Quotations by John Wesley
Quotations | Speeches | Poetry
John Wesley, Anglican minister and Christian theologian
John Wesley (June 29, 1703 - March 2, 1791), was an Anglican minister and Christian theologian who was an early leader in the Methodist movement. (Source: Wikipedia)
Quotations
As to matters of dress, I would recommend one never to be first in the fashion nor the last out of it.
Beware you be not swallowed up in books! An ounce of love is worth a pound of knowledge.
Catch on fire with enthusiasm and people will come for miles to watch you burn.
Do all the good you can, in all the ways you can, to all the souls you can, in every place you can, at all the times you can, with all the zeal you can, as long as ever you can.
Every one, though born of God in an instant, yet undoubtedly grows by slow degrees.
Giving up witchcraft is, in effect, giving up the Bible.
God buries his workmen, but carries on his work.
I'd had the quintessential liberal arts experience, and I came out of college not having a clue of what to do.
I am not afraid that the people called Methodists should ever cease to exist either in Europe or America. But I am afraid lest they should only exist as a dead sect, having the form of religion without the power. And this undoubtedly will be the case unless they hold fast both the doctrine, spirit, and discipline with which they first set out.
I could scarcely reconcile myself at first to this strange way of preaching in the fields, of which Whitfield set me an example on Sunday; having been all my life (till very lately) so tenacious of every point relating to decency and order, that I should have thought the saving of souls almost a sin, if it had not been done in a church.
I desired as many as could to join together in fasting and prayer, that God would restore the spirit of love and of a sound mind to the poor deluded rebels in America.
I look on all the world as my parish; thus far I mean, that, in whatever part of it I am, I judge it meet, right, and my bounden duty, to declare unto all that are willing to hear, the glad tidings of salvation.
Immediately it stuck into my mind, "Leave off preaching. How can you preach to others, who have not faith yourself?" I asked Boehler, whether he thought I should leave it off or not. He answered "By no means." I asked, "But what can I preach?" He said, "Preach faith till you have it; and then, because you have it, you will preach faith.
Justifying faith implies, not only a divine evidence or conviction that ''God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself',' but a sure trust and confidence that Christ died for my sins, that He loved me and gave Himself for me.
My ground is the Bible. Yea, I am a Bible-bigot. I follow it in all things, both great and small.
My talent is to speak my mind. God won't object if you bury that talent.
No circumstances can make it necessary for a man to burst in sunder all the ties of humanity.
Once in seven years I burn all my sermons; for it is a shame if I cannot write better sermons now than I did seven years ago.
Passion and prejudice govern the world; only under the name of reason.
Sometimes it feels like it's Vaudeville up there on the bench, ... The robe is a costume. I'm on an elevated seat. It could be looked at as staging.
Suffer all, and conquer all.
The best of it is, God is with us.
The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.
The cause of their decline was not, as has been supposed, because there is no more need for [the charismatic gifts], "because all the world had become Christian" ... The real cause was: the love of many, of almost all Christians so called, was waxed cold; ... The real cause why the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit were no longer to be found in the Christian Church [was that] the Christians were turned heathen again, and had only a dead form left.
The Church recruited people who had been starched and ironed before they were washed.
The grand reason why the miraclous gifts were so soon withdrawn was not only that faith and holiness were well-nigh lost, but that dry, formal, orthodox men began then to ridicule whatever gifts they had not themselves and to cry them all [down] as evil madness or imposture.
The longer I live, the larger allowances I make for human infirmities.
Think and let think.
Though I am always in haste, I am never in a hurry.
When I have money, I get rid of it quickly, lest it find a way into my heart.
When I was young I was sure of everything; in a few years, having been mistaken a thousand times, I was not half so sure of most things as I was before; at present, I am hardly sure of anything but what God has revealed to me.
Wherever riches have increased, the essence of religion has decreased in the same proportion. Therefore I do not see how it is possible in the nature of things for any revival of religion to continue long. For religion must necessarily produce both industry and frugality, and these cannot but produce riches. But as riches increase, so will pride, anger, and love of the world in all its branches. How then is it possible that Methodism, that is a religion of the heart, though it flourishes now as the green bay tree, should continue in this state? For the Methodists in every place grow diligent and frugal; consequently, they increase in goods. Hence, they proportionately increase in pride, in anger, in the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of life. So, although the form of religion remains, the spirit is swiftly vanishing away. Is there no way to prevent ... this continual decay of pure religion?
You have nothing to do but to save souls. Therefore spend and be spent in this work.
You may be as orthodox as the devil and as wicked.
