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

CHAPTER VI.

SECTION VI.

STATING SOME FURTHER PARTICULARS CONCERNING MR. CHARLES WESLEY; WITH AN ACCOUNT OF HIS DEATH IN 1788.

MR. WESLEY's Journal now begins to fail us. There is no account of his proceedings, sometimes for months, sometimes for years together. There are, however, a few particulars recorded till the year 1756, which may be useful and entertaining to the reader, and throw some light on the history of Methodism. It does not appear that his marriage either interrupted his labors, or lessened his usefulness, April 29, about three weeks after he was married, he wrote thus to his brother: "I hope this will find you prospering in Ireland. I left Garth yesterday sennight. Mr. Gwynne, with Sally and Betty, accompanied me to Abergavenny. There I left them on Saturday morning, and got hither (Bristol) by one o'clock. Over-riding occasioned a fever-I was too eager for the work, and therefore believe, God checked me by that short sickness. Till Wednesday evening at Weaver's Hall, my strength and understanding did not return; but from that time the Lord has been with us of a truth. More zeal, more life, more power, I have not felt for some years (I wish my mentioning this may not lessen it:) so that hitherto marriage has been no hindrance. You will hardly believe it sits so light upon me. Some farther proof I had of my heart on Saturday last, when the fever threatened most. ] did not find, so far I can say, any unwillingness to die, on account of any I should leave behind: neither did death appear less desirable than formerly-which I own gave me great pleasure, and made me shed tears of joy. I almost believe, nothing shall hurt me: that the world, the flesh, and the devil, shall keep their distance; or, by assaulting, leave me more than conqueror. On Thursday, I propose setting out for London, by Oxford, with T. Maxfield. If they will give me a year of grace, I shall wonder and thank you. I hope you came time enough to save J. Cownly, &c. Set your time for returning; when abouts at least. Will you meet me at Ludlow? It is a thousand pities* you should not be here, when

The phraseology here is rather low, and I am persuaded would not have been used by Mr. Wesley, but in this familiar and careless way of writing to his brother.

the library makes its first appearance. The Lord cut short your work and his, and make a few weeks go as far as many months! What say you to T. Maxfield and me taking a journey, when you return, through all the societies, northern and western, and settling correspondencies with the stewards, alias booksellers? My kindest love to Mr. Lunell, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Fowks, Mr. Gibbons, and all friends at Cork and Dublin. We make mention of you in all our prayers; be not unnindful of us. The Lord preserve us all to his day."

February 8, 1750. He observes there was an earthquake in London. This place he reached on the 1st of March and on the 8th wrote thus to his brother. "This morning, a quarter after five, we had another shock of an earthquake, far more violent than that of February 8. I was just repeating my text, when it shook the Foundery so violently, that we all expected it to fall on our heads. A great cry followed from the women and children. I immediately cried out, Therefore we will not fear, though the earth be moved and the hills be carried into the midst of the sea: for the Lord of Hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.' He filled my heart with faith, and my mouth with words, shaking their souls as well as their bodies. The earth moved westward, then east, then westward again, through all London and Westminster. It was a strong and jarring motion, attended with a rumbling noise like that of thunder. Many houses were much shaken, and some chimneys thrown down, but without any further hurt."

March 10. He expounded the 24th chapter of Isaiah; a chapter, he tells us, which he had not taken much notice of, till this awful providence explained it. April 4, he says, "Fear filled our chapel, occasioned by a prophecy of the return of the earthquake this night. I preached my written sermon on the subject, with great effect, and gave out several suitabie hymns. It was a glorious night for the disciples of Jesus. April 5, I rose at four o'clock after a night of sound sleep, while my neighbors watched. I sent an account to M. G., as follows:-The late earthquake has found me work. Yesterday I saw the Westminster end of the town full of coaches, and crowds flying out of the reach of Divine Justice, with astonishing precipitation. Their panic was caused by a poor madman's prophecy. Last night they were all to be swallowed up. The vulgar were in almost as great consternation as their betters. Most of them watched all night; multitudes in the fields and open places; several in their coaches: many removed their goods. London looked like a sacked city. A lady just stepping into her coach to escape, dropped down dead. Many came all night knocking at the Foundery door, and begging admittance for God's sake." These, however, were not Methodists, but others, who, under the general apprehension of danger, thought there was more safety under the roof of religious persons than elsewhere. A plain proof that those who reglect religion, and perhaps despise the professors of it, while in health and free from apparent danger: yet when great and public calamities approach them, even in apprehension, they plainly discover that they think the state of religious persons better than their own. Mr. Wesley's account of the great confu

