Wesley Corpus

Wesley Collected Works Vol 10

AuthorJohn Wesley
Typetreatise
YearNone
Passage IDjw-wesley-collected-works-vol-10-460
Words395
Universal Redemption Catholic Spirit Scriptural Authority
F.’s art has found, that is, created, above an hundred contradictions in my works, and “could find abundance more.” Ay, five hundred; under his forming hand contradictions spring up as quick as mush rooms. And he that reads only (as is the manner of a thou sand readers) the running title at the top of each page,-- For election, Against election, For sinless perfection, Against sinless perfection, For imputed righteousness, Against imputed righteous ness, - and so on, will readily say, “What a heap of contradictions-- flat, palpable contradictions--is here!” Here! Where? “Why, at the top of every page.” True; and there lies the strength of the cause. The propositions themselves are plain enough; but neither Mr. H. nor any man living can prove them. 19. But, if so, if all this laboured contrast be only the work of a creative imagination, what has Mr. H., the cat’s paw of a party, been doing all this time? Has he not been abundantly “doing evil, that good might come,” that the dear decree of reprobation might stand? Has he not been “saying all manner of evil falsely;” pouring out slander like water, a first, a second, a third time, against one that never willingly offended him? And what recompence can he make (be his opinions right or wrong) for having so deeply injured me, without any regard either to mercy or truth? If he (not I myself) has indeed exposed me in so unjust and inhuman a manner, what amends can he make, as a Christian and a gentleman, to God, to me, or to the world? Can he gather up the foul, poisonous water which he has so abundantly poured out? If he still insists he has done me no wrong, he has only spoken “the truth in love;” if he is resolved at all hazards to fight it out, I will meet him on his own ground. Waving all things else, I fix on this point: “Is that scurrilous hotch-potch, which he calls a ‘Farrago, true or false?” Will he defend or retract it? An hundred and one propositions are produced as mine, which are affirmed to contradict other propositions of mine. Do I in these hundred and one instances contradict myself, or do I not? Observe: The question is, whether I contradict myself; not whether I con tradict somebody else; be it Mr.