The Savannah morning news., 1903-06-25

From Hurst's History of Methodism.'
years, between 1927 and 1929, he off,
ciated as his fathers curate; in 172S,
he was ordained priest at Oxford, and
continued as his fathers assistant for
a short time, after which he returned
to Oxford and there remained six
years.
The Name of Methodist.
while John Wesley was at Epworth,
his brother Charles had originated what
was CONTEMPORARY spoken of as the
Holy Club, Bible Bigots,' Bible
Moths, the Cody Club 'Supereroga-
ton Men 'Sacramentalists, and, as
John Wesley observes in his journal.
were sometimes dignified with the
name of Enthusiasts, or the Reform
Club And to these were applied the
name Methodist.
THE life of John Wesley was a con-
tinual protest against moral evil and
religious laXity. On Wednesdays and
in the afternoon. He and his asso-
ciates carried self-denial and study so
far as nearly to ruin their health. They
gave away all the money they could
obtain, received the communion week
ly, set apart an hour or two every
day for prayer. and visited prisons, un-
til by these things, and by severe and
| frequent hemorrhages, John was
brought to the gates of death.
Wesley Comes to America.
Soon after the death of Samuel
| Wesley, Sr.. which took place in 1875,
| Or. John Burton of Oxford took much
interest in the colonization of Georgia,
and urged John Wesley to go there as
a missionary. As the Society for the
! Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign
Parts encouraged it, many Christian
! people emigrated to the colony. Feb.
5, 1886 a company of 300 emigrants
conducted by Gen. Oglethorpe, founder
of the colony. landed in Georgia
! Among them were certain Moravians
and John and Charles Wesley. Johr
| expected to be a missionary to the
| English and also an apostle to the In
dams. Charles was secretary to Gen
| Oglethorpe. On the voyage, a storm
ragged so terribly that all except the
Moravians were frightened. These
were so calm and ready TO die thai
| Wesley concluded he had not the faith
which they possessed"
(The work of john Wesley in Savan.
nah is chronicled elsewhere.)
Return to England.
Wesley departed for England Jan
%, 1888. During his absence he haC
mastered the German, Spanish anC
Italian tongues so that he could boil
! read and speak them. Four days afte
! landing, he preached in the Church o
St. John the Evangelist from the text
IF any man be in Christ, he is a new
| creature" Many of the best men il
! the parish were so offended that they
resolved he should never preach Their,
! again.
In three days he met Peter Boiler, {
Moravian. who convinced him by thu
| teaching of the Scriptures and his ar
! guments, as we'll as by the testimony
of certain witnesses, that 'instantane
GUS conversion is possible. This BOIL,
er, a native of Frankfort Germany
was educated at the University of Jena
where he afterward studied theology
WesIey's Confession.
The story of his intercourse with
the Moravians and his life for a few
months after reaching England is very
interesting, but the most important is
that portion, told in his own words
| of his change of heart. Wednesday
May "a, 1888. They are quoted as fol-
| lows:
I'm the evening l went very unwill-
ingly to a society in Aldersgate street
| where one was reading Luthers pref
ace to the Epistle of the Romans
| About a quarter before nine, while he
was describing the change which God
works in the heart through faith in
Christ, l felt my heart strangely
warmed. l felt l did trust in Christ,
Christ alone, for salvation; and an as
surance was given me that he had
taken away my sins, even mine, and
saved me from the law of sin and
death.
Il began to pray with all my might
| for those who had in more especial
manner despitefully used me and per-
| secuted me. l then testified openly to
| all there what / now first felt in my
heart. But it was not long before the
! enemy suggested This cannot be faith,
for where is thy joy? Then was
| taught that peace and victory over sin
are essential to faith in the Captain
| of our salVation; but that, as to the
transports of joy that usually attend
| the beginning of it, especially in those
who have mourned deeply, God some
| times giveth. sometimes withholdeth
them according TO the counsels of his
| own Will"
Soon afterward he visited the Mo-
ravians in Germany, who strongly in
fuenced him, though subsequently, he
disagreed with them upon various
points.
Whitehead and Wesley.
George Whitefeld. one of the orig
! inal 'Methodists.' and already recogniz-
! ed as one OF the greatest OF orators, on
his return from America at once sought
a meeting with Wesley. Whitefield
preached In the open air, and at FIRST
! Wesley was inclined 10 disapproye the
| method. but soon accommodated HIM
self 20 II. and finally became a defend
! er OF IL, which he did by showing that
| he was forbidden as by general con-
sent 20 preach Ia any church. FOR
! preaching such doctrine as WAS thf
/ stable 81 his public and private com-
municafiOns after his conversion. lie
/ had already formed societies, which
I assisted by he brother Charles and
Z several others. be supplied nlth preach
! ing some years later he divided from
| WHITEHEAD on the subject ~ nnal per-
severance ard certain other diktiu-
| Fulahlug doctrines " GalYlAlrW