Wesley Corpus

And yet it is certain, he found the greatest pleasure in pleasing God and his neighbour. For nothing could give an higher delight than this to his pious and benevolent mind. “In the mean time, he was a man of peace, and spared no pains to restore it where it was broken. He gave numberless proofs of this anniable disposition. When we were at Trevecka, (to mention but one instance,) two of the students were bitterly prejudiced against each other. He took them into a room by themselves, reasoned with them, wept over them, and at last prevailed. Their hearts were broken; they were melted down; they fell upon each other's necks and wept aloud. “The pains which he took to make peace at the Leeds Conference will not easily be forgotten. And although he could not prevail so far as might have been desired, yet his labour was not in vain. “But I do not attempt his full character: I will only add, what the Apostle recommends to the Philippians was exactly copied by him. He was ‘blameless and harmless, a son of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation; shining among them as a light in the world.’” I think one talent wherewith God had endued Mr. Fletcher has not been sufficiently noted yet: I mean his courtesy; in which there was not the least touch either of art or affectation. It was pure and genuine, and sweetly constrained him to behave to every one (although particularly to inferiors) in a manner not to be described, with so inexpressible a mixture of humi lity, love, and respect. This directed his words, the tone of his voice, his looks, his whole attitude, his every motion. This seems to be intended by St. Paul, in those words, ove agxmploys"; not so well expressed in our translation by, “behaveth not itself unseemly.” Do not the words literally mean, “is not ill bred ?”--behaves on all occasions with decency and good breeding? Certainly, so did Mr. Fletcher.