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Wesley Honors College
Sculptures - John Wesley Statue
John Wesley Biography
John Wesley and his 18 siblings were raised in an Anglican home
by pious parents, Susanna and Samuel Wesley. His family’s
strong Puritan discipline set him on the path to become a student
of God’s Word, an evangelist calling for holy living,
and eventually a cofounder of Methodism.
Wesley earned an M.A. from Lincoln College, Oxford, England,
where he was elected a fellow in 1726. Three years later he
with his brothers Charles and George, created a sensation
among the Anglicans at Oxford University by their devotion
to God’s Word, observance of holy communion and commitment
to prayer. Their opponents attributed “Methodist”
to this group of men because of their strict conformity to
the method of study prescribed by the university. Wesley wore
this title as a badge of honor.
In a sermon preached from Romans 8: 16 on January 1, 1733,
entitled “The Circumcision of the Heart”, Wesley
set forth two distinctive doctrines he had been developing:
Christian perfection, and Witness of the Spirit. These became
key elements in Wesley’s theological model in the future.
After the death of his father in 1735, Wesley, a brother
and two companions from Oxford, sailed for America. Wesley
became the pastor of a parish in Savannah, Georgia, and a
missionary to the native Americans. After his return to England
in 1737, Wesley wrote in his journal that even though he went
to America to convert the Indians, he realized that it was
he that needed to be converted from his evil heart. “I
have a fair summer religion. 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,” Wesley wrote.
Under the tutelage of Peter Bohler, a Moravian, and his study
of Martin Luther’s commentary on Galatians, Wesley’s
heart warmed into faith alone in Christ. In 1738, Wesley preached
at Oxford University his famous sermon, “By Grace Ye
are Saved through Faith.”
Encouraged by the successes of Jonathan Edwards and George
Whitefield at outdoor preaching during the Great Awakening
in New England, Wesley broke the mold of a settled Anglican
curate who only preached from his pulpit and began preaching
in the fields of Bristol (1739).
Over the next 50 years Wesley rode an estimated 250,000 miles
across Scotland, Ireland and England, and preached over 42,000
sermons. Wesley also enlisted a band of “circuit riders”
to become itinerant preachers.
Wesley’s rejection of the Doctrine of Election in 1941
resulted in a temporary division between himself and George
Whitefield. Wesley viewed Methodism to be only a society of
Christians within the Anglican Church, and not a split from
the Church of England.
In 1770, Wesley sent Francis Asbury to America to strengthen
the Methodist societies there. He later ordained Thomas Coke
as general superintendent of the Methodists in America.
Wesley was a prolific author, publishing 233 books. On February
23, 1791, John Wesley preached his last sermon in Kingston
House, Leatherhead, England. One week later on March 2 Wesley
spoke his last word, “Farewell,” and enjoyed his
eternal reward.
(Much of this biography originated from an online resource titled
“Knowing
God thru Technology.”)
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