forward nothing of his own, but to deliver the proclamation of the King his master: Hence the astonishing effects which accompanied the word in the primitive days. I rejoice,' says St. Paul, that ye received the word, not as the word of man, but as it is, indeed, the word of God, which effectually worketh in you who believe. Our word came not unto you in word only, but in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance.' Our Lord, declaring his commission, says, • The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach [proclaim] the Gospel to the poor: He hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim deliverance to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to publish the acceptable year of the Lord.' Man is the same at this day; God is the same; and these effects now follow, when men, who have themselves been thus healed and set at liberty, proclaim, by the same Spirit, the Gospel of God; and when it is mixed with faith in those who hear it.' Where the man, who is not himself a subject of this work, takes some notes out of the King's proclamations, and thus forms a proclamation of his own, we need not wonder, that no such effects follow-that no sinners are converted to God. Much of this power of truth rested on Mr. J. Wesley, Mr. Fletcher, and others; but on none more conspicuously than on Mr. Charles Wesley, while he gave himself up entirely to the work. His sermon before the University of Oxford, in the year 1742, in his course as a student of Christ Church, on Ephesians v, 14, is an example of this an example of this way of proclaiming the Gospel, in which he so greatly excelled; but it falls short of many discourses which he delivered in the high-ways, and to large auditories in his own chapels. The scholar was under some restraint while preaching at St. Mary's, knowing the state of many in his learned congregation, and the need of preserving order in his discourse; but where only God and conscious sinners were before him, it seemed as if nothing could withstand the wisdom and power with

which he spake: To use the expression of a pious man, “ It was all thunder and lightening." Even when he retired from the Itinerant work, I have known him thus favoured and thus great, so that I should not have wondered at beholding the whole congregation on their knees, or prostrate on their faces before God, crying for mercy! But though these times were not of frequent recurrence, he was always the savour of life to those who waited upon God; but those of the congregation who looked for a regular discourse, concerning which they might give their judgment, were seldom satisfied: He was either an ambassador for God, or he was nothing. He would not preach himself in any sense of that expression.

In the three or four last years of his life, he visited the prisoners under sentence of death in Newgate. Having become acquainted with the Rev. Mr. Villette, the Ordinary, he had full liberty for this work, and frequently preached what is called "the condemned sermon." I attended him upon one of those occasions, and witnessed, with feelings which I cannot describe, the gracious tenderness of his heart. I saw the advantage of proclaiming the Gospel to those who knew they were soon to die, and who felt that they had greatly sinned. He composed many hymns, most strikingly suited to their unhappy condition; and used to come, as before mentioned, to the chapel-house in the City-road, and, after reading those hymns to us, he used to call us to unite in prayer for these outcasts of men. When we arose, something of that peculiarity would sometimes appear, which I have already noted. He would ask, "Can you believe?" And, upon our answering "Yes, Sir," he would flourish his hand over his head, and cry out, "We shall have them all !,” and immediately hasten away to the cells, to hold out life to the dead.

But I must conclude a subject that lies near my heart, and of which I could never be weary. Yet I must mention the remarkable gift which he possessed, of promptness in answering attacks, or replying to the remarks of those who attempted to hedge him in. Soon after the work of God began, the

question of Absolute Predestination was introduced among the people, and was soon followed by Antinomianism. Mr. Charles Wesley was roused to the most determined opposition against this evil, which was making havock of the people around him. One day, he was preaching in Moorfields, and having mentioned those things, he added, "You may know one of these zealots by his bad temper." A person in the crowd immediately vociferated, "You lie!” "Hah!" says Mr. C. Wesley," "have I drawn out leviathan with an hook?"

