ping their singularities of opinion, and all party distinctions, we now view them coalescing, and becoming one in Christ Jesus. Animated with the same spirit of devotion, they look up to God as their common Father through the same Mediator and Saviour; they praise him for the same mercies, and looking forward to his kingdom and glory with the same humble confidence, both triumph over death as he draws nigh to them: they give satisfactory evidence, that they were united to Christ, belonged to the same family, and were heirs of the same heavenly inheritance, notwithstanding the external differences in their mode of worship. These considerations should teach us to be careful, not to over-value the external differences among Christians, nor to exalt the discriminating distinctions of parties into the rank of fundamental articles of christianity. As long as we lay the same foundation, and endeavor to build upon it gold, silver, and precious stones, we ought to have fellowship with each other as brethren, notwithstanding the different manner in which we manage the materials, and give a varied appearance to the building.

CHAPTER IV.

Of Mrs. Susannah Wesley.

MRS. SUSANNAH WESLEY, the mother of the late Mr. John Wesley, was the youngest daughter of Dr. Samuel Annesley, and a few years younger than her husband. Being educated in a very religious family, she early imbibed a reverence for religion; but having strong understanding, and a great thirst for knowledge, she found herself dissatisfied with believing on the authority of her teachers, and was determined, as far as possible, to see what evidence there was for the truth of those things she was required to believe. Before she was thirteen years old, she had examined the whole controversy between the Dissenters and the established church, and from that time became a member of the church of England. And though different men may, and will, judge variously of the choice she made, yet all must acknowledge that this effort to judge for herself at so early an age, and in so complicated a subject, was singularly great, and showed uncommon resolution and strength of mind. She afterwards examined the evidences of natural and revealed religion with scrupulous attention, and under every article set down the reasons which determined her to believe it.

Of these things she speaks thus, in a letter to her son, Samuel Wesley, dated October 11th, 1709.

"There is nothing I now desire to live for, but to do some small service to my children; that, as I have brought them into the world, I may, if it please God, be an instrument of doing good to their souls. I had been several years collecting from my little reading, but chiefly from my own observation and experience, some things which I hoped might be useful to you all. I had begun to correct and form all into a little manual: wherein I designed

you should have seen what were the particular reasons which prevailed on me to believe the Being of a God, and the grounds of natural religion, together with the motives that induced me to embrace the faith of Jesus Christ; under which was comprehended my own private reasons for the truth of revealed religion. And because I was educated among the Dissenters, and there was something remarkable in my leaving them at so early an age, not being full thirteen, I had drawn up an account of the whole transaction, under which I had included the main of the controversy between them and the established church as far as it had come to my knowledge; and then followed the reasons which had determined my judgment to the preference of the church of England. I had fairly transcribed a great part of it, when, you writing to me for some directions about receiving the sacrament, I began a short discourse on that subject, intending to send them all together; but before I could finish my design, the flames consumed both this and all my other writings.* I would have you, at your leisure, begin to do something like this for yourself, and write down what are the principles on which you build your faith, and though I cannot possibly recover all I formerly wrote, yet I will gladly assist you what I can, in explaining any difficulty that may occur."

In one of her private ineditations she reckons the following among the signal mercies which God had bestowed upon her. "Born in a christian country: early initiated and instructed in the first principles of the christian religion: good examples in parents and several of the family: good books and ingenious conversation: preserved from ill accidents, once from violent death: married to a religious orthodox man: by him first drawn off from the Socinian heresy, and afterwards confirmed and strengthened by Bishop Bull."t

About the year 1700, she made a resolution to spend one hour morning and evening in private devotion, in prayer and meditation; and she religiously kept it ever after, unless sickness hindered, or some absolutely necessary business of her family obliged her to shorten the time. If opportunity offered, she spent some time at noon in this religious and profitable employment. She generally wrote down her thoughts on different subjects at these times; and great numbers of her meditations have been preserved in her own hand-writing. I shall select a few, and make some extracts from others; because they show us this excellent woman in her most private retirement, conversing without disguise with him who knows the heart.

