BX8491 .W45 1848 
 
 West, Robert A. (Robert Athow), 1808-18 
 Sketches of Wesleyan preachers / 
 
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 https://archive.org/details/sketcliesofwesleyOOwest_0 
 
I T;ES[r)ENT or THE CONFEEENCK . 
 
 WO 1888 lflS6 liet4- 
 
SKETCHES 
 
 APR 1 1 192 
 WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 g Hobcrt ^. Uleat. 
 
 If the chylde be of natvu-e incljued (as many haue ben) to pejnite 
 with a pen, he shoulde not be therfrom withdrawen, or nature be 
 rebuked, whiche is to hym beneuolent.— Elvot. 
 
 lEORQE PECK, EDITOR. 
 
 ^em-Work: 
 
 PUBLISHED BY LANE & TIPPETT, 
 
 FOR THE METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 200 MULBERRY.STREET. 
 JOSRPH LONGKINO, PRINTKR. 
 1849. 
 
Entered, according to act of Congress, in the year 1848, by 
 LANE & TIPPETT, 
 1 the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the Southern Distnct 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The author of the following Sketches has 
 occasionally felt no little surprise at the 
 many points of difference in the practical 
 working of Methodism in America and 
 England. Especially has he wondered, 
 considering that the two countries are in 
 such constant intercourse, that comparatively 
 so little is known of even the more pro- 
 minent ministers of the English Wesleyan 
 Church. Having had peculiar facilities for 
 acquaintance with some of these great and 
 good men, it occurred to him that a series 
 of pen-portraits, if drawn with truth, might 
 be acceptable to the American reader. He 
 was the more willing to write such Sketches 
 because it would afford an opportunity of 
 incidentally illustrating some of the points 
 of difference referred to. The Sketches 
 were originally commenced in the Christian 
 Advocate and Journal, and were continued 
 through several numbers. The whole of 
 those thus published are, with two excep- 
 tions, embodied in this volume; having been 
 
4 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 rewritten, that they might be more worthy 
 of this more permanent form. A consider- 
 able portion of the volume, however, now 
 appears for the first time ; and the author 
 believes that the additional sketches will be 
 found as true to the original, and as interest- 
 ing, as those previously published. He 
 cannot desire that they should be received 
 with more general kindness and approval. 
 
 A more imposing style might have been 
 adopted in the composition of these portraits, 
 and more criticism indulged in, had the 
 writer been so disposed ; but he had another 
 and higher aim — to familiarize the Methodist 
 Episcopal Church in the United States with 
 the pulpit and pastoral character of the 
 Methodist ministry in the " fatherland ;" the 
 working of Methodism itself, its institutions, 
 &c. If he shall have done anything to 
 strengthen the bonds of union between the 
 two large and influential churches, or to 
 stimulate the one to emulate the other in 
 anything which may more effectually carry- 
 out the designs of Methodism's honored 
 founder, he will have attained the end he 
 was most desirous to gain. 
 
CO?^ TENTS. 
 
 
 
 J.VBEZ BCKTING, . 
 
 7 
 
 JoHX Smith, . . 
 
 . 42 
 
 JOHX LOMAS, . . 
 
 . 64 
 
 Richard Rf.ece, 
 
 . 76 
 
 Robert Newton, 
 
 81 
 
 Isaac Turtox, . 
 
 . 108 
 
 Robert Yocsg, . 
 
 114 
 
 Daniel Isaac, . 
 
 122 
 
 Samuel Hick, . 
 
 146 
 
 James Everett, . 
 
 . 157 
 
 James "Wood, 
 
 . 175 
 
 Robert Wood, . 
 
 . 181 
 
 John H.\xwell, . 
 
 . 189 
 
 Hodgson Casson, 
 
 . 201 
 
 Appendix — Notices of E> 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Samuel Bardslet, 207 
 Theophilcs Lesset, 212 
 Thomas 11. Walker, 235 
 Adam Clajike, . . 239 
 Philip Hardcastle, 265 
 Miles JIartindale, 268 
 D.ujiEL Chapman, . 295 
 Francis A. West, . 302 
 William Dawson, 317 
 John Anderson, . 340 
 Wm. M. Bunting, . 355 
 George Morley, . 364 
 Joseph Beaumont, 368 
 William Shaw, . 379 
 
 rGLiSH Methodism, . 391 
 
i 
 
SKETCHES 
 
 OF 
 
 WESLEYAN PREACHEK8. 
 
 Jabej Bunting, W.W. 
 
 " Never lived gentleman of greater merit, 
 Hope or abiliment to rule a kingdom." 
 " The monarch-mind, the mystery of commanding. 
 The godlike power, the art Napoleon 
 Of wmning, fettering, molding, wielding, banding, 
 The hearts of millions, till they move as one." — Halleck. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Bunting is, for obvious reasons, 
 entitled to precedence in these sketches. He is 
 the greatest among many great men, and stands 
 by common consent at the head of the Wesleyan 
 Metliodist Connection. Unostentatiously wearing 
 the honors of his admitted position, he also endures 
 imcomplainingly, for Methodism's sake, the com- 
 bined attacks of its enemies. Churchmen of " high " 
 and of " low " degree ; " Dissenters " of every grade ; 
 the " people called Methodists " who have for- 
 saken the fold, or, remaining within its inclosure, 
 are estranged in heart from its discipline and insti- 
 tutions — these all make the reverend gentleman the 
 butt for their hostility. The contumely, reproach, 
 scandal, and animosity, with which at one time 
 Methodism and Methodists generally were assailed, 
 
8 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAK PREACHERS. 
 
 seem in these latter days to be directed, with con- 
 centrated bitterness, against the Rev. Jabez Bunt- 
 ing. This fact must necessarily enter into any 
 sketch of that gentleman, and a brief digression 
 must therefore be made at the outset, for the sake 
 of inquiring into the causes of this feeling toward 
 one whose private character all acknowledge to be 
 unimpeachable, and who has never been convicted, 
 nor by those who best know him even suspected, 
 of unfaithfulness to the trust which his brethren 
 have, to an unusual extent, tacitly reposed in him ; 
 and who perhaps less than any equally pubhc 
 man has assailed those who differ from him, or re- 
 turned railing for railing. 
 
 We say a digression, because in prosecuting the 
 inquiry some things must be premised, not legiti- 
 mately entering into a sketch of an individual ; to 
 wit, the relative position of the great religious de- 
 nominations in England, and the prevalent opinion, 
 erroneous though it be, of Dr. Bunting's power in 
 the body to which he belongs. It is common in 
 England to divide the Protestant denominations 
 into three classes — the Established Church, Method- 
 ists, and Dissenters. The division is just, although 
 the high-church party profess to regard the Me- 
 thodists as Dissenters, while the Dissenters them- 
 selves, especially the political portion of them, in- 
 dignantly deny the identity. In reahty the Wes- 
 leyan Methodists (for the "New Connection" are 
 avowedly Dissenters) occupy as distinct a position as 
 either of the other divisions of the great Protestant 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAK PREACHERS. 9 
 
 Christian church. They are not Dissenters, pro- 
 perly so called, inasmuch as they do not object to 
 the principle of an Established Church, and have 
 never united with its opponents in seeking its over- 
 throw as an estabUshment, or withholding that sup- 
 port to which by law it is entitled. They have 
 aided it in the time of its peril, rather, however, 
 by their general mfluence than by any denomina- 
 tional action. They left it under no protest against 
 its fundamental principles, but because of its ex- 
 clusive, inconvenient, and burdensome pi'actice. To 
 this day, no anti Established Church action has 
 emanated from the Wesleyan Methodist Societies 
 collectively. They are, in fact, as a body, simply 
 non- conformists on the ground of expediency, hold- 
 ing the doctrines, and, as far as seems appropriate 
 for their pecuUar sphere of action, adopting the 
 forms and usages, and even the liturgy, of the 
 Church of England. 
 
 As a numerous, and now wealthy and intelhgent 
 body, and a neutral or middle party, they hold the 
 balance of power between the two antagonistic 
 denominations. By going over to either, they 
 might secure immunity from much of the animosi- 
 ty now shown toward them. This they have 
 hitherto steadil}' refused to do. Within the last 
 few years it has become well imderstood that to 
 this purpose they will adhere, mider whatever 
 provocation they may suffer, or overtures receive, 
 from either party. Their reply has at all tunes 
 been, in effect, " We are doing a great work and 
 
10 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 cannot come down to dispute mth either, of you 
 about non-essentials or ecclesiastical polity." They 
 content themselves with occasional co-operation 
 with either party, when some great principle of 
 civil or religious liberty is periled, or some vast 
 triumph of benevolence or Christian principle is to 
 be achieved. But they resolutely stand aloof from 
 ecclesiastico-political amalgamation with one or the 
 other. This we believe to be the exact position 
 of the Weslcyan Methodist Connection at the pre- 
 sent day. At the Conference of 1847, the body 
 numbered in Great Britain alone, not including 
 those "on trial," three hundred and thirty-nine 
 thousand three hundred and seventy-nine ; in Ire- 
 land, twenty-four thousand six hundred and thirty- 
 three ; making, \vith those " on trial," at least 
 three hundred and seventy thousand, under the 
 pastoral care and influence of thirteen hundred and 
 fifty authorized and ordained ministers.* Their in- 
 fluence, therefore, upon political and ecclesiastical 
 questions is known to be great ; and their bias is 
 generally supposed to be toward the Establishment 
 rather than toward the Dissenters. For this they 
 have been assailed by those who have gone out 
 from them, but have retained, mth some quahfying 
 prefix, the name of Methodists. Indeed this has 
 been frequently assigned as one of the reasons for 
 secession ; but it is not within the writer's know- 
 
 * The number of members on the mission stations at the same 
 period was 100,303 ; total number of members, exclusive of those on 
 trial, under the care of the British and Irish Conferences, 464,315 ; 
 and in Canada, 21,749 ; and of ministers within a fraction of 2,000. 
 
SKETCHES OF VVKSLEYAN PREACHERS. 11 
 
 ledge that a contrary tendency — a bias toward Dis- 
 sent — has ever been put forward as a cause for 
 separation from Wesleyan Methodism. Here then 
 is a sufficient explanation why the Wesleyans are 
 made to suffer uiader a double fire ; the adherents 
 of the Church are well aware that the Methodists 
 have permanently left the Estabhshment, so far as 
 submission to its practice is concerned, and are 
 jealous of their independence and growing influ- 
 ence ; the anti-church-and-state men are annoyed 
 that they will not throw their influence into the 
 scale with Dissenters, and seek to drive them to 
 that course, knowing, or at least suspecting, that 
 Wesleyan neutrality is the principal impediment to 
 their success. As assailants, necessarily so from 
 the existing order of things, the Dissenters are na- 
 tui-ally more exasperated at this neutrahty than 
 are their opponents, to whom it is valuable next to 
 active co-operation. 
 
 But in ascertaining why Dr. Bunting should be 
 ** individually selected for reproach and abuse, an- 
 other fact must be referred to, namely, the common 
 error that the reverend gentleman possesses an ab- 
 solute, or at least positive, personal power in the 
 Wesleyan Conference. On this ignorant assump- 
 tion he is mercilessly assailed for all that body 
 does or leaves undone ; what are accounted its 
 sins of omission and commission being alike laid to 
 his charge. While indignant at the injustice, dis- 
 courtesy, and malignity, of many of the attacks 
 upon Dr. Bunting, we have also been " exceedingly 
 
12 SKETCHES OF WESLEVAN PREACHERS. 
 
 filled with contempt" at the utter ignorance of 
 Weslej'an economy displayed by his open or ano- 
 nymous assailants. They seem to suppose that 
 the government of the Wesleyan Methodists is a 
 " one-man power," — an absolute monarchy of the 
 most absolute kmd ; that the four hundred and 
 sixty-five thousand of its members, leaders, stew- 
 ards, tmstees, and local preachers, and its two 
 thousand itinerant ministers, Uve, move, and have 
 their being, in Dr. Bimting ; and think, speak, and 
 act, only as he gives them permission. Ti-uly 
 these traducers of the great Wesleyan body and 
 the reverend gentleman " understand neither what 
 they say, nor whereof they afiu-m." They know 
 not the intelhgence and independence of the Wes- 
 leyan clergy and laity, which are surpassed by 
 those of no body of clergy and laity on the face 
 of the earth. The Rev. Jabez Bunting, D.D., in- 
 fluential in council as he is known to be, has not 
 and cannot have any strictly personal power in 
 his official relations to the connection. The ac- 
 knowledged principles by which the body is gov- 
 erned forbid it. In Conference his vote counts but 
 as one. He can do notliing contrary to, or aside 
 from, the laws which govern the Conference, and to 
 which both ministers and people are subject. Nor 
 could he with impunity leave undone anything 
 which those laws require him to do. The rules 
 and usages of the connection are not in his keep- 
 ing ; he cannot of his own will or power repeal, 
 amend, or enact, a single clause, or alter a solitary 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 13 
 
 word in the code, '\^^latever proposition he may 
 make has to pass through the same ordeal as one 
 proposed by any other member of the Conference, 
 to the good sense of which body it must commend 
 itself, if it is to be approved or adopted by them. 
 
 Wesleyan Methodism has, strictly speaking, no 
 written " constitution," as we understand the word. 
 Certain principles and guards are estabhshed and 
 perpetuated in the " Deed of Declaration," but that 
 deed does not define a full constitutional method 
 of internal govemment. Usage, more than writ- 
 ten law, governs in all the proceedings of the Con- 
 ference. But there are inles clearly defined, bind- 
 ing upon and mutually protecting preachers and 
 people, and these are to be preserved in their letter 
 as well as in their spirit. One of these pi-ondes 
 that any law affecting the societies, passed by the 
 Conference, before it can be binding upon the peo- 
 ple shall be submitted to them in their quarterly 
 meetings, and be approved by a majority. Sup- 
 pose that Dr. Bunting has conceived a measiu-e 
 which he thinks will be beneficial to the church at 
 large. He must first proppse it in the Conference. 
 There it may be canvassed with the utmost free- 
 dom. Every one who doubts its propriety has 
 only to send up his name to the president, as an 
 intimation that he wishes to speak upon the sub- 
 ject, and he can state all his objections as forcibly 
 as his abihty admits. After free discussion the 
 sense of the Conference is taken upon it ; and if 
 the members are not satisfied of its expediency, 
 
14 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 they can postpone, or entirely set it aside, by their 
 vote. If approved by them, it still has to be sub- 
 mitted to the quarterly meeting in every circ\iit, 
 and cannot become law Avithout their sanction. If 
 a measure be proposed not affecting the people, 
 but the preachers only, it still has to pass through 
 the ordeal of the Conference, as above described. 
 So that the one-man power ascribed to Dr. Bunt- 
 ing has, in reality, no existence in the Wesleyan 
 body. That Dr. Bunting wields a vast influence, 
 in Conference and out of it, is undeniable. But 
 inasmuch as eveiy proposition emanating from him 
 is intelligently discussed in that body, and if adopt- 
 ed, is so by consent of the whole, or a vote of the 
 majority, it is unfair to lay the entire responsibility 
 upon the reverend gentleman, even admitting that 
 the measure is in any Avay reprehensible. Yet liis 
 opponents, jealous of his influence, and unable to 
 counteract or curtail it, wrongfully speak of it as 
 a tyrannical and absolute power. What that in- 
 fluence is, and how acquired, we shall endeavor to 
 show hereafter. 
 
 We cannot, however, complete the inquiry with 
 which Ave started, Avithout to some extent forestall- 
 ing judgment upon that point. In conscientiously 
 assigning the reasons why Dr. B\inting has been 
 so much assailed and calumniated, we must ex- 
 press our belief that his inflexible devotion to the 
 permanent interests of Methodism is at the foun- 
 dation of all the reproach that has been cast upon 
 him. In other words, liis greatness is their griev- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 15 
 
 ance. No storm can drive him from the field he 
 thinks it his duty to occupy. He vnll not stoop 
 to bandy words witli his opponents, or rehnquish 
 his pui'pose because it is misimderstood or misre- 
 presented, or quail for a moment imder a toiTent 
 of even the most bitter invective. He relies upon 
 his own integrity, like Nehemiah of old. The 
 author of "Wesleyan Centenaiy Takings," who 
 cannot be suspected of regarding our present siib- 
 ject with a too favorable judgment, says of him : 
 " He is great in mind, and great in influence ; too 
 great to be forgiven ; if he were less so, it might 
 be borne. This is the secret. It is the hostihty 
 of opposite vievfs and sentiments, with less of in- 
 terest at stake than there ought to be to warrant 
 such hostihty ; and the prejudice excited is the 
 feehng of the vanqvdshed — a struggle for supre- 
 macy — the mortification of seeing another where 
 we -nish to be ourselves — the envy of a height we 
 cannot attain." Never was greater truth uttered, 
 and the frankness of the avowal is the more honor- 
 able to the author, as he is known to differ on 
 many points from the gentleman of whom he thus 
 speaks. Add to these views the fact that Dr. 
 Bunting's whole hfe has been spent in consoh- 
 dating, popularizing, and strengthening, the insti- 
 tutions of Methodism — that in times of imminent 
 peril, from disaffection and clamor, his wise coun- 
 sels and vast influence have been successfully ex- 
 erted in keeping the main body, of both preachers 
 nnd people, within the ancient land-marks — and 
 
16 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 we have, without doubt, the true reason why the 
 reverend gentleman has so many implacable ene- 
 mies and bitter assailants. We leave this subject 
 for the present, as in the prosecution of this 
 sketch topics may again come up incidentally 
 bearing upon it. 
 
 The recent portraits of Dr. Bunting, given in 
 the Wesleyan Methodist Magazine and elsewhere, 
 are upon the whole correct. The full length 
 figure in the great picture of the Wesleyan Cen- 
 tenary meeting, published by Mr. Agnew, of 
 Manchester, (England,) is also very good, except, 
 perhaps, that it is scarcely hea\y enough. He is 
 about five feet ten or perhaps eleven inches in 
 height, although the comparatively narrow or 
 elongated form of the upper part of the body 
 gives him an appearance of being even taller. He 
 is of a corpulent frame, and erect in his carriage. 
 The face is not exactly round, neither can it be 
 called oval; it has a pleasant, dignified, placid 
 expression, and when in entire repose is indicative 
 of suavity and gentleness. The eyes are small 
 and of a light blue-gray ; the forehead is good ; 
 the head extremely bald, the skin fine and glitter- 
 ing, but rather pale, save when the gentleman is 
 excited in preaching or debate, when a deep flush 
 covers the entire forehead and crown. When that 
 crimson glow appears, the hearer may know that 
 the speaker is about to 
 
 " pour the stream of eloquence, 
 With scathing lightning fraught." 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 1*7 
 
 His dress is invariably black, a straight-breasted 
 coat, and, latterly, pantaloons ; generally, though 
 not at all times, he uses a walking-stick, and as 
 commonly carries a well-worn umbrella under his 
 aiiQ. He walks leisurely ; can always spare a few 
 moments to look into a bookseller's window, or to 
 linger at a second-hand book-stall ; and has alto- 
 gether a comely, comfortable appearance. His 
 disposition is somewhat reserved, except among 
 his intimate friends. With these, however, as Mr. 
 Everett observes, " say after supper in the evening, 
 his leg meanwhile laid along the sofa or across a 
 chair, he can talk playfully and dehghtfully, till 
 morning if you please, but always wisely and pru- 
 dently. His manners are not polished, but easy, 
 noble, and shghtly courteous, without pride or 
 aflfectation, and yet without any redimdancy of 
 condescension. He is, in short, a man of appa- 
 rently simple and amiable character ; and though 
 possessed of wit, is sparing of it in conversation, 
 bemg more partial to discussion than to saUies of 
 a Ughter kind." The picture is so life-like and 
 complete that nothing can be added to it ; it repre- 
 sents the reverend gentleman, too, in one of his most 
 pleasing aspects — his social character. 
 
 Our present subject has so many prominent 
 characteristics — we had almost said distinct cha- 
 racters — that it is necessary to view him in their 
 separate aspects, if we would have a just concep- 
 tion of the whole man. There is, moreover, this 
 crowning glory, that he positively excels in each. 
 2 
 
18 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 As a " Wesleyan preacher " he is first to be con- 
 sidered. His character in this respect is unique. 
 He has no parallel. Other men have gained le- 
 gitimate and permanent eminence and influence by 
 long years of patient study and labor ; he sprang 
 at once to the pinnacle, where he has continued to 
 this day, without seeming eflbrt, to maintam his 
 foothold. Other men commenced their ministerial 
 life with their theological systems imperfectly or 
 but partially defined, and have matured them by 
 elaborately collating writers upon the subject ; he 
 appeared among his brethren, "a Hercules from 
 his cradle," with his theological views matured and 
 established, clear, comprehensive, and evangeUcal. 
 Those who heard him in his early days say, that as 
 a preacher he has neither advanced nor retro- 
 graded, simply exchanging " that popularity which, 
 in connection Avith his extraordinary powers, be- 
 longed to his youth, for that respectabihty by age 
 to which early life could not establish a substan- 
 tial claim." And the testimony of these witnesses 
 is corroborated by the fact, that the sermon on 
 "Justification by Faith," founded on Romans xiii, 
 17, published in the earlier years of his ministiy, 
 remains unaltered and unimprovable in plan, mat- 
 ter, and diction — " perfect and entire, lacking 
 nothing" — as when it was first delivered, nearly 
 forty years ago. The writer never heard a ser- 
 mon from him which was not in itself a complete 
 body of divinity, all naturally flowing from the 
 subject, and no part of which could be omitted 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 19 
 
 without mamng the perfection and beauty of the 
 Avhole. This is the peculiarity and charm of his 
 preaching. His discourses are never confined to 
 one topic, but embrace a variety, through which 
 hght beams from within, and heat that Avelds in 
 inseparable union the several portions, or fuses 
 them into one perfect whole. 
 
 More particularly. We must speak of the gen- 
 tleman in later tunes, say for the last ten or twelve 
 years. In earlier days we apprehend, and indeed 
 know from report, there was much more of physi- 
 cal energy in his pulpit services, than within the 
 period referred to. The impetuous bursts of ve- 
 hement eloquence, which we have occasionally 
 heard at the close of a sermon, were then more 
 frequent, and perhaps more overpowering, but that 
 is probably the main difference between the yoimger 
 and the older man. When we occasionallj^ sat 
 imder his ministry, his appearance in the pulpit 
 was dignified and natural. His favorite attitude 
 while preaching was Avith the fingers of the left 
 hand partially inserted between the leaves of the 
 Bible, toward the lower comer, the right hand at 
 liberty, now lying easily upon the open page, now 
 gently raised with a graceful movement, and now 
 pushed forward with increasing emphasis of utter- 
 ance. The reverend gentleman's action rarely ex- 
 tends beyond this for the first three-fourths of the 
 sermon. He enters the pulpit and commences the 
 service, as he glides into his discourse, with the 
 most perfect avoidance of fonnality or effort. You 
 
20 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 look up to the pulpit, and it is empty ; m a few 
 moments you look again, and are almost surpris- 
 ed to find it occupied by the preacher, possibly 
 just rising from his knees, and ready at once to 
 enter upon the service of the sanctuary. Every- 
 thing about him is easy and natural. No adjust- 
 ment of the person, apparel, or attitude, no hesita- 
 tion about beginning, " no appearance of starting," 
 offends the most fastidious of his congregation : 
 " he glides into the service hke an ethereal spirit, 
 and conducts it like an apostle." The true great- 
 ness of the man is often, though not invariably, re- 
 vealed in the first prayer. If prevalence -with God 
 in prayer be a criterion of Christian character and 
 attainments, as undoubtedly it is, then hath He 
 who "answereth by fire" abundantly and often- 
 times set his seal upon the Rev. Dr. Bunting as a 
 man after his own heart. We have never heard 
 any one who so mightily wi-estled with God and 
 prevailed, as on some and not unfrequent occasions 
 did our present subject, unless it were John Smith, 
 of whom mention is made in this volume. Bram- 
 well and Stoner Ave never heard. But there was 
 this difference between Mr. Smith and Dr. Bunting ; 
 the former was vociferous in his earnestness, the lat- 
 ter was simply powerful. His whole soul seemed 
 drawn out into direct communion with God ; he 
 seemed to rise up to the very mercy-seat, to lay 
 hold upon the horns of the altar and lift himself 
 into the presence of Deity, and there to importune 
 until the Shekinah beamed forth in his glory, and 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 21 
 
 the heavenly influence, shed first upon hiin, dif- 
 fused itself through tlie whole congregation, like 
 the precious ointment that ran down to the skirts 
 of Aaron's j^riestly garments ; or as though, with 
 the mighty lever of believing intercession, he had 
 forced open the gate of heaven, and the flood of 
 glory had burst suddenly upon the waiting congre- 
 gation. How comprehensive were his interces- 
 sions, how earnest his supplications ; how tnily he 
 pleaded with the Most High, and how eff'ectually, 
 pen may not describe. How "good" it was "to 
 be there," even they cannot fully tell who shared 
 in the glory Avhich, on such occasions, was revealed. 
 " The day shall declare it!" 
 
 Dr. Bunting commences his sermon in a natural, 
 even conversational, tone. The voice is full and 
 agreeable, though lacking variety. This defect, 
 however, is partially atoned for by its flexibility 
 and power. In its middle tones it is most pleasing, 
 being then sweet and persuasive, if the mere voice 
 may be so characterized. Sometimes, toward the 
 close of a discoin-se, when the preacher is for a 
 few moments carried away by his theme, it is 
 raised to a positive scream, but this is very seldom, 
 as the reverend gentleman holds all his faculties 
 under a yery strict control in the pulpit. The in- 
 troduction to his subject is natural, and by the 
 time he approaches the division of his text, and 
 proceeds to apportion its various topics, the hearer's 
 mind is well prepared to fall in with the preacher's 
 plan, and experiences something akin to surprise 
 
22 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 that the same train of ideas and ampUfication of 
 thought have not ah-eady occurred to him in con- 
 nection with the passage on which the preacher is 
 dilating. This is one of the great charms of Dr. 
 Bunting's ministry, and in no preacher have we 
 known this pecuhar excellence so strongly display- 
 ed. He is as far removed from the "startling" 
 school of preachers as light is from darkness. 
 There is nothing ad captandum about his style; 
 all is plain, simple, natural, and so expressed, that 
 hypercriticism is at faiilt to find a blemish or sug- 
 gest an emendation. Having in his own mind 
 (though not always announcing his plan to the 
 congregation) well arranged the main and sub- 
 ordinate branches of his subject, like an angel of 
 hght movuig in the courts and avenues of the tem- 
 ple of truth ; or like the sun gently but perceptibly 
 emerging from the horizon, first reveahng, then 
 illumining, and at length shortening, the shadows 
 of every object, imtil in his noon-day splendor the 
 entire circumference of vision is flooded with light ; 
 so Dr. Bunting sheds over his multiform theme a 
 pure and steady light, which reveals each object 
 in all its bearings and relations to its kindred sub- 
 ject or idea. An intelhgent hearer, especially if 
 he have any knowledge of theology, or love for the 
 science, cannot for a moment withdraw his atten- 
 tion from the preacher. The train of thought is so 
 consecutive, each thread of the entire web is so in- 
 timately mterwoven with the other, the series of ar- 
 guments so logically put and arranged, and every 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEVAN PREACHERS. 23 
 
 part of the whole so mutually dependent, that noth- 
 ing could be spared without marring the beauty 
 and symmetry of the structure. His mind is imbued 
 with theology. While undeniably a reader to no 
 ordinary extent, especially of the older divines, 
 what he utters is strikingly his own; everything 
 thus gathered having been so thoroughly digested 
 and transformed into aliment, as to be incorporated 
 with his own mental constitution, and is seen only 
 in the vigor, maturity, and fullness, of his thoughts. 
 We know no man who, in theological disquisition, 
 more readily perceives and more clearly points out 
 nice distinctions, and is more precise in definitions ; 
 while withal there is so much heart in all he says, 
 and often such delicate pathos, that his congrega- 
 tion are always refreshed as they drink of the con- 
 solation which, to quote again from Mr. Everett, is, 
 "^\athout apparent effort, pumped up out of the 
 depths of his own mind, and is as fertihzing and 
 refreshing as the stream from the hills." 
 
 Dr. Bunting's defect as a preacher, if defect it 
 be, is that he preaches too long. Probably this 
 has more the appearance of a defect as age has 
 increased upon him, and his physical energies have 
 somewhat abated. Indeed in converse with a 
 friend, who heard him in London but a few months 
 ago, we learned that many of the audience retired 
 before the sermon was concluded, a very unusual 
 thing with an English Wesleyan congregation. It 
 is now probably eight years since the sound of his 
 voice was familiar to our ears. We then heard 
 
24 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 Mm preach an "occasional sermon" in Manches- 
 ter, and received the impression that age and 
 much labor of thought Avere having their effect 
 upon him. In his palmy days he was never known 
 to misapply or recall a word, or to hesitate in the 
 selection of the choicest words for the expression 
 of his thoughts. Pure, chaste, eminently correct, 
 Saxon-English diction distinguished him above 
 every preacher of his day. He was perfect in 
 synonymy. But on the occasion referred to lie 
 not unfrequently hesitated, recalled his words, and 
 even once or twice became perple.\ed by the en- 
 tanglement of his sentences, and at the close of his 
 discourse, when seemingly about to rise into one 
 of those impassioned bursts of eloquence which 
 have so often thrilled and electrified his audiences, 
 he suddenly reined in, evidently mistrusting his 
 powers, and betraying that distrust by a dejection 
 of countenance, which, though brief in the ex- 
 pression, was so full of feeling, that the recollec- 
 tion of it is present to the writer with every re- 
 membrance of Dr. Bunting. It seemed as though 
 then, for the first time, the conviction had flashed 
 upon his mind that his faculties were losing their 
 long-sustained vigor. The subject was a mat- 
 ter of much conversation and sorrow among his 
 friends at the time ; but I have not the means of 
 knowing whether the embarrassment was tempora- 
 ry, arising from some transient disturbing cause, or 
 "whether it was of so permanent a character as his 
 friends anticipated. My impression is, that he has 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAX PREACHERS. 25 
 
 preached less frequently since then, than in former 
 times. 
 
 The doctor is more remarkable for the excellence 
 than the number of his special sermons — meaning 
 those which he preaches on great public occasions. 
 Like the sermon on "Justification by Faith," al- 
 ready refen-ed to, they seem to undergo httle, if 
 any, alteration after their first production. And 
 yet they are ever fresh in the delivery. He does 
 not hesitate to repeat a discourse before the same 
 people, and apprise them that he is aware of the 
 repetition. The writer has heard three times, 
 though in different places, the discourse on, — " If 
 any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him he 
 anathema maranatha," and there petition of others, 
 the texts of which are not at this moment in re- 
 membrance. It does not seem likely that he keeps 
 any register of places and texts, where and from 
 which he preaches, because we cannot suppose 
 that it is either from necessity or indolence that 
 this repetition arises. Far otherwise. A case in 
 point occurs to us. He was sohcited to preach an 
 occasional sermon at a comparatively small circuit 
 town, where he had never before occupied the 
 pulpit. He consented, and selected for his text, 
 " Curse ye Meroz, curse ye Utterly the inhabitants 
 thereof ; because t/ieycame not out to the kelp of the 
 Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty," 
 a powerful sermon, by the way, which would shut 
 up in condemnation thousands of professors in the 
 present day. A second time he -was invited, and 
 
26 SKETCHES OF WESLKYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 he took for his text the passage already quoted, 
 "If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ" <fec. 
 A very kind and friendly intercourse sprung up 
 between liim and the people, and a third time he 
 favored them with his ministrations, this time 
 preaching from, " Behold I set before you this day 
 a blessing and a curse," &c., dwelling principally 
 upon the curse as the penalty of disobedience. A 
 fourth application was made to him from the same 
 place. A minor though prior engagement of some 
 kind induced him to decline the invitation. " Nay, 
 doctor," said the applicant, "you have three times 
 pronounced a curse upon us, surely you will not 
 refuse to come and bless us."' "What's that?" 
 said Dr. Bunting. The facts were repeated to 
 him. He smiled, and immediately replied, "0 
 yes, my brother, I '11 come down and bless you be- 
 fore I die, and if God spares me, I will accept 
 your invitation." He did so, and preached from 
 these words, " Surely blessing I will bless thee." 
 The sermon Avas said to be one of the richest dis- 
 courses he ever delivered. 
 
 Perhaps no preacher has appeared more fre- 
 quently in print than Dr. Bunting. His are ser- 
 mons, indeed, not difficult to report, and very pro- 
 fitable to read. Hence, whenever he is within rea- 
 sonable distance of the metropohs, the publishers 
 of the " Pulpit," the " Wesleyan Preacher," and 
 other periodicals devoted to the publication of ser- 
 mons, dispatch reporters to take down his dis- 
 course, greatly to the annoyance of the reverend 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 27 
 
 gentleman, who, in common with his brethren, has 
 a strong aversion to appearing in print, at least in 
 such prints under such circumstances. Some cha- 
 racteristic anecdotes are current respecting him in 
 this connection. Once when preaching at Ham- 
 mersmith, in the suburbs of London, he saw a re- 
 porter in the gallery busily taking notes. Pausing 
 in the introduction, he quietly said, " I see a re- 
 porter there, in the front pew of the gallery. I 
 beg to infonn him that not only has this discourse 
 been more than once preached by me, but by re- 
 ferring to the " Pulpit" of such a date (naming it) he 
 will find it there reported, and may save himself a 
 second desecration of the sabbath and the house 
 of God." The reporter, however, was not made 
 of such modest stuff, that even such a reproof could 
 prevent the fulfillment of his contract with those 
 who sent him. Equally pointed was his reproof of 
 one of the offending tribe on another occasion, but 
 equally fruitless in its result. " Young man," said 
 he, "I see you are busy taking notes of my ser- 
 mon. If you wish to remember it, you should try 
 and do so when you go home, and not disturb a 
 whole congregation, peaceably assembled for the 
 worship of God." We are not aware, however, 
 that he ever resorted to legal measures to hinder 
 the proprietors of such periodicals from publishing 
 his discom'ses, or that the question has ever been 
 fairly tried in the English courts. Soon after the 
 Rev. Dr. Hams rose into deseiwed popidarity by 
 the pubhcation of his prize essay, entitled " Mam- 
 
28 SKKTCHKS OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 mon," he acceded to the request of the Wesleyan 
 Missionary Committee to preach the annual ser- 
 mon before the society at the May anniversary in 
 London, when he deUvered his beautiful discourse 
 on " The Witnessing Church." The reporters for 
 the "Pulpit" were there in full force, and in the 
 next publication a very fair report of the discourse 
 appeared. Dr. Harris immediately served the pub- 
 Ushers with an injunction, and they would not ven- 
 ture upon a defense, but compromised the matter 
 by suppressing the publication, and paying all ex- 
 penses. 
 
 We believe that Dr. Bunting is even greater as 
 a pleader than as a preacher ; but here we are com- 
 pelled to speak from report, as the arena on which 
 he has principally figured in this character — the 
 Wesleyan Conference — is not an open body. We 
 have occasionally heard him from the missionary 
 platfoi-m, and twice during the great Centenary 
 meeting in Manchester. His addresses of this cha- 
 racter are models of propriety, full of great prin- 
 ciples and impressive views of the subject under 
 discussion, and he does not stay to repeat what is 
 already known. To familiar topics, arguments, or 
 facts, a mere passing allusion is made, and the 
 speaker goes on to carry out the principle or dis- 
 cuss its results. In committee he never speechifies, 
 seldom talking above five minutes at a time, unless 
 he is charged with the introduction of some im- 
 portant measure ; but contents himself with vigilant- 
 ly watching the debate, occasionally cooling down 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEyAX PREACHERS. 29 
 
 any undue excitement, and narrowing the discus- 
 sion by judiciously pnming it of any extraneous 
 matter -with which members of less discernment or 
 business capacity may have encumbered it. He is 
 familiar with the various methods of sta\ang oflF a 
 decision, and uses them when he foresees a con- 
 clusion which he thinks premature or injurious to 
 the interests of the cause he advocates. But, we 
 repeat, it is in the Conference that his greatness as 
 a pleader — his consummate art and power at re- 
 plication — is most apparent. There we cannot fol- 
 low him ; but as we desire to give as perfect a por- 
 trait of the man as our means will permit, we copy, 
 the more willingly as it has not been published in 
 America, from the " Wesleyan Centenary Takings," 
 the follo^ving, which we have been frequently as- 
 sured, by members of that body, is to the life : — 
 
 " See him : there he shs on the platform, sm-- 
 rounded by the leading members of the Confer- 
 ence, his elbow on the table, and his chin embed- 
 ded in the palm of his hand. A subject of import- 
 ance being on the tapis, and the speaker being low, 
 or at a distance, the hand is speedily relieved of 
 the chin, and placed behind the ear, where it re- 
 mains as a substitute for a tiiimpet, gathering to- 
 gether the words, while the sense which it is in- 
 tended to aid drinks in the sound. An occasional 
 note is made on a slip of paper, or the back of a 
 letter, in the course of a protracted discussion ; but 
 memory, which rarely ever fails him, is mostly de- 
 pended upon. Now, be is calm and dignified ; but 
 
30 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 in an instant the scene is changed. The speaker 
 has the misfortune to oppose some favorite theory, 
 to trench upon some of the pecuharities of Me- 
 thodism, or belongs to the other side of the house : 
 that moment, the eye of om- pleader is darted hke 
 the eye of a lynx along the hne of soimd, and 
 either quails or rouses the person who has gained 
 his attention. He again appears tranquil ; but it is 
 the tranquillity of a man who is pondering upon 
 what has been said. Speaker succeeds speaker, 
 till at length silence ensues ; and, during the mo- 
 mentary pause, he looks round : but no one assay- 
 ing to rise, he considers liis own time to have come. 
 He loves the closing speech ; and now that he is on 
 his feet, let the eye be thrown around the audi- 
 ence, and aU will be seen on the tip-toe — all will 
 be still to the ear. The first feeling in operation in 
 the breasts of previous speakers, refers as much to 
 themselves as the subject ; and the first thought in 
 the mind of the mere hearer, is inadvertently di- 
 rected to the same quarter, and is followed up ■with 
 anxiety or pleasure — looking forward to see how it 
 will fare with such as have thus entered the arena 
 of debate, as well as toward the fate of the ques- 
 tion in which he himself may have an interest, and 
 which absolutely hangs upon the breath, and is to 
 be decided by him upon whom every eye is now 
 fixed, as by fascmation. Listen to him : he takes, 
 perhaps, at first, a dispassionate view of the general 
 question, then gives you his own opinion; next 
 goes on to estabUsh certain positions; notices the 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 31 
 
 remarks of previous speakers, so far as they seem 
 to interfere with his own sentiments ; and, lastly, 
 proceeds to the formal reply, in which he often 
 takes upon himself the onus prohandi, either class- 
 ifying the arguments of his opponents, or taking up 
 their objections separately, as may best siiit his 
 purpose ; encircling himself all the while in a tower 
 of strength, from whose impregnable walls he nods 
 defiance to all his assailants. Very often, at a mo- 
 ment, when a man is congratulating himself on the 
 probability of a happy escape, or of finding his ar- 
 guments valid, by a less early notice, he will come 
 down upon him in an instant, like an unexpected 
 flash of lightning, broad and vivid, shivering to 
 pieces, by a single stroke, the whole superstructure 
 he had reared, and upon which he had long gazed 
 with the fondness of a parent on a favorite child — 
 compelling him at the time by its glare to shrink 
 back into himself. On these occasions, he can be 
 sarcastic, solemn, playful, or otherwise. But he 
 never approaches a subject without illuminating it, 
 and rarely retires from the field without conquest; 
 followed by the smiles of his friends, and lea\-ing 
 the opposing poAvers in a state of suspense or blank 
 astonishment. 
 
 " We feel unwilling to leave this part of his cha- 
 racter, and yet we are afraid to proceed with it, 
 owing to our incompetency to do it justice. We 
 have heard pleaders at the bar, and statesmen in 
 the senate, (a place, by the way, which he is very 
 fond of attending,) but we solemnly aver, that, for 
 
82 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREAOHEES. 
 
 reply, we never heard a near approach to him. 
 His replies are like the set speeches of some of our 
 first speakers ; so full, so regular, so neat, so con- 
 secutive, so pertinent, so easy, so ready ! He never 
 talks for the sake of talking, to show off, or for the 
 sake of conquest. He always has an object in 
 v-iew separate from himself, of which he never loses 
 sight, and a subject creditable to his own intelli- 
 gence. In Ustening to him, Cicero rather than 
 Demosthenes seems to haunt the mind ; but then 
 it is Cicero in his philosophical, rather than his 
 oratorical character ; his orations being mere clap- 
 traps for the mob. There is also something more 
 stubborn in the composition of our modern orator ; 
 he is better qualified to face a storm : but still, we 
 cannot refrain from adverting to Cicero, whose 
 superiority was felt by all, whose -wisdom com- 
 manded respect, and whose eloquence enraptured 
 the auditor. Here we perceive a parallel. Every 
 reply carries with it the mathematical precision of 
 previous study, even when there has been no means 
 of knowing what was about to be advanced by the 
 opposing party ; and all is conducted without pa- 
 rade, imparting light as unostentatiously as the 
 sun, which, in return — where there is no clashing 
 interest at stake, or the heart is not abandoned to 
 prejudice — is received with as hearty a welcome. 
 The whole, whether long or short, is as perfect as 
 if it had been prepared months before, though 
 only conceived — which shows the amazing power 
 of conception and rapidity of thought — during the 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 33 
 
 speech or speeches of those who may have pre- 
 ceded. There is no haffling, no tripping, not a 
 point of importance omitted, not a question bUnk- 
 ed ; all is poured out with the freshness and ease 
 of the lark singing his first morning carol. He has 
 no set time for emphasis ; but rises in feeling with 
 the importance of his subject ; and the people go 
 up with liim, till both gain the summit of the mount, 
 and the latter feel it difficult to descend agam, or 
 stoop to common things. His eloquence is irre- 
 sistible. Had he been brought up to the bar, or 
 been trained for the senate, he would never have 
 paused in liis upward career, till he had either been 
 premier or lord high chancellor ; and where he is, 
 he is a king among his subjects. 
 
 " Still proceeding with his character as a debater, 
 it may be observed, that you always know where 
 he is ; but then, he knows also the exact position 
 of his opponent. His presence of mind never for- 
 sakes him. No man makes fewer mistakes ; and he 
 never leaves an advantage unimproved. It is dan- 
 gerous for an adversary to slumber or be off his 
 guard in his presence. He is always awake him- 
 self, and, like the famous Erskine, is as daring as 
 he is skillful ; taking advantage of the least opening, 
 and defending himself with caution. His fine spirit 
 and courage, when let out, give vigor and dhection 
 to the whole, bearing down all resistance. He is 
 not hke some speakers, full of repetition, recurring 
 again and again to the same topic or view of the 
 subject, till he has made the impression complete ; 
 
 3 
 
34 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 he rarely goes back to the same ground, which, in 
 the language of an eminent writer, he has ' utterly- 
 wasted by the tide of fire he has rolled along it.' 
 He completes his work as he goes on. He has a 
 preternatural quickness of apprehension, which en- 
 ables him to see at a glance what costs other minds 
 the labor of an investigation. It is this that makes 
 ordinary business easy to him : and hence, he has 
 been heard to say, that he could never make what 
 some men call speeches : that his were all matters 
 of mere detail in business. He is not only quick, 
 but sure. And though he has fii-e, yet it is of that 
 kind, that he has rarely the heat of passion to plead 
 or regret. As the head of a party, he has none of 
 its prejudices to plead, having no person to serve ; 
 and he has few, if any peculiarities, of a personal 
 character ; no ' mental idiosyncracies,' as Lord 
 Brougham would say, to indulge, which produce 
 capricious fancies and crotchets. His faculties are 
 always unclouded and unstunted, ever to be de- 
 pended on ; and his judgment secures him success 
 and adherents." 
 
 The name of Doctor Bunting will ever be asso- 
 ciated with Wesleyan Methodism. He has taken 
 such an active part in the deliberations and gov- 
 ernment of the body ; has impressed upon its con- 
 stitution so much of his own views and policy, and 
 is so universally regarded as the virtual head of 
 the denomination, that his name will be perpetuated 
 for ever in this connection. Against all the world, 
 we are prepared to deny that Dr. Bunting could 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 35 
 
 ever have attained his present position, as a ruler 
 in the Methodistic Israel, if there had been any 
 defect in his moral or religious cliaracter ; or that 
 he could have reached it by any selfish, cunning, 
 aggrandizing policy. The known piety, intelli- 
 gence, probity, and independence of his brethren, 
 forbid such a supposition. How then has he at- 
 tained such a position, at once so creditable to his 
 personal, religious, and Methodistical character? 
 Perhaps it may interest the reader to trace, in 
 tliis connection, the personal historj' of Dr. Bunt- 
 ing. 
 
 The reverend gentleman is of humble parentage, 
 and was bom in the county of Derby, in 1Y80. 
 Both his parents were members of the Wesleyan 
 Society ; they removed to Manchester while our 
 subject was yet a child. In that town he was 
 admitted into the free grammar-school, and there 
 attracted the attention of the celebrated Dr. Per- 
 cival, who employed him as his amanuensis, and 
 at his death showed the respect and confidence he 
 entertained toward him by appointing him one of 
 his executors. At an early age the youth joined 
 the Wesleyan Society, though he was at the time 
 siuTounded by Unitarian influences. In 1799, be- 
 ing then about nineteen years of age, he entered 
 the itinerancy under the auspices of the Rev. 
 William Thompson, who presided at the first Con- 
 ference after the death of Mr. Wesley. His first 
 circuit was Oldham ; his first superintendent the 
 Rev. John Gaulter. His second circuit was Mac- 
 
86 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 clesfield, where he remained two years, as at Old- 
 ham. At this juncture lie attracted the notice of 
 the Rev. Dr. Coke, and was selected for the mis- 
 sionary work. Dr. Coke designing him for a mis- 
 sion at Gibraltar. This arrangement, however, fell 
 through, and about the same time he married. From 
 Macclesfield our subject was removed to London, 
 where he labored with much popularity and suc- 
 cess for two years ; and was then stationed at 
 Manchester. Here he distinguished himself as an 
 advocate for ecclesiastical order in a controversy 
 with some disaffected Methodists known as the 
 "Band-room party." His intimate knowledge and 
 just appreciation of the economy of Wesleyan Me- 
 thodism, while yet so young, surprised every one, 
 and from that time he continued to grow in favor 
 with the people, while he also secured, in a won- 
 derful degree, the confidence of his brethren. They 
 recognized in him one who had made the Wesleyan 
 economy his familiar study, endowed with pecu- 
 liar administrative talents, capable of taking en- 
 larged views ; fertile in expedients for the most sud- 
 den and alarming emergencies ; and far sighted in his 
 estimate of the future. Their confidence has never 
 been withdrawn. When he has been most bit- 
 terly assailed from without, in the Conference he has 
 been cheered with the most cordial expressions of 
 esteem and love. Four times has he been elected 
 to the presidency of that body, and as each suc- 
 ceeding year rolls round he abundantly justifies 
 their confidence, and astonishes his brethren by 
 
SKETCHES OF AVESLEYAX PREACHERS. 37 
 
 his intimate and perfect knowledge of the affairs 
 of the whole connection, and with the unhesitating 
 and almost unerring wisdom that enables him to 
 surmount every difficulty, anticipate every necessity, 
 comiteract all opposition, and satisfy every demand. 
 
 It would seem that Dr. Bunting was bom to rule. 
 He has every qualification for a ruler ; always well 
 maturing his plans before he introduces them, and 
 adapting them to the necessities of the time. He 
 is never hasty in legislation. Many of his mea- 
 sures are known to have slept long within his own 
 mind before they were made public ; his intimate 
 friends then first perceiving the importance of in- 
 quiries seemingly casually addressed to them, or 
 to others in their hearing, and the use to which 
 the interrogator purposed applying the informa- 
 tion thus obtained. It is by this constant seeking 
 after knowledge that he has acquired his present 
 influence in the councils of the connection. He 
 has not been content with barely doing what the 
 rules or usage of the body required of him — preach- 
 ing his allotted quota of sermons, going the rounds of 
 his circuit, <fec. — but has laid himself out to perma- 
 nently promote the best interests of Methodism. 
 For this purpose he has taken a comprehensive 
 view of Wesleyan Methodism as the creature of 
 providential circumstances, has kept his eye upon 
 the entire movements of its vast machineiy, and 
 familiarized himself with all the details of its opera- 
 tions. The knowledge thus obtained he has turned 
 to account ; confidence in that knowledge has thus 
 
38 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 increased, and this again has operated to the in- 
 crease of his knowledge ; for men finding tliat he 
 makes it his business to watch over the concerns 
 of the body, to a certain extent commit their in- 
 terests into his hands : and thus information pours 
 in upon him from every quarter; and however 
 minute the details, not one of them is overlooked 
 or forgotten. All this knowledge he brings to 
 practical account; marks the bearing of facts 
 upon principles, and applies all to the politics of 
 Methodism ; making it, in fact, his daily study to 
 adapt its economy to the exigencies, and, as far as 
 lawful, to the spirit of the times. It is a fact but 
 little known, and, by those who have been accus- 
 tomed to hear this great man railed at as a priestly 
 dictator, not even suspected, that nearly every 
 measure which has popularized the institutions of 
 Methodism — which has given to the people a more 
 liberal representation — has originated with Dr. 
 Bunting. "Methodism as it is" bears on every 
 lineament the impress of his enlightened and liberal 
 views, while it is immensely indebted to him for 
 its almost perfect system of finance. We believe 
 we give correct information when we say that some 
 seven or eight years ago, when Wesleyan Metho- 
 dists were exposed to mmaerous indignities at the 
 hands of certain conceited Puseyite clergymen, the 
 subject of our sketch was prepared, perhaps more 
 than any other Wesleyan minister, to take a bold 
 and open stand against the Established Church, or 
 at least to declare separation from it, had not the 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 39 
 
 mhumanity of the clergjinen in question received 
 a sufficient and salutary rebuke in the ecclesias- 
 tical courts of the land. 
 
 Such is oui- estimate of the Rev. Dr. Bunting ; 
 and we believe the estimate is not, in any one of 
 its favorable aspects, in the least degree overdrawn. 
 The world, out of Methodism, does not know him ; 
 even some Wesleyans do not understand him ; for 
 he has refused to put himself on his defense 
 against the groundless accusations with which he 
 has been pertinaciously assailed. He has been, 
 we had almost said, too indifferent about popu- 
 larity. That he courted praise of men, or was in- 
 sincere in his advice and counsel to his brethren, 
 has never been charged upon him. That he has 
 opponents, even in the Conference, cannot be de- 
 nied. It is well that he should have. But that 
 that opposition is composed of more liberal men 
 than himself we are disposed to deny ; while we 
 believe that even they will not claim the credit of 
 greater attachment to Methodism, or equal famili- 
 arity with its economy. We could mention acts 
 of Christian kindness and lu-banity to his younger 
 brethren in the ministry, and endences of high- 
 toned integrity in seasons of peculiar trial, which 
 would make his very enemies praise him, but deh- 
 cacy forbids their introduction here ; and we dis- 
 miss him with a cordial hope that, though he now 
 stands on the verge of threescore years and ten, 
 he may be spared " yet a little longer," to preside 
 over the vast interests of the denomination which 
 
40 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 has long, by general consent, placed hiin at the 
 head of its most important institutions. 
 
 The following jcu d'esp-it appeared many years ago in 
 Leeds, where Dr. Bunting, with great frequency, exorcised 
 his ministry in behalf of the various institutions supported 
 by the Wesleyan Methodist societies : — 
 
 "BEGGING." 
 
 LINES WRITTEN BY A YORKSHIRE MAN, ON HEARING THE BEV. JABE2 
 BUNTING PREACH AT LEEDS. 
 
 Thej' say as how one Jabez Bunting preach'd 
 Better than ony man as ever teacli'd ; 
 Now Fze no Methodist, i' heart or mind, 
 I like auld Mother Church too iveel. ye find : 
 She 'U let folk go to lieaven ;ust as they please, 
 But Methodists demand both liands and knees. 
 Howe'er, it matters not my standing granting-, 
 I went to'd Boggard-honse* to hear this Bunting. 
 I liked his sarmond, ne'er was a comjtleter ; 
 His text was t' fish's mouth and Simon Peter. 
 He taUc'd as how i th' Scriptures it wor shown 
 As aU good things we have are not our own ; 
 Just as he summ'd up all, he said, " My friends. 
 The cause before you gloriously tends ; 
 The work is great, the lieathen ask your aid, 
 Give freely, and you '11 freely be repaid ; 
 They want the gospel— Britons are its nurses- 
 Come forward with your prayers and with your purses ; 
 
 0 that at last with them we may be found — 
 Our friends will please to take tlie boxes round." 
 Thowt I, it 's but a time by chance, I'ze wUling 
 To gie tliis honest preacher an odd shilling. 
 
 1 did so, and went liome ; I tcU'd my wife 
 I ne'er wor better pleased in all my life. 
 
 But then, said I, (and spoke just like an ass,) 
 These beggings varrt/ seldom come to pass ; 
 
 * The name of an old Methodist chapel in Leeds. In the dialect 
 of Yorkshire the term " boggard " means a ghost : this old chapel was 
 formerly said to be haunted ; whence the name by which it is still 
 popularly designated. 
 
SKETCHES OF TVESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 Happen, when he 's not begging for this land, 
 
 He talks plaiu things, just as they come to hand : 
 
 They say next Sunday night but one they '11 meet— 
 
 I '11 go and hear him then— in Albion-street. 
 
 I went ; I liked his sarmond more and more, 
 
 And he concluded sooner than before ; 
 
 Tuke up his h>Tnn-book, skenn'd it at both ends, 
 
 And, to my great amazement, said, " My friends, 
 
 You, and the members of this great connection, 
 
 Will recollect the quarterly collection." 
 
 Thowt I, (and so, I lay, there thmot a many,) 
 
 Begging again ? I '11 gic thee but a penny. 
 
 I did so. Musing, went horne. I liked the man ; 
 
 But then I could'nt 'bid/- this begging plan. 
 
 Ho-we'er, thowt I, 1 'U tr>- him once again ; 
 
 They say next month he '11 preach in Meadow-lane. 
 
 I wont wi' some suspicion, that 's the truth ; 
 
 He preach'd that night about reli^aous youth : 
 
 Sure wack o' skoeJs lor garnishing he brought, 
 
 Where lads were fed, and leach'd. and clotlied for uaugiit. 
 
 One skoel* to great advantage forth he set, 
 
 Theu said it war five hundred pounds in debt. 
 
 Well done, thowt I, a house can't be loiry small. 
 
 As hods so many lads, tachers an' all ; 
 
 Howe'er, t«' that pray what ha' we to do ? 
 
 He paused a moment, and theu let us know, — 
 
 " I hope you all your liberal mites wiU bring ; 
 
 Our friends will please to gather while we sing." 
 
 Nay, Jabez, nay, tliis money all things mellows : 
 
 One o' our kine and ye are just right fellows ; 
 
 She always gies a rare good meal, does Clover ; 
 
 But then, like you, she minds to kick It over. 
 
 * Kingsjvood School 
 
42 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 lof)n 0mitl). 
 
 "His only righteousness I show, 
 
 His saving truth proclaim ; 
 'Tis all my business liere below, 
 
 To cry, ' Behold tlie Lamb '.' 
 Happy if with my latest breatli 
 
 I may but gasp liis name ; 
 Preach liim to all, and cry in deatli, 
 
 ' Behold, beliold tlie Lamb.' "—Wcslei/. 
 
 The subject of this sketch was distinguished from 
 liis numerous namesakes, both in and out of the 
 British Wesleyan Conference, as " John Smith, the 
 revivaUst ;" and well did he deserve the implied 
 tribute to his zeal and his successful labors. Had 
 he been John Smith only, or even " John Smith, 
 the 3d," as the Minutes of the Conference had it, 
 he had probably lived to this day ; but the revi- 
 valist disdained to measure his labors by his phy- 
 sical strength, and he died at a comparatively early 
 age. A memoir of him was written by his friend, 
 Rev. Richard TrefFry, jun., and has been republish- 
 ed in this country. It is a book that no man can 
 read without feeling that few of the ambassadors 
 of Christ have done equal honor to their Master, 
 and to the importance of their message, albeit their 
 commission runneth in the same terms. Truly he 
 presented "his body a living sacrifice unto God." 
 
 J ohn Smith, the revivalist, was a Yorkshireman, 
 a native of Cudworth, a village near Bamsley, in 
 the West-riding of Yorkshire. His father was a 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 43 
 
 local preacher, of considerable popularity in his 
 neighborhood, and desemng of a short notice be- 
 fore his son is more fully introduced. Mr. Smith, 
 sen., or " Billy Smith," as he was famiUarly called, 
 was remarkable rather for his zeal, and the warmth 
 of his piety, than for the extent of his infonnation 
 or the strength of his judgment. In the pulpit 
 and in the prayer meeting he was in his element. 
 He was a man of one sermon — invariably deUvering 
 the same discom-se, though his texts ranged over 
 numerous passages. They were such as admitted 
 of easy accommodation, as, " Ye must be bom 
 again ;" " K any man have not the spirit of Christ 
 he is none of his ;" " Except ye be converted," kc. 
 His preaching, nevertheless, was accompanied with 
 such \mction from the Holy One, that it was always 
 acceptable, and seldom %vithout fruit to the praise 
 and glory of God. He was a simple, humble, 
 self-distrustmg man ; and hence God owned his 
 labors, and, by what some would call the foolish- 
 ness of preaching, saved them that beUeved. The 
 first time that he occupied the pulpit at Bamsley, 
 which was the head of the circuit, he was ensnared 
 by the fear of man ; and to avoid embarrassment 
 from his novel situation, he closed his eyes, and 
 did not reopen them until emboldened by having 
 nearly reached the close of liis discom-se without 
 breaking down, when he discovered, what some 
 of the younger members of the congregation had 
 long been tittering at, that in his agitation he had 
 turned his back upon the audience, and had direct- 
 
44 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 ed alike his words of comfort and his denunciations 
 against ungodliness to the naked wall to which 
 the pulpit was affixed. 
 
 At later periods the writer often heard Mr. Smith 
 preach in the same chapel, and exercise an aston- 
 ishing influence over the feelings of his hearers by 
 a sermon every word of which was more familiar 
 to them than a " thrice-told tale." Sometimes he 
 would make confession, on this wise, as to the 
 unity of his ministerial teachings : "I wonder, my 
 friends, at your coming to hear such a stick as me. 
 If I could but preach hke my son, or Richard 
 Watson, or Dr. Adam Clarke, or any of these great 
 men, [the old man's estimate of his son's intellect- 
 ual standing would excite a smile,] then I would 
 not wonder at your coming. But you all know 
 well enough that I have but one sermon," &c. 
 Yes ; and we all knew " well enough " the enthe 
 mechanism of that sermon — literally the " time to 
 laugh, and the time to weep ;" for to avoid either 
 was no easy matter, often as we had listened to 
 the old man's discourse. About five minutes were 
 taken up in the introduction ; about fifteen in de- 
 scribing " the characters mentioned in the text ;" 
 then two or three minutes in dove-tailing the latter 
 part of the sermon to the former, always in these 
 words, and equally uniform in pathos : " And now, 
 my friends, if you were all of this description of 
 people I should have nowt to do but to tell you to 
 go on, and to conclude. But, alas, you are not, 
 and," &c. Then from seven to ten minutes would 
 
SKETCHES OF TVESLETAN PREACHERS. 45 
 
 be occupied in " describing the character of the 
 xinconverted ;" and this would be followed by a 
 brief and earnest exhortation, invariably commenc- 
 ing with these words, though he had preached 
 there only the Sunday before, and had ever so thin 
 a congregation — they were, in fact, habitual with 
 him, and were only intended figuratively to express 
 a general truth, though to the hearer they seemed 
 to convey a particular statement — " Ah ! my friends, 
 we 've had a monny deeaths at Cud'orth since I 
 was here last ; and I see you 've had a monny here 
 too. There 's one gone out of that pew, another 
 out of that, [pointing in various directions,] and 
 another out of that ; and it '11 be yom- turn 
 next," &c. 
 
 Mr. Smith, sen., was a country tailor, "diligently 
 working with his hands, that he might proxide 
 things honest in the sight of all men ;" doing his 
 share, also, unostentatiously, in ministering to the 
 necessities of such of the household of faith as 
 were poorer than himself. Though a simple man, 
 he had a good deal of latent humor, and was a 
 little impatient of contradiction. Like good old 
 Sammy Hick, he had a "comrade through the 
 wilderness," who was called "Matty." This good 
 woman suffered from a nervous affection for a 
 number of years, and finally became a hypochon- 
 driac. Her monomania took the form of a belief 
 that she should die suddenly in the night ; and as 
 the malady increased her husband's rest was sadly 
 intPiTuptcd by her appeals for help in her (maagi- 
 
'ft 
 
 46 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 nary) death-struggles ; though, sooth to say, if re- 
 port were correct, these appeals were made with a 
 strength of lungs, and an energy, such as do not 
 generally exist on the eve of dissolution. The old 
 man bore this trial for a long time with exemplary 
 patience ; but at length the loss of sleep and the 
 excitement threatened seriously to destroy his 
 health, upon which depended their temporal sub- 
 sistence. He therefore resolved upon a " kill or 
 cui'e " procedure, having probably satisfied him- 
 self that the latter was far more likely to be the 
 result of his manoeuvre. The next time Matty 
 awoke him with the usual exclamation, " 0 Billy, 
 I 'm dying ! I shan't live five minutes !" he simply 
 responded, " Praise the Lord ! praise the Lord !" 
 This astonished the dying woman not a little ; but 
 supposing that he had imperfectly heard or mis- 
 understood her, she repeated, with some asperity, 
 " I tell you, I 'm dying, Billy : you '11 lose me." 
 "Bless the Lord!" said the husband, Avith some- 
 thing of exultation in his voice ; " Bless the Lord : 
 he is going to take her at last 1 Glory be to his 
 name for his goodness — all this suffering will soon 
 be over — praise the Lord ! What a blessed re- 
 leaser' This was too much for the old lady, and 
 the breaking forth of her indignation was perhaps 
 even more of a storm than even her husband cared 
 to admit. " 0 you cruel man ! the years that 
 we 've lived together ! the wife that I 've been to 
 you ! and now to praise God that I 'm dying ! And 
 a blessed release too ! 0 ! Billy ." The re- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS, 4*7 
 
 mainder of the sentence was lost in a burst of pas- 
 sionate grief. Billy saw that his ruse had told, 
 and was determined to carry it thi-ough. " Why, 
 my lass," said he, "thou sees thou hast often 
 wished the Lord would release thee from thy suf- 
 ferings, and take thee to himself and to glory ; but 
 I always wanted thee to stay a bit longer, and that 
 seemed selfishness, and perhaps hindered God from 
 granting thy desire : so I have at last made up 
 ray mind to give thee up, and praise God for thy 
 release." Either the shock to Matty's nerves ef- 
 fected a cure, (no uncommon thing in such cases,) 
 or, on reflection, her good sense triumphed over 
 her morbid craving for sympathy and excitement ; 
 she saw that her endeared husband had been 
 taxed beyond his strength, and thereafter the 
 dying hour was devoted to refreshing sleep ; her 
 health gradually improved ; and the twain hved 
 some years after, jointly walking in all the com- 
 mandments of the Lord blameless ; and both, in a 
 ripe old age, passed peacefully through the valley 
 of death to the heavenly Canaan. 
 
 But we must leave the company of the father 
 and return to the son. It must ever be a source 
 of deep regret, both for his own and his compa- 
 nions' sake, that the early life of John Smith was 
 spent in open wickedness. With his impulsive 
 disposition, his natural strength of mind, and force 
 of character, he could not fail to exert a powerful 
 influence, for good or for evil, over all with whom 
 he associated ; and as in his early days, notwith- 
 
48 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS, 
 
 standing the counsels and example of pious pa- 
 rents, he became the companion of the ungodly, 
 so he had a sad pre-eminence in daring exploits of 
 wickedness. These, however, do not come within 
 the scope of these sketches. He had a strong 
 passion for pugilistic contests, for which his mus- 
 cular frame and personal courage emmently fitted 
 liim, and would travel miles to be present at a 
 prize-fight. In all these things his true character 
 appeared ; he was open, bold, and fearless, dis- 
 daining hypocrisy, and never contenting himself 
 vrith half measures. Of these distinguishing traits 
 of his character the writer has heard abundant 
 evidence in Mr. Smith's native village ; and it was 
 necessary thus briefly to allude to them to enable 
 the reader to form a just view of the triumph of 
 divine grace which will appear in the sequel. God 
 had work for him to do, as he had for Saul of 
 Tarsus, and was not unmindful of the daily suppli- 
 cations of his afflicted parents. In the year 1812, 
 John Smith being then in the nineteenth year of 
 his age, a revival of religion took place at Cud- 
 worth, and, while on a visit to his father's house, 
 he came under its gracious influence. At the sab- 
 bath evening meeting the strong man was bowed 
 down, and cried aloud for mercy in the midst of 
 the great congregation. The father was preaching 
 in another part of the circuit, but there were pray- 
 ing men there who knew how to value a human 
 soul, and who knew also that if John Smith were 
 converted, he would be a valiant soldier of the 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 49 
 
 cross. These wrestled with him mightily in prayer ; 
 yet the young man returned to his father's house 
 without any mitigation of his distress. But his 
 purpose was fixed ; at home he continued wrest- 
 ling and groaning in the agony of his spirit, and 
 refusing to be comforted, imtil God, against whom 
 he had sinned, should assure him of pardon. I 
 have more than once heard Mr. Smith, senior, tell, 
 with streaming eyes, of his joy that night, when, 
 returning from his appointment, he found his son 
 John and another of his children wrestling for 
 mercy under his roof. " We thought not of sleep 
 or rest that night, until God spoke peace to my 
 poor prodigal son," said the old man, "and then 
 we were all too happy to sleep." 
 
 But these reminiscences must be passed over, 
 and Mr. Smith, as an English Wesleyan preacher, 
 must be placed before the reader. It was origi- 
 nally intended that he should enter the mission 
 field, and it was proposed to him that he should 
 supply a vacancy in the Island of Ceylon. To this 
 he heartily agreed, and the consent of his parents 
 was obtained ; but on consultation with a medical 
 gentleman, the project was abandoned on account 
 of his health, which had already suffered from in- 
 tense study and arduous labor. In 1816 he en- 
 tered upon the itinerant ministry, in the York cir- 
 cuit. At the commencement of his itinerancy he 
 did not give any promise of that remarkable use- 
 fulness which subsequently distingmshed him, but 
 was endeared to all by the simplicity and frank- 
 4 
 
50 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN rREACIIERS. 
 
 ness of his cliaracter, and tlie earnestness and sin- 
 cerity of his piety. It was in the year 1828 that 
 the wiiter of this first heaud him preach. He was 
 then in the height of his popularity and usefulness, 
 and in comparative health and vigor. He preached 
 on the morning and evening of the sabbath-day, 
 and held a public prayer meeting in the afternoon. 
 He had, by the way, attended the " band meet- 
 ing " on the previous evening, and the people had 
 had a foretaste of what they might expect. That 
 sabbath was a day not to be forgotten in a man's 
 life-time. I was much impressed witli a peculi- 
 arity which is noticed by Mr. Treffiy in his Me- 
 moir — the deep reverence and feeling with which 
 he repeated the Lord's Prayer — in which respect 
 how many ministers of religion would do well to 
 imitate his example, and do equal honor to Him 
 who gave that fonn to his disciples ! Among the 
 English Wesleyan preachers this prayer is invari- 
 ably repeated at the close of the first prayer in 
 each service, probably thinking that as the Son of 
 God framed the prayer, it is likely to be more 
 comprehensive than any words of mere man's de- 
 vice — that it may possibly embrace sometliing 
 which they have omitted — that it is no more anti- 
 quated than the gospel which they labor to pro- 
 mulgate — and that if Christ has not commanded its 
 use, it yet is but due to our all-prevalent Interces- 
 sor and High Priest, that as often as possible our 
 supplications should be summed up in the words of 
 the prayer he has bequeathed us. From the lips 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEY AN PREACHERS. 51 
 
 of Mr. Smith it was not a mere fonn of prayer — it 
 was prayer itself. The whole congregation seemed 
 suddenly to have discovered a new meaning in 
 those supplications, and as the preacher's voice 
 trembled with emotion it seemed as though he had 
 laid hold of the divine strength, and was bringing 
 God down to earth ; responses increased in fervor 
 in all directionsj'and when he came to the closing 
 ascription — "for thine is the kingdom, and the 
 power, and the glory, for ever" — the people were 
 overwhelmed by the manifestation of the divine 
 presence, and, for several seconds after the " Amen" 
 was pronounced, suppressed murmurings of holy 
 joy lingered on hundreds of lips, while tears of in- 
 expressible delight suffused the eyes of others who 
 felt 
 
 " The speechless awe which dares not move. 
 And all the silent heaven of love." 
 
 The subject of Mr. Smith's discourse was per- 
 sonal holiness — entire sanctification of heart. No 
 man could speak more experimentally of this 
 great doctrine, which is universally held by the 
 English Methodist preachers, and is made promi- 
 nent in their preaching. With our present subject 
 it was a favorite theme, especially in his morning 
 discourses, and was set forth with a clearness of 
 exposition, and an accumulation of experimental 
 and Scriptural evidence, which left without excuse 
 any one who had not entered into this perfect rest 
 of the soul. He himself lived in that high frame 
 of spiritual-mindedness, attained but by veiy few, 
 
62 SKETCHES OF WESLEY AN PEEACHER8. 
 
 in wliich he could employ, with perfect truth, the 
 strong language of the poet, — 
 
 " 'Tis worse than death my God to love, 
 And not my God alone." 
 
