Mather, Alexander

Mather, Alexander one of Mr. Wesley's most useful preachers, was born at Brechin, North Britain, in Feb. 1733. When a boy he had some instruction at a Latin school, and afterwards ran away with the rebels, and was in the battle of Culloden. On account of this he was treated with great harshness by his father, and deprived of all educational advantages. In 1751 he left home and went to Perth, and in 1752 to London, to earn his living as a mechanic. Here, in 1753, he married. He had been religiously inclined from boyhood, and had long followed his convictions in many moralities and means of grace; finally converted under a sermon of John Wesley's, April 14, 1754, he soon became very useful as a band and class leader and local preacher. In 1757 he began itinerating under Mr. Wesley, and with great success, though often in peril from mobs stirred up by the Establishment. Sometimes he was beaten nearly to death, and often stoned, but grace triumphed, and so much the more grew the word of God and multiplied. In 1757 he experienced the blessing of "the great salvation," or perfect love, and from that time labored with increased unction and usefulness. He was persecuted by some of his brethren on. this account, but Mr. Wesleye defended him and held him up. He traveled on nearly all the circuits of England, and, during forty-three years, was present at thirty-nine Conferences. Most of the time he was in prominent relations in the Church, and active in all its interests. He was the principal member of Mr. Wesley's select committee, and his clear, strong sense and judgment were of great weight in all things. "His disinterestedness was shown in the fact that, though ordained by Wesley as a superintendent or bishop, and an advocate of the claim of the people for the sacraments, he made no attempt to secure any defense for his peculiar office, but even opposed the immediate adoption of Coke's episcopal scheme, as proposed at the Litchfield meeting" (Stevens). He died at London, Aug. 22, 1800 (?). — Jackson, Early Methodist Preachers, 1:369; Stevens, Hist. of Methodism, 2:142; 3:27, 40, 155 sq.