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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 of 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

* 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 ipsumqe 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

College, to consider of the proper method to preserve disci pline 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 your's, but the serving of two Cures about fourteen miles distant from Oxford, and ten at least as bad as the worst of your roads in the Isle, makes it, he to discharge the duty constantly, much for your advantage to reside 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 at Oxford,

says, impossible for him We hope it may be as at College as where you

We hope it

CHAPTER V.

OF MR. WESLEY'S RESIDENCE AT OXFORD FROM NOVEMBER 1129, TO OCTOBER 1736; 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 com munity, 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-con

ceived 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 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 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,

* Themison was the founder of this sect, about thirty or forty years be fore 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 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
Promptius expediam-~

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 reckon up how many patients Themison killed in one autumn."-Had his practice, however, been very unsuccessful, it is not probable \t would have been so extensive as to become almost proverbial.

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