The usefulness of these humble servants of God had vastly increased during the period we have been narrating, and it was to them Methodism owed its surprising extension. It is not our province to sketch, however briefly, their remarkable, labours. Suffice it to state that such men as Nelson, Walsh, Hopper, Haime, Staniforth, Taylor, and Wright, rendered incalculable service to the work of the Revival. They had received an ordination which amply compensated for the want of that formal ordination which had been refused them by the bishops: the approbation of God manifestly resting upon their labours was the best seal to their ministry, and the best answer to the contempt of the world.
If Wesley recognized the hand of Providence in the establishment of this popular pastorate, its rapid enlargement and success continually strengthened that conviction. He endeavoured to give this institution a firm and solid basis. While he strove to raise its intellectual standard and to inspire it with the true spirit of its mission, he also considered how he might best perpetuate its existence. The great preacher had arrived at old age, and might at any time be taken to his reward. 'Till his death, he must of necessity continue to be the living centre and effectual bond of this already powerful organization ; but prudence required that measures should be adopted in anticipation of the time when the bond should be broken and the centre displaced.
This grave question occupied the attention of the Conference of 1769. Wesley proposed that at his death the preachers should nominate a kind of supreme council composed of three, five, or seven preachers, each of whom should in turn act as moderator, and under this title perform
182 Organization and Discipline. the functions that had devolved upon himself. This plan, which was open to serious objections, was subsequently modified : that which was ultimately adopted will be considered in its proper place.
While the teaching body in Methodism was thus rapidly increasing, the Societies also made proportionate progress.
In 1770 they numbered 29,406 members, scattered over ' the whole surface of the country, and already possessing a great number of chapels.
Their organization was gradually completed, retaining all the while the distinctive features which characterized it at the outset. The class-meeting became the pivot of the whole Society. From the year 1765 the custom became general, which had obtained in many places, of periodically giving each member a ticket, which served as a certificate of membership. So early as 1746, or even earlier, the whole field was divided into Circuits, each occupying the labours of one or more preachers; and, from year to year, as the Revival spread, and the number of the agents increased, the Circuits multiplied in number, and diminished in extent.
The Conference of 1749 resolved that in each Circuit quarterly-meetings should be held whose business it should eebe to care for the local interests of the work of God. The various means of religious edification were adopted one by one. In 1749, watch-nights and love-feasts began to be held monthly: in 1755, Wesley introduced a special service, known by the name of the Renewal of the Covenant, the object of which is to bind the members to the service of God by an act' of formal self-consecration. Days for fasting and prayer were also observed throughout the Societies. Thus we are presented with a great variety of stimulating and edifying ordinances, which could not but tend to the establishment of the people in the grace of God.
In conjunction with these means of grace, designed to Unity of the Societies. 183 nourish the life of the Societies, there was also in constant operation the work of evangelizing the masses; and this
Wesley always looked upon as the great business both of himself and his followers. Hence he insists much on openair preaching, which the multiplication of chapels tended to discourage. He recommends the distribution of religious books, as important auxiliaries to the preaching, and enjoins on his helpers the instruction of youth: he desires them to become pastors as well as evangelists, and advises them to visit the members of the Societies from house to house.
Thanks to his powerful genius as an organizer, Wesley had wrought his Societies into a homogeneous whole. That of itself guaranteed the stability and permanence of the work.
Many questions, however, remained unsettled ; and these occupied the thoughts of the great missionary during his last years. Despite the energy of his spirit, he at times felt almost overwhelmed by the weight of his responsibility. ''Idid not seek any part of this power," he said in 1766, "it came upon me unawares; but when it was come, not daring to bury that talent, I used it to the best of my judgment. Yet I never was fond of it: I always did, and do now, bear it.as my burden; the burden which God lays upon me, and therefore I dare not yet lay it down.
But if you can tell me any one, or any five men, to whom I may transfer this burden, who can and will do just what I do now, I will heartily thank both them and you." " Preaching twice or thrice a day," he adds, "is no burden to me at all ; but the care of all the preachers and all the people _ is a burden indeed!" y The middle period of Wesley's ministry closes with the /
Conference of 1770. This Conference occupies, indeed, an important place in the history of that man of God. It | Pt recorded the commencement of Methodist labours in the field of Foreign Missions, since this year for the first time
184 Organization and Discipline.
America figures in the list of Circuits. This Conference also gave the signal for the last great Calvinistic controversy.
This year also, upon the field of battle, Whitefield fell, Wesley's great coadjutor, and the only man of the century who equalled him. Wesley alone now fills the circle of vision, with as valiant a heart as ever carrying on his great life-work through the last decade of a green old age.
See THE EVENING OF LIFE.
(1770—1791.) CHAPTER I.
WESLEY'S VIGOROUS OLD AGE.
WestxEy had now reached old age. Right bravely did he bear his threescore years and ten: that which for many is the period of repose was for him a period of activity; and though his snow-white locks showed plainly that the winter of life had set in, yet his warm and genial spirit still gave proof that for such a man life is a perpetual spring. |
Marvellously endowed in point of physical vigour, he enjoyed in advanced old age a degree of health which is too often denied to those that exceed the ordinary limits of earthly existence. Two illnesses which he had during this decade appear to have left no permanent effects upon his general health. One of these attacks was occasioned by a fall from his horse ;_ the other by a cold caught when he was in-Ireland from sleeping at noon in an orchard, a habit which he had been accustomed to indulge in at times throughout his itinerant life. In both cases, medical skill and careful tendance warded off consequences which, in a 186 The Evening of Life. man of his years, might easily have proved fatal. On his seventy-first birthday he was able to say, "I find just the same strength as I did thirty years ago." Two years later, he again wrote in his journal, "Iam seventy-three years old, and far abler to preach than I was at three and twenty." His voice was as strong as ever: his sight was better : his power of work had vastly increased. "I have none of the infirmities of old age," he says, '' and have lost several I had in my youth." This astonishing physical vigour he attributes to several causes. "The grand cause is," he says, "the good pleasure of God, who doeth whatsoever pleaseth Him. The chief means are: 1. My constantly rising at four for about fifty years. 2. Mygenerally preaching at five in the morning ; one of the most healthy exercises in the world. 3. My never travelling less, by sea or land, than four thousand five hundred miles in a year."
These incessant journeyings were not only essential to the prosperity of the work in which he was engaged: they had become a necessity of his own existence. Occasionally, we find him casting a momentary and pensive glance at the pleasures of a sedentary life. "Ispent a useful and agreeable evening," he says in his journal, 'in the midst of friends who are among the excellent of the earth.
I was disposed to say, 'It is good for me to abide here.'
But no! The voice of God says, 'Go thou, and preach the Gospel.'" In his seventy-sixth year he writes, "I rested here.
