us grow in grace. Even the great truth, that "Christ is the end of the law,"'
1 Corinthians 13. You can go no higher than this until you are carried into Abraham's bosom.
Abraham's bosom: See Luke 16:19-31.
I say one more time, beware of enthusiasm. It is the imagining that you have the gift of prophesying, or of discerning of spirits, which I do not believe that even one of you has or has ever had yet. Beware of judging people to be either right or wrong according to your own feelings.
This is not a scriptural way of judging. Keep close to "the law and to the testimony!"' antinomianism: the belief that those saved by grace are thus freed from any scriptural, civil, or moral laws and that salvation is attained solely through faith and the gift of divine grace . 34. What is the third advice you would give those who moral law, law of love: The moral law is the Law given by God through Moses. Its purpose is threehave fallen from grace?
. Beware of antinomianism, or "canceling out any part of the law through faith."* Enthusiasm naturally leads to fold: this. Indeed they can hardly be separated. This may creep up on you in a thousand ways. Therefore, you cannot be too alert against it. Be on your guard against everything, whether in principle or practice, that resembles it at all.
Even the great truth, that "Christ is the end of the law,"' may betray us into antinomianism if we do not consider
1. to convict of sin 2. to lead us to Christ 3. to keep us with Christ and help us grow in grace.
The law of love is described in that he has adopted every point of the moral law and grafted it into the law of love.
1 Corinthians 13 and summarized in the Great Commandment to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself. The two are, Beware of thinking, "Because I am filled with love, I don't need to have so much holiness. Because I pray always, I don't need a set time for private prayer. Because
I am always mindful of my behavior, I don't need personal self-examination." Let us "magnify the law," the whole written word, "and make it honorable."'® Let this be our proclamation: "I prize your commandments above gold or precious stones. O what love I have for your law!
I study in it all day long." for Wesley, interrelated and interdependent. cockatrice: a fabled reptile hatched by a serpent from a cock's egg and having the power to kill by Beware of antinomian books. They contain many excellent things, and this makes them all the more dangerits glance or breath. In Scripture, cockatrice refers to any venomous ous. O be warned in time! Do not play with fire. Do not put your hand on the hole of a cockatrice's den. creature.
I beg you, beware of bigotry. Do not confine your love or generosity only to Methodists, much less to that very small part of them who seem to be renewed in love, or to those who believe yours and their testimony. Do not make shibboleth: a slogan or password that sets you apart from others, making them outsiders. From Judges 12:6:
"They said to him, "Then say Shibbothis your shibboleth! Beware of stillness. It is wrong to refrain from the means of grace for false reasons. Here is one example out of many: One may say, "You have received a great blessing. But you began to talk about it and to do this and that good work. Consequently, you leth,' and he said, 'Sibboleth,' for he could not pronounce it right. Then they seized him and killed him." lost it. You should have been still."
Beware of self-indulgence. Some even make a virtue of it, laughing at self-denial and taking up the cross daily, at fasting or abstinence.
Beware of intolerance. Abstain from thinking or calling people blind, dead, fallen, or "enemies to the work" who in any way oppose you, whether in belief or practice.
Once more, beware of solifidianism. Refrain from crying nothing but, "Believe, believe!" and condemning those who speak in a more scriptural way as being ignorant or
believing in salvation by works. At certain times, indeed, stillness: also known as quietism; the belief that the means of grace should not be practiced until one receives the assurance of faith. it may be all right to deal with nothing but repentance or faith, or only holiness. But in general our call is to declare the whole word of God, and to teach and preach according to the analogy of faith.
Stillness was encouraged by the Moravians who came to dominate the Fetter Lane Society in London.
