SERMON ON THE MOUNT

John Wesley (1703–1791) is known for two things: cofounding Methodism and his tremendous work ethic. In the 1700s, when land travel was by walking, horseback, or carriage, Wesley logged more than four thousand miles a year. During his lifetime he preached about forty thousand sermons. In 1729, he became a tutor at Oxford University. While there, he founded a religious club that was nicknamed "the Methodists." In 1738, Wesley's life was changed when he was attending a religious meeting in London. He later said that while listening to somebody read Martin Luther's Preface to Romans, "I felt my heart strangely warmed." Afterward, he became a great preacher, traveling throughout the British Isles. Although he never intended to form a new church separate from the Church of England, his followers soon began to form their own organization. The Methodists placed great emphasis on living a holy life, and they had many traveling preachers. Wesley preached his last sermon on February 23, 1791, and died a week later, on March 2, at the age of eighty-seven.