 Tlie reader must not suppose that Mr. Smith, in 
 insisting upon " holiness unto the Lord," indulged 
 in anything like imperiousness or exclusiveness : 
 for though his mind was of a remarkably mascu- 
 line character, having little flexibility, and either 
 disdained the minor points of an argument, or was 
 incompetent to appreciate or expatiate upon them — 
 contenting itself with fastening upon conclusions 
 rather than with detailing the process of thought — 
 the preacher seeming to find his authority in " thus 
 saith the Lord," and demanding a hearing on that 
 rather than on any other ground ; yet when he 
 spoke of perfect love and a clean heart he was 
 tender and encoiiraging in an extraordinary degree, 
 thereby affording the evidence of the doctnnes he 
 taught, and giving proof that entire holiness made 
 its possessor " like-minded with Christ ;" tender 
 and compassionate in spirit as the Redeemer of 
 souls. The first part of the sermon consisted prin- 
 cipally of textual proof of the doctrine, and was 
 brief, pointed, and unanswerable ; then followed a 
 concise statement of the nature and process of 
 " entire sanctification," and the means of its attain- 
 ment : the ground thus cleared, he next showed the 
 necessity and blessedness of such a state of the 
 affections, and encouraged believers to plunge, with- 
 out doubting, into the fathomless depths of divine 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 53 
 
 love. And novr the man began to appear. Pas- 
 sionate remonstrance with the lukewarm, vehement 
 expostulation with the doubting, irresistible en- 
 couragement to those who were seeking, and joy- 
 ous exultation and sympathy with those who had 
 obtained the second deliverance, alternately fell in 
 torrents from his lips ; and before he had concluded 
 his discourse a holy flame was kindled through the 
 congregation, the house was filled with the glory 
 of God, and, unable longer to control their emo- 
 tions or restrain the buoyant and expanding love 
 which filled their hearts, one, and another, and 
 another, and others yet again, broke out in shouts 
 of " Glorjr," and " Hallelujah," until the house 
 rang with the voice of joy and triumph as believer 
 after believer entered into perfect love. It was 
 with the utmost difficulty that the congregation 
 was dismissed. The concluding prayer was offered 
 and the benediction pronounced, yet a few only 
 rose from their knees. Again Mr. Smith engaged 
 in prayer with vehement wrestling ; others believed 
 and were baptized " with the Holy Spirit and with 
 fire sent down from heaven." For awhile it seem- 
 ed as though Christ had taken unto himself his 
 great power, and was about to assert his supremacy 
 in all hearts ; and it was only from absolute necessity, 
 both for the preacher's sake and from a due regard 
 to the remaining services of the day, that at length 
 the congregation separated, praising God and 
 making melody in their hearts as they went to 
 their respective homes. 
 
54 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 At the prayer meeting, in the afternoon, the 
 chapel was again crowded. Mr. Smith was at his 
 post, engaging in prayer some seven or eight times 
 at intervals during the service, each time ■vvTestling 
 with God as though he felt that the salvation of 
 the whole congregation depended upon an imme- 
 diate answer to his suppUcations ; and between 
 these seasons actively engaged in encouraging those 
 who were seeking for pardon or holiness. If ever 
 man was in " agony of prayer," or wrestled -with 
 the energy of Jacob as the breaking day warned 
 him that he must now or never prevaO, thus ago- 
 nized and wrestled Mr. Smith that afternoon. He 
 was a man mighty in prayer, to a degree that has 
 perhaps never been surpassed in modem times. 
 Even his then robust and muscular frame seemed 
 scarcely equal to the earnest, vehement struggles of 
 his soul. Toward the close of the meeting, when 
 penitents were crying aloud in the disquietude of 
 their souls, and believers, with scarcely less agon)^ 
 were seeking a deeper baptism of the Holy Spirit, 
 his powerful voice might still be heard above the 
 blended weeping and rejoicing, calling upon God 
 for a larger blessing, " a pentecostal shower," pour- 
 ing out his soul on behalf of the broken hearted, 
 his frame now positively quivering with emotion, 
 and anon his benevolent features beaming with 
 grateful joy as a penitent's mourning was tvuned 
 into joy, or a beUever received the grace of entire 
 sanctification. The meeting was closed at an ad- 
 vanced hour, barely allowing the preacher time for 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 55 
 
 refreshment before the evening service, while the 
 majority of the people never left the chapel, but 
 continued in prayer and supplication during the 
 brief interval. 
 
 The evening sendee partook of the nature of the 
 preceding ones, and need only be alluded to as de- 
 veloping another phase of Mr. Smith's preaching — 
 his character as a Boanerges. He must have been 
 a stout-hearted sinner -who could withstand his de- 
 nunciations of the ungodly, or did not quail be- 
 neath his representations of the dinne wrath 
 against all unrighteousness and imgodliness of men, 
 and his vindication of the justice of God in the 
 eternal punishment of the finally impenitent. The 
 effect of that evenmg's sermon was overpowering ; 
 not so much — and the remark applies to his preach- 
 ing generally — from the employment of strong lan- 
 guage, as from the thoroughly masculine and con- 
 secutive train of thought with which it was im- 
 pregnated from the beginning to the end. 
 
 The defect of Mr. Smith's preaching, if defect it 
 could be called, was a paucity of language, a too 
 rigid conciseness of expression, and condensation 
 of thought. His sermons were short, not because 
 they were deficient in matter, but because that mat- 
 ter was compressed into the smallest compass possi- 
 ble; it was the solid gold, rather than the beaten 
 leaf; it made httle show, but had great intrinsic value. 
 Such were his views of the lost and perishing condi- 
 tion of the world, and of the responsibihties of the 
 ministerial office — the imperious obligation resting 
 
56 SKETCITES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 upon the ambassador of Christ to seek only to recon- 
 cile men to God — that he lost sight of his reputa- 
 tion as a preacher in the overwhelming desire to 
 be faithful to his ambassadorial trast. It was re- 
 marked, by one who knew him well, that " it was 
 from no inability to construct a regular and ex- 
 panded discourse, according to the taste and prac- 
 tice of the day, that he confined himself to the 
 simple but fervid and impressive style which he 
 adopted. At the commencement of his ministerial 
 career his sermons were more elaborate," and he 
 was induced to alter his plan from " a conviction 
 that thereby the great end of preaching would be 
 more fully accomplished. The change, therefore, 
 was one of principle ; and for the sake of this he 
 was content to forego the reputation of advantages 
 which even the spiritual part of the church are too 
 apt to magnify and deem indispensable, and to 
 acqvdesce willingly in being thought destitute of 
 talents which he could not but be conscious were 
 in his power. I know no harder lesson which hu- 
 mility can teach or self-denial submit to learn." 
 
 Let it not be supposed, however, that there was 
 a lack of order or system in Mr. Smith's sermons ; 
 he eschewed all adornment, yet he studied closely 
 and labored assiduously in the preparation of his 
 pulpit discourses, especially in the latter years of 
 his ministry, but his study was to do without what 
 so many teachers study to acquire. Taking suc- 
 cess — the conversion of sinners and the building up 
 of believers in their holy faith — as the criterion by 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAX PREACHEBS. 57 
 
 which the comparative excellence of the two modes 
 of procedure are to be judged, the verdict must be 
 given in favor of Mr. Smith ; and to him the reward 
 will he given at the last day. He was eminently- 
 successful in the awakening of those who had been 
 accustomed to sit under the preached gospel for 
 years without emotion. One of this class, in whose 
 salvation Mr. Smith was instrumental, observed 
 that he had long been accustomed to listen to a 
 sermon as he would to a literary essay or a scienti- 
 fic lecture, but that Mr. Smith's preaching he could 
 not treat thus — it compelled him to reflect — a con- 
 fession that speaks volumes to every man whom 
 God hath " coimted faithful, putting him into the 
 ministry." 
 
 Tlie subject of our sketch was as truly a " preach- 
 er of righteousness" out of the pulpit as in it. 
 There is in the present day much less free and con- 
 fiding conversation among professing Christians on 
 the subject of personal experience in religion than 
 in former times. This evil has to an alarming ex- 
 tent crept into class meetings, where it was origi- 
 nally designed that nothing but " experience " should 
 be introduced ; instead of which, general statements 
 of religious sentiments, and exhortations to the 
 other members, are now the order of the day, and 
 the leader, learning little or nothing of the present 
 spiritual state of his members, is of necessity com- 
 pelled to generahze also. They who in the privacy 
 and confidence of a class meeting will not " declare 
 what the Lord hath done for their souls," are not 
 
58 SKETCHES OF 'WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 likely to do so elsewhere, and the evil has thus 
 become general. It was Mr. Smith's fidelity in 
 this branch of duty that made his intercourse with 
 the members productive of so much good. No 
 man or woman could be long in his company with- 
 out having the subject brought home, though it 
 was never done offensively, rarely abruptly, and 
 then only when circumstances fully justified it. 
 Almost numberless instances might be given of 
 the good resulting from his faithfulness in this 
 respect. One or two shall be related ; many others 
 may be found in Mr. Treffry's Memoir ; but, until 
 the day when God shall number up his jewels, the 
 half will not be told. He never entered a dwelling 
 — humble cottage or stately mansion — -vvithout 
 leaving the savor of this grace behind. The fol- 
 lovnng is strikingly characteristic of the man. When 
 dining at the house of a wealthy member of the 
 society, a lady sat next to him, with whom he en- 
 tered into conversation, gradually introducing the 
 subject of religion, of which the lady was known 
 to be a professor. She took offense at his inqui- 
 ries, and resented them Avith some asperity, and 
 in a manner scarcely becoming her sex or station 
 in society. Mr. Smith waited till she was silent, 
 then casting upon her a look of ine^fpressiblc and 
 compassionate concern, he said, " Madam, you may 
 spit in my face if you please, hut you cannot pre- 
 vent me from loving yovr soul." The arrow en- 
 tered : the words proved to be " as a nail fastened 
 by the Master of assemblies." 
 
SKETCHES OF 'WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 59 
 
 When he visited in his pastoral character, the 
 effects of his intercourse with the people were 
 truly wonderful. Then there needed no circum- 
 locution to reach the object nearest to his heart, 
 but, waiving all other subjects, he would enter at 
 once upon his beloved theme; and having by a 
 few direct inquiries ascertained the spiritual state 
 of each member of the family, never forgetting 
 those so often overlooked in pastoral visitations, 
 the domestics, Anglice, servants, he would know 
 no peace until in answer to prayer they each be- 
 came assured of a personal interest in Christ, and 
 all were made 
 
 " Partners of like precious faith." 
 
 Others again, in their distress of mind, would 
 visit him at his own house ; and he was always " at 
 home" to these, taking them into his study, coun- 
 seling them, and praying with them until God 
 
 " set their souls at liberty 
 By his victorious love." 
 
 Constant communion with God was at the foun- 
 dation of Mr. Smith's great usefulness. In this 
 he was surpassed by none of any age. Whole 
 nights were often given up to prayer, and always, 
 when in anything like moderate health — often too 
 when wasted by painful disease — he arose at four 
 o'clock in the morning, and throwing himself be- 
 fore the mercy-seat, for tliree hours wrestled with 
 God in mighty prayer. The writer has heard, 
 from persons in whose houses he has been tempo- 
 
60 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 rarily residing, that in the coldest winter morning 
 they have heard him at that hoiir with suppressed 
 voice pleading with God, while his groans have 
 revealed the intensity of his feelings. Immedi- 
 ately after breakfast and family worship, he would 
 again retire with his Bible into his study, and 
 spend until near noon in the same hallowed em- 
 ployment. Here imquestionably was the great 
 secret of his power in public prayer and in preach- 
 ing — the Lord, who seeth in secret, rewarding 
 him openly. Every sermon was thus sanctified 
 by prayer. On one occasion, when at a country 
 appointment, the time for commencing the service 
 had elapsed, and Mr. Smith did not make his ap- 
 pearance. He had left the house where he was a 
 guest, about half an hour before, after being some 
 time in his closet. At length he was found in an 
 adjoining bam wrestling in prayer for a bless- 
 ing upon the approaching ser\'ice ; having retired 
 thither that unobserved he might pour out his full 
 soul before his heavenly Father. He arose, briefly 
 expressed his regret at not having observed the 
 lapse of time, and on the way to the chapel re- 
 lapsed into silent prayer. 
 
 During the sermon that evening the fervent 
 prayer of the righteous man proved effectual. The 
 Spirit of God descended upon the congregation ; 
 the deep attentive silence observed at the com- 
 mencement of the discourse was soon interrupted 
 by sobs and moans, and these ere long were fol- 
 lowed by loud and piercing cries for mercy, as, one 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 61 
 
 after another, the hearers were pricked to the 
 heart, and the strongholds of Satan were beaten 
 down, until, so universal was the cry of the broken- 
 hearted, that jMr. Smith found it necessary to de- 
 sist from preaching and descend into the altar. As 
 he had continued his discourse for some time after 
 its remarkable effects first showed themselves, 
 there was considerable confusion for want of a 
 leading and controlling spirit, and the disorder 
 was rapidly increasing ; but when he descended 
 from the pulpit and took charge of the meeting, 
 his admirable plans and great influence, aided by 
 a voice almost equal to the roar of thunder, soon 
 wi-ought a change, and in perfect order, though 
 not in silence, the meetmg, was continued until 
 midnight. Wliatever apparent confusion there 
 might be in these meetings, they were, actually, 
 conducted systematically. Mr. Smith had his 
 method amid all the surrounding excitement, and 
 he never delegated the control to another, but was 
 the last to retire from the scene of the Redeemer's 
 triumphs. 
 
 An anecdote was related in the hearing of the 
 writer by Rev. James Methley, and is also mentioned 
 by Mr. Treffry, which annihilated in the minds of all 
 who heard it whatever feelings were entertained 
 adverse to the course adopted by this holy man. 
 While he was stationed in the Windsor circuit, he 
 was attending an anniversary at Canterbury, where 
 his friend and schoolfellow, Mr. Methley, was sta- 
 tioned. At this time Mr. Smith's labors were 
 
62 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 almost superliuman, and his constitution was mani- 
 festly giving way under them. It was resolved 
 by his brethren, that he should be affectionately 
 remonstrated with, and Mr. Methley was deputed 
 to introduce the subject. At the supper table a 
 favorable opportunity presented itself, and Mr. 
 Methley opened the matter to him. The friend- 
 ship between them was strong and ardent ; they 
 were both men of noble, generous natures. Mr. 
 Smith laid down his knife and fork, and listened to 
 his friend with affectionate respect ; then, bursting 
 into tears, he rephed, " I know it all. I ought to 
 put a restraint upon myself. But what can I do ? 
 God has given me such a view of the perishing 
 condition of sinners that I can only find rchef in 
 the way I do— in entreating them to come to Christ, 
 and wresthng with God to save them." And 
 then, his feelings overcoming him, he paused a 
 few moments, and added, " Look around you, my 
 dear friend and brother ; do you not see sinners 
 perishing on every hand, and must they not be 
 saved ? 0 do not seek to turn me from my pur- 
 pose ; for while I thus see and feel, I am compelled 
 to act as I do." All were silenced, and all were 
 melted into tears ; — Mr. Methley being so over- 
 come that he was compelled abruptly to leave the 
 room. " Never," said Mr. M., his eyes filling with 
 tears at the recollection ; " never shall I forget that 
 evening. Often Avas I applied to afterward, as 
 known to be his friend, to use my influence to ar- 
 rest his self-sacrifice ; but I could not do it ; my 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 63 
 
 mouth was closed ; I dared not say a word ; the 
 expression of his countenance that evening re- 
 mains with me to this day." 
 
 Mr. Smith's personal appearance is not easily 
 described. To the last, though mixing with the 
 best society, he retained much of his rustic ap- 
 pearance. His countenance was oval, very slightly 
 elongated. The features were firmly set, rarely 
 changing except under strong emotion ; yet the 
 expression of his countenance underwent frequent 
 and rapid variations, and these variations baffle 
 description. Sometimes the niling sentiment — as 
 joy, grief, pity, sympathy — would seem to b^ dif- 
 fused over the surface of the countenance, irradiat- 
 ing the whole face; and again it would linger 
 about the lips and eyes only. The general ex- 
 pression, or the repose, was a union of guilelessness, 
 benevolence, and decision. The hair was brown : 
 Avhiskers inclining to sandy, and trimmed close. 
 His height was about five feet ten or eleven inches ; 
 his frame firmly knit, and muscular, and manifestly 
 capable, with ordinary prudence, of severe and 
 long-continued labor, though the neck Avas a little 
 too long, and the shoulders rather narrow. Judg- 
 ing by the Scripture rule of reward hereafter to 
 those who have turned many to righteousness, his 
 glorified body will shine with unwonted lustre in 
 the city that hath foundations, whose builder and 
 maker is God. 
 
64 
 
 SKETCHES OF VTESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 lol)n Comas. 
 
 " Thy words had such a melting flow, 
 And spoke of truth so sweetly well, 
 They dropp'd like Heaven's serenest snow, 
 And all was brightness where they fell." 
 
 The subject of this sketch (who is a son of the 
 late Rev. Robert Lomas, many years " Book Stew- 
 ard ") must be nearly fifty years of age, as he en- 
 tered the ministry in 1820, and I presimie was 
 then twenty-one or twenty-two years old. For 
 many years he has been all but totally blind ; for 
 which reason, as some suppose, he has remained a 
 bachelor. Another reason, however, having more 
 to do with the heart than the eyes, has been as- 
 signed for his continuance in a state of " single 
 blessedness," if there be any blessedness in such 
 solitude of the affections. He is always stationed, 
 notwithstanding his singleness, as a married man, 
 a beloved and devoted sister acting as his house- 
 keeper. The comfort and quiet of a home are ne- 
 cessary for him : his sensitive natm-e would shrink 
 from being burdensome to strangers, or even friends. 
 Warm and generous, and remarkably sociable, his 
 mind is nevertheless delicately constructed, and he 
 is occasionally subject to great mental depression. 
 
 In the hope of recovering his eyesight he has 
 submitted to remedial operations : in one instance 
 with partial, but, alas ! only temporary, benefit. 
 But for this deprivation of the most important inlet 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 66 
 
 of knowledge, be would probably have outstripped 
 his contemporaries in his favorite studies — theology 
 and mental and intellectual philosophy. Even with 
 this serious disadvantage he takes high rank as a 
 preacher, and is a "workman that needeth not to 
 be ashamed." He possesses brilliant wit, (never 
 employed otherwise than playfully,) the scintilla- 
 tions of which add an indescribable charm to his 
 social converse and his platform addresses. 
 
 The Avriter first saw and heard Mr. Lomas at a 
 missionary meeting in Bridgewater-street Chapel, 
 Manchester, some ten or eleven years ago. His 
 personal appearance was prepossessing. He is 
 about five feet six inches in height; of fair com- 
 plexion ; the eyebrows, and still more so the eye- 
 lashes, very light colored ; the head massive, and 
 at that time well covered with hair a few shades 
 darker than flaxen. A pleasant smile played around 
 the mouth ; the face was round rather than full, 
 though at a later period it had assvmied the latter 
 character, with strongly defined lines. The frame, 
 for its height, was broad, but compact ; his voice 
 not strong, but clear and musical ; and his utter- 
 ance slow and syllabic at the commencement of his 
 address. This syllabic utterance is carried to excess 
 when he reads the hymns in public worship, and 
 was probably first acquired when his sight began 
 to fail. 
 
 Mr. Lomas's favorite mode of opening an address 
 at a missionary meeting, or on any similar occasion, 
 is by some brief remarks — a sort of running com- 
 5 
 
66 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS!. 
 
 mentary — ^upon the sentiments or personal charac- 
 teristics of preceding speakers ; often bringing his 
 wit pleasantly into play, but never wounding the 
 feelings or detracting from the excellences of his 
 brethren. The meeting to which I have referred 
 was exceedingly favorable to this kind of pleasantry, 
 on account of the great diversity of gifts possessed 
 by those who had spoken before Mr. L. It was 
 presided over by a layman, a wealthy, liberal, and 
 influential member of the Methodist Society, of a 
 warm and generous nature, blessed with good 
 sense, and distinguished by piety at once ardent 
 and practical. He opened the meeting in a short 
 and lively address ; and was followed in highly 
 characteristic speeches by the Rev. Messrs. Robert 
 Wood, George Steward, Philip Garrett, and Fred- 
 erick J. Jobson. 
 
 The Rev. Robert Wood is introduced to the 
 reader in another part of this volmne. 
 
 The Rev. George Steward is in my judgment, 
 and I have heard leading ministers and laymen in 
 the connection express the same opinion, one of 
 the greatest men, intellectually, in the Engli.sh 
 Wesleyan ministry at the present day. Unfortu- 
 nately he labors imder physical disadvantages 
 which becloud to the popular view his great pow- 
 ers. He is a prey to super-sensibility ; timid ; 
 awkard in his manner, both in the pulpit and on 
 the platfonn — in the latter case excessively so ; 
 and sometimes labors under such oppression from 
 nervousness, (or at one time did,) that only strong 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN' PREACHERS. 67 
 
 principle, and a conviction of duty, enabled him to 
 appear before the people in the discharge of his 
 ministrj^ But he has a heart full of the tenderest 
 sympathies and the kindest affections. When he 
 is in a happy mood, it is perfect enjoyment, re- 
 ligiously and intellectually, to listen to him. He 
 pours forth an overwhelming torrent of eloquence, 
 richly impregnated with the marrow and fatness 
 of gospel truth. Strength and range of thought, 
 and majesty of diction, distinguish all his best efforts. 
 An intelhgcnt friend, familiar with the ministry of 
 the late Rev. Robert Hall, observed to me that in 
 many respects Mr. Steward resembled him ; and 
 he knew not to which to yield the palm when each 
 was in his happiest vein. 
 
 The Rev. Philip Garrett, since deceased, was 
 of another mold. He was remarkable for strong 
 common sense, and a sterling frankness of character 
 which disdained the least approach to affectation, 
 and scorned subterfuge or concealment of any 
 kind. To these he was an uncompromising foe ; 
 and, however plausibly an excuse or a sophism 
 might be presented, could readily distinguish the 
 real from the assigned motive. Some idea of Mr. 
 Garrett's character may be gathered from the fol- 
 lowing anecdote. At a certain district meeting, 
 nearly every preacher requested permission to at- 
 tend the Conference, which was that year to be 
 held in London, and gave his reasons in support 
 of his request. (Here it may be observed, that, as 
 the circuit system imiversally prevails in England, 
 
68 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 all the preachers are not permitted to attend the 
 Conference ; it being deemed prejudicial to the 
 interests of the societies to leave them without a 
 ministry and pastoral oversight for the three weeks 
 during which the Conference is in session.) Some 
 of the reasons were so frivolous that Mr. Garrett, 
 who had not asked permission, could no longer 
 silently hsten to them. Springing to his feet, he 
 exclaimed, in a tone of voice that startled all into 
 silence, and effectually secured the attention of the 
 chairman, " Sir, / claim to go to Conference. I 
 am an older man than many whose claims have 
 been allowed. But that I do not press. I have 
 another reason, as good as nine-tenths of those 
 that have already been urged. Sir, I must go to 
 Conference, because — / want to set ray watch hy 
 St. PauVsT Of course the speaker's meaning was 
 easily understood ; and there was a remarkable 
 scarcity of frivolous representations on that subject 
 during the remainder of the session. 
 
 Mr. Gan-ett, though a self-taught man, (he was 
 a ship-carpenter before he entered the ministry,) 
 was a sound theologian, and had acquired con- 
 siderable proficiency in many branches of know- 
 ledge. Astronomy was his favorite study ; and in 
 that science his attainments were great. He was 
 an intimate friend of Dr. Adam Clarke, and as- 
 sisted in the preparation of some of the valuable 
 tables which emich that great man's Commentary. 
 Though by no means an elegant speaker, he always 
 employed terse and forcible language ; was an ac- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 69 
 
 ceptable and useful, and, to some extent, a popular 
 preacher ; and was a bold and vigorous thinker. 
 He often availed himself, as at this meeting, of his 
 astronomical knowledge with happy effect. 
 
 The Rev. Frederick J. Jobson differed greatly 
 from each of the others. He was then qmte a 
 young man, in the first or second year of his itine- 
 rancy, full of zeal, and exceedingly popular, for his 
 brilliant genius flashed light upon every subject he 
 discussed. At that time he spoke with astonishing 
 rapidity, his ^nvid imagination and full heart sup- 
 plying him with more matter than his tongue could 
 utter ; and it was not an unusual thing for him, 
 solely from the vehement, impetuous rush of his 
 overwrought feelings, to be completely embarrassed 
 and compelled to resume his seat without finishing 
 his address. It was so on this occasion. His ex- 
 cited feelings mastered him ; the steed ran away, 
 fire flashed from its nostrils, and in the attempt to 
 ciu-b him the rider was thrown. Mr. Jobson re- 
 tains his popularity to this day, and " much speak- 
 ing " has given him more perfect self-control. 
 
 Here, then, Mr. Lomas found material for his 
 favorite mode of introduction. He commenced by 
 saying that the meetmg had assumed a decidedly 
 sectarian character ; that any person who had been 
 listening at the door while his brethren were speak- 
 ing would unavoidably conclude, " 0 ! that is a 
 Methodist meeting." If the listener knew any- 
 thing about the distinctive features of Methodism, 
 he could not come to any other conclusion. He 
 
VO SKETCHES OP WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 (the speaker) must be frank enough to say it, the 
 meeting had imdeniably been strongly marked by 
 sectarian features. 
 
 The preceding speakers began to look a httle 
 uncomfortable, and to exchange glances, a state 
 of things which, though, alas ! he saw it not, Mr. 
 Lomas well knew would be excited ; for sectarian- 
 ism, as the terra is usually understood, was about 
 the last sin of which those men could be rightfully 
 accused — they were men of large and liberal hearts. 
 After thus teazing them for a few seconds, the arch 
 expression of his countenance being seen only by 
 the congregation, for to them his face was turned, 
 he proceeded in a strain of li\ ely, sparkling wit, 
 which memory will not enable me to transfer to paper 
 at this distance of time, to give his reasons for call- 
 ing it a sectarian meeting. These were that each 
 speaker represented some characteristic peculiarity 
 of Methodism. As, for instance, the hearty co- 
 operation of intelligent laymen with the duly ap- 
 pointed ministry, was seen in the person of the 
 chairman ; method and careful calculation, the well- 
 weighed adaptation of means to the end, were 
 shown in the style and matter of Mr. Wood's ad- 
 dress ; great conceptions and the enunciation of 
 mighty principles, in the address of Mr. Steward ; 
 genius, self-tuition, and the " pursuit of knowledge 
 Tmder difficulties," were chai'acteristics exhibited 
 by Mr. Garrett ; while, continued Mr. Lomas, " all 
 acknowledge, both foes and friends, that Method- 
 ism is remarkable for zeal, and certainly that feature 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. Yl 
 
 was represented most fully by my friend Mr. Job- 
 son, who is a very living bonfire.'' The hit was 
 so palpable that the soubriquet of " the living bon- 
 fire " was Mr. Jobson's distinction so long as he 
 remamed in the circuit. 
 
 Mr. Lomas here found a theme for the beautiful 
 and soul-stirring address which followed. After 
 acknowledging that some of the sparks from his 
 brother's fire had fallen upon his own heart, and 
 enkindled anew the love for souls that he trusted 
 would ever bum there, he dwelt witli inimitable 
 sweetness upon the nature and effects of true 
 Christian zeal, showed that it was at the founda- 
 tion of all God-approved missionary efforts, and, 
 rightly governed and directed, was the measm-e 
 and guaranty of all success in the conversion of the 
 world to God. Many a smoldering fire was that 
 night fanned into a flame, and many a wearied, 
 fainting soldier of the cross agahi buckled on liis 
 armor, seized with firmer grasp the sword of the 
 Spirit and the shield of faith, and resolved, heartily- 
 and for life, to co-operate in the subjugation of the 
 world to Christ. 
 
 Some years subsequently I heard Mr. Lomas 
 preach twice on the sabbath-day. The subject of 
 the morning discourse was the twenty-third Psalm. 
 The sermon was truly a " feast of fat things, of 
 wine on the lees, well refined." It was emphati- 
 cally, what at least every Sunday morning dis- 
 course should be, food for the soul — " the bread of 
 life sent down from heaven," meted out by God's 
 
12 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 almoner, with wise liberality, and with a depth of 
 feeling that seemed to say, "/have eaten thereof, 
 and know that it is sweet." It appeared as though 
 the preacher had for a lifetime mused upon the 
 Psalm in the solitude of his partial darkness, until 
 to his faith's interior eye every sentence beamed 
 with light, and to his gladdened heart each word 
 became instinct with power and strong consolation. 
 Perfect as the discourse was in all its parts, and, as 
 a whole, it appeared less a sermon than the over- 
 flow of an exhaustless fountain ; the welling up of 
 streams of grace and truth from the depths of a 
 heart upon which shone, uninterruptedly, the sun- 
 light of Jehovah's countenance ; and the devout 
 hearer, losing sight of the preacher, because the 
 preacher had lost sight of himself, received those 
 streams into his heart, as flowing directly from the 
 throne of God and of the Lamb : they were to him 
 as the " pure river of the water of life, clear as 
 crystal," and refreshing to liis soul. Or further to 
 illustrate the impression (varied, as the preacher 
 proceeded) made by that sermon, it seemed as 
 though each sentence of his text was a beautiful 
 and lustrous casket, within which were jewels, 
 gleaming with intensest brilliancy as the man of 
 God unlocked the casket and for a moment held 
 them up before the people, and spoke of tlieir 
 worth ; and anon emitting countless rays of ineffa- 
 ble brightness and glory as he scattered them 
 among the people, saying, in eff"ect, " All are yours, 
 for ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's." 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 73 
 
 The sermon was full, from first to last, of ex- 
 perimental religion. It was evident that from the 
 fullness of the heart the mouth spake. The former 
 part of tlie discourse was expository, the preacher 
 taking up the verses seriatim, and musing aloud — 
 I had almost said, so httle effort seemed necessary — 
 on the richness and force of the Psalmist's language. 
 Having thus passed through the whole Psalm, he 
 recommenced with the first verse and treated it 
 topically, showing that it gave to the behever as- 
 surance of protection, supply, peace, guidance, 
 abundance, ultimate triumph, and everlasting glory ; 
 and finally pressed upon his hearers the cultiva- 
 tion of that faith and those holy sentiments which 
 had prompted the Psalmist to the fervent and glad 
 expressions contained in the Psalm. Yet there 
 was no tautology — all was freshness and force ; 
 and the language, as is always the case, both in his 
 sermons and speeches, eminently chaste and beau- 
 tiful. The great charms of Mr. Lomas's preaching 
 are the chaste simplicity of his style, and the fresh- 
 ness which he always imparts to any subject he 
 takes up. He is never common-place, though his 
 discourses are generally upon practical and experi- 
 mental subjects. Another remarkable beauty of 
 his style is his felicitous imagery, rarely elaborately 
 wrought out, but merely introduced for illustra- 
 tion's sake. Playing upon the word "dtvell," in 
 the last verse of the Psalm, he observed, " Here 
 we live in tents, the poles of which are set in sand, 
 ever shifting and clianging, but there we shall dwell 
 
74 SKETCHES OF 'WKSLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 in the house of the Lord for ever," &c. His whole 
 sermon was luminous with such gems, at once 
 sparkling and profitable, because, by their exceed- 
 ing appositeness as illustrations, they secured a 
 permanent lodgment in the hearer's mind. 
 
 The evening discourse, the text of which I can- 
 not now recollect, was of a different, and, intellect- 
 ually, a higher order. The subject was some 
 branch of moral duty. The man who in the morn- 
 ing was calm, contemplative, and winning, sprink- 
 ling the garden of the Lord with the sweet pellucid 
 waters of consolation, was now vehement and tower- 
 ing with the majesty of his theme, breaking through 
 the subterfuges of the infidel, and appeaUng witli 
 resistless energy to the heart, while he made his 
 whole subject clear and incontrovertible to the in- 
 tellect of those who heard him. Rarely have I 
 known such impressive stillness — the deep atten- 
 tion of awakened interest rather than the intense 
 silence of excited feeling — as attended the de- 
 livery of that sermon. Men seemed miwilling to 
 lose an idea or even a Avord, so essential to the 
 completeness of the whole seemed the minutest de- 
 tails. 
 
 Since then I have occasionally heard Mr. Lomas, 
 always with pleasure and profit : but it is not ne- 
 cessary that I should further dwell upon his style. 
 By his brethren in the ministry he is highly esteem- 
 ed, and in private hfe justly admired. In his social 
 intercourse few are more pleasing and engaging. 
 All his friends love him. His sociability and cheer- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 75 
 
 fulness, in spite of his calamity, bind all hearts to 
 him. As " a wise traveler, he goeth on cheerily ; 
 he knoweth that his journey must be sped, so he 
 carrieth his sunshine -vvith him." To him " sliarp 
 suspicion, dull distrust, and sullen, stem morose- 
 ness," arc unknown. The lamented Fisk and he 
 were wont to indulge in intellectual conversational 
 gladiatorship on subjects on which Englishmen do 
 not think as Americans do, always pleasantly and 
 to the delight of those who heard them. Doubt- 
 less when Mr. Lomas shall have passed over the 
 narrow stream that now divides them, they will 
 converse in even sweeter strains upon that essential 
 truth on which they thought alike ; they shall talk 
 of Him who redeemed them, and dwell in the 
 brightness of his glory for ever and ever. 
 
78 
 
 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 fli£l)arlr Heccc. 
 
 " Behold a patriarch of years, who leaneth on the staff of religion, 
 His heart is flesh, quick to feel ; * * * ♦ 
 Lofty aspirations, deep affections, holy hopes, are his delight." 
 
 Proverbial Philosophy. 
 
 This gentleman will probably be remembered by 
 American Methodists as one of the delegates in 
 1824, (Mr., now Dr., Hannah, being his colleague,) 
 from the British Conference to the General Confer- 
 ence of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He be- 
 came a supernumerary at the Conference of 1846 ; 
 prior to when be was not only the oldest effective 
 preacher among the EngUsh Wesleyans, but also 
 the oldest Methodist preacher in full and regular 
 itinerancy in the world.* At the time of his re- 
 tirement from the itinerancy there were still living 
 four who became traveling preachers before he 
 was called out, and two who entered upon the 
 work in the same year with him, but these were 
 all superannuated before 1846. One could easily 
 imagine Mr. Reece's personal appearance to re- 
 semble strongly that of the ancient patriarchs — a 
 lovely blending of beauty, authority, and courtesy 
 
 * Mr. Reece traveled, without interruption, for a longer period 
 than any other Methodist preacher — no less than fifty-nine years. 
 Those who came nearest to him in the duration of their itinerant 
 labors were Thomas Taylor of the British Conference, and George 
 Pickering of the New-England Conference, each of whom com- 
 pleted fifty-six years. The next longest is Richard Waddy of the 
 British Conference, who was an effective preacher fifty-three years. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 77 
 
 — tall, ruddy-complexioned, and locks white as 
 snow. His entire carriage is very dignified, and 
 he is not always accessible. He has a high sense 
 of personal honor, exacts all the respect due to his 
 years, and is warm to resent a personal insult, or 
 even an undue famiUarity. A proof of this oc- 
 curred at the Assizes held in the city of York. 
 Mr. Reece's house was entered by a thief on a 
 Sunday evening during the hours of divine service 
 which Mr. Reece was conducting. His eldest 
 daughter, being shghtly indisposed, remained at 
 home, and, hearing the robber in the lower part of 
 the house, courageously went down stairs. At 
 the sight of her the depredator fled, not, however, 
 before Miss Reece had obtained a full \'iew of his 
 person. Of course her testimony was all-import- 
 ant to the conviction of the offender, and it was 
 the object of the coimsel for the defense to break 
 it dovm, or throw doubt upon it, if possible. This 
 " duty" devolved upon the then j\fr. Scarlett, who 
 perceinng at a glance that Miss Reece's appear- 
 ance in so pubhc a manner was distressing to her, 
 probably thought that by adding to her annoyance 
 he could so disconcert her as to make her give 
 contradictory, or at least imperfect, testimony. 
 Fixing his gaze rudely upon her for some minutes, 
 he abruptly asked, 
 
 " You are the daughter of a Methodist parson, 
 I believe ?" 
 
 Witness. I am the daughter of a Methodist 
 preacher, sir. 
 
78 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 Counsel. Was there much money in the house 
 to your knowledge ? 
 
 Witness. There was the amount of two collec- 
 tions, morning and afternoon, left there for conve- 
 nience by the stewards until Monday. 
 
 Counsel. Were you alone [with emphasis] the 
 whole of that evening ? 
 
 Witness. I was, sir. 
 
 Counsel. Remember you are upon your oath, 
 Miss Reece. Are you quite sure that you admit- 
 ted no young man into the house after the family 
 went to chapel ? Why were you up stairs ? 
 
 There was a moment of stillness in the com-t — 
 for all felt that the counsel had committed a gross 
 outrage — it was but a moment, however, and while 
 the witness was yet bewildered by the insulting 
 question, her venerable father, who sat near the 
 counsel's table, arose, and stretching his imposing 
 figure to its full height of six feet, his frame ex- 
 panding Avith offended pride, addressed first the 
 judge, claiming for his daughter the protection of 
 the bench, and then administered to Mr. Scarlett 
 one of the most Avithering rebukes perhaps ever 
 openly received by any man. The judge, struck 
 vnth the commanding mien and venerable appear- 
 ance of the speaker, did not even attempt to put 
 a stop to such an unusual proceeding ; and when 
 Mr. Reece, by the allusion to his daughter, revealed 
 his relationship to the witness, there was a general 
 murmur of approbation. When he had concluded, 
 the judge, imbibing more than English judges are 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 79 
 
 wont to do, the general sentiment, severely animad- 
 verted upon the outrage, and Mr. Scarlett was 
 compelled to apologize for " any indiscretion into 
 which zeal for his cUent might have led him." 
 
 The author of the "Centenary Takings" has 
 tacked on to his brief notice of Mr. Reece, as the 
 Scriptural motto which he seems to think neces- 
 sary for the completion of each of his portraits, 
 the significant passage, " / magnify mine office.'" 
 It is a fair hit, it must be confessed. The reverend 
 gentleman places the standard of ministerial au- 
 thority very high, but then he takes equally high 
 views of its responsibilities and duties. In late 
 years the yoimg men who are placed under his 
 superintendency have complained that he exacts 
 from them the full tale of labor. Possibly he holds 
 an opinion, which the old preachers are apt to en- 
 tertain, that the present generation of ministers 
 are not so laborious as then- fathers were, and he 
 may wish to teach his young colleagues in a better 
 school. Throughout his protracted life he has 
 maintained an irreproachable reputation and good 
 rank as a preacher. In 1816 he was elected pre- 
 sident of the Conference by a very large vote. 
 Few ministers, of any denomination, have so hap- 
 pily combined the courtesy of the Christian gen- 
 tleman with the fidelity of the Christian pastor ; 
 and none have in a more eminent degree shed the 
 pure lustre of a spotless life over so long a journey 
 through the wilderness. The last time the writer 
 saw Mr. Reece was at the great " Centenary Meet- 
 
80 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 ing" at Manchester, when he boldly proposed the 
 sum of two hundred thousand pounds sterUng 
 as the minimum of the centenary fund. Many 
 smiled at the old man's confidence, and supposed 
 that his usual judgment had forsaken him ; but 
 the people more than vindicated his estimate of 
 Methodistic gratitude and liberality by pouring 
 into the treasury of the Lord more than sixteen 
 thousand poimds beyond that sum. 
 
 A few months since a personal friend of the 
 writer saw Mr. Reece in England. He had then 
 retired from the itinerancy ; in pleasant allusion to 
 which and his own reputation as a somewhat severe 
 superintendent he observed, " I can still preach 
 twice on the Sunday ; and my superintendent 
 gives me plenty of work. They used to call me 
 a hard superintendent, therefore I must not com- 
 plain now that I have to obey and be under au- 
 thority myself." 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 81 
 
 Hobert Neroton, B. 53. 
 
 " He has no party rage, no sectary's whim ; 
 Christian and countrjTnan is all with him."— Craiie. 
 "Ail men love to lean on hint, who never failed nor fainted. 
 Freedom gloweth in his eyes, and nobleness of nature at his heart." 
 
 Proverbial Philosophy. 
 
 Some twelve years ago the writer was traveling 
 between Manchester and Leeds bj^ that most plea- 
 sant of all conveyances, an English first-class stage 
 coach, (now, by the introduction of railroads, an 
 almost unknown mode of transportation,) prefer- 
 ring, as every experienced traveler in good health 
 woxild, an "outside place." The seats in the rear 
 were occupied by a very pleasant company, veri- 
 table sons of John Bull — so often denounced as a 
 surly, vmsociable fellow, who never opens his lips 
 but to snarl and growl ; yet they soon entered into 
 agreeable conversation, though to that moment 
 they were entire strangers to each other. Even 
 the '-'guard" — an official attached to every stage 
 coach on a long route, and to all first-rate coaches, 
 be the run ever so short ; and who is generally 
 something of a sporting character — ^joined in the 
 conversation with considerable readiness and pro- 
 priety. Religious topics became the subject of 
 converse ; and as there was at least one Methodist 
 in the company, it will excite no wonder that 
 Methodism put in its claim to notice. When we 
 had descended from principles to commimities, 
 6 
 
82 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 there was no difficulty in stepping down from 
 communities to individuals, and the talents and 
 characteristics of various ministers and laymen, 
 more or less known to the rehgious world, were 
 reviewed. In reply to a remark from one of the 
 party, the guard said, in substance : — 
 
 " I do not profess religion myself," (adding the 
 common excuse, that his line of life was unfavor- 
 able to its possession ;) " but I love to see it in others 
 when they live up to it. There is a gentleman who 
 travels a good deal, who when he comes out of 
 Leeds or Manchester generally travels by my 
 coach ;* and he always takes a seat behind, with 
 me. We never get far from the pavements before 
 he contrives to turn the conversation to religion. 
 I don't know how he manages it: it seems to 
 come up naturally, and before you know what he 
 is driving at. Nobody takes offense ; for he is as 
 true a gentleman as ever sat on a coach. He often 
 talks to me very plainly ; and sometimes asks me 
 very close questions, but in such a friendly manner 
 that I cannot help answeiing them. I love that 
 man, and so does everybody. I 've known gentle- 
 men, when they have heard him talking, leave the 
 front seats, when we stopped anywhere, and come 
 and sit here, that they might listen to him. He 
 does not make any parade of his reUgion either ; 
 but no one can help seeing that he is a good man, 
 
 * Every " guard " speaks of his coach ; and when on the road he 13 
 about as supreme as the captain of a ship is at sea. Generally they 
 are shrewd, observant, intelligent men, civil, and often generous 
 feUows, with a due regard to the main chance. 
 
SKETCHEi5 OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 83 
 
 and that his religion makes him cheerful and happy. 
 I often wish I was like him. I think his name is 
 Isaac Newton." 
 
 Smiling at the guard's mistake, while I admired 
 his manly honesty, I observed, " Robert Newton, is 
 it not?" 
 
 " Yes, I believe it is," said he : " he is always 
 traveling about." 
 
 The writer had knoAvn and admired Mr. Newton 
 before he heard this disinterested and incidental 
 testimony to his noble consistency of character. 
 From that hour who could help esteeming and 
 loving him ? 
 
 Cecil observes, that " the history of a man's own 
 life is, to himself, the most interesting history in 
 the world, next to that of the Scriptures. Every 
 man is an original and solitary character. None 
 can either understand or feel the book of his own 
 life like himself. The lives of other men are to 
 him dry and vapid when set beside his own." In 
 an inferior sense to that which Cecil intended, the 
 remarks apply with peculiar force to Mr. Newton. 
 If he keeps a diary or journal, (which, however, is 
 doubted,) a record of apostolical labors has yet to be 
 given to the world unparalleled, it may safely be 
 said, in the modem histoiy of the church, and not 
 surpassed in extent by the "joumeyings often" 
 of the Rev. John Wesley himself. 
 
 Mr. Newton entered upon the itinerancy in 1799 ; 
 the same year in which Dr. Bunting and some other 
 eminent preachers commenced their public minis- 
 
84 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 try. There was that year an unusual scarcity of 
 candidates ; and it is commonly said that Mr. 
 Newton was called out without the usual pre- 
 liminaries and course of examination. He soon, 
 however, gave evidence that he was in every way 
 quahfied for the high vocation, and that the Con- 
 ference had but opened the path in which the great 
 Head of the church designed he should walk. 
 It is not generally known imder whose ministry 
 Mr. Newton was awakened. Mrs. Taft, a female 
 preacher, at one time of some celebrity, was wont 
 to claim him as her son in the gospel. The claim, 
 however, was not just ; since the good woman con- 
 founded the subject of this sketch with his brother 
 Jacob, who after laboring a few years in the 
 itinerancy, with much acceptance, retired on ac- 
 count of ill health, and entered into business. He 
 found peace in a prayer meeting, after preaching 
 by Mrs. Taft, who to the last persisted in her claim 
 upon Robert; and in her pious and well-meant 
 zeal used often to wrestle mightily ^vith God that 
 he would give her another Robert Newton, as a 
 seal to her labors. It is said that on account of 
 the pertinacity and publicity with which the lady 
 claimed her instrumentaUty in his conversion, Mr. 
 Newton's brethren in the ministry have been known 
 to quiz him a httle upon the subject ; but he 
 uniformly refuses to acknowledge any woman as 
 his spiritual father. 
 
 Remembering that the gentleman has nsited 
 this country, it seems almost needless to describe 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 85 
 
 his pei-sonal appearance. Hundreds, however, did 
 not see liim ; and to them tlie description will be 
 welcome. His features are masculinely handsome ; 
 his face bears the impress of hardiness and health, 
 embrowned by constant exposure. The whiskers 
 cross far over the cheek, are trimmed -mth some 
 exactness, and are forbidden to grow on the lower 
 part of the face beyond a straight line drawn from 
 the bottom of the ear to a little above the upper 
 lip. They give rather a martial air to the coun- 
 tenance, which is increased by the upright attitude 
 of their owner. The nose is slightly aquiline. The 
 mouth, as Mr. Everett observes, is formed for 
 public speaking, and is capable of emitting, Avith- 
 out the least contraction, the fullest voice. The 
 hair is naturally dark ; but he wears a false top, 
 which, before the whiskers became gray, could 
 scarcely be recognized as an artificial covering: 
 even now it has a natural appearance. The fore- 
 head is very fine, sufficiently high, expansive, and 
 beaming with light. Ingenuousness, blended sua- 
 vity and dignity, are strongly and truthfully indi- 
 cated by the whole features. The eyes, dark and 
 expressive, and remarkable for the clearness of the 
 white, are overhung with long black lashes, and 
 surmounted with a finely-arched eyebrow. In 
 height he is not far from six feet. There is a 
 slight degree of squareness about the shoulders ; 
 and the whole frame is sinewy, strong, and com- 
 pact, fitly jomed together, and capable of enduring 
 almost any amount of labor. His voice must be 
 
86 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 heard to be appreciated. Deep-toned and melo- 
 dious, it is equal to any demands tliat can be made 
 upon it. It has all the compass and power of the 
 organ : now swelling and pealing, and anon soft- 
 ening into deepest tenderness and sweetness, yet 
 in its faintest sounds always audible in every part 
 of the largest building. The perfection of his 
 voice is well seconded by the grace, ease, and ^m- 
 varying propriety of his action. Mr. Newton is 
 little indebted to art in any respect — nature made 
 him an orator : he has sought little instmction 
 elsewhere, and acknowledges no other teacher. 
 His pulpit gestures are never violent : his favorite 
 action is a slight forward inflection of the body, 
 and a circular motion of the right hand, with the 
 palm downward, over the open Bible. Sometimes 
 he points at the page before him with the fore- 
 finger, or stretches out the arm, or lays his hand 
 upon his breast, (the left hand or arm is never 
 used alone,) or elevates both hands, with the 
 eyes raised to the ceiling ; and these actions, with 
 an occasional tapping upon the Bible with the fore- 
 finger and thumb united at the extremities, though 
 often repeated, are so perfectly in accordance with 
 the subject under treatment, that they never weary 
 or lose their manifest appropriateness. 
 
 An illustration of his power as an orator occurs 
 to the writer. A friend of mine, disentangled from 
 the meshes of infidelity, took a former associate, 
 an intelligent man, but an avowed infidel, to hear 
 Mr. Newton at Newcastle-upon-Tyne. At the 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 87 
 
 close of the senice, on the homeward walk, the 
 infidel was asked his opinion of the preacher. 
 
 " 0," said the yonng man, "he is a perfect ora- 
 tor ; a natural orator too. But he is a fool, sir." 
 
 My friend was annoyed at the remark, and was 
 about resenting it somewhat sharply, when the 
 young man continued : — 
 
 " Pardon me ; I do not mean the remark of- 
 fensively, but that he is neglecting his own interest. 
 If Mr. Newton would go upon the stage, su-, in- 
 stead of yielding to his religious enthusiasm, he 
 might, with, his voice, gesture, and commanding 
 figure, gain his thousands a year, with only a tithe 
 of the toil and inconveniences which he must, in 
 his present position, undergo." 
 
 Such was the tribute awarded to the extraor- 
 dinary gifts of our present subject, by one who 
 could not be regarded as a partial witness ; — and, 
 alas ! such the characteristic estimate put upon the 
 noblest of human faculties by heartless infidehty ; 
 such the melancholy ignorance of that impelling 
 principle of love for souls, that " yearning pity for 
 mankind," which led the Saviour to Calvary, and 
 still prompts his ministers and servants to count 
 everji;liing but loss, if so they may 
 
 " snatch poor souls out of the fire. 
 
 And quench the brands in Jesus' blood." 
 
 It is somewhat diflScult to fix Mr. Newton's rank 
 as a preacher, apart from his distinction as an ora- 
 tor. The hearer is led away from criticising the 
 matter of his discourses by the irresistible charm 
 
88 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 of his manner. Some, not carefully analyzing their 
 emotions while listening to the voice of the charmer, 
 sincerely believe that the theology is as profound 
 as the oratory is perfect ; while others, with equal 
 sincerity and earnestness, say that it is the oratoiy 
 alone which makes the preacher so universally 
 popular. Perhaps both opinions are erroneous ; the 
 latter being formed without due regard to Mr. New- 
 ton's deprivation of those facilities for study which 
 are ordinarily the privilege of ministei-s. From the 
 first year of his itinerancy, and especially for the 
 last forty years, he has paid the usual penalty of 
 great popularity, and has had little time that he 
 could call his own. Probably four-fifths of his 
 time are spent from home, in travehng, preaching, 
 and speech-making. He has thus been excluded 
 from his study, denied the privilege of retirement 
 and seclusion, and has been thrown, almost without 
 intermission, into promiscuous society. Add to 
 these, the burden of correspondence which his po- 
 sition necessarily lays upon him, and it cannot but 
 be regarded as evidence of a strong intellect and 
 great aptitude for the investigation and elucidation 
 of theological truth, that he has been able to meet 
 the incessant calls upon his ministerial labors, not 
 only without disappointment on the part of his 
 hearers, but with continued and mcreasing accept- 
 abihty. No Wesleyan minister states with greater 
 precision the doctrines held by the body ; or more 
 clearly teaches ob\-ious Christian duties and privi- 
 leges ; or more faithfully rebukes the sinner and 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 89 
 
 the hypocrite ; or more tenderly in-vites the trem- 
 bUng penitent to trust in the mercy of God ; or 
 more cheeringly points the beUever to the great 
 end and reward of his faith, even everlasting life. 
 
 Mr. Newton's sermons would always command 
 attention, and be profitable to the hearer, even in 
 tlie absence of the chann of his oratory. His rigid 
 simplicity of diction, the clearness, fullness, and 
 force, of his expositions, would make liim an ac- 
 ceptable preacher under any circumstances. His 
 sermons do not give evidence of towering intellect, 
 of profound research, or of brilliant imagination ; 
 but neither are they deficient in clearness, force, or 
 completeness ; they have always a definite purpose 
 which they are well adapted to accompUsh. His 
 topics and thoughts are good without being novel ; 
 useful, though they may not dazzle ; and he inva- 
 riably finds his way both to the heads and the 
 hearts of his hearers. His principal defect is, that 
 he is sometimes too discursive, and takes a Avider 
 range than the text, to a closer thinker, would seem 
 to justify. A rather amusing instance of this may 
 be here narrated. 
 
 Mr. Newton, and an intimate friend of the writer. 
 Rev. Mr. * * * *, were appointed to preach mis- 
 sionary sermons on Christmas-day, at Pontefract, 
 in Yorkshire. Mr.* * * * was at the time stationed 
 in one of the Leeds circuits, and it was arranged 
 that the writer should drive hun over to Pontefract, 
 on the morning of the day on which his senices 
 were required, Mr. Newton preaching in the mom- 
 
90 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 ing and evening, and he in the afternoon. As we 
 passed along the road the exercises of the day were 
 canvassed ; and at the writer's solicitation, Mr. 
 
 * * * * consented to reproduce a seimon which 
 had been attended at Leeds with special benefit, 
 the text being, " Ood so loved the world that he gave 
 his only begotten Son," &c. We arrived too late 
 at our destination to see Mr. N. before he entered 
 the pulpit. When he announced his hymn, Mr. 
 
 * * * * quietly remarked, " He will take my text." 
 The conjecture proved correct ; and, before the 
 close of the discourse, Mr. Newton had, to his col- 
 league's discomfiture, touched upon almost every 
 branch of theology which had the most remote 
 bearing upon the subject or the season. Mr. New- 
 ton, in the vestry, after preaching, excused himself 
 from the afternoon service, on the ground that he 
 had traveled most of the night, and had to " pass 
 on " after evening preaching. The sequel, how- 
 ever, was not yet. In the afternoon, Mr. * * * * 
 occupied the pulpit, in the full confidence that his 
 associate would not be present. He had scarcely 
 annoimced as his text, " He that spared not Ms -own 
 Son, hut delivered him up for us all, how shall he 
 not with him also freely give us all things " — before 
 the majestic form of the momng preacher was 
 observed in the body of the chapel. Again we all 
 met in the A'estry. " Why, * * * *," said Mr. 
 Newton, " you have stolen a march upon me. I 
 was going to preach from that text to-night." " Just 
 serves you right," was the reply ; " you took my 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 91 
 
 text this morning, and robbed me of two or three 
 sermons into the bargain." Of course there was 
 some meniment at the reverend gentlemen's ex- 
 pense. 
 
 The amoimt of physical labor which Mr. Newton 
 undergoes is almost incredible. It is calculated 
 that he travels from eight to ten thousand miles 
 every year. Indeed, as Mr. Everett obsen'es, " he 
 can scarcely be said to have a home to which he 
 can assert a residential claim, except the highway 
 and the house of God, the stage-coach or the rail- 
 way carriage, and the pulpit, in one or other of 
 which he is to Ije found, with few intervals, from 
 Simday morning to Saturday night." He makes 
 a point, as far as practicable, of being in his own 
 circuit on the Sunday ; and when he is at home, if 
 it should happen to be his " coimtry Sunday," the 
 most distant and insignificant place is as punctually 
 and cheerfully attended to, as the largest of the 
 town chapels. This is so Avell xmderstood, that 
 when the plan* shows that it is his Sunday " out," 
 or in the country part of the circuit, the members 
 of the place where he is planned depute some per- 
 son, gomg to market on the Saturday, to ascertain 
 whether Mr. Newi;on is at home ; and if an affirma- 
 tive answer be received, great is their joy. The 
 instructions to this deputy are generally accom- 
 panied by an injunction to make the inquiry the 
 last thing before he leaves town, because it is known 
 
 * The itinerant and local preachers' printed plan, renewed quarter- 
 ly and distributed through the circuit. 
 
92 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 that the latest conveyance is the most hkely to 
 bring the preacher. Sometimes the messenger is 
 not a member of the society, and feels no interest in 
 the matter beyond a willingness to oblige his neigh- 
 bors ; or, perhaps, afflicted with the malady of bash- 
 fulness, he merely rings at Mr. Newton's door, asks 
 whether he is at home, and receiving a reply in the 
 negative, turns away without inquiring further, and 
 reports accordingly. The intelligence throws a 
 damper upon rustic expectation, and the people 
 are but ill prepared to receive the " yoimg man" 
 whose misfortune it is to be appointed by the Con- 
 ference as Mr. Newton's " assisianV — meaning 
 substitute. Some of the older ones know, however, 
 that " wliile there is time there is hope," and, con- 
 gregating about the chapel door before the hour for 
 service, they cast anxious glances along the turnpike 
 which leads from the circuit town. Watches of 
 ancient mechanism, and inordinate thickness and 
 circumference, are drawn from capacious fobs, and 
 from their varying indices sage conclusions are ar- 
 rived at, as to whether it is yet half-past ten 
 o'clock, or still lacks five minutes. By common 
 consent the five mmutes are allowed ; for " who shall 
 decide when watches disagree ?" And while yet all 
 faces are turned in the direction of the road lead- 
 ing to the circuit town, the rumbling of wheels in 
 the opposite direction suddenly ceases, and spring- 
 ing from a bon-owed gig, or shander-a-dan, or other 
 nondescript vehicle, Mr. Newton gently lays his 
 hand upon the shoulder of one of the group, and 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 93 
 
 in his well-known voice quietly asks, if it is not 
 " preaching time." A hearty and universal shak- 
 ing of hands follows ; with buoyant step the preach- 
 er passes through the chapel yard into the house 
 of God ; a few linger until he has disappeared, and 
 then liastily step into the neighboring houses to 
 spread the intelligence of Mr. Newton's arrival ; 
 and in ten minutes the crowded building attests 
 the preacher's popularity. The probable truth is 
 that on Saturday night, at a distance of fifty or 
 sixty miles from home, his travel has been inter- 
 rupted by the contingency, not imcommon as rail- 
 roads began to intersect the coimtry, that a night 
 coach on which he had relied had, without notice, 
 been taken off the road, and he thus has been un- 
 expectedly thrown upon his own resources. These 
 seldom fail him. He has friends everywhere, and 
 knows almost every road, cross-road, and by-lane 
 in the country. By a rapid process he " calculates " 
 where he can be sure of a vehicle ; and by dint of 
 travehng all night, perhaps by some circuitous 
 route, he secures his object, and is at the chapel 
 door punctually at the time for service. He will 
 preach that day two or three times, probably 
 snatching twenty minutes sleep in the intervals ; 
 after evening preaching he will ride home, a dis- 
 tance perhaps of six or eight miles, and on Monday 
 evening be preaching forty, fifty, or a hundred 
 miles in another direction. 
 
 This kind and degree of labor Mr. Newton has 
 performed incessantly for nearly half a centuiy — 
 
94 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 exposed to all kinds of weather, and, what to most 
 constitutions is even more injurious, to constant ir- 
 regularity in the matters of sleep and food — and yet 
 he comes out of each journey, and appears in the 
 pulpit, " with a frame as firmly braced as a drum, 
 with a countenance as open as the day, and spirits 
 as joyous as those of the lark when the streaks of 
 the morning begin to break over the earth," and 
 has, with the exception of two brief intervals, en- 
 joyed uninterrupted health. 
 
 Of his ingenuity in extricating himself from the 
 mishaps and exigencies of such constant traveling, 
 numerous instances might be recorded. A fcAV 
 must suffice. In some of these Mr. Everett has 
 the priority of publication in the Wesleyan Cen- 
 tenary Takings, but they were matters of common 
 conversation in Wesleyan circles before he gave 
 them to the world in notes to his masterly portrait 
 of Mr. Newton. 
 
 Skillful as is the subject of this sketch in extri- 
 cating himself from dilemmas caused by accidents 
 of the road, he was once so fairly " cornered," that, 
 in spite of all his experience and skill, he was driven 
 to the necessity of either disappointing his congre- 
 gation, or walking ten miles after leaving the coach, 
 burdened with his traveling dress and carpet-bag, 
 and straitened also for time. He made his choice 
 without hesitation, arrived at the place, immediately 
 ascended the pulpit, and went through the service 
 without apparent fatigue. 
 
 At another time, the coach by which he expected 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 95 
 
 to travel to the next town failed to arrive, and the 
 hour for preaching was drawing very near. Not a 
 vehicle or even a horse could he obtain. While 
 rather anxiously pondering over the difficulty, the 
 postman approached on his way to the place which 
 Mr. Newton wished to reach. The perplexed tra- 
 veler hailed him, and explained his difficulty. The 
 postman knew liim, and instantly dismoimted ; the 
 preacher as suddenly was metamorphosed into the 
 postman, and, " intrusted with the whole epistolary 
 affairs of church and state, of the commercial and 
 social world, the new equestrian clapped his heels 
 to the horse — off he went in fine style — the horn 
 and pistols in their proper places — the bags flap- 
 ping against the old stager's sides, and beating 
 time to his pace — and the postman trudging it on 
 foot in the rear. Both horse and rider knew the 
 way to the office — they dashed through the streets 
 
 of W , and were soon at tlie door, where the 
 
 new postman made an honest sun-ender of the let- 
 ters and the horse, to the no small amusement of 
 the postmaster and his family, who happened to be 
 Wesleyans." 
 
 On another occasion, when about eleven miles 
 from his destination, the gig in which he was tra- 
 veling broke down, and was so much shattered 
 that the united skill of the occupants could not 
 avail to " fix " it, even for temporary use ; nor was 
 there any blacksmith's or wheelwright's shop with- 
 in sight. The case was urgent, and Mr. Newton's 
 decision prompt. Disentangling the horse, and 
 
96 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 stripping it of the harness, except the bridle, and 
 cutting a good " switch " from the hawthorn hedge, 
 he mounted the bare back of the astonished steed, 
 and tclhng his companion where it would be found 
 at the place of destination, he was soon on his way, 
 with his carpet-bag before him, and his cloak float- 
 ing behind, many an astonished swain wondering 
 at the modem John Gilpm. 
 
 Speaking of his cloak reminds me that the firs! 
 time I saw Mr. Newton was some five and twenty 
 years ago, at a small country town in the North- 
 riding of Yorkshire, not far distant from Mr. New- 
 ton's birthplace, Robin Hood's Bay. On a cer- 
 tain day in the year, and almost at the same hour 
 in the day, he might be seen en route to his native 
 place, to preach the anniversary sermons on behalf 
 of the chapel, riding at a gentle, jogging pace, 
 technically known as a " Methodist preacher's trot," 
 and with an oil-skin covering over his hat, and his 
 person enveloped in an old green tartan-plaid cloak. 
 It must even then have done long ser^^ce, for the 
 original green had passed through the " sere and 
 yellow " into a nondescript hue unknown in the 
 nomenclature of colors. Moreover it had acquired 
 the soubriquet of " Mr. Newton's cloak," and was 
 so well known that it was often the means of re- 
 cognition when on a crowded coach his face could 
 not be seen. " That 's Mr. Newton's cloak," ex- 
 claimed one of the family, running to the window. 
 The writer followed, and, as Mr. Newton, catching 
 a gUmpse of my sister's figure, turned round to 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN rREACHERS. 97 
 
 give the sign of recognition, received the first and 
 indeUble impression of his noble features. I saw 
 the same cloak on the same form three hundred 
 miles in another direction, some six or seven years 
 afterward ; since when I do not remember to have 
 observed it. Probably it did wear out in the 
 lapse of years. 
 
 Before dismissing the perils by land, to which 
 the subject of this sketch is often exposed, an in- 
 stance in which he narrowly escaped peril of an- 
 other sort may be mentioned. He was sojourning 
 for a night in the house of a wealthy member of 
 the society, and had to proceed on his journey 
 long before dayhght. His host, knowing this, gave 
 orders that his guest and himself should be called 
 early ; and that breakfast should be prepared in 
 time for liim to accompany Mr. Newton to the 
 coach. When the guest retired, his kind host as- 
 sured him that he might rely upon the arrange- 
 ments that were made, and pressed him to resign 
 himself to sleep without anxiety. Though im- 
 pressed with the generous consideration of his 
 host, Mr. Newton yet preferring to trust to his own 
 habits, awoke at the required time, sallied from 
 his chamber, and finding that no one Avas stirring 
 but himself, stepped quietly down stairs, unfastened 
 the front door, and closed it softly after him, that 
 he might not disturb the family. On reaching the 
 iron gates he found them securely locked. If he 
 had been so disposed, there was not time to arouse 
 the inmates of the house, and obtain the key, be- 
 7 
 
98 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 fore the coach would start. Suspending his car- 
 pet-bag on one of the iron rails, so that he could 
 unhook it at the other side, he, with great difficulty, 
 scaled the palisades. Unseen by the adventurous 
 climber, a policeman was mean time watching his 
 movements, which were certainly rendered suspi- 
 cious by the absence of any lights in the house, 
 the quiet observed, the carpet-bag, and the scahng 
 of the rails. Reaching the sidewalk in safety, Mr. 
 Newton imhooked the carpet-bag and hastily moved 
 on. The policeman followed, never for a moment 
 losing sight of his prey, resolved to see where the 
 supposed burglar deposited his booty. Just as 
 the traveler anived at the coach, and the man in 
 authority was about to arrest him as his prisoner, 
 some one accosted him, — " 0, Mr. NeAvton, are 
 you going by this coach?" The policeman re- 
 tired, both amused and disappointed. The name 
 was famihar to him ; it had been placarded in al- 
 most every village and town in the kingdom, and 
 was a passport for integrity. 
 
 The features in Mr. Newton's history and cha- 
 racter which awaken the devout joy of his friends, 
 are his sterling piety and unaffected humihty, not- 
 withstanding the continual temptation to exhibit 
 another spirit. His piety is manly and ennobling, 
 and is as much unlike the sickly sentimentalism of 
 some religious professors, who have acquu-ed the 
 dialect of the gospel without imbibing its spirit, as 
 hght is unlike darkness. It is healthy, vigorous, 
 and catholic, caring more for " truth in the inward 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN I'REACHERS. 99 
 
 parts " than for mere externals ; carping never at 
 the shape of a man's garments, nor anathematizing 
 those Avho may differ from him as to what is fitting 
 and comelj' in apparel. No man would more sin- 
 cerely grieve over the slave to fashion of either 
 sex — the pride of conformity to the world, and the 
 pride of nonconformidj, would alite awaken his 
 compassion, and insure his exhortation and prayers 
 for the subject of it — but it is very doubtful whe- 
 ther any man ever heard a censorious remark upon 
 an absent person from his lips. His piety is too 
 deeply imbued with the charity and magnanimity 
 of the gospel. Tell him of a fellow-disciple's de- 
 rehction from duty, too notorious to be doubted 
 and too palpably a breach of principle to be apolo- 
 gized for, and his response will be, in effect, — " Yes, 
 my heart bleeds for him ; let him that thinketh 
 he standeth take heed lest he fall." Let it not be 
 supposed, however, that his piety is not also prac- 
 tical. It is strikingly so. It regulates his whole 
 xmblemished character. It hes at the foundation 
 of his viniform cheerfulness. It is the mainspring 
 of his incessant labors and privations, and has pre- 
 served him from pride and self-conceit during half 
 a century of unparalleled popularity. 
 - Until the second advent of the Redeemer, when 
 eveiy man " shall stand in his lot," the fruits of 
 Mr. Newton's ministry cannot be computed. But 
 when the great Head of the clrarch shall appear 
 in the heavens, and his " reward with him, to give 
 imto every man according as his work shall be," 
 
100 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 the subject of this sketch will be invested with 
 immortal honor, and the crown of his rejoicing will 
 be studded with many gems of purest lustre. 
 Many arc the redeemed of the Lord who have 
 been gathered into the fold of the church through 
 his instinmientality. He who called him to labor 
 in his vineyard has honored his servant's fideUty 
 by giving him seals to his ministry. I will here 
 name one remarkable instance, the particulars of 
 which have not before been pubhshed. They were 
 made known to me by a member of the family 
 whose maternal head occupies so honorable a posi- ' 
 tion in the narrative. 
 
 Mr. Newton was is the habit of annually preach- 
 ing the sermons on behalf of the pruicipal chapel 
 in Derby. At the time to which reference is now 
 made. Rev. Isaac Turton was stationed there. His 
 lady, a model for a preacher's wife, eminently 
 mindful of her own household, while she forgot not 
 the necessities, both temporal and spiritual, of those 
 around her, and whose praise is in all the churches 
 to this day, had been very sohcitous for the con- 
 version of a bold and intelligent infidel, who, by his 
 pubhc addresses and other means, was leading 
 many into tlie dark and tortuous paths of skepti- 
 cism. Mrs. Turton was a faithful and efficient tract 
 distributer, and this infidel's house was in her dis- 
 trict. Unweariedl}', and in spite of harsh words, 
 for nine successive weeks, she persevered in calling 
 with her little messenger of peace, and as often did 
 he refuse to admit it into the house, watching re- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 101 
 
 gularly for Mrs. Turton's visit, lest his wife, or 
 some other member of the family, should be touched 
 by the meek earnestness of tlie lady, and be per- 
 suaded to accept the tract. At the tenth visit his 
 resolution gave way. He permitted the tract to 
 be left, but persisted in declining to read it, or 
 allow it to be read. The third or foiulh, however, 
 which Avas thus left, was returned with a page 
 turned down — a consultation was held between the 
 pious lady and her husband, and two or three suit- 
 able books were sent by Mr. Turton to the now 
 half-awakened infidel. In a few days he volun- 
 tarily returned the visit Avhich was at first so dis- 
 tasteful to him ; conversation and prayer followed ; 
 and at Mrs. Turton's earnest solicitation he con- 
 sented to attend at the Wesleyan Chapel on the 
 following Sunday, when Mr. Newton was to preach 
 the anniversary' sermons. 
 
 This infidel was a well-known character, of good 
 moral reputation, bold and fearless in the avowal 
 of his sentiments, of considerable respectabiUty, 
 and possessed a very large, and, in a pecuniary 
 sense, very valuable hbrary. In person, he was of 
 commanding aspect. That there was, in spite of 
 his infidelity, a redeeming manliness of character 
 about him -will be inferred from his reply to Mrs. 
 Turton's offer of a seat in the preachers' pew, as 
 being in a retired situation where he would be less 
 observed by the congregation. " No, madam," 
 he said ; " you have already been instrumental in 
 changing my ^aews of rehgion to some extent. I 
 
102 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 begin to doubt the soundness of my cherished sen- 
 timents, the promulgation of which I have openly- 
 labored for, and if I attend your chapel on Sunday, 
 it shall be in sight of the whole congregation." 
 Sunday came, and, true to his promise, the relent- 
 ing skeptic entered the chapel, and took a seat in 
 the centre of the body of the house. All eyes 
 were immediately turned upon him, and significant 
 glances were exchanged between those in the con- 
 gregation to whom he was known. But to this 
 observation the observed was mdifferent ; he was 
 lost m meditation. Mr. NeA\i,on ascended the pul- 
 pit, and announced the hymn. The new hearer 
 awoke from his reverie, fixed his eyes upon the 
 preacher with an expression of deep interest, stood 
 erect while the hjonn was sung, and kneeled de- 
 voutly during prayer. Mr. Newton, who was 
 entirely ignorant of the circumstances in which he 
 was placed, took for his text Psalm i, 1 : " Blessed 
 is the man that ivalketh not in the counsel of the un- 
 godly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth 
 in the seat of the scornful." The effect upon the 
 man was electrical ; and before the preacher had 
 well entered upon his sermon he was leaning upon 
 the front of the pew, with his eyes intently fixed 
 upon the speaker, eagerly drinking in every word 
 that came from his hps, utterly unmindful of the 
 amazement of some in the congi-egation, to whom 
 his character and person were well known. He 
 also attracted Mr. Newton's notice, who, though 
 feeling an unpression that the man was arrested by 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 103 
 
 the word, yet was puzzled by the fixed and almost 
 rigid expression of his countenance, and stepping- 
 into Mr. Turton's house after preaching, made in- 
 quiries respecting his hearer. Wliile they were 
 conversing, the door-bell rang, and the man him- 
 self was introduced into the room. His first re- 
 mark, a not unusual one, was, that Mi's. Turton had 
 told the preacher his histoiy ; this bemg denied, 
 and the matter explained to him. he turned toward 
 Mr. Newton, acknowledged that God had spoken 
 through him to his erring heart, and besought the 
 prayers of all three for his full deUverance from 
 the snare of the enemy. An hour was spent in 
 earnest prayer and supplication, Mr. Turton's study 
 echoing with the groans and cries of the wounded 
 sinner and the impassioned tones of the subject of 
 this sketch and those who were associated with 
 him. The penitent, though he did not then obtain 
 a clear knowledge of sins forgiven, was encouraged 
 to hope : he went home ; the next morning he 
 made a bonfire of his large collection of infidel 
 books, became subsequently truly converted, and 
 an acceptable local preacher in the Methodist con- 
 nection. 
 
