This is a list of the sermons of
John Wesley, founder of
Methodism. The first four volumes of Wesley's sermons include 44 discourses that are of special significance, while later volumes are also studied by Methodists for their
doctrinal and moral teachings.
Sermons on Several Occasions
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Sermons on Several Occasions is a collection of discourses or sermons published by Wesley, expounding on topics such as
salvation by faith, the
witness of the Spirit, the
means of grace, and
Christian perfection.[1]: 139 The 44 "standard sermons" are intended to equip Wesley's
lay preachers with "a solid doctrinal basis and boundary for homiletical proclamation".[2]
The first volume was published in 1746. A second volume followed in 1748 and a third in 1750, making 36 sermons in all. A fourth volume was added in 1760, bringing the total to 43, and in 1762 a 44th sermon was inserted in the second edition of volume 3.[1]: 138 These four volumes are collectively known as Wesley's Forty-four Sermons. An additional 97 sermons were printed in several volumes.[3] Wesley was apparently influenced by the Anglican Book of Homilies, in terms of the form (i.e. using sermons as a primary means of communication) and content.[1]: 135–137
In 1763 Wesley prepared a 'Model Deed' for his preaching-houses, which guided who would be authorised to
preach. This deed stipulated that preaching must be in accordance with the doctrines contained in his Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and "the first four volumes of Sermons".[4] At this time he had compiled only the four volumes. The Notes and Forty-four Sermons remain the doctrinal standards (norms) of the
Methodist Church of Great Britain.[5] These are marked * in the list below.
Sermon 2*: The Almost Christian -
Acts 26:28, preached at
St. Mary's, Oxford, on 25 July 1741. Wesley's companion
George Whitefield also preached a sermon with the same title, referring to the same verse in
Acts.[6]
Sermon 95: On the Education of Children - Proverbs 22:6: "Train up a child in the way wherein he should go: And when he is old, he will not depart from it."
Sermon 96: On Obedience to Parents -
Colossians 3:20
Sermon 97: On Obedience to Pastors -
Hebrews 13:17
Sermon 119: On Worldly Folly - Luke 12:20, preached at
Balham, 19 February 1790
Sermon 120: On the Wedding Garment -
Matthew 22:12, Madeley [Shropshire?], 26 March 1790
Sermon 121: Human Life a Dream -
Psalm 73:20, August 1789
Sermon 122: On Faith - Hebrews 11:1, 17 January 1791, probably Wesley's last sermon [9]
Sermon 123: The Human Heart's Deceitfulness - Jeremiah 17:9,
Halifax, 29 April 1790
Sermon 124: Heavenly Treasure in Earthly Vessels - 2 Corinthians 4:7, Potto, 17 June 1790
Sermon 125: On Living without God - Ephesians 2:12,
Rotherham, 6 July 1790
Sermon 126: On the Danger of Increasing Riches -
Psalm 62:10,
Bristol, 21 September 1790
Sermon 127: Trouble and Rest of Good Men - Job 3:17, preached at St. Mary's in Oxford on Sunday, 21 September 1735 and published at the request of several of the hearers [10]
Sermon 129: Cause and Cure of Earthquakes -
Isaiah 10:4, first published 1750
Sermon 130: National Sins and Miseries - 2 Samuel 24:16,
St. Matthew's,
Bethnal Green, preached on Sunday, 12 November 12 1775 "for the benefit of the widows and orphans of the soldiers who lately fell, near Boston, in
New England".
Sermon 131: The Late Work of God in North America -
Ezekiel 1:16
Sermon 132: On Laying the New Chapel Foundation near the
City Road, London -
Numbers 23:23, preached on 21 April 1777 [11]
Sermon 134: True Christianity Defended -
Isaiah 2:21, dated 24 June 1721, probably intended for preaching before the University of Oxford. Copies have been found in both English and
Latin.[13]
Sermon 135: On Mourning the Dead - 2 Samuel 12:23, preached at
Epworth on 11 January 1726, at the funeral of John Griffith
^Vickers, Jason E.; Maddox, Randy L., eds. (2010). The Cambridge Companion to John Wesley. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 109.
ISBN978-0-52188-653-6.
^Methodist Conference (2020). The Constitutional Practice and Discipline of the Methodist Church. Vol. 2. Methodist Publishing. p. 213.
ISBN978-1-85852-488-7.