CHRISTIAN LEADERS OF THE 18th CENTURY - ( CHAPTER 5 ) - { PT. 5 }


 ( CHAPTER  5 )  -  { PT.  5 } - What was stranger, any word he had learned in his lesson, he knew wherever he saw it, either in his Bible or in any other book, by which means he learned very quickly to read an English author well. Susanna's energetic and determined conduct as wife of a parish clergyman is wonderfully illustrated by a letter, still existing, between herself and her husband on an unusual occasion. Ir appears that during Mr. Wesley's lengthy absences from home in attending Convocation, Mrs. Wesley, dissatisfied with the state of things at habit of gathering a few parishioners at the rectory on Sunday evenings and reading to them. As might naturally have been expected, the attendance soon became so large that her husband was alarmed at the report he heard, and he made some objections to the practice. The letters of Mrs. Wesley on this occasion are a model of Christian good sense, and deserve the attention of many timid believers in the present day. After defending what she had done with many wise and unanswerable arguments, and asking her husband to consider seriously the bad consequences of stopping the meetings, she concluded with the following remarkable paragraph: If you do, after all, think fit to dissolve this assembly, do not tell me that you desire me to do it, for that will not satisfy my conscience. But send me your positive command in such full and express terms as may absolve me from all guilt and punishment for neglecting the opportunity of doing good, when you and I shall appear before the great and solemn tribunal of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

CHRISTIAN LEADERS OF THE 18TH CENTURY - ( CHAPTER 5 ) - { PT. 9 }

Image
  { CHAPTER  5 }  -  ( PT.  9 ) - May God deliver us from such a fearful expectation at this! Correspondence of this kind could hardly fail to do good to a young man in John Wesley's frame of mind. It undoubtedly led him to a closer study of the Scriptures, deeper self-examination, and more fervent prayer. Whatever doubts he may have had were finally removed, and he was ordained a deacon on September 19, 1725, by Dr. Potter, then bishop of Oxford, and later became archbishop of Canterbury. In the year 1726, John Wesley was elected Fellow of Lincoln College after a contest of more than ordinary severity. His recently adopted serious manner and general religiousness were used against him by his adversaries, but his high character carried him triumphantly through all opposition, to the great delight of his father. As tested as he apparently was at the time in his earthly circumstances, Samuel Wesley wrote, Whatever will be my own fate before the summer is over, God knows; but whatever
Read more

CHRISTIAN LEADERS OF THE 18th CENTURY - ( CHAPTER 5 ) - { PT. 4 }

Image
  ( CHAPTER  5 )  -  { PT.  4 } - The way of teaching was this: the day before a child began to learn, the house was set in order, everyone's work was appointed to them, and instruction was appointed to them, and instruction was given that no one should come into the room from nine to twelve, or from two to five, which were our school hours. One day was allowed for the child to learn his letters, and each of them did learn all their letters, great and small, in that time, except Molly and Nancy, who were a day and a half before they knew them perfectly, for which I then thought them very dull. However, the reason why I thought them so was because the rest learned so quickly. Your brother Samuel, who was the first child I ever taught, learned the alphabet in a few hours. He was five years old on February 10. The next day he began to learn, and as soon as he knew the letters, began at the first chapter of Genesis. He was taught to spell the first verse, then to read it over all over
Read more

CHRISTIAN LEADERS OF THE 18TH CENTURY - ( CHAPTER 5 ) - { PT. 8 }

Image
  ( CHAPTER  5 )  -  { PT.  8 } - Let us hear what John Wesley's mother says about Thomas a Kempis opinion that all mirth or pleasure is useless, if not sinful. She observes: I believe Kempis to have been an honest, weak man who had more zeal than knowledge by condemning all mirth or pleasure as sinful or useless, in opposition to so many direct and plain texts of Scripture. Would you judge of the lawfulness or unlawfulness of pleasure, or of the innocence or enmity of actions? Here is a good rule: what ever weakens your reason, impairs the  conscience, obscures your sense of God, or takes away the desire of spiritual things--basically, whatever increases the strength and authority of your body over your mind--that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may be in itself. Let us hear what John Wesley himself says in a letter on the opinion of Jeremy Taylor: Whether God has forgiven us or not, we know not; therefore, let us be sorrowful for ever having sinned. Samuel Wesley respond
Read more