JOHN WESLEY’S EXPERIENCE WITH THE GIFT OF PROPHECY     John Wesley’s experience with the gift of prophecy was a mixture of both good and bad. Wesley himself believed that God could endow men with prophetic gifts in his own day. Writing to one of his critics Wesley noted that, “I do not recollect any scripture wherein we are taught that miracles were to be confined within the limits either of the apostolic or the Cyprianic age; or of any period of time, longer or shorter, even till the restitution of all things.”     There have always been men and women who claimed some special revelation from Heaven only to be proven deluded and false prophets. Wesley’s day was no different and we will begin our look at Wesley’s experience with the gift of prophecy by examining his negative experiences with it. PROPHETS WHO COULD NOT DIE     In 1762 Wesley had to deal with a group of men who misunderstood a text from the book of Revelation. The following accounts are from Wesley’s journal and his tract entitled A Plain Account Of Christian Perfection. February 5, 1762. — I met at noon, as usual, those who believe they are saved from sin, and warned them of the enthusiasm which was breaking in, by means of two or three weak though good men, who, from a misconstrued text in the Revelation, inferred that they should not die. They received the warning in much love. However, this gave great occasion of triumph to those who sought occasion, so that they rejoiced, as though they had found great spoil. (WJW3:12) In the year 1762, there was a great increase of the work of God in London…And while I stayed in town, I had reason to hope they continued both humble and sober-minded. But almost as soon as I was gone enthusiasm broke in. Two or three began to take their own imaginations for impressions from God, and thence to suppose that they should never die; and these, laboring to bring others into the same opinion, occasioned much noise and confusion. Soon after, the same persons, with a few more, ran into other extravagances; fancying they could not be tempted; that they should feel no more pain; and that they had the gift of prophecy, and of discerning of spirits. At my return to London, in autumn, some of them stood reproved; but others were got above instruction. (WJW11, A Plain Account Of Christian Perfection, Sec. 20)
			A THREE YEAR OLD CHILD PREDICTS HIS OWN DEATH June 28, 1746. — I inquired more particularly of Mrs. Nowens, concerning her little son. She said, he appeared to have a continual fear of God, and an awful sense of his presence; that he frequently went to prayers by himself, and prayed for his father, and many others by name; that he had an exceeding great tenderness of conscience, being sensible of the least sin, and crying and refusing to be comforted, when he thought he had in any thing displeased God; that a few days since, he broke out into prayer aloud, and then said, “Mamma, I shall go to heaven soon, and be with the little angels. And you will go there too, and my papa; but you will not go so soon:” That the day before, he went to a little girl in the house and said, “Polly, you and I must go to prayers. Don’t mind your doll: Kneel down now: I must go to prayers: God bids me.” When the Holy Ghost teaches, is there any delay in learning? This child was then just three years old! A year or two after he died in peace. (WJW2:6)
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