John also began to think of marriage, after his brother's example, though he had published "Thoughts on a single life," wherein he advised all unmarried persons, who were able to receive it, to follow the counsel of our Lord and of St. Paul, and remain single for the kingdom of heaven's sake." He did not, indeed, suppose that such a precept could have been intended for the many, and assented fully to the sentence of the apostle, who pronounced the "forbidding to marry to be a doctrine of devils." Some notion, however, that the marriage state was incompatible with holiness, seems, in consequence, perhaps, of this treatise, to have obtained ground among some of his followers at one time; for it was asked, at the Conference of 1745, whether a sanctified believer could be capable of marriage. The answer was, "Why should he not?" and probably the question was asked for the purpose of thus condemning a preposterous opinion. When he himself resolved to marry, it appears that he made both his determination and his choice without the knowledge of Charles; and that Charles, when he discovered the affair, found means, for reasons which undoubtedly he must have thought sufficient, to break off the match. But John was offended, and, for a time, there was a breach of that union between them, which had never before been disturbed. It was not long before he made a second choice, and, unfortunately for himself, no one then interfered.

The treatise which he had written in recommendation of celibacy, placed him in an unfortunate situation; and, for the sake of appearances, he consulted certain religious friends, that they might advise him to follow his own inclination. His chief counsellor was Mr. Perronet, vicar of Shoreham. "Having received a full answer from Mr. Perronet," he says, "I was clearly convinced that I ought to marry. For many years I remained single, because I believed I could be more useful in a single than in a married state; and I praised God who enabled me so to do. I now as fully believed, that, in my present circumstances, I might be more useful in a married state;

I

into which, upon this clear conviction, and by the advice of my friends, I entered a few days after."He thought it expedient, too, to meet the single men of the Society in London, and show them "on how many accounts it was good for those who had received that gift from God, to remain single for the kingdom of heaven's sake, unless when a particular case might be an exception to the general rule!" To those who properly respected Mr. Wesley, this must have been a painful scene: to his blind admirers, no doubt, comic as the situation was, it was an edifying one.

The lady whom he married was a widow, by name Vizelle, with four children, and an independent fortune; but he took care that this should be settled upon herself, and refused to have any command over it. It was agreed also, before their marriage, that he should not preach one sermon, nor travel one mile the less on that account: "if I thought I should," said he, as well as I love you, I would never see v your face more." And in his Journal at this time he says, "I cannot understand how a Methodist preacher can answer it to God, to preach one sermon, or travel one day less, in a married than in a single state. In this respect, surely, it remaineth, that they who have wives, be as though they had none." For a little while she travelled with him; but that mode of life, and perhaps the sort of company to which, in the course of their journies, she was introduced, soon became intolerable as it must necessarily have been to any woman who did not enter wholly into his views, and partake of his enthusiasm. But, of all women, she is said to have been the most unsuited to

*One of them quitted the profession of surgery, because, he said, "it made him less sensible of human pain." Wesley says, when he relates this, "I do not know (unless it unfits us for the duties of life) that we can have too great a sensibility of human pain. Methinks I should be afraid of losing any degree of this sensibility. And I have known exceeding few persons who have carried this tenderness of spirit to excess." He appears to have mentioned the conduct of his son-in-law as to his honour; but he relates elsewhere the saying of another surgeon in a right manly spirit:-" Mr. Wesley, you know I would not hurt a fly; I would not give pain to any living thing; but, if it were necessary, I would scrape all the flesh off a man's boues, and never turn my head aside."

him. Fain would she have made him, like Mark Antony, give up all for love; and being disappointed in that hope, she tormented him in such a manner, by ber outrageous jealousy, and abominable temper, that she deserves to be classed in a triad with Xantippe and the wife of Job, as one of the three bad wives. Wesley, indeed, was neither so submissive as Socrates, nor so patient as the man of Uz. He knew that he was by nature the stronger vessel, of the more worthy gender, and lord and master by law; and that the words, honour and obey, were in the bond. "Know me," said he, in one of his letters to her, "and know yourself. Suspect me no more, asperse me no more, provoke me no more: do not any longer contend for mastery, for power, money, or praise; be content to be a private insignificant person, known and loved by God and me. Attempt no more to abridge me of my liberty, which I claim by the laws of God and man: leave me to be governed by God and my own conscience; then shall I govern you with gentle sway, even as Christ the church."He reminded her that she had laid to his charge things that he knew not, robbed him, betrayed his confidence, revealed his secrets, given him a thousand treacherous wounds, and made it her business so to do, under the pretence of vindicating her own character;" whereas," said he, " of what importance is your character to mankind? if you was buried just now, or, if you had never lived, what loss would it be to the cause of God?" This was very true, but not very conciliating; and there are few stomachs which could bear to have humility administered in such doses.

