Wesley Corpus

Friend.--I believe he made, by that one oblation of him self, once offered, a full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the whole world. And yet he hath not “dome all which was necessary for the” absolute, infallible, inevitable “ salvation of the whole world.” If he had, the whole world would be saved; whereas, “he that believeth not shall be damned.” Ant.--But is it not said, “‘He was wounded for our trans gressions, and with his stripes we are healed?’ And is he not ‘the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sins of the world?’” (Page 4.) Friend.--Yes. But this does not prove that he “put an end to our sins before they had a beginning !” (Ibid.) Ant.--O ignorance ! Did not our sins begin in Adam? Friend.--Original sin did. But Christ will not put an end to this before the end of the world. And, as to actual, if I now feel anger at you in my heart, and it breaks out in reproachful words; to say Christ put an end to this sin before it began, is a glaring absurdity. Ant.--But I say, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. He hath made him sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” And St. Peter says, “Who his own self bare our sins in his body on the tree.” Friend.--To what purpose do you heap these texts together? to prove that Christ “put an end to our sins” before they had a beginning? If not, spare your labour; for they are quite foreign to the present question. Ant.--However, that is not foreign to the present ques tion, which you said the other day; viz., that “Christ has only redeemed us from the punishment due to our past transgressions.” (Ibid.) Friend.--I neither said so, northought so. You either care lessly or wilfully misrepresent my words. On your quoting that text, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law,” I replied in these terms: “What is this to the pur pose? This tells me that Christ hath redeemed us (all that believe) from the curse or punishment justly due to our past transgressions of God's law.