More Work for Mr. John Wesley

Augustus Toplady's "More Work for Mr. John Wesley" emerged from one of the eighteenth century's most bitter theological controversies. Following his earlier attacks on Wesley's Arminian theology, Toplady produced this 1772 treatise as a sustained response to Wesley's defense of free will and universal atonement. The work represents the climax of a public dispute that had raged for years between the Calvinist vicar of Broadhembury and the founder of Methodism, with Toplady determined to expose what he saw as Wesley's theological errors and inconsistencies.

The treatise systematically dismantles Wesley's arguments for universal grace and human free will in salvation. Toplady marshals extensive scriptural evidence to defend the Reformed doctrines of unconditional election, limited atonement, and irresistible grace. He argues that Wesley's position undermines the sovereignty of God and the security of salvation by making human choice rather than divine decree the determining factor in redemption. Throughout, Toplady employs both careful exegesis and polemical rhetoric, combining theological precision with personal attacks that reveal the intensity of the doctrinal divide. He particularly targets Wesley's use of church fathers and his interpretation of key biblical passages about predestination and grace.

The work endures as a vigorous defense of high Calvinist theology and a window into the passionate theological debates that shaped eighteenth-century evangelicalism. Toplady's arguments continue to resonate with Reformed theologians who appreciate his uncompromising commitment to divine sovereignty in salvation. Who should read this: Students of Reformed theology seeking a robust defense of Calvinist soteriology and historians interested in the theological controversies that divided early evangelicals. This is not for readers uncomfortable with polemical tone or those seeking irenic approaches to theological disagreement.