Wesley Corpus

Tues. 28.--I saw my mother once more. The next day I prepared for my journey to my brother at Tiverton. But on Thursday morning, March 2d, a message that my brother Charles was dying at Oxford, obliged me to set out for that place immediately. Calling at an odd house in the afternoon, I found several persons there who seemed wellwishers to religion, to whom I spake plainly ; as I did in the evening, both to the servants and strangers at my inn. With regard to my own behaviour, I now renewed and wrote down my former resolutions :-- 1. To use absolute openness and unreserve, with all I should converse with. 2. To labour after continual seriousness, not willingly indulging myself in any the least levity of behaviour, or in laughter,--no, not for a moment. 3. To speak no word which does not tend to the glory of God; in particular, not to talk of worldly things. Others may, nay must. But what is that to thee? And 4. To take no pleasure which does not tend to the glory of God ; thanking God every moment for all I do take, and therefore rejecting every sort and degree of it, which I feel I cannot so thank him in and for. Sat. 4.--I found my brother at Oxford, recovering from his pleurisy ; and with him Peter Bohler; by whom (in the hand of the great God) I was, on Sunday, the 5th, clearly convinced of unbelief, of the want of that faith whereby alone we are saved. (With the full Christian salvation. ) Immediately it struck into my mind, “ Leave off preaching. How can you preach to others, wno have not faith yourself?”? I asked Bohler, whether he thought I should leave it off or not. He answered, “ By no means.” I«zked, “ But what can I preach?” He said, “ Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith.”