Wesley Corpus

I have thought much (my brother is out of town with Mr. Wells) of the monitors, [See Wesley's account of the discipline of the Church at Herrnhut, Journal, if. 50, 53. The monitors were eleven in number. Some were known to be such; others were secretly appointed, and, if need were, could admonish in the love of Christ even the rulers of the Church.] and am very much afraid that design is not right; and that for several reasons. First, it seems needless. Every man in my band is my monitor, and I his; else I know no use of our being in band. And if anything particular occur, why should not the leaders (as was agreed before) delegate a monitor pro tempors Secondly, I doubt it would be hurtful; and, indeed, many ways: by lessening the care of every member for every other, when so great a part of his care was transferred to another; by lessening mutual freedom, and making it in one instance unnecessary; by setting aside the commandment of God, 'Thou shalt in any wise reprove thy brother,' [See Lev. xix. 17.] by depriving thee, i.e. every one beside the monitors, of the improvement and reward of so doing. Thirdly, I have seen it has produced these effects. Sin (as they esteemed it) was suffered in me at Savannah, first seven months, afterwards five months, without one breath of reproof; notwithstanding the command of God, notwithstanding earnest, continual entreaty on one side, and solemn, repeated promises on the other. And how could this be Why, there were stated monitors to reprove. Others, therefore, judged reproof to be a thing quite out of their way. But I fell not under the care of the monitors. Therefore I might have gone unreproved to this hour had not John [Wesley evidently refers to John Martin Boltzius, the minister of the Saltzburghers, whom he had refused to admit to the Lord's Table in Savannah because he was not baptized by a minister who had been episcopally ordained (see Journal, iii. 434). He speaks (ibid. i. 181) of reading Drake's Anatomy with ‘John.’ Boltzius had told, Wesley of something he thought wrong in his conduct, and had been reproved for doing so by those who thought he had usurped the office of the monitors.] reproved me; for which (as he could not deny) he was roundly reproved himself.