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essences.

At the age of thirty-seven, he began to publish his mysteries. He died in 1624, aged forty-nine. It is impossible, in a work like this, to give even the merest outline of the enthusiastic conceptions, visions, and revelations of this inventive German genius,-a motley mixture of mystical jargon, a jumble of astrological, philosophical, chemical, and theological extravagances, which he himself acknowledges no one can understand except those who have obtained illumination like his own. William Law was one of his warmest admirers, and had already published an English edition of his works in two vols., quarto.

This melancholy fact will account for the severity of Wesley's language in the letter he addressed to Law in 1756. Wesley begins by stating, that "there are few writers in the present age, who stand in any comparison with Mr. Law, as to beauty and strength of language; readiness, liveliness, and copiousness of thought; and, in many points, accuracy of sentiment." He acknowledges, that Law had "long employed his uncommon abilities, not to gain either honour or preferment, but to promote the glory of God, and peace and goodwill among men." "Several of his treatises, particularly his 'Christian Perfection,' and 'Serious Call,' must remain, as long as England stands, almost unequalled standards of the strength and purity of the English language, as well as of sound, practical divinity"; and had been of immense service "in reviving and establishing true, rational, scriptural religion" among the people. Some of his late writings, however, were not of this meritorious order; and these Wesley proceeds to criticise. Law once said to Wesley, "You would have a philosophical religion; but there can be no such thing. Religion is the most plain, simple thing in the world. It is only, 'We love Him, because He first loved us.' So far as you add philosophy to religion, just so far you spoil it." Wesley now retorts, and tells him there is "writer in England, who so continually blends philosophy with religion" as himself; and, to make things worse, his philosophy is " uncertain, dangerous, irrational, and unscriptural." "Bad philosophy, by insensible degrees, paves the way for bad divinity." He had also done Jacob Behmen "an irreparable injury by dragging him out of his awful obscurity,

no

William Law, a Behmenite.

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and by pouring light upon his venerable darkness. Men," says he, "may admire the deepness of the well, and the excellence of the water it contains; but, if some officious person puts a light into it, it will appear to be both very shallow and very dirty." He concludes :

"I have now delivered my own soul. And I have used great plainness of speech; such as I could not have prevailed on myself to use to one whom I so much respect, on any other occasion. Oh that your latter works may be more and greater than your first! Surely they would, if you could ever be persuaded to study, instead of the writings of Tauler and Behmen, those of St. Paul, James, Peter, and John; to spew out of your mouth and out of your heart that vain philosophy, and speak neither higher nor lower things, neither more nor less, than the oracles of God; to renounce, despise, abhor all the highflown bombast, all the unintelligible jargon of the mystics, and come back to the plain religion of the Bible, 'We love Him, because He first loved us.'"

This was strong language to employ to a man like William. Law, who held Jacob Behmen, the Crispin theosophist, in amazing admiration; but it was not unmerited. Whitefield pronounced Wesley's letter "a most ungentlemanlike, injudicious, unchristian piece"; but Whitefield was not so well acquainted with the Behmenite fooleries as Wesley was. Law himself was annoyed and angry, but declined to answer Wesley's critique, on the ground, that it did "not admit of a serious answer, because there was nothing substantial or properly argumentative in it; and to answer it, in the way of ridicule," was a thing to which he was unconquerably averse. "Mr. Wesley," says he, "is an ingenious man, and the reason why his letter to me is such a juvenile composition of emptiness and pertness, is because it was not ability, but necessity, that put his pen into his hand. He had condemned my books, preached much against them, and forbad his people the use of them. And, for a cover to all this, he promised, from time to time, to write against them. Therefore, an answer was to be made at all adventures.2 I was once a

1 Whitefield's Works, vol. iii., p. 184.

2 This was not true. Wesley writes: "I was under no necessity, though I doubt not but Mr. Law heard I was, and very seriously believed it. I very rarely mention his books in public; nor are they in the way of one in a hundred of those whom he terms my people. I had therefore no temptation, any more than power, to forbid the use of them to the

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1756 kind of oracle with him; and I never suspected anything bad Age 53 of him, or ever discovered any kind or degree of falseness in him; but, during all the time of his intimacy with me, I judged him to be much under the power of his own spirit. Still, whatever you hear of Mr. John Wesley concerning me,' or my books, let it die with you; and wish him God speed in everything that is good."1

Here the controversy between Wesley and this exceedingly able and godly, though mistaken, man terminated. Five years afterwards, Mr. Law exchanged this world, where the wisest sees" through a glass, darkly," for a higher world, where all "see face to face."

