Posted on Feb 28, 2021
John Wesley charters first Methodist Church in U.S.
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On February 28, 1784, John Wesley chartered the Methodist Church. From the article:
"John Wesley charters first Methodist Church in U.S.
On February 28, 1784, John Wesley charters the first Methodist Church in the United States. Despite the fact that he was an Anglican, Wesley saw the need to provide church structure for his followers after the Anglican Church abandoned its American believers during the American Revolution.
Wesley first brought his evangelical brand of methodical Anglicanism to colonial Georgia from 1735 to 1737 in the company of his brother Charles, with whom he had founded the ascetic Holy Club at Oxford University. This first venture onto American soil was not a great success. Wesley became embittered from a failed love affair and was unable to win adherents to his studious practices. However, while in Georgia, he became acquainted with the German Moravians, who hoped to establish a settlement in the colony. The meeting proved momentous, as it was at a Moravian meeting upon his return to London that Wesley felt he had a true experience of God’s grace.
While closely allied to the Moravians, Wesley began taking the advice of fellow Oxford graduate George Whitfield and preaching in the open air when banned from Anglican churches for his unorthodox evangelical methods. By 1739, Wesley had separated himself from the Moravians and attracted his own group of adherents, known as Methodists, who were held in disdain by the orthodox Anglican clerical and civic hierarchy. By 1744, the Methodists had become a large enough group to require their own conference of ministers, which expanded to create an internal hierarchy, replicating some of the Anglican Church’s ecclesiastical order.
Wesley, however, remained within the Anglican fold and insisted that only ministers who had received the apostolic succession—the laying on of hands by an Anglican bishop to consecrate a new priest—could administer the sacraments. The refusal of the Anglican church to ordain Dr. Thomas Coke to preach to Americans newly independent from the British State Church, finally forced Wesley to ordain within his own Methodist conference in the absence of a proper Anglican bishop. He performed the laying on of hands and not only ordained Coke as the superintendent of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America but also commissioned him to ordain Francis Asbury as his co-superintendent."
"John Wesley charters first Methodist Church in U.S.
On February 28, 1784, John Wesley charters the first Methodist Church in the United States. Despite the fact that he was an Anglican, Wesley saw the need to provide church structure for his followers after the Anglican Church abandoned its American believers during the American Revolution.
Wesley first brought his evangelical brand of methodical Anglicanism to colonial Georgia from 1735 to 1737 in the company of his brother Charles, with whom he had founded the ascetic Holy Club at Oxford University. This first venture onto American soil was not a great success. Wesley became embittered from a failed love affair and was unable to win adherents to his studious practices. However, while in Georgia, he became acquainted with the German Moravians, who hoped to establish a settlement in the colony. The meeting proved momentous, as it was at a Moravian meeting upon his return to London that Wesley felt he had a true experience of God’s grace.
While closely allied to the Moravians, Wesley began taking the advice of fellow Oxford graduate George Whitfield and preaching in the open air when banned from Anglican churches for his unorthodox evangelical methods. By 1739, Wesley had separated himself from the Moravians and attracted his own group of adherents, known as Methodists, who were held in disdain by the orthodox Anglican clerical and civic hierarchy. By 1744, the Methodists had become a large enough group to require their own conference of ministers, which expanded to create an internal hierarchy, replicating some of the Anglican Church’s ecclesiastical order.
Wesley, however, remained within the Anglican fold and insisted that only ministers who had received the apostolic succession—the laying on of hands by an Anglican bishop to consecrate a new priest—could administer the sacraments. The refusal of the Anglican church to ordain Dr. Thomas Coke to preach to Americans newly independent from the British State Church, finally forced Wesley to ordain within his own Methodist conference in the absence of a proper Anglican bishop. He performed the laying on of hands and not only ordained Coke as the superintendent of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America but also commissioned him to ordain Francis Asbury as his co-superintendent."
John Wesley charters first Methodist Church in U.S.
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Asbury and Coke were part of bringing Methodism to middle Tennessee, SGT (Join to see). They first met at the home of Green Hill while he still lived in NC.
“After the [Revolutionary] war, Hill took on a leadership role in the Methodist Episcopal Church. The First Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America was held at Green Hill's home in Louisburg, North Carolina on April 20, 1785. Two of the most prominent Methodists, Bishop Francis Ashbury and Dr. Thomas Coke, attended the Conference. The 1790, 1791, and 1794 conferences were also held there. He was ordained a deacon in 1792 and was later made an elder.”
Upon moving to the Brentwood area, Hill built a home and a church. He been given 2,000+ acres in the area for Revolutionary War service. His home (the foundation actually and one out building), named Liberty Hill, is now in the Liberty Downs subdivision of Brentwood, where we lived a number of years ago. In fact, Alan Jackson’s first big home was built on the foundation of Hill’s original home (we lived “next door”, along with seven other homes). We’ve actually dined there with friends (Jackson’s successors). When in the dining room, we were sitting on the original foundation of the original Green Hill home and next to the original (and upgraded) hearth. “The Ninth Western (west of the Alleghenies) Conference of the Methodist Church was held at Liberty Hill in 1808.” Hill is buried across the street in the family cemetery.
Liberty Methodist Church, still stands (in its second iteration) today. We’ve actually attended church there a number of times.
SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SGT Mark Anderson 1SG Jason Hastings CSM Charles Hayden SPC Douglas Bolton
“After the [Revolutionary] war, Hill took on a leadership role in the Methodist Episcopal Church. The First Annual Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America was held at Green Hill's home in Louisburg, North Carolina on April 20, 1785. Two of the most prominent Methodists, Bishop Francis Ashbury and Dr. Thomas Coke, attended the Conference. The 1790, 1791, and 1794 conferences were also held there. He was ordained a deacon in 1792 and was later made an elder.”
Upon moving to the Brentwood area, Hill built a home and a church. He been given 2,000+ acres in the area for Revolutionary War service. His home (the foundation actually and one out building), named Liberty Hill, is now in the Liberty Downs subdivision of Brentwood, where we lived a number of years ago. In fact, Alan Jackson’s first big home was built on the foundation of Hill’s original home (we lived “next door”, along with seven other homes). We’ve actually dined there with friends (Jackson’s successors). When in the dining room, we were sitting on the original foundation of the original Green Hill home and next to the original (and upgraded) hearth. “The Ninth Western (west of the Alleghenies) Conference of the Methodist Church was held at Liberty Hill in 1808.” Hill is buried across the street in the family cemetery.
Liberty Methodist Church, still stands (in its second iteration) today. We’ve actually attended church there a number of times.
SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth SGT Mark Anderson 1SG Jason Hastings CSM Charles Hayden SPC Douglas Bolton
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Thank you my friend SGT (Join to see) for making us aware that on February 28, 1784, John Wesley chartered the Methodist Church in the fledgling nation the United States of America soon after the revolutionary war ended on September 3, 1783.
Images:
1. John Wesley after George Romney, oil on canvas, based on a work of circa 1789
2. John Wesley Chapel City Road London Stained Glass Windows Holy Grail Bring me my bow of burning gold; Bring me my arrow of desire: Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold! Bring me my chariot of fire! I will not cease from Mental Fight Nor shall my
3. John Wesley statue outside St Paul’s in London
4. Portrait of Rev. John Wesley; Founder of Methodism. Oil on Canvas - Frank Salisbury - 1932
Background from {[ https://www.inspirationalchristians.org/preachers/biographyjohn-wesley/]}
FAMILY LIFE
On June 17, 1703, in the village of Epworth, twenty miles north of London, John Wesley was born and raised with seven sisters and two brothers by Samuel and Susanna (Annesley) Wesley. The fifteenth of nineteen children, he was the third son to be named John Benjamin as two sons born earlier had died. Seven other children born into the family did not survive birth or infancy, which left ten children to be raised together at home.
John’s father served as rector of St. Andrews Anglican Church in Epworth while Susanna, youngest of twenty-five children, attempted to shield John and his siblings from real life by teaching them from home. The Wesleys also saved money by keeping the children at home, as sending them to school was not something their large family could afford.
At a time when only one in four women could sign their name, John’s mother, Susanna, could read and write both English and French. She also loved to debate Biblical theology. Determined to raise her children in a cultured, God-fearing home, she forbade them to play with local children out of fear they would learn “coarse ways” from them.
The Wesley family school week ran Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 5:00 with a two-hour break for lunch. Susanna taught the children to memorize large sections, sometimes entire books, of the Bible, which was their only textbook.
Perhaps even stricter, John’s father, Samuel, was a stickler for obeying church rules and was a self-appointed expert at pointing out other people’s wrongs. He insisted that “sinners” in his parish publicly confess their sins and outwardly express regret by standing barefoot for hours on the church’s stone floor.
Surviving a house fire at the age of five, John lived with a local family for one year until Samuel and Susanna could financially afford to bring him home. Only two of the children stayed at home that year while the rectory was rebuilt of brick to protect it from future harm by fire.
At age eleven, John was sent to boarding school. It was there, at the Charterhouse School in London that John was eventually offered a scholarship to attend college. On June 14, 1720 John began college classes at Christ Church in Oxford where he found course work easy, giving him ample time to enjoy boating, chess, theater and tennis.
EARLY MINISTRY
Though he came from a long line of distinguished ministers, John wasn’t sure he wanted to follow in their footsteps.
Just before graduating, however, John spoke with a college porter who talked of being grateful to God for giving him life and a heart to love and serve God, though he had nothing to wear, nothing to eat, and no bed to lie upon. The porter’s comments caused John to wonder if, perhaps, the porter had found the secret for righteous living which, to that point, seemed to have eluded John.
So, John began to ponder. Was it enough to believe in Christ or did a Christian have to perform good works to prove he or she was saved? He talked to Lutherans and Calvinists and wrote to his mother seeking wise counsel, but eventually concluded that he did not know the answer.
By the time he graduated in 1724, John knew his future was in the church. He immediately signed up to study toward a master’s degree.
Though short and not particularly handsome by the day’s standards, John attracted young women who were enamored by his seriousness of faith, his intelligence, and the fact that he accepted women as his intellectual equals. One of the women he met suggested he read “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a Kempis. Upon completing it, John determined to become a “whole Christian” with a heart completely changed by the love of God.
With a specific goal in mind, John developed a list of rules to live by in order to become a “whole Christian.” His “General Rules” included the following:
1. Begin and end every day with God; sleep not immoderately.
2. Employ all spare hours in religion, as able.
3. Avoid drunkards and busybodies.
4. Never on any account pass a day without setting aside at least an hour for devotion.
5. Avoid all manner of passion.
6. In every act reflect on the end.
7. Begin every important work with prayer.
On October 19, 1725, at twenty-two years of age, John was ordained as a minister in the Church of England. After a short time serving as a teaching fellow to Lincoln College in Oxford, he returned to Epworth to assist his father in his curate as his father had suffered a stroke and lost the use of his right hand.
John helped his father finish writing a huge commentary on the book of Job but also became interested in a pretty young woman who his father subsequently banished from the rectory in hopes John’s mind would remain focused on spiritual matters.
THE “HOLY CLUB” BASED ON WORKS
John’s brother, Charles, formed the “Holy Club” at Christ Church with only three other male members, but John happily joined and quickly became the leader. Soon they were meeting seven nights a week from 6:00 – 9:00 PM to study the Bible and examine their own behavior as well as the behavior of other members of the group.
John wrote a list of questions for the members to review each day. Soon, other students at Oxford procured the list and began mocking the members and calling them Bible Moths, Bible Bigots or Methodists.
The name “Methodists” stuck because they seemed to have a method for everything, which was likely a learned style or behavior from John’s upbringing as his mother was very methodical, overly-strict and punitive.
One student went so far as to make up the following rhyme about the Holy Club:
By rule they eat, by rule they drink,
Do all things else by rule, but think –
Accuse their priests of loose behavior,
To get more in the laymen’s favor;
Method alone must guide ‘em all,
Whence Methodists themselves they call.
John was secretly pleased with the students’ “persecution.” It made him feel he must be on the right track since Jesus said, “Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad; for great is your reward in heaven…” (Matthew 5:11-12a)
In April, 1735 Susanna sent an urgent message to her children to inform them that their father’s health was failing. John felt certain his father would pressure him to take over as rector at St. Andrew’s but his father surprised him by saying, “The inward witness, son, the inward witness, is the strongest proof of Christianity.” John received his father’s blessing to pursue his own path and never forgot his father’s final words.
After the funeral the Wesley family split up and went in many different directions.
NORTH AMERICAN MINISTRY AND TRIBULATION
Soon after, John was invited by James Oglethorpe to Savannah, Georgia in North America to serve as vicar at a chapel there. While Oglethorpe’s desire was to have John minister to the spiritual needs of colonists in Savannah, John was more attracted to the potential conversion of the Indians who inhabited the Georgia colony.
John agreed to go and persuaded his brother, Charles, and two other young men to accompany him. On October 14, 1735 the four men boarded the “Simmonds” to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to North America.
John appointed himself as spiritual leader of the four men and set up a strict routine for them to follow during their four month travel.
4:00 – 5:00 awaken to pray privately
6:00 – 8:00 read the Bible together
8:00 – 12:00 breakfast with passengers, public prayer, studies, sermon writing and teaching
12:00 – 13:00 group of four men meet to discuss morning routines
13:00 – 17:00 lunch with passengers, followed by private spiritual conversation with passengers and teaching children Anglican catechism.
17:00 – 18:30 – private prayer and group Bible reading
18:30 – 19:00 dinner with passengers
19:00 – 20:00 join Moravians for their hour-long prayer service
20:00 – 22:00 meet to discuss how well they followed their afternoon program
22:00 to bed for six hours of sleep
In addition to their strict schedule, John decided sometime during the four-month trip that the four men would forego the meat and wine served with meals, then later decided they would go without eating at all during the dinner hour.
One night in the midst of a fierce storm, John noticed that the English people on the ship were in constant fear and unrest. When he went to the Moravians’ cabin to check on them, however, he found them in the middle of a church service!
John wrote in his journal, “…the sea broke over, split the mainsail to pieces, covered the ship, and poured in between the decks, as if the great deep had already swallowed us up. A terrible screaming began among the English. The Germans looked up, and without intermission calmly sang on. I asked one of them afterward, ‘Were you not afraid?’ He answered, ‘I thank God, no.’ I asked, ‘But were not your women and children afraid?’ He replied mildly, ‘No, our women and children are not afraid to die.’”
Though he had preached numerous sermons on trusting God in every circumstance, John knew that day that he was as afraid of dying as the rest of the English, and he began to doubt his call as a missionary to the Indians in Savannah.
To the relief of everyone on board, the Simmonds dropped anchor at the mouth of the Savannah River on February 5, 1736.
Despite his lack of faith during the storm at sea, John took up his post as vicar. Preaching his first sermon on March 7, 1736, he outlined his “rules” for the community of believers including 1) Those who had not been baptized in the Church of England could partake of Communion, 2) Anyone wishing to take Communion had to give notice the day before so John could assess the state of their soul, 3) John would not conduct funeral services for anyone who was not an Anglican, and 4) Women should appear in church wearing plain, woolen or linen dresses. Those with jewelry or elaborate clothing styles should stay home.
John made many enemies because of his rigid rules and was viewed as strict, unyielding, and heavy-handed.
Attempting to imitate his brother, Charles instituted a strict code of conduct for members of his church at Federica, but found himself sick and depressed after being falsely accused of having two mistresses. Upon visiting his brother, John persuaded Governor Oglethorpe to allow Charles to return to England. In July, 1736, Charles went home.
JOHN WESLEY’S CELIBACY
John continued to minister in Savannah but began to struggle with his desire for female companionship when he met an eighteen-year-old student named Sophia Hopkey. Despite his vow to remain unmarried as Paul did in the New Testament, John visited Sophia four times a day to supervise her schoolwork and walk with her practicing French along the way.
Tormented with the desire to marry Sophia, John sought advice from Charles Delamotte, a friend who ran the school Sophia attended. Charles suggested they “draw lots” like the Moravians did to see what God’s will was.
Charles got three slips of paper and wrote:
“Think not of marrying this year.”
“Think of it no more.”
“Marry.”
Then he put them in a hat. John reached in and pulled out the one that said, “Think of it no more.” Devastated, John believed God had spoken to him, and he must obey.
Sophia eventually accepted a proposal from William Williamson and wed without telling John. In his humanity, John allowed his sadness over letting Sophia go to lead him to publicly embarrass her by refusing to offer Holy Communion to her on August 7, 1737. The next morning John received a formal complaint from William and Sophia delivered by the Savannah court recorder.
John followed the constable to the courthouse where charges against him were read. Then he was released with bail and admonished not to flee the colony. His court hearing was set for early December, but on December 2, 1737 John left the parsonage in the early morning hours while it was still dark. Three men rowed him across the river to South Carolina, then hiked for several days through dense woods to reach Port Royal, South Carolina.
JOHN’S RETURN JOURNEY TO ENGLAND
No ships returning to England were anchored at the time, but on December 22, 1737 John finally boarded the “Samuel” for his return. A ship named the same as his father, Samuel, was about to take John home.
The dreams John had for himself when he sailed to Georgia had died, and soon he was seasick and depressed as they left port. Once again at sea a fierce storm blew and waves crashed against the ship and John feared for his life. Doubting reassurance of his eternal home in heaven, he wrote:
“…I can talk well; nay, and believe myself, while no danger is near; but let death look me in the face, and my spirit is troubled. Nor can I say, ‘To die is gain!…’ In a storm I think, ‘What if the Gospel is not true?’ (Then I am of all men most foolish.)”
John fell into despair and noted himself to be a “child of wrath” and an “heir of hell” in his journal.
Christmas 1737 and New Year 1738 passed aboard ship as John dreaded landing in England. What would he tell his family and friends? What would he do for a living?
On February 1, 1738 the “Samuel” disembarked at Deal in Kent, England. Not wanting to face friends at Oxford, John headed for London and stayed with his friend, James Hutton.
TRUE CONVERSION BY GRACE
Six days after arriving in England John met Peter Bohler, a Moravian enroute to Savannah, Georgia. The men spent hours talking about the state of John’s soul and how a person is truly saved to live a godly life.
