Knoxville Whig and chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1875-1882, 1875-07-14
An Interesting Episode in Wesley's
Life.

| Lie.
We published yeterday an extract from
address by Bishop Bowman, of the N. q.
Church, in which he described the re-
markable recovery of Bishop Simpson
from dangerous illness after earnest
prayer lad been offered in his behalf.
and, as the speaker believed, in answer
to prayer. IL Is singular coincidence
that the life of john Wesley was once
saved under circumstances closely akin to
those mentioned in regard to Bishop
! sum son. The event created great inter
est 10 the time, and was thought by Mr..
| Wesley's friends TO be wonderful il not
supernatural. In June. l77j, lust 100
| years ago. he was travelling throuh Ire
/ land. lie had felt unwell, but in spite of
| a burning fever kept at work for three
days. On reaching the town of Lurgan
he called a physician. who told him he
needed rest. Wesley replied that he
could not, a. he had appointed to preach
at several places and must preach rs
long as he could speak. He took some
medicine, but was obliged to 60 to bed at
the house of Mr.. Gayer, of Derryaghey,
leading Methodist. We quote the Sc
quel from .Tyerman's Life and Times of
Wesley:
His mir Gayer's daughter, afterwards
Mrs. WOlfendeu, was Il converted girl,
sixteen years of age, and, with her moth
er, was Wesley's nurse. Great anxiety
was felt for Wesley's life, and, while
few select friends were praying that. as in
the case of Hezekiah, God would add to
his days fifteen years, Mrs. Gayer sud-
denly rose from her knees and cried,
The prayer is granted - Marvelously
~ a.rl. n.
commenced, and he survived from June,
l775, to March, 1891, period OF just fif-
teen years and few months over. But
even this was not all the wonder. Alex
ander Matter, ut the time, was at Sheer
ness in Kent, where he read in the news
papers that Wesley was actually dead.
Matter says he was not able to give ere
dence to this, and before he went to
preach he opened his Bible on the words,
behold, | will add to thy days fifteen
years." and away he went to the chapel
and began to pray that the promise made
to Hezekiah might be fulfilled in the case
of Wesley.
Many persons will think that Wesley
would have recovered without the prayers.
His biographer evidently leans to the OPP
posite opinion. He says of his condition
at the worst: strength, memory, and
mind entirely failed. For three days he
lay more dead than alive. His tongue
was black and swollen. He was violent |
ly convulsed. For some time his pulse |
was not discernible." 1t is added that |
when hope was almost gone Joseph Brad |
ford, his travelling companion, came with |
and said: Sir, you must take this,n |
Wesley writes: " / thought Il will if | |
can swallow, to please him for it will |
do me neither harm nor good Imnedi-
ately II set me to vomiting my heart |
began to beat, and my pulse to play
again and from that hour the extremity |
OF the symptoms abated." Six days after |
he was able to set out for Dublin.
Both of these accounts OF Mr.. Wesley's |
convalescence occur in the same work.
There is no inconsistency between them, |
for both prayer add medicine We're doubt
lessly used in his behalf. IL is not stated. |
however, whether Mrs. Gayer's feeling
that her prayer had been answered was !
experienced subsequent to the admins |
tration Of the dose by Bradford or before.
In the one case it would have been the |
result OF an internal assurance, and in the |
other 1t might have arisen from the OBJ |
servatlon of a change in the patients con-
dition. The medicine must have been |
exceedingly powerful to have occasioned |
so speedy and radical an Improvement in |
the condition OF 50 sick a man. Alto |
gether the case is a singular one, wheth-
er it is looked upon from religious or
secular StandpOint.-Cin Cincinnati Gazette. |