TO 1760.] THE FOUNDATION OF METHODISM. Toleration Act to that time, tithes and church-rates enabled them to plunder and imprison, even to death, many of the quakers. So long as the Schism Act existed, they continued to make ample use of it against their dissenting fellowsubjects. Dr. Doddridge, by the advice of Dr. Watts, and the leading independents, commenced an academy at Northampton for training students for the ministry; but he was speedily prosecuted by the clergy in the spiritual court, and it was only by the king's express commands that the proceedings were put a stop to. The treatment of Wesley, and Whitefield, and their companions, was of the most disgraceful kind. These remarkable men might be said to be the landmarks raised by 591 of Burnet; those of Atterbury, a high tory, were quite as strong. A description of the state of religion in the country, drawn up by him, was presented by convocation to the queen, which stated that "the manifest growth of immorality and profaneness," "the relaxation and decay of the discipline of the church," "the disregard to all religious places, persons, and things," had scarcely had a parallel in any age. Dr. Calamy, a great nonconformist, equally complains that the "decay of real religion, both in and out of the church," was most visible. In Ireland, it was confessed that things, if possible, were still worse. It was at this era of darkness, depravity, ignorance, and crime, that John, and Charles Wesley, his brother, and Providence to show that spiritual darkness, ignorance, bigotry, and decline of morals had reached their climax. The whole nation, with some few bright exceptions, lay in the most deplorable condition of moral and religious destitution possible. The government had ceased to interest itself in almost everything except foreign wars and official corruption; the people at large were left totally without education or moral training; the clergy was become worldly, bitter, and persecuting, and indifferent to, or incapable of, their proper religious duties; the literature of the country was tainted by the most repulsive grossness and sensuality; and, in short, the whole land lay one frightful scene of mental poverty and abjectness. We have quoted the words George Whitefield, came forward to preach a revival, and laid the foundation of Methodism-one of the most extraordinary instruments of religious, moral, and social regeneration which has appeared in any age of the world, and which not only stands as the far greatest fact of this particular period, but has operated in the great mass of the people an unparalleled life and elevation of mind and character, such as it is difficult to comprehend or calculate, and of which there are few who are fully aware. But, the more any one informs himself of the spirit and tone of the age we are describing, and then makes himself acquainted with this revival in the swarming populations of our manufacturing towns and districts, our great mining districts and coal districts, and weaving, and spinning, and pottery districts, and then traces movements. Wesley saw this and avoided it. He took care its benign and invigorating influence over the wide regions that every man and woman in bis society counted for someof America and our colonies, the more he will stand thing more than a mere unit. If an individual was not a amazed at the achievements of Methodism, and vene-wheel in the system, he was, at least, a cog in a wheel. The rate its founders as amongst the greatest humanisers, machinery of class-meetings and love-feasts brought members civilisers, and bene factors of mankind. Nor is it amongst together in little groups, where every one was recognised the masses only that Methodism has worked this beneficent and had a personal interest. Numbers of men, who had no work-its leaven has gone upwards through hierarchical and higher ambition, could enjoy the distinction of class-leaders. aristocratic heights, and may be safely said to have vivified It did not require a man to go to college and take orders to the very throne. For nothing is more striking than the new become a preacher. Thomas Maxwell with Wesley, and life and zeal which have of late years pervaded the church, Cowel Harris with Whitefield, led the way from the plane of and nothing is so certain that this sprung from the root of the laity into the pulpits of methodism, and have been folMethodism, necessitated by the very sense of self-preservation, lowed by tens of thousands who have become able if not learned, and, no doubt, increased by nobler motives, by their catch-and eloquent if not Greek-imbued, preachers. A new, and ing a portion of that same spreading and pervading fire, which was thrown into the darkness of the world by Whitefield and the Wesleys, but especially by the latter. These young men, students at Oxford, all of them originally of clerical families but Whitefield-immediately the son of an innkeeper-with Hervey, afterwards the author of the well-known "Meditations amongst the Tombs," &c., and some others of their fellow-collegians, struck by the dearth of religious life of the time, met at their rooms for prayer and spiritual improvement. They were soon assailed with the nicknames of Sacramentarians, Bible Moths, and finally, Methodists, a term current against the puritans in those days, and suggested by the appellative methodista, given to a college of physicians in ancient Rome, in consequence of the strict regime which they prescribed to their patients. vast, and animating field was thus opened to native talent, sufficient of itself to create an ardent attachment in the hearts of the multitude to the new system. Wesley divided the