Wesley Corpus

Every one who now believes, knows how he sought and wished for that faith, before he experienced it. It is not true even with regard to your faith, a belief of the Bible. For I know Deists at this day, who have often wished they could believe the Bible, and owned, “it was happy for them that could.” 2. You vehemently contradict yourself, and do the very thing which you charge upon others. “If we imagine we possess or desire to attain any requisite to our acceptance with God, beside or in connexion with the bare work of Christ, Christ shall profit us nothing.” (Page 96.) Again: “What is required of us in order to our acceptance with God? Nothing. The least attempt to do anything is damnably criminal.” Very good. Now for self-consistency: “What Christ has done is that which quiets the conscience of man as soon as he knows it. So that he need ask no more than, ‘Is it true or not?” If he finds it true, he is happy. If he does not, he can reap no comfort from it. Our comfort arises from the persuasion of this.” (Page 12.) Again: “Men are justified by a knowledge of the righte ousness of Christ.” (Page 406.) And yet again: “The sole requisite to acceptance is, divine righteousness brought to view.” (Page 291.) So you have brought matters to a fine conclusion; confut ing an hundred of your own assertions, and doing the very thing for which you have been all along so unmercifully con demning others. You yourself here teach another “requisite to our acceptance, beside the bare work of Christ,” viz., the knowing that work, the finding it true. Therefore, by your own word, “Christ shall profit you nothing.” In one page you say, “Nothing is required in order to our acceptance with God;” in another, “Divine righteousness brought to view is requisite to our acceptance.” Brought to view / What self-righteousness is this? Which of “the popular Preachers” could have done worse? “Men are justified by a knowledge of the righteousness of Christ.” Knowledge / What ! our own knowledge ! Knowledge in us! Why, this 304 ANSWER TO LETTERS To is the very thing which we call faith.