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Bristol, Mr. Wesley had made himself personally responsible for the expense of the building; but the Methodists of that city, considering it as designed for their use, thought that the debt ought in justice to be borne by themselves. With an eye to this, one of them said, "Let every member in the society contribute a penny_a week, until the whole is paid." To this it was objected, that there were many members who could not afford that sum. "Then," said the proposer, "put eleven of the poorest with me: if they can give any thing, well; if not, I will pay for them as well as myself." This simple proposition laid the foundation of weekly contributions, which continue to the present day.

Having preached with much success at Bristol, Kingswood, Moorfields, and Blackheath, Mr. Wesley next attempted Newcastle, hoping to be rendered serviceable among the colliers in that neighbourhood. On his way thither, he called at Birstall, and, to his surprise, found there a preacher and a large congregation, acknowledging themselves to be Methodists, that had been raised up without his interference. The name of this preacher was John Nelson, who, having heard Mr. Wesley preach in Moorfields, and being seriously impressed by his discourses, on returning to Birstall, his native place, began first to exhort his neighbours in his own house, and, when that was found too small, in the open air. This scene removed from Mr. Wesley's mind all his remaining scruples respecting the propriety of lay preaching.

On arriving at Newcastle, he was much shocked at the profligacy which every where prevailed. He, however, walked to Sandgate, the poorest part of the town, on a Sunday morning at seven o'clock, and taking his stand, began singing the 100th Psalm. This drew multitudes around him, who behaved with tolerable decency. In the evening, at five, he preached again, to a congregation so large, that not more than one half could hear. To this place Mr. Charles Wesley speedily repaired, and, entering on his brother's labours, soon formed a society; and on his return, they began to erect a place for public worship.

Mr. Wesley had now meetinghouses in Bristol, London, Kings

wood, and Newcastle; and by means of the itinerancy, supplied by himself and numerous lay preachers, who had sprung up from among his followers, societies were rapidly formed in many places, and his preaching was attended with almost unexampled success. In the course of his travels, Mr. Wesley visited Epworth, but being by the minister denied access to the pulpit of his late father, he went into the church-yard, and, standing on his father's tombstone, preached to a deeply attentive congregation. Seven successive evenings he stood on this doubly consecrated spot, to dispense the word of life; and in few places, during the whole course of his ministry, did he ever preach with greater effect.

The line of conduct which Mr. Wesley now pursued, in travelling through the country, rendered him exceedingly popular, and exposed him to the violence of persecution. In many places he was assailed by mobs, who thought it meritorious to treat him with indignity; and instances have been known, in which they were stimulated to commit outrages by clergymen, whose shameful neglect of duty, he had visited the neighbourhood to supply. An appeal indeed was frequently made to the magistrates in the vicinity, but many of these were the very clergymen to whom the cause of complaint might be traced; while others, who were not immediately of this character, connived at the tumults they were called on to suppress, and thus virtually encouraged the irritated and unprincipled rabble to commit new acts of depredation. Thus protected by these disgraceful ministers of justice, doors were broken open, furniture was demolished, and houses were plundered; and not unfrequently the lives of the inmates were endangered by these civilized barbarians. Many of the preachers were seriously injured by blows and brutal violence, others were held under water until they were nearly drowned, and among the females, whose only crime was that of having heard Mr. Wesley preach, with any degree of serious attention, several received cruel treatment, from which they never afterwards recovered.

This persecution, however, tended on the whole rather to facilitate than to impede the progress of Methodism.

Many who were otherwise unfriendly to their cause, saw the injustice with which they were treated, and felt indignant at the conduct of those who should have kept the peace. This was followed by pity; while the truly Christian spirit, and fearless magnanimity, which both preachers and people, on the most trying occasions, displayed, matured sympathy into respect, and even transformed the enmity of their persecutors into admiration.

undertaken must have remained unaccomplished. In the prime of life, he observed, " Leisure and I have taken leave of one another: I purpose to be busy as long as I live, if my health is so long indulged to me." To his resolution thus formed, he rigorously adhered with the most undeviating constancy. Travelling on horseback, his common practice was, to throw the reins on his horse's neck, while he was engaged in reading history, poetry, or philosophy, having more At first no regular provision was important employment at other times. made for the support of the preach- In this manner he travelled upwards ers, their necessary supplies being of one hundred thousand miles, withdrawn from the sources of benevo- out ever meeting with any serious aclence which they had been able to cident. In the sixty-ninth year of his open. But this being found both age, his friends, however, provided a precarious and irregular, a small al- carriage for him, in which he improvlowance was afterwards deemed ex-ed his moments as he had those while pedient, and this plan continues to the present day.

