Nelson, John ( 1 ), an eminent Methodist lay preach- er, was one of the ablest of the assistants of the Wesleys in their evangelical movement in the last century. He is generally acknowledged the chief founder of Method- ism in Yorkshire, a portion of England in which it has had signal success down to our ilay. Nelson was born near tiic close of the 17th century. He was the de- scendant of humble but honorable parentage, and was early apprenticed to a stonC-mason, a trade at which he became prolicient, and at which he worked nearly all his life, even in the midst of his evangelizing labors. He was converted under the preaching of John Wesley in 1711, at ;\Ioorlields. Nelson's home was in Bristol. He had l«d an upright life from his youth, and had at the time of his conversion an humble but a hap- py home, a good wife, good wages, good health, and a stout English heart. He had long been distressed by the sense of moral wants which his life failed to meet mitil the light came under the preaching of Wesley. The sad and trying days of Nelson are thus narrated by his biographer : " Something he believed there must be in true religion to meet the wants of the .soul, other- wise man is more unfortunate than the brute tliat perishes. Absorbed in such meditations, this untutored mechanic wandered in the fields after the work of the day, discussing to iiimself questions which had employ- e<l and cnnolilid the thoughts of I'lato in the groves of tlic Cfphissus, and agitated by the anxieties that had stirreil the souls of Wesley and his associates at Oxford. His conduct was a mystery- to his less thoughtful ft-llow- workmen. He refused to share in their gross indulgen- ces; they cursed him because he would not drink as they did. He l)ore their insults with a calm philos- ophy ; but having as ' brave a heart as ever English-
man was blessed with' (Southey), he would not allovr them to infringe on his rights; and when they took away his tools, determined that if he would not drink with them he should not work while they were carous- ing, he fought with several of them until they were con- tent to let him alone in his inexplicable gravity and courage. He also went from church to church, for he was still a faithful churchman, but met no answers to his profound questions. He visited the cha|)els of all classes of Dissenters, but the quiet of the (Quaker wor- ship could not quiet the voice that spoke through his conscience, and the splendor of the Komau ritual soon became but irksome pomp to him. He tried, he tells us, all but the Jews, and hoping for nothing from them, re- solved to adhere steadily to the Church, regulating his life with strictness, spending his leisure in reading and prayer, and leaving his final fate unsolved. Whitefield's eloquence at Moorfields, however, attracted him thither, but it did not meet his wants. He loved the great orator, he tells us, and was willing to fight for him against the mob, but his mind only sank deeper into perplexity. He became morbidly despondent; he slept little, and often awoke from his horrible dreams drip- ping with sweat and shivering with terror. Wesley came to Moorfields; Nelson gazed upon him with inex- pressible interest as he ascended the platform, stroked back his hair, and cast his eye directly upon him, ' My heart,' he says, ' beat like the pendulum of a clock, and when he spoke I thought his whole discourse was aimed at me.' 'This man,' he said to himself, ' can tell the secrets of my heart ; he has shown me the remedy for my wretchedness, even the blood of Christ.' He now became more than ever devoted to religious duties, and soon found the peace of mind he had so long been seeking. He records with dramatic interest the discus- sions and efforts of his acquaintances to prevent him from going too far in religion. They seem to have been mostly an honest, simple class like himself; they thought he would become unfit for business, and that poverty and distress would fall upon his family. They wished he had never heard Wesley, who, they predicted, would ' be the ruin of him.' He told them that he had reason to bless God that Wesley was ever born, for by hearing him he had become sensible that his business in this world was to get well out of it. The family with whom he lodged were disposed to expel him from the house, for they were afraid some mischief would come on either themselves or him from 'so much praying and fuss as he made about religion.' He procured money and went to pay them what he owed them, and take his leave; but they would not let him escape; ' What if John is right, and we wrong?' was a natural question which they asked among themselves. ' If (jod has done for you anything more than for us. show us how we may find the same mercy,' asked one of them. He was soon leading them to hear Wesley at Moorliclds. One of them was made partaker of the same grace, and he ex- pressed the hope of meeting both in heaven. With much simplicity, but true ICnglish determination, he adhered to his religious principles at any risk. His em- ployer required work to be done during the Sabbath on the exchequer building, declaring that the king's busi- ness required haste, and that it was usual in such cases to work on Sunday for his majesty. Nelson replied that he would not work on the Sabbath for any man in Eng- land, except to quench fire, or something that reijuired the same immediate help. His employer threatened him with the loss of his business. He replied that he would rather starve than ofTcnd (iod. ' What hast thou done that thou makest such an ado about religion?' asked his employer; 'I always took thee for an honest man, and could trust thee with five hundred pounds.' ' So j-ou might.' replied the sturdy Methodist, 'and not have lost one ))cnny by me.' ' But I have a worse opinion of tliee now than ever,' resumed the employer. '.Master,' replied Nelson. ' I have the odds of you there, for 1 have a much worse opinion of myself than you can