Wesley Corpus

Hervey said, “On Christ's death sinners are to rely as the cause of their forgiveness; on Christ’s obedience, as the ground of their acceptance.” I asked, “How does this agree with page 58, where we read these words? ‘However I may express myself, I would always have the obedience and the death of Christ understood as a glorious aggregate, looking upon all this as the foundation of my hope.’” I ask again, How does the former sentence agrce with this?' And if a man think it agrees perfectly well, yet he has no ground to charge me with disingenuity for thinking otherwise. (3.) A Third proof is brought, page 37: “Theron calls the terms inherent and imputed, nice distinctions, and meta physical subtilties. Mr. Wesley makes Aspasio apply this to the active and passive righteousness of Christ, whereas he is treating of a subject totally different.” Upon recurring to the “Dialogues,” I find this is true. Here therefore is a breach of literary justice. But it was not a designed one; as may appear from hence, that this was originally sent to Mr. Hervey himself, and him only. Now, had I been ever so dishonest, I should not have been so foolish, had I been conscious of any dishonest dealing, as to appeal to him, who of all others could not fail immediately to detect it. (4.) A Fourth runs thus: “‘Barely to demonstrate his sovereignty, is a principle of action fit for the great Turk, not the most high God.” Such a fraudulent quotation I have not seen, no, not in the Critical Reviewers. To mark the first sentence with commas, and thereby assign it to me, is really a masterpiece, especially when you have thrust in the word barely, and lopped off the word grace.” (Page 284.) In my Letter the whole paragraph is: “‘The grand end which God proposes in all his favourable dispensations to fallen man is, to demonstrate the sovereignty of his grace.’” (Is the word barely thrust in here, or the word grace lopped off? And could any one, who had eyes to read this, be deceived by my citing afterward part of this sentence?) “Not so; to impart happiness to his creatures is his grand end herein.