Wesley Corpus

To conclude this head: you say, ‘Attraction is an incessant working of three contrary properties - drawing, resisting, and whirling ' (page 200). That is, in plain terms (a discovery worthy of Jacob Behmen, and yet not borrowed by Sir Isaac), ‘Drawing is incessant drawing, resistance, and whirling.’ 2. Of the creation :- You put these words, with many more equally important, into the mouth of God Himself! ‘Angels first inhabited the region which is now taken up by the sun and the planets that move round him. It was then all a glassy sea, in which perpetual scenes of light and glory were ever rising and changing in obedience to their call. Hence they fancied they had infinite power, and resolved to abjure all submission to God. In that moment they were whirled down into their own dark, fiery, working powers. And in that moment the glassy sea, by the wrathful workings of these spirits, was broke in pieces, and became a chaos of fire and wrath, thickness and darkness.’ (Spirit of Prayer, Part I. p. 14, &c.) I would inquire upon this,-- (1) Is it well for a man to take such liberty with the Most High God (2) Is not this being immeasurably ‘wise above that which is written’ wiser than all the Prophets and all the Apostles put together (3) How can anything of this be proved Why thus: ‘“Darkness was upon the face of the deep.” What can this mean but that the fall of angels brought desolation into the very place of this world’ (Part II. p, 49.) What a proof! Secondly. ‘The Scripture shows that the Spirit of God, entering into this darkness,’ that is, ‘into the very place where Satan reigned before,’ ‘brought forth a new world’ (page 50). Where does it show that this darkness was the place where Satan reigned I cannot find it in my Bible. Thirdly. ‘How could the devil be called the prince of this world, if it was not once his own kingdom’ (Ibid.) May he not be so called because he now reigns therein Is he not now ‘the ruler of the darkness,’ or wickedness, ‘of this world’ Fourthly. ‘Had it not been their own kingdom, the devils could have no power here. This may pass for a demonstration that this is the very place in which the angels fell.’ (Page 51.)