America had been a complete disaster. John Wesley’s preaching had been so legalistic, and his total lack of ability to deal with the local people meant that he had to take a ship back home before people tried to arrest him.
He wrote in his diary ‘I went to America to convert the
Indian, but oh, who will convert me!’
Back in London, Wesley experienced what he called ‘a dark
night of the soul.’ But one thing kept playing on his mind. On the trip over to
America, he had met some Moravians. During the storms at sea, he had noted how
they were happily worshipping God, whilst Wesley and most of the English
contingent were fearful of drowning.
So, when, in May 1738, he received an invitation to attend a
Moravian Church meeting in Aldersgate, Wesley accepted. That night was to
change his world, and in time, affect the whole of our nation.
Here are Wesley’s famous words, detailing how God met him
that night:
‘In the evening, I went very unwillingly to a society in
Aldersgate Street, where one was reading Luther’s preface to the Epistle to
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 my salvation; and an
assurance was given to me that he had taken away my sins, even mine, and saved
me from the law of sin and death.’
Wesley would never be the same. With fire in his heart, he
stepped out to change our nation. Revival followed, and along with his brother
Charles and friend George Whitefield, Britain experienced its most significant spiritual
awakening, the legacy of which is the Methodist Church.
Further Reading:
John Wesley by John Pollock (secondhand)
The Journal of John Wesley, abridged by Christopher Idle
John Wesley: The World His Parish by Janet & Geoff Benge
[There is a large monument outside the London Museum, known
as The Aldersgate Flame, which records Wesley’s conversion words. The Museum is
just over the road from the Aldersgate Church, where the is also a plaque
commemorating the event.]
