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FROM THE LIBRARY OF 
 
 REV. LOUIS FITZGERALD BENSON, D. D. 
 
 BEQUEATHED BY HIM TO 
 
 THE LIBRARY OF 
 
 PRINCETON THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY 
 
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 DEC 1 1931 
 
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 OXFORD METHODISTS: 
 
 MEMOIRS OF THE ^ 
 
 REV. MESSRS. CLA YTON, INGHAM, GAMBOL D, 
 HERVEY, AND BROUGHTON, 
 
 WITH BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF OTHERS. 
 
 e 
 
 "V 
 
 REV. L. TYERMAN, 
 
 Author of the ^'^ Life and Times of the Rev. S. Wesley, M.A.;" and the "Life and 
 Titnes of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A., Founder of the Methodists J" 
 
 HODDER AND STOUGHTON, 
 
 27, PATERNOSTER ROW, E.G. 
 
 MDCCCLXXni. 
 
Butler & Tanner, 
 
 The Selwood Printing Works, 
 
 Frome, and London. 
 
PREFACE 
 
 The present book is intended to serve as a companion volume 
 to " The Life and Times of Wesley ; " and to assist in show- 
 ing- the wide and gracious results of a revival of religion. 
 
 In compiling the work just mentioned, I was compelled, by 
 want of space, to lay aside a large amount of biographical 
 material, some portions of which are embodied in the work 
 now submitted to the reader ; and other portions of which 
 may be published at a future time. 
 
 Memoirs of the two Wesleys and of Whitefield have been 
 designedly omitted, on the ground, that, their Memoirs, in 
 extenso, are already in existence. Still, those illustrious men 
 are often noticed in the following pages ; and, I hope, the 
 facts concerning them will be both interesting and instructive. 
 Of the other Oxford Methodists, no biographies have been 
 previously written, with the exception of Hervey ; and it is 
 not censorious to say, that the two principal ones of him, — 
 Ryland's and Brown's — are far from satisfactory. 
 
 The information concerning some of the Oxford Brother- 
 hood is meagre. I have used all the diligence I could in 
 obtaining materials ; but brief notices, and scraps, and a few 
 letters are all that I have to give. Fragmentaiy, however, 
 though they are, I trust, they will not be regarded as useless 
 and irrelevant. The biographical sketches of Clayton, Ingham, 
 Gambold, Hervey, and Broughton, are more extended. It 
 would have been a satisfaction to have left Westley Hall in 
 
iv Preface. 
 
 the shades of oblivion ; but, in telHng the story of the Oxford 
 Methodists, it was impossible not to notice him. 
 
 A marvellous work was accomplished by the Wesley 
 brothers and by Whitefield ; but it is a great mistake, and 
 not a just acknowledgment of the grace of God, to regard 
 the results of the revival of religion in the Oxford University, 
 as confined to Methodism. Contemporaneous Reformers, 
 raised up by Providence, are seldom all employed in the 
 same kind of work. At the beginning of the Christian era, 
 God "gave some, apostles, and some, prophets, and some, 
 evangelists, and some, pastors, and teachers, for the perfecting 
 of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying 
 of the body of Christ" (Ephesians iv. ii, 12). Luther, 
 Zuinglius, Melancthon, Q^^colampadius, Erasmus, Calvin, 
 Knox, Ridley, Latimer, and Cranmer were all engaged, at 
 the same time, in the same great and glorious reformation ; 
 but the services they rendered were as various as the dis- 
 positions and talents of the men themselves. So in regard to 
 the movement in the Oxford University. Among the Oxford 
 Methodists, the Wesleys and Whitefield will always be 
 pre-eminent ; but a great work was also done by their 
 associates. Clayton's High-Churchism was objectionable ; but 
 it is not unreasonable to indulge the hope, that, his earnest 
 piety exercised a useful influence upon the clergy among 
 whom he lived, and especially upon the young gentlemen 
 who were favoured with the instructions . of his school. 
 Inghami, as an evangelist, was exceedingly successful among 
 the masses in the North. The Moravian Church owes a debt 
 of incalculable gratitude to Gambold, for checking and 
 correcting its early religious follies. Broughton was efficiently 
 employed in promoting the translation of the Bible, in the 
 work of Home and Foreign Missions, in the distribution 
 
Preface. v 
 
 of religious tracts, and in the education of the children of 
 the poor, at a period when the present principal societies 
 for such objects did not exist. Hutchins, though retaining, 
 at least, a few of his High-Church doctrines, was a spiritually- 
 minded, earnest Christian ; and, in the important office which, 
 for so many years, he held in Lincoln College, could hardly 
 fail in moulding the minds and hearts of some of the young 
 students there. And Hervey was one of the first clergymen 
 of the Church of England, in the last century, who turned 
 the attention of the upper classes of society to religious 
 matters. These were not trifling services. Do they not 
 deserve to be recorded } 
 
 The Oxford revival of religion was pregnant with the most 
 momentous issues. And so are most revivals. How often 
 in the history of Methodism, though on a smaller scale, have 
 its revivals of the work of God resulted in consequences bear- 
 ing some analogy to those of the Oxford movement of a 
 hundred and forty years ago ? Who will not pray, that such 
 " Divine visitations " may be continued and multiplied, not 
 only in Methodism, but, in all the Churches of the Great 
 Redeemer } 
 
 The Oxford Methodists, up to the time of their general 
 dispersion from that seat of learning, were all (excepting 
 perhaps, Whitefield) Church of England Ritualists. Their 
 moral conduct was most exemplary. They were studious, 
 devout, self-de»ying, charitable. Their study of the Bible 
 gained them the nicknames of "Bible-bigots," and "Bible- 
 moths." Every morning and every evening, they spent an 
 hour in private prayer ; and, throughout the day, habituated 
 themselves to the use of ejaculations, for humility, faith, 
 hope, and love. They communicated at Christ Church once 
 a week, and persuaded all they could to attend public 
 
vi Preface. 
 
 prayers, sermons, and sacraments. They were constant 
 visitors of the inmates of the parish workhouse, and of the 
 prisoners in the Castle ; and it was the practice of all of 
 them to dispense in charity all they had, after providing 
 for their own necessities. They also observed the dis- 
 cipline of the Church of England to the minutest points ; 
 and were scrupulously strict in practising the rubrics 
 and canons. Every Wednesday and Friday, they fasted, 
 tasting no food whatever, till three o'clock in the afternoon. 
 Though, perhaps, they never held the doctrine of the human 
 nature of the Divine Redeemer being present in the elements 
 of the holy sacrament, they held something approaching this, 
 and spoke of " an outward sacrifice offered therein." They 
 more than approved of the mixture of water with the sacra- 
 mental wine ; and religiously observed saint days, holidays, 
 and Saturdays. They maintained the doctrine of apostolical 
 succession, and believed no one had authority to administer 
 the sacraments who was not episcopally ordained. Even in 
 Georgia, Wesley excluded Dissenters from the holy commu- 
 nion, on the ground, that they had not been properly baptized, 
 and would himself baptize only by immersion, unless the child, 
 or person, was in a weak state of health. He also enforced 
 confession, penance, and mortification; and, as far as possible, 
 carried into execution the Apostolic Constitutions. In short, 
 with the exception of sacerdotal millinery, the burning of 
 incense, the worship of the Virgin, prayers for the dead, 
 and two or three other kindred superstitions, the Oxford 
 Methodists were the predecessors of the present ritualistic 
 party in the Church of England. 
 
 The Oxford Methodists, however, had no desire to aggran- 
 dize themselves. They had not the slightest wish to be 
 considered superior to their fellow mortals. They were 
 
Preface. vii 
 
 sincere, and earnest inquirers after truth, and, in the study 
 of the Holy Bible, in prayer to God, and in other devotional 
 exercises, were an example worthy of imitation. God rarely 
 leaves such inquirers in the dark. Wesley, and most of 
 his Oxford friends were brought to a knowledge of " the 
 truth as it is in Jesus ; " and, being so, their faith, their 
 energy, their prayers, their toils, and their cheerfully endured 
 sufferings resulted in one of the most glorious revivals of 
 the work of God, recorded in the history of the Christian 
 Church. 
 
 May we not indulge the hope, that, what God did for 
 the Oxford Methodists, He will do for those at the present 
 day, who, in most respects, resemble them } Ought we 
 not to pray for this } Indeed, has it not, to some extent, 
 been realized } Though the leaders of the Oxford Tractarian 
 movement have unquestionably served the interests of the 
 Church of Rome, far more than the interests of the Church 
 which nurtured them ; yet, is it not a fact, that some of the 
 hard-working evangelical clergy of the Church of England, 
 now so successfully employed in the spread of truth, began 
 their Christian life as the Oxford Methodists began theirs '>. 
 And is it wrong to prayerfully cherish the expectation, that, 
 in mercy to mankind, others will be brought to the same 
 convictions } The Church, the Nation, and the World need 
 their energy, earnestness, diligence, self-denial, and devotion. 
 Let them lay aside their popish follies and proud pretensions 
 and embrace the truth of Christ in its simplicity and its 
 purity, and, at least, some of them may, under God, accom- 
 plish a work as great and as blessed as was accomplished 
 by Wesley and his " Holy Club." 
 
 I have nothing more to add, except to express my obliga- 
 tions to the descendants of the O.xford Methodists, for their 
 
viii Preface. 
 
 courteous kindness in responding to my requests for informa- 
 tion ; and to other clergymen and gentlemen with whom I 
 have been in correspondence. 
 
 The book is not a series of written portraits. I make 
 no pretensions to artistic skill. I have simply done my 
 best in collecting facts, from every source within my reach ; 
 and have narrated them as truly and as lucidly as I could. 
 
 L. TYERMAN. 
 
 Stanhope House, Clapham Park, 
 April 2}id, 1873. 
 
THE 
 
 OXFORD METHODISTS. 
 
 THE FIRST OF THE OXFORD METHODISTS. 
 Robert Kirkham. 
 
 WESLEY writes: — "In November, 1729, four young ^7^9 
 gentlemen of Oxford, — Mr. John Wesley, Fellow of 1735 
 Lincoln College ; Mr. Charles Wesley, Student of Christ 
 Church ; Mr. Morgan, Commoner of Christ Church ; and Mr. 
 Kirkham, of Merton College, — began to spend some evenings 
 in a week together in reading, chiefly, the Greek Testament."' 
 
 These were the first Oxford Methodists ; and, though there 
 is little to be said of Morgan, and still less of Kirkham, they 
 must not be passed in silence. Methodism may be traced to 
 their associating with the two W^esleys, to read the Greek 
 Testament, in 1729. 
 
 Robert Kirkham was the son of the Rev. Lionel Kirkham, 
 a clergyman resident at Stanton, in Gloucestershire. The 
 family consisted of Robert and at least two sisters, Sarah 
 and Betty. 
 
 Sarah was the intimate friend of Mary Granville, afterwards 
 Mrs. Delany, a woman of great accomplishments, who moved 
 in the highest society and, for more than fifty years, was 
 honoured with the friendship and confidence of King George 
 III. and his Queen Charlotte. Sarah Kirkham was born in 
 1699; and, in 1725, was married to the Rev. John Capon, or, 
 as the name is sometimes spelt, Chapone. She was a woman 
 of great intellect and of an intensely warm and generous 
 nature. " Sally," wrote Mary Granville, in 1737, then Mrs. 
 
 ^ Wesley's Works, vol. viii., p. 334. 
 
2 The First of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 1729 Pendarves, "would shine in an assembly composed of TuUys, 
 
 *° Homers, and Miltons : at Gloucester, she is like a diamond 
 1735 ' ' _ _ 
 
 set in jet, — their dulness makes her brightness brighter." ^ 
 Mrs. Chapone died in 1764. 
 
 Her sister Betsy was probably the first of Wesley's sweet- 
 hearts. As early as February 2, 1726, Robert Kirkham, 
 writing, from home, to his "Dear Jacke," at "Lincoln College, 
 Oxford, by the Worcester carrier," says, — 
 
 " Your most deserving, queer character, your personal accomplish- 
 ments, your noble endowments of mind, your little and handsome person, 
 and your most obhging and desirable conversation, — have often been the 
 pleasing subject of our discourse. Often have you been in the thoughts 
 of M .B." [Miss Betsy ?] " which I have curiously observed, when with her 
 alone, by her inward smiles and sighs, and by her abrupt expressions 
 concerning you. Shall this suffice ? I caught her this morning in an 
 humble and devout posture on her knees. I must conclude ; and subscribe 
 myself your most affectionate friend, and brother I wish I miglit write, 
 
 "Robert Kirkham." 
 
 Twelve months after this, Wesley's sister Martha wrote to 
 him as follows : — 
 
 "When I knew that you were just returned from Worcestershire, where, 
 I suppose, you saw your Varenese " [the pet name of Betsy Kirkham], " I 
 then ceased to wonder at your silence ; for the sight of such a woman 
 might well make you forget me. I really have myself a vast respect for 
 her, as I must necessarily have for one that is so dear to you." 
 
 For more than three years subsequent to this, Wesley kept 
 up a correspondence with Kirkham's sister, and spoke of her 
 in the tenderest terms. In 173 1, their friendship was inter- 
 • rupted. Why .'' Did the young lady's father interfere .'' Or 
 did she herself prefer another .-* These are questions which it 
 is almost impossible to answer; but it is a significant fact that, 
 though the Kirkham family seems to have consisted of only 
 one son and two daughters, one of those daughters died about 
 twelve months afterwards ; she, at the time of her death, bear- 
 ing the name of Mrs. Wilson. Hence the following extract 
 from a letter, written by Mrs. Pendarves, and dated " Killala, 
 June 28th, 1732." 
 
 " Poor Mrs. Wilson ! I am sorry for the shock her death must have 
 ^Autobiography of Mrs. Delany, vol. i,, p. 586. 
 
The First of the Oxford Methodists. 3 
 
 given Sally" [Mrs. Chapone] "whose tenderness must sometimes take 1729 
 place of her wisdom; but I hope when she considers the great advantage to 
 her sister, in all probabiHty, will receive by the exchange she has '735 
 lately made, that she will be reconciled to the loss of a sister that 
 has given her more woe than happiness. Pray, has Mrs, Wilson left any 
 children.?" 
 
 Was Mrs. Wilson the quondam Betsy Kirkham } It is 
 probable she was ; for, though Mrs. Pendarves and Mrs. 
 Chapone continued to be the warmest friends for thirty-two 
 years after this, there is not, in the voluminous correspondence 
 of the former, the least allusion to Betsy. 
 
 Perhaps these notices of Robert Kirkham's sisters are 
 hardly relevant ; but it must be borne in mind that Kirkham 
 was one of Wesley's warmest friends, and that he wished to 
 have Wesley for a brother. 
 
 As already intimated, of Robert Kirkham himself next to 
 nothing has been published. In a letter to his mother, dated 
 February 28, 1730, three months after the first Methodist 
 meeting in Oxford, Wesley wrote : — 
 
 "I have another piece of news to acquaint you with, which, as it is 
 more strange, will, I hope, be equally agreeable. A little while ago. Bob 
 Kirkham took a fancy into his head, that he would lose no more time and 
 waste no more money; in pursuance of which, he first resolved to breakfast 
 no longer on tea; next, to drink no more ale in an evening, or, however, 
 but to quench his thirst ; then to read Greek or Latin from prayers in the 
 morning till noon, and from dinner till five at night. And how much may 
 one imagine he executed of these resolutions ? Why, he has left oft" tea, 
 struck off his drinking acquaintances to a man, given the hours above 
 specified to the Greek Testament and Hugo Grotius, and spent the 
 evenings either by himself or with my brother and me." 
 
 This was a brave act. For a frank, frivolous, jovial young 
 fellow like Robert Kirkam, who, in a letter to Wesley, four 
 years before, had told his friend of his revelling over a dish 
 of calves' head and bacon, and a newly-tapped barrel of 
 excellent cider, now to resolve to live a life like that which 
 Wesley mentions, and to have firmness enough to fulfil his 
 resolution, was no ordinary fact, and indicated a great change 
 in the light-hearted young collegian. Was not this the very 
 commencement of the Methodist organization } 
 
 In 173 1, Kirkham took his leave of the Oxford brother- 
 
4 The First of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 1729 hood, to become his uncle's curate. Where did he Hve after 
 
 - this? How did he hve? When did he die? These are 
 
 questions which we cannot answer. We have tried to obtain 
 
 information concerning his subsequent career, but have failed. 
 
 William Morgan. 
 
 WILLIAM MORGAN was not only one of the first 
 Oxford Methodists, but the first of them to enter 
 heaven. The Wesleys and Kirkham were the sons of English 
 clergymen. Morgan was the son of an Irish gentleman, 
 resident in Dublin. As already stated, he was a Commoner 
 of Christ Church ; and Samuel Wesley, junior, who was well 
 acquainted with him, speaks of him in the highest terms. 
 From his childhood, he had been devout and diligent ; he 
 revered and loved his father ; was a warm-hearted, faithful 
 friend ; a welcome visitor of orphans, widows, and prisoners ; 
 neither a formalist nor an enthusiast; but a man whose life 
 was a beautiful gospel sermon, in a practical, embodied form. 
 A short extract from Samuel Wesley's poem, on Mr. 
 Morgan's death, will not be out of place. 
 
 " Wise in his prime, he waited not till noon, 
 Convinced that mortals 'never lived too soon.' 
 As if foreboding then his little stay, 
 He made his morning bear the heat of day. 
 Fixed, while unfading glory he pursues, 
 No ill to hazard, and no good to lose ; 
 No fair occasion glides unheeded by ; 
 Snatching the golden moments as they fly, 
 He, by fleeting hours, ensures eternity. 
 Friendship's warm beams his artless breast inspire. 
 And tenderest reverence to a much-loved sire. 
 He dared, for heaven, this flattering world forego ; 
 Ardent to teach, as diligent to know ; 
 Unvvarped by sensual ends, or vulgar aims. 
 By idle riches, or by idler names ; 
 Fearful of sin in every close disguise ; 
 Unmoved by threatening or by glozing lies ; 
 Gladdening the poor where'er his steps he turned, 
 Where pined the orphan, or the widow mourned ; 
 Where prisoners sighed beneath guilt's horrid stain. 
 The worst confinement and the heaviest chain ; 
 
The First of the Oxford Methodists. 5 
 
 Where death's sad shade the uninstructed sight 1720 
 
 Veil'd with thick darkness in the land of Hght. to 
 
 Nor yet the priestly function he invades : i735 
 
 'Tis not his sermon, but his life, persuades. 
 
 Humble and teachable, to church he flies, 
 
 Prepared to practise, not to criticise. 
 
 Then only angry, when a wretch conveys 
 
 The Deist's poison in the Gospel phrase. 
 
 To means of grace the last respect he showed. 
 
 Nor sought new paths, as wiser than his God ; 
 
 Their sacred strength preserved'him from extremes 
 
 Of empty outside, or enthusiast dreams ; 
 
 Whims of Molinos, lost in rapture's mist, 
 
 Or Quaker, late-reforming Ouietist." ' 
 
 It was in November, 1729, that the first four of the Oxford 
 Methodists began their sacred meetings. Two months later, 
 William Morgan wrote to Wesley the following, which 
 contains a reference to the interest that the Methodists 
 already took in prisoners, and which, being one of the very 
 few of Morgan's letters still existing, may not be unaccept- 
 able. 
 
 "February 5, 1730. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — About seven last night I reached Oxford, and, after 
 having long rested my wearied limbs, went this morning to Bo-Cro, who 
 have exceeded our best wishes. I have just finished my rounds, and 
 perceive it was not for nothing that I came hither before you. Stewart's 
 papers will not be in London till Monday. He desires you to get the rule 
 of court for him, and let him have it as soon as possible. Coster begs you 
 would call at Mrs. Hannah Ebbins', upholsterer, in Shadwell Street, near 
 Tower Hill, at the sign of the Flag, and let her know his present con- 
 dition. She is very rich, he says, and has often told him she would at any 
 time do him whatever service she could. 
 
 " Fisher desires you to look into the Gazette, and see whether the estate 
 of John Davies, of Goldington and Ravensden,^ is to be sold. 
 
 " You would do well to buy a few cheap spelling-books if you can meet 
 with any, for they are wanted much at the Castle. 
 
 " Comb's goods were seized last week, and 'tis thought he is gone to 
 London. If he should call on you for what you owe him, put him in 
 mind of paying you, for me, the twelve shillings he owes me. I forgot to 
 tell you that I neglected to call at Mrs. Baxter's landlord's. I wish you 
 would bring my picture of Queen Elizabeth to Oxford, as carefully as you 
 can ; it is in a large book in your sister's closet. There is a plan of mine 
 in the box with your linen, which I likewise desire you would bring with 
 
 '" Poems on Several Occasions," by Samuel Wesley, A.M., 1736, p. 107. 
 ' Two villages in Bedfordshire. 
 
6 The First of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 1729 you. Pray give my love to Charles, best respects to your brother and 
 
 to sister, and service to Mrs. Berry ' and Miss Nancy. 
 ^735 " I am, dear sir, 
 
 " Your sincere friend, and affectionate humble servant, 
 
 "William Morgan. 
 " Pray don't forget to inquire for my pocket-book." 
 
 This curious letter of small commissions is not devoid of 
 interest, inasmuch as it plainly shows, — i. The close intimacy 
 between Morgan and the Wesley brothers. 2. Morgan's 
 keenness in looking after his pecuniary rights. And 3. That 
 some, at least, of the Oxford Methodists were not, as yet, so 
 intensely religious as they soon afterwards became. 
 
 It was not long before the young collegians evinced more 
 earnestness. Wesley writes : — 
 
 "In the summer of 1730, Mr. Morgan told me he had called at the 
 gaol, to see a man who was condemned for killing his wife ; and that, 
 from the talk he had with one of the debtors, he verily believed it would 
 do much good, if any one would be at the pains of now and then speaking 
 with them. This he so frequently repeated, that, on the 24th of August, 
 1 730, my brother and I walked with him to the Castle. We were so well 
 satisfied with our conversation there, that we agreed to go thither once or 
 twice a week ; which we had not done, long, before he desired me to go 
 with him to see a poor woman in the town, who was sick. In this 
 employment, too, when we came to reflect upon it, we believed it would 
 be worth while to spend an hour or two in a week ; provided the minister 
 of the parish, in which any such person was, were not against it. But 
 that we might not depend wholly on our own judgments, I wrote an 
 account to my father of our whole design ; withal begging that he, who 
 had lived seventy years in the world, and seen as much of it as most 
 private men have ever done, would advise us whether we had yet gone 
 too far, and whether we should now stand still, or go forward." 
 
 Wesley's father highly approved of the project of the 
 
 )uncr Method i^f-c; and n/rnfe 
 
 young Methodists, and wrote, — 
 
 " You have reason to bless God, as I do, that you have so fast a friend 
 as Mr. Morgan, who, I see, in the most difficult service, is ready to break 
 the ice for you. You do not know of how much good that poor wretch, 
 who killed his wife, has been the providential occasion. I think I must 
 adopt Mr. Morgan to be my son, together with you and your brother 
 Charles ; and, when I have such a ternion to prosecute that war, wherein 
 I am now miles emeritus, I shall not be ashamed when they speak with 
 their enemies in the gate." 
 
 ' Probably the mother of the wife of Wesley's brother Samuel. 
 
The First of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 1735 
 
 The venerable Rector of Epworth then proceeds to advise 1729 
 them to consult with the chaplain of the prisoners, and to ^!^°^ 
 obtain the direction and approbation of the bishop. 
 
 This was done. Wesley writes : — 
 
 " In pursuance of these directions, I immediately went to Mr. Gerard 
 the Bishop of Oxford's chaplain, who was likewise the person that took 
 care of the prisoners when any were condemned to die (at other times 
 they were left to their own care). I proposed to him our design of serving 
 them as far as we could, and my own intention to preach there once 
 a month, if the bishop approved of it. He much commended our design, 
 and said he would answer for the bishop's approbation, to whom he 
 would take the first opportunity of mentioning it. It was not long before 
 he informed me that he had done so, and that his lordship not only gave 
 his permission, but was greatly pleased with the undertaking, and hoped it 
 would have the desired success."' 
 
 Methodism, in its beneficence, was now fairly started. Its 
 first object was a condemned felon ; its first visitor, William 
 Morgan ; its first approver, Wesley's father ; and its next the 
 Bishop of Oxford, with his chaplain, Mr. Gerard. 
 
 The small band of godly collegians soon became the butt 
 of ridicule. Robert Kirkham especially was stigmatized as a 
 member of TJie Holy Club; and his college (Merton) became 
 immensely merry at the expense of him and his companions. 
 On December ist, 1730, Wesley's father addressed to them a 
 letter to inspire them with confidence and hope : — 
 
 " Upon this encouragement," writes Wesley, "we still continued to meet 
 together as usual ; and to confirm one another, as well as we could, in 
 our resolutions to communicate as often as we had opportunity (which 
 is here once a week) ; and to do what service we could to our acquaint- 
 ance, the prisoners, and two or three poor families in the town." 
 
 To the reading of the Greek Testament, and the visiting 
 of prisoners and the poor, we here have weekly communion 
 added to the programme of Oxford Methodism. What was 
 the result .'' 
 
 Wesley continues : — 
 
 " The outcry daily increasing, that we might show what ground there 
 was for it, we proposed to our friends or opponents, as we had oppor- 
 tunity, these or the Hke questions : — 
 
 1 Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. S. 
 
8 The First of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 J ^TQ " I. Whether it does not concern all men of all conditions to imitate 
 
 to Him, as much as they can, 'Who went about doing good' ? 
 1735 "Whether all Christians are not concerned in that command, 'While 
 
 we have time, let us do good unto all men' ? 
 
 " Whether we shall not be more happy hereafter, the more good we do 
 now? 
 
 " Whether we can be happy at all hereafter, unless we have, according 
 to our power, 'fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited those that are 
 sick, and in prison ;' and made all these actions subservient to a higher 
 purpose, even the saving of souls from death ? 
 
 "Whether it be not our bounden duty always to remember, that He 
 did more for us than we can for do Him, who assures us, ' Inasmuch as ye 
 have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it 
 unto Me'? 
 
 "II. Whether, upon these considerations, we may not try to do good 
 to our acquaintance ? Particularly, whether we may not try to convince 
 them of the necessity of being Christians ? 
 
 " Whether of the consequent necessity of being scholars ? 
 
 " Whether of the necessity of method and industry, in order to either 
 learning or virtue ? 
 
 " Whether we may not try to persuade them to confirm and increase 
 their industry, by communicating as often as they can ? 
 
 " Whether we may not mention to them the authors whom we conceive 
 to have wrote the best on those subjects ? 
 
 " Whether we may not assist them, as we are able, from time to time, 
 to form resolutions upon what they read in those authors, and to execute 
 them with steadiness and perseverance ? 
 
 "III. Whether, upon the considerations above-mentioned, we may not 
 try to do good to those that are hungry, naked, or sick? In particular, 
 whether, if we know any necessitous family, we may not give them a 
 little food, clothes, or physic, as they want ? 
 
 " Whether we may not give them, if they can read, a Bible, Common 
 Prayer Book, or 'Whole Duty of Man' ? 
 
 "Whether, we may not, now and then, inquire how they have used 
 them, explain what they do not understand, and enforce what they do ? 
 
 " Whether we may not enforce upon them, more especially, the neces- 
 sity of private prayer, and of frequenting the church and sacrament ? 
 
 "Whether we may not contribute, what little we are able, toward 
 having their children clothed and taught to read ? 
 
 " Whether we may not take care that they be taught their catechism, 
 and short prayers for morning and evening ? 
 
 "IV. Lastly: whether, upon the conside;rations above-mentioned, we 
 may not try to do good to those that are in prison ? In particular, 
 whether we may not release such well-disposed persons as remain in 
 prison for small sums ? 
 
 "Whether we may not lend smaller sums to those that are of any 
 trade, that they may procure themselves tools and materials to work 
 with ? 
 
The First of the Oxfoi^d Methodists. 9 • 
 
 " Whether we may not give to them who appear to want it most, a Httle 1720 
 money, or clothes, or physic ? to 
 
 "Whether we may not supply as many as are serious enough to read, I735 
 with a Bible and a Whole Duty of Man ? 
 
 " Whether we may not, as we have opportunity, explain and enforce 
 these upon them, especially with respect to pubhc and private prayer, and 
 the blessed sacrament?"' 
 
 Such, at the end of 1730, was the plan of benevolent action 
 drawn up by the Oxford Methodists. Who can find fault 
 with it ? Wesley tells us, that they met with none who 
 answered these questions in the negative, and that several 
 helped them with quarterly subscriptions.^ 
 
 Thus encouraged, the two Wesleys, Kirkham, and Morgan, 
 cheerily pursued their way, " in spite of the ridicule which 
 increased fast upon them during the winter." The men of 
 wit, in Christ Church, called them Sacramentarians. Their 
 allies, at Merton, styled them The Holy Club. Others stig- 
 matized them as The Godly Club ; and others the Enthu- 
 siasts, or the Reforming Club ; but ridicule, though far from 
 pleasant, failed to check them in their laborious career. 
 
 In the summer of 173 1, Mr. Morgan was disabled, by an 
 attack of sickness, and retired to Holt ; but under the date of 
 June I ith, Wesley writes : — 
 
 " The poor at the Castle, however, have still the Gospel preached to 
 them, and some of their temporal wants supplied, our little fund rather 
 increasing than diminishing. Nor have we yet been forced to discharge 
 any of the children which Mr. Morgan left to our care : though I wish 
 they too do not find the want of him ; I am sure some of their parents 
 will."-'* 
 
 Mr. Morgan's affliction excited great interest in the Wesley 
 family. Matthew Wesley, an eminent physician in London, 
 was on a visit to his brother Samuel, the Rector of Epworth, 
 and from thence went to Scarborough. In a letter to her son 
 John, dated, "Epworth, July 12, 1731," Susannah Wesley 
 wrote : — 
 
 " Before your uncle went to Scarborough, I informed him of what I 
 knew of Mr. Morgan's case. When he came back, he told me he had tried 
 the spa at Scarborough, and could assure me that it far exceeded all the 
 
 ' Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 9. ^ Jbid. p. 10. 
 
 2 Ibid. vol. xii., p. 6. 
 
lo The First of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 1 729 other spas in Europe, for he had been at them all, both in Germany and 
 to elsewhere ; that, at Scarborough, there were two springs, as he was 
 
 1 735 informed, close together, which flowed into one basin, the one a chaly- 
 beate, the other a purgative water ; and he did not believe there was the 
 like in any other part of the world. He said, ' If that gentleman, you told 
 me of, could by any means be got thither, though his age is the most 
 dangerous time in life for his distemper, yet I am of opinion those waters 
 would cure him.' 1 thought good to tell you this, that you might, if you 
 please, inform Mr. Morgan of it." 
 
 Poor Morgan's work was ended. 
 
 " For more than twelve months," writes Mr. Moore, "he was so greatly 
 reduced, that he became a burden to himself, and totally useless to others. 
 In this stage of his disease, his understanding sometimes appeared de- 
 ranged ; he became more changeable in his temper than usual, and incon- 
 sistent in his conversation. But this was purely the effect of his disease ; 
 not the least symptom of the kind having ever appeared till long after 
 his health had declined." 
 
 In the month of March, 1732, his father informed liim that 
 he should no longer be hmited to a fixed allowance, but 
 should have all the money that was necessary for his state of 
 health ; at the same time, however, strongly insisting that no 
 part of his remittances should be spent in charity ; and 
 adding, — 
 
 " You cannot conceive what a noise that ridiculous society in which you 
 are engaged has made here. Besides the particulars of the great follies of 
 it at Oxford (which to my great concern I have often heard repeated), it 
 gave me sensible trouble to hear that you were noted for going into the 
 villages about Holt; calling their children together, and teaching them 
 their prayers and catechism, and giving them a shilling at your departure. 
 I could not but advise with a wise, pious, and learned clergyman. He told 
 me that he has known the worst of consequences follow from such blind 
 zeal ; and plainly satisfied me that it was a thorough mistake of true 
 piety and religion. I proposed writing to some prudent and good man at 
 Oxford to reason with you on these points, and to convince you that you 
 were in a wrong way. He said, in a generous mind, as he took yours to 
 be, the admonition and advice of a father would make a deeper impression 
 than all the exhortations of others. He concluded, that you were young 
 as yet, and that your judgment was not come to its maturity; but 
 as soon as your judgment improved, and on the advice of a true 
 friend, you would see the error of your way, and think, as he does, that 
 you may walk uprightly and safely, without endeavouring to outdo all the 
 good bishops, clergy, and other pious and good men of the present and 
 
The First of the Oxford Methodists. 1 1 
 
 past ages : which God Ahnighty give you grace and sense to understand \ 729 
 aright !"i to 
 
 1735 
 Thus had the young Methodists to encounter, not only the 
 
 ridicule of the outside world, but the rebuke of their own 
 relatives and friends. The Epworth rector encouraged them ; 
 the Dublin gentleman pronounced upon them censure. 
 
 A month after the date of Mr. Morgan's letter to his sick 
 son, Samuel Wesley, junior, paid a visit to the Oxford 
 Methodists, and, on his return to London, wrote a poetical 
 epistle to his brother Charles, dated April 20, 1732. The 
 following are some of the concluding lines : — 
 
 " One or two questions more, before I end, 
 That much concern a brother and a friend: — 
 Does John beyond his strength presume to go, 
 To his frail carcase hterally a foe .'* 
 Lavish of health, as if in haste to die. 
 And shorten time to insure eternity ? 
 Does Morgan weakly think his time misspent ? 
 Of his best actions can he now repent ? 
 Others, their sins with reason just deplore, 
 The guilt remaining when the pleasure's o'er ; 
 Shall he for virtue, first, himself upbraid, 
 Since the foundation of the world was laid? 
 Shall he (what most men to their sins deny) 
 Show pain for alms, remorse for piety ? 
 Can he the sacred Eucharist decline ? 
 What Clement poisons here the bread and wine ? 
 Or does his sad disease possess him whole, 
 And taint alike the body and the soul ? 
 If to renounce his graces he decree, 
 O that he could transfer the stroke to me ! 
 Does earth grow fairer to his parting eye? 
 Is heaven less lovely, as it seems more nigh ? 
 O, wondrous preparation this — to die !" 
 
 Two months subsequent to Samuel Wesley's visit, poor 
 Morgan took his final departure from his friends at Oxford. 
 He was sick in body and in mind. His end was near, though 
 he knew it not. Leaving Oxford on the 5th of June, 1732, he 
 proceeded to his father's house in Dublin. Here he spent 
 six weeks, and aeain set out for Oxford. The following 
 
 1 Moore's " Life of Wesley," vol. i., p. 187. 
 
1 2 The First of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 17-9 letter, addressed to Wesley by his father, will tell the brief 
 
 ^^ remainder of his short history. The letter was written fifteen 
 
 months after Morgan's untimely death ; and, during this 
 
 melancholy interval, his only surviving brother had been 
 
 placed under Wesley's tuition. 
 
 "Dublin, iV(?z'^;/z(5^r, 1733. 
 " My concern about my only son brings the misfortunes of my other 
 son fresh into my mind, and obliges me now to impart to you, and only to 
 you, what I have hitherto concealed from all men, as far as it could be kept 
 secret. After he had spent about six weeks with me in Dublin, the 
 physicians agreed that the air at Oxford was better for his health than the 
 Irish air. I myself was obliged to take a journey with my Lord Primate 
 into his diocese, and on the same day my dear son set out on his journey 
 to England. He rode an easy pad, and was to make easy stages through 
 part of this kingdom, to see some relations in the way, and to take 
 shipping at Cork, from which there is a short passage to Bristol, and 
 from thence the journey is not great to Oxford. He travelled twelve 
 miles the first day, attended by that careful servant who was with him at 
 Oxford. The servant observed him to act and talk lightly and incohe- 
 rently that day. He slept little or none at night ; but often cried out that 
 the house was on fire, and used other wild expressions. The second day 
 he grew worse ; threw his bridle over the horse's head, and would neither 
 guide him himself nor let the man guide him, but charged him to stay 
 behind him, saying God would be his guide. The horse turned about, 
 went in side roads, and then to a disused quarry filled with water, where 
 my poor child fell off, and had then like to be lost, the servant not daring 
 to do but as he bid him. The servant, finding him deprived of all under- 
 standing and also outrageous, by great art and management, brought him 
 back to Dublin. Two of our most eminent physicians and the surgeon- 
 general were brought to attend him. An express was sent for me, with 
 whom I hastened back to town. He was put in a room two pairs of stairs 
 high, yet he found an opportunity to run to one of the windows, tore it 
 down though the sashes were nailed, and was more than half out before 
 he could be caught. He was raging mad, and three men were set over 
 him to watch him. By the direction of the physicians, he was threatened 
 with ropes and chains, which were produced to him, and were rattled. 
 In his madness, he used to say, that enthusiasm was his madness ; and 
 repeated often, ' O religious madness.' He said, they had 'hindered him 
 being now with God,' because they had hindered him from throwing 
 himself out of the window. But, in his greatest rage, he never cursed or 
 swore or used any profane expressions. In seven days, God was pleased 
 to take him to Himself; which, no doubt, the blisterings and severities 
 used by the physicians and surgeon for his recovery precipitated." 
 
 This, in all respects, is a mournful story. No useful end 
 would be answered by asking, whether much religion, or 
 
1735 
 
 The First of the Oxford Methodists. 1 3 
 
 much unkindness, or "much learning," made poor Morgan 1729 
 mad. His father's letter, written in March, 1732, was, to ^^^^ 
 say the least, injudicious ; and the treatment of the Dublin 
 doctors, in August following, was preposterously cruel. The 
 man himself was a lovely character. Gambold, who seems 
 to have made the fifth Oxford Methodist, observes concerning 
 Morgan : — 
 
 " He was a young man of an excellent disposition, and took all oppor- 
 tunities to make his companions in love with a good life ; to create in 
 them a reverence for public worship ; and to tell them of their faults with 
 a sweetness and simplicity that disarmed the worst tempers. He de- 
 lighted much in works of charity. He kept several children at school ; 
 and when he found beggars in the street, he would bring them into his 
 chambers, and talk to them. Many such things he did ; and, being 
 acquainted with Messrs. John and Charles Wesley, he invited them to 
 join with him ; and proposed that they should meet frequently to en- 
 courage one another, and have some scheme to proceed by in their daily 
 employments. About half a year after I got among them, Mr. Morgan 
 died. His calm and resigned behaviour, hardly curbing in a confident 
 joy in God, wrought very much upon me ; though, when I had an oppor- 
 tunity to observe him, he was under a lingering distemper. Some were 
 displeased because he did not make some direct preparation for death ; 
 but to a man who has overcome the world, and feels God within him, 
 death is no new thing." 
 
 Poor Morgan's decease occurred in Dublin, on August 26, 
 1732 ; and no sooner was the event known, than it was 
 wickedly and cruelly alleged, that his Methodist associates 
 had killed him. Hence the following, which Wesley ad- 
 dressed to Morgan's father within two months after the 
 
 former's death. 
 
 " OxON, October, i8, 1732. 
 " On Sunday last, I was informed that my brother and I had killed 
 your son ; that the rigorous fasting which he had imposed upon himself, 
 by our advice, had increased his illness and hastened his death. Now 
 though, considering it in itself, ' it is a very small thing with me to be 
 judged by man's judgment;' yet as the being thought guilty of so mis- 
 chievous an imprudence might make me the less able to do the work I 
 came into the world for, I am obliged to clear myself of it, by observing 
 to you, as I have done to others, that your son left off fasting about a 
 year and a half since ; and that it is not yet half a year since I began to 
 practise it." ^ 
 
 Apart from amply refuting the slanderous charge already 
 ^ Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 5. 
 
14 The First of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 1739 mentioned, this extract from Wesley's letter is of considerable 
 
 to 
 1735 
 
 importance, as it clearly shows that fasting was not a part of 
 the primary programme of the Methodists; and that, if fasting 
 is to be taken as a proof of religious earnestness, Morgan, in 
 the first instance, was the most religious of the brotherhood. 
 Whether Morgan was in the habit of observing the ecclesi- 
 astical fasts when the Methodist meetings were commenced 
 in November, 1729, is not apparent; but it is quite clear 
 that his discontinuance of fasting was occasioned by his 
 declining health. It was about the month of May, 173 1, 
 when fasting was relinquished ; and, as we have already seen, 
 it was then, that the illness commenced which issued in his 
 death. Whether fasting induced that illness is a point which 
 must be left undecided ; but, even admitting that it did, 
 Wesley was not to blame, for Wesley himself did not begin 
 to fast until a year after Morgan had laid aside the prac- 
 tice. 
 
 Whatever others did, Morgan's father fully exonerated the 
 two Wesleys ; and, though he had censured his son for what 
 he conceived to be excessive piety only five months before 
 the young man's death, that piety was now a source of con- 
 solation. Replying to Wesley's letter, dated October 18, 1732, 
 Mr. Morgan writes : — 
 
 '■'■ November 2z^, 1732. 
 
 " Rev. Sir, — I give entire credit to everything and every fact you 
 relate. It w^as ill-judged of my poor son to take to fasting, with 
 regard to his health, of which I knew nothing, or I should have advised 
 him against it. He was inclined to piety and virtue from his infancy, 
 I must own I was much concerned at the strange accounts which were 
 spread here, of some extraordinary practices of a religious society in 
 which he had engaged at Oxford, lest, through his youth and immaturity 
 of judgment, he might be hurried into zeal and enthusiastic notions that 
 would prove pernicious. But now, indeed, the piety and holiness of life 
 which he practised afford me some comfort in the midst of my affliction 
 for the loss of him, having full assurance of his being for ever happy. 
 The good account you are pleased to give of your own and your friends' 
 conduct, in point of duty and rehgious offices, and the zealous approbation 
 of them by the good old gentleman your father, reconcile and recommend 
 that method of life to me, and make me almost wish that I were one 
 amongst you. 
 
 " I am, with respects to your brother, sir, your most obliged and most 
 obedient humble servant, 
 
 "Richard Morgan." 
 
The First of the Oxford Methodists. 1 5 
 
 Here the chapter on " The First of the Oxford Methodists " 1729 
 ought to end; but, perhaps, this is the most fitting place for ^^^. 
 the following correspondence respecting William Morgan's 
 brother ; especially as it casts further light upon the principles 
 and mode of life of Wesley and his friends. Chronologically 
 it is out of order, for Richard Morgan did not belong to the 
 quaternion brotherhood who were first branded with the 
 name of "Methodists;" but, still, the ensuing letters serve as 
 a continuation of those already given, and, viewed in such a 
 light, may be acceptable. 
 
 William Morgan's Brother. 
 
 IN a letter, dated "Feb. 17, 1733," Mr. Morgan, senior, 
 states that he is wishful that the books of his deceased 
 son, William, should belong to his only surviving son; and 
 then adds : — 
 
 " I assure you, sir, without any dissimulation or flattery, I rejoice 
 sincerely at the recovery of the good old gentleman, your father.^ And I 
 really am concerned that the scorners of your university continue so 
 malevolent. I could wish they would rather meet you at least half way in 
 imitation of piety and goodness. I must say that these censures have, in 
 a great measure, ceased here ; and I am comforted by my acquaintance 
 telling me that I should [not ?] grieve the loss, from the assurance we 
 have of my dear son's happiness with God, after such a course of piety 
 and godliness as he had engaged in. I pray God to conduct us all to 
 meet together in happiness hereafter. Be assured that you shall never 
 want an advocate in me to defend you against any calumny that I hear 
 you or your friends aspersed with. Pray give my salutations to your good 
 father when you write to him, and to your brother of Christ Church ; for 
 I am, with great sincerity, theirs, and, sir, your very affectionate humble 
 servant, " Richard Morgan." 
 
 The Oxford Methodists were still slandered ; but the father 
 of the dead Morgan, so far from blaming them, was now their 
 faithful friend and defender. This was shown, not in words 
 only, but in deeds ; for, during this same year, 1733, he 
 sent his surviving son to Oxford, and placed him under the 
 
 ^ Wesley's father had been thrown out of a waggon and seriously 
 injured. (See "Life and Times of Rev. Samuel Wesley," pp. 416, 417.) 
 
r6 The First of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 ^7-9 tuition of Wesley, one of the men who had been accused of 
 1735 hastening the death of William. Hence the following, ex- 
 tracted from a letter addressed to Wesley : — 
 
 " Dublin, November 22nd, 1733. 
 
 " Rev. Sir, — I had the favour of yours, and am very thankful for your 
 care and concern about my son, who, I am sure, will observe your advice 
 and directions in everything. I would have him live a sober, virtuous, 
 and religious life, and to go to church and sacrament, according to the 
 statutes and customs of his college ; but for young people to pretend to be 
 more pure and holy than the rest of mankind is a dangerous experiment. 
 As to charitable subscriptions and contributions, I wholly debar him from 
 making any ; because he has not one shilling of his own, but what I give 
 him ; and this I appropriate wholly to his maintenance, education, and 
 moderate and inoffensive recreations and pleasures. And, I believe, as a 
 casuist, you will agree with me that it is injustice, and, consequently, sin- 
 ful, rather than virtuous, to apply my money any other way than as I 
 appropriate it. He must leave me to measure out my own charities, and 
 to distribute them in such manner and proportion as I shall think proper. 
 I hope you will not suspect, from anything I have said, that I intend the 
 least reflection or disrespect to you ; for if I did not think very well of 
 you, and had not a great opinion of your conduct and abilities, I should 
 not put my only son under your tuition, which, I think, is the best proof a 
 man can give of his good esteem and opinion of another. I hope I may 
 be excused for being solicitous to prevent my present son's falling into 
 extremes, which, it is thought, were so prejudicial to my other. 
 
 " I sent a bill of ^50, by the last post, to Mr. James Huey, merchant, 
 in Aldermanbury, London, with directions to transmit the value to you, 
 which I hope is done. I shall begrudge no money that is for my son's 
 benefit and advantage. I would have him live as decently as other 
 gentlemen of his station. I am very desirous that he should keep a 
 regular account, that he may attain to a habit of it, knowing the great use 
 and benefit of accounts to all men. I shall depend upon your letting me 
 know when a further supply will be wanting. Pay my respects to your 
 brother, and believe me to be your very affectionate and most humble 
 servant, " Richard Morgan." 
 
 " To the Rev. John Wesley, Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford." 
 
 No one can find fault with Mr. Morgan's letter. It was 
 economical, and yet generous. For want of judicious restraint 
 like his, hundreds of young Oxonians have been ruined. Too 
 much money in a young man's pocket is a terrible temptation 
 and danger. Besides, Morgan, though only nineteen years of 
 age, had hitherto evinced none of the sobriety of his elder 
 brother ; but, on the contrary, had been a brisk, showy, gay 
 young fellow. Hence, his father's description of him to 
 
The First of the Oxford Methodists. 1 7 
 
 Charles Wesley. After stating that though he had left ^"^ 
 school at the age of sixteen, he was even then "fit for the 1735 
 university, and at least as good a scholar as his brother was 
 when he went to Oxford ;" Mr. Morgan adds, — 
 
 " Three years ago, I purchased an office for him in the law ; but, I fear, 
 he has read very httle of Greek or Latin since, and that he has forgotten 
 a great deal of what he had learned at school ; but I don't think his parts 
 very bad. He was nineteen years of age last July, and is very lusty for 
 his age. I believe he is five feet ten inches high. He has been somewhat 
 gay, and gone to plays and balls ; but addicted to no vice. He has often 
 wished rather to be put forward in his learning, than to stick to an office ; 
 and I am now inclined to indulge him. If it be advisable to put him in 
 this new way of life, you may be sure I can think of no other for his tutor 
 but yourself." 
 
 Charles Wesley, however, thought that the young man 
 would be safer with his brother than with himself; and, 
 indeed, Morgan himself desired that he might be entered a 
 Gentleman Commoner of Lincoln College, and be Wesley's 
 pupil. His father complied with this request ; but the 
 youth soon became dissatisfied. Being under Wesley's 
 care, he was branded with the name of Methodist ; and, 
 in a fit of mortified vanity, wrote to his father, saying, he 
 would rather return to his office in Dublin, than suff"er the 
 sneers of his gay companions, in Oxford. Wesley became 
 acquainted with this, and immediately addressed to Mr. Mor- 
 gan a letter, which, though long, is too interesting and impor- 
 tant to be omitted. We have here a glimpse of the daily life 
 of the Oxford Methodists, a specimen of the contumely 
 cast upon them, and a description of the collegiate wicked- 
 ness surrounding them. It will be seen that Wesley's letter 
 was written within two months after the date of Mr. Morgan's 
 letter just given. 
 
 "January \\th, 1734. 
 
 " Sir, — Going yesterday into your son's room, I providentially cast my 
 eyes upon a paper that lay upon the table, and, contrary to my custom, 
 read a line or two of it, which soon determined me to read the rest. It 
 was a copy of his last letter to you ; whereby, by the signal blessing of 
 God, I came to the knowledge of his real sentiments, both with regard to 
 myself and to several other points of the highest importance. 
 
 " In the account he gives of me, and those friends who are as my own 
 soul, are some things true : — as, that we imagine it is our bounden duty 
 
 C 
 
1 8 The Fii'-st of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 1729 to spend our whole lives in the service of Him that gave them ; or in other 
 to words, ' Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, to do all to the glory 
 
 "735 of God;' that we endeavour, as we are able, to relieve the poor, by buy- 
 ing books and other necessaries for them ; that some of us read prayers 
 at the prison once a day ; that I administer the Sacrament once a month, 
 and preach there as often as I am not engaged elsewhere ; that we sit 
 together five evenings in a week ; and that we observe, as far as our 
 health will permit, the fasts of the Church. 
 
 " Some things are false, but taken upon trust, so that I hope Mr. Mor- 
 gan believed them true : — as that we almost starve ourselves ; that one of 
 us had like lately to have lost his life, by too great abstinence ; that we 
 endeavour to reform notorious whores, and to lay spirits in haunted 
 houses; that we rise every day at five o'clock; and that I am president of 
 the Society. 
 
 " As strange as it may appear that one present upon the spot should 
 so far vary from the truth in his relation, I can easily account, not only 
 for his mistake, but for his designed misrepresentation too. The company 
 he is almost daily with (from whom indeed I should have divided him, 
 had not your letters, coming in the article of time, tied my hands) abun- 
 dantly accounts for the former ; as his desire to lessen your regard for me, 
 and thereby obviate the force of any future complaint, which he foresaw 
 I might some time hence have occasion to make to you, does for the 
 latter. 
 
 "And, indeed, I am not without apprehension that some such occasion 
 may shortly come. I need not describe that apprehension to you. Is 
 there not a cause ? Is he not surrounded, even in this recess, with those 
 who are often more pernicious than open libertines ? Men who retain 
 something of outward decency, and nothing else ; who seriously idle away 
 the whole day, and repeatedly revel till midnight, and if not drunken 
 themselves, yet encouraging and applauding those that are so; who have 
 no more of the form than of the power of godliness, and though they do 
 pretty often drop in at the pubhc prayers, coming after the most solemn 
 part of them is over, yet expressly disown any obligation to attend them. 
 It is true they have not yet laughed your son out of all his diligence ; but 
 how long it will be before they have, God knows. They zealously endea- 
 vour it at all convenient opportunities ; and temporal views are as unable 
 to support him under such an attack, as his slender notions of religion 
 are ; of which, he often says, he thinks he shall have enough, if he con- 
 stantly says his prayers at home and in the chapel. As to my advice on 
 this or any other head, they had secured him pretty well before ; and 
 your authority added to theirs, has supplied him with armour of proof 
 against it. 
 
 " I now beg to know what you would have me to do 1 Shall I sit still, 
 and let him swim down the stream ? Or shall I plunge in, bound as I am 
 hand and foot, and oppose myself to his company, his inclinations, and 
 his father ? 
 
 "Why, you say, I am to incite him to live a sober, virtuous, and 
 eligious life. Nay, but let me first tell you what religion is. I take 
 
The First of the Oxford Methodists. 19 
 
 religion to be, not the bare saying over so many prayers, morning and 1 729 
 evening, in public or in private ; not anything superadded now and then to 
 to a careless or worldly life ; but a constant ruling habit of the soul; a '735 
 renewal of our minds in the image of God ; a recovery of the Divine like- 
 ness ; a still increasing conformity of heart and life to the pattern of our 
 most Holy Redeemer. 
 
 " But if this be religion, if this be the way to life, which our blessed 
 Lord hath marked out for us, how can any one, while he keeps close to 
 this way, be charged with running into extremes? It is true, there is no 
 going out of it, either to the right hand or to the left, without running into 
 an extreme ; and, to prevent this, the wisdom of the Church has, in all 
 ages, appointed guides for the unexperienced, lest they should wander 
 into bye-paths, and seek death in the error of their life. But while he is 
 in the right way, what fear is there of your son's going too fast in it } 
 
 " I appeal to your experience. Have you observed any such disposition 
 in him, as gives you ground to suspect he will love God too well, or keep 
 himself too ^ unspotted from the world''? Or has his past life been such, 
 as that you have just reason to apprehend the remainder of it should too 
 much resemble that of our blessed Master ? I will go further. Have you 
 remarked in the various scenes you have gone through, that youth in 
 general is apt to run into the extreme of piety ? Is it to this excess that 
 the fervour of their blood and the impetuosity of their passions hurry 
 them ? 
 
 " But we may not stop here. Is there any fear, is there any possibility 
 that any son of Adam, of whatever age or degree, should too faithfully do 
 the will of his Creator, or too exactly tread in the steps of his Redeemer? 
 Suppose the time now come when you feel within yourself, that the silver 
 cord of life is loosed, that the dust is returning to the earth as it was, and 
 the spirit unto God who gave it. The snares of death overtake you. No- 
 thing but pain is on the one hand, eternity on the other. The tears of the 
 friends that surround your bed bear witness with the pangs of your own 
 heart, that it has few pulses more to beat before you launch out into the 
 sea without a shore ; before the soul shall part from the quivering lips and 
 stand naked before the judgment-seat of God. Will you then be content 
 with having served God according to the custom of the place you were 
 in? Will you regret your having been, even from your youth, more pure 
 and holy than the rest of mankind ? Will you complain to the ministering 
 spirits who receive your new-born soul, that you have been over zealous 
 in the love of your Master ? Ask not me, a poor, fallible, sinful mortal, 
 never safe either from the snares of ill example or the treachery of my 
 own heart ; but ask thetn, —ask Him who died to make you and me and 
 your son zealous of good works, — whether you may be excused from your 
 solicitude, your too successful solicitude, to prevent his faUing into this 
 extreme ? How needless has he made that solicitude already ! But, I 
 spare you. The good Lord be merciful to us both ! 
 
 "Think not, sir, that interest occasions the concern I show. I abhor 
 the thought. From the moment my brother told me, ''Air. Morgan will 
 be safer with you than viej 1 have desired him to be sent to you,' I deter- 
 
20 The First of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 1729 mined (though I never mentioned it to him) to restore to him whatsoever 
 to is paid me upon Mr. Morgan's account. It is, with regard to me, an 
 "735 accursed thing. There shall no such cleave unto me. I have sufficient 
 motives, without this, to assist your son, so long as he will accept my 
 assistance. He is the brother of my dear friend, the son of one that was 
 my friend till great names warped him from his purpose, and, what is 
 infinitely more, the creature of my God, and the redeemed and fellow-heir 
 of my Saviour. 
 
 " That neither the cares of the world nor the fair speeches and vener- 
 able titles of any who set up their rest therein, may prevent our attaining 
 our better inheritance, is the earnest prayer of, sir, your most obliged and 
 most obedient servant, 
 
 "John Wesley." 
 " Richard Morgan, Esq." ^ 
 
 This is a noble letter, though, perhaps, somewhat hard 
 upon Mr. Morgan, senior. The picture of collegiate life at 
 Oxford shows the need there was for Oxford Methodism ; 
 while the definitions of real religion demonstrate that the 
 leader of the Oxford Methodists was not the fanatic which 
 his enemies said he was. 
 
 Unfortunately, we soon lose sight of the gay young Gentle- 
 man Commoner of Lincoln College ; but Wesley's interest in 
 his welfare was not without results. For a considerable time, 
 no impression could be made on the airy and thoughtless 
 youth. Wesley did his best, but failed ; and, at length, he 
 desired Hervey to undertake the task. Hervey succeeded. 
 John Gambold writes : — 
 
 " Mr. Hervey, by his easy and engaging conversation, by letting him 
 see a mind thoroughly serious and happy, where so many of the fine 
 qualities he most esteemed were all gone over into the service of religion, 
 gained Mr. Morgan's heart to the best purposes." Gambold adds, "Since 
 Mr. Morgan became that meek, sincere Christian which he now is," 
 [written about 1736] he has had a singular affection toward Mr. Wesley, 
 and has run some hazard to be in his company, — a sign that those 
 counsels and wishes, which seemed once to be given in vain, do now take 
 place in him." 
 
 About two years after this change in the young Irishman, 
 Wesley, and his brother, accompanied by Benjamin Ingham, 
 set sail for Georgia ; and Morgan, so far from being ashamed 
 of their acquaintance, went to London purposely to see them 
 
 ' Moore's Life of Wesley, vol. i., p. 198. 
 
The First of tJie Oxford MetJiodists. 2 1 
 
 start; and expressed a willingness to go all the way to 1729 
 
 Yorkshire to do them service. Ingham writes : — ^ ^° 
 
 "^ 1735 
 
 " Mr. Morgan, a gentleman of Lincoln College, Oxford, came up to 
 London to take leave of Mr. Wesley. He was a zealous and sincere 
 Christian and was very earnest with me to go to Georgia. He promised 
 himself to make a journey into Yorkshire to see my mother, and to do 
 what he could towards settling the school. As to having my mother's 
 consent, he said, If I thought it was God's will, I must obey my Master, 
 and go wherever I could do Him service, whether my relations were willing 
 or not." 
 
 This was the fashionable young man who, two years before 
 entered Lincoln College, bringing a favourite greyhound with 
 him ; choosing men " more pernicious than open libertines " 
 for his companions ; and writing to his father querulous and 
 false complaints of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 Now he was an Oxford Methodist himself Hence the 
 following letter, which was addressed to Wesley, three weeks 
 before the two Wesleys and Ingham embarked for Georgia. 
 
 " September 25, 1 735. 
 " Dear Sir, — I hope this will find you and the rest of our friends 
 well. This morning the Rector sent for me. He told me he had heard I 
 had returned to my former strict way of life, and that he must acquaint my 
 father with it. I desired, he would come to particulars, and said, that 
 where I was wrong I should be glad to be set right. He said, I looked 
 thin, and feared I would hurt myself by rigorous fasting. I told him, I 
 dined in the hall on Wednesdays, and that I eat bread and butter on 
 Friday mornings. He was pretty well satisfied with this account. He 
 advised me to take something else instead of tea after fasting, which I 
 promised to do. His next charge was not sitting in the common room. 
 I said, I intended to sit there three nights every week, which he thought 
 was sufficient. I unguardedly told him that, if it were agreeable to him, I 
 would dine in the hall even on Fridays. He very much approved of this 
 proposal, and said, I might observe any other day as a fast instead of it. 
 I believe, if I would go into the hall on fast days, all my other actions 
 would be less taken notice of, and I should put it out of the Rector's or 
 Mr. Hutchin's power to make any complaints of me to my father. If I 
 could be sure of not injuring religion by my example, I believe I might 
 comply with the Rector herein, for, you are very sensible, I might notwith- 
 standing observe the same degree of abstinence even on those days. I 
 depend on the advice of my friends in this affair, and hope God will 
 sanctify it to me. The Gospel tells us, that the children of God must 
 
 ' MS. Journal. 
 
2 2 The First of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 1 729 suffer persecution from the world ; but the Rector says, we must endeavour 
 to to have our persons in esteem, and those things wherein we differ from 
 
 '^^'SS the world we must do privately. We must take care our good be not evil 
 spoken of. Though the Church enjoins fasting, yet, because the bishops, 
 the pillars of the Church, do not observe it, it loses its force. When he 
 finds his blood hot, he says, he fasts, but unknown to anybody. He thinks 
 it is a relative duty, and not confined to any particular time. He looks 
 upon it only as a remedy against unchastity, and, if we are not troubled 
 with this passion, I suppose, not obligatory. He advised me to read such 
 books as were genteel accomplishments. I have, through God's assist- 
 ance, in some degree, seen my own weakness, by the effects of this anti- 
 Christian doctrine, for it has quite discomposed me, though I was enabled 
 to see the fallacy of it. I see nothing so well qualified to destroy my 
 soul, to make me eternally miserable, as the conversation of temporizing 
 Christians, which, I hope, by your advice and other means, God will 
 prevent, as I am sure He will, if I am faithful to Him. 
 
 " When I desire your advice in this affair, I only desire you to prevent 
 my eternal damnation; for it is in the greatest danger from this most 
 subtle, deceitful, and dangerous of all enemies. Oh that I could express 
 to you the danger I foresee from this enemy ! My eyes and my heart alone 
 could ; but these you cannot see. May God enable you to comprehend it, 
 and to do all that is in your power to prevent it ! You cannot sufficiently 
 arm me against the Rector. I suspect him of insincerity to you. I want 
 to know whether you ever did. I beheve, and Mr. Horn is of the same 
 opinion, that my going to Ireland depends on my going into the hall on 
 fast days.' The Rector said as much as if you frightened others from 
 religion by your example ; and that you might have done a great deal of 
 good, if you had been less strict, which I would be glad to be undeceived 
 in, and to know whether the example of a thorough mortified Christian, 
 though it would give the greatest offence, would not do more than that of 
 a plausible Christian, who would give no offence at all. This is a point of 
 great importance to me. 
 
 " It has pleased God to let me see that I can make no progress in 
 religion till I have acquired some sense of the misery and nothingness of 
 human nature, and of our entire dependence on Him. Though I go into 
 the common room to avoid a greater evil, — though I would not live the life 
 of those who spend their time there for all the world, — though I am scarcely 
 capable of doing anything which is more disagreeable to me,— yet the 
 poison is not removed. While I am with them, I love my sense, my 
 judgment, my reason. It is true, I am. all the time in pain; but I cannot 
 say, at that time, they lead an un-Christian, dangerous life. I believe it 
 is for want of faith, and for not looking upon it as a great blessing, since 
 it is not my own choice. I want to know how to remove this delusion, 
 and how to make an advantage of that which God no doubt intended for 
 my good. If I do not make a use of this cross, I am satisfied it will be 
 the ruin of me. 
 
 "Oh lay this to your heart, and make my case your own. Do not think 
 you can spend your time better than in answering this letter. I hope you 
 
The First of the Oxford Methodists. 23 
 
 will not forget to pray to God to enable me to follow you wherever it is 1 729 
 His will, and never to omit putting me in mind of it when you write ^° 
 to me. ^735 
 
 " Mr, Robson is in a dangerous way. He is convinced of the necessity 
 of being a Christian, but cannot leave the world. Mr. Carter, I fear, is 
 not steady. Mr. Hervey is gone. Mr. Broughton is not yet returned. 
 If he go to Georgia, it is best." 
 
 This is a curious letter, — not remarkable for either intel- 
 ligence or scholarship ; but it partly unfolds the character 
 of its writer ; reveals some of the difficulties of the collegiate 
 life of the Oxford Methodists ; shows the importance which 
 they attached to fasts ; and points to Wesley as the leader 
 of the religious brotherhood. 
 
 The Wesleys had left Oxford; but, for a time at least, 
 Charles Morgan and Mr. Broughton carried on the work 
 which they and the elder Morgan had commenced. Charles 
 Morgan undertook the care of Bocardo, which he visited 
 three days every week. He read an hour every other day, 
 at the house of Mr. Fox, in the Catechism of the Bishop of 
 the Isle of Man ; and, in the same place, held a meeting 
 every Sunday night with " a cheerful number of Christians." 
 "The Lord's kingdom," he writes, November 27, 1735, "in- 
 creaseth apace ; and I find more and more comfort in the 
 holy Scriptures every day." 
 
 Our information concerning Robert Kirkham, William 
 Morgan, and his younger brother Charles, is exhausted. 
 As Oxford Methodists, they deserve notice ; but, so far as 
 is ascertained, they were of comparatively little use either 
 to the Church or to the world. William Morsfan had no 
 opportunity for public usefulness ; and Robert Kirkham and 
 Charles Morgan drift away into the great ocean of exist- 
 ence, and leave no track behind them. 
 
THE REV. JOHN CLAYTON, M.A., 
 
 THE JACOBITE CHURCHMAN. 
 
 GOD has wisely and graciously hidden the future from 
 us. We may form guesses concerning it ; but we have 
 not the slightest certainty that our guesses will be realised. 
 Who, in 1732, could have foretold the future career of the Ox- 
 ford Methodists .'' If the members of the Methodist fraternity 
 could have seen beforehand the events of the next fifty 
 years, what would have been the issue ? Would the fellow- 
 ship of the Hanoverian and Jacobite, the Methodist and 
 Moravian, the Churchman and Dissenter, the Arminian and 
 Calvinist, the itinerant Evangelist and the parish Priest, have 
 been continued .'' That fellowship was of incalculable im- 
 portance ; but its maintenance depended upon the short- 
 sightedness of those who were united in it. The drawing 
 aside of the veil of futurity would, in all likelihood, have 
 converted the loving brotherhood into an Ishmaelitish band, 
 endangering, not only its future usefulness, but its present 
 existence, by its own internecine fights. As it was, there went 
 forth a number of brave-hearted men, all of them the better 
 for their godly meetings in Wesley's comfortable room in 
 Lincoln College ; and, though their courses were divergent, 
 yet, in the main, they continued faithful to the cause of truth, 
 and, with few exceptions, were always loyal to their great 
 Master, Christ. In a qualified sense, we may apply to Ox- 
 ford Methodism the words of the sacred text : " A river went 
 out of Eden to water the garden ; and from thence it was 
 parted, and became into four heads " (Gen. ii. 10). Let us 
 follow one of the out-flowings : — 
 
 John Clayton was the son of William Clayton, a book- 
 seller in Manchester;! was born in 1709, and was educated 
 
 ^ Clayton's father died in January, 1737 (The Private Journal and 
 Literary Remains of John Byrom, vol. ii., p. 87). 
 
The yacobite C/un-ckman. 25 
 
 by the Rev. John Richards, M.A., at the Grammar School 1732 
 in that important town. He entered Brazenose College in Age~2^ 
 1726, and became Hulme's exhibitioner in 1729.^ He was in- 
 troduced to Wesley in 1732 ; and, by his recommendation, 
 the Oxford Methodists took another important step, that of 
 fasting twice a week. Wesley writes, — 
 
 "On April 20, 1732, Mr. Clayton meeting me in the street, and giving 
 Mr. Rivington's^ service, I desired his company to my room, and then 
 commenced our acquaintance. At the first opportunity, I acquainted him 
 with our whole design, which he immediately and heartily closed with ; 
 and, not long after, (Mr. Morgan having then left Oxford,) we fixed two 
 evenings in a week to meet on, partly to talk on that subject, and partly 
 to read something in practical divinity. The two points whereunto, by 
 the blessing of God, we had before attained, we endeavoured to hold fast : 
 I mean, the doing what good we can ; and, in order thereto, communi- 
 cating as often as we have opportunity. To these, by the advice of Mr. 
 Clayton, we added a third, — the observing the fasts of the Church ; the 
 general neglect of which we can by no means apprehend to be a lawful 
 excuse for neglecting them. And in the resolution to adhere to these and 
 all things else, which we are convinced God requires at our hands, we 
 trust we shall persevere till He calls us to give an account of our steward- 
 ship. As for the names of Methodists, Supererogation-men, and so on, 
 with which some of our neighbours are pleased to compliment us, we do 
 not conceive ourselves to be under any obligation to regard them, much 
 less to take them for arguments. ' To the law and to the testimony ' we 
 appeal, whereby we ought to be judged. If by these it can be proved we 
 are in error, we will immediately and gladly retract it : if not, we ' have 
 not so learned Christ,' as to renounce any part of His service, though men 
 should ' say all manner of evil against us,' with more judgment and as 
 little truth as hitherto. We do, indeed, use all the lawful means we 
 know to prevent 'the good which is in us' from being 'evil spoken of:' 
 but if' the neglect of known duties be the one condition of securing our 
 reputation, why, fare it well ; we know whom we have believed, and what 
 we thus lay out He will pay us again." ^ 
 
 These were brave Christian words ; the noble utterance of 
 an earnest, conscientious, godly man. The Methodist brother- 
 hood, thus portrayed, present an example which all who are 
 right-minded cannot but admire. There is no taking for 
 "doctrines the commandments of men;" no ridiculous toy- 
 ing with ecclesiastical or superstitious trifles ; but a stout- 
 
 1 The Private Journal and Literary Remains of John Byrom, 1855. 
 
 2 Mr. Rivington, the bookseller of St. Paul's Churchyard, London. 
 
 ^ Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 13. 
 
26 Rev. yohn Clayton, 
 
 1732 hearted adherence to great, scripture principles. Wesley- 
 Age 23 and his friends were not pious for the purpose of being 
 singular, but because they felt it to be a duty. To be 
 laughed at was far from being pleasant ; but they were quite 
 prepared to sacrifice even their reputation, rather than dis- 
 honour the religion of their great Master. Men might brand 
 them with opprobrious epithets ; but that with them was of 
 trifling importance, if only at the day of judgment, Christ 
 acknowledged them as friends. They knew they were not 
 following " cunningly devised fables ; " they were not flippant 
 dabblers in "doubtful disputations;" but earnest men who 
 knew that what they held was truth, and who, at all hazards, 
 were resolved to practise it. 
 
 Clayton had spent six years at Oxford, and was now a 
 college tutor.^ The following letter was addressed to Wesley 
 about three months after he and Clayton became acquainted. 
 It is long, but is full of interest, and casts considerable light 
 on^ the doings and difficulties of the Oxford Methodists. 
 Wesley, at the time, seems to have been in London, where he 
 was now made a member of " The Society for the Propaga- 
 tion of Christian Knowledge," and also formed a friendship 
 with William Law. 
 
 " OxOn, August I, 1732. 
 
 " Rev. and dear Sir, — Excuse me for not interrupting you from 
 attending to the noble work you have taken in hand, whilst I give you an 
 account of the present state of our affairs at Oxford. 
 
 " I cannot but think it an extraordinary piece of Providence that, when 
 we had lost our best advocate and patron, all opposition against us should 
 immediately cease ; for, since you left us, nobody has thought it worth 
 while to attack either Mr. Smith or me,"'^ or to endeavour to remove us 
 
 ' Wesley's Works, vol. viii., p. 334. 
 ^ Mr. Smith was evidently one of the Oxford Methodists, and appears 
 to have been a Fellow of Lincoln College. In a letter dated Aug. 17, 
 1733, Wesley writes, — "The thing that gives offence here, is the being 
 singular with regard to time, expense, and company. This is evident 
 beyond exception, from the case of Mr. Smith, one of our Fellows, who 
 no sooner began to husband his time, to retrench unnecessary expenses, 
 and to avoid his irreligious acquaintances, but he was set upon, by not 
 only those acquaintance, but many others too, as if he had entered into a 
 conspiracy to cut all their throats : though, to this day, he had not ad- 
 vised any single person, unless in a word or two and by accident, to act 
 as he did in those instances" (Moore's Life of Wesley, vol. i., p. 206). 
 We have not been able to trace Mr. Smith's subsequent career. The 
 
The yacobite Churchman. 27 
 
 from those principles wherein you, by the grace of God, have fixed us, ii-xz 
 I have gone ever}' day to Lincoln, big with expectation to hear of some — 
 mighty attack made upon Mr. Smith ; but, 1 thank God, I have always ^'^'^ "^ 
 been disappointed ; for not one of the Fellows has once so much as tried 
 to shake him, or to convert him from the right way, wherein, I hope, he 
 at present walks. Indeed, on Sunday, he met with a rub from Mr. 
 Veesy, who refused to read Prayers for him in your chapel, for fear of 
 contributing anything to his going to Christ Church. But Mr. Smith had 
 the heart to desire that favour of the Rector which Mr. Veesy had 
 denied him, who immediately promised to read for him, and encouraged 
 him to proceed in the way he was in, and, if possible, to make further 
 progress in virtue and holiness. He goes out of town to-morrow morn- 
 ing, and so will be entirely out of danger from the Fellows of Lincoln. 
 We had conversation this morning, whilst we were at breakfast together, 
 concerning the temptations which may arise from strange company and 
 travelling ; and Mr. Smith seems to be fore-armed against, and deter- 
 mined to oppose them to the utmost of his power. He joins with me in 
 best respects to your brother and you, and desires you won't forget to 
 send the bands and the poems you promised him. 
 
 " Poor Mr. Clements ^ is still recovering. He was with me last night 
 two hours, but I doubt to no purpose. 
 
 " My little flock ^ at Brazenose are, God be praised, true to their princi- 
 ples, and I hope to themselves too. 
 
 " Bocardo, * I fear, grows worse upon my hands. They have done nothing 
 but quarrel ever since you left us ; and they carried matters so high on 
 Saturday, that the bailiffs were sent for, who ordered Tomlyns to be fet- 
 
 following letter, however, Avritten a few months later than the above by 
 Wesley, will not be unacceptable. 
 
 " London, February 6, 1734 ; 4, Perpool Lane. 
 
 " My dearest Friend, — It was waiting for Mr. Greeve's coming 
 made me not answer yours sooner. If, when I come, I don't give you a 
 sufficient reason for my being so long alasent from college, never trust me 
 more. But, yet, alas ! how lukewarm is piety become with me at the 
 best ; and fasting neglected, which I never looked for ; not entirely 
 dropped, I hope, but for a week or two, to be taken up and practised 
 again incessantly. 
 
 " Notwithstanding, I cannot be present in body sooner than in a 
 month's time, because I am learning shorthand, which will take up a full 
 fortnight of it. You know, I presume, I was obliged to see my father 
 before my return, and, therefore, we will get you to ask leave of absence, 
 and entreat Mr. Farrer for so much longei'. 
 
 " I beg my humble service to him and all friends ; and accept the same 
 yourself from, my dearest friend, your much obliged friend and servant, 
 William Smith. 
 
 '' The Rev. Mr. Wesley, Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford." 
 
 ^ Probably another Oxford Methodist. 
 ^ Probably his pupils. 
 ' A room over the north gate of the city, used as a common prison, 
 principally for debtors. 
 
28 Rev. John Clayton, 
 
 7732 tered and put in the dungeon, where he lay some hours, and then, upon 
 — promise of his gpod behaviour, was released again. He has been much 
 ^^ "3 better ever since that time, and I hope will be better for it all his life-time. 
 Wisdom has never been to hear me read, notwithstanding his promise. 
 I sent for him yesterday, but he would not come down ; and when I had 
 done reading, I went upstairs to him, and upbraided him with breaking 
 his promise, upon which he very easily replied, that he had thought better 
 of it since he had seen me, and was determined never to come near Blair, 
 lest his indignation should rise at the sight of him. 
 
 "The Castle is, I thank God, in much better condition. All the felons 
 were acquitted, except Salmon, who is referred to be tried at Warwick, 
 to our great disappointment, — and the sheep-stealer, who is burnt in the 
 hand, and who, 1 verily believe, is a great penitent. I got Mrs. Jopping 
 a copy of her son's indictment at the assizes, which has made her mighty 
 easy ever since; and she is now endeavouring to bring her mind into a 
 due frame for the devout participation of the holy communion on Sunday 
 next. Jempro is discharged, and I have appointed Harris to read to the 
 prisoners in his stead. Two of the felons likewise have paid their fees, 
 and are gone out, both of them able to read mighty well. There are only 
 two in the jail who want this accomplishment, — John Clanvills, who reads 
 but moderately, and the horse-stealer, who cannot read at all. He knows 
 all his letters, however, and can spell most of the common monosyllables. 
 I hear them both read three times a week, and I believe Salmon hears 
 them so many times a day. 
 
 " One of my college scholars has left me, but the others go on mighty 
 well. The woman, who was a perfect novice, spells tolerably, and so 
 does one of the boys, and the others make shift to read with spelling every 
 word that is longer than ordinary. The boys can both say their Catechism 
 as far as the end of the Commandments, and can likewise repeat the morn- 
 ing and evening prayers for children in ' Ken's Manual.' 
 
 " Mrs. Tireby has been very ill this last week, so that she has made no 
 great proficiency. I am to go down at six o'clock to hear the determina- 
 tion of a meeting of St. Thomas's, parish, respecting separating Bossum 
 and his wife. When I had promised to give a crown towards clothing 
 the woman, and the overseer had determined to take her in upon that 
 condition, the churchwarden would needs have him try to put the man 
 upon me too, to get a crown towards clothing him ; but, as he is able to work 
 for his living, I don't think him a proper object for charity; nor can I at 
 this time afford to do anything for him, because I am apprehensive that I 
 must be forced to contribute to Salmon's relief, who will want near twenty 
 shillings to subpoena proper witnesses to Warwick at his trial ; and I 
 cannot but think it a much greater act of charity to relieve a suffering 
 innocent than to relieve an idle beggar. 
 
 " I have been twice at the school, — namely on Tuesday and Saturday 
 last, and intend to go again as soon as I have finished this letter. The 
 children all go on pretty well, except Jervaise's boy, who, I find, truants 
 till eleven o'clock in a morning, I threatened the boy what we would do 
 to him if ever he truantcd any more, and he has promised (as all children 
 
The yacobite Ckurckman. 29 
 
 do) that he will do so no more; nay, his mother assures me that she will ij^,! 
 take care for the future that he shall not. I got a shilling for her from — 
 our Vice Principal, and gave her sixpence myself,' to preserve the gown ^^ "^ 
 that is in pawn from being sold ; and the woman who has it promised 
 not to sell it, provided Jervaise will bring her sixpence a week towards 
 redeeming it. 
 
 " I have obtained leave to go to St. Thomas's workhouse twice a week ; 
 and, indeed, I cannot but hope it will be a noble field of improvement. 
 I am sure the people stand much in need of instruction, for there is hardly 
 a soul that can read in the whole house, and those that can, don't under- 
 stand one word of what they read. 
 
 " I think I have nothing further to add about our affairs ; only I must 
 beg the favour of you, if you can conveniently, to pay Mr. Rivington 
 thirty shillings for my use, and I will repay it when you come to Oxford. 
 Pray don't forget a few Common Prayer Books for the Castle. 
 
 " You cannot imagine the pleasure it is to me to know that you are 
 engaged every morning in prayer for me. I wish for nine o'clock more 
 eagerly than ever I did before, and I think I begin to perceive what is 
 meant by that union of souls which is so much talked of in Pere Male- 
 branche and Madam Bourignon, which I never understood before. Good 
 sir, continue your prayers for me, for I feel that I am benefited by them. 
 
 " I do not envy you the happiness, which I know you will have from 
 the conversation of so many pious men as you will meet with in London, 
 because I assure myself that I shall have the benefit of it when I have the 
 pleasure to see you again at Oxford. 
 
 " Mr. Hall is not yet come home, so that I am pretty much taken up 
 amongst the poor people and the prisoners, and have not yet had time to 
 consider of any improvements or additions to be made to the list of books 
 for our pupils. 
 
 " I thank God that I have fully conquered my affection for a morning's 
 nap, and rise constantly by five o'clock at the farthest, and have the plea- 
 sure to see myself imitated by the greatest part of my pupils. I have 
 talked with Mr. Clements, and I hope have made him a proselyte to early 
 rising, though I cannot to constant communion. 
 
 " Pray God prosper all those designs you have undertaken of doing 
 good at London, and send you a good journey to Oxford. 
 
 " I am, rev. and dear sir, your most affectionate friend, and most 
 obliged humble servant, "J. Clayton." 
 
 " I hope you will not forget to pay my due compliments to Sir John 
 Philips, Mr. Wogan, and all my other good friends. 
 
 " To the Rev. Mr. John Wesley. To be left with Mr. Rivington, book- 
 seller, in St. Paul's Churchyard, London." 
 
 This long epistle, besides unfolding Clayton's character, 
 helps us to a better understanding of the position and prac- 
 tices of the Oxford Methodists. The debtors in Bocardo, the 
 prisoners in the Castle, and paupers in the streets were objects 
 
30 Rev. yohn Clayto7i, 
 
 of their beneficent compassion. Tliey had their schools for 
 the children of the poor ; and, in their mission of mercy, were 
 about to visit the workhouse of St. Thomas's. Early rising 
 was a habit, and prayer for each other a daily practice. Con- 
 stant communion was enforced ; though the dogma of the 
 real presence of the body and blood of Christ was, as yet at 
 least, no article of their faith. 
 
 Wesley being absent, there was a lull in the storm of 
 Methodist persecution ; but this was of short duration. 
 Within a month after the date of Clayton's letter, poor Wil- 
 liam Morgan died ; an event which furnished an occasion 
 for a violent attack upon the Oxford brotherhood, in what 
 was then one of the most literary and respectable papers 
 published, — Fogg's Weekly Journal. They were accused of 
 mopishness, hypocrisy, censoriousness, enthusiasm, madness, 
 and superstitious scruples. "Among their own party," says 
 the writer, " they pass for religious persons and men of ex- 
 traordinary parts ; but they have the misfortune to be taken 
 by all who have ever been in their company, for madmen 
 and fools." 
 
 Hardly any evil is without a good. The virulence of Fogg's 
 Weekly Journal excited the curiosity of a gentleman who had 
 no acquaintance with the Methodists, but who now sought an 
 interview with them, and shortly after published an octavo 
 pamphlet of thirty pages,' entitled, — " The Oxford Methodists : 
 Being some account of a Society of young Gentlemen, in that 
 City, so denominated : setting forth their Rise, Views, and 
 Designs." In this first defence of Methodism ever published, 
 the slanderous accusations cast upon Wesley and his friends 
 were refuted ; and the Methodists were described as fol- 
 lows : — 
 
 " There are three points to which these gentlemen think themselves 
 obhged to adhere :— i. That of visiting and reheving the prisoners and the 
 sick, and giving away Bibles, Common Prayer Books, and the ' Whole Duty 
 of Man ' ; and of explaining the Catechism to the children of poor families, 
 and of dropping a shiUing dV so to such families where they deem it 
 needful. 2. That of weekly communion. 3. That of observing strictly 
 the fasts of the Church, which has caused some to call them ' Superero- 
 gation Men.'" 
 
 To return to Clayton. About the time of the publication 
 of this pamphlet (the beginning of 1733), Clayton removed to 
 
The yacobite ChiLrchman. 
 
 Manchester ; where, during the ensuing summer, he was visited i733 
 by Wesley, who, on Sunday, June 3rd, preached thrice in Age~24 
 three different churches, namely, the Cathedral, and Salford, 
 and St. Anne's churches. Whether these pulpits were ob- 
 tained through Clayton's influence, there is no evidence 
 to show ; but, remembering the odium connected with the 
 name, it certainly is a curious fact, that in the populous and 
 thriving town of Manchester, the Oxford Arch-Methodist 
 was allowed to occupy so prominent a position. 
 
 When Clayton left Oxford, Clayton's pupils left Method- 
 ism. Ten days after his visit to Manchester, Wesley wrote, — 
 
 "1733, June ^th. 
 " The effects of my last journey, I believe, will make me more cau- 
 tious of staying any time from Oxford for the future. One of my pupils 
 told me at my return, that he was more and more afraid of singularity ; 
 and another, that he had read an excellent piece of Mr. Locke's, which 
 had convinced him of the mischief of regarding authority. Our seven 
 and twenty communicants at St. Mary's were on Monday shrunk to five; 
 and the day before, the last of Mr. Clayton's pupils who continued with 
 us, informed me that he did not design to meet us any more." ' 
 
 This was somewhat discouraging. Meanwhile, besides 
 keeping two fast days every week, Clayton, and also Wesley, 
 began to evince other High Church proclivities. Hence the 
 following, sent to Wesley only a month after his visit to 
 Manchester : — 
 
 "Jit^y, 1733- 
 "Rev. and dear Sir, — I have been thinking upon the two points 
 which you proposed to my consideration in your last, and must acknow- 
 ledge myself to be utterly unable to form any judgment upon them which 
 M'ill be serviceable to you. 
 
 " My own rule is to spend an hour every Friday in looking over my 
 diary ,2 and observing the difference between it and the preceding week ; 
 after which, I examine the resolutions set down in the account of my last 
 weekly examination, and inquire how I have kept them, and then see 
 
 ' Moore's " Life of Wesley," vol. i., p. 205. 
 ^ Where is Clayton's diary now t We wish we could find it. Wesley 
 begun to keep a diary as early as about the year 1725 (see Wesley's 
 Works, vol. i. p. 3), in which, he says, he noted how he "employed every 
 hour." This practice he continued to do, wherever he was, till he left 
 England in 1735 ! S-^^d yet not a line of these interesting journals has 
 been published. Where are those manuscripts, and why are they not given 
 to the public } 
 
Rev. yohn Clayto7i, 
 
 J 7,-, what others are necessary to be formed, which I write down at the end of 
 — my diary for every week, that so they may be materials for my subsequent 
 Age 24 examination. 
 
 " As to your question about Saturday,^ I can only answer it by giving 
 an account how I spend it. I do not look upon it as a preparation for 
 Sunday, but as a festival itself ; and, therefore, I have continued festival 
 prayer for the three primitive hours, and for morning and evening, from 
 the Apostolical Constitutions, which, I think, I communicated to you 
 whilst at Oxford. I look upon Friday as my preparation for the celebra- 
 tion of both the Sabbath and the Lord's-day ; the first of which I observe 
 much like a common saint's day, or as one of tthe inferior holidays of the 
 Church. I bless God, I have generally contrived to have the Eucharist 
 celebrated on Saturdays as well as other holidays, for the use of myself 
 and the sick people whom I visit. 
 
 " Dr. Deacon " gives his humble service to you, and lets you know that 
 
 ' To use a popular designation, Clayton and Wesley were becoming 
 Ritualists. Hitherto the Bible had been their only rule of faith and prac- 
 tice ; now they began to study ecclesiastical canons and decretals. One 
 of these was to regard Saturday as the Sabbath-day, and Sunday as the 
 Lord's-day. Christians, however, were not to " Judaize and rest on " 
 (Saturday, or) " the Sabbath-day ; but work, and give the preference to 
 the Lord's-day, by resting as Christians." On both days might be cele- 
 brated the Feast of the Eucharist, even during Lent. If any clergyman 
 was found fasting on any Saturday, except Easter Eve, he was to be 
 deposed ; and if a layman was guilty of such a peccadillo, he was to 
 be suspended from communion. At the time of the Laodicean Council 
 (about A.D. 363), public assemblies were held on Saturdays as well as 
 Sundays, and it was decreed that on the former, as on the latter, " the 
 Gospels, with the other Scriptures, ought to be read " before " the Sacri- 
 fice," or Eucharist. (Laodicean Canons, 29th, 49th, i6th; and Apostolical 
 Canons, 56th.) 
 
 - Dr. Deacon was one of the non-juring priests, or high churchmen, 
 who refused to take the oaths to the government of King William IIL 
 They maintained : — i. The doctrine of passive obedience. 2. That the 
 hereditary succession to the throne is of Divine institution, and, therefore, 
 can never be interrupted, suspended, or annulled. 3. That the Church is 
 subject to the jurisdiction, not of the civil magistrates, but of God alone, 
 particularly in matters of a religious nature. 4. That, consequently, the 
 bishops deposed by William III. remained, notwithstanding their de- 
 position, true bishops to the day of their death ; and that those who were 
 substituted in their place were the unjust possessors of other men's pro- 
 perty. 5. That these unjust possessors of ecclesiastical dignities were 
 rebels against the State, as well as schismatics in the Church ; and that 
 all, therefore, who held communion with them were also chargeable with 
 rebellion and schism ; and, 6. That this schism, which rends the Church 
 in pieces, was a most heinous sin, whose punishment must fall heavy on 
 all those who did not return sincerely to the true Church from which they 
 had departed. 
 
 Dr. Deacon held such opinions and suffered for them. It was alleged 
 by his opponents that, after the rebellion in 171 5, he absolved Justice Hall 
 and Parson Paul at the gallows, and publicly declared to them, at Tyburn, 
 that the fact for which they were executed was meritorious. It was fin'^^ier 
 
The yacobite Churchman.. 
 
 the worship and discipline of the primitive Christians have taken up so 1733 
 much of his time, that he has never read the Fathers with a particular — 
 view to their moral doctrines, and therefore cannot furnish you with the ^^ ~^ 
 testimonies you want out of his collection. However, if you will give me 
 a month's time, I will try what I can do for you. I have made some pro- 
 gress in the earliest authors, and should have made more had I not been 
 interrupted ; first, with the public ceremony of the bishop's triennial 
 visitation ; and, secondly, with the blessing of a visit which the truly 
 primitive Bishop of Man made to our town ; with both which affairs 
 the clergy have been almost wholly taken up for a week. 
 
 said that, on account of this, a warrant was issued against Deacon by the 
 State Secretary, and that his friends prevented his arrest by sending him 
 off to Holland to study physic. The principal part of this allegation 
 was denied by Deacon. He admits that he went to Holland ; but says, 
 he lived upon his own fortune there, and did not begin his medical 
 studies until after his return to London, where he deiived great assistance 
 from the celebrated Dr. Mead. He then removed to Manchester, where 
 he collected a small congregation of high churchmen like himself ; and, 
 a few years later, became painfully prominent in the disturbances arising 
 out of the Manchester visit of the Young Pretender. But more of this 
 anon. 
 
 Dr. Deacon's publications embraced the following : — " The History of 
 the Arians, and of the Council of Nice, written in French by Sebastian 
 Lenain de Tillemont, and translated into Enghsh by Thomas Deacon. 
 London, 1721." 8vo, 356 pp. "The Doctrine of the Church of Rome 
 concerning Purgatory, proved to be contrary to Catholic Tradition, and 
 inconsistent with the Necessary Duty of Praying for the Dead, as prac- 
 tised by the Ancient Church. By Thomas Deacon, Priest. London, 
 1718." i2mo, 143 pp. "Ecclesiastical Memoirs of the six first Cen- 
 turies, made good by Citations from Original Authors, etc. Written in 
 French by Sebastian Le Nain de Tillemont." Translated by Deacon. 
 " London. Printed for the benefit of the Translator, and sold by J. 
 Wilford, at the three Flower de luces, behind St. Paul's Chapter House ; 
 and W. Clayton, Bookseller in Manchester." Folio, vol. I., 1733. 667 
 pp. Vol. H., 1735. 593 PP- These volumes come down to the year 
 A.D. 177. The work seems not to have been completed. The list of 
 subscribers includes "John Byrom. A.M. F.R.S." and "Rev. John 
 Clayton. A.M. Curate of Salford, in Lancashire." Deacon also published 
 another work, immediately after the rebellion in 1745, entitled, "A Full, 
 True, and Comprehensive View of Christianity : Containing a Short 
 Historical Account of Religion from the Creation of the World to the 
 fourth Century after our Lord Jesus Christ." 8vo, 483 pp. : a work 
 far more Popish than Protestant. The following are some of the things 
 which Deacon tries to elucidate and recommend : — " Public Confession 
 and Penance ;" " The Eucliarist, a Sacrament and a Sacrifice ;" " Unction 
 before Baptism, and the Consecration of the Oil and Water ;"" Trine 
 Immersion, the White Garment, the Kiss of Peace, the Milk and Honey," 
 etc.; "Prayer for the Faithful Departed;" "Infant Communion;" etc. 
 This book excited great attention, as well it might ; and several severe 
 replies to it were published in the years 1748 and 1749. 
 
 Such was the chosen counsellor of Clayton and of Wesley. He was as 
 much a papist as a protestauL Wesley was mercifully introduced to. 
 
 D 
 
34 Rev. John Clayton, 
 
 1733 " I was at Dr. Deacon's when your letter came to hand ; and we had a 
 
 — deal of talk about your scheme of avowing yourselves a society, and fixing 
 °^ "^ upon a set of rules. The doctor seemed to think you had better let it 
 alone ; for to what end would it serve ? It would be an additional tie 
 upon yourselves, and perhaps a snare for the consciences of those weak 
 brethren that might chance to come among you. Observing the Stations' 
 and weekly communion are duties which stand upon a much higher 
 footing than a rule of a Society ; and they, who can set aside the com- 
 mand of God and the authority of His Church, will hardly, I doubt, be 
 tied by the rules of a private Society. 
 
 " As to the mixture, Mr. Colly told me he would assure me it was 
 constantly used at Christ Church. However, if you have reason to 
 doubt it, I would have you to inquire ; but I cannot think the want of 
 it a reason for not communicating. If I could receive where the mixture 
 was used, I would ; and, therefore, I used to prefer the Castle to Christ 
 Church ; but, if not, I should not think myself any further concerned in 
 the matter than as it might be some way or other in my power to get it 
 restored.'- 
 
 "Pray be so kind as to call on Mr. Hollins, head of our college. 
 
 other guides. Clayton, without, perhaps, adopting all the opinions 
 of his non-juring adviser, was doubtlessly influenced by them to the 
 end of life. Dr. Deacon died in 1753, and was buried in St. Ann's 
 churchyard, Manchester. The following clumsy inscription was on his 
 tomb : — 
 
 " 'Et [xr\ iv (jravpco. 
 
 " Here lie interred the remains (which, though mortality is at present 
 corrupt, it shall one day most surely be raised again to immortality, and 
 put on incorruption) of Thomas Deacon, the greatest of sinners, and the 
 most unworthy of Primitive Bishops, who died i6th of February, 1753, in 
 the fifty-sixth year of his age ; and of Sarah, his wife, who died July 4th, 
 I 745, in the forty-fifth year of her age. The Lord grant the faithful, here 
 underlying, the mercy of the Lord in that day ! (2 Tim. i. 18) 
 
 " ^Ev Tovrco viKU." 
 
 ( Gentleman^ s Magazine, 1821.) 
 
 ^ The Ecclesiastical term for the Fasts of the fourth and sixth days of 
 the week, Wednesday and Friday, in memory of the council which con- 
 demned Christ, and of His passion. 
 
 - Here, again, the Oxford Methodists have recourse, not to the Bible, 
 as at the commencement of their history, but to superstitious canons. At 
 the Council of Constantinople, A.D. 683, it was decreed against the 
 Armenians, that wine used at the Eucharist should be mixed with water ; 
 and, in support of this, were quoted the Liturgies of St. James, and St. 
 Basil, and the 37th Canon of the African Code. Of course, the origin of 
 this superstition was the fact, that water, as well as blood, came out of 
 the side of the Divine Redeemer ; but Dr. Deacon, in a pamphlet, pub- 
 hshed in 1719, and entitled, " The Plaintiff's Charge Disproved," etc., 
 took other ground. He maintained that our blessed Saviour used wine 
 
The yacobite Churchman. 35 
 
 for four pictures of mine, namely, 'Whitechapel Altar-piece,' 'Mary 1733 
 Magdalene,' and our two founders; and get them sent up, by any \^oa 
 convenient opportunity, to Mr. Rivington, who will send them down " 
 to me. 
 
 " My best respects attend your brother. I must beg the favour of him 
 to give himself the trouble of writing out the hymns to ' God the Father 
 and God the Son,' for me. A person of quality. Lady Catherine Gray, 
 borrowed mine, and has lost them. 
 
 " I am, dear sir, your most affectionate friend and servant, 
 
 "J. Clayton." 
 
 This is an important letter, not only as exhibiting the 
 religious earnestness, but also the high churchism of the 
 Oxford Methodists. The following, which was written two 
 months later, is likewise full of interest It was addressed, 
 like the former one, " to the Rev. Mr. Wesley, Fellow of 
 
 Lincoln College, Oxon." 
 
 I 
 
 "Manchester, September 10, 1733. 
 
 " Rev. and dear Sir, — I was last week at Dr. Levei-'s, where I but 
 narrowly missed of seeing Mr. Brooke, of our college, who came the 
 evening after I left Alkrington. I saw Dr. Lever to-day, who joins with 
 me in sincere respects to your brother and yourself. His new dignity and 
 his being put in Commission of the Peace, have, at present, quite unfitted 
 him for serious talk ; and, therefore, I must wait for a more favourable 
 opportunity of pressing those virtues, which you first convinced him of 
 the necessity of 
 
 " Dr. Deacon tells me, that, he had no view in fixing the Psalms for 
 common days ; but, after reading your letter, is convinced of the expedi- 
 ency of serving any of those three ends you mention. The feasts and the 
 fasts were the days he principally regarded ; but he would take it as a 
 favour from you if you would communicate to me any improvements you 
 may possibly make in it. He thinks your third rule would be most 
 expedient, — namely, to put together such psalms as best explain and 
 illustrate each other. And he knows not but that on this scheme the 
 proper psalms for festivals and fasts may be more advantageously fixed, 
 by transposing some from the first, second, and other Sundays, etc., to 
 those which have psalms which better answer them. He will consider 
 this point as soon as he has leisure, but desires, in the meantime, that you 
 would let us know y6ur thoughts upon the matter, because his order for 
 reading the Psalter is likely soon to see the light, being to be pubhshed 
 
 and water at the Eucharist ;" that He " ordained these elements to be the 
 matter of the sacrament, and commanded His apostles and the Church to 
 practice after His example." Deacon adds : — " How terrible the conse- 
 quence may be of omitting part of our Redeemer's cup, is what I dare 
 not determine." 
 
36 Rev. John Clayton, 
 
 1733 ^^'^^^ ^ collection of Primitive Devotions, both public and private, which is 
 even now in the press.' 
 
 vge 24 u Pqqj. Miss Potter! ^ I wonder not that she is fallen. Where humility 
 is not the foundation, the superstructure caimot be good. And, yet, I am 
 sorry to hear the tidings of her, especially that she has a great man for 
 her confessor, who dissuades her from constant communion. I am sure, 
 she has great occasion to use all the means of grace, which Providence 
 provides for her, and hope that God will in time open her eyes to see the 
 great need she has of help from above. I would not persuade you to 
 
 1 This work, by Dr. Deacon, was entitled, "A Complete Collection of 
 Devotions : taken from the Apostolical Constitutions, the Ancient Litur- 
 gies, and the Common Prayer Book of the Church of England. 
 
 " Part I. Comprehending the Public Offices of the Church. Humbly 
 offered to the Consideration of the present Churches of Christendom, 
 Greek, Roman, English, and all others. 
 
 " Part II. Being a Primitive Method of Daily Private Prayer, containing 
 Devotions for the Morning and Evening, and for the Ancient Hours of 
 Prayer, nine, twelve, and three ; together with the Hymns of Thanks- 
 givings for the Lord's Day and Sabbath; and Prayers for Fasting Days; 
 as also Devotions for the Altar, and Graces before and after Meat; all 
 taken from the Apostolical Constitutions, and the Ancient Liturgies, with 
 some additions : and recommended to the practice of all private Christians 
 of every Communion. London: Printed for the Author. 1734." 
 
 This is a curious book, showing the ritualistic proclivites of Dr. Deacon 
 and his friends. Space forbids lengthened extracts; but, in "Morning 
 Prayer," occurs the following ; " Let us pray for those who are departed in 
 the faith, and are at rest in Christ ; that God, the lover of mankind, who 
 hath received their souls, would forgive them all their sins voluntary and 
 involuntary, and of His great mercy would graciously grant them 
 perpetual peace in the region of the just." 
 
 There are public Prayers, " for the Catechumens, or unbaptized 
 persons, who are receiving instruction in Christianity;" and "for the 
 Energumens, or Persons possessed by Evil Spirits." 
 
 There is " The Form of admitting a Penitent to Penance," embracing a 
 confession of his crimes to the Pi'icst ; and a prayer that God would "graci- 
 ously accept the man's Penance ; and that, by his continuance in a state of 
 rooui'nful confession and prayer, he may the sooner obtain God's merciful 
 pardon." 
 
 In the Office of Baptism, it is ordered, that, the Priest shall "anoint the 
 child with the Holy Oil, and make the sign of the Cross upon its forehead, 
 breast, and palms of the hands." It was then to be " dipped in the water 
 three times ;" and then to be "clothed in White Garments ;" after which, 
 the Sponsors were to give it " the Kiss of Peace," and the Priest was to 
 put into its mouth " a little of the Consecrated Milk and Honey." 
 
 Then there is "The Form of Consecrating the Oil for Baptism :" and 
 "The Form of Consecrating the Milk and Honey:" and "The Form of 
 Consecrating the Chrism for Confirmation : " and " The Form of Conse- 
 crating the Oil for the Sick." N.B. The Oil was to be " sweet oil of 
 Olives;" and the Chrism "sweet oil of Olives and precious balsam, 
 commonly called Balm of Gilead." 
 
 These extracts speak for themselves. 
 
 ^ Was this the daughter of Dr. Potter, Bishop of Oxford? And was she 
 one of the Oxford Methodists ? 
 
The yacobite C/mrckman. 37 
 
 leave off reading with her. Who knows whether you may not raise her 1 733 
 
 again to the eminence from which she has fallen ? At least, though she 
 
 neglect the weighter matters of the law, yet keep up in her that reverend ^^ ^^ 
 respect she bears it, even by the tithing of 'mint, anise, and cummin.' 
 
 "As to reading the ancients, I fancy 'Cotelerii^ Biblioth. Patrum 
 Apostol.' would be the best book to begin with ; for, though 1 will not say, 
 that, all the works there contained are genuine, yet I dare avow them to 
 be very ancient, and to contain the primitive doctrine and discipUne of 
 the Church, though published under feigned names. You will find a 
 dissertation upon every work, which contains the several testimonies of 
 Fathers and Councils, whereby the authority is confirmed ; and, according 
 to the evidence produced, you must judge of the authenticity of the several 
 pieces. The Epistles of St. Clement are universally owned to be his ; and 
 so are the smaller Epistles of St. Ignatius ; and, indeed, I think, Whiston. 
 in his ' Primitive Christianity,' has urged such arguments in defence of 
 the larger as can never be answered. St. Barnabas's Epistle, and Hermas's 
 Pastor are works of the Apostolic age, as may be proved by the internal 
 characters both of language and doctrine, whether they be the works 
 of the venerable authors they are ascribed to or not. The Apostolical 
 Canons are learnedly defended by Bishop Beveridge, and they sufficiently 
 vindicate the Constitutions."^ The Recognitions^ of Clement are generally 
 reckoned the most modern piece in these two volumes, but they are really 
 a most admirable work. 
 
 " And now for the last page of your letter. I would answer it ; and, 
 yet, for my unworthiness, I dare not, — for my ignorance, I cannot. How 
 shall I direct my instructor in the school of Christ ? Or teach you, who 
 am but a babe in religion 1 However, I must be free to tell you my 
 sentiments of what you inquire about. On Wednesday and Friday, I 
 have, for some time, used the Office for Passion week out of ' Spinckes' * 
 Devotions,' and bless God for it. I found it very useful to excite in me 
 
 'John Baptist Cotelerius was a learned French author, born in 1628. 
 He made a collection of the writings of the Fathers, who lived in the 
 Apostolic age, revised and corrected from several manuscripts, with a 
 Latin translation and notes. His work was published in two volumes 
 foHo, in 1672. 
 
 2 " The Apostolical Constitutions," a collection of regulations attributed 
 to the Apostles, and supposed to have been collected by St. Clement, 
 whose name they bear. 
 
 ^ " The Recognitions of Clement," a book whose authenticity has been 
 greatly doubted, and whose chief subject is the " Travels and Acts of Peter." 
 
 * Mr. Spinckes was prebendary of Salisbury, and rector of St. Martin's 
 in that town. In 1690, he was deprived of all his preferments for refusing 
 to take the oaths to William and Mary. In 1713, he was consecrated a 
 non-juring bishop by Dr. Hickes, and the Scotch loishops, Campbell and 
 Gadderar, He died in 1727. The full title of the book, which Clayton 
 mentions is, " The True Church of England-Man's Companion in the 
 Closet; or, a Complete Manual of Private Devotions; collected from the 
 Writings of Archbishop Laud, Bishop Andrews, Bishop Ken, Dr. Hickes, 
 Mr. Kettlewell, Mr. Spinckes, and other eminent Divines of the Church of 
 
38 Rev. yohn Clayton, 
 
 1733 ^^^'' ^°^^ '^^ God, and sorrow for having offended Him, which makes up 
 — the first great branch of repentance. You know it consists of meditations 
 »^ "'^ on our Saviour's hfe, all the meditations being joined with proper devo- 
 tions. I could only wish, I was provided with two such Offices, one for 
 Wednesday, and the other for Friday. 
 
 " Refer your last question to Mr. Law. I dare not give directions for 
 spending that time which I consume in bed, nor teach you, who rise at 
 four, when I indulge myself in sleep till five. 
 
 " Dear Sir, pray for me that I may press forward in the paths of 
 perfection, and, at length, attain the land of everlasting life. Adieu ! 
 
 "John Clayton." 
 " I believe you will see a young gentleman of my acquaintance, who is 
 a very pious man, but who greatly stands in need of Christian prudence 
 to direct him. In particular, with regard to his conduct towards his 
 parents, his religion sometimes seems to savour of self. Will you instruct 
 and save him ?" 
 
 These letters are long, perhaps also dry and tedious ; 
 but they are useful in casting considerable light on Oxford 
 Methodism. We learn, that the godly brotherhood, though 
 unevangelical, were, in the highest degree, conscientious and 
 devout. In this respect, they put to shame, not only the 
 great bulk of professing Christians, but, many who, at the 
 present day, are known by the name of Methodists. Doubt- 
 less, they sought salvation by the practice of piety and good 
 works ; but the piety and good works themselves are not to 
 be censured, but commended. Self-examination, prayer, 
 sacramental attendance, fasting, diligence, kindness to the 
 poor, deep concern for the conversion of sinners, and early 
 rising, are not things of slight importance ; but deserve far 
 more practical recognition than what they get. 
 
 As to the special religious observance of saint days and 
 of the Jewish Sabbath ; and the sacred adoption of eccle- 
 siastical canons and decretals, opinions will differ ; but most 
 Methodists will concur in the Methodist Preachers' opinions, 
 as stated by Wesley himself, in 1/55 : 
 
 "They think the Decretals are the very dregs of Popery; and that the 
 Canons of 1603, are as grossly wicked as absurd. They think — i. That, 
 
 England. With a Preface by the Reverend Mr. Spinckes." Though 
 deficient in its recognition of the doctrine of salvation by faith, it contains 
 hardly anything seriously objectionable; it is intensely devotional; and 
 could be sincerely used by none except those who made religion the 
 supreme business of their lives. 
 
TJie J acobite Churchman. 
 
 the spirit which they breathe is, throughout, truly Popish and anti-Chris- 1733 
 tian. 2. That, nothing can be more diaboUcal than the ipso facto excom- — 
 munication so often denounced therein. 3. That, the whole method of ^ ^^ ^"^ 
 executing these Canons, the process used in our Spiritual Courts, is too 
 bad to be tolerated (not in a Christian, but) in a Mahometan or Pagan 
 nation." ' 
 
 Dr. Deacon, the non-juring clergyman, was Clayton's bosom 
 friend, and Wesley's chosen counsellor. William Law, another 
 non-juror, was consulted as their guide. Mr. Spinckes' volume, 
 made up of extracts from the works of the most eminent of the 
 high-church party, was one of their books of devotion. Under 
 such circumstances, it is not surprising to find them plunging 
 into the authentic and unauthentic writings of the Christian 
 Fathers ; listening to Apostolical and other Canons as to the 
 voice of oracles ; displaying ridiculous anxiety about sacra- 
 mental wine being mixed with water ; and assuming an arro- 
 gant willingness to become auricular confessors. Up to the 
 time of Clayton's admission among the Oxford Methodists, 
 we find none of these proclivities. The Bible had been their 
 sole supreme authority in faith and morals ; and, hence, 
 though their views of evangelical truth were unquestionably 
 defective, their lives were free from the practice of popish 
 follies. Now it began to be otherwise. Some of the young 
 men were priests ; and priests, according to the Canons of 
 the Church; were invested with the terrible prerogatives of 
 enforcing auricular confession, of pronouncing divine absolu- 
 tion, and of administering the body and blood of the blessed 
 Jesus ! " Poor Miss Potter " had a confessor, who, though a 
 great man, was, evidently in Clayton's estimation, heretical. 
 Emily Wesley indignantly and righteously refused all con- 
 fessors, her brother not excepted. Well would it be if the 
 priests of the present day, who " creep into houses, and lead 
 captive silly women," were answered, as this noble-minded 
 young lady answered Wesley, the Arch- Methodist. She 
 writes : — 
 
 " To open the state of my soul to you, or any of our clergy, is what I 
 have no inclination to at present ; and, I believe, I never shall. I shall 
 not put my conscience under the direction of mortal man, frail as myself 
 To my own Master I stand or fall. Nay, I scruple not to say, that all 
 
 ' Wesley's Works, vol. xiii., p. 185. 
 
4"o Rev. yohn Clayton, 
 
 1736 sach desire in you, or any other ecclesiastic, seems to me like church 
 Act 11 tyranny, and assuming to yourselves a dominion over your fellow-crea- 
 
 ° tures, which was never designed you by God. ... I farther own, that, 
 
 I do not hold frequent communion necessary to salvation, nor a means of 
 Christian perfection. But do not mistake my meaning : I only think com- 
 muning every Sunday, or very frequently, lessens our veneration for that 
 sacred ordinance ; and, consequently, our profiting by it." 
 
 This was a sensible rebuke of priestly pretensions. 
 
 Clayton was young, only twenty-four ; but, besides his 
 scholarship, he was evidently a man of extensive reading. As 
 the son of a bookseller, he had had the opportunity of grati- 
 fying literary cravings from his earliest days. He was a man 
 of energy ; and, though he reproaches himself for his sluggish- 
 ness in not rising earlier than at five o'clock, he was exemplary 
 for his diligence. All this had already made him a man of 
 mark. In this very year, 1733, he was appointed to preach 
 the ordination sermon in Manchester cathedral ; and was so 
 ardent in the enforcement of the rubrics of the Church, and 
 so successful in his ministerial and pastoral office as to bring 
 seventy old people, all of them above sixty years of age, to 
 be confirmed by the bishop in Salford church.^ 
 
 Three years later, he was selected to occupy another import- 
 ant post. Darey Lever, Esq., LL.D., has been already men- 
 tioned as one of the friends of Clayton and of the two 
 Wesleys. This gentleman, being appointed, in 1736, to fill 
 the distinguished office of High Sheriff of Lancashire, made 
 Clayton his chaplain. In such a capacity, Clayton had to 
 preach at the Lancaster assizes ; and chose for his text, the 
 words, — " He beareth not the sword in vain ; for he is the 
 minister of God, a revenger, to execute wrath upon him that 
 doeth evil " (Rom. xiii. 4). This was a ticklish subject for so 
 young a man ; but the chaplain was not without courage ; 
 and gave utterance to sentiments, which, at the present day, 
 would scarcely be popular. The discourse was printed, and 
 the title will suggest an idea of the preacher's faithfulness. 
 " The Necessity of duly executing the Laws against Immo- 
 rality and Profaneness : Set forth in a Sermon, preached at 
 the Assizes held at Lancaster, before the Honourable Sir 
 Lawrence Carter, one of the Barons of his Majesty's Court 
 
 ' The Private Journal and Literary Remains of John Byrom. 1855. 
 
The yacobite Churchman. ^ 41 
 
 of Exchequer. By John Clayton, A.M. late of Brazenose 1736 
 College, Oxon. Published at the request of the High Sheriff, Ao^2- 
 and the Gentlemen of the Grand Jury. London. 1736." 8vo, 
 29 pp. Two or three extracts may be useful, as serving to 
 illustrate Clayton's views and style, and also the alarming 
 wickedness of the nation. 
 
 " If drunkards, swearers, and debauchers were constantly brought to 
 justice, it would doubtless lessen the number of criminals, and abate the 
 commonness of the vices. Many a poor family would be rescued from 
 beggary and starving, were the drunken, idle master of it properly cor- 
 rected. Besides, this strict execution of the penal laws against these 
 lesser crimes, would be a most probable means of preserving us from 
 those more dreadful vices of perjury, robbery, and nmrder ; and would 
 make sanguinary laws less needful, and capital punishments less frequent ; 
 for experience teaches us that vice, as well as virtue, is of a progressive 
 nature" (p. 15). 
 
 Again,— 
 
 "The fountain from which the Magistrate draws his power, for the 
 punishment of wickedness and vice, is none other but God himself. All 
 power, whether spiritual or temporal, is originally derived from the Supreme 
 Monarch of the world, who is King of kings, and Lord of lords. Since, 
 therefore, every Power, whether it be supreme or subordinate, does pri- 
 marily and originally derive all its authority from above, surely the gift of 
 God ought to be used to His honour and glory. Authority is a sacred 
 thing, of divine original, and, therefore, as it may not be resisted by sub- 
 jects without danger of damnation, so neither may it be lightly neglected, 
 nor wantonly misapplied by those entrusted with it ; lest they provoke that 
 God to anger, who piitteth down one Ruler, and setteth up another" 
 (P- 17)- 
 
 Again,— 
 
 " Wickedness is grown to such a head in the world, — immorality and 
 profaneness are become so epidemical among us, that, it is much to be 
 feared, nothing but discipline and wholesome rigour can prove a cure for 
 it. The infection of vice is extended so far and wide, and the contagion 
 of sin spreads so prodigiously fast, that it seems necessary to use severe 
 methods towards the corrupted parts, if we hope either to recover them, 
 or to save those that are as yet untouched with the disease. God knows, 
 the flagrant impiety of our days, the excessive corruption of these dregs of 
 time, — this rust of the iron age, into which we are fallen, — is such as every 
 good man must complain of, and for which charity itself can find no suffi- 
 cient excuse or extenuation " (p. 7). 
 
 Advocates of political expediency may object to these 
 high-toned sentiments ; but there are still a few who have 
 
42 Rev. John Clayton, 
 
 173& old-fashioned hardihood enough to exclaim with the Psalmist, 
 Acre 29 " Who will rise up for me against the evildoers ? or who will 
 stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?" (Psalm 
 xciv. 16). 
 
 The friendship between Clayton and the Wesley brothers 
 was unbroken until the latter departed from Church usages, 
 and became out-door evangelists. In 1735, when urged by 
 Oglethorpe and others to go to Georgia, Wesley, not only 
 sought advice from his brother • Samuel and William Law, 
 but went to Manchester to consult with Clayton and others 
 whose judgment he respected ; and, six weeks after his return 
 from the Georgian colony, we find him spending several days 
 with his old Oxford friend. He writes : — 
 
 "1738. March 15. I set out" (from Oxford) "for Manchester, with 
 Mr. Kinchin, Fellow of Corpus Christi, and Mr, Fox, late a prisoner in 
 the city prison. Friday, the 1 7th, we spent entirely with Mr. Clayton, by 
 whom, and the rest of our friends here, we were much refreshed and 
 strengthened. Mr. Hoole, the Rector of St. Ann's church, being taken 
 ill the next day, on Sunday, 19th, Mr. Kinchin and 1 officiated at Salford 
 chapel in the morning, by which means Mr. Clayton was at liberty to per- 
 form the service of St. Ann's ; and, in the afternoon, 1 preached there on 
 those words of St. Paul, ' If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature."" 
 
 Two months after the date of this extract from his journal, 
 Wesley, ceasing to rely on the merit of his own good works, 
 and trusting solely for salvation in the infinitely meritorious 
 sacrifice of Christ, experienced an amazing change. His own 
 words must be quoted. After relating that, for "above ten 
 years," he had " dragged on heavily," " trusting to his own 
 works and his own righteousness," " in a refined way, zealously 
 inculcated by the mystic writers," ^ he remarks : — 
 
 " 1738. May 24. In the evening I went very unwillingly to a society in 
 Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle 
 to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing 
 the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt 
 my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone, for 
 salvation ; and an assurance was given me, that He had taken away my 
 sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death." ^ 
 
 ^ Wesley's Works, vol. i.. p, 83. * Ibid. p. 94, 95. ^ Ibid. p. 97. 
 
The Jacobite Churchman. 
 
 This was the turning point in Wesley's history. Hitherto, 1738 
 hke his friend Clayton, he had hoped to be saved by works ; 1^ — ^ 
 now he was saved by faith. This new experience confirmed 
 his new conceptions of gospel truth, and he began to preach 
 accordingly. He insisted upon good works as much as ever ; 
 but he henceforth taught, that man is saved, not by these, but 
 by faith in Christ only. His new doctrine was the means 
 of his being shut out of churches ; and this led to his preach- 
 ing in the open air ; and tli^ whole resulted in a rupture 
 of the friendship between him and Clayton, who, so far as 
 there is evidence to show, went on to the end of life, 
 as he and Wesley had begun at Oxford, — a sincere, earnest, 
 self-denying, devout, and laborious Pharisee, trusting in 
 his own righteousness, instead of trusting solely in Christ 
 Jesus. 
 
 After the date of Wesley's conversion, we hear of no further 
 friendly meetings. Clayton's death did not occur till 1773, 
 but, during this long interval of thirty-five years, though 
 Wesley's visits to Manchester were numerous, there is no 
 mention made of any interview between the two Oxford 
 Methodists. No proof exists, that Clayton ever ranked him- 
 self among Wesley's opponents and slanderers ; but, from this 
 period, he ceased to be one of Wesley's friends. Coldness 
 sprang up, and separation. In 1756, Charles Wesley spent 
 nearly a fortnight among the Manchester Methodists, the 
 object of his visit being to prevent their seceding from the 
 Established Church. He himself attended the Church services, 
 and took with him as many of the Methodists as he could. 
 He heard Clayton preach " a good sermon on constant 
 prayer," and, at the same service, by the senior chaplain's 
 invitation, went " with the other clergy " present to the com- 
 munion table, and received the sacrament ; but even this was 
 not enough to regain Clayton's favour ; and, hence, the follow- 
 ing entries in Charles's journal : — 
 
 " 1756. Tuesday, October 26. My former friend, Mr. Clayton, read the 
 prayers at the Old Church, with great solemnity." " Saturday, October 30. 
 I dined with my candid friend and censor, Dr. Byrom. I stood close 
 to Mr. Clayton in church (as all the week past), but not a look would he 
 cast towards me ; 
 
 " So stiff was his parochial pride," 
 
44 Rev. yohn Clayton, 
 
 1745 ^^"^ ^° faithfully did he keep his covenant with his eyes, not to look upon 
 
 . — , an old friend when called a Methodist." 
 Age 36 
 
 It has been already shown, that Clayton was an intimate 
 friend of Dr. Deacon, the non-juror ; and there can be no 
 doubt that, substantially, the ecclesiastical and political 
 opinions of both were identical. Hence, it is not surprising 
 that both were implicated in the rebellious proceedings of 
 
 1745- 
 
 Charles Edward Stuart, a young man of twenty-five, with 
 a few attendants, five or six hundred broad-swords, about 
 two thousand muskets, and rather less than iJ^4,ooo in cash, 
 set out from France, to overturn the government of Great 
 Britain, and, on behalf of his father, to demand its throne. 
 Such was his success, that, on September i6th, he entered 
 Edinburgh. Three days afterwards, the battle of Preston Pans 
 was fought ; and, immediately, the handsome Young Pretender 
 began, as prince regent, to exercise various acts of sovereign 
 authority. He appointed a council ; ordered regiments to be 
 levied for his service ; and held drawing-rooms, which were, 
 for the most part, brilliantly attended, and generally ended 
 in a public supper and a ball. On the last day of October, 
 Charles Edward quitted Edinburgh, at the head of six 
 thousand men ; and, in a fortnight, took Carlisle. On 
 November 29th, he and his troops reached Manchester ; and 
 then proceeded, by regular marches, to Derby, where they 
 arrived on December 4th. This was their nearest approach 
 to London. Before the year was ended, they were hastily 
 retreating to Carlisle, Glasgow, Stirling, and the Highlands. 
 
 There we leave them, and return to Manchester. A 
 local authority ' has stated, that, previous to the rebellion 
 of 1745, Charles Edward had passed several weeks at An- 
 coats Hall, the seat of Sir Oswald Moseley ; and, that, the 
 leading inhabitants, the clergy of the Collegiate Church, 
 together with Dr. Deacon and his followers, were all warm 
 adherents of the cause of the exiled Stuarts, and recog- 
 nised, as their political leaders, Colonel Townley, Dr. Byrom, 
 Mr. Dickenson, and others ; who were accustomed to hold their 
 
 ' " Manchester : its Political, Social, and Commercial History," by James 
 Wheeler. 1836. 
 
The yacobite ClncrcJnnan. 45 
 
 meetings in a public-house, contiguous to Jackson's Ferry, 1745 
 near Didsbury. A^36 
 
 To what extent Clayton was associated with these sym- 
 pathising and plotting Jacobites, it is impossible to determine; 
 but, when the prince marched through Salford, in 1745, this 
 high churchman, with more hardihood than prudence, fell 
 upon his knees before him, and prayed for the blessing of 
 God on the adventurous Chevalier.^ Charles Edward made 
 the " Palace " hostelry, in Market Street Lane, his residence ; 
 and hither Jacobites of both sexes flocked to welcome him. 
 Three sons of Dr. Deacon, true to their father's principles, en- 
 listed beneath the Pretender's banner; Charles Deacon being 
 placed at the head of the recruiting department, and Thomas 
 and Robert Deacon being made Lieutenants. 
 
 The results were disastrous. Charles, Thomas, and Robert 
 Deacon fell into the hands of the Royalists, at Carlisle ; were 
 tried, condemned, and executed in London, in July, 1746 ; the 
 head of the eldest, together with that of Adjutant Siddal, be- 
 ing sent to Manchester, and fixed on the Exchange. Townley, 
 
 ^ Dr. Byrom's eldest daughter has left a journal of the events of this 
 memorable entry into Manchester. She writes : — "1745. November 29. 
 Friday, eleven o'clock, we went to the cross ; about three o'clock, the 
 Prince and the main body came. The Prince went straight to Mr. Dicken- 
 son's, where he lodges ; the Duke of Athol at Mr. Marsden's, and the 
 Duke of Perth at Gartside's. The bells rung, and P. Cotterel made 
 a bonfire. All the town was illuminated, — every house, except Mr. Dicken- 
 son's. About four o'clock, the king was proclaimed. The mob shouted 
 very cleverly. 
 
 " Saturday, November 30. An officer called on us to go and see the 
 Prince. We went to Mr. Fletcher's, and saw him get on horseback ; and 
 a noble sight it was. I would not have missed it for a great deal of 
 money. When he rid out of the court, he was received with as much joy 
 and shouting almost as if he had been king without any dispute. As soon 
 as he was gone, the officer and we went to prayers at the old church, 
 at two o'clock. Mr. Sprigley read prayers, and prayed for the King 
 and Prince of Wales, and named no names. We went up to Mr. Fletcher's, 
 and stayed there till the Prince was at supper. Secretary Murray came 
 to let us know that the Prince was at leisure ; so we were all introduced, 
 and had the honour to kiss his hand. My papa was fetched prisoner 
 (playfully, by the ladies,) to do the same, as was Mr. Deacon ; Mr. Cattell 
 and Mr. Clayton did it without ; the latter said grace for him." 
 
 Mr. Dickenson's house, in which the prince resided, was at the top of 
 Market Street. There was a court-yard in front, shut out from the street 
 by large iron gates. In virtue of the prince's short residence, the house 
 was afterwards called the " Palace "; and on its becoming a hostelry, was 
 designated the " Palace Inn," 
 
46 Rev. yohn Clayton, 
 
 1746 the colonel of the Manchester Jacobinical regiment, was 
 ^~-_ hanged on Kennington Common, had his bowels torn out, 
 and his heart cast into a fire ; and eight of his officers and 
 men were treated in the same barbarous manner.^ 
 
 Great excitement followed. People on both sides were 
 roused. Whitworth's MancJiester Magazine, the only news- 
 paper published in the town, took the part of the Government; 
 Dr. Deacon, Dr. Byrom, Clayton, and others, were obliged 
 to send all their attacks, replies, and other Jacobite outpour- 
 ings to the city of Chester, where they obtained insertion 
 in the Chester Courant. For two years, this paper warfare was 
 continued ; and, in 1749, the whole of what had been printed, 
 both in Manchester and Chester, was collected and published, 
 in a i2mo volume of 324 pages, entitled, "Manchester 
 Vindicated ; being a complete Collection of the Papers 
 lately published in Defence of that Town in the Chester 
 Courant, together with all those on the other Side of the 
 Question, printed in the Manchester Magazine, or elsewhere, 
 which are answered in the said Chester Courant, Chester, 
 1749." 
 
 In Whitworth's Magazine of September 23rd, 1746, we 
 find the following : — 
 
 " Last Thursday, about five in the morning, the heads of Thomas 
 Siddal and Thomas Deacon were fixed upon the Exchange. Great 
 numbers have been to view them ; and yesterday, betwixt eight and nine, 
 Dr. Deacon, a non-juring priest, and father to one of them, made a 
 full stop near the Exchange, pulled off his hat, and made a bow to them 
 with great reverence. He afterwards stood some time looking at them. 
 A gentleman of the town was with him, and a considerable number 
 of spectators were present. He and some of his flock have been seen to 
 do so before several times." 
 
 This act, innocent and natural enough in itself, was re- 
 garded as popery — a worshipping of saints — and gave birth 
 to not a few squibbs and verses. The following was by a 
 Quaker : — 
 
 " Doffing the hat I hold no sign of grace, 
 Saving in prayer, which was perhaps the case ; 
 But yet, my friend, I hope it may be said, 
 I'd rather see a hat off than a head." 
 
 • Pictorial History of England, vol. iv., p. 548. 
 
The yacobite Churchman. 47 
 
 Another letter, dated October 11, 1746, says : — 1746 
 
 " The two rebel heads are revered, and almost adored, as trophies of Age 37 
 martyrdom. The father of one of them (who is a non-juring bishop), as 
 he passes by, frequently pulls off his hat, and looks at them above a 
 minute, with a solemn, complacential silence. Some suppose, he offers 
 up a prayer for them ; others, to them. His church daily increases, and 
 he is in the highest credit and intimacy with the most of our clergy." 
 
 This was repHed to in a somewhat long article. The writer 
 .says, Dr. Deacon has told him that he " never passed by his 
 son's head but once ; and then, indeed, he did pull off his 
 hat." In reference to Deacon's large and growing church, it 
 is added : — 
 
 " I cannot find above a score, and those of no great figure or substance, 
 who are partakers with him in his religious singularity. Besides, what 
 connection is there between politics and the Doctor's restoring primitive 
 ecclesiastical usages ? What has the mixt-cup, infant communion, trine- 
 immersion, etc., to do with King George and the Pretender.?" 
 
 The writer continues : — 
 
 " The Doctor, I own, is respected by most of the clergy; and, I will add, 
 by most of the laity too ; but what then.-* I could name in turn several rigid 
 Dissenters in the highest credit and intimacy with some of our clergy ; 
 and, if it be wrong (which is indeed a new doctrine to me) for the clergy 
 to respect and converse with persons of different opinions in religion, I 
 think the character of a clergyman of the Church of England in much 
 less danger from his acquaintance with a non-juring bishop than with a 
 Calvinistical Dissenter." 
 
 In a letter, dated December 9, 1746, Dr. Deacon writes : — 
 
 '' I have not adopted the political principles of indefeasible and here- 
 ditary right into my religion, and make these an essential part of it ; 
 and that none can become members of the Church to which I belong, 
 that are not enemies to the present government. I do hereby declare 
 that the same is utterly false. I adopt no political principles into my reli- 
 gion but what are expressed in our own Common Prayer Book, entitled, 
 " A Compleat Collection of Devotions." 
 
 Much recrimination followed. It was broadly stated in 
 WJiitwortJis Magazine, and absolutely denied in the Chester 
 Co2irant, that, whilst the Rebels were at Manchester, Dr. 
 Deacon "had the very distinguished honour paid him of 
 being escorted by a file of musqueteers to the Pretender's 
 "lodgings;" and one of Whitworth's poetasters favoured the 
 public with the following : — 
 
48 Rev. John Clayton, 
 
 1 746 " The de'il has set these heads to view, 
 
 p^^-in And put them upon poles ; 
 
 Poor de'il, 'twas all that he could do. 
 When God had ta'en their souls." 
 
 Further quotations would be useless and wearisome. Many 
 of the poetical scraps strongly resemble the poetry of Dr. 
 Byrom, an undoubted Jacobite and a friend of Clayton. His 
 three poems, — " A Dialogue, occasioned by the March of 
 the Highlanders into Lancashire, in the Year 1745 " ; "A 
 Dialogue about compelling a Person to take the Oaths to the 
 Government"; and "A Genuine Dialogue, between a Gentle- 
 woman at Derby and her Maid, in the beginning of December, 
 1745/' ^re ample proofs of his sympathy with the non-jurors, 
 and of his ardent attachment to the Stuarts ; and, though it 
 might be rash to assert with positiveness that he was actually 
 the author of the Jacobite versicles in the Chester Conrant, 
 it is not unwarrantable to aflirm that they bear a striking 
 similitude to his well-known lines : — 
 
 " God bless the King, and bless the Faith's Defender ! 
 God bless — no harm in blessing — the Pretender ! 
 But who Pretender is, and who is King, 
 Why, bless us all, that's quite another thing." 
 
 Of Clayton's participation in this Jacobinical controversy 
 there can be little doubt. In fact, he is said to have assisted 
 in procuring a printing press for Joseph Harrop, who had 
 been one of Whitworth's apprentices. Harrop began the 
 publication of a paper, in opposition to that of his late master, 
 and to that paper Clayton was an important contributor.^ 
 Clayton's Jacobite leanings were notorious. In WhitzvortJUs 
 Magazine, for November 20, 1746, he was publicly rebuked, 
 . because one of his senior scholars had recently affronted a 
 lady at the close of public service in the church by shouting, 
 " Down with the Rump ;" an affront, however, which was " very 
 pardonable in the scholar, since that was a health at the 
 master's table." 
 
 Clayton's praying for the Pretender, in the public streets of 
 Salford, has been already mentioned. It is also said, by one 
 who knew him personally,- that he visited Prince Charles at 
 
 ^ Everett's " Methodism in Manchester," p. 121. 
 ^ Mr. Samuel Barker. 
 
The Jacobite ChiLvchman. 49 
 
 the Palace Inn, paid him profound respect, and was regarded 1748 
 as a sort of royal chaplain. Wheeler, in his " History of Ao^sq 
 Manchester," asserts that when the government sent to Man- 
 chester to search for those who had shown disloyalty to the 
 House of Brunswick, Clayton absconded. Be that as it may, 
 he was placed under suspension by his .bishop, and was sub-^ 
 jected to the painful penalty of a long-continued silence in 
 the church.^ On resuming his ministerial duties, after his- 
 inhibition was ended, he displayed considerable keenness, and, 
 perhaps, some degree of irreverence in the selection of his text. 
 The Bishop of Chester, having commanded him to preach 
 before him, the bold Jacobite, who had so long been silent, 
 but was now again allowed to speak, somewhat startled both 
 the bishop and the congregation by reading as his text, " I 
 became dumb, and opened not my mouth, for Thou didst it." 2 
 There can be no question of the purity of Clayton's 
 motives, but his openly avowed adherence to the cause 
 of the Pretender involved him in serious troubles. To say 
 nothing of his ministerial suspension, he was, for years after- 
 wards, the target of his to\^^lsmen's malice. Some hated him, 
 but others loved him ; and the two united turned his life into 
 a turmoil. Hence the following, taken from a work entitled, 
 "Jacobite and Non-juring Principles freely examined," and 
 published, in Manchester, against Dr. Deacon, by J. Owen, in 
 1748. Speaking of Clayton, Owen asks : — 
 
 " If you are the loyal people you represent yourselves to be, whence 
 happens it that there has been such a flush of joy, discovered by your 
 friends, for a little, seditious priest, by virtue of the Act of Indemnity, 
 escaping that justice which was upon the wing to pursue him 1 Whence 
 was it that the bells rang on the occasion for days together ? Was it not 
 by way of grateful Te Deiim, for the great and undeserved deliverance .'' 
 Whence was it that this, — shall I call him Reverend Teacher of Babes, — 
 has such numbers of his young_/>j, as I am informed he has, clad in the 
 livery of rebellion ? Is it not to convince the world that there is no heresy 
 in Scotch plaid, when wore only as a badge of Romish superstition ? It 
 must be so, unless you can believe, — and believe it who can ! — that plaid, 
 politics, and popery are this gentleman's aversion." 
 
 Clayton's school has just been mentioned, — a school, per- 
 
 ' Tradition says the suspension lasted three years. 
 ^ Everett's " Life of Clarke," vol. ii., p. 239. 
 
 E 
 
50 Rev. yohn Clayton, 
 
 1748 haps, commenced in consequence of his clerical suspension.^ 
 A~-'Q ^^s residence was in Greengate, Salford, and the present 
 well-known Methodist Chapel, in Gravel Lane, stands on 
 what was once his garden. Here he ably conducted his clas- 
 sical academy, not a few of his pupils becoming graduates at 
 the Oxford University. Here he kept a favourite monkey 
 which came to a cruel and untimely end ; for his pupils, either 
 in wanton mischief or temporary spite, seized poor Pug, and 
 fastened him to a stake in the vicinity of a hive of bees ; and 
 then so exasperated the apiarian insects, that the excited and 
 miserable monkey was literally stung to death. At Kersall 
 Cell, the seat of the Byrom family at Manchester, there is a 
 large original oil-painting representing the interior of Clay- 
 ton's School in Salford, and a full-length portrait of Clayton 
 himself, dressed in a blue velvet gown, and surrounded by 
 his scholars. 
 
