FOREWORD
FOREWORD Y ANY STANDARDS John Wesley was a most remarkable man.
He emerges from his own century as a pivotal figure and, what is perhaps more impressive, he still continues to attract considerable attention. Books about him abound, to such an extent that the question has to be raised as to whether yet another is at all justifiable.
It can well be claimed that the presentation here is distinctive. Wesley is allowed to speak for himself in the clear, direct style of his now classic
Journal. The arrangement, however, is geographical rather than chronological, and we therefore see him against a variety of regional and sociological backgrounds. The man and his age are related so that the scope of his mission is appreciated, He was called, in biblical terms, to preach good news to the poor (although not only to the poor) but his evangelistic zeal was accompanied by a comprehensive concern for the underprivileged.
In these strikingly illustrated pages we meet John Wesley as essentially a people's prophet.
During the course of his long life, he covered almost a quarter of a million miles — mainly on horseback, until in advanced years he resorted to a chaise. He was the greatest traveller of his day within the British Isles: as F. C. Gill remarked, others like Pennant and Cobbett were mere ramblers by comparison. Arising from this unique experience, Wesley's shrewd first-hand comments on the eighteenth-century scene are singularly well informed, thus retaining their interest and relevance.
The passion that drove him on in his many journeyings was kindled at a determinative meeting in Aldersgate Street, London, in 1738 when his heart was strangely warmed. It was there that Wesley realised his destiny, for the austere leader of the Oxford Holy Club and the hidebound missionary to Georgia was then released by the Spirit to be a burning and shining light to the nation.
A. SKEVINGTON WOOD
XFORD = the name points to a ford for oxen ek: across the Thames - stood originally, as a late
Saxon -planned town, on a low gravel ridge between the Thames and_ its tributary, the Cherwell. The chief stronghold in the upper
Thames valley, Oxford had sustained various attacks by the Danes at the turn of the tenth century, and was to develop as a prosperous
'p borough long before the birth of the university Ah : through the influence of Dominican and Franciscan o BLE
PRANT OF CXPORD
friars.
By Wesley's time the abbeys and friars' churches of Oxford had long - been swept away by the Reformation, and the city had acquired a political flavour, having been the headquarters of the Royalist party during the Civil War. The restoration was to lead to conflicts between students and citizens, and Jacobite riots broke out in the reign of George I. Nevertheless
Wesley retained a love of the city with its colleges, towers, spires and watermeadows ~ a peerless city. oursey? ] astea Bohler whether he thou ] should leave K off or not. He answered, "By no means."
asked, "But what can } preach?" He said 'Preach faith til you have it; Saturday, Marh4 — |] brother at Oxford, recoverin | em Ga coetigh die with of him Feter Bohler; by whom lm the hands of 'the great aAdMs OF THE CITY AND
UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
you wMl preach God) ] was, on Sunday, the es cat convinced of and thn, because you have it, faith," Aecordingty gue 6, ] began preaching us be 'do (gh my See started back from this ore 'The Dies p aS0n whom | offered salvation by faith abn was a prisoneunder sentence of death. fis name was Clifford.
Pder Bohler haa m tynics desea me to speak lo hum before. But | bee, of the want o hat sath whereby we are saved.
Lame ut struck to mind, "Leave off preaching, How can you preach bo others, who have not fath
JOHN WESLEY, FELLOW OF
'LINCOLN COLLEGE, OxFoRD
ledge of Gat.
In the wening I preached at iistock, 1 a congregation gathered many mules around.
Hew gladly" coulda "1 spend a fiw weeks in this Aci solitude! But J] must not rest yet. As long as God gives me stenghh could not preva en nysdf so & do; being std (as 1 had ben m years a zealous asserler of the wmipossibitity of a death - bed repentance.
> labour," 1 am bh as iu.
(74 Friday, August 24 (St. Bartholomas d — 7 "preached, 1 suppose the last time, at St. Marys. Bea so.
1am now dear of the blood of these men. | have fully delwered my own sow, Tuesday, Ocdober 15 — About nom 1782, paren at Ord 7 fave sten no such prospect here fo-masy years.
The cougreThe beadle came to me afltrwards, and told me the Vice - hancellor had sent him for my notes. | sent them without aclay, not mhout admiring fhe wise providence 'of bod. férhaps few men of note would have gwen a sermon of min€ tht reading, if 1 'had put on was large and stil/ as he many genttmen were anrong them.
The next cerning the house wold not contain fhe anCK 5 ye al wee quct, even those that could not come [n:
] béiwe God not only opened theeunderstandings, but i it inte thir hands; but b this means i came to be read, aA good nork mM some of ar héar?s, obably more than once, ee tyary man of tmunence tr Uniwer sly.
I783 Mersey July n the wening preachtd m the now pre Ne house at Oxford, a lightsome, heerfil plate, and w td wih rich and poor, scholars as wel as lownsmen.
Wednesday, Utoher 4 - 1778, went on 'to Oxford, and. having an how to spare, walked to Cavistchurch, fr which 7 | cannol but stl relacn a pear | afccnen. What lovely mansions | Twesday, Jidy 15 — Watkin Ye Ly ta through the aby | observed 1 pega ign the hall at Christchurch, Inds iil ima: tts both 5 Sap and than that Sade mac @.
Aouse are these! What wantng bo | make the mhabiants of happy'
That, without which wo vational creature can be happy ~ the. experimental know ea
BOCARDO PRISON, OXFORD
CAS tt
YWORALELY CN,
= EE
OXFORD FROM HEADINGTON HILL,
A TOWN
OF TOWERS AND
SPIRES
CHRIST CHURCH, OXFORD, IN THE 16TH CENTURY
in Amsterdam.
