In the hell of prisons to save lives
John and Charles Wesley
entered English prisons likened to hell to save lives
Odilon Massolar Chaves
Copyright © 2023, Odilon Massolar Chaves
All rights reserved to the author.
Total or partial reproduction of the book is
prohibited, Art. 184 of the Penal Code and Law 9610 of February 19, 1998.
Cover choice: Rose Mary Braga da Costa
Cover:
http://kellyreddy.blogspot.com/2019/11/charles-wesley-1707-1788-saves-slave-on.html
Newgate Prison Exercise Yard, 1872
Gustave Doré (France, 1832-1883).
Engraving, illustration for 'London: a
Pilgrimage' by Blanchard Jerrold and Gustave Doré, 1872. Museum of London
https://place.asburyseminary.edu/richardouglas/12/
Books published on Amazon as author: 240
Books published on Amazon as
coordinator/editor: 8
Books published in other publishers: 22
All glory to God.
"Wesley
was a constant friend of the prisoners. He regarded the infamous Newgate Prison
in London (where the Old Bailey courts of law now stand) as the closest
possible earthly approach to hell."
Table of Contents
·
Introduction
· Beginning of the visit to
prisoners with Clube Santo
· The first visits to the
prisoners
· Difficulties of visiting prisoners
· Pastoral action of Charles
Wesley to the prisoners
· Charles Wesley, one night
locked in prison with the prisoners sentenced to death
·
Wesley's pastoral
action in prison
· Wesley's pastoral action
with the prisoners of England
·
Wesley and the
French prisoners
· The Arrest of the Prince of
the Methodist Preachers
· Wesley's Scream and the
Prison Changes
Introduction
"In the Hell of
Prisons to Save Lives" is a book that deals with the pastoral action of
the Wesley brothers in the prisons of England in the eighteenth century.
John Wesley was considered
a constant friend of the prisoners.
John and Charles Wesley
referred to prisoners as "the poor prisoners" because the prisons of
England were the closest places to hell here on earth, according to Wesley.
Wesley considered some of England's prisons to be the nursery of all kinds of wickedness.
Newgate Prison was considered the "prototype of hell".[1] Stephen Halliday wrote the book "Newgate: The Prototype of London's Hell".
In addition to sermons,
administering the sacrament, and support, the Wesley brothers gave charity
sermons to help the "poor prisoners."
They also raised
collections to buy clothes and blankets especially for French prisoners,
imprisoned because of the British-French war.
In addition, Wesley
denounced the sufferings of the prisoners. He also wrote about unjust
imprisonments. One of them was by John Nelson, a Methodist preacher, whom he
personally fought to free him.
Charles Wesley even asked
and spent a night locked in prison with the prisoners who were to be killed the
next day, to bring salvation and peace to their lives.
A book that reveals the
compassion, struggle and pastoral action on the part of John and Charles Wesley
to the prisoners, many of them sentenced to death.
The Author
Beginning of the visit to
prisoners with Clube Santo
It was during the period of
the Holy Club, created in 1729 by Charles Wesley, that the Methodists began to
visit the inmates in the Castle Prison encouraged by William Morgan, a member
of the Holy Club.[2]
"On August 14, 1730,
the Wesley brothers accompanied Morgan on the visit to the prisoners. In
December 1730, the group expanded its activities to include visitation of the
prison's inmates in the city at North Gate (Bocardo)."[3]
The Holy Club was a group
of Oxford students, which initially consisted of only five people, among them
John and Charles Wesley.
Within the purpose of the
group, it was decided to visit the prisoners.
To this end, in 1735, they
went to Mr. Gerald, who was the chaplain to the Bishop of Oxford, as well as
the person in charge who looked after prisoners "when any were condemned
to die (at other times they were left to their own care)," Wesley wrote.[4]
"I proposed to him our
design to serve them as much as we could, and my own intention to preach there
once a month"
"I proposed to him our
design to serve them as much as we could, and my own intention to preach there
once a month, if the bishop approved,"[5] Wesley wrote.
"Not only did he give
his permission, but he was very pleased with the venture and hoped it would
have the desired success"
For the purpose, the group
was commended by the Bishop "and said that he would answer for the
approval of the bishop, to whom he would take the first opportunity of
mentioning it. It was not long before he informed me that he had done so and
that his landlord had not only given his permission, but was very pleased with
the enterprise and hoped that it would have the desired success". [6]
"To do the service we
could to our acquaintance, to the prisoners and to two or three poor families
in the city"
"After [his] encouragement, we still continued to meet as usual," Wesley continued, "and confirm each other, as far as we could, in our resolutions to communicate whenever we had opportunity (which is here once a week); and to do as much service as we could to our acquaintance, the prisoners, and the two or three poor families of the town," Wesley said.[7]
The first visits to the
prisoners
"The next day I went
to the condemned criminals in Newgaste and offered them free salvation"
On Sunday, September 17,
1738, Wesley was in England. He said, "I began again to declare in my own
country the glad tidings of salvation, to preach three times, and then to
expound the Holy Scripture to a large company in the Minorities."[8]
Wesley listed what he did:
"On Monday I rejoiced to meet our little society, which now consisted of
32 persons. The next day I went to the convicted criminals in Newgaste and
offered them free salvation." [9]
Newgaste Prison executed
prisoners. Among those who were executed in January 1738 were:
The pirates John
Richardson and Richard Coyle
who were hanged on January 25, 1738.[10]
"The crime of piracy
is usually accompanied by murder. Richardson, to both crimes, added that of
fraud."[11]
Richard Coyle devised a
secret plan with Richardson to assassinate the captain of the ship where they
worked. After the plan was executed, Coyle then took command of the ship.
Later, both were arrested.
After his arrest, in the
evening, Wesley went to a society in Bear-yard and preached repentance of sins.
"The next night I spoke the 'most passionate' in a society in Aldersgate
Street."[12]
Deceased prisoner of the
city
On Tuesday, February 14,
1739, Wesley left "for Manchester with Mr. Kinchin, companion of Corpus
Christi, and Mr. Fox, deceased prisoner in the prison of the city."[13]
Poor prisoners of the
Castle
"I had the opportunity
to preach once again to the poor prisoners"
On Wednesday, March 14,
1739, Wesley said, "I had an opportunity of preaching once more to the
poor prisoners of the Castle. Thursday. 15. I left early in the morning, and in
the afternoon I came to London."[14]
Poor prisoners
"The poor prisoners,
both in the castle and in the city prison, now had no one to take care of their
souls"
At On Wednesday, October 3, 1739, Wesley wrote that he had "a
little leisure to see the shattered condition of things here," [15]said.
