Wesley Corpus

To Christopher Hopper Date: LONDON, October 18, I777. Source: The Letters of John Wesley (1777) Author: John Wesley --- MY DEAR BROTHER,--I believe what you say of John Hilton [Benson says on Oct. 7 (manuscript Life, i. 788): ‘I wrote a very close letter to Mr. Hilton three weeks ago; but have had no answer. I wish our friendship may not be at an end.’ See letter of Aug. 6.] is true; therefore I hindered the angry ones from falling upon him at the Conference. There is no divine visitation which is likely to have so general an influence upon sinners as an earthquake. The rich can no more guard against it than the poor. Therefore I have often thought this would be no undesirable event. I hang out no false colors. Scriptural, Christian, &c., are all equivocal words. I mean a magazine purposely wrote to defend Universal Redemption. Other magazines give forty pages for sixpence; this gives eighty for a shilling. [See previous letter.] My time is short; so I publish as much as I can at once, if haply I may live to finish it. All these things I have maturely weighed. I have said over and over there are weighty reasons why no preacher should ever be a trustee. Sycophants are wide 'of this question.--I am Your affectionate friend and brother.