Wesley's Historical
Preaching
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.
Author
of the notes: John Wesley
Editor
of this text and author of the book: Odilon Massolar Chaves
Books
published in the Wesleyan Digital Library: 523
Books
published by the author: 606
Booklets:
3
Address: https://www.blogger.com/blog/stats/week/2777667065980939692
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.[1]
===============================
Table of Contents
· Introduction
· Highlights
of the book's chapters
· In Bristol, Wesley preaches to crowds
·
In the amphitheater
of Gwennap, Wesley preaches to 30,000 people
·
At the University at
St. Mary's, Oxford
· At Whitefield's funeral
·
Preaching
under trees he planted 40 years ago
· Preaching
on Your Birthdays
· Wesley's
last preachings
===============================
Introduction
===============================
"Wesley's
Historical Preaching" is a 33-page book based on John Wesley's diary and
his sermons.
Wesley preached in stables,
in the yard, in Freemasons' Lodges, in the street, in the market-place, in
schools, in town halls, on the hill, in simple houses and Lords, in churches
and societies, in prisons, on grounds, under trees, in a room, an island, a
cemetery, a courthouse, a square, a chapel, a wharf, a castle, a settlement, a
ballroom, a customs court, a boat, a cathedral, etc.
His preaching, in some places, was historic.
This is what we publish in this book.
The chapters are divided as follows: Highlights of the book's chapters; In Bristol, Wesley preaches to
multitudes; In the amphitheater of Gwennap, Wesley preaches to 30
thousand people; At St. Mary's University, Oxford; At Whitefield's
funeral; Preaching under trees he
planted 40 years ago; Preaching on their birthdays; Wesley's last preaching.
A book that shows the importance of preaching, especially outside the
temples.
The Author
===============================
Highlights of the
book's chapters
===============================
In Bristol, Wesley preaches to crowds
On Monday, April 2, 1739,
Wesley said, "At four o'clock in the afternoon I came forth to be most
vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking
from a little eminence on a land adjacent to the city, to about three thousand
persons." [1]Wesley preached about:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach
good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the prisoners and
recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19 NIV).
In the amphitheater
of Gwennap, Wesley preaches to 30,000 people
"People both filled it up and covered the ground from a
considerable distance. Supposing the space is four square feet, and that it
contains five persons in one square foot, there must be more than two and
thirty thousand persons, the largest assembly to which I have ever preached.
However, I found after the inquiry that everyone could hear even the skirts of
the congregation! Perhaps the first time a seventy-year-old man was heard by
thirty thousand people at once!"
At the University at St. Mary's, Oxford
Wesley preached this sermon
– "The Almost Christian" – at St. Mary's, Oxford, before the
University, on July 25, 1741, in England.
The basic biblical text
was: "It almost persuades me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:28).
At Whitefield's
funeral
In the introduction to the
sermon, Wesley said:
"Let me die the death
of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!" Numbers 23:10
1. "May my last end be
like his!" How many of you join in this desire? Perhaps there are few of
you who do not, even in this large congregation! And may this desire rest upon
your minds! -- lest they die till their souls also are lodged "where the
wicked cease to care, and where the weary are at rest!"
Preaching under trees he planted 40 years ago
"Then I ran toKingswoodand I preached under the
shade of that double row of trees which I planted about forty years ago."
Preaching on Your Birthdays
On Thursday, June 28, 1781, Wesley said, "I preached at eleven, in
the main street at Selby, to a large and quiet congregation, and in the evening
at Thorne. This day I enter my seventy-nine years, and, by the grace of God, I
feel no more the infirmities of old age than I did at twenty-nine."
Wesley's last preachings
On Sunday, October 24, 1790, "I explained to a large congregation
in the church ofSpitalfields, 'the whole armor of God,' and I hope that many, even so, have resolved
to choose the better part."
===============================
In Bristol, Wesley preaches to crowds
===============================
On Monday, April 2, 1739,
Wesley said, "At four o'clock in the afternoon I came forth to be most
vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking
from a little eminence on a land adjacent to the city, to about three thousand
persons." [2]Wesley preached about:
"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach
good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the prisoners and
recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and
to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19 NIV).
In February 1739, George
Whitefield began preaching in the open air in Bristol and attracted immense
crowds.
George Whitefield
"asked his friend, John Wesley, to continue his work at Bristol. At first,
Wesley was reluctant to preach outdoors because the Church disapproved of such
behavior, but later he became convinced of his value when he saw the impact Whitefield
was making."[3]
On Monday, April 2, Wesley
went to a brickyard in the St. Philips area and preached to a crowd of about
three thousand people: "At four o'clock in the afternoon I submitted to be
more vile, and proclaimed on the highways the good news of salvation,"
Wesley said.
