Wesley Corpus

He that cursed or swore, perhaps at every sentence, has now learned to serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice unto him with reverence. Those formerly enslaved to various habits of sin, are now brought to uniform habits of holiness. These are demonstrable facts. I can name the men, with their several places of abode. One of them was an avowed Atheist for many years; some were Jews; a con siderable number Papists; the greatest part of them as much strangers to the form, as to the power, of godliness. When you have weighed these things touching the conse quences of my preaching, on the one hand, (somewhat different from those set down in your Remarks,) and of your preaching, on the other, I would earnestly recommend the following words to your deepest consideration:--“Beware of false prophets; ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree” (every true Prophet or Teacher) “bringeth forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.” (Matt. vii. 15, &c.) III. 1. Having spoken more largely than I designed on the principle I hold in common with the Moravians, I shall touch very briefly on those errors (so called) which you say I hold more than theirs. (Remarks, page 55.) You name, as the first, my holding that “a man may have a degree of justifying faith before he has, in the full, proper sense, a new, a clean heart.” (Ibid.) I have so often explained this, that I cannot throw away time in adding any more now; only this,--that the moment a sinner is justified, his heart is cleansed in a low degree. But yet he has not a clean heart, in the full, proper sense, till he is made perfect in love. 2. Another error you mention is this doctrine of perfection. (Page 60.) To save you from a continual ignoratio elemchi, I wave disputing on this point also, till you are better ac quainted with my real sentiments. I have declared them on hat head again and again; particularly in the sermon on “Christian Perfection.” 3.