Saturday, April 30, 2011
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Robert Wilkinson, Methodist Preacher
Wilkinson has a short entry in vol. 5 of Wesley's Veterans
Wilkinson was a school teacher, and he tells a story much like many of the preachers, much like many of the converts: his conscience somehow awakened to sin, he found he could no longer take pleasure in the worldly pursuits he had engaged in. He retreated to prayer, but after s season was back to tricks.
It so happened that where he was teaching there was also Methodist preaching, and he heard them often. He was still stuck in worldliness, unfortunately. First Sunday in Lent, 1767, he heard, as usual, Methodist preaching. During the sermon there was nothing remarkable going on in his soul, but that night he had no rest, fearing that he must person eternally if the Gospel be true. He found a strong desire that the Methodists would pray for him, especially a man named Stephen Watson.
In his conviction, Wilkinson admitted what we must all admit, "I am the chief of sinners." And he also labored under an accusation from the ddevil that he had committed a sin that God would not forgive.
Friends helped him remain focused in prayer. But he felt lost. But under a Methodist preacher he found forgiveness of sins-- he had broken through.
About a year later, in 1768, Wilkninson was appointed as a Methodist preacher.
I suppose Wilkinson's biographical entry is short because he is reticent. He says of his work that the Lord "delivered me out of the hands of all my enemies, and a gave me several seals to my ministry."
George Shadford, another early Methodist preacher who labored in the vineyards with Wilkinson said that Wilkinson had an amazing power of prayer. Shadford remembers that when Wilkinson was ill with the disease that killed him, he hurried home to be with his wife and children, "earnestly entreating God to protect them in this troublesome world, and to supply all that they need."
I want to make sure to give as much of Shadford's account of Wilkinson's funeral. I think we have lost the power of funerals. Let us look at an account of a deep and moving time of worship.
Shadford: "I have often taken notice how the Lord makes the triumphant death of good men a special blessing to His children who are left behind: so it was at this time. The people of God were remarkably blessed in hearing the testimony of their dying friend. The worldly people and the backsliders were cut to the heart.
"At the conclusion of the sermon, I dropped these words: 'earth has lost, and heaven gained a child of God. Let us pray the Lord to add another to the church militant.' We did so, and the Lord answered our prayer, by setting a young man's soul at liberty...
The people sang a hymn at the church,
Thee we adore, eternal Name
And humbly own to Thee
How feeble is our mortal frame
What dying worms we be!
"When the minster read these words, 'not to be sorry as men without hope,' Mrs. Wilkinson, who hung upon my arm with her two little babes, was so overwhelmed with the presence of God that she could not refrain from crying out, 'Sorry, no! Glory be to God! Glory be to God! Glory, and praise and blessing be ascribed unto God for ever and ever!' Her spirit seemed as if it was ready to launch into the eternal world, to be with Jesus and her happy husband. A remarkable power fell on all that could hear her, so that that the people were melted into tears, some of sorrow, others of joy."
What Methodists! What Christians!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Wilkinson was a school teacher, and he tells a story much like many of the preachers, much like many of the converts: his conscience somehow awakened to sin, he found he could no longer take pleasure in the worldly pursuits he had engaged in. He retreated to prayer, but after s season was back to tricks.
It so happened that where he was teaching there was also Methodist preaching, and he heard them often. He was still stuck in worldliness, unfortunately. First Sunday in Lent, 1767, he heard, as usual, Methodist preaching. During the sermon there was nothing remarkable going on in his soul, but that night he had no rest, fearing that he must person eternally if the Gospel be true. He found a strong desire that the Methodists would pray for him, especially a man named Stephen Watson.
In his conviction, Wilkinson admitted what we must all admit, "I am the chief of sinners." And he also labored under an accusation from the ddevil that he had committed a sin that God would not forgive.
Friends helped him remain focused in prayer. But he felt lost. But under a Methodist preacher he found forgiveness of sins-- he had broken through.
About a year later, in 1768, Wilkninson was appointed as a Methodist preacher.
I suppose Wilkinson's biographical entry is short because he is reticent. He says of his work that the Lord "delivered me out of the hands of all my enemies, and a gave me several seals to my ministry."
George Shadford, another early Methodist preacher who labored in the vineyards with Wilkinson said that Wilkinson had an amazing power of prayer. Shadford remembers that when Wilkinson was ill with the disease that killed him, he hurried home to be with his wife and children, "earnestly entreating God to protect them in this troublesome world, and to supply all that they need."
I want to make sure to give as much of Shadford's account of Wilkinson's funeral. I think we have lost the power of funerals. Let us look at an account of a deep and moving time of worship.
Shadford: "I have often taken notice how the Lord makes the triumphant death of good men a special blessing to His children who are left behind: so it was at this time. The people of God were remarkably blessed in hearing the testimony of their dying friend. The worldly people and the backsliders were cut to the heart.
"At the conclusion of the sermon, I dropped these words: 'earth has lost, and heaven gained a child of God. Let us pray the Lord to add another to the church militant.' We did so, and the Lord answered our prayer, by setting a young man's soul at liberty...
The people sang a hymn at the church,
Thee we adore, eternal Name
And humbly own to Thee
How feeble is our mortal frame
What dying worms we be!
"When the minster read these words, 'not to be sorry as men without hope,' Mrs. Wilkinson, who hung upon my arm with her two little babes, was so overwhelmed with the presence of God that she could not refrain from crying out, 'Sorry, no! Glory be to God! Glory be to God! Glory, and praise and blessing be ascribed unto God for ever and ever!' Her spirit seemed as if it was ready to launch into the eternal world, to be with Jesus and her happy husband. A remarkable power fell on all that could hear her, so that that the people were melted into tears, some of sorrow, others of joy."
What Methodists! What Christians!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Friday, April 1, 2011
More from Wesley's Journal
In June of 1760, while Wesley was organizing and preaching in Ireland, two instances:
"About two we were unawares encompassed with a multitude of Papists, coming out of their mass-house. One of them, knowing me, alerted the rest who set up a hideous roar, and drew up in a battle-line. But we galloped through them..."
And then, inviting a clergyman sympathetic to the Methodists to the early morning preaching, Wesley notes, "[he] did not fail to be there, though it seemed strange to him at first to preach at 5 in the morning."
I wonder what it would be like if you could start the morning with a church service? What accounts for the difference in dedication between then and now? We barely meet for Bible study unless it is somehow "convenient."
"About two we were unawares encompassed with a multitude of Papists, coming out of their mass-house. One of them, knowing me, alerted the rest who set up a hideous roar, and drew up in a battle-line. But we galloped through them..."
And then, inviting a clergyman sympathetic to the Methodists to the early morning preaching, Wesley notes, "[he] did not fail to be there, though it seemed strange to him at first to preach at 5 in the morning."
I wonder what it would be like if you could start the morning with a church service? What accounts for the difference in dedication between then and now? We barely meet for Bible study unless it is somehow "convenient."
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