And so began Wesley's
preaching to crowds and the development of Methodism in Bristol.
In Bristol, Wesley had to take a step in his
ministry.
On Saturday afternoon, March 31, Wesley arrived at
Bristol, "where I met Mr. Whitefield. At first I could hardly reconcile
myself to this strange way of preaching in the fields, as Mr. Whitefield gave
me an example on Sunday, for I have been all my life, and this hitherto, so
attached to all the points that were considered according to decency and order,
such were my prejudices, considered it a sin for a sinner to save himself
outside the church."[4]
Starting the preaching
"I began to expound
our Lord's sermon on the mount"
On April 1, 1739, "in
the evening (Mr. Whitefield was away) I began to expound our Lord's sermon on
the mountain (a rather remarkable precedent of field preaching, though I
suppose there were churches at that time also) to a small society which
was accustomed to meet once or twice a week in Nicholas Street."[5]
St Nicholas is a church in
the centre of Bristol.
Wesley preaches to 3,000
people
"Speaking of a small
eminence on land adjacent to the city"
On Monday, April 2, 1739,
Wesley said, "At four o'clock in the afternoon I came forth to be most
vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking
from a little eminence on a land adjacent to the city, to about three thousand
persons." [6]Wesley preached about: "The
Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach good news
to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the prisoners and recovery
of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, and to
proclaim the year of the Lord's favor" (Luke 4:18-19 NIV).
At seven o'clock Wesley
preached at a meeting of the "society in Baldwin Street: and the next day
the Gospel of St. John in Newgate Chapel; where I also read the morning church
service daily," Wesley said.[7]
Organizing bands and
preaching to 1500 people
"In the evening, three
women agreed to meet weekly, with the same intention as those in London,
namely, to lay their faults on each other, and to pray for each other."
On Wednesday, April 4, at
Baptist-Mills (a sort of suburb or village about half a mile from Bristol) "I offered
the grace of God to about fifteen hundred people."[8]
Beginning of the Band
"In the evening, three
women agreed to meet weekly, with the same intention as those in London,
namely, to put their faults on each other, and to pray for each other. At
eight o'clock, four young men agreed to meet, in pursuit of the same design.
How dare any man deny that this is (as to the substance of it) a means of
grace, ordained of God? (...)".[9]
Preaching in Societies
"I have declared the
Gospel to all, which is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone who
believes"
On Thursday, April 5, 1739,
"at five o'clock in the evening, I began in a society in Castle street,
expounding the epistle to the Romans," said Wesley, "and the next
evening, in a society in Gloucester-lane, the first epistle of St. John. On
Saturday evening in Weaver's-Hall I also began to expound the epistle to the
Romans, and declared that the Gospel to all, which is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone who
believes"[10]
Preaching to 7500 thousand
people
"About five thousand
were in the afternoon in Rose-Green"
"At seven o'clock in
the morning I preached to about a thousand people in Bristol, and then to about
fifteen hundred at the top of Hannam-Mount in Kingswood (...). About five
thousand were in the afternoon at Rose-Green (on the other side of Kingswood),
among whom I arose and cried in the name of the Lord, If any man thirst, let
him come unto us and drink. He who believes in me, as the scriptures have said
so much, out of his belly will flow rivers of living water."
Preaching to 5,000 people
in three services
"I offered about a
thousand souls the free grace of God to heal their setbacks"
On Tuesday, April 10, 1739,
Wesley went to Bath; "where I have offered to about a thousand souls, the
free grace of God to heal their setbacks, and in the morning to (I
believe) more than two thousand. I preached to about the same number, at
Baptist-Mills, after noon on Christ , made of God unto us, wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption."
Preaching to 800
"I preached in the
house of the poor"
On Saturday, April 14,
1739, "I preached in the house of the poor; three or four hundred more in,
and more than twice as much as without: to whom I explained these comfortable
words, when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both,"
said Wesley.[11]
Preaching to 14,000 people
in three services
"It rained heavily in
Bristol, but not a drop fell on us"
On Sunday, April 15, Wesley
said, "I explained at seven to 5 or 6000 by sons, the story of the
Pharisee and the publican. About three thousand were present at Hannam-Mount. I
preached in Newgate after dinner to a dishonest congregation. Between half past
five we went to Rose Green: it rained heavily at Bristol, but not a drop fell
upon us, while I declared to about five thousand, Christ our wisdom, and
righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. I concluded the day by
shouting to society at Baldwin treet."[12]
The ground has given way in
society
"The weight of the
people made the ground give way"
On Tuesday, April 17, 1739,
Wesley wrote: "At five o'clock in the afternoon, I was in a small society
in the Back-Lane. The room we were in was leaning downstairs; but the weight of
the people caused the ground to give way, so that, at the beginning of the
exposure of the pole that supported it, it fell with a great noise. But the
ground did not sink any further, so that, after a little surprise at first,
they quietly attended to the things that were said." [13]
In April 1739 alone, Wesley
preached to about 45,800 people in Bristol, which is considered the birthplace
of the Methodist Movement.
