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in this respect, with that of the churches. "Their solemn addresses to God," said he, are not interrupted either by the formal drawl of a parish-clerk, the screaming of boys, who bawl out what they heither feel nor understand, or the unseasonable and unmeaning impertinence of a voluntary* on the organ. When it is seasonable to sing praise to God, they do it with the spirit and the understanding also; not in the miserable, scandalous doggrel of Hopkins and Sternhold, but in psalms and hymus, which are both sense and poetry, such as would sooner provoke a critic to turn Christian, than a Christian to turn critic. What they sing is therefore a proper continuation of the spiritual and reasonable service, being selected for that end; not by a poor hum-drum wretch, who can scarcely read what he drones out with such an air of importance, but by one who knows what he is about, and how to connect the preceding with the following part of the service. Nor does he take just two staves,' but more or less, as may best raise the soul to God; especially when sung in well-composed and well-adapted tunes; not by a handful of wild unawakened striplings, but by a whole serious congregation and these not lolling at ease, or in the indecent posture of sitting, drawling out one word after another, but all standing before God, and praising him lustily, and with a good courage. He especially enjoined that the whole congregation should sing, that there should be no repetition of words, no dwelling upon disjointed syllables, and that they should not sing in parts, but with one heart and voice, in one simultaneous and uninterrupted feeling.†

The preachers were forbidden to introduce any hymns of their own composing; in other respects they had great latitude allowed them they might use the liturgy, if they pleased, or an abridgment of it, which Mr. Wesley had set forth; or they might discard it altogether, and substitute an extemporaneous service, according to their own taste and that of the congregation. Like the Jesuits, in this respect, they were to adapt themselves to all men. The service was not long: Wesley generally concluded it within the hour.

CHAPTER XXII.

METHODISM IN WALES AND IN SCOTLAND.

UPON Wesley's first journey into Wales, he thought that most of the inhabitants were indeed ripe for the Gospel." I mean," says he, "if the expression appear strange, they are earnestly desirous of being instructed in it; and as utterly ignorant of it they are as any Creek or Cherokee Indian. I do not mean they are ignorant of the name of Christ; many of them can say both the Lord's Prayer and the Belief; nay, and some all the Catechism: but take them

Yet Wesley has noticed, that he once found at church an uncommon blessing, when he least of all expected it; namely, "while the organist was playing a voluntary."

This feeling, however, must have been disturbed in a strange manner, if the preachers observed the directions of the first Conference, to guard against formality in singing, by often stopping short, and asking the people, "Now, do you know what you said last? Did you speak no more than you felt? Did you sing it as unto the Lord, with the spirit and with the understanding also?"

out of the road of what they have learned by rote, and they know no more (nine in ten of those with whom I conversed) either of Gospel salvation, or of that faith whereby alone we can be saved, than Chicali or Tomo-chichi." This opinion was formed during a journey through the most civilized part of South Wales. He was not deceived in judging that the Welsh were a people highly susceptible of such impressions as he designed to make; but he found himself disabled in his progress, by his ignorance of their language. "Oh," he exclaims, "what a heavy curse was the confusion of tongues, and how grievous are the effects of it. All the birds of the air, all the beasts of the field, understand the language of their own species; man only is a barbarian to man, unintelligible to his own brethren!" This difficulty was insuperable. He found, however, a few Welsh clergymen, who entered into his views with honest ardour, and an extravagance of a new kind grew up in their congregations. After the preaching was over, any one who pleased gave out a verse of a hymn; and this they sung over and over again, with all their might and main, thirty or forty times, till some of them worked themselves into a sort of drunkenness or madness: they were then violently agitated, and leaped up and down, in all manner of postures, frequently for hours together. "I think," says Wesley, "there needs no great penetration to understand this. They are honest, upright men, who really feel the love of God in their hearts; but they have little experience either of the ways of God or the devices of Satan; so he serves himself by their simplicity, in order to wear them out, and to bring a discredit on the work of God." This was the beginning of the *Jumpers.

Ralph and Ebenezer Erskine, the remarkable men who made the secession from the Scotch church, invited Whitefield into Scotland, before his breach with Wesley. Accordingly, in the year 1741, he accepted the invitation; and thinking it proper that they should have the first fruits of his ministry in that kingdom, preached his first sermon in the seceding meeting-house belonging to Ralph Erskine, at Dumferline. The room was thronged; and when he had named his text, the rustling which was made by the congregation opening their. bibles all at once surprised him, who had never, till then, witnessed a similar practice. A few days afterwards he met the Associate Presbytery of the Seceders by their own desire; a set of grave venerable men. They soon proposed to form themselves into a presbytery, and were proceeding to choose a moderator, when Mr. Whitefield asked them for what purpose this was to be done: they made answer, it was to discourse and set him right about the matter of church government, and the solemn league and covenant. Upon this Mr. Whitefield observed, they might save themselves the trouble, for he had no scruples about it; and that settling church government, and preaching about the solemn league and covenant, was not his plan. And then he gave them some account of the history of his own mind, and the course of action in which he was engaged. This, however, was not satisfactory to the Associate Presbytery, though.