Mr. Wesley having reached a mature age, began to think seriously of forming a matrimonial connexion. The object of his choice was a Mrs. Vizelle, a widow lady with four children, but possessed of an independent fortune, over which he refused to have any control. It was also stipulated between them, that their marriage was not to interrupt his itinerant mode of life. To this his new partner readily consented; but her resolution failed; and instead of being to him a source of domestic consolation, her future conduct imbittered his days. Mr. Southey says, that by "her outrageous jealousy and abominable temper, she deserves to be classed in a triad with Xantippe, and the wife of Job, as one of the three bad wives." She frequently left his house, and upon his earnest entreaties returned again, till, having disturbed his peace for twenty years, she seized on some of his journals and other papers, which were never recovered, and decamped, leaving word that she had taken her final leave.

Severe as this affliction must have been felt by Mr. Wesley, it wrought no alteration in his general conduct. His domestic concerns he viewed as subordinate to the great work in which he was engaged, and to this he always made them subservient. Every moment of his time was fully occupied, and unless its minutest portions had been regularly appropriated, the weighty task which he had No. 62.-VOL. VI.

on horseback before.

Messrs. Coke and Moore, referring to the year 1785, observe as follows: "From this time Mr. Wesley held on his way without any interruption. The work of God increased every year. New societies were formed, in all of which the same rules were observed. Though now declining in the vale of years, he slackened not his pace. He still rose at four in the morning, preached two, three, or four times a day, and travelled between four and five thousand miles a year, going once in two years through Great Britain and Ireland."

Acquiring strength from exercise, and vigour from activity, Mr. Wesley had attained his eighty-fourth year before he became sensible of any decay, either in his mental faculties or bodily powers. But on entering on his eighty-fifth, he says, "I am not so agile as I was in times past. I do not run or walk so fast as I did. My sight is a little decayed. I find likewise some little decay in my memory, with regard to things lately past, but not at all with regard to what I have beard twenty, forty, or sixty years ago. Neither do I find any decay in my hearing, smell, taste, or appetite, (though I want but a third part of the food I once did,) nor do I feel any such thing as weariness, either in travelling or preaching. And I am not conscious of any decay in writing sermons, which I do as readily, and, I believe, as correctly as ever.

"

At the commencement of 1790, he observes, "I am now an old man, "de I

cayed from head to foot. My eyes are dim; my right hand shakes much; my mouth is hot and dry every morning; I have a lingering fever almost every day; my motion is weak and slow. However, blessed be God, I do not slack my labours: I can preach and write still."

About the middle of this year he closed his cash account book with the following words: "For upwards of eighty-six years I have kept my accounts exactly: I will not attempt it any longer, being satisfied with the

continual conviction, that I save all I
can, and give all I can, that is, all I
have." In this expression one error
is obvious. His death took place
when he was eight-eight; it is there-
fore probable, that instead of eighty-
six, he meant to say, that he had kept
his accounts exactly sixty-eight years.
The subjoined is a fac-simile of the
tremulous hand in which the above
expression was written,-from a plate
prefixed to "Memoirs of the Wesley
Family," by Adam Clarke, LL.D.,
F.A.S.

Hidß. Her behewards «Lughang sergean
I huiskiptany Account early suit
not attens itary Langen Berg'satisfied
arth the contract Concretion that I have
all I can Ogive alle Jaam, Ald have

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John Wes by
July 16.1790

Early in February, 1791, he wrote his last letter to America, exhorting his followers there, on no account to entertain thoughts of separating from their brethren in Europe, repeating the words which his father had used many years before, when his hour of dissolution drew near:- -“ Those who | desire to write or to say any thing to me, have no time to lose; for time hath shaken me by the hand, and death is not far behind."

