Wesley Collected Works Vol 8
| Author | John Wesley |
|---|---|
| Type | treatise |
| Year | None |
| Passage ID | jw-wesley-collected-works-vol-8-467 |
| Words | 393 |
261, 272,294.)”
Then I am greatly mistaken. But I will set down at length
the several instances you refer to:
“I was a little surprised, in going out of the room, at one
who catched hold of me, and said abruptly, ‘I must speak with
you, and will. I have sinned against light and against love.’
(N. B. She was soon after, if not at that very time, a common
prostitute.) “I have sinned beyond forgiveness. I have been
cursing you in my heart, and blaspheming God, ever since I
came here. I am damned: I know it: I feel it: I am in hell:
I have hell in my heart. I desired two or three who had con
fidence in God, to join in crying to him on her behalf. Imme
diately that horrible dread was taken away, and she began to
see some dawnings of hope.” (Ibid. p. 261.)
“The attention of all was soon fixed on poor L S•
One so violently and variously torn of the evil one did I never
see before. Sometimes she laughed till almost strangled; and
then broke out into cursing and blaspheming; then stamped,
and struggled with incredible strength, so that four or five could
scarce hold her; then cried out, “O eternity, eternity 1 o
that I had no soul! O that I had never been born 12 At
last she faintly called on Christ to help her; and the violence
of her pangs ceased.” (Ibid. p. 272.)
It should be remembered, that from that time to this, her
conversation has been as becometh the gospel. “Thursday, December 25, I met with such a case as I do not
remembereitherto have known or heardof before: L-S--,(the
same person) after many years' mourning, (long before she heard
of us,) was filled with peace and joy in believing. In the midst
of this, without any discernible cause, such a cloud suddenly
overwhelmed her, that she could not believe her sins were ever
forgiven at all, nor that there was any such thing as forgive
ness of sins. She could not believe that the Scriptures were
true; that there was any heaven, or hell, or angel, or spirit,
or any God. One more I have since found in the same state:
But observe, neither of these continued therein; nor did I
ever know one that did.