Historical Development of Wesley’s Doctrine of the Spirit
Although John Wesley had spoken about the Holy Spirit prior to 1738, it was not until after Aldersgate that he began to develop a distinct pneumatology. Aldersgate was not Wesley’s conversion-initiation; rather it was largely a pneumatological experience of the “internal witness of the Spirit.”1 His ‘heart strangely warmed’ marked a theological shift from outward works toward an experiential focus on the Spirit. He continued to develop this focus on the role of the Holy Spirit in Christian experience throughout his life. One can trace the role of the Spirit in the three distinct stages of Wesley’s thinking; early, middle, later.2 
The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that there is a recognizable development of Wesley’s doctrine of the Holy Spirit, which began to take form at Aldersgate and continued to be developed throughout his lifetime. This article will begin by briefly looking at the role of the Holy Spirit in each of the three stages of Wesley’s life and at the corresponding sermon corpus. This research will lead to an analysis of the various influences on the development of Wesley’s pneumatology. In addition, there will be an evaluation of the various ways in which the Holy Spirit played a role in his overall theology.
The Early Wesley 1725-1738
As mentioned earlier, there are three distinct stages of Wesley’s theological development. The early Wesley refers to the time between his ordination as a deacon on September 19, 1725 to his Aldersgate experience on May 14, 1738. Many scholars believe that 1725 marked the beginning of John Wesley’s religious awakening and the first of three phases in his theological development.3 He began to think seriously about entering the Church and his parents enthusiastically encouraged him. During this time several major things helped shape Wesley’s religious thought. Wesley came into contact with Bishop Jeremy Taylor’s Rules and Exercises of Holy Living and Dying, Thomas a’ Kempis’s Christian’s Pattern, and William Law’s Christian Perfection and serious Call.4 These writings made a profound impact upon Wesley’s spirituality. They put him on the path toward inward holiness.
Another important development was that Wesley became acquainted with ancient Christian literature through the assistance of fellow John Clayton, who was a competent patristics scholar.5 Wesley’s love for the Eastern Fathers can be seen throughout his Works, particularly “Macarius the Egyptian” and Ephrem Syrus.6 He became convinced that their pattern of holy living was true and authentic Christianity. More importantly for this study, was the ancient Christian’s emphasis on the person and experiential work of the Spirit, which no doubt had an impact on Wesley’s thinking.7 These various influences made Wesley’s time at Oxford an important season of religious and theological development and no doubt sowed impressionable seeds, which would later develop into Wesley’s mature pneumatology.
“The Circumcision of the Heart” 1733
On January 1, 1733, at Saint Mary’s Oxford, Wesley preached “The Circumcision of the Heart”, which contains the basic elements of his soteriology. This sermon also says more about the Holy Spirit than any of his other sermons prior this time. However, it appears that he was still working out his understanding of the relationship of the Holy Spirit and his overall theology. He said that, “without the Spirit we can do nothing but add sin to sin,” and “that it is impossible for us even to think a good thought without the supernatural assistance of his Spirit as to create ourselves, or to renew our whole souls in righteousness and true holiness.”8 Wesley recognized early on that Spirit played a vital role in overcoming sin and living a holy life. He was also developing his doctrine of Christian assurance. It is important to mention that Wesley sought assurance long before Aldersgate. He said:
This is the next thing which the ‘circumcision of the heart’ implies-even the testimony of their own spirit with the Spirit which witnesses in their hearts, that they are the children of God. Indeed it is the same Spirit who works in them that clear and cheerful confidence that their heart is upright toward God; that good assurance that they now do, through his grace, the things which are acceptable in his sight; that they are now in the path which leadeth to life, and shall, by the mercy of God, endure to the end.9
The Holy Spirit is God’s empowering presence that works mysteriously in the hearts of men and women to bring them to full salvation in Christ. “He alone can quicken those who are dead unto God, can breathe into them the breath of God, and so prevent, accompany, and follow them with his grace as to bring their good desires to good effect.”10 The Spirit is the “inspirer and perfecter both of our faith and works.”11 Again these references show that Wesley was trying to articulate the role of the Holy Spirit in process of salvation, but as we shall see, his later sermons demonstrate a much more sophisticated understanding of the Spirit of God.
In 1735, John and his brother Charles set sail for Savanna, Georgia. They had been commissioned by the Society for the propagation of the Gospel, which was the missionary wing of the Church of England. John’s primary intention for traveling to America was to minister to the Indians, but he served as parish minister to the colonists in Savannah. He became acquainted with a group called the Moravians on his way to Georgia, during his stay, and on his return to England. The Moravians were German pietists who were associated with teachings of Count Nicholas Ludwig von Zinzendorf.