 Little more remains to be said of this sincere and earnest 
 high church clergyman. He was stiff in his churchman- 
 ship, but was greatly respected. His Jacobite inclinations 
 might be foolish, but they were not wicked, and were not 
 peculiar to himself Many of the most learned and pious 
 and useful men then existing entertained the same sentiments 
 and feelings. They were doubtless mistaken ; but they were 
 honest, and merited forbearance more than punishment. It is 
 said that, in after years, Mr. Clayton's opinions were greatly 
 modified ; and that, in fact, he became a Hanoverian, Per- 
 haps there is no absolute proof of such a politico-religious 
 change ; but a caricature (now extremely scarce) was published, 
 in which he was represented as standing on a pedestal, with 
 two faces looking in opposite directions ; on his breast was 
 inscribed, " The art of trimming ; " in his left hand was a 
 scroll with "God bless King James HI." upon it; and in his 
 right another, bearing the inscription of "Charles HI." The 
 remainder of the picture consisted of a view of Manchester 
 Old Church, the initials of Prince Charles, sundry portraits, a 
 box and dice, a schoolmaster's birchen rod, a broken punch- 
 bowl, a dog snatching at a shadow, and finally two fighting 
 cats. At the foot of the engraving was written : — 
 
 ^ An excellent library was attached to Clayton's school (" Private Journal 
 and Literary Remains of John Byrom"). 
 
The yacobite Churchman. 5 i 
 
 " Lye on ! while my revenge shall be 1 773 
 
 To speak the very truth of thee." , , 
 
 Age 64 
 
 For twenty years, Clayton was chaplain of the Collegiate 
 Church of Manchester; and, in 1760, was elected a fellow 
 thereof, in the place of Mr. Crouchley, deceased.^ Nine 
 years afterwards, in .1769, he preached the sermon at the 
 consecration of St. John's Church, Manchester, founded by 
 Edward Byrom, Esq., the son of his warmly attached friend, 
 Dr. Byrom. He died September 25, 1773. His funeral 
 sermon was preached by his intimate friend, the Rev. Thomas 
 Aynscough, M.A., from the words, "We took sweet counsel 
 together, and walked unto the house of God in company." 
 His old pupils erected a monument to his memory, in the 
 Collegiate Church, bearing the following inscription : — 
 
 " Sacred to the Memory of the Rev. John Clayton, M.A., 
 Successively Chaplain and Fellow of this Church, 
 Who died September 25th, 1773, Aged 64 Years. 
 
 This Monument is erected by his Scholars, 
 
 A grateful Token of their Affection and Esteem. 
 
 He had endeared himself to them 
 
 \ by his manly Cheerfulness, and strict Integrity, 
 
 diffusive Charity, heroic Forgiveness, 
 
 and Serenity of Temper under Disappointments ; 
 
 his judicious Fidelity to guard against 
 
 the Dangers of Vice, and Follies of Ignorance, 
 
 by forming the Man, the Scholar, and the Christian, 
 
 in every Mind submitted to his Cultivation ; 
 
 his ardent Zeal for true Religion ; 
 
 warm Attachment to the Church of England ; 
 
 and unwearied Discharge of all the Labours 
 
 of a conscientious Parish Priest ; 
 
 by the uncommon Lustre of his declining Years, 
 
 wherein he bore the sharpest Agonies 
 
 of a painful and humiliating Disease, 
 
 with the Fortitude of Faith, the Resignation of Hope, 
 
 and the strong Consolation of a well-spent Life." 
 
 This is high praise, but not unmerited, — given not by 
 strangers, who never saw him, but by those who knew him 
 best. Old Manchester Methodists used to describe him as 
 being about five feet eight inches in stature, somewhat portly. 
 
 ' Lloyd's Evening Post, June 30, 1 760. 
 
52 Rev. John Clayton, 
 
 ^772> dignified in gait, wearing an enormous wig, always deeply 
 Age~64 serious, a rigid disciplinarian among his scholars and choris- 
 ters, a pattern of canonical regularity in the performance of 
 his ministerial duties, and very venerable in appearance at the 
 close of life. 
 
 Though a scholar and a man of considerable mental power, 
 he seems to have published nothing, except the Sermon 
 already mentioned, his Jacobinical strictures in the Chester 
 Courant, and a sixpenny pamphlet, with the following title, 
 "Friendly Advice to the Poor; Written and Published, at 
 the Request of the late and present Officers of the Town of 
 Manchester, by John Clayton, M.A. Manchester : Printed by 
 Joseph Harrop, opposite the Clock End of the Exchange ; 
 for Messrs. Newton's, Booksellers, 1755." 47 pp. 
 
 Clayton was a faithful and fearless friend. He had no 
 notion of using lollipops when bitters were required. His 
 "advice" was "friendly"; but the opposite of fulsome. In 
 his municipal publication, he delivers himself in no measured 
 terms. He writes : — 
 
 " If in any passage of the following Address, the Poor may seem to be 
 treated with rigour, let it not be censured as proceeding from sourness 
 and severity of temper ; but be considered as a proof, that the author is in 
 earnest, and desirous of recommending this Tract to the serious unpre- 
 judiced consideration of his readers. He has upon all proper occasions 
 shown himself ready to plead the cause of the poor and needy; and, 
 therefore, hopes he may be considered as still walking charitably, though 
 he does, with all plainness of speech and befitting Christian liberty, 
 rebuke that spirit of laziness, luxury, and mismanagement, which is gone 
 out into the world, and which particularly reigns amongst the poor of this 
 town, and to which, in a great measure, all their miseries are owing." 
 
 After this exordium, follows his castigation. He reminds 
 his readers of the numerous charitable institutions of the 
 town, for "lodging, clothing, and feeding the poor; for breed- 
 ing up their children in useful Christian knowledge, and put- 
 ting them out to proper trades ; for helping young people at 
 their first setting out in the world ; for maintaining and re- 
 lieving the sick and maimed ; and, lastly, for succouring and 
 supporting the impotent and aged." He tells them, that, the 
 town abounds 
 
 "With such variety of manufactures, as, one would think, might furnish 
 every one, that is able and willing to work, with employment and susten- 
 
The yacobitc Churchman. 53 
 
 ance. Nay, there are many branches of business that require so little 177'" 
 skill or labour, as that neither children nor old people need to be totally — 
 excluded from their share of them; so that a numerous family,— that '^^ ^ 
 common occasion of distress, — far from being a burden here, seems 
 rather to be a blessing to its master ; for most of the members of it, if 
 properly managed, are able to get their livelihood ; and, by the overplus 
 of their gains, may contribute to maintain the impotent part of the 
 household." 
 
 " Many of the poor, however, refuse or neglect to help themselves, and 
 thereby disable their betters from effectually helping them. They have 
 an abject mind, which entails their miseries upon them ; a mean, sordid 
 spirit, which prevents all attempts of bettering their condition. They are 
 so familiarized to filth and rags, as renders them in a manner natural ; and 
 have so little sense of decency, as hardly to allow a wish for it a place in 
 their hearts." 
 
 Clayton acknowledges, that, there are many exceptions of 
 "edifying examples of industry, frugality, and good economy;" 
 but he maintains, that, generally speaking, his description is 
 painfully correct. The town swarmed with " loiterers " ; and 
 " common custom had established so many holidays, that few 
 of the manufacturing work-folks were closely and regularly em- 
 ployed above two thirds of their time; " the result being " that 
 every little accident, that prevented a single week's work, re- 
 duced them absolutely to the state of paupers." Besides this, 
 "it frequently happened, that, the week's labour of an industrious 
 family, were swallowed up in a day's debauch of the extrava- 
 gant master." Vice is contagious, and the pestilent example 
 of masters filled the streets of Manchester " with idle, ragged 
 children ; who were not only losing their time, but learning 
 habits of gaming ; which constantly produced lying, quarrel- 
 ling, profane swearing and cursing ; and frequently, led to 
 pilfering and stealing, and every degree of wickedness and 
 enormity.'^ Added to this, while " the husband wasted his 
 time and squandered his substance at the alehouse, the wife 
 was as often wasteful at the tea-table, as the other was prodi- 
 gal over his cups ; for, strange as it might appear, it was a 
 truth that even this wretched piece of luxury, this shameful 
 devourer of time and money, had found its way into the 
 houses of the poor ; and it was no unusual thing to find a 
 miserable family, with hardly rags to cover their nakedness, 
 in a wretched garret, or more loathsome cellar, fooling away a 
 precious hour, and spending more money over this confessedly 
 
54 ' Rev. yohn Clayton, 
 
 1773 hurtful food," (beverage) "than would have furnished a good 
 
 A<^64 iTieal or two of wholesome diet." In fact, "ale, gin, and tea 
 
 mainly swallowed up that slender income, which might have 
 
 been turned to much better account, had it been laid out with 
 
 the baker and the butcher." 
 
 Clayton adds mismanagement to his charges of idleness 
 and luxury. There was a want of "good housewifry," of 
 " frugal cookery," and of domestic cleanliness. 
 Another extract must suffice: — 
 
 "We cannot walk the streets without being annoyed with such filth as is 
 a public nuisance ; as well as seeing such objects as provoke resentment and 
 aversion. We are grown infamous for a general want of good manners in 
 our populace ; and no wonder, because they are bred up in such habits of 
 nastiness, as, in a manner, break through the ties of natural modesty, and 
 set them beyond all sense of shame. The streets are no better than a com- 
 mon dunghill; and more sacred places are most shamefully polluted. Our 
 very church-yards are profaned with such filth as was once intended to 
 create a destestation and abhorrence even of idol temples ; — I mean they 
 are rendered no better than errant draught-houses. Common decency 
 will not allow me to be more particular upon so loathsome a subject ; and, 
 if enough is said to be understood, it is to be hoped it will effect a 
 reformation." 
 
 Clayton, besides being an able instructor of the young, and 
 an indefatigable parish priest, wished to be a social reformer ; 
 and, certainly, his services, in this respect, were greatly 
 needed. His picture of Manchester, a little more than a 
 hundred years ago, is far from savoury ; but there can be 
 little doubt of its being true. Clayton's plain speaking would 
 hardly be tolerated at the present day ; but, notwithstanding 
 that, perhaps, it might be useful. At all events, one cannot 
 but admire the stern fidelity of this really kind and exemplary 
 visitor of the poor and friendless, in dealing so faithfully with 
 his fellow-townsmen, who, by their idleness and extravagance, 
 systematically reduced themselves to rags and ruin ; and, if 
 the above extracts answer no other purpose, they will not be 
 useless in helping to illustrate the character and principles of 
 this Oxford Methodist.^ 
 
 ' In 1756, a i2mo pamphlet, of 34 pages, was published, with the title, 
 " A Sequel to the Friendly Advice to the Poor of the Town of Man- 
 chester. By Joseph Stot, Cobbler." This vivaciously written brochure 
 taunts Clayton with having published nothing except a solitary sermon 
 and his " Friendly Aflvice." and nretends to have expected that his pen 
 
The yacobite CIuLvcJiinan. 55 
 
 Clayton's life was not mis-spent; but it might have been 1773 
 much more useful if his friendship with the Wesleys had not ^~^ ^ 
 been broken. John Wesley, between the years 1738 and 
 1773, visited Manchester more than twenty times ; and some 
 of these visits were so memorable, that, Clayton must have 
 heard of them ; and, yet, there is not the slightest evidence of 
 any renewal of that fraternal intercourse which was inter- 
 rupted when Wesley began to preach salvation by faith only, 
 and, in consequence, was excluded from the pulpits of the 
 Established Church. This was heresy too great for a high 
 churchman to overlook. To be saved by faith in Christ, 
 instead of by sacraments, fasts, penances, ritualism, and good 
 works was an unpardonable novelty, deserving of Clayton's 
 life-long censure; and hence, after 1738, the two old Oxford 
 friends seem to have been separated till they met in heaven. 
 It is rather remarkable, that, Wesley's first visit to Man- 
 chester, subsequent to his conversion, was at the very time 
 when the Jacobite controversy, already mentioned, was at its 
 height ; and that Wesley preached at Salford Cross, immedi- 
 ately adjoining Clayton's residence. He writes : — 
 
 " 1747, May 7. — We came to Manchester between one and two. I had 
 no thought of preaching here, till I was informed, John Nelson had given 
 public notice, that I would preach at one o'clock. Their house would not 
 contain a tenth part of the people; and how the unbroken spirits of so 
 large a town would endure preaching in the street, I knew not. But after 
 considering, that, I was not going a warfare at my own cost, I walked 
 strait to Salford Cross. A numberless crowd of people partly ran before, 
 partly followed after me. I thought it best not to sing, but, looking 
 round, asked abruptly, 'Why do you look as if you had never seen me 
 before.'' Many of you have seen me in the neighbouring church, both 
 preaching and administering the sacrament.' I then began, ' Seek ye the 
 Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near.' None 
 interrupted at all or made any disturbance, till, as I was drawing to a 
 conclusion, a big man thrust in, with three or four more, and bade them 
 bring out the engine. Our friends desired me to remove into a yard just 
 by, which I did, and concluded in peace." 
 
 Clayton at the time was suspended from exercising minis- 
 terial functions by his bishop ; but he was probably in Man- 
 would have benefitted the public during the time his tongue was silenced 
 by his bishop. It also states that Clayton was never seen out of doors 
 "without a great sweeping nosegay;" and accounts for this on the 
 ground that, perhaps, the foul smells of Manchester made it necessary. 
 
56 Rev. John Clayton. 
 
 1773 Chester, and in a neighbouring house; but there was no 
 A"e 64 recognition of his quondam friend. Wesley might have 
 called upon him ; but peiliaps Clayton's dubious position, as a 
 clergyman suspended for his Jacobinical leanings, prevented 
 this. Wesley himself had been falsely accused of being a 
 friend of the Pretender, and common prudence dictated the 
 inexpediency of seeking the company of one who had shown 
 Charles Edward such marks of sympathy and respect. 
 At his next visit but one, Wesley writes : — 
 
 " 1752, March 27. — Being Good Friday, I went to the Old Church, where 
 Mr. Clayton read Prayers ; I think the most distinctly, solemnly, and 
 gracefully of any man I ever heard ; and the behaviour of the whole con- 
 gregation was serious and solemn in every part of the service. But I was 
 surprised to see such a change in the greater part of them, as soon as the 
 sacrament was over. They were then bowing, courtesying, and talking to 
 each other, just as if they were going from a play." 
 
 Did Wesley join in this sacramental service .'' Was Clayton 
 one of the administrators .'' Was there any intercourse be- 
 tween the two } 
 
 Another of Wesley's visits was in 1755, the year in which 
 Clayton published his " Friendly Advice to the Poor " ; and 
 Wesley's entry in his journal shows that reformation was 
 needed not only among the working-classes, but their su- 
 periors. 
 
 " 1755, April 9. — In the evening I preached at Manchester. The mob 
 was tolerably quiet as long as I was speaking, but immediately after raged 
 horribly. This, I find, has been their manner for some time. No won- 
 der; since the good justices encourage them." 
 
 It was a year after this, when Charles Wesley attended the 
 Collegiate church every day for a whole week, and every day 
 stood close to Clayton, and yet the latter would not even 
 look at him. 
 
 Here we must leave the Jacobite Churchman. Of his 
 sincerity, and of his earnest purpose faithfully to fulfil his 
 office as a minister of the Church of England, there can be 
 no question ; but, remembering the sacred associations and 
 Methodist meetings of Oxford, this priestly superciliousness 
 was not to be commended, even though his two former 
 friends were now excluded from Church of England pulpits, 
 and were so ecclesiastically irregular as to preach in the open 
 air. 
 
REV. BENJAMIN INGHAM, 
 
 THE YORKSHIRE EVANGELIST. 
 
 BENJAMIN INGHAM was born at Osset, in Yorkshire, 1734 
 June nth, 17 12. Like the Wesleys, he was a descen- A'^2 
 dant of one of the ministers ejected from the Church of Eng- 
 land by the black Bartholomew Act of 1662.1 Having 
 received a liberal education at the grammar-school, Batley, 
 he was sent, when about eighteen years of age, to Queen's 
 College, Oxford. Two years afterwards, he joined the 
 Methodists. None of that godly brotherhood were more 
 diligent and devout than this young Yorkshireman. Hence, 
 the following letter addressed to his friend Wesley : — 
 
 " OsSET, February 2jlk, 1734. 
 
 " Honoured Sir, — I meet with many cases of conscience in the coun- 
 try, though I can find no casuist to solve them. I did not altogether 
 know the advantage of living at Oxford so well before as I do now. 
 They that have it in their power to reside their, are wise if they do so. 
 To act well in the country, requires more knowledge, prudence, and a 
 great deal more zeal. It is scarce possible to imagine how wicked the 
 world is. The generality are dead in trespasses and sins. Even those 
 who would pass for good Christians, are sunk deep in a dead indifference. 
 Sincerity is as rare as a black swan. Since I left your good brother, I 
 have only met with one person that is in good earnest for heaven, except 
 that poor rug-maker. God, indeed, is chief in his heart. The most 
 wholesome discipline and best discourses have no effect upon most peo- 
 ple. They are no more moved and concerned than a stone. Reflecting 
 frequently on this, has confirmed my belief of an election of grace. I 
 should be glad to know your thoughts on the subject at a convenient 
 opportunity. 
 
 " Since my coming into the country, I have frequently been much 
 affected with lively meetings; which has compensated me much, and 
 made me easy and cheerful. What dejects me most is when I lie long, or 
 am idle, or in company where I can do no good. I desire to know how I 
 
 ^ Calamy's "Nonconformist Memorial," vol. ii., p. 599; and Evan- 
 gelical Magazine, 1 814, p. 302. 
 
Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1734 ought to act when I am in company with superiors, who talk only about 
 . trifles. Alas ! Sir, I am vastly deficient in this singularity, which is a 
 
 ^ material point ; though, blessed be God ! I have now a footman to call 
 
 me, who visits me early, so that I hope to mend. 
 
 " I have methodized my time according to the following scheme. Sup- 
 pose I rise at five, or sooner, I spend till six in devotion, — repeating a 
 hymn, and chanting a psalm, then praying and reading the Holy Scrip- 
 tures. At six, Christian treatises. At seven, we breakfast. I then get a 
 lesson out of the New Testament, then a Collect, and most of the Com- 
 mon Prayer. Then forty-two poor children come to me to read. I pro- 
 pose to observe the three ancient hours of prayer when at home. From 
 nine to eleven, I read in the Greek Testament, according to Frank's. At 
 eleven, I go to teach the rug-maker's children to read. Twelve, dine ; 
 read Morris's ' Shorthand.' Two, Greek Testament. Four, walk. Five, 
 devotion. Six, Monday, I choose the subject beforehand. Seven, supper; 
 and read Milton and other religious books with the family. Nine, pray 
 for myself and friends. On Wednesday and Friday, from eight to nine, 
 meditate on my sins; twelve to one, on Christ's sufferings; two to three, 
 read Morris. On Sunday, spend two hours in reading with the family or 
 some poor neighbours. 
 
 " I shall readily submit to your better directions. Supposing a friend to 
 visit me on a stationary day, ' how must I behave myself? In eating and 
 drinking, should I confine myself to such a quantity, when with stran- 
 gers ? Your directions in these cases will be very useful. 
 
 " My hearty love to your brother, and all friends. I have received a 
 letter from Mr. Smith. He says he will acquaint his tutor with all his 
 concerns. I design shortly to write to Mr. Ford and Watson. I ear- 
 nestly desire the hearty prayers of all friends. 
 
 " From your most obliged and affectionate friend and servant, 
 
 " B. Ingham." 
 
 Here we have another glimpse of Oxford Methodism, — • 
 intense conscientiousness, concern on account of surrounding 
 wickedness, early rising, religious employment of every hour, 
 devout study, care for neglected children, and observance of 
 the weekly fasts ; but not a word respecting the great truth, 
 that sinners are saved by the alone merits of Jesus Christ, 
 and by a penitential trust in His all-sufftcient sacrifice. 
 These were truths which the Oxford Methodists had yet to 
 learn. Ingham, like Kirkham, the Morgans, and Clayton, 
 looked to Wesley for guidance ; but, in this respect, Wesley 
 as yet was an incompetent instructor. 
 
 Ingham mentions his teaching forty-two children how to 
 
 ^ Fast-day. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 59 
 
 read, and his Sunday meetings among the poor people at 1734 
 Osset. Such efforts to improve his neighbours deserve to A^e"-"' 
 be commended ; and it is a pleasant duty to relate, that, his 
 benevolent endeavours were attended with great success. 
 Numbers of persons were convinced of their lost condition 
 as sinners : and thus was commenced a religious movement 
 akin to that, which, eight years afterwards, seemed to up- 
 heave a large portion of the West Riding of the county of 
 York. 
 
 Notwithstanding his prayers, fasts, scripture reading, and 
 diligence, Ingham was not happy ; and no wonder. He was 
 a conscientious, earnest Pharisee, seeking to be saved by 
 works of righteousness, rather than by penitential faith in 
 Christ. The following letter, also addressed to Wesley, and 
 written nine months after the former one, shows how dis- 
 satisfied he was with his present religious state ; and reveals 
 a scrupulousness of conscience in reference to shooting and 
 Quakers, which is somewhat amusing : — 
 
 " OsSET, Novembe}' 30, 1734. 
 
 " Rev. Sir, — Such is the wretchedness of my station at present, that, if 
 I durst, shame would persuade me to conceal it from my best friends. God, 
 of His great goodness, has been pleased to chastise me, for my sins, with an 
 ague. I am afraid, I shall make but a very indifferent use of this Fatherly 
 correction. It may justly be expected that I should be more dead to the 
 world, and filled with more fervent longings and thirstings after God ; 
 that my diligence would have been quickened, and my devotion inflamed. 
 But, alas ! sir, I am become more sensual, more indulgent, and more sub- 
 ject to vanity. To early prayer I am now a stranger. I think it well to 
 rise at seven. In my sickness, my thoughts, for the most part, were 
 monstrous and trifling. ' I would fain make my distemper an excuse ; 
 and, though it weakened my body, it is strange that it should disorder my 
 soul. To give you one instance of my weakness : When I was pretty 
 well recovered, I could not deny myself so much as to walk out for my 
 health ; and yet, with but little persuasion, I went several times a shoot- 
 ing. Nay, I thought it necessary, though I had renounced it. But it 
 pleased God graciously to let my distemper relapse, which took away the 
 power, though not the desire of going. 
 
 " At present, I keep altogether at home, scarcely stirring out of doors. 
 My eyes are weak ; yet I am in a fair way of recovering my bodily health. 
 The only thing in which I have not been much deficient, is in teaching 
 the children, and conversing at night with the neighbours, when able to 
 do it. And, indeed, this has been a means of saving myself from utterly 
 sinking. God hath been pleased to bless my weak endeavours with 
 pretty good success ; and, I find, that, He manifests the effects when we 
 
Age 2 
 
 60 Rev. Benjamin higham, 
 
 1772 ^S'lst expect it, hereby telling us that not our endeavours, but His 
 Almighty arm doth the work. 
 
 " The honest rugmaker makes very slow advances in learning. I think 
 to dissuade him from it, unless you advise me to the contrary. 
 
 "My sister proceeds excellently, and, by her example, provokes me to 
 what otherwise I should not do. 
 
 " I desire you to resolve me : Will it be lawful to sell a thing above its 
 worth, purely because the buyer hath a desire of it .-* Also, whether it be 
 convenient or lawful for a Christian to dwell with a Quaker when under 
 no necessity .'' Also, whether persons ought to eat, or openly declare they 
 fast, when no necessity puts them upon it ? 
 
 " Dear Sir, let me beg your earnest prayers for your unworthy, most 
 obliged Friend and Servant, 
 
 " B. Ingham. 
 
 " My love to your good brother, etc. 
 
 " I have heard from Mr. Burton. Mr. Wogan joins with him in service 
 to you and your brother. He expects to return by Oxford about Christ- 
 mas. They were indifferently in health. If I recover my health per- 
 fectly, would you advise me to visit Mr. Clayton before I return to 
 Oxford .'' Our family send their service. 
 
 " For the Rev. Mr. John Wesley, 
 
 " Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxon." 
 
 From the above, it is quite evident that the Oxford 
 Methodists regarded the Quakers as not Christians ; yea, 
 as people, in whose houses, it was doubtful whether Chris- 
 tians, except in cases of necessity, ought to dwell. This 
 was not surprising. Sacraments, fasts, and feast days were 
 essentials among the Oxford Methodists ; among the 
 Quakers they were utterly neglected. The religion of the 
 Methodists, to a great extent, consisted in the observance 
 of outward forms ; the religion of the Quakers, to an equal 
 extent, in the neglect of them. 
 
 Ingham returned to Oxford in February, 1735 i and was 
 ordained in Christ Church, by Bishop Potter, on the ist of 
 June following. On the day of his ordination, he preached 
 his first sermon, his congregation consisting of the prisoners 
 in Oxford Castle. On the 4th of the same month, he pro- 
 ceeded, with Mr. Gambold, to London, where he was engaged 
 as the " reader of public prayers at Christ Church, and at 
 St. Sepulchre's," Newgate Street. Ingham's zeal was too 
 fervent to be pent up in the reading-desks of these city 
 churches. His age was only twenty-three ; he was full of 
 youthful buoyancy, and longed for a wider sphere of action. 
 
The Yorkshii^e Evangelist. 61 
 
 In Yorkshire, he had held conversational meetings in his 1735 
 mother's house ; but now, for the first time, he was allowed pj^-^-^ 
 to mount the pulpit, and to preach. Christ Church and St. 
 Sepulchre's had other, probably older, men than himself as 
 preachers ; but, rather than be silent, away he went, on a 
 sort of ecclesiastical itinerancy, far beyond the precincts of 
 London proper, and preached in many of the surrounding 
 villages, and with such singular success, that great numbers 
 of the people were powerfully impressed, and had eternal 
 cause to be grateful for his youthful and fervid ministry.^ 
 
 The Oxford Methodists were already scattered. In con- 
 sequence of his father's death, on April 25, 1735, Wesley 
 had gone to Epworth. His brother Charles, ordained about 
 the same time as Ingham, had also taken his departure 
 from Oxford. Clayton was in Manchester ; Hervey at 
 home ; Gambold in London. The following letter, ad- 
 dressed to Wesley, and written a fortnight after Ingham's 
 ordination, contains interesting references to this religious 
 brotherhood. 
 
 " Mr. Lisbon's, George Yard, 
 
 Snow Hill, London, 
 
 Jimc 17, 1735. 
 ' " Rev. Sir, — The chiet intent of this is to express my respect and 
 gratitude to you, and dear Mr. Charles, as at your departure from Oxford 
 there might seem to be some indifference between us ; but, according to 
 the old saying, Ainautiuni irae amoris rediiitegratio est; my affections 
 have the more inflamed since that, and I have often thought of writing to 
 inform you of it, but hitherto have delayed. I have reason to believe you 
 have met with a variety of trials at Epworth, and I have heard you evil 
 spoken of abroad ; and, for these reasons, I do assure you I love you the 
 more, and pray the more earnestly for you. You have heard of the 
 fluctuating condition of some acquaintance at Oxford. London friends 
 have much the same esteem for you : ' You are a good man, but you are 
 too rigid,' etc. ' Master, in so saying, thou reproachest us also.' 
 
 " But to give you some good news. Mr. Salmon - is a sincere friend. 
 
 ^ " Life and Times of Lady Huntingdon," vol. i., p. 242. 
 ^ Salmon was one of the Oxford Methodists. In 1779, Wesley wrote : 
 " Fifty years ago Mr. Matthew Salmon was one of our little company at 
 Oxford, and was then, both in person, in natural temper, and in piety, 
 one of the loveliest young men I knew." (Wesley's Journal.) Like 
 Clayton, Mr. Salmon became alienated from the Methodists. In 1748, 
 he published the " Foreigner's Companion through the Universities of 
 Oxford and Cambridge," which contained the following : — " The times of 
 
62 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1735 Mr. Whitfield is well known to you. I contracted great intimacy with 
 . ^^ him since your departure. He is zealous in a good cause. All friends at 
 
 " ~ Queen's College I left in a hopeful condition. Their number is increased, 
 and, I verily believe, will increase. Mr. Hervey fights manfully in North- 
 amptonshire. Mr. Broughton is really a holy man. Mr. Morgan (I sup- 
 pose you have heard his case, how he is forbid all conversation with you 
 or your friends, etc.), I hope, will make a good Christian. Our friends at 
 Osset go on very well. I baptized Piggot, and preached at the Castle the 
 day I was ordained. I think there were thirty, save one, at the sacrament 
 at St. Mary's the day before I came to London. Piggot and some of our 
 friends were confirmed on Sunday. Mr. Gambold came with me to 
 London, and is with me at Mr. Lissons's. He returns to Oxford with Mr. 
 Hall, who has been here a considerable time, on Saturday. ,0n Friday, I 
 shall set forward for Matching.^ I cannot tell how long I shall stay 
 there. I have thoughts of visiting my friends in Yorkshire ; and, if you 
 continue at Epworth, I think to come and see you. I have also a desire 
 to see Mr. Clayton, at Manchester. I have been with Mr. Gambold and 
 Hall to see Mr. Law.'- We asked him some questions ; but he talked 
 
 the day the University go to this church, are ten in the morning, and two 
 in the afternoon, on Sundays and holidays, the sermon usually lasting 
 about half an hour. But, when I happened to be at Oxford, in 1742, Mr. 
 Wesley, the Methodist, of Christ Church, entertained his audience two 
 hours ; and, having insulted and abused all degrees, from the highest to 
 the lowest, was, in a manner, hissed out of the pulpit by the lads." 
 
 The preacher on this occasion was Charles Wesley, and the two hours' 
 sermon, was his well-known Discourse, before the University of Oxford, 
 on "Awake thou that sleepest," etc. (Eph. v. 14). On reading Salmon's 
 unbrotherly attack, Charles Wesley remarked : " And high time for the 
 lads to do so, if the historian said true ; but, unfortunately for him, I 
 measured the time by my watch, and it was within the hour ; I abused 
 neither high nor low, as my sermon, in print, will show : neither was I 
 hissed out of the pulpit, or treated with the least incivility, either by 
 young or old. What, then, shall I say to my old high church friend 
 whom I once so much admired? I must rank him among the apocryphal 
 writers, such as the judicious Dr. Mather, the wary Bishop Burnet, and 
 the most modest Mr. Oldmixon." (C. Wesley's Journal, vol. ii., p. 71.) 
 
 A nephew of Mr. Salmon's, and some other branches of his family, 
 afterwards became Methodists, at Nantwich and in the neighbourhood. 
 Miss Salmon was an intimate friend of Elizabeth Ritchie and Hester Ann 
 Rogers. Joseph Whittingham Salmon, the nephew, entertained Wesley 
 at Nantwich, in 1779. In 1785, he preached, and pubhshed a sermon on 
 the death of his wife, with the title, " The Robes of the Saints washed in 
 the Blood of the Lamb : being the Substance of a Funeral Discourse, 
 preached at the Barker Street Chapel, Nantwich, on Occasion of the 
 Death of Mrs. Salmon." 8vo, 39 pages. And, in. 1796, he gave to the 
 world a book of poetry, entitled, " Moral Reflections in Verse, begun in 
 Hawkstone Park," etc. Svo, 264 pages. 
 
 Matthew Salmon, the Oxford Methodist, will be occasionally mentioned 
 in succeeding pages. 
 
 ^ A parish in Essex. 
 ^ The celebrated, Rev. William Law. 
 
Acre 
 
 The Yorkshire Evangelist. "63 
 
 only about man's fall, and the one thing necessary. He is a divine 1735 
 man. 
 
 " I like several of the religious people in London pretty well ; but I 
 must confess they are not over zealous. I have had a great many turns 
 and changes since I saw you. I believe I must be perfected through 
 sufferings. Notwithstanxiing, by the blessing of God, I hope to press on, 
 and persevere in the constant use of all the means of grace. I intend, 
 at present, to read the Scriptures in English, together with Mr. Law's 
 books. 
 
 " My hearty respects to your brother and mother. Mrs. Lissons sends 
 her service. Pray let me hear from you shortly. When I shall have 
 the happiness of seeing you, or your brother, I shall acquaint you with 
 many particulars which I cannot now liiention. In the meantime, I rest, 
 dear Sir, your sincere and affectionate friend, and brother in Christ, 
 
 "B. Ingham." 
 
 " For the Rev, Mr. John Wesley, at Epworth, to be left at the Post 
 Office in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire." 
 
 " A man's heart deviseth his way, but the Lord directeth 
 his steps." Within three months after this, Wesley wrote to 
 Ingham, in substance, as follows : — " Fast and pray ; and then 
 send me word whether you dare go with me to the Indians." 
 Ingham's answer will be found in the following long letter, 
 or journal, dated "Savannah, May ist, 1736;" and which is 
 now, for the first time, published at full length. The sub- 
 stance of it was given in the " Wesley Banner" for 1852 ; but 
 it is here printed verbatim, and without abridgment. Per- 
 haps, and indeed, probably, the letter was an extract from 
 a longer journal ; but if so, the journal is unknown. The 
 document is long, and somewhat loosely written ; but, be- 
 sides illustrating Ingham's character, it contains a consider- 
 able amount of interesting information, and will serve to 
 confirm the journals of Wesley and his brother, and to fill 
 up gaps in them : — 
 
 " Savannah, i^/rt/ \st, 1736. 
 
 " To my much-honoured Mother, my dearly beloved Brethren and 
 Sisters, and all my Christian Friends : — Grace, mercy and peace be mul- 
 tiplied from Almighty God, the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 with the Holy Ghost ; to whom be glory, honour, and praise for ever and 
 ever. Amen. 
 
 " Blessed, for ever blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ, the Father of all mercy, and the God of all consolation, who, of 
 His great goodness, has been graciously pleased to conduct us safe 
 through the terrors of the great deep ! ' They that go down to the sea 
 
Aue 2 
 
 64 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 J 72^ in ships, and occupy their business in great waters, these men see the 
 works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep, for, at His word, the 
 stormy wind ariseth, which Hfteth up the waves thereof. They are 
 carried up to the heavens, and down again to the deep. Their soul 
 melteth away because of the trouble. They reel to and fro, and are 
 tossed up and down, so that they are at their wit's end. Then they cry 
 unto the Lord in their trouble, and He delivereth them out of their dis- 
 tress. For He maketh the storm to cease, so that the waves thereof 
 are still. Then are they glad, because they are at rest ; and so He 
 bringeth them unto the haven where they would be ! O ! that men 
 would therefore praise the Lord for His goodness, and declare the 
 wonders that He doeth to the children of men !' 
 
 " I can now inform you that we are all arrived in safety in Georgia. 
 But, because I believe that a relation of our voyage will not be unaccep- 
 table to you, I shall, with God's assistance, set down both the chief 
 occurrences thereof, and also the reasons which moved me to undertake 
 it. But, lest you should think of me, or my designs, more highly than 
 you ought to think, I do assure you that I am a very grievous and 
 abominable sinner, proud, sensual, and self-willed. And, oh ! that I was 
 truly sensible, and heartily sorry of being so ! Oh ! that it would please 
 Almighty God, of His great grace, to make me thoroughly humble and 
 contrite ! Oh ! that my sins were done away ; that my nature was changed; 
 that I was a new creature in Christ Jesus ! Then, perhaps, God would 
 make me an instrument to His glory. Oh ! my dear friends, I beg of you, 
 I entreat you, I beseech you, pray mightily to God in my behalf, that I 
 may not be a castaway. 
 
 " About six weeks before we took shipping for Georgia, I received a 
 letter from the Rev. Mr. John Wesley, Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford, 
 the substance whereof was as follows : ' Fast and pray ; and then send 
 me word whether you dare go with me to the Indians.' Having observed 
 his directions, about three days after the receipt of this, I answered him 
 to this effect : ' I am satisfied that God's providence has placed me in my 
 present station. Whether He would have me go to the Indians or not, 
 I am not as yet informed. I dare not go without being called.' I kept 
 his letter secret for some days. I was utterly averse from going. I 
 thought we had heathens anew at home. However, I continued to pray, 
 that God would be pleased to direct me, whether He would have me go, 
 or not. 
 
 " About a fortnight after this, Mr. John Wesley came to London, as 
 also his brother Charles, and Mr. Salmon, a gentleman of Brazen-Nose 
 College, Oxon. The first time I was with them, I desired to know the 
 reasons which moved them to leave England. They answered, they 
 thought they could be better Christians, alleging particular advantages 
 which they might reasonably expect would further their spiritual progress^ 
 by going amongst the Indians. Some of their reasons I approved of; 
 to others I objected, alleging that a man might be a Christian in any 
 place, but chiefly insisting upon this, that no one ought to go without 
 being called of God. They told me, if I required a voice or sign from 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 65 
 
 * 
 
 heaven, that was not now to be expected ; and that a man had no other 1735 
 
 way of knowing God's will, but by consulting his own reason, and his 
 
 friends, and by observing the order of God's providence. They, there- °^ ^ 
 fore, thought it a sufficient call to choose that way of life which they had 
 reason to believe would most promote their Christian welfare. Our con- 
 versation being ended, they lent me several letters, written by Mr. Ogle- 
 thorpe, relating to the Indians, their manner of living, their customs, 
 and their great expectation of having a white man come amongst them 
 to teach them wisdom. All this moved me a little, but I had no mind to 
 leave England. However, I now began to pray more frequently and 
 fervently that God would be pleased to direct me to do His will. 
 
 " Besides the three gentlemen aforementioned, there was also one Mr. 
 Hall, brother-in-law to Mr. Wesley, resolutely determined to go. When 
 they had been in London about ten days, in which time I frequently con- 
 versed with them, I found my heart so moved one night, by being with 
 Mr. John Wesley, that, almost without thinking it, I said to him, ' If 
 neither Mr. Hall nor Mr. Salmon go along with you, I will go.' At that 
 time, there seemed no probability that either of them would draw back. 
 They were both of them ordained by the Bishop of London in order to 
 go : Mr. Salmon, deacon ; Mr. Hall, both deacon and priest. 
 
 " But, lo ! Mr. Salmon was immediately seized upon by his relations in 
 town, and was sent down, post haste, to his parents in Cheshire. Upon 
 his arrival, his father left the house, furious and distracted, protesting 
 he would not return unless his son would stay. His mother, also, was 
 labouring under a fever. In this distress, he knew not what to do ; but 
 he promised his parents to stay, and wrote Mr. Wesley word that he 
 hoped to follow him next spring, though since then he has writ to him, 
 telling him he doth not think himself as yet at liberty to leave father and 
 mother. 
 
 "However, Mr. Hall still continued stead)'-. Neither his wife, nor 
 mother, nor brother, nor uncle, nor all his friends, either by prayers, 
 tears, threats, or entreaties, could, in the least, turn him aside from his 
 purpose. 
 
 " A few days after this, Mr. Wesley began to be more importunate with 
 me, urging me with my promise, teUing me he had now little hope of 
 Mr. Salmon ; and, as for Mr, Hall, he could not properly be said to go 
 with him, for his design was to go amongst the Indians, whereas Mr. 
 Hall was only to go to Savannah, and be minister there ; and as for his 
 brother Charles, he went over only as secretary to the trustees for the 
 colony of Georgia. 
 
 " I still refused, telling him, ' If Mr. Hall went, I would not go.' Never- 
 theless, I prayed very earnestly, almost night and day revolving upon it. 
 My heart began to be now more and more affected. It pleased God to 
 let me see I might be a better Christian by going with Mr. Wesley. I 
 thought, by living with him and having his example always before mine 
 eyes, I should be enabled to rise regularly and early, and to spend all my 
 time carefully, which are great and necessary points in Christianity, and 
 wherein I grew very deficient by living in London. Besides these, there 
 
 F 
 
66 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1735 were three other reasons which moved me. I thought, I should not meet 
 Ao^ ^7 'Vi\\h so many temptations, to sensuahty and indulgence, among the 
 
 '^ " Indians as in England. Hereby, likewise. I saw I should be freed from 
 the slavery of worldly interests, and the danger and drudgery of hunting 
 for preferment, which hinders so many from being Christians, making 
 them to betray the Church to serve the State, and to deny Jesus Christ to 
 please worldly-minded men. The last and chief reason was the goodness 
 of the work, and the great and glorious promises that are made to those 
 who forsake all for the sake of the gospel.' 
 
 " Notwithstanding 'all these reasons, I was not yet fully determined to 
 go ; but, what is very remarkable, the Psalms, the Lessons, and all that 
 I then read suggested to me that I should go. So that, being at Morning 
 Prayers in Westminster Abbey, on Tuesday, October 7th, 1735, the tenth 
 chapter of St. Mark, which was then read, made so strong and vigorous 
 an impression upon me, that, at the hearing of these words, ' And Jesus 
 answered and said, Verily, I say unto you, there is no man that hath left 
 house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or 
 lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundred-fold 
 now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and 
 children, and lands, with persecutions ; and in the world to come eternal 
 life,' — I determined in my heart that I would go. I may likewise observe 
 that, without any intention or design, I read the same chapter the next 
 day at St, Sepulchre's Church, which did not a little strengthen my reso- 
 lution. 
 
 " Though I was thus determined in my own mind, yet I did not make 
 known my purpose to Mr. Wesley ; but told him there were three ob- 
 jections against my going. My mother and Mr. Nicolson knew nothing 
 of the matter ; whereas I ought to have acquainted them both, and ob- 
 tained their consent. To these Mr. Wesley answered, he did not doubt 
 but God would provide better for the school in my absence than if 1 
 stayed, especially if I recommended it to His care in my prayers, which I 
 have constantly done. Mr. Morgan, likewise, a gentleman of Lincoln 
 College, Oxford, who came up to London to take leave of Mr. Wesley, a 
 zealous and sincere Christian, being very earnest with me to go, promised 
 himself to make a journey into Yorkshire to see my mother, and to do 
 what he could towards settling the school. As to having my mother's 
 consent, he said, if I thought it was God's will, I must obey my Master, 
 and go wherever I could do Him service, whether my relations were 
 wilhng or not. But, however, I could not go without Mr. Nicolson's 
 knowledge and consent, because that would be leaving the parish un- 
 provided, which would be unlawful. We therefore put the matter upon 
 this issue, — if Mr. Nicolson consented, I might go ; if not, then there was 
 a reasonable hindrance against my going at this time. Mr. Nicolson 
 had been some weeks at his parish of Matching, in Essex, whereof I was 
 
 ' Wesley's reasons were substantially the same as Ingham's. (See 
 " Life and Times of Wesley," vol. i., p. 115, 116.) 
 
The Yorkshire EvaugcUst. 6"]; 
 
 curate. He usually came to town on Saturdays, but, by a wonderful 1735 
 
 Providence, he was now brought to town on Monday night. His intent 
 
 was to have returned the next day, but he was strangely detained, by one ° "^ 
 thing or other, till Wednesday. I would gladly have met with him on 
 Tuesday, but could not find him at home. However, I writ a letter, and 
 ordered it to be given him as soon as he came. Next morning, he came 
 to my lodgings at Mr. Lissons's. He told me he had received my letter, 
 •which had acquainted him with my designs. He was sorry to part with 
 me ; my warning was short ; my departure was sudden ; yet, as I was 
 going about a good work, he would not oppose me ; and, provided I could 
 preach the Sunday following, he would give me his consent. I went to 
 Mr. Oglethorpe to know if I could stay so long. He said, I might. I re- 
 turned, acquainted Mr. Nicolson, and so parted with him very friendly, 
 he going directly into the country. 
 
 " After this, 1 made known my designs, and got things in readiness 
 as fast as I could. My friends in town endeavoured to persuade me; but 
 I did not consult them, but God. 
 
 "On Friday, October 10, 1735, I made my will, which I sent inclosed 
 in a letter to you at Osset. 
 
 " Sunday, October 12, I preached at St. Mary Somerset ' in the morn- 
 ing, and at St. Sepulchre's in the afternoon. Service being ended, I took 
 leave of my good old friend, Mrs. Lissons, and her family, who wept 
 much — my cousin, Robert Harrap, and some other friends. Thence I 
 went to Sir John Philips', a very worthy gentleman, and a devout Chris- 
 tian, who showed me a great deal of respect, and did me many favours 
 when I was in London, where, having exhorted one another, we kneeled 
 down to pray, and so parted. Thence I went with Mr. Morgan to 
 Mr. Hutton's, a good family in Westminster, where we spent the next 
 day with Messrs. Wesley, chiefly in private. But there happened such 
 a remai'kable circumstance on it, as I cannot pass over in silence. Mr. 
 Hall, who had made great preparations for the voyage, and had now 
 got all things ready for his departure, having this very morning hired 
 a coach to carry himself and wife down to Gravesend, where the ship lay, 
 at the very hour wherein they should have gone, drew back. He came 
 unexpectedly, and told Mr. Oglethorpe, his uncle and mother would 
 get him a living, and, therefore, he would not go. So he, whom all 
 his friends could not dissuade before, lost himself, and dropped all his 
 resolutions in the very last moments. 
 
 " This strange occurrence, which was so much beyond all expectation, 
 was a strong and fresh demonstration to me, that it was God's will I 
 should go. Because, as I observed, I had said to Mr. Wesley some time 
 ago, ' If neither Mr. Hall nor Mr. Salmon go along with you, I will go.' — 
 And again, ' If Mr. Hall goes, I will not go.' 
 
 " Having now no further doubt, but, that, I was intended by Providence 
 to accompany Mr. Wesley, on Tuesday, October 14, he, his brother, 
 Mr. Charles, myself, and Mr. Delamotte, son of a merchant in London,, 
 
 ' In Thames Street. 
 
68 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 ] 735 who had a mind to leave the world, and give himself up entirely to God, 
 
 — being accompanied by Mr. Morgan, Mr. Burton, (one of the trustees), and 
 
 ■^gc 23 jyjj.^ James Hutton, took boat at Westminster, for Gravesend. We arrived 
 
 there about four in the afternoon, and immediately went on board the 
 
 ship, called the Synnnonds. 
 
 " We had two cabins allotted us in the forecastle ; I and Mr. Delamotte 
 having the first, and Messrs. Wesley the other. Theirs was made pretty 
 large, so that we could all meet together to read or pray in it. This part 
 of the ship was assigned to us by Mr. Oglethorpe, as being most con- 
 venient for privacy. 
 
 " Wednesday and Thursday we spent chiefly with Mr. Morgan and 
 Mr. Hutton, exhorting and encouraging one another. We also received 
 the Lord's Supper with them each day, thereby to strengthen our spiritual 
 strength and resolutions. They were both sorry to part with us ; and, 
 I believe, Mr. Morgan would have been very glad to have gone along 
 with us. 
 
 "Friday, October 17, Mr. John Wesley began to learn the German 
 tongue, in order to converse with the Moravians, a good, devout, peaceable, 
 and heavenly-minded people, who were persecuted by the Papists, and 
 driven from their native country, upon the account of their religion. They 
 were graciously received and protected by Count Zinzendorf, of Hernhuth, 
 a very holy man, who sent them over into Georgia, where lands will 
 be given them. There are twenty-six of them in our ship ; and almost 
 the only time that you could know they were in the ship, was when 
 they were harmoniously singing the praises of the Great Creator, which 
 they constantly do in public twice a day, wherever they are. Their ex- 
 ample was very edifying. They are more like the Primitive Christians than 
 any other church now in the world ; for they retain both the faith, 
 practice, and discipline delivered by the Apostles. They have regularly 
 ordained bishops, priests, and deacons. Baptism, confirmation, and the 
 eucharist are duly administered. Discipline is strictly exercised without 
 respect of persons. They all submit themselves to their pastors, being 
 guided by them in everything. They live together in perfect love and 
 peace, having, for the present, all things in common. They are more 
 ready to serve their neighbours than themselves. In their business, they 
 are diligent and industrious ; in all their dealings, strictly just and 
 conscientious. In everything, they behave themselves with great meek- 
 ness, sweetness, and humility. 
 
 " Saturday, October 18. This morning, Mr. John Wesley and I began 
 to read the Old Testament, which we finished during our voyage. 
 Mr. Wesley likewise baptised a man of thirty, who before only had 
 received lay baptism.^ I was witness. 
 
 "Sunday, October 19. Mr. John Wesley began to preach without notes, 
 expounding a portion of Scripture extempore, according to the ancient 
 usage. During our passage, he went over our Saviour's Sermon on 
 
 ' Another instance of the high-churchism of these Oxford Methodists. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 69 
 
 the Mount. Heal so constantly explained the Second Lesson, except when jyor 
 
 he catechized the children ; whereby, all that heard, with sincere hearts, 
 
 were much edified. To-day, being the first time we celebrated the Lord's ^^ 23 
 Supper publicly, (which we did constantly every Lord's-day afterwards,) 
 we had but three communicants besides ourselves ; — a small number, yet 
 God has been graciously pleased to add to them. All love, all glory, be 
 to Thee, O Lord ! 
 
 ^^ Monday, October 20. I began to teach and catechize the children on 
 board our ship, being in number about twelve. I likewise helped two or 
 three of the Moravians ' to learn English. This I continued to do several 
 weeks, till we came out to sea, and then I could but do it seldom, by reason 
 of the rolling of the ship. O that we were all like little children, willing to 
 be instructed and guided by our Heavenly Father ! O that we were truly 
 sensible of our own ignorance, and how very little the wisest of us knows 
 that is worth knowing! It is God that teacheth man knowledge. 
 
 " Tuesday, October 21. We left Gravesend, and went down the 
 river, though but very slowly, the wind not being favourable to us. 
 
 " We now began to be more in earnest. We resolved to rise early, and 
 to spend our time regularly and carefully. The first hour, we allotted 
 ourselves, was to pray for ourselves and absent friends. The next, we 
 read the Scriptures ; and, from six to breakfast, we generally read some- 
 thing relating to the Primitive Church. At eight, we had public prayers. 
 The forenoon / spent either in teaching and instructing the children, 
 or reading antiquity; Mr. Johjv Wesley, in learning German; Mr. 
 Charles Wesley, mostly in writing ; Mr. Delatnotte, in learning Greek, or 
 Navigation. At twelve, we all met together, to join in prayer, and to 
 exhort one another, consulting both how to profit our neighbours and 
 ourselves. After dinner, I taught the children, or conversed religiously 
 with some of the passengers, as also Mr. Wesley constantly did. At four, 
 we had pubHc prayer. From five to six, we spent in private ; then 
 we supped. At seven, I read to as many of the passengers as were 
 willing to hear, and instructed them in Christianity. -Mr. John Wesley 
 joined with the Moravians in their public devotions. At eight, we all met 
 together again, to give an account of what we had done, whom we 
 had conversed with, deliberating on the best method of proceeding with 
 such and such persons ; what advice, direction, exhortation, or reproof 
 was necessary for them ; and sometimes we read a little, concluding with 
 prayer ; and so we went to bed about nine, sleeping soundly upon mats 
 and blankets, regarding neither the noise of the sea or sailors. " The 
 angels of the Lord are round about them that fear Him." 
 
 '"''Monday, October 27. We sailedTrom Margate Road to the Downs. A 
 gentleman passenger strongly opposed our having prayers in the great 
 cabin ; and, indeed, he half carried his point, so that we were forced to 
 submit to the inconvenience of having them between decks in the after- 
 noons, till it pleased God to remove him out of the ship. 
 
 ^ One of these was David Nitschmann, the Moravian Bishop. (See 
 Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 16.) 
 
Jo Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 J 735 " Sunday, November 2. We passed the fleet at Spitbead, and came into 
 
 Cowes Road, off the Isle of Wight, where we lay till the loth of December. 
 
 ^ "-^ During our stay here, we had an excellent opportunity of promoting 
 the work of God among our fellow passengers. We met with both oppo- 
 sition and success, passing through evil report and good report. May it 
 please the Almighty to give us all an abundant measure of His grace, to 
 persevere zealously in His service to the end of our days ! Every 
 Christian must be perfected through sufferings, either inward or outward, 
 for even the Captain of our salvation was made perfect through suffering ; 
 and we are to be like Him. 
 
 " Mr. Charles Wesley, being known to the minister at Cowes, preached 
 several times in the island, and read at a poor woman's house to a good 
 number of the people there assembled. Before we came away, he left 
 a few books among them. The poor people were very glad, expressed 
 much thankfulness, and, I beheve, were not a little edified by his admoni- 
 tion and exhortation. 
 
 " Monday, November 3. We took a walk into the Isle, where we 
 agreed upon the following resolutions : — 
 
 " ' In the name of God, Amen. 
 " ' We whose names are here underwritten, being fully convinced, 
 that, it is impossible, either to promote the work of God among the 
 heathen without an entire union amongst ourselves ; or, that, such an 
 union should subsist unless each one will give up his single judgment 
 to that of the majority, do agree, by the help of God : — 
 
 " ' First. That none of us will undertake anything of importance 
 without first proposing it to the other three. 
 
 " ' Second. That, whenever our judgments or inclinations differ, any one 
 shall give up his single judgment or inclination to the others. 
 
 " * Third. That, in case of an equality, after begging God's direction, 
 the matter shall be decided by lot, 
 
 "'John Wesley, 
 C. Wesley, 
 
 B. Ingham, 
 
 C. Delamotte.' 
 
 " The wind was now fair, but the man-of-war, that was to convey us 
 over, was not yet ready. The passengers grew impatient of delay ; but 
 our Heavenly Father intended it for our good. Known unto God are all 
 His works from everlasting. Unsearchable are Thy ways, O Lord God 
 of hosts. Blessed art Thou for ever. 
 
 " Saturday, November 8. I went upon quarter-deck, after dinner, to 
 teach the children; but, because some gentlemen were there who laughed 
 at me for it, I was ashamed to proceed. O ! what a dreadful thing is the 
 fear of man ! How does it defeat our best purposes, and stagger our 
 stoutest courage ! O ! how deceitful is my heart ! If Thou, O Lord, 
 shouldest withdraw Thy grace from me but one day, I should utterly 
 renounce Thee, and commit the most enormous crimes ! 
 
 ^* Siaiday, November 16. Mr. John Wesley baptized Thomas Herd and 
 
1735 
 
 The Yorkshire Evangelist. 71 
 
 Grace, his wife, Mark, his son, and Phoebe, his daughter, both aduUs, 
 having prepared them for it by private instruction. To this, I was a 
 witness. They were brought up Quakers ; but are now serious people and Age 23 
 constant communicants. Praised be the Lord! who has turned their 
 hearts from error, and put them in the right way. 
 
 " Thursday, November 20. The man-of-war being come, we left Cowes 
 and got down to Yarmouth, where they cast anchor. But next morning, 
 the wind being contrary, we were forced back again into Cowes Road. 
 During this our latter stay here, there were several storms, in one of 
 which, two ships, that ventured out, were stranded upon the island. Not- 
 withstanding this, several of our people murmured at the delay. If God 
 should deal with us according to our deservings, we should be consumed 
 in a moment. 
 
 '■'■Sunday, November 23. We had, besides ourselves, eight communi- 
 cants. The Tuesday following, I got a boy well whipped, by Mr. Ogle- 
 thorpe's orders, for swearing and blaspheming. Private admonition had 
 no effect upon him, so that I was forced to have recourse to public 
 correction. 
 
 " Sunday, November 30. I preached on board the other ships, and read 
 prayers, which I did several times while we lay at Cowes. We now again 
 had prayers in the great cabin, the gentleman afore-mentioned having 
 yesterday left the ship. Blessed be God ! who delivered us from him, for 
 he very much opposed us. I did think, and I told it my friends, that, we 
 could not sail while he was in the ship. This, perhaps, might be one 
 reason why we were kept so long from sailing. 
 
 " MoJtday, December i. We agreed upon the following resolution, — ' If 
 any one upon being reproved, or upon any other occasion, shall feel any 
 sort or degree of anger or resentment, he shall immediately, or at the 
 next meeting, frankly and fully confess it.' 
 
 '^Saturday, December 6. The second mate, a very insolent and ill- 
 natured fellow, who had abused many of the passengers and also Mr 
 Wesley, at last affronted even Mr. Oglethorpe to his face. The next 
 day, he was sent on board the man-of-war. The people rejoiced at this ; 
 and praised be God ! who delivered them from his power. ' The fierce- 
 ness of man shall turn to Thy praise ; and the fierceness of them shalt 
 Thou restrain.' This, I think, was another reason why we were kept still 
 at Cowes. 
 
 " Sunday, December 7. We were fifteen communicants. This evening, 
 we resolved to leave off eating suppers, till we found some inconvenience 
 from it ; which none of us did to the end of the voyage. Since our settling 
 in America, Messrs. Wesley and Mr. Delamotte have resumed them. As 
 yet, it agrees perfectly with my health, and I still continue it. 
 
 " Monday, December 8. A young man, very providentially, was taken 
 into our ship. I, perceiving that he was a stranger, began to converse 
 with him. He gave me an account of himself, and the reason of his 
 coming. He had left his parents, he said, who were rich, (though he was 
 their only son,) because they would not let him serve God as he had a 
 mind. He used to spend a good part of the night in prayer, not having 
 
Asre 
 
 72 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1735 opportunity to do it by day. When he left home, he did not know where 
 he should go, having no clothes with him ; but he did not seek for money 
 or worldly enjoyments ; he desired only to save his soul. When he 
 was travelling, he prayed that he might go to some place where he could 
 have the advantage of public prayers and the Holy Sacrament. Several 
 times he had thoughts of turning hermit; but Providence had brought 
 him to us ; and he was glad to meet with ministers with whom he could 
 freely converse about spiritual things ; and, indeed, I was glad to meet 
 with him. This, I think, was another reason for our delay. All love, all 
 glory be to Thee, O Lord ! 
 
 " Wednesday, December to. Now, at length, it pleased our Heavenly 
 Father to send us a fair wind. We left Cowes about nine in the morning. 
 Two gentlemen passengers of the other ship were left behind, having, the 
 night before, gone to Portsmouth. We waited for them near two hours ; 
 but, they not coming, we made the best of our way, running between 
 seven and eight miles an hour. Friday, in the forenoon, we left the man- 
 of-war, he not being able to sail as fast as our ships. Most of the 
 passengers were now sick; 1 was so for about half an hour; Mr. John 
 Wesley scarce at all. 
 
 '■'■Friday, December 19. Messrs. Wesley and 1, with Mr. Oglethorpe's 
 approbation, undertook to visit, each of us, a part of the ship, and daily to 
 provide the sick people with water-gruel, and such other things as were 
 necessary for them. At first, we met with some difficulties; but God 
 enabled us to persevere in the constant performance to the end of the 
 journey. Mr. Oglethorpe himself went several times about the ship to 
 comfort and encourage the people; and, indeed, he has never been 
 wanting in this respect. He is a pattern of fatherly care and tender com- 
 passion, being always ready, night and day, to give up his own ease and 
 conveniences to serve the poorest body among the people. He seldom 
 eats above once a day, and then he usually chooses salt provisions, 
 (though not so agreeable to his health,) that, he might give the fresh to 
 the sick. But more will appear from the following instance. One Mrs. 
 Welch, who was believed to be at the point of death, being big with child, 
 in a high fever, attended with a violent cough, was, by Mr. Oglethorpe's 
 order, removed into his own cabin, which was the best in the ship, he 
 himself lying several nights in a hammock, till another cabin was got 
 ready for him. He also constantly supplied her with all the best things 
 in the ship. Some of the gentlemen seemed disgusted at this ; but that 
 made him only the more resolute. Yet, notwithstanding all possible care 
 was taken of her, human means failed ; the doctor gave her up ; everybody 
 thought she would die ; Mr. Oglethorpe only continued in hope. Nay, he 
 said, he was sure God would raise her up to manifest His glory in her. 
 She had a desire to receive the Lord's Supper before she died ; and, lo ! 
 from the moment she received, she began to recover, and is now safely 
 delivered of a daughter, and in perfect health. 'Gracious is the Lord, and 
 merciful, long-suffering, and of great goodness ; the Lord is loving to 
 every man, and His mercy is over all His works.' 
 
 '■'■Sunday, December 21. We were twenty-one communicants. .This, as 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 
 
 well as yesterday, was an exceedingly calm and pleasant day. The sky xntfi 
 appeared to me more beautiful than ever I had observed it in England. — 
 We were likewise got so far to the southward, that, the weather was as &^ "'^ 
 warm now as it is in the spring at home. This being Mr. Oglethorpe's 
 birthday, he gave a sheep and wine to the people, which, with the 
 smoothness of the sea, and the serenity of the sky, so enlivened them, 
 that, they perfectly recovered from their sea sickness. On Christmas- 
 day, also, Mr. Oglethorpe gave a hog, and wine to the people. 
 
 " Monday, December 29. We are now past the latitude of twenty-five 
 degrees, and are got into what they call the Trade winds, which blow 
 much the same way all the year round. The air is balmy, soft, and sweet. 
 The ship glides smoothly and quietly along. The clouds are finely 
 variegated with numbers of pretty colours. The nights are mild and 
 pleasant, being beautifully adorned with the shining hosts of stars. ' The 
 heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth His handy- 
 work. One day telleth another ; and one night certifies another.' 
 
 '"What, though, in solemn silence, all 
 Move round this dark, terrestrial ball ; 
 What, though nor real voice nor sound 
 Amidst their radiant orbs is found ; 
 In reason's ear they all rejoice. 
 And utter forth a glorious voice. 
 For ever singing as they shine, 
 ' The Hand that made us is divine." 
 
 " 1736, Sunday, January 4. A gentleman was very angry with me for 
 accusing his servant, of swearing, before Mr. Oglethorpe. 
 
 " The next day, Mr. John Wesley began to catechise the children 
 pubHcly, after the Second Lesson evening service, which he continued to 
 do every day for about three weeks. 
 
 ^''Monday, January 12. I began to write out the Enghsh Dictionary, in 
 order to learn the Indian tongue. O ! ' who is sufficient for these things ?' 
 
 " When the ship rolled so that we could not well go about to visit the 
 people, we generally spent the evening in conversation with Mi\ Oglethorpe, 
 Irom whom we learnt many particulars concerning the Indians. 
 
 '"'' SaUirday, January 17. The wind was very strong. About half an 
 hour after ten at night, we encountered such a wave as we did not meet 
 with in all our passage besides. It shook the whole frame of the ship, 
 from stem to stern. The water sprung through the sides of the ship, 
 which before were tight, and, also, above the main-yard. Falling down, 
 it covered the decks, broke into the great cabin, and filled Mrs. Welch's 
 bed. Mr. Oglethorpe was gone to bed, and resigned his own dry cabin 
 to the sick, betaking himself once more to his hammock. Hitherto, we 
 had had a very fine passage ; but now, approaching near land, we met 
 with contrary winds, which kept us above a fortnight longer at sea than 
 otherwise we should have been. 
 
 " Tuesday, January 20. I baptized a child, which was thought to be at 
 
74 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1 736 the point of death ; nay, some thought it was dead ; but, from the moment 
 J. ^ it was baptized, it began to recover. 
 
 " Wednesday, January 21. This evening, Mr. Oglethorpe called to- 
 gether the heads of families, as he also did at some other times, and gave 
 them several excellent and useful instructions relating to their living in 
 Georgia, exhorting them likewise to love God and one another. 
 
 '■^Sunday, January 25. We were twenty communicants. Towards 
 evening, we had a terrible storm, which lasted several hours. I observed 
 it well ; and, truly, I never saw anything hitherto so solemn and majestic. 
 The sea sparkled and smoked, as if it had been on fire. The air darted 
 forth lightning ; and the wind blew so fierce, that, you could scarcely look 
 it in the face, and draw your breath. The waves did not swell so high as 
 at some other times, being pressed down by the impetuosity of the blast ; 
 neither did the ship roll much ; but it quivered, jarred, and shook. About 
 half an hour past seven, a great sea broke in upon us, which split the 
 main-sail, carried away the companion, filled between decks, and rushed 
 into the great cabin. This inade most of the people tremble ; and, I 
 believe, they would then have been glad to have been Christians, how 
 light soever they made of religion before. I myself was made sensible, 
 that, nothing will enable us to smile in the face of death, but a life of 
 extraordinary hohness. I was under some fear for a little while ; but I 
 recollected myself again, by reflecting that every thing came by the will of 
 God; and that whatever He willed was the best for me. If, therefore. He 
 was pleased to take me off at this very time, so. much the better: — I should 
 be delivered from many evils, and prevented from committing many sins 
 to come. Betwixt eleven and twelve, I recommended myself to God, and 
 went to bed, resting satisfied with whatever should befal me. Towards 
 three, the wind abated. In the morning, we returned public thanks for 
 our deliverance ; and, before night, most of the people had forgotten, that, 
 they were ever in a storm. ' If they hear not Moses and the prophets, 
 neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.' ^ 
 
 " Wednesday, January 28. Being a calm day, I went on board the other 
 ship, read prayers, and visited the people. At my return, I acquainted 
 Mr. Oglethorpe with their state ; and he sent them such things as they 
 needed, 
 
 '■^Sunday, February i. Three sail appearing, we made up towards 
 them, and got what letters we could write, in hopes some of them might 
 be bound for England. I writ a short one to you at Osset. One of them, 
 that was bound for London, made towards us, and we put our letters on 
 board her. 
 
 " On Tuesday, we found ground; on Wednesday, we saw land ; and, on 
 Thursday afternoon, 5th of February, we got safe into Tybee-road, in the 
 mouth of the river Savannah, in the province of Georgia, in America. 
 
 ' It was during this storm, that Wesley was struck with the contrast 
 between the Moravians and the rest of the ship's occupants. The crew in 
 general were in paroxysms of fear and anxiety; the Moravians were calm, 
 and employed themselves in singing psalms (Wesley's Works, vol, i,, p. 20). 
 
The Yorkshire Evmigelist. 75 
 
 Messrs. Wesley, Mr. Delamotte, and I had some discourse about our 1736 
 manner of living in this new country. I was struck with a deep, rehgious — 
 awe, considering the greatness and importance of the work I came upon, ^^ "^ 
 but was comforted with these words in the Psalms : — ' O ! tarry thou the 
 Lord's leisure ; be strong, and He shall comfort thy heart ; and put thou 
 thy trust in the Lord.' From the whole service, I was moved to think, 
 that, the Gospel would be propagated over the whole world. May God, 
 of His great mercy, graciously be pleased to grant it ! 
 
 " February 6. We went on shore, and had prayers, where we were com- 
 forted by the Second Lesson. Next day, I received a letter from my brother 
 William, one from my sister Hannah, and another from Mr. H. Washing- 
 ton, whereby I was very much comforted. I called to mind several things 
 past ; reflected upon the sweet happiness of true friendship ; and prayed 
 earnestly for my dear friends in England, with tears. 
 
 "Saturday, February 14. This morning, as well as yesterday, we met 
 with several remarkable passages, in our course of reading the prophets, 
 relating to the propagation of the Gospel, which not a little comforted and 
 encouraged us. I was also strongly affected by the Second Lesson, Mark 
 xiii. 
 
 " A little after noon, some Indians came to make us a visit. We put on 
 our gowns and cassocks ; spent some time in prayer ; and then went into 
 the great cabin to receive them. At our entrance, they all rose up ; and 
 both men and women shook hands with us. When we were all seated, 
 Toma-Chache, their king, spoke to us to this effect. (His interpreter was 
 one Mrs. Musgrove, who lives about five miles above Savannah. She is 
 descended of a white man by an Indian woman. She understands both 
 languages, being educated amongst the English. She can read and write, 
 and is a well-civilized woman. She is likewise to teach us the Indian 
 tongue.) 
 
 " ' Ye are welcome. I am glad to see you here. I have a desire to hear 
 the Great Word, for I am ignorant. When I was in England, I desired 
 that some might speak the Great Word to me. Our nation was then 
 willing to hear. Since that time, we have been in trouble. The French 
 on one hand, the Spaniards on the other, and the Traders that are amongst 
 us, have caused great confusion, and have set our people against hearing 
 the Great Word. Their tongues are useless ; some say one thing, and 
 some another. But I am glad that ye are come. I will assemble the 
 great men of our nation, and I hope, by degrees, to compose our differ- 
 ences ; for, without their consent, I cannot hear the Great Word. How- 
 ever, in the meantime, I shall be glad to see you at my town ; and I would 
 have you teach our children. But we would not have them made Christians 
 as the Spaniards make Christians ; for they baptize without instruction ; 
 but we would hear and be well instructed, and then be baptized when we 
 understood.' 
 
 "All this he spoke with much earnestness, and much action, both of his 
 head and hands. Mr. John Wesley made him a short answer, — ' God only 
 can teach you wisdom, and, if you be sincere, perhaps, He will do it by 
 us.' We then shook hands with them again, and withdrew. 
 
^6 Rev. Benjamm Ingham, 
 
 \ 736 " The Queen made us a present of a jar of milk, and another of honey ; 
 
 — that we might feed them, she said, with milk ; for they were but children ; 
 ^ "^ and that we might be sweet to them. 
 
 '•'About three next day, in the afternoon, just before they went away, we 
 put on our surplices, at Mr. Oglethorpe's desire, and went to take leave of 
 them. 
 
 "Monday, February 16. About seven this evening, I set forward with 
 Mr. Oglethorpe, and some others, in a ten-oared boat, for the Alatamahaw 
 river, the southernmost part of Georgia. At eleven, we arrived at a place 
 called Skiddowa, where we went ashore into the woods, and kindled a fire 
 under a lofty pine-tree. Having written some letters, and eaten something, 
 we lay down to sleep upon the ground, without either bed or board, having 
 no covering, besides our clothes, but a single blanket each, and the canopy 
 pf heaven. About eight next day, we set forward again, passing several 
 marshes, beset on both sides with trees of various sorts, whose leaves, 
 being gilded with the glorious rays of the sun, yielded a beautiful prospect. 
 About twelve, the wind blew so high, that, we were driven upon an oyster 
 bank, where we could not get a stick to make a fire. Here we dined very 
 comfortably. Near two, we set forward again, and, with great difficulty, 
 crossed over the mouth of the river Ogechee. The wind was exceeding 
 high, and the water very rough. Almost every wave drove over the side 
 of the boat ; so that every moment we were in jeopardy of our lives ; and, 
 truly, if Mr. Oglethorpe had not roused up himself, and struck life into the 
 rowers, I do not know but most of us might here have made our exit. 
 Towards six, we got to a little place, called Boar's Island, where we en- 
 camped all right, round a roaring fire, in a bed of canes, where the wind 
 could not reach us. Here also we came up with a large boat, called a 
 Pettiangur,^ loaded with people for the Alatamahaw, who had set out 
 before us. Next morning, after prayers, Mr. Oglethorpe, considering, that, 
 our own boat was overladen, and also that I might probably be of some 
 service to the people, asked me if I was willing to go on board the Petti- 
 angur, whereto I readily consented. Here, during the remainder of our 
 passage, I read to the' people, and instructed them as I had opportunity. 
 This evening, we lay upon St. Catherine's, a very pleasant island, where 
 we met with two Indians a-hunting. I took one of them on board the 
 Pettiangur, and gave him some biscuit and wine, and he, in return, sent 
 us the greatest part of a deer. 
 
 " On Sunday morning, February 22, we arrived at the island of St. 
 Simons, upon the river Alatamahaw, a pleasant and fertile place, which 
 Mr. Oglethorpe had reached the Thursday night before. Several of the 
 people were firing guns, but, upon my landing, I asked Mr. Oglethorpe 
 if Sunday was a proper day for sporting. He immediately put a stop to 
 it. Having breakfasted, we joined in the Litany, and then he returned 
 to Savannah, having already put the people in a method of proceeding. 
 
 " Next day in the forenoon, we were alarmed by a sail appearing in the 
 river. We called all the people together ; and, after consultation, we 
 
 * A sort of flat-bottomed barge (Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 28). 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. J J 
 
 threw up a trench, strengthening it with barrels of beef and pork, which jj^^ 
 we had here in abundance. We also sent a canoe down the river, and — 
 several men into the woods for scouts, to bring us intelligence. In the §^ ^4- 
 meantime, we got all our arms in readiness, providing for the worst. 
 About half an hour past twelve, the canoe returned, and brought us word, 
 it was the sloop which brought the provisions, that had returned to take in 
 ballast. 
 
 " Two or three of the first days, the people spent in building palmetto 
 bowers. We enclosed a little round place with myrtles, bays, and laurels, 
 in the midst whereof we nightly kept a great fire, round which I lay several 
 weeks in the open air, my whole bed consisting of two blankets ; and I 
 never had health better in my life. Now we had short prayers early in the 
 morning, before they began ; and at night, after they had done working. 
 My chief business was daily to visit the people, to take care of those that 
 were sick, and to supply them with the best things we had. For a few 
 days at the first, I had everybody's good word ; but, when they found I 
 watched narrowly over them, and reproved them sharply for their faults, 
 immediately the scene changed. Instead of blessing, came cursing, and 
 my love and kindness were repaid with hatred and ill-will. 
 
 " Sunday, February 29. After morning prayers, which we had pretty 
 early, I told the people that, it was the Lord's day, and, therefore, ought 
 to be spent in His service; that, they ought not to go a-shooting, or walk- 
 ing up and down in the woods ; and that, I would take notice of all those 
 who did. One man answered, that, these were new laws in America ! 
 This man, as well as several others went out ; but he, I think, was two 
 days before he could find his way back again. I reproved most of them 
 afterwards, in a friendly manner, laying before them the heinousness of 
 the sin, and the dreadful consequences that would necessarily follow. 
 One or two took my advice well ; but the rest were hardened, and, instead 
 of reforming, raised heavy complaints and accusations to the gentleman, 
 that vi?as left chief in commission, that, I had made a black list j and that, 
 I intended to ruin them. This caused a very sharp contest between that 
 gentleman and me ; wherein God enabled me, boldly and courageously, to 
 vindicate the honour of His day and worship, without regarding the favour 
 of any man. So soon as 1 was retired, I prayed earnestly from my heart, 
 that, God would forgive him, and also give him a new mind ; which prayer 
 God heard (blessed be His goodness!) for, since I came away, he frankly 
 confessed, that, he was in the wrong ; that, his passions carried him to too 
 great a height; that, I was certainly in the right, and had only done what 
 was my duty. I mention this to show the great use of praying for our 
 enemies. Who knows how much such prayer will avail before God? 
 Certainly, it purifies our own heart, and is the only sure enemy to keep 
 out hatred, malice, and revenge. 
 
 " Tuesday, March 2. This morning, I prayed that God would be pleased 
 to send home the lost man, and also make him sensible of his sin. About 
 breakfast time, he came looking very ghastly, sadly affrighted, telling me 
 he was resolved never more to profane the Sabbath. God grant he may 
 keep his word ! This example would not make others take warning. 
 
A-e 24 
 
 78 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1 736 Next Sunday, three more went a-shooting, who were all lost till next day. 
 Nothing but the almighty grace of God is sufficient to turn a sinner from 
 the error of his ways. 
 
 "J/^;^ci'ir^7, March 8. Mr. Oglethorpe arrived, with four Pettiangurs; 
 and, next day, my dear friend, Mr. C. Wesley, with another, wherein were 
 all the married men and women, and children, that came over in our two 
 ships. Mr. Oglethorpe immediately laid out the new town, Frederica, in 
 a neat and regular method ; and kept the people to strict work in building 
 themselves palmetto houses. During the three weeks longer, which I spent 
 here, there happened such a variety of incidents, that, it would be too tedi- 
 ous to relate them. Only I will add, that, Mr. C. Wesley and I had the 
 happiness of undergoing, for the truth's sake, the most glorious trial of 
 our whole lives, wherein God enabled us exceedingly to rejoice, and also 
 to behave ourselves throughout with undaunted courage and constancy ; 
 for which may we ever love and adore Him ! The book of God was our 
 support, wherein, as our necessities required, we always met with direc- 
 tion, exhortation, and comfort — ' Thy Word is a lantern to my feet, and a 
 light untcf my paths. In God's Word will I comfort me.' • 
 
 '■'•Sunday, March 28. About seven in the evening, I left Frederica, and 
 took boat for Savannah. We had a fair wind ; and, if we had not run 
 twice aground, I believe we should have got thither in twenty-four hours. 
 Towards four on Tuesday morning, it began to thunder, and lighten, and 
 rain in the most dreadful manner I ever beheld since I was born. Ours 
 was a little open boat, without any cover. The rest of the people wrapped 
 themselves up, head and ears, in blankets and sails, whatever they could 
 get, and laid down in the bottom of it. 1 plucked up a good heart, threw 
 
 1 Charles Wesley writes :—" Tuesday, March 9, 1736. The first who 
 saluted me on my landing, was honest Mr. Ingham, and that with his 
 usual heartiness. Never did 1 more rejoice at the sight of him ; especially 
 when he told me the treatment he has met with for vindicating the Lord's 
 day." Charles had gone to be the minister of the palmetto town, 
 Frederica; and was soon in greater trouble than Ingham had experienced. 
 Ingham remained with his friend nineteen days ; and, during this brief 
 period, Charles encountered a difficulty about baptizing a child by im- 
 mersion ; got into hot water, by endeavouring to reconcile two termagant 
 women ; and was wrongfully charged by Oglethorpe with mutiny and se- 
 dition. By March 28th, things had arrived at such a pass, that Charles 
 Wesley requested Ingham to go to Savannah for his brother. Ingham 
 was extremely reluctant to leave his friend in such trouble and danger ; 
 but was, at last, persuaded; and, accordingly, on the day just mentioned, 
 after preaching "an alarming sermon on the day of judgment, and join- 
 ing with" Charles Wesley "in offering up the Christian sacrifice," he 
 started. This is not the place to enter into detail respecting C. 
 Wesley's trials at Frederica. Suffice it to give an extract from his 
 Journal : " I hastened to the water-side, where I found Mr. Ingham just 
 put off. O happy,' happy friend ! Abiit, erupit, cvasit ! But woe is me, 
 that I am still constrained to dwell with Meshech ! I languished to 
 bear him company, followed him with my eyes till out of sight, and then 
 sank into deeper dejection than I had known before." We must now 
 keep company with Ingham. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 79 
 
 ;iiy cloak over me, and stood up, as stiff as I could, in the midst of it, that 1 736 
 I might behold the majesty of God in thunder ; and, truly, so glorious a — 
 scene I never saw. I dare not attempt to describe. However, I passed *> "'' 
 the time very comfortably in praising God ; and, whereas, all the rest were 
 well wet, I was pure and dry all over, excepting only my cloak and shoes. 
 Betwixt seven and eight, we arrived at Savannah, where I was kindly re- 
 ceived by Mr. John Wesley and Mr. Delamotte. The latter had began to 
 teach a few little orphans ; and the former had brought the people to short 
 prayers morning and night. I now again entered upon a manner of life 
 more agreeable to me than what I spent at Frederica, having both time 
 and convenience for regular retirement. 
 
 " Sunday, April 4. This afternoon, Mr. Wesley and Mr. Delamotte, 
 took boat for Frederica. In their absence, I took care both of the church 
 and school. 
 
 '"'■ Monday, April 5. After evening prayers, I begun to catechize, at our 
 own house, all young persons that were willing to come, as well children as 
 servants, and apprentices, who would not come in the day time. I have 
 continued to do this every night since. On Sundays, I do it after dinner, 
 and also publicly in the church after the Second Lesson. 
 
 ^^ Sunday, April 11. After evening service, I made a visit to a few 
 people, who had formed themselves into a Society, — meeting together on 
 Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday nights. I found their design was good. 
 They read, prayed, and sung psalms together. Accordingly, I exhorted 
 them to go on, promising myself to meet with them sometimes, and to give 
 them such helps and directions as I could. I have joined them every 
 Sunday since; and I hope it will be a means of some good. God grant 
 it! 
 
 '■^Sunday, April 18. This afternoon, there was an alarm made in time 
 of Divine service, whereupon, several people went out of church. The 
 cause of it was a young lad that had run away from his master. He had 
 broken into our house, underwhich, he said, he had laid a fortnight, and 
 stolen provisions when I was at prayers. He had taken down a pistol, 
 and loaded it, with a design, I suppose, to shoot in the woods ; for he had 
 gotten the powder flask, and, as he was getting out of the window, some- 
 how, he shpped, and fired off the pistol, which broke his arm to shivers. 
 He then called out aloud for help ; whereupon, some people that heard, 
 went to see what was the matter. He begged of them to drag him out at 
 the window, which they did, and found him in a bad condition. They 
 carried him to a surgeon, who cut off his arm. In the night, not having 
 due attendance, he loosed it, whereby, he lost so much blood, that, he died 
 next morning. I was very sony for the unfortunate wretch, for he came 
 to be catechized the night before he run away, and I, being informed that 
 he had done so several times before, talked to him a good while, to behave 
 himself well, and to obey his master. But, not having grace, he did the 
 very reverse to what I exhorted him. A sad example, whereby others 
 ought to take \;;arning. 
 
 " This being the great and holy week, I dedicated it to devotion, ob- 
 sei-ving the discipline of the Primitive Church. 
 
8o Rev. Be7ijamiu Ingham, 
 
 1736 "On Tuesday evening, Mr. John Wesley and Mr. Delamotte arrived, 
 
 — from Frederica. Next day, Mr. Wesley gave me an account of what had 
 Age 24 p^ggg J there since my departure. O what secrets wiU come to pass in the 
 last day ! 
 
 ^^ Easter Sunday, K^xA 2^. We were thirty-four communicants. Our 
 constant number is about a dozen. Next day, Mr. Wesley and I went up 
 to Cowpen, in a boat, bought for our use, to convei;5e with Mrs. Musgrave 
 "about learning the Indian language. I agreed to teach her children to 
 read, and to make her whatever recompence she would require more for 
 her trouble. I am to spend three or four days a week with her, and the 
 rest at Savannah, in communicating what I have learned to Mr. Wesley ; 
 because he intends, as yet, wholly to reside there. 
 
 " The Moravians, being informed of our design, desired me to teach one 
 of the brethren along with Mr. Wesley. To this I consented at once, with 
 my whole heart. And who, think ye, is the person intended to learn ? 
 Their lawful bishop.' ' The right hand of the Lord hath the pre-eminence ; 
 the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to pass.' 
 
 " Friday, April 30. Mr. Wesley and I went up again to Cowpen, taking 
 along with us, Toma-Cache and his Queen. Their town is about four 
 miles above Savannah, in the way to Mrs. Musgrave's. We told them 
 we were about to learn their language. I asked them, if they were willing 
 I should teach the young prince. They consented, desiring me to check 
 and keep him in: but not to strike him. The Indians never strike their 
 children ; neither will they suffer any one to do it. I told them, I would 
 do my best, as far as gentleness and good advice would go. How I shall 
 manage, God alone can direct me. The youth is sadly corrupted, and 
 addicted to drunkenness, which he has learnt of our Christian heathen. 
 Nay, the whole Creek nation is now generally given to this brutal sin, 
 whereto they were utter strangers before Christians came among them. 
 
 "Oh! what a work have we before us! Who is sufficient for these 
 things ? I am nothing. I have nothing. I can do nothing. O ! my 
 dearest friends, pray for us. Pray earnestly for us ; and more especially 
 for me, your very weak, though most dutiful son, and affectionate brother, 
 
 "Benjamin Ingham." 
 
 This lengthened document needs no apology. It exhibits Ing- 
 ham as a sincere, earnest, self-denying, zealous servant of the 
 Divine Redeemer. It helps to justify the suddenness of his de- 
 parture from his native country, without obtaining the consent 
 of his family and friends, and even without consulting them. 
 It shows, that, he was a firm believer in the sacred text — " In 
 all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths." 
 Who can doubt that Ingham was divinely guided in embarking 
 for America .'* The service that he rendered there, might be 
 
 ' David Nitschmann. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 
 
 comparatively small ; but, at that period, it required no ordi- 1736 
 nary courage, for a young man of three and twenty, to en- pj^-z^ 
 counter the storms of the Atlantic, and to live with wild 
 Indians in the woods of Georgia. The results of Ingham's 
 ministerial labours in the new colony might be few ; but the 
 mission there brought him into the society of a set of simple- 
 minded, earnest, godly men, by whom the current of the whole 
 of his subsequent life was changed ; and the rough experience 
 of the few months spent among colonial settlers and untutored 
 savages, was a useful training for the hard labours and hard 
 treatment awaiting him in his native country. If Ingham had 
 not embarked for Georgia, the probability is, he would not have * 
 been brought into fellowship with Moravians ; and, therefore, 
 would not have become a Moravian Evangelist among the 
 masses of the north of England. The Providence, which sent 
 him to Georgia, separated him from the Established Church 
 but, as in the case of Wesley, it made him the Founder of a 
 large number of religious societies, which exercised a mighty 
 influence on the people of Yorkshire, and of the neighbouring 
 counties. 
 
 As yet, Ingham, like the Wesleys, was seeking to be saved 
 by works, rather than by penitent faith in Christ Jesus ; but 
 the very fact that he hoped to be saved thus, served as an 
 incentive to the practice of self-denial and other austerities, 
 and to the use of diligence and faithfulness in his ministerial 
 office which have seldom been surpassed. The man had a 
 large heart, brim-full of benevolent feeling ; and regarded it 
 as the highest honour and happiness of his life to be of service 
 to the cause of God, and to the welfare of his fellow-creatures. 
 Without doubt, he was what would be called a high church- 
 man when he set sail for Georgia ; but his sympathies were too 
 large to be ice bound with high church bigotry. His descrip- 
 tion of the twenty-six psalm-singing Moravians is just and 
 generous. He was willing to admit the fact, and to rejoice 
 in it, that there were as good Christians without the pale of 
 his own Church, as there were within it. Like all men of noble 
 mind, he was not too much a man to bend to a little child. 
 Teaching and catechizing children was a self-imposed, but 
 happy task, while on the waves of the Atlantic Ocean ; and it 
 was equally one of his pleasant toils in Georgia. Idleness and 
 
 G 
 
Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1736 he were strangers to each other. Early rising, abstemious diet, 
 Ao^-^4 '^"*^ constant working, were, with him, not accidents, but prin- 
 ciples. They were part and parcel of his religion. The Bible 
 was his daily study ; and prayer, for himself, and for others, 
 his highest privilege and duty. The two combined inspired 
 him with a confidence in God, which never faltered ; and which 
 kept him calm in the greatest dangers. Let us follow him. 
 
 Ingham landed in Georgia, on February 5, 1736: he re- 
 embarked for England on February 26, 1737. Nearly three 
 of the thirteen months he spent in Georgia, are comprehended 
 in the Journal already given. The details of the other ten are 
 few and scanty. 
 
 Both he and Wesley intended and wished to be, not chap- 
 lains among the English colonists, but, missionaries among 
 the wild Indians ; and, accordingly, at the end of the first 
 three months of their Georgian residence, we find Ingham 
 arranging to spend three days a week in learning the Indian 
 language from a half-caste woman ; and the other three in 
 teaching what he learnt to Wesley, and to Nitschmann, the 
 Moravian bishop. Their design was Christian and heroic ; 
 but it was not realised. 
 
 On May 16, 1736, Charles Wesley, unexpectedly, came to 
 his brother, and Ingham, and Delamotte, at Savannah ; and, 
 for want of better accommodation, each of the four " retired 
 to his respective corner of the room, where, without the help 
 of a bed, they all slept soundly till the morning." ^ Charles 
 had now left Frederica for ever ; and, ten weeks later, he em- 
 barked for England. 
 
 Frederica was left without a minister ; and it was agreed, 
 that, Wesley and Ingham should take Charles's place in turns. 
 Wesley went off at once ; and remained at Frederica till June 
 23rd. He and Ingham now hoped to obtain permission to live 
 among the Choctaw Indians ; but Oglethorpe objected ; first, 
 on the ground, that, they would be in danger of being inter- 
 cepted or killed by the French ; and, secondly, because it was 
 inexpedient to leave Savannah without a pastor. This in- 
 duced them to remain where they were ; but, in the meantime, 
 they had a most interesting interview with a number of Chica- 
 
 ^ C. Wesley's Journal, vol. i., p. 27. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. Z'}) 
 
 saw Indians, the details of which, Wesley has related in his 1737 
 Journal. A^2; 
 
 On August 4, Wesley again went to Frederica, leaving 
 Savannah to the care of Ingham and Delamotte ; and thus 
 things continued till February, 1737 ; Wesley and Ingham 
 ardently wishing to proceed as missionaries among the Indians ; 
 but not able to fulfil their wish, because there was no minister 
 to occupy their places at Savannah and Frederica. 
 
 Ingham had been an apt and diligent pupil of Mrs. Mus- 
 grave's ; and had formed a vocabulary of about one half of the 
 words in the Indian language ; but, unless Savannah and 
 Frederica could be supplied by other ministers, all his fagging 
 to acquire this barbarous language was likely to be useless. 
 What was done .-* The following is an extract from a letter, 
 addressed to Mr. , in Lincoln College, Oxon. 
 
 " Savannah, February 16, 1737. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — Mr. Ingham has left Savannah for some months ; and 
 Hves at a house built for him a few miles off, near the Indian town.^ So 
 that I have now no fellow-labourer but Mr. Delamotte, who has taken 
 charge of between thirty and forty children. There is, therefore, great 
 need, that God should put it into the hearts of some, to come over to us 
 and labour with us in His harvest. But I should not desire any to come 
 unless on the same views and conditions with us, — without any temporal 
 wages, other than food and raiment, the plain conveniences of life. And 
 for one or more in whom was this mind, there would be full employment 
 in the province ; either in assisting Mr. Delamotte or me, while we were 
 present here ; or in supplying our places when abroad ; or in visiting the 
 poor people, in the smaller settlements, as well as at Frederica; all of 
 whom are as sheep without a shepherd. 
 
 " By these labours of love, might any, that desired it, be trained up for 
 the harder task of preaching the Gospel to the heathen. The difficulties 
 he must then encounter God only knows ; probably martyrdom would 
 conclude them. But those we have hitherto met with have been small, 
 and only terrible at a distance. Persecution, you know, is the portion 
 of every follower of Christ, wherever his lot is cast. But it has hitherto 
 extended no farther than words with regard to us, unless in one or two 
 inconsiderable instances. Yet, it is sure, every man ought, if he would 
 come hither, be willing and ready to embrace (if God should see them 
 good) the severer kinds of it. He ought to be determined, not only to 
 
 1 The Indians gave to Ingham a plot of fruitful ground, in the midst of 
 which was a small, round hill ; and, on the top of this hill, a house was 
 built for an Indian school. The house was named Irene. (Wesley's Work^, 
 vol. i., p. 61.) 
 
84 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1737 leave parents, sisters, friends, houses, and lands, for his Master's sake, 
 
 . ^^^ but to take up his cross too ; cheerfully submit to the fatigue and danger 
 
 " "■' of (it may be) a long voyage, and patiently to endure the continual 
 
 contradiction of sinners and all the inconveniences which it often 
 
 occasions. 
 
 " Would any one have a trial of himself, how he can bear this ? If he 
 has felt what reproach is, and can bear that but a few weeks, as he 
 ought, I shall believe he need fear nothing. Other trials will afterwards 
 be no heavier than that little one was at first ; so that he may then have 
 a well-grounded hope, that he will be enabled to do all things through 
 Christ strengthening him. 
 
 " May the God of peace Himself direct you to all things conducive to 
 His glory, whether it be by fitter instruments, or even by your own friend 
 and servant in Christ, 
 
 " John Wesley." ^ 
 
 Wesley's standard of a Christian missionary was enough to 
 appal ordinary men ; but who will say that the standard was 
 too high .'* He himself and also his friend Ingham answered 
 to this description ; but it was doubtful whether others could 
 be found, among their old associates, who were like-minded. 
 Accordingly, ten days after the date of the above letter, 
 another step was taken. Wesley writes : — 
 
 " 1737. February 24. It was agreed Mr. Ingham should go for England, 
 and endeavour to bring over, if it should please God, some of our 
 friends, to strengthen our hands in this work. February 26. He left 
 Savannah." 
 
 The Oxford Methodists were scattered when Ingham 
 arrived in England ; but they were still a loving and con- 
 fiding brotherhood. In July, 1737, Charles Wesley and James 
 Hutton spent some days at Oxford ; and, accompanied by 
 Mr. Morgan and Mr. Kinchin, set out, on the 29th of that 
 month, for London, where, at the house of Hutton's father, 
 in College Street, Westminster, they found their " old, hearty 
 friend, Benjamin Ingham."- The last mentioned also visited 
 the Delamotte family at Blendon. Hence, under the date of 
 September 10, 1737, C. Wesley writes : — 
 
 " I took coach for Blendon. My friend, Benjamin, had been there 
 before me, and met with such a reception as encouraged me to follow. 
 He had preached to them with power, and still more powerfully by his life 
 
 ^ C entleniaii s Magazine, 1737, p. 575. 
 ^ C. Wesley's Journal, vol. i., p. 73. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 85 
 
 and conversation. The eldest sister, and the Cambridge scholar,' were 1737 
 
 struck to the heart. The first evening passed in discourse of my name 
 
 sake- in America." ' o :> 
 
 Immediately after this, Ingham was at his own home, in 
 Yorkshire. No more faithful and honest friend existed ; but, 
 like many Yorkshiremen, he was sometimes almost blunt. 
 The following letter, addressed to Wesley, in Georgia, supplies 
 evidence of this, and also contains references to Wesley and 
 the Oxford Methodists, of considerable interest : — 
 
 ' " OSSET, October 19, 1737.^ 
 
 " Dear Brother, — By your silence, one would suspect that you were 
 offended at my last letter. Am I your enemy because I tell you the 
 truth ? But perhaps I was too severe. Forgive me then. Be lowly in 
 your own eyes. Humble yourself before the Lord, and He will lift you 
 up. I do assure you, it is out of pure love, and with concern that I write. 
 I earnestly wish your soul's welfare. O pray for mine also. The Lord 
 preserve you ! 
 
 " Could you, think you, live upon the income of your fellowship ? If 
 you can, do. The trustees are, indeed, very willing to support 'you, and 
 they would take it ill should anybody say that you have been too expensive. 
 But the Bishop of London, as I have heard, and some others, have been 
 offended at the expenses, and not altogether without reason, because you 
 declared, at your leaving England, you should want scarce anything. I 
 just give you these hints. Pray for direction, and then act as you judge 
 best.-* 
 
 ' William Delamotte, who became the friend of Ingham, and joined 
 the Moravians. For four or five years, he was one of their most ardent 
 and useful preachers. His labours in Yorkshire were attended with great 
 success. He died February 22, 1743, and was buried at St. Dunstan's-in- 
 the-East, London (Holmes' " History of the Brethren," vol. i., p. 315 : 
 Hutton's Memoirs, p. 94.) 
 
 - Charles Delamotte, who also became a Moravian, and, after a long 
 life of piety and peace, died at Barrow-upon-Humber, in 1796. 
 
 ^ At this date, Wesley was in the thick of his Georgian troubles. 
 
 '' The English bishops would have acted more justly and generously if 
 they had helped Wesley out of their own fat incomes, instead of finding 
 fault with his trifling expenses. On March 4, 1737, Wesley says, "I 
 writ the trustees for Georgia an account of our year's expenses, from March 
 I, 1736, to March i, 1737 ; which, deducting extraordinary expenses, 
 such as repairing the parsonage house, and journeys to Frederica, 
 amounted, for Mr. Delamotte and me, to ^44 A^s. 4d" Can it be correct 
 that the bishops found fault with Wesley costing the trustees ^22 2s. 2d. 
 per year.? It may be asked what Wesley received from the Society for 
 the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts ? The answer is ^50 ; 
 " which, indeed," says he, " was in a manner forced upon me, contrary 
 both to expectation and desire" (Wesley's Unpublished Journal). Seven 
 months later, on November 10, 1737, he writes, in the same Journal, 
 
86 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 ij-i^j " Charles is so reserved ; I know little about him. He neither writes to 
 
 — me, nor comes to see me. What he intends is best known to himself. 
 '^'^ "^ Mr. Hutton's family go on exceedingly well. Your friend Mr. Morgan, 
 1 hear, either has, or, is about publishing a book, to prove that every one 
 baptized with water is regenerate. All friends at Oxford go on well. Mr. 
 Kinchin, Mr. Hutchins, Mr. Washington, Bell, Hervey, Watson, are all 
 zealous. Mr. Atkinson labours under severe trials in Westmoreland, but is 
 steady and sincere, and an excellent Christian. Dick Smith is weak, but not 
 utterly gone. Mr. Robson and Grieves are but indifferent. The latter is 
 married to a widow, and teaching a school at Northampton. Mr. Thomp- 
 son, of Queen's, has declared his resolution of following Christ. 
 
 " Remember me to Mr. Wallis, Mark Hird, and the Davison family, 
 Mrs. Gilbert Mears, Mr. Campbell, Mr. and Mrs. Burnside, Mr. and Mrs. 
 Williamson. 
 
 " Yours in Christ, 
 
 " B. Ingham." 
 
 Ingham still purposed to return to Georgia. He longed 
 to preach the gospel of his Saviour to the heathen, and 
 was busily employed in mastering their language. He sought 
 spiritual fellowship among his Christian friends in Yorkshire ; 
 and, as opportunity offered, occupied the pulpit of the Es- 
 tablished Church. His preaching created great sensation ; 
 and his private labours, among his neighbours, were not with- 
 out results. A man with a soul like his, — burning with a zeal 
 which would have led him gladly to sacrifice his life among 
 the wild Indians of America, — could scarcely fail to be an 
 earnest, successful evangelist in his own country. As already 
 stated, his intention to return to Georgia was not fulfilled. 
 Perhaps Wesley's departure from that colony, about six 
 weeks after the date of the above letter, was one of the 
 things which prevented it. Be that as it might, he was quite 
 prepared for hard work, and for rough usage, in other places. 
 
 In the letter just given, he complains of the silence and 
 reserve of Charles Wesley. At the very time, however, 
 Charles was writing to him ; and, three days afterwards, 
 Ingham addressed to him the following reply, full of the 
 Christian fire of the first Methodists : — 
 
 " Colonel Henderson arrived, by whom I received a benefaction of _;!^io 
 sterling, after having been for several months without one shilling in the 
 house, but not without peace, health, and contentment." This was the 
 man at whose extravagance the bishops grumbled, and concerning whom 
 even Ingham felt some anxiety. The Georgian trustees had no mis- 
 givings. 
 
i7j7 
 
 The Yorkshire Evangelist. Z"^ 
 
 " OSSET, NEAR WAKEFIELD, October 22, 1737. 
 
 "My DEAR Brother,— Your letter is just come to my hands. I 
 rejoiced over it, because it came from you. I was afraid you had been -^S^ ~S 
 almost lost ; but, since I see you are desirous to make full proof of your 
 ministry, I greatly rejoice. Blessed be the Lord, who, by His grace, 
 preserves me from falling, amidst the deceitful and alluring, bewildering 
 temptations of worldly preferment. May He still continue His loving- 
 kindness towards you ! May He thoroughly settle and estabhsh you ! 
 May you have power to overcome the world, the flesh, and the devil, and, 
 like a brave soldier, manfully to fight under Christ's banner! May your 
 one desire of living be for Christ's sake, and the gospel ! 
 
 " I have no other thoughts but of returning to America. When the 
 time comes, I trust the Lord will show me. My heart's desire is, that the 
 Indians may hear the gospel. For this I pray both night and day. 
 
 "I will transcribe the Indian words as fast as I can. I writ to Mr. 
 William Delamotte three weeks ago. If he did not receive the letter, it 
 miscarried. I wish you could inform me, that I might write again. 
 
 " I have just now been talking to Mr. Godly, curate of Osset. (You 
 know, I believe, that he is misnamed.) I was all on a tremble wliile I 
 talked to him, and for a good while after. He took my reproof very 
 uneasily. But, however, he trembled as well as me. I have lent him 
 ' The Country Parson ' to read ; and, since he went away, I have been 
 praying for him in agony. I seem to be full of hope, as if God would 
 turn his heart ; and O that He may ! One of the wickedest women in 
 all Osset is turned since I came down ; and, I believe, she will make a 
 thorough convert. She says, she is sure God sent me to turn her heart. 
 To His holy name be all the glory \ There is another poor soul too here, 
 that is under the most severe agonies of repentance. Cease not to pray 
 for these, and the rest of your Christian friends at Osset, who pray con- 
 stantly for you. 
 
 " Last Sunday, I preached such a sermon at Wakefield church as has 
 set almost all about us in a uproar. Some say, the devil is in me ; others, 
 that I am mad. Others say, no man can live up to such doctrine ; and 
 they never heard such before. Others, again, extol me to the sky. They 
 say, it was the best sermon they ever heard in all their life ; and that I 
 ought to be a bishop. 
 
 " I believe, indeed, it went to the hearts of several persons ; for I was 
 enabled to speak with great authority and power ; and I preached almost 
 the whole sermon without book. There was a vast large congregation, 
 and tears fell from many eyes. To-morrow, I preach there again. 
 
 " Every day, I undergo several changes within me. Now I am under 
 sufferings, sometimes just ready to sink; then again L am filled with joy. 
 Indeed, I receive so much pleasure in conversing with some Christians 
 here, that I have need of sufterings to counterbalance it. Last Saturday 
 night, we were sixteen that sat up till after twelve. We have to meet 
 again to-night, after the rest are gone ; and we shall pray for you, and 
 the rest of our Christian friends everywhere. You would think yourself 
 happy to be but one night with us. 
 
83 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1738 "Give my sincere love to Mr. Hutton's family, whom I never forget. 
 
 Acre~'>6 ^'^'^ '•^^y ^ ^^^ '^ "^^^ Lord bless them all ! Greet brother Whitefield. 
 * " My heart will be with you on the seas, and everywhere. Never be dis- 
 couraged, 
 
 " Yours sincerely and affectionately, 
 
 " B. Ingham."' 
 
 On May 24, 1738, Wesley, by simple "trust in Christ 
 alone for salvation," received " an assurance that Christ had 
 taken away his sins." This, to hinj, was a new experience ; 
 but, perhaps, not to Ingham. It is a well-known fact, that,, 
 Peter Bohler, who was now on his way to the Moravians in 
 Georgia, was of the utmost service to Wesley in teaching 
 him the doctrine of justification by faith only. Besides this, 
 both Wesley and Ingham had been brought into close com- 
 munion with the Moravian bishop, David Nitschmann, and 
 his Christian fraternity, during their voyage across the At- 
 lantic. In Georgia, also, they had met with the Moravian 
 elder, the kev. August Gottlieb Spangenberg, a man of high 
 position among the Brethren. The result of the whole was, 
 that Wesley and Ingham, on June 13, 1738, embarked for 
 Germany, principally for the purpose of becoming better 
 acquainted with the Moravian churches in that country. 
 
 They were accompanied by John Toltschig,^ one of the 
 fugitives, who fled to Hernhuth, from the fierce persecution 
 in Moravia, in 1724; who became one of Ingham's co-evan- 
 gelists in the county of York ; and was a man of great in- 
 fluence among the English Moravians. At Ysselstein, they 
 had an interview with Baron Watteville, who had been a 
 fellow student of Count Zinzendorf, and became a Moravian 
 bishop. On the 4th July, they reached Marienborn, the 
 residence of Zinzendorf, where they remained a fortnight. 
 Whilst here, Ingham, in a letter to Sir John Thorold,'^ Lon- 
 don, observed : — 
 
 ' Methodist Magazine, 1848, p. 1096. 
 2 Hutton's Memoirs, p. 40. 
 ' Sir John Thorold belonged to one of the oldest families in Lincoln- 
 shire. He was a great friend of the first Methodists ; and, as early as 
 1738, used to attend the Moravian meetings, in the house of James 
 Hutton, at The Bible and Sun, a little westward of Temple Bar; and 
 to expound among the Brethren the Holy Scriptures, and to engage in 
 prayer. In 1742, he became dissatisfied, and brought the following 
 charges against them. "i. Their not praying so much to the Father and 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 89 
 
 " The worthy count is occupied day and night in the work of the j 7^9 
 
 Lord ; and, I must confess, that the Lord is really among the Brethren. 
 
 Yesterday, a boy of eleven or twelve years of age was baptized ; and such §'^ -7 
 a movement of the Holy Spirit pervaded the whole assembly, as I have 
 never seen at any baptism. I felt that my heart burned within me, and 
 I could not refrain from tears. I saw that others felt as I did, and the 
 whole congregation was moved. The Brethren have shown me much 
 affection ; they have taken me to their conferences, and have not left me 
 in ignorance of anything concerning their Church. I am much pleased 
 with my journey." 
 
 Ingham was pleased with the Moravians ; and the Mora- 
 vians were pleased with him. In fact, Ingham was preferred 
 to Wesley, and was admitted to partake of the holy com- 
 munion, while Wesley was rejected. The reasons assigned 
 for admitting Ingham were, (i) that he had already shown an 
 inclination to leave the English Established Church, and to 
 join the Brethren ; and (2), " that his heart was better than 
 his head." The reasons for rejecting Wesley were, (i) he 
 was '^ Jwino pertiirbatus ; (2) his head had gained an ascend- 
 ancy over his heart ; (3) he claimed to be a zealous English 
 Churchman, and they were not desirous to interfere with 
 his plan of effecting good as a clergyman of the English 
 Church."^ 
 
 Ingham, as well as Wesley, visited Hernhuth, where he 
 spent a fortnight, and was " exceedingly strengthened and 
 comforted by the services and conversation of the Brethren. 
 Towards the end of the year, he returned to England." 
 
 It is a curious fact that Wesley and Ingham were not the 
 only Oxford Methodists who began to associate with the 
 Moravians. On the first day of the year 1739, we find not 
 fewer than seven of the Oxford brotherhood — the two 
 Wesleys, Ingham, Whitefield, Westley Hall, Kinchin, and 
 Hutchins, — present at a Moravian lovefeast in Fetter Lane, 
 respecting which Wesley writes : — 
 
 the Holy Ghost as to the Son. 2. Their speaking so contemptuously of 
 reason, which opened a door to fancy and enthusiasm. 3. Their saying, 
 there were no duties in the New Testament. 4. Their not giving an open 
 conscientious confession of their faith. 5. Their disowning their tenets 
 when driven to a pinch." 
 
 Sir John Thorold died in 1748. (Hutton's Memoirs, p. 82; and Life 
 and Times of Countess of Huntingdon, vol. i., p. •]'].) 
 ^ Hutton's Memoirs, p. 40. 
 
90 Rev. Benjami?t Ingham, 
 
 1739 "About three in the morning, as we were continuing instant in prayer, 
 
 the power of God came mightily upon us, insomuch that many cried out 
 
 ^ "'for exceeding joy, and many fell to the ground. As soon as we were 
 recovered a little from the awe and amazement at the presence of His 
 Majesty, we broke out with one voice, ' We praise Thee, O God ; we 
 acknowledge Thee to be the Lord."" 
 
 This was a memorable beginning of what will ever be a 
 memorable year in the history of the Methodistic movement. 
 
 Four days afterwards, the same clergymen, joined by Mr. 
 Seward, had a conference at Islington, and, without effect, 
 tried to prevail on Charles Wesley to settle at Oxford. White- 
 field writes : — 
 
 " We continued in fasting and prayer till three o'clock, and then parted, 
 with a full conviction that God was about to do great things among us. 
 O that we may be any way instrumental to His glory ! O that He would 
 make us vessels pure and holy, meet for such a dear Master's use !"- 
 
 The men evidently were willing to be used in any way 
 which Providence might appoint ; and their conviction of the 
 coming of great events was not falsified. 
 
 On Ingham's return to Osset, his native place, he renewed 
 his labours, and preached in most of the churches and chapels 
 about Wakefield, Leeds, and Halifax. Private religious 
 meetings also were greatly multiplied. Large numbers of 
 persons were convinced of sin, and were converted. It was 
 pre-eminently a day of divine visitation. The clergy, however, 
 instead of rejoicing at an enlargement of the work of God, 
 were envious and malignant ; and, at a Church congress, 
 held at Wakefield, June 6, 1739, Ingham was prohibited from 
 preaching in any of the churches in the diocese of York ; and 
 was thus placed in the same position as Wesley had been com- 
 pelled to occupy in London. Both were ordained clergymen, 
 and both longed to preach the gospel of God their Saviour; but 
 both were without a church of their own, and both were now 
 uniformly shut out of the churches of others. What Wesley 
 began to do at Bristol, Kingswood, and elsewhere, Ingham 
 began to do in Yorkshire. Village greens, the public streets, 
 fields, barns, cottages, and houses of all descriptions became 
 his preaching places ; and, such was the divine power which 
 
 ' Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 161. 
 Whitefield's Journals, p. 115 ; and C. Wesley's Journal, vol. i., p. 139. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 91 
 
 attended his ministry, that not fewer than forty religious 1739 
 societies were formed. Aee~2' 
 
 Ingham was reviled, but he reviled not again. The follow- 
 ing letter illustrates his fine Christian spirit, at the period 
 of which we are now writing. It probably was addressed to 
 Wesley. At all events, Wesley published it in the first 
 volume of his Anninian Magazine (p. 181). 
 
 " OssET, 6".?//. 14, 1739. 
 
 " My dear Brother, — Wait the Lord's leisure, and be still. His 
 time is the best time. ' Be strong, and He shall comfort thine heart ; and 
 put thou thy trust in the Lord.' 
 
 " I shall be very glad to see you, when the Lord pleases that we shall 
 meet together. O that we may do and suffer His will in all things ! It 
 is following our own wills that creates us trouble and confusion. 
 
 " All your opposition will work together for good. The more the clergy 
 oppose the truth, the more it will prevail. Their preaching against us 
 and our doctrines excites a curiosity in the people to hear us, and to see 
 if these things be true, whereby many have their eyes opened. If this 
 work is of God, it cannot be overthrown : if it be of men, I wish it may 
 speedily. We have nothing to do but to follow our Leader. O that He 
 may direct all our ways aright ! 
 
 " I say very little about the clerg}^ in public. I preach the truth 
 of the gospel, according to the light the Lord has given me into it, 
 and leave it to the Lord to bless it as He pleases. I take no notice of 
 lies and calumnies, unless I am asked whether or no they are true. It is 
 endless to answer all that is said. Our Saviour says, ' Let them alone.' 
 He is concerned for the welfare of His Church ; let us, therefore, depend 
 upon Him, and let us mind what He says to us in His holy word. Let 
 us love our enemies, and pray for them ; and let us love one another ; 
 and thereby shall all men know that we are His true disciples. We must 
 be hated in this world ; let us, therefore, take great care to secure ourselves 
 an inheritance in the next. 
 
 "Benjamin Ingham." 
 
 While the above exhibits Ingham's spirit, the subjoined 
 clearly shows that his ideas on the Methodist doctrines were 
 as yet imperfect. It is a well-known fact, that Wesley him- 
 self was sorely perplexed with the doctrine of what is called 
 '* the witness of the Spirit," and that his intercourse Avith the 
 Moravians rather increased his mistiness than scattered it. In 
 1738 he had a lengthened and very important correspondence 
 with his brother Samuel on the subject; and now he consulted 
 Ingham, who replied as follows : — 
 
Aj>e 28 
 
 92 Rev, Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1 740 " OSSET, February 20, 1 740. 
 
 " My dear Brother, — The most dangerous time in the Christian 
 race, seems to be when a person receives the forgiveness of sins, especially 
 if he is filled with great joy, and of long continuance. Indeed, all states 
 of great joy are dangerous, if not humbly received. If persons have not 
 now a guide, or are not guidable, it is ten to one but they run into error and 
 by-paths. Many souls miscarry here, and never get further in their spirit- 
 ual progress. They run on till their joy and strength are spent, and then 
 they lose themselves, and are all in confusion. I have met with several 
 persons with whom it has been thus, and how to help them I know not. 
 They do not get forward. I believe, indeed, that they will be saved, yet 
 their degree in glory will be low. They are but in the first stage of the 
 new birth. 
 
 " You ask, What are the marks of a person who is justified, and not 
 sealed ?^ 
 
 " I cannot give you any certain, infallible marks ; but a person to whom 
 the Lord has given the gift of discerning will tell ; and, without the gift, 
 we shall never be able to know surely. However, such persons are meek, 
 simple, and childhke ; they have doubts and fears within ; they are in a 
 wilderness state. In this state, they are to be kept still and quiet; to 
 search more deeply into their hearts, so that they become more and more 
 poor in spirit, or humble. They are likewise now taught to depend wholly 
 on Christ. By all means, keep them from confusion. If they come into 
 confusion (as they are apt to do), they receive inconceivable damage ; but, 
 if they continue still meek and gentle, searching into their hearts, and 
 depending upon Christ, they will find their hearts to be sweetly drawn 
 after Christ ; they will begin to loathe and abhor sin, and to hunger and 
 thirst after righteousness ; they will get strength daily ; Christ will begin 
 to manifest Himself by degrees ; the darkness will vanish, and the day- 
 star will arise in their hearts. Thus they go on from strength to strength, 
 till they become strong, and then they will begin to see things clearly, and 
 
 ' The meaning of this phraseology may, perhaps, be gathered from a 
 letter which Wesley wrote to his brother Samuel, on October 23, 1738, five 
 months after Wesley's conversion. The following is an extract : — " The 
 7rXr]po(popLa Tria-Teas, — the seal of the Spirit, the love of God shed abroad 
 in my heart, and producing joy in the Holy Ghost, joy which no man 
 taketh away, joy unspeakable and full of glory, — this witness of the Spirit 
 I have not ; but I wait patiently for it. I know many who have already 
 received it," etc. (" Life and Times of Wesley," vol. i., p. 190). The fact 
 is, Wesley, for a season, appeared to confound the witness of the Spirit to 
 the justification of a Christian believer with what he afterwards meant by 
 the attainment of Christian perfection. Soon afterwards, however, he was 
 blessed with clearer light, and gave to the Church, perhaps, the best de- 
 finition of the doctrine ever penned, — " The testimony of the Spirit is 
 an inward impression on the soul, whereby the Spirit of God directly 
 witnesses to my spirit that I am a child of God ; that Jesus Christ hath 
 loved me, and given Himself for me ; and that all my sins are blotted 
 out, and I, even I, am reconciled to God." 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 93 
 
 to understand what the Lord has done for them ; so, by degrees, they will 1740 
 come to have the assurance of faith. — 
 
 " You ask whether, in this intermediate state, they are ' children of ^ ~ 
 wrath, or heirs of the the promises ' ? 
 
 " Without doubt, they are children of God ; they are in a state of salva- 
 tion. A child may be heir to an estate before it can speak, or know what 
 an estate is ; so we may be heirs of heaven before we know it, or are 
 made sure of it. However, the assurance of faith is to be sought after. 
 It may be attained ; it will be given to all who go forward. We must 
 first be humble and poor in spirit. We must be deeply so. We must 
 have a constant, fixed, abiding feeling, — a sense of our weakness and 
 unworthiness, corruption, sin, and misery. This it is to be a poor sinner. 
 
 "If I were with you, I would explain things more largely; but I am a 
 novice, — I am but a beginner, — a babe in Christ. If you go amongst the 
 Brethren, they are good guides ; but yet, after all, we must be taught of 
 God, and have experience in our own hearts; or else it will not do. May 
 the Spirit of truth lead us into all truth ! 
 
 " I am your poor, unworthy brother, 
 
 "B.Ingham." 
 
 The above is given verbatim from the manuscript letter, and 
 is of great importance as reveahng the views, doubts, and diffi- 
 culties of the leaders of the Methodist movement. 
 
 Before proceeding further, it may be added that Ingham 
 was not forgotten by his old friend Whitefield, who wrote to 
 him as follows : — 
 
 "Savannah, March 28, 1740. 
 
 " How glad I should be of a letter from dear brother Ingham. When 
 shall my soul be refreshed, with hearing that the work of the Lord pros- 
 pers in his hand } I suppose before now you have received my letters and 
 seen my journal. I believe God is yet preparing great things for us. 
 Many at Charles-Town lately were brought to see their want of Jesus 
 Christ. The Orphan House goes on bravely. I have forty children to 
 maintain, besides workmen and their assistants. The great Householder 
 of the world does, and will, I am persuaded, richly provide for us all. 
 The colony itself is in a very declining way ; but our extremity is God's 
 opportunity. Our brethren, I trust, go forwards in the spiritual life. I 
 have often great inward trials. I believe it to be God's will that I should 
 marry. One, who may be looked upon as a superior, is absolutely 
 necessary for the due management of affairs. However, I pray God, that 
 I may not have a wife, till I can live as though I had none. You may 
 communicate this to some of our intimates ; for I would call Christ and 
 His disciples to the marriage. If I am deluded, pray that God would 
 reveal it to your most affectionate brother and servant, 
 
 " George Whitefield." 
 
 In the midst of all this, a new evangelist sprang up, who, 
 
94 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1740 without the educational advantages of the Oxford Methodists, 
 
 Ao^-'S ^^^^ ^ kindred soul. 
 
 John Nelson, the brave-hearted Yorkshire stonemason, after 
 hearing almost all sorts of religionists, — Church of England 
 men, Dissenters, Papists, and Quakers, — had been brought to 
 a knowledge of the truth by Wesley. This was under the 
 first sermon preached by Wesley in Moorfields. In 1740, 
 Nelson returned to Yorkshire, and related to his friends his 
 happy experience. He writes : — 
 
 " They begged I would not tell any one that my sins were forgiven, for 
 no one would believe me, and they should be ashamed to show their 
 faces in the street. I answered, ' I shall not be ashamed to tell what God 
 has done for my soul, if I could speak loud enough for all the men in the 
 world to hear me at once.' My mother said, ' Your head is turned.' I 
 replied, ' Yes, and my heart too, I thank the Lord.'" 
 
 He went to Adwalton, to hear Ingham preach ; and re- 
 marked : — 
 
 " As soon as I got into the house, he called me into the parlour,- and 
 desired the company that was with him to go out, for he had something 
 to say to me. When they went, he rose up, barred the door, then sat 
 down, and asked me, 'Do you know your own heart, think you?' I 
 answered, ' Not rightly; but I know Jesus Christ, and He knows and has 
 taken possession of it ; and though it be deceitful, yet He can subdue it 
 to Himself; and I trust He will' He said, ' Have you not deceived your- 
 self with thinking that your sins are forgiven, and that you are in a state 
 of grace? I was three years seeking before I found Him.' I replied, 
 ' Suppose you were, do you confine God to be three years in converting 
 every soul, because you were so long? God is able to convert a soul 
 in three days now, as He was to convert St. Paul seventeen hundred 
 years ago.' I then began to tell him what I had seen at London under 
 Mr. Wesley's preaching. He said he pitied poor Mr. Wesley, for he was 
 ignorant of his own state; and he spoke as if he beheved Mr. Wesley to 
 be an unconverted man ; at which words my corrupt nature began to stir. 
 But it came to my mind, ' The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness 
 of God ' ; and I lifted up my heart to the Lord, and my mind was calmed 
 in a moment. He said, 'You ought not to tell people that they may 
 know their sins forgiven, for the world cannot bear it ; and if such a thing 
 were preached, it would raise persecution.' I replied, ' Let them quake 
 that fear. By the grace of God, I love every man, but fear no man ; and 
 I will tell all I can, that there is such a prize to run for. If I hide it, mis- 
 chief will come upon me. There is a famine in the land ; and I see myself 
 in the case of the lepers that were at the gate ot Samaria, who found 
 provisions in the enemy's camp ; and, when they had eat and drank, and 
 loaded themselves, said, " We do not well; for this is a day of glad tidings, 
 
The Yo7'kshire Evangelist. 95 
 
 let us go and make it known to the king's household." When I found 1740 
 God's wrath removed, for the sake of His dear Son, I saw provision 
 enough for my poor fainting soul, and for all the world if they would ^ 
 come for it. I believe it is a sin not to declare to the children of men 
 what God has done for my soul, that they may seek for the same mercy.' 
 He told me, I had nothing to do with the Old Testament, or to make 
 comparisons from anything in it. I answered, ' I have as much to do with 
 it as with the New Testament' He replied, ' I would not have you speak 
 any more to the people till you are better acquainted with your own 
 heart.' I told him, I would not in his societies, unless I was desired ; but 
 what I did in my own house, or any other person's that requested me, he 
 had no business with. I added, 'I do not belong to you; and though I 
 have heard you several times, it is no benefit to me ; for I have expe- 
 rienced more of the grace of God than ever I heard you preach of it, or 
 any one else since 1 left London.'" 
 
 Nelson here obviously refers to his enjoyment of the Holy 
 Spirit's witness to the fact that his sins were pardoned ; and 
 hence he continues, — 
 
 "Soon after Mr. Ingham came out and began to preach; when I was 
 greatly surprised; for what he had forbidden me to do, he himself did 
 directly ; for he told the people, that night, they must know their sins for- 
 given in this world or go to hell." ' 
 
 Soon after this, Ingham went to London, where the Wes- 
 leys were in painful conflict with the Moravians. Philip 
 Henry Molther, who had been the private tutor of Zinzen- 
 dorf's only son, was preaching, to large congregations, four 
 times every week, and was much more popular than his 
 talents or his misty doctrines merited. The chief controversy 
 between him and Wesley was concerning the use of the 
 means of grace. Molther recommended penitent inquirers 
 to " be still ;" that is, not to search the Scriptures, not to pray, 
 not to communicate, not to do good ; for it was impossible to 
 use means, without trusting in them. Wesley, on the other 
 hand, recommended and enforced just the opposite. The 
 contention among their partisans was fierce and furious ; and 
 the object of Ingham's visit to the metropolis seems to have 
 been to reconcile the irritated disputants. Charles Wesley 
 writes : — 
 
 " 1740. May 22.— I found our dear brother Ingham at Mr. West's. The 
 ' Nelson's Journal. 
 
96 Rev. Benjamin IngJiani, 
 
 1 740 holiday mob were very outrageous at the Foundery. God filled my mouth 
 , J ^n with threatenings and promises; and, at last, we got the victory, and the 
 '^ *" fiercest rioters were overawed into silence. 
 
 "May 25. — At the lovefeast, I was overwhelmed with the burden of our 
 brethren, with such visible signs of dejection, that several, I was since 
 informed, were in great hopes that I was now coming down in' my pride, 
 or unsettling, and coming into confusion. Indeed, my faith did well-nigh 
 fail me; for in spite of the seeming reconciliation which brother Ingham 
 forces them into, it is impossible we should ever be of one mind, unless 
 they are convinced of their abrogating the law of Christian ordinances, 
 and taking away the children's bread. 
 
 " May 27. — I rejoiced to find no difference betwixt my brother Ingham 
 and me. He has honestly withstood the deluded brethren ; contradicted 
 their favourite errors, and constrained them to be still. That blot he 
 easily hit : ' You say no man must speak of what he has not experienced ; 
 you, Oxley and Simpson, say that one in the Gospel-liberty can have no 
 stirrings of sin.' 'Yes.' 'Are you in Gospel-liberty ?' 'No.' 'Then out 
 of your own mouth I judge you : you speak of things which you know 
 not of.' 
 
 "June 2. — I preached 7ip the ordinances, as they call it, from Isaiah 
 Iviii. ; but first, with the prophet, I preached them down. Telchig " [Tolt- 
 schig], " Ingham, etc., were present, which made me use greater plainness, 
 that they might set me right, if I mistook. 
 
 "June J I. — I returned" [from the Delamotte family atBlendon] "to be 
 exercised by our still brethren's contradiction. My brother proposed 
 new-modelling the bands, and setting by themselves those few who were 
 still for the ordinances. Great clamour was raised by this proposal. The 
 noisy still ones well knew that they had carried their point by wearying 
 out the sincere ones scattered among them ; so that a remnant is scarcely 
 left. They grudged us even this remnant, which would soon be all their 
 own, unless immediately rescued out of their hands. Benjamin Ingham 
 seconded us, and obtained that the names should be called over, and as 
 many as were aggrieved put into new books. 
 
 "We gathered up our wrec\i,—raros nantes in gnrgite vasto j for nine 
 out of ten are swallowed up in the dead sea of stillness, O, why was not 
 this done six months ago? How fatal was our delay and moderation! 
 ' Let them alone, and they will soon be weary, and come to themselves of 
 course,' said one, — itnus qui nobis cuncfando restititet rem ! I tremble at 
 the consequence. Will they submit themselves to every ordinance of 
 man, who refuse subjection to the ordinances of God ? I told them 
 plainly, / should only contiiuie with them so long as they contimied in the 
 Chtirch of Ejigland. My every word was grievous to them. I am a thorn 
 in their sides, and they cannot bear me. 
 
 "They modestly denied that we had any but hearsay proof of their 
 denying the ordinances. I asked them all and every one, particularly 
 Bray, Bell, etc., whether they would now acknowledge them to be com- 
 mands or duties ; whether they sinned in omitting them ; whether they 
 did not leave it to every man's fancy to use them or not; whether they 
 
The Yorkshire Evangxlist. 97 
 
 did not exclude all from the Lord's table, except those whom they called j ^^q 
 
 believers. These questions I put too close to be evaded ; though better 
 
 dodgers never came out of the school of Loyola. Honest Bell and some ^^ 
 others spoke out, and insisted upon their antichristian liberty. The rest 
 put by their stillness, and delivered me over to Satan for a blasphemer, a 
 very Saul (for to him they compare me), out of blind zeal persecuting the 
 Church of Christ." ^ 
 
 Ingham continued among these angry people a week 
 longer, when John Wesley wrote : — 
 
 "1740. June 18. — I went to our own society, of Fetter Lane, before 
 whom Mr. Ingham (being to leave London on the morrow) bore a noble 
 testimony for the ordinances of God, and the reality of weak faith.^ But 
 the short answer was, ' You are blind, and speak of the things you know 
 not.' " 3 
 
 Matters now reached a crisis. For about two years, Wesley 
 had been a sort of member and minister of the Moravian 
 Society in Fetter Lane. Five weeks after this, by a vote 
 of the Brethren, Wesley was expelled ; and Molther, his rival, 
 was left in full possession. Those who sympathised with 
 Wesley were, in number, about twenty-five men and fifty 
 women, all of whom seceded with him, and, on July 23rd, 1740, 
 met, for the first time, at the Foundery, instead of at Fetter 
 Lane ; and thus the Methodist Society was founded. 
 
 Whitefield was in America ; but, in the midst of these 
 wretched squabbles, wrote to Ingham the following Calvinistic, 
 and not too luminous epistle : — 
 
 " Boston, September 26th, 1 740. 
 
 " My dear Brother Ingham, — I thank you for your kind letter. It 
 is the first I have received from you since I left England. I bless God, 
 that the work goes on in Yorkshire. May our glorious, sin-forgiving Lord, 
 bless you and your spiritual children more and more ! 
 
 " I find our friends are got into disputing one with another. O, 
 that the God of peace may put a stop to it ! I wish many may not 
 be building on a false foundation, and resting in a false peace. They 
 own free justification, and yet seem to think that their continuance in 
 a justified state depends on their doings and their wills. This, I think, is 
 estabhshing a righteousness of our own. My dear brother, if we search 
 the Scriptures, we shall find that the word justified implies, not only 
 
 ' C. Wesley's Journal. 
 - One of Molther's dogmas was, that no one has any faith while he has 
 any doubt. 
 
 ^ Wesley's Journal. 
 
 H 
 
Age 28 
 
 98 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1740 pardon of sin, but also all its consequences. ' Thus,' says St. Paul, ' those 
 whom He justified, them He also glorified ;' so that, if a man was once 
 justified, he remains so to all eternity. There lies the anchor of all my 
 hopes, — our Lord having once loved me, He will love me to the end. This 
 fills me with joy unspeakable and full of glory. I now walk by faith. 
 I work not to keep myself in a justified state, (for men nor devils can 
 pluck me out of Christ's hands,) but to express my love and gratitude for 
 what Jesus hath done for my soul. This, I think, is what the apostle calls, 
 ' faith working by love.' 
 
 " My dear brother, my heart's desire and prayer to God is, that we may 
 all think and speak the same things ; for, if we are divided among 
 ourselves, what an advantage will Satan get over us ! Let us love one 
 another, excite all to come to Christ without exception, and our Lord will 
 show us who are His. 
 
 " With difficulty, I get time to write this, but I must answer dear brother 
 Ingham's letter. May the Lord Jesus be continually with your spirit, and 
 make your soul brimful of peace and joy in the Holy Ghost ! I love 
 you in the bowels of the crucified Lamb. May He unite us more and 
 more intimately to His dear self, and to one another ! Salute all that 
 love Him in sincerity. That you may be kept by God's power to eternal 
 salvation, is the prayer of your most affectionate, though unworthy brother 
 and poor weak servant in Christ, 
 
 " George Whitefield." 
 
 It is needless to say, that some of the doctrines in the 
 above letter were not held by Wesley ; but let that pass. 
 
 Ingham returned to Yorkshire with broader views and sym- 
 pathies than he had when he left for London. Sending 
 for John Nelson to one of his meetings, he said, "John, I 
 believe God has called you to speak His word ; for I have 
 spoken with several since I came back from London, who, 
 I believe, have received grace since I went ; and I see God 
 is working in a shorter manner than He did with us at the 
 beginning ; and I should be sorry to hinder any one from 
 doing good." Then, turning to the assembled brethren and 
 sisters, Ingham continued, " Before you all, I give John leave 
 to exhort in all my societies ;" and, taking the rough hand of 
 the Yorkshire stonemason, he added, " John, God hath given 
 you great honour, in that He hath made use of you to 
 call sinners to the blood of our Saviour ; and I desire you 
 to exhort in all my societies as often as you can." 
 
 Thus, in the employment of lay preachers, Ingham co- 
 operated with his friend Wesley. Both were clergymen 
 of the Church of England ; and both were willing to have 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 99 
 
 lay helpers. Nelson's preaching was attended with great 1740- 
 success. " Nine or ten in a week were brought to experience Ao-e 28 
 the love of Jesus." ^ John was no proselytizer. Those of 
 his converts, who belonged to the Church of England, he 
 " exhorted to keep close to the Church and sacrament ;" 
 and those who were " Dissenters, to keep to their own meet- 
 ings, and to let their light shine before their own com- 
 munity." 
 
 In this respect, he was somewhat in advance of his reverend 
 patron ; for Ingham advised just the contrary, and several 
 acted on his advice, which, says Nelson,, " made me very 
 uneasy." Nelson firmly adhered to the Church of England, 
 and wished to avoid a schism. Ingham, on the other hand,, 
 had already virtually seceded, and was at the head of the 
 Moravian sect in Yorkshire. The priest and the mason found 
 it difficult to work in harmony. Besides, though always 
 actuated by the best intentions, Ingham was somewhat fickle, 
 and easily influenced by his Moravian helpers. Nelson 
 was just the opposite ; and, yet, his steadfastness was not 
 stubbornness. He was firm, because he felt that the ground 
 he occupied was right. As already stated, Ingham, on ' 
 his return from London, publicly authorised, and even 
 requested. Nelson to exhort in all his societies ; but, shortly 
 afterwards, the authorization was withdrawn. Why .'' Be- 
 cause Ingham was no longer the commander-in-chief of the 
 Yorkshire converts, but a merely co-ordinate member of 
 a common-council. He could no longer act as he liked ; 
 but must proceed in harmony with the decisions of those 
 to whom he had allied himself. Here an explanation is 
 necessary. 
 
 In 1740, Ingham wrote : — 
 
 " There are now upwards of fifty societies, where the people meet for 
 edification ; and of two thousand hearers of the gospel, I know, at least, 
 three hundred on whose hearts the Spirit of God works powerfully ; and 
 one hundred who have found grace in the blood and the atonement of 
 Jesus." 
 
 The work begun by Ingham bid fair to exceed that in 
 London. Hitherto the rendezvous of the English Moravian 
 
 ^ Nelson's Journal. 
 
lOO Rev. Bcnjaviin Inghaui, 
 
 1740 ministers had been the metropoHs ; now it became a farm- 
 ^~,g house in Yorkshire. About four miles east of Hahfax stood 
 a spacious dwelhng, with extensive outbuildings, and a large 
 farm attached. This the Moravians rented, that it might 
 serve as a place of residence for those Moravian pastors to 
 whom the spiritual affairs of the societies were committed, 
 and as a common centre of "union. They entered on the 
 occupancy of the premises in 1741 ; and, shortly after, Ingham, 
 who had hitherto had the chief care of the Yorkshire societies, 
 urgently, and in writing, requested the Brethren to take 
 the entire direction of them into their own hands, so that 
 he might devote himself wholly to the work of preaching. 
 To carry out his purpose, a public meeting was convened, 
 on July 30, 1742, which was attended by about a thousand 
 persons, belonging to these societies. Ingham's proposal was 
 submitted to them, and was heartily accepted. A document 
 was drawn up, which, after referring to Ingham's faithful 
 labours, expressed a desire to be served in future by the 
 ministers of the Brethren's Church, "whom," said the twelve 
 hundred persons who signed it, "we not only desire to preach 
 publicly amongst us, but also to visit us in private, put us 
 to rights, and make such orders amongst us as they shall see 
 useful and necessary, according to the grace the Lord shall 
 give them." 
 