[Newcastle.] Lovely place, and lovely company! But I believe there is another world; therefore I ' must arise, and go hence.'" Such regrets were, however, very rare. His habitual frame of mind was a perfect serenity, which nothing could disturb. 'I feel and grieve," says he,
"but, by the grace of God, I fret at nothing." Nothing is more stimulating than the courageous activity of this venerable man, undismayed by the disappointments of life, and pursuing his labours with all the enthusiasm of youth.
Wesley's Undiminished Popularity. 187
Throughout this last period of his life, Wesleywas still as heartily received as ever. His success was not an ephemeral blaze: it had lasted thirty years, and was continually increasing. The grey-headed preacher knew how to retain the sympathy which he had won in his earlier days. A new generation had grown up around him, and the children learned to revere the man of whose zeal and sufferings they had heard their fathers talk. The news of his approach was enough to ensure a vast multitude of hearers, gathered from all qua@ters. The so-called "pit" at Gwennap was always filled when he preached in it ; and the voice of the septuagenarian still commanded audiences that reached to many thousands. At Birstal and Leeds, as wellas in the metropolis, he addressed multitudes as vast as those of former times. '" I preached in Moorfields," he says in 1775, "to a larger congregation than usual. Strange that their curiosity should not be satisfied yet, after hearing | the same thing near forty years." Though his journeys were generally arranged beforehand, yet he preached a great deal as opportunity offered, in addition to his fixed appointments. He was frequently stopped on his journey and asked to preach: sometimes he found that a multitude of people had assembled of their own accord, and were waiting for him. When he had done, it was not always easy to escape from his audience : they refused to go away, and would have him to converse with them a little longer. 'Whatever men may say," he writes, "as long as people show such an eagerness to hear, it is very clear that the time for open-air preaching is not past."
With such audiences, it is no wonder that Wesley felt himself at home. "I was a little tired," he says in his journal, "before I came to Portsmouth, but the congregation soon made me forget my weariness. Indeed, the people in general here are more noble than most in the south of England.
They receive the Word of God, 'with all readiness of mind.'"
188 'The Evening of Life.
Wesley's preaching always retained those characteristics which had contributed solargely to its success : it penetrated the souls of his hearers, aroused them from their torpor, and inspired a profound sense of their spiritual misery. Though no longer accompanied by those external manifestations which were so common at first, the work of conversion proceeded as vigorously as ever, as is witnessed by the records of the journals.
At Gwennap, one who had denied the faith and turned his batk upon his brethren, wag convinced of his sin under Wesley's preaching, and restored to the church which he had disgraced by his fall. At St. Agnes, after a sermon a young female followed him into the house, " weeping bitterly, and crying out, 'I must have Christ ; I will have
Christ. Give me Christ, or else Idie!'" The old missionary pointed her to her Saviour ; and while he was praying with her she was " filled with joy unspeakable, and burst out, 'O let me die! Let me go to Him now! How can
I bear to stay here any longer ?'"
The power of Wesley's faith was displayed as much in his prayers as in his preaching. On one occasion, while he was praying in public, his mind suddenly reverted to a backslider, whose fall had created great scandal. He broke out abruptly, "Lord, is Saul also among the prophets? Is James Watson here? If he be, show Thy power." The poor man was there: he dropped down
"like a stone, and began crying aloud for mercy."
Apart from the work of conversion, there were moral and fnaterial transformations everywhere wrought through the influence of Methodism, which Wesley could not but note in his progress through the country. The workingclasses had been raised to a higher level of existence : the colliers were completely transformed. As he journeyed through the North, and admired the cottages embosomed in verdure, and everything wearing the appearance of Moral and Material Transformations. 189 comfort and happiness, he could not but reflect that '" three out of four, perhaps nine out of ten, had been built since Methodism had made its appearance in the country."
Methodism itself was everywhere rapidly spreading.
Though Wesley had some sources of anxiety, they only served to set off the fair scenes of prosperity which offered themselves to his view. 'To the grand and irresistible outburst of the first days of the Revival had succeeded, almost universally, a work of internal edification which showed the strong hold its principles had taken on the minds of the people. Wesley's journals show us how skilfully he laboured to sustain this upward movement of the Societies.
In Cornwall, he met with the same encouragement as in former days. 'Very few," he says, "of our old Society are now left: the far greater part of them are in Abraham's bosom. But the new generation are of the same spirit; serious, earnest, devoted to God, and particularly remarkable for simplicity and Christian sincerity." Wales received
Wesley's visits with all the enthusiasm of former times, and its Societies were prospering greatly. The same may be said of England generally. Of Shoreham, where his old friend Perronet was still living, he writes, "'How is the last become first! No Society in the country grows so fast as this, either in grace or number. The chief instrument of this glorious work is Miss Perronet, a burning and a shining light." In the parish where another of his old friends had laboured, he says, " What has God wrought since Mr. Grimshaw and I were seized near this place by a furious mob, and kept prisoners for some hours! The sons of him that headed that mob now gladly receive our saying." The Nottingham society called forth the following observation : "There is something in the people of this town which I cannot but much approve of : although most of our Society are of the lower class, chiefly employed in the stocking manufacture, yet there is generally an uncom190 The Evening of Life. mon gentleness and sweetnessin their temper, and something of elegance in their behaviour, which, when added to solid, ° vital religion, make them an ornament to their profession."
At Weardale, in the North, there occurred a remarkable awakening in the midst of a population composed chiefly of lead-miners. Numerous conversions took place, and the whole country was moved. Wesley describes this model
Society in the following terms :—"In two respects this Society has always been peculiarly remarkable : the one, they have been the most liberal in providing everything needful for the preachers : the other, they have been particuiarly . careful with regard to marriage. They have in general married with each other; and that not for the sake of money, but' virtue. Hence... they assist each other in training up their children ; and God has eminently blessed them therein. For, in most of their families, the greatest part of the children, above ten years old, are converted to God."
Wesley visited Scotland several times during this period, and his preaching was appreciated both by rich and poor, though it did not meet with the marked success which attended it in other parts of Great Britain. The pulpits of the Established Church were everywhere open to him : the inhabitants of Perth conferred on him the freedom of their city. Wesley could not but congratulate himself on this friendliness: yet he complained of the cold and unimpressive manner in which they received the truths of the Gospel. He was a problem to them, and they to him.
Treland was a far more fruitful field; and here his success was as great as ever. Not satisfied with visiting the principal centres of population, he penetrated the farthest recesses of the mountainous districts, in order to proclaim the good tidings of salvation to the ignorant and neglected inhabitants. The scenes he witnessed were such ag recalled the early years of his missionary life. Here, we
The North. Ireland. 191 find him preaching in a wood, under the shade of an old oak, while the rays of the setting sun played among the branches. There, he takes his stand in a public garden, while the crowd sit on the greensward on every side.
Yonder, a tent is erected in the courtyard of an old castle, and from its shelter he addresses a regiment of soldiers, who listen with enthusiasm to his energetic and almost martial utterances.
