Wesley Corpus

To John Fletcher Source: The Letters of John Wesley (1773) Author: John Wesley --- SHOREHAM, January, [15], 1773. DEAR SIR,--What an amazing work has God wrought in these kingdoms in less than forty years! And it not only continues but increases throughout England, Scotland, and Ireland; nay, it has lately spread into New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and Carolina. But the wise men of the world say, ‘ When Mr. Wesley drops, then all this is at an end!’ And so it surely will unless, before God calls him hence, one is found to stand in his place. For * [Homer’s Iliad, ii. 204: ‘ The rule of many is not good; let there be one ruler.’]. I see more and more, unless there be one * [leader], the work can never be carried on. The body of the preachers are not united; nor will any part of them submit to the rest: so that either there must be one to preside over all or the work will indeed come to an end. But who is sufficient for these things qualified to preside both over the preachers and people He must be a man of faith and love and one that has a single eye to the advancement of the kingdom of God. He must have a dear understanding; a knowledge of men and things, particularly of the Methodist doctrine and discipline; a ready utterance; diligence and activity, with a tolerable share of health. There must be added to these, favor with the people, with the Methodists in general. For unless God turn their eyes and their hearts towards him, he will be quite incapable of the work. He must likewise have some degree of learning; because there are many adversaries, learned as well as unearned, whose mouths must be stopped. But this cannot be done unless he be able to meet them on their own ground.