The Grit-advocate., 1903-07-17

England, whose ministry ne entered
in early life He never failed to in
clude her name in his prayers and he
died in her full communion. OF Wes-
ley the late Dean Farrar of Canter
bury said: He loved the church
which hated him. He saved the
church of England, although at first
she SO angrily and contemptuously re
Jected him
John Wesley was born in the rec
tory at Epworth. Eng, June It. 1903,
o. S. When John was but s, the
duke of buckingham. lord chamberlain
10 Queen Anne. gave him free schol-
arship in the famous scheol of the
Charterhouse in London.
While at the Charterhouse school,
in May, 171G, an explosion destroyed a
cannon factory at Moorfields, from
wich the proprietor moved to Wool
wich and established the royal ar.
senal. This shattered foundry, twen-
ty-three years afterward, Wesley re-
stored and converted into the mother
church of the whole family of Method
;st churches on every continent. AL
though it would seat l.SUO persons,
it often became SO crowded that ad-
journEent was necessary to the open
fields, and in 177S Wesley completed
and opened, Nov. l. the Wesley chap
ell. on City road, London. This has
been many times renovated, but the
present shell OF the building, the gal
leries and rail are all of Wesley's
time, and the place, filed with me-
mentoes, is still a Mecca for all low
ers of Methodist history.
In 1920 Wesley left the Charter
house for Christ Church college. OK
ford, taking with him a school eX-
hibition prize of 5000 year. but he
never lost his veneration and love for
his first school
Wesley's mind turned to asceticism,
with high church beliefs, strong ritu-
alistic tendencies and mystical bias.
from which, however, he emerged in
1925, to the doctrine of present saliva
tion from guilt and fear through the
indwelling of Christ" a belief opposed
alike to high churchmanship and to
Calvinism. In the same year Wesley
and his mother renounced the doc
trine of predestination.
Wesley was ordained deat IN by
Bishop John Potter of Oxford, Sept.
19, 1925, and priest Sept. %, 1928.
His first sermon was at South Leigh
in OXfordshire in 1925.
On his 23d birthday he was elected
a fellow of Lincoln college. He faith
er then had but 500 to keep his family
until after the harvest, but he wrote
in high spirits, what will be my own
fate God knows, but wherever | am
my Jack is fellow of Lincoln
Lincoln college, within whose walls
Methodism was Graded, was founded
in the fifteenth century by two bish-
ops of Lincoln, in order to counteract
heresies dangerous to the church, but
John Wesley. the revolutionist was
connected with it more than a quar-.
ter of century. and its name appears
on the title pages of all his works.
He became Greek lecturer and from
then to the close of his life was a
hard and wide student. Hebrew,
Greek, Arabic, Latin. logic. ethics,
metaphysics. natural philosophy, po-
etry and divinity entering into his
weekly plan of study. In 1927, only "A
years old, he obtained the degree of
master of arts. His financial struggles
were over and by strict economy he
was thenceforth able to help his faith
er and his family.
His father. was now Co years old.
and to fill the small living of Moote
in addition to that of Epworth he
needed a curate. So, although John
was offered a school at good income.
he acted on his own judgment, prompt
ed by hi filial devotion and his moth
er's advice. went TO his fathers aid in
Lincolnshire, and there remained more
than two years. This was his only
parochial work.
The name of Methodist was first
bestowed upon Charles Wesley. Johns
older brother and his friends, because
4 of their strict conformity to the meth
1od of study prescribed by the uni
versity, but John Wesley became the
father of Methodsm. which he gave
a new Interpretation in his English
dictionary, One who lives accord
ing to the method laid down in the
Bible
John Wesley returned to Oxford as
tutor in 1929, and there found The
Holy club" which had been started
by his brother Charles two years be-
fore. He almost Immediately became
its leader and so continued until 1885.
This movement was spiritual. humani-
tartan and scriptural, its first and con
stant work being the study of the Bi-
Bile. Among its members was George
Whitefield, who, until he was Is years
old, drew ale for customers at his
fathers inn in Gloucester He was
converted in 1885, in his 21st year,
and at once became a member of the
club.
The Wesleys. to whom WhitefelG