The Irish people were generally so well disposed toward their favourite preacher, that they would at any time leave their business in order to hear him. His arrival at Cork one market-day was the signal for all to leave their merchandize, and they did not return to it till the preaching was finished. While he was preaching at Blackpool, it began to rain, but both preacher and hearers were equally undaunted, and none stirred till the sermon was ended.
Once or twice the crowd, excited by the priests, indulged in a little hooting and stone-throwing ; but these aggressions were soon stopped, and order completely restored.
In fact, the Irish work was in full prosperity : the number of members increased continually, and in many places large and commodious chapels were built through the liberality of the Societies. While he rejoiced in these abundant proofs of prosperity, however, Wesley was alive to the dangers it involyed. At Athlone, he says, "There is now no opposition either from rich or poor. The consequence of this is, there is no zeal, while the people ' dwell at ease.' O what state upon earth is exempt from danger! When persecution arises, how many are offended! When it does not arise, how many grow cold, and leave their 'first love!' Some perish by the storm, but far more by the calm. 'Lord, save, or we perish !'"
In Great Britain, the mob was everywhere conquered, and opponents durst not show their faces, so changed were the sentiments of the people toward Wesley. If at any
192 The Evening of Life. time a few reprobates meditated mischief, they soon had meted out to them a full and impartial measure of justice.
His defenders sometimes offered him more protection than he required. One scapegrace, who interrupted the preaching with his shouts, found a warm reception, and retired from the scene of action covered with mud.
Another, a drunkard whose outrageous behaviour disturbed the congregation, was taken to task by his wife, who seized him by the collar, and after administering salutary chastisement, marched him home amid the cheers of the people. Often, the multitude displayed a stronger sense of justice, and, instead of taking the law into their own hands, contented themselves with giving up the agents of mischief to the neighbouring magistrates. The magistrates themselves latterly acted like honourable men. One exception alone is recorded throughout this decade: a mayor sent two constables to prevent Wesley's preaching in the market-place ; but they were ashamed of their errand, and preferred to obey their consciences rather than their master.
The ascendency that Wesley thus gained over the minds of the people was owing to his personal character. This is proved by the fact that at this very time other preachers suffered greatly from the violence of the multitude.
William Darney was roughly handled, dragged through the mud, and trampled under foot by a mob stirred up by an intolerant priesthood. John Oliver was thrown into prison for preaching the Gospel. Nelson, Mather, Taylor,
Rodda, who ranked among Wesley's most efficient auxiliaries, endured similar treatment. But Wesley knew how to control the evil passions of the populace : the power of his word and the prestige of his long service vanquished prejudice : it stood rebuked in the presence of that serene figure, crowned with locks of snowy whiteness.
This influence he wielded, not only where he was well known, but also in places that he visited for the first time.
Behawiour of the People. 193
At Redmire, he met with but a chilling reception. "As I rode through the town," he says, " the people stood staring ' on every side, as if we had been a company of monsters. ip preached in the street, and they soon ran together, young and old, from every quarter. I reminded the elder, of their having seen me thirty years before, when I preached in Wensley Church ; and enforced once more, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.' When I rode back through the town, it wore a new face. The people were profoundly civil: they were bowing and courtesying on every side. Such a change in two hours I have seldom seen."
Although such an improvement had taken place in the dispositions of the people, it is only fair to acknowledge that it was not taught by the upper classes to the lower : on the contrary, it was the latter who set the example of tolerance and moderation. For a long time, those who by social position and intelligence should have been qualified to inspire the masses with a proper regard for order, forgot all self-respect, and behaved most indecorously in the presence of a plebeian gathering whose orderly and dignified bearing might well have put them to shame.
Wesley complainsstrongly, in divers instances, of these "men whom English politeness calls gentlemen, but who behave worse than sailors or colliers." More than once these disturbers of the peace received well-merited rebukes from those who, though their inferiors in point of education, surpassed them in good sense and common decency. "Do you think I have need to be taught by a chaise-boy ?" said one who had been making use of bad language to a groom who reproved him. "Really, Sir, I think you do," said the lad, and the " gentleman " stood confounded.
The clergy had in great measure lost their ancient prejudices against Wesley. If one bishop still laid his interdict upon the Methodists by denying them the sacraments,
0) 194 Wesley's Vigorous Old Age. as was the case in the Isle of Man, others recognized the nobleness of their achievements, and showed sincere respect to their great leader. The pulpits, once resolutely closed against him, were one by one thrown open, and the churches proved too small to hold the immense congregations that assembled to hear beneath their roofs that voice which, for more than forty years, had been awaking the echoes of the streets and the woods.
Wesley's journeys were so many visits of inspection designed to keep him acquainted with the real state of the work of God. For this spiritual episcopate he was admirably fitted ; and it possessed a far greater reality, and embraced a much vaster area, than that of the Anglican bishops. He possessed not only the comprehensive vision of the military general, who with one glance takes in the whole field of battle, but the still rarer faculty of minute investigation, which suffers no details to be neglected.
In his visitation of the Societies he had regard not only to their general and collective interests, but also to those that were more special and local. He often had to act the part of a mediator between opposing parties, and this he did with so much impartiality, as well as so much prudence and tact, that he very seldom failed in accomplishing his end.
The Societies were, in fact, still agitated by questions of internal discipline, and it taxed Wesley's skill to prevent this agitation from becoming open rupture. He still, however, depended on Providence for a solution of these difficulties, and was always solicitous to impress on his
Societies the practical character of the mission of Methodism.
"Observe," says he to his preachers in 1778, "it is not ' your business to preach so many times, and to take care of this or that Society, but to save as many souls as you can ; to bring as many sinners as you possibly can to repentance, and with all your power to build them up in that holiness — without which no man can see the Lord."
Wesley as a Pastor. 195
Wesley's excellence as a preacher was perhaps even surpassed by his skill in the cure of souls. His larger meetings seemed to him to have been almost resultless, except as they paved the way for close and personal conference with those who had received spiritual impressions. His pastoral labours were to him the necessary complement of his pulpit efforts.
The class-meeting was one of those creations of his organizing genius which gave so much stability and permanence to the work. He was fully alive to its importance, and everywhere endeavoured to promote the orderly working of this part of the Methodist machinery. Wherever he went, he visited the classes, and instituted a personal examination into the state of each of the members. Notwithstanding his innumerable engagements, he constantly devoted himself to pastoral visitation, and, at regular intervals, saw at their own homes all the members of his larger
Societies at London, Bristol, and Newcastle. The sick had their place in his sympathies; his wide reading having furnished him with stores of medical knowledge, so that he could minister to their physical as well as spiritual necessities ;and in London. he established a dispensary, where medicine was gratuitously distributed to the poor.
In the course of these pastoral visits he was often the eyewitness of great misery. "I began visiting," he says in 1777, "those of our Society who lived in Bethnal-Green hamlet. Many of them I found in such poverty as few
- ean conceive without seeing it. O why do not all the rich that fear God constantly visit the poor! Can they spend part of their spare time better? Certainly not....
