have done, that he
himself was the means by which the union was effected. The contrast
between Whitefield and John Wesley, in character, tastes, culture, &c.,
was so very great that, quite apart from their doctrinal differences,
there could probably never have been any real intimacy between them, had
there not been some common friend who had in his character some points
of contact with both. That common friend was Charles Wesley. Full of
sterling common sense, highly cultured and refined, possessed of strong
reasoning powers, and well read like his brother, he was impulsive,
demonstrative in his feelings, and very tenderhearted like Whitefield.
Whitefield never quite appreciated John Wesley, but Charles he loved
dearly, and so did John. As we have seen, the one solitary instance of
the strong man's breaking down was on the death of his brother. And
Charles Wesley was thoroughly worthy of every good man's love. His fame
(except as a poet) has been somewhat overshadowed by the still greater
renown of his brother, but he contributed his full share towards the
success of the Evangelical Revival.

If John Wesley was the great leader and organiser, Charles Wesley the
great poet, and George Whitefield the great preacher of Methodism, the
highest type of saintliness which it produced was unquestionably _John
Fletcher_ (1729-1785). Never, perhaps, since the rise of Christianity
has the mind which was in Christ Jesus been more faithfully copied than
it was in the Vicar of Madeley. To say that he was a good Christian is
saying too little. He was more than Christian, he was Christlike. It is
said that Voltaire, when challenged to produce a character as perfect as
that of Jesus Christ, at once mentioned Fletcher of Madeley; and if the
comparison between the God-man and any child of Adam were in any case
admissible, it would be difficult to find one with whom it could be
instituted with less appearance of blasphemy than this excellent man.
Fletcher was a Swiss by birth and education; and to the last he showed
traces of his foreign origin. But England can claim the credit of having
formed his spiritual character. Soon after his settlement in England as
tutor to the sons of Mr. Hill of Terne Hall, he became attracted by the
Methodist movement, which had then (1752) become a force in the country,
and in 1753 he was admitted into Holy Orders. The account of his
appointment to the living of Madeley presents a very unusual phenomenon
in th