February 3, 1744

Charles Wesley

was determined to follow Je­sus' example, not resisting the ruffians, not refusing to bear his own cross, and not flying from persecution - because Jesus, the Chris­tian's example in this situation, did none of those things. Indeed, when he preached among the Methodists, during times of persecu­tion, he challenged the spirit of vengeance and resistance to the vio­lence of persecution. His journal entry for February 3, 1744, for exam­ple, reports, "I preached and prayed with the Society, and beat down the fiery, self-avenging spirit of resistance, which was rising in some, to disgrace, if not destroy the work of God." Wesley's hymn "Written After a Deliverance" indicates that having a sense of God's grace and love in God's deliverance from persecution was far better than life it­self; it was a foretaste of heaven: "Tis pure delight, and perfect bliss,! And everlasting joy." In solidarity with the ancient church of the mar­tyrs, he sang:

4.                 Saved by a miracle of grace,

Lord, I with thankful heart embrace

The token of Thy love:

This, this the comfortable sign,

That I the first born church shall join,

And bless Thy name above.

From John R. Tyson, Assist Me To Proclaim, Grand Rapids, Mich: Eerdmans, 2007. 144