Predestination

Interestingly enough, eventhough John Wesley did not believe in predestination, he wrote: For if one's preaching brought no attack, either there was no devil in this world, or he [St. Patrick] did not preach the Gospel of Christ.<Journal 1748 April 25 Monday, pg. 348>

And yet, whoever objects to this statement wouldn't believe in predestination.

This quote from the journal of John Wesley is from the version that has his unpublished diaries and annotations and is not found in the CCEL version of Wesley's journal. I've downloaded it to my archive.

Excerpt: I never heard before of an apostle sleeping 35 years, and beginning to preach at three-score. But his success staggers me the most of all. No blood of the martyrs is here; no reproach, no scandal of the cross, no persecution to those that will live godly. Nothing is to be heard of, from the beginning to the end, but kings, nobles, warriors, bowing down before him. Thousands are converted, without any opposition at all; twelve thousand at one sermon. If these things were so, either there was then no devil in the world, or St. Patrick did not preach the gospel of Christ.

Although, it is unknown how Wesley felt about St. Patrick, such that this may not have been a negative critique by Wesley. Merely staggered. So maybe we all should think that the devil was asleep at the time of St. Patrick's 12,000 conversion. Although, by calling "no devil in the world" as the only other alternative, it seems that Wesley may want to blame Patrick for failure in the right gospel.