. In an instant, the frenzy of the man subsided; and the lips, that a few moments before had uttered blasphemy, began to syllable the praises of the great Redeemer. Wesley’s letter is as follows.

“GLOUCESTER, _March 19, 1788_.

“MY DEAR BROTHER,--I am glad to find you are still going on in
the glorious work to which you are called. We have need to make
haste therein; to use all diligence. For the work is great; the
day is short; and lonely is the night wherein no man can work.

“It is well that Satan is constrained to show himself so
plainly in the case of those poor demoniacs. Thereby, he
weakens his own kingdom, and excites us to assault him more
zealously. In the beginning of the work in England and Ireland,
we had many cases of the kind. But he now chooses to assault us
by subtlety more than by strength.

“I wish you would do all you possibly can to keep our brethren
in peace with each other. Your pains will not be lost on poor
John McGeary. There is much good in him. Indeed, he is
naturally of a bold, forward temper; but I hope his zeal is now
according to knowledge.

“Praying that you may increase with all the increase of God, I
am your affectionate friend and brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”[632]

The next is brief, but interesting. Agnes Collinson was now a remarkable child, twelve years old. Six years afterwards, she became the wife of Mr. Joseph Bulmer; and lived to be the authoress of “Messiah’s Kingdom,” in twelve books, 486 pages, and of the beautiful hymn, which is so often sung at the laying of the foundation stones of Methodist chapels, “Thou who hast in Zion laid,” etc.

Mrs. Bulmer was born a poet, and, at the death of Charles Wesley, wrote an elegy, which was sent to the surviving brother, and evoked the following characteristic letter.

“MY DEAR MAIDEN,--Beware of pride; beware of flattery; suffer
none to commend you to your face; remember, one good temper is
of more value, in the sight of God, than a thousand good
verses. All you want is to have the mind that was in Christ,
and to walk as Christ walked.

“I am, etc.,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[633]

The following is now for the first time published. William Simpson, to whom it was addressed, was assistant in the Yarm circuit.

“NEAR COLNE, _April 26, 1788_.

“DEAR BILLY,--You did well to expel those who marry ungodly
persons,--a real evil, which we never can tolerate. You should
speak to every believer singly concerning meeting in band.
There were always some in Yarm circuit, though not many. No
circuit ever did, or ever will flourish, unless there are bands
in the large societies. It is a good sign, that so many of our
preachers are willing to contribute to those necessary
expenses. They used to be much straitened in their bowels,
whenever money was wanted. You have now good encouragement to
remain another year in the circuit. But you know two preachers
do not remain in the same circuit more than one year.

“I am, dear Billy, your affectionate friend and brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”

Dr. Coke was an innovator. Finding that many of the Dublin Methodists were in the habit of attending Dissenting chapels on the sabbath, he, in order to prevent this, directed that, on three Sundays out of four, there should be service in Whitefriar Street chapel in church hours; and that, on the fourth, the Methodists should be recommended to attend St. Patrick’s church, and receive the sacrament.[634] Henry Moore was the assistant in the Dublin circuit; was nearly as old a man as Coke; and, as a preacher, his superior. Coke’s assumption to act as Wesley’s vicar gave great offence, and the new arrangement had to be abandoned.[635] The following letters refer to this Dublin fracas, and are not without interest, as evincing Wesley’s persistent adherence to the Established Church. The first three were addressed to Moore; the fourth to Coke.

“LEEDS, _May 6, 1788_.

“DEAR HENRY,--The doctor is too warm. He ought to have had more
regard to so respectable a body of men as applied to him. I am
a Church of England man; and, as I said fifty years ago, so I
say still, in the Church I will live and die, unless I am
thrust out. We must have no more service at Whitefriars in the
church hours. Leave all contention before it be meddled with.
Follow after peace.

“I am, etc.,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[636]

“WHITEHAVEN, _May 11, 1788_.

“DEAR HENRY,--Still, the more I reflect, the more I am
convinced, that the Methodists ought not to leave the Church. I
judge, that to lose a thousand, yea, ten thousand, of our
people, would be a less evil than this. ‘But many had much
comfort in this.’ So they would in any _new thing_. I believe
Satan himself would give them comfort herein; for he knows what
the end would be. Our glory has hitherto been not to be a
separate body:

‘Hoc Ithacus velit.’

“But whatever Mr. Smyth does, I am for the old way. I advise
you to abide in it, till you find another _new event_,
although, indeed, you may expect it every day; namely, the
removal of your affectionate friend and brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”[637]

“GLASGOW, _May 12, 1788_.

