Wesley Corpus

And what stronger demonstrations could have been given, of men’s acting from a zeal for God, whether it were “according to knowledge” or no? What persons could, in the nature of things, have been (antecedently) less liable to exception, with regard to their moral character, at least, than those the all-wise God hath now employed? Indeed I cannot devise what manner of men could have been more unexceptionable on all accounts. Had God endued us with greater natural or acquired abilities, that verything might have been turned into an objection. Had we becn remarkably defective, it would have been matter of objection on the other hand. Had we been Dissenters of any kind, or even Low-Church men, (so called,) it would have been a great stumbling-block in the way of those who are zealous for the Church. And yet had we continued in the impetuosity of our High-Church zeal, neither should we have been willing to converse with Dissenters, nor they to receive any good at our hands. Some objections were kept out of the way, by our known contempt of money and preferment; and others, by that rigorous strictness of life which we exacted, not of others, but ourselves only. Insomuch, that, twelve or fourteen years ago, * Creeping silent through the sylvan shades, Exploring what is wise and good in man. the censure of one who had narrowly observed us (me in parti cular) went no farther than this:-- Does John beyond his strength persist to go, To his frail carcase literally foe 3 Careless of health, as if in haste to die, And lavish time to insure eternity So that, upon the whole, I see not what God could have done more in this respect which he hath not done; or what instru ments he could have employed in such a work, who would have been less liable to exception. 20. Neither can I conceive how it was possible to do that work, the doing of which, we are still under the strongest con viction, is bound upon us at the peril of our own souls, in a less exceptionable manner. We have, by the grace of God, behaved, not only with meekness, but with all tenderness toward all men; with all the tenderness which we conceived it was possible to use, without betraying their souls.