The Moravians taught a simple faith and assurance of salvation through the “inner witness of the Spirit.”12 John interacted with them on the way to Georgia, during his stay, and on the trip back to England. He was impressed with their confidence, piety, and assurance of faith. He was challenged by the example of faith in Christ that the Moravians had demonstrated and realized that he lacked the Spirit’s assurance of salvation. On February 7, 1736, while in Georgia, a Moravian leader by the name of August Gottlieb Spangenburg began to question Wesley’s faith. Wesley recounts the dialogue:
He said, “My brother, I must first ask you one or two questions. Have you the witness within yourself? Does the Spirit of God bear witness with your spirit, that you are a child of God?” I was surprised, and knew not what to answer. He observed it and asked, “Do you know Jesus Christ?” I paused, and said, “I know he is Savoir of the world.” “True,” replied he; “but do you know he has saved you?” I answered, “I hope he has died to save me.” He only added, ” Do you know yourself?” I said, “I do.” But I fear they were vain words.”13
After returning to England, John and his brother Charles met a Moravian by the name of Peter Böhler. He convinced John further that conversion happened in an instant and that real a Christian would have an assurance of their salvation. He testified to this experience and brought Wesley several other witnesses who also testified to the same experience of instantaneous faith. As a result Wesley determined,
I was now thoroughly convinced and, by the grace of God, I resolved to seek it unto the end, first, by absolutely renouncing all dependence, in whole or in part, upon my own works of righteousness-on which I had really grounded my hope of salvation, though I knew it not, from my youth up.14
The Moravians impact upon Wesley’s pneumatology cannot be overestimated. Herbert McGonigle states that, “No group of Christians had helped John Wesley more sincerely or more profoundly than the Moravians.”15 In his journal entries from April 2-May 24, 1738 we can see that the Moravians were instrumental in leading him to search for an inward Christianity of the heart that was accompanied by the inner witness of the Spirit. From the Moravians he learned faith, assurance, and Christian experience, which are rooted in the experiential work of the Holy Spirit. Their lasting influence can be seen in Wesley’s concept of the “witness of the Spirit” which can be found throughout his writings especially in his sermon corpus.16
At this stage of Wesley’s life, his major focus was on how the Holy Spirit works in the believer in the process of salvation (ordo salutis).17 Although initially his interest in the Spirit was primarily soteriological (how one becomes a Christian), he increasingly became convinced through his dialogue with the Moravians that he needed to broaden his understanding of the work of the Spirit to include the inner witness of the Spirit (how one knows they are a Christian).18 The shift toward the Spirit’s role in Christian assurance would not fully take place until after his Aldersgate experience. During the years 1725-1738, Wesley’s doctrine of the Spirit was undeveloped, but important seeds were sown for the development of pneumatology that was to take place in the important years that followed.
The Middle Wesley 1738-1769
May 24, 1738 marked the beginning of the second stage of Wesley’s theological development. During this time he began to further develop his doctrine of the Holy Spirit, in which his emphasis on the role of the Spirit began to move from internal to external: from the process of salvation to the witness of the Spirit, and eventually to the fruit of the Spirit. 1738 to 1739 would especially prove to be a very important time in his pneumatological development and his overall theology.
While attending a prayer meeting at Aldersgate Street in London, John Wesley had an experience that forever changed his life. He writes:
In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s Preface to the Epistle to the Romans. About a quarter before nine, while he was describing the change which God works in the heart through faith in Christ, I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ, Christ alone for salvation; and an assurance was given me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved me from the law of sin and death. 19
This experience has been called by some Wesley’s conversion-initiation. However, Albert Outler said that, “Wesley came to realize that Aldersgate had been one in a series of the ‘turning points’ in his passage from don to missionary to evangelist.”20 Corresponding to these ‘turning points’ is the unique theological development that Wesley underwent. Aldersgate was an important event in John’s religious and theological development and changed the course of his life and ministry. The Aldersgate experience introduced a new emphasis on the Holy Spirit in Wesley’s theology.21 Richard P. Heitzenrater, says the significance of Aldersgate is:
It is the point in his spiritual pilgrimage at which he experiences the power of the Holy Spirit and at which his theology is confronted by a dynamic pneumatology. From that point on the Holy Spirit has a central role in Wesley’s definition of the “true Christian,” his understanding of how one becomes a Christian, and his explanation of how one knows he or she is a Christian.”22
His newly found assurance would not last long. After only a short time he began to have doubts about the nature of his salvation.23 Over the next year, Wesley struggled to appropriate the full implications of the “witness of the Spirit.” In the summer of 1738, John traveled to Herrnhut, Germany to visit the homeland of the Moravians. There he hoped to solidify the work, which God had wrought in his heart. He said, “I hoped the conversing with those holy men who were themselves living witnesses of the full power of faith and yet able to bear with those that are weak, would be a means, under God, of so establishing my soul, that I might go on from faith to faith and from strength to strength.”24
He met Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf, and observed the lifestyle and religious practices of the Moravian community. At the time he seemed to be impressed with their unity and piety, however, only a few months after he returned to England Wesley complained that they were too passive and did not exercise enough care in practicing the means of grace, such as prayer, fasting, Communion, and Bible study.25 They over emphasized the internal witness of the Spirit and made assurance a requirement for salvation. This was to be the beginning of Wesley’s rift with the Moravians.
Wesley began to realize that there were degrees of faith and degrees of assurance that can be mixed with both doubt and fear.26 He began to sense that full assurance of faith was not necessary to the new birth, but a “measure of faith” was adequate for reconciliation through Christ.27 Although a believer can expect to receive the witness of the Spirit, it is not necessarily the true evidence of genuine conversion. Wesley said, “I have not yet that joy in the Holy Ghost, nor the full assurance of faith, much less am I, in the full sense of the words, “in Christ a new creature:” I nevertheless trust that I have a measure of faith, and am “accepted in the beloved.”28 Over the next several months he continued to struggle with the notion of whether or not he was a true Christian. He sought to fully authenticate his Christian experience through the witness and fruit of the Spirit.
