WESLEY. 



time he took a jaurney to Germany, in order to derive a 

 further confirmation of his faith from intercourfe with con- 

 genial fpirits at the head-quarters of the Moravians, at Hern- 

 huth. ( See Unitas Fratrum. ) Afier his return to England, 

 in September 1738, he entered on his courfe of labours; 

 and preached or exhorted, frequently three or four times a 

 day, in prifons and other places of the metropolis, as well as 

 in various parts of the country, where the fervour of his zeal 

 bore proportion to the degree of obloquy whicli he incurred. 

 His difcourfes produced wonderful effedts, and occafioned 

 in the hearers fwoonings, exclamations, convulfions, &c. 

 which have been often the accompaniments of violent emo- 

 tions. At Briftol, where he had been preceded by AVhit- 

 field he coUetled large crowds of attendants in the open 

 air. But it was now defirable that a building (hould be 

 erefted for the accommodation of the followers of thefe 

 popular preachers. In May 1739, the firft ftone of fuch 

 an edifice was laid at Briftol ; and with this building com- 

 menced the abfolute and unlimited power which Wefley ex- 

 ercifed over his followers. " The direftion of the work 

 was firft committed to eleven feoffees of his nomination ; 

 but as it became neceflary for him to engage for the pay- 

 ment of the workmen, and to colleft money for this pur- 

 pofe, he vifited London, and upon confulting Whitfield 

 and others, he was told, that they would do nothing in the 

 matter, unlefs he would difcharge the feoffees, and take the 

 whole bufinefs into his own hands. They gave various rea- 

 fons for this determination ; but one," fays Wefley, " was 

 enough, vi%. that fuch feoffees would always have it in their 

 power to controul me ; and if I preached not as they liked, 

 turn me out of the room that I had built." He, therefore, 

 affembled the feoffees, and with their confent cancelled the 

 inftruments made before, and took the whole management 

 into his own hands ; and this precedent he ever after fol- 

 lowed, fo that all the numerous meetings of his clafs of 

 Methodifts were either vefted in him, or in trultees who 

 were bound to give admiffion into the pulpit either to him, 

 or to fuch preachers as he fhall appoint. Unable to affociate 

 clergymen in the profecution of his plan, which feems to 

 have been his firft defign, he determined to employ lay- 

 preachers as itinerants to the different focieties ; and of their 

 talents he formed fome judgment by their performances at 

 the meetings for prayer and mere private exhortation. 

 Referving to himfelf the nomination of his preachers, his 

 authority was extended as his focieties were multiplied. 

 For the ufe of thefe focieties, he and his brother Charles 

 drew up a fet of rules for the direAion of their moral and 

 religious conduft, which are faid to have been formed upon 

 the pureft model of primitive Chriftianity. A circumftance 

 occurred which threatened injury to the caufe of Methodifm ; 

 but it eventually contributed to its extenfion, and to the 

 eftablilhment of Wefley without a rival at the head of his 

 own body. Whitfield had imbibed a predileftion for the 

 doftrines of the Puritan divines, which were in general Cal- 

 viniftic. Wefley's opinions were Arminian ; fo that it was 

 impoffible for thefe two leaders of feparate tenets to unite. 

 " The differences between them turned upon the three 

 points, unconditional eleftion, irrefiftible grace, and final 

 perfeverance, concerning which topics their notions varied 

 fo much, that AVhitfield plainly told his brother reformer, 

 that they preached two different gofpels, and that he would 

 not only refufe to give him the right hand of fellowfhip, but 

 was refolved publicly to preach againft him and his brother 

 wherefoever he preached at all." Although they after- 

 wards (poke of each other with efteem, yet their feparation 

 was entire and hfting. 



The fyftem of difcipline formed by Wefl©y was admirably 



contrived both for gaining profelytes, and for extending 

 and making permanent his, own influence. As he did not 

 profefs to eftabhfli a new or diftinft feft, he did not interfere 

 with the regular n'orfhip either of the eftabhfhment or of 

 DifTenters, fo that he and his preachers robbed no other 

 minifters of their hearers ; and they availed themfelves of 

 thofe feafons, which gave perfons that were defirous of at- 

 tending leifure for this purpofe. That he might not be 

 charged with drawing people away from the eftabhfheu 

 church, or other focieties of Chriftians, he did not ad- 

 minifter the facrament of the Lord's Supper in his own 

 chapels, but recommended attendance for this purpofe in 

 the eftabhfhed church. ( See Methodists. ) The plan of 

 itinerancy was a political meafure in the fyftem of Mr. 

 Wefley, as variety ferves to excite curiofity, and to increafe 

 the number of his followers. It feems alfo to relieve 

 preachers and hearers, when the ftock of the former is 

 fmall ; and it alfo prevents thefe miffionaries, if they may be 

 fo called, from forming permanent conneftions in any place 

 whither they are fent, and of acquiring an influence, which 

 would be inconfiftent with the fupremacy of the chief. In 

 order to maintain an union between the members of this 

 body, and to exercife a degree of vigilant infpeftion with 

 regard to their conduft, Wefley has divided each fociety 

 into companies of ten or fifteen, called clafTes, to each of 

 which belongs a leader, whofe bufinefs it was every week to 

 fee every perfon of his clafs, and to inquire into his religious 

 ftate. Many of thefe companies were divided into fmaller 

 parties, called bands, in which the married and fingle men, 

 and the married and fingle women, were ranged apart, and 

 they were direfted to maintain a confidential intercourfe 

 with regard to their charafter and ftate with each other. 

 From thefe bands again were formed feleft bands, confifting 

 of thofe who had attained to perfeftion. Of his love- 

 feafts, &c. we have given an account under Methodists. 

 Stewards were appointed to receive contributions, which 

 the loweft members were expedled to pay, however fmall 

 the fums, and to fuperiutend the temporal concerns of the 

 focieties. In order to preferve a connexion between the 

 preachers, as well as to maintain their ultimate fubordina- 

 tion to him, Wefley found it ufeful to fummon annually a 

 confiderable body of them, in order to take counfel with 

 him, and with one another, concerning the general affairs 

 of the focieties. Thefe affemblies were called " Con- 

 ferences ;" and the great number of them at which Wefley 

 had to prefide was a principal means of confolidating the 

 whole frame of the fociety, and maintaining his permanent 

 authority over every part. Wefley and his firft followers 

 had many difiiculties with which to contend ; but their con- 

 ftancy and fortitude, and the apparently beneficial effefts of 

 their endeavours in reforming fome of the moft abandoned 

 members of the community, enabled them ultimately to 

 triumph over all oppofition, and to purfue their labours 

 without moleftation. On account of his fanaticifm and en- 

 thufiafm he has fuffered ridicule and reproach ; and fome 

 have even fufpetted his fincerity in the details which he has 

 given of the extraordinary maiiifeftations of light that have 

 been communicated to him, and the no lefs extraordinary 

 interpofitions of Providence in his favour ; alleging that he 

 pofTeffed a degree of underftanding which coiJd not be de- 

 luded, and, therefore, charging him with a defign of delud- 

 ing others, in order to ferve his own purpofes. But thefe 

 are harfh reflecflions, the juftice of which we cannot be in- 

 duced eafily to allow. About the year 1759, Wefley, who 

 had long been the eulogift of a fingle hfe, thought proper 

 to marry a rich widow, whofe fortune he fettled wholly 

 upon herfelf ; but this connexion proved an occafion of in- 



fehcity, 



