Wesley Corpus

Already you ‘sit in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” What heavenly sentences are these ! What can come nearer Paradise? Bless the Lord, O ye happy souls, and let all that is within you bless his holy name. Sing unto the Lord so long as you live, and praise 88 REv. J. wesLEY’s [April, 1762. your God while you have your being. And how long will that be? Through the endless ages of a glorious eternity. “O my dear brothers and sisters, this is my hope, and this is my purpose. But to whom and to what are we indebted for all this, and infinitely more than all the tongues and hearts of men or angels can tell or conceive? To our Redeemer only, and to his merits. Christ within us is Jesus to us. We were poor, lost, helpless sinners, ‘aliens from the commonwealth of Israel,” and ‘children of wrath; but Jesus lived, and Jesus died, the just for the unjust, to bring us to the enjoyment of it. “And what does all this require at our hands? Why, infinitely more than we can render him to all eternity. However, let us praise and glorify God in the best manner, and with the best member that we have. Let us do it constantly, cordially, cheerfully, so long as we live; and then, no doubt, we shall do it in heaven for ever. “Keep close, I beseech you, to every means of grace. Strive to walk in all the ordinances and commandments of God blameless, “giving all diligence to make your calling and election sure: Add to your faith virtue; to virtue knowledge; to knowledge temperance; to temperance patience; to patience godliness; to godliness brotherly kindness; to brotherly kindness charity.’--For ‘if these things,’ says St. Peter, ‘be in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” Thus you will give the best token of your thankful ness to him for what he hath done for your souls; and you shall, not long hence, in heaven sing his praise with your happy brethren, gone thither before you. “It is well, likewise, with all those of you who do truly desire to be in Christ, that you may go to God. Surely he owns you; your desires are from him; you shall enjoy his favour.