cess.

day, took his life in his hand, and needed the spirit of a martyr, though not in danger of suffering a martyr's death by regular civil or ecclesiastical proMr. Southey has himself furnished in part the confutation of his own suggestion, that little danger was to be apprehended, by the brief statements he has given of the hair-breadth escapes of the Wesleys, and of Mr. Whitefield, and of the sufferings of John Nelson. But a volume might be filled with accounts of outrages committed from that day to our own, in different places, (for they now occasionally occur in obscure and unenlightened parts of the country,) upon the persons of the Methodists, for the sole fault of visiting neglected places, and preaching the gospel of salvation to those who, if Christianity be true, are in a state of spiritual darkness and danger. To be pelted with stones, dragged through ponds, beaten with bludgeons, rolled in mud, and to suffer other modes of ill treatment, was in the anticipation of all the first Methodist preachers when they entered upon their work, and this was also the lot of many of the people. Some lives were lost, and many shortened: the most singular escapes are on record; and if the tragedy was not deeper, that was owing at length to the explicit declarations of his late Majesty on the subject of toleration, and the upright conduct of the judges in their circuits, and in the higher courts, when an appeal was made to the laws in some of the most atrocious cases. Assuredly, the country magistrates in general, and the clergy, were entitled to little share of the praise. Much of this is acknowledged by Mr. Southey, but he attempts to

throw a part of the blame upon the preachers themselves. "Their doctrines of perfection and assurance" were, he thinks, among the causes of their persecution; and "their zeal was not tempered with discretion." With discretion, in our author's view of it, their zeal was not tempered. Such discretion would neither have put them in the way of persecution, nor brought it upon them; but they were not in any sober sense indiscreet: and as for doctrines, the mobs and their exciters were then just as discriminating as mobs have ever been from the beginning of the world. They were usually stirred up by the clergy, and other persons of some influence in the neighbourhood, almost as ignorant as the ruffians they employed to assault the preachers and their peaceable congregations, and the description of the mob at Ephesus, in the Acts of the Apostles, was as well suited to them as if they had been the original and not the copy. "Some cried one thing and some another, for the assembly was confused, and the most part knew not wherefore they were come together." They generally, however, agreed to pull down the preacher, and to abuse both him and his hearers, men, women, and even children.

Mr. Southey's observations on our band-meetings, and watch-nights, cannot be passed over. His censure of this part of our discipline, is not quite so gross as may be found in some other publications, (7)

(7) Mr. Polwhele has pretty largely dwelt upon these institutions, and charged us with gross and shameful immoralities in their observance in his new edition of the "Enthusiasm of Methodists and Papists considered, by Bishop Lavington; with notes, introduction, and

but they proceed from the same ignorance of our institutions which has misled others; and on the

appendix," equal in bulk to the bishop's work, which he has just edited for the illumination of the year 1820. This gentleman has recovered, it should seem, the effect of the detection of the falsehoods contained in his "Anecdotes of Methodism," published a few years ago, and again stalks forth, under pretence of zeal for the church, with falsehoods as gross, and with a countenance as unabashed. Like the ram in Daniel's vision, he pushes "westward, northward, and southward," in almost every direction, against Bible Societies, the education of the poor, the evangelical clergy in the church, and above all, against Methodism, whether Arminian or Calvinistic. Mr. Polwhele has at length secured himself, I should conceive, against all reply; for his violence and grossness have rendered reply unnecessary; and no writer, I suppose, will be found so insensible of what he owes to himself as to stoop to him. His introduction, notes, appendix, &c. are in many parts, in fact, too loose and obscene, and often too nearly approach blasphemy itself, to be read by any of the decent part of society, except obliged to it by some public duty, though they are written by the vicar of Manaccan and St. Anthony! Such a farrago of bigotry, blasphemy, buffoonery, indecency, and falsehood, has not for a long time disgraced the press, and affronted the common sense and feelings of all who profess the least respect to religion in the church or out of it. As a politician, Henry the Eighth is the great object of his admiration. As a churchman, Archbishop Laud. He is an enemy to much preaching, even in churches, for "it was a remarkable saying, founded on the reason of things, that a preaching church cannot stand." To the evangelical clergy, he bears almost as great an enmity as to the sectaries. "Our own gospel preachers are really greater enemies to the church, than the most malign opposers of her." They are contemptuously called "Gospellers;" and as to those colleges, at Oxford and Cambridge, "that pay particular attention to the education of gospel ministers," he advises the heads of the universities" to watch over them," and "check the slightest tendency in their youth to evangelical irregularities." As to unevangelical irregularities he gives them no advice or caution, as being, I suppose, in his estimate, of little danger to the church. For those of the clergy who are zealously endeavouring the conversion of the Jews, he has the appellation "Judaizing Gospellers ;" and for those who are promoting the conversion of pagans, "Gentile Gospellers ;" and they seem equally offensive to him. Bible Societies come in also for a large share of his animadversion. He anticipates the highest degree

subject of bands and watch-nights, he has given some sanction to the wicked misrepresentations of writers less disposed than himself to truth.

