Wesley Corpus

Therefore, as one that loves you well and has loved you long, I advise you in the presence and in the fear of God, (1) Either quietly attend the Sunday service or quietly refrain from it; then there will be no strife at all. Now you make the noise of which you complain. (2) Make not this a pretense for being weary of well-doing. Do not for so poor a reason withdraw your subscription from the School or the preachers. What a miserable revenge would this be! Never let it be said that my friend Arthur Keene, that Mr. D'Olier or Boswell, was capable of this! From this hour let this idle strife be buried in eternal oblivion. Talk not of it any more. If it be possible, think not of it any more. Rather think, 'The Judge standeth at the door'; let us prepare to meet our God! To Harriet Lewis DUBLIN, April 2, 1789. MY DEAR SISTER, -- Considering how changeable human nature is, I shoed have thought you would have forgotten me before now. I was therefore agreeably surprised when I had the pleasure of seeing you at Dudley. [See letter of March 29, 1788.] You seemed to be just the same as you was the first time that I conversed with you at Mr. Moon's house, [John Moon, the third preacherin the Birmingham Circuit; he died in 1801.] to be as desirous now as you was then to be not almost but altogether a Christian. But if this be your determination, you must remember you cannot be warm alone; you must needs find one if not more with whom you can converse freely on the things of God. This you may properly make matter of prayer; and sooner or later your prayer will be heard, although some of those with whom you once conversed are groin cold. But God is able to provide you with others who will not be unstable as water. It is a great blessing that He has upheld your gongs in the way and enabled you still to press on to the mark. May He stablish, strengthen, and settle you! So prays Yours affectionately. To Thomas Wride DUBLIN, April 2, 1789.