The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 05 (of 32)Wesley, John
Religion
The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 05 (of 32)
Wesley, John
Methodist Church; Theology -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- History -- 18th century
And yet, my child, so great is God, that all these bodies added
together, are but as a _grain_ of sand in his sight. And yet you are
as much the care of this great God, and Father of all _worlds_, and
all _spirits_, as if he had no son but you, or there were no creature
for him to love and protect but you alone. He numbers the _hairs_ of
your head, watches over you sleeping and waking, and has preserved you
from a thousand dangers, which neither you nor I know ♦any thing of.
♦ duplicate word ‘any’ removed
11. How poor my power is, and how little I am able to do for you, you
have often seen. Your late _sickness_ has shewn you how little I could
do for you in that state; and the frequent pains of your head, are
plain proofs, that I have no power to remove them.
I can bring you _food_ and _medicines_, but have no power to turn them
into your relief and nourishment; it is God alone that can do this for
you.
Therefore, my child, fear, and worship, and love God. Your eyes indeed
cannot yet see him, but every thing you see, are so many marks of his
power and presence, and he is nearer to you than any thing that you
can see.
Take him for your _Lord_, and _Father_, and _Friend_; look up unto
him as the fountain and cause of all the good that you have received
through my hands; and reverence me only as the _bearer_ and _minister_
of God’s good things unto you; and he that blessed my Father before I
was born, will bless you when I am dead.
Your youth and little mind is only yet acquainted with my family, and
therefore you think there is no happiness out of it.
But, my child, you belong to a greater family than mine; you are a
younger member of the family of this Almighty Father of all nations,
who has created infinite orders of angels, and numberless generations
of men, to be fellow-members of one and the same society in heaven.
12. You do well to reverence my authority, because God has given me
power over you, to bring you up in his fear, and to do for you, as the
holy fathers recorded in scripture did for their children, who are now
in rest and peace with God.
I shall in a short time die, and leave you to God and yourself; and
if God forgiveth my sins, I shall go to his Son Jesus Christ, and live
amongst patriarchs and prophets, saints and martyrs, where I shall
pray for you, and hope for your safe arrival at the same place.
Therefore, my child, meditate on these great things, and let your
thoughts often leave these _gardens_, these _fields_ and _farms_, to
contemplate God and heaven, to consider angels, and the spirits of
good men living in light and glory.
As you have been used to look to me in all your actions, and have been
afraid to do any thing, unless you first knew my will; so let it now
be your rule to look up to God in all your actions, to do every thing
in his fear, and to abstain from every thing that is not according to
his will.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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