John Wesley,
Prince of Arminianism
Odilon Massolar Chaves
and the controversies with predestination
Copyright © 2023,
Odilon Massolar Chaves
All rights reserved
to the author.
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reproduction of the book is prohibited, Art. 184 of the Penal Code and Law 9610
of February 19, 1998.
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“(...) the
grace of God from which salvation comes to us is free in everything and for everyone."
(Wesley)
Table of Contents
·
Introduction
·
The father of Arminianism
·
Theological controversies with George Whitefield
· The defense of Arminianism by John Fletcher
· Biblical and Theological Foundations for Free Will
·
Adam Clarke fights predestination
Introduction
"John Wesley,
Prince of Arminianism" is a book about Wesley and his defense of the
biblical doctrines of salvation offered to all people and free will.
If Jacob Arminius is
the "Father of Arminianism," Wesley is called the "Prince of
Arminianism."
Others call him
"a Prince among Arminians."
The English Reformed
preacher Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892) called Wesley "The modern prince of
the Arminians."[1]
Although he was
opposed to Arminianism, he admired Wesley for his character.
In the past,
especially in the eighteenth century in England, there have been many
controversies about free will and predestination.
John Wesley and
George Whitefield had disagreements.
But today you find
articles asking whether an Arminian can be saved. Others call Wesley a heretic.
It is important to
know about Arminianism, the history of Jacob Arminius and his theology.
Two Methodist leaders
of Wesley's time—John William Fletcher and Adam Clark—had strong arguments for
Arminianism and against predestination.
The fact is that
today most of the so-called historical Churches and the so-called
Neo-Pentecostal Churches have adopted Arminianism.
Largely, say some scholars,
due to Wesley's influence.
The Author
The father of
Arminianism
The expression
"Arminianism" comes from Jacob Arminius (1560-1609). He was born in
the Netherlands (Netherlands) in a context of Calvinist tradition.[2]
Calvinism comes from
John Calvin (1509-1564), who was born in France. He was a French theologian,
Protestant reformer, and writer. He was the father of Calvinism. God originated
the Presbyterian Church.[3]
In England,
Calvinists were called Puritans.
And Jacob Arminius?
Jacob Arminius studied Theology, Philosophy, Hebrew, Literature and
other disciplines. He pastored a church in Amsterdam. [4] When called
to defend the extreme Calvinism criticized by the rich merchant Koornher,
Arminius ended up criticizing the doctrine of predestination, bringing a great
controversy and creating enemies, such as Franz Gomarus, [5] who
emphasized the sovereignty of God and denied the value of the faith of the
human being.
In Arminius' concept:
“(...) predestination
ran counter to the nature of God and man, generated despair, took away the
stimulus to a life of holiness, and diminished the importance of the
Gospel."[6]
Among the statements
of faith of Calvinism in the Westminster Confession[7] is the
doctrine of predestination:
"By the decree
of God, for the manifestation of his glory, some men and angels are
predestinated to eternal life, and others foreordained to eternal death. No one
is redeemed by Christ but only the elect. The rest of mankind pleased God ...
to set them aside and ordain them to dishonor and wrath (...)."[8]
The fact is that the
rigor of Calvinism had produced reactions, especially in Holland and with Jacob
Arminius[9] it reached full
expression.[10]
After
Arminius' death
After Arminius'
death, John Wtenbogaert (1557–1644) and Simon Episcopius (1583–1643)
systematized and developed Arminian views and opposed the current emphasis on
minutiae of doctrine, considering Christianity primarily a force for moral
transformation. In 1610 they and forty-one other sympathizers drafted a
statement of faith contrary to the Calvinist doctrine of predestination.[11]
"In opposition
to the Calvinistic doctrine of irresistible grace, they taught that grace can
be rejected, and they showed uncertainty with reference to the Calvinistic
teaching of its perseverance, asserting that it was possible to lose grace once
received."[12]
The Five Main
Points: Arminianism
The main points are: Free Will, Conditional
Election, Unlimited Atonement, Resistible Grace, and Fall from Grace;
Conditional Salvation.
Free will
For Arminius there is
the free will of the human being to desire salvation or not, because he has not
been totally corrupted by original sin. He is not prevented from exercising his
free decision.
Conditional
election
God elects those who
believe in Christ as their Savior.
Unlimited
Atonement
Jesus Christ died for
all of us.
Resistible
grace
Not everyone accepts
God's call to salvation. It is the free will of the human being to make
decisions.
Fall from
Grace; Conditional Salvation
In conditional
salvation, the human being, even after being saved, can turn away from Christ,
if he does not have perseverance in faith and sin again.[13]
The Synod of
Dort
The Synod of Dort was
held in Dordrecht, Netherlands, between 1618 and 1619, sponsored by the Dutch
Reformed Church. Few Arminians were invited to attend.
The Synod of Dort[14] condemned
the views of Arminianism and adopted canons with a very Calvinistic tone, which
became the doctrinal basis of the Dutch Church.[15]
According to some,
the prince of Orange, Maurice of Nassau, devised a political plan.
"Maurice united religious conflict with political conflict and used the
great influence of his own character to throw the nation, through the church,
against his political enemies, who were Remonstrants. To do so, he linked the
figure of the Arminians to Spain and the papacy."[16]
Most of the
Remonstrants were Arminians.