whole country into districts, into which he sent one or more well-endowed preachers, who were called circuit preachers, or round preachers, from their going their rounds in their particular circuits. Under the ministry of these sprung up volunteer preachers, who first led prayermeetings, and then ascended to the pulpit in the absence of the circuit preachers, and most of them-mere workmen, or labourers as they were, weavers, miners, smiths, butchers, potters, shepherds-soon discovered unexpected talents, and edifying their own local and often remote or obscure little auditories, became styled local preachers. Out of these local preachers ever and anon grew men of large minds and fertilising eloquence, who became the burning and shining lights of the whole firmament of methodism. Such was the origin of that great body of Methodists, now divided in various sections, which has done so much for the people, before utterly left to a dreary heathendom, and, by collateral action, so much for the general life of religion, all over the Anglo-Saxon world. In 1734 the Wesleys commenced their career as preachers to the people, and were soon followed by Whitefield. This may, therefore, be considered the date of the foundation of Methodism. None of them had any the remotest idea of separating from the church, or founding new sects. The Wesleys made a voyage to Georgia, in America, and, on their return, found their little party not only flourishing in Whitefield and Wesley soon separated into distinct fields Oxford but in London, where they had a meeting-house in of labour, as was inevitable, from Whitefield embracing Fetter-lane. Whitefield, however, was the first to commence Calvinism and Wesley Arminianism. Whitefield became the practice of field-preaching, amongst the colliers at popular amongst the aristocracy, from the Countess of Kingswood, near Bristol; but in this he was soon Huntingdon becoming one of his followers, and, at the same imitated by Wesley. As they began to attract attention time, his great patron. Whitefield, like the Wesleys, made by the ardour of their preaching and the wonderful effect repeated tours in America, and visited all the British posseson the people, this became necessary, for speedily all sions there. When in England, he generally made an church doors were closed against them. John Wesley had a annual tour in it, extending his labours to Scotland and peculiar genius for the construction of a new religious com- several times to Ireland. On one of his voyages to America munity, and he was ready to collect hints for its organisation he made some stay at Lisbon. Everywhere he astonished his from any quarter. The most prolific source of his ordinances hearers by his vivid eloquence; and Benjamin Franklin refor his new society was the system of the Moravians, whose lates a singular triumph of Whitefield over his prejudices and great settlement at Herrnhuth, in Germany, he visited, and his pocket. He died at Newbury Port, near Boston, United had much consultation with its head, count Zinzendorf. States. If Whitefield did not found so numerous a body as From it he drew his class-meetings, his love-feasts, and the Wesley, he yet left a powerful impression on his age; and we like. In framing the constitution of his society, Wesley still trace his steps, by little bodies of Calvinistic methodists, displayed a profound knowledge of human nature. The in various quarters of the kingdom, especially in Wales. system of the Anglican establishment has this radical defect In Scotland the revolution of 1688 completely prostrated —that it makes the hierarchy everything, the laity nothing. episcopalianism as the state church, and restored presbyNo layman has any voice in its administration, except the terianism. The bishops to the last clung to James II., sovereign, who is the head, and the humble churchwarden, had forced them on Scotland, and refused to acquiesce in sexton, clerk, and bell-ringer, who are the tail. Hence the new settlement, fondly hoping that James would come the little interest which the mass of the population feel in its back again. William therefore left the Scots to follow their who TO 1700.] STATE OF THE CHURCH OF SCOTLAND. predilections, and again re-established presbyterianism; and, indeed, before William had shown his bias, the people, on the fall of James, had simultaneously, on Christmas day, stripped, in the southern counties, two hundred clergymen of their canonical attire, and driven them out of their churches. In a few weeks this example had been followed over the greater part of Scotland. On the 11th of April, 1689, an act was passed by the Scottish convention, conferring the crown on William and Mary, and abolishing the episcopal church in favour of the presbyterian. In the coronation oath the Scotch, with their usual zeal against heretics, introduced a clause, making the king swear to extirpate them; but William stopped, and declared that he could not be a persecutor; and the Scottish commissioners were obliged to say that the oath did not literally require that, on which William observed that he took the oath only in that sense. When the convention was converted into a parliament, this act was formally renewed; and on the 25th of April an act was passed, authorising that such presbyterian ministers still living as were expelled in 1661, should return, and take quiet possession of their manses and pulpits. On the 7th of June, by another act, all acts passed in favour of the episcopal church were abolished, the Westminster Confession was adopted as the confession of faith of the Scottish church, and its government was recognised alike by kirk-sessions, presbyteries, provincial