brother and our other preachers were of the same mind: they spoke and spared not. They rushed through every open door, 'And cried, sinners behold the Lamb! And their word did not fall to the ground: they saw abundant fruit of their labor. I went through many parts of Wales: through most of the midland counties; and then through Lincolnshire, and Yorkshire to Newcastle-uponTyne. And multitudes who were utterly careless before, did now prepare to meet their God.”

The persecution at St. Ives, Mr. Wesley observes, “Was owing in great measure to the indefatigable labors of Mr. Hoblin, and Mr. Simmons: gentlemen worthy to be had in everlasting remembrance, for their unwearied endeavors to destroy heresy.

"Fortunati ambo! Siquid mea pagina possit,

Nulla dies unquam memori vos eximet ævo."

Happy both! Long as my writings, shall your fame remain.

The riots in Staffordshire still continued in the beginning of this year. The mob of Walsal, Darlaston, and Wednesbury, hired for the purpose by their betters, broke open their poor neighbors' houses at their pleasure, by day and by night, extorting money from the few that had it; taking away, or destroying their victuals and goods; beating and wounding their bodies; abusing their women, and openly declaring they would destroy every Methodist in the country: the christian country where his majesty's peaceable and loyal subjects were so treated for eight months, and then publicly branded in the Whitehall and London Evening-Post for rioters and incendiaries!

From Cornwall, Mr. Wesley passed over into Wales; on his return he made a short stay at Bristol, and then set out for the north, visiting most of the societies in his way to Newcastle. June 20, he returned to London, where he met his brother, two or three other clergymen, and a few of the preachers, whom he had appointed to come from various parts, to confer with them on the affairs of the societies. Mr. Wesley observes, " Monday, June 25, and the five following days, we spent in conference with our preachers, seriously considering, by what means we might the most effectually save our own souls and them that heard us. And the result of our consultations we set down, to be the RULE of our future practice." "This was the first Methodist Conference: and for the better regulation of their affairs, a conference has been held annually ever since; Mr. Wesley having presided at forty-seven such conferences. The subjects of their deliberations were proposed in the form of questions, which were amply discussed; and the questions with the answers agreed upon were written down, and afterwards printed, under the title of, "Minutes of several Conversations between the Reverend Mr. Wesley and others:" commonly called "Minutes of Conference."

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CHAPTER II.

CONTAINING A FURTHER ACCOUNT OF MR. WESLEY'S LABORS: A SUMMARY OF THE MINUTES OF CONFERENCE RESPECTING THE DOCTRINES HE TAUGHT: AND A VIEW OF THE SPREAD OF METHODISM UNTIL THE CONFERENCE IN 1751.

THE plan on which Mr. Wesley had hitherto governed the societies and the preachers, was imperfect; and as the number increased, must soon have become insupportably laborious. When the preachers at first went out to exhort and preach, it was by Mr. Wesley's permission and authority; some from one part of the kingdom, some from another: and though strangers, yet on his credit and sanction alone, they were received and provided for as friends, by the societies wherever they came. But having little or no communication or intercourse with one another, nor any subordination among themselves, they must have been under a continual necessity of recurring to Mr. Wesley for direction, how and where each one was to labor. By calling them together to a conference, he brought them into a closer union with each other, and made them sensible of the utility of acting in concert and harmony under his direction and appointment. He soon found it necessary, however, to bring their itinerancy under certain regulations, and reduce it to some fixed order; both to prevent confusion, and for his own ease. He therefore took fifteen or twenty societies, more or less, which lay round some principal society in those parts, and which were so situated, that the greatest distance from one to the other was not much more than twenty miles, and united them into what was called a circuit. At the yearly conference, he appointed two, three, or four preachers to one of these circuits, according to its extent, which at first was often very considerable, sometimes taking in part of three or four counties. Here, and here only, they were to labor for one year, that is, until the next conference. One of the preachers on every circuit, was called the Assistant, for the reason before mentioned. He took charge of all the societies within the limits assigned him; he enforced the rules every where; and superintended, and directed the labors of the preachers associated with him. Having received a list of the societies forming his circuit, he took his own station in it, gave to the other preachers a plan of it, and pointed out the day when each should be at the place fixed for him, to begin a progressive motion round it, in such order as the plan directed. They now followed one another through all the societies belonging to that circuit at stated distances of time; all being governed by the same rule, and undergoing the same labor. By this plan, every preacher's daily work was appointed beforehand, each knew every day where the others were, and each society when to expect the preacher, and how long he would stay with them. But of late years, since the great increase of Methodism, the circuits have been divided and sub-divided, which has made way for a great increase of preachers, and rendered the fatigues of itinerancy trifling, compared with what

