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Our Father, which art in heaven. But it was not by such frivolous objections as these that the success of Methodism in Scotland was impeded. The real cause of its failure was, that it was not wanted-that there was no place for it: the discipline of the kirk was not relaxed, the clergy possessed great influence over their parishioners, the children were piously brought up, the population had not outgrown the church-establishment, and the Scotch, above all other people, deserved the praise of being a frugal, industrious, and religious nation.

Obvious as this is, Wesley seems not to have perceived it; and it is evident that he regarded both the forms and discipline of the church of Scotland, with a disposition rather to detect what was* objectionable, than to acknowledge what was good. "Lodging with a sensible man," he writes, "I inquired particularly into the present discipline of the Scotch parishes. In one parish, it seems, there are twelve ruling elders; in another, there are fourteen. And what are these? men of great sense and deep experience? Neither one nor the other; but they are the richest men in the parish. And are the richest, of course, the best and the wisest men? Does the bible teach this? I fear not. What manner of governors, then, will these be? Why, they are generally just as capable of governing a parish, as of commanding an army." Had he been free from prejudice, instead of being led away by an abuse of words, he would have perceived how the fact stood, -that the elders were required to be respectable in their circumstances, as well as in character: and

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*One of his charges against the Scotch clergy was, that "with pride, bitterness, and bigotry, self-indulgence was joined; self-denial was little taught and practised. It is well if some of them did not despise or even condemn all self-denial in things indifferent, as in apparel or food, as nearly allied to popery." (Journal x. p. 20.) And in one of his sermons he says, "there is always a fast day in the week preceding the administration of the Lord's Supper (in Scotland.) But occasionally looking into a book of accounts, in one of their vestries, I observed so much set down for the dinners of the ministers on the fast day. And I am informed there is the same article in them all. And is there any doubt but that the people fast just as their ministers do? But what a farce is this! what a miserable burlesque upon a plain Christian duty!" (Works, vol. x. p. 419.)

that, without that respectability, they could not have obtained respect. That the forms of the kirk, or rather, its want of forms, should offend him, is not surprizing. “O,” he cries, "what a difference is there between the English and the Scotch mode of burial! The English does honour to human nature, and even to the poor remains that were once a temple of the Holy Ghost: but when I see in Scotland a coffin put into the earth, and covered up without a word spoken, it reminds me of what was spoken concerning Jehoiakim, he shall be buried with the burial of an ass." It was, indeed, no proof of judgment, or of feeling, to reject the finest and most affecting ritual that ever was composed a service that finds its way to the heart, when the heart stands most in need of such consolation, and is open to receive it. Yet Wesley might have known, that the silent interment of the Scotch is not without solemnity; and, in their lonely burialgrounds, and family burial-places, he might have seen something worthy of imitation in England.

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Writing at Glasgow, he says, "My spirit was moved within me at the sermons I heard, both morning and afternoon. They contained much truth, but were no more likely to awaken one soul than an Italian opera." The truth was, that he did not understand the Scotch character, and therefore condemned the practice of those preachers who did. "I spoke as closely as I could," he says of his own sermons, " and made a pointed application to the hearts of all that were present. I am convinced this is the only way whereby we can do any good in Scotland. This very day I heard many excellent truths delivered in the kirk; but as there was no application, it was likely to do as much good as the singing of a lark. I wonder the pious ministers in Scotland are not sensible of this: they cannot but see that no sinners are convinced of sin, none converted to God by this way of preaching; how strange is it then, that neither reason nor experience teaches them to take a better way!" They aimed at no such effect. The new birth of the Methodists, their instantaneous conversions, their assurance, their sanctification, and their

perfection, were justly regarded as extravagancies by the Scotch as well as by the English clergy.

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It was with more reason that Wesley groaned over the manner in which the Reformation had been effected in Scotland; and, when he stood amid the ruins of Aberbrothock, exclaimed, "God, deliver us from reforming mobs!" Nor would he admit of the apology that is offered for such havoc, and for the character of John Knox. "I know," he says, "it is commonly said, the work to be done needed such a spirit. Not so: the work of God does not, cannot need the work of the devil to forward it. And a calm even spirit goes through rough work far better than a furious one. Although, therefore, God did use, at the time of the Reformation, sour, overbearing, passionate men, yet he did not use them because they were such; but notwithstanding they were so. And there is no doubt he would have used them much more, had they been of an humbler and milder spirit." On the other hand, he bore testimony to the remarkable decorum with which public worship was conducted by the Episcopalians in Scotland: it exceeded any thing which he had seen in England: and he admitted, that even his own congregations did not come up to it.

