The life of the Rev. John Wesle founder of the Methodist societies.

Front matter

r -y "'-'' I'/ J.B.I.onqacre.

es

OF THE

Chapter I

JJ/V. Wesley's 'Parentage — Mrs. Susanna Wesley — Samuel Wesley, jun. — Mr. Wesley at School and College— Religious Impressions and Inquiries — Ordination— College Honours — Charles Wesley's early Life — Methodists at Oxford — Origin of the name Methodist Pages 1 — 12.

II

The Wesley s at Oxford — Their efforts to do good — Opposition— Correspondence with Mr. Wesley, sen. — Mr. Samuel Wesley, and Mrs. Wesley — Mr. John Wesley refuses to settle at Epworth — Remarks — Death of Mr. Wesley, sen. — The Wesley s engage to go out to Georgia— Letter of Mr. Gambold. . . Pages 12 — 30.

III

The Wesley s on their voyage — Intercourse with the Moravians— Conduct, Troubles, and Sufferings in Georgia— Affair of Miss Hopkey — Mr. Wesley returns to England Pages 30 — 42.

IV

Mr. Wesley's review of his religious Experience — Trouble of mind — Interview with Peter Bohler — Receives the doctrine of justification by Faith — Preaches it — Mr. Charles Wesley's religious Experience — Remarks Pages 42 — 56.

V

State of Religion in the Nation — Mr. Wesley's Visit to Germany — Return to England — His Labours in London— Meets with Mr. Whitefield — Dr. Woodward's Societies— Mr. Charles Wesley's Labours — Field Preaching— Remarks Pages 56 — 70.

vi CONTENTS.

CHAPTER VI.

Effect of the Labours of the Messrs. Wesley and Mr. ' Whitefield at Kingswood—Mr. Wesley at Bath—* Statement of his doctrinal views— Separates from the Moravians in London — Formation of the Methodist Society— Mr. Wesley's Mother— Correspondence between Mr. John and Mr. Samuel Wesley on Extraordinary Emotions, and the doctrine of Assurance-^ Remarks— Enthusiasm— ■Divine Influence— Difference between Mr. Wesley and Mr. Whitefield— Their Reconciliation—Mr. Maxfield—Mr. Wesley's defence oj his calling- out Preachers to assist him in his work-^ Remarks Pages 70—94.

VII

Persecution in London — Institution of Classes — Mr. Wesley charged with being a Papist — His labours in Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Lincolnshire — Deat^ of Mrs. Susanna Wesley — Labours and Persecutio of Mr. Charles Wesley in Staffordshire and Yorkshire — Increase of the Societies — Mr. Wesley's danger am escape atWednesbury — His first visit to Cormcall-Riots in Staffordshire— -Preaches for the last time before the University of Oxford — Correspondence with the Rev . J. Erskine — His sermon on " ,4 Catholic Spirit» — First Conference held — Remarks. Pag. 94 — 1 16.

VIII

Mr. Charles Wesley's Labours in Cornwall, Kent, Staffordshire, and the North of England — Persecution at Devizes — Remarks — Mr. Wesley at Newcastle — His Statement of the Case between the Clergy and the Methodists— Remarks — Labours in Lincolnshire, $c.-* Persecutions in Cornwall — Count Zinzendorf—Dr. Doddridge — Mr. Wesley a writer of Tracts — His sentiments on Church Government — Extracts from the Minutes of the early Conferences — Remarks — Mr. Wesley's Labours in different parts of the Kingdom— JBS» zeal to diffuse useful knowledges-Mobs in Devonshire-* Visits Ireland — Succeeded there by his brother- — Persecutions in Dublin Pages 116 — 146,

CHAPTER IX.

Labours of the Preachers — Doctrinal conversations of the Conferences — Justification — Repentance — Faith — Assurance — Remarks — Fruits of justifying Faith — Sanctif cation — Witness of the Spirit — Remarks — Spirit in which Mr. Wesley sought truth — Miscellaneous Extracts from the minutes of the early conferences — Notices of the deaths of Preachers — Remarks. Pag. 146—184,

X

Early List of Circuits — Mr. Charles Wesley in "London — Earthquake there — Differences between Mr. Charles Wesley and the Preachers — Remarks — Respective views oj the Brothers — Air. Wesley's marriage — Mr. Perronet — Jiingswood School — Remarks — Mr. Wesley visits Scotland — Letters — Sickness — Mr. Wliitefield's Letter to him in anticipation of his Death — Mr. Wesley's Remarks on Books — His address to the Clergy — Remarks — Ilervey's Letters Pages 184—204.

