Below is an excerpt from Chapter 5 (“Das Oxford Problem”) of my forthcoming survey of open Adam Smith problems with Salim Rashid:

“Why did Smith ditch Oxford in 1746? Did this decision have anything to do with John Wesley’s final sermon at Oxford, which he gave two years earlier on 24 August 1744? It was at this sermon that Wesley condemns Oxford University for its failure to live according to the teachings of Scripture, [1] and according to one Smith scholar (our colleague and friend, Ryan Griffiths), ‘Smith would have been expected to be in the audience for the sermon in which Wesley broke from Oxford.’[2] But was the young Adam Smith in attendance when Wesley delivered his last sermon at Oxford on 24 August 1744?[3]

“Even if Smith wasn’t in attendance, he must have heard about this dramatic event and discussed it with others, right? Wesley’s sermon was a famous and consequential event at the time, and it was also a university sermon, which, as far as we can tell, meant that a student like Smith was required to attend.[4] After all, wasn’t Smith required to study theology as part of his Snell Exhibition? And either way, did Smith attend any of Wesley’s other Oxford sermons, and if so, what did he make of Wesley and his ministry? More to the point, did Wesley’s brand of “Scriptural Christianity” (the title of his last sermon at Oxford) influence Smith’s religious views or his subsequent decision to ditch Oxford in 1746?”

Bonus links: for reference, here is the text of John Wesley’s final sermon at Oxford, and here is a summary. Also, check out this excellent lecture on the life of John Wesley by Ryan Reeves (PhD, Cambridge):

[1] See, e.g., Watson 2020. The complete text of Wesley’s last sermon at Oxford is available online: https://wesley.nnu.edu/john-wesley/the-sermons-of-john-wesley-1872-edition/sermon-4-scriptural-christianity/ [https://archive.ph/CLSp0].

[2] Griffiths 2023.

[3] For further details about Wesley’s final Oxford sermon, see Coleman 2017.

[4] Griffiths 2024. Cf. Coleman 2017, p. 2: “As an Oxford fellow, Wesley’s name was placed in the regular rotation of chapel preaching, and he was scheduled for the St. Mary’s canopied pulpit on August 24, 1744, overlooking the dozens of pews designated properly according to the roles of their occupants.”