Wesley, Missionary
and Visionary
The Mission,
the preaching houses, and the classes
Odilon Massolar
Chaves
===============================
Copyright © 2025, Odilon Massolar Chaves
All rights reserved to the author.
It is allowed to read, copy and share for free
Article 184 of the Penal Code and Law 96710 of
February 19, 1998.
Books published in the Wesleyan Digital Library:
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John Wesley on Horseback | Stable Diffusion Online
Translator: Google
All glory to God!
Odilon Massolar Chaves is a retired Methodist
pastor, with a doctorate in Theology and History from the Methodist University
of São Paulo.
His thesis dealt with the Methodist revival in
England in the eighteenth century and its contribution as a paradigm for our
days.
He was editor of the official Methodist
newspaper and coordinator of the Theology Course.
Copyright Statement: These files are in the
public domain and are derived from an electronic edition that is available on
the Ethereal Library of Christian Classics website.
Rio de Janeiro – Brazil
===============================
Table of
Contents
· Introduction
· Highlights
of the book's chapters
·
Wesley
and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts
·
The
horses, the chaise and the mission
· His First
Missionary Work
· Mission in
the Channel Islands
·
The
Colliders and the Kingswood School
· Wesley
preaches to the palatines
·
Preaching
houses as a result of the Mission
· The Classes
===============================
Introduction
===============================
"Wesley, Missionary and Visionary" is a 46-page book that
deals especially with Wesley's missionary work, the preaching houses, and the
classes organized by Wesley.
Wesley was an evangelist, organizer, pastor, prophet, apostle, educator,
missionary, etc.
"He was a visionary who, through his work, transformed the
religious and social landscape of England and beyond. His emphasis on
personal holiness, open-air preaching, and social engagement had a profound and
lasting impact. He led a religious revival that transformed the church in
England and the United States, "emphasizing personal holiness and service
to others."[1]
Wesley was a "man of faith, intellectual and visionary, who left a
lasting legacy. His emphasis on holiness living, studying God's Word, and
serving others continues to inspire and challenge Christians to this day."[2]
After carrying out the mission in Georgia for the "Society for the
Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts", an organization of the
Anglican Church, and after the experience of a warm heart, moved by the Holy
Spirit and the desire to preach the Gospel and spread biblical holiness, Wesley
began to carry out missions.
In June 1739, Wesley met the Welsh preacher Howell Harris while visiting
and preaching in Bristol, and received an invitation from him to visit Wales
later that year. It was his first missionary trip.
As he carried out the missions, with his vision and wisdom, Wesley
realized that he needed to create preaching houses to bring the Methodists
together.
As a visionary man, beyond his time, Wesley later realized the need to
create class.
The class has become
a crucial tool in empowering Methodists to "watch over one another in
love," to support and encourage one another in their lives with God.
The horses and the
chaise were important for the accomplishment of the mission.
Wesley had an
exercise chair that simulated the movement of riding a horse. The "chamber horse" shows Wesley's
"concern for his health and well-being, seeking alternatives to stay
active when he could not ride".[3]
In this book, we
highlight some places where Wesley first went on missions.
The Author
===============================
Highlights of the
book's chapters
===============================
Wesley and the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts
Wesley became a
missionary with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts
The horses, the chaise and the mission
Wesley had the purpose of spreading biblical holiness throughout Great
Britain and used all possible means, among them: horse, chaise, fishing boat,
wagon, sloop, on foot, post-chaise (carriage)
His First Missionary
Work
"After an urgent invitation, already received some time, I left for
Wales"
Mission in the Channel Islands
Wesley preached and established Methodism in
several Channel Islands, among them are: Isle of Man, an island country in the
Irish Sea; Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Wrigh Island in the English Channel
The
Colliders and the Kingswood School
"Kingswood, a place where only the most intrepid dared to set foot"
Wesley preaches to the
palatines
On Friday, June 23, 1758, Wesley said, "I went to the Court
Mattress, a colony of Germans, whose parents left the Palatinate about fifty
years ago"
Preaching
houses as a result of the Mission
I
considered, "What would I do now, if I were sure I had only two days to
live?" All outward things are established according to my will; the houses
of Bristol, Kingswood and Newcastle are safe"
The Classes
"In order that it may
be more easily discerned whether they are really working out their salvation,
each society is divided into smaller groups called classes, according to their
residences. There are about 12 people in each class, one of whom is appointed
to be the leader."
===============================
Wesley and the
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts
===============================
Wesley became a
missionary with the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts
Wesley had a share in
and became a missionary in the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in
Foreign Parts.
"Wesley became a
missionary of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts,
and, together with Charles, sailed for Georgia in 1735. Charles and John
traveled to Georgia with James Oglethorpe on his second trip to the colony. In
Georgia, John served as rector of Christ Church in Savannah. Wesley's ministry
in America was intended not only for the English colonists but also for the
friendly native tribes of Georgia—with the hope, he once said, "of saving
my own soul."[4]
The purpose of the
Society was to take the Gospel to the English colonies and elsewhere.
"The Society for
the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPG), founded in 1701, is an
Anglican missionary organization that was dedicated to bringing the gospel to
British colonies and other regions of the world."[5]
The "Anglican
Jesuits"
Wesley was one of the
notables who participated in the Society.
"The clergy of
the SPG were ordained and college-educated men, once described by Thomas
Jefferson as "Anglican Jesuits." They were recruited from all over
the British Isles and elsewhere; only one-third of the missionaries employed by
the Society in the eighteenth century were English. Included in their number
were notable individuals such as George Keith and John Wesley, the founder of
Methodism (which was originally a movement within the Anglican Church)."[6]
Wesley also realized
that there were shortcomings in the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel
in Foreign Parts (SPGE).
"Wesley often
criticised the SPG for its inadequate approach to evangelism in Ireland,
arguing that they were not really reaching out to the Irish and were neglecting
the need to adapt the Christian message to the local culture.
Wesley also accused
the SPGE of promoting a form of elitist Christianity, which did not meet the
needs of the lower classes and the rural Irish population.
Despite the
criticism, Wesley worked closely with some members of the SPG and recognized
the importance of general missionary work." [7]
After 1738, Wesley's
missionary work was carried on apart from the Society for the Propagation of
the Gospel in Foreign Parts (SPGE).
