Introduction
During the time in which men, eminent for their literary, diplomatic, or military talents flourish, the Public is rarely led to examine by what slow gradations their powers became matured 5 or what evidence their infancy and youth afforded of that high celebrity which they afterwards attained.
The great utility of their literary labours, or the splendour of their public services, occupies and dazzles the mind, so that all minor considerations become absorbed; and it is only when the Public is deprived by death of such illustrious characters, that posterity feel disposed to trace them up to their earliest period: and inquire by what means these luminaries, so small at their rising? attained to such a meridian of usefulness and glory, and appeared so broad and resplendent at their setting.
This is equally the case both with states and men:
hence the tiistorian as well as the Biographer, influenced by th& maxim. — Felix qui potuit return cognoscere causas, endeavours to investigate those philosophic
and intellectual principles which gave birth and being
to such physical, political, and mental energies.
That Divine Providence, which arranges and con ducts the whole, and under whose especial guidance and controul the course of the present state is ordered so that all operations in the natural, civil, and moral world issue in manifesting the glory, justice, and mercy, of the Supreme Being, lies farther out of the view of men, and by most is little regarded: hence a multitude of events appear to have either no intelligent cause, or none adequate to their production; and because the operations of the Divine hand are not regarded, Historians and Biographers often disquiet themselves in vain to find out the causes and reasons of the circumstances and transactions which they record.
In the dispensations of mercy to the world, and the effects produced by them, the principles from which all originated, the agencies employed, and the mode of working, are still more difficult of apprehension, particularly to those minds which regard earthly things, and see nothing in the natural and moral world but general laws, of which they do not appear to have any very distinct view; and which never can account for the endlessly varied occurrences in a single human life, — much less in a state, and still less in the government of the Church By the government of the Church, I mean the continuation of that energetic and supernatural principle by which pure and undefiled religion, consisting in piety to God and benevolence to man, is maintained in the earth. There has been an unhappy propensity in all times to deny the existence of this principle, and its operations on the minds and hearts of men; and this has been the fruitful source both of irreligion and false doctrine: and hence the Church of God often feels the necessity of contending earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. This has a greater extension of meaning than is generally allowed: it does not merely apply to the denial of the existence of one Supreme Being, but also to His influences and operations, even where his being is allowed. When moral effects, the purest, the most distinguished, and the most beneficial to society, are attributed to natural causes, human passions, and the inquietudes of vanity, and not to the Author of all good, the Father of lights, then we may safely assert, that the person who so views them is one of those unwise men of whom the Psalmist speaks. He excludes God from His own peculiar work; gives to nature what belongs to grace; to human passions, what belongs to the Divine Spirit; and to secondary causes what must necessarily spring from the First Cause of all things.
Were not the subject too grave, it would be sufficient to excite something more than a smile to see men both of abilities and learning, in their discussion of spiritual subjects which they have never thoroughly examined, because they have never experimentally felt them, labour to account for all the phenomena of repentance, faith, and holiness, by excluding the Spirit of God from His own proper work; and, to the discredit of their understanding and the dishonour of religion and sound philosophy, search for the principle that produces love to God and all mankind, with all the fruits of a holy life, in some of the worst passions of the human heart.
In reference to a great and manifest revival of religion in the land we have heard the following concessions: — -
“It is granted, (say such men) that multitudes of the most profligate of the people have been morally changed; and, from being a curse to their respective neighbourhoods, have become a blessing to the whole circle of their acquaintance; the best of servants, sons, and husbands; obedient subjects to the state, and a credit to humanity.” But how was this change effected? u Why,” say they, 6 by the persuasive arguments of a powerful orator; who, to the love of power and the lust of ambition, added extraordinary address and general benevolence. With a strong tincture of enthusiasm in himself, which found a tractable disposition in the fanaticism of the age, and the credulity of the common people; he succeeded in raising, organizing, and rendering permanent, a society of increasing influence and importance; the principles of which deserve the investigation of the statesmen and the philosopher, and their economy and progress the pen of the historian.”
Thus the good done is reluctantly acknowledged;
while the Cause of it is either entirely unnoticed, or
unknown. A fountain is pointed out which produces
sweet waters and bitter; brambles which produce figs,
and thorns which produce grapes; or in other words,
that work which neither might nor power, but the
Spirit of the Lord of hosts alone can effect, is attributed
to a certain mechanical operation on the minds of the
multitude by the agency of worldly ambition, lust of
power, self-interest, and hypocrisy!
Thus has the world been often abused in reference to the work of God by ignorant, irreligious, and prejudiced men, from the foundation of Christianity to the present time: but never more, and never more grossly, than in relation to the Rev. John Wesley and that great revival of Scriptural Christianity which it has pleased the world to call Methodism, and the subjects of which it terms Methodists — appellatives which the members of that religious Society bear, not because they have either chosen or approved of them, but because the public will have it so.
