On March 2, 1791 John Wesley died. 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."
He died with only a few miscellaneous coins and a couple of silver spoons. He had given away the rest. In one year he earned today's equivalent of $1.4 million, yet he lived on 2% of his income and gave 98% of it away. In fact, during his lifetime he earned the equivalent of $30 million. He practiced what he preached when he said, “Gain all you can; Save all you can [be frugal]; Give all you can.”
He died with only those few coins and a couple of silver spoons but what he left behind as the result of his life-work was a Methodist church of 135,000 members, and 541 itinerant preachers carrying forward the message of Full Salvation from sin.
His legacy lives on today.
Rev. Albert Barr was no John Wesley... John Wesley was no Albert Barr, but they are meeting today on this the date of their passing.
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