more than that it was so in that single instance. He firmly held the loving, noble logic of the Gospel, as well as that of the schools, and knew, that: to argue thus from a particular, to a general, was a fallacy which Christ would not hold guiltless. One happy consequence of this (among ten thousand) was, that his numerous friends rested secure of his love, and knew that they had only to pursue the path of uprightness to possess it to the end undiminished.

To the charge of ambition and love of power is added, chiefly by Mr. Southey, that of a "voracious credulity." I doubt if these are ever found united in the same character, except, perhaps, in some cases of extreme weakness of intellect. An ambitious man is suspicious, not credulous. He is striving to impose upon mankind, and consequently he is careful that they should not impose upon him. Concerning the sobriety of Mr. Wesley's mind, and his caution respecting vulgar errors and popular notions, it may be thought enough has been said; but his firm, and what skeptics would call, his obstinate belief of, and submission to, every thing contained in the Holy Scriptures, having exposed him to this attack, it may be needful to give it a more full consideration. To set the question at rest concerning apparitions, witchcraft, possessions, and Mr. Wesley's 'credulity' respecting such things, I need only present to the reader what Mr. Watson has said on the subject, in reply to Mr. Southey:

"On the general question of supernatural appearances, it may be remarked, that Mr. Wesley might at least plead authorities for his faith as high, as numerous, and as learned, as any of our modern skeptics for their doubts. It is in modern times only that this species of infidelity has appeared, with the exception of the sophists of the atheistical sects in Greece and Rome, and the Sadducees among the Jews. The unbelief so common in the present day among free-thinkers and half-thinkers on such subjects, places itself therefore, with only these exceptions, in opposition to the belief of the learned and unlearned of every age and of every nation, polished, semi-civilized, and savage, in every quarter of the globe. It does more; it places itself in opposition to the Scriptures, from which all the criticism, bold, subtle, profane, or absurd, which has been resorted to, can never expunge either apparitions, possessions, of witchcraft.* It opposes itself to testimony, which, if feeble and unsatisfactory in many instances, is such in others, that no man, in any other case, would refuse assent to it; or, so refusing, he would make himself the object of a just ridicule. That there have been many impostures, is

* Dr. Anthony Horneck has well observed, "If some few melancholy monks or old women had seen such ghosts and apparitions, we might then suspect that what they pretended to have seen might be nothing but the effect of a disordered imagination; but when the whole world, as it were, and men of all religions, men of all ages too, have been forced by strong evidences, to acknowledge the truth of such occurrences, I know not what strength there can be in the argument drawn from the consent of nations, in things of a sublimer nature, if here it be of no efficacy. Men that have attempted to evade the places of Scripture, which speak of ghosts and witches, we see, how they are forced to turn and wind the texts, and make, in a manner, noses of wax of them, and rather squeeze than gather the sense, as if the holy writers had spoke like sophisters, and not like men who made it their business to condescend to the capacity of the common people. Let a man put no force at all on those passages of Holy Writ, and then try what sense they are like to yield. It is strange to see, how some men have endeavoured to elude the story of the witch of Endor; and, as far as I can judge, play more hocuspocus tricks in the explication of that passage, than the witch herself did in raising the deceased Samuel. To those straits is falsehood driven, while truth loves plain and undisguised expressions, and error will seek out holes and labyrinths to hide itself, while truth plays above-board, and scorns the subterfuges of the skeptic interpreter."

VOL. II.

