It is fairly common knowledge that the Wesley brothers held high church views on the sacraments, inherited from their parents and nurtured by their Anglican education. Geordan Hammond correctly noted that the Wesleys led a revival that was both evangelical and sacramental. But many people today still do not know what the Wesleys specifically believed about the Lord’s Supper.
In the 1740s the Wesley’s published two works that spelled out their views.
In 1742 John published A Companion for the Altar to help early Methodists to prepare as communicants. The Companion was an extract of Thomas à Kempis’ Book IV in his classic The Imitation of Christ. Wesley had published an edition of Thomas’ work in 1735 and reissued an extract in 1741 that was reissued many times during his lifetime. By publishing an extract of just Book IV it showed the importance that the Wesleys placed on the sacrament.
Here is the tract A Companion for the Altar 3rd ed 1744
In 1745 the Wesleys published Hymns on the Lord’s Supper that included a preface that spelled out further their theology of the Eucharist. It was an extract of David Brevint’s The Christian Sacrifice and Sacrament. The Wesleys studied Brevint’s work at Oxford and endorsed its perspective on the Eucharist.
Here is the preface: Preface to Hymns on Lord’s Supper 1st ed 1745
From the following two works, we quickly learn some basics of their sacramentalism:
- Altar & Sacrifice. As the titles of both works suggest, the Wesleys understood the Lord’s Table to be an altar on which a spiritual sacrifice is offered. Images of the OT sacrificial system come to mind, except the Christian altar is bloodless since the sacrifice of Christ was made once to put away sin (Heb. 9:28). The sacrifice is therefore a spiritual one with the elements representing Christ’s broken body and shed blood.
- Real Presence. As was common in Anglican and some Reformed circles, the Wesleys held that Christ is personally present in a spiritual manner at the sacrament. Rejecting both transubstantiation and consubstantiation explanations of real presence, the Wesleys held that Christ is present through his divine nature to minister grace to worthy recipients. This same viewpoint was held by their parents.
- Memorial, Means, and Pledge. Following Brevint, the Wesleys held that the Table serves as a means to remember Christ’s passion (memorial), a channel through which God gives grace to his people (means of grace), and a promise and hope of our future salvation in Christ (pledge). The sacrament conveys fresh pardon for sin and strength to live holy unto God. God actually meets with his people through the sacrament as the benefits of the atonement are applied to people’s lives.
- Means of Grace. Since Christ is present and active, the Lord’s Supper conveys to communicants preventing, justifying, and sanctifying grace. Many early Methodists experienced evangelical conversion (Spirit’s witness of assurance) while partaking. The Wesleys considered the sacrament as one of the chief means to confer actual grace to communicants. Therefore, they encouraged believers to partake constantly, even daily if possible (Acts 2:42).
- An Offering of Oneself. Besides commemorating Christ’s sufferings and death for our sin, the concept of sacrifice included the notion of sacrament as a means for the communicant to offer themselves afresh to God (Romans 12:1).
There is much more to learn about the Wesleys’ sacramentalism. Check out the above two works in their 1st and 3rd editions:
A Companion for the Altar 3rd ed 1744
Preface to Hymns on Lord’s Supper 1st ed 1745
To check out more of the Wesley’s writings on the sacraments, see the John Wesley and Charles Wesley pages.
Studies on the Wesleys sacramentalism:
Ole Borgen, John Wesley on the Sacraments. Zondervan, 1972.
John Bowmer, The Sacrament of the Lord’s Supper in Early Methodism. Dacre Press, 1951.
Geordan Hammond, John Wesley in America. Oxford, 2014.
