Again, he had, as a Priest of the Church, a high sense of authority, and even of the Apostolical Succession. He was aware, and felt that no mere human authority could have sent him forth to administer Sacraments, and that he derived such authority from Episcopal ordination only. When he was at Bath, in the year 1762, he was accosted by a man of some notoriety in his way, who was known in the world as Beau Nash. He asked "by what authority he (Wesley) was doing these things ?" Wesley replied, "By that of JESUS CHRIST conveyed to me by the present Archbishop of Canterbury, when he laid his hands upon me and said, 'Take thou authority to preach the Gospel.'" Upon this idea Upon this idea he never would permit his Preachers to call themselves by any other name than that of Preachers. Not even the title of Ministers was allowed them; and still more did he at all times most urgently forbid them to think of either administering or receiving the Blessed Sacrament anywhere but in the Church, at the hands of Apostolically ordained Clergymen. In his progress through Ireland in 1789, he preached a sermon on Heb. v. 4, published afterwards in the Arminian Magazine, in which he addresses some of his Preachers who were ambitious of exercising the functions of the Priesthood. "You never dreamed," he says, "of this for ten or twenty years after you began to preach; you did not then, like Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, seek the Priesthood also. Ye know that no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God as was Aaron. O contain yourselves within your own bounds. Be content with preaching the Gospel. I earnestly advise you, abide in your place. Keep your own station. Ye were fifty years ago extraordinary messengers of GOD, not going in your own will, but thrust out not to supersede, but to provoke to jealousy the ordinary messengers. In GoD's name stop there. Ye yourselves were at first called in the Church of England, and though ye have, and will have a thousand temptations to leave it, and set up for yourselves, regard them not. Be Church of England men still. Do not cast away the peculiar glory which God hath put upon you and frustrate the designs of Providence."* * Again. This remarkable address is omitted in the collection of Sermons published after his death. Why? Simply because, most unhappily for us all, the advice was not followed. It is clear then from these, and a thousand other parallel scenes of his life and passages in his writings, that the design of John Wesley, as well as the heart of John Wesley, was to form and embrace his religious Society-never as a distinct and separate community, but as part of the great body of the Church, of which he was himself a Priest. It was a kind of order which he desired to establish, such as those in the Roman Church, of S. Benedict or S. Francis-preachers-stirrers-up of Religion in the souls of men-advancers and proclaimers of the Gospel to the poor, but he never for a moment contemplated their existence outside of the pale of the Church. How then, it will be said, did he fall from this intention, and though expressing these theoretical truths still, nevertheless, in act, on several occasions, propagate measures in which the authority of the Church was set at defiance; and from which it would follow of necessity that schism and separation must be the consequence. It was because men and things grew up around him on a larger scale than he ever contemplated at the beginning; that his Society, though at first consisting of persons drawn only from the Church, and with presidents over them in preaching, drawn only from the Clergy, by degrees was compelled to admit Dissenters of every denomination, and to appoint Preachers of every kind. The idea was that personal assurance and instantaneous conversion were the signs of Religious life, and the consequence was that every kind of enthusiasm, and every kind of fanatical presumption in the things of GOD, brought men into his fellowship. In act he regarded not the bonds of the Church in which theoretically he considered them to be, and therefore their spirits mingling with the mass brought confusion and disorder; and, as it ever happens in such cases, the more enthusiastic and the more violent rose to the surface and assumed the lead. Then it came to pass. that neither was the governing power strong enough to keep down the evil which had, from the very nature of the thing, taken its share in the constitution of the Society, nor was the master spirit endued with such foresight, or such ability, as to anticipate or to allay the tendencies which he had unwittingly evoked. Thus it was that John Wesley was compelled M 2 on many occasions to take part in actions which were palpably wrong, and which, in his heart, he abominated-to become actually and in effect a Schismatic, though at heart a Churchman-to be the author and founder of a great sect, though his mind was to do no more than to save men's souls and bring them to the Church. That this was in reality the case, is clear from one of the last papers which he published in the year 1790, within the last year of his life. "I never," he says, "had any design of separating from the Church-I have no design now. I do not believe the Methodists in general design it. I do, and will do all that is in my power to prevent such an event. Nevertheless". and here we see the prophetic spirit which, through all the mist, foresaw the evil which he could not avert" Nevertheless, in spite of all I can do, many will