Title: The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 05 (of 32)
Author: John Wesley
Release date: August 13, 2022 [eBook #68742]
Language: English
Original publication: United Kingdom: William Pine, 1771
Credits: Richard Hulse and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Transcriber’s Notes
The cover image was provided by the transcriber and is placed in the public domain.
Punctuation has been standardized.
The author has used an asterisk (*) to indicate passages he considers most worthy of attention.
The text may show quotations within quotations, all set off by similar quote marks. The inner quotations have been changed to alternate quote marks for improved readability.
This book was written in a period when many words had not become standardized in their spelling. Words may have multiple spelling variations or inconsistent hyphenation in the text. These have been left unchanged unless indicated with a Transcriber’s Note.
The symbol ‘‡’ indicates the description in parenthesis has been added to an illustration. This may be needed if there is no caption or if the caption does not describe the image adequately.
Footnotes are identified in the text with a superscript number and are shown immediately below the paragraph in which they appear.
Transcriber’s Notes are used when making corrections to the text or to provide additional information for the modern reader. These notes are identified by ♦♠♥♣ symbols in the text and are shown immediately below the paragraph in which they appear.
THE
WORKS
OF THE
Rev. JOHN WESLEY, M.A.
Late Fellow of Lincoln-College, Oxford.
Volume V.
BRISTOL:
Printed by WILLIAM PINE, in Wine-Street.
MDCCLXXI.
An extract from Mr. Law’s treatise on Christian Perfection.
Christians are called to a constant state of prayer and devotion.
All Christians are required to imitate the life and example of Jesus Christ.
An exhortation to Christian Perfection.
An extract from Mr. Law’s serious Call to a Holy Life.
Concerning the nature and extent of Christian devotion.
An enquiry into the reason why the generality of Christians fall so short of the holiness and devotion of Christianity.
Of the great danger and folly of not intending to be as eminent as we can, in the practice of all Christian virtues.
We can please God in no state or employment, but by intending and devoting it all to his glory.
Persons that are free from the necessity of labour and employments, are to consider themselves as devoted to God in a higher degree.
How the imprudent use of an estate corrupts all the tempers, and fills the heart with poor and ridiculous passions; represented in the character of Flavia.
How the wise and pious use of an estate carrieth us to all the virtues of the Christian life; represented in the character of Miranda.
Shewing all orders of men and women, of all ages, are obliged to devote themselves to God.
Shewing that great devotion fills our lives with the greatest peace and happiness that can be enjoyed in this world.
The happiness of a life wholly devoted unto God, farther proved, from the vanity, and ridiculous, poor enjoyments which they are forced to take up with, who live according to their own humours. This represented in various characters.
That not only a life of vanity, or sensuality, but even the most regular kind of life, that is not governed by great devotion, sufficiently shews its miseries, its wants and emptiness to the eyes of all the world. This represented in various characters.
Concerning that part of devotion which relates to times and hours of prayer. Of daily early prayer in the morning. How we may improve our forms of prayer, and increase the spirit of devotion.
Recommending devotion at nine o’clock in the morning, called, in scripture, the third hour of the day. The subject of these prayers may be humility.
Shewing how the education which men generally receive, makes the doctrines of humility difficult to be practised. The spirit of a better education represented in the character of Paternus.
Shewing how the method of educating daughters, makes it difficult for them to enter into the spirit of Christian humility. How miserably they are injured and abused by such an education. The spirit of a better education, represented in the ♦character of Eusebia.
♦ ‘charact’ replaced with ‘character’
Recommending devotion at twelve o’clock, called, in scripture, the sixth hour of the day, this frequency of devotion, equally desirable by all orders of people. Universal love is recommended to be the subject of prayer at this hour. Of intercession, as an act of universal love.
Of the necessity and benefit of intercession, considered as an exercise of universal love. How all orders of men are to interceed with God for one another: how such intercession amends and reforms the heart.