Wesley: “Speak and Spare Not”
Friday/December/2013 14:52 Filed in: John Wesley
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"Where Christian perfection is not strongly and explicitly preached, there is seldom any remarkable blessing from God; and, consequently, little to the society, and little life in the members of it. Therefore, if Jacob Rowell is grown faint, and says but little about it, do you supply his lack of service. Speak, and spare not. Let not regard for any man induce you to betray the truth of God. Till you press the believers to expect full salvation now, you must not look for any revival."
"Where Christian perfection is not strongly and explicitly preached, there is seldom any remarkable blessing from God; and, consequently, little to the society, and little life in the members of it. Therefore, if Jacob Rowell is grown faint, and says but little about it, do you supply his lack of service. Speak, and spare not. Let not regard for any man induce you to betray the truth of God. Till you press the believers to expect full salvation now, you must not look for any revival."
— John Wesley, Letter to Mr. Merryweather (1766).
A THOUGHT:
Of course, this quote assumes that revival is desirable. On this basis, the preaching of Christian Perfection is recommended as a means to that end: it is a call for Christians to seek.This will get people motivated to go deeper into the knowledge and experience of their faith. They are to seek more love, more knowledge, more of a closeness to God.
But, since revived Christians — those who are excited about their faith and motivated to learn about it and to live it — are less controllable that unrevived ones, some pastoral leaders might feel this is undesirable in the first place.
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