synods, and general assemblies. The restored presbyterian ministers, only sixty in number, were authorised to fill the rest of the vacant livings; and such episcopal ministers as had not been already found out were soon chased thence by the eager and stern aspirants to their places. The next and most difficult thing was to satisfy all parties by the mode in which ministers should in future be chosen. There was the difficulty of deciding betwixt the noblemen and great landholders, who, under the late system, were the lay patrons; and the mass of the people were to choose their own ministers, "according to the warrant of God's Word." A compromise was eventually made. By an act of July 19th, the candidate for a living was to be first selected by the heritors (landed proprietors) and elders; but the congregation might accept or reject him, as they thought best. If rejected, the case was then referred to the presbytery, who might still confirm the appointment, if they thought the objections to him insufficient. The people's share in the choice of a minister amounted merely to a veto on the choice of the heritors and elders, which the presbytery could set aside. If the heritors and elders thought proper to purchase the right of the original lay patron, they were bound to pay him six hundred merks-thirty-three pounds sterling. Under queen Anne, as in England, the episcopalians raised their heads, and endeavoured to disturb the order of things in Scotland. They succeeded so far that, in 1712, they procured an act, setting aside this mode of choosing ministers and restored the right of the lay patrons; but by what was called the jus devolutum, if a patron neglected for six months to fill up a vacant charge, the presbytery should fill it up. In 1732 the general assembly enacted that in all cases in which the patron had not filled the vacancy within the proper time, the heritors and elders, as before the act of 1712, should select the candidate, the ultimate appointment still 593 belonging to the presbytery. This, however, led to a schism. The Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, of Stirling, declaring that the right of appointment of ministers belonged to the people alone, and had nothing to do with heritors or tenure of land, objected to an act of Assembly of 1732. Being joined by his brother, Ralph Erskine, of Dunfermline, and others, the General Assembly at length, in 1740, expelled the objectors from the church, and the expelled formed themselves into what they called "the Associated Presbytery," and in 1744 they took the name of "the Associated Synod," including the three presbyteries of Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Dunfermline, numbering sixteen congregations more than they could find ministers for, but having a theological class, said to contain more theological students than at any of the Scotch universities, except that of Edinburgh. In 1747, however, a division took place in this body, on account of the oath which all burgesses were required to take in some of the Scotch corporations, declaring their hearty and entire agreement with the religion as by law established. This the members of the Secession, as it was called, had taken; but now many objected, and separated from the main body on that account, the party willing to take the oath being now styled Burghers, the objecting party being styled AntiBurghers. Many of the Anti-Burghers afterwards reunited with the Burghers, and the body was then styled the "United Associate Synod; " but the parties of Burghers and AntiBurghers have continued till the agitation of the Free-Kirk question in our time, when a great number of the Original Burgher Synod have returned into the bosom of the establishment. Besides these sects, or sections-for they all held the same religious opinions-there branched off, in 1730, a sect of independents called "Glassites," from the Rev. John Glass, the originator of the movement. In 1752 another secession took place at the instigation of the Rev. Thomas Gillespie, who was afterwards joined by the Rev. Thomas Boston. Their followers adopted the name of "the Relief Synod," who allow a greater freedom of communion than any other sect in Scotland; and, next to the Associate Synod, are the most numerous of the dissenters of Scotland. There is also a remnant of the old Cameronians, styling themselves “the Reformed Presbyterian Church," who have more than thirty congregations, chiefly in the southern counties, and an equally numerous body in the north of Ireland. They are also frequently called "Macmillanites," from Mr. Macmillan, one of their most distinguished preachers. The Free-Kirk movement is of our time, and requires no notice here. LITERATURE AND SCIENCE. The literature of this period is more distinguished for learning and cleverness than for genius. There are a few names that rise above the smartness and mere accomplishment of the time into the regions of pure genius; but, with very few exceptions, even they bear the stamp of the perioda worldly tone, destitute of those diviner qualities, the love of spiritual and intellectual beauty, the comprehension of the higher influences of the universe, the worship of God in His emanations of sublime truth, infinite greatness, and beneficence, and the appreciation of those fairer and more attractive features of human life and character, which render the masterpieces of genius imperishably lovely. We have here no Milton, no Shakespeare, no Herbert, no Herrick, even, to produce; but De Foe, Addison, Steele, Thomson, and Pope, if they do not lift us to the highest creative plane, give us glimpses and traits of what is found