Everything about The Fetter Lane Society totally explained
The
Fetter Lane Society was the first flowering of the
Moravian church in the UK, and an important as a precursor to
Methodism. A short time before the great
Methodist revival of the 18th Century in
England, Moravians were avidly ministering throughout
London.
Peter Böhler, the London
Moravian leader, and his followers established the
Fetter Lane Society in May 1738 for the purpose of discipleship and accountability.
They began with the purpose of meeting once a week for prayer and fellowship. Most of their members consisted of Anglicans, most prominently
John Wesley,
Charles Wesley, and
George Whitefield. John Wesley records in his journal for 1 January 1739:
"Mr. Hall, Hinching, Ingham, Whitefield, Hutching, and my brother Charles were present at our love feast in Fetter Lane with about 60 of our brethren. About three in the morning, as we were continuing instant in prayer, the power of God came mightily upon us insomuch that many cried out for exceeding joy and many fell to the ground. As soon as we were recovered a little from that awe and amazement at the presence of His majesty, we broke out with one voice, 'We praise Thee, O God, we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord.'".
The Moravians in London believed strongly that full assurance was inextricably tied to salvation. They didn't believe in degrees of faith, but rather a complete faith, clothed in confident assurance, unfettered by sin, fear, and doubt. Fear and doubt for the Moravians were endemic of a lack of faith and thus pointed to a need for salvation.
John Wesley had a radical conversion experience at a meeting house at
Aldersgate Street on
May 24,
1738 after hearing a reading of
Martin Luther’s preface to the book of
Romans. Wesley, however, would come to disagree with the London Moravian insistence that justification had to be accompanied by instantaneous full assurance and that the means of grace had to be withheld from those who didn't have that full assurance.
Regarding this issue, he collided with Philip Henry Molther and other Moravians at the Fetter Lane Society in 1739-1740. Molther told participants they'd to abstain from doing good works and partaking in communion until they'd full assurance. Molther insisted the way to acquire faith was to wait upon God and not employ any means of grace, such as worship, prayer, partaking communion or even good works because the fruits of the Spirit couldn't be bestowed upon those who didn't have it.
After challenging these assertions in two messages in June 1740, Wesley was no longer welcome at the Fetter Lane Society. Along with about 50 others, he formed the Foundery Society, in the old cannon foundery at Moorfields whose lease he'd purchased in November 1739. The Fetter Lane Society, however, had helped serve as an inspirational model to future societies that would help establish the Methodist Church.
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