But the

who are under the tyranny of brutal men. objection vanishes, if we consider that something better remains after death for these poor creatures also. This good end, he argued, was answered by thus speculating upon a subject which we so imperfectly understand; and such speculations might soften and enlarge our hearts.

The kindness of Wesley's nature is apparent in this opinion, and that same kindness produced in him a degree of charity, which has seldom been found in those who aspire to reform a church or to establish a sect. "We may die," he says, "without the knowledge of many truths, and yet be carried into Abraham's bosom; but if we die without love, what will knowledge avail? Just as much as it avails the devil and his angels! I will not quarrel with you about any opinion; only see that your heart be right towards God, that you know and love the Lord Jesus Christ, that you love your neighbour, and walk as your Master walked, and I desire no more. I am sick of opinions: I am weary to bear them: my soul loathes this frothy food. Give me solid and substantial religion give me an humble, gentle lover of God and man; a man full of mercy and good faith, without partiality, and without hypocrisy; a man laying himself out in the work of faith, the patience of hope, the labour of love. Let my soul be with these Christians, wheresoever they are, and whatsoever opinion they are of. • Whosoever' thus doth the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.' This temper of mind led him to judge kindly of the * Romanists, and of

"I read the deaths of some of the order of La Trappe. I am amazed at the allowance which God makes for invincible ignorance.Notwithstanding the mixture of superstition which appears in every one of these, yet what a strong vein of piety runs through all! What deep experience of the inward work of God, of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

"In riding from Evesham to Bristol, I read over that surprising book, the Life of Ignatius Loyola; surely one of the greatest men that ever was engaged in the support of so bad a cause! I wonder any man should judge him to be an enthusiast:-no; but he knew the people with whom he had to do; and setting out, like Count Zinzendorff, with a full persuasion that he might use guile to promote the glory of God, or

* heretics of every description, wherever a Christian disposition and a virtuous life were found. He published the lives of several Catholics, and of one † Socinian, for the edification of his followers. He believed not only that heathens, who did their duty according to their knowledge, were capable of eternal life; but even that a communion with

(which he thought the same thing) the interest of his church, he acted in all things consistent with his principles."

*Of Pelagius he says, "by all I can pick up from ancient authors, I guess he was both a wise and a holy man; that we know nothing but his name, for his writings are all destroyed-not one line of them left." So, too, he says of some heretics of an earlier age; "by reflecting on an odd book which I had read in this journey, 'The General Delusion of Christians with regard to Prophecy,' I was fully convinced of what I had long suspected: 1st, that the Montanists, in the second and third centuries, were real scriptural Christians; and 2d, that the grand reason why the miraculous gifts were so soon withdrawn, was not only that faith and holiness were well nigh lost, but that dry, formal, orthodox men began, even then, to ridicule whatever gifts they had not themselves, and to decry them all, as either madness or imposture." He vindicated Servetus also. Being," he says, "in the Bodleian library, I light on Mr. Calvin's account of the case of Michael Servetus, several of whose letters he occasionally inserts, wherein Servetus often declares in terms, 'I believe the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God.' Mr. Calvin, however, paints him such a monster as never was: an Arian, a blasphemer, and what not; besides strewing over him his flowers of dog, devil, swine, and so on, which are the usual appellations he gives to his opponents. But still he utterly denies his being the cause of Servetus's death. "No," says he, "I only advised our magistrates, as having a right, to restrain heretics by the sword, to seize upon and try that arch-heretic; but, after he was condemned, 1 said not one word about his execution."

He reverts to this subject in his Remarks upon a Tract by Dr. Erskine. "That Michael Servetus was one of the wildest Anti-Trinitarians that ever appeared,' is by no means clear. I doubt of it, on the authority of Calvin himself, who certainly was not prejudiced in his favour. For, if Calvin does not misquote his words, he was no Anti-Trinitarian at all. Calvin himself gives a quotation from one of his letters, in which he expressly declares, 'I do believe the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God; but I dare not use the word Trinity, or person.' I dare, and I think them very good words; but I should think it very hard to be burnt alive for not using them, especially with a slow fire, made of moist green wood. I believe Calvin was a great instrument of God; and that he was a wise and pious man; but I cannot but advise those who love his memory, to let Servetus alone."

