The Works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 16 (of 32)

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THE
WORKS
OF THE
Rev. JOHN WESLEY, M.A.
Late Fellow of Lincoln-College, Oxford.

* * *

Volume XVI.

* * *

BRISTOL:

Printed by WILLIAM PINE, in Wine-Street.

MDCCLXXII.

Disce, docendus adhuc quæ censet amiculus.​ — Horace.

IT
may be needful to specify whom I mean by this ambiguous term; since it would be lost labour to speak to Methodists, so called, without first describing those to whom I speak.

By Methodists I mean, a people who profess to pursue (in whatsoever measure they have attained) holiness of heart and life, inward and outward conformity in all things to the revealed will of God; who place religion in an uniform resemblance of the great object of it; in a steady imitation of him they worship, in all his imitable perfections; more particularly, in justice, mercy, and truth, or universal love filling the heart, and governing the life.

You, to whom I now speak, believe this love of human kind cannot spring but from the love of God. You think there can be no instance of one, whose tender affection embraces every child of man, (though not endeared to him either by ties of blood, or by any natural or civil relation) unless that affection flow from a grateful, filial love, to the common Father of all: to God, considered not only as his Father, but as the Father of the spirits of all flesh; yea, as the general parent and friend of all the families, both of heaven and earth.

This filial love you suppose to flow only from faith, which you describe as a supernatural evidence (or conviction) of things not seen: so that to him who has this principle,

The things unknown to feeble sense,

Unseen by reason’s glimm’ring ray,

With strong commanding evidence,

Their heav’nly origin display.

Faith lends its realizing light,

The clouds disperse, the shadows fly:

Th’ Invisible appears in sight,

And God is seen by mortal’s eye.

You suppose this faith to imply an evidence that God is merciful to me a sinner; that he is reconciled to me by the death of his Son, and now accepts me, for his sake. You accordingly describe the faith of a real Christian, as, “A sure trust and confidence (over and above his assent to the sacred writings) which he hath in God, that his sins are forgiven; and that he is, through the merits of Christ, reconciled to the favour of God.”

You believe farther, that both this faith and love are wrought in us by the Spirit of God; nay, that there cannot be in any man, one good temper or desire, or so much as one good thought, unless it be produced by the almighty power of God, by the inspiration or influence of the Holy Ghost.

If you walk by this rule, continually endeavouring to know, and love, and resemble, and obey the great God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as the God of love, of pardoning mercy: if from this principle of loving, obedient faith, you carefully abstain from all evil, and labour, as you have opportunity, to do good to all men, friends or enemies: if, lastly, you unite together, to encourage and help each other, in thus working out your salvation, and for that end watch over one another in love, you are they whom I mean by Methodists.

The first general advice which one who loves your souls, would earnestly recommend to every
one of you, is, Consider with deep and frequent attention, the peculiar circumstances wherein you stand.

One of these is, That you are a new people, your name is new, (at least, as used in a religious sense) not heard of, till a few years ago, either in our own, or any other nation. Your principles are new, in this respect, that there is no other set of people among us (and, possibly, not in the Christian world) who hold them all, in the same degree and connection; who so strenuously and continually insist on the absolute necessity of universal holiness both in heart and life; of a peaceful, joyous love of God; of a supernatural evidence of things not seen; of an inward witness that we are the children of God; and of the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, in order to any good thought, or word, or work. And perhaps there is no other set of people, (at least not visibly united together) who lay so much and yet no more stress than you do, on rectitude of opinions, on outward modes of worship, and the use of those ordinances which you acknowledge to be of God. So much stress you lay even on right opinions, as to profess, that you earnestly desire to have a right judgment in all things, and are glad to use every means which you know or believe may be conducive thereto; and yet not so much as to condemn any man upon earth, merely for thinking otherwise than you do; much less to imagine, that God condemns him for this, if he be upright and sincere of heart. On those outward modes of worship, wherein you have been bred up, you lay so much stress as highly to approve them; but not so much as to lessen your love to those who conscientiously dissent from you herein. You likewise lay so much stress on the use of those ordinances, which you believe to be of God, as to confess there is no salvation for you, if you wilfully neglect them. And yet you do not judge them that are otherwise minded; you determine nothing concerning those, who, not believing those ordinances to be of God, do, out of principle, abstain from them.

Your strictness of life, taking the whole of it together, may likewise be accounted new. I mean, your making it a rule, to abstain from fashionable diversions, from reading plays, romances, or books of humour, from singing innocent songs, or talking in a merry, gay, diverting manner; your plainness of dress; your manner of dealing in trade; your exactness in observing the Lord’s day; your scrupulosity as to things that have not paid custom; your total abstinence from spirituous liquors, (unless in cases of necessity,) your rule, “not to mention the fault of an absent person, in particular, of ministers, or of those in authority” may justly be termed new. Seeing, although some are scrupulous in some of these things, and others are strict with regard to other particulars; yet we do not find any other body of the people, who insist on all these rules together. With respect therefore both to your name, principles, and practice, you may be considered as a new people.

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