Wesley Corpus

13. From Justin Martyr also you cite but part of a sentence. He speaks very nearly thus: 'That the Spirit of God, descending from heaven, and using righteous men as the quill strikes the harp or lyre, may reveal unto us the knowledge of divine and heavenly things.' And does Justin expressly affirm in these words that all the Prophets were 'transported out of their senses' Tertullian's words are: 'A man being in the Spirit, especially when he beholds the glory of God, must needs lose sense.' ['Necesse est, excidat sensu.'] Now, as it is not plain that he means hereby 'lose his understanding' (it being at least equally probable that he intends no more than losing for the time the use of his outward senses), neither can it be said that Tertullian expressly affirms, 'The Prophets were all out of their senses.' Therefore you have not so much as one Father to vouch for what you say was 'the current opinion in those days.' 14. I doubt not but all men of learning will observe a circumstance which holds throughout all your quotations. The strength of your argument constantly lies in a loose and paraphrastical manner of translating. The strength of mine lies in translating all in the most close and literal manner; so that closeness of translation strengthens mine in the same proportion as it weakens your arguments: a plain proof of what you elsewhere observe, that you use 'no subtle refinements or forced constructions' (Preface, p. 31). 15. But to return to Cyprian. 'I cannot forbear,' you say, 'relating two or three more of his wonderful stories. The first is, A man who had denied Christ was presently struck dumb: the second, A woman who had done so was seized by an unclean spirit, and soon after died in great anguish: the third, of which he says he was an eye-witness, is this,--The heathen magistrates gave to a Christian infant part of what had been offered to an idol. When the deacon forced the consecrated wine on this child, it was immediately seized with convulsions and vomiting; as was a woman who had apostatized, upon taking the consecrated elements.' (Pages 112-13.) The other two relations Cyprian does not affirm of his own personal knowledge.