Wesley Corpus

When you take it for granted, “In all preachings which a man begins or ends at his pleasure, does or leaves undone as he sees meet, he is not moved by the Spirit of God,” you are too hasty a great deal. It may be by the Spirit, that he sees meet to do or leave it undone. How will you prove that it is not? His pleasure may depend on the pleasure of God, signified to him by his Spirit. His appointing this or that time or place does in nowise prove the contrary. Prove me that proposition, if you can: “Every man who preaches or prays at an appointed time, preaches or prays in his own will, and not by the Spirit.” That “all such preaching is will-worship, in the sense St. Paul uses the word,” is no more true than that it is murder. That it is superstition, remains also to be proved. That it is abominable idolatry, how will you reconcile with what follows but a few lines after? “However, it might please God, who winked at the times of ignorance, to raise some breathings and answer them.” What! answer the breathings of abomi nable idolatry ! I observe how warily this is worded; but it allows enough. If God ever raised and answered those prayers which were made at set times, then those prayers could not be abominable idolatry. Again: That prayers and preachings, though made at appointed times, may yet proceed from the Spirit of God, may be clearly proved from those other words of Robert Barclay himself, page 389:-- “That preaching or prayer which is not done by the actings and movings of God’s Spirit cannot beget faith.” Most true. But preaching and prayer at appointed times have begotten faith both at Bristol and Paulton. You know it well. There fore that preaching and prayer, though at appointed times, was “done by the actings and movings of God’s Spirit.” It follows, that this preaching and prayer were far from “abominable idolatry.” That expression can never be defended. Say, It was a rash word, and give it up. In truth, from the beginning to the end, you set this matter upon a wrong foundation. It is not on this circumstance,-- the being at set times or not, that the acceptableness of our prayers depends; but on the intention and tempers with which we pray.