The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-04-22
John WESLEY
BY REV. DR.. ]. A. DUNCAN.

Just 203 years ago was born a man who
was destined to WELD a tremendous in
nuence upon the whole of England, and
upon the America that was to be. He
welded the widest influence of almost
any Englishman of his time.
The household of which he formed
part was a very large one, and was man
aged In the most careful fashion His
mother was marvellous woman Were
she living in this day she would make
an ideal head of some great kinder
garten John Wesley was one of eighteen
children. When he was between eight
and nine years of age, like most children
in that time, he had the smallpox. How
ever IT did not seem to do him any seri-
GUS harm. When he was between ten and
eleven years of age he was sent to Char
ter House school,
He used to take his luncheon with him,
and for five years the older and bigger
books took his meat away from him. That
was form of hazing that even in our
most brutal institutions We know very
little, If anything about.
One of his earliest convictions was that
a good body was necessary for good
work. He seems to have begun to think
of such things at a very Carly age
There were no gymnasiums such as we
know now, that he had any access to, and
In order to get the exercise he required he
ran around-tffe large garden three times
every morning. In spite of this his health
was not good and to add to ill health,
there was much money trouble in the
Wesley household.
His father was not a practical man,
his salary exceedingly small and his
family exceedingly large.
1t was when young Wesley was about
81 or % that he began reading books on
religious themes, especially those of
meditative nature
He was very fond of Thomas A. Kempis,
and seriously thought at that time of TAX
ing orders. He was deeply stirred by these
things and as was his nature became
tremendously in earnest concerning them,
as he did in reference to everything else
that he did.
Having decided to take orders he was
ordained deacon In 1725. One of Mr..
Wesleys notions of life was to make
everything Of service, and to lose. no
time in anything. He was most method
ical man.
AS a student he decided to form friend
ships only with those men whose in
fluence and whose character would be
helpful to himself. He was perfectly will
ing TO make acquaintances with others, to
associate with them TO some extent, but
he would admit no man to intimacy with
himself. from whom he felt that he could
not get some inspiration for his own life.
In 1727 he left college and went to help
his father. and was of great service to
him. Later on he came over to this coun-
try, and felt that he was called to be
missionary to the Indians. His work here
amounted TO very little.
On going back to England there We're
some men ON board. who IN the midst OF
a storm, showed themselves utterly fear
less. Mr.. Wesley did not quite UNDER
stand their attitude, There was something
in them that he felt that he did not
possess. and he asked them how 1t was.
They told him that God was God of the
sea as we'll as the land. and that they
worshipped Him, and believed In Him.
and that there was no more reason to
he afraid on the water than on the land,
for Gods protection was as great one
place as the other
The simple faith of these people took
tremendous hold of Mr.. Wesley, and
deepened his own piety. and had much