profane, drunken vagabond had so stirred up many of the baser sort, that there was much noise, hurry, and confusion." At Polperro, he had abundance of people; but "an old, grey-headed sinner bitterly cursed all the Methodists." At Truro, he expected some disturbance, as it was market day; but all was quiet. "Indeed," says he, "both persecution and popular tumult seem to be forgotten in Cornwall." Here resided a clergyman, Mr. C—, who was also a magistrate, but had not always been as peaceable as now. Some years before, a Methodist preacher, at his instigation, was arrested as a vagrant. To his astonishment, the vagrant turned out to be Wesley, an old college acquaintance at Oxford. His worship, however, proceeded, in severe language, to censure Wesley's irregular proceedings; when, all at once, the floor of the room, which was filled with spectators, fell; the magistrate was hurled from his judicial chair; his wig flew off his head; the table, with its pens, ink, and paper, was overturned; while screams from all sides increased the general confusion. When order was restored, and the clerical functionary was once more seated, Wesley, with his characteristic coolness asked, "Well, sir, shall we proceed further in this business?" "No, no," replied the magistrate, “go your way, go your way, Mr. Wesley; 'sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof."" After this affair, Wesley had no farther trouble from his reverend acquaintance, Mr. C————1 Wesley spent a month in visiting the Cornish societies, and held the quarterly meeting of the stewards of the two circuits into which the county was divided. He writes concerning the eastern circuit: "What a change is wrought in one year's time! That detestable practice of cheating the king is no more found in our societies. And since that accursed thing has been put away, the work of God has everywhere increased." It is a remarkable fact, however, that he mentions no instances of sanctification during his Cornish tour; but remarks: "The more I converse with believers in Cornwall, the more I am convinced, that they have sustained great loss for the want of hearing the doctrine of Christian perfection clearly 1 Christian Miscellany, 1865, p. 284. VOL. II. G G 1762 Age 59 1762 Age 59 and strongly enforced. I see, wherever this is not done, the believers grow dead and cold. Nor can this be prevented, but by keeping up in them an hourly expectation of being perfected in love. I say an hourly expectation; for to expect it at death, or some time hence, is much the same as not expecting it at all.” Wesley returned to London on November 6, reading on the road "The Death of Abel," concerning which he characteristically observes: "That manner of writing, in prose run mad, I cordially dislike; yet, with all that disadvantage, it is excellent in its kind, as much above most modern poems as it is below 'Paradise Lost."" The rest of the year was spent in the metropolis, and its immediate vicinity. He buried the remains of Jane Cooper, "a pattern of all holiness, and of the wisdom which is from above"; he transcribed his answer to Warburton; he corrected his notes on the Apocalypse; at the desire of Maxfield, he baptized two foreigners, who professed to have been Turks; and he tried to control, though far too tenderly, the insane ravings of George Bell and the high professors. We have already mentioned the Rev. Mr. Furley, a clergyman of the Church of England, as one of Wesley's correspondents. Mr. Furley was the brother of Miss Furley, who, in 1763, became the wife of John Downes, one of Wesley's first preachers. The brother and sister were now resident at Kippax, near Ferrybridge, in Yorkshire; and the following letters, addressed to them during the year 1762, will be read with interest. "LONDON, January 25, 1762. "Dear Sammy,—If you entangled yourself with no kind of promise to the archbishop, I doubt not but your ordination will prove a blessing. The care of a parish is, indeed, a weighty thing, which calls for much and earnest prayer. In managing it, you must needs follow your own conscience, whoever is pleased or displeased. Then, whether your success be less or more, you will, by-and-by, give up your account with joy. "I myself hear frequently unscriptural, as well as irrational, expressions from those at whose feet I shall rejoice to be found in the day of the Lord Jesus; but blasphemy I never heard from one of them, either teacher or hearer. What is wide of Scripture or reason, I mildly reprove; and they usually receive it in love. Generally they are convinced; when I cannot convince, I can bear with them, and, indeed, rejoice at the grace of God which is in them. Wesley, on Christian Perfection. 451 "Sammy, beware of the impetuosity of your temper! It may easily lead you awry. It may make you evil affected to the excellent ones of the earth. Don't expect propriety of speech from uneducated persons. The longer I live, the larger allowances I make for human infirmities. I exact more from myself, and less from others. Go thou and do likewise! I am, with love to Nancy, "Your ever affectionate friend and brother, "JOHN WESLEY. "Take nothing, absolutely nothing, at second hand.”1 The next contains an invitation to Mr. Furley to meet Wesley at the conference about to be held in Leeds, and treats on, what was then the great topic of the time, Christian perfection. 