Wesley Corpus

To Benjamin Chappel Date: November 27, 1783. Source: The Letters of John Wesley (1783) Author: John Wesley --- MY DEAR BROTHER, -- It is so long a time since I heard from you that I began to be in doubt whether you had forgotten your old friends or was safe landed in a better world. As I find you are still in the land of the living, I hope you are still making the best of life and laboring by every possible means to make your calling and election sure. Without doubt you have found many trials, and will find many more. But still you know in whom you have trusted, and who is able to deliver you out of all. But what means of grace have you Have you any church within any reasonable distance If you have, how often have you divine service Twice on every Sunday Have you a clergyman that loves or fears God Though, if he does not, it will not hinder you of the blessing attending the divine ordinances. But if you have no clergyman, see that you constantly meet together, and God will be where two or three are gathered together. If Sister Morse is a lively, zealous, and judicious Christian, she may be of much use among you. But I doubt whether Henry Alline [See letters of July 13, 1783, and May 11, 1784.] be not the person concerning whom our brethren in Cumberland wrote to me: who has wrote and published a book which is full of broad, ranting Antinomianism. If it is he, he is a wild, absurd man, wiser in his own eyes than seven men that can render a reason; and has done much mischief among the serious persons there, setting every man's sword against his brother. If it be the same man, have a care of him, or he will do more harm among you than ever he can do good. I should think some of our brethren from Cumberland would have zeal and courage enough to come over to you now and then and impart some of their fire to you. If the case of the island be as you say, why do not the inhabitants send a petition to the Government It seems this would be a very seasonable time.