Wesley Corpus

“Your finding sin remaining in you still, is no proof that you are not a veliever. Sin does remain in one that is justified, though it has not dominion over him. For he has not a clean heart at first, neither are ‘all things’ as yet ‘become new.’ But fear not, though you have an evi! heart. Yet a little while, and you shall be endued with power from or high, whereby you may ‘purify yourselves, even as He is pure;’ and be ‘holy, as He which hath called you is holy.’ ” _ Wed. 25.--F rom those words, “ All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” I took occasion to speak of the ordinances of God, as they are means of grace. “ Although this expression of our Church, ‘means of grace,’ be not found in Scripture; yet, if the sense of it undeniably is, to cavil at the term is a mere strife of words. ‘“ But the sense of it is undeniably found in Scripture. For God hath in Scripture ordained prayer, reading or hearing, and the receiving the Lord’s Supper, as the ordinary means of conveying his grace to man. And first, prayer. For thus saith the Lord, ‘ Ask, and it shall be giver. you. If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God.’ Here God plainly ordains prayer, as the means of receiving whatsoever grace we want, particularly that wisdom from above, which is the chief fruit of the grace of God. “Here, likewise, God commands all to pray, who desire to receive any grace from him. Here is no restriction as to believers or unbelievers; but, least of all, as to unbelievers: for such, doubtless, were most of those to whom he said, ‘ Ask, and it shall be given you.’ “ We know, indeed, that the prayer of an unbeliever is full of sin. Yet let him remember that which is written of one who could not then believe, for he had not so much as heard the Gospel, ‘ Cornelius, thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.’ ”