The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1916-03-02
METHODISTS
HONOR WESLEY

A century and a quarter ago to-
day John Wesley, the founder of
Meth odism, breathed his last in Lon
don. In observance of the day cler-
gymen of the great denomination
which he fostered have been asked
to stop their church clocks for ten
minutes to-day. Although it has
been 125 years since the death of the
founder, and just $50 years since the
first Methodist society in America was
formed in New York, the denomina-
ton has now taken front rank in the
great bodies of Professionalism in the
United States and Canada.
The Methodists of the United States
are now divided into sixteen differ
ent organizations, but all claim John
Wesley as the founder of their faith
Even the colored Methodists have not
been able to agree on minor points Of
doctrine, and support four different
bodies. In Canada and England there
is less diversity in Methodist opin-
ion In England the principal Sc
cessions from the original connection
have been the New Connection Meth
odists, in 1876; the Primitive Meth
odists, in 1910; the Bible Christians,
or Organizes, in 1915; the Wesleyan
Methodists in 1884 and the Wesleyan
Methodist ReformerS, in 1849. The
greatest of American divisions arose
from difference of opinion about the
slavery question, and, although the
ed, so far as secular and worldly or
CARNATIONS are concerned, the Meth
odists of North and South still remain
separate bodies.
1t was in 1880 that John Wesley
and his brother Charles with a few
other students, formed a society bas-
ed on principles of greater religious
austerity and methodical piety than
then generally prevailed. They were
called ''Methodists'' in a spirit of de-
rision, but, as was the case with the
Quakers, Shakers and other sects, the
nickname applied by the ungod1y
was eventually adopted as the formal
title of the denomination. Wesley
and one of his converts, the celebrat-
ed White1e1d, came to Georgia to
preach to the Indians in 1885. Chas.
Wesley, who accompanied his brother
soon fell a victim to the arts and
wiles of two women and fell into tenn
porary disgrace.
He was sent back to England by
Og1ethorpe, but John remained as
pastor of a church in Savannah He,
too, suffered somewhat of a loss of
reputation by becoming the lover of
a young woman of his flock, who, he
declares in his journal, made preten-
sions to great piety in order to en-
trap him. Acting upon the advice of
his friends, he broke off the relation
ship, and the fair charmer married
another man. Wesley soon had oc- :
casion to publicly reprove his former
sweetheart for neglect of religious
duties, and refused to admit her co |
the Lords Supper. Her husband !
resented this treatment of his spouse |
and appealed to the law. The grand |
jury found two bills against Wesley, |
charging him with numerous abuses |
of his ecclesiastical authority and al |
so of speaking and writing to the |
woman without her husbands con-
sent. A fierce controversy ragged for
a time, and Wesley announced his
determination to go to England and |
lay the matter before the trustees.
The magistrates demanded that he
give bond for his return to answer to |
the charges made against him, but
Wesley refused, and they forbade his
mics and fed to Charleston, taking
ship there for England, and never re-
turned to Georgia.
Back in his native land, Wesley be-
gan his career as an itinerant preach
er. The churches of the establish
ment were closed against him, but
large chapels were built in London
and other cities, and Wesley and
WhitefieId Iabored to lay the founda-
ton for the mighty fabric of Metho-
disrn. Wesley and his great CO.
worker later had a falling out over
a point of doctrine, and thenceforth
Iabored separately toward the same
end. When the great preacher died
1875 years ago to-day Meth odism was
well started along the road toward
it's great success.