The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1868-11-22
xoRN1Na STAR AND CATHOLIC MESSENGER.
-
NEW ORLEANS, SUNDAY, NOVEMBER %, 1869
p1AcKwooD ON WESLEY.

.ketch is Mandatory of the inventor OF Meth
oGism, with occasional deductions from uh-
assailable premises, showing how large
share of pride and intense selfshness entered
into his character. What will be thought
of a young Cantab who questions th"s
about Thomas kempis:
There is indeed in his life, as in that OF
the most emphatically religious men, GER
tain want of perspective, or, if we may use
the word, an absence of the ordinary varl-
ety- of level which marks the more or less
momentous incidents of life. His difficult
ties about Thomas kempls seem TO Dulk
as large in his mind as those about MS Or
dination and on the smaller dlfncuity as
we'll as tile greater he receives home coun-
sel once more varied according to the char
acteristic peculiaritics of father and mother.
He could not agree with attempts, the
youn. man lamented; he could not feel that
mirtl or pleasure were useless or sln1ul, us
does the author of the lmitatione."
The father of John Wesley, on his dying
bed, requested his son to take his place III
the paternal abode and If for nothing eise'
to comfort his mother.
He might as we'll have prayed beaten
and embittered general to take the peaceful
nlow i'm hand, instead of trying another
Wild campairn to redeem his fortune. With
a certain ascerbity, from the seciuslon OF
his college. Wesley replies'to these atfec-
tionate entreaties. With curious splrltual
erotism, which is evidently a cover for
Wounded feeling, he declares that his own
salvation would be impossible at Epworth.
He will listen to no reasons, however CO.
aent-he will save himself, though no man
cares to be saved with him. Thus he resists
with a kind of desperation the attempt TO
draw him into sober work, ana the respon-
abilities of a social position. Whether any
touch of mere human seltishness lay be-
low-whether he was reluctant to take upon
himself the care of his mother and sisters,
which was uue of the ACKNOWLEDGMENT
upon him to accept the cure OF EpWorth-
which runs through his self defence might
have been natural enough In the case OF
vonrp man asked to sacrifice his own aztec
lions in order to keep up the family nome.
Rnt there is no whisper of disappolntedlo love
in the record. He fights against the tate ne
IisI;led with an acrid energy, probably
Jrown only from the disturbed state OF his
own mind, from the darkenlng OF the SKY
aver him, the desertion OF his dlsciPies, the
sickenipg doubt in his own spirit as to what
this course of mysticism could come TO; anu
so fiercely throws away the cam, aoines.,1 :.
and quiet thus pressed upon hlm-g'vlnG
h;tt.r selfish reasons, half consciously So
,histica}. not knowing what he Is DONG,
following out unawares the thread VI IL ues-
tiny unforeseen:
,ftor fi;s decision, have accepted the Office
1t missionary to Georgia, tits very dlthcult
to ncrceiye. - Our end" he says, " III
leaving our native country was to save our
sonls.' Thus curiously does the apostle 60
forth, putting the selfish motive nfs.' oy az
amazing inadvertance OF words, IN wmch
most modern apostles, but neither Peter mol
paul. ioin him. To save his soul! not out
of love to God OF love to mana strange
example of the way in which good people
insist on putting forward the meaner mo
tive-not in their hearts, whatever they
NAV say, but in their words.
The missionlasted q little more than two
years. and it cannot lie called in the small
est degree a successful one. So far al
nreachiuc to the Indians was concerned
Wesley never attempted 1t, for he did no no
even begin to learn their language. HI
became chaplain to the colonists, yer.
different office, and made his appearance
among them in some such fashion as
flaming Ritualist Of the present day nigh
make his entry into an Evangelical parish
His austcritics and High Churchmanshil
seem to have done more to puzzle the n
very fastidious society of the new colon.
than his devotion did to enliShten them. III
insisted on iinmersing the baby Georgian
who were brought to him for baptism. III
refused to bury the dead who had not bee
baptized in the Church of England, AM
shut out from the communion table the de
youtcst Christian who could not stand thi
test. With that curious want of dIscrlmi
nation which distinguished him, he nike
up paltry matters of detail with grea
Christian principles. Wesley went tror
step to*tcp until he had alicnatet! and dis
gus;c,i he greater part OF his dock. II
preached at his parishioners, or so at lcas
iiry thought, 'niaking his sermons s
-m many satircs upon particular persons" II
interferc,l in family quarrels and the broi
OF social life. He induced the Governc
to make paltry and harassing laws toucl
ing Sabbath observance, and then yeXe
his soul with complaints against transgres
ors of them. such are the sins allcgc
against him, and they are not ut all out
keeping With his character on the one ham
and quite sufficient to account for his To-
of reputation in the colony on the othc