Wesley Corpus

“Thy money perish with thee!” (And so doubtless it did.) “Thou hast neither part, nor lot in this matter; for thy heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee.” (Acts viii. 20, &c.) So that St. Peter had no thought of any absolute reprobation even in the case of Simon Magus. “They are without excuse; because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God--wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness--who changed the truth of God into a lie.-- For this cause God gave them up to vile affections.--As they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient.” (Rom. i. 20, &c.) “Them that perish, because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, to believe a lie; that they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.” (2 Thess. ii. 10, &c.) 20. How will you reconcile reprobation with the following scriptures, which declare God’s willingness that all should be saved ? “As many as ye shall find, bid” (invite) “to the marriage.” (Matt. xxii. 9.) “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” (Mark xvi. 15.) “And when he came near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, saying, If” (rather, O that) “thou hadst known, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace l” (Luke xix. 41, &c.) “These things I say, that ye may be saved,” (John v. 34.) viz., those who persecuted him, and “sought to slay him,” (verse 16,) and of whom he complains, “Ye will not come unto me, that ye may have life.” (Verse 40.) “God that made the world and all things therein--giveth to all life, and breath, and all things, and hath made of one blood all nations of men, for to dwell on all the face of the earth-- That they should seek the Lord.” (Acts xvii. 24.) Observe, this was God’s end in creating all nations on all the earth.