And he stated that
"the poor prisoners, both in the castle and in the city prison, had now
none to take care of their souls, none to instruct them, to counsel them, to
console them, and to build them up in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus.
No one was left to visit the workhouses, where we also used to meet with the
most touching objects of compassion." [16]
"It is time for you,
Lord, to lay into your hand!"
At Wednesday, October 3, 1739, he further said: "Our little
school, where about twenty poor children at a time had been taught for many
years, so that they were separated; there being none now, either to supply or
to supply it. And most of those who were in town, who were once joined
together and strengthened one another's hands in God, were torn and pricked on
the outside. It is time for you, Lord, to lay at your hand!"[17], Wesley said.
Cruel treatment
"They
were allowed to demand payment directly from prisoners, making the position one
of the most lucrative in London"
There
was cruel treatment by the guards who did nothing to help the unfortunate
prisoners.
"According
to medieval bylaws, the jail was to be run by two annually elected
sheriffs, who in turn would sublet the administration of the
jail to private 'jailers', or 'keepers', for a price. These keepers, in turn,
were allowed to demand payment directly from the inmates, making the position
one of the most lucrative in London."[18]
Visiting the condemned
evildoers
"I climbed on a bench
and they climbed up to the windows of their cells, so that everyone could hear
my exhortation and prayer"
On
Friday, January 14, 1743, Wesley visited the condemned malefactors at Newgate,
and was shut up by the jailer, not with them, but in the courtyard. However, I
climbed on a bench, and they climbed up to the windows of their cells, that all
might hear my exhortation and prayer," he said.
In Scotland
"Imprisonment
of those venerable men who suffered the loss of all things for a good
conscience"
On
Thursday, May 21, 1772, in Scotland, Wesley said that on Thursday, the 21st, he
went to "Bass, seven miles from it, which, in the horrible reign of
Charles the Second, was the prison of those venerable men who had suffered the
loss of all things for a good conscience. It is a high rock surrounded by the
sea, two or three miles in circumference, and about two miles from the coast
(...). The castle, as may be judged from what remains, was utterly
inaccessible."[19]
Today,
Bass Rock is an island in the outer part of the Estuary of the River Forth in
eastern Scotland.
Difficulties of visiting prisoners
"I was admitted by another guardian, the only one who has a spark
of humanity, and I nailed through the bars"
John and Charles Wesley had difficulty visiting the
prisoners on a few occasions.
On "August 19, 1740, and April 1, 1741—on which
the Rev. parish priest of Clerkenwell, refused John Wesley entrance to
Clerkenwell Prison to pray with and for the damned."[20]
Prevented from entering prison
"I went to Newgate and was denied entry"
On
Saturday, January 15, 1743, Charles Wesley wrote: "I went to Newgate, and
was prevented from entering. A Townsend pushed me away, though I showed him the
sheriff's order. I was admitted by another keeper, the only one who has a spark
of humanity, and preached through the bars. As before, a Roman priest was
there, having free exit and return. But a clergyman of the Church of England
should not expect similar favours."[21]
Again they refused Carlos entry into prison
"We had hardly entered the cells when the power of God fell upon
us"
On
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 1743, "once more [Mr] Townsend refused my entrance,
saying that I had falsified my sheriff's order," Charles said.
"Another let me in with Mr. Piers and Bray. We had scarcely entered the
cells when the power of God fell upon us, first as a Spirit of contrition, then
of strong faith and power to exhort and pray."[22]
Request refused
"I wrote to the sheriff who sent me another"
On
Saturday, February 12, 1743, Charles Wesley said that he showed his old
application at the prison in Newgate, which was refused.
Then a
new one was sent by the other sheriff, said Carlos. But the guardian had no
desire to see Charles Wesley there.
"On leaving, the keeper wished to see him again and took him from me. I wrote to the sheriff who sent me another."[23]
Pastoral action of Charles
Wesley to the prisoners
Carlos Wesley was active in visiting and
ministering to prisoners. Among them, we highlight:
Reluctance
"And we felt that the Gospel was
indeed the power of God"
On Thursday, November 13, 1740, Charles Wesley went "reluctantly to the prisoners, almost desperate to do any good, when I received faith to believe that Christ would be with me. I looked at him; and I never preached the Gospel with greater freedom. Two women fell down dead. The infection went through all of us, and we felt that the Gospel was indeed the power of God," he said.[24]
Word melted them
"The
word melted them. Many tears were shed as they sang that, 'Outcasts of men, I
call you.'"
On Tuesday, July 14, 1741, "I preached in the afternoon to the prisoners, 'How shall I deliver thee, O Ephraim.' Above twenty were criminals. The word melted them. Many tears were shed as I sang, "Outcasts of men, I call you," &c. In the evening, for nearly three hours, I described the grace of God that brings salvation to all men.[25]
Offering prayer for prisoners
"To
receive the sacrament"
"On
Saturday, the 12th of September, 1741," Charles said, "I had only
time in the Society to offer a prayer for the prisoners. At five I went to
them; the sheriff resolved to hasten them at six, a few hours before the usual
time. He would hardly let them stay to receive the sacrament. Then he ordered
them to leave, allowing no time to tear off their fetters.
They
were very calm and composed, not afraid of death, or its consequences,"[26]
said Carlos.
Collection for French prisoners
"Visited
the French prisoners in Knowle and found many of them almost naked again"
On
Friday, June 24, 1760, Charles "visited the French prisoners at Knowle,
and found many of them nearly naked again. Hoping to provoke others to envy, I
made another collection for them, and ordered the money to be put into linen
and waistcoats, which were given to those who were most in need."[27]
Charity sermon in Newgate
"For the Use of the Poor Prisoners"
On
the 12th of October, Tuesday and Wednesday of 1760, Charles visited "some
of the societies of the country. On Thursday I returned to Bristol, and in the
afternoon preached a beneficent sermon at Newgate, for the use of the poor
prisoners," [28]said
Charles.
Charles Wesley, one night locked in prison with the prisoners sentenced
to death
"On Tuesday, Charles Wesley and Bray 'asked if
they could be locked up overnight with the prisoners who were to be executed
the next day'
John Piper, founder and professor of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, commented in an article on Charles Wesley's love and courage in asking to spend the night with some condemned prisoners, who were going to die the next day, especially because of a black slave.
It was in Newgate prison.
John Piper wrote about what Charles Wesley said in his diary on 18 July 1738. Charles had spent the week testifying to inmates at Newgate Prison with his friend Bray.