NOON. "To know God only as a philosopher; to have the most sublime and curious speculations concerning his essence, attributes and providence; to be able to demonstrate his Being from all or any of the works of nature, and to discourse with the greatest propriety and eloquence of his existence and operations; will avail us nothing, unless at the same time we know him experi

*When their house was burnt down in February, 1709.

In the manuscript it stands thus, B. B., which I believe is intended for Bishop Bull.

mentally; unless the heart know him to be its supreme good, its only happiness; unless a man feel and acknowledge that he can find no repose, no peace, no joy, but in loving and being beloved by him, and does accordingly rest in him as the centre of his being, the fountain of his pleasures, the origin of all virtue and goodness, his light, his life, his strength, his all; in a word, his Lord, his God. Thus let me ever know thee, O God!"

EVENING. “The mind of man is naturally so corrupt, and all the powers thereof so weakened, that we cannot possibly aspire vigorously towards God, or have any clear perception of spiritual things, without his assistance. Nothing less than the same Almighty power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, can raise our souls from the death of sin to a life of holiness-To know God experimentally is altogether supernatural, and what we can never attain to, but by the merits and intercession of Jesus Christ. By virtue of what he has done and suffered, and is now doing in heaven for us, we obtain the Holy Spirit, who is the best instructor, the most powerful teacher we can possibly have; without whose agency, all other means of grace would be ineffectual. How evidently does the Holy Spirit concur with the means of grace! and how certainly does he assist and strengthen the soul, if it be but sincere and hearty in its endeavors to avoid any evil, or perform any good. To have a good desire, a fervent aspiration towards God shall not pass unregarded. I have found by long experience, that it is of great use to accustom one's self to enter into solemn engagements with God against any particular sin; but then I would have them never made for a longer time than from morning till night, and from night till morning, that so the impression they make on the mind may be always fresh and lively. This was many years tried with good success in the case of Glory be to thee, O Lord."

EVENING. "Give God the praise for any well spent day. But I am yet unsatisfied, because I do not enjoy enough of God; I apprehend myself at too great a distance from him; I would have my soul united more closely to him by faith and love-I can appeal to his omniscience, that I would love him above all things. He that made me, knows my desires, my expectations, my joys all centre in him, and that it is he himself I desire; it is his favor, his acceptance, the communications of his grace, that I earnestly wish for more than any thing in the world; and that I have no relish or delight in any thing when under apprehensions of his displeasure. I rejoice in his essential glory and blessedness: I rejoice in my relation to him, that he is my Father, my Lord, and my God. I rejoice that he has power over me, and desire to live in subjection to him; that he condescends to punish me when I transgress his laws, as a father chasteneth the son whom he loveth-I thank him that he has brought me so far, and will beware of despairing of his mercy for the time which is yet to come; but will give God the glory of his free grace."

MORNING. "It is too common with me upon receiving any light, or new supply of grace, to think now, I have gained my point, and may say, 'Soul take thine ease;' by which means I

think not of going any further; or else fall into dejection of spirit, upon a groundless fear, that I shall soon lose what I have gained, and in a little time be never the better for it. Both these are sins. The first proceeds from immoderate love of present ease and spiritual sloth; the other from want of faith in the all-sufficiency of my Saviour.

I

And

"We must never take up our rest on this side of heaven; nor think we have enough of grace, or enjoy enough of God till we are admitted into that blessed region of pure and happy spirits, where we shall enjoy the beatific vision according to the measure of our capacities. Nor must we, out of a pretended humility, because we are unworthy of the least mercy, dare to dispute or question the sufficiency of the merits of Jesus Christ. It was impossible for God incarnate to undertake more than he is able to perform." MORNING. Though man is born to trouble, yet I believe there is scarce a man to be found upon earth, but, take the whole course of his life, hath more mercies than afflictions, and much more pleasure than pain. I am sure it has been so in my case. have many years suffered much pain, and great bodily infirmities; but I have likewise enjoyed great intervals of rest and ease. those very sufferings have, by the blessing of God, been of excellent use, and proved the most proper means of reclaiming me from a vain and sinful conversation, insomuch, that I cannot say I had better have been without this affliction, this disease, loss, want, contempt, or reproach. All my sufferings, by the admirable management of Omnipotent goodness, have concurred to promote my spiritual and eternal good. And if I have not reaped that advantage by them which I might have done, it is merely owing to the perverseness of my own will, and frequent lapses into present things, and unfaithfulness to the good Spirit of God; who notwithstanding all my prevarications, all the stupid opposition I have made, has never totally abandoned me. Eternal glory be to thee, O Lord!"