separate from it, although I am inclined to think not one-half, perhaps not a third of them. These will be so bold and injudicious as to form a separation, which consequently will dwindle into a dry, dull, separate party. In flat opposition to these I declare once more, that I live and die a Member of the Church of England, and that none who regard my judgment or advice will ever separate from it." But what were those acts of Schism of which we speak in opposition to those words of Unity. In the first place, it would seem that even the less objectionable act of appointing Lay Preachers bore a tendency towards Schism, for he appointed these Preachers of his own authority, whereas, by his own shewing, when asked why he preached himself, he had said, "by the authority of JESUS CHRIST committed to me by the Archbishop of Canterbury by the laying on of hands." It would seem then that, in his own mind, it would require Episcopal authority as well as Episcopal mission even to preach. But he organized these Preachers, had conferences with them, threw them into a system, sent them forth, and appointed them their places-and all this with a governing hand, taking an imperium in imperio to himself, without any commission from the Church so to do, but only of his own mere will. This was the first and leading self-deception. And then came the natural consequence. The Lay Preachers, as a class, were more faithful, or had more eloquence, or spoke with closer feeling, and more persuasive unction than the Preachers of the Church, and thence arose unkind comparisons in the estimation of the multitude; and thence, unavoidable division. Wesley was accused of this, and though he reprehended it himself in words, yet he virtually promoted it in act. "It has been loudly affirmed," he said, "that most of the persons now in connection with me, who believe it their duty to call sinners to repentance, having been taken immediately from low trades-tailors, shoemakers, and other such like, are a set of poor, stupid, illiterate men, that scarcely know their right hand from their left; yet I cannot but say that I would sooner cut off my right hand than suffer one of them to speak a word in any of our chapels, if I had not reasonable proof that he had more knowledge of himself, more knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, more knowledge of GOD, and of the things of GOD, than nine in ten of the Clergymen I have conversed with, either at the Universities or elsewhere."* Could this be true-"more than nine in ten?" However, whether true or not true, it shews the schismatic tendency, if not actual schism, of his appointment of Lay Preachers outside of the authority of the Church; that Church whose son he professed to be, and which certainly had given to him as a Priest no such authority. And this inconsistency seems to thicken as time advances. He cannot help perceiving that he is like a ship drifting against a lee shore. He sees the danger, acknowledges the risk, yet drifts on imperceptibly to the rocks against which he is to be dashed. In 1788, at the Conference of Preachers, he writes in this very spirit. Tuesday, 3rd August, 1788. "One of the most important points considered at this Conference, was that of leaving the Church. The sum of a long conversation was1. That in a course of fifty years, we had neither premeditately nor willingly varied from it in one article, either of doctrine or discipline. 2. That we were not yet conscious of varying from it in any point of doctrine. 3. That we have in a course of years, out of necessity, not choice, slowly and warily varied from it in some points of discipline, by preaching in the Sermons. fields, by extemporary prayer, by employing Lay Preachers, by forming and regulating Societies, and by holding yearly Conferences. But we did none of these things till we were convinced we could no longer omit them, but at the peril of our souls." Alas! Is not this the excuse and the palliation of every Schismatic in every age? Would it not justify Luther or Calvin? Was it not in fact their very excuse, as well as that of Wesley. And to what did it ultimately lead? In a former number mention was made of the state of the Church in America, and the circumstances under which Methodism had made its footing in that country, both before the outbreak of the war and subsequently. Mention was made of a Dr. Coke in connection with those events. It will be necessary now to describe more particularly those circumstances. The Methodists were in difficulty as to maintaining some appearance of Church order in the administration of the Sacraments. They were cut off from the Church and from the Bishops by the American war. The Episcopal party sought ordination from the English Bishops, and could not obtain it. The Methodist party, on the principles of John Wesley, could not act without some ordained Clergyman. What could they do? There was a very able and eloquent man among the Methodist connection, who was a Priest of the English Church-Dr. Coke. He had held preferment in the Church, and was a noted man among them; not itinerating as the other Preachers, but holding a kind of surveillance or direction of the Preachers in conjunction with Wesley himself. In the first instance, Wesley applied to the Bishop of London to request that he would send out ordained Preachers to America; but there was a legal impediment to this. Neither Bishop nor Priest could be sent from England according to Law. It was the result of that all-embarrassing connection of Church and