There are some elements of John Wesley’s power that lie on the surface. First and foremost, I should place his use of the Bible. He believed implicitly that it is the very Word of God. He consulted it prayerfully for guidance. He preached the Word and judged all things by its teaching. In controversy, he stated his invariable rule. “Permit me to speak plainly. If by Catholic principles you mean any other than Scriptural, they weigh nothing with me. I allow no other rule, whether by faith or practice, than the Holy Scriptures.”

He preached with a living sense of divine authority. His text and his message were given to him of God. It came by direct communication of the Spirit; it was based upon the infallible Word of the Lord and applied logically, earnestly, and passionately to the hearts of men.
Second, I should say that much of his power was due to his courage. He could not be moved till he was sure, but once he was sure, nothing could stop him. One of his most fervent prayers was that God would deliver him from “what the world calls Christian prudence.” The man in whom that prayer is answered can be neither stale nor conventional. Preaching has become too “band-boxy,” and we, too, need to be saved from the same “Christian prudence.”

Thirdly, he lived and preached in the presence and power of the Holy Ghost. He preached a gospel he had proved, and he preached with a real sense of the divine Presence. It is impossible to read the record of his day, with its exercise of prayer and song, fellowship and mediation, study and preaching, without being impressed by its deep spirituality, its solemn sense of the divine Presence, and its valid realization of the eternal. He saw God and rejoiced in His salvation.