Wesley got back to Bristol on August 1, and, three days afterwards, set out for Ireland.

Poor Ireland! Even then, Ireland was England’s greatest difficulty. A hundred years had elapsed since the bloody rebellion of 1641; and more than half a century had passed since King William’s victory at the battle of the Boyne. Irish parliaments, during the reign of Anne, and the first and second Georges, had riveted and extended the penal laws against papists. Ireland was in a state of torpid tranquillity—a slumbering volcano, stirred only by apprehensions of internal commotion, or by the agitation of partisan quarrels between the rival factions of court and country. The massacre of 1641, and the sanguinary persecution in the reign of the bigoted James II., were still fresh in the recollection of Protestants, and heightened their animosity to the utmost; while, on the other hand, discomfitures and disasters, penal laws and legalized oppression, rendered the hatred of the papists virulent beyond example. Irritating and maddening circumstances fomented, on both sides, the most rancorous malignity: protestantism was triumphant, and an imperious papacy in a degrading bondage.

In England, Moravianism was the pioneer of Methodism; and so it was in Ireland. In 1745, an English soldier in Dublin formed a small society of pious people, and began to preach to them. Just at this juncture, Benjamin La Trobe, a young student in connection with the Baptists, having finished his studies at the university of Glasgow, came to Dublin, and became the leader of the little band, gathered together by the soldier’s exertions, thirty of whom already belonged to different religious churches. In the same year, John Cennick withdrew himself from Whitefield’s connexion, and transferred all the societies that he had been the means of forming, to the care of the Moravians, while he himself became a Moravian minister. At the request of the society, organised by the soldier, and now presided over by Benjamin La Trobe, John Cennick came to Dublin in June, 1746, and began to preach in a chapel in Skinner’s Alley, which the society had hired from the Baptists. The place was soon crowded with hearers, and the society increased to about five hundred members.

Soon after this, Cennick had to attend a Moravian synod in Germany. During his absence, Thomas Williams, one of Wesley’s itinerants, came to Dublin. Williams was a man of attractive appearance, pleasing manners, and good address. Holmes, in his “History of the United Brethren,” says that Williams prevailed on several members of the society to leave the Moravians and join the Methodists, and we have no authority to deny the statement. It may be true, or it may be otherwise. Certain it is, that, by some means, Williams formed a separate society, and in a few weeks wrote to Wesley,[638] who determined to visit Ireland without delay. The results of this were vastly important. Forty-two times Wesley crossed the Irish Channel, and spent, in his different visits, at least half-a-dozen years of his laborious life in the emerald isle. Ireland yielded him some of the most eminent of his coadjutors—Thomas Walsh, Adam Clarke, Henry Moore, and others; and Irishmen were ordained by Providence to found Methodism, or to aid in founding it, in the North American British provinces, in the West Indies, in Africa, in India, and in Australia.

Wesley landed in Dublin Bay on Sunday morning, August 9. His host was Mr. Lunell, a banker,[639] who afterwards gave £400 towards the erection of the Methodist chapel in Whitefriar Street.[640]

On the day of his landing, Wesley preached, in St. Mary’s church, to “as gay and senseless a congregation as he ever saw.” Next morning he met Thomas Williams’s society at five; and at six preached in the large room, which was not large enough to contain the congregation. He then went to Mr. R——, the curate of St. Mary’s, who “professed abundance of goodwill,” and commended Wesley’s sermon; but “expressed the most rooted prejudice against lay preachers, or preaching out of a church; and said, ‘the Archbishop of Dublin was resolved to suffer no such irregularities in his diocese.’”

The day after, Wesley waited on the archbishop; spent above two hours in conversation with his grace; and answered abundance of objections.

Meanwhile, Wesley and John Trembath (who was with him) continued preaching in a chapel, originally designed for a Lutheran church, which would accommodate about four hundred people. This was in Marlborough Street,[641] and was crowded with poor and rich, and ministers of every denomination. Wesley devoted every morning to an explanation of the rules of the Methodist societies, and preached twice a day to many more than the meeting-house would hold. Four days after his arrival, he wrote as follows, to his friend Mr. Ebenezer Blackwell:—

Saturday, August 15, Wesley arranged to see, at Mr. Lunell’s, all who wished to speak with him. He writes: “I found scarce any Irish among them. At least ninety-nine in a hundred of the native Irish remain in the religion of their forefathers. The Protestants, whether in Dublin or elsewhere, are almost all transplanted lately from England. Nor is it any wonder, that those who are born papists generally live and die such, when the protestants can find no better ways to convert them than penal laws and acts of parliament.”

