Wesley Corpus

1764 To Samuel Furly LONDON, January 14, 1764. MY DEAR BROTHER,--I shall never think much of paying postage of a letter from you. We are all here now in great peace; and God is both widening and deepening His work. In that text I generally consider (1) what is implied in 'gaining the whole world'; (2) what in losing men's own souls; and show (3) what an ill bargain it would be to gain an whole world at that price. [See sermon on The Important Question in Works, vi. 493-505; and letter of March 6.] I hope you are still pressing on to the mark and counting all things loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ.-- I am Your affectionate brother. To John Valton [1] LONDON, January 31, 1764. It is certainly right with all possible care to abstain from all outward evil: But this profits only a little. The inward change is the one thing needful for you. You must be born again, or you will never gain an uniform and lasting liberty. Your whole soul is diseased, or rather dead--dead to God, dead in sin. Awake, then, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. To seek for a particular deliverance from one sin only is mere labour lost. If it could be attained, it would be little worth, for another would arise in its place. But, indeed, it cannot before there is a general deliverance from the guilt and power of sin. This is the thing which you want, and which you should be continually seeking for. You want to be justified freely from all things, through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ. It might be of use if you should read over the first volume of Sermons seriously and with prayer. Indeed, nothing will avail without prayer. Pray, whether you can or not. When you are cheerful, and when you are heavy, still pray; pray with many or with few words, or with none at all: you will surely find an answer of peace, and why not now--I am Your servant for Christ's sake. To his Brother Charles LONDON, March 1, 1764.