John Wesley

In the past few hundred years, some great Christian thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries have penned works of literature that continue to influence Christians today. Rediscover the cornerstone of the Christian faith with this classic work from one of the most influential Christian thought leaders.

A Plain Account of Christian Perfection

John Wesley is one of the most important figures of Protestantism due to his being a central figure in founding the Methodist Church. This is the story of his life, written by himself. The historian Thomas Babington Macaulay said that Wesley was "a man whose eloquence and logical acuteness might have made him eminent in literature, whose genius for government was not inferior to that of Richelieu, and who, whatever his errors may have been, devoted all his powers in defiance of obloquy and derision, to what he sincerely considered as the highest good of his species." But despite how Wesley has been viewed posthumously, he did not always find spreading his views a simple matter. Indeed, he was slandered, cursed, attacked by mobs and pelted by stones, had to travel through atrocious weather and rough seas, imprisoned and even saw an effigy of himself burnt before his eyes. Through all this Wesley persisted. He travelled the length and breadth of the country, from Leeds to Leicester, the Isle of Man to the Channel Islands, Wales to Scotland. He records that at one point he journeyed over 2,400 miles in 7 months, sometimes covering over 90 miles in a single day. He ventured outside of the country on a number of occasions, visiting Ireland and even preaching to Native Americans when he was young. But age did not stop him and in his 80th year he visited Holland to continue preaching. John Wesley's Journal is not only a fascinating insight into the life of this religious leader, but it is also an eyewitness account of the eighteenth century world. Wesley's travels over much of Britain provide a brilliant social history of what life was like during this period. He notes down his meetings with a huge range of people from lords and ladies to Dr. Samuel Johnson right through to smugglers, sailors, soldiers and even French prisoners. At the beginning he preached to only small sceptical groups but by the end of his life he was drawing crowds of over 30,000. His Journal documents his life right through to his last year in 1791 at the age of 87. He had been preaching Methodism for over fifty years, crossing and re-crossing the kingdom, recording what he saw and what he believed. This Journal should be of value to anyone interested in the origins of Methodism or eighteenth century history.

The Journal of John Wesley

Albert Cook Outler

A collection of sermons delivered by Methodist pastor John Wesley in the eighteenth century.

An Anthology

John Wesley's Sermons

Sermons

The scripture way of salvation

The works of John Wesley have been treasured for many years, and we are pleased to offer this 141-sermon set in three volumes. These sermons constitute the essential points of his beliefs. Many were published by Wesley himself while others were recovered from his manuscripts after his death. While reading these, you will find that his writings are never dry but maintain a vigor of life about them while maintaining a scriptural balance. He strived to reach the everyday man and bring him a living gospel, and this intent is spread throughout his sermons.While Wesley had originally intended to publish a three-volume series, he went on to add a fourth. He desired to reach a larger audience with these printed works than he could with his daily sermons in person, and there was also a particular demand for them. The four books are comprised of approximately 44 sermons and are contained in volume I of this printing. In 1746, he had published the first book of this projected work, entitled Sermons on Several Occasions. He later went on to add another nine sermons to the series. The subsequent books were released in 1748, 1750, and 1760, respectively. It is important to note that these are by no means the whole of Wesley's written sermons; they were merely selected by him for the Christian reader as a kind of standard for his belief of many of the principal points of Christian doctrine, and have since become known as the standard sermons.In his preface to volume I, Wesley himself wrote, "I have accordingly set down in the following sermons what I find in the Bible concerning the way to heaven; with a view to distinguish this way of God from all those which are the inventions of men. I have endeavored to describe the true, the scriptural, experimental religion, so as to omit nothing which is a real part thereof, and to add nothing thereto which is not." (Sermons on Several Occasions, Volume I, Preface)

Volume 3, Sermons 109-141

The Complete Works of John Wesley

Complete Bible Commentary

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work was reproduced from the original artifact, and remains as true to the original work as possible. Therefore, you will see the original copyright references, library stamps (as most of these works have been housed in our most important libraries around the world), and other notations in the work. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. As a reproduction of a historical artifact, this work may contain missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

The Works Of The Rev. John Wesley, A.m.: Original Sin

George Whitefield

Discover the dynamics of the great English revival of the 18th century pioneered by John and Charles Wesley and George Whitefield.

The Nature of Revival

Harrington William Holden

Selections from Wesley's writings printed in parallel columns with Holden's explanation of Anglican doctrines.

John Wesley in Company with High Churchmen

With the Last Corrections of the Author

The Works of the Rev. John Wesley ...

Works

Hymns for the Use of the People Called Methodists

The marrow of Methodism: twelve sermons, with intr. and analysis by B. Gregory

The Works of John Wesley: First series of sermons continued, second series begun (through 86)

John Wesley offers a comprehensive teaching on the doctrine of Christian perfection. In it, he describes the evolution of his own theological reasoning, telling the story of how he came to understand and preach this doctrine in his own life.

Plain Account of Christian Perfection

A plain account of Christian perfection

John Wesley (1703-1791) is the chief architect and source of inspiration to the teaching commonly referred to as Christian perfection. Among his many publications, the book that best summarizes his teachings on holiness is A Plain Account of Christian Perfection, as believed and taught by the Reverend Mr. John Wesley, from the year 1725 to the year 1777. For many years this timeless classic has been reproduced in various formats. Now, for the first time, John Wesley's 'A Plain Account of Christian Perfection' is being offered in a definitive Annotated Edition by Mark K. Olson. This edition is volume one in a projected three volume series. The Annotated Edition offers the following: · The entire text has been divided into chapters and verses for detailed study and cross-referencing. · The introduction examines in detail when and why Wesley wrote A Plain Account. · The verse by verse commentary discusses the history and background behind the text, offering unsurpassed explanation of Wesley's doctrine of perfect love. · Five end notes address Wesley's early doctrinal development, the impact of Aldersgate on his perfection doctrine, many testimonies of attaining perfection, and other relevant material from early Methodism. · Over 150 quotations from Wesley's sermons, writings, and letters offer unlimited clarification to his views on perfection. · The insights of many Wesley scholars are included: Albert Outler, Randy Maddox, Kenneth Collins, William Greathouse, Thomas Oden, Harold Lindstrom, Stephen Gunter, H. Ray Dunning, Theodore Runyon, plus many others. · A timeline details every event in Wesley's lifetime corresponding to A Plain Account. · Several exhaustive indexes are included: scripture, annotation, subject, author, Wesley quotations, and two synonym indexes from Wesley's Journal and A Plain Account. · The Essential Reading Section further empowers the study of Wesley's theology of perfection. Included are: o Twenty key sermons, along with their dates and locations in Wesley's Works (both the Jackson and Bicentennial editions). · Wesley's most important writings on perfection, listing their date and location in his Works. · 250 letters relevant to his theology of perfection. The index includes their date and location in Wesley's Works, with a brief description of their contents. Two additional volumes are planned in the series. John Wesley's Theology of Perfection will offer specialized studies for those wanting to dig deeper into Wesley's theology of perfection. The third volume, John Wesley's Doctrine of Christian Perfection, will present in systematic format every facet of Wesley's views on perfection. The projected release for both volumes is 2006 and 2007. Together, these three volumes will present one of the most thorough and exhaustive studies ever done on Wesley's most beloved, yet, most controversial doctrine.

John Wesley

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