Sidor som bilder
PDF
ePub

"August 27.-I had much conversation with Mr. C. a sensible pious Clergyman; one after my own heart, in his love to our desolate Mother. He is clear in the doctrine of Faith, and gave a delightful account of the Bishop. Sometimes waiting on great men, may do good, or prevent evil. But how dangerous the experiment! How apt to weaken our hands, and betray us into an undue deference and respect of persons! The Lord send to them by whom he will send ; but hide me still in disgrace or obscurity !”

August 28.—He went out about five miles from Cork, where, says he, "Justice P. received us, and used all his authority with others to do the same. He sent word to the Romish Priest, that if he forbade his people from hearing us, he would shut up his Mass house. Several of the poor Roman Catholics ventured to come, after the Justice had assured them, he would himself take off the curse their Priest had laid upon them. I exhorted all alike to repentance towards God, and faith in Jesus Christ.-I hastened back to the Marsh: On seeing the multitudes, I thought on those words of Prior: Then, of all these whom my dilated eye with labour sees, how few will own the messenger of God when the stream turns! Now they all received me with inexpressible eagerness. I took occasion to vindicate the Methodists from the foulest slander: That they rail against the Clergy. I enlarged on the respect due to them; prayed particularly for the Bishop, and laid it on their consciences to make mention of them (the Clergy) in all their prayers.

" August 29.—I passed a useful hour with Mr. C. He rejoiced that I had preached in his parish last Sunday. If our brethren (the Clergy) were like minded, how might their hands be strengthened by us! But we must have patience, as he observed, till the thing speak for itself; and the mist of prejudice being removed, they see clearly that all our desire is the salvation of souls, and the establishment of the Church of England.

"Sept. 1.-I met the infant Society for the first time, in an old playhouse. Our Lord's presence consecrated the place. I explained the nature of Christian fellowship; and God knit our hearts together in the desire of knowing him. I spake with some, who told me, they had wronged their neighbours in time past, and now their conscience will not let them rest till they have made restitution. I bid them tell the persons injured, it was this preaching had compelled them to do justice. One poor wretch told me before his wife, that he had lived in drunkenness, adultery, and all the works of the devil, for twenty-one years: That he had beat her almost every day of that time, and never had any remorse till he heard us; but now he goes constantly tỏ church, behaves lovingly to his wife, abhors the thing that is evil, especially his old sins. This is one instance out of many."

Sept. 5. He observes, that the work now increased rapidly, one and another being frequently justified under the word. "Two," says he, "at the Sacrament yesterday: Two at the Society. One overtook me going to the Cathedral, and said, 'I have found something in the preaching, and cannot but think it is forgiveness. All the burden of my sins sunk away from off me in a moment. I can do nothing but pray, and cry Glory be to God! I have such a confidence in his love, as I never knew I trample all sin and sorrow under my feet.' I bid him watch and pray, and expect greater things than these.-Our old master, the

world, begins to take it ill, that so many desert and clean escape its pollutions. Innumerable stories are invented to stop the work, or rather are repeated; for they are the same we have heard a thousand times, as the primitive Christians did before us."

September 6. He rode to Kinsale, and at noon walked to the market-place. The windows were filled with spectators rather than hearers. Many wild-looking people stood with their hats on, in the street; and the boys were rude and noisy. Some well dressed women stood behind him and listened. His text was, 'Go out quickly into the streets, and lanes of the city, and bring in hither the poor and the maimed, and the halt and the blind.' "I did," says he, "most earnestly invite them all to the great Supper. It was fallow ground, yet the word was not all lost. Several settled into serious attention; others expressed their approbation; a few wept.-In the evening the multitude so trod on one another, that it was some time before they could settle to hear. I received a blow with a stone on the side of my head, and called on the person to stand forth, and if I had done him any wrong, to strike me again. This little circumstance increased their attention. I lifted up my voice like a trumpet, and showed the people their transgressions, and the way to be saved from them. They received my saying, and spake well of the truth. A sudden change was visible in their behaviour afterwards, for God had touched their hearts. Even the Roman Catholics owned, None could find fault with what the man said.' A lady of the Romish Church would have me to her house. She assured me,

[ocr errors]

the Governor of the town, as soon as he heard of my coming, had issued orders that none should disturb me; that a gentleman who offered to insult me, would have been torn in pieces by the Roman Catholics, had he not fled for it; and that the Catholics in general are my firm friends."-It is worth observing, that every denomination of Christians in Kinsale claimed him as their own. He tells us, "The Presbyterians say, I am a Presbyterian; the people who go to Church, that I am a Minister of theirs and the Catholics are sure I am a good Catholic in my heart." This is good evidence, that he confined himself, in his public discourses, to the essential doctrines of the Christian religion.

