tle society, chiefly to assist each other in their studies, and to consult on the best method of employing their time to advantage. During his stay here, he was almost constantly with them in the evenings; but about the middle of August, he returned to his charge at Wroote, where he continued till he received the following letter from Dr. Morley, the Rector of his college, dated the 21st of October. "At a meeting of the society, just before I left college, to consider of the proper method to preserve discipline and good government; among several things agreed on, it was in the opinion of all that were present, judged necessary that the junior Fellows who should be chosen Moderators, shall in person attend the duties of their office, if they do not prevail with some of the Fellows to officiate for them. We all thought it would be a great hardship on Mr. Fenton, to call him from a perpetual Curacy or Donative; yet this we must have done, had not Mr. Hutchins been so kind to him and us, as to free us from the uneasiness of doing a hard thing, by engaging to supply his place in the hall for the present year. Mr. Robinson would as willingly supply yours, but the serving of two cures about fourteen miles from Oxford, and ten at least as bad as the worst of your roads in the isle, makes it, he says, impossible for him to discharge the duty constantly. We hope it may be as much for your advantage to reside at college as where you are if you take pupils, or can get a curacy in the neighborhood of Oxon. Your father may certainly have another curate, though not so much to his satisfaction: yet we are persuaded that this will not move him to hinder your return to college, since the interest of college, and obligation to statue requires it."-In consequence of this letter, he quitted his father's curacy at Wroote, and November 22, came to reside at Oxford. CHAPTER II. OF MR. WESLEY'S RESIDENCE AT OXFORD FROM NOVEMBER, 1729, TO OCTOBER, 1735; WITH AN ACCOUNT OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE FIRST METHODIST SOCIETY, during this period. Hitherto we have viewed Mr. Wesley, as the polite collegian, rising into notice and esteem for his literary talents; and in the humble station of curate to his father. The reader will observe, that he did not quit this station from discontent, or restless ambition, but at the call of the heads of his college. It is manifest, that he had not the least conception of what afterwards followed. In consequence of the order he had received, he now entered upon a new situation: he obtained pupils, and became a tutor in the college he presided in the hall as moderator in the disputations, held six times a week, and had the chief direction of a religious society As a tutor he was singularly diligent and careful of his pupils, considering himself responsible for them, not only to their parents and the community, but to God; and therefore labored to make them both scholars and Christians. Some of them disapproved of his religious severities, and refused to join with him in them, but still continued under his care as pupils, and warmly acknowledged their obligations to him. As moderator in the disputations, he acquired a facility and expertness in arguing especially, as he himself observes, "in discerning and pointing out well covered and plausible fallacies," which afterwards gave him a great superiority over most of his numerous adversaries. But his endeavors to become religious, will form the chief subject of this chapter. I call all that he did mere endeavors, because he did not attain the end which he aimed at, peace of mind, comfort in God, and a command over all his passions. He was a long time before he was fully convinced that his own endeavors were insufficient to give him the mind that was in Christ. He clearly saw, in 1725, what the gospel was intended to do for him, and for all mankind; to be the means of reconciling him to God, and giving him a title to the heavenly inheritance; of cleansing him from sin, and preparing him for the enjoyment of heaven: and he retained this view of the general design of the gospel, from that period to the end of his life, without the least variation. But he did not yet understand the method proposed in the gospel, of putting a sinner in possession of these blessings, nor the order in which the mind is capable of acquiring them. It is true, he read the Scriptures daily, at this time, and in his religious researches was homo unius libri, a man of one book. But his preconceived opinions were as a blind before his mind, and completely hid from his view, the gospel method of attaining present salvation. This is no reproach to Mr. Wesley, nor any objection against the doctrines he afterwards embraced. It is the common lot of all men to imbibe in their youth, notions which afterwards hinder them from perceiving the most obvious truths. It is well known that the systems of natural philosophy, which ingenious men have formed and taught to young students, have beer. the chief hinderances to the progress of knowledge.”