Thomas Firmin. Wesley prefaces the life of this good man in his magazine with these words: "I was exceedingly struck at reading the following life, having long settled it in my mind, that the entertaining wrong notions concerning the Trinity, was inconsistent with real piety. But I cannot argue against matter of fact. I dare not deny that Mr. Firmin was a pious man, although his notions of the Trinity were quite er roneous,"

the spiritual world had sometimes been vouchsafed them. Thus, he affirmed, that the demon of Socrates was a ministering angel, and that Marcus Antoninus* received good inspirations, as he has asserted of himself. And where there was no such individual excellence, as in these signal instances, he refused to believe that any man could be precluded from salvation by the accident of his birth-place. Upon this point he vindicated divine justice, by considering the different relation in which the Almighty stands to his creatures, as a creator and as a governor. As a creator, he acts in all things according to his own sovereign will: in that exercise of his power, justice can have no place; for nothing is due to what has no being. According, therefore, to his own good pleasure, he allots the time, the place, the circumstances for the birth of each individual, and gives them various degrees of understanding and of knowledge, diversified in numberless ways. "It is hard to say how far this extends: what an amazing difference there is between one born and bred up in a pious English family, and one born and bred among the Hottentots. Only we are sure the difference cannot be so great, as to necessitate one to be good, or the other to be evil; to force one into everlasting glory, or the other into everlasting burnings." For, as a governor, the Almighty cannot possibly act according to his own mere sovereign will; but, as he has expressly told us, according to the invariable rules both of justice and mercy. Whatsoever, therefore, it hath pleased him to do of his sovereign pleasure as Creator, he will judge the world in righteousness, and every man therein, according to the strictest justice. He will punish no man for doing any thing which he could not possibly avoid; neither

"I read to-day, part of the meditations of Marcus Antoninus. What a strange emperor! and what a strange heathen! giving thanks to God for all the good things he enjoyed! in particular for his good inspirations, and for twice revealing to him in dreams things whereby he was cured of, otherwise incurable, distempers. I make no doubt but this is one of those many who shall come from the East and the West, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, while the children of the kingdom, nominal Christians, are shut out.

for omitting any thing which he could not possibly do."

Wesley was sometimes led to profess a different doctrine, in consequence of discussing questions which serve rather to sharpen the disputatious faculties than to improve a Christian disposition. Thus,

he has affirmed, in the Minutes of Conference, that a Heathen, a Papist, or a Church-of-England-man, if they die without being sanctified, according to his notions of sanctification, cannot see the Lord. And to the question, Can an unbeliever, whatever he be in other respects, challenge any thing of God's justice? The answer is, "absolutely nothing but hell." But the humaner opinion was more congenial to his temper, and in that better opinion he rested.

CHAPTER XXI.

DISCIPLINE OF THE METHODISTS.

Ir is less surprising that Wesley should have obtained so many followers, than that he should have organized them so skilfully, and preserved his power over them without diminution, to the end of his long life. Francis of Assissi, and Ignatius Loyola, would have produced little effect, marvellous enthusiasts as they were, unless their enthusiasm had been assisted and directed by wiser heads. Wesley, who in so many other respects may be compared to these great agents in the Catholic world, stands far above them in this. He legislated for the sect which he raised, and exercised an absolute supremacy over his people. "The power I have," says he, "I never sought: it was the undesired, unexpected result of the work God was pleased to work by me. I have a thousand times sought to devolve it on others; but as yet I cannot; I therefore suffer it, till I can find any to ease me of my burden." That time never arrived. It

was convenient for the society that he should be really, as well as ostensibly their head; and, however he have deceived himself, the love of power was a ruling passion in his mind.

may

The question was asked, at one of the Conferences, what the power was which he exercised over all the Methodists in Great Britain and Ireland. It was evidently proposed, that he might have an opportunity of defining and asserting it. He began his reply by premising, that Count Zinzendorf loved to keep all things closely, but that he loved to do all things openly, and would therefore tell them all he knew of the matter. A few persons, at the beginning, came to him in London, and desired him to advise and pray with them: others did the same in various parts of the kingdom, and they increased every where. "The desire," said he, "was on their part, not on mine: my desire was to live and die in retirement; but I did not see that I could refuse them my help, and be guiltless before God. Here commenced my power; namely, a power to appoint when, where, and how they should meet; and to remove those whose life showed that they had no desire to flee from the wrath to come. And this power remained the same, whether the people meeting together were twelve, twelve hundred, or twelve thousand." In a short time some of these persons said they would not sit under him for nothing, but would subscribe quarterly. He made answer, that he would have nothing, because he wanted nothing; for his fellowship supplied him with all, and more than all he wanted. But they represented that money was wanted to pay for the lease of the Foundry, and for putting it in repair. Upon that ground he suffered them to subscribe. "Then I asked," said he "who will take the trouble of receiving this money, and paying it where it is needful? One said, I will do it, and keep the account for you: so here was the first steward. Afterwards I desired one or two more to help me as stewards; and, in process of time, a greater number. Let it be remarked, it was I myself, not the people, who chose the stewards,