'Such another scene I saw the next day in visiting another part of the Society. Ihave not found any such distress, no, not in the prison of Newgate. One poor man was just creeping out of his sick bed to his ragged wife and three little children, who were more than half naked, and the 196 Wesley's Vigorous Old Age. very picture of famine; when one bringing in a loaf of bread, they all ran, seized upon it, and tore it in pieces in an instant. Who would not rejoice that there is another world ?"
Toward such misery Wesley's heart ever overflowed with sympathy. His frugal life and simple tastes enabled him to devote a considerable part of his resources to works of benevolence. On one occasion, when in Ireland, his carriage stuck fast in a bog: while the men were endeavouring to extricate it, a poor man passed by, and Wesley, observing his profound dejection, inquired the cause. The man told him that he was in danger of being turned out of house and home, his landlord having threatened to eject him for arrears amounting to twenty shillings. Wesley put a sovereign in his hand, and the poor man fell on his knees, crying out, ' Now I shall have a house to shelter me," and began to pray for his benefactor with all his might. 'I believe," says Wesley,
"'God answered his prayer by helping us out of the bog."
He was still a zealous visitor of the prisons, and more than once had the happiness of leading condemned criminals to that Saviour who pardoned the penitent malefactor. In 1767, he had had a somewhat sharp controversy with Dr. Dodd, an Anglican preacher of some renown, and a clever writer, who, like many others, wished to break a lance with the founder of Methodism. Ten years rolled away, and Wesley had almost lost sight of his old antagonist, when he received a message begging him to come to him immediately. The brilliant preacher of former days was in prison on a charge of forgery. He was convicted of having counterfeited the handwriting of Lord Chesterfield, a former pupil of his, for the purpose of obtaining money ; and, according to the stringent legislation of those days, the penalty was death. Smitten with remorse and desirous of making his peace with God, the unfortunate
Death of Dr. Dodd. 197 man sought the advice of Wesley, thus doing sincere homage to the piety of the man whom he had once so violently assailed. In the interviews that Wesley had with him, he showed all the signs of genuine repentance.
Two days before his execution he paid him another visit, and was present while his wife took her leave of him. It was a touching scene. "QO Sir," said he, in reply to the encouragements that Wesley offered him, "it is not for such a sinner as me to expect any joy in this world. The utmost I can desire is peace; and, through the mercy of God, that I have." "On Friday morning," continues
Wesley, "all the prisoners were gathered together when he came down into the court. He seemed entirely composed. But when he observed most of them lifting up their hands, praying for him, blessing him, and weeping aloud, he was melted down, burst into tears too, and prayed
God to bless them all. When he came out of the gate, an innumerable multitude were waiting, many of whom seemed ready to insult him. But the moment they saw him their hearts were changed, and they began to bless him and pray for him too.... One of his fellow-prisoners seemed to bein utter despair. Dr. Dodd, forgetting himself, laboured to comfort him, and strongly applied the promises. After some time spent in prayer, he pulled his cap over his eyes, and, sinking down, seemed to die in a moment. I make no doubt but in that moment the angels were ready to carry him into Abraham's bosom."
Though Bristol was at first the headquarters of Methodism, it was not long before London, as if by right, assumed that position. There Wesley kept up his largest establishment, and thence he started on his missionary travels. At the commencement of the present period theF'o undery Chapel, opened in 1739, was still the principal Methodist sanctuary, and it could indeed boast a great history. In 1778, it was replaced by a more spacious and commodious chapel in 198 Wesley's Vigorous Old Age.
City-Road, the funds for the erection of which were raised by an appeal to the whole Connexion. City-Road Chapel, which is still a principal Methodist place of worship in London, was then the finest ecclesiastical edifice in the capital beyond the pale of the Anglican church ; and it will always be a structure admirably adapted to the purposes for which it was built.
From his printing-establishment in London, Wesley continued to issue innumerable publications, the literary labour in connection with which would alone have sufficed to employ the time of an active man. In 1773, he published an edition of his works in twenty-three volumes. In 1778, he commenced the publication of a monthly periodical, the "' Arminian Magazine," which he edited to the end of his life, and which is still continued, under the title of the " Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine.' Among the productions of his busy pen we may mention certain political pamphlets called forth by the revolt of the American colonies, in which he views the subject from a thoroughly
English standpoint. At the same time, in an eloquent letter to the prime minister, Lord North, he argues powerfully against the use of violent measures, and pleads for a policy of conciliation.
Before concluding this chapter we must spend a few words on the great controversy which broke out in 1770 between the followers of Wesley and those of his late great fellow-labourer, Whitefield, on the peculiar tenets of Calvinism. In this controversy, Wesley was only indirectly involved. It had its origin in a re-affirmation, by the Conference of 1770, of the original doctrinal principles of Methodism, in which the preachers were' especially warned against Antinomian errors. The " Minutes," which embodied, perhaps in too concise a form, the views of the Conference, unfortunately revived grave questions which for many years had been permitted to sleep. Whitefield's
Calvinistic Controversy. 199 disciples regarded the document as an attack upon themselves, and, wresting the natural sense of his words, declared that Wesley had become the advocate of Pelagianism. To - this statement the whole of his past life was a contradiction ; but for peace' sake he consented to explain the sense of the Minutes, and declared himself as much opposed as ever to the errors laid to his charge. These explanations were, however, powerless to check the tide of religious
'strife, and for a long time books and pamphlets in relation to it were multiplied. Wesley did not himself descend into the arena, but he found an able champion in his friend
Fletcher. Had this controversy had no other result than that of unfolding the remarkable talents of this devotedman, it would have served a worthy end. But it served further to establish the decried Arminian doctrine upon solid foundations, and to prove to its adversaries that it was far from being the unsubstantial dream of mere enthusiasts.
The general cessation throughout the country of strife upon these subjects, and the gradual abandonment on the part of the Calvinists of extreme views, are in great measure due to the polemical labours of this period.
While these discussions were a source of anxiety to many minds, they did not hinder the development of Methodism.
This decade was emphatically a period of progress, and yielded a clear increase of 14,651 members and 52 itinerant preachers. The total number of members in England and America rose, in the year 1780, to 52,334 ; while the number of itinerant preachers amounted to 213, besides several hundreds of local preachers. In America the work had made wonderful strides, so much so as to compel Wesley to execute one of the most remarkable movements of his ecclesiastical course.
The body of preachers had been largely developed and strengthened in the course of these ten years. Among the new recruits were Francis Asbury, the father of American
200 Wesley's Vigorous Old Age.
Methodism, and one of its first bishops; Joseph Benson, the commentator, who, expelled from Oxford for holding Methodist views, became one of the great lights of the Connexion ;—Samuel Bradburn, the Demosthenes of Methodism, of whom Dr. Clarke said that he never heard his equal ;—James Rogers, the ardent evangelist ;—John
Valton, a young Frenchman, who, after having celebrated the mass as a chorister in his native country, became one of Wesley's choice companions and the instrument of several revivals ;—Henry Moore, the first biographer of Wesley, who during a ministry among the Methodists of sixty-five years was one of their most influential leaders ;—and lastly,
Dr. Coke, who, having sacrificed a good position in the Church in order to identify himself with Methodism, became one of its brightest ornaments, and the founder of its great missionary enterprise.