What is the reason
for the name Remonstrantes?
“(...) in 1610, with
tensions still rising, Arminius's followers presented a petition to the States,
called the 'Remonstrance' (hence those who supported it were called
'Remonstrants' and the Calvinists who opposed it 'Counter-Remonstrants')".[17]
The Remonstratensians
were banished.[18] They were
considered heretics.
"The punishment
for the Remonstrants, now officially condemned as heretics and for that reason
under the judgment of church and state, was severe. All Arminian pastors—some
200 of them—were removed from their offices; those who did not agree to remain
silent were banished from the country."[19]
After the death of
Maurice of Nassau, the state gave the Remonstrants freedom in 1830 to continue
their religion. The synod of Dort, however, maintained its position of
considering them heretics.
The synod of Dort is
valid only among Calvinists.
Bishop
Burnet's theology
Jacob Arminius did
not bring so much influence in Holland, but rather in Wesley's England.[20] Other people
followed in his footsteps, among them, Bishop Burnet:
"Bishop Burnet,
in 1699, gave new impetus to Arminian tendencies, when he published his works
Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles, dedicated to King William III.[21]
Bishop George Bull,
in 1699, defended and wrote about Arminius' ideas and had great acceptance,
especially through his Exposition of the Thirty-Nine Articles, dedicated to
King William III:
"In it, in
interpreting Article XVII, which deals with Predestination, he gave it an
Arminian meaning and attributed to it the equal validity of Calvinism. That is
to say, one as the other mattered. Both could be accepted. There was room in
the Church for both positions."[22]
Wesley's grandparents[23]
participated in the dissenting Church, but his parents joined the
Anglican Church. Samuel and Susanna Wesley inculcated in John Wesley Bishop
Bull's ideas of Apostolic Harmony[24] , which had great acceptance in England.
"Bull's theology has become generalized,
because within the official Church and in order to have an idea of it, we will
give a brief overview below: Jesus Christ, by His atoning work, is the Savior
of men, but each one has his part to do, actively seeking to reform his own
life. If each one acts in this way, he will become capable of receiving the
merits of the atonement. Faith and work are identified in a single purpose.
Justification is by faith and works. They are two aspects of a single reality.
Neither Paul is opposed to James nor James to Paul. In Bishop Bull's concept,
faith includes all the works of Christian piety. Faith is not limited only to
accepting the teachings of the Gospel as valid: it also involves a desire to be
good and to do good. In other words: faith becomes the act of man himself"
(...). Justification also requires the sharing of man. God considers the
transgressor as just, free from punishment, as long as he wants to."[25]
Wesley followed Arminianism
The Wesley brothers followed very closely
several theological concepts of Arminianism,[26] including free will[27] and prevenient grace.[28]
Following
Arminianism, for Wesley the doctrine of predestination is contrary to the
spirit of the Bible and destroys God's attributes of justice, mercy, and truth
and places him worse than the devil. According to him:
"Predestination
represents the holiest God as worse than the devil, more false, more cruel, and
more unjust."[29]
On free will, the 8th
Article of Religion explains:
"The condition of man, after the fall of
Adam, is such that he cannot convert and prepare himself by his own power and
works, for faith and the invocation of God; therefore we have no strength to do
good works acceptable and acceptable to God without his grace through Christ,
predisposing ourselves to have good will, and working in ourselves when we have
that good will." [30]
Within Wesley's
understanding, free will is fundamental for revival and social commitment to
occur.
Free will within the
Methodist identity leads human beings to depend on God's grace, encourages them
to get out of their sinful situation, grow spiritually and achieve Christian
perfection. Free will motivates human beings to seek God more and to love their
neighbor. Instead of leading to resignation, they are motivated to fight.
Wesley states:
Let us constantly strive to get rid of all the
useless things around us. God generally suppresses superficialities from our
souls in the same proportion that we eliminate them from our bodies. The best
way to resist the devil is to destroy anything in the world that remains in us.[31]
Free will motivates
us to seek the Holy Spirit and to be in solidarity with those who suffer.
According to Wesley, the immediate fruits of the Spirit in the life of the
Christian are:
"Love, joy,
peace, merciful heart, lowliness of spirit, gentleness, gentleness,
longsuffering. These outward fruits are: to do good to all men, to do no harm
to anyone, and to walk in the light, keeping zealous, uniform obedience to all
the commandments of God."[32]
Arminianism
influenced Wesley so much that from 1778 onwards his magazine was renamed
The Arminian Review.[33]
For him, grace is
free and reaches everyone. It does not depend on human merits. The human being
decides to accept it or not. By faith we appropriate the merits of Jesus.[34] Faith is the
only necessary condition for salvation. But this faith is not a human work. It
comes from the grace of God. He adds:
“(...) the grace of God from which salvation comes to us is free in everything and for everyone."[35]
Theological
controversies with George Whitefield
The theological
battles against predestination were intense.
One of the worst
difficulties Wesley had in his ministry was theological controversies with his
friend George Whitefield, a member of the Holy Club.
