John Wesley’s sequence and application of what we now call the Wesleyan Quadrilateral was deeply practical, Spirit-filled, and always anchored in Scripture. Though he didn’t systematize it as a “quadrilateral,” his writings and sermons clearly reveal how he ordered and applied the four elements.
Here’s how Wesley sequenced and applied each element:
1. Scripture – The First and Final Authority
- Sequence: Always first.
- Application: For Wesley, Scripture was “the rule and guide of all our faith and practice.” He read the Bible daily, often comparing translations, and emphasized its sufficiency for salvation.
- He called himself homo unius libri—“a man of one book”—though he read widely.
- He used Scripture not just to teach doctrine but to form hearts, convict sin, and inspire holiness.
Wesley quote:
“Bring me a Bible, and let me be a Christian!”
2. Tradition – The Voice of the Church through Time
- Sequence: Second, under Scripture.
- Application: Wesley highly valued the teachings of the early Church Fathers (especially Augustine, Chrysostom, and Macarius), the Creeds, and Anglican liturgies.
- Tradition served as a safeguard against innovation or doctrinal error.
- His sermons and Explanatory Notes on the New Testament are steeped in patristic theology and Anglican tradition.
Wesley quote:
“I value all things only by the price they shall gain in eternity.”
3. Reason – Enlightened by the Spirit
- Sequence: Third, always subordinate to Scripture.
- Application: Wesley saw reason as a God-given tool to rightly interpret Scripture and test truth claims. He never promoted blind faith, but warned against “vain philosophy” divorced from grace.
- He used reason to defend faith (especially against Deism) and to make theology intelligible and livable.
Wesley quote:
“Do not hastily ascribe things to God. Do not easily suppose dreams, voices, impressions, visions, or revelations to be from God. They may be from Him. They may be from nature. They may be from the devil.”
4. Experience – The Confirming Ground of Grace
- Sequence: Last, but essential.
- Application: Wesley did not base theology on feelings—but he insisted that true doctrine must bear fruit. He viewed experience as the inner witness of the Spirit, the transformation of life, and the evidence of holiness.
- He warned against enthusiasm (emotionalism without truth) but championed assurance, heart-warming encounters with grace, and growth in love.
Wesley quote:
“What the Scripture promises, I enjoy.”
In Practice: A Wesleyan Sequence of Discernment
When Wesley faced a theological or pastoral issue, he:
- Searched the Scriptures – What does God say?
- Listened to Tradition – How has the Church understood this?
- Used Reason – Does this make sense? Is it coherent?
- Tested by Experience – Do I see fruit? Does it align with the Spirit’s work?
Example: Assurance of Salvation
- Scripture: Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit…”
- Tradition: Early Fathers spoke of joy and spiritual rebirth.
- Reason: If God saves, should we not know and feel it?
- Experience: Wesley at Aldersgate: “My heart was strangely warmed…”
John Wesley didn’t outline the “Quadrilateral” formally—but he lived it faithfully, and his sermons, journals, and theological work are full of practical examples where he applied Scripture first, tested with Tradition, reasoned theologically, and confirmed through spiritual experience.
Here are several clear examples that show how Wesley modeled the Quadrilateral in action:
1. Assurance of Salvation
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Aldersgate Experience (1738)
Application: Scripture → Tradition → Reason → Experience
- Scripture: Romans 8:16 – “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God.”
- Tradition: He wrestled with Anglican teachings and read Luther’s Preface to Romans.
- Reason: He questioned how faith could be both received and known—if Christ bore our sins, shouldn’t we know it?
- Experience: “I felt my heart strangely warmed. I felt I did trust in Christ… and an assurance was given me…”
Takeaway: Experience confirmed what Scripture revealed, and Tradition and Reason helped make it intelligible.
2. Preaching to the Poor & Outdoors
Application: Scripture → Tradition (re-examined) → Reason → Experience
- Scripture: Jesus preached in fields and on mountains (Matthew 5).
- Tradition: Church of England frowned on outdoor preaching.
- Reason: If people won’t come to church, why not bring the Gospel to them?
- Experience: Thousands converted under open-air preaching (starting with miners at Bristol).
Wesley’s journal: “I submitted to be more vile, and proclaimed in the highways the glad tidings of salvation.”
3. Means of Grace (Sermon: “The Means of Grace”)
Application: Scripture → Tradition → Reason → Experience
- Scripture: Acts 2:42 – prayer, breaking bread, teaching.
- Tradition: Early Church and Anglican sacraments upheld these practices.
- Reason: These are vehicles of God’s presence—not magical, but intentional channels of grace.
- Experience: Wesley’s societies experienced transformation through these regular practices.
Wesley quote: “All who desire the grace of God are to wait for it in these means.”
4. Opposition to Slavery
Application: Scripture → Tradition (challenged) → Reason → Experience
- Scripture: Galatians 3:28; Exodus; Micah 6:8 – dignity and justice for all.
- Tradition: Some churches tolerated slavery.
- Reason: It violated love of neighbor and moral law.
- Experience: Testimonies of enslaved persons and his reading of abolitionist works (e.g., Anthony Benezet) moved him deeply.
Wesley’s last letter (1791): Was written to William Wilberforce urging him to continue fighting slavery:
“Go on, in the name of God and in the power of His might…”
5. Justification by Faith Alone
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Sermon: “Justification by Faith”
Application: Scripture → Tradition → Reason → Experience
- Scripture: Romans 5:1 – “Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God…”
- Tradition: Affirmed in the early Church and Protestant Reformation.
- Reason: Works cannot save; only grace can.
- Experience: Those who trusted in Christ found peace and inner assurance.
Wesley quote: “Faith is the condition, and the only condition, of justification.”
John Hargrove Seeking Truth and Reality 