PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 13 (of 32)
Wesley, John, 1703-1791 · 87,066 words · 109 reading sections
Part 61
“Thou shepherd of Israel and mine, The joy and desire of my heart! For closer communion I pine; I long to reside where thou art. The pasture I languish to find, Where all who their shepherd obey, Are fed, on thy bosom reclin’d, Are screen’d from the heat of the day.” From this time she did _rejoice evermore_; and yet …
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I enquired, how the work of God began in her soul? She said, “_May_ was six years I came to live with Mrs. _Riggs_, where _Mary Feris_ lived; at which time I had no notion of real, heart religion. But her behaviour struck me, and not long after, I went with her on Sunday morning to the _New-Room_. From that time I saw …
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Yet she was exceedingly concerned for her mother, lest she should not freely give her up to God. Her mother was asked, Whether she could or no? She answered, “Since it is the will of God to take her, I do give her up freely.” And this reply gave her entire satisfaction. The day before she died, the thought of being fo…
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I find he visits me with his love in a particular manner, before any particular trial. A trial I met with this evening caused heaviness for a time: but I was comforted under the sermon. How numberless are thy thoughts of love to my soul! They are more than the sands on the sea shore. Saturday 21. I found my mind frequ…
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“O Jesus, how richly hast thou provided for me here? Thou givest me a large earnest of my inheritance. Thou dost give me to drink of that fountain of living water. O that it may be in me as _a well of water, springing up into everlasting life_! O thou fairest among ten thousand, what hast thou done for such a worm as m…
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*During her illness, she continued perfectly resigned to the will of God. The Thursday after sickening, she became blind, when one of the society coming in, and discerning the distemper ♦to be dangerous, sat down and wept. As soon as she perceived it, she said, “_Dolly!_ What are you doing? Are you weeping for me? Don’…
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On Monday the 23d, she called her father, and said, “I am going.” He asked _where_? She answered “to heaven: adding, I am glad I do not leave _you_, in your sins, but that you are brought into the right way. Only endure, and you will shortly follow me! Do not grieve for me; O resign me.” He cried, “I am a wretch, I can…
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4. For the joy he sets before thee Bear a momentary pain; Die, to live the life of glory, Suffer with thy Lord to reign. A short ACCOUNT of the DEATH of Mrs. HANNAH RICHARDSON. By Mr. CHARLES WESLEY. Bristol, _Saturday, April 19, 1741_. I WAS hastily called to one that was a dying. It was _Hannah Richardson_, a youn…
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For many days and months she walked on still in darkness, and had no light, but _against hope believed in hope_; staggering oftentimes, but not falling through unbelief. Still she bore up under her continual fears of being a castaway. She waited in a constant use of all the means of grace; never missed the communion, o…
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Soon after she had found redemption, I called, and saw her in full triumph of faith. O how unlike what she was at my last visit! _If any man is in Christ he is a new creature._ This is the work which despisers _will not believe, tho’ a man declare it unto them_. Her soul was passed from death unto life, an hidden, ever…
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After I went, she said, “This day shall I be with him in paradise. Within four and twenty hours I shall be with my Beloved.” *She continued all night in the labour of love, making powerful supplication for all men. About three on Sunday morning she said, “It is finished.” All suffering even for others ceased from that…
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In about a week, a poor woman whom I had formerly talked with, coming to ask charity, desired to know, if she might not come when we went to prayers? I told her, she might at seven in the evening. She did so, as did two or three more soon after. We then appointed them to come on Thursday nights. In a little time they w…
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*Our method of educating our children is this. As our design is to fit them for good servants, we endeavour as early as possible, to inure them to labour, early-rising and cleanliness. We have now eleven. Three of these, (two of whom are eleven years old, the other, between nine and ten) rise at four. One lights the nu…
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And we have already reason to believe, our labour has not been in vain. There are dawnings of grace in most of the children. Some of them God was pleased to bless in a particular manner, on the 7th of last June. In the evening, _Betty L――――_, about ten years old, was much concerned for one of the little ones, who had s…
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I have been always led, since I had any work of God upon my soul, to walk by faith in outward things as well as inward. Hence I have frequently, when an object of distress presented, gone beyond my income, believing God would make it up in the time of need. In this confidence, I received four or five more children, tho…
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I felt my soul instantly strengthened. And every word was so opened and applied, that to this day it seems new whenever I read it: particularly that promise, _Thou shall decree a thing, and it shall be established, and the light shall shine on thy ways_. Indeed the whole appeared more full and strong than I have words …
