History

Eyewitness

Wesley’s word to a condemned malefactor.

Life in eighteenth-century England was not for the faint of heart. Thugs ruled the night streets. Lacking an organized police force, royal authorities substituted harsh penalties ruthlessly carried out in dramatic public ceremonies. More vigilante justice than due process, the system condemned even petty pickpockets to hang.

Economic conditions worsened crime. London streets teemed with 20,000 to 30,000 hungry, disaffected apprenticesโ€”some reduced to stealing bread.

In a William Hogarth engraving from 1758, one such “idle ‘prentice” prepares to meet his fate. But riding along in the cart, a follower of John Wesley exhorts the man to repent and believe in Christ.

Wesley himself had begun preaching to condemned criminals during his Oxford years, under the influence of his friend William Morgan, a devout and compassionate Irishman.

In a 1745 tract, “A Word to the Condemned Malefactor,” Wesley writes as he preached to such men: “WHAT a condition you are in! The sentence is passed; you are condemned to die; and this sentence is to be executed shortly! You have no way to escape โ€ฆ therefore, die you must. But must you die like a beast, without thinking what it is to die? You need not; you will not.”

A journal entry from the early 1760s describes one of Wesley’s many encounters with a condemned man:

“On Thursday, Patrick Ward, who was to die on that day, sent to request I would administer the sacrament to him. He was one-and-twenty years of age, and had scarce ever had a serious thought, till he shot the man who went to take away his gun. From that instant he felt a turn within, and never swore an oath more. His whole behaviour in prison was serious and composed: He read, prayed, and wept much; especially after one of his fellow-prisoners had found peace with God.

“His hope gradually increased till this day, and was much strengthened at the Lord’s Supper; but still he complained, ‘I am not afraid, but I am not desirous, to die. I do not find that warmth in my heart. I am not sure my sins are forgiven.’ He went into the cart, about twelve, in calmness, but mixed with sadness.

“But in a quarter of an hour, while he was wrestling with God in prayer (not seeming to know that any one was near him), ‘The Holy Ghost,’ said he, ‘came upon me, and I knew that Christ was mine.’ From that moment his whole deportment breathed a peace and joy beyond all utterance, till, after having spent about ten minutes in private prayer, he gave the sign.”

Copyright © 2004 by the author or Christianity Today/Christian History & Biography magazine.Click here for reprint information on Christian History & Biography.

Our Latest

Review

Safety Shouldnโ€™t Come First

A theologian questions our habit of elevating this goal above all others.

What Would Lecrae Do?

Why Kendrick Lamarโ€™s question matters.

No More Sundays on the Couch

COVID got us used to staying home. But itโ€™s the work of Godโ€™s people to lift up the name of Christ and receive Godโ€™s Wordโ€”together.

Public Theology Project

A Hurricane Doesn’t Tell Us Who to Hate

What natural disasters reveal about God and neighbor.

The Russell Moore Show

Belief, Experience, and Expectations of God

Steve Cuss talks about finding peace in the tensions of our faith.

Review

The Bible Contains Discrepancies. That Doesnโ€™t Make It Untrustworthy.

Scholar Michael Licona makes the case for a โ€œflexible inerrancy.โ€

News

The Gettysโ€™ Modern Hymn Movement Has Theological Pull

Yet even at their annual worship conference, thereโ€™s room for multiple styles of music to declare the stories of the Bible.

Be Afraid

Be Afraid Bonus Episode 2: Mac Brandt

Mac Brandt discusses horror, race, and playing the bad guy.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube