Thou hear'st the pleading Spirit's groan, "Come quickly, Lord," the Spirit cries; "Erect thy tabernacle here, The New Jerusalem send down; 'Begin the great millennial day; Now, Saviour, with a shout descend; Thy standard in the heavens display, And bring the joy which ne'er shall end." It was about this time that Mr. Charles Wesley began to publish, in the form of small tracts, for the use of the Methodist societies and congregations, hymns adapted to the principal festivals of the Christian church, and other special occasions; such as the "Nativity" of Christ, his "Resurrection," "Whitsunday," "New-Year's day," and "Watchnights." Other poetical tracts he also published, containing graces before and after meat, and doxologies addressed to the Holy Trinity. The following hymn for a watch-night contains an apology for such services, which had then become frequent, and exhibits to advantage the joyous and triumphant spirit of the writer, and of the people with whom he was accustomed to worship: Come, let us anew Our pleasures pursue; The day is too short; let us borrow the night; In sanctified joy Each moment employ TO JESUS's praise, And spend, and be spent, in the triumph of grace, The slaves of excess, Their senses to please, Whole nights can bestow; And on in a circle of riot they go: The drunkards proclaim At midnight their shame, And loud to the praise of their master they sing : Which Satan inspires, In sonnets they breathe, And shouting descend to the regions of death. The civiler crowd In theatres proud And Satan in nightly assemblies adore : Or in pleasures excel, And chant in a grove* to the harpers of hell. All thanks to the Source of our endless delight. Thus, thus we bestow And singing remove, With all the redeem'd, to the Sion above: With our harps in our hand, And eternally sing, and rejoice, and adore. The watch-night services which were conducted by Mr. Charles Wesley in those times were usually seasons of great solemnity and power. Amidst the silence of the night, and in the absence of riotous people and triflers, he and his fellowworshippers anticipated the sound of the trumpet which shall awake the dead, and proclaim the appearance of the almighty Judge. His prayers, and impressive addresses to the people, with the appropriate hymns which they unitedly sang at his dictation, seemed to bring them near to the day of the Lord; and they rejoiced before him with the deepest reverence. The following well-known hymns were all composed to be sung upon these occasions : and, Thou Judge of quick and dead; Ye virgin souls, awake; Join all ransom'd sons of grace; Oft have we pass'd the guilty night; How happy, gracious Lord, are we, Our night in praise and prayer! CHAPTER XIII. THE state of the country was now alarming. Charles Stuart, the grandson of James II., having attempted without success, to land a French army on the coast of Kent, for the purpose of regaining the British crown, made his appearance in Scotland, where many of the disaffected clans flocked to his standard. The task of resisting him was confided to General Cope, who had the command of the royal army; but his plans were weakly laid, and feebly executed; so that Charles was in a little while master of Edinburgh. He soon after defeated the King's troops at the battle of Preston-pans, where the brave Colonel Gardiner lost his life. This youthful claimant of the British crown was a man of genteel and graceful appearance, affable and engaging in his manners, and of an enterprising spirit. His professions to all classes of people were, of course, liberal and flattering; but he was a tool of the Papacy, and a pensioner upon France; so that, were he to succeed in his project, it was easy to perceive that genuine liberty, both civil and religious, would be no more. Popery and arbitrary power, an iron despotism in Church and State, would have been the sad inheritance of a people who enjoyed constitutional freedom in a higher degree than any other nation whatever. The Pretender's progress and success in Scotland, therefore, filled all sound and intelligent Protestants with just alarm. In this feeling both the Wesleys participated. They had already put into extensive circulation several loyal and Protestant publications, both in prose and verse, adapted to the exigency of the times; they enforced the duty of loyalty wherever they went; they called upon their societies in all places to unite in prayer for the preservation of the reigning Monarch, and the establishment of his throne; and they urged upon all their congregations the necessity of repentance, as the only means of averting the impending judgments of God, and of obtaining national tranquillity. The follow ing selections from the journal of Charles will show the strength of his attachment to the Protestant King, with whose mild and constitutional sway the nation was blessed; and the manner in which he laboured to sanctify the public danger. He was still in Wales. "Sept. 6th, 1745. At the hour of intercession we found an extraordinary power of God upon us, and close communion with our absent brethren. Afterwards I found, by letters from London, that it was their solemn fast-day. The night we passed in prayer. I read them my heavy tidings out of the north. The lion is come up from his thicket; and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way.' "Sept. 8th. The spirit of supplication was given us in the society for His Majesty King George; and in strong faith we asked his deliverance from all his enemies and troubles. Sept. 9th. My three weeks' delightful confinement ended, and I returned to Cardiff. "Sept. 11th. I rose after a restless night, with a fever upon me; but was forced to take my bed again. How gladly would I have been taken from the evil to come! but, alas! my sufferings are scarcely begun. "Sept. 14th. My fever left me, and my strength so far returned, that I could sit a horse, with one behind me. Almost as soon as we set out my supporter and I were thrown over the horse's head, but neither hurt. My lameness was much mended by three or four days' rest. "Sept. 22d. I preached at Wenvo, 'that ye may be found of Him in peace;' then at Fonmon, on that great and terrible day of the Lord. His fear was mightily upon us: but at the society his love constrained and quite overpowered us. For two hours we wept before the Lord, and wrestled for our Sodom. We shall hear of these prayers another day. "Sept. 25th. After a tedious and dangerous passage, I got to shore, and soon after to Bristol. I heard the news confirmed of Edinburgh being taken by the rebels; and saw all around in deep sleep and security. I warned our children with great affection. Our comforts we expect will increase with our danger. |