Editor's Introductory Notes: 1768

[1] Samuel Levick, a deeply pious young man, became a preacher in 1763, and died in 1771. See Atmore's Memorial, p. 242.

[2] The Countess Dowager of Buchan had appointed Wesley as one of her domestic chaplains. See Journal, v. 276-7n.

[3] This letter shows with what energy Wesley was grappling with the debt on Methodism in England, Scotland, and Ireland, which amounted to about 13,388. Hopper was regaining strength after his illness. He says: 'In July 1767 I set out for London. God was with me, and gave me a will and power to preach His word. August 18 our Conference began. Dear Mr. Whitefield and honest Howell Harris attended. All was love, all was harmony. It was a Pentecost indeed!' He was now a supernumerary, with hands free to undertake this financial effort. See Minutes, 1768; Wesley's Veterans, i. 147; and letter of December 15, 1767.

[4] William Minethorp, a local preacher in York, became an itinerant in 1762. He was honoured for his simplicity, piety, and watchfulness. The plan for the payment of the debt was largely Christopher Hopper's, and the Newcastle Methodists subscribed handsomely. See Atmore's Memorial, PP. 273-4; and letters of November 24 and December 28, 1767.

[5] Charles Wesley had now three sons. John James, the youngest, died on July 5, 1768, at the age of seven months. The other boys became famous musicians, not preachers. John White, father of John Westley's wife, was Patriarch of Dorchester and for some time Rector of Lambeth. He was one of the two assessors appointed to assist Dr. Twisse, the first Chairman of the Westminster Assembly. He died in 1648.

[6] This is the beginning of Wesley's correspondence with Hannah Ball. She was born on March 13, 1733, and had been for some time under religious impressions, which were deepened by reading Thomas Walsh's Sermons. 'Some time after this,' she says, 'Mr. Wesley came to Wycombe. I had now a conflict between desire and aversion. Desire at length so far prevailed, that though I did not attend the preaching at night, yet I went at five in the morning. I was struck with the venerable appearance of Mr. Wesley; but more deeply affected with the words of his text, which were taken from Matthew xv. 28, " O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt."' This was on January 8, 1765. She wrote in 1769, 'After hearing this sermon I was under very strong convictions for five months; and then I found peace to my troubled soul' on June 3, 1765. The little Memoir gives thirty-two letters from Wesley to this devoted lady. She became a power in the Society at High Wycombe, and established a Sunday school in the town in 1769, nearly fourteen years before Robert Raikes began his schools in Gloucester. She died on August 16, 1792, in her fifty-ninth year. See Memoir of Miss Hannah Ball, pp. 6, 36, 179.

[7] Benson had gone from Cumberland to Newcastle to see Wesley; but he had left. After a few weeks among the Methodists of the North, he set out to walk to London, as Wesley wished him to come to the Foundery. At Ferry Bridge a gentleman saw him reading his Greek Testament near the kitchen fire in the inn, and took him to London in the basket of his carriage. He arrived in the middle of February 1766, and after a month at the Foundery went with Wesley to Bristol, where on March 11 he was made classical master at Kingswood.

James Hindmarsh was the chief English and mathematical master, and his wife housekeeper. The collection reported at the Conference of 1767 was 121 9s. The Conference authorized a midsummer collection and special subscriptions for the school, and 173 was contributed in the following year. Franks, the Book Steward, was thus able to meet the needs of the school. For an account of the revival at the school in April 1768, see Journal, v. 258-60, and History of Kingswood School, pp. 57-8; and for Thomas Lewis, letter of December 7, 1764.

[8] This is the beginning of one of the closest friendships and most sustained correspondence of Wesley's life. In January 1764 he preached at Witney, near which, at Blandford Park, Miss Bolton lived with her brother. She came to London, and the proposed marriage did not take place. See letter of April 7.

[9] This was an early stage in Fletcher's life at Madeley, when he was in close contact with those who were not in sympathy with his views. Wesley's advice must have been of real service. Lady Huntingdon's chapels were increasing, and the need of preachers was keenly felt. She was preparing for the opening of her college at Trevecca on August 24, 1768, of which Fletcher became the first President early in January, with Easterbrook as Assistant. Six students had been expelled from St. Edmund Hall Oxford on March 11, 1768, for Methodist practices. This letter is given in a shortened form in the Works, xii. 161-2. See Tyerman's Whitefield, ii. 541-5; W.H.S. xiv. 46-7

Joseph Easterbrook, son of the bellman at Bristol, who had been educated at Kingswood School, was now seventeen. He became Vicar of Temple Church, Bristol, and died in 1791. He went to see Fletcher at Madeley. Fletcher thanks Lady Huntingdon on January 3, 1768, for recommending him, and says: 'I hope he will be the captain of the school [the college at Trevecca], and a great help to the master, as well as a spur to the students. He has good parts, a most happy memory, and a zeal that would gladden your Ladyship's heart. He has preached no less than four times to-day.' See Tyerman's Wesley's Designated Successor, pp. 122, 132; and letter of February 6, 1791, to Henry Moore.

