John Wesley — "I cannot but observe, that the Methodists are not a people who are fond of novel…"
I cannot but observe, that the Methodists are not a people who are fond of novelties.
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More from John Wesley
"I should be glad if I could spend my whole life in reading and writing."
"I have often thought, that if I were to choose a profession, it should be that of a physician."
"Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith."
"I desire to have but one thing in view, to please God."
"As to my own comfort, I know not that I ever felt any, from the time I was born."
About John Wesley (1703-1791)
English Anglican cleric and founder of Methodism, whose open-air preaching and class-meeting structure created the largest 18th-century evangelical revival. Closely associated with Charles Wesley (his hymn-writing brother) and George Whitefield (early co-revivalist, later doctrinal opponent). For an intellectual contrast, see George Whitefield, Calvinist evangelical revivalist — Whitefield's predestinarian Calvinism vs Wesley's free-grace Arminian theology split the early Methodist movement permanently in the 1739-41 break. The founding evangelical Calvinist-Arminian schism — the two parallel evangelical traditions American Christianity descends from.
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Understanding this quote
What it means
Wesley is saying that Methodists don't chase trends or new fashions in religion. They are grounded in proven, stable principles rather than attracted to whatever ideas are currently popular. He's defending the movement against the charge of being a passing fad—asserting that they are a serious, disciplined people committed to enduring truths, not restless seekers after the latest spiritual novelty or theological innovation.
Relevance to John Wesley
Wesley was an ordained Anglican priest who never sought to break from the Church of England. He built Methodism on rigorous scripture study, early Church traditions, and disciplined practice—the name itself reflects his methodical approach. When critics mocked Methodism as religious enthusiasm or a fashionable revival movement, this statement was his direct rebuttal: the movement was rooted in ancient Christianity, not invented doctrine or contemporary spiritual trends.
The era
The 18th century saw rapid intellectual change through the Enlightenment, widespread religious skepticism, and fierce debate about enthusiasm—a term critics used to dismiss emotional religious movements as dangerous fanaticism. The Church of England was widely perceived as spiritually cold. Methodism attracted working-class converts through open-air preaching, arousing accusations of being a religious craze. Wesley's remark positioned Methodism as a conservative, scripture-grounded movement rather than another fleeting revival.
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