WESLEY, JOHN, an English clergy man; founder of Methodism; born in Epworth, England, June 17, 1703, son of the rector of Epworth; educated at the Charter House, and at Christ Church, Oxford. He took his degree of B. A. in 1724, was ordained deacon in 1725, be came a fellow of Lincoln College, and lecturer and moderator in classics in 1726; and took priest's orders in 1728. He now gathered together a number of pupils and companions who met regu larly for religious purposes, and by so doing acquired the name of Methodists. Among these companions were Hervey, Whitefield, and Law. In 1735 Wesley ac cepted an invitation from General Ogle thorpe to go to America to preach to the colonists of Georgia. After a stay of two years he returned to England (Feb ruary, 1738), and in the following May an important event took place in his inner religious life, namely, his conver sion. In June he paid a visit to Herrn hut, the Moravian settlement, returning to England in September. Early in the
following year (1739) he began open-air preaching, in which he was for a time associated with Whitefield. His first chapel was built in Bristol in 1739.
Having now the sole control of the re ligious body which adhered to him, he devoted his entire life without intermis sion to the work of its organization, in which he showed much practical skill and admirable method. His labors as an itinerant preacher were incessant. He would ride from 40 to 60 miles in a day. He read or wrote during his journeys, and frequently preached four or five times a day. He held strongly to the principle of Episcopacy, and never for mally separated from the Church of England. His collected works were pub lished after his death in 32 volumes 8vo. He contributed to the collection of hymns, the greater part of which were written by his brother Charles. He died in London, March 2, 1791.