For example,
"Methodism in Scotland developed independently of the SPGE, with its own
organizations and leaders, although there was some interaction and mutual
influence between the two movements." [8]
Near the end of his
life, he said:
"I was now considering how strangely the mustard seed grain,
planted about fifty years ago, grew. It spread throughout Britain and Ireland;
the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Man; then to America, from the Sota-vento
Islands across the continent to Canada and Newfoundland. And societies, in all
these parts, walk by a rule, knowing that religion is a holy temperament;
striving to worship God, not only in form, but also "in spirit and in
truth."[9]
Wesley understood the
importance of having the participation of preachers and missionaries in the
Methodist Movement.
He said, "Give me a hundred preachers who are afraid of nothing but sin, and who desire nothing else but to serve God, and I don't care whether they are clergy or laity, they alone will shake the gates of hell and establish the kingdom of heaven here on earth."[10]
When he died, there were 511 preachers and missionaries in Methodism.
"By Wesley's
death on March 2, 1791, Methodism had grown to 294 preachers and 71,668 members
in Great Britain, 19 missionaries and 5,300 members at mission stations, and
198 preachers and 43,265 members in the United States. He passed away at his
home in London and is buried in the cemetery of the City Road Chapel."[11]
===============================
The horses, the chaise and the mission
===============================
Wesley had the purpose of spreading biblical holiness throughout Great
Britain and used all possible means, among them: horse, chaise, fishing boat,
wagon, sloop, on foot, post-chaise (carriage)
One cannot speak of Wesley's missionary work without mentioning his
horses and mares, as well as the chaise.
Without the horses, the
mission would be very limited.
"It is estimated that
over the course of his life, he rode horses 250,000 miles preaching the
gospel."[12]
Wesley had the purpose of
spreading biblical holiness throughout Great Britain and used all possible
means, among them: horse, chaise, fishing boat, cart, sloop, on foot,
post-chaise (carriage), etc.
Horses for Wesley were
special, to the point that he realized that horses liked music, that by letting
go of the reins the horses did not stumble.
Wesley's horses bore the
following names: "Maggot, Holey, Sophy, Grace, Georgy and Charlie".[13]
Wesley perceived spiritual
influence in horses. He prayed and his horse was healed. When there was a
serious problem with the chaise pulled by the horses, Wesley noticed the action
of demons and also of angels bringing deliverance.
He directed his preachers
to treat their horses well.
Wesley gets a chaise as a gift
"This carriage, painted yellow and with a bookshelf inside, became a familiar sight on the roads of England for the next quarter century"
On December 18, 1765, at
the age of 62, Wesley suffered a bad fall falling from his horse.
Wesley asked "if I
would ever ride again. Although this fear did not materialize, from that date
on he began to rely more and more on vehicles, in which he had become
accustomed to walking and reading. The following summer, Miss Helena S. Lewen
presented him with a carriage and a pair. This carriage, painted yellow and
with a bookshelf inside, became a familiar sight on the roads of England for
the next quarter century."[14]
Wesley won a chaise and two
horses. In his travels, he always spoke of the chaise.
Chaise in French means
"chair". The chaise is a two-wheeled enclosed carriage.
"It could be pulled by
just a horse or mule, thus being a more accessible vehicle and, consequently, a
little slower. However, depending on the owner, it could be a larger vehicle,
with two forward-facing seats and richly decorated, perfect for trips through
the countryside."[15]
Who was Margaret Lewen who
donated the chaise?
Margaret Lewen (1742-1766)
was born in Leytonshire, England. She was a devoted young woman,
rich in property but poor in health with a heart condition. John Wesley's
visits did more good than the visits of all his doctors, his father said.
On 20 March 1765, Wesley
wrote: "M. Lewen took me in a post-chaise to Derby [From
Birmingham]." On April 8, in Durham, her father thanked Wesley for all his
spiritual assistance to his daughter.
A post-chaise is a
four-wheeled, enclosed carriage, containing a seat for two or three passengers,
that was popular in 18th-century England.[16]
He was very helpful to
Wesley in his missionary work.
===============================
His First Missionary
Work
===============================
"After an urgent invitation, already received some time, I left for
Wales"
In June 1739, Wesley met the Welsh preacher
Howell Harris "while visiting and preaching in Bristol, and received an
invitation from him to visit Wales later that year.
A quote
from John Wesley's diary reads:
"Monday,
October 15, 1739
After an
urgent invitation, already received some time, I left for Wales. About four
o'clock in the afternoon I preached on a little green at the foot of the
Devauden (a high hill, two or three miles beyond Chepstow) to three or four
hundred simple persons on "Christ, our wisdom, righteousness,
sanctification, and redemption." After the sermon, one whom I trust to be
an old disciple of Christ, gladly received us into his house: where many
followed, I showed them the need of a Saviour from these words: "Blessed
are the poor in spirit." In the morning I described more fully the way to
salvation—'Believe on the Lord Jesus, and thou shalt be saved'; and then,
bidding farewell to my friendly host, before two came to Abergavenny.[17]
Thus began an association with Wales that
continued for the rest of Wesley's life, during which he made 53 separate
visits to the country over a period of just over 40 years, between 1739 and
1790. Some of these visits were secondary, in the sense that he preached in
North Wales while on his way to Ireland via Holyhead on Anglesey, but 34 of
them were specifically for Wales."[18]
The Welshman Howel Harris was an instrument for Wesley to visit and
develop his ministry in Wales, despite the fact that he was of the Calvinist
line. In the end, there was a Calvinist and an Arminian Methodist Church in
Wales.
Wesley acted with diplomacy in everything, being a knight, a prince in
Wales.
The First Sermon in Wales
"On the little green at the foot of Devauden Hill"
John Wesley preached his first sermon in Wales on October 15, 1739, on
the little green at the foot of Devauden Hill, near Chepstow. Wesley's first
convert was a poor woman who walked six miles to hear him, and followed him to
Abergavenny, Usk, and Pontypool, found peace, and stood by his side at Cardiff,
the wave bundle of a bountiful harvest."[19]
The
event is commemorated by the street names Devauden, Wesley Gardens, and Wesley
Way.
"By
the time he came to the end of his ministry, he had visited Cardiff on 32
separate occasions, and had preached there at least 55 times (excluding the 7
occasions on which he preached at Llandaf, and the 3 occasions on which he
preached at Llanishen, both now part of the city)."[20]
Cardiff
is the capital of Wales. It is considered a
small city, "with only 330 thousand inhabitants, modern and traditional at
the same time.
