WESLEY IN SCOTLAND.

Press, Volume L, Issue 14969, 16 May 1914, Page 16

WESLEY IN SCOTLAND.

Some interesting glimpses of John Wesley in Scotland are given in the ', new volume of the Standard Edition of * Wesley's "Journal,", just published un- S der tbe editorship of tiie liev. Nehemiah ? Curnock. z. John Wosley, on Sunday, May 29th, j 1763, was in JCdinburgh. He writes iv c his ''Journal": — ' j, . "I preacned at seven in the High n School yard at > Edinburgh. It being tiie 3 timo of the General Assembly, which "" drew-together not the ministers only, - but abundance of the nobility and gen- •> try, many of both sorts were preseut; \ but abundantly more at five in the afternoon. 1 spoke as plain as ever I ( did in my life, but I never knew any ■ in Scotland offended at plain dealing. v Li this respect the-North Britons aro _ a pattern to all mankind." He was at Inverness and Nairn on g Monday, llth June, 176-1. *- "Alter Edinburgh, Glasgow, and -- Aberdeen, I think Inverness is the c largest totvn I have seen in Scotland. t] Tho main streets are broad and jf s-traighc; the houses mostly old, but not - very bad nor very good. It stands in ± a pleasant and fruitful country, and _\ has all things needful for life and god- a iin ess. The peoplo in general speak re- c markably good Euglish, and are of a K. friendly, courteous behaviour. D "About eleven we took horse. While « we were dining at Nairn the innkeeper "A said, 'Sir, the gentlemen of the town '-1 have read the little book ybu gave mo i F on Saturday, and would be glad if you j _* would please to give them a sermon.' | <i Upon my consenting the bell was imme- J •"- diaiely rung, and the congregation was "• auickly in the kirk. Oh, what a dif- ia{ ference there is between South and i"\ North Britain! Everyone here at least i loves to hear the Word of Gou, and ' none takes it into his head to speak > one uncivil word to anyone endeavour- ! to save their wrals." j _ Mr Curnock has this interesting note ! ** on Wes'ey's influence on Scotland: I _;, "The reception Methodism met with 1 -.*' in Ireland and Scotland is an interest- > j\ ing study. " 11. "Across the Tweed it might seem to ' co have comparatively failed. Scotland did ! -* not approve Arminian doctrine or ; Is Methodist itinerancy. A wider outlook gi leads, however, to an opposite conclu- dc sion. In no part of the Empire was its i n success more remarkable, but it differed fo m character. It did for the Church in *?? CO v7u ar ', d -J ha - 1 ' ? esJe >' for ?A in the Churcti of Lngland: it leavened vi the three measures of meal, on tha U-~

timony of impartial witnesses. : *uni-'l the whole was leavened.' ••'lt never attacked PresbyteVianism but, treating it with tugli -courtesy' eventually kindled its coldness into fire! One of tho earliest and most striking results was seen in America, where Scotch and Irish Presbyterians hailed Irish and English Methodists as spiritual kinsmen and created tho 'camp meeting.* In Scotland itself tho movement became to a considerable extent a-reli-gious movement Vithin' the Scottish Church."