sprightly and active; very apt to learn, but arch and unlucky, though not ill-natured.

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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 asked if he was willing to go with him to Ireland. Mr. Charles desired to write to his father, who answered immediately, and left him to his own choice. He chose to stay in England. Mr. W. then found and adopted another Charles Wesley, who was the late Earl of M--n--g--n. A fair escape, says Mr. John Wesley, from whose short account of his brother we have taken this anecdote:

From this time Mr. Charles Wesley, depended chiefly on his brother Samuel till 1721, when he was admitted a scholar of St. Peter's College, Westmin ster.* He was now a King's scholar; and as he advanced in age and learning, he acted dramas, and at length became Captain of the school. In 1726 he was elected to Christ's-Church, Oxford,† at which time his brother was Fellow of Lincoln-College. Mr. John Wesley gives the following account of him after he came to Oxford. "He pursued his studies diligently, and led a regular ha mless life: but if I spoke to him about religion, he would warmly answer, .. What, would you have me to be a saint all at once?" and would hear no more. I was then near three years

my

* Welch's List of the Scholars of St. Peter's College Westminster, as they were elected to Christ-church College, Oxford and Trinity College, Cam

my father's curate. During most of this time he continued much the same; but in the year 1729 I observed his letters grew much more serious, and when I returned to Oxford in November that year, I found him in great earnestness to save his soul.

Mr. Charles Wesley gives the following account of himself for the first year or two after he went to Oxford.* My first year at College I lost in diver sions: the next I set myself to study. Diligence led me into serious thinking: I went to the weekly sacrament, and persuaded two or three young students to accompany me, and to observe the method of study prescribed by the statutes of the university. This gained me the harmless name of Methodist. In half a year (after this) my brother left his curacy at Epworth, and came to our assistance. We then proceeded regularly in our studies, and in doing what good we could to the bodies and souls of men,"

It was in the year 1728, in the twentieth year of his age, that he began to apply more closely to study, and to be more serious in his general deportment than usual. He soon gave proof of his sincere desire to be truly religious, by expressing a wish to write a diary, in which he intended to register daily the state of his mind, and the actions of the day. A diary of this kind faithfully kept, is a delineation of a man's moral and religious character; it is a moral picture of the man accurately drawn. No man wishes to draw his own character in this way, in every little circumstance of life, and to review it often, but he who is desirous to think and act rightly, and to improve daily in knowledge and virtue. He knew that his brother Mr. John Wesley, had kept such a diary and was able to give him instructions how to proceed.

B 2

⚫ In his Letter to Dr. Chandler.

He

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,

He therefore wrote to him in January 1729, as follows: I would willingly write a diary of my actions, but do not know how to go about it. What particulars am I to take notice of? Am I to give my thoughts and words, as well as deeds, a place in it? Am I to mark all the good and ill I do; and what besides? Must I not take account of my progress in learning as well as religion? What cypher can I make use of? If you would direct me to the same or like method of your own, I would gladly follow it, for I am fully convinced of the usefulness of such an undertaking. I shall be at a stand till I hear from you.

#

"God has thought fit, it may be to increase my wariness, to deny me at present your company and assistance. It is through him strengthening me, I trust to maintain my ground till we meet. And I hope that neither before nor after that time, I shall relapse into my former state, of insensibility. It is through your means, I firmly believe, that God will establish what he has begun in me; and there is no one person I would so willingly have to be the instrument of good to me as you. It is owing, in great measure to somebody's prayers (my mother's most likely) that I come to think as I do; for I cannot tell myself, how or when I awoke out of my lethargy -only that it was not long after you went away."

JI.

The enemies of the Christian Revelation, and friends of Deism, were so much increased about this time, and were become so bold and daring in their attempts to propagate their principles in the University, as to rouse the attention of the Vice-Chancellor; who, with the consent of the Heads of Houses and Proctors, issued the following programma, or edict, which was fixed up in most of the Halls of the University.

"Whereas

:

"Whereas there is too much reason to believe, that some members of the University have of late been "in danger of being corrupted by illdesigning persons, "who have not only entertained wicked and blasphemous notions, contrary to the truth of the christian "religion but have endeavoured to instil the same "ill principles into others: and the more effectually "to to propagate their infidelity, have applied their 66 poison to the unguarded inexperience of less "informed minds, where they thought it might operate with better success; carefully concealing their impious tenets from those whose riper judgment, " and more wary conduct might discover their false "reasoning, and disappoint the intended progress of "their infidelity. And whereas therefore, it is more

especially necessary at this time, to guard the youth "of this place against these wicked advocates for "pretended human reason against Divine revelation, "and to enable them the better to defend their religion, and to expose the pride and impiety of those "who endeavour to undermine it; Mr. Vice-Chan"cellor, with the consent of the Heads of Houses and "Proctors, has thought fit to recommend it, as a

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matter of the utmost consequence, to the several "tutors of each College and Hall in the University "that they discharge their duty by a double diligence, "in informing their respective pupils in their chris"tian duty, as also in explaining to them the articles "of religion which they profess, and are often called

upon to subscribe, and in recommending to them "the frequent and careful reading of the scriptures, "and such other books as may serve more effec"tually to promote christianity, sound principles, and orthodox faith. And further, Mr. Vice"Chancellor, with the same consent, does hereby

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"forbid

"forbid the said youth the reading ofuch books as

may tend to the weakening of their faith, the sub"verting of the authority of the scripture, and "the introducing of deism, profaneness and irre"ligion in their stead."-The Dean of Christ-church was so much a friend to infidelity, that he would not suffer this programma to be put up in the hall of his College,

It is always pleasing to a pious mind, to trace the ways of providence, not only as they relate to individuals, but as they affect large bodies of men collectively considered. In the case before us there is something worthy of observation. At the very time when the friends of infidelity were making so strong an effort to propagate tir sprinciples in this celebrated seminary of learning, God was preparing two or three young men, to plant a religious society in the same place; which should grow up with vigour, and spread its branches through several countries, in opposition to the baneful influence of infidelity and profaneness.

In the course of the following summer Mr. Charles. Wesley became more and more serious, and began to be singularly diligent, both in the means of grace and in his studies. His zeal for God began already to kindle, and manifest itself in exertions to do good beyond the common round of religious duties. He endeavoured to awaken an attention to religion in the minds of some of the students, and was soon successful in two or three instances. This appears from the following letter, which he wrote to his brother John Wesley in May 1729.

"Providence has at present put it into my power to do some good. I have a modest, humble, well disposed youth lives next me, and have been, thank God, somewhat instrumental in keeping him so. He was got into

vile