Wesley Corpus

A. Prayers for entire sanctification; which, were there no such thing, would be mere mockery of God. Such, in parti cular, are, (1) “Deliver us from evil;” or rather, “from the evil one.” Now, when this is done, when we are delivered from all evil, there can be no sin remaining. (2.) “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one.” (John xvii. 20, 21, 23.) (3) “I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ--that he would grant you --that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend, with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.” (Eph. iii. 14, 16-19.) (4.) “The very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. v. 23.) Q. 8. What command is there to the same effect 7 A. (1) “Be ye perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. v. 48.) (2.) “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” (Matt. xxii. 37.) But if the love of God fill all the heart, there can be no sin there. Q. 9. But how does it appear that this is to be done before the article of death? A. First. From the very nature of a command, which is not given to the dead, but to the living. Therefore, “Thou shalt love God with all thy heart,” cannot mean, Thou shalt do this when thou diest, but while thou livest. Secondly.