Wisdom from Wesley (and the Early Fathers)

One of the advantages to Christian theology in the Wesleyan/Methodist 'dialect' is that Wesley's own theology tends not to be Wesley's at all; his writing is a great collection of the teachings and wisdom of a much older tradition - classical or 'catholic' Christianity - the faith of the whole Christian community across the ages, that Wesley was trying to apply afresh in his own time.

I thought of this again as I was reading "Causes of the Inefficacy of Christianity" where he says (section 7): "It was a common saying in the primitive (ancient) church, 'The soul and the body make a man; the Spirit and discipline make a Christian' - implying that none could be real Christians without the help of Christian discipline..."