Wilmington daily commercial., 1872-01-06
THE MOTHER or METHOOIsM.
By REv- b. BAusxAS.

ing twenty chapters of the bible daily, anu anu
dreamed Of the glories OF maityruom, III ~.
first parish received him with spts, torkT, ana
the pelting OF stones. The pastor before hlln
danced. drank and made merry with hls peo.
ple on week days and Sundays, when Samuei
Anslye would neither 90 nor . 5r;van
from the path Of duty. Il am resolved TO con-
tinus with you until God has fitted You to en-
tertaiu a better This was his answer 10 the
stones and he helped to make the wicked par
ish better during the few years OF his stay. He
ia said to have been afearless servant OF CHRIST,
Who wrote no controversy, in very controversial
times but charmed with his godllness.@ |
clerical friend who baptized a child Tor MIN |
saws ,.tbat he had two dozen or quar-
tel Of hundred children With tins large |
family. and a limited income he devoted the |
tenth to God, besides his purse was always |
omen for widows and sick and starving ministers. |
A lively time had good parson Anslye with ms
offspring. The daughters became accomplished
Young ladies, whose charms attracted man!
Young men "Nonconformist pastors and raw
Young students city men aud wealthy lovers,
were lured thither. Among others, too
Young student by name Samuel Wesley
Dunton an eminent bookseller, and mem
ber Of the fathers congregation is free to con,
fess that one OF Anslyes daughters attracted
| him more to the good man chuIcn tlah het
fathers preaching.
| Susan Anslye is said to have possessed strong
intellect OF her personal appearance but little
| is said. Her character Is much prnsed. She
l
| doctrine endangered her faith. Her scholarly
| lover and husband first drew her of from the
| SOcinian heresy
when was young, she says and too much
! addicted to childish diversion, used never to
/ speud more time in any matter OF mere recrea-
| ton in one day than l spent in private religious
| duties
samuel Wesley began his married life with
| thirty pounds year: later he got fifty pounds
| $3.50, then S250) The house lie offered his
| Young wife was a mean cot. composed of reeds
and clay" In the little home there came . one
child additional per dnnuin. The husband was
| a close student, wrote books, and was earnestly
| attentive to his flock For seven years. he and
| his wife with thrifty management, lived III godly
| contentment. Then he was promoted, as 1t was
thought. But as for comfort, the Epworth
parish was little better than Ormeby. His par
ishioners we're mostly people with small farms.
The women wore their methers gowns, and the
men were never seen III clothes wholly new.
The maid started her spinning wheel at three in
the morning, and had forty shillngs (slO) a
year.
| burned crops, stabbed COWS, maimed watch
dogs, and put Goals on the thatch tthe straw
, | roof" On the steps Of his own church Wesley
was called rascal and scoundrel' In one Of
Mrs Wesleys couhnements, the wicked wretches
, kept drumming. shouting, and firing, until at
j | last the baby was killed IN the nurses fright
The tithe corn was stolen in open day. Such
was the condition of an English parish in 1850.
OF course his church ministratons received but
; little announcement. He seldom had more than
twenty communicates. Monsters of men-cliild-
rem were brought to baptism. whose manifold
j voices disturbed and alarmed the whole congrc'
+. To fill up the cup Of trial. brace of accidents
!. | occurred. The barn fell down; a third of the
= parsonage was burnt; his entire growth Of tas
Q was destroyed finally the parsonage was wholly
d burnt down. Poor Mrs. Wesley narrowly es
capped with her life. She says Il was not in
condition to climb mp to the windows, neithe
could get to the garden door. endeayore'
three times to force my passage through the
e street door, but as often driven back by tn
10 fury OF the flames. In this distress | besough
"a our blessed Saviour for help, and then wade'
70 through the fire, naked a. | was. which did IN,
D. no further harm than little scorching of1m
I. hands and my face.
Her six year old boy lay asleep. His fathe
missed him, and sought to help the poor chill
by kneeling in an agony OF prayer. kind
hearted man cried, Il will tx myself against tn
= wall, lift light man and set him on my shou
1t ders.' Thus brave meA got to where the bs
M lay. Jhst the child was caught in their stron
arms, the roof fell in, The boys name wa
ID John Wesley the founder of Methodism, in
ID double sense "a brand plucked out Of the fire.
