Wesley Corpus

To his Brother Charles Date: CONGLETON, March 25, 1772. Source: The Letters of John Wesley (1772) Author: John Wesley --- DEAR BROTHER,--Giles Ball (as Oliver [Oliver Cromwell said on his death-bed, 'I am safe, for I know that I was once in grace.' See Morley's Cromwell, p. 486.] said) was a good man once! I hope we have no more of the sort. There is still a famous one in Bristol. Now I see why he could not join us. Poor Mr. B--.! [See letter of April 26.] I used to conceive better things of him. I find almost all our preachers in every circuit have done with Christian perfection. They say they believe it; but they never preach it, or not once in a quarter. What is to be done Shall we let it drop, or make a point of it Oh what a thing it is to have curam animarum! ['The care of souls.'] You and I are called to this; to save souls from death, to watch over them as those that must give account! If our office implied no more than preaching a few times in a week, I could play with it; so might you. But how small a part of our duty (yours as well as mine) is this! God says to you as well as me, 'Do all thou canst, be it more or less, to save the souls for whom My Son has died.' Let this voice be ever sounding in our ears; then shall we give up our account with joy. Eia, age; rumpe moras! [See letter of Feb. 28, 1766, to him.] I am ashamed of my indolence and inactivity. The good Lord help us both! Adieu! 'Errwsqe. ['Farewell.']