John’s strict ideas found no agreement with Peter who said, “My brother, my brother, that philosophy of yours must be purged away.”
Together John and Peter visited John’s brother, Charles, who readily accepted Peter’s invitation to salvation by grace. But Charles’ acceptance of Peter’s message upset John who continued to question Peter. John was convinced a believer must prove their faith through good works.
Soon after, as John shared the Gospel with a man in prison who was scheduled to be hanged the next day, John realized the truth of the salvation message. The prisoner had no time to do “good works” to prove that his heart and life were changed.
At that moment John became convinced, along with the prisoner, that God’s love was great enough to reach even a man who could perform no “works” after his conversion.
Soon after, on May 25, 1738, John attended a society where Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans was being read aloud. John wrote in his journal:
“…while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation: And an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
John finally realized his heart’s desire to be a true Christian, and he felt compelled to tell others how to be “saved by faith” too.
PERSECUTION AND BANISHMENT
Less than one month after his conversion, John fled to Herrnhut, in Saxony, Germany to the home of Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians after much persecution by English believers and enduring banishment from preaching at churches in and around London.
Again, John sought his mother’s blessing as he had before sailing for North America to preach, but Susanna would not give it.
Returning to England, John preached wherever he was allowed to focusing on the message, “By grace you are saved through faith,” though the Church of England did not agree with his message. By the end of the year John was allowed to preach in only three or four Church of England pulpits.
OPEN AIR PREACHING
The Methodists still looked to him as founder and unofficial leader, but John remained unsure of what God had planned for him and the future of the Methodist movement.
As he had done with Sophia, the love of his life, John chose to draw lots in late March, 1739 when he was invited to preach to coal miners at Kingswood on the outskirts of Bristol. John did not want to go, though George Whitefield, his friend and fellow preacher, wrote to him of speaking in open-air meetings to as many as 20,000 people at one time.
When the slip of paper John drew from a hat said, “Go” or “Bristol,” depending on the source you get your facts from, he accepted it as God’s will and set out for Bristol. Little did John realize that George was about to announce his decision to head for the Georgia colony to build an orphanage and publicly hand his preaching duties over to John.
On April 1, 1739 George Whitefield preached his last sermon in the fields. On that same day, in the afternoon, John Wesley preached his first sermon in the open air to about 3,000 people. As a result of his growing love for the poor and his success evangelizing in the open fields, Wesley agreed to purchase and remodel an old foundry on City Road near Moorfields in London. There he established a new group called the “United Society” with a set of rules that became the model for the Methodist movement from that time on.
When George Whitefield was approached by a man later in life who called Whitefield a Wesleyan, Whitefield agreed and expressed but one regret from his days of evangelizing; that he failed to “preserve the fruits of his labor.” Whitefield evangelized thousands of people throughout his life, but neglected to bind them together to support one another as they sought more of God. It was Wesley who organized believers to encourage fellowship and spiritual growth.
Wesley provided five groups for people to consider after responding to his preaching:
1. Society, referred to today as the congregation, an assembly of all interested people. Tickets were required to attend and were reissued depending on the believer’s continued growth in Christian living as determined by one of the Class leaders.
2. Class Meeting – a small group of 10-12 members trying to follow Christ in their day-to-day life. It was NOT voluntary. Each Society member was assigned to a specific Class.
3. Band – a smaller group of homogenous people who desired to deepen their spirituality; men or women, married or single, young or old.
4. Select Society – an elite group of people training to be leaders.
5. Penitent Band – a group for those trying to overcome all of their sinful habits and work toward perfection, which was primarily considered to be the love of God and of neighbor.
Wesley’s style of organization is likely one of his most enduring and meaningful contributions to church life. Various Small Groups that aid spiritual growth and provide prayer and accountability are still active in churches today.
While John preached, his brother, Charles, developed hymn writing skills helping many men and women who could not read to hide the truth of the Word of God in their hearts. His songs gave them the ability to express their belief in Christ in worship.
EXTREME PERSECUTION FOR JOHN WESLEY AND HIS FOLLOWERS
As poverty increased in England, poor people banded together to steal, fight and harass others, particularly the Methodists. Anti-Methodists riots endured several years, eventually resulting in the martyrdom of William Seward, a traveling preacher. John and others were deeply impacted by the loss.
Despite the danger, however, Wesley and his band of twenty lay preachers lived lives of true discipleship and continued to preach the Good News saving souls by the thousands. Wherever he went, John tried to birth social programs to help the poor find meaningful employment, help orphans find a home, and give congregations godly purposes for living that benefit the less fortunate.
After his mother, Susanna, died on July 23, 1742, John mourned the loss of his confidante and spiritual advisor and poured himself into his work.
Facing opposition from many Church of England clergymen and their congregations, Wesley began a life of extreme persecution. He was stoned twice, pelted with manure, harassed when preaching at outside meetings, and even threatened with death. Sometimes church bells were rung nonstop to try to drown out his voice as he preached. Despite persecution, however, Wesley continued to preach, trusting God to protect and provide all that he needed.
JOHN WESLEY’S LEGACY & SOCIAL PROGRAMS
In November, 1745 John proved his devotion for all followers of Christ, no matter the gender, when he appointed Grace Murray, a young widow in Newcastle, to take charge of the Methodist orphan house in his absence. Likely because of his mother and his college experience, Wesley viewed women as equals in many ways and encouraged them to grow in knowledge and faith.
Soon after John opened a clinic in London at the foundry, the main Methodist location where poor people could see a doctor and receive medicine; opened a boarding school in Kingwood for the sons of Methodist preachers to educate a new generation of Methodists, and agreed to operate and oversee a day school for the coal miners’ sons.
In 1746 John started a fund to give short-term loans to poor Methodists. The loans were for one pound per person with a three-month payback period. In the first eighteen months, two hundred twenty-five people took advantage of the program. John encouraged everyone to reach out and help the poor.
A SECOND CANDIDATE FOR MARRIAGE
Though John and his brother, Charles, had sworn off marriage agreeing that a man can serve God better as a single man, Charles met a woman he considered a candidate for wife when he was forty years old. Sally Gwynne was twenty-three at the time and did not impress John when Charles introduced them. John was so unimpressed, in fact, that he drew up a list of candidates he felt were more suitable for Charles before he departed for a trip north.
Little did John know that he would soon be nursed back to health from a migraine by Grace Murray, the attractive widow he left in charge of the Newcastle orphan house, and would begin to think of marriage himself.
Eventually John agreed that Sally was God’s woman for Charles and on April 8, 1749 John officiated the nuptials of Charles and Sally before he and Grace set off for Ireland to minister.
Sadly, John was not open with his own feelings for Grace and was soon competing for her affections with John Bennet, another Methodist preacher. A short time later, Grace chose to marry John Bennet and John Wesley’s heart was broken for the second time.
JOHN’S MARRIAGE TO MOLLY VEZILLE
Finally in early 1751 John met Molly Vezeille, a forty-one-year-old widow with four grown children who nursed John back to health after he fell on a patch of ice and sprained his ankle. On February 19, 1751 they married, but barely one month later, John left to resume his life of active ministry.
In his absence he wrote Molly many letters, but she soon grew tired of the loneliness. Attempting to strengthen their marriage the following year, she left on a four-month trip to northern England and the Midlands with John, but after six weeks returned home to nurse her ill son.
In November, 1753 John contracted an infection in his lungs from preaching in freezing outdoor temperatures and was convinced he was going to die. Though he had experienced many victories and blessings of God, John seemed incapable of appreciating the thousands of souls who were saved, the poor ministered to, and the orphans loved and cared for as a result of his work.
God had accomplished so much through him, yet John wrote the following epitaph for his tombstone:
“Here Lieth the Body
of JOHN WESLEY
A brand plucked from the burning
Who died of consumption in the fifty-first year of his age
Not leaving after his debts are paid
Ten pounds behind him.
God be merciful to me, an unprofitable servant”
Fortunately John did not die from the infection and began to preach again in March, 1754.
In April, 1755 Molly made a second effort to accompany her husband on an extensive tour of the Midlands and northern England; but the travel proved to be too difficult for her. Sadly, John’s marriage continued to deteriorate as he traveled and preached and Molly was left alone at home.
When she reached the point of extreme disappointment, Molly took the money she inherited from her first husband and returned to an independent life.
JOHN’S THOUGHTS ON METHODISM
Though John continued to travel and preach, he never intended to be the founder of a new denomination outside of the Church of England. John preferred to be labeled a “reformer” within the existing state church. At the annual Methodist leaders’ conference in 1755 John outlined sixty-two reasons why societies should stay within the Church of England but also expressed four reasons that would serve as grounds to separate from them.
His four reasons stated that Methodists should always be free to 1) preach outdoors, 2) pray without using the Book of Common Prayer, 3) form and manage their own societies, and 4) allow laymen to preach. John further stated that if the Church of England tried to restrict any or all of the above activities, Methodists might need to leave and form their own denomination.
Charles disagreed with John’s potential separation and the four reasons John stated as grounds for that separation, so they parted ways.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Upon returning from the 1759 Methodist Conference where Christian perfection was the focus, Wesley published a tract titled “Thoughts on Christian Perfection” in which he admitted that “perfect Christians” make mistakes, even when they are totally devoted to God. Though as a college student at Christ Church, Wesley was obsessed with Christian “perfection,” more than thirty years later he accepted Christ’s death for his sins. Christ’s grace was his not because of good works but because of the gift of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Wesley preferred to refer to mistakes as “transgressions” instead of sins and used the term “grows in grace” indicating his movement toward sanctification being a life time process instead of instantaneous as he once firmly declared. John finally understood the active life of the grace of God; that it is given not only through the death of Jesus but is also the power that leads believers to God and purifies their hearts and minds throughout their lives.
In 1763 John wrote “Large Minutes,” statements of Methodist beliefs and practices to guide lay preachers in conduct and decision making. Despite his advanced age, John rode about three thousand miles per year on horseback, preached over eight hundred sermons, and encouraged the one hundred preachers under his care. He remained determined to “preach the Gospel to ordinary people and spur them on to live holy lives.”
FRUGAL LIVING
Near the time of his sixty-seventh birthday Wesley gathered everything he had ever written and published it in a 32-volume work titled, “Collective Works.” He had earned a fair amount from his books – up to 1,400 pounds per year – but still preferred to live simply. He kept thirty pounds to live on, the same amount he lived on in college, and gave the rest to Methodist charities.
When questioned about his frugal habits, John replied, “Money never stays with me, it would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it find a way into my heart.”
Over the course of his life Wesley earned 150,000 pounds from his writings but contributed almost all of it to various charities and died with little money left.
ENCOURAGING WOMEN TO BE PREACHERS
In 1770 Methodist women in England began to take on greater roles in the societies. John encouraged them to use their preaching gifts without crossing any lines to avoid being accused of preaching by the Church of England. He simply encouraged them to share what was on their heart. If it sounded like preaching, so be it.
His mother had modeled for him the power of “relationship ministry.” While Samuel, Wesley’s father, was in debtor’s prison for three months, Susanna shared stories and sermons about two Danish missionaries in the kitchen of the Epworth Rectory without publicly preaching from the pulpit. More people attended each week, enamored and curious about what the missionaries in the book Susanna read from would say or do next. Because of her faithfulness, the community at St. Andrews was transformed into a vibrant family of God.
JOHN’S FINAL YEARS & WRITTEN WORKS
In August, 1773, at the age of seventy, John preached to 32,000 people – his largest single audience in the history of his life as a preacher.
A prolific writer, John published a Methodist magazine named “Arminian Magazine” beginning in 1778 while a new Methodist chapel, Wesley’s Chapel (City Road Chapel) was being built. He wrote most of the articles himself and used it as a platform to advance Methodist ideas and refute Calvinist thinking.
Two years later John published “A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists.” It contained 525 hymns, including sixteen John wrote himself and more than 450 written by his brother, Charles.
Though they lived apart for many years, John’s wife’s passing in October, 1781 saddened him. Yet, he continued to travel 4,000 to 5,000 miles a year riding fifty miles or more at one time on horseback even after the age of eighty.
Finally, Wesley and the Methodists were no longer persecuted. Instead, he was honored wherever he went and considered a coveted guest. On February 28, 1784, nearing what he believed would be his final years, John penned “A Deed of Declaration” legally defining Methodism and the succession of the societies’ leadership and overseeing of trust property after his death.
On September 1, 1784 John ordained Thomas Coke as superintendent for the “Church of God under our care in North America” and sent Thomas back to the U.S with a letter granting American brethren the right to be “disentangled both from the State and from the English hierarchy at full liberty simply to follow the Scriptures and primitive church,” thereby freeing them from connection with the Church of England.
Then he rewrote the “Book of Common Prayer” calling it the “Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America.” The new version was shorter and replaced the terms “priest” and “bishop” with “superintendent” and “elder.” Throughout the remainder of his life, John continued to focus on ensuring an official break between Methodists and the Church of England planning in every way possible for independence of Methodists after his death.
A prolific reader and writer, John published countless books, magazine articles and hymns before he died. Throughout much of his life and publication, it seems that Wesley struggled between being more of a legalist with numerous rules to follow to attain “perfection” and being a Christian saved by grace, not works. By the time he reached his fifties, however, John’s written words began to reflect the heart of a man who had fully accepted the grace of God and the sacrifice of Christ to cover all sin, even his own.
When Charles died in March, 1788 he left a legacy of 6,500 hymns, many of which John published for him. Sadly, John was traveling in the north of England when Charles died and missed his brother’s funeral.
Confined to London in his old age in 1791, John continued to preach inside chapels and helped pay for the publication of African slave, Gustavas Vassa’s, autobiography. Upon completing the book, John dictated a letter to William Wilberforce, a Methodist convert and member of Parliament who was leading the opposition to England’s participation in slavery. In the letter John exhorted Wilberforce to remain firm, to “be not weary in well-doing.”
The following week on Wednesday morning, March 2, 1791, the leading members of the Methodist Church gathered at John’s bedside. He raised his arms and prayed, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and this heir of glory shall come in!”
That day, at the age of eighty-seven, John took his final breath. His body was laid in honor in City Road Chapel (Wesley’s Chapel), where Wesley lived the last twelve years of his life. Ten thousand mourners passed by his coffin to pay last respects.
In his lifetime, John traveled more than a quarter of a million miles on horseback and preached over 40,000 sermons. His simple message of love and holy living continues to influence countless lives around the world today.
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Images:
1. John Wesley after George Romney, oil on canvas, based on a work of circa 1789
2. John Wesley Chapel City Road London Stained Glass Windows Holy Grail Bring me my bow of burning gold; Bring me my arrow of desire: Bring me my spear: O clouds unfold! Bring me my chariot of fire! I will not cease from Mental Fight Nor shall my
3. John Wesley statue outside St Paul’s in London
4. Portrait of Rev. John Wesley; Founder of Methodism. Oil on Canvas - Frank Salisbury - 1932
Background from {[ https://www.inspirationalchristians.org/preachers/biographyjohn-wesley/]}
FAMILY LIFE
On June 17, 1703, in the village of Epworth, twenty miles north of London, John Wesley was born and raised with seven sisters and two brothers by Samuel and Susanna (Annesley) Wesley. The fifteenth of nineteen children, he was the third son to be named John Benjamin as two sons born earlier had died. Seven other children born into the family did not survive birth or infancy, which left ten children to be raised together at home.
John’s father served as rector of St. Andrews Anglican Church in Epworth while Susanna, youngest of twenty-five children, attempted to shield John and his siblings from real life by teaching them from home. The Wesleys also saved money by keeping the children at home, as sending them to school was not something their large family could afford.
At a time when only one in four women could sign their name, John’s mother, Susanna, could read and write both English and French. She also loved to debate Biblical theology. Determined to raise her children in a cultured, God-fearing home, she forbade them to play with local children out of fear they would learn “coarse ways” from them.
The Wesley family school week ran Monday to Saturday from 9:00 to 5:00 with a two-hour break for lunch. Susanna taught the children to memorize large sections, sometimes entire books, of the Bible, which was their only textbook.
Perhaps even stricter, John’s father, Samuel, was a stickler for obeying church rules and was a self-appointed expert at pointing out other people’s wrongs. He insisted that “sinners” in his parish publicly confess their sins and outwardly express regret by standing barefoot for hours on the church’s stone floor.
Surviving a house fire at the age of five, John lived with a local family for one year until Samuel and Susanna could financially afford to bring him home. Only two of the children stayed at home that year while the rectory was rebuilt of brick to protect it from future harm by fire.
At age eleven, John was sent to boarding school. It was there, at the Charterhouse School in London that John was eventually offered a scholarship to attend college. On June 14, 1720 John began college classes at Christ Church in Oxford where he found course work easy, giving him ample time to enjoy boating, chess, theater and tennis.
EARLY MINISTRY
Though he came from a long line of distinguished ministers, John wasn’t sure he wanted to follow in their footsteps.
Just before graduating, however, John spoke with a college porter who talked of being grateful to God for giving him life and a heart to love and serve God, though he had nothing to wear, nothing to eat, and no bed to lie upon. The porter’s comments caused John to wonder if, perhaps, the porter had found the secret for righteous living which, to that point, seemed to have eluded John.
So, John began to ponder. Was it enough to believe in Christ or did a Christian have to perform good works to prove he or she was saved? He talked to Lutherans and Calvinists and wrote to his mother seeking wise counsel, but eventually concluded that he did not know the answer.
By the time he graduated in 1724, John knew his future was in the church. He immediately signed up to study toward a master’s degree.
Though short and not particularly handsome by the day’s standards, John attracted young women who were enamored by his seriousness of faith, his intelligence, and the fact that he accepted women as his intellectual equals. One of the women he met suggested he read “The Imitation of Christ” by Thomas a Kempis. Upon completing it, John determined to become a “whole Christian” with a heart completely changed by the love of God.
