Wesley Corpus

4. It is certain 'praying for the dead was common in the second century' (page 60). You might have said, 'And in the first also'; seeing that petition, 'Thy kingdom come,' manifestly concerns the saints in paradise as well as those upon earth. But it is far from certain that 'the purpose of this was to procure relief and refreshment to the departed souls in some intermediate state of expiatory pains,' or that 'this was the general opinion of those times.' 5. As to the 'consecrated oil' (page 63), you seem entirely to forget that it was neither St. Jerome nor St. Chrysostom, but St. James, who said, 'Is any sick among you let him send for the elders of the Church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up' (v. 14-15). The sum is: you have charged the Fathers of the third century with eight of the chief corruptions of Popery--(1) monkery; (2) the worship of relics; (3) invocation of saints; (4) the superstitious use of images; (5) of the consecrated oil; (6) of the sacraments; (7) of the sign of the cross; (8) praying for the dead. And what is all this heavy charge come to at last Why, just thus much: some of them in the beginning of the third century did superstitiously use the sign of the cross; and others in the middle of that century offered up the eucharist for the martyrs on their annual festivals; though how you make this 'the superstitious use of the sacraments' I know not, or how these come to be the 'chief corruptions of Popery.' Praying thus far for the dead, 'that God would shortly accomplish the number of His elect and hasten His kingdom,' and anointing the sick with oil, you will not easily prove to be any corruptions at all.