The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1880-06-09
For Tns RECORD.
TIE OLD SQUARE ALMANAC.

Nooelist. And his powers, that way, are of
no mean order. He IL scarce less vivid 10 de-
scriptinn Or intense in failing than Charles
Reade hardly inferior to him in the power
Of delineating human character and revealing
the secret springs of conduct while the NOR
al tone 10 healthier than that of the more
widely read, sensational Reade. Alton Locke,
Yeaskaad Hgpathia are Of thrilling interest,
and fasten their scenes aud characters upon
the readers imagination and memory with
wonderful power. But the Novel was only
part Of Kingsley's work, crowded into the
spare moments Of q most busy life. He pub
lished, besides, stories for children, poems,
and popular works on science, Sermons, and
Lectures on History he lectured before
workingmen's clubs, and did much to popu-
larize natural science, aud thus raise the tone
of thought among the laboring classes, as
well as show wealthy summer idlers how to
make their holiday hours more profitable by
pleasantly studying the wonders of sea and
stream and earth, in their Summer rambles.
But meanwhile he was working as a parish
priest in neglected and difficult places, with
ansparing devotion, and with an energy that
would have absorbed the all of q common man.
Aud, at the same time, he was so helpful by
letters and personal intercourse to large cir
Gle of widely scattered applicants and also
so entirely filed up the requirements of the
home life, as husband and father, with unfail-
ing freshness and originality, that one is al
most ready to think there are three men, or
four, whose life we have presented to us in
the one biography. That biography, gwen to
us by Mrs. Kingsley, after making full al
lowance for the Partially of affection, deep
ly impresses us with the wealth of influence
that dwells in one human soul, we'll taught,
and self consecrated, unreservedly, to the one
purpose worthy of the Christian man and
minister
. That all my powers with all their might
In lhy sole glory may unite"
June II, 1703, gave birth to another priest
of the Church Of England, whose maine is less
associated with the great work he accomplish
ed in and for that Church, than it is with the
religious societyhe founded, and that event.
ually separated from the Mosher Church, and,
in America, ferped an entirely distinct organ
ization. John Wesley is everywhere account
ed 1.-THE Father of Methodism." A circum-
stance of his funeral 10 brought to mind, by
that title. The service was performed by
Mr. Richardson, who had for nearly thirty
years been one of his preachers. When he
came to the act of committal in the burial
service, +" Forasmuch as 1t hath pleased Al
mighty God to take out of this world the soul
of our dear brother" his voice changed, and
he substituted the word father and the
feeling with which he did this was such,"
writes his biographer, " that the congregation,
who were shedding silent tears burst at once
into loud weeping" We are disposed to quote
another sentence or two, with which DIR.
Southey closes his appreciative memoir Of
Wesley. For we cannot forget that Wesley's
first and abiding wish was, that his societies
should always remain as auxiliaries to the es-
tablished church. and their members contin-
ne to be It's loyal sons and daughters, church
men and churchwomen, as we'll as Methodists.
He meant 'thom to supplement the regular
work of the Church, to make up its existing
defects to revive its languishing spirituality,
and such happy results were to a great degree
effected and the leaven then hid, which now,
in our generation, leavens the whole awaken
ed church of England. We deplore the hos
tility of those in civil authority, the blindness
oftoo many of the Bishops, the stupidity that
lost to the National Church all that intelec-
tual and spiritual force which the Wesleys
possessed and controlled We know the
church itself is wiser to-day, as we'll as holier,
little of state-craft binding 1t, and infinitely
more of the spirit of the Gospelanimating it;
SO that ifsto-day the Methodists were to
spring up in Oxford, or elsewhere their zeal
would find hearty welcome, and their irregu-
larities and excuses be tolerated, or tempered
by the broader, better policy that now directs
ecclesiastical affairs in England. We see too,
even more than appeared in DIR. Southey's
time, that the Methodists themselves, in our
land, are returning in many ways, to that or.
der and temper Of the Episcopal Church,
from which, a hundred years ago. they recoil-
ed and SO not unhopefully, we adopt South
ey's language
+ {" Methodism is free from that inherent
hostility to the Church of England, which
t4fSbS III bVcIJ Utuof n5Gts III IL III bU8
natural order of things that it should purify
itself gradually from whatever is objection
able in its institutions. Nor is it beyond the
bounds of reasonable hope, that, conforming
itself to the original intention of its found
ers, 1t may again draw towards the establish
ment from which it seeded, and deserve to be
recognized as an auxiliary institution, It's
ministers being analogous to the regulars, and
its members to the various confraternites of
the Romish Church. The obstacles to this
are surely not insuperable perhaps not 50 diff
ficult as they may appear. And were this
effected, John Wesley would then be ranked,
not only among the most remarkable and in
fuential men of his age, but among the great
est benefactors of his country and his kind"
The industry and physical endurance of
John Wesley were most remarkable. For
fifty years be rose at four in the morning,
summer and winter, and was accustomed to
preach sermon at FIVE. Though am al
ways in haste be wrote of himself, 81 am
never in hurry, because l never undertake
any more work than can go through with
perfect calmness Of spirit. 1t is true travel
four or five thousand miles in a year, but
generally travel alone in my carriage and am