John Wesley

"A Brand Plucked From The Burning"

John Wesley The 18th Century world was very different from the world we know, yet 18th and 20th Century Britain have one striking similarity, moral laxity.

This results from unbelief, and unbelief from spiritual deadness. The Churches of 18th Century Britain were largely formalistic. The established Church of England had as its clergy mostly men who viewed their occupation as one of the few available to a gentleman. Many parishes never saw their vicar, he would be away hunting or in London for the social season. Undertaking parish duties would be a clerk or curate employed by the vicar at the lowest possible salary. Their poverty meant they could not give themselves wholly to parish duties but had to take other employment.

Decline

Sadly non-conformity was little better. Two heresies had entered its theology, Deism and Arianism, the former denying God’s hand in the affairs of man, the latter denying the deity of Jesus Christ. These in turn destroyed gospel preaching. Congregations did not hear the Bible expounded and the exhortation, “Ye must be born again”.

The neglect of faithful preaching had its outworking in society. Immorality and criminality were found in every strata of society. The drugs problem of today had its counterpart then in the curse of “gin” drinking. 18th Century “gin” was akin to modern day methylated spirits. In towns a gin shop was to be found in every street, displaying notices which read, “Drunk for one penny, dead drunk for two pence. Sleep on clean straw for nothing.” This drink was addictive, resulting in blindness, insanity and premature death. The ruling class were concerned about the state of the nation. They feared a breakdown of society. Hundreds of crimes were classified as warranting the death penalty. Historians readily agree had the nation been still in 1800 as it was in 1700 the anarchy and bloodshed that overtook revolutionary France would have been seen in England too. What saved Britain from such bloodshed? It was the event known as the Evangelical Revival.

Revival

The revival has such famous preachers associated with it as Gloucester born, George Whitfield, the hymn writer Augustus Toplady* and Daniel Rowland in Wales. These being just a few of the men God raised up to preach the necessity of turning from sin and to have faith in Christ alone for Salvation. Of all of the evangelists of this period the most well known is John Wesley. In his lifetime he saw Britain change from the godless place described above to a nation containing countless Christians. Indeed so identified is Wesley with this change that there is a book entitled “England Before and After Wesley”. Wesley himself would undoubtedly refute he had anything to do with this dramatic change. That it was a Divine Act of God, and that he, John Wesley, was merely a chosen instrument God used to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As a believer in the authority of the Bible in all matters, Wesley would know that Scripture reveals the saving of the soul is an act of God. Yet it pleases God to use preaching as the means of making known the Gospel. Just how John Wesley came to the point where he was to become a preacher is remarkable and worth telling.

Early Life

From his earliest day, John Wesley had knowledge of formal religion. He was born in 1703 at Epworth in Lincolnshire. His father, Samuel, being vicar of the village. Samuel and his wife, Susannah had 19 children - sadly several died in infancy.

Samuel thought himself a man of letters and spent long periods away in London seeking a publisher for his work. He left Susannah in charge of the children at Epworth.

Susannah was a remarkable woman who educated her own children, teaching her daughters Greek and Latin, something unheard of in an age when girls received little education. As soon as the children reached five their schooling began with them learning the whole alphabet in one day! Susannah also spoke of teaching the babies to cry quietly, just how, she does not tell us, but something many parents would dearly like to know!

One night when John, or Jackie as the family called him, was five the vicarage was set on fire by some villagers hostile to their rector. The Wesleys fled their home, as they watched the vicarage burn John was seen in a bedroom window cowering before the flames. The fire was so fierce it was impossible to re-enter the house. Fortunately one strong man got a companion to stand on his shoulders and grasped John from the window.

All the family now safe, Samuel gave thanks in prayer to God, then turning to his wife he said he felt that God had saved John for a purpose and he was “a brand plucked out of the burning”.

At ten years old John won a scholarship to Charterhouse School where he “jogged” three times around the grounds every morning. From here he went to Oxford University to study for the ministry of the Church of England. John’s attitude to studies was in contrast to the other students who were very lax. Eventually ordained, John was also made a fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford. By now his brother Charles was also at Oxford. These two both desired to serve God, and, with a few other like minded students they formed the Holy Club. One who joined with them in their strict religious practice was George Whitfield. Students mocked the Holy Club calling its members, “Bible moths”, “Bible bigots” and the name that was to stick “The Methodists”.

Charles secured a post in the Colony of Savannah (Georgia). He got John to also take an appointment with the colony. John travelled to America to be the colonist’s clergyman and also to do missionary work amongst the Red Indians. Unfortunately his strict enforcement of religion on the colonists, many of whom had come from the debtors prisons, did not endear him to them. This accompanied by his breaking of an engagement to the daughter of a leading family resulted in John fleeing Savannah! In despair he wrote in his diary “I went to America to convert the Red Indian but oh! who will convert me”.

Conversion

On his travels John had met a German Christian group called the Moravians. He was impressed by their composure in the face of death - something, despite his strict religion, he lacked. In London he visited their bookshop and was invited to a meeting they held in Aldergate. Wesley the formal, Anglican clergyman rather reluctantly went to this non-conformist meeting where a layman was reading comments on the New Testament Books of Romans and Galatians. Yet it was this meeting, which so jarred against Wesley’s upbringing and formality, that God used to convert John Wesley.

John Wesley wrote of this occasion “I felt my heart strangely warmed.” John realised it was not what he, John Wesley could do which merited salvation but rather what Christ had done for us on the Cross. Those that place their faith in Christ being saved from the penalty of their sins. From this date of 24th May 1738 John’s preaching dramatically altered.......To be continued.

(This article has been kindly written by Mr. Chris Richards of the Protestant Alliance).

* Wesley and Toplady had considerable theological and personal differences. For a helpful article on Wesley that addresses this and related matters click here. The relevant part is just over halfway down the page.