Molly

Third Thursday of Easter

Lectionary Texts:

Acts 4:23-31

John 10:22-30

 

John Wesley was remarkably good at a remarkably large number of things. His complete works will total 34 volumes in the Abingdon Press Wesley Works Project. Each volume is 400 to 800 pages long. More than 20 volumes have been published so far. The project began in the early 1960's, the first volume published, volume 11, came out in 1975. The volume I worked on, Wesley's Notes on the New Testament, is slated for publication later this year. Among Wesley's voluminous output were some writings not related to religion at all. He wrote a book on French grammar and another on German grammar. He was totally fluent in both those languages, as well as Greek, Hebrew, and Latin. He even wrote a highly regarded book on medicine. His genius was matched only by his work ethic.

One thing John Wesley was not good at was romance. Although he had close friendships with numerous women and years long correspondences with several, he remained unmarried until he was 48. We have already spoken of his lack of follow through in the relationship with Sophie Hopkey in 1736 and its disastrous results. 

 

In the 1743 a nurse and housekeeper named Grace Murray helped Wesley recover from a serious illness. They remained close. In 1749 he proposed to her. His brother Charles objected strenuously, fearing that marriage would restrict John's mission with its intense and constant travel obligations. Charles went to see Grace and persuaded her to reject the proposal and marry another man who was interested in her. She did both. John was devastated. It was Sophie Hopkey all over again. 

In 1751, at age 48,  John Wesley finally did marry, Charles again objecting, but this time John determined. Her name was Molly Vazeille. She was 41 and and widow with some wealth. She traveled with John for the first year of the marriage. No carriage, riding was horseback through miserable British weather. When they could not find people who would take them in for a night or two or a very inexpensive inn, they slept out of doors. Wesley thrived on this austere lifestyle. Molly did not. Opposition to the mission, including one angry and threatening very large mob (Wesley said thousands) hurt her more than him. They had a small home in London. After the first year she began to stay there more and more. After four years she ceased to travel at all. 

Molly became jealous and suspicious of the close relationship John had with their housekeeper, Sarah Ryan, a devout convert to Methodism three years earlier. John's other friendships with women had been with upper class women whose behavior was always proper and circumspect. Sarah was lower class, a maid servant. Upper class women like Molly always suspected lower class single women of potential, if not actual, immorality. 

 

Molly published her concerns in London tabloids. By this time anti-Methodist literature had become a genre of its own. Molly's publications continued and became more vicious. Wesley defended himself, then attacked back. The couple did not see each other again after 1755. Divorce was illegal. John had no further romantic relationships. He never had children. 

 

All this while John continued to preach, write, and organize. Molly died in 1781. Meanwhile Methodism had come to America. American Methodism would be shaped by the indefatigable work of one remarkable man, Francis Asbury. 

Faithfully,

Christian