With a specific goal in mind, John developed a list of rules to live by in order to become a “whole Christian.” His “General Rules” included the following:
1. Begin and end every day with God; sleep not immoderately.
2. Employ all spare hours in religion, as able.
3. Avoid drunkards and busybodies.
4. Never on any account pass a day without setting aside at least an hour for devotion.
5. Avoid all manner of passion.
6. In every act reflect on the end.
7. Begin every important work with prayer.
On October 19, 1725, at twenty-two years of age, John was ordained as a minister in the Church of England. After a short time serving as a teaching fellow to Lincoln College in Oxford, he returned to Epworth to assist his father in his curate as his father had suffered a stroke and lost the use of his right hand.
John helped his father finish writing a huge commentary on the book of Job but also became interested in a pretty young woman who his father subsequently banished from the rectory in hopes John’s mind would remain focused on spiritual matters.
THE “HOLY CLUB” BASED ON WORKS
John’s brother, Charles, formed the “Holy Club” at Christ Church with only three other male members, but John happily joined and quickly became the leader. Soon they were meeting seven nights a week from 6:00 – 9:00 PM to study the Bible and examine their own behavior as well as the behavior of other members of the group.
John wrote a list of questions for the members to review each day. Soon, other students at Oxford procured the list and began mocking the members and calling them Bible Moths, Bible Bigots or Methodists.
The name “Methodists” stuck because they seemed to have a method for everything, which was likely a learned style or behavior from John’s upbringing as his mother was very methodical, overly-strict and punitive.
One student went so far as to make up the following rhyme about the Holy Club:
By rule they eat, by rule they drink,
Do all things else by rule, but think –
Accuse their priests of loose behavior,
To get more in the laymen’s favor;
Method alone must guide ‘em all,
Whence Methodists themselves they call.
John was secretly pleased with the students’ “persecution.” It made him feel he must be on the right track since Jesus said, “Blessed are ye when men shall revile you, and persecute you and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad; for great is your reward in heaven…” (Matthew 5:11-12a)
In April, 1735 Susanna sent an urgent message to her children to inform them that their father’s health was failing. John felt certain his father would pressure him to take over as rector at St. Andrew’s but his father surprised him by saying, “The inward witness, son, the inward witness, is the strongest proof of Christianity.” John received his father’s blessing to pursue his own path and never forgot his father’s final words.
After the funeral the Wesley family split up and went in many different directions.
NORTH AMERICAN MINISTRY AND TRIBULATION
Soon after, John was invited by James Oglethorpe to Savannah, Georgia in North America to serve as vicar at a chapel there. While Oglethorpe’s desire was to have John minister to the spiritual needs of colonists in Savannah, John was more attracted to the potential conversion of the Indians who inhabited the Georgia colony.
John agreed to go and persuaded his brother, Charles, and two other young men to accompany him. On October 14, 1735 the four men boarded the “Simmonds” to sail across the Atlantic Ocean to North America.
John appointed himself as spiritual leader of the four men and set up a strict routine for them to follow during their four month travel.
4:00 – 5:00 awaken to pray privately
6:00 – 8:00 read the Bible together
8:00 – 12:00 breakfast with passengers, public prayer, studies, sermon writing and teaching
12:00 – 13:00 group of four men meet to discuss morning routines
13:00 – 17:00 lunch with passengers, followed by private spiritual conversation with passengers and teaching children Anglican catechism.
17:00 – 18:30 – private prayer and group Bible reading
18:30 – 19:00 dinner with passengers
19:00 – 20:00 join Moravians for their hour-long prayer service
20:00 – 22:00 meet to discuss how well they followed their afternoon program
22:00 to bed for six hours of sleep
In addition to their strict schedule, John decided sometime during the four-month trip that the four men would forego the meat and wine served with meals, then later decided they would go without eating at all during the dinner hour.
One night in the midst of a fierce storm, John noticed that the English people on the ship were in constant fear and unrest. When he went to the Moravians’ cabin to check on them, however, he found them in the middle of a church service!
John wrote in his journal, “…the sea broke over, split the mainsail to pieces, covered the ship, and poured in between the decks, as if the great deep had already swallowed us up. A terrible screaming began among the English. The Germans looked up, and without intermission calmly sang on. I asked one of them afterward, ‘Were you not afraid?’ He answered, ‘I thank God, no.’ I asked, ‘But were not your women and children afraid?’ He replied mildly, ‘No, our women and children are not afraid to die.’”
Though he had preached numerous sermons on trusting God in every circumstance, John knew that day that he was as afraid of dying as the rest of the English, and he began to doubt his call as a missionary to the Indians in Savannah.
To the relief of everyone on board, the Simmonds dropped anchor at the mouth of the Savannah River on February 5, 1736.
Despite his lack of faith during the storm at sea, John took up his post as vicar. Preaching his first sermon on March 7, 1736, he outlined his “rules” for the community of believers including 1) Those who had not been baptized in the Church of England could partake of Communion, 2) Anyone wishing to take Communion had to give notice the day before so John could assess the state of their soul, 3) John would not conduct funeral services for anyone who was not an Anglican, and 4) Women should appear in church wearing plain, woolen or linen dresses. Those with jewelry or elaborate clothing styles should stay home.
John made many enemies because of his rigid rules and was viewed as strict, unyielding, and heavy-handed.
Attempting to imitate his brother, Charles instituted a strict code of conduct for members of his church at Federica, but found himself sick and depressed after being falsely accused of having two mistresses. Upon visiting his brother, John persuaded Governor Oglethorpe to allow Charles to return to England. In July, 1736, Charles went home.
JOHN WESLEY’S CELIBACY
John continued to minister in Savannah but began to struggle with his desire for female companionship when he met an eighteen-year-old student named Sophia Hopkey. Despite his vow to remain unmarried as Paul did in the New Testament, John visited Sophia four times a day to supervise her schoolwork and walk with her practicing French along the way.
Tormented with the desire to marry Sophia, John sought advice from Charles Delamotte, a friend who ran the school Sophia attended. Charles suggested they “draw lots” like the Moravians did to see what God’s will was.
Charles got three slips of paper and wrote:
“Think not of marrying this year.”
“Think of it no more.”
“Marry.”
Then he put them in a hat. John reached in and pulled out the one that said, “Think of it no more.” Devastated, John believed God had spoken to him, and he must obey.
Sophia eventually accepted a proposal from William Williamson and wed without telling John. In his humanity, John allowed his sadness over letting Sophia go to lead him to publicly embarrass her by refusing to offer Holy Communion to her on August 7, 1737. The next morning John received a formal complaint from William and Sophia delivered by the Savannah court recorder.
John followed the constable to the courthouse where charges against him were read. Then he was released with bail and admonished not to flee the colony. His court hearing was set for early December, but on December 2, 1737 John left the parsonage in the early morning hours while it was still dark. Three men rowed him across the river to South Carolina, then hiked for several days through dense woods to reach Port Royal, South Carolina.
JOHN’S RETURN JOURNEY TO ENGLAND
No ships returning to England were anchored at the time, but on December 22, 1737 John finally boarded the “Samuel” for his return. A ship named the same as his father, Samuel, was about to take John home.
The dreams John had for himself when he sailed to Georgia had died, and soon he was seasick and depressed as they left port. Once again at sea a fierce storm blew and waves crashed against the ship and John feared for his life. Doubting reassurance of his eternal home in heaven, he wrote:
“…I can talk well; nay, and believe myself, while no danger is near; but let death look me in the face, and my spirit is troubled. Nor can I say, ‘To die is gain!…’ In a storm I think, ‘What if the Gospel is not true?’ (Then I am of all men most foolish.)”
John fell into despair and noted himself to be a “child of wrath” and an “heir of hell” in his journal.
Christmas 1737 and New Year 1738 passed aboard ship as John dreaded landing in England. What would he tell his family and friends? What would he do for a living?
On February 1, 1738 the “Samuel” disembarked at Deal in Kent, England. Not wanting to face friends at Oxford, John headed for London and stayed with his friend, James Hutton.
TRUE CONVERSION BY GRACE
Six days after arriving in England John met Peter Bohler, a Moravian enroute to Savannah, Georgia. The men spent hours talking about the state of John’s soul and how a person is truly saved to live a godly life.
John’s strict ideas found no agreement with Peter who said, “My brother, my brother, that philosophy of yours must be purged away.”
Together John and Peter visited John’s brother, Charles, who readily accepted Peter’s invitation to salvation by grace. But Charles’ acceptance of Peter’s message upset John who continued to question Peter. John was convinced a believer must prove their faith through good works.
Soon after, as John shared the Gospel with a man in prison who was scheduled to be hanged the next day, John realized the truth of the salvation message. The prisoner had no time to do “good works” to prove that his heart and life were changed.
At that moment John became convinced, along with the prisoner, that God’s love was great enough to reach even a man who could perform no “works” after his conversion.
Soon after, on May 25, 1738, John attended a society where Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans was being read aloud. John wrote in his journal:
“…while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation: And an assurance was given me, that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death.”
John finally realized his heart’s desire to be a true Christian, and he felt compelled to tell others how to be “saved by faith” too.
PERSECUTION AND BANISHMENT
Less than one month after his conversion, John fled to Herrnhut, in Saxony, Germany to the home of Count Zinzendorf and the Moravians after much persecution by English believers and enduring banishment from preaching at churches in and around London.
Again, John sought his mother’s blessing as he had before sailing for North America to preach, but Susanna would not give it.
Returning to England, John preached wherever he was allowed to focusing on the message, “By grace you are saved through faith,” though the Church of England did not agree with his message. By the end of the year John was allowed to preach in only three or four Church of England pulpits.
OPEN AIR PREACHING
The Methodists still looked to him as founder and unofficial leader, but John remained unsure of what God had planned for him and the future of the Methodist movement.
As he had done with Sophia, the love of his life, John chose to draw lots in late March, 1739 when he was invited to preach to coal miners at Kingswood on the outskirts of Bristol. John did not want to go, though George Whitefield, his friend and fellow preacher, wrote to him of speaking in open-air meetings to as many as 20,000 people at one time.
When the slip of paper John drew from a hat said, “Go” or “Bristol,” depending on the source you get your facts from, he accepted it as God’s will and set out for Bristol. Little did John realize that George was about to announce his decision to head for the Georgia colony to build an orphanage and publicly hand his preaching duties over to John.
On April 1, 1739 George Whitefield preached his last sermon in the fields. On that same day, in the afternoon, John Wesley preached his first sermon in the open air to about 3,000 people. As a result of his growing love for the poor and his success evangelizing in the open fields, Wesley agreed to purchase and remodel an old foundry on City Road near Moorfields in London. There he established a new group called the “United Society” with a set of rules that became the model for the Methodist movement from that time on.
When George Whitefield was approached by a man later in life who called Whitefield a Wesleyan, Whitefield agreed and expressed but one regret from his days of evangelizing; that he failed to “preserve the fruits of his labor.” Whitefield evangelized thousands of people throughout his life, but neglected to bind them together to support one another as they sought more of God. It was Wesley who organized believers to encourage fellowship and spiritual growth.
Wesley provided five groups for people to consider after responding to his preaching:
1. Society, referred to today as the congregation, an assembly of all interested people. Tickets were required to attend and were reissued depending on the believer’s continued growth in Christian living as determined by one of the Class leaders.
2. Class Meeting – a small group of 10-12 members trying to follow Christ in their day-to-day life. It was NOT voluntary. Each Society member was assigned to a specific Class.
3. Band – a smaller group of homogenous people who desired to deepen their spirituality; men or women, married or single, young or old.
4. Select Society – an elite group of people training to be leaders.
5. Penitent Band – a group for those trying to overcome all of their sinful habits and work toward perfection, which was primarily considered to be the love of God and of neighbor.
Wesley’s style of organization is likely one of his most enduring and meaningful contributions to church life. Various Small Groups that aid spiritual growth and provide prayer and accountability are still active in churches today.
While John preached, his brother, Charles, developed hymn writing skills helping many men and women who could not read to hide the truth of the Word of God in their hearts. His songs gave them the ability to express their belief in Christ in worship.
EXTREME PERSECUTION FOR JOHN WESLEY AND HIS FOLLOWERS
As poverty increased in England, poor people banded together to steal, fight and harass others, particularly the Methodists. Anti-Methodists riots endured several years, eventually resulting in the martyrdom of William Seward, a traveling preacher. John and others were deeply impacted by the loss.
Despite the danger, however, Wesley and his band of twenty lay preachers lived lives of true discipleship and continued to preach the Good News saving souls by the thousands. Wherever he went, John tried to birth social programs to help the poor find meaningful employment, help orphans find a home, and give congregations godly purposes for living that benefit the less fortunate.
After his mother, Susanna, died on July 23, 1742, John mourned the loss of his confidante and spiritual advisor and poured himself into his work.
Facing opposition from many Church of England clergymen and their congregations, Wesley began a life of extreme persecution. He was stoned twice, pelted with manure, harassed when preaching at outside meetings, and even threatened with death. Sometimes church bells were rung nonstop to try to drown out his voice as he preached. Despite persecution, however, Wesley continued to preach, trusting God to protect and provide all that he needed.
JOHN WESLEY’S LEGACY & SOCIAL PROGRAMS
In November, 1745 John proved his devotion for all followers of Christ, no matter the gender, when he appointed Grace Murray, a young widow in Newcastle, to take charge of the Methodist orphan house in his absence. Likely because of his mother and his college experience, Wesley viewed women as equals in many ways and encouraged them to grow in knowledge and faith.
Soon after John opened a clinic in London at the foundry, the main Methodist location where poor people could see a doctor and receive medicine; opened a boarding school in Kingwood for the sons of Methodist preachers to educate a new generation of Methodists, and agreed to operate and oversee a day school for the coal miners’ sons.
In 1746 John started a fund to give short-term loans to poor Methodists. The loans were for one pound per person with a three-month payback period. In the first eighteen months, two hundred twenty-five people took advantage of the program. John encouraged everyone to reach out and help the poor.
A SECOND CANDIDATE FOR MARRIAGE
Though John and his brother, Charles, had sworn off marriage agreeing that a man can serve God better as a single man, Charles met a woman he considered a candidate for wife when he was forty years old. Sally Gwynne was twenty-three at the time and did not impress John when Charles introduced them. John was so unimpressed, in fact, that he drew up a list of candidates he felt were more suitable for Charles before he departed for a trip north.
Little did John know that he would soon be nursed back to health from a migraine by Grace Murray, the attractive widow he left in charge of the Newcastle orphan house, and would begin to think of marriage himself.
Eventually John agreed that Sally was God’s woman for Charles and on April 8, 1749 John officiated the nuptials of Charles and Sally before he and Grace set off for Ireland to minister.
Sadly, John was not open with his own feelings for Grace and was soon competing for her affections with John Bennet, another Methodist preacher. A short time later, Grace chose to marry John Bennet and John Wesley’s heart was broken for the second time.
JOHN’S MARRIAGE TO MOLLY VEZILLE
Finally in early 1751 John met Molly Vezeille, a forty-one-year-old widow with four grown children who nursed John back to health after he fell on a patch of ice and sprained his ankle. On February 19, 1751 they married, but barely one month later, John left to resume his life of active ministry.
In his absence he wrote Molly many letters, but she soon grew tired of the loneliness. Attempting to strengthen their marriage the following year, she left on a four-month trip to northern England and the Midlands with John, but after six weeks returned home to nurse her ill son.
In November, 1753 John contracted an infection in his lungs from preaching in freezing outdoor temperatures and was convinced he was going to die. Though he had experienced many victories and blessings of God, John seemed incapable of appreciating the thousands of souls who were saved, the poor ministered to, and the orphans loved and cared for as a result of his work.
God had accomplished so much through him, yet John wrote the following epitaph for his tombstone:
“Here Lieth the Body
of JOHN WESLEY
A brand plucked from the burning
Who died of consumption in the fifty-first year of his age
Not leaving after his debts are paid
Ten pounds behind him.
God be merciful to me, an unprofitable servant”
Fortunately John did not die from the infection and began to preach again in March, 1754.
In April, 1755 Molly made a second effort to accompany her husband on an extensive tour of the Midlands and northern England; but the travel proved to be too difficult for her. Sadly, John’s marriage continued to deteriorate as he traveled and preached and Molly was left alone at home.
When she reached the point of extreme disappointment, Molly took the money she inherited from her first husband and returned to an independent life.
JOHN’S THOUGHTS ON METHODISM
Though John continued to travel and preach, he never intended to be the founder of a new denomination outside of the Church of England. John preferred to be labeled a “reformer” within the existing state church. At the annual Methodist leaders’ conference in 1755 John outlined sixty-two reasons why societies should stay within the Church of England but also expressed four reasons that would serve as grounds to separate from them.
His four reasons stated that Methodists should always be free to 1) preach outdoors, 2) pray without using the Book of Common Prayer, 3) form and manage their own societies, and 4) allow laymen to preach. John further stated that if the Church of England tried to restrict any or all of the above activities, Methodists might need to leave and form their own denomination.
Charles disagreed with John’s potential separation and the four reasons John stated as grounds for that separation, so they parted ways.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Upon returning from the 1759 Methodist Conference where Christian perfection was the focus, Wesley published a tract titled “Thoughts on Christian Perfection” in which he admitted that “perfect Christians” make mistakes, even when they are totally devoted to God. Though as a college student at Christ Church, Wesley was obsessed with Christian “perfection,” more than thirty years later he accepted Christ’s death for his sins. Christ’s grace was his not because of good works but because of the gift of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.
Wesley preferred to refer to mistakes as “transgressions” instead of sins and used the term “grows in grace” indicating his movement toward sanctification being a life time process instead of instantaneous as he once firmly declared. John finally understood the active life of the grace of God; that it is given not only through the death of Jesus but is also the power that leads believers to God and purifies their hearts and minds throughout their lives.
In 1763 John wrote “Large Minutes,” statements of Methodist beliefs and practices to guide lay preachers in conduct and decision making. Despite his advanced age, John rode about three thousand miles per year on horseback, preached over eight hundred sermons, and encouraged the one hundred preachers under his care. He remained determined to “preach the Gospel to ordinary people and spur them on to live holy lives.”
