The life and times of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A., founder of the Methodists. Vol. 3 (of 3) — John Shaqi
The life and times of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A., founder of the Methodists. Vol. 3 (of 3)Tyerman, L. (Luke)
Religion
The life and times of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A., founder of the Methodists. Vol. 3 (of 3)
Tyerman, L. (Luke)
Methodism; Wesley, John, 1703-1791
One of these was Robert Mackie, who, for thirty years, acted as a
faithful classleader; and another was a poor old woman, concerning
whom John Pawson, in an unpublished letter, tells the following story.
Meeting in the street the minister of the kirk she had been accustomed
to attend, she was thus accosted: “Oh, Janet, where have ye been,
woman? I have no seen ye at the kirk for long.” “I go,” said Janet,
“among the Methodists.” “Among the Methodists!” quoth the minister;
“why what gude get ye there, woman?” “Glory to God!” replied Janet, “I
do get gude; for God, for Christ’s sake, has forgiven me aw my sins!”
“Ah, Janet,” said the minister, “be not highminded, but fear; the
devil is a cunning adversary.” “I dunna care a button for the deevil,”
answered Janet, “I’ve gotten him under my feet. I ken the deevil can
do muckle deal, but there is ane thing he canna do.” “What is that,
Janet?” “He canna shed abroad the love of God in my heart; and I am
sure I’ve got it there!” “Weel, weel!” replied the good tempered man,
“if ye have got there, Janet, hold it fast, and never let it go!”
Wesley’s information was sometimes incorrect. From what he had heard,
he expected to find a numerous and lively society at Perth; but,
instead of that, he “found not above two believers, and scarce five
awakened persons in it.”
At Aberdeen, the society was knit together in peace and love, and the
congregations large and deeply attentive; but, among them, were “many
rude, stupid creatures, who knew as little of reason as of religion,”
and one of whom threw a potato at Wesley.
Having spent a month in Scotland, Wesley reached Berwick on the 18th
of May, and proceeded to Newcastle, in the neighbourhood of which he
employed the next ten days.
At Sunderland, he had an interview with Elizabeth Hobson, a young
woman of twenty-four years of age; and took down, from her own lips,
what he properly designates “one of the strangest accounts that he
ever read.” The substance of it is to illustrate her assertion, that,
from her childhood, when any of her neighbours died, she used to see
them, either just at the time of their decease, or a little previous.
He says: “The well known character of Elizabeth Hobson excludes all
suspicion of fraud, and the nature of the circumstances themselves
excludes the possibility of delusion. The reader may believe the
narrative if he pleases; or may disbelieve it, without any offence
to me. Meantime, let him not be offended if I believe it, till I see
better reason to the contrary.” After this follow Elizabeth Hobson’s
bewildering statements.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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