Friday, August 25, 2017

How to Treat the Failings of Others

One of the great things about Ken Bible's Wesley Hymns (Lillenas Publishing Co., Kansas City, MO. 1982) is that he includes various prayers and quotes from Wesley, throughout. 

As I have mentioned, before, I often sing (usually) three hymns while praying Morning or Evening Prayer.  I have used various sources, most notably the Nazarene hymnal (viz., Sing to the Lord), and Ken Bible's Wesley Hymns.  (I've also sung through the volume of hymns in Wesley's Works.  For those familiar, you can imagine I was in that volume for a long time!)  -  Right now, I'm in Wesley Hymns.

In my singing, today, below #103 "Blest Be the Dear Uniting Love," Ken included the following passage from John Wesley's A Collection of Forms of Prayer for Every Day in the Week.  May this be so for me, for all Wesleyans/Methodists and Anglicans, and, indeed, for all who follow Christ.

     Let me look upon the failings of my neighbor as if they were my own; that I may be grieved
     for them, that I may never reveal them but when charity requires, and then with tenderness
     and compassion.  Let your love to me, O blessed Savior, be the pattern of my love to him.
     You thought nothing too dear to part with, to rescue me from eternal misery; oh, let me
     think nothing too dear to part with to set forward the everlasting good of my fellow
     Christians.  They are members of your body; therefore I will cherish them.  You have
     redeemed them with an inestimable price; assisted by Your Holy Spirit, therefore, I will
     endeavor to recover them from a state of destruction.

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