Chapter XXII: Part 22

At Prosperous, he found a town built within the last five years, by Captain Brooke, who employed two thousand people in the manufacturing of cotton; a Methodist society of fifty members had been formed; and Wesley preached to two crowded congregations. On his way to Cork, he was met by about thirty horsemen, who escorted him to the city, where he met a society of about four hundred members, considerably more than there are at the present time. At Kinsale, “all behaved well, but a few officers.” He adds: “the poor in Ireland, in general, are well behaved; all the ill breeding is among well dressed people.” At Limerick, he assisted at a service, in the cathedral, which lasted from eleven o’clock till three. At Killchrist, he was the guest of Colonel Pearse; but says, “the house being full of genteel company, I was out of my element; there being no room to talk upon the only subject which deserves the attention of a rational creature.” At Ballinrobe, he visited the charter school, the children of which were ragged and dirty. “The schoolroom was not much bigger than a small closet:” three beds had to serve for fifteen boys, and five for nineteen girls; and five farthings a day were allowed the master for the sustenance of each of the hunger bitten pupils. Wesley was so disgusted with the thing, that he reported the case to the commissioners for charter schools in Dublin.

On June 18, he got back to Dublin, where he spent his birthday, on the 28th, and wrote: “By the good providence of God, I finished the eighty-second year of my age. 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 longer; 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.”

Having held the Irish conference he set sail for England, on July 10, leaving, says he, “the work of God increasing in every part of the kingdom, more than it has done for many years.” “Here is a set of excellent young preachers; nine in ten of them are much devoted to God. I think, number for number, they exceed their fellow labourers in England.”[534]

The following letter refers to the same subject, and is too interesting to be omitted. It was addressed to Miss Ritchie.

“DUBLIN, _June 26, 1785_.

“MY DEAR BETSY,--Our Lord has indeed poured out abundance of
blessings, almost in every part of this kingdom. I have now
gone through every province, and visited all the chief
societies, and I have found far the greater part of them
increasing both in number and strength. Many are convinced of
sin; many justified; and not a few perfected in love. One means
of which is, that several of our young preachers, of whom we
made little account, appear to be, contrary to all expectation,
men full of faith and of the Holy Ghost; and they are pushing
out, to the right hand and the left; and, wherever they go, God
prospers their labours. I know not whether Thomas Walsh will
not revive in two, if not three, of them.

“Many years, ago I was saying: ‘I cannot imagine how Mr.
Whitefield can keep his soul alive, as he is not now going
through honour and dishonour, evil report and good report;
having nothing but honour and good report attending him
wherever he goes.’ It is now my own case; I am just in the
condition now that he was then in. I am become, I know not how,
an honourable man. The scandal of the cross is ceased; and all
the kingdom, rich and poor, papists and protestants, behave
with courtesy, nay, and seeming good will! It seems as if I had
well-nigh finished my course, and our Lord was giving me an
honourable discharge.

“Peace be with your spirit! Adieu!

“JOHN WESLEY.”[535]

A letter, from Wesley to Mr. Stretton, has been already given, announcing that preachers were about to be sent to Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. This was already done; and Freeborn Garretson and James Cromwell were labouring, in the former country, with great success. Wesley, while in Ireland, wrote to Garretson as follows.

“DUBLIN, _June 16, 1785_.

“MY DEAR BROTHER,--I am glad brother Cromwell and you have
undertaken that ‘labour of love’ of visiting Nova Scotia; and
doubt not but you act in full concert with the little handful,
who were almost alone till you came. It will be the wisest way
to make all those who desire to join together, thoroughly
acquainted with the whole Methodist plan; and to accustom them,
from the very beginning, to the accurate observance of all our
rules. Let none of them rest in being half Christians. Whatever
they do, let them do it with their might; and it will be well,
as soon as any of them find peace with God, to exhort them to
‘go on to perfection.’ The more explicitly and strongly you
press all believers to aspire after full sanctification, as
attainable now by simple faith, the more the whole work of God
will prosper.

“I do not expect any great matters from the bishop. I doubt his
eye is not single; and if it be not, he will do little good to
you, or any one else. It may be a comfort to you, that you have
no need of him. You want nothing which he can give.

“You do not know the state of the English Methodists; they do
not roll in money, like many of the American Methodists. It is
with the utmost difficulty, that we can raise five or six
hundred pounds a year to supply our contingent expenses; so
that it is entirely impracticable to raise £500 among them to
build houses in America. It is true, they might do much; but it
is a sad observation, they that have most money have usually
least grace.

“The peace of God be with all your spirits! I am your
affectionate friend and brother,

“JOHN WESLEY.”[536]

Thus was Methodism spreading. We find it firmly planted throughout the whole of the United Kingdom. Its members in America were counted by thousands. It had its societies in the West Indies. It had taken root in Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. And, besides all this, it was beginning to exert indirectly a benign influence on other lands, where, since then, religion has been extensively revived. The Methodist mission to Sweden, begun by Joseph Rayner Stephens, in 1826, was facilitated by Methodist feeling, imbibed from Wesley, in 1785. Hence the following letter, from an aged clergyman of the established church of Sweden, written in 1827, and addressed to Mr. Stephens.

