Wesley Corpus

“But Joel foretold, ‘Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.’ And ‘Philip had four daughters which prophe sied.’ And the Apostle himself directs women to prophesy; only with their heads covered.” Very good. But how do you prove that prophesying in any of these places means preaching? “11. All true worship to God is offered in the inward and immediate moving of his own Spirit. We ought not to pray or preach where and when we will, but where and when we are moved thereto by his Spirit. All other worship, both praises, prayers, and preachings, which man sets about in his own will, and at his own appointment, which he can begin and end at pleasure, do or leave undone, as himself sees meet, are but superstitions, will-worship, and abominable idolatries.” Here lies one of the main differences between Quakerism and Christianity. It is true indeed, that “all true worship to God is offered in the inward and immediate moving of his own Spirit;” or, (to speak plain,) that we cannot truly worship God, unless his Spirit move or incline our hearts. It is equally true, that “we ought to pray and preach, only where and when we are moved thereto by his Spirit; ” but I fear you do not in anywise understand what the being “moved by his Spirit” means. God moves man, whom he has made a reasonable creature, according to the reason which he has given him. He moves him by his understanding, as well as his affections; by light, as well as by heat. He moves him to do this or that by conviction, full as often as by desire. Accordingly, you are as really “moved by the Spirit” when he convinces you you ought to feed him that is hungry, as when he gives you ever so strong an impulse, desire, or inclination so to do. In like manner, you are as really moved by the Spirit to pray, whether it be in public or private, when you have a conviction it is the will of God you should, as when you have the strongest impulse upon your heart.