Persecution of the Methodists
There was persecution of the Methodists in Wales and Wesley, as a
prince, had to write, in 1744, a letter to King George II called "A humble
message from the Societies of England and Wales from those who in derision are
called Methodists".[21]
It was not until 1800 that Thomas Coke sent Welsh-speaking Methodist
preachers to Wales.
Wesley enjoyed an excellent lodging in a famous castle of Fonmon (cover
with the castle and the Jones family) owned by earnest Methodists, who paved
the way for his preaching in the country.
On August 25, 1763, in Wales, Wesley matured and said he was more
convinced than ever of the importance of discipleship, of bands.
For him, preaching without uniting those who are awakened and training
them in the ways of God, is only generating children for the murderer.
===============================
Mission in the Channel Islands
===============================
Wesley preached and established Methodism in
several Channel Islands, among them are: Isle of Man, an island country in the
Irish Sea; Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Wrigh Island in the English Channel
Along
with Methodist preachers, Wesley preached and established Methodism in several
Channel Islands, among them are: Isle of Man, an island country in the Irish
Sea; Jersey, Guernsey, Alderney and Wrigh Island in the English Channel.
Wesley
wished, that it should be only for one day, to visit and preach in the Isles of
Scilly.
He got
support from two evangelists – John Nelson and William Shepherd – and traveled
on a fishing boat and visited St. Mary's Island, which is part of the Isles of
Scilly archipelago, off the southwest coast of Cornwall, England.
Wesley
preached in the streets to almost the entire city and many soldiers, sailors,
and laborers. He distributed between "200 and 300 hymns and
booklets". He met with the governor who also offered literature.
The next
morning, he preached again. He referred to St. Mary's Island as "a barren
and shady place," probably because it is a place formed of granite.
Wesley's
Journey to St. Mary's
"We
landed at St. Mary's, the chief of the inhabited islands"
Wesley
recorded in his diary of September 12, 1743:
"About
half an hour after one, we landed at St. Mary's, the chief of the inhabited
islands." [22]
Wesley
and the Governor
"I
wished that he, in the same way, would accept a "Sincere Appeal"
"I
gave them some little books and hymns, which they were so anxious to receive
that they were ready to tear them and me to pieces."[23]
It was
Wesley's perception of that moment.
"We
immediately await the Governor, with the usual gift, that is, a newspaper. I
wished him would likewise accept a "Sincere Plea," [24]Wesley
said.
Wesley
referred to his book "A Sincere Appeal to Men of Reason and
Religion".
"This
text of 1743 was the first of a series of rebuttals that Wesley wrote in
response to the objections he was suffering and, besides being a vehement
allegation against some members of the clergy of the Church of England, it is a
wonderful anthropological and soteriological essay."[25]
Preaching
to almost every city
"I
preached in the streets at six to almost the whole city and many soldiers,
sailors and workers"
"The
minister not wanting me to preach in the church, I preached at six in the
streets to almost the whole city and many soldiers, sailors and workers: 'Why
will you die, O house of Israel?'[26]
A
blessed time
"It
was a blessed time for me that I hardly knew how to conclude," Wesley
said. "After the sermon, I gave them some little books and hymns, which
they were so anxious to receive that they were ready to tear them and me to
pieces."[27]
About
the rocks
"But
a providential reason was easy to discover. God could call them together to
hear the gospel." [28]
St.
Mary's is made up of granite. Wesley refers to this. He asked the following
question: "For what political reason so great a number of workmen were
gathered and employed at so great a cost to fortify some barren rocks, that
whoever took them, deserves to have them for his pains, I could not imagine:
but a providential reason was easy to be discovered. God could call them
together to hear the gospel, which perhaps otherwise they would never have
thought of." [29]
Distributing
books
"Distributed
to them and to others between two hundred and three hundred hymns and little
books"
"At
five in the morning I preached again on 'I will heal your backsliding; I will
love you freely,' said Wesley. "And between nine and ten, having conversed
with many privately, and distributed to them and to others between two hundred
and three hundred hymns and little books, we left this barren and gloomy place,
and set sail for St. Ives directly in our teeth. Our pilot said we would have
good luck if we made it to land; but he did not know Him whom the winds and the
seas obey. Shortly after three we were tied with Land's End, and about nine we
reached St. Remarkable Service at Gwennap." [30]
St Ives,
is a coastal town, a civil parish and a port in Cornwall.
This
historical fact was mentioned on Wikipedia in the approach to St. Mary's:
"John
Wesley preached here on September
13, 1743. The Wesleyan Methodist Society was founded in 1788 and the first chapel erected in 1790.
This was replaced in 1828. The present Methodist church was
built in 1899 by A.J. Trenear in Hugh
Town and forms part of the
Isles of Scilly Methodist Circuit."[31]
===============================
The Colliders and the Kingswood School
===============================
"Kingswood,
a place where only the most intrepid dared to set foot"
Kingswood
borders Bristol and is currently a modern community. At the end of the
seventeenth century, the mining industry developed.
"It
is a suburban town in the district of South Gloucestershire, in the
ceremonial county of Gloucestershire,
England, bordering the eastern edge of the city of Bristol."[32]
In
the past, the city was a place with many colliders, coal miners.
Pin
Manufacturing
"From
the 17th to the 19th centuries, pin making was an important industry in the
Kingswood area. Once handmade from the lengths of brass wire, pins were very
expensive, and some husbands gave their wives 'pin money' to buy them."[33]
Describing
colliders
Wesley
described the Kingswood Colliders as "a people famous, from the beginning
until then, for fearing neither God nor for considering man: so ignorant of the
things of God that they seemed but a footstep of the perishing beasts; and
therefore utterly without desire for instruction, as well as without the means
thereof," [34]
said Wesley.
High
prices, low wages and poverty
Three
were especially the causes of the revolt and strike of the colliders, the
Kingswood charcoal burners.