State, that fatal bond, out of which till we get free and escape, no great blessing can ever attend us, as indeed then it was proved. Wesley, in this difficulty, read himself into a persuasion that a Priest and a Bishop were the same thing, and that as such, and in such a case, he could send out a Preacher of his own authority! Yes, and not only a Preacher but a Priest, and not only a Priest The but a Bishop! He reasoned himself into this idea in this way. "By a very uncommon train of circumstances many of the Provinces of North America are totally disjoined from the mother country and erected into independent States. English Government has no authority over them, either civil or ecclesiastical, any more than over the States of Holland. Å civil authority is exercised over them partly by the Congress, partly by the Provincial Assemblies, but no one either exercises.or claims any ecclesiastical authority at all. In this peculiar situation, some thousands of the inhabitants of these States desire my advice"-then asserting his opinion of the Bishops and Priests as the same order, he came to the conclusion that he had the same right to ordain as they had; that when importuned to ordain his own English Lay Preachers he had refused to do this, because he was unwilling to violate the established order of the National Church, but that the case in America was widely different. "Here, in England," said he, "there are Bishops and Parish Priests sufficient to administer the Sacraments; in America there are none either to baptize or administer the LORD'S Supper for hundreds of miles together. Here, therefore," he concluded, "my scruples are at an end." Accordingly, forthwith he summoned Dr. Coke to Bristol, and with him Mr. Creighton, another English Priest who had joined the Methodists; and those three together ordained, so to say, Richard Whatcoat and Thomas Vasey presbyters for America; and then he proceeded further to consecrate Dr. Coke himself Superintendent or Bishop. What a strange self-delusion; for if, as was assumed, Priest and Bishop were the same order, where the necessity of ordaining or consecrating a Bishop; and if Dr. Čoke were regularly ordained, as he had been, and as was shewn by summoning him to ordain Whatcoat and Vasey then wherefore the necessity of a fresh act of consecration for Dr. Coke, for he was as good a Bishop, by his own shewing, as Wesley himself. But not stopping to discuss such niceties, he gave liberty of ordination to his newlymade Bishop, and sent him forth in these words: "To all to whom these presents shall come. John Wesley, late Fellow of Lin 186 coln College, in Oxford, Presbyter of the Church of England, sendeth greeting: Whereas of the people in the southmany ern Provinces of North America, who desire to continue under my care, and still | adhere to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England! are greatly distressed for want of ministers to administer the Sacraments of Baptism and the LORD's Supper, according to the usage of the same Church! and whereas there does not appear any other way of supplying them with ministers-know all men, that I, John Wesley, think myself to be providentially called at this time to set apart some persons for the work of the ministry in America. And therefore, under the protection of ALMIGHTY GOD, and with a single eye to His Glory, I have this day set apart as a Superintendent, by the imposition of my hands and prayer, being assisted by other ordained ministersThomas Coke, Doctor of Civil Law, a Presbyter of the Church of England, and a man whom I judge well qualified for the work; and I do hereby recommend him, to all whom it may concern, as a fit person to preside over the flock of CHRIST. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and seal, this second day of September, in the year of our LORD, One Thousand Seven Hundred and Eighty Four." "JOHN WESLEY." It is true "Necessitas not habet legem" necessity has no law-and on this principle some might say-This assumption of Episcopal power was justified as an exceptional case. But even granting that it was a necessary thing to send out some who might minister the Sacraments to the people of America, still could not that necessity have been answered by Dr. Coke and Mr. Creighton, already ordained Priests? What necessity for this ordination of Laymen by Wesley, and this mock consecration of a Bishop or Superintendent to be set over them? Surely this act, however loth we may be to say it, was nothing more or less than one of Schism, according both to common sense and the canons of the Church. How strange was that document which asserted in words that there was an adherence to the doctrine and discipline of the Church of England, and yet the very act which issued the document was a palpable violation of it. 6. And not only that-but alas-in the He seems indeed at last to have laid aside year 1787 this scene was again repeated. all pretensions to the preservation of that Unity, which he had so long advocated, and broken down by circumstances, to have yielded the whole fortress to the enemy. In the year 1787 with the assistance of two clerical coadjutors as before, Mr. Creighton and Mr. Peard Dickinson, he ordained two of his Lay Preachers and consecrated Mr. Mather a Bishop or Superintendant. Now there was at least no necessity here in England as before in America. Alas! No. What are we to say? How shall we defend it? Estimable, and indeed great, as was the character of John Wesley-sincere, as we must in charity action of his life.