 Any sketch of Mr. Newton would be veiy 
 imperfect which did not take some notice of his 
 platform services ; for, in the abundance and effi- 
 ciency of his labors in that department of Christian 
 enterprise, he is ceiiainly without a parallel. No 
 missionary meeting ever proved a failure at which 
 be was present as a speaker. They manage these 
 
104 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 meetings better in England, the writer conceives, 
 than we do here; and, indeed, their whole mis- 
 sionary organization is more elFective. The noble 
 sum annually placed at the disposal of the Wes- 
 leyan Missionary Society, as compared with the 
 income of the Methodist Episcopal Missionary So- 
 ciety, is evidence of this. Great pains are taken 
 to infuse interest into the Enghsh missionary anni- 
 versaries, and to make them occasions of high 
 intellectual and spiritual enjojmient. Their meetings 
 are always preceded by missionary sermons, for 
 which a stranger is secured, if only from a neigh- 
 boring circuit. The meeting is held during the 
 week following, but never on the Simday. Such a 
 thing would not be thought of among the Wes- 
 leyans in England. The meeting is generally pre- 
 sided over by a layman, and both clergy and laity 
 take part in the speaking. In the towns the plat- 
 form is large, and is occupied by a numerous 
 representation of Methodist ministers, and gene- 
 rally some of the other denominations, and of the 
 influential laity connected with the chapel or town 
 in which the meeting is held. 
 
 In Manchester, Leeds, and other large towns, 
 twenty, thirty, or even more, occupy the platform. 
 Four or half a dozen speakers will address the 
 meeting, each proposing or " supporting," as it is 
 technically styled, one of a series of resolutions 
 previously prepared by the local secretary. Each 
 resolution is formally put to the meeting by the 
 chairman, and a vote taken upon it by a show of 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 105 
 
 hands. The meeting usually continues from half- 
 past six or seven o'clock until ten in the evening, 
 more or less protracted by local circimistances. 
 The collection is made, in the ordinary mode of 
 handing round the boxes, when the meeting is 
 about three-fourths advanced. If Mr. Newton is 
 one of the speakers, he, of course, makes, what is 
 pleasantly called, the " collection speech," and no 
 man can make it so effectively. Yet it can scarcely 
 be said that he ber/s — a hundred persons might be 
 foimd who would do that more importunately and 
 mercilessly. He will dwell m glowing terms upon 
 the blessedness of those who co-operate with the 
 providence and grace of God in the missionary en- 
 terprise ; he will depict, in tones of deepest ten- 
 deraess, the wretchedness and misery of the 
 heathen ; he Avill stimulate and encourage the 
 audience to liberahty \>\ a vi\-id picture of what 
 has been achieved by missionary labor ; and expa- 
 tiate, in words that bum, upon the opening pros- 
 pects and expanding glories which everywhere 
 invitingly meet the eye of the Christian philan- 
 thropist. By these, and other avenues, he will 
 enter the very citadel of the heart of those whom 
 he addresses, and, kindhng there the fire of pure 
 Christian sympathy and love, will fan it into a 
 flame by the recital of remarkable instances of 
 unselfish devotion to the great and holy work of 
 converting a rebel world, so many of which have 
 come within his personal knowledge ; and all this 
 he M'ill do with such felicity of expression, and such 
 
106 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 a gush of hallowed feeling, as to make his more 
 direct appeals irresistible. Toward the close of his 
 speech, persons unused to the giving mood often 
 become impatient for the opportunity of aiding 
 the cause, the advocate of which has awakened 
 such new and delightful emotions within their 
 breasts, and has clothed the smallest volimtary 
 sacrifice in the cause of missions Avith an accept- 
 ability in the sight of God, and an importance in 
 its consequences to their fellow-men, which prompt 
 them to the noblest efforts, and make " their duty 
 their delight." It is by supplying motives for 
 liberality, and by depicting its rewards, that Mr. 
 Newton so invariably succeeds. There is nothing 
 of dictation in his address — no saying what they 
 must give — no undignified solicitation ; the people 
 give spontaneously as tlie Lord hath prospered 
 them, or as the silent monitor within may counsel 
 them ; they retire to their homes with the pleasant 
 conviction that, of their own accord, they have done 
 what the J' could ; the hallowed joy and the inward 
 satisfaction, felt at the meeting, remrin with them ; 
 and when the time returns for the repetition of the 
 anniversary, it is anticipated with a dehght which 
 rests securely upon the happy experience of the 
 former meeting. It is for higher authorities than 
 the writer to decide whether this is not, in the long 
 run, a more productive plan than that which now, 
 to so great an extent, prevails at the anniversaries 
 of our own Missionary Society. 
 
 For a number of years Mr. Newton has been 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 10*7 
 
 annually elected, by an almost unanimous vote, 
 secretary of the Conference, with the exception 
 only of the years in which he was, with the same 
 near approach to unanimity, elected president. He 
 is not a man likely to allow such a body for a mo- 
 ment to transgress the rules of order, even were 
 such a disposition manifested. It is but justice, 
 however, to the British Conference to say, that an 
 appeal to the presiding officer on a point of order 
 is a very rare occurrence. They are ever willing 
 to exercise Christian courtesy even in the utmost 
 freedom and animation of debate. 
 
 As will be inferred from what has already been 
 said, he is pecuharly adapted either for secretary or 
 president, on account of his excellent voice and his 
 combined dignity and urbanity of deportment. As 
 a ruler in Israel, however, he cannot be compared 
 with him whose name stands at the head of the 
 first sketch in this voliune. 
 
108 SKETGHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 3saac STnrton. 
 
 " What he believed, he taught ; what he taught he practiced ; so 
 that creed and deed harmonized. He had a sweet spirit too, and a 
 
 pleasant countenance ; grace and face making comely union 
 
 Indeed he was a Clu-istian of Christ's sort." 
 
 The subject of this sketch entered the itinerancy in 
 1798, and has for some years been upon the super- 
 numerary list ; but although, from age and bodily 
 infirmity, he has been compelled partially to rest 
 from his labors, two of his sons have stepped into 
 his place, and give promise of high acceptability 
 and usefulness. Rev. Charles G. Turton has been 
 in the itinerancy seven, and Rev. Henry H. Turton 
 in the mission field, at New-Zealand, about eight 
 years. Mr. Turton, senior, has also a son-in-law who 
 has long been laboring as a very useful missionary 
 in Ceylon, Rev. Robert Spence Hardy, author of 
 " Travels in the Holy Land," an interesting volume, 
 which has been republished in this country. 
 
 Dming the vigor of his days Mr. Turton com- 
 manded much attention in the Wesleyan Connec- 
 tion. Few of his contemporaries were more accept- 
 able in the pulpit, or out of it exercised a more le- 
 gitimate and salutary influence upon their respect- 
 ive societies. By his brethren in the ministry he 
 was always held in high estimation, and had he 
 been ambitious of distinction — had he even been 
 less retiring and less indifferent to reputation, other 
 than that of being an acceptable minister of the 
 
fflfflreHES OF WB8LKYAN PREACHBES. 109 
 
 New Testament, and a faithful overseer of the 
 church of God, the sufirages of his brethren would 
 have freely accorded him office and elevation 
 among them. Few men, with Mr. Turton's talents 
 as a preacher, have so resolutely pursued the even 
 tenor of their way, content, like the violet of the 
 rale, to reveal their presence by the sweet perfume 
 of their piety, rather than by the splendor of their 
 talents. As a pastor, he has had no superior and 
 few equals. In this respect he was truly a " son 
 of consolation ;" all tenderness and sympathy, yet 
 ever faithful in his coimsels in sickness and in 
 health, in adversity and prosperity. All his move- 
 ments among the people, his daily intercourse with 
 them and their children, showed that he cared for 
 their souls, and watched over them as one that 
 must give account. But Avith all this oneness of 
 purpose, this fideUty to the vows that were upon 
 him, there was so much of gentleness, cheerfulness, 
 and suavity, that he won, in a remarkable degree, 
 the afifection of all, while he secured their venera- 
 tion and respect. 
 
 Even at an advanced age, and after years of 
 affliction and sorrow, Mr. Turton's personal appear- 
 ance is remarkably pleasing. In the ripe vigor of 
 his days he must have been a handsome man, as 
 indeed those who knew him then declare that he 
 was ; the countenance full of intelHgence and mild- 
 ness ; the complexion florid ; the cheek bones slight- 
 ly prominent ; the forehead high and well develop- 
 ed ; the eye of a light blue-gray, clear and spark- 
 
110 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHEE8. 
 
 ling, giving a vivacity somewhat in contrast with 
 the general repose of the face ; the frame about five 
 feet ten inches in height, well proportioned in every 
 respect ; his gait and movements natural and easy, 
 and the tout-ensemble that of an intelligent, afifable. 
 Christian gentleman, heightened not a httle by a 
 becoming taste and care in his apparel. 
 
 Few men have read more and to better piu-pose 
 than Mr. Turton. He has for many years possess- 
 ed an extensive library, the contents of which he 
 has well digested. With every standard theolo- 
 gical writer, from the " Fathers " down to the au- 
 thors of the eighteenth century, he is thoroughly 
 familiar. The arguments and fallacies of each have 
 been carefully noted in the reading, and are repro- 
 duced with perfect ease, in conversation and in the 
 pulpit, as authorities or for refutation. More than 
 most men he possesses the faculty of making the 
 contents of the most abstruse and elaborate works 
 his own ; never, however, confounding the various 
 sources whence he derives his knowledge. There 
 is scarcely a standard book of which he cannot im- 
 promptu give a complete analysis ; and he was al- 
 ways willing to give liis yoimger brethren the bene- 
 fit of his experience for their guidance, either in 
 the selection of libraries or the prosecution of their 
 studies. He was, indeed, the kind friend and 
 judicious counselor of young preachers, local as 
 well as itinerant. 
 
 As a preacher, Mr. Turton has held high rank 
 and commanded the best circuits. For this he is 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. Ill 
 
 indebted to no adventitious aids. He never de- 
 claims ; has no rediindancy of imagination, and, ex- 
 cept in the earliest years of his ministry, has never 
 been an impassioned or impetuous preacher. Nei- 
 ther does he possess a powerful or commanding 
 voice, though it is clear, and capable of considerable 
 modulation. His sennons are always instinct with 
 life, and glow with the even warmth of ardent but 
 well-regulated feeling. The division of his subject 
 is invariably natural ; he never resoiis to epigram- 
 matic or aUiterative grouping of topics, and expa- 
 tiates upon the sentiment rather than the phrase- 
 ologj' of the text ; although he occasionally intro- 
 duces a verbal criticism very fehcitously. He is a 
 soimd .logician, and though entirely self-taught is 
 conversant with the most rigid discipline of the 
 schools. A systematic gradation is observed in 
 the exposition of his subject ; eveiy step in the 
 progress of discussion strengthens his position, and 
 carries additional hght into the minds of his hear- 
 ers. This, and the perennial freshness of thought 
 and expression are the peculiarities and excellences 
 of Mr. Turton's preaching. He is not, strictly 
 speaking, an original or profound, but rather a 
 vigorous, comprehensive, accurate thinker. His ser- 
 mons are nevertheless his own. While he preaches, 
 the man of reading is lost sight of, and the clear 
 thinker and earnest expositor are alone seen and 
 heard. Hence his popularity was constantly on 
 the increase during the vigor of his days. Where 
 the wishes of the people could be granted, he in- 
 
112 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 variably staid three years in a circuit ; and it then 
 seemed to them as though time was but revealing 
 capacities and resources, on the preacher's part, in 
 the benefits of which they would fain have parti- 
 cipated. It was a remark, not unfrequently made 
 among the people, that his mind resembled a piece 
 of household fui-niture, the more it was used the 
 brighter it became. 
 
 Mr. Turton was superintendent of one of the 
 Leeds circuits during the disturbances in the so- 
 cieties there upon the " organ question ;" and his 
 peace-loving, sensitive nature, keenly suffered dur- 
 ing the timiult of unhallowed passion which for a 
 season prevailed. At the same juncture, too, he 
 was called to watch at the bedside of a dying 
 wife — the severest trial to which any man can be 
 exposed ; but in Mr. Turton's case especially har- 
 rowing, because that wife was in an almost un- 
 paralleled degree a help-meet for her husband — 
 not only as the wise and affectionate counselor 
 and guardian of his numerous family, leaving his 
 mind unburdened for the faithful prosecution of 
 the ministry whereunto he was called, but as often 
 encouraging him by her sympathy, stimulating him 
 by her own devotion to the interests of the Re- 
 deemer's kingdom, sweetly sharing the yoke with 
 him in his trials, and joying with him in the tri- 
 umphs of his faith and love. To this day her 
 praise is in all the churches. From this double 
 sorrow Mr. Turton never fully recovered. There 
 is little of the iron in his nature, little of the sturdy 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAK PREACHERS. 113 
 
 oak, to brave such a storm ; and while, with un- 
 wavering faith, the well-instructed saint reverently- 
 bowed his head, and unfalteringly said, " It is the 
 Lord, let him do what seemeth good unto him," 
 the heart of the man was smitten with a sorrow 
 that the world knew not of. Still Mr. Turton la- 
 bored diligently in word and doctrine ; but the 
 stroke which removed the desire of liis eyes — the 
 companion who had shared in sweetest sympathy 
 his hopes and fears, and whose enduring friendship 
 had been his solace amid all outward trials — was 
 lacerating his heart ; and after a few years he re- 
 tired from the itinerant ranks, and patiently but 
 hopefully awaits the summons, " Come up hither," 
 and the commendation, " Well done, good and 
 faithful ser\-ant; enter thou into the joy of thy 
 Lord." 
 
 8 
 
114 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 Hobirt ^om%. 
 
 " Much of easy dignity there lies 
 In the frank lifting of his cordial eyes." 
 
 The Rev. Robert Young may be well described as 
 " a man with a presence," he being gifted with 
 many of those physical advantages which con- 
 tribute to a favorable first impression. His com- 
 plexion is light and florid. His features are regular 
 and well proportioned, except the mouth, which is 
 rather small, and gives an air of precision to the 
 face. This is redeemed by the eyes, which have 
 a very benevolent expression. The whole coun- 
 tenance indicates honesty and piety. To an agree- 
 able physiognomy are added a well-built, robust, 
 and imposing frame, and a good and powerful 
 voice. His elocution is somewhat faulty, he hav- 
 ing acquired a habit of giving a sharp, abrupt 
 enunciation to the final syllable, and an internal 
 reverberation at the close of a sentence. 
 
 Mr. Young is a native of the north of England. 
 In the year 1820, under a conviction of duty, 
 wrought in his mind under a sermon by the Rev. 
 Robert Newton, he offered liimself for the mission- 
 ary work, and was sent first to Jamaica, in the 
 West Indies, and subsequently to Nova Scotia, 
 where he labored with good success for three years. 
 As may readily be supposed, a missionary's life on 
 that station was attended with great hardships, 
 and Mr. Young had his share. While he was fill- 
 ing that appointment he experienced some remark- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 115 
 
 able deliverances from danger and from death. 
 One of these he related while I was riding with 
 him to a country appointment, eight miles distant 
 from Leeds, in a fog so thick that we coidd not 
 see beyond our horses' heads. Mr. Young re- 
 marked that the night brought to his recollection an 
 interposition of divine Providence on his behalf 
 while on the Nova Scotia mission. He was re- 
 turning from night preaching, and had to cross a 
 stream or river which was only fordable at ebb 
 tide. The dense fog prevented his finding the ford ; 
 and his horse soon began to stumble and floimder 
 over the rocks which formed the bed of the river. 
 Perceiving his error, and judging that the animal's 
 instinct would be his best guide out of the diffi- 
 culty, he threw the reins upon his neck, and by 
 kind words encouraged him to seek a path for 
 himself. The horse was, however, equally be- 
 wildered by the fog, and refused to move. While 
 yet pondering over his dilemma, he heard the dis- 
 tant roar of the tide ; and well knew that in a few 
 minutes it would overtake him, and that if it did 
 so it would bring ine^-itable destruction. The 
 horse seemed to have instinctively the same appre- 
 hension ; and Mr. Young felt the animal trembling 
 under him. He lifted up his heart in prayer, and 
 was commending his spirit to God, when he heard 
 from the opposite side the voice of a teamster ar- 
 resting his team. The thought flashed upon his 
 mind that the man had reached the ford, and had 
 discovered that he was too late to cross. Mr. 
 
116 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAS PREACHERS. 
 
 Young's horse, also, seemed to comprehend the 
 matter, neighed loudly, and, obeying the whip and 
 rein, dashed boldly across the rocky bed in the 
 direction of the voice, and reached the opposite 
 shore just in time to save his own and his master's 
 life. So time it is, — 
 
 " How are thy servants blest, O Lord I 
 IIow sure is their defense I 
 Eternal Wisdom is their g-uide ; 
 Their help Omnipotence." 
 
 Subsequently Mr. Young was again appointed 
 to the West India Islands, where he was equally 
 successful in winning souls to Christ, and secured, 
 in an eminent degree, the affections of the poor 
 slaves, and the confidence and good-will of their 
 masters. In this sphere of labor he continued until 
 the fell spirit of persecution was aroused, and he 
 and liis co-laborers were, for a season, prohibited 
 from exercising their ministry. 
 
 In the " Wesleyan Centenary Takings," I find 
 the following notice of the subject of this sketch : — 
 " Robert Young — a powerful voice, and in general 
 well managed. Good address : stirring — impas- 
 sioned — melting — awakening. Not pi-ofound, nor 
 yet lofty : mostly substantial. Seems to stand at 
 the entrance of the way of life, beseeching, ex- 
 horting, importuning, and pressing the multitude 
 to turn the face, the foot, and the heart, in that 
 direction. Exceedingly successful ; but more po- 
 pular on the side of piety than of reading and ex- 
 traordinary intellect. 'And the Lord added to 
 the church daily such as should be saved.' " 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 117 
 
 The only drawback to Mr. Young's excellence 
 as a preacher is that he is too mechanical. He is, 
 I presume, strictly a niemoritcr preacher. When 
 ■warmed by his subject, he becomes impassioned ; 
 but is sure to close his passages abruptly, like a 
 steed suddenly checked by a strong hand and curb, 
 when going at his full speed, or as though the 
 rider had unexpectedly come upon a fence which 
 he dared not leap. He seems timid about ventur- 
 ing a single sentence beyond what he has prepared, 
 though he makes good use of what has already 
 been elaborated in his study. The e\-ident caution 
 with which he proceeds, especially in the earher 
 ponions of liis discourse, awakens almost an ap- 
 prehension on his behalf, and in some degree with- 
 draws the hearer's attention from the subject to 
 the man ; yet it is soon apparent that the preacher's 
 care is not so much for himself, or his reputation, 
 as that he may keep in the very centre of what he 
 beheves to be the direct avenue to the hearts of 
 some of his congregation, and that his sole concern 
 is that his ministiy may be effectual to their salva- 
 tion. The appUcation of his sermon is always for- 
 cible, and often impetuous and overwhelming : now 
 the preacher labors imder no fear of getting over 
 the Unes. Having reached the citadel of the sin- 
 ner's heart, he lifts the hammer of the word, and 
 phes it vigorously against the bolted door, blow 
 following blow with such rapidity and force that 
 the fortress must indeed be impregnable if it yielded 
 not to the assault. 
 
118 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 In one particular, Mr. Young is a pattern for all 
 ministers. He preserves the dignity of the minis- 
 terial office. In the pulpit, if he does not win the 
 souls, he alwaj's secures the respect, of his audi- 
 ence. All is solemnity, sobriety, and sanctified 
 decorum. In his loudest tones and most impas- 
 sioned moments he never seems to forget that he 
 holds Ws commission from J ehovah, and is speaking 
 in Christ's stead. . Good taste marks all his pulpit 
 and public exercises ; colloquialisms, vulgarisms, 
 epigrammatic quirks and quaintnesses, never pollute 
 the word which he preaches. Nor, often as I have 
 heard him preach, do I remember in the pulpit a 
 single allusion, unless commendatory, to any other 
 sect of professing Christians — not because he was 
 not competent to pulpit controversy, for too often 
 such are most prone to indulge in it, but that he 
 believed the strength and time devoted to such 
 controversy would be more successful in uprooting 
 error if zealously devoted to preaching, Avith the 
 demonstration of the Spirit, the truth as it is in 
 Jesus. One cannot help thinking that some preach- 
 ers hold an opposite opinion, and believe that the 
 gospel is a less potent weapon for the world's con- 
 version than controversy. 
 
 The several small works which Mr. Young has 
 written, give a just idea of his ministerial character 
 and plans. The labors of few Wesleyan preachers 
 have been more eminently crowned with success ; 
 few have had such a career of continuous useful- 
 ness, or have been instrumental in the conversion 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 119 
 
 of SO many who have continued steadfast in the 
 faith. Mr. Young is a Boanerges, but that is not 
 the great secret of his success. His word falls 
 often as the dew of heaven, as the former and latter 
 rain, upon the hearts of his hearers, winning them 
 for Christ and heaven. He is, too, unwearied and 
 imceasing in his labors. He knows no intermission ; 
 from the day he enters upon his circuit to the day 
 he leaves it — autumn, winter, spring, and summer 
 — he ceases not from his work, and it is not at all 
 unusual for marked revivals to continue many 
 months, without intermission, in the circuit where 
 he is stationed. 
 
 Let me draw a picture of Mr. Young's method 
 of conducting a Simday evening prayer meeting. 
 He has been preaching to a crowded congregation ; 
 his subject has been, " the folly and dakger of 
 ixDECisiox." The large congregation have sung 
 the third hymn ; prayer has been offered up, the 
 benediction pronounced, and the people dismissed 
 with the announcement that a prayer meeting will 
 immediately be commenced — for the preacher usu- 
 ally adopts that course, preferring that those only 
 should remain who desire to do so. Very few 
 comparatively have departed, and Mr. Yoimg de- 
 scends into the altar and gives out four or five 
 verses of a hymn, the tune of which is struck by 
 some member of the congregation, and the rest 
 join with heart and voice in singing. Before prayer 
 is commenced, (the official brethren having come 
 into the neighborhood of the altar while the hymn 
 
120 SKETCITES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 was being sung,) the preacher addresses a few re- 
 marks on the design of the prayer meeting, encourag- 
 ing rather than urging any who desire to obtain me rcy 
 to come to the communion rails. He then calls 
 by name upon two brethren to pray, and probably 
 goes into the body of the house to invite to the 
 altar any who may seem to be seriously disposed. 
 When the brethren called upon are engaged in 
 prayer, the minister gives out a couple of verses 
 from the Methodist hymn-hook, which are sung to 
 some tune known to all tlie congregation, who 
 always rise and join in the sinyiny. Thus, instead 
 of being lookers on, or mere listeners, they them- 
 selves take part in the exercise, and preserve within 
 their own hearts, by participation, the hallowed 
 emotions incident to the occasion. Those who 
 approach the altar are counseled and prayed with 
 by the senior brethren. After prayer the preacher 
 again selects a verse or two of an appropriate hymn, 
 again the people rise from their knees (the peni- 
 tents alone remaining prostrate) and join in the 
 singing, and, if deemed desirable, the minister se- 
 lects a brother to give a short exhortation, or calls 
 again upon two to pray, sometimes selecting such 
 as are not in the neighborhood of the altar. This 
 order is preserved until nine o'clock, when the 
 meeting is dismissed with the announcement that 
 it will be continued (if it appear desirable) an hour 
 longer ; but the younger members of the congre- 
 gation are requested to go to their homes. Some 
 heads of families will, at this junctiu-e, retire with 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 121 
 
 their families, that family worship may be perform- 
 ed before the younger branches retire to rest. The 
 meeting then continues as before. Mr. Young 
 generally stays to the close ; indeed, I do not re- 
 member ever to have seen him leave a prayer 
 meeting, though it should contmue until eleven 
 o'clock, or even till midnight. 
 
 Meantime the penitents are properly cared for, 
 and as one after another finds peace, it is pubHcly 
 annoimced, and all join in singing, 
 
 " Praise God from whom all blessings flow," 
 
 pealed forth with a heartiness which shows that 
 all sympathize with the ransomed soul, and re- 
 joice in its deliverance. Mr. Young is always 
 careful to secure the name and residence of every 
 seeker of salvation, and each is furnished with a 
 list of the class leaders, and the place and time of 
 each class meetuig. Diu-ing the week they are 
 visited by a preacher's class leader, who ascertains 
 what time is most convenient for them to attend 
 that means of grace, and they aie directed accord- 
 mgly. I cannot do better than recommend to the- 
 reader Mr. Young's small volume — The Import- 
 ance of Prayer Meetings in promothuj Revivals of 
 EcUffton, pubhshed at the Methodist Book Con- 
 cern, where the plans he uniformly acts upon are 
 defined and defended ; and earnestly too would I 
 recommend to all who feel an interest in the ex- 
 tension of the Redeemer's kingdom, the perusal of 
 his Si'pffestions for the Conversion of the World. 
 
122 SKETCHES OF WESLEVAN PREACHERS. 
 
 JBanicl Isaac. 
 
 " His words are strong, but not witli anger fraught ; 
 A lore benignant he hath lived and taught." — Chaucer. 
 
 " Fearless lie is and scorning all disguise ; 
 What lie dares do or think, thougli men may start, 
 He speaks with mild yet unaveited eyes." — Cowper. 
 
 The Methodist ministry lias always been distin- 
 guished for diversity of personal cliaracter and 
 variety of talents and acquirements. Men of high 
 and of low degree, blessed Avith worldly compe- 
 tence or familiar with poverty — of classic taste or 
 of ruder mind — sons of thunder and sons of conso- 
 lation — from the plough and from the mechanic's 
 shop — from all sorts and conditions of men has 
 Methodism selected its ministry, and its vast agency 
 for promoting the Redeemer's kingdom in the 
 earth. Hitherto it has consideied sterling and 
 estabUshed piety, and strong practical good sense, 
 the principal requisites for the successful preach- 
 ing of the gospel, adding to these other qualifica- 
 tions as circumstances might justify or demand. 
 It has thus always met the wants of the multitude, 
 and yet has produced some of the greatest orna- 
 ments of their times. If Methodism were given to 
 boasting, it might assert its claim to one of the 
 greatest linguists England ever had, more than one 
 perfect natural orator, and theologians worthy of 
 the days of the Puritans. The last generation of 
 Methodist preachers embraced many men of extra- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 123 
 
 ordinary natural talents and great acquirements ; 
 Bradbum, and Benson, and Clarke, and Watson, 
 and Isaac, and Lcssey, and others who have enter- 
 ed into their rest ; and Biuitmg, and Newton, and 
 Atherton, and Beaumont, and others who diligently 
 labor in word and doctrine, looking for the coming 
 of the Lord Jesus. 
 
 The memory of the Rev. Daniel Isaac is blessed. 
 All who knew him venerated him, not less for his 
 high integrity and his genuine kindness of heart, 
 than for the masculine, massive character of his 
 mind. He entered the itinerancy in 1799, and 
 closed his labors and life in the city of York in 
 1834. He was somewhat remarkable ia his per- 
 sonal appearance ; of about the middle stature, of 
 a sallow and imbrowned complexion, of strong and 
 hea^y frame, narrow shouldered, though otherwise 
 muscidar. The countenance strongly indicated the 
 man. Tlie forehead was high rather than wide, 
 and until the latter years of his Ufe additional ap- 
 parent altitude was given to it by a premature 
 baldness of the upper or front part of the head. 
 When subsequently the penike-maker had been 
 employed to remedy the defect, the intellectuality 
 of the Avhole was sadly marred. The eye was pe- 
 ciihar — a dark pupil in the centre of an \musually 
 light gray ring, combining the expression of soft- 
 ness, quickness, and penetration. The mouth was 
 very expressive — the under Up slightly pouted, and 
 the whole cynical in its character. His dress was 
 unlike the dress of his brethren, and altogether 
 
124 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 at variance with clerical usage. His most com- 
 mon apparel comprised a black straw or chip hat, 
 drab nether garments, white or gray hose, strong 
 shoes with leather ties, and an olive brown coat. 
 Sometimes he appeared in the pulpit, as well as in 
 the street, with the further peculiarity of a colored 
 neckerchief and parti-colored vest. After having 
 seen Mr. Isaac, and listened to his caustic severity 
 on men and manners, it was almost impossible to 
 avoid associating the idea of the ancient cynic with 
 the modern " polemic divine." 
 
 Yet with an excess of apparent and much real 
 sternness of character, there were also great native 
 generosity and kindness, even tenderness, in Mr. 
 Isaac's disposition ; and these were manifest to all 
 in whom he had confidence and on whose sterling 
 worth he relied. He was a faithful, steadfast, sym- 
 pathizing friend. The harsher features of the man 
 were sho^vn only to the affected and vain ; to those 
 who walked on stilts, so to speak, and plumed 
 themselves upon exterior proprieties at the expense 
 of a true and manly excellence and the more solid 
 virtues. To voluntary humility on the one hand, 
 and to overweening pride on the other, he was an 
 uncompromising foe ; but in the social circle, among 
 those whom he knew and loved, he was affectionate 
 and pleasant, and dehghted in sallies of wit and 
 good humor. Mr. Everett, his biographer, says of 
 him, that with a pipe in his mouth, a basin of milk 
 before him, and a little toast, often brovraed by 
 himself, broken into fragments and fished up out 
 
SKETCHES OF \rESLETAN PREACHERS. 125 
 
 of the liquid with the point of his penknife, as his 
 evening repast, he en^^ed not the luxury of a court, 
 but threw a sunshine of comfort around the social 
 circle, and could even enjoy the opposition and the 
 puns of an anti-pipeite. On just such an occasion 
 an elderly lady entered the room where he was sit- 
 ting, and seeing him enjoying his pipe, lifted up her 
 hands, as though shocked at the sight of so much 
 self-indulgence, and exclaimed, "Ah, Mr. Isaac, 
 you are at your idol again." Looking up at her, 
 with a quiet, demure expression, he rephed, " Yes, 
 madam, I 'm burning it." 
 
 Mr. Isaac was, without doubt, ardently attached 
 to the itinerancy, but even his " traveling " had its 
 peciUiarities. WTiile most of the preachers prefer- 
 red equestrian exercise when ^^siting the distant 
 parts of their circuits, he was always a pedestrian 
 from choice, and might often be seen in summer on 
 the pubhc highway, his vest unbuttoned, his coat 
 laid over his arm, and his glazed hat in his hand, 
 trudging cheerfully to his " appointment," the very 
 picture of a hardy, contented fanner, caring for 
 nothing among men but to maintain his independ- 
 ence. His style of preaching was also unique. 
 He copied from no man in anything, and in the 
 pulpit was as fearless in the expression of his 
 views as in private Ufe. He often disregarded the 
 mere textual division of a passage, and expatiated 
 with great force on its doctiine or sentiment. It 
 was a defect m his preaching, that while the truth 
 from his lips struck with, sledge-hammer force upon 
 
126 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 the conscience and judgment of the hearer, the 
 sermon lacked that persuasive tenderness by which, 
 perhaps more than in any other way, sinners are 
 brought to lay down the weapons of their rebellion, 
 and seek reconciliation with God. 
 
 Mr. Isaac seemed to be more immediately " set 
 for the defense of the truth," and wo be to the 
 man who dared to assail religion while he was on 
 guard. Not that he contented himself with de- 
 fense merely ; he was mighty in attack as well as 
 bold in defense ; after driving the enemy from the 
 walls of the citadel, he would make a vigorous 
 sortie upon his forces, drive them from the strong- 
 hold of unbelief, and bringing all his powers to 
 bear upon the rebellious citadel, would use the bat- 
 tering ram with such systematic, continuous force, 
 that the breach was sure to be effected whether the 
 enemy jielded or not. The writer well remembers 
 a sermon Mr. Isaac preached in Brunswick Chapel, 
 Leeds, on the duty of union with the church of 
 Christ, irrespective of denominational distinctions, 
 in which he combated the various objections urged 
 against church fellowship. Some of these were 
 summarily disposed of as the mere subterfuges of 
 a man not bold enough to be honest ; and then 
 he took up the common excuse that the church is 
 not what it professes to be, and that its members 
 are far from being as good as they ought to be. 
 This sermon was subsequently published. The 
 following are nearly the very words in which this 
 excuse was dealt with : — 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 127 
 
 " You pretend," said he, " that the church is not 
 good enough. Some of its members, you say, do 
 not live up to their profession, but with all the 
 noise they make about religion, are very loose in 
 their morals. You tell us that you hate hypocrisy, 
 and affirm, that if you were to join us, you would 
 act a consistent part. The objection contains two 
 causes of regret. The first is, that there should 
 be some defective characters in the church. Our 
 Saviour, however, has assured us that some tares 
 will grow up with the wheat, and that both must 
 grow together until the harvest, or judgment. The 
 gospel net incloses a great multitude of different 
 kinds of fish, and must be drawn to the shores of 
 eternity before the final separation is made, when 
 the good will be gathered into vessels and the bad 
 be cast away. In the present state of things, how- 
 ever desirable it may be to find a perfect church, it 
 
 is impossible ; the hypocrites may serve 
 
 as a beacon to warn you against unfaithfulness. 
 With all its defects, however, the church is su- 
 perior to the world in supplying examples of holi- 
 ness and the means of attaining it Now 
 
 you boggle at the church because it is not quite 
 perfect, and in the mean time remain in fellowship 
 with the world. You profess to be religious, and 
 your religion seems to consist in little else than 
 vihfying the character of pious people, as though 
 it would be a reproach to you to abandon such as 
 make no profession for the sake of enjoying their 
 society. 
 
128 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 " The other cause of regret is that so shining a 
 Christian as you would make, if you were but 
 among us, should deny us the benefit of your fel- 
 lowship and example. You would live up to your 
 profession. In your character there would be 
 neither spot nor blemish, nor any such thing. You 
 would be a perfect Christian. Why, you are the 
 very man we need. You would make us ashamed 
 of ourselves. Such a prodigy of piety would soon 
 work miracles among us, and rouse the most slug- 
 gish to imitate such resplendent virtue ; and as for 
 hypocrites, the most impenitent among them would 
 not have face enough to look upon such a paragon 
 of purity, but Avould flee from your presence as 
 the Israehtes did from Moses when he came down 
 from the mount irradiated with divine glory. 0 
 thou detestable hypocrite ! to prate about God's 
 children, and undertake to hector them for coming 
 shoi't of perfection, when thou art thyself in league 
 with sin, and canst not be persuaded to forsake it ; 
 art seldom on thy knees praying to God secretly, 
 and perhaps never worshiping with thy family; 
 and art all the while aflfecting to be too holy for 
 the society of those who, to say the least of it, are 
 endeavoring to ' work out their salvation with fear 
 and trembling.' You are very holy, no doubt ; but 
 it looks a little suspicious that you dechne the society 
 of saints, and prefer the fellowship of sinners." 
 
 Having indulged in this irony for some time, 
 with an expression of contempt and scorn beyond 
 description, he rested his left elbow upon the Bible, 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 129 
 
 and, leaning over the front of the pulpit, heaped 
 warning upon rebuke, with a force of language 
 which few men could surpass. 
 
 Once he preached in Carver-street Chapel, 
 Sheffield, from, "Lord, thou knowest all things; 
 thou knowest that I love thee f and with great 
 force commented upon the infidelities of professing 
 Christians. As he approached the apphcation of 
 his discourse, his dissatisfaction with the state of 
 the church seemed to increase ; his eye flashed ; 
 his lower lip assumed a pouting expression, the 
 sure sign that a storm of sarcastic rebuke was 
 gathering; and he stood erect in the pulpit. 
 " Why," he exclaimed, " even in your classes, 
 among yourselves, how seldom is an open, un- 
 equivocal avowal of your love to Christ heard ! 
 You talk about loving Christ 'in a measure.' I 
 should Uke to know what kind of a measure )''ou use ; 
 for I fear your love would not crack a nutshell if it 
 were forced into it. But says one, ' I hope I do 
 love God : I trust I love the Lord sincerely ;' and 
 you quote sickly poetry to confirm your hope : — 
 
 ' 'Tis a point I long to know. 
 Oft it causes anxious tliought, 
 Do I love the Lord, or no ? 
 Am I his, or am I not ?' 
 
 Wretched poetry, and worse divinity ! Away with 
 such twaddle ! What would you think of a mo- 
 ther thus addressing her infant ? 
 
 ' 'Tis a point I long to know, 
 
 Oft it causes anxious thought, 
 Do I love my child, or no ? 
 
130 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS, 
 
 And yet you are gxiilty of the much greater ab- 
 surdity." 
 
 During the stay of Mr. Isaac in that circuit the 
 people were favored with tokens of the divine pre- 
 sence, and some of the members of the society, in 
 lively gratitude for the " promise of a shower," 
 were wont to say "amen," in an audible voice 
 while the minister prayed that 
 
 "the Lord would shortly pour 
 
 All the spirit of his grace ;" 
 
 and even went so far as to utter a like response 
 during the sermon, when the preacher mingled an 
 ejaculatory prayer with the more didactic portions 
 of his discourse. In the estimation of some, this 
 was an unjustifiable, if not unpardonable, interrup- 
 tion to the train of placid thought in which their 
 own unmoved hearts were wont to indulge ; and 
 complaints were made to the trustees and stewards, 
 accompanied by an intimation that unless the 
 " disturbances " were abated they (certain wealthy 
 members, who paid handsome rents for their pews) 
 would be compelled to leave the church. This 
 being a rather serious matter, the trustees repre- 
 sented the case to Mr. Isaac ; and hinted that the 
 loss of the complainants would, financially, be a 
 misfortune. Mr. Isaac heard all without mo\'ing 
 a muscle of his face, and then briefly remarked, 
 " Leave it to me, brethren. I '11 try to put the 
 matter right on Sunday morning." This was at 
 the beginning of tlie week ; and as the tnistees 
 were much pleased with the prospect of the 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAK PREACHERS. 131 
 
 matter being " put right," and taking it for granted 
 that the promise implied all they wished, they 
 could not forbear apprising the complaining parties 
 of what the "superintendent" had said; and their 
 joy at the information being verj' great, must needs 
 also find utterance ; so that by Saturday night it 
 was pretty generally understood that " Mr. Isaac 
 was going to put down those shouters " — that being 
 the conclusion to which all parties came, as by 
 common consent. As for those against whom the 
 terrible batteiy of his irony was to be directed, 
 they scarcely dared to open their lips, and were so 
 cast down that they hesitated about being present 
 at the morning preaching, albeit they were good 
 men and true, and loved the ministry of the life- 
 giving word. They abided by their principles, 
 however, and were in their accustomed seats ; but 
 though Mr. Isaac prayed with unusual fervor, their 
 responses were "few and far between." Under 
 the fear of man, they Avere ensnared, to their ow-n 
 hurt : 
 
 " Hosannas lang^iish'd on their tongues. 
 And their devotion died."' 
 
 The congregation was large, and an undefinable 
 excitement pervaded it. The text was annomiced : 
 "Let all thinf/s he done decently and in order." 
 Significant glances were exchanged. The response- 
 makers hung down their heads, and the anti- 
 response members lifted up theirs, while the 
 neutrals looked compassionately at the " noisy 
 brethren," and then at the preacher, as though 
 
132 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 they would beseech him not to be too severe, see- 
 ing that the offenders were good Christians, and 
 reall}' meant well, though they did say " amen " in 
 a louder tone than some others. ''Let all thinr/a 
 he done decently and in order," repeated the preach- 
 er, looking leisurely round upon the large audience, 
 as though he would ask who disputed the apos- 
 tolic injunction. " No one here," said he, " dis- 
 putes the authority of the rule, or doubts its ap- 
 plicability to the public worship of God. We 
 will therefore at once enter upon the inquiry, What 
 is the order here enjoined by the Head of the 
 church, adhered to by the primitive Christians, and 
 still obligatory upon the church of Christ ?" He 
 then showed that in the apostolic age, in the days 
 of the " fathers," even amid the corruptions of 
 the Papal Church, and especially in the purer and 
 more evangelical periods of the church's history, 
 the plan of responding to petitions addressed to 
 the throne of the heavenly Grace was universally 
 adopted. The surprise of the congregation was 
 xmbounded. Those who enjoyed a sincere and 
 audible response were rejoiced ; those who did not 
 were compelled to submit ; and, as Mr. Isaac had 
 promised, the matter was from that time " put 
 right." That sermon was the nucleus of his 
 popular essay on the word " amen." 
 
 An instance of the indignant and sarcastic se- 
 verity with which he sometimes reproved open 
 profanity occurred while he was stationed in the 
 Sheffield circuit. An infidel bookseller, copying, 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 133 
 
 and probably emboldened by, the example of a 
 London tradesman of infamous memory, exhibited 
 in his shop window a hideous and obscene picture, 
 as a representation of the sacred Trinity ; and, sui-- 
 passing the metropolitan in utter and shameless 
 profanity, attached a label to the picture, to the 
 efl'ect that a portrait of the devil was wanted as a 
 companion picture. This caught Mr. Isaac's eye 
 as he passed, and his righteous anger was awaken- 
 ed. Stepping into a grocer's shop on the opposite 
 side of the street, he asked for pen, ink, and paper, 
 and hastily scrawhng these words, addressed them 
 to the ofiFender : " Sir, if you want a portrait of the 
 devil, get your own taken ; for who so Uke the 
 father as the son? — D. Isaac." "There," said 
 Mr. I. to the clerk, " just take that to the ^^le fel- 
 low across the way." The young man dechned, per- 
 haps thinking it unneighborlj', or fearing an unplea- 
 sant result. "Then I '11 take it," said Mr. Isaac. The 
 message was soon noised abroad, for the grocer told 
 many of his friends ; and, in the com-se of the day, 
 first one vagrant boy, and then another Avicked 
 urchin, would put his head just inside the door of the 
 infidel's shop, in the window of which the offensive 
 requisition was still suspended, and call out, " Get 
 your own taken, for who so like the father as the 
 son?" On the following day, quite a crowd of 
 youngsters was assembled, and the inquiry was 
 repeated in almost every possible modulation of 
 voice, until the wretched man was so annoyed that 
 he called in the aid of the poUce. This but in- 
 
134 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 creased the notoriety of the rebuke, and that again 
 swelled the numbers of the crowd. The public 
 feeling, too, was with the boys, for common de- 
 cency had been outraged. The result was, that in 
 the course of two or three days the man was obliged 
 to close his shop and decamp, unable to withstand 
 the torrent of ridicule and contempt which Mr. 
 Isaac had been the means of turning upon him. 
 
 Though of no circumscribed fame as a preacher, 
 it Avas, perhaps, by his controversial writings that 
 the subject of this sketch was most widely known, 
 I think his earliest publication made its appearance 
 in 1802 or 1803, bearing the title, " Universal Re- 
 storafion Refuted, in a Series of Letters addressed 
 to Mr. W. Vidler." This Mr. Vidler Aisited a place 
 in the Lynn circuit, when Mr. Isaac was stationed 
 there, and, while advocating his peculiar doctrines, 
 took frequent occasion, as was common in that day, 
 to heap abuse and calumny upon the Methodists. 
 The attention of Mr. Isaac was drawn to the sub- 
 ject ; he took an opportimity of hearing for himself, 
 made memoranda of vaiious points, called upon 
 Mr. Vidler with the notes the following morning ; 
 and that gentleman having acknowledged their ac- 
 curacy, Mr. Isaac apprised him that he regarded 
 his doctrines as of so injurious a tendency, that he 
 deemed it his duty to guard his congregation 
 against them ; and that with an honest desire not 
 to misrepresent Mr. Vidler's sentiments, he had 
 called upon him for the confirmation of what he 
 supposed him to teach. The course taken by Mr. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 135 
 
 Isaac ■was like himself, for he was as proverbially- 
 candid in stating an opponent's ^^e■^vs, as he was 
 severe in controverting them. This publication, 
 which is said to have borne the palpable impress 
 of his ^^gorous mind, has been more than once 
 reprinted in this country. 
 
 In 1809 he pubhshed a small volume of ser- 
 mons, on the " Person of Jesus Christ," of which 
 it has been with truth remarked, that " in them the 
 divinity of the Son of God is established by Scrip- 
 tural evidence, and by a process of reasoning rarely 
 brought to bear upon the subject in so small a 
 compass." 
 
 Mr. Isaac's next work, and that which will pro- 
 bably be the most permanent, as of all his Avritings 
 it had, during his lifetime, the widest popularity, 
 was his Ecclesiastical Claims Investigated. It was 
 printed in Edinburgh, in 1815. It has passed 
 through several editions, but has not, I believe, 
 been republished in America. It consists of five 
 essays, treating respectively of uninterrupted suc- 
 cession, ordination, the spiritual gifts and powers 
 of the clergy, learning and ministerial qualifications. 
 The preface plainly indicates that the author had 
 no intention to treat the subject with unnecessary 
 tenderness. The design of the publication was 
 conceived soon after the defeat of \' Lord Sidmouth's 
 bill," and its execution was hastened by a new in- 
 terpretation given to the "Act of Toleration," by 
 which, as the author contended, religious liberty 
 was reduced to nearly a cypher. Any infringement 
 
136 
 
 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 of liberty was sure to find in Mr. Isaac a fearless 
 and uncompromising foe. His soul abhorred in- 
 tolerance and tyranny in every form or association. 
 He was both active and successful in opposing the 
 bill of Lord Sidmouth. His advice, during those 
 days of an.\iety, when Dissenters of every grade 
 were alarmed for the safety of their dearest rights, 
 — the wisdom with which he drew up a series of 
 resolutions for adoption at a meeting of Wesleyan 
 Methodists, and the influence of his example, pointed 
 him out at once as a " leader unto the people." The 
 same jealousy of encroachment showed itself in 
 reference to all merely sectional and local mat- 
 ters. 
 
 Soon after the defeat of that vile attempt to de- 
 stroy religious liberty in Great Britain, and to re- 
 establish the waning supremacy of the hierarchy 
 of the Established Church — which defeat was ow- 
 ing in a great degree to the vigorous measures 
 adopted by the Wesleyan committee of privileges, 
 and to the personal exertions of Dr. Adam Clarke, 
 Mr. Isaac, Mr. Bunting, and others, in carrying 
 out those measures — a new interpretation was 
 given to the Act of Toleration, simultaneously at 
 every quarter-sessions in the kingdom, with one 
 or two exceptions, in consequence of which all ap- 
 plications for license to preach were refused to Me- 
 thodists on the technical objection that the act was 
 not designed to embrace them, and extended only 
 to those who were openly, avowedly, and conscien- 
 tiously Dissenters. This sudden and universal 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 187 
 
 change in the interpretation of that act by the ma- 
 gistracy of the land was at first incomprehensible, 
 but the mystery was shortly solved as it was as- 
 certained that a circular had been sent to every 
 court, instriicting the magistrates in this new read- 
 ing, said circular emanating from the concocters 
 and abettors of the defeated bill, notwithstanding 
 the repeated avowal, by the same parties in parlia- 
 ment, that no infi-ingement of the rehgious rights 
 and privileges of any denomination was intended 
 by it. This attempt to do that by underhand 
 practice which they had publicly disavowed, ex- 
 cited Mr. Isaac's alarm and indignation, and was 
 with him the moving cause in writing his " Eccle- 
 siastical Claims ;" for though the Methodists and 
 Dissenters had demanded and obtained a new 
 toleration act, yet Mr. Isaac rightly concluded that 
 it was best more fully to secure public opinion in 
 behalf of the principles of religious liberty, as the 
 only guaranty that the rights of conscience should 
 continue to be protected. He observes : " Acts 
 of parhament are of very little consequence if not 
 supported by public opinion. When the sense of 
 the nation is opposed to them, they will soon 
 grow obsolete or be repealed." Nor did he like 
 the preamble to the new act, which avowed that 
 the measure was framed solely on principles of 
 expediency — "Whereas it is expedient," ic. — so 
 that could pubUc opinion be enhsted against reh- 
 gious freedom, the expediency would be declared 
 no longer to exist, the act would be repealed, and 
 
138 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 the Act of Unifonnity would be revived. More- 
 over, while much had been said in parliament and 
 elsewhere in favor of religious liberty, yet was 
 there nothing, either in the old or new act of tolera- 
 tion, distinctly recognizing the rights of conscience ; 
 and Mr. Isaac saw that in the absence of such re- 
 cognition by the law of the land — while indeed a 
 declaratory preamble negatived those rights by 
 placing the passage of the act on the basis of ex- 
 pediency — there was security for the permanence 
 of religious liberty only in enlightened public opi- 
 nion. To that tribunal he made his appeal ; and 
 never, perhaps, were great principles more summa- 
 rily dealt with, nor long-established usages more 
 unceremoniously beaten to the ground. This is 
 not the place to enter into a discussion or analysis 
 of Mr. Isaac's arguments in this book. Suffice it 
 to say, that the severity of its tone, the fearless- 
 ness of its rebukes, its unsparing and almost mer- 
 ciless invectives, and its bold and well-sustained 
 claims for the equal right of all preachers of the 
 gospel to minister in holy things without interrup- 
 tion, at once startled the community and excited 
 general attention. Although the sentiments of the 
 author could not properly be said to involve the 
 body of which he was a member, yet there is al- 
 ways, in such a case, a tendency in the public 
 mind to attribute to the body opinions which a 
 prominent member deliberately publishes, especi- 
 ally when the position of the body, in reference to 
 the subject discussed, is somewhat doubtful, as 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHEKS. 139 
 
 ■was the case with the British Conference of the 
 Wesleyan Methodists. 
 
 The pertinacity with which both Churchmen and 
 Dissenters persisted in attributing the sentiments 
 avowed by Mr. Isaac, in reference to the principle 
 of an estabhshed church, to his brethren in the 
 ministry, gave many of them considerable annoj'- 
 ance, they not holding his extreme views — many 
 dissenting from them totally — and, perhaps, all 
 disapproving of the severe and uncourteous lan- 
 guage of many parts of the book. It is doubtful, 
 however, whether the Conference would officially 
 have taken notice of the matter but for the follow- 
 ing circumstances. Mr. Isaac desired to advertise 
 his work in the Wesleyan Methodist Magazine. A 
 committee, appointed annually by the Conference, 
 is charged with the oversight of all advertisements 
 and other business matters connected with the 
 Magazine, who, after due dehberation, judged it 
 best to refuse the apphcation, principally on the 
 groimd that the announcement of such a book by 
 a Methodist preacher, through the Methodist Maga- 
 zine, the recognized organ of the body, might be 
 constiixed into an approval of its contents and its 
 spirit ; or that at least it would be a tacit acknow- 
 ledgment that it was not deemed objectionable, 
 since a paragraph stands at the head of the ad- 
 vertising sheet, advising the public that a supervi- 
 sory power is exercised. At any rate the com- 
 mittee had a right to exclude the advertisement 
 if they thought proper ; and, perhaps, under the 
 
140 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 circumstances they acted wisely, and in accordance 
 with their responsibiUty to the Conference. The 
 dispute between the Dissenters and the friends of 
 the Established Church Avas then running very 
 high. The Wesleyan Conference had always stood 
 aloof from the quarrel ; and the committee as faith- 
 ful stewards were bovmd to take this fact into con- 
 sideration. Mr. Isaac, however, felt aggrieved by 
 their refusal ; and some of his less judicious friends 
 made it a matter of serious complaint. At the en- 
 suing Conference the committee presented their 
 report, and as much censure had been cast upon 
 this action, it was made the subject of full expla- 
 nation and remark. The report was accepted, and 
 the following resolution was adopted, by a vote of 
 one hundred and nineteen to eighty-six : — 
 
 " Resolved, That the Conference approve of the 
 conduct of their book committee in London, in 
 having refused to facilitate the circulation of a 
 book on Ecclesiastical Claims, which was printed 
 in Scotland, and pubhshed by a member of our 
 connection ; and deem it a public duty to declare, 
 in the fear of God, their most decided disapproba- 
 tion of various passages contained in it, as well as 
 of the general spirit and style of it, which the Con- 
 ference believe to be luibecoming and unchristian." 
 
 In the year 1820 Mr. Isaac was appointed to 
 the Leicester circuit, and there formed an acquaint- 
 ance with the great Robert Hall, which ripened 
 into a warm and permanent friendship. Differ- 
 ently as the two men were constituted, they had 
 
SKETCHES OF -WTTSLETAN PBEACHERS. 141 
 
 some sentiments in common — the same ardent love 
 of liberty, and something of the same abruptness 
 of manner, and each delighted in burning his idol. 
 In their style of preaching they differed widely. 
 At each other's houses they would sit together for 
 hours conversing and smoking, canvassing the wor- 
 thies of theological literature, and bewailing the 
 mental dwarfishness and the puerility of modem 
 days. Leicester might almost be said to be the 
 head quarters of the Baptist denomination in Eng- 
 land. Yet here, with the prospect of remaining 
 probably two years on the circuit, Mr. Isaac pub- 
 Ushed his ne.xt work, entitled " Baptism Discussed ; 
 containing Scripture Principles, Precepts, and Pre- 
 cedents, in favor of Baptism of Infants and Lit- 
 tle Children." Some surprise was excited by 
 this publication, because the author's intimacy 
 with Mr. Hall, the champion of the opposite view, 
 was well known. A second edition was soon called 
 for. An anecdote, similar to one current respect- 
 ing Fletcher's Checks, is told in relation to this 
 volume. Some one inquired of Mr. Hall if he had 
 read Mr. Isaac's work. " No," said he, " I have 
 not read it, and I do not intend to read it. I know 
 exactly what he would say. We are very good 
 friends, and I intend that we shall remain so." 
 
 To all forms of prayer in public worship, and to 
 instrumental music in churches, Mr. Isaac had a 
 great dislike. I do not know, however, that he 
 ever carried his opposition to the latter so far as 
 did the Rev. Philip Garrett, who, on one occasion. 
 
142 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PBEACHER6. 
 
 it is said, declared from the pulpit that " if he saw 
 the devil running away with that box of whistles, 
 (meaning the organ,) he would not cry, ' Stop 
 thief.' " The introduction of organs into Methodist 
 chapels Mr. Isaac strenuously opposed, and pub- 
 hshed his sentiments in the form of a pamphlet, 
 entitled Vocal Melody. His known sentiments on 
 this subject led the Leeds separatists to expect his 
 co-operation in their opposition to the action of the 
 Conference authorizing the erection of an organ in 
 Brunswick Chapel. In this they reckoned without 
 their host. So soon as he saw that the organ was 
 made a stalking horse for ulterior objects and radi- 
 cal changes, he turned his face against them, warmly 
 defending his brethren from the unchristian imputa- 
 tions which were cast upon them. He also differed 
 from the majority of the Conference on the ques- 
 tion of ordination by the laying on of hands ; and 
 at the London Conference of 1822 made an able 
 and powerful speech upon the subject. This was 
 part of his deep rooted Dissent, for he was a 
 Dissenter in principle, and it was probably from a 
 knowledge of this, that the Conference never ap- 
 pointed him to a circuit where the fonn of church 
 prayer was read in the chapels. 
 
 About the year 1825 the Roman Catholics made 
 a vigorous attempt to regain somethmg of theii- 
 former power in Great Britain, and directed their 
 efforts especially against the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society. Mr. Isaac promptly came to the 
 rescue, for he was as ardent an opponent of Po- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 143 
 
 pery as any Protestant coiild desire. He had it 
 in contemplation to publish " A Short and Easy 
 Method with the Roman Catholics," adopting part 
 of the title, with something of the plan, of Leslie's 
 unanswerable treatise against the deists. The 
 doctrine of transiibstantiation was to be the prin- 
 cipal point of attack, because, as he observed, and 
 the remark showed that he knew where his strength 
 lay, " it was as capable of being made to appear 
 ridiculous as any topic that could be suggested." 
 And to a friend he further characteristically said, — 
 " If my way to the citadel is clear by one entrance, 
 that will be as good as a thousand minor ones ; 
 and to go in search of others would be a needless 
 waste of time." A condensed argument on tran- 
 substantiation from the pen of Mr. Isaac would 
 have been of great value, and would doubtless 
 have produced a powerful effect. Protestants can- 
 not but regret that he did not carry out his purpose. 
 
 One other work remains to be noticed, in which 
 his talents were united with those of his friend, 
 Rev. James Everett. It was a master-piece of wit 
 and irony, and attracted much attention. It was 
 called " The Head-piece and the Helmet ; or Phre- 
 nology incompatible with Reason and Revelation ;" 
 and was in the form of conversations between 
 "Isaac, the seer," (Mr. Isaac,) and "James, the 
 less," (Mr. Everett.) The miscalled science of 
 phrenolog}' was most immercifully quizzed, and its 
 infidel tendencies were strikingly pointed out in 
 this work. 
 
144 SKEtCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 Great was the gloom cast over the Methodist So- 
 cieties when the intelhgence was spread through the 
 various circuits that Daniel Isaac had been stricken 
 down by paralysis — it seemed an unfitting end for 
 such a man, and was certainly unexpected. That 
 he should linger out his days in helplessness and 
 gloom was an unwelcome thought to all, and the 
 sufferer himself submitted to the dispensation with 
 less reluctance than did his friends, thereby show- 
 ing that the principles he had taught while he 
 "labored in word and doctrine" were those upon 
 which he himself was prepared to act, when op- 
 portunity was given him. Of his final hours I 
 know but little — or rather can, at this distance of 
 time, recall but little. The following extract from 
 the Minutes of the Conference will supply my lack 
 of information : — 
 
 " On Sunday, May 20th, 1832, he was in Man- 
 chester, for the purpose of preaching in behalf of a 
 Sunday school, when he was seized with paralysis, 
 from the deplorable effects of which he never fully 
 recovered. At the following Conference he was 
 so far restored as to justify his third appointment 
 to his old and favorite station, the York circuit ; 
 but he only preached once or twice, and then sunk, 
 the hopeless and sorrowful victim of a disease 
 which no art could remove, and which no atten- 
 tions could assuage. The powers of his mind were 
 awfully impaired. The long and affecting strug- 
 gle between a mind naturally active and vigorous, 
 and a body worn out by an incurable malady, ter- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 145 
 
 minated in his happy death, on Frida)', March 21st, 
 1834. Although the event had been long ex- 
 pected, it produced, notwithstanding, a great sen- 
 sation ; and his funeral, which took place on the 
 following Thursday, sen-ed to show that his friends 
 in York and its neighborhood had not lost their re- 
 collection of his worth ; a long train of voluntary 
 mourners giving to the solemnity an unusual and 
 affecting interest. Daniel Isaac was an eminent, a 
 good, and a useful man ; and has passed into that 
 blessed state, in which, with his brethren that had 
 gone before, he for ever proves that his ' labor has 
 not been in vain in the Lord.' " 
 
 A great and good man was Daniel Isaac, doing 
 everything from principle and a conviction of duty. 
 More polished shafts has God employed in the 
 ministry — a tnier man, never. Kind, and gener- 
 ous, and self-denying, he was yet finn in the main- 
 tenance of the right, just toward all, and enjoyed 
 with a grateful heart the pleasures of social inter- 
 course. At the call of duty he would leave the 
 sweetest dehghts of converse and home to minister 
 to the wants of the poor, and to visit the widow 
 and the fatherless. Verily he hath now his reward : 
 
 " Far from a world of grief and sin, 
 With God eternally shut in." 
 10 
 
146 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 Samuel ^ick. 
 
 " Jest not at preacher's language or condition ; — 
 How knowest thou but thy sins made lum miscarry ? 
 Then turn thy faults and his into confession. 
 God sent him, whatsoe'er he be. O tarry, 
 And love him for liis Master I His condition, 
 Tiiough it be ill, makes him no ill physician." 
 
 Herbert'! Church Porch. 
 
 Samuel Hick, the "Village Blacksmith," was a 
 Wesleyan Methodist local preacher ; but his fame 
 and usefulness were not confined to his own lo- 
 cality. As a preacher, he alone was his own 
 parallel, nor is it likely that nature and grace will 
 again meet in so strange a combination. His per- 
 sonal appearance, especially when in connection 
 with his pulpit ministrations, made a first impres- 
 sion not the most favorable. His " huge, unwieldy, 
 Herculean frame," his ungainly gait, his coarse and 
 strongly marked features, his disregard of fitting 
 habiliments — all tended to this ; but the feeling 
 gave way before closer observation. The coarse- 
 ness of the features was compensated by a broad 
 good-humor, that lurked not in the eye, nor about 
 the mouth, but played over the whole face — like 
 the reflection of light upon a polished surface — 
 assuming something of shrewdness as it lingered 
 for a moment in his small quick eye, then irradiat- 
 ing his whole countenance with sincerity, and good- 
 ness, and gushing good-will to all mankind. As 
 he ascended the pulpit stairs, they would creak 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 147 
 
 beneath his ponderous frame. The opening hymn 
 would be read in a broad Yorkshiie dialect : 
 
 " We knatc, hy faath we knavr, 
 If this \Tle hoose of claah, 
 Tliis tabernacle sink belaw. 
 In rooinous decaaA ;" 
 
 yet with an intensity of feeling which could pro- 
 ceed only from tlie heart of one who testified of 
 that of whicli he felt ; and his utterance of the hymn 
 won the heart of at least the pious portion of his 
 congregation. The spirit which animated his 
 soul passed hke hghtning through the assembly ; 
 the holy tire was kindled in their souls ; and all 
 joined heartily in singing the joyous anthem. On 
 such an occasion the writer first heard " Sammy 
 Hick" preach. The man of God was then far 
 past the meridian of life, and was somewhat infirm. 
 At the conclusion of the first hymn, he slowly 
 knelt down, and remained silent a few seconds ; 
 then lifting up his voice, he commenced an earnest 
 supplication, with great power, and clothed in 
 language remarkable for its shnplicity. Prayer 
 was his stronghold ; not that he had studied the 
 subject, but he had habitually practiced the duty, 
 and it had become his delight. He knew nothmg 
 of formularies, was ignorant of what divines liave 
 pronounced essential to the composition of public 
 prayer, and had read none of their elaborate trea- 
 tises. He had learned " a more excellent way." 
 All he desired to know was that God was his re- 
 conciled Father, ever more willing to be.stow than 
 
148 SKETCHES OF ■WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 his child was to receive. No plan or arrangement 
 seemed to him so natural as asking directly for the 
 blessing which he believed that he or his congre- 
 gation needed ; and his first petition generally Avas, 
 " Lord, teach us how to pray." The possibihty of 
 not being heard in the thing that he prayed for 
 never entered his thoughts ; and in this, doubtless, 
 lay his strength, and the wonderful prevalency of 
 his intercessions. He believed the Savioiu-, who 
 had said, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in 
 my name, it shall be given unto you:" " be it ac- 
 cording to thy faith." On one occasion, when 
 some one of weaker faith suggested to him that he 
 was a little bold in his petitions, his reply was 
 characteristic of the man : " Hey ! bless thee, bairn, 
 that 's the way I get what I want. Try it, bairn, 
 try it. It answers well." He was indeed mighty 
 in prayer, and would take no denial.* On this oc- 
 casion he indulged in no expressions which seemed 
 designed to propitiate Jehovah, nor did he usually. 
 He knew that a path was opened to the mercy- 
 seat, and consecrated to the believer ; and he 
 therefore approached the throne of grace without 
 
 * Mr. Everett, in his Life of Dawson, relates, that once at a 
 prayer meeting, where Hick was present, one of the mourners had 
 failed to find peace. As Samuel, after the benediction was pro- 
 nounced, was leaving the house, some of the friends said to him, 
 " You wiU not leave the person in distress ?" " Bless you, bairns," 
 he sharply returned : " she will serve as a match to kindle the fire 
 with to-morrow night." As notliing like contrivance or manage- 
 ment ever entered into Sammy's thoughts or arrangements, he 
 must have been somewhat wanting in faith, or failing in physical 
 strength, when he made this reply. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 149 
 
 circumlocution, entering into the holiest place as 
 one who had often been there ; as one who knew 
 that he had a staiiding invitation, (as he would 
 have said,) and was alw"ays welcome. He never 
 made long prayers, either "for a pretence," or 
 with a better motive ; but followed the advice witli 
 which he woxild sometimes interrupt a long-winded 
 brother in the prayer meeting, and " prayed short," 
 seldom exceeding five minutes, but in that time he 
 had asked for great things, and the power of the 
 Holy One had descended upon himself and upon 
 the people. 
 
 I cannot recall the preacher's text at tliis dis- 
 tant time, but the lapse of memory is of no import- 
 ance, as " Sammy's " text seldom returned to him 
 after it went out from him, and his sermon was not 
 adapted to remind his congregation that he had 
 ever selected one. The passage announced, his 
 large features glowing with the warmth of love, he 
 commenced thus : " Noo, friends, I 'm not bown 
 [going] to preach ye a sarmon : you mim [must] 
 take it warm off 't backst'n.* I never but yance 
 [once] made a sarmon i' my life ; an' then I cam 
 into 't chapel as prood as the divel an' my sar- 
 mon could mak me. At 't first step o't pulpit 
 stairs awaay went text ; upo 't second step 't in- 
 troduction went ; upo 't third step 't first heead 
 were goon ; upo 't fowrth step I lost 't second 
 
 * Backbone : a large circular iron plate, used in Yorkshire to 
 bake what are called " short cakes," which are eaten at breakfast 
 or tea hot as they are taken off the backstone. 
 
160 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 heead ; an' afore I gat into 't pulpit 't sarmon an' 
 't application were all goon. So I kneeled doon, 
 and prayed for marc)' ; and promised the Lord 
 that if he 'd pardon me that yance, I 'd nivver 
 male another sarmon as lang as I lived. [Sammy 
 had the reputation of having conscientiously kept 
 that vow.] But bless ye, friends, I hev summut 
 to tell ye. Bless the Lord, I 'm as happy as a 
 king ! The Lord 's pardoned my sins ; and he '11 
 pardon yours, if you'll nubbut [only] repent and 
 believe." And blending with them snatches of his 
 own joyful experience, he launched out into faith- 
 ful reproof, exhortation, and encouragement, with 
 such unction from on high, and occasionally with 
 such shrewdness and force, that the most volatile 
 were overawed, and sinners trembled before the 
 word of the Lord. At the conclusion of the ser- 
 vice, a prayer meeting was held, at which fnxits 
 of his ministry appeared. 
 
 Sammy Hick (for I can call him by no less 
 familiar name — had any one addressed him as Mr. 
 Hick, it is doubtful whether Sammy would have 
 known that he was meant) had a careful wife, 
 known as Matty : a woman of sound principle, who, 
 while somewhat jealous of her husband's genero- 
 sity, was always ready to contribute according to 
 her ability when circimistances justified liberality. 
 She kept a watchfid eye upon his movements, 
 and was sometimes a check upon his impulses, 
 not only in the matter of giving, but also some- 
 times in other ways. Sammy betrayed this on 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 151 
 
 one occasion, much to the amusement of those 
 who lieard him. 
 
 He was not often called upon to co-operate at 
 missionary meetings, in which respect he differed 
 very widely from another popular and eccentric local 
 preacher — " Billy Dawson, the Yorkshire farmer " 
 — a sketch of whom will be foimd in this volume. 
 Herein, it must be acknowledged, the managers 
 of those meetings exercised a wise discretion. 
 Platform-speaking was not the department of la- 
 bor in which our subject most shone, or felt most 
 at home. He was a man of " one idea " — his en- 
 grossing desire being the present salvation of every 
 sinner within the sound of his voice, and to this 
 phase of 
 
 " A yearning pity for mankind, 
 A burning charity," 
 
 he sought to make everything subservient. Occa- 
 sionally, however, he appeared upon the platform 
 as the advocate of gospel missions to the heathen ; 
 and once in the city of York. The Rev. Richard 
 Watson, then one of the missionary secretaries, at- 
 tended the same meeting, with other popular di- 
 vines. The chapel was crowded, and York audi- 
 ences are proverbial for respectability and intelli- 
 gence. It is believed that the committee having 
 the management of the meeting had some mis- 
 givings about haAing invited Sammy, and the 
 earlier to get rid of their anxiety arranged for him 
 to speak first, after the reading of the report. He 
 smiled when his name was annoimced, for he had 
 
152 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 a spark of innocent and pardonable vanity, and 
 with a peculiar and ungraceful action, consequent 
 upon not wearing suspenders, approached the 
 front of the platform, and in a strong voice ex- 
 claimed, " Let 's sing a bit ;" gi\nng out with Ids 
 usual energy and breadth of dialect his favorite 
 verse : — 
 
 " This is tlie waah the prophets went. 
 The road that leads frae baxiishment ; 
 The icing's highwaah of holiness, — 
 I 'U goa, for all his paths are peace." 
 
