ee ee ie re waite, eee —— t+ THE LIFE OF THE REV. SAMUEL D. WADDY, D.D. THE LIFE OF THE REV. SAMUEL D. WADDY, D.D. BY HIS YOUNGEST DAUGHTER. London : PUBLISHED FOR THE AUTHORESS AT THE WESLEYAN CONFERENCE OFFICE, 2, CASTLE STREET, CITY ROAD. SOLD AT 66, PATERNOSTER ROW. 1878. OLIN BX 2357 ie ie We oO Hazell, Watson, ard Viney, Printers, London and ‘Aylesbury. PREFACH. fn correcting the proof-sheets of this Book, I have noticed the obvious appearance of a daughter’s hand. I have striven to write impartially of my father ; perhaps some of my readers will think that I have failed. If this be so, I do not altogether regret it. Had I succeeded, I should possibly have made this a more polished work; but such undue repression would have sacrificed any naturalness which may exist; and I think it better for my father’s Life to have been written thus, than for it not to have been written at all. Two things in relation to my father’s character must be referred to briefly. His great readiness gave rise to the misconception that he was not a man of close and laborious study. Nothing could be more erroneous. His readiness was the result of fulness. A long course of patient reading and serious application made him com- petent to speak extemporaneously ; and, as a con- sequence, some of his unpremeditated utterances were his most solid ones. vi PREFACE. As tregarl: the wit for which my father was so noted, some disappointment may be felt at the scanty illustrations of it which will be found in tais volume. But it must be borne in mind, first, that some of his raciest Jokes were so connected with Methelist people and events, that they would seem pecties: to these who are unacquainted with such Tagtters ;-secondly, that my father was never Boswellised, and no record of his witticisms has been preserved ;—and, thirdly, that in suppressing rauch whict I might have inserted, I feel that I am acting in accordance with his own line of conduct,—the repression of his wit being even more remarkable than its exercise. I would bricily acknowledge my obligations to the Rev. W. Archur, M.A., Dr. Punshon, Dr. Rigg, the Rev. J. Whiteside. J. M. Hare, Esq., and my e_dest brother, who have furnished me with valuable recollections. To the patient accuracy and kindly courtesy of the Rev. Dr. Williams I am greatly indebted, in the revision of the proofs, and also for the advice with which, from time to time, he has favoured me. ADELINE WabppyY. Forysstrr Pars, Loxbex, April 1éc4, 237s. INTRODUCTION. I am permitted, by the kindness of the Authoress of the following work, to prefix to it a few thoughts which have occurred to me, as I have read it in MS., and have looked over the several sheets while they have been passing through the press. The Life of such a man as Dr. Waddy can scarcely fail to awaken deep interest in the minds of all who knew him, whether in the freshness and brilliancy of his earlier manhood, or in the statesman-like ability and wisdom of his maturer years. He stood out among his brethren in the ministry, as possess- ing, in an eminent degree, qualities which com- manded general respect, while they secured the esteem and affection of those who were brought into intimate intercourse with him. But it is not to those only who were acquainted with Dr. Waddy in the period of his greatest activity, that this Memoir will be attractive. To the generation now rising up, who knew him chiefly in his retirement, and to coming generations to whom he will be known only by name, it is cal- vili INTRODUCTION. culated to be one of considerable interest. Many of the incidents which it embraces are well worthy of being placed on permanent record; and it is instructive to trace the process of training and cul- ture, by which a mind singularly gifted was fitted, by the grace and providence of God, to occupy a position of wide and permanent influence. The character of Dr. Waddy has been so beauti- fully set forth by the Rev. William Arthur, M.A., the Rev. Dr. Punshon, and the Rev. Dr. Rigg, in the observations which are found at the close of this narrative, that I shall not presume myself to sketch it. For many years I knew him only in public life, and my intimate intercourse with him only commenced at the Conference of 1869, when I was strongly attracted to him by his genial and noble bearing, and by the devoutness of his spirit, while his brilliant wit—never tinged, in the slightest degree, either with unkindness or a violation of delicacy—enlivened the friends who were gathered around him. I feel that I have no claim to speak of him at length, or to attempt to do justice to his character. I wish only, in this Introduction, to call attention to some points of special interest, which the following narrative seems to me to present. I have been struck, for instance, with the qualitics of mind and heart evinced by Dr. Waddy while yet a boy, and still more during the period of his apprenticeship. While his vivacity and ability INTRODUCTION. ix were obvious to all who mingled with him, the facts which are now narrated show more especially his deep sincerity, his lofty integrity, his firmness of purpose, and his great power of endurance. Even in boyhood and youth he shrunk back from everything mean or unworthy; and in the most critical periods of his early history he manifested high and noble principle. The grace of God—even before his conversion—restrained, guarded, and up- held him, and enabled him to preserve his integrity, and to evince manly fortitude under trials which might have shaken the constancy of many. I have been still more impressed with the sim- plicity and depth of his early piety. I esteem it a peculiar advantage, that his letters to his intimate friend, the late Rev. Charles Haydon, have been preserved, and that some of them are here given to the public. It will be refreshing to many who only knew Dr. Waddy from without, and who were struck with his manly bearing and his firm grasp of great principles, to be thus admitted to the in- most workings of his mind, and to mark his jealousy over his own heart, and his solicitude to maintain a close personal walk with God. The friend who was associated with him in his earliest evangelistic labours, and to whom he thus unfolded his cherished thoughts and feelings, has recently passed away, after an honourable course of forty-eight years in the active labours of the Methodist ministry, and a few x INTRODUCTION. additional years spent in comparative retirement,— beloved by his brethren, and by multitudes to whom his instructive and edifying ministry, and his wise and judicious administration, had specially endeared him. With no ordinary emotions will they who esteemed both Dr. Waddy and Mr. Haydon peruse these mementoes of their early friendship, and mark how they sought to promote each other’s piety, and to aid each other in obtaining the highest qualifi- cations for the efficient discharge of the Christian ministry. Two things can scarcely fail to arrest the atten- tion of the reader in perusing those Chapters which relate to Dr. Waddy’s early ministry. One is, his readiness to undergo physical toil, and the uncom- plaining and cheerful spirit in which he applied himself to the work of laborious Circuits. The other is, his sedulous attention to mental culture. When he entered the Wesleyan-Methodist ministry, the Theological Institution was not established ; so that candidates for the sacred office had no syste- matic training in theology, and had not the advan- tage of experienced guides in the study of the original languages of Holy Scripture, as well as in other departments of learning. Dr. Waddy’s early education had, indeed, laid the foundation of correct scholarship; but that scholarship had to be attained, and an accurate acquaintance with theolo- gical science had to be acquired, by close and con- INTRODUCTION. xi tinuous study. In both these respects the example of Dr. Waddy may be commended to the imitation of the younger Ministers of our Communion. More especially is it important that, throughout life, every one who is set apart to the duties of the Christian pastorate should continue to be a careful student of the Divine Word, and should seek to keep his mind refreshed and stimulated by various knowledge. Several incidents recorded in this narrative will illustrate the beautiful combination in Dr. Waddy’s character of manly strength and firmness with tenderness and sympathy. It is pleasing and in- structive to mark how the heart which was a stranger to fear, and which was ready for the most difficult and arduous service, could enter into the sorrows of others, and how, under the heavy stroke of bereave- ment, while upheld by the great principles of the gospel, it gave utterance to its deep and distressing consciousness of loss. In reading the following Volume, I have been impressed, too, with the value of Dr. Waddy’s letters to his children, several of which are here preserved. Not only do they shed light on his own feelings and character, but the counsels which they contain are most appropriate, and often most in- structive and powerful. The tone of simple, earnest, thoughtful piety which pervades them gives to them a peculiar charm ; while the occasions which xii INTRODUCTION. called forth some of them invest them with special and enduring interest. Among the remarkable events which are recorded in this Memoir, the great revival of religion at Wesley College, Sheffield, in the year 1848, doubt- less stands pre-eminent. The narrative of that revival beautifully illustrates the power of Divine grace,—the prevalence of fervent and believing in- tercession,—and the honour which God puts upon sincere and constant efforts to lead others to the Saviour. That narrative can never loge its interest. May it awaken in our Colleges and Schools an ear- nest desire of similar visitations from on high ! But, amidst all that is interesting and beautifal in the career of Dr. Waddy, that which has most impressed me is the fact, that when he returned to the ordinary work of a Methodist Circuit, after his honourable career as the Governor of Wesley Col- lege, and after he had filled, with marked ability and dignity, the Chair of the Conference, he applied himself with diligence and perseverance to the syste- matic pastoral visitation of the Societies of which he took the special charge. His labours in this department, both at Chelsea and Lambeth, will long be gratefully remembered. In the latter Circuit he visited the humblest dwellings of his people during the prevalence of severe epidemic disease ; and many a home which was saddened by affliction, or darkened by bereavement, was cheered INTRODUCTION. xiii by the sympathy, the exhortations, and the prayers of the now venerable Pastor. While he continued to take a lively interest in the general affairs of the Methodist Connexion, and gave to the several Com- mittees of which he was a member the benefit of his large experience and mature wisdom, he still found time to maintain pastoral intercourse with all classes of his people. Thus did he beautifully carry out the counsels which he had addressed to young Ministers in his Ex-Presidential Charge. I may be allowed to add two facts to those stated in the Memoir,—facts which have become known to me, and which bear on the religious character of my esteemed friend. One of these relates to his practi- cal acknowledgment of his stewardship to God in the use of worldly property. He gave on principle to pious and charitable objects, increasing his con- tributions when his income, as the Governor of Wesley College, enabled him to give liberally, and not reducing them when, on his return to the work of a Circuit, his resources were, to some extent, curtailed. The other fact brings him before us when his days of active labour were over, and he could only glorify God by patient waiting and the meek endurance of suffering. In the months of languor which preceded his departure, his love for the Holy Scriptures was beautifully manifested. Mrs. Waddy, or one of his daughters, often read to him Chapters from the Bible; and, on these occasions, he would xiv INTRODUCTION. ask for one Chapter after another, never seeming to be weary of listening to the Inspired Records, and often saying, ‘Go on, go on,’ to those who thus sought to brighten the hours of retirement and feebleness. In conclusion, I would express my confident hope that this work, written, as it is, in a pleasing and attractive style, and abounding in incidents of varied interest, will secure a large circle of readers. But more than this; I believe that it will contribute to promote the great object to which Dr. Waddy’s life was devoted. It forms a beautiful memorial of simple, earnest piety, combined with brilliance and profundity of thought ; and it shows how the grace of God, and the varied discipline of His providence, moulded the character of one of the liveliest and most genial of men, so that, while retaining these qualities, he evinced also a wisdom, dignity, and power, which commanded universal respect, while he himself clung, as a little child, to his Saviour and Lord. H. W. WILLIAMS. SOUTHWARK, April 15th, 1878, VI. XII. XIV. XV. CONTENTS. . ANCESTRY . . . . . CHILDHOOD.—EDUCATION, APPRENTICESHIP . . » CONVERSION.—EARLY LABOURS IN THE CHURCH.—CALL TO THE MINISTRY . . . . . ENTRANCE UPON THE MINISTRY.—THE CAMBRIDGE AND LYNN CIRCUITS . . * . . THE BIRMINGHAM CIRCUIT . . . . THE GATESHEAD AND NORTHAMPTON CIRCUITS . . GENERAL VIEW OF THE PRINCIPLES OF DR. WADDY, AND OF THE INFLUENCE UPON HIM OF THE CON- TROVERSIES OF HIS EARLIER MINISTRY . . MINISTRY IN SHEFFIELD . . . . . THE HULL WEST CIRCUIT F 3 : i THE BATH CIRCUIT.—VISIT TO IRFLAND ’ GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE . z : GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE—continued BLECTION TO THE OFFICE OF PRESIDENT OF THE CONFERENCE.—GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE —concluded : % ¥ i * RETURN TO CIRCUIT-WORK.—THE CHELSEA, LAMBETH, AND CLIFTON CIRCUITS . a ‘ RETIREMENT, —DEPARTURE . . . . APPENDIX . . . . . . . Page, 18 42 57 72 94 121 ‘143 175 207 259 289 323 355 THE LIFE OF THE REV. SAMUEL D. WADDY, D.D. CHAPTER L ANCESTRY. Azott eight miles north-west of York is the plea- sant little village of Nunmonkton. The large ob- ~ long green is bounded at the east end by a fine old church; and the first tombstone on the left-hand side, as you enter the churchyard, was raised ‘in memory of Richard Waddy, forty years Master of the Charity School in Nunmonkton, who lived re- spected, and died lamented on the 27th of Feb- tuary, 1813, in the eightieth year of his age.’ About the middle of the north side of the green the Charity School-house formerly stood,—a build- ing in which two schools were carried on; one for boys, and the other for girls. The old school-house has now been replaced by a neat brick structure, in B 2 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. the front of which are placed the old tablets that gave the history of its predecessor, and are as fol- lows :— BOYS. Tus Charity School was fovnded by Mr. Thomas and Mr. Leonard Wilson, Gent., who lived at Fosbridge End, in York, and lands setled for the teaching of twelve poor boys of Nunmonckton for ever. Anno Domini 1716. The Master is to teach the Children English, Latine and Greek, and also writing, cast- ing up accompts, and teach them their duty to God Almighty, and Good manners. GIRLS. Tus Charity School was fovnded by Mrs. Mary and Mrs. Dorothy Wilson, sisters to Mr. Thomas and Mr. Leonard Wilson, who lived at Fosbridge End, in York, and lands setled for the teaching of twelve poor girls of Nunmonckton for ever. Anno Domini 1716. The Mistris to teach true English in ye Bible and writing, and also to teach shaping, sowing, marking, and making-up lin- ning, knitting, and their Duty to God Almighty, and Good manners. The second son of the schoolmaster, named after his father, Richard, was apprenticed to a draper in York, but eventually entered the Ministry. Methodist One incident of his apprentice-life illustrates the character of the man in boyhood. His master, during a short absence, entrusted him with the key of the till, which he accidentally discovered to be an exact. duplicate of the key of his own box. The thought of possible weakness flashed across his mind. Going upstairs, he unlocked his trunk so as to have access to his goods, and then, walking to the shop-door, flung the key away far out of sight. ‘I ANCESTRY. 3 did not know,’ he simply said, ‘how strong in me the devil might be some day; and, though I felt no temptation tren to use my key in my master’s till, I thought it better to put away the possibility of doing wrong.’ The same conscientious thoughtful- ness distinguished him, when, some years later, he had entered the Methodist Ministry. In changing Circuits between Aberdeen and Worcester, his funds fell short, and, as he was an excellent walker, he sent his luggage forward by the carrier, and deter- mined to finish the journey on foot. His strength at last failed; and, being attacked with fever, he succumbed by the wayside. Before delirium clouded his mind, he bethought him that his ministerial dress might cause a scandal if he were found in an insensible state on the public road, and that the cause of religion would suffer from the suspicion of a Minister lying in a state of apparently drunken helplessness in the highway. With a great effort he dragged himself over the wall at the roadside, and dropped senseless in the field beyond. During a soaking shower of rain, he lay in a lethargic slumber, and awoke, after some hours, to find him- self saturated and exhausted. He walked to the shelter of the nearest house, where he opportunely found a good Methodist woman, who welcomed him ‘as the ‘blessed of the Lord,’ and nursed him till he recovered. Later still in life, when a fall had broken two of his ribs, his indomitable sense of duty made him persevere in an attempt to preach; and the en- treaties of his wife, enforced by the commands of his doctor, were hardly sufficient to prevent it. The few who still remember the Rev. Richard B2 4 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. Waddy recollect a tall, robust, and handsome Yorkshireman, with a well-knit frame, capable of much endurance and toil. His disposition was singularly gentle and sweet; and to the ingenuous- ness of a child he added an almost feminine modesty and shyness. He was a thoughtful and highly esteemed Preacher: his style was correct, and his discourses edifying and profitable, though not, in the modern sense of the word, popular. His aim throughout life was to save souls and do his duty. In both endeavours he was successful; for few men have left, at the end of fourscore years, a more blameless character or a better reputation. In the days when many of our holiest men were but little cultured, Richard Waddy was known as a courteous gentleman of refined and intellectual tastes, and his accuracy and industry were so well appreciated by his brethren, that to him was entrusted the prepara- tion of those Indices to the subjects and Scripture references of the Wesleyan Hymn-Book, which are bound up with Wesley’s Hymns and are still in use amongst us. ‘The Christian Soldier’s Manual,’ a very devout little work, was from his pen; and a small catechism in verse, entitled ‘Milk for Babes,’ was written by him some time later. This simple godly man chose for his wife a sprightly, clever, and handsome girl, many years younger than himself, Elizabeth Mason, of Bir- mingham. She was a religious and, in many re- spects, an admirable woman; but, strangely enough, the softer traits of character belonged to the hus- band, and the more defined ones to the wife. Her ANCESTRY. 5 sharp and ready wit, her ceaseless activity and liveliness, combined with her domestic skill, made her a useful helpmeet to such a man; and the few deficiencies of Richard Waddy’s holy and beautiful life were supplied by the exuberant energy of his wife. The active ministry of the Rev. Richard Waddy extended over the lengthened period of fifty-four years. He entered upon it in the year 1793, and continued in it until the Conference of 1847, when he retired as a Supernumerary to Shirley, near Southampton. Here his occasional ministrations and pastoral intercourse with the Society and con- eregation were highly valued, until increasing in- firmities compelled him to relinquish all public labour ; and, at length, he peacefully passed away to the presence of his Master. A short Memoir of him appeared in the ‘Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine’ for December, 1857. CHAPTER II. CHILD HOOD.~—EDUCATION.