they were in the beginning. Many of the preachers too, have been suffered to stay two years, sometimes three, on the same circuit, and even then have been removed to a circuit, only a few miles distant. Nay, it is said, that the societies in London itself, with the places adjacent, have been divided into three circuits, by which a few preachers may become stationary for a great number of years. Mr. Wesley considered itinerancy as of the utmost importance to Methodism: but by dividing the circuits in this manner, the effects of it have already been diminished, and may in time be totally destroyed.

The conference being ended, Mr. Wesley observes, "The next week we endeavored to purge the society of all that did not walk worthy of the gospel. By this means we reduced the number of members to less than nineteen hundred. But number is an inconsiderable circumstance. May God increase them in faith and love!" This shows us, the astonishing increase of members in the Methodist societies. Four years before this period, Mr. Wesley separated from his brethren at Fetter-Lane, and soon after fifty or sixty joined with him: these were now increased, in and about London, to nineteen hundred! Had the original piety, zeal, and disinterestedness been preserved unabated among the preachers, and their plan inviolably kept in every place, it is impossible to say how far the beneficial influence of Methodism over the morals of the people of all ranks in this nation, would have been extended!

"August 24, St. Bartholomew's Day," says Mr. Wesley, "I preached for the last time before the university of Oxford. I amı now clear of the blood of these men. I have fully delivered my own soul. And I am well pleased that it should be the very day, on which, in the last century, near two thousand burning and shining lights, were put out at one stroke. Yet what a wide difference is there between their case and mine! They were turned out of house and home, and all that they had: whereas I am only hindered from preaching, without any other loss; and that in a kind of honorable manner: it being determined, that when my next turn to preach came, they would pay another person to preach for me. And so they did twice or thrice; even to the time that I resigned my fellowship."

All this summer the preachers and people of Cornwall, had hard service, the war against the Methodists being carried on more vig

*Bartholomew's Day has been twice remarkable for the cruelties exercised upon it. The first instance was, the massacre of seventy thousand French Protestants throughout the kingdom of France, by the Papists, attended with circumstances of the most horrid treachery and cruelty. It began at Paris, in the night of the festival of St. Bartholomew, August 24, 1572, by secret orders from Charles IX. king of France, at the instigation of the Queen Dowager, Catharine de Medicis, his mother. The second instance was the Act of Uniformity, which was enforced on Bartholomew's Day, August 24, 1662, by which two thousand ministers, many of them the most pious and learned men in the nation, were cast out from the Church of England, because they could not conform to certain ceremonies in divine worship, which the bishops chose to impose upon them. By this proceeding they were not only deprived of their usefulness, but many of them with their families, reduced to poverty and want,

orously than that against the Spaniards. In September, Mr Wesley received the following letter from Henry Millard, one of the preachers in Cornwall, giving some account of their difficulties. "The word of God," says he, "has free course here: it runs and is glorified. But the devil rages horribly. Even at St. Ives, we cannot shut the door of John Nance's house to meet the society, but the mob immediately threatens to break it open. And in other places it is worse. I was going to Crowan on Tuesday, and within a quarter of a mile of the place where I was to preach, when some one met me, and begged me not to go up: saying, 'If you do, there will surely be murder; if there is not already: for many were knocked down, before we came away. By their advice I turned back to the house where I had left my horse. We had been there but a short time, when many people came in very bloody. But the main cry of the mob was, Where is the preacher?' whom they sought in every part of the house; swearing bitterly, If we can but knock him on the head, we shall be satisfied.'

"Not finding me, they said, 'However, we shall catch him on Sunday at Cambourn.' But it was Mr. Westall's turn to be there. While he was preaching at Mr. Harris's, a tall man came in, and pulled him down. Mr. Harris demanded his warrant; but he swore, Warrant or no warrant, he shall go with me.' So he carried him out to the mob, who took him away to the church-town. They kept him there till the Tuesday morning, when the Rev. Dr. Borlase wrote his mittimus, by virtue of which he was to be committed to the house of correction at Bodmin, as a vagrant. So they took him as far as Cambourn that night, and the next day to Bodmin."