Because of
Whitefield's defense of predestination[36] and his
tendency to belittle the need for sanctification and edification in the
Christian life, they separated.[37]
Whitefield was the
foremost Calvinist leader and did not hesitate to oppose the Wesleys.[38]
What was the basic
difference between Wesley's Arminianism and Whitefield's predestination?
For Wesley, free will
contributed more to the glory of God than predestination, which he also called
"condemnation."[39]
Unlike Wesley, George
Whitefield believed in the doctrine of the believer's perseverance:
"Wesley's theological dispute with
Whitefield had two points: the doctrines related to predestination and the
issues of imputed righteousness. Whitefield accepted the Calvinists' belief
that a person truly justified by God would persevere in faith to the end—there
was nothing like relapse among true believers."[40]
Of this
"perseverance of the saints,"[41] Wesley
reminds Ezekiel 33:13: "Again, thus saith the Lord, When I shall say unto
the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he shall trust in his conquered
righteousness, (yes, or to that promise as absolute and unconditional), and
commit iniquity, all his righteousness shall not be remembered; but for his
iniquity which he hath committed he shall die for it." [42]
Wesley further
argues, "Again, 'I am the living bread; if any man eat of this bread, (by
faith,) he must live for ever." John 6:51. True, if he continue to eat it.
and who can doubt it?
Again: "My sheep
hear my voice, and I know then, and they follow me. And I give them eternal
life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any snatch them out of my
hand." John 10:27-29.
In the preceding
text, the condition is only implied; in this it is plainly expressed. It is my
sheep who hear my voice, who follow me in all holiness. And "if you do
these things, you will never fall." No one shall "snatch you out of
my hand."
Again, "Having
loved his own which were in the world, he loved them to the end." John
13:1 "Having loved his own." (i.e. the apostles, as the following
words, "who were in the world." "He loved them to the end"
of his life, and manifested this love to the end."[43]
Whitefield was the
foremost Calvinist leader among the evangelical revivalists.[44] In 1741,
they separated. It was inevitable, for Wesley was an Arminian and Whitefield a
Calvinist.[45] Among the disagreements with Whitefield was
about the possibility of the elimination of sin in human life.
Whitefield said:
"I do not agree
that the reality of inner sin can be destroyed in this life."[46]
In April 1739, Wesley
preached his sermon "Free Grace" and later published it along with
Charles Wesley's poem "Universal Redemption":
"The sermon dealt directly with its basic
point of difference with George Whitefield, the doctrine of irresistible grace,
and all the corollaries of predestination: limited redemption, unconditional
election, condemnation ('horrible' law), and perseverance of the saints.[47]
But even though he
had difficulties with George Whitefield, they remained friends. In fact, at his
request, Wesley preached at his funeral service in 1770.[48]
The defense
of Arminianism by John Fletcher
His Early
Life
Jean Guillaume de la
Fléchère (1729–1785) was a French-speaking Swiss born in Nyon, Switzerland.[49]
He was "the son
of Jacques, judge of the Landvogteigericht, and Suzanne-Elisabeth Crinsoz de
Colombier".[50]
Fletcher was educated
in Geneva.
"He attended
academia in Geneva (later the University of Geneva)."[51]
In Geneva, "he
distinguished himself as a brilliant scholar of classics. Possessing the
intellectual qualifications for work as a teacher or clergyman."[52]
As a young man, he
intended to join the army. A series of circumstances thwarted his plans.[53]
Discovering
your vocation
"He was
scheduled to sail on a Portuguese warship that would take him to Brazil when a
pre-boarding accident limited him from landing. Then a wealthy uncle promised
him a commission in the Dutch army, but died before his nephew could become an
officer. Discouraged now, Fletcher immigrated to England and found work as a
tutor for the children of a prominent family."[54]
He went to England in
the fifties. "In the autumn of 1751, he became tutor to the children of
Thomas and Susanna Hill, a wealthy Shropshire family."[55]
It was through a
bishop that Fletcher entered priestly life. "An Anglican bishop, having
reviewed Fletcher's academic record from the Swiss university, ordained him.
Soon he was ministering with another Anglican, John Wesley, in the West Street
Chapel, as well as wherever French-speaking Protestant refugees
("Huguenots") gathered in London."[56]
Fletcher discovered
his pastoral vocation. "In 1757 Fletcher was ordained a deacon (6 March
1757) and a priest (13 March 1757) in the Church of England, after preaching
his first sermon at Atcham and being appointed curate to the Rev. Rowland
Chambre in the parish of Madeley, Shropshire."[57]
He turned down an
offer to be wealthy living in Dunham, accepting instead a humble parish at
Madeley in Shropshire.
He developed "a
sincere religious and social concern for the people of this populous part of
the West Midlands where he had first served in the Christian ministry, and
here, for twenty-five years (1760-1785), he lived and worked with exclusive
devotion and zeal, described by his wife as his 'labors' without example in the
epitaph she wrote for her iron tomb."[58]
Known for its
character
Fletcher was known in
Britain for his piety and generosity. When asked if he had any needs, he
replied, "... I want nothing but more grace."[59]
Fletcher heard good
things about the Methodists as a people who prayed much. He was interested in
knowing. His soul felt the need of something deeper.
Working as a tutor,
his employers often travel to London to spend a few days.