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An EXTRACT of LETTERS. By Mrs. L****. To the READER. THE person who published these letters about twelve years ago, observes, the writer of them, “never supposed they would be made public, but put down the sentiments of her heart, in the confidence of friendship. This may excuse the inaccuracies some may find: beside…
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* * * * *…
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To Mrs. ****. YOUR letter, my ever dear friend, has been a great blessing to me; that you should write in the style you now do, filled me with such a sense of mine own unworthiness, and of the goodness of God to me, that it melted my stony heart, and drew tears from mine eyes. Oh would the God I adore enable me to be …
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Thanks be to God, that you have a clear view of your own heart. This is a most profitable prospect, though a most dreadful one. Think me not cruel, when I wish that the holy Spirit may _deeply_ wound your soul with a sense of its corruptions. The deeper the conviction, the firmer the peace that follows. *I hardly know…
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_I am your ever sincere and affectionate_, &c. * * * * * *I THANK God, that you now see the danger of wandring imaginations in a clearer light; but I cannot guess what schemes a heart like yours (which I should hope was desirous of nothing but what immediately tended to increase in it the love…
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I THANK you for your letters, and rejoice at a great part of the account you give me. You have been very happy indeed; and it seems to me that God gave you this happiness as preparatory to the trials, which were to ensue. And if you should after this goodness of God towards you, grieve his holy Spirit, by suffering you…
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I AM glad, my dear friend, that your visit to **** has been of such benefit to you; and I pray God to continue it to your soul, and not to suffer these impressions to wear off. Temptations doubtless will attend every situation we are in; but the soul that rests secure in the love of God will easily conquer them. I wish…
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I HAVE been admiring the goodness of God to you, in ordering your being at _L****_ at a time, when it must, instead of being hurtful, be profitable to your soul. The attending the sick bed of a dear relation in danger of death, is a most glorious time for exercising a number of Christian graces. Such a scene as this ke…
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I PITY you, my dear friend; I saw yesterday that your head was full, and your heart not so warm towards God as it sometimes is. Oh when shall we be free from these distractions? Or rather when shall our love to our Redeemer be so intense, that our hearts may be constantly fixed on him, and we (as it were) walk through …
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Yes, my love, let those who stile themselves our best friends join with the world in calling us _mopes_ and _enthusiasts_. Still stedfastly fixed on the rock which cannot be moved, we will endure, nay joyfully take up the reproach for his sake, who hid not his blessed face from shame and spitting for our sakes, to make…
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I MOURN for you, and may you mourn too from your very inmost soul, till God himself gives you the true comfort. Oh thou dear backslider, what shall I say? How shall I find words strong enough to make a lasting impression on a heart so inconstant, so slothful, and careless? Oh that the Spirit of God would assist my weak…
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OF what service, my dear love, can any thing I say be of to you? I have tried all means in my power to keep your mind more steady but in vain. If God has at any time so blessed my letters, that they have made any impression on you it has gone off in two or three days: and when you have had those great benefits indeed o…
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I AM glad to write to you once more under the name of ****, and I hope God will give me strength to say all I wish at this important juncture. Important it is indeed to you; and the nearer the time approaches, the more I feel for you. Alas, you are now plunging into difficulties, which you can have no notion of until y…
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*MR. _V._ has desired me to meet Dr. **** at his house; but though I honour the character of that worthy man, yet I rather _fear_, than _desire_ to do this. I really now dread the being set up as something to be thought well of. I see such a depth of pride and self-love in my own heart, that I dread any thing, which ca…
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IF it should please God to make any thing I write of benefit to your soul, I should greatly rejoice, but without that my words will avail nothing. And really the account you give of yourself at present is so strange, that I know not how to speak to you, or whether harshness or love is most necessary. This I know, that …
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’Tis very certain that the judgments of God are now abroad in the earth, and that some of the signs of the last times plainly appear; this (whether the calculation in the letter be right or wrong) is obvious to every one, and calls aloud for seriousness and watchfulness. Happy are those who shall stand unmoved in the t…
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I AM much obliged to you for your kind concern on my account. My illness I believe is rather troublesome than dangerous, a disorder in my stomach, which has been attended with a slight fever. I was ill, when you and Mr. **** were to see me though I did not complain, and I looked upon it as a particular blessing: for ha…