XI

Methodism in America — Revivals of Religion — Remarks — Mr. Wesley' 's Laborers — Notices of Books fromhis Jour nals — Minutes of the Conference of 17 70 — Remarks — Mr. Shirley's Circular — Mr. Wesley's " Declaration'1'' — Controversy respecting the Minutes — Remarks — Increase of the Societies — Projects for the management oj the connexion after Mr. Wesley's death. Pages 204-231.

XII

Mr- Wesley's sickness in Ireland — Letter to the Commissioners of Excise — Visit to the Isle of Man — Opening of City-Road Chapel — " ArminianMagazine" — Disputes in the society at Bath — Mr. Wesley's Letter to a Nobleman— His visit to Holland — " Deed of Declaration" — • Remarks Pages 231 — 245.

viii CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XIII

State of the Societies in America— Ordination of Superintendent and Elders for the American Societies— Remarks—Dr. Coke— Mr. Asbury—Mr. Charles Wesley i Remonstrances— Ordinations for Scotland— Remark, — Mr. Wesley's second Visit to Holland— His Labours n England, Ireland, and the Norman Isles— Return ft London— Remarks— Extract from a Sermon by Bishq Coplestone—Mr. Wesley's Reflections on the progress 3 the Work, and on entering his eighty-fifth \ear.

XIV

Death of Mr. Charles Wesley— His Character— H\ Hymns— Remarks— Mr. Montgomery's " Psalmist"-* Anecdote of the Rev. Samuel Wesley, sen.— Mr. Wesley^ continued Labours— Reflections on entering his eight* eighth Year— Last Sickness— Death— Funeral— Ep{ taph— Sketches of his Character by different Writers. 1 J Pages 275—310

XV

Mr. Wesley and the Church — Modem Methodism arid tty Church— Charges refuted— Mr. Wesley's Writings-* Extent of the Methodist Societies at his death, and ai the present time — Conclusion. . . Pages 310 — 328.

THE LIFE

OF

THE REV. JOHN WESLEY, A. M.

CHAPTER I.

John and Charles Wesley, the chief founders of that religious body now commonly known by the name of the Wesleyan Methodists, were the sons of the Rev. Samuel Wesley, rector of Epworth, in Lincolnshire.

Of this clergyman, and his wife Mrs. Susannah Wesley, who was the daughter of the Rev. Dr. Annesley, as well as the ancestors of both, an interesting account will be found in Dr. Adam Clarke's " Memoirs of the Wesley Family," and in the " Life of Mr. John Wesley" by Dr. Whitehead, and the more recent one by Mr. Moore. They will be noticed here only so far as a general knowledge of their character may be necessary to assist our judgment as to the opinions and conduct of their more celebrated sons.

The rector of Epworth, like his excellent wife, had descended from parents distinguished for learning, piety, and nonconformity. His father dying whilst he was young, he forsook the Dissenters at an early period of life ; and his conversion carried him into high church principles, and political toryism. He was not however so rigid in the former as to prevent him from encouraging the early zeal of his sons, John and Charles, at Oxford, although it was even then somewhat irregular, when tried by the strictest rules of church order and custom; and his toryism, sufficiently high in theory, was yet of that class which regarded the rights of the subject tenderly in practice. He refused flattering overtures made by the adherents of James II., to induce him to support the measures of the court, and wrote in favour of the revolution of 1688 ; admiring it, probably, less in a political view, than as rescuing a protestant church from the dangerous influence of a popish head. For this service, he was presented with the living of Epworth, in Lincolnshire, to which, a few years afterwards, was added that of Wroote, in the same county.

He held the living of Epworth upwards of forty years, and was distinguished for the zeal and fidelity with which he discharged his parish duties. Of his talents and learning, his remaining works afford honourable evidence.