One of the men they spoke to was "a negro [slave] who had stolen his master," who was sick and sentenced to death the next day.
"On Tuesday, Charles Wesley and Bray asked if they could be locked up overnight with the prisoners who were to be executed the next day."
On Tuesday, Charles Wesley and Bray "asked if they could be locked up overnight with the prisoners who were to be executed the next day [that's outside the camp!]. That night, they spoke the gospel. They told the men that 'One came down from heaven to save lost sinners.' They described the sufferings of the Son of God, his pains, agony, and death." [29]
"The prisoners were loaded onto a cart and taken to Tyburn"
The next
day, the prisoners were loaded into a cart and taken to Tyburn.
Tyburn's "tree" was known to all.
"Despite the name, it was not a tree, but a kind of gallows where, for more than 650 years, public executions took place."[31]
Carlos
Wesley and Bray went with the prisoners. "Ropes were fastened around their
necks so that the cart could be driven, leaving them dangling in the air to
suffocate to death." [32]
"They were all joyful; full of comfort, peace, and triumph"
A very sad
picture, but one that Charles Wesley writes that "they were all joyful; full of comfort, peace,
and triumph; certainly persuaded Christ that he had died for them, and hoped to
receive them into paradise... The negro [slave]... greeted me with his looks.
Whenever his eyes met mine, he smiled with the most composed, delightful
countenance I have ever seen." [33]
"We
left them going to meet their Lord, ready for the Bridegroom"
"We left them going to meet their Lord, ready for the Bridegroom. When the cart detached, no one stirred, or fought for life, but meekly gave up their spirits. Exactly at twelve they were shut down. I spoke a few suitable words to the multitude; and returned, full of peace and confidence in the happiness of our friends. That hour under the gallows was the most blessed hour of my life,"[34] said Carlos Wesley.
A fact that reveals all compassion and friendship with the prisoners. Carlos Wesley risked his life to bring salvation in Christ to the damned and peace to their lives, at the final moment.
Wesley's pastoral action in prison
On
Wednesday, November 21, 1761, the condemned prisoners asked Wesley to give them
one more sermon.
Sacrament for a Death Row Man
"And
on Thursday, Patrick Ward, who was to die that day, sent me to ask that I
administer the sacrament to him."
"And
on Thursday, Patrick Ward, who was to die that day, sent me to ask me to
administer the sacrament to him. He was twenty-one years old, and had scarcely
thought seriously, until he shot the man who went to take away his gun. From
that moment he felt an inward upheaval, and never again took an oath. His whole
demeanor in prison was serious and composed: he read, prayed, and wept much;
especially after one of his fellow prisoners had found peace with God," [35] Wesley
said.
"From
that moment on, all his behavior exuded a peace and joy"
"His hope has gradually increased to this
day, and has been greatly strengthened in the Lord's Supper; but still he
complained, 'I am not afraid, but I do not wish to die. I do not find this
warmth in my heart. I am not sure whether my sins have been forgiven.' He got
into the wagon, about twelve, calm, but mingled with sorrow." [36]
The Holy Spirit came upon the prisoner
"It
came upon me, and I knew that Christ was mine"
"But
in a quarter of an hour, while he was wrestling with God in prayer, (not
seeming to know that any one was near him), 'the Holy Ghost,' said he, 'came
upon me, and I knew that Christ was mine.' From that moment his whole demeanor
exuded a peace and joy beyond expression, until, after spending about ten
minutes in private prayer, he gave the signal," [37]Wesley
wrote.
"They
asked to visit a poor prisoner in the castle"
On
Friday, July 3, 1761, Wesley returned to York, "where I was asked to visit
a poor prisoner in the castle," he [38]
said.
"Where is the
mercy to thus grind the face of the poor?"
Wesley reported on a
"Declaration" and explained:
"The fact was
this: some time ago a man who lived near Yarm was helping others to prepare a
brandy. His share was worth nearly four pounds. After he had entirely given up
that bad work, and was pursuing his own trade, that of a weaver, he was arrested
and sent to York Prison; and, not long after, comes a Declaration, "that
Jac. Wh landed a ship laden with brandy at Geneva, in the port of London, and
sold them there, for which he was indebted to His Majesty five hundred and
seventy-seven pounds and more.' And to tell this dignified story, the lawyer
takes thirteen or fourteen sheets of letterhead," [39] said Wesley.
"Thus sucking
the blood of a poor beggar prisoner?"
Indignant, Wesley
said, "O England, England! Will this reproach ever be removed from you? Is
there anything like this to be found, among Papists, Turks, or heathens? In the
name of truth, justice, mercy, and common sense, I ask: 1. Why do men lie by
lying? It is only to keep their hands on what need more, to say that it was the
port of London, when all knew that brandy was landed more than three hundred
miles distant? What a monstrous contempt for the truth does this show, or
rather hatred of it! 2. Where is the justice of increasing four pounds by five
hundred and seventy-seven? 3. Where is the good sense of taking fourteen leaves
to tell a story that can be told in ten times? 4. Where is the mercy of thus
grinding the face of the poor? Thus sucking the blood of a poor beggar
prisoner? Would it not be an execrable villainy, if the paper and the writing
together were only sixpence a sheet, when they have already stripped him of his
little everything, and have not left him fourteen semolina in the world?"[40]
A comfortable day
"A comfortable
day, in which several prisoners were released"
Sunday, December 13,
1761, "was a comfortable day, on which several prisoners were
released,"[41] Wesley said.
Preaching to the
prisoners
On Monday, September
26, 1763, "I preached to the prisoners at Newgate, and in the afternoon
went to Kingswood, where I had a solemn night of vigil and an opportunity of
speaking closely with the children."[42]
"Ten convicted
criminals, blaspheming loudly and shaking their chains"
On Wednesday, July
21, 1779, "when I arrived at Coventry, I found that notice had been given
for my preaching in the park; but the heavy rain prevented it," Wesley
said.
"I sent it to
the mayor, wanting the use of the city hall. He refused, but on the same day he
gave the use of it to a dance master," said Wesley.
When the doors close
"There were ten
convicted criminals, blaspheming loudly and shaking their chains"
"I then went to
the women's market," said Wesley. "Many soon assembled and listened
in all earnestness. I preached there again the next morning, Thursday, the
22nd, and again in the evening. Then I took coach to London. I was nobly
attended: behind the bus were ten convicted criminals, blaspheming loudly and
shaking their chains; next to me sat a man with a laden of wicked men and
another on top of the bus," [43] said Wesley.
