Wesley Corpus

Ant.--Doubtless; but he is holy in Christ, not in himself. Friend.--Does he not live a holy life; and is he not holy of heart 2 Ant.--Most certainly. Friend.--Is he not, by plain consequence, holy in himself? Ant.--No, no, in Christ only; not holy in himself: He has no holiness at all in himself. Friend.--Has he not in him the love of God, and of his neighbour; yea, the whole image of God? Ant.--He has. But this is not gospel holiness. Friend.--What vain jangling is this ! You cavil at the name, while you allow the whole thing I contend for. You allow, a believer is holy both in heart and life. This is all I mean by inherent righteousness or holiness. Ant.--But I tell you, this is not gospel holiness. Gospel holiness is faith. Friend.--Stand to this, and you still give up the whole cause. For, on your supposition, I argue thus:--Faith is holiness or righteousness: But faith is in every believer: Therefore, holiness or righteousness is in every believer. Ant.--Alas, alas! I pity you. Take my word for it, you are in utter darkness. You know nothing yet of true faith; nothing at all about it. Friend.--Will you then be so kind as to explain it to me? Ant.--I will. I will make it as clear as the sun. I will show you the very marrow of that doctrine which “I recommend, with all my heart, to all, as the most wholesome doctrine of Jesus Christ. “Many think they know it, when they have but crude, carnal, indigested notions of it. And they imagine we rest contented with such a faith as theirs; namely, that Christ has died to ward off the wrath of God, to purchase his favour, and, as an effect of that, to obtain certain inherent qualities and dispositions, to make us meet for the kingdom of heaven. Was this our faith, it would be requisite to seek after this sort of sanctification, and not to be at rest, without we felt some thing of it. But, on the contrary, we believe that the blood shed upon the cross has put away and blotted out all our sins, and that then there was an everlasting righteousness brought in : By believing which, our hearts and consciences are made as perfectly clean as though we had never sinned.