The life and times of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A., founder of the Methodists. Vol. 2 (of 3)

In Short

This second volume of L. Tyerman’s biography examines John Wesley’s leadership of the Methodist movement during its pivotal middle decades, roughly spanning 1748 to 1767. The narrative tracks Wesley’s tireless itinerant preaching across England, Ireland, and Wales, set against a backdrop of violent mob opposition, hostile press pamphlets, and ecclesiastical resistance. Internally, the text details the fragile machinery of early Methodism: the administration of local societies, the publication and distribution of affordable Christian literature, and continuous theological disputes. Wesley faces ideological ruptures over predestination and Christian perfection, tensions with Calvinist Methodists and Moravians, and delicate questions regarding separation from the Church of England. Beyond his public work, the narrative exposes Wesley’s troubled personal life, including his disastrous marriage to Mary Vazeille and his complex relationships with lay assistants. The chronicle endures as a vital reference because it avoids mere hagiography, relying instead on extensive primary letters, published tracts, and conference records to document the raw, complicated reality of early Methodism.

The Story

The volume opens in 1748 with John Wesley navigating severe early trials across the British Isles. Methodism faces rampant opposition, ranging from physical assaults by lawless mobs in Lancashire and Irish towns to public denunciations from high-ranking Anglican clergy like Bishop Lavington. Wesley travels continuously on horseback, preaching in open fields, private houses, and newly built chapels, while attempting to organize his converts into structured local societies. Simultaneously, George Whitefield returns from North America. Though Whitefield maintains personal affection for the Wesleys, he recognizes that their fundamental theological differences—namely his own Calvinist belief in election versus Wesley’s insistence on universal redemption—make external union between their respective movements impossible. Whitefield chooses to remain an unattached open-air evangelist, leaving Wesley to shoulder the complex task of governing a expanding network of societies.

As the late 1740s transition into the 1750s, Wesley focuses heavily on the intellectual and practical foundation of his societies. He conceives and executes the massive Christian Library, a multi-volume effort to abridge, edit, and publish the writings of eminent Christian authors for common readers. Despite financial losses, constant travel, and press errors committed by careless printers, Wesley perseveres in providing educational resources for his lay preachers and societies. During this same period, his personal life suffers profound upheaval. His romantic connection to Grace Murray ends in disappointment and painful scenes when she marries another preacher, John Bennet. Soon after, in 1751, Wesley marries Mary Vazeille, a wealthy widow. The union quickly deteriorates into a bitter, long-term tragedy marked by her intense jealousy, unauthorized taking of his private papers, public slander, and repeated desertions.

Throughout the 1750s, Wesley confronts both external attacks and deep internal schisms. Public hostility mounts through vicious pamphlets, magazine articles, and satirical poems that depict Methodists as fanatics, Papists in disguise, or mentally unstable pretenders. At the same time, Wesley finds himself embroiled in controversies with the Moravians, publicly criticizing Count Zinzendorf and Peter Bohler over claims of financial misconduct, extreme mysticism, and social deception within their community. Internally, Methodism faces a critical identity crisis regarding its relationship with the Church of England. A growing faction of lay preachers, led by figures like Charles Perronet and Edward Walsh, begins administering the sacraments without episcopal ordination, threatening an immediate split from the established Church. Wesley’s brother, Charles, vigorously opposes these lay encroachments, warning that unauthorized administration will destroy the movement. Charles urges absolute loyalty to the Anglican Church, leaving John to walk a precarious line: maintaining lay preaching to advance the revival while striving to prevent a formal separation from the national church.

By the late 1750s and moving into the 1760s, the movement expands into new territories and encounters fresh internal debates. A dramatic resurgence of violent physical manifestations—people falling unconscious, shrieking, or convulsing during sermons—reappears in parish churches under the preaching of John Berridge and William Hicks at Everton and Wrestlingworth. Wesley observes and defends these phenomena as genuine works of grace. Meanwhile, intense debates ignite over the doctrine of Christian perfection, or entire sanctification. Wesley asserts that a believer can experience an instantaneous deliverance from inward sin during life through simple faith. This doctrine provokes sharp opposition from Calvinist ministers like William Romaine and causes friction even with his brother Charles, who believes such perfection is rarely achieved before death and cautions against setting the standard too high.