—APPRENTICESHIP. SamueL Doustanp Wanppy was the second son of Richard and Elizabeth Waddy, and was born at Burton-on-Trent, on the 5th of August, 1804. To both his parents my father was greatly indebted: from his father he inherited that sunny good- humour which rarely failed him, while from his mother came a high and dauntless courage which feared nothing. From each he learnt lessons of prompt decision, love of order, thoroughness in work, and devotion to duty,—qualities which were com- bined with a ready wit, and a faculty of governing himself and others. He was the second child in a family of twelve ; and, as they were brought up on the scanty allow- ances of a Methodist Minister, the children were early taught lessons of thrift and self-denial. Stern necessity compelled them, as they emerged from childhood, to separate and provide for themselves. Therefore, in early life, the brothers and sisters saw but little of each other, and their reminiscences are few and meagre. To his parents and teachers young Waddy was the embodiment of mischief: to his little playmates, he was a superior being of EDUCATION. 7 unlimited kindness. In place of the teasing and tyranny some sisters recall, one of his sisters says that he was ‘ most fertile in little acts of kindness.’ Still, to older people, he was, it must be owned, somewhat of an ‘enfant terrible.’ His restless activity and mechanical tastes often got him into trouble; and his first possession of edged tools was signalised by cutting a pattern in the stonework round Wakefield Chapel, and so dama- ging it that a new coping had to be provided. The little artist was only five years old. At eight years of age, he was sent to school; in reference to which, he afterwards wrote in his Diary,—‘ May 22nd, 1813. I was removed to the Wesleyan Academy, Woodhouse Grove, Yorkshire, where I remained six years, keeping pace with the regular classical routine, and some- what excelling those of my own age in mathemati- cal studies. The only distinction I ever obtained was in my last year, when the best prize was — awarded to me for an heroic poem on the nativity of Christ. My principal competitor on that occasion. was John Hare.’ These few lines contain the whole of his written recollections of his .school-days; but, fortunately, his rival in heroic composition has preserved a generous memory of bygone days, and to him we owe some further notice of this time. When Samuel Waddy entered ‘The Grove,’ the junior masters were, with the exception of Jonathan Crowther, of an inferior or mediocre stamp; and he, though of unquestionable talent, was too young for a position of authority. His free use of the cane 8 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. became a grand abuse, and his unwillingness to explain difficulties made him an unsympathising tutor. Forty years after, while at Wesley College, Dr. Waddy was referring to his own school-days, and stating his disapproval of the indiscriminate severity which had marked them. ‘ When I was a boy at the Grove,’ he said, ‘ I was thrashed every day. Ihave no doubt that I generally deserved it; but it was too much,—it did no good.’ So unusual was the severity of some of the masters that a deputation of boys—amongst whom were 8. D. Waddy, G. B. Macdonald, P. Hardcastle, and James Brownell—appealed to the Committee of Woodhouse Grove. No redress was granted, and the matter slumbered until the question of Grove discipline was mooted in the Conference some years later.* At this time all the members of the little deputation were ordained Ministers. The question, without directly taking the form of an attack upon Mr. Crowther, obviously pointed to him, and the matter was taken up by the fathers of some of the young men, who themselves stood in a knot in one of the aisles. Considerable interest was excited, and the more so, because some of the young men, who were practically the accusers, were already recognised as men of unusual promise. Mr. Crowther’s answer was as brief as it was telling. Rising amidst perfect silence, he pointed to the young Preachers who stood in the aisle, and said: * I believe on the nomination of Mr. Crowther to a tutorship at the Theological Institution, when, naturally, his fitness for training young men was questioned by those who doubted his wisdom in managing boys. EDUCATION. 9 ‘My brethren have blamed the system ;—I point to the results. I appeal from the complaints of the fathers to the lives of the sons that I have formed.’ The Head Master, Mr. Parker, was in some points a complete contrast to Mr. Crowther, as his patience was great, and his love of teaching made him delight in explaining difficulties in a clear and lucid style. The Governor at this time was the Rev. Miles Martindale, an ardent admirer of the English classics, a man of some poetic taste, and of great kindliness. Into such surroundings, in 1818, came a little, compact, fair-haired, merry-faced boy, short and sturdy, accompanied by a tall, thin, studious elder brother. The younger boy soon became a universal favourite, and won attention by his strong common-sense, shrewdness, and calm self-possession. ‘As a boy,’ writes Mr. Hare, ‘ there was no hardness and no ill-humour about him. And the lashes of his poetical whip, though he was somewhat unsparing in its use, never diminished his popularity among his school-fellows, which, from his never-failing cheerfulness, and his entire freedom from envy, hatred, malice, and all unchari- tableness, was general and unsurpassed. His rapidity in acquiring knowledge was amazing; but his mode of doing it was often irregular. Asa boy, he was a rapacious reader, and a close and keen observer of human nature. I remember that he and George Hardcastle were reading through Rollin’s “ Universal History” at the same time; and, as far as I could ascertain, they were the only two boys in the school who did so. He was noted amongst us as a steady reader of stiff, dry books. 10 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. His wit, even in those early days, was original and distinctive, being often terse and pungent. His sarcasm was notorious; but he used it most good- naturedly, and one of his old school-fellows re- marked, that “he flogged with a smile in his eyes and his lips like Jonathan Crowther.”’ Another of his old school-fellows who was a ‘little boy, when he was a big one,’ has two memories of him, first, that Sam Waddy could learn anything quickly, when he was in the humour for it; and, secondly, that he was a lad of a bold and courageous disposition.’ This gentleman adds, ‘ Indulging as we did in stories about robbers and ghosts, I well recollect how fearless he was. The manly boy foreshadowed the bold and noble-minded Dr. Waddy.’ Soon after he entered the Grove, the school, under the vigorous administration of the Rev. Miles Martindale, was recovering somewhat from the effects of previous mismanagement ; sufficient traces of which, however, were visible to the keen eyes of the younger Waddy. In after years, Wesley College reaped no little benefit from reflection on the errors which had been seen at Woodhouse Grove, and which had been indelibly impressed ona very retentive mind. During their ‘Grove’ life the elder of the two brothers, in common with several other boys, was much impressed by the sudden death of the Rev. William Bramwell. ‘T have just received one of the most disgusting and impudent letters from you that I ever received in my life; but certainly well suited to those beings who pretend to be Ministers of the gospel, and really are Ministers of hell,—I mean the dissenting mountebanks. You may, Sir, apply to all the twenty-six bishops, if you like; or do anything else that may please you, if you do not write tome. No bishop will interfere with me for not doing that which 1 promised, on my ordination, not to do. As to your threats, I am taught, by the highest authority, to treat them with the utmost defiance. If you write to me again, under any pretence what- ever, I will either send the letter back to you un- answered, or place it in the hands of an attorney.’ This letter was addressed to ‘Robert Bond, Esq.’ The bishop, on being informed of the cor- respondence, regretted the exceptionable terms in which Mr. Escott had expressed his deter- mination, but repeated his inability to interfere further. The Methodists had long been accustomed to sub- mit to much insolence and tyranny, but this was a little too violent to be borne. The Committee of Privileges took up the case, and, in the end, the Court of Arches declared the law, as well established, that persons so baptized are entitled to burial accord- ing to the rites of the Church of England, and that THE BATH CIRCUIT. 149 Clergymen of that Church are bound to perform the service when required. The Court suspended Mr. Escott for three months, and condemned him in costs. The case was carried, on appeal, to the Privy Council, and judgment was given there, on the 2nd of July, 1842, confirming the judgment of the Court of Arches, with costs. The importance of this matter arose, not so much from what was done, as from what was zot done, in connection with it. Mr. Escott was simply an insig- nificant and ignorant person, placed in a situation for which he had neither grace nor gifts. And if he had been properly discountenanced by his bishop, if due reproof had been administered and proper punishment inflicted, Mr. Escott might safely have been allowed to drop into his natural obscurity. But in this case, as in many others, the authority of the Church was simply powerless. And to many besides my father the dilemma came with tremen- dous force, Can this Church exercise godly disci- pline without putting the injured person to such expense and trouble as to amount to a denial of justice,—or can it not? If it can, and yet these outrages are almost en- couraged by the mildness of their formal rebuke, how long must we tolerate such denial of justice and such sin against Christian charity ? If it cannot, how long should a Church continue to be called National which affords such opportunity for doing evil, and is powerless only when invoked to restrain or punish wrong? For the time, however, the judgment of the ecclesiastical Courts was sufficient, and my father, 150 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. with the rest of the Methodist Ministers, went quietly on with his work. He was again Financial Secretary of the District, and was placed on the Deputationto his old friends at Birmingham, hav- ing as his colleague his former school-fellow, the Rev. John 8. Stamp. He found, during the year, in addition to his regular Circuit work, a congenial source of occupation in attending the meetings of the Committee of the Kingswood School, of which he had been appointed a member. In the meantime his anxiety on behalf of the Proprietary School became great and unfortunately well-founded; for its success was seriously imperilled. So much of the actual management of the School had devolved upon my father during his residence in Sheffield that it was a serious blow when he was removed to Hull. The Rev. John Maclean was a man of such commanding ability and such nobility of spirit that his memory can afford to have it re- corded, that his ‘business’ qualifications and mastery of detail were by no means equal to his scholarship, his keen insight into character, the simplicity of his piety, and his marvellous power in the pulpit and on the platform. It can be. easily understood, therefore, that it was very disadvantageous to have to rely on a Secretary so far from the scene, and especially in those days when no telegraph had been invented, and there was no railway communication between Hull and Shef- field. But when my father went to Bath matters became worse. It became absolutely necessary that he should resign the secretaryship altogether, and he did so. THE BATH CIRCUIT. 151 Speedily things assumed a very unsatisfactory appearance. Mr. Maclean determined to resume the regular work, and accepted an invitation to the London Fifth Circuit; and it seemed that the Institution which had suffered so much by los- ing its original Secretary was now to be shaken still more disastrously by losing its original Governor as well. At this juncture the only hope of saving it appeared to be in the appointment of the man who had first evolved the scheme; and the probability that this course would be adopted became known at Bath. This drew from the Circuit Stewards an ear- nest letter, entreating my father, ‘ by the love he bore them,’ to refuse the appointment and to return to Bath. This letter was received by him, while he was attending the Conference; and was followed by a visit from the Circuit Stewards, Messrs. Lidiard and Shum, who went to press the wishes of the Circuit on the Stationing Committee and the Con- ference. Mr. Lidiard referred to the circumstances under which he had been transferred from Hull to Bath, and argued quaintly, ‘ You sent him without, our asking for him, and we didn’t complain! You must not take him away now that we do ask for him to stay!’ In the midst of these deliberations he wrote home to his wife :— ‘“Lonpon, Aug. 5th, 1842. ‘ DEAREST, ‘A very long discussion has this morning taken place on the subject of the Sheffield School. My name has been mentioned in connection with it; and although nothing is, as yet, determined, it has 152 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. ceased to be an impossibility that I may be ap- pointed. It may be some days before I can tell you positively ; and, as yet, I think the probabilities are in favour of my zot being appointed; but we are in the hands of God. ‘The discussion respecting the Sub-Editor is going on: astrong party are in favour of George Osborn instead of John Stamp. Mr. Marsden has really become a Supernumerary. I feel somewhat sorry that the religious matter of my letter should have led you to a comparison with yourself ; which, had you conducted it impartially, would have ended in your self-complacency and not in your depression. You have judged me too favourably, and yourself too severely. As to our standing with Almighty God, we have, and can have, xo merit; our simple ground of dependence is faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. As to a comparison with others, whether you are satisfied or not, I have reason to be. You are ex- emplary in all that constitutes the excellency of a Christian matron; you fully justify the description of a perfect wife in Holy Writ, that “the heart of her husband safely trusteth in her.’’’ A day or two afterwards he again wrote :— ‘Edward Walker has sent in a note declining the Sheffield appointment, so that the thing is again at sea; and each man that is thus disposed of, increases the probability that the lot may eventually fall upon Jonah. M and J. both made very bad speeches against the School; the former of which I was especially surprised and distressed to hear. George Marsden has been proposed, but for the present, at least, declines; so that it is still open. The Stations generally appear to be ina mess: there seems to be an increasing difficulty in providing suitable men.’ THE BATH CIRCUIT. 153 ‘Lonpon, August 10th, 1842. “My DEAREST, ‘Keeling still stands for the School, and I think he will remain. Yesterday was occupied by a dis- cussion on our Scotch affairs. It was sufliciently evident that we had ruined ourselves there by vexa- tious and constant controversy on Calvinistic sub- jects, and by a wanton departure from the usages and customs sacred to the Scotch people, and sanc- tioned by Mr. Wesley. To the former state of things we are to return, including the wearing of gowns and bands in our religious services in Scot- land only. This part of the subject called forth some good and warm speaking on both sides; it was, however, at last carried by an overwhelming majority, only about six holding up their hands against it. I took no part in the discussion: if I had, the fact could only have provoked sus- picion.’ In the result, the mind of the Conference appeared to be, that my father ought to be sent to the School. Dr. Dixon pointedly and curtly told the Confer- ence,—‘ It is a short question. Is the School worth saving? If it is,—you must send Mr. Waddy. If it is not,—don’t!’ On the other hand, it was very strongly felt, that to remove him at the end of the first year from Bath would be, under the circum- stances, an unjustifiable hardship upon that Cir- cuit, and the Rev. Isaac Keeling was accordingly sent to fill the gap for two years until my father’s appointment to Bath should expire in the ordinary course. He accordingly returned to his Circuit, and re- mained there until the Conference of 1844, fulfilling 154 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. the local and Connexional duties which have been previously mentioned. His Missionary deputation for this year was to Manchester, as the colleague of the Rev. John Scott, and his esteem and affection for that good man were greatly strengthened by this association. They were admirably fitted to be friends. The quiet dry humour, mingled with sound practical wisdom, which characterised Mr. Scott, was a perfect comple- ment to my father’s special qualities of mind ; and amongst the many anecdotes which my father would sometimes tell about his brethren, there were none which he enjoyed with a greater relish than those which recalled his pleasant hours with John Scott. They were very different men in many respects, but they understood, admired, and loved each other till death. The Factories Education Bill, which Sir James Graham brought forward about this time, was cre- ating considerable excitement amongst the friends of religious education. Many of the provisions of that Bill were highly objectionable. Among other things, it ignored the just claims of Nonconformists, and tended to give the clergy of the Established Church—among whom Tractarian doctrines were widely diffused—an unfair and undue control over the religious teaching of the schools which it would have established. For instance, the approval of the Bishop of the diocese was made essential to the employment of any schoolmaster; and while Church of England influence was thus obviously promoted, no provision whatever was made for education in connection with any other denomination. A vigor- THE BATH CIRCUIT. 155 ous and united opposition to the Bill was imme- diately commenced throughout the kingdom. A public meeting being convened in the Guild- hall of Bath, the Mayor, who was a Churchman, requested my father to come and speak in opposi- tion to it. He proposed an older man, but the Mayor declined the proposition, as much depended upon the result of that night’s debate. The meeting, in fact, had more than a merely local importance, for it was known that Mr. Roebuck, one of the members for the city, intended to make a great effort in favour of the Bill. The meeting was accordingly held. Lord Duncan, the senior member for Bath, spoke first, and opposed the Bill. Mr. Roebuck, in a long and powerful address, supported it. He was at that time very popular in Bath, having been elected in July 1841. Moreover, his ability and independence were so pro- verbial, that his adhesion to the Government scheme was most important; and it was indispensable that he should be immediately and conclusively answered on his own platform. The task of grappling with such a man, under such circumstances, was not an easy one; but it was performed by my father in a speech which he was always accustomed to consider one of his most powerful and successful oratorical efforts. He carried the meeting entirely with him; and so much dissatisfaction was aroused against Mr. Roebuck that, when he lost his seat at the next election, it was generally attributed to that night’s work. The following letters form part of a cor- respondence which followed between my father and Lord Duncan :— 156 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. “Lonpon, 15, Hitt Street, April 24th, 1843. ‘My pear Sir, ‘I must take this early opportunity of congta- tulating you on your very eloquent and powerful speech on Friday evening,—a speech calculated, at such a crisis as the present, to produce the very greatest effects on the minds of all thinking and reasonable persons. Your parallel between these times and the times preceding the Great Rebellion particularly struck me,—a period, toa day, of exactly two centuries. ‘For my part, I hear that Government are to try to carry their Bill, with shght modifications, to meet the exigency of the case. A motion will, I understand, be made, on going into Committee, to divide the Bill. This motion will prove whether Government are sincere or not. If they are the sincere friends of education, they will at once accede to such a modest request. If they are the sincere friends of Puseyism and High Church principles, they will continue to endeavour to mystify the public with their “ Factory and Education Compound,”— which cannot easily be either modified or explained. ‘If I vote for Lord John’s resolutions, it will be as the friend of education. The principles embodied in those resolutions are my wltimatum, my ultimate limit beyond which I cannot go to meet the High Church or any other party whatever. Details can be modified, principles cannot. And my principle is, that all men are equal, and “those who are clean in the eyes of God, call not thow unclean,”—“thou” being addressed to that party who call, adding to the power of*the Church “ religion.” ‘JT fear that party. Iam never so afraid of them as when they are full of the benefit they are about to bestow. “ Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes.” ‘Yours very truly, ‘Duncan.’ THE BATH CIRCUIT. 157 “Lonpon, April 24th, 1843. “My pear Sir, “My colleague, Mr. Roebuck, has just given notice of an amendment on Lord John’s resolutions, to the effect that “religious and secular education are not necessarily to be combined in a system of national education.” On this motion I shall, I think, abstain from voting. Ido not want our party to be charged with indifference to the Bible. Nor do J wish to affirm the principle that religious and secular edu- cation are necessarily combined. Mr. Roebuck’s motion cannot be carried ; therefore cannot answer any practicable end. And if you agree with me, I can only say I feel a deeper interest in the Bill than in any motion which may serve to distract our attention. Every attempt will be made to separate the Dissenters. United, the Government knows they—the Dissenters—are irresistible; ergo, the Government will endeavour to throw the apple of discord amongst them in every shape, but the Dissenters are far too shrewd not to be on their guard. ‘Your advice on this subject would much oblige, * Yours very truly, ‘ Duncan.’ At the Conference of 1843 my father was ap- pointed to attend the South Wales District Com- mittee with the Rev. Joseph Cusworth, and was also placed on the Missionary Deputation to the South of Ireland with the Rev. Thomas Hodson. He set out to fulfil the latter engagement on the Ist of September, 1843, and was one of the passen- gers on board the Queen, which was wrecked and totally lost on this voyage. I give the account of his remarkable preservation in his own words: — 158 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. ‘We went on board the Queen steam-packet at Bristol, on Friday morning, September Ist, and left the Cumberland Basin exactly at half-past ten o’clock, with every prospect of a safe and rapid passage to Dublin. The vessel was large, and in complete repair. She was beautifully fitted up, and this was only her second voyage since she left the dock, in which considerable improvements had been made in her machinery and fittings. The day was fine, and the night was particularly clear until we were passing between the islands of Skomer and Skokam, near Milford Haven, when we were sud- denly enveloped in a dense fog, which at once obscured the land previously in sight. As soon as this occurred, the captain checked the speed of the vessel, and turned round in hope of discovering the Milford lights. In this attempt the vessel struck upon a rock close to the island of Skokam. The shock was by no means severe: the engines were reversed, and she immediately got off. Considerable alarm was excited at the moment; but, from the very slow rate at which we were going when she struck, the apparently shght nature of the shock, and the facility with which she was got off, we were easily persuaded to believe that the vessel was not seriously injured, and that we were not in very im- minent danger. Under this impression, many of the female passengers did not at once proceed to dress themselves, and some were not even awakened by the shock. A very few minutes, however, served to dispel any favourable opinion which had been formed of our position. The vessel was evidently filling very fast, and there was no prospect of her continuing long above water. Just at this moment the scene was truly awful: alarm and consternation seized both passengers and crew; the steam whistle was screaming; some persons were praying; one man, frantic with fear, was blaspheming ean THE BATH CIRCUIT. 159 We had run at least a mile from the rock on which we struck, in the vain hope of being able to reach Milford Harbour; and, now that the engines were stopped, the vessel was rapidly drifting in the tide, and we were in deep water, and must all inevitably have perished but for the special and almost mira- culous interposition of the providence of God. ‘A little sloop, laden with limestone, had that morning left Milford, worked by two men, David Jenkins and another. They had heard the noise of our vessel, and, fearing we should run them down in the fog, they put up a light for their own security, which led to the preservation of our lives. As soon as we discovered it, we hailed them. They were just preparing to cast anchor for fear of drifting on the rocks; but, when made acquainted with our danger, they promptly brought their sloop alongside. This little vessel, as we afterwards discovered, was called the Hope, and to persons in our circumstances even this trivial incident was important and en- couraging. ‘The packet was now fast sinking, and we imme- diately began to get into the Hope. The women (of whom there were about ten or twelve on board) were first embarked. One man stood in the shrouds of the Hope, to whom the women were handed out of the packet, and he transferred them to another man on the deck. Several of them were in their night-clothes, and without shoes. There was no time for them to dress after they had been informed of their danger. They were hurried off without time even to secure their watches and money ; and, with all this haste, we did but just escape, for in less than half an hour after the packet struck she was at the bottom of the sea, in thirty or forty fathoms of water. ‘After the women were put on board the sloop, the rest of the passengers followed, and we en- 160 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. deavoured to push off from the packet, leaving the crew in the two ships’ boats. By this time, how-. ever, the Queen had so far sunk that the bottom of her paddle-box was pressing on our cat-head; and it was with some difficulty we disengaged ourselves, and thus escaped being drawn down. along with her. We did, however, push away, and then discovered that, although we had escaped one imminent peril, we were, nevertheless, still in great jeopardy. The Hope is a very small sloop (or, perhaps, more pro- perly, a smack), registered only fourteen tons burden. She was rather overladen before she took one of us on board, and we were now sixty-four persons in her, besides her cargo. Our additional weight had brought her down almost to the water’s edge: a single gust of wind would have upset her, and we should all have been lost. Under these circum- stances, the greatest caution was necessary: all were made to sit down, excepting four or five crammed into the little cabin, and a few others to work the sloop. We moved away from the packet, far enough to be out of the reach of her suction when she should go down, and then immediately cast anchor, and proceeded to lighten the Hope by throwing about two-thirds of her cargo overboard. The Queen was drifting farther away from us every minute. The crew took to the two boats, and abandoned her m search of us. They soon came up to us, as they were guided by our shouts and the light of candles we kept burning on the sloop. “When the two boats came up with us, and we were all together, an inquiry was instituted whether every one of the passengers and crew had left the Queen. It was almost immediately ascertained that one man was missing. The poor fellow’s name was Lary: he was an Irish pig-jobber, a lame man, about fifty years old. It appears that he had gone down into the hold of the vessel and fallen asleep THE BATH CIRCUIT. 161 upon the goods: the noise had not awakened him; and as he was in this unlikely place he was not discovered when the crew ran round the vessel to see that no person was left in her. As soon as it was ascertained that Lary was on board the Queen, the captain went back to fetch him off, but she had gone down, and poor Lary had slept the sleep of death. The captain continued to row about for some time, hoping he might fall in with the vessel, but no trace of her was to be found. ‘We now became anxious about the captain and crew. They had been away above an hour, and our lights were not discernible at any considerable dis- tance on account of the fog ; we therefore commenced firing a musket at intervals tor the double purpose of directing them to us and attracting the attention of any other vessel which might be within hearing. ‘The captain eventually came back; the Queen’s boats were moored to our sloop, and we anxiously waited for the day. We put out all our candles but one, lest we should not have enough to last, and maintained perfect silence that we might hear any sound of approaching deliverance. It was about half-past eleven o’clock on Friday night when we got on board the Hope, where we remained until half-past three o’clock on Saturday afternoon. It is impossible to give an idea of the length and weariness of those sixteen hours during which our little vessel rolled on the broad waves from the Atlantic, with that peculiar heaving motion which the waters give in a calm. The long silence was only interrupted by the whisper of condolence or exhortation addressed to one’s immediate neighbour, the retching of sea-sickness, the few subdued orders about the vessel, and the melancholy booming of our signals of distress. - ‘When the morning came, the fog still continued ; and although we could distinctly hear the breakers, M 162 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. we could not discern the land. About eight o’clock the captain set off in one of the ship’s boats to row as near in shore as he could, and creep round the coast into Milford Harbour to endeavour to obtain assistance. He reached Milford in about four hours, and found the Trinity House steamer undergoing repairs, so that she could not be put to sea. He then communicated our situation to the commander of the Skylark, revenue cutter, who immediately came off to our assistance. ‘But, in the meantime, our anxiety was increasing. Shortly after the captain left us we weighed anchor, and endeavoured to get a little nearer Milford ; but the fog still continued, and we feared to remove far from the place, lest we should not be found by the steamer, which we were every minute expecting to come to our help. The tide had also turned, and we were making little, if any, progress ; so we again cast anchor, and waited till the next tide. It was about two o’clock in the afternoon before the tide turned, and just then a gleam of sunshine, which lasted about twenty minutes, enabled us to discern Milford Head, and take a tolerably correct observa- tion of our real position. We weighed anchor, and put the Queen’s boat ahead to tow us, while all on board worked the large oars, and did what they could with small ones. We were already near the mouth of the harbour, and were rounding Milford Head, when a boat from Lloyd’s came out to us, and was soon followed by another, and almost im- mediately afterwards we were boarded by an officer from the Skylark, who took off the women to the cutter, and then returned for the other passengers. We were in very great danger of going ashore against Milford Head before the Skylark’s boat came up to us: our escape at this moment was scarcely less remarkable than our escape from the packet. ‘The commander of the cutter (whose name, I THE BATH CIRCUIT. 163 believe, was Johnson) treated us with the greatest kindness. The sudden sense of security, and the heartiness with which he offered us anything in his vessel, overcame the feelings of many who, up to this time, had remained apparently unmoved; and both men and women wept. ‘Most of us had been without food for four-and- twenty hours. Our stock of provisions consisted of two loaves of bread, some raw bacon, and a little butter. Some bread and butter had been given to the women and children, and the rest of the bread and the raw bacon (which we had no means of cooking) was divided among the men who had worked the hardest; so that the hospitality of the officer was most gratefully received. When we thanked him for his kindness he said, “ You are heartily welcome to anything I can do for you: it may be my turn next.” I pray God, that if the gallant old man be ever in such circumstances, he may meet with help as timely and as hearty as that he rendered us. ‘When we landed at Milford, our difficulties were not at an end. Some were without hats, some without shoes, and some almost without clothing of any kind but their night dresses, and almost all without money: several (among whom was a cler- gyman of respectability) were passed on to Water- ford, under a magistrate’s order, as totally destitute. We all, with perhaps one single exception, lost everything but the clothes we happened to have on. The captain, mate, and most of the crew had thrown off their coats before the Hope came in sight, when there appeared no chance for us but swimming. I was coming up with my mackintosh in my hand when a gentleman advised me not to encumber myself with it, and I laid it down, expecting in a few minutes to be in the water. There were some cases of loss truly heartrending. One man lost M2 164 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. £2,000 in sovereigns, the entire savings of twenty years. He had written to his father to purchase him a small farm in the north of Ireland. He was going over with this money to pay for it, and with his wife and child to settle on his native spot for the rest of his life. Many others were left equally destitute, although their losses were much less in amount. ‘The greatest praise is due to Jenkins and his companion for the promptitude with which they rendered their help, even at the risk of their own lives; and it is also due to the captain to say, that he manifested throughout the greatest solicitude for the welfare of his passengers, and exemplary cool- ness and courage in adopting the means necessary for their safety. He was the last man to leave the sinking vessel, and he went back to rescue Lary at the risk of his own life. There appeared no want of skill or attention in working his ship, and some of us very willingly signed a testimonial to that effect before we left the cutter. The great error in this case was in sailing so near the shore; but in this he appears only to have followed the track which is taken by all steam packets in fine weather ; and there never was a finer or clearer sky than that under which he entered the fatal passage, and it would be unjust, as well as useless, to blame him for doing what all others are not only authorised, but expected, to do in similar circumstances. ‘It is far more to the purpose to call the atten- tion of the public, and especially of the proprietors of these large transit boats, to the folly and sin of risking property and life for the mere accommoda- tion of shortening a long voyage by two or three hours. The facility of taking short cuts, by going nearer shore than a sailing vessel would ever venture, has’ already made steam navigation more perilous than the old method. Several of the packets, as THE BATH CIRCUIT. 165 the Pegasus for example, have been lost, like ours, in calm seas. The very fineness of the weather con- stitutes the temptation to try the short, though dangerous, tracks; and the captain is often urged to take the nearest possible route by the continued and childish inquiries of the passengers, ‘‘ How long will it be before we get there?” The Scotch Com- pany have already announced their resolution that their captains shall not, under any circumstances, go within the Fern Islands; and as the Queen is, I believe, the fourth packet lost in five years, in a somewhat similar manner, it is to be hoped that the British Companies will at once give to the public some guarantee that their boats shall not, on any consideration, go within the islands of the Welsh coast. ‘The whole of this event is providential ; some circumstances connected with it were remarkably so. The two men belonging to the Hope had ex- perienced great difficulty that morning in getting out from Milford, and yet were impelled, by an influence they could not understand, to persevere in the attempt. There was no urgent necessity about the delivery of their cargo: it was not perishable, like a cargo of fish, for instance. Their sails were of no use to them; they had to row with the large oars, or sweeps, and struck with the folly of being so determined to get out, even with so much labour, they frequently said one to another, “‘ We had better turn back;” and yet they kept rowing onward, they knew not why, until their hands were sore. When they got out, the folly of their perseverance appeared more and more evident, for the fog suddenly invested them, and they durst not go further. They then prepared to cast anchor and wait all night, when they were suddenly alarmed lest they should be run down by our vessel. . They were brought to this very spot by an irresistible, and to them unaccount- 166 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. able, impulse, and compelled to stay there till we came up. Ten minutes later in the time, or a few hundred yards distance from the spot, would have rendered them useless to us; and most, if not all, of us would have been left to perish. ‘As a minister of religion, the people on whom, for about twenty years, I have been endeavouring to enforce the adoption of certain views of Scriptural truth, may be anxious to know the feelings of my own mind on those subjects at the time when I expected, in a few minutes, to give an account of my steward- ship. I heartily thank God that I have been favoured with this opportunity of bringing my re- ligious principles to the test of death. I withdrew from the crowd ; for the distinction between cabin and deck passengers was then disregarded, and all were instinctively gathered together. I hastily re- viewed my private and ministerial life, but I found nothing there on which I could rest my hopes of acceptance. I set myself immediately to the pro- .cess which I have a thousand times urged from the pulpit, and by the side of the dying bed,—a simple confession of sin, and a humble but confident re- liance on the atonement of Christ. I felt that I was adopted into the family of God. My views of my own unworthiness were not diminished; but I knew that I was “accepted in the Beloved.” I had peace with God, and a humble, yet delightful, assurance that, should He call me hence, I should be for ever with Him. The great doctrine of justifi- cation by faith is dearer to me than ever: it does not give way under us in the time of difficulty and danger, but sustains when all other hopes are fled. I have no doubt as to its vast importance: I have no suspicion of the unsoundness of any part of the Methodist theory in reference to it. The only im- pressions on my mind are the following, and I pray God to deepen them every day:—The absolute VISIT TO IRELAND. 167 necessity of living in the constant exercise of saving faith ; of cultivating that jealous watchfulness which will prevent us from grieving the Holy Spirit, and preserve His testimony to our adoption constantly clear and unclouded; and of preaching far and wide the sinner’s only hope—that “whosoever believeth on” Jesus Christ “shall not perish, but have ever- lasting life.”’ On the Sunday following his return, a thanks- giving prayer-meeting was held in Walcot Chapel, when a large congregation offered their hearty thanks to God for the preservation of their pastor’s life. The following spring he was again sent to Ire- land on a Missionary deputation, and this time reached his destination in safety. Some interesting particulars of this visit are given in his letters to his wife :— ‘Dupin, April, 1844. “You must not be surprised if my daily note is delayed sometimes. To-morrow, for instance, I shall have to be up at six o’clock, travel ninety miles by coach, then attend a meeting, and I shall only find time to write to you after I get into my bed- room, which will delay my letter a day or two. The congregations are respectable, but not crowded; and I thought them less attentive than in Bath. Beginning the service at noon is a bad plan: many of the people are sleepy. Beggars abound. My first salutation on landing was, “ Lave a ha’penny wid a poor widdy, yer honour, and may you never miss it;” a lad ran after me and begged for a copper, but I told him he “ had so much brass he could not want copper.” Two women with children in their arms 168 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. came up and assailed me. I said, “If I give you a penny a-piece will you keep off the rest?” “Shure an’ if yer honour stays half an hour ther’ll be a dozen of us!” They all seem to be cheerful and lighthearted. Papa’s love to his little colony.’ ‘ ParsonsTown, April 9th, 1844. ‘I have passed in these ninety miles over the famous Curragh of Kildare, the great racing field of Jreland, where one of the old round towers is still standing. The policemen (who about us are only distinguished by their cane as an offensive weapon) are here all armed. They always carry a bayonet and cartridge box, and, when on guard, a musket ; they wear woollen epaulettes, and can hardly be dis- tinguished from riflemen. They are regularly exer- cised by military men, and some of them are mounted and fully armed. Nothing can give you an idea of the poverty and extreme wretchedness of the worst sort of Irish cabins. Many of them are totally without glass, and the smoke escapes through a hole in the roof; but these are not the worst. Some are without window, hole, or chimney, the light enters and the smoke escapes at the door; and, as they burn the turf from the neighbouring bog, the smoke is thick and abundant. There is no furniture at all: they sit on the unpaved floor, and sleep on a little dirty straw. I passed the spot where a small farmer had lately been ejected. The roof was pulled off his cottage, and his furniture was in an adjoining yard; he has no place in which to put either it or himself. As this mode of ejecting a tenant is the common one in Ireland, and as they have a super- stitious notion that it is unlucky to pull down old walls, the country is studded with these ruined cottages, which greatly add to the general appear- ance of poverty. In Portarlington, the house was pointed out to me in which the Duke of Wellington VISIT TO IRELAND. 169 and his brother were educated. Just in the very neighbourhood of that town, and here and there in the vicinity of a gentleman’s residence, the country differs nothing from England. I have clambered up inside one of the Round Towers. They are vast, and originally had steps, but whether they were built for purposes of defence or of devotion is un- decided by antiquarians.’ “Roscrea, April 10th, 1844. ‘ My DEAREST, ‘I am now in the best quarters I have been in since I arrived, having been jolted here in an Irish jaunting car, which has shaken me till I am sore. I went this morning to see Lord Ross’s monster telescope, into which I walked, and found it so wide that I could barely touch the top as I went down. When finished, it will have cost about £11,000. I have as yet seen nothing to justify the fears enter- tained about Ireland. I feel as safe as if I were travelling in England, and certainly see no ground at present to fear a rebellion. I have preached in this town since my arrival, and must hurry off directly to the Missionary Meeting. The travelling preachers (married) in this circuit have only £54 per annum, and are compelled to buy their own horses. Their poverty is extreme, but the joyous gaiety of the Irish character bears them up through all, and they are a race of happy and useful men. The Papists derisively call them “ soul-savers.”’ ‘Cork, April 13th, 1844. “As we came along, our coachman directed our attention to a girl carrying a jar of water on her head, which he called “a case of water on the brain.” My sympathy for the miseries of the Irish in our large towns in England is greatly diminished ; 170 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. for I perceive that you could not persuade them to amend their accommodations. In passing through this country, I have seen scores and hundreds of instances where little farmers, holding perhaps from ten to fifty acres, at a low rent, and paying no taxes, are living in a hovel which is literally a pig-stye (for the pigs are inside with them), and which a little English farmer would, in some instances, think hardly good enough for that purpose. The dress is national. In Galway the cloaks are red, in Kilkenny grey, in Cork and Limerick blue ; some of them made of the finest broadcloth, but worn with lace caps, and without shoes, stockings, or bonnets. The system of agriculture is wretched, and most of the country through which I have yet passed, mountainous and boggy, and little deserves the comparisons which are sometimes made, in its favour, with England, even as a country. Not long since some iron and coal works were established at Leitrim, but, although Irishmen were employed to work them, they listened to a man who told them that the English were come to rob their country of the coal and iron. They killed the manager; but, when they found the works were stopped, and they got no more wages, they killed the man who had persuaded them to rebel. They are altogether a people of impulses. This is an interesting country, but nothing will be so attractive as the sight of my own door-steps. I have preached twice in this city ; the congregations were good, and the collections exceeded those of any former year. I was intro- duced to a Mr. Waddy, and was surprised to learn that the prevailing names among the Waddys of Treland are Richard and Samuel. He says we are originally Welsh ; he is a fine-looking, respectable man. Ihave been into two different cabins, totally without windows or chimneys, and in which I could not stand upright. In one, the grandmother, two VISIT TO IRELAND. 171 little children, and a pig, were all lying together on one heap of straw, which was the common bed. I was surprised and disgusted on entering the burial ground, near the town of Tralee, to see, not only pieces of coffins, but entire and apparently almost new coffins, thrown out on the surface of the ground and mingled with cartloads of skulls and bones, which there was no effort to conceal, although the burial grounds are daily visited by the relations of the deceased to pray for their souls. This disgraceful neglect of the churchyards is attributable partly to the national carelessness of character, and partly to the blighting and detestable influence of Popery, the great curse of this land. You know, I have paid no little attention to the subject of Popery; but I confess I had no just idea of its awful and hideous effects, till I travelled through this blighted country. ‘ KILLARNEY. ‘T have just finished tea, and it is ten o’clock at night, but I must send you a line from the Lakes. We set out at nine this morning, and had four rowers, a steersman, a bugle-horn blower, a gentle- man who acted as guide, three preachers and myself. Our whole journey took about ten hours and a half, and we went as fast and made as little delay as possible. We first explored Ross Island, which is beautifully laid out by Lord Kenmare, and contains walks about four miles in extent, presenting the most beautiful variety of garden and pleasure- ground cultivation, with the ruins of Ross Castle frowning at its entrance. We next landed on the Island of Innisfillan, and looked over the ruins of an old monastery,—in the earliest Irish history, a seat of learning. We then went on, until the most barren, wild, and majestic mountains frowned before and around us. We landed at the base of one, and, 172 LIFE OF THE REV. Dk. WADDY. entering the wood, saw a noble cascade dashing and roaring from the rocks into the lake below. On the upper lake, the mountains were grand; the highest and most precipitous in appearance was called the Eagles’ Nest, because for years it was an eyrey. The echoes of our bugle startled several cormorants, wild ducks, an eagle, and two storks. We landed near the Eagles’ Nest, and were assailed by three bare-footed Irish girls, selling goat’s milk and Potheen whisky. The first we tasted, the latter we declined. After firmg a cannon, and listening to the long and thunder-like reverberations, we continued our journey to the entrance of the Middle Lake. A sound from our bugle brought a woman to the boat, to whom we gave a salmon and a leg of mutton, to cook against our return, while we visited the arbutus woods in the Middle Lake. On returning for our dinner, we found the salmon in process of cooking. It was cut in pieces and stuck upon wooden skewers, which were struck through a sod of grass before a fire, and thus roasted, basted with salt water. It was delicious, and we had a hearty dinner. As we came down the Middle Lake, our bugler played “The Angel’s Whisper” and “Rory O’More.” The day was unusually fine, and nothing has been wanting to make it as rich a day as the famous Stokeham journey, except the com- pany of one. I hope you give my love to the children daily as I send it. I wish them to know that I constantly think of them and pray for them.’ At the Conference of 1844 my father’s term of residence at Bath expired, and he was free to go to the Proprietary School. It was time! The last two years had made matters worse, and the financial position and prospects of the School were deplorable. For some reason or other the belief was entertained THE BATH CIRCUIT. 173 that Dr. Bunting was not at first favourable to my father’s appointment, and my father would not con- sent to make any personal request on the subject. When doubt was thrown on the probability of the arrangement, the Lay Secretary and the Head Master were despatched by the Directors to the Conference to plead urgently for it. From the Conference my father wrote to his wife as fol- lows :— ‘Branson and Manners have been here, and Branson has had an interview with Dr. Bunting about the School, and tells me (although he is not at liberty to say precisely what the Doctor said yet) that it is all quite settled. Already, two or three scholars have been added, in anticipation of my coming. I now think you may regard the thing as fixed, although the Stations have not yet come into Conference. I had much talk with Branson about the concern. I shall find more difficulty than I expected in some quarters, and less in others. My general impression is, however, favourable as to the result of my going. I think the thing can yet be raised.’ The necessity for his going to the School was too obvious and pressing to render any other course possible, and he was appointed Governor accordingly. At the same Conference he was placed on the Com- mittees of the Contingent Fund and of the Dids- bury branch of the Theological Institution, and was appointed, in association with Dr. Newton, to the Leeds deputation. In due course he left Bath for Sheffield, in the West Circuit of which town his brother, the Rev. B. B. Waddy, was at that time 174 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. stationed. One personal anecdote may close this record of his labours, before entering on his new sphere. During his residence in Bath, my father was laid aside for a time by ‘Clergyman’s sore throat,’ and was compelled to have a supply. At this time, he was a regular, though not an excessive, smoker. As some of the Bath people thought that his throat complaint was induced or aggravated by this habit (though he did not believe so himself), he gave it up, because he saw that it had to them an ‘appear- ance of evil.” He determined, however, to have ‘one good smoke, and have done with it.’ So he took a good store of tobacco into his room, smoked the greater part of the day, broke his pipes, and never touched the weed again. At Wesley College smok- ing was prohibited, so that he only anticipated what must have come; for he used to say, that he “should never have smoked there if his subordi- nates were forbidden to'do so.’ 175 CHAPTER XI. GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. It would be a difficult thing, after the lapse of more than thirty years, to recall the varied inci- dents, and the numerous difficulties, of Mr. Waddy’s life at the Sheffield School. Looked at from one point of view, it appeared that his dearest wish had been gratified ; for the chief object of his hopes and labours was delivered into his charge, and the child that he loved was given into his own keeping for its future guidance; but, unfortunately, the child had been under other guardians, and from different causes its training had been unsuccessful. A more thoroughly disastrous state of things can hardly be imagined than that which was presented to the new Governor. The School was mortgaged for £10,000; debts to the extent of several thousands more were added to a permanent overdraft at the Bank of a large sum. The Directors had made themselves personally responsible for another sum of two or three thousand pounds. Naturally the Bank declined to make further advances, and re- quested to have their account settled. The building had fallen into disrepair, and a considerable outlay 176 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. was necessary to make it respectable. Crippled by these debts, and discouraged by a falling off in the number of pupils, now reduced below one hundred, the Directors lowered the terms, in order to induce parents to send their children; and then, from a false idea of economy, lowered proportionately the salaries of the Tutors. The natural consequence was, that the new pupils came from a lower station in life, and the higher classes objected to send their sons to a second-class school; while the lowering of the Masters’ salaries told still more deplorably in introducing inferior and under-paid teachers. Moreover, two or three men had been nominated to the Governorship, and had declined an honour which was full of laborious toil and thorny difficulties; but these hindrances were zo hindrances to my father. He felt that the plan ought to succeed, and that, if he had a chance, he could make it succeed. He was in the prime of life, and his physical health and mental activity were ai their best. Moreover, he had, in the domes- tic arrangements, a quiet, unobtrusive coadjutrix, who, during these hard-working and occasionally stormy years, was his comfort, counsellor, and friend. One of the first steps of the new Governor was, to put the building into a state of thorough repair. He became personally responsible for part of the existing debt, and he induced other gentlemen to become so likewise. He raised the terms, and, as a consequence, the salaries of the Masters. On hearing of his appointment, the Bank Directors expressed their willingness to re-open the account; and, after a little while, the floating debts were wiped away. GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 177 In process of time, the mortgage was diminished ; and, if his scheme had been completely carried out, it would have disappeared altogether. But the shareholders pressed for a dividend on their money, probably fascinated by the good fortune which, until then, they had not deemed possible. Before his arrival, a report was industriously cir- culated that the new Governor was very severe ; and, the discipline of the place having previously been sadly relaxed, the boys organised a rebellious reception. Of this, however, he appeared to take no notice in the first instance, but, quietly and quickly ascertaining the ringleaders, he traced the disaffection to two or three of the senior students, and especially to a young man, a foreigner, who for some years had been a source of difficulty. These he personally chastised, and expelled the worst of them; while he reduced all the pupils to an order to which they had been previously unaccustomed. But his apparent severity was soon understood. He assembled the whole school in the dining hall, and told them frankly the principles on which he meant to govern. ‘I am determined,’ said he, ‘to be obeyed, and to be obeyed without question ; but I hope I shall also be loved.” He then told them of certain restrictions which he proposed to remove; but this could only be done if they would pledge their honour not to abuse the privileges he meant to grant. By a public vote they pledged themselves to this compact; and from that moment the relations between them and the new Governor were entirely altered. They soon learnt to under- stand his principles of action, and to know what to N 178 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. do and what to expect. They found that a stern regard for what was true, and brave, and manly, was tempered by an unfailing sympathy ; and his teaching and example alike showed them that up- right manliness was always more admirable when accompanied by courtesy and gentlemanly bearing. ‘Be Christian gentlemen, was the burden of many a private talk and public address. The passionate admiration which many of his pupils had for him broke forth after his death, when their own words were :—‘ He lives in our lives;’ ‘There was no man whom I so loved, revered, and honoured;’ ‘I owe more to him than words can express: his fatherly care and counsel have influenced all my religious life;’ ‘There was such a grand, noble, thorough manliness in him, that we almost worshipped him ; while his genial, friendly kindness made us love him as much.’ These and similar testimonies were spon- taneously borne to his worth, twenty or five-and- twenty years after these boys had left school, and when, in mature manhood, they remembered the old days at Wesley College. Naturally, among so many, (for the number rose from 70 to 188,) there were some who gave the Governor no little anxiety. One, an amiable and vivacious lad, whose chief difficulty was in saying ‘No,’ had fallen into grave error. While Mr. Waddy was considering the case, he received a letter which, after his death, was found amongst his papers :— ‘ WESLEY COLLEGE, Monday Evening. ‘My VERY DEAR SIR, ‘T am conscious of having lost that place in your GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 179 esteem which I flatter myself I once enjoyed. 1 have done wrong, but not to the extent to which you have been informed; and I beg that I may have the opportunity of clearing my character from part of the stigma which now rests upon it, of beg- ging forgiveness for what may be true, and of pledging my good behaviour for the future. I feel that I cannot live under the same roof with you, and feel myself an object of distrust; and therefore it is that | will do everything in my power to act in a way becoming a gentleman to please you, and to leave this place in your favour, and also in the pleasing remembrance of everyone connected with it. I doconfess having gone toa billiard-room once or twice last half-year, which, in itself, I acknow- ledge to be wrong; but I did not then see its evil. I deny the gambling, etc. Please to ask me some question about it. I defy anyone to bring a charge against me this half-year. Though you have been absent, I have acted as if your eye was upon me, and I do trust, also, with reference to ‘Thou God seest me.” Although, for the last fortnight, I have not been under surveillance, I have not done a single thing which I should be ashamed of your knowing. I have not entered a single billiard-room, nor will I as long as I live. Do try me, Sir, and believe me; for I do not exaggerate, when I say that my happi- ness is more bound up in your good opinion than in that of any other person living. My dear Sir, for- give me, and pardon my freedom in addressing you. I say nothing of my respect; for anyone who has been an hour in my company knows my feelings regarding you. My respect springs from attach- ment, and not from compulsion. - ‘Yours with respect and affection.’ For some years, this youth was to the Governor N 2 180 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. an almost constant subject of solicitude, and as genuine a sympathy was shown towards him as if his mind had been more in harmony with my father’s own robust character. How truly this was appreciated is shown by the testimony of this person when five-and-twenty years had elapsed. On hearing of the death of his old Governor, the middle-aged man wrote :— ‘Although I was aware of his failing health, the news of his death came as a great shock to me. When I think of him, as I knew him five-and- twenty years ago, and compare him with other men of his own age, I see how great he was, how he towered above all his fellows. I can say con- scientiously that I never so loved and revered any other man. It may seem strange, but I dream of him, and of Wesley College, almost every week. My days at the College were the brightest and happiest in the past.’ There were two points which the Governor strove to impress upon the lads—that he trusted them and relied upon their honour, and that they ought to respect themselves and be self-reliant. Distrust and deception were so hateful to him, that he gene- rally relied upon a boy’s word, and many a punish- ment was escaped by ‘making a clean breast of it.’ “You are mistaken,’ he once said, when one boy’s character was being canvassed, and he was pro- nounced to be an incorrigibly bad lad; ‘he is not so; he never told me a lie yet.’ The boy in ques- tion was so ingenious in mischief, and withal so idle, that it required no small tact to keep him in even an appearance of order. But his ready candour GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 181 had attracted the Governor, and he augured well of a boy who never stooped to the least meanness or deception. Those who profit by the energetic labours of a certain local preacher, class-leader, and Sunday-school superintendent, may be thankful that the good in him was encouraged by the far- seeing Governor, even in the midst of many faults. Nor did he despair under worse discouragements. There were some boys who presented, for a while, a most repellent character, to whom the Governor devoted a patient, unwearying attention, and who were so moulded by the blessing of God on his trenchant words and lofty example, that their whole lives underwent a change, and they became some of the most courteous, chivalrous, and sincere men in the ranks of the Methodist ministry. But however grand his character might have been, Mr. Waddy would never have gained such an influ- ence over his pupils, if he had not entered with zest into their joys and sorrows. He who was so sym- pathising a helper in trouble was also a ‘boy amongst boys’ in the playground. At cricket, racquet, and skating, he was an adept; in the car- penter’s shop he was a moving spirit; and long holiday afternoons were spent in flying monster kites of original mechanical structure. If he was so successful in dealing with the boys, he was not less so in his treatment of the Masters, The junior Teachers were not his servants, but his friends and helpers, on whose assistance he relied, and whose co-operation was a necessity. He treated them as gentlemen, and as responsible men, and looked, in return, for conscientious and thorough 182 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. work. ‘Others,’ writes M. du Gillon (for many years the French Master at Wesley College),—‘Others might have said much more, without having the slightest influence on my mind or actions. With the Doctor the case was different. I knew him to be a master of our craft; a man who, at a glance, understood the true value to be placed on the raw material, and on its proper workmanship. There- fore I was aware that, if he were satisfied, I must, of necessity, be on the road to professional suc- cess. Another body of men, with whom the Governor was brought into contact, was perhaps more difficult to deal with. Boys and Masters, indeed, were both under his authority, and when he saw that reason and honour failed, he had the power to dismiss or expel recalcitrants. But the Directors, who formed the nominal Governing Body, were not under his jurisdiction ; and that body was partially composed of his seniors, some of whom, as is common to human nature, loved their own way. All who know anything of such a system, know that, even amidst much good, it is fraught with difficulties. Perhaps there never was, on the whole, a more judicious body of Directors than the one at Sheffield; yet, occasionally, differences arose, and a truly British pugnacity of temper appeared, and Mr. Waddy held firmly to the principle that he was the Governor, and that interference could be tolerated only in case of error on his part. At the same time, he:acted with such candour and trans- parency that there was no temptation to ‘ferret out’ his actions, striving, as he did, to do all things with a strict regard to the well-being of the College, GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 183 and to the rights of the proprietors. ‘We esteemed him, we admired him, we loved him, we confided in him,’ wrote Mr. Moss, whose connection with the Directorate gave him an intimate knowledge of the subject. After Mr. Waddy’s location at Wesley College, his sons were under his own eye; but his daughters, as they grew old enough, left home, and were edu- cated at a distance. From some of his short notes to the eldest of them, at this time’ a young girl in her teens, we see how some of his most treasured principles were quietly instilled into her mind :— ‘WESLEY COLLEGE, April 26t/, 1847. ‘My DEAR CHILD, ‘T am glad to perceive from your letters that you appear on the whole to be comfortable. You will not find everything as you could wish in any situa- tion of life; but you will find these inconveniences greatly diminished before a diligent and cheerful disposition. While I am anxious that you should learn, from the example of your Governesses and school-fellows, all those little accomplishments which you have not hitherto acquired, I am still more anxious that you should retain your individuality of character, and your firmness of principle ; and that, above all, you should very diligently maintain your communion with God, and endeavour to grow in grace. Nothing can compensate for the loss of this.’ ‘Westey Cotiecs, May 17th, 1847. “My prar ANNE, ‘Iam very busy as usual, but hasten to send , lest you should be inconvenienced. I am happy to find from your last, that you are getting 184 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY., over the things which were at first so unpleasant to you. Iam not at all surprised to find that you do not agree with Your best plan will be to have nothing to say to her. Bear with her as long as you think it right, and then, if obliged, refer to your Teacher. One purpose of your going from home was, that you might become acquainted with a greater variety of character than your own family affords; and though it is of course unpleasant to have to do with unpleasant people, yet it is a part of the education which is to fit you for your inter- course with the world. Learn to control your own temper, to be guarded in your expressions, and to keep a conscience void of offence before God; and then, you may gather store of honey even from nettles and thistles.’ ‘WesLey CoLuecE, Fed. 29th, 1848. ‘My prEar CHILD, ‘We have been rather amused with your writing- desk campaign ; both your mamma and I think you have done right; but it is not worth while to pursue the contest. Hither Miss or the Masters them- selves should certainly supply the things necessary for their use; and I would have you to make no trouble of any loss of marks you may incur by the modest and proper assertion of your right. Use all diligence to improve your time and opportuni- ties, and Iam sure you will deserve a prize; and, with that conviction, I shall care very little whether you get one or not. Still, remember that a lady- like demeanour, and a soft and conciliatory mode and tone of expression, are among the accomplish- ments you were sent to learn, and which, I have no doubt, you will endeavour to acquire. You may do this without at all confounding your correct notions of right and wrong. Above all things, cultivate close communion with God; this will give you an GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 185 intuitive perception of the proper line of conduct in any given circumstances ; a perception which the best system of rules would fail to furnish. We are all pretty well; Jemima is improving in health. Public attention here is almost absorbed in the changes going on in France; I have no doubt you have heard of them. They furnish admonitory lessons of the vanity of human pomp and royalty. One cannot help pitying the old King,* although his monstrous perfidy and cupidity have deserved all that he has got. ‘Iam, my dear child, ‘Your affectionate Father, ‘Sam. Doustanp Wappy.’ ‘WESLEY CoLLeGE, March 25th, 1848. ‘My DEAR CHILD, ‘I have enclosed you “ Wesley ” on the subject of your note, and have marked two places especially worthy of your attention, although I would have you give the whole sermon a very careful reading. If anything in the complete system of Christianity merits the description of “the deep things of God,” it is, of course, the doctrine of Entire Sanctification. There are many things, and this among them, which you must be content to ‘know but in part ;’ and, when you begin to study them, you should set out with this conviction, that the nearest approximation you can make to an understanding of them will be at the best zmperfect. The general rule, in reference to the particular difference which now troubles you, is, that the consent of the will is essential to an act being our own. I do not mean this expression to be taken as a justification of the common excuse, “JT don’t like it; I wish it were not so; but I can’t help it.” But I mean that impressions which we dislike and successfully resist (so that they are not * Louis Philippe. 186 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. fully developed either in word or action), are to be regarded rather as trials of our faith and principle, than as evidences of our sinfulness. Entire victory will be the result of repeated contest ; but, in the very exercise of this holy warfare, you will find a present blessing, great peace, and increased security. Go on to seek the influence of the Holy Ghost, and do not much perplex yourself about the mode: of His operation. “The wind bloweth where it listeth,” etc. I conclude by assuring you, my dear child, that you have an interest in “the prayers and solici- tude of your dear mamma and myself, and I doubt not of the other members of the family who are in Christ Jesus,’ _It will be perceived that, in the letters now given, the designation ‘ Wesley College’ is substituted for that of the Sheffield Proprietary School. I am again indebted to my brother for the clear state- ment of the circumstances under which the character of the Institution was thus far modified, and the reasons which influenced my father to bring about its affiliation to the University of London. ‘Soon after my father became Governor of the Sheffield School, he determined, after consultation with the Directors, to apply for the Royal Warrant constituting it a College of the University of London, by the name of Wesley College. That warrant he obtained. It is, perhaps, desirable to explain what this involved, and what were my father’s motives for taking this step. The University of London is frequently confounded with University College in Gower Street, which, by persons only partially in- formed, is sometimes wrongly called “London Uni- versity.” A “University” means a collection of GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 187 Colleges; and practically, the “ University,” as dis- tinguished from its Colleges, is an examining body rather than an educational one, although it dves exercise a certain discipline. In the case of Cam- bridge, the Colleges which constitute the University are all situated at Cambridge; and, while each has separate educational machinery, tutors, scholarships, fellowships, examinations, and governing body, the conjoined Colleges, forming the University, have the power of exercising certain disciplinary functions, of conducting the Senate-House examinations, and of conferring degrees. The difference in theory between Cambridge and London is, that, whereas in Cambridge all the Colleges are in one town, in the University of London they are scattered over the country, and even in the Colonies. University College, London, King’s College, London, Wesley College, Sheffield, and the Taunton Wesleyan Colle- giate Institution bear, therefore, to the University of London the same relation theoretically that Trinity, St. John’s, and other Colleges bear to the University of Cambridge. At the time of which I am writing, no student was eligible for the University examinations in London, unless certified from one of its affiliated Colleges, and it was to gain this privilege that the Governor obtained the Royal Warrant. ‘I am not anxious to discuss the advantages or disadvantages of residence in or near a University Town. The advocates of one system allege that the association of the young men, and the discipline under which they are placed, are among the great recommendations of University life. There is doubt- 188 LIFE OF THE REV. Dk. WADDY. less much to be said on both sides. And I specially hope that what I am forced to say may not be supposed to refer, in any way, to the experiment which is now being made at the Leys School, at Cam- bridge. I hope that that School may succeed be- yond even the hopes of its founders; and the high character and attainments of the Minister placed at its head give the assurance that, while the mental training will be of a high order, the religious interests of the pupils will be efficiently cared for. Circumstances have probably altered since 1844; and it may be safe and right to do now what would not have been expedient then. My father’s opinions were formed as the result of his own residence in Cambridge and his inquiries at Oxford, as well as from an anxious watching of the career of those who left Shefheld and went to those two Universities. He believed that the temptations to dissipation, and the opportunities for vice, were greater there than at almost any other place. He observed re- peatedly that many young men of high moral character and studious habits became involved in courses which ended in their entire abandonment of religion. And when this was not the case, he often found that youths, thrown at the turning-point of their lives into associations at variance with their Methodistic training, were perverted from the Church of their fathers——an evil only one degree less deplorable than the distinct surrender of all religious discipline, to which it too often conduced. As the result, the overwhelming majority lost their Methodism, and most of them became thoroughly worldly. For these reasons he affiliated the College GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 189 to the University of London. The effect of this step was, that the young men could continue their studies at Sheffield until the very moment of their examinations for their degree, and needed only to reside in London during the few days required for the actual purpose of those examinations. He then endeavoured to induce the best scholars to take their degrees at London, instead of at Cam- bridge or Oxford; and the whole of the curriculum for the more advanced students was regulated with this view. For some years a counteracting in- fluence was exerted silently and dangerously, and some of our most promising men continued to repair to the older Universities. But in process of time my father’s object was more fully attained; and the wisdom of his procedure was shown by the fact, that the Directors of the Taunton School followed the example ke had set. ‘In taking this important step my father acted with his usual self-reliance. He did not consult with any person outside the College ; and the result was that, for some years, a jealousy not quite justi- fiable was felt by some in authority in the Con- nexion. This jealousy produced unsatisfactory results, and was one of the various causes which led to the coolness between my father and Dr. Bunting, to which I have previously alluded. It is only justice to that eminent man to add, that my father’s action in regard to Wesley College, and the establish- ment, about this time, of the Taunton Wesleyan Collegiate Institution, interfered with the carrying out of his cherished view,—that Methodism should have one first-rate College, not belonging to any 190 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. proprietary body, but originated and governed by Connexional authorities. The new name of the College was not recognised in the Stations, and for twelve years the Governor was formally appointed to “The Wesleyan Proprietary School,” although in another part of the iinutes my father’s postal address was necessarily and properly given as “ Wesley College, Sheffield.” This amusing and most absurd contradiction was ended in 1856, when, for the first time, the Conference at length recognised the Institution as that which the Royal Warrant had made it in 1844. I shall only add here -that, since their affiliation, the Colleges at Sheffield and Taunton have, in sisterly and worthy rivalry, done no discredit to Methodism in the numbers and successes of the undergraduates and graduates by whom, from time to time, they have been represented in the University to which they belong.’ In the next few years, my father’s energies were almost exclusively devoted to the work of the Governorship. He soon had the gratification of finding that the College had regained its former reputation, and that the number of scholars was rapidly increasing. There was a healthy tone amongst Directors, Masters, and boys; but the re- . surrection was only accomplished at the cost of immense labour and anxiety. The immediate finan- cial pressure had been relieved; but it was only adjourned and not removed, and there was a fright- ful arrear to make up, before the Institution could be fairly considered solvent. Nobody will ever know the weight of care and toil which my father bore for some years. He resolutely refused to GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. Ig! undertake ‘ Anniversary work, or to form any engagements which would require his absence from his post, during the College terms. His Conference Missionary deputation to Liverpool in the spring of 1846, with his former Master at The Grove, the Rev. Jonathan Crowther, as his associate, was almost the only change of this kind which he permitted him- self to take. The public service in the College Chapel had hitherto been held only once on each Sunday, and the boys went in two divisions to the chapels in the town. He began a morning service, which he himself conducted for eighteen years, and established a Society-class under his own leadership for the members of the congregation. ‘The Chapel has been little better than a play- thing,’ he said; ‘I mean to make it a Methodist reality.’ During the vacations, however, he altered his conduct, to maintain his principle. He crowded into the weeks of his holiday as much Anniversary work as they could hold, and made all his journeyings auxiliary to the one object of pushing the interests of the College. At the Conference of 1846, my grandfather deter- mined to retire from active work at the close of the year. He had succeeded my father at Bath, and it was with unusual gratification that the Governor left the College for a few days, in the spring of 1847, to be one of the Conference Missionary depu- tation to his old Circuit, where his father was thus fulfilling the last year’s work of a worthy career. During this year another Connexional duty de- volved upon him, as he was placed on the Committee for the removal of Kingswood School to new pre- 192 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. mises, the old ones having become hopelessly unfit for the purpose for which they had been so long used. In the ‘spring of 1848 my father took part, on the invitation of the Missionary Committee, in the Anniversary Services in the Metropolis. He preached in City Road Chapel on the Wednesday evening preceding the Public Meeting, from Acts ii. 39; and spoke at considerable length in Exeter Hall. His address on that occasion is given in the Appendix.* This year was signalised by an event which gave my father a pleasure as deep and exquisite as any- thing which happened in the whole course of his life. The pupils of Wesley College surprised him by the presentation of a very costly and handsome testimonial, a silver tea and coffee service, and a silver salver. This they had got up privately ; and it was presented to him at the close of the first half of the year 1848, in connection with the prize- giving. One of the boys made a speech, and gave the plate, expressing ‘the unanimity and hearti- ness with which all had given, as a proof that the Governor had secured both the affection and the approbation (!) of his pupils.” The value of this was enhanced by the fact, that the organised system of testimonials or presents to the Masters, which is so great an abuse in some public Schools, was dis- couraged at Wesley College. No demands were made upon the boys’ private resources; and, on the * See Appendix, III. The Sermon is found in the volume of his published Sermons, entitled ‘The Promise of the Holy Ghost.’ GOVERNORSAIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 193 very infrequent occasions when gifts were offered, the proposition and management of the matter rested entirely in their own hands. But the year 1848 was memorable at Wesley College as a year in which hearts—more precious than gold or silver—were freely offered to God, and in which the Governor’s own heart was gladdened by seeing visible fruit of his pulpit teaching and his private instruction. Six-and-twenty years after his own conversion, the anniversary of that glad day was marked by such a marvellous revival at the College, that the memories of it are still fragrant. In the end, nearly every boy in the place, several of the Tutors, some of the servants, and two of Dr. Waddy’s own daughters, found peace through believing in Christ.* The results were long visible both within the College walls and beyond the precincts. At the beginning of the second half (1848), there were only five boys amongst the seniors who made an open profession of religion. The state of the unconverted weighed heavily on their hearts; and, every Saturday evening at seven o'clock, they met in the vestry adjoining the Chapel to pray for their school-mates. With a brave faith, they singled out the names of * My father believed in early conversions. To his eldest daughter on her ninth birthday, after giving her a writing desk, etc., and reminding her that she was old enough to act with thought and from sensible motives, he added, ‘ Always have a reason for what you do, but do not al vays tell the reason.’ He then warned her that she was of an age to make her deliberate choice whether she would serve Christ or Satan, and impressed it upon her that she ought to make a decision without delay. 0 194 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. those, boys who were most opposed to_ personal godliness, and earnestly besought God to soften their hearts. Four of those five are still labouring to bring souls to God by preaching,—two in the full work, and two as local preachers.* The week after the commencement of the prayer-meeting, one of the boys—Richard Bealey—died, after an illness of some weeks; and, when breakfast in the hall was over, the Governor detained the lads to tell them of the happy death of their little school-fellow. Bealey was a gentle and pious child, whose last moments were singularly happy. Therefore, when the Governor began his address, he spoke with great emotion, and unusual tears for a moment checked his utterance. Commanding his feelings, however, he addressed a most earnest exhortation to the boys on personal religion and the necessity of prepara- tion for an early death. At the conclusion of his admonition, a prayer-meeting was announced for noon, attendance at which was to be quite optional. At five minutes past twelve, the vestry was crowded; the music-room above, and the stairs between the vestry and the music-room, were packed; and all were obliged to go into the Chapel. The feelings of the five praying seniors at this sight can be imagined, especially when tears and signs of deep misery were visible on first one face and then another. Eight came forward as sincere penitents, and were in such distress that they were invited to another prayer-meeting at 2.30 for the penitents = The Rev. Robt. Stephenson, of Madras; the Rev. William Gibson, B.A., of Brixton; S. D. Waddy, Esq., Q.C., M.P. ; and Samuel Budgett, Esq., of Bristol. GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 195 only. Instead of eight, sixteen appeared! It was a holiday afternoon, and right gladly did they give up the whole of their play-time to wrestle with God. At four o’clock in the afternoon, as the dusk of a winter’s day was settling down on the little Chapel, a hearty hallelujah rang through the air as the last of the whole sixteen emerged from dark- ness into light. Boy-like, their feelings required some vent, and, rushing from the quiet meeting, where all had been orderly and solemn, two of them ran round the grounds at full speed to let their exuberant joy have its way. As they re-entered the house they were met by others, who asked with tearful eyes why had they not been invited, for they were most unhappy. They were told that there was no room, the place was too crowded. One of the foremost lads, a boy who was by no means a religious character, pressed forward and cried out, ‘No room! there must be, you shall not keep us out! Idare you to stand in the way of our con- version!’ My father was sitting quietly in his study when his eldest son ran in exclaiming, ‘ Papa, do come! the vestry and the music-room are crowded, and lots of other fellows are anxious to come in. May we go into the Chapel?’ ‘Certainly,’ he replied; ‘by all means. ‘And you will come, papa? There are so many, it is too big for us; we do not know what to do with them; do, Do come and manage it for us!’ Very gently, but very firmly, he answered the excited lad, ‘No, my boy; I will xot come. God chooses his own workmen, and he has chosen you. Go back; work, pray, do not relax your efforts, but remember, and give your 02 196 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. companions this message also—be very humble. If I come, I shall alter the whole thing. You will feel more constraint. You shall do the work yourselves; but be humble.’ With this salutary advice the young student was sent back. Eagerly sympathising with them, my father still thought it right to leave the manage- ment to the boys, only exercising his authority to prevent excesses and to regulate their enthusiastic ardour. Often, however, while the boys led the meeting, he could be seen in the Chapel-gallery looking on with an interest which was heartfelt. Amongst those who looked coldly on this move- ment was one B——, about nineteen years of age, the son of wealthy parents, and himself of a most fastidious and hypercritical disposition. Finding the school-rooms and playground deserted, he went to his own room and began reading a novel. The strange stillness of the grounds, and the far-off sounds of singing in the Chapel-wing, struck upon his senses. He shut the book, and determined to go and see what they were doing. When he got to the door, he thought, ‘What a fool I shall make of myself!’ and returned to his book. He tried to read; but he grew every moment more and more miserable. A second time he went to the door, and again his heart misgave him. Still he was uneasy; all was in a whirl within. A third time he flung away his book, rushed through the covered playground, and, hoping no one would see him, crept to the vestry-door and listened. Too proud to confess his misery, he once more ran back to his own room; but his book no longer had any GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 197 charms for him. Unable to control the agitation of his feelings, and overwhelmed with conviction, he made his way again to the vestry, threw open the door and flung himself, sobbing bitterly, beside the penitents at the form. For an hour and a half, the young prayer-leaders wrestled mightily with God, and then sent for the Governor, who would not remain with them constantly for fear of fetter- ing the freedom of their prayers. At ten o'clock the lads were sent to bed, but some were in such agony of mind, that Mr. Waddy allowed them to _ awhile longer for prayer. Several found peace/in their bedrooms, he who had rushed into the vestr y being one of the number. There was at this time at the College a young man from Cambridge, who was rather older than the other collegians, and was reading through the long vacation. "He had been spending the day with some friends, and on his return went into B——’s bedroom, where he was hailed by a glowing account of his conversion, ending with ‘I never was so happy in my life. Ah! I know now that religion is not a mere negation.” The Cambridge scholar (T. B——) was annoyed, but he would not enter into the matter; and though his friends talked and prayed with him, and told him of the sixty-three who had found peace that day, he left them at two o’clock in the morning, quite unmoved. Not so, however, did he remain. The next day, he was in the vestry in uncontrollable agony. He literally writhed in the bitterness of his spirit, until he was physically exhausted. Hour after hour passed ; and he became so stiff and sore with kneeling, that 198 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. some of the kindly boys forced a cushion under him; for his fixed determination was to obtain pardon before he left the place. ‘I will die on the spot, before I will give it up, he exclaimed. Truly ‘the Kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force’ Before he left the room, he heard the glad whisper, ‘Thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven thee.” During the whole of ‘that happy Thursday, the College-grounds presented a deserted aspect. The football, according to the club rules, was brought out, and the custodian, having given it one kick, had left it on the grass- plot, to run to the prayer-meeting. One hundred and fifty-three boys were in the Chapel, where the stifled sobs of the penitent, the gentle whisper of those who were striving to point the way, and the clear voice of the prayer-leader, fell on the ear. Very touching and very beautiful were those fresh, hearty prayers; boyish, passionately earnest, yet reverent and brimful of loving, unquestioning faith. Often, when they strove to sing, the hymn was drowned in the sobs of the sorrowing ones, and they fell to prayer again, as their best resource. On the 23rd, the work spread beyond the boys to their Teachers. Two of the Tutors and several of the servants sought and found salvation. As Thursday was the evening when Mr. Waddy had his class, he invited those to it who had found peace. One hundred and thirty came, and he was obliged to meet the class in the Chapel. After a brief and pointed address, they had another prayer- meeting, in which boys only offered prayer. One of the number wrote, eleven years afterwards: ‘From GOVERNORSHIP OF IVESLEY COLLEGE. 199 the lips of youths not accustomed to pray, suppli- cations, consecutive in thought and beautiful in language, were poured forth in a continuous torrent of earnest and prevailing prayer. Such prayers I had never heard before,—such prayers I have never heard since. Ours was truly the gladness of a full heart, and the joy of a loosened tongue.’ The bed- rooms that night all became rooms for prayer, and importunate supplications were prolonged far into the night. On Friday morning, Mr. Waddy went into the schoolrooms, and found the boys standing in knots eagerly talking of their new-found joy. ‘We are studying the highest philosophy,’ said his eldest son ; ‘for you say that Christianity is the perfection of wisdom.’ One of the Mathematical Masters, who was unconverted, exclaimed with surprise, ‘The Head Master came into my room this morning, and interrupted the work by going round and asking each boy if he was happy,—positively stopped the mathematics for twenty minutes!’ Seeing that some of the prayer-leaders were getting worn out with excitement and labour, the Governor gave a half-holiday on Friday, with the stipulation that there should be no prayer-meeting till four o’clock in the afternoon. Some played at football, some walked, singing, round the grounds, ‘Glory, honour, praise, and power, Be unto the Lamb for ever ; Jesus Christ is our Redeemer ; Hallelujah ! hallelujah ! Praise the Lord.’ But, during this breathing-time, the work continued in the household. The servant-men were all con- 200 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. verted, and all the female servants were under sincere conviction, while two more of the Masters found the pearl of great price. The following Sunday, the sun rose with a sky of brilliant beauty. ‘It is the smile of God upon us, said one; ‘It is an emblem of the Sun of Righteousness, who has already arisen upon us, said another. Two prayer- meetings were held in addition to the ordinary services, and at night the Lord’s Supper was given to one hundred and thirty-one boys, and all the men and women servants. Family prayer, at this time, was truly a means of grace; every boy sang with heart and voice, and our glorious hymns rang through the hall with a thrilling effect. One morn- ing, nearly at the close of the half year, will never be forgotten. The Governor selected the hymn beginning, ‘Let earth and heaven agree ; Angels and men be joined, To celebrate with me The Saviour of mankind, To adore the all-atoning Lamb, And bless the sound of Jesu’s Name.’ A good rousing tune was started; and when the fourth verse was reached, as the boys and the whole family sang the words, ‘New songs do now his lips employ, And dances his glad heart for joy,’ it seemed as if their intense feelings would burst through all restraint, as sparkling eyes and glad voices told how the words were realised. Amongst some memorable incidents of this revival are still remembered the appeals which were made to the only boy who remained unconverted. His GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 201 companions rose at dead of night, when he was fast asleep, and prayed round his bed,—prayers which for a time were unanswered, but which brought forth fruit at a later date. One of the Masters (the Mathematical Tutor mentioned before) was not ot Methodist parentage, and said it would ruin his prospects to become a Methodist. He studiously kept aloof from the meetings, and, by a chilling manner and caustic remarks, tried to put a stop to the revival. ‘I wish, he exclaimed, ‘the holidays were come; from one end of the house to the other you hear nothing but prayer, and this has lasted Jor three weeks. It is dreary beyond description. I wish the holidays would come, and do away with this religious excitement. Nevertheless, he ad- mitted, after a time, that it had wrought wonders in the boys themselves. Gradually a feeling of interest took possession of his mind; though he could not think it possible that he should be for- given at once, after such long opposition. He also clung to the pleasures of the world, and fancied that he could never be happy without them. Then he thought too much sacrifice was involved; and yet he longed to be religious, if only that he might curb his own passionate temper. Distracted with con- flicting feelings, the proud man turned at length to the faithful and strong friend, who never disap- pointed his young Tutors when they looked for sympathy or advice. ‘I should like, he said, ‘to talk to Mr. Waddy about it; for his religion is combined with so much cheerfulness. The efforts of the Governor, and the prayers of the boys, were at last crowned with success ; and the conversion of 202 LIFE OF 7HE REV. DR. WADDY. the Mathematical Master became the signal for uni- versal joy. With heroic humility, he went, on the night of his conversion, into every dormitory, and prayed with the inmates, to acknowledge openly his adhesion to the cause at which he had at first scoffed. Having done this, he went and apologised to one of the Masters whom he had offended, and who had lost his own sense of religious happiness. After he had begged his pardon, they knelt down together, and the last night of the ‘half’ closed on the two earnestly praying, and ultimately rejoicing in their complete happiness. Of course, so great a flame could not be hidden under a bushel: and a young man who was in business, but who was in concern about his soul, obtained his father’s leave to visit the College, in the hope of finding peace. Another youth, whose education was finished, came for the same specific object ; and both found Christ, to the joy of their souls. The story of this glorious revival was, through God’s blessing, a means of good in many places. At Crookes, a village adjoining Sheffield, the news stirred up the people, and showers of blessing fell on the congregation. At Radcliffe the intelligence called forth similar efforts, and led to a similar result. Even in the South of England it awakened earnest desires of blessing, which were followed by genuine conversions. Nay, in foreign lands this ‘good news from a far country’ was as ‘cold waters to a thirsty soul’ Those who witnessed and took part in the revival still recall how solemn, how free from extravagance, were the meetings. The youths were in a healthy GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 203 religious atmosphere, many of them acknowledging that in the Governor they saw no inconsistency, and that his manly, fearless Christianity was as far from austerity as it was from guile. No action of his life ever showed more completely the self-control and prudence of my father than his conduct during this revival. Steadily refusing to interfere in a work which was so manifestly of God, and which was training young labourers for His vineyard, He exercised throughout an unseen control, which preserved it from running to extremes. His own deep gratitude and satisfaction were expressed in the words, ‘Now the College is doing its work.’ This seemed to him the crown of his toil. That the College would indirectly and mightily benefit Methodism he always believed and expected, but this direct blessing appeared to be the Divine seal of approval of his work; for it was the salvation of souls, the extension of the kingdom of God, for which he had always looked, laboured, and prayed.* * Nothing gave my father such pleasure, I think, as to count over the Methodistic gains of the College. I very seldom heard him talk about his wonderful financial success ; but when he returned home after any deputation work, he used almost invariably to recount to me with intense satis- faction how his ‘old boys’ were filling responsible situations in the Church in the places he had visited. I am glad to observe in the last College Report a statement which would have gladdened his heart, and which shows that his work is still consistently carried on. Extract from Governor’s Re- port, 1876-1877: ‘ Above one hundred boys have voluntarily attended the weekly Class Meeting. Several of the Students have begun to preach, three are on the Local Preachers’ Plan, and at the May District Meeting one was recom- mended as a candidate for the Ministry.’ 204 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. The effects and fruits of the movement were decisive and lasting. Of course, amongst so large a number of young people some were less stable than others, and, indeed, a few fell away; but by far the larger portion remained steadfast. The effect was visible in the attendance at the Society-classes for some years afterwards. Instead of one weekly class, the boys were divided into five classes; and many who were then converted are now ministers, mission- aries, or office-bearers in the Methodist Connexion. In this year (1848) Mr, Waddy’s eldest son made his first efforts as a local preacher, and his treatment of the young beginner was very characteristic. He was, during the earlier years of his married life, what most people would have called a very strict, and even a severe, father. And although latterly he softened very much, yet his children retain a defi- nite memory of him as one who held the reins with an exceedingly firm grasp. When he became Governor at the College, and three of his own sons were amongst the pupils, he was so intensely cautious lest he should be betrayed into favouritism that he strayed, by preference, into the other extreme. At the end of one half-year, he sent for one of them into his studyl and said, ‘I suppose, from what I see on the half-yearly reports, that you expect to get the first prizes in the School for ? ‘Well, said the boy, ‘I hope so’ ‘No, replied his father, ‘you got them last half-year and the half before. I can’t let you have them again. The next lad must have them this time. ‘But,’ argued the boy sturdily, ‘if I am first, I have a right to the first prize, and I know I am first. GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 205 Besides, the people that come to the public delivery will see that I don’t get them, though I did before, and they'll think I’m beaten, and J sha’n’t like that !’ ~' Ah,’ said my father, ‘then I will say you have not been allowed to compete, but I can’t allow my son to walk away with an arm full of prizes, when I have to adjudge them. It looks like favour, even when it is not really so.” On the same principle, when his sons were caught in disorder (as, alas! is common to youth), and when they had companions in their mischief, the others used to be punished most certainly, but ——’s mess was much greater than any of theirs. ‘I double your punishment, sir, he said once to his eldest son; ‘ you get the first half because the Governor has detected you in dis- order; and you get the second half because you are my son, and are adding to your own father’s diffi- culties in the management of the College.’ With a similar cruel kindness did he hear and criticise the youth’s first efforts at preaching. ‘I heard you last night, Sam, and your sermon was just good enough to show that you could have done better if you had tried’ On another occasion, he encouraged him by the following cheerful speech : ‘I want to say a word to you, my boy, about that sermon of yours,—at least, I mean about what you said the other night at Carver Street. Now there are many things which do, or may, in proper propor- tion, time, and place, constitute parts of a sermon. You may have recourse to exegesis, illustration, poetry, doctrine, philosophy, experience, history, anecdote, argument, fancy, appeal. You may put in any or all of these, in various combinations. But 206 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. there is one sound rule of universal application to which I would advise you, for the future, invariably and firmly to adhere. It is this, Always put some- thing in!’ That was his entire criticism, and the young preacher (eighteen years old) thought it was quite enough—of the sort! Perhaps no place more appropriate than this can be found to mention one thing on which I cannot dwell, but which it would be affectation altogether to omit. It was one of my father’s chief joys while he lived, and it is one of our chief jyos now that he is gone, to reflect, with profound gratitude to Almighty God, that he saw all his ten children, not only members of the Methodist Society, but officially engaged in Methodistic work, and imbued with a love and reverence for their Church, not al- together disproportioned to his own. In May, 1849, he came forth once more, but only for a moment, into political life. Mr. Roebuck had lost his seat at Bath at the General Election of 1847. Sir Henry George Ward, one of the members for Sheffield, was appointed Lord High Commissioner of the Ionian Islands in 1849. His seat conse- quently was declared vacant, and Mr. Roebuck was invited to become a candidate for it. My father attended a public meeting which had been convened by Mr. Roebuck’s friends, and vigorously opposed the invitation of his old foe, in whom his confidence had by no means increased in the interval. It was, however, in vain, and Mr. Roebuck was elected without a contest. 