Wesley Escapes Death

Influential people tried to stop them. Many pastors were hostile, and they closed the doors of the churches against a pure faith. The pastors who denounced the Reformers from the pulpit stirred up the elements of darkness and evil. John Wesley escaped death again and again by a miracle of God's mercy. When there seemed no way to escape, an angel in human form came to his side, the mob fell back, and the servant of Christ walked away from the danger in safety.LF 110.1

Speaking of one such deliverance, Wesley said: “Although many tried to take hold of my collar or clothes, to pull me down, they could not hold on at all. Only one got a firm grip on the flap of my vest, which was soon left in his hand; the other flap, covering a pocket in which was a bank note, was only half torn off.... A vigorous man just behind me struck at me several times with a large oak stick. If he had struck me with it once on the back of my head, it would have saved him all further trouble. But every time, the blow was turned aside, I don’t know how, for I could not move to the right or the left.”^{12John Wesley, Works, volume 3, pages 297, 298.}LF 110.2

The Methodists of those days endured ridicule and persecution, and often violence. In some cases, people posted signs inviting those who wanted to break the windows and rob the houses of the Methodists to gather at a certain time and place. Unbelievers carried on systematic persecution against a group of people whose only fault was that they tried to turn sinners to the path of holiness.LF 110.3

To a great degree, the spiritual decline in England just before the time of Wesley had resulted from teaching that Christ had done away with the moral law and that Christians are under no obligation to keep it. Others declared that it was unnecessary for ministers to urge the people to obey its teachings, since those whom God had chosen for salvation would “be led to a life of piety and virtue,” while those doomed to eternal damnation “did not have power to obey the divine law.”LF 110.4

Others believed that “the ones God has chosen to save cannot fall from grace nor lose God's favor.” This led them to the dreadful conclusion that “the wicked actions they commit are not really sinful, ... and that, consequently, they have no reason either to confess their sins or to break them off by repentance.”^{13McClintock & Strong, Cyclopedia, article “Antinomians.”} So, they concluded, even one of the worst sins “that everyone considers an enormous violation of the divine law is not a sin in the sight of God” if committed by one of God's chosen ones. “They cannot do anything that is either displeasing to God or prohibited by the law.”LF 110.5

These shocking doctrines are essentially the same as the later teaching that there is no unchangeable divine law as the standard of right, but that morality is something that society itself decides and is constantly subject to change. All these ideas are inspired by Satan, who among the sinless inhabitants of heaven began his work to break down the righteous restraints of God's law.LF 110.6

The doctrine that divine decrees made people's characters unchangeable had led many to reject the law of God. Wesley firmly opposed this doctrine that led to lawless living. “The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.” “God our Savior ... desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.” Christ is “the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.” (Titus 2:11; 1 Timothy 2:3-6; John 1:9.) People lose out on salvation because of their own willful refusal to accept the gift of life.LF 111.1