Wesley Corpus

It is now some years since I was engaged unawares in a conversation with a strong reasoner, who at first urged the wickedness of the American Indians, as a bar to our hope of converting them to Christianity. But when I mentioned their temperance, justice, and veracity, (according to the accounts I had then received,) it was asked, “Why, if those Heathens are such men as these, what will they gain by being made Christians? What would they gain by being such Christians as we see everywhere round about us?” I could not deny they would lose, not gain, by such a Christianity as this. Upon which she added, “Why, what else do you mean by Christian ity?” My plain answer was, “What do you apprehend to be more valuable than good sense, good nature, and good man ners? All these are contained, and that in the highest degree, in what I mean by Christianity. Good sense (so called) is but a poor, dim shadow of what Christians call faith. Good nature is only a faint, distant resemblance of Christian charity. And good manners, if of the most finished kind that nature, assisted by art, can attain to, is but a dead picture of that holiness of conversation which is the image of God visibly expressed. All these, put together by the art of God, I call Christianity.” “Sir, if this be Christianity,” said my opponent in amaze, “I never saw a Christian in my life.” 27. Perhaps it is the same case with you. If so, I am grieved for you, and can only wish, till you do see a living proof of this, that you would not say you see a Christian. For this is scrip tural Christianity, and this alone. Whenever, therefore, you see an unreasonable man, you see one who perhaps calls him self by that name, but is no more a Christian than he is an angel. So far as he departs from true, genuine reason, so far he departs from Christianity. Do not say, “This is only asserted, not proved.” It is undeniably proved by the original charter of Christianity. We appeal to this, to the written word. If any man’s temper, or words, or actions, are contradictory to right reason, it is evident to a demonstration, they are contra dictory to this.