Wesley Corpus

David ‘God Himself dignifies with the most exalted of all characters’ (page 253). Far, very far from it. We have more exalted characters than David's, both in the Old Testament and the New. Such are those of Samuel, Daniel, yea, and Job, in the former; of St. Paul and St. John in the latter. ‘But God styles him “a man after His own heart.”’ This is the text which has caused many to mistake, for want of considering (1) that this is said of David in a particular respect, not with regard to his whole character; (2) the time at which it was spoken. When was David ‘a man after God’s own heart’ When God found him ‘following the ewes great with young,’ when He ‘took him from the sheepfolds’ (Ps. lxxviii. 70-1). It was in the second or third year of Saul's reign that Samuel said to him, ‘The Lord hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and hath commanded him to be captain over His people’ (1 Sam. xiii. 14). But was he ‘a man after God's own heart’ all his life or in all particulars So far from it, that we have few more exceptionable characters among all the men of God recorded in Scripture. ‘There is not a just man upon earth that sinneth not.’ Solomon might truly say so before Christ came. And St. John might, after He ca, me, say as truly, ‘Whosoever is born of God sinneth not’ (page 261). But ‘in many things we offend all.’ That St. James does not speak this of himself or of real Christians will clearly appear to all who impartially consider the context. The Ninth Dialogue proves excellently well that we cannot be justified by our works. But have you thoroughly considered the words which occur in the 270th page -- ‘O children of Adam, you are no longer obliged to love God with all your strength, nor your neighbor as yourselves. Once, indeed, I insisted on absolute purity of heart; now I can dispense with some degrees of evil desire. Since Christ has fulfilled the law for you, you need not fulfill it. I will connive at, yea accommodate my demands to, your weakness.’