Mrs. Susannah Wesley, the mother of Mr. John Wesley, was, as might be expected from the eminent character of Dr. Samuel Annesley her father, educated with great care. Like her husband, she also, at an early period of life, renounced nonconformity, and became a member of the established church, after, as her biographers tell us, she had read and mastered the whole controversy on the subject of separation ; of which, however, great as were her natural and acquired talents, she must, at the age of thirteen years, have been a very imperfect judge. The serious habits impressed upon both by their education did not forsake them ; — " they feared God, and wrought righteousness;" but we may perhaps account for that obscurity in the views of each on several great points of evangelical religion, and especially on justification by faith, and the offices of the Holy Spirit, which hung over their minds for many years, and indeed till towards the close of life, from this early change of their religious connexions. Their theological reading, according to the fashion of the church-people of that day, was now directed rather to the writings of those divines of the English church who were tinctured more or less with a Pelagianized Arminianism, than to the works of its founders ; their successors, the Puritans ; or of those eminent men among the noncon-* formists, whose views of discipline they had renounced. They had parted with Calvinism ; but, like many others, they renounced with it, for want of spiritual discrimination* those truths which were as fully maintained in the theology of Arminius, and in that of their eminent son, who revived* and more fully illustrated it, as in the writings of the

LIFE OF WESLEY. O

most judicious and spiritual Calvinistic divines themselves. Taylor, Tillotson, and Bull, who became their oracles, were Armmians of a different class.

The advantage of such a parentage to the Wesleys was great. From their earliest years they had an example in the father of all that could render a clergyman respectable and influential j and, in the mother, there was a sanctified wisdom, a masculine understanding, and an acquired knowledge, which they regarded with just deference after they became men and scholars. The influence of a piety so steadfast and uniform, joined to such qualities, and softened by maternal tenderness, could scarcely fail to produce effect. The firm and manly character, the practical sense, the active and unwearied habits of the father, with the calm, reflecting, and stable qualities of the mother, were in particular inherited by Mr. John Wesley; and in him were most happily blended. A large portion of the ecclesiastical principles and prejudices of the rector of Epworth was also transmitted to his three sons ; but whilst Samuel and Charles retained them least impaired, in John, as we shall see, they sustained in future life considerable modifications.

Samuel, the eldest son, was born in 1G92; John, in 1703; and Charles, in 1708.

Samuel Wesley, junior, was educated at Westminster School ; and in 1711 was elected to Christ Church, Oxford. He was eminent for his learning, and was an excellent poet, with great power of satire, and an elegant wit. He held a considerable rank among the literary men of the day, and finally settled as head master of the free school of Tiverton, in Devonshire, where he died in 1739, in his forty-ninth year.

Mrs. Wesley was the instructress of her children in their early years. " I can find," says Dr. Whitehead, " no evidence that the boys were ever put to any school in the country; their mother having a very bad opinion of the common methods of instructing and governing children." She was particularly led, it would seem, to interest herself in John, who, when he was about six years old, had a providential and singular escape from being burned to death, upon the parsonage house being consumed. There is a striking passage in one of her private meditations, which contains a reference to this event ;* and indicates that she considered it as laying her under a special obligation " to be more particularly careful of the soul of a child whom God had so mercifully provided for." The effect of this special care on the part of the mother was, that, under the divine blessing, he became early serious ; for at the age of eight years, he was admitted by his father to partake of the sacrament. In 1 7 1 4, he was placed at the Charter House, " where he was noticed for his diligence and progress in learning."! " Here, for his quietness, regularity, and application, he became a favourite with the master, Dr. Walker ; and through life he retained so great a predilection for the place, that on his annual visit to London, he made it a custom to walk through the scene of his boyhood. To most men, every year would render a pilgrimage of this kind more painful than the last ; but Wesley seems never to have looked back with melan- ' choly upon the days that were gone ; earthly regrets of this kind could find no room in one who was continually pressing onward to the goal."J WTien he had attained his seventeenth year, he was elected to Christ Church, Oxford, "where he pursued his studies with great advantage, I believe under the direction of Dr. Wigan, a gentleman eminent for his classical knowledge. Mr. Wesley's * natural temper in his youth was gay and sprightly, with a turn for wit and humour. When he was about twentyone years of age, "he appeared," as Mr. Badcock has observed, " the very sensible and acute collegian ; a younof fellow of the finest classical taste, of the most liberal and manly sentiments."§ His perfect knowledge of the classics gave a smooth polish to his wit, and an air of superioi elegance to all his compositions. He had already begun to amuse himself occasionally with writing verses, though most of his poetical pieces, at this period, were, I believe,

* The memory of his deliverance, on this occasion, is preserved in one of his early portraits, which has, below the head, the representation of a house in flames, with the motto, " Is not this a brand plucked from the burning?"

t Whitehead's Life. t Southey's Life.

