BOOK I.

CHAPTER I.

HISTORICAL EPITOME.

flesh had corrupted his way The volume of inspiration

In the early history of the human family, God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually, Gen. vi. 5. For all upon the earth, Gen. vi, 12. constantly portrays the character of man, in perfect accordance with this solemn declaration of the Almighty, and profane history and sad experience demonstrate, that the picture is not drawn with too high colors. But God, "whose tender mercies are over all his works," Psalms, cxlv, 9; and who hath no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, Ezek. xviii, 32; having made rich and ample provision for the salvation of sinful and erring man, at different times, and under various dispensations, raised up men divinely inspired, or endued with an uncommon degree of piety, zeal and perseverance in the cause of their Heavenly Master, who with undaunted courage, unabating zeal, and untiring perseverance, stemmed the desolating torrent of ungodliness, and called their fellow men from sin's destructive ways, to the pure truth of God, to drink of those flowing streams which gladden the city of God. Such were the prophets under the old covenant, the Apostles under the new, and others, in more modern times, who, regardless of the frowns of the world on the one hand, or its flatteries on the other, took their position as on Sinai's smoking, quaking summit, and seemingly flashed its lightnings on their auditories, and peal

ed its terrific thunders upon their guilty souls, while they emphatically exclaimed, *cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them, Deut. xxvii, 26, Gal. iii, 10. He that believeth not shall be damned, Mar. xvi, 16.— For by the law is the knowledge of sin, Rom. iii, 20. Then, as on mount Sion or Calvary, with the charming sound of the gospel trump, they cried, Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am God, and there is none else, Isa. xlv, 22. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world, John i, 29. Sanctify yourselves therefore and be ye holy for I am the Lord your God, Lev. xx, 7. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect, Mat. v. 48. Be ye holy; for I am holy, 1 Pet. i, 16. When the man of sin, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, 2Thess. ii, 3, 4, had driven pure and undefiled religion from the church, and buried what remained under the rubbish of a new coined idolatry, and delusive pageantry: then God called forth a Luther, a Melancthon and an Arminius, with their coadjutors, to expose the corruptions of a mercenary priesthood, and cleanse the sanctuary from worse than useless lumber, and direct sinful mortals to the truth of God, as the only rule of faith, and to Jesus the only Mediator and Savior, for mercy, pardon and salvation. Their labors were crowned with great success, which the reformation in the sixteenth century abundantly proves. Experimental religion, practical piety and scriptural holiness were little known in England; and infidelity was making rapid strides in the nation, when the Wesleys and their associates began to discover an uncommon spirit of inquiry, piety and devotion, which procured them the name of the "holy club," and afterwards, "Methodists."

"It is come," says Bishop Butler, "I know not how, to be taken for granted by many persons, that christianity is

not so much as a subject of inquiry; but that it is now at length discovered to be fictitious; and accordingly they treat it as if, in the present age, this were an agreement among all people of discernment, and nothing remained but to set it up as a principal subject of mirth and ridicule, as it were, by way of reprisals for its having so long interrupted the pleasures of the world."

There is every reason to believe, that the Methodists were the instruments of stemming this torrent. Buck's Theological Dictionary, under the word Methodists.

CHAPTER II.

From the birth of Mr. John Wesley, to the time he entered Christ's Church College, Oxford, 1720-a period of seventeen years.

MR. JOHN WESLEY was the second son of Samuel and Susannah Wesley, and born at Epworth in Lincolnshire, on the 17th of June, 1703, O. S. There has indeed been some variation in the accounts given of his age by different persons of the family; but the certificate of it, sent him by his father a little before he was ordained priest, to satisfy the Bishop concerning his age, puts the matter beyond a doubt.

"Epworth, August 23, 1728. "John Wesley, M. A. Fellow of Lincoln College, was twenty five years old the 17th of June last, having been baptized a few hours after his birth by me.

"SAMUEL WESLEY, Rector of Epworth."

When he was nearly six years old, a calamity happened which threatened him, and indeed the whole family, with destruction. By accident, as all who have written concerning it have supposed; but according to his own account, by the

wickedness of some of his father's parishioners, who could not bear the plain dealing of so faithful and resolute a pastor, the parsonage house was set on fire.

The following anecdote related to me by Mr. John Wesley, will throw some light upon this event. Many of his father's parishioners gave much trouble about the tithes. At one time they would only pay in kind. Going into a field, upon one of those occasions, where the tithe corn was laid out, Mr. Wesley found a farmer very deliberately at work with a pair of shears, cutting off the ears of corn and putting them into a bag which he had brought with him for that purpose. Mr. Wesley said not any thing to him, but took him by the arm and walked with him into the town. When they got into the market place, Mr. Wesley seized the bag, and, turning it inside out before all the people, told them what the farmer had been doing. He then left him, with his pilfered spoils, to the judgment of his neighbors, and walked quietly home.

A letter from Mrs. Susannah Wesley to the Rev. Mr. Hoole, gives the best account of this calamitous fire. It is dated August 24, 1709.

"Rev. Sir,-My master is much concerned that he was so unhappy as to miss of seeing you at Epworth; and he is not a little troubled that the great hurry of business, about building his house, will not afford him leisure to write. He has therefore ordered me to satisfy your desire as well as I can, which I shall do by a simple relation of matters of fact, though I cannot at this distance of time recollect every calamitous circumstance that attended our strange reverse of fortune. On Wednesday night, February the 9th, between the hours of eleven and twelve, our house took fire; by what accident God only knows. It was discovered by some sparks falling from the roof upon the bed, where one of the children (Hetty) lay, and burning her feet, she immediately ran to our chamber and called us; but I