Wesley Corpus

I am not mad, my dear friend, for asserting these to be the words of truth and soberness; neither are any of those, either in England or here, who have hitherto attempted to follow me. I am, and must be, an example to my flock; not, indeed, in my prudential rules, but in some measure (if, giving God the glory, I may dare to say so) in my spirit and life and conversation. Yet all of them are, in your sense of the word, unlearned, and most of them of low understanding; and still, not one of them has been as yet entangled in any case of conscience which was not solved. And as to the nice distinctions you speak of, it is you, my friend, it is the wise, the learned, the disputers of this world, who are lost in them, and bewildered more and more, the more they strive to extricate themselves. We have no need of nice distinctions; for I exhort all, Dispute with none. I feed my brethren in Christ, as He giveth me power, with the pure, unmixed milk of His Word. And those who are as little children receive it, not as the word of man, but as the word of God. Some grow thereby, and advance apace in peace and holiness: they grieve, it is true, for those who did run well, but are now turned back; and they fear for themselves, lest they also be tempted; yet, through the mercy of God, they despair not, but have still a good hope that they shall endure to the end. Not that this hope has any resemblance to enthusiasm, which is an hope to attain the end without the means: this they know is impossible, and therefore ground their hope on a constant, careful use of all the means. And if they keep in this way, with lowliness, patience, and meekness of resignation, they cannot carry the principle of pressing toward perfection too far. Oh may you and I carry it far enough! Be fervent in spirit. 'Rejoice evermore; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks.' Do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus. Abound more and more in all holiness, and in zeal for every good word and work. To the Georgia Trustees [7] SAVANNAH, March 31, 1737.