 He struck the time and sung the verse through 
 almost before the congregation had recovered from 
 their surprise at this novel mode of conducting a 
 missionary meeting. His associates on the plat- 
 form looked unutterable things at each other, and 
 Mr. Watson's countenance plainly indicated the 
 shock which his fine taste and high sense of pro- 
 priety had received. The stanza concluded, Sam- 
 my Hick, undaunted by the general amazement, 
 commenced his speech by relating his religious ex- 
 perience — " Bless the Lord ! Glory be to God ! 
 I'se very happy. We're bown to have a good 
 time, friends. I feel the fire burning i' my heart, — 
 
 ' Praise God for what he 's done for me, 
 / </ance was bhnd, but noo I see ; 
 I on the brink of ruin fell, 
 Glory to God I'se not in hell.' " 
 
 He continued in this strain for a few minutes, much 
 to the annoyance of Mr. Watson, who, at length, 
 left the platform to conceal his mortification. The 
 " Village Blacksmith " was then unknown to him. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 153 
 
 but was, on better acquaintance, loved and honored 
 by him. The people, however, understood Sammy. 
 His earnest simplicity and the warm glow of his 
 piety had its effect upon them, and soon there was 
 the " shout of a king in the camp." This set the 
 speaker on his high horse, and he plunged at 
 once into the heart of the great subject he was 
 expected to advocate, picturing in short but forci- 
 ble sentences the misery of the heathen, who 
 knew nothing of Christ and his precious salvation, 
 and the duty of those who had experienced his 
 saving grace, until throwing off all restraint he de- 
 clared, with much feeling and equal simplicity, — 
 " Why, bless ye, friends, I 'd gang [go] for a mis- 
 sionary to-morn [to-morrow] if it 'd please God to 
 remove t' hinderance, but my old Matty weant let 
 me, but may be" — The remainder of the sen- 
 tence was lost in a perfect outbreak of laughter, 
 Avhich disconcerted him a little, and he turned to 
 the chairman as though he would ask an explana- 
 tion. The chairman himself, then mayor of the 
 city, was in the midst of a smothered cachinnation, 
 but he contrived to stammer out, " Go on, Sammy, 
 go on," whereupon the speaker resumed, without 
 altering a muscle of his face or in any other way 
 betraying the consciousness of having made any 
 extraordinary revelation ; and a good feeling was 
 excited in that meeting which wanned many cold 
 hearts, and promoted the spiritual welfare of the 
 people as well as the pecuniary interests of the 
 missionary cause ; albeit the good man's confes- 
 
154 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 sion about the hinderance, coupled witli Matty's re- 
 fusal to let him go, remained a standing joke at 
 his expense. He meant to saj^ nothing more than 
 that the circumstance of having an aged and faith- 
 fvd ^vife dependent upon him was a reason why he 
 should not go, but that if God should indicate his 
 will, that Sammy should take his life in his hand 
 and go forth to preach the gospel to the Gentiles, 
 by such a dispensation as the removal of Matty, 
 no personal consideration would for a moment 
 make him disobedient to the heavenly call.* 
 
 Many instances of overflowing kindness of heart 
 and readiness to relieve the wants of others, with- 
 out regard to cost or labor, are related of Samuel 
 Hick. The follo^ving may be taken as a fair speci- 
 men. Calling upon his sister one day at Tadcaster, 
 he said, " Thou hast a poor fire." She returned, 
 " We are not so near the pit as j^ou." He made 
 no reply, went home, rose early the next morning, 
 proceeded to the pit, loaded his cart, and before 
 eight o'clock left a load of coals before his sister's 
 door, and returned home without looking into the 
 house — being a distance of twenty miles there and 
 back. The neighbors, as the coals lay undisturbed, 
 said to her, " Why don't you get your coals in ?" 
 
 * On one occasion, says Mr. Everett, a grave man on a mission- 
 ary platform, knowing tliat Samuel had to speak, wliispered to him, 
 " Let us have no levity to-day, Sammy." When he arose, he ob- 
 served, " Mr. J., sitting there, [pointing to liim,] says, ' Let us have 
 no levity to-day.' 'Why, bless him, as to himself, he can nothcr mak 
 folk laugh nor cry." To another gentleman, who said, " Be short, 
 Sammy," as he arose to speak, he smartly returned, " Stop a bit ; 
 I 've not begun yet." 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAK PREACHERS. 155 
 
 She looked surprised, and could not be persuaded 
 that she had any claim to them until she was in- 
 formed that her brother had placed them there. 
 
 All untutored in the customs and fashions of 
 the world as was the "Village Blacksmith," no 
 man was a more welcome guest among the wealthy 
 and intelhgent members of the Methodist societies, 
 for he carried a blessing with him wherever he 
 went. His ingenuousness and simplicity atoned for 
 any lack of more fashionable qualifications. He 
 was a HvTng exemphfication of the truth, — " If 
 thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of 
 hght." His singleness of purpose saved him from 
 restraint or awkwardness : rude he could not be ; 
 his heart was too full of gentleness and love. He 
 yearned to teach others the way of salvation, and 
 to lead them in paths of righteousness. He would 
 fain have imparted to all within his reach the per- 
 fect love which he enjoyed, and which he preached 
 in the domestic circle as well as from the pulpit. 
 Perhaps no man was more sensitive to the tem- 
 perature of the spiritual atmosphere aroimd him, 
 and when he found it less fen id than his own he 
 was promptly upon his knees, asking for a fresh 
 infusion of the heavenly fire into that family. Such 
 was Samuel Hick, always rejoicing, yet always 
 praymg for larger blessings ; always faithful in re- 
 proving sin and lukewarmness, yet seldom giving 
 oflTense by his fidehty, because it was always appa- 
 rent that love for souls was his governing and only 
 motive. He died as he lived, in the triumph of 
 
156 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 faith, and will shine in glory " as the stars for ever 
 and ever," for he "turned many to righteous- 
 ness."* 
 
 * A characteristic circumstance is related of the death of this 
 good man. His mammoth bulk has already been referred to. 
 Shortly before lus death he became apparently unconscious, and 
 the mourners around his bed spoke in low whispers of his exit. It 
 appeared as though every breath would be his last ; and his friends 
 began to anticipate the immediate performance of the last rites for 
 the dying saint. The difficulty of carrying down a narrow staircase 
 so large and heavy a corpse as his, when coffined, occuiTed to one 
 of the bystanders, who mentioned the difficulty to another, little 
 supposing that " Sammy " would comprehend or even hear his re- 
 mark. But the old man did hear, and roused himself to notice it. 
 Speaking with apparent ease and with the utmost calmness, he 
 said, " Friends, ye 've been takken thowt for my poor body ; I '11 tell 
 ye what t' do. When I dee, u tak a couple o' sheets, an carry me 
 down stairs in 'em by 't four corners, and tlien put nic in 't coffin." 
 After this he relapsed into a state of apparent insensibiUty, during 
 which his old friend " Billy Dawson " entered tlie room. In a little 
 time he aroused himself, and greeted his friend with a smile of re- 
 cognition. Soon afterward he suddenly exclaimed, " Nurse, nurse, 
 get 't sheets ready," — and expired. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 157 
 
 lamc0 dvtntt 
 
 " He keeps his honesty and truth, 
 His independent tongue and pen." 
 
 The Rev. James Everett, the reputed author of 
 " Wesleyan Centenary Takings," a book which will 
 be more particularly noticed in the progress of this 
 sketch, presents nothing remarkable in personal 
 appearance. He is about five feet nine or ten 
 inches in height ; neither spare nor robust in frame ; 
 light complexioned, with a mild expression in the 
 eye ; has a pleasant, mellow, voice and is constitu- 
 tionally active. He is probably about fifty-five 
 years of age ; is a native of the north of England — 
 of Alnwick, in Northumberland — and was sent out 
 into the itinerancy by Rev. William Bramwell. In 
 his early ministry his sermons were remarkable for 
 their profusion of rich, poetic imagerj^ and he was 
 full of bimiing zeal. He still holds good rank as 
 a preacher, and is often employed to preach " oc- 
 casional sermons," or sermons in behalf of mis- 
 sions, Sunday schools, and other benevolent church 
 institutions. He displays to this day a highly poetic 
 and vivid imagination, a gift which, m the hands 
 of a skillful public speaker, is an important element 
 of usefulness and popularity. This was well un- 
 derstood by the great and venerated Robert Hall, 
 who was accustomed to attribute much of his suc- 
 cess as a preacher to the possession of this faculty. 
 
168 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 The subject of this sketch, there is reason to be- 
 lieve, well knows its value and its legitimate use, 
 and in his younger days wielded it with skill and 
 effect. With increase of years has naturally come 
 a diminution of this power, and with that some de- 
 crease of popularity, especially as Mr. Everett, on 
 account of an affection of the throat, was compelled 
 for a season to retire from the itinerancy, or be- 
 come a " supernumerary,"* and engage m secular 
 business, the cares of which have a very sedative 
 effect upon a poetic fancy. This supernumerary 
 episode probably had its mfluence upon the public 
 mind ; it withdrew him for a season from general 
 observation, and to a great extent from intercourse 
 with the churches. 
 
 Without intending any reference to this individual 
 instance, it may be remarked that temporary " loca- 
 tion," as we term it, is fraught Avith serious disad- 
 vantages to a minister of the gospel, of which the 
 suspension of enlarged intercourse with the saints 
 of God is not the most serious, for religion may be 
 enjoyed in all its purity and fervor in his more se- 
 cluded and secular walk. But when a man's more 
 vigorous life has been spent aloof from the world 
 
 * One of the older preachers, lisiting a circuit place for the first 
 time after he became superannuated, informed his hostess that lie 
 was now become a supernumerary, and should remain, as a resident, 
 in the circuit town, probably for the remainder of liis life ; adding, 
 what he perhaps thought would be agreeable inteUigence, that " he 
 should often come out to preach there, though he v>as a supernu- 
 merary." " Supernumerary !" echoed the old lady, " supernumerary ! 
 why I always thought that meant one more than was wanted." How 
 the old man brooked the hint, tradition saith not. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 159 
 
 and apart from its cares and maxims — when for 
 years lie has been schoohug himself lightly to 
 esteem the things of this life and has had his con- 
 versation in heaven — he is but ill prepared to come 
 down from the mount to struggle and fight his way 
 into commerce and secular subsistence. Upon such 
 a one temporal anxieties will press with tenfold 
 more weight than upon him who has been early 
 inducted into the secrets of trade, and has had un- 
 interrupted experience in the fashions and cu.stoms 
 of commercial men ; the danger is inuninent that 
 his new employment and responsibihties will awaken 
 in his breast another spirit than that holy tender- 
 ness and spirituaUty of soul which constitute the 
 glory of the minister of Jesus Christ, and are the 
 " sweet savor" of his ministry. Few men, in such 
 change of circumstances, can preserv e that atmos- 
 phere of the closet and of heaven — that intangible 
 and undefinable, but real and self-evident, presence 
 of the Holy Ghost — that habitual and hallowed 
 communion with God, without which the ministiy 
 of the word of life is but the fearful responsibihty 
 of office. They find it easier to become " wise as 
 serpents " than to continue " harmless as doves ;" 
 and the religion which once made them " ■v'iolent 
 in fight," sickens and droops until it can scarcely 
 govern the unruly chadel of " Mansoul." Yet the 
 church seldom makes allowance for this change. 
 While ceasing to care for the supernumerary's 
 temporahties, it exacts from him the full tale of 
 spirituality and zeal in the cause of Christ and on 
 
160 SKETCHES OFWESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 their behalf; and forgetting that he, who once 
 served at the altar and taught them the deep 
 things of God, is, in this privation of his greatest 
 jo)^ more than ever entitled to their sympathies, 
 they are but too ready with their censure if he 
 seem to be less perfect in faith and love than 
 when the work of the ministry was his only care. 
 
 But to return to Mr. Everett. I first saw and 
 heard him, some sixteen years since, at Sheffield, 
 Yorkshire, His text was Psalm Ixxxiv, 11 : " The 
 Lord God is a sun and a shield ; he will give grace 
 and glory ; and no good thing will he withhold from 
 them that walk uprightly." The plan of the ser- 
 mon was simple, natural, and rather common- 
 place. There were no indications of genius in the 
 outhne, and any one hearing Mr. Everett for the 
 first time, drawn thither by the preacher's reputa- 
 tion, would be likely to feel some disappointment. 
 As Mr. Everett unfolded his subject, however, the 
 hearer began to feel an interest which the intro- 
 ductory remarks did not excite, and it soon became 
 apparent that the preacher had resources, both of 
 matter and manner, that were yet to be called into 
 play. Sentence after sentence would arrest the 
 attention by its remarkable appositeness — flashes 
 of fight, betokening the surcharged cloud and the 
 coming shower — and soon a torrent of eloquence 
 dropped fatness upon every soul. For the filfing 
 up of his discourse — the effective, telHng part of 
 his sermon — the preacher seemed to rely upon his 
 own experience, his familiarity with evangefical 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 161 
 
 trath, and tlie glow of feeling which the subject 
 excited in himself, aided by a wai-m imagination, 
 great fluency of speech, and consummate skill in 
 pictorial representation. When he was warmed by 
 liis subject, the congregation was earned away by 
 his eloquence ; when this inspiration was lacking, 
 he was in danger of being trite if not tedious. In 
 some of the scenic passages he rose into sublimity, 
 giving proof of refined genius and awakening most 
 hallowed emotions. 
 
 At times Mr. Everett descends to remarks which 
 make liis hearers marvel that such contrariety of 
 thought and speech can proceed from the same 
 person ; and he sometimes commits the common 
 error of mistaking bluntness for fidelity. To an 
 uncharitable hearer, he would, at such times, ap- 
 pear to take pleasure in browbeating and defying 
 liis audience. Not many years ago, he was sta- 
 tioned in the Newcastle-upon-Tyne circuit, where 
 the congregations have the reputation of great in- 
 telligence and a critical spirit. It had long been 
 taken for granted, that the conference, in view of 
 this state of things, and ha\ing due regard to the 
 interests of Methodism, was under obligation to 
 send only superior men to that circuit, for " the 
 Newcastle people required intellectual preaching, 
 and would listen to no other." I think it was Mr. 
 E.'s first appointment after his temporary location. 
 Whether any protest against the appointment had 
 been made to the conference, which is scarcely pro- 
 bable, or whether, which is much more hkely, 
 11 
 
162 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 some of the self-elected critics had volunteered 
 unpalatable counsel, is immaterial. Mr. Everett's 
 attention was called to the prevaihng sentiment ; 
 and having satisfied himself that there was more 
 of pretension than reality in their claim to intel- 
 lectual superiority ; that those who assumed to be 
 extensive readers, sustained that reputation rather 
 by consulting periodicals and reviews, than by 
 studious and patient research ; he resolved to re- 
 buke their "vain philosophy," and bring down 
 their lofty imagination. Selecting a week-night 
 service as most suitable for the purpose, the con- 
 gregation being then composed mainly, if not 
 exclusively, of members of society, and leaning 
 over the front of the pulpit as he came to the pith 
 and marrow of his discourse, he rated the people 
 on their sins of the spirit, and especially on the sin 
 of listening with itching ears, until he had pretty 
 well stripped them of their vain-glorying, and had 
 wrought a conviction in their minds that James 
 Everett was not the preacher to feed them with the 
 " philosophy of men," or to fear the criticism of 
 any to whom he might be sent to declare the whole 
 counsel of God. Other ministers — every Wesleyan 
 preacher — would have been equally faithful, though 
 they might not equally have breathed defiance. 
 But this is Mr. Everett's greatest fault. He loves 
 to have the hornets about his ears — often raises a 
 storm by his pungent satire, and certainly never 
 quails before it. Some persons think that he is 
 over solicitous to have credit for independence, and 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 163 
 
 in his resolve to earn that reputation, is not suffi- 
 ciently considerate for the feelings, or careful of the 
 convenience, of others. 
 
 The subject of om- sketch is, and always was, a 
 great favorite with the people. He is no respecter 
 of persons for their wealth or station's sake. If 
 sent as a missionary to the East Indies, he would 
 soon introduce trouble into the camp by his deter- 
 mined opposition to caste ; for in his war upon it 
 he would listen to no compromise. He has a manly 
 heart, and loves a manly nature wherever he finds 
 it. Nor shoidd it be supposed, from what has been 
 already said, that he is lacking in good nature. 
 The reverse is the truth, and his ire is only kindled 
 when he conceives that tinsel is passing for solid 
 gold, and pretension reaping honor not its due ; or 
 when he thinks that the right of private judgment, 
 or civil liberty, is infringed. Tlien he anns himself 
 for the battle, and no one can be more fearless as 
 to results. 
 
 Mr. Everett is a great lover of the antique, and 
 has a passion for old reUcs ; will travel a great 
 distance, and expend much labor to secure the 
 smallest trifle decidedly ante-diluvian, and will pro- 
 bably, Uke othei-s who ride hobbies, in his eager- 
 ness to possess the coveted treasure, fail to discern 
 that it bears indubitable evidence of being con- 
 siderably j90s;-diluvian in its origin. It is said 
 that his warm personal friend. Dr. Adam Clarke, 
 was wont to twit hira unmercifidly upon this foible ; 
 and in one of his letters requested Mr. E. to send 
 
164 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 him, should he meet with it in hunting through 
 the "curiosity-shops," " the horn-book out of which 
 Eve taught Cain his letters." Were not the re- 
 verend gentleman's Protestantism beyond sus- 
 picion, there might be ground to fear that, for a 
 sight of their relics, he would go over to the Roman 
 Catholics. 
 
 It is, however, as a biographer that Mr. Everett 
 is most widely known. In this character he is 
 popular through the length and breadth of his 
 native land, and his name is familiar to the majority 
 of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United 
 States. It may be noticed that he has confined 
 liis biographical labors to a certain class of subjects. 
 His mind is eminently fitted to comprehend, and 
 lucidly exhibit, the prominences of a character. 
 In travehng through this country, his eye would 
 detect little beauty in our gently undulating prai- 
 ries, vast and magnificent though they are, and 
 novel though the sight would be to him ; but his 
 whole countenance would glow with admiration 
 and delight were he to gaze upon the romantic 
 scenery of the Hudson, or the CatskOl Mountains, 
 or the Falls at Paterson, or the Notch in New- 
 Hampshire, or the Water Gap in Delaware, or the 
 Natiu-al Bridge in Virginia. So in illustrating an 
 argument, or exhibiting a doctrinal truth, or de- 
 lineating a character, the finer shades of diiference, 
 the features in repose, would to a great cjctcnt be 
 overlooked, and those strongly marked alone be 
 dwelt upon. Upon these he likes to work, and 
 
SKETCHES OF ^VESLEYAN PREACHEKS. 165 
 
 under his plastic touch they assume a positive 
 identit}', and glo-sv with the warmth of real hfe. 
 Hence he has selected such subjects for his bio- 
 graphical sketches, and the portraits are at once 
 recognized by all who are familiar ■n-ith the ori- 
 ginals. His Wall's-cnd Miner, Village Blacksmith, 
 and Memoir of William Dawson, have been exceed- 
 ingly popular, and will continue to afford both 
 pleasure and profit to pious Methodists of both 
 hemispheres for man}' successive generations. The 
 ViUa<ie Blacksmith is a biography of " Sammy 
 Hick," the subject of one of these sketches. In 
 the eight years succeeding its first publication it 
 passed through as many editions, and its republi- 
 cation in this country, by the Methodist Book 
 Room, has added thousands to its circulation. It 
 is the best of his biographies, because most faithful 
 to the original. The WalVs-etvl Miner has been 
 much read, and has still a constant and steady 
 sale ; but the subject of it was not so universally 
 known as good old Sammy. It is an exceDent 
 book, well calculated to promote personal piety. 
 
 In the Memoir of Mr. Dawson a fault is very 
 apparent, which in former works from the same 
 pen was occasionally to be seen. There was no 
 need of Mr. Everett's name upon the title-page ; 
 for ever}' page beyond bears his image and super- 
 scription, in the numerous quotations from classic 
 authoi"s, the "fathers," and the ancient philoso- 
 phers. It is true that, inasmuch as the subject 
 now sitting was of superior mold to those whose 
 
166 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 lineaments the artist had before presented to the 
 public, he was at liberty to display more skill in 
 the picture, and to treat his patrons to a more 
 elaborate composition. But the misfortune is, 
 that the painter, in his excessive desire to produce 
 a perfect work, has to some extent sacrificed the 
 truthfulness of nature, and has so crowded the 
 canvass with touches illustrating his peculiar style 
 of painting, that the eye cannot long rest compo- 
 sedly upon the portrait. 
 
 There is another work, already mentioned, which 
 has given Mr. Everett notoriety. When he became 
 a supernumerary, he took up his residence in Man- 
 chester, where for several years he kept a station- 
 ery and bookstore. His business was profitable ; 
 for of course all the preachers stationed in the 
 Manchester circuits, and they numbered fourteen 
 or fifteen, patronized him, and exerted their influ- 
 ence in his behalf. The establishment being in a 
 central situation, was a sort of rendezvous, lounge, 
 or newsroom, for his brethren ; and on the fore- 
 noons of Saturday and Monday especially, any 
 person wanting to see one of the reverend gentle- 
 men, could easily meet him by calhng in at No. — 
 Market-street. Here many a clerical caucus was 
 held, many an ecclesiastical movement originated, 
 many a Methodistical reform discussed, (for Mr. 
 Everett has always been of the so-called hberal 
 school,) and the religious news of the day talked 
 over. As his brethren in the ministry occasionally 
 had sermons or pamphlets to print, and as a fair 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAX PREACHERS. 167 
 
 amount of "job work" in connection with the 
 various anniversaries of the body was offered to 
 Mr. E., he made an arrangement with a printer, 
 who had an office over his store, and who was 
 also a Wesleyan Methodist, which was mutually 
 advimtageous ; and all the typographical work 
 executed under this agreement bore the imprint of 
 " Thompson & Everett, printers, Manchester." 
 And hereby hangs a tale. 
 
 In the year 1832 were published at this estab- 
 lishment, and sold almost exclusively across Mr. 
 Everett's coimter, numbers one and two of a neat 
 duodecimo pubhcation, the title of which was 
 " Wesleyan Takings," and the motto, " "Whose is 
 this image ? And they said *****'s. And they 
 marveled." The first number of this pubhcation 
 was a minute, elaborate, and fearless, pen portrait 
 of the Rev. Jabez Bunting, extending over some 
 forty pages. Seven asterisks were substituted for 
 the name, and the artist was anonymous. The 
 Methodist pubhc, however, readily recognized both 
 the painter and his subject. The work bore such 
 strong internal evidence of being Mr. Everett's, 
 that no one for a moment entertained a doubt upon 
 the subject ; and it was generally tmderstood that 
 he only dechned to acknowledge its paternity be- 
 cause, from the very nature of the self-imposed 
 task, and for ob^'ious reasons of delicacy, the work 
 could best be prosecuted anonymously. The por- 
 trait, though shghtly deepened in the shading by 
 the painter's " liberal " bias, was strikmgly faithful. 
 
168 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 Mr. Bunting had long been a thorn in the flesh to 
 the avowed enemies of Methodism, nor less so to 
 those, its professed friends, who were seeking 
 radical changes in its constitution. Even the firm- 
 est adherents of Methodism who did not know him 
 intimately, feared him while they loved and vene- 
 rated him for his fidehty to the interests of Method- 
 ism, and his undaunted courage and indomitable 
 perseverance in defending and maintaining those 
 interests. When the first number of the " Tak- 
 ings " was issued, there was much latent radicalism 
 in the Manchester societies ; and it was thought by 
 some that Mr. Everett secretly approved of tlie 
 disaffection. This sketch of Mr. (now Dr.) Bunting 
 took the whole town by surprise ; for while it 
 gave evidence in many of its passages that the 
 writer differed in some of his views from the great 
 ruler of the Methodistic Israel, and Avhile he ex- 
 pressed his own sentiments and his estimate of 
 Mr. Bunting and his position with the most perfect 
 freedom and fearlessness, he was yet thoroughly 
 loyal to the constitution of Methodism, and both 
 loved and admired the man of whom he wrote. 
 
 Number three of that series never was published ; 
 but at the time of the "Centenary Conference "an 
 elegantly printed volume made its appearance, 
 bearing this title : " Wesleyan Takuigs ; or Cen- 
 tenary Sketches of Ministerial Character, as exhi- 
 bited in the Wesleyan Connection during the first 
 Hundred Years of its Existence. [Here followed 
 the motto already quoted.] London : Hamilton, 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 169 
 
 Adams, & Co." Copies of this work were re- 
 ceived in advance by Mr. Everett's successor in 
 business, (his nephew,) Mr. E. having, in the mean 
 time, resumed his itinerant labors. Through his 
 nephew, also, a hberal supply was furnished to the 
 trade in Manchester, and, in frequent conversations 
 with the wTiter, that gentleman virtually acknow- 
 ledged that the work was Mr. Everett's. More- 
 over the two sketches published m 1832 were m- 
 corporated in this volume. The work gave offense 
 generally to the preachers, or rather was disapproved 
 by them. Great anxiety was felt by the "heads 
 of houses " to ascertain the authorship with cer- 
 tainty ; but the ordinary guide of a printer's name 
 was lackmg. No one doubted its paternity — no 
 intelligent person could doubt that the Rev. James 
 Everett was the author of the " Wesleyan Cen- 
 tenary Takings ;" but the legal proof, so to speak, 
 was wanting, and fruitless were all efforts to obtain 
 it. The book, in every feature, was a novelty in 
 Methodism ; and, if written by one of the preachers, 
 involved a principle which none of the brother- 
 hood had been bold enough to avow, and which it 
 was not supposed that any entertained — the right 
 of one member publicly to sit in judgment upon 
 the ministerial talents of his brethren. The Wes- 
 leyan Methodist Magazine denounced the book in 
 very strong terms ; yet, and perhaps all the more 
 rapidly, it passed to a second and third edition; 
 and with the third was published a preface reflect- 
 ing with severity upon the general management 
 
1*70 SKETCHES OF WESLEVAN PREACHERS. 
 
 of the Magazine. This preface, on account of the 
 intimate acquaintance displayed with the concerns 
 of the Methodist Book Room and the doings of the 
 Committee of Management, increased the general 
 behef that the author of the volume was a member 
 of the Conference, while the attack upon one of 
 the organs of the body seemed to require that 
 official notice should be taken of the matter. 
 
 In the British Conference all business is trans- 
 acted with closed doors, but as some four hundred 
 preachers are billeted among the members and 
 friends of the Wesleyan Church, the doings of the 
 body on subjects of general interest mostly leak 
 out, nor indeed is any strict secrecy in such matters 
 enjoined. The subject was brought up by Dr. 
 Bunting. The principal topic of animadversion was 
 the third preface, but it was further objected to the 
 book that an irreverent use was made of passages 
 of Scripture, they being sometimes employed to 
 give point to a witticism. This is apparently true, 
 and is perhaps the only tangible objection which a 
 disinterested person would make. With the Con- 
 ference the case was different, and the wonder is 
 that they did not take issue upon the piinciple, and 
 raise the question whether a member of an associ- 
 ation hke that of the Wesleyan Conference — a so- 
 ciety into which each member voluntarily enters 
 and thus virtually pledges himself to abide by the 
 usages, as well as obey the rules, of the brother- 
 hood — where all are impliedly equal, recognizing 
 each other as called of God to the ministry and 
 
SKETCHKS OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. lYl 
 
 endowed by the Holy Ghost -with the necessary 
 gifts for the successful ministration of the word of 
 life ; whether a member of such an association can 
 elect himself into the censor's chair and pronounce 
 cx cat/iedra upon the qualifications and attainments 
 of liis bretliren without violating an implied com- 
 pact, or without opening the door to far more seri- 
 ous departures from the implied agreement. We 
 did not imderstand, however, that this ground was 
 distinctly taken by any, but it was alledged that, 
 assuming the book to be the production of a Wes- 
 leyan Methodist preacher, its publication was highly 
 discourteous to his brethren and was fraught mth 
 evil, the tendency of such pubhcations being to 
 lower the standard of ministerial authority and 
 pastoral influence. 
 
 The difficulty of clearly identifying Mr. Everett 
 as the author had given rise to nmiors that either 
 others were associated with him, or that it was al- 
 together the work of other hands. Common re- 
 port pointed to the following ministers, and the 
 " third preface " had given then names as the sub- 
 jects of such rvunor : — James Everett, John Burd- 
 sall, (Mr. Everett's colleague in the York circuit,) 
 William M. Bunting, Francis A. West, Samuel 
 Waddy, and Dr. Beaumont. The last four were 
 present at the Conference, and were requested to 
 exonerate themselves. They did so ; Dr. Beau- 
 mont, however, denying in strong terms the right 
 of the Conference to make any such requisition 
 upon him, denoimcing the proceeding as inquisi- 
 
172 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 tonal, &c., and protesting that his disavowal was 
 made of his own free-will, and not because the 
 Conference asked it. It is said, that while speak- 
 ing of the book, warm friend as he is known to be 
 of the reputed author, he yielded to the gush of 
 his own noble feelings, and declared, that had he 
 written it he should ever after be ashamed to look 
 his brethren in the face. Messrs. Bunting, West, 
 and Waddy, expressed similar sentiments. Messrs. 
 Burdsall and Everett not being present, an official 
 communication was addressed to them of like im- 
 port with the inquiry made in Conference, and a 
 categorical answer was requested. Mr. Burdsall 
 promptly disavowed any participation in the matter, 
 and Mr. Everett simply rephed, that he " denied 
 the right of any man, or any set of men, to exer- 
 cise such an interference in his private affairs." 
 When the letter was read, it seemed to be the 
 unanimous opinion that no further inquiries need 
 be made, and the matter was allowed to drop. 
 
 The volume comprises nearly four hundred pages. 
 Three hundred of these are occupied with twelve 
 full-length portraits of the Uving and the dead, 
 asterisks being substituted for the names of the 
 living subjects ; the remaining pages are occupied 
 with " outlines ready for filling up ;" together they 
 number one hundred. With these " outhnes " the 
 name is given in every instance. In some of the 
 " Takings," it is conceived, the reader will see 
 nothing objectionable, conceding that the criticism 
 is just, and losing sight of the other points to which 
 
SKETCHES OF -VTESLEYAN PREACHERS. 173 
 
 allusion has been made. Others, however, are 
 finished oflf by the accommodation of Scripture 
 passages — are framed, so to speak, in texts of 
 hoh- writ — in a manner not consistent with that 
 lioly awe and deep reverence with which the pious 
 Christian is wont to regard even the faintest indi- 
 cations of the di^dne will, and still more the de- 
 clared testimony of God — the word by whicli 
 man's darkness is to be enhghtened, his conscience 
 awakened, his nature renovated, his life regulated, 
 and his actions weighed in the final judgment. 
 
 An amusing instance of baffled curiosity, on the 
 part of one of Mr. Everett's colleagues at York, 
 may be mentioned in connection with this matter. 
 The gentleman's wife had purchased some article 
 of domestic use, which was sent home folded in a 
 sheet of paper, bearing the first impression (the 
 mere imprint of the types without ink) of several 
 pages of the " Wesleyan Takings." This caught 
 the eye of the reverend gentleman, and seeing its 
 importance, he eagerly asked his lady how she be- 
 came possessed of it. Receiving her explanation, 
 he hied to the shopkeeper, who in his tui-n explain- 
 ed that he had bought it as waste paper from a 
 certain printer m the city. Elated with his suc- 
 cess so far, he hastened to the printer's office. To 
 his ardent hope the secret was already discovered 
 — the mystery unveiled — the tangled web unravel- 
 ed. After sundry remarks, designed to disguise 
 tlie real object of his visit, he ventured to ask, " By 
 the way, Mr. , have you any more of that 
 
174 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 waste paper you sold to Mr. ? Is it from 
 
 your own office ?" The latter part of the question 
 awakened the printer's suspicion — the truth flashed 
 upon his mind — and, looking his clerical friend full 
 
 in the face, he repUed, " Mr. , you attend to 
 
 your business, and I will attend to mine." In the 
 place of the expected light came obscurity. A 
 second volume of the work was promised, but I 
 have not heard that it has yet made its appear- 
 ance. 
 
 In addition to his biographical and other publi- 
 cations more immediately connected with Method- 
 ism, Mr. Everett has published a small volume of 
 poetry. The principal poem is in the ballad form, 
 and is founded upon a legend of the Anglo-Saxon 
 era. There are some good sonnets in the voliune. 
 
 Mr. Everett is again upon the hst of supernu- 
 merary preachers, and resides in the city of York. 
 The affection in his throat retui'ned soon after he 
 recommenced his itinerant labors, and he is com- 
 pelled to desist from preaching, except at long in- 
 tervals. It is scarcely probable that he will ever 
 re-enter the itinerant ranks. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 1*75 
 
 lames iDoolr. 
 
 " Age sits with decent grace upon liis visage, 
 And worthily becomes his silken locks ; 
 He wears the marks of many years well spent 
 Of virtue, truth weU-tried, and wise experience."— Roioc. 
 
 The subjects of this and the following sketch are 
 father and son, — co-laborers in the vineyard of 
 the Lord, and co-heirs of the promise, " They that 
 are wise shall shine as the firmament, and they 
 that turn many to righteousness as the stars for 
 ever and ever." The father has ceased his la- 
 bors, God having said unto him, " Go thou thy 
 way till the end be, for thou shalt rest and shalt 
 stand in thy lot at the end of the days :" the son 
 yet awaits the summons, " Come up hither." The 
 sire went down to his rest as a ripe shock ready 
 for the gamer, having been a Methodist preacher 
 sixty-seven years, of which fifty-three were spent 
 in efl&cient itmerancy ; and at the consmnmation 
 of all things — when Christ shall be crowned Lord 
 of all, and the royal diadem upon his peerless 
 brow shall be studded vnih the gems of his re- 
 deeming triumphs — " stars in radiance set " — not 
 the least elfulgent in that galaxy vnW be the vener- 
 able saint and minister whose name stands at the 
 head of this sketch, whom Dr. Clarke appropri- 
 ately and feehngly styled "an apostle of God." 
 He labored long, assiduously, and successfully, in 
 the work Avhereunto he was called, and for nearly 
 
lIQ SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 a century (he died in his eighty-ninth year) not 
 only maintained, an irreproachable character, but 
 justly enjoyed a wide-spread reputation for what- 
 soever things were pure, and lovely, and of good 
 report. 
 
 In a lady's album to which the writer has daily 
 access are the following counsel and autograph, 
 written in a fair, uniform, and legible hand : — 
 
 " In the ftivor of God is life. If this be secured and re- 
 tained, the grace of God will keep your heart and mind in 
 Christ Jesus ; it will flow with the strength and copious- 
 ness of a river, and will lead you to the ocean of blessed- 
 ness. 
 
 "James Wood. 
 
 "August 31s<, 1833." 
 
 The date is within a day of the time of my first 
 introduction to this venerable man. He was then 
 upward of eighty years of ago, and was, by pri- 
 ority of years, the " fathe? of the Methodist Con- 
 nection." The occasion of that introduction was 
 not to be readily forgotten. The writer had been 
 honored vnth, and had accepted, an invitation to 
 preside at the anniversary meeting of the Wood- 
 house-Grove Juvenile Wesleyan Missionary Soci- 
 ety. After hurriedly glancing round the hall, 
 and percei\'ing, much to my disquiet, that several 
 influential ministers and laymen were in a false po- 
 sition, to -wit, that they were to be hearers of the 
 " opening speech," when any one of them ought 
 to have made it, I was preparing to announce the 
 hymn, prior to singing and prayer, when I was 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEVAN PREACHERS. 1*77 
 
 startled by the youths, and nearly all the congrega- 
 tion, simidtaneously rising to their feet. Raising 
 my head I at once comprehended and was pleased 
 with the movement. Supported by the Rev. 
 Jonathan Crowther on one side, and the Rev. Ste- 
 phen Kay on the other, I saw a venerable man, 
 of benevolent aspect and apostolic mien, slowly 
 enter the hall and take a seat reserved for him next 
 to the Rev. George Morlcy, then governor of the 
 institution. It was the Rev. James Wood, whose 
 appearance made an impression upon my mind, all 
 the more permanent probably from the attendant 
 circumstances, which is hkely to remain so long as 
 memory holds her seat. He was rather above the 
 average stature of an Englishman, somewhat cor- 
 pulent ; stooped a little, but not so much as to 
 convey an idea of decrepitude ; the countenance 
 was mild and benignant, and yet dignified, and, so 
 to speak, contemplative, as though the man was 
 accustomed to look inwardly, and had found know- 
 ledge less in books than in his own breast ; the 
 forehead was simple, and, with the crown, entirely 
 without covering, while from temple to temple the 
 back of the head was skirted with scanty locks of 
 soft silken hair, white as snow. The tout-ensemble 
 gave the idea of one who had pursued a steady, 
 uniform, unobtrusive course of duty, alike without 
 intemperate zeal or selfish indulgence, and who 
 looked on the retrospect without remorse, and with 
 a sohd satisfaction as far removed from vanity as 
 from doubt and fear, — of one who felt that he had 
 12 
 
11 8 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 fulfilled his mission, and who now calmly waited 
 the command to render up his account. I had the 
 pleasure of sitting at the supper table with him 
 that evening, and the first impressions were abun- 
 dantly confirmed. His whole demeanor seemed 
 constantly to say, " I am now ready to be offered 
 up ;" nor could any one look upon him, and listen 
 to his brief, affectionate counsels, his joyous words 
 of praise and prayer, all feebly uttered, without in- 
 vesting him in his mind's eye with the mental and 
 personal attributes, as he unquestionably partook 
 of the spirit, of him who was banished to the Isle 
 of Patmos for the love he bore to his Master and 
 his children in the Lord. 
 
 I have a faint impression that I heard of this 
 aged servant of God preaching, subsequent to this 
 time, at Bristol, where he resided, but probably 
 am mistaken. At the Conference of 1835, when it 
 was resolved to establish a Wesleyan Theological 
 Institution for the better education of candidates 
 for the ministry, he bore testimony before his bre- 
 tkren against the attempts made, by a disaffected 
 preacher and liis abettors, to overthrow the consti- 
 tutional guards by which the economy of Wesleyan 
 Methodism had been so long protected, and ex- 
 pressed the unabated confidence which, after long 
 years of intercouse and observation, he still felt in 
 those brethren who had been most bitterly assailed 
 and misrepresented. This testimony was the more 
 welcome as the seceding party had taken great 
 pains to have it imderstood that Mr. James Wood, 
 
SKETCHES OFWESLEYAN PREACHERS. 1Y9 
 
 and two other very aged ministers, approved both 
 of their proceedings and their views. Mr. Wood, 
 I believe, though of even this I am far from being 
 certain, at first expressed an opinion agabst the 
 expediency of estabhshing the theological institu- 
 tion, but when the majority decided in its favor he 
 cheerfully acquiesced, and deeply sorrowed over 
 the vdterior proceedings of the disaffected. 
 
 The most affectmg circumstance attending the 
 last days of the subject of this sketch was his fare- 
 well of the Conference in the year 1839 — the year 
 on which that body met in Bristol. He was then in 
 his eighty-eighth year, and veiy infirm, but feefing 
 that, of necessity, after that Conference he could 
 never again see in the flesh those with whom he 
 had so long labored, and suffered, and rejoiced, 
 his heart yearned to take a final adieu of them and 
 leave them his blessing. He was conveyed in a 
 carnage to the chapel, and was supported to the 
 platform by his son (who had then been twenty- 
 eight years a co-worker with him in the ministry) 
 and other preachers : slowly and with great diffi- 
 culty — Mr. Robert Wood more audibly repeating 
 his words — he exhorted the preachers to abide by 
 the ancient land-marks ; and, expressing his con- 
 viction that these would be his last words among 
 the ministers Avith whom his association on earth 
 must henceforth cease, he gave them his dying 
 blessing, took a final farewell of them until then- 
 intercourse should be renewed in heaven, and, ex- 
 hausted with the effort, was borne to his carriage 
 
180 SKETCHES OF WESLEY AN PREACHERS. 
 
 and convej^ed to liis home, from which, though he 
 lived until the following June, he only once again 
 made his exit, and that was at his remo\'al to the 
 "house appointed for all living." The affecting 
 scene in Conference, it was told me, baffled descrip- 
 tion.. All rose to receive his words — old men felt 
 that the grave and the judgment were brought 
 nearer to them, and many wept aloud as they 
 looked for the last time upon their friend and coun- 
 selor ; while yoimg men forgot the mere buoyancy 
 and hope of youth in the contemplation of the re- 
 sponsibilities and rewards of the future. 
 
 The reader is already aware that the writer 
 never heard Mr. Wood preach. From report, I 
 judge that the following extract from Mr. Everett's 
 " Centenary Takings " is just and faithful : — 
 " Great stability and seriousness ; soft — pathetic ; 
 dropped his voice at the close of a sentence ; 
 weighty, not animated. Preached as if standing 
 at the mouth of the grave, or at the bar of God. 
 Quiet, modest, sweetly insinuating, and unobtru- 
 sively useful. A man who appeared to have at- 
 tained the object so much to be desired — ' in the 
 first part of life to enjoy its sweets without its 
 cares ; — in the middle, to please ourselves as much 
 by taking care of others ; — and in decrepit, feeble 
 age, to be assisted in our turn by others whom we 
 have educated.' In doctrine shovjinr/ vncorrupt- 
 ness, gravity, sincerity." 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEVAS PREACHERS. 181 
 
 Bobcrt Uloob. 
 
 " In judgment sound, in counsel wise, in temper dispassionate, 
 in action cautious jind prudent : firm in liis purpose, steadfast in 
 his friendships, and true to his principles : wanting not so much 
 light as heat.—' One that nileth well.' " 
 
 The Rev. Robert Wood entered the itmerancy in 
 1811. It is said, with how much truth I know 
 not, that his early ministry gave a promise that 
 riper years have not fulfilled. Perhaps there might 
 be in his younger days more than he now exhibits 
 of impetuosity, physical energy, outward evidence 
 of zeal, fire, or by whatsoever name that something 
 may be called by which many " yotmg preachers " 
 achieve a transient popularity — and perhaps more 
 imagination, if that ingredient ever entered into his 
 composition. Powerful element of popularity as 
 imagination is, Mr. Robert Wood's early " promise " 
 must have rested upon other groimds, as does his 
 present acceptability. He has always had good 
 circuits, generally by invitation of the people, but 
 his acceptability is owing rather to a combination 
 of good and serviceable (jualities, than to his pulpit 
 talents alone. He is, for instance, an admirable 
 superintendent. It may be questioned whether in 
 this respect there is his superior in the whole con- 
 nection. He is a strict disciplinarian, without being 
 tyrannical or harsh, unmindful of the feelings, or 
 disrespectful to the opinions, of others. Volimtary 
 humility and arrogance are alike his aversion ; he 
 
182 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 neither deals in sickly deprecation of the \-iews and 
 sentiments of others, nor exhibits a headstrong 
 adherence to his own. He is, in fact, eminently 
 judicious in the government of a circmt ; somewhat 
 close, constitutionally or by choice, cautious, and 
 far-seeing, and is careful never to attempt more 
 than he can accomplish. From the reserve which 
 he habitually maintains, some have supposed him 
 to be cold and unsympathizing, but the contrary 
 is the fact. Instances might be recorded, wherein 
 he has shown great tenderness and feeling to those 
 in whose worth and integrity he has had confidence, 
 and there is much genuine kindness in his dispo- 
 sition. Moreover, he is punctual to a proverb — 
 an important quality for every man, especially for 
 a Methodist preacher, and for the formation of a 
 good superintendent absolutely essential. 
 
 He is one who applies the apostle's rule in the 
 full extent of its phraseology, " Let everything be 
 done decently and in order." An amusing and 
 characteristic illustration of this I will narrate. In 
 the circuits comprised within the manufacturing 
 districts of England, the villages, or, technically, 
 " circuit places," are not very distant from each 
 other, although the most remote are perhaps eight 
 or ten miles from the circuit town. In making the 
 plan, the superintendent is generally careful to 
 arrange the quarterly love-feasts, held almost wvih- 
 out exception on Sunday afternoon, so that they 
 shall not clash with each other ; for they are means 
 to which the English Methodists are much attach- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 183 
 
 ed, especially in the country, and the societies 
 within a mile or two of each other often inter- 
 change visits with pleasure and profit on " love- 
 feast day." Some of the large manufacturing 
 towns are divided into three or four circuits, and 
 in the towns there are generally some members 
 who carrj' their partiaUty for these means to a re- 
 prehensible excess, running away from their own 
 chapels nearly every Simday to attend love-feasts 
 in the different circuits. They are, in fact, love- 
 feast orators. When Mr. "Wood was stationed on 
 a Manchester circuit he appointed all the love- 
 feasts on the same day. This of course attracted 
 the notice of the local preachers, upon whom the 
 conduct of these means of grace in the country 
 devolves to a considerable extent, and at their next 
 quarterly meeting the seeming eiTor was pointed 
 out to Mr. Wood. " 0 no, brethren," said he, " I 
 made no mistake in the matter. The departure 
 from the general custom was intentional, and this 
 is my reason for it. Some time ago a member 
 at a love-feast, over which I presided, rose, and 
 ' blessed God that he had been at thirteen love- 
 feasts that quarter.' I reproved him before the 
 people, and inwardly resolved that no man should 
 ' do likewise ' in any circuit over which I was su- 
 perintendent." Of coiu-sc, the reason was deemed 
 satisfactory, and Mr. Wood, I believe, has continued 
 to act upon his resolution. 
 
 It is difficult rightly to define Mr. Robert Wood's 
 exact standing as a preacher. I can but give my 
 
184 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 own estimate of him, after frequently heaiing him 
 in tlie regular rotation of his ministry in one circuit, 
 and occasionally in other places. To say that he 
 is perfectly sound in his theological xnews, accord- 
 ing to the authorized standing of the British Con- 
 ference — Mr. Wesley's Works — would be to say 
 that which may be predicated of every English 
 Methodist preacher, for perfect agreement in this 
 respect is required before a man can be received 
 as a local preacher ; before he enters the ituierancy 
 his conformity to the standard is again inquired 
 into, and a renewed pledge is taken ; ever after, 
 his fidelity to the doctrines held by the body is 
 vigilantly overseen ; and for any departui'e there- 
 from he will be speedily visited with the penalties 
 of discipline. But, of course, men differ somewhat 
 — as one star differeth from another in glory — in 
 the clearness and precision with which they state 
 these doctrines. This difference does not neces- 
 sarily bear any proportion either to their "fcleamess 
 of perception or the implicitness of their faith in 
 the truths they utter ; though it is an indication 
 of their relative fitness for the ministry, inasmuch 
 as " aptness to teach " is an important element in 
 a man's acceptability with those whom he is called 
 to instruct. Mr. Wood possesses this element in a 
 high degree. All his teachings from the pulpit 
 are clear and lucid. He leaves no doubt upon the 
 mind of his hearers as to what he means, and what 
 he would have them believe. Theological anatomy 
 has no difficulties for him. He is as familiar with 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACnERS. 185 
 
 the whole scheme of gospel economy as the skillful 
 surgeon is with the construction of the human 
 fnmie, and can dissect and exhibit the various 
 ramifications of doctrine and precept with as much 
 facility as the most experienced operator can dis- 
 sect his corporeal " subject." 
 
 Again, Mr. Wood is a good sermonizer, meaning 
 by that, that he is an adept in the mechanical con- 
 struction of sermons. He forms his " skeleton," 
 or outline, with much neatness and ingenuity. He 
 has a place for crerijihinri, and often extends his 
 sermons to an inconvenient length in order to get 
 everything into its place. This minuteness some- 
 times creates weariness on the part of his hearers. 
 He is "great," too, at arithmetical calculations, 
 and can compute almost ad infinitum. I doubt 
 whether the " wonderful boy," whose achievements 
 in this respect have recently formed the theme of 
 newspaper story, could beat Mr. Wood in this par- 
 tindar line. He would have made an excellent 
 financier, and had his lot been cast in the countmg- 
 house of Messrs. Rothschild, or other large mer- 
 chants or bankers, where interest, simple and 
 compoimd, had to be calculated, he might have 
 acquired a princely fortune by his services. Com- 
 putation is manifestly his delight. He has a ser- 
 mon on Psalm Ixxii, 16 : " There shall he a handful 
 of corn in the earth npon the top of the ntoitntains ; 
 the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon," &c. 
 Considered in connection with the context, the 
 passage is intended to point out the tnumphs and 
 
186 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 the extension of the Redeemer's kingdom. In this 
 sense Mr. Wood treats it in the sermon referred 
 to. After giving his hearers (and this, it must be 
 mentioned, is only one branch of the discourse) 
 theories upon the subject of vegetation, and de- 
 taihng the process of the germination and subse- 
 quent growth of a grain of wheat, he enters upon 
 a calculation of this kind : he fixes the time required 
 for the production of the mature and ripened ear, 
 the time intervening between the seasons for reap- 
 ing and sowing, or the length of time in which tlie 
 ear generally remains in the garner, the average 
 number of grains produced from one seed, the 
 probable number contained in a handful, and the 
 quantity of superficial miles embraced in the surface 
 of the earth. Having estabhshed these data, he 
 goes into a calculation, showing how many years 
 it would require for a single grain of wheat so to 
 be multiplied that the product would cover the 
 whole earth. I cannot now distinctly recall the 
 exact use he makes of this sum in arithmetical pro- 
 gression ; but its design is to show that, according 
 to a certain ratio of success, the time is limited for 
 the delay of the promise, that " the knowledge of 
 the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters 
 the great deep," and that the promise must be 
 fulfilled. 
 
 This faculty is remarkable, and, in easily sup- 
 posable circumstances, invaluable ; but its indul- 
 gence in the pulpit is of doubtful utility, and per- 
 haps in this instance is a defect. Apart from this. 
 
SKETCHES OF TFESLEYAN PREACHERS. ISY 
 
 Mr. Wood's sermons are always instructive, often 
 exhibiting keen, logical acumen, always chaste in 
 diction, though never brilliant or overpowering, 
 and his inferences are invariably just and natural. 
 He is exceedingly happy in seizing upon a mere 
 passing incident, especially upon the platform, in 
 which respect he is second only to Dr. Newton. 
 His great defect is, that he lacks fire. The words 
 drop fluently, even mellifluously, from his lips, 
 but they are not "words that burn:" thoughts 
 are plentiful, but they are not "thoughts that 
 breathe." Perhaps this may be partially accounted 
 for by the fact that Mr. Wood is strictly a memo- 
 riter preacher. I have been struck, as have others, 
 with the perfect similarity between a sermon which 
 I have accidentally heard him preach at different 
 places, at wide intervals. The plan, thoughts, 
 phraseology, tone, gesture, and even the time 
 occupied in its delivery, were without variation. 
 This, of course, comparatively few persons would 
 have the opportunity of obser\-ing ; and it is pro- 
 fitable to sit under his ministry, for in his stock of 
 sermons there is great variety, and he never fails 
 to give a full exposition of his subject. He always 
 stavs three years in a cu-cuit, and is even then 
 parted with vdih. regret. I never knew a circuit 
 deteriorate under his superintendency. Instances 
 liave occuiTed wherein societies under his care 
 have been rescued from sad depression, both in 
 temporal and spiritual tilings, by his judicious and 
 systematic management. He was at one time 
 
188 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 looked to with some expectation and confidence as 
 a future ruler in the Wesleyan Connection. I can 
 scarcely say how far that feeling now exists among 
 his brethren ; but my impression is, that it is not 
 so strong as formerly. All who know him feel the 
 most perfect confidence that whatever position he 
 may hold, he will, in intention and aim, be faithful 
 to the trust reposed in him, and that, like his 
 venerated father, he will ever wear pm-e garments ; 
 that he will be found ready, and with his lamp 
 trimmed, when the Master shall call him ; and 
 will finally be presented before the Redeemer 
 without spot, or wrinkle, or blemish, or any such 
 thing. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 189 
 
 "He is so full of pleasing anecdote." 
 
 " Devout, yet cheerful ; pious, not austere ; 
 To others lenient, to himself severe." 
 
 This gentleman is probably known but to few on 
 this side of the Atlantic. To those few, however, 
 a sketch from one who knew and loved him well 
 cannot be unwelcome ; wliile others, being Method- 
 ists, will not object to these reminiscences of one 
 who, monng in a more circumscribed orbit than 
 some who have been introduced to their notice, is 
 an acceptable minister of the New Testament, and 
 a most worthy man — " the friend of all, the enemy 
 of none." The language of kindness is ever on his 
 lips and in his heart. His is a ministry of recon- 
 ciliation in a lower as well as in a higher sense : 
 between man and his fellow, as well as between 
 man and his Maker. He is a peacemaker. The 
 reader is not, however, to suppose that this is 
 Mr. Hanwell's only characteristic ; or that because 
 he is of a meek and peace-loving spirit, that there- 
 fore he is wanting in shrewdness, \-ivacity, and in- 
 dependence. Far from it. Our subject possesses 
 a considerable share of all these, with a keen per- 
 ception of character, readily discerning a man's 
 weakness or foible, and promptly using that dis- 
 cernment to unmask or disconcert a hypocrite, or 
 to reconcile tliose who are unhappily estranged. 
 
190 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 Moreover, the reverend gentleman is a wit, enjoys 
 a pun exceedingly, can utter a sarcasm with effect, 
 and possesses an inexhaustible fund of anecdote. 
 His equal in this respect is not often to be met 
 with ; but goodness of heart is above all apparent. 
 
 Physically, Mr. Hanwell is a little man, not ex- 
 ceeding five feet in height ; not exactly corpulent, 
 but somewhat rotund in proportion to his longitude. 
 It need scarcely be added that his " presence " 
 inspires no awe ; but the " man 's a man for a' that," 
 and not exactly the person that a stranger would 
 take liberties with. There lurks an indefinable 
 something in the countenance — a mmghng of hu- 
 mor and decision — which gives the man a character 
 in advance ; warning the beholder that he pos- 
 sesses weapons of defense, and has the skill and 
 courage to use them when necessary ; and that it 
 would be difficult to unhorse him in an intellectual 
 tournament. 
 
 The reverend gentleman possesses, in a com- 
 mendable degree, the rare quality of knomng 
 when to speak, and when to keep silence. He 
 keeps his own coimsel. He was stationed in Man- 
 chester during the existence of the trouble kno^vn 
 as the " Warrenite disturbance," (and in the same 
 circuit with Dr. Wan-en,) and was so mute upon 
 the exciting subject that he was half suspected, 
 very unjustly, of sympathizing with, or at least 
 conniving at, Ihe radical movement. Nevertheless, 
 he persevered in his course, extending his pastoral 
 visits to the disaffected as well as to the loyal, and 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 191 
 
 knowing notliing among tliem of the angry passions 
 that were tearing other men's bosoms. Among 
 those whom he thus visited was a local preacher, 
 a man of some talent and influence, and tolerably 
 Avell to do in the Avorld, the piincipal defect in 
 whose character was a love of notoriety, and the 
 credit of independence of thought and speech. 
 His interests, and probably his private sentiments, 
 were all incorporated with Wesleyan Methodism, 
 but for the sake of being talked about he was ever 
 boasting of his radicahsm, while he took care not 
 so to commit himself that discipline coiUd be 
 exercised upon him. Finding that Mr. Hanwell 
 continued his pastoral visits, and that he cautioiisly 
 kept silence upon the prevaiUng dispute, and sha- 
 rmg in the common mistake as to his real senti- 
 ments, the man grew bolder in his speech, until 
 the ^■isitor felt that, in this case at least, forbear- 
 ance had ceased to be a \irtue, and resolved upon 
 a seasonable rebuke. Instead, however, of ai-gu- 
 ing the whole matter vdih him, wliich the discern- 
 ing reader will perceive would have been useless, 
 and would only have fed his vanity, our subject 
 adopted a com-se which took the wind out of the 
 would-be-radical's sails, and left him with the im- 
 comfortable conviction that his character was well 
 miderstood. On entering the house, Mr. H. was 
 met with the exclamation, evidently intended to 
 eUcit a commitment from him, "Why, Mr. Han- 
 well, I wonder you persist in coming to see such 
 a radical as I am. You know I am a thorough 
 
192 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PRKACHERS. 
 
 Wan-enite. What wiW the other preachers think 
 of you?" Without taking the proffered seat, the 
 man of God fixed his eye upon the speaker for a 
 few moments, and then repUed, " I know you, Mr. 
 
 G , and have known you from the beginning 
 
 of this difficulty. That you wished to be thought 
 a ' radical ' I have always seen. I did hope that 
 yoiir rehgion would triumph over your vanity, and 
 in this hope have continued my pastoral oversight. 
 But you have so repeatedly avowed these senti- 
 ments that I must either doubt your word, or be- 
 lieve in your disaffection. Either alternative is 
 painful, but the latter the less so, and 1 adopt it. 
 I assume that all you have said against my brethren 
 and Methodism you believe. As I cordially ap- 
 prove of both, my visits must be distasteful and 
 unprofitable to you, and in sorrow I must bid you 
 adieu. I can only pray that God may grant you 
 another spirit." With tliis coimsel Mr. Hanwell 
 left the house. Thenceforth his \iews were well 
 xmderstood, and his conscientious forbearance from 
 minglmg in the strife rightly appreciated. The 
 local preacher felt the force of the rebuke, and to 
 some extent profited by the lesson. 
 
 Mr. Hanwell does not rank high as a preacher 
 merely, though he always commands respectable 
 appointments. On his first advent to a circuit his 
 peculiarities prove highly attractive, but the matter 
 of his sermons scarcely sustams him with equal 
 eclat to the end of a third year — the full measure 
 of a Methodist preacher's " continuance in one 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 193 
 
 stay," which his admirable tact as a superintend- 
 ent, his fidelity as a pastoi', his amiable qualities as 
 a man, and other excellences, usually seciu-e for 
 him. He is, to a considerable extent, a mechani- 
 cal, and perhaps entirely a memoriter preacher, and 
 possibly relies too much upon a stock of sermons. 
 This is a conjecture only, based, however, upon 
 some years of obser^'ation. His discourses are 
 neat, exhibiting a knowledge of man's ordinary 
 spiritual necessities rather than high intellectual 
 powers, sound in their theology, and thoroughly 
 experimental in then- character. He loves most to 
 dwell upon the consolations of the gospel, though 
 sometimes he appears with good effect in the cha- 
 racter of a Boanerges. He labors under some 
 shght physical defect in utterance, which, by dint 
 of appUcation, he has overcome, but has been com- 
 pelled to adopt a peculiar, measured delivery, 
 which, from its necessary uniformity, becomes, in 
 time, somewhat monotonous, although at first, from 
 its very novelty, it is effective and even agreeable. 
 
 The reverend gentleman is careful to make the 
 best use of his powers, and his habitual self-com- 
 mand and ready ^vit greatly aid him in this respect. 
 He has some sermons of great power and accept- 
 abihty. One, on the passage, "And David en- 
 couraged himself in the Lord his God," he rarely 
 preaches without a request for its repetition. To 
 the afflicted believer it is a " feast of fat things, of 
 wine on the lees, well refined." Another, on the 
 passage, " These light afflictions, tvhich are but for 
 13 
 
194 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAK PREACHEKS, 
 
 a moment," &c., is indelibly imprinted upon my 
 youthful memory. The following figure will pro- 
 bably remain familiar to me through hfe, as also 
 the recollection of the preacher rising upon his toes 
 and giving to it the fullest volume of his voice: 
 " Methinks I see the venerable apostle of the Gen- 
 tiles, with the balances of the sanctuary before 
 him. Into one scale he puts ' afflictions,' and into 
 the other ' glory.' Returning to the first he adds 
 ' light afflictions,' and in the second he places 
 ' weight of glory.' With a smile of inexpressible 
 sweetness, he adds to the 'light afflictions,' even 
 now only as the small dust of the balance, ' but for 
 a moment,' and to the ' weight of glory,' that 
 wondrous word ' eternal' and the first scale flies 
 higher still into the air. It is ' lighter than vanity.' 
 Paul, Paul," then exclaimed the preacher, " stay 
 thine hand ; Jesus's suffering saints are satisfied ! 
 The ' weight of glory ' is enough ! The ' eternal ' 
 glory meets their largest desires ! But no ! The 
 apostle of God has not completed the contrast. 
 To that ' weight of glory ' he adds that which is 
 "far more exceeding ' as well as ' eternal ;' the scale 
 in which are ' these light afflictions, which are but 
 for a moment,' is raised so high that the afflictions 
 dwindle into nothing, while the eternal glory, 
 brought near to the believer's faith, fills his afflict- 
 ed soul with joy unspeakable and full of glory." 
 The audience, catching the speaker's inspiration, 
 would lift up their voices in one spontaneoiis burst 
 of hallelujahs, and henceforth go on their way re- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERjj. 195 
 
 joicing. Many of his sermons contain pictorial 
 passages of this kind ; passages so vividly repre- 
 senting an action or a scene as to remain fixed upon 
 the memory for years. Encom-aging the " bui'den- 
 ed, sin-sick soul," to cast his care upon God, he 
 would meet his doubts by exclaiming, " Say you 
 that your burden is so heavy that you cannot carry 
 it to the throne of God ? Then, my brother, roll 
 it into his jmsence, and say from thine heart, 
 
 ' Ilaugs my liclplcss soul on thee ; 
 
 Leave, all I leave me not alone, 
 Still support and comfort me.' 
 
 God will touch it with his finger, and thou shalt be 
 lightened of thy load." 
 
 Mr. Hanwell entered the itmerant ministiy in 
 1805, and in some of his earher stations had to 
 suffer for his work's sake. Probably his diminu- 
 tive person exposed him to annoyances which would 
 have scarcely been ventured upon in the case of 
 one with more imposing physical attributes ; for 
 scoffers are generally cowards, and are an-ogant 
 and oppressive in proportion to the prospect of 
 impunity. From some of these annoyances his 
 ready wit relieved him. Preaching once in one of 
 the benighted imral villages of Yorkshire, a young 
 man entered the room during the singing of the 
 first hymn, e^^dently with the intention of creating 
 a disturbance or inteiTuption. To show his inde- 
 pendence and disregard of divine worship, the 
 stranger kept his hat on during the singing and 
 prayer. Rising from his knees, and seeing the 
 
196 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 young man with his head still covered, Mr. Han- 
 well saw that a direct remonstrance would be un- 
 availing — would, indeed, be the very course the 
 young man desired and expected him to take, and 
 would afford the opportunity for colloquy and in- 
 terruption. He therefore announced the page of 
 the second hymn without appearing to notice the 
 intruder, and then quietly observed, " There are 
 in the Avorld various denominations of Christians. 
 Some denominations think it right to sing praises 
 to God, as we do ; others keep silence. Some 
 think it most proper to pray to God in a stand- 
 ing, others in a kneeling, posture. There is only 
 one denomination of Christians in the world who 
 worship God with their hats on ; they are called 
 Quakers. They seldom come near our places of 
 worship ; there seems, however, to be one here 
 to-night ; there he is," he added, suddenly pointing 
 with his finger to where the young man stood. Of 
 course the irreverent youth immcdiatel)' became 
 the " observed of all observers," but being com- 
 pletely unprepared for this sudden introduction to 
 his new associates, he yielded to the force of the 
 sally and disappeared in a trice. The preacher 
 smiled, and went on with the service. 
 
 The writer's acquaintance with Mr. Hanwell 
 commenced while the reverend gentleman was sta- 
 tioned in the Barnsley circuit. During that ap- 
 pointment the celebrated Leeds secession on the 
 organ question took place, and the disaffection 
 spread to most of the circuits in Yorkshire, includ- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 197 
 
 ing Bamsley, where, however, the blended firm- 
 ness, prudence, and forbearance of Mr. Hanwell 
 prevented the evil from spreading beyond a very 
 limited circle. When he was first stationed upon 
 the circuit, the people had, by some means, acquir- 
 ed a habit of coming late to the house of God on 
 Simday morning ; and as he was somewhat exact 
 and systematic, this was a serious annoyance to 
 liim, even apart from the deadness of tlie spiritual 
 aiFections which such a habit indicated. He resort- 
 ed to several expedients — now preaching a short 
 measure sermon before the lessons, and apprising 
 the late comers that he did it for their sakes, pre- 
 fening that they should lose the sermon rather 
 than the word of God, and anon lecturing them 
 severely both in private and from the pulpit — ^but 
 still the evil continued, one family in particular 
 invariably entering the house about half an hour 
 after service commenced. Frequent expostulation 
 having failed, he at length resolved upon a public 
 rebuke, which he administered in the following 
 caustic manner. The lady and gentleman occupied 
 a large pew near the pulpit, at the end of the chapel 
 furthest from the entrance. They were wealthy 
 people, and the lady was usually attired in rustling 
 silks, which attracted attention as she traveled the 
 whole length of the aisle. Mr. Hanwell, on the 
 occasion of the rebuke, was reading the second 
 lesson, and had reached the middle of a verse, 
 when the late comers entered. When they had 
 proceeded so far that they could not well retreat, 
 
198 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 he suddenlj^ stopped in the middle of a sentence — 
 " and nnto them that look for" — a pause ensued, 
 without any falling of the voice ; the eyes of the 
 preacher, and of course the congregation also, were 
 fixed upon the late comers, amid a death-like still- 
 ness, which made the rustling of the lady's dress 
 trebly distinct ; the lady and gentleman reached 
 their seats, the preacher slightly inclined his head 
 toward them, and proceeded with the reading at 
 the exact point where he had broken off — " him, 
 shall he appear," Arc, &c. There was no need of 
 repeating the reproof; the irreverent practice of 
 coming late into the house of God was cured ; the 
 example gave assurance that the reverend gentle- 
 man was resolved upon enforcing a due observance 
 of decorum, and his way for the future was in that 
 respect made plain and easy. 
 
 Few men are more happy and successful in ad- 
 dressing young children than is Mr. Hanwell : and 
 all who have tried it know that this is a very dif- 
 ficult department of ministerial duty. A favorite 
 method with him is to take up some important 
 principle, embody it in a short, pithy sentence, 
 such as the youngest child can easily remember, 
 and bring to its illustration facts from Scripture 
 history, reducing the phraseology to that colloquial 
 form so captivating to children. Thus clothing 
 a fact in simple language, concealing its source, and 
 giving to it certain touches of modem every-day 
 life, so as to keep up the interest of his hearers, 
 he will at length call upon them to tell him of a 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 199 
 
 parallel history, which the better informed will di- 
 rectly see is contained in some Bible narrative. 
 Having obtained their answer, he will explain, with 
 admirable tact and force, how it illustrates the 
 principle with which he started ; and then, drawing 
 upon his large fund of anecdote, show that the 
 same principle is enforced or discountenanced, as 
 the case may be, in the history of the world sub- 
 sequent to the era of revelation. I have seen the 
 reverend gentleman often, Avhile he was stationed 
 in Manchester, surrounded, at the Whitsuntide 
 festival, by a large congregation of children, who 
 listened for a full hour, and sometimes longer, with 
 eager and delighted attention to his familiar but 
 insti-uctive addresses. Sunday schools, and young 
 people generally, always participate largely in his 
 pastoral — it might be truly said paternal — care in 
 the various circuits in which he travels ; and he 
 has his reward in the affection which everywhere 
 greets his appearance. 
 
 A most pleasant companion, and a faithfid, stead- 
 fast friend, is the Rev. John Hanwell, wherever he 
 places his confidence, and finds no barrier to open- 
 hearted intercourse. Many a fatherly counsel has 
 the writer received from him m early youth ; many 
 a pleasant journey taken with him to the "circuit 
 places," in the days of approaching manhood ; many 
 an hour of social converse have we held under each 
 other's roof in maturer life ; many a sigh have we 
 mingled over the nearly deserted temple of God, 
 when "the church was riven by dissensions, and 
 
200 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 many an ardent hope have we breathed together 
 as the cloud of discord was gradually dispelled ; 
 many a time has he cheered me by his words of 
 kindness, and his happy, contented spirit, in hours 
 of personal sorrow and affliction, and rejoiced with 
 me in brighter days ; — and still he labors unweari- 
 edly in his hope and caUing, looking for the re- 
 compense of his reward. He must now be ap- 
 proaching a ripe old age ; and svf eet and pleasant 
 must be his retrospect of faithful and successful 
 service in the cause of the Redeemer of men. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 201 
 
 ^obgson Casaon. 
 
 " The love of Christ doth me constrain 
 To seek the wand'ring souls of men ; 
 With cries, entreaties, tears, to save, 
 To snatch them from the gaping grave. 
 
 " For tliis let men revile my name, 
 No cross I shun, I fesir no shame ; 
 All hail, reproach ; and welcome, pain ; 
 Ctaly thy terrors, Lord, restrain."—/. Wesley. 
 
 There are some eccentric men among the English 
 Wesleyan preachers, as among those of other de- 
 nominations ; and assuredly the Rev. Hodgson 
 Casson is one of these. Such men serve an im- 
 portant purpose in the army of them that preach 
 the Avord, though sometimes their erratic course 
 in\ olves apparent confusion and disorder. They are 
 not men whose examples are to he copied. Eccen- 
 tricity is at best dangerous in a minister of the 
 gospel, even when it is innate, original, and un- 
 avoidable. Its possessor should ever check rather 
 than foster it ; but when it is cultivated, assumed, 
 worn as a garment to catch the pubhc eye, it in- 
 volves moral obliquity ; and for lack of the genius 
 from which genuine eccentricity springs, is not less 
 mischievous than contemptible. That the eccen- 
 tricity of our present subject was born with him, 
 and is inwoven with his verj- existence, does not 
 admit of doubt ; and to that eccentricity he owes 
 the considerable popularity he enjoys, which, how- 
 ever, is mainl}' confined to the northern counties 
 
202 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 of England. Energetic, hardy, fearless of danger, 
 and almost rash in braving it, indifferent to odium 
 or ridicule, zealous in his Master's cause, and full 
 of compassion for souls, the -whole of his earlier 
 hfe was a succession of erratic movements, and 
 daring sorties upon the enemy's camp, often suc- 
 cessful from their very suddenness and novelty ; 
 and if unsuccessful, exciting admiration by the zeal 
 Avhich prompted and the courage which executed 
 them. As is often the case with men of his class, 
 the years of his effective itinerancy were compara- 
 tively few. Although entering upon his labors so 
 late as 1815, he has been for many years upon the 
 superannuated list. 
 
 As has been intimated, Mr. Casson's labors have 
 been principally confined to the north of England. 
 While stationed at Gateshead and Newcastle, he 
 devoted himself principally to the reformation and 
 rehgious enlightenment of the numerous coal- 
 heavers, bargemen, and sailors of that port. Two 
 or three anecdotes will sufficiently illustrate the 
 character of the man, and his mode of procedure. 
 Passing one of the low public-houses to be found 
 in every seaport, he heard the sound of music, 
 revelry, and dance, in an upper room ; while on 
 the first floor, or bar-room, a crowd of riotous 
 " longshore men " were quarreling and brawling. 
 Never pausing to think of the personal risk he en- 
 countered, he entered, pushed through the crowd 
 below, ascended the rickety stairs, and soon stood 
 in the centre of the group of dancers. His gaunt 
 
SKETCHES OP WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 203 
 
 hut muscular form, clothed in black, immediately 
 arrested attention. Without giving the revelers 
 time to recover from their surprise, he exclaimed, 
 with the full power of his stentorian limgs, " There 
 now, you have had dancing enough for awhile : 
 let us pray. Down upon your knees, every man 
 and woman of you." The entire group seemed 
 deprived of all power of resistance, (and this was 
 no isolated instance of the kind ;) the piping and 
 the dancing ceased; soon Mr. Casson's powerful 
 voice was heard in prayer ; strong cries and groans 
 speedily followed from those who but a few mo- 
 ments before were whirling in the dance ; the 
 astonished landlord rushed up stairs, but fled af- 
 frighted when he beheld the scene ; the drunken 
 crowd below slimk away ; and Mr. Casson re- 
 mained the live-long night — wrestling, praying, and 
 exhorting — ceasing not until many of his strange 
 congregation had obtained mercy, and went to 
 then- homes new creatures in C.hrist Jesus. 
 