FRUGAL LIVING
Near the time of his sixty-seventh birthday Wesley gathered everything he had ever written and published it in a 32-volume work titled, “Collective Works.” He had earned a fair amount from his books – up to 1,400 pounds per year – but still preferred to live simply. He kept thirty pounds to live on, the same amount he lived on in college, and gave the rest to Methodist charities.
When questioned about his frugal habits, John replied, “Money never stays with me, it would burn me if it did. I throw it out of my hands as soon as possible, lest it find a way into my heart.”
Over the course of his life Wesley earned 150,000 pounds from his writings but contributed almost all of it to various charities and died with little money left.
ENCOURAGING WOMEN TO BE PREACHERS
In 1770 Methodist women in England began to take on greater roles in the societies. John encouraged them to use their preaching gifts without crossing any lines to avoid being accused of preaching by the Church of England. He simply encouraged them to share what was on their heart. If it sounded like preaching, so be it.
His mother had modeled for him the power of “relationship ministry.” While Samuel, Wesley’s father, was in debtor’s prison for three months, Susanna shared stories and sermons about two Danish missionaries in the kitchen of the Epworth Rectory without publicly preaching from the pulpit. More people attended each week, enamored and curious about what the missionaries in the book Susanna read from would say or do next. Because of her faithfulness, the community at St. Andrews was transformed into a vibrant family of God.
JOHN’S FINAL YEARS & WRITTEN WORKS
In August, 1773, at the age of seventy, John preached to 32,000 people – his largest single audience in the history of his life as a preacher.
A prolific writer, John published a Methodist magazine named “Arminian Magazine” beginning in 1778 while a new Methodist chapel, Wesley’s Chapel (City Road Chapel) was being built. He wrote most of the articles himself and used it as a platform to advance Methodist ideas and refute Calvinist thinking.
Two years later John published “A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists.” It contained 525 hymns, including sixteen John wrote himself and more than 450 written by his brother, Charles.
Though they lived apart for many years, John’s wife’s passing in October, 1781 saddened him. Yet, he continued to travel 4,000 to 5,000 miles a year riding fifty miles or more at one time on horseback even after the age of eighty.
Finally, Wesley and the Methodists were no longer persecuted. Instead, he was honored wherever he went and considered a coveted guest. On February 28, 1784, nearing what he believed would be his final years, John penned “A Deed of Declaration” legally defining Methodism and the succession of the societies’ leadership and overseeing of trust property after his death.
On September 1, 1784 John ordained Thomas Coke as superintendent for the “Church of God under our care in North America” and sent Thomas back to the U.S with a letter granting American brethren the right to be “disentangled both from the State and from the English hierarchy at full liberty simply to follow the Scriptures and primitive church,” thereby freeing them from connection with the Church of England.
Then he rewrote the “Book of Common Prayer” calling it the “Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America.” The new version was shorter and replaced the terms “priest” and “bishop” with “superintendent” and “elder.” Throughout the remainder of his life, John continued to focus on ensuring an official break between Methodists and the Church of England planning in every way possible for independence of Methodists after his death.
A prolific reader and writer, John published countless books, magazine articles and hymns before he died. Throughout much of his life and publication, it seems that Wesley struggled between being more of a legalist with numerous rules to follow to attain “perfection” and being a Christian saved by grace, not works. By the time he reached his fifties, however, John’s written words began to reflect the heart of a man who had fully accepted the grace of God and the sacrifice of Christ to cover all sin, even his own.
When Charles died in March, 1788 he left a legacy of 6,500 hymns, many of which John published for him. Sadly, John was traveling in the north of England when Charles died and missed his brother’s funeral.
Confined to London in his old age in 1791, John continued to preach inside chapels and helped pay for the publication of African slave, Gustavas Vassa’s, autobiography. Upon completing the book, John dictated a letter to William Wilberforce, a Methodist convert and member of Parliament who was leading the opposition to England’s participation in slavery. In the letter John exhorted Wilberforce to remain firm, to “be not weary in well-doing.”
The following week on Wednesday morning, March 2, 1791, the leading members of the Methodist Church gathered at John’s bedside. He raised his arms and prayed, “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and this heir of glory shall come in!”
That day, at the age of eighty-seven, John took his final breath. His body was laid in honor in City Road Chapel (Wesley’s Chapel), where Wesley lived the last twelve years of his life. Ten thousand mourners passed by his coffin to pay last respects.
In his lifetime, John traveled more than a quarter of a million miles on horseback and preached over 40,000 sermons. His simple message of love and holy living continues to influence countless lives around the world today.
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Ultimate Documentary On John Wesley with Insight from his life
Cloud of Witnesses Series- Ultimate Documentary on John Wesley with Insight from his life and ministryPlease like and subscribe. Also please check out other ...
Ultimate Documentary On John Wesley with Insight from his life
Cloud of Witnesses Series- Ultimate Documentary on John Wesley with Insight from his life and ministry
John Wesley would travel over 250,000 miles in his day preaching the Gospel, seeking to reach as many for Christ. He was a spiritual pioneer who discovered a real Jesus and was wrecked by His love. John sought to share with the world a message of the free grace of the Lord and more importantly a personal experience and relationship with Him.
His ministry was timely in a world that was in upheaval. He saw in his ministry the manifestation of the Holy Spirit and power. He also saw great persecution and despite the persecution he refused to quit, preaching right up till the end.
John preached outside until he was 87 years old. He truly was a hero of faith that caught the fire from heaven and from that day forward remained in continuous pursuit of the Lord.
I pray his life and ministry will inspire, encourage and provoke you. In this message we seek to share his story and insight to help you fix your eyes on Jesus and run your race with endurance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Roj3US6pVSw
Images:
1. John Wesley by Nathaniel Hone, oil on canvas, circa 1766
2. John Wesley's wife the widow Mary Vazeille [married in 1751 and separated in 1771]
3. John Wesley by Nathaniel Hone, oil on canvas, circa 1766
4. John Wesley - Founder of Methodism honorary plaque in Georgia
Background from {[ https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/John_Wesley/]}
John Wesley
John Wesley (June 17, 1703-March 2, 1791) was the central figure of the eighteenth-century evangelical revival in Great Britain and founder of the Methodist movement. An ordained Anglican clergyman, Wesley adopted unconventional and controversial practices, such as field preaching, to reach factory laborers and newly urbanized masses uprooted from their traditional village culture at the start of the Industrial Revolution. He was not only a gifted evangelist but also a remarkable organizer who created an interlocking system of "societies," annual conferences, and preaching "circuits" (Methodist "connections") which extended his influence throughout England.
Wesley's long and eventful life bridged the Reformation and modern eras of Christianity. His near death as a child in a parish fire, leadership of the "Holy Club" at Oxford, failed missionary labors in Georgia, encounter with the Moravians, conversion at Aldersgate, and controversies surrounding his ministry have long since passed into the lore of Christian history. He rose at four in the morning, lived simply and methodically, and was never idle if he could help it. Although he was not a systematic theologian, Wesley argued in favor of Christian perfection and opposed high Calvinism, notably the doctrine of predestination. His emphasis on practical holiness stimulated a variety of social reform activities, both in Britain and the United States. His theology constituted a counterbalance to the Enlightenment that endorsed humanism and even atheism in the eighteenth century.
Early Life
John Wesley was born on June 17, 1703, the fifteenth of 19 children (eight of whom died in infancy) born to Samuel and Susanna Wesley. Both of his grandfathers were among the nonconformist (Puritan) clergy ejected by the Church of England in 1662. However, Wesley's parents rejected the dissenting tradition and returned to the established church. His father was appointed rector of Epworth, a rough country parish, in 1696. An inflexible Anglican clergyman, frustrated poet and a poor manager of parish funds, Samuel Wesley alienated his rude parishioners who once had him arrested at the church for a debt of thirty pounds. Despite ongoing harassment, Wesley's father served Epworth parish until his death in 1735.
Wesley's mother, Susanna, though deciding at age 13 to join the Church of England, did not leave behind her Puritan austerities. As a consequence Wesley was raised within a household of unremitting discipline. Neither he nor his siblings played with Epworth children and did not attend local school. From the age of five they were home-schooled, being expected to become proficient in Latin and Greek and to have learned major portions of the New Testament by heart. Susanna Wesley examined each child before the midday meal and prior to evening prayers. Children were not allowed to eat between meals and were interviewed singly by their mother one evening each week for the purpose of intensive spiritual instruction.
Apart from his disciplined upbringing, a rectory fire which occurred on February 9, 1709, when Wesley was five years old, left an indelible impression. Sometime after 11:00 P.M., the rectory roof caught on fire. Sparks falling on the children’s beds and cries of "fire" from the street roused the Wesleys who managed to shepherd all their children out of the house except for John who was left stranded on the second floor. With stairs aflame and the roof about to collapse, Wesley was lifted out of the second floor window by a parishioner standing on another man’s shoulders. Wesley later utilized the phrase, "a brand plucked from the burning" (Amos 4:11) to describe the incident. This childhood deliverance subsequently became part of the Wesley legend, attesting to his special destiny and extraordinary work.
Education
Wesley's formal education began in 1714 when at age ten and a half he was sent to Charterhouse School in London. By all accounts, he was a well-prepared student. In 1720, at the age of sixteen, he matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford where, except for a two-year hiatus when he assisted his father, he remained for the next sixteen years. In 1724, Wesley graduated as a Bachelor of Arts and decided to pursue a Master of Arts degree. He was ordained a deacon on September 25, 1725, holy orders being a necessary step toward becoming a fellow and tutor at the university.
At this point, Wesley's scholarly ambitions collided with the first stirrings of his awakening religious consciousness. His mother, on learning of his intention to be ordained, suggested that he "enter upon a serious examination of yourself, that you may know whether you have a reasonable hope of salvation." Wesley subsequently began keeping a daily diary, a practice which he continued for the rest of his life. His early entries included rules and resolutions, his scheme of study, lists of sins and shortcomings, and "general questions" as to his piety all to the end of promoting "holy living." He also began a lifelong obsession with the ordering of time, arising at four in the morning, setting aside times for devotion, and eliminating "all useless employments and knowledge." As Wesley put it in a letter to his older brother, "Leisure and I have taken leave of one another."
In March, 1726, Wesley was unanimously elected a fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford. This carried with it the right to a room at the college and regular salary. While continuing his studies, Wesley taught Greek, lectured on the New Testament and moderated daily disputations at the university. However, a call to ministry intruded upon his academic career. In August, 1727, after taking his master’s degree, Wesley returned to Epworth. His father had requested his assistance in serving the neighboring cure of Wroote. Ordained a priest on September 22, 1728, Wesley served as a parish curate for two years. He returned to Oxford in November, 1729 at the request of the Rector of Lincoln College and to maintain his status as junior Fellow.
The Holy Club
During Wesley's absence, his younger brother Charles (1707-1788) matriculated at Christ College, Oxford. Along with two fellow students, he formed a small club for the purpose of study and the pursuit of a devout Christian life. On Wesley's return, he became the leader of the group which increased somewhat in number and greatly in commitment. Wesley set rules for self-examination. The group met daily from six until nine for prayer, psalms, and reading of the Greek New Testament. They prayed every waking hour for several minutes and each day for a special virtue. Whereas the church's prescribed attendance was only three times a year, they took communion every Sunday. They fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays until three o'clock as was commonly observed in the ancient church. In 1730, the group began the practice of visiting prisoners in jail. They preached, educated, relieved jailed debtors whenever possible, and cared for the sick.
Given the low ebb of spirituality in Oxford at that time, it was not surprising that Wesley's group provoked a negative reaction. They were considered to be religious "enthusiasts" which in the context of the time meant religious fanatics. University wits styled them the "Holy Club," a title of derision. Currents of opposition became a furor following the mental breakdown and death of a group member, William Morgan. In response to the charge that "rigorous fasting" had hastened his death, Wesley noted that Morgan had left off fasting a year and a half since. In the same letter, which was widely circulated, Wesley referred to the name "Methodist" which "some of our neighbors are pleased to compliment us."[1] That name was used by an anonymous author in a published pamphlet (1733) describing Wesley and his group, "The Oxford Methodists."
For all of his outward piety, Wesley sought to cultivate his inner holiness or at least his sincerity as evidence of being a true Christian. A list of "General Questions" which he developed in 1730 evolved into an elaborate grid by 1734 in which he recorded his daily activities hour-by-hour, resolutions he had broken or kept, and ranked his hourly "temper of devotion" on a scale of 1 to 9. Wesley also regarded the contempt with which he and his group were held to be a mark of a true Christian. As he put it in a letter to his father, "Till he be thus contemned, no man is in a state of salvation."
Nevertheless, Wesley was reaching a point of transition. In October, 1734, his aged father asked that he take over the Epworth parish. Wesley declined, stating that he "must stay in Oxford." Only there, he said, could one "obtain the right company, conditions, and ability to pursue a holy discipline – not in bucolic, barbarous Epworth." Ironically, within a few months of turning down Epworth, Wesley and his brother Charles set sail for the more bucolic and barbarous colony of Georgia.
Missionary Labors
James Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia along the American southern seaboard in 1733 as a haven for imprisoned debtors, needy families, and persecuted European Protestants. A renowned soldier and Member of Parliament, Oglethorpe led a commission which exposed the horrors of debtor prisons and resulted in the release of more than ten thousand prisoners. However, this created the problem of how to cope with so many homeless, penniless persons let loose in English society. Oglethorpe proposed to solve this by setting up the colony of Georgia as a bulwark against Spanish expansion from the South. He obtained funds, gained a charter, and won the support of the native Creek and Cherokee tribes, several representatives of which accompanied him back to England to great acclaim.
Wesley saw the representative tribesmen in Oxford and resolved to missionize the American Indians. Undoubtedly, disillusionment with Oxford played a part in this decision, and in a letter to one of the colony's promoters, Wesley likened his role to that of Paul, turning from the 'Jews' to the 'Gentiles'. Nevertheless, Wesley's "chief motive" for becoming a missionary was "the hope of saving my own soul." He hoped "to learn the true sense of the gospel of Christ by preaching it to the heathen." Although he persuaded his brother Charles and two other members of the Holy Club to accompany him, Wesley had only limited opportunities to missionize tribal peoples. Instead, he became the designated minister of the colony.
On the passage to America, Wesley and company continued their Holy Club practices: private prayers at 4 A.M., frequent services, readings and exhortations which were resented by passengers. Twenty-six Moravians, refugees from central Europe, also were on board. Wesley was impressed by the "great seriousness of their behavior," by the "servile offices" they performed for other passengers, and by their fearlessness. Wesley reported that in the midst of a psalm, with which they began their service, "the sea broke over, split the mainsail in pieces, covered the ship, and poured in between the decks …" According to Wesley, "A terrible screaming began among the English," while "The Germans calmly sung on." Wesley subsequently went among their "crying, trembling neighbors," pointing out "the difference in the hour of trial, between him that feareth God, and him that feareth Him not." However, Wesley later came under the scrutiny of the Moravian pastor, Augustus Spangenberg, who questioned whether he had the "witness" of the Spirit "within himself." Seeing that Wesley was surprised and "knew not what to answer," Spangenberg asked, "Do you know Jesus Christ?" Wesley replied, "I know he is the Saviour of the world." Spangenberg countered, "True … but do you know he has saved you?" Wesley answered, "I hope He has died to save me." Spangenberg pushed further, "Do you know yourself." Wesley said, "I do" but confessed in his diary, "I fear they were vain words."
Wesley labored strenuously but unsuccessfully in Georgia. He conducted services on Sundays at 5 A.M., 11:00 A.M. and 3 P.M. with prayers in-between and children's catechism at 2 P.M. He visited homes of the some seven hundred souls in Savannah daily between 12 and 3 in the afternoon. However, his narrow clericalism and lack of tact further alienated colonists. He insisted, for example, on the total immersion of infants at baptism and famously refused it to a couple who objected. He had the colony doctor confined to the guardroom for shooting game on the Sabbath which aroused widespread indignation as one of the physician's patients suffered a miscarriage while he was held. Wesley's brother Charles had no better success at Frederica, a hundred miles inland, where parishioners fomented a rift between him and Oglethorpe. Charles eventually fell into a nervous fever, then dysentery and was finally sent home as a courier in 1736.
For all his difficulties, it was an unhappy love affair which proved to be Wesley's final undoing. Wesley founded a small society in Savannah, after the pattern of Oxford, for cultivating the religious life. However, Sophy Hopekey, niece and ward of Thomas Causton, the leading merchant and chief magistrate of the colony, became a focus of his attention. She visited the parsonage daily for prayers and French lessons. Though she was fifteen years younger than Wesley, affection developed. There was hand-holding, kisses and discussion of marriage. Wesley went on retreat to find direction. On return, he informed Sophy that if he married at all, it would be after he worked among the Indians. Later, Wesley prepared three lots, 'Marry', 'Think not of it this year', and 'Think of it no more'. On appealing to "the Searcher of hearts," he drew the third. Frustrated by Wesley's delays and diffidence, Hopekey abruptly married another suitor. Wesley subsequently repelled Sophy from communion, asserting she was becoming lax in religious enthusiasm, her offense being a lack of continued attendance at 5 a.m. prayers. At this point, the chief magistrate had Wesley arrested for defamation of character. The grand jury returned ten indictments and Wesley's case dragged on through Autumn, 1737. Clearly, Wesley’s useful ministry in Georgia was at an end. On Christmas Eve, he fled the colony to Charleston from where he set sail for England, never to return.
Conversion
While still bound for England, Wesley wrote in his journal, "I went to America to convert the Indians! But, oh! Who shall convert me?" Wesley would have his answer in a matter of months, and his conversion at Aldersgate ranks with the Apostle Paul and Augustine's as being among the most notable in the history of Christianity. His conversion was a prelude to continued exertions toward personal holiness and a dramatic ministry.