“DEAR HENRY,--I allow two points: 1. That, while Dr. Coke is in
Dublin, he may have service at eleven o’clock as before. 2.
That, on condition that our brethren will attend St. Patrick’s
one Sunday in four, you may read prayers the other three in the
room. When Dr. Coke returns from Dublin, he should immediately
send me word who is proper to succeed you there. I shall be
glad, if I can, to have Nancy and you at Bristol next year. It
is not unlikely, I may finish my course there; and, if so, I
should love to have her to close my eyes. My brother said, I
should follow him within the year. But, be that as it may, by
God’s help, I will live to-day.

“I am, etc.,
“JOHN WESLEY.”[638]

“GLASGOW, _May 16, 1788_.

“DEAR SIR,--I came hither this morning. There is a fair opening
at Dumfries, and a prospect of much good. I like your proposal
concerning Joseph Cownley,[639] and will talk with him about it
if I live to see Newcastle.

“As I said before, so I say still, I cannot, I dare not, leave
the Church, for the reasons we all agreed to thirty years ago
in the conference at Leeds. Thus far only I could go. On
condition, that our people would receive the Lord’s supper once
a month either at St. Patrick’s, or their own parish church
(the reasonableness of which should be strongly and largely
explained),--on this condition, I would allow Henry Moore to
read the morning service at Whitefriars on the other Sundays.

“I wonder at the imprudence of Mr. Edward Smyth, to say nothing
of his unkindness. You did well in changing the stewards at
Waterford.

“I am, dear sir, yours most affectionately,

“JOHN WESLEY.”[640]

The following, hitherto unpublished, letter was addressed to Thomas Taylor, then stationed at Manchester, and refers to a gigantic evil which still exists.

“NEAR NEWCASTLE, _June 7, 1788_.

“DEAR TOMMY,--I have no time to spend on controversy about the
Church, unless I had leisure to write a folio.

“It is no wonder, that every one should be ruined who concerns
himself with that execrable bill trade. In London, I expel
every one out of our society who has anything to do with it.
Whoever endorses a bill, (that is, promises to pay,) for more
than he is worth, is either a fool or a knave.

“I am, dear Tommy, your affectionate friend and brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”

When Wesley was at Bradford, in the month of May, he preached in the parish church, and, in the course of his sermon, quoted the opinion of Bengelius, that the millennial reign of Christ would begin in the year 1836. Some one present circulated this as the opinion of Wesley himself; and, as the opinion of such a man was regarded of high importance, the rumoured prophecy ran throughout the kingdom, and more than one of Wesley’s friends wrote to ask if what was said was true. The following is Wesley’s reply to Christopher Hopper.

“MY DEAR BROTHER,--I said nothing, less or more, in Bradford
church, concerning the end of the world, neither concerning my
own opinion, but what follows:--That Bengelius had given it as
his opinion, not that the world would then end, but, that the
millennial reign of Christ would begin in the year 1836. I have
no opinion at all upon the head; I can determine nothing about
it. These calculations are far above, out of my sight. I have
only one thing to do,--to save my soul, and those that hear me.

“I am, yours affectionately,

“JOHN WESLEY.”[641]

We left Wesley celebrating his eighty-sixth birthday, in his birthplace, Epworth. Here he preached four or five sermons, held a lovefeast, and attended sacred service in his father’s church. He writes:

“Mr. Gibson read the prayers with seriousness, and preached a
plain, useful sermon; but I was sorry to see scarce twenty
communicants, half of whom came on my account. I was informed,
likewise, that scarce fifty persons used to attend the Sunday
service. What can be done to remedy this sore evil? I fain
would prevent the members here from leaving the Church; but I
cannot do it. As Mr. Gibson is not a pious man, but rather an
enemy to piety, who frequently preaches against the truth, and
those that hold and love it, I cannot, with all my influence,
persuade them either to hear him, or to attend the sacrament
administered by him. If I cannot carry this point even while I
live, who then can do it when I die? And the case of Epworth is
the case of every church, where the minister neither loves nor
preaches the gospel; the Methodists will not attend his
administrations. What then is to be done?”

This is amusing. Here we find Wesley acknowledging, that, in the very place where his father had been rector for nearly forty years, the Methodists had, _ipso facto_, separated from the Church, and that he, with all his influence, had not sufficient power to hinder it.

During the next fortnight, Wesley preached, on an average, twice a day, until his arrival in London, on July 15. The following letters belong to this period. The first was addressed to Mr. John Mann, one of his missionaries in Nova Scotia.

“_June 30, 1788._

“MY DEAR BROTHER,--I am greatly concerned for the prosperity of
the work of God in Nova Scotia. It seems some way to lie nearer
my heart than even that in the United States; many of our
brethren there are, we may hope, strong in the Lord, and in the
power of His might; but I look upon those in the northern
provinces to be younger, and tender children, and consequently
to stand in need of our utmost care. I hope all of you, that
watch over them, are exactly of one mind, and of one judgment;
that you take care always to speak the same things, and to
watch over one another in love.

