Wesley Corpus

You suppose this faith to imply an evidence that God is mer ciful to me a sinner; that he is reconciled to me by the death of his Son, and now accepts me for his sake. You accordingly describe the faith of a real Christian as “a sure trust and confi dence ’’ (over and above his assent to the sacred writings) “which he hath in God, that his sins are forgiven; and that he is, through the merits of Christ, reconciled to the favour of God.” You believe, farther, that both this faith and love are wrought in us by the Spirit of God; nay, that there cannot be in any man one good temper or desire, or so much as one good thought, unless it be produced by the almighty power of God, by the inspiration or influence of the Holy Ghost. If you walk by this rule, continually endeavouring to know and love and resemble and obey the great God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, as the God of love, of pardoning mercy; if from this principle of loving, obedient faith, you carefully abstain from all evil, and labour, as you have opportunity, to do good to all men, friends or enemies; if, lastly, you unite together, to encourage and help each other in thus working out your salvation, and for that end watch over one another in love, you are they whom I mean by Methodists. The First general advice which one who loves your souls would earnestly recommend to every one of you is: “Con sider, with deep and frequent attention, the peculiar circum stances wherein you stand.” One of these is, that you are a new people: Your name is new, (at least, as used in a religious sense,) not heard of, till a few years ago, either in our own or any other nation.