Today we went down to the Johns Rylands Library -- Deansgate; the original John Rylands in the Centre City. They have established, in conjunction with the UK Methodist Church, a Methodist archive and study area in which material from the Wesley's and early Methodist are stored for study. Peter Nockles, an English scholar of the Oxford Movement with whom I have learned great respect, had some of the material for Charles Wesley laid out on a table for us to examine.

There was a poem written on the occasion of his sons, Samuel's conversion to Roman Catholicism, which Charles didn't take well. It was covered by great ink blots in places -- they were not sure if Charles had done it, or later family members. Samuel, one of two suviving sons, did not "have an easy life," we were told. From what was told, he was in a bad marriage, and rather than divorcing, he moved out and in with his family housemaid and had several children. The irony is that most of the "Wesley's" still alive come from these children.

There was an expense list by Charles -- he was not very organized, except in his accounting. Every pence spent was recorded; there was a record of his library. There was the legal agreement with his wife's family for the marriage -- Charles married into a prominent English family.

Two other items stood out: first was the autograph, hand-written copy of "Love Divine All Loves Excelling" -- words crossed out and replaced in his notebook. Kathy and I had this song played at our wedding, and it may be my favorite Wesley hymn. Second, there was Charle's copy of Spencer's The Faerie Queene. Charles bought it in 1734; it was given to his daughter in 1776.

One interesting event: after we had looked at the items, the archivist, Gareth Lloyd, re-entered the room because some in the room had asked if they had an "memoribilia" of the Wesley's. He brought out several items: 2 pieces of Charle's chair!! a lace doilly made supposedly by Lady Hunington for Susana Wesley, the mother of the Wesley's; the small sewing box, supposedly owned by Susana; a piece of Mary Fletcher's wedding dress to John Fletcher, a French aristocrat that became a Anglican vicar as a Methodist and deep friends with Charles and trusted friend of John; and John Wesley's clerical collar -- made of silk, with button holes in the back.

Several interesting points: first, each of these items had been saved and passed down for several generations before being handed over to the John Rylands. Not all could be autheticated, but some could, and Gareth thought that most of the oral traditions were legitimate.

Second, those attending the meeting asked to see them and were all deeply engaged as they were displayed. Questions arose and discussions ensued. The items represented physical ties to the founding Methodists as exemplary Christian lives. To hear stories of grandmothers handing to granddaughters before moving shows the deep connection these Protestant "relics" bore -- the physical reminder of exemplary Christian lives -- i.e. the saints in all their bodily presence and idiosyncracy in which, despite or in these idiosyncracies, God becomes evident in special ways.

I say this because of one last story. John and Charles were close; though they had major difficulties towards the end of their lives. Nonetheless Charles in a letter written to his wife, while accompanying John, wrote something like, "John has preached five times in the last two days; I've never heard someone so enthralled at the sound of their own voice!" Such idiosyncracies, in the middle of the living of holy lives, make such relics a joy and honor to behold.