Contact with
the Methodists
In 1751, on "one
of the family's stays in London, Fletcher first heard of the Methodists and
became personally acquainted with John and Charles Wesley, as well as his
future wife, Mary Bosanquet."[60]
Thus, having moved to
England in 1751 and becoming acquainted with Wesley and Methodism, "he
began to work with John Wesley, becoming a key
interpreter of Wesleyan theology in the eighteenth
century and one of the first great theologians of Methodism."[61]
He was a personal
friend of Wesley's and a convinced Methodist of his doctrines.
"On the very day
of his ordination in 1757, Fletcher rushed to West Street Chapel in London to
help Wesley serve Holy Communion, and forever became Wesley's coadjutor."[62]
Fletcher devoted
himself to the spiritual renewal and revival movement and committed himself to
Wesley by correspondence to come to his "aid as a theologian, maintaining
a never wavering commitment to the Church of England."[63]
John Fletcher
and Arminianism
In 1770, at the
Annual Conference, there was a conflict between Calvinistic Methodists and
Arminian Methodists. There was an accusation that Calvinistic Methodists had
led to "spiritual mediocrity and antinomianism."[64] Countess
Selina who raised questions.
Defending
Wesley
Fletcher then stood
up at the meeting to defend Wesley.
To Calvinist ears,
the minutes of the 1770 Annual Conference seemed to "endorse works
necessary for salvation. The Countess demanded that her professors sign a
disapproval, which in the end Fletcher refused to do. Resigning from the
faculty, he put his pen at the service of Wesley and his Arminian
theology."[65]
The Methodist Joseph
Benson was principal of the Trevecca college that Countess Selina had created.
As he did not embrace predestination, he was fired. Fletcher, who was president
of the Countess's Institution, then took a stand.[66]
Fletcher wrote to the
Countess resigning the presidency of the Institution: "Mr. Benson made a
very fair defense when he said that with me he held the possibility of
salvation for all men, and that mercy is either offered to all, though it may
be received or rejected. If this is what your lordship identifies as Mr.
Wesley's opinion, free will or Arminianism, and if any Arminian has to leave
the college, I am indeed equally dismissed. In view of my present view on this
question, I am obliged to maintain this sentiment ... the Bible is true and God
is Love."[67]
He was a person of
principle and character. He resigned, preferring to leave the presidency of the
University of South Wales founded by Selina, Countess of Huntingdon.
From then on,
"Fletcher emerged as Wesley's authoritative interpreter with the
publication of a series of books under the title, Checks to Antinomianism,
which were edited, corrected, and published by Wesley."[68]
Defending
Arminianism
John Fletcher was
very useful to Wesley and to Methodism. He was "very useful in the
struggle he had to wage to defend the Arminian point of view before his
Calvinist opponents. In this way, Methodism produced a great theologian without
him actually writing a treatise on theology such as Thomas Aquinas' "Summa
Theologica" or Calvin's "Christian Institutions." He limited
himself to defending a doctrine that seemed to him more in tune with the
teaching that early Christianity gave according to the testimony of the New
Testament."[69]
Fletcher had not
accepted Wesley's invitation to work closely with him and to be his successor,
for he "believed that his continuing task was to write as an interpreter
of Wesley's theology: 'I laid my pen aside for some time; however, I resumed it
last week, at the request of his brother, to continue with my treatise on
Christian Perfection."[70]
Between 1770 and
1778-81 he was a preacher of the revival movement during stays in Nyon.[71]
When Wesley realized
that Methodist preachers in Wales were receiving influence from Calvinism, he
directed that all preachers read the writings of John Fletcher.
Biblical and
Theological Foundations for Free Will
One
doctrine Wesley defended was free will. In his time, "while most
Calvinists clung to double predestination, Wesley promoted an Arminian view of
salvation."[72]
When it
was necessary, for the good of the Kingdom of God and for the salvation of the
people, Wesley was a radical. He took the best of the 39 Articles of Religion
from Anglicanism and left only 25 articles.
"Wesley's
most difficult religious relationship was with the Church of England because of
his field preaching. Other religions existed in England at the
time—marginalized in English society—but an Anglican minister regarding all of
England as his parish, as Wesley did, violated the laws of the Church. In
addition, Wesley allowed those who were not ordained Anglican ministers to
preach Methodism."[73]
Wesley
vehemently opposed this doctrine by claiming that it is unscriptural; that it
denies all God's love for sinners, that it nullifies the sacrifice of Jesus,
that it makes the preaching of the Gospel useless, and that it terrifies
people.
Methodism
defends Arminianism. The expression comes from Jacob Arminius (1560-1609). He
studied Theology, Philosophy, Hebrew, Literature and other disciplines. He
pastored a church in Amsterdam. He was called to defend Calvinism (which
follows predestination) and, when researching, he ended up being a great
opponent of predestination defending free will.
Wesley
followed Arminianism, believed in free will. Therefore, we are Arminians.
In
Wesley's day, as in the present day, there was discussion about predestination
and free will. Sincere people went in ways contrary to the Word.
Let's
look at the implications of these doctrines in the Bible.
What is
predestination?
It is
the doctrine that states that sovereign God decides who should be saved.
"Calvinists
hold to predestination, that is, the belief that salvation is already
determined by God."[74]
Even
before a person is born, God has already predestined some to salvation and
others to perdition.