34

allowed; that many have been deceived, is certain; and that all suefi accounts should be subjected to rigorous scrutiny, before they can have any title to command our belief, ought to be insisted upon; but even imposture and error pre-suppose a previous opinion in favour of what is pretended or mistaken; and if but one account in twenty, or a hundred, stands upon credible evidence, and is corroborated by circumstances in which, from their nature, there could be no mistake, that is sufficient to disturb the quiet, and confound the systems, of the whole body of infidels. Every age has its dangers. In former times the danger lay in believing too much; in our own, the propensity is to believe too little.f The only ground which a Christian can safely take on these questions is, that the a priori arguments of philosophic unbelievers, as to the 'absurdity' and impossibility' of these things, go for nothing, since the Scriptures have settled the fact that they have occurred, and have afforded not the least intimation that they should at any time cease to occur. Such supernatural visitations are, therefore, possible; and, when they are reported, ought to be carefully examined, and neither too hastily admitted, nor too promptly rejected. An acute and excellent philosopher of modern times has come to the same conclusion: Although Asioidai

"And for as much as such coarse-grained philosophers as those Hobbians and Spinosians, and the rest of the rabble, slight religion and the Scriptures, because there is such express mention of spirits and angels in them, things that their dull souls are so inclinable to conceit to be impossible; I look upon it as a special piece of providence, that there are ever and anon such fresh examples of apparitions as may rub up and awaken their benumbed and lethargic minds, into a suspicion at least, if not assurance, that there are other intelligent beings besides those that are clad in heavy earth or clay; in this, I say, methinks the Divine Providence does plainly outwit the powers of the dark kingdom.”—Dr. Henry More.

"There are times in which men believe every thing; in this wherein we now are, they believe nothing; I think there is a mean to be chosen, we may not believe every thing, but surely something ought to be believed. For this spirit of incredulity, and this character of a brave spirit, is good for nothing, and I have not as yet discovered the use thereof. 'Tis true, credulity hath destroyed religion, and introduced a thousand superstitions. For which reason I am content, that men stand upon their guard when any thing is debated and reported concerning wonderful and pious histories. The generality of those which are called honest men, are come so far from thence, that they have cast themselves on the other extreme, and believe nothing. Nevertheless whither goes this, and what will be the issue of it? 'T is to deny providence, 't is to make ourselves believe, God does not intermeddle in the affairs below, and to ruin all the principles of human faith, and by consequence to cast ourselves on a perfect skepticism, which is peradventure a disposition of mind the most dangerous to religion of any in the world. By doubting all matters of fact which have any appearance of extraordinary, they tell us they have no intention to extend it any farther than the history of the world. But we don't perceive, that we insensibly entertain a habit of doubting, which extends itself to every thing. There is a God; we all consent thereto. There is a providence; we all profess and avow it. Nothing comes to pass without him. Is it possible, that God should so hide himself behind his creatures, and under the veil of second causes, that he should never at any time, though never so little, draw aside the curtain? If we have taken the resolution to deny the truth of all extraordinary matters of fact, what shall we do with history, both sacred and profane? He must have a hardness and an impudence that I understand not, that can put all historians in one rank, and range them all together as forgers of lies. I admire the argument of those writers, which lived two or three thousand years from one another, who nevertheless have all conspired to deceive us, according to our moderns, and there is neither sorcerers, nor magicians, nor possessions, nor apparitions of demons, nor any thing like it! 'Tis much that these gentlemen have not pushed on their confidence, even to deny the truth of matters of fact contained in the Scriptures, which would be very convenient for them. In the times that the sacred writers writ their books, there were all these things; and where do we find that they ought to cease, and that a time was to come in which devils should no more deceive men, and in which the heaven should speak no more in prodigies? Because historians have not been infallible, must we believe that they have been all liars, and in all things?-Let us conclude, therefore, that the credulity of our ancestors hath caused many mischievous tales to be received as faithful histories; but also that it hath been the cause, that very faithful histories do at this day pass for false tales." Jurieu's Pastoral Letters.

Movia, or a fear of spirits, hath been abused by vain or weak people, and carried to extremes perhaps by crafty and designing men, the most rigorous philosophy will not justify its being entirely rejected. That subordinate beings are never permitted or commissioned to be the ministers of the will of God, is a hard point to be proved.'*

"Mr. Wesley's belief in these visitations is, therefore, generally considered no proof of a peculiar credulousness of mind. On this he thought with all, except the ancient Atheists and Sadducees, modern infidels, and a few others, who, whilst in this point they agree with infidels, most inconsistently profess faith in the revelations of the Scriptures. Mr. Southey himself cannot attack Mr. Wesley on the general principle, since he gives credit to the account of the disturbances at Epworth, as preternaturally produced, and thinks that some dreams are the results of more than natural agency.