There are three significant events that helped him overcome this impasse in his spiritual pilgrimage and played an important role in his pneumatological development. First, on October 9, 1738, while walking from London to Oxford, he began to “read the truly surprising narrative of conversions lately wrought in and about the town of North Hampton in New England.”29 Wesley fully accepted Jonathan Edward’s analysis of the “distinguishing marks of the work of the Spirit of God.”30 From reading Edwards’s treatise, he saw the significance of the outward work of the Spirit in New England and was unknowingly building a foundation for his doctrinal understanding of the work of the Spirit in the Methodist revival.
The second major event was when Wesley made a critical reappropriation of the Anglican Homilies, which pointed him back to the “much controverted point of Justification by Faith,” and widened the theological gap between Wesley and the Moravians.31 He found within his own Anglican heritage the answers to many of the theological quandaries that he had with the Moravians. As a result, he published them in an extract for the use of others.32 Outler notes that this marked the final stage of Wesley’s maturation as a theologian; “his encounter with Edwards and his vital reappropriation of his Anglican heritage-the frame of Wesley’s theology was finally set, and would so remain there after.”33
The third event took place in 1739. Wesley had been preaching in different parishes, but his new message of “salvation by faith” was not received well by the established Church of England. On November 30, 1738 George Whitefield returned from a successful ministry tour in America. Whitfield’s method was ‘field preaching’ in the open air to the common people. On April 2, 1739, Whitfield convinced Wesley to preach in his absence in the open air in Bristol. John reflected on the occasion in his journal, ” I submitted to be more vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation, speaking from a little eminence in a ground adjourning to the city about three thousand people.” 34
This event marked the beginning of John Wesley’s evangelistic ministry and a further maturation in his pneumatology. His emphasis on the work of the Holy Spirit began to move from the internal work of the Spirit (new birth, witness of the Spirit) to the external work of the Spirit (witness and fruit of the Spirit) among the people. Heiztzenriter points out that Wesley’s quest “becomes less singularly personal as he begins to sense the work of the Holy Spirit in the midst of the people, a phenomenon not unlike what he had read about in Jonathan Edward’s writings.”35 Wesley was able to make a synthesis of these events and integrate them into his overall pneumatology. His doctrine of the Spirit was not changing as much as it was maturing and broadening to include the outward work of the Spirit. The outward signs of the Spirit among the people proved the authenticity of the gospel message he preached.
The sermons during this period show a progression and maturation in the development of Wesley’s doctrine of the Spirit. Sermons prior to 1738 say little concerning the Holy Spirit, but in the following years, the sermons begin to discuss in greater detail the work of the Spirit as a regular part of the Christian life by including an emphasis on the witness and fruit of the Spirit. Outler notes that “in a series of published sermons in 1746-48 he began to sort out his doctrine of grace in a perspective that is explicitly pneumatological and implicitly Trinitarian.”36 Beginning with the early 1740’s, there is a rise of Spirit language in Wesley’s sermons that continued throughout his life. This development in his sermons demonstrates a more mature and holistic pneumatology in Wesley’s thought.
“Salvation by Faith” 1738
On June 11, 1738, Wesley preached a sermon entitled “Salvation by Faith” at Oxford University before his Oxford colleagues just a month after Aldersgate. The sermon represented a shift from good works to salvation by faith and became a manifesto of the Methodist revival. This sermon marks a clear shift in his theology from salvation by works to salvation by faith. The role of the Spirit is also clearly defined in the process of salvation. He said that those who were saved by faith were ‘sealed with the Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of their inheritance’; ‘and the love of God is shed abroad in their hearts through the Holy Ghost which is given them’; and they are ‘born again of the Spirit unto a new life which is hid with Christ in God.”37 Wesley is placing a more articulate emphasis on the role of the Holy Spirit in the believer who is saved by faith. He makes another reference to assurance by saying, “The Spirit itself also bearing witness with their spirits, that they are the children of God.”38 In this sermon we can see that Wesley is beginning to integrate the Spirit’s work into his theology. By this time the Spirit is becoming a central focus in Wesley’s soteriology.
“Scriptural Christianity” 1744
In a sermon preached at St. Mary’s on August 24,1744, entitled “Scriptural Christianity”, Wesley clearly emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Christian. His chosen text was “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.” Acts 4:31. Wesley was not concerned with the extraordinary gifts of the Spirit, rather the ordinary fruit that should accompany the life of a true Christian. He said:
Whether these gifts of the Holy Spirit were designed to remain in the church throughout all ages, and whether or not they will be restored at the nearer approach of the “restitution of all things,” are questions which it is not needful to decideIt was, therefore, for a more excellent purpose than this, “they were all filled with the Holy Ghost.”39
The ordinary fruits of the Spirit were to remain throughout all ages as the true sign of scriptural Christianity.