The fame of Mr. Wesley’s labours, writings, and success in the Ministry, has reached most parts of the habitable globe; and wherever his name has been heard, a desire has very naturally been excited to know something of his origin and personal history, and of the rise and progress of that W ork of which he was, under God, the Author, and for more than half -a century the great superintendent and conductor. To meet this desire, various Lives and Memoirs possessing different degrees of merit and accuracy, have been published: but in most cases by Authors either ill-informed, or previi
judiced. To some of those Writers Mr. Wesley was never personally known: and they were obliged to collect their information from such quarters as were but ill-calculated to give what was correct; by others the whole system of Methodism was misunderstood; and no wonder if by them it were misrepresented. Most of the Narratives referred to were published shortly after Mr. Wesley’s death, before the great principles, both religious and ceconomical, of Methodism could have been put to that full and extensive test to which they have since been subjected; and hence the Methodists’ Conference have been led to determine that the present matured state of this great work, and the beneficent operation of those principles, should be brought before the Public, exhibited in their own light; and that a new History of the Founder of Methodism should be compiled from original documents, many of which had not been seen by his previous Biographers; the whole being intended to give a correct view of his character and labours in connexion with the present matured state of that work of which the Most High God had made him the chief instrument. The Compiler of the present Work was requested by the Conference in 1821 to undertake this task. With oppressive feelings, from a deep sense of his own unfitness, he reluctantly acceded, and began to collect and arrange his materials. While thus employed, a number of documents relative to the Wesley Family presented themselves to view; and as some hindrances were unexpectedly found to exist, which prevented the Writer from proceeding with the Life of Mr. John Wesley, and that of his brother Charles, the companion of his early labours, he was induced to turn his attention to the few remaining memorials of the Wesley Family, principally in his own possession, which time was every moment rendering less and less perfect and legible; many
Viii!
of which had been badly kept while passing through
hands that had little interest in their preservation. To
render these as complete as the circumstances of the
case would admit, great pains were taken to collect
from the few remaining contemporaries of the Wesley
Family, and their immediate descendants, every authentic anecdote that had been preserved of the original
stock and collateral branches of this wondrous tree.
whose shade has been extended over various parts of
the four quarters of the globe, and under which fowl
of every wing have been collected, and found shelter.
Had this Work been undertaken even thirty years ago,
the result would have been much more satisfactory;
as at that time many were alive who had seen the cloud
arise, and could have supplied the most useful information. But regrets relative to this are vain — these
are all dead: fourscore and eight years were sufficient
to have swept off all those who had entered into life,
when God began to pour out His Spirit to produce
that reformation in the land which has been since termed Methodism; and more than sufficient to gather into
eternal habitations those who had been the original
subjects and witnesses of this blessed work.
As to the original family, it is most probable that all memorials are lost, except those preserved in the following sheets. These cannot be unacceptable to the Methodists, nor uninteresting to the religious public: and both will possibly join in thankfulness for what has been done, and in candidly passing over any inadvertencies or mistakes which they may discover in the Work.
If it bear the marks of haste and carelessness, the Reader may rest assured that none of these either prevailed or existed in the course of this undertaking; long continued labour precluded haste, and deep anxiety to be accurate and useful precluded carelessness. But whoix
ever considers the difficulty of not only collecting, but of arranging, bits and scraps, verbal communications and items, from a thousand different quarters, will not wonder should they find a few mistakes; and in various parts an inadequacy of composition, should that approach even to a flatness of diction and poverty of language.
To those for whose use these Memoirs were chiefly intended, it will be no matter of surprise that the Writer should appear the constant advocate of Methodism, the admirer of its doctrines and discipline, and also of the means employed in its propagation.
But while he adores the grace of God which has produced those wondrous and beneficent results which have fallen under his own notice for nearly fifty years, he hopes that it will not be supposed that he is hostile to any person who thinks differently from himself on this subject; and much less to any body of Christians whose creed may be in any respect different from his own. He sincerely wishes them all God’s speed; and is thankful to God when he sees the interests of genuine Christianity promoted, though by persons who follow not with him.
To all those who have contributed ’ original Documents and other information for the use of these Memoirs, he returns his best thanks: but here he should acknowledge that he stands chiefly indebted to his excellent friend Miss Sarah Wesley, for her continual assistance; to the venerable and reverend Thomas Steadman, Rector of St. Chad’s, Shrewsbury; to Thomas Marriot, Esq., London; and to the honourable person from whom he received those important Letters, that have thrown so much light on the early history of the Rector of Ep worth, tfat*$imU$ of tije J©e#Iep family etc
Me desire of several part icular Friends, I have added a Plate of Facsimiles of the Wesley Family, and of some of Mr. J. Wesley’s early Friends among the Moravians and others. The following explanatory List refers to the numbers and signatures on the the Plate. A. C.
* The Rev. Samuel Annesley, LL. D. No. 1. Mr. Samuel Annesley, eldest son of Dr. Samuel Annesley.
2. The Rev. Samuel Wesley, sen., Rector of Epworth.
3. Mrs. Susanna Wesley, Mother of the Rev. J. Wesley.
4. The Rev. Samuel Wesley, jun., Master of the Free-School,
Tiverton.
5. The Rev. John Wesley, Founder of the Methodists’ Societies
6. The Rev. Charles Wesley, Brother to the above.
7. Mehetabel, alias Hetty Wesley, afterwards Mrs. Wright.
8. Martha, alias Patty Wesley, afterwards Mrs. Hall.
9- Kezia Wesley.
10. Emelia Wesley, afterwards Mrs. Harper.
11. The Rev. John Wesley’s last entry in his private Journal.
As the writing is not easy to be read, I give it here: —” N. B. For upwards of eighty-six years (qu. sixty-eight?) I have kept my accounts exactly. I will not attempt it any longer, being satisfied with the continual cojiviclion, that I save all I can, and give all I can, that is, all 1 have. John Wesley. July 16, 1790.
12. The Rev. John Wesley’s last Signature in the Journal of
the Conference.
13. The Rev. George Whitefield.
14. The Rev. John Fletcher, Vicar of Madeley.
15. Mr. John Cennick, afterwards one of the Unitas Fratruin.
16. The Rev. Thomas Coke, LL. D.
IT. Mr. Benjamin Ingham.
18. P. H. Molther, one of the Unitas Fratrwn.
19- The Rev. Wm. Delamotte.
20. General James Oglethorpe, with whom Messrs J. and C.
Wesley sailed to Savannah in Georgia.
21. The Rev. ^ohn Giiiies, D. D.
22. The Rev. Walter Shirley,
r9sp pa- HHfoA
iffy