Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-11-23

brothers who laid the foundation
Methodism. IL was more than Il
years ago that the then President
e the Wesleyan Conference who h
been mentioned asked. with II
courtesy and moderation whit
! Is characteristic Of him, thl
Z / would allow the erection Of
. monument i'm Westminster Abbe
[ to Charles Wesley as the swe,
: psalmist Of our English lsreal.
ventured to answer, IL we are [
: erect a monument to Charles, VIII
: not to John?" (Applause.) 4
John Wesley accordingly, wit
his brother Charles, not as excludin
Charles, but as the greater genius
the grander spirit of the two, tina
monument has been erected In tn
last century, and mention 10 onl,
as showing that In welcoming thi
recognition Ofyour illiIstriOus found
er l was but following the preceden
already established in the Churcl
! of England the monument 10 JohT
Wesley was erected side by side &
that of the great Congregational di,
vine and poet, Isaac Watts.
once paid a visit to the City Road
Chapel, i'm which John Wesley
ministered and i'm the cemetry OF
which he is lying. In the cemetry
| asked the old man, as an English
churchman naturally would, BY
whom was the cemetry cOnsecra-
ted p and the answer came, 1T was
cOnsecrated by the voice Of that
holy man and holy servant OF God
John Wesley (Applause.) Re
turning to our point, remark that
the aim and career Of John Wesley
was two-fold, and its effect was not
upon you, but upon all Christen-
dom. First Of all, in claiming him
as your founder you enjoy a pecu-
liar privilege among the various
communities which have from time
to time broken off, or at least va
ried from the communion Of the
Church of England. The founder
of English Congregationalism, and
say it without the shadow Of dis
is also comparatively un-
known. The founder of English
Unitarianism is also comparatively
obscure. The founder of the SOci-
ETY. Of Friends even, George Fox,
has been superseded in celebrity by
Penn and by other illustrl-
Gus Friends who have arisen In that
society since his departure. II
Is no disrespect to the great society
Of Methodists, 1t Is no disrespect 20
the present men who sit about me
10 say that no one has arisen In the
society equal TO its founder, John
Wesley. (Applause). IL is this
which makes his character ard
which makes his fortune so peculi-
lrly interesting 10 the whole Chris
ian world. Let me ask In what
John Wesley has gained
his great pre-eminence. First OF
III, he is to all living persons
interesting as, II you will
llloW me, vindication Of the char
lcter Of the much espised
century. ! know not
whether In America, but certainly
n England, Ii Is unsual to dispar-
ge the thought and ellgious genius
Il the last century. JfIhn Wesley.
T any person OF that century was,
vas a representative ofsuch thought.
lis long, even life covered nearly
he whole OF those 100 years, and III
Or no other reason vet even to the
historian IL Il inn
'ortant as showing that, though
hat century was, no doubt, In many
espects dry and dull there was q
apability Of a religious character
uch as very few centuries have
cen capable Of producing. He had,
5 has been well said by one who
nay be called the first Of modern
English critics, 'He had q genius
lr godlinesS.' Applause and
iughter.l Again, there Il this In
popularity of John Wes-
~, interesting not only 20 Wes-
,yns, hut interesting 10 us-he
new how to make q very wide
without departing from
}. q vary said he, 'frOm the
hurch Of England, hut will never
ave it,, and this was his desire, to
ersevere in the Church Of England
, the end. II may bevery improper
/ me to pass my censure especially
! America, as opportunities alter
,ses, and things which might have
cen possible In his time may have
acone impoSsibles since, neverther-
leless the relations he sustained
70 encOuragements TO make the
IOst of the relations so long AS you
main with us. Applause. There
e those In England who think
lat Wesleyanism or MethOdism
ay possibly be one of the links OF
le union between the mother
hurch of England and those who
q more or less estranged from r..
n them / pronounce no opinion.
know that separations once made
e very difficult to reconcile. Yet
ere is much remaining Of the old
cling, and there Is something ia
e heart Of Methodism which ~
,onds to the feeling when the
other still goes out 10 lhem.
There is yet another characteristic
John Wesley. ! come now to
e more distinctive points which
, urged upon the Christian world.
here are two characteristic points.
Ou will recall that upon his mon
nent Is the inscription, THE
Orld is my parish This is "A say
g which is most important TO all
tristan teachers. We are not
a particular sphere; hut there Is
Other principal which / hope IL
It over looked, that the parish l.
Y word That particular sphere
to which our lot has been cast
ay he for us the world, the whole
Drld, perhaps, and the only world
which we can make our inhu-
CO felt or hope to do any good,
It nevertheless the counter prop
ition holds, and the world Is my
e must not cOnfine ourselves to
e small sphere in which we are
,rn. If the opportunity Is open
fore us IL is then we may step In.
have seen pastors who have gIown
to vast good, into loving institu-
Jns, passed down from father to
n, as a loving heirloom Of peace.
18th US II may be 80, but with you
hen public opinion sways, where
e opinion of the few are supposed
have 80 great a power, don't for
moment believe that you can
Get public corruption and yet
ave the world far below or beside
IA. You must hear in mind Ia
wing your votes or In writing In
q newspapers or in whatever
here YOU may exercise an infiu-
ce, that Il Is extensive far bs,-
md the sphere In which you nre
II. Applause.
There Is one further remark on
G character and career of John
esley. Everyone who knows
ythinG OF his long and eventful