 Smith House, near Halifax, was now the head-quarters 
 of English Moravianism. Even members in London, elected 
 to fulfil sacred functions there, were sent all the way to York- 
 shire to be solemnly inducted into their respective offices. 
 The field, hitherto occupied by Ingham, Nelson, and other 
 co-operators, was divided into six principal districts, namely, 
 Smith House, Adwalton, Mirfield, Great Horton, Holbeck, 
 - and Osset ; and to each of these districts a Moravian minister 
 was appointed.^ 
 
 We now return to Ingham, and his neighbour Nelson. The 
 latter tells us of a great Moravian meeting at Gomersal Field 
 House, at which Ingham desired him to be present. Nelson 
 went. The house was filled with five or six preachers, four 
 
 ^ See " Hutton's Memoirs," p. 100-108; and Holmes' "History of the 
 Church of the Brethren," vol. i., p. 318. 
 
Age 28 
 
 The Yoi'kshire Evaiioclist. 10 1 
 
 exhorters, and about a hundred of the principal members 1740 
 of the Yorkshire societies. Not being able to gain admit- 
 tance to the house, and finding a large number of people out- 
 side, the honest stonemason went into a field and preached. 
 At length, Ingham came out, and announced the decision 
 of the Brethren : namely, that it was not prudent to have 
 so much preaching, for fear it should engender persecution. 
 " I desire, therefore," said he, " that none of the young 
 men will expound till they are desired by the Brethren ; we 
 shall meet again this day month, and then we will let you 
 know what we are all to do." He next spoke to the young 
 expounders, one by one, and said, " I hope you will be obe- 
 dient." They all replied, " Yes, sir." He then turned to Nelson, 
 saying, "John, I hope you will leave off till you have orders 
 from the Church." " No, sir," replied intrepid John ; " I 
 will not leave off — I dare not ; for I did not begin by the 
 order of man, nor by my own will ; therefore, I shall not 
 leave off by your order ; for, I tell you plainly, I should have 
 left off without your bidding, but that I believed, if I did, 
 I should be damned for disobedience." Ingham answered, 
 " You see these young men are obedient to the elders, 
 and they have been blessed in their labours as well as 
 you." Nelson said, " I cannot tell how they have been 
 blessed ; but, I think, if God had sent them on His own 
 errand, they would not stop at your bidding." At this point, 
 one of the preachers interfered, saying, " The spirit of the 
 prophets is subject to the prophets ; therefore, they are right 
 and you are wrong, for they are subject." John failing to be 
 convinced by the preacher's logic, boldly answered, " You are 
 not obedient to the prophets of God that were of old, for God 
 saith by one of them, ' I have set watchmen upon the walls 
 of Jerusalem that shall not cease day or night ;' but you can 
 hold your peace for a month together at man's bidding." 
 Then turning to Ingham, Nelson continued, " You know that 
 many have been converted by my exhorting lately, and a 
 great many more are under convictions ; what a sad thing 
 would it be to leave them as they are." Ingham's lame reply 
 was, " Our Saviour can convert souls without your preaching." 
 " Yes," retorted John, " or yours either ; and He can give 
 corn without ploughing or sowing, but He does not, neither 
 
102 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1740 has He promised that He will." Ingham rejoined, " Be still 
 A~28 ^"^ month, and then you will know more of your own heart." 
 " With one proviso, I will,^' said Nelson : " if you can 
 persuade the devil to be still for a month ; but if he goes 
 -about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour, and 
 'God hath put a sword into my hand, I am determined to 
 attack him wheresoever I meet him ; and wheresoever I meet 
 sin, I meet Satan." Further conversation followed ; and, 
 at length, Ingham "charged all the people, as they loved 
 him and the brethren, that they should not let Nelson preach 
 in their houses, nor encourage him by hearing him else- 
 where." 
 
 This, on the part of Ingham, was painful and unworthy 
 conduct. The preaching of the stonemason had probably 
 been as greatly blessed and as successful as his own. The 
 man was no irreligious, rash intruder ; but a real evangelist, 
 called and qualified by Him who, inVll ages, has been wont 
 to choose " the foolish things of the world to confound the 
 wise ; and the weak things of the world to confound the 
 things which are mighty ; and base things of the world, and 
 things which are despised, and things which are not, to bring 
 to nought things that are ; that no flesh should glory in His 
 presence ; and that he that glorieth may glory in the Lord." 
 Nelson was as divinely called to preach Christ's glorious 
 gospel as Ingham was. His ministry had the seals of divine 
 approbation in the souls it had been the means of converting ; 
 and Ingham's effort to suspend it, even for a month only, was 
 a bold, bad act. Besides, the reason assigned for such an 
 interference with a commission, which Nelson had received 
 from God Himself, was a piece of cowardice unworthy of the 
 man who had braved the storms of the Atlantic Ocean, and 
 the hardships and miasmata of Georgia, solely for the purpose 
 of being useful to the wild Indians and to a portion of 
 England's outcast population. For fear of persecution, 
 Nelson, whom God had used in saving sinners, was to be 
 gagged and silenced. The change which had come over the 
 naturally brave spirit of the Oxford Methodist was a painful 
 one ; and also puzzling, except on the ground that he had 
 changed his company. 
 
 It is a mournful duty to have to mention another incident. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 103 
 
 Ingham interdicted Nelson, though unsuccessfully. He fur- 1740 
 ther renounced his old friend Wesley, and, for a season at p^^^ ^ 
 least, became intoxicated with the Moravian vanity, at that 
 time disastrously spreading. Hence, the following extract 
 from Nelson's Journal : — 
 
 "I was desired once more to go to Gomersal Field House to speak to 
 Mr. Ingham. When i q^ot there, David Taylor was with him, and spoke 
 kindly to me. When Mr. Taylor was gone, Mr. Ingham began to talk to 
 me about making division among the Brethren. I told him, I did not 
 want to make division ; I wanted the people to be saved. He said, ' We 
 cannot receive you or Mr. Wesley into our community^ till he publicly 
 declares he has printed false doctrine, and you declare you have preached 
 false.' I said, 'Wherein?' He then burst out into laughter, and said, 'In 
 teUing the people they may live without committing sin.'- I replied, 'Do 
 you call that false doctrine?' He answered, ' I do, I do; and Mr. Wesley 
 has written false doctrine, teaching the same errors.' He quoted some 
 words; then I said, 'They are not Mr. Wesley's, but St. John's words; it 
 is St. John who says, " Let no man deceive you ; he that doeth righteous- 
 ness is righteous, and he that committeth sin is of the devil." So, if St. 
 John be right, every one who preacheth contrary to what Mr. Wesley has 
 written here, and what I have preached, is a deceiver and betrayer of 
 souls.' ' If that be your opinion,' said Mr. Ingham, ' we cannot receive 
 you into our Church.' I replied, ' I don't want to be one of you, 
 for I am a member of the Church of England.' He answered, ' The 
 Church of England is no Church ; we are the Church.' I said, ' We ! 
 Whom do you mean ?' He replied, ' I and the Moravian Brethren.' I 
 said, ' I have no desire to have any fellowship with you or them; it has 
 been better for my soul since I have been wholly separated from you, and 
 God has blessed my labours more since I was told, they had delivered me 
 up to Satan, than ever before; therefore, I think it better to have their 
 curse than to have communion with them.' He replied, ' If you think so, 
 I have no more to say to you ;' and then, he turned his back on me." 
 
 Thus did Ingham fully and finally sever himself from the 
 Methodists. Nelson continued preaching ; souls were saved ; 
 and, in 1742, Wesley, for the first time, visited the Birstal 
 stonemason. After giving an account how Nelson was led to 
 begin to preach, and of his success, Wesley adds : — 
 
 ^ To say the least, this was offensively premature. Where is the 
 evidence that either Wesley or Nelson wished to be received into the 
 Moravian community? 
 
 - This interview probably occurred in the year 1741, though Nelson 
 neglects to supply the date. In 1 739, Wesley had published his " Character 
 of a Methodist," and also his abridged " Life of Halyburton," with a preface 
 by himself In both of these publications, he propounded, in strong 
 language, his doctrine of entire sanctification. 
 
Aije 28 
 
 104 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1740 "Mr. Ingham hearing of this, came to Birstal, inquired into the facts, 
 
 talked with John himself, and examined him in the closest manner, both 
 touching his knowledge and spiritual experience ; after which he en- 
 couraged him to proceed ; and pressed him, as often as he had oppor- 
 tunity, to come to any of the places where himself had been, and speak 
 to the people as God should enable him. But he soon gave offence, both 
 by his plainness of speech, and by advising the people to go to church 
 and sacrament. Mr. Ingham reproved him: and, finding him incorrigible, 
 forbad any that were in his societies to hear him. But, being persuaded 
 this is the will of God concerning him, he continues to this hour working 
 in the day, that he may be burdensome to no man; and, in the evening, 
 'testifying the truth as it is in Jesus.'"' 
 
 This is a long account ; but not without interest ; inasmuch 
 as it furnishes a ghmpse of the way in which Ingham parted 
 with the Methodists, and of the beginnings of both Mora- 
 vianism and Methodism in the north of England. We only 
 add, that, though Ingham passed through Birstal during 
 Wesley's visit, there was no interview between them.- Thus 
 was an old and close friendship severed. 
 
 It has been already stated, that, the differences between 
 Ingham and Nelson probably occurred in 1741 ; and that 
 Wesley's visit to Birstal took place in 1742. This, in some 
 respects, was the most important period in Ingham's life. 
 
 Far away from the miserable strifes of the Moravians in 
 London, we find him, in 1740, an humble, happy, loving, useful 
 Christian. The following letter is simple and beautiful : — 
 
 " OssET, September 20, 1740. 
 " My dear Brother, — I have not heard anything of you this long 
 time. As to myself, I am exceeding happy.^ The Lord Jesus, my 
 dear Redeemer, is abundantly gracious and bountiful towards me. I 
 have, and do daily taste of His goodness. I am ashamed before Him; I 
 am so very unworthy, and He is so very kind and merciful. My heart 
 melts within me, at the thoughts of Him. He is all love. I am a sinful, 
 helpless worm. 
 
 ' Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 350. 
 " Nelson's Journal. 
 ^ In a letter by James Hutton to Count Zinzendorf, and dated, Septem- 
 ber 17, 1740, only three days before the date of this letter by Ingham, the 
 following occurs ; — " Ingham writes from Yorkshire, that, he also has 
 discovered something new in his heart, and is now assured he shall not 
 die eternally; he had never before experienced the like. He also writes, 
 that, many souls in Yorkshire have of late found grace, and he desires 
 that Toltschig may come to him." (" Memoirs of James Hutton," p. 63.) 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 105 
 
 " In Yorkshire, the Lord still keeps carrying on His work. Many souls \']\o 
 
 are truly awakened : some have obtained mercy. The enemies are 
 
 engaged against us; but the Lord is our helper. We have great peace, §^ " 
 and love, and unity amongst ourselves. We have no differences, no 
 divisions, no disputings. May He, who is the giver of every good and 
 perfect gift, grant us always to be like-minded ; and may we and our 
 friends grow in grace, and increase in love towards one another, that, by 
 this mark, all men may know that we belong to Christ ! 
 
 " I remain your affectionatej though unworthy brother, 
 
 " B. Ingham." ^ 
 
 If Ingham and John Nelson had been left to themselves, 
 Ingham's prayer for continued unity might have been an- 
 swered ; but Ingham wished for Toltschig, one of the minis- 
 terial chiefs among the London Moravians ; and Toltschig 
 doubtless went. 
 
 " We, in London," writes James Hutton, " cannot spare Toltschig until 
 Spangenberg comes to us. We here all think he will be useful to Ingham 
 and the souls there. They must seize the opportunity presented. The 
 souls in Yorkshire are more simple-hearted than those in London, where 
 they are more knowing ; and they do not, like those in town, quibble at 
 every word. Toltschig is known in Yorkshire, where the souls love him, 
 and he can speak to them with confidence. We want a thorough brother, 
 fundamentably correct, and of large experience, for the souls in London, 
 able to attend our bands and conferences, and to address our meetings. 
 Toltschig is very well in bands and conferences, but he cannot preach."^ 
 
 Did Toltschig carry the cantankerous contagion of the 
 London Moravians with him .'' We cannot tell ; but there can 
 be no question, that, the "simple-hearted" Yorkshire brethren 
 caught it ; and, that, in Yorkshire, as in London, a schism 
 among the Moravians led to the formation of the society of 
 Methodists. 
 
 Indeed, it is a curious fact, that, for a season, the spirit of 
 discord, among nearly the whole of the new religionists, 
 seemed rampant. No man ever lived who sighed for peace 
 more ardently than Whitefield. His large and loving heart had 
 room enough for every man. The language of the Psalmist's 
 pen was pre-eminently the language of Whitefield's life : 
 " Pray for the peace of Jerusalem : they shall prosper that 
 love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within 
 thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sake, I will 
 now say, Peace be within thee." And, yet, at this very time, 
 
 ^ Methodist Magazine, 1 778, p. 1 82. - " Memoirs of James Hutton,"p. 64. 
 
io6 Rev. Beujaniin Ingham, 
 
 1740 as if to make bad things worse, the quarrel, between the 
 . „ London Moravians and Methodists, was followed by the 
 quarrel between Wesley and Whitefield, respecting Wesley's 
 sermon on " Free Grace ;" and, to complete the whole, and to 
 make the confusion more confounded, the Yorkshire converts, 
 so lar away from the strifeful scene, began disputing ; and the 
 frank, warm-hearted Ingham began to regard his old friend 
 Wesley with a suspicious eye, and presumptuously tried to 
 annul John Nelson's divine commission to act as an evangelist 
 among his neighbours ! 
 
 Ingham's objection to Wesley's doctrine of entire sanctifica- 
 tion has been already mentioned ; but, besides this, there were 
 other points of difference. Wesley writes : — 
 
 "1741. August I. — I had a long conversation with Mr. Ingham. We 
 both agreed, — i. That none shall finally be saved, who have not, as they 
 had opportunity, done all good works ; and, 2. That if a justified person 
 does not do good, as he has opportunity, he will lose the grace he has 
 received; and, if he 'repent' not, 'and do the former works,' will perish 
 eternally. But with regard to the unjustified (if I understand him), we 
 wholly disagreed. He believed, it is not the will of God, that, we should 
 wait for faith in doing good. I believe, this is the will of God ; and that, 
 they will never find Him, unless they seek Him in this way." 
 
 Again : — 
 
 " 1742. August 3. — I preached at Mirfield, where I found Mr. Ingham 
 had been an hour before. Great part of the day, I spent in speaking with 
 those who have tasted the powers of the world to come ; by whose con- 
 current testimony I find, that, Mr. Ingham's method to this day is, — i. To 
 endeavour to persuade them, that they are in a delusion, and have indeed 
 no faith at all : if this cannot be done, then, 2. To make them keep it to 
 themselves; and, 3. To prevent them going to the church or sacrament; 
 at least to guard them from having any reverence, or expecting to find 
 any blessing in those ordinances of God. In the evening, I preached at 
 Adwalton, a mile from Birstal. After preacliing, and the next day, I spoke 
 with more, who had, or sought for, redemption through Christ ; all of whom 
 I perceived had been advised also, to put their light under a bushel ; or to 
 forsake the ordinances of God, in order to find Christ."' 
 
 Ingham's wish to prevent persecution has been noticed. 
 On this ground, he requested Nelson and other exhorters to 
 desist from preaching for a month. What led to this } Per- 
 haps, the publication, in 1740, of a furious pamphlet of 
 eighty-four pages, with the following title : " The Imposture 
 
 ' Wesley's Journal. 
 
The Yorkshire Eva7igelist. 107 
 
 of Methodism displayed ; in a Letter to the Inhabitants of the 1740 
 Parish of Dewsbury and Occasioned by the Rise of a certain p^-y^ 
 Modern Sect of Enthusiasts, (among them,) called Methodists. 
 By William Bowman, M.A., Vicar of Dewsbury and Aid- 
 borough in Yorkshire, and Chaplain to the Right Honourable 
 Charles Earl of Hoptoun." 
 
 This pastorly letter was avowedly written against the 
 Methodists ; but the reverend author, like many others at 
 the time, employed an inappropriate word ; for, at that 
 period, there were no Methodists at all, either in Yorkshire 
 or any other part of the north of England. His letter is 
 dated, " Aid brough, August 15, 1740" ; whereas, John Nelson, 
 the beginner of northern Methodism, did not commence 
 preaching to his neighbours for several months after this.i 
 The Vicar of Dewsbury meant Moravians ; but, for reasons 
 of his own, he preferred to use the word Methodists. 
 
 Terrible was the anger which Ingham and his coadjutors 
 had excited in the Christian breast of their reverend neigh- 
 bour. The pamphlet is a rarity, and, perhaps, a condensed 
 account of it may be welcome. 
 
 It is a curious fact, that, the writer, while professing so 
 much interest in the spiritual welfare of his flock, acknow- 
 ledges, that, " for the greatest part of his time," he is 
 "absent and remote from them." He is, however, notwith- 
 standing this, greatly distressed on account of "the impious 
 spirit of enthusiasm and superstition, which has of late crept 
 in among " them, " and which sadly threatens a total ruin 
 and destruction of all religion and virtue." Indeed, he had 
 himself been, " in some measure, an eye-witness of this 
 monstrous madness, and religious frenzy, which introduced 
 nothing but a confused and ridiculous medley of nonsense 
 and inconsistency." It was true, that, " at present, the con- 
 tagion was pretty much confined to the dregs and refuse 
 of the people, — the weak, unsteady mob ; " but, then, the 
 mob was so numerous in the west of Yorkshire, that, the 
 danger was greater than was apprehended. He next pro- 
 ceeds to review "some of the chief doctrines" of "these 
 modern visionaries," which he will not now determine 
 
 ^ See Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 349. 
 
io8 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1740 whether, "like the Quakers," they "are a sect hatched and 
 ^l^ J, fashioned in a seminary of Jesuits ; or whether, like the 
 German Anabaptists, they are a set of crazy, distempered 
 fanatics." " The first and chief principle they inculcated 
 was, that tJicy are divhicly and supernaturally inspired by 
 the Holy Ghost, to declare the zuill of God to mankind!' Mr, 
 Bowman attempts to demolish this "high and awful claim," 
 and to demonstrate, that, its assertors are " a set of idiots 
 or madmen," " only worthy of a dark corner in Bedlam, or 
 the wholesome correction of Bridewell." " Another principle 
 doctrine of these pretended pietists was, that, for the sake of 
 a further Reformation, it zuas not only lazufil, bnt incumbent 
 071 the people, to separate from their proper ministers, and 
 adhere to the^n." In refuting this barefaced heresy, the 
 Dewsbury vicar, quotes, at considerable length, in the Greek 
 and Latin languages, (which probably not half-a-dozen of 
 his parishioners understood), the testimonies of Clemens 
 Romanus, St. Ignatius, St. Cyprian, St. Austin, and Ire- 
 naeus, — on "the necessity of Church unity." He admits, 
 "that, all the clergymen of reputation in the neighbour- 
 hood " of Dewsbury, had " refused these Methodists the 
 use of their pulpits ;" but he was glad of this ; and says 
 " this was not done till, by their extravagant flights and 
 buffooneries, they had made the church more like a bear- 
 garden than the house of God ; and the rostrum nothing 
 else but the trumpet of sedition, heresy, blasphemy, and 
 everything destructive to religion and good manners." "A 
 third mark of imposture propagated by these mad devo- 
 tionalists was, that it ivas laivfnl and expedient for mere 
 laymen, for women, . and the meanest and most ignorant me- 
 chanics, to minister in the Church of Christ, to preach and 
 expound the word of God, and to offer tip the prayers of the 
 congregation in p2iblic assemblies^ To refute this, Mr. Bow- 
 man favours his parishioners with a lengthy dissertation 
 on the three orders, bishops, presbyters, and deacons ; and 
 comes to the charitable conclusion, that, the Methodists are 
 "the most impious cheats and impostors." ^' A fourtJi doc- 
 trine of these enthusiasts was, that, it is possible for a man 
 to live without sin; that themselves actually do so; and that 
 regeneration, or tlie new birth, necessary to salvation, consists 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 109 
 
 in an absolute and entire freedom from all kind of sin what- 1740 
 soever." Mr. Bowman asserts, that, "intolerable pride and a^^-'S 
 presumption is the foundation of this unhappy delusion." 
 "A fifth mark of imposture was, that cruel, uncharitable, 
 and consequently unchristian doctrine, which denounces etei^- 
 nal death and damnation on all, who cannot conform to the 
 ridiculous sentiments of these mad devotionalists." And 
 a sixth was, " that, in order to be true CJiristians, we are 
 absolutely to abandon and renounce all zvorldly enjoyments and 
 possessions whatsoever ; to have all things in common amongst 
 one another ; and entirely neglect every tJiing in this life, but 
 prayer and meditation; to be alzvays upon our knees, and at 
 our devotions" 
 
 Such were the six charges of the Vicar of Dewsbury. 
 They consist of a little truth enveloped in a large amount 
 of scurrilous mendacity. After discussing them, Mr. Bow- 
 man proposes to conclude with " some general reflections ;" 
 one of which is, that, " the religion of the Methodists incul- 
 cates violence, wrath, uncharitableness, fierceness, arbitrari- 
 ness, and affectation of dominion ; and teaches men to hate, 
 reproach, and ill-treat one another." Was this a dream of 
 Mr. Bowman's .'' or was it a wicked invention } The reverend 
 writer finishes with a personal attack on Ingham, which must 
 have separate attention. 
 
 In the year 1740, bread was scarce, and prices were high. 
 Riots occurred in various parts of England ; the military 
 were called out, and several persons killed. Yorkshire was 
 the scene of one of these disturbances. On April 26, a mob 
 of about five hundred people assembled at Dewsbury, broke 
 into a mill, and took away all the meal they found. On 
 the next day, which was Sunday, the rioters again appeared, 
 and sacked a second mill. Sir Samuel Armitage, who filled 
 the office of high-sheriff, and Sir John Kaye a magistrate, 
 read the proclamation, and endeavoured to disperse them ; 
 but the mob threw stones ; and, proceeding to another 
 mill in the parish of Thornhill, captured all the meal 
 and corn, partly pulled down the building, and stole all 
 the miller's beef and bacon. Things were becoming 
 desperate ; and the two gentlemen, already named, desired 
 the rioters to assemble at the house of Sir John Kaye, on 
 
no Rev. Benjamin Ingham, • 
 
 1740 Monday, April 28th, where the neighbouring magistrates 
 Age~28 would listen to their complaints. About a thousand came, 
 beating drums, and carrying colours. Nothing good resulted. 
 The mob retired, shouting ; they neither cared for the magis- 
 trates nor the high-sheriff. They hurried to three more 
 mills, and decamped with all the edibles the mills contained. 
 They next proceeded to Criggleston, and broke into the barn 
 of Joseph Pollard, and carried away a quantity of flour. 
 Pollard fired at them ; and captured several prisoners. On 
 Tuesday, the 29th, Pollard took his captives to Wakefield, 
 to have them tried. The rioters assembled to release their 
 friends ; and threatened to pull down Pollard's house ; to 
 "hang himself; and to skin him like a cat." Captain Bur- 
 ton,i however, boldly advanced to meet them ; " knocked 
 down three or fo;ir of them with his stick ; took six or seven 
 prisoners ;" and marched them off to the house of correction. 
 On the same day, a detachment of soldiers were brought from 
 York ; and, though great murmurings continued ; outward 
 quiet was restored.^ 
 
 Strangely enough, Ingham was accused as the chief pro- 
 moter of this disgraceful tumult. In the Weekly Miscellany 
 for June 8, 1740, the following anonymous communication, 
 from "Yorkshire," was inserted. It was addressed to Mr. 
 Hooker, the editor. 
 
 "You have no doubt seen an account, in the pubhc prints, of the riot 
 we had in this county. It took place at Devvsbury, where Mr. Ingham has 
 propagated Methodism. Some will have him to be the author of this 
 insurrection, by preaching up, as he certainly did, a community of goods, 
 as was practised by the Primitive Christians. How much he may have 
 contributed towards raising the mob, I will not pretend to say ; but what 
 I am going to tell you of this clergyman, is matter of fact. I can prove it, 
 and you may make what use of it you think proper. A gentleman of 
 Leeds, who was one of Mr. Ingham's followers, asked him what difference 
 there was between the Church of England and his way of worship ? To 
 which Mr. Ingham replied, ' The Church of England is the scarlet whore, 
 prophesied of in the Revelation ; and there will be no true Christianity 
 
 as long as that Church subsists.' 
 
 " Your humble Servant." ^ 
 
 ' Probably the same as Mr. Justice Burton, who figured so prominently 
 in endeavouring to obtain witnesses, that Charles Wesley was a Jacobite, 
 in 1744. (See C. Wesley's Journal, vol. i., p. 358.) 
 
 2 Weekly Miscellany, May 17, 1740. ^ Ibid. June 8, 1740. 
 
The Yo7^kshire Evano;elist. 1 1 1 
 
 In the then excited state of the country, and especially of 1740 
 
 Yorkshire, it would have been unwise for Ino'ham to have \ ^o 
 . . . . •'^gs 2^ 
 
 allowed such a publication to pass in silence. Hence, he 
 
 waited upon Hooker, the editor of the Weekly Miscellany, 
 who, says he, " received me in a genteel manner, and gave 
 me proof that the letter of June 8th was from Yorkshire." 
 This is something to Mr. Hooker's credit, especially when it 
 is borne in mind that, at that" period, he was one of Method- 
 ism's bitterest opponents. The result of the interview was, 
 Ingham wrote, and Hooker published the following lengthy 
 letter : — 
 
 "London, Jutie 14, 1740. 
 
 " Mr. Hooker, — In your paper of June 8, you inserted a letter from 
 Yorkshire concerning me. Had I followed my own inclination, I should 
 have taken no more notice of this than of another falsity that was printed 
 some time ago in XhQ.News, that the woollen manufacture in Yorkshire 
 was likely to be ruined, implying, by me ; and of many more, spread up 
 and down, by common report, which often contradict one another. But 
 the advice of friends has prevailed M^ith me to write this, in answer to 
 what the author of that letter charges me with. 
 
 " The author of the letter charges me with two things : directly and 
 indirectly : — 
 
 "As to the riot that was lately in Yorkshire, he does not say directly 
 that I was the cause of it ; but he insinuates something like it, as being 
 the consequence of my doctrine. But if this person was not sure that 
 I was the cause of this insurrection, it is very unbecoming, either of 
 a Christian or a gentleman, to hint at such a thing. When the riot 
 happened, I was absent from Dewsbury parish, at the time and several days 
 after. I neither knew nor heard anything of it till it was over. As soon 
 as I heard of it, I spoke against it as a very wicked thing, and of danger- 
 ous consequence. I inquired particularly whether any persons that fre- 
 quented the societies were in it. I heard of three. But one of them had 
 been turned out some weeks before for misbehaviour. The other two, I 
 ordered to be turned out directly, and publicly disowned ; though, I 
 believe, they, as many more, were drawn to run among the rabble, through 
 weakness and curiosity. The gentleman says, some will have me to be the 
 author of the insurrection. It is true, they say so. And, indeed, every- 
 thing that comes amiss is laid to my charge. They said I was the 
 occasion of the wet season last summer ; of the long frost in winter ; of 
 the present war ; and, if it blows a storm, some or other say I am the 
 cause of it. But this is the talk of the vulgar ; men of sense know better. 
 Does not every one know that, they say, a common report is generally 
 false ? 
 
 " But, further, to the second charge. Supposing I had preached up a 
 community of goods, as this gentleman positively asserts (which I never 
 
Age 28 
 
 1 1 2 Rev. Benjamin Ingham^ 
 
 1 7^0 did), would it ihence follow, that people have a liberty to plunder ; that 
 they may take away their neighbour's goods by force ? If the one was a 
 necessary consequence of the other, then the apostles and first Christians 
 were much to blame in what they did. If all were real Christians, yet it 
 would not be necessary to have a community of goods. None were 
 obliged to it in the apostles' days. They entered into it willingly. But in 
 the present state of things, it would be both absurd and impracticable to 
 attempt such a thing. What might make some people think that I main- 
 tained this doctrine, perhaps, was this. I once preached a charity sermon 
 at Leeds, I think, from these words : ' And the multitude of them that 
 believed were of one heart and soul ; neither said any of them that ought of 
 the things which he possessed were his own ; but they had all things com- 
 mon.' But I nowhere asserted therein, that we were now obliged to do as 
 they then did. I only exhorted my hearers to imitate the good examples 
 of the primitive Christians, and to contribute generously to the wants of 
 their poor brethren, according to their ability. Now, if this gentleman's 
 mistake arose from this sermon, if he thinks it worth his while to come 
 over to Osset, after my return into Yorkshire, — I promise to let him see 
 the sermon, as I preached it (for it is not altered), that he may be fully 
 satisfied ; for I neither did, nor do preach up a community of goods. 
 
 " The third thing which the author of the letter lays to my charge, and 
 which he says is matter of fact, and which he can prove, is this : A 
 gentleman of Leeds, who was one of my followers, asked what difference 
 there was between the Church of England and my way of worship .? To 
 which, he says, I replied, ' The Church of England is the scarlet whore, 
 prophesied of in the Revelation ; and there will be no true Christianity 
 as long as that Church subsists.' Now, supposing any gentleman should 
 have asked me such a question (which I do not remember), do these 
 words look like a pertinent answer to such a question ? I never pretended 
 to set up a new way of worship. I still live in the communion of the 
 Church of England, My neighbours can testify that I go to church con- 
 stantly, and receive the sacrament. But, further, I am sure that I never 
 did, nor could say these words ; for they are contrary to my settled judg- 
 ment. I may have said words like these, yet quite different in their 
 meaning. 
 
 " It has been a very common thing for people to misrepresent my 
 sense, and to run away with half a sentence. When I have been preach- 
 ing the doctrine of universal redemption, and asserting that God made 
 no man purposely to be damned, but that He would have all to be saved, 
 some have reported that I maintained, nobody would be damned. When 
 I have been declaring the riches of God's love and mercy, in receiving 
 the greatest sinners, coming to Him through Christ, some have said that 
 I gave people liberty to live as they list. ' And, again, when I have been 
 speaking of that purity of heart and holiness of life which the gospel re- 
 quires, some have said (and it is the general outcry), according to my 
 doctrine, nobody can be saved. I scarce ever preach a sermon but some- 
 bodv or other misrepresents it. But, I am afraid, I have deviated too 
 much in mentioning these things. 
 
The Yo7'kshire Evangelist. 1 1'3 
 
 " To return then. I have said that Babylon and the whore, mentioned 1 7^0 
 in the Revelation, relate to more Churches than one ; and that the Church — 
 of England is concerned therein as well as other Churches ; but I never §^ 
 said that she was tJic scarlet lohore. I believe, indeed, that, by Babylon 
 and the whore, the Church of Rome is chiefly and principally 
 meant ; but, yet, the Scripture saith, she sitteth upon many waters ; i.e., 
 people and multitudes, and nations and tongues, all sects and parties 
 (Rev. xvii. 15). For Babylon signifies confusion ; and by the scarlet 
 whore is meant corruption, or departing from the truth either in principle 
 or practice (Hos. i. 2 ; ii. 5). Babylon, therefore, or the whore is in, and 
 may be applied to, every Church and person, where there is not a perfect 
 self-denial and entire resignation to God. And are thei'c not multitudes 
 of persons in every Church in Christendom, and consequently in the 
 Church of England, who greatly depart from the truth as it is in Jesus ? 
 
 " As to the latter part of this accusation, — ' There will be no true 
 Christianity as long as that Church exists,' — I absolutely deny that I 
 could say so ; because I believe there always was, always will be, and now 
 is, a true Church of Christ, against which the gates of hell cannot prevail. 
 I believe, hkewise, that many of the Church of England, and some out of 
 every sect and party, are members of this true Church of Christ. I have, 
 indeed, often said that there is a glorious state of the Church to come, 
 when the partition wall of bigotry, sect, religion, and party zeal will be 
 broken down; and the Jews will be called; and the fulness of the Gentiles 
 shall come in ; and the whole earth shall be filled with the knowledge of 
 the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. I do not pretend to know when 
 this time will be ; but whenever it commences there will be another face 
 of things in Christendom. The outward pomp and grandeur of the 
 Church will be diminished, and the inward beauty will appear the 
 brighter. The spirit of primitive Christianity will be revived; and, pro- 
 bably, the last state of the Church will be more glorious than the first. 
 It will be happy for them who live in those days ; but yet, in the mean- 
 time, I believe and hope many will be saved out of all Churches or 
 societies of Christians, and meet together in that blessed place, where 
 there will be no difference or disputing, but all will be love and joy and 
 peace. 
 
 " I am, sir, your humble Servant, 
 
 "B. Ingham." 1 
 
 Mr. Hooker, the editor, inserted Ingham's letter ; but he 
 did so with reluctance. He snarled even while pretending to 
 be just and generous. Hence he appended an ill-tempered 
 article of his own, from which the following is an extract. 
 Having told his readers, that, "at Mr. Ingham's request, he 
 had published his letter," he proceeds, — ^ 
 
 1 Weekly Miscellany, June 21, 1740. 
 
Age 28 
 
 114 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1740 " If I recollect the many instances of the great want of simplicity ^ 
 
 sinccrily, and regard to truth, which some other teachers among the 
 Methodists have discovered, I should naturally suspect that Mr. Ingham 
 may not have given a fair account of his case. Or, if I judge of his probity 
 in this instance by his conduct in others, the presumption of insincerity 
 must lie against him. Nay, I think, there are some grounds of suspicion 
 in his defence. But what I insist upon is this, — that his public conduct is 
 insincere and dishonest. While he owns that he communicates with the 
 Church of England, and by communicating with her, he subjects himself 
 to her authority, he sets up separate meetings in opposition to it, in 
 defiance of it, nay, in defiance of all authority, both civil and ecclesiastical. 
 By this illegal, disobedient behaviour to the laws of that Church and of 
 that civil society, of which he is a member, he has given just and great 
 scandal to all good Christians. In cases of public scandal, the laws of 
 Christianity and of common charity require the person who gives it to ask 
 public pardon^ to alter his public conduct, or publicly to vindicate it." 
 
 This was hard measure. Poor Ingham had been most 
 unjustly accused of being the author of the Yorkshire riot, 
 and had defended himself; and now the editor of the Weekly 
 Miscellany charges him with insincerity, dishonesty, and 
 causing public scandal ; and officiously prescribes that he 
 should ask public pardon. Hooker was too much of a 
 partisan to discharge his editorial duties with even-handed 
 justice. Ingham made no reply to the Editor's unwarrantable 
 attack ; but the latter printed two other letters, in which the 
 same hostility was rampant. The first was dated, " Wake- 
 field, July 16, 1740," and fills an entire folio page, and nearly 
 one third of another. In reply to Ingham's statement, that 
 he was not in the parish of Dewsbury when the riot com- 
 menced, nor for several days afterwards, the anonymous 
 letter-writer calls this " an equivocating way of talking," for 
 three men of veracity had declared that he was all the while 
 at Osset, a township in the parish. Can this be true } We 
 cannot but disbelieve it. Ingham was incapable of such 
 equivocation. The following extracts also are too manifestly 
 malignant to be altogether truthful : — 
 
 " There were more of Mr. Ingham's followers concerned in the riot than 
 he would have the world to believe. For one fellow, who had hved with him 
 several months under the same roof, was one of the ring-leaders of the 
 rioters, — a very busy man in breaking the miller's utensils, and a kind of 
 helper of those to wheat flour who had no right to it. This godly man 
 fled from justice, and has not since been heard of. Another of Mr. Ing- 
 ham's admirers at Osset very carefully helped himself at the mill ; and he 
 
Acre 28 
 
 The Yorkshire Evangelist. 1 1 5 
 
 also absconded, till, as he thought, the danger was over, and now he 1740 
 appears again. A third of the Methodists concerned in this riot, was 
 taken up by some of his Majesty's justices of the peace, and was sent to 
 York among other criminals, where he awaits his trial at the next assizes. 
 If Mr. Ingham had inquired as particularly as he pretends, he v/ould have 
 ascertained that when these outrageous men gathered from several towns 
 to seize upon Mr. Pollard's corn at Crigglestone, there v/ere not only two-, 
 but two hundred, perhaps many more, of his followers mixed with others 
 in the same wicked design. 
 
 " This gentleman denies that he ever preached up a community of 
 goods ; and yet one of his former hearers at Osset, who is now returned 
 to the Church, assured me that Mr. Ingham had often done that, and had 
 told his auditors, ' That none of them need to labour, for God would pro- 
 vide for them ; and that they must throw themselves upon Jesus Christ, 
 their whole life being spent in religious exercises being no more than 
 sufficient to save their souls ; for they who were rich ought to supply the 
 wants of the poor.' ' So,' says he, ' had I followed Mr. Ingham's advice, 
 I should not have been worth a groat.' And even Mr. Ingham's brother 
 declared, ' If I mind our Ben, he will preach me out of all I have.' This 
 information I had from Mr. Glover, of Osset. I am far from thinking Mr. 
 Ingham persuaded any to rise in this tumultous manner, and charitably 
 hope he did not approve of the riot ; yet, when all circumstances are laid 
 together, it is a great presumption that his preaching up a community of 
 goods to men of low condition, was an encouragement to them in this dear 
 season to make bold with more than their own." 
 
 " As to the charge about ' the scarlet whore,' the writer acknowledges 
 that when the gentleman in Leeds, who had given the information, was 
 cross-examined, 'he quibbled, gave ambiguous answers, and, in short, 
 could be fixed to nothing.' " 
 
 In reference to Mr. Ingham's "new way of w^orship," all 
 that the correspondent of the Weekly Misecllany can allege, is 
 the following : — 
 
 " Mr. Ingham has preached in a croft at Osset to a confused number of 
 people, drawn together from several parishes, which more resembled a 
 bear-baiting than an orderly congregation for the worship of God. When 
 Mr. Rogers,^ one of his fellow-itinerants, came into these parts, he 
 accompanied him to Westgate-Moor, adjoining to Wakefield, and stood 
 by him, while the other harangued the mob from a stool or table. Mr. 
 
 ' The Rev. Jacob Rogers, of Bedford, of whom Wesley, in 1753, wrote 
 as follows:— "Above fourteen years ago, Mr. Rogers, then curate of St. 
 Paul's (Bedford), preached the pure gospel with general acceptance. A 
 great awakening began, and continually increased, till the poor weather- 
 cock turned Baptist; he then preached the absolute decrees with all his- 
 might ; but in a while the wind changed again, and he turned and sank 
 into the German whirlpool. How many souls has tliis unhappy man to. 
 answer for!" (Wesley's Works, vol. ii., p. 293.) 
 
Age 28 
 
 1 1 6 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1 740 Rogers, in preaching from ' Beware of dogs,' advised his hearers to 
 beware of the ministers of the present age ; for all the ministers now-a-days 
 preach false doctrine to tickle their carnal ears, that they may fill their 
 coffers with money, and preach their souls to the devil. Another of Mr. 
 Ingham's associates, Mr. Delamotte, who is still a laic, being asked by a 
 clergyman why he did not proceed regularly for a degree, and then for 
 orders, answered, 'If you mean episcopal ordination, I assure you I think 
 the gospel of Jesus Christ has nothing to do with it.' Rogers also told 
 the same clergyman, that he was ' as much inspired as St. Paul was, 
 except the working of miracles ; and that he could not commit actual sin.' 
 Besides all this, Mr. Ingham keeps his meetings, unauthorized by law, at 
 Dewsbury, Osset, Mirfield, and other places, particularly at Horbury, in 
 this parish, where he prays, sings, expounds, preaches, and visits the sick, 
 without the consent or knowledge of the minister who resides there, 
 though he is always ready to discharge his duty, and is much superior to 
 ]\Ir. Ingham in every respect for the discharge of it. As to the services he 
 uses, it is a medley of his own ; for though he makes use of the Common 
 Prayer, he disguises and spoils it by his own additions. Much more 
 might be said about his disorderly meetings, particularly locking himself 
 up with a select number of his hearers till midnight, or after." 
 
 The writer thus concludes : — 
 
 " Let this intruder, who pretends to act as a minister of the Established 
 Church, say by what Canon in any General Council, by what Constitution 
 in any National Church, he takes upon himself to wander from place to 
 place, sometimes preaching in the fields, and sometimes creeping into 
 private houses, to the great disturbance and disquiet of the lawfully 
 appointed ministers, and raising schisms and distractions in a Church 
 estabhshed upon primitive antiquity." ^ 
 
 The other letter was not dissimilar to the one already 
 quoted. It was dated, "Dewsbury, August 18, 1740," and 
 signed "A Layman ;" and was published in the Weekly 
 Miscellany, on August 30th. This charitably alarmed " Lay- 
 man " brands the Methodists as "hot-headed enthusiasts;" 
 speaks of Ingham and Delamotte as "those high pretenders 
 to purity and holiness ; " and stigmatises the latter as an 
 " enthusiastic babbler," pouring out " effusions of nonsense." 
 The following is the concluding paragraph : — 
 
 " Whatever sorry evasions Mr. Ingham may make to extenuate his 
 wickedness in being instrumental to the riot at Dewsbury; yet, it is 
 certain that he is highly culpable, and was, if not at the bottom, the sole 
 cause of it. The principles he instils into his adherents are such as, when 
 
 ' Weekly Miscellany, July 26, 1740. 
 
The Yorkshiix Evangelist. 1 1 7 
 
 1740 
 
 known, no better consequences could be expected than those that have 
 followed : and what further mischief may ensue, if he be not restrained, 
 is shocking to consider : — no less than the introducing of Popery, or, at ■^S'^ ^S 
 least, some measures of his own destructive to the tranquillity and happi- 
 ness of the community." 
 
 In the same month in which this layman's letter was 
 published, Mr. Bowman, the reverend vicar of Dewsbury, 
 finished his furious pamphlet on " The Imposture of Method- 
 ism Displayed ; " and, of course, was too zealously honest to 
 be silent respecting the riot. Mr. Hooker's correspondents 
 were meekness itself compared with this pamphleteering 
 pugilist. He declares, he "never met with so much downright 
 falsehood, such trifling evasions, and matter so foreign to the 
 purpose " as he had met with in Ingham's letter in the Weekly 
 Miscellany. He asserts, that, during the riot, Ingham " had a 
 constant communication with several of the inhabitants, by 
 means of his nocturnal assemblies ; and, that, he had rashly 
 given out, some little time before the riot happened, that, in a 
 few ho2Lrs zvarning, he could have ten thousand men ready for 
 any emergency T Mr. Bowman writes : — 
 
 " Ingham's conduct was, at that time, so much taken notice of and 
 suspected, that the magistrates were almost determined to apprehend 
 him, as a disturber and incendiary ; and, I believe, were only deterred 
 from it, in consideration of what might happen from the fierceness and 
 fury of his adherents. Were it requisite, I could name several of his 
 great favourites and abettors, who had no small share in these disturb- 
 ances. I myself heard two of his principal associates, three days before 
 the affair happened, insinuate that such a thing was shortly to be expected, 
 and that the people might be justified in what they did. Whence we may 
 reasonably presume, that this horrid villany could nowhere be hatched 
 but in these infernal assemblies." ..." I can prove by the incontest- 
 able evidence of great numbers, both of his constant and accidental 
 hearers, that a comimmity of goods is a common topic of discourse with 
 him, in his sermons, in his expositions, and in his private conversation 
 also. I know, that, he has endeavoured to persuade several of his 
 followers to sell their estates and possessions, as the first Christians did, 
 for the relief of their poor brethren ; and that he has declared over and 
 over. That private property was incoiisistent ivith Christianity j and that 
 as long as any one had anything of his own, he could not enter into the 
 kingdom of heavenP . . . " It is surprising to the last degree that a 
 set of incorrigible wretches should be thus suffered to trample with 
 impunity on all laws, ecclesiastical and civil ; to spread doctrines subver- 
 sive both to religion and the state ; to form secret assemblies and cabals, 
 in order to disturb the repose of society, and throw everything into con- 
 
1 1 8 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1 740 fusion and disorder. No one in the world is a heartier friend to toleration, 
 Ao-e 28 °' would make more favourable allowances to tender consciences, than 
 " myself; but, God forbid! that, under the notion of toleration, we should 
 give opportunity to cheats and impostors to sow their hemlock and night- 
 shade among us ; to extirpate all traces of true religion and virtue ; or to 
 traitors and rebels to sap the foundation of our civil constitution; to 
 deliver up our king and our country to ruin." 
 
 Thus, nolens volens, was Ingham branded as a Comvucnist, 
 and the author of the Yorkshire riots. It was far from 
 pleasant to be pelted with such paper pellets ; but there was 
 no help for it. In every age, the inspired text has been 
 literally fulfilled, "All that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall 
 suffer persecution." We are not prepared to justify every- 
 tliing which Ingham said and did ; but we are prepared to 
 deny, with righteous indignation, that he was a conivinnist and 
 a rioter. His enemies were too bitter to be truthful. His 
 utterances respecting the members of the primitive Church 
 were perverted to serve a maligant purpose. They might, on 
 some occasions, be unguarded ; but they were not intended to 
 sanction communistic politics. He himself repudiated such 
 intention ; but his adversaries persisted in their unrighteous 
 accusation, and made it worse by charging him with men- 
 dacity. It was hard usage ; but not uncommon among the 
 Moravians and Methodists. The newspaper controversy re- 
 specting Ingham was ended ; but, for ten months afterwards, 
 Mr. Hooker employed almost every number of his Weekly 
 Miscellany in abusing the Methodists, and Wesley and White- 
 field in particular. 
 
 This is a long account of what some may deem a compa- 
 ratively unimportant chapter in Ingham's life ; but, we trust, 
 it may not be altogether uninteresting and useless ; first, be- 
 cause, we believe, this was the only newspaper warfare that 
 fell to Ingham's lot ; and, secondly, and especially, because 
 it shows the unfavourable circumstances under which John 
 Nelson began to preach, and the difficulty there must have 
 been in instituting Yorkshire Methodism only a few months 
 afterwards. 
 
 Ingham's ministerial labours were not confined to his native 
 county. John Bennett brought him into Derbyshire.^ We 
 
 * Memoirs of Mrs. Grace Bennett. 
 
The Yorkshire Evaiigelist. 1 1 9 
 
 have also seen, that, he paid frequent visits to the metropoHs. i74i 
 Bedford, hkewise, and the vicinity were favoured with his Age 29 
 preaching. His Christian sympathy was world-wide. Six 
 years before, he had crossed the Atlantic to convert the 
 Indians. He was an active member of the Moravian "Society 
 for the Furtherance of the Gospel " ; and having, by some 
 means, become acquainted with the great Dissenter of the 
 day, the Rev. Dr. Doddridge, proposed him as one of its 
 corresponding members. Hence the following letter sent to 
 Doddridge : — 
 
 " London, August 6th, 1741. 
 " Dear Sir, — I have here sent you the letters I promised you. I am 
 also to inform you, that you are chosen to be a corresponding member of 
 the ' Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel.' Before you expressed 
 your desire to me, I had already proposed you to the committee, who all 
 approved of you; and, after the meeting was over, when I mentioned you 
 to the society, they all unanimously chose you without balloting ; so that, 
 when you are in London, you will not only have the liberty to hear the 
 letters and accounts read, but also to meet with the members about 
 business, — and, further, to be in the committee. The brethren will be 
 glad to hear from you as often as you please, and they, from time to time, 
 will send you some accounts of the transactions of the Society. I gave 
 what you entrusted me with to the box. Mr. Moody gave a guinea. 
 Brother Spangenberg and all the brethren salute you. 
 
 " Your affectionate friend and brother in Christ, 
 
 " B. Ingham." 
 
 Doddridge's answer was as follows : — 
 
 " Northampton, August Wi, 1741. 
 
 " Rev. and dear Brother, — I am thankful to the ' Society for the 
 Furtherance of the Gospel' for their readiness to admit so unworthy a 
 member, and hope, as the Lord shall enable me, to approve myself 
 cordially affectionate, thougl^ incapable of giving much assistance. 
 
 " I did this day, in our Church meeting, publicly report some important 
 facts from Brother Hutton and others, as to the success of our dear 
 Moravian Brethren and their associates. We rejoiced in the Lord at the 
 joyful tidings, and joined in recommending them to the grace of God. 
 I hope Providence will enable me to be a little serviceable to this good 
 design. I shall gladly continue to correspond with the Society, and 
 gladly hope to have some good news from these parts ere long. In the 
 meantime, I humbly commend myself to your prayers and theirs. 
 
 " The conversation at Mr. Moody's, on Monday morning, has left a 
 deep impression on my heart. Salute my dear brethren, Messrs. Span- 
 genberg and Kinchin, with Mr. Hutton, etc. I shall hope to hear when 
 that blessed herald of our Redeemer, Count Zinzendorf, arrives. We long 
 
I20 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1 741 to see you. God brought me home in peace, and I found all well here. 
 
 My wife and other friends salute you in the Lord. 
 
 g^ 29 u J ^^ ^g^j. gjj^.^ ^Jo\xx unworthy but affectionate friend in our gracious 
 Lord, 
 
 " Philip Doddridge. 
 
 " P.S. — I have looked over several of the letters with great pleasure, 
 and heartily thank you for sending them. Glory be to Him, who causes 
 His gospel to triumph, and magnifies the riches of His grace in getting 
 Himself the victory, by soldiers, who, out of weakness, are made strong. 
 If Christ raise to Himself a seed among the Negroes and Hottentots, I 
 will honour them beyond all the politest nations upon earth that obey 
 not His glorious gospel."^ 
 
 This Missionary Society, of which Ingham was one of the 
 chief members, though still in its infancy, had ah'cady accom- 
 plished a most marvellous and blessed work. Its origin was 
 remarkable. In 173 1, Count Zinzendorf visited Copenhagen, 
 for the purpose of being present at the coronation of Christian 
 VI., king of Denmark. Whilst there, some of the count's 
 servants became acquainted with a negro, from the island of 
 St. Thomas, in the West Indies. The negro told them of the 
 ardent desire of many of the slaves in that island to be taught 
 the way of salvation ; but added, that their labours were so 
 incessant that they had no leisure for religious instruction ; 
 and that the only way to reach them was for the missionary 
 himself to become a slave, and to teach them during their 
 daily toils. This was related to the Brethren of Herrnhut ; 
 and the result was, two young men, Leonard Dover and 
 Tobias Leupold publicly offered to go to St. Thomas's, and 
 even to sell themselves as slaves, if they could find no other 
 way of preaching to the negroes. Thus began the Moravian 
 missions to the heathen ; and, within ten years, at the 
 time when Ingham proposed Doddridge as a corresponding 
 member of the Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel, 
 missionaries had been sent to St. Thomas's, to St. Croix, to 
 Greenland, to Surinam, to the Rio de Berbice, to several 
 Indian tribes in North America, to the negroes in South 
 Carolina, to Lapland, to Tartary, to Algiers, to Guinea, to the 
 Cape of Good Hope, and to Ceylon. 
 
 Among others greatly benefited by Ingham's ministry, were 
 
 ^ Memoirs of James Hutton, p. 59 and 60. 
 
The Yorkshire Eva7io;el{st. 1 2 1 
 
 the four daughters of the Earl of Huntingdon, Lady Anne, 1741 
 Lady Frances, Lady Catherine, and Lady Margaret Hastings. A'^-'q 
 While on a visit at Ledstone Hall, in Yorkshire, they were 
 induced, by motives of curiosity, to hear him preach in a 
 neighbouring parish. He was then invited to preach in 
 Ledsham Church ; and became a frequent visitor at the Hall. 
 When in London, the Ladies Hastings attended the preach- 
 ing of the Moravians and first Methodists. Under this 
 ministry, they were given to see the insufficiency of their 
 own righteousness and the method of salvation on which 
 they had been resting, and were made willing to receive 
 the Lord Jesus Christ as the foundation of their hope and 
 trust. Lady Margaret was the first who received the truth ; 
 and the change effected, by the Holy Spirit, on her heart 
 soon became visible to all. Considering the obligations 
 she was under to the grace of God, she felt herself called 
 upon to seek the salvation of her fellow-creatures, and the 
 promotion of their best and eternal interests. Next to her 
 own soul, the salvation of her own family and friends became 
 her care. She exhorted them faithfully and affectionately, 
 one by one, to " flee from the wrath to come;" and the Lord 
 was pleased to make her the honoured instrument of the 
 conversion of not a few of them. Her brother, the ninth 
 Earl of Huntingdon, had been married to Lady Selina 
 Shirley, second daughter of Earl Ferrers ; and it is a fact 
 too interesting to be omitted, that, the conversion of this 
 remarkable woman was, under God, the result of a casual 
 remark which fell from Lady Margaret. The two conversing 
 one day, on the subject of religion. Lady Margaret observed, 
 " That since she had known and believed in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ for life and salvation, she had been as happy as an 
 angel." This scrap of Methodist lovefeast-experience was 
 " a word spoken in due season." It led to self-examination, 
 and to scriptural inquiry ; and Selina, Countess of Hunting- 
 don, never rested until she also had found peace with God 
 through faith in Christ. 
 
 Lady Margaret Hastings was united in marriage to Mr. 
 Ingham, on November 12th, 1741, at the residence of her 
 brother, the Earl of Huntingdon, in London. The union was 
 a happy one. To the last moments of his life, Ingham 
 
I 2 2 Rev. Beiijamin Ingham, 
 
 1 741 expressed the highest veneration and affection for his wife, 
 A Z~^Q and was honoured with the intimate friendship of several 
 of her noble relatives. The marriage, in some aristocratic 
 circles, was considered a mesalliance, and furnished food 
 for scandal in the fashionable world. " The Methodists," 
 said the Countess of Hertford, " have had the honour to 
 convert my Lord and Lady Huntingdon, both to their 
 doctrine and practice ; and the town now says, that Lady 
 Margaret Hastings is certainly to marry one of their teachers, 
 whose name is Ingham." " The news I hear from London," 
 wrote Lady Mary Wortley Montague, from Rome, " is that 
 Lady Margaret Hastings has disposed of herself to a poor, 
 wandering Methodist preacher." The higher classes of society 
 indulged in ridicule ; the poor Moravians gave thanks to God, 
 and prayed for the newly-wedded couple. Ingham wrote 
 to inform the Brethren of his marriage, and the Brethren sang 
 for him the hymn beginning — 
 
 " Take their poor hearts, and let them be. 
 For ever closed to all but Thee," etc, 
 
 Ingham had enemies, some of them, as already shown 
 extremely bitter ; but one of them, at least, was doubtless 
 well pleased with Ingham's marriage. By this event, the 
 Vicar of Dewsbury got rid of a neighbour who had greatly 
 troubled him ; for Ingham now removed from Osset, the place 
 of his nativity, to Aberford, a village about five miles from 
 Tadcaster, and sixteen miles south-west of York ; and here 
 he continued to reside until his death. 
 
 It has been, already stated that, on July 30th, 1742, nine 
 months after his marriage, Ingham formally transferred his 
 Yorkshire and Lancashire societies, above fifty in number, 
 to the Moravians ; and, henceforward, these societies were 
 placed under the control of the Moravian ministerial conclave 
 at Smith House, near Halifax. 
 
 Besides these societies, however, Ingham was connected 
 with others. A great work had been wrought in the midland 
 counties. The Rev. Jacob Rogers, a clergyman of the Estab- 
 lished Church, had preached with much power and success 
 at Bedford. Mr. Francis Okeley had assisted him ; and 
 thither Ingham repaired, and preached several times in St. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 123 
 
 Paul's Church, to vast multitudes, who listened to him 1743 
 with profound attention. The number of converts increased ^0^31 
 daily, and were formed into societies, like those in Yorkshire. 
 Being formed, the next point was how to manage them. 
 Ingham was consulted ; and, by his advice they, also, were 
 placed under the care of Moravian ministers. This prepared 
 the way for the settlement of the United Brethren at Bedford, 
 in 1745 ; and for the erection of their chapel there in 175 i. 
 
 By these arrangements, Ingham freed himself from an 
 immense amount of personal responsibility. His old friend, 
 Wesley, was not only forming societies, but ruling them. On 
 the contrary, Ingham formed societies, and left them to be 
 ruled by others. By this means, Moravianism found admis- 
 sion to the midland counties, and instituted a flourishing and 
 permanent Church in Yorkshire and the neighbourhood round > 
 about. Ingham was left at liberty to be what he evidently 
 liked, — an evangelist at large. He was also helped by earnest 
 co-adjutors. There were the Batty Brothers, — Lawrence, 
 William, and Christopher, of Catherine Hall, Cambridge, sons 
 of Mr. Giles Batty, a man of considerable respectability, who 
 resided at Newby Cote, near Settle. The three brothers were 
 all eloquent and popular preachers. Then there was John 
 Nelson, the sturdy Methodist, whom Ingham left behind at 
 Birstal. Also David Taylor, formerly footman to Lady Ingham, 
 — a man who had been converted under Ingham's ministry, 
 and who, notwithstanding certain vacillations, was a great and 
 successful preacher, and raised societies in Derbyshire, Lei- 
 cestershire, and in some parts of Lancashire and Yorkshire. 
 Others might be mentioned, if space permitted. 
 
 Ingham had no warmer friend than Whitefield, who watched 
 the steps taken by his old acquaintance with the utmost 
 interest. The following letter will not be considered out 
 of place : — 
 
 " London, May 6th, 1 743. 
 " My dear Brother, — Your very kind letter I had not the plea- 
 sure of receiving till yesterday. It was very acceptable, and knits my 
 heart closer to you than ever. I love your honest soul, and long for 
 that time when the disciples of Christ, of different sects, shall be joined 
 in far closer fellowship one with another. Our divisions have grieved 
 my heart. I heartily approve of the meeting of the chief labourers to- 
 gether. 
 
124 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1 743 " I am just returned from a circuit of about four hundred miles. I have 
 
 , J been as far as Haverfordwest, and was enabled to preach with great power. 
 
 ^ Thousands and tens of thousands flocked to hear the word, and the souls 
 
 of God's children were much refreshed. 
 
 " I am glad the Lord hath opened fresh doors for you, my dear brother. 
 The rams' horns are sounding about Jericho ; surely the towering walls 
 will at length fall down. But we must have patience. He that believeth 
 doth not make haste. The rams' horns must go round seven times. Our 
 divisions in England have the worst aspect, while they are now united in 
 Wales ; but even this shall work for good, and cause the Redeemer's glory 
 to "shine more conspicuously. This is my comfort, — ' The government is 
 upon His shoulders,' and He is a 'wonderful counsellor.' 
 
 " B<ut where am I running 1 Pardon me. __ I am writing to my dear Mr. 
 Ingham. I rejoice in the expectation of seeing you in town. I hope 
 to be in town at the time, and to enjoy some of our former happy seasons. 
 In the mean while, I salute you from my inmost soul ; and desire, as often 
 as opportunity offers, a close correspondence may be kept up between you 
 and, my dear brother, your most affectionate unworthy brother and ser- 
 vant, " George Whitefield." 
 
 Ingham was now one of the most influential members of 
 the Moravian Church, in England ; and, accompanied by 
 Mr. and Mrs. James Hutton, and the Sisters, Esther Kinchin, 
 Mary Bowes, and Martha Ireland, set out on May 20th, 1743, 
 to attend a Moravian Synod, to be held at Hirschberg, in 
 Germany, from the first to the twelfth of July inclusive. This 
 important Synod seems to have supervised the Moravian 
 operations generally ; including not only the affairs of the 
 English Churches, but those of the Continent and Livonia, 
 where fourteen hundred labourers of the Brethren were 
 employed in endeavouring to bring men to a knowledge of 
 the truth as it is in Jesus. 
 
 So far as the English community was concerned, it was 
 determined : 
 
 " That, the London Church should be regarded as a choir of labourers 
 (distinct from the Society and its general meetings, etc.); each member of 
 which was to consider him or herself as in preparation, by the Lord, for 
 future service in any station, post, or office, to which He might call 
 them. 
 
 " That this Church, as a body of labourers, consisting of only a few souls 
 who were wholly devoted to our Saviour, might enjoy all the privileges and 
 discipline of a Church elsewhere, which the mere members of Society, 
 by reason of their not dwelling together, could not enjoy. 
 
 " That this Church should be in stillness, none knowing of it but such 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 125 
 
 as were in it. (See Rev. ii. 17.) This London Church, also, should cleave 1744 
 to the Pilgrim Church, as the body to its soul. — 
 
 "The Pilgrim Church was described as a congregation of labourers "^^ •'" 
 who go hither and thither : whom no one knows but he to whom it is 
 revealed. ' Every one who has a whole mind to our Saviour, is a member 
 of it. It is composed of persons who indissolubly cleave together, as a 
 testimony in the Saviour's wounds, against all who are unfaithful ; wit- 
 nesses whom the Loi'd will preserve in the hour of trial ; souls who neither 
 have nor desire any abiding city in this life, and who labour for the good 
 of others among all religions, but never form themselves into a sect. 
 
 " This Church is not the Moravian Church, but its servants, sojourn- 
 ing so long in it as the children and servants of God, or rather the 
 spiritual Church of God, has freedom of action and is acknowledged. 
 This relationship to the Moravian Church remains only so long as she 
 herself abides faithful. 
 
 " The connection between London and Yorkshire was thus defined : 
 That London, as a choir of labourers (a small flock hidden as yet and 
 acting quietly), should provide labourers for Yorkshire, and train up 
 ■ souls which were to be sent from Yorkshire for the purpose ; Yorkshire 
 being the county where our Saviour exhibited His Church openly, and 
 where, for the present, the congregation of the Brethren should be settled. 
 The London Church being private, was to have a particular connection 
 with Yorkshire, and be, in a measure, dependent upon it, inasmuch as the 
 chief elders were at this time there." 
 
 The above are extracts from the Memoh's of James Hutton, 
 at that period, the chief of the London Moravians. It is diffi- 
 cult for an outsider to understand and rightly interpret some 
 of the expressions ; but, upon the whole, it appears, i. That 
 the chief settlement of the Moravians was in Yorkshire; and, 
 2. That London was the training college of their ministers. 
 
 It is a well-known fact, that 1744 was a year of great 
 anxiety. England was threatened with a French invasion, and 
 with the unwelcome presence of the Jacobite Pretender. A 
 large number of loyal addresses were presented to the king. 
 Wesley wrote one on behalf of the Methodists, but his brother 
 Charles successfully objected to its presentation, because its 
 being sent, in the name of the Methodists, would constitute 
 them a sect, at least would see7Ji to allow that they were a 
 body distinct from the Church of England. The same diffi- 
 culty was felt by the Moravians ; and, on April 23, a Confer- 
 
 ^ A pilgrim, according to ZinzendorPs definition, is " a Philadelphian 
 (lover of the brethren), with a Moravian coat and a Lutheran tongue." 
 ("Hutton's Memoirs," p. 118.) 
 
126 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1744 ence of six persons met in London, respecting the Address. 
 Age~32 Ingham went all the way from Yorkshire, to be present ; and 
 seems to have been the presiding spirit. The Conference per- 
 ceived that, when so many addresses were being presented 
 to the king, the Moravians might be regarded with suspicion, 
 unless they also presented one ; but the perplexity was how 
 to designate the Moravian community. The Wesleys were 
 unwilling for the Methodists to be regarded as Dissenters from 
 the Church of England, and so were the Moravians. Brother 
 Neisser, one of the Conference, attempted to solve the diffi- 
 culty by obsen/ing, that " the English brethren, who had joined 
 the Moravian Church, were not, on that account. Dissenters 
 from the English Church." They had taken such a step 
 merely " to enjoy the blessed discipline of the Apostolic 
 Churches, which was wanting in the English Church." This 
 was a solution scarcely sufficient to relieve the mind from 
 doubt ; but an address was written ; and, on April 27, Ingham 
 Hutton, and Bell went to Court, and, being admitted to the 
 chamber of audience, Ingham delivered into the hand of the 
 king the document which had been prepared. His Majesty, 
 smiling graciously, accepted the same, and Ingham kissed 
 his hand. The following is an extract : — 
 
 To THE King's Most Excellent Majesty. — The humble Address 
 of his Majesty's Protestant subjects, the United Brethren in England, in 
 union with the ancient Protestant Episcopal Bohemian and Moravian 
 Church : — 
 
 *' Presented to his Majesty by the Rev. Mr. Ingham, Mr. Hutton, Mr. 
 Bell, Registrar of the said Congregation in London. 
 
 " Most Gracious Sovereign, — May it please your sacred Majesty 
 graciously to accept this Address, which, with all humihty, is presented 
 by your Majesty's most dutiful and loyal subjects, the United Brethren in 
 England, in union with tlie Bohemian and Moravian Church. 
 
 " We are, though despised and hated, and few in number, a happy 
 people, consisting of persons out of several sects and parties of Protest- 
 ants, who, from an earnest concern for our own salvation, and a zeal for 
 the good of others, are united together ; and, for the sake of her excellent 
 discipline, are in union with the ancient Protestant Episcopal Bohemian 
 and Moravian Church, one of the earliest witnesses against, and sufferers 
 by, the Papists ; a sister of the Church of England ; their doctrines also, 
 in the fundamental points, being the same." 
 
 Having thus defined themselves, they then declare afifec- 
 
The Yoi^kshire Evangelist. 127 
 
 tionate loyalty to his "Majesty's sacred person, family, and j^ ^ 
 government ;" and their "'abhorrence for Popery and Popish — 
 pretenders," — and conclude thus : — ^^ ^"^ 
 
 " We, therefore, shall stand by your Majesty to the utmost of our 
 power, and especially by our prayers, which are our only weapons. 
 
 " May the Lord of hosts direct all your Majesty's councils and 
 undertakings, and turn the design of all your enemies into foolishness ! 
 The Lord our God be with you. Amen. 
 
 " Presented in behalf of all the United Brethren in England, in union 
 with the Bohemian and Moravian Church. April 27, 1744."^ 
 
 This Address will help to define the position in which 
 Ingham stood, with reference to the Moravian Church and the 
 Church of England. 
 
 There is another imiportant fact belonging to the year 1744. 
 For some reason, — probably the disturbed state of the 
 country, — the Brethren were prohibited preaching in the open 
 air ; and, from this period, Ingham relinquished all out-door 
 services. In this, also, he differed from his quondam friend 
 Wesley, who, for forty-seven years afterwards, persisted in 
 " field-preaching." 
 
 It has been already stated that Smith House, near Halifax, 
 had been made the head-quarters of the Moravian community 
 in Yorkshire. This took place about the year 1741. In 1743, 
 Mr. Holmes, the proprietor of the place, died ; and, on account 
 of his widow not being well-disposed towards her peculiar ten- 
 ants, the Brethren found it necessary to look out for another 
 and more permanent establishment. Just at this juncture, 
 Zinzendorf visited Yorkshire ; and, one day, when climbing 
 a mountain on which Bank House, near Pudsey, stood, he 
 had such a sweet feeling and deep impression of the place, 
 that he called it Lamb's Hill," fully believing, that, it would 
 become the site of a Moravian settlement. Strangely enough, 
 the Hill soon afterwards was advertised for sale ; in 1744, 
 Ingham, at the request of a Moravian synod, bought it ; and, 
 on the loth of May, 1746, the foundation stone of "Grace 
 Hall, at Lamb's Hill," was laid amid great rejoicing. At six 
 in the afternoon, the whole congregation came together, and 
 sang a hymn, after which, Toltschig delivered an address. 
 
 ^ Hutton's Memoirs, p. 152. 
 
128 Rev. Benjamin Ingham^ 
 
 1746 A letter was read from Lady Ingham, expressing her great 
 Age 34 satisfaction in regard to the building of the Hall ; the stone 
 was to have been laid by Ingham, but, being unexpectedly 
 detained in Lancashire, the office was performed by Toltschig, 
 and the ceremonial was concluded with singing songs of praise. 
 The building was completed in 1748 ; choir houses and 
 schools were added ; private dwellings were erected ; and a 
 Moravian settlement was established, which, in 1763, was 
 called Fulneck, Ingham all the while being the proprietor of 
 the soil.i Wesley visited the place in 1747, and wrote : — 
 
 " We walked to the new house of the Germans. It stands on the side of 
 a hill, commanding all the vale beneath, and the opposite hill. The front 
 is exceeding grand, though plain, being faced with fine, smooth, white 
 stone. The Germans suppose it will cost, by the time it is finished, about 
 three thousand pounds : it is well if it be not nearer ten. But that is no 
 concern to the English Brethren ; for they are told (and potently believe), 
 that ' all the money will come from beyond the sea.' " 
 
 Thirty-three years after this, Wesley paid another visit. 
 The following extract, from his Journal, will show how Ful- 
 neck had increased : — 
 
 " 1780. April 17. — I walked to Fulneck, the German settlement. Mr. 
 Moore showed us the house, chapel, hall, lodging-rooms, the apart- 
 ments of the widows, the single men, and single women. He showed us 
 likewise the workshops of various kinds, with the shops for grocery, 
 drapery, mercery, hardware, etc., with which, as well as with bread from 
 their bakehouse, they furnish the adjacent country. I see not what but 
 the mighty power of God can hinder them from acquiring millions ; as 
 they, I. Buy all materials with ready money at the best hand ; 2. Have 
 above a hundred young men, above fifty young women, many widows, 
 and above a hundred married persons ; all of whom are employed from 
 morning to night, without any intermission, in various kinds of manu- 
 factures, not for journeymen's wages, but for no wages at all, save a 
 little very plain food and raiment ; as they have, 3. A quick sale for all 
 their goods, and sell them all for ready money. But can they lay up 
 treasure on earth, and, at the same time, lay up treasure in heaven ? " 
 
 This is not the place to write a history of Fulneck ; but 
 merely to show Ingham's connection with it. 
 
 It was about this period (1746), that Ingham and Grim- 
 
 ' The property is now held of Ingham's descendants, on a lease for five 
 hundred years. {Methodist Magazine, 1848, p. 1,099.) 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 129 
 
 shaw, of Haworth, became acquainted ; and once, and some- 1746 
 times twice, a year, Grimshaw preached throughout Ingham's Aee~^4. 
 circuit. The Societies increased rapidly, and spread, not only 
 in Yorkshire, but also in Westmoreland, Cumberland, Lanca- 
 shire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire, and Cheshire. General meet- 
 ings of the preachers and exhorters were held with frequency, 
 several of which were attended by the Countess of Hunt- 
 ingdon and Lady Margaret Ingham. Grimshaw invariably 
 attended these meetings, and always preached, never troubling 
 himself to ask the consent of the minister, or caring whether 
 he liked it or not. Sometimes the two itinerant clergymen 
 met with treatment far from pleasant. 
 
 As a specimen, the following may be given. Ingham, and 
 Mr. Batty, one of his preachers, had been several times to 
 Colne, and had succeeded in establishing a small society. 
 Occasionally they were accompanied by Grimshaw ; and, in 
 this instance, the three commenced a meeting by the singing 
 of a hymn! As soon as they begun, the Rev. George White, 
 the notorious vicar of Colne and Marsden, rushed into the 
 house, staff in hand, attended by the constable and a mob 
 collected from the lowest and most depraved people of the 
 town. White sprang towards Batty with intent to strike 
 him. Ingham, perceiving the danger of his friend, instantly 
 pulled him out of the reach of his clerical assailant, and 
 retired into an adjoining room. The vicar and the constable 
 threatened to put the master of the house into the parochial 
 stocks, and attempted to take him away by force. The man 
 demanded the constable's authority ; and the official, finding 
 that he had none, was obliged to release his prisoner. White 
 and his officer of the peace then insisted, that, Ingham and 
 Grimshaw should sign a paper, promising not to preach in 
 the parish of Colne during the next twelve months, under a 
 penalty of fifty pounds. The demand was met by a firm 
 refusal ; and now the " Captain-General," as White was desig- 
 nated, ordered the mob to lead away their captives. This 
 was done, and, on the way, every friend who attempted to 
 speak to them was abused and beaten. New proposals were 
 made, that, Grimshaw and Ingham should give a written pro- 
 mise not to preach at Colne for six months, and then two ; 
 but without success. Magnanimously giving up the written 
 
 K 
 
130 Rev Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 ^ 7^ document, the mob asked a promise upon their zvord and 
 Age 36 Jio7i02iy; but this proposal also was rejected. Finding it im- 
 possible to coerce the three evangelists, the rioters let loose 
 their vengeance. Ingham, Grimshaw, and Batty were violently 
 dragged along the road, with clubs brandished about their 
 heads. They were pelted with mud and dirt ; and, with Ing- 
 ham's coat torn and hanging on the ground, were conducted 
 to the Swan Inn, there to receive magisterial justice at the 
 hands of the Rev. Mr. White.^ 
 
 In 1747, the chief labourers, Ingham, Gambold, Hutton, 
 and Okeley, attended a Synod at Herrnhaag, in Germany. 
 Many English affairs were carefully considered, especially the 
 history of the English congregations since 1737, and the 
 gradual separation of the Brethren's labours from those of 
 the Methodists. The peculiar choir regulations were gradu- 
 ally introduced into England. The Discourses of Zinzendorf, 
 the Church Litany, the Liturgies, the Common Prayers of the 
 Brethren, and the Hymns of the Day, were translated into 
 English ; and the rnore intimate the acquaintance of the 
 English Brethren became with German formularies, the more 
 the Methodistic element was banished from among them. 
 The Brethren and Methodists moved alongside of each other ; 
 and, not unfrequently, there was considerable flank-firing. 
 
 In July, 1748, Whitefield arrived in England, after an ab- 
 sence of nearly four years. Ingham wrote to his old friend, 
 who sent the following affectionate reply : — 
 
 "London, August 11, 1748. 
 "My very dear Mr. Ingham, — Your kind letter, which I received 
 but yesterday, having been taken a Httle tour in the country, both grieved 
 and pleased me. Glad was I to find, that, my dear old friend had not 
 forgotten me ; and yet sorry, at it were, that, I had not written to him 
 first. I was just going to put pen to paper, when yours was brought to 
 my hands. I read it with joy ; and now embrace the first opportunity of 
 answering it with the greatest pleasure. These words concerning our 
 Lord have always been weighty on my heart : ' Having loved His own, 
 He loved them unto the end.' They, therefore, that are most like Him, 
 will be most steady in their friendship, and not very readily given to 
 change, O my dear sir, what has the Redeemer done for us since we 
 used to take such sweet counsel together at Oxford ! Blessed be His name 
 
 * Life and Times of Lady Huntingdon, vol. i., p. 260. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 1 3 1 
 
 ^ _ _ 
 
 for giving you a heart still to preach among poor sinners the unsearchable 1748 
 riches of Christ ! May you go on and prosper, and, maugre all opposi- . 
 tion, see Dagon fall everywhere before the ark ! As for me, I am a poor ^ 
 
 worthless pilgrim, and thought long ere now to be with Him, who has 
 loved and given Himself for me. But it seems, I am not yet to die, but 
 live. Oh that it may be to declare the work of the Lord ! I think, this 
 is the thirteenth province I have been in within this twelve-month, in 
 each of which our Lord has been pleased to set His seal to my unworthy 
 ministry. I came from Bermudas last, where I left many souls seeking 
 after Jesus of Nazareth. In London, Bristol, Gloucester, and Wales, the 
 glorious Emmanuel, since my arrival, has appeared to His people. In 
 about a fortnight, I purpose leaving town again, in order to go a circuit of 
 about five hundred miles. I need not desire you to pray for me : I need 
 not,^ell you how glad I shall be, whenever opportunity offers, to see you 
 face to face. In the meantime, let us correspond by letter. May Jesus 
 bless it to us both ! I return cordial respects to Lady Margaret. I pray 
 the Lord to bless her and her little nursery. For the present, Adieu ! 
 " I am, my dear Mr. Ingham, ever yours, 
 
 " George Whitefield." 
 
 In course of time, Whitefield came to Yorkshire ; and 
 Ingham and Batty accompanied him throughout the county, 
 and occasionally preached with him. They were also his 
 companions into Lancashire and Cheshire. He preached 
 four times at Aberford, the place of Ingham's residence ; 
 and everywhere immense crowds attended him. The tour 
 was a triumphal one ; and, moreover, the two old Oxford 
 friends were reunited. In one place, Whitefield mounted a 
 temporary scaffold to address the thousands who stood before 
 him ; and, with a solemnity peculiarly his own, announced his 
 text, — " It is appointed unto men once to die ; but after this 
 the judgment." No sooner had the words escaped his lips, 
 than a terrifying shriek issued from the centre of the con- 
 gregation. Grimshaw hurried to the place where Whitefield 
 stood, and shouted, — " Brother Whitefield, you stand among 
 the dead and dying, — an immortal soul has been called into ' 
 
 eternity, — the destroying angel is passing over the congrega- 
 tion, — cry aloud and spare not." A few moments elapsed, 
 and Whitefield re-announced his text ; when another loud 
 shriek was heard ; a shriek which, in this instance, came 
 from the spot where the Countess of Huntingdon and Lady 
 Margaret Ingham, were standing. A second person had drop- 
 ped down dead. Consternation was general ; but WhitefieM 
 
132 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 — 
 
 175^ proceeded with the service, and, in a strain of tremendous 
 Age 38 eloquence, warned the wicked to flee from the wrath to 
 come.' Who can adequately conceive, and paint the scene 
 just mentioned ? Whitefield on a platform, — thousands 
 assembled before him, — two in the midst of them, in an 
 instant, struck with death, — the Incumbent of Haworth rush- 
 ing to the preacher with his irrepressible exclamation, — and 
 two noble ladies, with Ingham at their side, gazing at the 
 awful spectacle, their souls thrilled with feelings which no 
 language can describe. And yet, if not in regard to the 
 death occurrences, in point of solemn sublimity and religious 
 
 gfrandeur, Whitefield's life was full of such scenic facts. ^ 
 fc> ' % 
 
 Mention has been made of Ingham and Whitefield becom- 
 ing reunited. During this same evangelistic tour, efforts were 
 used to reunite Ingham and his old friend Wesley. Seven 
 years before, they had separated. Both were intensely con- 
 scientious, and were actuated by the purest religious motives ; 
 but their course of action was different. Ingham was a Mo- 
 ravian : Wesley was a Methodist. The two designations 
 were often used synonymously ; and yet their meanings were 
 widely different. By order of Zinzendorf, an advertisement 
 had been published, in the Daily Advertiser, declaring, that, 
 the Moravians had no connection with the Wesleys. Angry 
 pamphlets, on both sides, had been issued ; and angry feelings, 
 both among Moravians and Methodists, had been kindled. It 
 was hardly possible for Ingham and Wesley to live on the 
 same terms of intimate friendship as they had done at Oxford 
 and in Georgia. There is no evidence, that, they ever qtiar- 
 relled ; but they were undoubtedly estranged. This was pain- 
 ful both to themselves and to a certain circle of their friends ; 
 and, as above stated, means were used to reunite them. Hence 
 the following, extracted from a letter, addressed to Wesley, by 
 the Rev. Mr. Milner, Incumbent of Chipping, in Lancashire, 
 who accompanied Whitefield, Ingham, and Grimshaw in their 
 glorious visits to Manchester, Stockport, and other places : — 
 
 " Chipping, yanuary 11, 1750. 
 
 "My MOST DEAR AND REV. BROTHER, WHOM I LOVE IN THE 
 
 ^ Life and Times of Lady Huntingdon, vol. i., p. 266. 
 
The YorksJiire Evangelist. 
 
 TRUTH, — I have had twice the pleasure of seeing Mr. Ingham; and 1750 
 must say, there is a great deal of amiable sweetness in his whole be- 
 haviour. I have often and earnestly wished that he was disentangled ° -^ 
 from the Moravians, and cordially one with you in promoting the interests 
 of the gospel. The last time I saw him, he was employed in reconciling 
 two of the Brethren, who had run great hazards and suffered much hard- 
 ship in the service of the gospel. He allows you incomparably the pre- 
 ference for prudence; but says, you have not done the count" (Zinzen- 
 dorf) "justice. He adds, that, he endeavoured to pi'evail with you not to 
 publish the Difference ;^ and thought he had prevailed, till he heard that 
 it was published ; — and that he would gladly have been reconciled, and got 
 
 Mr. W d" (Whitefield) "to go from his house to N e" (Newcastle), 
 
 to bring about a reconciliation ; but you were not inclined to it, — ' the 
 time being not yet come.' At first, I looked upon the difference, as that 
 betwixt Paul and Barnabas, which was a furtherance of the gospel of 
 Christ ; but since I knew more of the doctrine of the still Brethren, 
 I have not had the same favourable opinion of them. Yet, I cannot help 
 thinking, Mr. Ingham is happy. May some good Providence bring you 
 speedily together ! For, surely, such souls must glow with love at meeting, 
 and all unkindness fly at first sight !" " 
 
 So far as it concerned Ingham, things were now coming to 
 a crisis. For about a dozen years, he had been a Moravian ; 
 but Moravianism, always eccentric, was now becoming arro- 
 gant. Everything was carried on upon a higher scale, both 
 in diet and clothing, with a view to the benevolent but im- 
 practicable design of abolishing the distinction betAveen the 
 different stations in life. This, however, only tended to make 
 persons of low degree exalt themselves above their station in 
 society, which, in more respects than one, Avas really injurious. 
 Then there was also a season of trial, which is known in the 
 Brethren's Church, under the name of ^ the great sifting^ — 
 especially from 1745 to 1749. The Yorkshire Diary of the 
 Brethren, 1747 — 1749, speaks of "the light and trifling spirit, 
 which had crept into almost all the congregations, both in 
 doctrine and practice;" and joins "in thanksgiving to the 
 Head of the Church, who had caused a deep shame and con- 
 trition to take place in the hearts of the true Brethren and 
 Sisters." In June, 1749, Zinzendorf addressed a pompous 
 
 1 Doubtless, a Tract, of twenty-four pages, published by Wesley,in 1745, 
 and entitled " A Short View of the Difference between the Moravian 
 Brethren, lately in England, and the Rev. Mr. John and Charles Wesley." 
 " Methodist Magasine, i7()7, p. 512. 
 
134 -^^^^ Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 ^1}- letter to the Archbishop of Canterbury, giving him a cata- 
 Age 38 logue of the Moravian Bishops, Administrators of Tropuses, 
 and Evangehcs. He spoke of himself as, " Lewis, by Divine 
 Providence, Bishop, Liturgus, and Ordinary of the Churches 
 known by the name of the Brethren ; and, under the auspices 
 of the same. Advocate during life, with full power over the 
 hierarchy of the Slavonic Unity, Custos rotulorum, and Pro- 
 locutor both of the general Synod, and of the Tropus of In- 
 struction." In a postscript, he made a characteristic attack 
 on Sherlock, Bishop of London, as follows : — 
 
 "P.S. The Bishop of London has acted wrongfully and most injudi- 
 ciously for the interest of his own Church ; inasmuch, as he has not only 
 declined intercourse with the Brethren, but likewise communicated a 
 private decision to a certain Deacon of our Church. He has sinned 
 against the first principles of uprightness, equity, and prudence ; and, by 
 doing so, has done dishonour to the ecclesiastical order. It is not your 
 part to threaten and to act insolently, but cautiously; for your interest, 
 and not ours, is concerned. 
 
 " Lewis, Bishop, with his own hand." 
 
 To say the least, this was hardly modest, on the part of a 
 foreigner, when addressed to the highest dignitary of the 
 English Church. It is also noticeable, that, in the list of 
 Bishops, Administrators of Tropuses, Evangehcs, and Pri- 
 mary Ministers, sent to his Grace of Canterbury, the name 
 of Ingham is not included. Why was this } 
 
 Further, — a new " Church Litany," of great length, and 
 curious construction, had been published, and was now in 
 use in the Congregations of the Brethren. Lindsey House, 
 in Chelsea, was bought of Sir Hans Sloane ; and, at a great 
 expense, was converted into the head-quarters of English 
 Moravianism. Zinzendorf was the pope of the English 
 Brotherhood. All bishops and elders were subordinate to 
 him ; and, under the name " Papa," he was exclusively the 
 -ruler of their Church. He caused to be published a Hymn- 
 book, in two volumes ; the second of which was filled with 
 doggerel of the worst description. He had had the effrontery 
 to ask the English Parliament to pass an Act, not only recog- 
 nising the Uiiitas Fratriim as an ancient Protestant Episcopal 
 Church ; but also exempting them from taking oaths ; from 
 being summoned as jurymen ; and, in the American colonies, 
 from being called upon to engage in military service. Mar- 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 135 
 
 vellous to relate, all this was granted ; but one demand of the 1753 
 Moravian "Papa" was rejected. He asked for power to be Age~'4i 
 vested in himself, to enjoin upon the bishops and ministers of 
 the Church of England to give certificates, that, the parties 
 holding them, were members of the Unitas FraU'uni ; and, 
 therefore, entitled to the exemptions specified. The Lord 
 Chancellor objected to this putting of the prelates and clergy 
 of the Established Church beneath the power of a foreign 
 count. "Against the will of the king," exclaimed this , 
 modest man ; " I would not like to press the matter ; but a 
 limitation of the Act I will not accept. Everything or no- 
 thing. No modifications." This was German rodomontade ; 
 for, rather than lose his Bill, he relinquished his claim to be 
 empowered to coerce the bishops and clergy of the English 
 Church to grant the certificates. The Act of Parliament 
 was passed on the 12th of May, 1749. A few months after- 
 wards, Zinzendorf published a folio volume, entitled " Acta 
 Fratrum in Anglia," and containing, besides the Moravian 
 public negotiations in England, an exposition of the Mo- 
 ravian doctrine, liturgy, etc. The book was full of repulsive 
 jargon ; and the less that is said respecting it the better. 
 
 Besides all this, an enormous debt had been contracted. 
 A crop of lawsuits sprung up. Zinzendorf and others were in 
 danger of arrest. Bankruptcy was imminent ; disgrace was 
 great ; and scandals of all kinds were rife. Henry Rimius, 
 " Aulic Counsellor to his late Majesty the King of Prussia," 
 published an octavo pamphlet of 177 pages, in which Zinzen- 
 dorf was accused of flagrant falsehood. Wesley read the 
 pamphlet as soon as it was printed ; and wrote, " I still think 
 several of the inconsiderable members of that" (Moravian) 
 " community, are upright ; but I fear their governors wax 
 worse and worse, — having their conscience seared as with a 
 hot iron." 
 
 Whitefield, in 1753, published "An Expostulatory Letter, 
 addressed to Nicholas Lewis, Count Zinzendorf, and Lord 
 Advocate of the Unitas Fratrum," in which he charges Zin- 
 zendorf and his friends with " Misguiding many honest-hearted 
 Christians ; with distressing, if not ruining, numerous families ; 
 and with introducing a whole farrago of superstitious, not to 
 say idolatrous, fopperies into the English nation." 
 
136 Rev. Benjami7i Ingham, 
 
 1753 Another pamphlet was pubHshed, at the same time, and 
 
 Ao-e 41 created considerable excitement. Its long title will suggest 
 an idea of its contents. " A true and authentic Account of 
 Andrew Frey : containing the occasion of his coming among 
 the Hernhutters, or Moravians ; his Observations on their 
 Conferences, Casting Lots, Marriages, Festivals, Merriments, 
 Celebrations of Birth-Days, impious Doctrines, and fantastical 
 Practices, Abuse of charitable Contributions, linen Images, 
 ostentatious Profuseness, and Rancour against any who in 
 the least differ from them ; and the Reasons for which he 
 left them ; together with the Motives for publishing this 
 Account. Faithfully transcribed from the German." 
 Wesley writes, — 
 
 " ij^T), November 2)rd. I read over Andrew Frey's reasons for leaving 
 the Brethren. Most of what he says, I knew before ; yet, I cannot speak 
 of them in the manner in which he does ; I pity them too much to be bitter 
 against them. 
 
 It would not be pleasant to enter into further details. 
 Enough has been said to show that, Ingham had sufficient 
 reasons to sever his connections with the Moravians. He had 
 found the money for the purchase of the land about Grace 
 Hall (Fulneck); and, in 1753, asked for the repayment; but 
 money was not forthcoming, and he agreed to receive a yearly 
 rental of ^^30 instead of it.i 
 
 The particulars of Ingham's separation from the Mora- 
 vian community have not been published ; but he now formed 
 a circuit of his own of about five hundred miles, and had 
 several thousand followers. Members were received by laying 
 on of hands ; they had elders ; and the feast of charity ; and 
 the Lord's Supper once a month. 
 
 Ingham was the chief of the new sect in Yorkshire and the 
 neighbouring counties. One of his principal co-workers was 
 Mr, J. Allen ; who, in 1752, and when only eighteen years of 
 age, became a preacher in the Inghamite connexion. Allen 
 was the eldest son of Oswald Allen, Esq., of Gayle, in the 
 county of York. His father intended him for the ministry in 
 the Established Church, and placed him under the care of a 
 clergyman, whose inconsistency of conduct seems to have 
 
 ^ Hutton's Memoirs, pp. 221 to 280. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 137 
 
 shocked his pupil, and to have made him doubt the propriety 1755 
 of entering into holy orders. In 1748, he was sent to Scorton .J 
 School, near Richmond, in Yorkshire, conducted by the Rev. 
 Mr. Noble. In the year following, he had the opportunity of 
 hearing Ingham preach, and was converted. In 1751, he was 
 admitted into St. John's College, Cambridge ; and, a year 
 afterwards, as already stated, began himself to preach. For 
 riiany years, he was one of the most useful and popular 
 preachers in Ingham's connexion ; and his conduct through- 
 out life was becoming a minister of Christ.^ 
 
 Besides Allen, the three Battys, already mentioned, Law- 
 rence, William, and Christopher, — Ingham's other coadjutors 
 were Hunter and Brogden, both of whom had been in 
 the British army ; also James Hartley, Richard Smith, and 
 James Crossley, all of whom had been awakened under 
 the thundering preaching of Grimshaw, the Incumbent of 
 Haworth ; and the first and second of whom ultimately be- 
 came pastors of Baptist congregations ; and the third, a 
 minister of an Independent Church at Bradford. Mr. Moles- 
 worth, likewise, of Thornhill, and Mr. Fleetwood Churchill, 
 gentlemen descended from families of rank, and moving in the 
 upper ranks of life, were faithful fellow-labourers. All these 
 were earnest evangelists, and most of them suffered serious 
 persecution for the Word of God, and the testimony which 
 they held." 
 
 Ingham's separation from the Moravians altered his rela- 
 tionship to the Methodists ; and, at Wesley's Conference, 
 held in 1753, it was asked, "Can we unite, if it be desired, 
 with Mr. Ingham .-^ — Anszver : We may now behave to him 
 with all tenderness and love, and unite with him when he 
 returns to the Old Methodist doctrine." ^ Two years after 
 this, Wesley held his yearly Conference at Leeds ; and 
 Ingham summoned several of his preachers to meet him 
 there for the purpose of attending the Conferential sittings. 
 Wesley admitted Ingham ; but his coadjutors were excluded. 
 W^as it Ingham's wish to amalgamate his Societies and 
 preachers with the Methodists .'' This is a question, we 
 
 "^ Evangelical Magazine. 18 14, p. 306. 
 
 2 Life and Times of Countess of Huntingdon, vol. i., p. 270. 
 
 ^ Minutes of Methodist Conferences, vol. i., p. 717. The 1862 edition. 
 
138 Rev. Benjaniiii Ingham, 
 
 1755 cannot answer. One matter, however, was discussed in which 
 ^"7~ Ingham, as an ordained Clergyman of the Church of England, 
 must have felt interest. Wesley writes : — 
 
 " The point on which we desired all the preachers to speak their minds 
 at large was, ' Whether we ought to separate from the Church ? ' Whatever 
 was advanced, on one side or the other, was seriously and calmly con- 
 sidered ; and, on the third day, we were all fully agreed in that general 
 conclusion, — that, whether it was lawful or not, it was not expedient." ^ 
 
 Supposing that Ingham wished for an amalgamation, this 
 was a decisive answer to his proposal, for already Ingham 
 had separated from the Church, not only by the formation 
 of societies and the employment of lay preachers, but also, 
 and especially, by the institution of separate sacramental 
 services. 
 
 Some time after the Conference at Leeds, Ingham went to 
 Derbyshire and Lincolnshire, and thence to Ashby, on a visit 
 to Lady Huntingdon. During his stay, he preached fre- 
 quently, at her ladyship's and in the neighbourhood, to large 
 congregations. On his return to Yorkshire, the Countess 
 accompanied him, and visited most of his northern societies. 
 
 Whilst she was in Yorkshire, a conference of his preachers 
 was held at Winewall, when, as at Wesley's first Conference, 
 in 1744, doctrine and discipline were discussed. 
 
 In reference to Doctrine, it was agreed : — i. That Justifi- 
 cation consists in the forgiveness of sins, and an imputation of 
 Christ's righteousness ; and, that, the instrumental cause of 
 this is faith in Christ. 2. That, sanctification consists, not in 
 holy actions, but, in the divine life, new heart and spirit, 
 which are given by Jesus Christ at our justification ; and love, 
 joy, and peace, and all the graces or fruits of the Spirit. 
 3. That, all good works spring from this, as fruit from a tree. 
 With regard to Church Government, it was resolved, That, 
 there should be a general overseer, qX\o's,qx\. and appointed by 
 the Trustees and by the consent of the Societies. 
 
 As was natural, Ingham was set apart to this office ; and he 
 proceeded to elect one of the Batty brothers and Mr. Allen, 
 as fellow-helpers ; who, after giving an account of their con- 
 version and call to the ministry, and, being examined respect- 
 
 1 Wesley's Works, vol. ii., p. 313. 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 139 
 
 ing the doctrines they had preached, and intended to preach 1756 
 in future, were then and there solemnly ordained, by the laying a<^44 
 on of Ingham's hands, and prayer. 
 
 In this respect, Ingham was far ahead of his old friend 
 Wesley ; for it was not till twenty-eight years after this, that 
 Wesley assumed episcopal functions, by ordaining two of his 
 preachers for America. 
 
 From this period. Lady Huntingdon used to call Ingham 
 a Bishop; and, in doing so, her ladyship was not seriously 
 wrong. There can be little doubt, that, Ingham, like Wesley, 
 held the opinion, that, " bishops and presbyters are the same 
 order, and consequently have the same right to ordain " ; and, 
 assuming this to be correct, there can be no question, that, he, 
 being an acknowledged Presbyter of the Church of England, 
 was also a Bishop. 
 
 But to let that pass. Lady Huntingdon, though on the 
 most friendly terms with Ingham, was very far from being 
 satisfied with several of the rules of the Inghamite Societies ; 
 and, hence, whilst a visitor at Ingham's house at Aberford, 
 she conferred with him respecting an amalgamation with the 
 Methodists. Whitefield proceeded to Newcastle-on-Tyne, 
 where, it is said, he met the two Wesleys, and was com- 
 missioned by Ingham to offer them his house at Aberford, 
 for the purpose of discussing the subject. Charles Wesley 
 readily assented ; but his brother as decidedly objected ; and, 
 from that time forth, no further steps were taken to effect a 
 union with the Methodists. 
 
 Charles Wesley became an ardent friend and advocate of 
 Ingham. Hence the following extracts from -his journal : — 
 
 " 1756, October 1st. — I had an opportunity of vindicating my old friend, 
 Benjamin Ingham. It is hard a man should be hanged for his looks, — 
 for the appearance of Moravianism. Their spirit and practices he has as 
 utterly renounced as we have : their manner and phrase cannot as soon be 
 shaken off." 
 
 Again : — 
 
 " 1 756, October jth. — I rode on to Aberford. My old friend, Mr. Ingham, 
 was labouring in the vineyard ; but I had the happiness to find Lady 
 Margaret at home, and their son Ignatius. She informed me, that, his 
 round takes in about four hundred miles; that, he has six fellow-labourers, 
 and one thousand souls in his Societies, most of them converted. I 
 
Age 47 
 
 140 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1759 sincerely rejoiced in his success. Ignatius was hardly pacified at my not 
 preaching. We passed an hour and a half very profitably, and set out 
 again." 
 
 The Rev. William Romaine, also, became one of Ingham's 
 frequent visitors, and was received by him and Lady Margaret 
 with every mark of respect and affectionate attention. In- 
 deed, at a period when Romaine's stipend was quite inadequate 
 to provide sustenance for his family, his necessities were often 
 liberally met by Lady Ingham's bounty. Ingham sometimes 
 accompanied him in his preaching excursions into several 
 parts of the county of Durham ; Romaine preaching wherever 
 he obtained a church, and Ingham in the Methodist Chapels 
 and private houses. Long after this, Romaine remarked in 
 reference to Ingham's societies, — 
 
 " If ever there was a Church of Christ upon earth, that was one. I paid 
 them a visit, and had a great mind to join them. There was a blessed 
 work of God among that people, till that horrid blast from the north 
 came upon them and destroyed all. 
 
 This horrid northern blast must be explained. In 1755) 
 Hervey published his "Theron and Aspasio," in three octavo 
 volumes. In 1757, Robert Sandeman issued an elaborate 
 reply, in two volumes octavo, entitled, " Letters on Theron 
 and Aspasio, addressed to the Author of that Work." Very 
 erroneous were some of the views of Sandeman, but, all 
 who have read his publication must admit that he was a 
 man of considerable ability. His work, however, was blem- 
 ished, not only by heterodox expositions of holy Scripture, 
 but by severe attacks on the chief evangelical preachers 
 and authors of the day. A furious controversy succeeded ; 
 and a large number of pamphlets and tracts bearing on the 
 subject were printed. Sandeman's volumes themselves were 
 in great demand, and, in less than five years, three editions 
 of them were published: His principal doctrine, from' which 
 all his other erroneous teachings sprang, was his doctrine 
 of Christian faith. Hervey, Whitefield, Erskine, and others, 
 substantially acquiesced in Wesley's definition, namely, 
 " Christian faith is not only an assent to the whole gospel 
 of Christ, but also a full reliance on the blood of Christ ; 
 a trust in the merits of His life, death, and resurrection ; 
 a recumbency on Him as our atonement and our life, as given 
 
The Yorkshh^e Evangelist. 141 
 
 for us, and living in ns." Perhaps it would sound less ^J}^ 
 sectarian to say, that the whole of these distinguished men Age 47 
 held the doctrine of the Homilies of the Church of England : 
 " The right and true Christian faith is, not only to believe, 
 that holy Scripture and the articles of our faith are true, but 
 also, to have a sure trust and confidence, to be saved from 
 everlasting damnation by Christ ; whereof doth follow a 
 loving heart to obey His commandments." Or, again ; a 
 man's "sure trust and confidence in God, that, by the merits 
 of Christ, his sins are forgiven, and he reconciled to the favour 
 of God." "Three things must go together in our justification. 
 Upon God's part. His great mercy and grace ; upon Christ's 
 part, the satisfaction of God's justice, by the offering His 
 body and shedding His blood, with fulfilling the law perfectly 
 and thoroughly ; and upon our part, true and lively faith in 
 the merits of Jesus Christ. So that, in our justification, there 
 is not only God's mercy and grace, but His justice also. And 
 so the grace of God doth not shut out the righteousness 
 of God in our justification ; but only shutteth out the right- 
 eousness of man ; that is to say, the righteousness of our 
 works. And, therefore, St. Paul declareth nothing on the 
 behalf of man concerning his justification, but only a true and 
 living faith, which itself is the gift of God. And yet that 
 faith doth not shut out repentance, hope, love, and the fear 
 of God, to be joined with faith in every man that is justified. 
 But it shutteth them out from the office of justifying. So 
 that although they be all present together in him that is 
 justified ; yet they justify not altogether." {Homilies of the 
 Chnrch of England) 
 
 Sandeman's views were widely different, as a few extracts 
 from his book will show : — 
 
 " Every doctrine which teaches us to do, or endeavour any thing toward 
 our acceptance with God, stands opposed to the doctrine of the Apostles ; 
 which, instead of directing us what to do, sets before us all that the most 
 disquieted conscience can require, in order to acceptance with God, as 
 already done and finished by Jesus Christ. What Christ has done, is that 
 which pleases God ; what He hath done, is that which quiets the guilty 
 conscience of man as soon as he knows it ; so that, whenever he hears of 
 it, he has no occasion for any other question but this, ' Is it true or not .'" 
 If he finds it true, he is happy; if not, he can reap no comfort by it. 
 If, then, we slight the comfort arising from the bare persuasion of this, it 
 
Age 47 
 
 142 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 175 must be owing, at bottom, to our slighting this bare truth, and to our 
 slighting the bare work of Christ, and our considering it as too narrow 
 a foundation whereon to rest the whole of our acceptance with God." 
 (Vol. i., p. 17.) 
 
 " Whatever doctrine teaches us to think, that our acceptance with God 
 is began by our own good endeavours, seconded by Divine aid, or even 
 first prompted by the Divine influence, leads us to look for acceptance 
 with God by our own righteousness ; for whatever I do, however assisted 
 or prompted, is still my own work. Aspasio tells us, ' Faith is a real 
 persuasion that Christ died for me^ This account of faith somewhat 
 resembles the arch of a bridge thrown over a river, having the one end 
 settled on a rock, and the other on sand or mud. That Christ died, is in- 
 deed a truth fully ascertained in the Scriptures; that Christ ^iQ^Lfor me, 
 is a point not so easily settled. This is a point which the Scripture 
 nowhere ascertains ; so far from it, that it often affirms the final perdition 
 of many, not merely hearers of the gospel, but who have heard and 
 received it with joy ; yea of those who have made such progress, that their 
 only deficiency is, that their fruit came not to perfection." (Ibid. p. 20.) 
 
 "Men are justified by the knowledge of a righteousness finished in the 
 days of Tiberius ; and this knowledge operates upon them, and leads 
 them to work righteousness." (Vol. ii., p. 190.) 
 
 " The change made upon a man by the gospel, is called repentance unto 
 life, — a change of a man's mind to love the truth, which always carries in it 
 a sense of shame and regret at his former opposition to it." (Ibid. p. 193.) 
 
 " No man can be assured, that his sins are forgiven him, but in as far 
 as he is freed from the service of sin, and led to work righteousness ; for 
 the favour of God can only be enjoyed in studying to do those things 
 which are well pleasing in His sight." (Ibid. p. 194.) 
 
 " When once the saving truth is admitted in the conscience of any man, 
 it becomes, as it were, a new instinct in him, encouraging him to draw 
 near to God, providing him with an answer to the condemning voice of 
 the law, which haunted his conscience before, and opposing the natural 
 pride of his heart, in the exercise of which he formerly lived. By this in- 
 stinct, he is led to desire * the sincere milk of the word, that he may grow 
 thereby.' And he arrives at the proper consciousness and enjoyment ot 
 life, when he comes to full age, and, by reason of use, has his senses exer- 
 cised to discern both good and evil." (Ibid. p. 200.) 
 
 " If, notwithstanding our natural bias against the gospel, our heart con- 
 demn us not, as destitute of love to that truth which the world hates, then 
 have we confidence toward God, even as much confidence as the testimony 
 of our own conscience can give us. Yet this is but one witness, and needs 
 to be supported. Here then the Spirit of the truth gives His testimony, as 
 a second witness supporting the former. And this He does, by shedding 
 abroad in the heart, such an abundant sense of the divine love as casts out 
 the an.xious fear of coming short of life everlasting. Thus, that love to the 
 truth, which formerly wrought in the way of painful desire, attended with 
 many fears, is perfected, by being crowned with the highest enjoyment it 
 is capable of in this mortal state." (Ibid. p. 203.) 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 143 
 
 " Perhaps it may be thought needful, that I should define what I mean 17^9 
 by the popular doctrine; especially as I have considered many as — 
 preachers thereof, who differ remarkably from each other ; and particu- * ^' 
 larly as I have ranked amongst them Mr. Wesley, who may justly be 
 reckoned one of the most virulent reproachers of God that this island has 
 produced. I consider all those as teachers oi th.e. popular doctrine, who 
 seek to have credit and influence among the people, by resting our accept- 
 ance with God, not simply on what Christ hath done, but more or less on 
 the use we make of Him, and the advance we make toward Him, or some 
 secret desire, wish, or sigh to do so ; or on something we feel or do con- 
 cerning Him, by the assistance of some kind of grace or spirit; or, lastly, 
 on something we employ Him to do, or suppose He is yet to do for us. 
 In sum, all who would have us to be conscious of something else than 
 the bare truth of the gospel ; all who would have us to be conscious 
 of some beginning of a change to the better ; or some desire, however 
 faint, toward such change, in order to our acceptance with God." (Ibid. 
 p. 300-) 
 
 Perhaps, the reader has had enough of the misty dogmas 
 of Robert Sandeman. The foregoing extracts contain the 
 kernel of his heresy. By the obedience and sufferings of 
 Christ, a number of persons, the elect, are accepted or justified 
 of God. The gospel declares this. It is the sinner's privilege 
 and duty to believe this general statement ; — not to believe 
 on Christ as Ids Saviour (for he has no authority to do that), 
 but simply to become persuaded of the truthfulness of the 
 gospel's general declaration, that a select number are ac- 
 cepted of God, solely and entirely, because of the finished 
 work of Christ. This persuasion, in the course of time, and in 
 the case of the accepted persons, produces what Sandeman 
 calls repentance unto life. For a season, they have " anxious 
 fears of coming short of everlasting life." Their love to 
 the truth works " in the way of painful desire, attended with 
 many fears." At length, however, they attain to such a state, 
 that their conscience testifies, they are " not destitute of love 
 to that truth which the world hates ;" and now "the Spirit 
 of the truth gives His testimony, as a second witness, by 
 shedding abroad in the heart such an abundant sense of 
 the divine love, as perfects their love to the truth, and crowns 
 it with the highest enjoyment it is capable of in this mortal 
 state." 
 
 This, in brief, was Sandeman's way of salvation — a huge 
 heresy tagged to the glorious truth, that man is accepted of 
 
144 ■^^^- Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1759 God solely through the meritorious work and sufferings of 
 Aa^47 Christ. This is not the place for its refutation. Suffice it to 
 remark, that, in 1759, Ingham read Sandeman's " Letters on 
 Theron and Aspasio," and also Glass's " Testimony of the 
 King of Martyrs ; " and that this was the means of bringing 
 upon Ingham's societies the " horrid blast from the north," 
 so strongly deprecated by the Rev. William Romaine. 
 
 The Rev. John Glass, about the year 1728, had been 
 expelled from the established Church of Scotland, and had 
 formed a number of Churches conformable, in their institution 
 and discipline, to what he apprehended to be the plan of the 
 first Churches of Christianity. Sandeman was an elder in one 
 of these Churches. The chief practices in which they differed 
 from others were : — their weekly administration of the Lord's 
 Supper ; their love feasts, of which every member was not 
 only allowed, but required to partake, and which consisted in 
 their dining together at each other's houses in the interval 
 between the morning and afternoon services ; their kiss of 
 charity, used on this occasion, at the admission of a new 
 member, and at other times, when they deemed it to be 
 necessary or proper ; their weekly collection before the Lord's 
 Supper, for the support of the poor, and defraying other 
 expenses ; mutual exhortation ; abstinence from blood and 
 things strangled ; washing each other's feet, the precept con- 
 cerning which, as well as other precepts, they understood 
 literally ; community of goods, so far as that every one was 
 to consider all that he had in his possession and power as 
 liable to the calls of the poor and the Church ; and unlawful- 
 ness of laying up treasures on earth, by setting them apart for 
 any distant future, or uncertain use ; the allowing of public 
 and private diversions so far as they were not connected 
 with circumstances really sinful ; and the employment of a 
 plurality of elders, pastors, or bishops, in each Church, and 
 the necessity of the presence of two elders in every act of 
 discipline, but the administration of the Lord's Supper. In 
 the choice of these elders, want of learning, and engagements 
 in trade, were not regarded as disqualifications for office, but 
 a second marriage was. The elders were ordained by prayer 
 and fasting, imposition of hands, and giving the right hand 
 of fellowship. In their discipline, they were strict and severe, 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 145 
 
 and thought themselves obliged to separate from the com- 1759 
 munion of all such religious societies as appeared to them not A^a-j 
 to profess the simple truth to be their only ground of hope, 
 and who did not walk in obedience to it. In every Church 
 transaction, also, they esteemed unanimity to be absolutely 
 necessary. 
 
 Such were the Glassites or Sandemanians more than a 
 hundred years ago. In an evil hour, after reading the publica- 
 tions of Glass and Sandeman, Ingham sent his fellow-helpers, 
 Mr. Batty and Mr. Allen, pjdvatdy to Scotland, for the pur- 
 pose of acquiring more distinct and detailed information 
 respecting this Scottish sect. At Edinburgh, they were intro- 
 duced to Sandeman ; and at Dundee, to Glass ; and returned 
 to Yorkshire thoroughly converted to the Sandemanian 
 theology and discipline. Warm debates took place in 
 Ingham's societies respecting the nature of a true Church, 
 and respecting their former views of religious experience. 
 Many became jealous of the authority which Ingham exer- 
 cised ; but he steadfastly adhered to the validity of his com- 
 mission as general overseer, and wished the dissatisfied to 
 withdraw. Frequent attempts were made to reconcile the 
 two contending parties : the Countess of Huntingdon wrote 
 letters ; Romaine paid a personal visit ; and Whitefield 
 prayed and wept ; but all was ineffectual. Disputes without 
 end arose ; excommunications followed ; and thus the great 
 work over which Ingham had most religiously watched, 
 was nearly wrecked. Out of upwards of eighty flourishing 
 Churches, only thirteen remained under Ingham's care. This 
 was probably the severest trial of his life, and was one 
 from the effects of which he never afterwards recovered.^ It 
 would be incorrect and uncharitable to assert, that, all who 
 were excommunicated or seceded, ceased to be Christians. 
 Dr. Stevens says, " many of them were merged in the 
 Wesleyan or Dissenting bodies, especially in the class of 
 Scotch Presbyterians called Daleites."^ Mr. Allen formed a 
 
 1 Sandemanianism was afterwards introduced into New England, but 
 
 failed by its own distractions. Sandeman died in Danbury, Connecticut. 
 
 His tomb is still preserved there, and slight traces of his system linger in 
 
 the vicinity. (.Stevens' History of Methodism, vol. i., p. 393.) 
 
 ^ Stevens' History of Methodism, vol. i., p. 392. 
 
 ^ The Daleites derived their name from David Dale, Esq., a successful 
 
 L 
 
146 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1760 number of them into a separate Church, and officiated as their 
 Ao^aS pastor until his death, in 1804. The Messrs. Batty also con- 
 tinued to preach; and, in 1761, published, at Kendal, a 
 Hymn Book of 136 pp., entitled, "A Collection of Hymns 
 for the Use of those that seek, and those that have, Redemp- 
 tion in the Blood of Christ." Many of the hymns are 
 thorough doggerel. Some other of the seceding preachers 
 also " remained useful men ; and the disaster was much 
 relieved by the consideration that Wesleyan Methodism took 
 general possession of Yorkshire, and by the fact, that two 
 Methodist orders were hardly necessary at the time of 
 Ingham's failure." 
 
 Efforts were not wanting to conserve and perpetuate the 
 work. In September, 1760, Lady Huntingdon and the Rev, 
 William Romaine joined Ingham, at a general meeting of his 
 societies, held at Wheatley, when the choice of Church officers 
 was determined by lot. They also visited, in company, 
 several of the brotherhoods in Yorkshire and Lancashire, 
 Ingham and Romaine preaching alternately, almost every 
 day. At Thinoaks, in Craven, where they remained several 
 days, there was a large assemblage of people, and two elders 
 were ordained. There, also, it was agreed to recommend to 
 the different societies in the connexion to make collections 
 every Sabbath ; and the following circular was issued : — 
 
 "Dear Brethren, — Being mindful of the words of the Apostle Paul, 
 we have determined to recommend to our Societies to have voluntary- 
 collections on the first day of the week, to defray all expenses relative 
 to the preachers, meetings, etc., etc. Farewell ! " 
 
 Nothing more need be said of this unhappy schism, except 
 quoting a sentence from Wesley's sermon, preached at the 
 laying of the foundation stone of City Road Chapel, in 1777. 
 With an undoubted reference to Ingham, he remarked : — 
 
 " Nearly twenty years ago, immediately after solemn consultation on 
 
 man of business, who, after being agent for the sale of the cotton yarn of 
 .Sir R. Arkwright, became, in 1785, the proprietor of the cotton mills at 
 Lanark. A lawsuit, between the magistrates of Glasgow and the General 
 Session, led Mr. Dale to secede from the established kirk. Having began 
 to preach, he was the means of founding several Independent Churches in 
 Scotland ; and, after an active and useful life, died, greatly lamented, in 
 1806, aged sixty-seven. {Evatigelical Magazine, 1807, p. 49.) 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 1-47 
 
 the subject, a clergyman, who had heard the whole, said, with great '^l^Z 
 earnestness, ' In the name of God, let nothing move you to recede from Ao^t;r 
 this resolution. God is with you for a truth ; and so He will be, while 
 you continue in the Church ; but whenever the Methodists leave the 
 Church, God will leave them.' Lord, what is man ! In a few months 
 after, Mr. Ingham himself left the Church, and turned all the societies 
 under his care into congregations of Independents. And what was the 
 event ? The same that he had foretold ! They swiftly mouldered into 
 nothing." 
 
 Unlike his friend Wesley, Ingham made but little use of 
 the printing-press. In 1748, he published a Hymn Book, of 
 96 pp., i2mo, with the title, "A Collection of Hymns for 
 Societies. Leeds : Printed by James Lister, 1748." The 
 book, now extremely scarce, contains eighty-eight hymns ; 
 five of which are translations from the German, by John 
 Wesley; fifteen are by Watts ; five by Cennick; and three by 
 Charles Wesley. How many Ingham himself contributed is 
 not known. The following serves as a sort of Preface : — 
 
 " In singing, two things ought to be regarded. The one is to sing in 
 outward harmony, keeping the tune ; and, if we do not understand it, 'tis 
 better to be silent and hear others, or to sing low and after others, that 
 we may not make a discord, which is disagreeable, and causes confusion ; 
 and, in general, it is not well to sing so very high and loucL But the other 
 and more material thing to be regarded is, seriously to mind what we are 
 about, — to be present with our thoughts,— to meditate upon the matter ; 
 and, above all, to sing with grace in the heart to the Lord. This makes 
 singing sweet and heavenly ; and, without this, our singing can neither be 
 edifying to ourselves nor to others." 
 
 Ingham's only other publication was a small volume, 
 entitled, " A Discourse on the Faith and Hope of the 
 Gospel. Leedes : Printed for the Author, by Griffith Wright, 
 1765.'' i2mo, 207 pp. 
 
 This, though a small, was an important book, for it contained 
 the views of Ingham, on the chief doctrines of the Christian 
 religion, immediately after he had read the works of Glass 
 and Sandeman. There can be no question, that, he sub- 
 stantially embraced the dogmas which they had so boldly 
 propounded. The following extracts are confirmative of this. 
 The reader will excuse the length of them, on the ground, that 
 they exhibit the principal articles of Ingham's creed towards 
 
■T4S Rev. Beitjaniiii Ingham., 
 
 1763 the close of life. The book is pervaded by a fine Christian 
 Age~5i spirit ; and, here and there, almost waxes eloquent. 
 
 " Every true and real minister of Jesus Christ hath a divine commission, 
 or is sent of God." (Preface.) 
 
 " I beheve, tliat the whole counsel of God to the Cliurch is faithfully 
 recorded in the holy Scriptures." (Ibid.) 
 
 " I believe no servant of Christ hath now any new revelation to deliver ; 
 but, I also believe, that no man can clearly comprehend or truly under- 
 stand the holy Scriptures without the illumination of the Holy Ghost. 
 Yet, the Holy Ghost neither revealeth, teacheth, impresseth, or applieth 
 anything to any person now, but what is either expressly written, or is 
 agreeable to the analogy of faith delivered, in the holy Scriptures." 
 (Ibid.) 
 
 " It is my opinion, that, both the doctrine and also the very words of 
 Scripture, in the languages wherein they were originally written, were in- 
 spired by the Holy Ghost. The translation of the Holy Scriptures into 
 the modern tongues hath been a great blessing, and of very great use to 
 the cause of Christianity. Yet, men of learning, who have studied the 
 originals, know that some places are falsely translated, and others weakly 
 ,and lamely. It would be well worth the labour of all the learned men 
 in every nation to conspire together to publish an accurate translation.'' 
 
 (p. 50 
 
 " To believe a thing meaneth to assent to, and credit it as true. To 
 believe in a thing meaneth to confide or trust in it, to rely or depend on 
 it." (p. 6.) 
 
 " The faith of the Gospel is the believing of God's testimony concerning 
 Christ and His righteousness, and believing in Jesus Christ and His 
 most perfect and Divine righteousness, as the only sure ground of the 
 hope of eternal life." (p. 9.) 
 
 " Sinners are neither justified for their own believing, nor their own 
 obeying, nor for both together ; neither for the truth or sincerity of 
 their believing, or any act of faith, nor anything they have done, can do, 
 or ever will do. Neither are they justified for anything wherein they 
 differ from others, or excel others, nor for anything done or wrought in 
 them, or received by them ; for the whole and sole cause of the justi- 
 fication of sinners is the active and passive obedience of Jesus Christ, 
 called the righteousness of God, ' which is unto all and upon all them that 
 that believe.' " (p. 13.) 
 
 " This work of Christ, — His most perfect and divine righteousness, — 
 His obedience in all things, and even unto death, is the whole and sole 
 cause of the salvation of sinners. There needeth no other requisite, 
 neither less nor more, neither little nor great. This alone is complete and 
 all-sufficient." (p. 35.) 
 
 " Yet, the generality of men lay the greatest stress upon something else. 
 And even those who lay some stress upon it more or less connect something 
 else with it, whereon they also lay some stress, more or less. So that they do 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 149 
 
 not believe that God is well and fully pleased with the work of Christ, as \n(y\ 
 alone sufficient for salvation without anything else at all ; but that God is — 
 placable, or wiUing to come to terms with them, upon condition that they ^^ ^f 
 themselves first perform those other things which they think necessary, 
 either in whole or in part, as preliminaries to make peace with God.'' 
 
 (P- 39-) 
 
 " If any should object, and say, that the Lord Jesus and the apostles 
 connected repentance with faith and remission of sins, I allow it. Re- 
 pentance and faith are duties required by the gospel, because God com- 
 mandeth all men everywhere to repent and beheve the gospel. It is man's 
 duty to do whatever God commandeth." (p. 40.) 
 
 " Repentance to life is the change made upon the mind by the gospel, 
 when a man is turned from darkness to light, and from the power of 
 Satan unto God. His understanding being enlightened, he ceases to work 
 for acceptance ; he turns to God, believing that He is well pleased in His 
 beloved Son. This repentance, as well as faith, is the gift of God. And 
 they are both given at the same time." (p. 40.) 
 
 " Some modern divines have defined faith to be a confidence that Christ 
 loved me and ga%)e Himself for niej but this is not the faith of the 
 gospel, though it hath passed current for it with many for a long time. It 
 must indeed be granted that, if a person can say that Christ hath loved 
 him and given Himself for him, upon as good ground as the Apostle 
 Paul said it of himself, he is a true believer. Yet it is presumed that 
 many believe the gospel and will be saved, who neither can, in truth, nor 
 dare say this." (p. 42.) 
 
 " No one hath the assurance of his eternal salvation upon his first believ- 
 ing the gospel, or can have it, till his faith hath wrought some time, more 
 or less, by love. No man can be assured that he shall be eternally saved 
 without any possibility of falling away, but by the sealing, witness, or tes- 
 timony of the Holy Ghost. But that no one is sealed by the Spirit upon 
 his first believing the gospel is proved by Ephesians i. 13." (p. 43.) 
 
 " Those, who have the faith of the gospel, have not obtained it by their 
 own labour, or by any acts exerted by their own minds ; but it hath been 
 freely given to them from above, by Him who of His own will begetteth His 
 people with the word of truth. So that it is as easy to believe in the 
 gospel, when Christ is revealed to any person, as it is to see or hear, when 
 a man hath eyes and ears." (p. 60.) 
 
 " The faith of the gospel is a working faith. Justification and sancti- 
 fication are inseparably connected together." (p. 90.) 
 
 " All true believers are sanctified, but they are not equally sanctified ; 
 for there are children, young men, and fathers in Christ. They are sanc- 
 tified in all the faculties of their souls, but not completely sanctified as yet 
 in any one of them." (p. 138.) 
 
 " Some argue, that God, in the word of the gospel, rnaketh an offer 
 of Christ and His righteousness, as a free gift, to all indefinitely who 
 hear the gospel ; and also promiseth remission of sins and eternal life j 
 and, further, that God's word is a siifficie7it wa7-rant to every one 
 to lay claim to the gift, and that Faith is a receiving of the gift ; 
 
150 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1763 but then it must be an appropriating and apply itig faith. For no 
 Aoe c I ^!in>i is possessed of a gift till he receives it; but, in receiving it, he 
 obtains a special interest in it, which he had not before. That God, by the 
 word of the gospel, maketh known to all indefinitely who hear it, that 
 He is well pleased in His beloved Son, and that He giveth His Son 
 and remission of sins and eternal life to all who unfeignedly believe the 
 gospel with understanding, is as surely true as God's word is true. And, 
 that no man is possessed of a gift till he receives it, and that in receiving 
 it he obtains a special interest in it, is also true. It is also granted that 
 no man hath Christ, or a special interest in Him, but he that receiveth 
 Him. But, then, doth any man receive Christ before he believeth the 
 gospel? 'Coming to Christ, receiving or embracing Him, looking to Him, 
 trusting or confiding in, relying or depending upon Him and His divine 
 righteousness, belong to faith, and always accompany it ; although they 
 may be deemed immediate consequent effects of it" (p. 142). 
 
 " I cannot approve the doctrine, which some teach, that a man may 
 become perfect at once, or assured of his salvation, by putting forth 
 some sort of an act of faith." (p. 155.) " God generally worketh gradually 
 both in nature and in grace." (p. 156.) 
 
 " Believers, by keeping the Father's commandment to believe on the 
 name of Jesus Christ ; and by obeying the new commandment, not in word, 
 but in works, — attain the testimony of their own heart and conscience, 
 that they are of the truth. Herein, also, they have the sure testimony of 
 the word of God, whereby they are to try and judge themselves. And the 
 Holy Ghost, as the Comforter, will be given to them, by whose testimony 
 they will know and be satisfied that they are the children of God." 
 (p. 171.) 
 
 " Be it observed that I have limited no time, how long it is, or how long 
 it must be, before any man is sealed by the Holy Ghost after he believeth 
 the gospel. This dependeth upon the good pleasure of Almighty God.'' 
 
 (P- 1 75-) 
 
 " Those writers and preachers, who maintain that the assurance of sal- 
 vation Cometh by a direct act of faith, or by the appropriating act of faith, 
 or by any other sort of an act of faith, are mistaken ; for it cometh by no 
 act of faith, but by the testimony of a believer's own conscience, and by 
 the testimony of the word and Spirit of God." (p. 179.) 
 
 " Some writers and preachers lay down so many steps and stages of 
 conviction, and speak of so many different sorts of faith that they greatly 
 perplex the minds of serious people. But this is not the worst of it. 
 Such doctrine hath a tendency to teach people to estabhsh their own 
 righteousness, and to turn away their minds from the atonement made by 
 the blood of Christ ; for, when they hear such doctrine, they are very apt 
 to examine whether they have gone through such exercises of soul, and 
 whether they have put forth such acts of faith ; and, if they think that 
 they have not, they are perplexed and distressed to no purpose ; but, if 
 they think that they have, they are ready to build upon such things, which 
 may be nothing but their own workings and fancies, and so get into a 
 good conceit of themselves to their own loss and damage." (p. 181.) 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 151 
 
 " True believers are too apt to live by other things than by Christ alone. 1 76'> 
 It is the duty of every believer to keep the faith, and constantly to live — 
 by believing in Christ. This is a lesson not soon or easily learned. To ^^ ^^ 
 keep the faith, in opposition to the natural propensity which is in us all, 
 to live by our own righteousness, or something of our own, is the princi- 
 pal part of the Christian warfare. It is like the pendulum in a clock, 
 which moves all the wheels. If the pendulum stops, then the whole 
 clock stands. All our strength to obey flows from believing in Christ." 
 (p. 185.) 
 
 "All the heavenly frames, sweet sensations, manifestations of God's love, 
 all the joys and comforts, are all and each of them valuable blessings, 
 for which God's people should be thankful ; but they should not live by 
 them, but by Christ. All the works and duties of believers, which are 
 done in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus, are pleasing to God ; all 
 the doctrines revealed in the book of God ought to be regarded and 
 believed ; the promises, threatenings, and precepts of the word of God 
 should be used as the Lord Jesus used them when He was on earth ; all 
 the ordinances and means of grace should be conscientiously observed ; 
 but believers are not to make a Christ of any of these things, nor to live 
 by th'em, but by Christ Himself." (p. i88.) 
 
 These extracts are long, but they serve to exhibit Ingham's 
 views of the way of a sinner's salvation. Substantially, they 
 are the same as Sandeman's, and were doubtless derived from 
 him. One cannot but regret that Ingham suffered himself to 
 be led astray by the hazy dogmatisms of the new Scottish 
 sect, instead of adhering to the Scriptural views of his friend 
 Wesley. 1 Of his sincerity there cannot be a doubt ; but, in 
 trying to make the salvation of a sinner more simple, he made 
 it vastly more dubious and difficult. How different were 
 these misty speculations to the plain, straightforward teach- 
 ings of the Methodists ! Their adoption by .the truly con- 
 verted and godly societies, raised up by Ingham and his 
 friends, was a fatal error, and renders it no matter of regret, 
 that, societies espousing and propagating such principles gra- 
 dually dwindled, and nearly became extinct. 
 
 Before taking our leave of Ingham's book, a few lines may 
 be added concerning its general merits, apart from its doctrinal 
 heresies ; and these shall be given as an extract from a review, 
 
 ^ Wesley writes: "1765. January 20, I looked over Mr. Romaine's 
 strange book on the ' Life of Faith.' I thought nothing could ever 
 exceed Mr. Ingham's, but really this does ; although they differ not an 
 hair's breadth from each other, any more than from Mr. Sandeman." 
 (Wesley's Works, vol. iii., p. 193.) 
 
152 Rev. Benjamin Ingham, 
 
 1763 written by Samuel Drew, the able and honest editor of the 
 Age~5i Ifi^ps'yicil Magazifte, for 1823. After adverting to Ingham's 
 doctrinal peculiarities, Mr. Drew proceeds : — 
 
 "Notwithstanding these blemishes, Mr. Ingham's treatise contains 
 innumerable excellencies, fully entitling it to the patronage which has 
 carried it through four editions. Though Faith and Hope form its 
 distinguishing characteristics, the practical part of religion is not forgotten. 
 This the author enforces by a variety of motives, and warns his readers 
 against the rock of Antinomianism on which thousands have struck to rise 
 no more. The language is simple and unadorned; it discovers spirit 
 without acrimony, and never degenerates into reproaches when he repre- 
 hends the sentiments of others. On all occasions, he seems far more 
 intent upon what he says, than upon the manner in which it is said, 
 invariably paying a greater regard to truth, than to any fame which might 
 be purchased, by disregarding this jewel, while hunting after the flowers 
 of diction." 
 
 Ingham's active and useful work was now nearly ended. 
 In 1762, on the re-settlement of affairs, he was chosen elder 
 of the Church at Tadcaster, which office, in addition to that 
 of general overseer, he sustained to the end of life ; but the 
 labours of himself and his coadjutors resulted in small success. 
 On July 23rd, 1766, Wesley wrote : — 
 
 "I went to Tadcaster. Here Mr. Ingham had once afar larger society 
 than ours ; but it has now shrunk into nothing ; ours, meantime, is contin- 
 ually increasing." 
 
 The state of his societies greatly affected poor Ingham's 
 mind. The well-informed author of the " Life and Times of 
 the Countess of Huntingdon," remarks, " The almost total 
 dispersion of the Yorkshire Churches, caused by the intro- 
 duction of the Sandemanian principles, had a sad effect on 
 Mr. Ingham's mind. He was liable to sudden transitions 
 from the highest flow of spirits to the utmost depression, and 
 the peculiar character of his temperament was an extreme 
 accessibility to sudden attacks of melancholy." The thing 
 which he had " greatly feared had come upon him." He was 
 deserted by his spiritual children, and the thought distressed 
 him. " I am lost ! I am lost ! was his despairing cry." It is 
 true, that, there were gleams of comfort. Lady Huntingdon's 
 letters were soothing to his anguished spirit. "A thousand 
 and a thousand times," he tells her, "do I bless and praise my 
 
The Yorkshire Evangelist. 153 
 
 God, for the words of comfort and consolation which your 1768 
 ladyship's letters conveyed to my mournful heart, dismayed Ao7~r6 
 and overwhelmed as it was by the pressure of my calamities. 
 * Righteous art Thou, O Lord, and just are Thy judgments.' " 
 
 This was but the beginning of his sorrows. One of his 
 beloved and faithful friends was the laborious and devoted 
 Grimshaw. In the early part of the year 1763, Haworth was 
 visited with a malignant putrid fever, and, among its many 
 victims, Grimshaw was one. At great risk, Ingham repeatedly 
 visited the Christian veteran in his fatal illness ; and, after- 
 wards, gave to Lady Huntingdon, the following account of 
 his several interviews : — 
 
 " From the moment he was seized with the fever, he felt the sentence 
 of death in himself. When I first saw him, he said, ' My last enemy is 
 come ! the signs of death are upon me, but I am not afraid. No ! No ! 
 Blessed be God, my hope is sure, and I am in His hands.' When I was 
 pourmg out my soul in prayer to the Lord, I mentioned the further pro- 
 longation of his life, that he might have more opportunities of being 
 useful; and when I had concluded, he said, 'My dear brother Ingham, if 
 the Lord should raise me up, I think I could do more for His glory than 
 I have hitherto done. Alas ! what have my wretched services been .'' and 
 I have now need to cry, at the close of my unprofitable course — God be 
 merciful to me a sinner /' At my next visit, I found him much worse, and 
 evidently sinking. I mentioned having received a letter from your lady- 
 ship, and delivered your message. He seemed much affected, but, after a 
 few moments, revived a little. When I had prayed with him, he said, ' I 
 harbour no desire of life, — my time is come, — and I am entirely resigned 
 to God.' Then, lifting up his hands and eyes to heaven, he added, ' Thy 
 will be done !' At another time, he said, laying his hand upon his breast 
 I am quite exhausted, but I shall soon be at home for ever with the 
 Lord — a poor miserable sinner redeemed by His blood.' Mr. Venn 
 having arrived, I shortly after took my leave, but never after saw my dear 
 brother Grimshaw alive." 
 
 Not long after this, Ingham had to mourn the death of 
 another and dearer friend. After twenty-seven years of con- 
 nubial happiness, his noble and Christian wife was taken from 
 him. During her fatal sickness, 
 
 " She continued to exercise those Christian graces for which she had 
 been long distinguished. Of herself and her efforts, her view was ever 
 humble, and every reference to her usefulness she met with grateful 
 acknowledgment of the sovereignity of that grace, that made her the 
 instrument of good to others. Her end, though painful, was triumphant. 
 She welcomed the hour— she longed to receive the prize of her high 
 
154 Rev. Benjamin Ingham. 
 
 1772 calling. 'Thanks be to God! thanks be to God!' she exclaimed, 
 . ^ 'The moment's come! the day is dawning!' and thus, in holy ecstasy, 
 
 ^"' she winged her way to glory." "When she had no longer strength 
 
 to speak to me," (wrote Ingham), " she looked most sweetly at me and 
 smiled. On the Tuesday before she died, when she had opened her heart 
 to me, and declared the ground of her hope, her eyes sparkled with divine 
 joy, her countenance shone, her cheeks were ruddy : I never saw her look 
 so sweet and lively in my life. All about her were affected ; no one could 
 refrain from tears, and yet it was a delight to be with her. 
 
 Lady Margaret Ingham died on the 30th of April, 1768, in 
 the sixty-eighth year of her age. 
 
 Her sorrowing partner did not long survive. He, also, four 
 years afterwards, in 1772, passed away to that "rest which 
 remains to the people of God," leaving behind him a son, 
 who, for a time at least, united himself with Wesley's societies, 
 and officiated as a local preacher.^ 
 
 " In person, Ingham is said to have been extremely handsome — 'too 
 handsome for a man' — and the habitual expression of his countenance was 
 most prepossessing. He was a gentleman ; temperate, and irreproachable 
 in his morals ; as a public speaker, animated and agreeable rather than 
 eloquent ; studious of the good conversation of his people, and delicately 
 fearful of reproach to the cause of Christ."" 
 
 His societies, once so flourishing, gradually dwindled. In 
 181 3, when they became united to the Daleites, or Scotch 
 Independents, they were thirteen in number, assembling in 
 the following places — Wheatley, 56 members ; Winewall, 41 ; 
 Kendal, 27; Nottingham, 25'; Salterforth, 21; Bulwel, 17; 
 Tadcaster, 14 ; Hovvden, 11 ; Wibsey, 10 ; Leeds, 9 ; Rothwell, 
 8 ; Haslingden, 8 ; Todmorden, 5. So far as has been ascer- 
 tained, these, at the present moment, are reduced to six, — 
 Winewall, (the largest and most flourishing,) Wheatley, 
 Todmorden, Kendal, Tadcaster, and Leeds.^ 
 
 ' Evangelical Magazine^ 18 14, p. 30S. 
 
 ^ Life and Times of Countess of Huntingdon, vol. i., p. 303. 
 