“It affected my heart to see, in the newspapers of Stockholm,
that an adherent to the famous and venerable Mr. J. Wesley had
established a chapel, for Divine service, in our metropolis.
Mr. Wesley was an old acquaintance of mine when I resided in
England in the years 1784-86. He was more; he was my dear
friend, and with him I agreed in his Christian principles and
opinions. I was exceedingly pleased with him, and with his
religion of love, joy, and peace. I very often waited on him at
his house; and I was several times in company with him in the
circle of his friends, where I went to prayer with them. I
learned of him, to be a father to the people that might be
entrusted to me. I shall never forget the amiable Mr. Wesley.
He was so good as to give me a remembrance of him, by a present
of one of his writings, called ‘An Appeal,’ etc., in which he
wrote these lines, ‘_Domino N. S. S. dono dedit Johannes
Wesley, circ. Kal. Augusti, 1785_.’ He gave me also several
other of his Christian pamphlets. I am far advanced in age;
towards seventy-six years old: but, if the almighty God grant
me life and health, perhaps I may make a tour to Stockholm next
summer, when I have done with my catechumens; and then I shall
certainly wait upon you, and make one of your auditory.[537]

While Wesley was forming new friendships, old ones were being severed by death. It was in 1785, that he thus lost two of the most valuable and valued friends that he ever had,--Vincent Perronet, and John Fletcher, the vicars of Shoreham and Madeley. The former was in the ninety-second year of his age, and died, while Wesley was in Ireland, on the 9th of May. Charles Wesley buried him, and preached his funeral sermon. For the last twenty years, he had enjoyed such a degree of fellowship with God as rarely falls to the lot of man in the present world. He lived chiefly in his library; but, when he mingled with his friends, was always cheerful. His favourite study was the fulfilment of prophecy, and the second coming and visible reign of Christ on earth.[538]

While Perronet was the oldest, Fletcher was the most valuable friend that Wesley had. No man had rendered, to Methodism and its founder, the service that the vicar of Madeley had. Compared with the vicar of Shoreham, he was young; but his life was fraught with incalculable blessings to the church of Christ. Only four years before his death, he had married Miss Bosanquet, who, for thirty years, revered his memory, and remained his widow, till the two were reunited in a better world than this. As we have already seen, he was present at Wesley’s last conference, in Leeds; and it was chiefly by his almost angelic interposition and services, that the results of that conference were not much more disastrous than they were. His wife was with him, and writes: “O how deeply was he affected concerning the welfare of his brethren! When any little disputes arose among them, his inmost soul groaned beneath the burden; and, by two or three in the morning, I was sure to hear him breathing out prayer for the peace and prosperity of Zion. When I observed to him, I was afraid it would hurt his health, and wished him to sleep more, he would answer, ‘O Polly, the cause of God lies near my heart!’”[539]

Twelve months afterwards, this seraphic man expired, some of his last words being: “O Polly, my dear Polly, _God is love_! Shout! shout aloud! I want a gust of praise to go to the ends of the earth!” He died August 14, 1785, having, on the previous sabbath, read prayers, preached, and administered the Lord’s supper, in his parish church. Wesley, at the time, was in the west of England, and unable either to see him, or to attend his funeral; but, as soon as possible, he published a sermon in memory of him, taking the same text as his brother Charles had taken at the death of Perronet: “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.” Wesley writes:

“I was intimately acquainted with him for above thirty years; I
conversed with him morning, noon, and night, without the least
reserve, during a journey of many hundred miles; and, in all
that time, I never heard him speak one improper word, nor saw
him do an improper action. Many exemplary men have I known,
holy in heart and life, within fourscore years; but one equal
to him I have not known, one so inwardly and outwardly devoted
to God. So unblamable a character, in every respect, I have not
found either in Europe or America; and I scarce expect to find
such another on this side of eternity.”

Wesley arrived in London, from Ireland, on July 14; and, on the following Sunday, preached, morning and evening, on the education of children. The next morning, at five o’clock, he met the children of the congregation at City Road, the morning chapel being full of juveniles, and many standing in the larger chapel. The service was unique. When, either before or since, was there such a congregation at such an hour?

Wesley writes: “July 26, Tuesday--Our conference began; at which about seventy preachers were present, whom I had invited by name. One consequence of this was, that we had no contention or altercation at all; but everything proposed was calmly considered, and determined as we judged would be most for the glory of God.” The deed of declaration was again discussed; and seventy preachers present signed documents, that they approved of it. Eight preachers left the connexion, including William Moore and the two Hampsons. Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Antigua, for the first time, appeared in the list of circuits. It was declared, that it was improper to sell books, to employ hairdressers, or to talk of worldly things, on Sundays; and that it was entirely wrong to send Methodist children to dancing schools, and for dancing masters to be admitted into Methodist boarding schools.

The conference was closed on August 3, and, five days afterwards, Wesley set out for Cornwall;[540] and on September 3 got back to Bristol, where he wrote: “Sunday, September 4--Finding a report had been spread abroad, that I was going to leave the Church, to satisfy those that were grieved concerning it, I openly declared in the evening, that I had no more thought of separating from the Church than I had forty years ago.”

Here, and in the neighbourhood, he spent a month. On October 3, he returned to London; and, the next day, set out for Hertfordshire. A week later, he was off to Oxfordshire; and the week after that, to Norfolk. He writes: “October 22--I returned to Norwich; and, in the evening, spoke home to an uncommonly large congregation; telling them, ‘Of all the people I have seen in the kingdom, for between forty and fifty years, you have been the most fickle, and yet the most stubborn.’ However, our labour has not been lost, for many have died in peace; and God is able to say to the residue of these dry bones, ‘Live!’”