66 "DUBLIN, July 30, 1762. DEAR SAMMY,-'If I am unanswered, then I am unanswerable.' Who can deny the consequence? By such an argument you carry all before you, and gain a complete victory. You put me in mind of the honest man, who cried out, while I was preaching, 'Quid est tibi nomen?' and, upon my giving no answer, called out vehemently, 'I told you he did not understand Latin.' "I do sometimes understand, though I do not answer. This is often the case between you and me. You love dispute, and I hate it. You have much time, and I have much work. Non sumus ergo pares. But if you will dispute the point with Nicholas Norton, he is your match. He has both leisure and love for the work. "For me, I shall only once more state the case. There are forty or fifty people, who declare (and I can take their word, for I know them well), each for himself, ' God has enabled me to rejoice evermore, and to pray and give thanks without ceasing. I feel no pride, no anger, no desire, no unbelief, but pure love alone.' I ask, 'Do you then believe you have no further need of Christ, or His atoning blood?' Every one answers, ‘I never felt my want of Christ so deeply as I do now.' But you think: 'They cannot want the merit of His death, if they are saved from sin.' They think otherwise. They know and feel the contrary, whether they can explain it, or no. There is not one, either in this city, or in this kingdom, who does not agree in this. "Here is a plain fact. You may dispute, reason, cavil about it, just as long as you please. Meantime, I know, by all manner of proof, that these are the happiest and holiest people in the kingdom. Their light shines before men. They have the mind that was in Christ, and walk as Christ also walked. And shall I cease to rejoice over these holy, happy men, because they mistake in their judgment? If they do, I would to God you and I and all mankind were under the same mistake; provided Methodist Magazine, 1865, p. 985. 1762 Age 59 1762 Age 59 we had the same faith, the same love, and the same inward and outward holiness! "Will "I am, dear Sammy, yours affectionately, "JOHN WESLEY. you not meet us at Leeds on the 10th of August ?” 1 The next two letters were both written on the same day: the first being addressed to Mr. Furley, the second to his sister. "ST. IVES, September 15, 1762. "DEAR SIR, I have entirely lost my taste for controversy. I have lost my readiness in disputing; and I take this to be a providential discharge from it. All I can now do, with a clear conscience, is, not to enter into a formal controversy about the new birth, or justification by faith, any more than Christian perfection, but simply to declare my judgment; and to explain myself as clearly as I can upon any difficulty that may arise out of it. "I still say, and without any self contradiction, I know no persons living, who are so deeply conscious of their needing Christ, both as prophet, priest, and king, as those who believe themselves, and whom I believe, to be cleansed from all sin; I mean, from all pride, anger, evil desire, idolatry, and unbelief. These very persons feel more than ever their own ignorance, littleness of grace, coming short of the full mind that was in Christ, and walking less accurately than they might have done after their Divine Pattern; are more convinced of the insufficiency of all they are, have, or do, to bear the eye of God without a Mediator. "If Mr. M— or you say, 'that coming short is sin'; be it so, I contend not. But still I say, 'These are they whom I believe to be scripturally perfect.' If in saying this, I have fully given up the point,' what would you have more? Is it not enough that I leave you to 'boast your superior power against the little, weak shifts of baffled error?' Canst thou not be content,' as the quaker said, 'to lay J. W. on his back, but thou must tread his guts out?' "O let you and I go on to perfection! God grant we may so run as to attain ! "I am your affectionate friend and brother, "JOHN WESLEY.” 2 "ST. IVES, September 15, 1762. "MY DEAR SISTER,-Certainly sanctification, in the proper sense, is 'an instantaneous deliverance from all sin'; and includes 'an instantaneous power, then given, always to cleave to God.' Yet this sanctification (at least in the lower degrees) does not include a power never to think a 1 Methodist Magazine, 1856, p. 988. Wesley, on Christian Perfection. 453 useless thought, nor ever speak a useless word. I myself believe, that We add one more letter, addressed to Mr. Furley, on this momentous subject. "BRISTOL, October 13, 1762. "MY DEAR BROTHER,—AS to this particular question, I believe I am able to answer every objection which can be made; but I am not able to do it without expending much time, which may be better employed. For this reason, I am persuaded it is so far from being my duty to enter into a formal controversy about it, that it would be a wilful sin; it would be employing my short residue of life in a less profitable way than it may be employed. "The proposition which I hold is this: A person may be cleansed from all sinful tempers, and yet need the atoning blood. For what? For negligences and ignorances; for both words and actions, as well as omissions, which are, in a sense, transgressions of the perfect law. And I belive no one is clear of these, till he lays down this corruptible body. "Now, Sammy, dropping the point of contradiction, tell me simply what you would have more. Do you believe, that evil tempers remain till death? All, or some? If some only, which? I love truth wherever I find it; so if you can help me to a little more of it, you will oblige, "Dear Sammy, yours, etc., "JOHN WESLEY." 2 Two other letters, belonging to this period, will be welcome. Both refer to the excitement in London concerning Christian perfection, and both were addressed to his brother Charles. "LONDON, December 11, 1762. "DEAR BROTHER,-For eighteen or twenty days, I have heard with 1 Wesley's Works, vol. xii., p. 193. 1762 Age 59 |