Wesley Corpus

Four times also I enjoyed the blessing of hearing him preach, during the few days I spent here; and every time he chose the very subject which I should have desired, had I spoken to him before. Thrice he described the state of those who are “ weak in faith,” who are justified, but have not yet a new, clean heart; who have received forgiveness through the blood of Christ, but have not received the constant indwelling of the Holy Ghost. This state he explained once from, “ Blessed are the poor in spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven ;” when he showed at large, from various Scriptures, that many are children of God and heirs of the promises, long before their hearts are softened by holy “mourning ;”” before they are comforted by the abiding witness of the Spirit, melting their souls into all gentleness and “ meekness ;” and much more, before they are renewed in all that “ righteousness,” which they ‘“ hungered and thirsted after ;” before they are “ pure in heart,” from all self will and sin; and “ merciful,” as their “ Father which is in heaven is merciful.” A second time he pointed out this state from those words, “ Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God, Jesus Christ our Lord. There is therefore no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” Hence also he at large both proved the existence, and showed the nature, of that intermediate state, which most experience between that bondage which is described in the seventh chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, and the full glorious liberty of the children of God, described in the eighth, and in many other parts of Scripture. This he yet again explained from the Scriptures which describe the state the Apostles were in, from our Lord’s death (and indeed for some time before) till the descent of the Holy Ghost at the day of Pentecost. They were then “clean,” as Christ himself had borne them witness, ‘by the word which he had spoken unto them.” They then had faith, otherwise He could not have prayed for them, that their “ faith” might Aug. 173». | REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. 85