Wesley Corpus

9. One point of doctrine remains: ‘Is there any such thing as perceptible inspiration or not’ I asserted, ‘There is’; but at the same time subjoined, ‘Be pleased to observe what we mean thereby: we mean that inspiration of God’s Holy Spirit whereby He fills us (every true believer) with righteousness and peace and joy, with love to Him and all mankind. And we believe it cannot be in the nature of things that a man should be filled with this peace and joy and love by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost without perceiving it as clearly as he does the light of the sun.’ You reply, ‘You have now entirely shifted the question.’ I think not. You objected that I had perceptible inspiration. I answered, ‘I do’: but observe in what sense; otherwise I must recall my concession. I hold God inspires every Christian with peace, joy, and love, which are all perceptible. You reply, ‘The question is not whether the fruits of inspiration are perceptible, but whether the work of inspiration itself be so.’ This was not my question; nor did I till now understand that it was yours. If I had, I should have returned a different answer, as I have elsewhere done already. When one warmly objected near two years ago, ‘All reasonable Christians believe that the Holy Spirit works His graces in us in an imperceptible manner,’ my answer was, ‘You are here disproving, as you suppose, a proposition of mine. But are you sure you understand it By the operations (inspirations or workings) of the Spirit, I do not mean the manner in which He operates, but the graces which He operates (inspires or works) in a Christian.’ If you ask, But do not you hold 'that Christian faith implies a direct, perceptible testimony of the Spirit, as distinguishable from the suggestion of fancy as light is distinguishable from darkness; whereas we suppose He imperceptibly influences our minds' I answer, I do hold this. I suppose that every Christian believer, over and above that imperceptible influence, hath a direct perceptible testimony of the Spirit that he is a child of God.