Wesley Corpus

This day I preached in the morning at St. George’s, Bloomsbury, on, “ This is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith;” and in the afternoon at the chapel in Long Acre, on God’s justifying the ungodly ;--the last time (I understand) I am to preach at either. “ Not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Mon. 29.--I1 set out for Dummer with Mr. Wolf, one of the first fruits of Peter Bohler’s ministry in England. I was much strengthened by the grace of God in him : yet was his state so far above mine, that I was often tempted to doubt whether we had one faith. But, without much reasoning about it, I held here: “Though his be strong and mine weak, yet that God hath given some degree of faith even to me, I know by its fruits. For I have constant peace;--not one uneasy thought. And I have freedom from sin ;--not one unholy desire.” Yet on Wednesday did I grieve the Spirit of God, not only by not watching unto prayer, but likewise by speaking with sharpness instead of tender love, of one that was not sound in the faith. Immediately God hid his face, and I was troubled ; and in this heaviness I continued till the next morning, June 1: when it pleased God, while I was exhorting another, to give comfort to my soul, and (after I had spent some’ time in prayer) to direct me to those gracious words, “ Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering ; (for He is faithful 7 t ba 76 REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. [yune, 1738. that promised ;) and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.” Sat. June 3.--I was so strongly assaulted by one of my old enemies, that I had scarce strength to open my lips, or even to look up is for help. But after I had prayed, faintly, as I could, the temptation -- vanished away.