In May 1739, he preached to
39,500 people. In June, about 45 thousand people heard his preaching. A total
in three months of about 131,800 people in Bristol.
Two remarkable facts began
to occur in Wesley's preaching, from April 1739, in Bristol: the presence of
thousands of people and spiritual phenomena with several people, which Wesley
called external signs or signs and wonders as a result of the power of God.
Among the definitions of
phenomenon is "rare, extraordinary event".[14] In that sense, it was a
phenomenon.
Wesley did not claim that
these events were revivals, which only happened later and gave much more impetus
to the Methodist Movement.
===============================
In the amphitheater
of Gwennap, Wesley preaches to 30,000 people
===============================
"People both filled it up and covered the ground from a
considerable distance. Supposing the space is four square feet, and that it
contains five persons in one square foot, there must be more than two and
thirty thousand persons, the largest assembly to which I have ever preached.
However, I found after the inquiry that everyone could hear even the skirts of
the congregation! Perhaps the first time a seventy-year-old man was heard by
thirty thousand people at once!"
Wesley in Cornwall
Although he first preached in the amphitheatre only in 1762, as early as
1743 Wesley preached in Cornwall.
Gwennap
belongs to the county of Cornwall which is located in the southwest of a
peninsula of England.
He recorded in his diary:
"Friday, August 26, 1743. - I left for Cornwall. In the evening I
preached on the cross at Taunton, on: "The kingdom of God is not meat and
drink; but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." A poor man
had stepped back to cause some disturbance: but the hour had not come; the
zealous wretches who "deny the Lord that purchased them" had not yet
stirred up the people. Many shouted, "Throw that rascal out there;
overthrow him; it hit their brains": so that I was obliged to beg for it
more than once or it would have been only crudely handled."[15]
"I did not preach that night, only to a poor sinner in the
inn"
"Saturday, 27. - I arrived in Exeter in the afternoon; but, as no
one knew of my coming, I did not preach that night, only to a poor sinner in
the inn; who, after listening to our conversation for a while, looked earnestly
at us, and asked if it was possible for one who, in some measure, knew
"the power of the world to come," and was "fallen" (which
she said was her case), to be "renewed again unto repentance." We
begged God on her behalf and left her sad, but not without hope."[16]
Preaching in Gwennap
Wesley had already preached at Gwennap, but not yet in the amphitheater.
"And many of them ran after us to Gwennap"
Here is his record:
"Saturday, September 3, 1743. - I rode to the Three-cornered Down
(so called), nine or ten miles east of St. Ives, where we found two or three
hundred tinners, which had been waiting for us for some time. Everyone seemed
quite satisfied and unconcerned; and many of them ran after us to Gwennap (two
miles to the east), where their number was rapidly increased to four or five
hundred. I took great comfort here in applying these words: 'He hath anointed
me to preach the gospel unto the poor' (Luke 4:18). Someone who lived nearby
invited us to stay at his house and led us back to Verde in the morning. We got
there as soon as the day dawned."[17]
"For five or six hundred serious people"
And Wesley added: "I have strongly applied those gracious words, 'I
will heal your setbacks, I will love you freely,' to five or six hundred
serious people. At Trezuthan Downs, five miles nearer St. Ives, we met seven or
eight hundred persons, to whom I cried aloud, 'Cast away all your
transgressions; why will you die, O house of Israel?' After dinner I preached
again to about a thousand people about Him whom 'God hath exalted to be Prince
and Saviour.' It was here first that I observed a small impression made on two
or three of the hearers; the rest, as usual, showing enormous approval and
absolute carelessness."[18]
Preaching in the natural amphitheater of Gwennap
"I believe there were twenty thousand people"
In September 1766, Wesley said that the congregation at Redruth was the
largest he had "ever seen there; but small in comparison with what
gathered at five in the natural amphitheatre of Gwennap, by far the best I know
of in the kingdom. It is a round, green, softly shelved hollow, about fifty
meters deep; but I suppose there are two hundred in one way and close to three
hundred in the other. I believe there were twenty thousand people; and when the
night was calm, everyone could hear."[19]
"At five o'clock I took my old position at Gwennap, in the natural
amphitheater"
On Sunday, September 1768, "about nine I preached at St. Agnes, and
again between one and two. At five o'clock I took my old position at Gwennap,
in the natural amphitheater," [20] said Wesley.
On September 6, 1762, Wesley preached to a crowd from the Gwennap Well,
the first person on record to use the site for this purpose.
