John Wesley

Portrait by George Romney

Anglican priest, pietist, founder of Methodism

born June 17, 1703 in Lincolnshire
died March 2, 1791 in London

Educated at Oxford, he joined a group founded by his brother Charles known as the "Holy Club."

"...Wesley, though his own preaching was mild and quiet in comparison to the scenery-chewing Whitfield, believed in the need for powerful emotional experiences, particular  moments in life when God gave the grace to live perfectly-- which in Wesley's vocabulary meant without conscious, intentional sin-- and exhorted his listeners to seek them out and treasure them."-- Alan Jacobs, The Book of Common Prayer: A Biography, pp.110-111.

For more information see:
Biography from Christianity Today

Works:
Various sermons of John Wesley from UMC Missions
Thoughts on Slavery at UNC Chapel Hill

George Whitefield

born December 16, 1714 in Gloucester
died September 29, 1770 in Newburyport, Massachusetts

A Calvinist by persuasion, English-born Anglican priest who was the most famous preacher of the 1st Great Awakening in America. He was an itinerant preacher and skilled orator, known for preaching outdoors to crowds of thousands (since no church could hold the crowds and no preacher wanted to lend his pulpit to such a celebrity. His sermons would last for two hours, and were marked by weeping, foot-stomping, and other sorts of "histrionics" in the words of his critics.

At Oxford, he became a member of the "Holy Club," which also included John and Charles Wesley. John lent him a book, The Life of God in the Soul of Man, which led to an intense religious conversion. He is considered, to have contributed to the founding of Methodism along with the Wesleys. In America, through his work in the 1st Great Awakening, he also had influence upon Presbyterians, Baptists, and Congregationalists.


For more information, see:
Biography from Christianity Today
Biography from CCEL

Works:
Selected Sermons of George Whitefield

Sir Christopher Wren

This portrait depicts St. Paul's in the background

mathematician, astronomer, architect

born October 20, 1632 in Wiltshire
died February 25, 1723

One of the founders of the Royal Society
Designed St. Paul's Cathedral
Designed the Royal Observatory at Greenwich in 1675

For more information, see:
The BBC biography of Christopher Wren
Biography from the Royal Museums, Greenwich