-yet these acts we canbelieve him ever to have been in every not justify. They must go down to posterity as they are recorded, the fruits of circumstances, of perplexity, and entanglement, beyond the power of his guidance Knox very carefully in the following or extrication. It is summed up by Mr. remarks:-" John Wesley's share in these separating movements had nothing in it design, but was a reluctant yielding to of artificial contrivance, or of systematic circumstances, which had become embarrassing in proportion as he became incapable of managing them, while at the same fain have palliated, but which he could not time he foresaw results, which he would anticipate without unfeigned anguish of heart." his eighty-sixth birthday-still preaching, And now the end draws on. He came to still carrying on his usual works without intermission-and only giving up his five o'clock Sermons in the morning. Take random pages in his Journal, and see how this extraordinary man laboured to the very last. If he were sick and ailing for the moment-not the least daunted nor giving up, he rose and did battle again against every infirmity of age. Thus he writes:-Sunday, 2nd of August, 1789.— 66 Knowing the Church would not contain assistance of three other Clergymen, I Having before preached to the people, I now spoke directly to the Preachers. Wednesday 5th. About noon we left Leeds, and that evening went to Newark (not in a Railway Carriage)-about seventy miles. Thursday 6th. We set out and reached Hinkxworth. I was now pretty well inclined to rest, but a congregation gathering together I could not disappoint them, but preached on 'We love Him because He first loved us;' and after preaching and travelling fourscore miles, I was no more tired than when I set out in the morning." Now this was in the eighty-seventh year of his age! But very shortly after this, when he entered his eighty-eighth year, he does at last begin to he does at last begin to feel the decay of years. Thus he says:Monday, 28th July, 1790. "For above eighty-six years I found none of the infirmities of age; my eyes did not wax dim, neither was my natural strength abated. But last August I found a sudden change. My eyes were so dim that no glasses could help me. My strength likewise now quite But I feel no pain from head to foot, only it seems nature is exhausted, and, humanly speaking, will sink more and forsook me. more till 'The weary springs of life stand still at last.'" And so it was; but still he went on in his work, until the 17th February, 1791, when he took cold after preaching at Lambeth. For some days he struggled against increasing fever; and yet, even then, preached on till the Wednesday following, when he delivered his last Sermon. From that time he became daily weaker and weaker until the second of March, when he died out of sheer exhaustion of body in perfect peace. It was the eighty-eighth year of his age and the sixty-fifth of his ministry. Some years before, he had prepared a vault for himself and those itinerant preachers who might die in London. He had directed in his will that six poor men should have twenty shillings each for carrying his body to the grave" for I particularly desire," he said, "that there be no hearse, no coach, no escutcheon, no pomp, except the tears of them that loved me, and are following me to Abraham's bosom." And thus departed in peace a man who, in the eyes of Religion and the Church, had done as much good in the abstract truths of holiness and faith, as he had done irreparable evil in preparing the way for the greatest Schism which after rent the Church of England. In the immediate effects of his teaching, and in the system which he left behind him, there are no doubt abundant fruits of his zealtruths which have reclaimed many souls from sin, and supported them in temptations, in sorrow, and in death; but the wound inflicted on the rent and torn bosom of the Church has never been healed. The Schism first begun in his latter days, has never ceased, and Methodism, instead of drawing nearer and nearer to the mother who bore it, as he fondly thought it would, has, year by year, become more independent and more separatemore hostile and more eager to show the rebellion of an erring child. It may be that the good will predominate over the evil in the end, and that even yet the Methodists may conform again to the Church. If so, we will in charity sink the evils of his Schism in the unquestioned revival of energy, life, and sanctity introduced into a Church which, before his days, had degenerated into a mere Erastian Establishment. THE ARCHBISHOP'S JUDGMENT. We have now to apply the three tests agreed upon, to the proposition which asserts the Real Presence of our Blessed LORD in the Holy Eucharist. 66 Many persons, it is feared, who might peruse this paper, not being trained in the niceties of Theological controversy, would misunderstand the meaning of the words "Real Presence," and confound them with a very different word, that of Transubstantiation. It was the Council of Lateran, 1215, which first introduced that word, and the Synod of Trent which finally made it a theological term to describe a doctrino. It was declared therein, "That by the consecration of the bread "and wine a conversion takes place of the "whole substance of the bread into the "substance of the Body of CHRIST our "LORD, and of the whole substance of the "wine into the substance of His Blood, "which conversion the Holy Catholic "Church suitably and properly calls Tran"substantiation." |