He did, however, this justice to the Scotch, that he acknowledged they were never offended at plain dealing; and that, in this respect, they were a pattern to all mankind. Nor did he ever meet with the slightest molestation from mobs, or the slightest insult. One day, however, a warrant was issued against him at Edinburgh, by the sheriff, and he was carried to a house adjoining the Tolbooth. A certain George Sutherland, who, to his own mishap, had at one time been a member of the society, had deposed, that Hugh Sanderson, one of John Wesley's preachers, had taken from his wife one hundred pounds in money, and upwards of thirty pounds in goods; and had, besides that, terrified her into madness; so that, through the want of her help, and the loss of business, he was damaged five hundred pounds. He had deposed also, that the said John Wesley and

Hugh Sanderson, to evade his pursuit, were preparing to fly the country; and, upon these grounds, had obtained a warrant to search for, seize, and incarcerate them in the Tolbooth, till they should find security for their appearance. The sheriff, with great indiscretion, granted this warrant against Wesley, who could in no way be held legally responsible for the conduct of any of his preachers; but when the affair was tried, the accusation was proved to be so false and calumnious, that the prosecutor was heavily fined.*

Looking for any cause of failure rather than the real one, Wesley imputed the want of success in Scotland to the disposition which his preachers manifested to remain stationary there. "We are not called," he says, " to sit still in one place: it is neither for the health of our souls nor bodies: we will have travelling preachers in Scotland, or none. I will serve the Scotch as we do the English, or leave them. While I live, itinerant preachers shall be itinerants, if they choose to remain in connexion with us. The thing is fixed: the manner of effecting it is to be considered." But here lay the difficulty; for the spiritual warfare of Methodism was carried on upon the principle of deriving means from its conquests; and the errant-preacher, who failed of success in his expeditions, oftentimes fasted, when there was no virtue of self-denial in the compulsory abstinence.

A curious instance of this occurred in the case of Thomas Taylor, one of those preachers who tempered zeal with judgment, and who found means, during his itinerancy, by the strictest economy of time, to acquire both the Greek and Hebrew languages. This person was appointed to Glasgow. He had gone through hard service in Wales and in Ireland, in wild countries, and among wild men but this populous city presented a new scene, and offered something more discouraging than either bodily fatigue or bodily danger. There were no Methodists here, no place of entertainment, no place to preach in, no

*One thousand pounds, says Wesley in his Journal; and omits to add, that it was one thousands pounds Scotch, Anglice, A thousand shillings.

friend with whom to communicate: it was a hard winter, and he was in a strange land. Having, however, taken a lodging, he gave out that he should preach on the green: a table was carried to the place, and going there at the appointed time, he found-two barber's boys and two old women waitI ing." My very soul," he says, "sunk within me. had travelled by land and by water near six hundred miles to this place, and behold my congregation! None but they who have experienced it can tell what a task it is to stand out in the open air to preach to nobody, especially in such a place as Glasgow !" Nevertheless, he mounted his table, and began to sing; the singing he had entirely to himself; but perseverance brought about him some two hundred poor people; and continuing, day after day, he collected at last large audiences. One evening, the largest congregation that he had ever seen was assembled; his table was too low; and even when a chair was placed upon it, the rostrum was still not sufficiently elevated for the multitudes who surrounded him; so he mounted upon a high wall, and cried aloud, "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live!" They were still as the dead; and he conceived great hope from the profound attention with which they listened; but when he had done, he says, "they made a lane for me to walk through the huge multitude, while they stood staring at me, but no one said, where dwellest thou?"

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This reception brought with it double mortification,-to the body as well as the mind. An itinerant always counted upon the hospitality of his flock, and stood, indeed, in need of it. Taylor had every thing to pay for his room, fire, and attendance, cost him three shillings per week; his fare was poor proportion to his lodging; and to keep up his credit with his landlady, he often committed the pious fraud of dressing himself as if he were going out to dinner, and, after a dry walk, returned home hungry. He never, in all the rest of his life, kept so many fast days. He sold his horse: this resource, however,

VOL. II.

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