Pike County press. (Milford, Pa.) 1895-1925, 1896-05-08
SOME WESLEY PAPERS.
Charles Wesley and the war OF Independ-
ence-Interesting Discovery In Lon

Dlagonally opposite the famous
Bunhill Cemetery stands plain
brick building tenanted by the Wes-
leyan Conference. Within it's walls
are stored the archives pertaining to
Methodism from the date, May "a,
l73S, when Methodism, as history
knows it, was born. The vaults of
the building are choked with a mass
of documents, letters, and unpublish-
ed sermons. 1t has remained for
the Rev. Charles H. Kelly, secretary
to the Wesleyan Conference, to have
made most interesting literary dis
covery among this accumulation
during the past few weeks.
A short time ago Mr.. Kelly had
occasion to visit the vaults in order
to oversee some slight repairs which
were in progress. These involved
the shifting of number of old vol
umes and the emptying of cup
board long disused, By accident
one OF the books was opened, and, to
his surprise, was found to contain
numerous manuscripts of poems
and sermons which had been writ
ten in clear and legible hand and
then bound. Something in the hand
writing struck him as being familiar.
In the investigation which quickly
followed thirteen more volumes
were unearthed. These on being
opened were likewise found to con-
tain manuscripts, and amongst them
were many hitherto unknown
works of Charles Wesley.
Nor was this all. In the above
mentioned cupboard, large bundle
wrapped in paper discolored by age
and dampness, was found. This
also contained manuscript poems of
Charles Wesley, and, what was
more interesting, the subject of the
latter were the reverend authors
diatribes against the American col
onists for the war of independence
they were then waging.
1t is, of course, we'll known that
Charles Wesley was Tory of the
most pronounced type. Unlike his
brother John, who had written an
open letter to Lord North, protest
ing against the carrying on of a
war against brave people, " Char
les, built in narrow mould, could see
nothing that the colonists deserved
for their rebellion but the awful
wrath of God. 1t is surmised that
this bundle of poems is part of the
material which was sent to the Rev.
Thomas jackson, when he was pre-
pairing his "Life of the Brothers
Wesley. " Most of these newly
found poems have never been pub
lished by the brothers, although the
number of books of poetry published |
by the brothers separately, or in
conjunction, is sixty three.
Prominent among these unpub-
lished poems is one written in 1880. |
and entitled American Independ- |
ence. As one reads this poem,
which is of great length, it is diff
cult to imagine from it's metaphor
and metre that it was composed by
the same man who also penned the
immortal and exquisite lyric, " Jesus
Lover of My Soul. The first two
verses are as follows:
Where is old England's glory fled,
Which shone so bright in ages pastY
Virtue, with our forefathers died
And public faith has breathed its last.
Now men who falsified their trust
Have laid our house in the dust.
II.
Our rulers have to rebels sued
And given us up into their hands;
profligate and lewd,
Obedient to our foes commands.
They serve our cause with frantic zeal
Factors of France and tools of He'll.
Another written in 1888 has for
its title subject The Testimony of
the American Loyalists. " Still
another seems to have been inspired
at some stage of the war by the de-
claration of Lord Carleton, that
the conquest of America by fire and
sword is not to be accomplished. "
We never can by fire and sword
The fierce American subdue,
If we our generals steps pursue.
A Against his friends his sword Is turned,
He spoils and plumbers them and burns.
Such leaders never can aspire
Rebels to quell with sword and fire;
But without fire another can accom-
plish,
Who truth and righteousness approves.
And more than gold his country loves.
A man for his great end designed
We now at last expect to find,
BY prOvidential love bestowed,
Whose object is Britannia's good
Britannia's peace his only aim
And Carleton is the patriots name.
One of the newly discovered volu-
mes is especially interesting by rea-
ION of the two manuscript sermons
which it contains. One of these
vas preached before the students of