 On another occasion he was returning on foot 
 from a country appointment, and when near his 
 home heard a man utter an aAvful imprecation, 
 calling down with an oath God's eternal vengeance 
 upon his soul. In a moment Mr. Casson stood 
 before him, and, proffering him two half-crowns, 
 said, " Here, my man, I will give you five shillings 
 if you will say that again, and ' amen ' after it." 
 The man did so, and took the promised reward. 
 Mr. Casson passed on, entered his house, but took 
 no food or sleep until he had wrestled for hours 
 
204 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 with God for that man's salvation ; nor did he 
 cease his intercession until he received an assurance 
 that the desire of his soul should be granted. 
 About a fortnight afterward, Mr. Casson was hold- 
 ing a love-feast, when a man arose, under strong 
 emotion, and told how, on a certain night, he was 
 swearing, as was his habit, when a tall, black figure 
 suddenly stood before him, and offered him five 
 shillings to repeat the oath, with an " amen ;" that he 
 repeated it with the addition, and took the reward ; 
 went home, and told his wife of the circumstance ; 
 that she refused to receive the money ; that it imme- 
 diately flashed upon his mind that he had sold 
 himself to the evil one ; that he had never touched 
 the money since, but torn with remorse, and wretch- 
 ed beyond endui-ance, he had wandered from place 
 to place, seeking rest and finding none ; and had 
 begged admission into that meeting, hoping that 
 the people would do something to ease his troubled 
 conscience. In a .moment Mr. Casson was upon 
 his feet, the next moment upon his knees, and, 
 joined by the congregation, he wrestled, and re- 
 fused to be silenced, until the man's sins were for- 
 given, and his soul made to rejoice in the glorious 
 liberty of God's children. 
 
 The intelligent, pious reader, will not fail to attri- 
 biite the success of each of these bold measures to 
 the singleness of purpose which dictated it, and 
 the earnest prayer with which it was accompanied. 
 That was undoubtedly the grand secret. Similar 
 instances, even more startling in their character, 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 205 
 
 might be cited, were further elucidation of that 
 phase of Mr. Casson's character necessary. 
 
 He often too experienced signal interpositions of 
 divine Providence in his behalf ; Jehovah not only 
 protecting his servant from dangers to which his 
 impetuous zeal exposed him, but sometimes making 
 it apparent that his faithful minister was imder his 
 especial protection. It will excite no wonder that 
 Mr. Casson's bold assaults upon the kingdom of 
 darkness made him many enemies, and exposed 
 him to the machinations of evil men, especially 
 those who Uved upon the folhes and -vices of the 
 sin-piu^uing throng. Once he was waylaid, Avhen 
 going to a covmtry appointment, by two men, who 
 had taken an oath to assassinate him as he passed 
 a certain point on the road. When Mr. Casson 
 reached the place, fear took hold upon them ; and 
 they allowed him to pass without executmg their 
 murderous purpose. They followed him to the 
 A-illage ; turned into a pubhc house, and, haWng 
 fortified themselves -with alcohol, the boldest of 
 them repeated his oath, adding, that " as sure as 
 he went out of that house alive, he would murder 
 Hodgson Casson that night." After waiting in the 
 house until they supposed Mr. Casson would be 
 about returning, they arose to depart on their 
 fiendish mission. The man who had renewed his 
 oath fell upon the threshold of the house, and was 
 taken up — dead. This fact is well authenticated. 
 The inference is easily drawn. The survivor, 
 struck with alarm and remorse, confessed their 
 
206 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 mutual purpose. The village was notorious for its 
 wickedness. Mr. Casson had often been mobbed 
 and stoned there, but ever after, when indications 
 of such treatment appeared, he would boldly march 
 up to them, and stay their persecution by only 
 
 saying, " Remember ," mentioning the name 
 
 of the man who died with a murder in his heart. 
 
 I never heard Mr. Casson during the palmy days 
 of his notoriety, but presume that he was mainly 
 indebted to his zeal and eccentricity for his popu- 
 larity. Some seven or eight years ago, being then, 
 as now, supernumerary at Birstal, he preached an 
 occasional sermon in the neighborhood of Man- 
 chester, and I was induced to go and hear him. 
 He was then emaciated and comparatively feeble. 
 The sermon was upon the whole common-place, 
 enlivened now and then with some burlesque upon 
 the frivolities of worldly minded and fashionable 
 Christians, with also some hard hits at Avhat he 
 called " dandy preachers." "When Christ wanted 
 preachers," said Mr. Casson, " he did not go mto 
 a fashionable drawing-room, and, scraping and bow- 
 ing to some exqmsite who was lounging upon a 
 velvet sofa, offer him a 'living' in his church," 
 with more to the same purport, which, however, 
 was more amusing than edifying. Yet with this 
 there was also some good sense, and the sermon 
 was calculated to do good. It was clear that the 
 fire of his genius no longer gave out the warmth of 
 early days. 
 
SKETCHES OF VTESLEYAN PREACHERS. 207 
 
 Samuel Barbsleg. 
 
 " An Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile." 
 
 The Rev. Samuel Bardsley (the "Dear Sammy," 
 to whom Mr. Wesley addressed many of his short, 
 pithy letters) is about the earliest Wesleyan Me- 
 thodist minister of M^hom the writer has any per- 
 sonal recollection. I was but a child when he 
 visited my father's house, yet well remember his 
 great simplicity of speech and manners, his Usping 
 accents, and his mammoth bulk ; the latter being 
 all the more indelibly fixed in my memory by the 
 fact that he occupied a veiy capacious arm-chair, 
 from which he extricated himself only with gi-eat 
 difficulty. His name was famihar to the last gene- 
 ration of Wesleyan Methodists. He was much 
 beloved, not because of his pulpit talents, for they 
 were of no very brilliant order, but for his trans- 
 parent simpUcity of character and purpose, his 
 unassuming manners and genuine Christian feeling. 
 His pecuUarities often provoked a smile, but his 
 experimental piety hallowed the circle in which 
 he moved, and won for him the affection of all who 
 were inheritors of the like precious faith. Un- 
 learned and guiltless of much arduous study, he 
 was sound in doctrine and devoted to his pastoral 
 and pulpit duties. He possessed the wisdom that 
 cometh down from above, while his simphcity and 
 ingenuousness were a shield from the shafts of the 
 
208 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 critic and the learned. Sometimes, on entering 
 a circuit, he would be coolly received by the finan- 
 cial officers, and the more wealthy and intelligent 
 part of the people ; but he invariably bore down 
 all opposition of this kind in a few weeks, by the 
 combined influence of his personal character and 
 his devotion to the work of God. In later life he 
 became well aware of this ; received the first indi- 
 cations of dissatisfaction with imperturbable good 
 humor ; smiled at the people's fears, and frankly 
 told them that their apprehensions would prove 
 groundless ; and would sometimes, indeed, exhibit 
 a shrewdness and tact, of which many would sup- 
 pose him incapable. 
 
 At an official meeting, held shortly after his ar- 
 rival in a certain circuit, it was intimated to him 
 that he must expect to stay only one year. De- 
 signedly misinterpreting the speaker, Mr. Bardsley, 
 with a lisp, which need not be imitated, replied, 
 "Tru^, brethren, my appointment is only for one 
 year, but we shall be so happy together, that, at 
 the end of it, you will wish me to stay a second, 
 and, perhaps, the Conference will reappoint me. 
 The second year will be equally happy, and, as we 
 work together, the cause of God will prosper so 
 much, that you will petition Conference to give me 
 a third appointment, and I should not wonder if 
 Conference granted your request. At the end of 
 that time we imist part, but you will be very sorry 
 to lose me." This put an extinguisher upon all 
 further remonstrance. To say anything more woidd 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEVAN PREACHERS. 209 
 
 be to insult a man and a minister, whose piety and 
 fidelity to his Master were iinimpeachable. The 
 result proved that "Sammy" was right. So 
 "mightily grew the word of the Lord, and pre- 
 vailed," that his successive reappointments were 
 earnestly sohcited ; and, at the end of the third 
 year, the good man left an increased and prosper- 
 ous society, amid imiversal regret and good-will. 
 
 Mr. Bardsley was the Rev. Samuel Bradburn's 
 spiritual father ; and Mr. Everett tells the following 
 anecdote of the twain, who M'ere, as was to be ex- 
 pected, endeared friends. Bradburn, who, with 
 all his nobleness and generosity of character, had 
 his eccentricities and infirmities, not the least of 
 which was the indulgence in sallies of wit at the 
 expense of others, had been playing rather too 
 freely upon Mr. Bardsley, who at length remon- 
 strated : " Come, come, Sammy," said Mr. Bardsley, 
 "recollect that though you have many brethren, 
 you have but one father in the gospel." In a 
 moment, Bradburn started from his seat, threw 
 his arms ai-ound the neck of Bardsley, and, with a 
 gush of tears at the recollection of early days, 
 tremulously, and with impassioned feeling, observed, 
 while hanging upon him with the doating fondness 
 of a child, "The Lord knows I love you in the 
 gospel next to my Saviour." Subsequently, the 
 friends, each of them of liberal dimensions, were 
 walking arm in ann in Sheffield, up a steep hill, in 
 the burning heat of August, when they met a 
 friend, and paused. Bradburn, wiping the per- 
 
 14 
 
210 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 spiration from his forehead, remarked : " Here we 
 are, the two babes of the wood," obhquely glancing 
 at Bardsley's simpUcity of character. 
 
 Mr. Bardsley Uved to a great age, but never be- 
 came superannuated. He died " in the harness," 
 an honor for which many of his brethren were 
 wont to pray, for generally the preachers have a 
 strong aversion to becoming supernumeraries. Tlie 
 Conference of 1818 appointed him to the Man- 
 chester circuit, where, if our memory is not at fault, 
 he had once before labored. He was present at 
 the Conference, but toward the latter part of the 
 session was much debiUtated. Yet he shrank not 
 from duty, and, immediately after the close of the 
 Conference, set out upon his journey to his ap- 
 pointed sphere, in company with his friend. Rev. 
 Francis Wrigley. He found himself unable to 
 bear the fatigue of ordinary stage-coach traveling, 
 and it was determined that the journey should be 
 perfor-med by post-chaise. This mode of traveUng 
 he endured with comparative comfort, until they 
 reached Delph, a small manufacturing v-illage on 
 the main road between Huddersfield and Man- 
 chester. Here they resolved to rest for the night, 
 Manchester being within a few hours' easy travel. 
 Having taken tea, Mr. Bardsley sat some time at 
 the door, enjoying the mild autumnal breeze, and 
 appearing much refreshed. Ere long, however, he 
 expressed a wish to retire to rest, and Mr. Wrigley 
 assisted him up stairs, which he ascended without 
 any unusual difficulty. On reaching the topmost 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 211 
 
 stair he sat down, apparently exhausted. Resting 
 his am on Mr. Wrigley's shoulder, or around his 
 neck, as though embracing him, he quietly said, 
 " My dear, I must die," and immediately expired. 
 
 Sudden was the summons ; but it was met with 
 calmness and holy confidence. Emphatically, he 
 " entered into rest." His remains wei-e earned to 
 Manchester, and were committed to the tomb in 
 the town from which, just half a century before, 
 he went forth, an ambassador of Jesus, to declare 
 the acceptable year of the Lord, and to preach the 
 knowledge of remission of sins through the forbear- 
 ance of God. At the time of his decease, he was 
 the oldest effective itinerant preacher in the Wes- 
 leyan Connection. The Rev. Joshua Marsden has 
 thus beautifully recorded the circumstances of his 
 death : — 
 
 " Trav'ling through our vale of strife. 
 
 With the weight of years opprest, 
 Bardsley slipp'd away to life, 
 
 In the sinless realms of rest : 
 Jesus welcomes with a smile. 
 
 Owns his aged servant dear : 
 Fifty years of holy toil 
 
 Crowns with heaven's eternal year." 
 
212 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 5[l)copl)Uus Cesecg. 
 
 " His words seem'd oracles 
 That pierced their bosoms ; * * 
 
 * * * you could have heard 
 The beating of your pulses while he spoke."— Cro/y. 
 " an eye of fire." 
 
 The name of Lessey is known in almost every 
 place Avhere Wesleyan Methodism has found an 
 entrance, seeing that it has been borne and honored 
 by two generations. The subject of this sketch 
 was the " son of a prophet." He was bom in 
 Cornwall in 1787, received the baptismal rite at 
 the hands of the venerable Wesley, and was brought 
 up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. In 
 the year 1795 he entered at Kingswood school. 
 Rev. Joseph Bradford being then governor of the 
 institution. Records of his early days seem to in- 
 timate that the boy did not gi\-e promise of the 
 man, either physically or intellectually, for he is 
 said then to have been of rather diminutive and 
 fragile frame, disinclined to the social sports of 
 boyhood, fond of solitude, and devoid of distinc- 
 tive mental character. He became a member of 
 the Methodist Society in 1805, a local preacher in 
 1807, was proposed for the itinerancy in 1808, 
 and at the Conference of that year was appointed 
 to the Norwich circuit, being then in the twenty- 
 second year of his age. At the very outset his 
 preaching was fervent and popular, and was ac- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 213 
 
 companied by a special unction of the " Spuit 
 which quickeneth ;" and in private Ufe his social 
 and \-ivacious nature showed itself. 
 
 In the usual order of things Mr. Lessey should 
 have been foi-mally admitted into full connection 
 at the Conference of 1812, he ha-vang passed the 
 time of liis probation with great credit. Circum- 
 stances, however, prevented his personal attend- 
 ance, and his formal recognition was therefore 
 postponed until the Conference of the year 1814, 
 but he was considered as received into full connection 
 in all personal privileges consequent thereon, and 
 in reference to his futiu-e standing. This included 
 the right to take unto himself a wife, and to be re- 
 ceived on his circuit as a manied preacher. Into 
 the "blessed estate" he entered immediately after 
 the Conference, being then a second time ap- 
 pointed to the Kidderminster circuit. Witliin the 
 year, by one day, he was a widower, Mrs. Lessey 
 ha\'ing, some two months after their union, taken 
 cold from exposure during a thunder stonn, and 
 fallen a victim to a rapid pulmonary disease. I 
 mention this to introduce the following trait of the 
 brotherly feeling which exists imiversally among 
 the Wesleyan ministers. Mrs. Lessey's native 
 place was Bristol. Early in 1813 her medical ad- 
 \iser expressed his conviction that her only chance 
 of prolonging life was m breathing once more her 
 native air. This was communicated to her friends, 
 and thither by slow stages she was removed. Im- 
 mediately on these facts coming to the knowledge 
 
214 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 of the Bristol preachers, one of them, the Rev. 
 Thomas Clayton, offered to exchange with Mr. 
 Lessey, for two or three months, or as long as cir- 
 cumstances might requu-e, that he might be near 
 the wife of his youth during the afHiction which, it 
 was too plainly seen, would be unto death. The 
 offer was of course gratefully accepted. The ex- 
 change extended to a much longer period than 
 had been anticipated, and thus was Mr. Lessey, 
 under peculiarly trying circumstances, introduced 
 into a large and important circuit, in every re- 
 spect superior to that which Mr. Clayton had so 
 kindl}' undertaken to supply. This early chasten- 
 ing from the hand of his heavenly Father doubt- 
 less contributed much to that peculiar tenderness 
 toward those Avho were soiTOwing which so emi- 
 nently distinguished Mr. Lessey 's preaching and 
 correspondence. " Gold is tried m the fire, and 
 acceptable men in the furnace of adversity." 
 
 Mr. Lessey married again in 1815. The lady 
 was the sister of Sir John Easthope, Bart. Scarcely 
 a year transpired ere he was again a widower, his 
 second wife also falling a prey to consumption, and 
 leaving an infant in his charge. His third wife 
 survives him. This second visitation nearly over- 
 whelmed him, and for awhile he left the scenes 
 that daily and hourly reminded him of his loss, 
 and retired to his friends at Manchester. At the 
 Conference of 1816 he accepted an invitation to 
 Bath, much to the regret of the societies in the 
 Derby circuit, where he had only labored one 
 
SKETCHES OFWESLEVAN PREACHERS. 215 
 
 year. The change was necessary for his peace of 
 mind, and his health. Here again he was called 
 to suffer bereavement in the death of his infant 
 daughter ; it became the occasion of a beautiful 
 letter from Rev. Robert Hall, of whose acquaint- 
 ance with Mr. Lcssey I shall hereafter speak. 
 
 Mr. Lessey's popularity was gradually acquired, 
 and was the combined result of his inherent genius 
 and matured Christian graces. In the year 1821 
 he was appointed to take part in the services con- 
 nected with the annual May meeting of the Wes- 
 leyan Methodist Missionary Society. His labors 
 on that occasion stamped with permanency his 
 then rapidly augmenting popularity. He had re- 
 tired to Weymouth, a comparatively obscure cir- 
 cuit, the seaside having been recommended for the 
 restoration of Mrs. Lessey's health, who had suf- 
 fered for some time from a severe rheumatic affec- 
 tion. At the following Conference (in August) he 
 was appointed to Manchester, at the earnest solici- 
 tation of the society, and with his own consent, his 
 father being there established as supernumerary, 
 and a brother and sister being also settled there. 
 His colleagues were Revs. Robert Newton, Joseph 
 Collier, John Anderson, and John Hawtrey ; the 
 latter gentleman subsequently found a home in the 
 bosom of the Established Church. It is no re- 
 flection upon these reverend gentlemen to say that, 
 with the exception of Mr. Newton, Mr. Lessey was 
 the most popular of the quintette. He labored 
 there three years, and at the expiration of their 
 
216 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 joint ministiy the congregations and societies were 
 so much increased that the circuit was divided. 
 From this time he began to take an active part in 
 missionary sen'ices and meetings, being frequently 
 called upon to preach occasional sermons on be- 
 half of missions. For such services he was emi- 
 nently calculated, breathing into them a spirituality 
 while he fostered the social spirit which is almost 
 essential to the successful result of those peculiar 
 means which the Methodist Church has employed 
 to so large an extent. His addresses always com- 
 manded the attention and interest of the audience, 
 yet he seldom indulged in anecdote, and still more 
 rarely, perhaps never, made a weapon of wit or 
 humor. That was not his forte. 
 
 The expiration of the time to which the Confer- 
 ence, in conformity with the provisions of the 
 " Deed of Declaration," limits the stay of a preacher 
 in the same circuit, was the signal for numerous 
 applications for Mr. Lessey's services. He chose 
 Halifax, and the Conference appointed him there 
 as superintendent, giving him as his colleague the 
 Eev. William Vevers. While in this circuit he 
 experienced a remarkable interposition of divine 
 Providence, to which he was wont to refer in 
 after life with very grateful emotion. Returning 
 from an appointment, his horse took fright, and 
 at the same moment one of the stirrup-leathers 
 broke, and he was thrown to the groimd with great 
 violence. At the turnpike he recovered his horse, 
 remounted, and rode home. With a solicitude 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 2l7 
 
 that distinguished him as an aftectionate husband, 
 he carefully removed from his person all outward 
 indications of the accident before he presented 
 himself to Mrs. Lessey, whom, she being still in a 
 weak state of health, he feared to alarm. She, 
 however, soon detected a pecuUarity in his man- 
 ner — that he repeated the same inquiries several 
 times, and otherwise betrayed disordered faculties. 
 On being questioned, he at once admitted that he 
 had fallen from his horse, but added, " What a 
 mercy it is that I am not at all hurt ! I cannot 
 sufficiently thank God for his preserving goodness." 
 Mrs. Lessey immediately dispatched a messenger 
 for medical assistance, and it was found that Mr. 
 L. had suffered a severe concussion, the more fatal 
 effects of which had been lessened by the shock 
 being simultaneously borne by the pomt of the 
 shoulder and the temple. A free application of 
 leeclies was made ; in a short time his recollection 
 returned, and he suffered no further inconvenience 
 from the accident. 
 
 An accident from a similar cause was subsequent- 
 ly the occasion of much pain and inconvenience. In 
 the earlier years of his ministry he sprained his left 
 knee by a fall from his horse, from which he seem- 
 ed to recover at the time, but it was doubtless the 
 cause of an occasional lameness to which he was 
 subject all his life. Still he was imwilling to remit 
 his usual labors, and actually preached at several 
 places, once at Oldham-street, Manchester, on his 
 knees, though even in that position, and with the 
 
218 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 occasional assistance of a chair, he endured acute 
 pain. This affliction was exceedingly painful to 
 him on his next circuit — Stockport — where the 
 night walks were long. A sort of chronic rheu- 
 matism had settled in the joint, and a walk of a 
 few miles was distressingly painful, often leading 
 to exhaustion and indisposition. He was wont to 
 say that it hurt him less to preach six sermons than 
 to walk so many miles.* 
 
 In the year 1830 Mr. Lessey was elected a 
 member of the " Legal Hundred " by a very large 
 majority; and in 1831 was deputed to accompany 
 the president in his annual visitation to Ireland. 
 At the Conference of 1832 he was stationed in the 
 City Road (London) circuit as the successor of 
 Richard Watson. In 1834, he became, at the 
 special request of the committee of the British and 
 Foreign Bible Society, part of a deputation of that 
 
 * Dr. Hannah mentions the following circumstance in his " Me- 
 morials." It is strikingly characteristic of the man " Mr. Lessey 
 was prevailed upon, in the autumn of 1828, to try for a sliort time 
 the efficacy of the spa at Admeston for the aUeviatiou of the rheu- 
 matic complaint, with wliich he continued to be affected. [He had 
 also, in June of that year, suffered from what is usually called a 
 stroke of the sun — in reahty nervous exhaustion, brought on by 
 walking in mucli pain to his Sunday appointment in the heat of the 
 day— which had seriously affected his general health.] He derived 
 considerable benefit from it, but he generally seemed most success- 
 ful when he sought liealth and ease in the prosecution of his accus- 
 tomed labors. It is related that, in the month of March, 1829, be had 
 a severe attack of fever, which confined him to his bed one Sunday 
 until evening. He then rose, sent for a chaise, repaired to the 
 chapel, where he preached an excellent sermon, on the occasion of 
 the death of one of the oldest leaders of the society, from Nehemiah 
 vii, 2 ; ' He was a faithful many and feared God above many.^ A 
 bold remedy this for a fever I But it was in the course of liis allotted 
 duty, and it appears to have been efficacious." 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 219 
 
 society to Yorkshire, and also took an active part 
 in the preparatory' measures for the establishment 
 of the Wesleyan Theological Institution. In 1839 
 he was elected president of the Conference. It 
 was the Centenary year, and of course one of great 
 importance and interest. It may, by the way, be 
 remarked, that Mr. Lessey was the first preacher's 
 son who had filled the presidential chair. Tliere 
 were misgivings that his peculiarly nervous temper- 
 ament would to some extent \mfit him for the effi- 
 cient discharge of the responsible office. These 
 apprehensions proved to be imfounded. His ex- 
 amination of the probationary ministers greatly en- 
 hanced his reputation as a sound, evangelical theo- 
 logian, and his whole conduct during that memora- 
 ble and eventfiil session won more than ever the 
 affection and confidence of his brethren. There 
 can be little doubt, however, that his exertions in 
 the public devotional sei-vices, rather than in the 
 Conference itself, laid the foimdation of that dis- 
 ease which deprived the Methodist Church of one 
 of its brightest ornaments. 
 
 The Conference was held in Liverpool. The 
 -writer conversed with several of the preachers as 
 they passed through Manchester to their respective 
 circuits, and all spoke of the high devotional spirit 
 sustained by Mr. Lessey during the session ; but 
 many of them expressed great fear that he had ex- 
 ceeded his strength, and would experience the in- 
 jurious if not fatal effects, when the general excite- 
 ment in which he had so lately participated should 
 
220 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 settle down. Special reference was made by more 
 than one to an evening service on the day which 
 was specially set apart for the celebration of the 
 Wesleyan Centenary — Monday, the 5th of August. 
 The services were commenced by a prayer meeting 
 at half-past seven o'clock, A.M. The Rev. Thomas 
 Jackson, ex-president, preached at half-past ten, 
 and in the evening Mr. Lessey preached from 
 Psalm xc, 16, 1*7 : "Let thy work appear unto thy 
 servants." He had been carried beyond himself 
 by the hallowed excitement of the day, and in the 
 evening exerted himself to such a degree, that at 
 the close of the service his voice was entirely gone. 
 The glowing eloquence of that discourse was said 
 to transcend all that had gone before, and the im- 
 mense congregation hung upon his hps with ecstasy 
 and astonishment. He however resumed his pre- 
 sidential duties on the following day, and continu- 
 ed in their discharge until the close of the session. 
 
 Mr. Lessey was now, and had been for some 
 seven or eight years, on the pinnacle of popularity. 
 His occasional services were more in requisition 
 than those of any other preacher, if we except 
 Mr. Newton, and his usefulness was commensurate 
 with his popularity. He was, indeed, taken away 
 in the midst of his daj^s. It was deemed necessary 
 by the Conference, in view of the numerous and 
 important engagements which would necessarily 
 devolve upon the president duiing the Centenary 
 year, that he should reside in London, and Mr. 
 Lessey was stationed there though he had been 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 221 
 
 but one year at Bristol, where he had laid out and 
 was canying on plans of extensive usefulness. He 
 had not long entered upon his new station before 
 he caught a slight cold, which was followed by a 
 troublesome cough. Disregarding this, he continu- 
 ed preaching, and expectoration of blood followed. 
 Conceahng this from his friends, and probably 
 deeming it only a temporary ailment, he still per- 
 sisted in his accustomed labors, traveling and 
 preaching, until, accidentally dining with a medical 
 friend, he was warned of his danger and strictly 
 prohibited from further public exercises. From 
 the beginning of October, 1839, to January, 1840, 
 his life hung in the balances, and once or twice his 
 weeping friends had given him up as dead. With 
 returning spring, however, he rallied considerably, 
 liaving spent the winter at the house of a friend in 
 Bedfordshire. In March he was able to return to 
 London, and though at considerable risk, presided 
 over a committee of ministers convened at the Mis- 
 sion-house, Hatton Garden, to take leave of Rev. 
 Robert Newton, when embarking for this countrj^ 
 as a deputation from the British to the Methodist 
 Episcopal General Conference. The affectionate 
 greeting of his brethren, and their irrepressible joy 
 at having him once more among them, deeply 
 affected him. His reply to their cordial greeting 
 moved every one present, and he himself could 
 scarcely sustain his emotions while he spoke of the 
 manifestations of divine love with which he had 
 been favored, and of his present feelings, hopes, 
 
222 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 and purposes. It was found that the excitement 
 of London was more than he could safely endiu-e, 
 and he was again compelled to retire to the west 
 of England. In the following May, after a silence 
 of more than seven months, he ventured to preach 
 at Exeter, selecting the appropriate and expressive 
 text. Job X, 12, " Thou hast granted me life and 
 favor, and thy visitation ImtJi preserved my spirit." 
 Those only who were accustomed to his ministry 
 can imagine with what sweetness and eloquence he 
 would expatiate on such a theme under such cir- 
 cixmstances. Shortly afterward he attended a 
 missionary meeting in the same city, and spoke at 
 some length on the greatness and glory of the mis- 
 sionary work as viewed by one who stood on the 
 borders of the unseen world. Mr. William Dawson 
 was present and had to follow Mr. Lessey, but 
 when he attempted to speak he was overpowered 
 and burst into teai-s. Finding himself unable to 
 proceed, he asked of the chairman permission to 
 give out a single verse of a hymn, — 
 
 " Till glad he lays this body down, 
 Thy servant, Lord, attend ; 
 And O I his life of mercy crown. 
 With a triumphant end." 
 
 The words were so appropriate, and the allusion 
 so striking, that it could not fail to be felt by the 
 audience, who svmg the verse with much emotion 
 and deep feehng ; Mr. Lessey buried his face in 
 his cloak while the verse was sung, and for some 
 time after was deeply affected. 
 
 The writer has been present at one scene, and 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 223 
 
 but one, parallel to this in touching solemnit)'. It 
 was at Oldham-street, Manchester, when the famed 
 and gifted Dr. M'All preached the annual sermon 
 before the Wesleyaa Missionary Society for the 
 Manchester district. Dr. M'All was pastor of a 
 Congregational Church in that town, beloved and 
 almost idolized by his people. He was of an emi- 
 nently catholic spirit, and had, a long time in ad- 
 vance of the anniversary, consented to perform this 
 service. In the mean time pulmonary disease seized 
 upon him, and death had unmistakably mai-ked 
 him as its prey. His liberal heart, however, was 
 bent upon this act of fraternization ^vith his Me- 
 thodist brethren, with many of whom he was on 
 terms of closest friendship. On the appointed 
 evening he left a sick room, and almost a death- 
 bed, to fulfill his engagement, and no remonstrance 
 could induce him to swerve from his purpose. The 
 chapel was crowded to excess a full hour before 
 the service commenced, for the eloquent preacher 
 was universally beloved, and his voice in the sacred 
 desk had long been silent. Rev. William M. Bunt- 
 ing occupied the pulpit jointly with him, and took 
 the whole of the service preparatory to the sermon : 
 they were kindred spirits and bosom friends. Dr. 
 M'All rose feebly, and in a low voice annoimced as 
 his text the sublime passage commencing the sixty- 
 third chapter of Isaiah, " Who is this tJiat comeih 
 from Edom" &c., fixing, especially upon the last 
 clause of the first verse, " mighty to save." Soon Ms 
 spirit fired with the theme, and for more than an 
 
224 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 hour the Hterally dying man poured forth a tor- 
 rent of impassioned eloquence and evangelical truth 
 that perfectly spell-bound the large body of minis- 
 ters surrounding him, while the whole congregation, 
 inconveniently pressed as they were on all sides, 
 were silent and motionless as the grave which was 
 soon to close over the speaker. But the enfeebled 
 frame was unequal to the exertion, and Mr. Bxmt- 
 ing observed that the doctor's limbs shook and his 
 frame tottered. Seizing, therefore, the first break 
 in the discourse, he I'ose and requested the con- 
 gregation to sing a verse or two so as to allow the 
 preacher a few minutes' rest. He then gave out 
 the two following verses, embodying, as it will be 
 seen, the great theme of the preacher's discourse : — 
 
 " Thou standest in the lioly place 
 
 As now for giiilty sinners slain ; 
 The blood of sprinkling speaks, and prays. 
 
 All prevalent for helpless man ; 
 Thy blood is still our ransom found, 
 And speaks salvation all around. 
 " The smoke of thy atonement here 
 
 Darken'd the sun and rent the veil, 
 Made the new way to heaven appear, 
 
 And show'd the ^eat Invisible : 
 Well pleased in thee, our God look'd down, 
 And calls liis rebels to a crown.'' 
 
 Tlie congregation joined the choir in singing ; the 
 immense volume of vocal praise pealed forth from 
 nearly four thousand devout hearts ; the swelling 
 symphony seemed to increase in power and mean- 
 ing at every line, and it was, taking all the circum- 
 stances into the account, one of the most solemn 
 and impressive, yet e.xciting acts of public worship 
 
SKETCHES OF WESUEYAN PREACUERS. 225 
 
 I was ever present at: men stood with reverent 
 and heartfelt joy in the temple of the Lord of 
 hosts as in the ancient days ; nay, it was as though 
 we stood at the heavenly portals, the everlasting 
 gates lifted up, and the vast congregation entering 
 Avith songs of grateful triumph into the very pre- 
 sence of Him who was incarnate that he might 
 become " mighty to save." The effect upon the 
 dying M'All was magical. Scarcely had the echo 
 of the last note died on the ear, before he sprang, 
 inngorated, to his feet, and, catching the sentiment 
 of the hymn, perfectly electrified the audience for 
 an hour and a quarter longer, by some of the most 
 brilUant flashes of genius and glowing eloquence 
 that ever passed from mortal lips. Alas ! they 
 were the notes of the dying swan — that service 
 was his last. 
 
 We left Mr. Lessey engaged at a missionary 
 meeting at Exeter. He so far recovered from the 
 affliction which had overtaken him, as to attend the 
 Irish Conference in his official character ; but, ere 
 the commencement of the EngUsh Conference, such 
 unfavorable symptoms appeared, that his medical 
 advisers strictly forbade his attendance there. He 
 wrote to the Conference, announcing the decision 
 to which his medical advisers had come, poimng 
 forth the sorrows of his heart under the disap- 
 pointment, yet expressing his entire resignation to 
 the divine will. He was then at his own home in 
 London, but subsequently removed to Luton, Bed- 
 fordshire, a climate that appears peculiarly to have 
 15 
 
226 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 suited his constitution. Through the winter of that 
 year, 1840, he hngered with fluctuating health, 
 necessarily abstaining from all public exercises, but 
 employing himself in reading and correspondence. 
 With spring came more alarming symptoms of his 
 disease. At his own earnest request, though unfit 
 for the journey, he was removed to London by 
 slow stages. His days were now numbered ; and 
 on the 10th of Jime he "passed through death 
 triumphant home," under circumstances that can- 
 not be better described than in the touching nar- 
 rative of Dr. Hannah : — 
 
 " He signified a wish, contrary to his usual custom, 
 that every one would leave him at dinner time, 
 saying that he could easily ring the bell if he 
 wanted anything. Mrs. Lessey begged that she 
 might remain and dine with him ; at which he 
 seemed much pleased, and for half an hour before 
 dinner talked cheerfully ^vith her. When he had 
 partaken of his food, which he appeared greatly to 
 relish, he settled himself in his easy chair for a 
 short sleep, while, at his request, Mrs. Lessey em- 
 ployed herself in writing letters. He rose about 
 four o'clock, took a few strawberries, and walked 
 a little in the room. He then sat down, coughing 
 very slightly. Mrs. Lessey perceived that he was 
 spitting blood, and instantly went to him. He 
 quietly asked her for a larger basin. She fetched 
 one, and rang the bell. Pulling it again rather 
 hastily, for the blood began to flow more profusely 
 than it had ever done before, he calmly said to her, 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 227 
 
 ' Do not be in a hurry.' He then rose from his 
 chair, put his hand on his chest, and drew himseU" 
 up, as if oppressed with a feehng of sufibcation. 
 He walked toward liis sleeping apartment, resting 
 one arm on Mrs. Lessey, and tlie other on the 
 servant who just then came into the room. Sitting 
 down on the side of the bed, he reclined his head 
 on the bosom of liis Avife, while she supported him 
 vnth her left hand, and with the right took hold 
 of his hand as it rested on his knee. An appre- 
 hension of immediate danger seized her mind ; and 
 she began to point him to Christ as his sure re- 
 fuge and support. Within a minute she perceived 
 a slight quiver, or tremulous motion, pass through 
 his frame : his countenance changed, and his head 
 drooped. She asked him if he could not speak 
 one word to her. But there was no sound, nor 
 the gentlest return of the pressure of her hand. 
 Life had departed ; and all that remained was 
 clay. So died this servant of Christ, in the fifty- 
 tifth year of his age, and the thirty-third of his 
 ministry." 
 
 Mr. Les!5ey's personal appearance was not cal- 
 culated to win at first sight. Around the mouth 
 was an expression of hauteur, not to say harsh- 
 ness, and there was a flash of the eye, that did not 
 make an agreeable first impression upon the mind 
 of an observer. During one part of his life, that 
 preceding his more severe sickness, while laboring 
 under considerable derangement of the nervous 
 system, he was somewhat irritable and brusque to 
 
228 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 strangers. It required some tact to approach him 
 safely. This, however, was not his natural dispo- 
 sition — it was the result of a long-growing indis- 
 position, and was a subject of considerable mental 
 distress to himself. His private correspondence 
 and domestic intercourse were the best indices 
 of the affection and humility which dwelt in his 
 heart. By those who knew him best, he was most 
 deeply beloved. He never lost a friend, and the 
 affection of those admitted into that relation seem- 
 ed to increase with years. 
 
 Allusion has been made to his acquaintance with 
 the Rev. Robert Hall ; a gentleman not likely to 
 take into familiar intercourse and correspondence 
 any man of mediocre quaUties or attainments either 
 of piety or intellect. No mere outside show would 
 do for Robert Hall ; no tinsel would dazzle him. 
 Indeed, he was rather prone to judge harshly and 
 keenly of others. On one occasion a Methodist 
 missionary meeting was held at Leicester ; and Mr. 
 Hall, Avith a friend, stepped in to hear and see how 
 these Methodists managed such matters. The 
 first speaker happened to be Richard Watson. 
 Hall sat indifferent for the first few sentences, but 
 ere long he was seen to exhibit indubitable signs 
 of awakened interest and admiration, and soon he 
 was fully absorbed in Mr. Watson's address ; for 
 it was one of his masterly expositions of the entire 
 subject of Christian missions. Frequent were Mr. 
 Hall's half-spoken expressions of delight as Mr. 
 Watson advanced from position to position, ever 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 229 
 
 planting his foot firmly, and removing all obstacles 
 to further advancement imtil he had fully vindi- 
 cated the noble enterprise from the attacks of 
 opponents, and from the misgivings and suspicions 
 of faint-hearted friends. When Mr. Watson had 
 
 concluded, the Rev. Mr. rose, (I do not give 
 
 the name — I knew him well, and little did he de- 
 serve Mr. Hall's rude remarks ; but he was a per- 
 fect antipodes to Mr. Watson, and Mr. Hall's nerves 
 could not bear the sudden transition,) and in a 
 strain of loud declamation commenced his speech. 
 Mr. Hall turned abruptly to his friend and said, 
 " 0, let us go. This is always the way with show- 
 men — the lions first, and the monkeys afterward." 
 
 Between Mr. Lessey and Mr. Hall a strong and 
 enduring friendship sprang up, and it originated 
 under rather peculiar circumstances. Mr. Lessey 
 was visiting Leicester to preach sermons on behalf 
 of the Wesleyan Sunday school. He took the op- 
 portunity of procuring an introduction to Mr. Hall, 
 and at his request preached for him on the Sun- 
 day morning, Mr. Lessey 's occasional services em- 
 bracing only the afternoon and evening. He se- 
 lected a theme on which I have heard him preach 
 with astonishing eloquence and unction — the trans- 
 figuration of our Lord. It was a favorite topic, 
 and few men could touch it with so masterly a 
 hand. Tlie congregation were so charmed with 
 the discourse and with the preacher that in the 
 afternoon a deputation waited upon him, offering, 
 jointly with their distinguished pastor, the use of 
 
230 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 their chapel for the evening sermon in behalf of the 
 Weslej'an Sunday schools. The building being 
 much larger than the chapel then occupied by the 
 Wesleyans, the offer was accepted with the same 
 promptness with which it was made, and the ne- 
 cessary announcements were promulgated. 
 
 But now a new difficulty arose. Mr. L. on re- 
 tiring, as was his wont, a short time before the 
 commencement of the service, for meditation and 
 prayer, accidentally saw a volume of Mr. Hall's 
 sermons on the book shelves, took it down and 
 opened upon a sermon which Mr. Hall had 
 preached, in the very pulpit he was about to oc- 
 cupy, only a short time before, upon the same 
 text which he had himself chosen as his sub- 
 ject for that evening's discourse. Any who knew 
 Mr. Lessey would not wonder at his feeUng much 
 embari'assed. He shnmk fi-om standing on ground 
 already occupied by so truly a giant in intellect as 
 Robert Hall. Time, however, pressed, and after 
 great hesitation he selected another text, fell upon 
 his knees and earnestly besought help from God, 
 went to the chapel and preached an eloquent and 
 powerful sermon, which called forth the thanks of 
 Mr. Hall, with whom, according to a previous en- 
 gagement, he spent the remainder of the evening.* 
 
 * Robert Hall, by the way, was not given to compliment. Once, 
 when the paroxysms of pain, to which he was all his life subject, 
 were so increasing upon him that it was deemed important for him 
 to consult an eminent physician in London, he took the opportunity 
 
 of hearing the Rev. Dr. . Self-abased, and dissatisfied with 
 
 himself, he returned to Leicester, called together the official mem- 
 bers of the church, and insisted upon resigning his office, from 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 231 
 
 Mr. Lessey's preaching was eminently distin- 
 giiislied for its richness and fullness of evangelical 
 trutli, and the glow of piety it diffused or enkin- 
 dled in the congregation. His sermons were full 
 of Christ — the atonement, intercession, and priestly 
 office of " the Son of man," seemed to be the first 
 and last of all his studies ; and all he said appeared 
 to gush almost unbidden from a heart sirrcharged 
 with the glorious theme. On the priesthood of 
 Christ, and his sympathy with his people, I never 
 heard his equal, and very much question whether, 
 in this respect, his superior has appeared in any 
 denomination since the days of the author of the 
 Epistle to the Hebrews. This is a theme on which, 
 perhaps, ministers generally do not sufficiently 
 dwell — it is at the very root of all Christian confi- 
 dence, and hope, and joy ; and as a subject for in- 
 vestigation and discourse is inexhaustible. The 
 
 which step it seemed as though no argument could move him. Be- 
 fore the interview was closed, (and it was on the Saturday even- 
 ing, by the way.) a minister of the same persuasion, from a neigh- 
 boring town, caUcd upon Mr. Hall, who immediately proposed to 
 him to occupy his pulpit in this strait. The visitor, who had a 
 considerable share of vanity, was elated at the proposal, but thought 
 it becoming to make many refusals and protestations of his imfit- 
 ness, &.C. These were all silenced, however, by Mr. Hall's pe- 
 remptorj-, " Sir, you must preach." Mr. Hall attended, and accom- 
 panied the reverend gentleman into the vestry at the close of the 
 .ser\-ice. " Sir, I am your debtor, unspeakably your debtor, sir," 
 .said Mr. Hall, the friends around Usteniug with astonishment, for, 
 sooth to say, tlie sermon had been remarkable for little beyond its 
 pedantry and notliingness. " Sir, your sermon has done me good ; 
 It has broken a snare in which the devil had entangled me. I had 
 
 been up to London, sir, and had heard that great man. Dr. , and 
 
 was so mortified vrith myself that I resolved never to preach again. 
 But, sir, I have heard you, and now, sir, I shall preach again with 
 Bome comfort." 
 
232 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 first sermon I heard from him was on this topic. 
 All the rich stores of a mind taught to derive its 
 consolations from faith in the sympathy of Him 
 who " was in all points tempted like as we are," 
 were poured forth before the congregation ; and 
 the people were lifted out of themselves in con- 
 templation of their oneness with him, who, as their 
 elder Brother, and as " High Priest over the house 
 of God," ever sj^mpathizes with our sorrows, and 
 represents our interests in the "courts above." 
 The feeling -with which Mr. Lessey gave out the 
 first hymn awakened a holy joy and confidence in 
 one's breast. 
 
 "Hail, thou once despised Jesus, 
 Hail, thou Galilean King ; 
 Thou didst suffer to release us, 
 Thou didst sure salvation bring," 
 
 was uttered -with a pathos that revealed to my 
 mind new poetic and spiritual beauties, and that 
 seemed to fire the vast congregation. 
 
 Proofs of the efficacy of his preaching were 
 abundant. Few men in modern days have had so 
 many seals to their ministry — so many known 
 proofs that their word quickened — as Mr. Lessey, 
 apart from some known as revivalists ; and I doubt 
 whether any one of that class had so many perma- 
 nent converts. He scarcely preached a sermon 
 without fruit ; and oftentimes the word from his 
 lips — from his heart — was blessed in an extraor- 
 dinary degree. The cause was, that his sermons 
 enlightened the understanding as well as moved 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAX PREACHERS. 233 
 
 the feelings — his preaching was hke the warm sun 
 illuminating the darkness, melting the obduracy of 
 the sinner's heart, and -NArinning the affections and 
 judgment for Christ. On one occasion he preached 
 a sermon to young people at Halifax, under which 
 upward of twenty young men were moved to seek 
 the Lord, and all who have not passed into heaven 
 remain, to this day, steadfast in the faith. To 
 that band of young men, and those whom they 
 again were instrumental in reclaiming from sin and 
 Satan's power, may be attributed the erection of 
 an additional chapel at Halifax, and the spread of 
 Methodism to a wide extent in that neighborhood. 
 Similar manifestations of the presence of God ac- 
 companied nearly every sermon Mr. Lessey preach- 
 ed. Nor was it to be marveled at. Those who 
 were favored with his correspondence, know that 
 lie always breathed the spirit of his Master, and 
 knew no toil in the great work whereunto he was 
 called. 
 
 Let it not be supposed that, in dwelling upon 
 the more touching truths of divine revelation, Mr. 
 Lessey forgot to vindicate the justice, purity, and 
 majesty of God, or to hurl the terrors of the law 
 against the profligate and impenitent. His Sunday 
 evening discoiu'ses were sometimes calculated to 
 make the sinner's flesh creep upon his bones, so 
 fearful were the pictures he drew of the ter- 
 rors of death, the eternal torment, and the mad- 
 dening anguish of unceasing wo. A glance of 
 his eye was like the piercing of a sharp sword — it 
 
234 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 was scarcely bearable when directed with its deep 
 blaze — if I may use the term — or its flash of scorn, 
 upon the enemies of the Redeemer. No words, 
 even from his own eloquent lips, could express 
 what that eye could — and he knew how to use it. 
 
 In stature, Mr. Lessey was about five feet eleven 
 inches, of robust frame, slightly incUning to corpu- 
 lency, hair originally black, but in later years 
 freely sprinkled with the frost of age. He was 
 favored with a fine voice, capable of the tenderest 
 intonations, and of considerable compass. His 
 complexion was somewhat sallow and dark, and 
 the lines of his face strongly marked. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 235 
 
 t[)oma0 garrison UJalkcr. 
 
 " , gifted, noble, ardent, kind." 
 
 The publication, in this country, of a volume from 
 the pen of this gentleman, entitled a " Companion 
 for the Afflicted," which the Rev. Dr. Peck, in an 
 introductory page, fitly characterizes as " precious," 
 naturally suggests liis introduction to the reader of 
 these sketches. The book is comparatively a re- 
 cent production, and is a fair criterion by which to 
 judge of the author's ministerial talents. There 
 have been circumstances in his personal history 
 peculiarly adapted to call forth his strongest sym- 
 pathies with those who are called to pass through 
 great tribulation, and to lead him to meditate fre- 
 quently upon those mysterious dispensations of the 
 divine government wluch ever and anon cast a 
 temporary gloom over the Christian's path. Right- 
 ly to counsel the afflicted is a more difficult task 
 than many suppose. It involves nice and dehcate 
 points. The indiscriminate application of Scriptiu-e 
 promises is rarely safe ; it is never satisfactory to an 
 intelhgent and reflecting mind. Those promises are 
 all conditional; they presuppose certain constitu- 
 ents of character. Christians are often more eager 
 to claim a divine promise than they are to inquire 
 into the justice of their claim. Christian fidelity is 
 a high virtue, and has reference to the thoughts 
 and intentions of the heart — the secret chambers 
 
236 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 of imagery — as well as to the outward actions and 
 the performance of prescribed duties. For want 
 of self-examination many fail to discover in their 
 afflictions the chastisement of their infidehties, and 
 our heavenly Father has to inflict stroke upon stroke 
 before we are willing to retire into our closets to 
 inquire what he means and wherefore we are 
 chastened. Hence the pastor of God's people 
 should be diUgent and careful in the interpretation 
 of afflictive dispensations. He must neither too 
 hastily pour in consolation, nor needlessly keep 
 open the wound. He must discriminate between 
 what, in the moral government of the Most High, 
 is permitted and what appointed ; between what is 
 general and what specific ; what the certain effect 
 of known causes, and what superior or contrary 
 thereto. He should exercise a wise care to pro- 
 mote the design of the chastisement, even though 
 it be necessary to probe deeply the wounds which 
 already qmver at the slightest touch ; and there 
 should be, in no less degree, a skillful and prompt 
 application, where justifiable, of the healing balm — 
 those exceeding great and precious promises which 
 are the heritage of God's faithful people when 
 afflicted in mind, body, or estate. But above all, 
 he is most competent to " comfort those that mourn" 
 who has an experimental knowledge both of the 
 sorrows of tribulation and their antidote. One 
 severe trial, sanctified to the sufferer and received 
 with self-examination, will often give, more than 
 volumes of theology and years of study, a key to 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 237 
 
 the whole subject. The coxinsels of one thus qua- 
 hfied, oral or written, are profitable to those who 
 are " chastened of the Lord ;" he becomes in all the 
 fullness of the language a " companion for the 
 afflicted." 
 
 Such a man is the Rev. T. H. Walker. Gifted 
 with superior intellect, a diUgent and extensive 
 reader, a close student of human character, and a 
 careful observer — with a nature susceptible of the 
 kindliest sjTnpathies — always chaste in expression 
 and often truly eloquent ; presernng the dignity of 
 the ministerial character whUe he cheerfully per- 
 forms its minutest duties ; he was regarded in his 
 best days as a model of a Christian pastor, and 
 commanded the best circuits. More recently he 
 has had less prominent stations. As a preacher 
 few men can so irresistibly elevate his hearers to a 
 high standard both of faith and practice, without 
 in the least degree bordering on enthusiasm or 
 eccentricity. Carefully laying down his principles 
 in the former part of his discourse, he will, toward 
 its conclusion, glowingly expatiate upon the prin- 
 cipal theme, securing the assent of the judgments 
 of his hearers while he excites the most hallowed 
 emotions within their hearts. In the conduct of 
 prayer meetmgs he is emmently successful, especi- 
 ally in addressing and encouraging the penitent 
 and broken-hearted. To the young he is both 
 pastor and friend. 
 
 Some ten years ago Mr. Walker's personal ap- 
 pearance was pleasing and imposing. He is about 
 
238 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 five feet eleven inches in height, rather spare than 
 fleshy, hair of raven blackness, a fine ej'e, a patch 
 of color upon the cheek, closely resembling a hectic 
 flush, especially when excited with preaching, and 
 of very gentlemanly manners and address. Proba- 
 bly the lapse of years, with other circumstances, 
 has ^vrought a considerable change in his outward 
 man since the writer had the privilege of sitting 
 \uider his ministry. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEVAN PREACHERS. 239 
 
 a^am Clarke, CCD., 1.^.0. 
 
 " So then, humbly with liis God, and proudly independent of his 
 fellows, 
 
 Walketh in pleasures multitudinous, the man ennobled by his 
 pen ; 
 
 He hath built up, glorious architect, a monument more durable 
 than brass, 
 
 His children's children shall talk of him in love, and teach their 
 sons his honor ; 
 
 His dignity hath set him among princes, the universe is debtor to 
 his worth ; 
 
 His privilege is blessing for ever ; his happiness shineth now, 
 For he standeth of that grand election, each man one among a 
 thousand, 
 
 Whose sound is gone out into all lands and their words to the end 
 of the world." — Proverbial Philosaphi/. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Clarke, when I first saw him, struck 
 me forcibly, and no less favorably, by his benevo- 
 lent aspect : his hair, white with age, was thrown 
 back from his forehead and temples ; his complex- 
 ion was ruddy ; his step, for his years, fimi and 
 elastic, and his entire appearance indicative of 
 health ; his person of full average height, and in- 
 cUning to corpulency ; and his features bland, de- 
 noting openness and frankness. He was dressed 
 much in the style of an English country gentle- 
 man — top-boots, drab breeches, blue coat, with 
 covered or sQk buttons, pale buff vest, drab hat, 
 and snow-white neckcloth — and had the air of one 
 accustomed to the best society. 
 
 Every Methodist is probably aware that Dr. 
 Clarke was of Irish birth, being a native of Moybeg, 
 
240 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 an inconsiderable to\yn in the county of London- 
 deny. This could scarcely be known from his 
 conversation, the pecuUar hut rich and not unmu- 
 sical brogue of his coimtry having probably been 
 lost in the acquisition of other languages, espe- 
 cially as he left Ireland while yet a mere youth. 
 But perhaps his Hibernian origm might be traced 
 in the pleasant egotism which was sometimes ap- 
 parent in his character, some amusing instances of 
 which may be found in the Autobiography Avhich 
 foiTOs the first volume of the Memoirs published 
 by his family, and occasionally, though more rarely, 
 in his journal and familiar correspondence. This 
 was, it might almost be said, the only failing of this 
 great man ; the opaque spot upon a character of 
 unsurpassed lustre and transparency. Even this 
 weakness was more diverting than baneful. It 
 sometimes excited a smile, but never awakened 
 disrespect. It was a simplicity of candor which 
 indicated honesty far more than it did vanity or 
 self-complacency, and was the antipodes of parade 
 or assumption of superiority ; of these Dr. Clarke 
 could never be rightfully accused. His godly sin- 
 cerity and fervent piety always outshone his scho- 
 lastic attainments, and his Christian principles 
 saved him from the spirit which too often ac- 
 companies such elevation among men as that to 
 which he attained. His freedom of speech re- 
 specting himself partook of that openness, mutual 
 confidence, and unrestrained pleasantry, which 
 private intercourse among EngUshmen permits and 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 241 
 
 justifies ; albeit with a bias in the direction ah-eady 
 mentioned. 
 
 There was a native nobility in the character of 
 Dr. Clarke. He was above dissimulation or con- 
 cealment of his sentiments, and avowed them with 
 frankness when circumstances seemed to require it. 
 Conscious of his sincerity and uprightness, he did 
 not in Ms ordinary conversation pause to consider 
 what construction others would or could put upon 
 his words. And in this he showed true greatness. 
 It is ever an indication of littleness of mind — of a 
 very small amoimt of self-reliance — to be over 
 sohcitous about the opinions of others, or to be 
 craving after public approbation — to be fearful lest 
 oiu- shghtest expression should be misconstrued or 
 unappreciated. Such a disposition betrays a con- 
 sciousness of merely supei-ficial attainments, and 
 betokens the absence of that strength of character 
 and rectitude of principle upon which the tmly 
 gi-eat can fall back and peacefully recline amid any 
 amoimt of misrepresentation of either words or 
 actions. To such littleness the subject of this 
 sketch was an entire stranger, and perhaps cai-ried 
 his frankness to an excess, as many lesser men do 
 their circumspection. Indeed, upon a review of 
 Dr. Clarke's "rise and progress," it would have 
 been marvelous if he did not sometimes signify a 
 consciousness of the distinctions which had been 
 heaped upon him, never beyond his deserts ; and 
 it was a triumph of divine grace that the honors 
 gathered from the church and the world, in such 
 
 16 
 
242 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 merited profusion, marred not the harmony and 
 simplicity of his character. Thrice was he, by the 
 unsought suffrages of his brethren, elected to the 
 highest office in their gift— the presidency of the 
 Conference — a distinction which in his day no other 
 preacher attained. Among the people, his earnest, 
 experimental preaching, and his numerous theolo- 
 gical writings, had secured to him a universal popu- 
 larity. His learned and invaluable Commentary 
 had established among all other religious denomi- 
 nations, and among learned men generally, his high 
 reputation as a scholar. His acquaintance was 
 courted by the savans of Europe ; a prince of the 
 House of Brunswick (the Duke of Sussex) delight- 
 ed to associate with him ; the British and Foreign 
 Bible Society openly acknowledged their indebted- 
 ness to him, not only for counsel and aid in the 
 matter of translating the Scriptures into the ori- 
 ental languages, but in devising and casting model 
 founts of oriental type ; the British government, 
 against the repeated expression of his wishes, re- 
 tained for ten years his services in deciphering and 
 arranging its ancient manuscripts, and frankly ex- 
 pressed its indebtedness to him by placing upon 
 its imperishable records a memorial of his " exten- 
 sive leaniing and indefatigable industry ;" yet he 
 still remained, as in the days of his youth, a 
 Methodist preacher, in spirit, in labors, in accepta- 
 bility, and in usefulness ; one with his brethren in 
 ardent attachment to the principles and economy 
 of Wesleyan Methodism, as handed down to them 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 243 
 
 by its founder, and so wonderfully o^vned of God 
 as a means for the Avorld's salvation ; — its fearless 
 advocate, and its able defender. 
 
 Ten years subsequent to the time referred/ to at 
 the commencement of this sketch, the writer next 
 saw and heard Dr. Clarke in the pulpit of Brunswick 
 Chapel, Leeds. He was then more clerically attir- 
 ed, his dress being such as is generally worn by his 
 associates in the ministry. He preached twice on 
 that day in behalf of the trust-funds of the chapel, 
 which was densely crowded. The two collections, 
 taken up in the usual way in boxes or plates, 
 amounted to about two hundred and tifty pounds 
 sterhng. I remember feeling some disappointment 
 under the morning sermon, especially in the former 
 part, in new of the preacher's high reputation for 
 learning ; but this feeling subsided toward the close, 
 borne down by the torrent of evangelical truth by 
 which the discourse was distinguished. As the 
 doctor approached the conclusion of the sermon, 
 and gathered into one rich cluster the vast truths 
 which his arguments had unfolded in the former 
 parts, his face glowed with deep feeling, and after 
 dwelling for a moment upon their vast importance, 
 he swept his hand across the space before him, as 
 a farmer would in sowing gram broadcast, and ex- 
 claimed, with great energy, " There, take these 
 glorious truths among you — make the most of 
 them for your personal salvation and comfort ; 
 they are truths, I \n\\ vouch for them — for that I 
 will stake my reputation for intellect and common 
 
244 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 sense ; and if they hung but by a single hair of this 
 gray head, (pointing to his snowy locks,) that 
 single hair would be found so firmly united to the 
 throne of the Redeemer, that all the malignity of 
 hell and the sophistry of the world might be defied 
 to cut it in two." The eflfect of this, but feebly 
 given from memory, was magical. A burst of joy 
 broke from the auditory, which showed that they 
 had made the application of his subject which he 
 desired. The evening sermon* was a still richer 
 feast. The doctor caught fire at an expression in 
 the second hymn, and the sermon was full of the 
 unction of the Holy One. 
 
 No just opinion of Dr. Clarke as a preacher can 
 be formed from his published sermons. This will 
 be conceded by all who have lieard him preach, 
 and read his printed discourses. In the pulpit he 
 labored to effect present good ; through the press 
 he spoke to future generations, and probably con- 
 sidered that while the majority of those who at- 
 tended upon his ministry were imlearned, a fair 
 proportion of those who bought and read published 
 sermons were accustomed to reflect, were capable 
 of pursuing and comprehending more elaborate 
 
 * 111 writing tliese sketches, for the material of which I have had 
 to depend solely upon memorv', I have been frequently struck with 
 the comparative facility with wliich the character and rubstance 
 of morning discourses can be recalled, as distinguished fi. -n those 
 deUvered by the same preachers on the evenings of the sam. days. 
 It is an evidence of the uniformity of plan and purpose which dis- 
 tinguishes the English preachers. Physiologically, the fact might 
 perhaps be made to support some curious theories, were tliis the 
 place to prosecute the inquiry. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 245 
 
 arguments, and could appreciate the additional aids 
 furnished by learning and science. He would not 
 introduce his erudition vrheve it might prove an 
 impediment, rather than an auxiliaiy, to the great 
 work which lay near his heart ; neither would he 
 conceal it where there was a possibility of its pro- 
 moting the cause of religion and tmth. In this 
 he copied the model for all Christian ministers — 
 the great apostle to the Gentiles — whose vast ac- 
 quirements in Jewish literature rarely appeared, 
 except in the richness of his exhibitions of gospel 
 privileges. His learning constituted the deep and 
 broad foundation of that pillar which, in the person 
 of the apostle, was set for the defense of the truth, 
 and not the ornament of its capital ; ministering to 
 its strength, rather than to its decoration. 
 
 In his style or method of preaching Dr. Clarke 
 greatly differed from most of his brethren. His 
 was preaching, as distinguished on the one hand 
 from mere sermonizing, altogether too popular in 
 the present day ; and on the other hand from mere 
 exposition, in which so few excel, and in which 
 none can excel mthout close and critical study of 
 the Holy Scriptures. An occasional hearer, imless 
 more than ordinarily intelligent and attentive, would 
 perhaps think him negUgent of plan or outline, as 
 he rarely announced his divisions and subdivisions. 
 But the entire plan existed in his own mind, and 
 sometimes, at the conclusion of a discourse, he 
 would recapitulate the main points, so as to show 
 the harmony of all he had said. And the ob- 
 
246 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PEEACHER8. 
 
 servant hearer would note, that through the whole 
 discourse the plan was unfolded by degrees in the 
 execution of all the parts — an aim was apparent 
 all the way through. As Mr. Everett observes : 
 " In cases where order was the least perceptible, 
 the fine flow of thought and of feeling in which he 
 indulged was invariably taking witliin its vast and 
 sweeping motion whatever of the useful came in 
 its way in its course to the ocean of eternity ; 
 whither he was always, after due preparation here, 
 conducting his hearers. Niunerous as might be 
 the Avindings of an argument through which he 
 conducted his auditors, it was still, like the same 
 stream, working out its own natural bed amidst the 
 mountains and over the plains, coming, as it were, 
 from the heights of the understanding, and finally 
 settling down into the heart, in fixed and steady 
 purpose." The common-place plan of " three 
 heads, and a conclusion," was his aversion. There 
 was the warmth of life in every discourse he de- 
 livered. The whole Bible was liis book, and what- 
 ever text he might select, the light of the volume 
 beamed through it. His favorite method was to 
 take up some broad, general truths — to dwell upon 
 the harmony of divine revelation, and the fullness 
 of the divine economy of grace — and then to mete 
 them out to his hearers in all their adaptation to 
 human necessities, and the Christian's comfort. 
 
 It must not be supposed that he neglected pre- 
 vious preparation, over and above the great stores 
 which were accumulated in his extensive reading. 
 
SKETCEIES OF WESLEYAN FKEACHERS. 247 
 
 His sermons were carefully studied, but more in 
 the thoughts than in the words ; the phraseology, 
 and the extent of range to be taken, depended upon 
 the influence which he might receive from on high.* 
 His action was not in any way remarkable ; it was 
 natural, at times not peculiarly graceful, but ge- 
 nerally appropriate, and rarely otherwise than 
 chaste. His voice was strong and clear, rather 
 monotonous in the more argumentative portions 
 of his sermon, but capable of very effective out- 
 breaks toward the close. 
 
 In personal character few men have exhibited 
 more that was lovely and of good report than Dr. 
 Clarke. Benevolence and magnanimity were his 
 prominent characteristics. His kindness of heart 
 displayed itself not less in the minor courtesies of 
 social life than in the fulfillment of more important 
 
 * The following will afford a key to the manner in which Dr. 
 Clarke often preached ; and there can be little wonder that the 
 word from his lips was accompanied with the demonstration of the 
 Spirit and with power. IBs daughter had requested liim to repeat 
 a sermon lie had preached some years before, from Daniel ii, 31-35, 
 to which he replied that he had not even a note of the sermon. 
 His daughter expressed her surprise that he could preach a sermon, 
 of that character, involving the most minute particulars of the ge- 
 ographical position of empires, their political and chronological 
 events, &c., without some notes ; to which he rephed : — " Mar>-, I 
 had the whole world before me as clear as noonday. I felt as if I 
 was standing upon the world, not in it ; it was all spread before the 
 eye of my mind ; I saw it all, and therefore could describe it all." 
 On its being subjoined, " Then, father, I should imagine that you 
 saw also the ' stone cut out without hands ;' " he answered with 
 energy-, "Yes, Mar>-, I felt, while I was dwelling on the power of 
 God, and on his mercy as revealed in Christ for the salvation of 
 man, as if I vias taking hold of the pillars of eternity, and on them I 
 hung the truth of God, which never can be shaken ; and his mercy which 
 it declared, and which can never know an end." — Memoir. 
 
248 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 duties ; it was his nature, confirmed and eleyated 
 by the voluntary adoption of that noblest maxim, 
 " Do unto others as ye would that they should do 
 imto you." Many instances of this, in themselves 
 perhaps trifles, but as illustrative of an important 
 principle, are within the writer's knowledge, one 
 of which may be mentioned here. Once, when 
 preaching in a large manufacturing town in York- 
 shire, and staying at the house of a wealthy mem- 
 ber of the society, the preachers on the circuit, 
 their families, and other friends, were invited to 
 sup with him. An Englishman loves his supper, 
 albeit it is the fourth meal of the day, and Me- 
 thodist preachers no less than others, especially 
 after preaching three times, walking perhaps six 
 or eight miles, and comparatively fasting all day. 
 Then the anxieties of the day are over, the mind 
 relaxes from its rigid tension into grateful cheer- 
 fulness, the home associations of the man, the 
 husband and the father, resume their influence, 
 after being kept in abeyance by the onerous sense 
 of ministerial duty and responsibihty, and, whether 
 at home or abroad, he unbends — imhamesses, so 
 to speak. In the society of English Methodist 
 preachers, under such circvimstanees, the writer 
 has spent some of the most profitable and delight- 
 ful hours of his life. But to return. Among the 
 edibles were roasted potatoes — a favorite method 
 of cooking this vegetable across the water, where 
 they have it of finer quality than we have — one 
 of which a young lady, who sat next to Dr. Clarke, 
 
SKETCHES 01" WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 249 
 
 cut with a knife, the cold blade of which, by con- 
 densing the steam, immediately made the vege- 
 table sad and watery. This caught the doctor's 
 eye, and with parental kindness he spoke aside to 
 the young lady : " Stay, my dear, lay that aside. 
 I am an Irishman ; let me show you how to treat 
 my country's fruit. As the skin is never eaten, 
 you need feel no hesitation about taking a roasted 
 potato in your fingers, thus," breaking one in twain, 
 and pressing out the flour-like contents of the 
 " jacket " upon his plate. I have often heard the 
 lady say, that this was done Avith so much paternal 
 urbanity, that the doctor's manner won from her 
 an almost filial confidence and love, trifling as was 
 the circumstance in itself. 
 
 To the young he was always benignant, and 
 over their peace and welfare ever watchful. This 
 disposition showed itself, where it ever should be 
 most manifest, in the bosom of his family, Avhere 
 he was indeed deeply beloved. Never, perhaps, 
 was parent more esteemed and venerated, while 
 his children found in his unvarying kindness the 
 aliment and object of tenderest and most confiding 
 affection. Amid his numerous engagements, and 
 the eagerness with which his society was sought 
 by the great and learned, home was to him the 
 only earthly paradise — the haven of rest — the ark 
 to which he was ever anxious to return : — 
 
 " The spot of earth supremely blest, 
 A dearer, sweeter spot, than all the rest." 
 
 The oriental scholar and learned commentator. 
 
250 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 the companion of savans and of princes, was still 
 more the loving husband, the tender father, the 
 faitliful guardian, and the cheerful, even playful, 
 associate of his children. Of " sighs that speak a 
 father's wo " he had but little experience, because 
 he made it his first concern to rule well his own 
 household ; to go in and out before his children 
 as the servant and minister of Christ ; to regulate 
 all his domestic intercourse with reference to its 
 influence upon their highest interests ; to win then- 
 confidence by his own integrity, candor, and affec- 
 tionate demeanor ; and in all thbgs, by example 
 and by counsel, to train them in the nurture and 
 admonition of the Lord. In fine, though he could 
 not impart to them saving grace, he showed them 
 daily its blessed effects in his own life and conversa- 
 tion ; by living as a Christian, he " lured to heaven, 
 and led the way," praying often with and for his 
 children, that they might follow him as he followed 
 Christ. When parents thus strive in all things, 
 small as well as great, for the salvation of their 
 children, God is never slack concerning his promises ; 
 and Dr. Clarke, long before his death, saw all his 
 children walking in the commandments of the Lord. 
 
 Indeed, those who knew not Dr. Clarke in his 
 more private relations — as the head of a family, 
 and as a pastor, guide, counselor, and friend — were 
 ignorant of the true worth and greatness of his 
 character. It was in these relations that the man 
 and the Christian shone with that holiest radiance, 
 that clear lustre, which none could misunderstand ; 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 251 
 
 here his generosity and benevolence flowed in a 
 constant current, unobserved and seeking not ob- 
 servation. Here the hallowed principle of charity 
 was inculcated — here its promptings were unos- 
 tentatiously indulged. Now, in a season of national 
 scarcity, when the subject of our sketch was yet 
 poor in this Avorld's goods, and his young family 
 and truly Christian wife suffered in common with 
 others, he might be seen at the frugal board, gath- 
 ering together his httle ones, " talking to them on 
 the subject, showing them their staning fellow- 
 creatures, who in cold, nakedness, and famine, be- 
 sought reUef," imtil their hearts were aficcted, and 
 " each would put by a portion of its breakfast or 
 supper for these distressed poor ; at its distribu- 
 tion they were all present, and were thus taught 
 to see and feel the blessings of self-denial in the 
 happiness it produced to others." Or when far 
 away on his journeys, oppressed with labors and 
 sickness, making daily mention in his letters of 
 those who were recipients of his boimty, and giving 
 to Mrs. Clarke, his wiUing co-worker in all Chris- 
 tian labor, such instructions as, "I know you will 
 not let poor Mrs. Fox be neglected ; while she 
 lives send her something, with my blessing, every 
 day." From the conversation of those who knew 
 him well, and from his published Memou's and 
 correspondence, such proofs of his generosity and 
 Christian benevolence might be multiplied to al- 
 most any extent. Let these allusions to those dis- 
 tinguishing traits in the character of Dr. Clarke 
 
252 SKETCHES OF WESLEFAN PREACHERS. 
 
 suffice, and let us next look at the same man mov- 
 ing in another sphere. 
 
 It is but too common for those who first had 
 "the gospel preached to them," to imagine that 
 its privileges are confined to their own class, and 
 that the titled and wealthy are all unbehevers and 
 wicked, and given up to work iniquity with greedi- 
 ness. I strongly suspect that a good deal of un- 
 charitableness of this kind will meet with its re- 
 buke at the day of judgment. It is still more 
 common for the poor to associate pride and haughti- 
 ness of demeanor Avith elevated station. Dema- 
 gogues and discontented men, who would be 
 dissatisfied with any condition of society while 
 there remained a Mordecai sitting in the gate who 
 refused obeisance to them, and who for unworthy 
 ends seek popular favor, foster this censorious 
 spirit, and have so long united, in their denuncia- 
 tions, " aristocracy " and imperious pride, that the 
 unreflecting multitude deem the two inseparable 
 and synonymous ; and too many good men have 
 so often used the word in this offensive sense, 
 which is at variance with its original meaning, that 
 they have, perhaps unintentionally, increased the 
 popular uncharitableness. The true " aristoci'acy" 
 of every nation are those who wield extensive in- 
 fluence, and fill high stations, derived from parent- 
 age, wisdom, piety, valor, or property. To be 
 aristocratic is not necessarily to be imperious, op- 
 pressive, or unapproachable. Strictly speaking, 
 the reverse is the fact ; it is only those who assume 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 253 
 
 to be aristocratic that have brought disgrace upon 
 the term ; and the distinction should be borne in 
 mind, if we would do justice to all men. 
 
