Wesley Corpus

We wrestled with God in his behalf; and our labour was not in vain. His soul was comforted; and a few hours after he quietly fell asleep.” A strange proof this likewise, either of inexorableness, or of “dooming men to per dition 1’’ Therefore this charge too stands totally unsupported. Here is no proof of my unmercifulness yet. “Good fruits come next to be considered, which Mr. Wesley's idea of true religion does not promise. He saith,” (I will repeat the words a little at large, that their true sense may more clearly appear,) “‘In explaining those words, The kingdom of God, or true religion, is not meats and drinks, I was led to show, that religion does not properly consist in harmlessness, using the means of grace, and doing good, that is, helping our neighbours, chiefly by giving alms; but that a man might both be harmless, use the means of grace, and do muchgood, and yet have no truereligion at all.’” (Tract, p. 203.) He may so. Yet whoever has true religion, must be “zealous of good works.” And zeal for all good works is, according to my idea, an essential ingredient of true religion. “Spiritual cures are all the good fruits he pretends to.” (Pages 204, 205.) Not quite all, says William Kirkman, with some others. “A few of his spiritual cures we will set in a fair light: ‘The first time I preached at Swalwell,” (chiefly to col liers, and workers in the iron work,) “‘none seemed to be con vinced, only stunned.’” I mean amazed at what they heard, though they were the first principles of religion. “But he brings them to their senses with a vengeance.” No, not them. These were different persons. Are they lumped together, in order to set things in a fair light? The whole paragraph runs thus: “I carefully examined those who had lately cried out in the congregation. Some of these, I found, could give no account at all, how or wherefore they had done so; only that of a sud den they dropped down, they knew not how; and what they afterward said or did they knew not. Others could just remem ber, they were in fear, but could not tell what they were in fear of Several said they were afraid of the devil; and this was all they knew.