Coventry is about 150
km from London. Today, it is "known as the birthplace of the 'Two Tone'
music genre of the 1980s, it is also home to breathtaking stained glass windows
in one of its three cathedrals. Coventry is a city filled with cultural icons,
including an independent theatre and world-class creative art and exhibition
spaces – and all this just an hour by train from London".[44]
Wesley's pastoral action
with the prisoners of England
"It
was the most glorious example I have ever seen, of faith triumphing over sin
and death"
Visiting Condemned
Prisoners
"Last
good office to condemned evildoers"
Wesley
records in his diary several visits to the pros, especially those condemned to
death.
On
Wednesday, the 3rd of November, 1738, John and Charles went to do the last good
office of the condemned malefactors," said Wesley. "It was the most
glorious example I ever saw, of faith triumphing over sin and death. An
observer who watched the tears run swiftly down the cheeks of one of them in
particular, while his eyes were firmly fixed upwards, a few moments before he
died, asked, 'How do you feel your heart now?' He calmly replied, 'I feel a peace, which I
could not have been—be possible. And I know
that it is the peace of God, which passeth all understanding.'[45]
"God
of my fathers, accept me also among them"
Wesley
said, "My brother took occasion to declare the gospel of peace to a great
assembly of publicans and sinners. O Lord God of my fathers, accept me also
among them, and cast me not out from among thy children—children
!"[46]
Preaching to Convicted Criminals
On
Sunday, September 17, 1738, Wesley was in England. He said, "I began again
to declare in my own country the glad tidings of salvation, to preach three
times, and then to expound the Holy Scripture to a large company in the
Minorities."[47]
Society and criminals
"I
went to the convicted criminals in Newgate and offered them free
salvation"
Wesley
listed what he did: "On Monday I rejoiced to meet our little society,
which now consisted of 32 persons. The next day I went to the convicted
criminals in Newgate and offered them free salvation.
"The
pirates John Richardson and Richard Coyle
who were hanged"
Newgaste
Prison executed prisoners. Among those who were executed in January 1738 are:
The
pirates John Richardson and Richard Coyle
who were hanged on January 25, 1738.[48]The
crime of piracy is usually accompanied by murder. Richardson, to both crimes,
added that of fraud."[49]
Richard
Coyle devised a secret plan with Richardson to assassinate the captain of the
ship where they worked. After the plan was executed, Coyle then took command of
the ship. Later, both were arrested.
After his arrest, in the
evening, Wesley went to a society in Bear-yard and preached repentance of sins.
"The next night I spoke the 'most passionate' in a society in Aldersgate
Street."[50]
In Bocardo prison
"I
started reading prayers in Bocardo"
On
Sunday, the 3rd of December, 1738, Wesley wrote in his diary: "I began to
read prayers at Bocardo (the prison of the city) which had long been
discontinued. In the afternoon I received a letter, earnestly desiring, to
publish my account of Georgia: and another as earnestly dissuading me from it,
"because it would bring me much trouble." I consulted God in his
word, and received two answers; the first Ezek. xxxiii. 2-6. The other,
therefore, endureth hardship, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."[51]
I visited once a month
"The
Bocardo Prison used to be connected to the tower of São Miguel da Porta Norte,
which was part of the old city wall".[52]
Wesley
used to visit Bocardo Prison once a month in Oxford. In 1772, the prison was
demolished.
Prisoners of the Castle
"Opportunity
to preach once again to the poor prisoners of the Castle"
On
Wednesday, March 14, 1739, Wesley said, "I had an opportunity to preach
once more to the poor prisoners of the Castle." On Thursday, the 15th,
"I left early in the morning, and in the afternoon came to London,"
Wesley said.[53]
Preaching to Death Row Inmates
"Forty-seven
were under sentence of death"
On
Sunday, December 26, 1784, Wesley said, "I preached the sermon of the
condemned criminals at Newgate," Wesley said. "Forty-seven were under
sentence of death. As they were entering, there was something very horrible in
the tinkling of their chains. But no sound was heard, neither from them nor
from the packed audience, after the text was named: "There is joy in
heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than ninety-nine righteous persons,
who need not repentance" (see Luke 15:7).[54]
Most of the prisoners were in tears
"Five
of whom died peacefully"
"The
power of the Lord was eminently present, and most of the prisoners were in
tears," Wesley said. "A few days later, twenty of them died at once,
five of whom died in peace. I could not but greatly approve of the spirit and
demotion of Mr. Villette, the ordinary; and I rejoiced to hear that it was the
same on all similar occasions."[55]
Pardon for criminals
"Maybe
it was as a result of this that they had a pardon"
On
Saturday, December 23, 1786, "by great importunity, I was induced (having
little hope of doing good) to visit two of the criminals at Newgate, who were
under sentence of death," Wesley stated. "They looked serious, but I
can lay little stress on appearances of this kind. Yet I wrote in their name to
a great man; and perhaps it was in consequence of this that they had a
pardon."[56]
Abandoned prisoners
"Now no one to care
for their souls, none to instruct them, to counsel them, to comfort them, and
to build them up in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus"
On Wednesday, October 3,
1739, Wesley laments the abandonment of the prisoners:
"I had a little
leisure to see the shattered condition of things here. The poor prisoners, both
in the castle and in the city jail, had now none to look after their souls,
none to instruct them, to counsel them, to console them, and to build them up
in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus. No one was left to visit the
workhouses, where we were also wont to meet with the most touching objects of
compassion," [57]said Wesley.
"There is none now,
either to supply or to serve him"
And he remarked and
lamented over the poor children: "Our little school, where about twenty
poor children at a time had been taught for many years, so that they were
separated; there being none now, either to supply or to supply it. And most of
those who were in the city, who were once joined together and
strengthened one another's hands in God, were torn and stabbed abroad. It is
time for you, Lord, to lay down at your hand![58]
Wesley had great compassion
for the prisoners. In a period of nine months, he preached at least 67 times in
various prisons. He considered prisons to be the nursery for all kinds of evil.[59]
A friend of the prisoners
"Closest possible earthly approach to hell"
"Wesley was a constant friend of the prisoners. He regarded the
infamous Newgate Prison in London (where the Old Bailey courts of law now
stand) as the closest possible earthly approach to hell."[60]
How was Newgate Prison considered?
