Wesley Corpus

And,-- 5. To observe, as days of fasting or abstinence, all Fridays in the year. of MoNDAY, June 25th, 1744 THE following persons being met at the Foundery,-John Wesley; Charles Wesley; John Hodges, Rector of Wenvo; Henry Piers, Vicar of Bexley; Samuel Taylor, Vicar of Quin ton; and John Meriton; after some time spent in prayer, the design of our meeting was proposed; namely, to consider, 1. What to teach; 2. How to teach; and, 3. What to do; that is, how to regulate our doctrine, disci pline, and practice. We began with considering the doctrine of justification: The questions relating to, with the substance of the answers given thereto, were as follows: Q. 1. What is it to be justified? A. To be pardoned and received into God’s favour; into such a state, that, if we continue therein, we shall be finally saved. Q. 2. Is faith the condition of justification? A. Yes; for every one who believeth not is condemned; and every one who believes is justified. Q. 3. But must not repentance, and works meet for repent ance, go before this faith? A. Without doubt; if by repentance you mean conviction of sin; and by works meet for repentance, obeying God as far as we can, forgiving our brother, leaving off from evil, doing good, and using his ordinances, according to the power we have received. Q. 4. What is faith? A. Faith in general is a divine, supernatural exeyxos (elen chos) of things not seen; that is, of past, future, or spiritual things: It is a spiritual sight of God and the things of God. First. A sinner is convinced by the Holy Ghost, “Christ loved me, and gave himself for me.” This is that faith by which he is justified, or pardoned, the moment he receives it. Immediately the same Spirit bears witness, “Thou art par doned; thou hast redemption in his blood.” And this is saving faith, whereby the love of God is shed abroad in his heart. Q. 5. Have all Christians this faith? May not a man be justified, and not know it? A. That all true Christians have such a faith as implies an assurance of God’s love, appears from Romans viii. 15; Ephes. iv. 32; 2 Cor. xiii. 5; Heb. viii. 10; 1 John iv. 10, and 19.