Wesley Corpus

You say, tenthly: ‘Mr. Wesley only contends that it is possible to use them without trusting in them.’ Not in that page; because the proposition I am confuting is, ‘It is not possible to use them without trusting in them.’ (ii. 330.) You added: ‘And now, are not such disparaging expressions’ (a mere possibility of using them without trusting in them) ‘a great discouragement to practice’ O sir, when will you deviate into truth Dare you affirm, without any regard to God or man, ‘Mr. Wesley only contends for a mere possibility of using the means without trusting in them’ To go no farther than the very first page you refer to (ii. 350), my express words are these: ‘I believe the way to attain faith is to wait for Christ in using all the means of grace. ‘Because I believe these do ordinarily convey God's grace even to unbelievers.’ Is this ‘contending only for a mere possibility of using them without trusting in them’ Not only in this and many other parts of the Journals, but in a sermon wrote professedly on the subject, I contend that all the ordinances of God are the stated channels of His grace to man, and that it is our bounden duty to use them all at all possible opportunities. So that to charge the Methodists in general, or me in particular, with undervaluing or disparaging them shows just as much regard for justice and truth as if you was to charge us with Mahometanism. 40. Tedious as it is to wade through so many dirty pages, I will follow you step by step a little farther. Your eleventh proof, that we ‘undermine morality and good works,’ is drawn from the following passage: