Wesley Corpus

Very good: Remember, then, an honest man’s word is as good as his bond. You are preparing a receipt, or writing, for a sum of money, which you are going to pay or lend to this honest man. Writ fing ! What need of that? You do not fear he should die soon. You did not once think of it. But you do not care to trust him without it; that is, you are not sure but he is a mere knave. What, your landlord, who is a Justice of Peace; it may be, a Judge; nay, a Member of Parliament; possibly 234 Ith E DOCTRINE OF a Peer of the realm ! And cannot you trust this Honourable, if not Right Honourable, man, without a paltry receipt? I do not ask whether he is a whoremonger, an adulterer, a blasphemer, a proud, a passionate, a revengeful man: This, it may be, his nearest friends will allow; but do you suspect his honesty too? 13. Such is the state of the Protestant Christians in Eng land. Such their virtue, from the least to the greatest; if you take an impartial survey of your parents, children, ser vants, labourers, neighbours; of tradesmen, Gentry, Nobility. What then can we expect from Papists? what from Jews, Mahometans, Heathens? And it may be remarked, that this is the plain, glaring, appa rent condition of human kind. It strikes the eye of the most careless, inaccurateobserver, who does not trouble himself with any more than their outside. Now, it is certain the generality of men do not wear their worst side outward. Rather, they study to appear better than they are, and to conceal what they can of their faults. What a figure, then, would they make, were we able to touch them with Ithuriel’s spear! What a pros pect would there be, could we anticipate the transactions of the great day ! could we “bring to light the hidden things of dark ness, and make manifest the thoughts and intents of the heart!” This is the plain, naked fact, without any extenuation on the one hand, or exaggeration on the other. The present state of the moral world is as conspicuous as that of the natural. Ovid said no more concerning both, near two thou sand years since, than is evidently true at this day.