 Allusion has already been made to the friendship 
 of the Duke of Sussex for Dr. Clarke — a friendship 
 honorable aUke to both parties ; because on the 
 one side freely, and cordially, and openly bestowed ; 
 and, on tlie other, enjoyed without the least dimi- 
 nution of personal independence or Christian dig- 
 nity. Amid the temptations and allurements of 
 his high position, the Duke of Sussex preserved, 
 not only an imtainted moral character, but a Chris- 
 tian deportment worthy of many who make higher 
 and bolder profession ; while his love of learning 
 and his urbanity of disposition led him to associate 
 with good and learned men without distinction of 
 creed or rank. He whose society was courted by 
 the highest of the realm corresponded with the 
 Methodist preacher, (for that office Dr. Clarke 
 jiever laid aside,) received him familiarly at his 
 own table, and returned the visits at the doctor's 
 house. Indeed, I suspect there was that in the 
 reverend gentleman's intercourse with his illustri- 
 ous friend which plamly indicated that the visiting 
 must not be all on one side ; that he would not 
 dance attendance merely for the honor of the thing ; 
 and that, though he affected no social equaUty, 
 he was not incUned to forget that self-respect 
 which commands respect from others, however 
 superior in worldly rank and associations. Nor 
 can it be doubted that the duke cheerfully con- 
 
254 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 ceded this tribute to the worth of him whose 
 friendship he had himself sought. For all that re- 
 lates to this intercourse I am, of course, indebted 
 to the " Memoir" before alluded to. An invita- 
 tion had been given to the doctor by the duke, 
 through his private secretary, requesting him to 
 call upon him whenever he visited London, when 
 he would " show him his library, and be most 
 happy to make the acquamtance of a man of whose 
 talents and character he had formed so exalted an 
 opinion." This was in February, 1822 ; in May of 
 the same year the doctor was in London, preach- 
 ing at the missionary anniversaries, and as in cour- 
 tesy bound, wrote a note to the duke's secretary 
 simply saying that he was in town, leaving the re- 
 newal of the invitation perfectly optional with his 
 royal highness. In the course of the same day a 
 special invitation was sent for him to dine with the 
 duke the next day at Kensington Palace. The 
 sequel I will give in Dr. Clarke's own words : — 
 
 " I went, and was received by his royal high- 
 ness in his closet, and was led by himself through 
 his library, where he showed me several curious 
 things, and condescended to ask me several biblio- 
 graphical questions, desiring his librarian from 
 time to time to note the answers down as ' curious 
 and important.' The dinner came — the company 
 was select : his royal highness, Dr. Parr, the 
 highest Greek scholar in Europe, Sir Anthony 
 Carlisle, the Rev. T. Maurice, of the British Mu- 
 seum, the honorable Oower, the honorable 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 255 
 
 Colonel Wildman, Sir Alexander Johnstone, Lord 
 Blcssington, T. J. Pettigrew, Esq., and Adam 
 Clarke. We sat do\vn about seven o'clock, and 
 dinner was over about half-past nine ; after which 
 the tables were drawn, and all retired to the pa- 
 vilion, where tea and coffee were served about 
 eleven. At dinner I was pledged by his royal 
 highness, Dr. Parr, Colonel Wildman, and others, 
 and managed so well, having made the honorable 
 
 Gower, who sat at the foot of the table, my 
 
 confidant, as not to drink more than two glasses 
 of wine, though the bottles Avent roxmd many 
 times. I wished much to get away, though the 
 conversation was unique, curious, and instructive, 
 fearing your mother would be uneasy respecting 
 my safety. 
 
 " I was informed I must remain till all the com- 
 pany had departed, which was about twelve o'clock. 
 When they Avere all gone, the duke sat down on 
 his sofa, and beckoned me to come and sit down be- 
 side him, on his right hand ; and he entered for a 
 considerable time into a most familiar conversation 
 with me. At last a servant in the royal Hvery 
 came to me, saying, ' Sir, the carriage is in wait- 
 ing.' I rose up, and his I'oyal highness rose at the 
 same time, took me afifectionately by the hand, told 
 me I must come and visit him some morning when 
 he was alone, which time should be arranged be- 
 tween me and his secretary ; bade me a friendly 
 ' Good night ;' and I was then conducted, by the 
 servant, to the door of the palace ; when, lo and 
 
266 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 behold, one of the royal carnages was in waiting, 
 to carry a Methodist preacher, your old weather- 
 beaten father, to his own lodgings." 
 
 In November of the same year, the doctor for- 
 warded to tlie Duke of Sussex certain portions of 
 his Commentary, with a long letter descriptive of 
 his design in its publication, and his labors in its 
 preparation. To this the duke replied at some 
 length, the whole letter being in his own hand- 
 writing. In it are sentiments so worthy of a 
 prince, and so illustrative of the position taken in 
 my first allusion to the subject, that I cannot for- 
 bear making a few extracts. After informing his 
 correspondent that his " precious work is already 
 carefully placed in his Ubrary," he says : — 
 
 " It is with the Almighty alone, who knoweth 
 the hearts and most inward thoughts of every one 
 of his creatures, to recompense with everlasting 
 grace your great exertions and activity in expound- 
 ing and publishing the divine truths to the world 
 
 at large I feel most thankful to you for 
 
 having selected me as a witness of your dihgence, 
 assiduity, and perseverance, in this godlike work, 
 by the presentation to me of a copy of your vo- 
 luminous work — the produce of the fruits of your 
 industry. This kind distinction, believe me, is not 
 thrown away upon one who is either insensible to 
 the compliment, or ignorant of the value of the 
 gift ; and most faithfully do I promise to read, 
 consult, and meditate upon, your faithful, luminous, 
 and elaborate explanations of the sacred book. As 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEV AN PREACHERS. 257 
 
 far as I have presumed to dive into, and to occupy 
 myself with, the holv volumes, I feel satisfied of 
 their divine origin and tratli ; and that they con- 
 tain likewise more matters than any one, and 
 myself in particular, can ever aspire fully to under- 
 stand. This belief ought, however, in no wise to 
 slacken our diligence, or damp our ardor in at- 
 tempting a constant research after the attainment 
 of knowledge and of truth, as we may flatter om-- 
 selves, although unable to reach the goal, still to 
 approach much nearer to its portals ; which, of 
 itself, is a great blessing, as I am comanced that, 
 if we only follow strictly the rules and regulations 
 contained in the Scriptures for the guidance of our 
 conduct in this world, we may present ourselves 
 (although aware of our own imworthiness) before 
 the divine throne with a confident hope of forgive- 
 ness, from the knowledge we acquire therein of 
 His mercy to all truly penitent sinners. 
 
 " These objects, besides mam- others which seem 
 to have occupied tlie greatest and most valuable 
 part of your active life, cannot fail of being most 
 interesting to the historian, the theologian, the le- 
 gislator, and the philosopher : from all these details 
 the mind will undoubtedly derive rich soiurces of 
 information wherewith to make researches, and 
 thence to ground deductions. To these I shall as- 
 siduously apply myself when retired in my closet ; 
 and, as my heart and mind improve, I shall feel my 
 debt of gratitude toward you daily increasing, an 
 obligation I shall ever be proud to own ; and with 
 17 
 
258 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 which sentiment I have the pleasixre to conclude, 
 signing myself, dear sir, your sincerely obliged and 
 truly devoted, Augustus Frederick. 
 
 " Bognor, Dec. 24, 1822." 
 
 On several other occasions Dr. Clarke visited the 
 duke, and it is pleasant to observe the growing 
 familiarity between them. The second \isit was 
 by special invitation to meet the Duke of Hamilton, 
 and he was requested to bring hi.s son (John W. 
 Clarke) with him. This he did. So soon as they 
 entered the pavilion, the host singled him out, took 
 him by the hand, and introduced him to two East 
 India gentlemen as his "friend, Dr. Adam Clarke, 
 who would speak Persic or Arabic with any of 
 them." The doctor immediately adds, (in the let- 
 ter to Mrs. C, and it confirms what has been said 
 about his exacting in this intercourse the respect 
 and courtesy which he showed,) " I turned, and 
 taking John by the arm, said, ' May it please your 
 royal highness, I have the honor of presenting to 
 you my eldest son ;' he took him by the hand, and 
 bade him welcome, and on the arrival of any new 
 guest introduced both myself and our son." An- 
 other visit he thus describes, and with tliis extract 
 I pass over these interesting scenes in his life : — 
 
 " The duke came again to me and said, ' Dr. 
 Clarke, do you know the Archbishop of Canter- 
 bury?' 'No, sir.' 'Come with me, and I will 
 introduce you to him.' He took me by the arm, 
 and led me through the crowd — we came to the 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 259 
 
 archbishop. The duke said, 'Here, my lord, I 
 have the pleasure of introducing to your grace, my 
 friend Dr. Adam Clarke.' I bo-«-ed, so did his 
 grace, and immediately held out his hand : he said, 
 ' Dr. Clarke, I am glad to see you ; I know you 
 well by character, and have often received instruc- 
 tion from your writings.' That over, the duke 
 took me through the crowd, and introduced me to 
 the Bishop of Chichester, who talked with me for 
 a quarter of an hour, till up came the Bishop of 
 London, who shook my hand, and inquired after 
 my health. Soon after the duke took hold of my 
 arm, and begged to introduce me to some of the 
 foreign ministers, lords, chief fimctionaries, learned 
 foreigners, <fec. After a great many fo's and fro's, 
 the duke, addressing me with great affection, said, 
 (scores being all aroimd us,) ' Dr. Clarke, I am 
 very glad to see you.' His royal highness told me 
 that Ham mohun Row would be here this night, 
 and he woidd introduce me to him. I bowed : and 
 then it was about twenty minutes after ten, and I 
 was determined not to stay late ; I therefore sUp- 
 ped off, and met Ram mohun Roto as I came 
 down the steps ; but I passed on to look for my 
 gig. When I came into the ante-room for my hat, 
 one of the gentlemen in waiting came from up 
 stairs, — ' Sir, the duke has been calling for you.' I 
 said, ' I am just setting off.' He said, ' The duke 
 has been calling tunce for you.' I ran up stairs, my 
 hat in my hand, and my colored handkerchief about 
 my neck, and entered the large saloon ; the duke 
 
260 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHEKS. 
 
 spied me in a moment — caught me by the hand, 
 led me to Ram mohiin Bow, and introduced me. 
 As soon as this was over, I shpped out, and away 
 went your father from a place where he had re- 
 ceived the highest honor." 
 
 The great work by which Dr. Clarke will be 
 known to the latest time — his Commentarj' on the 
 Holy Scriptures — was commenced while he was in 
 the Liverpool circuit, in 1 795. It was finished in 
 1826, on the anniversary of his wedding-day. 
 After more than thirty years' toil and anxiety it 
 may Avell be imagined that he rejoiced with ex- 
 ceeding joy at the completion of his task. His 
 manner of expressing that joy was highly charac- 
 teristic of our subject, who never lost an oppor- 
 tunity of making his wife and children participa- 
 tors of his happiness. There were other circum- 
 stances connected wath this event which reveal the 
 noble feelings of the patriarch sire and his affection- 
 ate and happy family. On the afternoon on which 
 the Commentaiy was finished. Dr. Clarke entered 
 the parlor, and without speaking to any other 
 member of the family, beckoned his youngest son, 
 Joseph, into the hall, and desired him to accom- 
 pany him to his study. Without any suspicion of 
 what revelation was about to be made, the son fol- 
 lowed, and great indeed was his astonishment when 
 his father pointed to his large study table, and the 
 stand, cleai'ed of their folios, &c., and nothing re- 
 maining on cither but his study Bible. " This, 
 Joseph," said he, "is the happiest period I have 
 
SKETCHES OF WEbLEVAX PREACHERS. 261 
 
 enjoyed for many years ; I have put the last hand 
 to my Comment ; I have written the last word of 
 the work ; I have put away the chains that would 
 remind me of my bondage, and there (pointing to 
 the stops of his hbrary ladder) have I returned 
 the deep thanks of a grateful soul to the God who 
 lias shown me such great and continued kindness ; 
 1 shall now go into the parlor, tell my good news 
 to the rest, and enjoy myself for the rest of the 
 day."* Soon afterward, his sons, daughters, and 
 sons-in-law, resolved to present him with a silver 
 vase as a memorial of the completion of a work 
 which they had seen him so long, laboriously, and 
 anxiously prosecuting ; but the design was kept 
 secret from their father. When it was to be pre- 
 sented, the two eldest sons invited their parents 
 and the whole family to dine with them, and after 
 dinner the proposed offering, covered from the sight, 
 was introduced, and placed at the head of the table. 
 Dr. Clarke's eldest son then rose, and in the name 
 of each and all of the family uncovered and ofl'ered 
 it, with a suitable address, to their honored and 
 revered father. "For a few moments," says the 
 biographer, " he sat incapable of utterance ; then 
 regarding them all, he rose, spread his hands over 
 this token of his children's love, and pronounced 
 his blessing upon them individually and collectively. 
 His eldest son then filled the vessel with vdne, 
 wliich his father raised first to his own lips, then 
 to those of his beloved wife, and afterward bore it 
 
 * Life of Dr. Clarke, page 600. 
 
262 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 to eacli of the family ; he then put it down, and m 
 a strain of the most heartfelt, eloquent tenderness, 
 addressed his children in the name of then- revered 
 mother and himself in terms which they will never 
 forget." Those only who knew Dr. Clarke can 
 conceive how his heart would overflow on such an 
 occasion. 
 
 I should give but an imperfect sketch of this 
 great man were I to omit a reference to his con- 
 versational powers, which were of a high order. 
 He never talked, any more than he preached, for 
 display. His topics were diversified, and he was 
 exceedingly happy at adapting his converse to the 
 company he was in. For the young, as has been 
 before intimated, he had always a rich fund of an- 
 ecdote and wise counsel, illustrated by incidents in 
 his own varied life ; for the poor, encouragement ; 
 for the wealthy, incentives to benevolence ; and for 
 all Christians, sayings seasoned with personal ex- 
 perience, and a deep insight into the things of God. 
 Among his literary acquaintances he was always at 
 ease, as able to teach as to learn, but as willing to 
 learn as to teach ; while in his family, when the 
 hours of study were over and his engagements per- 
 mitted his spending the evening at home, one mem- 
 ber would read while he explained and commented 
 for their mstruction. He knew no idle hours, and 
 was engaged in all places doing his Master's work, 
 in the instruction and improvement of others ; and 
 yet so social were his habits, so kind and pleasing 
 his manners, that none wearied of his counsels, and 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 263 
 
 only knew that they had been listening to a teacher 
 by the good results which, on reflection, they were 
 conscious had attended his counsels. 
 
 At the Conference of 1831, Dr. Clarke, contrary 
 to his own expressed wish, was placed upon the 
 list of supernumeraries; and he appears to have 
 felt this keenly. Why this was done was never 
 well understood by those out of the Conference. 
 Whether in the fact that the doctor having shown 
 a preference for a fixed and private residence, in- 
 stead of occupying the house which the circuit pro- 
 vided for the preaclier, the Conference saw an en- 
 croachment upon the itinerant system over which 
 they are wisely jealous, and thought it best to close 
 any avenue in that dii-ection, I am not well informed. 
 It is probable that some such feeling was at the bot- 
 tom of the action of the Conference. I believe no 
 other Wesleyan Methodist traveUng preacher than 
 Dr. Clarke ever, during Ms itinerancy, possessed a 
 farm or held real estate. They are not allowed 
 such a privilege, and perhaps the exception, per- 
 mitted in his case for a few years, was working 
 dissatisfaction among those Avho, having the means 
 to purchase, were still required to sing with hteral 
 
 truth foQj of land do I possess, 
 
 No cottage in the wilderness." 
 
 It is certain that the doctor was by no means su- 
 perannuated, as his abundant and acceptable labors 
 in almost every part of the United Kingdom and in 
 the Shetland Isles, subsequent to his retirement 
 from the regular itinerancy, abundantly testified. 
 
264 SKETCHES OF WESLE^AN PREACHER8. 
 
 A career of usefulness and honor was Dr. Clarke's, 
 nearly half a century of which was spent in preach- 
 ing the gospel. Many marveled how he could 
 ■RTite so much — for his publications, in addition to 
 his Commentary and his ten years' labor for the 
 British government, were numerous and of a kind 
 requuing much labor and research. The whole 
 secret lay in his regular and prompt habits. He 
 was an early riser, very systematic, never leaving 
 until to-morrow what he could do to-day, and was 
 never unemployed. His labors are endence of his 
 unwearied industry, for it should be remembered 
 that all his learning was obtained after he entered 
 upon the ministry ; and the itinerant ministry 
 among the Wesleyans in his earlier days was no 
 slight burden, and afforded but few advantages to 
 the student. He was a self-made scholar, in spite 
 of almost insurmountable disadvantages, and tri- 
 umphed over obstacles which would have appalled 
 any but a man of giant energies and inflexible pur- 
 pose. The purity of his life was unimpeached, 
 even by rumor, and he went down to the grave as 
 a i-ipe shock ready for the gamer. His memory is 
 blessed, for it is the memory of the just and good, 
 and with his name will ever be associated the re- 
 spect of all. No marble tablet or labored epitaph 
 is required to preserve the remembrance of his 
 virtues or the fame of his talents. They were 
 known and read of all men, and are his everlastmg 
 memorial. 
 
eKETCHES OF WESLEVAX PREACHERS. 
 
 266 
 
 |JljUip ^arbcaatle. 
 
 " He is fittest to preach that is himself most liiie his message, and 
 comes forth not only with a handful of this seed in liis hand, but 
 with store of it in his heart, the word ' dwelling richly in him." "— 
 Leighton. 
 
 The Rev. Philip Hardcastle, father of the Wes- 
 leyan minister who at present worthily bears the 
 same name, was a fine athletic man, above the 
 middle height, a fine specimen of the English yeo- 
 man of the olden time, with a coimtenance full of 
 intelligence, though somewhat qviizzical. Of genu- 
 ine wit, generally playful only, though occasionally 
 sarcastic, he possessed an exuberance. Strong 
 good sense marked all his conduct ; benevolence 
 and Christian kindness Avere the rules of his daily 
 life and conversation, and the fniit of his fervent 
 piety. By his brethren in the gospel he was uni- 
 versally beloved and respected. As a preacher, his 
 ministry was eminently profitable and instmctive, 
 founded upon an accurate knowledge of human 
 nature, and a personal, experimental acquaintance 
 with the remedies for its perversities and evils. 
 Although he lacked the advantages of an early 
 education, he was endowed with strong intellectual 
 powers ; a deep insight into the word of God and 
 the economy of divine grace ; was forcible and point- 
 ed in his dehneations and appeals ; and thoroughly 
 practical in all his -v-iews. A divine unction at- 
 tended his ministrations of the word of life. In a 
 
266 SKETCHES OF WESLEVAX PREACHERS. 
 
 remarkable degree all men gave him their con- 
 fidence. Even the ungodly respected him for his 
 open and manly bearing, his independence and 
 candor, and his indifference aUke to smiles or 
 frowns ; the former could not seduce him, nor 
 could the latter intimidate him. Moreover, in his 
 natural disposition, apart from the mfluence of di- 
 vine grace, there was a generous humanity — a 
 fellowship with his kind — that won the esteem and 
 affection of all who knew him. In dress he dif- 
 fered somewhat from his brethren, wearing usually 
 a drab hat, and single-breasted black stuff surtout, 
 of considerable length in the skirts, drab or gray 
 breeches, with gray hose and buckled shoes, alter- 
 nated with top-boots when traveling. At one of 
 the Conferences the old gentleman was accosted 
 by one of the younger preachers, who was scrupu- 
 lously clerical in his attire, with, " Why, father 
 Hardcastle, you look like a magpie among us." 
 " Very possibly, ray son," he replied ; " but a mag- 
 pie is a prettier bird than a crow." The laugh 
 was turned with interest upon the first speaker. 
 Mr. Everett visited him upon his death-bed, when 
 the dying saint's greeting was truly characteristic : 
 " Well, Everett, I am glad to see you ; we have 
 often met and parted : you must pray with me ; 
 it seems to me as if you had just dropped in for 
 the last time, to wind up the watch before the 
 weary wheels of life for ever stand still." 
 
 The disease which ended his life was angina 
 pectoris, if, indeed, death in his case could be at- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 267 
 
 tributed to any one disease simply, seeing that he 
 was upward of eighty years of age. His naturally 
 robust constitution, however, would justify the 
 expectation that he would live to the full limit of 
 human existence. For the last eight years of his 
 sojourn on earth he suffered much, and toward the 
 close of life his strong intellect wavered beneath 
 the long-continued attack of disease. But when 
 reason at intervals resumed her sway, his face 
 beamed with holy and patient joy, and words of 
 confidence and triumph cheered and consoled those 
 who devotedly waited upon him, through his linger- 
 ing exit from this hfe to a better. 
 
268 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 jn. JUartinirak — |9outl)ful l^zmmmmus. 
 
 " Days of my childliood, hail ! 
 AVhose gentle spirits wand'ring nere, 
 Down in the visionary vale, 
 Before mine eyes appear, 
 Benignly pensive, beautifully pale, 
 O days for ever fled, for ever dear. 
 Days of my childhood, hail !" 
 
 Montgomery. 
 
 Thus sung one of England's finest, noblest bards, — 
 James Montgomery ; the Montgomery* who, in the 
 flower of his days, nobly suffered imprisonment 
 and the blight of his earthly prospects, rather than 
 be silent in the cause of freedom and independence ; 
 the Montgomery, whose genius is only equaled by 
 his exalted virtues and unaffected piety ; the Mont- 
 gomery, Avho for many successive years has occu- 
 pied his accustomed seat in the gallery of the 
 Carver-street Methodist Chapel, in Sheffield, hsten- 
 ing with devout and gratified attention to the lay 
 preachers who occupy that pulpit on the sabbath 
 afternoon ; the Montgomery, whose silvery and 
 fervid eloquence I first listened to on the missionary 
 platform in that same house of God, and well re- 
 member the tones of that voice which drew me, as 
 the loadstone the needle, from the remotest part 
 of the chapel to the very edge of the platform, 
 where, oblivious of everything but the voice of the 
 charmer, I hung upon his hps with rapturous de- 
 light ; the Montgomery, whose generous praise has 
 
 * As distinguished from Robert Montgomery. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 269 
 
 cheered many a young aspirant for fame, and whose 
 spontaneous commendation of some early poems 
 first made me personally acquainted with that 
 benevolence and kindness of heart which, among 
 the poet's townsmen, is the theme of universal 
 praise ; tlie Montgomery, who, " when the ear heard 
 him, then it blessed him;" who "sits as a king" 
 among his fellows, "as one that comforteth the 
 mourners ;" who, " when the young men see him 
 they hide themselves, and the aged arise and stand 
 up ;" for his long career of benevolence and virtue 
 has won for him the love and reverence of all. 
 Perhaps no hterary man ever before so completely 
 secured the affections of the Avise and good, and 
 the respect of all, as James Montgomery; and 
 knowing partially the sufficient reasons why he was 
 thus beloved, I wondered not at the testimony 
 borne a few years since to his amiability and good- 
 ness as related in the public papers. During his 
 absence at divine worship on the Sunday evening — 
 he is of the Moravian denomination — his house on 
 " The Mount " was entered, and robbed of, among 
 other things, a massive silver mkstand, presented 
 to him by his fellow-townsmen, and bearing 'an 
 appropriate inscription. After a few days, this, 
 with I believe the other stolen articles also, was 
 returned to him, with a note setting forth that had 
 the thief known whose house he had entered, it 
 sliould have been sacred from pillage ; for that, 
 degraded as he had unhappily become, he could 
 not injure a man whom all so justly loved for hig 
 
2Y0 SKETCHES OF M'ESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 goodness, and whose hallowed verse he had daily- 
 heard in infancy and boyhood from the hps of a 
 pious mother. 
 
 How strangely, how rapidly, are associations 
 awakened ! The name of the subject of this sketch 
 brought back a tide of memories which recalled 
 Montgomery's beautiful apostrophe, and that again 
 revived feelings which would have utterance, and 
 aroused recollections of which memory demanded 
 to be disburdened before she would aid in recalling 
 those earlier scenes which, in the writer's mind, 
 are inseparably connected with the name of the 
 Rev. Miles Martindale, imder the same roof with 
 whom, in " days for ever fled, for ever dear," I 
 dwelt for nearly six continuous years, hstening daily 
 to his counsel, and submitting to his salutary dis- 
 ciphne. But those were boyhood's days, when 
 judgment was immature, the mind incapable, per- 
 haps, of just reflection and discrimination, and the 
 memory lacked that capacity of retention essential 
 to faithful delineation. Possibly I may confound 
 events unconsciously, or may have lost my hold of 
 those which would most have interested the reader, 
 and" at this late day (never mind how late) I may 
 have to rely upon personal interest and association 
 in the execution of my task, so that the reader 
 must be indulgent if this sketch seems open to an 
 objection said to have been made against the pub- 
 lication of the sermons of the Rev. **** ******* — 
 a true Christian gentleman, and an interesting and 
 profitable, even an elegant preacher, nevertheless — 
 
SKETCHES OFWESLEYAN PREACHERS. 271 
 
 namely, that no printer could be found whose fonts 
 would furnish a sufficient number of capital I's ; 
 and, further, I may find it convenient to interweave 
 with this sketch incidental notices of other persons 
 as Avell as of circumstances, connected with the 
 Wesleyan Academy at Woodhouse Grove, of which 
 Mr. Martindale, for eight years, and at the time of 
 his death, was house-governor. 
 
 A portrait of our subject appeared in the August 
 number of the Wesleyan Methodist Magazine for 
 1820, which is a fair Ukeness, though taken at an 
 earUer age than that at which I knew him. He 
 always wore his hair parted evenly down the centre 
 of the head, from the crown to the forehead, said 
 hair being remarkably smooth and glossy, rather 
 long, and in the later years of its wearer's life 
 though not exactly silvery, yet considerably hghter 
 than iron gray. His height was about five feet 
 seven ;* he had considerable rotundity, though he 
 
 * Perhaps there is nothing merely external on which the judg- 
 ment of a boy is so much at fault as the comparative height of the 
 larger boys and adults with whom he associates. Every man look- 
 ing back to his youth, is apt to think that " there were giants in 
 those days ;" or, revisiting, after an absence of twenty years, the 
 school of his boyhood, thinks the pupils dwarfish as compared with 
 those of liis own day. The impression is, however, erroneous, as 
 a record of the average stature of the two periods would show. 
 From the same universal impression, probably, aiises the belief, 
 equally erroneous, that our forefathers were much taller and more 
 muscular, generally, than ourselves. The writer, a few years ago, 
 had an opportunity of inspecting the skeleton of an ancient Briton, 
 dug from a tumulus in tlie north of England, which, from certain 
 memorials inclosed in the coffin, (said coffin being the trunk of a 
 large oak-tree cut m two longitudinally, the lesser section forming 
 the lid, and the other, rudely hollowed out, servmg for the reception 
 of the body.) was demonstrated to be upward of two thousand years 
 
272 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 was by no means inactive or incapable of rapid and 
 vigorous motion, as the pupils of the institution 
 sometimes experimentally learned. The eyes were 
 small, qiiick in their motion, and in moments of 
 excitement there was a certain redness about them 
 which it was not difficult to understand. His de- 
 meanor always commanded respect : as a governor 
 he was considerate and kind, and was only severe 
 when provoked to it by contumacy, when he made 
 his authority felt, as was due to the office he sus- 
 tained. With his kindness, and often pleasant 
 familiarity, was mingled, however, no weak or fool- 
 ish indulgence. He was conscientiously careful 
 of the moral as well as the physical well-being of 
 the pupils, and was faithful to every interest of the 
 establishment ; was an early riser and a hard stu- 
 dent, rising, to the very close of his life, at four 
 o'clock in summer, and at five in winter ; and the 
 knowledge of this habit preserved regularity through 
 every branch of the institution. The pupils, then 
 about eighty in number, now one hundred, arose 
 an hour later, at five in summer and at six in win- 
 ter, and after an hour's recreation entered upon 
 their studies, before which time Mr. Martindale was 
 sure to pass through the play-ground, on his way 
 to overlook the farm, and, casting his quick eye 
 over the boys, would, when it was light, detect a 
 torn coat or an overt act of bojash wickedness 
 
 old. The skeleton was black from the action of the tannin in the 
 oak, but was in admirable presen'ation, even much of the hair re- 
 maining on tlie skull. The height, however, was barely five feet 
 ten inches, though the chest was full and well arched. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 273 
 
 with more precision than was agreeable. His dress 
 was always well suited to his station, and under- 
 went little change during the six years over which 
 my knowledge extends. Though not strictly cleri- 
 cal, as custom ruled, it was quite as much so as 
 his many secular duties would allow, and only va- 
 ried from that of his brethren in that he wore gray 
 or drab breeches, and, when traveling to the neigh- 
 boring market of Leeds or Bradford, whence came 
 oiu- principal supplies, he ensconced his substantial 
 hmbs in top-boots. How vivid is the picture which 
 memory recalls of the fine old man, moimted on 
 quiet " Pegg3%" the mare of all work, jogging along 
 the graveled road through the grove, at a " Me- 
 thodist preacher's trot." Altogether a sterling 
 man, rigidly honest and upright, and a sincere 
 Christian, was the Rev. Miles Martindale. 
 
 I feel scarcely qualified to speak of Mr. M. as a 
 preacher, as I was then, of course, too young to 
 form a reliable judgment. Nor did he preach very 
 frequently at the chapel of the institution. His 
 daih- cares Avere toil enough for a man of his years, 
 and there were the regular preachers stationed upon 
 the circuit, with their local allies, whose duty it 
 was to supply the pulpits. The Rev. William O. 
 Booth, now a popular itinerant, Avas then a local 
 preacher there. The Rev. John FaiTar, the mathe- 
 matical and French tutor, now classical tutor in 
 the Richmond Theological Institution, took a travel- 
 ing preacher's share of the work : and the Rev. 
 James Brownell, now laboring acceptably in the 
 18 
 
2*74 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 itinerant ranks, was a tutor and a local preacher ; 
 BO that Ave were not often favored with Mr. Martin- 
 dale's ministration. So far as I am competent to 
 speak of him, he was a soimd, instructive, but per- 
 haps for young persons not a captivating preacher ; 
 fond of lingering around the facts and types of the 
 Old Testament as adumbrations of the greater 
 glories of the New, and of exhibiting the relation 
 and harmony of the former and latter dispensa- 
 tions. There was a peculiarity in his style of 
 preaching like that which distinguishes the Epistle 
 to the Hebrews : he loved to build upon Moses 
 and the prophets ; upon the wonderful God-ordained 
 sacrifices and observances of that time ; and to show 
 that in those mysteries were foreshadowed, and by 
 those types the world was prepared for, the mys- 
 tery of " God manifest in the flesh," and the glory 
 that should follow. Hence his illustratioas were 
 frequently drawn from the Old Testament, and I 
 well remember the frequent use which, in this re- 
 lation, he made of the " cities of refuge." The 
 older and more thoughtful of the pupils, and the 
 congregation from the neighboring hamlets, were 
 always glad to see him ascend the pulpit, from 
 which it may be inferred that if he was not readily 
 comprehended by the younger boys, his matter 
 was both interesting and instructive to the more 
 advanced and reflective. If my memory- serve me 
 right, his discourses were generally brief; and 
 brevity, by the way, was a point on Avhich the 
 youths strongly insisted as essential to popularity. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 275 
 
 Inside the pulpit, under the desk, and exactly 
 opposite to the preacher's seat, some mischievous 
 lads had carved in large letters, made more at- 
 tractive by being stained with ink, the signiticant 
 and appropriately brief admonition — be short and 
 LIVELY. Many a time have I seen the preacher, 
 itinerant or local, rise to commence the serv-ice with 
 a quiet smile upon his face, and heard him give 
 proof that he had read and heeded tlie impressive 
 motto. As is too often the case, howevei-, with 
 reproofs expressed in too general tenns, they for 
 whom the counsel was chiefly intended often alto- 
 gether disregarded it. 
 
 Mr. Martindale was not unknown as a contribu- 
 tor to sacred literature. His Biblical Dictionary, 
 a work which met with a very cordial reception, 
 and gave evidence of great application and ability, 
 has been republished in this countiy. He trans- 
 lated some of the tracts of Arminius, one of which, 
 on the priesthood of Christ, is peculiarly neiTous 
 in style. He also published a very chaste trans- 
 lation of Mr. Fletcher's poem on Grace and Natiu-e. 
 He was himself a poet of no mean order, as numer- 
 ous fugitive pieces published in the magazines 
 prove. A pure classic taste pervaded all of them. 
 I am not aware that he ever published these in a 
 collected fomi, or any larger poem ; but some three 
 or four years before his death he had completed 
 an epic poem, (m twelve books,) called " Tlie 
 Deluge," which I apprehend he left quite ready 
 for publication, since to my knowledge it had been 
 
2l6 SKETCHES OF WKSLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 confided to the head master of the institution, (a 
 man of almost imlimited learning, and of imiversal, 
 though eccentric genius,) for embellishment with 
 pictorial designs, and possiblj' for revision. While 
 the volume Avas in this gentleman's hands I read, 
 or heard read, many pages with entranced delight, 
 and can trace my most vivid imaginings of that 
 fearful destruction to the descriptions given in that 
 poem. 1 have never heard that it was published ; 
 and presume that the manuscript volume, Avritten, 
 as I well remember, in a large, bold hand, with an 
 Indian-ink design of the deluge upon its title-page, 
 remains in the possession of the family as a valued 
 memorial of one who in all his domestic relations — 
 as husband, father, counselor, and friend — must ever 
 be held in aflectionate and reverent remembrance. 
 
 Allusion has been made to Mr. Martindale's 
 habit of early rising, and perhaps in a manner that 
 would lead the reader to suppose that the custom 
 was adhered to mainly for the purpose of indulg- 
 ing in literary studies or composition. Such a sup- 
 position would be an injustice to the memory of a 
 good man. I have heard the domestics say that, 
 when they have risen earlier than was their wont, 
 they have heard the voice of earnest prayer and 
 supplication as they have silently passed his study 
 door. Indeed, without such intercourse with Hea- 
 ven he could but feebly have maintained the vitality 
 of his religion. His gubernatorial duties were nu- 
 merous, onerous, and oftentimes harassing. With 
 full eighty pupils, clothed, and boarded, and lodged. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 277 
 
 at the institution, some ten or twelve domestics, a 
 large house, and a considerable farm under liis 
 care — the whole establishment open every hour to 
 the \'isits of such parents of the children as might 
 be stationed near, or whom a chance journey might 
 bring into the neighborhood, and no less so to the 
 lay friends and patrons of the school — it may easily 
 be seen that his duties and responsibilities were 
 not hght, though his excellent wife was no less 
 active than himself, and his three daughters took 
 part in the domestic management. The responsi- 
 bility rested upon him, and he was not the man to 
 shift the care and oversight from where the Con- 
 ference had placed them. He was the first to rise 
 in the morning, yet, save when some peciUiar 
 household matters detained the domestics or his 
 family beyond the usual hour, he was the last to 
 retire. The pupils were called into the main hall 
 at half-past seven or half-past eight o'clock in the 
 evening, according to the season ; and after reading 
 of the Scriptures and prayer, at which the entu'e 
 household were present, they retired to then- doimi- 
 tories, accompanied by Mr. M., who remained imtil 
 all were in bed and the lights withdrawn. But 
 this did not satisfy his parental care. At from ten 
 o'clock to half-past ten, before finally retiring him- 
 self, he came through the bed-rooms to see that 
 each boy was in his own bed, and comfortably 
 sleeping. 
 
 Tliis final visit was sometimes as necessaiy as it 
 was kindly meant. Wliere there are eighty boys 
 
21S SKETCHES OF WESLEVAX PREACHERS. 
 
 together, varying in age from eight to fourteen 
 years, a strong disposition to frohc will sometimes 
 show itself. In one of the dormitories were forty- 
 eight beds, in another about twenty, and in a third 
 about a dozen, the counterpane and linen of each, 
 by the way, always white as the driven snow. 
 These all communicated, the largest being in the 
 centre. During the night, as in the play-ground 
 during the day, they were in the charge of a junior 
 teacher and monitors. Occasionally it proved no 
 easy matter to preserve order, especially on a sum- 
 mer or moonlight evening, for a youth without his 
 outer garments is not very easily identified ; and, al- 
 though silence was enjoined, a feigned voice, or an 
 attempt at ventriloquism, almost defied detection, 
 especially when the '• guardians of the night " had 
 been lulled to sleep by half an hour's premeditated 
 perfect order and silence. A wag would quietly 
 shp from between his own sheets, under the bed 
 of a neighbor known to be timid and strongly dis- 
 posed to beheve in the supernatural, and while the 
 unsuspecting victim was luxuriating in the sound- 
 ness of a first sleep, his tormentor would apply his 
 back to the under side of the bed, and heave it up, 
 first gently and then more violently, uttering groans 
 of most cavernous depth the while. The sufl'erer's 
 cry would arouse the teacher, who, with sympathy 
 and ferule armed, would hie to punish the offender, 
 who in his turn would flee to his own quarters only 
 to find that, during his absence, his ne.xt of Idn (by 
 location) had made his bed " Scotch fashion," so that 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAK PREACHERS. 279 
 
 with all the power of sound linen it refused him 
 shelter, and exposed him to detection and punish- 
 ment. At other times, in open rebellion against 
 the combined authorit}- of tutor and monitors, some 
 "tell-tale" woidd be made to run the gauntlet, 
 which consisted in passing along the alleys between 
 the doxible rows of beds, each occupant administer- 
 ing, wlien the offender failed to dodge it, a heavy 
 blow with his pillow, the contents of wluch had 
 been shaken compactly into one end of the pillow- 
 case. These and kindred sports would sometimes, 
 from the e.xciteraent with which they were carried 
 on, be unthinkingly prolonged until the time of the 
 governor's " good-night " visit, and that function- 
 ary Avould be upon us before we were aware of his 
 presence. Then was the merry laiigh suddenly 
 exchanged for the cry of pain, or for the deep in- 
 spiration of (pretended) sound sleep, with a slight 
 touch of nasal music to make the deception more 
 complete. Sometimes the good man, having by 
 the hearing of the ear received intimation of what 
 was going on, would quietly enter the rooms with 
 a dark lanteni, and not throwing up the shade 
 until he had traced the sound to its souixe, would 
 pounce upon one of the talkers in the middle of an 
 articulation. Yet I hietv a youth who, more than 
 once, under such circumstances, was so sound 
 asleep the moment the governor's pi-esence became 
 known, that the glare of a strong reflecting lamp 
 could not wake him, though held to his eyes for 
 some moments, and at most only made him slightly 
 
280 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHEBS. 
 
 restless, as might be supposed would be the effect 
 of sucli an application ; and when Mr. Martindale, 
 after satisfying himself that said youth was really 
 asleep, has, with some kind expression, consider- 
 ately arranged and " tucked in " the bed's covering, 
 which, in the youth's hurry to slumber, he had not 
 time to gather round him, the sleeper has so petu- 
 lantly murmured his indignation at the interruption 
 of his pleasant dreams, that the governor has re- 
 tired, perplexed beyond measure, faintly hoping 
 that the next time at least he would detect the of- 
 fender. Truth compels me to say, that, in that in- 
 dividual instance, he never met with better success ; 
 for, however loudly the youth might have been 
 speaking a moment before, Mr. Martindale's ap- 
 pearance had such a Mesmeric influence upon him 
 that he was suddenly in so profound a sleep, toss- 
 ed about so feverishly, and moaned so piteously 
 when the strong light was allowed to rest too long 
 upon his closed eyelids, and answered so incohe- 
 rently when pertinaciously pressed with questions, 
 that the governor's kindness of heart would not 
 allow him to suspect the sham. 
 
 Mr. Martindale required the senior boys in rota- 
 tion to read the Scriptures aloud at morning and 
 evening prayer, and devoted Wednesday and Sun- 
 day evenings to the moral and religious instruction 
 of the boys. This public reading was at first 
 rather a task to a timid youth, who saw before 
 him the governor and family, the resident tutors, 
 and some eighty fellow pupils — some of whom, at 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 281 
 
 least, were ready to pounce upon the smallest en-or, 
 and ring it in his ears ever after ; and in the trepi- 
 dation of a first attempt some amusing blunders 
 were made. Thus one read, " Wo unto you, scribes 
 and Pharisees, for ye devour widows' houses, and 
 for a prentice (pretence) make long prayers ;" an- 
 other, "And the man said he was speechless while 
 a third made a most ludicrous blimder out of the 
 following passage, by adding an apostrophic s to 
 the word grandmother, and inserting a consonant 
 in the next word : " When I call to remembrance 
 the faith that is in thee, which dwelt tirst in thy 
 grandmother Lois." Of course such mistakes were 
 sometimes imavoidable, and have been made by 
 older and more experienced persons even from the 
 pulpit ; while the habit of reading aloud was of in- 
 calculable advantage to the practitioners. 
 
 Reference has been made to Mr. Martindale's 
 custom of devoting Wednesday and Sunday even- 
 ings to the moral and religious instruction of the 
 pupils. It was on these occasions that he woidd 
 most unbend, and was as a father in our midst. 
 He had a good fund of anecdote, of which he made 
 judicious use in illustratmg the sentiments he wish- 
 ed to inculcate. He would encourage us to ask 
 questions, and by not enforcing too strictly the nile 
 that only one boy should speak at once, excited a 
 just rivalry in responding to his interrogatories. 
 On Sunday evenings we Avere required to give the 
 substance of the two sermons heard during the day, 
 and as we were favored with a rather odd assort- 
 
282 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 ment of lay preachers, and were very apt to re- 
 member just such portions of a discourse as •with 
 riper years and more grace we should have forgot- 
 ten or overlooked, some amusing revelations were 
 sometimes made. Mr. Martindale always, and 
 wisely, sought to make his catechetical examina- 
 tions agreeable as well as profitable, and did not 
 confine us entirely to grave and sombre observa- 
 tions. Few men possessed greater tact in keeping up 
 attention, and exciting mental eff"ort, on the part of 
 the )roung, while he preserved his own dignity, and 
 effected his great object of impro-\'ing the heart. 
 Well knowing the impossibiUty of putting old heads 
 upon young shoulders, he would sometimes aff'ect 
 not to hear our boyish salhes, when they did not 
 indicate moral obliquity ; and permitted us to point 
 out, within proper limits, the defects as well as the 
 excellences of a sermon — to criticise the manner 
 of the preacher as well as his matter. Hence our 
 Svmday evening meetings lost much of that fonna- 
 lity which to youth is so irksome, and became 
 pleasant, family conversaziones, om instructor watch- 
 ing carefully the spirit of our remarks, and affec- 
 tionately warning us when our juvenile criticisms 
 verged upon captiousness and mere fault-finding, 
 pointmg out the ofFensiveness of such a spirit in the 
 sight of God, and its evil influence upon the heart. 
 One feature, especially, of his demeanor on such 
 occasions I cannot forbear to notice, belie^^ng that 
 all parents would do well — and some a great deal 
 heUer than they do at present — to walk by the 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 283 
 
 same rule, and mind the same thing. He never 
 ridiculed the most puerile, or even foolish remark, 
 by the youngest of us, -vshen made in good faith, 
 nor -n ould he allow others to do so ; but vnth dig- 
 nified kindness, and as though responding to the 
 question or observation, -would enlighten the child 
 upon the subject in such a manner that, with- 
 out being told so, he was made to feel that he 
 had not sufSciently reflected before he expressed 
 his ideas ; and thus a self-originated resolve to be 
 more careful for the futm-e was induced. Many 
 practical infidels at the present day, enlisted under 
 the popular banner of " progress," assert that to 
 teach a child self-respect is the surest way to save 
 him from vice and degradation, thus substituting 
 human volition for that renewing grace of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, by which only can our children 
 be deUvered from the corruption of their fallen 
 natm-e, and presented in the paths of purity and 
 peace. Such a doctrine every Christian parent 
 must reject. But, on the other hand, it is most 
 unwise, and on the parent's part cruel in the ex- 
 treme, to meet with ridicule, or harshness, or con- 
 tempt, a child's early eflforts at expressing its 
 thoughts, or obtaining fuller information upon sub- 
 jects which are floating in its mind, and have per- 
 plexed its juvenile comprehension. Often has my 
 heart ached over an intelligent child thus repulsed 
 from the threshold of knowledge, covered with 
 shame and mortification, and paralyzed by dis- 
 couragement ; and I have seen in the bewildered 
 
284 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 coiuitenance, the quivering lip, and the drooping 
 head, the evidences that a cruel, and perhaps fatal, 
 blow had been struck at that truly important ele- 
 ment of all improvement and advancement in life — 
 self-reliance — and at that filial confidence which lies 
 at the very foundation of filial obedience. 0 while 
 so many are claimmg for the criminal all that is 
 kind, and benevolent, and tender in treatment, and 
 on every hand are echoing the sentiment, " Deal 
 gently with the erring," let one voice be heard in 
 behalf of the timid, gentle, confiding child of your 
 affections ; and let not the simple, or perchance 
 foolish question, or remark, which, in the ignorance 
 of childhood, it may utter, be responded to by the 
 crushing burst of merriment, the cruel rebuke or 
 the harsh rebuff ; for each time that this occurs 
 you place a banier between that child and know- 
 ledge, destroy its peace, and awaken its disti-ust, 
 and sever one of those delicate threads of affection 
 by which God, for wise and benevolent ends, has 
 bound that child's heart to its parents, and upon 
 which, under God's blessing, rests your only hope 
 of guiding it through the snares of youth, and of 
 recovering it from evil associations, should they for 
 a season Im-e it from the rightful home of its af- 
 fections and duty. 
 
 It has been intimated that we had local preachers 
 at the institution, whose talents were not of the 
 highest order. Some of them, and generally those 
 who had least reason, were rather proud of coming 
 to "the Grove." In speaking of local preachers 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 285 
 
 in this connection, I refer to those who were estab- 
 lished in lay pursuits and never designed to travel, 
 so that I do not include in my remarks Messrs. 
 Booth and Brownell, already referred to, who have 
 since entered the itinerant ministry, and are to this 
 day laboring -\vith great acceptability and useful- 
 ness ; nor Mr. Farrar, who was even then counted 
 as a traveUng preacher. The ministry of these 
 three was a treat which all highly prized, though 
 Mr. Booth spoke much too rapidly for his youthful 
 hearers, at least, to retain what he said. Of local 
 preachers, then, we had a variety ; but, unfortu- 
 nately, -vvith the exceptions noted, they were 
 nearly of uniform quaUty. The fact that we were 
 catechised in the evening became known to the 
 " local brethren ;" the modest feared, the bold and 
 self-satisfied rejoiced, and, perhaps, were not at all 
 displeased at the idea of being " reported." It is 
 certain that some of the pupils were no less Avilling 
 to oblige them. One of this class of preachers, 
 distinguished not only by his " boldness of speech," 
 for he had corresponding manners, and whose 
 boldness was equaled by his ignorance of letters, 
 afforded us many opportunities of proving to Mr. 
 Martindale how retentive were our memories. He 
 had peculiarities of style, which it was more diffi- 
 cult to forget than to remember ; and to this day 
 I have the livehest recollection of the better half 
 (in quantity, I mean) of a sermon which he preach- 
 ed on the last Sunday of my pupilage. I would give 
 it here, if I could suppose it would "tend to edi- 
 
286 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 fication," but of that I entertain reasonable doubts. 
 His text was Titus ii, 14 ; and, perhaps, it may be 
 necessary to note one peculiarity, and to repeat 
 one or two of his illustrations, to explain what may 
 follow. The peculiarity was the starting of a diffi- 
 culty as to the meaning of the most famihar words 
 or phrases, and prefacing the solution or explana- 
 tion with the words, " Why, what 's that ?" some- 
 what sharply or vociferously uttered. His intro- 
 duction — and by the way the speaker rejoiced in 
 a broad Yorkshire dialect, which greatly heightened 
 the effect of his declamations — was a nmning com- 
 mentarjr upon the preceding verses of the chapter. 
 The first burst was at the ninth verse : ' ' Exhort 
 servants not answering again." " Not answer- 
 ing ageean," exclaimed the preacher ; " why, what 's 
 that ? In plain words, its not being saucy. ' Not 
 purloining ;' why, what 's that ? In plain words, 
 it 's not tacking onny mair o' your maister's goods 
 than you have occasion for." The reader will rea- 
 dily comprehend that the preacher did not intend 
 to set up so equivocal a standard of morality as, 
 " in plain words," his definition imphed. But to 
 his illustrations. "'Christ gav himself.' How? 
 why, by a covenant. A covenant ; why, what 's 
 that ? In plain words, it 's a bargain beforehand. 
 ' To purify ;' why, what 's that ? In plam words, 
 it 's to tak away, or extract t' impurity. T' people 
 o' this country knaws mair aboot iron than onny 
 other people, in onny other country, aboot onny 
 other metal. Noo I'll gi' 'ye a similitude. You 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 287 
 
 tak a piece of iron ore to t' blacksmith, and ax him 
 to mak ye a cheen, or a cruik, or what not, an 
 he '11 call ye a fool, an tell ye he can't de it. But 
 tak it first to t' furnish, (fiimace,) and tak away 
 or extract t' impurity, and ax him to de t' same 
 thing wee it, and he '11 de 't at yance, if you '11 pay 
 him for it." 
 
 Now let the reader imagine eighty boys, preach- 
 ers' sons too, catechised upon such a sermon, (which, 
 by the Avay, Mr. Martindale had not heard, having 
 that day been preaching in the circuit himself, and 
 he was not, therefore, aware of the " enchanted 
 ground " upon which he was entering,) and one, 
 at least, of those boys rendered comparatively in- 
 different to punitive consequences, in regard to his 
 answers, from the fact that in less than seven days 
 he would have left the institution. The exercises 
 began with the usual question, "Well, boys, who 
 preached to-day, and what was the text ?" and all 
 went on very orderly and gravely for awhile, until 
 the youths commenced ^vith the introduction 
 to the afternoon's discourse, and one gave the 
 preacher's definition of " answering again." " Very 
 good," said Mr. Martindale, with commendable 
 gravity, (though those who sat nearest to him 
 could detect some little effort to keep down a smile, 
 and certain adult members of the family who sat 
 behind him exchanged glances,) and proceeded to 
 give us some proper counsel on that point. Next 
 came up the definition of " purloining," at which 
 the governor's features somewhat relaxed in spite 
 
288 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 of all effort, and the gra\4ty of some of the family 
 and domestics was upset, especially when one of 
 the boys, with apparent innocence, as though he 
 doubted whether he had correctly heard his school- 
 fellow's report, exclaimed, " Why, wAa^'s that ?" 
 Soon a murmur arose, scarcely understood, except 
 that it had some reference to the youth already 
 referred to as about to leave the academy, but 
 gradually becoming more distinct, until at last it 
 
 took the intellible form of, " knows the whole 
 
 sermon, sir ;" and the youngster had accordingly to 
 answer in behalf of his fellows, and give the " sub- 
 stance of the discourse." Then Mr. Martindale was 
 fairly overcome, and putting a hand in each vest 
 pocket, (said vest enveloping a circle of no mean 
 circumference,) he indulged for a few moments in 
 a good-humored chuckle; and then gradually re- 
 storing his audience to gravity — delighted and 
 profited us for half an hour by showing how God, 
 in all ages, had exercised the prerogative of select- 
 ing his own agents for the spread of the gospel, 
 and how, especially since the rise of Methodism, 
 he had wrought great things by apparently weak 
 instrumentalities ; had saved hundreds of souls by 
 what the world deemed the foolishness of preach- 
 ing ; and concluded with an affectionate warning 
 to his " dear boys," not to despise any man's gifts, 
 since that which might seem to us illiterate and 
 weak, was, to hundreds of perishing souls less fa- 
 vored than ourselves, and accustomed to think and 
 speak in the same vein as the preacher we had 
 
SKETCHES 01 WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 289 
 
 heard, the " savor of life unto life." That -was the 
 last sabbath evening's address I heard from his 
 lips, and the grateful and profitable recollection 
 of it will remain with me, I trust, until death. 
 
 Mr. Martindale remained for eight years at the 
 important and responsible post of governor of 
 Woodhouse Grove School. It mil surprise no one 
 that during that time calls were made upon him 
 which abundantly tried not only his natural dispo- 
 sition, but his Christian graces. During six years' 
 experience I do not remember, amid the provoca- 
 tion which the eighty-fold waywardness of the 
 pupils could not fail to give, a smgle instance in 
 which he lost a proper self-control. Severe mea- 
 sures he was sometimes compelled to adopt, but 
 they were ever with him a final resort, and em- 
 ployed with reluctance. Anything that savored 
 of deceit or falsehood, or other immorality, he was 
 prompt to pimish. But he was a terror only to 
 evil-doers. Evidence of the kindness with which 
 he governed is found in the fact that the boys imi- 
 versally regretted, and even feared, the anival of 
 the annual Conference, when Mr. Martindale was 
 necessarily absent from the bstitution for about 
 three weeks. During this interv al his duties de- 
 volved to a considerable extent upon the head mas- 
 ter, and he ruled us with a rod of iron. Petty 
 laws were instituted for our regulation m the play- 
 groimd, hall, and dormitories, such as Mr. Martin- 
 dale never permitted, and the result, notwithstand- 
 ing heavy penalties, was a degree of disorder, eva- 
 19 
 
290 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAK PREACHERS. 
 
 sion, and discontent, which fortunately lasted only 
 until the governor's retiu-n, when his authority, 
 except in school hours, again became paramount. 
 He "balanced accoxmts" with the pupils every 
 Saturday, said settlement embracing the distribu- 
 tion of the weekly pocket money allowed by the 
 institution and the parents of the yoimgsters ; the 
 examination of the monitors' lists of transgressors ; 
 and the award of reprimand, fine, or corporal pun- 
 ishment, as he judged the offenders deserved. 
 Here Mr. M. appeared to great advantage. As 
 the monitors were but boys, they would sometimes 
 forget the strict impartiality which should have 
 been maintained, would have matters misrepre- 
 sented to them, and of course sometimes uninten- 
 tionally erred in judgment. 
 
 But Mr. Martindale required the minutest state- 
 ment of every charge, heard the witnesses on both 
 sides with unwearied patience, and was so impar- 
 tial and merciful in his decisions, that any boy, 
 who might be wrongfully charged with a breach 
 of the rules, left the matter for revision of the 
 court on Saturday with implicit confidence. I do 
 not remember during six years that I heard a sin- 
 gle complaint of imjust punishment at his hands. 
 
 There was one particular, not hitherto adverted 
 to, in wliich Mr. Martindale was eminently faithful 
 to the trust reposed in him by his brethren — he 
 was ever anxious that their sons should be at- 
 tached to that denomination at whose altar their 
 fathers ministered. Himself ardently loving the 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEVAX PREACHERS. 291 
 
 doctrines and admiring the discipline of Wesleyan 
 Methodism, he omitted no opportunity of exhibit- 
 ing its pecuharities to those under his care, and 
 fostering in their hearts a devout gratitude for its 
 many advantages, and, as far as they could pro- 
 mote them, a hearty co-operation in its measures 
 for the good of the world. Hence we had all its 
 ordinances estabhshed among us, and not unfre- 
 quently were the prayers of himself and others an- 
 swered by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and 
 nimierous conversions to God among the pupils. 
 On such occasions he exercised a mse discretion in 
 fostering the good work, and promoting intelligent 
 piety, guarding us against professing more than 
 we were perfectly conscious of experiencing, either 
 of penitence or peace, spreading out before us the 
 responsibilities of a Christian profession, while he 
 no less fervently dAvelt upon the certainty of di- 
 vine assistance while we improved the grace already 
 given. Of his parental, judicious counsels, at these 
 times, fruit remains tmtil now, many continuing to 
 this day who then first entered the kingdom of God, 
 and some being now able ministers of the New 
 Testament. 
 
 Both Mr. and Mrs. Martindale took a lively in- 
 terest in the efforts of the pupils to aid the cause 
 of missions. The old lady personally made a col- 
 lection for this purpose among them every Satur- 
 day, and both she and Mr. M., and their three ex- 
 cellent daughters, laid themselves out to make the 
 annual missionary meeting such a festival as should 
 
292 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 be attractive to the neighborhood. At this mission- 
 ary meeting pupils alone addressed the audience. 
 The chairman was generally some one who had 
 received his education at Woodhouse Grove ; the 
 family extended invitations to the numerous gentry 
 who resided ^vithin a few miles of the place ; the 
 large hall was appropriately fitted up with a 
 platform and et coeteras, and it was always well 
 filled with a rather choice auditory. The meeting 
 was held in the evening. As the eventful hour 
 approached, the speakers might be seen, dressed 
 with more than ordinary care, moving solitarily 
 about in the playground, practicing elocution with 
 amusing earnestness, and reciting their carefully- 
 written addresses. These meetings were always 
 productive m a pecuniary sense, rarely unprofita- 
 ble in a higher sense, and the speeches generally 
 were really good, Avithovit making any large al- 
 lowance for the juvenility of the speakers. Some- 
 times a boy's memory would fail him, and once I 
 remember one of the advocates stuck very fast, 
 and after two or three discouraging attempts to 
 recover the " thread of his discoiirse," was about 
 resuming his seat in blank despair, when Mrs. 
 Martindale called out from the opposite end of the 
 hall, " Take your speech out of your pocket, and 
 read it, my lad ; it 's worth it." Prompters were 
 unknown to us. On another occasion, at which 
 the writer had the honor to preside, one of the 
 speakers, the son of a missionary, the results of 
 whose abundant labors form one of the bright- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAX PREACHERS. 293 
 
 est pages m the history of Wesleyan missions, was 
 waxing siu-prisingly warm, and proportionably el- 
 oquent in his appeals, and at length ventured upon 
 violent gesticulation to give additional force to his 
 sentiments. Down came one of his hands with a 
 sudden blow upon the secretarj 's table ; the ink- 
 stand leaped, the candles danced, all on the 
 platform started as though moved by a galvanic 
 shock, and to crown the whole, the youth had 
 knocked both liis ideas and his phraseology into 
 utter confusion, and stood a silent participator in 
 the general wonderment. The chairman did his 
 best to conceal the speaker's confusion by inter- 
 rupting him with one or two incidental remarks, 
 and when he saw that the yoimg gentleman had 
 sufficiently recovered, requested him to proceed. 
 The remainder of the speech was more temper- 
 ately delivered, and it was one which would have 
 done credit to riper yeai's. 
 
 Mr. Martindale died at the Conference of 1824, 
 of cholera, while yet comparatively in his vigor. 
 His last end was, what his life had prepared all to 
 expect, peaceful and triumphant. Though the 
 stroke was sudden, he was foimd waiting for the 
 coming of his Lord. I believe his widow still sur- 
 vives, but she must be much advanced in yeai-s. 
 
 No man can look back with indifference upon 
 the days and scenes of his youth, whether the re- 
 trospect be painful or pleasing ; and in %-iew of this 
 common feeling, perhaps, I may be pardoned for 
 adding to this sketch the following stanzas : — 
 
294 
 
 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 A RETROSPECT OF YOUTH. 
 
 O, bright were the days of my youlli, 
 
 As they rapidly glided away ; 
 When my heart was the mirror of truth, 
 
 And my path was illumed by her ray ; 
 When I knew not tlie guile of the world, 
 
 Nor saw its enticements display'd ; 
 The banner of hope was unfurl'd. 
 
 In beauty and brightness array'd. 
 
 And I dream 'd that this banner alone 
 
 .Should ever wave over niy head ; 
 Tliat my Iieart should be purity's throne. 
 
 And vice should be liaimless or dead ; 
 But the days of my manhood are come. 
 
 And tlie dream of my youthtime is -o'er ; 
 Disappointment and care are my doom. 
 
 And my trials are greater and more. 
 
 O, briglit were the scenes tliat appear'd, 
 
 Illusive, alas ! tliougli they proved ; 
 And gladsome the liopes that 1 rear'd. 
 
 Though tliey droop'd as their soil was removed ; 
 If I tasted the bitter at all, 
 
 The drop did envalue the sweet ; 
 And pleasure was tltere at my call, 
 
 1 fear'd not— I knew not— deceit. 
 
 And I fancied the stream of my Ufe 
 
 Would ever flow even and calm ; 
 Ilntoss'd by the rapids of strife. 
 
 Unmoved by tlie tide of alarm : — 
 But the days of my manhood are come. 
 
 And the dream of my youthtime is o*er ; 
 Life's current is whiten'd with foam, 
 
 And the breakers are loud in their roar. 
 
 0 guide me. thou God of my sire. 
 My errors in mercy forgive ; 
 
 With wisdom and virtue inspire. 
 In faith, hope, and love, let me live. 
 
 Nor poverty give me, nor wealth. 
 Lest eitlier should lead me astray ; 
 
 1 ask not for sickness or health. 
 But, ah ! for Thy blessing I pray. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 296 
 
 Darnel Cljapman. 
 
 " That he hath wondrous power of language no one denieth ; he 
 useth large words and many, and withal, hath no interpreter, wliich 
 for the unleamed's ssike is pity ; yet hath his heart warm sympa- 
 thies with the commonest of his kind." 
 
 The subject of this sketch has no parallel among 
 either the Britisli or American Methodist preach- 
 ei-s. Such a compound of peculiarities, such an 
 embodiment, it might almost be said, of contrarie- 
 ties, cannot be met -n-ith out of the circimiference 
 of his own corporealty, as he would probably ex- 
 press the idea. He not only, in accordance with 
 Mr. Wesley's advice, dares to be singular, but one 
 is half tempted to beheve glories therein. All 
 the details of the man, his mental organization, 
 personal presence, apparel, social habits, conversa- 
 tion, and public exercises, are iinique. To " sketch" 
 him truthfully is difficult. To pass him by would 
 be to overlook a subject of more than ordinary 
 interest. 
 
 He is probably now about forty -three years of age. 
 He entered the ministry in 1826. There is little 
 John Bull-ism about his personal appearance. 
 The face is thin ; the complexion dark ; the eyes 
 large and expressive, surrounded by a dark circle, 
 and sunk deep into the head ; the hair jet black, 
 hanging carelessly about his forehead, which is 
 well developed. He is about five feet six or 
 seven inches in height, dresses clerically, but care- 
 
296 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 lessly, his clothes hanging about him as though 
 made for a larger man. Even his white cravat is 
 tied so loosely that the throat is visible far below 
 the " Eve's apple," which, as in the case of many 
 public speakers, is large and prominent. His 
 manners are remarkably soft and gentle, with 
 pecuharities, as has been intimated, worthy of note. 
 
 Mr. Chapman is, I beHeve, a native of Sheffield, 
 At least from that town he emerged into notice. 
 His introduction to public attention was on this 
 wise : The Rev. James Everett was at the time 
 stationed in Sheffield ; and, in the regular quarterly 
 visitation of the classes, met that of which Mr. 
 Chapman was a member. It was a week-day class ; 
 and, as is customary at such times, the preacher 
 generally having two or three classes to meet the 
 same evening, was convened rather earlier than 
 usual. There Avas not sufficient interval between 
 the hour for meeting and the time of leaving work, 
 to admit of Mr. Chapman's going home, perfomi- 
 ing his ablutions, and changing his apparel. Rather 
 than miss the means he went in his working clothes, 
 his face and hands bearing evidence of the nature 
 of his employment. On being questioned as to 
 his spiritual state, he related his experience in 
 language so much superior to what his apparent 
 condition justified, that the preacher's godly jea- 
 lousy was awakened, and with his counsels he 
 mingled reproof and caution against vanity and self- 
 conceit, and especially against indulgence in these 
 xmder such circumstances. Keenly did Mr. Chap- 
 
BKETCHES OF WKSLETAN PREACHERS. 297 
 
 man feel the suspicion and reproof ; for the em- 
 ployment of peculiar language was in consonance 
 with the construction of his mind ; and, if not 
 natural, was, at least, a habit so early formed as 
 to be second only to nature in its force. His good 
 sense and Christian principle, however, saved him 
 from any exhibition of resentment at the time, and 
 told him that he, being personally unknown to Mr. 
 Everett, the latter unavoidably judged by appear- 
 ances, and could have administered the reproof, 
 not from any personal feeling, but only from a 
 sense of duty and responsibihty, as one that watch- 
 ed over his soxil. On the following day he wrote 
 to Mr. Everett, report says in two languages, Latin 
 and Greek, adding a luie or two in Enghsh, indi- 
 cating who the writer was, and why he had thus 
 written. Mr. Everett's surprise may be readily 
 imagined. He promptly waited upon Mr. Chap- 
 man, mutual explanations and a good understanding 
 followed, and the result was, that in a veiy short 
 time the more wealthy members of society, with, I 
 believe, some Dissenters, took Mr. C. under their 
 care, and rightly concluding that a young man, 
 who made such progress in learning under such 
 adverse circumstances, possessed more than ordi- 
 nary abilities, which might be useful to the church, 
 sent him to college for a short time to complete 
 his education. After the expiration of that time, 
 he was duly recommended for the itinerancy, and 
 was, by the Conference, accepted, and appointed to 
 a circuit. 
 
298 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 Mr. Chapman's natural disposition is exceed- 
 ingly amiable and gentle. Some peculiarities attach 
 to him which have tended rather to his disad- 
 vantage, and for awhile exposed him to some want 
 of confidence on the part of his more staid and 
 matter-of-fact brethren. One peculiarity consists 
 in a remarkable verbosity which early custom made 
 with him a second nature, but which, with ma- 
 turity of years, has considerably worn off, and the 
 innate goodness of his nature and fidelity of Chris- 
 tian and pastoral deportment have long since re- 
 moved any prejudice which, on that score, might 
 formerly exist. The confidence and esteem of the 
 preachers generally are all the more freely accorded 
 to him now, because it is well known that while 
 often enduring rebuke from the senior ministers, 
 and even kept back from such stations as his talents 
 and popularity would have entitled him to, he re- 
 solutely adhered to Wesleyan Methodism though 
 tempting proposals were made to him from various 
 other denominations. Amid all these opposing 
 liinderances he has shown no resentment, though 
 it is known to his more intimate friends that he 
 keenly felt the misconstruction of his motives and 
 character, but has fulfilled cheerfully such ap- 
 pointments as were given him, performed faithfully 
 every duty assigned to him, and refusing many of 
 the invitations which poured in upon him from 
 every quarter to preach occasional sermons out of 
 his circuit, has given himself, -with earnest devotion, 
 to his work as a Methodist preacher. In all this 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 299 
 
 he has been strenuous in maintaining his independ- 
 ence and Christian firmness, and his personal rights, 
 or those which were his in common with other 
 preachers of the same standing in point of years 
 in the connection. Some years ago he lost his 
 wife, to whom he was attached ^vith all the con- 
 fiding ardor of his amiable and generous nature, 
 and many of his early exuberances have died away 
 under the chastening influence of that dispensa- 
 tion. 
 
 As a preacher I have had comparatively Uttle 
 opportunity of judging of Mr. Chapman. I heard 
 him in the zenith of his fame, and was inclined to 
 doubt the legitimacy of his popularity. Since then, 
 I beUeve, his ministry has become much more 
 spiritual in its character. Then his peculiarities 
 were in full bloom, and his discourses were more 
 calculated to astonish than profit. At all times 
 he has employed a redundancy of words. Perhaps 
 never man possessed such a voluminous vocabulaiy. 
 It was inexplicable where he foimd such words 
 and so multitudinous. His language often pre- 
 sented beautiful and dazzUng collocations — pas- 
 sages of powerful and dazzling grandeur. But too 
 often they bewildered rather than instructed the 
 hearer. Like an avalanche, they were overwhelm- 
 ing. The audience listened in mute wonderment 
 to the progress of the crushing mass — gazed, 
 almost with breathless awe, upon its gigantic and 
 impetuous leaps, but were too much paralyzed to 
 admit a single idea beyond the vague consciousness 
 
300 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHEH8. 
 
 of the rapid, resistless progress of the descending 
 mass. 
 
 His mode of commencement, too, took the hearer 
 by surprise. The text would be announced in a 
 comparatively quiet tone, but the first sentence of 
 the discourse would be uttered in the highest pitch 
 of a voice whose shrill, startling tones, came upon 
 you like a thunder clap, and reverberated in the 
 remotest comer of the most capacious building, 
 gradually falling to a more agreeable key as the 
 long sentence, burdened with ponderous words, 
 approached its conclusion. Each new sentence 
 was struck upon the same high key again to de- 
 scend to a lower note toward its close. The m- 
 troduction concluded, the preacher announced the 
 entire outline of his sermon, the main and subdivi- 
 sions with all their minor topics and inferences. Of 
 that form or syllabus the audience heard no more, 
 so far as phraseology was concerned. Each branch 
 was taken up seriatim and discussed, the only guide 
 by which the people could track the preacher, or 
 at any given time detect his whereabouts, being 
 their recollection of the outline, and a pause be- 
 tween each division, longer or shorter, as it might 
 be a major or a minor. The discourse was, in 
 fact, a series of essays, preceded by a table of con- 
 tents, unexceptionable in its sentiments and doc- 
 trines. But such fruit as was fit for the sustenance 
 of the people was wrapped up in such excess of 
 foUage that it was not easy for the " simple souls " 
 to lay their hands upon it, appropriate it to their 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 301 
 
 own use, and "feed upon it in their hearts with 
 thanksgiving." This, I repeat, was some years 
 since. All seem to admit that more recently, 
 while still retaining his wondrous power of lan- 
 guage, he frames his discourses upon more accept- 
 able models and is more deservedly popular than 
 at any former time, all his sermons being saturated 
 with the truth as it is in Jesus, and consequently 
 more spiritually advantageous to his hearers, while 
 his unutterable gentleness and meekness, and his 
 eminent Chiistian purity, have won for him the 
 undisguised esteem and respect of all. 
 
302 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PEEACHEK8. 
 
 Jrancig ^. iDest. 
 
 " He cannot flatter and speak fair, 
 Smile in men's faces, smooth, deceive, and coy." 
 
 " A man whom storms can never make 
 Meanly complain ; nor can a flattering gale 
 Make him talk proudly." 
 
 The subject of this sketch was educated at Wood- 
 house Grove School, whence, and from Kingswood, 
 have come some of the brightest ornaments of the 
 Wesleyan ministry at the present day. At the 
 Conference of 1822 he entered upon the itinerancy, 
 and was appointed to the Lynn and Swaff ham cir- 
 cuit. It was one of those commonly called hard 
 circuits, and Mr. West's "seasoning" for the itin- 
 erancy was somewhat severe ; he contracted the 
 prevailing disease of that part of the country — ague 
 and low fever — from the effects of which he did not 
 recover for some time. At the ensuing Confer- 
 ence he was removed to Cambridge, an improve- 
 ment in the matter of climate, though a sHght one 
 in the main, as many of the coimtry places were in 
 the same flat, marshy district. Here his superin- 
 tendent was the Rev. John Smedley, a compara- 
 tively young man, who had just returned from a 
 mission station. Some surprise was felt, and per- 
 haps some anxiety, that two men so young, and 
 comparatively inexperienced in the practical ad- 
 ministration of Methodism, should be appointed to 
 a station in which Methodism was exposed to so 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 303 
 
 much contumely and imfriendly oversight. They, 
 however, felt theu- responsibility, and mutually re- 
 solved to be cordial co-workers in the ministry. 
 Tlie}- labored together rather as brothers and 
 equals than with reference to theu- relative official 
 position, and the following Conference showed its 
 approval and contmued confidence by reappointing 
 them to the same circuit. At first, the collegians, 
 emboldened by the youth of the two preachers, 
 were disposed to annoy and intimidate them, occa- 
 sionally venturing so far as to attempt the inter- 
 ruption of dinne worship, but soon finding to their 
 cost that Mr. West was not the man to allow any 
 one to " despise his youth," they prudently resolv- 
 ed to let the "Methodist parsons" alone. 
 
