Wesley Corpus

This was the very case when I went last into the North. For some time before my coming John Downes had scarce been able to preach at all: the three others in the Round were such as styled themselves ‘gospel preachers.’ When I came to review the Societies, with great expectation of finding a vast increase, I found most of them lessened by one third; one entirely broken up; that of Newcastle itself was less by an hundred members than when I visited it before; and of those that remained, the far greater number in every place were cold, weary, heartless and dead. Such were the blessed effects of this gospel-preaching, of this new method of preaching Christ! On the other hand, when in my return I took an account of the Societies in Yorkshire, chiefly under the care of John Nelson, one of the old way, in whose preaching you could find no life, no food, I found them all alive, strong and vigorous of soul, believing loving, and praising God their Savior, and increased in number from eighteen or nineteen hundred to upwards of three thousand. [Wesley says on May 17 of this year: ‘I preached in the new house at Birstall, already too small for even a weekday’s congregation’ (Journal, iii. 526).] These had been continually fed with that wholesome food which you could nether relish nor digest. From the beginning they had been taught both the law and the gospel. ‘God loves you: therefore love and obey Him. Christ died for you: therefore die to sin. Christ has risen: themfore rise in the image of God. Christ liveth evermore: therefore live to God, till you live with Him in glory.’ So we preached; and so you believed. This is the scriptural way, the Methodist way, the true way. God grant we may never turn therefrom, to the right hand or to the left. -- I am, my dear friend Your ever affectionate brother. To John Downes [17] LONDON, December 28, 1751.