Signed by the Author, John Fletcher

John Fletcher.
A Vindication of the Rev. Mr. Wesley’s Last Minutes.
London: Robert Hawes, 1775. (BRA0467/A)

John Fletcher (1729–1785) was John Wesley’s designated successor as the moderator-elect of British Methodism, but his death preceded Wesley’s by six years. Much admired by his contemporaries, Fletcher was one of Wesley’s most faithful defenders in the “Calvinistic Controversy,” insisting that damnation comes from man’s free will, while salvation comes from God’s free grace. Fletcher, the author of the displayed book, inscribed the title page “The Rev. John Fletcher to Will^m Ferriday, 1784.” The recipient of this presentation copy was probably William Ferriday, a prominent citizen in Madeley, Shropshire, where Fletcher served as vicar for twenty-five years.