"On September 6, 1762, John Wesley came to Gwennap and attracted a
large crowd of tin miners. Unfortunately the day was very windy and Wesley
could not make himself heard. Someone suggested the shelter of Gwennap Pit,
about a mile away, so the whole crowd walked there and Wesley was able to
preach his sermon. Wesley's diary records: "The wind was so high that I
could not stay in the usual place in the village of Gwennap; but a small
distance was a void capable of holding many thousands of people. I was on one
side of this amphitheater toward the top, and with the people below on all
sides, I magnified those words of the gospel for the day: 'Blessed are the eyes
that see the things which ye see... listen to the things you have heard."[21]
"Gwennap Natural Amphitheater"
"The
congregation at Redruth, at one time, was the largest I ever saw there; but
small compared with the one that met at five o'clock in the natural
amphitheatre of Gwennap; by far the best I know in the kingdom," he [22] said.
"I believe there were twenty thousand people"
Wesley
explains of the place he preached: "It is a round, green depression,
gently sloping, about fifteen feet deep; but I suppose there are two hundred on
one side and almost three hundred on the other. I believe there were
twenty thousand people; and when the night was calm, they were all able to
hear."[23]
At five,
in the amphitheater ofGwennap
On
Saturday, June 21, 1773, Wesley preached inIlloganand, inRedruth; On Sunday, 22, he preached in the churchof Santa Inês, at eight; about an hour inRedruth; and at five, in the amphitheater ofGwennap.
The
village of Gwennap is also a civil parish in Cornwall, England.
The
county of Cornwall is located in the southwest of a peninsula in England.
Wesley
heard by 30 thousand people
At
Gwennap, Wesley was amazed at the crowd that wanted to hear him. "People
both filled it up and covered the ground from a considerable distance.
Supposing the space is four square feet, and that it contains five persons in
one square foot, there must be more than two and thirty thousand persons, the
largest assembly to which I have ever preached. However, I found after the
inquiry that everyone could hear even the skirts of the congregation! Perhaps
the first time a seventy-year-old man was heard by thirty thousand people at
once!"[24]
In August, 1789, in eight days, Wesley preached seven times, in five
different places. He preached in the morning, at 11 a.m., at noon, at 6 p.m.,
and at night.
He preached on the main street, outside the house, on the steps of the
market house, and in the amphitheater.
On Sunday, August 23, 1789, "I preached there again morning and
evening in the amphitheater, I suppose, for the last time. My voice cannot now
command the still growing crowd," [25] he said.
It was assumed that they numbered more than twenty-five thousand.
"I think it is hardly possible for everyone to endure it," he said.[26]
===============================
===============================
Wesley
preached this sermon – "The Almost Christian" – at St. Mary's,
Oxford, before the University, on July 25, 1741, in England.
The
basic biblical text was: "It almost persuades me to be a Christian"
(Acts 26:28).
The basic biblical text was: "It almost persuades me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:28).
Wesley stated, "And there are many who go so far: since the
Christian religion was in the world, there have been many in all ages and
nations who have been almost persuaded to be Christians. But, seeing that it is
of no use before God to go only so far, it is highly important to
consider:
First. What is implied to be almost,
Wesley explains this first item (...).
Second, Wesley explains "What it is to be a Christian."
What it means to be a Christian
Love for God
"What else than that is implied in being
fully Christian?" I answer first, God's love"
Wesley states, "If it be asked, 'What more than this is implied in
being wholly Christian?"I answer first, the love of God. For thus
saith his word: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength."
"Such love is this, which absorbs the
whole heart, which gathers all the affections, which fills the whole capacity
of the soul and employs the maximum extension of all its faculties"
"Such love is this, which swallows up the whole heart, which
gathers all the affections, which fills the whole capacity of the soul, and
employs the utmost extent of all its faculties," says Wesley. He who thus
loves the Lord his God, his spirit continually "rejoices in God his
Saviour." His delight is in the Lord, his Lord and his All, to whom
"in all things he gives thanks. All your desire is for God and for the
remembrance of his name." His heart is always crying, "Who have I in
heaven but Thee?"
"And there is none on earth that I
desire but Thee." Indeed, what can he desire besides God? Not the world,
nor the things of the world, because he is "crucified to the world, and
the world crucified to him"
"And there is none on earth that I desire but Thee." Indeed,
what can he desire besides God? Not the world, nor the things of the world,
because he is "crucified to the world, and the world crucified to
him," says Wesley.
He goes on to say: "He is crucified to 'the desire of the flesh,
the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life.' yes, he is dead to pride of
every kind: for "love is not puffed up," but "he that abideth in
love, abideth in God, and God in him," is less than nothing in his own
sight."
