·1763. Sir, it is owing to their expreffing themselves in a plain and familiar manner, which is the only tat. 54. way to do good to the common people, and which clergymen of genius and learning ought to do from that the appellation of Methodists was first given to a fociety of ftudents in the Univerfity of Oxford, who about the year 1730, were diftinguished by an earnest and methodical attention to devout exercises. This difpofition of mind is not a novelty, or peculiar to any fect, but has been, and ftill may be found, in many Christians of every denomination. Johnson himself was, in a dignified manner, a Methodist. In his Rambler, No. 110, he mentions with refpect" the whole difcipline of regulated piety;" and in his "Prayers and Meditations," many inftances occur of his anxious examination into his fpiritual state. That this religious earneftness, and in particular an obfervation of the influence of the Holy Spirit, has fometimes degenerated into folly, and fometimes been counterfeited for bafe purpofes, cannot be denied. But it is not, therefore, fair to decry it when genuine. The principal argument in reafon and good sense against methodism is, that it tends to debafe human nature, and prevent the generous exertions of goodness, by an unworthy fuppofition that GOD will pay no regard to them; although it is pofitively faid in the fcriptures that he "will reward every man according to his works." But I am happy to have it my power to do justice to thofe whom it is the fashion to ridicule, without any knowledge of their tenets; and this I can do by quoting a passage from one of their beft apologists, Mr. Milner, who thus expresses their doctrine upon this fubject. "Juftified by faith, renewed in his faculties, and conftrained by the love of Chrift, their believer moves in the sphere of love and gratitude, and all his duties flow more or less from this principle. And though they are accu mulating for him in heaven a treasure of bliss proportioned to his faithfulness and activity, and it is by no means inconfiftent with his principles to feel the force of this confideration, yet love itself sweetens every duty to his mind; and he thinks there is no abfurdity in his feeling the love of GoD as the grand com manding principle of his life." Elays ou feveral religious Subjects, &c. by Jofeph Milner, A. M. Mafter of the Grammar School of Kingston-upon-Hull, 1789, p. 11. 1763. Etat, 54. a principle of duty, when it is fuited to their congregations; a practice, for which they will be praised by men of fenfe. To infift against drunkenness as a crime, because it debafes Reason, the nobleft faculty of man, would be of no service to the common people: but to tell them that they may die in a fit of drunkennefs, and fhew them how dreadful that would be, cannot fail to make a deep impreffion. Sir, when your Scotch clergy give up their homely manner, religion will foon decay in that country." Let this obfervation, as Johnson meant it, be ever remembered. I was much pleafed to find myself with Johnson at Greenwich, which he celebrates in his "London" as a favourite fcene. I had the poem in my pocket, and read the lines aloud with enthufiafm: "On Thames's banks in filent thought we stood, "Where Greenwich fmiles upon the filver flood: Pleas'd with the feat which gave ELIZA birth, "We kneel, and kiss the confecrated earth.” He remarked that the ftructure of Greenwich hofpital was too magnificent for a place of charity, and that its parts were too much detached to make one great whole. Buchanan, he faid, was a very fine poet; and obferved, that he was the first who complimented a lady, by afcribing to her the different perfections of the heathen goddeffes; but that Johnston improved upon this, by making his lady, at the fame time, free from their defects. He dwelt upon Buchanan's elegant verfes to Mary Queen of Scots, Nympha Caledonia, &c. and spoke with enthusiasm of the beauty of Latin .verse. "All the modern languages (said he) cannot furnish fo melodious a line as "Formofam refonare doces Amarillida filvas." Afterwards he entered upon the business of the day, which was to give me his advice as to a course of study. And here I am to mention with much regret, that my record of what he said is miferably fcanty. I recollect with admiration an animating blaze of eloquence, which rouzed every intellectual power in me to the higheft pitch, but must have dazzled me fo much, that my memory could not preferve the fubftance of his difcourfe; for the note which I find of it is no more than this:"He ran over the grand fcale of human knowledge; advifed me to felect fome particular branch to excel in, but to acquire a little of every kind." The defect of my minutes will be fully fupplied by a long letter upon the fubject which he favoured me with, after I had been fome time at Utrecht, and which my readers will have the pleasure to pesufe in its proper place. We walked in the evening in Greenwich Park. He asked me, I fuppofe, by way of trying my difpofition, "Is not this very fine?" Having no exquifite relish of the beauties of Nature, and being more delighted with "the bufy hum of men," I answered, "Yes, Sir; but not equal to Fleetftreet." JOHNSON. "You are right, Sir." I am aware that many of my readers may cenfure my want of tafte. Let me, however, fhelter myfelf Etat. 54. 1763. myfelf under the authority of a very fashionable Baronet in the brilliant world, who, on his attention being called to the fragrance of a May evening in the country, obferved, "This may be very well; but, for my part, I prefer the smell of a flambeau at the play-houfe." We ftaid fo long at Greenwich, that our fail up the river, in our return to London, was by no means fo pleafant as in the morning; for the night air was fo cold that it made me fhiver. I was the more fenfible of it from having fat up all the night before, recollecting and writing in my journal what I thought worthy of prefervation; an exertion, which, during the first part of my acquaintance with Johnfon, I frequently made. I remember having fat up four nights in one week, without being much incommoded in the day time. Johnson, whofe robuft frame was not in the least affected by the cold, fcolded me, as if my fhivering had been a paltry effeminacy, faying, "Why do you fhiver?" Sir William Scott, of the Commons, told me, that when he complained of a head-ach in the poft-chaife, as they were travelling together to Scotland, Johnfon treated him in the fame manner: "At your age, Sir, I had no head-ach." It is not eafy to make allowance for fenfations in others, which we ourselves have 3 My friend Sir Michael Le Fleming. This gentleman with all his experience of sprightly and elegant life, inherits, with the beautiful family Domain, no inconfiderable share of that love of literature, which distinguished his venerable grandfather, the Bishop of Carlisle. He one day obferved to me, of Dr. Johnson, in a felicity of phrafe, "There is a blunt dignity about him on every occafion.' not 1763. not at the time. We must all have experienced how very differently we are affected by the com- Etat. 54 plaints of our neighbours, when we are well and when we are ill. In full health, we can scarcely believe that they fuffer much; fo faint is the image of pain upon our imagination: when foftened by ficknefs, we readily fympathize with the fufferings of others. We concluded the day at the Turk's Head coffee-house very focially. He was pleafed to liften to a particular account which I gave him of my family, and of its hereditary eftate, as to the extent and population of which he asked questions, and made calculations; recommending, at the fame time, a liberal kindness to the tenantry, as people over whom the proprietor was placed by Providence. He took delight in hearing my defcription of the romantick feat of my ancestors. "I must be there, Sir, (faid he) and we will live in the old caftle; and if there is not a room in it remaining, we will build one." I was highly flattered, but could fcarcely indulge a hope that Auchinleck would indeed be honoured by his prefence, and celebrated by a defcription, as it afterwards was, in his "Journey to the Weftern Islands." After we had again talked of my fetting out for Holland, he faid "I muft fee thee out of England: I will accompany you to Harwich." I could not find words to exprefs what I felt upon this unexpected and very great mark of his affectionate regard. Next day, Sunday, July 31, I told him I had been that morning at a meeting of the people called Quakers, where I had heard a woman preach. JOHNSON. |