and what is merely circumstantial to Christianity; between what is indispensable and what is variable; between what is of divine and what is of human authority;" and he warned him, that the people among whom he was going were "babes in the progress of their Christian life, to be fed with milk instead of strong meat." In one point Dr. Burton judged rightly; no man was more desirous of courting discomfort, or more able to endure privations and fatigue; in all other points never was man more thoroughly unfit for the service which he had undertaken. It seems at first to have been supposed that he would be engaged more as a missionary than as a chaplain, and he thought himself called to the conversion of the heathen. But when Tomochici came to welcome the governor on his arrival, and was introduced to the intended teacher, it appeared that unforeseen obstacles had arisen. " I am glad you are come," said the chief, speaking through the female interpreter to Wesley; "when I was in England, I desired that some would speak the Great Word to me and my nation then desired to hear it. But now we are all in confusion. Yet I am glad you are come. I will go up and speak to the wise men of our nation, and I hope they will hear. But we would not be made Christians as the Spaniards make Christians: we would be taught before we are baptized." Wesley made answer, "There is but One, He that sitteth in Heaven, who is able to teach man wisdom. Though we are come so far, we know not whether He will please to teach you by us, or no. If He teaches you,

you will learn wisdom; but we can do nothing." Had he been master of their language, like those excellent men Eliot and Roger Williams, the manner of his speech indicates that he would have addressed them successfully in their own style : but he never seems to have attempted the arduous task of acquiring it; and when an opportunity offered of going among the Choctaws, and Mr. Oglethorpe objected to it, because there was danger of being intercepted or killed by the French; and still more because of the inexpediency of leaving Savannah without a minister, the two brethren discussed these objections with the Moravians, and acceded to their opinion, that they ought not yet to go. In Georgia, indeed, as the Jesuits had found it in South America, the vicinity of a white settlement would have proved the most formidable obstacle to the conversion of the Indians. When Tomo-chichi was urged to listen to the doctrines of Christianity, he keenly replied, Why, these are Christians at Savannah! these are Christians at Frederica!" Nor was it without good apparent reason that the poor savage exclaimed, "Christian much drunk! Christian beat men! Christian tell lies! Devil Christian! Me no Christian!"

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Wesley, however, was well pleased at first with his situation: the place, he said, was pleasant beyond imagination: he was even persuaded that it was exceeding healthful, and he wrote to his mother, saying, he should be heartily glad if any poor and religious men or women of Epworth or Wroote

could come over to him; inviting them with a promise of land enough, and of provisions till they could live upon its produce. He was satisfied also with his reception, and the effect which he produced. The people crowded to hear him; and when he beheld the deep attention with which they received the word, and the seriousness that afterwards sate upon all their faces, he could scarce refrain from anticipating a continuance of the impression," in spite," he says, " of experience, and reason, and Scripture altogether." One of the ladies to whom he was introduced on his first landing, assured him that he would see as well-drest a congregation on Sunday, as most which he had seen in London. "I did so," he says, " and soon after took occasion to expound those Scriptures which relate to dress, and to press them freely. upon my audience, in a plain and close application. All the time that I afterwards ministered at Sa-, vannah, I saw neither gold in the church, nor costly apparel; but the congregation in general was almost constantly clothed in plain clean linen or woollen. All," he said, " was smooth, and fair, and promising: many seemed to be awakened: all were full of respect and commendation." He taught one school and Delamotte another: some of Delamotte's boys, who wore shoes and stockings, thought themselves superior to the poor fellows who went bare-foot; and Wesley proposed to change schools for a while, that he might endeavour to cure an evil which his friend found himself unable to remedy. To effect this he went into the school

without shoes and stockings himself. The boys stared at him and at each other: he, of course, took no notice, but kept them to their work: it was soon evident that the unshod party felt the comfort of being thus countenanced, and before the week was over, pride stood no longer in the way of discipline or of economy, and many of the others came to school bare-legged also.

This was not the only instance in which he gained a signal victory over the vanities of the world: one of the better order of colonists gave a ball; the public prayers began about the same time; the church was full, and the ball-room so empty, that the entertainment could not go forward. He perceived that this made many persons angry, and he did not perceive that it would have been prudent as well as easy not to have excited such feelings on such an occasion. All might havecontinued well, could he but have remembered the advice of Dr. Burton, to consider his parishioners as babes in their progress, and therefore to feed them with milk. Instead of this, he drenched them with the physic of an intolerant discipline. Following the rubric in opposition to the practice of the English church, he insisted upon baptizing children by immersion, and refused to baptize them if the parents would not consent to this rude and perilous method. Some persons he would not receive as sponsors, because they were not communicants; and when one of the most pious men in the colony earnestly desired to be admitted to the communion, because he was a dissenter he

refused to administer it to him, unless he would submit to be re-baptized; and he would not read the burial-service over another for the same reason, or for some one founded upon the same principle. He was accused of making his sermons so many satires upon particular persons, and for this cause his auditors fell off; for though one might have been very well pleased to hear the others preached at, no person liked the chance of being made the mark himself. All the quarrels which had occurred since his arrival were occasioned, it was affirmed, by his intermeddling conduct. "Besides," said a

plain speaker to him, "the people say they are Protestants, but as for you they cannot tell what religion you are of; they never heard of such a religion before, and they do not know what to make of it."

It was not merely by his austere opinions and ascetic habits that Wesley gave occasion to this notion. With all his rigid adherence to the letter of the rubric, his disposition for departing from the practices of the church, and establishing a discipline of his own, was now beginning to declare itself. He divided the public prayers, following, in this respect, the original appointment of the church, which, he said, was still observed in a few places in England; so he performed the morning service at five, and reserved the communion office, with the sermon, for a separate service at eleven: the evening service was at three. He visited his parishioners from house to house in order, setting apart for this purpose the hours between

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