MYLES’S HISTORY 
alliance. Certain of the clergy were 
willing to unite with him, provided the 
exclusive superintendance of the soci- 
eties in their parish were left to them. 
Even Charles assented to this demand 
as reasonable; and declared, that if he 
were a parish minister, the preachers 
should not preach in his parish. The 
business was discussed in the conference 
of 1764, where twelve clergymen at- 
tended. Wesley insisted upon his su- 
premacy, the preachers unanimously 
agreed with him, and as these clergy- 
men would not unite with him except 
upon their own terms, the projected 
union was abandoned. He was right: 
federalism would have been too loose a 
tie; his object was to establish a metho. 
dist republic, one and indivisible, and 
to be chief consul of it himself as long 
as he lived. 
Even his own people wished to curtail 
his power. Wesley ably defended it: 
he pointed out how it had gradually 
arisen. The first persons who desired to 
flee from the wrath to come, came to 
him to request that he would advise and 
pray with them ; here began his autho- 
rity to appoint where and when, and 
how they should meet. They subscrib- 
ed money for the expences of the socie- 
ty; he asked who would take the trou- 
ble of receiving and disbursing it? One 
said, I will do it, and keep the accounts 
for you; here commenced his power ef 
appointing and removing stewards, for 
it was he, and not the people, who made 
the choice. The first preacher came to 
him, and desired to help him as a son 
‘in the gospel, and to labour when and 
where he should think proper to ap- 
point; in this instance also, power was 
freely given him. The conference began 
by his inviting the ministers to advise 
with, not to govern him. The provi- 
dence of God, he said, had cast this 
‘power upon him, without any design or 
choice of his own; and as he had ac- 
cepted it in obedience to that provi- 
dence, so in the same obedience did he 
‘continue to exert it. 
Wesley’s care of the preachers, it is 
said, extended even to the smallest 
things; the founder of a protestant sect 
could not indeed prescribe a diet for his 
followers as was done by the monastic 
_ worthies, but he could advise for their 
_ bodies as well as souls; e386 and wine, 
and all spirituous liquors, he 
were deadly poison, especially after 
preaching; at that time lemonade was 
declared, 
OF THE METHODISTS. 207 
to be taken, candied orange peel, or a 
little soft warm ale. At one of the con- 
ferences he issued his advice, though 
with a premisal that advice is made for 
the few that will take it; touchno dram, 
tobacco, or snuff; eat very light, if any 
supper ; breakfast on nettle or orange- 
peel tea; lie down before ten; rise be- 
fore five; évery day use as much exer- 
cise as you can bear; or, murder your- 
self byinches. Wesley imagined he had 
a gift for the medical art: George Fox 
had once the same fancy. It is the only 
point of similitude between two extraor- 
dinary men, in every other respect ut- 
terly unlike each other; between a world- 
ly man, and one simple as a child; be- 
tween a man of inordinate ambition, and 
one who was pure and lowly of heart; 
between a pharisaic instituter of forms 
and ceremonies, and an Israelite indeed, 
in whom there was no guile. A worse 
danger than the spread of methodism 
can scarcely be apprehended for Eng- 
land; a greater blessing for mankind 
cannot be desired or devised, than that 
the system of George Fox should be- 
come the practical system of the Chris- 
tian world. 
At all times Wesley had professed a 
sincere love for the church, and declar- 
ed, that he would not separate from it; 
but the forms of respect were gradually 
thrown aside, as he felt himself stron- 
ger; already he had exercised episco- 
pal power. At first he had allowed no 
service during the church hours; in 
1786, it was permitted when the minister 
is a notoriously wicked man; when he 
preaches arian, or any equally pernicious 
doctrine; when there are no churches 
in the town, suflicient to contain half 
the people; and when there is no church 
at all within two or three miles. As 
the pernicious nature of the clergyman’s 
doctrine was to be judged by the itine- 
rant’s single opinion, this was equivalent 
to a general permission. By way of 
salvo it was advised, that the preachers 
who officiated during’ church hours, 
should read the psalms and lessons, and 
part of the prayers, “because this will en- 
dear the church service to our brethren, 
who probably would be prejudiced 
against it, if they heard none but extem- 
porary prayer!” 
No alteration or event of importance 
in the society occurred from this time 
till 1791, when Wesley died at the age 
of 89. The number of preachers in Great 
Britain was at that time 291, and of 
