Wesley Corpus

was for many years without God in the world, a common swearer, a drunkard, or a Sabbath-breaker? “Or, (2.) That he is not so now 7 “Or, (3.) That he continued so till he heard this man preach, and from that time was another man? “Not so. The proper way to prove these facts is, by the testimony of competent witnesses. And these witnesses are ready, whenever required, to give full evidence of them. “Or, would you have us prove by miracles, “(4.) That this was not done by our own power or holi mess? that God only is able to raise the dead, to quicken those who are dead in trespasses and sins? “Surely no. Whosoever believes the Scriptures will want no new proof of this. “Where then is the wisdom of those men who demand mira cles in proof of such a proposition? One branch of which, “that such sinners are reformed by means of these Teachers,’ being a plain fact, can only be proved by testimony, as all other facts are; and the other, ‘that this is a work of God, and a great and more than ordinary work, needs no proof, as carrying its own evidence to every thinking man. “8. To sum up this: No truly wise or sober man can possibly desire or expect miracles, to prove, either, (1.) That these doc trines are true;--this must be decided by Scripture and reason: Or, (2.) That these facts are true;--this can only be proved by testimony: Or, (3.) That to change sinners from darkness to light, is the work of God alone; only using what instruments he pleases;--this is glaringly self-evident:-Or, (4.) That such a change wrought in so many notorious sinners, within so short a time, is a great and extraordinary work of God. What then is it remains to be proved by miracles? Perhaps you will say, it is this: ‘That God has called, or sent, you to do this. Nay, this is implied in the Third of the foregoing propositions. If God has actually used us therein, if his work hath in fact prospered in our hands, then he hath called or sent us to do this.