"My powerful groans thou canst not bear, My prayer omnipotent." You remind me of what occurred when my dear H. R. first mentioned you to me. I almost wondered I should feel so much regard for one I had never seen! But I can taste your spirit, and rejoice to find that you are so near, my dear Miss Loxdale, to Your's, in tender affection, JOHN WESLEY. LETTER III. MY DEAR MISS LOXDALE, Sheffield, August 15, 1781. YOUR letter gave much satisfaction. Whereunto you have attained, hold fast: and "press on toward the mark, the prize of your high calling of God in Christ Jesus." I do not see any reason to doubt, but that you have tasted of the pure love of God. But you seem to be only a babe in that state, and have, therefore, need to go forward continually. It is by doing and suffering the whole will of our Lord, that we grow up in Him that is our Head; and if you diligently hearken to his voice, he will shew you the way wherein you should go. But you have need to be exceeding faithful to the light he gives "While you have the light, walk in the light," and it will continually increase. Do not regard the judgment of the world, even of those called, "The Religious world." You are not to conform to the judgment of others, but to follow your own light; that which the blessed Spirit gives you from time to time, which is truth and is no lie. That he may guide you and your sister into all truth and all holiness, is the prayer of, my dear Miss Loxdale, you. Your's, most affectionately, JOHN WESLEY. LETTER IV. Chester, Dec. 15, 1781. I snatch a few moments to write to my dear Miss Loxdale, although I have not time to write as I would. The trials you have lately undergone, were all instances of the goodness of God, who permitted them merely for your profit, that you might be the more largely partaker of his holiness. You know our blessed Lord himself, as man, learned obedience by the things that he suffered. And the last lesson which he learned upon earth, was that, "Father, not as I will but as thou wilt." Never imagine, my dear friend, that your letters to me, can be too frequent or too long; I may add, or too free. Nothing endears you to me so much as your artless simplicity. I beg you would always write, just what you feel, without disguise, without reserve, to your's, affectionately, JOHN WESLEY. LETTER V. MY DEAR MISS LOXDALE, Bristol, March 9, 1782. GOLD is tried in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of adversity. You say, "I know not whither I am going." I will tell you whither. You are going the straight way to be swallowed up in God.-"I know not what I am doing." You are suffering the will of God, and glorifying him in the fire. "But I am not increasing in the divine life." That is your mistake. Perhaps you are now increasing therein faster than ever you did since you were justified. It is true, that the usual method of our Lord, is to purify us by joy in the Holy Ghost, and a full consciousness of his love. But I have known several exempt cases, and I am clearly satisfied yours is one, and "Far, far beyond thy thought, His counsel shall appear; When fully he the work hath wrought If it be possible, meet me at Madeley on Saturday, then you may talk more largely with, my dear Miss Loxdale, Your's, most affectionately, J. WESLEY. LETTER VI. MY DEAR MISS LOXDALE, Liverpool, April 12, 1782. I ADVISED formerly my dear Jenny Cooper, and so I advise you, frequently to read and meditate upon the thirteenth chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians. There is the true picture of Christian Perfection! Let us copy after it with all our might. I believe it might likewise be of use to you to read more than once the "Plain Account of Christian Perfection." Indeed, what is it more or less than humble, gentle, patient love! It is undoubtedly our privilege to rejoice evermore, with a calm, still, heartfelt joy. Nevertheless, this is seldom long at one stay. Many circumstances may cause it to ebb and flow. This, therefore, is not the essence of religion; which is no other than humble, gentle, patient love. I do not know whether all these are not included in that one word, Resignation. For the highest lesson our Lord (as man) learned on earth was to say, "Not as I will, but as thou wilt."-May he confirm you more and more. Your's most affectionately, JOHN WESLEY. LETTER VII. Birmingham, July 12, 1782. MY DEAR MISS LOXDALE, IT raised some wonder in me that I had not a line from you in so long a time. I began to be almost afraid that your love was growing cold. And it would not be at all strange if it did: it is more strange if it does not: especially while you have an affair in hand that naturally tends to engross the whole thought. Whoever follows the few plain directions which are given in the Sermon on Enthusiasm, will easily and distinctly see what is the will of God concerning any point in question; that is, provided his eye be single, provided he has one design and one desire. But it is a just observation, "As a very little dust will disorder the motion of a clock; and as a very little sand will hinder the sight of the eye, so a very little desire, or selfish design, will greatly obstruct the eye of the soul." By experience, the strongest of all arguments, you have been once and again convinced, that salvation from inbred sin is received by simple, faith, although it is certain there is a gradual work both preceding and following. Is it not then your wisdom not willingly to converse with any that oppose this great and important truth? If you play with fire, will you not be burnt sooner or later? Nay, have you not been burnt already? I remain, my dear Nancy, your's, most affectionately, JOHN WESLEY, LETTER VIII. MY DEAR MISS LOXDALE, London, Oct. 8, 1785. NOT once, but many times I have been making all the inquiries I could concerning you. The rather, as I was afraid you might suffer loss by the severe trials you had met with. I should not have wondered if you had; I rather wonder how you have escaped. But indeed, as long as you can say from your heart, "Lord, not as I will, but as thou wilt," no weapon formed against you shall prosper. You unquestionably did enjoy a measure of his pure and perfect love. And as you received it at first by naked faith, just so you may receive it again, and who knows how soon? May you not say, "If thou canst so greatly bow, Friend of sinners, why not now?" I believe Mr. W's nervous disorder gave rise to many, if not most of those temptations, to which many persons of equal grace, but firmer nerves are utter strangers. As you never yet experienced any thing of the kind, so I am persuaded you never will. Yet I do not wonder at the horrid temptations of Gregory Lopez, because he was in a desart, that is, so far out of God's way. I thank you for writing freely to me. If I had you now by the hand, I would tell you, you can never write or speak too freely to, My dear Miss Loxdale, your's, most affectionately, LETTERS from the Rev. JOHN WESLEY to Mrs. ELIZ. BENNIS, of Limerick; taken from a small volume of Letters, published by her Son from the Original Manuscripts, in the year 1809. MY DEAR SISTER, LETTER I. Pembroke, August 23, 1763. YOU did well to write; this is one of the means which God generally uses to convey either light or comfort; even while you are writing you will often find relief: frequently while we propose a doubt, it is removed. There is no doubt but what you at first experienced was a real foretaste of the blessing, although you were not properly possessed of it, till the Whitsunday following; but it is very possible to cast away the gift of God, or to lose it, by little and little;-though I trust this is not the case with you; and yet you may frequently be in heaviness, and may find your love to God not near so warm at some times, as it is at others; many wanderings likewise, and many deficiencies, are consistent with pure love; but the thing you want is, the abiding witness of the Spirit touching this very thing. And this you may boldly claim, on the warrant of that word "we have received the Spirit that is of God; that we may know the things which are freely given to us of God." I am, my dear Sister, your affectionate Brother, J. WESLEY, |