"God," said he, in this same letter, "has used many means to curb your stubborn will, and break the impetuosity of your temper. He has given you a dutiful, but sickly, daughter. He has taken away one of your sons; another has been a grievous cross, as the third probably will be. He has suffered you to be defrauded of much money: He has chastened you with strong pain; and still He may say, how long liftest thou up thyself against me? Are you more

humble, more gentle, more patient, more placable than you was? I fear, quite the reverse: I fear your natural tempers are rather increased than diminished. Under all these conflicts, it might be an unspeakable blessing that you have a husband who knows your temper, and can bear with it; who is still willing to forgive you all, to overlook what is past, as if it had not been, and to receive you with open arms; only not while you have a sword in your hand, with which you are continually striking at me, though you cannot hurt me. If, notwithstanding, you continue striking, what can I, what can all reasonable men think, but that either you are utterly out of your senses, or your eye is not single; that you married me only for my money; that, being disappointed, you was almost always out of humour: that this laid you open to a thousand suspicions, which, once awakened, could sleep no more. My dear Molly, let the time past suffice. If you have not (to prevent my giving it to bad women) robbed me of my substance too; if you do not blacken me, on purpose that, when this causes a breach between us, no one may believe it to be your fault; stop, and consider what you do. As yet the breach may be repaired: you have wronged me much, but not beyond forgiveness. I love you still, and am as clear from all other women as the day I was born."

Had Mrs. Wesley been capable of understanding her husband's character, she could not possibly have been jealous; but the spirit of jealousy possessed her, and drove her to the most unwarrantable actions. It is said that she frequently travelled a hundred miles, for the purpose of watching, from a window, who was in the carriage with him when he entered a town. She searched his pockets, opened his * letters, put

* There is no allusion in Wesley's Journal to his domestic unhappiness, unless it be in Journal xi. p. 9., where, after noticing some difficulties upon the road, he says, "Between nine and ten came to Bristol. Here I met with a trial of another kind; but this also shall be for good." His letters throw some light upon this part of his history, which would not be worth elucidating, if it did not, at the same time, elucidate his character. Writing to Mrs. S. R. (Sarah Ryan, a most enthusiastic woman,) he says, "Last Friday, after many severe words, my wife left me, vow

his letters and papers into the hands of his enemies, in hopes that they might be made use of to blast his character; and sometimes laid violent hands upon him, and tore his hair. She frequently left his house, and, upon his earnest entreaties, returned again; till, after having thus disquieted twenty years of his life, as far as it was possible for any domestic vexations to disquiet a man whose life was passed in loco-mo

ing she would see me no more. As I had wrote to you the same morning, I began to reason with myself, till I almost doubted whether I had done well in writing, or whether I ought to write to you at all. After prayer, that doubt was taken away; yet I was almost sorry that I had written that morning. In the evening, while I was preaching at the chapel, she came into the chamber where I had left my clothes, searched my pockets, and found the letter there which I had finished, but had not sealed. While she read it, God broke her heart; and I afterwards found her in such a temper, as I have not seen her in for several years. She has continued in the same ever since. So I think God has given a sufficient answer with regard to our writing to each other." But he says to the same person, eight years afterwards, "It has frequently been said, and with some appearance of truth, that you endeavour to monopolize the affections of all that fall into your hands; that you destroy the nearest and dearest connexion they had before, and make them quite cool and indifferent to their most intimate friends. I do not at all speak on my own account; I set myself out of the question; but, if there be any thing of the kind with regard to other people, I should be sorry both for them and you."

There is an unction about his correspondence with this person, which must have appeared like strong confirmation to so jealous a woman as Mrs. Wesley. He says to her, "the conversing with you, either by speaking or writing, is an unspeakable blessing to me. I cannot think of you without thinking of God. Others often lead me to him; but it is, as it were, going round about : you bring me straight into his presence. You have refreshed my bowels in the Lord: (Wesley is very seldom guilty of this sort of canting and offensive language.) I not only excuse, but love your simplicity; and whatever freedom you use, it will be welcome. I can hardly avoid trembling for you! upon what a pinnacle do you stand! Perhaps, few persons in England have been in so dangerous a situation as you are now. I know not whether any other was ever so regarded, both by my brother and me, at the same time." He questions her, not only about her thoughts, her imaginations, and her reasonings, but even about her dreams. "Is there no vanity or folly in your dreams? no temptation that almost overcomes you? And are you then as sensible of the presence of God, and as full of prayer, as when you are waking?" She replies to this curious interrogation, "As to my dreams, I seldom remember them; but, when I do, I find in general they are harmless." This Sarah Ryan was at one time housekeeper at the school at Kingswood. Her account of herself, which is printed in the second volume of the Arminian Magazine, is highly enthusiastic, and shows her to have been a woman of heated fancy and strong natural talents. It appears, however, incidentally, in Wesley's letter, that though she professed to have "a direct witness" of being saved from sin, she af terwards "fell from that salvation." And, in another place, he notices her "littleness of understanding."