Querulous and quarrelsome Thomas Wride was, at this time, the assistant in Norwich circuit, and, from a large mass of his manuscripts in the author’s possession, the following facts are gleaned. A monument to the memory of Mr. Turner had been erected in the chapel, on which were chiselled certain “doggrel verses,” with which Wride was greatly dissatisfied. He had told the society, on September 4, what they might expect from him, in reference to meeting in class, showing tickets, etc.; and says “the terror of his countenance had awed them, and several had owned that they were afraid of him.” He had received a quantity of sermons for sale, and, among others, Dr. Coke’s sermon, preached in Baltimore, at the ordination of Asbury; which, he says, he is reluctant to put into circulation. He writes: “It amounts to a formal separation from the Church of England, and, in the end, will tear up Methodism by the roots. Whatever may be said of America, I cannot think it right, for us here, to declare ourselves independent of the Church of England, while we enjoy the privileges we have always done. I dread the consequence; for, if we are independents, hardly any will come to us, but such as choose to change their religion; whereas, those to whom the Methodists have been mainly useful had no religion to change.” Wride was also dissatisfied with his colleagues; for J. McKersey would sing a hymn between the first prayer and the sermon; and James McByron would permit the congregations to sing anthems. McKersey also refused to preach at five in the mornings; for though, as he said, he could rise soon enough, he was not able to preach till he had had his breakfast; and, in consequence, Wride had advised him to take his breakfast to bed with him. Wride acknowledges, that the Methodists at Norwich had not been used to morning preaching. The rich would not attend; and, as the poor did not begin to work till eight o’clock, and could not afford to burn a fire, they were reluctant to rise so early. Hence, when he himself had preached, his congregation consisted only of his wife and two others. Mr. McKersey, further, had neglected the select band; and had declared he would “rather go twelve miles than meet the children.” Wride multiplies complaints against the leading singers, and against the leaders, Messrs. Booty, Best, James and George Hay, Kilburn, Senior, Flegg, and Johnson; and declares that a preacher, sent to Norwich circuit, ought to combine in himself the qualities of “the lion, the lamb, the dove, the serpent, and the ox.”

Poor Wride! The contention continued, and, early in 1786, Wesley had to remove him to another post of duty; but, before doing so, he addressed to him the following letters, which have not before been published.

“LONDON, _November 8, 1785_.

“DEAR TOMMY,--James Byron is an amiable young man; at present
full of faith and love. If possible, guard him from those that
will be inclined to love him too well. Then he will be as
useful a fellow labourer as you can desire. And set him a
pattern in all things.

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

“JOHN WESLEY.”

“LONDON, _November 17, 1785_.

“DEAR TOMMY,--Deal plainly, and yet tenderly with James Byron,
and he will be a very useful labourer. But none can be a
Methodist preacher, unless he is both able and willing to
preach in the morning; which is the most healthy exercise in
the world. I desire, that none of our preachers would sing
oftener than twice at one service. We need nothing to fill up
our hour.

“In every place, where there is a sufficient number of
believers, do all you can to prevail upon them to meet in band.
Be mild; be serious; and you will conquer all things.

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

“JOHN WESLEY.”

“LONDON, _December 14, 1785_.

“DEAR TOMMY,--Have patience with the young men, and they will
mend upon your hands. But remember! soft and fair goes far. For
twenty years and upwards, we had good morning congregations at
Norwich; but they might begin at six till Ladyday. I desire
brother Byron to try what he can do: better days will come.

“I pray, let the doggrel hymn be no more sung in our chapel. If
they do not soon come to their senses at Norwich, I will remove
you to Colchester. Be mild! Be serious!

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

“JOHN WESLEY.”

Tommy Wride was not the only preacher that gave Wesley trouble. For twelve years, Michael Moorhouse had been one of his itinerants, and had had his share of persecution. In 1778, while preaching in the marketplace at Melton Mowbray, he was pulled down by a ruthless mob, and, with three other peaceable men, dragged to the Black Hole, where means were used to impress him for the army.[541] Moorhouse now was discontented, and, in 1785, published a broadsheet of sixteen columns, in small type, entitled “An Appeal to Honest Men,” and full of petty grievances, particularly with regard to the influence of John Crook and Wesley, and respecting his own appointments to inferior circuits. At the conference of 1786, he left the work; and then embodied the wailings of his Appeal in an octavo volume of 128 pages, with the title, “Defence of Mr. Michael Moorhouse, written by himself.” He bitterly complains of Wesley for suffering some of the wives of his preachers to dine on potatoes and buttermilk, while others were pampered with good cheer; and for allowing their husbands to wear great coats, and to use umbrellas on a rainy day. The _Monthly Review_, in noticing poor Moorhouse’s notable production, quietly remarks: “The labourer is certainly worthy of his hire, but, in adjusting the hire to the labourer, a good deal must depend on the workman’s skill; and, if we are to judge of Master Michael Moorhouse’s preaching abilities, from his illiterate and silly performance, we do not see how his master could have afforded him higher wages: perhaps he might fare better, if he were to return to his lawful occupation.”

These were among the petty annoyances of Wesley’s busy life. He had, in all conscience, enough to do without these; but, in his position, such vexations were inevitable.

Returning from Norfolk, Wesley spent the rest of the year in London, and in preaching tours through Northamptonshire and Kent.

Before proceeding to notice his publications, it is right to say that, at this time, an important pamphlet of twelve pages was issued with the following title: “Free Thoughts concerning a Separation of the People called Methodists from the Church of England, addressed to the Preachers in the Methodist Connexion, by a Layman of the Methodist society.” The pamphlet may be taken as an echo of the opinions then prevalent, and a brief account of it may be useful.