(Zechariah iii p The next day Samuel Wese
picked up a stray scorched leaf Of his PolyglC
=. Bible, On which there was nothing legible br
'9 the passage: Go: sell all that thou hast, an
OF take up thy cross and follow me-
Ere long came another sorrow. For a sma
debt, which by a few hours delay lie could hay
. paid Wesley was imprisoned. He bore it patien
= ly. read prayers in his cell, every morning al
u afternoon, trying to minister to his fellow ia
birds as hest he could. But what becln
meanwhile Of his wife and chil1reny A seye
schooling had the mother of the Wesleyz. who
sOrrOwful lessons she learned and improved we
es With her large family, and little to live on,
kind. laborious husband, with more learniI
than thrift, she had her heart and hands full
care and work. Each morning and evening 81
lie devoted an hour to prayer. The family affai
| controlled ly Hyatem and
ment The rising and retiring. sleeping a,
or waking Of the Children was done according
,y fixed rules. " At seven they were prepared I
~ bed, at eight they were left IN their rOOr
he awake there was no such thing allowed as :
1ts ting by child until 1t went TO sleep. Th
in had TO eat what was set before them When
,rt year old they were taught to " fear the rod a
~ All Ills work Mrs Wesley performed in al
ton to her usual household duties Her grow
up children size followed with her letters a
prayers. Her son, John, describes the cal
ness. with which ais mother wrote letters VII
on surrounded with thirteen children, and lett
ich such as few mothers write TO their chiidrt
be Her eldest son was W rrled about getting /
18th scholarship at OxfoId She iuyt ez him in a
RE- ter TO join IN prayer over the matter, and 70
sas- apart the hours of sunday afternoon from Il
me to siN. to beg Gods favor in tlis great al
which time | have also determined to Do
roN, same work.
ION In a good old age Samuel Wesley fell asle
without one struggle or sigh or groan.' "
Of the daughters were married. The cons W
'ate ardeutly devoted 10 their mother She
uch bowed down with sorrow II seems even
npt many pious children couli not keep her Nh
-lty from want. The want Of proper food and
rec thing oCcasionel her repeated sickness. In
m weakness she said, one morning on awaki
lnal My dear saviour art thou come to help m,
lists my extremity az la=t;' Il was four och
ork when size said Children, a. soon a. l am
leet leased, sing psalm to God one son and
ne daughters sang. with tears, around their mot
Aer just fallen asleep in Jesus. Eight days later
the presence OF an iuuumerable company
jESs they lowered her remains into the grave. j
Wesley said. II commit the body Of my ma
70 the earth. He, too, preached ler fun
-, sermon, az he said, To one Of the mos. sol,
-, assemblies | ever saw or expect to zee on
- side Of eternity She had written her
. - bands epitaph; her son John now wrote /
-. - on plain st. u at the head of her grave.
a 49, ended. her life where she commenced it,
= = a. ~ there she was buried.
: o,,r UI Mrs. Wesley was a mother Of rare nteIge
= - piety, and wisdom She understood the gov
fSii ment Of children. as few mothers uuderstan
ret knew how to blend unyelding authority
80 geutleuess and maternal love A large pro
taoI tiun Of wckedness strikes its roots in a mis-
tiomv erned childhood A silly, sentimental pity "
"a conniyes at disobedience and shrinks
healthful correction, lays the foundation ot
ined character. The religious life Of her c
rem starts in their infancy. Their instructiC
night based on the Scriptures as explanedin the A
A.