[10] For the letter of March 28, 1768, to Dr. Thomas Rutherforth, concerning his Four Charges to the Clergy of the Archdeaconry of Essex, see pp. 357-69.

[11] Hopper was in Newcastle, and Wesley relied on his help as to the debt. These preachers were not able to get what Wesley thought right from the rich Societies. Boardman was in York, Brisco and Daniel Bumstead at Birstall, and John Oliver at Leeds. See letter of January 9.

[12] 'Of the remaining four letters' to Peggy Dale, 'two are only copies--one bearing the endorsement of the fact that the original had been given away by Canon Dale. One has been in a cover which is lost, and with it its number.' See Dale's Life and Letters, i. 20.

[13] John Shaw, who was sensible, upright, and pious, served as an itinerant from 1763 to 1793. He 'was a remarkably corpulent man, which rendered travelling sometimes a great burden to him.' He was preacher in Lincoln West, and had made some suggestion, probably about the chapel debt. See Atmore's Memorial, p. 384.

[14] Plenderlieth was a minister of the Established Church in Edinburgh. At Elgin Lady Maxwell found his ministry a blessing. On May 8, 1784, Wesley spent an agreeable hour with 'a daughter of good Mr. Plenderlieth, late of Edinburgh.' See Lancaster's Life of Lady Maxwell, p. 28.

 

The father of Dr. Joseph Stennett, jun. (1692-1758), was Sunday Lecturer at St. Paul's Alley, Barbican. At Perth on April 24, 1770, Wesley 'spent a few agreeable hours with Dr. Oswald, an upright, friendly, sensible man'; and on April 27, 1772, 'three or four hours in conversation with Dr. Oswald and Mr. Fraser, two as pious and sensible ministers as any I know in Scotland.' Wesley had probably met Dr. Oswald when he visited Perth on April 26-5, 1768, and acted on his advice in Edinburgh on May 14-16. See Journal, v. 256, 363, 456.

 

Dr. Erskine wrote a Preface to the Edinburgh edition of Hervey's Eleven Letters attacking Wesley. James Kershaw replied; and Erskine published a defence of his Preface, in which he attacked Wesley still more violently. 'One is at the head of their Societies who has blended with some precious gospel truths a medley of Arminian, Antinomian, and enthusiastic errors.' See letter of April 24, 1765; and for Wesley's reply, Works, x. 346-55.

[15] Brooke, 'a man of remarkable piety and worth,' was received into the Dublin Society in April 1765. Grant, Martin, and Freeman were leading Methodists in Dublin; Mr. Grant being the Treasurer of the Widows' Alms House. Olivers and John Hilton were the preachers there. See letters of March I, 1762, and July 8, 1774, to him.

[16] Wesley preached at Osmotherley on June 17. This letter fills part of the gap in the Journal. William Ripley wrote: 'We had a pleasant ride to Osmotherley, and a good sermon at eleven, from Zion travailing and bringing forth suddenly--and so plentifully that a nation is born in a day. Here he showed that God in this respect was carrying on a wonderful work amongst the Methodists in convincing and removing or pardoning sin, and renewing the heart, and that speedily. In the evening he preached a comfortable sermon from little David and great Goliath, reading the whole chapter. He made excellent remarks as he spiritualized the whole, showing that the sling of faith and stones of God's promises would soon lay low the proud giants of self and sin. My soul was melted down in love; my eyes flowed with tears; I was filled with a holy courage, and something of a valiant mind sprung up in me.' Thomas Lee and John Heslop were preachers at Yarm. See Journal, v. 277n; c iii. 93n.

[17] John Goodwin the Arminian (1593-1665) published 'Redemption Redeemed, wherein the most glorious work of the Redemption of the World by Jesus Christ is vindicated against the Encroachments of Later Times' (1651, folio). Toplady thought George Kendall had effectually answered it in two folios; but Sellon rejoined, 'If it was, I will eat it, as tough a morsel as it is.' Dr. John Owen replied in 850 octavo pages to Goodwin's seven chapters on the Perseverance of the Saints. Sellon's book Arguments against the Doctrine of General Redemption Considered (178 pages) was published in 1769.