An anecdote, which he related to me himself, is, perhaps, still more striking. When that dignified character, Dr. Robinson, Primate of Ireland, and who was raised to the temporal Peerage, was at the Hot-wells near Bristol, he met Mr. C. Wesley in the pump-room. They were both of ChristChurch, Oxford. The Archbishop seemed glad to see his old fellow-collegian, and conversed with him freely. After some time, he observed," Mr. Wesley, you must be sensible that I have heard many things of you and your brother; but I have not believed them: I knew you better. But one thing has always surprised me,―your employing lay-men.”

C. W.-It is your fault, my Lord.

Archbishop.-My fault, Mr. Wesley?

C. W.-Yes, my Lord, yours and your brethren's.
Archbishop.-How so, Sir?

C. W.--Why, my Lord,, you hold your peace, and so the stones cry out.

They took a turn in silence. His Grace, however, rallied: Archbishop.-But I hear they are unlearned men.

C. W.-Very true, my Lord; in general, they are so: So the dumb ass rebukes the prophet.

His Grace immediately turned the conversation.

I shall conclude this sketch of the character of this great and most estimable man, by expressing my conviction of him also, as of his brother, that

"I ne'er shall look upon his like again!"

CHAPTER III.!

THE THREE LAST YEARS OF MR. WESLEY'S LIEE HIS LAST ILLNESS AND DEATH-THE INSCRIPTION ON HIS TOMBHIS LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT.

THE long life graciously dispensed to these brothers in the flesh and in the Lord, was a blessing to the people under their care. The want of the personal superintendance of Mr. C. Wesley, in his latter years, was but little felt while his brother continued in the full enjoyment of his vast powers. But the time drew near when he also must prove, that it is appointed unto men once to die.' This awful hour began now to be very generally anticipated, accompanied with enquiries concerning the probable consequences of his death to that great work of which he had been the Father, and still continued the chief instrument. He alone seemed without carefulness. That it was a work of God, and consequently that it would no more come to an end than the word that was given, and by which it had been formed, seemed never for a moment to depart from his mind. That his death must be sudden, was a very general thought; "for, if the people apprehend danger, they will keep him here while prayer will be heard." Careful to do the work of Him that sent him, all other care he cast upon Him in whom is the life of man.

December 31, 1788, he makes the following remarks::"A numerous company concluded the old year with a very solemn watch-night. Hitherto God hath helped us; and we neither see nor feel any of those terrible judgments which, it was said, God would pour out upon the nation, about the conclusion of the year."-And again notes, that, "for near seventy years, I have observed, that before any war or public

calamity, England abounds with prophets, who confidently foretel many terrible things. They generally believe themselves; and are seldom undeceived, even by the failure of their predictions."

On his birth-day, (June 28, 1788,) Mr. Wesley observes, “I this day enter on my eighty-sixth year. And what cause have I to praise God, as for a thousand spiritual blessings, so for bodily blessings also! How little have I suffered yet, by ❝ the rush of numerous years! It is true, I am not so agile as I was in times past: I do not run or walk so fast as I did. My sight is a little decayed: My left eye is grown dim, and hardly serves me to read. I have daily some pain in the ball of my right eye, as also in my right temple, (occasioned by a blow received some months since,) and in my right shoulder and arm, which I impute partly to a sprain, and partly to the rheumatism. I find likewise some decay in my memory, with regard to names, and things lately past; but not at all, with regard to what I have read or heard, twenty, forty, or sixty years ago. Neither do I find any decay in my hearing, smell, taste, or appetite, (though I want but a third part of the food I did once,) nor do I feel any such thing as weariness, either in travelling or preaching. And I am not conscious of any decay in writing sermons, which I do as readily, and, I believe, as correctly as ever.

"To what cause can I impute this, that I am as I am? First, doubtless, to the power of God, fitting me for the work to which I am called, as long as he pleases to continue me therein; and next, subordinately to this, to the prayers of his 'children.

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May we not impute it, as inferior means:

"1. To my constant exercise and change of air?

"2. To my never having lost a night's sleep, sick or well, at land or at sea, since I was born?

3. To my having sleep at command, so that whenever I feel myself almost worn out, I call it, and it comes, day or night?