However,
some claim, "The Bible never speaks of a double predestination where God
elects or predestines some to hell and others to heaven."[75]
This
doctrine therefore brings much disturbance.
What is
free will?
Salvation
is offered to everyone. Free will is the doctrine that states that God gives
freedom to human beings to accept or not the salvation that is in Christ.
Read
below biblical texts that report on free will:
· John 3:16: "God
loved ... that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal
life";
· Acts 16:31:
"Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved..."
The Evil of Predestination
Wesley
saw several negatives in predestination:
·
All preaching would be vain. Everyone would
already have their destiny mapped out. Thus, preaching
would be worth nothing.
· It tends to destroy
holiness. It takes away from us the first reasons for following holiness:
- Those predestined to perdition would not have the future reward. Why,
then, seek holiness?
- Those predestined for heaven would no longer have future punishment. Why, then, seek holiness?
· It tends to destroy happiness. People who feel condemned no longer have peace, because they no longer have the opportunity to be saved.
And more: "Predestination means that our
salvation is eternally grounded in a sovereign and good God; therefore, our
sufferings, sorrows, persecutions, and defeats are not accidental."[76]
· It tends to destroy
zeal for good works. What is the use of helping those who are already
condemned? Thus, feeding and clothing the naked can be neglected because we can
judge that these people would already be predestined to this situation.
· It tends to subvert
Christian revelation. The coming of Christ would be meaningless, because
everyone would already have their destiny.
·
He would have Jesus as a liar. Jesus preached,
telling men to repent (Mark 1:14-15). If only some were saved and not all could
be saved, why did Jesus preach repentance to all? Why did Jesus tell them to go
into the world? (Mark 16:15-16). (20)
But how
to explain election in the Bible?
Wesley
believed in election in two ways:
All
true believers are elected to eternal life:
· "He who has the
Son has life" (1 John 5:12);
· “... you who believe
... have life" (1 John 5:13);
· "He who believes
in the Son has eternal life" (John 3:36).
2. God
calls some to certain special works, yet they may fall:
God
calls some to certain special works, but even so, they can fall as happened to
Judas (John 6:70) and Saul (1 Sam 10:1-8; 15:10-11).[77]
Called
servants who remained faithful: Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) and Paul: (Acts
22:14-15),
Thus we believe that free will is a biblical doctrine.
Adam Clarke fights
predestination
"Here, the word is used to
point out God's fixed purpose or predetermination for granting to the Gentiles
the blessing of the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ"
His Early Life
Adam Clarke (1760 or 1762-1832) was born in
the village of Moybeg, in present-day Northern Ireland. [78]
His mother was a Presbyterian and his father
an Anglican.[79]
He had a limited education and worked as an
apprentice to a clothing manufacturer and on his father's farm: "At the
age of 14, Adam was taken from the farm and school and placed with Mr. Barnett,
a linen maker, to learn this trade."[80]
He did not live luxuriously and still worked.
"He spent his childhood in a
thatched hut at Cappagh near Portstewart while working as a curtain apprentice
at Coleraine."[81] A few months later he returned home because
he found the job demotivating.[82]
Adam Clarke had difficulties in his educational background. "Clarke went
through many difficulties on his way to becoming educated, and as a circuit
racer's preacher. Clarke's life is well told by Douglass Gorrie[83] in the lives of eminent Methodist
ministers."[84]
His father had a university education and was
a parish teacher, but he earned little and could not give his children a good
education.
Adam was full of life, but he did not like to
study. After being ridiculed by his classmates, he began to study avidly and
became a studious student.
Contact with the Methodists
In 1777, at the age of 17, he heard the
Methodist John Brettel preach and was converted.
In 1782, one of the preachers of the
Londonderry circuit saw in him a promise and wrote to Wesley, who invited him
to the Methodist School at Kingswood.
"At the age of 17, he became a class
leader. He was sent by John Wesley in 1782 to Kingswood, where he bought a
Hebrew Bible and learned the language."[85]
An itinerant preacher
Afterward, Wesley asked him if he wanted to
become an itinerant preacher. He readily agreed. Adam ministered in circuits
for 26 years.
He was the youngest preacher of Methodism.
Clarke became a Methodist in 1778, and was in
succession an exhorter, local preacher, and regular preacher. His first circuit
was that of Bradford, Wiltshire, to which he was appointed in 1782. He served
in various places, and travelled throughout Great Britain, attaining fame as a
preacher, and being
president of the British Conference in 1806, 1814, and 1822.[86]
He is "remembered primarily for writing a
commentary on the Bible that took 40 years to complete and which has been a
primary Methodist theological resource for centuries."[87]
Like Wesley, he learned to read in his cell
while traveling on horseback, starting every day at five o'clock in the
morning. In the Norwich Circuit alone, he preached 450 sermons for 11 months.
He married Mary Cooke in 1788. He served twice
on the London circuit. [88]
In 1831 he built six small Methodist
schoolhouses/chapels in Antrim and Londonderry.
Adam Clarke comments on Ephesians 1:5
"And he predestined us to be adopted sons
by Jesus Christ, to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will."
Adam Clarke comments on "Having predestined us] προορισας".