Wesley saw ‘being filled with the Spirit’ as the evidence of true Christianity. He asked, “Where does this Christianity now exist?. Are we considered as a community of men, so “filled with the Holy Ghost,” as to enjoy in our hearts, and show forth in our lives, the genuine fruits of the Spirit?”40 True Christianity is found in people who are filled with the Holy Spirit, which have the evidence of the fruits of the Spirit. In the Methodist revival, the work of the Spirit was becoming evident in the lives of believers, and Wesley became increasingly convinced that the fruit of the Spirit was the sign of Scriptural Christianity. This is a significant leap to suggest that true Christianity must be evidenced with outward signs of the fruit of the Spirit. It is important to note that this sermon caused no small amount of scandal at Oxford and shows that Wesley’s emphasis on ‘spiritual Christianity’ was revolutionary in every sense of the word.41 “Scriptural Christianity” shows Wesley’s theological progression to include the fruits of the Spirit as an external evidence of true Christianity.42
“Witness of the Spirit” 1746
Although the gestalt of Wesley’s understanding of Christian assurance can be seen as early as 1725, he does not begin to fully explicate his mature thought on the ‘witness of the Spirit’ until 1746 in several key sermons. In “The Witness of the Spirit” (1746), Wesley sought first to describe the connection between the ‘witness of the Spirit’ and the witness of our spirit, secondly to distinguish it from the presumption of a natural mind. This was an attempt to answer the critics who opposed his doctrine of assurance (by charging him with enthusiasm) and to instruct his followers how to discern between the genuine witness of the Spirit and feelings to keep them from falling into enthusiasm.43 A part of the problem was enthusiasts claimed to have the inner work of the Spirit without bearing the outward fruit of the Spirit.
In the “Witness of the Spirit,” he focuses on:
The testimony of the Spirit as an inward impression on the soul, whereby the Spirit of God directly witnesses to my spirit, that I am a child of God; that Jesus Christ hath loved, and given himself for me; and that all my sins are blotted out, and I, even I, am reconciled to God.44
The testimony of the Spirit must be an antecedent to the testimony of our spirit. He said, “We cannot know his pardoning love to us, till his Spirit witness it to our spirit.”45 The Spirit of God comes before the testimony of our spirit, gives us the divine testimony, and allows our testimony to confirm it. The two witnesses work together in order to let us know that we have become a child of God. This testimony must have discernable features. He describes the testimony of our spirit as “A consciousness that we are inwardly conformed, by the Spirit of God, to the image of his Son, and that we walk before him in justice, mercy, and truth, doing the things which are pleasing in his sight.”46
The witness of the Spirit with our spirit demands an ethical response to God. For Wesley, pneumatology is never merely spiritual without an ethical imperative, or visa versa.47 There are several distinctive ethical marks that distinguish true assurance from false assurance. 1. Repentance, or conviction of sin, as constantly going before the witness of pardon.48 2. There will be a vast and mighty change “from darkness to light,” as well as “from the power of Satan unto God.”49 3. We keep his commandments. He said, “A true lover of God hastens to do his will on earth as it is done in heaven.”50 4. By the fruits of the Spirit, which he has wrought in your spirit, you shall know the testimony of the spirit of God. There are both immediate fruits (love, joy, peace) and outward fruits (doing good to all men; doing no evil, walking in the light).51 These distinguishing marks accompany the true testimony of the Spirit with the spirit of a believer and should become discernable to others. As the witness of the Spirit confirms the new birth, the fruits of the Spirit confirm the Spirit’s testimony with our spirit that we are indeed children of God.
Although there are several other key sermons in the middle stage that discuss the Holy Spirit, the previous sermons demonstrate the progression in Wesley’s pneumatology. As the Methodist revival began to take shape, he discerned the work of the Spirit among the people. As a result, his emphasis on the Holy Spirit shifted from the inward personal work of the Spirit to include outward evidences of the Spirit’s work. His understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit began with the new birth, accompanied by the witness of the Spirit with our spirit, and eventually included the ordinary fruits of the Spirit (both immediate and outward) as the external evidence of the Spirit’s witness, all of which have a unique ethical imperative. A person, who is born of the Spirit and has received the inner testimony of the Spirit, must now demonstrate the distinguishable marks of this experience.
The Later Wesley 1770-1791
Outler said that the “later Wesley” was “a time of still further theological maturation”. and “has suffered the most neglect in Wesleyan studies generally.”52 He further said that, “the sermons from these last two decades are, therefore, of great importance for any rounded view of his vision of the Christian life.”53 Therefore it is important for a study about Wesley’s theological development to look at the latter stage of his life and theology. As we have seen, his earlier emphasis on the role of the Spirit shifted from personal salvation to the witness of the Spirit, and then included the fruits of the Spirit. In the latter Wesley, his emphasis expanded even further to include the universal work of the Spirit in the Methodist revival.
There are several influences to take into consideration at this point. First, as we saw earlier, Wesley came under the influences of Edward’s views of revival.54 Edwards had a millennial view in which he believed the revival in New England was a part of a great end-time revival. Edwards said:
Indeed, I have often said, as I say now, that I looked upon the late wonderful revival of religion as forerunners of those glorious times so often prophesied of in Scriptures, and that this was the first dawning of that light, and beginning of that work which, in the progress and issue of it, would at last bring on the church’s latter-day gloryand Christ’s kingdom shall be everywhere established and settled in peace, which will be the lengthening of the millennium.55
Notice the similarities in the following excerpt from Wesley’s “The Signs of the Times.”