"The riots around
Bristol were part of a larger pattern of unrest during the period 1738 to 1740,
triggered by high corn prices, low wages, and the oppressive poverty of the new
class of urban laborers. Although food riots erupted throughout the century,
historian Bernard Semmel notes that 'the years 1739 and 1740, when Methodism
erupted, were especially bad years' and the Kingswood miners were 'regularly a
source of difficulty'.[35]
Only
the most intrepid went to Kingswood
"There
was never a dull moment in Kingswood, a place where only the most intrepid
dared to set foot – or so they say! Colliders revolted against the imposition
of tolls in 1727 and 1749. In 1738, they went on strike for a week causing
'turbulent commotions' in Bristol. Then came George Whitefield, who preached in
the open fields to the colliders and recorded the white gutters of his tears
that fell on their coal-black faces. Hot foot behind George came John Wesley.
The result was "That Great Stir" 1739/1740 and Kingswood's conversion
to Methodism."[36]
Whitefield
and Wesley were instrumental in the transformation of Kingswood
"In
the 18th century, Kingswood was a small coal-mining village where George
Whitefield's open-air preaching greatly influenced John Wesley in the founding
of Methodism. The construction of a series of meetinghouses, the Whitefield
Tabernacle, and schools by Whitefield, Wesley, and their associates and
followers is considered one of the contributing factors to the growth of
Kingswood."[37]
The scenario
that emerged from Whitefield
"Kingswood
was a district of approximately 20 square miles. Although it was within the
boundaries of four parishes, it had no parish church, no school, and only one
nonconformist place of worship: a small Baptist church in Hanham, which had
been built in 1714. Near the commercially prosperous port of Bristol, the area
was largely populated by coal miners, living and working in atrocious
conditions. Men, women and children worked long hours in the mines."[38]
It
was in this scenario that Whitefield emerged.
Whitefield
first visited Kingswood in the spring of 1739. On Wednesday, February 21 he
preached to 2,000 in the open air, two days later to between 4,000 and 5,000,
then on Sunday an estimated 10,000 people came to hear him preach."[39]
Wesley's
Beginnings in Kingswood
"I
preached in Bath to about a thousand persons on Tuesday morning, and at four
o'clock in the afternoon to the poor colliders, in a place in the middle of
Kingswood"
John
Wesley recorded in his journal visits and ministrations at Kingswood.
We
highlight a few:
Preaching
to thousands in Kingswood
On
Sunday, April 8, 1739, "at seven o'clock in the morning I preached to
about a thousand persons in Bristol, and then to about fifteen hundred on the
top of Mount Hannam, in Kingswood. I called them, in the words of the Gospel
prophet: "Ho! everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; ... come, and buy
wine and milk without money and without price" [Isaiah 55:1]. About five
thousand were in the afternoon at Rose Green (on the other side of Kingswood);
among whom I stood up and cried out in the name of the Lord: "If anyone
thirsts, let him come to me and drink. He that believeth on me, as the
Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water' (John
7:38)," [40]
Wesley said.
Preaching
to the poor colliders
"Found
His Soul Full of Peace"
Wesley
continued to preach to multitudes. It was thus, on the 23rd of April, 1739:
"I preached at Bath to about a thousand persons on Tuesday morning, and at
four o'clock in the afternoon to the poor colliders, at a place in the middle
of Kingswood, called Two-Mile-hill. In the evening, in Baldwin Street, a young
man, after an acute (though short) agony, both of body and mind, found his soul
full of peace, knowing in whom he had believed."[41]
According
to historians, "Two Mile Hill was the site chosen by John
Wesley, one of the founders of
Methodism, as the site for a Methodist
school and preaching house."[42]
Wesley's
Itinerary
"Every
other Friday, in another part of Kingswood"
John
Wesley wrote on Sunday, May 13, 1739: "My common employment in public was
now this: Every morning I read prayers and preached in Newgate. Every night I
expounded a portion of the Scriptures in one or more of the societies. On
Monday afternoon I preached abroad near Bristol; on Tuesday, in Bath and Two
Mile Hill alternately; on Wednesday, at Baptist Mills; every other Thursday,
near Pensford; every other Friday, in another part of Kingswood; on Saturday
afternoon, and Sunday morning, at Bowling Green (which is near the middle of
the city); on Sunday, at eleven, near Mount Hannam; to both of them, in
Clifton; and at five, in Rose Green. and so far, how my days like this have
been my strength."[43]
Build
a house in Kingswood
"That
your children might also know the things that contribute to your peace"
"That
his children might also know the things that contribute to his peace, it had
been proposed for some time to build a house at Kingswood; And after many
foreseen and unforeseen difficulties, last June the foundations were laid. The
land chosen was in the middle of the woods, between the roads of London and
Bath, not far from the so-called Two Mile Hill, about three measured miles from
Bristol," [44] Wesley
said.
A
large room was started
"A
large room was started for the school, having four small rooms at each
end"
"Here
a large room was begun for the school, having four little rooms at each end for
the teachers (and, perhaps, if it pleased God, some poor children) to lodge in.
Two persons are ready to teach, as soon as the house is ready to receive them,
whose shell is almost finished; so the whole is expected to be completed in the
spring or early summer," [45]Wesley
said.
The
fact is that Methodism developed at Kinkswood.
Some
facts reveal this.
The Kingswood
School
"John
Wesley founded Kingswood School in 1748. Originally in Bristol, it grew
larger than the original site and moved to its present location in Bath in
1852.[46]
===============================
Wesley
preaches to the palatines
===============================
On Friday, June 23, 1758, Wesley said, "I went
to the Court Mattress, a colony of Germans, whose parents left the Palatinate
about fifty years ago"
The
Palatinate is a region in southwestern Germany. The origin of the term
"palatine or palatine" comes from the Roman Empire. It was used for
"chamberlains of the emperor (e.g., chamberlain of
the Holy Roman Church) due to its association with the Palatine Hill, the house
where Roman emperors had lived since Augustus Caesar (hence "palace")".[47]
The term was also used by many states in Germany within the Holy Roman Empire.
The "palatinate is a territory administered by a count palatine, originally the direct representative of a sovereign, but later the hereditary ruler of the territory subordinate to the suzerain of the crown."[48]
Persecution
and harsh winter
"A substantial exodus of palatine families occurred in 1709, shortly after a terribly harsh winter"
In the 17th century, there were many Protestant refugees in the German Palatinate.
