Wesley Corpus

Tuesday and Wednesday. Four-and-thirty persons, I found, had been put out of, or left, the society : But, notwithstanding, as there were last quarter four hundred and fifty-eightmembers, so there are just four hundred and fifty-eight still. At the desire of the members lately excluded, I now drew up the short state of the case; but I could in nowise pacify them : They were all civil, nay, it seemed, affectionate to me ; but they could never forgive the Preachers that had expelled them : So that I could not desire them to return into the society ; they could only remain friends at a distance. Thur. 9.-I was desired by some of our friends to clear up the point of Imputed Righteousness : Idid so, by preaching on, "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righte- ousness." In opening these words, I showed what that faith was, which was imputed to him for righteousness, viz. , faith in Oct.1777-1 God's promise to give him the land of Canaan; faith in the promise that Sarah should conceive ason; and the faith whereby he offered up Isaac on the altar. But Christ is not in any of these instances the direct or immediate object of Abraham's faith; whereas he is the direct, immediate object of that faith which is imputed to us for righteousness. Sat. 11. I visited many,sick and well, and endeavoured to confirm them in their love towards each other. I was more and more convinced that God had sent me at this time to heal the breach of his people. Sun. 12. We had alovely congregation in the morning, to whom I closely applied St. Peter's words : " I exhort you, as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly desires which war against the soul." To the mixed multitude in the evening, I applied our Lord's words : "All things are ready ; come unto the marriage." I then took a solemn and affectionate leave of the society, and cheerfully commended them to the Great Shep- herd ; more in number, and, I am persuaded, more established in grace, than they had been for twenty years . Mon. 13. In the morning we went onboard ; but the wind being right a-head, and blowing hard, we made but little way, till night; and the sea was so rough, that I could not sleep till