The times which we have reason to believe are at hand (if they are not already begun) are what many pious men have termed the time of the “latter-day glory;” meaning the time wherein God would gloriously display his power and love in the fulfillment of his gracious promise, that “knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters of the sea.”56
Although Wesley’s vision of the revival was not as specifically millennial, the theory of an end-time revival is clearly evident. His understanding of an end-time revival had its roots in Edwards’s earlier influence on his concept on revival of religion.
Larry Wood notes that shortly after his memorial sermon, “On the Death of George Whitefield,” preached on November 18, 1770, Wesley entered into a unique alliance with John Fletcher, which shifted the direction of Methodist history.57 Fletcher worked closely with Wesley and soon became one of the most influential leaders in early Methodism. Fletcher is perhaps best noted for his Checks to Antinomianism (1771), which defended the theological views of John Wesley and the early Methodism. Wesley was so impressed by Fletcher’s piety and theological prowess, that Fletcher became his “authorized interpreter and designated successor.”58
As a result of Fletcher’s influence, Wesley’s latter sermons “highlighted the Methodist phenomenon as inaugurating a “Pentecostal Church’ in the world.”59 The distinct contribution that Fletcher made upon Wesley’s theology was the concept of a “Pentecostal Church,” which helped Wesley articulate and defend the extraordinary work of God that was happening through the Methodist movement. Wood notes that Wesley’s latter sermons focused on a Pentecostal theme because he believed that the Methodist revival in his day was the first sign of a new Pentecost. He believed that a new Pentecostal Church was being re-established on the earth that would be the fulfillment of the first Pentecost.60 The external evidence of the outward work of the Spirit resembled the first Pentecost and demonstrated that God was indeed with the Methodists as they spread universally throughout the world. Wesley’s concept of a “Pentecostal Church” demonstrates a growing interest in the universal work of the Spirit and marks a further shift in Wesley’s pneumatology.
Wesley’s inclusive views on the universal work of the Holy Spirit made him open to “extraordinary” measures. Because God was inaugurating a “New Pentecost” there were certain exceptions that he was willing to make to the established ecclesiastical norms of the Anglican Church. As early as 1750, Wesley defended the practice of laymen preaching the gospel by referring to the “practice of the apostolic age.” In reference to Acts 8:4, he said, “Here you see not one but a multitude of ‘lay preachers,’ men that were only sent by God.” 61 In 1771, he went even further to include the practice of allowing certain women to preach because they were under an “extraordinary dispensation” of God. In a letter to Mary Bosanquet he said:
I think that the strength of the cause rests there- on your having an extraordinary call. So I am persuaded has every one of our lay preachers; otherwise I could not countenance his preaching at all. It is plain to me that the whole work of God termed Methodism is an extraordinary dispensation of His providence. Therefore I do not wonder if several things occur therein which do not fall under the ordinary rules of discipline.62
“On Laying the Foundation” 1777
There are several particular sermons that articulate the latter Wesley’s concept of the universal work of the Spirit in relation to the Methodist revival. In the following two sermons, “On Laying the Foundation of the New Chapel” (1777) and “The Late Work of God in North America” (1778), Wesley describes the progression in which Methodism spread throughout North America and the British Isles. In reference to the British Isles, he notes:
For such a work, if we consider the extensiveness of it, the swiftness with which it has spread, the depth of the religion so swiftly diffused, and its purity from all corrupt mixtures, we must acknowledge cannot easily be paralleled, in all these concurrent circumstances, by any thing that is found in the English annals, since Christianity was first planted in this Island.63
It is clear that he believed that the Spirit of God was doing an extraordinary work through the Methodist revival in America and England, which he associated with the great latter-day glory. His focus of God’s redemption moved beyond the borders of England and America toward a global vision of salvation.
