Wesley Corpus

Mon. 6.--Atten I met the contending parties; the Preachers on one hand, and the excluded members on the other: I heard them at large, and they pleaded their several causes with earnestness and calmness too. But four hours were too short to hear the whole cause; so we adjourned to the next day: Meantime, in order to judge in what state the society really was, I examined them myself; meeting part of them to-day, and the rest on Tuesday and Wednesday. Four-and-thirty persons, I found, had been Lut out of, or left, the society: But, notwithstanding, as there were last quarter four hundred and fifty-eight members, so there are just four hundred and fifty eight still. At the desire of the members lately excluded, I now drew up the short state of the case; but I could in no wise pacify them : They were all civil, nay, it seemed, affec tionate to me; but they could never forgive the Preachers that had expelled them : So that I could not desire them to return into the society; they could only remain friends at a distance. Thur. 9.--I was desired by some of our friends to clear up the point of Imputed Righteousness: I did so, by preaching on, “Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness.” In opening these words, I showed what that faith was, which was imputed to him for righteousness, Oct. 1777.j JOURNAL. 11] viz., faith in God’s promise to give him the land of Canaan faith in the promise that Sarah should conceive a son; and the faith whereby he offered up Isaac on the altar. But Christ is not in any of these instances the direct or immediate object of Abraham's faith; whereas he is the direct, immediate object of that faith which is imputed to us for righteousness. Sat. 11.--I visited many, sick and well, and endeavoured to confirm them in their love towards each other. I was more and more convinced that God had sent me at this time to heal the breach of his people. Sun. 12.--We had a lovely congregation in the morning, to whom I closely applied St.