"As the doctrine of eternal predestination has produced
much controversy in the Christian world," said Adam Clarke, "it may
be necessary to examine the meaning of the term, that those who use it may
employ it according to the sense it has in the oracles of God." [89]
Predestination for Gentiles to be adopted by
Jesus
According to the researches of Adam Clark,
"The verb προοπζω, from προ, before, and οριζω, I to define,
terminate, bind, or enclose, whence ορος, a limit or limit, signifies to define beforehand and
circumscribe by certain limits or limits; and it is originally a
geographical term, but it also applies to anything completed, determined, or
demonstrated. Here the word is used to point out the fixed purpose or
predetermination of God to bestow upon the Gentiles the blessing of the
adoption of sons by Jesus Christ, whose adoption had been granted to the Jewish
people; and without circumcision, or any other Mosaic rite, to admit
the Gentiles to all the privileges of his Church and people. And the apostle
points out that all this was predetermined by God, as he predetermined
the bounds and precincts of the land which he gave them according to the
promise made to their fathers; that the Jews had no reason to complain, for God
had formed this purpose before he had given the law, or called
them out of Egypt; (for it was before
the foundation of the world, Ephesians 1:4;)."[90]
He was in search of his original project
"If He did not, His eternal
purposes could not be fulfilled"
And Methodist theologian Adam Clark further
says, "and that, therefore, God's conduct in calling the Gentiles now—bringing
them into his Church, and conferring upon them the gifts and graces of the Holy
Ghost, was in pursuit of his original design; and, if he did not, his
eternal purposes could not be accomplished; and that, as the Jews were reckoned
their peculiar persons, not because they had any goodness or merit
in them; so the Gentiles were called, not by any merit they had, but
according to the good pleasure of their will; that is, according to their eternal
benevolenceshowing mercy and conferring privileges in this new creation, as
he had done in the original creation; for as, in creating man, he took away all
consideration of his own innate eternal benevolence, so now, in redeeming man,
and sending the glad tidings of salvation to both Jews and Gentiles, let him be
acted upon the same principles, deriving all the reasons of his conduct from
his own infinite goodness."[91]
An extremely conclusive argument
"He ordained that the
Gentiles, in the fullness of time, should be called and admitted to all the
privileges of the Messiah's kingdom"
"This argument was exceedingly
conclusive," said Adam Clark, "and must silence the Jews on the
ground of their original, primitive, and exclusive rights, which
they have always been ready to plead against all the pretensions of the
Gentiles. If, therefore, God, before the foundation of the Jewish economy,
determined that the Gentiles, in the fullness of time, should be called
and admitted into all the privileges of the Messiah's kingdom, then the exclusive
salvation of the Jews was chimerical; and what God was doing now, by the
preaching of the apostles in the Gentile world, was in fulfilment of his
original design." [92]
Paul addresses this argument
"This same argument St. Paul
produces repeatedly in his Epistle to the Romans"
"This same argument St. Paul repeatedly
produces in his Epistle to the Romans," said Adam Clark, "and a
proper consideration of it unlocks many difficulties in that epistle.
See the notes on Romans 8:29; Romans 8:30; and elsewhere, in
the course of that epistle, where this subject is treated."
The use of the word predestination
"Merely in reference to the
settlement of the Israelites in the promised land"
Methodist theologian Adam Clark explains why the
Greek word προορισας, translated predetermined,
limited, or circumscribed, is used in the biblical texts cited
above.
According to him, "merely in reference to
the settlement of the Israelites in the promised land. God assigned to them the portions which they
were to inherit; and these portions were described, and their bearings,
bounds, vicinity to other portions, extent, and length, as exactly
determined as they might be by the most correct geographical map.
The key to unlocking
"This is the great key by
which this business of predestination is unlocked"
"As God therefore dealt with the Jews in making them his peculiar people," said Adam Clark, "and when he divided the land among the sons of Noah he reserved for himself the twelve portions which he afterwards gave to the twelve tribes; (Deuteronomy 32:8;) and as his dealings with them were typical of what he intended to do in the calling and salvation of the Gentiles; so he uses the terms by which his distribution and settlement were indicated to show that, what he had designed and typified, he had now fulfilled according to the original preordination; the Gentiles having now the spiritual inheritance which God indicated by the grant made of the promised land to the children of Israel. This is the great key by which this business of predestination is unlocked. Ephesians 1:11."[93]
[1]https://reformedjournal.com/
reformed-assessments-of-arminianism-praise-from-unexpected-quarters/
[2] WALKER, Welliston, Ibidem, p. 134. The first to react to Calvinist
rigor was the Dutch scholar Dirck Coornhert (1522-1590), but this reaction
reached full expression with Jacob or Jacobus Arminius.
[3] https://www.suapesquisa.com/historia/reforma_calvinista.htm
[4] SALVADOR. José
Gonçalves. Arminianism and Methodism, Ibidem, p.22.
[5] Ibidem, p.28.
[6] Ibidem.
[7] The Westminister Confession was drafted in 1643 by the Assembly of
Clergy who had been entrusted with the task of organizing the New Establishment
(BETTENSON, Henry. Documentos da Igreja Cristã. São Paulo: Imprensa Metodista, ASTE, 1967,
p.278).
[8]BETTENSON, Henry. Documents of the Christian Church. São Paulo:
Methodist Press, ASTE, 1967, p. 278-9.
