Volume 7 Events

METHODISM SET ON A PERMANENT BASIS

JANUARY 1, 1783, TO DECEMBER 31, 1785

This period of Wesley's life is one of vital importance. His Ordinations for America in 1784 prepared the way for the vast extension of Methodism in the New World, whilst his execution of the Deed of Declaration secured to the Conference a legal status after his death. His letters to Asbury, to William Black, Freeborn Garrettson, and other workers show how deeply he was concerned in the transatlantic developments of Methodism. The correspondence with Charles Wesley throws light on the process by which he had been led to set apart Coke and A sbury as General Superintendents for America. The letters to Thomas Wride and Mrs. Christian in July 1785 reveal the unrest among the preachers due to the Deed of Declaration. He tells Wride: 'No contentious persons shall for the future meet in any Conference. They may dispute elsewhere if they please.' Wride was an awkward person; but Wesley dealt with him with wonderful kindness. His letter to Henry Brooke and the correspondence with William Robarts show how ready the veteran was to acknowledge any hasty judgment of the conduct of others. His letter to his nephew Samuel is singularly tender; and so are those to Alexander Knox. The correspondence with Ann Bolton and Mary Cooke reveals his solicitude for their highest interests, and that with his preachers shows how vigilantly he fulfilled his office as the Methodist leader. The important letter to William Pitt, the young Prime Minister, exhibits his lively concern for the public well-being in critical times.

PRINCIPLE EVENTS

A DELIGHTFUL OLD AGE

JANUARY 2, 1786, To DECEMBER 27, 1787

In one of the early letters of this period Wesley writes, 'My business is continually increasing, so that I am obliged to hasten along.' He found time to visit Holland and the Channel Islands, which he described as 'abundantly the pleasantest part of His Majesty's Dominions.' He trusted much to his tried preachers, who relieved him of many burdens, and to whom he gave the soundest advice. His chief literary work at this time was The Life of John Fletcher, which brought him into frequent correspondence with Mrs. Fletcher, 'one of the most faithful friends I have in the world.' His own experience is given in a beautiful letter to Elizabeth Ritchie on February 24, 1786: 'I go on in an even line, being very little roused at one time or depressed at another.' His kindness to Adam Clarke and Zachariah Yewdall was a constant source of encouragement to them. The letter to Thomas Wride in December 1786 is not less notable. Wesley had a high regard for this strange preacher, though he was keenly alive to his faults. The letters to Arthur Keene, to Ann Bolton, and others reveal his sympathy and tenderness in personal and family affliction. The correspondence with his brother deals with the relations of Methodism to the Church of England, and proves how deeply Wesley loved it. Other letters bring out his desire to cultivate happy relations with the clergy. The letter to Granville Sharp on October 11, 1787, shows how deeply he felt the disgrace and wrong of the Slave Trade; and he tells Thomas Wride that the abuse of distilled liquors was such that, 'were it in my power, I would banish them out of the world.' Best of all, the Revival was spreading: 'There is a wonderful work of God in several parts of this kingdom; and it increases more and more.'

PRINCIPLE EVENTS

Edited by Michael Mattei 2001 Wesley Center for Applied Theology. All rights reserved. No for-profit use of this text is permitted without the express, written consent of the Wesley Center for Applied Theology of Northwest Nazarene College, Nampa, Idaho 83686 USA. Direct all inquiries to the webmaster.