Born 300 years
ago this year,
John Wesley’s
legacy lives on.
Harold Harker
looks at why it’s
so enduring.
58 SIGNS OF THE TIMES
JOHN WESLEY
N
ear the River Trent in Lincolnshire,
England, is the small village of
Epworth. It was there 300 years ago
that the Reformer John Wesley was
born, on July 17, 1703. His achievements, viewed from anyone’s perspective, are
quite remarkable.
At the beginning of the 18th century his father,
Samuel, was rector of the Epworth Anglican church.
With his wife, Susanna, the family lived in the
manse nearby. But when just six years old, John
almost died in a fire in the manse, set by angry
parishioners. He was passed out of a window and
saved—“a brand plucked from the burning,”
according to his mother.
John Wesley’s life and his strong Puritan practices
were greatly influenced by his father, but more so by
his mother. Susanna was mother of 18 children (eight
L–R: Nathan Green/Malcolm Potts/Harold Harker
HEROES OF FAITH
(page 58) This painting by Nathan Green depicts John
Wesley, the “circuit-riding preacher,”who, in his lifetime
rode an estimated 375,000 kilometres across Great Britain.
Outside the Methodist Chapel on City Road, London,
stands this statue of John Wesley, with the words,“The
World Is My Parish”—his concept of ministry.
Samuel
Wesley’s tomb,
in the grounds
of Epworth
Anglican
church, upon
which John
Wesley stood
to preach.
died in infancy), and spent significant time
each week with each child. Part of this
time was spent in attending to their spiritual development. When just 10, John left
home to attend the Charterhouse School
in London. With his brother Charles, he
would walk the 225 kilometres from
Epworth to school each term, then home
again for holidays. As they walked, John
read so as not to waste time.
He studied at Oxford, where he became
a leader of the “Holy Club,” which his
brother Charles had begun. Its activities
included fasting each Wednesday and
Friday, and visiting the sick and needful.
Its members constantly reviewed their
lives to ensure they were following Jesus’
example and instruction. The club never
had more than 25 members at any one
time. Later John would recognise in this
club the roots of Methodism.
■ Although always a leader, John had no
intention of commencing a new denomination, but his action in ordaining
“preachers” to serve in the New World
caused a schism within the establishment
church and the eventual break. When visiting his Epworth home many years later,
he was banned from preaching in its
Anglican church. His response was to
climb onto his father’s tomb in the adjacent cemetery and preach from there.
One of the main reasons the senior
Wesley’s parishioners had torched the
Epworth rectory many years before was
because of their perception that the
Anglican Church and its local representative served only the interests of the
wealthy and elite, ignoring the plight of
commoners. John Wesley, in his ministry, did a huge amount to assist the
working classes, and it was from among
them that the ranks of Methodism came.
He founded an orphanage, a dispensary
and several schools for poor children.
■ Wesley is known as the “circuit-riding
preacher,” for in his lifetime he rode an
estimated 375,000 kilometres around
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
59
HEROES OF FAITH
JOHN WESLEY
England. Estimates of the number of
sermons he preached range up to an
amazing 40,000! While early in his ministry he’d shied away from outdoor
preaching, but, encouraged to do so by
his friend George Whitefield, he tried it,
and from that time on he preached to
hundreds and thousands of people.
John and his brother, Charles, made a
powerful team. Charles followed John’s
lead and began composing poems and
hymns—some 6500 over the course of
their lives. Like Martin Luther, who had
introduced singing into worship, the
Wesleys used hymns as a way of encouraging their flocks and assisting them in
understanding the gospel. Charles
Wesley’s original organ resides in the
Methodist Church’s City Road Chapel,
London today.
■ John Wesley organised his adherents
into thousands of small groups, wrote
their lessons and rostered preachers to
present them. (The 18th- century lists are
in the Methodist Museum at the City
Road Wesley Chapel also.) It was his
“methodical” approach to teaching the
Scriptures and how to live the Christian
life that brought the title of “Methodist”
to the fledgling denomination.
He used print media extensively, writing tracts, booklets and sermons as he
travelled on horseback. These were constantly being printed—more than any
other preacher of his century—so not
surprisingly, with 400 books to his name,
he’s been called “the father of the religious paperback.”
At one point, differences between John
Wesley and George Whitefield became
apparent. Wesley organised his converts
60 SIGNS OF THE TIMES
and inducted them into churches and
church groups, but Whitefield’s followers
were not organised and so were not
“churched.” Whitefield was also seen as a
strong Calvanist.
Although some tension and estrangement existed, the two remained friends
throughout their lives. However, with
the help of a mutual friend, reconciliation came about and on his deathbed,
Whitefield requested John to preside at
his funeral.
■ John Wesley lived his message. And as a
Reformer, a revivalist preacher and, above
all, a superb organiser, his words had
weight and impact. Because of his
revivalist preaching and attention to
social reforms, he is even credited by
some as preventing a French Revolutionstyle revolt in Britain.
Around the world today there are
scores of millions of Methodists, among
the more prominent being Nelson
Mandela, who is credited with bringing
about the transition to majority rule in
South Africa.
■ As a Reformer, in his time John Wesley
was without peer, the living medium of
his own message, which is contained in
his motto:
“Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can
At all the times you can
To all the people you can
As long as ever you can.”
If such an attitude to life and people
were to be followed today, our world
would be a much happier and more
peaceful place.
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