"Families settled there to rebuild their lives and escape persecution. The Palatinate was repeatedly devastated by attacks from France during the 17th century." [49]
When the Palatines became
acquainted with the "pamphlets drawn up by New World proprietors to
publicize the benefits of emigrating to America, a substantial exodus of
Palatine families occurred in 1709, shortly after a terribly harsh winter. Some
of the palatine emigrants of 1709 found their way to the New World directly,
but more than 13,000 were transported to London." [50]
"The
Irish Palatines were 'poor foreigners'
"The Irish Palatines were 'poor foreigners', refugees from war and religious intolerance in the spring/summer of 1709. They originated in Germany's Lower Rhineland and spread to England, Ireland, and British America!"[51]
It was in the time of Queen
Anne (1665-1714). She was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland.
"The British
government transported a group of 3,073 palatines to Ireland. Many were established
as agricultural tenants on the Anglo-Irish landlords' estates near Rathkeale in
Limerick and near New Ross in Wexford."[52]
"Those German immigrants
who settled on the estate of a Protestant landowner near Limerick in the
south-west of Ireland became known as the 'Irish Palatines'. They continued to
practice the Protestant religion for hundreds of years. John Wesley himself
(1703-1791) preached to the palatines of Limerick and they became Wesley's
poster boys for the benefits of true religion. Barbara Ruckle Heck was an Irish
immigrant from the United States who came to Ontario as a United Empire
Loyalist. She became known as the mother of American Methodism."[53]
Wesley's first visit to Limerick and the Palatines
His first visit to the Palatines was "in the course of his sixth Irish tour in 1756, when he visited Ballingrane and the neighbouring village which he at different times calls Newmarket or Pallas. On modern maps it is called Pallaskenry." [54]
Today Pallaskenry is a village in County Limerick, Ireland.
The first visit was on June 16, 1756. Wesley said:
"In the afternoon I went to Ballingarrane, a town on the Palatines which came in the time of
Queen Anne. They retain much of the temper and manners of their own country,
bearing no resemblance to those among whom they live. I found a lot of life
among these simple, artless, serious people."[55]
"John Wesley has always received a warm welcome from the
Palatines"
"John
Wesley always received a warm welcome from the Palatines, returning to preach
among them several times. The Palatine were families who came to Ireland from
Germany in 1709, and who settled mainly in County Limerick."[56]
Wesley visited Limerick every two years
Every two years Wesley visited the Palatines. Among
these years are|:
·
June 16, 1756
·
June 23, 1758
·
July 9, 1760
·
June 4, 1762
·
June 14, 1765
·
May 21, 1767
·
May 7, 1778
·
May 13, 1789.[57]
Simple, artless, serious
"They were straightforward and free from deception"
"He
described those he met as "simple, artless, serious" people. In other
words, they were straightforward and free from deception. Subsequently he came
to the area in the course of thirteen other voyages, sometimes including
Courtmatrix, Killeheen, Kilfinnane, and on one occasion Adare.[58]
Wesley's visit to Adare
"Visited Adare and surroundings at least ten times"
"Adare has a long tradition of Methodist worship, and two and a half centuries ago, John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, visited Adare and the surrounding area at least ten times between 1765 and 1778.
A strong local tradition says that John Wesley preached under an ash tree near the ruins of the Franciscan Abbey on at least one of these occasions. A stone now marks the site, and since 1819, Methodists have held a field meeting every year on the first Tuesday in June.
The first Methodist chapel at Adare was built in 1794 on the north side of the road to Patrickswell in the town of Gortnaganniff." [59]
The fact
that the Palatines subsequently went to America and Barbara Heck and Philip
Embury started Methodism in America.
The Cause of the Move to
America
The landlord in
Limerick, after the expiry of the 50-year lease or the lease for three lives[60], wanted to greatly
increase the lease values. Many, therefore, left. A good part for America.
Several who stayed
later went hungry.
On Wednesday, July
16, 1760, Wesley said, "I rode to Newmarket, which was another German
settlement. But the poor settlers, with all their diligence and frugality,
could not get even the coarsest food to eat, and the humblest garments to wear,
under their merciful owners; so that most of them, as well as those in
Balligara (Ballingran), and were forced to look for bread elsewhere, some of
them in distant parts." [61]
And Wesley adds:
"but most of it in America." [62]
Among them were
Philip Embuiry and Barbara Heck who would go on to pioneer Methodism in
America.
===============================
Preaching houses as a result of the Mission
===============================
I considered, "What would I do now, if I were sure I had only two
days to live?" All outward things are established according to my will;
the houses of Bristol, Kingswood and Newcastle are safe"
Wesley
understood the importance while he was alive of building preaching houses for
the Methodist people to gather, for meetings, to be edified to minister the
Word, to participate in the bands, for the love feast, etc.
Here
are some reports in his Diary about the preaching houses.
03/19/1747 –
Thursday.
Bristol, Kingswood and Newcastle houses are safe
I considered,
"What would I do now, if I were sure I had only two days to live?"
All outward things are established according to my will; the houses of Bristol,
Kingswood and Newcastle are safe; the documents, through which they are
transmitted to the curators, were established in the 5th instance; my will is
done; what else have I to do but commend my soul to my merciful and faithful
Creator? A few days each week I spent in examining the societies in the
vicinity of Newcastle. And I have found great reason to rejoice over them.
===============================
Proposing to Build a
Preaching House
In the afternoon, I
proposed to the society the construction of a preaching house. The next day,
ten people offered one hundred pounds, another hundred were offered in three or
four days, and a plot of land purchased
In the
afternoon, I proposed to the society the construction of a preaching house
===============================
The preaching house is a little larger than the
one in Newcastle
The preaching house is a little larger than the
one in Newcastle. It was completely filled at seven in the evening; and the
hearts of all the congregation seemed to be moved before the Lord and before
the presence of His power"
1755
Monday,
14 - I passed through Manchester (where I preached about twelve) to Warrington.
At six o'clock in the morning, Tuesday, the 15th, I preached to a large and
earnest congregation; and then it went to Liverpool, one of the cleanest and
best-built cities I have ever seen in England. I think it's totally twice as
big as Chester; Most of the streets are quite straight. Two-thirds of the city,
we were told, was added within those forty years. If it continues to increase
at the same rate, in another forty years it will be almost equal to Bristol.