Love for others
"The second thing implied in being fully
Christian is love of neighbor. For thus said our Lord in these words: "You
shall love your neighbor as yourself"
"The second thing implied in being fully Christian is love
of neighbor. For thus said our Lord in these words, "Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself," Wesley reminds us.
"Who is my neighbor?"
"If anyone asks, 'Who is my neighbor?' we answer, 'Every man in the
world; every child of his who is the Father of the spirits of all flesh,"
says Wesley. "Nor can we in any way except our enemies or the enemies of
God and their own souls. But every Christian loves these also as himself, yea,
"as Christ loved us."
"He who wants to understand more fully
what kind of love this is, may consider the description of St. Paul."
He adds: "He who wants to understand more fully what kind of love
this is, may consider the description of St. Paul. It is "long-suffering
and benign." He "does not envy". It is not rash or hasty in
judging. "It is not puffed up;" but it makes him that loveth the
least one, the servant of all. Love "does not behave improperly," but
becomes "all things to all men." She "does not seek her
own," but only the good of others, that they may be saved. "Love is
not provoked." casts out anger, which to him who lacks in love.
"Don't think badly. He does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the
truth. It encompasses all things, believes all things, hopes all things,
endures all things."
Everyone who believes is born of God
"To all who received him, he gave the
power to become children of God. even to those who believe in his name."
Thirdly, Wesley says, "There is yet one more thing which may be
considered separately, though it cannot really be separated from the former,
which is implied in being wholly Christian; And that is the basis of
everything, even faith. Very excellent things are said about it in all the
oracles of God. "Everyone who believes is born of God," says the
beloved disciple. "To all who received him, he gave the power to become children
of God. even to those who believe in his name." And "this is the
victory that overcomes the world, our faith." yes, our Lord Himself
declares, "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life; and does
not enter into condemnation, but has passed from death to life."
"It should be diligently noted that the
faith which does not produce repentance, love, and all good works is not that
living and right faith, but dead and devilish"
"But here let no man deceive his own soul." It should be
diligently noted that the faith which does not produce repentance, love, and
all good works is not that living and right faith, but dead and devilish,"
says Wesley. "For even the demons believe that Christ was born of a
virgin: that he wrought all kinds of miracles, declaring himself to be true
God: that for our sake he suffered a very painful death, to redeem us from
eternal death; who rose again on the third day: who ascended into heaven, and
is seated at the right hand of the Father, and at the end of the world will
come again to judge both the living and the dead."
"These articles of our faith the demons
believe, and so they believe all that is written in the Old and New Testaments.
And yet, despite all this faith, they are only demons."
"These articles of our faith the demons believe, and so they
believe all that is written in the Old and New Testaments," Wesley says.
"And yet, despite all this faith, they are only demons. They remain still
in their condemnable state, without the true Christian faith. [Homily on the
Salvation of Man".
The correct and true Christian faith is...
"The right and true Christian faith is" (to continue with the
words of our own Church), "not only to believe that Holy Scripture and the
Articles of our Faith are true, but also to have a sure confidence and
confidence to be saved from eternal damnation by Christ," says Wesley.
"It is a sure confidence a man has in God, that, through the merits of
Christ, his sins are forgiven, and he is reconciled to the favour of God; from
whom goeth a loving heart, to obey his commandments."
The faith that purifies the heart
"Now, he who has this faith, which purifies the heart" (by the
power of God, which dwells in it) from "pride, wrath, desire, from all
unrighteousness" from "all filthiness of flesh and spirit;"
which fills him with love stronger than death, both to God and to all
mankind," says Wesley;
"Whoever has this faith working in this
way by love is not almost only, but completely, a Christian"
And Wesley continues, "Love that doeth the works of God, boasting
to spend and be spent for all men, and that endureth with joy, not only the
reproach of Christ, being mocked, despised, and hated by all men, but all that
the wisdom of God permits the malice of men or devils inflicts, - whoever has this faith thus working by love
is not almost only, but completely, a Christian."
"And is all this done with a sincere design and desire to please
God in all things?"
Wesley asks, "But who are the living witnesses of these
things?" "I beseech you, brethren, as in the presence of that God
before whom 'hell and destruction are without covering—how much more the hearts
of the children of men?'—that each of you may ask his own heart, 'Am I of that
number? Have I so far practised justice, mercy, and truth, as even the rules of
pagan honesty require? If so, do I have the very
exterior of a Christian? The form of piety? Do I abstain from evil, from
all that is forbidden in God's written Word? Do I, whatever good my hand may do
for him, with my strength? Do I seriously use all of God's ordinances at every
opportunity? And is all this done with a sincere design and desire to please
God in all things?"