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I should be very glad to see you when your affairs will permit, for I have not had one help from without since I saw you last; nor have I had _many_ of those joys and comforts from within which have sometimes been indulged me. And indeed my animal frame would have been too weak to have borne them, unless God had in a p…
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I enter upon the subject, on which you bid me write with fear and trembling. My abilities are really far from being equal to it: for although I know many Christians, who would immediately cry out, that it needed not one moment’s consideration, I dare not do so; for I now really _feel_ the weight of it upon my soul. *’T…
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WHATEVER the Spirit of God makes useful to my heart, either from scripture or from spiritual authors, I thankfully receive, and give him the glory: but I well know there is but one great touch-stone, by which all doctrines are to be tried; and therefore I hope your kind fears for me, lest I should not enough esteem the…
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YOUR very kind letter has pained me extremely, but I hope it has been made a means of humbling my soul before God. How little do I deserve that you should write to me in this manner? Alas you do not know me; I am less than the least of all the mercies of God; do not, I beseech you, think so highly of me; it really make…
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I RECEIVED your letter with much thankfulness, for I began to be very uneasy at not hearing from you in so long a time. And you have for these two days lain with such a weight on my spirit, that I know not how to account for it. I well know the manner in which the praise you bestowed was meant. But you know not how I d…
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A COLD has been the means of preventing me from spending the evening in the trifling manner which you, my dear friend, have been forced to do; though I cannot but hope that your mind, in the midst of all this noise and nonsense, has been enabled to keep itself in a state of recollection; and that you are still more ful…
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BLESSED _are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted! Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled._ These are the words of the God of truth: and can you then, my dear friend, be discouraged because you are now mourning after this God, who only hides himself from you, that y…
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I HAVE read Mr. _B._’s letter, and think it exceedingly pretty; the stile is easy and flowing, the language soft and affecting, the sentiments he expresses, in regard to his friend and yourself, very beautiful. But what is all this to the purpose? Or how can this convince you, that you ought to give up those means of g…
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_Your faithful_, **** * * * * * To Mr. ****. _My dear ****_, JOIN with me in praising the free grace and mercy of God, which has so wonderfully displayed it self in your soul! I don’t know whether your letter most astonished or delighted me; but this I am sure of, that I don’t know how enou…
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I RETURN my dearest **** thanks for his last letter; the satisfaction which it and the conversation we had together on Saturday gave me, is inexpressible. Oh may you, by the assisting grace of God, continue in the happy way you are now in, and still press forward to higher degrees of faith and love. But, my dear, you m…
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LAST night after you were gone, I read your letter, and thought of what you had told me with the greatest satisfaction. What reason have you to be thankful, that God should at so early a time of your life convince you of _sin_, and give you to _know_, that you have redemption through Christ! How might you have plunged …
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I am now with my poor aunt ****, who is in great affliction for the loss of poor Mrs. _C._ See my dear ****, *how little all that is esteemed in this world avails, when God is pleased to lay his hand upon us! Here was youth, beauty, riches, friends; but how, as in a moment, was the possessor of all these cut off! And b…
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I RETURN you many thanks for your letter. Just before I received it I was thinking of you, and to tell you the truth, with some fear, (occasioned by your long absence) either that you were grown cold to me, or, what was infinitely worse, were grown cold to the ways of God. But your letter dispelled all my fears, and I …
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I HAVE been thinking, since I saw you, of all the snares to which you are going to be exposed, and I sincerely pray that God may protect you in every danger, and hold up your goings in _his paths_. But in order to gain this gracious protection, you must take the greatest care that you do nothing to grieve his blessed S…
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YOUR character for candour and piety takes from me all fear that you should be offended at the address of a person unknown, _even_ though this address is designed to point out something amiss in you; which it is absolutely necessary (for the good of your own soul, and for the eternal welfare of those who hear you) that…
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I AM much obliged to you for your apostolical letter, and for the truly christian joy you express for my baby’s happiness. That I have felt all that the greatest sensibility of temper is capable of feeling on such an occasion, is certain: but here has been my great comfort, that, in every thing which concerned the chil…
750 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.