 ^ Wesley ail Times, December 14th, 1863. 
 
REV. JOHN GAMBOLD, M.A., 
 
 THE MORAVIAN BISHOP. 
 
 THE whole of the Oxford Methodists intended to devote 1726 
 their lives to the service of the Church of England, a-^i: 
 This, at Oxford, was their highest wish and holiest ambition. 
 The future was hidden from them, — fortunately so. Without 
 this, their brotherhood would not have lasted for a single 
 week ; and many of the results of their godly intercourse 
 would never have been realized. How different from the 
 course of Clayton was that of Ingham ; and how different 
 again was that of Gambold from that of Whitefield and the 
 Wesley brothers ; and again, how different was that of Hervey 
 and Broughton from any of the others ! Men would have 
 ordered it otherwise ; but who will say that the way of Pro- 
 vidence was not infinitely better.'' There may be much in 
 the lives of men that is mysterious and perplexing ; but of 
 all the sincerely pious it may be confidently asserted, — "A 
 man's heart deviseth his ways, but the Lord directeth his 
 steps." The subject of the following memoir is no exception. 
 
 John Gambold was born April loth, 171 1, at Puncheston, 
 in Pembrokeshire, South Wales. His father, a clergyman of 
 the Church of England, lived an ornament to his profession, 
 and was greatly respected^ for his unaffected piety and purity 
 of manners. The children of this devout minister were edu- 
 cated with the utmost care and attention, and no pains were 
 spared to instil into their minds the principles and precepts of 
 the Christian religion. 
 
 Nothing is known of the early life of young Gambold, 
 except, that he was greatly benefited by his father's instruc- 
 tions ; and, at the early age of fifteen, went to the University 
 of Oxford, where he entered as servitor in Christ Church 
 College, and soon became eminent for his diligent devotion 
 to reading and study. He was naturally of a vivacious and 
 active spirit ; and, besides his attention to his collegiate exer- 
 
156 Rev. John Gainbold, 
 
 1730 cises, employed himself in an extensive perusal of the most 
 Age~i9 approved dramatists and poets in the English language.^ 
 
 Two years after he went to Oxford, his father died ; and 
 this event, together with the exhortations and counsels he 
 received from the dying minister in his last moments, so 
 affected him, that he at once abandoned poetry 'and plays, 
 lost his liveliness of disposition, sunk into a state of melan- 
 choly, and made the salvation of his soul the chief business 
 of life. Painful experience was the inspirer of a short poem 
 of his, afterwards published in his collected works : — 
 
 " In nature's ebbs, which lay the soul in chains, 
 Beneath weak nerves and ill-sufficing veins, 
 Who can support bare being, unendow'd 
 With gust voluptuous, or reflection proud? 
 No more bright images the brain commands, — 
 No great design the glowing heart expands, — 
 No longer shines the animated face, — 
 Motion and speech forget their conscious grace. 
 How can the brave, the witty, and the gay 
 Survive, when mirth, wit, courage die away ? 
 None but the Christian's all-comprising power 
 Subdues each chance, and lives through every hour : 
 Watchful, he suffers all, and feels within 
 All smart proportion'd to some root of sin ; 
 He strikes each error with his Maker's rod, 
 And, by self-knowledge, penetrates to God." 
 
 Gambold entered Christ Church College in the same year 
 that Charles Wesley did, the latter being more than two 
 years older than the former. John Wesley also was a 
 member of the same college, and twelve months before, on 
 September 19, 1725, had been ordained a deacon. In 1729, 
 the society of Oxford Methodists was formed by Charles 
 Wesley ; and, a year afterwards, Gambold, still only in his 
 teens, became one of them. He shall narrate his own story, 
 written when Wesley was in Georgia. The account is long ; 
 but, containing as it does a full description of the rise and 
 peculiarities of the " Holy Club," and a faithful delineation 
 
 Mt is a noticeable fact, that Whitefield also was extremely fond of 
 reading plays, not only when at school in Gloucester, but, even after he 
 went to Oxford. 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 157 
 
 of the character and influence of their confessed "curator," it 1730 
 is too important to be omitted. Gambold writes : — Ao^iq 
 
 " Mr. Wesley, late of Lincoln College, has been the instrument of so 
 much good to me, that, I shall never forget him. Could I remember him as 
 I ought, it would have very near the same effect as if he was still present ; 
 for a conversation so unreserved as was his, so zealous in engaging his 
 friends to every instance of Christian piety, has left nothing now to be 
 said, nothing but what occurs to us as often as we are disposed to re- 
 member him impartially. 
 
 "About the middle of March, 1730, I became acquainted with Mr. 
 Charles Wesley, of Christ Church. I was just then come up from the 
 country, and had made a resolution to. find out some pious persons of 
 religion to keep company with, or else to instil something of it into those 
 I knew already. I had been, for two years before, in deep melancholy : 
 so God was pleased to order it, to disappoint and break a proud spirit, 
 and to embitter the world to me ; as I was inclining to relish its vanities. 
 During this time, I had no friend to whom 1 could open my mind, to any 
 purpose. No man did care for my soul ; or none, at least, understood its 
 paths. They, that were at ease, could not guess what my sorrow was 
 for. The learned endeavoured to give me right notions, and the friendly 
 to divert me. But I had a weight upon my heart, which only prayer 
 could in some degree remove. I prepared myself to make trial of the 
 value and comfort of society, being a little recovered. One day, an old 
 acquaintance entertained me with some reflections on the whimsical Mr. 
 Wesley, his preciseness and pious extravagancies. Though I had lived 
 with him four years in the same college, yet, so unable was I to take 
 notice of anything that passed, that I knew nothing of his character ; 
 but, upon hearing this, I suspected he might be a good Christian. I 
 therefore went to his room, and, without any ceremony, desired the benefit 
 of his conversation. I had so large a share of it henceforth, that hardly 
 a day passed, while I was at college, but we were together once, if not 
 oftener. 
 
 " After some time, he introduced me to his brother John, of Lincoln 
 College. ' For,' said he, 'he is somewhat older than I, and can resolve 
 your doubts better.' This, as I found afterwards, was a thing which he 
 was deeply sensible of; for I never observed any person have a more 
 real deference for another, than he constantly had for his brother. In- 
 deed, he followed his brother entirely. Could I describe one of them, I 
 should describe both. And therefore I shall say no more of Charles, 
 but that he was a man made for friendship ; who, by his cheerfulness and 
 vivacity, would refresh his friend's heart ; with attentive consideration, 
 would enter into and settle all his concerns ; so far as he was able, would 
 do anything for him, great or small ; and, by a habit of openness and 
 freedom, leave no room for misunderstanding. 
 
 " The Wesleys were already talked of for some religious practices, 
 which were first occasioned by Mr. Morgan, of Christ Church, From 
 
158 Rev. yohn Gambold, 
 
 1730 these combined friends, began a little society; for several others, from 
 
 time to time, fell in ; most of them only to be improved by their serious 
 
 ^^ " and useful discourse ; and some few espousing all their resolutions and 
 their whole way of life. 
 
 " Mr. John Wesley was always the chief manager, for which he was 
 very fit ; for he not only had more learning and experience than the rest, 
 but he was blest with such activity as to be always gaining ground, and 
 such steadiness that he lost none. What proposals he made to any was 
 sure to charm them, because he was so much in earnest ; nor could they 
 afterwards slight them, because they saw him always the same. What 
 supported this uniform vigour, was the care he took to consider well of 
 every affair before he engaged in it, making all his decisions in the fear 
 of God, without passion, humour, or self-confidence : for, though he had 
 naturally a very clear apprehension, yet, his exact prudence depended 
 more on humanity and singleness of heart. To this I may add, that he 
 had, I think, something of authority in his countenance ; though, as he 
 did not want address, he could soften his manner, and point it as occa- 
 sion required. Yet, he never assumed anything to himself above his 
 companions. Any of them might speak their mind, and their words were 
 as strictly regarded by him as his were by them. 
 
 " It was their custom to meet most evenings, either at his chamber or 
 one of the others, where, after some prayers, (the chief subject of which 
 vi'as charity,) they ate their supper together, and he read some book. 
 But the chief business was to review what each had done that day, in 
 pursuance of their common design, and to consult what steps were to be 
 taken the next. 
 
 " Their undertaking included these several particulars : — to converse 
 with young students ; to visit the prisons ; to instruct some poor families ; 
 and to take care of a school, and a parish workhouse. 
 
 " They took great pains with the younger members of the University, 
 to rescue them from bad company, and encourage them in a sober, 
 studious life. If they had some interest with any such, they would get 
 them to breakfast ; and, over a dish of tea, endeavour to fasten some 
 good hint upon them. They would bring them acquainted with other well 
 disposed young men. They would help them in those parts of learning 
 which they stuck at. They would close with their best sentiments, 
 drive on their convictions, give them rules of piety, when they would 
 receive them, and watch over them with great tenderness. 
 
 " Some or other of them went to the Castle every day ; and another 
 most commonly to Bocardo. Whoever came to the Castle was to read in 
 the chapel to as many prisoners as would attend, and to talk to the man 
 or men whom he had taken particularly in charge. Before reading, he 
 asked : Whether they had prayers yesterday } (For some serious men 
 among the prisoners read family prayers with the rest.) Whether they 
 had read over again what was read last, and what they remembered of it.'^ 
 Then he went over the heads of it to them ; and afterwards went on in 
 the same book for a quarter of an hour. The books they used were the 
 ' Christian Monitor,' the ' Country Parson's Advice to his Parishioners,' 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 159 
 
 and such-like. When he had done, he summed up the several particulars 1730 
 that had been insisted on, enforced the advice given, and reduced it at . 
 last to two or three sentences, which they might easily remember. Then ^ " 
 he took his man aside, and asked him. Whether he was in the chapel 
 yesterday? and other questions concerning his care to serve God, and 
 learn his duty. 
 
 " When a new prisoner came, their conversation with him, for four or 
 five times, was particularly close and searching. Whether he bore no 
 malice towards those that did prosecute him, or any others ? The first 
 time, after professions of good-will, they only inquired of his circumstances 
 in the world. Such questions imported friendship, and engaged the man 
 to open his heart. Afterwards, they entered upon such enquiries as most 
 concern a prisoner. Whether he submitted to this disposal of Providence ? 
 Whether he repented of his past life } Last of all, they asked him, 
 Whether he constantly used private prayer, and whether he had ever 
 communicated ? Thus, most or all of the prisoners were spoken to in 
 their turns. But, if any one was either under sentence of death, or ap- 
 peared to have some intentions of a new life, they came every day to his 
 assistance; and partook in the conflict and suspense of those who should 
 now be found able, or not able, to lay hold on salvation. In order to 
 release those who were confined for small debts, and were bettered by 
 their affliction, and likewise to purchase books, physic, and other neces- 
 saries, — they raised a small fund, to which many of their acquaintance 
 contributed quarterly. They had prayers at the Castle most Wednesdays 
 and Fridays, a sermon on Sundays, and the Sacrament once a month. 
 
 " When they undertook any poor family, they saw them, at least, once a 
 week; sometimes gave them money ; admonished them of their vices; 
 read to them, and examined their children. 
 
 "The school was, I think, of Mr, Wesley's own setting up. At all 
 events, he paid the mistress, and clothed some, if not all, of the children. 
 When they went thither, they enquired how each child behaved ; saw their 
 work (for some could knit and spin) ; heard them read ; heard them their 
 prayers and catechism; and explained part of it. 
 
 " In the same manner, they taught the children in the workhouse ; and 
 read to the old people as they did to the prisoners. 
 
 " Though some practices of Mr. Wesley and his friends were much 
 blamed, — as their fasting on Wednesday and Friday, after the custom of 
 the Primitive Church, — their coming on those Sundays, when there was 
 no sacrament in their own colleges, to receive it at Christ Church,— yet 
 nothing was so much disliked as these charitable employments. They 
 seldom took any notice of the accusations brought against them ; but, if 
 they made any reply, it was commonly such a plain and simple one, as if 
 there was nothing more in the case, but that they had heard such doc- 
 trines of their Saviour, and believed and done accordingly, — ' Shall we be 
 the more happy in another life, the more virtuous we are in this ? Are we 
 the more virtuous, the more intensely we love God and man ? Is love, as 
 all habits, the more intense, the more we exercise it '^. Is either helping, 
 or trying to help man, for God's sake, an exercise of love to God or man .? 
 
i6o Rev. yohn Gambold., 
 
 lyi-o Particularly, Is the feeding the hungry, the giving drini< to the thirsty, 
 — - the clothing the naked, the visiting sick persons, or prisoners, an exercise 
 •^^ 19 of love to God or man ? Is the endeavouring to teach the ignorant, to 
 admonish sinners, to encourage the good, to comfort the afflicted, to con- 
 firm the wavering, and to reconcile enemies, an exercise of love to God or 
 man ? Shall we be the more happy in another life, if we do the former 
 of these things, and try to do the latter ? Or if we do not the one, nor 
 try to do the other ?" 
 
 In the above extracts, the reader has the practices which 
 principally distinguished the Oxford Methodists from their 
 fellows. The account is full of interest, and of great import- 
 ance, being written by one of the members of this godly 
 brotherhood, and immediately after that brotherhood was 
 broken up. The remainder of Gambold's narrative is chiefly 
 a defence and eulogy of Wesley, their " Curator ; " and only 
 such parts of it will be given as affect the whole of these 
 earnest students. Gambold continues : — 
 
 " What I would chiefly remark upon, is the manner in which Mr. Wes- 
 ley directed his friends. 
 
 " Because he required such a regulation of our studies, as might devote 
 them all to God, he has been cried out upon as one that discouraged 
 learning. Far from that ; — the first thing he struck at in young men, was 
 that indolence which would not submit to close thinking. Nor was he 
 against reading much, especially at first ; because then the mind ought 
 to fill itself with materials, and try every thing that looks bright and 
 perfect. 
 
 " He earnestly recommended to them a method and order in all their 
 actions. After their morning devotions (which were at a fixed and early 
 hour, from five to six being the time, morning as well as evening), he 
 advised them to determine with themselves what they were to do all the 
 parts of the day. By such foresight, they would, at every hour's end, not 
 be in doubt how to dispose of themselves ; and, by bringing themselves 
 under the necessity of such a plan, they might correct the impotence of a 
 mind that had been used to live by humour and chance, and prepare it by 
 degrees to bear the other restraints of a holy life. 
 
 " The next thing was to put them upon keeping the fasts, visiting poor 
 people, and coming to the weekly Sacrament : not only to subdue the 
 body, increase charity, and obtain Divine grace ; but (as he expressed it) 
 to cut off their retreat to the world. He judged, that, if they did these 
 things, men would cast out their name as evil, and, by the impossibility of 
 keeping fair any longer with the world, oblige them to take their whole 
 refuge in Christianity. But those, whose resolutions he thought would 
 not bear this test, he left to gather strength by their secret exercises. 
 
 " It was his earnest care to introduce them to the treasures of wisdom 
 
The Moldavian Bishop. i6i 
 
 and hope in the Holy Scriptures: to teach them not only to endure that ]ni,o 
 
 book, but to form themselves by it, and to fly to it as the great antidote 
 
 against the darkness of this world. For some years past, he and his »^ '- 
 friends read the New Testament together at evening. After every por- 
 tion of it, having heard the conjectures the rest had to offer, he made his 
 observations on the phrase, design, and difficult places. One or two 
 wrote these down from his mouth. 
 
 " He laid much stress upon self-examination. He taught them (besides 
 what occurs in his Collection of Prayers) to take account of their actions 
 in a very exact manner, by writing a constant diary. In this, they noted 
 down in cipher, once if not oftener in the day, what chiefly their employ- 
 ments had been in the several parts of it, and how they had performed 
 each. Mr. Wesley had these records of his life by him for many years 
 past. And some I have known, who, to seal their convictions and make 
 their repentance more solemn, would write down such reflections upon 
 themselves as the anguish of their soul at that time suggested, adding any 
 spiritual maxim which some experience of their own had confirmed to 
 them. 
 
 " Then, to keep in their minds an awful sense of God's presence, with a 
 constant dependence on His help, he advised them to ejaculatory prayers. 
 They had a book of Ejaculations relating to the chief virtues, and, lying 
 by them as they stood at their studies, they at intervals snatched a short 
 petition out of it. But at last, instead of that variety, they contented 
 themselves with the following aspirations (containing acts of faith, hope, 
 love, and self-resignation at the end of every hour) — ' Consider and hear 
 me,' etc. 
 
 " The last means he recommended was meditation. Their usual time 
 for this was the hour next before dinner. 
 
 " After this, he committed them to God. What remained for him to 
 do, was to encourage them in the discomforts and temptations they might 
 feel, and to guard them against all spiritual delusions. In this spiritual 
 care of his acquaintance, Mr. Wesley persisted amidst all discourage- 
 ments. He overlooked not only one's absurd or disagreeable qualities, 
 but even his coldness and neglect of him, if he thought it might be con- 
 quered. He helped one in things out of religion, that he might be more 
 welcome to help him in that. His knowledge of the world, and his insight 
 into physic, were often of use to us. 
 
 " If any one could have provoked him, I should ; for I was slow in 
 coming into his measures, and very remiss in doing my part. I fre- 
 quently contradicted his assertions; or, which is much the same, dis- 
 tinguished upon them. I hardly ever submitted to his advice at the time 
 he gave it, though I relented afterwards. One time he was in fear, that, I 
 had taken up notions that were not safe, and pursued my spiritual im- 
 provement in an erroneous, because inactive, way. So he came over and 
 stayed with me near a week. He accosted me with the utmost softness, 
 condoled with me the incumbrances of my constitution, heard all I had to 
 say, endeavoured to pick out my meaning, and yielded to me as far as 
 he could. I never saw more humility in him than at this time. It was 
 
 M 
 
1 62 Rev. ydhfi Ga^iibold, 
 
 lyifO enough to cool the warmest imaginations that swell an overweening heart. 
 It was, indeed, his custom to humble himself most before the proud, — not 
 '' 9 to reproach them ; but, in a way of secret intercession, to procure their 
 pardon. 
 
 " He had not only friends in Oxford to assist, but a great many cor- 
 respondents. He set apart one day at least in the week (and he was no 
 slow composer) for writing letters; in which, without levity or affectation, 
 but with plainness and fervour, he gave his advice in particular cases, and 
 vindicated the strict original sense of the Gospel precepts." ^ 
 
 This long account does something more than give a general 
 idea of the Oxford Methodists and of their distinguished 
 leader. It exhibits the course of life adopted by Gambold in 
 his twentieth year, Like the rest of his youthful friends, he 
 became an earnest religionist ; but he was not happy. " He 
 gave way to desponding thoughts ; neglected his person and 
 apparel ; confined himself as much as possible to his room ; 
 and applied, in search of information and comfort, to the 
 works of such authors as he supposed could satisfy his 
 inquiries, namely, the fathers of the first ages of the Christian 
 Church. Of these, the most abstruse were his greatest 
 favourites, and particularly those which are called mystics. 
 Being well versed in the Greek language, he was much 
 pleased with that energy of expression in which it excels. 
 The deep speculations of these ancient writers, their beautiful 
 allusions, the richness of style with which they clothed their 
 ideas, and the strain of piety running through the whole, 
 suited his taste, and so far influenced his understanding, that 
 he adopted their sentiments, went the same lengths with 
 them in the scenes of imagination, and, by degrees, became so 
 much like one of them, that his cast of mind bore a nearer 
 resemblance to that which was peculiar in them, than to any 
 that appeared among the modern. By a close attention to 
 writers of this stamp, he contracted such a turn of mind, and 
 imbibed such an exalted notion of internal purity, that he 
 could not be satisfied with himself, unless he became such 
 a refined being as those philosophical Christians portrayed. 
 This being the state to which his aim was directed, he spared 
 no pains to model himself according to the idea which he had 
 formed of it. His exertions were abortive. Disappointment 
 
 ^ Methodist Magazine, 1 798, p. 1 72. 
 
Acre 26 
 
 The Moravian Bishop. 163 
 
 occasioned great concern ;" and it was not until after years of 1737 
 laborious endeavour to form and establish a righteousness of 
 his own, that he was led to submit to " the righteousness of 
 God, by faith of Jesus Christ." 
 
 In September, 1733, he was ordained, by Dr. Potter, Bishop 
 of Oxford ; and, as soon as he was capable of holding a 
 living, was instituted to that of Stanton- Harcourt. In this 
 sequestered village, where his parochial duties were not numer- 
 ous, he had more leisure than was desirable to pursue his 
 philosophical inquiries. He loved retirement, and seldom 
 went abroad. But whenever he could prevail upon himself to 
 visit any of his friends, and, among the rest, Lord Harcourt, 
 he was received with much respect. His abilities, both 
 natural and acquired, were great, but his unfeigned humility 
 was so apparent to every one with whom he conversed, that, 
 his superior powers excited no dislike in any. Indeed, his 
 whole conduct was so inoffensive, that he very rarely, if 
 ever, made himself an enemy. Still, his philosophical and 
 platonic kind of religion failed to make him happy, and was 
 of little use to his rustic parishioners. Four years were spent, 
 — almost wasted, — in those high flights of imagination, deep 
 speculation, intense reflection, and metaphysical reasoning, to 
 which his natural disposition inclined him. 
 
 Meanwhile, his friendship with the Wesleys was continued. 
 Charles returned from Georgia in the month of December, 
 1736 ; and, in the following February, speaks of meeting his 
 "good friend Mr. Gambold," at Oxford, who was " right glad to 
 see " him. In fact, at this period and more or less for at least 
 a year and a half afterwards, Kezziah Wesley, the youngest 
 surviving sister of John and Charles, was domiciled with 
 Gambold and his sister (who kept his house,) at Stanton- 
 Harcourt. Poor Kezziah, from childhood, had been delicate, 
 and her health had not been bettered by her residence at Lin- 
 coln, where, at nineteen years of age, she became a teacher in 
 a boarding-school, and was painfully in want of both clothes 
 and money. Her life was a wandering one. For a time, she 
 lived in the house of the Vicar of Bexley, the Rev. Mr. Piers, 
 and, afterwards, she resided with an aunt at Islington. It 
 was not long that she needed the kindness of her friends, for, 
 at the age of thirty-one, nearly a year and a half before the 
 
164 R^"^- John Gamdold, 
 
 J 738 decease of her Christian mother, she peacefully expired, on 
 Age 27 the 9th of March, 1741.' 
 
 John Wesley landed in England on February i, 1738 ; and, 
 a week afterwards, met with Peter Bohler, just arrived from 
 Germany. Within a fortnight, the two Wesleys, accompanied 
 by Bohler, set out for Oxford, whence all the first brotherhood 
 of Oxford Methodists were now dispersed. The elder Wesley 
 writes : — 
 
 " I found not one of those who had formerly joined with me ; and only 
 three gentlemen who trod in their steps, building up one another in the 
 faith."' 
 
 The nearest to Oxford was Gambold ; and, accordingly, 
 on February 1 8th, Wesley says : — 
 
 " We went to Stanton-Harcourt, to Mr. Gambold, and found my old 
 friend recovered from his mystic delusion, and convinced that St. Paul 
 was a better writer than either Tauler or Jacob Behmen." 
 
 Gambold was already returning to gospel simplicity ; and 
 his acquaintance with Bohler rendered him service of the 
 highest importance. Bohler held meetings in Oxford, at- 
 tended both by members of the university and citizens. He 
 delivered discourses in Latin, and Gambold interpreted them 
 for the benefit of those of his audiences who were unfamiliar 
 with that language. This friendship with the newly arrived 
 German, proved the means, not only of the conversion of the 
 two Wesleys, but, ultimately of Gambold also. 
 
 " After many struggles and conflicting thoughts, arising from repeated 
 attempts to combine philosophy with the simplicity of the gospel ; he, at 
 length, by the grace of God, yielded to the power of the latter. He saw 
 and lamented his natural depravity and consequent ahenation from God, 
 and also the insufficiency of his best works to merit heaven. He rejoiced 
 in the sufficiency of the atonement of Jesus to sanctify and justify every 
 true believer in Him. His former melancholy was dissipated ; his spirit 
 was made joyful in God his Saviour ; and he became, in the fullest sense 
 of the term, a new man."^ 
 
 The following letters will show the change which took place 
 in Gambold's views and feelings. The first was addressed to 
 
 ^ For further particulars of Kezziah Westley, see Memoir of Westley Hall. 
 - Holmes's " History of the United Brethren," vol. ii., p. 38. 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 165 
 
 Wesley, and has never before been published. As will be '73^ 
 seen, it was written three days before Wesley's return from Age 27 
 Georgia, and, consequently, before Wesley and Gambold 
 became acquainted with Bohler. It is given here without 
 abridgment, and verbatim. 
 
 ''Janua}y 27, 1737-8. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — The point you mention has long been a difficulty to me ; 
 of which I could find no end, but that general solution of all doubt, and 
 cure of all anxieties, resignation to eternal Providence. Can I offer a 
 more particular solution now } No ; but I will let you see, that I, and 
 doubtless many more, labour under the same perplexity ; which will in- 
 cline one to believe, that, as God has a fire of grace to cleanse us from 
 our common pollutions, so he has also a light in reserve, (and the needs 
 of so many strongly call for it,) that would give a comfortable turn to our 
 common speculations. 
 
 " O, what is regeneration ? And what doth baptism ? How shall we 
 reconcile faith and fact ? Is Christianity become effete, and sunk again 
 into the bosom of nature ? Was the short triumph of it over flesh and 
 blood designed as the standing enjoyment, or standing humiliation of 
 succeeding ages 1 Was the Church to condemn the world as God does, 
 in order to meet and embrace it at last ? 
 
 " What advantage would a deist make of the present appearance of 
 things } He would say, that, when the gospel, by setting up some par- 
 ticular institutions, made a separation from natural religion, it was only 
 an economical enmity ; — the new dispensation did operate upon the old, 
 as plaisters do upon the body, which, when they have spent their strength 
 in expeUing its diseases, drop off, and leave it sound, clean, and beautiful. 
 That, the distance it stood in from it, was only a means to correct the 
 prejudices, and manage the affections of mankind ; and, as these ends 
 were served, Christianity and natural religion were to come closer. That, 
 the former was to lose its name in the latter, when its whole light was 
 kindled up, — when the grace of a Redeemer, the inward touches of divine 
 power, and the obligations of penance and self-denial, which were re- 
 ceived for a while as extraneous appendages to natural religion, were 
 found to be involved in the very bowels of it. That, the restitution of all 
 things is the time when they shall fully be reconciled ; when nature and 
 grace shall be at their height, and the perfection of both be the same 
 thing. That, this conclusion seems to be nigh us in the present age, 
 when evangelical and moral virtue, which formerly stood in points so 
 remote from each other, are so near falling into coincident lines, that, 
 men have much ado to make any distinction that will hold in fact. 
 
 " But to come to the point. That regeneration is the beginning of a 
 life which is not fully enjoyed but in another world, we all know. But 
 how much of it may be enjoyed at present ? What degree of it does the 
 experience of mankind encourage us to e.xpect ? And by what symptoms 
 shall we know it ? 
 
1 66 Rev. yoJin Ganibold, 
 
 1738 " Let us consult our observation as to the gradual progress of a religious 
 life. At first, men are solicited with strong convictions of conscience : 
 
 Acrp 27 
 
 "^ the pain of these and the sensible pleasure they feel as rewarding their 
 
 acts of duty, are their bias to religion ; while an overwhelming admiration 
 of divine things, and a view to the issues of eternity, check their natural 
 boldness and levity ; at once abase and enlarge the understanding ; and, 
 from the anguish of hope and fear, produce zeal. Then, having reformed 
 all crying disorders, and being prompt and expert in exercises of devotion, 
 there is less matter for vehement remorse or fear ; and the peace and 
 congratulation of conscience hereupon being comfort sufficient, the more 
 transporting flashes of joy are withdrawn; and thus, the man, having no 
 rehgious passions, and being in war with corrupt passions, acquaints 
 himself with the measures, motives, and fitness of virtues, and acts them 
 in the strength of rational consideration. 
 
 " Here he labours long, and seems perhaps to have overcome all his 
 vicious inclinations ; (unless some one may show itself, more to his secret 
 confusion and pain, than guilt,) being always in a posture of rehgious care, 
 severity of thought, and habitual regularity of life. But then he complains 
 of a general lukewarmness, — his intercourse with God is not enlivened 
 with any particular successes, tender affections, or noble discoveries. For 
 this he is much afflicted ; yet, in the multitude of his thoughts within him, 
 there is a good hope towards God at the bottom, which becomes more 
 explicit by listening to the gospel. The redemption through Christ drops 
 like balm into his soul, and he scruples not now to confess that his re- 
 ligious actions were but formal and worthless ; yet, through gratitude to 
 his Saviour and joy in Him, he is more ready than ever to continue the 
 practice of them. 
 
 " Yet, he frequently falls into faintings and desolations. He is chiefly 
 troubled at the opposition which self-love and pride make to the spirit of 
 Christ within him. These make him unfaithful in the happy moments of 
 grace, and infest him continually in his weaker intervals. Yea, he can 
 trace them through every action of his life, and begin to see the depth 
 and extent of his depravity. Hereupon, he keeps himself in constant 
 recollection, to watch and resist it. He rejoices that, upon applying to God, 
 a temptation vanishes ; yet, very often it dwells so obstinately upon his 
 mind, that his thoughts are shut up within the circle of their own folly 
 and baseness, and he can only send groanings that cannot be uttered after 
 the divine gift he once enjoyed. That gift, however, re'turns, and some- 
 times so long together, that he is able to form some idea of a spiritual 
 life, — of the purity and long-suffering, the humility and charity, the 
 magnanimity and singleness of heart, that are suitable for one in whom 
 the Holy Spirit dwells. His desire insensibly sets him on work to procure 
 those dispositions, which follow upon his wish; for the soul no sooner 
 conceives the temper it would be in, but the body (being taught that 
 obsequiousness by the strong recollection lately used, which suspends, 
 clarifies, and determines the animal spirit) immediately furnishes the 
 sensation, air, and whole energy of that temper. 
 
 " These smooth and ready emotions of virtue, which seem to give a man 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 167 
 
 a more real and genuine possession of it than ever, do also encourage the j^-^S 
 mind to launch out in sublime theories ; wherein it is much assisted — 
 by the repose and security it enjoys towards God, and by the delicate S^ "^ 
 philosophic joy overflowing all the faculties, which raises the imagination 
 to greater magnificence and sagacity. Here the grand system of Provi- 
 dence and all its various dispensations ; the correspondencies of heaven 
 and earth, of time and eternity ; the gaiety and mournings of nature, and 
 the greatness and abjectness of man ; the saving mystery of human life, 
 and the saving mystery of Christianity inserted into it; — all these are 
 inquired into, not out of vain curiosity, but at the instigation of love, 
 to salute the divine goodness in all its works. This is the meridian of the 
 religious man. His notions and his virtues are at the height, in their full 
 clearness and fervour. The love of holiness shines through him, and 
 unites under it all the movements of nature. It commands and pierces 
 all that converse with him. All, after this, is, to the eye of man, a decline 
 and a fall ; but a decline by a regular appointed path, and a fall into the 
 arms of secret and infinite mercy. I need not explain to you what 1 mean ; 
 so I will shut up the description. 
 
 " Now, where in all these stages shall we place our regeneration ? And 
 what shall we say it is 1 There is reason to think, that, we have no more 
 real goodness (except experience) in one of these states than another, — in 
 the last than the first ; we only fill our minds with new sets of ideas, and, 
 by a temporary force, drive our constitution into something that seems 
 answerable to them. Let this force cease, and we are the same as before ; 
 when we are in the most plausible posture of virtue, let us but sleep upon 
 it, or otherwise remit the contention of the mind, and 'tis no more; 
 affectation gives place to nature. 
 
 " But, you will say, the operation of grace is a real thing. It is so ; 
 but, for all the indications we commonly go by to prove the peculiar 
 presence of it, it may be nowhere or everywhere to be found. Most 
 people measure it by the relish they have for some particular schemes and 
 draughts of religion. Little do they think, that, the persons whom they 
 most condemn as unspiritual and deluded, abating for what is merely ac- 
 cidental, are in the same state of heart as themselves. It may be the 
 same complexional turn of the soul, (God also speaking peace to it, and to 
 every man in his own language,) that makes the mystic happy in his 
 prayer and quietness, the solifidian in his imputed righteousness, and the 
 moral man in a good conscience. Nay, perhaps, what many a man calls 
 divine love and joy in the Holy Ghost, has nothing in it, beyond the 
 alacrity of youth or good blood in other people, but a set of phrases 
 and notions from the last book he read ; which has given a determination 
 to that natural vigour and sweetness of temper, that were indifterent to any 
 other issue or exercise. 
 
 " I do not doubt but there is goodness in mankind, and a goodness 
 of God's inspiring too ; but, I believe it more evenly distributed among 
 them, and less annexed to particular ways of thinking and behaviour. 
 Nay, that it is not so annexed even to Christianity, (though it does 
 essentially depend on Christ, the universal Redeemer,} but, that, as it was 
 
1 68 Rev. yohn Gambold, 
 
 1739 '^^ being before this particular institution, so it might be obtained if the 
 
 Age 28 
 
 initiating rite should happen to be wanting. Yet, this rite must always be 
 used, for the- same reason as it was at first appointed, to be memorial 
 to mankind of what is continually done for them in their hearts. There- 
 fore, it was attended with such extraordinary effects at first, that, by these 
 manifestations of the divine life, the reality of it might be firmly believed 
 and depended on in succeeding times, as well as sacramentally acknow- 
 ledged. The same would still continue, if we had more faith in, and zeal 
 for, the Christian institution ; for, according as men believe and expect, 
 God does unto them. But, at present. He seems to have let the Church 
 drop into the world, and does not so much distinguish some from the rest, 
 in righteousness and salvation. 
 
 "Whether this be aright state of things, I cannot tell; but it seems 
 unavoidable when every one that is born, is, of course, a member of the 
 Church. If the safety and tolerable piety of whole nations is thereby 
 better provided for, the exemplariness and instruction of an elect city set 
 upon a hill cease. It seems to be the order of Providence now, that none 
 should have much holiness, that all may have a little. 
 
 "Dear sir, I have given no particular answer to your questions; but 
 I have said something hastily, perhaps very wrong; but I know to whom 
 Miss Wesley' gives her love, and would have written, but she is some- 
 what indisposed. 
 
 " Your affectionate brother and servant, 
 
 " J. Gambold." 
 
 Such was Gambold's philosophical religion, previous to his 
 acquaintance with Peter Bohler. He was sincere and in 
 earnest ; but he was enveloped in a mystic fog. His was a 
 grand attempt to save himself, but how the thing was to 
 be accomplished he hardly knew. It was greatly to his 
 credit, as it was also to that of Wesley, that he was willing to 
 be taught, even by a German stranger. Twelve months after 
 the date of the foregoing letter, Gambold wrote another 
 equally important. In the interval, both he and the two 
 Wesley's had been "brought out of" Pharisaic and Philo- 
 sophic " darkness into marvellous light." The two letters 
 have only to be compared to see the surprising change in the 
 writer's views. The following was addressed to Wesley's 
 brother Charles : — 
 
 '■'■ Jamiary 2yd, 173S-9. 
 Dear Sir, — I understand that you have written to me, but the letter 
 happened to be lost, and I did not receive it. Your brother desired me to 
 read his sermon for him; which, God willing, I shall do next Sunday. 
 
 ' Wesley's sister, Kezziah, now Gambold's guest. 
 
Age 28 
 
 The Moravian Bishop. 169 
 
 " I have seen upon this occasion, more than ever I could have imagined, \t\() 
 how intolerable the doctrine of faith is to the mind of man ; how peculiarly 
 intolerable, even to most religious men. One may say the most unchris- 
 tian things, even down to deism ; the most enthusiastic things, so they 
 proceed but upon mental raptures, lights, and unions; the most severe 
 things, even the whole rigour of ascetic mortification ; and all this will be 
 forgiven. But if you speak of faith, in such a manner as makes Christ a 
 Saviour to the utmost, — a most universal help and refuge, — in such a man- 
 ner as takes away glorying, but adds happiness to wretched man; as 
 discovers greater pollution in the best of us than we could before acknow- 
 ledge, but brings a greater deliverance from it, than we could before 
 expect. If any one offers to talk at this rate, he shall be heard with the 
 same abhorrence as if he were going to rob mankind of their salvation, 
 their Mediator, and their hopes of forgiveness. 
 
 " I am persuaded that a Montanist, or a Novatian, who, from the 
 height of his purity, should look down with contempt upon poor sinners, 
 and exclude them from all mercy, would not be thought such an ovei^- 
 thrower of the Gospel, as he who should learn, from the Author of it, to be 
 a friend of publicans and sinners, and to sit down upon a level with them 
 as soon as they begin to repent. But this is not to be wondered at. For 
 all religious people have such a quantity of righteousness acquired by such 
 painful exercise, and formed at last into current habits, which is their 
 wealth both for this world and the next ! Now all other schemes of 
 religion are either so complaisant, as to tell them they are very rich, and 
 have enough to triumph in ; or else, only a little rough, but friendly in the 
 main, by telling them their riches are not yet sufficient, but by such arts 
 of self-denial and mental refinement, they may enlarge the stock. But 
 the doctrine of faith is a downright robber. It takes away all this wealth, 
 and only tells us it is deposited for us with some one else, upon whose 
 bounty we must live like mere beggars, Indeed, they who are truly 
 beggars, vile and filthy sinners till very lately, may stoop to live in 
 this dependant condition ; it suits them well enough ; but those who have 
 long distinguished themselves from the herd of vicious wretches, or have 
 even gone beyond moral men, — for them to be told, that they are either 
 not so well, or but the same needy, impotent, insignificant vessels of mercy 
 with the others, — this is more shocking to reason than transubstantiation ; 
 for reason had rather resign its pretentions to judge what is bread or flesh, 
 than have this honour wrested from it, to be the architect of virtue and 
 righteousness. 
 
 " But whither am I running ? My design was only to give you warning, 
 that, wherever you go, this foolishness of preaching will alienate hearts 
 from you, and open mouths against you. What are you then to do, 
 my dear friend ? I will not exhort you to courage ; we need not talk 
 of that, for no'thing that is approaching is evil. I will only mention 
 the prejudice we shall be under if we seem in the least to lay aside univer- 
 sal charity and modesty of expression. Though we love some persons 
 more than we did, let us love none less ; and the rather, because we can- 
 not say any one is bad, or destitute of divine grace, for not thinking as we 
 
lyo Rev. yohn Gambold, 
 
 J73Q do. He only less apprehends, less enjoys that in Christianity, which 
 — is the refuge of the weak and miserable, and will be his when he finds 
 Age 20 hji-nseif so. Indignation at mankind is a temper unsuitable to this cause. 
 If we are indeed at peace with God in Christ, let it soften our demeanour 
 still more, even towards gainsayers. Let them reject us: till then, and 
 (as far as it will be admitted,) afterwards, let our friendship with them 
 continue inviolate. 
 
 " Then as to expressions. What has given most offence hitherto, 
 is what, perhaps, may be best spared, — as some people's confident and 
 hasty triumphs in the grace of God ; not by way of humble thankfulness 
 to Him for looking upon them, or acknowledgment of some peace 
 and strength unknown before; but insisting on the completeness of their 
 justification, the completeness of their deliverance already from all sin, 
 and taking to them every apostolical boast in the strongest terms. I 
 do not deny but power over sin, and every Gospel privilege, are bestowed, 
 perhaps, in as large a degree, in the beginning of grace, as at any time 
 afterwards ; for it depends upon the actual operation of the Spirit that 
 moment upon the heart, not on a mere federal or habitual union with 
 Him ; and his operation is particularly strong at the first entrance upon a 
 new life. Yet, as such converts must remember, that, as this absolute degree 
 of innocence, excluding for the most part even the first motions of sin, 
 may soon depart from them, and be given them but sometimes ; though 
 till they fall from God, they will still be free from wilful sins ; so while 
 it continues, it is the most slippery and dangerous thing, among all 
 the blessings they receive, for themselves to reflect much upon, and the 
 most exceptionable that they can talk of to other men. Let us speak of 
 everything in such a manner, as may convey glory to Christ, without 
 letting it glance on ourselves by the way. 
 
 "John Gambold."' 
 
 Though exception may be taken to some of the expres- 
 sions, yet the above is a most admirable letter ; and shows 
 that Gambold had embraced the same faith as Wesley, — 
 sinners are saved solely through the merits of Christ Jesus ; 
 and on the simple exercise of faith in Him. It was not 
 without a struggle that he was brought to this conviction. 
 Peter Bohler said to Wesley, " My brother, my brother, 
 that philosophy of yours must be purged away." The 
 same might have been said to Gambold. His learning had 
 to give place to the simple teaching of the Word of God. 
 He had to relinquish philosophical theories ; and submit to 
 the authoritative utterances of Christ and of His Apostles. 
 Reason had to bend to revelation. In the case of a sincere 
 
 ^ The Works of Rev. John Gambold. p. 260. 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 171 
 
 and earnest man, like Gambold, this mental transformation 173^ 
 
 was not a trifle. He himself, in a letter without date, and « « 
 
 . . Age 26 
 
 apparently addressed to Wesley, refers to the difficulties, 
 
 and obstacles he encountered. His very learning was a 
 hindrance in the way of his being saved ; and he was re- 
 luctantly convinced, that, when " the aphorisms of learning 
 pretend to describe and circumscribe the process of salva- 
 tion, then the words of any one who has but a good heart 
 and common sense, are generally more complete than those 
 of a finished divine ; and tally better with the unsearchable 
 divine economy." He continues : — 
 
 " These obstacles of nature's education, I have often sighed under; and, 
 imagining I knew where the shoe pinched in your case also, I advised the 
 most artless, direct, and confident laying hold of the Scripture declaration, 
 without the ceremony and circuitions of a man of learning, and a man of 
 prudence, or a man of decorum, but simply as z. plain ;;?««, who wants for 
 his own soul to experience the manifestation of redeeming grace. The ' 
 words of our Saviour and His apostles, which I said we are to take quite 
 simply, are such as these, — ' Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are 
 heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' ' Him that cometh unto Me, I will 
 in no wise cast out.' ' He that beheveth, shall not come into condemna- 
 tion ; but is passed from death unto life.' ' If thou canst believe, all things 
 are possible to him that believeth.' ' My grace is sufficient for thee ; for 
 My strength is made perfect in thy weakness.' ' This is a faithful saying, 
 that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners,' etc., etc." 
 
 There is another letter, written by Gambold, during his 
 transition state, which further illustrates his views and feel- 
 ings at this important crisis. It was addressed "to a 
 studious young lady," — probably Kezziah Wesley, — and con- 
 cerning it Wesley himself remarks : — " It well deserves 
 the attention of the serious and sensible reader. Indeed, 
 unless read with a good deal of attention, it will scarce be 
 understood, the thoughts are so deep, and so concisely ex- 
 pressed." The following are brief extracts : — 
 
 " I will no more speak against reading, since, as you say, you ' take 
 pleasure in nothing else in the world.' For, I cannot deny, but I should 
 be glad myself to have some object of pleasure in the world ; something, 
 whether great or mean, I do not care, so it be innocent, that might be a 
 relief to my weary mind. In the situation I am in, not yet admitted to 
 the glorious comforts of faith, and yet sick of the burden of corrupt 
 nature, it seems necessary sometimes to set aside the dejecting prospect, 
 by some amusement, however low. The lower it is, the fitter for me, till 
 
Rev. Johi Gambold, 
 
 \'j-\Q faith in Christ raises me from spiritual darkness and death. Then I would 
 
 hope for such solid consolation, as may well supersede the poor amuse- 
 
 Age 2a iTients and delights of the natural man." 
 
 " There is no such lumber in the world, as our last year's notions, which 
 yet, in their day, were wonderfully fine and delightful. The fruit of the 
 Tree of Knowledge will not keep : it is pleasant enough when you first 
 pluck it ; but, if you pretend to lay it up, it will rot. The man who has 
 discovered, as far as human thought can go, the manner how the world 
 was created, and how it shall be restored, the nature of the human soul, 
 and its state after death, — when he has done, what is he the better '^ 
 When the heat of thinking is over, will his heart be found in any better 
 or nobler condition, than other men's } Unless some bye-reasons engage 
 him still to his old speculations (as the respect paid him upon that ac- 
 count by the world and by his juniors), will not he confess, that he is 
 now never the happier for them .? Will not he prefer plain common-sense 
 before all such subtleties ? Alas, alas ! Under the greatest accomplish- 
 ments of the head, the heart remains just the same as it was. This is 
 very true, though it does not presently appear to us. I cannot, therefore, 
 agree to that fine Platonical insinuation, that, ' so much as we have of 
 truth, so much we have of God.' 
 
 " I heartily condole with you under the troubles of this life : I am ready 
 to sink under them myself. You suffered severely, while you lived with 
 us, from sickness and pain, bodily hardships, etc. It grieves me to think, 
 that ever it should be your lot to struggle with these. Yet, while you con- 
 tinue in this world, you must expect to bear your cross. Comfort yourself 
 under it as well as you can, by applying arguments for patience ; and if at 
 any time you should not have strength of mind to do this, God Himself 
 will either support and comfort you, or pity and accept you amidst your 
 weakness." 
 
 " Now, after all this long talk, the chief thing, that, by my calling and 
 my conscience, I ought to have spoken of, and recommended to you, I 
 have passed over : and that is faith in Christ. This is the thing that I 
 ought to speak of with zeal and delight; — that ought to be the brightest 
 in my imagination, and nearest to my heart. How little do any other 
 speculations or reasonings conduce to this faith; and how insignificant 
 are they, if they do not conduce to it ! I know, and actually make the 
 reflection upon myself, that, whatever I read, or write, or speak, upon any 
 other subject but this, I am a miserable trifler. Perhaps then I do very 
 ill, to trifle with you. It may be, you have felt the great work of faith, 
 cleansing you from all sin in the blood of Christ ; — that, being righteous 
 before God, you have peace therefrom, which passes all understanding ; — 
 that, all things are become new with you; and you have a new judgment 
 and taste, as well as new satisfactions and employments suggested to you 
 by the Spirit of wisdom and consolation. You seem to hint in the be- 
 ginning of your letter, that, either you are in this state, or the desire of 
 your heart is towards it ; for you say, you now acquiesce in that, which 
 (by the description I could make of it), is the righteousness of faith. If 
 so, then you have cause to rejoice ; and your joy no man taketh from you." 
 
Age 29 
 
 The ]\I or avian Bishop. i j^ 
 
 Some may think, that, in these quotations, the importance 1740 
 of human learning is unduly lowered ; but all will admit that 
 the learned recluse at Stanton-Harcourt, had embraced the 
 simple method of human salvation, by a simple and sole re- 
 liance on the sacrifice and merits of Christ Jesus. This is 
 the point which we are wishful to enforce ; inasmuch as it, 
 not only is " the truth as it is in Jesus ;" but, was the origin 
 of the great Methodist movement of the eighteenth century. 
 Without this, England would have been without its latest 
 religious reformation. On this ground, some other extracts 
 from the works of Gambold, may be useful. 
 
 It is a fact, not generally noticed, that, though Gambold's 
 Tragedy, — the Martyrdom of Ignatius, was not published until 
 after the author's death, ^ it was written as early as the year 
 1740; and, hence, may be taken as an exposition of Gam- 
 bold's views and feelings, at this early period of his life. 
 
 It certainly seems somewhat strange, that an earnest young 
 clergyman, twenty-nine years of age, and only recently brought 
 to the enjoyment of personal salvation, by penitent faith in 
 Christ, should employ his time and pen upon a dramatical 
 production ; but it must be borne in mind, — (i) that, from 
 his youth, Gambold had had a great fondness for dramatic 
 pieces, both ancient and modern, (2) that, Gambold's Tragedy 
 was never intended for the stage, (3) that, its sentiments are 
 unexceptionably pure and good ; and (4) that, he was not the 
 first who had attempted to represent the principles and prac- 
 tices of the Christian religion in such a form. 
 
 Gambold's work may be a defective drama ; but it is a 
 thoughtful poem, and deserves attention. Take the follow- 
 ing extracts, all bearing upon faith in Christ and its imme- 
 diate results. 
 
 " This is the sum, my brethren ! Christ is all : 
 If e'er we lean to other things we fall. 
 Spirit, and rites, and reason too, are good, 
 If planted and if glorying in His blood. 
 
 > The first edition was published in 1773, with the following title : " The 
 Martyrdom of Ignatius ; a Tragedy. Written in the year 1 740. By the late 
 John Gambold, at that time Minister of Stanton-Harcourt, Oxfordshire," 
 8vo. Cadell, etc. 
 
174 Rev. John Gamdold, 
 
 '74° Faith is so simple, whence all good doth spring, 
 
 Ac^-'o Mankind can't think it is so great a thing ; 
 
 Still o'er this pearl steps their ambitious pride, 
 Pursuing gladly any form beside." 
 
 " Come hither, ye, whom from an evil world 
 The name of Jesus draws ! You count Him sweet, 
 And great, and mighty, by that glimm'ring light 
 Your novice minds have gained. You venerate 
 That full acquaintance, and that vital union 
 Whereby the faithful know Him ; and to this 
 You now aspire. But can you then let go 
 Your manly wisdom, and become as babes. 
 To learn new maxims and the mind of Christ ? 
 Can you forsake your former ease and sunshine, 
 T' associate with a poor afflicted people. 
 The scorn of all mankind ? Can you the weight 
 Of your whole souls, with all your hopes of God, 
 Reot on a long-past action; and that, such 
 As your Lord's mystic but opprobrious death ?" 
 
 " The friends of Christ 
 Don't strive with sin, but trample under foot 
 Its poor, exploded, antiquated strength ; 
 They don't rely on some benign event 
 From the wide wheel of things; but pierce directly 
 Where Jesus now admits them, and ordains 
 Their thrones in bliss : hence they in spirit stand 
 Free from all spot, amidst the train of heaven. 
 And see God's face, whose full and constant smile 
 Doth so attend them through the wilds of life, 
 That natural dejection, flitting fears. 
 And all vicissitude, are swallowed up 
 In one still dawn of that eternal day." 
 
 "Are there not here 
 Men who can say, in soberness and truth, 
 That guilt is done away, and innocence. 
 Fearless and free, restored within their breasts ? 
 That vice, with dark inextricable bands. 
 No more detains, nor drives to acts of shame 
 The blushing, reasoning, reluctant mind? 
 That, for the passions, which by turns inspire 
 The worthless life of nature, — anger, sloth. 
 And avarice, and pride, — pure love prevails, 
 Kindled by heaven, nor by a bad world quenched .'' 
 That, they have inwardly exchanged their climate. 
 And passed from death to life ; so that their heart, 
 Healed and exulting, from its deep recess, 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 
 
 /D 
 
 Returns this answer : That the power of evil, 
 
 The sting of pain, and terrors of the grave. 
 
 Are now no more, or but at distance rage 
 
 In faithless minds ; while not a dart can reach 
 
 Their citadel of peace in Jesu's love? 
 
 That they, in short, to God's paternal face 
 
 And firm affection can appeal and look. 
 
 Nor earthly griefs dare intercept the prospect; 
 
 But still to every want they feel as men, — 
 
 To every priestly, charitable prayer 
 
 They breathe as saints of God ; His ear and power 
 
 Are nigh ; till, thus, by constant use and proof 
 
 Of aid celestial, heaven is, more than earth, 
 
 Their home, the country of their heart and commerce ?" 
 
 More extracts are not needed. John Gambold, the learned^ 
 moping, gloomy, philosophic Mystic, became an humble, 
 happy, trustful believer in Christ Jesus. He shall tell his 
 own story. Though he was introduced to Bohler in January, 
 1738, and became his interpreter when he preached, yet, for 
 two years after this, his state of mind was very painful. In 
 a letter dated April 3, 1740, he describes himself as being 
 " mostly pensive and dejected, surrounded with solitude, sick- 
 ness, and silence ; not gathering strength, like the heroes, 
 from rich circumstances, but, like vulgar minds, contracting 
 an abjectness that blunts every finer sentiment, and damps 
 every nobler ardour of the soul." The day of his deliverance, 
 however, was drawing nigh. Speaking of the Moravians, he 
 writes : — 
 
 1740 
 Age 29 
 
 " I looked upon them as a happy people, and their doctrine as funda- 
 mentally true, but could not apply the comforts thereof to myself, being 
 discouraged from so doing by the deep sense I had of my own guilt and 
 depravity, and by being defeated in the hopes of being happy in the 
 notions which I had formerly imbibed. Therefore, I despaired of being 
 in a condition better than the generality of mankind, or different from 
 them. But, in December, 1 740, my younger brother, having been with 
 the Brethren in London, came to see me. The account which he gave of 
 the happy course he observed amongst them, struck me with such an 
 agreeable surprise, that I could not but return with him thither. My 
 design was to see the order established, and to feel the spirit which pre- 
 vailed amongst them where several of them dwelt together. The purpose 
 of my visit was answered to my great satisfaction, and I could believe, 
 not only that they were right both in principle and practice, but that I 
 might have a share of the same grace which they enjoyed. After having 
 
1 76 Rev. yohii Gambold, 
 
 1741 been again in their company, I perceived an impulse upon my mind to 
 — devote myself entirely to Him who died for me, and to live wholly for 
 -^ge 30 pijj-j^ ^^^ J.Q pjjg service." 
 
 It is a curious fact, that, in the same year in which Wesley 
 seceded from the London Moravians, Gambold became en- 
 amoured with them. Philip Henry Molther had created 
 immense confusion and bitterness, by preaching the unscrip- 
 tural doctrine, that, " to search the Scriptures, to pray, or to 
 communicate, before we have faith, is to seek salvation by 
 works ; and such works must be laid aside before faith can 
 be received." Strangely enough, Gambold, and also West- 
 ley Hall (another of the Oxford Methodists), adopted this 
 dangerous delusion. Hence the following from Wesley's 
 Journal : — 
 
 " 1 741, January 28. Our old friends, Mr. Gambold and Mr. Hall, came 
 ' to see my brother and me. The conversation turned wholly on silent 
 prayer, and quiet waiting for God ; which, they said, was the only possible 
 way to attain living, saving faith. 
 
 " Sirenum voces, et Circes pocula nosti 1 
 
 '• Was there ever so pleasing a scheme ? But where is it written ? Not 
 in any of those books which I account the oracles of God. I allow, if 
 there is a better way to God than the scriptural way, this is it. But the 
 prejudice of education so hangs upon me, that I cannot think there is. 
 I must, therefore, still wait in the Bible-way, from which this differs as 
 light from darkness." 
 
 The reader has here a characteristic specimen of Wesley's 
 refined irony, and determined adherence to the word of God. 
 In the latter, Gambold sometimes failed. He was still a 
 \^oung man of only thirty ; and yet not a few of the years of 
 his past life had been worse than wasted, by his indulging 
 in the philosophical speculations of the ancients, instead of 
 taking the Scriptures for his guide ; and now, when he had 
 emerged from the mists of the early ages of the Christian 
 Church, he suddenly plunged into the delusive fog of the 
 newly-arrived Philip Henry Molther. How long he con- 
 tinued there we have no means of knowing ; but one thing is 
 certain, that, the above-named heresy occasioned contentions 
 which created a partial estrangement between him and his 
 old friend Wesley. In July, 1741, Wesley had to preach 
 before the Oxford University, in the church of St. Mary's ; 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 177 
 
 and, being in doubt as to the subject of his sermon, whether 1741 
 it should be from the text, " Almost thou persuadest me to Age~3o 
 be a Christian," or from, " How is the faithful city become an 
 harlot ! " he went to Oxford, a month before the time of its 
 delivery, to advise with Gambold concerning it, but met with 
 a response far from friendly. Wesley writes : — 
 
 " He seemed to think it of no moment ; '' For,' said he, ' all here are so 
 prejudiced, that they will mind nothing you say.' " 
 
 Wesley adds : — 
 
 " I know not that. However, I am to deliver my own soul, whether 
 they will hear, or whether they will forbear." 
 
 Even this was not all. Only a fortnight later, Wesley 
 wrote : — 
 
 " 1 74 1, July 2. I met Mr. Gambold again, who honestly told me he was 
 ashamed of my company, and, therefore, must be excused from going to 
 the society with me. This is plain dealing at last." 
 
 Such was another of the disastrous results of Molther's 
 visit to the London Moravians : Wesley and Gambold, 
 bound together by hundreds of endearing facts, were parted ; 
 and, though not converted into foes, were no longer friends. 
 
 It is a melancholy fact, that this estrangement was not 
 temporary. Twelve months before, the friendship between 
 Whitefield and Wesley had been ruptured ; but, in 1742, there 
 was a sincere and hearty reunion, which lasted until death. 
 In the case of Gambold, it was otherwise, but through no 
 fault of Wesley's. On December 23, 1745, Charles Wesley 
 wrote as follows : — 
 
 " I met my old friend, John Gambold, at my printer's, and appointed 
 to meet him to-morrow at Dr. Newton's. I brought my brother with me. 
 I found the Germans had quite estranged and stole away his heart, which 
 nevertheless relented, while we talked over the passages of our former 
 friendship ; but he hardened himself against the weakness of gratitude. 
 We could not prevail upon him to meet us again." 
 
 Yea, more than this. Eighteen years afterwards, Wesley 
 himself made the following entries in his journal : — 
 
 "1763, November 5. I spent some time with my old friend, John 
 
 N 
 
178 Rev. yohn Gambold, 
 
 1 741 Gambold. Who but Count Zinzendorf could have separated such friends 
 
 as we were ? Shall we never unite again ? 
 
 ge 30 u December 16. I spent an agreeable hour, and not unprofitably, with 
 
 my old friend, John Gambold. O how gladly could I join heart and hand 
 
 again ! But, alas ! thy heart is not as my heart ! " 
 
 Gambold would not resume the friendship ; but, to the very 
 last, Wesley held him in high esteem. Only twelve months 
 before Gambold's death, he spoke of him as being one of the 
 most " sensible men in England." ^ But to return to Oxford, 
 where the breach first occurred. 
 
 Wesley's sermon, before the University, was preached and 
 published ; and it is a curious fact, that, of all the sermons 
 Gambold ever preached, only two have appeared in print, 
 and, that, one of the two was delivered in the same year, in 
 the same church, and before the same audience, as this of 
 Wesley's was. Gambold's sermon was founded upon the 
 text, " And the angel said unto them, Fear not : for behold 
 I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all 
 people ;" and was entitled : " Christianity Tidings of Joy. A 
 Sermon preached before the University of Oxford, at St. 
 Mary's, on Sunday, December 27, 1741. Published at the 
 request of Mr. Vice-Chancellor." 
 
 The two sermons were widely different. Wesley's was 
 intensely practical and faithful; an earnest and compre- 
 hensive enforcement of experimental and practical religion, 
 with a direct, searching, personal application, which, under the 
 circumstances, was much more likely to be censured than 
 applauded. Gambold's was much more than twice the length 
 of Wesley's ; but not half so simple and useful. Wesley's 
 was full of the Methodist doctrine of the day ; Gambold's 
 was a metaphysical disquisition, which might, with consist- 
 ency, have been uttered by any of the Oxford divines 
 opposed to the Methodist movement. It would not be true 
 to say, that, his remarks were not pertinent ; but they were 
 not what such an audience might have expected from a newly 
 converted Methodist. How to account for this we know 
 not. His sermon is long, learned, and able ; but it fails to 
 reach the heart and conscience as Wesley's does. Besides, 
 
 ^ Wesley's Works, vol. iii., p. 388. 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 179 
 
 there is one sentence in it which, as coming from such a man, 1742 
 is perfectly perplexing. He expressly asserts that "a man's Ao^y 
 sins are forgiven in baptism ;" and that baptism, "the channel 
 of remission, is qualification enough for heaven, to those who 
 die upon it." To reconcile the discrepancy between this and 
 Gambold's own statements as already quoted, is difficult, if 
 not impossible. The fact seems to be, that, though he had 
 embraced the doctrine of salvation by faith only, he was still 
 infected with some of the High Church principles of the 
 Oxford Methodists ; and his evangelical and able ministry 
 was marred and made misty by the philosophical speculations 
 and reasonings in which he had so long indulged. That he 
 was a trustful and saved believer in Jesus Christ, there cannot 
 be a doubt ; but he failed to announce the great doctrines, 
 which he had been taught by Bohler, wnth the simplicity, 
 clearness, earnestness, and pathos that Wesley did. Wesley's 
 heart was full of them ; and, in all his wanderings, they were 
 almost the only theme of his daily ministry. Gambold held, 
 and also preached them ; but, perhaps, from his metaphysical 
 cast of mind, they were not so clearly and forcibly presented 
 as by his quondam friend. 
 
 Nine months after the delivery of his sermon before the 
 University, Gambold formially severed himself from the 
 Established Church, and united with the Moravians. He 
 was the fifth of the Oxford Methodists who had joined the 
 Brethren. Of these, the two Wesleys had seceded, — or, it 
 might almost be said, — had been virtually expelled. The 
 third, Benjamin Ingham, in this very year, 1742, transferred 
 to the Moravians more than fifty societies, which he had been 
 the instrument of raising in two of the northern counties. 
 Westley Hall, the fourth, need not here be further mentioned. 
 Gambold, the fifth, was the only one who died in the Mora- 
 vian communion. The step he took was well-considered. 
 He might seem odd ; but he was unquestionably sincere. The 
 Moravians in England were only of a few years' standing, and 
 had many faults ; but there was one thing in existence among 
 them, and practised by them, after which Gambold, newly 
 converted, longed with the utmost earnestness, — Christian 
 fellowship. Of this, there was none at Stanton-Harcourt ; and 
 it w^as only now, in 1742, that his old friend Wesley thoroughly 
 
I So Rev. John Gauidold, 
 
 1742 succeeded in making such a provision for the Methodists, by 
 Age"-' I dividing their Societies into Classes. This was the thing for 
 which Gambold pined. It could be enjoyed nowhere except 
 among either Wesley's people or the Moravians. Gambold 
 and Wesley were no longer friends ; and, hence, the union of 
 Gambold with the Brethren. With this view, he applied to 
 them for admission, committing himself to their direction, 
 and having no choice with regard to any station or office to 
 be held by him in the future. In the beginning of October, 
 1742, he simply writes : — 
 
 " Having had assurance that such a favour might be granted, I left my 
 parish with a view to Hve wholly with the Brethren." 
 
 Of course he had previously communicated his intention to 
 the Bishop of Oxford, and also to his patron, Lord Harcourt ; 
 and both had strongly urged him to change his purpose : but 
 his resolution was fixed. In due form he resigned his living, 
 and issued an address to his parishioners, of which the follow- 
 ing is the substance : — 
 
 "It is not in consequence of any resentment, or of any worldly motive 
 that 1 give up my parish. 1 have not so implicitly given up my judgment 
 to others as to be prevailed upon, by their persuasion, to take this step. 
 The reason for my so doing is well grounded, and to my own satisfaction. 
 It does not, I assure you, proceed from any dislike that I have to the 
 worship of God in the Church of England. I find no fault with any 
 passage or clause in the Common Prayer Book. Nor can I, in justice, be 
 considered in the same light with such persons as slight and forsake one 
 party of Christians and go over to another without sufficient cause. But 
 that which has determined the choice I have made, was the earnest desire 
 I found in myself of that improvement in the knowledge of the Gospel, 
 and in the experience of the grace of Jesus Christ, which I stood in need 
 of. The blessings purchased by the blood of the Shepherd of our souls, 
 I longed to enjoy in fellowship with a little flock of His sheep, who daily 
 feed on the merits of His passion, and whose great concern is to build up 
 one another in their most holy faith, and to propagate the truth, as it is in 
 Jesus, for the good of others. His gracious presence, the power of His 
 Word, and the virtue of His blood, I wanted to have a more lively sense 
 of, for my own comfort and support in the Christian warfare ; and I had 
 reason to hope for those means of happiness, especially where brethren 
 dwell together in unity, for there the Lord commandeth His blessing and 
 life for evermore. This is all 1 aim at in withdrawing myself from you; 
 and may this departure give no offence to any one. 
 
 " I now take my last adieu, and earnestly pray for you and for myself. 
 For myself, that I may be faithful to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, 
 
1742 
 
 The Moravian Bishop. i8i 
 
 and prove His servant, truly devoted to Him, where I am going; and 
 may you, where you remain, be as obedient to the influence of His Spirit 
 and the dictates of His word as I wish to be; so shall we one day rejoice -^S^ 3' 
 before the Great Shepherd of our souls, that merciful and compassionate 
 Saviour, in whom there is, in the meantime, life, peace, and joy for all 
 believers. I do not go from you because I cannot live in the Church of 
 England, as an outward profession, or because I prefer any other form of 
 ecclesiastical government before that which is by law established in this 
 kingdom ; but the inducement which leads me to this change, is the great 
 concern I have for the attainment of a happy state of mind ; and, to com- 
 pass this end, no means, through the blessing of God, appear to me so 
 proper as a free intercourse with those who are of the same principles 
 with my own, to whom I may communicate without reserve ; and from 
 whom I can receive that assistance of advice and comfort, which is neces- 
 sary for a person encompassed with such infirmities as I am. I heartily 
 wish you may derive more benefit from the instructions of my successor, 
 than you have, or could have done, from mine; and I trust this will be 
 the case." 
 
 Nothing need be added to this, except the remark that, in 
 these days, when the utility and necessity of meetings for 
 rehgious fellowship are so boldly called in question, an argu- 
 ment in their favour may be taken from the yearning expe- 
 rience of this Oxford Methodist. 
 
 Gambold spent twenty-nine years in close and active con- 
 nection with the Moravians ; but his life, compared with the 
 career of Wesley and of Whitefield, was uneventful. 
 
 At the time of his admission, " the congregation of the 
 Lamb, with its officers and servants as settled in London," 
 consisted of twenty-one married men, thirteen married women, 
 three widowers, five widows, sixteen single men, and fourteen 
 single women, a total of seventy-two persons. This was a 
 small affair. The Moravians had the start of Wesley's society 
 in London ; and yet that Society, in February, 1743, num- 
 bered not fewer than 1950 members.^ It is also a curious 
 fact, that, nearly one half of the Moravian Society were 
 office-bearers ; that is, " Congregation Elders, Vice Elders, 
 Eldresses, Waiters, Choristers, Admonitors, Censors, Ser- 
 vants, and Sick Waiters." Excepting Gambold and James 
 Hutton, none seem to have had the advantages of education ; 
 and, probably, all the men were tradesmen, journeymen, or 
 
 ' Stevenson's " City Road Chapel," p. 28. 
 
Rev. yohii Gambold, 
 
 1747 mechanics.^ This was the society Gambold joined, for the 
 
 , f- sake of Christian fellowship. 
 Age 36 . ^ 
 
 His stay in London was not long. On the 14th of May, 
 1743, he married, and, for eighteen months afterwards, abode 
 in Wales, chiefly at Haverfordwest, where he kept a school, 
 and preached occasionally. 
 
 Gambold returned to London in November, 1744 ; and 
 here, with trifling exceptions, he seems to have resided until 
 his death, in 1771. Here, at Fetter Lane, he preached with 
 power, eloquence, and sacred unction ; and numbers were 
 benefited by his ministry. His views of baptism, and his 
 mode of administering it, may be gathered from a paragraph 
 in the " Memoirs of James Hutton," where, under date of 
 September 13, 1745, it is said, — 
 
 " Gambold baptized Brother Fell's little boy. He spoke on baptism, 
 and said, 'it was a delivering a child over into the death of our Saviour.' 
 After prayer, he took the child into his arms, and, taking water three 
 times, he baptized him in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of 
 the Holy Ghost ; then, singing some verses, he carried the child round 
 to the labourers who were present, who blessed him by laying on of 
 hands." 
 
 As already stated, the Moravian Society in London was 
 small ; but its meetings were numerous. From a list of the 
 " public and private opportunities of the Brethren at London, 
 throughout the whole week," in February, 1747, we learn that 
 they had four sermons every Sunday, two in English and two 
 in German ; also German preaching every Tuesday, and 
 English every Tuesday and Thursday. Besides these ser- 
 vices, however, there were twenty-two others on Sunday, six 
 on Monday, five on Tuesday, thirteen on Wednesday, nine 
 on Thursday, five on Friday, and five on Saturday, making 
 seventy-two religious services every week, exclusive of monthly 
 general meetings, prayer days, children's prayer days, and 
 sacraments. To what extent Gambold took part in these 
 Moravian meetings, it is impossible to say ; but, numerically 
 considered, there was, beyond a doubt, sufficient scope to 
 gratify his longings for religious fellowship. 
 
 In 1747, Gambold, accompanied by Ingham, Okeley, Hut- 
 
 ' Hutton's Memoirs, p. 97. 
 
The Moldavian Bishop. 183 
 
 ton, and Cennick, paid a visit to Hernhaag, where he con- 1747 
 tinued for several nionths, and gained the respect and love of ^",5 
 all who knew him. His visit was at an important crisis in 
 the Brethren's history ; and, probably, was occasioned by the 
 disastrous fanaticism which had broken out in that important 
 settlement. In 1738, a building was begun at Hernhaag, 
 designed to serve as an asylum for persons educated in the 
 German Calvinistic Church, and persecuted on account of 
 their connection with the Brethren. In 1740, a congregation 
 was regularly organized ; and, in a few years, Hernhaag con- 
 tained a greater number of inhabitants than Herrnhut. Here 
 boarding-schools were established for the education of the 
 children of the Moravian ministers, whether employed in the 
 service of the church at home or in foreign lands ; and the 
 place altogether was one of great importance. In 1746, how- 
 ever, there was the utmost danger of this Christian settlement 
 being ruined. Here began an evil, which soon became wide- 
 spread, and which required vigorous and long-continued efforts 
 to annihilate. The following is extracted from Holmes' " His- 
 tory of the Protestant Church of the United Brethren " (Vol. 
 i-, P- 399)- 
 
 "In their zeal to root out self-righteousness, the Brethren were not 
 sufficiently on their guard against levity of expression. The delight they 
 took in speaking of the sufferings of Christ, which arose from the pene- 
 trating sense they had of their infinite value, by degrees degenerated into 
 fanciful representations of the various scenes of His passion. Their style, 
 in speaking and writing, lost its former plainness and simplicity, and 
 became turgid, puerile, and fanatical, abounding in playful allusions to 
 Christ as the Lamb, the Bridegroom, etc., by which He is described in 
 holy writ, and in fanciful representations of the wound in His side. In 
 describing the spiritual relation between Christ and His Church, the 
 highly figurative language of the Canticles was substituted in the place 
 of the dignified simplicity, used by our Saviour and His apostles, when 
 speaking on this subject. Some less-experienced preachers even seemed 
 to vie with each other in introducing, into their discourses, the most 
 extravagant, and often wholly unintelligible, expressions. This kept the 
 hearers in a state of constant excitement, but was not calculated to sub- 
 ject every thought of the heart to the obedience of Christ. Religion, 
 instead of enlightening the understanding, governing the affections, and 
 regulating the general conduct, became a play of the imagination. 
 
 " This species of fanaticism first broke out at Herrnhaag, in the year 
 1746, and, from thence, spread into several other congregations. Many 
 were carried away by it, for it seemed to promise a certain joyous perfec- 
 
184 ^^^- yoJni Gambold, 
 
 .y.Q tion, representing believers as innocent, playful children, who might be 
 — - quite at their ease amidst all the trials and difficulties incident to the 
 
 -^ge 38 present life. The effect produced was such as might be expected. The 
 more serious members of the church (and these after all formed the major 
 part) bitterly lamented an evil, which they could not at once eradicate. 
 Others, considering the malady as incurable, withdrew from its com- 
 munion. The behaviour of such as were most infected with this error, 
 though not immoral and criminal, was yet highly disgraceful to their 
 Christian profession. Had not God in mercy averted the impending 
 
 , danger, a spirit of religious levity and antinomianism might, by degrees, 
 
 have sapped the very foundation of the Brethren's Church, and completed 
 her ruin." 
 
 What part Gambold took in this affair at Herrnhaag, and 
 with what results, we have no means of knowing ; but certain 
 it is, that, this pestiferous lusciousness spread to England, 
 and, for many a long year afterwards, disgraced the Moravian 
 hymns, and justly exposed the Moravians themselves to the 
 censures and taunts of both friends and foes. It would be 
 easy to quote instances illustrative of this, from the English 
 Moravian Hymn Book, " published chiefly for the Use of the 
 Congregations in Union with the Brethren's Church," in 
 1754; but the reader would not be edified by such quota- 
 tions. 
 
 The Moravians in England, when compared with the 
 Methodists, could hardly be considered a prosperous com- 
 munity. From the first, a considerable number of their 
 members belonged to other churches; and, in 1749, an effort 
 was made to multiply such extra-ecclesiastical adherents, by 
 instituting what was called an English Tropus, the object 
 being to provide a means whereby the members of other 
 communities, and, notably, of the Church of England, might 
 be enrolled in the Moravian Brotherhood, without severing 
 themselves from the churches of which they already formed 
 a part. This was one of the subjects discussed at a synod 
 held in London in the above-mentioned year ; and, to facili- 
 tate the matter, Gambold addressed the following letter " To 
 Papa, i.e. Count Zinzendorf," the beginning of which, to men- 
 tion nothing else, shows how far even Gambold had fallen 
 into the offensive use of the adulatory language of Moravian 
 sycophants. 
 
 "Most dear and paternal Heart,— A certain reflection has this 
 
The Moravian Bishop, 185 
 
 day arisen in my mind, which, such as it is, I wish to communicate to you. \'J\'^ 
 I perceive that you and your faithful colleagues are earnestly labouring to — 
 bring it about, that, those, who flee from the fold of the Anglican religion, ^^ ^ 
 may not be completely cut off from the said religion ; but still continue 
 in ecclesiastical bond with it ; and, therefore, you propose to constitute 
 an Anglican tropus among the Brethren, — an object most dear to us, and 
 with the greatest propriety recommended ; inasmuch as it is beginning, 
 as I imagine, to be thought desirable by the clergy of this country also. I 
 greatly fear, however, that there are, in their hierarchy, certain deficiencies 
 which may occasion some obstruction to the consent of the majority ; 
 moreover, other considerations may oppose the arrangement, that one 
 prelate (the others being unconsulted, except, perhaps synodically), 
 should be able to concede this privilege. 
 
 " Two special means, or symbols of union, are contained, as I under- 
 stand, under the word Tropus. One requisite is, that some prelate of 
 the Anglican Church should be invested with the office of examining into 
 such matters as the Brethren agitate, and, on the part of his Church, and 
 with the seal of the same, assisting at their ordinations. The other 
 requisite is, that the Liturgy, or Prayers of the Anglican Church should be 
 admitted in our assembly. The former involves the appointment of pru- 
 dent political men ; the latter provides for the security of rehgious, pious 
 persons sustaining any injury from us ; tending, moreover, to the abate- 
 ment of disaffection as respects both communities, and to their mutual 
 benefit and salvation. I, therefore, earnestly desire the accomplishment of 
 the design. 
 
 " What evil, in the mean time, could ensue if the whole Book of Prayers 
 of the Anglican Church should occasionally be used in public ; not at this 
 time as prayers, but as text ; and an explanation occasionally given as to 
 the passages which, with us, may seem to require some explanation .? Cer- 
 tain exceedingly grand portions of sacred Scripture which are intermingled 
 with these may, in this service, be omitted as being beyond all dispute ; 
 and so, in six or eight prelections, or short discourses, the whole may be 
 finished. The service may, with propriety, be preceded by some such 
 introduction as the following : — 
 
 " ' Inasmuch as we and some other nurslings of the Anglican Church, 
 who have embraced the spiritual aid of the Moravian Brethren, yet cer- 
 tainly with no design, by so doing, of departing from our own proper 
 religion ; being, however, in such situation, it manifestly follows that we 
 constitute an assembly which is extraordinary and extra-parochical, being 
 ecclesiastically made up out of various parishes ; and that we, moreover, 
 have a sacred place of meeting, which certainly is not a parish church ; 
 consequently many will immediately conclude that we are now of a 
 different mind, and that we have altogether forsaken the Anglican 
 Church. Such, however, would be an erroneous opinion. That we con- 
 stitute such a society or assembly as we have mentioned, arises from our 
 desire to exercise that salutary and vigorous discipline which the Anglican 
 Church pants for ; but, by reason of its exceeding magnitude, cannot 
 maintain ; that we have a place in which we assemble, and a pulpit, 
 
1-86 Rev. yohn Gambold, 
 
 1749 arises from our delight in hearing the principal doctrine respecting the 
 
 death and grace of our Redeemer more clearly and more fully enunciated 
 
 '^ ^ there than can in these times be expected elsewhere, notwithstanding 
 the same doctrine is maintained in the primary article of the Anglican 
 Church. There is, therefore, no reason why we should be offended with 
 the Church of our fatherland ; and let it not so tenaciously disallow to us 
 those superadded aids for our benefit and edification which we now enjoy, 
 and nothing will be more agreeable to us than (provided these be pre- 
 served with a good conscience) henceforward still to preserve with it the 
 bond of unity. For we are able to do so both openly and sincerely. In 
 testimony of this, we are prepared to adopt in our assembhes the Liturgy 
 or Common Prayers of the Anglican Church. But, because, as we are 
 informed, the use of the Anglican Liturgy, beyond the ordinary churches, 
 will either be unlawful, or, at least, exceedingly offensive ; and as a kind of 
 secret disaffection, rather than amity, might arise therefrom with those 
 whom, from the most sincere respect, we would not injure even in the 
 least, we must therefore defer the adoption of this Liturgy, in our 
 proseticha or house of prayer, until full liberty of using it be granted to 
 us by those who have the authority. In the meantime, however, in order 
 to its being made manifest that what we have asserted is true, that union 
 with the Church of our fatherland is possible, since no violence is thereby 
 done to our conscience (providing there be left to us discipline and evan- 
 gelization, neither one nor the other of which being opposed to the 
 Anglican Church ; nay, perhaps, more closely allied to it than some 
 imagine), — let us proceed to examine in due order the whole liturgy of 
 the Anglican Church. As to what others, who, diverging into sects, have 
 departed from the Anglican fold, may have to object to this Liturgy I shall 
 take no notice, for they and we are neither affected nor aggrieved by the 
 same things. But, throughout this examination I shall make it my 
 special care to omit nothing which can, in accordance with our light and 
 principles, or indeed ever can, occasion any obstacle to any one of us. 
 To such passages I shall assign that sense and exposition which I judge 
 to have been, and to be, the true meaning ; and, unless I am deceived, 
 such will be found neither grievous nor unreasonable to the mind which 
 is imbued with the clearer knowledge and love of the Saviour.' 
 
 " I have run out further than is suitable for an introduction ; but, as if 
 carefully reviewing the whole matter in question, I have been imagining 
 what effect would result from the procedure : the same that you also 
 desire thi'ough the means of a Tropiis, only more feebly and less con- 
 stant. But why, in any degree, less constant ? Because it is sufficiently 
 constant, considering the novelty of the measure. Such a declaration 
 would sink into the memory, and would be preserved by all as a memorial 
 of the true mind and will of the Brethren. 
 
 " Your most respectful son, and desiring to be excused, though some 
 should prate beyond their measure, 
 
 "John Gambold.''^ 
 
 ' Hutton's Memoirs, p. 245. 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 187 
 
 This long and tiresome letter is not without its use. For 1749 
 eight years, Gambold had been a Moravian ; he was in the ^.^^s- 
 vigour of his manhood ; but his mode of thinking and style 
 of writing were not improved ; nay, had become aS murky as 
 the religious clouds in which he lived. Besides, he was only 
 eleven years the junior of Zinzendorf, and was naturally and 
 scholastically his equal, if not his superior ; and, yet, con- 
 taminated by the sycophancy of his associates, Gambold, the 
 Oxford student, the learned mystic, the dramatic poet, con- 
 descends to use the offensive twaddle then so common, and 
 must needs address the ambitious foreigner as " Papa," and 
 " Most dear and paternal Heart." Think of Wesley, or even 
 of Ingham, employing such epithets as these ! The manli- 
 ness of the man was being dwarfed by the fooleries of his 
 friends. 
 
 But, apart from this, Gambold's letter is a curious pro- 
 duction, and not without interest at the present day, as con- 
 taining a scheme for a kind of amalgamation of some of the 
 Moravians with the Established Church. The Moravians 
 differed from the Methodists ; for Zinzendorf, at the very 
 Synod held immediately after the date of Gambold's letter, 
 formally announced that the English Moravians were " now 
 openly in the eye of the world acknowledged to be a Church ;" 
 whereas Wesley, to the day of his death, denied this distinc- 
 tion to the Methodists, affirming, in the strongest terms, that 
 the Methodists were not a Church, but only Societies tvitliin 
 a Church. Thus, the position of the two communities was 
 different. To be consistent, the Methodists might have 
 claimed, and, indeed, ought to have claimed, membership 
 with some existing Church, beyond the circle of the Society 
 enclosure ; but, according to Zinzendorf and the London 
 Synod of 1749, the Moravians were themselves a Church ; 
 and, hence, for any Moravian, like Gambold, to profess him- 
 self a member of the Anglican Church, was, in point of fact, 
 to claim to be a member of two Churches instead of one. 
 This was a grave inconsistency ; but, in accordance with 
 Gambold's suggestions, an attempt was made to carry it into 
 effect. 
 
 The proposed Synod met in London, in September, 1749; 
 and " the Most Reverend Thomas Wilson, Bishop of Sodor 
 
Rev. yohii Gambold, 
 
 1749 and Man," already in the eighty-sixth year of his age, with 
 ^~ g great formaHty, and with a pomp of language almost startling, 
 was " chosen into the order and number of the Anetecessors 
 of the General Synod of the Brethren of the Anatolic Unity." 
 It was also decreed further, "that, the aforesaid Most Rever- 
 end Prelate ought to be offered the administration of the 
 Reformed tropus in our hierarchy for life, with full liberty, in 
 case of emergency, to employ, as his substitute, the Rev. 
 Thomas Wilson, Royal Almoner, Doctor of Theology, and 
 Prebendary of St. Peter's, Westminster." 
 
 The good old Bishop, with joy and thankfulness, accepted 
 the office to which the Moravians had elected him •} and, 
 thus, Gambold and Zinzendorf succeeded in securing the 
 patronage of an English Prelate. Practically, the arrange- 
 ment was of little use, perhaps of none at all. Five years 
 afterwards, the venerable and pious Bishop was gathered to 
 his fathers, at the age of ninety-one. 
 
 Moravianism and its illustrious " Papa " had now arrived at 
 the zenith of their offensive ambition. It would be useless, 
 and also far from pleasant, to disinter the history of the 
 Moravian Brotherhood at this important crisis. A few of the 
 facts have been mentioned in Ingham's Memoir ; and nothing 
 ..more need now be added, except, that, while Zinzendorf was 
 almost idolatrously honoured by the Moravians themselves, 
 he was the subject of severe but just attacks outside the pale 
 of his own community. Prudently, though perhaps some- 
 what arrogantly, he generally declined to defend himself, 
 partly on the ground that royalty always acted thus ; but he 
 found it desirable to do something else which was almost 
 tantamout to this. In this same year, 1749, he published, in 
 his own private printing-office, a folio volume of 184 pages, 
 entitled, "Acta Fratrum Unitatis in Anglia, 1749;" the 
 whole of which, with the exception of the sixth section of 
 the second part, was translated or edited by Gambold. The 
 first part of this curious work consists entirely of Acts of 
 Parliament and Reports of Parliamentary Committees in 
 reference to the Brethren, together with original documents 
 adduced as proofs of the propositions which had been made. 
 
 ^ Hutton's Memoirs, p. 246. 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 189 
 
 The second part embraces : — i. A paraphrase of the twenty- 1750 
 one Articles of the Confession of Augsburg ; 2. The Breth- a<^-2q 
 ren's method of preaching the Gospel according to the 
 Synod of Berne ; 3. The Moravian Litany ; 4. Extracts 
 from the Minutes of Moravian Synods; 5. Zinzendorf's 
 Rationale of the Brethren's Liturgies ; 6. Original passages 
 from the writings of the early fathers of the Church, and of 
 theologians of the middle ages. 
 
 This was not the only service which Gambold rendered to 
 Zinzendorf and the Moravians. On June 4, 1750, he sent to 
 Spangenberg a long letter, which was afterwards published in 
 a pamphlet, with the title, "An Essay towards giving some 
 just ideas of the personal character of Count Zinzendorf, the 
 present Advocate and Ordinary of the Brethren's Church : In 
 several Letters wrote by Eye- Witnesses. Published by James 
 Hutton, late of Westminster, and now of Chelsea. London, 
 i/SS-'"* Svo. Gambold's letter is too long for insertion here ; 
 but throughout it is a vindication of the Count, — the best 
 doubtless that Gambold could supply, — and a few extracts 
 may be useful :— 
 
 "There are a great number of thinking persons, who, if the bear-skin 
 could be taken off from the Brethren, would directly be well satisfied with 
 that somewhat extraordinary, but yet reasonable, zeal for the funda- 
 mentals of Christianity, which, after all, is the Brethren's whole mystery 
 and peculiarity." 
 
 " The Brethren's Church has, at present, an illustrious nobleman both 
 for her Advocate and Ordinary; and most of the hard imputations cast 
 upon her by her antagonists are levelled against him, and either arise 
 from or imply a misunderstanding of his true character. He is an extra- 
 ordinary person or genius, and, as such, requires to be looked at in a 
 particular point of view, if one will avoid error. I will, therefore, do 
 nothing else but set down to that end some remarks which occur to me, 
 from ten or eleven years' acquaintance with him." 
 
 " Count Zinzendorf has in him something unlike other people. But 
 what is it ? A very tender and deep-rooted love to our blessed Redeemer, 
 and the highest and most honourable conceptions of His atotiement. 
 He willingly believes, as the New Testament supposes, that the bitter 
 sufferings of the Saviour are alone able to enervate, as well as atone for 
 sin ; and the contemplation and influence of His tormented person, to 
 effect our sanctification in all its branches. And all the hearty expres- 
 sions to the honour of Jesus, that are found in ancient Hymns, or Medita- 
 tions of pious Divines, (which, because mankind do not always keep up to 
 the same strain of truth, are unjustly looked upon as flights and raptures), 
 are with him serious principles." 
 
I go Rev. John Gambold,. 
 
 1 750 " Some have censured him for introducing, or suffering to be intro- 
 
 ' duced, some new Phrases, and delivering assertions which h3.ve the look 
 
 "■gs 39 of Paradoxes; but these Phrases and Paradoxes, when examined to the 
 bottom, are orthodox; and, if not verbatim used in former ages, are, at 
 least, parallel to the always received theological language; and, upon 
 some occasions, are necessary, and happily effectual, to set people 
 a-thinking, and to recover in their minds the full idea belonging to many 
 terms and sayings over which they, by frequent repetition, have fallen 
 asleep, and forgot the force and import of them. In the same view, he 
 also likes very much to translate the Scriptures in a free, round manner, 
 and in modern words." 
 
 " The same jealousy to keep the word of God from being robbed of its 
 energy, has led him to oppose another abuse. Many pious people, though 
 not sleepy and unmoved by the words they repeat, yet amidst their best 
 emotion, have only vague and indeterminate ideas, nor can it be known 
 precisely what they mean. Now, though a dealer in mere metaphors and 
 allegories may be a very good soul, yet, it is not for the honour of God, 
 that its doctrine should rest upon such a foundation ; but all its assertions 
 must rather be literally ascertainable realities, in the same manner as 
 physical ones are, upon a nearer experience ; and this is the motive of his 
 bringing spiritual matters to a point, under a clothing and illustration 
 somewhat philosophical, for a season, until the supposition that those 
 matters are only something shadowy, and not substance, is exploded." 
 
 " His original design was purely to preach and recommend his Saviour 
 to mankind at large, wherever he could find audience. It was wholly 
 accidental, and by him unsought, that he has been entrusted with the 
 direction of a particular Church. However others may look upon the 
 occurrences in the Brethren's congregation, he is always deeply struck 
 with reverence for our Saviour's immediate guidance of, and benediction 
 over the whole, which occasions his using, sometimes about things which 
 others may account small or common, that magnificence of expression 
 which is observable in him. The same tender attention to his Master's 
 mind and order, renders him sometimes, when he apprehends any devia- 
 tion therefrom, more vehement in his manner, than is incident to those 
 who have not zeal enough ever to be constrained in spirit. Upon this 
 account, he has been thought magisterial; but very unjustly, for, abstract- 
 ing from the fervour, which, in an agony of faithfulness, he may at such 
 times discover, he is ready to be informed by any one, distrustful of 
 himself, extremely moderate towards those against whom he may be 
 expected to be sharp, and not at all fond of power. 
 
 " Further, from a long experience in regard to congregations, he some- 
 times delivers his opinion about the method of carrying on the Gospel 
 work in a very systematical manner, implying, one might think, a great 
 deal of policy; but, when his counsels are traced to their first idea, they 
 are always an inculcation of one or other of the known maxims of our 
 Saviour, with only a more direct application to special and present cases 
 than is common. 
 
 " He is deeply persuaded of the blessed ends attained by gathering 
 
I75I 
 
 The Moi^'aviau Bishop. 191 
 
 some of the children of God together into such httle congregations as he 
 has the care of ; but he is also fully convinced, not only that there are 
 many more of God's children remaining scattered in the several Christian Age 40 
 parties and societies ; but even that the estabUshments, confessions, 
 forms of worship, etc., in those societies, have a blessed effect for the 
 salvation of such. For which reason, if the hearts on all sides did but 
 permit things to go according to his mind, the souls who are quickened 
 to spiritual life, even through the necessity of the Brethren, should, not- 
 withstanding, remain generally in the communion and way they had 
 been brought up in, without the least affront or infringement offered 
 thereto. 
 
 " His nol?ie way of thinking, in several other particulars, will not so 
 much recommend him at first sight, as expose him to censure ; but noble 
 it is, however, and will be found best in the end. He is against using any 
 conipiilsio7i with hearts, who ought to be led by the love of the Saviour, 
 and by a new nature ; and is endeavouring to bring the discipline of the 
 congregation to such a temperature, as that it may assist a work of grace 
 where it is, but not mimic it where it is not. In pursuance of which 
 principle, he rather tolerates (with secret grief and employing only distant 
 hints), several unessential faults of those about him, than correct them 
 with detriment to the ingenuity of spirit. These faults are charged upon 
 him ; as for instance, a few ill-judged flights of spiritual joy and cheerful- 
 ness, which he discerned to be such from the beginning, but would not 
 retrench them, because they would not subside of themselves ; and the 
 true Christian gaiety of spirit is too valuable a jewel to hazard the break- 
 ing of it, by a rough blow in the polishing. So far goes the generosity of 
 his conceptions, that he is resolved to drop the whole fabric of the con- 
 gregation, if ever the life and spirit should be found to have left it. No 
 wonder, then, that he insists upon adapting the outward worship, from 
 time to time, to the inward state of the members ; so that the Liturgy, 
 from honesty and not from fickleness, is capable of many progressive 
 gradations, and even of retrogradations, rather than fall into hypocrisy. 
 
 '' In short, the person I have been speaking of is a plain man, who pro- 
 ceeds straight forward ; and, amidst all the richness of his active and 
 extensive genius, will always be s6rving and inculcating one only point, 
 namely, the meritorious sufferings of our Creator, — a point by which 
 alone Christians are distinguished from Deists." 
 
 How far this serves as a vindication or apology, the reader 
 must form his own opinion ; but it exhibits the fidehty of 
 Gambold to his German leader, and also indicates some of 
 the principles* which Gambold himself entertained at this 
 period of his history. 
 
 Gambold did more than this for the censured Zinzendorf. 
 In 175 1, a five shillings volume was published, with the title, 
 "Maxims, Theological Ideas, and Sentences, out of the 
 
192 Rev. yohn Gambold, 
 
 1754 present Ordinary of the Brethren's Dissertations and Dis- 
 Age~43 courses, from the year 1738 to 1747. Extracted by John 
 Gambold, M.A. 8vo. In his Preface, Gambold writes : — ^ 
 
 " Every one has heard, in some light or other, this noble pci'soiis name 
 mentioned. To judge i}npartiaHy of him, we are to look back at what he 
 has preached in a course of several years, especially since the discourses, 
 by their nature and circumstances, were such a. free out-pouring of his 
 heart." 
 
 To this there could be no objection; but it may be doubted 
 whether Gambold's extracts were as impartial as he wished 
 them to be regarded. 
 
 In 1753, Gambold rendered another service to the Count, 
 by the publication of " The Ordinary's Remarks upon the 
 manner of his being treated in Controversy, Translated from 
 the High-Dutch, with a Preface, by John Gambold, Minister 
 of the Moravian Chapel in Fetter Lane." 
 
 And shortly after this, in 1754, Gambold issued, "A 
 Modest Plea for the Church of the Brethren," of which 
 publication, Lavington, Bishop of Exeter, wrote : — 
 
 "The whole drift of this pamphlet is to commend their sect '\n general 
 terms, without answering any one accusation brought against them."' 
 
 Lavington was a bitter antagonist, and what he says must 
 be received with caution ; but still, the very title of Gambold's 
 production indicates that the Brethren's Church was hardly 
 perfect. 
 
 More than this. In 1754, was published the largest hymn- 
 book in the English language : " A Collection of Hymns of 
 the Children of God in all Ages, from the Beginning till now. 
 In two Parts. Designed chiefly for the Use of the Congrega- 
 tions in Union with the Brethren's Church." Two Volumes, 
 pp. 380, and 390.^ Svo. Zinzendorf projected this ; but 
 
 ' "The Moravians Compared and Detected," 1775, p. 150. 
 
 " It is said, on what authority we know not, that Gambold's contribu- 
 tions to this hymn-book consisted of twenty-eight original hymns, and 
 eleven translations from the Greek, Latin, or German. ( IVeslcyan Times, 
 January 23, 1865.) 
 
 The following are the first lines of both, the numbers being those ot 
 the hymns as they are placed in the respective volumes : — 
 
 TRANSLATIONS. 
 Vol. I. 182. Ye elect, who peace possess unshaken. 
 
 „ 183. I'm bound fast, with Jesus' grave clothes platted. 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 193 
 
 Gambold was his chief editor.^ The Preface, which probably 1754 
 was Gambold's production, contains the following description Ao^43 
 of the Brotherhood : — 
 
 " The Brethren's grand topic, in their hymns, as every one may see, 
 is the Person and Propitiation of Jesus Christ. They collect, as in the 
 focus of a burning glass, what has descended to them from past ages, or 
 
 Vol.1. 184. In this sense we're a body. 
 
 „ 191. Jesu, Saviour of man's nature. 
 
 ,, 192. Be propitious. 
 
 „ 193. O thou eternal Saviour. 
 
 „ 208. Majestic Father ! whose pity gave. 
 
 „ 211. Saviour of the nations, come. 
 
 „ 221. Thousand times by me be greeted. 
 
 „ 222. O head so full of bruises. 
 
 „ 442. O World ! attention lend it. 
 
 ORIGINAL COMPOSITIONS. 
 
 Vol. II. I. God we praise, that in these days. 
 
 „ 1 7. What says a soul, that now doth taste. 
 
 „ 34. No more with trembling heart I try. 
 
 „ 42. O tell me no more. 
 
 „ 50. Ye who have known th' atoning blood. 
 
 „ 51. Jesu, that gentle touch of thine. 
 
 „ 55. How happy is the heart. 
 
 „ 56. Jesu, each blind and trembling soul. 
 
 „ 58. How is it. Lamb ? 
 
 „ 66. How happy we, when guilt is gone. 
 
 „ 67. How Christ his souls doth bless. 
 
 „ 71. Grant Lord, I ne'er may doubt again. 
 
 „ 89. Hear what of him and me this day. 
 
 „ 127. After the labours of thy life. 
 
 „ 138. Attend, O Saviour, to our prayer. 
 
 „ 167. Few in former times could venture. 
 
 „ 168. For us no night can be happier styled. 
 
 „ 169. Whene'er him I can eat. 
 
 „ 1 70. The man from Nazaret. 
 
 ,, 185. They who now God's children are. 
 
 „ 199. O my Lamb! thou slaughter'd Prince!" 
 
 J, 230. That I am thine, my Lord and God. 
 
 „ 303. Should an historiographer. 
 
 „ 304. Of this point so divine. 
 
 „ 431. Since I, a worm unworthy. 
 
 „ 451. Look on me. Lamb, a child of thine. 
 Can these hymns be Gambold's ? We doubt it. Nay, we hope that 
 they are not. It is scarcely possible to conceive, that a man of such cul- 
 ture could write such doggerel. With two or three poor exceptions, they 
 ought never to have been printed. To say nothing of their horribly 
 limping rhythm, they have far too much of the irreverent familiarity with 
 the Divine Redeemer, which was so offensively employed in the hymns 
 at that time sung by the Moravian Brotherhood. The two best are re- 
 published in Gambold's Works. 
 
 Hutton's Memoirs, p. 303. 
 
 O 
 
194 Rev. yohii Gambold, 
 
 1754 properly from the Bible itself, upon this head ; and, that it may not be 
 
 evaded under the notion of dicta ardentia, they present it in a system, 
 
 S^ 43 and apply that system to practice. They affirm our free acceptance with 
 God as sinners, and through pure grace, and yet the necessity of, and 
 powerful assistances for, a most real holiness of life afterwards, with such 
 a Warmth, upon each of these subjects successively, that many a reader 
 runs away with the supposition of their over-doing on that side he 
 happened to take notice of, for want of waiting the balance. They cherish, 
 • as an hereditary platform from their ancestors, a very high persuasion of, 
 and very strict rules concerning, a New Testament Church. To mention 
 but one peculiarity more, they continually betray a burning propensity to 
 the work of propagating the Gospel of peace. If any one finds more 
 things uttered in this spirit, than he can make application of in his 
 sphere, let him remember that these are a people, very many of whose 
 members have such a call. Above a hundred of them have already 
 consumed and laid down their mortal tabernacles in ministering the 
 Gospel to the heathen." 
 
 The last statement is remarkable, and greatly to the honour 
 of the Brethren's Church, especially when it is remembered 
 that only thirty years had elapsed since the Church was 
 founded at Herrnhuth, in Germany. 
 
 From these brief notices of his literary labours, it will be 
 seen, that, Gambold was a faithful, unflinching friend of the 
 illustrious Count. The English Moravians were passing 
 through the terrible crisis already mentioned in the Memoir 
 of Ingham. They were nearly wrecked ; and not unde- 
 servedly. Ingham left thenii ; but Gambold did his utmost 
 to defend them ; and, as the chief English member of their 
 community, was ordained a " Chor-Episcopus" in other words, 
 an Assistant Bishop. The ceremony took place at a Synod, 
 held at Lindsey House, London, in November, 1754; and 
 was performed by Bishops Watteville, and John and David 
 Nitschmann.^ 
 
 Little more remains to be told of this sincere and devoted 
 man. For seventeen years, he wore the honours of his office 
 " with humility and diffidence." The Avriter of the Memoir, 
 prefixed to Gambold's works, remarks : — 
 
 " Such a Bishop would have justly been esteemed an honour to any 
 Church, whether ancient or modern, if disinterestedness of spirit, humihty 
 of mind, devotion of heart, a benevolent disposition towards all men, and 
 
 1 Hutton's Memoirs, p. 294, and Holmes' History of the United 
 Brethren, vol. ii., p. 41. 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 195 
 
 a voluntary submission to the service, not only of the Church in general, j 75^ 
 
 but of every member thereof, though in the most inferior situation, be 
 
 the proper qualifications and distinguished ornaments of the Christian §^ 54 
 Episcopacy." 
 
 It has been already stated, that, of the thousands of sermons 
 which Gambold preached, during the thirty-eight years of his 
 Christian ministry, only two were printed. One of these was 
 delivered, before the University of Oxford, in 1741 ; the 
 other, in Fetter Lane Chapel, London, on a National Fast 
 Day, in 1756. 
 
 At the latter period, the nation was in a state of great 
 excitement and alarm. War with France was inevitable. 
 February 6, 1756, was observed as a day of humiliation and 
 prayer. Such a fast in London had not been seen since 
 the Restoration. Business was suspended ; and churches and 
 chapels everywhere were crowded. Gambold 's sermon was 
 founded upon the text, "Tremble, thou Earth, at the pre- 
 sence of the Lord ;" and, when published, was entitled, 
 " The Reasonableness and Extent of Religious Reverence." 
 Though somewhat metaphysical in its style, and mode of 
 reasoning, it displays ability, and is worth perusing. 
 
 So far as is known, there are only two other works with 
 the publication of which Gambold was connected.^ One 
 was a beautiful and comprehensive Catechism, of about 
 sixty pages, i2mo, published in the year 1765, with the 
 title, " A Short Summary of Christian Doctrine, in the Way 
 of Question and Answer : The Answers being all made in 
 the sound and venerable Words of the Common Prayer 
 Book of the Church of England. To which are added. 
 Some Extracts out of the Homilies. Collected for the 
 Service of a few Persons, Members of the Established 
 Church; but imagined not to be unuseful to others." Two 
 facts are made manifest by this publication ; namely, that, 
 Gambold's creed was orthodox ; and that, notwithstanding 
 his Moravian bishopric, he had still a warm affection for the 
 Church of England. 
 
 ' It is said, however, that he translated the "Divine Poems" of Rees 
 Pritchard, from Welsh into English ; {Wesleyan Times, January 23, 1865), 
 a work which we have never seen. 
 
196 Rev. yohn Gambold, 
 
 1765 The other book, referred to above, was Cranz's History of 
 
 Age 54 Greenland. This was, in the first instance, published in 
 Germany; but the General Synod of 1765, directed that it 
 should be translated into English ; and a great part of the 
 translation, and the whole of the editing was devolved upon 
 Gambold. The work was published, in London, in 1767, 
 with the following title: "The History of Greenland: con- 
 taining a Description of the Country and its Inhabitants ; 
 and particularly a Relation of the Mission carried on, for 
 above thirty years, by the Unitas Fratrum at New Herrn- 
 huth and Lichtenfels, in that Country. By David Cranz. 
 Translated from the High Dutch ; and illustrated with Maps 
 and other Copperplates. London, 1767. Printed for the 
 Brethren's Society for the Furtherance of the Gospel among 
 the Heathen." 8vo ; vol. i., pp. 405 ; vol. ii., pp. 497. 
 
 About eighty copies were distributed among the nobility 
 and gentry, for the purpose of enlightening them respecting 
 the Moravian Mission ; and the writer of the Memoirs of 
 James Hutton, says : — 
 
 " Although the work, in a pecuniary sense, was by no means profitable ; 
 yet, the distribution of the copies among the higher ranks, produced the 
 happiest effects, by removing the prejudice which had been excited in the 
 public mind, through the writings of the Bishop of Exeter, and others." 
 
 For ten years after his episcopal ordination, Gambold 
 resided chiefly in London, employing himself in every 
 branch of service for the congregation settled there, and 
 in regular correspondence with all his fellow-labourers of the 
 same communion throughout England. 
 
 In 1760, the death of Zinzendorf occurred ; and four 
 years later, a General Synod was held at Marienborn, which 
 Gambold attended. Besides himself, there were present, 
 eleven bishops, forty-six presbyters, deacons, and lay-elders, 
 and thirty-seven deputies from different congregations. It 
 was opened, with great solemnity, on the ist of July, and 
 continued its deliberations, by several adjournments, in forty- 
 four sessions, till the 29th of August. 
 
 Ten years had elapsed since the last General Synod ; 
 and, hence, many and momentous were the questions that 
 had to be considered. Their sphere of labour had been 
 
The Moravian Bishop. 197 
 
 considerably enlarged, especially in heathen countries. There 1770 
 had been the long and embittered controversy in England. p~ 
 Some of their Settlements had been disturbed and injured 
 by the existing war. Zinzendorf, their chief, had died ; and 
 the debt of the Brethren's Church amounted to the alarming 
 sum of ;^ 1 50,000.^ It is unnecessary to enter into the details 
 of this important Conference. Suffice it to say, that, from 
 this period, Moravianism became a purer, healthier, and more 
 scriptural thing than it had been before. 
 
 Gambold secured the respect and love of the Brethren 
 composing this General Synod ; and was in a position to be 
 of greater service to his community than ever. His work, 
 however, was nearly ended. After the sessions of the Synod 
 were concluded, he returned to London, where he continued 
 to reside till 1768, when he was seized with "a dropsical 
 asthma," from which his sufferings were such, that his friends, 
 who were about him, apprehended that every day would be 
 his last. Hoping to be benefited by the change, he removed 
 to his native air ; and, for a time, there were flickering hopes 
 of amended health. Wishing to render himself useful to the 
 Brethren's Church at Haverfordwest, he exerted his failing 
 energies to the utmost. As far as he was able, he visited 
 the sick, and poor, and tried to comfort them in their dis- 
 tresses. When he could, he preached ; his last text being, 
 " Set your affections on things above." When not able to 
 preach in public, he explained the Scriptures in private, and 
 held fellowship with his Christian friends. His work was 
 done ; and it only remains to see how the Oxford Methodist, 
 and Moravian Bishop died. 
 
 In a letter dated October li, 1770, after stating that his 
 asthma was so relieved that he could now lie down in bed, 
 and obtain a little sleep, he continued : — 
 
 " I ought to be thankful for every mitigation of pain ; but it becomes, I 
 think, plainer than ever, that I have a real attack of the dropsy, which 
 whether I shall get the better of it, or it, by and by, get the better of me, 
 is a question. I totter on my legs, and, though I look pretty well, 
 yet there are few intervals in the day wherein I have anything like 
 strength either of body or mind However, I set no bounds to my Sav- 
 
 ' Holmes' History of the United Brethren, vol. ii., p. 2, etc. 
 
198 Rev. y 0/171 Gambold, 
 
 x-^yj iour's power, if He sees it good to continue me here a little longer; but 
 """"" it is hardly to be any more expected in my case. I really do all I can 
 S to support my impaired constitution, and walk, most days, a little in the 
 
 chapel or burying-ground, till I am ready to drop down. All that I can 
 properly desire of my gracious Lord is, that. He would be merciful to me 
 an unworthy sinner, wash me from all my unfaithfulness and transgres- 
 sions in His blood, keep me in communion with Himself and His people, 
 help me to behave rightly, at least not offensively, in my sickness, and be 
 perceptibly near to me in my last hour, whenever it is to be." 
 
 In another letter, dated July 28, 177 1, he wrote : — 
 
 " The writing of the few lines before the present, was the work of 
 several days, attended with more difficulty and pain than any one is able 
 to conceive, who does not feel what I have suffered. But to complain is 
 disagreeable to me. The constant prayer of my heart, most tenderly 
 united with yours, is for the welfare and prosperity of the Church of God, 
 and especially that part of it which is the immediate object of our care. 
 May our faithful and best Friend, who purchased it with His blood, and is 
 the supreme Head thereof, so defend His people amidst all opposition, 
 and support His servants who labour in the word and doctrine, and have 
 the general charge over His house, that the several members of it may in- 
 crease in faith, hope, and love, to their comfort and joy. 
 
 " With respect to myself, if I may judge from what I feel, I can think no 
 otherwise than that I am very near the end of my course. Therefore, all 
 my prayers are centred in this, that my gracious Lord may wash me, 
 a sinner, in His blood, and abide always near me, especially in my 
 last extremity." 
 
 The last time that he attended the public celebration of 
 the Lord's Supper, was only five days before his death. At 
 the conclusion of it, weak and wasted as he was, he com- 
 menced singing a verse of praise and thanksgiving, and 
 the impression produced was such, that the whole congre- 
 gation began to weep. 
 
 From the nature of his disease, it was seldom he could 
 sleep ; but he was always patient and confiding. " All He 
 does is well done," said he ; " let us only look to Him, 
 and the end will be blessed." He was deeply thankful for 
 the kind offices of his friends, and especially for those of 
 his loving wife, who nursed him, in every stage of his illness, 
 with the greatest tenderness. Just before the close of all his 
 sufferings, he was heard to pray : " Dear Saviour t remember 
 my poor name, and come, come soon!" His prayer was 
 • answered. Shortly after these words were uttered, he peace- 
 
Age 60 
 
 The Moravian Bishop. 199 
 
 fully expired, on September 13, 177 1, leaving behind him, j-^^ 
 besides his widow, two children, a son and a daughter, to 
 lament their loss. ^ 
 
 Gambold, like Wesley, wrote an epitaph on himself; and, 
 as it is a fair specimen of the better class of his poetical 
 productions, it is here subjoined : — 
 
 " Ask not, who ended here his span ? 
 His name, reproach, and praise, was — Man. 
 Did no great deeds adorn his course ? 
 No deed of his, but show'd him worse ! 
 One thing was great, which God supphed, 
 He suffered human Hfe, — and died. 
 What points of knowledge did he gain ? 
 That hfe was sacred all, — and vain ; 
 Sacred, how high ? and vain, how low ? 
 He knew not here, but died to know." 
 
 Though Bishop Gambold was a man of great learning, and 
 of extensive reading, especially in the early writings of the 
 Christian Church, he himself was not a voluminous author. 
 Excepting his translations, and the works he merely edited, 
 all that he published of his own were two sermons ; his Short 
 Stimmary of Christian Doctrine ; a few Prefaces : and some 
 brief Hymns and Poems. In this respect, he differed widely 
 from his old friend Wesley. Then again, though an able and 
 effective preacher, his pulpit exercises Avere almost entirely 
 confined to the small village of Stanton-Harcourt, and the 
 Brethren's Chapel in Fetter Lane, London. In this also, 
 he differed, not only from Wesley, but from Whitefield. 
 Still, it would be incorrect to say, that his life, to a great 
 extent, was a useless one. Wesley, after publishing one 
 of Gambold's poetic pieces, is reported to have said: "And 
 this light was buried binder a bushel! How might he have 
 enlightened all Christendom ! "^ We scarcely concur in this. 
 Gambold, notwithstanding his learning and his piety, was con- 
 stitutionally too timorous and retiring to be the man to en- 
 
 ^ It is a somewhat curious coincidence, that of the Oxford Methodists, 
 Whitefield died in 1770, Gambold in 1771, Ingham in 1772, and Clayton 
 in 1773. At least three of these also died in the month of September. 
 The two Wesleys were in the midst of the Calvinian controversy, — 
 the hottest of their lives. 
 
 ' Methodist Magazine, 1814, p. 92. 
 
200 Rev. John Ga^nbold. 
 
 1 771 lighten all Christendom ; but, at the same time, he was of such 
 A^6o service to the Moravian Church, that, it is an extravagance 
 to say, "his light was buried under a bushel." With all 
 its weaknesses, follies, and faults, at the beginning of its 
 history, the Moravian Brotherhood set a Christian and heroic 
 example to other Churches, in its missions to the heathen ; 
 and the man who chiefly helped to edify, purify, improve, and 
 perpetuate such a community, did no mean service to the 
 cause of the Divine Redeemer. Gambold's poetry has been 
 over-estimated by Methodist and Moravian writers ; and, 
 perhaps also, his natural ability and learning ; but all must 
 admit, that he was an exceedingly devout and earnest Chris- 
 tian ; and that, though he might, for a season, be somewhat 
 tainted with the religious lusciousness of the early Moravian 
 society, his moral character, from first to last, was without a 
 speck. 
 
 Perhaps it ought to be added, that, a beautiful portrait 
 of Gambold was painted by Abraham Louis Brandt, an 
 earnest and laborious Moravian minister, and that an ex- 
 quisite engraving from the original picture was prefixed to 
 Gambold's works, when first published in 1789. 
 
REV. JAMES HERVEY, M.A., 
 
 THE LITERARY PARISH-PRIEST. 
 
 JAMES HERVEY, with great appropriateness, was desig- 1721 
 nated by Charles Wesley, the " Isocrates " of the Oxford j^„q y 
 Methodists.^ The old Greek rhetorician was not an 
 orator ; the weakness of his voice and his natural timidity 
 prevented that ; but the polish of his style in writing and the 
 harmonious construction of his sentences obtained for him 
 a fame which seems to be undying. And so in regard to 
 Hervey. He lacked Whitefield's eloquence, and Wesley's 
 constructive faculty ; but he had a peculiar mental quality, 
 which invested his productions with an air of gracefulness 
 beyond the power of either of his friends to imitate. Critics, 
 great and small, genuine and pretentious, have condemned 
 Hervey's style ; and yet, notwithstanding this, few books 
 have passed through more editions than his have done ; and, 
 after the lapse of a hundred years since their author's death, 
 few are greater favourites at the present day, Why is this ? 
 Perhaps some of his censors can answer the question. 
 
 James Hervey, like the Wesleys and Gambold, was the 
 son of a country clergyman. He was born at Hardingstone, 
 near Northampton, on the 26th of February, 1714; his father 
 holding the two neighbouring livings of Weston-Favel and 
 ColHngtree. His ancestors appear to have been highly 
 respectable. One of them was a judge ; another had been 
 member of Parliament for the town of Northampton ; and 
 the patronage of the above-mentioned livings had been, for 
 many years, in the possession of the family. 
 
 Until the age of seven, Hervey was under the tuition of his 
 mother. He then became a day-scholar in the free grammar 
 school at Northampton, where he displayed great dexterity in 
 
 ^ Charles Wesley's Journal, vol. ii., p. 393. 
 
202 Rev. James Ilervey, 
 
 1733 the usual gymnastic exercises of boys like himself; and where, 
 Aee~iq '^^ ^^^^ course of ten years, he learned enough of the Latin 
 and Greek languages, to enable him to matriculate at the 
 Oxford University. His progress, however, would probably 
 have been greater than what it was, had it not been for the 
 execrable conduct of his master, who determined that no one 
 in the school should learn faster than his own stupid son. 
 *' Hervey himself told me," says Mr. Ryland, " that his master 
 never made but one remark in reading the Greek Testament, 
 and that was a very foolish one." 
 
 When only a boy, seventeen years of age, Hervey, full of 
 youthful frolic, left the quietude of his father's house for the 
 animated scenes, the high advantages, and peculiar dangers of 
 collegiate life. It was something infinitely more sacred than 
 an accident which led to his admission into Lincoln College, 
 where Wesley was a fellow and a tutor, and where, for the 
 last two years, the Methodists had frequently held their 
 meetings.^ 
 
 The effects of the idleness enforced upon him at the North- 
 ampton free grammar school, were felt at Oxford. It was 
 difficult for a sprightly and clever boy, like Hervey, to lay 
 aside, all at once, the unstudious habits of the last ten years, 
 and to devote himself, with unflagging earnestness, to the 
 accademical pursuits which now demanded his attention. For 
 two years, from 173 1 to 1733, he was idle at Oxford, as he 
 had been obliged to be idle at Northampton. At the end of 
 that time, he became acquainted with the Methodists, and 
 distinguished himself, as they also did, by his devotion to the 
 duties of religion, and to his collegiate studies. Wesley 
 rendered him considerable assistance, especially by giving 
 him instructions in the Hebrew language. 
 
 " Oxon, Sept. 2, 1736. I hereby thank you, as for all other favours, so 
 especially for teaching me Hebrew." 
 
 Thus wrote Hervey, at the age of twenty-two, when he 
 had taken his degree of Bachelor of Arts, and was leaving the 
 
 ' Mr. Hutchins, one of the Oxford Methodists, and afterwards doctor, 
 and rector of Lincoln College, was Hervey's tutor {Gospel Magazine, 
 1769, p. 12). 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 203 
 
 university to enter upon the duties of the Christian ministry. 1733 
 Eleven years afterwards, when in the midst of the fame arising A~iq 
 from the recent pubHcation of his " Meditations among the 
 Tombs," etc., he wrote to Wesley another letter : — 
 
 "Weston, NEAR Northampton, Z',?^^;«,5£'r 30, 1747. 
 " Assure yourself, dear sir, that I can never forget the tender-hearted and 
 generous Fellow of Lincoln, who condescended to take such compassion- 
 ate notice of a poor under-graduate, whom almost everybody condemned ; 
 and when no man cared for my soul."^ 
 
 Here we pause, to take a glance at Hervey during his five 
 years' residence at Oxford. John Gambold, writing of him, 
 while he was still at college, says : — 
 
 " He is a man of surprising greatness of soul ; and, if you look for his 
 virtues, you will not be able to discover them one by one, but you will see 
 that he walks before God with a reverence and alacrity which includes 
 them all." ^ 
 
 Hervey became one of the Oxford Methodists in 1733, 
 when he was only nineteen years of age. In the same year, 
 he wrote as follows to his sister : — 
 
 " Lincoln College, Oxon, Sept. 16, 1733. 
 
 " Dear Sister, — Was there any occasion to apologize for the serious 
 purport of this, it would be sufficient to direct you to the date,^ and the 
 time of its inditing, but I promise myself, that, to you anything of 
 this nature will be unnecessary ; for, though we are in the very prime 
 and spring of our years, strongly disposed to admire, and perfectly 
 capacitated to relish the gaieties of youth, yet we have been inured to 
 moderate the warmth of our appetites, accustomed to anticipate in our 
 minds the days of darkness, and incessantly disciplined into a remem- 
 brance of our Creator. For my part, I find no season so proper to address 
 one of the principal sharers of my heart, one of my nearest and dearest 
 relations, as that I have at present chose and made use of, when either an 
 universal silence composes the soul, and calms every turbulent emotion, 
 or the voice of joy and gladness, speaking through celestial music, invites 
 to adore the wonders of our Redeemer's love, touches upon the strings of 
 the softest passions, and inspires the most sweet, most tender sentiments. 
 
 "As I was the other day traversing the fields in quest of health, I 
 observed that they had lost that profusion of fragrant odours which once 
 perfumed the air, and were disrobed of that rich variety of curious dyes 
 which surpassed even Solomon in all his glory. Not a single flower 
 
 ^ Coke and Moore's " Life of Wesley," p. 51. 
 
 ^ Arminian Magazine, 1798, p. 171. 
 
 ' The letter was written on the Sabbath. 
 
204 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 1733 appears to gladden the sight, to bespangle the ground, or enamel the 
 barren landscape. The clouds, that recently distilled in dews of honey, or 
 ^ " poured themselves forth in showers of fatness, now combine in torrents to 
 overflow the lifeless earth, and to bury or sweep away all the faint foot- 
 steps of ancient beauty. The hills, that were crowned with corn, the 
 valleys that laughed and sung under loads of golden grain, in a word, the 
 whole face of nature, that so lately rejoiced for the abundance of her 
 plenty, is become bare, naked, and disconsolate. As I was continu- 
 ing my walk, and musing on this joyless scene, methought, the sudden 
 change exhibited a hvely picture of our frail and transitory state ; me- 
 thought, every object that occurred seeriied silently to forewarn me of 
 my own future condition. 
 
 " I dwelt on these considerations till they fermented in my fancy, and 
 worked themselves out in such-like expressions : ' What ! must we 
 undergo so grievous an alteration? We, whose sprightly blood circulates 
 in brightest tides ? We, who are the favourites of time, on whom youth, 
 and health, and strength, shed their selectest influence ? We, who are so 
 apt to look upon ourselves as exempt from cares, or pains, or troubles, 
 and privileged to drink in the sweets of life without restraint, without 
 alloy.? Must we forego the sunshine of our enjoyments for anything 
 resembling this melancholy gloom ? Must the sparkling eye set in hag- 
 gard dimness .'' the lovely features and glowing cheeks be obscured by pale 
 deformity.'' Must soft and gay desii'es be banished from our breasts, or 
 mirth and jollity from our conversation ? Must the vigour of our age fall 
 away like water that runneth apace, and the blissful minutes of the prime 
 of our years vanish like a dream ? If this be our case, in vain do we 
 boast of our superior felicity. In vain do we glory in being the darlings 
 of heaven. The inanimate creation droop indeed, sicken and languish, 
 for a time ; but quickly revive, rejoice, and again shine forth in their 
 brightest lustre. It is true, they relinquish, at the approach of winter, 
 their verdant honours; but rest fully assured of receiving them with 
 interest from the succeeding spring. But man, when he has passed the 
 autumn of his maturity, — when he has once resigned himself into the cold 
 embraces of age, — bids a long, an eternal adieu to all that is entertaining, 
 amiable, or endearing. No pleasing expectations refresh his mind ; not 
 the least dawnings of hope glimmer in to qualify the darksome looking-for 
 of Death.' 
 
 " I had not long indulged these bitter reflections before I espied a 
 remedy for those sore evils which occasioned them. Though I perceived 
 all our passionate dehghts to be vanity, and the issue of them vexation of 
 spirit ; yet I saw, likewise, that virtue was substantial, and her fruits joy 
 and peace; — that, though all things come to an end, the ways of wisdom 
 v/ere exceeding broad. The seeds of piety, if implanted in our tender 
 breasts, duly cherished, and constantly cultivated, will bud and blossom 
 even in the winter of our days ; and, when white and red shall be no 
 more, — when all the outward embellishments of our little fabric shall 
 disappear, — this will still flourish in immortal bloom. 
 
 " To walk humbly v.'ith our God, dutifully with our parents, and 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 205 
 
 charitably with all, will be an inexhaustible source of never-ceasing com- iixa. 
 
 forts. What, though we shall sometimes be unable to hear the voice of 
 
 singing men and singing women, — though all the senses prove false to S^ ^° 
 their trust, and refuse to be any longer inlets of pleasure, — it is now, dear 
 sister, it is now in our power to make such happy provisions as even 
 then, in those forlorn circumstances, may charm our memories with 
 ravishing recollections, and regale all our faculties with the continual 
 feast of an applauding conscience. What sweet complacency, what 
 unspeakable satisfaction shall we reap from the contemplation of an 
 uninterrupted series of spotless actions ! No present uneasiness will 
 prompt us impatiently to wish for our dissolution, nor anxious fears for 
 futurity make us immoderately dread the impending stroke. All will be 
 calm, easy, and serene. All will be soothed by this precious, this invalu- 
 able thought, that, by reason of the meekness, the innocence, the purity, 
 and other Christian graces which adorned the several stages of our pro- 
 gress through the world, our names and our ashes will be embalmed ; the 
 chambers of our tomb consecrated into a paradise of rest ; and our souls, 
 white as our locks, by an easy transition, become angels of light. 
 
 " I am, with love to my brother, dear sister, your most affectionate 
 brother, 
 
 "James Hervey." 
 
 This letter has been inserted without abridgment, i. Be- 
 cause, it evinces, that, even while in his teens, Hervey culti- 
 vated that flowingly harmonious style, which was one of the 
 chief characteristics of all his publications. And, 2. Because, 
 it is thoroughly unevangelical, and, in spirit, such as might be 
 naturally expected from an Oxford Methodist seeking salva- 
 tion by his own good works. 3. It was written at the time 
 when Hervey first united himself with Wesley and his 
 Pharisaic friends. 
 
 There are several other letters, written during the years 
 of Hervey's collegiate life ; but, for want of space, they can 
 be only sparingly employed : — 
 
 (To his sister.) 
 "Lincoln College, Oxon, March 28, 1734. 
 
 " Dear Sister,— My fancy has often took its flight to Hardingstone, 
 and delighted itself with the imaginary conversation of you and my other 
 dear relatives. I have frequently recollected, and, as it were, acted over 
 again in my mind the many pleasing hours we have spent together in 
 reading holy and edifying books, or discoursing on pious and useful sub- 
 jects. 
 
 " There is great reason for congratulation, on account of your being so 
 choice a favourite of heaven, as your frequent sicknesses, and often infir- 
 mities speak you to be. How does the goodness of our gracious Father 
 
2o6 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 1734 endeavour, by the repeated, though lightest, strokes of His rod, to cure 
 . whatever is disordered, to rectify whatever is amiss in you ! Do not then 
 
 ^ hold out against these kind calls to repentance ; but suffer yourself, by 
 
 this loving correction, to be made great ; — great in humility, holiness, and 
 happiness. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God ; and, by a 
 hearty sorrow for your past faults, and a firm resolution of obedience for 
 the future, let this fatherly chastisement bring forth in you the peaceable 
 fruits of righteousness." 
 
 All good, so far as it goes, especially from a youth of 
 twenty ; but not a word of Christ, or of being saved by His 
 mediatorial merits, and by the exercise of faith in Him. 
 
 His sister wished him to turn poet ; but, instead of writing 
 poetry himself, he sent her " The Last Day," by Dr. Young ; 
 and wrote as follow : — 
 
 " Lincoln College, Oxon, Rlay 2, 1 734. 
 
 "Dear Sister, — I scarcely know any human composition more 
 likely to improve and edify, at the same time that it diverts and delights, 
 than this poem of " The Last Day." If you would please yourself, refine 
 your taste, or have the practice of religion pleasing, instead of plays, bal- 
 lads, and other corrupt writings, read this almost Divine piece of poetry ; — 
 read it (as I have done), over and over ; think upon it ; endeavour to 
 digest it thoroughly; and even to get by heart the most moving passages: 
 and then, I trust, you will find it answer the ends I purpose in sending it. 
 
 " You will excuse me from exercising my poetical talent ; because, I per- 
 ceive, such an attempt will be either very absurd, or very dangerous. For, 
 should I tack together a few doggerel rhymes, this would be an afifront to 
 you ; whereas, should I succeed so well as to gain the applause of my 
 reader, this, I am sure, would portend very great harm, if not to you, yet, 
 most certainly, to me. For what can portend greater harm than the 
 words of praise, which, though smoother than oil, yet, are very swords ? 
 What can be more destructive of that humble mind which was in Christ 
 Jesus, — that meek and lowly spirit which is in the sight of God of great 
 price ? I am so far from carrying on my versifying designs, that, I 
 heartily wish I had never conceived any ; and that those lines I sent to 
 my cousin had either never been made, or that I had never heard them 
 commended. Pride and vanity are foolish and unreasonable in dust and 
 ashes ; and, which is worse, odious and detestable before infinite perfec- 
 tion and infinite power." 
 
 The next are extracts from a long letter, of six octavo 
 pages, entirely on the Christian eucharist, and addressed to 
 Whitefield :— 
 
The Literary Parish-P'riest. 207 
 
 " OXON, July 29, 1735. 1736 
 
 " Dear Sir, — Is the sacrament indeed administered at one or other p^^^ 22 
 of your churches every Sunday ?. Sure then the lot is fallen to you in a 
 fair ground ; sure you have a goodly heritage. The holy eucharist is a 
 communion of the body and blood of Christ ; — a participation of all the 
 benefits procured for us by His most meritorious passion. In this most 
 comfortable sacrament, pardon is freely offered to all. Has any one been 
 an enemy to God by wicked works ? By this body shall he be reconciled. 
 By this blood shall his peace be made. 
 
 "Let me put this one question, and I have done. In the last great 
 day, on what will you rely for salvation ? Will you seek to your good 
 thoughts and pious discourses ? Alas ! they are full of imperfection, and 
 cannot bear the severe trial. All your own righteousnesses are as filthy 
 rags, and will be utterly unable to gain your acceptance. To what then 
 will you have recourse 1 To whom will you fly in this great extremity ? 
 Surely, to the sufferings of Jesus Christ. There is nothing else under 
 heaven whereby you can be saved, but His meritorious passion. Unless 
 His body plead in your behalf, you are covered with shame, and everlast- 
 ing confusion. Unless His blood make your peace, you are cast, you 
 perish, you are eternally undone. Think, oh, do but think deeply on this, 
 and then you will gladly embrace every occasion of partaking of the holy 
 communion. 
 
 " By exhibiting such benefits, by urging such motives, may we prevail 
 on all our neighbours to secure to themselves a resting place for their 
 souls, an anchor of their hopes, sure and stedfast. 
 
 " Yours in the Lord, 
 
 " James Hervey." ^ 
 
 This was a letter widely different from those which Hervey 
 had written to his sister. In them, he wrote as a man trusting 
 for salvation solely in his own good works. In this, he pro- 
 pounds the doctrine, that, salvation is entirely owing to the 
 sacrifice of Christ ; and, that its blessings are obtained (not by 
 the exercise of faith, but,) in the participation of the Christian 
 sacrament. It need not be added, that, this was one of the 
 chief doctrines of the Oxford Methodists. 
 
 The two Wesleys and Ingham left Oxford in 1735, and the 
 time was now approaching for Hervey's departure. Hence, 
 the following letter to his father : — 
 
 " April ?>, 1736. 
 " Honoured Sir, — You reprove me for my dilatory way of proceed- 
 ing, — very justly I own. I hope, I shall, from this time, amend. I was 
 
 * Evangelical Magazine, 1794, p. 295. 
 
Age 22 
 
 208 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 1736 examined yesterday. I must do my juraments five times on Friday, and 
 
 be admitted to my degree on Monday. Mr. H tells me, I must wear 
 
 a bachelor's gown. 
 
 " Mr. Farrer, a little while ago, asked me to resign my room to a pupil 
 of his, who is to come the middle of this month. To which proposal, I 
 have agreed, because I can live much cheaper out of college. I shall, by 
 this means, save the expense of calling up, of bed-making, etc., as well as 
 have a room at a cheaper rate, and pay for it only when I am resident : 
 on which account, I assure myself, this step, I have taken, will be ap- 
 proved of by you and my mother. 
 
 " I am sorry to hear of your being obliged to go on with farming. I 
 could wish you would let it, though at some disadvantage, and though we 
 should suffer thereby something in our fortunes. 
 
 " As to the curacy near Bath, I can give you no determinate answer. 
 My friend, I believe, is a very sincere one, and will do me what service 
 he can. There is one person who has had the offer of it before me: 
 whether he will accept of it is not known. As soon as / know,_y^?^ shall 
 know. 
 
 " I hope you will send me a letter next week, to wish me joy on being a 
 graduate. 
 
 " James Hervey." 
 
 Though not ordained, when Hervey left Oxford, in June, 
 1736, and returned to his father's house at Hardingstone, he, 
 at once, commenced holding meetings among his neighbours. 
 The following letter, addressed to Mr. Chapman, one of the 
 Oxford Methodists, refers to this, and contains Hervey's 
 views on what ought to be Chapman's behaviour among the 
 polite inhabitants of Bath, whither he was going : — 
 
 " Hardingstone, June 12, 1736. 
 
 " I humbly thank you for sending me the Journal," (probably 
 Wesley's, who was now in Georgia.) " Blessed be God, for His unspeak- 
 able love to the poor Indians, and for His watchful care of our dear 
 friends ! With what zeal and ardour do those glorious combatants run 
 the race that is set before them. May we, dear Mr. Chapman, may we 
 go and do likewise ! go and improve our little stock of knowledge and 
 holiness, by imparting them to as many as want and are willing to 
 receive ! 
 
 " I hope my evening assemblies are, and will be, prospered. I heartily 
 thank you for advising me to resume those means of instructing my 
 neighbours. I have had some comforting assurances that the sanctifying 
 Spirit has been among us, and blessed my discourses to the edifying of 
 the hearers. I have some from two parishes besides this, that attend 
 upon my little catechetical lectures, and am likely to have a young gentle- 
 man from the academy at Northampton. 
 
The LiUrary Parish-Priest. 209 
 
 " If you are going to Bath, how must you behave yourself in such a 1736 
 situation ? I wish I could advise you aright ; but, I fear, I am one of — 
 those whom the apostle styles fivwTra ^ovres. Nevertheless, my opinion, ° 
 such as it is, I will freely give you. 
 
 " I think then, sir, great regard is to be had to the genius and temper 
 of the city. Since that is light and gay, I would accommodate myself to it 
 as much as possible, so it be consistently with innocence. 1 would, at all 
 times, endeavour to be perfectly cheerful and obliging and complaisant, 
 to the utmost of my power. I would be earnest with God to make my 
 countenance shine with a smiling serenity ; that there might sit something 
 on my cheeks, which would declare the peace and joy of my heart. The 
 ^vorld has strange apprehensions of the Methodists. They imagine them 
 to be so many walking mopes, more like the ghost in a play, than sociable 
 creatures. To obviate this sad prejudice, be always sprightly and agree- 
 able. If a pretty turn of wit, or a diverting story offer itself to your 
 mind, do not scruple to entertain the company therewith. Everything 
 that borders upon sourness, moroseness, or ill-breeding, I would cautiously 
 avoid. And everything that may give a beautiful or amiable idea of 
 holiness, I would study to show forth. I see no manner of harm in 
 bowing at church, provided it be not in divine service, so as to interrupt 
 our devotions. I think Mr. Wilson disapproved of this ; but I cannot 
 bring myself to believe, that, a modest aijd decent respect to our neigh- 
 bours is disparaging to God, but rather acceptable to Him. I do not 
 mean, by what I have said, that you should make all sorts of compliances. 
 A solicitation to join with your acquaintance in billiards, dice, cards, 
 dancing, etc., should be rejected. 
 
 " If Mr. Morgan is at Bath, pray present my thanks and love to him. 
 God Almighty make him and you bold as lions, wise as serpents, and 
 harmless as doves ! If I had not heard you were at Oxon, this had been 
 sent by the post to Bath. 
 
 "James Hervev." 
 