Five days after arriving in England, Wesley met Peter Boehler, a young Moravian pastor, who like Spangenberg in Georgia, questioned whether Wesley possessed saving faith. Wesley, who was convinced "mine is a fair, summer religion," confessed his doubt and questioned whether he should abandon preaching. Boehler answered, "By no means." Wesley then asked, "But what shall I preach?" Boehler replied, "Preach faith until you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith." Wesley took Boehler's advice to heart and began vigorously preaching the doctrine of salvation by faith alone in London churches. However, his exuberant preaching alienated the establishment. By May, 1738, he was banned from nine churches.
Finally, on May 24, Wesley went "very unwillingly" to a Moravian meeting in Aldersgate Street where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. As Wesley recalled,
About a quarter before nine, when he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."[2]
This was Wesley’s conversion to which he openly testified to all those present. That summer, he paid a visit to the Moravian settlement of Herrnhut in Germany and met Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, its founder.
His Aldersgate conversion is usually understood to have been his experience of justification by faith. So, Wesley wrote, in his letter to "John Smith" several years later, that "from May 24, 1738, 'wherever I was desired to preach, salvation by faith was my only theme'," and stated that it was perhaps because he neither preached nor knew the "pardoning love of God" through justification before that time that "several of the Clergy forbade me their pulpits" before that time.[3] He even wrote, in his letter to his older brother Samuel, that until the time of his conversion he was "not a Christian," i.e., not "one who so believes in Christ as that sin hath no more dominion over him."
It is also true, however, that even after his breakthrough at conversion Wesley still affirmed that "I am not a Christian now" as of January 4, 1739, saying that he does not possess "the fruits of the spirit of Christ" which are "love, peace, joy," and that he has not been faithful to the given grace of forgiveness of sins.[4] Therefore, Wesleyan scholars such as Albert Outler believe that the Aldersgate experience was not the conversion of Wesley but rather merely "one in a series of the turning points in his passage from don to missionary to evangelist."[5] In this view, Wesley just entered the door of faith at Aldersgate, starting to construct a house of holiness as well as justification which was to come late
Field Preaching
Wesley's experience in being barred from churches in London paralleled that of a younger colleague, George Whitefield (1717-1770). Whitefield, the last to join Wesley's Holy Club at Oxford in 1734, attained fame as the most dynamic and 'enthusiastic' English preacher of the eighteenth century. Unlike the Wesleys, who were of England's gentry, Whitefield was the son of an innkeeper and paid his way through Oxford by carrying out menial duties. In 1738, Whitefield followed Wesley to Georgia with considerably more success. He later became one of the outstanding revivalists of America’s First Great Awakening (1730-1760). However, in 1739, having returned to England, Whitefield likewise found himself barred from London pulpits.
Moving to Bristol, where he was similarly banned, Whitefield began preaching in the open to coal miners. The response was remarkable. Within a few months, thousands were responding. Through this innovation, Whitefield sparked the beginning of what would become England's eighteenth century evangelical revival. Eager to extend the work but also having committed himself to return to Georgia, Whitefield begged Wesley to continue and organize the campaign. Wesley was hesitant. However, on casting lots with his brother Charles, Wesley decided it was God's will that he go. He arrived in Bristol on Saturday, March 31, 1739 and the next day witnessed Whitefield's preaching. Wesley wrote, I could scarce reconcile myself to this strange way of preaching in the fields, of which he [Whitefield] set me an example on Sunday; having been all my life till very lately so tenacious of every point relating to decency and order, that I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin if it had not been done in a church.[6]
Nevertheless, the next day Wesley found himself preaching from a rise in a brickyard to a reported three thousand people gathered to hear him.
Most commentators recognize that Wesley's experience at Bristol marked an important transition in his ministry. Previous to this, his overriding concerns had been personal and parochial, that is, focused upon the well-being of his soul and the established church. However, Bristol transformed Wesley into an evangelist whose efforts would now focus on conveying salvation and holiness to the un-churched. Although he had hoped to be a missionary to the Indians, Wesley at age thirty-six, found his calling among the outcast in England. For the next 50 years, Wesley continued the practice of itinerant evangelism, normally preaching three times a day beginning at 5 A.M., and traveled an estimated 250,000 miles mostly by horseback (in old age by carriage) throughout England.
The Rise of Methodism
The Bristol revival afforded Wesley the opportunity to exercise his two great gifts: preaching and organizing. Not allowing revival energies to dissipate, Wesley founded religious societies on Nicholas and Baldwin Streets between March and June, 1739. He also made arrangements to acquire land on the site of the Bristol Horse Fair for what would become the first Methodist meeting house. Returning to London, Wesley continued his revival preaching and made his first visit to South Wales. These early tours launched his itinerant preaching career. They also precipitated his break from the Moravian Brethren who disliked his aggressive evangelism and resented his assumption of leadership. They barred Wesley from preaching in 1740. This split the Fetter Lane Society in London where Wesley had interacted with the Moravians since returning from Georgia. With an urgent need for a London base, Wesley acquired the damaged King’s Foundery which would serve as the headquarters of Methodism until 1778.
The Methodist "connection" emerged in fits and starts. As early as 1739, Wesley hit upon the idea of requiring subscriptions for membership in newly-created societies. This simultaneously addressed pressing financial needs and provided a mechanism for discipline as unworthy or disruptive members had their subscriptions suspended or denied. In 1740, due to the rapidly spreading revival and lack of clergy support, Wesley began the practice of allowing lay preachers. He appointed twenty that year, and by 1744, there were seventy-seven in the field. Wesley, himself, extended his itinerancy to the North and South of England. In 1744, Wesley convened his first Conference which consisted of six Anglican ministers and four lay preachers. It would become the movement’s ruling body. In 1746, Wesley organized geographical circuits for traveling preachers and more stationary superintendents.
Over time, a shifting pattern of societies, circuits, quarterly meetings, annual Conferences, classes, bands, and select societies took shape. At the local level, there were numerous societies of different sizes which were grouped into circuits to which traveling preachers were appointed for two-year periods. Circuit officials met quarterly under a senior traveling preacher or "assistant." Conferences with Wesley, traveling preachers and others were convened annually for the purpose of coordinating doctrine and discipline for the entire connection. Classes of a dozen or so society members under a leader met weekly for spiritual fellowship and guidance. In early years, there were "bands" of the spiritually gifted who consciously pursued perfection. Those who were regarded to have achieved it were grouped in select societies or bands. In 1744, there were 77 such members. There also was a category of penitents which consisted of backsliders.
Apart from the underclass, the Methodist movement afforded opportunities for women. Wesley appointed a number of them to be lay preachers. Others served in related leadership capacities. Methodism also was extra-parochial. That is, participation in United Methodist societies was not limited to members of the Church of England. Membership was open to all who were sincere seekers after salvation. Given its trans-denominationalism, Wesley's insistence that his connection remain within the Anglican fold was only one of several factors which sparked hostility and conflict.
Opposition
Wesley was a controversial figure before the rise of Methodism. However, his itinerancy and work among the underclass aroused widespread opposition and, on occasion, mob violence. Settled ministers resented and actively resisted Wesley's forays into their dioceses. When told by the bishop of Bristol that he had "no business here" and that he was "not commissioned to preach in this diocese," Wesley famously replied, "the world is my parish." Having been ordained a priest, Wesley regarded himself to be "a priest of the Church universal." And having been ordained Fellow of a College, he understood that he was "not limited to any particular cure" but had a "commission to preach the Word of God to any part of the Church of England."
Apart from his itinerancy, the Establishment regarded Wesley as a traitor to his class. Bringing spiritual hope to the masses was considered dangerous in an age when literacy was restricted to the elite. The enlightened of the era also were aghast and frightened by the emotionalism that the underclass exhibited in response to Wesley's preaching. Describing violent reactions at one of his stops, Wesley wrote,
many of those that heard began to call upon God with strong cries and tears. Some sank down, and there remained no strength in them; others exceedingly trembled and quaked; some were torn with a kind of convulsive motion … I have seen many hysterical and epileptic fits; but none of them were like this.[7]
Methodist meetings were frequently disrupted by mobs. These were encouraged by local clergy and sometimes local magistrates. Methodist buildings were ransacked and preachers harassed and beaten. A favorite tactic of Methodist-baiters was to drive oxen into congregations assembled for field-preaching. At Epworth, Wesley was barred from speaking in the church, so he addressed a large crowd, standing on his father’s tombstone. At Wednesbury, mob violence continued for six days prior to Wesley’s arrival. On occasion, Wesley was dragged before local justices but rarely held. Wesley, himself, was fearless in confronting mobs and even converted some of the most vocal ringleaders. In addition, the energy and aggressiveness of opponents often dissipated when they found Wesley to be educated, articulate, and a member of the gentry class.
Nevertheless, fierce opposition against Wesley and his movement persisted until the 1760s.
The Consolidation of Methodism
Wesley's later years were dominated by questions of succession and separation. That is, how would Wesleyan Methodism continue once its powerful central figure was gone and would the movement remain within the orbit of Anglicanism or become independent? Wesley had been concerned about the issue of succession since 1760 when he proposed the creation of a council or committee to succeed him. Later, he decided Methodism required a strong presiding officer and in 1773, designated John William Fletcher, one of the few affiliated Church of England clergy, to be his successor. Unfortunately, Wesley outlived Fletcher. In the end, Wesley put forth a Deed of Declaration on February 27, 1784, which empowered a Conference of one hundred to take over the movement's property and direction after his death.
Wesley consistently stated that he had no intention of separating from the Church of England. However, circumstances in America forced an initial breech. The Wesleyan movement sent two preachers to the colonies in 1769 and two more in 1771. An American Methodist Conference was held in 1774 with membership less than 3,000. By 1784, membership reportedly increased to nearly 13,000 and in 1790, a year before Wesley's death, the number stood at nearly 60,000. Wesley asked the Bishop of London to ordain a preacher for America but was refused. Therefore, in September, 1784, Wesley ordained a superintendent and later seven presbyters with power to administer the sacraments. Although Wesley did not acknowledge it, this was a major step in separating Methodism from the Church of England. The final step came in 1795, four years after Wesley's death, with the Plan of Pacification which formulated measures for the now independent church.
Poverty and Education
Wesley had a profound concern for people's physical as well as spiritual welfare. Holiness had to be lived. Works of kindness were 'works of piety' or 'mercy'; he believed that doing good to others was evidence of inner conviction, outward signs of inner grace. He wanted society to be holy as well as individuals. He saw his charities as imitating Jesus' earthly ministry of healing and helping the needy. Through his charities, he made provision for care of the sick, helped to pioneer the use of electric shock for the treatment of illness, superintended schools and orphanages and spent almost all of what he received for his publications, at least £20,000 on his charities. His charities were limited only by his means. In 1748 he founded Kingswood School in order to educate the children of the growing number of Methodist preachers. The Foundery, which he opened in London in 1738, became the prototype Methodist Mission or Central Hall found in many downtown areas. Religious services were held there alongside a school for children and welfare activities, including loans to assist the poor. Wesley himself died poor.
Theology
"Wesleyan Quadrilateral"
American Methodist scholar Albert Outler argued in his introduction to the 1964 collection John Wesley that Wesley developed his theology by using a method that Outler termed the "Wesleyan Quadrilateral."[8] This method involved scripture, tradition, experience, and reason as four different sources of theological or doctrinal development. Wesley believed, first of all, that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in "scripture" as the sole foundational source. The centrality of scripture was so important for Wesley that he called himself "a man of one book"—meaning the Bible—although he was a remarkably well-read man of his day. However, doctrine had to be in keeping with Christian orthodox "tradition." So, tradition became in his view the second aspect of the so-called Quadrilateral. Furthermore, believing, as he did, that faith is more than merely an acknowledgment of ideas, Wesley as a practical theologian, contended that a part of the theological method would involve "experiential" faith. In other words, truth would be vivified in personal experience of Christians (overall, not individually), if it were really truth. And every doctrine must be able to be defended "rationally." He did not divorce faith from reason. Tradition, experience, and reason, however, are subject always to scripture, which is primary.
Doctrine of God
Wesley affirmed God's sovereignty. But what was unique about his doctrine of God was that it closely related God's sovereignty to the other divine attributes such as mercy, justice, and wisdom. He located the primary expression of God's sovereignty in the bestowal of mercy rather than in the abstract concept of absolute freedom or self-sufficiency. This helped the notion of sovereignty to be freed from its frequent overtones of absolute predestination and arbitrariness, thus allowing a measure of human free agency. In this way, God's loving and merciful interaction with free and responsible human beings does not detract from his glory. This was what made Wesley's theology different from Calvinism. He was convinced that this understanding of God as sovereign only in the context of mercy and justice is "thoroughly grounded in Scripture."[9]
Original sin and "prevenient grace"
Following the long Christian tradition, Wesley believed that human beings have original sin, which contains two elements: guilt (because they are guilty of Adam's sin) and corrupted nature (because their human nature is corrupted after Adam's sin), and that given this original sin they cannot move themselves towards God, being totally dependent on God's grace. So, Wesley introduced what is called "prevenient grace," saying that it is given to all humans as the first phase of salvation, providing them with the power to respond to or resist the work of God. What is interesting is that when Wesley believed that prevenient grace is "free" and not meritorious at all, given the miserable human condition with original sin, he echoed the classical Protestant tradition. But, when he maintained that prevenient grace is also available to all humans and gives them the power to respond or resist, he differed from that tradition.
Repentance and justification
As a next step in the process of salvation according to Wesley, if human beings respond to God through prevenient grace, they will be led to a recognition of their fallen state, and so to repentance. Then, repentance, or conviction of sin, thus reached, and its fruits or works suitable for repentance become the precondition of justifying faith, i.e., faith that justifies the believer, legally proclaiming that he is no longer guilty of Adam's sin. Wesley's description of justifying faith as preconditioned by repentance and its fruits or works suitable for repentance was another reason why he differed from the classical Reformers such as Luther and Calvin who strongly adhered to the doctrine of justification by faith alone. But, we have to understand that this difference arose because Wesley had a narrower definition of justifying faith than Luther and Calvin. Whereas Luther and Calvin believed justifying faith to include both repentance and trust in God, saying that repentance is also the work of faith, Wesley defined faith as only trust in Christ, separating repentance from it. This narrower definition of justifying faith may have been the reason why Wesley felt that prior to his Aldersgate Street conversion in 1738 he was not a Christian yet, i.e., that prior to that conversion he was not justified yet, while already in the earlier state of repentance.[10]
At conversion, the believer has two important experiences, according to Wesley: justification and new birth. Both happen to the believer instantaneously and simultaneously through justifying grace, but they are distinguishable because they bring forensic and real changes, respectively. Justification brings a forensic change, "imputing" Christ's righteousness to the believer, who is now proclaimed as not guilty of Adam's sin. New birth, by contrast, gives rise to a real change, which is a regeneration from the death of corrupted nature to life, "imparting" Christ's holiness to the believer. However, this does not mark the completion of salvation yet. New birth is just the beginning of the gradual process of sanctification which is to come.
Sanctification
Along with the Reformation emphasis on justification, Wesley wanted to stress the importance of sanctification in his theology. According to him, the gradual process of sanctification continues after the instantaneous moment of justification and new birth marks the beginning of the process. New birth only partially renews the believer. But, gradual sanctification afterwards involves the further impartation of Christ's holiness in the actual life of the believer to overcome the flesh under sanctifying grace. Wesley argued for the possibility of "entire sanctification," i.e., Christian "perfection," in the life of the believer. Wesley's doctrine of perfection was the result of a lifelong preoccupation with personal salvation and holiness. As early as 1733 in a sermon, "The Circumcision of the Heart," Wesley referred to a "habitual disposition of the soul … cleansed from sin" and "so renewed" as to be "perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect."[11] In later writings, Wesley defined perfection as "the pure love of God and our neighbor." However, he noted that it coexists with human "infirmities." Perfection frees people from "voluntary transgressions" but not necessarily from sinful inclinations. He maintained that individuals could have assurance of perfection, akin to a second conversion or instantaneous sanctifying experience, through the testimony of the Spirit. Wesley collected and published such testimonies.
Unfortunately, Wesley's doctrine of perfection led to excesses and controversy during the 1760s when several of its most forceful advocates made claims to the effect that they could not die or the world was ending. Although Wesley disowned some and others disowned him, the episodes reawakened criticism as to Wesleyan "enthusiasm."
Wesley and Arminianism
In 1740, Wesley preached a sermon on "Free Grace" against predestination, a doctrine which taught that God divided humankind into the eternally elect and reprobate prior to creation and that Christ died only for the elect. To Wesley, predestination undermines morality and dishonors God, representing "God as worse than the devil, as both more false, more cruel, and more unjust."[12] George Whitefield, who inclined to Calvinism, asked him not to repeat or publish the sermon, not wanting a dispute. But Wesley published it. This "predestination controversy" led to a split between Wesley and Whitefield in 1741. Although Wesley and Whitefield were soon back on friendly terms and their friendship remained unbroken thereafter, the united evangelical front was severed. Whitefield separated from Wesley and came to head a party commonly referred to as Calvinistic Methodists.
Wesley inclined strongly toward Arminianism which held that Christ died for all humankind. In his answer to the question of what an Arminian is, Wesley defended Arminianism from common misunderstandings, by arguing that, like Calvinism, it affirms both original sin and justification by faith, and explained that there are, however, three points of undeniable difference between Calvinism and Arminianism: 1) that while the former believes absolute predestination, the latter believes only "conditional predestination" depending on human response; 2) that while the former believes that grace is totally irresistible, the latter believes that "although there may be some moments wherein the grace of God acts irresistibly, yet, in general, any man may resist"; and 3) that while the former holds that a true believer cannot fall from grace, the latter holds that a true believer "may fall, not only foully, but finally, so as to perish for ever."[13] In 1778 he began the publication of The Arminian Magazine to preserve the Methodists and to teach that God wills all humans to be saved, and that "lasting peace" can only be secured by understanding that will of God.