The middle 1760s bring additional administrative and theological challenges. To supply ordained ministers for his societies, Wesley briefly turns to Erasmus, a visiting Greek bishop, to ordain several Methodist assistants. This act sparks immediate controversy, drawn-out pamphlet wars, and harsh denunciations from Calvinist critics like Augustus Toplady. Concurrently, the bitter aftermath of James Hervey’s published letters against Wesley creates a lasting rift among evangelical leaders, exacerbated by editors who inflate the controversy in print. In his final years covered by this volume, Wesley works tirelessly to preserve unity. He issues formal appeals for cooperation among evangelical clergy, strictly enforces society discipline, regulates book distribution through designated stewards, and cautiously permits dedicated women like Sarah Crosby to address Methodist gatherings. Despite personal domestic unhappiness, constant controversy, and advancing age, Wesley maintains a relentless routine of writing, preaching, and traveling, committed to preserving his societies as a vital spiritual force within the nation.

How It Unfolds

The northern journey and mob violence Wesley travels through the northern counties of England, preaching to large crowds while encountering fierce resistance from hostile local mobs. At Astbury, a ringleader known as "Drummer Jack" attempts to drown out the sermon with discordant noise, establishing the persistent social hostility Wesley faces on his circuits.

Whitefield’s return and theological parting George Whitefield lands in England after four years in America and immediately addresses the question of organizational unity with the Wesleys. Whitefield acknowledges that their divergent doctrines—Calvinist election versus Arminian universal grace—and his own lack of interest in managing formal societies make a structural union impossible.

The Herculean task of the Christian Library Wesley initiates the massive project of selecting, abridging, and printing fifty volumes of devotional writings to educate his societies and lay preachers. He carries out this editorial work on horseback and at wayside inns, bearing personal financial losses and enduring severe printing errors to complete the monumental undertaking.

Domestic rift and the letter to Molly Following his marriage to Mary Vazeille, Wesley experiences severe marital turmoil driven by her suspicions, jealousy, and public accusations. In a candid letter, Wesley urges her to cease her attacks on his character and accept a private life, though the marriage continues to fracture until her ultimate departure.

Crisis over lay administration and Anglican identity A severe internal debate erupts when several lay preachers begin administering the Holy Communion without church ordination. Charles Wesley passionately intervenes, writing urgent letters to defend the Church of England and warning that unauthorized sacraments will ruin the Methodist movement and cause a disastrous schism.

Outbursts of physical phenomena at Everton While visiting John Berridge’s parish in Everton, Wesley witnesses a sudden return of intense bodily convulsions, faintings, and loud crying among hearers during sermons. Wesley notes these dramatic physical manifestations, interpreting them as direct evidence of spiritual conviction and revival.

Controversy over Christian perfection Wesley vigorously promotes his central doctrine of instantaneous sanctification, engaging in continuous debate with critics and his brother Charles. While Charles remains skeptical of living witnesses claiming total freedom from sin, John insists that full salvation from inward sin is attainable in this life by simple faith.

The Greek bishop and ordination disputes Seeking ordained ministers for his growing work, Wesley encourages or allows foreign bishop Erasmus of Arcadia to ordain several lay itinerants. This action triggers severe backlash from Anglican opponents, internal division among the preachers, and blistering satirical attacks from Calvinist polemics.

The Hervey letters and Calvinist ruptures The posthumous publication of James Hervey’s critical letters, edited and circulated by controversialist William Cudworth, causes a lasting theological breach between Wesley and Calvinist evangelicals. Wesley defends his character and writings against accusations of heresy, expressing sorrow over the bitter pamphlet wars that follow.

Calls for evangelical union and structural reform Wesley sends a formal circular to fifty evangelical clergymen, proposing a practical union based on shared core doctrines despite differences over predestination or church order. Simultaneously, he tightens internal society management, standardizes book distribution, and encourages dedicated women to speak, consolidating his movement's operational stability.