[18] Jeremiah Robertshaw, the second preacher at York was a native of the West Riding, 'a remarkably plain, honest, simple, pious man.' He became an itinerant in 1762, and died in February 1788. See Atmore's Memorial, pp. 373-4. On July 14 Wesley crossed over into Lincolnshire, and, after about ten days there, returned by Doncaster, Rotherham, and Sheffield, and thence to Madeley. See Journal, v. 278.

EPWORTH, July 13, 1768.

[19] Thomas Adam, the Rector of Wintringham, was at first a friend to the Methodists, but had now changed his attitude. Wesley says: 'I read Mr. Adam's ingenious Comment on the former part of the Epistle to the Romans. I was surprised and grieved. How are the mighty fallen! It is the very quintessence of Antinomianism. I did wonder much, but I do not wonder now, that his rod does not blossom.' The Comment was published in London in 1771. See Journal, v. 61, 278n, 480; and letter of October 31, 1755.

After Henry Venn left Huddersfield some of his old parishioners disapproved of his successor, and built a chapel, towards which he subscribed. William Moorhouse, who had attended Venn's ministry, was its pastor for more than fifty years. See Journal, v. 279; Life and Times of the Countess of Huntingdon, ii. 47.

[20] John Mason was left an orphan at four years of age, became a preacher in 1764, and was well read in history, skilled in anatomy, medicine, and natural philosophy. His collection of English plants 'would have done credit to the first museum in Europe.' He was at Bandon in 1767-8, and then at Limerick. Wesley often visited Kinsale, and says in August 1760: 'Surely good might be done here also, would our preachers always preach in the Exchange, as they may without any molestation, instead of a little, ugly, dirty garret.' A chapel was built in 1789 on the top of Compass Hill. See Thomas's Methodism in Exeter, p. 10.

[21] Wesley held his first Covenant Services in the French church, Spitalfields, where about eighteen hundred persons were present on August 11, 1755. See Journal, iv. 3, 126.

[22] Wesley introduces this letter into his Journal, v. 283, with the words, 'About this time I wrote to a friend as follows.' This was Lawrence Coughlan. See letters of March 6, 1763, and October 6, 1768 (where the reference to his wife suggests that he had lost her money).

[23] Thomas Olivers and John Hilton, who were in Dublin, preached strongly against the levity of some of the people; but James Morgan opposed them, and when Olivers spoke his mind freely Morgan and his friends quite bore him down. The party spirit engendered led to many painful disputes in years to come. See Crookshank's Methodism in Ireland, i. 210; Wesley's Veterans, i. 236-7; and letter of June 27, 1769.

[24] Wesley reached Bristol on Saturday, August 13, between eleven and twelve at night, and on Sunday he heard that his wife was dangerously ill. 'I took chaise immediately, and reached the Foundery before one in the morning. Finding the fever was turned, and the danger over, about two I set out again, and in the afternoon came (not at all tired) to Bristol.' He made the journey of 228 miles, stayed just an hour at the Foundery, and returned to Bristol for his Conference, which lasted from Tuesday to Friday. Wesley preached at Newlyn on Sunday evening, September 4, and evidently wrote this letter early next morning before setting out to preach in Penzance at 9 a.m. See Journal v. 281-2, 286.

[25] Lady Maxwell had found the joy and peace of faith in Christ the previous April. See her Life, p. 28.

[26] Miss Hilton married William Barton in 1769, and by the kindness of one of her sons, Mr. George Barton, Wesley's letters to her appeared in the edition of his Works in 1829-31. They had 'a tolerable measure of this world's good.' She died on August 17, 1826, and was buried in the Minster Yard by the side of her husband, who passed away a few years earlier. See letters of July 22, 1766, and October 8, 1768.

[27] John Heslop had been at Athlone in 1765 and Yarm in 1766-7. His name now disappears from the Minutes. See letter of September 26.

[28] Benson remained at Kingswood till the spring of 1770, when he became Head Master of Trevecca. Peter Price was a master at Kingswood 1765-8 and a Methodist preacher 1764-8. See letters of December 4, 1768, and January 2, 1769.

[29] On September 28, 1768, Miss Ball writes: 'This day I hope to begin afresh, and live a life of faith and love; to be given up entirely to the Lord, and feel Him all my own. I have received a letter from dear Mr. Wesley which has very much encouraged my soul. I bless God for counting me worthy to correspond with so good and great a man.' 'This letter,' says the Memoir, p. 18, 'is not to be found amongst Miss Ball's papers.'

