Wesley Corpus

14. You proceed: They pretend to be as free from sin as Jesus Christ' (page 6). You bring three proofs of this: (1) Mr. Wesley, in his answer to a divine of our Church, says, "Jesus Christ stands as our regeneration, to help us to the same holy, undefiled nature which He Himself had; and if this very life and identical nature is not propagated and derived on us, He is not our Saviour"' (page 7). When I heard you read these words, I listened and studied, and could not imagine where you got them. I knew they were not mine: I use no such queer language; but did not then recollect that they are Mr. Law's words in his Answer to Dr. Trapp, an extract from which I have published. [Joseph Trapp, D.D., preached four sermons, mainly against Law's Serious Call, in 1739. Wesley published an extract from Law's Answer in 1748. See Green's Bibliography, No. 118.] But be they whose they will, they by no means imply that we are to be as righteous as Christ was,' but that we are to be (which St. Peter likewise affirms) partakers of the divine nature.' (2) A preacher of yours declared he was as free from sin as Christ ever was.' I did not hear him declare it: pray did you If not, how do you know he declared it at all, Nay, but another declared he believed it was impossible for one whom he named to sin, for the Spirit of God dwelt in him bodily' (page 8). Pray, sir, did you hear this yourself Else the testimony is nothing worth. Hearsay evidence will not be admitted by any court in the kingdom. What you say of that good man Mr. Whitefield, now with God, I leave with Mr. H-- 's remark: I admire your prudence, though not your generosity; for it is much safer to cudgel a dead man than a living one.'