The people in general are the softest and most courteous I have ever seen in a
port city; as indeed appears by his friendly demeanor, not only to the Jews and
Papists who live among them, but even to the Methodists (so called). The
preaching house is a little larger than the one in Newcastle. It was completely
filled at seven in the evening; and the hearts of all the congregation seemed
to be moved before the Lord and before the presence of His power."[63]
===============================
I
preached once more at St. Just's, on the first stone of his new society house
1755
Saturday, September 13.—I
preached once more at St. Just's, on the first stone of his new society house.
In the evening, as we rode to Camborne, John Pearce, of Redruth, was mentioning
a remarkable incident: While he was living in Helstone, for his gang was
meeting one night, one of them shouted, with an unusual tone, "We are not
going to stay here: we are going to ---," a house, which was in a very
different part of the city. They all got up immediately and went, though
neither they nor she knew why. Then, after they were gone, a spark fell into a
powder keg, which was in the next room, and blew up the house. The same thing happened:
God preserve those who trusted in Him and avoid the blasphemy of the crowd.[64]
===============================
Wesley's meeting with the preachers in the
preaching house
The following week I met with Mr. Fletcher and
the other preachers who were in the house, and spent considerable time in
private conversation on the subject of "Christian Perfection"
I wrote an account of an extraordinary monument
of divine mercy, Nathaniel Othen, who was killed by desertion at Castle Dover
in October, 1757. The following week I met with Mr. Fletcher and the other
preachers who were in the house, and spent considerable time in private
conversation on the subject of "Christian Perfection." Then I wrote
down the general propositions, on which we all agree.
03/13/58 – Monday.
===============================
Preaching in the structure of the new house
I preached in the structure of the new house and
then left for York. The cliffs over which we drove were ready to engulf both
man and beast
I preached in the structure of the new house and
then left for York. The cliffs over which we drove were ready to engulf both
man and beast. However, we arrived safely in York in the afternoon. After
performing small errands, on Wednesday the 15th, I rode to Leeds, where in the
afternoon a crowd was present. I had never seen things in such great order here
before, and I have learned that the assistance has not been inefficient. I was
apprehensive, having made an unusual expense, that I was slightly limited by
money, but after the preaching some one with whom I had never exchanged a word
put a letter in my hand in which was ten pounds.
10/01/1759 – Wednesday.
===============================
Advising on the Construction of a New Preaching
House
I counseled our brothers regarding the preaching
house they were about to build
When my work in Bristol was finished, I rode to
Salisbury and advised our brethren in regard to the preaching house they were
about to build. On Friday, the 12th, I proceeded to Whitchurch, and preached at
one o'clock in the afternoon to a large and earnest congregation. Then we rode
to Basingstoke, where people made me think about the wild beasts of Ephesians.
Yet they were unusually attentive at night, though many of them could not hear.
===============================
Preaching in Preaching Houses
In the evening, I preached at the other end of
the city, in our own preaching house
03/25/1778 –
Thursday.
I
preached in the new house that Mr. Fletcher built, in Madeley Wood.
I preached in the new house that Mr. Fletcher
built, in Madeley Wood. The people here are exactly like those at Kingswood,
except that they are simpler and more receptive to teaching.
08/16/1787 –
Thursday.
In the evening, I preached at the other end of the
city, in our own preaching house
I had a very earnest
congregation at five o'clock in a large room in Mr. Jersey's house. Its gardens
and orchards are of a vast extent and wonderfully pleasurable; I do not know a
nobleman in Great Britain who has such a variety of the most excellent fruits;
coming from France and other parts of the continent, it has increased every
year. How much fruit it has you can conclude from a single species only. That
summer, he gathered fifty pounds of strawberries daily, for six consecutive
weeks. In the evening I preached at the other end of the city, in our own
preaching house. And in such a way the people were compressed into it (although
not even close to the amount that came), that the room looked like an oven.
However, no one seemed to care about this, because God's Word was sharper than
a two-edged sword.
===============================
To establish new
Methodist preaching houses
I have written a way
of establishing the preaching houses, without any superfluous words that may be
used in the time to come literally, for all the houses with which I contribute
something. I will no longer encourage that tautology of lawyers that is a
scandal in our nation.
I preached to the children in the new chapel
21/02/1790 – Sunday.
I preached to the children in the new chapel and I believe not in vain.
02/24 – Wednesday.
New full chapel
I preached once more
in Wapping to a packed audience, and the next afternoon in the new chapel that
was equally full.
03/15 – Monday.
The preaching house was too small
I left early in the
morning and dined at Stroud, but in the afternoon we did not know what to do.
The preaching house was too small to contain the congregation, so that several
hundred (it was supposed) were forced to leave. But the power of God remained
with us, and great was our rejoicing in it.
03/16 – Tuesday.
At noon I preached at
Painswick to as many as the house contained
At noon I preached at
Painswick to as many as the house contained. In the afternoon, in Gloucester,
we had a large crowd, but many would neither hear nor let others hear. In fact,
those who sat in the galleries could hear well, but those who were below heard
very little.
03/17 – Wednesday.
I preached at Tewkesbury about noon, but here the
house could not contain the congregation either
On the way to
Tewkesbury, at the earnest desire of Samuel Vernon, I visited him and his five
daughters (all grown-ups), who had lately joined that society; all are now
sincere and have offered to adorn the Gospel of God our Lord. I preached at Tewkesbury about noon, but here
the house could not contain the congregation either. We went to Worcester in
the afternoon, and found much comfort among the well-established people. They
have no disputes now, but they all maintain the unity of the Spirit in the
commitment to peace. [65]
"They have no disputes now, but they all maintain the unity of the
Spirit in the commitment to peace." Which brought comfort to Wesley.
===============================
The Classes
===============================
"In order that it may be more easily discerned
whether they are really working out their salvation, each society is divided
into smaller groups called classes, according to their residences. There are
about 12 people in each class, one of whom is appointed to be the leader."
There was a purpose to class meetings.
His main goal "was personal holiness. The Class Meeting served as a place where the 6–12 people gathered were able to be honest about their condition and receive loving exhortation and encouragement in their battles. It provided a forum where everyone was welcomed into an environment of acceptance. They would share about the previous week's experience, thank God for their progress, and honestly share their failures, temptations, or internal battles."[66]
With more details and historical moments, we
summarize a little about its beginning and development, the struggles and
victories.
