Wesley Corpus

This text, therefore, is directly to the purpose, in respect of both the propositions to be proved. The other is, “We love him, because he first loved us.” And here also, for fear I should fail in the proof, you have drawn it up ready to my hands:-- “God sent his only Son to redeem us from sin, by purchas ing for us grace and salvation. By which grace we, through faith and repentance, have our sins pardoned; and therefore we are bound to return the tribute of our love and gratitude, and to obey him faithfully as long as we live.” Now, that we have our sins pardoned, if we do not know they are pardoned, cannot bind us either to love or obedience. But if we do know it, and by that very knowledge or confidence in the pardoning love of God are both bound and enabled to love and obey him, this is the whole of what I contend for. 2. You afterwards object against some othertexts which I had cited to illustrate the nature of saving faith. My words were, “Hear believing Job declaring his faith: ‘I know that my Redeemer liveth.’” I here affirm two things: (1.) That Job was then a believer. (2.) That he declared his faith in these words. And all I affirm, you allow. Your own words are, “God was pleased to bestow upon him a strong assurance of his favour; to inspire him with a prophecy of the resurrection, and that he should have a share in it.” I went on, “Hear Thomas (when having seen he believed) crying out, ‘My Lord and my God.” Hereon you comment thus: “The meaning of which is, that St. Thomas makes a confession both of his faith and repentance.” I agree with you. But you add, “In St. Thomas’s confession there is not implied an assurance of pardon.” You cannot agree with yourself in this; but immediately subjoin, “If it did imply such an assurance, he might well have it, since he had an immediate revelation of it from God himself.” Yet a little before you endeavoured to prove that one who was not a whit behind the very chief Apostles had not such an assurance; where, in order to show that faith does not imply this, you said, “St.