The Works of the
Rev. John Wesley, M.A.
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THE
WORKS
OF THE
Rev. JOHN WESLEY, M.A.
Late Fellow of _Lincoln-College_, OXFORD.
VOLUME IX.
BRISTOL:
Printed by WILLIAM PINE, in _Wine-Street_.
MDCCLXXII.
THE
CONTENTS
Of the NINTH VOLUME.
The manners of the ancient Christians.
Chapter I. _Of the life of Christ._
Chapter II. _Of the church at Jerusalem._
Chapter III. _The state of the Heathens before their
conversion._
Chapter IV. _Of their prayer and study of the scripture._
Chapter V. _Of their fasts, meals, modesty, and seriousness._
Chapter VI. _Of their marriages, their union, and public
assemblies._
Chapter VII. _Of their persecutions._
Chapter VIII. _Of their care of the poor sick, their
hospitality, and patience._
The doctrine of Salvation, Faith, and Good Works; extracted from
the homilies of the church of England.
An Abridgment of the Pilgrim’s Progress.
A Word of Advice to Saints and Sinners.
Christian Letters by Joseph Alleine.
A Word to a Sabbath-Breaker.
A Word to a Swearer.
A Word to a Drunkard.
A Word to an unhappy Woman.
A Word to a Smuggler.
A Word to a condemn’d Malefactor.
A Word in Season: Or Advice to an Englishman.
A Word to a Protestant.
A Word to a Freeholder.
Advice to a Soldier.
Illustration: (‡ decoration)
The Manners of the
ANCIENT CHRISTIANS.
Extracted from a French Author.
CHAPTER I.
_Of the life of_ Christ.
1. AS the Christian religion is not an invention of men, but the work
of God, it received its full perfection at the beginning of it. For
who can imagine, the apostles were ignorant of any truth necessary
or useful to salvation? Or that any thing has been since found out
touching the conduct of life, more wise and excellent than what Jesus
Christ taught them? It is among the first Christians therefore, that we
must look for a pattern of the most perfect life, and by consequence of
the most happy, which can be upon earth.
2. Let us begin with the life of Christ himself, the model and source
of all perfection. In his very childhood he sets us an example, by his
teachableness and obedience to his parents. Of the rest of his youth we
only know, that he lived in the little town of _Nazareth _, passing for
the son of a carpenter and working as one himself. In such obscurity
he, who came to be the light of the world, chose to pass the greatest
part of his life. Thirty years he lived a private life, and only three
or four in public, to shew us, that a private life is best for the
generality of men: and that there is only a small number who ought
to act in public, so far as the order of God, and the love of their
neighbour require it.
3. Before he began his great work, he prepared himself for it, by
fasting and prayer. And having afterwards been tempted of the devil, to
shew, he is able to succour when we are tempted, he went forth to seek
and to save that which was lost. He shewed that he came from God by his
miracles. And even these gave him matter of many virtues; of simplicity,
humility, patience. He wrought them without any pride or ostentation;
he seldom stayed till he was asked to do them; and then, only to
exercise, or to make known the faith of those that asked him. He gives
the glory of all to his Father. “I can of myself, says he, (that is,
as man) do nothing. My Father who abideth in me, he it is that doth the
works.”
4. What patience was it, to bear that incredible multitude, which
continually followed him, who prest to touch him, who threw themselves
upon him, and were often ready to overwhelm him? If he went into a
house, all the city gathered together at the door, and gave him no
time, so much as to eat. So that he could no longer come into the towns,
unless in secret; but was forced to stay abroad in the deserts: and
even thither the people followed him in great multitudes, as appears by
the five thousand, whom he fed there. Hence it was, that he retired to
the mountains to pray, that he employed the nights therein, and that he
slept when he could, and as he could; as in the ship, during the storm.
5. His life was now more laborious, than when he worked with his hands.
Indeed he had not time to work in; insomuch that he suffered women
to minister unto him of their goods, and even kept some money by him.
Of this he made _Judas_ the keeper. So much did Jesus esteem money!
He gave alms of the little he had, and sometimes he had none at all.
Indeed he lived all along in great poverty. He had not where to lay his
head. At his death, he had no goods, but his cloaths. He came, not to
be ministered unto, but to minister. He made his journeys on foot, and
continued walking even till the heat of the day. For it was at noon
that he sat down, weary as he was, on the well, where he met the woman
of _Samaria_. And tho’ he was the Lord of nature, we find not that he
wrought any miracle for his own convenience, or to spare his own pains.