Such accessions gave a higher status to Wesley's preachers, and formed a guarantee for the future of the body. That future was, indeed, already safe: the great work of the Revival was now being devolved on men whose piety and intelligence ensured its continuance after Wesley's death.
On this point he was himself fully satisfied, as is shown by the hopeful strain in which he thus wrote to a friend :— "The remark of Luther, 'that a revival of religion seldom continues above thirty years,' has been verified many times in several countries. But it will not always hold. The present revival of religion in England has already continued fifty years. And, blessed be God, it is at least as likely to continue as it was twenty or thirty years ago. Indeed, it is far more likely ; as it not only spreads wider, but sinks deeper, than ever; more and more persons being able to testify that the blood of Christ cleanses from all sin. We haye, therefore, reason to hope that this revival of religion, will continue, and continually increase, till the time when all Israel shall be saved, and the fulness of the Gentiles shall come."
CHAPTER IL LAST YEARS.
1780—1790, Westey had often prayed, "Lord, let me not live to be useless!" "Teisure and I," he was accustomed to say, "have taken leave of each other. If my health will permit, I propose to be busy as long as I live." God granted him the desire of his heart, and, thanks to an excellent constitution, he was enabled to pursue his apostolic labours to the close of a protracted life. At eighty-one, he writes,
" T am as strong at eighty-one as I was at twenty-one ; but abundantly more healthy, being a 'stranger to the headache, toothache, and other bodily disorders which attended mein my youth. We can only say, 'The Lord reigneth !'
While we live, let us live to Him." A year later occurs in his journal the following astonishing note :—"By the good providence of God, I finished the eighty-second year of myage. Is anything too hard for God? It is now | eleven years since I have felt any such thing as weariness: | many times I speak till my voice fails, and I can speak | no longér ; frequently I walk till my strength fails, and I | can walk no farther; yet even then I feel no sensation of | weariness, but am perfectly easy from head to foot. I) dare not impute this to natural. causes: it is the will of God."
Wesley's mode of life was eminently favourable to bodily vigour. He rose regularly at four in the morning, and preached as regularly at five: he retired early to rest, and slept soundly, not having lost a night's rest for fifty years.
Much was due, as he acknowledged, to the regularity of 202 Last Years> his habits, and still more to the serenity of spirit which shielded him from oppressive cares by enabling him to see in all things the hand of God.
While his physical powers seemed exempt from the decrepitude which is the ordinary lot of old age, his intellect retained in equal measure its marvellous lucidity.
"' Fis associates," says one of his biographers, "could not perceive in him any signs of intellectual decay, nor can the critic detect any in his writings. Without the usual return of the mental weakness of childhood, there is apparent some return of its pure and simple freshness and vivacity.
Increased sunshine seems to illuminate his daily life ; he records beautiful impressions of nature and books more frequently : he compares and criticises Ariosto and Tasso ; he indulges occasionally in dramatic reading and criticism ; he discusses with zest the question of Ossian's poetry, then rife in literary circles ; he notes, in brief but picturesque passages, the scenery of his out-door preaching, and the landscapes of his travels, and visits oftener, and describes more fully than ever, the gardens of the nobility. ' Elegant' buildings, (a phrase often applied by him with pleasure to new Methodist chapels,) and fine music and grand old ruins, excite his admiration....He is no Puritan iconoclast.
He is refreshed by the bursting forth of the spring in the north, and by the return of the singing-birds. ' How gladly would I repose awhile here!' he writes of a locality with a pleasant garden and shady walk around the neighbouring meadows, 'but repose is not for me in this world !"* So fine an old man," says Alexander Knox,
"T never saw. The happiness of his mind beamed forth in his countenance; every look showed how fully he enjoyed 'the gay remembrance of a life well spent!'
Wherever he went, he diffused a portion of his own * Stevens, History of Methodism, vol. ii., pp. 197, 198.
Appearance in Old Age. 203 felicity. While the grave and serious were charmed with his wisdom, his sportive sallies of innocent mirth delighted even the young and thoughtless: and both saw in his uninterrupted cheerfulness the excellence of true religion. In | him even old age appeared delightful, like an evening without a cloud, and it was impossible to observe him without wishing fervently, 'May my latter end be like his!' "
It was impossible to gaze upon the countenance of this aged ambassador of Christ without feelings of respect, and even of reverence. Though short in stature, his physiognomy indicated profound seriousness, bordéring indeed on austerity. His bright, piercing eyes lit up a finelychiselled and expressive face with a peculiar glow: his large and lofty forehead indicated the man of intellect, while his firmly-knit lips bespoke the man of energy and decision. The whole countenance, set off by long flowing locks of snow-white hair reaching to the shoulders, had a singularly winning effect on all beholders. Internal peace irradiated his features with a sweet, expressive smile. As this venerable man walked the streets of the metropolis, with the quick step and earnest bearing which never forsook him, and as if still intent on buying up every moment of time, the passers-by stopped spontaneously and offered salutations of profound respect ; and in doing so they did homage to the moral grandeur of his well-spent life.
But it was in the pulpit more especially that this venerable old man produced the deepest impression : it was there that the majesty of his character was the most strikingly displayed. A portrait has come down to us, full of expression, sketched from one of the side-pews in the Foundery
Chapel by a talented artist, who was a member of the congregation. The preacher is there pictured to the life, as occupying the sacred desk, and in the very attitude of preaching. The head is bent forward, and the countenance
204 Last Years. illuminated with the glow of an almost mystic devotion : the prevailing expression is that of an unspeakable tenderness, which is evidently finding ventin fervid appeals, delivered with a voice, less melodious perhaps than of old, but still capable of giving forth powerful and pathetic tones. The flight of years has lined his countenance ; but this has lost neither the fire of youth nor the force of maturity ; and the mingled expression answers well to the complex character of his mind. One might call it a combination of Moses and St. John. In fact, in his preaching he did combine these two almost contradictory types, the severity of the Jewish lawgiver and the mildness of the beloved disciple.
His eloquence, which for more than half a century had held such unbounded sway over his audiences, was Christian eloquence of the most genuine kind, such as is replenished, not from the turbid streams of a frivolous rhetoric, but at the living fountains of eternal truth.
In order to form a just idea of the influence wielded by Wesley over the English nation, we must follow him on his missionary tours. All the counties of England heard from this octogenarian the word of eternal life. He still preached twice and three times a day, while four or five hours' travel did not daunt his spirit in the least degree.
Wherever he went, he was greeted with tokens of the most profound respect, and his utterances still excited the enthusiasm of the people. It appeared as if they strove to efface the memory of former trials by their manifestations of sympathy and respect. It will be sufficient to cast a rapid glance at Wesley's course through the latter period of his ministry.
