Wesley Corpus

To Benjamin Ingham Date: OXON, October 13, 1758. Source: The Letters of John Wesley (1738) Author: John Wesley --- TO MY DEAR BROTHER, -- God hath been wonderfully gracious to us ever since our return to England. Though there are many adversaries, yet a great door and effectual is opened; and we continue, through evil report and good report, to preach the gospel of Christ to all people, and earnestly to contend for the faith once delivered to the saints. Indeed, He hath given unto us many of our fiercest opposers, who now receive with meekness the ingrafted word. One of the bitterest of them could have no rest in his spirit till, on Saturday, the 30th of September, he was compelled to send for me, [For Mr. Jennings, see Journal, ii. 80d.] who knew him not so much as by face, and to tell me the secrets of his heart. He owned with many tears that, in spite of all his endeavors, he was still carnal, sold under sin; that he continually did the thing he would not, and was thereby convinced of the entire corruption of his whole nature; that the very night before, after the most solemn resolutions to the contrary, he had been guilty of gross drunkenness, and had no hope of escaping, having neither spirit nor strength left in him. We fell on our knees, and besought our Lord to bring this sinner unto God, who through His blood justifieth the ungodly. He arose, and his countenance was no longer sad; for he knew, and testified aloud, that he was passed from death unto life, and felt in himself that he was healed of his plague. And from that hour to this he hath had peace and joy in believing, and sin hath no more dominion over him. Mr. Stonehouse [George Stonehouse, Vicar of Islington, had shared the Wesleys' convictions (Journal, i. 460). Mr. Sparks, a visiting minister at Newgate, is often referred to in C. Wesley's Journal for 1738; he invited Charles Wesley to go with him and preach to ten malefactors under sentence of death; they gave them the sacrament, and went with them to Tyburn. John Hutchings, of Pembroke College, was one of the company who met Wesley soon after his return from Georgia (Works, viii.