Wesley Corpus

You have so well satisfied me as to the tenets of Thomas of Kempis, that I have ventured to trouble you once more on a more dubious occasion. I have heard one I take to be a person of good judgment say that she would advise no one very young to read Dr. Taylor Of Living and Dying[See next letter.]: she added that he almost put her out of her senses when she was fifteen or sixteen year old; because he seemed to exclude all from being in a way of salvation who did not come up to his rules, some of which are altogether impracticable. A fear of being tedious will make me confine myself to one or two instances, in which I am doubtful, though several others might be produced of almost equal consequence. In his fourth section of the second chapter, where he treats of Humility, these, among others, he makes necessary parts of that virtue: Love to be little esteemed, and be content to be slighted or undervalued. Take no content in praise when it is offered thee. Please not thyself when disgraced by supposing thou didst deserve praise though they understood thee not or enviously detracted from thee. We must be sure in some sense or other to think ourselves the worst in every company where we come. Give God thanks for every weakness, deformity, or imperfection, and accept it as a favor and grace, an instrument to resist pride. In the ninth section of the fourth chapter he says: Repentance contains in it all the parts of an holy life from our return to our death. A man can have but one proper repentance -- viz. when the rite of baptism is verified by God's grace coming upon us and our obedience. After this change, if we ever fall into the contrary state there is no place left for any more repentance. A true penitent must all the days of his life pray for pardon and never think the work completed till he dies. Whether God has forgiven us or no we know not, therefore still be sorrowful for ever having sinned.