dinary man was born 1703. He received his education at Oxford University, and in 1725, while a tutor there, was ordained to the ministry in the established church. Being deeply impressed with the subject of religion, he conversed with a friend on the means of improvement, who told him that "he must find companions or make them;-that the Bible knew nothing of a solitary religion.". This led him to associate with him in 1729, his brother Charles, Mr Morgan and Mr. Kirkham, and a few years after, Messrs. Ingham, Hervey, Broughton and George Whitefield, then in his 18th year-all students in College. Their meetings for religious improvement were so regularly attended by them, and so methodical did they become in all things, as to be called by the licentious students, methodists and the godly club. This society continued about five years, and rendered itself very popular with many by their religious and charitable efforts, while by others it was calumniated and abused. But none of the members seem to have known much of the religion of the gospel. Whitefield pursued the course of a pharisee, and by ascetic austerities nearly brought himself to the grave, while Wesley directing his attention to the inner man, but not knowing there was an Holy Ghost, labored at his great work, "the recovery," as he expressed it, "of that single intention and pure affection, which was in Christ Jesus."

The popularity of these young methodists, induced some of the trustees of the new colony of Georgia to invite the Wesleys to go thither, and preach to the Indians. With this request they complied, and sailed 1735, in company with some Moravian missionaries from Germany, whose humble faith and holy joy, even in the storm, showed John that notwithstanding his ardent pursuit of inward holiness, he was yet a stranger to vital piety. Charles returned the next year to Engfand. John remained three years, but without effecting much good.

Whitefield early turned from his austerities to the gospel scheme of justification by faith, and by studying closely Paul's Epistles, and Henry's commentary, entered fully into the views of Calvin. In 1736, at the age of twenty-one, he commenced preaching the gospel, with a popularity unknown before by any man in England. To a rich curacy he was invited in London; but on Mr. Wesley's return, he chose to take his place, and embarked for Georgia in 1738. On his voyage he became instrumental of a thorough reformation in the ship's crew. At Georgia he established an orphan house; which led him to travel

through New England to procure assistance for it, where' also he preached with wonderful power and success. For the same purpose he recrossed the ocean, and was received with the most enthusiastic applauses by thousands of hearers. From many of the pulpits of the establishment he was shut, as an enthusiast, and to this circumstance may be traced the formation of a new sect. For he now found it necessary to set up for himself to effect any good. "I thought," said he, "it might be doing the service of my Creator, who had a mountain for his pulpit, and the heavens for his sounding board; and who, when his gospel was refused by the Jews, sent his servants into the highways and hedges." He accordingly went among the poor colliers near Bristol, and preached on a mount in the open air, often to twenty thousand people, and with the greatest success. "His first discovery of their being affected was," he observed, " in the white gutters made by their tears, which plentifully ran down their black cheeks as they came out of the coal pits. Several hundreds of them were soon brought under deep convictions, which as the event proved, ended in a sound and thorough conversion. The change was visible to all, though numbers chose to impute it to any thing rather than to the finger of God. As the scene was quite new, and I had just begun to be an extemporary preacher, it often occasioned many inward conflicts. Sometimes, when twenty thousand people were before me, I had not, in my apprehension, a word to say. But I was never totally deserted, and frequently (for to deny it would be lying against God) so assisted, that I knew by happy experience, what our Lord meant by saying, 'he that believeth in me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living waters.' The open firmament above me, the prospect of the adjacent fields, with the sight of thousands on thousands, some in coaches, some on horseback and some in trees, and at times all affected and drenched in tears together, to which was sometimes added the solemnity of the approaching evening, was almost too much. for me, and quite overcame me."

From Bristol, he went into Wales, where he again preached to admiring thousands; and from thence, to London, where, in Moorfields, and on Kensington common, he addressed the most astonishing assemblages of people, on the subject of salvation. After this, he revisited America, and left the field to Wesley.

That extraordinary man, on his return to England, learned he said, (what he least of all suspected) that he who went to

America to convert others, was never himself converted to God. On his voyage out, he had formed a favourable opinion of the piety of the Moravians, and meeting with a band of them soon after his return, in London, he conversed much with them, adopted their peculiar views of true faith, as a belief that our sins are pardoned, accompanied with constant dominion over sin; and, in one of their assemblies, gained, as he thought, an assurance of the forgiveness of all his sins, and everlasting peace. Desirous of visiting the place where this favourite people lived, he went into Germany, to the settlement of the Moravians. He returned to London in 1738, and began to preach with great zeal and success. The multitudes who gathered around him, were not equal to those which followed Whitefield; but the impressions and outcries, exceeded any thing which had been witnessed, for they were much encouraged by him.