At Grimsby, he preached in the churchyard, where the entire population assembled to hear him. At Witney, he took advantage of the fears excited by a terrible storm, and preached to an immense multitude on the great scenes of death and judgment, after which thirty-four persons
Continued Journeys. 205 came to him and sought admission into the Society. At Epworth, he preached to a larger congregation than ever before: it was with deep emotion that he visited the churchyard, where he had preached on his father's tombstone, and, while musing on the gaps: which death had made in the ranks of his old companions, he exclaimed, "It is very true that ' one generation passeth away, and another generation cometh up :' the earth loses its inhabitants as a tree sheds its leaves." At Kingswood, he was delighted to be among the colliers who had been civilized by his means, and to preach to them under the shade of the double row of trees which he had planted with his own hand forty years before ;and his word seemed to gain energy from the reminiscences of the past. At Burslem, he had announced that he would preach at five in the morning, his favourite hour; but the impatience of the people was so great, that they assembled long before the time appointed, and, shortly after four, a band of musicians came to escort him to the chapel to the sound of music and singing. At Bingley, one of his assistants had to preach to one part of the congregation while he preached to another, as his voice could not reach them all. At Newark, the civic authorities requested that he would do them the honour to preach before them. At Plymouth, he had to be borne above the heads of the crowd to the pulpit, "and after a solemn parting, we took coach," he says, "at six, leaving such a flame behind us as was never kindled before.
God grant it may never be put out!" At Bolton, he administered the Lord's Supper, with the help of several ministers, to twelve or thirteen hundred communicants.
At Chester, he had the largest congregation that he had ever seen there. Of Castle-Carey he said, " How are the times changed! The first of our preachers that came hither, the zealous mob threw into the horse-pond: now high and low earnestly listen to the word that is able
206 Last Years. to save.their souls." At Gloucester also, he writes, ' The scandal of the Cross (such is the will of God) is ceased.
High and low, rich and poor, flock together, and seem to devour the word. I preached on building upon a rock, and spoke with all plainness. Many, I believe, were cut to the heart ; for it was a day of the Lord's power."
Such expressions constantly fell from Wesley's pen, and every page of his journals prove that his preaching produced the same effect in his old age as when he was yet in his prime. It still smote upon the consciences, and frequently, as at Coleford, "the flame broke out. Many cried aloud, many sunk to the ground, many trembled exceedingly ; but all seemed to be quite athirst for God, and penetrated by the presence of His power." The sobs of penitents, and the joyous exclamations of the saved, were now the only interruptions to Wesley's preaching, and his open-air services were attended by no disorder, save what might be occasioned by the extreme enthusiasm of the people.
Wesley's progress through Cornwall was a genuine ovation : in every town the whole population turned out to hear him. At Truro, notwithstanding an extraordinary storm, a large congregation assembled, and all were so profoundly affected under his sermon as to appear fully determined to save their souls. At Redruth, thousands upon thousands flocked together from all parts, and not only filled the streets but all the windows, while some climbed up to the roofs of the houses that they might see him and hear him. At Falmouth, where forty years before he had narrowly escaped death at the hands of the mob, he made his entry into the town in the midst of an enormous concourse of people. " High and low lined the street, from one end of the town to the other, out of stark love and kindness, gaping and staring as if the King were going by." Throughout the country, the chapels were too
Cornnall and Ireland. 207 small to contain the people, and he generally had to. preach in the public places, formerly the arena of his conflicts with the mob.
Similar scenes took place in Ireland, where he everywhere received an enthusiastic welcome. As he was approaching Cork he was met by a cortege of thirty men on horseback, who came to conduct him into the city.
His arrival created a profound sensation, and his preaching was attended by great success. The mayor invited him to his own house, and showed him "the lions" of the city : a Catholic priest, called Father O'Leary, who had once waged war with him in the newspapers, dined with him, and manifested the greatest respect. At Aughalan, he found such a congregation as he had not seen in the kingdom: tears of joy and cries were heard on every side, only so far suppressed as not to drown his voice. The same effects were produced at Enniskillen, "formerly a den of lions," but where "the lions had become lambs ;" and numerous conversions rewarded his labours there.
Even among the mountains, he was astonished to see multitudes of people flock to his preaching. 'One would wonder whence all the people came," he says; " they seemed to spring out of the earth." In Ireland, as in England,.the work was in full prosperity : for some years it had been taking rapid strides. The Dublin Society was still one of the most flourishing in the three kingdoms, and in 1787 Wesley spoke of it as second in importance to none but that of the metropolis itself.
This well-earned popularity Wesley availed himself of solely to promote the honour of his Master. 'Fortunate would the artist have been who could have followed him, and preserved for his numerous people representations of the touching or grand scenes of these his last years,—his preaching in the Gwennap amphitheatre to audiences such as Whitefield probably never saw ; in Redruth-street, with 208 Last Years. the wondering hosts hanging on the windows and roofs, as well as crowding the neighbouring streets ; his address in Newgate to forty-seven men who were under sentence of death, 'the clink of whose chains was very awful ;' but most of whom sobbed with broken hearts while he proclaimed that there is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth; or the night scene near Newcastle-underLyme, when the silvered locks of the untiring apostle gleamed in the clear moonlight as he stood, 'in the piercing cold,' preaching under the village trees to a multitude four times as large as could have got into the chapel."*
During the last years of his life, Wesley was more than ever occupied in consolidating the Societies, and preparing them for the inevitable moment of his separation from them. The organization resulting from these endeavours will be described in another chapter. It was impossible, however, that such arrangements should be made without giving rise to some difficulties, and to these were added others of a local kind, such as were to be expected in so extensive an association as that which he had founded.
At Bath, one preacher openly revolted against his authority, and refused to recognize the rights of a colleague who had been associated with him, and thus occasioned a breach in the Society. At Birstal and Dewsbury, similar schisms were produced by unruly spirits who wished to throw off all discipline. To heal such breaches as these was at any time a difficult and delicate task, but especially so in prospect of the crisis which was now impending: the spirit of insubordination, once let loose, might, on the removal of the living bond which united the Societies, have led to their utter dissolution. It was painful also to Wesley's mind to be occupied in such work as this at an * Stevens, vol. ii., p. 244, Love of Children. 209 age which should have been sacred to repose and peace.
But his sense of duty was too strong for him to consult his own convenience or pleasure; and he well knew how to apply the necessary remedies to the evils which prevailed in certain Societies, with the mingled firmness and moderation which constitute the essence of all good government.
The very presence of the aged Pastor was often enough to allay the bitterest strife: the affability of his disposition won over the most determined opponents: the serenity of his spirit was contagious.
One of the most striking features in Wesley's character was his love of children. At an early period he had devoted himself to their spiritual interests, which hitherto had been very generally neglected. He exhorted his preachers to watch over them with great care, and always inquired how they had discharged this portion of their duty. These labours were followed by the best results, and many children were converted to God and joined to the Society. The school founded at Kingswood was several times visited by remarkable revivals, and became a veritable "school of the prophets." No recreation was so delightful to the great missionary as a few days' sojourn among his young pupils: he seemed to live his life over again and to grow young in their company.