"At seven in the morning," says Whitefield, "have I seen, perhaps ten thousand, from different parts, in the midst of a sermon, crying, Gogunniant bendyiti, ready to leap for joy." Had they been reprehended at that time, this extravagant folly might have been prevented.

one of the synod apologized for him, urging that, as he had been born and bred in England, and had never studied the point, he could not be supposed to be perfectly acquainted with the nature of their covenants, and therefore they ought to have patience with him. This was of no avail: it was answered, that no indulgence could be shown him; for England had revolted most with respect to church government, and that he could not but be acquainted with the matter in debate. It was a new thing for Whitefield, who had been accustomed to receive homage wherever he went, to be schooled in this manner; but he bore this arrogant behaviour with great complacency, and replied, that indeed he never yet had studied the solemn league and covenant, because he had been too busy about things which, in his judgment, were of greater importance. Several of them then cried out, that every pin of the tabernacle was precious. Whitefield was ready in reply he told them that, in every building, there were outside and inside workmen; that the latter was at that time his province; and that, if they thought themselves called to the former, they might proceed in their own way, as he would do in his. The power of these persons, happily, was not so inquisitorial as their disposition; and when he seriously asked them what they wished him to do, they answered, that they did not desire him immediately to subscribe to the solemn league and covenant, but that he would preach for them exclusively till he had further light. “And why for them alone?" he inquired. Ralph Erskine made answer, were the Lord's people." "I then," says Whitefield, "asked, whether there were no other Lord's people but themselves? and, supposing all others were the devil's people, they certainly," I told them," had more need to be preached to, and therefore I was more and more determined to go out into the highways and hedges; and that if the Pope himself would lend me his pulpit, I would gladly proclaim the righteousness of Jesus Christ therein." Soon after this the company broke up; and one of these otherwise venerable men immediately went into the meeting-bonse, and preached upon these words, "Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, the morning cometh, and also the night; if ye will inquire, inquire ye; return, come. I attended; but the good man so spent himself, in the former part of his sermon, in talking against prelacy, the common prayer book, the surplice, the rose in the hat, and such like externals, that, when he came to the latter part of his text, to invite poor sinners to Jesus Christ, his breath was so gone, that he could scarce be heard. What a pity that the last was not first, and the first last! The consequence of all this was an open breach. I retired, I wept, I prayed, and, after preaching in the fields, sate down and dined with them, and then took a final* leave. At table, a gen

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* In honour of Whitefield, I annex here part of a letter upon this subject, written a few days after this curious scene, and addressed to a son of one of the Erskines. "The treatment I met with from the Associate Presbytery was not altogether such as I expected. It grieved me as much as it did you. I could scarce refrain from bursting into a flood of tears. I wish all were like-minded with your honoured father and uncle, matters then would not be carried on with so high a hand. I fear they are led too much. Supposing the scheme of government which the Associate Presbytery contend for, to be scriptural, yet forbearance and long-suffering is to be exercised towards such as may differ from them: and, I am verily persuaded, there is no such form of government prescribed in the book of God, as excludes a toleration of all other forms whatsoever. Was the New Testament outward tabernacle to be built as punctual as the Old, as punctual directions would have been given about the building it: whereas it is only deduced by inference; and thus we see Independents, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians bring the same text to support their particular scheme: and I

tlewoman said, she had heard that I had told some people that the Associate Presbytery were building a Babel. I said, "Madam, it is quite true; and I believe the Babel will soon fall down about their ears. But enough of this. Lord, what is man-what the best of men-but men at the best!"