§ Westminster Magazine.

cither imitations or translations of the Latin. Some time in this year, however, he wrote an imitation of the sixty-fifth Psalm, which he sent to his father, who says, " I like your verses on the sixty-fifth Psalm ; and would not have you bury your talent."*

Some time after this, when purposing to take deacon's orders, he was roused from the religious carelessness into which he had fallen at college, and applied himself diligently to the reading of divinity. This more thoughtful frame appears to have been indicated in his letters to his mother, with whom he kept up a regular correspondence ; for she replies, " The alteration of your temper has occasioned me much speculation. I, who am apt to be sanguine, hope it may proceed from the operations of God's Holy Spirit, that, by taking off your relish for earthly enjoyments, he may prepare and dispose your mind for a more serious and close application to things of a more sublime and spiritual nature. If it be so, happy are you if you cherish those dispositions ; and now, in good earnest, resolve to make religion the business of your life ; for, after all, that is the one thing which, strictly speaking, is necessary : all things beside are comparatively little to the purposes of life. I heartily wish you would now enter upon a strict examination of yourself, that you may know, whether you have a reasonable hope of salvation by Jesus Christ. If you have, the satisfaction of knowing it will abundantly reward your pains ; if you have not, you will find a more reasonable occasion for tears than can be met with in a tragedy. This matter deserves great consideration by all, but especially by those designed for the ministry ; who ought, above all things, to make their own calling and election sure ; lest, after they have preached to others, they themselves should be cast away."

This excellent advice was not lost upon him ; and indeed his mother's admirable letters were among the principal means, under God, of producing that still more decided change in his views which soon afterwards began to display itself. He was now about twenty-two years of age.

The practical books most read by him at this period,

6 LIFE OF WESLET.

which was probably employed as a course of preparation for holy orders, were, " The Christian's Pattern," by Thomas a Kempis ; and Bishop Taylor's " Rules of Holy Living and Dying;" and his correspondence with his parents respecting these authors shows how carefully he was weighing their merits, and investigating their meaning, as regarding them in the light of spiritual instructers. The letters of his mother on the points offered to her consideration by her son, show, in many respects, a deeply thinking and discriminating mind; but they are also in proof that both she and her husband had given up their acquaintance, if they ever had any, with works which might have been recommended as much more suitable to the state of their son's mind, and far superior as a directory to true Christianity. This to him would have been infinitely more important than discussing the peculiar views, and adjusting the proportion of excellency and defect, which may be found in such a writer as Kempis, whose " Christian's Pattern" is, where in reality excellent, a manual rather for him who is a Christian already, than for him who is seeking to become one.

A few things are however to be remarked in this correspondence which are of considerable interest, as showing the bearings of Mr. Wesley's views as to those truths of which he afterwards obtained a satisfactory conviction, and then so clearly staled and defended.

The son, in writing to his mother on Bishop Taylor's book, states several particulars which Bishop Taylor makes necessary parts of humility and repentance; one of which, in reference to humility, is, that " we must be sure, in some sense or other, to think ourselves the worst in every company where we come." And in treating of repentance he says, " Whether God has forgiven us, or no, we know not; therefore be sorrowful for ever having sinned." " I take the more notice of this last sentence," says Mr. Wesley, " because it seems to contradict his own words in the next section, where he say?, that by the Lord's supper all the members are united to one another, and to Christ the head. The Holy Ghost confers on us the graces necessary for, and our souls receive the seeds of, an immortal, nature. Now, surely these graces are not of so little force as that we cannot perceive whether we have them, or not: if we dwell in Christ, and Christ in us, which he will not do unless we are regenerate, certainly we must be sensible of it. If we can never have any certainty of our being in a state of salvation, good reason it is that every moment should be spent, not in joy, but in fear and trembling; and then undoubtedly, in this life, we are of all men most miserable. God deliver us from such a fearful expectation as this! Humility is, undoubtedly, necessary to salvation ; and if all these things are essential to humility, who can be humble ? who can be saved ?"

