The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 02 (of 32)Wesley, John
Religion
The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 02 (of 32)
Wesley, John
Methodist Church; Theology -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- History -- 18th century
Now, to love God in the manner the scripture describes, in the manner
God himself requires of us, and by requiring engages to work in us, is
to love him as the one God: that is, _with all our heart and with all
our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength_: it is to
desire God alone for his own sake; and nothing else, but with reference
to him: to rejoice in God; to delight in the Lord; not only to seek but
find happiness in him: to enjoy God as the chiefest among ten thousand:
to rest in him, as our God and our all. In a word, to have such a
possession of God, as makes us always happy.
6. A third thing we are to understand by _serving_ God, is, To resemble
or imitate him.
So the antient Father, _Optimus Dei Cultus, imitari quem colis_. It is
the best worship or service of God, to imitate him you worship.
We here speak, of imitating or resembling him in the spirit of our
minds. For here the true Christian imitation of God begins. God is a
Spirit; and they that imitate or resemble him, must do it in spirit and
in truth.
Now God is love. Therefore they who resemble him in the spirit of their
minds, are transformed into the same image. They are merciful, even
as he is merciful. Their soul is all love. They are kind, benevolent,
compassionate, tender-hearted: and that not only to the good and gentle,
but also to the froward. Yea, they are, like him, loving unto every man,
and their mercy extends to all his works.
7. One thing more we are to understand by _serving_ God, and that is,
the obeying him; the glorifying him with our bodies, as well as with
our spirits: the keeping his outward commandments: the zealously doing
whatever he hath enjoined, the carefully avoiding whatever he hath
forbidden: the performing all the ordinary actions of life, with a
single eye and a pure heart; offering them all in holy, fervent love,
as sacrifices to God, through _Jesus Christ_.
8. Let us consider now, what we are to understand, on the other hand,
by _serving mammon_. And first, it implies, the _trusting_ in riches,
in money, or the things purchasable thereby, as our strength, the means
whereby we shall perform, whatever cause we have in hand: the trusting
in them as our help, by which we look to be comforted in, or delivered
out of trouble.
It implies, the trusting in the world for happiness; the supposing that
_a man’s life consisteth_ (the comfort of his life) _in the abundance
of things which he possesseth_: the looking for rest, in the things
that are seen; for content in outward plenty; the expecting that
satisfaction in the things of the world, which can never be found out
of God.
And if we do this, we cannot but make the world our end: the ultimate
end, if not of all at least of many of our undertakings, many of our
actions and designs: in which we shall aim only at an increase of
wealth, at the obtaining pleasure or praise; at the gaining a larger
measure of temporal things, without any reference to things eternal.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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