To exercise discipline
Wesley realized that some Methodists were growing cold in their faith and something had to be done. "The Wesleyan class meeting came into being in Bristol early in 1742, somewhat by accident. Wesley was increasingly concerned that many Methodists did not live the gospel; "Several have grown cold and have given place to the sins that had long easily afflicted them." (Works, 77-78) Clearly, some mechanism for exercising discipline was necessary.[67]
To train them
"On Thursday, August 25, 1763, Wesley said,
"I was more convinced than ever that preaching as an apostle, without
uniting those who are awakened and training them in the ways of God, is only
begetting children for the murderer. How much preaching there has been during
these twenty years throughout Fembrokeshirel, but no regular society, no
discipline, no order or connection; and the consequence is that nine out of ten
of the once awakened are now faster asleep than ever before."[68]
To meet a debt
To meet the
debt of the preaching house in Bristol, the society there (now numbering over
1,100) was divided into 'classes' of a dozen each. Leaders were appointed to
ensure weekly contributions to the debt, and Wesley, being Wesley, asked the
leaders to also 'make a private inquiry into the behaviour of those he saw
weekly'. (Works, 9:261) This provided the opportunity to exercise
discipline."[69]
It all started
on Monday, February 15, 1742. Wesley wrote in his diary: "Many assembled
to consult on a suitable method of paying off the public debt; It was finally
agreed 1) that each member of the society, who was able, should contribute one
cent per week; 2) that the whole society should be divided into small companies
or classes – about twelve in each class; and 3) that one person in each class
should receive the contribution of the rest and bring it to the stewards on a
weekly basis."[70]
Later, the
method was used in London and everywhere else.
Origin of
classes in London
On Thursday,
March 25, 1742, Wesley decided to establish the classes in London, after much
conversation: "I appointed several serious and sensible men to meet me, to
whom I showed the great difficulty I had long encountered in knowing the people
who wished to be under my care. After much talk, they all agreed that there was
no better way to arrive at a sure and complete knowledge of each person than to
divide them into classes, such as those at Bristol, under the inspection of
those whom I could most trust. This was the origin of our classes in London,
for which I shall never be able to praise God sufficiently; the indescribable
usefulness of the institution has since been increasingly manifest."[71]
A crucial tool
Soon the
Methodist class meeting "became much more than a capital campaign. It
became a crucial tool in empowering Methodists to "watch over one another
in love," to support and encourage one another in their lives with God. In
fact, John Wesley felt that the supervision and support that the class meeting
provided was so important that it became a requirement for membership in a
Methodist society. Being a Methodist meant you were involved in a weekly class
meeting."[72]
Class, a model for making disciples
Wesley guided how people should group together: "In order that it may be more easily discerned whether they are really working out their salvation, each society is divided into smaller groups called classes, according to their residences. There are about 12 people in each class, one of whom is appointed to be the leader."[73]
David Lowes Watson, in his book Responsible Discipleship, a modern handbook on the class system, writes , "It was a weekly meeting, a subdivision of society, in which the members were required to give an account to each other of their discipleship, and thus to sustain one another in their witness."[74]
Each Methodist belonged to a class. The meeting was a sharing of last week's personal experience. They learned from this to have self-confidence and the ability to speak in public.
The class was a place to be accepted by all people from different social backgrounds.[75] All people confessed their faults and sought salvation and sanctification.
"In 1760 there were 20,000 individuals in the classes. By 1790, that number had more than doubled to over 53,000. Thus, of the total population of England and Wales of 8,216,096, approximately 6.5% were part of Methodist society in a class or band."[76]
Wesley wrote how a person was admitted to the class and the Society: Anyone determined to save his soul could be united with the Methodists (this is the only necessary condition). But this desire was to be proved by three marks: to avoid all known sin, to do good, and to attend to all the ordinances of God.
The person was then placed in a class that was convenient for him, where he spent about an hour a week. And in the next quarter, not objecting to it, she would be admitted to the Society.
Discipline was fundamental in the Methodist movement. "Wesley did not hesitate to expel anyone from society if they were not following the Lord with all their hearts. Wesley knew the condition of each member through the accountability of the class."[77]
In one society, in 1743, he excluded some members: "Two on account of blasphemy. Two for desecrating the Sabbath. Seventeen for drunkenness. Two for selling alcoholic beverages. Three for fighting. One for beating his wife. Three for habitually telling lies. Four for having scolded and spoken ill of others. One for laziness and vagrancy. And twenty-nine for worldliness and levity."[78]
"The classes served as an evangelistic tool (most conversions occurred in this context) and as an agent of discipleship."[79]
In Wesley's small groups, leaders shared "honestly about their failures, sins, temptations, or inner battles. They were the role models for others.
Class meetings revolved around personal experience, not doctrine or biblical information. Perfect love was the goal of the class meetings."[80]
"The purpose of societies and classes was to work out the salvation of their members (cf. Fil. 2:12) and to seek a holy life ("without which no man shall see the Lord," Heb 12:14)."[81]
The classes were grouped geographically and contained all the people in the Society. By 1742, the Society of London had more than a thousand members.
Wesley guided how people should group together: "In order that it may be more easily discerned whether they are really working out their salvation, each society is divided into smaller groups called classes, according to their residences. There are about 12 people in each class, one of whom is nominated to be the leader."[82]
Members of the society received quarterly notes from Wesley or his ministers, "provided they had not missed more than three class meetings during the preceding quarter. This led to their regular and active participation and provided a painless way to get rid of members who violated the rules. It usually happened if someone didn't want to improve and corrupted the group; As long as he had a spark of spiritual life, he was rarely excluded. Wesley himself paid close attention to their societies; He was not only an organizing genius, but he also cared about details."[83]
The classes differ from the bands: they were
grouped geographically instead of being divided by age, sex or marital status;
They contained all the people in society, not just those who voluntarily
grouped together.[84]
===============================
[1] AI-Powered Overview
[2]
https://wesleyano.inf.br/o-legado-de-john-wesley/
[3] Overview Powered by Google AI
[4]
https://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/articles/arts-culture/john-wesley-1703-1791/
[5]
Creation of Google AI
[6]
https://share.google/K6IMnKq4kPlemk3Oj
[7]
Creation of Google AI
[8]
Creation of Google AI
[9] https://www.ccel.org/ccel/wesley/journal.vi.xx.ii.html.