 At the Conference of 1825 Mr. West was ap- 
 pointed to the Hampstead circuit, and preached 
 occasionally in the London chapels. His ministra- 
 tions in the gi-eat city attracted considerable atten- 
 tion, and brought him imder the notice of the more 
 influential members of the Conference. The fol- 
 lowing year he was received into full connection, 
 and stationed in the third London circuit, where he 
 labored with much acceptance. He is not favored 
 with an imposmg " presence," a sonoi'ous voice, or 
 any of the physical elements of a popular preacher ; 
 yet amid the many great men, of various denomi- 
 nations, who occupied the London pulpits, he was 
 highly esteemed as a minister, whom intellectual 
 men might hear with pleasiu-e, and even aged 
 Christians with profit. His acceptability lay in the 
 
304 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 clearness with which he perceived and expounded 
 the truth, and the effect of his preaching was a 
 proof of the power of words fitly chosen. The 
 first time he preached in Great Queen-street Chapel 
 was as a supply for the Rev. Richard Watson, who 
 was prevented by sudden indisposition from occu- 
 pying the pulpit. The edifice was crowded, many 
 members of the House of Commons and several 
 noblemen of distinction being present ; and in a 
 prominent part of the gallery were a couple of re- 
 porters, dispatched from the "Pulpit" oflSce to 
 secure Mr. Watson's sermon. Great was the dis- 
 appointment, when "some young man from the 
 Mission-house" (as was supposed) ascended the 
 pulpit ; and the reporters, who had experienced 
 great difficulty in squeezing into a front pew, ex- 
 changed glances, as much as to say, "Well, we 
 have had our labor for our pains this time." As 
 the preacher unfolded his text — " The word is nigh 
 thee, that is the word of faith which we preach'' &c. 
 — the attention of the congregation became riveted, 
 the reporters busily pUed their pencils, and before 
 the conclusion of the sermon one gentleman, over- 
 come by his feelings, and forgetting, for a moment, 
 the sacredness of the place, exclaimed, " Hear, 
 hear," as I learn from a number of the "Pulpit" 
 now lying before me, in which a report of the dis- 
 course appears vrith unusually eulogistic editorial 
 remarks. 
 
 As a theologian, Mr. West has few superiors in 
 the Wesleyan connection. It has been said of 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 305 
 
 him, that he " unites the solid divinity of the old 
 school with the ease and eloquence of the modem ;" 
 and the remark is just. He is an ardent admher 
 of Manton, and Howe, and Baxter, and Jeremy 
 Taj-lor, and is especially a student of Wesley. He 
 is an e.xtensive reader, and possesses a large and 
 valuable library, from wliich eveiy work not of 
 sterling value is rigidly excluded. He is an invet- 
 erate foe of " light Uterature," as the phrase runs, 
 though few men can better enjoy a really clever 
 satire, or a piece of quiet humor ; has a keen rehsh 
 for Butler's Analogy, and considers Pearson on 
 the Creed about the third book in creation, the 
 Bible being first, and Mr. Wesley's works second.* 
 With all Mr. West's admitted excellence as a 
 preacher, he is not exactly popular, as that word 
 is popularly used. He lacks imagination. He 
 rarely acliieves any bursts of overpowering elo- 
 quence. His style is nervous rather than capti- 
 vating. He commands attention, not by rhetorical 
 flourishes, but by the clearness of his views, and 
 the logical force of his arguments. His language 
 is purely Saxon. He convinces his hearers, and 
 lays hold upon their judgments more than upon 
 their passions. Yet his preaching is not merely 
 intellectual : there is nothing of coldness about it. 
 
 * I humbly conceive he is not far wrong in his estimate of Pear- 
 son. When once the somewhat peculiar and antiquated style of 
 the author is mastered, and that is no very difficult task, the book is 
 truly marrow and fatness. .\ close study of it would Improve and 
 enrich any man's ministry, who had not before dived into its 
 treasury of thought and argument. 
 
 20 
 
306 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 The gospel, from his hps, is a " life-giving word ;" 
 delivered with energy as well as with earnestness, 
 and coming home to the hearts of men. Yet, con- 
 sidering the large and constantly increasing con- 
 gregations which he draws in every circuit to 
 which he is appointed, he is comparatively seldom 
 called to preach " occasional " sermons, to the sur- 
 prise of many, who, sitting regularly under his 
 ministiy, place upon it a very high estimate. The 
 truth is, that he not only does not possess the 
 elements of general popularity, but docs possess 
 certain qualities which rather militate against it. 
 He is a finn believer in the total depravity of man, 
 and entertains a firm persuasion that even regene- 
 rate men do not sufficiently examine themselves, 
 their motives and affections. Under this impres- 
 sion, and as a watchman on the walls of Zion, he 
 has become, in an eminent degree, a searching, 
 probing, practical preacher. Few men have so inti- 
 mate an acquaintance with the human heart, and 
 can so fairly uncover, in its labyrinthine retreats, 
 the great principle of self. He loves to expose the 
 presence of this master idol, and for this purpose 
 is constantly seizing upon and analyzing the vari- 
 ous forms of sin and infidelity of heart with wliich 
 it is incorporated. But this, while it gives great 
 value and power to his " stated ministry," rather 
 detracts from his suitability for occasional services. 
 
 There are other reasons why Mr. West is not 
 extensively employed to preach sermons in behalf 
 of and involving collections for specific objects. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 307 
 
 such as missions, chapel tnists, Sunday schools, 
 &c., &c. One of these reasons is found in his per- 
 sonal disinclination to that peculiar duty, now so 
 often expressed that it has become pretty gene- 
 rally knoAvn. This disinclination arises, probably, 
 from physical causes — a constitutional tempera- 
 ment, which renders any service to which extra 
 responsibility attaches exceedingly hazardous to 
 his health, not very robust and liable to serious 
 interruptions at the best. With Mr. West, preach- 
 ing is no hght or easy work. He is constantly 
 aiming at somethmg whereimto he has not yet 
 attained. The best sermon he preached this year 
 he would be out of love with next. The reply of 
 Constable to Archdeacon Fisher when asked his 
 opinion of a sermon he had heard a little too often, 
 " / alwai/s did like that sermon," could not pro- 
 perly be made to the subject of this sketch ; for 
 though, perhaps, by following him from circuit to 
 circuit, one might hear the same text preached 
 from a second time, the sermon would most likely 
 be entirely remodeled, and certainly improved. 
 Those who are satisfied with their own mental 
 labors, or their results, are not likely ever to anive 
 at permanent eminence. Intellectual self-compla- 
 cency is conclusive evidence of a little mind. The 
 men who have attained enduring fame in literature, 
 or in any branch of science, have reached that goal, 
 not by placid contemplation of their first successes, 
 but by adopting a principle incidentally taught, 
 like many other weighty and important lessons, in 
 
308 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 the sacred writings — " leaving the things that are 
 behind, and pressing on toward those which are 
 before." And who can doubt that this is not only 
 the best policy, but the imperative duty, of those 
 who are appointed to the " ministry of reconcilia- 
 tion?" He who, having constructed a sufficient 
 number of sermons for any possible contingency, 
 thereupon sits do>vn contented, and exclaims, " Now 
 I am full — now I am rich" — cannot possibly have 
 imbibed that spirit of self-sacrifice and self-denying 
 labor, which is the true gloiy of the minister of the 
 New Testament — the indubitable sign that he is 
 called by the Spirit to negotiate with sinners, if 
 haply by any means he may bring them to God. 
 
 Mr. West is never satisfied with his execution of 
 ministerial duties, and upon ever)' occasion of more 
 than ordinary importance enters the pulpit under 
 an oppressive sense of responsibility. On such oc- 
 casions an attentive observer would probably notice 
 slight indications of anxiety in the preacher's coun- 
 tenance, the lines of thought deepened and ex- 
 tended, and a peculiar paleness overspreading the 
 face. When the last two lines of the hymn have 
 been given out, the preacher will probably sit down 
 and bury his face in his handkerchief, as though 
 struggling with powerful emotions ; and an inspira- 
 tion deep, yet suppressed, will escape him, showing 
 that he is seeking relief in prayer. The singing 
 ceases — and the congregation, reseated, preserve 
 profound silence, for it is well known that the 
 preacher's voice is not loud ; but it is clear, and 
 
SKETCHES or WESLEVAX PREACHERS. 309 
 
 his articulation distinct, so that, even -wlien he com- 
 mences, it can be heard in the remotest part of the 
 largest chapel if the congregation is silent and atten- 
 tive. As he rises, he passes his hand slowly and hea- 
 A"ily across his forehead, and, with some deliberation, 
 aimounces his text, which is almost sure to be a 
 branch, or the conclusion, of an argument, or to 
 embody some gi-eat principle, for he has an aver- 
 sion to what are called " accommodation" sermons, 
 or mere inferential preaching. The introduction leads 
 to the main subject by a natural and easy gradation, 
 the speaker's manner being simply earnest, as though 
 engaged in serious conversation with each of his 
 hearers — unfolding and opening the tmth, and ap- 
 proaching the sentiment of his text, as a botanist 
 Avould unfold a flower when explaining it to an 
 intelligent pupil. Having by this process awakened 
 the interest of his congregation, he reveals his plan, 
 and now gives to his intellect fidler play : assumes 
 gradually a more independent attitude toward his 
 hearers, until, almost without being aware of the 
 change, you perceive that he is preaching to those 
 with whom, a short time since, he seemed only in 
 familiar converse. Now the right hand is brought 
 into action, that being his principal and almost only 
 gesture, — he becomes animated — then impassioned, 
 and at length vehement. But it reminds you of 
 the " vehement desire," spoken of by the poet, 
 rather than of mere excitement — ^it is the vehe- 
 mence of the ambassador impressed with the im- 
 portance of his message, and the necessity of the 
 
310 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 immediate acceptance, on the part of his hearers, 
 of the terms he ofters. As he draws nearer the 
 close of his discourse his physical energy is severely 
 taxed, and you almost wonder that so frail a frame 
 should be capable of such great and continuous 
 efforts, (for Mr. West rarely concludes his discourse 
 within an hour, or an hour and a quarter, on Sun- 
 day evenings.) The physical is entirely subservient 
 to the mental ; the preacher laboring, stnigghng 
 almost, with the vastness of his theme, and striving 
 to secure the judgments as well as convince the 
 consciences of his hearers. There is no rant — in- 
 deed his utterance, during the application of his 
 sermon, is slower than in the foraier portions, and 
 he seems to trust for success rather to a series of 
 well-studied and deliberate blows with the " ham- 
 mer of the word" than to a coup-de-main. He 
 seems laboring, as time and strength are nearly 
 run out, to compress the force of fifty words into 
 one, and to hurl that with resistless force at the 
 door of the sinner's heart, crasliing and breaking 
 down every barrier to the entrance of the trath ; 
 while the absorbed attention of the congregation 
 testifies to the power of his appeals. 
 
 Mr. West's preaching is eminently spiritual and 
 experimental. His week evening and Sunday 
 morning discourses are emphatically rich, for that 
 is the most appropriate word by which their qua- 
 lity can be described, and it is a term repeatedly 
 applied to them. He is not " ignorant of Satan's 
 devices," and is skillful in guarding the people of 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEVAX PREACHERS. 311 
 
 God against his open or more covert attacks. It 
 is greatly to his credit, that, from the earUest days 
 of his ministry to the present, while he is a highly 
 intellectual preacher, and of the modem school, the 
 oldest and most pious members of every congrega- 
 tion, to wliich he has statedly ministered, have 
 been his warm admirers, while the poor especially 
 have eagerly attended upon his preaching. We 
 mention this to correct a common error, which sup- 
 poses that an intellectual ministry is incompatible 
 with a Christ-exalting and thoroughly experimental 
 preaching ; and that, especially, it is not calculated 
 to feed the souls of the poor and illiterate — that it 
 is neither acceptable nor profitable to them. The 
 supposed incompatibility of the two is a grievous 
 mistake, as numerous instances have proved ; and 
 the latter supposition is not only equally erroneous, 
 but is an insult to the intelligence of that numer- 
 ous class of Christians whose path God hath ap- 
 pointed in the poorer and more laborious walks of 
 life. -I have heard ministers, whose sole aim has 
 appeared to be to demean the God-de\-ised eco- 
 nomy of human redemption, the revealed truth of 
 Infinite Wisdom — or who, at least, have prefen-ed 
 to use the most vulgar and earth-bom illustrations 
 and arguments while preaching the " glorious gos- 
 pel of the blessed God " — professing to despise all 
 elegance or refinement of language or thought, and 
 reducing the subUmities of the gospel to their own 
 narrow views, instead of presenting them to the 
 people in all their lofty spirituality and captivating 
 
312 SKETCHES OF WESLEVAX PREACHERS. 
 
 beauty, that their hearers may aspire to wake up 
 after God's image and likeness. Men are to be 
 elevated as well as saved by the gospel — to be 
 made to realize that they are sentient, immortal 
 beings, who are to be titted here for association 
 and converse hereafter with angels and with God ; 
 and we cannot think that this is to be accomplished 
 by unstudied sermons, interlarded with hackneyed 
 jokes and clap-trap vulgarisms, which excite the 
 laugh of the ignorant, but the merited contempt of 
 the well informed. One is sometimes constrained 
 to wonder, while listening to preachers of this class, 
 whether they would preach in the same strain, if 
 they had timely notice that the Son of God, in the 
 majesty of his visible presence and awful glory, 
 would stand at their right hand, and the recording 
 angel take notes of their discourses. Surely thej 
 find no waiTant for " their peculiar style of preach- 
 ing" in the example of the apostle Paul, or of the 
 " great Teacher " himself, of M'hom ministers may 
 truly and reverently say, " He hath left us an ex- 
 ample that we should follow his steps." 
 
 Mr. West does " the work of the ministry " out 
 of the pulpit as well as m it. Not so much as a 
 pastor, v isiting from house to house ; in tliat re- 
 spect he has superiors, though Avhen affliction has 
 entered a family he is always ready to visit and 
 sympathize with them. But he has a sphere of 
 pastoral duty in which he is exceedingly useful, 
 and which is in very few instances attended to as 
 it ought to be — the oversight and instruction of 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEVA.V PREACHERS. 313 
 
 young people. It is the custom \dt\\ many of the 
 English Wesleyan preachers to have a meeting of 
 all the young people, whose parents are either 
 members or hearers, every Saturday afternoon, in 
 the body of the chapel, when they are catechized, 
 and counseled, and prayed with ; and any who, not 
 being members of the society, appear to be under 
 serious impressions, are gently led into the fold of 
 Christ. The work is praiseworthy, requiring more 
 care, and study, and tact, than at first sight might 
 seem necessary, but which, when efficiently per- 
 formed, is of incalculable benefit to the yoimg peo- 
 ple themselves, and secures to the church the con- 
 tinued accession of stable members, who, being in- 
 telligently grounded in the faith and discipline, re- 
 main as pillars in God's house, and perpetuate its 
 blessings to future generations. How many young 
 people are lost to Methodism, and, what is im- 
 speakably more disastrous, lost to the church of 
 Chiist, for lack of this pastoral care and oversight! 
 Sunday schools do a great and important Avork, 
 but they relieve neither the parent nor the pastor 
 fiom responsibihty in this matter. Yoimg people 
 can readily appreciate the diflerence between the 
 routine of religious instruction in a sabbath school, 
 and that less fonnal counsel and direction which 
 spring from parental or pastoral solicitude. Avail- 
 ing himself of this intuitive perception in youthful 
 minds, Mr. West willingly co-operates in any move- 
 ment of the kind. But he also assumes, in eveiy 
 cuxuit, a still higher duty toward the young men 
 
814 SKETCHES OK WESLEVAN PKEACHEK8. 
 
 of the society. These he forms into one or more 
 classes, as their numbers may render expedient, 
 and carefully instructs them in the things which 
 promote man's highest interests. The more intel- 
 ligent, and those whose opportunities for acquiring 
 information have been Uberal, he generally forms 
 into one large class, meeting them once a week, or 
 fortnightly, and instructing them in moral philoso- 
 phy and theology. He has wrought much and 
 permanent good in this way. At Leeds, and Man- 
 chester, and Hahfax, are a " cloud of witnesses " to 
 the utihty of his plans — men of intelligence and in- 
 fluence in the church, to whose pursuits he first 
 gave a bias worthy of Christians, and who, master- 
 ing the first principles of morals and theological 
 science under his judicious counsels, have continued 
 to increase " in knowledge and in all judgment." 
 A class in Manchester read through with him — 
 giving proof as they proceeded that they under- 
 stood what they read — Paley's Works, Butler's 
 Analogy, and the Epistles to the Romans and 
 Hebrews. It will be evident to every one familiar 
 with study, that the eftect of such a course of read- 
 ing must be of the most healthful and invigorating 
 character, while the incidental knowledge obtained 
 would be of vast utility in all future reading. 
 Some of these meetings were held at five o'clock 
 in the morning, and others in the evening. 
 
 The gentleman of whom we write does not shine 
 much as a platform speaker, unless it be in an 
 opening speech. As a general rule he lacks ima- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 315 
 
 gination, fire, impetuosity, and the gift of declama- 
 tion, which are important quahfications for a plat- 
 form speaker. He is too didactic. Nevertheless, 
 I have heard him make several good missionary 
 speeches ; one I remember, a highly finished and 
 masterly production, on the sublimity of the mis- 
 sionary enterprise as contrasted with all other 
 things which men are accustomed to call sublime. 
 
 But there is a sphere of connectional labor in 
 which he especially shines. He is an excellent 
 committee man, and has a wonderful aptitude for 
 business. He is shrewd, cool, and far-sighted, and 
 can see a defect in a prudential scheme as quickly 
 as he can detect a fallacy m an argument. He is 
 yearly placed upon several of the standing commit- 
 tees of the Conference, upon whom devolve much 
 of the general business of the connection between 
 the annual sessions of that body. In the Mmutes 
 for 1847 his name appears as one of the general 
 book committee ; as general secretaiy of the gen- 
 eral chapel fxmd, which office he has held many 
 years ; as one of the committee of distribution for 
 that fimd ; as re-appointed secretary- of the chapel 
 relief centenary fund, and ex officio one of its mem- 
 bers, in which capacity he has rendered most es- 
 sential service to the connection ; as member of the 
 chapel-building committee ; of the local committee 
 for the management of the northern branch of the 
 Wesleyan Theological Institution ; as one of several 
 specially appointed to meet the education commit- 
 tee prior to the next Conference ; and as member 
 
816 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 of a special committee on the state of the connec- 
 tional funds. 
 
 He is known as the author of several sermons 
 and tracts ; of a brief Memoir of Jonathan Saville, 
 ■which has been reprinted in this coimtry, and has 
 passed to a third edition in England ; and of a very 
 interesting and admirable Memoir of Mrs. Cfihson, 
 which has also reached a third edition. 
 
 Mr. West must be now between forty-five and 
 fifty years of age. He is about five feet seven 
 inches in height, of spare frame, intellectual coun- 
 tenance, complexion inclining to sallow, forehead 
 finely developed and sunnounted by thin, but by 
 no means scanty, locks of jet black, glossy hair. 
 The expression of the face is full of character, in 
 repose inclining to sternness, but when animated 
 decidedly pleasing. The eye is a striking feature, 
 large, full, and very clear; not fiery or sparkling, 
 nor even quick in its motions, but remarkable for its 
 searching power. The gentleman is guiltless of 
 whiskers, which gives to him a younger appear- 
 ance than he is entitled to. The lackadaisical por- 
 trait published in the Wesleyan Methodist Maga- 
 zine some yeai-s ago, with the name of Mr. West 
 underneath it, is a burlesque. A more faithful 
 likeness is given in Duval's painting of the Cen- 
 tenary meeting in Manchester, engravings of which 
 have reached this country, but that does not do 
 him justice, for it makes the features — the entire 
 head — too large and heavy. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 31 1 
 
 irUUam !DaiD0on. 
 
 " A man resolved and steady to his trust. 
 Inflexible to iU and obstinately just." — Watti. 
 " Sloth, the nurse of vices, 
 And rust of action, is a stranger to you." 
 
 The Wesleyan Methodists, more than any other de- 
 nomination, make systematic use of lay preachers. 
 Many of these are men of superior talents, and of 
 great usefulness ; some of them have attained to 
 extensive and almost universal popularity, even 
 beyond the precincts of the Methodist Church, not- 
 withstanding they have fixed residences, and are 
 engaged in secular avocations. Mr. Dawson was 
 one of these. Like the early apostles, he "la- 
 bored, working with his own hands," and was de- 
 pendent upon his daily toil for the bread which 
 perisheth. Yet he labored diligently, and with 
 extraordinary acceptance and success in the min- 
 istry of the word of reconciliation. The demand 
 for Mr. Dawson's public services was veiy great, 
 and whatever he could accomplish, with a due 
 regard to his temporal duties, from which he 
 did not consider that his call released him, he 
 was ever AviUing to perform ; and with his ad- 
 mirable system of economy of tune — in which re- 
 spect he resembled, in a remarkable degree, the 
 founder of Methodism — he was able to accomplish 
 about a hundred journeys every year. His labors 
 were confined principally, but not exclusively by 
 
318 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 any means, to the northern and western counties 
 of England, where, in the teeming city and quiet 
 village, in cathedral-like chapels and in bams, and 
 in the open air, Mr. Dawson, alias " Billy Daw- 
 son," alias "The Yorkshire Farmer," zealously 
 preached the glorious gospel of the blessed God, 
 and was instrumental in making hundreds wise 
 imto salvation. 
 
 I first heard Mr. Dawson from the pulpit in the 
 year 1828. His apparel and demeanor struck me 
 as unclerical. True, he wore a black coat and 
 vest, and a white neck-cloth, an article of dress to 
 which English clergymen, of all denominations, 
 I'igidly adhere ; but his lower extremities were 
 encased in a pair of drab breeches, and he wore 
 what are technically called " top-boots," such as 
 are, or were at that time, universally worn in 
 England by substantial farmers as a part of their 
 Sunday or market-day attire. He crossed the 
 floor of the chapel, on his way to the pulpit, with 
 a rolling gait, as though he were traversing a 
 ploughed field, with a hand in each pocket of his 
 "drabs," half-whistling, half-himiming the air of a 
 good old Methodist tune. Of this he was appa- 
 rently tmconscious, for his eyes were turned down- 
 ward in a reverie, and he seemed shut in from all 
 suiTounding objects. In all my subsequent know- 
 ledge of Mr. Dawson, I never saw a repetition of 
 the mood ; nevertheless, a slight prejudice was 
 excited, in the mind of at least one in the congre- 
 gation, which his peculiar style of prayer was not 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 319 
 
 calculated to remove. No one who knew him 
 would doubt that his was the sincere prayer of the 
 heart ; that he approached the throne of dinne 
 grace with a full connction of the solemnity of the 
 employment ; that he personally realized the obli- 
 gation of the creature to the Creator — the depen- 
 dence of the suppliant upon the goodness and 
 mercy of God ; and that he felt the yearning 
 of the saint for communion with the Saviour. 
 Still there was undeniably something in the man- 
 ner of his approach to God in public prayer, which 
 bore the appearance of irreverence, and was offen- 
 sive to good taste. This, however, was only in 
 the manner of the petitioner ; it was but one of 
 those channels through which his eccentric genius 
 meandered, and it is not improbable that a consci- 
 entious effort to restrain its eccentricities made 
 them more apparent, — ^just as the excessive curb- 
 ing of a high-mettled horse only ruins its paces 
 and destroys the beauty of its action. 
 
 The -wTiter, while subsequently resident at Leeds, 
 in Yorkshire, had frequent opportunities of hearing 
 Mr. Dawson preach, and of observing him in the 
 almost daily routine of private life. No farmer at- 
 tending the Leeds market had a higher reputation 
 for commercial integrity than Mr. Dawson. His 
 " word was ever as good as his bond ;" whether 
 he bought or sold, his representations were never 
 doubted. Even worldly men regarded him as one 
 who was " inflexible to ill, and obstinately just." 
 Perhaps this is the best place to say, that, although 
 
320 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 a bachelor, Mr. Dawson had others dependent upon 
 him for support, especially a nephew, who was in- 
 competent to provide for himseK. For the sake 
 of this young man, he refused more than one open- 
 ing in life congenial to his tastes, and promising 
 great social and pecuniary advantages. Moreover, 
 at one time the farm he tenanted was understood 
 to be a losing concern; and he was, for a long 
 season, compelled to make great exertions, and 
 exercise a rigid economy, to preserve his honor 
 untainted before the world. Offers of pecuniar}^ 
 assistance were liberally made to him by the few 
 friends who were aware of liis trials, and who well 
 knew his high principles ; but his independent 
 spirit declined the proffered aid, and prompted him 
 to rely vipon his own energies. Amid all this com- 
 parative adversity, he continued the zealous pro- 
 secution of his ministry, preaching generally twice, 
 sometimes three times, on the sabbath, without fee 
 or reward. Not a sixpence did he ever receive 
 beyond his travehng expenses ; and when from any 
 unforeseen contingency the collection has been 
 smaller than was anticipated, he evinced the great- 
 est pain, at leaving, to receiving even these. His 
 ministerial labors were eminently disinterested. 
 
 Circumstances led to a personal acquaintance 
 with Mr. Dawson ; and as the writer's place of 
 business was near the corn-market, Mr. Dawson 
 would generally call in for five minutes' chat. It 
 was characteristic of the man, that if, on entering, 
 he saw that I was occupied with others, he would 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 321 
 
 immediately retire, merely greeting me by a dart 
 of his eye, for that idea best conveys the peculiar, 
 rapid, concentrated flash of meaning, which was 
 ever and anon emitted from that ^vindow of his 
 soul. Knowing the value of time, and how un- 
 profitable were interruptions to a man engaged in 
 business, he did unto others as he would they 
 should do unto him, and was the last man in the 
 world of whom his friends could complain that he 
 trenched upon their time or interrupted them in 
 their business avocations. In frequent joumeyings 
 between Leeds and Manchester we also often met, 
 and many were the pleasant conversations I had 
 ■with him in those "good old days" of stage-coach 
 traveling. He was an agreeable companion, and 
 where he could converse without restraint, would 
 add greatly to the interest of his remarks by the 
 narration of various incidents connected ^ith his 
 pulpit services. Once, as we were passing through 
 one of the numerous \'illages thickly scattered in 
 the manufacturing districts aroimd Huddersfield 
 and Dewsbury, he pointed out the Wesleyan 
 Chapel, and related a circumstance connected with 
 it, which, as it aptly illustrates the manner and 
 effects of his preaching, may be properly repeated 
 here. 
 
 Mr. Dawson was dehvering a discourse pecu- 
 liarly suited to his genius ; one that will be long 
 remembered in many towns and villages of Eng- 
 land. It was generally known to be one of his 
 favorite sermons, and passed vmder the title of 
 
 21 
 
322 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 " Death on the pale horse." As the reader will 
 suppose, it was founded upon Revelation ri, 1, 8. 
 It was a discourse of a startling and impressive 
 character. In bold and striking imagery, in power- 
 ful, thrilling, irresistible appeal, it was unsurpassed 
 by any sermon I have ever listened to. When the 
 preacher was happy in its delivery, the congrega- 
 tion seemed to suspend their very breathing in the 
 intensity of their attention, and, in the pauses of the 
 preacher's voice, a long and deep inspiration was 
 resorted to as a relief. On the occasion refeiTed 
 to, Mr. Dawson was indulging in that pecuharly 
 vivid imagery, which was at the basis of his popu- 
 larity, and exclaimed, " ' Come and see !' the sinner 
 is in the broad road to ruin — every step takes him 
 nearer to hell and further from heaven. Onward, 
 onward he is going — death and hell are after him 
 — quickly, untiringly, they pursue him — with swift 
 but noiseless hoof the pale horse and his paler 
 rider are tracking the godless wretch. See ! see ! 
 they are getting nearer to him — they are over- 
 taking him !" At this moment the stillness of the 
 congregation was so complete, that the ticking of 
 the clock could be distinctly heard in eveiy part 
 of the chapel. Upon this, with a facility peculiarly 
 his own, he promptly seized, and without seeming 
 interruption. Leaning over the pulpit in the attitude 
 of attention, and fixing his keen eye upon those 
 who sat immediately before him, he continued, in 
 an almost supernatural whisper, " Hark ! hark ! — 
 that swift rider is coming, and judgment is follow- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAK PREACHERS. 323 
 
 ing him. That is his untiring footstep ! Hark !" — 
 and then imitating, for a moment or two, the beat 
 of the pendulum, he exclaimed in the highest pitch 
 of his voice, " Lord ! save the sinner ; save him ! 
 Death is upon him, and hell follows. See, the bony 
 arm is raised ! The fatal dart is poised ! O my 
 God ! save him — save him — for if death strikes 
 him he falls, and hell receives him, and as he 
 falls, he shrieks, ' Lost ! lost ! lost ! Time lost ! 
 sabbaths lost ! means lost ! soul lost ! heaven lost ! 
 ALL LOST, and lost for ever !' " The effect was so 
 overwhelming, that two of the congregation fainted, 
 and it required all the preacher's tact and self- 
 command to ride through the storm which his 
 o'wn vivid imagination and powerful appeal had 
 aroused. 
 
 Perhaps somewhat apocryphal, yet generally re- 
 ceived as true, is a story of his preaching at Pud- 
 sey, a ■Nillage inhabited by woolen cloth weavers, 
 some five or six miles from Leeds, from the history 
 of David slaying Goliah. He was indulging freely 
 in the pictorial representation of which he was so 
 perfect a master. Personating Da^•id, he had struck 
 down the boasting Philistine, and, stepping back in 
 the pulpit, he cast his eye downward and com- 
 menced a strain of irony, which had the twofold 
 effect of rebuking every one that exalted himself 
 against the Lord, and of adding force to the gra- 
 phic picture he had already given of the conflict. 
 So powerfully did the speaker depict the conquer- 
 or's emotion, so rapidly and continuously did he 
 
324 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 heap taunt upon taunt on his prostrate foe, that 
 the congregation seemed to lose sight of the actual 
 state of things in the ideal, and waited in breath- 
 less suspense for the catastrophe. Some in the 
 gallery, in the intensity of the excitement, leaned 
 forward, as though they expected to see, upon the 
 floor of the piilpit, the prostrate giant with the 
 striphng's foot upon his breast ; and one person, 
 carried away by his feelings, and imable longer to 
 bear the suspense, exclaimed, in the broad dialect 
 of the county, " Off with his head, Billy." This 
 interruption moved Mr. Dawson for a moment from 
 his propriety, otherwise it Avould scarcely have 
 been noticed by the congregation, so obhvious were 
 they of outward things in their rapt attention to 
 the preacher. I have no doubt of the truth of 
 the anecdote, havmg myself seen and felt similar 
 excitement under the same sermon ; and have a 
 strong impression also that Mr. Dawson acknow- 
 ledged its truth in my hearing, coupled with the 
 remark that he ever after refused applications to 
 preach at Pudsey, for prudential reasons. He 
 feared that his vivid fancy would recall the cir- 
 cumstance, with such concomitants as would dis- 
 turb his gravity. 
 
 Such was the command which Mr. Dawson held 
 over his congregation when in his happiest mood, 
 that instances of equal excitement were not rare, 
 though they did not equally result in such marked 
 demonstration. His sermons, though sometimes 
 crude, always presented bold, original, startling, 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 325 
 
 and oftentimes beaiitiful ideas. The impression 
 made upon the hearer was, tliat the preacher was 
 more indebted to the \agor of his genius than to 
 the extent of his reading, and that all liis matter 
 was hewn out of the quarry of his own mind. He 
 was an extemporaneous, and it might be added, to 
 a great extent, an impromptu preacher, though a 
 new thought, or even a felicitous expression seized 
 upon during the deli\'ery of a discourse, was almost 
 sure to be incorporated in the same sermon on a 
 future occasion. It was amusing, to one familiar 
 with the art of public speaking, to observe how 
 perse veringly he would sometimes chase a new 
 idea, started under the inspiration of the moment, 
 or suggested by some collocation of words, or other 
 accidental circumstance. Uttering several sen- 
 tences of the most common-place character, so as 
 to leave his mind free for the pursuit, he would 
 struggle after the idea which, perhaps as yet 
 " without form and void," gleamed before him. 
 For a few brief moments those who did not know 
 him, or who did not surmise his purpose, would 
 be distressed at his seeming embarrassment, and 
 be apprehensive of a "break down," when suddenly 
 making a vigorous spring, he would seize the ob- 
 ject of his pursuit, liis eye flashing with triumph, 
 and rapidly molding the truant thought into the 
 most forcible form of expression, would make it 
 flash upon the congregation in a perfect blaze of 
 light. This peculiarity was sometimes indulged in 
 during public prayer. I remember an instance 
 
326 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 which will fully illustrate my meaning. Mr. Daw- 
 son was acknowledging the di\ine goodness, and 
 quoted the passage, " Thou hast crowned my head 
 with loving kindness and tender mercies." His 
 imagination took fire at the metaphor, and present- 
 ed before him a regal coronet, studded with nu- 
 merous gems, having a centre-stone of surpassmg 
 magnitude, brilliancy, and value. Consentaneously 
 this became the "crown" of " loving kindness and 
 tender mercies." The countless brilliants repre- 
 sented the blessings of Providence and grace, and 
 the centre-stone, the " priceless gem of salvation." 
 To express this as he wished was more difficult 
 than to conceive it ; and several feeble sentences 
 were uttered before this "crown" was shown to 
 the people. But when, at length, it was exhibited 
 in all its radiant glory, with its centre-gem of 
 purest lustre, the " deep cmwsow hue " of which was 
 caught up and reflected in a thousand lights by 
 the precious stones which clustered aroimd it, the 
 " saints of the Most High shouted aloud for joy." 
 
 There was great inequahty in Mr. Dawson's 
 preaching, and when he failed, it was generally by 
 going a step beyond the subhme. Mr. Everett men- 
 tions some instances. I could enumerate others. 
 One in particular just occtirs to me. A few years 
 before his death he was somewhat hea^'y and bulky 
 in appearance, and wore a dark brown wig, which 
 he was in the habit of frequently adjusting with 
 both his hands. He was preaching on a sabbath 
 evening to a crowded congregation in Brunswick 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 327 
 
 Chapel, Leeds. The interior of the chapel is oval, 
 the organ and orchestra being behind the pulpit, 
 which is a capacious mahogany structure, isolated, 
 standing a little forward from the orchestra, and is 
 ascended by a circular stair. Mr. Dawson was 
 preaching from, " Behold I stand at the door and 
 knock" and after a powerful delineation of the 
 methods by which the Holy Spirit appeals to the 
 heart of the sinner with overtures of mercy, and 
 the rejection of those oflers by the impenitent, he 
 approached the climax of his subject — that the 
 Holy Ghost might at that hour be " knocking at 
 the door for the last time." Fearful was the 
 picture Avhich he drew of the condition of the man 
 who was "in such a case." Then suddenly paus- 
 ing, and personating the third person in the Trinity, 
 he rapped with his knuckles first upon the open, 
 then upon the closed Bible, the significance of 
 which the reader will appreciate, accompanying 
 each with an appeal in the first person for admis- 
 sion to the sinner's heart. Assuming that the 
 sinner was immovable in his refusal, and still pre- 
 serving the personation, Mr. Dawson turned away 
 from the front of the pulpit, and walked slowly 
 toward the door, (through which he passed to the 
 furthest verge of the platform, at the top of the 
 stairs,) repeating, " Because I Imve called" &c., and 
 kindred passages and sentiments in atone of passion- 
 ate regret. Had it not been for the intense solemnity 
 and feeling which his previous remarks had inspired, 
 the effect would have been most disastrous, and 
 
328 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 even with those advantages, it was impossible to 
 prevent the rising of an unpleasant feeling as the 
 hearer contemplated the personation of the divine 
 Spirit, and that, sooth to say, by one whose im- 
 ethereal form threw a Aisible burlesque upon the 
 movement. And then, too, there was the difficulty 
 of retiu-ning after a last appeal, which could only 
 be accomplished at the expense of consistency. 
 
 Errors of this sort, however, were but the ex- 
 ceptions to Mr. Dawson's general success ; and 
 even these were redeemed by the immistateable 
 evidences Avhich his ministry always afforded of 
 the presence and power of God. Nor was the 
 wondrous effect of his preaching transient only. 
 Wliile he might, as a preacher, be justly called a 
 revivalist, yet his ministry was not so much re- 
 markable for awakening a general excitement as it 
 was for producing individual convictmi. His bold 
 and \'i\'id imagery alarmed the conscience ; and 
 then by some sudden stroke of genius he would 
 set before the sinner his transgression in so strong 
 a light, that the poor rebel felt his peril and knew 
 no rest until he had made his peace with God. 
 
 Injustice would be done to Mr. Dawson, were I 
 to omit saying, that on all doctrinal points, as held 
 by the Wesleyan Methodists, he Avas not only 
 perfectly orthodox, but always declared those 
 doctrines with great clearness and force. I shall 
 ever remember a sermon which he preached in 
 Irwell-street Chapel, Salford, (Manchester,) on the 
 atonement of Christ, in which that cardinal truth 
 
SKETCHES OP WESLETAX PREACHERS. 329 
 
 in all its fullness and sufficiency was set forth with 
 remarkable perspicuity. And this was not done 
 by labored and protracted argument, but by the 
 flashes of light which his genius poured upon the 
 subject, and which at once both enhghtened and 
 convinced the understanding of the hearer. 
 
 In the evening of the same day I heard from 
 him a sermon which was equally a favorable spe- 
 cimen of his powerful appeals to sinners. He re- 
 presented the sinner as forging a chain, link by 
 link, as he committed sin after sin ; in vain his 
 friends warned him that this chain was to be 
 heated red hot and wrapped roimd his body, and 
 to be kept there day after day, week after week, 
 month after month ; he still went on forging it, 
 and taking pleasure in so doing. Raising his 
 voice, and increasing it in volume with every sen- 
 tence, Mr. Dawson exclauned, " Sinner, thou art 
 that man ! and at the day of judgment that chain 
 shall be drawn, at white heat, out of the flames of 
 hell, and shall be wrapped roimd, and round, and 
 ROUND, (raising his voice at each repetition,) thy 
 writhing body ; burning into thy wretched soul 
 imtil long before the cod is exhausted its weight 
 shall sink thee under the surface of that burning 
 lake for ever and for ever !" Agam, he repre- 
 sented the sumer as made fast to one end of a 
 chain coiled round a windlass placed over the 
 mouth of a deep pit, with a hea\-j^ weight attached 
 to the other end. The windlass was set in mo- 
 tion, " the weight increasing in velocity on its way 
 
330 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 downward, the man drawing nearer and nearer to 
 the mouth of the pit — tlie weight becoming still 
 more and more rapid in its motion — the preacher 
 shouting out as the head seemed to be whirling 
 with the machinery — ' He is going ! — he is going ! 
 — there is no stopping him : — he is nearer — 
 nearer — the final step is taken — he dashes over, 
 disappears — and the splash startles the very 
 devils !' " Never shall I forget the thrill of horror 
 that pervaded the congregation ; the effect, which 
 cannot be conceived without a knowledge of the 
 man and his manner of delivering such passages, 
 was beyond anything I ever before experienced. 
 The imagery, which of course was more fully 
 wrought out, was terrific. The "weight" was the 
 accumulated transgressions of the sinner; the 
 "chain" the perfections of the divine character all 
 harmonizing in the destruction of the impenitent ; 
 and the "windlass," the constant revolution of 
 time, to which " Stop" might be cried in vain. 
 The reverse of the picture, and its application to 
 believers, was equally effective. 
 
 I have alluded to the difficulty of conveying a 
 just idea of Mr. Dawson's manner in his most im- 
 passioned moments. I have before me reports of 
 two of his sermons, published in the (London) 
 Pulpit, from the notes of stenographic reporters, 
 employed for the purpose ; one on Gal. vi, Y, 8 : 
 " Be not deceived, God is not mocked ; for whatso- 
 ever," &c., &c. ; the other on Matt, xvi, 26, 27: 
 "For what is a man profited," &c. I have heard 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 331 
 
 both sermons, and should scarcely have recog- 
 nized the former in print, the reporter, perhaps 
 ■with the best intention, ha\'ing reduced the dis- 
 coiirse to what he conceived was good taste, and 
 given to the world a very common-place sermon, 
 with scarcely a distinguishable trait of the preacher 
 about it. In the latter, which was one of Mr. 
 Dawson's best sermons, the reporter has performed 
 his task too literally, copying the colloquialisms 
 and small talk of the sermon, but failing to com- 
 municate the tnae sublimity which marked many 
 of its passages. 
 
 I suppose that as a preacher Mr. Dawson never 
 appeared so great as when he preached the fune- 
 ral sermon of the late Rev. Da^ad Stoner, whom 
 he loved as David loved Jonathan, and venerated 
 for his piety and usefulness. As the occasion 
 led him to sketch the character of his deceased 
 friend, he seemed to catch the falling mantle, and, 
 inspired by his theme, was led even beyond him- 
 self, and rose to the highest elevation of over- 
 powering eloquence. The occasion will be re- 
 membered to the latest hour of the last surviving 
 hearer, and the full fruit will only be gathered 
 when hiiman instrvmientality shall have completed 
 its mission. Many were quickened into a hoher 
 zeal for the salvation of their fellow-men, and the 
 constantly widening influence of their increased 
 devotion will be perpetuated through all time. A 
 sketch of the concluding remarks on that memo- 
 rable occasion may be found m Mr. Everett's Me- 
 
332 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 moir of Stoner, to which I must refer the reader. 
 Mr. E. mentions that the preacher's inquiry, "Is 
 there no yoimg man in this congregation willing to 
 take up the fallen trumpet ?" entered the soul of one 
 lovely youth, Samuel Entwisle, a son of the Rev. 
 Joseph Entwisle, who had for some time been un- 
 der the impression that God required him to enter 
 the ministry. I may add that had that young 
 man's life been spared, he would have been an or- 
 nament to the Wesleyan ministry. I knew him 
 long before he entered upon that work, for we 
 were residents for some years of my youth in the 
 same town, worshiped in the same sanctuary, 
 and frequently spent more or less time together. 
 He long entertained the conviction that he was 
 called of God to the work of the ministry, 
 and was only deterred from obeying " the heavenly 
 vision" by his overwhelming sense of the respon- 
 sibility resting upon the ministerial character and 
 office, and a fear lest he should unworthily 
 discharge the duties. He was naturally, too, of a 
 retiring disposition, which doubtless had its influ- 
 ence in causing him to shrink from so pubUc a vo- 
 cation ; and thus from a fear of nmning before he 
 was sent, he brought darkness upon his soul, and 
 recovered his lost ground only by strong cries and 
 tears in secret before the Lord. If Mr. Dawson 
 wrought no other good effect than that of working 
 decision in the mind of Mr. Entwisle, his labor had 
 indeed not been in vain in the Lord. This one 
 fruit was strong evidence of the natural force and 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 333 
 
 spiritual unction that attended Mr. Dawson's minis- 
 try, for Mr. Entwistle, though young, Avas almost 
 the last man to be moved by mere declamation, 
 or appeal in the absence of terse and cogent ar- 
 gument. 
 
 If Mr. Dawson is to be seen in all his great- 
 ness, he must be viewed in yet other aspects — as 
 a platform speaker, as a member of the social cir- 
 cle, and in the ordinary routine of his busy Ufe. 
 His popularity as a platform speaker equaled his 
 popularity as a preacher. His speeches had each 
 a distinctive topic — he seldom generaUzed — and 
 each had its popular name. There was his " Re- 
 form bill" speech, which, by the way, I do not 
 remember to have heard, and only know by 
 repute, which gave it a high character for 
 originahty and effectiveness; and his "Railway" 
 speech, for which he was most severely handled 
 in the editorial columns of the Morning Herald 
 newspaper, where he was charged with the 
 grossest irreverence and kindred crimes. It is 
 charitable to suppose that they knew not the 
 man, and could not appreciate his genius, or his 
 talents — that in truth they "understood neither 
 what they said, nor whereof they affirmed." Mr. 
 Dawson always readily seized upon any passing 
 and exciting topic, and turned it to good account ; 
 and when the subject of railways engrossed general 
 attention he made it pay tribute to his platform 
 labors. The track was the world, the train was 
 the gospel, the chief director was Jesus Christ, and 
 
334 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 SO forth. The speech was very popular, but it 
 cannot be denied that in some points it bordered 
 closely upon burlesque, and it was only by his 
 skillful management that the engine was saved 
 from " running off the track." Then there were 
 his " Clock " speech, in which every wheel, and 
 spring, and screw, was emblematical of some part 
 of the missionary agency ; and the " Sower," and 
 the " Telescope" speech, through which he would 
 survey the world, and on entering upon each 
 branch of his subject, would elevate his half- 
 clenched hand to his eye, as we do when looking 
 from a distance into the depths and details of a pic- 
 ture, and exclaim, "And then, sir, when Hook again 
 through my telescope, what do I see ?" and thus 
 would enter upon the survey of each new field. 
 And then there was his " Miser," and, best of all, 
 his " Harvest home." That was the speech. In 
 it he never failed. Upon that subject he was per- 
 fectl}^ at home. The genius of the man was en- 
 riched by the experience gained from his daily oc- 
 cupation. The ingenuity displayed in the con- 
 struction of the speech was only equaled by the 
 copious and beautiful illustrations which clustered 
 around every point ; and the effect was invariably 
 the diffusion of a holy joy throughout the audience, 
 which not only produced a beneficial result in the 
 matter of the collection, but left the savor of a 
 heavenly influence upon the heart, the fruit of 
 which was often seen after many days. 
 
 Before I leave Mr. Dawson's public character, 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 335 
 
 I may just advert to his occasional introductoiy 
 remarks on the hymns which he selected. The 
 English preachers always " line " their hymns, the 
 congregation singing each two lines as they are 
 given out from the pulpit. The plan has some 
 advantages. The congregation always stand up 
 when they sing the praises of God, neither do they 
 allow the choir to monopolize that delightful em- 
 plojTiient. The minister would feel jealous over 
 his people with a godly jealousy, if in any part of 
 divine worship they could silently sit, and hsten 
 to a display of choral singing. I do not mean to 
 say that the congregation always sing as heartily 
 as is desirable. In seasons of spiritual apathy and 
 general lukewarmness — for the extent to which the 
 congregation unite in the vocal praises of God is a 
 sort of barometer of their spiritual state — the 
 people are apt to be equally apathetic in the mat- 
 ter of public singing ; and it was on such occasions 
 that Mr. Dawson would avail him-self of the oppor- 
 tunity presented by "hning" the hymns, to in- 
 troduce some remark calculated to arouse theu- 
 dormant affections, and excite them to more fervent 
 devotion. Thus, on one occasion, he had selected 
 the hymn commencing, — 
 
 " Jesus, thy blood and righteousness 
 My beauty are, my glorious dress." 
 
 Before gi>'ing out the last verse, he briefly ob- 
 served, that he had often been struck with the 
 beauty of the communion service of the Church of 
 England, where the priest says, "Lift up your 
 
336 
 
 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 hearts," and the people respond, "We hft them 
 up unto the Lord ;" the exhortation and l esponse 
 being repeated, the priest concludes with, " It is 
 very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we 
 should at all times and m all places give thanks 
 unto thee, 0 Lord, holy Father, almighty and ever- 
 lasting God." Then suddenly glancmg his eye 
 around the chapel, he exclaimed, in an elevated 
 tone of voice, " ' Lift up your hearts,' yea, and let 
 the whole congregation repeat, ' We lift them up 
 unto the Lord,' " instantly annoimcing, 
 
 " Thou God of power, thou God of love, 
 Let the whole world thy mercy prove ; 
 Now let thy word o'er all prevail, 
 Now take the spoils of death and hell." 
 
 The power of sound was immediately quadrupled 
 — the flame of devotion caught, and spread, and 
 glowed during the whole of the service. 
 
 On another occasion, after he had given out, and 
 the congregation had sung, 
 
 " True, 'tis a strait and thorny road, 
 And mortal spirits tire and faint ;" 
 
 he inquired, " Why do they tire ? Is it because 
 the road is strait and thorny ? No — 
 
 ' But they forget the mighty God, 
 That feeds the strength of every saint.' " 
 
 Thus, as Mr. Everett observes, on this instance, 
 " gliding into the succeeding lines without suffer- 
 ing the congregation to feel any interruption by 
 the break, while he furnished them with a subject 
 for reflection, showing them that they should ' smg 
 with the understanding.' " 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 337 
 
 In the social circle Mr. Dawson was always 
 cheerful, even to playfulness, and always instructive ; 
 his remarks were distinguished by much shrewd- 
 ness, and were indicative of a close observation of 
 men and things. He was very happy in extricating 
 himself, when sometimes placed in an awkward 
 position by the questionings of injudicious or 
 thoughtless friends. On one occasion, being asked 
 his opinion of a preacher, from whose sermons little 
 could be extracted for home meditation, he 
 promptly replied, "I eat what I can, but pocket 
 nothing." An instance of his happy manner of 
 administering reproof, and taking the scales off a 
 man's eyes, occurs to me. Some one was com- 
 plaining to him that he could get no good at the 
 revival meetings ; that he went up into the gallery, 
 and looked do-wn upon the people, and the sight 
 of so much disorder neutralized the good effects 
 of the sermon. " Ah," said Mr. Dawson, " you 
 moimted to the top of the house, and on looking 
 down your neighbor's chimney to see what kind 
 of a fire he kept, the smoke got into your eyes 
 and blinded you. Had you entered the room by 
 the door, and mingled with the family around the 
 hearth, you would have enjoyed the benefit of the 
 fire as well as they. Sir, you have got the smoke 
 in your eyes." 
 
 I have said that Mr. Dawson was a local preacher, 
 though, as he himself facetiously observed, he was 
 a "TRAVELING local preacher." It may not, per- 
 haps, be generallv known, that in the year 1802 
 
 ■22 
 
338 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 he was proposed by the Rev. Mr. Barber, to the 
 quarterly meeting at Leeds, for the itinerancy, 
 imanimously approved, accepted by the follo-\ving 
 conference, and his name put down for Wetherby, 
 Yorkshire, in comiection with Rev. Robert Filter. 
 Some circumstances, of a temporal character, which, 
 he feared, would affect his aged mother's interests 
 and mar her comforts, eventually induced him to 
 remain at home. Within two or three years of his 
 death a niunber of friends, in order to relieve him 
 of his daily toil, and secure the full benefit of his 
 services to the connection, started a project by 
 which they hoped to raise a fund, the interest of 
 Avhich sliould support him during his life and pass 
 to Ills nephew, in case he survived Mr. Dawson ; 
 the principal to revert to the Wesleyan Missionary 
 Society at the expiration of the two lives. Un- 
 fortunately the managers of the project decided to 
 hmit each individual subscription, or any amount of 
 money would have been subscribed in a few days : 
 with this limitation, the scheme partially failed. 
 
 Mr. Dawson was a bachelor. He made more 
 than one " offer " of marriage when in his maturer 
 years. In each case the lady selected was highly 
 intellectual, and of most refined manners, and pro- 
 bably the proposal was more the result of mental, 
 intellectual admiration, than of any softer emotion. 
 In each case, too, the lady was distinguished for 
 fervent, but enlightened piety. His not proposing 
 to others of lower capacitj', attainments, and piety, 
 was highly creditable to him. For an account of 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 339 
 
 his sudden, but peaceful death, the reader is re- 
 ferred to the published accounts. 
 
 Of his personal appearance I have said but little. 
 I cannot do better than close this sketch by adopt- 
 ing Mr. Everett's portrait, for it is " verj- like :" 
 " It was that of a man — a man in the most manly 
 sense of the term. He was strong of bone, 
 muscular, well-built, well-rounded, proportionate, 
 standing about fi\ e feet nine inches, had hair of a 
 deep auburn, and a complexion approaching the 
 embrowned rather than the dark. His eye of a 
 lightish gray, with a dark pupil, was round, keen, 
 full of fire, and well set in the head, mounted with 
 overhanging eyebrows. Tlie face, too, was roimd, 
 somewhat full ; the ears small, thick, and closely 
 attached to the head ; a good mouth, with a some- 
 what biting expression, similar to what is found in 
 some of the portraits of Sir Walter Scott ; and an 
 excellent forehead, covered in later Hfe with false 
 hair, ill adapted to the head, and overhanging the 
 fine sinciput like an ea\ e of thatch. The features 
 might be pronounced regular, but expressive, in- 
 cUning to the fierce, on the eye being fixed — full 
 of meaning, and conveying the impression of thought 
 — that thought which is brilliant, active, and pene- 
 trating, which only himself could seize, and which 
 others could neither tame nor break." 
 
340 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 " Then dress'd by thee, more amiably far, 
 Truth the soft robe of mild persuasion wears ; 
 Thou to assenting reason giv'st again 
 Her own enlighten'd thoughts." — Thomson. 
 
 The Rev. John Anderson finished his course -vvith 
 joy in 1840, having labored nearly twenty-nine 
 years in the itinerancy, and being at the time of his 
 decease about fifty years, of age. He was a man 
 of warm and sanguine temperament, of a tender, 
 susceptible spirit, ardent in his friendships, fervent 
 in piety, and zealously devoted to tlie duties of his 
 sacred calling. In person he was tall, little, if any, 
 less than six feet, of active frame, light complexion, 
 florid countenance, with an unusual gathering of 
 wrinkles about the mouth, which gave to the face 
 an expression of bold daring, and almost reck- 
 lessness of consequences when consciously right, 
 in keeping, to a considerable degree, with the 
 real character of the man. When combined with 
 the smile which, when in social converse, would 
 often spread over his over-varying features — and 
 especially when the face was illuminated with the 
 radiance of holy joy while proclaiming the glorious 
 gospel of the blessed God — the expression became 
 modified into noble self-reliance, which was indeed 
 a prominent feature in our subject's character. He 
 was undaunted in the performance of duty, 
 
 " Bold to take up, firm to sustain. 
 The consecrated cross." 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEVAN" PREACHERS. 341 
 
 My acquaintance with him commenced some nine 
 years prior to his death, when he was superintend- 
 ent of the Leeds East circuit, where he labored 
 with great zeal and fervor, and proportionate ac- 
 ceptabiUty. He was then approaching the zenith 
 of his popularity, to the consummation of which the 
 following cu-cumstance contributed not a Uttle. It 
 was the time when the people of England were 
 universally excited upon the question of slavery, 
 and a simultaneous movement was made for its 
 abohtion. A large meeting upon the subject was 
 held in the " Cloth Hall Yard " — the area of an im- 
 mense three-sided building, Avhere the countiy 
 manufacturers exposed their woolen cloths for sale, 
 and which — the sides of the lofty building (five 
 stories high) confining the sound — was admirably 
 adapted for such pm-poses. Some of the most 
 prominent clergy and laymen of the town and sur- 
 roimding countrj' were engaged in the movement, 
 and many of them were speakers on this occasion. 
 Lord Brougham (then Mr.) was present by special 
 invitation, and I think also Mr. Thomas B. Macaulay. 
 Mr. Anderson was one of the speakers. It was an 
 occasion peculiarly fitted to call out all his powers. 
 He always spoke with great animation — he could 
 not do otherwise on any subject in which his feel- 
 ings were interested — and had a voice of astonish- 
 ing compass, especially when there was no impedi- 
 ment to its full exertion. The spaciousness of the 
 area, the immensity of the audience, and the fact 
 that the meeting, being out of doors and on secular 
 
342 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 ground, required none of the restraints which he 
 would have deemed obUgatory in a place dedicated 
 to divine worship, all favored oiu- subject as a pub- 
 lic speaker. Albeit few men were so enthusiasti- 
 cally patriotic as he ; England was to him what 
 the holy city was to the ancient Jews ; and he be- 
 lieved his country's welfare and glory involved in 
 the question about to be discussed. When called 
 upon by the chairman, he stepped buoyantly to the 
 front of the stage, his intelligent features glovdng 
 with enthusiasm. Looking round upon the vast 
 audience with deep feeling, he commenced, and 
 continued for upward of an hour and a half, a strain 
 of impassioned eloquence, argument, and declama- 
 tion blended, which was Ustened to with unbi'oken, 
 attentive silence, save the repeated bursts of ap- 
 plause, which seemed each time to rouse the 
 speaker to even greater effort. He was followed 
 by Mr. Brougham, to whom until then Mr. Ander- 
 son Avas unknoAVTi, who passed high and well-de- 
 served encomiums upon the speech, and pronounced 
 it the most eloquent and masterly he had heard 
 upon the stirring subject which had elicited it. Of 
 course this contributed to make Mr. Anderson more 
 widely known and appreciated among other deno- 
 minations as well as the Wesieyan Methodists. 
 
 As a platform speaker Mr. Anderson was always 
 eflScient. In thought and feeling he was naturally 
 impetuous, and when carried away by his strong 
 emotions was sometimes rather diffuse. Of this he 
 was perhaps conscious, and often in preaching was 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 843 
 
 wont to restrain himself and kihor at condensation 
 and terseness. On the platform he hampered 
 himself with no such shackles, but gave free utter- 
 ance to his gushing feeUngs. He luxuriated in the 
 •ss-ide range of topics which his warm heart sug- 
 gested, ranging at will wherever there were flowers 
 to be culled or fi-uits to be plucked ; dashing from 
 one part of the field to another, without regard to 
 "line and rule;" and throwing riches of unageiy 
 around him with prodigal profusion. Here his ex- 
 cursive fancy found its most exquisite enjojTnent ; 
 his wann, benevolent sj-mpathies, a legitimate ob- 
 ject for their fullest exercise ; and here he kindled 
 fires which no waters could quench. The magni- 
 tude of the object aimed at was proportioned to 
 the might and compass of his ever actiA'e faith, 
 which expanded as the teeming millions of his fel- 
 low-men passed in review before him, and he beheld 
 them as souls for whom Christ had died. Never 
 will tlie ^Titer forget some of his more impassioned 
 outbursts while dwelling on the theme of the 
 world's conversion to God through the agency of 
 his church, and the glory that should follow ; with 
 not an inexpressive eye in the vast audience, some 
 gleaming with holy triumph, and others wet with 
 tears ; and many of God's people lifting up the joy- 
 impelled shout of " glory" and "hallelujah." 0 ! 
 those icere missionary meetings, worthy of the 
 name and object ; seasons of mingled triumph and 
 hope, and earnest desire to aid in the speedy pro- 
 gress and consummation of the Redeemer's con- 
 
844 SKETCHES OF WESLEFAN PREACHERS. 
 
 quests, and productive no less of substantial gifts 
 for the cause of missions than of earnest, heartfelt 
 prayers for its success. No need was there, on 
 those occasions, of other stimulus than the warm 
 glow of holy gratitude and Christian zeal caught 
 from the speaker's lips. No necessity then for 
 offering life -memberships at auction, or for gi^nng 
 publicity to each donation. Such proceedings 
 would, as they must ever, sooner or later, 
 damp the hallowed enthusiasm enkindled by the 
 liearty and heartfelt addresses of the speakers. 
 The people gave " what they could," without un- 
 due solicitation, rivalry, or ostentation, and went 
 down to their houses rejoicing that of their own 
 volition they had paid tribute unto God. Or if, 
 stifling their convictions of duty, they had restrain- 
 ed their hands, no extraneous influence did further 
 harden by its fiigid touch the emotions awakened, 
 or deter the people from again presenting them- 
 selves when the season for the renewal of the ad- 
 vocacy came round ; so that they were liable to be 
 again brought under the same influence with better 
 results. It cannot be denied that the large and 
 yearly increasing funds, placed at the disposal of 
 the Wesleyan Missionary Society, arc an unanswer- 
 able argument in behalf of the plan pursued by 
 the British Wesleyans. If it be objected that in 
 this country the people are to blame — that they 
 will have it so — that they need such adventitious 
 incentives to liberality in such a cause, we deny 
 the imputation, and fearlessly assert that the fault 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 346 
 
 lies elsewhere. We have heard the murmurs of 
 the audience during the hour thus spent, and their 
 expression of disapprobation such as we care not 
 to repeat, but which evinced an ahenation of inte- 
 rest and affection for the cause which, if they be- 
 come general, must eventually dry up the fovm- 
 tains of benevolence, and turn the streams of bene- 
 ficence in other directions. 
 
 But to return to Mr. Anderson. He was often 
 peculiarly happy in the introduction of a verse of a 
 hjnim in his platform addresses, as also in his pulpit 
 discourses. Some of liis finest bm'sts of over- 
 powering eloquence reached their climax in such a 
 quotation, uttered with intensest feeling, leaving an 
 impression wliich no time could efface. As a 
 preacher he varied, and, though perhaps alone in 
 tlie opinion, I always thought him most profitable 
 at seasons when slightly depressed by personal in- 
 disposition or mental suffering. When in the full 
 buoyancy of animal spirits, his physical energies 
 and impulsive nature were apt to assume the mas- 
 tery over his intellectual powers, and he could not 
 keep his impetuousness under control ; rather he 
 seemed even to indulge it at the expense of con- 
 densed and consecutive thought — as though the 
 rider partook of the temper of his steed, and throw- 
 ing the reins upon its neck, allowed it to leap the 
 fence and course the meadows as it fisted, himself 
 participating in the exhilaration and the wayward- 
 ness of its evolutions. At such times a man had 
 need of a good memory, and must call into exer- 
 
346 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 cise his utmost mnemotechnic skill, in order to pre- 
 serve the thread of thought. Sentence would be 
 involved within sentence, parenthesis within paren- 
 thesis, producing in the mind of the ordinary hearer 
 something approaching to confusion, and to some 
 extent diminishmg the interest which the preach- 
 er's eloquence and earnestness tended to awaken. 
 But when there was less of this buoyancy and 
 physical impetuosity, his sermons were peculiarly 
 impressive and profitable, imbued with a tender- 
 ness which almost imperceptibly stole over the 
 minds of the audience and made them \villing re- 
 cipients of the truth of God. Then his discourses 
 dropped fatness upon the soul. He was a sovmd 
 divine, thoroughly impregnated Avith the theology 
 of Wesleyan Methodism, and experimentally versed 
 in the deep things of God. At such times evi- 
 dences of his communion with the Holy Spirit, 
 and of his own native tendei'ness of heart, shone 
 through almost every sentence, with the additional 
 charm of refined delicacy of sentiment and often 
 poetic grandeur of diction. 
 
 The following incident is related in a memoir 
 of Mr. Anderson, which appeared in the Methodist 
 Magazine, from the pen of his son-in-law. While 
 attending the Conference of 1838, held in Bristol, 
 he had to preach in one of the chapels in that city. 
 Many of his brethren were present. He chose for 
 his subject the prevalence of believing prayer, (a 
 theme on which he loved to expatiate in private 
 as well as from the pulpit,) and after having dwelt 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 347 
 
 upon it at some length with great eloquence and 
 holy ardor, he paused as though about to conclude. 
 But so entirely -were the minds of his auditory 
 enchained and impressed, so carried away by the 
 intensity of their feeUngs, that a simiUtaneous crj- 
 of " Go on " burst from all parts of the chapel ; 
 and again he held up before them the "wondrous 
 power of faithfid prayer." 
 
 The same depth of emotion observable in his 
 preaching was often shown while he was hstening 
 to others. I remember one occasion, when the 
 Rev. Peter Duncan, some short time after his re- 
 turn from the West Indies, (where he so success- 
 fully labored as a missionary imtil driven thence 
 by the persecuting spirit of the planters,) was 
 preaching in Mr. Anderson's stead, at Bnmswick 
 Chapel, in Leeds, the latter sitting behind him in 
 the pulpit. The text was, "And without contro- 
 versy/, great is the mystery of r/odliness : God was 
 manifest in the flesh," kc. The sermon was in 
 every part full of the genius of the preacher, whose 
 whole soul was absorbed in his theme, and whose 
 glowing eloquence riveted the rapt attention of 
 his audience ; Mr. Anderson himself with difficulty 
 restraining his emotions as the grand subject was 
 gradually imfolded. Soon the teai-s coursed each 
 other down his cheeks, and his eyes, often lifted 
 upward, told the deep feehngs of his heart. But 
 when Mr. Dimcan took up the sentence, " Believed 
 on in the world,'" and glanced at the progress of 
 Christianity, and i-ecoimted its triumphs over 
 
348 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 all opposition, the congregation began to utter 
 their abounding joy. Mr. Anderson could no longer 
 keep silent, and shouted with deep feeling, " Glory ! 
 glory ! Hallelujah !" The congregation only needed 
 such a spark to make the smoldering fire burst 
 into a flame ; his joyous exclamation was soon 
 echoed from every part of the vast building, and 
 for a moment the preacher had to pause, only, how- 
 ever, to proceed with increased earnestness and 
 power in the exposition of his text. 
 
 It may here be mentioned, to Mr. Anderson's 
 honor, that no petty jealousy ever interfered with 
 his feelings toward his brethren. This was a fine 
 trait in his character. In 1837 he was stationed 
 in the Leeds West circuit, and for some time was 
 pained to see so Uttle life in the society, and such 
 slow progress of the Redeemer's kingdom. Never 
 did his ministry savor more of the closet, and of 
 deep meditation over the sacred page ; never Avas 
 he more zealous and abundant in labors, watermg 
 all Avith earnest and unceasing prayer, that, upon 
 the people to whom he ministered, 
 
 " The Lord would shortly pour 
 All the Spirit of his love." 
 
 In September, of the following year, the Lord of 
 the harvest heard the cry, and rewarded the zeal 
 of his servant. A gracious revival of rehgion broke 
 out in the circuit. This long-prayed-for residt was 
 generally attributed to the labors of one of Mr. 
 Anderson's colleagues, a young man whose minis- 
 try has, mdeed, been wonderfully blessed, in the 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 349 
 
 conviction and conversion of sinnere, " from the 
 beginning, even until now." The subject of our 
 sketch, however, not only showed no jealousy, or 
 ever in the most private circles evmced the slight- 
 est sense of the injustice done to him ; but every- 
 where bore spontaneous testimony to his young 
 colleague's devoted zeal, ardent piety, and minis- 
 terial talents and faithfulness, while, toward the 
 young man himself, he acted the part of a wise 
 counselor, an affectionate friend, and a tender fa- 
 ther. The Rev. Wilham M. Bunting, when preach- 
 ing Mr. Anderson's fimeral sermon at Liverpool, 
 bore strong testimony to this phase of his character. 
 
 No delineation of our subject as a preacher 
 woidd be just to him that did not allude to the 
 prominence he gave in all his sermons (nor less so 
 in his correspondence and private conversation) to 
 Christ and him crucified, and the necessity and 
 efficacy of faith in his blood. " He was ' mighty 
 in the Scriptures ;' he was eloquent on the great 
 themes of the gospel. The fascinations of the ora- 
 tor (and that he possessed these, was admitted by 
 all) were mostly lost to his hearers in resistless 
 sympathy with the rapt worshiper and witness of 
 Christ crucified." Fervent piety was at the root 
 of all his preaching — the motive for all his labors. 
 He had no panting after popular favor or applause. 
 
 I have intimated that Mr. Anderson appeared 
 to great advantage upon the platform as well as 
 in the pulpit. There were other services in which 
 his soul took delight — those holy festivals common 
 
350 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS, 
 
 to all Methodists, and those pecuhar to the British 
 Wesleyan societies. Among the former are in- 
 cluded class meetings, in which he delighted to 
 participate at the quarterly visitations ; love-feasts> 
 in which, when he conducted them, he always 
 spoke freely of his experience ; and the sacrament 
 of the Lord's supper, which was to him, and those 
 to whom he ministered, always a season of hallowed 
 enjoyment. Few men administered that ordinance 
 with such seeming cognizance of and participation in 
 its true spirit and character. Among the latter 
 are the old-fashioned watch-night, and the " re- 
 newal of the covenant." 
 
 This latter is held on the afternoon of the first 
 Simday in the new year, and is one of the most 
 impressive means of grace known to the Wesleyan 
 Church. Mr. Anderson never conducted it with- 
 out evincing a high estimate of its solemn and 
 almost awful character. I have been present at 
 this service at various times, led by such men as 
 Revs. Richard Trefiry, sen., Robert Wood, Peter 
 M'Owan, Francis A. West, and others, when it was 
 conducted with the utmost impressiveness and 
 propriety ; but our present subject had a consti- 
 tutional advantage over most in that, while he 
 brought to the performance of this duty equal 
 dignity and solemnity, there was in his nature an 
 affinity — amounting to a poetico-rehgious sympa- 
 thy, if such an expression may be allowed — with 
 the emotional grandeur of the service, which im- 
 pressed into it, in an unequaled degree, a grateful. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 351 
 
 joyous fervor. I would fain give the reader some 
 idea of the natxire of this service, although deeply- 
 conscious that any picture will fall far short of the 
 imposing original. 
 