The writer states, that the arguments, used in favour of separation, are, not that the government, service, and doctrine of the Church are unscriptural, but, that the clergy are not converted men; that Methodism loses many of its members through the sacraments not being administered; that the Church of England is a fallen church; that the time is fully come when the Methodists ought to be an independent body; that the good effects of separation are already seen in the continent of America; and that separation will probably take place at Mr. Wesley’s death.

Having endeavoured to refute these arguments, the author proceeds to give his reasons against separation: namely (1) many of the Methodists are zealous for the Church of England, and would be offended; (2) separation implies ordination, which would be a bone of contention, an apple of discord, among the preachers, as to who should be ordainers; (3) these “gownsmen or ordainers would have the government of the body more and more devolved upon them, and, instead of being itinerants, would become resident in one place, the itinerant plan thereby becoming gradually weakened, or continued only by _raw lads_ on trial.”

The arguments, _pro_ and _con_, are given as we find them; and merely to show the grounds taken by the opposing parties in 1785.

Excepting Fletcher’s funeral sermon, 8vo, 32 pages, Wesley’s publications were only four in number.

1. “A Pocket Hymn Book for the use of Christians of all Denominations.” 24mo, 208 pages.

2. “An Extract from the Rev. Mr. John Wesley’s Journal, from August 9, 1779, to August 20, 1782.” 12mo, 92 pages.

3. “A Call to the Unconverted. By R. Baxter.” 12mo, 76 pages.

4. The _Arminian Magazine_. 8vo, 668 pages.

The _Arminian Magazine_ contains extracts from Dr. Whitby’s Discourses on the Five Points, and from Maundrell’s Journey from Aleppo to Jerusalem. There are biographical accounts of William McCormick, Martha Rogers, Nancy Bissaker, James Creighton, Ann Roylands, John Pritchard, and many others. There are more than thirty letters, and as many poetic pieces. There is Wesley’s sermon on his favourite text, 1 Corinthians xiii. 1-3. Also his sermon on perfection, in which his most matured views, on this momentous subject, are stated with his wonted lucidity. The sermon on Hebrews xiii. 17 is remarkable. The point he endeavours to establish is, that, “It is the _duty_ of every private Christian to obey his spiritual pastor, by either doing or leaving undone anything of an indifferent nature; anything that is in no way determined in the word of God.” In applying the principle to himself and the Methodists, he asks: “Do you take my advice with regard to dress? I published that advice above thirty years ago; I have repeated it a thousand times since. I have advised you to lay aside all needless ornaments: to avoid all needless expense: to be patterns of plainness to all that are round about you. Have you taken this advice? Are you all exemplarily plain in your apparel? as plain as quakers or Moravians? If not, you declare hereby to all the world, that you will not obey them that are over you in the Lord.” Wesley’s doctrine may be disputed; but the practical use to which he puts it deserves attention. There are three more of his original sermons--on John i. 47; Philippians ii. 12, 13; and Revelation xxi. 5--which are well worth reading.

FOOTNOTES:

[532] City Road society book.

[533] _Methodist Magazine_, 1824, p. 307.

[534] Wesley’s Works, vol. xii., p. 143.

[535] Ibid. vol. xiii., p. 61.

[536] Wesley’s Works, vol. xiii., p. 66.

[537] _Methodist Magazine_, 1828, p. 46.

[538] Ibid. 1799, p. 161.

[539] Wesley’s Works, vol. xi., p. 334

[540] Among other places, Wesley preached at St. Austell,
where his host had a little girl, twelve years
of age, who had recently been admitted into the
Methodist society by Adam Clarke. That little girl
is now Mrs. Shaw, aged ninety-eight, and well
remembers Wesley taking her, more than once, in
his carriage for a drive, and showing her other
marks of affectionate attention. Mrs. Shaw--happy,
intelligent, and full of faith,--is a mother in
Israel, and probably the oldest Methodist now living.
The writer has in his possession, in Mrs. Shaw’s
own handwriting, a beautiful hymn of five stanzas,
composed by her, in the month of May, 1869.

[541] Thomas Dixon’s manuscript autobiography.

1786.
Age 83

Wesley spent the first two months of 1786 in London. He went to the House of Lords at the opening of parliament, and heard King George III. read the royal speech. He writes: “How agreeably was I surprised. He pronounced every word with exact propriety. I much doubt whether there be any other king in Europe, that is so just and natural a speaker.”

Wesley had a remarkable season at City Road. While preaching, the power of God came down; the preacher broke out in prayer; and the congregation burst into a loud and general cry.

Of his own religious feelings he wrote:

“February 24, 1786.--I do not remember to have heard or read
anything like my own experience. Almost ever since I can
remember, I have been led on in a peculiar way. I go on in an
even line, being very little raised at one time, of depressed
at another. Count Zinzendorf observes, there are three
different ways wherein it pleases God to lead His people. Some
are guided, almost in every instance, by apposite texts of
Scripture. Others see a clear and plain reason for everything
they are to do. And, yet, others are led not so much by
Scripture and reason as by particular impressions. I am very
rarely led by impressions, but generally by reason and by
Scripture. I see abundantly more than I feel. I want to feel
more love and zeal for God.”[542]

On February 26, Wesley set out, in a snowstorm, on a journey which occupied more than the next four months. His first halt was at Newbury, where he had “a large and serious congregation;” but where, he says, he passed such a night as he had not passed for forty years, his lodging room being as cold as the outward air. He writes: “I could not sleep at all till three in the morning. I rose at four, and set out at five.”