"The Leeward Islands are a group of islands
in the Lesser Antilles, composed of several islands
divided between the Netherlands and Venezuela and located off the coast of the
latter country and on the South American continental shelf. https://pt.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Ilhas_de_Sotavento_(Antilles)".
[10]HEITZENHATER,
Richard P. Wesley and the people called Methodist. São Bernardo do Campo-Rio de
Janeiro: Editeo-Pastoral Bennett, 1986, p.266.
[11]
https://share.google/iHCXX7KxnDKTBeB6n
[12]
https://russellmckinney.com/2018/07/20/john-wesley-the-robber/
[13]
https://www.amazon.com/Horse-Strangely-Warmed-Wesley-Horses-ebook/dp/B07Q6CFYR1
[14] A
STUDY OF JOHN WESLEY'S READINGS, p.143. https://divinityarchive.com/bitstream/handle/11258/38750/23%20Study%20of.%20John%20Wesley%27s%20Readings.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
[15] https://costurandoverbo.com/2017/02/14/transporte-na-era-regencial-parte-2-carruagens-leves
[16] https://global.britannica.com/technology/post-chaise
[17]
The Magazine of John Wesley, edited by Percy Livingstone Parker, Chicago, Moody
Press, 1951.
[18]
http://daibach-welldigger.blogspot.com/2011/03/wesleys-first-visit-to-wales.html
[19]
https://www.devauden.org.uk/about/history/483-john-wesley.html
[20]
http://daibach-welldigger.blogspot.com/2011/03/wesley-in-cardiff-area-part-2-1747-1790.html
[21]
https://wesleyscholar.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Hurst-History-of-Methodism-vol-1-1902.pdf
[22]
The Magazine of John Wesley. Edited by Percy Livingstone Parker,
Chicago. Moody Press, 1951.
[23]
The Magazine of John Wesley. Edited by Percy Livingstone Parker,
Chicago. Moody Press, 1951.
[24]
The Magazine of John Wesley. Edited by Percy Livingstone Parker,
Chicago. Moody Press, 1951.
[25]
https://bibliotecaarminianaon.blogspot.com/2016/05/um-apelo-sincero-aos-homens-de-razao-e.html
[26]
https://www.sermonindex.net/modules/bible_books/?view=book_chapter&chapter=23908
[27]
The Magazine of John Wesley. Edited by Percy Livingstone Parker,
Chicago. Moody Press, 1951.
[28]
The Magazine of John Wesley. Edited by Percy Livingstone Parker,
Chicago. Moody Press, 1951.
[29]
The Magazine of John Wesley. Edited by Percy Livingstone Parker,
Chicago. Moody Press, 1951.
[30]
The Magazine of John Wesley. Edited by Percy Livingstone Parker,
Chicago. Moody Press, 1951.
[32]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kingswood,_South_Gloucestershire
[33]
https://www.jdwetherspoon.com/pub-histories/england/bristol/the-kingswood-colliers-kingswood
[34]
The Magazine of John Wesley, Edited by Percy Livingstone Parker, Chicagomoody
Press, 1951, CHICAGO, MOODY PRESS.
[35]
https://seedbed.com/when-george-whitefield-and-john-wesley-met-radical-things-started-to-happen/
[36]
https://www.bristolhistory.co.uk/the-annals-of-kingswood-vol-iii-1725-1749/
[37] https://wikishire.co.uk/wiki/Kingswood,_Bristol
[38] https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/georgewhitefield/georgewhitefield.htm
[39] https://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/georgewhitefield/georgewhitefield.htm
[40] The Magazine of John Wesley, Edited by Percy
Livingstone Parker, Chicagomoody Press, 1951, Chicago, Moody Press. Op.cit.
[41] https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[42] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Mile_Hill,_Bristol
[43] The Magazine of John Wesley, Edited by Percy
Livingstone Parker, Chicagomoody Press, 1951, op.cit.
[44] The Magazine of John Wesley, Edited by Percy Livingstone
Parker, Chicagomoody Press, 1951, op.cit.
[45] The Magazine of John Wesley, Edited by Percy
Livingstone Parker, Chicagomoody Press, 1951, op.cit.
[46] http://www.methodistheritage.org.uk/kingswoodschool.htm
[47]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatines
[48]
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Palatinate#:~:text=A%20palatinate%20is%20um%20territory,of%20Sacred%20Empire%20Roman-Germanic.
[51]
https://historicgraves.com/story/ballyhoura-palatines-german-colony-south-limerick
[53]
https://conflictinglegacies.wordpress.com/chapter-5-the-palatine-irish-farmers/
[54] https://www.facebook.com/wesleyinireland/
[55]
https://www.benner.org.nz/index.php/stories/benner-ireland-stories/204-the-palatines-in-ireland
[56] https://www.facebook.com/wesleyinireland/
[57]
http://www.oldhaybaychurch.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/2004-vol-12.pdf
[58] Ditto.
[59]
https://www.facebook.com/AdareWalks/photos/a.457702334647023/1379501212467126/?type=3
[63]
https://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/e-books/holiness/Wesley/Journal/JJW_10.htm
[64]
https://www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/e-books/holiness/Wesley/Journal/JJW_10.htm
[65]
The Diary of John Wesley, the Father of Methodism (1735-1791). Angular Editora,
2017.
[68]
The Magazine of John Wesley. Edited by Percy Livingstone Parker, Chicago.
Moody Press, 1951.
[69]
https://seedbed.com/how-john-wesley-organized-the-revival/
[70]
https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/travellers/J_Wesley/4
[71]
Ditto.
[72]
https://kevinmwatson.com/
7/30/2010/the-methodist-class-meeting-for-the-21st-century-the-foundation/
[73]
BURTNER, Robert; CHILES, Robert. Collection of the Theology of John Wesley,
ibid., p.264.
[74]
http://www.disciplewalk.com/files/Joel_Comiskey_Methodist.pdf.
[75]
http://www.nph.com/nphweb//html/ht/article.jsp?id=10008759
[77]
Ditto.
[78]
WESLEY, João Wesley. Excerpts from the Diary of John Wesley. Translated by Paul
Eugene Buyers. General Board of Christian Education, 1965, p.41.
[79]
http://www.disciplewalk.com/files/Joel_Comiskey_Methodist.pdf.
[80]
http://www.ncnnews.com/nphweb/html/ht/article.jsp?id=10008759.
[83]
Ditto.
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