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FLETCHER, JOHN WILLIAM (1729-1785)

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Originally appearing in Volume V10, Page 498 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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FLETCHER, See also:JOHN See also:WILLIAM (1729-1785) , See also:English divine, was 'See also:born at Nyon in See also:Switzerland on the r2th of See also:September 1729, his See also:original name being DE LA FLECEERE. He was educated at See also:Geneva, but, preferring an See also:army career to a clerical one, went to See also:Lisbon and enlisted. An See also:accident prevented his sailing with his See also:regiment to See also:Brazil, and after a visit to See also:Flanders, where an See also:uncle offered' to secure a See also:commission for him, he went to See also:England, picked up the See also:language, and in 1752 became See also:tutor in a See also:Shropshire See also:family. Here he came under the See also:influence of the new Methodist preachers, and in 1757 took orders, being ordained by the See also:bishop of See also:Bangor. He often preached with John See also:Wesley and for him, and became known as a fervent supporter of the revival. Refusing the wealthy living of Dunham, he accepted the humble one of See also:Madeley, where for twenty-five years (1760-1785) he lived and worked with unique devotion and zeal. Fletcher was one of the few See also:parish See also:clergy who understood Wesley and his See also:work, yet he never wrote or said anything inconsistent with his own See also:Anglican position. In See also:theology he. upheld the Arminian against the Calvinist position, but always with See also:courtesy and fairness; his resignation on doctrinal grounds of the superintendency (1768–1771) of the countess of See also:Hunting-See also:don's See also:college at Trevecca See also:left no unpleasantness. The outstanding feature of his See also:life was a transparent simplicity and saintliness of spirit, and the testimony of his contemporaries to his godliness is unanimous. Wesley preached his funeral See also:sermon from the words " See also:Mark the perfect See also:man." See also:Southey said that " no See also:age ever provided a man of more fervent piety or more perfect charity, and no See also:church ever possessed a more apostolic See also:minister." His fame was not confined to his own See also:country, for it is said that See also:Voltaire, when challenged to produce a See also:character as perfect as that of See also:Christ, at once mentioned Fletcher of Madeley. He died on the 14th of See also:August 1785. See also:Complete See also:editions of his See also:works were published in 1803 and 1836.

The See also:

chief of them, written against Calvinism, are Five Checks 'to Antinomianism, Scripture Scales to weigh the See also:Gold of See also:Gospel Truth, and the Portrait o St See also:Paul. See lives by J. Wesley (1786); L. Tyerman (1882); F. W. See also:Macdonald (1885); J. Maratt (1902); also C. J. See also:Ryle, See also:Christian Leaders of the' 8th See also:Century, pp.

End of Article: FLETCHER, JOHN WILLIAM (1729-1785)

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