He loved to superintend their studies and to encourage their efforts : he prepared special editions of the classics for their use, and compiled grammars and other works suitable for youth. His presence and influence seemed to fascinate their minds. At Luton, most remarkable effects were produced by his visit to a school where discipline was sadly wanting. At Weardale, he admitted thirty children as members of the Society. In one place, a company of 'children came up to him after preaching, and he knelt down and prayed for them with the greatest fervour. rid 210 | Last Years.
At another, he found the street full of children, who accompanied him to the house of God, and, when the service was over, would not leave till he had shaken hands with them all. These incidents show that children felt and reciprocated his affection.
The establishment of Sunday Schools met, from the first, with Wesley's warm approbation. As soon as Robert Raikes issued his pamphlet on the subject, in 1783, Wesley reprinted it in the " Arminian Magazine." In his journal of the year 1784 he speaks of them in terms almost prophetic: "I find these schools springing up wherever I go: perhaps God may have a deeper end therein than men are aware of. Who knows but some of these schools may become nurseries for Christians?" In 1787, he wrote to one of the preachers, congratulating him on the establishment of a school, and adding, "These schools appear to*be one great means which God will make use of to revive religion in the nation." The year before his death he writes: 'This is one of the best institutions which have been seen in Europe for some centuries."
Wesley's pastoral activity was not confined to personal intercourse with his Societies, but included a vast amount of epistolary correspondence. From all quarters letters were addressed to him, requesting counsel and advice ; and he regarded it as a duty to reply to them. A large number of his letters have been preserved, and they show the energy he threw into his work and 'the attention he paid to its smallest details. When we add to this pastoral correspondence that which he was constantly carrying on with the majority of his preachers, as the necessities of the work required, we shall be struck with amazement at the immense responsibilities that weighed upon this valiant octogenarian. His last journeys were particularly affecting.
Among his older Societies in England," says the historian already quoted, "his visits are attended with unprecedented
Visits to Holland. ' 214 success and affecting interest. The age of the venerable man saddens the people more than himself. Toward the close of this decade there are solemn leave-takings as he passes along his routes. At each visit they expect to see his face no more ; and at every place, after giving to his
Societies what he wished them to receive as his last advice— to love as brethren, to fear God, and honour the king— he uniformly gives out and sings with them the following lines :— 'O that without a lingering groan I may the welcome word receive ; My body with my charge lay down, And cease at once to work and live !'
... The Methodists flock from place to place to hear him, for they know the privilege must soon cease. Companies go out to meet him, and conduct him into the towns. His preachers, who are now numerous in most parts of the land, gather in his assemblies, refreshing themselves by his ministrations, and by their mutual greetings : he is to them as Elijah to the 'sons of the prophets,' a man who had uttered wondrous words and wrought miracles in Israel, and the day of whose ascension in the chariot of fire is at hand."* Wesley's missionary labours during this last decade were not limited to Great Britain itself. In response to a pressing invitation, he paid two visits to Holland, where his reputation had long been widely spread, and where many Christians desired to see him. He preached in English at the Hague, Utrecht, Amsterdam, and Rotterdam, conyersed in Latin with many ministers and professors, whose spirit seemed to him to be excellent; and was received with profound respect by the best families in the land, whose solid piety was a source of great delight to his mind. He returned full of the praises of Holland and the * Stevens, vol. ii, pp. 243, 244. p 2 212 ~ Last Years.
Dutch. ' We always looked upon the Dutch as a heavy, dull, stoical people ; but truly, most—nay, I may say, all— with whom we conversed familiarly were as tender-hearted and as earnestly affectionate as the Irish themselves."
A little later, he visited the Channel Islands also.
Methodism had been imported into these islands, not direct from England, but from Newfoundland, where two Jersey merchants had been converted under a Methodist preacher. On returning to their native country in 1774, they laboured to promote the salvation of their neighbours ; and, their efforts being crowned with success, they wrote to Wesley to request his help. He sent to their assistance, in 1784, Robert Carr Brackenbury, a wealthy man and a talented preacher, who was able to speak French. The increasing success of the work induced Wesley to visit the Islands himself in 1787. After a dangerous passage he disembarked, and immediately set to work, preaching and visiting incessantly. At Guernsey, he was entertained by the De Jersey family, whose house, called Mon Plaisir, was the home of the preachers, and who shortly after gave to the French work one of its missionary pioneers. At Jersey, he enjoyed a most cordial reception, was entertained by the most distinguished families, and preached to eager multitudes the Word of Truth. In the country parishes, where English was not understood, Wesley availed himself of the services of Brackenbury as an interpreter.
The state of the work in the Islands gratified him exceedingly. He met with many Christians whose devotion was not surpassed by that of any in England. He mentions particularly Jane Bisson, of Jersey, a young lady of nineteen, as a person of extraordinary piety. ' She seems," he says, "to be wholly devoted to God, and to have constant communion with Him. She has a clear and strong understanding, and I cannot perceive the least tincture of enthusiasm. Iam afraid she will not live long
The Channel Islands. 213
Tam amazed at the grace of God which isin her. I think she is far beyond Madame Guyon in deep communion with God ; and I doubt whether I have found her fellow in England. Precious as my time is, it would have been worth my while to come to Jersey, had it been only to see this prodigy of grace." He was so struck with her piety, that he desired to correspond with her; and the thirteen letters addressed to her, the last of which is dated but a few months before his death, show the paternal care with which he fostered the best interests of those who shared his pastoral oversight.
The Societies in the Islands had sprung up spontaneously and without foreign assistance: they were also becoming well organized, being already provided with a body of preachers who could address the people in their own tongue.
At the time of Wesley's visit, a young man, named John De Queteville, originally from Jersey, had already spent one year in the work of the ministry, and for more than half-acentury he continued to beidentified therewith. Inview of such rapid progress, Wesley was fully persuaded that the Societies possessed an unconquerable vitality, and that a great future was reserved for them. He perceived clearly the important part they might play in the evangelization of the neighbouring country. Standing one day within sight of the coast, and speaking of the impossibility of his ever undertaking the conquest of that great country, the aged missionary pointed to the dusky cliffs that skirted the horizon, and expressed his conviction that the Channel
Isles were destined to take part in the work of the conversion of France. Three years later this prediction began to be verified,* and, down to the present day the * Tn 1790, a few Methodists from Guernsey visited Caen and the neighbourhood. Shortly after, M. Maby established himself there as a regular preacher, and continued his labours in Normandy for several years, with much success.
But it was not till the close of the great European struggle in 1815 214 Last Years.
Islands have faithfully striven to realize Wesley's expectations, having furnished at least thirty labourers to the work of the Gospel in France.
