Wesley Corpus

Thus far touching the meritorious cause of our justifica tion; referred to in the Eleventh Article. The Twelfth and Thirteenth are a summary of what now follows, with regard to the condition of it:-- “Of justifying, true faith, three things are specially to be noted: First, that it bringeth forth good works: Secondly, that without it can no good works be done: Thirdly, what good works it doth bring forth.” (Sermon on Faith. Part I.) “Without faith can no good work be done, accepted and pleasant unto God. For ‘as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself,” saith our Saviour Christ, ‘except it abide in the vine, so cannot you, except you abide in me.’ Faith giveth life to the soul; and they be as much dead to God that lack faith, as they be to the world whose bodies lack souls. Without faith all that is done of us is but dead before God. Even as a picture is but a dead representation of the thing itself, so be the works of all unfaithful (unbelieving) persons before God. They be but shadows of lively and good things, and not good things indeed. For true faith doth give life to the works, and without faith no work is good before God.” (Ibid. Part III.) “We must set no good works before faith, nor think that before faith a man may do any good works. For such works are as the course of an horse that runneth out of the way, which taketh great labour, but to no purpose.” (Ibid.) “Without faith we have no virtues, but only the shadows of them. All the life of them that lack the true faith is sin.” (Ibid.) “As men first have life, and after be nourished, so must our faith go before, and after be nourished with, good works. And life may be without nourishment, but nourishment cannot be without life.” (Homily of Works annexed to Faith. Part I.) “I can show a man that by faith without works lived and came to heaven. But without faith never man had life. The thief on the cross only believed, and the most merciful God justified him. Truth it is, if he had lived and not regarded faith and the works thereof, he should have lost his salvation again. But this I say, faith by itself saved him.