Philip Molther convinced many in The written Word (Scripture) takes into account the whole of righteousness, down to the smallest detail. It does this to such an extent as to be serious, considerate, careful, patient, and giving honor to all people. So, likewise, the Holy Spirit works the same in our hearts, not merely creating the desire for holiness in general, but strongly inclining us to every particular grace, leading us the society that they lacked true faith and encouraged them to remain "still" before the Lord. He believed that Christ was the only means of grace, and that until people had true faith they should to every individual part of "whatever is lovely."!! This is of the greatest importance because "by works faith is made perfect." Therefore, completing or destroying the work of faith, and enjoying the favor or suffering the displeasure of God, greatly depend on every single act of obedience or disobedience. refrain from other means, especially the Lord's Supper. solifidianism: the belief that salvation is by faith alone to the exclusion of good works . 35. What is the fourth advice you would give those who have fallen from grace?
. Beware of sins of omission. Do not neglect any opportunity for doing good of any kind. Be eager for good works.
Do not intentionally omit any work of piety or mercy. Do analogy of faith: understanding God's Word as a whole rather than through individual or obscure passages all the good you possibly can to the bodies and souls of human beings. Particularly, "Warn your neighbor about sin so that you can help your neighbor overcome sin, and you yourself will not incur sin by omission." Be active.
Give no place to habitual idleness. Do not say, "You are Wesley on faith:
"But what is that faith by which we lazy, lazy."'* Many will continue to say so, but let your whole spirit and behavior disprove their lie. Always be busy doing something productive. Lose no shred of time.
"Gather up the fragments so that nothing is lost."'* And whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might. are sanctified, saved from sin, and perfected in love?'
1. Faith is a divine evidence and conviction that God has promised perfection in love in the Holy Scripture. .
Be "slow to speak" and cautious in speaking. "When words are many, transgression is not lacking."'* Do not 2. Faith is a divine evidence and conviction that what God has promised he is able todo... talk too much or for a long time. Few people can converse profitably for more than an hour. Keep a great distance from pious chitchat and religious gossiping.
3. Faith is a divine evidence and conviction that God is able and willing to do it now...
. 36. What is the fifth advice you would give those who To this confidence, that God is both able and willing to sanctify us now, one more thing needs to be added: a divine evidence and convichave fallen from grace?
. Beware of desiring anything but God. Now you desire nothing else; every other desire is driven out. See that none enter again. "Keep yourself pure";'" let your eye remain tion that he does it." healthy, and "your whole body will be full of light."'*
Allow no desire of pleasing food or any other pleasure of From Sermon 43, "The @@ Scripture Way of Salvation," in The Works of John Wesley. sense. Allow no desire of pleasing the eye or the imagination by anything grand, or new, or beautiful. Allow no desire of money, praise, or esteem. Do not desire happiness in any creature. You may feel some of these desires when you try to come back into grace from your fall, but there is no reason to. You need feel them no more. Stand firm in the liberty with which Christ has made you free.
Be patterns to all of denying yourselves and taking up your cross daily.'' Let them see that you disregard any pleasure that does not bring you nearer to God, and any pain that does, and that you simply aim at pleasing God, whether by doing or suffering. Let them see that the conJesu, the word of mercy give,
And let it swiftly run; And let the priests themselves believe, And put salvation on. stant language of your heart, with regard to pleasure or Clothed with the spirit of holiness, pain, honor or dishonor, riches or poverty, is,
May all thy people prove The plenitude of gospel grace, S The joy of perfect love.
All's alike to me, so I In my Lord may live and die!
Ss Collection, #434, stanzas 1-2 . 37. What is the sixth advice you would give those who have fallen from grace?
. Beware of schism or causing separation within the church of Christ. Such internal division begins when sisters and brothers in Christ, the members of his body, no longer have love "for one another" (1 Corinthians 12:25, NRSV).
This is the beginning of all conflict that ultimately leads to every outward separation. Beware of everything that consociety, class, band: the organizing structures of the Methodist movement. tributes to such discord.
Beware of a dividing spirit. Avoid whatever resembles it in any way. Therefore, do not say, "I belong to Paul," or,
"T belong to Apollos" (1 Corinthians 3:4, NRSV). That is what caused the divisions Paul faced at Corinth. Do not The society was the large group, comparable to today's local church. say, "This is my preacher, the best preacher in England.
Give me him and take all the rest." All this tends to encourage division and disunite those whom God has brought together. Do not despise or put down any preacher. Do not exalt any one above the rest. This will only hurt both the preacher and the cause of God. On the other hand, be forgiving and patient with those preachers who may not always express themselves clearly or who make the occasional mistake in judgment.
It served as a place where Christians could strengthen one another's faith, be accountable to one another, and be mutually responsible for one another.
When the several societies became too large and geographically spread out to carry out the above purposes, they were divided into smaller groups known as classes. Every Methodist was expected to attend Likewise, if you would avoid schism, observe every rule of the society and the bands for conscience' sake.
Never skip meeting your class or band. Never absent yourself from any public meeting. These are the very fabhis or her class meeting every week.
The purpose of the class meeting was support and accountability for Christian faith and life. ric of our society. Whatever weakens, or tends to weaken, our regard for these or our diligence in attending them strikes at the very heart of our community. As one said,
"That part of our community, the private weekly meetings for prayer, examination, and instruction, has been
The band was a still smaller group, segregated by gender and marital the greatest means of deepening and confirming every blessing that was received by the word preached and of spreading it to others who could not attend the public ministry. Without this religious connection and fellowstatus. There the nature of accountability was deeper and more intimate. While everyone was required to meet with a class, ship, the most ardent attempts by mere preaching have proved of no lasting use." the band was an option for those who sought a deeper Do not tolerate any thought of separating from your brothers and sisters, whether their opinions agree with yours or not. Do not dream that anyone sins because he discipleship. or she doesn't believe you or take your word, or that this or that opinion is essential to the work, and both must stand or fall together.
Beware of being impatient with those who contradict you. Do not condemn or think harshly of those who cannot see just as you see or who believe that they must contradict you, whether in a large matter or a small one.
I fear that some of us have thought harshly of others As giants may they run their race, Exulting in their might, As burning luminaries chase The gloom of hellish night. merely because they contradicted what we affirmed. Such
As the great Sun of Righteousness thoughts lead to division; and by doing things of this kind,
Their healing wings display, a we are teaching them an evil lesson against ourselves.
And let their lustre still increase Do not be thin-skinned, irritable, or combative. Refrain
Unto the perfect day. from arguing with those who do not implicitly accept my teachings or the teachings of other Methodist leaders.
Collection, #434, stanzas 5 :
Expect contradiction and opposition, together with crosses of various kinds. Consider the words of Saint
Paul: "For he [God] has graciously granted you the privilege," for Christ's sake, as a fruit of his death and intercession for you, "not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well" (Philippians 1:29, NRSV). It is given! God gives you this opposition or criticism. It is a fresh token of God's love. Will you disown the Giver or reject the gift and consider it a misfortune? Will you not rather say, "Father, the hour is come that you should be glorified. Now you give your child to suffer something for you. Do with me according to your will" ?"°
You need to know that these things, far from being blockages to the work of God or to your soul, unless by your own fault, are not only unavoidable in the course of God's divine care and guardianship but useful and necessary for you. Therefore, receive them from God (not from chance) with willingness and thankfulness. Receive them from others with humility, meekness, gentleness, and sweetness. Why shouldn't even your outward appearance and manner be pleasant?
Beware of tempting others to separate from you. Commit no offense that can possibly be avoided. Make sure that you practice what you preach, glorifying the doctrine of God our Savior. Be particularly careful in speaking of yourself. Do not deny the work of God; but when you are called upon, speak of it in the most inoffensive manner possible. Avoid all magnificent, pompous words. Indeed, you need not give the work of God in your life any general name, such as perfection, sanctification, the second blessing, nor the attainment of it. Rather speak of your own experience of what God has done for you. You may say, "At such a time I felt a change that I am not able to express, and since that time I have not felt pride, or selfwill, or anger, or unbelief, or anything but a fullness of love for God and for all humankind." Answer any other plain question that is asked with modesty and simplicity.
If any of you should at any time fall from perfection in love, if you should again feel pride or unbelief or any habitual sin from which you are now delivered, at the peril of your soul do not deny, hide, or disguise it at all.
In such a time, go to one in whom you can confide and speak exactly what you feel. God will enable him or her oo