Such was Wesley's activity, that all England was too narrow a field for it : it sought yet widerexpansion. He had said, 'The world is my parish ;" and before he died he saw the object of his vast Christian ambition beginning to be realized : where he could not go himself he went in the person of his auxiliaries. It was during this period, in fact, that Methodism began to take deep root in the New
World, and to prove its perfect adaptation to the work of missions, properly so called. To this subject. we shall return in the next chapter.
Although during the early part of this decade Wesley could still congratulate himself on having almost completely escaped the infirmities of age, toward the close of it he began to experience a change. It was when he was completinghis eighty-fifth year thathe first noticed symptoms of declining vigour : he could not walk so fast as he did formerly, his sight was a little decayed, and there was some failure of his memory with regard to names and things lately past. But hestill felt no such thing as weariness, either in travelling or preaching, nor was he conscious of any decay in writing sermons. On entering his eightyseventh year, he says, "I now find I grow old;...what [ should be afraid of is, if I took thought for the morrow, that my body should weigh down my mind; and create either stubbornness, by the decrease of my understanding ; or peevishness, by the increase of bodily infirmities: but that the foundations of French Methodism were permanently laid.
In that year, "' William Toase, accompanied by Richard Robarts and Benjamin Frankland, passed into Normandy, and in 1818 Charles
Cook followed them. He became the chief founder of French Methodism."
Death of Fellow-Labourers, 215 Thou shalt answer for me, 0 Lord my God!" God spared His servant the total decline of his faculties which he feared. He retained his marvellous lucidity of intellect, and was enabled to the last to devote his whole attention to the great religious movement of which he had been so eminent a promoter.
His earlier fellow-labourers had many of them long since disappeared, and, during these last years of his life, he was called to witness the departure of the few survivors. He took leave of them in perfect serenity of mind, as one parts from friends whom one hopes shortly to see again.
Now we find him at the bedside of Thomas Maxfield, his first lay-preacher, from whom he had been compelled to separate, but for whom he had retained a deep affection.
Then he calls on Perronet, the venerable vicar of Shoreham, to receive the last counsels and benedictions of this aged patriarch of the Revival, who had passed his ninetieth year. At another time it is Delamotte, his ancient companion in Georgia, whom he finds bending, like himself, under the weight of years, and preparing to pass from the burdens and trials of life into his final rest. A little later, Thompson, the rector of St. Gennis and Wesley's
Cornish coadjutor, finding himself assailed by doubts and fears at the approach of death, sends for him, partakes of the Lord's Supper with him, and regains during the interview the calm and confident faith which had been for a moment disturbed.
Two other losses Wesley suffered, which affected him the most deeply of all. In 1785, died, in the full triumph of faith, the devoted John Fletcher, whose life had been that of a saint and an apostle. In losing him, Wesley lost his best friend, his best adviser. No man in England, not even his brother, entered so deeply into his sympathies, and understood so thoroughly his mission. He was the St.
John of the Revival, while Wesley was its St. Paul.
Everything in him, the heart as well as the intellect, responded to the Methodist movement; and it is no small honour that it should have had the sanction of his lofty intelligence and profound piety. Wesley had long entertained the thought that he might leave the superintendence of the work to him after his death, and was deeply afflicted by his loss. "Within fourscore years," he says, ''I have known many excellent men, holy in heart and life, but one equal to him I have not known; one so uniformly and deeply devoted*to God. So unblamable a man, in every respect, I have not found either in Europe or America, nor do I expect to find another such on this side eternity."
Three years later, in his brother Charles, Wesley lost another faithful companion of his ministry. With all the intrepidity which distinguished his character, he had shared his brother's early struggles ; but he soon renounced an itinerant life, and settled with his family in Bristol, and afterwards in London, where he still exercised his ministry, preaching in the chapels, and visiting the sick and the prisoners. <A poet of the first rank, a distinguished orator, ardent and enthusiastic in temperament, he threw himself fully into the work his brother was carrying on, and in some respects formed his complement and counterpart. He was wanting, however, in the qualities essential to the legislator and organizer, and he sometimes hampered his brother's action by his exaggerated ecclesiastical scruples.
Nevertheless, he was one of the choicest labourers engaged in the Revival of the eighteenth century.
While the hand of death was thus removing Wesley's first fellow-labourers, God raised up others in their stead : an ever increasing number of candidates entered the ranks of the itinerant ministry. Among the recruits of these last ten years were men of varied talents ; but the body of preachers could not but be adorned as well as strengthened
Deaths of Fletcher and Charles Wesley. 217 by such men'as Joyce, Bramwell, Reece, Dickenson, Entwisle, Creighton, and Adam Clarke.
All the deaths that Wesley witnessed added their testimony to that of his infirmities, and told that his end was nigh. The prospect, far from being alarming, was to him delightful. His work was done, and well done. Its future success was a certainty, as far as certainty is permitted to faith that stays itself upon God, and does not despise the dictates of prudence. Before dwelling on the closing scenes, we must contemplate the measures adopted to ensure the continuance and stability of the work.
ORGANIZATION OF THE AMERICAN METHODIST CHURCH.—DEED OF DECLARATION.
Wz have already related the early history of Methodism in America. Within the space of a very few years it developed rapidly, and attained large proportions: the long conflicts of the revolution did not arrest its progress, and, fifteen years after the arrival of Wesley's first preachers, it already counted twenty thousand members, and more than eighty itinerant preachers; while its operations extended from the West Indies.in the south, to New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland in the north. Many questions of organization, which did not at first present themselves, began now to be raised.
In entering on their work in the New World, Wesley's preachers regarded themselves as occupying the same relative 218 Organization of the American Methodist Church. position toward the Anglican clergy as their brethren at home, viz., that of extraordinary auxiliaries : consequently, they did not intermeddle with ecclesiastical functions, properly so called, and in particular refused to administer the sacraments. If it was difficult in England to maintain this attitude, in America it soon became utterly impossible.
With a population scattered over a vast extent of country, and always on the increase, and with a clergy few in number and feeblein spirit, and who confined their efforts to the great cities,toremain in this subordinate relation would have been seriously to cripple and, in fact, to renounce the magnificent enterprise which God had committed to Methodism.
The War of Independence brought the question to a narrow issue, and necessitated its solution on the "liberal" side. This great revolution for awhile threatened the very life of the cause : most of the English preachers in America believed it their duty to employ their influence in counteracting the insurrection, and to remain faithful to the Government of their own country. Hence, throughout the period of the war, their situation was exceedingly embarrassing: some were imprisoned, others sought concealment, and others returned to England. But when the triumph of the revolution had secured the independence of the United States, the preachers perceived that they had no other alternative than to give in a loyal adhesion to the new order of things. Their sovereign, indeed, set them the example in those remarkable words of his, addressed to the ambassador of the new republic on his first reception at court, "I was the last in my kingdom to recognize your independence, and I shall be the last to violate it." In rallying to the side of the new Government, the leaders of American Methodism carried with them the sanction of the great majority of their Societies. Like the country to which they belonged,