Digital Logos Edition
One of the first major Methodist theologians, John Fletcher was known by his contemporaries to be a humble man of great faith. A friend of John and Charles Wesley, Fletcher became an articulate defender of Wesleyan-Arminian doctrines, challenging the predominance of Calvinism among his peers. His writings and sermons, many originally written to defend John Wesley from attacks of heresy, influenced generations of theologians and preachers.
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“I have ever observed that he constantly ascribes to Divine grace, not only the good works and holy tempers of believers, but all the good thoughts of upright heathens, and the good desires of those professors whom he sees ‘begin in the Spirit and end in the flesh:’ when, to my great surprise, some of those who accuse him of ‘robbing God of the glory of his grace, and ascribing too much to man’s power,’ directly or indirectly maintain that Demas and his fellow apostates never had any grace; and that if once they went on far in the ways of God, it was merely by the force of fallen nature; a sentiment which Mr. Wesley looks upon as diametrically opposite to the humbling assertion of our Lord, ‘Without me ye can do nothing;’ and which he can no more admit than the rankest Pelagianism.” (Page 12)
“Thus far Mr. Wesley agrees with Arminius, because he thinks that illustrious divine agreed thus far with the Scriptures, and all the early fathers of the Church. But if Arminius, (as the author of Pietas Oxoniensis affirms, in his letter to Dr. Adams,) ‘denied, that man’s nature is totally corrupt; and asserted, that he hath still* a freedom of will to turn to God, but not without the assistance of grace,’ Mr. Wesley is no Arminian; for he strongly asserts the total fall of man, and constantly maintains that by nature man’s will is only free to evil, and that Divine grace must first prevent, and then continually farther him, to make him willing and able to turn to God.” (Page 16)
“I have heard him, upon every proper occasion, steadily maintain the total fall of man in Adam, and his utter inability to recover himself, or take any one step toward his recovery, ‘without the grace of God preventing him, that he may have a good will, and working with him when he has that good will.’” (Page 12)