Wesley Corpus

‘That justification, whereof our Articles and Homilies speak, means present pardon and acceptance with God; who therein “declares His righteousness,” or mercy, “by” or “for the remission of sins that are past.”’ I say, past; for I cannot find anything in the Bible of the remission of sins past, present, and to come. ‘I believe the condition of this is faith; I mean, not only that without faith we cannot be justified, but also that, as soon as any one has true faith, in that moment he is justified.’ You take the word ‘condition’ in the former sense only, as that without which we cannot be justified. In this sense of the word, I think we may allow that there are several conditions of justification. ‘Good works follow this faith, but cannot go before it. Much less can sanctification, which implies a continued course of good works springing from holiness of heart.’ Yet such a course is without doubt absolutely necessary to our continuance in a state of justification. ‘It is allowed that repentance and "fruits meet for repentance" go before faith. Repentance absolutely must go before faith; fruits meet for it, if there be opportunity. By repentance I mean conviction of sin, producing real desires and sincere resolutions of amendment; and by “fruits meet for repentance,” forgiving our brother, ceasing from evil, doing good, using the ordinances of God, and in general obeying Him according to the measure of grace which we have received. But these I cannot as yet term good works, because they do not spring from faith and the love of God.’ Although the same works are then good, when they are performed by ‘those who have believed.’ ‘Faith in general is a divine, supernatural ’e (evidence or conviction) of things not seen, not discoverable by our bodily senses, as being either past, future, or spiritual. Justifying faith implies, not only a divine ’e that God “was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself,” but a sure trust and confidence that Christ died for my sins, that He loved me and gave Himself for me. And, the moment a penitent sinner thus believes, God pardons and absolves him.’ I say a penitent sinner, because justifying faith cannot exist without previous repentance.