He ascertained, by personal examination, that the Dublin society, formed by Williams, consisted of about two hundred and eighty members, “many of whom appeared to be strong in faith.” Mr. La Trobe, the Moravian preacher, took alarm; read to his congregation the “Short View of the Difference between the Moravians,” etc.; and gave utterance to “bitter words”; but this did service to the Methodists rather than otherwise.

After spending exactly a fortnight in Dublin, Wesley returned to England, and was succeeded by his brother Charles, who arrived on September 9, with Charles Perronet as his companion.

During the fortnight which had elapsed since Wesley left, a mob had broken into the Marlborough Street chapel, and destroyed all before them; goods of a considerable value had been stolen; the pulpit and benches had been burnt openly in the street, and several of the Methodists beaten with shillalahs. Charles found that a new nickname had been given to the poor Methodists. John Cennick, in his zeal against popish idolatry, had said, “I curse and blaspheme all the gods in heaven, but the Babe that lay in Mary’s lap, the Babe that lay in swaddling clouts”; and, because of that, the populace called him “swaddling John,” and the Methodists “Swaddlers.” The Methodists were now without a meeting-house, and Charles Wesley, at the peril of his life, regularly preached on Oxmanton Green; but, within a month, he bought a house near Dolphin’s Barn, the whole ground floor of which was a weaver’s workshop.[643] He writes on October 10, to Mr. Blackwell:—“At my first coming here, we were so persecuted, that no one in Dublin would venture to let us a house or a room; but now their hearts are turned, and we have the offer of several convenient places.”[644] And, in another letter, to his brother, dated October 9, he remarks, that he must either buy the house near Dolphin’s Barn, or get some other lodgings, or take his flight. “Here I can stay no longer. A family of squalling children, a landlady just ready to lie in, a maid who has no time to do the least thing for us, are some of our inconveniences. Our two rooms for four people allow no opportunity for four people. Charles Perronet and I groan for elbow room in our press-bed; our diet is answerable to our lodgings; we have no one to mend our clothes and stockings, and no money to buy more.”[645] Under such circumstances, the weaver’s shop was turned into a preaching house, and the rooms above it used as the Dublin home of the two Wesleys and their itinerants. Charles Wesley opened the “New House” on October 25, “by preaching to a great multitude within and without”; and, though he preached not fewer than five times during the day, and also attended a three hours’ service at St. Patrick’s, he “was as fresh” at night as he was when he commenced his labour in the morning. The Dublin society contributed upwards of £70 towards the expenses; Charles Wesley remained more than six months as their devoted minister; and Methodism in Ireland was fairly started.[646] Wesley also gave the Irish Methodists a hymn-book of 336 pages, entitled “Hymns and Sacred Poems. Dublin: printed in the year 1747.” The hymns were 246 in number, and embodied much of the Methodist history of the past eight years; but, with this brief notice, we must leave them.

On his return to England, at the end of August, Wesley made his way from Holyhead to Bristol, preaching in streets, in churchyards, on tombstones, in meadows, in castle yards, and wherever he had a chance. At Cardiff, he found the society filled with vain janglings, by J. Prosser, “an honest, well meaning man; but no more qualified, either by nature or grace, to expound Scripture, than to read lectures in logic or algebra.”

