may do all things in a manner acceptable to God.
LONDON AND THE WEST»
ay doctrines of the Methodists, which had been impugned by his predecessor, ought to be preached in every church.
He was a man who dared to write and to preach on death and the coming judgement.
In Abbey's English Church. and tts Bishops we find a letter from him addressed to Dr. Doddridge.
It is a refreshing document.
He says:
Whatever other points of difference there are between us, yet I trust we are united in a hearty zeal for spreading the knowledge of the gospel, and for reforming the lives and manners of the people according to it.
. I have seen the true spirit and the comfortable hopes of religion lost in the abundance of speculation, and the vain pretences of setting up natural religion in opposition to revelation; and there will be little hopes of a reformation till we are humble enough to know
Christ and Him crucified.?
We do not know anything about Dr. Sherlock's reply to the complaints of the churchwardens of St. Bartholomew's ; but his letter shows that he would not be eager to silence men who, by their preaching of Christ and Him crucified, were successfully 'spreading the knowledge of the gospel, and reforming the lives and manners of the people.'
We have anticipated the course of events in the case of St. Bartholomew's, and must now resume our description of the experiences of John Wesley in 1747.
He returned to London on May 21, and stayed there nearly a month.
He was very busy during that time.
Confining our attention to his principal occupations, we note, first, that he made a significant change in the management of the Society in London.
He reduced the number of the stewards, we presume at the Foundery, from sixteen to seven, and drew up ' instructions' for them.
Those who watch the development of the constitutional arrangements of the Methodist Church will examine these instructions with care.
1. You are to be men full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, that you may do all things in a manner acceptable to God. z. You are to be present every Tuesday and Thursday morning, in order to transact the temporal affairs of the Society.
3. You are to begin and end every meeting with earnest prayer unto God for a blessing on all your undertakings.
4. You are to produce your accounts the first Tuesday in every month, that they may be transcribed into the ledger.
'Abbey's English Church and its Bishops, ii. 52.