In spring of 1738, John Wesley,
while visiting his brother who was suffering
from a severe bout of pleurisy, found
that he had lost his faith. He asked himself,
“How can you preach to others,
who have not faith yourself?” He spoke
of his concern to his friend,
Moravian missionary Peter Böhler,
who advised him, “Preach faith till you have it;
and then, because you have it, you will preach faith.”
John Wesley followed this advice for the rest of his life.
And Charles Wesley, after having recovered from his illness,
wrote an 18-stanza poem that included the words,
“O, for a thousand tongues to sing my great redeemer’s praise!”
