On this date in 1703 John Wesley received the Sacrament of
Baptism. There is no surviving written detail of the
event, but it is safe to assume that his father, Rev. Samuel Wesley,
administered the baptism at his church at Epworth. John Wesley was born on June 28 and receives
baptism here five days later. (In this
period, children often received their baptism on the Sunday following their
birth.)
Wesley wrote extensively on the subject of baptism
throughout his ministry. He regarded it
as a Means of Grace and saw its consequences as several. In various places he writes of this sacrament
as a sign that humans are cleared from the guilt of original sin, that people
enter into a new covenant with God, that they become a member of the church
(insofar as we understand “church” to mean “body of Christ”), that people
receive their status as children of God and they therefore become heirs to God’s
kingdom.
Much of Wesley’s writing on the subject is polemic. He writes in opposition to what he considers
erroneous positions on the matter. Some
of his sermonic material is more instructive.
But he never wrote systematically on the subject and so research can
seem to reveal a belief system that appears erratic. Such examination frequently fails to
recognize either the particular audience to whom Wesley writes or the time in
his life when single works appear.
Wesley’s understanding of this sacrament grew over the course of his
ministry, and it is unrealistic to think that the understanding of a man in his
twenties would be identical to the mature thought of a man writing in his
eighties.
Happy baptismal anniversary, Mr. Wesley!
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