Wesley Corpus

it is not the luminous cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night. Even the few remaining professors stared at me the other day, when I preached to them on these words: ‘Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost; for the promise is unto you.’ Well, the promise is unto us: If others despise it, still let us believe and hope. Nothing enlarges the heart and awakens the soul more than that believing, loving expectation. Let us wait together, until we are all endued with power from on high.” 1. ALTHough the great Apostle has ranked the “forbidding to marry” among the “doctrines of devils,” and has expressly declared, “Marriage is honourable in all men, and the bed undefiled;” yet a kind of prejudice hangs on the minds of many even of those that love God, inclining them to disapprove of the marriage of persons eminent in religion. Yea, many are of opinion that it is not consistent with high degrees of holiness; and that when any who have deep expe rience in the things of God marry, they are in some measure fallen from grace. Hence many were surprised that so eminent a Christian as Mr. Fletcher should take this step. And they could hardly help thinking that he had lost some degree of his excellent piety, and that he was not so unreservedly devoted to God as he had been some time before. 2. In order to satisfy every reasonable person that he had not sustained any loss at all, that his entire self-devotion was in nowise impaired, either before or at the time of his marriage, I believe the most convincing way will be to give as particular an account as possible of what occurred at that time. The account is given by one that was an eye and ear witness of what she relates; and whoever seriously considers this account will easily perceive that his soul was at that time all alive, and wholly devoted to God. And I cannot but recommend this whole transaction to the imitation of all Christians who enter the holy state of matrimony. 3. As I think it highly expedient to premise some account of the person whom Mr.