* What kept * The two following instances are remarkable proofs of this. Galen, was well acquainted with the difference between arteries and veins; he knew the effects of ligatures in the operation of bleeding, and had all the principal data familiar to his mind, from which Harvey concluded, that the blood circulates through the body. Yet Galen, though accustomed to the process of reasoning, drew no such conclusion from them; the notion that the blood moved to and fro, in the vessels, like the flux and reflux of the sea, so possessed and blinded his mind, that he could not perceive a consequence which naturally and obviously followed from the things which he knew. This veil remained on the minds of philosophers and physicians for about fourteen hundred years, so that Harvey deserves as much praise for breaking through the shackles of ancient error, and impartially following the light of truth, as for the discovery itself. When Dr. Priestly's experiments on air, were first published in France, they roused the French chymists from a kind of lethargy (de l'engourdissement, as one of them expresses it,) yet Macquer, one of the first chymists, not only in France, but perhaps in Europe, speaking of the discovery of the nitrous gas, or air, has frankly acknowledged, that he hardly thought it possible an experienced chymist would ever have made it. That his principles would have hindered him from attempting the experiment, which was necessary to make the discovery in question. So true it is, that though in general, knowledge acquired leads the mind to a farther progress, yet, if we place too much confidence in received opinions, and in the consequences we draw from them, they may sometimes hinder us from discovering the most obvious truths. See Macquer's Dictionnaire de Chymie. Tom. 2, page 323, Edit. 1778. his mind in a state of perplexity, was a confused notion of justification; which he either confounded with sanctification, or thought a man must be sanctified before he can be justified. This notion hindered him from perceiving, that to justify in the language of Paul, is to pardon a repenting believing sinner, as an act of grace; not for the sake of any previous holiness in him, but through Jesus Christ alone. As soon as he was convinced of this, he was no longer embarrassed and perplexed; he saw immediately the plan which the gospel proposes of reconciling sinners to God, of making them holy in heart and life, and of giving them a sure hope, full of immortality.—But let us attend him through the period appropriated to this chapter, and we shall see the efforts of a great mind to do the will of God; and every step we take, will convince us of the uprightness of his intention. It appears from the account I have given of Mr. Charles Wesley, that for more than two years before this time he had studied very hard, and through his brother's advice and influence was become deeply serious; that during the last summer he had received the sacrament weekly, and had prevailed on two or three young men to do the same; and these gentlemen had occasionally met together for the purpose of assisting and encouraging each other in their duty, and of regulating their employments by certain rules. The regular method of arranging their studies and other employments procured them the distinguishing epithet of Methodists, which according to Mr. Charles, was given them before his brother came to Oxford in November. This is probably the most accurate account; for when Mr. Wesley speaks of this appellation, he mentions it only in very general terms, without attempting to state at what period of the society it was first given. "The exact regularity of their lives as well as studies," says he, "occasioned a young gentleman of Christ Church to say, 'here is a new set of Methodists sprung up;' alluding to some ancient physicians who were so called. The name was new and quaint; so it took immediately, and the Methodists were known all over the university. * It does not appear, however, that these gentlemen met together at any fixed or stated times, or that they had made any regulations * Themison was the founder of this sect, about thirty or forty years before the Christian era; and it flourished according to Alpinus, about three hundred years. Le Clerc informs us, that the physicians of this sect were called Methodists, because they took it into their head, to find out a more easy method of teaching and practising the art of physic. However this may be, it is certain that some of the greatest physicians of the time in which the sect flourished, were Methodists. That Themison was a man of the most extensive practice, is evidently implied in the words of Juvenal, if he speaks of the same person, which is generally supposed. He is describing the infirmities of an old man, and observes, -Circumfilit agmine facto Morborum omne genus, quorum si nomina quæras Quot Themison agros autumno acciderit uno. "A whole troop of all kinds of diseases rush upon him on all sides; if you ask their names, I could as soon reckon up how many patients Themison killed in one autumn."-Had his practice, however, been very unsuccessful, it is not probable it would have been so extensive as to become almost proverbial. for this purpose before Mr. John Wesley joined them. When he came amongst them, they gladly committed the direction of the whole to him; and from this time the society began to assume a more regular form; it is from this period therefore, that he commences his history of it, in the following words: "In November, 1729, four young gentlemen of Oxford, Mr. John Wesley, Fellow of Lincoln College; Mr. Charles Wesley, student of Christ Church; Mr. Morgan, commoner of Christ Church; and Mr. Kirkman, of Merton College; began to spend some evenings in a week together, in reading chiefly the Greek Testament. The next year, two or three of Mr. John Wesley's pupils desired the liberty of meeting with them; and afterwards one of Mr. Charles Wesley's pupils. It was in 1732, that Mr. Ingham of Queen's College, and Mr. Broughton of Exeter, were added to their number.