EVENING. "If to esteem and to have the highest reverence for thee! if constantly and sincerely to acknowledge thee, the supreme, the only desirable good, be to love thee, I do love thee!

"If comparatively to despise and undervalue all the world contains, which is esteemed great, fair, or good; if earnestly and constantly to desire thee, thy favor, thy acceptance, thyself, rather than any or all things thou hast created, be to love thee, I do love thee!

"If to rejoice in thy essential majesty and glory! if to feel a vital joy o'erspread and cheer the heart at each perception of thy blessedness, at every thought that thou art God; that all things are in thy power; that there is none superior or equal to thee-be to love thee, I do love thee!"

Notwithstanding Mrs. Wesley allotted two hours in the day for meditation and prayer in private, no woman was ever more diligent in business, or attentive to family affairs than she was. Remarkable for method and good arrangement both in her studies and business, she saved much time, and kept her mind free from perplexity. She had nineteen children, ten of whom, at least,

grew up to be educated, and this duty fell upon her; it was almost impossible for the children to have had a better instructor. From several things which I find in her papers, it appears to me that she had acquired some knowledge of the Latin and Greek languages in her youth, though she never makes any pretensions to it. She had read much and thought deeply, and in general very accurately, on every part of natural and revealed religion, and on the common affairs of life. She had studied human nature well, and knew how to adapt her discourse either to youth or age; and without this no person is properly qualified to instruct others. She had set out in life with a determination to think and judge for herself; and not to be influenced by custom in matters of importance, unless when custom appeared to be founded in reason and truth. It was this principle which governed her in the education of her children; for disapproving of the common methods of governing and instructing youth, she adopted those methods which appeared to her the most rational and proper. Their rising, dressing, eating, exercise, and every thing that related to them was managed by rule, unless when sickness hindered. They were very early taught obedience to their parents, and to wait their decision in every thing they were to have or do. As soon as they could speak, they were taught the Lord's prayer, and made to repeat it at rising and bed time constantly. As they grew bigger, they were taught a short prayer for their parents, and some collects; a short catechism, and some portion of scripture, as their memories could bear. They were early made to distinguish the Sabbath from other days; and were soon taught to be still at family prayers, and to ask a blessing immediately after, which they used to do by signs before they could kneel or speak. Her method of teaching them to read was, I think, peculiar to herself, and deserves to be taken notice of; I shall give it in her own words, in a letter to Mr. John Wesley. "None of them were taught to read till five years old, except Kezzy, in whose case I was overruled; and she was more years in learning than any of the rest had been months. The way of teaching was this: the day before a child began to learn, the house was set in order, every one's work appointed them, and a charge given that none should come into the room from nine till twelve, or from two till five, which were our school hours. One day was allowed the child wherein to learn its letters, and each of them did in that time know all its letters, great and small, except Molly and Nancy, who were a day and a half before they knew them perfectly; for which I then thought them very dull: but the reason why thought them so was, because the rest learned them so readily, and your brother Samuel, who was the first child I ever taught, learnt the alphabet in a few hours. He was five years old on the tenth of February; the next day he began to learn, and as soon as he knew the letters began at the first chapter of Genesis. He was taught to spell the first verse, then to read it over and over, till he could read it off hand without any hesitation; so on to the second, &c. till he took ten verses for a lesson, which he quickly did. Easter fell low that year, and by Whitsuntide he could read a chapter very well; for he read continually, and had such a prodigious