Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1874-10-21
How John Wesley Was SANDER
cd

fame of Henry Ward Beecher recalls
the story Of similar attack upon
that apostolic and sanity man, John
Wesley. The charges were similar
and were groundless beyond the
shadow of doubt. They were occa.
stoned by the senseless jealousy OF
Wesley's ignorant wife, and were
caught up by rival sectaries, and even
entertained by the public press. Wes-
ley disdained to notice the SANDERS,
Notwithstanding the agitation and
distress of his brother, Charles Wes-
ley, of other members of the family,
and of the dignitares of the church.
We find our narrative in the "Life
and Times of Rev John Wesley" by
Rev L. Tyerman, published by Har-
per & Brothers, in 1872, in three vol
umes, and reprint it for the purpose
of showing that men of spotless live.
and the most exalted character are
liable to the same abuse and ISLANDERS
as have befallen the pastor of Ply
mouth church. Sarah Ryan, who is
mentioned in the narrative, was house
keeper in one of Wesley's denomina-
tional asylums. She had been mar
ried to three men, successfully, who
in turn abused and deserted her. Her
station in life was low, her education
limited, and, at times, the obligations
Of duty lay loosely upon her. Under
the preaching of the Methodists she
became convert, and won the great
preachers confidence. Wesley was
undoubtedly imprudent to contide his
domestic troubl,s as he did, but there
is not the least atom of evidence Of
any other indiscretion on his part.
In February, 1856, Wesley wrote
to Sarah Ryan: Your last letter
was seasonable indeed. was grow
ing faint in my mind. The being
continually watched over for evil !;
the having every word l spoke, every
action l did, small and great, watched
with no friendly eye; the having a
thousand little, tart, unkind rehec-
tons, in return for the kindest words
| could devise
Like drops of eating water on the marble
At length have Worn my sinking spirits down.
Yet l could not say, "Take thy plague
away from me- but on y, Let me
be purified, not consumed"
In another letter to Sarah Ryan he
writes as follows:
january 81, 1868.
"My Dear Sister: Last Friday, after
many severe words, my wife left me- VOW.
ing she would see me no more. :"
Wesley and his wife, however, were
again united, but were far from being
happy. So things proceeded till III.
Son one occasion she seized his let
tiers and other papers, and put them
into the hands of such as she knew to
he his enemies, that they might be
printed as presumptive proofs of il
licit connections" She even inter-
polated letters which she had inter-
cepted, so as to make them bear q
bad construction, and then read them
to different persons in private, for the
purpose of defaming him. In one or
two instances she published interpo-
lated Or forged letters in the public
prints. She accused Charles Wesley
of idleness, and declared that, for
years, his dearest Sally had been
John Wesley's mistress. Charles
danced with rage at this imputation
cast upon his wife; but his Sally
calmly smiled and said, "Who will
believe my sister now?" Frequently
she would drive a hundred miles to
observe who was in the carriage with
her husband on his entering a town.
Sometimes her passions hurried her
into outrage and indecency. More
than once she laid violent hands upon
his person and tore his hair. Jack"
said John Hampson, senior one of
Wesley's biographers to his son, II
was once on the point of committing
murder. Once, when / was in the
north of Ireland, went into room
and found Mrs Wesley foaming with
fury. Her husband was on the floor,
where she had been trailing him by
the hair of his head and she herself
was still holding in her hand venefa-
BILE locks which sic had plucked up
by the roots. l felt" continued the
gigantic Hampson, who was not one
of Wesley's warmest friends, IL felt
rs though l could have knocked the
soul out of her."
1t is recorded that the Gospel Mag.
azine, edited by the famous Toplady
reviewed an extraordinary and infa'
nous burlesque pamphlet on Wesley
and commended it as "a delicate
satire on Wesley" and hoped that
.the cream of tartar so ably admins
tered by the anonymous physician
will prove a sweetner Of the patients
crudities and conduce to carry of
some portion of his self-sufficiency.'
Wesley, however, had been so use
verely peppered and sailed, of late
years." that the considerable editor o.
the Gospel Magazine benevolently
intimates that he shall, on that &C
count, refrain from adding to the
pepper and salt seasoniugs, which
!must often have made Wesley smar
and vince like an eel dispossessed o
it's skin"
This was bad enough; but there