14. Later English Reformers. 267
and raising his arm to strike, on a sudden let it drop, and only stroked my head, saying,‘ What soft hair he has!’... The very first men whose hearts were turned were the heroes of the town, the captains of the rabble on all occasions, one of them having [ 259 ] been a prize-fighter at the bear-gardens....
“ By how gentle degrees does God prepare us for His will! Two years ago, a piece of brick grazed my shoulders. It was a year after that the stone struck me between the eyes. Last month I received one blow, and this evening two, one before we came into the town, and one after we were gone out; but both were as nothing: for though one man struck me on the breast with all his might, and the other on the mouth with such a force that the blood gushed out immediately, I felt no more pain from either of the blows than if they had touched me with a straw.” 375
The Methodists of those early days— people as well as preachers— endured ridicule and persecution, alike from church-members and from the openly irreligious who were inflamed by their misrepresentations. They were arraigned before courts of justice— such only in name, for justice was rare in the courts of that time. Often they suffered violence from their persecutors. Mobs went from house to house, destroying furniture and goods, plundering whatever they chose, and brutally abusing men, women, and children. In some instances, public notices were posted, calling upon those who desired to assist in breaking the windows and robbing the houses of the Methodists, to assemble at a given time and place. These open violations of both human and divine law were allowed to pass without a reprimand. A systematic persecution was carried on against a people whose only fault was that of seeking to turn the feet of sinners from the path of destruction to the path of holiness.
Said John Wesley, referring to the charges against himself and his associates:“ Some allege that the doctrines of these men are
375 Wesley ' s Works, Vol. III, pp. 297, 298( ed. 1831).