"Don't you realize that you have never
come this far? that you weren't even a Christian"
Wesley asks, "Don't you realize that you have never come so far?
that you were not even a Christian; that you did not attain to the
standard of heathen honesty; at least, not in the way of Christian piety?—much
less did God see sincerity in you, a true design to please him in all things.
You never intended to dedicate all your words and deeds, your business, your
studies, your amusements, to your glory. You never planned or desired that
everything you did be done "in the name of the Lord Jesus," and as
such be "a spiritual sacrifice, acceptable to God through Christ."
The big question of all
"Is the love of God poured out in your
heart? Can you cry out, "My God and my All"? Do you desire nothing
more than him? Are you happy in God? Is He your glory, your delight, your crown
of joy? And this commandment is written in his heart: "Let him who loves
God love his brother also"?"
Wesley raises further questions about the marks of a true Christian:
"But, supposing you did, do good designs and good desires make a
Christian? Not at all, unless they are brought to good effect. "Hell is
paved," says one, "with good intentions."
"Yes, do you believe that Christ loved
you and gave Himself for you? Do you have faith in his blood? Do you believe
that the Lamb of God has taken away your sins, and cast them like a stone into
the depths of the sea?"
"Awake, therefore, thou that sleepest,
and call upon thy God; call on the day when he is found"
And finally, Wesley says: "The God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who is now in our midst, knows that if anyone dies without this faith
and love, it is good for him never to have been born. Awake, therefore, thou
that sleepest, and call upon thy God; call down the day he is found. Do not
rest until you have made his "goodness pass before you"; until he
proclaims the name of the Lord to you: "The Lord, the Lord God, merciful
and merciful, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keepeth mercy
to thousands, forgives iniquity, transgression, and sin."
"Let no one persuade you, by vain words,
to fall short of this prize of your high calling"
Wesley says, "Let no one persuade you by vain words to fall short
of this prize of your high calling. But cry out to him day and night, who,
"when we were without strength, died for the wicked," until thou
knowest in whom thou hast believed, and thou canst say, "My Lord, and my
God!" Remember, "pray always, and faint not," until you too can
raise your hand to heaven and declare to the one who lives forever and ever,
"Lord, You know all things, You know that I love You."
"May we all experience what should be,
not almost only; but totally Christian"
Wesley concludes by saying, "May we all experience what ought to
be, not nearly only; but totally Christian; being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Jesus; knowing that we have peace with God
through Jesus Christ; rejoicing in hope of God's glory; and having the love of
God shed abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to
us!"[27]
===============================
===============================
In the introduction to the
sermon, Wesley said:
"Let
me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like
his!" Numbers 23:10
1. "May my last end be
like his!" How many of you join in this desire? Perhaps there are few of
you who do not, even in this large congregation! And may this desire rest upon
your minds! -- lest they die till their souls also are lodged "where the
wicked cease to care, and where the weary are at rest!"
Loss of a great
friend
"In 1770, the
year of his death, Whitefield wrote to Charles as 'my dearly dear old friend'
and described John as 'his honoured brother'. To each one he bequeathed a
mourning ring, "as a sign of my indissoluble union with them in Christian
heart and affection, notwithstanding our difference of judgment on some
particular points of doctrine."[28]
On Wednesday, January
2, 1771, Wesley said, "I preached in the evening, at Deptford, a sort of funeral
sermon to Mr. Whitefield. Everywhere, I wish to show all possible respect to
the memory of that great and good man."[29]
The district of
Deptford is in the borough ofLewisham, in theLondon Region.
Whitefield,
in addition to being a revivalist and a great preacher of Methodism, was also
concerned with social work. It was he who founded the Kingswood School and an
orphanage in Georgia. [30]
George
Whitefield died on September 30, 1770, in America. He was buried in England.
Wesley said he was
"a great and good man."[31]
Wesley Preaches Whitefield Funeral Sermon
"I
had the melancholic news"
On
Saturday, November 10, 1770, "I returned to London, and had the melancholy
news of Mr. Whitefield's death confirmed by his executioners, who desired me to
preach his funeral sermon on Sunday, the eighteenth," [32] Wesley
wrote.
"I
withdrew toLewisham”
"To
write this, I withdrew toLewishamon
Monday; and the following Sunday I went to the chapel in Tottenham Court Road.
An immense crowd was gathered from all corners of the city. At first, I was
afraid that a large part of the congregation would not be able to hear; but it
pleased God to strengthen my voice so that even those who were at the door
heard distinctly. It was a horrible time: everyone was still like the night;
most seemed to be deeply affected; and an impression was made on many, which
one would hope would not be speedily effaced,"[33] Wesley said.
Designated time
"At
first, the noise was extremely loud; but it ceased when I began to speak."
There
were about six thousand people present.
