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Show WESLEY AND CHRISTIAN UNITY. Helped to Lessen Bitterness and Draw Good Men Nearer Together. It would bo unjust to lgnoro what John Wesley did for Christian unity. Rollglous differences wero moro rancorous ran-corous In his day than In ours. Mnc-nulny Mnc-nulny often oxnggeratcs, but ho did not oxaggcrato In describing tho old-tlmo country squlro whoso "nnlmosltles wero numerous and bitter. Ho hnted 1'rcnclimen nml Itnllans, Scotchmen nnd Irishmen, Papists and riosliyte-riniiR, riosliyte-riniiR, Independent!) nnd BaptlBts, Quakers nnd Jowr." It did not require re-quire much provocation for a mob toi pull down a dissenting chnpcl or throw stones nt a Roman Catholic priest. In this world of fierce denunciation moved mov-ed n scholar who glndly acknowledged his Indebtedness to good men of widely wide-ly different tenets. Wesley had learned learn-ed a good deal from tho early fathors, ho had rend the great divines of tho Church of England, somo of his warmest warm-est friends wero Moravians, ho admired admir-ed tho saintly characters ot tho Roman Ro-man and of thu undivided Catholic church, his sympathies, naturally quick, had been broadened by rending. rend-ing. Since De Mnlstro warned tho Roman Ro-man church not to forgot tho claims of her Anglican sister, slnco tho Evangelicals Evan-gelicals gave new force to the Church of England, slnco tho Oxford divines made dry bones live, mnny lessons havo been learned. An increasing number num-ber of persons is grndunlly awakening to tho difference between tho faith onco delivered to tho snlnts and tho opinions which merely dnto from Augustine Au-gustine or Calvin. John Wesley wns In advnnco of his time. Should orgnnla unity como within a century or two. ho will bo counted among thoso who helped to lessen bitterness, and to draw good men nearer together. Tho Living Church (P. 13.). |