John Wesley, Winteringham and Rev Thomas Adam
We have no record of John Wesley ever preaching in Winteringham, though he did so
in Winterton on August 8th 1761.
However, he did correspond with Winteringham’s Rev Thomas Adam on at least 2
occasions. The first time was on October 31st 1755 (the full text of Wesley’s letters can be seen here: http://wesley.nnu.edu/john_wesley/letters/1755.htm) and again on July 19th 1768
(the full text of Wesley’s letters can be seen here: http://wesley.nnu.edu/john_wesley/letters/1768.htm).
Thomas Adam has been described as being a friend of the Methodists initially, but
later in his long life at Winteringham, he changed his mind.
Although we do not know whether Wesley preached in Winteringham, we certainly know
that he was in contact with other Winteringham people. The opening of his 1768 letter to Thomas Adam starts: “One of Wintringham informed me yesterday that you said no sensible and well-meaning man could
hear and much less join the Methodists; because they all acted under a lie, professing themselves members of the Church of England while they licensed themselves as Dissenters.”
And later in the same letter, John Wesley says to Thomas Adam: “'The Methodists
do not want you; but you want them.' You want the life, the spirit, the power which they have, not of themselves, but by the free grace of God; else how could it be (let me speak without reserve) that so good a man
and so good a preacher should have so little fruit of his labour--his unwearied labour--for so many years? Have your parishioners the life of religion in their souls? Have they so much as the form of it? Are the
people of Wintringham in general any better than those of Winterton or Horton? Alas! sir, what is it that hinders your reaping the fruit of so much pains and so many prayers?
Is it not possible this may be the
very thing, your setting yourself against those whom God owns by the continual conviction and conversion of sinners?”
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