 Hervey was a churchman ; but he was not a bigot. At 
 this period of his history, one of the students in Doctor 
 Doddridge's Academy, at Northampton, was the celebrated 
 Rev. Risdon Darracott, then a youth, nineteen years of age. 
 Hervey and young Darracott had had an interview in the 
 house of a member of Dr. Doddridge's church. Darracott 
 was endeavouring to form a religious society among Dodd- 
 ridge's students, somewhat similar to the society of Methodists 
 at Oxford ; and the interview, just mentioned, led him to 
 write to Hervey for advice. The latter had recently left 
 Oxford, and the following is an extract from his answer : — 
 
 " Hardingstone, yune 3, 1736. 
 " Dear Sir, — I think your proposal, as far as I can see into it, is very 
 
 P 
 
2IO Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 -„^g proper; and if discreetly managed, and steadily persisted in, cannot fail 
 — to be advantageous to yourself and others. This seems to be evident for 
 Age 22 several reasons ; four of which at present occur to my mind. 
 
 " I. Because we are ignorant and short-sighted, and oftentimes unable 
 to discern the things that are excellent. But God is pleased to reveal 
 to one what is concealed from another; so that, in a multitude of 
 counsellors, there is wisdom. 
 
 " 2. Because we are lovers and admirers of ourselves, unwilling to 
 see our own errors, and, therefore, unlikely to amend them. Whereas, 
 our friends will, with a meek and impartial spirit, show us our faults. 
 
 " 3, Because we are weak and irresolute ; easily shaken from the most 
 laudable purposes, and apt to let go our integrity upon any opposition. 
 But a band of friends, who are like minded, inspires us with courage and 
 constancy. 
 
 " 4. Because we are slothful and lukewarm in religious duties. But 
 a holy fellowship will kindle and keep alive a holy fervour. How often 
 have I gone into the company of my dear friends, listless and spiritless ; 
 yet, when I came home, I have found myself quite another person ; 
 vigorous and active, sanguine and zealously affected in good matters." ' 
 
 Hervey, as an Oxford Methodi.st, was doubtless speaking 
 from experience ; and his reasons for religious fellowship are 
 well worth weighing. 
 
 A few weeks after the date of the above, Hervey proceeded 
 to Oxford to be ordained ; and, whilst there, wrote again, to 
 this young Dissenter, as follows : — 
 
 "Lincoln College, Oxon, .9<?//. i, 1736. 
 
 " Dear Mr. Darracott, — I wish you would suggest to me what 
 I must do to further the Gospel of God my Saviour. I employ, every 
 day, an hour or more with some well-inclined people of the poorer 
 sort. We read Mr. Henry on the Holy Scriptures, and pray together. 
 There is one set in one part of the city, and another in another. I meet 
 them at a neighbour's house. Oh i that I could also open my mouth as 
 he did ; so boldly, so powerfully ! 
 
 " I am preparing to enter into holy orders, and to take upon me 
 the work of the ministry. That great, wonderful, and important work ! 
 Help me with your prayers to the Lord God my Saviour, that I ' may 
 receive the Holy Ghost not many days hence,' by the laying on of hands ; 
 even 'the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel 
 and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.' 
 
 " Dear sir, pray give my humble service, and best thanks to Dr. 
 Doddridge, and beg of him, when he is in the acceptable time, to re- 
 member me, who am in the time of need. If he has any word of exhorta- 
 tion; but, especially, if he has any treasures of instruction, proper for 
 
 ^ Memoirs of Risdon Darracott, p. 24. 
 
A^e 22 
 
 T/ie Literary Parish-Priest. 211 
 
 a candidate of the ministerial office, how glad should I be if he would jy^g 
 please to impart them, and how gratefully should such a favour be always 
 acknowledged by his and your affectionate servant and brother in Jesus 
 Christ, 
 
 "J. Hervey."! 
 
 Another letter, written previous to his ordination, shall 
 be given, at full length. Wesley was now in Georgia ; and 
 Hervey addressed to him the following : — 
 
 " OxON, Sept. 2, 1736. 
 
 " Rev. and Dear Sir, — I have read your Journal, and find that the 
 Lord hath done great things for you already, whereof we rejoice. 
 Surely, He will continue His loving-kindness to you, and show you 
 greater things than these. Methinks, when you and dear Mr. Ingham 
 go forth upon the great and good enterprise of converting the Indians, 
 you will, in some respects, resemble Noah and his little household going 
 forth of the ark. Wherever you go, you must walk among dry bones 
 or carcasses, among a people that are aliens from the life of God, buried 
 in ignorance, dead in trespasses and sins. Oh, may the blessing of that 
 illustrious progenitor of ours, and of that favourite with the Most High, 
 be upon your heads ! May you be ' fruitful and multiply,' may you bring 
 forth abundantly in that barren land and multiply therein ! 
 
 "As for me, I am still a most weak, corrupt creature. But blessed 
 be the unmerited mercy of God, and thanks be to your never to 
 be forgotten example, that I am what I . am. As to my strength, and 
 activity with regard to others, I fear it may be too truly said, ' It.is to sit 
 still.' I am at present one of the multitude; but I expect, before this 
 reaches you, to receive the office of a Deacon, and become a minister of 
 the New Testament. Oh, may I also ' receive the Holy Ghost not many 
 days hence ; ' and be made a faithful minister of those saving mysteries, 
 from that time forth and for ever ! I hope, I shall then hear a voice 
 behind me, saying, ' Awake thou that sleepest, from thy slumber, and 
 Christ shall give thee light.' Christ shall be thy sanctification, Christ 
 shall be thy illumination. He shall stand by thee, and strengthen thee. He 
 shall give thee both to will and to do. Through the power of His grace, 
 thou shalt run and not faint; thou shalt be fervent in the business 
 and propagation of righteousness, nor ever give over, till thou givest 
 up thy soul to God, its Maker, and thy body return unto the dust, 
 as it was. 
 
 " That I may be obedient to such a heavenly call, is, I hope, ' all my 
 wish and all my desire.' This is, indeed, the treasure I value, the thing 
 that I long for. Do you, dear sir, put up your incessant prayers ; and, oh^ 
 let the mighty God set to His seal, that the thing may be established, 
 that it may be unto me according to my heart's desire ! Then, will I invite 
 
 ' Memoirs of Risdon Darracott, p. 155. 
 
2 12 ■ Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 JT\6 y°" {my father, shall I call you, or my friend ? For, indeed, you have been 
 
 both unto me), to meet me among the spirits of just men made perfect ; 
 
 Age 22 since I am not like to see your face in the flesh any more for ever ! Then, 
 vi^ill I bid you welcome, yea, I will tell of your love, before the universal 
 assembly, and at the tremendous tribunal. I will hear with joy the Man 
 Christ Jesus say of you, ' Oh, ye that are greatly beloved. Well done, 
 good and faithful servants ; ye have served your Lord and your generation 
 with your might; ye have finished the work, which the eternal foreknow- 
 ledge of my Father gave you to do. If others have turned their thousands, 
 ye have turned your tens of thousands from the power of Satan unto God. 
 Receive, therefore, a glorious kingdom,— a beautiful and immortal crown 
 from my hand. Enter, with the children I have given you, — with the 
 souls that you have won. Oh ye blessed ones, ye heirs of glory, enter in 
 at those everlasting doors, and receive there the reward of your labours, 
 even the fulness of joy for ever and ever.' 
 
 " I am, and may I always be, dear sir, your son in the Lord Jesus 
 Christ, 
 
 "J. Hervey. 
 
 " P. S. I heartily thank you, as for all other favours, so especially for 
 teaching me Hebrew.^ I have cultivated (according to your advice) this 
 study, and am, blessed be God, the given of knowledge ! somewhat 
 improved in this language. My prayers accompany you, and all that are 
 engaged with you in the same glorious design. Let me also have yours 
 and theirs for Jerusalem's, for Christ's sake." '^ 
 
 Seventeen days, after the date of the above letter, Hervey 
 was ordained a deacon at Christ Church, by Dr. Potter, 
 Bishop of Oxford.^ 
 
 One of the Oxford Methodists was Charles Kinchin, Fellow 
 
 ' Mr. Ryland writes, — " Mr. Hervey began the study of the Hebrew 
 about the ninteenth year of his age, by the instigation of an acquaintance, 
 who gave him no manner of assistance. The only book he took up was 
 the Westminster Hebrew Grammar. That book seems to be contrived by 
 the devil to prevent the learning of the Hebrew language : it is dark and 
 obscure, harsh and unpleasant, ugly and disgustful, dull and listless ; 
 and Hervey threw it by in despair. After a long time and much perplexity, 
 by a happy Providence, there was another Fellow of Lincoln College, who, 
 seeing Hervey in his painful embarrassment, pitied him, and took him 
 into his bosom. He conducted him to the first chapter of Genesis, and 
 analysed every word ; he taught him to reduce every noun to its proper 
 pattern ; he instructed him to trace every verb to its proper root, and 
 to work every verb through the active and passive conjugations. If 
 the devil could have had his way, we should have lost one of the 
 finest Hebrew scholars in the world; but, after Mr. Hervey had learnt to 
 analyse the first chapter of Genesis, he went on hke a giant, and, to 
 my certain knowledge, became one of the first scholars in Europe for 
 a familiar knowledge of the Hebrew Bible." 
 
 ^ Arminiati Magazine, 1778, p. 132. 
 
 2 He was ordained a priest, at Exeter, in the month of December, 1739. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 213 
 
 of Corpus Christi College.' On leaving Oxford, he was J 737 
 presented with the rectory of Dummer, near Basingstoke ; Age 23 
 and now, in 1736, Hervey became his curate. This is not the 
 place to describe his curacy ; but further extracts from his 
 letters, during the time he held it, will serve to illustrate 
 his character. 
 
 His brother, being desirous to be apprenticed in London, 
 received from him the following : — 
 
 " Dummer, June 27, 1737. 
 " Dear Brother, — I find you are at London looking out for a trade, 
 and a master to set yourself to. I hope, you pray earnestly to God 
 to guide you in your choice. Desire also your honoured mother, and 
 mine, to have a great regard to your soul. Let it be inquired, not only 
 whether such a tradesman be a man of substance and credit, but also, 
 whether he be a man of religion and godliness ? Whether he be a lover 
 of good people, a careful frequenter of the Church ? Whether his children 
 be well nurtured and educated in the fear of the Lord ? Whether family 
 prayer be daily offered up in his house ? Whether he believes that the 
 souls of his servants are committed to his trust, and that he will be 
 answerable for the neglect of them at the judgment-seat .'' It will be sadly 
 hazardous to venture yourself under the roof of any person, who is 
 not furnished with these principles, or is a stranger to these practices. 
 But, if he be contrary to all these, a despiser of God and goodness, wholly 
 devoted to carnal pleasure and worldly gain ; if he not only omit the 
 religious care and oversight of his household, but also set them a wicked 
 and corrupt example, let nothing induce you to enter into his service." 
 
 At the time when this letter was addressed to his brother, 
 he received a sort of petition, signed by the inhabitants of 
 Collingtree, one of his father's parishes, praying him to 
 become their minister. In his long reply, dated June 29, 
 1737, he did not absolutely refuse to accede to their request; 
 but sketched what a minister of Christ ought to be, and 
 exhorted them to ask the great Head of the Church, to 
 supply them with such an one. The letter is too long for 
 insertion here ; but, it shows, that, this young man of twenty- 
 three had correct and exalted notions of ministerial duty. 
 The standard of excellence was high, and but seldom 
 reached ; but it was not higher than it ought to be. 
 
 Meanwhile, the services of Hervey were not confined to 
 Dummer. Even the Oxford Methodists, to some extent, 
 
 ^ Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 8i. 
 
2 14 -^'^^'- y^^i^'^^^ Hervey, 
 
 1738 were itinerant ministers, and, by interchange, occupied each 
 Age 24. other's pulpits. Hence the following : — 
 
 "DUMMER, <9<r/(7^^r26, 1737. 
 
 " Dear Mr. — — , — ^I received your last at Oxford. After that, I 
 remov^ed to StantoniHarcourt ; and now am replaced at Dummer. These 
 frequent removals and changes of situation, I hope, will be some small 
 excuse for my dilatoriness in writing ; for, you know, they occasion trouble 
 and take up time. 
 
 " Mr. Broughton, Mr. Gambold, and Mr. Kinchin, have been exercising 
 their ministry here. O may I not pull down, by my indiscretion or in- 
 activity, what they have begun to build ! 
 
 " As to the making of sermons, I am deterred from writing them, not 
 because I look upon it as a useless employment ; but because I feel, and 
 cannot help confessing, my absolute inequality to a task so important. I 
 entreat your intense and persevering prayers on my behalf, that the great 
 and good God, the dispenser of all wisdom, would vouchsafe to be a hght 
 to my darkness, and strength to my weakness. Should these supplications 
 be graciously answei-ed, my heart will then teem both with abundance of 
 matter, and propriety of expression ; my pen too will be that of a ready 
 writer. 
 
 " I am, dear sir, your obliged and affectionate, but unworthy friend, 
 
 "J. Hervey."' 
 
 In the early part of the year 1738, Hervey suffered from 
 enfeebled health ; and accepted the invitation of Paul Orchard, 
 Esq., who resided at Stoke Abbey,^ a beautifully situated old 
 mansion in Devonshire. 
 
 Taking Bristol on his way, he wrote as follows to Mr. 
 Orchard : — 
 
 " Bristol, February 3, 1738. 
 " Worthy Sir, — I have been at Bristol little less than a fortnight, 
 waiting of an opportunity of coming to Cornwall by water ; but, the wind 
 still continuing contrary, I intend, this day, to set out for Exeter, on horse- 
 back. I hope, by three or four easy stages, to reach it on Monday or 
 Tuesday next. Here I propose to rest, till I have the satisfaction of 
 hearing from my much-esteemed, though unknown patron. I expect, 
 sir, to be sorely fatigued, not being accustomed to travelling ; and, if 
 you please to permit your man and horse (for I dare not presume to ask 
 for your chariot) to give me the meeting at Exeter, by the time he arrives, 
 I hope to have worn off my weariness. I beg my humblest service may 
 be accepted by your lady, and am, good sir, your obliged humble servant, 
 
 " James Hervey." 
 
 ' Gospel Magazine, 1771, p. 174. 
 In after-years, called Hartland Abbey. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 215 
 
 The foregoing, to Mr. Orchard, was written three days after 1738 
 Whitefield embarked for Georgia, and Wesley returned to ;:^~24. 
 England. No sooner did Hervey hear of his friend Wesley's 
 safe arrival, than he wrote him the following loving and 
 interesting letter : — 
 
 " Stoke Abbey, March 21, 1738. 
 
 " Rev. and Honoured Sir, — How agreeably surprising was the news, 
 which a letter of Mr. Chapman's lately brought me. I am at a loss to 
 say, whether it was more unexpected or more grateful. It assured me 
 that Mr. Wesley was arrived in England ; had visited Oxon ; and was 
 coming to Bath : and shall I not hasten a congratulatory address, to 
 welcome the friend of my studies, the friend of my soul, the friend of all 
 my valuable and eternal interests 1 To do it cannot be deemed imperti- 
 nency ; but not to do it would justly bring upon me the imputation of 
 ingratitude. 
 
 " I hope, sir, your health is not impaired by your travels. I dare say, 
 your experience is increased, and your knowledge enlarged ; your faith 
 strengthened, and your zeal quickened. I do not doubt but the God 
 whom you serve, has shown you wonderful things in His righteousness ; 
 His Almighty wisdom and goodness have dealt graciously with you, and 
 wrought marvellously by you. O ! how greatly pleasing, and, perhaps, 
 not unprofitable would a relation of them be. 
 
 " I believe you had the pleasure of finding some of the Oxonians grown 
 considerably in grace. They have made haste, since your departure, to 
 improve their talents ; and to edify their neighbours, as though they were 
 earnestly and resolvedly desirous to enjoy their company in a better world. 
 
 " You cannot but have heard, and, hearing, you cannot but rejoice at, 
 the successful zeal of our friend Whitefield. All London, and the whole 
 nation ring of jue-yaXja tov Qt^ov done by his ministry. But, alas ! it will 
 damp your rising satisfaction to receive an account of useless, worthless 
 Hervey's having run a round of sin and vanity ; and, at length, weary and 
 giddy, being almost ready to drop into hell. Oh ! it is not fit to be men- 
 tioned ; worthy of nothing but oblivion. Spare the narrative, and cure 
 the wretch. Send a line, and accompany it with a prayer, to warm my 
 frozen and benumbed soul ; that, if there be any seeds of goodness latent, 
 any sparks of piety dormant in my breast, they may break forth to life, 
 and kindle into a flame. 
 
 " I am retired from the scene of action into a worthy and wealthy 
 gentleman's family. Mr. Chapman will inform you, how much he deserves 
 your prayers, and the prayers of all who are mighty with God and prevail. 
 
 " Dear sir, if other business, — if other charitable employments will 
 allow you leisure, pray favour me with a letter. To none will it be more 
 acceptable ; by none is it more needed, than by your most obliged humble 
 servant, 
 
 • "James Hervey." 
 
2 1 6 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1738 Hervey's health did not improve at the beautiful residence 
 
 , „, of his friend, Orchard. Hence, four months after his settle- 
 Age 24 ' ' _ _ 
 
 ment at Stoke Abbey, he wrote to his sister as follows : — 
 
 " 1738. June 19. My disorder is a languor and faintness, a feebleness 
 and inability for actioH; which is increased or lessened according to the 
 various temperature of the weather. I bless God Almighty ! I am not 
 deprived of my appetite for food, neither are my bones chastened with 
 pain ; so that, many impute all my complaints to a hippish and over- 
 timorous turn of mind, — to a distempered imagination, rather than a 
 disordered body. 
 
 " I have been about twenty or twenty-six miles into Cornwall, and seen 
 wondrous workmanship of the all-creating God. At Bideford, about 
 fourteen miles off, I am pretty well known, and am a little esteemed. It 
 is strange to tell, but let it be to the glory of God's free and undeserved 
 goodness, though I am worthy of shame and universal contempt, that, I 
 find favour almost wherever I go." 
 
 For upwards of two years, Hervey was the cherished guest 
 of Mr. Orchard and his family. David and Jonathan were 
 not warmer or more faithful friends than these. Hence the 
 following remarkable agreement : — 
 
 " We, the underwritten, whom God's providence has wonderfully brought 
 acquainted with each other, for purposes, no doubt, of piety and everlast- 
 ing salvation, sensible how blind and corrupt our nature is, how forward to 
 fall into errors and iniquities, but how backward to discern or amend them ; 
 — knowing also the great advantage of kind and affectionate, but, at the 
 same time, sincere and impartial reproof and admonition ; — do oblige our- 
 selves to watch over each other's conduct, conversation, and tempers ; and, 
 whenever we perceive anything amiss therein, — any duty ill done, or not 
 done so well as it ought, — anything omitted which might be for our spiri- 
 tual good, or practised which will tend to our spiritual hurt, — in fine, any 
 thing practised or neglected, which we shall wish to have been otherwise 
 in a dying hour : — All this we will watch to observe, never fail to reprove, 
 and earnestly endeavour to correct in each other, that so, we may have 
 nothing to upbraid one another with when we meet in the eternal state. 
 We resolve to do all this with the utmost plainness, and all honest free- 
 dom ; and, provided it be done with tenderness, with apparent good-will, 
 and in private, we will esteem it as the greatest kindness we can show, — 
 the truest interest of sincere friendship that we can exercise, and the only 
 way of answering the gracious ends of Almighty wisdom in bringing us 
 together. In witness and confirmation of which resolution, we here sub- 
 scribe our names. 
 
 " Paul Orchard, 
 " James Hervey." 
 ^^ November 28, 1738." 
 
The Literary Parish- Priest. 217 
 
 While Hervey was thus resting, and recruiting his health, 1738 
 
 in Devonshire, Wesley and his brother Charles became ac- a 
 
 . -Age 24 
 
 quainted with Peter Bohler, found peace with God, associated 
 
 with the Moravians, and began to preach the doctrine of sal- 
 vation by faith only, with a fervour and earnestness, which 
 excited almost national attention, and brought upon them, 
 in varied forms, the malice of their enemies. Hervey, in his 
 beautiful retirement, heard of this, and wrote to Wesley as 
 follows^ : — 
 
 " Stoke Abbey, December i, 1738. 
 
 "Most Dear and Reverend Sir, — Whom I love and honour in the 
 Lord : indeed, it is not through any forgetfulness of your favours, or un- 
 concernedness for your welfare, that, you have not heard from me, but 
 through the miscarriage of my letter. Immediately on the news of your 
 first arrival in England, I made haste to salute you, and wondered why 
 your answer was so long in coming ; but wondered more when I heard 
 you had left the nation a second time,^ without being so condescending 
 as to own me, or so kind as to vouchsafe me a single line. But, now, sir, 
 that, I am assured under your own hand, that, you have escaped the perils 
 of the sea, the perils of foreign countries, the perils of those that oppose 
 the truth ; and, that, you, restored in safety to your native country, are re- 
 settled at Oxon, and both have been doing, and still are doing spiritual 
 and everlasting good to men, — 1 may truly say 'my heart rejoiceth, even 
 mine.' 
 
 " O that I could give you a comfortable account of myself, and of my 
 zeal for God ! Alas ! I must confess, with shame and sorrow, ' my zeal 
 has been to sit still.' I am not strong in body, and am lamentably weak 
 in spirit. Sometimes, my bodily disorders clog the willing mnnd, and are 
 a grievous weight upon its wheels. At other times, the mind is oppressed 
 with sloth, and thereby rendered listless and indisposed for labouring in 
 the Lord. Pray for me, dearest sir, and engage all my friends to cry 
 mightily to Heaven in my behalf, if so be, this dry rod may bud and 
 blossom ; this barren tree may bring forth much fruit. 
 
 " I live in the family of a worthy gentleman, who is a hearty well- 
 wisher to the cause of pure and undefiled religion; who desires no greater 
 happiness than to love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity ; and who would 
 be glad of a place for himself and household in your prayers. 
 
 " Dear sir, will you permit me to inform you what is said, though I 
 verily believe slanderously said, of you ? It is reported, that, the dearest 
 friends I have in the world are setters forth of strange doctrines, that are 
 contrary to Scripture, and repugnant to the Articles of our Church. This 
 cannot but give me uneasiness ; and I should be glad to have my fears 
 removed by yourself. It is said, that, you inculcate faith, without laying 
 
 ^ Arminian Magazine, 1778, p. 132. 
 " This refers to Wesley's visit to Herrnhut in 1738. 
 
2i8 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 J yog Stress upon good works ; and, that, you endeavour to dissuade honest 
 — tradesmen from following their occupations, and persuade them to turn 
 ^ ^ preachers. Now, these calumnies I wish you would give me power to 
 confute, who am, 
 
 " Dear sir, your ever obliged and grateful friend, 
 
 " J. Hervey." 
 
 The first of these rumours was a calumny ; for, while 
 Wesley inculcated faith, he also strenuously enforced good 
 works. The second was not without foundation ; for Wesley 
 himself writes : — 
 
 "Joseph Humphrey was the first lay preacher that assisted me in 
 England, in the year 1738." ^ 
 
 The two Wesleys and Whitefield, full of the love of God, 
 and with faces beaming with peace and joy through believing 
 in Christ Jesus, were now about the most abused men in 
 England. All the churches were closed against them ; and 
 fields, streets, and village greens were their chief preaching 
 places. The mob treated them with violence. The clergy 
 used the pulpit in denouncing them. The press was employed 
 in spreading scandalous reports concerning them. Some of 
 their old friends were puzzled, and began to stand aloof from 
 them. But, in the midst of all, they themselves were happy ; 
 and were honoured, almost every day, in being made the 
 instruments of turning men from sin to holiness, and from the 
 power of Satan unto God. 
 
 Hervey's health was such, that, even had he wished, he was 
 utterly unable to join his friends in this their bold and 
 marvellously successful out-door mission to the unconverted 
 masses. While they were preaching to assembled thousands 
 on Hannam Mount, Kennington Common, and Blackheath, 
 he was being nursed, with the greatest tenderness, amid the 
 comforts and beauties of Stoke Abbey ; and was preaching, 
 as opportunity permitted, and as his strength allowed, in 
 some of the neighbouring churches, and especially in Mr. 
 Thompson's, of St. Gennys, Cornwall. Though absent, 
 however, he was not forgotten. Whitefield, full of faith and 
 of the Holy Ghost, wrote to him, inquiring whether he had 
 found the same blessings, which he and the Wesleys had. 
 
 ' Wesley's Works, vol. iv., p. 473. 
 
The Liicrajy Parish- Priest. 219 
 
 Hervey's answer was so beautifully ingenuous; and, more- 1739 
 over, is so important as bearing upon the subject of his con- p^^^- 
 version, that, it is given here without curtailment. 
 
 " Stoke Abbey, April \, 1739. 
 
 "Dear Mr. Whitefield, — Your kind favour, dated March 6, I 
 received not till yesterday, not returning sooner from worthy Mr. Thomp- 
 son's charge. O that he may not find his dear flock gone back ; but 
 adorned in Christian knowledge, during his absence from them ! 
 
 " I thank you for the good news you sent me. Christ enable me to 
 praise, rejoice, and give thanks on this behalf I 
 
 " I am obliged for the searching questions you put to me. Before I 
 answer them, give me leave to exhort you in the words of the Psalmist, 
 ' Try me, my dear and faithful friend, try me, and seek the ground of my 
 heart, and examine my thoughts ; look well if there be any way of wicked- 
 ness in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.' 
 
 First question, Does the Spirit of God witness with your spirit that you 
 are a child of God ? In truth, I cannot tell. I have sometimes a com- 
 forting hope, that I am a child, and not an outcast ; a true son, and no 
 bastard ; but whether this persuasion cometh of Him that has called men 
 to salvation, I know not. Whether it be the testimony of the Holy Spirit 
 witnessing within me, or the whisper of a vain presumption speaking 
 peace where there is no peace, I am at a loss to determine. Tell me, 
 dear sir, by what touchstone I shall distinguish them. 
 
 " Second question, Have you peace and joy in the Holy Ghost ? I some- 
 times do rejoice, and not in carnal satisfactions, but in hope of the glory 
 which shall be revealed. But the bright prospect is quickly intercepted ; 
 dark clouds of fear intervene ; and sad misgivings of mind throw a damp 
 upon the rising joy. Sometimes I am blessed with inward peace, and 
 possess my soul in tranquility ; but this also is like our April sun,— very 
 changeable and short-lived. The sweet calm is broken, and ruffling gusts 
 of peevishness and uneasiness discompose the tenour of my mind. I 
 must confess, that, I feel touches of envy (oh that I could mingle my tears 
 with my ink, as I write !), motions of pride, hankering after unnecessary 
 sensual delights ; that, I too frequently am destitute of love to my 
 brethren, of a compassionate long-suffering zeal for their welfare, and 
 cannot perceive one spark of devotion kindled in my cold heart. For 
 these things, my soul is, at some intervals, disquieted within me. Such 
 sad experiences turn my peace into pain ; they destroy my gladness, and 
 fill me with grief. 
 
 " Third question, Are we justified by faith only .'' I answer, By faith 
 only. Works can have no share in our justification, because there is 
 iniquity in our holy things. They are done after an imperfect manner, or 
 from improper views, or sidlied with some secret self-glorying; and, there- 
 fore, cannot recommend themselves, much less the sinful doers of them, 
 to infinite purity. Nay, if God should enter into strict and rigorous 
 judgment, I fear our best works would deserve punishment. And to 
 
220 Rev. ymnes Hervey, 
 
 j^nq think, that, those performances, which deserve punishment, can merit, 
 
 either in whole or in part, in any measure or degree, an eternal reward, is 
 
 -^b^ 25 surely to misjudge the case. It seems to be as false as to fancy, that, the 
 addition of some dross would enhance the value, or increase the lustre, of 
 refined gold. Yet still I believe, that, these works, poor and mean and 
 imperfect as they are, are absolutely necessary, and that there is no 
 justification without them. A tenant upon lease must duly and punctually 
 pay his pepper-corn, though it be not considered, by the payer or receiver, 
 as of any worth at all. So, a Christian must exercise himself in all good 
 works, if he would obtain salvation, though that can add no worth to the 
 perfect, sufficient, and alone meritorious sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We must 
 be as careful to maintain good works, as if our salvation was the purchase 
 of them alone, and yet renounce them utterly, and rely upon the merits, 
 death, and intercession of our blessed Saviour, who is made unto them 
 that believe, not only wisdom, but righteousness, sanctification, and 
 redemption. 
 
 " If I am wrong, be pleased to inform me ; and God Almighty give me 
 a child-like, unprejudiced, teachable spirit ! Pray for me, dear sir, that, 
 my sins, which blind my understanding, may be subdued ; and that, 
 together with a right spirit, I may have a right judgment in all things. 
 That text, James ii. 24, I dare not blot out of my Bible, and I cannot 
 put out of my mind. Indeed, it perplexes me. It makes me unsettled 
 and wavering. When I thmk of it, I am ready (ready ! nay, ought I not 
 to be resolved, since the Apostle has put the words into my mouth ?) to 
 alter my reply, and say, not by faith only, but by works (in conjunction 
 with it) a man is justified. Give me leave, henceforward, to become your 
 pupil in this important doctrine of Christianity, as I have long been, and 
 ever shall be, 
 
 " Your most affectionate friend, 
 
 "J. Hervey."! 
 
 The friendship of these Oxford Methodists was most sin- 
 cere and cordial ; but was not unruffled. All was not plain 
 sailing. Breakers were a-head. It is a well-known fact, that, 
 early in the year 1739, Whitefield and Wesley, being shut out 
 of the pulpits of the Established Church, commenced their 
 marvellous career of out-door preaching. Astonishing effects' 
 followed. All sorts of rumours were current. Enemies were 
 active, and, as already stated, even friends were staggered. 
 In his Devonshire retreat, Hervey was excited, and wrote to 
 the Rev. Mr. Kinchin, of Dummer, an immensely long letter 
 from which the following is an extract : — 
 
 " Stoke Abbey, April 18, 1739. 
 " Dear Mr. Kinchin, — This day, a letter informs me, that, my worthy 
 
 ' Evangelical Magazine, I7g4, p. 373. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 221 
 
 and ever-esteemed Rector has hearkened to men of unsound opinions, and 1 73^ 
 is turning aside to their errors ; — that, he is incHned to throw off his gown, ■ — 
 renounce the Church of England, reUnquish his Fellowship and living, *= "^ 
 and become itinerant preacher. And can I see a friend, who has been 
 kind to me as a father, is dear to me as a brother, — can I see such a friend 
 run away with such erroneous and pernicious notions, and sit silent and 
 unconcerned ? No ; my affections constrain me ; and I cannot hold my 
 peace. I love him, and, therefore, must speak. I love him tenderly, and, 
 therefore, must speak freely." 
 
 Here follow twelve printed octavo pages of remonstrance. 
 Hervey then adds : — 
 
 " There is no man living that I more sincerely love and honour than 
 Mr. Wesley. His memory is most dear and deservedly precious to me; 
 but, yet, I must frankly own, he is liable to mistakes, — mistakes in re- 
 ligion, and dangerous ones too. 1 remember the time when he was fond 
 of the mystic writers ; read one of their leading authors over and over 
 again ; and commended what he read as the best book, next to those that 
 were given by inspiration. But, within the space of a few months, he saw 
 his error ; retracted his opinions ; and inveighed against them as stu- 
 diously as he ever extolled them. This I mention only to show, that, the 
 best designing men, — men of eminent learning and exemplary devotions, — 
 may be led into false apprehensions of things. He has arguments, I do 
 not doubt, to support his tenets, as he had in the former case, and can 
 manage them with a masterly skill ; but, yet, he may be deceived, though 
 he means only the glory of Christ. Therefore, dear sir, withhold your 
 assent a little, and do not too easily fall in with his principles. At least, 
 suspend your determination for awhile ; wait the event ; and let that 
 speak for the attempt. 
 
 " You see how moderate I am in the matter. I do not exclaim against 
 the gentlemen who have brought these new doctrines to our ears. If truth 
 and purer Christianity be on their side, God forbid, but that I myself and 
 every true-hearted disciple should go over to their party ! Only have a 
 little patience ; tarry thou the issue of things ; and let excitus acta 
 probet, 
 
 " I wonder why they dissuade you from cleaving to the Establishment. 
 Why do they find fault with our excellent Church 1 And why should they 
 entice you from your parish ? Sure we are, that, the Holy Ghost made 
 you overseer over that little flock ; but, that. He has released you from the 
 charge and called you to another sphere of labour, is not so evident. 
 There was a time when Mr. Wesley was a warm and able advocate of the 
 primitive institutions. I marvel, that, he is so soon removed to another 
 opinion. This is a fresh conviction how variable his mind is, and, though 
 burning with zeal for God, yet, given to change. And, having altered so 
 often already, why may he not alter again, and new-mould his present 
 sentiments as well as his form.er ? 
 
 " They advise you to become an itinerant preacher. But why 1 I 
 
2^22 Rev. James Hervey,. 
 
 1739 would gladly know. Is greater perfection to be attained by wandering 
 — into the wide Avorld, and preaching in variety of places ? Or will this way 
 ^^ *'^. of preaching be more successful and efficacious ? I cannot bring myself 
 to believe this. " Etc., etc., 
 
 "James Hervey." 
 
 To some extent, Hervey was evidently misinformed. It is 
 possible, it is not unlikely, that, Wesley and Whitefield had 
 advised their brother Methodist, Mr. Kinchin, to become an 
 itinerant preacher ; but there is no evidence, that, they ever 
 wished either him or any of their friends to leave the Estab- 
 lished Church, or, that, they ever entertained the idea of 
 leaving the Church themselves. Still, there can be no doubt, 
 that Hervey had heard such reports as these, and was 
 intensely anxious on this account. Hervey refers to the dif- 
 fusion of "erroneous and pernicious notions." These were, 
 probably, not so much the doctrines of justification by faith, 
 the witness of the Spirit, and cognate truths, as the things 
 mentioned in the following letter, addressed to Whitefield, 
 three weeks after the foregoing letter was sent to Mr. Kin- 
 chin : — 
 
 " Stoke Abbey, May ^o, 1739, 
 "Dear Mr. Whitefield, — I sincerely thank you for your last letter. 
 I can hardly bring myself to assent to your whole account of justification 
 by faith. This, perhaps, may proceed from some obstinate prejudices, 
 rather than from reasonable and weighty scruple. However, I waive the 
 mention of my objections, and make the care of my own right faith give 
 place to a concern for the principles and practices of my dear friends. 
 
 " It is reported, and creditably reported, from Oxon, that, several 
 strange notions have been lately broached there, and have gained 
 proselytes and espousers among the most hopeful and promising part of 
 the University. They, who bravely stood their ground against sin, are 
 become an unhappy prey to error and delusion. I hope you are not fallen 
 from your once avowed steadfastness to the truth as it is in Jesus, and as 
 it is in our excellent Church. It is whispered, indeed, that, the seducers 
 are practising their arts upon you, and trying to subvert my dear Mr. 
 Whitefield's orthodoxy. 
 
 " In a late letter, I gave an answer to some queries you were 
 pleased to put to me. Now, I beg the favour of your opinions con- 
 cerning the following doctrines : ' That, the Distinction, Order, Degrees, 
 even Robes and Habits of the University are all Anti-Christian; that, 
 nothing is taught in it, but that learning and wisdom, which opposes the 
 power of God ; that, whoso is born of God is also taught of God, not in 
 any limited sense, but, so as to make the use of natural means of no 
 effect; that, all human learning (however said to be sanctified of God) 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 22, 
 
 entirely disqualifies us for preaching the true Gospel of Jesus Christ: that, xixq 
 
 an Established ministry is a mere invention of men ; that, our whole 
 
 Church and all its authority, are founded on, and supported by a lie ; and, §^ ^5 
 that, all who receive power of preaching from it, are in a state of slavery, 
 and must throw off all obedience to it, before they can enjoy the freedom 
 of the Gospel. 
 
 " These tenets, extravagant and pernicious as they are, have been, I 
 find, studiously advanced ; but let them not have the sanction of your 
 approbation. If they will get abroad into the world, let them go branded 
 with your dislike and censure. 
 
 "James Hervey." 
 
 Remembering the rumours of the day, such a letter as the 
 above is not surprising. Falsehoods concerning Wesley and 
 his friends were rife. No report was too extravagant to be 
 believed. Unfortunately, Whitefield's answer to Hervey is 
 not forthcoming ; but the invalided recluse was soon led into 
 the way of truth. Hence, the following, also addressed to 
 Whitefield, pointing out the means by which Hervey had 
 been induced to renounce his Oxford Pharisaism, and to 
 embrace the doctrine of salvation by faith in Christ only. 
 The letter is too valuable to be abridged : — 
 
 "Yes, dear sir, with pleasure, I send another letter. I rejoice to find, 
 that, you remember me. I am thankful, that, you have not renounced a 
 correspondent, made odious by so much ingratitude. 
 
 " You are pleased to ask. How the Holy Ghost convinced me of self- 
 righteousness, and drove me out of my false rests ? Indeed, sir, I cannot 
 precisely tell. The light was not instantaneous, but gradual. It did not 
 flash upon my soul, but arose like the dawning day. A little book, wrote 
 by Jenks, upon Submission to the Righteousness of God, was made ser- 
 viceable to me. Your Journals, dear sir, and Sermons, especially that 
 sweet Sermon upon ' What think ye of Christ ?' were a means of bringing 
 me to a knowledge of the truth. And another excellent piece has been, 
 and I hope will be, as so much precious eye-salve to my dim and clouded 
 understanding, — I mean '■ MarshalPs Gospel Mystery of Sanctification.' 
 
 " These, — blessed be He, who is a light to them that sit in darkness ! — 
 have, in some degree, convinced me of my former errors. I now bepin to 
 see, that, I have been labouring in the ^re, and wearying myself for very 
 vanity, while I have attempted to establish my own righteousness. I 
 trusted I knew not what, while I trusted in some imaginary good deeds of 
 my own. These are no hiding-place from the storm. They are a refuge 
 of lies. If I had the meekness of Moses, and the patience of Job, the 
 zeal of Paul, and the love of John, I durst not advance the least plea to 
 everlasting life on this footing. But as for my own beggarly perform- 
 ances,— wretched righteousness,— gracious, adorable Emmanuel! — I am 
 
2 24 Rev. yames Hei^vey, 
 
 : -j^i^ ashamed ; I am grieved, that I should thrust them into the place of Thy 
 — Divine, Thy inconceivable precious obedience ! 
 Age 25 u ]y[y schemes are altered. I now desire to work in my blessed Mas- 
 ter's service, not for, but, from salvation. I believe, that, Jesus Christ, 
 the Incarnate God, is my Saviour; that, He has done all which I was 
 bound to perform ; and suffered all that I was condemned to sustain ; 
 and, so, has procured a full, final, and everlasting salvation for a poor 
 damnable sinner. I would now fain serve Him who has saved me. I 
 would glorify Him before Jiien, who has justified me before God. I would 
 study to please Him in holiness and righteousness all the days of my life. 
 I seek this blessing, not as a condition., but, as a pai't, — a choice and 
 inestimable part of that complete salvation, which Jesus has purchased 
 for me. 
 
 " Now, if at any time, I am fervent in devotion, — seem to be in a 
 gracious frame, — or am enabled to abound in the works of the Lord, — I 
 endeavour to put no confidence in these bruised reeds, but to rest upon 
 the Rock of Ages. Not in these, most blessed Jesus, but in Thy robes 
 of righteousness, let me be found, when ' God shall call the heavens from 
 above, and the earth, that. He may judge His people.' 
 
 " When, on the other hand, I feel myself most deplorably dead and 
 deficient, — when I am apt to sigh for my unprofitableness, and cry out 
 with the prophet, ' My leanness, my leanness !' I no longer comfort my- 
 self with saying, ' Be of good cheer, soul, thy God requires only sincere 
 obedience, and, perhaps, to-morrow may be better than this day, and 
 more abundant in acts of holiness.' Jesus is now become my salvation, 
 and this is my song in the house of my pilgrimage, — ' Why art thou cast 
 down, O my soul?' Though imperfect in thyself, thou art complete in 
 thy Head. Though poor in thyself, thou hast unsearchable riches in 
 thy Divine Surety. The righteousness of Thy obedience, O Lord 
 Redeemer, is everlasting. O grant me an interest in this, and I shall 
 live. 
 
 " If overtaken by sin, or overcome by temptation, I dare not, as 
 formerly, call to mind my righteous deeds, and so think to commute 
 with Divine justice ; or quit scores for my offences, by my duties. I do 
 not, to ease my conscience, or be reconciled to God, promise stricter 
 watchfulness, more alms, and renewed fastings. No ; in such unhappy 
 circumstances, turn, O my soul ! neither to the right hand nor to the left; 
 but fly instantly to Him, whom God has set forth for a propitiation. 
 Hide thyself in His wounded side, and be safe. Wash in His streaming 
 blood, and be clean. 
 
 " If in these, or in other points, I am otherwise minded, than corre- 
 sponds with the gospel of truth, cease not, dear sir, to pray, that, ' God 
 may reveal even this unto me.' 
 
 " But why will not my dear friend come amongst us ? Why won't he 
 drop his word towards the west ? Many, in these parts, long for your 
 arrival. Many long to hear the joyful sound from your lips. Many, I 
 am assured, would hail my dear brother with that acclamation, ' How 
 beautiful are the feet of him that bringeth glad tidings ; that bringeth glad 
 
I740 
 
 The Liter aiy Parish-PiHest. 225 
 
 tidings of good things !' O that it would please the Divine Providence 
 to direct your way unto us ! Come, dear sir, come with the fulness of the 
 blessings of the gospel of peace. Come amongst Hving multitudes, who -^S^ ^6 
 will be attentive to hear you ; and come, once more, into the arms of him 
 who dearly loves you. 
 
 "J. Hervey."' 
 
 Hervey and Whitefield were young men, both twenty-five 
 years of age ; but they were not novices in rehgious know- 
 ledge. By extensive reading, by conversation, by docihty, 
 above all, by the blessed Bible, and by the Spirit's teaching, 
 they had, at this early period of their history, arrived at 
 theological conclusions, from which they never wavered to 
 the end of life. Exception may be taken to some of the 
 expressions of Hervey in the foregoing letter ; and to the 
 Calvinistic views of both ; but they believed what they 
 preached ; and they undoubtedly thought and felt that their 
 doctrines were founded upon the Divine authority of the 
 sacred Scriptures. It is no part of the plan of the present 
 work to defend or to attack the doctrines taught by the men 
 whose histories are sketched ; but simply to furnish honest 
 information respecting their manner of life, their teaching, 
 their religious experience, their success, and the termination 
 of their toil and suffering. 
 
 In 1740, Hervey's health was sufficiently restored to justify 
 his undertaking the curacy of Bideford, where he continued 
 till about the month of July, 1743. His congregation was 
 large, but his stipend small, amounting to not more than £60 
 a year. Here he planned and partly executed his " Medita- 
 tions among the Tombs," and his " Reflections on a Flower 
 Garden." A ride from Bideford to Kilhampton suggested 
 the former ; and the latter were, in part, composed in the 
 summer-house of a pleasant garden, belonging to the family 
 with whom he lodged. At his entrance upon his ministry at 
 Bideford, he wrote as follows to his friend, Mr. Orchard, in 
 whose hospitable mansion he had been so long a guest : — 
 
 " Your excellent proposal is not yet put into execution ; we have no 
 evening prayers in public as yet; nay, I have not so much as com- 
 municated the design to my rector. I am shamefully timorous : lions, 
 
 ^ Evans;elical Magazine, 1794, p. 503; and A Selection of Letters, 
 partly Original, by J. Hervey, 1816, p. 261. 
 
226 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 1 741 giants, and the sons of Anak are much in my thoughts. I dream (and 
 — may it be no more than a dream, and not too real a presage,) of difficul- 
 *>^ "' ties, both in getting leave to attempt, and in getting strength to perform, 
 this spiritual service, which I owe to my little flock. Your zeal will 
 reproach me with cowardice ; your faith upbraid me with unbelief ; but, 
 O, let your charity and pity pray against both. I hope ere long to dis- 
 close the matter to Mr. Nichols." 
 
 Another letter, written at Bideford, and addressed to 
 Whitefield, will be welcome. It strikingly exhibits the 
 change in Hervey's views and religious character : — 
 
 "Bideford, 1741. 
 
 " Dear Mr. Whitefield, — Your favour struck me with an agreeable 
 surprise. I verily thought my stubborn silence had razed me from your 
 remembrance; but, since you still have an affection for an ungrateful 
 friend, I take this opportunity of returning my grateful acknowledg- 
 ments. 
 
 " I rejoice to hear the Redeemer's cause revives. Set up Thyself, O 
 Incarnate God ! above the heavens, and diffuse Thy glory through all the 
 earth ! Let Thy enemies perish, O Lord ! Let disappointments attend 
 the attempts of Thy foes and the devices of hell ; but let Thy servants 
 be prosperous, and their message crowned with success ! 
 
 " Dear sir, I cannot boast of trophies erected here by the Captain of 
 our salvation ; but, I hope, the arm of the Lord will be revealed more and 
 more among us. I hope, the triumphs of free grace will have wider 
 spread and free course, and will prevail mightily over our unbelief. I 
 own, with shame, and sorrow, that, I have been too long a blind leader of 
 the blind. I have perverted the good ways of God, and have darkened 
 the glory of redeeming merit and sovereign grace. I have dared to 
 invade the prerogatives of an all-sufficient Saviour, and to pluck the 
 crown off His head. I have derogated from the honours, the everlasting 
 and incommunicable honours of Jesus. I have presumed to give works a 
 share in the redemption and recovery of a lost sinner; and have placed 
 those filthy rags upon the throne of the Lamb; and, by that means, 
 debased the Saviour, and exalted the sinner. 
 
 " But, I trust, the Divine truth begins to dawn upon my soul. Was I 
 possest of all the righteous acts that have made saints and martyrs 
 famous in all generations, — could they all be transferred to me, and might 
 I call them all my own, — I would renounce them all that I might win 
 Christ. I would not dare to appear before the bright and burning eye of 
 God with such hay, straw, and stubble. No, dear sir, I would long to be 
 clothed in a Mediator's righteousness, and ascribe all my salvation to the 
 most unmerited and freest grace. 
 
 " Dear sir, cease not to pray for me ; desist not to counsel me ; since, 
 I perceive, you cannot forbear to love me. 
 
 " I am," etc., 
 
 "J. Hervey." 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 227 
 
 In the discharge of his ministerial duties at Bideford 
 Hervey was exemplary. He preached twice every Sunday ; -— 
 and, on Tuesdays and Fridays, expounded part of one of §^ ^7 
 the Lessons for the day ; except when he examined the 
 children, and gave explanations of the Church's Catechism. 
 Like his friends Wesley and Whitefield, he also formed a 
 religious society, which continued to meet above forty years. 
 This brought upon him considerable reproach ; but, " so far 
 from being ashamed " of what he had done, he wrote, — 
 
 " I am only ashamed of the inconsiderable assistance which I am able 
 to contribute to so worthy an attempt. Ashamed ! no ; but if it were 
 lawful for a Christian to glory in anything beside the cross of Christ, this 
 should be matter of glory and triumph to me. Their scorns, derision, 
 and mockery, I would bind on my head as a beautiful crown, and be 
 better pleased with such a character, than with an ornament of gold 
 about my neck." ' 
 
 Brave words were these ! The Wesleys and Whitefield 
 were encountering murderous mobs in all directions ; and, so 
 far from complaining, were " rejoicing, that, they were counted 
 worthy to suffer shame for the name of Jesus Christ." The 
 feebleness of Hervey's body rendered it impossible for him 
 to undertake the rough mission work, which was so zealously 
 undertaken by his friends ; but, the Christian heroism of his 
 soul, rendered him not unworthy of their brotherhood. The 
 men, one and all, were animated with the spirit of " the noble 
 army of martyrs ;" and, at any moment, were prepared to die 
 for the sake of the Lord Jesus. No wonder, that, such men 
 were successful, and, that, their memories are wreathed with 
 
 ^ From a long printed letter, of twenty-four octavo pages, we learn, 
 that, this society was formed, as early as May 21, 1739, before the 
 Methodist Societies were formed. Hervey refers to the "j-frtir/V/o- reports, 
 that had lately been raised concerning religious societies," and proceeds 
 to state their object, and their practices. The society at Bideford was, 
 " by no means, in contradistinction to the Estabhshed Church, but in 
 dutiful conformity to her." He says, " Woodward's rules we purpose 
 punctually to observe, reading his exhortations distinctly and solemnly ; 
 offering up his prayers humbly and reverently ; only with this difference, 
 that some edifying book be substituted in the room of religious talk, not 
 because we disapprove of religious conference, but because we think our- 
 selves scarcely capable of managing it with regularity, propriety, and 
 order. We set up no examination, nor require any confession before 
 others ; but hope to be constant, careful, and strict, in searching our hearts, 
 and acknowledging our iniquities before the all-seeing God." 
 
Age 27 
 
 228 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 jy^i unfading laurels; while the names of their "enemies, per- 
 secutors, and slanderers," are either forgotten, or only re- 
 membered with contempt. 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Nichols, the Rector of Bideford, died early 
 in the year 1741, only a few months after Hervey had entered 
 upon his labours there ; and, as the Bideford living was a 
 valuable one, there were a considerable number of aspirants 
 after it. On March 2, 1741, Hervey wrote to a friend as 
 follows : — 
 
 " You have heard, I do not doubt, that, Mr. Nichols, my rector, is no 
 more : who will succeed him is yet a secret. Many, I beUeve, are eagerly 
 wishing for it, as a place of considerable profit, but few, perhaps, are 
 solicitously considering whether they are equal to the discharge of so 
 difficult and important a service. But hold, my pen : what have I to do 
 to judge others ? Let it be all my care to approve myself faithful in my 
 appointed station. 
 
 Shortly after this, Hervey was summoned home, on account 
 of the serious illness of his father. Hence the following : — 
 
 " Weston, May 30, 174.1. 
 
 " Dear Mr. W. , — 'Tis late, midnight drawing on, and the Sabbath 
 
 approaches ; but I must snatch a few minutes to tell my dear friend the 
 good news. My father is made whole ; quite freed from his pains ; quite 
 cured of his disorders ; and almost in a new world. Deep, indeed, was his 
 distress ; grievous his affliction ; but now the clouds are over and gone, 
 and the voice of joy and health is restored to his dwelHng. 
 
 " Now, therefore, I am free : I have no engagement here. My father, 
 
 it is true, offers me a curacy ; but, if Mr. chooses it, and my dear 
 
 people think it may contribute in any measure to their spiritual benefit, 
 nothing hinders but I may return to Bideford : Return, and address 
 them much in the same strain as Peter bespoke the impotent man : ' Elo- 
 quence and oratory, learning and accomplishments have I none ; but such 
 as I have, in the name of Jesus, give I you.' 
 
 " From your affectionate friend, 
 
 "J. Hervey."! 
 
 Hervey did return to Bideford ; but, at the end of about 
 two years, the new rector dismissed him, against the united 
 request of his parishioners, who offered to maintain him at 
 their own expense. This, to a man of Hervey 's exquisite 
 sensitiveness of feeling, was no trivial trial. To the people 
 
 '^ Evangelical Magazine, 1806, p. 28. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 229 
 
 of Bideford he was devotedly attached. He writes, while 1742 
 
 still among; them : — . . o 
 
 ^ Age 28 
 
 " I live in the very heart of the town. O that the immortal interests 
 of its inhabitants may be ever on my heart ! May I covet no other pros- 
 perity, and pursue no other happiness, than to be an instrument of doing 
 them some spiritual good ! I hope, I shall never forget my dear people 
 of Bideford. I shall bear them upon my heart, when I retire into my 
 study for reading, when I walk solitary in the fields for exercise, and when 
 I bend my knees before the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." 
 
 And again, after he had left them : — 
 
 " I rejoice to hear that dear Mr. Thompson" proposes to make you a 
 monthly visit. O that his doctrine may distil as the dew ! He will teach 
 you the way of God more perfectly, for he has the unction of the Holy 
 One, and knows the truth as it is in Jesus. There will not be wanting 
 those who will censure his righteous dealings, and ridicule his zeal for the 
 glorious Redeemer ; but all those who have Jesus and His salvation, will 
 say, ' The Lord prosper you ! ' If any of my acquaintances think it 
 worth their while to hear from me, I shall, with as much pleasure, go to 
 my desk and write to them, as I formerly went to their houses and con- 
 versed with them, I assure you, I would still seek to please my people for 
 their good to edification." 
 
 Before following Hervey to his next sphere of labour, 
 further extracts from his correspondence, at and about this 
 period, will help to illustrate his character. 
 
 Hervey was an earnestly religious man, a devout student of 
 the holy Bible, and an extensive reader of pious authors, but 
 he was also a lover of at least some of the light and popular 
 literature of the age. Hence the following to his sister : — 
 
 "Bideford, October 12, 1742. 
 '' See how our judgments and inclinations alter in process of time ! I 
 once thought, I should make less use of the Spectator than you ; but now, 
 I believe, the reverse of this is true ; for we read one or more of these 
 elegant and instructive papers every morning at breakfast, and they are 
 served up with our tea, according to their original design. We reckon our 
 our repast imperfect without a little of Mr. Addison's or Mr. Steele's 
 company." 
 
 Such a confession is not surprising in a man who was now 
 employed in writing " Meditations among the Tombs," and 
 " Reflections on a Flower Garden." 
 
 The Rev. Mr. Thompson, Rector of St. Gennys, a wanri friend of the 
 Oxford Methodists. 
 
230 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 1740 Hervey seems to have left Bideford in the month of July, 
 
 — 1743; but, on his way to Northamptonshire, he halted at 
 
 Bath, where he resided several weeks, and wrote a number 
 
 of his most interesting letters. The following are extracts 
 
 from some of them : — 
 
 " Dear Mrs. A ,— I am got as far as Bath, in my way homeward ; 
 
 and here I am likely to make a considerable stay. My friend, Mr. C ,* 
 
 has taken a trip into Devon, and left me entrusted with his flock : so that, 
 here is my abode till his return releases me. 
 
 Sunday last^ I spent at Bristol, attending Mr. Whitefield's preaching. 
 Never have I seen, never have I read, so remarkable an accomplish- 
 ment of our Lord's promise, as is evident in that indefatigable, powerful 
 preacher. He does indeed believe in his Divine Master, and out of his 
 heart flow rivers of living waters. 
 
 " This afternoon, some hopeful young persons came to visit me. They 
 seemed to be in the number of those who are pressing forward unto the 
 prize of their high calling in Christ Jesus. Perceiving them to be thus 
 minded, I introduced a discourse concerning growth in grace," etc.^ 
 
 The next furnishes a glimpse of Bath a hundred and thirty 
 years ago. 
 
 To Mrs. Orchard. 
 
 Bath, Ajignst 10, 1743. 
 
 " Madam, — I expected to have been at home before this time ; but, as 
 I have dropped short at Bath, and am likely to continue here awhile, you 
 will give me leave to transmit my best wishes from hence. 
 
 " There is a good deal of company at Bath. A new mineral water is 
 found out, about a mile distant from the city. It is grown into con- 
 siderable repute, and is much frequented . Several of the nobility and 
 gentry drink it constantly. It will not bear bottling, and, for that reason, 
 must be used on the spot. It is called the Lincomb Spa. 
 
 " The latter season is approaching, which, you know, madam, brings 
 
 ^ Most likely William Chapman, the Oxford Methodist. 
 
 2 This was probably July 1 7, 1 743, for Whitefield writes on Tuesday, July 
 19th, " I came here " (Bristol) " to preach at the fair, because people from 
 all parts flock hither at that season. Yesterday I preached four times. 
 Last night was such a time as I never saw in Bristol society before. To- 
 morrow, God willing, I set out for Hampton, to see what can be done for 
 the poor persecuted sheep there. I hear I am threatened, but Jesus will 
 stand by me." 
 
 It may be added, that, a few days before, "Whitefield had been almost 
 murdered at this self-same Hampton. First of all, the mob threw him 
 into a lime-pit, and then twice over into a deep brook of water (White- 
 field's Letters, Nos. 527 and 528). 
 
 2 Gospel Magazine, I777, P- 260. 
 
11743 
 
 The Literary Parish-Priest. 231 
 
 abundance of strangers with it. Some invalids resort to the Enghsh 
 Bethesda ; some, as lovers of pleasure, to this mart for all manner of 
 diversions. Every one seems studious of making a gay and g^and ap- Age 29 
 pearance. It is, I think, one of the most glittering places I ever beheld. 
 ' Anointed with oil, crowned with rose-buds, and decked with purple and 
 fine linen,' they sport away their days, chanting to the sound of the viol, 
 drinking wine in bowls, and stretching themselves on couches of ivory ; 
 and, perhaps, never remembering the afflictions of Jesus, nor His love, 
 ' which is better than wine,' nor His name, ' which is as ointment poured 
 forth.' 
 
 "While they are contriving every art to embellish their persons, let us, 
 dear madam, give all diligence to be all-glorious within. While they are 
 studying to outvie the butterfly and the tulip, let us be animated by higher 
 views, and put on the Lord Jesus Christ," etc. 
 
 ■M. ja. ^ ^ ^ Ji. Jt. 
 
 " And now, madam, will you permit me to anticipate a remark which 
 you will naturally make. Shall I spare you the necessity of saying, Why 
 here is a sermon instead of a letter. 
 
 '' Indeed, madam, if it be a sermon, the Bath finery has furnished me 
 with a text. 
 
 " And why, good madam, should not the world expect such sermon-like 
 epistles from us ministers ? Why will not they let us be comformable 
 to ourselves, and act in character ? Would you not expect to hear of 
 engagements and victories from a soldier just come from making a cam- 
 paign 1 Would any one be surprised to find a merchant discoursing of 
 foreign affairs, or canvassing the state of trade ? Nay, is it not allowable 
 even for our tailor and milliner to talk of the newest fashions and most 
 modish colour ? Why, then, should not the agents for the court of heaven 
 treat of heavenly things ? Why should not their whole conversation 
 savour of their calling ? Why should they be one thing when they bend 
 the knee, and another when they put pen to paper ? Why act one part 
 when they speak from the pulpit, and quite a different one when they 
 converse in the parlour 1 To say the truth, madam, if you do not allow 
 me this liberty, I may pretend, indeed, but can never act the grateful, the 
 affectionate, the faithful, humble servant." 
 
 The following is an extract from an enormously lorrg 
 letter, of eighteen printed pages, addressed to a clergyman, 
 who had been preaching in the Abbey Church. 
 
 " Bath, August 27, 1743. 
 " Reverend Sir, — Sunday last, I happened not to be at the Abbey 
 Church in the afternoon ; but, conversing with a gentleman who was one 
 of your auditors, I desired to have a summary account of your sermon. 
 And, truly, he gave me such an account as both astonished and grieved 
 me. You dignified worldly prosperity at so extraordinary a rate, and 
 almost canonized the prosperous man. On the other hand, you vilified 
 the glorious Jesus in so scandalous a manner, and set the Incarnate God- 
 
232 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 i ^ _^___ 
 
 J 74, head to one of the most ignoble and abominable offices. This made me 
 
 encourage my friend to send you a word of admonition; and, when he 
 
 ■"ge 29 declined, I could not forbear undertaking it myself. For, it would be 
 unkind to you, sir, to perceive you under such grievous mistakes, and not 
 to warn you of the error of your ways. Nor would it be less unfaithful to 
 your Master, and my Master, to be informed of such preaching, and 
 suffer it to pass curi'ent, without any animadversion. 
 
 " I understand, you first exhorted people to rejoice, when their circum- 
 stances were affluent and their worldly affairs prosperous. You enforced 
 this palatable advice by the precepts of Scripture ; and, lest it should not 
 be received with a proper welcome, you further urged it on your hearers 
 by the example of our blessed Saviour. 
 
 "In opposition to this strain of teaching, permit me to observe, 
 
 1. That, worldly prosperity is no sufficient cause for a Christian to rejoice. 
 
 2. That, it is often one of the sorest evils that can befal a person. And 3. 
 Allow me to sketch out the true nature of spiritual prosperity ; or discover 
 what is that solid ground for rejoicing, which the oracles of God re- 
 commend." 
 
 These were the three points explained and enforced in 
 Hervey's pungent and scorching letter, sent to the clerical 
 sycophant, who, because the sinners, in his crowded church, 
 were fashionable ones, imitated, not the honest Baptist of 
 Scripture history, but the dangerous Syren of ancient my- 
 thology, and flattered the rich and elegantly dressed "children 
 of wrath " who sat before him, instead of reproving their sins, 
 and proclaiming their danger. Hervey was still young in 
 years ; but the unfaithful preacher deserved all he got. 
 
 This was not the only rebuke which Hervey administered 
 during his brief residence in the gay city of the west. At 
 this period, Bath was, perhaps, the most fashionable place in 
 Great Britain ; and the most renowned man in Bath was 
 Richard, commonly called " Beau," Nash. Four years before, 
 this accomplished rake had endeavoured to prevent Wesley 
 preaching in the city where, by a sort of general consent, he 
 acted as the king of all the fops and fashionables there 
 assembled ; but Nash was not a match for the poor, persecuted 
 Methodist ; and, smarting from Wesley's keen retort, and 
 stung by an old woman's taunts, was glad to sneak away 
 from a scene of conflict of his own creating. Beau Nash was 
 still in power ; and now young Hervey addressed to him the 
 following faithful, and caustic letter, — 
 
 " Sir, — This comes from your sincere friend, and one, who has your 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 233 
 
 best interest deeply at heart. It comes on a design altogether important, j^.-, 
 
 and of no less consequence than your everlasting happiness ; so that, it may 
 
 justly challenge your careful regard. It is not to upbraid or reproach, ^^^ ^9 
 much less to triumph and insult over your misconduct. No ; it is pure 
 benevolence, — it is disinterested good-will which prompts me to write ; 
 so that, I hope, I will not raise your resentment. However, be the issue 
 what it will, I cannot bear to see you walk in the paths that lead to death, 
 without warning you of your danger, — without sounding in your ears the 
 awful admonition, ' Return and live ; — for why will you die ?' I beg of 
 you to consider, whether you do not, in some measure, resemble those 
 accursed children of Eli, whom, though they were famous in their 
 generation, and men of renown, yet, vengeance suffered not to live. For 
 my part, I may safely use the expostulation of the old priest, — ' Why do 
 you such things 1 For I hear of your evil dealings by all this people ; nay, 
 my brother, for it is no good report I hear ; you make the Lord's people to 
 transgress.' 
 
 " I have long observed and pitied you : and a most melancholy 
 spectacle, I lately beheld, made me resolve to caution you, lest you also 
 come into the same condemnation. 
 
 " I was, not long since, called to visit a poor gentleman, erewhile of the 
 most robust body and gayest temper I ever knew; but, when I visited 
 him, oh ! how was the glory departed from him ! I found him no more 
 that sprightly and vivacious son of joy which he used to be; but languish- 
 ing, pining away, and withering under the chastising hand of God : his 
 limbs feeble and trembling ; his countenance forlorn and ghastly ; and the 
 little breath he had left sobbed out in sorrowful sighs ; his body hastening 
 apace to the dust, to lodge in the silent grave, the land of darkness and 
 desolation; his soul just going to God who gave it, preparing itself to 
 wing its way to its long home, to enter upon an unchangeable and eternal 
 state. When I was come up into his chamber, and had seated myself 
 on his bed, he first cast a most wishful look upon me, and then began, as 
 well as he was able, to speak. ' Oh ! that I had been wise, that I had 
 
 known this, that I had considered my latter end ! Ah ! Mr. H y, 
 
 death is knocking at my doors ; in a few hours more, I shall draw my 
 last gasp, and, then, judgment, the tremendous judgment ! How shall I 
 appear, unprepared as I am, before the all-knowing and Omnipotent 
 God? How shall I endure the day of His coming?' When I mentioned, 
 aniong other things, that strict holiness which he had formerly so lightly 
 esteemed, he replied, with a hasty eagerness, ' Oh ! that holiness is the 
 only thing I now long for. I have not words to tell you how highly 
 I value it. I would gladly part with all my estate, large as it is, or 
 a world, to obtain it. Now my benighted eyes are enlightened. I clearly 
 discern the things that are excellent. What is there in the place whither 
 I am going but God? Or what is there to be desired on earth but 
 religion ?' But, if this God should restore you to health, said I, think you 
 that you would alter your former course? ' I call heaven and earth to 
 witness,' said he, ' I would labour for holiness as I shall soon labour for 
 life. As for riches and pleasures and the applauses of men, I account 
 
234 R^'^- y Clones Hervey, 
 
 1742 them as dross and dung; no more to my happiness than the feathers that 
 
 he on the floor. Oh! if the righteous Judge would try me once more; 
 
 Age 29 if He would but reprieve and spare me a-little longer; — in what a spirit 
 would I spend the remainder of my days ! I would know no other 
 business, aim at no other end, than perfecting myself in holiness. What- 
 ever contributed to that, — every means of grace, — every opportunity of 
 spiritual improvement, — should be dearer to me than thousands of gold 
 and silver. But alas! why do I amuse myself with fond imaginations? 
 The best resolutions are now insignificant, because they are too late. 
 The day in which I should have worked is over and gone ; and I see a 
 ' sad horrible night approaching, bringing with it the blackness of darkness 
 
 for ever. Heretofore, (woe is me !) when God called, I refused; when He 
 invited, I was one of them that made excuse ; now, therefore, I receive 
 the reward of my deeds. Tearfulness and trembling are come upon me. 
 I smart ; I am in anguish already ; and yet this is but the beginning of 
 sorrows ! It doth not yet appear what I shall be ; — but sure I shall be 
 ruined, undone, and destroyed with an everlasting destruction.' 
 
 " This sad scene I saw with my eyes ; these words, and many more 
 equally affecting, I heard with my ears ; and soon after attended the 
 unhappy gentleman to his tomb. The poor breathless skeleton spoke in 
 such an accent, and with so much earnestness, that I could not easily 
 forget him or his words ; and, as I was musing upon this sorrowful 
 subject, I remembered Mr. Nash; — I remembered you, sir; — for I dis- 
 cerned too near an agreement and correspondence between the deceased 
 and yourself They are alike, said I, in their ways ; and what shall 
 hinder them from being alike in their end.? The course of their actions 
 was equally full of sin and folly; and why should not the period of them 
 be equally full of horror and distress ? I am grievously afraid for the 
 survivor, least, as he lives the life, so he should die the death of this 
 wretched man, and his latter end should be like his. 
 
 " For this cause, therefore, I take my pen, to advise, — to admonish, — 
 nay, to request of you to repent while you have opportunity, if happily 
 you may find grace and forgiveness. Yet a moment, and you may die : 
 yet a little while, and you wiist die ; and will you go down with infamy 
 and despair to the grave, rather than depart in peace, and with hopes 
 full of immortality ? 
 
 " But I must tell you plainly, sir, with the utmost freedom, that, your 
 present behaviour is not the way to reconcile yourself to God. You are 
 so far from making atonement to offended justice, that you are aggra- 
 vating the former account, and heaping up an increase of wrath against 
 the day of wrath. For what say the Scriptures ? Those books which, at 
 the consummation of all things, the Ancient of days shall open, and judge 
 you by every jot and tittle therein — what say these sacred volumes? 
 Why, they testify and declare to every soul of man, ' That, whosoever 
 liveth in pleasure is dead while he liveth ' ; so that, so long as you roll on 
 in a continued circle of sensual delights and vain entertainments, you are 
 dead to all the purposes of piety and virtue ; you are odious to God, as a 
 corrupt carcass putrifying in the church-yard ; you are as far from doing 
 
1743 
 
 The Litej^ary Parish-Priest. 235 
 
 your duty, or working out your salvation, or restoring yourself to the 
 divine favour, as a heap of dry bones nailed up in a coffin is from vigour 
 and activity. Age 29 
 
 " Think, sir, I conjure you, think upon this, if you have any inclination 
 to escape the fire that never will be quenched. Would you be rescued 
 from the fury and fierce anger of Almighty God ? Would you be delivered 
 from weeping, and wailing, and incessant gnashing of teeth 1 Sure you 
 would ! Then, I exhort you as a friend ; I beseech you as a brother ; I 
 charge you as a messenger from the great God, in His own most solemn 
 words : ' Cast away from you your transgressions ; make you a new heart 
 and a new spirit ; so iniquity shall not be your ruin.' 
 
 " Perhaps you may be disposed to contemn this and its serious import, 
 or to recoinmend it to your companions as a fit subject for raillery ; but, 
 let me tell you beforehand, that for this, as well as for other things, God 
 will bring you into judgment. He sees me now write. He will observe 
 you while you read. He notes down my words in His book. He will 
 note down your consequent procedure. So that, not upon me, but, upon 
 your own self, will the neglecting or despising of my sayings turn. ' If 
 thou be wise, thou shalt be wise for thyself ; if thou scornest, thou alone 
 shalt bear it.' 
 
 "Be not concerned, sir, to know my name. It is enough that you will 
 know this hereafter. Tarry but a little, till the Lord, even the most 
 mighty God, shall call the heaven from above, and the earth, that He 
 may judge His people, and then you will see me face to face. There shall 
 I be ready, at the dread tribunal, to joy and rejoice with you, if you re- 
 gard my admonitions, and live ; or to be— what God prevent — by not 
 inclining your heart to receive this friendly admonition." 
 
 This was plain dealing ; but was greatly needed. To write 
 such a letter, to such a man, — an accomplished gallant, exer- 
 cising sovereignty over nearly all the fashionable residents 
 of a gambling, dissipated city, — required no ordinary courage 
 in a young clergyman, who had not yet attained his thirtieth 
 year. How it was received, and what were its effects, we are 
 left to guess ; but it is a curious fact, that, it was not de- 
 stroyed, but was found among Nash's papers after his 
 decease. 
 
 Leaving Bath, Hervey, in October, 1743, became curate to 
 his father, at Weston-Favel, a small village of three or four 
 hundred inhabitants, near Northampton ; and here, in this 
 rural seclusion, he continued to reside (with the exception 
 of a short interval) until his death, in 1758. 
 
 His pastoral duties were comparatively light ; but his time 
 was not unoccupied. Compared with the career of Wesley and 
 Whitefield, who were living a rough, itinerant life, this settle- 
 
236 Rev. y antes Hcrvey, 
 
 1745 rnent of Hervey was a perfect contrast ; but, it must be borne 
 . in mind, that, Hervey was physically unfit for the out-door 
 
 preaching, which his two old Oxford friends were practising. 
 His voice was unsuitable for such exercises. The exposure 
 to rain, frost, and snow, would have made his brief life 
 briefer still. Besides, the delicate gentleness of his nature 
 totally disqualified him for encountering the hardships, 
 privations, and persecutions of Wesley and Whitefield's 
 wandering life. It would be hasty to say, that, he was 
 lacking in faith, love, zeal, prayer, and religious energy. He 
 possessed all .these in a far more than ordinary degree. In 
 this respect he had but few equals, and scarcely any superiors. 
 The spirit was willing, but the flesh was weak. To imitate 
 Wesley, Whitefield, Grimshaw, Berridge, was simply im- 
 possible ; but Hervey did all he could. He most con- 
 scientiously cared for the souls of his handful of parishioners ; 
 and as conscientiously employed his leisure, not only in 
 writing long religious letters to his absent friends, but, in 
 composing books, which, as every one admits, breathe the 
 devoutest piety, and which have been read, with pleasure and 
 with profit, by thousands belonging to each successive genera- 
 tion during the last hundred and twenty years. Hervey's 
 life was not a failure, because the last fifteen years of it 
 were spent in a secluded country village. 
 
 Apart from his ministerial duties, the first labour to which 
 his attention was devoted, after his settlement at Weston- 
 Favel, was the finishing and the publication of the well-known 
 works begun in Devonshire, namely, " Meditations among the 
 Tombs," and " Reflections on a Flower Garden." Hence the 
 following : — 
 
 "At Mr. Thomas Hervey's, in Basinghall Street, 
 
 " London, May 23, 1745, 
 
 " Dear Mr. , — You will be surprised when you observe the place 
 
 from whence this letter is dated. Prevailed on by the kind solicitations 
 of my friends, I have taken a trip to London, where I propose to continue 
 about a fortnight. 
 
 "Your last two favours I received together. I thank you for the 
 specimen of types. I hope better paper is intended to be used, than 
 that whereon the types were printed ; which I think coarse and slovenly. 
 I am most inclined to send abroad the pieces in a matrimonial state : I 
 mean^ not in separate pamphlets, but united in a volume. They seem to 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 237 
 
 be a contrast to each other, and may, perhaps, mutually recommend one 
 another. Probably the ' Meditations among the Tombs ' may carry too '_Zl 
 doleful an aspect ; and, if not enlivened a little with the brighter scenes Age 3 r 
 of ' The Garden,' may terrify the reader, and create disgust. I shall take 
 an opportunity of talking with Mr. Richardson on this affair ; and shall, 
 if he takes the trouble of perusing it, put one of the letters into his hands: 
 though it must be the mourning piece, because I have no copy of the 
 gayer essay, but what is in shorthand. What you hint at, with regard 
 to the largeness of the character, that old and enfeebled eyes may be able 
 to read it, is perfectly right. I shall desire that this suggestion may be 
 observed. 
 
 " I hope your ingenious friend has examined the piece, with a kind 
 severity, by this time. It will be a favour if you will give me a line while 
 I abide in the city ; and a greater, if you will inform me of Mr. S — h — m's 
 opinion, and transmit me some of his remarks. Before I sent the 
 ' Reflections ' to Bath, Mr. Payne, brother to our old acquaintance, gave 
 them a reading. He frankly acquainted me, in a letter, both with what 
 he liked, and what he disapproved of. He advised me to expunge the 
 long note relating to Mr. Pope's opinion.^ He is a Fellow of King's 
 College, and a very ingenious scholar. Upon the whole, he declared 
 himself pleased with the performance, and marked out several places that 
 struck his fancy in a peculiar manner. 
 
 " My heart's desire and prayer to God is, that it may be, in some 
 degree, serviceable to the interests of religion : which end, of all others 
 most desirable and important, if it may be so happy as to promote, I 
 shall rejoice in the publication. Otherwise, may Providence, which 
 discerns the remotest consequences of every transaction, not give it an 
 imprimatur. 
 
 " I have no motto for the thoughts among the tombs." Does any fine 
 passage, from the ancients or moderns, proper to introduce and give 
 credit to such serious remarks, occur to your mind ? 
 
 " Now, perhaps, you will expect to hear how 1 proceed in London. I 
 intend, sir, to see and hear as much as I possibly can, in the space 
 allotted for my stay. I have thoughts of going, incog., to the places of 
 teaching and worship, frequented by persons of every denomination. 
 ' Try all things,' is the Apostle's permission ; ' Hold fast that which is 
 good,' is his direction. I shall indulge myself in the one ; may I be 
 enabled to put in practice the other ! 
 
 " I beheve it will be my most prudent course not to visit a certain lady. 
 If I debar myself that pleasure, it will be entirely owing to an appre- 
 
 ' This was left out in the first edition, but inserted in subsequent 
 ones. It was a long, but irrelevant comment, on a verse by Pope, in- 
 scribed on the monument of Dr. Stonehouse's wife, in Northampton 
 church. 
 
 - The motto afterwards selected was : " Every stone that we look upon, 
 in this repository of past ages, is both an entertainment and a monitor." 
 ("Plain Dealer," vol. i., No. 42.) 
 
238' Rev. yamcs Hervey, 
 
 J y rr tension of wounding my own ease and tranquility. Who knows wHat 
 
 — impressions may be made by an amiable person and engaging behaviour, 
 
 ^Z^ 3^ heightened by the exercise of good sense, and completed by an apparent 
 
 regard for religion and eternity ? Indeed, sir, I must own, my heart is 
 
 not proof against such charms. 
 
 " Since I wrote the preceding, I have heard our old acquaintance.' He 
 preached upon, ' The gift of the Holy Ghost :' showed what fruits it 
 produced in the heart and life ; then applied the whole by way of 
 examination, in a searching and very forcible manner. May I never 
 forget what was uttered this night ! Might 1 but experience it, I should 
 bless the day in which I was born. I have room to add no more, than 
 
 my service to Mrs. ; and that the favour must be speedy, if you 
 
 intend me a letter while in London. 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 "J. Hervey."! 
 
 An extract from another letter, on the same subject, may 
 not be unacceptable. Probably it was addressed to Dr. 
 Doddridge. 
 
 " Weston- Favel, Nov. 16, 1745. 
 
 Sir, — It is not easy to express the satisfaction, I received from your 
 agreeable and useful conversation this afternoon. I rejoice to find that 
 there are gentlemen of genius, learning, and politeness, who dare profess 
 a supreme value for the Scriptures, and are not ashamed of the cross 
 of Christ. 
 
 " This brings the dedication and the preface, which are to introduce a 
 little essay, entitled, ' Meditations among the Tombs,' and 'Reflections on 
 a Flower Garden,' in two letters to a lady. I hope, sir, in consequence of 
 your kind promise, you will please to peruse them with the file in your 
 hand. The severity of the critic, and the kindness of the friend, in this 
 case, will be inseparable. The evangelical strain, I believe, must be 
 preserved ; because, otherwise, the introductory thoughts will not harmonize 
 with the subsequent, the porch will be unsuitable to the building. But, if 
 you perceive any meanness of expression, any quaintness of sentiment, or 
 any other impropriety and inelegance, I shall acknowledge it as a very 
 singular favour, if you will be so good as to discover and correct such 
 blemishes. 
 
 " I hope, sir, my end in venturing to publish is a hearty desire to serve, 
 in some little degree, the interests of Christianity, by endeavouring to set 
 some of its most important truths in a light that may both entertain and 
 edify. As I profess this view, I am certain, your affectionate regard for 
 the most excellent religion imaginable, will incline you to be concerned 
 for the issue of such an attempt ; and, therefore, to contribute to its 
 success, both by bestowing your animadversions upon these small parts, 
 
 ' Probably Wesley, who was now in London. Whitefield was in 
 America. 
 
 ' Gospel Magazine, 1771, p. 176. 
 
' The Litei'ary Parish-Priest. 239 
 
 and by speaking of the whole (when it shall come abroad) with all that \-i±(y 
 
 candour which is natural to the Christian, and will be so greatly needed 
 
 by this new adventurer in letters, who is, etc., Age 3- 
 
 "J. Hervey." 
 
 Hervey's book, referred to in these letters, was published in 
 1746, the size, 8vo., the pages, 216. The lady to whom it 
 was dedicated was the daughter of his friend, the Rev. Mr. 
 Thompson, Vicar of St. Gennys, Cornwall. The book is too 
 well known to render an account of its contents necessary ; 
 but a brief extract from the preface will show the objects 
 at which he aimed. 
 
 " The first of these occasional Meditations begs leave to remind my 
 readers of their latter end ; and would invite them to set, not their houses 
 only, but, which is inexpressibly more needful, their souls in order ; that 
 they may be able, through all the intermediate stages, to look forward 
 upon their approaching exit, without any anxious apprehension. 
 
 " The other attempts to sketch out some little traces of the All-sufficiency 
 of our Redeemer, for the grand and gracious purposes of our everlasting 
 salvation; that a sense of His unutterable dignity and infinite perfections 
 may incite us to regard Him with sentiments of the most profound 
 veneration, to long for an assured interest in His merits, and to trust 
 in His powerful mediation, with an affiance not to be shaken by any 
 temptation, not to be shared with any performances of our own." 
 
 During the year 1746, Hervey wrote to a friend several long 
 and very valuable letters on the doctrine of the Trinity. These 
 may be found in his collected works, and are well worth 
 reading. He also, as Was his usage, carried on an exten- 
 sive correspondence concerning experim.ental and practical 
 religion ; and his letters, belonging to this class, though oc- 
 casionally verbose and fanciful, are characterized by the devout- 
 est piety. None but a godly man could have written them ; 
 and none but godly people will peruse them. Many of them 
 are almost little sermons, and all of them are rich in religious 
 truth. In the days of penny postage, letters like these are 
 rarely written ; and it is greatly to be feared, that, English 
 biographers in future centuries, will find a vexatious lack of 
 biographical material belonging to this. People are too busy 
 to write long letters ; and, were it otherwise, the removal of 
 the heavy postage of olden times has taken away one of the 
 chief stimulants to make a letter longer than the pressing 
 necessities of the case demand. Besides, locomotion is now 
 
240 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1746 so easy, cheap, and rapid, that friends, instead of sending 
 y^~^2 their secrets to each other, in a written form, prefer to make 
 a railway trip, and to tell them viva voce. Things were widely 
 different a hundred years ago ; and, hence, the extensiveness, 
 richness, the fulness, and detail, the confidential gossip, and 
 the heart-outpourings found in the correspondence of our 
 English ancestors. They wrote letters : their grandsons send 
 telegrams. The letters are of the greatest use to those who 
 wish to become biographers. The telegrams are usually 
 burnt as soon as they are read. In former days, letters were 
 too long, interesting, and valuable to be destroyed. At the 
 present day, they are too brief and common-place, to be 
 worth preserving. The results of such a change in the episto- 
 lary habits of the people, are not felt at present ; but they will 
 be bitterly lamented in the approaching future. 
 
 Not to mention other distinguished men belonging to 
 the past, the most eminent of the Oxford Methodists all 
 excelled in epistolary correspondence. Wesley's collected 
 works alone contain nine hundred and twenty-three of his 
 private letters ; Whitefield's works, when published, even 
 more than a hundred years ago, contained one thousand four 
 hundred and sixty-five ; while the works of short-lived Hervey, 
 by far the longest letter writer of the three, contain two 
 hundred and nine, to all of which must be added hundreds 
 more, published in other forms. 
 
 In a book like this, it is impracticable to do more than 
 very sparingly employ such copious materials ; and nearly 
 all that is attempted, in the case of Hervey, is to give only 
 extracts containing incidents. These, however, shall be as 
 exhaustive as possible. Proceeding on this plan, the following 
 belong to the year when Hervey first became an author. 
 
 Hervey's charity to the poor was only limited by his means, 
 and even such a limit was sometimes overstepped. At Bide- 
 ford, for instance, such was his unbounded benevolence, that, 
 to prevent embarrassment, his friends practised upon him the 
 innocent deception of borrowing his money when he received 
 his salary, lest he should disperse it all in benefactions ; and 
 then repaying it as his necessities required. All the profits of 
 his ' Meditations,' amounting to £700 pounds, he distributed 
 in charitable donations ; and directed that any profit, arising 
 
The Literary Parish- Priest. 241 
 
 from the sale of his books after his decease, should be used in '746 
 the same manner. Age 3: 
 
 " This," said he, "I have devoted to God. I will, on no account, apply 
 it to any worldly uses. I write, not for profit, nor fame, but, to serve the 
 cause of God ; and as He hath blessed my attempt, I think myself bound 
 to relieve the distresses of my fellow-creatures with the profits that 
 come from this quarter." 
 
 The following extract is in harmony with this : — 
 
 " Weston-Favel, Feb. 2, 1746. 
 
 " Dear Mr. W , — Your spouse informed me, you were concerned, 
 
 that the little money, I left in your hands, had not been'remitted to me ; 
 but, dear sir, I am glad on this account. If it may be the means of 
 cherishing one of the least of our Redeemer's brethren, I rejoice that it 
 has not been returned. 
 
 " You did right in delivering a guinea to Mrs. Williams, for the benefit 
 of poor widow Cole. If Molly Lake, or Betty Peak, are in want, by 
 all means, let them be relieved. Tell them, I present them each with 
 a crown ; and bid them think, if a poor mortal, a wretched sinner, is 
 so ready to help them, according to his ability, how much more ready 
 is the infinitely compassionate Saviour of the world to pity all their 
 miseries, and comfort them in all their troubles. Were it in my power, I 
 would willingly do more for them ; but let them remember that the power 
 of the blessed Jesus knows no limits. Oh, it is impossible to imagine how 
 rich our Divine Master is in goodness, and how mighty in power !" ^ 
 
 Every one knows that, in 1745, England was thrown into 
 a state of the utmost excitement, by the landing of Charles 
 Edward Stuart, and his Scotch and Irish adherents, and 
 by the futile march to Manchester, and subsequent retreat to 
 CuUoden. The following refers to this and other matters : — 
 
 " Weston-Favel, Feb. 9, 1746. 
 
 " Thanks to you, dear sir, for your kind wishes. Blessed be the Divine 
 Providence ! I am now able to inform you, that what you wished is accom- 
 plished. I have had one of the most agreeable losses I ever met with. I 
 have lost my indisposition, and am, in a manner, quite well. 
 
 " I congratulate you, sir, and rtiy country, on the good news received 
 from the north. 
 
 " How do you like Stackhouse's History of the Bible ? I am sure, he has 
 one advantage superior to all the historians of the world, namely, that, the 
 facts, which he relates, are more venerable for their antiquity, more admir- 
 able for their grandeur, and more important on account of their universal 
 
 ^ Evangelical Magazine, 1802, p. 393. 
 
 R 
 
242 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1746 usefulness. The Scriptures are finely calculated to furnish the most 
 
 exquisite entertainment to the imagination, from those three principal 
 
 ^ ^" sources, mentioned by Mr. Addison, — the great, the beautiful, and the 
 new." 
 
 The next was written to his Cornish friend, the Rev. Mr. 
 Thompson, of St. Gennys, — a gentleman possessed of con- 
 siderable property, and whose family seat was at Brynsworthy, 
 near Barnstaple, in Devonshire. 
 
 "Weston, J^u7!e 28, 1746. 
 
 "Dear Mr. Thompson, — Your last gave me hopes of the speedy 
 receipt of another letter ; in pleasing expectation of which, I have waited 
 thus long. But now my pen refuses to be restrained, and, therefore, writes 
 to the friend whom its master honours, and loves from his very soul. 
 
 " I presume, this will find you at Brynsworthy, that agreeable seat, where, 
 three years ago, I passed several delightful weeks. Oh ! when shall I spend 
 my hours of conversation so much to my improvement ! 
 
 " I very much want to know something relating to the condition and 
 conduct of my old acquaintance. When were you at the Abbey ?^ When 
 did you favour Bideford with your company? How goes on the good 
 cause among the people lately committed to my care? How are your 
 
 lectures prospered at your own and Mr. B 's Churches?^ Have you 
 
 heard of Mr. S ? Where is he settled, and how does he proceed? 
 
 Is Mr. W 's abode in your parts ? I hope, his manner of life answers 
 
 your expectations of him ; and, I hope, your acts of kindness and words 
 of exhortation have not been in vain. Have you received any tidings of, 
 or from, Mr. Walker ? 
 
 " One more question permit me to ask, and I have done with my inter- 
 rogatories. Did not a certain Cornish clergyman take a journey to Exeter 
 some time ago, on a very particular occasion ? Was he not summoned to 
 appear before the bishop of the diocese, in order to give an account of his 
 behaviour and zeal ? 
 
 "If you have any knowledge of this remarkable affair, (and I beheve it 
 will be impossible to apply to one who knows it more perfectly), be pleased 
 to favour me with a narrative of its occasion, its circumstances, and its 
 issue. I imagine an answer to this one query, will furnish materials for a 
 very long letter.^ 
 
 ' The seat of Hervey's friend, Mr. Orchard. 
 " Doubtless, the Rev. Mr. Bennet, of Tresmere. 
 ^ Mr. Thompson, though not an Oxford Methodist, had begun to preach 
 the Methodist doctrine of salvation by faith, and had received Charles 
 Wesley, with open arms, at St. Gennys. He had allowed the branded 
 itinerant to preach twice in his parish church, and had kept him company 
 on a preaching excursion to Penryn, Gwennap " Pit," and other places. 
 In Mr. Bennet's Church, at Tresmere, a strange scene had been witnessed. 
 Charles Wesley was the preacher, and, on his declaring, that, by " harm- 
 less diversions," he had been " kept dead to God, asleep in the devil's 
 
The Literary Parish- Priest. 243 
 
 " We had this week a very heavy storm of rain, attended with a sur- j ^ ,5 
 
 prising darkness, awful thunders, and fierce hghtnings. At a celebrated 
 
 fair, that was held upon a spacious common in this neighbourhood, several -^S^ 3^ 
 persons were struck down with the flashes, and one poor man, with two 
 horses, killed upon the spot. 
 
 " I congratulate you, dear sir, and my country in general, on the late 
 most important and happy victory obtained by the gallant Duke of 
 Cumberland. We can never be sufficiently thankful to the God of the 
 armies of Israel for turning the scale of war in our favour at that ever- 
 memorable event.^ 
 
 " My Httle piece, entitled ' Meditations among the Tombs ' and ' Re- 
 flections on a Flower Garden,' has been published a considerable time.^ 
 I have taken the liberty to dedicate it to Miss R. Thompson ; and, was 
 I near, or had I the opportunity of conveyance, would desire Miss C. 
 Thompson to accept one of the books. The thing, I am told, finds 
 acceptance with the public, greater indeed than I durst expect. Mr. 
 Richardson, the author of ' Pamela,' is my printer. Seven hundred and 
 fifty copies are struck off; the printer and writer are joint adventurers 
 with regard to pecuniary advantages, if any such should accrue from the 
 sale. If, at some leisure moment, you should happen to cast a glance 
 upon the lines, mark, dear sir, their blemishes, correct their improprieties, • 
 and improve them into a greater neatness, in case a second edition should 
 be demanded. O may they tend, in some small degree, to awaken my 
 readers into a serious concern for their eternal state, and lead their minds 
 unto the Rock of ages, the Hope of all the ends of the earth, Jesus Christ ! 
 May they, under the propitious influence of grace, answer this desirable 
 end ; or else let them share the fate of literary rubbish, and be swept away 
 into utter oblivion ! 
 
 " Be pleased to make my most respectful and affectionate compliments 
 acceptable to Mrs. Thompson. I wish Miss Thompson may be a living 
 picture of that amiable and virtuous woman, whose price is above rubies. 
 If your trusty friend, Mr. B (ennet) is with you, pray tell him I love 
 him, because he loves Mr. Thompson. 
 
 " Should you inquire after my state, you will find a description of it, 
 Judges viii. 4 — ' Faint, yet pursuing.' Cease not, dear sir, to pray, that, 
 the hands which hang down may be lifted up, and the feeble knees 
 strengthened, to walk in the way everlasting. 
 
 " In your last, you inquired after a very holy woman, whose name is 
 Mary. I have asked Dr. Doddridge about her. He declined giving me 
 
 arms, secure in a state of damnation for eighteen years," Mr. Merriton, 
 one of his travelling companions, added aloud, "And I for twenty-five ;" 
 "And I," cried Mr. Thompson, "for thirty-five;" "And I," said Mr. 
 Bennet, " for above seventy." This was quite enough to expose Thomp- 
 son to the ecclesiastical anger of the bishop of the diocese. 
 ' The battle at Culloden. 
 ' His "Descant on Creation,'.' also was pubhshed in 1746. It is so 
 well kiiown as not to need further notice. 
 
244 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1746 3^ particular account of her intercourse with heaven, and only said, that, 
 — she was a very sincere and devout soul, but somewhat addicted to chi- 
 ȣ 32 ixierical and extravagant imaginations. The Doctor desired me to trans- 
 mit his cordial good wishes and service to yourself and spouse. 
 
 " Let it not be long before dear Mr. Thompson, with a letter, delights, 
 animates, and comforts, his most obliged and affectionate friend, 
 
 "James Hervey." 
 
 The success of the " Meditations and Reflections " was 
 such, as to encourage Hervey to attempt another work of 
 the same description. Hence, the following letter, probably 
 addressed either to his friend Dr. Doddridge or Dr. Stone- 
 house : — 
 
 " Weston- Favel, A^^^/. i, 1746, 
 
 " Dear Sir, — This morning, I received your favour. The day lowers, 
 and threatens rain, which debars me from the pleasure of paying you my 
 thanks in person. 
 
 " Mr. Huygens^ I hope to read very carefully; but, I believe, it will be 
 proper to take heed of adopting into my plans any notions that are difficult 
 and abstruse. I would have everything so perspicuous, that, the dimmest 
 understanding may apprehend my meaning ; so obvious, that, he who runs 
 may read. Let me lay before you a little sketch of my design, with a re- 
 quest, that, you would alter the general order, and make retrenchments, or 
 additions of particular incidents, as you shall think most expedient. 
 
 " A contemplative walk. The approach of evening, and gradual extinc- 
 tion of light. The advantages of solitude. The stillness of the universe. 
 The coolness of the atmosphere. Darkness, and its usefulness to man- 
 kind. Sleep, and its beneficial effects. Dreams, and their extravagance. 
 A glow-worm glimmering. An owl shrieking. A nightingale singing. 
 The very different circumstances of mankind ; some revelling and carous- 
 ing ; some agonizing and dying ; A knell sounding ; The notion of ghosts 
 walking ; The moon, with its various appearances, and serviceableness to 
 our globe ; — the heavenly bodies — their number, size, courses, distances, 
 — display many of the glorious attributes of their Creator ; some of which 
 are specified. They teach nothing of redemption ; this, the peculiar pre- 
 rogative of revelation — Christ, the day-star from on high, that points out, 
 and makes clear the way of salvation. 
 
 " These are some of the subjects which, I imagined, might be admitted 
 into the composition of a Night-piece. If others occur to your mind more 
 pleasing, or more striking, be pleased to suggest them. 
 
 " I am glad to find, by the quotation from Mr. Locke, that your esteem 
 and veneration for the Scriptures are on the increasing hand. May we be 
 persuaded, even more and more, of the incomparable excellency of those 
 sacred volumes ! This one consideration, that they are the Book of God, 
 
 The eminent mathematician and astronomer. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest, 245 
 
 is a higher recommendation of them, than could be displayed in ten thou- I'ji,'] 
 
 sand panegyi'ic orations. For my part, I purpose to addict myself, with 
 
 more incessant assiduity, to this delightful and Divine study. Away, my ^ ■'-' 
 Homer ! I have no more need of being entertained by you, since Job and 
 the prophets furnish me with images much more magnificent, and lessons 
 infinitely more important. Away, my Horace ! Nor shall I suffer any 
 loss by your absence, while the sweet singer of Israel tunes his lyre, and 
 charms me with the finest flights of fancy, and inspirits me with the 
 noblest strains of devotion. And even my prime favourite, my Virgil, 
 may withdraw ; since, in Isaiah, I enjoy all his majesty of sentiment, all 
 
 his correctness of judgment, all his beautiful propriety of diction, and 
 
 But I must have done. The messenger waits ; he can stay no longer, 
 than barely to allow me leisure to subscribe myself, dear sir, etc., 
 
 "J. Hervey." 
 
 While Hervey was thus occupied in literary pursuits, he 
 was neither unmindful of his flock, nor of the general claims 
 of Christian charity. Among other public institutions in 
 which he felt deeply interested, the county hospital of North- 
 ampton was not the least important. In a letter, apparently 
 to Dr. Stonehouse, he writes : — 
 
 " Weston-Favel, November 22, 1 746. 
 " Dear Sir, — I heartily applaud the zeal you show for the spiritual 
 welfare of the patients. The infirmary would be an inestimable blessing, 
 if it might be productive of a reformation in the persons whom it admits 
 and discharges. As distressed objects will, in all probability, resort to it 
 from all parts of the county, a change wrought in their hearts, and a 
 renewal begun in their lives, might be a happy means of diffusing religion 
 far and near. I hope the clergy, concerned in the management, will 
 concur in the prosecution of so desirable an end. I wish some proper 
 scheme was contrived for this, in which I might bear some little part, 
 without giving umbrage to my brethren, or alarming their jealousy. I 
 have thought of offering to give the patients a kind of lecture or exhorta- 
 tion once a week ; but, sometimes doubtful whether such a proposal 
 would meet with acceptance, and sometimes checked by the infirmities of 
 my constitution, I have hitherto neglected to mention the affair. How- 
 ever, I now venture to submit it to your consideration. To this, or any 
 other more advisable method, I should very readily contribute the best of 
 my assistance." 
 
 In 1747, Hervey joined himself to a society, whose object 
 was that of reading together the Old Testament in English, 
 and the New Testament in Greek. This assembly, which 
 was not to " consist of more than ten or twelve individuals, 
 lest an increased number should produce confusion or dissen- 
 sions," met on the first Tuesday morning in every month, 
 
246 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 \j^j and, oddly enough, in different inns, agreed upon, from time 
 Ao~-'T to time, by the majority. Each member was chairman of the 
 meetings, in alphabetical succession, and read a chapter out 
 of each of the two Testaments, pausing at the end of every 
 verse for inquiries and reflections. Every one also was ex- 
 pected to give an account of some religious book, which had 
 been read by him since the last time of meeting ; all dined 
 together, at the expense of eighteen-pence a head ; and each 
 one subscribed half a crown a month for charitable uses. The 
 meetings, including an hour for dinner, lasted seven hours in 
 the summer season, and six in winter. Hervey drew up two 
 beautiful forms of prayer, to be used by the respective mem- 
 bers, before and after they came together. The society was 
 unique, but useful. None but gentlemen of social position 
 and of good education were qualified for admission ; and it 
 was certainly to the honour of the neighbourhood in which 
 Hervey lived, that, in that age of fox-hunting, carousing, and 
 roistering, such an assembly was formed. 
 
 Meanwhile, Hervey was busily occupied in completing his 
 " Contemplations on the Night " ; and also in publishing a 
 second edition of the volume which he had issued in 1746. 
 References to these and other matters will be found in the 
 following extracts from his letters. 
 
 " Weston-Favel, iv(5r7Crtry, 1747. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — I have heard nothing from my printer during all this 
 interval. What can be the reason of his long silence and great negligence 
 I cannot imagine. But, this week, it occurred to my mind, that, if he 
 delays the second edition at this rate, I may possibly be able to prepare 
 the third letter ^ to accompany it. Accordingly, I have postponed other 
 business, and applied myself wholly to this work. I have transcribed 
 some part of the intended piece, and sent it for your perusal. Pray be so 
 good as to examine it narrowly, and favour me with your remarks and 
 improvements, on a separate paper. There are, I fear, besides more 
 material faults, several mistakes in the copy, owing to my want of leisure 
 to review it. I suppose the remainder of my design, when completed, 
 will consist of about the same number of pages. 
 
 "If I live till Monday, I propose to visit my patient at the infirmary; 
 and, if company happens to be agreeable, will take the pleasure of spend- 
 ing an hour with a certain valuable and very much esteemed friend at 
 
 ' Contemplations on the Night." 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 247 
 
 Northampton. If you are not able to guess the person I mean, you shall 1747 
 
 soon be informed by, 
 
 Dear sir, yours, etc., ^^ ^^ 
 "J. Hervey." 
 
 " Weston- Favel, April 12, 1747 
 " Dear Sir, — I have folded down a corner of the leaf at the place where 
 5^our perusal left off. There is a note or two subjoined to the preceding 
 pages, which I wish you would please to examine. My humble service to 
 Dr. . I desire He will write his remarks and corrections on a sepa- 
 rate paper. What think you of the following lines for a motto ? — 
 
 " ' Night opes the noblest scenes, and sheds an awe. 
 Which gives these venerable scenes full weight. 
 And deep impression on th' intender'd heart.' ^ 
 
 " Your plan for forming a Christian society,^ and regulating our inter- 
 views, I greatly approve. It seems to me to be complete. I heartily wish 
 to have it carried into execution, and hope it will be productive of con- 
 siderable comfort and advantage to the members ; and not to them only, 
 but, by rendering them more useful in their respective stations, to many 
 others. 
 
 " I hope you have perused the remainder of the manuscript : and can- 
 not but wish you would give the whole a second reading. The unknown 
 importance of what we print, inclines me to urge this request. Who can 
 tell how long it may continue, and into what hands it may come ? I 
 almost tremble at such a thought, lest I should write unadvisedly with 
 my pen ; and injure, instead of serve, the best of causes. 
 
 " I shall soon create you a second task, by transmitting for your cor- 
 rection, twenty folio pages of the Remarks on the Stars, and Serious 
 Improvements. 
 
 " Yours, etc., 
 
 "J. Hervey." 
 
 " June 2, r 747. 
 
 " Rev. and dear Sir, — My father is wonderfully recovered. Had 
 he lived in the times of superstition, for ought I know, his uncommon dis- 
 order might have been ascribed to witchcraft, and his speedy recovery 
 passed current for a miracle. We thought him to be on the very brink 
 of death ; but now he lives, and regains his strength daily. Last Sunday, 
 he read prayers in his church ; and intends next Sunday to fill the pulpit. 
 
 " I am just now going to our visitation, held at Northampton. I shall 
 
 * The motto really used was the following : — 
 " Night is fair Virtue's immemorial friend : 
 The conscious Moon, through every distant age, 
 Has held a lamp to Wisdom." 
 2 The society mentioned on a prevous page. 
 
248 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 1 747 appear as a stranger in our Jerusalem ! knowing few, and known by fewer. 
 
 Methinks, there is something august and venerable in a meeting of the 
 
 ^Z^ 33 clergy; especially if one looks upon them as so many agents for the 
 invisible God, and envoys from the court of heaven. I hope to be put in 
 mind of that awful day, when the Lord Jesus Christ, that great Shepherd 
 of the sheep, and Bishop of souls, will make His entrance in the clouds of 
 heaven." Etc. 
 
 "J. Hervey." 
 
 From the above, it is evident, that, though Hervey had now 
 spent several years at Weston-Favel, his acquaintance with 
 the clergy of the diocese was extremely limited. Why was 
 this .'' Was it because he lived, to a great extent, the life of a 
 literary recluse .'' Or was it because he had been a Metho- 
 dist } Or was it because of his known friendship with Dr. 
 Doddridge, the great and good Dissenter of Northampton .'* 
 Whatever the reason, the fact existed ; and, in this respect, 
 he was in the same position as his old friends Wesley, White- 
 field, and Ingham. 
 
 The next extract is valuable, and ought to be seriously 
 considered by all who are chargeable with the same criminal 
 inadvertencies. It is also a beautiful instance of Hervey's 
 extreme delicacy in administering reproof 
 
 " Weston-Favel, .Jzi!;?.? 27, 1747. 
 
 " My dear Friend, — Was it you, dear sir, or I, that, when a certain 
 passage in Scripture happened to be mentioned, treated it, not indeed 
 with contemptuous disdain, but, with too ludicrous an air ? descanted on 
 it, in a sportive and frolicsome manner, in order to create a little plea- 
 santry? If I was the person that indulged this improper levity, I beseech 
 you to rebuke me, and severely too. Though my design might be inno- 
 cent, my conduct was apparently wrong. That infinitely precious and 
 important book, should be always held in the highest veneration. What- 
 ever the Divine Spirit vouchsafes to dictate, should be thought and spoke 
 of by mortals, with gratitude, dutifulness, and awe. It is the character of 
 a religious man, that, he trembles at God's Word; and it is said of the 
 great Jehovah, that, He has magnified His name and His Word above all 
 things. 
 
 " Who was it, dear sir, that lent to our valuable friend, that vile book, 
 ' Le Sopha,' and yet wrote by Crebillon, ' with an enchanting spirit of 
 elegance, which must render the mischief palatable, and the bane even 
 delicious ? I wonder, that, your kind and benevolent heart could recom- 
 mend arsenic for a regale. It puts me in mind of the empoisoned shirt 
 
 ^ The famous French novelist, who died in 1 777. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 249 
 
 presented to Hercules. I am sure, you did not think on it, or else you 1747 
 
 would no more have transmitted such a pestilent treatise to the perusal of . 
 
 a friend, than you would transmit to him a packet of goods from a country & ^-^ 
 depopulated by the plague. If that polluting French book still remains 
 in your study, let me beg of you to make it perform quarantine in the 
 flames. 
 
 " Dear sir, bestow a thought on these things. If the remonstrances 
 are wrong, I willingly retract them ; if right, you will not pronounce me 
 impertinent. Love and friendship dictate what I write ; and the only end 
 I have in view, is the holiness, the usefulness, the happiness, the final sal- 
 vation of my much esteemed friend." 
 
 In July, 1747, Hervey completed his " Contemplations on the 
 Night," which he dedicated to the youthful son of his deceased 
 friend, Mr. Orchard, of Stoke Abbey. He was also diligently 
 occupied in the preparation of his " Contemplations on the 
 Starry Heavens," and his "Winter Piece"; hence the follow- 
 ing, from a letter by Dr. Doddridge, dated, 
 
 ">6'6, 1747. 
 "I have just been writing to my good friend, Mr. Hervey; whose 
 manuscript on The Stars, I have reviewed with pleasure. I hope it will 
 be means of raising the hearts of many above the stars ; and of fixing 
 them on Him, who is, so much more than anything material, ' The bright 
 and morning Star.' I see, in Mr. Hervey, an example of diligence, 
 humility, candour, and universal goodness, which I am sure ought to keep 
 me humble, and, I hope, in some measure, does so."^ 
 
 The next, which appears to have been sent to some friend 
 in the neighbourhood of Stoke Abbey, refers to the same 
 subject ; and also shows, that the state of Hervey's health 
 was becoming serious : — 
 
 " Weston-Favel, Atigttst 8, 1747. 
 
 " Dearest Mr. ,— " I ought to take shame to myself, for suffering 
 
 so kind a letter, received from so valuable a friend, to remain so long un- 
 answered. Upon no other consideration than that of my enfeebled and 
 languishing constitution, can I excuse myself, or hope for your pardon. 
 My health is continually upon the decline, and the springs of hfe are all 
 relaxing. Medicine is baffled, and my physician, Dr. Stonehouse, who is 
 a dear friend to his patient, and a lover of the Lord Jesus, pities, but cannot 
 succour me. This blessing, however, together with a multitude of others, 
 the Divine goodness vouchsafes, to gild the gloom of decaying nature, 
 that, I am racked with no pain, and enjoy the free, undisturbed exercise 
 of my understanding. 
 
 ^ Gospel Magazi7ic, 1771, p. 179. 
 
250 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 1 747 " I ^"^ much obliged to you for carrying my message to Stoke Abbey, 
 
 with so much speed, and conveying to me, with equal despatch, a satis- 
 
 ■^S^ ZZ factory answer. When you visit the worthy family again, be pleased to 
 inform Mr. Orchard, that the piece is sent to the press, and, after some 
 corrections made in the dedication, addressed to my godson. ^ It is my 
 humble request to him, and my earnest prayer to God, that, he may 
 regard it, not merely as a complimentary form, but as the serious and 
 pathetic advice of his father's intimate acquaintance, and his soul's sincere 
 friend; who, in all probability, will be cut off from every other oppor- 
 tunity of fulfilling his sacred engagements, and admonishing him of what- 
 ever a Christian ought to know and believe to his soul's health. 
 
 " I forget whether I told you, that, the last work will be divided into 
 two parts ; will be full as large as the first two letters ; and, therefore, the 
 whole will be disposed into two small pocket volumes, on a very neat 
 paper, with an elegant type, in duodecimo. But a convenient number of 
 the new essays will be printed in the octavo size and character, for the 
 satisfaction of those who purchased the former edition, and may possibly 
 be willing to complete their book. It was a considerable time before I 
 could think of a title for the last pieces, that suited their nature, and 
 expressed their design. At length, I have determined to style them, 
 ' Contemplations on the Night,' and ' Contemplations on the Starry 
 Heavens.' 
 
 " Now I apprehend myself to be so near the close of life, with eternity 
 full in my view, perhaps, my dear friend would be glad to know my senti- 
 ments of things in this awful situation. 
 
 " I think, then, dear sir, that, we are extremely mistaken, and sustain a 
 mighty loss in our most important interests, by reading so much, and 
 praying so little. I think also, we fail in our duty, and thwart our com- 
 fort, by studying God's Holy Word no more. I have, for my part, been 
 too fond of reading everything elegant and valuable, that has been penned 
 in our own language ; and been particularly charmed with the historians, 
 orators, and poets of antiquity. But were I to renew my studies, I would 
 take my leave of these accomplished trifles. I would resign the delights of 
 modern wit, amusement, and eloquence, and devote my attention to the 
 Scriptures of truth. I would adopt the Apostles' resolution, and give my- 
 self to prayer and to the Word. 
 
 " With regard to my public ministry, my chief aim should be, to beget 
 in my people's minds a deep sense of their depraved, guilty, undone, con- 
 dition ; and a clear believing conviction of the all-sufficiency of Christ, by 
 His blood. His righteousness. His intercession, and His Spirit, to save 
 them to the uttermost. I would always observe, to labour for them in my 
 closet, as well as in the pulpit; and wrestle in secret supphcation for 
 their spiritual and eternal welfare. For, unless God take this work into 
 His own hand, what mortal is sufficient for these things ? 
 
 "My hope, my whole hope, with regard to my future and immortal 
 state, is in the Lord Redeemer. Jesus is all my trust. His merits are my 
 
 ^ Hervey was godfather to the son of his friend, Mr. Orchard. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 251 
 
 staff, when I pass through the valley of the shadow of death. His merits j^^y 
 
 are my anchor, when I launch into the boundless ocean of eternity. 
 
 " Though the days are come upon me, in which I have reason to say of S^ 33 
 worldly things, I have no pleasure in them ; yet, I find a secret satisfaction in 
 this consideration, that, to you and to others, I may be permitted, even when 
 dead, to speak in my little treatises. May they, when the author is gone 
 hence, testify, with some small degree of efficacy, concerning Jesus ! May 
 they fan the flame of love to His person, and strengthen the principle of 
 faith in His merits ! Once more, dear sir, adieu ! 
 
 "J. Hervey." 
 
 Hervey was afiflicted in person ; he was also afflicted in the 
 sufferings of his friends. Hence the following, written in the 
 month of December, 1747. 
 
 "Your last found me on the recovering hand, getting strength and 
 spirits, though by slow degrees. Soon after I received your favour, a 
 messenger came from London, bringing us the alarming news, that my 
 youngest brother was extremely ilL My father's bowels yearned, and his 
 heart bled ; but the infirmities of age, and an unwieldy constitution, 
 hindered him from taking the journey. Upon me, therefore, the office 
 fell. Feeble and languid as I was, there was no rejecting such a call. 
 Accordingly, I took coach, and, in two days, arrived safe in London, 
 where I found my poor brother (the packer) seized with a most violent 
 fever. He was attended by two eminent physicians ; but they proved 
 vain helpers. For a considerable time, his stout constitution stmggled 
 with the disease ; but, at last, was forced to yield. After attending his 
 sick-bed for several days, I had the melancholy task of closing his dear 
 eyes, and resigning him up to death. Oh, the uncertainty of mortal 
 things ! Who could have thought that I should survive my brother ? I, 
 sickly and enervated ; he, always lively and vigorous. In flourishing 
 circumstances, and blessed with prosperity in his business ; but now 
 removed to the dark, inactive, silent tomb ! Lately married to a beautiful 
 and blooming bride, but now a companion for creeping things ! 
 
 " Scarce was I returned to Weston, but another awful Providence 
 fetched me from home. My very worthy physician, Dr. Stonehouse, who 
 lives and practises in Northampton, had the misfortune to lose an 
 amiable and excellent wife. She also was snatched away in the morning 
 of life (aged twenty-five), and dead before I so much as heard of her 
 being disordered. At this valuable friend's house, I was desired to abide 
 some time, in order to assist in writing letters for him, and dispatching 
 his necessary affairs ; in comforting him concerning the deceased, and 
 in endeavouring to improve the awakening visitation to our mutual 
 good.^ 
 
 ' Dr. Stonehouse was one of Hervey's most intimate and confidential 
 friends. For seven years, he was an infidel, and even wrote a pamphlet 
 against the Christian religion. He was brought to the obedience of the 
 
252 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1747 " You will surely say, when you read this account, that, I have been in 
 
 deaths oft : once upon the borders of it myself, and more than once a 
 
 ■^gs 33 spectator of its victory over others. 
 
 " The ' Contemplations,' you are pleased to inquire after, are, after long 
 delays, or a very slow procedure of the press, launched into the world. 
 What may be their fate, I dare not conjecture. 
 
 "J. Hervey." 
 
 Two more letters, belonging to the year 1747, must be 
 added. 
 
 The venerable Dr. Watts, in 1746, had published his 
 speculative and dangerous book, entitled, "The Glory of 
 Christ as God-Man Displayed," and had presented Hervey 
 with a copy. He was now in the last year of his life, 
 and died November 25, 1748. Hervey wrote to him as 
 follows : — 
 
 " Weston-Favel, December 10, 1747. 
 
 " Rev. and dear Sir, — Pardon me if I take leave to interrupt your 
 important studies for the good of mankind, or suspend for one moment 
 your delightful communion with the blessed God. I cannot excuse my- 
 self without expressing my gratitude for the present, by your order, lately 
 transmitted from your bookseller, which I shall always value, not only 
 for its instructive contents, but, in a very peculiar manner, for the sake of 
 the author and giver. 
 
 " To tell you, worthy doctor, that your works have long been my delight 
 and study, the favourite pattern by which I would form my conduct and 
 model my style, would be only to echo back, in the faintest accents, what 
 sounds in the general voice of the nation. Among other of your edifying 
 compositions, I have reason to thank you for your ' Sacred Songs,' which 
 I have introduced into the service of my church ; so that, in the solemni- 
 ties of the Sabbath and in a lecture on the week-day, your muse lights 
 up the incense of our praise, and furnishes our devotions with har- 
 mony. 
 
 " Our excellent friend. Dr. Doddridge, informs me of the infirm con- 
 dition of your health ; for which reason, I humbly beseech the Father of 
 spirits, and the God of our life, to renew your strength as the eagle's, and 
 to recruit a lamp that has shone with distinguished lustre in His sanctu- 
 ary : or, if this m^ay not consist with the counsels of unerring wisdom, to 
 make all your bed in your languishing, softly to untie the cords of animal 
 existence, and enable your dislodging soul to pass triumphantly through 
 
 faith by the labours of Dr. Doddridge and Hervey. After the death of 
 his wife, he entered into holy orders ; and, for many years, officiated as 
 minister in St. James's Church, Bristol. He was a man of great abihty, 
 was no mean poet, published many religious treatises, and died in 1 795, 
 full of years and honour. 
 
The Liter aiy PaiHsh-Priest, 25 
 
 JO 
 
 the valley of death, leaning on your beloved Jesus, and rejoicing in the 1747 
 greatness of His salvation. — 
 
 " You have a multitude of names to bear on your breast, and mention "^^ ^^ 
 with your lips, when you approach the throne of grace in the beneficent 
 exercise of intercession ; but none, I am sure, has more need of such an 
 interest in your supplications, none can more highly esteem it, or more 
 earnestly desire it, than, dear sir, your obliged and affectionate humble 
 servant, 
 
 " James Hervey." ^ 
 
 It Is a curious fact, that, Hervey possessed and cherished 
 the friendship of the two greatest Dissenters of the age, 
 Doctor Doddridge and Dr. Watts ; and, that, the hymns of 
 the latter, even in his hfetime, were sung in the service of an 
 estabHshed church. 
 
 For eight years, Wesley had been an itinerant preacher, 
 and had encountered an unparalleled amount of violent 
 opposition. There had been a temporary estrangement 
 between him and Whitefield, on Calvinistic doctrines ; but 
 the two were now as warmly attached to each other as ever. 
 Methodism, meanwhile, had been established in all direc- 
 tions ; and, in this very year, 1747, had been introduced 
 into Ireland. Brutal were the persecutions from which the 
 poor Methodists still had to suffer ; but their truth was 
 mighty and triumphant. Hervey had taken no part in the 
 great movement of the Wesleys and Whitefield ; but he 
 had not opposed it. Indeed, it had his sympathy and 
 prayers. His old friends occupied one sphere of Christian 
 usefulness ; he, according to his ability, occupied another. 
 Hence the following, addressed to Wesley : — 
 
 " Weston, near Northampton, 
 
 " December 30, 1747. 
 
 "Dear Sir, — With pleasure I received, and with gratitude acknowledge, 
 the favour of your two letters. That which bears the date of November 
 21, I should have answered long ago, had I not been retarded by the 
 following reason : 
 
 " I was desirous to give a proof of my love for your person and of my 
 reverence for your conduct, somewhat more substantial than the bare 
 profession of my pen. My bookseller is, this week, to pay a sum of 
 money for a second impression of my two httle pieces of devotional 
 
 ' Evangelical Magazine, iSii, p- 338. 
 
254 Rev. ymnes Hervey, 
 
 1747 meditation, which I lately ventured to pubhsh, and which God has 
 
 — vouchsafed to honour with acceptance. This is to be received by my 
 
 "■b^ 33 brother, in Miles's Lane, at whose house, if you please to call, he will, in 
 
 my name, present you with five guineas, which I beg of you to accept, as 
 
 a token of that affectionate and grateful esteem which I bear to my ever- 
 
 , valued friend ; and distribute among the indigent or distressed members 
 
 of that Divine Benefactor, who died for us both.* 
 
 " Assure yourself, dear sir, that I can never forget that tender-hearted 
 and generous Fellow of Lincoln, who condescended to take such com- 
 passionate notice of a poor undergraduate, whom almost everybody con- 
 demned, and for whose soul no man cared. 
 
 "If you ask. Why I have withdrawn into a corner, and lain hid in 
 obscurity, while God seems to be shaking the heavens and the earth, and 
 to be doing His work, His great and glorious work, of bringing sinners 
 to Christ, as the doves to their windows ? I will tell you freely. It is 
 because of an infirm constitution, a languid flow of spirits, and an ener- 
 vated state of body, which render even that small share of business, which 
 lies within my narrow sphere, too often burdensome to me, and but very 
 poorly performed by me. 
 
 " As for points of doubtful disputation, — those especially which relate 
 to particular or jniiversal redemption, — I profess myself attached neither 
 to the one nor the other. I neither think of them myself, nor preach of 
 them to others. If they happen to be started in conversation, I always 
 endeavour to divert the discourse to some more edifying topic. I have ^ 
 often observed them to breed animosity and division, but never knew 
 them to be productive of love and unanimity. I have further remarked, 
 that, in forming their sentiments on these doctrines, persons may be 
 diametrically opposite, and yet be high in the favour of God, and emi- 
 nently owned by Him in their ministry. Therefore, I rest satisfied in this 
 general and indisputable truth, that, the Judge of all the earth will 
 assuredly do right ; and whosoever cometh to Him, under the gracious 
 character of a Saviour, will in no wise be cast out. 
 
 " I embrace — readily embrace — your offer. Let me ever be reckoned 
 in the number of your friends, and often remembered in the earnestness of 
 your prayers. Though it is your distinguished province, to lift your voice 
 on high, and make the world resound with the Redeemer's name ; though 
 my employ is to catch the pleasing accents, and echo, or rather whisper, 
 them among a little circle of acquaintance, yet, I hope, we may be united 
 in the same cordial affection here, and united in the same kingdom of our 
 common Master hereafter. 
 
 " Your correspondence will be greatly esteemed, and, I hope, will prove 
 
 ' Not to mention other places, Wesley already had, in connection with 
 his Old Foundery, in London, a dispensary, a poor-house, a day-school, 
 and a lending society, to which must be added an efficient organization 
 for visiting and relieving the afflicted poor in their own houses. 
 
The Literary Parish- Priest. 255 
 
 a blessing to, dear sir, your very unworthy, but truly affectionate brother 1 748 
 and servant, ' A^-j. 
 
 '• J. Hervey." 1 *= -^"^ 
 
 Affliction was still the heritage of Hervey ; but, in the 
 midst of all, his full heart overflowed with pure benevolence, 
 and his pen was not unemployed. Having completed his 
 " Contemplations," he now devoted what health he had to the 
 revision and enlargement of his " Descant on Creation." The 
 following are extracts from letters written in the months of 
 March and April, 1748. 
 
 " If you have not so much as you wish to relieve the necessities of the 
 poor, distribute from my stock. I am cloistered up in my chamber, and 
 unacquainted with the distresses of my brethren. Lend me, therefore, 
 your eyes to discover proper objects, and your hand to deal about my 
 httle fund for charity. Do not forbid me to send a guinea in my next 
 for this purpose. Do not deny me the pleasure of becoming, through 
 your means, an instrument of some little comfort to my afflicted fellow- 
 creatures. 
 
 " Herewith comes the ' Descant ' enlarged. I hope you will be able to 
 
 read it, and not a little to improve it. Can you engage Dr. to run 
 
 it over ? I must write it over again, so fear not to erase and blot. 
 
 "A letter from my father is enough to cast contempt on created 
 things. It informs me, that, my poor sister is reduced very low, so low 
 that my father cannot hear her speak. He seems to look upon her life 
 to be in very great danger. May the Father of compassion restore her 
 health, that she may live to the honour of her dying Master, and be a 
 comfort to her afflicted parents ! " 
 
 For months after this, Hervey's health was very feeble, but 
 his soul as large as ever ; hence the following : — 
 
 Weston-Favel, Aug. 18, 1748. 
 
 " My very dear Friend,— I received your letter, full of tenderness, 
 and full of piety, last night. The very first thing I apply myself to this 
 morning, is to acknowledge your' favour, and confess my own negligence. 
 But your affectionate heart will pity rather than blame me, when I inform 
 you, that, a relapse into the disorder, of which I was never thoroughly 
 cured, has brought me very low, insomuch that I am unable either to dis- 
 charge the duties of life, or to answer the demands of friendship. I have 
 not been capable of preaching for several Sundays. Pyrmont water, ass's 
 milk, and such kind of restoratives I try, but try in vain. 
 
 You are not ignorant of my sentiment with regard to our Dissenting 
 brethren. Are we not all devoted to the same supreme Lord .'' Do we not 
 
 ^ Arminian Magazine, 1778, p. 34. 
 
256 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 J 740 all rely on the merits of the same glorious Redeemer? By professing the 
 
 same faith, the same doctrine which is according to godliness, we are 
 
 »^ 35 incorporated into the same mystical body. And how strange, how 
 unnatural it would be, if the head should be averse to the breast, or the 
 hands inveterately prejudiced against the feet, only because the one is 
 habited somewhat differently from the other? Though I am steady in my 
 attachment to the Established Church, I would have a right hand of 
 fellowship, and a heart of love, ever ready, ever open for all the upright, 
 evangelical Dissenters." 
 
 To a great extent, Hervey was now an invalid. Sometimes 
 he catechised the children on the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's 
 Prayer, and the Ten Commandments ; but confesses his want 
 of aptitude for this, and that he rarely did it so as to satisfy 
 himself. His public work, however, was extremely limited. 
 By preaching, he could do but little ; but, by his treatises, he 
 was reaching the hearts and consciences of thousands who 
 never heard his voice. In 1749, a sixth edition of his "Medi- 
 tations and Contemplations," in two volumes, ^ was published ; 
 and Whitefield wrote as follows : — ~ 
 
 "July 10, 1749. Your sentiments concerning Mr. Hervey's book are 
 very just. It has gone through six editions. The author of it is my old 
 friend, a most heavenly-minded creature, one of the first of the Methodists, 
 who is contented with a small cure, and gives all that he has to the poor. 
 He is very weak, and daily waits for his dissolution. We correspond 
 with, though we cannot see, one another. We shall, ere long, meet in 
 heaven." 
 
 In another letter, to Hervey himself, Whitefield says : — 
 
 " Blessed be God, for causing you to write so as to suit the taste of the 
 polite world ! O that they may be won over to admire Him, who is 
 indeed altogether lovely ! O when shall we get within the veil ! Thanks 
 be to God, it cannot be long. We are both sickly. Lord, give us patience 
 to wait till our blessed change come ! " 
 
 ^ London Magazine, 1749, P- 436. 
 2 Hervey's book became so popular, that, in more instances than one, 
 some parts of it were turned into poetry. The most notable instance was 
 that of Mr. T. Newcomb, M.A., who, in 1757, published " Mr. Hervey's 
 Contemplations on the Night, done into blank verse, after the manner of 
 Dr. Young." In 1764, the same gentleman published the whole of the 
 " Meditations and Contemplations," in the same form. It may be added, 
 that, the demand for the " Meditations and Contemplations" was such, 
 that, in 1764, not fewer than seventeen authorized editions of the work 
 had been published, or about one a year from the time when the work was 
 first printed. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 257 
 
 On November 8, 1749, Whitefield wrote : — 1750 
 
 " Your present circumstances almost distress me. I think it requires Age 36 
 more grace heartily to say, ' Father, Thy will be done,' in such a situation, 
 than to die a martyr forty times. But, my dear friend, though your body 
 is weak and confined at home, your pen hath been active, and your works 
 walk abroad. I hear of them from all quarters. God hath blessed, and 
 will bless them. Let that comfort you, and, if health any way permits, 
 pray write again. Fear not, my dear, dear man ; let faith and patience hold 
 out a little longer, and then the. struggle shall be over. Yet a little while, 
 and you shall join with that sweet singer, Dr. Watts, who, whilst on earth, 
 dragged a crazy load along, as well as you, for many years. I am now at 
 Ashby, with good Lady Huntingdon. Her ladyship has a great regard 
 for you, and begs you would come and stay a week at her house. She 
 will take great care of you." 
 
 Hervey was ill, and the warm-hearted Whitefield never 
 loved him so much as now. Hitherto, Lady Huntingdon had 
 not corresponded with Hervey, though she had long enter- 
 tained a great regard for him. One or two letters had 
 passed between them, but no regular correspondence took 
 place till the beginning of the year 1750. Again and again, 
 had Whitefield conveyed her ladyship's request that he would 
 write to her; and, at length, on February 2, 1750, Hervey 
 yielded, and commenced a correspondence, which was con- 
 tinued, without interruption, until his death. Whitefield was 
 delighted, and wrote : — " I am glad you have opened a corre- 
 spondence with our elect lady. Keep it open, I entreat you, 
 my dear friend." 
 
 An extract from another letter, by Whitefield, will be 
 welcome : — 
 
 Plymouth, Feb. 25, 1750. 
 " Reverend and dear Sir,— Your letters always fill me with sym- 
 pathy. Your last I have just been reading, and in reading breathed out 
 the ejaculation, ' Lord, when will the days of his mourning be ended .? ' 
 Surely, you are not always thus to stick fast in the mire and clay. Look 
 up then, my dear Mr. Hervey ; you shall find grace to help in time of 
 need. 
 
 " ' Leave to His sovereign sway, 
 To choose and to command ; 
 So shalt thou, wondering, own His way. 
 How wise, how strong His hand. 
 Far, far above thy thought 
 His counsel shall appear. 
 When fully He the work hath wrought. 
 That caused Thy needless fear.' 
 
 S 
 
258 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 17^0 "This is the advice I give you. I sent your hymn to good Lady 
 
 Huntingdon, who has been ill, but is now, I hope, recovered. Pray write 
 
 ^ 3 to me often. Sorrows grow less, joys grow greater, by being communi- 
 cated. Load me as much as you will with all your grievances, and I will 
 lay them before Him, who came to bear our sicknesses and heal our 
 infirmities." 
 
 Two months later Whitefield wrote again : — 
 
 " Portsmouth, April 28, 1 750. 
 
 " My very dear Friend and Brother,— Your letter should have 
 had an immediate answer, if the least leisure had offered when in town. 
 But there I am continually hurried, and had scarce time to eat bread. 
 However, our Lord gave me meat which the world knows not of, and 
 enabled me to preach three or four times a day to great multitudes, and, I 
 trust, with great blessings. 
 
 " Fear not your weak body. We are immortal till our work is done. 
 Christ's labourers must live by miracle ; if not, I must not live at all ; 
 for God only knows what I daily endure. My continual vomitings almost 
 kill me, and yet the pulpit is my cure. I speak this to encourage you. Per- 
 sons whose writings are tobeblessings must have some thorns in theflesh. 
 Your disorders, like mine, I believe, are, as yet, only to humble, not to kill 
 us. Though I long to go to heaven, yet I am apt to think we are not to 
 die presently, but live and declare the works of the Lord — you by your 
 pen ; I by my tongue. Courage, my dear, very dear Mr. Hervey ; courage ! 
 When we are weak, then are we strong. 
 
 " But to your letter. How shall we contrive to meet ? I purpose being 
 at Olney next Sunday seven-night, and in a day or two after at Northamp- 
 ton. I wish I could have a line from you. Your ' Meditations ' are now 
 printing at Philadelphia. Why do you not sit for your picture ? The 
 Lord be with you. I love you most tenderly. I thank you ten thousand 
 times for all favours, and am, very dear friend, yours most affectionately, 
 and eternally, in our Lord Jesus, 
 
 " G. Whitefield." 
 
 The programme was carried out ; and the old friends met. 
 Whitefield writes : — 
 
 "Ashley, i^/^7j/, 11, 1750. 
 " I preached last Lord's-day at Olney.' We had two sweet seasons. A 
 
 ^ To some, it may seem strange, that, Whitefield did not occupy Hervey's 
 pulpit; but it must be remembered, that, as yet, Hervey was only his 
 father's curate. Notwithstanding this, however, Hervey, in 1749, took the 
 liberty of inviting Whitefield to occupy his church. Whitefield's reply 
 was characterized by greater prudence then he sometimes manifested. In 
 a letter dated, " Chelsea, January 13, 1749," he writes,— 
 
 " You will not be offended if I tell you tliat good Lady Huntingdon saw 
 your letter. She was much pleased with it, and has a great regard for you. 
 The prospect of doing good to the rich that attend her ladyship's house, is 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 259 
 
 great multitude attended. On the Monday, about six miles from Northamp- j yeo 
 ton, I had a private interview with Dr. Stonehouse, Dr. Doddridge, — 
 Messrs. Hervey and Hartley. On the Tuesday, I preached, in the ^ ^ 
 morning, to Dr. Doddridge's family, and, in the afternoon, to about two 
 thousand in the field. Dr. Stonehouse, Mr. Hervey, etc., attended me, 
 and walked with me along the street ; so that, I hope, the physician will 
 now turn his back upon the world. I expounded at his house in the 
 evening, and am, hereafter, to come to it as my own. On Tuesday, I 
 preached twice at Kettering to several thousands. On Wednesday, I came 
 hither, and found good Lady Huntingdon, though very weak, yet, better 
 than I expected." 
 
 Concerning this visit by the great evangelist, Hervey 
 wrote : — 
 
 "Weston, May 12, 1750. 
 
 " This week, we had another visit by that indefatigable preacher of the 
 everlasting gospel, Mr. Whitefield. He delivered his message under the 
 canopy of the skies, and in the midst of a numerous and attentive audience. 
 Dr. Doddridge, Dr. Stonehouse, another doctor of physic, Mr. Hartley, a 
 worthy clergyman, and myself, were on his right hand, and on his left. 
 His text was, ' Ye are the temples of the living God.' He showed himself 
 a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 
 He dealt out to saints and sinners their portion in due season. All the 
 hearers hung on his lips, and many were visibly impressed by the power 
 of his doctrine. I hope, I am the only one who suffered by attending. I 
 was obliged, as soon as the sacred service was over, to lie upon the bed 
 for a little refreshment, and took such a cold as I have not yet got 
 rid of. 
 
 " I dined, supped, and spent the evening with Mr. \Vhitefield, at 
 Northampton, in company with Dr. Doddridge, and two pious, ingenious 
 clergymen of the Church of England. And, surely, I never spent a more 
 delightful evening, or saw one who seemed to make nearer approaches to 
 the felicity of heaven. A gentleman of great worth and rank in the town 
 invited us to his house, and gave us an elegant treat ; but how mean was 
 his provision, how coarse his delicacies, compared with the fruit of my 
 friend's lips ! They dropped as the honey-comb, and were a well of life. 
 Surely, people do not know that amiable and exemplary man ; or else, I 
 cannot but think, instead of depreciating, they would applaud and love him. 
 
 very encouraging. I preach twice a week, and, yesterday, Lord Boling- 
 broke was one of my auditors. His lordship was pleased to express very 
 great satisfaction. I thank you for your kind invitation to your house and 
 pulpit. I would not bring you, or any of my friends, into difficulties, for 
 owning poor, unworthy, ill and hell-deserving me. But, if Providence 
 should give me a fair call, I should be glad to come your way. I rejoice 
 in the prospect of having some ministers in our church pulpits that own 
 a crucified Redeemer." — Whitefield' s Letters, No. 726. 
 
26o Rev. James Hervey, ' 
 
 I yro For my part, I never beheld so fair a copy of our Lord, — such a living image 
 — of the Saviour, — such exalted delight in God, — such enlarged benevolence 
 "■S^ 30 to man, — such a steady faith in the Divine promises, — and such a fervent 
 zeal for the Divine glory ; and all this without the least moroseness of 
 humour, or extravagances of behaviour ; sweetened with the most engaging 
 cheerfulness of temper, and regulated by all the sobriety of reason, and 
 wisdom of Scripture; insomuch, that I cannot forbear applying the wise 
 man's encomium of an illustrious woman to this eminent minister of Christ, 
 ' Many sons have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.' 
 
 A few weeks after this, Hervey was prevailed on, by the 
 repeated importunity of Wliitefield and Lady Huntingdon, 
 to visit London, for the benefit of his enfeebled health.^ He 
 arrived in June, 1750, and remained until the death of his 
 father, in May, 1752. One of the winters was spent in the 
 house of Whitefield ; and, for some time, he lodged with his 
 brother William, in Miles Lane. By means of Lady Hunting- 
 don, he became acquainted with Lady Gertrude Hotham, 
 Lady Chesterfield, the Countess Delitz, Lady Fanny Shirley, 
 and many other distinguished and pious persons. Here 
 he met with Charles Wesley ; was visited by Dr. Gill, Mr. 
 Cud worth, and John Cennick ; and, for the first time, heard 
 Romaine. Here, also, he enlarged and corrected his ' Medi- 
 tations,' composed his ' Remarks on Bolingbroke's Letters,' 
 and wrote part of his ' Theron and Aspasio.' He could rarely 
 attempt to preach ; but his time was fully occupied. How his 
 two years in London were employed will be best exhibited by 
 extracts from his voluminous correspondence. 
 
