Wesley Corpus

III. 1. The most plausible of these I come now to consider. And, First, it has been frequently said, "Let a Christian fast from sin, and not from food: This is what God requires at his hands." So he does; but he requires the other also. Therefore this ought to be done, and that not left undone. View your argument in its full dimensions; and you will easily judge of the strength of it: -- If a Christian ought to abstain from sin, then he ought not to abstain from food: But a Christian ought to abstain from sin. Therefore he ought not to abstain from food. That a Christian ought to abstain from sin, is most true; but how does it follow from hence that he ought not to abstain from food Yea, let him do both the one and the other. Let him, by the grace of God, always abstain from sin; and let him often abstain from food, for such reasons and ends as experience and Scripture plainly show to be answered thereby. 2. "But is it not better" (as it has, Secondly, been objected) "to abstain from pride and vanity, from foolish and hurtful desires, from peevishness, and anger, and discontent, than from food" Without question, it is. But here again we have need to remind you of our Lord's words: "These things ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." And, indeed, the latter is only in order to the former; it is a means to that great end. We abstain from food with this view, -- that, by the grace of God conveyed into our souls through this outward means, in conjunction with all the other channels of his grace which he hath appointed, we may be enabled to abstain from every passion and temper which is not pleasing in his sight. We refrain from the one, that, being endued with power from on high, we may be able to refrain from the other. So that your argument proves just the contrary to what you designed. It proves that we ought to fast. For if we ought to abstain from evil tempers and desires, then we ought thus to abstain from food; since these little instances of self-denial are the ways God hath chose, wherein to bestow that great salvation.