-To these in April, was joined Mr. Clayton of Brazen-Nose, with two or three of his pupils. About the same time Mr. James Harvey was permitted to meet with them, and afterwards Mr. Whitefield."† These four young gentlemen continued their meetings for some time, without any other views than their own benefit. But in the summer of 1730, Mr. Morgan called at the gaol to see a man who was condemned for killing his wife, and told them, that, from the conversation he had with one of the debtors, he verily believed it would do much good if any one would be at the pains of now and then speaking with them. Having mentioned this several times, Mr. Wesley and his brother Charles, went with him on the 24th of August to the castle, and were so well satisfied with their visit, that they determined to go thither once or twice a week. They had not done this long, before Mr. Morgan, who seems to have led the way in acts of charity and benevolence to others, desired Mr. Wesley to go with him to see a poor woman in the town who was sick. When they began to reflect on the benefit this might be of to the poor, they thought it would be well worth while to spend two or three hours in the week in this species of charity, especially if the minister of the parish in which such person was, did not object to it. But as this practice was quite new, and had an appearance of irregularity, on which account it might give offence, Mr. Wesley did not choose to proceed any further without advice. He wrote to his father, who was remarkably attached to regularity and church-order, stating what they had hitherto done, and what their design was; begging to have his opinion whether they had already gone too far? Whether they should stand still where they were, or go forward? His father's answer is dated September 21, in which he says, "As to your own designs and employments, what can I say less of them than valde probo; and that I have the highest reason to bless God, that he has given me two sons together at Oxford, to whom he has given grace and courage to turn the war against the world and the devil, which is the best way to conquer them. They have but one enemy more to combat with, the flesh; which if they take + Wesley's Works, vol. xv. page 375. care to subdue by fasting and prayer, there will be no more for them to do, but to proceed steadily in the same course, and expect the crown which fadeth not away. You have reason to bless God, as I do, that you have so fast a friend as Mr. Morgan, who I see in the most difficult service, is ready to break the ice for you. "I am afraid lest the main objection you make against your going on in the business of the prisoners, may secretly proceed from flesh and blood. For who can harm you if you are followers of that which is so good? And which will be one of the marks by which the Shepherd of Israel will know his sheep at the last day. Though, if it were possible for you to suffer a little in the cause, you would have a confessor's reward. You own that none but such as are out of their senses would be prejudiced against you for acting in this manner. Go on then in God's name in the path to which your Saviour has directed you, and that track wherein your father has gone before you! For when I was an undergraduate, I visited those in the castle there, and reflect on it with great satisfaction to this day. Walk as prudently as you can, though not fearfully, and my heart and prayers are with you. "Your first regular step is to consult with him, if any such there be, who has a jurisdiction over the prisoners; and the next is to obtain the direction and approbation of your bishop. This is Monday morning, at which time I shall never forget you. Accordingly, to Him who is every where, I now heartily commit you." This advice, from a person on whose judgment, experience, and orthodoxy they could depend, gave them courage: it confirmed them in their benevolent purposes, and animated them with zeal in the execution of them. They carefully attended, however, to the prudential directions; and Mr. Wesley immediately consulted Mr. Gerard, the Bishop of Oxford's chaplain, who likewise attended the prisoners when any were condemned to die, for at other times they were left to their own care. He proposed to him their design of serving the prisoners as far as they could, and his own intention of preaching there once a month, if the bishop should approve of it. Mr. Gerard commended the design, and said he would answer for the bishop's approbation, to whom he would take the first opportunity of mentioning it. The bishop being consulted, not only gave his permission, but was highly pleased with the undertaking, and hoped it would have the desired success. Sheltered by such respectable authority, they thought themselves secure, and prosecuted their design with diligence. But no human authority is sufficient to restrain the overflowings of a mind at enmity with God. The old drones in religion, who retain little of Christianity but the name, think themselves insulted by any extraordinary piety and zeal in young men: and the gay and thoughtless are irritated, because they think their peculiar pleasures and whole manner of life is thereby condemned. Thus the case seems to have stood between these young men and their opponents at Oxford. The opposition increased. The men of wit in Christ Church entered the lists against them, and between mirth and anger, made a pretty many reflections upon the sacramentarians, as they were pleased to call them. Their allies of Merton, thought both this |