Wesley Corpus

Peter, coming to Christ upon the water, because he fainted in faith, was in danger of drowning. So we, if we begin to waver or doubt, it is to be feared lest we should sink as Peter did,--not into the water, but into the bottomless pit of hell-fire. Therefore I say unto yeu, that we must apprehend the merits of Christ's death by faith, and that with a strong and steadfast faith; nothing deubting but that Christ by his own oblation hath taken away eur sins, and hath restored us again to God's favour.” (Ibid.) 5. it it be still said that the Church speaks only cf men in sereral, but net of the confidence of this or that particular person; even this last poor subterfuge is utterly cut off by the following words:-- “Thou, O man, hast received the body of Christ which was once broken, and his blood which was shed for the remission of thy sin. Thou hastreceived his body to have within thee the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, for to endow thee with grace, and to comfort thee with their presence. Thou hastreceived his body to endow thee with everlasting righteousness, and to assure thee of everlasting bliss.” (Sermon on the Resurrection.) I shall add but one passage more, from the first part of the “Sermon on the Sacrament:”-- “Have a sure and constant faith, not only that the death of Christ is available for all the world, but that he hath made a full and sufficient sacrifice for thee, a perfect cleansing of thy sins, so that thou mayest say with the Apostle, ‘He loved thee, and gave himself for thee. For this is to make Christ thine own, and to apply his merits unto thyself.” Let every reasonable man now judge for himself, what is the sense of our Church as to the nature of saving faith. Does it not abundantly appear that the Church of England supposes every particular believer to have a sure confidence that his sins are forgiven, and he himself reconciled to God? Yea, and how can the absolute necessity of this faith, this unwavering confidence, be more strongly or peremptorily asserted, than it is in those words: “If we begin to waver or doubt, it is to be feared lest we sink as Peter did,--not into the water, but into the bottomless pit of hell-fire?” 6.