Wesley Corpus

3. Yet it cannot be denied, that this writer himself has a marginal note in favour of Christianity. "Who would not wish," says he, "that the Christian Revelation could be proved to be of God Seeing it is, unquestionably, the most benevolent institution that ever appeared in the world!" But is not this, if it be considered thoroughly, another blow at the very root of that Revelation Is it more or less than to say: "I wish it could; but in truth it cannot be proved." 4. Another ingenious writer advances an hypothesis totally different from this. Mr. Wollaston, in the book which he entitles, "The Religion of Nature Delineated," endeavours to prove, that truth is the essence of virtue, or conformableness to truth. But it seems, Mr. Wollaston goes farther from the Bible than Mr. Hutcheson himself. For Mr. Hutcheson's scheme sets aside only one of the two great commandments, namely, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God;" whereas Mr. Wollaston sets aside both: For his hypothesis does not place the essence of virtue in either the love of God or of our neighbour. 5. However, both of these authors agree, though in different ways, to put asunder what God has joined. But St. Paul unites them together in teaching us to "speak the truth in love." And undoubtedly, both truth and love were united in him to whom He who knows the hearts of all men gives this amiable character, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!"