sion in London, on the 4th of April, is confirmed by a letter of Mr. W. Briggs, to Mr. John Wesley, dated on the 5th of the same month, in which he says, "This great city has been, for some days past, under terrible apprehensions of another earthquake. Yesterday thousands fled out of town, it having been confidently asserted by a dragoon, that he had a revelation, that a great part of London, and Westminster especially, would be destroyed by an earthquake the 4th instant, between twelve and one at night. The whole city was under direful apprehensions. Places of worship were crowded with frightened sinners, especially our two chapels, and the Tabernacle, where Mr. Whitefield preached. Several of the classes came to their leaders, and desired, that they would spend the night with them in prayer; which was done, and God gave them a blessing. Indeed all around was awful! Being not at all convinced of the prophet's mission, and having no call from any of my brethren, I went to bed at my usual time, believing I was safe in the hands of Christ: and likewise, that by doing so, I should be the more ready to rise to the preaching in the morningwhich we both did; praised be our kind Protector." In a postscript he adds, "Though crowds left the town on Wednesday night, yet crowds were left behind; multitudes of whom, for fear of being suddenly overwhelmed, left their houses, and repaired to the fields, and open places in the city. Tower Hill, Moorfields, but above all, Hyde Park, were filled best part of the night with men, women, and children, lamenting. Some, with stronger imaginations than others, mostly women, ran crying in the streets, An earthquake! an earthquake! Such a distress, perhaps, is not recorded to have happened before in this careless city. Mr. Whitefield preached at midnight in Hyde Park. Surely God will visit this city; it will be a time of mercy to some. O may I be found watching!"

Mr. Wesley proceeds with his Journal. April 15, "I met with Mr. Salmon's Foreigners' Companion through the universities of Cambridge and Oxford, printed in 1748, and made the following extract from page 25. The times of 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. W. the Methodist, at 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.' And high time for them 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 prove: 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. Oldmixton."

The censure here passed on Oldmixton I think is just. He ap pears to me to be a bold, dashing, impertinent writer. His preju

dice is so great, that his assertions, as an historian, deserve no credit, unless supported by authentic documents. I think far otherwise of Dr. Mather, and Bishop Burnet. It is indeed true, that Burnet's History of his own Time, is written with great caution; but this surely does not deserve censure, but commendation. The truth seems to be, that Burnet was a man of great moderation; on which account, the zealots, both of the high and low church party, became his inveterate enemies. For the satisfaction of the reader, I shall give a short account both of Dr. Mather* and * of Bishop Lurnet.†

Dr. Cotton Mather, an eminent American divine, was born at Boston, in New England, in 1663. He became minister of Boston in 1684, and spent his life in the discharge of his office, and in promoting several excellent societies for the public good, particularly one for suppressing disorders, one for reforming 1 ambers and a society of peace-makers, whose professed business it was to compose umerences, and prevent lawsuits. His reputation was not confined to his own country; for in 1710, the university of Glasgow sent a diploma for the degree of doctor in divinity; and, in 1714, the Royal Society of London chose him one of their Fellows. Pe died in 1728. His chief work was, Magnalia Christi Americana, or an Ecclesiastica ilistory of New England, from its first planting in 1620, to 1698, in folio.

+ Gilbert Burnet, was born at Edinburgh in 1643, of an ancient family in the shire of Aberdeen. His father being bred to the study of the law, was, at the restoration, appointed one of the Lords of Session, with the title of Lord Grimond. Our author, the youngest son of his father, was sent to continue his studies at Aberdeen, at ten years of age, and was admitted M. A. before he was fourteen. His own inclination led him to the study of the civil and feudal law; and he used to say, that it was from this study he had received more just notions of civil society and government, than those which divines maintain. About a year after, he began to apply himself to the study of divinity, and was admitted preacher before he was eighteen. Sir Alex. Burnet, his cousin-german, offered him a benefice, but he refused to accept of it. In 1663, he came to England, and spent a short time at Oxford and Cambridge. In 1664, he made a tour through Holland and France. At Amsterdam, by the help of a Jewish Rabbi, he perfected himself in the Hebrew language; and likewise became acquainted with the leading men of the different persuasions tolerated in that Country: as Calvinists, Arminians, Lutherans, Anabaptists, Brownists, Papists, and Unitarians; amongst each of which he used frequently to declare, he met with men of such unfeigned piety and virtue, that he became fixed in a strong principle of universal charity, and an invincible abhorrence of all severities on account of religious dissensions.