"There was
no darker place on this planet than Newgate Prison, and as someone once
wrote...'It was, almost from the beginning, an emblem of death and suffering...
a legendary place, where the stones themselves were considered 'deadly'... it
became associated with hell, and its smell permeated the streets and houses
next door."[61]
Charles Wesley, one night
locked in prison with the prisoners sentenced to death
"On Tuesday, Charles Wesley and Bray 'asked if they could be locked up overnight with the prisoners who were to be executed the next day'
John Piper, founder and professor of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary, commented in an article on Charles Wesley's love and courage in asking to spend the night with some condemned prisoners, who were going to die the next day, especially because of a black slave.
It was in Newgate prison.
John Piper wrote about what Charles Wesley said in his diary on 18 July 1738. Charles had spent the week testifying to inmates at Newgate Prison with his friend Bray.
One of the men they spoke to was "a negro [slave] who had stolen his master," who was sick and sentenced to death the next day.
"On Tuesday, Charles Wesley and Bray asked if they could be locked up overnight with the prisoners who were to be executed the next day."
On Tuesday, Charles Wesley and Bray "asked if they could be locked up overnight with the prisoners who were to be executed the next day [that's outside the camp!]. That night, they spoke the gospel. They told the men that 'One came down from heaven to save lost sinners.' They described the sufferings of the Son of God, his pains, agony, and death." [62]
"The prisoners were loaded onto a cart and taken to Tyburn"
The next day, the prisoners were loaded into a cart and taken to Tyburn.
"Executions took place at Tyburn between 1571 and 1783. About 1100 men and nearly 100 women were hanged at Tyburn in the eighteenth century."[63]
Tyburn's "tree" was known to all.
"Despite the name, it was not a tree, but a kind of gallows where, for more than 650 years, public executions took place."[64]
Carlos Wesley and Bray went with the
prisoners. "Ropes were fastened around their necks so that the cart could
be driven, leaving them dangling in the air to suffocate to death." [65]
"They were all joyful; full of comfort, peace, and triumph"
A very sad picture, but one that Charles
Wesley writes that "they were all joyful;
full of comfort, peace, and triumph; certainly persuaded Christ that he had
died for them, and hoped to receive them into paradise... The negro [slave]...
greeted me with his looks. Whenever his eyes met mine, he smiled with the most
composed, delightful countenance I have ever seen." [66]
"We left them going to
meet their Lord, ready for the Bridegroom"
"We left them going to meet their Lord, ready
for the Bridegroom. When the cart detached, no one stirred, or fought for life,
but meekly gave up their spirits. Exactly at twelve they were shut down. I
spoke a few suitable words to the multitude; and returned, full of peace and
confidence in the happiness of our friends. That hour under the gallows was the
most blessed hour of my life,"[67] said Carlos Wesley.
A fact that reveals all compassion and friendship with the prisoners. Carlos Wesley risked his life to bring salvation in Christ to the damned and peace to their lives, at the final moment.
Wesley and the French prisoners
"About
eleven hundred of them, we are told, were confined in that little place, with
nothing to lay down but a little dirty straw, or anything to cover them."
In the so-called "Seven Years' War" (1756-1763),
England and France fought a war. "It was a conflict between England and
France over land in North America and the Asian continent. It also involved
Prussia, Austria, Portugal and Spain.
The war spread over three continents and was fought in Europe as well as
in America and Asia. That is why it is considered the first world
conflict."[68]
During the war, the English
took French prisoners. Wesley went to visit the French prisoners.
Speaking to survivors of the French invasion
"John
Wesley made several voyages to Ulster, including one in 1760, when he spoke to
survivors of the French invasion, when a French force under Commodore François
Thurot took Carrickfergus, but had to surrender when defeated, Thurot being
killed, in a naval engagement."[69]
Clothing for French prisoners
Wesley
was sensitive to the needs of the excluded and questioning the social situation
of the people. In 1759, he commented on the plight of the prisoners who were in
Knowle:
Thou shalt not oppress a stranger
"I
Was Very Affected and Preached at Night"
On
Monday, October 15, 1759, "I walked to Knowle, a mile from Bristol,
to see the French prisoners,"[70]
Wesley said.
The
village of Knowle is situated 3 miles east-southeast of the town of Solihull,
West Midlands, England.
"About
eleven hundred of them, we are told, were confined in that little place, with
nothing to lay down but a little dirty straw, or anything to cover them but a
few fine and filthy rags, day or night, so that they died like rotten
sheep."[71]
"I
was greatly affected, and preached at night (Exodus 23:9), "Thou shalt not
oppress a stranger, for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing that ye were
strangers in the land of Egypt." [72]
"We
bought linen and woolen cloth, which were made into shirts, vests and shorts"
Wesley
went further than preaching: "Eighteen pounds were immediately
contributed, which were made up of four and twenty the next day. By this we
purchased linen and woollen cloth, which were made into shirts, waistcoats, and
breeches. About a dozen stockings were added; all of which were carefully
distributed where there was the greatest need." [73]
"Soon
after, the Bristol Corporation sent a large quantity of mattresses and blankets"
And Wesley went further. "Soon after, the Corporation of Bristol sent a great quantity of mattresses and blankets. And it was not long before the contributions were set up in London and in various parts of the kingdom; so that I believe that from this time they were very well provided with all the necessities of life."[74]
The Arrest of the Prince of the
Methodist Preachers
"My soul was so filled
with God's love that prison became a paradise for me. I wished my enemies were
as happy as I was in prison."
John
Nelson (1707-1770) was a Yorkshire stonemason.[75] He was born in Birstal, west of the county
of York, England.
He
was impressed by hearing Whitefield and converted by listening to Wesley in
Yorkshire. He became an itinerant Methodist preacher. He accompanied Wesley on
some travels.
Once
Nelson was back in Yorkshire. Wherever he went, crowds flocked to hear him. The
people rushed to hear his preaching, but the clergy were filled with
consternation. For weeks there had been rumours that "John Nelson should
be pressed by a soldier," and his friends urged him to abstain from
preaching for a time. But his answer was always the same: "The will of the
Lord be done; for the ferocity of man must have recourse to His praise."[76]
In
those days, many recruits to the Army and Navy consisted of men who were in
debt or were accused of a crime, and the charge against Nelson was that he was
disturbing the peace with his preaching.
The
stewards, too, considered that "he had no visible way of making a living.
Nelson protested that he had been working yesterday and all the week before and
that he could earn his living as well as any man in England."[77]
For
several weeks he was forced to march with one of the regiments. John Nelson did
not cease to speak of Jesus. "The officers of the regiment threatened him
with a heavy whip if he continued, but he told them, 'It is better to obey God
than man! I believe it is God's will that I should preach.'"[78]
When
John Nelson passed through York, it was as if all hell had been broken. The
streets and windows were filled with people, who screamed as if he had been a
person who had devastated the country.
John
Nelson said that the Lord made his forehead like brass, so that he could look
at them like locusts and thus pass through the city as if he had no one but God
and him.
When
they decided to compel him to wear the uniform of a soldier, he replied,
"You may organize me as a man of war, but I shall never fight. I see
nothing in this world worth fighting for. I want neither his riches nor honors,
but the honor that comes only from God; I consider neither his smiles nor his
frowns; and have no business in him but to stand well out of it." The
captain ordered the Sergeant to take off Mr. Nelson's coat, and put on him a
red one."[79]
Some
of the non-commissioned officers finally sent him to prison because he would
not give up preaching.
In
1744, "Nelson was taken to Halifax and then to Brad Ford's prison. When he
arrived in the city, many were distressed to see him in such an unhappy
situation. He told them, 'Fear not, God has His way in the whirlwind, and He
will plead my cause. Only pray for me, that my faith may not fail.' He later
recorded that when he entered the dungeon which reeked more than a pigsty
because of the blood and filth that fell from the butchers who had killed for
his sake, his soul was so filled with the love of God that it was a paradise to
him. His first act on entering his cell was to fall to his knees and give
thanks for the glorious freedom of God's children. He prayed for his enemies
and wished them to be as happy in their own homes as he was in the dungeon. At ten
o'clock in the evening, Methodist people came to the door of the dungeon and
brought some candles, as well as forcing meat and water through the hole in the
door. After he ate, John Nelson and his friends sang hymns 'almost all night;
they from outside and I from inside'.[80]
The
man who shared the same cell with João Nelson said in amazement: "Please,
sir, are all these your
relatives who love you so much? I think they are the most loving people I have
ever seen in my life.' At four in the morning, his wife and several others
arrived at the dungeon and spoke strong,
comforting words through the hole in the door."[81]
When
John Nelson was thrown into this filthy prison, he said, "My soul was so
filled with the love of God that the prison became a paradise to me. I wished
my enemies were as happy as I was in prison."[82]
The
filth and stench in the dungeon was great. John Nelson preached "for his
quiet assurance of God's mercy, a sermon more powerful than words could
formulate. It was a sermon that turned doubt into confidence and formed a
people in that trailer that Wesley often described as 'alive to God.'" [83]
Birst's
mason was taken to Bradford prison as a prisoner, and "ordered by the
captains to be put in the dungeon, in order, as John Wesley himself said, that
the servant should not be above his Lord. The most honorable place in Bradford
is worse than the pigsty where a man from within and his friends outside sang
praises to the glory of God."[84]
João
Nelson's stay in prison impacted many people.
He
was for a few months moved around the country with his regiment. After a great
battle and fundamental support from Charles Wesley, John Nelson was released.
“(...) through the influence of Mr. Wesley, Lady Huntingdon, and others, he
obtained his dispensation, but only after a substitute had been found, and
without the slightest acknowledgment of the injustice or lawlessness of his
impression. The motto of the magistrates, clergymen, and military officers
seemed to be, "No justice for a Methodist."[85]
He
was finally released on July 27.
The
majors and lieutenants declared that John Nelson's life and conversation bore
fruit in the regiment, as several soldiers heard his testimony. "Some wept
and said to Nelson, 'We are glad you are at liberty, but we are sorry to be
separated from you.' When John Nelson revisited several of the places he had
been, he found that many had been converted and societies strengthened. York,
for example, he found that nineteen had found peace with God, and twice as many
were under conviction, though there was no one to instruct them. But John
Nelson does not mention Bradford. He could not believe that one night
incarceration in a dungeon would produce lasting results. Yet Wesley, years
later, could attribute the change in Bradford to the way in which John Nelson joyfully
accepted his sufferings as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." [86]
A
plaque reads: "John
Nelson de Birstall, Methodist mason and preacher,
assistant to John Wesley was lodged in a dungeon near this site on May 5,
1744."[87]
João
Nelson's imprisonment portrays well how the prison system worked in England in
the eighteenth century.
Wesley's Scream and the
Prison Changes
"John
Wesley, who preached in the Marshalsea chapel in 1739 and 1753, 'criticized the
prison, describing it as 'a nursery of every kind of wickedness. Oh, shame on
man that there is such a place, such an image of hell on earth!'[88]
Nursery of all kinds of evil
"A
nursery of all kinds of evil. A place, such an image of hell on earth!"
On February 3, 1753,
after a visit to Marshalsea Prison, Southwark, Wesley termed it "a nursery
of all sorts of wickedness. One place, such a picture of hell on earth! And
shame on those who bear the name of Christ that there is need of any prison in
Christendom" (Journal, IV, 52). Such was the cry of frustration of one who
expended considerable energy seeking mercy for those whom the present world had
forsaken. And apparently the present world wanted little help or interference
from those who were unwilling to accept its conventions; "... we are
forbidden to go to Newgate, for fear of making them wicked," growled
Wesley at the end of February, 1750, "and to Bedlam for fear of driving
them mad!" {Diary, III, 455)".[89]
A miserable prison
"The horrible noise of the chain, or the terrible
sound of the lock, is enough to terrify you; but when you go down to prison,
you are miserable almost beyond description"
A committee of deputies investigated the arrest.
"When a committee of deputies investigating the
state of the country's prison visited the Marshalsea debtor's prison in Borough
in 1729, the conditions they reported were appalling."[90]
Among what was reported is:
"On leaving the main street, a dirty courtyard
presents itself to your view, which is terminated by large gates, closed with a
huge iron bar, fastened with a huge padlock. The top of the high wall over it
is guarded by a chevaux de frize, to prevent unfortunate prisoners from
escaping. By a narrow door, to which you ascend three steps, on your right, and
which is fastened with a heavy chain and a large lock you enter through a dirty
room, which is the turnkey station. The horrible noise of the chain, or the
terrible sound of the lock, is enough to terrify you; but when you go down to
the prison, it is miserable almost beyond description. Houses, which are
apartments for the prisoners, with a scanty window, except in those which the
inhabitants can afford them."[91]
In 1811, the old Marshallesa prison building was
closed and replaced by another in better condition.
The changes at Newgate Prison
After
seeing so much evil, death, suffering, and inhumane conditions of the
prisoners, Wesley recognized the changes that were taking place.
And
he told about these changes to a famous London newspaper.
