The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 14 (of 32)

In Short

This volume brings together personal correspondence, spiritual journals, and extended apologetic treatises from eighteenth-century Methodist leaders, chief among them John Wesley. Through intimate deathbed accounts, letters of spiritual guidance, and rigorous arguments directed at critical clergymen and skeptics, the text charts the struggles and convictions of a burgeoning revival movement. It details the core Methodist tenets—justification by faith, the witness of the Holy Spirit, and the necessity of field preaching. It has lasted as a definitive historical document that captures the personal, devotional, and institutional dynamics of a movement that transformed Protestantism.

The Story

The volume opens in an intimate mode, presenting the personal writings and spiritual accounts of early Methodists, including Mrs. L. and Jane Cooper. These letters and diary entries map the interior life of the early revival, tracking individuals as they navigate severe physical suffering, acute self-doubt, and the quiet assurance of faith. Jane Cooper’s life and death, alongside the testimony of E. J., establish the practical reality of Methodist conversion: a transition from worldly vanity and mental anxiety to an abiding, peaceful trust in Christ. These personal accounts show believers facing disfigurement, terminal illness, and societal mockery with calm resignation and joyful confidence, framing personal testimony as the ultimate proof of spiritual transformation.

Transitioning from private devotion to public controversy, the volume turns to Wesley’s major polemical works, specifically An Earnest Appeal to Men of Reason and Religion and A Farther Appeal. Here, Wesley addresses a broad audience of skeptics, church authorities, and detached intellectuals. He begins by laying out a rational defense of Christian doctrine, arguing that true religion is entirely compatible with sound reason. He defines faith not as a passive intellectual assent to dogma, but as an active, conscious, and transforming relationship with God that inherently produces love, peace, and moral integrity.

As the argument deepens, Wesley confronts the widespread hostility directed toward Methodism by the established Church of England. He tackles direct accusations of enthusiasm, fanaticism, and secret allegiance to Popery. To counter these claims, he anchors his teachings in the foundational documents of the English Church itself—its Articles and Homilies—demonstrating that his insistence on justification by faith alone and the work of the Holy Spirit aligns completely with Anglican tradition. He highlights the stark double standard of his era: official church bodies tolerate open drunkenness and moral laxity among the clergy while aggressively persecuting and barring field preachers whose only crime is proclaiming the gospel to the neglected masses.

In the final sections, Wesley recounts his own intellectual and ministerial journey. He describes his early ignorance regarding justification during his time in Georgia, his subsequent realization of salvation by faith, and his mandatory turn to field preaching when church doors were shut against him. He addresses practical social disruptions, such as domestic conflicts arising when converts disobey worldly family members to attend Methodist meetings, comparing their stance to the early Christian martyrs. The volume concludes with a confident vision of moral and spiritual renewal sweeping the nation, capped by a solemn devotional poem surrendering all human effort to the divine will.

How It Unfolds

The witness of private grace Through the private letters of Mrs. L. and Jane Cooper, the text establishes the personal foundation of the Methodist experience. These women recount their struggles with sin, their quiet acceptance of painful illness, and their unshakeable assurance in divine love despite worldly trial.

The rational defense of faith Wesley turns to the broader public in An Earnest Appeal, addressing men of reason to demonstrate that Christian faith is logical, morally necessary, and grounded in self-evident spiritual consciousness. He argues that genuine religion naturally promotes human happiness and societal peace.

Answering ecclesiastical critics Addressing the bishops and clergy of the Church of England, Wesley systematically refutes charges of enthusiasm, heresy, and Papal sympathies. He cites the Church’s own Homilies to prove that his teachings on justification and the Holy Spirit are traditional, orthodox Anglican doctrines.

Exposing church hypocrisy Wesley contrasts the harsh institutional opposition faced by Methodist field preachers with the leniency shown to corrupt, ungodly ministers within the establishment. He highlights specific instances of abuse to show that the church establishment is persecuting the very people working to revive it.

The trajectory of a preacher Recounting his own spiritual development, Wesley details his transition from an idealist confused about salvation to an open-air evangelist. He explains how necessity forced him into the fields to reach outcasts who were otherwise entirely excluded from the church.

The People

John Wesley The central voice, organizer, and defender of the Methodist movement. He wants to awaken a dormant church, reform the nation’s morals, and offer the promise of salvation to every social class. Constantly opposed by hostile mobs, conservative bishops, and intellectual critics, he remains composed, logical, and relentless, evolving from a traditional Oxford academic into an uncompromising field preacher.

Jane Cooper A devout young Methodist woman whose letters and deathbed account serve as a model of practical holiness. She seeks absolute submission to the will of God and complete freedom from self-will. Threatened by smallpox and physical disfigurement, she maintains a calm, joyous faith, inspiring those around her and proving that Methodist doctrine yields tangible peace in the face of death.

The Anglican Clergy and Bishops The institutional establishment that resists the Methodist revival. They desire order, traditional decorum, and the preservation of their ecclesiastical authority. Standing in their way is the disruptive, widespread appeal of field preaching and the emotional intensity of converted societies. They end up depicted as reactive, spiritually cold, and blind to the moral transformation occurring among their own people.

In Its Own Voice

When confronting intellectuals who dismiss the inner witness of faith as mere emotionalism, Wesley insists on a direct, conscious experience of divine peace:

"By feeling, I mean, being inwardly conscious of."

Addressing critics who accuse field preachers of creating unnecessary division and breaking church order, Wesley defends their moral character and self-sacrifice:

"Which of your clergy are more unspotted in their lives, which more unwearied in their labours, than those whose names ye cast out as evil, whom ye count as the filth and off-scouring of the world?"

Reflecting on the true standard of a Christian life, Wesley challenges those who rely on superficial religious compliance:

"A Christian! Are you so? Do you understand the word? Do you know what a Christian is? If you are a Christian, you have the mind that was in Christ; and you so walk as he also walked."

What It's Really About

At its core, this volume is an argument about the reality of spiritual transformation and the right of ordinary people to experience it directly. It opposes a cold, purely formal religion that reduces faith to civic duty or ritual habit. Wesley contends that true Christianity must alter the human heart, producing observable changes in behavior, temper, and social responsibility. Beneath the theological debates over justification, sanctification, and church canons lies a fundamental question: Should religious institutions serve their own structural hierarchy, or should they adapt to reach the poor, the uneducated, and the morally abandoned? The text insists that spiritual vitality must always take precedence over institutional comfort.

Why Read It Today

This collection will deeply appeal to historians of religion, readers interested in the eighteenth century, and anyone fascinated by the dynamics of grassroots social and spiritual movements. Reading it feels like stepping directly into the heat of a cultural revolution. The text shifts seamlessly between intimate, heartbreaking deathbed scenes and sharp, high-stakes debate where every paragraph is written with urgency and precision.

The book does present real friction for the modern reader. Its structural layout includes varied historical spellings, extensive archaic punctuation, and dense eighteenth-century sentence structures. The frequent, unannotated references to Anglican Homilies, Latin phrases, and long-forgotten theological disputes require patience and focused reading. Furthermore, the firm, unyielding tone of eighteenth-century moral polemics can feel severe to contemporary sensibilities. Yet, behind these period difficulties lies a vivid historical portrait. The text captures a powerful intellectual mind and a passionate community fighting to remake their world from the ground up.