M ETHODIST. 205 
Brecknock. “ Hbwel Harris was- born at Trevecca on 
the 13d of January. 1714. Having a refpedlable paternal 
eilate in reversion, he was defigned by his family for the 
church ; and, having received the rudiments of a claffical 
education, was entered at St. Mary’s Hall in Oxford ; but 
he did not purfue or perfeft thofe ftudies which might 
have given him rank and character among its members. 
When he was about the age of twenty-live, he began his 
career as an itinerant preacher, facrificing all views of 
worldly aggrandizement to what he conceived to be his 
liigheft duty. But a total want of rationality in the pur- 
luit miferabiy detracted from that approbation, which 
mult otherwise have been extorted even from his oppo¬ 
nents by the unqueftionable refpeftability of the motive. 
He was the friend of Whitefield, (with whom he afterwards 
quarrelled,) and the firft importer of the methodiftical te¬ 
nets and difeipline into Wales. He actually officiated in 
the fields ; but, after having undergone much perfecution, 
and incurred fome danger in his travels, he determined 
to eftablifn a religious family at Trevecca, adopting it as 
■his own, and devoting to it his patrimonial eftates, with 
all the favings of a parlimonious life. With unaccount¬ 
able inconfiftency, he built a large and coftly houfe : in 
.this houfe, and on his own eftate, he collefiled a number 
of families, profeffing the fame religious abforption of 
mind. He even purchafed farms in the neighbourhood, 
and eftablilhed manufactories, to as great an extent as his 
finances would admit, or opportunities prefented them- 
felves of laying out his money. The condition he im- 
pofed on thofe who joined his community was, that they 
fljould purfue their avocations of hufbandry or trade folely 
for the benefit of the common flock, declaiming all pri¬ 
vate property, or interference in the management of the 
joint capital, renouncing the l'ociety of llrangers, and ad¬ 
hering punctually to the rigid obfervances of the family. 
The inllitution continued to flourilh during his life-time 
in almoft a formidable degree. Their farms entirely fup- 
plied their numerous families difperfed over the eftates ; 
for the manfion-houl'e was occupied by his own family 
and cloler intimates. There was befides a large furplus 
for the markets; fince their inflexible fobriety was con- 
fidered to have the effeCt of making them good farmers, 
though the bufinefs was much interrupted by their un¬ 
remitting prayers. They alfo manufactured, independent 
of other articles, large quantities of fine flannels, the 
quality of which was in high requelt all round the coun¬ 
try, and large orders were executed for fo diftant a market 
as Briftol. Mr. Harris died in July 1773. I have not 
been ftriCtly correCl in Hating the produce of their la¬ 
bours as brought to a common Hock; for it was all made 
over to him without controul, though exclufively and 
confcientioufly applied to their ufe, and the extenlion of 
the eftablilhment. By his will, he bequeathed the whole 
of his pofleffions, hereditary and accumulated, to the 
maintenance of the family for ever, on the ItriCl princi¬ 
ples of its foundation. He left two trultees, with regu¬ 
lations for the replacing of them, who were to live in the 
houfe, receive the earnings of the people, conduCt the 
pecuniary arrangements and devotional fervices, and in 
every refpeft exercife that plenary authority which he 
had himfelf preferved. There have been, within the re¬ 
collection of perfons refiding at Talgarth, one hundred 
s.nd forty efficient members of this extraordinary family, 
befides children; there are now (1803) not more than 
£xty ; but the flriCl ritual of the place is Hill preferved ; 
the character cf indultrious feclufion and eccentric fana- 
ticifm is feduloufly maintained 5 and the vifitor of Tre- 
yecca may lee it now as in the days of the founder. 
There is lervice in the houfe three times a-day all the year 
round, the time of harvelt not excepted; each perfon is 
allowed a certain proportion of ablences on the fame plan 
the attendance of chapel is regulated for the lludents 
in college ■, and, if the number is exceeded, the offender 
loles the benefit of the inllitution, however reafonable 
may be his excufe, or urgent the plea of his neceffity. 
