Portrait of St. Paul

John Fletcher's "The Portrait of St. Paul" emerged from the theological controversies surrounding Methodist doctrine in the 1770s, particularly debates over Christian perfection and the relationship between faith and works. Writing as vicar of Madeley and close associate of John Wesley, Fletcher crafted this treatise to defend Wesleyan theology against Calvinist critics who charged that Methodist teaching on sanctification undermined the gospel of grace. The work takes the form of an extended character study, using Paul's life and letters as a lens through which to examine authentic Christian experience.

Fletcher argues that Paul's own spiritual journey demonstrates the possibility and necessity of Christian perfection, understood not as sinlessness but as perfect love governing the believer's heart and actions. He traces Paul's progression from zealous Pharisee through dramatic conversion to mature apostle, showing how grace worked to transform not only Paul's standing before God but his actual character and behavior. Fletcher particularly emphasizes Paul's teaching on dying to sin and living in righteousness, arguing that the apostle's experience validates the Methodist position that justification leads naturally to sanctification. The treatise systematically addresses objections to this view, demonstrating from Pauline texts that the Christian life involves both imputed righteousness and actual holiness.

The work became a standard text in Methodist theological education and helped establish Fletcher's reputation as Methodism's most sophisticated theological mind. Its careful biblical exegesis and irenic tone made Wesleyan doctrine accessible to critics while strengthening adherents' confidence in their distinctive teachings. Who should read this: Students of eighteenth-century Methodist theology and those interested in historical debates over sanctification will find Fletcher's arguments illuminating, though readers unfamiliar with Calvinist-Arminian controversies may struggle with the work's polemical context.