Wesley Corpus

To his Brother Charles Date: BRISTOL, June 23, 1739. Source: The Letters of John Wesley (1739) Author: John Wesley --- DEAR BROTHER, -- My answer to them which trouble me is this:-- God commands me to do good unto all men; to instruct the ignorant, reform the wicked, confirm the virtuous. Man commands me not to do this in another's parish--that is, in effect, not to do it at all. If it be just to obey man rather than God, judge ye. ‘But’ (say they) ‘it is just that you submit yourself to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake.’ True; to every ordinance of man which is not contrary to the command of God. But if any man (bishop or other) ordain that I shall not do what God commands me to do, to submit to that ordinance would be to obey man rather than God. And to do this I have both an ordinary call and an extraordinary. My ordinary call is my ordination by the Bishop: ‘Take thou authority to preach the word of God.’ My extraordinary call is witnessed by the works God doeth by my ministry, which prove that He is with me of a truth in this exercise of my office. Perhaps this might be better expressed in another way: God bears witness in an extraordinary manner that my thus exercising my ordinary call is well-pleasing in His sight. But what if a bishop forbids this I do not say, as St. Cyprian, Populus a scelerato antistire separare se debet. [‘The people ought to separate themselves from a wicked bishop.’] But I say, God being my helper, I will obey Him still; and if I suffer for it, His will be done.