71 observed also, the Uk cg and walks tn Holland, athough extrem pleasant, were™not to be compared with St. Tohn's or Trinity gardens; mutch less with the parks, Magdalen waterwalks ctc., Hristhurd meadow, or the White-nak.
THE NEW SCHOOLS,
OXFORD : They always took me to be a little crack-brained at Oxford.'
Journals, Fuly 17, 17359
ENTRANCE TO THE BOTANICAL GARDENS, OXFORD
LONDON man's praise.' Even by the middle of the century it was estimated that in Holborn one house in five sold spirits.
ONDON (Aldersgate, Islington, Blackheath, Wapping, Kennington). 'When a man is tired of London he is tired of life," wrote one of the metropolis' most celebrated devotees, Dr. Johnson, in 1777. For all the brilliance of the Empire's
'. capital, however, London of the eighteenth century The age was one of coarseness and brutality. All of London would turn out on Mondays for the Tyburn hangings. Bishop Butler (1692-1752) summed up the current spirit of retreating morals and arid unbelief when he wrote, 'It has come to be taken for granted that Christianity is not so much a subject for enquiry, but that it is now at length discovered to be fictitious.'
But it was the darkest hour before the dawn. 1738 marked the turning point in John Wesley's life, one Wednesday in May in Aldersgate Street. A flame was lit that evening in London which was to sweep the entire nation. represented a mass of inequalities and contradictory
' values.
. mite The population was to increase during the AE a f| century from 674,000 to around the million mark,
ST. PAUL'S CAT.
on but, around 1735, three quarters of all the children _ baptised were dying under the age of five. Disease, the workhouse and,
perhaps above all, the curse of gin, were to take their toll, London being the centre of England's distilling industry. The year before John Wesley was born, Daniel Defoe wrote, 'An honest drunken fellow is a character in a 1738 Wednesday May 24In the evening 1 went very unwillingly b a socicty in AlaersgateStreet, where one was reading Luthers "preface to the Epistle fo the Korine About a quarter before nine, while he was daswibing he change Which God works tn the heart trough, ith mn Crist, 1 felt my heart § dy warmed.
1 felt 1d wust in Christ, Grist atone, for salvation; and an assurance was ZIV me, hat He had taken Away my sins, even mint, and saved me from the 'law of sin and acath.
My is} Jiawsday Jiey 25 —, The moment ] awakined "Jésus, ast, was in my heart ana I found, all my
ISLINGTON
1N THE 18TH CENTURY and in my mouth;
recaving the Holy (rmmunieon at Islington, ] haa once more the opportuntly of sting my mother, whom I haa not sen since mY return from "Gtrmany.
Thuwsday, June 1% — 1 went with Mr. Whitefidld Blackheath; where were, I belie, twelve or fourken Mrousand people. He a Uitthe s tsta We, Aestringme lo prea in his stead, which | ad (though Hale retollcd) on Mm : favourite subject:
"Tesus Christ, Who of Ged is made ie us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption, y 1 was greatly moved with compassun far the rich Hat were there, when 1 made a particular application. Some of them seemed t attend, while others drove away tHheer coaches from so uncouth a preacher, Friday , June_15 — Ferg ny at Wapping, we tn body and fan mn sput....
Whll Pa ad myiting all sinners to enter tnto the holiest" by this mew and ling "way, many of these that heard began tb call upon God "with 'strong cries and tears. Some sunk down, and thie remaincd no strengh nm them; hers exceedingly trombted and quaked; some were tom with a kind of convulsne moum m avery part of their bodies, and "hat so violently, fiat often four 'or five persons coulda not hold ene of them.
1 haré seen m hystrical and many epuephc fits? but none GEORGE
WHITEFIE1LD
; them were like tse, I" mM respects, 1 immediat strength lay wn keeping praytd that God would not suffer those who were weak fo my tye fixed upon Flim, ana be. offended. my soul waiting on Him continually.
Saturday, Tine 17 — TJ preached, at seven, m lyper Moorfields, to (1 btiwe) six or seven ekisar Cadi ei On:
Ho" everyone that thursleth, come ye to the waters!" At, T0359 Wetnesday June 13fwe J preached on Kkemuglor Common, lo people from aul n the mornin the ends of the earth," came to Londen; bet afte
KENSINGTON GARDENS, LONDON, IMPROVED BY CAROLINE, WIFE OF GEORGE 11,
IN THE 16TH CENTURY
want of love was a gener complaint, We laid u oe before our ord We soon found He had . st us An answer of peace, Evil surmusings
— vasushed away.
"Ihe flame kindled again as — at the first, and our hearts were knit logelhe, er LLLEt "Tuesday, 18A young woman (Nanny — 'WAN RRR BMI © 99244) Came'ho see us ae engon mn such an ee as 1 have seldom seen, Her sorrewand car were tor big for utterance; so that, after — a few words, her stength as wal as her heart" fauing, she sunk down fo the ground. Onlyher sighs and her groans showed she was yet alwe, He cried unto Ged in her berate. We dawned the — romses made lo he w and heavy-laden ; and He asd not cast ot owr prayer, She saw her
Savwur as u were crucified before her wes. he lad hold on Hum "by faith, and herspuri ©
KENNINGTON
revived, Sun September 9 — | declared fo about ten thousand, in Moorfulds, what thy must do to he saved. mohiir went wih us, about fre, to kennungtn, where were suppostd to be twenty thousand ii 1 again insisted on that foundation of our 2:
Beliwe in the Lora Jesus, and ox shat be saved."
From Kemington 1 went to a soutty at Lambeth.
The house heing fled, the rest stood in the garden.
'The deep attention thyy showed gave mea good hot, that th wit ot a he a reste i :
; Thence I went to our society at Foter-lare, and exhorted then fo love one another:
The
THE THAMES EMBANKMENT