[9] Also called Jacobus Arminius (BETTENSON, Henry. Documents of the
Christian Church, Ibidem, p. 305).
[10] WALKER,
Welliston. História da Igreja Cristã. 2 v. São Paulo: ASTE, 1967, p. 15.
[11] Ibidem, p.135.
[12] Ibidem.
[13]
https://concursosnobrasil.com/escola/religiao/arminianismo.html
[14] The Synod of Dort, 1618, condemned the views of the Arminians, who were
compelled to leave the Reformed Church. In the "Five Articles"
condemned by the Synod it is said: I. That God, by an eternal and immutable
plan in Jesus Christ his Son, before the foundations of the world were laid,
determined to save, from among the human race that had fallen into sin—in
Christ, for Christ's sake, and through Christ. That in accordance with this,
Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world, died for all. That man does not possess
saving grace of himself, but that it is necessary that by God in Christ and
through his Holy Spirit he should be begotten anew, and renewed in
understanding, affections, and will. That this grace of God is the beginning,
continuation, and end of all good. so that not even the regenerate man can
think, will, or do any good, nor resist any temptation to evil without the
preceding (or prevenient) grace that awakens, assists, and cooperates (...). V.
That those who are grafted into Christ by a true faith, and who have thus been
made partakers of his life-giving Spirit, are abundantly endowed with power to
fight against Satan, sin, the world, and their own flesh, and to gain the
victory (...). (BETTENSON,
Henry, Ibid., 305-6).
[15] WALKER,
Welliston. História da Igreja Cristã. 2 v. São Paulo: ASTE 1967, p. 136.
[16]
https://deusamouomundo.com/remonstrantes/432/
[17]https://deusamouomundo.com/remonstrantes/os-remonstrantes-e-o-sinodo-de-dort/
[18] WALKER,
Welliston. História da Igreja Cristã. 2 v. São Paulo: ASTE 1967, p. 136.
[19]https://deusamouomundo.com/remonstrantes/os-remonstrantes-e-o-sinodo-de-dort/
[20] WALKER,
Welliston. História da Igreja Cristã. 2 v. São Paulo: ASTE 1967, p. 136.
[21] SALVADOR, José Gonçalves. Arminianism and Methodism. São Paulo: Igreja
Metodista do Brasil, [n.d], p. 51.
[22] Ibidem.
[23] Ibidem, p.63.
[24] Ibidem., p.61-2.
[25] Ibidem., p.62.
[26] WALKER, John. The History of the Moravian Revival. Goiás: [s.ed.].
1978, p. 2.
[27]"Arminius disagreed with both Augustine and Calvin, when he denied
that man had been reduced by sin to inactivity. There was something that man
did not lose. He still has the ability to respond to God's grace and accept or
refuse it. In other words: he still has freedom and volition and, thus, is
responsible for his decision" (SALVADOR, José Gonçalves, Ibidem, p.41).
[28] In the fourth article of Jacobus Arminius, condemned by the Synod of
Dort, it is said: "That this grace of God is the beginning, the
continuation, and the end of all good; so that not even the regenerate man can
think, will, or do any good, nor resist any temptation to evil without the
preceding (or prevenient) grace that awakens, assists, and cooperates (...).
That those who are grafted into Christ by a true faith, and who have thus been
made partakers of his life-giving Spirit, are abundantly endowed with power to
fight against Satan, sin, the world, and their own flesh, and to gain the
victory (...)."
[29] BURTNER, Robert W.; CHILES, Robert E. Collection of the Theology of
John Wesley. Ibidem, p. 54.
[30] Canons of the Methodist Church, Ibid., p.36.
[31] WESLEY, John. Clear Explanation of Christian Perfection, ibid., p.125.
[32] ______. Wesley's Sermons. 1 v., ibidem, p.213.
[33] "The Wesleyan magazine was renamed, since 1778, 'The Arminian
Magazine'. It is noteworthy that the first article published in the 1792 volume
is the translation of Arminius' writing, entitled 'The judgment of Arminius
about the divine decrees' (SALVADOR, José Gonçalves, Ibidem, p.77)".
[34] BURTNER, Robert W. ; CHILES, Robert E., Ibidem, p. 160.
[35] Ibid., p. 147.
[36] HEITZENHATER, Richard P., Wesley and the People Called Methodist,
Editeo-Pastoral Bennett, 1996, p.107.
[37] Ibidem, p.214.
[38] Idem, p.120.
[39] Here is a summary of what Wesley thought about predestination: If there
is election, all preaching would be vain; it tends to directly destroy
holiness; it tends to destroy our zeal for good works; it subverts all
Christian revelation; it makes revelation contradict itself; it is a doctrine
full of blasphemy, because it places Jesus as a hypocrite, a deceiver of the
people, etc. (BURTNER, Robert W.; CHILES, Robert E. Collection of the theology
of John Wesley. Ibidem, p. 53-4)
[40] HEITZENHATER, Richard P.Ibidem, p.107.
[41] Doctrine that states that "Once saved, always saved".
[42] www.imarc.cc/esecurity/perseverance.html
[43] Ditto.
[44] According to D.M.Lloyd-Jones, the themes of Whitefield's preaching
were: Original sin, regeneration, the Holy Spirit, justification by faith, etc.
