John Wesley died 225 years ago today, on March 2, in his eighty-eighth year.
As he lay dying, his friends gathered around him, Wesley grasped their hands
and said repeatedly, "Farewell, farewell." At the end, summoning all
his remaining strength, he cried out, "The best of all is, God is with
us," lifted his arms and raised his feeble voice again, repeating the
words, "The best of all is, God is with us."and passed away.
He is said to have preached
40,000 sermons and travelled 250,000 miles. Until his death in 1791 he
continued to tirelessly campaign on social issues such as prison reform and
universal education. His last known letter written a few days before his death to a young Member of Parliament,
William Wilberforce he described black slavery as 'that execrable villainy'.
John Wesley is buried at Wesley's Chapel, City Road, London.
In
2002, Wesley was listed at number 50 on the BBC's list of the 100 Greatest
Britons.
Gary
Best, Warden of the New Room, Bristol, uses Wesley’s writings and the relevant
passages from his journals and letters to show that Wesley’s works are still
hugely relevant for today.
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