The next fortnight was spent at Bristol and in its vicinity. On Sunday, March 5, he went through an amount of labour which would have appalled most men half his age. “I read prayers,” says he, “and preached, and administered the sacrament to about five hundred communicants. At three, I preached in Temple church; at five in the New Room.”

Eight days later, he started off to Scotland, when the roads were blocked up with snow, and the weather intensely cold. More than a week was spent at Birmingham: during which he had another sacramental service, as large as that at Bristol; and preached at Madeley a funeral sermon for the sainted Fletcher, taking as his text Revelation xiv. 1-7.[543] At Lane End, after it was dark, and in a piercingly cold wind, he says: “I was constrained to preach abroad; and none of us seemed to regard the weather, for God warmed our hearts.” At Burslem, in the same inclement season, the congregation was such, that the venerable preacher was obliged again to take his stand in the open air. After preaching at Congleton, Macclesfield, and other places, he came to Chapel-en-le-Frith, where a large number had been converted, but who needed discipline. He writes: “Frequently three or four, yea, ten or twelve, pray aloud all together. Some of them, perhaps many, scream all together as loud as they possibly can. Some use improper, yea, indecent, expressions in prayer. Several drop down as dead, and are as stiff as a corpse; but, in a while, they start up, and cry, ‘Glory! Glory!’ perhaps twenty times together. Just so do the French prophets, and very lately the jumpers, in Wales, bring the real work into contempt. Yet, whenever we reprove them, it should be in the most mild and gentle manner possible.”

At Bolton, he had, in his congregation, five hundred and fifty children, all scholars in the Methodist Sunday-school; and it was either now, or soon after, that he preached to them a sermon, from Psalm xxxiv. 11, in which he engaged to use no word of more than two syllables, and literally fulfilled his pledge.[544]

His congregations throughout Lancashire, and the west riding of Yorkshire, were enormous, often compelling him to preach out of doors. His popularity was greater than ever. Churches were offered for his use; and accepted, at Haworth, Bingley, Heptonstall, Todmorden, Horsforth, and York. Persecution had ceased; and everywhere the Christian veteran was greeted with the welcomes of admiring and loving crowds.

Leaving York on the 8th of May, Wesley, for the first time, visited the town of Easingwold, where was a class of seventeen members, the leader of which was John Barber;[545] and where a chapel had been built, costing £140, only half of which was paid.[546] To open this was the object of Wesley’s visit.

He then proceeded to Scotland, where the Methodists were now really a distinct and separated church; for not only had Hanby, Pawson, and others been ordained, and invested with gown and bands, but sacraments were administered; and, while society tickets admitted to society meetings and the lovefeasts, circular metal tokens seemed to become the badge of church membership, having on one side the letters “M. C.,” and on the other the words, “Do this in remembrance of Me.” The tokens admitted the owners to the table of the Lord.

On the 1st of June, Wesley laid the foundation stone of a new chapel at Alnwick; and, on the following Sunday, preached three times out of doors, to vast congregations, at Gateshead and Newcastle.

On the 5th of June, he set out southwards. Pursuing his usual route, he came to Hull, a fortnight afterwards, and, at the vicar’s invitation, preached twice to immense crowds “in one of the largest parish churches in England.” The next day, he rode seventy-six miles, and preached at Malton, Pocklington, and Swinfleet. “Sufficient,” says he, “for this day was the labour thereof; but still I was no more tired than when I rose in the morning.” Can such a fact as this be paralleled? The day after, he preached at Crowle, and Epworth; and the next day after that, at Scotter, Brigg, and Grimsby. At Louth, for the first time, he saw the people “affected.” At Gainsborough, his old friend, Sir Nevil Hickman, was dead; but he made the yard of his house his preaching place. On Saturday and Sunday, June 24 and 25, he preached at New Inn, Newark, Retford, Misterton, Overthorpe, and Epworth, six times, at six different towns, in two days, the preacher himself eighty-three years of age!

He writes: “1786, June 30--I turned aside to Barnsley, formerly famous for all manner of wickedness. They were then ready to tear any Methodist preacher to pieces. Now not a dog wagged his tongue. I preached near the market place to a large congregation; and, I believe, the word sunk into many hearts; they seemed to drink in every word. Surely God will have a people in this place.”

Wesley might well speak of the brutal wickedness of Barnsley. Three years before, a man resolved to murder Henry Longden, ran up to him while preaching, aimed a blow which would probably have been fatal, but Longden leaped aside, and providentially escaped.[547] On another occasion, Jeremiah Cocker, while preaching in the market place, was pulled down, dragged through the streets, and pelted with rotten eggs, one of which had a dead gosling in it. Cocker applied to the vicar of Sheffield for protection; the rioters were committed for trial at the Rotherham sessions; but were acquitted, on the ground that, though the preacher was licensed to preach, the spot he chose was not licensed as a preaching place! Here John Barber, a few months before Wesley’s visit, was saluted with a shower of stones, was seriously hurt, and was rescued by a friendly quaker, who lived in “Barnsley Folly.” At another time, a mob, of some hundreds, assembled with cows’ horns, drums, and other noisy instruments, and most effectually prevented the preacher being heard. Mr. Raynor, a currier, having lent his house for preaching, the Barnsley roughs made a bonfire at the door, compelled the congregation to seek egress by some other way, and pelted them most mercilessly with filth of the foulest kind. Such are specimens of the treatment received by the poor Methodists in Barnsley, between the years 1780 and 1786. The society was small, not numbering a dozen members; and they had no preaching room, except Raynor’s house, till about 1792, when Alexander Mather secured a small chamber over a weaver’s shop in Church Street.[548]

