As a result of the Arminian tendencies of Wes ley and his friends, Whitefield and Cennick with drew• from relations with them and formed the Calvinistic Methodists. The success of Wesley's work was, however, unabated. In five years front the preaching of the Bristol sermon forty-five preachers were laboring with him, and there were two thousand members in London alone. There is no question that the religious life of England was in need of some stirring and vivifying intim (nv; and this the burning words, the ardent faith of Wesle• brought it. His labors were prodigious. His evangelistic labors extended to all parts of the British Isles. He preached from twice to fotn• times daily, and traveled (on horse. hack until advaneing age compelled hint to use a carriage) about 4500 mile!-; a year. He met the societies, classes. and boards. and inquired minutely into their affairs. He saw to the erec tion of chapels, and collected money to defray the expense. He found time for an amazing variety of life•ary work, selecting. condensing, abridging, and writing on all kinds of subjects what he thought would be most useful for his followers. Ile joined in every movement fur the improvement of humanity. Sunday-sehools, the abolition of slavery, education• the eirenla lion of tracts. and charitable associations of all kinds interested him and enlisted his coiipera t ion.
By 1790 he found himself at the head of 51] preachers and 120.000 members, while at least fora• times that number were in attendanee with the Methodist Con7regations. He died March 2, 1791, in the house attached to the City Road Chapel in London, and was buried there. Ile WI-, of less than the average height, but, says Tyerman, "beautifully proportioned, w ithout an atom of superfluous flesh, yet muscular and strong, with a forehead clear ;111d smooth, a bright penetrating eye, and a lovely face which retained the freshnes of its complexion to the latest period of his life." In social life lie was a
charming man, a good talker, and never ill at ease. Ile numbered many of all classes among his friends. The obedience whicIS he exacted, for the good of the cause, from his was readily given. It is not too much to say that in eighteenth century England "no single figure inthienced so many minds, no single voice touched so many hearts." Ilis works were first published by himself (Bristol, 1771-74) ; the religious writing4, edited by Thomas Jackson ( London, 1829-31; 11th ed. 1850-62) ; an American edition in seven volumes (New York, 1831). His journals give the full est account of his career; they extend from 1735 to 1790, and present a marvelously full and graphic picture of the England of his day. Con densations of them were published by Welch (1898) and Parker (1903). At least forty biog raphies have been written. The more important among them are those by Tyerman (London, 1870-71), Southey (1820; ed, by Coleridge. 1846; Curry, 1867 ; Atkinson, 1890). Uigg (London, 1874), Telford (ib., 1890). Consult also: Wedg wood, Wesley and the Prangebical Reaction of the Eighteenth Century (London, 1870) ; Over ton, John Wesley (ib., 1891) ; Wesley's Place in Church History (ib., 1870). The two hundredth anniversary of Wesley's birth was almost universally observed among the Method ists in 1903, and much literature relating to him appeared in consequence.