"A dissolution of all bonds ensued; Couper. Such Whitefield found the general character of the Oxford students to be. "I was quickly solicited to join in their excess of riot, by several who lay in the same room. Once in particular, it being cold, my limbs were so benumbed by sitting alone in my study, because I would not go out amongst them, that I could scarce sleep all night. I had no sooner received the sacrament publicly on a week day, at St. Mary's, but I was set up as a mark for all the polite students, that knew me, to shoot at; for though there is a sacrament at the beginning of every term, at which all, especially the seniors, are by statute obliged to be present; yet, so dreadfully has that once faithful city played the harlot, that very few masters, no graduates, (but the methodists,) attended upon it." I quote the latter part of this extract, not to deplore the falling off in attendance, as Whitefield does: the sacrament was "More honoured in the breach, than the observance" of the statute, by such men; but the breach illustrates both the state of discipline and of religion at the time. There were, however, some lilies among the rank thorns of Oxford. Of these solitary exceptions, the Wesleys and their associates were the most exemplary. This little band had then existed during five years, and were called, in derision, methodists. Their regular habits and rigid virtue, were proverbial throughout the University and the city. They were the friends of the poor, and the patrons of the serious. But, with all these excellences of character, the Wesleys united much enthusiasm, and an almost incredible degree of ignorance in regard to the gospel. Their avowed object, in all their voluntary privations and zealous efforts, was, to save their souls, and to live wholly to the glory of God: a noble enterprise, certainly; but undertaken by them from erroneous motives, and upon wrong principles. For any relief which their consciences seem to have obtained from the death of the Son of God, and the free salvation proclaimed in virtue of it, the gospel might have been altogether untrue or unknown; so grossly ignorant were the whole band at one time. And yet, at this period, Mr. John Wesley was a fellow of Lincoln College, and teaching others. Nine years before, he had been ordained by Dr. Potter, who was afterwards archbishop of Canterbury. This fact reveals one of two things: either, that the young men were very inattentive to the theological lectures delivered from the divinity chair, or that the lectures themselves were very unscriptural. Perhaps the fault lay partly on both sides; for it is highly probable, that such young men would underrate the cold, systematic lectures of a professor. I am led to form this opinion, because the celebrated mystic, William Law, was, at the time, their oracle. They imitated his ascetic habits, and imbibed his spirit of quietism. He had said to John Wesley, who was likely to circulate the notion, " You would have a philosophical religion, but there can be no such thing. Religion is the most simple thing: it is only, We love Him because he first loved us." Such indefinite maxims assimilated, but too readily, with the mystic temper of the persons they were addressed to; and silent contemplation, in solitude, being the very spirit of Law's system, Wesley and his associates were not likely to relish argumentative theology, however excellent. The following account of their devotional habits, will illustrate the true character of their religious sentiments, at the time of Whitefield's arrival from Gloucester. "They interrogate themselves whether they have been simple and recollected; whether they have prayed with fervour, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and on Saturday noon; if they have used a collect at nine, twelve, and three o'clock; duly meditated on Sunday, from three to four, on Thomas a Kempis; or mused on Wednesday and Friday, from twelve to one, on the Passion." Thus were they monks in almost every thing except the name. It was necessary to delineate thus minutely the original cha racter of methodism, that its natural influence upon the susceptible mind of Whitefield may be anticipated. Suffering and smarting, as he did, from vicious indulgence, and now seriously bent upon the ministry, he was not likely to associate with the profligate or the profane in the University. He did not. “God gave me grace to withstand, when they solicited me to join in their excess of riot. When they perceived they could not prevail, they let me alone, as a singular, odd fellow." He did not, however, join himself to the methodists at once. "The young men, so called, were then much talked of at Oxford. I heard of and loved them before I came to the University; and so strenuously defended them, when I heard them reviled by the students, that they began to think that I also, in time, should be one of them. For above a twelvemonth, my soul longed to be acquainted with some of them, and I was strongly pressed to follow their good example, when I saw them go through a ridiculing crowd, to receive the holy eucharist at St. Mary's." How much he was prepared to enter into their peculiar spirit when he did join them, will appear also from the following hint. "Before I went to the University, I met with Mr. Law's' Serious Call to Devout Life,' but had not money to purchase it. Soon after my coming up to the University, seeing