Wesley Corpus

them with all the tenderness and love, and behave with all the sweetness and courtesy, you can ; taking care not to give any needless offence to neighbour or stranger, friend or enemy. Perhaps on this very account I might advise you, Fifthly, “not to talk much of what you suffer; of the persecution you endured at such a time, and the wickednessof your persecutors.” Nothing more tends to exasperate them than this; and there fore (although there is a time when these things must be men tioned, yet) it might be a general rule, to do it as seldom as you can with a safe conscience. For, besides its tendency to inflame them, it has the appearance of evil, of ostentation, of magnifying. yourselves. It also tends to puff you up with pride, and to make you think yourselves some great ones, as it certainly does to excite or increase in your heart ill-will, anger, and all unkind tempers. It is, at best, loss of time; for, instead of the wicked ness of men, you might be talking of the goodness of God. Nay, it is, in truth, an open, wilful sin: It is tale-bearing, back-biting, evil-speaking,--a sin you can never be sufficiently watchful against, seeing it steals upon you in a thousand shapes. Would it not be far more profitable for your souls, instead of speaking against them, to pray for them ? to confirm your love towards those unhappy men, whom you believe to be fighting against God, by crying mightily to him in their behalf, that he may open their eyes and change their hearts? I have now only to commend you to the care of Him who hath all power in heaven and in earth; beseeching Him, that, in every circumstance of life, you may stand “firm as the beaten anvil to the stroke;” desiring nothing on earth; ac counting all things but dung and dross, that you may win Christ; and always remembering, “It is the part of a good champion, to be flayed alive, and to conquer!” October 10, 1745, Occasioned by a late Pamphlet, entitled, “A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE PRIN 1. I HAVE often wrote on controverted points before; but not with an eye to any particular person. So that this is the first time I have appeared in controversy, properly so called.