Wesley Corpus

But let those who determine both to preach and to live the Gospel expect that men will say “all manner of evil of them.” “The servant is not above his Master, nor the disciple above his Lord. If, then, they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household?” It is their duty, indeed, “as much as lieth in them, to live peaceably with all men.” But when they labour after peace, the world will “make themselves ready for battle.” It is their constant endeavour to “please all men, for their good, to edification.” But yet they know it cannot be done: They remember the word of the Apostle, “If I yet please men, I am not the servant of Christ.” They go on, therefore, “through honour and dishonour, through evil report and good report;” desiring only, that their Master may say in that day, “Servants of God, well done!” To The Disce, docendus adhuc quae censet amiculus.--HoR.* IT may be needful to specify whom I mean by this ambigu ous term; since it would be lost labour to speak to Methodists, so called, without first describing those to whom I speak. * Thus translated by Francis: “To the instruction of a humble friend, Who would himself be better taught, attend.”-EDIT. By Methodists I mean, a people who profess to pursue (in whatsoever measure they have attained) holiness of heart and life, inward and outward conformity in all things to the revealed will of God; who place religion in an uniform resemblance of the great object of it; in a steady imitation of Him they wor ship, in all his imitable perfections; more particularly, in jus tice, mercy, and truth, or universal love filling the heart, and governing the life. You, to whom I now speak, believe this love of human kind cannot spring but from the love of God. You think there can be no instance of one whose tender affection embraces every child of man, (though not endeared to him either by ties of blood, or by any natural or civil relation,) unless that affection flow from a grateful, filial love to the common Father of all; to God, considered not only as his Father, but as “the Father of the spirits of all flesh;” yea, as the general Parent and Friend of all the families both of heaven and earth.