Wesley Corpus

“J do yet further declare, that (whatever indiscretion I may in other respects have been guilty of) I know of no just offence or scandal which I ever gave by frequenting the meetings, or attending the expositions, of the persons commonly called Methodists; and that I verily believe no offence was ever taken thereat, unless either by persons loaded with prejudice, or by those who enter not into the kingdom of heaven themselves, and if others would enter in, suffer them not. I do, lastly, declare, that J look upon myself to be under no kind of obligation, (except only, that} do still assent and consent to the Articles and Liturgy of the Church, to observe any thing contained in that scandalous paper, so unchristianls imposed upon me. Witness my hand, * Cuartes Caspar Graves.” After having regulated the society here and in Kingswood, I set out again for Landon. On Monday, 30, I read over that excellent tract, ' TAOS a 268 _ REV. J. WESLEY § JOURNAL. [Sept. 1742. Mr. Middleton’s Essay on Church Government, so nicely avoiding the two extremes of either exalting or depressing the regal power. Tuesday, 31.--I read once more the Life of that good and wise (though much mistaken) man, Gregory Lopez. Surely it must be a compliment made him by the biographer, (of which Gregory himself was in no wise worthy,) that “he ascribed all his virtues to the merits and mediation of the Queen of Heaven.” We reached London in the afternoon. Friday, September 3.--I preached on Phil. i, 9: “ This I pray, that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and in all judgment ;” or rather “ feeling,” as it is mm the margin. It pleased God to make this discourse an occasion of discovering such wiles of Satan as it never entered into my heart to conceive.