Mr. Whitefield returned again to England, in 1741, after a still more popular and successful tour through North America, than before. But alas! with Wesley, he was no longer to cooperate. These two men were found to be possessed of very different systems of theology. Whitefield had preached and printed in favour of election, and Wesley, in favour of universal redemption and sinless perfection. Their different views were communicated to their hearers, and two great parties were at once formed. Whitefield preached once for Wesley, and no more. "You and I," said he, "preach a different Gospel." Both continued to labour with astonishing success, and became the heads of large and powerful sects.

WESLEYAN OR ARMINIAN METHODISTS.

Mr. Wesley, at once found himself at the head of an immense body of people, all in the church of England, as he himself was, yet looking to him as their spiritual guide. Leave them to the ministers of the establishment he could not, for they excluded him from their pulpits, and reviled him as an enthusiast. Expect preachers from the learned universities he could not, for they would neither supply present exigences, nor meet his views, nor be ever sufficient in number. Whitefield had set him the example of raising up lay preachers. And he now thought it his duty, to put any man into the ministry who desired the office, provided he gave evidence of piety,

had a good understanding and clear utterance, and was successful in converting souls. Numerous men, possessing these qualifications, he sent from the most ordinary employments of society, into various parts of the kingdom, and such was the credit of his name, and to such a degree did they adopt his dispassionate manner, and "infantile simplicity," that wherever they came, they were received, supported and listened to, with the greatest deference.

Their fundamental principle was, "That all men have a certain light, or grace, or influence, which they may, by their own powers and inclinations, improve, and that this individual human improvement, makes the difference between one man and another, the saved and the damned." They of course, denied election, and considering it optionable with a man whether to become good, so they considered it optionable with him, whether to relinquish his religion and fall from grace, or go on to perfection. Both they considered possible. The bursting of the latent spark into a flame, they considered the new birth, and this was accompanied with sudden outcries, agitations of the body, and falling down as dead. Their views of faith, were like those of the Moravians. They considered it as being sim ply a belief, concerning something in themselves, chiefly, that their sins were pardoned; and believing this, they attained to justification.

As the mass of preachers and converts grew, it became unwieldly, and Mr. Wesley called all his preachers to an annual conference. This conference first met in 1744.

In this conference a general view was taken of doctrine, discipline and moral conduct. The whole kingdom was divided into circuits. Fifteen or twenty societies which lay around some principal towns formed a circuit. In each circuit was stationed two, three, or four preachers, according to its extent and importance, who were to labour in it for one year. The eldest was called the assistant or superintendent, who directed the labours of his associates. Each, having his place assigned him, was to begin a progressive motion round the circuit; perpetually travelling and preaching, as the superintendent directed. Each, therefore, had his daily work before him, and knew where his brethren were labouring. They were to have no regard to any other sect or people, but to preach in their place to all who would hear them, and gather into their society all who would join them.

The days of bloody persecution for religious dissent had passed away. The puritans had fought the battle, and gained a general toleration of all religions. The methodists therefore grew up without opposition from government. Indeed when their meetings were threatened, as they often were by the mob, the government usually protected them.

From England they soon passed to Ireland, America, the Indies, Africa and the continent of Europe, maintaining every where, as far as possible, the same system.

Mr. Wesley lived to see the 88th year of his age and 65th of his ministry. He died March 2, 1791. He maintained to the day of his death a perfect ascendancy over the vast body that had adhered to him. He was remarkably neat in his person, exact in his habits, simple in his style of speaking and writing;-a man of great ardor; confident; bold, and of unparalleled diligence. He is supposed to have travelled near 300,000 miles and to have preached more than 40,000 sermons. presided at 47 annual conferences.

He

After his death his followers were much divided on points of government. Wesley had ever closely adhered to the church of England. He did not permit his travelling preachers to preach in church hours, or administer baptism or the Lord's supper; but directed all his people to attend the church worship, and receive the ordinances from the hands of the regular clergy. At his decease, many united in publishing a declaration that they would adhere to his system, but others revolted and established a new connexion in which they have preaching in church hours and the ordinances administered by their own preachers, and in which also, the people have a voice in the temporal concerns of the societies and the election of church officers.

The methodists under the care of the British and Irish conferences, which includes all excepting those in the United States, are about 300,000. Their travelling preachers, about 1100.

A seminary was established by Mr. Wesley at Kingswood, for the education of the children of preachers.

A few methodists came to New-York from Ireland in 1766, and through the labours of a Mr. Embury so increased that they erected a meeting house in John street in 1768. The next year two preachers were sent over by Mr. Wesley from England. And in 1771 came over Francis Asbury and Richard Wright. Thomas Rankin was also sent over by Wesley to take the gene