Wesley Corpus

“Alas,” says he, “what can I do ! You know, man can do nothing.” If you reply: “But you do not desire salvation; you are not willing to be saved:” “It may be so,” says he, “but God shall make me willing in the day of his power.” So, waiting for irresistible grace, he falls faster asleep than ever. See him again, when he throughly awakes out of sleep; when, in spite of his principles, fearfulness and trem bling are come upon him, and an horrible dread hath overwhelmed him. How then will you comfort him that is well-nigh swallowed up of over-much sorrow? If at all, by applying the promises of God. But against these he is fenced on every side. “These indeed,” says he, “are great and precious promises. But they belong to the elect only. Therefore they are nothing to me. I am not of that number. And I never can be; for his decree is unchangeable.” Has he already tasted of the good word, and the powers of the world to come? Being justified by faith, hath he peace with God? Then sin hath no dominion over him. But by and by, considering he may fall foully indeed, but cannot fall finally, he is not so jealous over himself as he was at first; he grows a little and a little slacker, till ere long he falls again into the sin from which he was clean escaped. As soon as you perceive he is entangled again and overcome, you apply the scriptures relating to that state. You conjure him not to harden his heart any more, lest his last state be worse than the first. “How can that be?” says he: “Once in grace, always in grace; and I am sure I was in grace once. You shall never tear away my shield.” So he sins on, and sleeps on, till he awakes in hell. 88. The observing these melancholy examples day by day, this dreadful havoc which the devil makes of souls, especially of those who had begun to run well, by means of this anti scriptural doctrine, constrains me to oppose it from the same principle whereon I labour to save souls from destruction. Nor is it sufficient to ask, Are there not also many who wrest the opposite doctrine to their own destruction?