{"id":"jw/letters/1787/16-to-elizabeth-padbury","corpus":"jw-letters","type":"letter","author":"john-wesley","title":"16 To Elizabeth Padbury","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-1787-16-to-elizabeth-padbury","passage_ids":["jw-letter-1787-16-to-elizabeth-padbury-000"],"word_count":179,"themes_auto":["free-will","justifying-grace","works-mercy"],"open":true,"closed_reason":null,"legacy_ids":["jw-letter-1787-16-to-elizabeth-padbury-000"],"passages":[{"id":"jw-letter-1787-16-to-elizabeth-padbury-000","author":"john-wesley","source_id":"jw-letter-1787-16-to-elizabeth-padbury","source_title":"16 To Elizabeth Padbury","source_type":"letter","year":null,"chunk_index":0,"text":"To Elizabeth Padbury Date: BRISTOL, September 19, 1787. MY DEAR BETSY, If I do not mistake, one of our preachers desired the justice to give him the oath and was refused. If this is true, I desire as soon as possible to know, Who was the preacher who was the justice on what day did he offer himself to the justice; was this before or after the prosecution began was any distress made, or were the goods sold after he offered to take the oath I believe your answer to these questions will open a scene which the good justice little expects. You have lately had a noble exercise of your faith and patience. So have several of your neighbors. This calls you to much and earnest prayer. Then God will arise and maintain His own cause. I advise you all in the meantime to say little; you have better things to talk of. I suppose the rector and the justice are now quiet. Their turn will come by and by. I am, my dear Betsy, Yours most affectionately.","word_count":179,"source_url":null,"themes":["works-mercy","free-will","justifying-grace"],"created_at":"2026-01-30T05:21:47.984945"}]}