ed to give them, as early as possible, just and useful notions of religion. Her mind seems to have been led to a more than ordinary attention to her son John in this respect. In one of her private meditations, when he was near eight years old, she mentions him, in a manner that shows how much her heart was engaged in forming his mind for religion. I shall transcribe the whole meditation for the benefit of the reader.

"Evening, May 17, 1711."

"Son John,-What shall I render to the Lord for his mercies? The little unworthy praise that I can offer, is so mean and contemptible an offering, that I am ashamed to tender it. But, Lord, accept it for the sake of Christ, and pardon the deficiency of the sacrifice.

"I would offer thee myself, and all that thou hast given me; and I would resolve, (O give me grace to do it,) that the residue of my life shall be devoted to thy service. And I do intend to be more particularly careful of the soul of this child, that thou hast so mercifully provided for, than I have ever been; that I may do my endeavor to instil into his mind the principles of thy true religion and virtue. 'Lord, give me grace to do it sincerely and prudently, and bless my attempts with good success." Her good endeavors were not without the desired effect.

Though Mrs. Wesley allotted two hours in the day for meditation and prayer in private, no woman was ever more diligent in business, or attentive to family affairs, than she was. Remarkable for method and good arrangement both in her studies and business, she saved much time, and kept her mind free from perplexity. She had nineteen children, ten of whom, at least, grew up to be educated; and this duty fell upon her; and it was almost impossible for the children. to have had a better instructor. Her method of teaching them to read was, I think, peculiar to herself, and deserves to be noticed. I shall give it in her own words, in a letter to Mr. John Wesley.

"None of them were taught to read till five years old, except Kezzy, in whose case I was overruled; and she was more years in learning than any of the rest had been months. The way of teaching was this: The day before a child began to learn, the house was in order, every one's work appointed them, and a charge given that none should enter the room from nine till twelve, or from two till five, which were our school hours. One day was allowed the child wherein to learn its letters; and each of them did in that time know all its letters, great and small, except Molly and Nancy, who were a day and a half before they knew them perfectly; for which I then thought them very dull: But the reason why I thought them so was, because the rest learned them so readily, and your brother Samuel, who was the first child I ever taught, learned the alphabet in a few hours. He was five years old on the 10th of February ; the next day he began to learn, and as soon as he knew the letters, began at the first chapter of Genesis. He was taught to spell the first verse, then to read it over and over till he could read it off hand without any hesitation; so on to the second, &c., till he took ten verses for a lesson, which he quickly did. Easter fell low that year, and by Whitsuntide he could read a chapter very well; for he read continually, and had such a prodigious memory, that I cannot remember ever to have told him the same word twice. What was yet stranger, any word he had learned in his lesson, he knew wherever he saw it, either in his Bible or any other book, by which means he learnt very soon to read an English author well.

"The same method was observed with them all. As soon as they knew the letters, they were first put to spell, and read one line, then a verse, never leaving till perfect in their lesson; were it shorter or longer. So one or other continued reading during school time without any intermission; and before we left school, each child read what he had learnt

that morning; and ere we parted, in the afternoon, what he had learned that day."

In the month of April, 1712, John had the small-pox, together with four other of the children. His father was then in London, to whom his mother writes thus: "Jack has borne his disease bravely, like a man, and indeed like a Christian, without any complaint; though he seemed angry at the small-pox when they were sore, as we guessed by his looking sourly at them, for he never said any thing." In 1714, he was placed at the Charter-house, with that eminent scholar, Dr. Walker, the Head Master, and became a favorite on account of his sobriety and application. Ever after, he retained a remarkable predilection for that place, and was accustomed to walk through it once or twice a year during his annual visit to London. He had some reasons however to complain of the usage he received at the Charter House. Discipline was so exceedingly relaxed, that the boys of the higher forms were suffered to eat up, not only their own portions of animal food, but those also which were allowed to the lesser boys. By this means he was limited for a considerable part of the time he remained at that school, to a small daily portion of bread as his only solid food. One thing he observed, which contributed among others to his general flow of health, and to the establishment of his constitution, and that was, his invariable attention to a strict command of his father, that he should run round the Charter House garden, which was of considerable extent three times every morning.

In 1719, when his father was hesitating in what situation he should place Charles, his brother Samuel writes thus concerning John: "My brother Jack, I can faithfully assure you, gives you no manner of discouragement from breeding your third son a scholar." Two or three months afterward he mentions him again, in a letter to his father: "Jack is with me, and a brave boy, learning Hebrew as fast as he can.”

He was now sixteen, and the next year was elected to Christ Church, Oxford. Here he pursued his studies with great advantage, I believe under the direction of Dr. Wigan, a gentleman eminent for his classical knowledge. Mr. Wesley's natural temper in his youth was gay and sprightly, with a turn for wit and humor. When he was about twentyone years of age, "he appeared" as Mr. Badcock has observed, "the very sensible and acute collegian-a young fellow of the finest classical taste, of the most liberal and manly sentiments." His perfect knowledge of the classics gave a smooth polish to all his compositions. He had already begun to amus himself occasionally with writing verses, though most of his poetical pieces of this period, were, I believe, either imitations or translations of the Latin. Some time in this year, however, he wrote an imitation of the 65th Psalm, which he sent to his father, who says, "I like your verses on the 65th Psalm, and would not have you bury your talent."

CHAPTER III.

From his entrance in College, 1720, to his leaving England for America, Oct. 14th, 1735-a period of fifteen years.

Mr. Crowther, in the Portraiture of Methodism, after giving an account of Mr. Wesley's paternal and maternal relatives, observes: "When we survey Mr. John Wesley rising into public notice, and having sprung from such a venerable stock of ancestors, both on the side of his father and his mother, and surrounded with such respectable brothers and sisters, we feel our minds prepared for something great and good, beyond what is common: and when we proceed

* Westminster Magazine.

to remark his education, and his religious instruction particularly, we shall see the best foundation laid for useful knowledge, and genuine Christianity."

He was educated for the church: and in 1720, he entered a student at Christ Church College, in Oxford, and not long after, took his degree of Bachelor of Arts.

He soon became very thoughtful and pious. This was considerably promoted by reading Bishop Taylor's Rules and Exercises of Holy Living, and Mr. Law's Serious Call to a holy Life. His example and advice, under God, induced his brother Charles, who was also at College, to become pious. They gave great attention to reading books of devotion, prayed much and fervently, and received the Lord's Supper every week. Others imbibed the same spirit, and associated with them for the purpose of piety. They regulated their time and employments by certain rules, which accidentally got them the nickname of Methodist. And as the disciples of Christ were first called Christians in Antioch, so John Wesley and his followers, were first called Methodists at the University of Oxford.

It is well worthy of attention, that this name of Methodist, which was originally given in derision, has since been contended for by the Arminians and Calvinists, as being peculiarly honorable; while others have gone as far as conscience would permit, and perhaps sometimes a little farther, to escape what they deemed an odious appellation.

The founders of the Methodists were students at the University of Oxford, and were first called the Sacramentarians, then the Godly Club, and finally Methodist. A Fellow of Merton College, observing the regular method in which they divided their time between their devotions, their studies,' their rest, &c. said, Here is a new sect of Methodists sprung up;" alluding to an eminent College of Physicians at Rome, who were so called on account of putting their

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