Wesley Corpus

And so indeed were all others who preached salvation by faith, and appeared more serious than their neighbours. Some of these were quite regular in their manner of preach ing; some were quite irregular; (though not by choice; but necessity was laid upon them; they must preach irregularly, or not at all;) and others were between both, regular in most, though not in all, particulars. 14. In 1762, George Bell, and a few other persons, began to speak great words. In the latter end of the year, they fore told that the world would be at an end on the 28th of February. Mr. Wesley, with whom they were then connected, withstood them both in public and private. This they would not endure; so, in January and February, 1763, they sepa rated from him. Soon after, Mr. Maxfield, one of Mr. Wesley’s Preachers, and several of the people, left Mr. Wesley; but still Mr. Maxfield and his adherents go under the general name of Methodists. 15. At present, those who remain with Mr. Wesley are mostly Church-of-England men.* They love her Articles, her Homilies, her Liturgy, her discipline, and unwillingly vary from it in any instance. Meantime, all who preach among ithem declare, “We are all by nature children of wrath:” But “by grace we are saved through faith;” saved both from ithe guilt and from the power of sin. They endeavour to live according to what they preach, to be plain Bible-Christians. Andthey meet together, at convenient times, to encourage one another therein. They tenderly love many that are Calvinists, * I have not been able to ascertain the precise time at which this tract was written. It notices the separation of Maxfield in 1763; and the seeond edition of it bears the date of 1765. It appears therefore to have been first published some time about 1764; and was probably intended to screen Mr. Wesley and his friends from the reproach attached to the conduct of those who separated from him.-EDIT. ADVICE TO THE METHODISTS. 35l though they do not love their opinions. Yea, they love the Antinomians themselves; but it is with a love of compassion only: For they hate their doctrines with a perfect hatred; they abhor them as they do hell-fire; being convinced nothing can so effectually destroy all faith, all holiness, and all good works. 16. With regard to these, Mr.