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The Journal Of John Wesley
In his Journal, John Wesley gives his readers a vivid picture of his life in eighteenth-century Britain and America. Wesley's account, originally written in code and later published in instalments, records the journeys of the man who regarded the world as his parish. Covering fifty-six years of his life, the Journal chronicles his controversial open-air preaching, his inner doubts and conflicts, his journeys on horseback and by ship, and his encounters with many people - the famous, the infamous and the ordinary.
192 pages, Paperback
First published January 31, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 21, 2024
AN EXCELLENT SELECTION OF WRITINGS FROM WESLEY'S DAILY JOURNAL
John Wesley (1703-1791) was a Church of England cleric and theologian who, through open-air preaching with his brother Charles, founded the Methodist movement. He added to his Journal on a daily basis, and it constitutes 26 volumes in entirety.
Of his thoughts during a storm while returning to England from America, he admits he thought, "I went to America to convert the Indians; but oh! who shall convert me? who, what is he that will deliver me from this evil heart of mischief?... in a storm I think, 'What, if the gospel be not true? Then thou art of all men most foolish. For what hast thou given thy goods, thine ease, thy friends, thy reputation, thy country, thy life?... A dream! a cunningly devised fable!'" (Pg. 53)
He wrote, "God in Scripture commands me... to instruct the ignorant, reform the wicked, confirm the virtuous. Man forbids me to do this in another's parish; that is, in effect, to do it at all, seeing I have now no parish of my own, nor probably ever shall. Whom then shall I hear, God or man? ... I look upon all the world as my parish..." (Pg. 74) He recalled, "As we were riding through a village called Sticklepath, one stopped me in the street and asked abruptly, 'Is not thy name John Wesley?' Immediately two or three more came up and told me I must stop there... I found they were called Quakers: but that hurt not me, seeing the love of God was in their hearts." (Pg. 120)
He notes wryly, "It is now about eighteen years since I began writing and printing books; and how much in that time have I gained by printing? ... I had gained by printing and preaching together a debt of twelve hundred and thirty-six pounds." (Pg. 218) He reasons, "The danger was to regard extraordinary circumstances too much, such as outcries, convulsions, visions, trances; as if these were essential to the inward work, so that it could not go on without them. Perhaps the danger is, to regard them too little; to condemn them altogether; to imagine they had nothing of God in them." (Pg. 239)
Wesley's Journal is one of the great spiritual "classics"...
John Wesley (1703-1791) was a Church of England cleric and theologian who, through open-air preaching with his brother Charles, founded the Methodist movement. He added to his Journal on a daily basis, and it constitutes 26 volumes in entirety.
Of his thoughts during a storm while returning to England from America, he admits he thought, "I went to America to convert the Indians; but oh! who shall convert me? who, what is he that will deliver me from this evil heart of mischief?... in a storm I think, 'What, if the gospel be not true? Then thou art of all men most foolish. For what hast thou given thy goods, thine ease, thy friends, thy reputation, thy country, thy life?... A dream! a cunningly devised fable!'" (Pg. 53)
He wrote, "God in Scripture commands me... to instruct the ignorant, reform the wicked, confirm the virtuous. Man forbids me to do this in another's parish; that is, in effect, to do it at all, seeing I have now no parish of my own, nor probably ever shall. Whom then shall I hear, God or man? ... I look upon all the world as my parish..." (Pg. 74) He recalled, "As we were riding through a village called Sticklepath, one stopped me in the street and asked abruptly, 'Is not thy name John Wesley?' Immediately two or three more came up and told me I must stop there... I found they were called Quakers: but that hurt not me, seeing the love of God was in their hearts." (Pg. 120)
He notes wryly, "It is now about eighteen years since I began writing and printing books; and how much in that time have I gained by printing? ... I had gained by printing and preaching together a debt of twelve hundred and thirty-six pounds." (Pg. 218) He reasons, "The danger was to regard extraordinary circumstances too much, such as outcries, convulsions, visions, trances; as if these were essential to the inward work, so that it could not go on without them. Perhaps the danger is, to regard them too little; to condemn them altogether; to imagine they had nothing of God in them." (Pg. 239)
Wesley's Journal is one of the great spiritual "classics"...
July 29, 2025
Wesley was by no means perfect but his journals are in many ways inspiring. Especially his early years, in which often he preached in once place once and told to never preach there again, which he accepts with good humor and moves on. It's also interesting to read his interest in alternative medicine and electricity, and the many books he read that weren't of a religious nature. It's also great to read of someone at this time preach against slavery and the oppression of the poor. These abridged excerpts are an excellent inroad to someone just now interested in Wesley and the denominations he founded.
July 7, 2021
I've read & re-read this book. There are surprising insights and humor in Wesley's observations.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews