I know, I know, I have neglected you over here at Weekly Wesley.
Alexander Mather was born in the north of Britain in 1733. His parents brought him up in the religion of the Church of England. The young boy was very eager to learn all that could be learned about religion. (There is a theme here for Methodists-- the movement arose because of "religion" h die that you can intellectually believe certain points and be righteous.)
Mather, for all his piety, made a bad decision. He threw in his lot with rebels against the king (I think maybe it was the rumored French-supported rebellion from Scotland?). It never came to anything, but the rebels were being hunted down, and Mather had nowhere to go. His family was afraid they would come under suspicion if he were to stay with them.
A formative experience during his being on the run was that he was miraculously saved from drowning. He felt God had saved him for a purpose
When he was finally pardoned, his father reluctantly let him come home, but would not support him in school. So Mather joined his father in their business of baking.
Mather's ministry was effective, including the building of churches and powerful preaching on Christian perfection. He gives us an interesting account of the struggles of being called to preach, and what it meant to be a Methodist preacher.
He told John Wesley that he felt called to preach, and Mr. Wesley tied to give him the straight dope: "to be a Methodist preacher is not the way to ease, honor, pleasure, or profit. It is a life of much labour and reproach. They often fare hard, are often in want. They are liable to be stoned, beaten, and abused in various ways. Consider this before you engage in so uncomfortable a way of life."
Mather, when describing the prerequisites of a Methodist preacher, said, he must:
Have a knowledge of God as having pardoned all his sins
A life and conversation suitable thereto
A clear conviction that he was called of God to the work
Fruit in his ministry, convincing and converting sinners.
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