there. For the rest, however full of power, there hangs a tone of " town," of a ADDISON'S WALK AT OXFORD. vicious and sordid era, about them, of artificial and by no means refined life, a flavour of the grovelling of the politics which distinguished the period, and of the low views and feelings which occupied and surrounded the throne during the greater portion of this term. The monarchs were engaged in wars, the statesmen in miserable cabals for their own power, and in miserable subservience to the mediocre and selfish monarchs who ruled after the death of William and Mary, and these things gave a tone to society which had a baneful effect on literature. The Georgian era has been praised as the Augustan era of England; we have only to see what went before it and what has come after it, to appreciate it at its true value. There was no lack of learning, much ability, wit, and smartness, but little comparatively of the grandeur and the magnanimous beauty of first-rate minds. There is much that we must admire, more that we must condemn; but, with the exception of "Robinson Crusoe," Thomson's "Seasons," some of the papers of Addison in the "Spectator," and some of the poems of Pope, little that we embrace with that unreserved and cordial love with which we cling to the great works of our noblest writers. yet alive; Wycherley still poured out his licentious poems; and Southerne wrote the greater part of his plays. His "Oronooka" and his "Fatal Marriage" were produced now, and he received such prices as astonished Dryden. Whilst Dryden never obtained more than a hundred pounds for a play, Southerne obtained his six or seven hundred. We may satisfy ourselves as to Dutch William's appreciation of poetry by the fact that Shadwell was his first poet-laureate and Nahum Tate the next. Dr. Nicholas Brady and Nahum Tate made the version of the Psalms which still disgraces our church service. Sir William Temple, Baxter, Sir George Mackenzie, Stillingfleet, and Evelyn, as well as some others flourishing at the end of the last period, still remained. PROSE WRITERS. Amongst the earliest of these may be mentioned the theological authors. Cumberland was the author of a Latin treatise, "De Legibus Naturæ," in which he successfully combated the infidelity of Hobbes. Bull, who, as well as Cumberland, became a bishop, had distinguished himself before the revolution by his "Harmonia Apostolica," an anti-Calvinistic work, and by his "Defensio Fidei Nicene." In 1694 he published his "Judicium Ecclesiæ Catholicæ." John Norris, of the school of Cudworth and Henry More, and nearly the last of that school called the English Platonists, published, besides many other works, his "Essay on the Ideal World" in 1701 and 1702. He also wrote some religious poetry of no particular mark. Tillotson and South were the great authors of sermons of this period. Tillotson was one of the most popular preachers of the time, but may THE RESIDENCE OF RICHARDSON, THE NOVELIST. Some of the writers of the last period were still existing in this. Dryden was living, and wrote some of his most perfect works, as his "Fables," and his "Alexander's Feast," as well as translated Virgil, after the Revolution. He was still hampered by his miserable but far more successful be said to have done more good by his liberal and amiable dramatic rivals, Shadwell and Elkanah Settle. Nathaniel influence at the head of the church than by his preaching. Lee produced in William's time his tragedies, "The Princess There is a solid and genuinely pious character about the of Cleve," and his “Massacre of Paris." Etherege was sermons of Tillotson which suited the better-trained class of TO 1760.] THE DIVINES OF THE PERIOD. 595 mind of his age, but which would now be deemed rather continued, with little intermission, to the time of his death heavy. South has more life and a more popular style; he in 1715-a space of forty-six years. His great works are was therefore more attractive to the courtiers of his day "The Reformation of the Church," in three volumes, folio, than to the sober citizens, and he has larded his text with 1679, 1681, and 1714; and his " History of Our Own what were then deemed sprightly sallies and dashing phrases, Time," in two volumes, published after his death in 1723 but which are now felt as vulgarisms. Both the divines, and 1734. Burnet lays no claim to eloquence or to much however, have furnished to our succeeding preachers much genius, and he has been accused of a fondness for gossip, and gleaning. Dr. Gilbert Burnet, bishop of Salisbury, who for his self-importance; but the qualities which sink all these figures so prominently in the reign of William and Mary, and who rendered such essential service to the establishment of religious liberty, is the great historian of his time. With out his narratives of his own period, we should have a very defective idea of it. With all his activity at court and in parliament, he was a most voluminous writer. His publications amount to no less than a hundred and forty-five, though many of these are mere tracts, and some of them even only single sermons. His earliest productions date from 1669, and they things into mere secondary considerations are his honesty and heartiness in the support of sound and liberal principles far beyond the majority of his fellow prelates and churchmen. Whilst many of these were spending their energies in opposing reformation and toleration, and some of them, like Atterbury, were endeavouring to bring back popery and despotism in the person of the pretender, Burnet was incessantly, by word and pen, engaged in assisting to build up and establish those broad and Christian principles under |