Wesley Corpus

“The question,” say you, “is, Which way is a defiled and impure mind to be made a good one?” Nothing less. The present question between you and me is this, and no other, Has a believer any goodness in him at all? any love, meekness, or gentleness? 2. “You say, An impure mind is made good by goodness, &c. I say, By believing in Christ.” This is mere playing upon words. If the question stood thus, “Which way is an evil mind made good P” you are conscious I should make the very same reply,-“By believing in Jesus Christ.” 3. “By this my conscience becomes purged and clean, as though I had not committed sin.” Here you run away from the question, notwithstanding that express caution, “Observe, we are not speaking of justification, but sanctifica tion.” (First Dialogue, page 275.) 4. “And such a purged conscience bears forth the fruit of love, meekness, gentle ness,” &c. You here give up the cause. You grant all I desire, viz., that “there are these dispositions in all believers.” It avails nothing therefore to add, “But we are not made good by goodness, or gentle by gentleness. We are only denominated good or gentle from these fruits of the Spirit; ” since a believer can neither be made nor denomi nated so, without having goodness or gentleness in him. Ant.--Then how dare you affirm, that a believer in Christ “is not really holy?” Friend.--You have forgotten yourself. I affirm that he is. If you affirm so too, our dispute is at an end. For if he is really holy, then he is inwardly or inherently holy. And if you grant this, you may express it as you please. I have no leisure for strife of words. Ant.--But why will not you cut off all occasion of such strife, by speaking as I do? Friend.--I cannot in conscience speak in the way that you do; and that for several plain reasons: (Even setting aside that main consideration, whether the things you speak be right or wrong:) 1. Because it is a confused way of speaking; so that unless a man has both a clear apprehension, and a large measure of patience, he will hardly find out any consistent meaning in what you say. 2. Because it is an insincere way of speaking. For you seem to mean what you do not. 3.