Wilmington journal., 1872-09-06
From the Morning Star.
JOHN WESLEY AND HIS BIOGRA-
PIERS.
BY REV. R. s. MORAN, d. d.

! The Life and Times Of JOIN U'eSley:
BY l.. Tyerman. In three volumes crown
) 70. cloth, s. 80 pc, volume, Harper d
Brothers. Also Lives Of Wesley by John
/ Hampson, DR.. Coke and Henry Moore
DIR. Whitehead, SoiIthey, Richard Wat
! son, Henry NJ lore and Miss Julia Wedg-
wood.
! No work lately issued by the English
or American presa has attracted such
/ general attention or elected so many
| hearty expressions of commentator as the
first Of the above named biographies of the
Founder of MethOiism. Though far from
faultless, it must be admitted, on a general
survey, that it is one of the most interest
| ing works OF its class in our Language, and
beyond a doubt the most complete descrip-
tive account yet given of that glorious
i spiritual springtime awakening which has
made the 18th century for ever memorable
! in the annals of Christianity. John Wes-
ley, whom God had evidently raised up and
thrust forward as the most prominent
agent in this remark a ble movement, is here
represented, not in that unreal seraplic
light in which the saints OF the Calendar
Shine, nor yet aS possessed Ot those eXag-
gerated supramuuda"e peIfectiOns of the
heroes OF rOmanCe-but with some eXcep-
tions to be noted in the sequeI-he is taith-
fully set forth just as he wa4 and as he
actually seemed to be to the men of his
own seueratiOn-to the wise and the vir-
tuOus, who could comprehend and appre-
ciate him 10 the Vu:gar aud the vicious,
who misunderstood and naltIeattd him
Nothing IS 0YerdraWn in order 10 magnify
i. his wisdom or WGith, ana nothing 10 tim
idly Kept back OF SlooSed over to conceal
his weakness or eXtenuate his faults. Wnh
equal fidelity to truth and justice the lights
TIcI,. /
his character are distinctly brought To view,
and TIE re,.Ges is lest td form hls own judg-
. ment as TO The aggregate merits Of tue
qualities thus combined in him. Mr.. Iy
erman does not hesitate ia rel.;ts relss even the
/ most derogatory~thiugs eaid of Wesley by
influential opponents perildous friends and
+ impiaeable enemies. To these, however,
+ he rarely conde5cends to make any reply,
but after quoting WITH apparent indtier-
J ence their most abusive paragraphs and
pasquiuades, he cOnlenptuOusly dlsiuisscs
/ them without so Hucs4 a@ one WORD OF
! comment Or cfIt1clsn--nOr was one word
{ necessary-for their ''violent dealings y
came " down upon their own pates,"
/ The labor of collecting from So MANY
| various sources o. ihioi lltatipn and arrang-
ing i'll chronological succession such an i'm
menSe mass OF memorabilia concerning one
man, must have been cIlOrmOus-the pIOd-
} ding patience of Mr.. Tyerman is IInrivaled.
ct the result OF his laDOriOus efforts is not
so satisfactory as the admirers of Wesley
/ or the friends Of Methodism could wish
, lie presents an exhaustive array of facts
and incidents illustrative OF the sublime
career of this marvellous man, but with
the exception OIthe1r OTtieriy chronological
arrangement in the narrative, they are
/ brought together apparently vii hout unity
I nf n liar wit Il
regard of the effect which they are likely
to produce on the mind of the reader. MIR.
| Tyerman makes 10 attempt whatever to
reconcile the numerous discrepancies, in
cOnsistencies and incongruitles which he
records, gross and glarlng as many of these
! appear on his pages though assuredly
most of them are capable of such 1oditica-
| tions as would divest them of that sharp
aDgularity of form and distinctness OF out
line in which he has presented them. He
! garrIIlously relates several adventures i'll
/ Wesley's life which are, at least, of doubt
| fui propriety and often summal liy pro-
! LounGes things that Wesley saId aud dIu 10
| be "Silly, "":foolish," .'absurd." ttpreposter-
ous," DC, vet seiiom or never deems it eX-
j ped1"n to seek for any explanation Of such
/ apparent anomalies III the life OF u lt.aii
| whom he elsewhere declares to be "as per-
| feet as we ever expect man to be this side
! of Heaven" In some instances it must
| indeed be conceded that he acted wisely in
/ giving simple statement of conflicting
| facts without attempting TO hannoniZe
! them SINCE the subject of his memoirs
i was not exempt frOm the common iutiI mi
! ties of our nature, and any evasive effort
! to conceal or covet up these would be bat
! a .trcus pia-the besetting sin of writeGe IN
! this department.
! But Whatavor inhrmities sof character
Wesley may have had, his genuine intel
lectual ahd moral greatness, goodness and
unselfishness cannot now be questioned by
| any reasonable man. Tothese sGperlative
qualities OF mind and heart, his works,
| known and read of all men, indisputably