The justices who met at the next quarter sessions in Bodmin, knowing a little more of the laws of God and man, or at least showing more regard for them, than Dr. Borlase, declared Mr. Westall's commitment to be contrary to all law, and immediately set him at liberty.*

All this year God was carrying on the same work, that is, reformation of manners on evangelical principles, in the English army abroad, though on a smaller scale: some account of which Mr. Wesley received from one of their preachers, in the following letter dated November. "We make bold," says Mr. Evans, the writer, "to trouble you with this, to acquaint you with some of the Lord's dealings with us here. We have hired two rooms: one small, wherein a few of us meet every day: and another large, wherein we meet for public service twice a day, at nine and at four. And the hand of the omnipotent God is with us, to the pulling down of the strong-holds of satan.

How seldom have we seen clergymen in the commission of the peace, but they have neglected the duties of their profession, and grossly abused the power committed to them! Our Lord declared his kingdom was not of this world: and when his ministers of any denomination, obtain dominion and authority over the temporal things of others, or acquire any share in the civil government, it seems as if a curse attended every thing they do. They mar whatever they meddle with; and occasion infinite confusion and mischief.

"The seventh instant, when we were met together in the evening, as I was at prayer, one that was kneeling by me, cried out like a woman in travail, My Redeemer! my Redeemer! When he was asked, what was the matter? he said, 'he had found that which he had often heard of, an heaven upon earth.' And several others had much ado to forbear crying out in the same manner.

"Dear sir, I am a stranger to you in the flesh. I know not, if I have seen you above once, when I saw you preaching on Kennington Common. I then hated you as much as, by the grace of God, I love you now. The Lord pursued me with convictions from my infancy; and I made many good resolutions. But finding I could not keep them, I at length gave myself over to all manner of profaneness. So I continued till the battle of Dettingen. The balls there came very thick about me, and my comrades fell on every side. Yet I was preserved unhurt. A few days after, the Lord was pleased to visit me. The pains of hell got hold upon me; the snares of death encompassed me. I durst no longer commit any outward sin, and I prayed God to be merciful to my soul. Now I was at a loss for books: but God took care of this also. One day I found an old Bible in one of the train waggons. This was now my only companion: and I believed myself a very good Christian, till we came to winter quarters, where I met with John Haine. But I was soon sick of his company; for he robbed me of my treasure, telling me, I and my works were going to hell together. This was strange doctrine to me, and as I was of a stubborn temper, he sometimes resolved to forbid my coming to him any more. "When the Lord had at length opened my eyes, and shown me, that by grace we are saved through faith, I began immediately to declare it to others, though I had not yet experienced it myself. But October 23, as William Clements was at prayer, I felt on a sudden, a great alteration in my soul. My eyes overflowed with tears of love: I knew, I was through Christ, reconciled to God; which inflamed my soul with love to him, whom I now saw to be my complete Redeemer.

"O the tender care of Almighty God in bringing up his children! Dear sir, I beg you will pray for him, who is not worthy to be a door-keeper to the least of my Master's servants."

February 4, 1745, Mr. Wesley observes, "I had the pleasure of receiving from Dr. Hartley, a particular account of Dr. Cheyne's last hours. During his last illness he felt a gentle and gradual

* Dr. George Cheyne, a physician of great learning and abilities, was born in Scotland, in 1671. He passed his youth in close study and great temperance. But coming to London, when about thirty, and finding the younger gentry and free-livers to be the most easy of access, he suddenly changed his former manner of living to associate with them; having observed that this method had succeeded to introduce some others into practice. The consequence was, that he grew daily in bulk, swelling to such an enormous size, that he exceeded thirtytwo stone in weight, and was forced to have the whole side of his chariot made open to receive him: he grew short-breathed, lethargic, nervous and scorbutic; so that his life became an intolerable burden. After trying all the power of medicine in vain, he resolved to try a milk and vegetable diet; the good effects of which soon appeared. His size reduced almost a third; and he recovered his strength, activity, and cheerfulness, with the perfect use of all his faculties. He