This three-volume account of the life of John Wesley
(1703-1791) was published in the year of his death. Written by John
Hampson (c.1753-1819), a Church of England clergyman and former
Methodist preacher, the work also contains a thorough review of Wesley's
writings and a history of Methodism. Hampson's excellent overview of
contemporary assessments of the preacher is more balanced than John
Whitehead's two-volume Life of the Rev. John Wesley (1793-1796), which has
also been reissued in this series.
Volume 2 traces the growth of Methodism in both
England and North America, covering Wesley's itinerant preaching, the
death of his mother, and theological differences with his brother
Charles. It also gives an account of Wesley's increased activity in
ordaining priests for travel to America. Drawing on a wide range of
sources, the work remains important for its informed appraisal of this
religious movement and its founder.