From Barnsley, Wesley went to Sheffield, where he selected as his text, “It is high time to awake out of sleep”; and an anonymous hearer sent him a letter, saying, that he could remember nothing that he said, except that “rising early was good for the nerves!” Here he spent several days, held the quarterly meeting and a lovefeast, administered the sacrament to six or seven hundred persons, visited Wentworth House, baptized Joseph Benson’s infant daughter,[549] and was Mr. Holy’s guest. After preaching, crowds were wont to follow him to his hospitable lodging; the streets were lined, and the windows of the houses thronged with eager but respectful gazers, Wesley all the while emptying his pockets in scattering gifts among the poor. A vast concourse of people assembled on the green, at the front of Mr. Holy’s house; Wesley walked into the midst of them, knelt down, and asked God to bless them. The place became a Bochim; the crowd wept and literally wailed at the thought of losing him; he prayed again; and then darted into Mr. Holy’s dwelling, and hid himself.[550] What a contrast to the reception given to his brother in 1743!

His visit to Wentworth House has been mentioned. It is a curious fact, but attentive readers of Wesley’s journal will easily perceive, that, as Wesley grew older, he took far more interest in visiting scenes of beauty and historic buildings than he did in the earlier parts of his illustrious career. How to account for this, we know not; but so it was.

Tradition says, that Wesley was accompanied by Mr. Birks, of Thorpe, and that, when they were leaving, Mr. Birks asked Mr. Hall, the steward, if it would be agreeable for Mr. Wesley to pray with the family before he left. Permission was courteously given; the household were summoned; and Wentworth House was none the worse for the prayer which the arch Methodist offered beneath its roof.

From Sheffield, Wesley proceeded, by way of Belper and Derby, to Ilkestone. This was his first and last visit to the last mentioned town, and the circumstances connected with it are worth relating. For many years, the only Methodist in Ilkestone had been a poor old woman. The preachers preached, but, apparently, without effect. At length, the old woman died, and John Crook resolved to preach a funeral sermon. A large congregation assembled at the front of a public house. Mr. Crook stood upon a stone used by travellers for mounting horses. The sermon was worthy of the Methodist apostle of the Isle of Man; and, at its close, the preacher received a message from the vicar of the parish, requesting him to wait upon him next morning. John went, and was received with kindness. “Sir,” said the clergyman, “I heard you preach last night with pleasure; in what college were you educated?” “I never attended college,” was the answer. “Sir,” rejoined the vicar, “I have heard many of the heads of our universities preach, but I never heard a defence of our establishment equal to yours. You are welcome to my pulpit next Sunday.” Crook replied, that he was not ordained; and proposed that, instead of preaching _within_ the church, he should preach at the church’s door. The proposal was accepted; the vicar published from the pulpit the intended service; the itinerant selected as his text, “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned;” under that sermon, the priest was deeply convinced of sin, and next Sunday told his congregation, that he was an earnest seeker of salvation; he learnt that Crook was one of Wesley’s preachers, and sent to Wesley an invitation;[551] and here, on Thursday July 6, we find him. He writes: “Though the church is large, it was sufficiently crowded. The vicar read prayers with great earnestness and propriety; I preached; and the people seemed all ear. Surely good will be done in this place; though it is strongly opposed both by the Calvinists and Socinians.”

Good was done. Among Wesley’s hearers was a joiner, Richard Birch. Wesley’s discourse reached his heart. He was converted; and, finding that there was in the town a class of four Methodists, he became the fifth; and, before the year expired, he and his friends built a chapel.

Wesley arrived in London, after an absence of nearly twenty weeks, on July 13. Four days were spent in town, and then he started off again to Bristol, for the purpose of holding his annual conference. He writes:

“July 25, Tuesday--Our conference began: about eighty preachers
attended. We met every day at six and nine in the morning, and
at two in the afternoon. On Tuesday, and on Wednesday morning,
the characters of the preachers were considered. On Thursday,
in the afternoon, we permitted any of the society to be
present; and weighed what was said about separating from the
Church; but we all determined to continue therein, without one
dissenting voice; and I doubt not but this determination will
stand, at least, till I am removed into a better world. The
conference concluded on Tuesday morning, August 1. Great had
been the expectations of many, that we should have had warm
debates; but, by the mercy of God, we had none at all;
everything was transacted with great calmness; and we parted,
as we met, in peace and love.”

Separation from the Church was again the great question of the day. From the above extract, taken from his journal, it is evident, that Wesley was more than apprehensive that such a separation would occur subsequent to his decease; but it is equally evident, that he was glad to have it postponed till then. In an unpublished letter to Thomas Taylor, dated February 21, 1786, he writes: “The wise bishop Gibson once said, ‘Why cannot these gentlemen leave the Church? Then they could do no more harm.’ Read ‘no more good,’ and it would have been a truth. I believe, if we had then left the Church, we should not have done a tenth of the good which we have done. But I do not insist upon this head. I go calmly and quietly on my way, doing what I conceive to be the will of God. I do not, will not, concern myself with what will be done when I am dead. I take no thought about that. If I did, I should probably shut myself up at Kingswood or Newcastle, and leave you all to yourselves.”