 It has already been said that this service is held 
 on the afternoon of the first sabbath in the new 
 year. "Where, as in the large places, there are 
 two or more town chapels, all but the principal 
 one are closed at the hour for the celebration of 
 this sen-ice, as also are the country chapels within 
 a moderate distance, so that the members of 
 society, for they alone are admitted, may, of one 
 accord, and in one j)lace, assemble to pay 
 their vows unto the Most High, and renew their 
 covenant with the God of Jacob. Hence the chapel 
 is generally crowded to its utmost capacity. The 
 preacher commences the service by giving out the 
 covenant hymn, — 
 
 " Come, let us use the grace divine, 
 And all, with one accord, 
 In a perpetual cov'nant join 
 Ourselves to Clirist the Lord ;" 
 
 which is sung by the whole congregation, the lift- 
 ing up of whose voice is as the sound of many 
 waters. Prayer by one or more of the nainisters 
 follows ; and a brief address, pointing out the duty 
 and responsibility of making a solemn covenant 
 •vvith the Almighty. The minister who conducts 
 the service then apprises the people that he is 
 about to read a form of covenant, (Baxter's is imi- 
 versally, or at least generally, used,) and desires 
 them, preparatory thereto, well to weigh and con- 
 
352 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 sider the nature and extent of the obligation upon 
 which they are about solemnly to enter ; to this end 
 he advises them to spend a few moments in silent 
 meditation and prayer, and closely examine them- 
 selves whether they are firmly and deUberately set 
 upon this entire surrender of themselves to God. 
 These are moments of deathhke stillness, of close 
 searchings of heart. At their expiration, the mi- 
 nister again addresses the people, and invites those 
 who have well weighed the import and conse- 
 quences of the solemn act, and have in their hearts 
 faithfully resolved by divine grace to pay the vows 
 they are about to make, and only these, to rise to 
 their feet in signification of that purpose. It is an 
 awful moment — that great congregation about to 
 enter into a solemn covenant, each for himself, with 
 the God of truth, the omnipresent, omniscient, im- 
 mutable Jehovah, and their Judge ; to be his faith- 
 fully, unalterably, for time and for eternity. Truly 
 may it then be said, "Lo, how dreadful is this 
 place." You may almost hear the pulsation of 
 the hearts of those around you. Yet with few ex- 
 ceptions the vast audience slowly rise, for few will 
 go to such a service that are not God's people at 
 heart ; the occasion is all too aAvful for curiosity, or 
 hypocrisy, or half heartedness, to intrude itself. 
 The few who remain sitting are not less sincere 
 than others, but they distrust themselves and trem- 
 ble to pass the threshold of Jehovah's presence- 
 chamber. With subdued voice, but with clear and 
 distinct utterance, the minister i-eads the whole or 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYA>f PREACHERS. 853 
 
 principal parts of the covenant vow, until he comes 
 to the words of dedication. He and the people 
 then kneel : slowly and solemnly- he repeats each 
 sentence, the people by their silence acquiescing; 
 then again all is still for a few moments ; the as- 
 cription of praise is uttered, and the pent-up feel- 
 ings of the audience find expression in sobs or gen- 
 tle breathings of holy joy and thank6gi\'ing. The 
 covenant is made ; the seal of acceptance is given ; 
 the Lord is in his holy temple, sometimes brooding 
 over his people and infusing into their hearts 
 
 " The speechless awe that dares not move, 
 And all the silent heaven of love 
 
 sometimes consoling them with inward assurances 
 of peace, and guidance, and protection ; and some- 
 times sweeping over their hearts as a " rushing 
 mighty wind," filling the place with his glory, and 
 diffusing through eveiy soul such an indubitable 
 sense of his love and presence that the people 
 shout aloud for joy. Truly the covenant ser™e 
 as held among the English Methodists is, beyond 
 almost everj- other means of grace, a time when the 
 tabernacle of God is with men, and he doth dwell 
 among them and is their God.* 
 
 * The following example of an extraordinarily gracious influence 
 accompanying this senice is related in tlie Memoir of the Rev 
 James Wood :— In the beginning of the year 1788, a remarkable 
 manifestation of grace and mercy was experienced at the renewal 
 of the covenant. It was, indeed, a time to be remembered. " Never 
 in my life," says Mr. Wood, " had I seen so much evidence of the 
 divine influence, on such an occasion. After having read the ' Di- 
 rections for renewing our covenant with God,' I advised the people 
 seriously and deeply to consider the importance of the solemn en- 
 gagement they were about to make ; and. that they might not do it 
 
354 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 In 1833 Mr. Anderson was stationed in one of 
 the Manchester circuits. What was known as the 
 " Warrenite distm-bance " took place while he was 
 there, and his spirit was sorely tried. He was in- 
 trepid in the exercise of disciphne and the main- 
 tenance of the Wesleyan economy, although fierce- 
 ly and bitterly assailed and maligned for so doing. 
 His last circuit was the Liverpool North, where he 
 yielded up his life, after some months of acutest 
 bodily suffering, but of patient continuance in well 
 doing, and finally of triumphant joy in the Holy 
 Ghost. 
 
 rashly, I proposed giving them a few moments for consideration and 
 prayer. During the time of silence, (which at the most, I apprehend, 
 
 did not exceed five minutes,) the goodness of the Lord was made 
 known to nearly aU present ; and I afterward heard of seven persons 
 who, in that short mterval, found either the pardoning or the perfect 
 love of God." One eminent saint who was present, the late Miss 
 Mary Unwin, thus describes her own feelings on that memorable 
 occasion : — " My body could scarcely stand under the weight of glory 
 that rested upon me. My spirit cried out, 'Glory be to God the 
 Father! Glory be to God the Son! Glory be to God the Holy 
 Ghost I Every power of my sonl united to call upon all the heavenly 
 host to strike their golden harps and assist my mighty joys. My 
 soul was so fiUed with God, and so near to heaven, as made me 
 say, — 
 
 ' My sotil its change shall scarcely know, 
 Made perfect first in love.' 
 Such a season had never been known, even by the oldest member 
 of the society. The recollection of it is still delightful and refresh- 
 ing to the very few who are yet alive ." 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 355 
 
 tDUliam iU. Bunting. 
 
 " Mild in his undissembling mien, 
 Arc genius, candor, meekness, seen, 
 —And lips that love the truth."— Montgomery. 
 
 The subject of this sketch has more than once 
 been incidentally named in this volume. He is the 
 oldest son of the Rev. Dr. Banting, whom, how- 
 ever, he does not resemble either in physical or 
 mental organization. He is tall and thin, of deli- 
 cate, almost sickly, appearance, and far from being 
 of a robust constitution, with a fine benevolent 
 countenance, a noble head, and a full massive fore- 
 head, bare of hair to a considerable elevation. 
 From his appearance no one would think him ca- 
 pable of performing the arduous labors of a Wes- 
 leyan itinerant preacher ; at times, indeed, it seems 
 scarcely probable that he can survive a change of 
 seasons ; and more than once he has been regarded 
 as one going down to the tomb by gradual but 
 certain advances. Still he labors -with occasional 
 inteiTuptions, having some advantages over his 
 brethren, in that he manied a lady of great wealth, 
 and can afford to keep his own carriage — a sort of 
 one horse chaise, which affords a shelter from in- 
 clement or varying weather, and is a less fatiguing 
 mode of itinerating than either pedestrianism or 
 equestriani.sm. 
 
 Mr. Bunting uses his wealth, as a Christian should 
 do, in helping the poor and needy, without osten- 
 
356 SKETCHES OF M ESLEVAX PREACHERS. 
 
 tation. It has engendered no pride or vain-glory. 
 He holds it as a steward of God. Numerous 
 instances might be named, illustrative of his be- 
 nevolence and Christian charity, which have only 
 become known through the grateful outgivings of 
 those who have been recipients of his generosity 
 and care. With much about him that, to a stranger, 
 would seem to indicate another spirit, he delights 
 to visit the widow and the fatherless in their af- 
 fliction ; to sit by the bedside of the humblest 
 saint, and converse, as with an equal, upon the 
 things that appertain to the kingdom of God : cha- 
 racter weighs with him more than circumstances ; 
 and while enjoying meeklj' the advantages which 
 wealth affords, he never assumes the exclusiveness 
 or superiority which too often distinguishes those, 
 even in the church of God, who are rich in this 
 world's goods. " What have I that I have not 
 received ?" seems to be the rule of his conduct in 
 this matter. If on his journeys to or from his 
 country appointments he overtakes one whom he 
 knows to be a member of society, one whose good 
 sense and piety will make his company agreeable 
 and profitable, he will rein up his horse, take him 
 into his caniage, and set him down at his humble 
 door, even though it be somewhat out of his way. 
 He once, in this way, ovei-took a good man, whom 
 I knew, who was trudging home from Manchester 
 to his cottage, some three miles distant, and some 
 half mile out of Mr. Bunting's road, who was going 
 to his residence at Cheetham Hill. " Halloo, ," 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAK PREACHERS. 357 
 
 he called out, " jump in, and I '11 take you round 
 home ; I want to hear how you 're getting on." 
 The good man hesitated, and pleaded that he was 
 in his working clothes, (fee. " Yes," said Mr. B., 
 or something to tliis effect, " I saw that before I 
 asked you ; so am I, and the same Providence cut 
 out the work for both of \xs. Come, jump in." 
 The good man obeyed, and they were soon talking 
 of Jesus, until their hearts bui-ned within them by 
 the way. And many of these httle indications of 
 a "right spirit" were accompanied with more 
 substantial tokens of sympathy and brotherly 
 love. 
 
 These, however, are traits of Mr. William Bunt- 
 ing's private character rather than his public, and 
 would scarcely have been introduced here, but as 
 showing what lies at the basis of, and is the rule 
 of interpretation for, much of his more apparent 
 and tangible characteristics, the most prominent of 
 which is a lofty independence which will brook no 
 shackles upon freedom of thought, speecli, or con- 
 duct. It cannot be said that his judgment is not 
 sometimes at fault — he lacks his father's almost 
 unapproachable greatness in this respect — but he is 
 eminently conscientious, and what he conceives is 
 right he will do at all hazards ; what he thinks 
 ought to be said he will say, let who will frown or 
 take umbrage. Possibly he carries his independ- 
 ence too far, so that it seems to border on boldness 
 or stubbornness ; but no one can help admiring his 
 manly bearing, and the frank, open, honest spirit 
 
358 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 and fearlessness of results witli which he defines and 
 maintains any position which, to him, seems right 
 and proper. We repeat, that sometimes he takes 
 extreme views ; but we also repeat, that in those 
 views he is conscientious. This no one who knows 
 him for a moment doubts. Personal convenience 
 or inconvenience, honor or disgrace, never enter 
 into his estimate of what is to be done or imdone. 
 He has, I imagine, more reverence for the Estab- 
 lished Church, more love for its liturgy and ob- 
 servances, than his father, and holds that it was 
 Mr. Wesley's design that his abridgment of the 
 Church service should be used in the Wesleyan 
 pulpits. While stationed in the Manchester first 
 circuit, he was desirous to introduce the liturgy 
 into the principal places of worship. He could 
 obtain the consent of the trustees of only one chapel, 
 that at Cheetham Hill, where he resided, and which 
 might, in some sense, be said to be under his more 
 immediate personal oversight. But even their 
 consent was only partial. It was limited to an 
 agreement that the church prayers might be read 
 in addition to the regular service. Mr. Bimting 
 thereupon announced that " when be occupied 
 the pulpit, Wesleyan service (meaning the church 
 prayers) would commence at a quarter before ten 
 o'clock, and j^uhlic service at half-past ten." And 
 he continued to perform this extra duty while he 
 staid in the circuit, although the attendance upon 
 the "Wesleyan service" was by no means at any 
 time very encouraging, but the contrar}^ It was 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 359 
 
 in this connection also that lie commenced wearing 
 a gown. The Cheetham Hill Chapel was surround- 
 ed by a large burying-ground, which, from the 
 remarkable dryness of the soil, was a favorite place 
 of interment. The bmials, indeed, were so nu- 
 merous, that the trustees found it necessary to 
 have a chapUiin attached to the chapel, which office 
 was always held by a supernumerary preacher. 
 As persons of all denominations took then- friends 
 there for intei-ment, he was required to wear a 
 gown while officiating at the gi-ave. The exact 
 connection between this and Mr. Bunting's adopt- 
 ing the gown I cannot now recall. Some connec- 
 tion between them there was, as appeared when 
 the matter was debated in the Conference, as his 
 case differed somewhat from that of others who 
 had also put on canonicals. After considerable 
 discussion the gowTis were in the mmority, and the 
 novelty was discontuiued. 
 
 The uidependence which has been referred to 
 has been showm in many things, and not imfre- 
 quently in opinions on theology. The temi is used 
 advisedly, as will shortly appear. It has already 
 been said that Wesley's Sermons and his Notes on 
 the New Testament are the recognized standard of 
 Wesleyan theology. His doctrinal views are strictly 
 enforced as the doctrines of the Bible, which every 
 Wesleyan preacher must honestly entertain and 
 faithfully inculcate. Such doctrines as Mr. Wesley 
 taught, and the Church of England also, as her 
 liturgy and homilies show, Mr. Bunting, on intelli- 
 
360 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 gent conviction, firmly believes and preaches. But 
 there is a danger, remote and shght it must be 
 conceded, that the mere opinions of a man so re- 
 vered as Mr. Wesley is by his followers should 
 come to have undue weight with those who so cor- 
 dially and implicitly receive his doctrinal teachings 
 as Scriptural. Now it has often seemed to me 
 that the subject of this sketch is exceedingly jealous 
 and sensitive on this point. He claims and exer- 
 cises, to its utmost limits perhaps, the right of 
 private judgment in such matters, and \^^ll not sub- 
 stitute any man's opinions for his o^vn. This dis- 
 position has shown itself in numerous instances, 
 which cannot be referred to here without explana- 
 tions which would swell this sketch to an immo- 
 derate length. Moreover, his mind is peculiarly 
 constructed. It is philosophical, metaphysical. 
 He can see distinctions and shades of difference 
 where others cannot ; no point made by others is 
 so perfect that he cannot reduce it — make it still 
 finer and more minute. The finest hair-line of de- 
 finition or thought he can split, and probably that 
 yet again, and his indulgence of this faculty some- 
 times leads him to niceties of distinctions or con- 
 clusions which few but himself can see, but which, 
 with their issues, are to him so apparent and im- 
 portant, that he earnestly presses them, often so 
 much as to cause himself to be misapprehended 
 by those whose perceptions are less clear and 
 minute, and whose minds are of a less delicate 
 structure. 
 
SKETCHES OF WT:SLETAX PREACHERS. 361 
 
 Another featiu-e of Mr. Bunting's character may 
 be mentioned in this connection; his ahnost un- 
 equaled cathohcity of spirit. For this he has 
 always been remarkable, and he has been at no 
 little pains to cultivate tliis in the societies over 
 ■which he has been appointed. In the manner of 
 doing tliis, his judgment, as in other things, has 
 perhaps sometunes been at fault. In rebuking 
 what he has conceived to be sectarian in Methodism, 
 he has sometimes imintentionally given " aid and 
 comfort" to its enemies. Yet, it may be safely 
 affirmed that Wesleyan Methodism, in all its broad, 
 essential, radical distinctions, has no more ardent 
 admirer or stanch friend than he ; none that would 
 more promptly buckle on his armor to its rescue, 
 and more heroicly defend it even to death when 
 assailed, taking for his motto, — 
 
 " Long be our fathers' temple ours '. 
 
 Wo to the liand by which it falls ! 
 A thousand spirits watch its towers, 
 
 A cloud of angels guard its walls." 
 
 Yet his catholicity will have utterance both of 
 word and deed. His Christian sympathies and 
 affections cannot be confined within denominational 
 limits, and he has always numbered among his per- 
 sonal friends distinguished ornaments, both clerical 
 and' lay, of other religious bodies. His intimate 
 friendship with Rev. Dr. M'All, and the relation 
 in which they stood to each other when that elo- 
 quent divine preached his last sermon, have already 
 been spoken of. Numerous other mstances might 
 
362 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 be mentioned, but sufficient evidence that I have 
 not over-estimated this shining glory of his charac- 
 ter is found in the readiness, even eagerness, with 
 -which he entered into the spirit and views of the 
 Evangelical Alliance. 
 
 As a preacher, he has always ranked deservedly 
 very high, although he has two serious defects. 
 The one is that he greatly lacks in physical energy, 
 and the other that he always preaches much too 
 long. He has been known- to detain a congrega- 
 tion from half-past ten until nearly two o'clock, or 
 from six o'clock until half-past nine or ten in the 
 evening. It is no small compliment to a man's 
 talents that he can detain a congregation thus, 
 whatever may be said of his judgment. These of 
 course have been special occasions. But he sel- 
 dom concludes the forenoon sermon before one, and 
 the evening service is equally prolonged. This is a 
 serious inconvenience in his regular appointments ; 
 of course on special occasions the people are more 
 prepared for such detention, and the devout, in- 
 telligent Christian is always amply repaid . Highly 
 intellectual as are Mr. Bunting's discourses, they 
 are also full of practical, experimental Christianity ; 
 and when, under the influence of a gale from heaven, 
 he expatiates upon the economy of salvation, the 
 copiousness of divine mercy, the privileges of be- 
 lievers, and the glory to be revealed, it is as 
 though an angel spake unto the people. Then in- 
 deed there were times of refreshing from the 
 presence of the Lord. The tall, attenuated form 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEVAN PREACHERS. 863 
 
 of the speaker, seeming inspired with new Ufe ; the 
 mild eye, glowing with a hidden fire ; the soft, 
 mellow, mellifluous voice ; the well-stored mind : 
 the warm heart ; and the chaste imagination ; all 
 contribute to cast a spell over the delighted audi- 
 ence which no lapse of time can break. The 
 speaker's voice must cease ere the charm can be 
 dispelled, and even long after that its rich tones 
 and richer thoughts seem to delight the ear and 
 dwell in the heart. 
 
 Mr. Bunting is a poet of no mean order. He 
 has contributed to the Wesleyan Methodist Maga- 
 zine at different times, over the signature of 
 " Alec," some as exquisite gems of sacred fugitive 
 poetry as were ever penned, and is also the author 
 of a beautiful hymn on renewing the covenant, on 
 page 581 of our collection. I am not aware that 
 his poems have ever been published in a collected 
 fonn. They would make a handsome volume in 
 point of number ; in the matters of tone, poetic 
 feeling, and fei-A-ent, enlightened piety, they would 
 have a value beyond price. 
 
364 SKETCHES OF WESLEY AN PREACHERS. 
 
 (George JHorlc^. 
 
 " He is not witty, nor learned, nor eloquent, but holy ; a cha- 
 racter that Hermogines never dreamed of ; and therefore he could 
 give no precepts thereof." — Herbert's Country Pastor. 
 
 The Rev. George Morley was the immediate 
 predecessor of the Rev. Dr. Bunting in the office 
 of senior missionary secretary, and fulfilled the 
 onerous duties of that position with high satisfac- 
 tion to the connection at large, and to the mission- 
 aries, who ever found in him a judicious counsel- 
 or and a faithful and sympatliizing friend. In 
 1830 he was elected president of the Conference, 
 in which office he won much esteem. At the 
 Conference of 1831 he was appointed governor of 
 the preachers' sons' academy, at Woodhouse 
 Grove, where the writer's acquaintance with him 
 first commenced. For the duties of that office he 
 was eminently quahfied, mingling in his deport- 
 ment urbanity and dignity, kindness and discipline, 
 in just and admirable proportions. The institu- 
 tion prospered greatly under his administration, 
 his excellent wife making almost a sacrifice of her- 
 self for its welfare, and her daughter cordially co- 
 operating with both in their ceaseless devotion to 
 its interests. Mr. Morley died while holding this 
 important post in the Wesleyan connection. 
 
 In Duval's centenary picture, elsewhere alluded 
 to m this volume, the subject of this sketch occu- 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 365 
 
 pies a prominent place. His personal appearance 
 conveyed the idea of perfect contentment. He 
 was of low stature, probably five feet six inches, 
 but his corpulence made him appear perhaps less 
 than that. While exceedingly rotund and fleshy, 
 there was so much of intelligence and character in 
 the countenance, that the intellectual and moral as- 
 pect of the man struck the stranger much more 
 forcibly than the physical, and the impression first 
 made upon the mind was of a most pleasant sort. 
 Benevolence, intelHgence, affabihty, and over these 
 a veil of meditative quietude, would be attributed to 
 him by the most casual observer — they were writ- 
 ten, as with a sunbeam, upon his bland and open 
 countenance. But closer inspection would detect 
 more than these. Firmness of purpose, close obser- 
 vation and ready discernment of character, and 
 clearness of perception, were strongly marked cha- 
 racteristics of the man, and it could not fail to be 
 seen that with all this seeming repose — apparently 
 amounting almost to indolence of thought — the in- 
 tellect was active and vigorous; and the entire 
 man, mental and physical, was held under vigOant 
 control, ready for any duty or emergency that 
 might call his powers into exercise. No one 
 could sit long in his company without feeling a re- 
 straint and deference, almost reaching veneration 
 and awe, on the first introduction, but subse- 
 quently subsiding mto a pleasanter feeling, if the 
 reverend gentleman's estimate of your character 
 justified him in giving you his confidence. With 
 
366 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 all the beaming gooduess and hmi hommie appear- 
 ance of Mr. Morley, there was a reserve — though 
 that word is a shade too strong to express my pre- 
 cise meaning — which forbade imdue freedom of 
 access. It seemed, in effect, to say that the reve- 
 rend gentleman would rather form his own judg- 
 ment of character than rely upon mere report ; 
 and the probability was, that having for awhile di- 
 rected your conversation elsewhere, on again ad- 
 dressing Mr. Morley, you would detect him 
 thoughtfully and closely, but never rudely, scan- 
 ning you ; while something in the eye told you 
 that you were, or would be, thoroughly under- 
 stood. His discernment rarely failed him, and his 
 confidence once given, he was a faithful friend 
 through every vicissitude, and his sound judgment 
 and extensive knowledge of men and things made 
 him an invaluable counselor and giiide. 
 
 Mr. Morley was emphatically a preacher of the 
 gospel. An extensive reader, and of no mean 
 acquirements in general literature, he held these 
 subordinate to the authoritative and didactic truths 
 of the gospel, and ministered to those who heard 
 him the unadulterated word of God. A rich, evan- 
 gelical unction, attended his preaching — the de- 
 monstration of the Spirit with power — while the 
 practical doctrines of Christianity, its elevated 
 morahty and high requirements, were strenuously 
 insisted upon. Mere emotion he never sought to 
 excite. He taught the people out of the Scriptures 
 — their duties and their privileges were set before 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 367 
 
 them, not with vehemence or in strains of impas- 
 sioned eloquence, but with clearness and force. 
 His ministry was more adapted to feed the flock 
 of Christ than to please those who had itching 
 ears, or attract those who had not yet tasted of the 
 things of God. Not that he was lacking m cor- 
 rectness of style, fluency of utterance, or elevation 
 of thought. His style was, indeed, remarkably 
 chaste, his thoughts always well arranged, and his 
 subject well digested. But his mmd Avas contem- 
 plative rather than impulsive, appreciative rather 
 than vigorous ; his views coiTect rather than start- 
 ling ; and his sermons such as were to be thought of 
 at home, and meditated upon in the closet long 
 after they had been Ustened to from the pulpit. 
 
 Not many ministers more universally enjoyed 
 the confidence and esteem of their brethren than 
 the Rev. George Morley ; and his death occasioned 
 a deep feeling through the connection. "Few 
 men," says the brief official notice in the Minutes, 
 "have pursued, for upward of half a century, a 
 more unbroken course of actiNity and usefulness ; 
 his labors being continued, with scarcely a day's 
 inteiTuption, until the last month of his earthly 
 caree^. His life was one of perpetual sunshine. 
 He was, emphatically, a happy man ; and his end 
 perfectly accorded sviih. the tenor of his hfe. Shortly 
 before his departure, he said, with great emphasis, 
 ' I gave myself to God, and to his people, threescore 
 years ago, and he has never left me. He is with me 
 now ; and he will never leave me nor forsake me.' " 
 
368 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 Io0cpl) Beaumont, m. H). 
 
 " His eloquence a stream of living thought, 
 Gushing from out the fountain of the heart — 
 Now 'mong green pastures, making minstrelsy, 
 Now fearless, rushing from the dizzy brink, 
 Like mountain cataract, with thundering voice, 
 Bearing the breattUess hearers midst the foam ; 
 Then lulling into calm, midst rainbow hues. 
 As gently flow'd, from his persuasive tongue. 
 The promises of pleasantness and peace." 
 
 The fame of the Rev. Dr. Beaumont as a preacher 
 is not confined to " Albion's sea-girt isle." It has 
 reached this continent, and it is no uncommon thing 
 to hear his name mentioned, not only by those of 
 his countrymen who are now residents in the 
 United States, but by Americans who have visited 
 England, and, attracted by his high reputation, 
 have sought opportunities of listening to his elo- 
 quent advocacy of the truth. These differ, as was 
 to be expected, in their estimate of his pulpit 
 talents and the degree of admiration they accord 
 to him. Some think him too vehement, others are 
 led captive by his earnestness ; some think his 
 imagination excessive, and his imagery bordering 
 upon extravagance ; others find an imposing charm 
 in his exuberance of fancy ; some think him not 
 sufficiently argumentative and logical ; and others, 
 again, admire his power of declamation and of pic- 
 torial representation. But they all, so far as per- 
 sonal observation extends, agree that he is a man 
 of wonderful genius, sincere and zealous in his holy 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 369 
 
 vocation, possessing, in a remarkable degree, the 
 power of swaying the hearts of his hearers, and 
 eminently fitted to keep upon their watch-towers, 
 or lead on to conquests, any division of the army 
 of the living God of which he may be in com- 
 mand. 
 
 In a remarkable degree Dr. Beaumont, as a 
 pulpit orator, aflfords room for this variety of 
 opinion, while the tout-ensemble entirely justifies 
 the agreement in which all those opinions meet. 
 He is altogether an extraordinary man, under whose 
 ministiy it is always profitable and delightful to 
 sit ; yet whose defects immediately aiTest the at- 
 tention of the intelligent and observant hearer. His 
 verj- eloquence is peculiar, and heightens both the 
 beauties and blemishes of his style. At times it 
 has all the impetuosity of a nishing torrent, leaping 
 down rapids, bounding over rocks, and dashing 
 through rapines, that seem to echo and reverberate 
 with its roar. But then it has also its lull in 
 almost equal proportions, when it seems to sleep 
 in its placid bed, or ripples with wondrously sweet 
 music between its flowery banks. In these more 
 quiet moments the hearer has time to look back on 
 the scenery through which he has passed ; and 
 reflection, which was held in abeyance to the 
 pleasing turbulence of emotion, is brought into 
 play. He remembers a succession of sublime and 
 beautiful imagery, of vi\-id pictures drawn with 
 all the boldness and distinctness of reality; but 
 they have rapidly receded from view, the very per. 
 
 24 
 
370 SKETCHES OF WESLEVAX PREACHERS. 
 
 fection of each having tended to supplant the im- 
 pression of the former. Or, speaking more strictly, 
 the hearer has been so captivated by the startling 
 rapidity of majestic objects, that he has not ob- 
 served the windings of the stream, or whither its 
 course was leading him, and, while lost in admi- 
 ration of the pictorial beauty of the scene, has 
 had no time for investigation and analysis. And 
 I think it ■will be admitted by those who sit regu- 
 larly under his ministry, that his great popularity 
 is attributable quite as much to his profusion of 
 imageiy and impetuous grandeur and beauty of 
 diction, with his unwearied zeal, as to the clearness 
 of his theological views, his power of definition, or 
 aptitude of arrangement. 
 
 I would not be misunderstood. As remarked 
 in another of the sketches in this volume, to say 
 of any individual Methodist preacher that he is 
 thoroughly Wesleyan in doctrine, would be only to 
 say of one that which is common to all. Dr. Beau- 
 mont is thoroughly sound in doctrine, intimately 
 conversant vnth all the phases of theological truth 
 as held by the Wesleyan Methodists, and earnest 
 and faithful in their explication. But, on the other 
 hand, he is not so much distinguished for profun- 
 dity of thought as for felicitous exhibition of the 
 truth. He somewhat resembles Mr. Dawson in 
 that, while e\dncing a much more polished style 
 and more copious and classic language, he is, in 
 the elucidation of the truth, more indebted to ge- 
 nius than to absolutely intellectual greatness. There 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 371 
 
 is in his sermons more of illustration than logic, of 
 declamation than argument. Light flashes upon the 
 audience at every turn ; but it is the sudden blaze 
 of genius, rather than the steady effulgence of ripe 
 and matured thought. Genius is, indeed, his 
 distinguishing characteristic ; and it is genius not 
 xmaided, but ha-\-ing all the advantages of educa- 
 tion and physical temperament, and a beauty and 
 abundance of language possessed but by very few ; 
 genius, too, that is remarkably free from the erratic 
 movements to which it is usually prone, for it is 
 held in strict abeyance to the great end of all 
 preaching, the practical enforcement of the pre- 
 cepts and requirements of the gospel, and the ex- 
 hibition of its exalted privileges and abounding 
 consolations. His definitions rarely partake of the 
 preciseness of the practiced polemic. The minuter 
 shades of difference are rarely dwelt upon, in which 
 he is almost the antipodes of another popular 
 minister, the Rev. William M. Bunting, whose me- 
 taphysical acumen enables him to dissect the most 
 dehcate fibres of doctrinal tniths. These Dr. Beau- 
 mont rarely touches. Either he does not see them, 
 or he does not heed them. They, at least, serve 
 not his purpose of direct and forcible appeal. He 
 has more to do with the heart and conscience than 
 with metaphysical distinctions ; with the business 
 and bosoms of men than with the schools, though 
 he is by no means unversed in their teachings. 
 The arrangement of his discourses has reference to 
 the points available for effect, and is so far in ac- 
 
3Y2 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 cordance with their matter and the manner of their 
 delivery. But the plan, while sometimes evincing 
 originality, is generally within the usual range of 
 sermonical system, unobjectionable, but not pecu- 
 liarly striking. 
 
 So far the negative qualities of our subject as a 
 preacher have been dwelt upon ; and when it is 
 added that, owing to a defect in the palate, which 
 is relieved by artificial means, his utterance is often, 
 indeed always, labored, all has been said that need 
 be on that aspect of the man. As a pulpit orator, 
 perhaps, he has no superior in effective ministration 
 of the word ; and I apprehend he is at this day 
 as popular as any minister in the Wesleyan con- 
 nection, unless Dr. Newton be an exception. When- 
 ever he preaches, either in his own circuit or 
 elsewhere, he commands overflowing congregations. 
 Like Dr. Newton, he is popular with all. It is 
 not Avith either the higher or lower classes alone 
 that he finds favor ; not witli the purely intellectual 
 and refined alone, any more than with those only, 
 of whom there are always too many, who hve 
 mainly upon emotion or excitement. The literate 
 and iUiterate ahke crowd to hear him, and reap 
 pleasure and profit from his ministry. Even the 
 profound thinker, while he feels that, to some ex- 
 tent, there is a falling short of the standard con- 
 genial to his tastes, still gathers a harvest of brilliant 
 ideas, and feels the impetus of his impassioned 
 utterance. Indeed, none can resist it. When the 
 gush of feeling is upon him, when the glow of 
 
SKETCHES OK WEbLLVAN I'KEACUERS. 373 
 
 genius is kindled, the fire in his bones consumes 
 everything before it. Light bursts from every 
 sentence, now with the fierceness of the "forked 
 Ughtiiing's glare ;" now with the subUme, but 
 softened beauty of the electric flash behind the 
 summer cloud ; and anon with the splendor of the 
 midday sun and with its burning heat. Image 
 upon image is piled with majestic grandeur and 
 dazzling gorgeousness ; a moment after, the mi- 
 nutest forms of created things are pressed into the 
 preacher's ser\-ice for the illustration of his subject ; 
 and all so instinct ^vith life, that it seems as though 
 the real, rather than the ideal, was present before 
 the audience. Sometimes, indeed, the preacher 
 seems himself to be the personation of the symbol 
 employed, so perfectly does he embody his idea, 
 and so entirely in keeping is eveiy intonation and 
 action. I remember one remarkable instance of 
 this, though the occasion is now so remote that I 
 cannot remember other portions of the sermon, in 
 the absence of which, and because I cannot recall 
 the speaker's felicitous language, the figure will be 
 shorn of much of its beauty. 
 
 Dr. Beaumont was preaching in one of the Sal- 
 ford (Manchester) chapels. In the progress of the 
 discourse, he was led to speak of the " riches, of 
 wisdom, and knowledge," and consolation, which 
 the true believer might gather from the sacred 
 word. It was " sweeter than honey or the honey- 
 comb." But it was by diligent searching only 
 that its hidden treasures could be secui-ed. Car- 
 
3'74 SKETCIIUS OV VtESLEVAX PREACHERS. 
 
 rying out the idea, he depicted the bee, indus- 
 triously prosecuting its searcli for honey, darting 
 across the cultivated garden, sipping nectar and 
 lading itself with store-honey from every opening 
 flower ; now flying over the wide-spread moor, 
 finding treasui'es f)f sweetness even in the modest 
 flowers of wild thyme and the delicately tinted 
 petals of the humble heather ; and anon humming 
 blithely its merry, grateful song, as it sought its 
 homeward way by the deep ravine, and even there 
 found new treasures as it alighted for a moment 
 upon the lowly primrose or retiring violet. But 
 no types, no language, especially where memory 
 is the only guide, can convey to the reader a tithe 
 of the beauties of the illustration as orally presented 
 by the preacher. Placing the Bible under his 
 arm, and pressing it to liis heart as a treasure 
 " more precious than rubies," he dwelt m measured 
 cadence upon the picture, adapting his intonations 
 so exactly to the rapid movements, the sudden 
 haltings and startings of the laborious insect, that 
 his hearers seemed to journey with him through 
 garden, and moorland, and clefts of rocks, and 
 almost to see the ideal insect, and hear its joyful 
 hum, as now it hovered over the inviting flower, or, 
 rejoicing over its spoils, sped its rapid flight to its 
 refuge and home. I have listened to not a few 
 glowing scenes from nature, but never heard I so 
 perfect a poetic impersonation — for it was more 
 than painting ; it had life, and motion, and voice. 
 And such displays of pictoi'ial power were by no 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 375 
 
 means rare. I marvel not at Dr. Beaumont's popu- 
 larity ; he has all the elements of it, with an abound- 
 ing zeal which spares no strength or labor in his 
 Master's service. 
 
 In social hfe our subject is as captivating as in 
 his more public duties. He is the fast, whole- 
 souled friend, all the more attached and faithful 
 when "times of dark distress prevail." He is the 
 friend indeed, because the friend in need. While 
 he retains confidence in one whom he has trusted, 
 no amount of obloijuy, or reproach, or persecution, 
 can deter him from throwing around the object of 
 his attachment the shield of iiis protection. It is, 
 indeed, at such times that he shows the ardor and 
 heartiness of his affection for his friends. He will 
 fight their battles to the last struggle of a forlorn 
 hope ; nor then will he forsake one whom he recog- 
 nizes as a friend. Utterly indifferent of conse- 
 quences to himself, he will never desert those 
 whose claims upon his services his heart tells him 
 he must allow, but with untired devotion will labor 
 on their behalf. 
 
 In Conference Dr. Beaumont has long been 
 accounted, to use a parliamentary term, the " leader 
 of the opposition." I know not that he would 
 acknowledge the appellation, but it is undoubtedly 
 true to a great extent. He is fond of the excite- 
 ment of debate, but never stoops to small game. 
 The shafts of his controversy are directed prin- 
 cipally, and almost altogether, against Dr. Bunting ; 
 and he is not sparing in language. He is fierce 
 
876 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 and fearless, and thougli sometimes personal, and 
 apt to attribute motives and assign reasons for the 
 measures he opposes, which would be scarcely 
 creditable to his brethren, he is never ill-natured. 
 He will say right out, before the face of every 
 man, what others would be apt to think only, or, 
 at most, to whisper. He knows nothing of sly 
 caution when entering the arena of debate. It 
 must be acknowledged also, if common report be 
 true, that he is often wrong in his positions, and 
 easily " floored " for want of due reflection and 
 discrimination before he enters the field. His very 
 impulsiveness unfits him for a skillful and success- 
 ful debater. He is too keen of the game, and 
 starts before he is fairly on the trail. Hence he is 
 no match for Dr. Bunting, who lets much of his 
 opponent's fii-e go unanswered, but occasionally 
 pours in a destructive volley, and effectually, for 
 the time, silences his guns. It is this extreme 
 qmckness to " spar" that has made Dr. Beaumont 
 the most prominent man on the side of the Con- 
 ference which chooses to call itself " hberal ;" and 
 the vigor with which he conducts the assault, and 
 the strong rmder-feeling of thoroughly generous 
 and frank good nature which will ever and anon 
 gush out, give a charm to his conferential outbreaks. 
 The moment he rises, expectation is excited. Smiles 
 are exchanged on every hand, and in the remoter 
 parts of the house the preachers will be seen bend- 
 ing forward to catch every motion and each flash 
 of the eye ; for with these the doctor augments 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 377 
 
 the force of his appeals. As the speaker warms 
 with his theme, sparks are emitted, followed by 
 scintillations and streams of Ught ; then come sal- 
 hes of wit, and, ere long, strong and vehement 
 invective. Now his audience are hushed as the 
 silent night, and anon, as he again indulges in the 
 playful vein, a general hearty laughter may be 
 heard through the house, from those he is flaying 
 as well as from the rest. For it may be said here 
 that the Wesleyan preachers, with occasionally a 
 rare exception, so long as no mahce is exhibited, 
 can enjoy a sally of wit at their oym expense with 
 as thorough good humor as they can inflict it on 
 othei-s. This is the case with Dr. Beaumont. He 
 strikes hard, and strikes home ; but he has no ob- 
 jection to a hard blow in return. Indeed, he is 
 in his glory in the midst of an intellectual melee. He 
 is the Mr. Brougham of the " opposition benches," 
 watching every movement of the majority with 
 lynx-eyed suspicion, and poimcing upon their 
 measures almost before they have emerged into 
 the light ; but, hke that same impersonation of 
 biting sarcasm, quick retort, brilliant wit, and ex- 
 cm-sive fancy, he dazzles and delights his friends 
 more than he excites their confidence or secures 
 their rehance upon his judgment. He vnl\ never 
 be a permanent ruler in Israel ; but whoever does 
 rule, will have Dr. Beaumont's opposition in mind 
 when he frames his measures. I apprehend that 
 the doctor is now as strictly in his proper sphere 
 of usefulness to the connection — in the position he 
 
378 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 will hold, without a successful rival, to the day of 
 his death — as is the Rev. Dr. Bunting. Each is at 
 the head of his respective corps, where his talents 
 can be known and appreciated. 
 
 In personal appearance our subject is in no way- 
 peculiar. He possesses a hearty, robust frame, is 
 somewhat dark complexioned, with black eyes. 
 He is about five feet ten inches high — possibly an 
 inch taller. His preaching is apparently attended 
 with great physical exertion ; yet I am not aware 
 that he suffers any exhaustion, or is accustomed to 
 complain even of any great weariness, after a most 
 laborious sabbath. He is now about fifty-five years 
 of age, and has been in the itinerancy since 1813. 
 He has acqmred his present vast popularity prin- 
 cipally within the last fifteen to twenty years. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 379 
 
 tDUliam SI)atD. 
 
 " Unto me is this grace given, that I should preach unto the 
 Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." 
 
 In the "Wesleyan Centenaiy Takings," so often 
 referred to in this volume, it is very justly said of 
 the Rev. WUliam Shaw, that he is no beUever in 
 the sentiment of Voltaire : " Bring together all the 
 childi-en of the universe, and you will see nothing 
 in them but innocence, gentleness, and fear ; were 
 they bom wicked, spiteful, and cruel, some signs 
 of it would come from them, as little snakes strive 
 to bite, and httle tigers to tear. But nature ha\-ing 
 been as sparing of offensive weapons to man as to 
 pigeons and rabbits, it cannot have given them an 
 instinct to mischief and destmction." Such a 
 creed, adds the author of the " Takings," would 
 have saved Mr. Shaw much risk and toil in the 
 African deserts. But Mr. Shaw knows human na- 
 tnie better than did Voltaire, and is not the man 
 to build his practice upon such a shallow sophism. 
 He knows that man is depraved ; that reason, intel- 
 ligence — the means which God gave man for de- 
 fense and the maintenance of his superiority over 
 other created beings — are willfully and awfully 
 perA-erted, and used as a "weapon of rebelhon" 
 against the donor ; that man is tainted with moral 
 evil; that without the restraints of divine grace 
 and the renewing energy of the Holy Ghost, the 
 human heart is " evil, and only e^^l, and evil con- 
 
380 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAX PREACHERS. 
 
 tinually ;" and the negative \irtues of infancy and 
 childhood are overruled by the positive wayward- 
 ness, perverseness, and hostility to all that is holy, 
 of the heart of man ; and hence he " counts not 
 his life dear unto him, so that he may fulfill his 
 course with joy, and the ministry he has received 
 of the Lord Jesus." 
 
 There are in the Wesleyan connection two mis- 
 sionaries of the name of Shaw, Barnabas and Wil- 
 liam ; each of whom has spent a great part of his 
 life amid the savage tribes of Africa, and, by his 
 devotion and success, earned a high and enviable 
 reputation. There exists, I believe, no consan- 
 guinity between them. Of the former I have no 
 personal knowledge, and do not recollect that I 
 ever saw him. He is universally spoken of as a 
 man of a fine spirit ; of indomitable perseverance 
 in the work to which he has given liimself ; and 
 has been not inaptly styled " the apostle of Wes- 
 leyan missions to Southern Africa." His " Memo- 
 rials"* will be a lasting monument of his devo- 
 tion, zeal, and success. 
 
 With the Rev. William Shaw I had the happi- 
 ness of a slight acquaintance during the brief 
 interval of his missionary life. He was then sta- 
 tioned in the Leeds West circuit, probably m the 
 years 1831-2. His personal appearance strongly 
 indicated his character. He is a man of strong 
 
 * Memorials of South Africa. By Barnabas Shaw, Wesleyan 
 Missionary, resident in the Country nearly twenty Years. Repub 
 lished at the Methodist Book Concern in New-York. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 381 
 
 sense rather than of brilliant parts ; of a frank and 
 manly nature and noble spiiit ; and endued with a 
 personal courage that shrinks from no danger, but 
 would brave any peril, or dare any enterprise, 
 which duty involved or prompted ; yet, withal, 
 prudent and discreet — "a fine specimen of the 
 missionary spirit and character." This was shown 
 on his first entrance upon his missionary life, some 
 twenty-five years ago. His origmal station was 
 within the bounds of the colonial government, at 
 Graham's Town, I think, and consequently he was 
 exposed to comparatively little peiil, being under 
 British protection. But his heart yearned toward 
 the poor outcasts in the "regions beyond," and 
 he resolved to visit them. He consulted the colo- 
 nial authoiities upon the subject, who warned him 
 of the perils he woxdd encounter ; of their inabihty 
 to protect him beyond a certain line, fmlher than 
 which they neither exercised nor claimed juris- 
 diction ; apprised liim of the character of the 
 Kaffir popiilation, their ferocity, treachery, and 
 cunning ; and assured him that it would be mad- 
 ness, amountmg to a criminal disregard of life, for 
 any person to go alone, even ten miles beyond the 
 border ; much more so to attempt to penetrate 
 into the interior, as he proposed, imarmed and 
 unprepared to resist or intimidate the wily, exas- 
 perated, and cruel Kaffirs. But " none of these 
 things moved him." He had seen some of these 
 wretched people in their occasional visits to the 
 colony, and he longed to pi-each to them the 
 
382 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 knowledge of Christ crucified ; to impart to them, 
 in some measure, the blessings of civilization, and 
 to raise them from the depths of their degradation 
 and vice. 
 
 Mrs. Shaw had scarcely less of the missionary- 
 spirit than her noble husband. She sympathized 
 cordially in his views and feelings, and, prompted 
 and sustained by Christian heroism, seconded his 
 resolves, and declared herself ready to endure any 
 toil or hardship, and brave any danger, to which, 
 in Mr. Shaw's absence, she might be exposed. 
 Thus strengthened, he set about the execution of 
 his purpose ; and with one or two attendants he 
 and his heroic helpmeet journeyed toward the 
 frontier. The line was reached, the eventful crisis 
 was upon them ; the attendants and Mrs. Shaw 
 prepared to take their leave, not without another 
 remonstrance, on the part of the attendants, with 
 Mr. Shaw on his hazardous enterprise. It was 
 an awful moment — an eventful crisis. The stem 
 reality of a missionary's life presented itself in its 
 most uninviting aspect. The dark untrodden wilds 
 of KafFraria lay before him ; a land inhabited only 
 by savage and cruel tribes, whom only the gospel 
 could tame, and who might refuse its overtures, 
 and fatally resent the white man's intrusion into 
 their haunts. Dense forests were to be traversed, 
 where he could hear only the roar of the lion or 
 howl of the wolf ; before him were days and nights 
 of exposure to the elements, relieved only by tem- 
 porary sheltei- amid the filth and savage rudeness 
 
SKETCHES OF ■VV'ESLEYAN PREACHERS. 383 
 
 of an African kraal. But to endure these were 
 less hardship than to leave behind friends, and 
 countrj-men, and wife ; and voluntarily to shut 
 himself out from the civilized world, and the pro- 
 tecting shadow of the British sceptre, so powerful 
 to shield those upon whom it rests. The choice 
 had to be made, and Mr. Shaw " staggered not at 
 the promise because of unbelief," save for a mo- 
 ment as he turned to bid adieu to his devoted wife. 
 But she had nerved herself for the trial ; nay, rather 
 she had looked to " the strong for strength" to com- 
 plete a sacrifice, the magnitude of which none but 
 a loving, Christian wife, could \mderstand ; and 
 that strength was supplied to her from above. 
 She bade him go into the far country, into the 
 wilderness, as God had commanded ; and take 
 with him her heart, and her admiration of his 
 Christian integrity and fortitude, and her prayers 
 and her blessing, and the assurance of God's pro- 
 tecting care and love over both him and her. And 
 then the attendants were requested to retire to a 
 short distance, and the noble-hearted missionary 
 and his, if possible, nobler-hearted wife knelt down 
 beside their sohtary wagon and presented them- 
 selves a " living sacrifice unto God." When they 
 rose from their knees, they resolutely separated, 
 the one to return to Graham's Town, the other to 
 go forth amid strangers and savages, confident, 
 however, that he was in the keeping of Him whose 
 presence should be his protection, and his right 
 arm — his defense. That was true heroism, be- 
 
884 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 fore which deeds of valor on the battle field, amid 
 the excitement of conflict and the hope of renown, 
 pale their fires ; and he the bravest warrior who, 
 single-handed and without carnal weapons, boldly 
 entered the enemy's country to subdue it to the 
 allegiance of Christ. 
 
 After some ten or eleven years' uninternipted 
 missionary life, Mr. Shaw returned for a short time 
 to his native land, the disturbed condition of affairs 
 in Africa inteiTupting for a season the successful 
 prosecution of his labors. His reputation, by means 
 of his letters and journals occasionally published 
 in the "Missionary Notices," had preceded him, 
 and many circuits desired his services. There being 
 no immediate prospect of an " open door" for his 
 return to Africa, he was, at the ensuing Conference 
 after his ret\irn, regularly stationed in the home 
 work. After some three or four years, events took 
 a more favorable turn; the British government 
 expressed a strong desire that the Wesleyan Mis- 
 sionary Society would reoccupy the ground they 
 had temporarily abandoned, and Mr. Shaw was 
 apprised that the committee desired his return. 
 The British government, however, were not content 
 with the simple expression of their wish that the 
 society's stations should be reoccupied ; but having, 
 in the prosecution of their inquu-ies into the diffi- 
 culties which had occurred between the natives 
 and the colonists, partially ascertained the universal 
 esteem in which Mr. Shaw was held, and the vast 
 influence which he had acquired, proposed to the 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 385 
 
 managing committee tliat he should retuni mto the 
 interior, clothed with official power, next in rank 
 to the colonial governor : that, in fact, he shoiild 
 go out as deputy governor, resident among the 
 native population, the government taking upon 
 themselves his support, or contributing to the so- 
 ciety a sum equivalent thereto. To supersede any 
 objection which might be raised, they were even 
 willing, and it was a proof of their confidence both 
 in Mr. Shaw and the missionary committee, that 
 he should retain, to its fullest extent, his mission- 
 ary character and office, and be held responsible, 
 first of all, to the society with which he had been 
 so long and honorably connected. 
 
 These, I beheve, were the facts of the case, and 
 the missionary committee were not a little embar- 
 rassed by the proposal ; especially as feeling ran 
 high in the colony upon the subject, as it also did 
 in England. Ungenerous and unjust remarks had 
 been published upon the conduct of the Wesleyan 
 missionaries, in quarters where the committee, and 
 the friends of missions generally, had a right to 
 expect better things. Frequent and grave were 
 the consultations of the committee. There were 
 advantages, which it would not have been right to 
 overlook ; but there was a possible danger in uniting 
 the official or political character with that of the 
 ministerial, which seemed to outweigh eveiy other 
 consideration, and finally induced the committee 
 respectfully to decline the proposal. The com- 
 mittee, however, saw the propriety of clothing 
 
386 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 Mr. Shaw with additional powers from themselves : 
 he was made " chairman of the Albany and Kaf- 
 fraria district, and general superintendent of 
 the Wesleyan missions in South-Eastem Africa," 
 resident at Graham's Town ; which office he has 
 now held, for more than twelve years, with entire 
 satisfaction to all interested in that somewhat pecu- 
 liar field of missionary labor.* 
 
 As was intimated, it was during his three or 
 four years' sojourn in his native land, that my com- 
 paratively slight acquaintance with Mr.. Shaw was 
 formed. I more than once accompanied him to 
 his week-night appointments in the country, or 
 went to meet him on his return. His society was 
 exceedingly agreeable, and his conversation enter- 
 taining as well as profitable. His manners ■rt'ere 
 remarkably unassuming. Few men are so free 
 from egotism, especially when they have passed 
 
 * At the anniversary of the Wesleyan Missionary Society, in 1834, 
 Mr. Shaw gave an interesting account of the Kaffir tribes, among 
 whom lie had labored. Speaking of their religious opinions, he 
 said, that they imagine God lives in a cave on the eastern side of 
 the earth, out of which the sun comes daily. They believe tJiat 
 men, dogs, elephants, &c., came out of that cave in the order men- 
 tioned at the creation. They expose their aged relatives to death. 
 Mr. Shaw mentioned a case of a mother who was bound to a tree 
 in a forest by her own son, after escaping twice, and allowed by 
 him to perisli, although he could liear her cries for food and water. 
 They believed that one of their number could cause rain ; and Mr. 
 S. was obliged, on one occasion, to enter into a controversy with 
 the " rain-maker," who, when hard pressed to make rain at a time 
 when the cattle were dying for want of water, said that the sound 
 of the chapel-bell drove the rain away. After a special prayer 
 meeting for rain by the Kaffir Christians, it fell ill great abundance. 
 The females were veiy cruelly treated until Mr. Shaw obtained 
 some laws to be passed in their favor ; in which, out of gratitude, 
 they gave him the name of Jfoia hbnfars—" the shield of women." 
 
SKETCHES OF TVESLETAN PREACHERS. 38Y 
 
 through such varied and peculiar scenes as he has, 
 and of which fnends were constantlj- desiiing to 
 hear and urging liim to speak. He was always 
 somewhat chary of narrating his adventures, and 
 modestly avoided the lionism they would liave 
 thrust upon him ; and there was something about 
 him — a sort of unobstrusive dignity, it could scarce- 
 ly be called reserve — which checked any undue or 
 impertinent pressing upon him of such disclosures, 
 lender the circumstances, however, of ray almost 
 only opportunities of conversing with him, he woidd 
 veiy cheerfully narrate incidents of his African life. 
 Had I then contemplated ever paying this tribute 
 to Mr. Shaw's worth, and piety, and well-tempered 
 zeal, I would have labored hard to mnemonize the 
 particulars of those familiar narrations. 
 
 While traversing the wilds and forests of Kaf- 
 fraria. Mr. Shaw was often six and nine months, 
 and sometimes longer, without spending a single 
 night under a roof, other than the " star-spangled " 
 arch of heaven, sleeping sometimes upon the 
 ground, but more frequently poised in the branches 
 of a tree, because of the wild and ferocious beasts 
 which there abounded. He got to prefer sleeping 
 out of doors, experiencing a sense of suffocation, 
 and a degree of fever which deprived him of rest, 
 when covered with a roof. And this he felt long 
 after his return to England. When he first com- 
 menced his travels among the Kaffirs, it was almost 
 certain death for an vmarmed man to approach 
 fheir haunts, or even travel through any portion 
 
388 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 of the country over which the Kaffirs are scattered. 
 But before he left, the man, who with a steady 
 and truthful eye could declare himself " a mission- 
 ary," (using the native word,) could pass in any 
 and every direction, not only safely, but would 
 find the natives willing to leave any employment 
 for the sake of hearmg the gospel, or of conducting 
 the missionary to his next place of call. Yet in 
 all this there was peril ; but Mr. Shaw's trust was 
 in God ; he relied upon the promise of protection 
 and guidance given to the faithful ; he felt that his 
 mission was from Heaven, and no toil or danger 
 could deter him from fulfilling it. 
 
 I remember walking home with Mr. Shaw one 
 very dark night, and our path lay through a gloomy 
 and unfrequented road. Something transpired to 
 awaken associations on his heart, which led him to 
 narrate the following circumstance, which occuiTed 
 during the latter part of his first missionary service. 
 He had been preaching somewhere near the bor- 
 der fine, at an African \'illage, where it was usual 
 for some member of the family of a Dutch Boor, 
 residing at some four or five miles' distance, to 
 meet him, and to take him to the farm-house to 
 spend the night. On this evening none of this 
 family were present ; and, after preaching, Mr. 
 Shaw mounted his nag and started for the Boor's 
 farm. He had not traveled far, and was ascend- 
 mg a narrow path cut in the mountain side, when 
 he heard behind him the howl of wolves, a couple 
 of which soon rushed past him, making " night 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEY AX PREACHERS. 389 
 
 hideous" with theu- yells. Mr. Shaw — knowing 
 that their habit was to start their game into flight, 
 and then, pursuing it, hang upon its flanks, until, 
 its strength being exhausted, it became an easy 
 prey — reined in his horse, and quietly patted it 
 upon the neck. Fortunately, it was an old, staid 
 animal, accustomed to such matters, and jogged 
 on -without seeming to notice the disturbance. 
 Soon the two, ^^^th companions, rushed down the 
 road, thus meeting the horse and his rider. Still 
 the manoeuvre failed — only, however, to be re- 
 peated with increased fierceness and impetuosity 
 from each side of the road ; and as the number 
 of wolves had now increased to a considerable 
 pack, Mr. Shaw began seriously to apprehend 
 danger from their assault. Aware of the influence 
 of the human voice upon these ferocious, but cow- 
 ardly animals, he endeavored to intimidate them 
 by shoutiiig, and also by cracking his whip. As 
 they approached the farm-house, he increased his 
 vociferations, (for the wolves were becoming un- 
 comfortably bold and persevering in then- ap- 
 proaches,) and thus aroused the dogs, which, by 
 Dutch settlers, are always kept m great numbers 
 there ; and the wolves gradually slunk away, 
 lea\-ing Mr. Shaw and his horse both unharmed. 
 Some other similar narrow escapes he narrated to 
 me, the circumstances of which I cannot remember 
 with sufficient accuracy to repeat them. 
 
 As a preacher Mr. Shaw was more instructive 
 and profitable than attractive. His sermons were 
 
390 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN VREACHERS. 
 
 always clear, lucid, common-sense expositions of 
 the truth ; his walk and conversation among the 
 people Avere eminently seasoned with personal 
 piety and sound judgment ; and his attention to 
 his pastoral duties was unceasing and uniform. 
 His personal appearance was pleasing. In stature 
 he was about five feet seven ; the countenance 
 pleasing, combining, in a remarkable degree, be- 
 nevolence and firmness ; the eye dark, bright, and 
 full, and the hair black. An expression of sweet 
 serenity played about the lips. He was not guilty 
 of conformity to tlie world in the matter of apparel, 
 which, though always good of its kind, was in 
 fashion upon the model of that worn by the early 
 Methodist preachers. 
 
APPENDIX. 
 
 NOTICES OF ENGLISH METHODISM. 
 
 It has been suggested that an exposition of the 
 economy of AV^esleyan Methodism — its modus operandi 
 — with esi)ecial reference to the itinerancy, would be 
 an acceptable, and perhaps useful, conclusion to this 
 volume. Though, from the limited space at my dis- 
 posal, such an exposition must be necessarily brief, 
 and so far imperfect, yet I feel disposed to adopt the 
 suggestion, and shall be gratified if these pages 
 contribute in any degree to the general restoration, so 
 far as practicable, of that distinguishing feature of Wes- 
 leyan Methodism, and chief element of its success — 
 the itinerant circuit system. What stress Mr. Wesley 
 laid upon this, those who have read his journals and 
 correspondence can best attest. The system is to this 
 day rigidly adhered to in Great Britain. What we call 
 stations, are unknown in the British Connection. Ex- 
 cept in the ciise of certain officers of the Conference, 
 as book-stewards, editors, missionary secretaries, pre- 
 sidents and tutors of the theological institutions, govern- 
 ors of academies, supernumeraries, &c., every preacher 
 has, singly, or in company with others, a circuit as- 
 signed him, to every part of which some portion of his 
 time and labor must be devoted, according to an 
 established plan. There are in Great Britain about 
 four hundred and thirty circuits, and one thousand 
 effective preachers. 
 
392 SKETCHES OF AVESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 To show somewhat the extent of these, and the 
 plan of operations in them, I will give a few par- 
 ticulars of two of the Manchester circuits. Manchester 
 is divided into five circuits, to each of which a poition 
 of the neighboring country is attached. 
 
 In the Second Manchester Circuit there are 
 three traveling, and perhaps twenty or twenty-five local, 
 preachers, and about one thousand six hundred and 
 fifty members in society. The preaching places ai-e 
 as follows : — Irwell-street and Gravel-lane chapels, in 
 Salford ; the superintendent resides close to the 
 former, and the second preacher near the latter. 
 Broughton, with an elegant Gothic chapel, in the 
 suburbs ; the congregation select and wealthy. Pendle- 
 ton, also in the suburbs, but among a more mixed 
 population ; a neat, medium-sized, galleried chapel, 
 about two miles from Saltbrd. Itiams o th' Heights, 
 about three miles distant from the circuit town ; a good 
 chapel, and chiefly a rural population. Swinton, four 
 miles; a large chajjel, the population partly rural, 
 partly working manufacturers, and partly colliers. 
 Walkden Moor, six miles; a good-sized chapel, popu- 
 lation mainly colliers. Boothstown, eight miles ; a large 
 preaching room, people poor and illiterate. Worsley, 
 seven miles; chapel good, congregation chiefly colliers, 
 with a sprinkling of some old Methodist families. Each 
 of these places is preached at by the traveling preach- 
 ers in rotation at stated times on the Sunday, and once 
 a week on the week nights. The country chapels will 
 seat from four to eight huncb-ed. There are some half 
 dozen other places, varying in distance from two to 
 eight miles, sujjplied every Sunday by local preachers. 
 Nearly all the appointments have preaching twice on 
 the Sunday, some three times, the local co-operating 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 393 
 
 with the itinerant preachers in supplying them. Ex- 
 cept occasionally, the town chapels are supplied by the 
 itinerant ministers. A horse is not kept for the preach- 
 ers, who walk to their country appointments both on 
 Sundays and week days, getting a " litl," or ride, occa- 
 sionally, as they can. 
 
 Of the Fifth Maxchester Circuit I have before 
 me a plan or programme, exhibiting the " order of the 
 religious services" for the months of April, May, and 
 June, 1847. This plan, which is issued quarterly, is 
 printed in pamphlet form, contains the times and places 
 of preaching, class meetings, prayer meetings, and 
 other services ; and the names and residences of the 
 preachers, itinerant and local : the remaining space is 
 filled up with a number of passages, of a practical cha- 
 racter, from various religious authors.* By means of 
 this I am enabled to exhibit a detail of the manner in 
 which the circuit is worked. The preachers are the 
 Revs. Francis A. West, Frederick J. Jobson, and John 
 Kirk. The circuit is not so laborious in the number 
 and distance of the appointments as many others ; but, 
 as is often the case in the large towns and cities, the 
 preachers have to perform a great amount of labor in 
 attending committees, &c. The table which follows 
 will give a view of the services for three Sundays. 
 
 *Amon» the " Notices " appended to the plan'are the following : — 
 The Quarterly Fast will be observed on Friday, June 25, when 
 public prayer meetings will be held in Oxford-road, George-street, 
 and Radnor-street vestries, at eight o'clock in the morning, and at 
 eight o'clock in the evening. 
 
 A Male Bible Class meets in Oxford-road vestry, every Monday 
 evening, at eight o'clock ; and a Female Bible Class on Tuesday 
 afternoon, at three o'clock, and at George-street, on Friday even- 
 ing, at seven o'clock. The junior children are catechised and in- 
 structed in Oxford-road, George-street, and Radnor-street vestries, 
 every Saturday afternoon, at three o'clock. These classes are 
 
394 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS, 
 
 1847. 
 
 Time. 
 
 
 June V3. 
 
 June 20. 
 
 Scripture Lessons. < 
 
 I 
 
 Morn. 1 
 Even. 
 
 .Toshua23. 
 Mark 12. 
 Phil. 2. 
 
 1 Sam. 3. 
 Luke 4. 
 
 2 Cor. 10. 
 
 1 Sam. 12. 
 Luke 13. 
 Gal. 4. 
 
 OXFORD-ROAD. 
 
 Week-night preach'g. 
 
 Day school. 
 
 Ml'g. for expos. & pra. 
 
 104 
 3 
 0 
 
 Tliur. 
 Thur. 
 Fnday. 
 
 Kirk. 
 
 Tetlow. 
 .lob.son. 
 Kirk. 
 
 West. 
 
 West. 
 Gibhs. 
 Kirk. 
 West. 
 West. 
 West. 
 
 Jobson. 
 Makinson, 
 West. 
 Jobson. 
 
 West. 
 
 GEORGE-STREET. 
 Week-niglit preach'g. 
 Exposition and prayer 
 
 Wed. 
 Friday. 
 
 .lobson. 
 West. 
 Jobson. 
 Kirk. 
 
 Kirk. 
 Jobson. 
 Kirk. 
 Kirk. 
 
 West. 
 Kirk. 
 West. 
 Kirk. 
 
 RADNOR-STREET. 
 
 Exposition and prayer 
 
 3 
 0 
 
 Friday. 
 
 Institution. 
 
 Kirk. 
 
 Jobson. 
 
 West. 
 Clark. 
 Jobson. 
 
 Jobson. 
 Bailey. 
 Jobson. 
 
 CHORLTON. 
 Week-night preach'g. 
 
 lO.l 
 2" 
 
 Tiies. 
 
 Institution. 
 White. 
 White. 
 West. 
 
 Jobson. 
 
 Doxcy. 
 Jobson. 
 
 Barker. 
 Wilshaw. 
 Jobson. 
 Kirk. 
 
 WITIIINGTON. 
 
 Week-night preacli'g. 
 
 m 
 
 3 
 
 Tues. 
 
 West. 
 Barker. 
 Barker. 
 
 'uaUfax. 
 Halifax. 
 Kirk. 
 
 Kirk. 
 
 Fielding. 
 
 Andrews. 
 
 RUSIIOLME. 
 Week-night preacli'g. 
 
 w'd 
 
 Wood. 
 Wood. 
 
 Roberts. 
 
 West. 
 
 West. 
 
 Holgate. 
 Slugg. 
 
 NORTHERN. 
 Week-night preach'g. 
 
 I' 
 Thur. 
 
 Lowe. 
 Institution 
 
 Institution. 
 Institution. 
 Jobson. 
 
 Banning. 
 Banning. 
 
 PENITENTURY. 
 
 Thur. 
 
 Jobson. 
 
 
 West. 
 
 \* The names in italics are those of local preachers. The 
 word " Institution " denotes that the appointments thus marked 
 will be supplied by students from the Theological Institution, at 
 Didsburj', near Manchester. 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 395 
 
 From the foregoing the reader will be enabled to 
 form an idea of the plan of itinerancy in the circuits 
 connectetl with the cities and large towns. In the 
 country circuits, especiiiUy in the more rural districts, 
 the journeys are of necessity longer, and preachers are 
 sometimes absent from home an entire week or fort- 
 night ; and they invariably preach three times on the 
 sabbath, and neai-ly every night in the week, except 
 Saturday ; riding or walking from five to fifteen mUes 
 each day. From the " Plan " of a circuit in the coun1;y 
 of Kent, I find that it contains twenty-four appoint- 
 ments, at each of which there is preaching every Lord's 
 day. There are two traveling and tliirltj-four local 
 preachers. Thirty-nine sermons are preached every 
 Sunday ; six by the traveling preachers, and thirty-three 
 by the local brethren. 
 
 It will be seen at once from these statements, that 
 the local preachers are a far more numerous and im- 
 portant class in the Wesleyan Connection than they 
 are with us.* The services of these laboi-ious and self- 
 denying brethren are as i-egularly and systematically- 
 required and rendered, as those of^the travehng minis- 
 accessible to all yovmg people and cliildren belonging to our con- 
 gregations, and they are affectionately iiivitcJ and urged to attcndf- 
 
 The Local Preachers' Lihrari/ remains, as formerly, at Grosvenor- 
 street vestry ; and as the use of it is still common to the preachers 
 in the Third and Fifth Circuits, the brethren are urged to a\ ail tliem- 
 selves of this great advantage, and to " give attendance to reading." 
 
 * It was stated some time since in an English paper, (the Wes- 
 leyan,) that the number of sermons delivered weekly by the travel- 
 ing preachers, is 3951, or 205,452 in the year ; the number by the 
 local preachers is 11,641 weekly, or 605,302 in the year. The num- 
 ber of miles annually traveled by the travehng preachers, in theii 
 regular work, is 319,092 ; number of miles annually traveled by the 
 local preachers, 2,917,418: total, 3,261,140 miles, a distance equal 
 to one hundred and thirty times the circumference of the globe. 
 
896 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 
 
 ters, and could be as little dispensed with. It is no 
 uncommon thing for one of these worthies — and no 
 men in the general more deserve the appellation — 
 to walk fifteen, twenty, and even twenty-five miles, 
 and preach twice or three times on the sabbath, after 
 retiring from a week's toil late on Saturday night, to 
 resume it early again on Monday morning. And this 
 may be said to the everlasting honor of the local 
 preachers in the Wesleyan Methodist Connection, that 
 it is exceedingly rare for an appointment to be neg- 
 lected, however stormy the weather or distant the place. 
 Yet there are men among them daily accustomed to 
 all the conveniences and comforts, and even luxuries, 
 of life ; and others, whose talents qualify them to oc- 
 cupy any pulpit either in this country or in England. 
 I would add, that I have only known one instance of a 
 traveling preacher omitting to fulfill a country appoint- 
 ment on account of stress of weather, and he was 
 overpersuaded by liis better half, under the influence 
 of such a storm as might almost have justified the 
 omission. It turned out, however, that an unusual 
 moving among the people had been experienced, and 
 a very large congregation was disappointed. I verily 
 believe that " hailstones and coals of fire " could not 
 have driven him to a repetition of the neglect. 
 
 Another feature in English Methodism is the quar- 
 terly visitation of the classes by the preachers, in the 
 months of March, June, September, and December, 
 at which times the members receive their quarterly 
 tickets. This is strictly attended to in every circuit 
 in the connection. No preacher leaves his circuit on 
 any account at these times, be he supeiintendent or 
 assistant, unless adequate arrangements can be made 
 to supply his lack of service in this particular. The 
 
SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACHERS. 39*7 
 
 superintendent draws out the plan for himself and col- 
 leagues, and the classes to be met by them during the 
 Veek are duly announced from the pulpit. Members 
 who are somewhat slack at other times, generally con- 
 trive to attend at these visitations ; albeit they are 
 subjected to a rigid examination as to the causes and 
 eflects of theii" inattention duiing the quarter. The 
 preacher, in looking over the class-book, takes due 
 note of all particulars therein recorded, and administers 
 counsel or reproof accordingly. If a member has re- 
 gularly neglected class during the quarter, the leader 
 having been faithful in the mean time in visiting, ex- 
 horting, and warning, the preacher unhesitatingly 
 withholds the quarterly ticket, the sole evidence of 
 membership, until he has opportunity of visiting the 
 member. If, however, the member, without good and 
 sufficient reason, neglects a regular attendance during 
 the second quarter, he withholds the ticket altogether, 
 and the member's name is erased, subject to an appeal 
 to the leaders' meeting. Each member, on receiving 
 the quarterly ticket, says what he can afibrd to give, 
 not " for his ticket," as some speak of it, but toward 
 what is called the preacher's quarterage — the sum al- 
 lowed to each preacher for the incidental expenses of 
 his household. The minimiun payment of each mem- 
 ber is a penny a week and a sliilling a quarter. This, 
 however, is never asked for from any one who, it may 
 be supposed, cannot afford it ; while, on the other hand, 
 many members pay from twopence to sixpence weekly, 
 and from half a crown to twenty shillings quarterly. 
 The payment of the quarterly donation is almost al- 
 ways made before the class is dismissed. 
 
 The preachei-s also frequently convene what are 
 called " Society meetings." This duty generally de- 
 
398 SKETCHES OF WESLETAN PREACHERS. 
 
 volves upon the superintendent, though the other 
 preachers are equally at liberty to attend to it as they 
 see fit or find occasion. If there be any excitement 
 abroad, political or otherwise ; or any peculiar state of 
 the society demandini? special counsel, the preacher, 
 at the close of the Sunday evening discourse, expresses 
 his wish that the members of society, or, as we should 
 say, "church members," ^vill stay for a short time 
 afler the congregation is dismissed. Nor does the 
 preacher always wait for such special reason. When 
 the members are thus alone, he speaks to them with 
 kind familiarity on such topics as could not so well 
 be introduced in a mixed assembly, and makes the 
 meeting profitable for " doctrine, for reproof, for cor- 
 rection, for instruction in righteousness." These meet- 
 ings, as they tend to evince the pastor's Interest in 
 his flock, greatly promote fellowship between them. 
 
 The leaders' meeting is held generally once a fort- 
 night. The leaders show their class-books, and pay in 
 the two weeks' contributions of the members. The 
 preachers make a note of any who attend their classes 
 irregularly, from whatever cause, and visit them. Cases 
 of poor members are considered, on application from 
 the leader, and such relief as is required is appor- 
 tioned them from the poor's fund. This business 
 being over, new leaders are appointed, when needed, 
 and some time is spent in conversation and prayer. 
 Each leader endeavors, so far as in him lies, to get his 
 members to pay weekly ; which is at the foundation 
 of the admirable financial arrangements of the English 
 Wesleyans. 
 
 The quarterly meeting somewhat resembles our " quar- 
 terly conferences." In the larger circuits it generally 
 commences in the forenoon, and is occupied with 
 
SKETCHES OF -WESLETAN PREACHERS. 399 
 
 purely financial matters until dinner-time. The local 
 preachers, leadei-s, and stewards, from the whole circuit, 
 attend, as far as practicable. Each place has its repre- 
 sentation. Thirty, forty, or even fifty persons, will 
 be present. The meeting is usually held in the vestry 
 of the principal town chapel. After the morning's 
 business, they dine together ; sometimes at the super- 
 intendent's house ; sometimes in one of the large class- 
 rooms connected with the chapel. After dinner, and 
 half an hour's breathing time, they again assemble to 
 converse upon and arrange the more general matters 
 pertaining to the circuit. It should have been said, 
 however, that the local preachers' meeting is generally 
 held before the regular quarterly meeting commences. 
 They have entire jurisiliction over their own body; 
 the admission of candidates on trial, or upon the full 
 plan ; the examination into character, doctrine, &c. ; 
 and the alteration of the hours of country preaching, 
 should it be desired. The name of each local preacher 
 is called, and the questions asked, — " Has he neglected 
 any appointment during the quarter ? Are there any 
 complaints against his moral character, or soundness 
 of doeb-ine ? Does he continue acceptable '?" &c., &c. 
 The names of the places are next called, and any sug- 
 gestions or information called for. When theii- busi- 
 ness is transacted, the meeting adjourns, and the 
 members become integral parts of the quarterly meet- 
 ing, where, during the afternoon, the representatives 
 from the different places give accounts of the spiritual, 
 or, more properly, connectional prospects, &c. At 
 these meetings too, at the proper season, the stationed 
 preachers are invited to continue in the circuit; or, 
 if their time be expired, the choice of new ones is 
 discussed. In this meeting, also, the superintendent 
 
400 SKETCHES OF WESLEYAN PREACinSRS. 
 
 introduces the names of any candidates for the itin- 
 erancy, ha\'ing previously appointed such to preach 
 in the town chapel, that all the members of the meetr 
 ing may have the opportunity of hearing and judging 
 of the candidate's fitness for the recommendation to 
 the district meeting. The exercises of the day are 
 generally concluded with a watch-night. 
 
 ifinis. 
 
lilitiiir 
 
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