The mother, in reply, suggests to him some good thoughts and useful distinctions on the subject of humility; but omits to afford him any assistance on the point of the possibility of obtaining a comfortable persuasion of being in a state of salvation, through the influence of the Holy Spirit ; which he already discerned to be the privilege of a real believer, though as yet he was greatly perplexed as to the means of attaining it. At this period too he makes the important distinction between assurance of present, and assurance of future, salvation; by confounding which, so many, from their objection to the Calvinistic notion of the infallible perseverance of the saints, have given up the doctrine of assurance altogether. " That we can never be so certain of the pardon of our sins, as to be assured they will never rise up against us, I firmly believe. Vc know that they will infallibly do so if ever we apostatize; and I am not satisfied what evidence there can be of our final perseverance, till we have finished our course. But I am persuaded we may know if we are now in a state of salvation, since that is expressly promised in the Holy Scriptures to our sincere endeavours; and we are surely able to judge of our own sincerity."

The latter part of this extract will, however, show how much he had yet to learn as to " the way to the Father.", Mrs. Wesley also corrects a defective definition of faith, which her son's letter had contained, in the following sensible remarks ; which are just, as far as they go, but below the true scriptural standard, and the prefer conception of that saving faith after which her son wau inquiring : — '; You are somewhat mistaken in your notions of faith.

All faith is an assent, but all assent is not faith. Some truths are self-evident, and we assent to them because they are so. Others, after a regular and formal process of reason by way of deduction from some self-evident principle, gain our assent. This is not properly faith, but science. Some again we assent to, not because they are self-evident, or because we have attained the knowledge of them in a regular method by a train of arguments, but because they have been revealed to us, either by God or man; and these are the proper objects of faith. The true measure of faith is the authority of the revealer ; the weight of which always holds proportion to our conviction of his ability and integrity. Divine faith is an assent to whatever God has revealed to us, because he has revealed it."

Predestination was another subject touched upon in this interesting correspondence. Mr. Wesley was probably led to it by his review of the articles of the church previous to his ordination ; and he thus expresses himself on this controverted subject: "What then shall I say of predestination 1 An everlasting purpose of God to deliver some from damnation, does, I suppose, exclude, all from that deliverance who are not chosen. And if it was inevitably decreed from eternity, that such a determinate part of mankind should be saved, and none besidej them, a vast majority of the world were only born to eternal death, without so much as a possibility of avoid-1 ing it. How is this consistent with either the divine jus-' tice or mercy? Is it merciful to ordain a creature to everlasting misery ? Is it just to punish a man for Crimea] which he could not but commit 1 That God should be4 the author of sin and injustice, which must, I think, be* the consequence of maintaining this opinion, is a contradiction to the clearest ideas we have of the divine nature' and perfections."* ]

From these views he never departed ; and the terms he uses contain indeed the only rational statement of the whole question.

Jle was ordained deacon in September, 1725, and the

♦Whitehead's Life.

year following was elected fellow of Lincoln College. His previous seriousness had been the subject of much banter and ridicule, and appears to have been urged against him, in the election, by his opponents ; but his reputation for learning and diligence, and the excellence of his character, triumphed ; and, what was probably to him the greatest pleasure, he had the gratification of seeing the joy this event gave to his venerable parents, and which was emphatically expressed in their letters. Several specimens of his poetry, composed about this time, are given by his biographers, which show that, had he cultivated that department of literature, he would not have occupied an inferior place among the tasteful and elegant votaries of verse: but he soon found more serious and more useful employment.

He spent the summer after his election to the fellowship with his parents, in Lincolnshire, and took that opportunity of conversing with them at large upon those serious topics which then fully occupied his mind. In September, he returned to Oxford, and resumed his usual studies. " His literary character was now established in the university; he was acknowledged by all parties to be a man of talents, and an excellent critic in the learned languages. His compositions were distinguished by an elegant simplicity of style, and justness of thought, that strongly marked the excellence of his classical taste. His skill in logic, or the art of reasoning, was universally known and admired. The high opinion that was entertained of him in these respects was soon publicly expressed, by choosing him Greek lecturer, and moderator of the classes, on the seventh of November ; though he had only been elected fellow of the college in March, was little more than twenty-three years of age, and had not proceeded master of arts."* He took this degree in February, 1727; became his father's curate in August the same year; returned to Oxford in 1728, to obtain priest's orders; and paid another visit to Oxford in 1729; where, during his stay, he attended the meetings of a small society formed by his brother Charles, Mr. Morgan, and a few others, to assist each other in their studies, and to consult how to employ their time to the best advantage.

