Forty-four_Sermons

Sermons of John Wesley

Sermons of John Wesley

Theological work by John Wesley

This is a list of the sermons of John Wesley, founder of Methodism. The first four volumes of Wesley's sermons include 44 discourses that are of special significance, while later volumes are also studied by Methodists for their doctrinal and moral teachings.

Sermons on Several Occasions

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Sermons on Several Occasions is a collection of discourses or sermons published by Wesley, expounding on topics such as salvation by faith, the witness of the Spirit, the means of grace, and Christian perfection.[1]: 139  The 44 "standard sermons" are intended to equip Wesley's lay preachers with "a solid doctrinal basis and boundary for homiletical proclamation".[2]

The first volume was published in 1746. A second volume followed in 1748 and a third in 1750, making 36 sermons in all. A fourth volume was added in 1760, bringing the total to 43, and in 1762 a 44th sermon was inserted in the second edition of volume 3.[1]: 138  These four volumes are collectively known as Wesley's Forty-four Sermons. An additional 97 sermons were printed in several volumes.[3] Wesley was apparently influenced by the Anglican Book of Homilies, in terms of the form (i.e. using sermons as a primary means of communication) and content.[1]: 135–137 

In 1763 Wesley prepared a 'Model Deed' for his preaching-houses, which guided who would be authorised to preach. This deed stipulated that preaching must be in accordance with the doctrines contained in his Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and "the first four volumes of Sermons".[4] At this time he had compiled only the four volumes. The Notes and Forty-four Sermons remain the doctrinal standards (norms) of the Methodist Church of Great Britain.[5] These are marked * in the list below.

List of sermons

Sources

References

  1. [1]
    Wesley, Cindy (2009). "What have the sermons of John Wesley ever done for us? John Wesley's sermons and Methodist doctrine" (PDF). Holiness: The Journal of Wesley House Cambridge. 1 (1). ISSN 2058-5969.
  2. [2]
    Heitzenrater, Richard P., Wesley and the People called Methodists, quoted in Danker, R. N. (1995), The Sermons of John Wesley (1872 Edition) - An Introduction, Wesley Center Online, accessed 15 January 2021
  3. [3]
    Wesley, John. "Work info: Sermons on Several Occasions". ccel.org. Christian Classics Ethereal Library. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
  4. [4]
    Vickers, Jason E.; Maddox, Randy L., eds. (2010). The Cambridge Companion to John Wesley. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 109. ISBN 978-0-52188-653-6.
  5. [5]
    Methodist Conference (2020). The Constitutional Practice and Discipline of the Methodist Church. Vol. 2. Methodist Publishing. p. 213. ISBN 978-1-85852-488-7.
  6. [6]
    Whitefield, G., The Almost Christian, accessed 20 July 2019
  7. [7]
    Wesley, C., Sermon 3 (text from the 1872 edition), AWAKE, THOU THAT SLEEPEST, preached on Sunday April 4, 1742, before the University of Oxford, accessed 31 May 2020
  8. [8]
    Wesley Center Online, The Sermons of John Wesley - Sermon 15, accessed 3 March 2020
  9. [9]
    Hope, Faith, Prayer, On Faith – John Wesley 1791 ( His Last Sermon), accessed 14 January 2021
  10. [10]
    Wesleyan Holiness Digital Library, The Trouble and Rest of Good Men (Sermon 127), accessed 15 January 2021
  11. [11]
    Wesleyan Holiness Digital Library, On Laying the Foundation of the New Chapel, Near the City-Road, London (Sermon 132), accessed 7 March 2021
  12. [12]
    Wesleyan Holiness Digital Library, On the Death of Rev. Mr. John Fletcher (Sermon 133), accessed 7 March 2021
  13. [13]
    True Christianity Defended: Sermon 134, accessed 30 July 2021
  14. [14]
    Wesleyan Holiness Digital Library, On Love (Sermon 139), accessed 7 March 2021

Further reading

  • Lawson, John (1952). Notes on Wesley's Forty-four Sermons. Epworth Press.
  • Wesley, John (1991). Outler, Albert C. (ed.). John Wesley's Sermons: An Anthology. Abingdon Press. ISBN 978-1-42672-302-5.
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