Wesley Corpus

45.) “He is our atonement and reconciliation with God, because by him we are set again in our first state of holiness.” (Part I., p. 10.) “The atonement of the divine wrath or justice,” (a mere solecism, on which your whole reasoning for several pages is built) “and the extinguishing of sin in the creature, are only different expressions of the same thing.”(Part II.,p.86) Nay, the former is an expression of nothing: It is flat nonsense. “All that Christ does as an atonement, has no other opera tion but that of renewing the fallen nature of man.” (Page 106.) Here are seven peremptory assertions. But till they are fully proved I cannot give up my Bible. But you grow bolder and bolder, and say, “The satisfaction of Christ is represented in all our systems of divinity, as a satisfaction made to God; and the sufferings and death of Christ, as that which could only avail with God to have mercy on man. Nay, what is still worse, if possible, the ground, and nature, and efficacy of this great transaction between God and man is often explained by debtor and creditor; man as having contracted a debt with God, which he could not pay, and God as having a right to insist upon the payment of it.” (Page 91.) “There is no wrath in God, no fictitious atonement, no folly of debtor and creditor.” (Page 131.) “What is still worse, if possible! Folly of debtor and cre ditor!” Surely I would not have spoken thus, unless I had been above the Son of God. “After this manner pray ye, Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.” (Matthew vi. 9, 12.) “And Jesus said, There was a certain creditor which had two debtors.” Luke vii. 41.) “The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who would take account of his servants. And one was brought unto him who owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his Lord commanded him to be sold, and all that he had. The servant fell down, saying, Lord, have patience with me. And his Lord was moved with compassion, and forgave him the debt.” Yet, afterwards, on his unmerci fulness to his fellow-servant, he retracted that forgiveness; “ and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.