Legacy
Wesley's most obvious legacy is the Methodist Church. Consisting now of numerous bodies and offshoots, estimates of worldwide membership vary widely, ranging from 36-75 million. In the United States, Methodism along with various Baptist bodies quickly eclipsed New England Congregationalism and Presbyterianism, becoming the dominant Protestant denominations on the American frontier. Wesley, along with Whitefield, was a pioneer of modern revivalism which continues to be a potent force of Christian renewal worldwide. In addition, through his emphasis on free grace, entire sanctification, and perfection, Wesley is the spiritual father of the Holiness movement, charismatic renewal, and, to a lesser extent, of Pentecostalism.
Through the church, Wesley also influenced society. Methodists, under Wesley's direction, became leaders in many social justice issues of the day, particularly prison reform and abolitionist movements. Women also were given new opportunities. In America, Methodists were leaders in temperance reform and social gospel movements.
The French historian Élie Halévy (1870-1937), in the first volume of his masterpiece, A History of the English People in the Nineteenth Century (1912), described England in 1815, putting forth the "Halévy thesis" that the evangelical revival and, more specifically, Methodism, enabled eighteenth-century England to avoid the political revolutions that unsettled France and the European continent in 1789 and 1848.[14] As he put it, "Methodism was the antidote to Jacobinism." Socialist historians have tended to deny the Halévy thesis. However, there is no denying that Wesley and his fellow laborers provided hope and encouraged discipline among Britain's newly urbanized and industrialized working class.
It may be worth pondering what Wesley's influence would have been, had he been more successful in Georgia. There, Oglethorpe set forth strict but unpopular bans against slavery and rum. Wesley, in fact, aroused resentment among the colonists on his arrival by personally destroying several cases of rum. In part, due to the disarray which resulted from Wesley's failed mission, both bans were overturned during the 1750s. Although temperance reform has a checkered history in America, had Wesley succeeded in sustaining Oglethorpe's ban on slavery, subsequent history may have taken a different trajectory. Wesley wrote his Thoughts Upon Slavery in 1774.[15] By 1792, five editions had been published. Even Wesley's failures are instructive. His lifelong quest for assurance of salvation, for holiness, and his struggles, as described in his journals and reflected in his sermons, have inspired countless Christians. In this regard, Wesley's personal history is an important part of his legacy.
Wesley's ability to influence society was perhaps related to his basic theology, which encouraged Christians to experience a real change of human nature through sanctification in addition to a merely forensic change brought forth through justification that was much emphasized in the classical Reformation tradition. His rather practical yet holiness-oriented theology constituted a counterbalance to the Enlightenment that endorsed humanism and even atheism in the eighteenth century."
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Cloud of Witnesses Series- Ultimate Documentary on John Wesley with Insight from his life and ministry
John Wesley would travel over 250,000 miles in his day preaching the Gospel, seeking to reach as many for Christ. He was a spiritual pioneer who discovered a real Jesus and was wrecked by His love. John sought to share with the world a message of the free grace of the Lord and more importantly a personal experience and relationship with Him.
His ministry was timely in a world that was in upheaval. He saw in his ministry the manifestation of the Holy Spirit and power. He also saw great persecution and despite the persecution he refused to quit, preaching right up till the end.
John preached outside until he was 87 years old. He truly was a hero of faith that caught the fire from heaven and from that day forward remained in continuous pursuit of the Lord.
I pray his life and ministry will inspire, encourage and provoke you. In this message we seek to share his story and insight to help you fix your eyes on Jesus and run your race with endurance.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Roj3US6pVSw
Images:
1. John Wesley by Nathaniel Hone, oil on canvas, circa 1766
2. John Wesley's wife the widow Mary Vazeille [married in 1751 and separated in 1771]
3. John Wesley by Nathaniel Hone, oil on canvas, circa 1766
4. John Wesley - Founder of Methodism honorary plaque in Georgia
Background from {[ https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/John_Wesley/]}
John Wesley
John Wesley (June 17, 1703-March 2, 1791) was the central figure of the eighteenth-century evangelical revival in Great Britain and founder of the Methodist movement. An ordained Anglican clergyman, Wesley adopted unconventional and controversial practices, such as field preaching, to reach factory laborers and newly urbanized masses uprooted from their traditional village culture at the start of the Industrial Revolution. He was not only a gifted evangelist but also a remarkable organizer who created an interlocking system of "societies," annual conferences, and preaching "circuits" (Methodist "connections") which extended his influence throughout England.
Wesley's long and eventful life bridged the Reformation and modern eras of Christianity. His near death as a child in a parish fire, leadership of the "Holy Club" at Oxford, failed missionary labors in Georgia, encounter with the Moravians, conversion at Aldersgate, and controversies surrounding his ministry have long since passed into the lore of Christian history. He rose at four in the morning, lived simply and methodically, and was never idle if he could help it. Although he was not a systematic theologian, Wesley argued in favor of Christian perfection and opposed high Calvinism, notably the doctrine of predestination. His emphasis on practical holiness stimulated a variety of social reform activities, both in Britain and the United States. His theology constituted a counterbalance to the Enlightenment that endorsed humanism and even atheism in the eighteenth century.
Early Life
John Wesley was born on June 17, 1703, the fifteenth of 19 children (eight of whom died in infancy) born to Samuel and Susanna Wesley. Both of his grandfathers were among the nonconformist (Puritan) clergy ejected by the Church of England in 1662. However, Wesley's parents rejected the dissenting tradition and returned to the established church. His father was appointed rector of Epworth, a rough country parish, in 1696. An inflexible Anglican clergyman, frustrated poet and a poor manager of parish funds, Samuel Wesley alienated his rude parishioners who once had him arrested at the church for a debt of thirty pounds. Despite ongoing harassment, Wesley's father served Epworth parish until his death in 1735.
Wesley's mother, Susanna, though deciding at age 13 to join the Church of England, did not leave behind her Puritan austerities. As a consequence Wesley was raised within a household of unremitting discipline. Neither he nor his siblings played with Epworth children and did not attend local school. From the age of five they were home-schooled, being expected to become proficient in Latin and Greek and to have learned major portions of the New Testament by heart. Susanna Wesley examined each child before the midday meal and prior to evening prayers. Children were not allowed to eat between meals and were interviewed singly by their mother one evening each week for the purpose of intensive spiritual instruction.
Apart from his disciplined upbringing, a rectory fire which occurred on February 9, 1709, when Wesley was five years old, left an indelible impression. Sometime after 11:00 P.M., the rectory roof caught on fire. Sparks falling on the children’s beds and cries of "fire" from the street roused the Wesleys who managed to shepherd all their children out of the house except for John who was left stranded on the second floor. With stairs aflame and the roof about to collapse, Wesley was lifted out of the second floor window by a parishioner standing on another man’s shoulders. Wesley later utilized the phrase, "a brand plucked from the burning" (Amos 4:11) to describe the incident. This childhood deliverance subsequently became part of the Wesley legend, attesting to his special destiny and extraordinary work.
Education
Wesley's formal education began in 1714 when at age ten and a half he was sent to Charterhouse School in London. By all accounts, he was a well-prepared student. In 1720, at the age of sixteen, he matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford where, except for a two-year hiatus when he assisted his father, he remained for the next sixteen years. In 1724, Wesley graduated as a Bachelor of Arts and decided to pursue a Master of Arts degree. He was ordained a deacon on September 25, 1725, holy orders being a necessary step toward becoming a fellow and tutor at the university.
At this point, Wesley's scholarly ambitions collided with the first stirrings of his awakening religious consciousness. His mother, on learning of his intention to be ordained, suggested that he "enter upon a serious examination of yourself, that you may know whether you have a reasonable hope of salvation." Wesley subsequently began keeping a daily diary, a practice which he continued for the rest of his life. His early entries included rules and resolutions, his scheme of study, lists of sins and shortcomings, and "general questions" as to his piety all to the end of promoting "holy living." He also began a lifelong obsession with the ordering of time, arising at four in the morning, setting aside times for devotion, and eliminating "all useless employments and knowledge." As Wesley put it in a letter to his older brother, "Leisure and I have taken leave of one another."
In March, 1726, Wesley was unanimously elected a fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford. This carried with it the right to a room at the college and regular salary. While continuing his studies, Wesley taught Greek, lectured on the New Testament and moderated daily disputations at the university. However, a call to ministry intruded upon his academic career. In August, 1727, after taking his master’s degree, Wesley returned to Epworth. His father had requested his assistance in serving the neighboring cure of Wroote. Ordained a priest on September 22, 1728, Wesley served as a parish curate for two years. He returned to Oxford in November, 1729 at the request of the Rector of Lincoln College and to maintain his status as junior Fellow.
The Holy Club
During Wesley's absence, his younger brother Charles (1707-1788) matriculated at Christ College, Oxford. Along with two fellow students, he formed a small club for the purpose of study and the pursuit of a devout Christian life. On Wesley's return, he became the leader of the group which increased somewhat in number and greatly in commitment. Wesley set rules for self-examination. The group met daily from six until nine for prayer, psalms, and reading of the Greek New Testament. They prayed every waking hour for several minutes and each day for a special virtue. Whereas the church's prescribed attendance was only three times a year, they took communion every Sunday. They fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays until three o'clock as was commonly observed in the ancient church. In 1730, the group began the practice of visiting prisoners in jail. They preached, educated, relieved jailed debtors whenever possible, and cared for the sick.
Given the low ebb of spirituality in Oxford at that time, it was not surprising that Wesley's group provoked a negative reaction. They were considered to be religious "enthusiasts" which in the context of the time meant religious fanatics. University wits styled them the "Holy Club," a title of derision. Currents of opposition became a furor following the mental breakdown and death of a group member, William Morgan. In response to the charge that "rigorous fasting" had hastened his death, Wesley noted that Morgan had left off fasting a year and a half since. In the same letter, which was widely circulated, Wesley referred to the name "Methodist" which "some of our neighbors are pleased to compliment us."[1] That name was used by an anonymous author in a published pamphlet (1733) describing Wesley and his group, "The Oxford Methodists."
For all of his outward piety, Wesley sought to cultivate his inner holiness or at least his sincerity as evidence of being a true Christian. A list of "General Questions" which he developed in 1730 evolved into an elaborate grid by 1734 in which he recorded his daily activities hour-by-hour, resolutions he had broken or kept, and ranked his hourly "temper of devotion" on a scale of 1 to 9. Wesley also regarded the contempt with which he and his group were held to be a mark of a true Christian. As he put it in a letter to his father, "Till he be thus contemned, no man is in a state of salvation."
Nevertheless, Wesley was reaching a point of transition. In October, 1734, his aged father asked that he take over the Epworth parish. Wesley declined, stating that he "must stay in Oxford." Only there, he said, could one "obtain the right company, conditions, and ability to pursue a holy discipline – not in bucolic, barbarous Epworth." Ironically, within a few months of turning down Epworth, Wesley and his brother Charles set sail for the more bucolic and barbarous colony of Georgia.
Missionary Labors
James Oglethorpe founded the colony of Georgia along the American southern seaboard in 1733 as a haven for imprisoned debtors, needy families, and persecuted European Protestants. A renowned soldier and Member of Parliament, Oglethorpe led a commission which exposed the horrors of debtor prisons and resulted in the release of more than ten thousand prisoners. However, this created the problem of how to cope with so many homeless, penniless persons let loose in English society. Oglethorpe proposed to solve this by setting up the colony of Georgia as a bulwark against Spanish expansion from the South. He obtained funds, gained a charter, and won the support of the native Creek and Cherokee tribes, several representatives of which accompanied him back to England to great acclaim.
Wesley saw the representative tribesmen in Oxford and resolved to missionize the American Indians. Undoubtedly, disillusionment with Oxford played a part in this decision, and in a letter to one of the colony's promoters, Wesley likened his role to that of Paul, turning from the 'Jews' to the 'Gentiles'. Nevertheless, Wesley's "chief motive" for becoming a missionary was "the hope of saving my own soul." He hoped "to learn the true sense of the gospel of Christ by preaching it to the heathen." Although he persuaded his brother Charles and two other members of the Holy Club to accompany him, Wesley had only limited opportunities to missionize tribal peoples. Instead, he became the designated minister of the colony.
On the passage to America, Wesley and company continued their Holy Club practices: private prayers at 4 A.M., frequent services, readings and exhortations which were resented by passengers. Twenty-six Moravians, refugees from central Europe, also were on board. Wesley was impressed by the "great seriousness of their behavior," by the "servile offices" they performed for other passengers, and by their fearlessness. Wesley reported that in the midst of a psalm, with which they began their service, "the sea broke over, split the mainsail in pieces, covered the ship, and poured in between the decks …" According to Wesley, "A terrible screaming began among the English," while "The Germans calmly sung on." Wesley subsequently went among their "crying, trembling neighbors," pointing out "the difference in the hour of trial, between him that feareth God, and him that feareth Him not." However, Wesley later came under the scrutiny of the Moravian pastor, Augustus Spangenberg, who questioned whether he had the "witness" of the Spirit "within himself." Seeing that Wesley was surprised and "knew not what to answer," Spangenberg asked, "Do you know Jesus Christ?" Wesley replied, "I know he is the Saviour of the world." Spangenberg countered, "True … but do you know he has saved you?" Wesley answered, "I hope He has died to save me." Spangenberg pushed further, "Do you know yourself." Wesley said, "I do" but confessed in his diary, "I fear they were vain words."
Wesley labored strenuously but unsuccessfully in Georgia. He conducted services on Sundays at 5 A.M., 11:00 A.M. and 3 P.M. with prayers in-between and children's catechism at 2 P.M. He visited homes of the some seven hundred souls in Savannah daily between 12 and 3 in the afternoon. However, his narrow clericalism and lack of tact further alienated colonists. He insisted, for example, on the total immersion of infants at baptism and famously refused it to a couple who objected. He had the colony doctor confined to the guardroom for shooting game on the Sabbath which aroused widespread indignation as one of the physician's patients suffered a miscarriage while he was held. Wesley's brother Charles had no better success at Frederica, a hundred miles inland, where parishioners fomented a rift between him and Oglethorpe. Charles eventually fell into a nervous fever, then dysentery and was finally sent home as a courier in 1736.
For all his difficulties, it was an unhappy love affair which proved to be Wesley's final undoing. Wesley founded a small society in Savannah, after the pattern of Oxford, for cultivating the religious life. However, Sophy Hopekey, niece and ward of Thomas Causton, the leading merchant and chief magistrate of the colony, became a focus of his attention. She visited the parsonage daily for prayers and French lessons. Though she was fifteen years younger than Wesley, affection developed. There was hand-holding, kisses and discussion of marriage. Wesley went on retreat to find direction. On return, he informed Sophy that if he married at all, it would be after he worked among the Indians. Later, Wesley prepared three lots, 'Marry', 'Think not of it this year', and 'Think of it no more'. On appealing to "the Searcher of hearts," he drew the third. Frustrated by Wesley's delays and diffidence, Hopekey abruptly married another suitor. Wesley subsequently repelled Sophy from communion, asserting she was becoming lax in religious enthusiasm, her offense being a lack of continued attendance at 5 a.m. prayers. At this point, the chief magistrate had Wesley arrested for defamation of character. The grand jury returned ten indictments and Wesley's case dragged on through Autumn, 1737. Clearly, Wesley’s useful ministry in Georgia was at an end. On Christmas Eve, he fled the colony to Charleston from where he set sail for England, never to return.
Conversion
While still bound for England, Wesley wrote in his journal, "I went to America to convert the Indians! But, oh! Who shall convert me?" Wesley would have his answer in a matter of months, and his conversion at Aldersgate ranks with the Apostle Paul and Augustine's as being among the most notable in the history of Christianity. His conversion was a prelude to continued exertions toward personal holiness and a dramatic ministry.
Five days after arriving in England, Wesley met Peter Boehler, a young Moravian pastor, who like Spangenberg in Georgia, questioned whether Wesley possessed saving faith. Wesley, who was convinced "mine is a fair, summer religion," confessed his doubt and questioned whether he should abandon preaching. Boehler answered, "By no means." Wesley then asked, "But what shall I preach?" Boehler replied, "Preach faith until you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith." Wesley took Boehler's advice to heart and began vigorously preaching the doctrine of salvation by faith alone in London churches. However, his exuberant preaching alienated the establishment. By May, 1738, he was banned from nine churches.
Finally, on May 24, Wesley went "very unwillingly" to a Moravian meeting in Aldersgate Street where one was reading Luther's preface to the Epistle to the Romans. As Wesley recalled,
About a quarter before nine, when he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation, and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death."[2]
This was Wesley’s conversion to which he openly testified to all those present. That summer, he paid a visit to the Moravian settlement of Herrnhut in Germany and met Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, its founder.
His Aldersgate conversion is usually understood to have been his experience of justification by faith. So, Wesley wrote, in his letter to "John Smith" several years later, that "from May 24, 1738, 'wherever I was desired to preach, salvation by faith was my only theme'," and stated that it was perhaps because he neither preached nor knew the "pardoning love of God" through justification before that time that "several of the Clergy forbade me their pulpits" before that time.[3] He even wrote, in his letter to his older brother Samuel, that until the time of his conversion he was "not a Christian," i.e., not "one who so believes in Christ as that sin hath no more dominion over him."
It is also true, however, that even after his breakthrough at conversion Wesley still affirmed that "I am not a Christian now" as of January 4, 1739, saying that he does not possess "the fruits of the spirit of Christ" which are "love, peace, joy," and that he has not been faithful to the given grace of forgiveness of sins.[4] Therefore, Wesleyan scholars such as Albert Outler believe that the Aldersgate experience was not the conversion of Wesley but rather merely "one in a series of the turning points in his passage from don to missionary to evangelist."[5] In this view, Wesley just entered the door of faith at Aldersgate, starting to construct a house of holiness as well as justification which was to come late
Field Preaching
Wesley's experience in being barred from churches in London paralleled that of a younger colleague, George Whitefield (1717-1770). Whitefield, the last to join Wesley's Holy Club at Oxford in 1734, attained fame as the most dynamic and 'enthusiastic' English preacher of the eighteenth century. Unlike the Wesleys, who were of England's gentry, Whitefield was the son of an innkeeper and paid his way through Oxford by carrying out menial duties. In 1738, Whitefield followed Wesley to Georgia with considerably more success. He later became one of the outstanding revivalists of America’s First Great Awakening (1730-1760). However, in 1739, having returned to England, Whitefield likewise found himself barred from London pulpits.