Coming as a stranger into Scotland, and being free from all prejudice and passion upon the subject, Whitefield saw the folly and the mischief of the schisms in which his new acquaintance were engaged. They spared no pains to win him over to their side. "I find," said he, "Satan now turns himself into an angel of light, and stirs up God's children to tempt me to come over to some particular party." To one of his correspondents he replies, "I wish you would not trouble yourself or me in writing about the corruption of the Church of England. I believe there is no church perfect under heaven ; but as God, by his providence, is pleased to send me forth simply to preach the Gospel to all, I think there is no need of casting myself out." He was invited to Aberdeen by the minister of one of the kirks in that city; but the minister's co-pastor had prepossessed the magistrates against him, so that when he arrived they refused to let him preach in the kirk-yard. They had, however, sufficient curiosity to attend when he officiated in his friend's pulpit; the congregation was very large, and, in Whitefield's own words, "light and life fled all around." In the afternoon it was the other pastor's turn: he began his prayers as usual; but, in the midst of them, he named Whitefield by name, whom he knew to be then present, and entreated the Lord to forgive the dishonour that had been put upon him, when that man was suffered to preach in that pulpit. Not satisfied with this, he renewed the attack in his sermon, reminded his congregation that this person was a curate of the Church of England, and quoted some passages from his first printed discourses, which he said were grossly Arminian. "Most of the congregation," says Whitefield," seemed surprised and chagrined; especially his goodnatured colleague, who, immediately after sermon, without consulting me in the least, stood up, and gave notice that Mr. Whitefield would preach in about half an hour. The interval being so short, the magistrates returned into the sessions-house, and the congregation patiently waited, big with expectation of hearing my resentment. At the time appointed I went up, and took no other notice of the good man's ill-timed zeal, than to observe, in some part of my discourse, that if the good old gentleman had seen some of my later writings, wherein I had corrected several of my former mistakes, he would not have expressed himself in such strong terms. The people being thus diverted from controversy with man, were deeply impressed with what they heard from the word of God. All was hushed, and more than solemn. And on the morrow the magistrates sent for

believe Jesus Christ thereby would teach us to exercise forbearance and long-suffering to each other. Was the Associate Presbytery scheme to take effect, out of conscience, if they acted consistently, they must restrain and grieve, if not persecute, many of God's children, who could not possibly come into their measures: and I doubt not but their present violent methods, together with the corruptions of that assembly, will cause many to turn Independents, and set up particular churches of their own. This was the effect of Archbishop Laud's acting with so high a hand; and whether it be presbytery or episcopacy, if managed in the same manner, it will be productive of the same effects. O, dear sir, I love and honour your pious father. Remember me in the kindest manner to the good old man. I pray God his last days may not be employed too much in the non-essentials of religion."

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me, expressed themselves quite concerned at the treatment I had met with, and begged I would accept of the freedom of the city." This triumph Whitefield obtained, as much by that perfect self-command which he always possessed in public, as by his surprising oratory. But wherever he could obtain a hearing, his oratory was triumphant, and his success in Scotland was, in some respects, greater than it had yet been in England. "Glory be to God," he says, "he is doing great things here. I walk in the continual sunshine of his countenance. Congre gations consist of many thousands. Never did I see so many bibles, nor people look into them, when I am expounding, with such attention. Plenty of tears flow from the hearers' eyes. I preach twice daily, and expound at private houses at night; and am employed in speaking to souls under distress great part of the day. Every morning I have a constant levee of wounded souls, many of whom are quite slain by the law. At seven in the morning (this was at Edinburgh) we have a lecture in the fields, attended not only by the common people, but persons of great rank. I have reason to think several of the latter sort are coming to Jesus. I am only afraid lest people should idolize the instrument, and not look enough to the glorious Jesus, in whom alone I desire to glory. I walk continually in the comfort of the Holy Ghost. The love of Christ quite strikes me dumb. O grace, grace! let that be my song." In Scotland it was that he first found access to people of rank. "Saints," says he, "have been stirred up and edified; and many others, I believe, are translated from darkness to light, and from the kingdom of Satan to the kingdom of God. The good that has been done is inexpressible. I am intimate with three noblemen, and several ladies of quality, who have a great liking for the things of God. I am now writing in an earl's house, surrounded with fine furniture; but, glory be to free grace, my soul is in love only with Jesus."

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His exertions increased with his success. "Yesterday," he says, "I preached three times, and lectured at night. This day Jesus has enabled me to preach seven times; once in the church, twice at the girl's hospital, once in the park, once at the old people's hospital, and afterwards twice at a private house; notwithstanding, I am now as fresh as when I arose in the morning. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount on wings like eagles.' It would delight your soul to see the effects of the power of God. Both in the church and park the Lord was with us. The girls in the hospital were exceedingly affected, and so were the standers-by. One of the mistresses told me, she is now awakened in the morning by the voice of prayer and praise; and the master of the boys says, that they meet together every night to sing and pray; and when he goes to their rooms at night, to see if all be safe, he generally disturbs them at their devotions. The presence of God at the old people's hospital was really very wonderful. The Holy Spirit seemed to come down like a mighty rushing wind. The mourning of the people was like the weeping in the valley of Hadad-Rimmon. They appear more and more hungry. Every day I hear of some fresh good wrought by the power of God. I scarce know how to leave Scotland."

The representation thus given by this remarkable man, of the effect which his preaching produced upon all ranks and descriptions