Upon his return from his travels, he was admitted minister of Salton, in which station he served five years in the most exemplary manner. He drew up a memorial, in which he took notice of the principal errors in the Scots Bishops, and sent a copy of it to several of them, which exposed him to their resentments. Being engaged in drawing up the "Memoirs of the Dukes of Hamilton," Duke Lauderdale invited him to London, and introduced him to King Charles II. After his return to Scotland, he married Lady Margaret Kennedy, daughter of the Earl of Cassilis, a lady of piety and good understanding, and strongly inclined to the Presbyterians. The day before their marriage, he delivered the lady a deed, renouncing all pretensions to her fortune, which was considerable, and which must have fallen into his hands, she having no intention to secure it.

Burnet's intimacy with the Dukes of Hamilton and Lauderdale, occasioned him to be frequently sent for by the King and the Duke of York, who had conversations with him in private. But Lauderdale, heing offended at the freedom with which Burnet spoke to him, took pains to prejudice the king against him. In 1675, Sir Harbottle Grimstone, master of the Rolls, appointed him preacher of the chapel there, notwithstanding the opposition of the Court. In 1679 and 81, he published his History of the Reformation, for which he had the

"June 22. I yho," a daughter of my worthy old friend Mr. Erskine, at th Foidery was deeply wounded by the sword of the Spirit: confessed she had turned many to Deisin, and feared there could be no mercy for her. July 18, I had the satisfaction of bringing back to Mr. Erskine his formerly disobedient daughter. She fell at his feet: it was a moving interview-all wept-our Heavenly Father heard our prayers." December 2. Being in Wales, he observes, "I encouraged a poor girl to seek a cure from him who hath wounded her. She has the outward mark too; being daily threatened to be turned out of doors by her mas ter, a great swearer and strict churchman, a constant communicant and habitual drunkard.”

1751. James Wheatley was at this time a preacher among the Methodists, and a dabbler in physic. Some very heavy complaints were brought against him, for improper conduct to several women, of which Mr. John Wesley has given a pretty full statement in his printed Journal for the year 1751, which account is fully confirmed by Mr. Charles Wesley's private Journal, now before me. They brought Wheatley and his accusers face to face, and the charges were so clearly proved, that he was obliged to confess the truth. To screen himself as far as possible, he accused others, and said the rest of the preachers were like himself. This was a serious charge. Ten of them were called together to met Wheatley; and T. Maxfield first, then each of the others, asked him-" What sin can you charge me with?" Wheatley was silent; which convinced them that he was guilty wilful lying. They were now obliged to silence him, and Mr. John Wesley has been censured for using too much severity towards him: but as the facts were clearly proved, he and his brother, for they acted jointly in the matter could do no less than put him away from the connexion.

thanks of both houses of parliament. About this time he became acquainted with the Earl of Rochester, and spent one evening in a week with him, for a whole winter, discoursing on those topics on which skeptics, and men of loose morals, object to the christian religion. The happy effect of these conferences, occasioned his publication of the account of the life and death of that Earl. When the inquiry concerning the Popish plot was on foot, the king consulted him often, and offered him the bishopric of Chichester if he would engage in his interests; but he refused to accept it on these terms.

On the accession of King James to the throne, he obtained leave to go out of the kingdom. He lived in great retirement for some time at Paris, then travelled to Italy and Rome, where he was favorably received by the Pope. He afterwards pursued his travels through Switzerland and Germany, and in 1688, came to Utrecht, with an intention to settle in some of the Seven Provinces. Here he received an invitation from the Prince and Princess of Orange, to come to the Hague, which he accepted. He was immediately acquainted with all their designs, and entered heartily into them. When the Prince of Orange came over to England, Burnet attended him in quality of chaplain, and was soon advanced to the see of Salisbury. He declared for moderate measures with regard to the clergy who scrupled to take the oaths; and many were displeased with him, for declaring for the toleration of Nonconformists. In 1699, he published his Exposition of the 39 Arteles, which occasioned a representation against him in the Lower House of Convocation, in 1701; but he was vindicated by the Upper House. He died in 1715, and was interred in the Church of St. James, Clerkenwell, where he has a monument erected to him. See Encyclopædia Britannica.