of moral and civil danger from the circulation of the Scriptures amongst the poor; and it is more than hinted, that by that means they are rendered " ripe for every evil work.” The collection of Bible subscriptions among the poor is therefore "a nefarious business,” and the female agency employed by the Bible Society is “degraded into an engine of fanaticism." "It is scarcely more degraded when we see it an instrument of rebellion." Hunt's female reformers, and the female collectors of Bible Associations, are therefore placed by him upon nearly the same level! These female collector's " go from house to house, leading captive silly women," and penetrating the recesses of domestic repose; they every week raise a commotion, or excite jealousy under one roof or another." They extort “family secrets" from servants; and " he knows servants who, to get Biblemoney, he believes would not scruple to sell their masters' goods. To Bell's schools he is scarcely charitable, and as for those of Lancaster he has not "the slightest doubt, that their grand object is to puritanize and revolutionize the country." After all these fulminations against evils in the church, we cannot expect him to be over gentle in his treatment of the evils out of it. Dissenters and Methodists are spectres which every where cross his path. He is greatly dissatisfied with the Toleration Act, and recommends some very important improvements in it. With the Methodists he thinks, like Jonah, he does well to be angry, and can give reasons more numerous and weighty for their suppression, than the moody prophet for the destruction of the Ninevites; and if what he affirms were but true, as we could not have a more severe judge, we should not certainly deserve to have one less so. His authorities for his statements are chiefly two, and both are equally good. There is first, his honourable self, convicted of bearing false witness against his neighbours a few years ago, by Mr. Samuel Drew and others, who replied to his "Anecdotes of Methodism." The second authority is the author of a work on Methodism, very well known as to character; an' author by profession, when former professions failed, or became unsafe; and who has lately sunk from a writer of octavos into the more rapid manufacture of the flying artillery of blasphemy and sedition, as writer in chief to the celebrated paródist publisher of Ludgate Hill, and is reputed to be the author of the political "House that Jack built," the "Dainty Dish to set before a King," the " Matri

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Our band-meetings are small companies of serious persons, of the same sex, and in the same condition of life, whether married or single, who meet occa

monial Ladder," &c. Such is the authority which Mr. Polwhele, a principal writer in the Anti-Jacobin Review, the man who is agonized at the dangers which threaten Church and State, fraternizes with, and holds up to confidence. "But misery gives a man strange bed-fellows," and the misery to which Methodism has reduced the "Vicar of Manaccan," has made him very careless in the choice of his companion. The most singular circumstance is, that our great Anti-Jacobin Reviewer has resorted to Mr. Hone's journeyman parodist and " dainty dish” provider, for a character of the learning and piety of the clergy of the Church of England, which he exhibits with no small triumph. Even the most rigid sectarian would scarcely humble the church to this.

But whilst the blind violence of Mr. Polwhele's attacks upon religion, and religious characters in the church and out of it, will excite pity, the filthy verses, entitled "The Saint's Progress," in the appendix to his edition of Lavington, must mingle pity with indignation. These are the means by which such high churchmen as Mr. Polwhele, make a low church: and low it is in the county of Cornwall; so low, that even if a Sectarist would not rejoice in the elevation of its character and influence in a county so populous, he might be justly suspected of loving his own party more than the common Christianity. But it will not be raised by calumnies and slanders ; by intolerance and uncharitableness; by furious pamphlets, and railing visitation sermons. The Cornish people are distinguished for their strong sense. This is acknowledged by Mr. Polwhele, notwithstanding the heavy charges of fanaticism which he brings against them; and to the zeal, diligence, and affection of a clergy who "seek not theirs but them" they will not be insensible. Let Mr. Polwhele imitate some excellent examples among his brethren there. Let him cultivate the ornament of a meek and a quiet spirit; preach the doctrines of his own church, faithfully and affectionately; instruct the young, correct the vicious, comfort the sick and aged; let him rather weep over heresies, and errors, and wanderers, than exasperate them by a proud and censorious spirit; let him become 66 pure in heart," and then his lips and his pen, both of which need much lustration, will become pure also. In that case, his churches will not want attendants, nor their altars communicants; and if he shew as much diligence to spread this spirit through the county