Wesley Corpus

“Now, the knowledge of the Spirit of God in yourself is as perceptible as covetousness.” Perhaps so; for this is as difficultly perceptible as any temper of the human soul. “And liable to no more delusion.” Indeed it need not ; for this is liable to ten thousand delusions. You add: “His spirit is more distinguishable from all other spirits, than any of your natural affections are from one another.” (Page 199.) Suppose joy and grief: Is it more distinguishable from all other spirits, than these are from one another? Did any man ever mistake grief for joy? No, not from the beginning of the world. But did none ever mistake nature for grace? Who will be so hardy as to affirm this? But you set your pupil as much above the being taught by books, as being taught by men. “Seek,” say you, “for help no other way, neither from men, nor books; but wholly leave yourself to God.” (Spirit of Love, Part II., p. 225.) But how can a man “leave himself wholly to God,” in the total neglect of his ordinances? The old Bible way is, to “leave ourselves wholly to God,” in the constant use of all the means he hath ordained. And I cannot yet think the new is better, though you are fully persuaded it is. “There are two ways,” you say, “ of attaining goodness and virtue; the one by books or the ministry of men, the other by an inward birth. The former is only in order to the latter.” This is most true, that all the externals of religion are in order to the renewal of our soul in righteousness and true holiness. But it is not true, that the external way is one, and the internal way another. There is but one scriptural way, wherein we receive inward grace, through the outward means which God hath appointed. Some might think that when you advised, “not to seek help from books,” you did not include the Bible. But you clear up this, where you answer the objection, of your not esteeming the Bible enough. You say, “How could you more magnify John the Baptist, than by going from his teaching, to be taught by that Christ to whom he directed you? Now, the Bible can have no other office or power, than to direct you to Christ.