The Heroes of Methodism

The world has had its heroes. The title hero has been applied almost exclusively to men who have distinguished themselves on the field of battle, or who have performed noble deeds of moral or physical daring. But what is true heroism? And who are the true heroes? True heroism "is the sacrifice of self for the good of others," says William Arthur. Then the self-sacrificing man for the good of his race is the real hero.
The Church has had her heroes. In its early ages there were Moses, and Joshua his illustrious successor; Caleb and Nehemiah; at a later period, Isaiah and Daniel; in the days of the Apostles, Stephen and Paul; afterward Wickliff and Zwingle, Luther and Knox, Wesley and Whitefield, Coke and Asbury, and other "Immortal names that cannot die."
The subjects of this work were heroes in the loftiest sense of the word. With no sword but that of the Spirit, no banner but that of the cross, and no commander but our spiritual Joshua, the leader of the Lord's host, they went forth to glorious war, having for their motto, "Victory or Death." They were the heroes of Methodism; their great object to promote "Christianity in earnest."
The design of this work is not so much to give history of the men, as anecdotes and incidents which illustrate their character, and the times in which they lived.