“The General Spread of the Gospel” 1783
The emphasis on universal work of the Spirit becomes even more extensive in “The General Spread of the Gospel” (1783). He not only acknowledged the work of the Spirit in Great Britain and Ireland, and America, but he also thought it would spread throughout the world. He speculated:
Probably it will spread from these to the Protestants in France, to those in Germany, and to those in Switzerland; then Sweden, Denmark, Russia, and all other Protestant nations in Europe. May we not suppose that the same leaven of pure and undefiled religion, of the experimental knowledge and love of God, of inward and outward holiness, will afterwards spread to the Roman Catholics in great Britain, Ireland, Holland; in Germany, France, Switzerland.And may it gradually be diffused from provinces of Turkey, in Albyssinia, yea, and in the remotest parts, not only of Europe, but of Asia, Africa, and America? And in every nation under heaven, we may reasonably believe, God will observe the same order which he has done from the beginning.64
Wesley’s universal vision of the work of the Holy Spirit included people in every country and in every part of the world. From the previous excerpt there can be no doubt that Wesley was an inclusivist who “believed that God’s Spirit was at work everywhere in the world extending God’s prevenient graciousness among all peoples.”65
The Spirit offers Christ’s cosmic salvation to all the people of the world regardless of their nationality, socioeconomic background, ethnicity, or gender. Wesley goes on to say that the latter-day glory will be a time that God will have “accomplished all those glorious promises made to the Christian Church, which will not then be confined to this or that nation, but will include all the inhabitants of the earth.”66 Thus, the latter Pentecost will be greater than the first Pentecost because it will fulfill all of the promises of the first. Finally, Wesley believed that the end-time work of the Spirit had already begun in his day with the rise of the Methodist movement and that it would continue to spread throughout the world. He said:
He is already renewing the face of the earth: And we have strong reason to hope that the work he hath begun, he will carry out on unto the day of the Lord Jesus; that he will never intermit this blessed work of the Spirit, until he has fulfilled all his promises, until he hath put a period to sin, and misery, and happiness, and re-established universal holiness and happiness, and caused all the inhabitants of the earth to sing together, “Hallelujah, the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!”67
“The Signs of the Times” 1787
In “The Signs of the Times” (1787), Wesley continued to describe his understanding of the growing universal work of the Holy Spirit through Methodism. He compared and contrasted the differences between the former religion and the latter-day glory, which was marked by the “extraordinary work of God.” He called for Christians to discern the signs of the times. However, he noted that wise men of the world, men of eminence, men of learning and renown, cannot discern the signs of the times!68 What are the signs of the times? It will be marked by the universal spread of the gospel, which will be accompanied by:
“Inward and outward holiness,-or “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost,” which “hath spread in various parts of Europe, particularly England, Scotland, Ireland, in the Islands, in the North and South, from Georgia to New England, and Newfoundland, that sinners have been truly converted to God, thoroughly changed both in heart and in life; not by tens, or by hundreds alone, but by thousands, yea, by miraids!”69
The rapid success and spread of the gospel were convincing signs of the times. Not only was the gospel preached, but it also resulted in genuine converts who were not only Christian in name (as in former times) but were “changed both in heart and life.” The result was inward and outward holiness. The fruit of the Spirit authenticated the genuine conversion experience of the newly converted and contributed to the further spread of the gospel. In other words, true Christianity is contagious. Wesley attributed this to the extraordinary work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of people. He said, “How swift, as well as how deep and how extensive, a work has been wrought in the present age! And certainly, not by might, neither by power, but by the Spirit of the Lord.”70 Thus there is a connection between the way the Spirit works in personal salvation and the further spread of Christianity. Wesley’s pneumatology was ever expansive and finally included a worldwide perspective of the Spirit’s work.
Conclusion and Summary
In conclusion, this article is not meant to be an exhaustive study of John Wesley’s doctrine of the Spirit, rather it is an attempt to demonstrate that there is a distinct development in his pneumatology that can be seen throughout his sermons. The historical development of Wesley’s doctrine of the Spirit can be divided into three stages: early, middle, and latter. The early Wesley emphasized the personal work of the Spirit in salvation (how one becomes a Christian). The middle Wesley emphasized the role of the Spirit in Christian assurance and gradually focused on the fruit of the Spirit (how one knows they are a Christian). Then the latter Wesley began to focus on the universal and extraordinary work of the Spirit in relation to the Methodist revival (how to spread Christianity).
Wesley’s mature pneumatology was a synthesis of various influences and significant events that took place throughout his lifetime. There is a direct correlation between his life, the rise of the Methodist movement, and the development of his doctrine of the Spirit. Pneumatological seeds were sown during his Oxford years that sprang forth much later in his life. During this time he explored about the personal work of the Spirit in salvation and sanctification. Through the Moravian correspondence, Wesley began to develop a doctrine of Christian assurance or witness of the Spirit and began to work- out his understanding of the fruit of the Spirit as a regular part of the Christian life. From Whitfield he gained an outward perspective on the work of the Spirit within the Methodist revival. From reading Edwards account of the New England revival, he gained a broader understanding of the universal and extraordinary work of the Spirit of God. And finally, Fletcher helped Wesley see the growing Methodist movement as the formation of a new end- time Pentecostal Church.
These events and influences are directly connected to the development of his doctrine of the Spirit. To separate them would be to misunderstand the uniqueness of Wesley’s theological development. In addition, the stages of his pneumatological development are not separate from one another; rather they represent maturation and continuity in Wesley’s understanding of the Spirit. Like concentric circles, each stage is connected and builds upon the other. This progression began with an emphasis on the role of the Spirit in personal salvation, then included the witness and fruit of the Spirit, and finally expanded even further to include the universal work of the Spirit.
Finally Wesley’s doctrine of the Holy Spirit was not just a category in his theology, but is intricately connected to his overall theology. The Holy Spirit plays an important role in personal salvation, church formation, and the general spread of the gospel. The progression of Wesley’s pneumatological development was dynamic, ever expanding, and inclusive. His doctrine of the Holy Spirit has a distinct contribution to make in the contemporary ecumenical movement.71 The significance of rediscovering Wesley’s emphasis on the Holy Spirit would perhaps bridge gaps between Wesleyan and Pentecostal movements and create a forum for theological and ecclesiastical dialogue between Protestants and Roman Catholics.72 There is no telling what will happen when the church rediscovers Wesley’s doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
PR
Originally published on the Pneuma Foundation (parent organization of PneumaReview.com) website. Later included in the Summer 2021 issue.