“I love the Church,” said Wesley to his brother, in letters written during the spring of 1786, “as sincerely as ever I did; and I tell our societies everywhere, ‘The Methodists will not leave the Church, at least while I live.’” “Eight or ten preachers, it is probable (but I have not met with one yet), will say something about leaving the Church, before the conference. It is not improbable many will be driven out of it where there are Calvinist ministers.”

Such were Wesley’s wishes, and such were his apprehensions. Wesley expected eight or ten of his preachers to bring the business before conference. This was done by Dr. Coke, who had returned from his _episcopal_ tour in the United States. Mr. Pawson writes:

“Dr. Coke thought, that our public services in the large towns
ought to be held in church hours, and was freely speaking in
the conference upon that subject, and urging its necessity from
the fact that nearly all the converted clergymen in the kingdom
were Calvinists. Upon hearing this, Mr. Charles Wesley, with a
very loud voice, and in great anger, cried out, ‘No,’ which was
the only word he uttered during the whole of the conference
sittings. Mr. Mather, however, got up and confirmed what Dr.
Coke had said, which we all knew to be a truth.”[552]

This debate seems to have issued in the adoption of a document, which Wesley drew up three days before the conference met.

“In what cases do we allow of service in church hours? I
answer:

“1. When the minister is a notoriously wicked man.

“2. When he preaches Arian, or any equally pernicious doctrine.

“3. When there are not churches in the town sufficient to
contain half the people.

“4. Where there is no church at all within two or three miles.

“We advise every one, who preaches in the church hours, to read
the psalms and lessons, with part of the church prayers;
because, we apprehend, this will endear the church service to
our brethren, who probably would be prejudiced against it, if
they heard none but extemporary prayer.”

Considering the character of not a few of the ministers of the Church of England in 1786; remembering the number of pulpits from which were preached Arianism, and especially Calvinism, both of which the Methodists considered “_pernicious doctrines_”; and, further, bearing in mind, the scanty provision made by the Established Church for the great populations, these concessions, in reference to having Methodist services in church hours, were really much more extensive than, at first sight, appears.

This was the last conference at which Charles Wesley was present. At its conclusion, he preached from his favourite text, “I will bring the third part through the fire;” and told the congregation, that, after the death of himself and his brother, there would be a split among the Methodists, and not more than a third part of the preachers and of the people would remain faithful to the Established Church. Upon these, however, God would pour out His Spirit more abundantly than ever, and His work would prosper in their hands. “This,” said he, “was the case with the Moravians when Count Zinzendorf died. So it was when Mr. Whitefield was removed; and thus it will be with the Methodists.”[553]

Before the conference was concluded, Charles Wesley wrote as follows to the Rev. Mr. Latrobe, Moravian minister in London:

“My brother, and I, and the preachers were unanimous for
continuing in the old ship. The preachers of a Dissenting
spirit will probably, after our death, set up for themselves,
and draw away disciples after them. An old baptist minister,
forty years ago, told me, he looked on the Methodists as a
seminary for the Dissenters. My desire and design, from the
beginning to this day, is, to leave them in the lap of their
mother. The bishops might, if they pleased, save the largest
and soundest part of them back into the Church; perhaps to
leaven the whole lump, as Archbishop Potter said to me. _But I
fear, betwixt you and me, their lordships care for none of
these things._ The great evil, which I have dreaded for near
fifty years, is a schism.”[554]

Other matters were debated at the conference of 1786. The old rules respecting the windows, doors, and pews of chapels were to be strictly observed and kept; and no assistant was to allow collections for a new chapel, “till every step had been taken to secure it, on the conference plan, by a trust deed, a bond, or sufficient articles of agreement.” And Wesley concluded by giving the following advices to the preachers. (1) To re-establish morning preaching, in all large towns, at least; and to exert themselves in restoring the bands, and the select societies. (2) Always to conclude the service in about an hour. (3) Never to scream. (4) Never to lean upon, or beat the Bible. (5) Wherever they preached, to meet the society. (6) Not to go home at nights, except in cases of the utmost necessity. (7) Never to preach funeral sermons, but for eminently holy persons, to preach none for hire, and to beware of panegyric, particularly in London. (8) To hold more lovefeasts. (9) To introduce no new tunes; to see that none sing too slow, and that the women sing their parts; and to exhort all to sing, and all to stand at singing, as well as to kneel at prayers. (10) To let none repeat the last line, unless the preacher does. And, (11) To inform the leaders, that every assistant is to change both the stewards and the leaders when he sees good; and that no leader has power to put any person either into or out of the society.

Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, and Antigua were now Methodist circuits, and had, unitedly, nine itinerant preachers, and 2179 members of society. These were Methodist missions, though not designated such. And here let it be remarked, that the Methodist Missionary Society was really founded in 1784. Where is the proof of this?

The following is an exact copy of a printed document, kindly lent by the Rev. G. Mather, and addressed, by Dr. Coke, to “The Rev. Mr. Fletcher, at Madeley, near Shiffnal, Cheshire.”

“A Plan of the Society for the Establishment of Missions among
the Heathen.

“1. Every person who subscribes two guineas yearly, or more, is
to be admitted a member of the society.

“2. A general meeting of the subscribers shall be held annually
on the last Tuesday in January.