207 CHAPTER XII. GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE—continued. At the Conference of 1849, my father was placed on the Schools’ Committee and the Education Com- mittee. During the preceding year the Ministerial Treasurer of the Children’s Fund had retired from the work of the ministry and left the country ; and my father now succeeded him, relinquishing for that position the office of Secretary of the Fund, which he had held for thirteen years. In this new office he continued for twenty-four years, resigning it only when failing health compelled him, in 1873, to take that step. At this Conference matters came to a crisis in the history of the Fly Sheet agitation. Certain Ministers were expelled, and others censured for having fomented disaffection, or for disobedience to Conference requirements. The result was a vast secession from our Church, headed by the expelled Ministers. The ensuing year was naturally one of great anxiety and conflict. The year 1849 was a stormy one, and after a short time Mr. Waddy became prominent in the religious discussions of the period. It is not worth while now, when the lapse of time and other causes have done much to heal 208 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. the wound, to re-open the questions which led to the separation of the United Free Methodists from the parent stock. The history of that unfortunate dissension is well-known, and needs no further com- ment. Mr. Waddy, though unfalteringly loyal to the old Connexion, was strangely enough accused of Radical tendencies, and, for some time, was eyed with considerable suspicion. From outsiders, he bore a considerable amount of sarcasm and even reproach, without being moved from his equanimity ; and at first he did not take a prominent part in the contest which began to rage with much severity through the Connexion. He was, however, roused into action by a newspaper article, not of a hostile, but an exactly opposite, character. In the Wesleyan Times a leader appeared describing him in flattering terms, and comparing, or contrasting, him with some of his brethren, greatly to their disadvantage. This article was brought to him by one of his sons who was young enough not to be displeased at the dan- gerous compliments paid to his father. Mr. Waddy read it, and said quietly, ‘The praises of good men are good; but the flattery of these people compels one to speak out.’ Just at this time, too, an article appeared which broadly stated that the * only hope of the Conference is in keeping the people in ignorance of the real state of the case that is now occupying public at- tention.’ He at once took his place in the battle by writing the foliowing letter to The Times, which was afterwards published in the Watchman and copied in other newspapers. This letter affords a clear view of the position which my father main- GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 209 tained, and of the arguments by which he defended it; and it is not too much to say that it is a fine specimen of lucid and powerful reasoning. ‘To the Editor of “ The Times.” Sir,—As a Wesleyan Minister of twenty-five years’ standing, and as a consenting party to the acts of the late Conference, I hope you will do me the justice to insert a few remarks in reply to the animadversions contained in your leading article of last Monday. ‘The charge (as far as I can gather it) is, that the Conference has acted in an un-English and inquisi- torial manner, in expelling Messrs. Everett, Dunn, and Griffith, for refusing to answer a question put to them, concerning the authorship and publication of the Fly Sheets. You then take occasion from this particular case to make some severe remarks on the general principles of Methodist polity. First, as to this particular case, the ly Sheets contained many personal slanders. Ministers were mentioned by name, and statements made in reference to them which, wherever believed, would injure their cha- racter and usefulness. You, Sir, contrast the senti- ments of the Conference, in this point, with your own indifference to such attacks; but the compa- rison is not fairly instituted. As for mere slander, the Methodists have had as large a share, and shown as great an amount of patient endurance, as any men. Ever since their origin, for now above a cen- tury, they have been “the sect everywhere spoken against ;” all their religious services have, at one time or another, been caricatured and ridiculed, and their motives and objects misrepresented; but they have made their account of the reproach and perse- cution of their enemies, and are prepared to bear them as they have hitherto done. It is, however, P 210 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. one thing to meet the hostility of avowed foes, the persecution by which no true system of religion was ever permanently injured, and which tends to drive the persecuted Church into closer and more brotherly union ; and it is another thing to find your mutual confidence destroyed, your energies para- lysed, and your institutions weakened and crippled, by the secret and cowardly slanders of those who, while publicly pledged and paid to act in concord with you, are privately acting in opposition. ‘I maintain, that though the practice of anony- mous slander is mean and un-English, it is not un-English for a slandered man to ask the person whom he has good cause to suspect of thus injuring, him, whether he have done so or not. And, as an Englishman, J assert the right, if I am slandered, and strong suspicion points to an individual as the transgressor, to ask him, in any company in which I might meet him, whether my suspicions are cor- rect or not. Ido not say that I should in all cases act upon this right. Your own columns will show that I can bear a tolerable amount of sarcasm and reproach from some persons without being provoked to areply; but if the offender were a fellow- Minister, I would certainly propose my inquiry, and if he should refuse to satisfy me, I would have no further intercourse with him.* ‘Then, secondly, you represent the practice of * The former part of this sentence refers to a leading article which appeared in the Times in the previous April. The “Thunderer” had warmly espoused the cause of Mr. Roebuck in his candidature at Sheffield, and, as has been already mentioned, my father opposed it. A leader accord- ingly appeared on the 9th of April, 1849, which, in striking contrast to the language of even violent articles of the present day, contained, amongst other flowers of rhetoric, the following passage :—‘ Mr. Waddy’s proofs of venality were GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 211 questioning a suspected man as un-English, because at variance with the practice of our Common Law Courts, and compare the Conference to the Star Chamber and the Inquisition, ete. The practices are not at variance: so far from it, it is the constant practice in English Courts, as you and every man know, to ask the supposed culprit, Guilty? or Not Guilty? There is, however, this difference between the conduct of the Conference and that of an English Court in this respect, that in the English Court the plea of Not Guilty goes for nothing, and the man is tried nevertheless; but in the Conference, the plea of Not Guilty is taken as true, unless there should be some strong and glaring evidence to the contrary. The question is asked in open sincerity, and the answer is received in the same spirit. ‘This very Conference, a Minister strongly sus- pected of guilty complicity in this Fly Sheet matter, and questioned accordingly, gave a plain and positive denial; his denial was accepted at once, and no man now entertains the slightest sus- picion of him. As far then as the comparison of the Conference with English Courts can be carried, it is greatly in favour of the practice of the former. ‘As to the general principles of Methodist polity, all agree that in every community legislative power must be lodged somewhere. With us that brought from Bath in a mouldy portmanteau and an addled -pate! As the reverend calumniator urges in excuse that, owing to a constitutional infirmity of temper, he cannot control his passions in public meetings, we must set down the calumny to disease.’ It is not marvellous that, under such a régime, the editor, having committed himself to a strong attack on the Conference without understanding the subject, declined to insert my father’s courteous and tem- perate answer, or any complete answer, though Parliament was not sitting, and space was not of vital importance. P2 212 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. power was originally absolute in Mr. Wesley. He, before his death, conveyed it absolutely (by a deed in Chancery) to one hundred of his Ministers, and it is the first act of each Annual Conference to fill up the vacancies occasioned in this number by death or superannuation. The hundred so filled up con- stitute the Legal Conference, and the acts and doings of the general Body have no force until sanctioned by them. Three-fourths of this number are elected on the ground of age, one-fourth on the ground of talent, influence, or general qualification; so that the hundred always contains the oldest, the wisest, and the most influential members of the Body, and those who possess most of the approval and con- fidence of their brethren. It is mere weakness to argue against their decisions because they are falli- ble, unless some infallible court can be suggested in their stead: and I fear no contradiction in saying that the records of their proceedings, since they came into possession of their important trust, on the death of Mr. Wesley, will bear a favourable comparison with those of any court, ecclesiastical or secular, for the wisdom and moderation by which they are characterised, and especially for their con- stant reference to the great spiritual purposes for which they exist and act; and that any man of thought and discernment would rise from such a comparison with the deepest conviction, that his religious liberties were safer in the keeping of such a body, than in that of any combination trumped. up by popular agitation, or constituted by popular and promiscuous election. ‘The great strictness of the Conference with its Ministers is freely acknowledged, and, although now the subject of complaint, is still regarded by us, and the majority of our people, as its great excellency. I say strictness with its Ministers, because no law of Conference, referring to the laity, GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 213 can come into force until adopted by the people themselves, in the majority of their Quarterly Meet- ings. Stringent as their Ministerial regulations certainly are, yet no man has a right to complain of them. Your own motto, Volenti non fit injuria, is a full and complete answer to any complaint on this ground ; as every man entering their Ministry is not only supposed but required and known to be ac- quainted with the system of discipline, and his own liability to its exercise. He is not admitted as a probationer until he has been asked whether he has read the J/finutes containing these laws, and whether he approves and will submit to them. He is kept on trial four years, and is again asked the same questions. They are put to him a third time pre- viously to his ordination. His ordination is then performed and certified on the condition of his knowing and approving these rules. The book which contains them is given to him with these words written on the first leaf, and signed by the President and Secretary, in behalf and by order of the Conference: “So long as you freely consent to, and earnestly endeavour to walk by, these Rules, we shall rejoice to acknowledge you as a fellow- labourer ;” and every Minister among us is twice a year questioned as to his morals, religion, alle- giance to Methodistic law, and Ministerial fidelity. The notion of a conditional ordination may appear strange even to those who are accustomed to the Donec sese bene gesserit of many important English appointments. But we do not believe in the inde- fectibility of holy orders. We believe a man may lose his religion, and become idle, useless, and even mischievous; that he may forfeit his call to the work and office of the Christian Ministry ; and, in any of these cases, ceasing to bear fruit, he should be cast forth as a “withered branch.” Or, compa- ratively early in life, he may, by the visitation of 214 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. God, become mentally or physically incompetent to the duties of the pulpit; and we believe that, where God gives such unmistakable evidence that the man is not to be employed in His work, it is better, both for him and the Church, that he should get into some secular engagement, than that he should spend listless years, a burden to himself and others. It was on this principle we allowed Mr. Everett to keep a shop for many of those years which he now somewhat strangely represents as having been passed in the Christian ministry. ‘An attempt has been made to prove that the regulations of 1835 are not (as they pretend to be) simply declaratory and explanatory of previous laws and usages, but altogether new; and that the present proceeding has been taken under this com- paratively modern law, and not under the old and acknowledged usages of Methodism. This I deny, and shall disprove; but let it be for a moment admitted. J ask, Where has been the common honesty, to say nothing of the religion, of the men who, by their own showing, have remained fourteen years in a voluntary community whose laws they reprobate in the strongest terms as tyrannical and apostate, opposed alike to the principles of English liberty, and the principles of the Gospel of Christ ? ‘For fourteen years these men have, by their own confession, been participes criminis. For fourteen years this law has been acted upon in their presence in the District Meetings and the Conference. They have sanctioned, and assisted in, its administration. They have sat by while men have been thus ques- tioned and dealt with ; and during all that time not a voice was heard, not a syllable escaped from any one of the three to rescind, or even moderate, this awful statute. Mr. Dunn says he objected to it when under consideration in 1835. Perhaps so. Few things pass in a large deliberative assembly GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 215 to which some objection is not made. But, in all ordinary matters, the objectors, having stated their views and given their votes, quietly submit to the decision of the majority. But here is a law passed which, in the view of these persons, is a sin against England and against God, to which no man can submit without compromising his allegiance to his country or his Maker. And yet, from the date of its enactment until the present time, not one of them has raised the question, not one of them has originated a motion in Conference, nor expressed his righteous indignation at the hateful statute, until the law comes down upon themselves; and then up starts this new-born virtue, this wondrous and chivalrous regard for other men’s liberties. And had they not themselves been inconvenienced by the application of the law, it might have gone on (according to their view of its tendency) to oppress one man after another, and they themselves would have been as quiet about it for fourteen years more, as they have been for fourteen years past. I confess I have no faith either in the prin- ciples or professions of men who can remain fourteen years, or fourteen months, in willing communion with a Church which they believe to be tyrannical or apostate. As to Mr. Griffith, he has possessed singular opportunities of pondering well this and other of our laws. This was passed while he was a probationer, and he had the happily new and equi- vocal advantage of being twice on trial. ‘But I assert that this law of 1835 is, as it pretends to be, not a new law, but simply a re- assertion and explanation of former regulations. The law of 1777 was quoted in Conference. The following is from the Minutes of 1776 :— ‘“ Ques. 5. Are there any objections to any of our Preachers ?” ‘“Ans, Yes. It is objected that some are utterly 216 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. unqualified for the work, and that others do it negligently, as if they imagined they had nothing to do, but to preach once or twice a day. ‘Tn order to silence this objection for ever, which has been repeated ten times over, the preachers were examined at large, especially those concerning whom there was the least doubt. The result was, that one was excluded for insufficiency, two for misbehaviour, and we were thoroughly satisfied that all the rest had both grace and gifts for the work wherein they are engaged.” ‘Here the Preachers at large are examined on the strength of a popular objection, or report, especially those against whom there was the least doubt; here the least doubt is taken as a sufficient ground for instituting a special examination, which results in the expulsion of three men, one for insufficiency, and two for misbehaviour. ‘If it be said that the rigour of this original practice was softened by the Conference regulation of 1794, then the argument is at end; for if the Conference had a right to modify the original usage by one enactment, it had a right to return to it by another. ‘Your article refers somewhat sneeringly to the terms “Brotherly inquiry, etc.” “Words are things,” aud we are unwilling to change modes of expres- sion which, although a little antiquated, are not less valuable as keeping up the distinction between ourselves and the world. ‘The grand blunder of your article, and of those who take similar views, consists in your forgetting that we are a Religious and not a Secular Society, —that we studiously guard against that conformity of our legislative and judicial proceedings to those of the world, the want of which is now made our crime. ‘We guard, in the proceedings of our Conference, GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 217 against the terms and usages which would assimilate it to the House of Commons, or any other secular assembly. ‘We profess to be held together, not by the laws of an intricate and elaborate code, but by the simple bonds of an unsuspecting brotherhood. ‘ All our judicial proceedings are conducted in the same informal and brotherly way. If a man be accused or suspected of an offence, we ask him if he has done it. If he confesses, we admonish him, or send him back upon trial; unless the offence be of a nature which precludes either his continuing in the Ministry at all, or his holding any particular office; in the former case we dismiss him, in the latter, remove him from his particular office. If he denies it, (as I have before said,) we take his denial, until proof comes out that he has deceived us. ‘Indeed, if we were disposed to lay aside the brotherly simplicity which excites your derision, and ape the precision and form of an English Court of Justice, and attempt to conduct our proceedings in exact accordance with its usages, we could not do it. ‘No one knows better than yourself that, strictly speaking, and in the legal sense of the term, we can never have evidence on any charge, because we have no power to examine a witness on oath, and the law does not recognise any statement as evidence which is not so given, ‘And a man would have just as much reason to complain that his expulsion was un-English if he were expelled on unsworn evidence, as these men have in the present case. ‘Little as our mode of proceeding may have to recommend it in the eyes of the world, it has this strong recommendation to us, that it is the only system which has for one hundred years accom- plished the avowed object of ecclesiastical dis- 218 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. cipline, and furnished anything like an efficient provision for the continued purity of its Ministers. ‘Your own columns have proved, by many dis- graceful instances, that the mere fact of a man’s being a clergyman of the Church of England is no guarantee either for his religion or his morality. It is not lessnotorious that the Dissenting Communities are little better off. If they wish to rid themselves of a Minister, however obnoxious or unworthy, and he refuse to go, they have no alternative but to starve him out; and, if he possesses an endowment, or private property, he may continue, in spite of them, although utterly unfit for the office of a Christian Minister. How many Dissenting chapels owe their existence to this state of things! A con- scientious congregation, unable any lounger to bear a man they could not dismiss, have sought refuge, at the trouble and cost of another place of worship. ‘And now, Mr. Editor, you have dragged before public gaze a quiet and retiring people, who have no wish to be either secular or political; who never appear, as a body, in your political turmoils, but when some religious question is at stake; who believe their great and only calling is, in the words of their immortal Founder, “to spread Scriptural holiness through the land”; who, in the pursuit of this object, have never joined in the popular crusades against your National Church, but have laboriously studded the country with places of pure and simple worship, and visited the cottages of the poor with the blessings of the gospel of peace: In the pursuit of this object we shall still strive, above all things, to maintain the purity, efficiency, and single-heartedness of our Ministry; and no amount of clamour—not even seconded by your own thunder—will induce us to relax the strictness of our discipline. ‘We do not wonder that some sympathy should GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 219 be excited by the expelled. “A fellow-feeling makes us wondrous kind,’ and the mere fact of their being reported transgressors would secure them some followers; and then, a crusade against law and order is always popular. The judicious Hooker truly says,—‘He that goeth about to persuade a multitude that they are not so well- governed as they ought to be, shall never want attentive and favourable hearers.” ‘But we do wonder that Churchmen, in their glass-houses, should throw stones at other people. ‘We are puzzled how Dissenters and Dissenting Ministers can so forget their principles of congre- gational independency, as to interfere with the government of other Churches. . ‘We greatly marvel that the cautious and prac- tised Times, whose means of obtaining information are so vast, should risk anything of the confidence which the public has been accustomed to repose in its statements and opinions by giving a strong and unfavourable judgment in a matter of dispute between a certain party and Conference, while it acknowledges—“Of the party themselves, the ‘Fly Sheets,’ or the usual practice of the Conference, we know next to nothing.” ‘I am, Sir, yours truly, ‘Wesley College, Sheffield, ‘SamurL D. Wappy. ‘ Sept. 8, 1849.’ I have already referred to the fact, that between Dr. Bunting and my father there had been a certain amount of antagonism; and it was, perhaps, not altogether unnatural, therefore, that he should at first have paused in the expectation that others ‘would come forward to take the chief part in the fray. He especially looked to those who had been 20 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. specially associated with Dr. Bunting, and who, very much by his influence, had been placed in positions which now proved to be more desirable in several respects than the ‘regular work. He was greatly disappointed that some of these did not take as firm a stand as Dr. Osborn, for instance, did. But, though his own relations with Dr. Bunting had not been cordial, he resented the abuse which was levelled at the Doctor as keenly as if it had been directed against his dearest friend. And he was proportionately indignant at what he considered to be the lethargy of some of the Doctor's chief favour- ites in times of peace. ‘A host of godly men, he said, ‘in poor Circuits, made poorer by this wicked ery of “stop the supplies,” are conscientiously, painfully, and bravely fighting this battle. And while they are doing their duty like men, in a storm of obloquy and at the risk of starvation, it is a grand disgrace to those of us whose necessities and comforts are assured, to lie by and keep a whole skin on our cowardly bodies!’ Accordingly he threw himself into the fray with spirit. All minor matters were sunk in the struggle for law, truth, and charity; and the aspersed Ministers had no stronger champion than my father. He had not been in the habit of regularly attending the Quar- terly Meetings of the Circuit in which the College was comprised; but at once he returned to them. There were some well-known disaffected members who threatened to give trouble; and my father felt it to be his duty to go and support the Superin- tendent of the Circuit. Somehow the chief share of the debate seemed to slide naturally into his GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEV COLLEGE. 221 hands, and he afforded help to his itinerant brethren which was truly welcome. It was formally proposed by one of the local preachers, that the stipends of all the Ministers should be reduced, partly because the Circuit was weakened through the agitation, and partly because the Preachers received more money than many of those who subscribed to maintain them. In the face of this proposal, which, of course, was but part of an attack by the discontented section of the meeting, my father’s advocacy was immensely valuable. His income was not derived from the Circuit, and was in no way dependent upon it; and he could, therefore, speak for his brethren without incurring any suspicion of speaking for himself. But he did not confine himself to Metho- distic assemblages. Public Meetings were held in the town, which he also attended, and, almost single-handed, challenged controversy in the midst of excitement and tumult ; maintaining with equal courage, temper, and tact, the principles set forth in the letter to the Times already inserted. But while my father vindicated the act of dis- cipline which led to the agitation of that period, he fearlessly asserted all the principles which he held respecting the rights and duties of the Christian Church. At the Conference of 1850, he uttered some weighty words as to the narrow limits within which the power of legislation can be possessed by any community claiming the cha- racter of a Church. Addressing the President, he said, ‘I shall not be thought to speak dis- respectfully, Mr. President, when I say that your power of legislation is confined within a very 222 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. limited circle. Neither you, nor this Conference, Sir, if you pretend to the name and character of a Christian Church, can make any alteration in the great moral and religious laws of the New Testament. No man can be permitted to continue a member of your communion who is denounced in the Holy Scripture as having no inheritance in the kingdom of God and of Christ. Sir, it is not in your power either to alter or to sanction an evasion of the law of the land, so far as it con- cerns this Connexion. The Deeds and Statutes by which we have a legally recognised existence among the religious communities of this country, by which we hold our property, and by which we claim the protection of the Government in our religious services and ecclesiastical meetings, must be kept inviolate and in good faith. These can only be altered by an Act of Parliament, and no thinking man would entertain the thought of going to Parliament to destroy our present con- stitution, when even these Memorialists are not agreed as to what should be proposed as its sub- stitute, and when the great majority of our people would deprecate any organic change. Nor can you alter the doctrines and laws which Mr. Wesley settled before he died, and which he placed beyond the power of his successors. Leave out, then, these unalterable things, and what remains to you ? —only the power to alter a few matters of arrange- ment and detail. You have great executive au- thority, but little legislative power.’ Having evinced his thorough loyalty to Metho- dism, and fought, when he thought it needful, in GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 223 the thickest of the fight, my father turned from the polemical side of the question, and discouraged the revival of the topic in conversation. In his closing years he still clave to the old opinions, but was glad to extend a brotherly friendship to those who were of the other body. At this Conference of 1850, my father was elected, by nomination, a member of the Legal Hundred. His old and very dear friend, Charles Prest, received the same mark of his brethren’s confidence; and both of them paid a tribute to the memory of the venerable Richard Reece, who had died in the course of the preceding year, and by whom they had both been sent into the Ministry. In thanking his fathers and brethren for his election into the Legal Conference, Mr. Waddy thus alluded to the troubles of the past two years :— ‘My attention has been directed to the Deed, under which, as I understand, I becomea trustee. During the past year, I have paid more attention to it than before. Any man who is elected to such a trust has a right to state his reasons (if he has any) why he should decline it. But I cannot understand how any man who has accepted the responsibility of such a trust, has any right to violate it. Having duly considered the subject, I have made up my mind to undertake the trust, to which I have been called somewhat earlier than I had any right to expect.* And, having thus undertaken it, I shall never be a party to its infringement; nor, in any Cireuit in which I may reside, will I be a party to ? He was then nearly forty-six years of age. 224 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. anything which might persuade the people that I intend to sanction its infringement.’ A Committee of about a dozen members was appointed to prepare the formal answer to the requisition presented by the Reform-Delegates, and of this Committee my father was one. He was also appointed Chairman of the Sheffield District. These various appointments showed very clearly the opinion entertained by the Conference of his courage and prudence, for it was well known that the government of the Sheffield District would continue to be a most troublesome and anxious task for some time to come.* My father selected for his Financial Secretary the Rev. William Smith, who had been his Superintendent at Hull, and with whom he had been at such serious issue on the Gown question. At this Conference, too, he was placed on the Missionary Committee, and appointed one of the Deputation to his old and favourite district, Hull. In the month of November, 1850, my father attended an important meeting, held in Man- chester, on the subject of primary education. The Ministers of that city and its neighbourhood, to- gether with many of the leading lay gentlemen, assembled, in the forenoon of the 20th of that month, in the Morning-Chapel, Oldham Street, to hear some statements and explanations of the late * Soon after this appointment, his wife expressed a wish for a certain shape in a slight cane chair, which he bought, and carried up with his own hands'from the town. When ‘she remonstrated with him, he answered, ‘ My dear, I have a right to “take the Chair” anywhere in this District.’ GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 225 Rev. John Scott, in relation to the ‘educational movement in our Denomination, and especially in relation to the Training College at Westminster, - then in course of erection. In the evening a public meeting was held in the Oldham Street Chapel, presided over by Dr. Beecham, then the President of the Conference, at which my father spoke at considerable length. The substance of his address is given in the Appendix.* The arrangements of the Conference of 1851 laid upon my father still further Connexional responsi- bilities. He was made a member of the Committee of Exigency,—a Committee ‘ specially appointed for cases of exigency demanding immediate attention, or requiring prompt communication with the Govern- ment, or with Parliament, on subjects affecting our public interests.’ He was placed also on the Com- mittee of Distribution of the Chapel Fund, and on a special Memorial Committee, which was appointed to meet during the year, to consider the peculiar requirements of the Connexion at that disturbed period. At this Conference he was also appointed a Treasurer and Trustee of the Annuitant Society. Of all the Connexional offices that he ever filled none, perhaps, afforded him more personal satisfaction than this. He was associated in the performance of its duties with some of his oldest and dearest friends,—the Rev. John Farrar, Dr. Jobson, Charles Haydon, John Mason, F. A. West, and P. C. Horton. I cannot deny myself the pleasure of inserting here part of a letter from the last-mentioned Minister, * See Appendix, IV. Q 226 LIFE OF THE KEV. DR. WADDY. who has been the Secretary of this Society for so many years :— ‘Your father was appointed a Treasurer and Trustee of our Annuitant Fund, at the Annual Meeting, held in connection with the Conference . of 1851, in the place of Dr. Bunting, who resigned his office at that time, and, I believe, on the nomina- tion of the Doctor. The result amply justified the judgment of that eminent man. For the wonderful perspicacity with which your father was endowed, enabling him to see through a difficult subject as by intuition, or to disentangle a subject that had become involved and perplexing, his admirable readiness in replying to a critical question, and his lucid and forceful method of presenting a case, either in Committee or in a Public Meeting, rendered his services to the Society simply inestimable. He came into office at a very critical period of the Society’s existence, and lived to see it relieved of all its embarrassments. How much this was owing to his sound judgment, and firm and courageous administration, it is not for me to say. ‘I am right glad you are preparing a Memoir. I have read the Sermons with great pleasure; but, oh, how much do I miss the vivida vis as well as the viva vox.’ In 1852 the Conference was held in Sheffield. When, nine years previously, it had met in that town, the then Governor of Wesley College had refused to entertain a Minister, and had declined to bring the Institution in any way prominently before the assembly. My father, however, saw fit to pursue a very different policy. His aim was to impress a Methodistic stamp upon the place and its inmates; and, to secure this, he resolved that GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEV COLLEGE. 227 Wesley College should be identified with the interests of the approaching gathering. Even if his own wishes had been less strong on this point, he would have been urged to this course by consistency, as he now held the position of Chairman of the Sheffield District. Of the six preachers who made their home at Wesley College, only one survives; but the memory of those happy weeks still lingers in the minds of the younger part of the company, who were privileged to hear the varied erudition of George Osborn, who listened to the graceful and polished language of William L. Thornton, the good- natured sternness and rugged geniality of Charles ‘Prest, the mature wisdom of John Mason, the kindly good sense of Samuel Tindall and William F. Moss, and the constant brilliance of Samuel Dousland Waddy. From family Diaries kept at the time can be gleaned some reminiscence of’ the table-talk, in which the dry and quiet humour of some of the party formed a background of relief to the ceaseless flow of spirit which characterised one or two. ‘Iam not used to joking, said a Minister who dined with them one day. ‘You would be, if you lived long at the College, said Dr. Osborn; ‘we hear nothing stale here: Mr. Waddy gives it to us “fresh and fresh.”’ The family record of those bright hours is full of the sparkle of the Governor's wit ; but it is difficult to reproduce it. As difficult would it be to give any adequate idea of the after- noon talks in the large arbour in the College-garden, where, joined by John Maclean, Peter Duncan, Alfred Barrett, Jonathan Crowther, William Barton, John Scott, and others, the Governor's family and his Q 2 228 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. guests met to have long arguments on ‘full restitu- tion,’ on the clause in the Creed, ‘He descended into hell,” on the propriety of praying for deliver- ance from sudden death, and on various textual renderings and difficulties. The following extracts from a Diary kept by Mr. Waddy’s eldest daughter, now Mrs. H. W. Bleby, refer to the pleasant social intercourse of this happy period :— ‘It was after a season of great affliction and sickness that we re-assembled thankfully within the walls of Wesley College; the last members of our family who were from home returning only a few hours before the arrival of the first of the Ministers whom we expected to stay with us. About six in the evening the Rev. S. Tindall, who had been one of my father’s colleagues at Gateshead, arrived,—a_ man of almost gigantic stature, but amiable, gentle, and considerate ; a most pleasant visitor, adapting himself to family arrangements with the most good-tempered kindness. His two sons, who were of like stature, were students in the College; and to look upon them together was a sight worth seeing. When the three walked to- gether, we dubbed them the “ Anakim,” by which name they were ever known collectively. The father, alone, was the “ High Priest.” Mr. Tindall is extremely punctual, but Mr.. is very un- punctual. One day, when they all returned to dinner (except this gentleman), without waiting for the close of the Committee at which he was detained, Papa said, on his arrival, “Well, did you stay to the end?” “Yes, I don’t like a GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE. 229 to leave them at it.” “No,” replied Mr. Tindall; “you prefer finding them at it.” ‘ Tuesday, July 20th.—Dr. Hannah, the Rev. T. Jackson, and the Rev. J. Scott dined with us. It was amusing to hear their conjectures and hopes as to the Presidential election in the following week. As Mr. Scott’s election is almost a certainty, he said nothing at all about it; but the others expressed freely their hope to see him in the Chair. Strangely enough, at the preceding Sheffield Conference Dr. Hannah was the retiring President, who made way for Mr. Scott as his successor. They were both lame at that time, and “I remember,” said Dr. Hannah, “I hobbled out of the Chair, and you hobbled in.” Mr. Scott turned the conversation by telling us anecdotes of his early life. Having made some of the brethren laugh in a District Meeting, he was thus gravely reproved from the Chair: “If your behaviour is such when you are a young man, what can we expect when you are old ?” “In one of his first Circuits in London he came in contact with Mr. T. M ,@ very rich man, who was fond of patronising, and very forward and pushing in his habits. The coronation of King William the Fourth was about to take place, and this gentleman took Mr. Scott under his wing, promising to secure him a good “sight.” ‘“ We will go first and breakfast at Guildhall.” Mr. Scott wondered how they could obtain admission without tickets, but he was soon enlightened. On arriving, his conductor assumed an air of importance, and asked the doorkeeper, “Is Alderman here ? I wish to speak to him.” “ You cannot, Sir; he is 230 LIFE OF THE REV. DR. WADDY. at breakfast.” “Tell him that T M ; Esquire, wishes to see him on special business. I will keep the door in your absence.” The unwitting official departed on his bootless errand. ‘Come along,” exclaimed Mr. M ,and dragged in the amazed young preacher, who felt extremely uncom- furtable and very much ashamed. After this performance, they stationed themselves outside Westminster Abbey, and, as a door opened to admit an official, in rushed Mr. M , beckoning Mr. Scott to follow him. The younger man, astonished at his impudence, drew back, and the door was closed between them. “Now,” thought Mr. Scott, “I am very foolish. I might have gone in with the crowd and seen this great sight. I think when the door opens I will follow him.” At this moment the door flew open, and Mr. M appeared between two policemen, who were dragging him out by his collar. They ejected him ignominiously, with a kick. “Come with me,” exclaimed the indefatigable man ; “we'll try another door.” “No, thank you,” was the quiet response ; and the younger and wiser man wended his way homeward. ‘ Wednesday, July 21st—Uncle Mason and Mr. Prest came. After dinner the Ministers were talk- ing about a man who had stolen two reams of paper from the Book-room, and whom Uncle had prose- cuted, because the police informed him that the thief was an old offender. He received a very severe sentence, and Uncle made such representa- tions as obtained for him a more lenient one. After he had gone to prison, Uncle sent thirty shillings to his wife and children, which had been given by the GOVERNORSHIP OF WESLEY COLLEGE, 231 workpeople at City Road.