It has been doubted by some persons, whether the Mathematics entered into Mr. Wesley's plan of study at the University. But among the authors mentioned in his Diary, are found Euclid, Keil, S'Gravesande, Sir Isaac Newton, &c. and he seems to have studied them with great attention. He sometimes amused himself with experiments in Optics. It has been before observed, that his father had two Livings. He now became less able to attend to the duties of his station, than formerly; especially as it was difficult, and sometimes dangerous in the winter, to pass between Epworth and Wroote: and it was not easy to procure an Assistant to his mind, in this remote corner of the kingdom. He was therefore desirous, that his son, Mr. John Wesley, should come into the country, and reside chiefly at Wroote, as his Curate. Mr. Wesley complied with his father's request, who thus expresses himself in a letter of June,-"I do not think that I have thanked you enough for your kind and dutiful letter of the 14th instant. When you come hither, your head quarters will, I believe, for the most part be at Wroote, and mine at Epworth; though sometimes making a change."-Accordingly, he left Oxford, on the 4th of August; and coming to London, spent some days with his brother Samuel, and then proceeded on his journey to take upon him his appointed charge. In this part of Lincolnshire, the ague is endemic, and in October he was seized with it; at the same time he was called to Oxford, probably to oblige Dr. Morley, the Rector of LincolnCollege, on some election business. This gentleman had rendered such services to Mr. Wesley, in his election to Lincoln, that he used to say, "I can refuse Dr. Morley nothing." In the present instance, his gratitude overcame all objections against travelling on horseback, through wet and cold, with an ague upon him. He reached Oxford on the 16th, and left it again on the 25th, travelling in the same manner back to Wroote, though often very ill on the road. He now continued in the country for sometime, still pursuing the same plan of study, as far as the nature of his situation would permit. Mr. Wesley's general knowledge and agreeable conversation, had endeared him to all his acquaintance at Oxford. He was a most engaging and instructive companion; open and communicative to his friends, and civil and obliging to all. The following letter will set this part of his character in a clear light. It was written by one of the Fellows of his own College, who it seems had been a great deal absent, and knew little of him except what he had learned from the report of those who had been acquainted with him. "SIR, "COLL. LINC. Dec. 28, 1727. "YESTERDAY I had the satisfaction of receiving your kind and obliging letter, whereby you have given me a singular instance of that goodness and civility which is essential to your character; and strongly confirmed to me, the many encomiums which are given you in this respect, by all who have the happiness to know you. This makes me infinitely desirous of your acquaintance. And when I con sider those shining qualities which I hear daily mentioned in your praise, I cannot but lament the great misfortune we all suffer, in the absence of so agreeable a person from the College. But I please myself with the thought of seeing you here on Chapter-day, and of the happiness we shall have in your company in the summer. In the mean time, I return you my most sincere thanks for this favour, and assure you, that if it should ever lie in my power to serve you, no one will be more ready to do it, than, "SIR, "Your most obliged and most humble servant, "LEW. FENTON." 99 Mr. Wesley continued in the country till July 1728, when he returned by way of London, to Oxford, where he arrived on the 27th of this month, with a view to obtain Priest's Orders. No reason is assigned, why he was not ordained Priest sooner; it is evident however, that he had never applied for it, probably on account of his age.—On Sunday, the 22d of September he was ordained Priest, by Dr. Potter, Bishop of Oxford, who had ordained him Deacon in 1725. Mr. Wesley has made a mistake in the date of his ordination. In the first part of his Farther Appeal, he says, "I was ordained Deacon in 1725, and Priest in the year following."-This only proves, that in giving the dates to things which had taken place, he did not always consult his Diary, but trusted to his memory, which sometimes failed him. To convince the reader that we have given the true date, we insert below a part of his letter of Priest's Orders.* October 1st. He set out for Lincolnshire, and did not again visit Oxford till the 16th of June 1729. At this time his brother Charles, Mr. Morgan, and one or two more, had just formed a little 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 the 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 Cu TENORE præsentium nos Johannes permissione divina Oxon. Episcopus, Notum facimus universis quod nos Episcopus antedictus die Dominico (viz.) Vicesimo secundo die mensis Septembris, Anno Domini Millesimo Septingentesimo Vicesimo octavo in Ecclesia Cathedrali Christi Oxon. Sacros Ordines Dei Omnipotentis præsidio celebrantes; Dilectum nobis in Christo Johannem Wesley, Artis Magistrum, e Coll. Lincoln. Oxon. Socium-ad Sacrum Presbyteratus Ordinem juxta morem et ritus Ecclesiæ Anglicanæ admisimus et promovimus ipsumque in Presbyterum tunc et ibidem rite et Canonice Ordinavimus. Datum sub Sigillo nostro Episcopali in præmissorum fidem ac testimonium die mensis Annoque Domini supra expressis et nostræ Consecrationis Anno decimo quarto. Jo. Oxon. racy 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 fourteen miles distant 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 neighbourhood 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 Statute requires it."-In consequence of this letter, he quitted his father's Curacy at Wroote, and November 22d, came to reside in Oxford. CHAPTER V. 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 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 laboured 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 endeavours to become religious, will form the chief subject of this chapter. We call all that he did mere endeavours, 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 endeavours 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 mean 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 pre-conceived 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 been the chief hinderances to their progress in knowledge. What kept 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 could 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 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 that 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 giv "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 en. 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 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, begah to spend some evenings in a week together, in reading chiefly the Greek Testament. The next year two or three of Mr. John Wesleys 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 Hervey 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 * Themison was the founder of this sect, about thirty or forty years before the Christain 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 heads, 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, -Circumsilit agmine facto Morborum omne genus, quorum si nomina quæras Quot Themison ægros autumno occiderit uno. "A whole troop of all kinds of diseases rush upon him on all sides; if you ask their names, I could as soon recken 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. Short History of Methodism. |