stationer, all of Dublin, to receive the annuity of 51. English, left to Kingswood-School by the late Roger Shiel, Esq. I give 61. to be divided among the six poor men, named by the assistant, who shall carry my body to the grave; for I particularly desire there may 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. I solemnly adjure my executors in the name of God, punctually to observe this. Lastly, I give to each of those travelling preachers who shall remain in the connexion six months after my decease, as a little token of my love, the eight vo lumes of sermons. I appoint John Horton, George Wolff, and William Marriott, aforesaid, to be executors of this my last will and testament, for which trouble they will receive no recompence till the resurrection of the just. Witness my hand and seal the 20th day of February 1789. JOHN WESLEY. (Seal.) Signed, sealed, and delivered, by the said testator as and for his last will and testament, in the presence of us, WILLIAM CLULOW, ELIZABETH CLULOW. Should there be any part of my personal estate un disposed of by my last will: I give the same unto my two nieces E. Ellison, and S. Collet, equally. WILLIAM CLULOW, ELIZABETH Clulow. JOHN WESLEY. February 25, 1789. I give my types, printing-presses, and every thing pertaining thereto, to Mr. Thomas Rankin, and Mr. George Whitefield, in trust for the use of the confer CHAPTER VII. A Review of Mr. Wesley's Character and Writings. IT is not some particular circumstances or a few occasional acts in a man's life, but the general tenour of his conduct; that fixed principle which uniformly ope rates upon him, that forms his character. And when a long, virtuous, and useful life is crowned with an end suitable to it, death stamps his virtues, as genuine. Some persons have unjustly insinuated that Mr. Wesley was a man of slender capacity. His apprehension was clear, his penetration quick, and his judgment discriminative and sound of which his controversial writings, and his celebrity at Oxford are sufficient proofs. In governing a large body of preachers and people, of various habits, interests, and principles, with astonishing calmness and regularity for many years; he shewed a strong capacious mind, which could comprehend and combine together a vast variety of circumstances, and direct their influence through the great body which he governed. As a scholar, he was conspicuous, being a critic in the Latin and Greek classics; he was also acquainted with the Hebrew, and with most of the European languages. But the Greek was his favourite, in which his knowledge was extensive and accurate-At college, he had studied with much care, Euclid, Keil, Sir Isaac Newton's Optics, &c. &c. but he never advanced to the higher branches of the mathematics, as they would have diverted his mind from the more important objects of his own profession. He was not a friend to metaphysical disquisitions and a most determined opposer of those systems of natural philosophy, which represent the power of matter as the efficient cause of all the phenomena : of nature; by which the superintending Providence of God is banished from the world, and all things even the actions of men, are supposed to be determined by laws unalterably fixed. He doubted the truth of the calculations of the planetary distances, and some other parts of modern astronomy. Natural history was a field which he contemplated with infinite pleasure; learning from it the wisdom, the power, and the goodness of God, in the structure of natural bodies, and in the various instincts and habits of the animal creation. Mr. Wesley's attitude in the pulpit was graceful and easy; his action was calm and natural, yet pleasing and expressive: his voice not loud, but clear and manly ; his style neat, simple, and perspicuous; and admirably adapted to the capacity of his hearers. His discourses, in point of composition, were extremely dissimilar on different occasions. When he studied, he succeeded; otherwise he frequently failed.-It was indeed manifest to his friends many years previous to his death, that his employments were too many, and that he preached too often, to appear with the same advantage at all times in the pulpit. His sermon were always short he seldom occupied more than half an hour in delivering a discourse, sometimes not so long. His subjects were judiciously chosen, instructive and interesting to the audience, and adapted to gain the attention and to warm the heart. : During fifty years Mr. Wesley travelled, four thousand five hundred miles yearly: it would have been impossible for him to have performed this excessive labour, without great punctuality and care in the management of his time. He had stated hours for every purpose and his sole relaxation was a change of employment. His rules were like the laws of the Medes and Persians, absolute and irrevocable. He felt a pecu liar pleasure in reading and study; and highly relished polite conversation, with pious, learned, and sensible. men; but whenever the hour arrived that he was to commence a journey, he instantly quitted any subject or any company in which he might be engaged, without any apparent reluctance. For fifty-two years or upwards, he generally delivered two, frequently three or four sermons daily. But calculating at two sermons, and allowing fifty annually for extraordinary occasions, the whole number will be, forty thousand five hundred and sixty. To these may be added an infinite number of exhortations to the societies after preaching, and in other occasional meetings at which he assisted. In social life, Mr. Wesley was lively and conversi'ble. He had most exquisite talents to render himself agreeable in company and having been much accustomed to society, the rules of good breeding were habitual to him. The abstraction of a scholar did not appear in his behaviour; he was attentive and polite. He talked much when he saw it was expected, which was almost always the case. Having seen much of the world, and read more; his mind was stored with an infinite number of anecdotes and observations; and the manner in which he related them, was no inconsiderable addition to the entertainment which they afforded. In private life among his friends, his manner was equally sprightly and pleasant; and it was impossi ble to be long in his company, without partaking of his placid cheerfulness; which was not abated by the infirmities of age, or the approach of death; being equally conspicuous at fourscore and seven, as at twenty. A remarkable feature in Mr. Wesley's character, was his placability. Having an active penetrating mind, his temper was naturally quick; but the influence of religion, and his constant habit of close thinking, had in a great measure corrected this disposition. In general he preserved an air of sedateness and tranquil- . lity, which formed a striking contrast with the vivacity apparent in all his actions. Persecution, abuse, or injury he bore from strangers, not only without anger, but without any visible emotion. What he said of himself was strictly true: that he had a great facility in forgiving injuries. Submission on the part of the offender immediately disarmed his resentment,' and he would treat him with great kindness and cordiality. No man was ever more free from jealousy or suspicion, or more liable to the impositions of others. One peculiar trait in Mr. Wesley was his openness-he could not avoid relating every thing which he knewMr. Charles Wesley said of him in a letter to their mutual friend; "You expect he will keep his own secrets; let me tell you, he never could do it since he was born; it is a gift which God has not given him.” The temperance of Mr. Wesley was extraordinary. He was remarkable in the article of sleep. "Healthy men," says he, "require above six hours sleep: healthy women, a little above seven, in four and twenty. If any one desires to know exactly what quantity of sleep his own constitution requires, he may easily make the experiment, which I made about sixty years go. I then waked every night about twelve or one, and lay awake for some time. I readily concluded, that this arose from my being in bed longer than nature required. To be satisfied, I procured an alarum, which waked me the next morning at seven, yet I lay awake again at night. The second morning I rose at six; but notwithstanding this, I lay awake the second night. The third morning I rose at five: but nevertheless I lay awake the third night. The fourth morning I rose at four, as, by the grace of God, I have done ever since: and I lay awake no more. And |