sented to his view, and still more with the discourses which he heard from the pulpit, and the religious experience of the brethren with whom he conversed. They all declared, as with one voice, that they had been made permanently happy and holy by believing in Christ; so that he was greatly strengthened and confirmed in those views of the truth which he had now received, and which he was unconsciously preparing to preach to others with almost unexampled publicity and effect.

CHAPTER III.

NEASURES ADOPTED BY THE WESLEYS FOR THE REVIVAL OF RELIGION.

FIELD PREACHING.

WHEN Mr. Wesley returned from Germany, he immediately began, with his characteristic diligence to preach justification by faith; with the penitential sorrow by which it is preceded, and the peace and holiness which invariably follow it. He did this in some of the churches of London, but more frequently in what he calls "societies," which then met in various parts of London and its vicinity. They are well described by Dr. Woodward, and had long been very useful in different parts of the land. It was at one of these "societies," in Aldersgate-street, that he had some months before found rest to his soul; and as they consisted almost entirely of professed members of the Established Church, he seemed, as a matter of course, to claim relationship to them. In these small assemblies, which appear to have generally met in private houses, he declared what God had done for his soul, and exhorted the people also to taste and see that the Lord is gracious.

Many believed the report, and were made happy in the God of their salvation.

He was thus employed when he received a letter from his friend, Mr. Whitefield, recently returned from America, and now in Bristol, earnestly pressing him to come to that city without delay. On his arrival, he says, "I could scarce reconcile myself, at first, to this strange way of preaching in the fields, of which he set me the example on the Sunday; having been all my life (till very lately) so tenacious of every point relating to decency and order that I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin, if it had not been done in a church." On the following day, Mr. Whitefield having left Bristol, Mr. Wesley says, "At four in the afternoon I submitted to be more vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking from a little eminence in a ground adjoining to the city to about three thousand people."*

This was not the first time that Mr. Wesley had preached in the open air. He did this in Georgia, before Mr. Whitefield was ordained; but it does not appear that he had any intention of resuming the practice in England, till he was stimulated by the example and urgent advice of his friend. But having once adopted this mode of imparting religious instruction to the neglected classes of the community, he never abandoned it to the end of his life, being deeply convinced of its utility, and strenuously recommending the frequent use of it to all the preachers who laboured in connection with him. He confined not these labours to Bristol, but extended them to Bath, and especially to the colliers at Kingswood, being often surrounded by many thousands of willing and attentive hearers.

On his return to London, in June following, he accompanied Mr. Whitefield to Blackheath, where about twelve

* Works, vol. iii, pp. 126, 127, Am. edit. † Ibid. vol. vi, p. 94.

or fourteen thousand people were assembled to hear the word. At Mr. Whitefield's request, Mr. Wesley preached in his stead; and afterward, for many years, addressed similar, and even larger multitudes in Moorfields, and at Kennington-common, at Newcastle-upon-Tyne, and other parts of England, Wales, and Ireland.

As Mr. Charles Wesley recovered his strength, he preached in different churches, and frequently to the felons in Newgate, to whom he paid a most anxious and compassionate attention. He often visited them in their cells, composed hymns for their use, explained to them the way of salvation through faith in Christ, and exhorted them to trust in his atonement for pardon and eternal life. Not a few appeared, through his instrumentality, to be brought to repentance, and to a due preparation for the death to which they were appointed. Having recovered his strength, and being strenuously urged by Mr. Whitefield, on the 24th of June, 1739, he says, "I prayed, and went forth in the name of Jesus Christ. I found near a thousand helpless sinners waiting for the word in Moorfields. I invited them in my Master's words, as well as name, 'Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' The Lord was with me, even me, the meanest of his messengers, according to his promise. At St. Paul's, the psalms, lessons, &c., for the day, put new life into me; and so did the sacrament. My load was gone, and all my doubts and scruples. God shone on my path, and I knew this was his will concerning me. I walked to Kennington-common, and cried to multitudes upon multitudes, 'Repent ye, and believe the gospel.' The Lord was my strength, and my mouth, and my wisdom. O that all would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness!" A few weeks afterward, he preached to about ten thousand people in Moorfields; and for several years

he followed, with equal steps, both his brother and Mr. Whitefield, in laborious zeal and public usefulness.

The Wesleys were led to adopt this very unusual proceeding through the force of circumstances, and a strong sense of duty; and not in consequence of any plan which they had previously conceived. When Mr. John Wesley returned from Georgia, he says, "I was in haste to retire to Oxford, and bury myself in my beloved obscurity; but I was detained in London, week after week, by the trustees for the colony of Georgia. In the mean time I was continually importuned to preach in one and another church; and that not only morning, afternoon, and night, on Sunday, but on week-days also. As I was lately come from a far country, vast multitudes flocked together; but, in a short time, partly because of those unwieldy crowds, partly because of my unfashionable doctrine, I was excluded from one and another church, and, at length, shut out of all! Not daring to be silent, after a short struggle between honour and conscience, I made a virtue of necessity, and preached in the middle of Moorfields. Here were thousands upon thousands, abundantly more than any church could contain; and numbers among them who never went to any church or place of public worship at all. More and more of them were cut to the heart, and came to me all in tears, inquiring, with the utmost eagerness, what they must do to be saved."

He speaks more largely on the same subject in another place, where he says, "I believe it may be satisfactory to some readers, if I relate how I began to preach in this

manner :

"I was ordained deacon in 1725, and priest in the year following. But it was many years after this before I was convinced of the great truths above recited. During all that

* Works, vol. i, p. 93, Am. edit.

time I was utterly ignorant of the nature and condition of justification. Sometimes I confounded it with sanctification; (particularly when I was in Georgia ;) at other times I had some confused notion about the forgiveness of sin; but then I took it for granted the time of this must be either the hour of death, or the day of judgment.

"I was equally ignorant of the nature of saving faith; apprehending it to mean no more than a 'firm assent to all the propositions contained in the Old and New Testa

ments.'

"As soon as, by the great blessing of God, I had a clearer view of these things, I began to declare them to others also. 'I believed, and therefore I spake.' Whereever I was now desired to preach, salvation by faith was my only theme. My constant subjects were, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.' 'Him hath God exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance and remission of sins.' These I explained and enforced with all my might, both in every church where I was asked to preach, and occasionally in the religious societies of London and Westminster; to some or other of which I was continually pressed to go by the stewards or other members of them.

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Things were in this posture, when I was told I must preach no more in this, and this, and another church; the reason was usually added without reserve, 'Because you preach such doctrines.' So much the more those who could not hear me there flocked together when I was at any of the societies; where I spoke more or less, though with much inconvenience, to as many as the room I was in would contain.

"But after a time, finding these rooms could not contain a tenth part of the people that were earnest to hear, I determined to do the same thing in England, which I had often done in a warmer climate, namely, when the