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John Wesley
Born June 17, 1703 to an Anglican
minister, Samuel Wesley and his wife, Susanna, he narrowly escaped death in a parsonage fire in 1709. His mother evidently
saw his rescue as a heavenly sign and impressed on him the notion that he was destined to
do a great work for the Lord. Having
many siblings (nearly 20), he and his brother Charles, the hymn-writer became the family’s
dominant historical figures.
Wesley attended Christ Church College and later went to the world-renowned
Oxford University along with the likes of George Whitefield, who became a close personal
friend of the family. The men joined Charles
to form the Holy Club, also known as the Oxford Methodists.
Later they simply became known as ‘Methodists’ because of
their methodical approach to study and pure living. The group became known for their zeal,
with fasting twice weekly and communion services. They soon began visiting prisoners to
attempt rehabilitation and training. John was
ordained as a deacon at age 22 and a priest at 25. An
academic at heart, the young Wesley remained at Oxford a while to teach Greek.
His formal education certainly didn’t stand in the
way of John Wesley’s ability to think independently or associate himself with common
people and ideals. The budding evangelist continued to extend his outreach to include the
distribution of basic necessities to the poor, such as food, clothing, and medicine. He went so far as to make a journey to visit
English missionaries and evangelize American Indians in the new colonies—a visit
which would last for two years!
On the boat to America, Wesley took
note of a particular group of Moravian Christians on the voyage with him. The band was undaunted during what was a severe
storm at sea. The British preacher enquired
of their remarkable faith to find his own curiously lacking. While the Wesley brothers broke Methodist ground
in the new world, John grew discouraged with his limited success evangelizing the foreign
territory. In late 1737 he returned to
England, joining brother Charles who had left six months in, leaving behind Whitefield who
started the Great Awakening. Wesley’s
impact would eventually be felt in the revival, that caught the attention of none other
than Benjamin Franklin!
The following
year of 1738 would not pass without the personal transformation the preacher sought for
himself, having ironically already promoted a religion he had not fully and truly
experienced. Maintaining ties with some of the Moravians in Great Britain, the evangelist
later claimed to experience true conversion while listening to a sermon from the book of
Romans on the law of sin and death.
The change was evident as the preacher soon realized his potential, igniting
western Europe with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The
new-found passion didn’t sit well with the official Anglican church, however, who
excommunicated him from their ranks. His
calling was clear enough to see past the latest hurdle to launch an enormous movement. His ministry didn’t stop with preaching,
either. He also published many books, one of
which was a book of rules for Methodist societies he organized.
His conviction remained through the years for holistic
healing, a comprehensive approach to care for the whole person—spirit, soul and body. Suffering from recurring nose-bleeds during his
college days, Wesley had sought treatment from physicians to cure him. Dissatisfied, with the limitations of 18th century
medicine along with few practitioners and unaffordable treatment, he decided to undertake
studies in health care. After studying
extensively, he published the book, Primitive Physick in 1747, primarily a
collection of home remedies and common sense health care.
He even developed an early form of electric shock therapy. His infatuation with medicine along with his
insistence to practice it in moderation drew wide-spread criticism from the religious and
medical communities alike. History
has exonerated Reverend Wesley to a large degree. Much
of his advice and opinions on health matters has since been confirmed by more modern
research since his death.
Despite a very busy schedule, the
preacher finally found time for the pursuit of romance.
After troubles with the fairer sex involving so much as legal action
no less, John Wesley and widow Mary Vazeille married in 1751. Sadly, the two fell prey to the Wesley women
woes. They separated a few years later as
Mary recanted on her decision to allow her husband to continue to travel and preach. She finally moved away, while the famous
evangelist’s ministry continued.
He eventually
ordained Methodist preachers to evangelize the new nation of the United States of America—some
of whom (such as Francis Asbury) were instrumental in drumming up popular support for the
American Revolution! The famous fire-brand died in 1791 at 87 years of age. Standing 5 feet 3 inches tall, John Wesley was a
giant of a man who sparked controversy as a way of life.
He’s credited with helping to establish two major religious
denominations-the Methodists and Wesleyans. By 1830 the Methodists had become the largest
denomination in the youthful United States with over 80,000 members. Today the Methodist
and Wesleyans combine to number around 14,000,000 in the U.S. alone.
Resources: walkington.godsweb,
iscuo.org, spartacus.schoolnet, wesleyan.org, mb-soft.com, freespace.virgin.net
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