"The
time appointed for my beginning in the Tabernacle was half an hour after five;
But it was quite full at three, so I started at four. At first, the noise was
extremely great; but it ceased when I began to speak; and my voice was again so
strengthened that all who were inside could hear it, unless an accidental noise
prevented it here or there for a few moments. Oh, that all may hear the voice
of Him with whom are the matters of life and death; and that so high, by this
unexpected blow, he calls all his children to love one another!".[34]
Wesley's
Preaching
Wesley preached in the Chapel in Tottenham-Court Road and in the
Tabernacle, near Moorfields, on Sunday, November 18, 1770.
In the introduction to the sermon, Wesley said:
"Let me die the death
of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!" Numbers 23:10
1. "May my last end be
like his!" How many of you join in this desire? Perhaps there are few of
you who do not, even in this large congregation! And may this desire rest upon
your minds! -- lest they die till their souls also are lodged "where the
wicked cease to care, and where the weary are at rest!"[35]
A dear friend
"Was not this the spirit of our dear friend?"
After talking
about Whitefield's last past and heaping great praise, Wesley concluded:
"Was not this the spirit of our dear friend? And why shouldn't it
be ours? O Thou God of love, how long shall Thy people be synonymous among the
heathen? How long will they laugh at us to despise and say, "Look how these Christians love each other!" When do you want to remove our
censorship? Will the sword devour forever? How long will it be before You
command Your people to return from "following one another"? Now, at
least, "let all the people stand still and seek their brothers no
more!" But whatever others do, let all of us, my brethren, hear the voice
of him who, being dead, still speaks! Suppose you hear him say, "Now at
least be followers of me as I was of Christ! May brother "no longer lift
up sword against brother, nor know war any more!" On the contrary, as
God's elect, clothe yourselves with mercy, humility with brotherly kindness,
goodness, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another in love. Let the
past time be sufficient for strife, envy, strife; for biting and devouring one
another. Blessed be God, that not long ago you were consumed one another! From
now on, maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace."[36]
Afterwards,
Wesley says a prayer and a hymn was sung by the congregation.
===============================
===============================
“Then I ran toKingswoodand I preached under the
shade of that double row of trees which I planted about forty years ago”
Preaching
under the trees
"I hastened to Kingswood, and preached under the trees to a
multitude"
On Sunday, September 22, 1776, Wesley said, "After reading prayers,
preaching, and administering the sacrament at Bristol, I hastened to Kingswood,
and preached under the trees to a multitude such as had not lately been seen
there. I started in King's Square a little before five, where the word of God
was swift and powerful. And I was no more tired at night than when I got up in
the morning. Such is the power of God! After settling all things in Bristol and
Kingswood, and visiting the rest of the societies in Somersetshire, Wiltshire,
and Hants, I returned in October to London with Mr. Fletcher."[37]
After 40 years
“Then I ran toKingswoodand I preached under the shade of that double row of trees which I
planted about forty years ago."
On Sunday, September 12, 1784, Thomas Coke "read the prayers and I
preached in the new room," Wesley wrote in his journal. "Then I ran
toKingswoodand I preached under the
shade of that double row of trees which I planted about forty years ago. How
little did anyone think, then, that he would respond to such an intention The
sun shone as hot as it used to do even in Georgia; but its rays could not pierce
our canopy. Our Lord, however, shone upon many souls and strengthened them who
were weary.".[38]
===============================
Preaching on Your Birthdays
===============================
On Thursday, June 28, 1781, Wesley said, "I preached at eleven, in
the main street at Selby, to a large and quiet congregation, and in the evening
at Thorne. This day I enter my seventy-nine years, and, by the grace of God, I
feel no more the infirmities of old age than I did at twenty-nine."
Preaching on your birthday at age 36
On Sunday, June 17, 1739, his birthday, at the age of 36, Wesley
preached to "(I believe) six or seven thousand persons, O every one
that thirsteth, come to the waters,"[39] Wesley said.
Preaching on your 69th birthday
"I Preached in the Street of Portadown to a Serious and
Well-Behaved Congregation"
On Friday, June 28, 1771, "I preached in the street of Portadown to
a serious and well-behaved congregation; and in the evening, at Kilmararty, to
the largest congregation I have seen since we left Armagh. This day I entered
the sixty-ninth year of my age."[40]
"In the evening I preached in Yarn"
On Tuesday, June 28, 1774, "this being my birthday, the first day
of my seventy-two years, I was considering, how is that, that I find the same
strength that I had thirty years ago?" asked Wesley. That my eyesight is
considerably better now, and my nerves firmer than they were then? (...)”.[41]
"In the evening I preached in Yarn, about eleven o'clock the next
day in Osmotherly, and in the evening in Thirsk."[42]
Eleven years later
"I preached at eleven on the main street in Selby"
Seven years later, on Thursday, June 28, 1781, "I preached at
eleven, in the main street at Selby, to a large and quiet congregation, and in
the evening at Thorne. This day I enter my seventy-nine years, and, by the
grace of God, I no longer feel the infirmities of old age than I did at
twenty-nine. Friday, 29. I preached in Crowle and in Epworh. I have preached
three times a day for the next seven days, but it is as if it had been
once."[43]
===============================
Wesley's last preachings
===============================
On Sunday, October 24, 1790, "I explained to a large congregation
in the church ofSpitalfields, 'the whole armor of God,' and I hope that many, even so, have resolved
to choose the better part."
