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
I have laboured to gain some acquaintance with this affair, and have
for that end consulted the man mentioned in my journal of May 9, who,
since his conversion to Christianity, has endeavoured to give me the
best intelligence he could of this matter. But it seems to be such a
_mystery of iniquity_, that I cannot well understand it; and, so far as
I can learn, he himself has not any clear notions of the thing, now his
spirit of divination is gone from him. However the manner in which he
says he obtained this spirit was, *he was admitted into the presence
of a great man, who informed him, that he loved, pitied, and desired
to do him good. It was not in this world that he saw the great man, but
in a world above at a vast distance from this. The great man, he says,
was cloathed with the day; yea, with the brightest day he ever saw; a
day of many years, yea, of everlasting ♦continuance! This whole world,
he says, was drawn upon him, so that in him, the earth, and all things
in it, might be seen. I asked him, if rocks, mountains, and seas was
drawn upon, or appeared in him? He replied, that every thing that was
beautiful and lovely in the earth was upon him, and might be seen by
looking on him, as well as if one was on the earth to take a view of
them there. By the side of the great man, he says, stood his shadow
or spirit. This shadow, he says, was as lovely as the man himself,
and filled all places, and was most agreeable as well as wonderful to
him.――Here he says, he tarried some time, and was unspeakably delighted
with a view of the great man, of his shadow or spirit, and of all
things in him. And what is most of all astonishing, he imagines all
this to have passed before he was born. He never had been, he says, in
this world at that time. And what confirms him in the belief of this,
is, that the great man told him, that he must come down to earth, be
born of _such_ a woman, meet with _such_ and _such_ things, and in
particular, that he should once in his life be guilty of _murder_. At
this he was displeased, and told the great man, he would never murder.
But the great man replied, “I have said it, and it shall be so.” Which
has accordingly happened. At this time, he says, the great man asked
him what he would chuse in life. He replied, first to be a _hunter_,
and afterwards to be a _powwow_ or _diviner_. Whereupon the great man
told him, he should have what he desired, and that his _shadow_ should
go along with him down to earth, and be with him for ever. There was,
he says, all this time no words spoken between them. The conference
was not carried on by any _human_ language, but they had a kind of
mental intelligence of each other’s thoughts. After this, he says, he
saw the great man no more; but supposes he came down to earth to be
born, but the spirit or shadow of the great man still attended him, and
ever after continued to appear to him in dreams and other ways, until
he felt the power of God’s word upon his heart; since which it has
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