 ' Hervey's removal to London was a sort of abduction, accomplished by 
 Whitefield, Dr. Stonehouse, and the Rev. Thomas Hartley. The particu- 
 lars need not be given. Suffice it to say, on his arrival, he wrote his 
 father as follows : — 
 
 " I am now at Mr. Whitefield's house, where everything is neat 
 and convenient ; great care is taken of me, and a hearty welcome 
 given me. The house is very open and airy, and has no bug, a sort 
 of city gentry for whom I have no fondness. I hope my mother has taken 
 care to get my parish supplied. I desire her to send me some shirts, 
 a silk handkerchief or two, a pair of shoes, and anything that she may 
 think necessary. I have already bespoken a new suit of clothes, and a 
 wig. Dr. Stonehouse, when he pressed me into this expedition, put five 
 guineas into my hand, for which I am accountable. I would not have 
 Mary clean my study, lest she should displace or lose any papers, of 
 more importance than they appear to be. I conclude myself, with duty 
 to my mother and love to sisters, honoured sir, your dutiful son, 
 
 "James Hervey." 
 
Age 36 
 
 The Litera7y Parish- Priest. 261 
 
 At the time of Harvey's arrival in the metropohs, White- j^^q 
 field was in the north of England, and the two friends did 
 not again see each other till about the beginning of Sep- 
 tember. 
 
 " September 1 1, 1 750. 
 
 " My dear Friend, — Thanks for your subscription; I have procured 
 more of another friend. I shall soon be a poor man, here are so many 
 necessitous objects. And who can bear to be in affluence, while so many 
 fellow-creatures are in deplorable want ? 
 
 " This night, dear Mr. Whitefield is with us, returned from his expedi- 
 tion, full of life, and rich with spoils,— spoils won from the kingdom 
 of darkness, and consecrated to the Captain of our salvation. 
 
 " I have been prevailed upon to sit for my picture. If ever portrait was 
 the shadow of a shadow, mine is such. Oh, that I may be renewed after 
 the image of the blessed Jesus ! When I awake up after His likeness, I 
 shall be satisfied with it." 
 
 Three days after this, Hervey, Whitefield, and Charles 
 Wesley, — a happy trio, — met at Whitefield's house. C. Wesley 
 writes: — "1750. September 14. I met James Hervey at the 
 Tabernacle, and in the fellowship of the spirit of love ;" ^ and, 
 on the same day, Whitefield, as follows : — 
 
 " At my return to town, I was received, though utterly unworthy, with 
 great joy ; and our Lord has manifested forth His glory in the great con- 
 gregation. I have preached in Mr. Wesley's chapel several times ; and 
 I trust, a young lady of high rank was truly awakened about a fortnight 
 ago, and is since gone triumphantly to heaven. Mr. Charles Wesley break- 
 fasted and prayed with me this morning, and Mr. Hervey was so kind as to 
 come up to be with me in my house. He is a dear man, and, I trust, will yet 
 be spared to write much for the Redeemer's glory. I have prevailed on 
 him to sit for his picture, and it will be published in a short time." ^ 
 
 The young lady referred to in this extract, was the daughter 
 of Lady Gertrude Hotham. Hervey had frequently visited 
 her in her last sickness, and, on one occasion, had administered 
 to her the Lord's supper. Hence the following to the Countess 
 of Huntingdon : — 
 
 " I had the pleasure of perusing your ladyship's letter to Mr. Whitefield, 
 and return my grateful acknowledgments for your condescension in 
 inquiring after me. My kind patroness, Lady Chesterfield, and many 
 honourable persons, whose names, I trust, are written in the book ot life, 
 are very desirous for your ladyship's return to the great city. I have 
 
 ' C. Wesley's Journal, vol. 2, p. 75. 
 - Whitefield's Letters, No. 860. 
 
Age 37 
 
 262 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 J--J lately expounded, and administered the ordinance, at good Lady Gertrude 
 Hotham's. Her daughter is ripening fast for glory. I had but little con- 
 versation with her, for she is too weak to endure much fatigue. When 
 speaking of God's stupendous love, in giving His only Son for our salva- 
 tion, and of our interest in the all-sufficient propitiation of His death, I 
 quoted these portions of Scripture. — ' He came into the world to save 
 sinners;' 'He poured out His soul for transgressors.' 'Yes,' said Miss 
 Hotham, who had .been listening with singular attention ; ' He died, 
 the just for the unjust ; He suffered death upon the cross, that we might 
 reign with Him in glory.' On a subsequent visit, I found her much altered 
 for the worse, as respected her bodily health. Mr. Whitefield had been to 
 see her the preceding day, and has since gone to erect the joyful standard 
 at Portsmouth. Blessed be God, she enjoyed much peace and tranquillity 
 of mind, and a firm persuasion, that God was her reconciled Father, and 
 the blessed Redeemer her all-sufficient portion. I expect to hear every 
 day of her abundant entrance into the joy of her Lord. Good Lady 
 Gertrude, and all her noble relatives and friends, are wonderfully sup- 
 ported in this trying affair." 
 
 Hervey was already employed in writing another book. He 
 'was slowly dying, but to be idle was impossible. Hence, 
 the following : — 
 
 " December 20, 1 750. 
 
 " My very dear Friend, — Your letter found me, after a considerable 
 delay in its passage, where do you think ? Where I never expected to go 
 any more, — found me at London ! Prevailed on by the repeated importu- 
 nity of my friends, I came by easy stages to town, in order to try whether 
 change of air may be of any service to my decayed constitution : for my 
 worthy physician, Dr. Stonehouse, has declared that nothing which he can 
 prescribe, is likely to administer any relief 
 
 " You inquire about my new work, intended for the press. It is a great 
 uncertainty whether my languid spirits and enfeebled constitution will 
 permit me to execute my design. It is a ple'asure, however, to hear that 
 I am sometimes admitted to converse with you by my book." 
 
 The sale of the works which Hervey had already published 
 was extraordinary. The ensuing letter to his father is evidence 
 of this, and also unfolds a feature of Hervey's domestic char- 
 acter not heretofore noticed. 
 
 " London, January 23, 1751. 
 
 " Honoured Sir — Mr. Rivington has advertised the next edition of my 
 books, and has fixed upon the 31st for publication. Then there will be five 
 thousand volumes ready for sale. Oh may they be five thousand trumpets 
 to proclaim far and near the glories of Him, who died for our sins, 
 and rose again for our justification ! 
 
 "If you inquire about my picture, Mr. Willis will be so kind as to inform 
 you. I am quite tired of sitting to the painters. 
 
The Literary Parish- Priest. 263 
 
 " If mother and you think Mr. Thayer would accept a couple of gallons 1751 
 
 of rum, brandy, or shrub, I would very gladly make him a present ; and, 
 
 when my mother's stock of shrub is out, she may command a fresh supply ° ^' 
 from your and her dutiful son, 
 
 "James Hervey." 
 
 When Hervey first came to London, he had no intention of 
 staying the length of time he did. On September 11, 1750, in 
 a letter to his father, he wrote : — 
 
 " I have entertained thoughts of returning home very soon ; but, if you 
 choose that I should stay and make trial a little longer, I should be glad 
 to have my MSS. here. Some of them, I think, lie on the chair at the 
 right hand of my desk. There are others, but I forget where they are laid. 
 If my sister can find any, containing dialogues or letters between Theron, 
 and Aspasio, I desire she will pack them up, and send them carefully 
 by coach." 
 
 During the whole of the year 175 1, Hervey continued in 
 the same debilitated state. It was now, that, he began his 
 long series of letters to Lady Frances Shirley, one hundred 
 and eighteen of which were subsequently published by her 
 ladyship's executors. Early in the year, he tells his noble 
 correspondent, that, he had put on his " coat but once during 
 all the winter," and, even then, he "returned home with a 
 cold, and was obliged to take to his bed." There is some- 
 thing painfully affecting in extracts like the following : — 
 
 . " Should I attempt to speak roundly to Mr. , my cheeks, pale as 
 
 they are, would be encrimsoned. Instead of working conviction in a 
 brother, I should suffer disorder in myself. So tender are my spirits ! 
 As, I am sure, your ladyship must perceive, by a certain confusedness 
 and precipitancy in my behaviour; quite contrary to that ease and 
 serenity which every one must observe in your ladyship. I know not how 
 it is, but I cannot, either by the exercise of my reason, or even by an 
 advertence to God, rectify this weakness. I trouble you with this com- 
 plaint, only with a view of demonstrating that nothing considerable can be 
 expected from a person, to whom 'the grasshopper is a burden.'" 
 
 Again,— "^/r// 14, 1751. My health is so very precarious, and my 
 constitution so enervated, that, I scarce ever am able, and am always 
 unfit, to wait upon your ladyship. I have often found pleasure in visiting 
 the poor tenants of the meanest hut, where I had an opportunity of 
 talking on heavenly things. How much more should I be delighted, in 
 an admission to your ladyship's company, where I should hear the same 
 favourite topics discoursed on, with all the refinements of politeness and 
 superior sense ! But extreme weakness, and great languor, disqualify me 
 for the enjoyment of this satisfaction." 
 
264 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1 75 1 Again, — "My poor heart, that is naturally fond of activity, and would 
 
 — fain exert itself for the blessed Redeemer's glory,— that is peculiarly 
 S^ 37 charmed with the works of creation, and knows no higher entertainment 
 than a contemplative rural excursion, — is sometimes apt to repine at 
 being cut off from its favourite gratifications. But I desire to check such 
 unsubmissive emotions; and rest satisfied, that, whatever the all-gracious 
 God ordains, is incomparably better than I could choose for myself. Let 
 the voice of murmuring, therefore, be entirely suppressed. Let the praises 
 of God be upon my tongue, and let all that is within me bless His holy 
 name." 
 
 Again, — '■'• Sepie7nber 23, 1751. Though my hand is able to hold a pen, 
 my feet are not able to carry me across the room, without some borrowed 
 support. I have been extremely ill : hovering upon the very brink of 
 eternity. The doctor was twice sent for, by a special messenger, from an 
 apprehension, that, my dissolution was approaching. You will probably 
 be desirous to know how my mind was affected, amidst such circum- 
 stances of peril and pain. I humbly bless the Divine goodness, I was 
 under no terrifying fears with regard to death. It was desirable, rather 
 than dreadful ; the thing I longed for, rather than deprecated. You are 
 pleased to ask. What I am going to publish? I Avas writing a little 
 Treatise' upon some of the most important doctrines of Christianity: to 
 be disposed partly into dialogues, partly into letters ; and rendered enter- 
 taining by several descriptive pictures in nature and its ever-pleasing 
 scenes. I have sketched out the greatest part, in a rough un-connected 
 manner ; but a considerable time will be requisite, to dispose it properly, 
 and polish it for the nice taste of the present age. This time, whether it 
 will please the Sovereign Disposer of all things to allow ; or whether my 
 constitution, always very inferior, but now more exceedingly enervated, 
 will yield a sufficient supply of animal strength, — is a great uncertainty. 
 But of this, my lady, we are absolutely certain, that, whatever is ordered, 
 by unerring wisdom and infinite mercy, must be good, — must be best." 
 
 One cannot but experience a feeling of surprise, that, a 
 man in such physical debility was able to evince such activity 
 of mind. Hervey could not be idle. To have been totally 
 unemployed would not have retarded, but probably have 
 hastened his decease. To some men, at least, a certain 
 amount of work is a solace. It braces the mind ; and enables 
 the sufferer to better bear the afflictions of the body. So it 
 was with Hervey. In the house of his brother, he had a 
 comfortable home ; and his father and friends were able and 
 willing to afford him all the help he needed. No man was 
 
 ' This refers to his greatest work, " Theron and Aspasio," published, 
 in three octavo volumes, in 1755. 
 
The Litei^ary Parish-Priest. 265 
 
 more free from the love of money. His wants were few, and 1751 
 his earthly longings were quite as limited. He had no need to \^-j 
 work ; but work was what he liked. His brain teemed with 
 thought ; and it was no inconsiderable relief to put some of 
 his conceptions and conceits on paper. Besides, as he himself 
 was wont to solicit the critical kindness of his friends, in the 
 revision of his writings ; so he sometimes rendered the same 
 assistance to others. The following was written to the Rev. 
 Mr. Pearsall, of Taunton, and is somewhat amusing as coming 
 from one of the most florid writers of the period, — 
 
 "May 29, 1 75 1. 
 
 " Rev. and dear Sir, — Give me leave to return my best thanks for 
 your obliging letters and very valuable manuscripts : those, I mean, 
 Vi^hich you were so kind as to transmit for my use. I look upon them as 
 a detachment of auxiliary forces, seconding and supporting a feeble 
 attempt to oppose the enemies, and to spread the conquests, of Free 
 G?-ace. I wish they had fallen into abler hands : for mine, weak, always 
 weak by nature, are now enervated to the last degree by sickness. For 
 several hours, I have been unable to take up my pen; and could only 
 endeavour, by resting myself in some easy posture, to sustain a being, 
 whose strength is become labour and sorrow. 
 
 " I now return, after a long delay, your truly pleasing and profitable 
 letters. I have read them with singular pleasure ; and, I hope, with some 
 improvement. Many parts I perused several times; and the warm piety, 
 garnished by an elegant fancy, made them as delightful as if they were 
 new. I cannot pretend to the merit of doing your compositions any 
 service; unless it be in this one circumstance, that, I have detained them 
 from you for a considerable time ; by which means, they will be, in a 
 manner, new to your own eye : and you will be much more capable of 
 judging maturely, concerning each sentiment, and every expression. 
 
 " One thing, in general, let me remark : That, my worthy friend's genius 
 is too rich; his invention quite luxuriant. He must use the pruning 
 knife, and cut off several of the shoots. Yes, though they are perfectly 
 beautiful, they must be sacrificed ; that, the fruit may acquire the finer 
 flavour. There is a certain prettiness in some periods, that betrays us all 
 into an ill-judged redundancy ; which, though its neatness should secure 
 it from being tiresome, yet, weakens the force of the principal thought. 
 
 " I wish you would introduce some suitable descriptions to beautify the 
 last letters. As they all turn upon the same subject, and have no pieces 
 of entertaining scenery to enliven them, I fear, they will read a little flat 
 and heavy; especially when compared with the preceding ornamented 
 pages. 
 
 "A few alterations I have proposed, and only proposed. Admit, or 
 reject them, as shall appear, on your own examination, most expedient. 
 Don't, dear sir, be hasty in publication. Compositions, that would 
 
266 Rev. yaines Hervey, 
 
 1 75 1 spread far and continue long, in an age of so much refinement, should be 
 
 touched and re-touched. 
 
 gs 37 " I remain, dear sir, your obliged friend, and affectionate brother, 
 
 "James Hervey."' 
 
 The sick man used his utmost endeavours to be useful. 
 Writing to another friend, towards the close of the year 1751, 
 he says, — 
 
 " If I mistake not, you are a subscribing member of the Society for 
 Promoting Christian Knowledge. Will you be so kind as to procure for 
 me a dozen Bibles, and a dozen of the Bishop of Man on the Lord's 
 Supper. I give away this to communicants, because it has the Com- 
 munion Service in it; and because it is more evangelical, and less 
 exceptionable than the generality of what are called preparations for, or 
 companions at, the Sacrament. Too many of these books, by long 
 prayers for each day of the week, and by injudicious representations, 
 have sometimes, I fear, the contrary effect to what is intended. I had 
 once a design, nor have I wholly laid it aside, of extracting from " Jenks' 
 Office of Devotion," the few leaves, he has there wrote so pathetically on 
 the Sacrament, and of printing them with the Communion Service; 
 adding suitable observations of my own, to supply Jenks' deficiencies. I 
 propose likewise to add what Marshall says on the subject; and insert, 
 from the Bishop of Man, his short, yet striking meditations on some well- 
 chosen texts of Scripture? What says my Jidus Achates to this? Give it 
 a place in your thoughts ; and, however we may determine on this, let us 
 determine to cleave more closely to the Lord, and wait upon our God 
 continually. 
 
 It is a curious fact, that, there is no evidence of any inter- 
 view between Hervey and the Wesleys, during 175 1. At the 
 beginning of the year, John Wesley was married, in London, 
 to Mrs. Vazeille ; and his brother Charles also spent several 
 months in the metropolis ; but neither their Journals nor their 
 Letters contain the least allusion to their valetudinarian friend 
 Hervey. With the exception of the month of January, White- 
 field was scarcely at all in London ; but he wrote to Hervey, 
 from Bristol, as follows : — 
 
 "Bristol, yl/c7;r/^ 17, 1751. 
 "My very dear Friend, — This comes with a summons from good 
 Lady Huntingdon, for you to appear in Bristol, and abide for a month or 
 two at my brother's house. You must not refuse. The God, who has 
 carried that elect Lady through such bad roads from Ashby hither, will 
 take care of you, and, I am persuaded, you will not repent your journey. 
 
 ^ Gospel Magazine, 1 777, p. 298. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 267 
 
 Her Ladyship made the motion to me, and intends writing herself. \-]z^\ 
 Blessed be God ! she is much better, and I trust will do well. She will . — 
 have nobody to give her the Sacrament unless you come. I hope this '^ -* 
 will find you at the Tabernacle House. I ventured, the other day, to put 
 out a guinea to interest for you. It was to release an excellent Christian, 
 who, by living very hard, and working near twenty hours out of four-and- 
 twenty, had brought himself very low. He has a wife and four children, 
 and was above two guineas in debt. I gave one for myself and one for 
 you. We shall have good interest for our money in another world." 
 
 Hervey's health was such that he declined yielding to this 
 request ■} and Whitefield wrote him another of his great- 
 hearted letters : — 
 
 " Exeter, April 11, 1 75 1. 
 
 "My very dear Mr. Hervey,— I was pleased last night to find, by 
 my wife's letters, that, your sister was delivered, and, more so, because my 
 wife wrote as though you were again under my roof. This I count a great 
 honour, and such a privilege, that, I wish to have the favour conferred 
 upon me as long as I live. These my hands (could they work, and was 
 there occasion for it) should readily minister to your necessities. If my 
 wife should come down to Bristol, pray let not my dear Mr. Hervey move. 
 If Molly stays in London, she will take care of you ; if not, Polly and Mr. 
 
 D will gladly wait upon you. I have preached about forty times since 
 
 I left London, and have been enabled several times to ride forty miles in 
 a day. I find, that, this sensibly refreshes me. I wish you could say so 
 too : your Bideford friends would then see you. They hold on their way, 
 and long to have a line from you. I hope Jesus gives you strength to pro- 
 ceed in your book. It is inquired much after. The Lord be with you, 
 and bless your pen, and your heart !" 
 
 Hervey was very happy in the house of his friend, and 
 wrote to Mrs. Whitefield, at Bristol, with a playfulness which 
 was unusual in him : — 
 
 " This leaves your family in good health, and me, whom you appoint 
 steward, like Gideon's soldiers,^^?/;//, but pursuing j faint with bodily 
 languors, but following after that amiable, adorable God, whose loving- 
 kindness is better than life. We go on comfortably, and want for nothing, 
 but your company. Mr. Cruttenden says, I live like a king, and dine every 
 day in state. I tell him. No, I am nothing more than lord high-steward 
 of your majesty's household ; but, since he will have it that I am a monarch, 
 I this day began to act in character, and commanded and charged our 
 trusty and well-beloved Robert Cruttenden, Esq., not to be awanting in his 
 attendance on our royal person. I hope my friend's jest is a good omen. 
 
 ^ Charles Wesley partly supplied his lack of service (see C. Wesley's 
 Journal, from June i to June 27, 1751). 
 
268 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 ^75- I hope we shall be kings to our God, and reign over the rebels within, and 
 ,,, „ tread the world under our feet, and sit in heavenly places with our exalted 
 and royal Head, Christ Jesus." 
 
 In the month of September, Whitefield embarked for 
 Georgia ; and, on his arrival there, wrote to Hervey as 
 follows : — 
 
 '■'■ Febmary i, 1752. 
 " My very dear Friend,— I long to write to you, and inform you, that, 
 I love you in the bowels of Jesus Christ. This leaves unworthy me, en- 
 deavouring to do something for Him on this side the water. Glory be to 
 His great name ! He causes His work to prosper in my worthless hands. 
 Follow me with your prayers ; and who knows but we may meet once more 
 on this side heaven. I find our dear Mr. Hervey is to be detained 
 longer from thence. I think he will have to bury many stronger men. I 
 wish Lisbon may be blessed to Dr. Doddridge. I hope you write to Lady 
 Huntingdon, and see her frequently. I was rejoiced to hear, from my dear 
 yoke-fellow, that, her Ladyship was bravely: this was joy indeed. It is a 
 new year. God quicken my tardy pace, and help me to do much work in 
 a little time ! This is my highest ambition." 
 
 Dr. Doddridge, the beloved and honoured friend of Hervey, 
 was already dead. The great Dissenter, in feeble health, had 
 embarked for Portugal, in the same month as Whitefield 
 started for America. He landed at Lisbon on October 13th, 
 175 1 ; and, thirteen days afterwards, peacefully expired. In 
 writing to Lady Frances Shirley, in reference to this event, 
 Hervey intimates, that, heaven to him was now more attrac- 
 tive than ever. The removal of his friends made it easier 
 for himself to die. Like Whitefield, he entered upon the 
 year 1752, in the spirit of ardent gratitude, and entire 
 devotedness to the service of his Saviour. 
 
 " I bless God," said he, " I want for nothing ; — nothing, unless it be a 
 heart more deeply and devoutly affected with His most undeserved good- 
 ness. My brother, also, at whose house I live, is in a course of business, 
 flourishing and prosperous, as can be wished. I am one with the Metho- 
 dists in my heart ; though hampered and withheld from acting, by a lan- 
 guishing constitution." 
 
 This was written January 18, 1752. A month aftenvards, 
 he wrote as follows : — 
 
 " MiLES's Lane, February 19, 1752. 
 " On Sunday last, in the afternoon, we were greatly alarmed. A fire 
 broke out in a Sugar-baker's work-house, to which a part of my brother's 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 269 
 
 dwelling-house joins. We were all confusion and consternation; almost 17^3 
 
 smothered with smoke ; and crowded by the mob. Three engines, playing 
 
 from various parts of our house, and several others, pouring in water from -^S^ j'^ 
 other quarters, by the blessing of God, kept under the raging element ; and, 
 in a few hours, extinguished it. It put me in mind of that tremendous day, 
 when ' the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements 
 melt with fervent heat, and the earth with all the works therein be burnt 
 up."'i 
 
 The accident was alarming ; and, to use the words of 
 Hervey himself, " in order to avoid the fire, he had to wade 
 through water," and caught a cold and fever, which seriously 
 shook his enfeebled health, and confined him to his chamber 
 several weeks. 
 
 It has been already mentioned, that, Whitefield prevailed 
 on Hervey to have his portrait taken. Early in the year 
 1752, a mezzotinto engraving was published f and the fol- 
 lowing- was addressed to the Rev. Mr. Nixon,^ Rector of 
 Cold-Higham, in Northamptonshire, who had put together 
 eight lines, which he wished to be printed beneath the 
 likeness : — 
 
 " I am obliged to you for the favour done me by your letter, and for 
 the honour done me by your verses, to be engraved under my mezzotinto 
 picture. I should have acknowledged both these obligations sooner, if 
 my print-seller had not been dilatory in publishing the picture, which is 
 now transmitted to Dr. Stonehouse, and desires your acceptance. I can- 
 not forbear thinking, that, what is called honour, is a little capricious and 
 whimsical. I, for my part, had taken my final leave of her ; expected 
 none of her favours ; and was become familiarly acquainted with con- 
 tempt. How is it then, that, she singles out a person, whose name has 
 
 ' Letters to Lady F. Shirley. No. 25. 
 
 2 In reference to this, Hervey, writing to his father, says, " The original 
 picture, I presume, will be offered to me ; and then I accept it, and pre- 
 sent it to you. The drawing is to cost five guineas, and the mezzotinto 
 copper-plate fifteen guineas." 
 
 3 Mr. Nixon was a man of considerable learning ; but not a poet. The 
 following are his limping lines : — 
 
 " WiUiams I 'tis yours to bid the canvas wear, 
 By art illusive, Hervey's form and air ; 
 Oh ! with like happy labour, could I trace 
 Each virtue, each exalted Christian grace. 
 Each heavenly gift with which his soul is blest, 
 And fix the bright assemblage in my breast ; 
 Then how transcendent far would be my plan, 
 You paint his mimic shade : I'd live the man." 
 
270 Rev. yames Hervey,. 
 
 \yv2 long been struck out of her list ; and -bestows her caresses upon a mean 
 — creature, who has been used to sit on the dung-hill ? O ! that it may be 
 ^S^ 30 fQj. the glory of Christ's grace, Christ's wisdom, Christ's power ! May I 
 serve to the Sun of Righteousness, as a cloud is subservient in the firma- 
 ment ; whichj though all-gloomy in itself, exhibits a rainbow ; and, thereby, 
 shows the world what beautiful colours ai'e combined in that magnificent 
 luminary. 
 
 " You are pleased to inquire after my little work. Dear Sir, add, to 
 your kind inquiries, a prayer to God, that, it may be executed under the 
 anointings of His Spirit, and appear (if it ever appears) under the influ- 
 ence of His blessing. My late sickness laid an absolute embargo upon it, 
 for a considerable time ; and has so shattered my feeble constitution, that, 
 I proceed like a vessel which has lost its rigging, and is full of leaks." 
 
 Hervey was, in part at least, a Calvinist. Wesley, on the 
 other hand, was an Arminian ; and, in 175 1 and 1752, pub- 
 lished two of his most convincing and ^cogent pamphlets, 
 namely, " Serious Thoughts upon the Perseverance of the 
 Saints," and " Predestination Calmly Considered." It would 
 not be rash to say, that, both were unanswerable, though 
 Hervey thought differently. On the first, he was thoroughly 
 opposed to his friend Wesley ; on the second he was dubious. 
 Hence the following : — 
 
 "MiLES's Lane, March 24, 1752. 
 " Mr. Wesley's last piece I have not read through. I can't say, I am 
 fond of that controversy. The doctrine of the perseverance of Christ's 
 servants, Christ's children, Christ's spouse, and Christ's members, I am 
 thoroughly persuaded of. Predestination and reprobation I think of with 
 fear and trembling. And, if I should attempt to study them, I would 
 study them on my knees." 
 
 Hervey was now employed in writing his able and beau- 
 tiful controversial pamphlet, entitled, " Remarks on Lord 
 Bolingbroke's Letters on the Study and. Use of History ; so 
 far as they relate to the History of the Old Testament, and 
 especially to the case of Noah, denouncing a Curse upon 
 Canaan ; in a Letter to a Lady of QuaHty." The great infidel 
 had died on November 15th, 175 1 ; and his book, which had 
 been published posthumously, had created a painful sensa- 
 tion. Hervey completed his "Remarks" on April 22, 1752 ; 
 though they were not published for some time after : indeed, 
 originally, they were not intended for publication at all. 
 Lady Frances Shirley, having read Bolingbroke's bad book, 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 271 
 
 ' 5 \ ~^ 
 
 wrote to Hervey, asking his opinion concerning it; and the j-,^ 
 
 " Remarks " were, in the first instance, nothing more than a . — 
 
 private letter to the " Lady of Quality " just mentioned.^ ^ 
 
 The pamphlet is a successful attempt to refute a few of 
 
 Bolingbroke's bold and unauthorized assertions, namely : 
 
 I. That, " the Old Testament is no' sufficient authority for 
 
 chronology from the beginning of time." 2. That, in the 
 
 Holy Scriptures, instead of history, we have " a heap of 
 
 fables ; which can pretend to nothing but some inscrutable 
 
 truths, and therefore useless to mankind." 3. That, the 
 
 Scriptures are " full of additions, and interpolations, and 
 
 transpositions." 4. That, Noah "was still drunk when he 
 
 denounced a curse upon Canaan ; for no man in his senses 
 
 could hold such language, or pass such a sentence." 
 
 A wiser man than Lord Bolingbroke ortce wrote : — 
 
 "The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is 
 done, is that which shall be done ; and there is no new thing under the 
 sun." (Ecclesiastes i. 9.) 
 
 In the infidel objections of Bolingbroke, the reader finds 
 the pith of all the infidel objections of the present day ; and, 
 in order to refute them, nothing more is needed than to turn 
 to the manly defences of the Holy Bible written more than 
 a hundred years ago. Modern infidelity is the infidelity of 
 Bolingbroke and others, dished up, and served with newly- 
 invented garnishing, and a pretentiously learned flavour. 
 Hervey's treatise is free from all the ornate faultiness of his 
 " Meditations " ; its style is flowing, clear, and forcible ; and 
 its arguments fairly put and unanswerable. It would be 
 rendering useful service to republish it in the present alarming 
 prevalency of unbelief. 
 
 In the month of May, 1752, the livings of .Weston-Favel 
 and Collingtree were rendered vacant by the death of 
 Hervey's father. The following extracts from letters to 
 Lady Frances Shirley refer to this event, and to other 
 matters. 
 
 "1732, May 19. I am upon the point to remove into Northampton- 
 shire. It has pleased God to take my honoured father to Himself; so 
 
 ' Life and Times of Countess of Huntingdon, vol. i., p. 191. 
 
272 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 1752 
 
 that, I am obliged to depart from my present situation, and to take the 
 Uving of Weston.i O ! that I had strength of constitution, to watch over 
 •Age 38 ^ flock, and feed them with the milk of the word ! But the will of the 
 Lord is best. He employs whom He will employ ; and whom He will, 
 He lays aside. Wise and righteous are all His ways. 'Tis very probable, 
 I shall never have the pleasure of seeing your ladyship again, on this 
 side the everlasting habitations. My enfeebled state renders me like an 
 aged tree, which must continue where it is fixed : to transplant it, or to 
 remove it, is to kill it." 
 
 " May 23. I am just arrived at Weston, after a pleasant journey, in an 
 easy coach, and cool weather. I am much fatigued, though we allowed 
 two days for about seventy miles. Thanks are due to your ladyship for 
 making my Letter ^ acceptable to others, by approving it yourself, and 
 honouring it with your recommendation. I humbly bless God, if He 
 pleases to give it favour in the eyes of others ; and should think it the high- 
 est privilege, if He would vouchsafe to render it at all serviceable to their 
 best interests ; especially to such a distinguished and illustrious personage 
 
 as the Princess of W : I assure you, my lady, I have not the least 
 
 aversion to print any production of mine, in case better judges should 
 think it might tend to maintain the honour of the Bible, or endear that 
 inestimable book to mankind. All I fear is, lest acute but irreligious 
 minds should discover some weak sentiment ; should find some flaw in 
 the argument ; and take occasion to wound the Redeemer, and vilify His 
 truths, through my inadvertence. Be so good, my lady, as to make my 
 very respectful compliments acceptable to Dr. Hales,^ and inform him of 
 my suspicions. If he would please to revise the little essay, and should 
 think the ' Remarks ' will stand the test of a rigorous examination, my 
 scruples would be very much abated. I believe, I durst undertake to 
 vindicate all the observations, that are of a critical nature, with regard to 
 the original language, or of an historic nature with regard to fact. Whe- 
 ther I offend against the rules of polite and genteel demeanour, your lady- 
 ship is the best judge. If your ladyship, or the Dr., should persist in 
 your opinion, I wish you would be so good as to get the paper transcribed 
 (no matter how close it is written) and transmitted to me in a frank ; for 
 I have no copy of it, only in some incoherent minutes in shorthand. 
 " I know not what the Lord will do with me, or how I shall proceed. 
 
 1 While in London Hervey had the offer of a tutorship in Jamaica. 
 Writing to his fathei, he says, — " Dr. Nichols has made me an offer, 
 Avhich many young clergymen would covet :— to go over to Jamaica, to 
 be tutor to a son of one of the most considerable persons in the island ; 
 for which, I should be entitled immediately to / 100 sterling a year, also 
 meat, drink, washing, and lodging ; with an assurance of having, in a 
 little time, a living of a hundred and fifty. I am greatly obliged to the 
 doctor, but have taken leave to decline accepting the proposal." 
 
 2 His Pamphlet on Bolingbroke's " Study and Use of History.'' 
 
 3 Probably the eminent Rev. Stephen Hales, D.D., of Teddington, 
 Fellow of the Royal Society, a Member of the French Academy of 
 Sciences, and Clerk of the Closet to the Princess Dowager of Wales. 
 
Age 38 
 
 The Literaiy Parish-Priest. 273 
 
 My strength is so worn down, and my constitution so irreparably decayed, j-.c 
 that it will be absolutely impossible for me to discharge my ministerial 
 duty." 
 
 " June 13. Weston is near Northampton ; about two miles from the 
 town ; pleasantly situated on an agreeable eminence. My house is quite 
 retired ; so that we hear none of the tumultuous din of the world, and see 
 nothing but the wonderful and charming works of the Creator. O ! that 
 I may be enabled to improve this advantageous solitude ! I did, on the 
 day your ladyship mentions, ascend the pulpit ; and speak, for the space 
 of half an hour, to my people. But with so much weakness ! O ! 'tis 
 well that the eternal God does not want strength of lungs, or delicacy of 
 elocution; but can do His great work of converting souls by the weakest, 
 meanest instruments. If it was not so, I must absolutely despair of being 
 successful in my labour, or serviceable in my office. I opened my com- 
 mission to my new parishioners, from those words : ' Preach the gospel to 
 every creature ' ; and gave them to understand, that, the end of my preach- 
 ing amongst them, the design of my conversation with them, and the 
 principal aim of my whole life would be, to bring them acquainted with 
 the truth, and assist them in attaining the great salvation." 
 
 " Jiily 3. Advised by my friends, importuned by my relations, and 
 swayed by a concern for the circumstances of a mother and sister who 
 live with me, 1 have been prevailed on to take a second benefice.^ This 
 obliges me to set out for Cambridge without delay, in order to be created 
 Master of Arts. From thence, I proceed, to London, to get a dispensa- 
 tion from the Archbishop, and the seals from the Lord Chancellor. On 
 Wednesday night, I hope to be in town ; and, if I can get my business 
 despatched by Saturday or Monday at the farthest, I may return soon 
 enough to meet our Diocesan on his visitation at Northampton ; receive 
 institution there ; and save myself the fatigue and expense of a journey 
 to Peterborough. I was honoured with your ladyship's letter, just as 1 
 returned from visiting my people at CoUingtree : the parish which 1 
 served, when I lived with my father, and of which I am going to be 
 rector. It would have pleased you to have observed how glad the honest 
 folks were to see their old curate. And why were they glad ? For no 
 other reason, that I can conceive, but because I used to converse with 
 them in private, just as I spoke to them from the pulpit; and endea- 
 voured, at every interview, to set forward their eternal salvation. This, I 
 find, is the grand secret, to win the affections of a flock. And in this, as 
 in every other part of true Christianity, our interest and our duty are 
 connected." 
 
 " y?//j' II. I think your ladyship's objection was very just and weighty. 
 I fancy it would be most advisable to send the little piece " (his Remarks 
 
 ^ The two livings of Weston-Favel and CoUingtree were when worth 
 about ^i8o a year. According to the " Clergy List," they are now worth 
 £,^(^1 a year ; and the united population of the two villages is about 6oo. 
 For several years, the Rev. Moses Brown was Hervey's curate at Col- 
 lingtree. 
 
 T 
 
2 74 Rev. yaines Hervey, 
 
 17C2 on Bolingbroke) " abroad under my own name; as the acceptance, which 
 
 my other Essays have found from the pubhc, may promote the spread of 
 
 *= ^ this. And, I apprehend, my bookseller would give me something for the 
 copy ; which, at this juncture, would scarcely be consistent with prudence 
 to neglect. The expense of taking my two livings is very great. It will 
 cost me, I am told, six score pounds ; and though, I beheve, I have 
 money enough in the bank, produced by my selling the property of my 
 ' Meditations,' yet such a succour would be welcome and serviceable. 
 Will your ladyship lend your name, either at full length or in initial 
 letters, to dignify and recommend the performance ? I humbly submit 
 this proposal to your ladyship's determination : and shall be obliged, if 
 you allow it; and shall acquiesce, if you reject it." 
 
 Hervey visited the metropolis, and, on his return to 
 Weston-Favel, had a near escape from an untimely death. 
 He writes : — 
 
 '■'■ Atigust 2. Very early on Wednesday morning, I set out for North- 
 ampton, in a new machine, called The Berlin; which holds four passen- 
 gers, is drawn by a pair of horses, and driven in the manner of a post- 
 chaise. On this side Newport, we came up with a stage-coach, and made 
 an attempt to pass it. This the coachman perceiving, mended his pace ; 
 which provoked the driver of the Berlitt to do the same, till they both 
 lashed their horses into a full career ; and were more like running a race, 
 than conveying passengers. We very narrowly escaped falling foul on 
 each other's wheels. I called out to the fellows ; but to no purpose. 
 Within the space of a minute or two, what I apprehended happened. My 
 vehicle was overturned, and thrown with great violence on the ground. 
 The coachman was tossed off his box, and lay bleeding in the road. 
 There was only one person in the coach, and none but myself in the 
 Berlin; yet, neither of us (so tender was the care of Divine Providence !) 
 sustained any considerable hurt. I received only a slight bruise, and had 
 the skin razed from my leg, where I might too reasonably have feared the 
 misfortune of broken bones, dislocated limbs, or a fractured skujl." 
 
 Hervey was now instituted, by the Bishop of Peterborough, 
 in his second living, and opened his commission, among his 
 new parishioners, by preaching from the text, — " To me, 
 who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, 
 that, I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable 
 riches of Christ." He also sent to the press his " Remarks on 
 Lord Bolingbroke's Letters," which, in the month of Novem- 
 ber, were published. He solicited Lady Frances Shirley to 
 favour him with the criticisms of her friends ; and, on Decem- 
 ber 5, 1752, wrote to her as follows : — 
 
 " I am much obliged to your Ladyship for taking the trouble of trans- 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 275 
 
 mitting the sentiments of your critical acquaintance. If I live to write j^-o 
 another letter, I will return my opinion with relation to them. This is — 
 designedly short; to correspond with my weak state of health. For I S^ 3 
 am again confined; though, blessed be God! not 'in durance vile.' I 
 preached on Sunday ; and renewed my cold ; so that this morning I have 
 lost my voice. What a dying hfe is mine ! Every blast pierces me, and 
 every cold crushes me. Blessed, for ever blessed be God ! for a better 
 life and happier state in the heavens. Where we shall be languid no 
 more; and be ungrateful to Jesus no more; and sin against God no 
 
 more. 
 
 To another friend, a few days later, he wrote : — 
 
 '■'■December 14, 1752. — Your approbation of anything in my * Remarks,' 
 will give me singular satisfaction ; yet, I should be no less obliged for 
 your free thoughts, on what should have been added, expunged, or 
 altered. Point out my blemishes, and supply my defects. Applause may 
 be more soothing to my vanity ; but such kind corrections will be more 
 pleasing to my judgment, and more serviceable to our common cause. 
 It is scarce probable, that, a second edition should be published, as the 
 first was numerous ; but, if there should be such a demand, I am sure, 
 your animadversions would enrich and ennoble it. As an author, I would 
 aim, singly aim at the glory of my Divine Master, and the furtherance of 
 His everlasting Gospel. Nevertheless, I would, by no means, neglect the 
 recommendations of a graceful composition. I would be glad to have the 
 apples of gold, which are the truths of our holy religion, set in pictures of 
 silver. Generally speaking, human nature must be pleased, in order to be 
 profited. The wisest of men ' sought and found out acceptable words,' 
 even when that which was Avritten, was the truth of God." 
 
 In these extracts, the reader may find the reasons why 
 Hervey became a pluralist. The thing cannot be com- 
 mended ; but, perhaps, in his case, it may be pardoned. He 
 himself disliked it;' but the circumstances of his widowed 
 mother and fatherless sister, the importunity of his relatives, 
 and the advice of his friends, overcame his righteous repug- 
 nance. At one time, he seems to have entertained the idea 
 of giving one of the livings to his friend Dr. Stonehouse ;^ but 
 this was abandoned ; and Hervey placed himself in the ex- 
 tremely objectionable position of holding two ecclesiastical 
 benefices instead of only one. It is true, that, the united 
 populations of Weston-Favel and Collingtree Avere not more 
 than about six hundred souls ; and that the income of the 
 two livings was only about i^iSo a year ; but the question is, 
 
 ' Whitefield's " Letters." No. 916. 
 
276 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 1752 was it absolutely wrong, in every case, to become a pluralist ? 
 A ^^^ n II it was not, Hervey was excusable, for, though i^i8o then was 
 A\'orth more than £6oQ> now, the presentation to the two bene- 
 fices was his own hereditary property, and, subject to the law 
 of the land, he had a right to do as he liked with it. Still, 
 the being a pluralist was an ugly fact. Churches have always 
 objected to it. Even as early as the thirteenth century, at 
 the Lateran council, holding more than one benefice was 
 expressly forbidden, by a canon, under the penalty of depri- 
 vation ; the same canon, however, granting the pope a power 
 to dispense with it in favour of persons of distinguished merit. 
 The practical result was, there were so many found with a 
 title to this merit, that the prohibition became useless. In 
 this way, the holding of more benefices than one, became 
 legal ; and such was the existing state of things in the time 
 of Hervey. The law of the land created difficulties ; but they 
 were far from being insuperable. Two certificates had to be 
 obtained from the bishop of the Diocese, one for the Arch- 
 bishop, and the other for the Lord Chancellor. Testimonials, 
 also, had to be procured, from the neighbouring clergy, con- 
 cerning the presentee's behaviour and conversation. He must 
 also exhibit to the Archbishop, not only his letters of order 
 of deacon and priest, but also a certificate of his having taken 
 the degree of Master of Arts at the least, in one of the 
 Universities of the realm. These and other preliminaries had 
 to be observed , after which, if the Archbishop was satisfied, 
 the dispensation was granted (not by the pope as in former 
 days, but), by the Faculty Office ; it was then confirmed 
 under the broad seal of the Lord Chancellor ; and, finally, 
 the affair was completed, by an application to the bishop of 
 the diocese where the living was situated, for the presentee's 
 admission and institution into his second cure of souls. Her- 
 vey had to pass through the whole of this worrying process ; 
 and, beside other expenses, had to pay a stamp duty of 
 iJ"30 for every skin, or paper, or parchment, on which his dis- 
 pensation was engrossed. No wonder, that, he speaks of it as 
 having cost him " six score pounds." For five hundred years, 
 or more, plurality of benefices had been an ecclesiastical dis- 
 grace ; and, though, perhaps, permissible in a case like Her- 
 vey's, it adds no lustre to his fame, and was not obtainable 
 
Age 58 
 
 The Literary Parish- Priest. 277 
 
 without handsome fees to the highest authorities of the Eng- 1732 
 h'sh Church and State. 
 
 There is another fact, belonging to this period of Hervey's 
 history, too curious to be omitted. Every one knows, that, 
 Whitefield beheved, that, the keeping of slaves was sanc- 
 tioned by the Scriptures ; that, hot countries could not be 
 cultivated without negroes ; and, that, the lives of numbers 
 of white people had been destroyed in Georgia, and large 
 amounts of money wasted, for want of negro labour. Hold- 
 ing such principles, Whitefield, in 175 1, bought a number of 
 slaves, partly to cultivate the land attached to his Orphan 
 House, in Georgia : and partly to instruct them, and to make 
 them Christians.^- Strange to say, the gentle Hervey ap- 
 proved of this procedure ; and having, during his residence 
 in London, largely shared in Whitefield's hospitality, he gave 
 to him, as a souvenir on leaving, — what } A slave ! Hence 
 the following : — 
 
 " When you please to demand, my brother will pay you ^30, for the 
 purchase of a Negro. And may the Lord Jesus Christ give you, or rather 
 take for Himself, the precious soul of the poor slave !" 
 
 Whitefield readily acquiesced. His answer, referring to 
 other matters as well as this, was as follows : — 
 
 "London, Jime 9, 1752. 
 
 " My very dear Friend, — I have received and read your manu- 
 scripts ; 2 but for me to play the critic upon them, would be like holding 
 up a candle to the sun. However, before I leave town, I will just mark a 
 few places as you desire, and then send the manuscripts to your brother. 
 I foretell their fate : nothing but your scenery can screen you. Self will 
 never bear to die, though slain in so genteel a manner, without showing 
 some resentment against its artful murderer. 
 
 " You are resolved not to die in my debt. I think to call your intended 
 purchase Weston, and shall take care to remind him by whose means he 
 was brought under the everlasting Gospel. 
 
 " O that Doctor Stonehouse may be brought out to preach it ! If you 
 do not take the other living" (Collingtree) "yourself, I think your giving 
 it to the Doctor is a glorious scheme. 
 
 " Your brother has been so kind as to let me have the little mare again. 
 
 1 Whitefield's " Works," vol. ii., p. 404. 
 ^ Probably " Theron and Aspasio," now in hand, though not published 
 for three years afterwards. It could not be the " Remarks on Boling- 
 broke " ; for there is no " scenery " in them. 
 
278 Rev. y allies Hervey, 
 
 jyr-, My Master walked, — I ride, to preach the glorious Gospel. Whether 
 — riding or walking. Lord Jesus, let my whole heart be taken up with 
 Age 38 Thee! 
 
 " Adieu, my dearest sir, adieu. Cease not to pray for 
 
 " Ever yours whilst 
 
 " George Whitefield." 
 
 One other letter from Whitefield may fitly close the year 
 1752. Whitefield had read Hervey's "Remarks on Boling- 
 broke," and now wished him to publish his "Theron and 
 Aspasio." 
 
 " London, November 14, 1752. 
 
 " My very dear Friend, — " God will bless you for vindicating the 
 honour of His sacred volumes in your last pamphlet, for which, as for all 
 other unmerited favours, I most heartily thank you. I have just now 
 read it, and doubt not of its being greatly blessed and owned, and going 
 through many editions. I cannot discern any errata or inaccuracies 
 in the composition. Surely, God hath raised my dear friend up, to let 
 the polite world see how amiable are the doctrines of the Gospel. Why 
 will you weary the world, and your friends, by delaying to publish your 
 other long wished-for performance. ^ I shall be glad to peruse any of the 
 Dialogues. The savour of the last is not of my mind. Pray let them see 
 the light this winter. They will delight and warm many a heart. 
 
 " My dear, very dear friend, good-night. My kind respects await your 
 mother and sister. My wife, who is quite an invalid, joins heartily with 
 me, who am, my very dear sir, yours most affectionately in our common 
 Lord, 
 
 " George Whitefield." 
 
 Though so feeble and delicate, Hervey tried to preach 
 twice every Sunday. His ministry also was popular and 
 attractive, his churches being crowded to excess, and the win- 
 dows sometimes removed, that, the people outside might 
 hear. His style was familiar, and adapted to the congrega- 
 tions to whom he preached ; and, of course, his sentiments 
 were Calvinistical. " You have observed," said he, about this 
 period of his history, " the walls on either side of the path 
 leading to this church. They are covered, as you know, with 
 ivy. Now, you may pluck off the leaves, and break off the 
 branches, so that none of them shall be seen on the outside ; 
 but the roots of the plant have so worked themselves into the 
 wall, that, it would be impossible entirely to eradicate them 
 
 ^ " Theron and Aspasio." 
 
The Literary Parish- Priest. 279 
 
 without taking down the wall, and not leaving one stone ^753 
 upon another. And so must this frail body be taken down ; Age 39 
 and then, and not till then, shall we get rid of the remains of 
 a degenerate nature." ^ 
 
 Hervey's metaphor was striking ; but metaphors are not 
 arguments. 
 
 To employ his own expressions, Hervey began the year 
 1753 in "ill-health and weak spirits, which cramped his mind, 
 and unnerved his hand." He was "sadly indisposed ; languid 
 and dispirited; out of humour with himself, and displeased 
 with his own thoughts." 
 
 His " Theron and Aspasio " was now the chief and almost 
 only occupation of his leisure hours. A part of the work was 
 sent to Whitefield for revisal. Hence the following : — 
 
 "London, January 27, 1753. 
 
 " My very dear Friend, — I thank you a thousand times for the 
 trouble you have been at, in revising my poor compositions, which, I am 
 afraid, you have not treated with becoming severity. 
 
 " How many pardons shall I ask for mangling, and, I fear, murdering 
 your dear 'Theron and Aspasio.'" You will see by Monday's coach; 
 which will bring a parcel directed for you. It contains one of your 
 ' Dialogues,' and two more of my sermons ; which I do not like very well 
 myself, and, therefore, shall not wonder if you dislike them. If you think 
 they will do for the public, pray return them immediately, because the 
 other two go to the press next Monday. I have nothing to comfort me 
 but this, ' that the Lord chooses the weak things of this world to confound 
 the strong ; and things, that are not, to bring to nought things that are. 
 I think to sell all four sermons for sixpence. I write for the poor ; you 
 for the pohte and noble. God will assuredly own and bless what you 
 write. 
 
 " As yet, I have only had time to peruse one of your sweet ' Dialogues.' 
 As fast as possible, I shall read the rest. I am more than paid for my 
 trouble by reading them. 
 
 " The Lord be with your dear heart ! Continue to pray for me. The 
 Lord be with us ! Grace ! Grace ! 
 
 " I am, dearest sir, in very great haste, but greater love, 
 
 " Yours, etc., 
 " George Whitefield." 
 
 Doddridge was dead, and beyond the reach of consultation; 
 but Hervey now became acquainted witli another eminent 
 dissenter, — John Ryland, the well-known Baptist minister, — 
 
 1 " Memorials of Rev. W, Bull," p. 8. 
 
2 So Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1753 who became the intimate friend of the Rector of Weston- 
 ^~ Favel, and one of his most trusted advisers. In a letter, 
 dated "February 3, 1753," Hervey sent to Ryland a rough 
 outline of his " Theron and Aspasio," and said, 
 
 " My piece is, as yet, only in embryo. Will you, dear sir, contribute 
 your assistance to ripen the design, and bring it to the birth? With this 
 ♦ view, I send you my four first dialogues. They are very incorrect, and 
 
 shamefully blotted.' The first fault your pen will mend ; the second your 
 candour will excuse. But, instead of making any more apologies, give 
 me leave to lay before you a plan of the whole scheme," etc. - 
 
 Hervey was almost fastidious in his literary tastes ; and, 
 hence, his habit of asking his friends to revise his manuscripts 
 previous to their being printed. There can be no question, 
 that, he went further, in this respect, than he need have done. 
 Whitefield was a glorious evangelist ; but made no preten- 
 sions to being a man of letters. Ryland was a strong-minded 
 man ; but not an accomplished scribe. The Countess of 
 Huntingdon, in some respects, was one of the most remark- 
 able womeh that ever lived ; but polite literature was not the 
 orbit in which she shone. And, yet, Hervey sought "friendly 
 corrections " from the coroneted lady as well as from the 
 great itinerant, and the Baptist minister. Hence, the fol- 
 lowing : — 
 
 " Your ladyship is pleased to express a wish, that, I should proceed, 
 without delay, in finishing my intended work. Be assured, your wishes, 
 madam, have all the force of a command with me. I send you the first 
 four ' Dialogues,' beseeching you to peruse them, not with the partiality of 
 a friend, but the severity of a critic. The like request I have made of 
 others, and have received their friendly corrections. I am deeply sensible 
 of my own deficiencies, and, in order, therefore, to render my work, if 
 possible, fit for public view — meet for the Master's use, I shall feel 
 obliged by any corrections or improvements, which your pen may make. 
 Your ladyship is at liberty to show the manuscript to whom you please. 
 Your remarks, and those of your friends, may supply the sterility of my 
 invention, and the poverty of my language. If you really approve of 
 what I have sketched, I shall be encouraged to proceed in my work. 
 May I not hope for the honour of dedicating it to your ladyship.'' It would 
 give me singular pleasure to have any work of my pen patronised by the 
 Countess of Huntingdon." ^ 
 
 ^ Hervey was remarkable for his beautiful handwriting. 
 
 ^ Gospel Magazine, 1774, p. 139. 
 
 ^ " Life and Times of Countess of Huntingdon," vol. i., p. 188. 
 
The Litermy Parish-Priest. 281 
 
 Lady Huntingdon sympathized with the design of Hervey's 1753 
 book ; claimed the assistance of all those whom she con- p^-^n 
 sidered capable of suggesting improvements and useful hints; 
 and transmitted their observations to the author ; but declined 
 the offered dedication. Hervey writes : — 
 
 ''July 14, 1753. 
 " Madam, — Accept my thanks, for taking the trouble of perusing my 
 veiy imperfect manuscript, and my grateful acknowledgments, for the 
 improving touches and remarks you have inade, as well as for those of 
 your highly valuable friends and acquaintances. The corrections will be 
 exceedingly beneficial to the work, and render it more acceptable to the 
 public in general. But, I confess, I feel disappointed at your ladyship's 
 declining to patronise the public attempt of my pen ; nevertheless, your 
 observations are so sensible and just, that, I cannot think of pressing the 
 matter on your attention, further than to solicit your prayers for the 
 success of the undertaking, and for the unworthy author."' 
 
 Writing, on the same subject, to Mr. Ryland, Hervey 
 says : — 
 
 "Weston-Favel, March 17, 1753. 
 " My dear Friend, — I thank you, for the trouble of perusing my very 
 imperfect manuscripts; and I desire Mr. Medley to accept my very 
 grateful acknowledgments for the improving remarks he has made. I 
 beg of him to proceed, and to use the same kind of severity with the 
 other sketches. I am sensible, the pointing is inaccurate ; and shall be 
 much obliged for every correction in this particular. It will be no less 
 beneficial to my piece, if he pleases to make free use of the pruning 
 knife. Prohxity, upon such a subject, will infallibly create disgust, 
 especially with the polite, for whose perusal and whose service, I would 
 wish my attempt was properly calculated. I don't pretend, nor indeed 
 do I wish, to write one new truth. The utmost of my aim is, to represent 
 old doctrines in a pleasing light, and dress them in a fashionable or 
 genteel manner." ^ , 
 
 Such extracts as these are not without interest. They 
 show, that, Hervey, unlike his friends Wesley and Whitefield, 
 wrote not so much for the masses of the people as for the 
 educated and genteel ; and, that, he was intensely anxious to 
 have his publications, in a literary point of view, as perfect as 
 possible. 
 
 ' " Life and Times of Countess of Huntingdon," vol. i., p. 190. The 
 work was ultimately dedicated to Lady Frances Shirley. 
 ^ Gospel Magazine, 1774, p. 183. 
 
Age 39 
 
 282 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 1753 It was in May, 1752, that, Hervey, in broken health, 
 
 succeeded his father as Rector of Weston-Favel. Twelve 
 months afterwards, he was called upon to preach, at the 
 visitation of the Archdeacon of Peterborough, in All Saints 
 Church, Northampton. Writing to Lady Frances Shirley, he 
 says, — 
 
 " 1753) Ai^cjy 10. I am now setting out for Northampton, where I am to 
 preach the visitation sermon. I know not how I shall speak, so as to be 
 heard, in that very large and lofty church. May the Lord God Omnipo- 
 tent make His strength perfect, in my extreme weakness. O ! for the 
 eloquence of an ApoUos, and the fervour of a Boanerges ! I am quite 
 ashamed of my poor, jejune, spiritless, composition ; and I am no less 
 ashamed of my unbelief, that, I dare not trust God for utterance; but, 
 before an audience that is critical, forsooth must use my notes." 
 
 Hervey's text, on this occasion, was, " God forbid, that, I 
 should glory," etc. (Gal. vi. 14) ; and the sermon was the first 
 he published. Though not remarkable for either learning or 
 argument, it was thoroughly evangelical and faithful ; and, 
 unless the belief and practice of the clergy there assembled 
 were exceptional, it must have been somewhat startling. It 
 was the sermon of a Methodist; and Methodist sermons then 
 were seldom heard in the Established Church. 
 
 Preaching it was a duty; publishing it was an act of charity. 
 Hence the following : — 
 
 "1753, May 19. I have lately been somewhat busied in preparing a 
 sermon to be preached before the clergy, at our Archdeacon's visitation; 
 and, to my weak nerves and languid spirits, a little business is a toil. A 
 commentator, with whom I wish you may long be unacquainted, has taught 
 me the meaning of Solomon's description, ' The grasshopper shall be a 
 burden.' The sermon, though perfectly plain and artless, is in the press. 
 It is printed for the relief of a poor afflicted child, as a short advertise- 
 ment will inform the world. The person, to whose management it is 
 consigned, has given orders for an impression of two thousand ; besides a 
 hundred and fifty, which I have bespoken for myself." 
 
 Printed sermons have seldom been popular ; but the ad- 
 venture, in this instance, succeeded. " I have no business 
 going forward with the printer," wrote Hervey, in a letter to 
 Lady Frances Shirley, on July 15, 1753. 
 
 "My last little essay would have remained in the obscurity of short- 
 hand, if the father of the afflicted youth had not importuned me to send 
 my sermon on a begging errand. I gave it him as a kind of lottery ticket, 
 
The Literary Parish- Priest. 28 
 
 a 
 
 not without some hopes and many prayers, that it might meet with sue- iizi. 
 
 cess, and come up a prize. Nor have I reason to repent ; for, though 
 
 he printed two thousand, he tells me they are almost all sold." -^Ss 39 
 
 An extract from another letter may be welcome. It refers, 
 not only to this visitation sermon, but to Hervey's parochial 
 labours, 
 
 " Weston- Favel, October 28, 1753. 
 
 " I have, this afternoon, been preaching to a crowded audience. You 
 would be surprised, and, I believe, every body wonders that I am able to 
 officiate for myself 1 am so weak that I can hardly walk to the end of 
 my parish, though a small one ; and so tender, that I dare not visit my 
 poor neighbours, for fear of catching cold in their bleak houses. Yet, I 
 am enabled, on the Lord's-day, to catechise, and expound to my children 
 in the morning, and to preach in the afternoon. Every Wednesday 
 evening (hay-time and harvest only excepted) I read prayers, and give 
 them a lecture-sermon in Weston church. This is the Lord's doing, or, 
 as your favourite book expresses it, this is owing to ' the good hand of my 
 God upon me.' 
 
 " God has been pleased to pity the poor youth, for whose relief the 
 visitation-sermon, I preached at Northampton, was printed. An edition 
 of two thousand is disposed of; and the manager, for the distressed 
 object, is venturing upon another edition. See, dear sir, if God will bless, 
 who can blast ? If He will further, what can obstruct ? A feather, a 
 straw, if He pleases to command, shall be a polished shaft in His quiver. 
 Trust not, therefore, in eloquence or argument, in depth of thought or 
 beauty of style, all of which are confessedly wanting in the present case ; 
 but 'trust ye in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting 
 strength.' " 
 
 Another glimpse of Hervey, in the midst of his rustic 
 congregations, is furnished by a letter written by one of 
 Whitefield's preachers. 
 
 " Last Sabbath-day, I rode to hear Mr. Hervey at Collingtree ; and, to 
 my great suprise as well as satisfaction, having never seen such a thing 
 before in prayer-time, instead of singing psalms, they sung two of Dr. 
 Watts' hymns, the clerk giving them out line by line. After prayer, with- 
 out going out of the desk, the minister put off his surplice, and expounded 
 the Second Lesson of the day. And then, without going up into the pulpit, 
 he read Ephesians v. 25-27, and spoke from them very sweetly and 
 clearly. He expounds every Wednesday night, at the same church ; 
 preaches twice on the Sabbath ; catechizes the children ; and meets 
 some people on Tuesdays and Thursdays, in or near the parish where his 
 father preached." ' 
 
 ' " Life and Times of Countess of Huntingdon," vol. i., p. 192. 
 
284 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 1753 There was no high-church ritualism here; but a godly 
 
 AJe~39 P'^^^^^ making himself at home among his poor parishioners, 
 and simply and earnestly trying to promote the spiritual and 
 eternal welfare of them and of their children. 
 
 In his enfeebled health, the wonder is how Hervey 
 managed to undertake so many of these rural services. And 
 yet, while thus faithfully discharging his duties as a parish 
 priest, he was, if not an extensive reader, a most diligent 
 student of the holy Bible, and a conscientious cultivator of 
 literary aesthetics. Wesley, when an old man, reraa-rked, — 
 
 " I conld even now write as floridly and rhetorically as even the 
 
 admired Dr. B ; but, I dare not, because I seek the honour that 
 
 Cometh of God only. What is the praise of men to me, that have one 
 foot in the grave, and am stepping into the land whence I shall not 
 return. Therefore I dare no more write in a fine style than wear a fine 
 coat. But were it otherwise, had I time to spare, I should still write as I 
 do. I should purposely decline, what many admire, a highly ornamental 
 style. I cannot admire French oratory ; I despise it from my heart." 
 
 It was otherwise with Hervey. Of set purpose, he cultivated 
 the ''fine style " of writing. Wesley wrote for the masses ; 
 Hervey for the ^lite of hum.an society. 
 
 " My writings," said he, " are not fit for ordinary people ; I never give 
 them to such persons, and dissuade this class of men from procuring 
 them. O that they may be of some service to the more refined part of 
 the world \"^ 
 
 Wesley and Hervey were equally conscientious ; and 
 opinions will differ concerning the wisdom of their different 
 decisions ; though all will probably admit, that, if Wesley's 
 writings had less of scholastic learning, sonorousness, and 
 rhythm, they had vastly more point and power than those of 
 his old Oxford friend. Still, both acted from the purest 
 motive ; and it is in such a light that their respective merits 
 should be judged. In a letter to a friend, dated, " Weston- 
 Favel, August 18, 1753, Hervey writes : — 
 
 " I wish you had taken minutes of what you saw most remarkable in 
 your tour through Westmoreland and Cumberland. Described in your 
 language, and embellished with your imagination, an account of these 
 
 ^ Letters to Lady F. Shirley, No. 106. 
 
The Litej'my Parish-Priest. 285 
 
 counties might be highly pleasing to all ; and, grafted with religious im- in^^i. 
 provements, might be equally edifying. Such kind of writings suit the ■ — 
 present taste. We don't love close thinking. That is most likely to win "^^ ^o 
 our approbation, which extenuates the fancy, without fatiguing the atten- 
 tion. Since this is the disposition of the age, let us endeavour to catch 
 men by guile ; turn even a foible to their advantage ; and bait the gospel 
 hook agreeably to the prevaihng taste. In this sense, ' become all things 
 to all men.' " 
 
 Hervey was now possessed of a large and varied library ; 
 but, like Wesley, he was, to a great extent, " homo wiius 
 libriy 
 
 " My library," says he, " is composed of the books collected by my 
 father and grandfather ; among which there are multitudes, that I shall 
 continue a stranger to as long as I live, though they stand at my right 
 hand and my left every day. I want to be better acquainted with God's 
 holy word ; to have its inestimable truths lodged in my memory, its 
 heavenly doctrines impressed upon my heart ; that my tempers may take 
 their fashion from it ; that my private conversation may be seasoned with 
 it ; and my public ministrations enriched by it. Thus, dear sir, may the 
 word of Christ dwell in us richly ! I am, what people would call, a 
 moderate Calvinist ; but, I assure you, 1 can bear, I shall delight to 
 have, my notions sifted ; nor am I so attached to any favourite scheme, 
 but I can I'eadily relinquish it, when Scripture and reason convince me it 
 is wrong." 
 
 Hervey's " Theron and Aspasio," — by far the greatest 
 work of his short life, — was now nearly completed ; and his 
 time was chiefly occupied in putting it through the press. 
 All kinds of friends were consulted ; and their revisions and 
 emendations solicited. The book was too bulky, and yet 
 Hervey was at his wits' end to make it less. Postage of 
 proof-sheets was heavy ; and compositors and printers were 
 dilatory to a most worrying extent. The year throughout 
 was a trying one, especially to a valetudinarian like Hervey. 
 Brief extracts from his letters will best illustrate what we 
 mean. 
 
 " 1754, May 4." Writing to Mr. Ryland, Hervey says, — 
 
 " My bookseller tells me, it will be impossible 'to comprise my essay in 
 less than three volumes of the ' Meditations ' size. It is much against my 
 inclination to exceed the quantity of two volumes ; but, I believe, I must 
 submit, or else we shall cramp the design, and mutilate the plan." ' 
 
 1 Letters to Rev. J. Ryland. No. 6. 
 
286 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 1754 " May 20. I send two or three manuscripts, and beg of you to exercise 
 
 the same frankness of admiration, and the same impartiahty of censure 
 
 °^ ^° upon them. My bookseller tells me, it cannot be comprised in less than 
 three volumes. I have always had an aversion to so diffusive a vi^ork. 
 Many will not have ability to purchase them ; many not have leisure to 
 read them ; and to some, I fear, the very sight of three volumes would be 
 like loads of meat to a squeamish stomach. Yet, I cannot contract the 
 work, without omitting those parts which are intended to entertain the 
 reader, keep him in good humour, and allure or bribe him to go on. 
 What would you advise ? I send ' Letters,' eight, nine, ten, and eleven ; 
 and ' Dialogues,' fifteen and seventeen. Do, my dear sir, improve, polish, 
 and -enrich them. I am, this day, a prisoner in my chamber, and write in 
 much pain. Blessed be God for that world, where all tears will be wiped 
 away from our eyes, and there will be no more pain." 
 
 " May 30. I send herewith four of my ' Dialogues,' which 1 beg of you 
 to examine with a kind severity. I do assure you, I can bear to receive 
 censure from a friend, and vv^ill kiss the lips that administer it, especially 
 when it is intended to preserve my attempts to further the glorious gospel 
 from the contempt of the public. I will, ere long, send you, in a frank, a 
 general view of my plan, which, in the execution, is become- too prolix, 
 and cannot be comprehended in less than three volumes, unless some 
 judicious friend will help me to curtail and abridge. I am very unwilling 
 to pubhsh a work consisting of three volumes ; I apprehend this will 
 obstruct the sale not a little." 
 
 "June I." In a letter to Lady Frances Shirley, Hervey 
 writes, — 
 
 " May I promise myself the benefit of your opinion concerning the 
 publication of three volumes ? As you know the taste and temper of the 
 polite world, I should be much obliged for your advice. And I beg you 
 will not flatter my vanity ; but, if you think, that three volumes on a 
 religious subject will be insupportable, be so kind as to tell me plainly. I 
 would fain write what may be acceptable, in order to write what may be 
 useful ; and, for my own part, I really am afraid, that, so large a work will 
 be less likely to subserve such a design." 
 
 In another letter, to the same lady, a fortnight afterwards, 
 Hervey wrote : — 
 
 " June 16. I have still another scruple, which respects not the gay and 
 splendid world, but the mean and penurious. I would gladly have my 
 books in those hands, which hold the plough, and ply the distaff, because 
 these persons are as nearly related to the all-creating God, and as highly 
 beloved by the ever-blessed Jesus, as those who wear a crown, or wield a 
 sceptre. But these will hardly be able to purchase three volumes. I 
 thank your ladyship for your kind t)ffer, in reference to the princess ; but 
 my work is so far from being ready to come abroad, that, it is not yet in 
 
1754 
 
 The Litei'ary Parish-PriesL 287 
 
 the press. The necessary prehminaries, one of which is the number of 
 the volumes, are not settled ; though, as to this particular, I begin to be 
 pretty well satisfied." Age 40 
 
 ^^ J2ine 21. Before this arrives, I hope my 'Dialogues' will have 
 received the free correction, and the friendly improvement of your pen. 
 As, through my many and repeated infirmities, I had long discontinued 
 and have often intermitted my intended work, I am informed, from 
 London, that the abettors of the Socinian scheme have been pleased to 
 triumph in my disappointment ; imagining that, through fear or inability, 
 I had laid aside my design, and insinuating, that, I had changed my 
 principles, or was conscious of the weakness of my cause. From these 
 gentlemen, if my essay should appear in public, it may expect a severe 
 examination, and probably a violent attack. I hope your friendship will 
 anticipate their inveteracy, and remove those blemishes, which might give 
 them a handle for censure, or a ground for insult. What is your opinion, 
 as to publishing three volumes ? Mr. Moses Brown and another friend 
 pronounce in the affirmative, though I am much afraid that this circum- 
 stance will clog the sale. There are several pieces that are a kind of 
 excursion from the principal subject, calculated to relieve and entertain 
 the reader, yet not without administering some spiritual benefit. A whole 
 'Dialogue' upon the wisdom, power, and goodness, displayed in the 
 contrivance and formation of the human body. Two or three ' Letters,' 
 pointing out the traces of the same grand and amiable attributes in the 
 constitution of the earth, the air, and the ocean. These I am afraid to 
 lop off, lest it should be like wiping the bloom from the plum, or taking 
 the gold from the gingerbread. To you I say gingerbread, though I would 
 not say so to the public, for I really think the taste of the present age is 
 somewhat like the humour of children : their milk must be sugared, their 
 wine spiced, and their necessary food garnished with flowers, and enriched 
 with sweetmeats." 
 
 ""^ July 8. I have had my booksellei-'s opinion with relation to the num- 
 ber of copies proper to be printed, at which I am somewhat surprised, and 
 must desire your advice. He says 5000 in small, and 750 in large, octavo 
 To this I have some objections. In the first place, the sale of such a 
 prodigious quantity cannot be but hazardous, though, I must confess, I 
 have no reason to distrust the goodness of that over-ruling Providence, 
 to which I would humbly ascribe the acceptance of a preceding essay. 
 This scruple, therefore, shall be set aside. But what think you of the 
 following consideration ? Errors and weaknesses, if such a number be 
 printed at once, may never be corrected ; whereas, if we publish half the 
 proposed number, and a second edition is demanded, there may be an 
 opportunity of correcting mistakes, and re-touching inaccuracies. May 
 I not hope to receive a few hints for a Preface, in which I am advised to 
 declare, that, it is my firm resolution to enter no farther into the contro- 
 versy ? with this view, that, in case the doctrines are attacked, other and 
 abler champions may see a clear stage for their entrance."^ 
 
 1 Letters to Ryland, No. 7. 
 
Rev. yamcs Hervey, 
 
 1754 " JJiJy 13- Here are six ' Dialogues.' May God enable you to search 
 
 '"" them, as with a candle, and make them such as He will condescend to 
 ^^ '^ bless ! I have dropped several objections and answers ; yet, I fear, too 
 many are still retained. A multiphcity of objects dissipates the attention 
 either of the eye or mind. Are, what the painters call, the- two unities 
 preserved ? one principal action and one grand point of view in each 
 piece ? Does Theron speak enough, or with such weight, and such a 
 spice of the sal Attia/s, as might suit his character? Here and there, a 
 touch of wit or genteel satire in him, 1 think, would be grateful, especiaUy 
 in the first part, before he is brought to a conviction of his guilt ? " 
 " You can scarcely imagine what a demand there is for the book, even 
 before pubhcation. It makes me rejoice with trembling. I now feel the 
 loss of our valuable friend. Dr. Doddridge, to whose judgment I ever 
 paid the highest deference. I expect you will tell me my manuscript is 
 very prolix ; but I designedly made it so, that my friends may judge what 
 is proper to be omitted. It is easier, you know, to expunge than to com- 
 pose. I wish they would, with a leaden pencil, enclose in a parenthesis 
 what they would have dropped. I hope to retrench one-fourth of the copy." 
 September 28. I have to request the honour of your name, to dignify 
 and recommend my book, which has been, for a considerable time, com- 
 mitted to the press. It will, I beUeve, be entitled ' Theron and Aspasio ; 
 or, a Series of Dialogues and Letters, upon the most Important and 
 Interesting Subjects.' The whole will constitute three volumes. It will, 
 I apprehend, make its appearance about the time appointed for the 
 meeting of the Parliament ; and I know no person whose name will 
 give the author more satisfaction, or be a higher recommendation to his 
 performance, than your ladyship's."' 
 
 " 'November 24. You have highly obliged me, in permitting me to grace 
 my work with your name. I have been, ever since I received your lady- 
 ship's letter, engaged to keep no less than eight hands constantly 
 employed in printing, which has taken up all my time. Be so kind, 
 madam, as to favour me with your advice, whether I should present the 
 book to the princess. ^ I must, I apprehend, present it to the prince's 
 preceptor,* because he is our diocesan, and treated me in a very 
 genteel manner, when I received institution from him. This is the last 
 frank I have. Could you. Madam, accommodate me with a fresh supply? 
 At this juncture a few of those vehicles would be very welcome and 
 serviceable."* 
 
 Again, a few days later, to the same lady, Hervey wrote : — 
 
 " To grant my request was obliging ; to grant it so speedily was like 
 yourself. My hands are still tied by the business of the press. You 
 
 1 Letters to Lady F. Shirley, No. 69. 
 
 2 The widow of Frederick, Prince of Wales. 
 
 2 Dr. Thomas, Bishop of Peterborough. 
 
 * Letters to Lady F. Shirley, No. 70. 
 
The Literary Parish- Priest. 289 
 
 can hardly imagine what obstructions and mistakes happen in the process 1754 
 of such a work, especially when the author is at a distance from the press. « ^^ 
 I take it for granted your ladyship approves of my presenting the piece ^ 
 to the princess, but would you have me attempt to put it into the hands 
 of the prince?^ I question whether the bishop would think it a proper 
 book for his royal highness's collection. I dare say Mr. Stone" (who, I am 
 told, is the principal director of the prince's conduct), would banish it, not 
 for a term of years, but, for ever ; and not to the American colonies, but 
 to the country of the Hottentots. I dare not expect that the bishop him- 
 self will like it ; but, perhaps, he will dislike my practice, if I do not pay 
 him the compliment. When he gave us a charge, at his last visitation, 
 he inveighed agairjst enthusiasm on the one hand, and profaneness on 
 the other ; and some of our reverend brethren took notice, that, when 
 delivering himself on the former topic, he frequently threw his eye upon 
 my friend Hartley and me. However, this I must say, he wrote me a very 
 handsome letter, when I presented him with the ' Remarks on Lord Bol- 
 ingbroke ; ' and, in a private letter, which I happened to see, expressed 
 no disapprobation concerning the 'Meditations.'" 
 
 ^^ December 26. I have a fresh obligation to your ladyship for pro- 
 curing me the opinion of good Dr. Hales. ^ I cannot but be pleased with 
 his approbation ; but I cannot persuade myself, that, the bishop will 
 undertake to present the books, or even consent to his royal pupil's read- 
 ing them. In case he should present them, who knows in what manner 
 he may do it ? Suppose he should shrug his shoulders, and say, ' An 
 ambitious and conceited clergyman of his diocese, by the importunity of 
 request, in a manner, forced him upon this office. How ungraceful would 
 the affair appear, and how unsuitable to decorum of conduct ! Upon the 
 whole, I am in a state of real perplexity. I would not seem to slight the 
 Doctor's opinion, much less reject his solicitation; yet, I cannot prevail 
 upon myself to think, that, to execute the proposal would be the propriety 
 of action. I hope, madam, you will give me your free advice, and help to 
 extricate me from this embarrassment, into which yourself, yes, you your- 
 self, have led me. For I should never have been known to such grand 
 personages, if you had not condescended to introduce me. My name 
 had never been heard by a royal ear, if it had not received some credit 
 by your ladyship's notice." ^ 
 
 These extracts might be multipHed ; but the reader has 
 had sufficient for the purpose of showing the almost extreme 
 assiduity of Hervey in making his book correct and popular. 
 Among others, he consulted his old friend Wesley, who 
 
 ^ The Prince of Wales, afterwards George the Third. 
 - Andrew Stone, a proud, very able, and very mercenary man, and sub- 
 preceptor of the Prince of Wales. 
 
 ^ Dr. Hales was clerk of the closet to the Princess Dowager of Wales. 
 ■* Letters to Lady F. Shirley, No. 73. 
 
 U 
 
290 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 1755 revised the first three "Dialogues," and "sent them back 
 A~4i ^^^^^ ^ ^^^^ inconsiderable corrections." Hervey replied, 
 " You are not my friend, if you do not take more liberty with 
 me." Wesley promised, that, he would ; upon which the 
 manuscripts were again revised ; and alterations were made 
 of a more important character. ^ Whether Wesley, on this 
 occasion, had used the prerogatives of a friend to a greater 
 extent than Hervey liked, is a matter which has never been 
 explained ; but it is quite certain, that, when Hervey's work 
 was nearly ready for the public, Hervey and Wesley, by 
 some means, had become alienated, and were no longer the 
 warm-hearted friends they had been in former days. Writing 
 to Lady Frances Shirley, under the date of January 9, 1755, 
 Hervey says, — 
 
 " Mr. John Wesley takes me very roundly to task, on the score of pre- 
 destination ; at which I am much surprised. Because a reader, ten times 
 less penetrating than he is, may easily see, that, this doctrine (be it true 
 or false) makes no part of my scheme ; never comes under consideration ; 
 is purposely and carefully avoided. I cannot but fear he has some 
 sinister design. Put the wolf's skin on the sheep, and the flock will shun 
 him, the dogs will worry him. I do not charge such an artifice, but 
 sometimes I cannot help forming a suspicion." 
 
 This is a mournful episode. From letters, already printed 
 in the foregoing pages, it is manifest, that, Hervey, at one 
 period, held Wesley in the highest affection and esteem ; and, 
 that, this was mutual is evident from the fact, that, as re- 
 cently as the year 1754, not only had Hervey twice over 
 requested Wesley to revise his " Theron and Aspasio," but, 
 Wesley (at the time an invalid like Hervey) had requested 
 his friend to revise his " Notes on the New Testament." 
 Hence the following : — 
 
 " Weston-Favel, June 29, 1754, 
 "Dear Sir, — I have read your ' Notes,' and have returned them by 
 the Northampton carrier, and transmitted such observations as occur to 
 my mind. I think, in general, you are too sparing of your remarks and 
 improvements. Many expositions are too corpulent ; your's are rather too 
 lean. May the good hand of the Lord be with them and with their 
 author! 'Bengelius' is likewise returned, with thanks for the use of that 
 valuable book. Please to present my affectionate respects to Mr. Charles, 
 
 ' Wesley's "Works," vol. x., p. 305, 
 
Tlie Literary: Parish- Priest. 291 
 
 and desire Mm, if he has done with ' Vitringa,' to send it by the same con- 17-5 
 veyance as brings your parcel. Let me beg to be remembered in your — 
 prayers, and in his, that, I may not dishonour the relation of, dear sir, S^ ^^ 
 your brother and friend in Christ, 
 
 "James Hervey."' 
 
 The two old Oxford friends were now estranged; and, 
 mournful to relate, their friendship was not renewed till they 
 met in heaven. But more of this anon. 
 
 Hervey's "Theron and Aspasio " was advertised to be 
 published on February 18, 1755; but he writes, "there are 
 so many unexpected remoras, that, 1 dare not answer for its 
 forthcoming, even at the expiratron of ten days more." 
 
 A copy of the " large octavo edition " is before us, in three 
 volumes ; pp. 405, 464, and 446 ; with a dedication, as 
 already intimated, " to the Right Honourable Lady Frances 
 Shirley."^ The following is a copy of " the Contents " : — 
 
 " Dialogue I. Character of the speakers.— On improving conversation. 
 — Elegance and dignity of the Scriptures. 
 
 "Dialogue II. Walk through the gardens.— The beautiful frame and 
 beneficial ordination of things.— Preparatory discourse on the Imputation 
 of Christ's Righteousness. — Meaning of the terms settled. 
 
 "Dialogue III. Walkthrough a meadow.— Doctrine of Christ's satis- 
 faction stated.— Considered as a Redemption Price, and as a Sacrifice 
 for sin. — Variously typified under the Mosaic dispensation. 
 
 " Dialogue IV. Park and romantic mount. —Christ's death further con- 
 sidered, as the very punishment which our sins deserved.— Objections, 
 ancient and modern, answered. — The whole summed up and improved. 
 
 "Dialogue V. Elegant arbour in the flower-garden.— Imputation of 
 Christ's obedience. — Objections from reason canvassed. 
 
 " Dialogue VI. Gallery of pictures.— Library and its furniture.— A sor- 
 did taste in painting censured ; a more graceful manner displayed. — Im- 
 putation of Christ's Righteousness resumed.— Objections from Scripture 
 urged and refuted. 
 
 "Dialogue VII. Hay-making.— Pleasures of nature freely enjoyed.— 
 Blessings of grace bestowed with equal freeness. — Theron's plan of accept- 
 ance with God; consists of sincerity, repentance, and good works, recom- 
 mended by the merits of Christ. — This shown to be a false foundation. — 
 No such thing as a good work, till we are accepted through the Re- 
 deemer. 
 
 1 Methodist Magazine, 1847, p. 965. 
 - The work was published in two sizes: 3 vols., 8vo, iSj. ; and 3 vols., 
 1 2 mo, 9^. 
 
292 • Rev. yames Hervcy, 
 
 175s "Dialogue VIII. Duelling. — Animadversions on the practice. — Spiri- 
 
 tuality and extent of the Divine law. — Infinite purity of God. 
 
 Age 41 "Dialogue IX. Curious summer-house.— No relaxation of the Divine 
 law, as to the precept or the penalty. — Its inflexible strictness, and princi- 
 pal ends. 
 
 " Dialogue X. Theron's last effort to demolish the evangelical scheme 
 of justification. — Among other objections, more plausible and refined than 
 the preceding, he strenuously insists, that, faith is our righteousness. — 
 Review of the whole. 
 
 " Dialogue XI. Ruins of Babylon. — Fine passage from Mr. Howe. — 
 Depravity and ruin of human nature, as they are represented in Scrip- 
 ture. — Applied, with a view to determine the yet dubious inquiry. 
 
 "Dialogue XII. Extremely hot day. — A solemn shady bower. — True 
 method of deriving benefit from the classics. — The wonderful structure 
 and economy of the human body. 
 
 "Dialogue XIII. Walk upon the terrace. — Depravity of human nature, 
 laid open and proved from experience. — Uses of the doctrine, and its 
 subserviency to the grand point. 
 
 " Dialogue XIV. Theron alone in the fields. — His soliloquy on the 
 charms of rural nature. — His reflections on the past conferences. — Aspasio 
 reinforces his arguments for the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness. — 
 Recommends self-examination, the keeping of a diary, and prayer for the 
 enlightening Spirit. — Departs, under an engagement to correspond by 
 letter. 
 
 " Letter I. Aspasio opens the correspondence with some important 
 articles of duty ; designed to facilitate self-examination, and promote con- 
 viction of sin. 
 
 " Letter II. Theron, convinced of the iniquity of his life, and the evil of 
 his hear-t, sees the necessity of a better righteousness than his own. — 
 Desires a further explanation, and a fuller proof of the doctrine under 
 debate. 
 
 "Letter III. Aspasio proves the point — from the Liturgy — the Articles 
 — the Homilies of the Church of England — and the writings of the 
 Fathers. 
 
 " Letter IV. Aspasio re-establishes the tenet, from the Scriptures of 
 the Old Testament. 
 
 " Letter V. Aspasio relates a remarkable panic. — Terrors of the day of 
 judgment. — Christ's Righteousness and its Imputation, largely demon- 
 strated from the New Testament. 
 
 "Letter VI. Theron takes a cursory view of the habitable crea- 
 tion. — Traces the perfections of nature through the earth, air, and 
 fire. — Admirable construction, and advantageous effects, of these 
 elements. 
 
 "Letter VII. Aspasio takes occasion to display the no less admirable 
 perfection of Christ's Righteousness. — Its Principle — Extent — Perse- 
 verance. 
 
 "Letter VIII. Aspasio describes a drought. — Majesty and beauty of 
 the sun, after a night of rain. — The meritorious excellency of Christ's 
 
'755 
 
 The Literary Parish-Priest. 293 
 
 Righteousness illustrated, from the magnificence of His works, and the 
 divinity of His person. 
 
 " Letter IX. Theron's account of the western cliffs — the wonders of the -^o^ 4i 
 ocean — and the benefits of navigation. 
 
 " Letter X. Aspasio enumerates the much richer benefits resulting 
 from the Imputation of Christ's Righteousness. — Shows their happy in- 
 fluence, on holiness of heart, and obedience of life. 
 
 "Letter XI. Aspasio exemphfies the last particular, in two very 
 memorable instances. — Especially in the conduct of Abraham offering up 
 his son Isaac. 
 
 "Letter XII. Aspasio touches upon union with Christ. — How described 
 in Scripture. — Its blessed and glorious effects. 
 
 " Dialogue XV. Aspasio revisits Theron. — Theron under anxiety of 
 spirit. — Partly to entertain, partly to comfort his friend, Aspasio enlarges 
 upon the bounty of the Creator, visible both in the animal and vegetable 
 world. — The new convert is slow of heart to believe. — Evangelical motives 
 to faith. 
 
 "Dialogue XVI. Harvest scene. — Philenor's gardens. — Statues. — Grove 
 of evergreens. — Nature of true faith. — Its sure foundation, and sovereign 
 supports. 
 
 "Dialogue XVII. A river voyage. — The diversified prospect. — Com- 
 parative happiness. — Advantages of peace. — A celebration of the Gospel 
 and its blessings, in a kind of rhapsody. — Christ's Righteousness applied, 
 to every case of distress, and every time of need." 
 
 Such is Hervey's own correct outline of his work. As the 
 reader will easily perceive, the book is a mixture of theologi- 
 cal teaching and scenic painting, the latter being used, as 
 Hervey himself states, " to soften the asperities of argument." 
 His "views of nature" are employed, not as being essential 
 to the truths which he wished to teach, but rather, to grace 
 his book with ornament, and to render it more readable. 
 Whether this ought to be regarded as an excellence or 
 a blemish, Hervey leaves his readers to determine. He 
 writes, — 
 
 " The author confesses a very peculiar fondness for the amiable scenes 
 of creation. It is, therefore, not at all improbable, but his excursions on 
 this topic may be of the diffusive kind, and his descriptions somewhat 
 hixuriaiit. It is hoped, however, that, the benevolent reader will indulge 
 him in this favourite foible." 
 
 Hervey's work was one of great importance. Of his " lux- 
 uriant descriptions " nothing need be said, except, that, many 
 of them are quite equal to those in his "Meditations and 
 
294 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 1755 Contemplations."^ Nearly all of them, however, might have 
 
 . , . been entirely omitted without at all interfering with the 
 Age 41 _ -^ _ _ _ ° 
 
 principal doctrines which it was the object of Hervey to teach 
 and vindicate. They are excrescences, though beautiful, — 
 oases in a doctrinal arena. To many of Hervey's readers, 
 they would be the most attractive sections of his book ; to 
 others, only intent on pursuing and mastering the author's 
 argument, they would be embellished barriers, and would be 
 skipped. 
 
 To Hervey's doctrines, considered as a whole, ortho- 
 dox Christians can take no exception. Wesley observed 
 with perfect justness, " Most of the grand truths of Christi- 
 anity are herein explained and proved with great strength 
 and clearness.-" ' The critx criticoriun was Hervey's peculiar 
 views of what he called "the imputed righteousness of Christ." 
 A few brief extracts will show what he meant. 
 
 " Aspasio. Justification is an act of God Almighty's grace ; whereby He 
 acquits His people from guilt, and accounts them righteous; for the sake 
 of Christ's righteousness, which was wrought out for them, and is imputed 
 to them. 
 
 " Thej'on. Two of your terms want some further explication. What do 
 you understand by Christ's rigliteoiisness? And what is the meaning of 
 imputed? 
 
 '"''Aspasio. By Christ's righteousness^ \ understand, all the various 
 instances of His active and passive obedience; springing from the perfect 
 holiness of His heart; continued through the whole progress of His life; 
 and extending to the very last pang of His death. By the word imputed, 
 I would signify, that, this righteousness, though performed by our Lord, 
 is placed to oiir account j is reckoned or adjudged by God as our own. 
 Insomuch, that we va^y plead it, and rely on it, for the pardon of our sins ; 
 for adoption into His family; and for the enjoyment of life eternal." 
 
 Again : Aspasio says, — 
 
 ^ "The nature of justification, and the nature of condemnation are two 
 oppositcs, which will mutually illustrate each other. What is implied in 
 the condemnation of a sinner? He forfeits eternal life, and is doomed to 
 eternal death. What is included in the justification of a sinner? It 
 
 ^ Wesley writes : — " The twelfth dialogue is unexceptionable ; and con- 
 tains such an illustration of the wisdom of God in the structure of the 
 human body, as, I believe, cannot be paralleled in either ancient or 
 modern writers" (Wesley's "Works," vol. x., p. 314). 
 - Wesley's " Works," vol. x., p. 322. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 295 
 
 supersedes his obligation to punishment, and invests him with a title to j^cr 
 
 happiness. In order to Xh^ first, there must be a remission of sins. In 
 
 order to the second, an imputation of righteousness. Both which are S^ 4 
 derived from Christ's mediation on our behalf; and both take place, when 
 we are united to that Divine Head." 
 
 TJieron answers, — 
 
 "This, I know, is the fine-spun theory of your systematic divines. But 
 where is their warrant from Scripture? By what authority do they 
 introduce such subtle distinctions .''" 
 
 "Aspasio. I cannot think the distinction so subtle, or the theory so 
 finely spun. To be released from the damnatory sentence, is one thing ; 
 to be treated as a righteous person, is evidently another. Absalom was 
 pardoned, when he received a permission to remove from Geshur, and 
 dwell at Jerusalem. But this was very different from the re-commence- 
 ment of filial duty, and parental endearment. A rebel may be exempted 
 from the capital punishment, which his traitorous practices deserve ; 
 without being restored to the dignity of his former state, or the rights of a 
 loyal subject. In Christianity likewise, to be freed from the charge of 
 guilt, and to be regarded as a righteous person, are two several blessings ; 
 really distinct in themselves, and often distinguished in Scripture." 
 
 Instances being adduced in proof of this, Aspasio continues, 
 
 " Let me produce one text more, — ' I send thee to turn them from 
 darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God ; that, they may 
 receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are 
 sanctified by faith that is in Me' (Acts xxvi. i8). Here Christ distin- 
 guishes between remission of sins, and the inheritance of the saints ; 
 between the pardon that delivers from hell, and the justificatio7i that 
 entitles to heaven. So that the former does by no means constitute the 
 latter ; but is connected with it, as a link in the same sacred chain ; or 
 included in it, as part of the same glorious whole. 
 
 " TJieron. Admitting your distinction to be just, is not the satisfaction, 
 made by the death of Christ, sufficient of itself to obtain, both our full 
 pardon, and our final happiness .'* 
 
 '■'■Aspasio. Since my friend has started the question, I may venture, 
 with all reverence to the divine counsels, to answer in the negative ; it 
 being necessary, that, the Redeemer of man should obey, as well as suffer, 
 in their stead" (John x. i8; Matt. iii. 15; Rom. v. 17). "It should be 
 considered, Whether Christ's sufferings were a complete satisfaction of 
 the law? Complete they were with regard to \hQ penalty, not with regard 
 to the precept. A distinction obvious and important. From whence 
 arises the following argument ; which, for once, you will allow me to 
 propose in the logical form. By what alone the law was not satisfied ; by 
 that alone sinners could not be justified: By Christ's sufferings alone, the 
 law was not satisfied. Therefore, by Christ's sufferings alone, sinners could 
 not be justified. But when we join the active with the passive obedience 
 
296 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1755 ^^ °"^ Lord, — the efficacy of the one, with the perfection of the other, — 
 — how does our justification stand firm, in the fullest sense of the word ! 
 Se 41 "w^e have all that the law demands, both for our exemption from the 
 curse, and as a title to the blessing. 
 
 " Thei'on. But if we are justified by Christ's fulfilling the law, we are 
 justified by works. So that, before you can strike out such a way of 
 salvation, you must contradict yourself; and, what is more adventurous, 
 you must abolish that fundamental principle of the Gospel; 'By the works 
 of the law, shall no flesh be justified.' 
 
 '''■ Aspasio. I gx?cs\\.\\., TJieron. We (JT^ justified by works. But whose? 
 The works of Christ, not our own. And this is very far from contra- 
 dicting ourselves ; equally far is it from abolishing, what you call the 
 Gospel-principle. Between the covenant of works, and the covenant of 
 grace, this, I apprehend, is the difference : By the former, man was indis- 
 pensably bound to obey, in his o%vti person. By the latter, the obedience 
 of liis surety is accepted, instead of his own. The righteousness required 
 by both, is, not siticere, but complete; not proportioned to the abilities of 
 fallen man, but to the purity of the law, and the majesty of the Lawgiver. 
 By this means, the glory of God as an awful sovereign, and the glory of 
 His law as an inviolable system, are entirely preserved and illustriously 
 displayed. The salvation of sinners, neither clashes with the truth, nor 
 interferes with the justice of the supreme Legislator. On the contrary, it 
 becomes a faithful and Just procedure of the most High God, to justify 
 Imn that believeth on Jesics. 
 
 " Theron. Farewell then to our own obedience. No more occasion 
 for any holiness of life. Fine divinity truly ! Should I not rather say ? 
 Downright Antinomianism ! 
 
 ^''Aspasio. No, my friend; Christ came not to destroy the law, but to 
 fulfil. He has fulfilled it to the very uttermost, in His own person. He 
 has also merited for us, and conveys to tis, those supplies of the Spirit, 
 which alone can enable us to yield faithful and acceptable obedience. 
 
 " Theron. My principal objection is not satisfied. I was observing, 
 that, according \o your manner of stating the affair, salvation is no longer 
 free, but founded upon works. They are the works of the law, though 
 Christ performs them. To maintain that we are justified by these works, 
 is to confound the difference between the law and the Gospel. 
 
 " Aspasio. Though we should admit your premises, we cannot acquiesce 
 in your conclusion. The same righteousness, by which we are justified, is 
 both legal and evangelical. Legal, in respect to Christ, who was made 
 under the law, that He might obey all its commands. Evatigelical, in 
 respect to ns, who work not ourselves, but believe in the gx^^X fulfller of 
 all righteousness. We are justified by works, if you look forward to our 
 Surety. We are justified without works, if you cast a retrospective view 
 on ourselves. The grand reason, which inclines some people to reject 
 this comfortable doctrine, lies concealed, if not in an absolute disbelief of 
 our Lord's eternal glory and Godhead, yet, in U7isettled apprehensions of 
 it, or an habitual inattention to it. If our Saviour was not really God, it 
 would be a reasonable practice to disavow the imputation of His right- 
 
The Liiei'-ary Pai^ish-Priest. 297 
 
 eousness. Because, upon such a supposition, His obedience was no incc 
 more than bounden duty ; in which there could not be the least pretence — 
 to merit, and which could be profitable to none but Himself. Whereas, Age 41 
 if we verily believe Him to be the Incarnate God, His submission to the 
 law becomes an act of voluntary humiliation. Which circumstance, 
 together with the transcendent dignity of His person, renders His obedi- 
 ence, not meritorious only, but' inexpressibly and iiijinitely meritorious. 
 
 " Theroji. But if Christ's righteousness. His very righteousness, be 
 imputed; then, the true believers are altogether as righteous as Christ 
 Himself. Whereas, if you maintain, that. His righteousness is imputed 
 only as to its effect, you will keep clear of this rock. 
 
 " Aspasio. This, I fear, will be like keeping clear of Scylla, only to fall 
 foul upon Charybdis. What are the effects of the Mediator's righteous- 
 ness ? Pardon of sin, justification of our persons, and the sanctification 
 of our nature. Shall we say, these effects, these benefits, are imputed ? 
 To talk of their imputation, I think, is an affront to sound sense. All 
 these benefits are not imputed, but imparted ; they are not reckoned to 
 us, but are really enjoyed by us. Yet it does by no means follow, that 
 believers are altogether as righteous, as Christ; unless you can prove, 
 that, to be the receiver is, in all respects, the same, as to be the Aiithor 
 and Finisher. The righteousness of Christ arises solely from Himself; 
 the source of ours subsists in another. Christ's righteousness is originally 
 and absolutely His o%unj whereas, it is made ours in a way of favour, and 
 gracious imputation." 
 
 " Theron. But if Christ's perfect obedience be accounted ours, me- 
 thiijks, we should have no more need of pardoning mercy than Christ 
 Himself. 
 
 " Aspasio. Yes ; because before this imputation, we were sunk in guilt, 
 and dead in sins. Because, after it, we are defective in our duty, and in 
 many things offend. 
 
 " Theron. Does not this doctrine render the intercession of our Sa.viour 
 superfluous? What occasion have tJicy for an advocate with the Father, 
 whose righteousness has neither blemish nor imperfection ? 
 
 '■^Aspasio. They stand in need of an advocate, first, that they may 
 be brought home to the Repairer of their breaches, and made partakers 
 of His righteousness by a living faith. Next, that their faith may be 
 preserved, notwithstanding all opposition, steadfast and immovable; or 
 rather, may be carried on, victorious and triumphant, to the end. 
 
 " Theron. You say, ' Christ performed all that was conditionary' ; then 
 He repented for us, and believed for us. 
 
 " Aspasio. Christ performed whatever was required by the covenant of 
 works, both before it was violated, and after it had been transgressed. 
 But neither repentatice nor faith was comprehended in this institution. 
 It was not therefore necessary, neither indeed was it possible, for our 
 spotless and Divine Lord to repent of sin, or believe in a Saviour. 
 
 " TheroJi. However, from, what you have advanced, this will unavoid- 
 ably follow — That a man is to be justified, under the character of a noto- 
 rious transgressor of the law ; and justified under the character of a 
 
298 Rev. yamcs Hervcy, 
 
 ijcc sinless observer of the law. And what is this, but a glaring inconsis- 
 — tency ? 
 Age 41 » ji^pfj^sio^ Not at all inconsistent, but absolutely needful, if we consider 
 those distinct branches of the Divine law, the preceptive and Xhepetial. 
 Both which, in case of guilt already contracted, must necessarily be satis- 
 fied. Not at all inconsistent, if we take in the two constituent parts of 
 justification, the acquittance from guilt, and a title to life. The former 
 supposes us to be transgressors of the law ; and such the highest saints in 
 the world are. The latter requires us to be observers of the law; and 
 such must the inheritors of heaven be. Much less is this inconsistent, if 
 we consider believers in their personal and relative capacity ; as they are 
 in themselves, and as they are in their Surety. Notorious transgressors 
 in themselves, they have a sinless obedience in Christ. The conscious- 
 ness of that, will be an everlasting motive to humility ; the belief of this, 
 an inexhaustible source of joy." 
 
 In these extracts, the reader has, in Hervey's own words, a 
 full account of his doctrine of the imputed righteousness of 
 Christ. All must admit, his fairness in the putting of Theron's 
 objections ; most will doubt his successfulness in answering 
 them. His theory, that, the death of Christ bought the sin- 
 ner's pardon, and the righteousness of Christ procured for the 
 sinner the privileges and rights of justification ; or, to speak 
 more precisely, of adoption into the family of God, was a 
 speculative distinction, without Scriptural authority, and preg- 
 nant with antinomian heresy. He meant well; but he missed 
 the mark. Wesley was right, when he said, — 
 
 " ' The imputed righteousness of Christ' is a phrase not scriptural. It 
 has done immense hurt. I have had abundant proof, that the frequent 
 use of this unnecessary phrase, instead of ' furthering men's progress in 
 vital holiness,' has made them satisfied without any holiness at all ; yea, 
 and encouraged them to work all uncleanness with greediness." ^ 
 
 Hervey's book created great commotion. It was both 
 attacked and defended ; and was turned to good purpose 
 and to bad. Sandeman, in his " Letters on Theron and 
 Aspasio,"^ both approved and disapproved. Cudworth, a dis- 
 senting minister, in his reply to Sandeman,^ was a warm 
 defender of his friend, the Church of England rector. Dr. 
 
 ' Wesley's "Works," vol. x., p. 306. 
 
 Pubhshed in two volumes, 8vo, in 1757. 
 
 ^ Published in 1 760, pp. 224, octavo. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 
 
 Witherspoon, "Minister of the Gospel in Beith," published a 1755 
 pamphlet of 72 pages, in 1756, to show, that Hervey's doc- ^0^41 
 trine of justification, by imputed righteousness, does not 
 weaken the obligations to holiness of life. Besides these, 
 other pamphlets were issued, on both sides of the dispute ; 
 but the only one which Hervey himself answered, was a tract 
 by his old friend Wesley. This will be noticed hereafter. 
 Meanwhile, a selection from Hervey's voluminous correspond- 
 ence will furnish the reader with glimpses of this period of 
 Hervey's history. 
 
 Lady Frances Shirley had given him a hint, that some one 
 wished to make a present to the author of " Theron and 
 Aspasio." He replied : — 
 
 Weston-Favel, February 23, 1755. 
 " My thirst after books is very much allayed. I have bid adieu to the 
 curious and entertaining inventions of wit, or discoveries of science. My 
 principal attention is now devoted to the sacred oracles of inspiration. 
 These I should be glad to have in their noblest form and highest perfec- 
 tion ; and, I find, there is now published a very fine edition of the Hebrew 
 Scriptures, by Father Houbigant. Such a present would be singularly 
 acceptable, and, I hope, it would be beneficial. I do not know the price : 
 though, I fear, it will be costly; as it consists of four tomes in folio, and 
 as Hebrew printing is uncommonly expensive." ^ 
 
 The next refers to the same subject, and to his being 
 thanked for a copy of his " Theron and Aspasio," by Her 
 Royal Highness the Princess of Wales. 
 
 " Mairh i. If what I mentioned be an improper proposal, you will have 
 such a kind regard to the unadvised writer, as to stifle and suppress his 
 project. My heart is not set on that or any other book. As I have the 
 Bible in its pure and sacred original, I can dispense with the circumstance 
 of a grand and pompous form. 
 
 " I have received a very friendly letter from, the bishop ; and Dr. Hales 
 has transmitted to me the thanks of her royal highness. Alas, madam ! 
 what good does this do me ? Or, if I were presented to a deanery, what 
 service would that do me when I stand at the great tribunal ? Blessed 
 Jesus, let not my poor endeavours be rewarded with such chaff ! Be Thou 
 glorified; let souls be edified ; and then they who read, and he who wrote, 
 may one day rejoice together." 
 
 ' Three weeks afterwards, Lady Frances Shirley herself sent this valu- 
 able work to Hervey, who described the present as " a magnificent and 
 beautiful set of books ; the paper fine; the type grand; the binding rich; 
 the principal contents invaluable." 
 
300 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 1755 '^^^ demand for Hervey's book was such, that, though the 
 
 ■ first edition consisted of nearly six thousand copies, a second 
 
 edition was almost immediately required. He writes to the 
 
 Rev. John Ryland : — 
 
 " Afarch 8. We have begun another edition, and ventured to print 
 three thousand. Any remarks and improvements will be extremely wel- 
 come ; but they must be communicated soon, otherwise, perhaps, they 
 cannot take place ; for it was proposed to begin upon each volume at 
 once; and proceed, by means of several hands, and several presses, with 
 great expedition. 
 
 " The Princess of Wales, and my other noble friends, were pleased to 
 receive my books, in a very candid and obliging manner." ^ 
 
 Seven days later, he wrote again : — 
 
 ^^ March 15. The author of the London Magazine has taken notice of 
 ' Theron and Aspasio,' and, really, in a very respectful and honourable 
 manner. My sentence in the Gentleman's Magazine is respited till 
 next month. I know not whether the Monthly Review has taken me 
 to task; but this I know, that, if God be for us, it matters not who is 
 against us." ' 
 
 H'ervey perceived' his book would be attacked on the 
 ground, that, his doctrine of the imputed righteousness of 
 Christ, led to Antinomianism ; and he already entertained 
 the idea of writing another work as a sort of appendix to 
 his former one. Under the date of March 19, 1755., he 
 observes : — 
 
 " I proposed to have closed the plan of ' Theron and Aspasio ' with an 
 explicit and pretty copious treatise on evangelical holiness or obedience ; 
 and to have shown my true believer in his dying moments. If your 
 thoughts should happen to take such a turn, be so good as to suggest 
 what you think the most advisable and advantageous way of managing 
 this important point This would most effectually stop the mouths of 
 Arminians, and be the best security against the abuses of Antinomians. 
 I. could wish, if it were the Lord's will, that I might live to furnish out 
 one more^volume of this kind." 
 
 The sale of "Theron and Aspasio'* proceeded with such 
 rapidity, that, the second' edition was made larger than 
 Hervey and his publisher had originally agreed. Hence the 
 following : — 
 
 " April ^. Our new edition goes on at a great rate. They have finished 
 
 ' Letters to Ryland, No. 15. 
 2 Ibid., No. 16. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 30 t 
 
 very near half of each volume: and my publisher, presuming that I i^rr- 
 
 should have no objection, took the liberty of making the edition consist — 
 
 of 4,000, instead of 3,000, on which we had agreed. I suppose he was ^"^^ 4i 
 prompted to do this, by finding a call for the piece." ^ 
 
 In revising tlie work for this second edition, he earnestly- 
 asked the help, not only of John Ryland, the Baptist minister, 
 but of William Cudworth, the minister of an Independent 
 congregation, in Margaret Street, London. To the latter, he 
 wrote as follows : — 
 
 " April 22. The doctrine, which you approve in my essay, and have 
 clearly displayed and fully proved in your own writings, is not relished by 
 everyljody; no, not by many pious people. I take the liberty to send 
 you a couple of letters containing objections." I wish you would be so 
 kind as to consider them, and, in your concise way, which I much admire, 
 to make your remarks upon them. I am not shaken in my opinion by 
 these attacks ; but I should be glad to deliver it more clearly, and 
 estabhsh it more firmly, in another edition. 
 
 " I heartily wish you success in your projected work.^ I assure you, it 
 is my opinion, that, such a book, if well executed, will be one of the most 
 valuable services to the present age. You will not, I hope, be too hasty. 
 Mr. Wesley has huddled over his performance'* in a most precipitate, 
 and, therefore, most imperfect manner. One would think, his aim was, 
 not to select the best and noblest passages, but to reprint those which 
 came first to hand. 
 
 Cudworth responded to the request of Hervey ; and the 
 two henceforward became ardently attached and confiding 
 friends. This, if it did not actually create, widened the 
 breach between Hervey and his old adviser, Wesley. Ten 
 
 1 Letters to Ryland, No. 17. 
 
 2 Objections to Dialogue xvi. In other words, that, saving faith is "A 
 real persuasion, that the blessed Jesus has shed His blood for mc, and 
 fulfilled all righteousness in my stead : that, through this great atonement 
 and glorious obedience. He has purchased, even for my sinful soul, recon- 
 ciliation with God, sanctifying grace, and all spiritual blessings " ; and 
 that, in the case of a man convinced of his sin and danger, this is the 
 only requisite in order to the obtaining of pardon, and adoption into the 
 family of God. 
 
 2 " An intended collection of the most evangehcal pieces from the 
 beginning of the Reformation down to the present day." 
 
 •* Wesley's " Christian Library, consisting of Extracts and Abridg- 
 ments of the Choicest Pieces of Practical Divinity, which have been 
 published in the English Tongue." In fifty-one volumes, i2mo; begun 
 in 1749, and now being completed, in 1755. Hervey's critique is unjust, 
 and indicates the alienation, which already existed between the two 
 Oxford Methodists. 
 
3Ci'2' Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1755 years before, Wesley and Cudworth had come into collision, 
 Age~4i ^y Wesley's publication of his two Dialogues " between an 
 Antinomian and his friend ; " partly written in answer to a 
 " Dialogue " which Cudworth himself had published. Wesley, 
 rightly or wrongly, accounted Cudworth an Antinomian, and 
 spoke of him with a severity which he seldom used. Cud- 
 worth resented this ; angry feelings were engendered ; and, 
 beyond a doubt, Hervey's affection and respect for Wesley 
 were lamentably abated. 
 
 The year 1755 was a crisis in the history of the Societies, 
 which had been founded by the labours of Wesley and his 
 itinerant evangelists. At a Conference, held at Leeds, three 
 days were spent in discussing the momentous question, 
 whether the Methodists should separate from the Established 
 Church. It was on this occasion, that, Charles Wesley com- 
 posed and published his famous poetical " Epistle " to his 
 brother. Hervey heard of this, and wrote as follows : — 
 
 " 1755? Ji^^y 5- I have just now read advertised in the magazine, the 
 following book, ' An Epistle from Charles Wesley to John Wesley.' Has 
 your ladyship seen or heard of it.? If you have, be so good as to inform 
 me of the design and contents. I hope, there is no hostility commenced 
 between the brothers. I have no connection, nor correspondence with 
 them, but should be sorry for such an event." ' 
 
 Hervey had ceased to write to Wesley ; but Wesley wrote 
 to him. Hence the following : — 
 
 "Weston, August, 1755. 
 
 " Pray return Mr. Wesley's letter. I find, by private intelligence, that, 
 he has shown it in London ; and has thought proper to animadvert upon 
 me, by name, from his pulpit. I am inclined to take no notice either of 
 his preaching or his writing. 
 
 " My good friend, Mr. Whitefield, is now at my house. He purposes 
 to lift up his voice at Northampton, and proclaim the acceptable year of 
 the Lord." ^ 
 
 Did Hervey get his " private intelligence " from Whitefield.'' 
 Probably he did. It is a curious fact, that, at this very, time, 
 there was a misunderstanding between Wesley and White- 
 field, respecting Methodist affairs at Norwich ; -^ and, though 
 
 Letters to Lady F. Shirley, No. 83. 
 ^ Letters to Ryland, No. 19. 
 * See Whitefield's " Works," vol. iii., p. 133. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 
 
 o^o 
 
 there was no breach of friendship, it is not at all unlikely, 1755 
 that, this and cognate matters would be the subject of con- a^^", j 
 versation at the meeting which Hervey mentions. 
 
 Whitefield was at Weston-Favel on August 30 ; and here 
 he wrote several letters, remarking in one of them : — " Mr. 
 Hervey is now writing another volume,, upon Sanctification." 
 This, of course, was the work which has been already named ; 
 but which was never published. Ten days after Whitefield's 
 visit, Hervey described his plan, in a long letter, from which 
 the following is an extract : — 
 
 " Weston-Favel, September 10, 1755. 
 
 " My dear Friend, — I esteem your letters as treasures. Though I 
 destroy almost all I receive, every one of yours is preserved. 
 
 " The grasshopper is a burden to me. Every blast blows me down, or 
 my continual indisposition and inconceivable languors pierce through me. 
 I now hang a swelled face over my paper ; occasioned only by taking the 
 air yesterday in my chair, and finding a sharper atmosphere, than -for 
 many weeks I had been accustomed to. Pray for me, dear sir, that, 
 established in Christ, and strong in His faith, I may be looking for, and 
 hasting to the coming of the day of God; when this poor, enervated, 
 crazy body, will be made like unto Christ's glorious body. 
 
 " I live with my mother and sister. Our method is, every morning at 
 nine, when we breakfast, to read a verse or two from the Bible, and make 
 it the subject of our conversation," etc., etc. 
 
 " I desire your opinion concerning the plan of my new work ; which, 
 with a weak hand and desponding heart, I have sketched out, though with 
 very little hope of being enabled to execute. 
 
 " The Plan of the Supplement to Theron and Aspasio. 
 
 " Pleasure and happiness of Christ's religion (for I am of the same 
 mind with Mr. Marshall, in his Treatise on Sanctification, namely, that, 
 we must partake of the comforts of the Gospel, before we can practise 
 the duties of the law). — Theron oppressed with fears, on account of his 
 numerous sins. — Discouraged with doubts on account of his imperfect 
 obedience. — The cordials of the Gospel re-administered, with some addi- 
 tional spirit and strength. — Objections to assurance of faith, stated, 
 discussed, answered. —Vital holiness ; its nature, necessity, excellency. — 
 Its grand efficient, the blessed Spirit. — Its principal instrument, true 
 faith ; mixed with which, the Scriptures, the Lord's Supper, prayer, the 
 divine promises, are powerful and effectual means ; disunited from which, 
 they are a dead letter and insignificant ordinances, — The evangelical 
 principles of hoHness, such as, ' 1 beseech you by the mercies of God'; 
 ' Ye are bought with a price ' ; 'Ye are the temples of the living God ' ; 
 etc. — All these privileges, though not hereditary, yet indefeasible ; or the 
 final perseverance of the believer. — Our friends part ; renew their corre- 
 spondence ; Theron desires to glorify the God of his salvation, asks advice 
 
304 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 1755 concerning the best method of family worship, educating children, in- 
 
 structing servants, edifying acquaintance. — On each of these particulars, 
 
 ^^ ■*' Aspasio satisfies his inquiry, enlarges on the subject of education, 
 especially of daughters ; as that seems to be the most neglected, or the 
 proper way of conducting it least understood. — Letter on the covenant of 
 grace, comprising the substance, and being a kind of recapitulation, of the 
 three foregoing volumes. — Aspasio seized with a sudden and fatal illness ; 
 his sentiments and behaviour in his last moments. 
 
 " If, dear sir, you see anything in this plan, that is improper; anything 
 that is defective, supply it; and if any thoughts occur on any of the 
 topics, be so kind as to suggest them." 
 
 Hervey, certainly, had great encouragement to con- 
 tinue, the employment of his pen. The first edition of 
 " Theron and Aspasio," as already stated, consisted of nearly 
 six thousand copies ; and the second of four thousand ; and 
 yet, within nine months from the time when the work was 
 first published, a third edition issued from the press. 
 
 No wonder, that, the book obtained the attention of 
 Hervey's old friend, Wesley. The first three of the Dialogues 
 had been submitted to him, in manuscript, for his revision, 
 and he had sent " some important alterations." Now he read 
 the whole of Hervey's work, not only once, but twice, and 
 says, " I wrote him my thoughts freely, but received no 
 answer." This was probably the letter which Hervey men- 
 tions, in one of the foregoing pages, under the date of 
 "August, 1755." In a little more than a year afterwards, 
 Wesley wrote again ; and this letter, he himself subsequently 
 published ; though, he says, — 
 
 " At the time I wrote, I had not the least thought of making it public. 
 I only spoke my private thoughts, in a free, open manner, to a friend 
 dear as a brother, — I had almost said, to a pupil, — to a son; for so near 
 I still accounted him." 
 
 No doubt this second letter contained the substance of the 
 former one. There is much in Hervey's book which Wesley 
 heartily commends : the chief points of animadversion are 
 two. (i) He begs that Hervey will lay aside the phrase " the 
 imputed righteousness of Christ," adding, " it is not scriptural, 
 it is not necessary, it has done immense hurt." Unprejudiced 
 readers must allow that this position is impregnable. Many 
 of Wesley's critiques are so brief as to be almost blunt, but 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 305 
 
 they serve to show that Hervey's interpretation of scriptural 1755 
 texts, in support of his favourite idea of the Imputed Right- Ao^ai 
 eousness of Christ is, in many instances, at least, arbitrary 
 and incorrect ; and, in all instances, insufficient for his pur- 
 pose. To this part of Wesley's letter no exception ought to 
 have been taken. True, it destroys the pivot on which the 
 whole of Hervey's book is made to turn ; but all that is said 
 is relevant, and there is nothing that is disrespectful. Wesley's 
 remarks were pointed, but not intended to be impolite. (2) 
 The other section of Wesley's criticisms, while correct in 
 sentiment, are perhaps hardly pertinent. Hervey, to some 
 extent, was undoubtedly a Calvinist ; but he never taught, or 
 held the doctrines of unconditional election and reprobation. 
 Remembering this, Wesley was scarcely fair in such comments 
 as the following : — 
 
 " ' The righteousness wrought out by Jesus Christ is wrought out for 
 all His people, to be the cause of their justification, and the purchase of 
 their salvation. The righteousness is the cause, and the purchase.' So 
 the death of Christ is not so much as named ! ' For all His people.' 
 But what becomes of all other people ? They must invariably perish for 
 ever. The die was cast or ever they were in being. The doctrine to pass 
 them by has — 
 
 " ' Consigned their unborn souls to hell, 
 
 And damned them from their mother's womb.' 
 
 " I could sooner be a Turk, a deist, yea, an atheist, than I could believe 
 this. It is less absurd to deny the very existence of God, than to make 
 Him an almighty tyrant. 
 
 " ' The whole world and all its seasons are rich with our Creator's 
 goodness. His tender mercies are over all His works.' Are they over the 
 bulk of mankind? Where is His goodness to the non-elect? How are 
 His tender mercies over them ? His temporal blessings are given to 
 them. But are they blessings to them at all ? Are they not all curses ? 
 Does not God know they are ? that, they will only increase their damna- 
 tion ? Does He not design they should ? And this you call goodness ! 
 This is tender mercy ! 
 
 "'May we not discern pregnant proofs of goodness in each individual 
 object?' No ; on your scheme, not a spark of it, in this world or the 
 next, to the far greater part of the work of His hands. 
 
 " ' This is His tender complaint, They will not come unto me !' Nay, 
 that is not the case ; they cannot. He Himself has decreed not to give 
 them that grace without which their coming is impossible. • 
 
 " ' The grand end which God proposes in all His favourable dispen- 
 sations to fallen man is to demonstrate the sovereignty of His grace.' 
 
 X 
 
3o6 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 ^755 Not so : to impart happiness to His creatures is His grand end herein. 
 Age 41 Barely to demonstrate His sovereignty is a principle of action fit for the 
 Great Turk, not the Most High God." 
 
 If Hervey had taught the doctrines of ultra-Calvinism, 
 such strictures, though strongly worded, would not have been 
 unjust. But the question is, did Hervey hold the tenets of 
 unconditional election and reprobation .'* If he did, Wesley 
 was not unfair ; if otherwise, Wesley's remarks are not 
 applicable. Hervey probably clung to the doctrine of elec- 
 tion ; and, it may be said, this inevitably involves the doctrine 
 of reprobation ; but there is no evidence that Hervey re- 
 garded it in such a light. On this subject, the man must be 
 allowed to be his own exponent. In a letter, written to Lady 
 Frances Shirley, immediately after Wesley had sent him his 
 criticisims on " Theron and Aspasio," Hervey observes : — 
 
 Weston, November 25, 1755. 
 
 " There is, doubtless, abundance to be said against Predestination. And 
 abundance has been said, with great force of argument, for its support, and 
 that by men of the most eminent learning and exalted piety. As this is the 
 case, and as it is not necessary to faith and salvation either that we should 
 embrace or that we should reject the doctrine, I think we may prudently 
 and safely acquiesce in the advice of a great scholar and a great saint : 
 ' Let a man go to the grammar-school of faith and holiness before he 
 enters the university of election and predestination.' I am at the gram- 
 mar-school ; and there, perhaps, I shall continue, till I hear the voice 
 from heaven, saying, Come up hither, and I will show thee what thou 
 couldest not comprehend in the regions below. Madam, shall I have the 
 honour of your ladyship for a form-fellow? Yoii shall be the head-scholar ; 
 only be content to allow us your company, and do not leave us for a 
 higher class. Let us study the glories of Christ's person, and the love of 
 His heart ; let us contemplate His infinite satisfaction and everlasting 
 righteousness. May the knowledge of these grand doctrines be revealed 
 in our hearts by the blessed Spirit ! May the faith of these unspeakable 
 privileges comfort our souls, purify our affections, and work by love.' 
 Then we shall, ere long, see every dark, mysterious point cleared up to 
 our full satisfaction. We shall see, without a veil, the shining and 
 adorable perfections of our God. We shall know His unsearchable 
 counsels and wonderful ways, even as we are known. 
 
 " In the meantime, I would beg leave to decline all controversy. I can 
 very freely converse or correspond with persons who either adopt or dis- 
 card Predestination ; provided, they will not drag in the litigated proposi- 
 tion, and force me to engage in disputation. But, if they are determined 
 to obtrude the bone of contention, I had much rather remain alone and 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 307 
 
 in silence; for, I readily confess, that I am not master of the subject. ^756 
 Therefore it would be very unadvised in me to undertake either its Age~4.'' 
 establishment or refutation. 
 
 " I believe, I must desire your ladyship to return this letter, with your 
 free remarks upon it, because I do not know but I shall be obliged 
 to explain myself on this subject before the public. Because a person,' 
 who makes a great figure in the religious world, has sent me some 
 critical remarks and pretty keen censures on my late work, but inveighs 
 particularly against my predestination principles ; at which I am some- 
 what surprised, because I have (whatever my sentiments are) -studiously 
 avoided this peculiarity ; I have but barely mentioned it, in the apostle's 
 own words ; only in an incidental manner ; and without explaining, 
 enlarging upon, or inculcating it." 
 
 On receiving Wesley's letter, Hervey wrote to his friend 
 Ryland as follows : — 
 
 " 1756, November 29. Herewith, you have the grand attack from Mr. 
 Wesley, of which I apprised you some time ago. Examine it closely ; 
 return it speedily ; and, if you please, confute it effectually ; demolish 
 the battery, and spike up the cannon. I have not answered in any 
 shape, and, when I do answer with my pen, I propose nothing more than 
 a general acknowledgment, and an inquiry, whether he proposes to print 
 his animadversions." 
 
 Wesley's strictures were printed in 1758 ; and till then we 
 must leave the subject. 
 
 The only pieces published by Hervey in 1756, were a 
 " Recommendatory Letter," prefixed to his favourite book, 
 "Marshall's Gospel Mystery of Sanctification " ; and a "Pre- 
 face" to "Jenks's Meditations," the latter of which was 
 reprinted, in two volumes, by Hervey's expressed desire. ^ 
 Besides these, however, he preached three sermons, which he 
 subsequently committed to the press, with the titles, — " The 
 
 ' Doubtless, Wesley. 
 ^ Whitefield, in a letter to Hervey, dated, December 9th, 1756, ob- 
 serves: — "Last night, Mr. M informed me, that, Mr. C " 
 
 (udworth ?) " showed him a pamphlet, wrote on purpose to prove the 
 fundamental errors of my printed sermons, and that you had offered to 
 preface it, but he chose you should not. That this is true, I as much 
 believe, as that I am now at Rome. But I wish that my dear friend may 
 not repent his connection and correspondence with some, when it is too 
 
 late. This is my comfort, I have delivered my soul. Mr. R • has 
 
 sent me the two volumes of ' Jenks's Meditations,' and desires me to an- 
 nex my recommendation to yours. I have answered, that, it will not be 
 prudent, or beneficial to him, so to do. I fear they are too large to 
 go off." 
 
3o8 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1756 Time of Danger ;" " The Means of Safety ;" and " The Way 
 Age~42 o^ Holiness." ^ 
 
 Hervey's published sermons are few in number, principally 
 because the sermons he preached were never written. 
 
 " I have never," said he, " since I was minister at Weston, used written 
 notes; so that all my pubUc Discourses are vanished into air; unless the 
 blessed Spirit has left any traces of them, on the hearts of the hearers. 
 And, though I have many Discourses, that were written before I discon- 
 tinued the use of notes, they are all penned in short-hand, and are in- 
 telligible to none but the writer. I sometimes speak to my people an 
 hour together ; but I always blame myself for it. It detains the congre- 
 gation too long. It renders the Discourse tiresome to be heard, and 
 almost impossile to be remembered. This is one of the inconveniences 
 attending the extempore method of preaching. We forget how the time 
 passes away." ^ 
 
 The reason, why he wrote and published the three sermons 
 above mentioned, he states in a letter to Lady PVances 
 Shirley, — 
 
 " I am inclined," said he, " to print two or three Sermons, preached on 
 the late Fast-Days. These, for some particular reason, I happened to 
 take down in short-hand. As I have seen no Discourses, on this 
 occasion, that were sufficiently evans;elical, I have a strong desire, for 
 the supply of this one defect only, to appear on the stage." " Here," he 
 observed to Mr. Ryland, " I shall make a sacrifice of all my reputation 
 (if I ever had any), with the elegant and polite ; and let it go, freely let it 
 go, if any honour may redound to the Lord our Righteousness." 
 
 At the time, England was at war with France ; and many 
 of the sermons preached on the day of national humiliation 
 were published ; but Hervey was not satisfied. He writes : — 
 
 " The author pretends to nothing refined or extraordinary ; he affects 
 neither brilliant thought, nor polished style ; equally remote from nice 
 criticism and profound learning, his Discourses are studiously plain, and 
 brought down to the level of the meanest capacity. ' What then is his mo- 
 tive ?' This is the very truth. In several of the sermons, published on this 
 occasion, the one thing needfid seems to be overlooked, Christ and His 
 free grace, — Christ and His great salvation, — are either totally omitted, or 
 but slightly touched. Till these doctrines are generally inculcated, the 
 most eloquent harangues from the pulpit, or the most correct disserta- 
 
 ^ These Sermons were published in 1757; but preached in 1756. 
 * Letters to Lady F. Shirley, Nos. 91 and 95. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 309 
 
 tions from the press, will be no better than a pointless arrow, and a bro- 1756 
 
 ken bow." 
 
 Age 42 
 
 Space forbids giving an outline of Hervey's sermons.' * 
 
 Suffice it to say, thit, they are able and eloquent, and in- 
 tensely earnest and faithful. If such were a fair specimen of 
 his pulpit performances, Hervey's preaching must have been 
 as remarkable as his writings ; and, had he possessed White- 
 field's voice and elocution, the effects would have been some- 
 thing marvellous. Mr. Ryland, who visited him at Weston- 
 Favel twice a year, observes, — 
 
 " He loved simplicity in his maimer of preaching. He had no com- 
 plicated and perplexed conceptions ; no crowd of thoughts to overwhelm 
 his own understanding, or the conceptions of his hearers. In all his ser- 
 mons, you might discern a clear and easy arrangement ; nothing tedious ; 
 no long-winded periods ; no perplexing parentheses ; no tiresome cir- 
 cumlocutions; but everything adapted to the weakest memory of his 
 auditors. He despised and avoided all boisterous noise, — all rude and 
 violent vociferation in the pulpit. His subjects were always serious and 
 sublime : they might well be ranged under three heads, — Ruin, Righteous- 
 ness, and Regeneration. He always steered a middle course, between a 
 haughty positivity, and a sceptical hesitation. He made it an invariable 
 rule to be thoroughly convinced of the truth and importance of his sub- 
 ject, before he proceeded to state and defend it; but, when he was once 
 in possession of a truth, he held it with the greatest fortitude and 
 tenaciousness. He considered very minutely the state of all his hearers. 
 He did not preach to a promiscuous auditory, as though they were all 
 converted to Christ; nor did he treat true believers as though they were 
 in an unregenerate state." 
 
 "He preached without notes," says his friend. Dr. Stonehouse, "ex- 
 cepting that he had before him a small leaf of paper, on which were 
 written, in short-hand, the general heads and particulars of the sermon, 
 which he sometimes looked at, and sometimes not. He was very regu- 
 lar in his plans, nor was he very long ; from thirty to forty minutes was 
 his usual time ; rarely longer. His weakness rendering him, for several 
 months before his death, incapable of speaking any length of time to his 
 congregation, he shortened his discourses, and took a most useful method 
 
 ^ Hervey's Fast-Day Sermons had an enormous circulation. In a let- 
 ter, dated August 5, 1758, he writes, — "Besides six thousand printed in 
 London, an edition was printed in Scotland, which was speedily sold off. 
 I was also desired, by a Society established for giving away religious 
 books among the poor, to grant them leave to print an impression for 
 this purpose. In Ireland they have been printed. Into Dutch they are 
 translated ; and a letter, from America, informs me, that, they have been 
 reprinted there." All this was within two years of their first publication. 
 
3IO Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1756 of inculcating his instructions. After he had expounded his text, and 
 
 divided his sermon into two or three heads, he would speak briefly, and, 
 
 °^ ^^ at the conclusion of each head, enforce what he had said by a pertinent 
 text of Scripture, desiring his congregation to turn to their Bibles, and 
 double down that text. ' Now,' he added, ' my dear brethren if you forget 
 my sermon, you cannot forget God's word in this text, unless you wilfully 
 throw aside your Bibles. Show this to your children, or the absent part 
 of your family, when you return home.' Then he gave a striking exhorta- 
 tion, and, at the end of it, another text for them to double down ; so that 
 they always had three texts, in order to their finding of which he paused 
 in the pulpit for two or three minutes. This method had another good 
 effect ; it obliged the generality to bring their Bibles along with them, for 
 those who were without Bibles lost the benefit of the texts, and were 
 unemployed, while the great majority, who had theirs, were busy looking 
 for the texts referred to in the sermon." 
 
 " My acquaintance with Mr. Hervey," writes the Rev. Dr. Haweis, 
 "was only of one day. He was removing from his ministerial labours, 
 just as I was ready to enter upon mine ; and, being very desirous of 
 seeing him before his departure to glory, I rode from Oxford to Weston- 
 Favel, a distance of about fifty miles, for that purpose. I found him tall, 
 and much emaciated. His preaching was purely evangehcal, and very 
 similar to his writings,, in beautiful comments on the Scriptures he quoted ; 
 but his manner of delivery, in the tone of voice and action, far from the 
 elegance I expected. His church was very small ; and, though full, was 
 not remarkably crowded; but the people were very attentive to hear 
 him." 
 
 These are mere glimpses of Hervey as a preacher ; but 
 they are of some importance, as being furnished by those 
 who saw and heard him. 
 
 Hervey had become famous, and some of his friends wished 
 for a formal recognition of the fact. The following refers to 
 this, and also to Wesley's strictures on his "Theron and 
 Aspasio " : — 
 
 " Now for the affair, relating to Mr. Ogilvie's proposal. Tell our amia- 
 ble and benevolent friend, that, I am deeply sensible of his kindness; but 
 I must beg of him to lay aside all thoughts of procuring for me so un- 
 deserved a distinction. I assure you, it would make me blush, and give 
 me much uneasiness, to be addressed under the character oi doctor. Never, 
 no never, should I have taken as much as a master's degree, if I had not 
 been obliged to it, in order to hold what we call ecclesiastical preferment. 
 Preferment ? Yes, if rightly understood, it is rightly so called. For what 
 can be a more honourable or exalted office, than to labour for Christ .? 
 O that my brethren and I may always understand the word preferment in 
 this truly precious and noble sense ! 
 
 " It is a great uncertainty, whether I shall be enabled to add another 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest? 3 1 1 
 
 volume, I am told, a very formidable attack is going to be made upon 17^7 
 ' Theron and Aspasio,' by a hand not well affected to the imputed — 
 
 righteousness of our Lord, but remarkably zealous for the inherent ^^ ^^ 
 righteousness and perfection of man." ^ 
 
 In this world, no man basks in unclouded sunshine. Upon 
 the whole, the reviews of Hervey's " Theron and Aspasio," 
 had been favourable ; those of his later publications ^ had 
 been otherwise. 
 
 " Have a care," he wrote, in a letter, dated November 21, 1757, " Have 
 a care, you do not depreciate your works by inserting anything of mine. 
 My poor character is going to execution. The Reviewers have already 
 put the halter about its neck ; if, therefore, you would obtain distinction, 
 or are a candidate for fame, stand clear and detached from such a con- 
 temptible scribbler." 
 
 Besides this, he suffered increasingly from enfeebled health. 
 
 "Incessant and insuperable languors," he wrote, "unfit me for every 
 business ; render every enjoyment unrelishing ; and, what is more de- 
 plorable, make my temper like the sore, inflamed, ulcerated flesh. Any- 
 thing that comes unexpected, alarms me ; anything that goes cross, 
 vexes me : I am sadly inclined to a peevish humour." 
 
 In another letter, belonging to the same period, he 
 writes : — 
 
 " I beg, I entreat you, if you value the honour of the Gospel, that, you 
 will dissuade those polite persons you mention, from coming to hear me 
 to-morrow. My spirits sink more and more. I am visited with some 
 returns of my hacking cough; perhaps I shall not be able to speak 
 at all. Such disagreeable circumstances will only expose me, and create 
 in them very unpleasing ideas of what I shall deliver. My imagination is 
 gone. I am sensible my sermons are flat, and my voice spiritless. The 
 poor country people love me tenderly, and, therefore, bear with my 
 infirmities ; else, I should no longer attempt to preach, even before them. 
 I am now unfit to appear in the pulpit" 
 
 In the midst of all this, Hervey commenced the rebuilding 
 of his parsonage ; and, besides the vexations usually con- 
 nected with such undertakings, he had to suffer the annoy- 
 ance of the builder, with which he had contracted, decamping, 
 before the erection was completed, and exposing poor Hervey 
 
 ^ Evangelical Magazine, 1777, p. 73. 
 ' "Marshall on Sanctification ;" and "Jenks's Meditations." 
 
Age 43 
 
 312 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 1757 to the worry of being dunned by the rogue's disappointed 
 creditors.^ 
 
 Hervey was more sensitive than he thought he was ; and 
 the combined circumstances just mentioned painfully affected 
 him. In the excitement of his feelings, he began to prepare 
 a shilling pamphlet, in reply to the Critical Revieiv, which 
 had designated Jenks's Meditations " ridiculous and enthusias- 
 tic." With greater vulgarity than refinement, they had been 
 described "like hairs on the greasy coat of a groom, or 
 like dish-water thrown down the kennel." Malevolence like 
 this was too contemptible to be noticed ; and, yet, Hervey put 
 himself to considerable inconvenience in writing, " Ned Dry's 
 Apology for the Critical Reviewers," — a pamphlet which he 
 intended to be a satirical castigation of his nameless opponents, 
 as well as a vindication of Mr. Jenks and of himself It was 
 a mistake to notice anonymous revilers at all ; and it was an 
 additional mistake for Hervey to attempt to compose a satire. 
 His mind was too exquisitely refined, and his soul too loving, 
 to succeed in literary flagellation. He was himself in doubt 
 respecting this, and wrote to Mr. Ryland as follows : — 
 
 " I have not had the pleasure of seeing the Critical Revieiv for Decem- 
 ber ; but, I find, from the advertisements in the pubUc papers, that they 
 take Mr. Jenks and his recommender to task. I am not disappointed ; I 
 expected no quarter from them. 
 