"How then does the author prove the 'voracity and extravagance' of Mr. Wesley's credulity? Mr. Southey believes in one ghost story; Mr. Wesley might believe in twenty or a hundred. Mr. Southey believes in a few preternatural dreams, say some four or five; Mr. Wesley may have believed in twice that number. This, however, proves nothing; for credulity is not to be measured by the number of statements which a person believes, but by the evidence on which he believes them. To have made out his case, Mr. Southey should have shown, that the stories which he presumes Mr. Wesley to have credited, stood on insufficient testimony. He has not touched this point; but he deems them 'silly and monstrous; that is, he judges of them a priori, and thus reaches his conclusion. He did not, however, reflect, that his own faith in ghosts and dreams, as far as it goes, will be deemed as silly and monstrous by all his brother philosophers, as the faith which goes beyond it. Their reasoning concludes as fully against what he credits, as against what Mr. Wesley credited; and, on the same ground, a mere opinion of what is reasonable and fitting, they have the right to turn his censures against himself, and to conclude his credulity voracious,' and his mind disposed to superstition. As to the accounts of apparitions inserted by Mr. Wesley in his Magazine, Mr. Southey thinks that he had no motive to believe and insert them, except the mere pleasure of believing. I can furnish him with several other motives which, I doubt not, influenced their publication. The first was to collect remarkable accounts of such facts, and to offer them to the judgment of the world. It is assumed by Mr. Southey, that Mr. Wesley believed every account he published. This is not true. He frequently remarks, that he gives no opinion, or that he knows not what to make of the account,' or that he leaves every one to form his own judgment of it.' He met with those relations in reading, or from persons deemed by him credible, and he put them on record as facts reported to have happened. Now, as to an unbeliever, I know not what sound objection he can make to that being recorded which has commanded the faith of others. As a part of the history of human opinions, such accounts are curious, and have their use. But if Mr. Wesley's readers were believers in such prodigies, it was surely not uninteresting to them to know what had been related. It neither followed that the editor of the work believed every account, nor that his readers

Mr. Andrew Baxter's Essay on the Philosophy of Dreaming, in the "Inquiry into the Nature of the Human Soul"

should consider it true because it was printed. It was for them to judge of the evidence on which the relation stood. I should make a very large deduction from the stories of this kind which might be brought together; but I should feel much obliged to any one to form such a collection, that I might be able to judge of them for myself. Many of these accounts, however, Mr. Wesley did credit, because he thought that they stood on credible testimony; and he published them for that very purpose, for which he believed they were permitted to occur,-to confirm the faith of men in an invisible state, and the immortality of the soul. These then were Mr. Wesley's motives for inserting such accounts in his Magazine; and to the censure which Mr. Southey has passed upon him on this account, I shall oppose at least the equally weighty authority of the learned Dr. Henry More, in his letter to Glanville, the author of Sadducismus Triumphatus.*Wherefore, let the small philosophic Sir Toplings of the present age deride as much as they will, those that lay out their pains in committing to writing certain well-attested stories of apparitions, do real service to true religion and sound philosophy, and the most effectual and accommodate to the confounding of infidelity and atheism, even in the judgment of Atheists themselves, who are as much afraid of the truth of these stories as an ape is of a whip, and therefore force themselves with might and main to disbelieve them, by reason of the dreadful consequence of them as to themselves.' It is sensibly observed by Jortin, in his remarks on the diabolical possessions in the age of our Lord, that one reason for which Divine Providence should suffer evil spirits to exert their malignant powers at that time, might be to give a check to Sadducism among the Jews, and Atheism among the Gentiles; and to remove in some measure these two great impediments to the reception of the Gospel.' For moral uses, supernatural visitations have doubtless been allowed in subsequent ages; and he who believes in them, only spreads their moral the farther by giving them publicity. Before such a person can be fairly censured, the ground of his faith ought to be disproved, for he only acts consistently. This task would, however, prove one of the most difficult which Mr. Southey has yet undertaken."

The following portrait of Mr. Wesley appeared soon after his death, in a very respectable publication. It rather savours of the 'praise that is of men; yet as I believe it does not in fact exceed the truth, I shall insert it:

"His indefatigable zeal in the discharge of his duty has been long witnessed by the world; but as mankind are not always inclined to put a generous construction on the exertion of singular talents,† his motives were imputed to the love of popularity, ambition, and lucre. It now appears that he was actuated by a disinterested regard to the immortal interest of mankind. He laboured, and studied, and preached, and wrote, to propagate what he believed to be the Gospel of Christ. The intervals of these engagements were employed in governing and regula ting the concerns of his numerous societies; assisting the necessities, solving the difficulties, and soothing the afflictions of his hearers. He observed so rigid a temperance, and allowed himself so little repose, that

* Sadducism Triumphed over.

How much his talents would have availed without faith, we have seen in the first volume of this work.

he seemed to be above the infirmities of nature, and to act independent of the earthly tenement he occupied. The recital of the occurrences of every day of his life would be the greatest encomium.

"Had he loved wealth, he might have accumulated without bounds. Had he been fond of power, his influence would have been worth courting by any party. I do not say he was without ambition ;* he had that which Christianity need not blush at, and which virtue is proud to confess. I do not mean that which is gratified by splendour and large possessions; but that which commands the hearts and affections, the homage and gratitude, of thousands. For him they felt sentiments of veneration, only inferior to those which they paid to heaven. to him they looked as their father, their benefactor, their guide to glory and immortality for him they fell prostrate before God, with prayers and tears, to spare his doom, and prolong his stay. Such a recompense as this is sufficient to repay the toils of the longest life. Short of this, greatness is contemptible impotence. Before this, lofty prelates bow, and princes hide their diminished heads.

"His zeal was not a transient blaze, but a steady and constant flame. The ardour of his spirit was neither damped by difficulty, nor subdued by age. This was ascribed by himself to the power of Divine grace; by the world, to enthusiasm. Be it what it will, it is what philosophers must envy, and infidels respect: It is that which gives energy to the soul, and without which there can be no greatness or heroism.

"Why should we condemn that in religion which we applaud in every other profession and pursuit? He had a vigour and elevation of mind, which nothing but the belief of the Divine favour and presence could inspire. This threw a lustre around his infirmities, changed his bed of sickness into a triumphal car, and made his exit resemble an apotheosis, rather than a dissolution.

"He was qualified to excel in every branch of literature: He was well versed in the learned tongues, in metaphysics, in oratory, in logic, in criticism, and every requisite of a Christian minister. His style was nervous, clear, and manly; his preaching was pathetic and persuasive; his journals artless and interesting; and his compositions and compilations to promote knowledge and piety, were almost innumerable.

"I do not say he was without faults, or above mistakes; but they were lost in the multitude of his excellencies and virtues.†

"To gain the admiration of an ignorant and superstitious age, requires only a little artifice and address; to stand the test of these times, when all pretensions to sanctity are stigmatized as hypocrisy, is a proof of genuine piety and real usefulness. His great object was to revive the obsolete doctrines and extinguished spirit of the Church of England; and they who are its friends cannot be his enemies. Yet for this he was treated as a fanatic and impostor, and exposed to every species of slander and persecution. Even Bishops and dignitaries entered the lists against him; but he never declined the combat, and generally proved victorious. He appealed to the Homilies, the Articles, and the

*He was wholly delivered from it, except as before stated. He was dead to the praise of men he trampled it under his feet. This was a trait in his character, which, above all others, was most eminent.

He has said of himself, in the language of faith:

O love, thou bottomless abyss,

My sins are swallowed up in thee!