Wesley Corpus

Friend.--Now, I believe and reason too: For I find no inconsistency between them. And I would just as soon put out my eyes to secure my faith, as lay aside my reason. Ant.--But do not men abuse their reason continually? Therefore it is best to have nothing to do with it. Friend.--So, now you are doing the very thing you con demn ! You are reasoning against reasoning. And no wonder; for it is impossible, without reasoning, either to prove or disprove any thing. Ant.--But can you deny the fact? Do not men abuse their reason continually? Friend.--They do. The fact I deny not. But I deny the inference drawn from it. For if we must lay aside whatever men abuse continually, we must lay aside the Bible; nay, and meat and drink too. Ant.--Well, but come to the point. In what do you trust for justification and salvation? Friend.--In the alone merits of Christ, which are mine, if I truly believe that he loved me, and gave himself for me. Ant.--If! So you make salvation conditional ! Friend.--And do not you? Else you make God a liar: For his express words are, “He that believeth shall be saved; he that believeth not shall be damned.” What is this but to say, If thou believest, (there is the condition,) thou shalt be saved ? Ant.--But I do not like that word, condition. Friend.--Then find a better, and we will lay it aside. Ant.--However, I insist upon it, “nothing else beside faith is required” in order to justification and salvation. Friend.--What do you mean by nothing else is required? Ant--I mean, “there is but one duty, which is that of believing. One must do nothing, but quietly attend the voice of the Lord. The gates of heaven are shut upon workers, and open to believers. If we do nothing for heaven, we do as much as God requires.” Friend.--Do you really mean, we are to do nothing, in order to present or final salvation, but “only to believe?” Ant.--Do not I tell you so? “To believe certainly, that Christ suffered death for us, is enough; we want no more. We are justified by our submitting in our judgments to the truth of God’s grace in Christ Jesus. It is not neces sary that a man do any works, that he may be justified and saved.