[30] Richard Bourke and John Mason were at Limerick. John Hilton and Thomas Rankin accompanied Wesley on his tour in the spring of 1769. 'Mr. Wesley's plan and design were, if in any place which he visited there was any particular divine influence upon the congregation or Society, to leave one of us there for a few days, and then we were to meet him again at a place appointed.... Mr. Hilton was left behind in the North, as he could not bear the long journeys.' He was with Wesley in the North in April 1770. He left him in 1777, and joined the Friends. See Journal, v. 364, vi. 168; Wesley's Veterans, vi 164-5.

[31] George Cussons, born at Ampleforth in the North Riding in 1734, was an intimate friend of the Rev. Dr. Conyers, of Helmsley. He joined the Society at Scarborough in 1760; but came to London in 1769, and began business as a cabinet-maker in Wardour Street in 1774. He was one of the founders of the Naval and Military Bible Society, and a leading member at West Street and Great Queen Street. He died in 1817. See Journal, iv. 330n, 535n; Arminian Magazine, 1790, pp. 42-5; Two West End Chapels, pp. 63-6.

[32] Hannah Harrison was the wife of Lancelot Harrison, who was colleague of Thomas Rankin and William Brammah in Lincolnshire West in 1766, Lincolnshire East 1767, and Cornwall West 1768. See letters of August 8, 1767, and March 18, 1769.

[33] Benson's son in his manuscript Life, p. 87, speaks of the ill advice of injudicious friends, and says that 'some laconic observations of Mr. Wesley were not lost upon him.' See letters of November 7 and December 22.

[34] William Brammah was at Yarm, and his wife was evidently in danger of yielding to religious excitement. On February 2, 1817, Joseph Benson read this letter to the Society at City Road, London. 'In the meetings for prayer which have lately been held after the exhortation on Saturday evenings,' says the manuscript Life, iv. 1513, two or three or more had often prayed at once with those in distress of soul in different parts of the Morning Chapel whilst others were exhorting them to believe. 'I advised that they should have greater reverence for the presence and majesty of God. I appealed to the following letter of Mr. Wesley's, which lately fell into Mr. Kershaw's hands, and which with one or two others he sent me.'

[35] Miss Bosanquet was now living at Gildersome, in the West Riding, where Mrs. Ryan had died on August 17. For Taylor's affair, see letter of August 16, 1767. Christopher Hopper and Thomas Lee were at Birstall. Lee was born in the parish of Keighley in 1727, became one of Wesley's zealous preachers in 1755, and died in 1786. See Wesley's Veterans, iii. 198-219; and vi. 138 for his encouragement to Thomas Rankin.

[36] This case of discipline is referred to in the Journal, v. 294. Heavy charges were brought against William Garrat, a member of the London Society. As printed in the Works the part of the letter within brackets was omitted.

Wesley was preparing his Extract from Dr. Young's 'Night Thoughts on Life, Death, and Immortality,' printed by William Pine, Bristol, in 1770. His Preface shows that he followed the rules here laid down: (1) To leave out all the lines that contain childish conceits, that sink into prosaic flatness, that rise into the turgid, the false sublime, or are incurably obscure; (2) to explain words that are obscure to unlearned readers; (3) to point out the sublime strokes of poetry and the most pathetic strokes of nature and passion. See Journal, v. 296-7; Works, xiv. 336-8.

Charles Wesley, jun., was now eleven, devoted to Handel's music, and showing rare promise as a musician. Charles Avison (1710-70) was organist of St. Nicholas's, Newcastle, from 1736 till his death. Wesley had read his Expression in Music on October 22. It was probably from him that Charles Wesley was anxious to hear. Avison's elder son, Edward, married Peggy Dale, one of Wesley's closest friends. See Journal, v, 290; Arminian Magazine, 1788, p. 15; and letter of June 1, 1765.

[37] <Charles III of Spain ordered the expulsion of the Jesuits from Paraguay on June 17, 1767, and the Governor of Buenos Ayres returned from carrying out the expulsion on Sept. 16, 1768. On the back of the letter is this note in pencil, which throws light upon it:

'During a hundred and fifty years, there has not been a crime committed amongst the Indians of Paraguay which has been thought worthy of capital punishment.' Some one has added 'Dr. Brown said the above was an answer to the Letter within, wrote with a Pencil by himself.'

(c)1998 Wesley Center for Applied Theology. All rights reserved. No for-profit use of this text is permitted without the express, written consent of the Wesley Center for Applied Theology of Northwest Nazarene College, Nampa, Idaho 83686 USA. Direct all inquiries to the webmaster.