Wesley Corpus

But whether you understand yourself or no, it is sure I do not understand you. How can my mind at the same time it is “continually disposed to evil,” be “free from sin, perfectly clean, perfectly holy?” Ant.--O the dulness of some men ' I do not mean really holy, but holy by imputation. I told you plainly, the holi ness of which we speak is not in us, but in Christ. “The fruits of the Spirit, (commonly called sanctification,) such as love, gentleness, longsuffering, goodness, meekness, temper ance, neither make us holy before God, nor in our own consciences.” Friend.--I know these cannot atone for one sin. This is done by the blood of Christ alone: For the sake of which, God forgives, and works these in us by faith. Do I reach your meaning now? Ant.-No, no; I wonder at your ignorance. I mean, “we are not made good or holy by any inward qualities or dispo sitions: But being made pure and holy in our consciences, by believing in Christ, we bear forth, inwardly and outwardly, the fruits of holiness.” Now, I hope, you understand me. Friend.--I hope not. For, if I do, you talk as gross nonsense and contradiction as ever came out of the mouth of man. Ant.--How so? Friend.--You say, “We are not made good or holy by any inward qualities or dispositions.” No | are we not made good by inward goodness? (observe, we are not speaking of justification, but sanctification;) holy, by inward holiness? meek, by inward meekness? gentle, by inward gentleness? And are not all these, if they are anything at all, “inward qualities or dispositions?” Again: Just after denying that we have any inward holi ness, you say, “We are made holy in our consciences, and bear forth, inwardly and outwardly, the fruits of holiness.” What heaps of self-contradictions are here ! Ant.--You do not take me right. I mean, these inward dispositions “are not our holiness. For we are not more holy, if we have more love to God and man, nor less holy, if we have less.” Friend.--No ! Does not a believer increase in holiness, as he increases in the love of God and man? Ant.--I say, No. “The very moment he is justified, he is wholly sanctified. And he is neither more nor less holy, from that hour, to the day of his death.