a small edition of it in a friend's hand, I soon procured it. God worked powerfully upon my soul by that excellent treatise." Thus, like two drops of water, they were quite prepared to unite whenever they came in contact. And this soon occurred. "It happened that a poor woman, in one of the workhouses, had attempted to cut her throat, but was happily prevented. Upon hearing of this, and knowing that the two Mr. Wesleys were ready to every good work, I sent a poor aged apple-woman of our college, to inform Mr. Charles Wesley of it; charging her not to discover who sent her. She went; but, contrary to my orders, told my He having heard of my coming to the castle, and to a parish church sacrament, and having met me frequently walking by myself, followed the woman when she was gone away, and sent an invitation to me by her, to come to breakfast with him the next morning. I thankfully embraced the opportunity. My name. soul, at that time, was athirst for some spiritual friends to lift up my hands when hung down, and to strengthen my feeble knees. He soon discovered it, and, like a wise winner of souls, made all his discourses tend that way. And when he put into my hands Professor Frank's Treatise against the Fear of Man,' and The Country Parson's Advice to his Parishioners,' I took my leave. "In a short time he let me have another book, entitled,' The Life of God in the Soul of Man;' and though I had fasted, watched, and prayed, and received the sacrament so long, yet I never knew what true religion was, till God sent me that excellent treatise, by the hands of my never-to-be-forgotten friend. At my first reading it, I wondered what the author meant by saying, That some falsely placed religion in going to church, doing hurt to no one, being constant in the duties of the closet, and now and then reaching out their hands to give alms to their poor neighbours.' Alas! thought I, if this be not religion, what is? God soon showed me; for in reading a few lines further, 'that true religion was a union of the soul with God, and Christ formed within us,' a ray of divine light was instantaneously darted in upon my soul, and from that moment, but not till then, did I know that I must be a new creature." This was an important era in Whitefield's experience; and, if he had been left to the guidance of the book that suggested the necessity of regeneration, his feet might soon have stood. upon the Rock of ages. He was now in the right track to Calvary; and, with his anxiety to "be born again,” would have held on, until he had discovered that, " to as many as received Him, Christ gave power to become the sons of God; even to them that believe on his name." But, unhappily, Whitefield was not left to follow out his own convictions: Charles Wesley -" ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish his own righteousness"-interfered with the young convert, and inoculated him with the virus of legality and quietism. Before Whitefield had time to acquire from the gospel the relief which his heavy-laden conscience longed for, he was introduced to the methodists; from kind motives on the part of his zealous friend, no doubt; but unhappily for himself. C The intimacy well nigh proved fatal to his life, and to his reason. "From time to time, Mr. Wesley permitted me to come unto him, and instructed me as I was able to bear it. By degrees he introduced me to the rest of his christian brethren. I now began, like them, to live by rule, and to pick up every fragment of my time, that not a moment of it might be lost. Like them, having no weekly sacrament (although the Rubrick required it) at our own college, I received every Sunday at Christ-Church. I joined with them in keeping the stations, by fasting Wednesdays and Fridays, and left no means unused which I thought would lead me nearer to Jesus Christ. By degrees I began to leave off eating fruits and such like, and gave the money I usually spent in that way to the poor. Afterward I always chose the worst sort of food, though my place furnished me with variety. My apparel was mean. I thought it unbecoming a penitent to have his hair powdered. I wore woollen gloves, a patched gown, and dirty shoes; and though I was then convinced that the kingdom of God did not consist in meats and drinks, yet I resolutely persisted in these voluntary acts of selfdenial, because I found them great promoters of the spiritual life. It was now suggested to me, that Jesus Christ was amongst the wild beasts when he was tempted, and that I ought to follow his example; and being willing, as I thought, to imitate Jesus Christ, after supper I went into Christ-Church walk, near our college, and continued in silent prayer nearly two hours; sometimes lying flat on my face, sometimes kneeling upon my knees. The night being stormy, it gave me awful thoughts of the day of judgment. The next night I repeated the same exercise at the same place. Soon after this, the holy season of Lent came on, which our friends kept very strictly; eating no flesh during the six weeks, except on Saturdays and Sundays. I abstained frequently on Saturdays also, and ate nothing on the other days (except Sunday) but sage-tea without sugar, and coarse bread. I constantly walked out in the cold mornings, till part of one of my hands was quite black. This, with my continued abstinence, and inward conflicts, at length so emaciated my body, that, at Passion-week, finding I could |