It appears from the preceding account, that these were the two justices to whom the mob carried Mr. Wesley, and who severally refused to see him. What is it a mob will not dare to do, when encouraged to break the peace, by the very men who are sworn to maintain it!

Mr. Wesley now went forwards toward the north, and on Sunday, Oct. 30, being at Wensley, he preached in the church, on, "What must I do to be saved?" He showed in the plainest terms he could devise, that outward religion will not bring us to heaven: that none can go thither without inward holiness, which is only to be attained by faith. As he went back through the churchyard, many of the parish were in high debate, what religion this preacher was of? Some said he must be a Quaker; others, an Anabaptist: but at length one deeper learned than the rest, brought them all clearly over to his opinion, that he was a PresbyterianPapist!

February 15, 1744. A report prevailed that the French threatened an invasion, and were expected to land every hour, in support of Charles Stuart, the pretender to the crown of England. At this critical time, many addresses were sent up to the throne expressing attachment to the principles of the revolution, and to the king's person and government. The alarm was general; the principles of the Methodists were but imperfectly known, and their itinerancy and private societies brought them under general suspicion. Mr. Wesley was therefore desired to write an address to the king, and March 5, he complied with the request and wrote as follows:

"To the King's Most Excellent Majesty: "The humble Address of the Societies in England and Wales, in derision called Methodists.

"MOST GRACIOUS SOVEREIGN,

"So inconsiderable as we are, a people scattered and peeled and trodden under foot from the beginning hitherto, we should in no wise have presumed, even on this great occasion, to open our lips to your majesty, had we not been induced, indeed constrained so to do, by two considerations: the one, that in spite of all our remonstrances on that head, we are continually represented as a peculiar sect of men, separating ourselves from the established church; the other, that we are still traduced as inclined to popery, and consequently disaffected to your Majesty.

Upon these considerations, we think it incumbent upon us, if we must stand as a distinct body from our brethren, to tender for ourselves, our most dutiful regards to your sacred Majesty: and to declare in the presence of him we serve, the King of kings, and Lord of lords, that we are a part, however mean, of that Protestant church established in these kingdoms: that we unite together for this and no other end, to promote as far as we be capable, justice, mercy, and truth; the glory of God, and peace and good will among men: that we detest and abhor the fundamental doctrines of the church of Rome, and are steadily attached to your Majesty's royal person and illustrious house.

"We cannot indeed, say or do either more or less, than we apprehend consistent with the written word of God. But we are ready to obey your Majesty to the uttermost, in all things which we conceive to be agreeable thereto. And we earnestly exhort all with whom we converse, as they fear God, to honor the king. We of the clergy in particular, put all men in mind to revere the higher powers, as of God: and continually declare, ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience' sake.

But

"Silver and gold, most of us must own, we have none. such as we have, we humbly beg your Majesty to accept: together with our hearts and prayers: may He who hath bought us with his blood, the Prince of all the kings of the earth, fight against all the enemies of your Majesty, with the two-edged sword that cometh out of his mouth! And when he calleth your Majesty from this throne, full of years and victories, may it be with that voice, Come, receive the kingdom prepared for thee, from the beginning of the world!'

6

"These are the continual prayers of, your Majesty's dutiful and loyal subjects, John Wesley, &c."-This address was not presented; it being, on further consideration, judged best to lay it aside.*

"In April;" says Mr. Wesley, "I took a second journey into Cornwall, and went through many towns I had not seen before. Since my former visit, there had been hot persecution both of the preachers and people. The preaching-house, at St. Ives, was pulled to the ground: one of the preachers pressed and sent for a soldier, as were several of the people: over and above the being stoned, covered with dirt and the like, which was the treatment many of them met with from day to day. But notwithstanding this they who had been eminent for hurling, fighting, drinking, and all manner of wickedness, continued eminent for sobriety, piety, and all manner of goodness. In all parts, more and more of the lions became lambs, continually praising God, and calling their old companions in sin, to come and magnify the Lord together. About the same time John Nelson, and Thomas Beard, were pressed and sent for soldiers, for no other crime, either committed or pretended, than that of calling sinners to repentance. The case of John Nelson is well known. Thomas Beard also, was nothing terrified by his adversaries. Yet the body after a while sunk under its burden. He was then lodged in the hospital of Newcastle, where he still praised God continually. His fever increasing, he was let blood: his arm festered, mortified and was cut off: two or three days after which, God signed his discharge, and called him up to his eternal home.

"All this year the alarms were uninterrupted, from the French on the one hand, and the rebels on the other: and a general panic ran through the nation, from the east to the west, from the north to the south. I judged it the more needful to visit as many places as possible, and avail myself of the precious opportunity My

*See vol. i. page 172.

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 riot

ers 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 арpointed 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 am 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 And so they did twice or thrice; even to the time that I resigned my fellowship."

me.

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.