Wesley Corpus

5. You next “take the pains to lay before the reader an instance or two of confusion,” &c. The first I read thus: “While we were at the room, Mrs. J., sitting at home, took the Bible to read; but on a sudden threw it away, saying, “I am good enough. I will never read or pray more. She was in the same mind when I came; often repeating, “I used to think I was full of sin, and that I sinned in every thing I did. But now I know better; I am a good Christian; I never did any harm in my life; I do not desire to be any better than I am. She spake many things to the same effect, plainly showing that the spirit of pride and of lies had the full dominion over her. I asked, “Do you desire to be healed?” She said, ‘I am whole.’ ‘But do you desire to be saved ?” She replied, ‘I am saved, Iail nothing, I am happy.” “This is one of the fruits of the present salvation and sinless perfection taught by you among the weak and igno rant.” (Page 11.) I should wonder if the scarecrow of sinless perfection was not brought in some way or other. But to the point: You here repeat a relation as from me, and that “in confirmation,” you say, “ of your own veracity,” and yet leave out both the beginning of that relation, part of the middle, and the end of it. I begin thus: “Sun. 11.--I met with a surprising instance of the power of the devil.” (Vol. I. p. 295.) These words, of all others, should not have been left out, being a key to all that follows. In the middle of the relation, immediately after the words, “I am happy,” I add, “Yet it was easy to discern she was in the most violent agony both of body and mind; sweating exceedingly, notwithstanding the severe frost, and not continuing in the same posture a moment: ”-- A plain proof that this was no instance of presumption, nor a natural fruit of any teaching whatever.