After about a month, he returned to Epworth; but upon Dr. Morley, the rector of his college, requiring his residence, he quitted his father's curacy, and in November again settled in Oxford. He now obtained pupils, and became tutor in the College ; presided as moderator in the disputations six times a week ; and had the chief direction of a religious society. From this time he stood more prominently forward in his religious character, and in efforts to do good to others ; and began more fully to prove that " they that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution." It is however necessary to turn to the history of Mr. Charles Wesley, whose labours in the early periods of Methodism were inferior only to those of his brother.

Charles Wesley was, as above stated, five years young-, er than his brother John; and was educated at Westminster school, under his eldest brother, Samuel, from whom he is said to have derived a still stronger tincture of high church principles than was imbibed under the paternal roof. " When he had been some years at school, Mr. R. Wesley, a gentleman of large fortune in Ireland, wrote to his father, and asked if he had any son named Charles; if so, he would make him his heir. Accordingly, a gentleman in London brought money for his education several years. But one year another gentleman called, probably Mr. Wesley himself, talked largely with him, and askefl if lie was willing to go with him to Ireland. Mr. Charles deshed to write to his father, who answered immediately, and referred it to his own choice. He chose to stay in England."* " Mr. John Wesley, in his account of his brother, calls this a fair escape. The fact is more re-, markable than he was aware of; for the person who in-, herited 'he property intended for Charles Wesley, and who took the name of Wesley, or Wellesley, in conse-* quence, was the first earl of Mornington, grandfather of' Marquis Wellesley and the duke of Wellington."!

* Whitehead's Life, vol. i. p. 98. t Southey's Ljfe,

The lively disposition of Charles, although he pursued his studies diligently, and was unblamable in his conduct, repelled all those exhortations to a more strictly religious course which John seriously urged upon him, after he was elected to Christ church. During his brother's absence, as his father's curate, his letters, however, became more grave; and when Mr. John Wesley returned to Oxford, in November, 1729, "I found him," he observes, "in great earnestness to save his soul." His own account of himself is, that he lost his first year at college in diversions; that the next, he set himself to study; that diligence led him into serious thinking; that he went to the weekly sacrament, persuading two or three students to accompany him ; and that he observed the method of study prescribed by the statutes of the university. " This," says he, " gained me the harmless name of Methodist."* Thus it appears that Charles was the first

* From the name of an ancient sect of Physicians, say some of Mr. "Wesley's biographers ; but probably the wits of Oxford, who imposed the name, knew nothing of that sect of the middle ages. The nonconformists were often called, in derision, Methodists ; and the name was probably transmitted from them; or it might be given merely from the rigid adherence to method in study by Mr. Charles Wesley. It is, however, somewhat worthy of notice, that before the times of nonconformity, properly so called, we find Methodises mentioned as one of the minor sects in conjunction with the Anabaptists; for, as early as 1639, in a sermon preached at Lambeth, they are rated in good set style for their aversion to rhetorical sermons: — "Where are now our Anabaptists, and plain pack-staff Methodists, who esiecm of all flowers of rhetoric in sermons no better than stinking weeds, and of all elegancies of speech no better than profane spells'?" &c. Their fault in those days, it appears, was to prefer plain preaching; no bad compliment, though an undesigned one. The epithet used to describe them, may also intimate that they were 'plain in dress and manners. At a later period, 1693, some of the nonconformists, who had renounced the imputation of Christ's righteousness in justification, except in the merit of it, and whose views were somewhat similar to those of the Wesleyan [Methodists on the imputation of faith for righteousness, were called by their brethren, the JNew Methodists. They were not however a sect, but were so denominated from the new method which they took in stating the doctrine of justification. Thus we have a Calvinistic pamphlet, under this date, written against " the principles of the New Methot. iists in the great point of justification."