Wesley Corpus

Their thoughts are otherwise employed; their minds are taken up with things of quite a different nature: Or, perhaps, they may think of it a little now and then, when they have nothing else to do; but not seriously or deeply; not with any closeness or attention of thought. They are too much in haste, to weigh the facts whereof we speak, and to draw the just inference therefrom : Nor is the conviction which they may sometimes feel, suffered to sink into their hearts; but things that have a larger share in their affections soon destroy the very traces of it. 2. True it is, that there are some who think more deeply, who are accustomed to consider things from the foundation, and to lay circumstances together, that they may judge of nothing before they have full evidence; and yet even some of these appear to be in doubt concerning the present work. Now, supposing it to be a work of God, how can this be accounted for, -that they who so diligently inquire concerning it, do not know the time of their visitation? Perhaps because of the deeply rooted prejudice which they brought with them to the inquiry; and which, still hanging on their minds, makes it scarce possible for them to form an impartial judgment. Perhaps, even a slight preposses sion might occasion their stumbling on some of those rocks cf offence, which, by the wise permission of God, always did ard always will attend any revival of his work. Nay, it may be, their very caution was carried to excess. They would not judge before they had such evidence as the mature of the thing would not admit, or, at least, God did not see fit to give. 3. All this is very easy to conceive. But it may at first appear surprising, to find men of renown, men supposed to be endowed with knowledge, and with abilities of every kind, flatly, openly, percmptorily denying, that there has been any unusual work of God at all ! Yea, a late eminent writer gocs farther yet; accounts it an instance of downright enthu siasm, to imagine that there is any extraordinary work now wrought upon the earth.