Wesley Corpus

“By weak faith I understand, 1. That which is mixed with fear, particularly of not enduring to the end. 2. That which is mixed with doubt, whether we have not deceived ourselves, and whether our sins be indeed. forgiven. 3. That which has not yet purified the heart fully, not from all its idols. And thus weak I find the faith of almost all believers to be, within a short time after they have first peace with God. “Yet that weak faith is faith appears, 1. From St. Paul, ‘ Him that is weak in faith, receive.’ 2. From St John, speaking of believers who were little children, as well as of young men and fathers. 3. From our Lord’s. own words, ‘ Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt ?--I have prayed for thee, (Peter,) that thy faith fail thee not.’ Therefore he then had faith. Yet so weak was that faith, that not only doubt and fear, but gross sin in the same night prevailed over him. Nevertheless he was ‘clean, by the word’ Christ had ‘spoken to him; that is, justified; though it is plain he had notaclean heart. Therefore, there are degrees in faith; and weak faith may yet be true faith.” Mon. 23.--I considered the second assertion, that there is but one commandment in the New Testament, viz. ‘to believe: That no a - June, 1740. ] REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. 18? other duty ies upon us, and that a believer is not obliged to do any thing as commanded.