John Wesley - Methodist and Wesleyan Founder
The Origins of ‘Slaying in the Spirit’
John Wesley (1703 – 1791)
John Wesley was born in the small town of Epworth in North Lincolnshire as the fifteenth child of nineteen. Ten survived the term of infancy. He came from a long line of clergymen in the Church of England, his great-grandfather, grandfather and father all such. Studying at Oxford, he led a pretty typical life for one called to such a life. Becoming a missionary after college, he underwent many trials and tribulations in that life before he settled into an evangelistic lifestyle which also included many and varied trials throughout his life.
What Made John Wesley and Wesleyanism Profound
The Wesley family was so endowed with deeper and profound experiences of God, that many of those who attended their preachings were struck down or ‘convicted.’ They would tremble and shake, many falling to the floor suddenly becoming aware of the overwhelming sense of their sins. Conversions were rampant because of this phenomena attributed to the Holy Spirit, and even many who came to their meetings as complete unbelievers would often leave completely changed and converted to God.
John Wesley, not unlike many Catholic Mystics throughout history, was gifted with profound interior and exterior mystical experiences wherein the power of the Holy Spirit came down upon him and sometimes friends who were with him and he was instructed in his ministry through such deep experiences.
Jacob Boehme was another of these kinds of mystics who defied logic and baffled the people of his own day.
John Wesleys Writings Compared to the Early Church Fathers
Because John Wesley was a prolific writer and his works fill volumes of material, his place in theological history will remain secure. Known as an evangelist, reformer and a brilliant man, he wasn’t always given proper credit for his profound gifts by Protestants of his day. However, Alexander Knox, a contemporary of his time, said of him that he was a major theologian who managed to bring out the best of St. Augustine and St. Chrystostom, both writers contained in the Writings of the Early Church Fathers.
John Wesley tried to bring simplicity into his work and was known to have said of his own writings that they were “plain words for plain people.”
John Wesley’s Contribution to the Idea of Revival
The old-fashioned idea of revival that continues to this day was born in the time of John Wesley and his fathers and grandfathers. The modern understanding of being ‘convicted in the spirit’ was born on the day of Pentecost, but revived in the days of John Wesley and his fathers due to their unique gift of making Pentecost present in their own day.
John Wesley’s Dying Words
At 88 years of age, John Wesley passed away on Wednesday, March 2, 1791. His last words were spoken twice, with great fervour, "The best of all is, God is with us." He lifted his arms and said again, "The best of all is, God is with us."
Sources: John Wesley – Edited by Albert C. Outler, Deeper Experiences of Famous Christians – By James Gilchrist Lawson, The Works of John Wesley (13 Volumes) Baker Books, Wesley Center Online
John Wesley
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