(whether they be right or wrong) but for the causes above mentioned, viz. for their scoffing at the word and ministers of God, for their tale-bearing, backbiting, and evil speaking, for their dissembling, lying, and slandering; I, John Wesley, by the consent and approbation of the Band Society in Kingswood, do declare the persons above mentioned to be no longer members thereof. Neither will they be so accounted until they shall openly confess their fault, and thereby do what in them lies to remove the scandal they have given."

No founder of a sect or order, no legislator, ever understood the art of preserving his authority more perfectly than Wesley. They came prepared for a discussion of their opinions and conduct, and they were astonished at hearing themselves thus excommunicated. As soon as they recovered from their surprise they affirmed that they had heard both him and his brother preach popery many times. However, they were still willing to join with them, but they would not own that they had done any thing amiss. Wesley desired them to consider of it yet again, but finding after another week had elapsed that they still refused to acknowledge that they had been in the wrong, he once more assembled the bands, and told them that every one must now take his chance and quit one society or the other. One of the Calvinistic leaders observed, that the true reason of his separating from them was because they held the doctrine of election. Wesley made answer, "You know in your own conscience it is not. There are several predestinarians in our societies both at London and Bristol; nor did I ever yet put any one out of either, because he held that opinion." They then offered to break up their society, provided he would receive and employ Cennick as he had done before. To this Wesley replied, "My brother has wronged me much: but he doth not say I repent.' Cennick made answer, "Unless in not speaking in your defence I do not know that I have wronged you at all."-" It seems then," said Wesley, "nothing

remains but for each to choose which society he pleases." Upon this they prayed for a short time, in a state of mind, as it should seem, but little fit for prayer, after which Cennick withdrew, and about half the meeting followed him.

At this time Whitefield was on the way from America. While upon the passage he wrote to Charles Wesley, expostulating with him and his brother, in strong but affectionate terms. "My dear, dear brethren," said he, "why did you throw out the bone of contention? Why did you print that sermon against predestination? Why did you in particular, my dear brother Charles, affix your hymn, and join in putting out your late hymn book? How can you say you will not dispute with me about election, and yet print such hymns, and your brother send his sermon against election over to America? Do not you think, my dear brethren, I must be as much concerned for truth, or what I think truth, as you? God is my judge, I always was, and hope I always shall be, desirous that you may be preferred before me. But I must preach the gospel of Christ, and that I cannot now do without speaking of election." He then informed, Charles, that one copy of his answer to the sermon was printing at Charlestown; that another had been sent to Boston for the same purpose; and that he was bringing a copy to be printed in London. "If," said he, "it occasion a strangeness between us, it shall not be my fault. There is nothing in my answer exciting to it that I know of. O my dear brethren, my heart almost bleeds within me! Methinks I could be willing to tarry here on the waters for ever, rather than come to England to oppose you.' But although, when he was thus addressing the Wesleys, the feelings of old friendship returned upon him, his other letters, written during the voyage, evince that he looked on to a separation as the certain consequence of this difference in opinion. "Great perils," he says, " await me; but Jesus Christ will send his angel, and roll away every stone

of difficulty." "My Lord's command now, I believe, is, Take the foxes, the little foxes that spoil the vines, for our vines have tender grapes.' Help me by your prayers; it is an ease thus to unbosom myself to a friend. I have sought the Lord by prayer and fasting, and he assures me that he will be with me; whom then should I fear?"-" The Lord- is girding me for the battle, and strengthening me mightily in the inner man."

In this state of mind he reached London. Charles Wesley was there, and their meeting was affectionate. "It would have melted any heart," says Whitefield, "to have heard us weeping after prayer, that, if possible, the breach might be prevented." Old feelings of respect and love revived with such strength in his heart, that he promised never to preach against the Wesleys, whatever his private opinion might be. might be. But many things combined to sour him at this time. He had written against Archbishop Tillotson's works, and the Whole Duty of Man, a book in those days of unrivalled popularity, in a manner which he himself then acknowledged to be intemperate and injudicious; and this had offended persons, who were otherwise favourably disposed towards him. celebrity also seemed to have passed away; the twenty thousands who used to assemble at his preaching had dwindled down to two or three hundred; and in one exhibition at Kennington Common, the former scene of his triumphs, scarcely a hundred were gathered together to hear him. Worldly anxieties, too, were fretting him, and those of a kind which made the loss of his ce