Wesley writes for the London Chronicle
"The
London Chronicle was one of the first
family newspapers in Georgian London. It was a three-times-weekly evening newspaper,
introduced in 1756, and contained world and national news, and coverage of
artistic, literary and theatrical events in the capital."[92]
Compared to hell
"Of
all the seats of doom this side of hell, few, I suppose, exceed or even equal
Newgate"
Wesley
speaks of the filth, the stench, the misery and the wickedness that was in
prison some years ago.
Here is the letter:
"1761.
January, Friday 2.--I wrote the following letter:
To
the editor of the London Chronicle.
"Lord
,--Of all the seats of doom on this side of hell, few, I suppose, exceed or
even equal Newgate. If any region of horror could exceed it a few years ago,
Newgate, in Bristol, did it; so great was the filth, the stench, the misery,
and the wickedness, that it shocked all who had a spark of humanity remaining.
How
surprised I was then, when I was there a few weeks ago! 1) Every part of it, up
the stairs and below, even the well where criminals are confined at night is as
clean and sweet as a gentleman's house; it being now a rule that every prisoner
washes and cleans his apartment thoroughly twice a week. 2) Here there is no
fight or quarrel. If any one finds himself misused, the cause is immediately
referred to the keeper, who hears the parties in conflict face to face, and
decides the case immediately. 3) The usual motives of quarrel are removed. For
it is very rare for any one to cheat or deceive another, as being certain, if
anything of this kind is discovered, to be committed to a closer confinement.
4)
Here there is no drunkenness suffered, however advantageous it may be to the
keeper as well as to the tap. 5) Nor any prostitution; the women prisoners
being watched and kept separate from the men; nor is any woman of the city now
admitted, no, not at any price. 6) All possible care is taken to prevent
idleness; those who are willing to work in their callings are given tools and
materials, partly by the keeper, who gives them credit with a very moderate
profit; partly by the alms occasionally given, which are divided with the
utmost prudence and impartiality. Thus at this time, among others, a shoemaker,
a tailor, a brazier, and a coachman are working in their various trades.
7)
Only on the Lord's day do they not work or play, but dress as clean as they
can, to attend the public service in the chapel, in which every person under
the roof is present. No one is excused, unless he is sick; in that case he is
provided, free of charge, with both advice and medicines. 8) And in order to
help them in things of the greatest concern (besides a sermon every Sunday and
Thursday), they have a large Bible chained up on one side of the chapel, which
any of the prisoners may read. By God's blessing on these regulations, the
prison now has a new face: nothing offends either the eye or the ear, and the
whole has the appearance of a quiet and serious family. And does not the
guardian of Newgate deserve to be fully remembered as well as the Man of Ross?
May the Lord remember Him in that day! In the meantime, will no one follow his
example? I am, sir,
"Thy
humble servant,
"John
Wesley."[93]
Newgate
Prison, Wesley "noted, was now 'clean and sweet,' there were no quarrels
or quarrels, the contending parties were heard face to face before the keeper,
no drunkenness was suffered, and the women prisoners were kept separate from
the men."[94]
In
1780, Wesley wrote three more texts for the London Chronicle, in the form of correspondence.
The
subjects were: London Chronicle; Methodism – History; English Letters.[95]
The transformation of a
jailer
The conversion of jailers by Methodist preaching
was another important factor in the improvement of prisons. One of the
converted jailers was Dagge. Here is a summary and adaptation of a letter from
Wesley, about the transformation this jailer had in prison:
"1) The
jail became clean, because each prisoner was responsible for cleaning the cell;
2) There were no more
fights, because the jailer immediately resolved with the prisoners the
controversies that arose;
3) Theft practically ceased
to exist in prisons, as prisoners knew that their enclosure would be restricted
if they stolen;
4) Drunkenness was no
longer allowed, although the jailer could profit from it;
5) Prostitution ended, as
the procedure of separating women from men in prisons was taken;
6) Idleness was avoided, as
tools were provided for the prisoners to work;
7) Sunday was observed. The
inmates did not entertain or work on Sundays. They participated in public
worship;
8) There has become a concern for the spiritual life of the prisoner." [96]
Legacy
"The poor conditions
of the prison system were a matter of great concern to Wesley, who inspired the
movement for prison reform in the late 18th century. The great proponent of
prison reform, John Howard, drew spiritual strength from Wesley, and statues of
both can be seen together in St Paul's Cathedral in London." [97]
Mr. Dagge
"Bristol Newgate
Prison was run by a Mr. Dagge, one of the first converts of the evangelical
revival."[98]
Abel Dagge converted under
the influence of George Whitefield in 1737.[99]
Hymns for the Condemned Evildoers
Charles Wesley published,
in 1785, a collection of ten poetical prayers for condemned malefactors. One of
them says:
"He breaks the power
of cancelled sin,
he frees the prisoner,
his blood can cleanse the
dirtiest;
Your blood was worth it for me.
For too long my imprisoned
spirit lay in sin and in the night of nature;
thy eye hath diffused a
life-giving ray;
I awoke, the dungeon ablaze
with light;
My chains have fallen,
My heart was free, I got
up, went out and followed you.
My chains fell off, my
heart was free, I got up, went out and followed you."[100]
[1]
https://londonhistorians.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/newgate-londons-prototype-of-hell/
[2]
https://www.wesleysoxford.org.uk/people/holy-club/william-morgan
[3]
HEITZENHATER, Richard P., Wesley and the People Called Methodist,
Editeo-Pastoral Bennett, 1996. p.40.
[4]
The Magazine of John Wesley, with an introduction by Hugh Price Hughes, m.a.,
edited by Percy Livingstone Parker, Chicago Moody Press, 1951.
[5]
Ditto.
[6]
Ditto.
[7]
The Magazine of John Wesley, with an introduction by Hugh Price Hughes, m.a.,
edited by Percy Livingstone Parker, Chicago Moody Press, 1951.
[8] An
extract from the diary of the Rev. Mr. John Wesley, August 12, 1738, to
November 1, 1739.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[9]
Ditto.
[10]https://www.exclassics.com/newgate/ngcontf.htm
[11]
https://www.exclassics.com/newgate/ngcontf.htm
[12] An
extract from the diary of the Rev. Mr. John Wesley, August 12, 1738, to
November 1, 1739.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[13]
The Magazine of John Wesley, with an introduction by Hugh Price Hughes, m.a.,
edited by Percy Livingstone Parker, Chicago Moody Press, 1951.
[14]
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[15] An
extract from the diary of the Rev. Mr. John Wesley, August 12, 1738, to
November 1, 1739.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[16] An
extract from the diary of the Rev. Mr. John Wesley, August 12, 1738, to
November 1, 1739.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[17] Ditto.