Moving to Bristol, where he was similarly banned, Whitefield began preaching in the open to coal miners. The response was remarkable. Within a few months, thousands were responding. Through this innovation, Whitefield sparked the beginning of what would become England's eighteenth century evangelical revival. Eager to extend the work but also having committed himself to return to Georgia, Whitefield begged Wesley to continue and organize the campaign. Wesley was hesitant. However, on casting lots with his brother Charles, Wesley decided it was God's will that he go. He arrived in Bristol on Saturday, March 31, 1739 and the next day witnessed Whitefield's preaching. Wesley wrote, I could scarce reconcile myself to this strange way of preaching in the fields, of which he [Whitefield] set me an example on Sunday; having been all my life till very lately so tenacious of every point relating to decency and order, that I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin if it had not been done in a church.[6]
Nevertheless, the next day Wesley found himself preaching from a rise in a brickyard to a reported three thousand people gathered to hear him.
Most commentators recognize that Wesley's experience at Bristol marked an important transition in his ministry. Previous to this, his overriding concerns had been personal and parochial, that is, focused upon the well-being of his soul and the established church. However, Bristol transformed Wesley into an evangelist whose efforts would now focus on conveying salvation and holiness to the un-churched. Although he had hoped to be a missionary to the Indians, Wesley at age thirty-six, found his calling among the outcast in England. For the next 50 years, Wesley continued the practice of itinerant evangelism, normally preaching three times a day beginning at 5 A.M., and traveled an estimated 250,000 miles mostly by horseback (in old age by carriage) throughout England.
The Rise of Methodism
The Bristol revival afforded Wesley the opportunity to exercise his two great gifts: preaching and organizing. Not allowing revival energies to dissipate, Wesley founded religious societies on Nicholas and Baldwin Streets between March and June, 1739. He also made arrangements to acquire land on the site of the Bristol Horse Fair for what would become the first Methodist meeting house. Returning to London, Wesley continued his revival preaching and made his first visit to South Wales. These early tours launched his itinerant preaching career. They also precipitated his break from the Moravian Brethren who disliked his aggressive evangelism and resented his assumption of leadership. They barred Wesley from preaching in 1740. This split the Fetter Lane Society in London where Wesley had interacted with the Moravians since returning from Georgia. With an urgent need for a London base, Wesley acquired the damaged King’s Foundery which would serve as the headquarters of Methodism until 1778.
The Methodist "connection" emerged in fits and starts. As early as 1739, Wesley hit upon the idea of requiring subscriptions for membership in newly-created societies. This simultaneously addressed pressing financial needs and provided a mechanism for discipline as unworthy or disruptive members had their subscriptions suspended or denied. In 1740, due to the rapidly spreading revival and lack of clergy support, Wesley began the practice of allowing lay preachers. He appointed twenty that year, and by 1744, there were seventy-seven in the field. Wesley, himself, extended his itinerancy to the North and South of England. In 1744, Wesley convened his first Conference which consisted of six Anglican ministers and four lay preachers. It would become the movement’s ruling body. In 1746, Wesley organized geographical circuits for traveling preachers and more stationary superintendents.
Over time, a shifting pattern of societies, circuits, quarterly meetings, annual Conferences, classes, bands, and select societies took shape. At the local level, there were numerous societies of different sizes which were grouped into circuits to which traveling preachers were appointed for two-year periods. Circuit officials met quarterly under a senior traveling preacher or "assistant." Conferences with Wesley, traveling preachers and others were convened annually for the purpose of coordinating doctrine and discipline for the entire connection. Classes of a dozen or so society members under a leader met weekly for spiritual fellowship and guidance. In early years, there were "bands" of the spiritually gifted who consciously pursued perfection. Those who were regarded to have achieved it were grouped in select societies or bands. In 1744, there were 77 such members. There also was a category of penitents which consisted of backsliders.
Apart from the underclass, the Methodist movement afforded opportunities for women. Wesley appointed a number of them to be lay preachers. Others served in related leadership capacities. Methodism also was extra-parochial. That is, participation in United Methodist societies was not limited to members of the Church of England. Membership was open to all who were sincere seekers after salvation. Given its trans-denominationalism, Wesley's insistence that his connection remain within the Anglican fold was only one of several factors which sparked hostility and conflict.
Opposition
Wesley was a controversial figure before the rise of Methodism. However, his itinerancy and work among the underclass aroused widespread opposition and, on occasion, mob violence. Settled ministers resented and actively resisted Wesley's forays into their dioceses. When told by the bishop of Bristol that he had "no business here" and that he was "not commissioned to preach in this diocese," Wesley famously replied, "the world is my parish." Having been ordained a priest, Wesley regarded himself to be "a priest of the Church universal." And having been ordained Fellow of a College, he understood that he was "not limited to any particular cure" but had a "commission to preach the Word of God to any part of the Church of England."
Apart from his itinerancy, the Establishment regarded Wesley as a traitor to his class. Bringing spiritual hope to the masses was considered dangerous in an age when literacy was restricted to the elite. The enlightened of the era also were aghast and frightened by the emotionalism that the underclass exhibited in response to Wesley's preaching. Describing violent reactions at one of his stops, Wesley wrote,
many of those that heard began to call upon God with strong cries and tears. Some sank down, and there remained no strength in them; others exceedingly trembled and quaked; some were torn with a kind of convulsive motion … I have seen many hysterical and epileptic fits; but none of them were like this.[7]
Methodist meetings were frequently disrupted by mobs. These were encouraged by local clergy and sometimes local magistrates. Methodist buildings were ransacked and preachers harassed and beaten. A favorite tactic of Methodist-baiters was to drive oxen into congregations assembled for field-preaching. At Epworth, Wesley was barred from speaking in the church, so he addressed a large crowd, standing on his father’s tombstone. At Wednesbury, mob violence continued for six days prior to Wesley’s arrival. On occasion, Wesley was dragged before local justices but rarely held. Wesley, himself, was fearless in confronting mobs and even converted some of the most vocal ringleaders. In addition, the energy and aggressiveness of opponents often dissipated when they found Wesley to be educated, articulate, and a member of the gentry class.
Nevertheless, fierce opposition against Wesley and his movement persisted until the 1760s.
The Consolidation of Methodism
Wesley's later years were dominated by questions of succession and separation. That is, how would Wesleyan Methodism continue once its powerful central figure was gone and would the movement remain within the orbit of Anglicanism or become independent? Wesley had been concerned about the issue of succession since 1760 when he proposed the creation of a council or committee to succeed him. Later, he decided Methodism required a strong presiding officer and in 1773, designated John William Fletcher, one of the few affiliated Church of England clergy, to be his successor. Unfortunately, Wesley outlived Fletcher. In the end, Wesley put forth a Deed of Declaration on February 27, 1784, which empowered a Conference of one hundred to take over the movement's property and direction after his death.
Wesley consistently stated that he had no intention of separating from the Church of England. However, circumstances in America forced an initial breech. The Wesleyan movement sent two preachers to the colonies in 1769 and two more in 1771. An American Methodist Conference was held in 1774 with membership less than 3,000. By 1784, membership reportedly increased to nearly 13,000 and in 1790, a year before Wesley's death, the number stood at nearly 60,000. Wesley asked the Bishop of London to ordain a preacher for America but was refused. Therefore, in September, 1784, Wesley ordained a superintendent and later seven presbyters with power to administer the sacraments. Although Wesley did not acknowledge it, this was a major step in separating Methodism from the Church of England. The final step came in 1795, four years after Wesley's death, with the Plan of Pacification which formulated measures for the now independent church.
Poverty and Education
Wesley had a profound concern for people's physical as well as spiritual welfare. Holiness had to be lived. Works of kindness were 'works of piety' or 'mercy'; he believed that doing good to others was evidence of inner conviction, outward signs of inner grace. He wanted society to be holy as well as individuals. He saw his charities as imitating Jesus' earthly ministry of healing and helping the needy. Through his charities, he made provision for care of the sick, helped to pioneer the use of electric shock for the treatment of illness, superintended schools and orphanages and spent almost all of what he received for his publications, at least £20,000 on his charities. His charities were limited only by his means. In 1748 he founded Kingswood School in order to educate the children of the growing number of Methodist preachers. The Foundery, which he opened in London in 1738, became the prototype Methodist Mission or Central Hall found in many downtown areas. Religious services were held there alongside a school for children and welfare activities, including loans to assist the poor. Wesley himself died poor.
Theology
"Wesleyan Quadrilateral"
American Methodist scholar Albert Outler argued in his introduction to the 1964 collection John Wesley that Wesley developed his theology by using a method that Outler termed the "Wesleyan Quadrilateral."[8] This method involved scripture, tradition, experience, and reason as four different sources of theological or doctrinal development. Wesley believed, first of all, that the living core of the Christian faith was revealed in "scripture" as the sole foundational source. The centrality of scripture was so important for Wesley that he called himself "a man of one book"—meaning the Bible—although he was a remarkably well-read man of his day. However, doctrine had to be in keeping with Christian orthodox "tradition." So, tradition became in his view the second aspect of the so-called Quadrilateral. Furthermore, believing, as he did, that faith is more than merely an acknowledgment of ideas, Wesley as a practical theologian, contended that a part of the theological method would involve "experiential" faith. In other words, truth would be vivified in personal experience of Christians (overall, not individually), if it were really truth. And every doctrine must be able to be defended "rationally." He did not divorce faith from reason. Tradition, experience, and reason, however, are subject always to scripture, which is primary.
Doctrine of God
Wesley affirmed God's sovereignty. But what was unique about his doctrine of God was that it closely related God's sovereignty to the other divine attributes such as mercy, justice, and wisdom. He located the primary expression of God's sovereignty in the bestowal of mercy rather than in the abstract concept of absolute freedom or self-sufficiency. This helped the notion of sovereignty to be freed from its frequent overtones of absolute predestination and arbitrariness, thus allowing a measure of human free agency. In this way, God's loving and merciful interaction with free and responsible human beings does not detract from his glory. This was what made Wesley's theology different from Calvinism. He was convinced that this understanding of God as sovereign only in the context of mercy and justice is "thoroughly grounded in Scripture."[9]
Original sin and "prevenient grace"
Following the long Christian tradition, Wesley believed that human beings have original sin, which contains two elements: guilt (because they are guilty of Adam's sin) and corrupted nature (because their human nature is corrupted after Adam's sin), and that given this original sin they cannot move themselves towards God, being totally dependent on God's grace. So, Wesley introduced what is called "prevenient grace," saying that it is given to all humans as the first phase of salvation, providing them with the power to respond to or resist the work of God. What is interesting is that when Wesley believed that prevenient grace is "free" and not meritorious at all, given the miserable human condition with original sin, he echoed the classical Protestant tradition. But, when he maintained that prevenient grace is also available to all humans and gives them the power to respond or resist, he differed from that tradition.
Repentance and justification
As a next step in the process of salvation according to Wesley, if human beings respond to God through prevenient grace, they will be led to a recognition of their fallen state, and so to repentance. Then, repentance, or conviction of sin, thus reached, and its fruits or works suitable for repentance become the precondition of justifying faith, i.e., faith that justifies the believer, legally proclaiming that he is no longer guilty of Adam's sin. Wesley's description of justifying faith as preconditioned by repentance and its fruits or works suitable for repentance was another reason why he differed from the classical Reformers such as Luther and Calvin who strongly adhered to the doctrine of justification by faith alone. But, we have to understand that this difference arose because Wesley had a narrower definition of justifying faith than Luther and Calvin. Whereas Luther and Calvin believed justifying faith to include both repentance and trust in God, saying that repentance is also the work of faith, Wesley defined faith as only trust in Christ, separating repentance from it. This narrower definition of justifying faith may have been the reason why Wesley felt that prior to his Aldersgate Street conversion in 1738 he was not a Christian yet, i.e., that prior to that conversion he was not justified yet, while already in the earlier state of repentance.[10]
At conversion, the believer has two important experiences, according to Wesley: justification and new birth. Both happen to the believer instantaneously and simultaneously through justifying grace, but they are distinguishable because they bring forensic and real changes, respectively. Justification brings a forensic change, "imputing" Christ's righteousness to the believer, who is now proclaimed as not guilty of Adam's sin. New birth, by contrast, gives rise to a real change, which is a regeneration from the death of corrupted nature to life, "imparting" Christ's holiness to the believer. However, this does not mark the completion of salvation yet. New birth is just the beginning of the gradual process of sanctification which is to come.
Sanctification
Along with the Reformation emphasis on justification, Wesley wanted to stress the importance of sanctification in his theology. According to him, the gradual process of sanctification continues after the instantaneous moment of justification and new birth marks the beginning of the process. New birth only partially renews the believer. But, gradual sanctification afterwards involves the further impartation of Christ's holiness in the actual life of the believer to overcome the flesh under sanctifying grace. Wesley argued for the possibility of "entire sanctification," i.e., Christian "perfection," in the life of the believer. Wesley's doctrine of perfection was the result of a lifelong preoccupation with personal salvation and holiness. As early as 1733 in a sermon, "The Circumcision of the Heart," Wesley referred to a "habitual disposition of the soul … cleansed from sin" and "so renewed" as to be "perfect as our Father in heaven is perfect."[11] In later writings, Wesley defined perfection as "the pure love of God and our neighbor." However, he noted that it coexists with human "infirmities." Perfection frees people from "voluntary transgressions" but not necessarily from sinful inclinations. He maintained that individuals could have assurance of perfection, akin to a second conversion or instantaneous sanctifying experience, through the testimony of the Spirit. Wesley collected and published such testimonies.
Unfortunately, Wesley's doctrine of perfection led to excesses and controversy during the 1760s when several of its most forceful advocates made claims to the effect that they could not die or the world was ending. Although Wesley disowned some and others disowned him, the episodes reawakened criticism as to Wesleyan "enthusiasm."
Wesley and Arminianism
In 1740, Wesley preached a sermon on "Free Grace" against predestination, a doctrine which taught that God divided humankind into the eternally elect and reprobate prior to creation and that Christ died only for the elect. To Wesley, predestination undermines morality and dishonors God, representing "God as worse than the devil, as both more false, more cruel, and more unjust."[12] George Whitefield, who inclined to Calvinism, asked him not to repeat or publish the sermon, not wanting a dispute. But Wesley published it. This "predestination controversy" led to a split between Wesley and Whitefield in 1741. Although Wesley and Whitefield were soon back on friendly terms and their friendship remained unbroken thereafter, the united evangelical front was severed. Whitefield separated from Wesley and came to head a party commonly referred to as Calvinistic Methodists.
Wesley inclined strongly toward Arminianism which held that Christ died for all humankind. In his answer to the question of what an Arminian is, Wesley defended Arminianism from common misunderstandings, by arguing that, like Calvinism, it affirms both original sin and justification by faith, and explained that there are, however, three points of undeniable difference between Calvinism and Arminianism: 1) that while the former believes absolute predestination, the latter believes only "conditional predestination" depending on human response; 2) that while the former believes that grace is totally irresistible, the latter believes that "although there may be some moments wherein the grace of God acts irresistibly, yet, in general, any man may resist"; and 3) that while the former holds that a true believer cannot fall from grace, the latter holds that a true believer "may fall, not only foully, but finally, so as to perish for ever."[13] In 1778 he began the publication of The Arminian Magazine to preserve the Methodists and to teach that God wills all humans to be saved, and that "lasting peace" can only be secured by understanding that will of God.
Legacy
Wesley's most obvious legacy is the Methodist Church. Consisting now of numerous bodies and offshoots, estimates of worldwide membership vary widely, ranging from 36-75 million. In the United States, Methodism along with various Baptist bodies quickly eclipsed New England Congregationalism and Presbyterianism, becoming the dominant Protestant denominations on the American frontier. Wesley, along with Whitefield, was a pioneer of modern revivalism which continues to be a potent force of Christian renewal worldwide. In addition, through his emphasis on free grace, entire sanctification, and perfection, Wesley is the spiritual father of the Holiness movement, charismatic renewal, and, to a lesser extent, of Pentecostalism.
Through the church, Wesley also influenced society. Methodists, under Wesley's direction, became leaders in many social justice issues of the day, particularly prison reform and abolitionist movements. Women also were given new opportunities. In America, Methodists were leaders in temperance reform and social gospel movements.
The French historian Élie Halévy (1870-1937), in the first volume of his masterpiece, A History of the English People in the Nineteenth Century (1912), described England in 1815, putting forth the "Halévy thesis" that the evangelical revival and, more specifically, Methodism, enabled eighteenth-century England to avoid the political revolutions that unsettled France and the European continent in 1789 and 1848.[14] As he put it, "Methodism was the antidote to Jacobinism." Socialist historians have tended to deny the Halévy thesis. However, there is no denying that Wesley and his fellow laborers provided hope and encouraged discipline among Britain's newly urbanized and industrialized working class.
It may be worth pondering what Wesley's influence would have been, had he been more successful in Georgia. There, Oglethorpe set forth strict but unpopular bans against slavery and rum. Wesley, in fact, aroused resentment among the colonists on his arrival by personally destroying several cases of rum. In part, due to the disarray which resulted from Wesley's failed mission, both bans were overturned during the 1750s. Although temperance reform has a checkered history in America, had Wesley succeeded in sustaining Oglethorpe's ban on slavery, subsequent history may have taken a different trajectory. Wesley wrote his Thoughts Upon Slavery in 1774.[15] By 1792, five editions had been published. Even Wesley's failures are instructive. His lifelong quest for assurance of salvation, for holiness, and his struggles, as described in his journals and reflected in his sermons, have inspired countless Christians. In this regard, Wesley's personal history is an important part of his legacy.
Wesley's ability to influence society was perhaps related to his basic theology, which encouraged Christians to experience a real change of human nature through sanctification in addition to a merely forensic change brought forth through justification that was much emphasized in the classical Reformation tradition. His rather practical yet holiness-oriented theology constituted a counterbalance to the Enlightenment that endorsed humanism and even atheism in the eighteenth century."
