Wesley Corpus

This is the way wherein those children of God once walked, who being dead still speak to us: “Desire not to live but to praise his name; let all your thoughts, words, and works tend to his glory.’ ‘Let your soul be filled with so entire a love to Him, that you may love nothing but for his sake.’ ‘Have a pure intention of heart, a steadfast regard to his glory in all your actions. For then, and not till then, is that “mind in us, which was also in Christ Jesus, when in every motion of our heart, in every word of our tongue, in every work of our hands, we ‘pursue nothing but in relation to him, and in subordination to his plea sure;’ when we too neither think, nor speak, nor act, to fulfil “our own will, but the will of Him that sent us;’ when, “whe CilltiSTIAN PERFECTION. 369 ther we eat or drink, or whatever, we do, we do it all ‘to the glory of God.’” (Ibid., p. 211.) It may be observed, this sermon was composed the first of all my writings which have been published. This was the view of religion I then had, which even then I scrupled not to term perfection. This is the view I have of it now, without any material addition or diminution. And what is there here, which any man of understanding, who believes the Bible, can object to? What can he deny, without flatly contradicting the Scripture? what retrench, without taking from the word of God? 7. In the same sentiment did my brother and I remain (with all those young gentlemen in derision termed Methodists) till we embarked for America, in the latter end of 1735. It was the next year, while I was at Savannah, that I wrote the following lines: Is there a thing beneath the sun, That strives with thee my heart to share ? Ah! tear it thence, and reign alone, The Lord of every motion there ! In the beginning of the year 1738, as I was returning from thence, the cry of my heart was, O grant that nothing in my soul May dwell, but thy pure love alone !