Hurrying up to London, which he reached on September 11, he recommenced his ministry in Moorfields, and declares, that, excepting that at West Street, he knew no congregation in London so serious as this. He made brief visits to Shoreham, Newington, and Lewisham, where he employed himself in writing. He examined the London classes, “and every person severally, touching that bane of religion, evil speaking.” He witnessed some happy deaths; among others that of Mrs. Witham, “an eminent pattern of calm boldness for the truth; of simplicity and godly sincerity; of zeal for God, and for all good works; and of self denial in every kind.” He advised his preachers, and wrote to one of them as follows:—“In public preaching, speak not one word against opinions of any kind. We are not to fight against notions, but sins. Least of all should I advise you once to open your lips against predestination. It would do more mischief than you are aware of. Keep to our one point, present inward salvation by faith, by the Divine evidence of sins forgiven.”[647]

Having spent eleven weeks in London and its vicinity, he set out, on November 30, for Bristol, calling at Salisbury on his way. Five weeks before, Westley Hall, the base husband of his sister Martha, had infamously deserted his wife and family. The following is an extract from a letter published in the Gentleman’s Magazine.[648] Some parts of the letter are so grossly filthy that it would be a pollution to insert them.

Wesley reached the desolate home of his poor sister on December 1, and wrote:—

Wesley spent two days with his unhappy sister, and then says: “I took my leave of this uncomfortable place, and set out for Bristol.” Two months later, he returned to Salisbury to see the poor miserable wretch; but he was refused admittance, and his sister also was shut out of doors.

Nothing now remains, except to notice Wesley’s publications during 1747. The Dublin hymn-book has been mentioned. The others were the following:—

1. “A Word to a Protestant.” 12mo, 16 pages.

2. “A Word to a Freeholder.” 12mo, four pages. This, as already stated, was written at Exeter, while halting on a journey, and on the eve of a parliamentary election.

3. “A Letter to the Right Reverend the Lord Bishop of London; occasioned by his lordship’s late charge to his clergy.” 12mo, 32 pages. Wesley replies to the bishop’s accusations, and concludes thus:—

Appended to the letter is a magnificent hymn, of nine twelve lined stanzas, expressive of a calm and firm determination still to persevere, at all hazards, in preaching the gospel of his great Master.[650]

4. “Lessons for Children.” Part II., 12mo, 108 pages. The lessons are fifty-four in number, and consist of Scripture selections, from the time of the Israelites passing over Jordan to the reign of Hezekiah.

5. “Primitive Physic; or an easy and natural Method of curing most Diseases.” 12mo, 119 pages. The publication of this remarkable book arose out of the great success of Wesley’s dispensary, opened in 1746. At the time of his death, it had reached its twenty-third edition.[651] It has often been ridiculed; but perhaps unwisely. The Rev. Samuel Romilly Hall remarks:—“A medical gentleman of Leeds, reputed as eminently intelligent and skilful in his profession, has declared to me, that the unfriendly criticisms, so freely given on Wesley’s ‘Primitive Physic,’ are altogether unwarrantable. He affirms, that, judged of in comparison with other non-professional works of the same class, and of the same date, the ‘Primitive Physic’ is incomparably superior to anything that he knows.”[652]

Besides, those who laugh at Wesley’s “Primitive Physic” ought to remember:—(1) At no remote period from Wesley’s day, it was not unusual for Christian ministers to practise medicine. (2) Wesley says, “For six and twenty years, I had made anatomy and physic the diversion of my leisure hours.” (3) Wesley was not a quack. “I took,” says he, “into my assistance an apothecary, and an experienced surgeon.”

It is a remarkable incident, that the medical profession, so generally impatient of medical empirics, allowed Wesley’s work to circulate for nearly thirty years before any of their honourable fraternity deigned to notice or denounce it. In 1776, an octavo pamphlet of 83 pages was published with the following title:—“An Examination of the Rev. Mr. John Wesley’s Primitive Physic; showing that a great number of the prescriptions therein contained are founded on ignorance of the medical art, and of the power and operations of medicine; and, that it is a publication calculated to do essential injury to the health of those persons who may place confidence in it. By W. Hawes, M.D.” Of the medical merits of this production we have no ability to judge. In many instances, it is in the highest degree ironical; though its author affirms, he was totally unknown to Wesley, and had no personal animosity against him. Dr. Hawes was unquestionably a man of great eminence in his profession; but he is chiefly known as the founder of the Humane Society, thirty of whose managers and directors attended his funeral in 1808.

Before closing the present chapter of Wesley’s history, it must be added, that, about the same time that his “Primitive Physic” was given to the public, he also issued a small pamphlet, at the price of twopence, entitled “Receipts for the Use of the Poor”; but as these were extracted from the former publication no further notice is needed.