“Mr. Wray is a workman that need not be ashamed. I am glad to
hear of his safe arrival. Although he has not much
learning,[642] he has, what is far better, uprightness of
heart, and devotedness to God. I doubt not but he and you will
be one, and go on your way hand in hand. Whatever opposers you
meet with, Calvinists, papists, antinomians, or any other, have
a particular care, that they do not take up too much either of
your thoughts or time. You have better work; keep to your one
point, Christ dying for us, and living in us; so will you
fulfil the joy of,

“My dear brethren, your affectionate friend and brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”[643]

The following was addressed to Samuel Bradburn, and, up to the present, has not been published.

“EPWORTH, _July 6, 1788_.

“DEAR SAMMY,--To-morrow evening, I hope to be at Doncaster; on
Wednesday, at Sheffield; and to-morrow sennight, at London,
bringing my daughter with me. That evening I should not object
to preaching at West Street. On Tuesday morning, I would
breakfast in Chesterfield Street, if my sister will be ready at
eight o’clock. Then I must hide myself till Sunday; when I will
preach at one or the other chapel for Kingswood. Peace be with
you and yours!

“I am, dear Sammy, etc.,

“JOHN WESLEY.”

The next, addressed to Mr. Jasper Winscomb, is also now for the first time printed.

“LONDON, _July 16, 1788_.

“DEAR JASPER,--If all our society at Portsmouth, or elsewhere,
separate from the Church, I cannot help it. But, I will not.
Therefore, I can in no wise consent to the having service in
church hours. _You_ used to love the Church; then keep to it,
and exhort all our people to do the same. If it be true, that
brother Hayter is used to talk against the other preachers, as
well as against Thomas Warwick, brother Hayter and I shall not
agree. Of dividing circuits we may speak at the conference.

“I am, dear Jasper, your affectionate brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”

The following also has not before been published. It was addressed to “Mr. Churchey, attorney at law, near the Hay, Brecon”; and refers to certain poetical productions which Mr. Churchey wished to print.

“NEAR LONDON, _July 22, 1788_.

“MY DEAR BROTHER,--I am glad you spoke to Mr. Cowper.[644] What
pity it is that such talents as his should be employed in so
useless a manner!

“Mr. Bradburn delivered your papers to me a few days ago; but
this is so busy a time, that I had not leisure to go through
them till to-day. _In the Translation of the Art of Printing,
there are many very good lines_; but there are some that want a
good deal of filing; and many that are obscure. The sense is so
much clouded, that it is not easy to be understood. For many
years, I have not had any booksellers but Mr. Atlay and my
assistants. _Some of the shorter copies are good sense and good
poetry._

“My dear brother has left a translation of the Book of Psalms,
and verses enough to make, at least, six volumes in duodecimo.
I could but ill spare him, now I am myself so far declined into
the vale of years. But it is the Lord; let Him do what seemeth
Him good. Our time is now short. Let my dear sister Churchey,
and you, and I make the best of it.

“I am your affectionate brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”

A week after the above letter was written, Wesley opened his conference, which continued its sittings till August 6. Besides presiding, he preached every evening, and on the conference Sunday twice. The last day was kept as a solemn fast,--prayer-meetings being held at five, nine, and one, and the day concluded with a watchnight. No wonder, that the old Methodist preachers returned from conferences, to their respective circuits, like flames of fire. Wesley writes:

“One of the most important points considered at this conference
was that of leaving the Church. The sum of a long conversation
was: (1) that, in a course of fifty years, we had neither
premeditatedly nor willingly varied from it in one article
either of doctrine or discipline; (2) that we were not yet
conscious of varying from it in any point of doctrine; (3) that
we have, in a course of years, out of necessity, not of choice,
slowly and warily varied in some points of discipline, by
preaching in the fields, by extemporary prayer, by employing
lay preachers, by forming and regulating societies, and by
holding yearly conferences. But we did none of these things
till we were convinced we could no longer omit them, but at the
peril of our souls.”

This was correct so far as it went; but Wesley ought to have added, the ordaining of preachers, the licensing of chapels; and, further, that in this selfsame year he had published a 12mo volume of 430 pages, entitled, “The Sunday Service of the Methodists; with other Occasional Services”; in reality, an altered edition of the Prayer-Book of the Church of England, attached to which was a “Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Lord’s Day,” composed by himself and his brother. Wesley, in his preface, says:

“Little alteration is made in the following edition of it, [The
Prayer-Book,] except in the following instances:

“1. Most of the holy days (so called) are omitted, as, at
present, answering no valuable end.