"He was a man," says Lord Macaulay, "whose eloquence and logical acuteness might have rendered him eminent in literature; whose genius for government was not inferior to that of Richelieu; and who devoted all his powers, in defiance of obloquy and derision, to what he sincerely considered the highest good of his species."
The ardor of his spirit was never dampened by difficulties nor subdued by age. The world ascribed this to enthusiasm, but he ascribed it to the grace of God. Whatever it was, it has commanded the respect of the present generation. He who was expelled from all the churches as a madman and a fanatic is now deemed worthy of a most eligible niche in England's grandest cathedral.
Dr. Watts's admirable elegy on Thomas Gouge has been applied to the death of Wesley:
"The muse that mourns a nation's fall
Should wait at Wesley's funeral;
Should mingle majesty and groans,
Such as she sings to sinking thrones;
And in deep-sounding numbers tell
How Zion trembled when this pillar fell;
Zion grows weak, and England poor,
Nature herself, with all her store,
Can furnish such a pomp for death no more."
On the monument in Westminster Abbey is the simple inscription:
JOHN WESLEY, M.A.
Born June 17, 1703; Died March 2, 1791.
CHARLES WESLEY, M.A.
Born December 17, 1707; Died March 29,
1788.
This is engraved upon the tablet:
"I look upon all the world as my parish."
"The best of all is, God is with us."
"God buries his workmen, but carries on his work."
The first two were the utterances of John, and the last of Charles, Wesley.