Who's Fight is This?

Edwards goes to great length to define and clarify prominent terms used in the Arian/Arminian debate. What is the purpose behind such detailed clarification? Was there wide-spread confusion surrounding these terms or was Edwards merely using it as groundwork for his argument? Furthermore, as I was reading Edward's and Wesley's arguments for and against Arminianism, I questioned who was actually reading these documents during this time? How readily available were these documents to the average lay person? How prominent was this Arian/Arminianism discussion among laity? Were they avidly arguing about free will and predestination as these clergy members did?