On preaching at Lambeth, February 17th, 1791, he took cold; and this was followed by a fever, against which he struggled for some days. He continued, however, to preach until the following Wednesday, when he delivered his last sermon. From this time he gradually grew weaker, but his closing scene was such as might have been anticipated,-being dignified with unruffled serenity, and triumphant peace. When almost at the point of death, he exclaimed with holy fervour, “He causeth his servants to lie down in peace;" adding, after a short pause, "The clouds drop fatness." His last words were, "The Lord is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge." He departed this life on the second of March, 1791,

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full of faith and hope, in the eightyeighth year of his age, and the sixtyfifth of his ministry.

During his illness, he had given directions respecting his interment, requesting that his body might be wrapped in nothing but woollen, that his corpse might be carried to the chapel, for the gratification of his numerous friends, that no pomp or parade should accompany his funeral, but that six poor men should be paid twenty shillings each for carrying him to his grave, or vault, which had been previously prepared. With these requests, his executors fully complied. The day preceding his interment, his corpse, placed in the coffin, was carried into the chapel, dressed in his clerical habit. His face was placid and serene, retaining even in death, that heavenly smile, for which through life his countenance was remarkable.

Although a specific time had been announced for his funeral, it was thought advisable by his surviving friends, from the vast multitudes that came to behold his mortal remains, to inter the body at an earlier hour, to prevent those accidents which were anticipated from the expected concourse. Between five and six in the

morning being fixed, private information was conveyed to particular persons, from whom the knowledge was so far communicated to others, that some hundreds were assembled at that early hour. The scene was solemn and impressive. The service was performed by Mr. Richardson, who had been a preacher nearly thirty years. On coming to that part which says, "Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God to take unto himself the soul of our dear brother," his voice faltered, and, after a momentary pause, he substituted the word "father." The effect was instantaneous and powerful, producing one general burst of sorrow from all present, many of whom, on beholding the things which were done, smote their breasts, and returned.

At the time of Mr. Wesley's death, the number of his preachers in the British dominions amounted to 313, and the members of his societies to 76,968; while in the United States of America, the former were 198, and the latter 57,621. Since that period, so rapid has been the increase of his followers, that they now exceed half a million of souls, some of whom may be found in every quarter of the globe. Notwithstanding Mr. Wesley's time was so much taken up with travelling, incessant preaching, and the constant care of his numerous societies, he found means to devote a considerable portion to literary pursuits. Independently of the Arminian Magazine, which he principally superintended, his works have been published in sixteen octavo volumes. He also published in fifty volumes, duodecimo, a compilation, entitled, "The Christian Library." This work consists of abridgments, and extracts, from various authors of distinguished reputation in the Christian church.

Mr. Wesley's character may best be gathered from his life;-a life, although he was doomed

"To bear the pelting scorn of half an age," on which even his bitterest enemies have not been able to fix a moral blot. Between his professions and his actions, the utmost harmony uniformly prevailed. His time, his talents, and his property, were devoted to God, and perhaps it will be difficult to find one by whose piety and labour he has been exceeded, since the age of

the apostles. Through the blessing of God, success has followed his exertions; and to these, the world is considerably indebted, for those attempts which are now making to substitute Christian light for Pagan darkness; and this country in particular, for the revival of true religion in his native land.

As a scholar, his learning while at college was universally acknowledged, nor has it ever been seriously questioned by any of his opponents, except when, smarting under its application, they have been irritated to deny the instrument by which they have been scourged. Of this learning, however, he had too much good sense to make any unnecessary display. His motto was, "I design plain truth for plain people." This he appears always to have kept in view, invariably aiming to do good, instead of writing and preaching to gain reputation. To every thing like pedantry he was an entire stranger, in his writings, in his public discourses, and in his private conversation. Hence, his style is clear, simple, and unaffected. His sentences are short, terse, and full; and the methodical arrangement of his matter might have entitled him to the appellation of Methodist, if the sect that now bears this name had never existed. Few men can be found, who had more successfully cultivated the art "To speak no more than just the thing they ought,' than Mr. Wesley. His language is copious, without perplexity, and elegantly destitute of artificial flowers.