 " You would smile, and be a little surprised, if you were to see what 
 employed my spare hours almost all last week. I never had such an 
 inclination for buffoonery in all my life. It was occasioned by the 
 unworthy and abusive treatment which the Reviewers bestow upon all 
 the most valuable writers that appear in public; and, I verily think, 
 if their insolence can be curbed, it must be done in obedience to that 
 command of unerring wisdom, ' Answer a fool according to his folly.' " 
 
 Again ;— 
 
 " My friends, who have seen the piece, absolutely disapprove of it. 
 Dr. Stonehouse says, it is a low, dull, spiritless thing ; that, I am no more 
 fit for such kind of writing than a carrier's horse to run a race. He read 
 it, he tells me, to some ingenious ladies, who have a regard for my 
 character ; and they declared, they would come over to Weston, and 
 would, upon their knees, (if it were needful,) solicit me not to pubhsh it. 
 Amidst such a diversity of opinions, how shall I determine ?" 
 
 ' Letters to Ryland, Nos. 57 and 63. 
 
1757 
 
 The Literary Parish- Priest. 313 
 
 Again ;— 
 
 "I have sent you Mr. Dry's apology ; though it is written, it has been p^^T'^ri 
 thrown aside. I have several doubts, whether my pen carries any edge, 
 and whether the edge, if there is any, be like the saw, or the razor. Is it 
 of the former kind ? Then it will not answer my purpose, and will 
 not gall and check the adversaries of Christ and His servants, but 
 will give them occasion to triumph more extravagantly. I have also some 
 doubt, whether this kind of writing suits my character, as a minister 
 of Jesus Christ. Is' it not the Evrpimekia which the apostle condemns and 
 banishes from the conversation of Christians ? The principal reason to 
 justify such a manner of address is, that no other method seems to have 
 the least probability of succeeding. All that is solid, these men will evade •■ 
 with a sneer; and all that is serious, they will turn into burlesque. 
 Ridicule is the only vein in which they will bleed." 
 
 Nothing more need be added, except, that, though " Ned 
 Dry's Apology for the Critical Reviewers," was written, it was 
 never published. 
 
 Troubles often come in troops. In 1757, Mr. Robert 
 Sandeman published his " Letters on Theron and Aspasio," 
 in two volumes, — a work already noticed in the biography of 
 Ingham. Concerning this, Hervey writes as follows : — 
 
 " Weston-Favel, AugKst 6, 1 75 7. 
 " The author is a Scotchman, I presume, because the two volumes were 
 printed at Edinburgh, and he gave orders for a set to be sent me 
 from Edinburgh. He conceals his name, and none that I am ac- 
 quainted with are able to discover whose work it is. There are some 
 strictures on my perfomiance ; but by far the greatest part of the book is 
 very wide from this mark. Some things are truly excellent ; and some 
 animadversions upon me are perfectly just ; but others (if I mistake not) 
 are unfair and disingenuous. The manner of writing is by no means 
 despicable, — rather elegant and spirited, than coarse or dull. But there 
 is such an implacable bitterness of spirit, and such an unchristian 
 virulence of censure, against many of the best men that ever lived, and 
 best authors that ever wrote, as much surprises and greatly offends me. 
 I think I never saw a notion of faith more lax, nor an idea of grace more 
 exalted, than in this book." 
 
 Sandeman's " Letters " created a great sensation ; ^ but 
 
 ^ The following are some of the publications to which Sandeman's book 
 gave birth : — 
 
 1. A Sufficient Answer to the Author of the Letters on Theron and 
 Aspasio. By J. Wesley, 
 
 2. Animadversions on the Letters on Theron and Aspasio. 
 
314 Rev. ya77tes Hervey, 
 
 1757 Hervey had neither strength nor time to answer them. He 
 Age~43 ^^^5 about to measure swords with an opponent far more noted 
 than Mr. Sandeman, and left the latter in the hands of his 
 friend, Mr. Cudworth, who, immediately after Hervey's death, 
 issued "A defence of Theron and Aspasio against the Objec- 
 tions contained in a late Treatise, entitled ' Letters on Theron 
 and Aspasio.' To which is prefixed, a series of Letters from 
 Mr. Hervey to the author, authenticating this Defence with 
 his entire approbation, and manifesting it to be the only one 
 that can be presented to the public with that authority." 
 pp. 224. 
 
 Perhaps the title was more ostentatious than facts would 
 justify ; but, still, there can be no doubt, that Hervey was 
 perfectly cognisant of a correspondence between Cudworth 
 and Sandeman, and, that, in the main, he approved of Cud- 
 worth's sentiments. Only three weeks before his death, he 
 wrote to Cudworth as follows : — 
 
 " Excuse me for keeping your MS. so long. I have been extremely ill. 
 This morning I have been up for four hours, and, in all that time, not able 
 to look into a book, or hold up my head. I fully assent to your opinions ; 
 and think you have proved the warrant of a sinner's application of Christ 
 very satisfactorily. If I live, I should much desire a copy of this your 
 correspondence, when you have revised and finished it. Or do you intend 
 to print it ? " 
 
 Hervey now devoted his dying energies to the task of 
 writing a reply to the animadversions of his old friend Wesley. 
 Their friendship was beclouded ; and it is a mournful fact, 
 that, the few last months of Hervey's lovely life were spent in 
 fighting one, who, a quarter of a century before, had been the 
 greatest of his human oracles. He writes, — 
 
 3. A Plain Account of Faith in Jesus Christ. 
 
 4. An Epistolary Correspondence, relating to the Letters on Theron and 
 Aspasio. 
 
 5. The Law of Nature defended by Scripture. 
 
 6. The True Comer. By Colin Mackie. 
 
 7. Thoughts, on Letters to the Author of Theron and Aspasio. 
 
 8. An Inquiry into the Spirit and Tendency of Letters on Theron and 
 Aspasio. 
 
 9. Palaemon's Creed, reviewed and examined : in two volumes. By 
 David Wilson. 
 
 10. Nymphas to Sosipater, remarking on the Letters on Theron 
 and Aspasio. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 315 
 
 "175S, >;/;/.r;7 3. 1758 
 
 "Weak I am, very weak, and much out of order; insomuch, that I — 
 have not been able to go to church since Christmas. Mr. Wesley is o*^ ^ 
 angry with me, for speaking too much, and, as he thinks, too openly 
 on the side of election and particular redemption. Pray favour me with 
 your free opinion, and wherever you think he charges me justly, or I have 
 expressed myself improperly, spare not to speak the naked truth. He has 
 lately published a large book, price six shillings, stitched, on the doctrine 
 of Original Sin ; great part of which is an abridgment of Dr. Watts's 
 Ruin and Recovery; and of another treatise, written by Mr. Hebden. In 
 this, he takes occasion to quote two or three passages from Theron and 
 Aspasio, one of which he thus introduces, — ' To explain this a little further, 
 in Mr. Hervey's words. By federal head I mean, that, as Adam was the 
 first general representative (of tJiis kind., says Aspasio, but Mr. Wesley 
 makes him say) of mankind, Christ was,' etc. He goes on to the bottom 
 of the page, then turns back to the upper part, and represents me as 
 forming a conclusion in these words, 'AH these expressions demonstrate, 
 that, Adam, as well as Christ, was a representative of all mankind; ^ and, 
 that, what he did, in this capacity, did not terminate in himself, but affected 
 all whom he represented.' This is a very injurious representation. One 
 sentence is a palpable misquotation. Would it be proper to take any 
 notice of it ! I am sometimes apprehensive, that, he would draw me into 
 a dispute about particular redemption. I know, he can say startling and 
 horrid things on this subject; and this, perhaps, might be the most effec- 
 tual method to prejudice people against my principal point. 
 
 Hervey's suspicion was unfounded and ungenerous ; but let 
 it pass. His eyes, as far as Wesley was concerned, were now 
 unfortunately jaundiced. Besides, he was, at present, ex- 
 tremely ill ; in fact, it was currently reported that he was 
 dead. " I do not go out of my room," he wrote on January 
 2 1st, "till dinner time,' and then it is rather to see m_y re- 
 lations, than to take refreshment myself" And again, 
 in another letter, dated the 12th of March, he states, that, he 
 had " not been at church since Christmas." Still, he was not 
 inactive. The following are extracts from his letters to Mr. 
 Ryland. 
 
 '■'■ Saturday Morning, January, 1758. I am transcribing my intended 
 answer to Mr. Wesley for the press, but find it difficult to preserve the 
 
 1 Wesley says, "both the misplacing the commas, and the putting of 
 ' mankind ' for ' this kind,' were the printer's fault, not mine ; a part 
 of those numerous errors of the press, which were occasioned by my 
 absence, from it, and the inaccuracy of the corrector" (Wesley's Works, 
 vol. X. p. 332). 
 
o 
 
 1 6 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 lyrg decency of the gentleman, and the meekness of the Christian. There is 
 — so much unfair deahng running through my opponent's objections, and 
 gc 44 j.|^g rnost magisterial air all along supplies the place of argument. Pray for 
 me, dear friend, that I may not betray the blessed cause, by the weakness 
 of my reasoning, nor dishonour it by the badness of my temper. Whether 
 I shall be able to finish this work, is apparently uncertain. My cough 
 seizes me, in the night, like a lion ; and leaves me, before the morning, 
 weaker than a babe. It has so totally destroyed my small remainder of 
 strength, that, I am quite unable to preach so much as once on the Lord's 
 day. I am obliged to beg assistance, and am looking out for a curate, to 
 take the whole business on his hand." 
 
 Weston, March, 1758. 
 " I am transcribing, though very slowly, and with a most feeble hand, 
 my remarks, ' on Mr. Wesley,' for the press. He urges no argument, 
 either to establish his own opinion, or to overthrow mine ; only denies 
 the validity of my reasons." 
 
 It is a curious fact, that, Wesley's strictures on "Theron 
 and Aspasio " had not yet been printed ; so that, Hervey was 
 employed in preparing an answer to what existed only in 
 manuscript. Even as late as the 4th of March, 1758, Hervey, 
 writing to a friend, observes : 
 
 " I have a long letter, containing two or three sheets, from Mr. Wesley. 
 It consists of animadversions on my Dialogues and Letters. He wrote 
 me one before, more stinging and sarcastic than this. I have taken no 
 notice of either, being very unwilling to embark in controversy." 
 
 Perplexity is here. Wesley had written twice to Hervey, 
 criticising "Theron and Aspasio." Hervey was obviously 
 offended at Wesley's abruptness, and, as Hervey believed, 
 dogmatism. Of course, remembering their former friendship, 
 Wesley expected a reply ; but, for some reason, Hervey, 
 almost unexceptionally gentle and courteous, resolved to 
 maintain a sort of sullen silence. As yet, Wesley's critique 
 was not printed ; it was simply a private letter. Hervey was 
 apparently as unfit for controversy as he professed to be 
 averse to. it : in fact, he was actually dying ;. and, yet, the 
 tremulous energies of the dying man were exerted to the 
 utmost, in preparing an answer to Wesley's private letter, 
 not to be sent to Wesley himself, but to be committed to the 
 press. Why was this .'* If Wesley's letter was zvJiolly private, 
 why should Hervey answer it va public f He had a right to 
 feel grieved, to be offended, and, if not discourteous, to refuse 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 317 
 
 writing a reply ; but was it fair that, without consulting 1758 
 Wesley, he should resolve to publicly answer a private com- p^ aa 
 munication, even though that communication was not in the 
 most complaisant language ? Wesley's second letter was 
 dated, October 15, 1756, so that, Hervey had now had it in 
 his possession for nearly a year and a half ; and, as his cor- 
 respondence proves, had shown it to several of his friends. 
 Why did he, at the commencement of 1758, when his health 
 had entirely failed, begin to answer a letter, which, for fifteen 
 months, he had treated with silent sullenness ? Was he insti- 
 gated by Mr. Cudworth, who, at the same time, was in dili- 
 gent correspondence with Mr. Sandeman .'' Or had Wesley 
 been so annoyed, by Hervey's contemptuous silence, as to 
 make his letter the subject of conversation among his friends, 
 and Hervey having heard, that, what had been a private com- 
 munication was now becoming the subject of public observa- 
 tion, was so extremely sensitive, and so afraid of tarnished 
 honour, that, he unadvisedly resolved to print a public answer, 
 and employed his dying days in writing it .'' It is impossible 
 to answer these questions with certainty. Opinions will differ. 
 Two holier men than Wesley and Hervey did not live ; but, 
 by a most painful misunderstanding, they were now es- 
 tranged. Which of them was blamable } Was either .'' or 
 were both } 
 
 Wesley disliked Hervey's doctrine of the imputed right- 
 eousness of Christ, and he told him so ; — a thing which, as a 
 friend, he had a perfect right to do. If he erred at all, it was 
 in using a brusque abruptness, the very opposite of the sort 
 of style usually employed by Hervey, and which was un- 
 doubtedly somewhat grating to a sensitive mind like his. 
 Still, even this may be excused. Wesley was without 
 " learned leisure." Bearing in mind the incessant duties of 
 his itinerant life, the wonder is, how he found time to write 
 at all. Perforce of circumstances, as well as by deliberate 
 choice, his style of writing was always concise, and frequently 
 abrupt. Besides, in this instance, he was writing, not for the 
 public, but privately to a friend, 
 
 "It is no wonder," says he, "that, several of my objections, as Mr. 
 Hervey observes, 'appear more hke notes and memorandums, than a 
 just plea to the public' It is true. They appear like what they are, like 
 
J 
 
 ;iS Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 175S what they were originally intended for. I had no thought of ' a plea to 
 Ao-p~/i/i ^^ public ' when I wrote, but of ' notes and memorandums to a private 
 man.' " ' 
 
 One cannot but lament, that, they were not thus regarded. 
 In such a case, an unseemly and unhappy controversy would 
 have been avoided. For want of confidence, and a frank and 
 friendly explanation, the two old and warm-hearted friends 
 were alienated from each other. Hervey submitted Wesley's 
 private letter to the inspection of friends who had no right to 
 see it ; Wesley, perhaps, yea probably, heard of this, and 
 made it the subject of remark ; Hervey, increasingly irritated, 
 began to write an answer ; and now Wesley, in an unlucky 
 moment, published what, up to the present, had been di private 
 letter. Hence the following, by Hervey, to a friend, perhaps 
 Cudworth : — 
 
 " Weston- Favel, June 22,, 1758. 
 " I little thought, when I put Mr. Wesley's manuscript into your hand, 
 that I should see it in print so soon. I took very little notice of it, and 
 let it lie by me for several months, without giving it an attentive con- 
 sideration. It seemed to me so palpably weak, dealing only in positive 
 assertions and positive denials, that, I could not imagine he would adven- 
 ture it into the world, without very great alterations. But it is now come 
 abroad, just as you received it, in a two shillings' pamphlet, entitled, ' A 
 Preservative from Unsettled Notions in Religion.' Of this pamphlet, 
 what he has wrote against me, makes only a small part. Now then, the 
 question is, Whether I shall attempt to answer \t} Give me your opinion, 
 as you have given me your assistance. Ill I have been, and ill I am ; 
 torn almost to pieces by a cough in the night, which admits of no remedy; 
 whatever is taken to assuage, exasperates it. Of all men living, that are 
 not absolutely confined, surely I am the weakest. If by such weakness, 
 the Lord Jesus will vouchsafe to glorify His name, how transparent, how 
 effulgent, will be the glory of His power ! Blessed be the Lord, for set- 
 ting our affections on a happier state ! Blessed be His grace, for giving 
 us some knowledge of Jesus, as the way to immortal mansions ! There 
 we may be citizens ; here only sojourners." 
 
 Hervey not only wrote his answer ; but, unfortunately, he 
 submitted it, for revision, to Mr. Cudworth, between whom 
 and Wesley, for several years. Christian charity was nearly at 
 zero. Most of Hervey's manuscript was sent to Cudworth 
 during the three months, next succeeding the date of the 
 foregoing letter, 
 
 * Wesley's " Works," vol. x. p. 305. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 319 
 
 " I apprehend," writes Hervey, " that the piece will make a two-shilling jy-g 
 pamphlet. I must entreat you to get time for the revisal of all of it. If — 
 you could suggest or insert anything to make it edifying and useful, I S^ 44 
 should be glad. Would it not be proper to print Mr. Wesley's letter, and 
 prefix it to my answer ? " 
 
 Hervey's reply to Wesley was completed in September. 
 A month afterwards, he wrote as follows : — 
 
 Weston, October 19, 1758. 
 " I am now so very ill, that, I scarce think I shall live to see the 
 approaching Christmas. I spend almost all my time in reading and 
 praying over the Bible. Indeed, indeed, you cannot conceive how the 
 springs of life are relaxed and relaxing. ' What thou doest, do quickly,' 
 is for me a proper admonition, as I am so apprehensive of my approach- 
 ing dissolution." 
 
 Ill as he was, however, his mind was, at least, occasionally 
 occupied with his controversial pamphlet, which, though writ- 
 ten, was still under the revision of his friends. Five days 
 after the date of the preceding extract, he says : — 
 
 " Let me repeat my thanks for the trouble you have taken, and for the 
 assistance you have given me, in relation to my controversy with Mr. 
 Wesley. He is so unfair in his quotations, and so magisterial in his 
 manner, that, I find it no small difficulty to preserve the decency of the 
 gentleman, and the meekness of the Christian, in my intended answer. 
 May our Divine Master aid me in both these instances, or else not suffer 
 me to write at all." ^ 
 
 A fortnight later, he wrote again : — 
 
 Weston-Favel, No%)eviber 7, 1758; 
 " I am now reduced to a state of infant weakness, and given over by 
 my physician. My grand consolation is to meditate on Christ ; and I 
 am hourly repeating those heart-reviving lines of Dr. Young, in his Fourth 
 Night. 
 
 " ' This, only this, subdues the fear of death : — 
 And what is this ? Survey the wondrous cure : 
 And, at each step, let higher wonder rise ! 
 Pardon for infinite offence ! ' etc. 
 
 " These amazingly comfortable lines, I dare say, you will treasure up in 
 your heart; and, when you think of them, will think of me. Dear sir, 
 pray for me, that, I may not disgrace my ministry, or dishonour the gos- 
 
 1 Gospel Magazine^ 177S, p. 255. 
 
320 Rev. y antes Hervey, 
 
 j-rrg pel of my Master, in my last moments, by unbelief — base, provoking 
 
 — vmbelief. This probably is the last time you will ever hear from me : for, 
 
 •^ge 44 indeed, it is with some difficulty I have written this ; but I shall not fail 
 
 to remember you, in my intercession for my friends, at the throne of 
 
 Christ." 
 
 The following letter, though long, is too important to be 
 withheld : — 
 
 " London, November 29, 1758. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — A week or two ago, in my return from Norwich, I met 
 with Mr. Pierce of Bury, who informed me of a conversation, which he 
 had a few days before. Mr. Cudworth, he said, then told him, ' that, he 
 had prevailed on Mr. Hervey to write against me, who likewise, in what 
 he had written, referred to the book, which he (Mr. Cudworth) had lately 
 published.' 
 
 " Every one is welcome to write what he pleases concerning me. But 
 would it not be well for you to remember, that, before I published any- 
 thing concerning you, I sent it to you in a private letter ? — that, I waited 
 for an answer several months, but was not favoured with one line? — that, 
 when at length I published part of what I had sent you, I did it in the 
 most inoffensive manner possible ; in the latter end of a larger work, 
 purely designed to preserve those in connection with me from being 
 tossed to and fro by various doctrines? What, therefore, 1 may fairly 
 expect from my friend, is, to mete to me with the same measure : — to send 
 to me first, in a private manner, any complaint he has against me ; — to 
 wait as many months ; — and, if I give you none, or no satisfactory answer, 
 then to lay the matter before the world, if you judge it will be to the 
 glory of God. 
 
 " But, whatever you do in this respect, one thing I request of you. 
 Give no countenance to that insolent, scurrilous, virulent libel, which 
 bears the name of William Cudworth. Indeed, how you can converse 
 with a man of his spirit, I cannot comprehend. O leave not your old 
 well-tried friends ! The new is not comparable to them. I speak not 
 this because I am afraid of what any one can say or do to vie; but I am 
 really concerned for yotc. An evil man has gained the ascendant over 
 you ; and has persuaded a dying man, who had shunned it all his life, 
 to enter into controversy as he is stepping into eternity ! Put off your 
 armour, my brother ! You and 1 have no moments to spare. Let us 
 employ them all in promoting peace and good-will among men. And 
 may the peace of God keep your heart and mind in Christ Jesus! So 
 prays, " Your affectionate brother and servant, 
 
 "J. Wesley." 1 
 
 This was Wesley's last letter to Hervey ; the following, 
 written three weeks later, was Whitefield's : — 
 
 ^ Arminian Magazine, 1778, p. 136. 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 321 
 
 " London, December 19, 1758. 175S 
 
 "And is my dear friend indeed about to take his last flight? I dare 
 not wish your return into this vale of tears ; but our prayers are constantly ^ ^ 
 ascending to the Father of our spirits, that, you may die in the embraces 
 of a never-failing Jesus, and in all the fulness of an exalted faith. Oh 
 when will my time come ! I groan in this tabernacle, being burdened ; 
 and long to be clothed with my house from heaven. 
 
 " Farewell ! My very dear friend, F-a-r-e-w-e-1-1 ! Yet a little while, 
 and we shall meet, 
 
 , " ' Where sin, and strife, and sorrow cease, 
 
 And all is love, and joy, and peace.' 
 
 " There Jesus will reward you for all the tokens of love which you have 
 showed, for His great name's sake, to 
 
 " Yours most affectionately, in our common Lord, 
 
 " G. Whitefield." 
 " P.S. — God comfort your mother and relations, and thousands and 
 thousands more that will bewail your departure ! " ' 
 
 The following, it is believed, are Hervey's last letters, — the 
 first to Mr. Cudworth; the second to Lady Frances Shirley: — 
 
 '■^December 15, 1758. 
 "Dear Mr. Cudworth, — I am so weak, I am scarce able to write 
 my name. "J. Hervey." 
 
 " Weston-Favel, December 16, 1758, 
 " Madam, — I have received your ladyship's favour, and should have 
 answered it before now ; but I have been extremely ill, and still remain so 
 bad, as to be obliged to make use of the pen of another, to inform your 
 ladyship, that I am, 
 
 "Madam, your ladyship's most obliged, and most obedient, humble servant, 
 
 "J. Hervey." 
 
 Nine days afterwards, Hervey was a corpse. To his 
 curate, the Rev. Abraham Maddock, he observed, — 
 
 " O ! how much Christ has done for me ; and how little have I done for 
 Him ! If I preached even once a week, it was at last a burden to me. I 
 have not visited the people of my parish as I ought to have done, I have 
 not taken every opportunity of speaking for Christ. But, do not think, 
 that, I am afraid to die ; I assure you I am not. I know what my Saviour 
 hath done for me, and I want to be gone." 
 
 On December 20th, being visited by his friend Dr. Stone- 
 house, he remarked, — 
 
 New Spiritual Magazine, 1783, p. 164. 
 
32 2 Rev. James Hervey, 
 
 i^rg "True, doctor, true; the only valuable treasures are in heaven. What 
 
 — would it avail me now to be Archbishop of Canterbury? Disease would 
 ■^ge 44 show no respect to my mitre. The Gospel is offered to me, a poor 
 country parson, the same as to his grace. Christ makes no difference 
 between us. Oh ! why then do ministers neglect the charge of so kind a 
 Saviour, fawn upon the great, and hunt after worldly preferments with 
 so much eagerness, to the disgrace of our orders ? These, these are the 
 things, not our poverty or obscurity, which render the clergy so justly 
 contemptible to worldlings. No wonder, the service of our Church, 
 grieved I am to say it, is become such a formal lifeless thing, since it is, 
 alas ! too generally executed by persons dead to godliness in all their 
 conversation; whose indifferent religion, and worldly-minded behaviour 
 proclaim the little regard they pay to the doctrines of the Lord, who 
 bought them," 
 
 The day before his death, in walking across his room, he 
 fainted, and, to all appearance was dead. On reviving-, his 
 brother William said, " We were afraid you were gone"; to 
 which he answered, " I wish I were." And well he might, 
 for, besides the utter exhaustion of his strength, his bones 
 were so intensely sore, that, he shrank from the touch of 
 his attendants, when it was necessary to alter his position ; 
 but, in the midst of weakness and of pain, he was unceasingly 
 praising God for His boundless mercies, and never received 
 even a piece of lemon to moisten his parched mouth, without 
 uttering thanks. 
 
 On December 25, the day he died, he complained of a 
 great inward conflict, and, as he sat in his easy chair, (for he 
 was not able to lie in bed,) almost constantly had his eyes lifted 
 towards heaven, and his hands clasped in prayer. " O let me 
 spend," said he, "my last iQ\'^ moments in adoring our great 
 Redeemer ! ' Though my flesh and my heart fail me, yet, 
 God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.'" 
 He then proceeded to expatiate on the words of St. Paul, 
 " All things are yours, — life and death, — for ye are Christ's." 
 
 " Here," said he, " is the treasure of a Christian. Death is reckoned in 
 this inventory. How thankful am I for death. It is the passage through 
 which I pass to the Lord and giver of eternal life. It frees me from all 
 this misery which I now endure, and which I am willing to endure, as 
 long as God thinks fit. These light afflictions are but for a moment ; and 
 then comes an eternal weight of glory. O ! welcome, welcome death ! 
 Thou mayest well be reckoned among the treasures of the Christian. To 
 live is Christ, but to die is gain." 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 3^3 
 
 -Being raised a little in his chair, he exclaimed, "Lord, now 1758 
 lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy p^aa 
 Word ; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation." " Here," he 
 continued, " is my cordial. What are all the cordials given 
 to support the dying, in comparison of that which arises from 
 the promises of salvation by Christ .'' This, this supports 
 me." 
 
 About three o'clock in the afternoon, he remarked, " The 
 pfreat conflict is over. Now all is done : " after which the 
 only words he articulated intelligibly were, " Precious salva- 
 tion." Between the hours of four and five on Christmas-Day, 
 1758, James Hervey tranquilly fell asleep, in the forty-fifth 
 year of his age. 
 
 Three days afterwards, his body was buried under the 
 Communion table of Weston-Favel Church, in the presence of 
 a large congregation. By his own desire, the pall used, on 
 the occasion, was that employed in covering the coffins of 
 hi^ poor parishioners. Deep was the distress of the assembled 
 crowd. Some wept in silence ; others sobbed ; and others 
 were even more violently affected. The devout Rector was 
 where " the wicked cease from troubling, and the weary are 
 at rest." 
 
 Funeral sermons were preached, and printed, in London, 
 by^Romaine, the Lecturer of St. Dunstan's; and by Cudworth, 
 the dissenting minister, in Margaret Street. Charles Wesley, 
 also, poured out the affection of his lyric soul, in one of his 
 glowing hymns, from which the following stanzas are ex- 
 tracted : — 
 
 " He's gone ! the spotless soul is gone 
 
 Triumphant to his place above ; 
 The prison walls are broken down, 
 
 The angels speed his swift remove, 
 And, shouting, on their wings he flies, 
 And Hervey rests in Paradise. 
 
 "Redeemed by righteousness divine, 
 In God's own portraiture complete. 
 With brighter rays ordained to shine, 
 
 He casts his crown at Jesu's feet, 
 And hails Him sitting on the throne, 
 For ever saved by grace alone. 
 
324 Rsv- yctmes Hervey, 
 
 jyrg "Father, to us vouchsafe the grace 
 
 -^»!- Which brought our friend victorious through ; 
 
 Age 44 Lg(- yg ]^jg shining footsteps trace, 
 
 Let us his steadfast faith pursue, 
 Follow this follower of the Lamb, 
 And conquer all through Jesu's name. 
 
 " In vain the Gnostic tempter tried, 
 
 With guile, his upright heart to' ensnare ; 
 His upright heart the fiend defied : 
 
 No room for sin when Christ was there ; 
 No need oi fancied liberty, 
 When Christ had made him truly free. 
 
 " Free from the law of sin and death, 
 
 Free from the Antinomian leaven, 
 He led his Master's life beneath. 
 
 And, labouring for the rest of heaven. 
 By active love, and watchful prayer, 
 He showed his heart already there. 
 
 " How full of heaven his latest word ! 
 
 ' Thou bidd'st me now in peace depart ; 
 For I have known my precious Lord, 
 
 Have clasped Thee, Saviour, in my heart, 
 My eyes Thy glorious joy have seen,' 
 He spake, he died, and entered in." 
 
 The principal facts in Harvey's life have been narrated; and 
 eulogy is not needed. His devout and loving piety has been 
 amply illustrated in the numerous extracts from his letters. 
 In learning, he was inferior to few. His acquaintance with 
 the Latin authors was extensive ; and it was one of his 
 peculiarities, when he was called to tea, to bring with him 
 his Hebrew Bible or Greek Testament, and lovingly instruct 
 the members of his family, from the sacred text. His kind- 
 ness to the poor was only bounded by his means. Private 
 fortune he had none ; and, after the payment of his curate, 
 his church emoluments were small ; but all the profits arising 
 from the sale of his books, — no inconsiderable sum, — were 
 devoted to the cause of charity; and one of his last directions 
 was, that all future profits should be constantly applied to 
 the same sacred purpose. As the master of a family, his ex- 
 ample was worthy of imitation. Twice a day his domestics 
 were summoned for holy worship. At nine every night, he 
 spent about a quarter of an hour in expounding a text of 
 
The Litermy Parish-Priest. 325 
 
 Scripture, and concluded with a prayer. At eight next 1758 
 morning, each of his servants was required to repeat the text y^~^^ 
 of the previous evening, when he gave a summary of his 
 exposition, and again engaged in prayer. As a friend, he 
 was affectionate and faithful. " Though always ill," said Dr. 
 Stonehouse, " Hervey was always cheerful." " I am always 
 weak and ill," he himself remarked ; " half dead while I live ; 
 yet my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour." His religion, 
 however, led him to live a life of comparative retirement. 
 The gentlemen of his neighbourhood showed him great 
 respect ; but he was seldom among their table guests ; 
 observing, " I can hardly name a polite family where the 
 conversation ever turns on the things of God. I hear much 
 frothy chit-chat ; but not a word of Christ. And I am 
 determined not to visit those companies where there is not 
 room for my Master as well as for myself." 
 
 His ministerial duties were all performed with the greatest 
 strictness. Few of his sermons have been printed,^ for the 
 simple reason, that, except in outline and in shorthand, few 
 were written ; but, in the pulpit, he was always earnest, 
 fervent, and affectionate, and often eloquent. He spake, 
 because he believed and felt. Besides his Sunday preach- 
 ing, he set up a week-night lecture ; catechized the chil- 
 dren ; and, to the utmost of his ability, visited the homes 
 of his parishioners. "Mr. Hervey," said the Rev. Henry 
 Venn, " was the most extraordinary man I ever saw." ^ 
 Probably there was a little of extravagance in this gushing 
 eulogy ; but there must have been distinguished excellence 
 to prompt such a man as Venn to utter it. In the same way, 
 the rapturous effusions of John Ryland must be received with 
 caution ; and likewise not a few of the hyperbolical en- 
 
 ^ Hervey's sermons, printed in his lifetime, were the following : — i. " The 
 Cross of Christ, the Christian's Glory ;" a Visitation Sermon. 2. " The 
 Time of Danger." " The Means of Safety." And " The Way of 
 Holiness;" three Fast-day Sermons. After his death, the following 
 were pubHshed : — i. " The Ministry of Reconciliation." 2. " The Grounds 
 of Christian Rejoicing." 3. " Salvation by Christ." 4. " Many made 
 Righteous by the Obedience of One," two sermons. 5. "The Divinity 
 of Christ," four sermons. 6. " On Repentance." 7. " Search the Scrip- 
 tures." 8. " On Love to God," two sermons. 
 
 - Life of Venn, p. 332. 
 
326 Rev. ya7nes Hervey, 
 
 1758 comiums of Mr. Brown ; but we heartily endorse the judg- 
 Age 44 ment of the late Rev. David McNicol : — 
 
 *' If Seneca is right in placing the praise of goodness above that of 
 greatness, Mr. Hervey has secured to himself, for ages, the noblest kind 
 of estimation. As a man, he was the delight of all who had the happiness 
 to be numbered among his acquaintance. Friendship in him was Chris- 
 tian love, softened with a tenderness peculiar to himself, and placed on a 
 select object ; a love accompanied by the most ingenuous confidence, 
 and exercised with unwearied honesty. In every other relation also of 
 the circle in which he moved, he was equally remarkable for his courtesy 
 and virtue." 
 
 Hervey was one of the most godly men of the age in 
 which he lived ; and certainly, he was one of the most 
 popular and successful authors. It is a curious fact, that, at 
 least, four of the Oxford Methodists were gifted with poetic 
 genius, — the two Wesleys, Gambold, and Hervey. In early 
 life, Hervey wrote several short poems, some of them 
 beautiful, and sent several of his hymns to his friend 
 Whitefield ; but, strangely enough, he ceased to cultivate 
 his talent, from a fear lest his poetry should feed the pride 
 and vanity of his heart. Throughout life, however, his love 
 of nature was that of an enthusiast; and his "Meditations," 
 especially, to a great extent, are poetry in prose. Devoutly 
 he blesses the Providence of God, for his well-used micro- 
 scope, which, in the gardens and fields about Weston-Favel, 
 he almost always took with him. He believed and intimated 
 that the discovery of so much of the wisdom, power, and 
 goodness of the great Creator, even in the minutest parts of 
 vegetable and animalcular creation, helped to attune his soul 
 to sing the song of the four-and-twenty elders, " Thou art 
 worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power ; for 
 Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are 
 and were created." 
 
 " His character and career," observes a certain writer, "were a contrast 
 to those of Whitefield and of Wesley. He was essentially contemplative ; 
 they were eminently practical. His mission was to sanctify the senti- 
 mentalism of the day. In him, the breath of life did not blow, as in 
 Wesley, in a strong, steady, all-pervading current ; or, as in Whitefield, 
 like a rushing and resistless wind ; but in a gentle zephyr, toying with the 
 tresses of the trees, shaking the petals of the flowers and grasses of the 
 grave, yet the minister of convalescence and the messenger of peace." 
 
Age 44 
 
 The Literary Parish- Priest. 327 
 
 Of course, opinions vary respecting Hervey's peculiar j-^s 
 style ; but the fact cannot be denied, that he became one 
 of the most widely-read writers of his time. The young 
 still read his " Meditations " with avidity ; and many of the 
 old remember the pleasure that his writings afforded them in 
 their early days. With some degree of appropriateness, he 
 has been designated the Melancthon of the Methodist Re- 
 formation. It is quite certain that the elaborated polish of 
 . Hervey's works secured them the attention of the upper 
 circles of society, to a far greater extent than that attention 
 was secured for the writings of Whitefield and Wesley. 
 Hervey avowedly wrote for the elite; Whitefield and Wesley 
 for the masses. Hervey's style is objectionable to those who 
 cultivate a taste for the simple and chaste, in opposition to 
 what is elaborate and grand ; but, somehow, in Hervey's day, 
 his books, as Whitefield said, " suited the taste of the polite." 
 May it not be added, that, they also helped to refine the taste 
 of Methodists } The polite read them because they were 
 flowery ; the Methodists, because they were savoury ; and 
 while, through their medium, the former looked at grace 
 with less prejudice ; the latter looked at nature with more 
 delight. 
 
 The following, from the North British Reviciv, is, perhaps, 
 as just a critique on Hervey's writings as can be furnished : — 
 
 " Last century was the first in which pious people cared for style. The 
 Puritans had apple-trees in their orchards, and savoury herbs in their 
 kitchen-gardens, but kept no greenhouse, nor parterre ; and, amongst 
 evangelical authors, Hervey was about the first who made his style a 
 study, and who sought, by planting flowers at the gate, to allure passen- 
 gers into the garden. It is not, therefore, surprising that his ornaments 
 should be more distinguished for profusion and brilliant hues than for 
 simplicity and grace. Most people admire tulips and peonies and 
 martegon-lilies, before they get on to love store-cups and mosses and 
 ferns. We used to admire them ourselves, and felt that summer was not . 
 fully blown till we saw it sure and certain in these ample and exuberant 
 flowers. Yes, and even now we feel that it would make a wanner June 
 could we love peonies and martegons once more. Hervey was a man of 
 taste equal to his age, and of a warmth and venturesomeness beyond it. 
 He introduced the poetical and picturesque into religious literature, and 
 became the Shenstone of theology. And, although he did what none had 
 dared before him, the world was ready, and his success was rapid. The 
 " Meditations " evangelized the natural sciences, and embowered the old 
 
328 Rev. yamcs Hervey, 
 
 divinity. There was philosophy in its right mind, and at the Saviour's . 
 ^2^ feet ; and the Lutheran dogma reheved from the academic gown, and 
 Ao-e 44 keeping healthful holiday in shady woods and by the mountain stream. 
 The tendency of his writing was to open the believer's eye in kindness 
 and wonder on the works of God, and their effort was to attract to the 
 Incarnate Mystery the heart surprised or softened by these works. We 
 cannot, at the distance of a century, recall the fascination which sur- 
 rounded them when newly published, — when no similar attempts had 
 forestalled their freshness, and no imitations had blown their vigour into 
 bombast. But we can trace their mellow influence still. We see, that, 
 they have helped to make men of faith men of feeling, and men of piety 
 men of taste. Over the bald and rugged places of systematic orthodoxy, 
 they have trained the sweetest beauties of creation and softest graces of 
 piety, and over its entire landscape have shed an illumination as genial 
 as it is growthful and clear. If his ' Meditations ' be not purely classical, 
 they are evangelical, and singularly adapted to the whole of man. Their 
 cadence is in our popular preaching still, and may their spirit never quit 
 our Christianity! It is the spirit of securest faith, and sunniest hope, and 
 most seraphic love. And though it may be dangerous for young divines, 
 like Samuel Parr, to copy their descriptive melody, it were a blessed 
 ambition to emulate their author's large and lightsome piety, — his heart, 
 ' open to the whole noon of nature,' and through all its brightness drink- 
 ing the smile of a present God." 
 
 Here Hervey's Memoir ought to end ; but, unfortunately, 
 posthumous facts must be added. 
 
 Already, it has been stated, that, the last days of the 
 devout Rector of Weston-Favel were employed in writing 
 his " Eleven Letters " in answer to Wesley's " Remarks on 
 Theron and Aspasio." It is extremely disagreeable to tag 
 to the end of a life so beautiful as Hervey's a controversial 
 fracas which ought never to have happened, but fidelity for- 
 bids the unpleasant duty to be avoided. For more than a 
 hundred years, partisans, on both sides, have discussed the 
 question ; and, on both sides, not a little has been written 
 which both Hervey and Wesley would wish to have blotted 
 out. It would not be difficult to lengthen the unprofitable 
 controversy by an analysis of Hervey's " Eleven Letters" (next 
 to his " Theron and Aspasio," his ablest work), but the task is 
 uninviting, and the subject shall be dismissed as briefly as 
 possible. 
 
 Six years after Hervey's death, his " Eleven Letters " were 
 surreptitiously published, i2mo, 288 pp., without the printer's 
 name attached, and with nothing but a brief Preface, signed 
 
The Litcraiy Parish-Pidest. 
 
 " Philolethes," who acknowledged that the work now "found 1758 
 its way into the world, as it were, by stealth." A year after- \^ a. 
 wards, in 1765, an authentic edition Avas issued, with the 
 following title — "Eleven Letters from the late Rev. Mr. Her- 
 vey, to the Rev. Mr. John Wesley ; containing An Answer to 
 that Gentleman's Remarks on Theron and Aspasio, Published 
 from the Author's Manuscript, left in the possession of his 
 Brother, Mr. Hervey. With a Preface, showing the Reason 
 of their being now printed." i2mo, 297 pp. ^ 
 
 The Preface states, that, Hervey did not commence his 
 reply to Wesley before Wesley published his private letter to 
 Hervey, in his " Preservative against Unsettled Notions in 
 Religion ;" in other words, not until after June 23, 1758. This 
 is an error ; for, in a letter to the Rev. Mr. Ryland, dated 
 ^^ January, 1758, Hervey says he was even then 'transcribing 
 his intended answer to Mr. Wesley for the press'" (see 315 
 page preceding). 
 
 Hervey's brother, in the Preface, proceeds to say : — 
 
 " When, in December, 1758, I was sent for to Weston, I asked him 
 the evening before he died, ' what he would have done with the Letters to 
 Mr. Wesley, whether he would have them published after his death ?' He 
 answered, ' By no means, because he had only transcribed about half of 
 them fair for the press ; but, as the corrections and alterations of the 
 latter part were mostly in short-hand, it would be difficult to understand 
 them, especially as some of the short-hand was entirely his own, and others 
 could not make it out ; therefore, he said, as it is not a finished piece, I 
 desire you will think no more about it." 
 
 Mr. William Hervey adds : — 
 
 "As these were the last orders of my brother, I thought it right to 
 obey them, and, therefore, I withstood the repeated solicitations of 
 many of his friends, who wanted to have them printed. Notwith- 
 standing the regard I had for the persons who solicited the publication, 
 I could not be persuaded to print the Letters ; and they never had 
 appeared in public, with my consent, had not a surreptitious edition of 
 them lately made its way from the press, and were I not under a firm 
 persuasion that will be followed by more. 
 
 ^ The title of the surreptitious edition was, " Aspasio Vindicated, and 
 the Scripture Doctrine of Imputed Righteousness Defended against 
 the Objections and Animadversions of the Rev. Mr. John Wesley. In 
 Eleven Letters, written and prepared for the Press, by the late Rev. Mr. 
 J s H y, A.B." 
 
Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 J 758 " As this is the case, I think it myjduty to the memory of my late brother 
 
 to send forth as correct an edition as I possibly can, for as to that which 
 
 Age 44 jj^g appeared (from what editor I know not) it is so faulty and incorrect, 
 th^t, but little judgment can be formed from it, of the propriety and force 
 of my brother's answers to Mr. Wesley. 
 
 "As to the unfairness of publishing my brother's Letters without my 
 consent, and the injustice to his memory in sending so mangled a 
 performance out under his name, they are too apparent to need any 
 proof ; and though, the editor, as I have been informed, gave away the 
 whole impression, so that it is plain lucre was not the motive of his pro- 
 ceeding, and I would charitably hope he did it with a view of benefiting 
 his readers, yet, it is so like doing evil that good may come, as, in my 
 opinion, to be quite unjustifiable. 
 
 " I have one thing more to add, which is concerning the seaso7iablcncss 
 of the following publication. It may, perhaps, be thought a needless 
 revival of a dispute, which happened long ago, and which is now probably 
 forgotten. In answer to which, I can assure the reader, that, though my 
 brother died December 25, 1758, the controversy did by no means die 
 with him, but still subsists in the daily publication and sale of Mr. 
 Wesley's ' Preservative.' Thecontroversy is, in the most effectual manner, 
 daily and hourly kept alive by Mr. Wesley himself This proves very 
 sufficiently the seasonableness, and, as things have happened, the expedi- 
 ency of the present appearance of the following Letters in public." 
 
 Such was the substance of Mr. William Hervey's expla- 
 nation or apology. 
 
 He says, he knew not who was the editor of the surreptitious 
 edition of his brother's letters ; and, in the absence of counter 
 evidence, he is entitled to belief It is somewhat staggering, 
 however, that he had been informed, the editor " gave away 
 the whole impression," without being told the donor's name ; 
 and also, that, as the proprietor of his brother's manuscript, he 
 must have known in whose hands the manuscript had been 
 placed since his brother's death. Mr. Cudworth is generally 
 believed to have been the stealthy publisher ; but, if he was, 
 he was not alone. Mr. Ryland writes : — 
 
 " These letters were just upon the point of being suppressed, and lost to 
 the Christian world for ever. Soon after Mr. Hervey's death, they were put 
 into my hands for twelve or fourteen weeks. From a principle of foolish 
 and false delicacy I did not take a copy of them, which I ought to have 
 done. Happy for the Church, the manuscript fell into the hands of three 
 of my friends, who had more sincerity, zeal, and courage than I had, and 
 thus the manuscript was rescued from destruction, and the original copy 
 at last brought to light." 
 
 Not many will coincide with Mr. Ryland's notions "of 
 
The Literary Parish-Priest. 331 
 
 foolish and false delicacy." Apart from the question, Hervey 1758 
 versus Wesley, the surreptitious publication of the book was a p^ ^a 
 base, treacherous, nefarious deed. No wonder that the name 
 of the editor was never authoritatively announced. 
 
 Mr. William Hervey complains, that, the edition was 
 extremely " faulty and incorrect," and did not convey an 
 adequate idea " of the propriety and force of his brother's 
 Answers to Mr. Wesley." Fair play makes it imperative to 
 say, that, intentionally or otherwise, this is far from being 
 true. Any one who takes the trouble to compare the two 
 editions will perceive, that, except in typographical corrections, 
 the insertion of Hebrew words in Hebrew instead of English 
 characters, the punctuation of sentences, and the addition of a 
 quotation from St. Chrysostom in Greek, the authentic edition 
 hardly differs a hair-breadth from the surreptitious one. 
 
 Mr. William Hervey's last reason, for the publication of his 
 brother's manuscript, is not without force. Seven years be- 
 fore, Wesley had unwisely printed his " Remarks on Theron 
 and Aspasio " in his " Preservative against Unsettled Notions 
 in Religion." Notwithstanding Hervey's death, that book 
 was still on sale ; and, thus, Hervey was continuously at- 
 tacked without being able to answer for himself Was this 
 fair, and brotherly .'' Perhaps, it was not enough to justify 
 the avowed violation of Hervey's dying wish, and absolute 
 command ; but does it not som.ewhat palliate the dishonour 
 of the treacherous act, and, to some extent, relieve William 
 Hervey of the odium v/hich has been cast upon him } 
 
 It is undeniable, that, Hervey's " Letters " contain severe, 
 and apparently bitter recriminations against his old Oxford 
 acquaintance ; but did he himself write them ? Those, who 
 are the friends of both the combatants, have doubted this, 
 and have, at least, insinuated that their author was William 
 Gudworth, Wesley's inveterate enemy. This might be so ; 
 but it might be otherwise. It is true, that, the taunting 
 reproaches in the " Eleven Letters " are not what might have 
 been reasonably expected from a man of Hervey's loving and 
 gentle spirit. His other writings are perfectly exempt from 
 bitterness. He seemed incapable of wounding even an enemy, 
 much more one who, in former days at least, had been a 
 friend. Was his the hand, then, that wrote the reproaches in 
 
532 Rev. yames Hervey, 
 
 1758 his " Letters"? Defenders regarded Cudworth as the culprit. 
 Ao^44 There cannot be a doubt, that Cudworth was capable of this. 
 He hated Wesley, and his style of writing, when he chose, 
 was trenchant ; but, after all, he might be innocent. The 
 " Eleven Letters " were written during the last year of Her- 
 vey's life, when his illness, always serious, was greatly aug- 
 mented, and not unlikely to affect his spirits. From his 
 letters, already quoted, it is evident, his irritation against 
 Wesley was such, that, he honestly confesses, he found it "no 
 small difficulty to preserve the decency of the gentleman, and 
 the meekness of the Christian in his intended Answer." Fur- 
 ther, though naturally so loving and so gentlCjr his sensitive- 
 ness was excessive. And, once again, it must be borne in 
 . mind, that, with one or two exceptions, such as the attack in 
 the Critical Rcviczv, his writings had evoked unmingled appro- 
 bation, — religious, literary, and aristocratic circles all uniting in 
 his praise ; and, that this was not adapted to prepare him for 
 the unceremonious animadversions sent to him by Wesley. 
 God forbid ! that, we should cast a speck, which does not 
 belong to it, on a character so beautiful ; but no man is 
 exempt from errors ; and, perhaps, the hints just dropped are 
 worthy of attention. 
 
 The results were painful, and, in some respects, disastrous. 
 Wesley himself was exceedingly annoyed. It was one of the 
 great trials of his life. It engendered a polemical warfare 
 which culminated in the great Calvinian controversy of 1770 ; 
 a controversy which, on one side at least, grew in bitterness 
 until the_^ death of Toplady, in 1778. And, lastly, not to 
 mention other direful effects, by the action of Dr. Erskine, 
 who published Hervey's " Eleven Letters " in Scotland, and, 
 not only so, but, in his Preface, made a violent attack 
 on Wesley's doctrines, Methodism, across the Tweed, sus- 
 tained an injury, not only deep, but of many years' dur- 
 ation. 
 
 It is a painful task to conclude the life of Hervey amid the 
 din of war ; but the facts are too important to be entirely 
 omitted. The difference between the two Oxford Methodists 
 was a mournful occurrence. Neither of them was perfect. 
 Both are blamable. It was a misfortune, that, Wesley's 
 animadversions were written in a style so blunt. It was a 
 
The Literacy Parish-Priest. 333 
 
 mistake in Hervey to allow his excessive sensitiveness to 1758 
 obtain such a mastery as to prevent his writing to his faithful a.JJ~/m 
 friend for friendly explanation. It was a serious blunder for 
 Wesley to publish his critique in his " Preservative against 
 Unsettled Notions in Religion." And, finally, though Her- 
 vey 's "Letters" are ably written, it was a great calamity, 
 that, he died before he had given them a finishing revision ; 
 and it was a huge breach of trust, as well as a grave imper- 
 tinence, for any one to violate Hervey 's most solemn wish, 
 and to commit to the public press an uncompleted manu- 
 script, whose publication Hervey, in dying accents, had 
 prohibited. 
 
REV. THOMAS BROUCxHTON, M.A., 
 
 THE FAITHFUL SECRETARY. 
 
 1^5 ^pHOMAS BROUGHTON was the son of English 
 X parents, who resided in Scotland. His father was 
 Commissioner of Excise, at Edinburgh, and had sixteen 
 children, born and baptized. 
 
 Even Mr. Broughton's descendants seem to know nothing 
 of his early life. From Wesley, we learn, that he was a 
 member of Exeter College, Oxford, and that he joined the 
 Methodists in 1732.1 
 
 On leaving the University, he appears, first of all, to have 
 officiated at Cowley, near Uxbridge ; and, with such success, 
 that, Sir John Harold remarks, in a letter to Wesley, " Seve- 
 ral of Mr. Broughton's late parishioners at Cowley forget not 
 the assembling of themselves together." In 1736, he became 
 curate at the Tower of London ; undertook to preach to the 
 prisoners in Ludgate prison every Tuesday afternoon ; and 
 read prayers every night to a religious society at Wapping. 
 By means of Whitefield, he was presented to St. Helen's, 
 Bishopsgate Street Within ; and, through faithfulness to his 
 old Oxford friend, he lost it. The parishioners objected to 
 Whitefield having the use of Broughton's pulpit. Broughton 
 answered, "Through Mr. Whitefield's influence, I obtained 
 the living of St. Helen's, and, if he insists upon it, he shall 
 have my pulpit." Whitefield did insist, and Broughton lost 
 his lectureship. 
 
 Like all the other Oxford Methodists, Broughton was 
 ardently attached to Wesley. In the spring of 1735, when 
 the venerable Rector of Epworth was at the point of death, 
 he used his utmost endeavours, to secure the appointment of 
 Wesley to the vacant rectory ; but without effect. In the 
 
 ^ Wesley's Works, vol. viii., p. 334. 
 
The Faithful Secretary. 335 
 
 autumn of that year, Wesley went on his mission to Georgia ; J 7: 
 and Broughton wrote to him the following self-abasing letter, 
 which has not before been published. 
 
 " OxoN, November 27, 1735. 
 
 " Dear Sir, — God grant, that, this letter may find you happily arrived 
 at the wished-for haven ! 
 
 " O cross of Jesus ! what a rock of offence art thou become to the 
 greatest part of Christians ! The Christians of the pi-esent times are 
 ashamed of Christ ; and thou, that art a teacher in Israel, art thou 
 unlearning this sure, this important lesson, — ' All that will live godly in 
 Christ Jesus, shall suffer persecution ' ? You know I have. If I should 
 say, that I have not shrunk from under the cross, I should be a liar. My 
 own bad heart, and the observation I made of the agreeable life of my 
 London friends, occasioned my first abatements in strictness of life and 
 hoHness of conversation. What pangs and agonies of heart, I felt at 
 intervals ! I laboured for peace ; I panted after the love of God ; but my 
 heart grew foul, and became a cage of unclean thoughts, for want of mor- 
 tification and self-denial. I embraced the doctrine of miputed righteous- 
 ness, and had mean thoughts of works. Almost every day furnished me 
 with new ideas of religion ; but, alas ! they all savoured too much, I 
 doubt, of flesh and blood. Since m.y return from London, too, I have been 
 amusing myself with pretty dreams of true religion ; nor am I awake yet. 
 Good God ! art Thou as mighty to cast into hell NOW, as Thou wert 
 seventeen hundred years ago ? Did the first Christians cry mightily unto 
 Thee to spare them, and did they see it absolutely necessary to work out 
 their salvation with fear and trembling ; and dare I, who have been a 
 wretch, and most excessively wicked sinner, think to obtain heaven 
 with less labour and sufferings ? O ! pray for me, that Satan may not 
 sift me as wheat! I am a worm, and no man, tossed about with every 
 blast of doctrine. Stablish, strengthen, settle me, O my God ! 
 
 " Mr. Battely has committed his parish to my care. O ! that I may 
 feed his sheep, and be not a hireling ! Mr. Salmon's heart is with you ; 
 but, he informs me, Mr. Clayton has convinced him, that, he ought to 
 abide where he is, till his parents cease to forbid him going to Georgia. 
 God will never suffer a supply of fit and able men to be wanting to take 
 charge of his work in America. 
 
 "At Oxon, we hope to be stirring. The hand of the Lord will uphold 
 our fainting steps. Cease not, dear brother, to pray for us, as we hope 
 always to pray for you. Salute the brethren. We all salute you. 
 
 " I am, dear sir, your most obliged and affectionate brother in Christ, 
 
 "T. Broughton." 
 
 This is far from being a bright and joyous letter ; and yet 
 it is conscientious and earnest. Like all the other Oxford 
 Methodists, Broughton was seeking to be saved by his own 
 
336 Rev. Thomas Broughtoii, 
 
 ^ ^737 good works. These were far from perfect ; and, hence, his 
 abasement, anguish, and despondency. 
 
 In 1737, in the course of his official duty, as curate at the 
 Tower of London, Broughton preached a sermon, which, by 
 request of the commander of the garrison, was published, 
 with the title, — 
 
 "The Christian Soldier; or, the Duties of a Religious Life recom- 
 mended to the Army, from the Example of Cornelius." Text, Acts x. 
 1,2. 
 
 In 1748, a second edition of this discourse was printed, 
 with a Dedication to The Right Honourable Lord Viscount 
 Ossulstone, in which, in reference to his style, Broughton 
 says, — ■ 
 
 " If your Lordship should think the Discourse, to the soldiers, ^ penned 
 with too much emotion of heart, and warmth of expression, — if, as a 
 spiritual watchman, the preacher has lifted up his voice as a trumpet, 
 sounded an alarm, and uttered his words in thunder, — he would meekly 
 desire to be understood with candour, as accommodating himself to the 
 military genius and character, which disdain a cold, lifeless, and unper- 
 suasive harangue. He has indeed used great plainness of speech; and 
 the rather, because no one has a more sincere regard for the profession, 
 or a higher esteem for those excellent persons, who worthily fill the chief 
 and most conspicuous posts in the army, than myself" 
 
 The following brief extracts from Broughton's sermon will 
 furnish an idea of his fidelity, and honest-speaking zeal. 
 Having described the character and conduct of Cornelius, he 
 addressed his military audience as follows : — ■ 
 
 " Cornelius was a devout man, and one that feared God. But are there 
 many of you, my brethren, of this religious disposition ? Not to enume- 
 rate all the instances of piety and devotion, in which you are grossly and 
 wholly defective, I will mention but a few. 
 
 " And, first, in point of sobriety. Alas ! my friends, what strangers, 
 nay, what enemies, are most of you to a sober, temperate way of life. 
 How frequently do you, the meaner sort especially, through excess of 
 liquor, reel to a>id fro, ajid stagger, and lie in the streets like dead men! 
 How insatiable is your thirst after drink, as if the gratification of that 
 appetite was a joy unspeakable and full of comfort ! To this purpose, 
 you assemble by troops in tippling-houses, where you destroy your health, 
 
 ^ The sermon was addressed to the second regiment of foot guards, 
 who, to the beat of the drum, marched to the chapel, with the Com- 
 mander of the garrison at their head. 
 
The Faithful Secretary. 
 
 o J, 
 
 and waste your money and time, in tumults, revellings, and drunkenness. 
 In these houses, you often sit till midnight, and prevent the morning '^' 
 watch, not with hymns and psalms, as David did, but, with blasphemous 
 rant and obscene songs. 
 
 " Again, your offences, in point of chastity, are very scandalous, and 
 too notorious to be denied ; insomuch, that, the bare sight of you is sus- 
 picious and painful to the modest part of the daughters of our land. 
 Having eyes full of uncleanness and adultery, you wander after pernicious 
 deceivers, and give yourselves loose to vile lusts and brutish affections. 
 That I do not charge you wrongfully, in this respect, is too manifest, 
 from the numerous and melancholy instances among you of putrefied 
 bodies and rotten bones. 
 
 '"' Cornelius prayed to God always. But where, alas ! shall we find this 
 practice among you ? Prayer seems to have been banished from the 
 army, and cursing and swearing brought in, in its room. Most of you, I 
 fear, live without prayer, and pass away days, months, and years, without 
 bending your kness to the God who made you, to the Saviour that 
 redeemed you, or to the Holy Ghost who alone can sanctify your souls, 
 and fit you for heaven. Let me not seem uncharitable in this assertion : 
 I speak truth, when I pass this censure on the most of you : for, if you did 
 accustom yourselves to pray, the ears of good Christians would not be so 
 often stunned with that horrible din of blasphemy, nor shocked with those 
 dreadful oaths, curses, and ungodly speeches, which daily and hourly 
 proceed out of your mouth. It is an unpleasant office, my friends, to 
 reprove you in this public manner; but many of you can bear me witness, 
 that, I have not spared private reproof, when, in my hearing, the name of 
 God has been by you blasphemed. Oh! that the horrid practice of pro- 
 fane cursing and swearing was less frequent in the army ! Is it, my 
 friends, a military accomplishment to curse and swear? Do you imagine, 
 that, it adds grace to your speech, or manliness to your looks .'' Or do 
 you fancy, that, it resembles the roaring of a lion, and renders your pre- 
 sence terrible .'' Alas ! vain men ! no wise and good man looks upon a 
 swearer to be a hero, or accounts him a courageous person, because he is 
 a profane and wicked one." 
 
 The preacher uttering such reproofs as these was, to say 
 the least, a courageous man, — a worthy brother of Wesley 
 himself, who, four years afterwards, preached his withering 
 sermon, on " The Almost Christian " before the Oxford 
 University. Perhaps both were more pointed than pleasant ; 
 but in the time-serving age in which we live, the pulpit would 
 be improved by a dash of that stern fidelity which was used 
 by Wesley, Broughton, and the first Methodists. It is far 
 easier to condemn sins, than to reprove sinners. It required 
 greater heroism for Nathan to say to David, " Thou art the 
 man," than to deliver Nathan's parable concerning the 
 
 z 
 
2,3^ R^"^- Tho7nas Broughton^ 
 
 ^737 heinousness of David's sin ; and for Elijah to say to Ahab, 
 " Thou and thy father's house have troubled Israel," than to 
 dwell on the general evils of idolatry. John the Baptist was, 
 not rude, but, courageous, when, face to face, he told king 
 Herod, " it was not lawful " for him to have his brother 
 Philip's wife ; and when, in a crowd of Pharisees and Sad- 
 ducees, he exclaimed, " O generation of vipers, who hath 
 warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" Who will 
 accuse the Divine Redeemer of want of manners, in His fear- 
 ful utterance, " Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypo- 
 crites ! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed 
 appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's 
 bones, and of all uncleanness. Ye outwardly appear righteous 
 unto men, but within are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 
 Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the 
 damnation of hell ?" Is such fidelity now common in the 
 pulpits of England ? Is it less necessary now than it used to 
 be in the days of old ? Are the congregations of the present 
 day more educated and refined than David, Ahab, Herod, 
 and the scribes and Pharisees ? Have preachers improved 
 upon the spirit and the courage of Nathan, Elijah, the 
 Baptist, and Jesus Christ ? And have they discovered a 
 more effectual mode of addressing sinners ? Is it not a fact, 
 that, " Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written 
 for our learning"? Is it better and safer to listen to those 
 who "say to the seers, See not, and to the prophets, Pro- 
 phesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, 
 prophesy deceits"; or to listen to the voice of God Himself, 
 " O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house 
 of Israel ; therefore, thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, 
 and warn them from me. When I say unto the wicked, O 
 wicked man, thou shalt surely die : if thou dost not speak to 
 warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in 
 his iniquity ; but his blood will I require at thine hand"? 
 
 This string of questions may be thought to indicate, that, 
 the writer approves of the rough fidelity of the Oxford Metho- 
 dists, and is far from satisfied with much of the preaching of 
 the present day. Be it so. He has no wish to avoid the 
 odium, if odium it be. Fine preaching has never effected 
 great reformations. Preaching is often too polite to be 
 
The Faithftil Secretary. 339 
 
 powerful. The pulpits of the age would be more successful "737 
 if filled by men like Wesley, Whitefield, and their friend 
 Broughton. A luxurious, self-indulgent generation needs, 
 not obsequiousness, but, unflinching honesty. Costly clothing, 
 and refined tastes do not turn sinners into saints ; but is it 
 not a truth,, that, in many instances, they frighten preachers 
 from a faithful, uncompromising discharge of duty }. 
 
 Broughton belonged to another class. He fearlessly re- 
 proved the sinner, and as fearlessly told him of his danger. 
 Addressing his congregation of soldiers, — officers as well as 
 privates, — the bold preacher says, — 
 
 " Let the serious consideration of hell-torments constrain you to 
 repent, and live like the devout Cornelius. When the judgment is over, 
 and this last sad sentence passed, ' Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever- 
 lasting fire,' the souls of the damned will immediately be thrust into a 
 ' lake which burneth with fire and brimstone ;' 'where the worm dieth not, 
 and the fire is not quenched.' In this doleful prison of darkness and 
 despair, condemned souls will be tormented with the devil and his angels ; 
 and every part of them be racked with the sharpest agony. The luhorish 
 and adulierous eye will then be put out in utter darkness. The tongue, 
 that was used to cursing, smearing, and filthy talking, will then be 
 scorched with tormenting flames, and be denied a drop of water to cool 
 its intolerable heat. The body, which used to be defiled with dntnkenness 
 and uncleanness, will be burnt up as a firebrand. And, whatis still worse, 
 though the pleasures of sin are but for a season, yet, the punishment of it 
 will be without end ; for the smoke of the torment of the damned ascends 
 up (saith the Scripture) for ever and ever. The torments of hell are of a 
 never-ending duration ; 'and who/ my friends, 'can dwell with everlasting 
 burnings.?' O be wise, and consider these amazing truths, that, ye may 
 flee from the wrath to come. Bid, from this hour, a final farewell to 
 swearing, gaming, drunkenness, and uncleanness. Be sober, be chaste, 
 be temperate, keep holy the Sabbath-day, flee idleness and bad company. 
 Remember you are Christ's soldiers, and were listed under His banner at 
 your baptism. ' Turn ye, turn ye, from your evil ways.' The arms of 
 Divine mercy are still open to receive and embrace you. God willeth not 
 the death of sinners, but had rather they should repent and be saved. 
 Our Lord Jesus Christ is ready to own you, and wash you from your sins 
 in His own blood: and the Holy Ghost continually 'maketh intercession 
 for you, with groanings which cannot be uttered.'" 
 
 Such may be taken as a specim jn of Broughton's preaching, 
 at all events at the commencement of his ministry. 
 
 After a five months' residence in Georgia, Charles Wesley 
 returned to England. Whitefield was ordained, by Bishop 
 
340 Rev. Thomas ;Brotigkton, 
 
 ^"3 7 Benson, on the 20th of June; 1736, and immediately com- 
 menced his marvellous career of preaching. At the Christmas 
 following, when only twenty-two years of age^ he was fully 
 determined to join Wesley, Ingham, and Delamotte in 
 America. Some of his friends, however, protested against 
 this, and, among others, his friend Broughton, the result of 
 which was, his departure was postponed until the beginning 
 of the year 1738. The. following was .Broughton's letter on 
 this occasion : — 
 
 " London, January 28, 1737. 
 
 " Dearest Sir, — My instruments are ready, and I am sat down to 
 write to you ; but how shall I accost you ? With what matter lengthen 
 out my letter? Surely, I was never more at a loss than now how to 
 address my friend. And yet, the springs of love, that issue from the 
 fountain of my heart towards you, are not dried up. Methinks, I have 
 the same affection and esteem for you as ever; but the resolution yon 
 have taken to leave your native country, and ■ the melancholy conse- 
 quences to the cause of religion, which are likely to ensue therefrom; 
 together with the barren prospects of my inability to dissuade you from 
 your hasty undertaking, at least, till you have taken the advice of a 
 multitude of counsellors (in whom the wise man says there is safety),— all 
 these things put together, besides the weight and variety of my own 
 affairs, so entangle and distress me, that I know not what to communicate 
 to you. But good Mr. Wogan ^ has expressed my sentiments to you in 
 his own. His reasons against your going to Georgia are my reasons, and 
 the reasons of several good men besides ; particularly of Sir Erasmus 
 Philips, who laid his commands upon me to dehort you if I could. 
 
 "Dear Mr. Whitefield, let me entreat you to examine the reasons. 
 Surely, we ought to consider before we resolve, and to weigh things well 
 before we proceed to put them into execution. Would you be glad to 
 learn what are my objections against your going? Alas! I have many 
 things to say unto you upon that head, but you cannot bear them now. 
 All I would recommend to you at present, is not to harden yourself 
 against what may be modestly and fairly alleged to your leaving 
 England. Let not your friends be accounted your enemies, because they 
 tell you the truth. Lastly, we all observe the golden rule of our Lord, 
 ' Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.' 
 
 "My dear friend, — for you are so to me, — pardon my plain deahng. 
 
 ^ William Wogan was born in 1694; and, after being educated at 
 Westminster and Oxford, entered the army. In 1718, he married 
 Catherine Stanhope, of the family of the Earls of Chesterfield. He died 
 at Ealing in 1758. He was a Millennarian, but attended the daily service 
 of the Church of England, and advocated a strict attention to the Church's 
 rubrics. — "Private Journal and Literary Remains of Dr. Byron." 
 
The FaithftU Secretary. 341 
 
 and, if it deserves a worse name, yet, pardon it. I conclude my letter 1738 
 with an excellent collect of our Church on behalf of us both : — 
 
 " ' O God, forasmuch as without Thee, we are not able to please Thee, 
 mercifully grant that Thy Holy Spirit may, in all things, direct and rule 
 our hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord.' 
 
 " I am, dear sir, your affectionate brother, 
 
 "Thomas Broughton."^ 
 
 "To the Rev. Mr. Whitefield, 
 
 "At Mr. Grenville's, a Grocer, in Wine Street, at Bristol." 
 
 John Wesley arrived in England on February ist, 1738. 
 By repeated interviews with Peter Bohler, he was converted 
 to Bohler's doctrines, i. That, faith is "a sure trust and con- 
 fidence which a man hath in God, that, through the merits of 
 Christ, his sins are forgiven, and he reconciled to the favour 
 of God. 2. That, the fruits of this faith are the witness of the 
 Spirit, and the new birth. And, 3. That, this faith is given in 
 a moment, and, that, instantaneously a man may be translated 
 out of darkness into light, out of sin and fear into holiness 
 and happiness. This, however, was an experience, which 
 Wesley, as yet, had not realized ; and, hence, he came to the 
 conclusion, that, notwithstanding all his past piety and 
 devotion, he was still without saving faith. Wesley asked 
 his friend Bohler, whether, being destitute of faith, he " ought 
 not to refrain from teaching others .-' " Bohler said, " No ; do 
 not hide in the earth the talent God hath given you." 
 Accordingly, when Wesley, his brother Charles, and Brough- 
 ton met, on April 25, in the house of Mr. Delamotte, at 
 Blendon, the nature and fruits of faith became the subject of 
 discussion. Wesley propounded his new ideas " clearly and 
 fully ;" and writes : — 
 
 " Mr. Broughton's great objection was, he could never think, that, I 
 
 ^ A recent Bishop of the Church of England, on perusing this manu- 
 script letter, wrote: " It is a very interesting document, and leads to many 
 reflections. Mr. Broughton's day, and the day of his once friend Wesley, 
 were more important in the history of our Church than many are willing 
 to believe. They disturbed, but they taught ; and they led others to think 
 and teach. Whatever might be their errors, it was not for the careless 
 and thoughtless and the ignorant to be their judges. It might be for the 
 best that Whitefield would not take the advice in this letter; but the 
 affectionate strain is peculiarly pleasing, and the pious union between two 
 persons, who differed on some points, may be a lesson that need not be 
 lost even in our own day." 
 
342 Rev. Thomas Broughtoit, 
 
 J 7^8 had not faith, who had done and suffered such things. My brother wafe 
 — very angry, and told me, I did not know what mischief I had done by 
 talking thus." 
 
 Charles Wesley's accourrt of this important meeting, held at 
 five o'clock in the morning, is more minute. He remarks : — 
 
 " 1738, April 25. Soon after five, as we were met in our little chapel, 
 Mrs. Delamotte came to us. We sang, and fell into a dispute whether 
 conversion was gradual or instantaneous. My brother was very positive 
 for the latter, and very shocking; and mentioned some late instances of 
 gross sinners believing in a moment. I was much offended at his worse 
 than unedifying discourse. Mrs. Delamotte left us abruptly. I stayed, 
 and insisted, a man need not know when first he had faith. His 
 obstinacy, in favouring the contrary opinion, drove me at last out of the 
 room. Mr. Broughton was only not so much scandalized as myself. 
 After dinner, he and my brother returned to town. I stayed behind, and 
 read them the ' Life of Mr. Halyburton :' one instance, but only one, of 
 instantaneous conversion.' 
 
 Strange to say, within three weeks after this religious 
 fracas, Charles Wesley became. a-con vert to the very opinions 
 which had given him such huge offence ; and began to pity 
 and upbraid his friend Broughton for not thinking like him- 
 self. Accordingly he writes : — 
 
 " May II. I was carried in a chair to Mr. Bray's" (the Moravian), "who 
 is to supply Bohler's .place. I found his sister" (Bray's) "in earnest 
 pursuit of Christ ; and his wife well inclined to conversion. I had not 
 been here long, when Mr. Broughton called. I hoped to find him altered 
 like myself; but, alas ! his time is not yet come. As to M. Turner, he 
 gave her up; 'but for you, M. Bray,' said he, ' I hope you are still in your 
 senses, and not run mad after a faith which must be felt.' He went on 
 contradicting and blaspheming. I thought it my duty to withstand him, 
 and to confess my want of faith. ' God help you, poor man,' he replied; 
 'if I could think you have not faith, I am sure it would drive me to 
 despair.' " 
 
 Charles Wesley was now as impassioned on the one side, 
 as, three weeks before, he had been on the other. He and 
 Broughton became estranged. Hence the following, in his 
 journal : — 
 
 " 1738, May 14. Several persons called to-day, and were convinced of 
 unbelief. Some of them afterwards went to Mr. Broughton, and were 
 soon made as easy as Satan and their own hearts could wish." 
 
 A week after this, Charles Wesley believed in Christ to the 
 
The Faithfid Secretary. 343 
 
 saving of his soul ; and became increasingly anxious for his 1738 
 friend Broughton. He writes : — 
 
 " May 27. I was much assisted to intercede for poor Mr. Broughton, 
 who continues the very hfe of all those that oppose the faith." 
 
 "July II. Tuesday. Mr. Sparks, this morning, asked me whether I 
 would preach for him at St. Helen's. I agreed to supply Mr. Broughton's 
 place, who is now at Oxford, arming our friends against the faith. The 
 pain in my side was very violent ; but no sooner did I enter the coach 
 than the pain left me, and I preached faith in Christ to a vast congrega- 
 tion, adding much extempore. After sermon, Mrs. Hind, with whom Mr. 
 Broughton lodges, sent for me ; owned her agreement to the doctrine, 
 and pressed me to come and talk with Mr. Broughton, who, she could not 
 but believe, must himself agree to it." 
 
 At this period, Charles Wesley was intensely interested 
 in the welfare of half a score of malefactors, under sentence 
 of death, in Newgate prison, all of whom were executed at 
 Tyburn, on the 19th of July. During the last nine days 
 they had to live, besides other visits, and personal conver- 
 sations with them, he preached to them at least six sermons, 
 and twice administered to them the holy Sacrament. On the 
 day of execution, he, and Broughton, and Mr. Sparks were 
 at the prison as early as six o'clock.^ At Tyburn, these three 
 earnest ministers ascended the cart where, beneath the 
 hideous gibbet, the ten poor wretches, with ropes round their 
 necks, stood awaiting their ignominious end. Charles Wesley 
 offered prayer, then Sparks, and then Broughton ; after which 
 the cart was drawn away, and the lives of the miserable men 
 were ended. 
 
 Charles Wesley believed that several of them had found 
 peace with God ; and declared, that, the hour he spent be- 
 neath the Tyburn gallows "was the most blessed hour of his 
 life." The alienation, however, between him and Broughton 
 still continued. Three weeks afterwards, they met at Mrs. 
 Hind's, and resumed their old disputes. The details of. the 
 interview are not recorded ; but Charles declares, that, 
 Broughton acknowledged, he had never read the Homilies 
 of the Established Church; and adds, "he denied explicitly, 
 that, we are saved by Christ's imputed righteousness ; and 
 affirmed, that, works do justify, and have a share in making 
 
 ' On this occasion, Broughton administered the Sacrament, and prayed. 
 
344 ^^^- Thomas Brotighton, 
 
 J 741 us righteous before God." The two were earnest and eager 
 disputants ; but, to use Charles Wesley's words, they " parted 
 good friends." 
 
 After this, we lose sight of Broughton until the year 1741, 
 when he was chosen lecturer of Allhallows, Lombard Street ;^ 
 and when he also married. 
 
 The marriage was to have taken place early in the year ; 
 but had to be postponed, in consequence of the death of Mr. 
 Capel (the young lady's father), only two days before the 
 time primarily appointed. In a long letter, dated April 4, 
 1741, and addressed to Charles Morgan, Broughton gives full 
 particulars of Mr. Capel's illness and decease, and relates, 
 that, Mr. C. had been married twenty-five years, and was 
 buried in a vault belonging to St. Peter's, Cornhill. He then 
 remarks : — 
 
 " Immortal and unchangeable God ! to what changes is poor, perishing 
 mortality subjected to here below ! To-day we live : to-morrow we die. 
 The rising sun beholds us fresh and blooming in hfe : the setting, motion- 
 less, and pale, and sunk into the arms of death. Though in the secret 
 counsels of a wise and gracious Providence, I do not doubt, yet, what a 
 disagreeable turn this melancholy accident has given to my affairs ! O, 
 my more than brother! my virtuous and noble friend? let no earthly 
 thing, not even the most endearing and lovely Miranda, be too much the 
 object of your affections. Forgive the preacher. Our God is a jealous 
 God. He is jealous of His love, which often causes Him to use mortify- 
 ing means to wean us from the love of the creature. 
 
 " I can add no more on this too tender subject, except, that, the ever 
 dear to me and devout Aspasia carries herself with inimitable discretion, 
 meekness, nay, Christian cheerfulness and resignation, under this heavy 
 stroke and unpleasant posture of affairs. We both salute you in the 
 tenderest and most hearty manner ; and, with eager desires, look forward 
 to the next happy month that promises us the blessing of seeing, and 
 conversing with so choice, so beloved a friend. Be not afraid to step into 
 the house of mourning. We will, for awhile, lay aside our garments of 
 heaviness, and anoint ourselves with the oil of gladness, to welcome you 
 on your arrival in England ; and, by prayers and best wishes for your 
 future happiness, we will add our mites to the crown of joy upon a certain 
 affair that promises you an abundance of happiness. 
 
 " I am, my dear Theophilus," your friend, 
 
 " Thomas Broughton." 
 
 It is a well-known fact, that, at this period, the vagaries of 
 
 ' Geiitlemaifs Magazine, 1741, p. 387. 
 " A pet name. 
 
The FaithjiU Secretary. 345 
 
 the Moravians created great excitement in the reh'gious 1741 
 world. Gambold openly joined the Brethren, as Ingham had 
 already done before him. Fickle Westley Hall was tainted 
 with their heresy ; and even Charles Wesley, for a season, 
 was in danger of subsiding into their unscriptural stillness. 
 An effort was made to re-unite Wesley's London Societies 
 with the Moravians at Fetter Lane ; and Wesley and Zinzen- 
 dorf had a memorable conference in Gray's Inn public pro- 
 menade. Whitefield, also, for the time being, was so out of 
 favour with the Brotherhood, that James Hutton, who had 
 been his publisher, refused to have any further transactions 
 with him ; and, to add to his annoyance, " the people of the 
 world," he says, " fled from him as from a viper," because of 
 his " injudicious and too severe expressians against Arch- 
 bishop Tillotson, the author of the old Duty of Man." 
 Hooker, the mendacious editor of the Weekly Miscellany, in 
 his trenchant style, was attacking both Moravians and 
 Methodists indiscriminately ; and a Mr. Hopson, one of the 
 twelve stewards of the Religious Societies, pronounced ex- 
 communication, from their fellowship, against all the members 
 who were guilty of the crime of hearing the Moravian 
 Brethren, or Wesley, or Whitefield preach. 
 
 In this miserable fracas, Broughton was not an uninterested 
 spectator. It is said, that^ Mr. Hopson, just mentioned, was 
 instigated by the Bishop of London, and, that, his lordship 
 also entertained the idea of bringing the Moravian proceed- 
 ings under the notice of Parliament. It is also alleged, that, 
 Broughton became one of his most active agents ; and, that, 
 to accomplish the bishop's scheme of stamping out the 
 Moravian heresy, he availed himself of the services of Mr. 
 Bray, an ex-Moravian, who " made it his business to go 
 among the Brethren, construing all they did to suit his pur- 
 pose, and then spreading calumnies concerning them." Be 
 that as it might, a pamphlet was printed, but not published, 
 against both the Methodists and Moravians, containing, 
 among other things, a letter, which Spangenberg had for- 
 merly addressed to Bray, and which was now made to 
 tell against the Brotherhood. With what correctness we 
 know not, the author of the " Memoirs of James Hutton " 
 writes,^ 
 
34^ Rev. Thomas Broughtoji, 
 
 1742 "This pamphlet, which had been chiefly managed by Mr, Broughton, 
 
 was not pubhshed, but industriously circulated among the Religious 
 
 Societies in the metropolis. Broughton is charged with writing state- 
 ments in it against the Brethren, altogether at variance with his personal 
 knowledge and conviction, from fear lest the world should look upon him 
 as one of the Brethren. Brother Gambold was deputed to visit him, and 
 point out the consequences of such duplicity ; and the result of Gam- 
 bold's visit appears in the following memorandum of the 2nd of January, 
 1 742 : ' Mr. Broughton is much prejudiced against us, and he and 
 Ziegenhagen ' (chaplain at the court of George II.) May their heads to- 
 gether to find fault, and the pamphlet, now printed, is read in all the 
 Religious Societies in town.' " 
 
 No doubt there is some truth in this. Broughton was in- 
 capable of the cowardice and misrepresentation alleged 
 against him ; but there can be no question, that, he strongly 
 disapproved of some of the doctrines and usages of the 
 Moravians ; and no fault can be found with him for this. 
 Like all new religious movements, Moravianism was in- 
 experienced, excitable, and, to some extent, erratic. Infancy 
 cannot be expected to possess the perfection of manhood. 
 With the best intentions, many of the Brethren said and did 
 foolish things. Broughton censured this, and so also did his 
 old friends, Wesley and Whitefield ; but it is possible, that, 
 he was desirous of going further than they. Wesley and 
 Whitefield would have weeded Moravianism ; Broughton and 
 the Bishop of London would have totally uprooted it. 
 
 Nor is there anything in this to excite surprise. Broughton 
 was full of religious zeal and intensely earnest ; but he was a 
 rigid Churchman, and, therefore, not in favour of sectarists. 
 Besides, while firmly holding most of the leading doctrines of 
 the Christian faith, he had a strong antipathy, as already seen, 
 to those dogmas of the Brethren, which the Wesley brothers 
 had been taught by Bohler. To what extent his opposition 
 to Methodism and Moravianism was carried, it is impossible 
 to determine. Neither can it be ascertained, whether he 
 cherished his repugnance to Wesley's newly-found doctrines 
 to the end of life. Charles Wesley, on visiting Newgate 
 prison, in 1743, observes, — 
 
 " I found the poor souls turned out of the way by Mr. Broughton. He 
 told them, ' There is no knowing our sins forgiven ; and, if any could 
 expect itj not such wretches as they, but the good people, who had done 
 
The Faithful Secretary. 247 
 
 so and so. As for his part, he had it not himself; therefore, it was plain 1742 
 they could not receive it.' " 
 
 And, again, in 1744, he writes, in his Journal : — 
 
 " November 11. This evening, I heard of poor Mr. Broughton's zeal; 
 but shall not persecute, after his example." 
 
 " November 28. I put out of the Society all the disorderly walkers ; 
 who are, consequently, ready to make affidavit of whatever Mr. Broughton 
 pleases." 
 
 There is obscurity in the last two .extracts. Both were 
 written at Newcastle-on-Tyne ; and, yet, it is almost certain, 
 that, Broughton was, not there, but, in London. Probably 
 letters from London had been received by Charles, during his 
 n*)rthern tour ; but what he means by the " affidavits " and 
 'hy Broughton's persecution, there is no evidence to show. 
 On the old principle, that, where there is smoke there is fire, 
 it may be safely inferred, that, though Charles Wesley, im- 
 pulsive and impassioned, entertained an excessive prejudice 
 against his old Oxford friend, Broughton was still in hostility 
 to the doctrines and the action of the Methodists. 
 
 Did this continue to the end of life? We cannot tell. 
 We hope not, and are encouraged in this by a fact which 
 happened soon after the year 1750. The Rev. Henry Venn is 
 well known as having belonged to the party of evangelical 
 clergymen, who sprang up in the days of Wesley, embracing 
 the Revs. Samuel W^alker, J. Jones, Dr. Conyers, W. Romaine, 
 J. Berridge, and others who might be mentioned. Mr. Venn 
 commenced his earnest and useful ministry in 175O) by 
 accepting the curacy of a Mr. Langley, who held the livings 
 of St. Matthew, Friday Street, London, and of West Horsley, 
 near Guildford, in Surrey. It was his duty to serve the 
 church in London during part of the summer months, and to 
 reside the remainder of the year at Horsley. In this employ- 
 ment he continued from 1750 to 1754, when he accepted the 
 curacy of Clapham. Such was his activity and zeal at 
 Horsley, that, his family prayer was often attended by thirty 
 or forty of his poorer neighbours ; and the number of com- 
 municants was increased, while he was curate, from twelve 
 to sixty. The neighbouring clergy stigmatized him as an 
 enthusiast and a Methodist, which presupposes that, in spirit. 
 
34^ R^'^' Thomas Broughton, 
 
 '743 doctrine, or behaviour, or all combined, he bore a likeness to 
 the branded sect. Up to the present, he was personally un- 
 known to Wesley ; but he had frequently been among his 
 auditors, and confesses, in a letter, dated March 21, 1754, 
 that,. Wesley's, words had often been "as thunder to his drowsy 
 soul." All this goes to prove, that, the sympathies of the 
 young curate were with Wesley and his friends ; and, yet, 
 presuming that Broughton's antipathy to the recently risen 
 sect still existed, Venn was the means of conferring a sub- 
 stantial benefit on the man who' opposed the principles 
 and party which- he himself regarded with affectionate and 
 zealous approbation. The story, as related in the life of 
 Venn, is as follows: — 
 
 During the time that Mr. Venn held the curacy of Horsley, 
 Sir John Evelyn had the disposal of the living of Wotton, 
 in the same neighbourhood ; a living then worth between 
 £2<x> and i^300 a year, and at present worth double that 
 amount. Sir John was exceedingly anxious to obtain a 
 clergyman of exemplary character, and a man of knowledge 
 and learning. The squire of Horsley strongly recommended 
 Mr. Venn, and Sir John seemed ready to accept the re- 
 commendation of his friend ; but Venn, who had long been 
 acquainted with Broughton, and had a high respect for his 
 virtues, judged him more in need of preferment than himself, 
 and wrote an anonymous letter to the patron, giving a full 
 and faithful account of Broughton's character, and urging his 
 appointment to the vacant Rectory. Sir John, after making 
 inquiry concerning Broughton, presented him ; nor had 
 he ever reason to repent of following the advice of his 
 anonymous correspondent.' 
 
 If Broughton retained his objection to the doctrines of the 
 Methodists, is it likely, that Venn, himself a Methodist in 
 point of doctrine, v/ould have recommended him. for such 
 a post .-^ Venn- was well acquainted with him, and must have 
 known his sentiments, not only past but present. He had no 
 personal interests to serve. In fact, his act was one of gener- 
 
 * In the life of Venn, Broughton is called " Mr. Bryan Broughton, 
 Secretary to the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge." This is a 
 mistake. There was a jMr. Bryan Broughton ; but he was not the man 
 whom the author meant. 
 
The FaithfiU Secretary. 349 
 
 ous and rare disinterestedness. He was full of youthful zeal, i743 
 and ardent longings to promote the spread of Christian truth. 
 Under such circumstances, is it rash to regard the action that 
 he took as evidence that the views of Broughton, who, at 
 the 'beginning of the Methodist movement, had opposed the 
 Methodist doctrines, were now materially changed, and that, 
 in his ministerial teachings, he was substantially in harmony 
 with the Methodist clergy .-* The reader must form his own 
 opinion on the subject; but as Broughton has always been 
 represented, not as a friend, but as a somewhat zealous 
 opponent of the Methodists, it is hoped, that this seeming 
 digression may not be deemed irrelevant. 
 
 To proceed. In 1743, Broughton was appointed the Secre- 
 tary of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge ; an 
 office which he held until his death in 1777. For thirty-four 
 years the secretarial duties of this Society were the principal 
 employment of Broughton's life. In the Society's house, first 
 in Bartlett's Buildings, Holborn, and a:fterwards, in Hatton 
 Garden, he spent five hours every day in the week, except on 
 Saturdays and Sundays ; and during these five hours, from 
 9 a.m., till 2 p.m., was accessible to all members and friends 
 of the Society, who had business to transact. Was his life 
 mis-spent } In answering this, some account of the Society 
 itself is needful ; and the following is chiefly taken from 
 its own Reports. 
 
 It is a well-known fact, that, the useful and popular preach- 
 ing of Horneck, Beveridge, and Smithies, led to the institution 
 of the Society for the Reformation of Manners, in 1677. Co- 
 existent with this Society, were a large number of Christian 
 brotherhoods, in London and throughout the kingdom, who 
 held private meetings for religious fellowship, set up prayers 
 in many of the city churches, and were most exemplary 
 in their attendance at the monthly Sacrament, and at public 
 services. To some extent, these religious organizations were 
 one ; and yet they were distinct and separate. The Society 
 for the Reformation of Manners was intended to suppress vice 
 in others ; the religious societies were instituted principally 
 to promote religion among themselves. The Reformation 
 Society was composed of members of the Church of England 
 and of Dissenters unitedly ; the religious societies did not 
 
350 Rev. Thomas Broughtotiy 
 
 1743 admit Dissenters, and consisted entirely of the members of 
 the Established Church. 
 
 Things proceeded thus, till about the end of 1698, when a 
 few gentlemen, belonging to these fraternities,. formed them- 
 selves into a Society " to promote the knowledge of true re- 
 ligion," on a more extensive scale than had been yet attempted ; 
 and "in 1701, at their instance, a charter was obtained, from 
 William III., whereby all the then subscribing members, 
 with other persons of distinction in Church and State, were 
 incorporated for the better carrying on of that branch of their 
 designs, which related to the Plantations, Colonies, and Factories 
 beyond the seas, belonging to the kingdom of England." 
 This Society was henceforward known as " The Society 
 for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts." 
 
 The incorporation of this Society for foreign missions 
 hardly satisfied the yearnings of many of its members, 
 principally on the ground, that, the British plantations, 
 colonies, and factories beyond the seas, were chiefly in 
 America. 
 
 The American colonies were of great importance ; but 
 others, besides them, needed sympathy and help. Hence, 
 these godly and earnest workers in the cause of Christ, 
 still continued to carry on, by distinct and separate efforts, 
 other designs for the honour of God, and the good of the 
 human race. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel 
 in Foreign Parts was chartered and designated on June 16, 
 1 70 1. At the end of the same year, the parties making 
 the distinct and separate efforts were called, " The Society 
 for Promoting Christian Knowledge." 
 
 The original designs of the latter Society were two-fold. 
 I. "The dispersion, both at home and abroad, of Bibles, 
 Prayer-Books, and Religious Tracts." 2. The promotion 
 of " Charity Schools in all parts of the kingdom ; in which, 
 besides receiving religious and useful instruction, the children 
 of the poor might be inured to industry and labour, so as 
 to make them, not only good Christians, but loyal and useful 
 subjects of the realm, and willing, as well as fit, to be em- 
 ployed in trades and services, in husbandry, navigation, or 
 any other business, that should be thought of most use 
 and benefit to the public. With these views, the Society 
 
The Faithful Secretary. 351 
 
 printed and circulated a set of rules for the good order 1743 
 and government of such schools, — rules which had been 
 approved by the archbishops and bishops, who directed that 
 the same should be observed within their respective dioceses." 
 " Besides these general designs, the Society undertook, in 
 1 7 10, the management of such charities as might be put into 
 their hands, for the support and enlargement of the Protestant 
 Mission, then maintained by the King of Denmark, at Tran- 
 quebar, in the East Indies, for the conversion of the heathen 
 in those parts." In the prosecution of this work, the Society 
 assisted the Missionaries, at Tranquebar, "with money, a 
 printing press, paper, and other necessaries." In 1728, they 
 commenced a new mission, for the conversion of the native 
 population at Madras ; and, subsequently, another at Cudu- 
 lore, an English settlement near Fort St. David ; a third at 
 Calcutta ; and a fourth at Tirutschinapally, the capital of the 
 kingdom of Madurei, an inland country in East India. 
 
 In 1720, the Society extended their work to the Greek 
 Church in Palestine, Syria, Mesopotamia, Arabia, and Egypt ; 
 and, by a special fund, towards which King George I. con- 
 tributed £^Q0, printed, in Arabic, and, by means of corre- 
 spondents in Russia, ultimately dispersed in the aforesaid 
 countries, 6000 Psalters, 10,000 New Testaments, and 5000 
 Catechetical Instructions, with an abidgment of the History 
 of the Bible annexed. 
 
 In 1725, when workhouses began to be instituted, for em- 
 ploying the poor and their children, the Society used its 
 influence to promote the extension of such establishments, 
 by publishing an account of those already in existence, and 
 by urging, that, " a particular regard ought always to be had 
 to such an education of poor children, as might, by bringing 
 them up in the faith, knowledge, and obedience of the Gospel, 
 prove the most effectual means to make them good men, and 
 useful to their country." 
 
 In 1732, the Society, hearing the melancholy account of 
 the sufferings of the Protestants in Saltzburg, issued two 
 publications on the subject, and raised a fund, out of which, 
 " besides many large remittances to Germany, they sent to 
 the colony of Georgia, in 1733, 1734, I73S, and 1741, four 
 transports, containing more than two hundred of those poor, 
 
352 Rev. Thomas Broitghton, 
 
 1743 persecuted Protestants; who, with two missionaries and a 
 schoolmaster, were settled at Ebenezer, and there lived con- 
 tented and comfortable." 
 
 This brief outline of the ordinary and special work of the 
 Society brings us down to the time when Broughton was 
 made Secretary. The following are extracts from the manu- 
 script Minutes of the Board of Management : — 
 
 " Bartlett's Buildings. Tuesday, June 28, 1743. Agreed, that, the Rev. 
 Mr. Thomas Broughton and Mr. Watts jointly perform the office of Secre- 
 tary to this Society during pleasure. 
 
 "Agreed, that, Mr. Broughton come immediately to reside in the 
 Society's house, and open, and give proper answers to, all letters con- 
 cerning the Society," &c., &c. 
 
 "Tuesday, July 5th, 1743. Ordered, that, Mr. Broughton have twelve 
 Addresses to Prisoners in Debt, and twelve Addresses to Prisoners for 
 Crimes, out of the Society's store, for the use of poor prisoners. 
 
 "July 26, 1746. The Secretary having reported, that, the Highlanders, 
 under confinement in the Tower, were desirous of religious books, — 
 Ordered, that. Bibles, Testaments, Soldiers' Monitors, and Morning and 
 Evening Prayers be sent them; and, that, the Secretary take care to 
 have them distributed in a proper manner." 
 
 Here is added another field of usefulness, — that of bene- 
 fiting indebted, criminal, and political prisoners. Remem- 
 bering the interest which, for years past, Broughton had 
 taken in the welfare of prison inmates, there can be little 
 doubt, that, this proceeding of the Society was adopted at 
 his suggestion. Broughton's sermon to Soldiers, in 1737, has 
 been already mentioned. So far as can be ascertained, his 
 only other publication was issued at the time referred to in 
 the above extracts from the Society's Minute Book ; and, as 
 will be seen, it had its origin in his anxiety concerning 
 prisons. Its title was as follows, — "A Serious and Affec- 
 tionate Warning to Servants, more especially those of our 
 Nobility and Gentry : occasioned by the shameful and un- 
 timely Death of Matthew Henderson ; who was executed 
 April 25, 1746, for the Murder of his Lady, Mrs. Dalrymple,^ 
 
 ^ This was a most unaccountable and barbarous murder. The lady 
 was the wife of Captain Dalrymple. The wretched youth had lived in 
 the service of his master and mistress for the last five years. In the full 
 confession that he made, he stated, he had no dishke to the unfortunate 
 lady, and he murdered her, not from malice or for plunder, but solely at 
 
The Faithfid Secretajy. 353 
 
 With some Account of his Behaviour under Sentence of i743'' 
 Death. By Thomas Broughton, Lecturer of Allhallows, 
 Lombard Street, and late Fellow of Exeter College, Ox- 
 ford. London. 1746." 47 pp. Broughton repeatedly visited 
 Matthew Henderson, — who was only nineteen years of 
 age, — in the murderer's cell, and expressed a hope, that, 
 he found peace with God. "His behaviour," says he, "at 
 the place of execution, was penitent and devout, and such 
 as moved the compassion of a great crowd of spectators, 
 who came to see him suffer." Two days before his death, 
 Henderson was also visited by Wesley, who wrote ; — 
 
 " April 23. At the earnest request of a friend," (was this Broughton ?) 
 " I visited Matthew Henderson, condemned for murdering his mistress. 
 A real, deep work of God seemed to be already begun in his soul. Per- 
 haps, by driving him too fast, Satan has driven him to God; to that 
 repentance which shall never be repented of." 
 
 Broughton's pamphlet,^ on this melancholy occasion, is 
 characterized by great fidelity, and outspokenness ; and, as 
 this is the last time, that, his authorship will be mentioned, 
 three extracts, bearing on questions that are still of profound 
 importance, may be acceptable : — 
 
 The Danger of great Cities to Servants. — "As these great cities 
 entertain, so they ruin no small number of servants, who soon exchange 
 the simplicity of the country for the foppery of the town. Many of these, 
 if they brought a little religion with them hither, part with it soon, and 
 quickly arrive at more wickedness than, perhaps, they will ever get rid of. 
 Thus the town proves a school of corruption to them, wherein they learn 
 everything that is evil. Here they lose their good principles ; their morals 
 are stained ; their heart grows bad ; and they stand ready prepared for the 
 worst of crimes. With this wretched furniture of vices, how can they 
 make good servants ? Nay, what can prevent their turning out very bad 
 
 the instigation of the devil. The details of the deed are too revolting to 
 be here recited. Suffice it to say, the murder was committed " of Wigmore 
 Street, Cavendish Square," on March 25, 1746; and, that, exactly a month 
 afterwards, " Matthew Henderson was carried in a cart from Newgate, 
 and executed at the end of New Bond Street. He went to the place of 
 execution in a white waistcoat, drawers, and stockings. Two clergymen, 
 one of the Church of England, and the other of the Church of Scotland, 
 prayed with him, in the cart, for a considerable time. His body was 
 carried from the gallows, and hung in irons, on a common, about five miles 
 from London, on the Edgware Road " {London Magazine, 1 746). 
 2 A fourth edition of this pamphlet was pubhshed in 1763. 
 
 2 A 
 
1743 
 
 354 Rev. Thomas Broughton, 
 
 ones ? They are under no religious restraint ; who then will vouch for 
 their veracity ? They have cast off the fear of God ; where then is their 
 reverence for their master ?" 
 
 On Drunkenness. — "No person addicted to this vice can answer for 
 himself, but that, in his liquor, he may commit the most outrageous acts 
 of violence. Being deprived of his reason, and the grace of God having 
 forsaken him, he is ripe for the most daring crimes. If you suffer your- 
 selves to be enflamed with drink, and overcome thereby, farewell every 
 tender impression ! every spark of humanity and gratitude ! You are no 
 longer a man, but a beast, — mad and furious, fierce, and ungovernable, — 
 and no fitter to be trusted than a tiger." 
 
 On Lewdness. — "You cannot be* a companion of these merciless 
 destroyers of soul and body without running into great expense. And, 
 where will you find money to satisfy these ravenous harpies ? How these 
 abandoned wretches assemble, as it were, in troops, and, with more than 
 masculine boldness, and no less than hellish assurance, assault the modesty 
 of every one they meet ! How, in contempt of the laws of God and their 
 country, they attempt to decoy and ruin all such as have not grace and 
 resolution to withstand them ! These are the instruments of destruction 
 to so many of our raw and unguarded youth, and cause numbers of them 
 to bring down the grey hairs of their parents with sorrow to the grave. 
 The neglect of severe discipline and painful correction, emboldens these 
 transgressors to sin with a high hand, and even to act their abominations 
 before the sun. Whence, our streets and alleys swarm with these exe- 
 crable servants of the devil, who are continually carrying on a trade of 
 sin; who make it their livelihood; and who subsist by the price of 
 slaughtered souls." 
 
 But enovigh. We return to Broughton as Secretary of the 
 Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge. 
 
 In 1740, Dr. Gibson, Bishop of London, issued a circular 
 letter to the clergy of his diocese, lamenting " the decay of 
 piety and religion, and the increase of sin and vice ;" and 
 strongly recommending them to patronize the Society for 
 Promoting Christian Knowledge, in their work of printing 
 and dispersing Religious Tracts. His Lordship urgeiltly 
 pleaded for the extensive circulation of such publications, 
 on the ground, that, "being short, they were likely to be 
 read ; and, being plain, they were likely to be understood ; 
 and, being always at hand, and frequently perused, they 
 would naturally make a deeper impression than instructions 
 and admonitions, either from the pulpit, or by word of 
 mouth." 
 
 To furnish an idea of the work of the Society in this 
 department, it may be added, that, the Catalogue, when 
 
The Faithful Secretary. 355 
 
 Broughton became Secretary, embraced, besides Bibles, 1743 
 Psalters, New Testaments, and Prayer-Books — i. Small 
 books and tracts on the Holy Scriptures. 2. On the Church 
 Catechism. 3. On the Christian Religion, Doctrine, and 
 Practice. 4. On the Sacraments and Church Service. 5. 
 On Education and Schools. 6. On Devotion. 7. Miscel- 
 lanies. 8. On Confirmation. 9. On Particular Duties. 10. 
 On Common Vices. 11. On Charity Schools. 12. On 
 Popery. And, finally, on Enthusiasm, under which heading 
 were two publications only, namely. Bishop Gibson's " Caution 
 against Enthusiasm," and " An Earnest and Affectionate Ad- 
 dress to the Methodists." All the Bibles, books, and tracts 
 were sold to the members of the Society at cost price. The 
 number of the Society's publications were about 160. The 
 Treasurers were the Rev. Dr. Denne, Archdeacon of Rochester, 
 and Rector of St Mary's, Lambeth ; William Tillard, Esq., 
 Holborn ; and Benjamin Hoare, Esq., Fleet Street. 
 
 The number of Charity Schools, in London and West- 
 minster, in 1744, were 136, containing 31 19 boys and 1950 
 girls; and, since their establishment, 15,250 boys had been 
 apprenticed, sent to service, or to sea, or had been taken out 
 by their respective friends. Of the girls, 1658 had been ap- 
 prenticed, and 6162 had been employed in domestic service, 
 etc.^ Besides those in the metropolis, there were, throughout 
 the kingdom, 1703 other charity schools, in which were edu- 
 cated, and "inured to industry and labour," 31,184 boys, and 
 4515 girls. 
 
 It must not be understood, that, these charity schools 
 were supported by the Society for Promoting Christian 
 Knowledge f but the Society had promoted their establish- 
 ment ; and, to some extent, furnished them with books and 
 
 ^ The Society's Report, for 1 763, contains a notice, " To all Farmers, 
 Gardeners, and other Occupiers of Land in England," from the Trustees 
 for the Charity Schools in St. Andrew's, Holborn, to the effect, that, they 
 had been informed, the country was in need of labourers ; and that they 
 were prepared " to bind Boys apprentices for seven years, to learn the art 
 of husbandry; and Girls for five years, to do household work; and, that, 
 'they would give ^5 with every boy, and ^3 with every girl so apprenticed. 
 The Boys had been taught reading, writing, and the first five rules of 
 Arithmetic ; and the Girls to read and write, and " to do plain work." 
 
 2 They were begun in 1688, and were all supported by private subscrip- 
 tions. (Report of Society, for 1772.) 
 
35^ R^'v. Thomas Broughton, 
 
 1743 tracts. Every, year also, a sermon was preached, in London, 
 under the auspices of the Society, at " the time of the yearly 
 meeting of tlie children educated in the charity schools, in 
 and about the cities of London and Westminster ;" and all of 
 these sermons (many of them exceedingly able) were published 
 in the Society's Reports. That, such Schools were needed, 
 there can be no question. The following description is taken 
 from the sermon preached by the Rev. Glocester Ridley, LL.B., 
 in 1757, and is alarmingly true of tiie "London Arabs" now 
 existing. Speaking of the outcast children of the metro- 
 polis, the preacher represents them, as, "A brood of miserable 
 wretches in themselves, and noxious vermin to society ; a 
 kind of rational brutes, but worse than savages, being equally 
 beasts of prey, but more mischievous, from their use of reason 
 and resemblance of human kind. They may be the care, the 
 admiration, the triumph of Infidelity; but every generous 
 heart must grieve to see, reason so disordered and human 
 nature so in ruins." 
 
 From what has been already written, an idea may be formed 
 of the Society of which Broughton was the Secretary, from 1743 
 to 1777- It was a Bible, Prayer-Book, Religious Tract, Home 
 and Foreign Mission, and Industrial Society, all in one. The 
 present " British and Foreign Bible Society " was established 
 in the year 1804; the "National Society for Promoting the 
 Education of the Poor in the Principles of the Established 
 Church," in 181 1; the Religious Tract Society, in 1799; the 
 Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge was long anterior 
 to the oldest of these. 
 
 It had two kinds of members; i. Those who gave annual 
 subscriptions, lived in or near London, and were called Re- 
 siding Members ; 2. Corresponding Members, being persons, 
 in Great Britain and Ireland, and other Protestant countries, 
 who were chosen to correspond with the Society, on the state 
 of religion in the places where they dwelt, to distribute the 
 Society's publications, and to remit any occasional benefac- 
 tions, which they or their friends might be pleased to con- 
 tribute. No one, however, was elected a corresponding mem- 
 ber, who was not " well affected to his Majesty King George 
 and his Government, and to the Church of England as by law 
 established ;" and who was not " of a sober, and religious life 
 
The Faithful Secretary. 357 
 
 and conversation, and of an humble, peaceable, and charitable 1741 
 disposition." The subscribing members were chiefly clergy- — 
 men and bishops ; including the following, who were often 
 called Methodists, the Rev. Thomas Adam, Richard Conyers, 
 Thomas Hartley, Henry Venn, and Vincent Perronet' The 
 last mentioned became a member as early as 1744. Among 
 the few highly respectable lay-members, Sir John Thorold, 
 an early friend of the Oxford Methodists, was the most mu- 
 nificent subscriber. The number of members altogether was, 
 in 1767, upwards of 700; and the income, for that year, in- 
 cluding a balance in hand, was ;^558o. In the same year, the 
 Society sold, 3829 Bibles ; 228"! New Testaments ; 5416 Prayer- 
 Books ; 8902 other bound books ; and 58,429 tracts. Of these, 
 1014 books and tracts were given to the Society, and 19,423 
 bought by it ; the remainder, 58,420, were its own publications. 
 
 Such, then, was the Society of which Broughton was the 
 chief manager. Its operations, comparatively speaking, might 
 be small, but it had the honour of being the pioneer of some 
 of the greatest movements of the present day. It distributed 
 Bibles long before the British and Foreign Bible Society ex- 
 isted. The great Religious Tract Society was not formed until 
 twenty-two years after Broughton's death. Its Foreign Mis- 
 sions were few in number, but were important and successful ; 
 one of its missionaries being the celebrated Schwartz, who, as 
 early as 1772, had five native assistants, and was held in such 
 high esteem, by the Hindoos, among whom he laboured, that, 
 the Rajah of Tanjore made him tutor to his son. In the edu- 
 cation of the children of the poor, the Society deserves the 
 utmost commendation, for it promoted the work when all 
 others neglected it ; and not only gave the children useful and 
 religious instruction, but " inured them to industry and labour," 
 and prepared them to become useful subjects of the common- 
 wealth. 
 
 Little is known of Broughton's pulpit labours ; and, though 
 his parishioners at Wotton numbered not more than about 
 600, if they had any pastoral visitation at all, their visitor 
 must have been, not Broughton himself, but, a curate em- 
 ployed by him. Five days every week were spent in the 
 
 • The Rev. John Clayton, also, was a subscriber, of £2 2s. per annum. 
 
35^ R^"^' Tho7nas Broiighton, 
 
 1743 Society's House, in Hatton Garden; Saturday and Sunday, 
 Broughton reserved for other duties. Some will doubt the 
 propriety of his holding the Wotton living, when most of 
 his time was devoted to work, which prevented him residing 
 among his people ; and that is a fair subject for discussion. 
 All that we are disposed to say, is, that, Broughton was, 
 unquestionably, a conscientious man, and, though liable to 
 mistakes, there cannot be a doubt, he acted for the best. 
 Broughton had a large family, — fifteen children altogether, 
 five of whom died in infancy ; and his official salary was 
 small, the entire payment, by the Society, for " rent, taxes, 
 and salaries " to himself and a " messenger," being, for the 
 year 1767, not more than ^290 8^. c)d. Was it surprising, 
 that, with such a family and such a pittance, he was willing 
 to accept preferment ? It is true, when inducted into the 
 Wotton living, he might have relinquished his secretarial 
 office, and, perhaps, should have done ; but, on the other 
 hand, he, doubtless, felt that, as Secretary of the Society 
 for Promoting Christian Knowledge, he had the opportunity 
 of being far more extensively useful than he could be as a 
 village clergyman, whose ministerial labours had to be con- 
 fined to a population of six hundred souls. The two-fold 
 position that he occupied is open to objection ; but, without 
 all the facts, for and against it, to pronounce a decisive 
 judgment might be rash. 
 
 One thing is certain, Broughton's secretaryship was not a 
 sinecure. The supervision of the missions in India and 
 Georgia ; the continuous printing and publishing of Bibles, 
 books, and tracts ; the charity schools' affairs ; the publi- 
 cation of the annual Sermon and Report ; and the corre- 
 spondence with more than seven hundred subscribing and 
 corresponding members, would find the Secretary quite 
 enough of work, without the claims of Allhallows, Lombard 
 Street, or the parishioners of Wotton, Surrey. 
 
 Two facts, connected with Broughton's term of office, are 
 too important to be omitted. 
 
 In 1743, when Broughton became Secretary, Wales was 
 almost without Bibles, and the poverty of vast numbers of 
 the people was such, that, it was impossible for them to 
 buy them. The Society for Promoting Christian Know- 
 
The Faithful Secretary. 359 
 
 ledge, becoming acquainted with this disgraceful fact, ap- 1777 
 pealed to the public, without delay, for special contributions 
 to publish a new edition of the Bible in the Welsh language, 
 with the Common Prayer, and with the Psalms in Metre. 
 The success of this appeal was such, that, the Society issued 
 an edition, in 1748, of 15,000 copies; in 1752, a second 
 edition of 15,000 Bibles, besides 5000 New Testaments, and 
 as many Prayer-Books ; and, in 1768, a third edition, with 
 marginal references, of 20,000 copies. These copies of the 
 Holy Scriptures were not given, but were sold at the lowest 
 price possible. 
 
 Again : In 1763, it was ascertained, that, of the twenty 
 housand inhabitants of the Isle of Man, a very large ma- 
 ority were entirely ignorant of the English language ; " and, 
 yet, for many ages, the island had been without the Bible 
 in the vulgar tongue, and congregations were necessitated 
 to receive off-hand translations of the English Bible and 
 Common Prayer, according to the different sense, attention, 
 and ability of the officiating ministers." To remedy this 
 fearful state of things, the Bishop of the Island began, in 
 1762, to collect subscriptions; and, in 1763, transferred 
 the matter to the Society for Promoting Christian Know- 
 ledge. The result was, in 1768, the Society had printed 
 in the Manx language, and distributed in the Isle of Man, 
 1000 copies of the four Gospels and of the Acts of the 
 Apostles; 1500 Prayer-Books; 2000 Catechisms; and 1200 
 Christian Monitors. They were also proceeding with the 
 translation and printing of the rest of the Holy Scriptures ; 
 the Apostolical Epistles being now, for the first time, trans- 
 lated into the native language of the island. 
 
 Little more remains to be narrated. On Sunday morning, 
 December 21, 1777, in Hatton Garden, Broughton put on his 
 ministerial robes, and, according to his wont, retired into his 
 room till church-time. The bells were ringing, and he con- 
 tinued in his closet. They ceased, but he made no appear- 
 ance. His friends entered, and found him on his knees, — 
 dead.i An original portrait of him hangs in the Board 
 
 1 Thomas Broughton, the Secretary of the Society for Promoting 
 Christian Knowledge, and Thomas Broughton, Vicar of St. Mary Red- 
 
360 Rev. Thomas Brotighton. 
 
 \TT'] Room of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, 
 6^, Lincoln's Inn Fields ; from which the engraving, in the 
 present volume, has been taken. 
 
 cliff, Bristol, and Prebendary of Sarum, have sometimes been mistakenly 
 considered one and the same person. The latter, an eminent author, was 
 son of the Rector of St. Andrew's, Holborn; and died, at Bristol, in 1774, 
 at the age of 70. It is a curious fact, that, both the Thomas Broughtons 
 died in the same month of the year, and on the same day of the month, 
 and that the day was St. Thomas's. 
 
OTHER OXFORD METHODISTS. 
 
 IT is difficult to determine the exact number, who, at one 
 time or another, were Oxford Methodists. As early as 
 the year 1733, four had left the brotherhood, three of the 
 seceders being pupils of Wesley, and one under Clayton's 
 care. Wesley writes :: — 
 
 " I think, in the year 1735, we were fourteen or fifteen in number, all of 
 one heart and of one mind." ' 
 
 The " fourteen or fifteen " included the two Wesleys and 
 Whitefield, Memoirs of whom- have been designedly omitted 
 in the present work. There were, also, Clayton, Ingham, 
 Gambold, Hervey, and Broughton, with whom the reader 
 has been made acquainted. Besides these, Robert Kirkham, 
 Charles Morgan, William Smith, and Matthew Salmon, who 
 have been briefly noticed, were, less or more, connected with 
 them. Seven others, standing in the same relationship, must 
 now be mentioned, — namely, Messrs. Boyce, Chapman, Kin- 
 chin, Hutchins, Atkinson, Whitelamb, and Hall. This is a 
 greater number than that stated by Wesley ; but it must be 
 recollected, that, in 1/35, Oxford Methodism was in the 
 seventh year of its existence, and that some of its first mem- 
 bers had then left the University. 
 
 REV. MR. BOYCE. 
 
 Of Mr. Boyce we know nothing, except that his father 
 lived at Barton.^ Did he subside into an ordinary coun- 
 try parish priest, — pious and plodding, but unenterprising 
 and unknown .'' To say the least, it would be interesting to 
 know his career, after he left Oxford. Will some one, better 
 informed than the present writer, furnish what is lacking ? 
 
 REV. WILLIAM CHAPMAN. 
 
 The history of William Chapman also is wanting. He 
 was ardently attached to the two Wesleys ; but, 
 
 > Wesley's Works, vol. xiii., p. 288. * Ibid., vol. xii., p. 6. 
 
J 
 
 62 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 strangely enough, they never mention him. After their 
 departure from Oxford, he was the nightly companion of 
 Hervey ; but, excepting the letter, dated "June 12, 1736," 
 already given in Hervey's Memoir (page 208), we possess no 
 epistolary correspondence between the two. Chapman, like 
 all the other Oxford Methodists, was humble, earnest, and 
 devout. The following, hitherto unpublished, letter affords 
 ample evidence of this. It was addressed "To the Reverend 
 Mr. John Wesley, at Savannah, in Georgia, America." 
 
 "Pembroke Zoia.y.q.'e,, September 1, 1736. 
 
 "Reverend and dear Sir, — Your kind concern and repeated en- 
 deavours for my spiritual good, while at Oxford, will not suffer me to think, 
 that, you have utterly lost all remembrance of me, though you have given 
 me no testimony of your affection since your leaving England. What 
 shall I conjecture this silence to be owing to ? I will not inquire ; but 
 rather take it as a providential punishment and scourge, for my slow and 
 slender proficiency under the blessed means I enjoyed of your's, and your 
 dear brother's conversation, 
 
 " Too, too late, alas ! do I see how dreadfully I was wanting to myself 
 in not heartily embracing so glorious an opportunity of laying in a stock 
 of spiritual courage, sufficient to have carried me victoriously on through 
 a host of enemies. How does my base ingratitude to my Heavenly Bene- 
 factor, like a frightful spectre, present itself before me, for rejecting those 
 kind offers of health and salvation ! And for not disengaging myself from 
 that bane of our spiritual progress, — the fear of the world, — -which was 
 always as fetters upon my feet, and manacles on my hands ! O ! through 
 what a waste of uncomfortable, barren, and dry ground, — through what a 
 wilderness of sorrows, perplexities, and distress, have I not been led, under 
 the conduct of this delusive spirit ; when the holy and loving Spirit of God 
 would have led me into pleasant pastures, and refreshed my thirsty soul 
 with the waters of comfort, and conducted me into those paths, which are 
 pleasantness and peace. But, blessed be God ! for the sense of these 
 things, though, indeed, not till driven to it, by the pungency of the afflic- 
 tion, by the misery and torment of a divided state of heart, and the per- 
 petual conflicts 1 endured. Blessed be the most high God ! 1 am once 
 again, I trust, in the strait and narrow way, that leadeth to the kingdom 
 of heaven ; from which that I may never stir a foot, till the cord of life 
 is loosed, I dare say, you will not cease earnestly to request at the throne 
 of grace. 
 
 " I am sorry, I deferred writing till it was too late to say more; though 
 I cannot help teUing you, before I conclude, that, I sit every evening with 
 Mr. Hervey, — that great champion of the Lord of Hosts ; and, that, I read, 
 five times a week, to a Religious Society, in St. Ebbs' parish. 
 
 " Dear Sir, God Almighty prosper all your endeavours for the good of 
 souls ! Depend upon it, in due time, you will reap, and that abundantly. 
 
Other Oxford MetJiodists. 3^3 
 
 if you faint not. My prayers are with you. O ! that my body was there 
 too, that, I might make up what I have lost, under such shining examples. 
 Do, dear Sir, write me a long letter, by the first opportunity. Adieu ! God 
 and the Angels be with you ! 
 
 '• I am yours, my dear Brother, sincerely in Christ, 
 
 "W. Chapman. 
 
 "My Lady Cocks and sisters are now in Oxford; and they desire their 
 best services to you, and wish you good luck in the name of the Lord." 
 
 It is hoped, that, this fragment of the religious experience 
 of the Oxford Methodists will not be unacceptable. The 
 men were intensely earnest and sincere, but not happy. 
 
 REV. CHARLES KINCHIN. 
 
 Charles Kinchin, a Fellow of Corpus Christi College,' 
 left Oxford about the same time the Wesleys did, 
 and became Rector of Dummer, a small village of about 
 four hundred inhabitants, with a benefice, at present, worth 
 more than .2^400 a year. Like a good Oxford Methodist, he 
 visited from house to house, -catechised the children, and had 
 public prayers twice every day,^in the morning, before the 
 people went to work, and, in the evening, after tlieir return. 
 
 Towards the end of 1736, being likely to be chosen Dean 
 of Corpus Christi College, he requested Whitefield to supply 
 his place at Dummer, while he was absent on the business of 
 the pending election. Whitefield writes : — 
 
 "Mr. Kinchin's parish, consisting chiefly of poor and illiterate jjeople, 
 my proud heart, at first, could not well brook. I would have given all 
 the world for one of my Oxford friends, and mourned, for lack of them, 
 like a dove. But, upon giving myself to prayer, and reading Mr. Law's 
 excellent character of Ouraftiiis, in his Serious Call tc a Devoid Life, my 
 mind was reconciled to such conversation as the place afTorded me. Mr. 
 Kinchin loved his people, and was beloved by them.. I prosecuted his 
 plan, and generally divided the day into three parts, eight hours for study 
 and retireinent, eight hours for sleep and meals, and eight hours for reading 
 Prayers, catechising, and visiting the parish. The profit I reaped, by these 
 exercises, and conversing with the poor country people, was unspeakable. 
 I soon began to be as much delighted with their artless conversation, as I 
 had been formerly with the company of my Oxford friends ; and frequently 
 learnt as much by an afternoon's visit, as in a week's study." 
 
 ^ Wesley's Works, vol i., p. 81. 
 
364 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 Kinchin being elected Dean of Corpus Christi, was now 
 frequently obliged to reside at Oxford ; but he still retained 
 his rectory at Dummer, where Whitefield was succeeded by 
 Hervey. The Dean, however, continued faithful to the prin- 
 ciples of the Methodists, and, on the removal of Hervey, 
 Whitefield, and others from the University, willingly took 
 upon himself the spiritual charge of the Oxford prisoners. 
 Charles Wesley on his return from Georgia, hastened to 
 Oxford, where, in February, 1737, he met with his "old 
 pupil, Robert Kirkham," "good Mr. Gambold," "poor lan- 
 guid Smith," and "Mr. Kinchin," whom, says he, "I found 
 changed into a courageous soldier of Christ." A year 
 afterwards, W. Seward, speaks of Kinchin expounding at 
 Oxford, and of " forty gownsmen " being among his 
 auditors. 1 
 
 On March 15th,, 1738, Wesley and Kinchin set out for 
 Manchester, accompanied by Kinchin, and a Mr. Fox, 
 who had been an inmate of Oxford prison. An extract 
 from Wesley's Journal will help to illustrate the character, 
 not of Wesley only, but, of Kinchin. Wesley writes : — 
 
 " 1738. Tuesday, March 14. I set out," from Oxford, " for Manchester, 
 with Mr. Kinchin, Fellow of Corpus Christi, and Mr. Fox, late a prisoner 
 in the city prison. Between five and six, we called at Chapel-on-the- 
 Heath ; where lived a poor man, sometime prisoner in the castle of Oxford. 
 He was not at home; but his wife came to us, to whom Mr. Kinchin spoke 
 a few words, which so melted her heart, that she burst out into tears, and 
 we went on rejoicing and praising God, 
 
 "About eight, it being rainy and very dark, we lost our way; but, 
 before nine, came to Shipston, having rode over, I know not how, a 
 narrow foot-bridge, which lay across a deep ditch near the to»wn. After 
 supper, I read prayers to the people. of the inn, and explained the Second 
 Lesson ; I hope not in vain." 
 « 
 
 There is something beautiful in all this : — the two Oxford 
 Methodists and an ex-prisoner, in a dark and rainy night, 
 making the lanes ring with their praises to the Almighty, 
 and, in the absence of a church, using a country inn, for 
 
 'Supplement to Whit.efield!s Answer to Bishop of London's Letter, 
 p. 8. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 365 
 
 reading the Church hturgy and expounding the word of 
 God, Wesley proceeds : — 
 
 " The next day, we dined at Birmingham, and, soon after we left it, 
 were reproved for our neghgence there, in letting those, who attended us, 
 go without either exhortation or instruction, by a severe shower of hail. 
 At Hedgeford, about five, we endeavoured to be more faithful; and all 
 who heard seemed serious and affected." 
 
 Here, again, is a useful lesson. As yet, neither Wesley 
 nor Kinchin had found peace with God, by trustful faith 
 in Christ. They were, if the reader likes the designation, 
 legalists, — men seeking to be saved by their own good works. 
 Be it so ; but, in their conscientiousness with regard to duty, 
 and in their earnest desire to be useful to their fellow-men, 
 they set an example to Christian travellers, which is not 
 generally followed. Wesley continues : — 
 
 " In tTie evening, we came to Stafford. The mistress of the house 
 joined with us in family prayer. The next morning, one of the servants 
 appeared deeply affected, as did the ostler, before we went. Soon after 
 breakfast, stepping into the stable, I spake a few words to those who were 
 there. A stranger, who heard me, said, ' Sir, I wish I was to travel with 
 you;' and, when I went into the house, followed me, and began abruptly, 
 ' Sir, I believe you are a good man, and I come to tell you a little of my 
 life.' The tears stood in his eyes all the time he spoke ; and we hoped 
 not a word which was said to him was lost. 
 
 "At Newcastle, whither we came about ten, some, to whom we spoke at 
 our inn, were very attentive ; but a gay young woman waited on us, quite 
 unconverted : however, we spoke on. When we went away, she fixed her 
 eyes, and neither moved nor said one word, but appeared as much aston- 
 ished as if she had seen one risen from the dead. 
 
 " Coming to Holms-Chapel about three, we were surprised at being 
 shown into a room where a cloth and plates were laid. Soon after, two 
 men came in to dinner. Mr. Kinchin told them, if they pleased, that 
 gentleman would ask a blessing for them. They stared, and, as it were, 
 consented ; but sat still while I did it, one of them with his hat on. We 
 began to speak on turning to God, and went on, though they appeared 
 utterly regardless. After a while, their countenances changed, and one of 
 them stole off his hat, and, laying it down behind him, said, all we said 
 was true ; but he had been a grievous sinner, and not considered it as 
 he ought; but he was resolved, with God's help, now to turn to Him in 
 earnest. We exhorted him and his companion, who now likewise drank 
 in every word, to cry mightily to God, that, He would ' send them help 
 from His holy pl»ce.' 
 
 " Being faint in the evening, I called at Altrincham, and there lit upon 
 a Quaker, well skilled in, and therefore, as I soon found, sufficiently fond 
 
J 
 
 66 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 of controversy. After an hour spent therein, perhaps not in vain, I 
 advised him to dispute as httle as possible ; but rather follow after holi- 
 ness, and walk humbly with his God." 
 
 Men like Kinchin and Wesley will never be without 
 adventures. This long three days' journey, in the wintry 
 weather, was filled with incidents, by the earnest efiforts of 
 the travellers to be of service to those with whom they met. 
 They were scholars, gentlemen, and philanthropists. Religion 
 was all in all to them. They lived it ; looked it ; breathed it. 
 Everywhere, in the humble home of the quondam prisoner^ 
 the town hotel, the country inn, and the ostler's stable, — 
 among waiters, fellow-travellers, and disputatious Quakers, — 
 they were equally about their Master's business. Would, 
 that, in these days of unequalled locomotion, men of such a 
 spirit and of such behaviour were multiplied ! 
 
 Three days were spent in Manchester, one of them " en- 
 tirely with Mr. Clayton, by whom," says Wesley, " and the 
 rest of our friends here, we were much refreshed and strength- 
 ened." On the Sunday, both the Oxford Methodists " offici- 
 ated at Salford Chapel " ; and, on Monday, March 20th, they 
 set out on their return to Oxford. Wesley writes : — 
 
 "Early in the morning, we left Manchester, taking with us Mr. 
 Kinchin's brother, for whom we came, to be entered at Oxford, We 
 were fully determined to lose no opportunity of awakening, instructing, or 
 exhorting, any whom we might meet with on our journey. At Knutsford, 
 where we first stopped, all we spake to thankfully received the word of 
 exhortation. But, at Talk-on-the-Hill, where we dined, she with whom 
 we were was so much of a gentlewoman, that, for near an hour, our 
 labour seemed to be in vain. However, we spoke on. Upon a sudden, 
 she looked as one just awakened out of sleep. Every word sunk into her 
 heart. Nor have I seen so entire a change, both in the eyes, face, and 
 manner of speaking, of any one in so short a time. 
 
 " About five, Mr. Kinchin riding by a man and woman double-horsed, 
 the man said, ' Sir, you ought to thank God it is a fair day ; for, if it rained, 
 you would be sadly dirty with your little horse.' Mr. Kinchin' answered, 
 ' True ; and we ought to thank God for our life, and health, and food, and 
 raiment, and all things.' He then rode on, Mr. Fox following; the man 
 said, ' Sir, my mistress would be glad to have some more talk with that 
 o-entleman.' We stayed, and when they came up began to search one 
 another's hearts. They came to us again in the evening, at our inn at 
 Stone, where I explained both to them and many of their acquaintance, 
 who were come together, that great truth,— godliness hath the promise 
 both of this life, and of that which is to come. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. z^l 
 
 "Tuesday, March 21. Between nine and ten, we came to Hedgeford. 
 Just then, one was giving an account of a young woman, who had dropped 
 down dead there the day before. This gave us a fair occasion to exhort 
 all that were present, ' so to number ' their ' days,' that, they might apply 
 their ' hearts unto wisdom.' 
 
 " In the afternoon, one overtook us, whom we soon found more inclined 
 to speak than to hear. However, we spoke, and spared not. In the 
 evening, we overtook a young man, a Quaker, who afterwards came to us, 
 to our inn at Henley, whither he sent for the rest of his family, to join 
 with us in prayer; to which I added, as usual, the exposition of the Second 
 Lesson. Our other companion went with us a mile or two in the morning; 
 and then not only spoke less than the day before, but took in good part 
 a serious caution against talkativeness and vanity. 
 
 "An hour after, we were overtook by an elderly gentleman, who said 
 he was going to enter his son at Oxford. We asked, ' At what college ?' 
 He said, he did not know ; having no acquaintance there on whose re- 
 commendation he could depend. After some conversation, he expressed 
 a deep sense of the providence of God ; and told us, he knew God had 
 cast us in his way, in answer to his prayer. In the evening, we reached 
 Oxford, rejoicing in our having received so many fresh instances of that 
 great truth, ' In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy 
 • paths.' " 
 
 In a moral and religious sense, this episode in the lives 
 of the two Oxford Methodists is pre-eminently picturesque. 
 The two were of one mind and heart, and all their energies 
 and time were devoted to the service of their great Master. 
 
 Four days were spent at Oxford, during which Wesley met 
 Bohler, and was " amazed more and more, by the account he 
 gave of the fruits of living faith, — the holiness and happiness 
 which he affirmed to attend it." And, on Easter Monday, 
 April 3rd, at Kinchin's desire, Wesley went with him to 
 Dummer, where he remained, for him, the unusually length- 
 ened period of a fortnight. Here they doubtless pondered 
 Bohler's doctrines, and brought them to the test of Scripture ; 
 and here, perhaps, was held a meeting, which Wesley men- 
 tions, without giving the date and place of it. 
 
 " Soon after my return to England," he writes, " I had a meeting with 
 Messrs. Ingham, Stonehouse, Hall, Hutchins, Kinchin, and a few other 
 clergymen, who all appeared to be of one heart, as well as of one judg- 
 ment, resolved to be Bible-Christians at all events ; and, wherever they 
 were, to preach, with all their might, plain old Bible Christianity." ' 
 
 ' Wesley's Works, vol. viii., p. 335. 
 
o 
 
 68 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 Among others at Dummer, in whose religious interests 
 Wesley took an active interest, was Kinchin's sister, who, 
 three weeks after his departure, wrote to him, as follows : — 
 
 " You have been, I hope, an instrument, under God, of reclaiming me. 
 I certainly was in a very unhappy state when you were here. God will 
 recompense you for your prayers and kind offices. May my good God 
 pour down the choicest of His blessings upon you, your mother, brothers, 
 and sisters, and give us all grace, to strive and struggle against our sins. 
 I beg you to join with me, in praying God to show forth His power in me. 
 What a frail creature am I ? I am afraid, I am sorely afraid, of falling 
 back. What shall I do? What shall I do? O pray, I may put my 
 whole trust in God, who is able and willing to help me." ^ 
 
 Kinchin himself also wrote to Wesley the following simple 
 and humble letter : — 
 
 ^'' May 2, 1738. 
 
 " Rev. and dear Sir, — !My Lord and my God has made His servant 
 a minister of the Gospel of His Son. He has committed to my care 
 many immortal souls. And I am but a little child. I know not how to 
 go out, or come in. Pray, therefore, earnestly for me, that, God would 
 give His servant an understanding heart, to lead and instruct His people ; 
 that, I may discern between what is good and bad ; for who is able to 
 walk discreetly and uprightly before such a worldly-minded and refractory 
 people ? I beg the prayers and directions of my friends. 
 
 " My sister is much mended in health. She has received much benefit 
 from you, under God, as to her spiritual concerns. 
 
 " Pray, write speedily to your sincere friend and servant, 
 
 "C. Kinchin." 2 
 
 Letters like these show the religious confidence and friend- 
 ship which Kinchin and his sister cherished towards Wesley. 
 
 Kinchin, as yet, was only a penitent inquirer. In the 
 month of August, 1738, Charles Wesley went to Oxford, 
 and met him and Gambold, who, says he, " surprised me, by 
 receiving my hard saying, that they had not faith. I was 
 ashamed to see the great thankfulness, and child-like loving 
 spirit of Mr. Kinchin, even before justification." They at- 
 tended together a Society meeting, where C. Wesley read his 
 sermon on, " The Scripture hath concluded all under sin." 
 He writes, — 
 
 • Methodist Magazine, 1 778, p. i 'j']. 
 ■ Ibid., p. 176. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 369 
 
 " I urged upon each my usual question, ' Do you deserve to be 
 damned ?' Mrs. Piatt, with the utmost vehemence, cried out, ' Yes, I 
 do, I do!' I prayed, that, if God saw there any contrite soul. He would 
 fulfil His promise, of coming and making His abode with it. ' If Thou 
 hast sent Thy Spirit to reprove any sinner of sin, in the name of Jesus 
 Christ, I claim salvation for that sinner.' Again Mrs. Piatt broke out 
 into strong cries, but of joy, not sorrow, being quite overpowered with 
 the love of Christ. I asked her, if she believed in Jesus. She answered 
 in full assurance of faith. We sang and rejoiced over her (she still con- 
 tinued kneeling); but her voice was heard above ours. Mr. Kinchin 
 asked, ' Have you forgiveness of sins ?' 'I am perfectly assured I have.' 
 ' Have you the earnest of the Spirit in your heart V ' I have; I know I 
 have: I feel it now within.' Her answers to these and the like questions, 
 were expressive of the strongest confidence, to the great encouragement 
 of all present." ^ 
 
 This, especially at the time, was a strange scene ; and 
 Kinchin was there as a listener and a learner. Soon after 
 this, the two Wesleys and Whitefield were almost uniformly 
 excluded from the pulpits of the Established Church. 
 During the year 1739, Wesley himself was not allowed to 
 preach in more than eight ; and one of these was the pulpit 
 of his friend Kinchin. In the month of March, when at 
 Oxford, he wrote, — 
 
 " At my return to Mrs. Fox's, I found our dear brother Kinchin, just 
 come from Dummer. We rejoiced, and gave thanks, and prayed, and 
 took sweet counsel together; the result of which was, instead of setting 
 out for London, as I designed, I set out for Dummer, there being no 
 person to supply his church on Sunday." 
 