On Sunday, October 24, 1790, "I explained to a large congregation
in the church ofSpitalfields, 'the whole armor of God,' and I hope that many, even so, have resolved
to choose the better part."[44]
"One thing is needed"
“(...) and in the afternoon imposed on a still larger audience at St.
Paul's, Shadwell, the great truth: "One thing is necessary," the last
words of the Journal being "I hope many, even then, resolved to choose the
better part."[45]
Wesley continued, however, during the fall and winter visiting
"various places until February, praying continually, 'Lord, do not let me
live that I may be useless.'"[46]
Wesley died on March 2, 1791.
===============================
[1]
Ditto.
[2]
Ditto.
[3]
https://www.newroombristol.org.uk/content/uploads/2017/04/A_brief_guide_to_the_New_Room.pdf
[4]WESLEY,
João. Excerpts from the
Diary of John Wesley. São Paulo: Methodist Press, 1965, p.28.
[5]
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[6] Ditto.
[7]
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[8] Ditto.
[9]
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[10] Ditto.
[11]
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[12] Ditto.
[13]
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/e/evans/N22587.0001.001/1:18?rgn=div1;view=fulltext
[14]
https://www.meudicionario.org/fenômeno
[15] THE MAGAZINE of John Wesley. Edited by PERCY
LIVINGSTONE PARKER, CHICAGO, MOODY PRESS, 1951
[16] THE MAGAZINE of John Wesley. Edited by PERCY LIVINGSTONE PARKER,
CHICAGO, MOODY PRESS, 1951
[17] THE MAGAZINE of John Wesley. Edited by PERCY LIVINGSTONE PARKER,
CHICAGO, MOODY PRESS, 1951
[18] THE MAGAZINE of John
Wesley. Edited by PERCY LIVINGSTONE PARKER, CHICAGO, MOODY PRESS, 1951
[19] https://sharonlathanauthor.com/gwennap-pit-john-wesleys-cornwall-amphitheatre/
[20] Wesley, his own historian.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/AGV9079.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext.Wesley,
his own historian. Cincinnati: Hitchcock and Walden. 1870.
[21] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwennap
[22] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwennap
[23] https://www.ccel.org/w/wesley/journal/cache/journal.pdf
[24] https://www.ccel.org/w/wesley/journal/cache/journal.pdf
[25] https://www.ccel.org/w/wesley/journal/cache/journal.pdf
[26] https://www.ccel.org/w/wesley/journal/cache/journal.pdf
[27] https://www.wesleysheritage.org.uk/exhibits/john-wesleys-sermons/sermon-sheet/?o=2661&t=feat - Wesley's Chapel and
MissionLeysian 49 City Road, London EC1Y 1AU – The Museum of Methodism &
John Wesley's Housed=
[28]
https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/magazine/article/wesley-vs-whitefield
[30] HEITZENHATER,
Richard P., Ibidem, p. 121.
[31] HEITZENHATER, Richard P., Ibidem,
p.121.
[32]
https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk//travellers/J_Wesley/15
[33]
https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk//travellers/J_Wesley/15
[34] Ditto.
[36] https://www.resourceumc.org/
en/content/sermon-53-on-the-death-of-the-rev-mr-george-whitefield
[37] Wesley, his own historian.
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/AGV9079.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext.Wesley,
his own historian. Cincinnati: Hitchcock and Walden. 1870.
[38] https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/travellers/J_Wesley/19;
The Magazine of John Wesley, op.cit.
[39] The Magazine of John
Wesley, op.cit.
[40] The Magazine of John
Wesley, op.cit.
[41] Wesley, his own historian,
op.cit.
[42] Wesley, his own historian,
op.cit.
[43] Wesley, his own historian,
op.cit.
[44] https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/AGV9079.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext.Wesley,
his own historian. Cincinnati: Hitchcock and Walden. 1870.
[45] The Magazine of John
Wesley, with an introduction by Hugh Price Hughes, m.a., edited by Percy
Livingstone Parker, Chicago Moody Press, 1951.
[46] https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/moa/AGV9079.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext
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