Wesley Corpus

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. 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. 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. We had a lovely congregation in the morning, to whom I closely applied St.