(JONES, D. M. Lloyd. The Puritans. Ibid., p.130-1).
[45] HEITZENHATER, Richard P.Ibidem, p.120-1.
[46] Ibidem, p.120.
[47] Ibid.
[48] HEITZENHATER, Richard P., Ibid., p. 241.
[49] https://www.eismeaqui.com.br/sem-categoria/john-fletcher-1729-1785
[50] https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/029084
[51]
https://www.catalystresources.org/john-fletcher-the-first-wesley-scholar
[52] https://victorshepherd.ca/john-fletcher-jean-guillaume-de-la-flechere
[53] https://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1701-1800/
[54] https://victorshepherd.ca/john-fletcher-jean-guillaume-de-la-flechere
[56] https://victorshepherd.ca/john-fletcher-jean-guillaume-de-la-flechere
[57]https://chamadoparanacoes.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/a-vida-de-john.
[58]https://chamadoparanacoes.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/a-vida-de-john.
[59] Ditto.
[60]https://chamadoparanacoes.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/a-vida-de-john.
[61] https://wikimili.com/en/John_William_Fletcher
[62]https://www.catalystresources.org/john-fletcher-the-first-wesley-scholar
[63]https://chamadoparanacoes.wordpress.com/2015/12/16/a-vida-de-john.
[64] No. XXVI, London, Tuesday, August 7, 1770, Q. 28. A. 2. Minutes of the
Methodist Conferences 1744-98 [Mason, 1862] 95).
[65]https://www.catalystresources.org/john-fletcher-the-first-wesley-scholar
[67] BARBIERI, Sante
Uberto. Estranha Estirpe de Audazes. Imprensa Metodista, São Paulo, p.101.
[68]https://www.catalystresources.org/john-fletcher-the-first-wesley-scholar
[69] BARBIEIRI, Sante Uberto. Strange Strain of the Bold, Chapter 7 –
The Paladin of Divine Mercy. https://arminianismo.wordpress.com/john-fletcher
[70]https://www.catalystresources.org/john-fletcher-the-first-wesley-scholar
[71]https://hls-dhs-dss.ch/de/articles/029084
[72]https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-9-no-3-2008/john-wesley-methodist-foundation-restoration
[73]https://rsc.byu.edu/vol-9-no-3-2008/john-wesley-methodist-foundation-restoration
[74] https://mundoeducacao.uol.com.br/historiageral/calvinismo.htm
[75] https://www.gotquestions.org/Portugues/dupla-predestinacao.html
[76]https://coalizaopeloevangelho.org/article/
predestination-and-biblical-beautiful-and-practical/
[77] BURTNER, R. -
Chiles, R. Coletânea da Teologia de João Wesley, S. P., Jugec - 1960, p.55.
[78]https://
findbiographies.com/adam-clarke-81.php
[79]http://www.causewaymethodistchurches.com/home/portrush/history?msclkid=9cfdcb94d13011ec83690912cf8e8a9
[80]https://www.libraryireland.com/CIL/AdamClarke.php?msclkid=fbcecdbcd12d11ec902a395c73c84b57
[81]https://causewaymethodistchurches.com/home/portrush/history?msclkid=fc6a67c7d05e11ec978097016571e732
[82]
https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Clarke
[83] "The Lives of Eminent Methodist Ministers: Containing
Biographical Sketches, Incidents, Anecdotes, Travel Records, Reflections,
&c. 1881," Gorrie, P. Douglass (Peter Douglass),
https://www.abebooks.com/book-search/author/gorrie-douglass/?msclkid=5c6b99dbd16511ecb67f8749da9efd81
[84]
https://www.conservapedia.com/Adam_Clarke?msclkid=32744f8bd06211ecb075bf7bf5b39725
[85]https://holyjoys.org/biographical-adam-clarke/?msclkid=fbce79a3d12d11ecba42d5c8899401ba
[86]https://www.swordsearcher.com/christian-authors/adam-clarke.html?msclkid=fc6a1342d05e11ecb1850153cddca851
[87]https://causewaymethodistchurches.com/home/portrush/history?msclkid=fc6a67c7d05e11ec978097016571e732
[88]
https://www.findbiographies.com/adam-clarke-81.php
[89]https://www.bibliaplus.org/pt/commentaries/7/comentario-biblico-de-adam-clarke/efesios/1/5?msclkid=119bcd32d13611ec8316605abf6bcc3a
[90]https://www.bibliaplus.org/pt/commentaries/7/comentario-biblico-de-adam-clarke/efesios/1/5?msclkid=119bcd32d13611ec8316605abf6bcc3a
[91]https://www.bibliaplus.org/pt/commentaries/7/comentario-biblico-de-adam-clarke/efesios/1/5?msclkid=119bcd32d13611ec8316605abf6bcc3a
[92]https://www.bibliaplus.org/pt/commentaries/7/comentario-biblico-de-adam-clarke/efesios/1/5?msclkid=119bcd32d13611ec8316605abf6bcc3a
[93]https://www.bibliaplus.org/pt/commentaries/7/comentario-biblico-de-adam-clarke/efesios/1/5?msclkid=119bcd32d13611ec8316605abf6bcc3a
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