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John Wesley: The Man and His Mission (2012) | Full Movie | Claire Potter | Ralph Waller
Watch John Wesley: The Man and His Mission (2012) Full Movie on Vision Video This beautifully produced documentary, hosted by Wesley expert Keith Garner and ...
John Wesley: The Man and His Mission (2012) | Full Movie | Claire Potter | Ralph Waller
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG1lbizV97Y
Images:
1. Portrait of John Wesley, by Emma Cheves Wilkins, 1933. From the Georgia Historical Society Objects Collection, A-1361-333
2. Painting of John Wesley
3. The monument erected on Cockspur Island, Georgia, USA
Background from {{https://www.firstthings.com/article/2004/12/john-wesley-a-biography]}
John Wesley (1703-1791), the founder of Methodism, proves to be a biographer’s dream come true. The man was a bundle of contradictions”and what biographer does not love to portray a human life torn asunder from within, thrashing about on the stage of history? As Stephen Tomkins explains at the conclusion of his almost novelistic biography, Wesley fascinates because he embodied so many of the conflicts of his age and fused them into a life of remarkable achievement:
He combined a Catholic devotion to the sacraments of the Church with a Pentecostal welcoming of healings, ecstasies and Low Church spontaneity. He had an evangelical horror of trying to satisfy God by good works, but an even greater horror of trying to satisfy God without good works. He was a founding father of evangelicalism, but for his last twenty years, he consistently retreated from its stark certainties.
But Wesley’s contradictions were more than theological; they were personal too, especially in his relations with women. After nearly marrying twice (and leaving both women feeling jilted), Wesley eventually married Molly Vazeille, a widow of French Huguenot descent with four children of her own. The marriage was not happy”indeed, the spouses proved scarcely able to tolerate each other. When Wesley, at a Methodist conference in Bristol, got word that his wife was dangerously ill, he headed back to their London home. Arriving at their apartment at the ungodly hour of one o’clock the following morning, he discovered that her fever had abated”and he turned around and headed back to Bristol an hour later.
When Wesley suspected his wife of reading his private mail, he had his desk outfitted with a secret compartment in which to hide his sensitive papers from her. These presumably must have included portions of his famous Journal , for in one bitter letter to her he explained that his indictment of her character was incomplete because he did not have his journal with him at the moment: “I have therefore only my memory to depend on; and that is not very retentive of evil.” No surprise, then, that he did not attend her funeral, and of her own legacy of five thousand pounds (holdings from her first husband, a wealthy merchant), she bequeathed to him only a ring.
Tomkins does, however, absolve Wesley of the charge of adultery, a charge hurled at him by none other than his ultra-suspicious wife. But while always faithful to his marriage vows, Wesley, as his biographer freely admits, “suffered from a failure to discern between the romantic and pastoral, which blighted his romances and cast a shadow over his pastoring.” This was a blind spot that afflicted more than one early Methodist preacher. Perhaps the most disastrous of these philandering clerics was Westley Hall, one of Wesley’s first converts while they were both students at Oxford. Auspiciously enough, Hall married Wesley’s sister Martha; but then, after a string of seductions among his flock, he began to preach a gospel of polygamous deism and finally deserted Martha after most of her ten children had died, fleeing to the West Indies with another woman.
According to the famous twentieth-century Catholic writer, Ronald Knox, the real problem here was “enthusiasm.” But Tomkins shows that such an interpretation goes too far. The real problem was that legitimate religious enthusiasm had become too bottled up by the established church. The author recounts the rather amusing tale of one budding Quaker who quit the Church of England because, when he approached various curates and vicars about his oppressive sense of sin, he was told to go see a doctor. Such anodyne advice was clearly not for Wesley, who advocated what he called “heart-religion,” meaning “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” For Wesley, these fruits of the spirit must be felt , or else they have no being, and when excluded from the devout life religion becomes but a “dry, dead carcass.”
All well and good, and no one doubts that the enthusiasm that greeted Wesley’s sermons owed at least something to the starved condition of souls planted in the fallow soil of a desiccated, established Christianity. Unfortunately, enthusiasm sometimes bursts its own bounds, especially when sexual energy gets commingled with spiritual fervor. But of the authenticity of the fervor, both in Wesley and in most Methodists, there can be no doubt. “At fairly sober estimates,” Tomkins writes, Wesley “rode 250,000 miles, gave away 30,000 pounds, . . . and preached more than 40,000 sermons,” while the published version of his Journal ran to over twenty volumes. Moreover, under his influence England became, in all its classes and throughout the land, a thoroughly Christian nation, so much so that nonconformists grew from six percent of churchgoers in Wesley’s youth to over 45 percent by 1851.
Most remarkably, much of this growth came from the zeal of just this one man, and yet Wesley never seems to have attained the inner peace that was the goal of his entire adult life. In perhaps the most astonishing passage in this riveting book, Tomkins quotes John writing to his brother Charles in these stark words: “I do not love God. I never did. Therefore I never believed, in the Christian sense of the word. Therefore I am only an honest heathen.” But unlike similar-sounding crises of faith in later times, this did not cause Wesley to despair of his mission: “And yet I dare not preach otherwise than I do, either concerning faith, or love, or justification, or perfection . . . I want all the world to come to what I do not know.”
Without quite saying so explicitly, Tomkins implies that Wesley’s dilemma, expressed so poignantly here, came from an unresolved tension located in the Christian religion itself, above all in the still unresolved interpretation of the letters of St. Paul regarding justification and sanctification. While fully admitting that salvation is pure gift (in fact his early preaching was entirely premised on this foundational Reformation doctrine), Wesley also knew that static, untransforming faith was valueless; and so he came to advocate his most distinctive doctrine, claiming”against St. Augustine, Luther, and Calvin”that perfect holiness can be attained in this life. But with such an ideal in mind, dissension was bound to arise within the Methodist ranks between those who claimed such perfection and those who were all too aware of their ongoing sinfulness.
The irony of this dilemma is easy to picture, and Tomkins captures it well: “The immoderately perfect condemned ordinary Methodists as thoroughly as the Methodists condemned the ‘almost Christians’ of the Church of England, and complained of persecution from the ordinary Methodists as the ordinary Methodists did from the unregenerate Anglicans.” To make matters worse, preachers soon sprang up who began to claim that “a believer till perfect is under the curse of God and in a state of damnation.” Wesley rejected this teaching, but as Tomkins says, “he did not distance himself very much from it.” How could he? For the doctrine of perfect holiness had finally become both the wellspring and the goal of his apostolic zeal, the one doctrine that could resolve all his personal and theological tensions: “The conquest of sin, and not just its forgiveness , was what he most hoped for from his evangelical conversion.” Faith, Wesley said, was the door of religion; holiness was “religion itself.”
St. Augustine often insisted on the ineluctable sinfulness of Christians, no matter how seemingly perfect they might be. To him innate, incorrigible imperfection was one of the legacies of Adam’s sin. Original sin, he said, turned the human heart into a fomes peccati (tinderbox or powder keg of sin), operative at all times, even in the regenerate. This teaching Wesley seems never to have taken to heart, although the experience of his flock often told him of it, especially when those supposedly “perfect” saints later returned to their previous lives: “Formerly we thought,” wrote Wesley, “one saved from sin could not fall; now we know the contrary. We are surrounded with instances of those who lately experienced all that I mean by perfect. They had both the fruit of the Spirit, and the witness; but they now lost both.”
Recounting Wesley’s story this way might make it seem that he ended his life a tragic failure. But just as dissenting Christianity in England grew to encompass nearly half of English worshippers by the middle of the nineteenth century, so too Wesley’s insistence that holiness is the substance of religion (with faith but its portal) soon gave birth to the various “holiness churches,” and these later gave birth to Pentecostalism, now the fastest-growing form of Protestant Christianity in the world.
Whether Wesley himself would have counted these vast numbers of nonconforming Christians as representing “success” might be doubted, for it was never his intention to break away from the Church of England (in which, like his father Samuel and his brother Charles, he was ordained). But by the end of his days the split was becoming inevitable. Indeed, Wesley himself provoked the split (which took place only after his death) when he went ahead and ordained ministers for America. That move proved Wesley’s Rubicon, for to ordain without his bishop’s permission meant a de facto break; and we are not surprised to learn that at this point he was finally claiming that priests and bishops are the same, so that he had the authority to ordain.
How non-Methodists react to his innovations no doubt depends on their attachment to the ancient creeds and to the apostolic succession which they express. But for me the greater interest in Wesley’s life comes not from his break with Anglicanism, determinative as that was for the paths taken by American Methodism, but from the constancy and consistency of his zeal, often in the face of ferocious persecution (he escaped death several times by only the narrowest of margins, merely for preaching outdoors and to all comers). Yet he kept doggedly on, never wavering, always preaching, always writing in his journal, always on the go, always interrogating his own soul, but never on that account cooling his zeal for the gospel, which he preached in season and out. Perhaps the final word on this remarkable man can only be made by that apostle on whom he most modeled himself, St. Paul: “We are only the earthen vessels that hold this treasure,” he said in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “to prove that such an overwhelming power comes from God, not from us.”
Edward T. Oakes, S. J. is co-editor, with David Moss, of The Cambridge Companion to Hans Urs von Balthasar.'
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GG1lbizV97Y
Images:
1. Portrait of John Wesley, by Emma Cheves Wilkins, 1933. From the Georgia Historical Society Objects Collection, A-1361-333
2. Painting of John Wesley
3. The monument erected on Cockspur Island, Georgia, USA
Background from {{https://www.firstthings.com/article/2004/12/john-wesley-a-biography]}
John Wesley (1703-1791), the founder of Methodism, proves to be a biographer’s dream come true. The man was a bundle of contradictions”and what biographer does not love to portray a human life torn asunder from within, thrashing about on the stage of history? As Stephen Tomkins explains at the conclusion of his almost novelistic biography, Wesley fascinates because he embodied so many of the conflicts of his age and fused them into a life of remarkable achievement:
He combined a Catholic devotion to the sacraments of the Church with a Pentecostal welcoming of healings, ecstasies and Low Church spontaneity. He had an evangelical horror of trying to satisfy God by good works, but an even greater horror of trying to satisfy God without good works. He was a founding father of evangelicalism, but for his last twenty years, he consistently retreated from its stark certainties.
But Wesley’s contradictions were more than theological; they were personal too, especially in his relations with women. After nearly marrying twice (and leaving both women feeling jilted), Wesley eventually married Molly Vazeille, a widow of French Huguenot descent with four children of her own. The marriage was not happy”indeed, the spouses proved scarcely able to tolerate each other. When Wesley, at a Methodist conference in Bristol, got word that his wife was dangerously ill, he headed back to their London home. Arriving at their apartment at the ungodly hour of one o’clock the following morning, he discovered that her fever had abated”and he turned around and headed back to Bristol an hour later.
When Wesley suspected his wife of reading his private mail, he had his desk outfitted with a secret compartment in which to hide his sensitive papers from her. These presumably must have included portions of his famous Journal , for in one bitter letter to her he explained that his indictment of her character was incomplete because he did not have his journal with him at the moment: “I have therefore only my memory to depend on; and that is not very retentive of evil.” No surprise, then, that he did not attend her funeral, and of her own legacy of five thousand pounds (holdings from her first husband, a wealthy merchant), she bequeathed to him only a ring.
Tomkins does, however, absolve Wesley of the charge of adultery, a charge hurled at him by none other than his ultra-suspicious wife. But while always faithful to his marriage vows, Wesley, as his biographer freely admits, “suffered from a failure to discern between the romantic and pastoral, which blighted his romances and cast a shadow over his pastoring.” This was a blind spot that afflicted more than one early Methodist preacher. Perhaps the most disastrous of these philandering clerics was Westley Hall, one of Wesley’s first converts while they were both students at Oxford. Auspiciously enough, Hall married Wesley’s sister Martha; but then, after a string of seductions among his flock, he began to preach a gospel of polygamous deism and finally deserted Martha after most of her ten children had died, fleeing to the West Indies with another woman.
According to the famous twentieth-century Catholic writer, Ronald Knox, the real problem here was “enthusiasm.” But Tomkins shows that such an interpretation goes too far. The real problem was that legitimate religious enthusiasm had become too bottled up by the established church. The author recounts the rather amusing tale of one budding Quaker who quit the Church of England because, when he approached various curates and vicars about his oppressive sense of sin, he was told to go see a doctor. Such anodyne advice was clearly not for Wesley, who advocated what he called “heart-religion,” meaning “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” For Wesley, these fruits of the spirit must be felt , or else they have no being, and when excluded from the devout life religion becomes but a “dry, dead carcass.”
All well and good, and no one doubts that the enthusiasm that greeted Wesley’s sermons owed at least something to the starved condition of souls planted in the fallow soil of a desiccated, established Christianity. Unfortunately, enthusiasm sometimes bursts its own bounds, especially when sexual energy gets commingled with spiritual fervor. But of the authenticity of the fervor, both in Wesley and in most Methodists, there can be no doubt. “At fairly sober estimates,” Tomkins writes, Wesley “rode 250,000 miles, gave away 30,000 pounds, . . . and preached more than 40,000 sermons,” while the published version of his Journal ran to over twenty volumes. Moreover, under his influence England became, in all its classes and throughout the land, a thoroughly Christian nation, so much so that nonconformists grew from six percent of churchgoers in Wesley’s youth to over 45 percent by 1851.
Most remarkably, much of this growth came from the zeal of just this one man, and yet Wesley never seems to have attained the inner peace that was the goal of his entire adult life. In perhaps the most astonishing passage in this riveting book, Tomkins quotes John writing to his brother Charles in these stark words: “I do not love God. I never did. Therefore I never believed, in the Christian sense of the word. Therefore I am only an honest heathen.” But unlike similar-sounding crises of faith in later times, this did not cause Wesley to despair of his mission: “And yet I dare not preach otherwise than I do, either concerning faith, or love, or justification, or perfection . . . I want all the world to come to what I do not know.”
Without quite saying so explicitly, Tomkins implies that Wesley’s dilemma, expressed so poignantly here, came from an unresolved tension located in the Christian religion itself, above all in the still unresolved interpretation of the letters of St. Paul regarding justification and sanctification. While fully admitting that salvation is pure gift (in fact his early preaching was entirely premised on this foundational Reformation doctrine), Wesley also knew that static, untransforming faith was valueless; and so he came to advocate his most distinctive doctrine, claiming”against St. Augustine, Luther, and Calvin”that perfect holiness can be attained in this life. But with such an ideal in mind, dissension was bound to arise within the Methodist ranks between those who claimed such perfection and those who were all too aware of their ongoing sinfulness.
The irony of this dilemma is easy to picture, and Tomkins captures it well: “The immoderately perfect condemned ordinary Methodists as thoroughly as the Methodists condemned the ‘almost Christians’ of the Church of England, and complained of persecution from the ordinary Methodists as the ordinary Methodists did from the unregenerate Anglicans.” To make matters worse, preachers soon sprang up who began to claim that “a believer till perfect is under the curse of God and in a state of damnation.” Wesley rejected this teaching, but as Tomkins says, “he did not distance himself very much from it.” How could he? For the doctrine of perfect holiness had finally become both the wellspring and the goal of his apostolic zeal, the one doctrine that could resolve all his personal and theological tensions: “The conquest of sin, and not just its forgiveness , was what he most hoped for from his evangelical conversion.” Faith, Wesley said, was the door of religion; holiness was “religion itself.”
St. Augustine often insisted on the ineluctable sinfulness of Christians, no matter how seemingly perfect they might be. To him innate, incorrigible imperfection was one of the legacies of Adam’s sin. Original sin, he said, turned the human heart into a fomes peccati (tinderbox or powder keg of sin), operative at all times, even in the regenerate. This teaching Wesley seems never to have taken to heart, although the experience of his flock often told him of it, especially when those supposedly “perfect” saints later returned to their previous lives: “Formerly we thought,” wrote Wesley, “one saved from sin could not fall; now we know the contrary. We are surrounded with instances of those who lately experienced all that I mean by perfect. They had both the fruit of the Spirit, and the witness; but they now lost both.”
Recounting Wesley’s story this way might make it seem that he ended his life a tragic failure. But just as dissenting Christianity in England grew to encompass nearly half of English worshippers by the middle of the nineteenth century, so too Wesley’s insistence that holiness is the substance of religion (with faith but its portal) soon gave birth to the various “holiness churches,” and these later gave birth to Pentecostalism, now the fastest-growing form of Protestant Christianity in the world.
Whether Wesley himself would have counted these vast numbers of nonconforming Christians as representing “success” might be doubted, for it was never his intention to break away from the Church of England (in which, like his father Samuel and his brother Charles, he was ordained). But by the end of his days the split was becoming inevitable. Indeed, Wesley himself provoked the split (which took place only after his death) when he went ahead and ordained ministers for America. That move proved Wesley’s Rubicon, for to ordain without his bishop’s permission meant a de facto break; and we are not surprised to learn that at this point he was finally claiming that priests and bishops are the same, so that he had the authority to ordain.
How non-Methodists react to his innovations no doubt depends on their attachment to the ancient creeds and to the apostolic succession which they express. But for me the greater interest in Wesley’s life comes not from his break with Anglicanism, determinative as that was for the paths taken by American Methodism, but from the constancy and consistency of his zeal, often in the face of ferocious persecution (he escaped death several times by only the narrowest of margins, merely for preaching outdoors and to all comers). Yet he kept doggedly on, never wavering, always preaching, always writing in his journal, always on the go, always interrogating his own soul, but never on that account cooling his zeal for the gospel, which he preached in season and out. Perhaps the final word on this remarkable man can only be made by that apostle on whom he most modeled himself, St. Paul: “We are only the earthen vessels that hold this treasure,” he said in 2 Corinthians 4:7, “to prove that such an overwhelming power comes from God, not from us.”
Edward T. Oakes, S. J. is co-editor, with David Moss, of The Cambridge Companion to Hans Urs von Balthasar.'
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