│ 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 IX. BRISTOL: Printed by WILLIAM PINE, in _Wine-Street_. MDCCLXXII. THE CONTENTS Of the NINTH VOLUME. The manners of the ancient Christians. Chapter I. _Of the life of Christ._ Chapter II. _Of the church at Jerusalem._ Chapter III. _The state of the Heathens before their conversion._ Chapter IV. _Of their prayer and study of the scripture._ Chapter V. _Of their fasts, meals, modesty, and seriousness._ Chapter VI. _Of their marriages, their union, and public assemblies._ Chapter VII. _Of their persecutions._ Chapter VIII. _Of their care of the poor sick, their hospitality, and patience._ The doctrine of Salvation, Faith, and Good Works; extracted from the homilies of the church of England. An Abridgment of the Pilgrim’s Progress. A Word of Advice to Saints and Sinners. Christian Letters by Joseph Alleine. A Word to a Sabbath-Breaker. A Word to a Swearer. A Word to a Drunkard. A Word to an unhappy Woman. A Word to a Smuggler. A Word to a condemn’d Malefactor. A Word in Season: Or Advice to an Englishman. A Word to a Protestant. A Word to a Freeholder. Advice to a Soldier. Illustration: (‡ decoration) The Manners of the ANCIENT CHRISTIANS. Extracted from a French Author. CHAPTER I. _Of the life of_ Christ. 1. AS the Christian religion is not an invention of men, but the work of God, it received its full perfection at the beginning of it. For who can imagine, the apostles were ignorant of any truth necessary or useful to salvation? Or that any thing has been since found out touching the conduct of life, more wise and excellent than what Jesus Christ taught them? It is among the first Christians therefore, that we must look for a pattern of the most perfect life, and by consequence of the most happy, which can be upon earth.