CHRISTIAN LEADERS OF THE 18th CENTURY - ( CHAPTER 5 ) - { PT. 14 }


 ( CHAPTER  5 )  -  { PT.  13 } - Acting upon his advice, they laid all their activity and plans before the bishop of Oxford and his chaplain, and his chaplain, and did nothing without full ecclesiastical approval. Cautious, and almost childish, however, as the proceedings of these young men might appear to us today, they were too far in advance of the times to escape notice, hatred, and opposition. A king of persecution and outcry was raised against Wesley and his companions as enthusiasts, fanatics, and troublers of Israel ( 1  KINGS  18:17 ). They were nicknamed the Methodists or Holy Club, and were assailed with a storm of ridicule and abuse. Through this, however, they bravely persevered and held on their way, being greatly encouraged by the letters of the old pastor of Epworth. The real amount of spiritual good that John Wesley did during these eight years of residence at Oxford is a point that cannot easily be determined. With all his devotedness, asceticism, and self-denial, it must be remembered that at this time he knew very little of the pure gospel of Christ. His views of religious truth, to say the least, were very dim misty, defective, and weak. No one was more sensible of this than he afterward was himself, and no one could be more ready and willing to confess it. Such books as William Law's Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, Law's Christian Perfection, the anonymous Theologia Germanica, and mystical writes were about the highest level of divinity that he had yet attained. However, we do not need to doubt that he learned experience at this time that he found useful later in life. 

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