Notes
1 Outler, Albert. “A Focus on the Holy Spirit: Spirit and Spirituality in John Wesley.” Quartely Review. (1988).
2 In the preface of The Bicentennial Edition of the Works of John Wesley, Albert Outler said that “the problem of development in Wesley is thus far woefully underdeveloped.” Sermons, 1, 1-33. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1984). Preface X. Thus a chronological analysis of his sermons would be of benefit for those of interest. There are three definable stages in Wesley’s thinking: early 1725-1738, middle 1738-1770, and latter 1770-1791.
3 In A Plan Account of Christian Perfection, Wesley notes, “In the year 1725, being in the twenty-third year of my age, I met with Bishop Taylor’s Rule and Exercises of Holy Living and Dying. I reading several parts of this book, I was exceedingly affected; that part in particular which relates to purity of intention. Instantly I resolved to dedicate all my life to God, all my thoughts and words, and actions; being thoroughly convinced, there was no medium; but that every part of my life (not some only) must either be a sacrifice to God, or myself, that is, in effect, to the Devil.” See also Albert Outler, Preface to Sermons.
4 Wesley, John. The Works of John Wesley. Jackson, Thomas. Ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998). 6:366-67.
5 Oulter, Albert. Introduction. John Wesley. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1964) p.9.
6 For various discussions on Wesley’s use of the Eastern fathers see Randy L. Maddox, “John Wesley and Eastern Orthodoxy: Influences, Convergences, and Differences.” The Asbury Theological Journal 45, no. 2 (Fall 1990). 29-53); Kenneth J. Collins, “John Wesley’s Critical Appropriation of Tradition in His Practical Theology.” Wesleyan Theological Journal. Vol. 35, no. 2, Fall, 2000; Ted A. Campbell, John Wesley and Christian Antiquity: Religious Vision and Cultural Change. (Nashville, TN: Knigwood Books, 1991).
7 Outler notes that there was a “deepening influence of Greek Catholic spirituality (with its distinctive pneumatology that Wesley embraced wholeheartedly).” Introduction. Sermons,1:36. See also Burgess, Stanley M. The Holy Spirit: Eastern Christian Traditions. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 1989.) See chapters 15 & 21 for discussion on the pneumatology of Macarius and Ephrem.
8 John Wesley’s Sermons: An Anthology. 24.
9 Ibid, 27.
10 Ibid, 30.
11 Ibid, 30.
12 McGonigle, Herbert. John Wesley and the Moravians. (England: The Wesley Fellowship, 1993.)
13 Works, 1:23. Journal, Feb., 7, 1736.
14 Works, Journals, May, 1738.1:102. One can find a unique self-analysis in Wesley’s journal entries during the months just prior to his “Aldersgate experience.” There is a trajectory that was set into motion through Wesley’s correspondence and interaction with the Moravians. To understand the nature of these events one cannot overlook this connection.
15 McGonigle, Moravians. p.24.
16 See specifically sermons The Witness of the Spirit I (1746), The Witness of the Spirit II (1767), and The Witness of Our Own Spirit (1746).
17 To see some of Wesley’s references to the soteriological work of the Holy Spirit before 1738, see sermons; “The Circumcision of the Heart.” (1733), “A Single Intention” (1736), and “On Love.” (1737).
18 Heitzenrater, Richard P., “Great Expectations: Aldersgate and the Evidences of Genuine Christianity.” Randy Maddox ed. Aldersgate Reconsidered. (Nashville, TN: Kingswood Books, 1990). p.52
19 Works, Journal, 1:103.
20 Albert Outler, John Wesley. (New York: Oxford Press, 1964). p.52.
21 Larry W. Wood. The Meaning of Pentecost in Early Methodism: Rediscovering John Fletcher as Wesley’s Vindicator and Designated Successor. (Scarecrow Press, 2003). Quoting from Richard Heiztzenriter. Mirror and Memory. p. 108-109.
22 Heitzenrater, Richard P., “Great Expectations: Aldersgate and the Evidences of Genuine Christianity.” Randy Maddox ed. Aldersgate Reconsidered. (Nashville, TN: Kingswood Books, 1990). p.90.
23 Wesley shared his personal struggles that followed Aldersgate in his journals from September 1738 to April 1739.
24 Wesley, Journals, June 7, 1738.
25 See “The Rift with the Moravians,” Outler, John Wesley, p. 353.
26 Collins, Kenneth J., The Scripture Way of Salvation: The Heart of John Wesley’s Theology. (Nashville, TN: Abigdon Press, 1997). 131-152.
27 Heitzenrater, Richard P., “Great Expectations”, p. 71.
28 Works, 1:162-163. Journals, October 6, 1738.
29 Works, 1:160.
30 Outler, Introduction, John Wesley. p.15.
31 Works, 1:164. Journals, November 12, 1738.
32 The Doctrine of Salvation, Faith, and Good Works: Extracted from the Homilies of the Church of England. (1738).
33 Outler, Introduction, John Wesley, 16.
34 Works, 1: 185. Journals, April 2, 1739.
35 Heitzenrater, Richard P., “Great Expectations”, p. 75.
36 Outler, “A Focus on the Holy Spirit.”p.167.
37 Works, 5:11. “Salvation by Faith.”
38 Ibid, 5:10-11.
39 Works, 5:38, “Scriptural Christianity.”
40 Ibid, 5:47.
41 Wesley attached the following footnote to the sermon, “It was not my design, when I wrote, ever to print the latter part of the following sermon: But false and scurrilous accounts of it which have been published, almost in every corner of the nation, constrain me to publish the whole, just as it was preached; that men of reason may judge for themselves.” Works, 5:37.