The angels ministered unto him only once, to shew what was his due, had
he pleased to use it.
6. All his carriage was simple, easy, natural, lively. He looked them
in the face, with whom he spake: as the rich young man. It is often
said, “He stretched forth his hand unto them;” often, that he made use
of such other particular gestures, as were suitable to the occasion.
Sometimes his very looks exprest pity, or grief, or indignation: at
other times, tenderness; as when he took up the children in his arms,
and laid his hands upon them.
7. With all this plainness and simplicity of behaviour, he preserved a
wonderful dignity. He was always serious. We find him twice in tears:
but it is not said, that he ever laughed. He asked nothing of any man,
following his own maxim, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
All men sought him out and ran unto him. He conversed with all, without
any meanness of behaviour, and yet with the utmost condescension; being
easy of access to all; yea to Publicans and Sinners. He condescended to
eat, and to lodge with them, yea to let a woman that was a sinner touch
him, and perfume his feet; a delicacy that seemed quite opposite to his
poor and mortified life.
8. As he came into the world to instruct mankind, he taught continually
both in public and private: insomuch that men admired the power by
which he spoke, and the gracious words that came out of his mouth.
His discourse was simple and clear, without any ornament, but lively
and natural figures. Sometimes, he speaks by actions, as when he bids
_John_’s disciples, “Go tell unto _John_ what ye have seen and heard.”
And generally, his words are few. He lays down great principles without
troubling himself to draw consequences, or to prove them. Indeed they
carry in themselves the light of truth, which only wilful blindness can
resist. When he does use proofs, they are those of sensible reasonings
and familiar comparisons. His miracles were the strongest proofs, and
best suited to all understandings. These were equally apprehended by
the learned, as _Nicodemus_, and the unlearned, as the man born blind.
He often joins thereto the authorities of the law and the prophets,
shewing that his doctrine came from the same wisdom, and that the Old
Testament and the New were built on the same divine foundation.
9. That his disciples might have the full benefit of his example, he
lived with them in common, as one family. They followed him wherever he
went; they eat and lodged with him; they had opportunity of studying
him continually. He spared no pains to instruct them. What they
understood not in his public discourses, he explained to them in
private; treating them as his friends, and telling them all things, as
they were able to bear them. He bore with the utmost patience, their
dulness, their ignorance, their vanity, and all their faults, and
laboured without ceasing to correct them.
*10. But he had other disciples beside the _twelve_: for all who
believed and were baptized were called his disciples. St. _Paul_
mentions above 500 of them, who together saw him after his resurrection.
So that the church even then consisted of _two_ parts: the people,
simply called _The disciples_ or _The brethren_, and those whom Christ
had set apart for ministring in public: such were first, _The apostles_,
and then the _seventy_, whom he chose, and sent _two_ and _two_ before
his face.
*11. The different degrees of love wherewith our Lord loved different
persons are worthy a serious reflection. He hath taught us, that
every man is our neighbour, whom we are to love as ourselves: and he
accordingly loved all the world: yea, he gave his life for all. Yet he
loved his disciples in a particular manner, and above the rest of them,
his apostles; above the rest of the apostles, St. _Peter_ and the sons
of _Zebedee_; and above all, St. _John_. Thus by his own example hath
he authorized us to regard some persons with a particular affection,
and shewn, that peculiar friendship is not inconsistent with universal
charity.
12. But in his sufferings chiefly hath “He left us an example, that we
should tread in his steps.” Being like us in all things, except sin,
he felt all the inconveniences of life; hunger, thirst and weariness
and pain: and the state he was in, the night before his passion in the
garden, plainly shews, that he was sensible like us, of grief and fear
and sadness. Add to these his sense of the hardness of men’s hearts,
and the contradiction of sinners. But he suffered all, and particularly
in his passion, with an invincible constancy. He who with a word could
have confounded his accusers and judges together, opened not his mouth.
He stood unmoved as a rock in the midst of all insults, reproaches,
outrages. On the very cross he possest his soul in patience. Even there
retaining composure of mind, he prays for his murderers; he accepts the
faith of the penitent thief; he provides for his mother’s comfort; he
finishes the accomplishment of the prophecies; he commends his spirit
to God.