:

66

a

Mr. C. Wesley, in his excursions from Cork, had already visited Bandon once or twice, where the words he spake had considerable effect. On his return at this time from Kinsale, a poor man and his wife from Bandon met him, and pressed him so earnestly to give them another visit, that he could not resist their importunity. He went thither again, September the 12th, and the poor man and his wife soon found him out, and took him to their house in triumph. The neighbours flocked in, and "We had, indeed," says Mr. C. Wesley, feast of love. A prodigal came, who had been a monster of wickedness for many years, but is now returned to his Father: So are many of the town, who were wicked to a proverb. In the evening, I invited about four thousand sinners to the great Supper. God hath given them the hearing ear. I went to Mrs. Jones's, a widow gentlewoman, who is determined to promote the work of God to the utmost of her power: All in the place seemed like-minded, except the Clergy! O why should they be the last to bring home their King! It grieved me to hear the poor encouragement given last Sunday to the crowds that flocked to VOL. II.

11

church; which place some of them had not troubled for years before. We send them to church to hear ourselves railed at, and, what is far worse, the truth of God.

"Tuesday, September 13.-We parted, with many tears and mutual blessings. I rode on to Kinsale. Here also the Minister, Mr. P., instead of rejoicing to see so many publicans in the temple, entertained them with a railing accusation against me, as an impostor, an incendiary, and messenger of Satan. Strange justice! that Mr. P. should be voted a friend of the Church, and I an enemy, who send hundreds into the Church for him to drive them out again.

"September 16. The power of the Lord was present in the Society at Cork: I marvel not that Satan hates it: We never meet, but some or other is plucked out of his teeth. After a restless night of pain, I rose to confer with those who desired it. A woman declared, that the Lord had spoken peace to her trembling soul at the Sacrament. Thomas Warburton asserted, that faith came to him by hearing; and that now he hates all sin with a perfect hatred, and could spend his whole life in prayer. Stephen Williams witnessed, Last night I found my heart burdened in your prayer; but I repeated after you till my speech was swallowed up. Then I felt myself, as it were, fainting, falling back, and sinking into destruction; when, on a sudden, I was lifted up, my heart lightened, my burden gone; and I saw all my sins, once so black, so many, all taken away. I am now afraid of neither death, devil, nor hell. I am happier than I can tell you. I know God has, for Christ's sake, forgiven me.' Two others, in whom I found a real work of grace begun, were Papists, till they heard the Gospel, but are now reconciled to the Church, even to the invisible Church, or Communion of Saints. A few of these lost sheep we pick up, but seldom speak of it, lest our good Protestants should stir up the Papists to tear us in pieces. At Mr. Rolf's, a pious Dissenter, I heard of the extreme bitterness of two of the Ministers, who make it their business to go from house to house, to set their people against the truth, threatening all who hear us with excommunication. So far beyond the Papists are these moderate men advanced in persecution !"-Mr. C. Wesley now quitted this part of the kingdom, and, visiting several towns in his way back, he came safe to Dublin on the 27th of September.

October 8. He took his passage for England, and the next night landed at Holyhead. He wrote to a friend the following account of the dangers he had escaped :-"On Saturday evening, at half past eight, I entered the small boat, and we were two hours in getting to the vessel. There was not then water to cross the bar; so we took our rest till eleven on Sunday morning. Then God sent us a fair wind, and we sailed smoothly before it five hours and a half. Towards evening the wind freshened upon us, and we had full enough of it. I was called to account for a bit of cake I had eat in the morning, and thrown into violent exercise. Up or down, in the cabin or on deck, made no difference; yet, in the midst of it, I perceived a distinct heavy concern, for I knew not what. It was now pitch dark, and no small tempest lay upon The captain had ordered in all the sails. I kept mostly upon deck till half past eight, when, upon inquiry, he told me, he expected to be in the harbour by nine: I answered, we would compound for ten. While we were talking, the mainsail, as I take it, got loose; at the same time,

us.

the small boat, for want of fastening, fell out of its place. The Master called all hands on deck, and thrust me down into the cabin; when, in a minute, we heard a cry above, 'We have lost the mast!' A passenger ran up, and brought us worse news, that it was not the mast, but the poor Master himself, whom I had scarcely left, when the boat, as they supposed, struck him and knocked him overboard. From that moment he was seen or heard no more. My soul was bowed before the Lord. I kneeled down, and commended the departing spirit to his mercy in Christ Jesus. I adored his distinguishing goodness: The one shall be taken and the other left.' I thought of those lines of Young: No warning given! Unceremonious death!

