Wesley Corpus

“But if ye have bitter zeal and strife in your heart, do not glory and lie against the truth; ” as if any such zeal, anything contrary to love, could consist with true wisdom. “This wisdom de scendeth not from above; but is earthly, sensual, devilish : For where bitter zeal and strife are, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom which is from above,” which every one that hath is a real Christian, and he only, --“is first pure,” free from all that is earthly, sensual, devil ish: “then peaceable,” benign, loving, making peace; “gentle,” soft, mild, yielding, not morose, or sour; “easy to be entreated,” to be persuaded or convinced, not stubborn, self-willed, or self-conceited; “full of mercy,” of tenderness and compassion; “and good fruits,” both in the heart and life. Two of these are immediately specified; “without par tiality,” loving and doing good to all, without respect of per sons; “and without hypocrisy,” sincere, frank, open. I desire to be tried by this test. I try myself by it con tinually: Not, indeed, whether I am a Prophet, (for it has nothing to do with this,) but whether I am a Christian. I. The present question then is, (not what is Mr. Law, or what are the Moravians, but) what is John Wesley? And, (1.) Is he pure or not? “Not pure; for he separates rea son from grace.” (Page 156.) A wonderful proof! But I deny the fact. I never did separate reason from grace. “Yes, you do; for your own words are, ‘The points we chiefly in sisted on were four: (1.) That orthodoxy, or right opinion, is at best but a very slender part of religion; if it can be allowed to be any part of it at all.’” (Page 157.) After premising that it is our bounden duty to labour after a right judgment in all things, as a wrong judgment naturally leads to wrong practice, I say again, right opinion is at best but a very slender part of religion, (which properly and di rectly consists in right tempers, words, and actions,) and fre quently it is no part of religion. For it may be where there is no religion at all; in men of the most abandoned lives; yea, in the devil himself.