Wesley Corpus

land, among whom the pure word of God is preached, and the sacraments duly administered. Who then are the worst Dissenters from this Church? 1. Unholy men of all kinds; swearers, Sabbath breakers, drunkards, fighters, whoremongers, liars, revilers, evil speakers ; the passionate, the gay, the lovers of money, the lovers of dress, or of praise, the lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God: all these are Dissenters of the highest sort, continually striking at the root of the Church; and themselves belonging in truth to no Church, but to the synagogue of Satan. 2. Men unsound in the faith; those who deny the Scriptures of truth; those who deny the Lord that bought them ; those who deny justification by faith alone, or the present salvation which is by faith; these also are Dissenters of a very high kind: for they likewise strike at the foundation; and were their principles universally to obtain, there could be no true Church upon earth: Lastly, those who unduly administer the sacraments ; who (to instance but in one point) administer the Lord’s Supper to such as have neither the power nor the form of godliness. These, too, are gross Dissenters from the Church of England, and should not cast the first stone at others. Tues. 12.--The young man who was to die the next day, gave me a Taper, part of which was as follows :-- “ As Tam to answer to the God of justice and truth, hefore whom I am to appear naked to-morrow, I came to Bristol with a design to go aproad, either as a surgeon or in any other capacity that was suiting. It was vhere that I unfortunately saw Mr. Ramsey. He told me, after one or two interviews, that he was in the service of Mr. John Wesley; and that he would introduce me to him, which he did. I cannot but say, I was always fond of the doctrine that I heard from him; however, 178 REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. [ March, 1740.