Wesley Corpus

Neither does the context prove that he was in any fault at all. Indeed, “he thought it not good to take him with them,” who had deserted them before. Now, certainly, there was no blame in this; neither was there any in his sub sequent behaviour. For when Barnabas also departed from it, he went on still in the work. “He went through Syria and Cilicia,” as he had proposed, “confirming the Churches.” Secondly. He misunderstands and misrepresents my sentiments on the subject. He says, “Mr. Wesley seems to maintain, that sinless perfection is actually attained by every one born of God.” (Page 39.) I do not maintain this; I do not believe it. I believe Christian perfection, or perfect love, (sinless perfection is an expression which I do not use or contend for,) is not attained by any of the children of God till they are what the Apostle John terms fathers. And this I expressly declare in that very sermon which Dr. E. so largely quotes. 5. Why Dr. E. should quarrel with me concerning natural free-will, I cannot conceive, unless for quarrelling's sake. For it is certain, on this head, if no other, we are precisely of one mind. I believe that Adam, before his fall, had such freedom of will, that he might choose either good or evil; but that, since the fall, no child of man has a natural power to choose anything that is truly good. Yet I know (and who does not?) that man has still freedom of will in things of an indifferent nature. Does not Dr. E. agree with me in this? O why should we seek occasion of contention 1 6. That Michael Servetus was “one of the wildest Anti trinitarians that ever appeared” is by no means clear. I doubt of it, on the authority of Calvin himself, who certainly was not prejudiced in his favour. For if Calvin does not misquote his words, he was no Antitrinitarian at all. Calvin himself gives a quotation from one of his letters, in which he expressly declares, “I do believe the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God. But I dare not use the word Trinity or Person.” I dare, and I think them very good words.