42 See also sermon “The First Fruits of the Spirit” (1746), which Wesley argues that, “These are they indeed “walk after the Spirit.” Being filled with faith and with the Holy Ghost, they possess in their hearts and show forth in their lives, in the whole course of their words and actions, the genuine fruits of the Spirit of God, namely, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance, ” and whatsoever else is lovely or praiseworthy. “They adorn in all things the gospel of God our Saviour;” and give full proof to all mankind, that they are indeed actuated by the same Spirit “which raised up Jesus from the dead.” Works, 5:89.
43 This was an argument that was important enough for him to write a second discourse by the same title in 1767, over twenty years later. See also “The Witness of Our Own Spirit.” (1746); and “The Nature of Enthusiasm.” (1750).
44 Works, 5:115.
45 Ibid, 5:115
46 Ibid, 5:115.
47 Outler, “Spirit and Spirituality in John Wesley.” p.168.
48 Works, 5:118.
49 Ibid, 5:118.
50 Ibid, 5:120.
51 Ibid, 5:122.
52 Outler, Introduction, Sermons. 46. Cited in Wood, Meaning of Pentecost.
53 Ibid, 46.
54 Wesley continued to publish and distribute Edwards works even in the later stage. An Extract from the Treatise Concerning Religious Affections (Bristol, 1773); and rev. ed. of the A Narrative of Surprising conversions, The Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit, and Thoughts (1773). See also “The Work of God in North America,” where Wesley connects Edwards and the revival in New England to the extended work of God in North America. Works, 7:410.
55 Jonathan Edwards, The Great Awakening, Works of Jonathan Edwards, ed. C.C. Goen (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1972), 4:560.
56 Works, 6:307. “The Signs of the Times.”
57 Larry Wood has written a compelling book that demonstrates the critical influence that John Fletcher had on Wesley and early Methodism. His influence can especially be seen in the Wesley’s later sermons. For a more detailed discussion on this vital connection see Wood, Larry. The Meaning of Pentecost in Early Methodism: Rediscovering John Fletcher as Wesley’s Vindicator and Designated Successor. (Scarecrow Press, 2003). p.9.
58 Ibid, See chapter 5: “Wesley’s Authorized Interpreter and Designated Successor.” p.75-94.
59 Ibid, p.10.
60 Wood, Larry. Meaning of Pentecost. p.168.
61 Works, 2:74-75. “A Caution Against Bigotry.”
62 Letter to Mary Bosanquet (June 13, 1771). Telford, John, ed. The Letters of the Rev. John Wesley. 8 vols. (London: Epworth Press, 1931) 5:257.
63 Works, 7:427. “On Laying the Foundation of the New Chapel, Near City-Road, London” (1777).
64 Ibid, 6:282-283. “The General Spread of the Gospel.”
65 Runyon, Theodore. The New Creation: John Wesley’s Theology Today. (Nashville, TN: Abingdon Press, 1998) p.33.
66 Ibid, 6:287.
67 Ibid, 6:288.
68 Works, 6:309. “Signs of the Times.”
69 Ibid, 6:308.
70 Ibid, 6:311.
71 Starkey, Lycurgus, M. The Work of the Holy Spirit: A Study in Wesleyan Theology. (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1962). p.140. For further discussion on the ecumenical significance of pneumatology see also the works of the following contemporary theologians: Clark Pinnock, Jürgen Moltmann, and Wolfhart Pannenberg.
72 There are a number of books and articles that have discussed the theological connection between the Wesleyan-Holiness movement and Pentecostalism. A few of them are: Donald Dayton, Theological Roots of Pentecostalism. (New Jersey: Hendrickson Publishers, 1897); D. William Faupel, The Everlasting Gospel:The Significance of Eschatology in the Development of Pentecostal Thought. (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1996); Steve J. Land, Pentecostal Spirituality: A Passion for the Kingdom. (Sheffield, England: Sheffield Academic Press, 1997); and Vinson Synan, The Holiness- Pentecostal Tradition: Charismatic Movements in the Twentieth Century. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.,1997). Steven J. Land urges both Wesleyan-Holiness and Holiness/Pentecostals to collaborate together in developing a distinctive theology of the church, salvation, and mission. “The Triune Center: Wesleyans and Pentecostals Together.” Wesleyan Theological Journal 34:1. (1999). Veli-Matti Karkkainen has demonstrated that pneumatology is a major category in the Roman Catholic-Pentecostal dialogue of recent years. (Pneumatology: The Holy Spirit in Ecumenical, International, and Contextual Perspective; Ad Ultimum terrae: Evangelization, Proselytism and Common Witness in the Roman Catholic Pentecostal Dialogue (1990-1997); An Introduction to Ecclesiology: Ecumenical, Historical & Global Perspectives).