His

lebrity a serious evil. The Orphan House in Georgia was to be maintained: he had now nearly a hundred persons in that establishment, who were to be supported by his exertions: there were not the slightest funds provided, and Georgia was the dearest part of the British dominions. He was above a thousand pounds in debt upon that score,

and he himself not worth twenty. Seward, Seward,* the wealthiest and most attached of his disciples, was dead, and had made no provision for him, nor for the payment of a bill for 350l. on the Orphan House account, which he had drawn, and for which Whitefield was now responsible, and threatened with an arrest. If his celebrity were gone, the Bank of Faith, upon which he had hitherto drawn with such confidence and such success, would be closed against him. He called it truly a trying time: Many, very many of my spiritual children," says he, "who, at my last departure from England, would have plucked out their own eyes to have given me, are so prejudiced by the dear Messrs. Wesleys dressing up the doctrine of election in such horrible colours, that they will neither hear, see, nor give me the least assistance; yea, some of them send threatening letters that God will speedily destroy me.”— This folly on the part of Wesley's hot adherents irritated him, and that irritation was fomented by his own. He began naturally to regard his former friends as heretics and enemies; and when Wesley, who had

* A letter from Charles Wesley to Whitefield makes it evident that this zealous man was bestowing his property as well as his time in the service of Methodism. Writing from London in 1739, he says, "I cannot preach out on the week-days for the expense of coach-hire, nor can I accept of dear Mr. Seward's offer, to which I should be less backward would he follow my advice, but while he is so lavish of his Lord's goods I cannot consent that his ruin should in any degree seem to be under my hands." These goods were his family's also, as well as his Lord's; and therefore it is not surprising that when Mr. Seward was lying ill of a fever at his house at Bengeworth, and Charles Wesley came there in one of his rounds, the wife, the brother, and the apothecary should have taken especial care to keep all Methodists from him; and when they could not prevail upon Wesley to give up his intention of preaching near the house, which the apothecary declared would throw his patient back, that they should have endeavoured to drive him out of the town by force. Seward's early loss is thus noticed by John Wesley:"Monday, Oct. 27, (1740.) The surprising news of poor Mr. Seward's death was confirmed. Surely God will maintain his own cause! Righteous art thou, O Lord." His journal was published, and is often quoted in Bishop Lavington's curious work.

been summoned by his brother Charles to London on this occasion, went to him, to see if the breach might yet be closed, Whitefield honestly told him, that they preached two different gospels, and therefore he not only would not join with him, or give him the right hand of fellowship, but would publicly preach against him wheresoever he preached at all. He was reminded of the promise which he had but a few days before made, that whatever his opinion might be he would not do this: but he replied, that promise was only an effect of human weakness, and he was now of another mind.

This temper disposed him to listen to the representations of paltry minds; and he wrote to Wesley upon the points which he thought had been improperly managed during his absence in America. Wesley replied," Would you have me deal plainly with you, my brother! I believe you would: then by the grace of God I will. Of many things I find you are not rightly informed; of others you speak what you have not well weighed. The Society room at Bristol you say is adorned. How? Why, with a piece of green cloth nailed to the desk; two sconces for eight candles each in the middle; and-nay, I know no more. Now, which of these can be spared I know not; nor would I desire either more adorning or less. But lodgings are made for me or my brother. That is, in plain English, there is a little room by the school, where I speak to the persons who come to me; and a garret in which a bed is placed for me.And do you grudge me this? Is this the voice of my brother, my son Whitefield?" Another and a heavier charge was, that he had perverted Whitefield's design for the poor colliers; and this was answered by a plain statement of the matter, which must have made Whitefield blush for the hasty and ungenerous accusation. "But it is a poor case," said Wesley, "that you and I should be talking thus! Indeed these things ought not to be. It lay in your power to have prevented all, and yet to have borne testimony to what you call the truth. If you had disliked