THE FOLLOWING QUOTES ARE ATTRIBUTED TO JOHN AND CHARLES WESLEY



"Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

In all the places you can,

At all the times you can

To all the people you can

As long as ever you can!"


  1. "Best of all is, God is with us."

  2. "The best is yet to be"

  3. "You have nothing to do but to save souls; therefore spend and be spent in this work."

  4. "The longer I live, the larger allowances I make for human infirmities. I exact more from myself and less from others."

  5. Original anecdote of the late Rev. John Wesley communicated to the Preachers assembled in Conference at Liverpool, August 1820, by Mr. Robert Miller.

    6. "The first time I had the pleasure of being in company with the Rev. John Wesley was in the year 1783. I asked him what must be done to keep Methodism alive when he was dead: to which he immediately answered,
    'The Methodists must take heed to their doctrine, their experience, their practice, and their discipline. If they attend to their doctrines only, they will make the people antinomians; if to the experimental part of religion only, they will make them enthusiasts; if to the practical part only, they will make them Pharisees; and if they do not attend to their discipline, they will be like persons who bestow much pains in cultivating their garden, and put no fence round it, to save it from the wild boar of the forest."
    Rupert Davies, A. Raymond George, Gordon Rupp, eds. A History of The Methodist Church in Great Britain, vol. 4 (London: Epworth Press, 1898), p.194.

  6. "A catholic spirit is not speculative latitudinarianism. It is not an indifference to all opinions: This is the spawn of hell, not the offspring of heaven. This unsettledness of thought, this being 'driven to and fro, and tossed about with every wind of doctrine,' is a great curse, not a blessing: an irreconcilable enemy, not a friend, to true catholicism. A man of a truly catholic spirit, has not now his religion to seek. He is fixed as the sun in his judgment concerning the main branches of Christian doctrine. It is true, he is always ready to hear and weigh whatsoever can be offered against his principles; but as this does not show any wavering in his own mind, so neither does it occasion any. He does not halt between two opinions, nor vainly endeavor to blend them into one. Observe this, you who know not what spirit ye are of; who call yourselves men of a catholic spirit, only because you are of a muddy understanding; because your mind is all in a mist; because you have no settled, consistent principles, but are for jumbling all opinions together.
    Wesley's Works, Hendrickson Publishers, Inc. vol 5:502. 1986


  7. "He that made us without ourselves, will not save us without ourselves."
    Wesley says that this quote comes from St. Augustine. This quote appears in Wesley's sermon "On Working out our own Salvation," in the Works of John Wesley, Vol. 6, page 513.


  8. "Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men. I sit down alone; only God is here. In his presence I open, I read his Book; for this end, to find the way to heaven. Is there a doubt concerning the meaning of what I read? Does anything appear dark or intricate? I lift up my heart to the Father of lights: 'Lord, is it not thy Word, "If any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God"? Thou "givest liberally and upbraidest not". Thou hast said, "If any be willing to do thy will, he shall know." I am willing to do, let me know thy will. I then search after and consider parallel passages of Scripture, 'comparing spiritual things with spiritual'. I meditate thereon, with all the attention and earnestness of which my mind is capable. If any doubt still remains, I consult those who are experienced in the things of God, and then the writings whereby, being dead, they yet speak. And what I thus learn, that I teach [John Wesley, Preface to Standard Sermons].


  9. "God himself has condescended to teach the way: for this very end he came from heaven. He hath written it down in a book. O give me that book! At any price give me the Book of God!" [John Wesley, Preface to Standard Sermons].


  10. "Nay, if there be any mistakes in the Bible, there may as well be a thousand. If there be one falsehood in that book, it did not come from the God of truth" (John Wesley, Journal, 24 July 1776).


  11. "Nay, will not the allowing there is any error in Scripture, shake the authority of the whole?" (Works, Jackson ed., 9:150).


  12. "The faith of the Protestants, in general, embraces only those truths, as necessary to salvation, which are clearly revealed in the oracles of God. Whatever is plainly declared in the Old and New Testaments is the object of their faith. They believe neither more nor less than what is manifestly contained in, and provable by, the Holy Scriptures.... The written Word is the whole and sole rule of their faith, as well as practice. They believe whatsoever God has declared, and profess to do whatsoever He hath commanded. This is the proper faith of Protestants: by this they will abide, and no other." [John Wesley, "On Faith," Sermon #106, I.8].


  13. "The general rule of interpreting Scripture is this: the literal sense of every text is to be taken, if it be not contrary to some other texts. But in that case, the obscure text is to be interpreted by those which speak more plainly"(Letter to Samuel Furly, 10 May, 1755).


  14. "Try all things by the written word, and let all bow down before it. You are in danger of [fanaticism] every hour, if you depart ever so little from Scripture; yea, or from the plain, literal meaning of an text, taken in connection with the context." (Works, 11:429).


