Wesley Corpus

_ scripture was, “It is the glorious God that maketh the thunder. The voice of the Lord is mighty in operation; the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.” In the evening he spoke to three whose souls were all storm and tempest, and immediately there was a great calm. During this whole time, I was almost continually asked, either by those who purposely came to Bristol to inquire concerning this strange work, or by my old or new correspondents, ‘ How can these things be?” And innumerable cautions were given me, (generally grounded on gross misrepresentations of things,) not to regard visions or dreams, or to fancy people had remission of sins because of their cries, or tears, or bare outward professions. ‘To one who had many times wrote to me on this head, the sum of my answer was as follows :-- 134 REV. J. WESLEY'S JOURNAL. | [Ma; 1739 “The question between us turns chiefly, if not wholly, on matter of fact. You deny that God does now work these effects: at least, that he works them in this manner. I affirm both; because I have heard these things with my own ears, and have seen them with my eyes. I have seen, (as far as a thing of this kind can be seen,) very many persons changed in a moment from the spirit of fear, horror, despair, to the spirit of love, joy, and peace; and from sinful desire, till then reigning over them, to a pure desire of doing the will of God. These are matters of fact, whereof I have been, and almost daily am, an eye or ear witness What I have to say touching visions or dreams, is this: I know several persons in whom this great change was wrought in a dream, or during a strong representation to the eye of their mind, of Christ either on the cross, or in glory. This is the fact; let any judge of it as they please. And that such a change was then wrought, appears, (not from their shedding tears only, or falling into fits, or crying out: these are not the fruits, as you seem to suppose, whereby I judge, but) from the whole tenor of their life, till then, many ways wicked; from that time, holy, just, and good.