The People

• John Wesley: The founder and primary administrator of the Methodist societies. He wants to spread evangelical Christianity across Britain, educate the working classes, and maintain a holy, organized network of religious societies without formally separating from the Church of England. Obstacles in his path include violent mobs, hostile bishops, disloyal preachers, theological opponents, and an extraordinarily unhappy marriage. He remains an unshakable, highly disciplined leader who rides thousands of miles, writes dozens of books, and insists on strict operational and spiritual standards.
• Charles Wesley: John Wesley’s younger brother, a gifted hymn writer and minister. He seeks to keep Methodism strictly within the communion of the Church of England and to prevent lay preachers from usurping priestly functions. He is constantly alarmed by lay assistants who administer sacraments or push for separation, and he frequently clashes with John over the practical definition and frequency of Christian perfection.
• George Whitefield: The famous open-air evangelist and long-time friend of the Wesleys. He wants to preach the gospel freely throughout Britain and America without being burdened by the administrative oversight of local societies. Though he holds firmly to Calvinist doctrines of election that contrast with Wesley’s views, he strives to maintain a warm, personal bond of love with the Wesley brothers.
• Mary "Molly" Wesley: John Wesley’s wife, a widow who marries him in 1751. She seeks affection, financial security, and attention, but she is utterly unable to cope with Wesley’s demanding travel schedule, his extensive correspondence with female society leaders, and his public lifestyle. Her intense jealousy leads her to steal his private papers, spread damaging reports about his character, and repeatedly desert him.
• John Berridge: The eccentric and zealous vicar of Everton. He wants to bring his parishioners to radical spiritual conversion after years of fruitlessly preaching salvation by works. His ministry becomes a focal point of intense religious revival, accompanied by dramatic physical prostrations and roaring among his listeners, which he oversees with earnest enthusiasm.
• Sarah Ryan: A former servant with a tumultuous past who becomes Wesley’s housekeeper at Bristol and a trusted class leader. She seeks to live a devout Christian life and serve the Methodist societies. Despite public criticism of her appointment due to her past marriages, Wesley fiercely defends her piety and relies on her as a spiritual confidante.
• Charles Perronet: An ambitious lay preacher who desires greater independence for Methodist itinerants. He actively pushes the movement toward separation from the established church by administering the Lord's Supper without Anglican ordination, provoking strong outrage from Charles Wesley.

In Its Own Voice

When defining the practical, everyday value of clear intellectual training for religious leaders, Wesley defends his inclusion of classical logic in his educational programs:

"It is good for this, at least (wherever it is understood), to make people talk less; by showing them both what is, and what is not, to the point; and how extremely hard it is to prove anything."

Addressing his estranged wife during one of their severe domestic crises, Wesley appeals for an end to her relentless public attacks on his moral character:

"Suspect me no more, asperse me no more, provoke me no more. Do not any longer contend for mastery, for power, money, or praise. Be content to be a private insignificant person, known and loved by God and me."

In a frank letter to his brother Charles regarding their lingering disagreements over the doctrine of entire sanctification, John summarizes the core question at stake:

"The whole comes to one point: is there, or is there not, any instantaneous sanctification between justification and death? I say, yes. You often seem to say, no."

What It's Really About

At its core, this volume is about the immense organizational, theological, and personal strain required to build a permanent religious movement out of a chaotic popular revival. It poses fundamental questions about authority, institutional identity, and religious discipline: How does a renewal movement remain inside a parent church when its very methods violate that church's canon law? How can leaders maintain personal charity when divided by deeply held theological convictions?

The text captures the friction between high idealisms and fragile human nature. Wesley strives for absolute spiritual perfection and flawless organizational efficiency, yet he must constantly manage human flaws—unruly congregations, careless printers, jealous wives, arrogant lay preachers, and bitter pamphleteers. The narrative shows that early Methodism was not a smooth, triumphant march, but a fragile, contested experiment held together primarily by Wesley’s iron willpower, procedural skill, and continuous travel.

Furthermore, the volume explores the tension between order and enthusiasm. Wesley values order, logic, and systematic instruction, as evidenced by his extensive editing of classical texts and logic manuals. Yet, he continuously accommodates and defends wild emotional outbursts, instantaneous conversions, and outdoor lay preaching. The work demonstrates that Methodism’s success lay precisely in this balance: combining rigid, systematic structural mechanics with an uncompromising, emotionally resonant spiritual message.

Why Read It Today

Modern readers interested in religious history, sociology, or institutional leadership will find this biography deeply rewarding. It offers an unvarnished, highly detailed look at eighteenth-century social life, popular religion, and the incredible mechanics of early Methodist growth. Readers who enjoy rich archival detail will appreciate how the narrative steps back to let original letters, diary entries, conference minutes, and contemporary pamphlets tell the story. It feels less like a smooth modern narrative and more like stepping directly into an eighteenth-century archive.

However, prospective readers should be clear about the book's challenges. It is an dense, highly detailed nineteenth-century scholarly volume that makes no effort to streamline its material for quick consumption. The text is packed with minor names, forgotten pamphlet wars, local itinerary details, and mid-eighteenth-century theological disputes that require patience. Tyerman’s style is straightforward and documentary rather than stylistic or romantic, prioritized entirely around chronological precision and transcript completeness.

What stays with the reader after finishing this volume is the sheer scale of John Wesley’s physical and mental endurance. One watches a man ride thousands of miles on horseback every year, preach several times a day, manage dozens of uneducated itinerants, write and abridge hundreds of books, sustain a relentless paper war against aggressive critics, and survive a miserable domestic life, all without losing his focus. It leaves an indelible impression of how much sheer labor is required to turn an emotional revival into a lasting global institution.