The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1870-07-16
ORIGIN OF METHODIsM-CRED.
1T TO WHOM CREDIT Is DUE.

As our Methodist ministerial
brethren are to continue the dis
cussion Of the question OF giving
women equal privil eyes with men
in the pulpit, we beg leave to call
their attention to little scrap Of
history with which they are doubt
less familiar.
Woman has been deprived Of the
credit due to her of having origin
ated Methodism. We know that
this sect has been q God send to
the world since it has been the pi-
oneer of the gospel in the van of
the settlement of America. Who
but Methodist ministers under tho
Methodist system would have wa
ded swamps, forded and swan riv-
ers, camped on the ground, and
encountered infinite other hard
ships Gas they are called by the
feeble and effeminate) for the sake
of affording gospel privileges to
the pioneers2
Methodism being so honorable.
and woman having originated
Methodism, she should have had
the credit Of it. John Wesley was
not the father Of this sect, but his
mother was the mother of this
powerful denomination. She was
not the mother of it simply by vir>
tue of being the mother of John
and Charles Wesley, but by virtue
of the positive founding of the
Church by her own personsl labor.
Her husband was an Epis cOpal
minister in The Church of England,
and as he was an itinerant, or at
all events necessarily absent most
Of the time from the parish in
which he resided, his wife conceiv.
ed the idea of supplying to some
extent the deficiency.
The idea grew upon her until
she felt it her duty to minister at
least to some of her intimate
neighbors. She accordingly invi-
ted a few of them to her house on
Sundays to read the Scriptures,
pray, sing, DC. Each Sabbath
day brought an increase of her au-
dience, and she began to read SER
mons and devotional books. Then
she began to exhort. Her audi
ence continued to increase until
the house was not only filled, but
the yard round about, as far as the
people could hear.
After little the neighboring
clergy heard of her doings, and
were displeasei. They found that
she was bringing scandal upon the
Church, and presented the case to
her husband, expecting that he
would. by his authority as head of
the woman discontinue these
meetings. He presented the case
to her, with the advice to give no
further occasion for the uneasiness
of the church dignitaries, She ac-
knowleged her obligation to obey
her husband, but, as she believed
it was her duty to hold these meet
ings, as that they were productive
of great good to the people, she
could not discontinue them with
out his command SO expressly CIV
en- that when they should appear
at the final judgment seat there
would be no mistake as to who
was responsible for it. Her hus>
band could not stand the pressure.
did not give such a command, and
Mrs. Wesley continued to do her
duty.
John and Charles, her sons,
while at college, pursued the same
course by admitting students to
their room for religious conven-
fence. They also got into trouble
on account Of their zeal, nd if our
memory serves us were compelled
to leave college. John only car
ried forward the work his mother
began, and the world was blessed
with Methodism.
AS the church has q mother rath.
er than father, how does it look
to exclude women from its pulpit?
T Gin. Times.