[18]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newgate_Prison
[19]
https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/travellers/J_Wesley/16
[20] https://place.asburyseminary.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1683&context=asburyjournal
[21]
https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=theology_ministry_etds
[22] Ditto.
[23]
https://scholar.smu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1009&context=theology_ministry_etds
[26] The Journal of the rev. Charles
Wesley, op.cit, p. 298
[27] The Magazine of John Wesley, Edited
by Percy Livingstone Parker, Chicagomoody Press, 1951, op.cit.
[28]
https://wesleyscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Volume-3-Journal-1760-1773.pdf
[29]https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/charles-wesleys-radical-fruitful-risk. Article by John Piper, founder and professor of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the author of more than 50 books,
[30]
https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/JourneyTyburn.jsp
[31]
https://www.beijoeciao.com/-free-walk-london-marble-arch-mound/
[32]
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/charles-wesleys-radical-fruitful-risk
[33] Ditto.
[35]
https://wesleyscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Volume-3-Journal-1760-1773.pdf
[36]
https://wesleyscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Volume-3-Journal-1760-1773.pdf
[37] Ditto.
[38]
https://wesleyscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Volume-3-Journal-1760-1773.pdf
[39] Ditto.
[40]
https://wesleyscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Volume-3-Journal-1760-1773.pdf
[41] Ditto.
[42] The Magazine of John Wesley, with an introduction by Hugh
Price Hughes, m.a., edited by Percy Livingstone Parker, Chicago Moody Press,
1951.
[43] The Magazine of John Wesley, with an introduction by Hugh
Price Hughes, m.a., edited by Percy Livingstone Parker, Chicago Moody Press,
1951.
[44]
https://www.qualviagem.com.br/conheca-coventry-cidade-da-cultura-do-reino-unido/
[45] An extract from the diary of the
Rev. Mr. John Wesley, August 12, 1738, to November 1, 1739.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[46] Ditto.
[47] Ditto.
[49] Ditto.
[50] An extract from the diary of the
Rev. Mr. John Wesley, August 12, 1738, to November 1, 1739.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[51] Ditto.
[52]
http://ukwells.org/wells/john-wesley-visiting-bocardo-prison
[53]
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[54]
https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/travellers/J_Wesley/19
[55] Ditto.
[56] Ditto.
[57] An extract from the diary of the
Rev. Mr. John Wesley, August 12, 1738, to November 1, 1739.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[58] Ditto.
[59]
https://www.dunedinmethodist.org.nz/articles//view/john-wesley-action-and-compassion-beyond/
[60] Ditto.
[61] https://stephenliddell.co.uk/
2023/04/13/touching-a-doorway-to-hell-the-old-door-of-newgate-prison/
[62]https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/charles-wesleys-radical-fruitful-risk. Article by John Piper, founder and professor of desiringGod.org and chancellor of Bethlehem College & Seminary. For 33 years, he served as pastor of Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota. He is the author of more than 50 books,
[63]
https://www.oldbaileyonline.org/static/JourneyTyburn.jsp
[64]
https://www.beijoeciao.com/-free-walk-london-marble-arch-mound/
[65]
https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/charles-wesleys-radical-fruitful-risk
[66] Ditto.
[68]https://www.todamateria.com.br/guerra-dos-sete-anos/
[69]
https://ccght.org/about-the-area/history-of-the-area/modern-history/
[70] WESLEY, João. Excerpts from the
Diary of John Wesley. São Paulo: Methodist Press, 1965, p.108-9.
[71] WESLEY, João. Excerpts from the
Diary of John Wesley. Ibidem, p.108-9.
[72]https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/travellers/J_Wesley/11
[73] WESLEY, João. Excerpts from the
Diary of John Wesley. Ibidem, p.108-9.
[74] WESLEY, João. Excerpts from the
Diary of John Wesley. Ibidem, p.108-9.
[75]
www.methodistheritage.org.uk/johnnelsonsstudy.htm
[76]https://www.mywesleyanmethodists.org.uk/content/people-2/wesleyan_methodist_ministers/wesleyan-methodist-ministers-general/bi-centenary-john-nelson-1707-1774
[77]
www.archives.gcah.org/bitstream/handle/10516/1575/MH-1970-04- Ed
[78]
https://message.methodist.org.sg/john-nelson-a-soldier-for-christ/
[80]
www.metodistavilaisabel.org.br/artigosepublicacoes/descricaobiografias.asp?Numero=1229
[81]
www.archives.gcah.org/bitstream/handle/10516/1575/MH-1970-04- Ed
[82] Townsend et al. Vol. I, p. 315
www.metodistavilaisabel.org.br/artigosepublicacoes/descricaobiografias.asp?Numero=1229
[83]
www.archives.gcah.org/bitstream/handle/10516/1575/MH-1970-04- Ed
[84] Ditto.
[86]
www.archives.gcah.org/bitstream/handle/10516/1575/MH-1970-04- Ed
[88]
https://pastinthepresent.net/2017/04/27/mansions-of-misery-visiting-the-marshalsea-prisons-dark-past-with-jerry-white/
[89]
https://place.asburyseminary.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1683&context=asburyjournal
[90]
https://pastinthepresent.net/2017/04/27/mansions-of-misery-visiting-the-marshalsea-prisons-dark-past-with-jerry-white/
[91]
https://pastinthepresent.net/2017/04/27/mansions-of-misery-visiting-the-marshalsea-prisons-dark-past-with-jerry-white/
[92]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Chronicle
[93] The John
Wesley Magazine, with an introduction by Hugh Price Hughes, m.a., edited by
Percy Livingstone Parker, Chicago Moody Press, 1951. https://wesleyscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Volume-3-Journal-1760-1773.pdf
[94]
https://www.igrc.org/newsdetail/41831
[95]https://dl.atla.com/concern/works/47429g275?locale=em. "Letter: To London Chronicle from John Wesley, 5-8 February 1780"
[96] REILY, Duncan Alexander, The
Influence of Methodism Social Revolution in England in the Eighteenth Century,
Ibidem, p. 13.
[97]
https://www.dunedinmethodist.org.nz/articles/view/john-wesley-action-and-compassion-beyond/
[98] Ditto.
[99] https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1297&context=ccs
[100]
http://igrc.s3.amazonaws.com/6145FE26D5194BF2841D4A4D57DFDA2F_Castle_Prison_and_Aldersgate_Street.pdf
Comentários
Postar um comentário