The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 12 (of 32)Wesley, John
Religion
The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 12 (of 32)
Wesley, John
Methodist Church; Theology -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- History -- 18th century
There were sundry persons of the Indians newly come here, who had
frequently lived among the Quakers; and being more civilized than the
generality of the Indians, they had imbibed some of the Quakers errors,
especially this, that if men would but live according to the dictates
of their own consciences, (or the _light within_,) there is no doubt of
their salvation.――――These persons I found much worse to deal with than
those who are wholly under Pagan darkness, who make no _pretences_ to
knowledge in Christianity, nor have any _self-righteous_ foundation
to stand upon. However, they all, except one, appeared now convinced,
that this was not sufficient to salvation; since Christ himself had
declared it so in the case of the young man. And seemed in some measure
concerned to obtain that change of heart which I had been labouring to
shew them the necessity of.
This was likewise a season of _comfort_ to some souls, and in
particular to one who never before obtained any settled comfort.
When I came to enquire of her, how she got relief from the distresses
she had lately been under, she answered in broken English,¹ “Me try,
me try, save myself, last my strength be all gone, (meaning her ability
to save herself,) could not me stir bit further. Den last me forced let
Jesus Christ alone, send me hell if he please.” I said, But you was not
willing to go to hell, was you? She replied,² “Could not me help it. My
heart he would wicked for all. Could not me make him good:” I asked her,
How she got out of this case? She answered still in the same broken
language,³ “By by my heart be grad desperately.” I asked her why her
heart was glad? She replied, “Grad my heart Jesus Christ do what he
please with me. Den me tink, grad my heart Jesus Christ send me hell.
Did not me care where he put me, me love him for all.”
¹ In proper English thus, “I tried and tried to save myself,
till at last my strength was all gone, and I could not stir
any further. Then at last I was forced to let Jesus Christ
alone to send me to hell if he pleased.”
² In plain English thus, “I could not help it. My heart would
be wicked for all I could do, I could not make it good.”
³ “By and by my heart was exceeding glad that Jesus Christ
would do with me what he pleased. Then I thought my heart
would be glad although Christ should send me to hell. I did
not care where he put me, I should love him for all: _i. e._
do what he would with me.”
*And she could not readily be convinced, but that she was willing to
go to hell, if Christ was pleased to send her there. Though the truth
evidently was, her will was so swallowed up in the divine will, that
she could not frame any hell in her imagination that would be dreadful,
provided it was the will of God to send her to it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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