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That he possessed a sound understanding, an intimate acquaintance with the windings and propensities of the human heart, and a capacious mind,-his organization of Methodism presents, an imperishable memorial. Several changes have, no doubt, been introduced, since his days, into the constitution of its government, its discipline, and its rules. Some of these have naturally arisen from the changes to which time gives birth, and others have been rendered necessary by the rapid extension of the body. Its fundamental principles, however, originated with Mr. Wesley, and there is scarcely one attempt that has ever been made to amend his plans, that has not failed of success. The itinerant mode of preaching which

he established, may be justly ranked Engaged in more sublime pursuits, among the happiest efforts of human and walking through time by the ingenuity; and the endeavours of light which beams from eternity, his other sects to imitate his example, preaching and example powerfully without acknowledging an obligation, affected the moral character of his point to the monument which his country, by giving to its population arm had raised. In all his move- an impetus which no individual had ments, indeed, he constantly acknow- ever previously imparted. Its inJedges that he had no fixed plan, no fluence is still felt and acknowledged preconceived ideas to which he ren- throughout the empire; and centuries dered his future actions subservient | may pass away, before another Wesand tributary. His aim was to pro-ley will arise, to communicate another mote the cause of God, and do good such movement to the morals of manto his fellow-creatures. Hence, the kind. leadings of Providence became his guide, and to this he piously ascribed the work in which he was rendered instrumental.

That his zeal, in the early stages of his career, occasionally carried him beyond the bounds of cool, calculating prudence, his warmest admirers will hardly attempt to deny. Nothing short of this, would probably have met the exigencies of the sphere in which he moved. But those who bring this as a serious charge against him, tell the world, that had they been placed in his situation, they would have been less active, zealous, and persevering in their Master's cause.

It must also be admitted by every dispassionate observer, that on some occasions Mr. Wesley manifested a degree of credulity, from which the present generation has nothing to apprehend. Sincere and unsuspicious in his own character and actions, he readily lent his ear to relations which he received without due examination. In some cases, his confidence was abused; in others, the accounts communicated were fully believed by the relators; but numerous facts still remain for scepticism to disprove.

It has been said, that Mr. Wesley was ambitious. This will readily be granted; but it was not an ambition to creep into the favour of royalty, nor to breathe the atmosphere of courts. He was ambitious to spread the influence of vital Christianity, and to sound the trumpet of his Redeemer's fame. Had he aimed at worldly honours, he should have taken the paths in which his accusers tread, and in these his talents would have rendered him eminently successful; but to this beaten and polluted track, his exalted principles would not permit him to stoop.

METAPHYSICAL PROOFS OF THE EXISTENCE OF GOD.

(From Dr. William Laurence Brown's Essay on the Existence of a Supreme Creator, to which was awarded the Burnett prize of £1200, at Aberdeen, in 1814.)

"ON entering on this subject, it is proper to premise, that, by the term, God, I understand, at present, only a first principle of all existence, an original Cause of all beside itself, which exists by the necessity of its own nature. I understand further, that this cause acts by design, and is possessed of power adequate to produce every effect which we behold. I shall, now, state the most cogent and conclusive argument for the existence of such a Being.

"There is actual existence. There are various kinds of beings, which, whether they exist simultaneously, or in succession, we denominate by the general name of world. This we know by the testimony of our senses, both internal and external. For, our mental consciousness is as convincing evidence of our mental faculties, and of the subject in which they inhere, as our external senses are, of external objects. As for the arguments drawn from the ideal theory, by which Berkeley endeavoured to prove that we had no evidence of a material world, and Hume, that we had none of the existence of mind, these have fallen, together with the theory on which they rested. The opinion, besides, to which they lead, is so absurd, in itself, and so inconsistent with universal belief and practice, that mankind never have been, and, I may safely assert, never can be brought to adopt it, or any other of a similar complexion. Much inge

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