Wesley Corpus

MY DEAR BROTHER,--Certainly the Lord is preparing you for a more extensive work and showing that He can and will give you a mouth. Take care you do not cleave to any person or thing I God is a jealous God. And stay where you are as long as you can stay; but do not resist when He thrusts you out into His harvest. That God has called you to a more extensive work I cannot doubt in the least. [See letter of March 1 to him.] He has given you an earnest of it at Stroud; and your weakness of soul or body is no bar to Him. Leave Him to remove that when and as it pleases Him. But I doubt concerning the time; it does not seem to be fully come. At present you are to do all you can where you are, and to be always hearkening to His voice and waiting till He makes plain the way before your face.--I am Your affectionate brother. To Mrs. Barton (Jane Hilton) LISBURN, April 9, 1769. MY DEAR SISTER,--I thank Brother Barton [Miss Hilton had recently married William Barton, of Beverley. See letter of Sept. 30, 1768.] for his letter. Both of you have now more need than ever continually to watch and pray that you enter not into temptation. There will be a great danger of so cleaving to each other as to forget God, or of being so taken up with a creature as to abate your hunger and thirst after righteousness. There will be a danger likewise of whiling away time, of not improving it to the uttermost, of spending more of it than needs in good sort of talk with each other which yet does not quicken your souls. If you should once get into an habit of this, it will be exceeding hard to break it off. Therefore you should now attend to every step you take, that you may begin as you hope to hold on to the end. And beware you are not entangled with worldly care any more than worldly desire. Be careful for nothing, but in everything make your request known to God with thanksgiving. Your affectionate brother. To Richard Steel [8] LONDONDERRY, April 24, 1769.