[ocr errors]

A sudden rush from life's meridian joys;
A plunge opaque beyond conjecture!

The sailors were so confounded, that they knew not what they did. The decks were strowed with sails; the wind shifting about the compass; we just on the shore, and the vessel driving, where or how they knew not. One of our cabin passengers ran to the helm, and gave orders as Captain, till they had righted the ship. I ascribe it to our Invisible Pilot, that we got safe to shore soon after ten. The storm was so high, that we doubted whether any boat would venture to fetch us. At last one answered and came. I thought it safer to lie in the vessel; but one calling, 'Mr. Wesley! You must come,' I followed, and by eleven o'clock found out my old lodgings at Robert Griffith's.-October 10, I blessed God that I did not stay in the vessel last night: A more tempestuous one I do not remember,"

He now wrote the following thanksgiving hymn:

[blocks in formation]

"At half past nine o'clock, I took horse in a perfect hurricane, and was wet through in less than ten minutes; but I rode on, thankful that I was not at sea. Near five in the afternoon, I entered the boat at Baldon Ferry, with a Clergyman and others, who crowded our small crazy vessel. The water was exceedingly rough, our horses frightened, and we looking to be overset every moment. The Minister acknowledged, he never was in the like danger. We were half drowned in the boat. I sat at the bottom, with him and a woman, who stuck very close to me, so that my being able to swim would not have helped me: But the Lord was my support. I cried out to my brother Clergyman, Fear not, Christian! the hairs of our head are all numbered! Our trial lasted near half an hour, when we landed wet and weary in the dark night. The Minister was my guide to Carnarvon, and, by the way, entertained me with the praises of a Preacher, he had lately heard and talked with. He could say nothing against his preaching, but heartily wished him ordained.

[ocr errors]

His name, he told me, was Howel Harris. He took me to his own inn, and at last found out who I was, which increased our intimacy." Mr. C. Wesley pursued his journey to Garth, which place he reached October 13. Here he staid about a week, and, on the 21st, arrived safe in Bristol.

He now confined his labours in the Gospel, for some months, to London, Bristol, and the neighbouring places, making an occasional excursion to Garth in Wales. April 9, 1749, he was married by his brother, at Garth, to Miss Sarah Gwynne, an agreeable young lady, of good sense and piety. Mr. John Wesley observes, "It was a solemn day, such as became the dignity of a Christian marriage."

Mr. J. Wesley, accompanied by Messrs. Meriton and Swindells, arrived in Dublin in the spring of the year 1748, before his brother Charles sailed for England.* He no longer confined himself to the house, but preached on Oxmantown-Green, adjoining the Barrack. He preached also at Newgate; and, after a few days spent in Dublin, he visited many parts of the country. In several places he was constrained to preach in the open air, by reason of the multitude that attended. Many of the soldiers also, in every place, gladly heard the word, and forty troopers were at this time members of the society at Philipstown. In many of the towns in the provinces of Leinster and Munster, and in some of Connaught, societies were formed, which have increased continually since that time, and the members of which have adorned the doctrine of God their Saviour. What he had to encounter, even when no violence was offered to him, we may learn from a passage in his Journal:

66

lone

Tuesday, May 3, 1748.—I rode to Birr, twenty miles from Ath; and the key of the sessions-house not being to be found, declared The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,' in the street, to a dull, rude, senseless multitude. Many laughed the greater part of the time. Some went away just in the middle of a sentence. And yet when one cried out, (a Carmelite Friar, clerk to the priest,) 'You lie! You lie!' the zealous

*Nearly forty years ago, that excellent man, Mr. Edwards of Bedfordbury, (Mr. Fletcher's Leader,) told me, that he, and the other leaders in London, lamented that Mr. Wesley and his brother should spend so much time in Ireland, and send so many preachers thither. Mr. Wesley replied, "Have patience, and Ireland will repay you."-"We could hardly think it," said the good man," but when Mr. Walsh came, we saw that Mr. Wesley's faith was better than ours."

« FöregåendeFortsätt »