{"id":"jw/letters/1789a/17-to-thomas-roberts","corpus":"jw-letters","type":"letter","author":"john-wesley","title":"A 17 To Thomas Roberts","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-1789a-17-to-thomas-roberts","passage_ids":["jw-letter-1789a-17-to-thomas-roberts-000"],"word_count":191,"themes_auto":["means-of-grace","reign-of-god","trinity"],"open":true,"closed_reason":null,"legacy_ids":["jw-letter-1789a-17-to-thomas-roberts-000"],"passages":[{"id":"jw-letter-1789a-17-to-thomas-roberts-000","author":"john-wesley","source_id":"jw-letter-1789a-17-to-thomas-roberts","source_title":"A 17 To Thomas Roberts","source_type":"letter","year":null,"chunk_index":0,"text":"To Thomas Roberts Date: LONDON, February 12, 1789. DEAR TOMMY, You send me good news indeed. I congratulate you upon your deliverance. See letter of Jan. 18, 1788, to him. It is not a little one. Only He that is almighty was able to burst those bonds in sunder. Many years ago I was in exactly the same case; and just then, when I came to these words in the Lesson for the day, 'Son of man, behold I take from thee the desire of thine eyes with a stroke,' See letter of Feb. 14, 1786. I was quite stunned, and could not just then read a word more. But afterwards I saw God was wiser than me. It seems to me that you drew the right conclusion from this remarkable providence. Surely God does now give you a loud call to devote yourself to God in a single life. I advise you to read with much prayer the Notes on I Corinthians 7th. And remember the wise direction of Kempis, Book I. chap. viii. 'Avoid all good women, and commend them to God.' I am, dear Tommy, Your affectionate brother.","word_count":191,"source_url":null,"themes":["trinity","reign-of-god","means-of-grace"],"created_at":"2026-01-30T05:23:35.645753"}]}