Page:The works of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A., late fellow of Lincoln-College, Oxford (IA worksofrevjohnwe3wesl).pdf/44

 things of God. We may proclaim to sinners, ''Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world''. Yea, we may do this with such a measure of the power of God, and such demonstration of his Spirit, as to save many souls from death, and hide a multitude of sins. And yet 'tis very possible, all this may be no more than saying, Lord, Lord! After I have thus successfully preached to others, still I myself may be a cast away. I may in the hand of God, snatch many souls from hell, and yet drop into it, when I have done. I may bring many others to the kingdom of heaven, and yet myself never enter there. Reader, if God hath ever blest my word to thy soul, pray that he may be merciful to me a sinner!

2. The saying, Lord, Lord! may, secondly, imply, the doing no harm. We may abstain from every presumptuous sin, from every kind of outward wickedness. We may refrain from all those ways of acting or speaking, which are forbidden in holy writ. We may be able to say to all those among whom we live, Which of you convinceth me of sin? We may have a conscience void of any external offence, towards God and towards man. We may be clear of all uncleanness, ungodliness and unrighteousness, as to the outward act: or (as the apostle testifies concerning himself,) touching the righteousness of the law, i. e. outward righteousness, blameless. But yet we are not hereby justified. Still this is