In a LETTER to the
Reverend Mr. PERRONET
Vicar of Shoreham , in KENT.
[Written in the YEAR 1748.]
Rev. and dear* Sir,
1. SOME time since you desired an account of the whole œconomy of the people commonly called Methodists. And you received a true, (as far as it went) but not a full account. To supply what I think was wanting in that, I send you this account: that you may know not only their practice , on every head, but likewise the reasons whereon it is grounded, the occasion of every step they have taken, and the advantages reaped thereby.
2. But I must premise, That as they had not the least expectation at first, of any thing like what has since followed, so they had no previous design or plan at all, but every thing arose just as the occasion offered. They saw or felt some impending or pressing evil, or some good end necessary to be pursued. And many times they fell unawares on the very thing, which secured the good, or removed the evil. At other times they consulted on the most probable means, following only common sense and scripture : Tho’ they generally found, in looking back, some thing in Christian antiquity likewise, very nearly parallel thereto.
I. 1. About ten years ago, my brother and I where desired to preach, in many parts of London . We had no view therein, but so far as we were able (and we knew God could work by whomsoever it pleased him) to convince those who would hear, what true Christianity was, and to persuade them to embrace it.
2. The points we chiefly insisted upon were four: First, That orthodoxy or right opinions is, at best, but a very slender part of religion, if it can be allowed to be any part of it at all: that neither does religion consist in negatives , in bare harmlessness of any kind; nor merely in externals , or doing good, or using the means of grace, in works of piety (so called) or of charity: that it is nothing short of, or different from The mind that was in Christ, The image of God stampt upon the heart, Inward righteousness attended with the peace of God, and, Joy in the Holy Ghost . Secondly, That the only way under heaven to this religion, is to repent and believe the gospel , or (as the apostle words it) Repentance towards God, and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. Thirdly, That by this faith, He that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly , is justified freely by his grace, through the redemption which is in Jesus Christ. And lastly, That being justified by faith , we taste of the heaven to which we are going: we are holy and happy: we tread down sin and fear, and sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus.
3. Many of those who heard this, began to cry out, that we brought strange things to their ears : that this was doctrine which they never heard before, or, at least, never regarded. They searched the scriptures, whether these things were so , and acknowledged the truth as it is in Jesus. Their hearts also were influenced as well as their understandings, and they determined to follow Jesus Christ, and him crucified .
4. Immediately they were surrounded with difficulties: all the world rose up against them: neighbours, strangers, acquaintance, relations, friends, began to cry out amain; “ Be not righteous overmuch: why shouldst thou destroy thyself? Let not much religion make thee mad .”
5. One and another and another came to us, asking, What they should do? Being distressed on every side, as every one strove to weaken, and none to strengthen their hands in God. We advised them, “Strengthen you one another. Talk together as often as you can. And pray earnestly, with and for one another, that you may endure to the end, and be saved .” Against this advice we presumed there could be no objection; as being grounded on the plainest reason, and on so many scriptures, both of the old Testament and new, that it would be tedious to recite them.
6. They said, “But we want you likewise to talk with us often, to direct and quicken us in our way, to give us the advices which you well know we need, and to pray with us, as well as for us.” I asked, Which of you desire this? Let me know your names and places of abode. They did so. But I soon found, they were too many for me to talk with severally so often as they wanted it. So I told them, “If you will all of you come together, every Thursday , in the evening, I will gladly spend some time with you in prayer, and give you the best advice I can.”