“3. The first general meeting shall be held on the last Tuesday
in January 1784, at No. 11, in West Street, near the Seven
Dials, London, at three o’clock in the afternoon.

“4. At every general meeting, a committee of seven, or more,
shall be chosen, by the majority of the subscribers, to
transact the business of the society for the ensuing year.

“5. The general meeting shall receive and examine the accounts
of the committee, for the preceding year, of all sums paid to
the use of the society, of the purposes to which the whole or
any part thereof shall have been applied, and also the report
of all they have done, and the advices they have received.

“6. The committee, or the majority of them, shall have power:
First, to call in the sums subscribed, or any part thereof, and
to receive all collections, legacies, or other voluntary
contributions. Secondly, to agree with any they shall approve,
who may offer to go abroad, either as missionaries, or in any
civil employment. Thirdly, to procure the best instruction that
can be obtained for such persons, in the language of the
country for which they are intended, before they go abroad.
Fourthly, to provide for their expenses, in going and
continuing abroad, and for their return home, after such time,
and under such circumstances, as may be thought most expedient.
Fifthly, to print the Scriptures, or so much thereof as the
funds of the society may admit, for the use of any heathen
country. And, sixthly, to do every other act which to them may
appear necessary, so far as the common stock of the society
will allow, for carrying the design of the society into
execution.

“7. The committee shall keep an account of the subscribers’
names, and all sums received for the use of the society,
together with such extracts of the entries of their
proceedings, and advices, as may show those who are concerned
all that has been done both at home and abroad; which statement
shall be signed by at least three of the committee.

“8. The committee, for the new year, shall send a copy of the
report for the past year, to all the members of the society,
who were not present at the preceding general meeting, and
(free of postage) to every clergyman, minister, or other
person, from whom any collection, legacy, or other benefaction
shall have been received within the time concerning which the
report is made.

“9. The committee, if they see it necessary, shall have power
to choose a secretary.

“10. The committee shall, at no time, have any claim on the
members of the society, for any sum which may exceed the common
stock of the society.

“N.B. Those who subscribe before the first general meeting, and
to whom it may not be convenient to attend, are desired to
favour the general meeting, by letter according to the above
direction, with any important remarks which may occur to them
on the business, that the subscribers present may be assisted,
as far as possible, in settling the rules of the society to the
satisfaction of all concerned.

“We have been already favoured with the names of the following
subscribers, viz.

£ _s._ _d._
Dr. Coke 2 2 0
Rev. Mr. Simpson, Macclesfield 2 2 0
Rev. Mr. Bickerstaff, of Leicester 2 2 0
Mr. Rose, of Dorking 2 2 0
Mr. Horton, of London 2 2 0
Mr. Ryley, „ „ 2 2 0
Mr. Riddsdale, „ „ 2 2 0
Mr. Jay, „ „ 2 2 0
Mr. Dewey, „ „ 2 2 0
Mr. Mandell, of Bath 2 2 0
Mr. Jaques, of Wallingford 2 2 0
Mr. Butting, of High Wycombe 2 2 0
Mr. John Clark, of Newport,
in the Isle of Wight 2 2 0
Miss Eliza Johnson, of Bristol 2 2 0
Mr. Barton, of Isle of Wight 2 2 0
Mr. Henry Brooke, of Dublin 2 2 0
Master and Miss Blashford, of Dublin 4 4 0
Mrs. Kirkover, of Dublin 2 2 0
Mr. Smith, Russia merchant, of London 5 5 0
Mr. D’Olier, of Dublin 2 2 0
Mrs. Smyth, „ „ 2 2 0
The Rev. Mr. Fletcher, of Madeley 2 2 0
Miss Salmon 2 2 0
Mr. Houlton, of London,
an occasional subscriber 10 10 0
Mrs. King, of Dublin 2 2 0
-------------
£66 3 0
-------------

“_To all the real lovers of mankind._

“The present institution is so agreeable to the finest feelings
of piety and benevolence, that little need be added for its
recommendation. The candid of every denomination, (even those
who are entirely unconnected with the Methodists, and are
determined to be so,) will acknowledge the amazing change which
our preaching has wrought upon the ignorant and uncivilised, at
least, throughout these nations; and they will admit, that the
spirit of a missionary must be of the most zealous, most
devoted, and self denying kind; nor is anything more required
to constitute a missionary for the heathen nations, than good
sense, integrity, great piety, and amazing zeal. Men,
possessing all these qualifications in a high degree, we have
among us; and we doubt not but some of these will accept of the
arduous undertaking, not counting their lives dear, if they may
but promote the kingdom of Christ, and the present and eternal
welfare of their fellow creatures; and we trust nothing shall
be wanting, as far as time, strength, and abilities will admit,
to give the fullest and highest satisfaction to the promoters
of the plan, on the part of your devoted servants,

“THOMAS COKE,
“THOMAS PARKER.

“Those who are willing to promote the institution are desired
to send their names, places of abode, and sums subscribed, to
the Rev. Dr. Coke, in London, or Thomas Parker, Esq., barrister
at law, in York.”

Such was the first Methodist _missionary_ report ever published. On the third page of the folio sheet, from which the above is taken, is the following in manuscript.

“NEAR PLYMOUTH, _January 6, 1784_.

“MY VERY DEAR SIR,--Lest Mr. Parker should neglect to send you
one of our plans for the establishment of foreign missions, I
take the liberty of doing it. Ten subscribers more, of two
guineas per annum, have favoured me with their names. If _you_
can get a few subscribers more, we shall be obliged to you.