 Wesley, and his brother, and Whitefield were now, by force 
 of circumstances, evangelistic itinerants ; ordained clergymen, 
 without churches, and yet preaching everywhere ; and 
 Kinchin was inclined to join them. It was, at this mo- 
 mentous period, that Hervey wrote to him the letter, dated, 
 "April 18, 1739," an extract from which has been already 
 given (see page 220). Whether that letter turned him from 
 his purpose, there is no means of knowing. Any how, his 
 decision, comparatively speaking, was of little consequence, 
 for his work was nearly ended. In spirit, in aim, and in 
 doctrine, however, he thoroughly sympathized with his out- 
 cast brethren, and, in time of need, sought their counsel and 
 
 * C. Wesley's Journal, vol. i., p. 129. 
 
 2 B 
 
370 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 their prayers. The following is an extract from a long letter 
 addressed to Wesley, and hitherto unpublished, i 
 
 " DUMMER, October (), 1739. 
 
 " My dear Brother, — I am just setting out for Oxford, and thence, 
 probably, for London, in order to print my sermon, on the Necessity and 
 Work of the New Birth. I have revised and enlarged it, have made a 
 Preface, and also written a Dedication to the vice-chancellor, Dr. Mather, 
 the Heads of Houses, with their Societies. Mr. Hutchins has perused 
 the whole. I shall have him at Dummer while I am absent. I asked 
 the vice-Chancellor for the use of the University press ; but his answer 
 was, that, he could not consent to it. I have written him a letter, desiring 
 him to peruse the discourse, before he absolutely refuses the press ; but 
 he has made no reply. I propose, therefore, to wait upon him at Oxford, 
 to know whether he received my letter. I also intend to ask Mr. Gam- 
 bold and Mr. Wills to peruse my sermon. If I had any opportunity, I 
 would be glad for you to see it too. I desire your prayers, and the 
 prayers of your friends around you, that, God will bless my journey, and 
 my design in publishing the discourse. 
 
 " We all join in love to you, and all around you ; and constantly pray 
 or you, and desire your prayers. If you write within a week, direct to 
 Mr. Fox's. 
 
 " Your unworthy brother, 
 
 "C. Kinchin." 
 
 In a little more than two years after this, Kinchin entered 
 into rest. Wesley writes : — 
 
 " 1742. January 4. This day, I understand, poor Charles Kinchin 
 died. 
 
 " Cui pudor, et justitia soror, 
 Incorrupta fides, nudaque Veritas, 
 Quando ullum invenient parem ?" 
 
 This was high praise from a man like Wesley ; but it was 
 not unmerited. 
 
 REV. RICHARD HUTCHINS, D.D. 
 
 It has been already stated, that, Dr. Hutchins was Hervey's 
 tutor. We have no further information concerning him, ex- 
 
 ' The remainder of the letter refers to some arrangements to render 
 assistance to Mr. Fox, who accompanied Kinchin and Wesley to 
 Manchester. By Wesley's advice, he had settled at Oxford ; and it was 
 now proposed to subscribe ^30, to pay his rent, and to estabhsh him in 
 business, as a vendor of " fowls, pigs, and cheeses." 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 371 
 
 cept the following, kindly supplied, from the Register of 
 Lincoln College, Oxford, by the present Rector : — . 
 
 "1720. December 8. Richard Hutcliins, B.A., was admitted to the 
 rights and privileges of a Fellow of Lincoln College." 
 
 " 1739. November 6. Mr. Hutchins was chosen Sub-Rector." 
 
 "1742. November 6. Mr. Hutchins was chosen Bursar and 
 Librarian." 
 
 " 1755. July 9. Richard Hutchins, D.D., Fellow in one of the 
 Founder's Fellowships for the Diocese of Lincoln, was, on this day, 
 unanimously elected Rector of this College. And straightway a letter 
 was drawn up, in the very words prescribed by the College Statutes, in 
 order to its being sent to the Lord Bishop of Lincoln, sealed with the 
 college seal, and subscribed by all the electors present, certifying their 
 said election to his lordship, and praying him to admit to the Rectorship 
 of this College the said Richard Hutchins, Sub-Rector." 
 
 " Dr. Richard Hutchins, our late worthy Rector, departed this life, on 
 Friday, loth August, 1781." 
 
 The only publication by Dr. Hutchins, which we have 
 seen, is a Latin sermon, delivered at the time of his being 
 made Doctor of Divinity, in 1747, and with the following 
 title, — " Elucidatio Sexti Capitis Evangelii secundem 
 Johannem, in solenni Praelectione habita in Schola Theo- 
 logica Oxon, pro Gradu Doctoris in Theologia. A Ric. 
 Hutchins, S. T. B. Colleg. Lincoln Socio., 1747," 8 vol. 51 pp. 
 The sermon is learned and spiritual ; and the reader may 
 infer what were the views and sympathies of its author, 
 when it is stated, that, the third and principal division, is, 
 that, the body and blood of Christ are communicated to the 
 faithful in the Eucharist. In more respects than one, Dr. 
 Hutchins continued an Oxford Methodist long after all his 
 old friends had been dispersed. 
 
 REV. CHRISTOPHER ATKINSON. 
 
 In the Parish Register of Thorp- Arch, near to Wetherby, in 
 the county of York, there is the following entry, in Chris- 
 topher Atkinson's own hand-writing : — 
 
 " The Rev. Christopher Atkinson, born in the parish of Windermere, 
 Westmoreland, April, 1713, was inducted Vicar of Thorp-Arch and 
 Walton, in July, 1749."^ 
 
 * Another entry in the same Register is as follows : — " The parish 
 
rt^*]! Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 Here, for a quarter of a century, Mr. Atkinson lived and 
 laboured. He and Ingham were not distant neighbours, 
 and close at hand were flourishing societies of Methodists ; 
 and, yet, there is no evidence, that either Ingham, the 
 Wesleys or Whitefield ever paid him visits. Why was this .'' 
 It is impossible to tell. The two villages of Thorp-Arch and 
 Walton were small, not containing a population of more than 
 about three hiandred each ; but they were not . remote from 
 Otley, Leeds, and York, places which Wesley, at least, often 
 visited. 
 
 Mr. Atkinson had a large family, and a church income 
 hardly equal to his wants.^ One of his sons, the Rev. Miles 
 Atkinson, rose to considerable eminence. Besides being 
 Vicar of Kippax, Lecturer of the parish church in Leeds, 
 and Incumbent of St. Paul's, in that important town, he 
 was the author of " Practical Sermons," in two octavo volumes, 
 and had the honour of being sneered at by the half-infidel 
 Mo7itJily Reviezv q{ \)aQ: period in which he lived. The famous 
 " Billy " Dawson was greatly benefited by his ministry and 
 friendship in early life; and, in 1779, at Atkinson's request, 
 Wesley preached in the parish church, at Leeds, to such a 
 congregation as had seldom been assembled within its walls. 
 In spirit and in doctrine. Miles Atkinson was thoroughly 
 in harmony with the Methodists ; and, from such a circum- 
 stance, perhaps, it may with safety be inferred, that, in this 
 respect, he was walking in the footsteps of his father. 
 
 A happy death is generally the sequence of a holy and 
 useful life ; and such a death was that of Atkinson, the Oxford 
 Methodist. The details are here given in the language of the 
 son just mentioned. He visited him on the day of his decease, 
 and thus writes : — 
 
 " My father walked out of doors to the very last, even in the morning 
 of the day he died. I said to him, ' I hope, sir, your confidence is in 
 
 church of Thorp- Arch was rebuilt in 1756, and finished in 1762. William 
 Sisset, Esq., gave the stone. The Rev. Mr. Atkinson gave fifteen guineas, 
 and paid for the plastering. His mother, Mrs. Agnes Atkinson, gave the 
 font. Lady Hastings gave five pounds for the pulpit. Mr. Sisset built 
 his own and servants' seats, and gave the painting of the pews. The rest 
 was done by the parishioners." 
 
 ^ Even now, the united value of the two livings is not more than about 
 ;^40o a year. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 373 
 
 the Lord Jesus Christ.' He answered, ' Entirely. I have no hope or con- 
 fidence but in Him only. I am very sensible, that, I am, in myself, a poor, 
 guilty, helpless sinner before God. I find, I have been guilty of every sin. 
 There is not a commandment which I have not broken ; but the Lord 
 Jesus Christ is my Saviour. His blood is sufficient for me. I rest upon 
 His promises, and, (laying his head upon his breast and looking up) ' I 
 feel the Spirit of God now supporting me.' 
 
 " Two of his twelve children had not arrived ; but, fearing his under- 
 standing might begin to fail, I asked him if he would like my mother and 
 the rest of his children to be called up, that we might pray together, and 
 receive his blessing. He immediately assented, and desired me to pray. 
 The scene was very affecting. He seemed to be very fervent ; and, when 
 the prayer was over, he tenderly and affectionately saluted us all, and in- 
 voked the blessing of God in Christ Jesusi Soon after, he spoke to me 
 about the place in the churchyard, where he wished his body to be laid, 
 and then said, ' Oh, son, I now feel the vanity of life. We often talk in 
 health about its emptiness ; but this is the tfylng hour. I now experi- 
 ence it. My God ! what a condition should I now be in, if the business 
 of eternity was unbegun ! ' And, then, he proceeded to speak of Christ 
 and the happiness of heaven. His voice faltered; but, at one time, 
 I heard him say ' Come, Lord JesuSj come quickly ;' and, at another, 
 'I have finished my course, I have fought the good fight. Henceforth, 
 there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the 
 righteous Judge, will give me in that day.' He next addressed his chil- 
 ren, and said, ' My dear children, whatever you have seen faulty in me, be 
 careful to avoid ; if you have seen anything praiseworthy, that imitate and 
 pursue. But, oh ! mind the one thing needful Let God be your portion. 
 Seek unto Him through the gracious Redeemer, and doubt not but He 
 will provide for you what is necessary in this world. My dear wife, 
 trust in God. O, my God, look down upon this my family, and let Thy 
 blessing rest upon them ! Guide them by Thy blessed Spirit ! ' 
 
 " He continued praying, in a kind of feeble murmur until about the three 
 last breaths he drew ; and then, at half-past four o'clock, on Monday 
 afternoon, July it, 1774, expired, aged sixty-one years, leaving behind hmi 
 a wife and twelve children. 
 
 " His last words to one of his daughters were, ' My love, would you recall 
 me from happiness ? ' " 
 
 Christopher Atkinson lies interred in the burial ground of 
 Thorp-Arch church, of which he was the minister for five-and- 
 twenty years. 
 
374 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 REV. JOHN WHITELAMB. 
 
 John Whitelamb, the son of poor parents, was born in 1707, 
 in the neighbourhood of Wroot, a small village of about three 
 hundred inhabitants, in the county of Lincoln. The village 
 stands upon an eminence, surrounded by 60,000 acres of land, 
 which, in Whitelamb's days, were often flooded, rendering 
 Wroot accessible only by boats. The land, also, even at the 
 best of times, was fenny, moorish, swampy. 
 
 About the time of Whitelamb's birth, Henry Travis, Esq., of 
 London, bequeathed three hundred and seventy-nine acres of 
 land, for the endowment of three schools, at Wroot, Hatfield, 
 and Thorne, in which children, male and female, were to be 
 taught to read English, especially the Bible and Catechism, 
 and to be well instructed in the principles of the Christian 
 religion. The Archbishop of York was to be special visitor ; 
 the children were to be elected by the clergyman of each of the 
 three respective parishes, and by his churchwardens ; and on 
 leaving school, and attaining the age of seventeen, each scholar 
 was to be presented with a Bible and the " Whole Duty of 
 Man." It was in the charity school, at Wroot, that Whitelamb 
 received the rudiments of his education. 
 
 It is well known, that, Wesley's father was rector of both 
 Epworth and Wroot, and that his greatest literary work was 
 his " Dissertationes in Librum Jobi," a large-size folio book of 
 600 pages. Samuel Wesley was employed upon this remark- 
 able production for more than five-and-twenty years. On 
 leaving school, young Whitelamb became his amanuensis. 
 For four years, he was occupied in transcribing the aged 
 rector's Dissertations. He also designed its illustrations, 
 several of which he also engraved. 
 
 While resident beneath the roof of Samuel Wesley, White- 
 lamb acquired a sufficient knowledge of the Greek and Latin 
 languages, to enter Lincoln College, Oxford, where he was 
 principally maintained by the Epworth Rector, and had 
 Wesley for his tutor. 
 
 Samuel Wesley was a large-hearted man, to whom it was 
 always a happiness to have the power of showing kindness 
 to a fellow-creature. His own early life had been an almost 
 friendless one. With an insatiable thirst for knowledge, 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 375 
 
 he had to pursue it " under difficulties." Bitter experience 
 had taught him the preciousness of a friend's assistance. 
 These facts were quite sufficient to render the poor boy, from 
 the Wroot Charity School, an object of affectionate regard; 
 but there were others beside these. John Whitelamb was the 
 son of one of Samuel Wesley's peasant parishioners ; as an 
 amanuensis, he had rendered the Rector important service 
 for four long years ; and, more than that, he had been 
 the means of saving the Rector's life. In a letter, dated, 
 " Epworth, September 5, 1728," Samuel Wesley writes : — 
 
 " God has given me two fair escapes for life within these few weeks. 
 The first was when my old nag fell with me, trailed me in the stirrups by 
 one foot, and trod upon the other, yet never hurt me. 
 
 " The other escape was' much greater. On Monday week, at Burring- 
 ham Ferry, we were driven down with a fierce stream and wind, and fell 
 foul against a keel. Two of our horses were pitched overboard, and the 
 boat wa& filled with water. I was just preparing to swim for life" (he was 
 then sixty-six years of age), " when John Whitelamb's long legs and arms 
 swarmed up into the keel, and lugged me in after him. My mare 
 was swimming a quarter of an hour ; but, at last, we all got safe to land. 
 Help to praise Him who saves both man and beast." 
 
 Remembering all this, it will be felt, that, it was a grateful, 
 as well as generous, act, for Samuel Wesley to send his 
 youthful helper and deliverer to Lincoln College, Oxford. 
 
 Whitelamb's going to Oxford must have taken place soon 
 after Samuel Wesley's providential deliverance from being 
 drowned ; for, five years after this, he had finished his 
 collegiate education, and become the Rector's curate, and 
 son-in-law. 
 
 Whitelamb was a steady student. " John Whitelamb," 
 wrote Wesley, in 173 1, — 
 
 " Reads one English, one Latin, and one Greek book alternately ; and 
 never meddles with a new one, in any of the languages, till he has ended 
 the old one. If he goes on as he has begun, I dare take upon me to say, 
 that, by the time he has been here four or five years, there will not be such 
 an one, of his standing, in Lincoln College, perhaps not in the University 
 of Oxford." 
 
 Like his patrons, however, Whitelamb was very poor ; 
 and poverty always implies trials. The young gentlemen 
 of Oxford, as a rule, had ample means, and could dress 
 
Z'jS Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 accordingly ; but Whitelamb, without a purse, had to sub- 
 mit to the indignity of wearing a worn-out college gown. 
 Wesley, his tutor, pitied him, and yet had scarcely the 
 ability to help him. Hence the following, to his brother 
 Samuel, under the date of " November 17, 173 1 :" 
 
 " John Whitelamb wants a gown much, and I am not rich enough to 
 buy him one at present. If you are wilhng that my twenty shiUings (that 
 were) should go toward that, I will add ten to them, and let it lie till I 
 have tried my interest with my friends to make up the price of a new 
 one." 
 
 No wonder that Susannah Wesley used to call Whitelamb 
 " poor starveling Johnny." His position was a proud, and 
 yet a painful one. 
 
 In 1733, Whitelamb became Samuel Wesley's curate, and, 
 soon afterwards, married his daughter Mary. Whitelamb's wife 
 was eleven years older than himself ; and, through affliction 
 in early life, and, probably, some mismanagement in her 
 nurse, was of stunted growth, and considerably deformed ; 
 but her face was exquisitely beautiful, and her amiable tem- 
 per made her the delight and favourite of the whole of the 
 Wesley family. In her elegy, written by her accomplished 
 sister Mehetabel, and published in the Gentleman's Magazine 
 for 1736, are the following lines : — 
 
 " From earliest dawn of life, through Thee alone, 
 
 The saint sublime, the finished Christian shone ; 
 
 Yet would not grace one grain of pride allow, 
 
 Or cry, ' Stand off, I'm holier than thou !' 
 
 With business or devotion never cloyed, 
 
 No moment of thy time passed unemployed, 
 
 Nor was thy form unfair, (though Heaven confined 
 
 To scanty limits thy exalted mind)." 
 
 " Witness the brow, so faultless, open, clear, 
 That none could ask if honesty was there : 
 Witness the taintless lustre of thy skin, 
 Bright emblem of the brighter soul within : 
 That soul, which, easy, unaffected, mild. 
 Through jetty eyes, with cheerful sweetness smiled. 
 But, oh ! could fancy reach, or language speak 
 The living beauties of thy lip and cheek, 
 Where nature's pencil, leaving art no room. 
 Touched to a miracle the vernal bloom, 
 Lost though thou art in Stella's faithful line. 
 Thy face, immortal as thy fame, should shine." 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 377 
 
 Such was John Whitelamb's wife. To provide for the 
 newly-married pair, Samuel Wesley resigned to Whitelamb 
 his rectory at Wroot. The village was sequestered, and the 
 surrounding country, to a great extent, a swamp. The church, 
 also, was extremely unpretending, and its walls composed 
 of boulder stones which, in 1794, were used in paving 
 Epworth streets. Still, there was a field for usefulness, and 
 a benefice, which now is worth about £260 a year. Samuel 
 Wesley's letter to the Lord Chancellor is so characteristic 
 of both himself and his son-in-law, that its insertion is not 
 irrelevant, 
 
 '■'■January 14, 1734. 
 
 " My Lord, — The small rectory of Wroot, in the diocese and county 
 of Lincoln, is in the gift of the Lord Chancellor, and, more than seven 
 years since, was conferred on Samuel Wesley, rector of Epworth. It 
 lies in our low levels, and is often overfk)wed. During the time I have 
 had it, the people have lost the fruits of the earth to that degree, that it 
 has hardly brought me^50 per annum, omnibus annisj and, some years, 
 not enough to pay my curate there his salary of ^^30 a year. 
 
 " This living, by your lordship's permission and favour, I would gladly 
 resign to one Mr. John Whitelamb, born in the neighbourhood of Wroot, 
 where his father and grandfather lived; when I took him from among the 
 scholars of a charity school (founded by one Mr. Travers, an attorney), 
 brought him to my house, and educated him there, where he was my 
 amanuensis for four years, in transcribing my ' Dissertations on the 
 Book of Job,' now well advanced in the press ; and was employed in 
 drawing my maps and figures for it, as well as we could by the light of 
 nature. After this, I sent him to Oxford, to my son John, Fellow of 
 Lincoln College ; under whom he made such proficiency, that he was, 
 the last summer, admitted, by the Bishop of Oxford, into deacon's orders, 
 and became my curate at Epworth, v/hile I came up to town' to expedite 
 the printing of my book. 
 
 " Since then, I gave my consent to his marrying one of my seven 
 daughters, and they are married accordingly ; and, though I can spare 
 little more with her, yet I would gladly give them a little glebe land at 
 Wroot, where, I am sure, they will not want springs of water. But they 
 love the place, though I can get nobody else to reside on it. 
 
 " If I do not flatter myself, he is indeed a valuable person, of un- 
 common brightness, learning, piety, and indefatigable industry ; always 
 loyal to the king, zealous for the Church, and friendly to our dissenting 
 brethren. For the truth of this character I will be answerable to God and 
 man. 
 
 " If, therefore, your lordship will grant me the favour to let me resign 
 my living unto him, and please to confer it on him, I shall always 
 remain, your lordship's most bounden, most grateful, and most obedient 
 servant, " Samuel Wesley." 
 
3/8 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 His lordship complied with this request, and, in the 
 Gentieman's Magazine for the ensuing month, February, 
 1734, in the list of ecclesiastical preferments, was the 
 following : — " Mr. Whitelamb to the rectory of Wroot, 
 Lincolnshire." 
 
 Immediately after, Whitelamb and his wife removed to 
 Wroot, and took " true pains among the people." Their 
 parsonage is thus described by Samuel Wesley, junior : — 
 
 " The house is good, and strong, and clean, 
 Though there no battlements are seen, 
 But humble roof of thatch, I ween, 
 
 Low rooms from rain to cover. 
 Where, safe from poverty, (sore ill !) 
 All may live happy if they will. 
 As any that St. James's fill, 
 
 The Escurial, or the Louvre." 
 
 Their parishioners were sketched by Mehetabel Wesley, in 
 the lines following : — 
 
 " High births and virtue equally they scorn, 
 As asses dull, on dunghills born ; 
 / Impervious as the stones, their heads are found. 
 
 Their rage and hatred, steadfast as the ground." 
 
 The pictures are not attractive ; but, despite their thatched 
 residence, and the boorishness of the people among whom 
 they lived, Whitelamb and his wife were happy. Their 
 union, however, was of brief duration. Within one short 
 year of her marriage, the grave received all that was mortal 
 of Mrs. Whitelamb and her infant child. She died in 
 childbirth, at the end of October, 1734. 
 
 This was a terrible stroke to the young husband. For a sea- 
 son, he was inconsolable, and, to divert him from his trouble, 
 his father-in-law brought him to the Epworth Rectory. This 
 was just about the time when Oglethorpe returned from 
 Georgia, whither he had gone with his first company of 
 motley emigrants. Samuel Wesley, now within six months 
 of his decease, took an intense interest in the Georgian 
 colony, and declared that, if he had been ten years younger, 
 he would gladly have devoted the remainder of his life and 
 labours to the emigrants, and in acquiring the language of 
 the Indians among whom they had to live. Among others 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 379 
 
 who had gone to Georgia with Oglethorpe, and had returned 
 with him, was John Lyndal, one of Samuel Wesley's parish- 
 ioners, of whom the venerable Rector earnestly inquired 
 whether the ministers who had migrated to the infant colony 
 understood the Indian language, and could preach without 
 interpreters. All this tended to turn poor Whitelamb's 
 thoughts to Georgia ; and, five weeks after Mrs. Whitelamb's 
 death, the Rector of Epworth wrote to General Oglethorpe as 
 follows : — 
 
 '•■ Epworth, December 7, 1 734. 
 " Dear Sir, — I cannot express how much I am obhged by your last 
 kind and instructive letter concerning the affairs of Georgia. I could not 
 read it without sighing, when I reflected on my own age and infirmities, 
 which made such an expedition utterly impracticable for me. Yet, my 
 mind worked hard about it ; and it is not impossible but Providence 
 may have directed me to such an expedient as may prove more service- 
 able to your colony than I should ever have been." 
 
 Samuel Wesley then proceeds to give an account of 
 the life of Whitelamb, and continues : — 
 
 "I consented to his marrying one of my daughters, there having been a 
 long and intimate friendship between them. But neither he nor I were 
 so happy as to have them live long together ; for she died in childbed of 
 her first child. He was so inconsolable at her loss, that I v/as afraid he 
 would soon have followed her ; to prevent which, I desired bis company 
 here at my own house, that he might have some amusement and business, 
 by assisting me in my cure during my illness. 
 
 "It was then, sir, I received the favour of yours, and 'let him see it for 
 diversion ; more especially, because John Lyndal and he had been 
 fellow-parishioners and schoolfellows at Wroot, and had no little kindness 
 one for the other. I made no great reflection on the thing at first ; but, 
 soon after, I found he had thought often upon it ; was very desirous to go 
 to Georgia himself ; and wrote the enclosed letter to me on the subject. 
 As I knew not of any person more proper for such an undertaking, 
 I thought the least I could do was to send the letter to your honour, who 
 would be so very proper a judge of the affair ; and, if you approve, I shall 
 not be wanting in my addresses to my Lord Bishop of London, or any 
 other, to forward the matter as far as possible. 
 
 " As for his character, I shall take it upon myself to say, he is a good 
 scholar, a sound Christian, and a good liver. He has a very happy 
 memory, especially for languages, and a judgment and intelligence not 
 inferior. My eldest son, at Tiverton, has some knowledge of him ; my 
 two others, his tutor at Lincoln, and my third, of Christ Church, have 
 been long and intimately acquainted with him ; and, I doubt not, they 
 will give him, at least, as just a character as I have done. 
 
380 Other Oxford MetJiodists. 
 
 " And here I shall drop the matter till I have the honour of hearing 
 again from you, ever remaining, your honour's rnost sincere and most 
 obliged friend and servant,, 
 
 " Samuel Wesley." 
 
 Samuel Wesley died within five months after the date of 
 this application to Oglethorpe ,; his son-in-law, John White- 
 lamb, for some unknown reason, did not go to Georgia ; but 
 his sons John and Charles set sail for the recently founded 
 colony on October 14, 1735. 
 
 Did Whitelamb miss the way of Providence in not becom- 
 ing a Georgian missionary ? Perhaps he did. At all events, 
 the remaining thirty-four years of his life seem to have been 
 of comparatively small importance to his fellow-men. While 
 the two Wesleys, his brothers-in-law, and Whitefield, were 
 preaching everywhere, and, with Christian heroism, were brav- 
 ing the most infernal and brutish persecutions ; while Clayton, 
 in Manchester, was living the active life of a Church of 
 England Ritualist, and Ingham, in Yorkshire, was performing 
 the part of a useful evangelist ; while Gambold was restrain- 
 ing Moravian follies, and Broughton was doing his utmost 
 to disperse Bibles, and religious books and tracts ; — poor, 
 bereaved Whitelamb seems to have sunk down into a 
 disconsolate and nearly useless widovverhood, and to have 
 spent, — zvastcd, we had almost said,- — his dreary life among 
 the unappreciative dolts, so graphically described by his 
 deceased wife's sister- — Mehetabel. It is true, he had the 
 care of about three hundred souls ; but, with his natural 
 ability and collegiate education, he might, in addition to 
 fulfilling his parochial duties, have rendered other service to 
 the Church of Christ, and to mankind at large. At all events: 
 his venerable patron did not sleep away his probationary 
 being- as his son-in-law, John Whitelamb, did. 
 
 It is a signfficant fact, that, though Whitelamb lived at 
 Wroot nearly forty years after Wesley began his itinerant 
 career, and though the visits of the latter, to Epworth and 
 the neighbourhood, were numerous, he never, excepting once, 
 and that during his first evangelistic tour to the north of 
 England, came to Wroot. He writes : — ■ 
 
 " 1742, Sunday, June 13. At seven I preached at Haxey, on, ' What 
 must J. do to be saved?' Thence I vi^ent to Wroot, of which, as well as 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 Epworth, my father was rector for several years. Mr. Whitelamb offer- 
 ing me the church, I preached, in the morning, on, ' Ask, and it shall be 
 given you ; ' in the afternoon, on the difference between the righteousness 
 of the law and the righteousness of faith. But the church could not 
 contain the people, many of whom came from far ; and, I trust, not in 
 vain. At six, I preached in Epworth churchyard to a vast multitude 
 gathered together from all parts, on the beginning of our Lord's Sermon 
 on the Mount. I continued among them for near three hours, and yet 
 we scarce knew, how to part." 
 
 It ought to be said, that, Wesley hadlaeen at Epworth and 
 in the neighbourhood for the last eight days. He had 
 preached from his father's tombstone, from, " The kingdom 
 of God is not meat and drink ; but righteousness, and peace 
 and joy in the Holy Ghost ;" and again, from, " By grace are 
 ye saved through faith ; " and a third time from, " Unto him 
 that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the 
 ungodly, his faith is counted to him for righteousness ;" and a 
 fourth, either from the tombstone or in the street, on Friday, 
 the nth of June, on, " Ezekiel's vision of the resurrection of 
 the dry bones ; " and a fifth, on the day before he went to 
 Wroot, from the same subject as he took at the afternoon 
 service in Whitelamb's church. His visit had occasioned im- 
 mense excitement. During the sermon, on Friday, " lament- 
 ation and great mourning were heard ; God bowing the hearts 
 of the people, so thar, on every side, as with one accord, they 
 lifted up their voice and wept aloud ; " and, on Saturday, he 
 writes : — 
 
 " While I was speaking several dropped down as dead ; and such a cry 
 was heard of sinners groaning for the righteousness of faith as almost 
 drowned my voice. But many of these soon lifted up their heads with 
 joy, and broke out into thanksgiving, being assured that they now had 
 the desire of their soul — the forgiveness of their sins." 
 
 Whitelamb was present at one, at least, of these Epworth 
 services ; and, like others, was deeply impressed with the 
 preacher's doctrines ; but, strangely enough, seems not to 
 have spoken to him. Two days afterwards, however, he 
 wrote to Wesley, and this, probably, occasioned the visit 
 to Wroot just mentioned. His letter was as follows : — 
 
 "June II, 1742. 
 " Dear Brother, — I saw you at Epworth, on Tuesday evening. 
 Fain would I have spoken to you, but that I am quite at a loss how to 
 
J 
 
 82 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 address or behave. Your way of thinking is so extraordinary,^ that, your 
 presence creates an awe, as if you were an inhabitant of another world. 
 God grant you and your followers may always have entire liberty of 
 conscience ! Will you not allow others the same ? Indeed, I cannot think 
 as you do, any more than I can help honouring and loving you. 
 
 " Dear sir, will you credit me 1 I retain the highest veneration for you^ 
 The sight of you moves me strangely. My heart overflows with gratitude. 
 I feel, in a higher degree, all that tenderness and yearning of bowels 
 with which I am affected towards every branch of Mr. Wesley's family. 
 I cannot refrain from tears when I reflect, ' This is the man, who, at 
 Oxford, was more than a father to me. This is he whom I have there 
 heard expound, or dispute publicly, or preach at St. Mary's, with such 
 applause. And Oh that I should ever add, whom I have lately heard 
 preach at Epworth i'^ 
 
 " I am quite forgot. None of the family ever honours me with line ! 
 Have I been ungrateful ? I appeal to sister Patty ; I appeal to Mr. 
 EUison,^ whether I have or no. I have been passionate, fickle, a fool, 
 but I hope I shall never be titigrateful. 
 
 " Dear sir, is it in my power to serve or oblige you in any way ? Glad 
 I should be, that, you would make use of me. God open all our eyes, and 
 lead us into truth, whatever it be. 
 
 "John Whitelamb."-* 
 
 This is a curious letter. It is evident, that, there was, 
 at least, a partial estrangement between Whitelamb and the 
 Wesley family. Correspondence had ceased ; and, even 
 when Wesley visited Epworth, and Whitelamb was one of his 
 hearers, they parted without speaking. Why was this } White- 
 lamb did not believe in Wesley's doctrines ; but that is hardly 
 sufficient to account for such a fact. Perhaps the reason may 
 be found in Whitelamb's own confession, that, he had " been 
 passionate, fickle, and a fool," though it is impossible to tell 
 to what such words referred. In the melancholy state of 
 mind in which he obviously was, the epithets might be a 
 severer condemnation of himself than his spirit and behaviour 
 had merited. Be that as it may, though Whitelamb lived for 
 
 1 Wesley's text on this occasion, was, " Unto him that worketh not,' 
 etc. ; "the great truth," he writes, " so little understood in what is called 
 a Christian country." Whitelamb evidently understood it not. 
 - Wesley adds, " on my father's tombstone." 
 ^ The rich farmer, who married Wesley's sister Susannah, — a brutal 
 fellow, who was reduced to poverty, and ultimately hved on alms, which 
 Wesley obtained for him, through Mr. Ebenezer Blackwell. The Rector 
 of Epworth used to speak of him as " the %ve)i of my family." 
 * Arminian Magazine, 1778, p. 184. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 383 
 
 twenty-seven years after this, and though, with undeniable 
 sincerity, he professes great gratitude for the past kindness of 
 the Wesley family, and ardent and affectionate admiration of 
 Wesley himself, this was the winding up of their friendly 
 intercourse. Wesley says, with what correctness we know not, 
 that, at " this time, and for some years afterwards," White- 
 lamb "did not believe the Christian Revelation;" but whether 
 Wesley meant, that, Whitelamb was a disbeHever in the Bible 
 as a whole, or only in those doctrines of the Bible which 
 Wesley and his friends w^ere daily preaching, it is impossible 
 to say. If he meant the former, we incline to think there 
 must have been some mistake ; for, unless Whitelamb were 
 the most arrant knave, he must, in such a case, have relin- 
 quished his high office of the Christian ministry. If Wesley 
 meant the latter, his words are too strong, and it was an 
 injustice to Whitelamb's character and memory to insert them 
 in the Artninian Magazine. 
 
 Wesley's and Whitelamb's intercourse, at Wroot, seems to 
 have been friendly and pleasant ; but allowing the Arch- 
 Methodist to preach in the humble pulpit of the little church 
 gave great offence, and perhaps this was one of the reasons 
 why Wesley ceased to visit him. The following letter, written 
 within three months after Wesley's visit, is full of interest, 
 and furnishes additional evidence, that, the young widower had 
 been guilty of serious follies, and, as a consequence, had been 
 eschewed by the Wesley family. It was addressed to Wesley's 
 brother Charles. 
 
 Wroot, September 2, 1 742. 
 
 " Dear Brother, — I must make bold to give you that title. I was 
 informed, that, you have entertained so hard an opinion of me as scarcely 
 to hear me named with patience. This made me fear, the sight of me 
 would not be agreeable. However, I have ventured to write, lest I should 
 confirm that opinion by a behaviour that seems to show neglect and 
 ingratitude. 
 
 " It is probably not in my power to alter your sentiments of me ; but 
 there is a day, which you and I expect, when it will appear, that, J. White- 
 lamb was never either ungrateful, or vicious ; though, by the heat of youth- 
 ful blood, and the want of experience of the world, he has been betrayed 
 into very great folHes. 
 
 " I had the happiness and honour (for I account it both) of seeing and 
 conversing with my brother John, when he was last over. He behaved to 
 
384 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 me truly like himself. I found in him, what I have always experienced 
 heretofore, the gentleman, the friend, the brother, the Christian. 
 
 " Dear sir, command me in anything, whereby I can show my regard 
 to you, or the family ; provided conscience be not concerned. Alas ! that 
 I should be forced to distinguish Mr. Wesley, from the preacher ! My 
 brother John demanded' my pulpit. By the authority of a tutor, and one 
 to whom I have so great obligations, he has the disposal of whatever is 
 mine. However, I find, by the outcry it caused, that it gives very great 
 offence. I know not what measures may be taken against me, this trien- 
 nial visitation ; nor am I so solicitous about it, as I am uneasy that the 
 interest of rehgion and the public peace should, in the least, suffer by my 
 means. 
 
 " For, to be frank, I cannot but look upon your doctrines as of ill con- 
 sequence. Consequence, I say; for, take them nakedly in themselves, 
 and nothing seems more innocent, nay, good and holy. Suppose we 
 grant, that, in you and the rest of the leaders, who are men of sense and 
 discernment, what is called the seal and testimony of the Spirit, is some- 
 thing real ; yet, I have great reason to think, that, in the generality of 
 your followers, it is merely the effect of a heated fancy. 
 
 " So much for dispute ; and I beg you will forgive me it. Oh that we 
 could so have met, as that there should have been no contention, but in 
 loving one another ! 
 
 " I promised my tutor to write to him. Since then, I have had a dan- 
 gerous illness. I am scarce well recovered; and, besides, it has left 
 iDchind such a drowsy disposition, as I have not yet had resolution to 
 conquer. I hope to fulfil my promise shortly. I have endeavoured to 
 lay myself quite open to truth ; and this (with shame I ought to say it) 
 has cost me some pains. My dear mother Wesley, and poor sister Kezzy 
 are gone.^ God of the spirits of all flesh, grant us all to meet in a happy 
 
 eternity ! 
 
 " Dear brother, are you in earnest in what you teach ? I cannot per- 
 suade any of my friends that you are. If you be, give me your prayers. 
 If not, do not, as you have formerly done, ridicule me for being too 
 religious. You little thought, when you laughed at me, for being shocked 
 at your gay discourse, that you yourself should come to maintain the very 
 notions which I had then. 
 
 " I am, your obliged and most affectionate brother, 
 
 "John Whitelamb."' 
 
 The last sentence of this letter is significant. John White- 
 lamb was religious before Charles Wesley was. When Charles 
 was elected to Christ Church, in 1726, he was a sprightly, 
 
 ^ Wesley says, Whitelamb offered it. 
 ^ Mrs. Wesley died about six weeks before this letter was written. 
 Kezziah Wesley died March 9, 1741, "full of thankfulness, resignation, 
 and love." 
 
 ' Arniinian Magazine, 1778, p. 186. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 385 
 
 rollicking young man, with more genius than grace. In 
 1728, or 1729, "he began to attend the weekly sacrament, 
 and induced two or three other students to attend with him ;" 
 and this was really the beginning of the Methodist movement. 
 It i§ a curious fact, that, this was the very time when White- 
 lamb went to Oxford. Was John Whitelamb, a young man 
 of twenty-one, fresh from the religious atmosphere of the 
 Epworth rectory, the means of reforming the sprightly Charles 
 Wesley ; and, in that indirect way, the means of Methodism 
 being started } The question has never before been put ; 
 and it is one which, perhaps, cannot, with certainty, be 
 answered. 
 
 Of the last twenty-seven years of Whitelamb's life we 
 know nothing. More than a quarter of a century ago, an 
 aged female, at Wroot, had a distinct recollection of him, and 
 described him "as a person of retiring habits, and fond of 
 solitude." She was present when he was suddenly seized, 
 while on his way to perform divine service at the church, 
 with the illness which shortly terminated in his death ; and 
 spoke of his funeral as having been attended by a consider- 
 able number of clergymen, who thus paid their last tribute of 
 respect to a departed friend." ^ 
 
 Whitelamb died in the month of July, 1769 ; and, three 
 months afterwards, Wesley wrote to Mrs. Woodhouse, of 
 Epworth, as follows : — 
 
 " 1769, October 4. How long is it since Mr. Whitelamb died.? What 
 disease did he die of? Did he lie ill for any time ? Do you know any 
 circumstances preceding or attending his death .? Oh, why did he not die 
 forty years ago, while he knew in whom he believed ? Unsearchable are 
 the counsels of God, and His ways past finding out. 
 
 "John Wesley." ^^ 
 
 Wesley evidently knew nothing of the circumstances ot 
 Whitelamb's death ; and his contrast in reference to the 
 religious state of the deceased rector of Wroot " forty 
 years ago " appears to be hardly generous. " Forty years 
 ago " Methodism was just beginning ; and it was not until 
 
 ^ Hfeihodisi Mag-azine, 1845, p. 15 1. 
 ' Clarke's Wesley Family, vol. ii., p. 2S0. 
 
 2 C 
 
386 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 nine years afterwards, that, Wesley himself attained the 
 knowledge of being saved, not by good works, but, by faith 
 in Christ. 
 
 In Wroot churchyard, a small stone, about two feet long 
 and one foot broad, bears the following inscription : — 
 
 " In memory of John Whitelamb, Rector of this Parish thirty-five 
 years. Buried 29th of July, 1769, aged 62 years. Worthy of imitation. 
 This at the cost of Francis Wood, Esq., 1772." 
 
 REV. WESTLEY HALL. 
 
 It is far from pleasant to conclude a book in darkness and in 
 pollution ; but, in the present case, it cannot be avoided. In 
 most flocks, there is, at least, one objectionable sheep ; and 
 few are the brotherhoods without offenders. Among the patri- 
 archs, Reuben, by sin, forfeited the rights of primogeniture and 
 the priesthood ; and, among the apostles, Judas Iscariot was an 
 infamous betrayer. History not only supplies examples, but 
 hoists beacons. The former are useful, and the latter not 
 unneeded. The story of the Oxford Methodists cannot be 
 fully told without a reference to the sin and shame of Westley 
 Hall. The subject is a nauseous one ; but, it may help to 
 enforce the apostolic admonition, founded upon the same 
 kind of historic facts, — " Wherefore, let him that thinketh he 
 standeth take heed lest he fall." 
 
 Of the origin of Westley Hall and his early life, we are 
 ignorant. 
 
 At Lincoln College, Oxford, he was one of Wesley's pupils, 
 and was a man of agreeable person, pleasing manners, and 
 good property. The time of his joining the Methodist 
 brotherhood is not known ; but Susanna Wesley, writing to 
 her son John, on October 25, 1732, observes : — 
 
 "I heartily join with your small Society in all their pious and charitable 
 actions, which are intended for God's glory ; and am glad to hear that 
 Mr. Clayton and Mr. Hall have met with desired success. You do well 
 to wait on the Bishop ; though, if he be a good man, I cannot think it in 
 the power of any one to prejudice him against you. Your arguments 
 against horse-races do certainly conclude against masquerades, balls, 
 plays, operas, and all such light and vain diversions, which, whether 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 387 
 
 the gay people of the world will own it or no, do strongly confirm and 
 strengthen the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life ; 
 all of which we must renounce, or renounce our God and hope of eternal 
 salvation. I will not say, it is impossible for a person to have any sense 
 of religion, who frequents those vile assemblies ; but I never, throughout 
 the course of my long life, knew so much as one serious Christian that 
 did ; nor can I see how a lover of God can have any relish for such vain 
 amusements."' 
 
 Hall seems to have been ordained as early as the year 
 1734. Hence, in another letter, dated March 30, 1734, Wes- 
 ley's mother, after referring to the religious practices of the 
 Oxford Methodists and other matters, says, — 
 
 " I cannot think Mr. Hall does well in refusing an opportunity of doing 
 so much service to religion, as he certainly might do, if he accepted the 
 living he is about to refuse. Surely, there never was more need of ortho- 
 dox, sober divines in our Lord's vineyard, than there is now ; and why a 
 man of his extraordinary piety, and love to souls, should decline the ser- 
 vice in this critical juncture, I cannot conceive. But this is none of my 
 business." ^ 
 
 These extracts furnish the reader with a glimpse of Hall at 
 Oxford. Wesley himself testifies that, while at the Univer- 
 sity, Hall " was holy and unblamable in all manner of con- 
 versation." In what his " extraordinary piety " consisted, we 
 are not informed ; but it is a curious fact, that, he, of all men, 
 made ostentatious professions of his having the gift mentioned 
 by the Divine Redeemer (Matt. xix. 10-12).^ This reads 
 oddly in connection with the following extract from one of 
 Wesley's letters : — 
 
 " 1784, August 31. Many years ago, Mr. Hall, then strong in faith, 
 believed God called him to marry my youngest sister. He told her so. 
 She fully believed him, and none could convince one or the other to the 
 contrary. I talked with her about it ; but she had ' so often made it 
 matter of prayer, that, she could not be deceived.' In a week, he dropped 
 her, courted her elder sister, and, as soon as was convenient, married 
 her."" 
 
 What is the history of this strange transaction .^ Martha 
 Wesley was born in 1707; Kezziah, her sister, in 1710. 
 
 ' Clarke's Wesley Family, vol. ii., p. 102. 
 
 2 Methodist Magazine, 1845, p. 37- 
 
 3 Wesley's Works, vol. ii., p. 75. " Ibid., vol. xii., p. 453. 
 
388 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 About the year 1734, Westley Hall met Martha at her 
 uncle's house in London, proposed to marry her, and, without 
 the knowledge of her parents, or her brothers, was accepted. 
 He then accompanied John and Charles to Epworth, and 
 there saw Kezziah, grew enamoured of her, courted, and 
 obtained her consent, and that of the family in general, to 
 marry him ; all of them being ignorant of his pre-engagement 
 with Martha. Returning to London, Hall renewed his ad- 
 dresses to " poor Patty," who was completely unconscious of 
 what had transpired at Epworth. She wrote to her mother, 
 stating, that for some time past, she had been betrothed to 
 Hall. Kezziah, on learning this, renounced all claim to him. 
 The mother wrote to Martha, assuring her, " that, if she ob- 
 tained the consent of her uncle, there was no obstacle " to the 
 marriage. The uncle raised no objection ; gave Martha a 
 dowry of ^^"500 ; and the wedding was completed. 
 
 Such, in outline, is the account given by Dr. Adam Clarke. 
 It is not without difficulties. Knowing all the facts, Mrs. 
 Wesley's approbation is unaccountable, except on the ground, 
 that, now and for years afterwards, she held a high opinion of 
 Hall's piety and character. Charles Wesley, at the time, was 
 excessively indignant, and wrote to Martha a poetical epistle 
 full of terrible invective ; and yet, soon afterwards, when the 
 Wesleys were about to embark for Georgia, it was arranged 
 that Hall should attend them., indicating, that, some sort 
 of a reconciliation had taken place between Charles and 
 Hall. The following are selections from Charles's poem : — 
 
 " When he, who long in virtue's paths had trod, 
 Deaf to the voice of conscience and of God, 
 Drops the fair mask, proves traitor to his vow. 
 And thou the temptress, and the tempted thou, — 
 Prepare thee then to meet the infernal war, 
 And dare beyond what woman knows to dare.; 
 Guard each avenue to thy fluttering heart, 
 And act the sister's and the Christian's part." 
 
 Trembling, I hear his horrid vows renewed, 
 
 I see him come, by Delias groans pursued. 
 
 Poor injured Delia ! all her groans are vain ; 
 
 Or he denies, or, listening, mocks her pain. 
 
 What, though her eyes with ceaseless tears o'erflow, 
 
 Her bosom heave with agonizing woe; 
 
Other Oxfoi'd Methodists. 389 
 
 What, though the horror of his falsehood near 
 Tear up her faith, and plunge her in despair ; 
 Yet can he think (so blind to heaven's decree, 
 And the sure fate of cursed apostasy), 
 Soon as he tells the secret of his breast. 
 And puts the angel off — and stands confessed. 
 When love, and grief, and shame, and anguish meet, 
 To make his crimes and Delid!s wrongs complete. 
 That, then the injured maid will cease to grieve. 
 Behold him in a sister's arms, and live ! 
 Mistaken wretch — by thy unkindness hurled 
 From ease, from love, from thee, and from the world ; 
 Soon must she land on that immortal shore. 
 Where falsehood never can torment her more : 
 There all her sufferings and her sorrows cease, 
 Nor saints turn devils there to vex her peace !" 
 
 Poor jilted Kezziah took the matter more calmly. In a 
 letter to her brother John, dated June \6, 1734, not long 
 before Martha's marriage, she observed, — 
 
 " I intended not to write till I could give you an account of Mr. Hall's 
 affair ; but it is needless, because, I believe, he won't do anything without 
 your approbation. I am entirely of your opinion, that, we ought to 
 ' endeavour after perfect resignation'; and 1 have learned to practise this 
 duty in one particular, which, I think, is of the greatest importance in 
 life, namely, marriage. I am as indifferent as it is lawful for any person 
 to be, whether I ever change my state or not ; because, I think a single 
 life is the more excellent way ; and there are also several reasons why I 
 rather desire to continue as I am. One is, because, I desire to be entirely 
 disengaged from the world; but the chief is, I am so well apprized of the 
 great duty a wife owes to her husband, that, I think it is almost im- 
 possible she should ever discharge it a§ she ought. But I can scarce say, 
 I have the liberty of choosing ; for my relation^ are continually soliciting 
 me to marry. I shall endeavour to be as resigned and cheerful as pos- 
 sible to whatever God is pleased to ordain for me." 
 
 Comment on the above facts would not be difficult ; but 
 the reader must form his own opinion on all the parties con- 
 cerned in this mournful business. We only add a copy of 
 verses printed in the Gentleman s Magazine, for September, 
 1735, p. 551, — verses portraying a nuptial life, the very 
 opposite of that which awaited the unfortunately wedded 
 couple. 
 
;90 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 "ON THE MARRIAGE OF MR. WESTLEY HALL TO 
 MISS PATTY WESLEY. 
 
 " Hymen, light thy purest flame, 
 Every sacred rite prepare ; 
 Never to thy altar came 
 A more pious, faithful pair. 
 
 " Thee, dispensing mighty pleasure, 
 Rashly sensual minds invoke ; 
 Only those partake thy treasure 
 Paired in Virtue's easy yoke. 
 
 " Such are Hall and Wesley joining, 
 Kindred souls with plighting hands. 
 Each to each entire resigning, 
 One become by nuptial bands. 
 
 " Happy union, which destroys 
 Half the ills of hfe below; 
 But the current of our joys 
 
 Makes with double vigour flow. 
 
 " Sympathising friends abate 
 The severer strokes of fate ; 
 Happy hours still happier prove 
 When they smile on those we love. 
 
 "Joys to vulgar minds unknown 
 
 Shall their daily converse crown ; 
 Easy slumbers, pure delights, 
 Bless their ever peaceful nights. 
 
 " Oh Lucina, sacred power, 
 
 Here employ thy grateful care; 
 Smiling on the genial hour. 
 
 Give an offspring wise and fair ! 
 
 " That, when the zealous sire shall charm no more 
 Th' attentive audience with his sacred lore. 
 Those lips in silence closed, whose heavenly skill 
 Could raptures with persuasive words instil ; 
 A son may in the important work engage, 
 And with his precepts mend the future age : 
 That, when the accomplished mother, snatched by fate, 
 No more shall grace the matrimonial state; 
 No more exhibit, in her virtuous life. 
 The bright exemplar of a perfect wife; 
 A daughter, blest with each maternal grace, 
 May shine the pattern of the female race !" 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 391 
 
 As already related (see pp. 65-67), it was fully arranged, 
 that, a month after the appearance of this epithalamium, 
 Westley Hall and his newly-wedded wife should accompany 
 the Wesleys to Georgia ; and, that, at the last moment, Hall 
 declined to go, on the ground, that, his uncle and his mother 
 had engaged to obtain for him an English benefice. The 
 man, in more respects than one, was double-minded. In 
 unstableness, as well as incontinency, he was Reuben 
 redivivus. 
 
 The church appointment, secured for Hall, seems to have 
 been the office of curate, at Wootton-Rivers, a small village 
 of about four hundred inhabitants, in the county of Wilts. 
 Here he took, not only his wife, but, strangely enough, 
 Kezziah Wesley, with whose affections he had so basely 
 trifled. The two sisters were evidently reconciled ; but their 
 brother Samuel, a keen judge of character, regarded Hall 
 with feelings of suspicion and dislike. Hence the following 
 extract from one of Samuel's letters, dated, "Blundell's 
 School, Tiverton, Devon, September 29, 1736," and addressed 
 to his brother Charles in Georgia : — 
 
 " Brother Hall's is a black story. There was no great likelihood of his 
 being a favourite with me : his tongue is too smooth for my roughness, 
 and rather inclines me to suspect than believe. Indeed, I little suspected 
 the horrid truth ; but, finding him on the reserve, I thought, he was some- 
 thing like Rivington, and feared me as a jester; which is a sure sign 
 either of guilt on the one hand, or pride on the other. It is certainly true 
 of that marriage; it will not, and it cannot come to good. He is now at 
 a curacy in Wiltshire, near Marlborough. I have no correspondence with 
 Kez. : I did design it after reading yours ; but the hearing, that, she is 
 gone to live with Patty and her husband made me drop my design." 
 
 It was certainly a strange, — an almost unaccountable thing, 
 for Kezziah Wesley to become domiciled with such a man. 
 It is true, her venerable father had died just about the time 
 of the ill-fated marriage, leaving both her mother and herself 
 without a home ; but the mother had found a welcome in the 
 house of her son Samuel ; who was also wishful to have 
 Kezziah beneath his roof, if his brother John would continue 
 to allow her ^50 a year. ^ Why, then, did she go to Westley 
 
 1 Clarke's Wesley Family, vol. ii., p. 184. 
 
392 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 Hall's ? Samuel Wesley strongly disapproved of this ; and 
 so also did his brother Charles. Hence the following, from 
 Charles's Journal, written only three days after his return 
 from Georgia : — 
 
 " 1736, December 6. I spent an hour at my uncle's, equally welcome 
 and unexpected. They informed me, my brother Hall was gone to a 
 curacy, very melancholy, and impatient at the mention of Georgia ; and 
 that my sister Kezzy was gone to live with him. 
 
 " Serpentes avibus geminentur, tigribus agnas." 
 
 Hall was a hawk among the doves of the Wesley family. 
 There was dislike, and there was also a reasonable suspicion. 
 A sort of truce existed ; but it was hollow and uncertain. 
 Samuel Wesley regarded Hall as a smooth-tongued hypo- 
 crite, and evidently thought his sister Kezziah had made a 
 great mistake in making the house of Hall her domicile. 
 Charles Wesley was equally dissatisfied, as is evident from 
 his Latin quotation ; and, yet, ten weeks after writing thus, 
 he went to Hall's himself, as a friendly visitor, and spent a 
 week with the reverend coquet, and with his " sisters, Patt 
 and Kez."^ Indeed, a few months afterwards, Mrs. Wesley, 
 the widow, who had taken up her residence at the house of 
 her son Samuel, at Tiverton, removed to Hall's at Wootton- 
 Rivers, where, on August 5, 1737, she wrote : — 
 
 " Mr. Hall and his wife are very good to me. He behaves like a 
 gentleman and a Christian ; and my daughter with as much duty and 
 tenderness as can be expressed." - 
 
 Shortly after this, Westley Hall seems to have removed to 
 Salisbury. Hence the following entry in Charles Wesley's 
 Journal : — 
 
 " 1737, December 29. I supped in Salisbury, at my brother Hall's." 
 
 In 1739, he came to London. In a letter, to her son 
 Samuel, dated "March 8, 1739, Mrs. Wesley writes : — 
 
 " I have been informed, that, Mr. Hall intends to remove his family to 
 London, hath taken a house, and I must (if it please God I live) go with 
 them." 3 
 
 ^ C. Wesley's Journal, vol. i., p. 69. 
 ^ Clarke's Wesley Family, vol. ii., p. 106. * Ibid., p. no. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 393 
 
 Here he associated with Wesley and his brother, and, like 
 them, was soon involved in the Moravian squabbles. A 
 "famous French Prophetess," of the name of Lavington, 
 sprang up among them, who, at one of their meetings, on 
 June 7, 1739, asked, "Can a man attain perfection here?" 
 Charles Wesley answered, " No." The Prophetess began 
 groaning. Charles turned and said, " If you have anything 
 to speak, speak it." She lifted up her voice, like the lady on 
 the tripod, and cried out vehemently, " Look for perfection ; 
 I say, absolute perfection !" Charles writes : — 
 
 " I was minded to rebuke her ; but God gave me uncommon recollec- 
 tion, and command of spirit, so that, I sat quiet, and replied not. I 
 offered, at last, to sing, which she allowed, but did not join. Bray pressed 
 me to stay, and hear her pray. They knelt ; I stood. She prayed most 
 pompously. I durst not say, Amen. She concluded with a horrible, 
 hellish laugh ; and showed violent displeasure against our baptized Qua- 
 ker, saying, ' God had showed her, He would destroy all outward things." 
 
 On the three following days, Charles Wesley took the 
 depositions of certain parties. " concerning her lewd life and 
 conversation;" read the account to the Society; and warned 
 his friends against her. On June 12th, at another of their 
 meetings, she again appeared. Charles remarks : — 
 
 " She flew upon us like a tigress; tried to outface me; and insisted, 
 that, she was immediately inspired. I prayed. She cried, ' The devil was 
 in me. I was a fool, a blockhead, a blind leader of the blind.' She 
 roared outrageously ; said, it was the hon in her. (True ; but not the 
 Lion of Judah.) She would come to the Society in spite of me: if not, 
 they would all go down. I asked, ' Who is on God's side ? Who for the 
 old Prophets rather than the new ? Let them follow me.' They followed 
 me into the preaching room. I prayed, and expounded the lesson with 
 extraordinary power." 
 
 The next day, the two Wesleys, with their brother-in-law, 
 Westley Hall, met the Society, and discussed "the Prophetess's 
 affair." Charles Wesley says, — 
 
 " Bray and Bowers were much humbled. All agreed to disown the 
 prophetess. Brother Hall proposed expelling Shaw and Wolf. We con- 
 sented, nefn. con., that, their names should be erased out of the Society- 
 book, because they disowned themselves members of the Church of 
 England." 
 
 Thus we find Westley Hall employed in silencing the pro- 
 
394 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 fanities of a half-crazed woman, and expelling men from a 
 religious society, because they would not acknowledge them- 
 selves to be members of the Established Church. 
 
 It is not known in what church Hall officiated during- his 
 residence in London ; but there is one circumstance connected 
 with his ministry while here, too interesting to be omitted. 
 At this period, the great themes of the preaching and of the 
 conversation of Wesley and his brother were their newly found 
 doctrines of Justification by Faith only, the Witness of the 
 Spirit, and the New Birth. For many a long year, Susannah 
 Wesley had been one of the most Christian women then 
 living ; but her sons' doctrine of the Witness of the Spirit was 
 one of which she had scarcely ever heard. Now, however, at 
 the age of seventy, and only three years before her death, she 
 obtained the blessing for herself, and obtained it under the 
 ministry of Westley Hall. Wesley writes : — 
 
 "1739, Septembers. I talked largely with my mother, who told me, 
 that, till a short time since, she had scarce heard such a thing mentioned 
 as the having God's Spirit bearing witness with our spirit : much less did 
 she imagine, that, this was the common privilege of all true believers, 
 ' Therefore,' said she, ' I never durst ask it for myself- But two or three 
 weeks ago, while my son Hall was pronouncing those words, in delivering 
 the cup to me, — The blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was given for 
 thee, — the words struck my heart, and 1 knew, God, for Christ's sake, had 
 forgiven me all my sins.' " 
 
 Westley Hall, though a clergyman of the Established 
 Church, continued to attend the Moravian meetings ; and, to 
 his credit, it ought to be recorded, that, for a time at least, he 
 withstood the Moravian heresies. Charles Wesley writes : — 
 
 " 1740, May 14. I found Mr. Hall at Fetter Lane, asking them, whether 
 they would try their spirits by the Word, or the Word by their spirits. I 
 enforced the question, which they strove to evade. Rabbi Button ^ for- 
 bade their answering me. I warned the few remaining brethren to 
 beware of the leaven of stillness; showed them the delusion of those who 
 had cast off the ordinances, and confined the faith to themselves only; I 
 foretold the dreadful consequences of their enthusiasm ; set the case of 
 Gregor before their eyes ; besought, entreated, conjured them not to 
 renounce the means, or deny the Lord that bought them; read a letter 
 
 ^ James Hutton, the publisher, — an early friend of the Wesleys, and 
 one of the principal Moravians in England. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 395 
 
 from one who had been strongly tempted to leave off the Sacrament, but, 
 in receiving, was powerfully convinced that her dissuader was the devil, 
 Hodges, Hall, and Howel Harris confirmed my words. Others were 
 hereby em.boldened to bear their testimony to the divine ordinances. By 
 the strength of the Lord, we have stood between the living and the dead; 
 and the pkigue, we trust, is stayed." 
 
 Fickleness was one of Westley Hall's characteristic faults. 
 Within a twelvemonth after this resistance of the Moravian 
 stilbiess, he himself adopted it, and argued against the two 
 Wesleys, that, "silent prayer, and quiet waiting for God, was 
 the only possible wa,y to attain living, saving faith." ^ 
 
 Still, Hall and the Wesley brothers continued to be on 
 friendly terms ; so much so, that, when Whitefield and 
 Wesley quarrelled respecting the doctrine of " Free Grace," 
 and Whitefield declared his intention to attack Wesley and 
 his brother wherever he went, Westley Hall assumed the 
 office of peace-maker, waited upon Whitefield, and reminded 
 him of a promise, he had made, " that, whatever his private 
 opinion was, he would never publicly preach against" them.^ 
 This, however, was not of long duration. At the close of 
 1739, Wesley took possession of "The Foundry," which he 
 fitted up as a place for preaching and the meetings of his 
 London Society. Here, he, also, opened a day-school for the 
 children of the poor ; and, over the band-room, there were 
 apartments, occupied by his mother and himself. Here, the 
 Stewards and Leaders met to receive and distribute money, 
 and to manage the general affairs of the London Methodists. 
 Westley Hall seems to have held some sort of office at the 
 Foundry ; and he began, during Wesley's absence in the 
 north, to be treacherous to Wesley himself, as, seven years 
 before, he had been to Wesley's sister Kezziah. Wesley 
 writes : — 
 
 " 1742, Sunday, October 31. Several of the leaders desired to have an 
 hour's conversation with me. I found, they were greatly perplexed about 
 ' want of management, ill-husbandry, encouraging idleness, improper dis- 
 tribution of money,' ' being imposed upon by fair pretences,' and ' men 
 who talked well, but had no grace in their hearts.' I asked, who those 
 
 ' Wesley's Works, vol. i., p. 279. 
 2 Ibid., p. 286. 
 
396 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 men were ; but that they could not tell. Who encouraged idleness ; when 
 and how; what money had been improperly distributed; by whom, and to 
 whom ; in what instances I had been imposed upon (as I presumed they 
 meant me) ; and what were the particulars of that ill-husbandry and 
 mismanagement of which they complained. They stared at one another 
 as men in amaze. I began to be amazed too, not being able to imagine 
 what was the matter, till one dropped a word, by which all came out. 
 They had been talking with Mr. Hall, who had started so many ob- 
 jections against all I said or did, that, they were in the utmost conster- 
 nation, till the fire thus broke out, which then at once vanished away." 
 
 Wesley's mother had died in the Foundry three months 
 previous to this disclosure ; and Wesley had invited Hall and 
 his wife (who had been bereaved of" several childrefi) to take 
 up their residence in his own humble dwelling. The follow- 
 ing letter, addressed to Mrs. Hall, refers to this and other 
 matters. 
 
 "Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Nov. 17, 1742. 
 
 " Dear Sister, — I believe the death of your children is a great 
 instance of the goodness of God towards you. You have often mentioned 
 to me how much of your time they took up. Now that time is restored to 
 you, and you have nothing to do but to serve the Lord without careful- 
 ness and without distraction, till you are sanctified in body, soul, and 
 spirit. 
 
 "As soon as I saw Mr, Hall, I invited him to stay at the Foundry; but 
 he desired I would have him excused. There is a strange inconsistency 
 in his tempers and sentiments with regard to me. The still brethren'^ 
 have gradually infused into him as much as they could of their own 
 contempt of me and my brother, and dislike of our whole method of 
 proceeding, which is as different from theirs as light from darkness. 
 Nay, they have blunderingly taught him to find fault even with my 
 economy and want of management both of my family and society. 
 Whereas, I know this is the peculiar talent which God has given me, 
 wherein (by His. grace) I am not behind the very chiefest of them. Not- 
 withstanding this, there remains in him something of his old regard for 
 me, which he had at Oxford ; and, by-and-by, it will prevail. He will 
 find out these wretched men, and the clouds will flee away. 
 
 " My belief is, that, the present design of God, is to visit the poor 
 desolate Church of England ; and, that, therefore, neither deluded Mr. 
 Gambold, nor any who leave it, will prosper. O pray for the peace of 
 Jerusalem. ' They shall prosper that love thee.' 
 
 " Mr. Hall has paid me for the books. I don't want any money of you ; 
 
 ' The Moravians. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 397 
 
 your love is sufficient. But write, as often and as largely as you can, to 
 your affectionate friend and brother, 
 
 " John Wesley." ^ 
 
 Not long after this, "poor Moravianized Mr. Hall," as 
 Charles Wesley calls him, seems to have removed to Salis- 
 bury, and there to have occupied a chapel, and set up a 
 Society of his own, which his wife refused to join. Charles 
 Wesley writes : — 
 
 "1743, August II. From ten to two, I got with my sister Hall in 
 Salisbury. She stands alone. Every soul of her husband's Society has 
 forsaken the ordinances of God ; for which reason she refuses to belong 
 to it." 
 
 Westley Hall was now an avowed Dissenter. His wife 
 objected to leave the Church of her venerable father. Her 
 husband's disciples jeered her ; and, before long, her husband 
 himself committed against her the most cruel wrongs. An- 
 other extract from Charles Wesley's Journal will be useful. 
 On his way from London to Bristol, he wrote : — 
 
 " 1745, June 19. Three miles on this side Salisbury, a still sister came 
 out to meet, and try her skill upon, me. But, alas ! it was labour lost ! I 
 knew the happy sitiner. and all her paces. I found my sister as a rock 
 in the midst of waves. Mr. Hall's Society had all left the Church, and 
 mocked and persecuted her for not leaving it. Many pressed me to 
 preach ; but I answered them, ' My heart was not free to it.' At four, I 
 set out with my sister ; and reached Bristol in the afternoon of the next 
 day." 
 
 Six months after this. Hall, not satisfied with his dissenting 
 success at Salisbury, used his utmost endeavours to make 
 converts of the two Wesley brothers. To John Wesley he 
 wrote a long letter, earnestly pressing him and his brother 
 ** to renounce the Church of England." Hall's letter is lost ; 
 but Wesley's answer exists, and is too important to be 
 omitted. It exhibits the ground taken by Hall, and shows 
 the position and difficulties of some, at least, of the Oxford 
 Methodists. 
 
 " December 30, 1 745. 
 " Dear Brother, — Now you act the part of a friend. It has long 
 been our desire, that, you would speak freely. And we will do the same. 
 What we know not yet, may God reveal to us ! 
 
 ' Clarke's Wesley Family, vol. ii., p. 338. 
 
398 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 " You think, First, that, we undertake to defend some things, which are 
 not defejisible by the Word of God. You instance three: on each of 
 which we will explain ourselves as clearly as we can. 
 
 " I. ' That, the validity of our ministry depends on a succession sup- 
 posed to be from the Apostles, and a commission derived from the Pope 
 of Roine., and his successors or dependents.^ 
 
 " We believe, it would not be right for us to administer, either Baptism 
 or the Lord's Supper, unless we had a commission so to do from those 
 Bishops, whom we apprehend to be in a succession from the Apostles. 
 And, yet, we allow, these Bishops are the successors of those, who are 
 dependent on the Bishop of Rome. But, we would be glad to know, on 
 what reasons you believe this to be inconsistent with the Word of God. 
 
 "2. 'That, there is ?in outward Priesthood, SixiA consequently 2iX\ out- 
 ward Sacrifice, ordained and offered by the Bishop of Rome, and his 
 successors or dependents, in the Church of England, as vicars and vice- 
 gerents of Christ.' 
 
 " We believe there is and always was, in every Christian Church 
 (whether dependent on the Bishop of Rome or not) an outward Priesthood 
 ordained by Jesus Christ, and an outward Sacrifice offered therein, by 
 men authorized to act, as Ambassadors of Christ, and Stewards of the 
 mysteries of God. On what grounds do you believe, that, Christ has 
 abolished that Priesthood or Sacrifice ? 
 
 "3. ' That, this Papai Hierarchy and P/r^zri/, which stiir continues in 
 the Church of England, is of Apostolical Institution, and authorized 
 thereby ; though not by the written Word.' 
 
 " We believe, that, the threefold order of ministers, (which you seem 
 to mean by Papal Hierarchy and Prelacy^ is not only authorized by its 
 Apostolical Institution, but also by the written Word. Yet, we are 
 willing to hear and weigh whatever reasons induce you to believe to the 
 contrary. 
 
 "You think, Secondly, ' That, we ourselves give up some things as 
 indefensible, which are defended by the same law and authority, that 
 establish the things above mentioned : such as are many of the Laws, 
 Ctistoms, and Practices of the Ecclesiastical Courts' 
 
 "We allow, I. That, those Laws, Customs, and Practices are really 
 indefensible ; 2. That, there are Acts of Parliament, in defence of them ; 
 and also of the threefold order. But, will you show us, how it follows, 
 either, i. that, those things and these stand or fall together ? Or, 2. 
 that, we cannot sincerely plead for the one, though ^q give up the other.? 
 Do you not here quite overlook one circumstance, which might be a key 
 to our whole behaviour ? Namely, that, we no more look upon those 
 filthy abuses, which adhere to our Church, as pa7'ts of the building; than 
 we look upon any filth which may adhere to the walls of Westminster 
 Abbey, as a part of that structure. 
 
 " You think. Thirdly, ' That, there are other things which we defend 
 and practise, in open contradiction to the Orders of the Church of Eng- 
 land. And this you judge to be a jtist exception against the sincerity oi 
 OMx professions to adhere to it.' 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 399 
 
 " Compare what we profess with what wo. practise, and you will possibly 
 be of another judgment. We profess, i. That, we will obey all the laws 
 of that Church, (such we allow the Rubrics to be, but not the Customs of 
 the Ecclesiastical Courts,) so far as we can with a safe conscience. 2. 
 That, we will obey, with the same restriction, the Bishops, as executors of 
 those laivs. But their bare will, distinct from those laws, we do not 
 profess to obey at all. Now point out, What is there in our practice, 
 which is an open contradiction to these professions ? 
 
 "Is Field-Preaching ? Not at all. It is contrary to no law, which we 
 profess to obey. 
 
 " The allowing Lay-Preachers ? We are not clear, that, this is contrary 
 to any such law. But, if it is, this is one of the exempt cases; one 
 wherein we cannot obey with a safe conscience. Therefore, (be it right 
 or wrong on other accounts,) it is however no just exception against our 
 sincerity. 
 
 " The Rules and Directions given to our Societies ? which, you say, is a 
 discipline utterly fo7-bidden by the Bishops, When and where did any 
 Bishopy27;-<5zV/ this ? And if any did, by what law ? We know not either 
 the man who ever rt'/^/ forbid, or the law by which he cotild {ox\i\^ it. 
 
 " The allowing persons (for we require none) to communicate at the 
 chapel, in contradiction, (you think,) to all those Rubrics, which require 
 all to attend always, on their own pai'ish church and pastor, and to 
 receive only at his table ? 
 
 " Which Rubrics are those ? We cannot find them. And, till these 
 are produced, all that is so frequently said oi parochial unity, etc., is 
 merely gratis dictum. Consequently, neither is this any just exception 
 against the sincerity of any of our professions. 
 
 "John Wesley." ^ 
 
 This long, but sententiously expressed letter is of consider- 
 able importance. It contains the arguments employed by 
 Hall to induce Wesley and his brother to renounce their con- 
 nection with the Church of England ; and it shows, that, 
 notwithstanding the novel steps that Wesley had taken 
 during the last half a dozen years, he still, in some respects, 
 belonged to the High-Church clergy, and believed in the 
 popish figment of apostolical succession, and could talk of 
 the " ouHvard Sacrifice " offered in the Church. 
 
 Hall failed to convert Wesley to his Dissenting principles ; 
 and equally failed to persuade him to abandon out-door 
 preaching, the employment of lay-evangelists, and the ad- 
 ministration of the sacraments in unconsecrated chapels. 
 The two old friends were not yet finally separated ; but they 
 
 ^ Wesley's Journal, ist edition. 
 
400 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 had no confidence in each other. A few months after the 
 date of the above letter, Wesley wrote as follows : — 
 
 "1746. July 20. I set out for Salisbury, where, to my utter amaze- 
 ment, Mr. Hall desired me to preach. Was his motive only, to grace his 
 own cause ? Or rather, was this the last gasp of expiring love ?" 
 
 The last gasp of expiring love it proved. In a little more 
 than a year afterwards, Hall infamously deserted his wife 
 and family. From a letter, published in the Gentlonans 
 Magazine, and dated " Salisbury, October 30, 1747," we 
 learn, that, " by an uncommon appearance of sanctity, joined 
 with indefatigable labour in field and house preaching," he 
 had drawn "multitudes of the meaner sort, both of Dissenters 
 and the Established Church, to attend him. And, though 
 he had continually advanced the grossest absurdities, both in 
 his preaching and Avritings,^ yet, he so bewitched his followers, 
 that, his words had greater weight with them than the words 
 of Christ and His Apostles." The writer continues, — 
 
 " Last Wednesday, he took formal leave of his corrupted flock, and 
 had the impudence to justify his infamous conduct from the case of 
 Elkanah, (i Sam. i. i, 2), which he largely expounded. On Friday morn- 
 ing, he set out for London, having first stripped his wife, (a virtuous 
 woman by whom he has had several children,) of all her childbed linen, 
 and whatever he could readily convert into money, leaving her in the 
 deepest distress. The fire of jealousy has broken out in many families; 
 where wives or daughters were his followers." 
 
 At the time of this disgraceful occurrence, Charles Wesley 
 was in Ireland ; but John, with as little delay as possible, 
 hastened to the desolate home of his forsaken sister, where 
 he wrote : — 
 
 " From the concurrent account of many witnesses, who spoke no more 
 than they personally knew, I now learned as much as is hitherto brought 
 to light concerning the fall of poor Mr. Hall. Twelve years ago, he was, 
 without all question, filled with faith and the love of God. He was a 
 pattern of humility, meekness, seriousness, and, above all, of self- 
 
 ^ It is difficult to say what is meant by the word " writings." Does it 
 refer to some newspaper correspondence .'* Or to published sermons, 
 tracts, or pamphlets .'' I have never met with anything published by 
 Westley Hall himself; or heard of anything except a poetical epistle to 
 his son, mentioned hereafter; and his sermon, preached at Salisbury, in 
 defence of polygamy. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 401 
 
 denial; so that, in all England, I knew not his fellow. It were easy to 
 point out the several steps, whereby he fell from his steadfastness ; even 
 till he fell into a course of adultery, yea, and avowed it in the face of the 
 
 Wesley wrote to the miserable delinquent the following 
 long, faithful, and Christian letter, in which "the several 
 steps, whereby he fell from his steadfastness" are enumerated. 
 
 " London, December 22, 1 747. 
 
 " Dear Brother,— i. When you were at Oxford with me, fourteen 
 or fifteen years ago, you were holy and unblamable in all manner of 
 conversation. I greatly rejoiced in the grace of God, which was given 
 unto you, which was often a blessing to my own soul. Yet, even then, 
 you had frequently starts of thought, which were not of God, though they 
 at first appeared so to be. But you were humble and teachable: you 
 were easily convinced, and those imaginations vanished away 
 
 "2. More than twelve years ago, you told me, God had revealed it 
 to you, that you should marry my youngest sister. I was much surprised, 
 being well assured that you were able to receive our Lord's saying, (so you 
 had continually testified,) and to be an 'eunuch for the kingdom of heaven's 
 sake.' But, you vehemently affirmed, the thing was of God ; you were 
 certain it was His will. God had made it plain to you, that, you must 
 marry, and, that, she was the very person. You asked, and gained her 
 consent, and fixed the circumstances relating thereto. 
 
 "3. Hence, I date your fall. Here were several faults in one. You 
 leaned altogether to your own understanding, not consulting either me, 
 who was then the guide of your soul, or the parents of your intended wife, 
 till you had settled the whole affair. And while you followed the voice of 
 nature, you said it was the voice of God. 
 
 " 4. In a few days, you had a counter revelation, that, you were not 
 to marry her, but her sister. This last error was far worse than the first. 
 But, you were now quite above conviction. So, in spite of her poor, 
 astonished parent, of her brothers, of all your vows and promises, you 
 shortly after jilted the younger, and married the elder sister. The other, 
 who had honoured you as an angel from heaven, and still loved you much 
 too well, (for you had stolen her heart from the God of her youth,) refused 
 to be comforted. She fell into a lingering illness, which terminated in 
 her death. And doth not her blood still cry unto God from the earth ? 
 Surely it is upon yoiir head. 
 
 " 5. Till this time, you were a pattern of lowliness, meekness, serious- 
 ness, and continual advertence to the presence of God ; and, above all, of 
 self-denial of every kind, and of suffering all things with joyfulness. But 
 there was now a worm at the root of the gourd. Yet, it did not presently 
 wither away ; but, for two years or more, after your marriage, you behaved 
 nearly the same as before. 
 
 " Then anger and surliness began to appear, particularly toward your 
 
 2 D 
 
402 Other Oxford Methodists. " 
 
 wife. But it was not long before you were sensible of this, and you seemed 
 to have conquered it. 
 
 " 6. You went up to London ten years ago. After this, you began 
 to speak on any head ; not with your usual diffidence and self-abasement, 
 but with a kind of confidence in your own judgment, and an air of self- 
 sufficiency. A natural consequence was, the treating with more sharpness 
 and contempt those who opposed either your judgment or practice. 
 
 " 7. You came to live at London. You then, for a season, appeared 
 to gain ground again. You acted in concert with my brother and me ; 
 heard our advice, and sometimes followed it. But, this continued only 
 till you contracted a fresh acquaintance with some of the Brethren of 
 Fetter Lane. Henceforward, you were quite shut up to us ; we had no 
 manner of influence over you. You were more and more prejudiced 
 against us, and would receive nothing which we said. 
 
 " 8. About six years ago, you removed to Salisbury, and began a society 
 there. For a year or two, you went with them to church and sacrament, 
 and simply preached faith working by love. God was with you, and they 
 increased both in number, and in the knowledge and love of God. 
 
 "About four years since, you broke off all friendship with us. You 
 would not so much as make use of our hymns, either in public or private ; 
 but laid them quite aside, and took the German Hymn-book in their 
 stead. 
 
 "You would not willingly suffer any of your people to read anything which 
 we wrote. You angrily caught one of my sermons out of your servant's 
 hand, saying, you would have no such books read in your house. In much 
 the same manner, you spoke to Mrs. Whitemarsh, when you found her 
 reading one of the " Appeals." So that, as far as in you lay, you fixed a 
 great gulf between us and you, which remains to this day, notwithstand- 
 ing a few steps lately made towards a re-union. 
 
 " About the same time, you left off going to church, as well as to 
 the sacrament. Your followers very soon trod in your steps ; and, not 
 content with neglecting the ordinances of God, they began, after your 
 example, to despise them, and all that continued to use them, speaking 
 with equal contempt of the public service, of private prayer, of baptism, 
 and of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 " From this time, also, you began to espouse and teach many un- 
 common opinions : as, that, there is no resurrection of the body; that, 
 there is no general judgment to come ; and, that, there is no hell, no worm 
 that never dieth, no fire that never shall be quenched. 
 
 " 9. Your seriousness and advertence to the presence of God, now, 
 declined daily. You could talk on anything or nothing, just as others did. 
 You could break a jest, or laugh at it heartily; and, as for fasting, absti- 
 nence, and self-denial, you, with the Moravians, trampled it under foot. 
 
 In an interjected note, Wesley says, — 
 
 " In the following paragraphs, I recited to him the things he had done 
 with regard to more than one, or two, or three women, concluding 
 thus : — 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 403 
 
 " And now you know not that you have done anything amiss ! You 
 can eat and drink and be merry ! You are every day engaged with 
 variety of company, and frequent the coffee houses ! Alas, my brother, 
 what is this ? How are you above measure hardened by the deceitfulness 
 of sin? Do you remember the story of Santon Barsisa ? I pray God, 
 your last end may not be like his ! Oh, how you have grieved the Spirit 
 of God ! Return to Him with weeping, fasting, and mourning. You are 
 in the very belly of hell ; only the pit hath not shut its mouth upon you. 
 Arise, thou sleeper, and call upon thy God ! Perhaps, He may yet 
 be found.' Because He still bears with me, I cannot despair iox you. But 
 you have not a moment to lose. May God, this instant, strike you to the 
 heart, that you may feel His wrath abiding on you, and have no rest 
 in your bones, by reason of your sin, till all your iniquities are done 
 away." 
 
 " John Wesley." 
 
 What success attended Wesley's honest letter ">. Hall had 
 left his wife at the end of October, 1747. Three months 
 afterwards, he had returned to Salisbury ; and Wesley, on his 
 way to Bristol, resolved to call on him. He writes : — 
 
 " 1 748. January 26. 
 " Mr. Hall, having heard I was coming, had given strict orders, that no 
 one should let me in. The inner door he had locked himself, and, I sup- 
 pose, taken away the key. Yet, when I knocked at the outer gate, which was 
 locked also, William Sims opened the wicket. I walked straight in. A 
 girl stood in the gateway, but turned as soon as she saw me. I followed 
 close at her heels, and went in after her at a back door. I asked the maid, 
 * Where is Mr. Hall ?' She said, ' In the parlour,' and went in to him. I 
 followed her, and found him sitting with my sister, but he presently rose 
 and went up-stairs. He then sent William Sims down, and bid him, ' Tell 
 my brother he has no business in my house.' After a few minutes, I went 
 to a house in the town, and my sister came to me. In about an hour, she 
 returned home ; but he sent word to the gate, she might go to the place 
 whence she came. I met a Httle company, gathered up out of the wreck, 
 both in the evening, and at five in the morning, and exhorted them to go 
 on in the Bible way, and not to be wise above that is written." 
 
 Having thus failed in his attempt to reason with Westley 
 Hall, and having tried to be of use to a mere handful of 
 the best of the faithless man's followers, Wesley, two days 
 afterwards, went on his way to Bristol. 
 
 Things grew worse and worse. Hall's first female victim was 
 a young woman, employed in his house as a seamstress. Other 
 infidelities followed ; until, at length, his much- enduring wife 
 was driven from him. The man became a professed poly- 
 
404 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 gamist Life at home became intolerable to " poor Patty ; " 
 and, even when she fled from the husband, who had become a 
 monster and a brute, again and again she and her brothers 
 were harassed by his following her. The following are ex- 
 tracts from her brother Charles's Journal : — 
 
 " 1750, Aiigust 13. — I met my sister Hall in the churchyard," (Bristol) 
 "and carried her to the room. I had begun preaching, when Mr. Hall 
 walked up the room, and through the desk, and carried her off with him. 
 I was somewhat disturbed ; yet went on. 
 
 " Atigust i5.^He came up again, calling me by my name. I fled, and 
 he pursued ; but could not find me in my lurking place. 
 
 "175 1. June 4. — Instead of proceeding in Ezekiel, I expounded" 
 (at Bristol) " Hebrew x. 34 : ' Now the just shall live by faith ; but, if he 
 draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him.' I saw the reason with 
 Mr. Hall. He came up toward the desk. Mr. Hamilton stopped him. 
 I gave out a hymn. He sang louder than us all. .1 spoke sharply of his 
 apostasy, and prayed earnestly for him ; desired their prayers for me, lest, 
 after preaching to others, I myself, also, should be a castaway. He 
 walked away, turned back, threatened. The people were all in tears, and 
 agony of prayer." 
 
 There is something horrible in such a scene as this. Westley 
 Hall was "now a settled Deist ;^'^ and, yet, here we find him, 
 with stentorian lustiness, and in mockery, singing, in the midst 
 of a disturbed congregation, one of Charles Wesley's Christian 
 hymns. The man seemed to be abandoned by his God, and 
 left to his own corrupted passions. He is said to have thrown 
 off all restraint, and all regard to decency. He publicly and 
 privately recommended polygamy, as conformable to nature, 
 preached in its defence, and practised as he preached. For 
 years, he lived the life of an adventurer, and a profligate ; act- 
 ing sometimes as a physician, sometimes as a priest, or figured 
 away with his sword, cane, and scarlet cloak ; assuming any 
 character, according to his humour, or the convenience of the 
 day.^ 
 
 His wife had borne him ten children, nine of whom had 
 been interred at Salisbury. One of them, — Wesley Hall, — 
 still survived, and was being educated at the expense of 
 his uncles, John and Charles. At the age of fourteen, the 
 
 1 Wesley's Works, vol. ii., p. 214. 
 * Dove's Wesley Family. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 405 
 
 worse than fatherless boy was seized with small-pox, and 
 died. Dr. Adam Clarke says, he had seen "a folio printed 
 sheet, evidently the publication of Mr. Hall ;" entitled, " The 
 Art of Happiness ; or, the Right use of Reason : an Epistle to 
 Wesley Hall, Junior." "The whole," writes the Doctor, "is 
 a miserable Deistical address, strongly advising his son to 
 follow the dictates of his own nature, as the best way of 
 fulfilling the purposes of his Creator ! " 
 The following are the opening lines : — 
 
 " My son, my son, if e'er a parent's voice 
 Has power to warn, let this direct thy choice ; 
 Take reason's path, and mad opinions, leave, — 
 Reason is truth that never can deceive." 
 
 Declaiming against superstition and bigotry, and, perhaps, 
 shooting a shaft against the boy's uncles, — the two Wesleys, — 
 the profligate poet writes : — 
 
 " Inspired with frantic, false, fanatic zeal. 
 See, with what rage, they threat damnation, — hell, 
 To all who fair expose the wretched lies, 
 The frauds, the follies, falsehood, forgeries, 
 Of Romish fathers, councils, canons, schools. 
 Impostors' orders, monks' and madmen's rules." 
 
 Love, the universal passion, is eulogized as follows : — 
 
 " By thee inspired^ we learn each tuneful art, 
 To raise the passions, or improve the heart ; 
 The mystic union of the sounding strings. 
 The wondrous commerce of the seci-et springs, 
 Whence social joy, and sympathetic pain, 
 And friendship's force, and love's eternal reign. 
 ******* 
 With all the mighty charms by heaven designed, 
 To raise the bliss of every godlike mind. 
 In love concentring, from.that image bright, 
 The fairest mirror of th' Eternal light." 
 
 " He concludes," says Dr. Clarke, " his ungodly advices to 
 his godly son, in these words : — 
 
 " Instructed thus, may'st thou a temple raise. 
 More glorious far than that of ancient days ; 
 The work of wisdom, and of virtue fair. 
 With strength and beauty built beyond compare ; 
 
4o6 Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 By reason's perfect rule, and nature's scale, 
 Which God's whole order may to man reveal ; 
 Where all things tend, and whence they all began, 
 Of His machinery the wondrous plan." 
 
 The date of the death of the last of Hall's legitimate 
 offspring has not been recorded ; but his memory was 
 embalmed, and his father's gibbeted, by his uncle, Charles 
 Wesley, in a poetical pamphlet, entitled " Funeral Hymns," 
 published in 1759, pp. 70. The tenth of these hymns is 
 devoted entirely to the son, and is exquisitely beautiful ; the 
 eleventh is a withering invective against the apostate father. 
 The following is a copy : — 
 
 " Rest, happy saint, with God secure, 
 Lodged in the bosom of the Lamb ; 
 Thy joy is full, thy state is sure, 
 
 Through all eternity the same ; 
 The heavenly doors have shut thee in. 
 The mighty gulf is fixed between. 
 
 " Thy God forbade the son to bear 
 
 The father's wickedness below : 
 
 And O ! thou canst not suffer there 
 
 His foul reproach, his guilty woe. 
 
 His fearful doom thou canst not feel. 
 
 Or fall, like him, from heaven to hell. 
 
 " That tender sense of infant grace, 
 
 (Extinct in him,) which dwelt in thee, 
 
 Nor sin, nor Satan can efface : 
 From pain and grief for ever free. 
 
 Thou canst not now his fall deplore. 
 
 Or pray for one that prays no more. 
 
 " Yet may thy last expiring prayer. 
 For a lost parent's soul, prevail. 
 And move the God of love to spare. 
 
 To' arrest him, at the mouth of hell : 
 O God of love, Thine ear incline, 
 And save a soul that once was Thine ! 
 
 " Thou didst his heaven-born spirit draw. 
 Thou didst his child-like heart inspire. 
 And fill with love's profoundest awe ; 
 
 Though now inflamed with hellish fire. 
 He dares Thy favourite Son blaspheme. 
 And hates the God that died for him. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 407 
 
 " Commissioned by the dying God, 
 
 Blessed with a powerful ministry, 
 The world he pointed to Thy blood. 
 
 And turned whole multitudes to Thee ; 
 Others he saved, himself a prey 
 To hell, an hopeless castaway. 
 
 " Murderer of souls, Thou knowest, he lives, 
 (Poor souls for whom Thyself hast died,) 
 
 His dreadful punishment receives. 
 And bears the mark of sullen pride ; 
 
 And furious usts his losom tear, 
 
 And the dire worm of sad despair. 
 
 " Condemned, like haggard Cain, to rove, 
 
 By Satan and himself pursued, 
 Apostate from redeeming love. 
 
 Abandoned to the curse of God ; 
 Thou hear'st the vagabond complain, 
 Loud howling, while he bites his chain. 
 
 " But O, Thou righteous God, how long 
 
 Shall Thy vindictive anger last .-' 
 Canst Thou not yet forgive the wrong, 
 
 Bid all his penal woes be past ? 
 All power, all mercy as Thou art, 
 O break his adamantine heart ! 
 
 " Before the yawning cavern close 
 
 Its mouth on its devoted prey. 
 Thou, who hast died to save Thy foes. 
 
 Thy death's omnipotence display ; 
 And snatch from that eternal fire. 
 And let him in Thy arms expire." 
 
 It would be an odious task to relate all the details of 
 Westley Hall's sad apostasy. Suffice to say, that he, at 
 length, went off to the West Indies with one of his concu- 
 bines, lived there with her till she died, and then returned 
 to England, where, professing penitential sorrow, he was cor- 
 dially received by his incomparable wife, who showed him 
 every Christian attention till his death, which took place at 
 Bristol, on January 3, 1776 ; some of his last words being, "I 
 have injured an angel ! an angel that never reproached me !" 
 Wesley writes : — 
 
 " 1776, January 2 — Tuesday. I set out early" from London, "and came 
 just time enough not to see, but to bury poor Mr. Hall, my brother-in- 
 
4o8 Othei^ Oxford Methodists. 
 
 law, who died^on Wednesday morning, I trust, in peace ; for God had 
 given him deep repentance. Such another monument of Divine mercy, 
 considering how low he had fallen, and from what height of holiness, 
 I have not seen, no, not in seventy years ! I had designed to visit 
 him in the morning ; but he did not stay for my coming. It is enough, 
 if, after all his wanderings, we meet again in Abraham's bosom." 
 
 " Rcqidescat in pace !'' And yet, justice demands that a 
 word more be added. The fact cannot be denied, that, in 
 many instances, the faults of husbands may be traced to the 
 tempers, frailties, and follies of their wives. A bad wife 
 often makes a good husband bad. Was this the fact in the 
 case of Westley Hall } Did the man who, at Oxford, was so 
 pre-eminently holy, become a licentious infidel through the 
 misbehaviour of his wife } This is not a memoir of " Patty " 
 Hall ; but to be entirely silent concerning her might create 
 suspicion, that, she was not unblamable in her connubial 
 life. Hence, even at the expense of returning to the dung- 
 hill of Westley Hall's disgusting wickedness, a few more facts 
 must be stated. 
 
 Assuming Martha Wesley to have been aware, that, 
 Westley Hall had proposed marriage to her sister Kezziah, 
 and had jilted her, it was a huge, seriously censurable 
 imprudence for her to become his wife ; but that being said, 
 there is not another fact to be told against her. What was 
 her behaviour to one of the worst of husbands .'' 
 
 The seduction of the seamstress has been already men- 
 tioned. Mrs. Hall knew nothing of her husband's criminality 
 till the poor girl actually fell in labour. Hall had gone from 
 home ; his wife instantly ordered her other servants to 
 call in a doctor. • The servants refused. She remonstrated 
 with them on their inhumanity. They completed her surprise 
 by telling her the seamstress was in labour through her crimi- 
 nal connection with their master. The poor wife was terribly 
 wounded ; but the life of her husband's paramour was in 
 danger. The servants refused to stir, and she herself had to 
 bring in a midwife. Her purse contained six pounds. Five 
 of these she gave to a neighbour to look after the adulterous 
 young mother ; with the other pound, she went off to seek her 
 worthless husband, who had designedly gone to London ; mildly 
 told him what had happened, and actually persuaded him to 
 
O titer Oxford Methodists. 409 
 
 return to Salisbury as soon as the young woman and her child 
 could be removed to another dwelling. 
 
 Another instance must be given. One day, Hall had the 
 shameful inhumanity to bring home one of his illegitimate 
 infants, and to order his wife to take charge of it. Will 
 it be believed, that " Patty " actually brought out her cradle, 
 placed the bastard babe in it, and continued to perform for it 
 all that its helplessness required ! 
 
 Was the woman demented .-' or a good-tempered silly 
 fool, without any self-respect, and without the least idea of 
 what was due unto hejself .'' Not so ; but just the opposite. 
 As a proof of this, the following may be given : — - 
 
 While nursing tlie illegitimate child just mentioned, her 
 own charming boy, Wesley Hall, displeased his father, who 
 had as little government of his temper as of his passions. In 
 a rage, the father thrust his son into a dark closet, and locked 
 him up. The poor boy was terrified, to distraction. His 
 mother, with her usual calmness, desired her husband to 
 release the child. He refused. She entreated ; but he was 
 resolute. " Sir," said she, at length thoroughly aroused ; 
 " Sir, thank the grace of God,, that, while my child is thus 
 cruelly treated, suffering to distraction a punishment he has 
 not m.erited, I had not turned your babe out of the cradle ; 
 but now I demand, that you will immediately unlock the 
 closet and release the child, or, if you refuse, I myself will 
 do it." The miserable poltroon succumbed, and the little 
 prisoner regained his liberty. There was more in this than 
 female firmness. Caitiff as he was, Hall had exercised the 
 authority of a father, and his wife did her utmost not to 
 set aside that authority ; wishing, with true philosophy, that 
 the lips which had pronounced the sentence might pronounce 
 also its repeal. The woman, taking and maintaining this 
 position, was the very opposite of a senseless, insipid house- 
 hold drudge, without either mind or manners,, a very slave to 
 some selfish brute who unfortunately rules over her. 
 
 If " Patty " Wesley, — we are reluctant to call her " Patty " 
 Hall, — erred at all, it was on the side of fidelity to her worth- 
 less husband, and of kindness to his wretched niistresses. " How 
 could you give money to your husband's concubine } " asked 
 her brother Charles. " I knew," she answered, " that / could 
 
4IO Other Oxford Methodists. 
 
 obtain what I wanted from many ; but she, poor hapless 
 creature, could not. Pity is due to the wicked, the good 
 claim esteem. Besides, I did not act as a luoman, but 
 as a Christian." 
 
 Notwithstanding all her bad treatment, this incomparable 
 wife was never heard to speak of her husband- but with kind- 
 ness. Two extracts from her letters will show both her 
 feelings and good sense, under circumstances the most trying 
 to a female mind : — • 
 
 '' Being convinced, that, I cannot possibly oblige you any longer, by 
 anything I can say or do, I have determined to rid you of so useless a 
 burden, as soon as it shall please God to give me an opportunity. If you 
 have so much humanity left for a wife, who has Hved so many years 
 with you, as to allow anything toward a maintenance, I will thank you." 
 
 " I conjure you to tell what fatal delusion could make me offend a per- 
 son whom, of all creatures upon earth, I desired most to please. I shall 
 be exceedingly obliged to you, if you will be so good as to satisfy me 
 in this particular. But, be that as it may, whether you think fit to grant 
 or deny my request, one thing I must inform you of, which is, that, I never 
 can, so long as I am in my senses, wilfully bring any evil upon you. No, 
 death itself does not appear so shocking to me, as endeavouring to lay you 
 under any other obligation than those of conscience and honour. For 
 which reason, I design to put myself again absolutely in your power. If 
 you make a kind use of that power, I shall thank God and you. If not, 
 the time is very short that I can stay on this side the grave ; and in the 
 same sentiments that I have lived, I trust, it will be given me to die." 
 
 It is hardly necessary to give further details of this memor- 
 able woman. Enough has been said, to show, that, Westley 
 Hall's infamous behaviour was not owing to the character or 
 conduct of his wife. We only add an extract from a manu- 
 script, now before us, written by her niece, Miss Sarah 
 Wesley, with whom she lived on the most loving and 
 confidential terms. Miss Wesley, daughter of Charles, ob- 
 serves : — 
 
 " Dr. Johnson was an early friend of hers ; to her my father owed his 
 acquaintance with the Doctor, and I, the honour of his favour. I used to 
 accompany her to Bolt Court, and had the privilege of hearing their dis- 
 course. 
 
 " Her whole character was eminent for magnanimity and tenderness. 
 When her unfortunate husband contended for the lawfulness of polygamy, 
 and acted on his erroneous principles, in all her expostulations, she never 
 lost her command of language, or gave him a reproachful word. 
 
Other Oxford Methodists. 4 1 r 
 
 " She was particularly distinguished with favour, by my grandmother, 
 for her docile and tranquil spirit; and her brothers and sisters nick-named 
 her the patient Grisele. Such was her attachment to my uncle John, that, 
 if she was in any pain or trouble in her infant days, the sight of him would 
 instantly cheer her. I never heard of so strong an affection, which lasted 
 toward him through life. My grandmother once entered the room, where 
 the children were in high glee and frolic, and said, ' Ah, you will all, one 
 day, be more thoughtful, as you grow in years.' Martha replied, ' Shall 
 I be more thoughtful?' 'No,' said her mother. Indeed, by all that 
 I have heard, she was bom a philosopher, and preferred her mother's 
 chamber to sports or recreations, which naturally endeared her to the 
 parent, whom she almost idolized. 
 
 " Were I to relate the instances of her kindness to me, I could fill 
 a book. No parent's love could exceed hers. It was a joyful day when- 
 ever I was to spend it with her. Even my brothers looked forward with 
 delightful anticipation, when her weekly visit was to be paid us (for one 
 day of the week was appropriated by my father to receive her). Her con- 
 versation so far resembled my uncle's, that, children idolized her; and her 
 memory, to the last, supplied the place of books. She had the best of our 
 poets by heart ; and her mode of giving advice was so gentle, that offence 
 could not be taken. Her compassion and charity to the poor were such, 
 that, my father used to say, it was needless to give anything to Pat for her 
 own comfort; she always gave it away to some beggar, and forgot 
 herself. 
 
 " I was with her at her death. Composed and tranquil, she reasoned 
 about every pain, as occasioning it, with the same serenity she would 
 have spoken of common things. She had no disease, but the springs of 
 life were worn out. A little before her departure, she called me to 
 her bedside, and said, ' You have heard me wish for assurance,' (of happi- 
 ness, she meant), ' I have it now. Shout ! ' and died !" 
 
 Mrs. Hall was the last survivor of the Wesley family, — 
 her father, mother, brothers, and sisters having all died before 
 her. In the Gejitlejnaiis Magazine for 1791, there is the 
 following obituary notice. 
 
 "1791. Jidy 12, in the City Road, in her eighty-fourth year, Mrs. 
 Martha Hall, widow of the Rev. Mr. H., .and last surviving sister of 
 the Rev. John and Charles Wesley, She was equally distinguished 
 by piety, understanding, and sweetness of temper. Her sympathy for the 
 wretched, and her bounty, even to the worthless, will eternize her memory 
 in better worlds than this." 
 
 Her remains are interred in the same vault as those of her 
 brother John, in the burial ground of his chapel, in City Road, 
 London. 
 
 Our story of the Oxford Methodists-is ended. 
 
ADDENDUM. 
 
 By an oversight, the following letter was not inserted in 
 Hervey's memoir. It ought to have found a place at page 
 220. When Wesley became an out-door preacher, in 1739, 
 Hervey wrote him a letter of remonstrance, to which he 
 replied as follows : — 
 
 " As to your advice, that, I should settle in college, I have no business 
 there, having now no office, and no pupils. 'And whether the other 
 branch of your proposal be expedient, namely, to accept of a cure of 
 souls, it will be time enough to consider when one is offered to me. But, 
 in the meantime, you think, I ought to be still, because, otherwise, I shall 
 invade another's office. You, accordingly, ask. How is it, that, I assemble 
 Christians who are none of my charge, to sing psalms, and pray, and hear 
 the Scriptures expounded ; and think it hard to justify this in other 
 men's parishes, upon catholic principles. 
 
 " Permit me to speak plainly. If, by ' catholic principles,' you mean 
 any other than scriptural, they weigh nothing with me ; I allow no other 
 rule, whether of faith or practice, than the Holy Scriptures. But, on 
 scriptural principles, I do not think it hard to justify what I do. God, in 
 Scripture, commands me, according to my power, to instruct the ignorant, 
 reform, the wicked, confirm the virtuous. Man forbids me to do this in 
 another's parish ; that is, in effect, not to do it at all ; seeing I have now 
 no parish of my own, nor probably ever shall. Whom then shall I hear ? 
 God or man ? ^ If it be just to obey man rather than God, judge ye.^ ''A 
 dispensation of the Gospel is committed to me, and woe is me, if I preach 
 not the Gospel! But where shall I preach it, upon the principles you 
 mention? Not in any of the Christian parts, at least, of the habitable 
 earth ; for all these are, after a sort, divided into parishes. 
 
 " Suffer me to tell you my principles in this matter. I look upon all 
 the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I 
 am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty, to declare unto all, that 
 are willing to hear, the, glad tidings of salvation. This is the work, which 
 I know, God.ha3 called me to ; and sure I am, that His blessing attends 
 it. Great encouragement have I, therefore, to.be faithful in fulfilling the 
 work He hath given me to do. His servant I am; and, as such, am 
 employed according to the plain direction of His word, — ' as I have 
 oppor-tunity, doing good to all men.' And His providence clearly con- 
 curs with His word ; which has disengaged me from all things else, that 
 I .might singly attend on this very thing, ' and go about doing good.' 
 
 "If you ask, 'How can this be? How can one do good, of whom 
 men say all manner of evil?' I will put you in mind, (though you once 
 knew this, yea, and much established me in that great truth,) the more 
 
Addendum. 4 1 
 
 evil men say of me for my Lord's sake, the more good He will do by me. 
 That it is for His sake, I know, and He knoweth, and the event agreeth 
 thereto ; for He mightily confirms the word I speak, by the Holy Ghost, 
 given unto them that hear them. I fear you have herein made shipwreck 
 of the faith. I fear, ' Satan, tra7isformed into an angel of light,' hath 
 assaulted you, and prevailed also. I fear, that offspring of hell, worldly or 
 mystic prudence, has drawn you away from the simplicity of the Gospel. 
 How else could you ever conceive, that, the being reviled, and ' hated of 
 all 7nen,' should make us less fit for our Master's service? How else could 
 you ever think of ' saving yourself and them that hear yon ^ without being 
 thefiWi and offscouring of the world'' ? 
 
 " To this hour, is this Scripture true. And I therein rejoice, yea, and 
 will rejoice. Blessed be God, I enjoy the reproach of Christ ! O may 
 you also be vile, exceeding vile for His sake ! God forbid that you 
 hould ever be other than generally scandalous ; I had almost said 
 universally. If any man tell you, there is a new way of following Christ 
 ' he is a liar, and the truth is not in him.' 
 
 " John Wesley." 
 
INDEX OF NAMES. 
 
 A. 
 Adam, Rev. Thomas, 357. 
 Allen, Rev. J-, 136, 138, 145. 
 Armitage, Sir Samuel, 109. 
 Atkinson, Rev. Christopher, 85, 371- 
 
 373- 
 Atkinson, Rev. Miles, 372. 
 Aynscough, Rev. Thomas, 51. 
 
 B. 
 Batteley, Rev. Mr., 335. 
 Batty, Christopher, 123. 
 Batty, Lawrence, 123. 
 Batty, William, 123. 
 Bennett, John, 118. 
 Bennett, Rev. Mr., 242. 
 Blackwell, Mr. Ebenezer, 382. 
 Bohler, Peter, 88, 164, 341. 
 Bolingbroke, Lord, 260, 270, 274. 
 Bowman, Rev. William, 107, 1 1 7. 
 Boyce, Rev. Mr., 361. 
 Brandt, Abraham, 200. 
 Broughton, Rev. Thomas, 23, 62, 214, 
 
 334-360. 
 Brown, Rev. John, 326. 
 Brown, Rev. Moses, 273, 287. 
 Burton, Mr. Justice, no. 
 Byrom, Dr. John, 44-48, 51. 
 
 C. 
 
 Capel, Mr., 344. 
 Capon, Rev. John, I. 
 Cennick, John, 147, 183, 260. 
 Chapman, Rev. William, 208, 215, 230, 
 
 361. 
 Charity Schools, 355, 374. 
 Chesterfield, Lady, 260, 261. 
 Churchill, Mr. Fleetwood, 137. 
 Clarke, Dr. Adam, 388, 405. 
 Clayton, Rev. John, 24-56, 199, 335, 
 
 357, 366, 386. 
 Clements, Mr., 27, 29. 
 Cotelerius, John Baptist, 37. 
 Conyers, Rev. Richard, 357. 
 Cranz, David, 196. 
 Critical Revieiv, 312. 
 Crattenden, Robert, 267. 
 Cudworth, Rev. William, 260, 301, 
 
 302, 307, 314, 317, 318, 320, 321, 
 
 323, 332. 
 
 D. 
 
 Dale, David, Esq., 145. 
 
 Daleites, 145, 154. 
 
 Darracott, Rev. Risdon, 209, 210. 
 
 Dawson, Mr. William, 372. 
 
 Deacon, Rev. Dr., 32, 34, 35, 39, 44- 
 
 ' 47, 49- 
 Delamotte, Mr. Charles, 67-71, 75, 79, 
 
 80, 82, ?,2>, 85. 
 Delamotte, Mr. William, 85, 87, 1 16. 
 Delamotte, Mrs., 342. 
 Delitz, Countess, 260. 
 Drew, Mr. Samuel, 152. 
 Doddridge, Rev. Dr., 1 19, 209, 210, 
 
 238, 243, 244, 249, 252, 259, 268, 
 
 288. 
 Dover, Leonard, 120. 
 
 E. 
 Ellison, Richard, 382. 
 Erskine, Rev. Dr., 332. 
 Evelyn, Sir John, 348. 
 
 F. 
 Fogg^s Weekly yojinial, 30. 
 Fo.x, Mr., 364, 370. 
 Frey, Andrew, 136. 
 Fulneck, 127, 136. 
 
 G. 
 
 Gambold, Rev. John, 13, 20, 62, 130, 
 
 155-200, 214, 326, 364, 370, 396. 
 George IIL, 289. 
 Gerard, Rev. Mr., 7. 
 Gibson, Bishop, 354. 
 Gill, Rev. Dr., 260. 
 Glass, Rev. John, 144, 145, 147. 
 Godly, Rev. Mr., 87. 
 Granville, Mary, i, 2. 
 Grimshaw, Rev. William, 129-132, 137, 
 
 153- 
 
 H. 
 Hales, Rev. Dr. Stephen, 272. 
 Hall, Wesley, 404, 405. 
 Hall, Westley, 29, 62, 65, 67, 89, 176, 
 
 367, 3S6-411. 
 Harold, Sir John, 357. 
 Hartley, Rev. Thomas, 259, 260, 357. 
 Hastings, Lady Margai'et, 1 21, 128, 
 
 131, 139, 140, 153. 
 
Index of Names. 
 
 415 
 
 Haweis, Rev. Dr., 310. 
 Henderson, Matthew, 352. 
 Hertford, Countess of, 122. 
 Hervey, Mr. Thomas, 236. 
 Hervey, Mr. Wilham, 322, 329-333. 
 Hervey, Rev. James, 20, 23, 62, 140, 
 
 201-333, 362, 364, 369, 412. 
 Hooker, Mr., 110-118. 
 Hoole, Rev. Mr., 42. 
 Hopson, Mr., 345. 
 Hotham, Lady Gertrude, 260-262. 
 Humphrey, Joseph, 21S. 
 Huntingdon, Countess of, 121, 129, 131, 
 
 138, 139, 145. 146, 152, 257-261, 
 
 266, 268, 280. 
 Huntingdon, Earl of, 121. 
 Hutchins, Rev. Dr., 21, 86, 89, 202, 
 
 367, 370, 371. 
 Hutton, Mr. James, 67, 68, 84, 88, 104, 
 
 119, 124-126, 130, 181, 182, 189, 
 
 345> 394- 
 Huygens, Mr., 244. 
 
 I. 
 Ingham, Rev. Benjamin, 20, 57-154, 
 179, 182, 199, 211, 367, 372. 
 
 J- 
 
 Johnson, Dr. Samuel, 410. 
 
 K. 
 
 Kaye, Sir John, 109. 
 
 Kinchin, Rev. Charles, 42, 84, 86, 89, 
 
 212, 214, 220, 222, 367-370. 
 Kirkham, Miss Betsy, 2, 3. 
 Kirkham, Miss Sarah, i, 3. 
 Kirkham, Mr. Robert, I-4, 7, 364. 
 Kirkham, Rev. Lionel, i. 
 
 Lavington, Bishop, 192. 
 Law, Rev. William, 62. 
 Lever, Darcy, Esq., 40. 
 Leupold, Tobias, 120. 
 Lyndal, John, 379. 
 
 M. 
 Mackie, Colin, 314. 
 Maddock, Rev. Abraham, 321. 
 Medley, Mr., 281. 
 Merriton, Rev. J., 243. 
 Milner, Rev. Mr., 132. 
 Molesworth, Mr., 137. 
 Molther, Rev. Philip Henry, 95, 176, 
 
 177. 
 Montague, Lady Mary, 122. 
 Moravians, 68, 88, 95-97, 99, 120, 
 
 124-127, 130, 133-136, 175, 181-188, 
 
 192, 345- 
 Morgan, Mr. Charles, 15-23, 62, 66-68, 
 
 86, 209, 344. 
 
 Morgan, Mr. Richard, 10, 12, 14, 15. 
 Morgan, Mr. William, i, 4-15, 30, 
 
 157. 
 Moseley, Sir Edward, 44. 
 
 N. 
 Xash " Beau," 232. 
 Nelson, John, 94, 98-107, 123. 
 Newcomb, Mr. T., 256. 
 Nichols, Dr., 272. 
 Nichols, Rev. Mr., 226, 228. 
 Nicholson, Rev. Mr., 66. 
 Nitschmann, Rev. David, 69, 88. 
 Nixon, Rev. Mr., 269. 
 Non -Jurors, 32. 
 North British Review, 327. 
 
 O. 
 
 Oglethoi-pe, General, 67, 68, 71-74, 76, 
 
 78, 82, 378, 379. 
 Ogilvie, Mr., 310. 
 
 Okeley, Rev. Francis, 122, 130, 182. 
 Orchard, Mrs. , 230. 
 Orchard, Paul, Esq., 214, 216, 225, 
 
 242, 249, 250. 
 Ossulston, Lord, 336. 
 
 Payne. Mr., 237. 
 Pearsall, Rev. Mr., 265. 
 Perronet, Rev. Vincent, 357. 
 Peterborough, Bishop of, 288, 289. 
 Philips, Sir John, 29, 67, 88. 
 Piers, Rev. Henry, 163. 
 Potter, Bishop, 36, 60, 163, 212. 
 Pritchard, Rees, 195. 
 
 R. 
 
 Ridley, Rev. Glocester, 356. 
 Rimius, Henry, 135. 
 Ritchie, Miss Elizabeth, 62. 
 Rogers, Mrs. Hester Ann, 62. 
 Rogers, Rev. Jacob, 115, 116, 122. 
 Romaine, Rev. William, 140, 144- 
 
 146, 151, 260, 323. 
 Ryland, Rev. John, 202, 212, 279- 
 
 281, 285, 287, 300, 301, 307, 309, 
 
 312, 315. 325> 329, 330. 
 
 Salmon, Mr. Joseph W., 62. 
 
 Salmon, Mr. Matthew, 61, 62, 64, 65, 
 
 335- 
 Salmon, Miss, 62. 
 Sandeman, Mr. Robert, 140, 145, 147, 
 
 151, 313, 317- 
 Sandemanianism, 141, 145. 
 Seward, Mr., 90, 364. 
 Sherlock, Bishop, 134. 
 
4i6 
 
 Index of Names. 
 
 Shirley, Lady Frances, 260, 263, 268, 
 270, 271, 274, 281, 282, 286, 288, 
 290, 291, 299, 306, 308, 321. 
 
 Sissett, William, Esq., 372. 
 
 Smith, Mr. William, 26, 364. 
 
 Society for Promoting Christian Know- 
 ledge, 266, 349-359. 
 
 Society for Propagation of Gospel in 
 Foreign Parts, 350. 
 
 Society for Reformation of Manners, 
 
 349- 
 Spangenberg, Rev. A. G., 88, 119, 
 
 345- 
 Sparks, Rev. Mr., 343. 
 Spinckes, Rev. Mr., 37. 
 Stone, Mr. Andrew, 289. 
 Stonehouse, Dr., 237, 244, 245, 249, 
 
 251, 259, 260, 262, 269, 275, 277, 
 
 309, 312, 321. 
 
 Taylor, David, 103, 123. 
 
 Thompson, Miss, 243. 
 
 Thompson, Rev. G., 218, 229, 239, 
 
 242. 
 Thorold, Sir John, 357. 
 Toltschig, John, 88, 104, 105, 127, 
 
 128. 
 Towneley, Colonel, 44, 45. 
 Travis, Henry, Esq., 374, 377. 
 
 V. 
 Venn, Rev. Henry, 325, 347-349, 357- 
 
 W. 
 
 Watteville, Baron, 88. 
 
 Watts, Dr., 147, 252, 283. 
 
 Weekly Miscellany, 110-118. 
 
 Wesley, Emily, 39. 
 
 Wesley, Kezziah, 163, 171, 384, 387- 
 
 389, 391, 392. 
 Wesley, Martha, 2, 382, 387-392, 
 
 396, 408-411. 
 Wesley, Mary, 376, 378. 
 
 Wesley, Matthew, 9. 
 
 Wesley, Mehetabel, 376. 
 
 Wesley, Rev. Charles, i, 11, 17, 43, 
 56, 62, 64, 67-71, 78, 82, 84, 86, 
 89. 90, 95, 139, 147, 156, 157, 168, 
 177, 201, 218, 260, 261, 266, 267, 
 290, 302, 323, 326, 342-344, 346, 
 368, 383, 384, 388, 391-395, 397, 
 404, 406, 409, 411. 
 
 Wesley, Rev. John, i, 2, 3, 6, 7, 9, 
 13, 14, 16-23, 25, 26, 31, 35, 38, 
 42, 55-75, 79, 80, 82-85, 88-91, 
 94, 95, 97, 103, 106, 115, 126-128, 
 132, 133, 135-137, 139, 146, 147, 
 151, 152, 157-162, 164, 176-180, 
 202, 203, 211, 215, 217, 218, 221, 
 238, 253, 266, 270, 284, 289, 29S, 
 301-307, 310, 314-320, 326, 328- 
 334, 341, 348, 353, 362, 364-369, 
 372, 375, 376, 380-385, 387-389, 
 
 394-403,407,411-413- 
 
 Wesley, Rev. Samuel, senior, 6, 15, 
 374-380. 
 
 Wesley, Samuel, junior, 4, II, 391, 
 392. 
 
 Wesley, Sarah, 410. 
 
 Wesley, Susannah, 9, 384, 386-388, 
 392, 396. 
 
 White, Rev. George, 129. 
 
 Whitefield, Rev. George, 62, 89, 93, 
 97, 105, 123, 130, 131, 139, 145, 
 156, 177, 199, 206, 215, 219, 222, 
 223, 226, 230, 256, 257, 260-262, 
 266-269, 277-279, 302, 303, 307, 
 320, 326, 334, 339, 363, 395. 
 
 Whitelamb, Rev. John, 374-386. 
 
 Wilson, Bishop, 187. 
 
 Wilson, David, 314. 
 
 Wilson, Rev. Thomas, 188. 
 
 Wogan, Mr. William, 29, 60, 340. 
 
 Z. 
 
 Zinzendorf, Count, 68, 88, 104, 119, 
 120, 130, 132-135, 184, 187-192, 
 196. 
 
 Butler & Tanner, The Selwood Printing Works, Frome, and London. 
 
2 7 & $1, Paternoster Row, London, 
 May, 1873. 
 
 HODDER & STOUGHTON'S 
 
 fist 0f itto maxU. 
 
 A NEW POEM BY THOMAS COOPER. 
 
 The Paradise of Martyrs: 
 
 A Faith Rhyme. 
 
 By THOMAS COOPER, 
 
 Author of " The Purgatory of Suicides : a Prison Rhyme," &c., &c. 
 
 In crown 8vo, handsomely bound, price 6s. 
 
 PRINCIPAL DAWSON'S POPULAR GEOLOGY. 
 
 The Story of the Earth and Man. 
 
 By J. W. DAWSON, LL.D., F.R.S., F.G.S., 
 
 Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University, Montreal, 
 
 Author of " Archaia," " Acadian Geology," &c. 
 
 "With Twenty Illustrations, price 7s. 6d. 
 
 "A book of rare excellence. An accoimt of the geological history and the 
 past life of the earth, full yet concise, accurate yet pictorial, and almost poetic. We 
 most heartily commend to our readers a book so full of interest, so radiant with 
 truth." — British Quarterly Ecvietv. 
 
 PRESBYTERIAN COLLEGE LECTURES. 
 
 Some Present Difficulties in Theology 
 
 BEING LECTURES TO YOUNG MEN. 
 Deliveeed at the English Peesbyteeian College, London, by 
 
 REV. J. OSWALD DYKES, D.B. 
 REV. PROFESSOR LORUIER, D.D. 
 
 REV. JOSN GIBB. 
 
 REV. PROF. CHALMERS, B.B. 
 
 With a Preface by the Rev. J. OSWALD DYKES, D.D. 
 In one volume, small 8vo, price 3s. ed. 
 
2 Hodder ^ StoughMs List of New Works. 
 
 new works by the author of ''cues from all 
 quarters:' 
 
 Traits of Character, and Notes of Incident 
 
 in Bible Story. 
 
 By FRANCIS JACOX, B.A., Cantab. 
 
 Author of " Secular Annotations," "Bible Music," &c. 
 
 Large crown 8vo, price 8s. Qd. 
 
 BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 
 
 Aspects of Authorship ; or, Book Marks 
 and Book Makers. 
 
 Large crown Bvo, price Ss. 6d. 
 
 " The compiler has brought together a multitude, of facts respecting books ; the 
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 their works were received ; and many others, qua enumerare cognum est. Grouping 
 these with considerable literary skiU into chapters, each under its appropriate 
 heading, he has produced a very readable book ; one that the reader may dijj 
 into on any page, sure of finding something to interest him. What strikes one 
 most is the number of incidents here got together; an evidence of wide reading 
 in several modern h.nguages. We can recommend this volume as being as good 
 as, if not better than its predecessors. We predict for it a special popularity 
 among the literary tribe." — Literary Churchman. 
 
 DR. FISHER'S HISTORY OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 The Reformation. 
 
 By GEORGE P. FISHER, D.D., 
 
 PEOFESSOE OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY IN YALE COLLEGE, U.S., 
 
 Author of " The Supernatural Origin of Christianity." 
 In 8vo, price 15s. 
 
 CONTENTS :— 
 
 I. Introduction : The General Character of the Reformation. II. The Rise of 
 the Papal Hierarchy and its Decline through the Centralization of Nations. III. 
 Special Causes and Omens of an Ecclesiastical Revolution prior to the Sixteenth 
 Century. IV. Luther and the German Reformation to the Diet of Augsburg. 
 1530.. V. The German RefoiTnation to the Peace of Augsburg: Zwingle and the 
 Swiss (German) Reformation. VI. The Reformation in the Scandinavian 
 Kingdoms, in the Slavonic Nations, and in Hungary. VII. John Calvin and the 
 Genevan Reformation. VIII. The Reformation in France. IX. The Reformation 
 in the Netherlands. X. The Refonnation in England and Scotland. XI. The 
 Reformation in Italy ; the Counter Reformation in the Roman Catholic Church. 
 XII. The Struggle of Protestantism in the Seventeenth Century. XIII. The 
 Protestant Theology. XIV. The Constitution of the Protestant Churches, and 
 their relation to the Civil Authority. XV. The Relation of Protestantism to 
 Cultiu'c and Civilization. 
 
Hodder ^ Stoughtonh List of New Works. 
 
 TEE OHBISTIAN EVIDENCE S0GIETT8 LECTURES. 
 
 I. , ■ 
 
 Lectures for the People, 
 
 Delivered in the New Hall of Science, Old Street, City Eoad, under the auspices of 
 
 The Christian Evidence Society. 
 
 In eleven numbers, price Twopence each. 
 
 LIST or LECTURERS. 
 
 Rev. De. Allon. 
 
 „ Canon Baeey, D.D. 
 
 „ GoEDON Caltheop, M.A. 
 B. Haeeis Cowpee, Esq. 
 Rev. R. B. Giedlbstone, M.A. 
 
 „ J. Geitton. 
 
 De. Gladstone, F.R.S. 
 Rev. a. J. Haeeison. 
 
 „ G.HENSLow,M.A.,r.L.S.,RG.S. 
 
 „ C. A. Row, M.A. 
 
 „ J. H. TiTCOMB, M.A. 
 
 II. 
 
 SEVENTH EDITION. 
 
 Modern Scepticism: 
 
 A COURSE OF LECTURES 
 
 Delivered at the request of the Christian Evidence Society. With an Explanatory 
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 Faith and 
 
 III. 
 Free 
 
 Thought: 
 
 A SECOND COURSE OE LECTURES 
 
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 With a Preface by the Right Rev. SAMUEL WILBEREORCE, D.D., Lord 
 Bishop of Winchester. 
 
 Second Thousand, crown 8vo., price 7s. 6d. 
 
 CONTENTS ; 
 
 SiE Baetle Feeee on Christianity and 
 Civilization. 
 
 The Dean op Ely on Pagan and 
 Christian Society. 
 
 Canon Bieks on Human Responsi- 
 bility. 
 
 Canon Mozley on the Principle of 
 Causation. 
 
 De. Allon on the Supernatural Cha- 
 racter of Christianity. 
 
 De. Gladstone on the Scriptures and 
 Natural Science. 
 
 De. Angus on Man a Witness for 
 Christianity. 
 
 De. Boultbee on Moral Difficulties of 
 the Old Testament. 
 
 C. Beooke, Esq., M.A., on the Order 
 and Adaptations in Nature. 
 
 W. R. CooPEE, Esq., on the Egyptian 
 and Assyrian Monuments. 
 
 B. Shaw, Esq., M.A., on the force 
 Impiirted to the Evidence of Chris- 
 tianity from the manner in which a 
 Number of Distinct Lines of Proof 
 Converge in a Common Centre. 
 
 From the Bishop of Winchester'' s Preface. — "The lectures are calm, sober, earnest, 
 honest dealings with the several subjects they handle. These subjects cover the 
 whole field of sceptical attack. We trust they will be found to have been calmly, 
 truthfully, and convincingly handled by men worthy, by intellectual might, by 
 knowledge of the times, and by their being thoroughly possessed with the truth of 
 Christ, of dealing with such high arguments," 
 
Hodder Sf Stoughton's List of Neiv Works. 
 
 The Jubilee Singers of Fisk University. 
 
 By REV. G. D. PIKE. 
 
 Containing the Personal History of the Singers, the Campaign for Twenty 
 Thousand Dollars, and the Words and Music of Sixty-one Songs. 
 
 In crown 8vo., with numerous Portraits, &c., price 4s. 
 
 RITUALIBM AND THE GOSPEL. 
 
 Ritualism in its Treatment of the Divine 
 
 Word. 
 
 By a Member of the General Council of the University of Edinburgh. 
 CJrown 8vo, price 3s. 0d. 
 
 NEW WORK BY THE HULSEAN LECTURER FOR 1873. 
 
 The Structure of the Old Testament. 
 
 A Seeies op Populae Essays. 
 
 By THE REV. STANLEY LEATHES, M.A., 
 
 Professor of Hebrew at King's College, London, and Boyle Lecturer on " The 
 
 Witness of St. John to Christ." 
 
 Crown 8vo, price 43. 
 
 " The author takes up in order the Historic, Prophetic, Poetic, and Legal or 
 Legislative elements in the Old Testament, and gathering up here and there the 
 more minute threads of evidence which are interwoven in the sacred volume, he 
 applies to them in a simple way the inductive method, and so obtains a well- 
 constructed and impregnable argument. In truth we have here, in a simple form, 
 adapted for popular reading, that which may have been said elsewhere in more 
 learned and elaborate phraseology, but can hardly have been better said." — Record. 
 
 " This is by far the best practical answer, drawn alike from the external and 
 internal evidence of facts, to those who deny the current belief in Moses as the 
 author of the Pentateuch, and in the antiquity and genuineness of the Old 
 Testament history. Professor Leathes is a master of his siibject, and has treated 
 this all-important subject with the treatment of a master." — Standard. 
 
 " In a popular and handy volume Professor Stanley Leathes has furnished an 
 account of what he aptly terms ' The Natui-al History of the Old Testament. 
 His qualifications for such a task are undoubted, and it is with satisfaction that 
 we draw attention to the useful character of the work." — Rock. 
 
 "These thoughtful essays wUl be welcomed by devout students. They are 
 intended to illustrate the continuity and fulness of the Word of God. The 
 Historical, Prophetic, Poetic, and Legal elements of the Old Testament are ex- 
 pounded with critical insight, scholarly ability, and sound judgment." — Watchman, 
 
Hodder 6f Stoughtoii's List of New Works. 5 
 
 LIFE IN THE FAR WEST. 
 
 The Mormons and the Silver Mines. 
 
 By JAMES BONWICK, F.R.G.S., 
 
 Author of " Last of the Tasmanians," &c. 
 Crown 8vo., price 7s. 6d. 
 
 " We have seldom met with a book devoted to the consideration of the Mormon 
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 " The book closes with a compact mass of information about the Calif omian 
 silver mines and the practical effects of the large influx of Chinese labour. The 
 style is readable and interesting." — Morning Fost. 
 
 " The geological chapters are remarkably well written, exceedingly interesting, 
 and very timely." — Spectator. 
 
 MISS BOWRA'S NEW DOMESTIC STORY. 
 
 Una; or, The Early Marriage. 
 
 By HAEEIETTE BOWEA, 
 
 Author of " Kedlands." 
 
 In one vol., crown 8vo., price 7s. Gd. 
 
 " She has written a really readable novel, without too much of the ' goody ' 
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 to flag." — Westminster Review. 
 
 " The style in which the book is written is piu-e and pleasing, and altogether, 
 ' Una ' ia a book of far more than average merit." — Daily Revieiv. 
 
 STREET LIFE IN LONDON. 
 
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 By A LONDON RAMBLER. 
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 London as the late Mr. Charles Dickens." — Manchester Uxaminer. 
 
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 manifold agencies at work in London for the enlightenment of the ignorant, and 
 the rescuing of ' them that are out of the way.' Many of his details are thrilling, 
 and cases of individual sorrow and usefulness surpass in interest anything that 
 fiction could conceive." — Evangelical Magazine, 
 
6 Hodder ^ StoughMs List of New Works. 
 
 NEW WORK BY GEORGE GILFILLAN. 
 
 The Life of Rev. William Anderson, 
 LL.D., of Glasgow. 
 
 By GEORQE GILFILLAN, 
 Author of "Bards of the Bible," " Gallery of Literary Portraits," &c. 
 In one vol., crown 8vo, with Portrait, price 7s. 6d. 
 
 AN AMERICAN VIEW OF PRESENT DAY QUESTIONS. 
 
 Present Issues ; or, Facts Observable 
 in the Consciousness of the Age. 
 
 By REV. R. W. MEMMINGER, 
 Author of "What is Religion?" &c. 
 In crown 8vo, price 68. 6 d. 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 I. The Church, as an Establishment, Essentially Human. II. Sacerdotalism. 
 III. Christianity and Esthetics ; or, the Christian Cultus. IV. The Pulpit — its 
 Relation to Society, and its Duty. V. Universalism and Calvinism. VI. 
 Civilization and Devil Worship. 
 
 PRESSENSE'S HISTORY OF EARLY CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 Heresy and Christian Doctrine. 
 
 By E. DE PRESSENSE, D.D., 
 In 8vo, price 123. 
 
 Forming the third volume of "The Early Years of Christianity." The other 
 volumes may also be had, as foUows : — 
 
 I. The Early Years of Christianity — The Apostolic Age , 12s. 
 
 II. The Martyrs and Apologists 14s. 
 
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 and is entitled ' The Early Years of Christianity.' In the second volume we 
 have 'The Martyrs and Apologists,' which treats of the conflict of Primitive 
 Christianity with Paganism; and we have an account of the missions, the 
 persecutions, the representative Christians of the age, and the controversies carried 
 on with opponents. The third volume gives a history of ' Heresy and Christian 
 Doctrine,' or the controversies within the Christian Church. Each section ia 
 complete in itself, and the student becomes fascinated by the story that is here 
 told. We know of no history that can be called its rival. We say unreservedly, 
 that the person who possesses this magnificent history has almost all that he 
 needs for obtaining a complete and life-like acquaintance with the first three 
 centuries of the Christian era. In reading it we are not conscious that it is a 
 translation, for the English is every way admirable." — The Christian World. 
 
Hodder ^ Stoughtonh List of New Works. 
 
 A POSTHUMOUS WORK BY DEAN ALFORD. 
 
 Sons of God : the Known and the 
 Unknown. 
 
 Seemons Peeached in Canteebuey Cathedsal. 
 
 By THE LATE HENRY ALFORD, D.D., DEAN OF CANTERBURY. 
 
 Fcap. 8vo, price 3s. 6d.., cloth. 
 
 " These eight sermons are most interesting ; bold and unfaltering in their teaching 
 of Christian truth, and singularly fruitfvil and suggestive in developing the broken 
 liints as to the nature of the future life which alone are to be found in Holy Scripture. 
 Taken altogether, they form a valuable contribution to the literature of a most 
 difBcidt subject of inquiry which has not been hitherto fully elucidated, nor probably 
 can be." — Literary Churchman. 
 
 PROF. REUSS'S APOSTOLIC THEOLOGY. 
 
 History of Christian Theology in the 
 Apostohc Age. 
 
 By EDWARD REUSS, 
 Professor in the Theological Faculty, and in the Protestant Seminary of 
 
 Strasbourg. 
 
 Translated by Annie Haewood. With Preface and Notes by R. W. Dale, M.A. 
 
 Vol. I., Demy 8vo, 12s. 
 
 " In presenting this book to the English reader, Messrs. Hodder and Stoughton 
 have made another valuable contribution to oiu- theological literature. Mr. Reuss 
 is earnest and reverent, thoughtful and instructive, and we can hardly imagine 
 anyone reading the book without feeUng that he has learned much from it. Miss 
 Harwood's translation is worthy of all praise." — Literary Churchman. 
 
 REV. SAMUEL COX'S BIBLICAL STUDIES. 
 
 An Expositor's Note Book ; 
 
 OE, Beief Essays on Obscuee oe Miseead Sceiptxjees. 
 
 By SAMUEL COX, 
 
 Author of "The Resurrection," "The Private Letters of St. Paul and St. John," &c. 
 
 Crown 8vo, price 8s. 6d. 
 
 "A series of short essays of which it is difficult to exaggerate either the value or 
 the importance. Every page in this admirable volume bears clear trace of the 
 thoughtful care bestowed upon it. For ingenious criticism, for suggestiveness, and 
 for honesty of expression it would be hard to find a match for this unpretending 
 book. We augur for the 'Expositor's Note Book' a mde and lasting popularity." 
 — Standard. 
 
 " Mr. Cox is already well known as one of the ablest and most accomplished of 
 living expositors of Scriptui-e. In these thirty-one essays we have the golden fruit 
 of the learned research and keen thinking of thirty years. They are full of 
 suggestive and beautiful thought." — Conyrc^ationalist. 
 
8 ttodder 6f Stoiightons List of New Works. 
 
 NEW VOLUME OF ADDRESSES TO CHILDREN. 
 
 Talking to the Children. 
 
 By ALEXANDER MACLEOD, D.D. 
 
 Third Edition, Fcap 8vo., price 3s. 6d. 
 
 CONTENTS : 
 
 At the Parting of the Ways. — The Three Temptations. — The WoNDERprL 
 Lamp. — Paths the Lamp Shines on. — The Story Tellers and the Lamp. 
 ■ — In the Valley of the Shadoav. — How Christ Dries up our Tears.— 
 Children of Light. — More about Children of Light. — The Bird and 
 the King. — The Door of the Heart. — Christ Knocking. — The Mouse- 
 Ear. — The Mouse-Ear in the Garden, — The Battle of Life. — AVilliam 
 and the Lie. — St. George and the Dragon. — Charlie's Feat. — "Why 
 Children should re glad for Christ. ^ — The Palace of Life. 
 
 " A series of admirable addresses on religious subjects, abounding with anecdote 
 and narrative, and expressed with a happy art of strong simplicity. It is the talk 
 of a wise strong man." — British Quarterly Revietv. 
 
 NEW STORY BY THE AUTHOR OF " SOI-MEME.'' 
 
 Penelope; or, Morning Clouds 
 Dispersed. 
 
 Ey Mrs. STANLEY LEATHES, Author of " Soi-Meme." 
 
 Crown 8vo, price 4s. 
 
 "It is a capital book to place in the hands of thoughtful girls ; and as good books 
 specially adapted for girls are rare, we welcome it all the more warmly. The 
 incidents are natural, the characters real, and the teaching sound and free from 
 canting sentiment." — Fublic Opinion. 
 
 THOUGHTS ON MODERN RATIONALISM. 
 
 Credibility of the Christian Religion ; or, 
 Thouofhts on Modern Rationalism. 
 
 By SAMUEL SMITH, Liveri^ool. 
 
 Cheap Edition, fifth thousand, price Is. 6d. 
 
 CONTENTS : 
 
 The Necessity of a Revelation proved by- History. 
 
 The Bible God's Revelation proved by' History. 
 
 A Written and Authoritative Revelation Necessary'. 
 
 Alleged Inexactness of the Bible: Its Teaching Pictorial rather than 
 
 Scientific. 
 Varieties of Opinion inevitable from the Structure of the Bible. 
 Christianity inseparably interavoven with Miracles. 
 The Chief Miracle of all — The Resurrection of Christ. 
 The Miracles of Christ in Keeping with His Character and Claims. 
 Argument for Christianity from the Grandeur of its Hopes. , 
 
 Injurious Effect of teaching Christianity in too Theological a Style. 
 Remarks on the Shorter Catechism, and generally on the over-exactness 
 
 of Theological Systems. 
 
p.u"^^ 
 
 l^^v 
 
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