Wesley Corpus

You add: “He doth not consider this world as a state of trial, but as if it ought to have been a seat of happiness.” (Pages 34, 35.) There is no contrariety between these: It might be a state of trial and of happiness too. And such it certainly was to Adam in Paradise; whether he was holy or no, he was undoubtedly happy. A state of trial, therefore, does not necessarily imply any kind or degree of natural evil; and, accordingly, the Creator himself assures us, there was none originally in his creation. For so I read at the conclu sion of it: “And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good.” (Gen. i. 31.) “But natural evil may be mixed with a state of trial; consequently this world could not be built for a seat of hap piness.” Admirable drawing of consequences ! It may be; therefore, it could not be otherwise. Whatever may be, God himself here tells us what was. And from his own declara tion, it is infallibly certain, there was no natural evil in the world, until it entered as the punishment of sin. “Neither doth he take a future state into his representa tion.” (Page 36.) No, nor is there any need he should, when he is representing the present state of the world as a punish ment of Adam's sin.” “Nor doth he take into his argument the goodness of God.” (Page 37.) Not into this argument; that is of after consideration. So the texts you have heaped to gether on this head also are very good; but what do they prove? “He supposes our sufferings to be mere punishments.” I suppose they are punishments mixed with mercy. But still they are punishments; they are evils inflicted on account of sin. “We find, in fact, that the best of men may be made very unhappy, by calamities and oppressions.” (Page 39.) It can not be. The best of men cannot be made unhappy by any calamities or oppressions whatsoever; for they “have learned in every” possible “state, therewith to be content.” In spite of all calamities, they “rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks.” “From punishments inflicted on particular persons, he infers that all men are under the wrath of God.