[From Wesley's journal June 1740]

In the evening I preached on, "Cast not away your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward.

"Ye who have known and felt your sins forgiven, cast not away your confidence, 1. Though your joy should die away, your love wax cold, and your peace itself be roughtly assaulted: Though, 2. You should find doubt or fear, or strong and uninterrupted temptation; yea, though, 3. You should find a body of sin still in you, and thrusting sore at you that you might fall.

"The first case may be only a fulfilling of your Lord's words, 'Yet a little while, and ye shall not see me.' But he 'will come unto you again, and your hearts shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.'

"Your being in strong temptation, yes, though it should rise so high as to throw you into an agony, or to make you fear that God had forgotten you, is no more a proof, that you are not a believer, than our Lord's agony, and his crying, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' was a proof that he was not the Son of God.

"Your finding sin remaining in you still, is no proof that you are not a believer. Sin does remain in one that is justified, though it has not dominion over him. For he has not a clean heart at first, neither are 'all things' as yet 'become new.' But fear not, though you have an evil heart. Yet a little while, and you shall be endued with power from on high, whereby you may 'purify yourselves, even as He is pure;' and be 'holy, as He which hath called you is holy.'"

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Ed Pugh