Vql. XV. No. 1041. 
The fervice, though fo frequent, is very long ; and a nu¬ 
merous attendance is, by theft regulations, conftantly 
fecured. It were much to be w..hed, that it were better 
worth attending ! I happened to arrive there, without 
any previous knowledge of the place or inllitution, about 
three o’clock on Sunda) r , when a number of decently- 
drefled and well-behaved people were aflembling; with 
whofe manners on the outfide of their chapel I was well 
pleafed ; but the infide exhibited fuch a melancholy ex¬ 
hibition of fanatical fatuity, as, happily for the honour 
of human intelleCl, is rarely to be met but among thefe 
jumping enthufialls. The fpeaker, for I will not inlult 
the dignity of our eftablilhment by confidering him as a 
clergyman, had his face and head completely muffled 
with a red pocket handkerchief tied under his chin. The 
caufe of this might have been candidly aferibed to the 
tooth-ach, had I not obferved at Brecknock and elfe- 
where, that the preachers of thefe degradedly methodif¬ 
tical and jumping feels, which would not be worth no¬ 
ticing were they not the unhappy growth of the foil, 
uniformly array themfelves in a fimilar paraphernalia, 
probably in an oftentatious Ihow of fquaiid piety. The 
reft of his apparel was confiftently mean ; and all his air 
and manner indicated the lowell ignorance, though I 
could not judge of his language. Its effedls, however 
atoned in power for what it might want in elegance, or 
the means of rational convidlion. The groans of his 
hearers, fometimes in a folo part, and fometimes in chorus, 
correfponded with the fcarcely-human contortions and- 
ejaculations of the preacher. Some Hood, fome knelt,, 
and fome were ftretched upon the floor in proftrate hu¬ 
miliation. I did not, however, Hay for the animating 
found of “ Glory to the Lamb,” left the forgetfulnefs of 
luperftitious enthuliafm, violating the laws of hofpitality, 
might have compelled me alfo to join in the fantaftic rites 
of light-heeled devotion. But I will no longer weary the 
patience of my reader on the habits of an inllitution, 
which has culled, with fcrupulous care, all the abfurdities 
and evils of the monaftic life, except the prohibition of 
marriage, and at the fame time pafled a fevere edidl of ex- 
clufion againll all its learning and utility.” 
The Univerfalifts are a left of Methodifts whofe fchemfc 
includes a reconciliation of the tenets of Calvinifm and 
Arminianifm, by uniting the leading doctrines of both, 
as far as they are found in the Scriptures: from which 
union they think the fentiment of univerfal reiteration 
naturally flows. Thus they realon: “The Arminian. 
proves from Scripture, that God is love ; that he is good 
to all 5 that his tender mercy is over all his works ; that 
he gave his Son for the world; that Chrilt died for the 
worid ; even for the whole world; and that God will 
have all men to be laved. The Calvinill proves alfo from 
Scripture, that God is without variablenefs or lhadow of 
turning ; that his love, like himfelf, alters not; that the 
death of Chrift will be efficacious towards all for whom it 
was intended; that God wiil perform all his pleafure, 
and that his council fliall Hand. The union of thefe 
fcriptural principles, is the final reiteration of all men. 
Taking the principles of the Calvinills and Arminians 
feparately, we find the former teaching, or at leall infer¬ 
ring, that God doth not love all, but that he made the 
greater part of men to be endlefs monuments of his 
wrath; the latter declaring the love of God to all, but 
admitting his final failure of relloring the greater part. 
The God of the former is great in power and wifdom, 
but deficient in goodnefs, and capricious in his conduct t 
who that views the character can lincerely love it? The 
God of the latter is exceeding good ; but: deficient in 
power and wifdom : who can trull fuch a being ? If, 
therefore, both Calvinills and Arminians iove and trull 
the Deity, it is not under the character which their fe- 
veral fyllems afcribe to him ; but they are conftrained to 
hide the imperfections which their views call upon him, 
and boaft of a God, whofe higheft glory their: feveral 
Ichemes will not admit.” 
3 Y Tl»$ 
