, 1876-05-14
THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE: ID, SIXTEEN PAGES


IHE CHICAGO TuTRT
~@-NoO @ASAbe
-
OF many Worldly men Of his unrivaled powers Of
organization and government, Rut Il f. rnrons
TO note among the admirers of the WesieVs Inv
aadnerence to certain npologetfc strain. Even
southey, their hiographer, induIges in II, aud
Mnen F,e he wrote his temperate life Of Wesley in
1S2o, his prediction was, shall be abused on
al1 sides" He thought TINT the arelieious pub
Lie" would regard his book rs too Tolerant md
philosophical, that the liberals Of the dav would
G;tts GiIeem IT. TOO devotional, and that the etho
and their institutions. He could find no com
mon m ground for al ecclesiastical parties in the
ne OF MS hero. He Is content to recommend
the career OF Wesley to his rcaders Is abounding
N "cur1ous physiological cascs,' and be at
that Methodis1n may cast off its extrava,
gance and fall into the position OF Il an auxiu-
ary institution u Of the Church Of England
1t Is highly questionable whether Ill Jealous
churchmen would be content to view the career
no higher praise than that which is accorded and
claimed for them by their best~known bioernph-
CT. Perhaps various authorities In the Church
OF England would admit that their mission,
rightly seem WAS even larger, though less mill
lieyed or saw. Johu Wesley began his work at
q time when the vitality II tbe Church Of En-.
gland had run low, There vas little OF the oil at
zeal burning; and in rural parishes, where the
Squire and the parson wero bosom or boon com
panions, it was ten to one that the latter knew
more Of fo1 Or otter hunting than Of the mys-
teries Of theology, Ho hnd indeed somc-
what improved Tpop, and was no longer
the type Of, "tho tame Leyite,n Yuom
Macaulnv describes as kcpt in the houses
OF tho great in the eeventeeuth century. lie
was not, perhaps, as rule, q simple boor Of the
type Of Parson Adams, As r11le, be observed
moro or less scrupulously the conventional re-
duircments Of decor1lin. BE Followed the
bn@pes aa ano n his
81 these days vas vas apytbip M But YiIed or
1agitious citizen. Often cultivated and general
ly kind, he WAS pretty sure to preach short, IL
Questionable bouptifulnees aannel, and MOTT
wine among the aged and sick. PERHAPS be was
uot-indeed, probably he WAS not-tfjIed with
apostolic zeal. But be vas almost always a
gentleman. He leavened the life OF the parish
and aid It good. Now, it was into tbs % sort Of Il
easy-goine existence that the Wesleys came
as disturbing and. in fact. revolutionary
forces. They came to send . sword
and discord among peaceful and sljght1y-slecpy
eeclesiastics, Higher and more ardno,ls ideals
Of duty, loftier aims, examples Of sclf-denying
perscyerancc in thc lace Of wonderfnl difIicuj2,
ties, were held up by these new APOSTLES to a
drowsy gcncrations Quiet, respcctable clergy
men heard with a1m,zcmcnt of this unwca1icd
worker. who travelled 5000 miles every wear;
who visited the New World In order to diffuse
his teachings: who roso rccularly at O'CLOCK
to hegin his round Of lab6rs: who Is said to
have preached Id. ono ecrnons: and who com
Mned With Whitetielfi,s uowers rs a nreacher to
the rnile masses statesman's nowcI Of organi-
zstion. At inst be was pronounccd san enthu-
siastr rn-about the worst chorge which could be
broueht AGAINST man in fhe middle OF List
cent,irv. and almost the equivalent Of an
amf.hic 7unat;c- The country mnr;strates
MT their heads together: doubted
whether Il WIS at al Christian or seemly to
preach outside building. mud then decided to
leave tfrings alone. Any one who reads the IT.
.eratnrr ar looks over nacket at old letters Of
average country clergyman was at first not q
nt11e puzzie4 e1rd Fot out ~ eue slS1n ~
Wy Mo.s ~ ~ ,.s.,ert ~ &
Ihe Wnsicvr haG eot The nj n1,rshare n the Tieht
furrow. tiey miSht be ttIling the barren sand
The multitudes mored; the IRE of zeal lighted
In cold hearts; the sudden and marvellous
sp1eao 81 opS.es 1 WIS t m 1au nn;ra s9na
1nen w ~ H. oi1 schoo,.-and We naTaon their re-
f,oxarno 4ho+ +ha vro1.amAn% did ,,o harm tn