{"id":"jw/letters/1785b/25-to-francis-asbury","corpus":"jw-letters","type":"letter","author":"john-wesley","title":"B 25 To Francis Asbury","title_alt":[],"text_basis":null,"date_composed":null,"date_precision":"unknown","date_note":null,"numbering":{"bicentennial":null,"jackson_running":null,"sugden":null},"source_edition":{"editor":null,"title":null,"edition":null,"place":null,"publisher":null,"year":null,"volume":null,"pages":null,"scan_url":null,"scan_page_ids":null},"transcription":{"derived_from":null,"corrected_against_scan":false,"corrector":null,"corrected_on":null},"modernization":"none","license_text":"Public Domain Mark 1.0","license_apparatus":"CC BY 4.0","wikidata":null,"prev":null,"next":null,"part_of":"jw-letters","editorial_note":null,"source_id":"jw-letter-1785b-25-to-francis-asbury","passage_ids":["jw-letter-1785b-25-to-francis-asbury-000"],"word_count":255,"themes_auto":["catholic-spirit","reign-of-god","trinity"],"open":true,"closed_reason":null,"legacy_ids":["jw-letter-1785b-25-to-francis-asbury-000"],"passages":[{"id":"jw-letter-1785b-25-to-francis-asbury-000","author":"john-wesley","source_id":"jw-letter-1785b-25-to-francis-asbury","source_title":"B 25 To Francis Asbury","source_type":"letter","year":null,"chunk_index":0,"text":"To Francis Asbury Date: BRISTOL, September 30, 1785. MY DEAR BROTHER, - It gives me pleasure to hear that God prospers your labors even in the barren soil of South Carolina. Asbury had visited Chariestown on Feb. 24. Near fifty years ago I preached in the church at Charlestown and in a few other places, and deep attention sat on every face. But I am afraid few received any lasting impressions. At the next Conference it will be worth your while to consider deeply whether any preacher should stay in one place three years together. I startle at this. It is a vehement alteration in the Methodist discipline. We have no such custom in England, Scotland, or Ireland. We allow no one except the Assistant, who stays a second, to stay more than one year. I myself may perhaps have as much variety of matter as many of our preachers. Yet, I am well assured, were I to preach three years together in one place, both the people and myself would grow as dead as stones. Indeed, this is quite contrary to the whole economy of Methodism: God has always wrought among us by a constant change of preachers. Newly awakened people should, if it were possible, be plentifully supplied with books. Hereby the awakening is both continued and increased. In two or three days I expect to be in London. I will then talk with Mr. Atlay on the head. Be all in earnest for God. - I am Your affectionate friend and brother.","word_count":255,"source_url":null,"themes":["trinity","catholic-spirit","reign-of-god"],"created_at":"2026-01-30T05:20:34.898753"}]}