5. The last of Wesley's publications, in 1756, which we have to notice, was not the least important, though an octavo tract of only thirty pages. The title was, "An Address to the Clergy." While addressed to the clergy of the Church of England especially, it was also addressed to all of every denomination, whom God had "called to watch over souls, as they that must give account." First of all, Wesley considers what ministers ought to be, in gifts as well as in grace. I. A minister ought to have a good understanding. 2. Some liveliness and readiness of thought. 3. A good memory. 4. Knowledge of his own office; of the Scriptures; of Hebrew and Greek; of profane history; of the sciences, including logic; of metaphysics; of natural philosophy; of geometry; of the fathers. 5. Common sense. 6. Good breeding. 7. A strong, clear, musical voice, and a good delivery. In reference to grace, Wesley contends that a minister must have: (1) A single intention to glorify God, and to save souls;

Methodists in general. Whosoever informed Mr. Law of this, wanted either sense or honesty." (Wesley's Works, vol. iii., p. 18.) Still perhaps Law had some reason to complain. When Wesley paid his last visit to Dr. Byrom, in 1761, the doctor accused him of having expelled six men from the Methodist society, "for reading Jacob Behmen and Mr. Law." Wesley's reply was, that they were expelled, "not for reading the books, which was as indifferent as the colour of their hair; but, if they would thrust their hair into other people's eyes, and trouble them with their notions, that was his reason." Byrom adds: "Wesley put the matter very magisterially, upon his own authority; so that I used the expression of Pope John to him, and Your Holiness." (Methodist Magazine, 1863, p. 1104.)

1 "Collection of Letters by W. Law." London: 1760.

Wesley's "Address to the Clergy."

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(2) an eminent measure of love to God, and to all his 1756 brethren; (3) he must be an example to his flock, in his Age 53 private and public character.

The second part of the pamphlet is devoted to the inquiry, Are ministers what they ought to be? Wesley strongly denounces the old adage: "The boy, if he is fit for nothing else, will do well enough for a parson." Acting upon this had introduced "dull, heavy, blockish ministers; the jest of every pert fool, and of every airy coxcomb that they met." Men entering the ministry for honour, or for income, are pronounced many degrees beneath Simon Magus, who instead of seeking the gift of God to get money, offered money to obtain the gift. "What a creature," he writes, "is a covetous, an ambitious, a luxurious, an indolent, a diversion loving clergyman! Is it any wonder that infidelity should increase, where any of these are found?"

In the publication of this pamphlet, Wesley probably aimed at a twofold object:-1. To give a new impulse to the Church of England, to awaken its dormant zeal, to infuse life into its lifeless ministers; and thus prevent the necessity of a separation. 2. To curb the ambition of his own lay preachers, by setting before them a ministerial standard, of which, in some respects, most of them fell immeasurably short. Was this object realised? This is a question which succeeding chapters will help to answer. At present, it is only fair to add, that it is somewhat difficult to reconcile Wesley's pamphlet with Wesley's letter already given, bearing date, August 31, 1756.

Wesley's "Address to the Clergy" was not left to pass unchallenged.

William Law, still smarting from Wesley's castigation, remarks in a letter, dated April 10, 1757: "Wesley's Babylonish Address to the Clergy' is empty babble, fitter for an old grammarian, who has grown blear eyed in mending dictionaries, than for one who has tasted the powers of the world to come, and has found the truth as it is in Jesus."1 Alas! William Law!

An unknown clergyman also issued a sixpenny pamphlet,

"Collection of Letters by W. Law." London: 1760. P. 198.

1756 entitled, "A Letter to the Rev. Mr. John Wesley, occasioned Age 53 by his Address to the Clergy. By one of the Clergy." The writer accuses Wesley of spiritual pride and presumption, and adduces extracts to support his charge; but, in all other respects, the production is unimportant. Another tract, however, of the same size, was published a few months later, and is more puzzling. "An Expostulatory Letter to the Rev. Mr. John Wesley, occasioned by his Address to the Clergy," begins thus:" We, W. B., G. C., J. M., etc., do, in behalf of ourselves and many others, who, by your appointment, instigation, or encouragement, have undertaken to preach the gospel of Christ, beg leave, in the spirit of meekness and love, to expostulate with you." And then these pretending disciples proceed very shrewdly to attack, not only the "Address," but likewise Wesley's late translation of the New Testament. Was this a genuine production? We cannot tell. If not spurious, it was of great importance.