  15. "It would be excusable if these menders of the Bible would offer their hypotheses modestly. But one cannot excuse them when they not only obtrude their novel scheme, with the utmost confidence, but even ridicule that scriptural one which always was and is now held by men of the greatest learning and piety in the world. Hereby they promote the cause of infidelity more effectually than either Hume or Voltaire." (Wesley's Journal, 8 August 1773). A. Skevington Wood, who also wrote The Principles of Biblical Interpretation (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1967), said that while it is fashionable to dismiss Wesley's conservative approach to Scripture saying that he lived in pre-critical times and had be been alive today would have adopted more liberal views, fails to take into account that Wesley was conscious of the beginning of the development of higher criticism -yet did not embrace it. IMARC agrees with this view of Wesley. He was a defender, and not an offender of the Faith.
  16. "The sabbath and marriage were two ordinances instituted in innocency, the former for the preservation of the church, the latter for the preservation of mankind." Wesley, Notes Upon the Old Testament, 1:13 Wesley did not support homosexually, nor should we.
  17. The name Methodist, according to Wesley, was "one that lives according to the method laid down in the Bible." John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 1903
  18. Wesley tells that he traveled several miles to converse with a "serious man" who said to him, "Sir, you wish to serve God and go to heaven. Remember you cannot serve him alone; you must therefore find companions or make them; the Bible knows knothing of solitary religion." John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 1903
  19. "God in Scripture commands me, according to my power, to instruct the ignorant, reform the wicked, confirm the virtuous. Man forbids me to do this in anohter's parish; that is, in effect, not to do it at all, seeing I have now no parish; of my own, nor probably ever shall. Whom, then, shall I hear, God or man? ...I look upon all the world as my parish; thus far I mean that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty to declare unto all that are willing to hear the glad tidings of salvation. This is the work which I know God has called me to and sure I am that his blessing attends it." John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 1903
  20. Wesleys advice on teaching. "1. To invite. 2. To convince. 3. To offer Christ. 4. To build up. And to do this in some measure in every sermon." John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 1903
  21. "Though I am always in a haste," said Wesley. "I am never in a hurry, because I never undertake more work than I can go through with perfect calmness of spirit." John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 1903
  22. Christian ethics as taught by Wesley. "God loves you; therefore love and obey him. Christ died for you; therefore die to sin. Christ is risen; therefore rise in the image of God. Christ liveth ever more; therefore live to God till you live with him in glory. So we preached; and so you believed! This is the scriptural way, the Methodist way, the true way. God greant we may never turn therefrom, to the right hand or to the left." John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 1903
  23. This was Wesley's response to the objections to the Methodist work in Scotland. "I love plain dealing. Do not you? I will use it now. Bear with me. I hang out no false colors; but show you all I am, all I intend, all I do. I am a member of the Church of England; but I love good men of every Church. My ground is the Bible. Yea, I am a Bible bigot. I follow it in all things, both great and small." John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 1903
  24. Wherever the work of our Lord is to be carried on, that is my place for to-day. And we live only for to-day. It is not our part to take though for to-morrow. John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 1903
  25. Wesley says of Christ. "This man can tell the secrets of my heart; he hath not left me there, for he hath shown the remedy, even the blood of Jesus." John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 1903
  26. The motto for the Epworth League. "I desire to have a league offensive and defenisve with every soldier of Christ." John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 190
  27. The advice of Wesley to Christians with bad attitudes. "Sour godliness is the devil's religion." John Wesley the Methodist, The Methodist Bookd Concern, 1903
  28. "We are always open to instruction, willing to be wiser every day than we were before, and to change whatever we can change for the better."   This was Wesley's response to complainants as he continued to establish the class-meetings. He was speaking of nothing more but the continued knowledge and instruction of God and faith. Not about liberalism. Holland N. McTyeire, A History of Methodism:, Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1892. P 203
  29. "They desire nothing but to save their own souls, and those that hear them."   This is what Wesley said of his preachers. What would he say of his preachers preaching the social and the politically corrected gospel of today? Holland N. McTyeire, A History of Methodism:, Publishing House of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 1892. P 213
  30. "The example of those around about us is apt to get within our gard."  Bonnie Sako, Anthology of Religious Thought, Allegheny Puglications, 2001
  31. "An immortal spirit can be satisfied with nothing but seeing God."  Bonnie Sako, Anthology of Religious Thought, Allegheny Puglications, 2001
  32. "It is impossible, in the nature of things, that wickedness can consist with happiness."  Bonnie Sako, Anthology of Religious Thought, Allegheny Puglications, 2001
  33. The righteousness of Christ is necessary to entitle us to Heaven, personal holiness to qualify us for it."  Bonnie Sako, Anthology of Religious Thought, Allegheny Puglications, 2001
  34. "As long as you feel your own weakness and helplessness, you will find help from above."  Bonnie Sako, Anthology of Religious Thought, Allegheny Puglications, 2001
  35. "The love of God is the most powerful of all means of health and long life."  Bonnie Sako, Anthology of Religious Thought, Allegheny Puglications, 2001
  36. The world never made anyone happy, and it is certain it never will. But God will."  Bonnie Sako, Anthology of Religious Thought, Allegheny Puglications, 2001
  37. "God is so great that He communicates greatness to the least thing that is done for His service."  Bonnie Sako, Anthology of Religious Thought, Allegheny Puglications, 2001
  38. "How admirably pardon and holiness are comprised in that one word, "grace!"  Bonnie Sako, Anthology of Religious Thought, Allegheny Puglications, 2001
  39. When I devoted to God my ease, my time, my fortune, my life, I did not except my reputation."  Bonnie Sako, Anthology of Religious Thought, Allegheny Puglications, 2001
  40. "Do you so believe? Prove your own self by the infallible Word of God. If you do not have the fruits, effects, or inseparable properties of faith, you do not have faith."   The John Wesley Reader, by Al Bryant, Word Books, 1983
  41. Wesley said "I see the necessity of preaching a full and present salvation from all sin." Darius L. Salter, America's Bishop: The Life of Francis Asbury. Nappanee, IN: Francis Asbury Press, 2003. (146)