Mr. Wesley's story of the Wednesbury riot.--How he
felt.--The right pocket.--Beautiful hair.--The
prize-fighter a good protector.--A brick, a stone,
and two hard blows.--Daniel vi. 22.
AFTER reading the last exciting chapter, you will all exclaim, "Well,
Mr. Wesley _was_ a brave man!" and I am sure you will like to hear what
he himself said about his adventures. These are the very words he wrote
after the Wednesbury riots:
"From the beginning to the end, I felt as calm as if I had been sitting
in my study at home. Once it did come into my mind, that if they threw
me into the river, it would spoil the papers I had in my pocket. I was
not afraid for myself, for I did not doubt but I could swim across to
the opposite bank.
"Thinking about it all now, I notice some remarkable circumstances. One
was, that though several tried to get hold of me, it seemed as if they
could not, and when at last one did get hold of my coat and tore the
pocket off, it was the right pocket for him to get, for it contained
nothing of importance; whereas if he had torn off the other he would
have got a bank-note with it.
"Another was, a big strong fellow just behind struck at me several times
with a large oak stick. One blow had it hit me would have killed me, but
somehow every time he struck, the blow was turned aside. I don't know
how, for I could not move either to the right hand or to the left.
"Another man came rushing through the crowd and raised his arm to strike
me. Suddenly he let his arm drop, and only stroked my hair, saying:
'What beautiful hair he has!'
"It was strange too, that the very first men whose hearts were softened
were always the leaders of the mob--one of them had been a
prize-fighter. So that when they took my part I was well protected.
"Again, from first to last I heard no one give me a reviling word, or
call me by any insolent or disgraceful name whatever. The cry of one and
all was: 'The Preacher! The Preacher! The Parson! The Minister!'"
Again Mr. Wesley wrote:
"By what gentle and gradual steps does God prepare us for His will! Two
years ago a brick that was thrown at me grazed my shoulders. Then a year
after that, the stone struck me between the eyes when I was preaching in
London. This evening I have received two blows; one man struck me on
the chest with all his might, and another on the mouth with such force
that the blood gushed out immediately. But both were as nothing, I felt
no more pain from either of the blows, than if the men had touched me
with a straw."
Boys and girls, is not this a wonderful story? Get your Bibles, and look
in the sixth chapter of the book of Daniel and the twenty-second verse.
Wicked men had laid a trap for King Darius, and because they were
envious of Daniel, they caused the king to order Daniel to be thrown
into the lions' den. This made King Darius very unhappy, for he loved
Daniel. But though he was a heathen king, he had such faith in Daniel's
God, that he felt sure the lions would not be allowed to hurt him.
King Darius could not sleep all night, for thinking of Daniel all alone
in the den of those wild beasts; so he got up very early in the morning,
and went to the den and called to Daniel to know if he were alive. And
from inside that dismal den with hungry beasts prowling round and round,
came the bright, cheering voice of the God-protected man: "My God hath
sent His angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt
me."
John Wesley was as much among wild beasts at Wednesbury, as ever Daniel
was in the den of lions, for when men's passions are roused they are no
better than the beasts. But the arm that was raised to strike, gently
stroked his hair; the blow that was meant to kill, fell upon an
invisible head; the leaders of all that was cruel and wicked, were
struck tender and quiet, and became personal protectors.
Truly Mr. Wesley could have said with Daniel: "My God hath sent His
angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me."
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