The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 15 (of 32)Wesley, John
History
The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 15 (of 32)
Wesley, John
Methodist Church; Theology -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- History -- 18th century
_A._ Several. 1. Take a regular catalogue of your societies, as they
live, in house-row. 2. Leave your successor a particular account of the
state of the circuit. 3. See that every band-leader have the rules of
them. 4. Vigorously, but calmly, inforce the rules concerning ruffles,
drams, snuff, and tobacco. When any person is admitted into the society,
even good breeding requires him to conform to the rules of that society.
The same you should inforce in _Scotland_ as _England_. The _Scots_
will hear reason as well as the _English_. 5. As soon as there are four
men or women believers in any place, put them into a band. 6. Every
where insist on decency and cleanliness. Tell them cleanliness is next
to godliness. 7. Suffer no love feast to last above an hour and half;
let not one duty interfere with another, and stop all breaking the cake
with one another. That silly custom was introduced by _James Wheatley_,
and creates much confusion. And, 9. inform all the people from time to
time, that none should remove from one society to another, without a
sufficient reason; and that those who desire to remove are to acquaint
you with their reasons, and to have a certificate in these words (else
they will not be received in other societies.) “_A. B._ the bearer, is
a member of our society in _M――――_, I believe he has a sufficient cause
for removing.” 10. In every place, exhort those who were brought up in
the church to continue therein. And in visiting the classes, ask every
one, “Do you go to church as often as ever you did?” Set the example
yourself: and immediately alter every plan that interferes therewith:
so that every preacher may attend the church, at least two Sundays out
of four.
Is there not a cause? Are we not unawares by little and little sliding
into a separation from the church? O remove every tendency thereto
with all diligence. 1. Let all our preachers go to church. 2. Let
all the people go constantly; and, 3. Receive the sacrament at every
opportunity. 4. Warn all against niceness in hearing, a great and
prevailing evil. 5. Warn them also against despising the prayers of the
church. 6. Against calling our society _a church_ or _the church_. 7.
Against calling our preachers _ministers_, our houses _meeting houses_,
(call them plain _preaching houses_.) 8. Do not license them as such:
the proper form of a petition to the judge or justice is, “_A. B._
desires to have his house in _C――――_, licensed for public worship.”
9. Do not license yourself till you are constrained, and then not as a
_Dissenter_, but a _Methodist_ preacher. It is time enough when you are
prosecuted, to take the oaths. And by so doing you are licensed.
_Q._ 42. But are we not _Dissenters_?
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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