Beverley friends.--Copy of a letter John Wesley
wrote to them.--Mr. Wesley's last visit to
Beverley.--What took place in the red-roofed
inn.--A race.--A lost ten minutes.
YOU, who live in Beverley, will be glad to hear that Mr. Wesley did not
pass by your dear little town. Indeed, there is a house in Norwood where
he most probably stayed, and certainly visited; the home of Mr. and Mrs.
Barton. You shall see an exact copy of a letter he wrote to these
friends. It has never been printed before, so you are the first of the
public to see it. It is addressed thus:
"MRS. JANE BARTON,
"IN NORWOOD, BEVERLEY,
"YORKSHIRE."
And this is the letter:
[Illustration: Letter]
London
Nov. 13, 1778
My Dear Sister
I am glad Sister Crosby has been at Beverly, &
that you had an Opportunity of hearing her. She is
useful wheresoever she goes, particularly in
exciting Believers to go on to perfection.
There is frequently something very mysterious in
y^e ways of Divine Providence A little of them we
may understand; but much more, is beyond our
comprehension And we must be content to say, "What
thou dost I know not now. But I shall know
hereafter." At present, it is sufficient for us to
know, That all his ways are many & truth to those
that love him.
Even in these troublous times, there is a very
considerable Increase of the Work of God. Cleave
to Him with your whole heart, & you will have more
& more reason to praise him. I am, My Dear Jenny,
Y^r affectionate Brother
JWesley
You must not make a mistake and think that Mr. Wesley was Mrs. Jenny
Barton's brother really; but it was the custom among the Methodists for
the members of society to address each other as "Brother So-and-So" and
"Sister So-and-So," meaning that they were brothers and sisters in
having the same heavenly Father, and loving the same Saviour.
John Wesley preached in a meeting-house in Wood Lane, which you can
still see, though it is now turned into cottages; and we may be quite
sure that the boys and girls who lived in Beverley then, heard his
loving words, and received his blessing. He once spent two days of his
birthday month in your quaint old town. The June sun stole through the
stained windows of the beautiful Minster, and looked into the jackdaws'
nests on St. Mary's Tower.
There is a funny story told of this last visit, which he paid only a few
months before his death. He was going to preach in Hull again, and forty
friends from that town had come over to see him. They were all to have
dinner together in the red-roofed inn where he was staying, and then
drive back with him to Hull. Everybody was very merry, and they laughed
and talked so much that they quite forgot all about the time. Suddenly,
Mr. Wesley looked at his watch, then jumped up from the dinner table,
shouted good-bye to his friends, stepped into his carriage, which had
been waiting some time for him at the door, and was off before his
astonished friends could say a word. Their horses and carriages were got
ready with all speed, but it was only by driving very fast that they
managed to overtake Mr. Wesley before he rode into Hull.
Punctuality was one of Mr. Wesley's strongest points. He could never
bear to be a minute behind time. Once, when his carriage did not come
punctually, he was heard to say: "I have lost ten minutes for ever."
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