Wesley Corpus

Therefore, instead of, “He may not know that he has peace with God till long after,” it should be, (to agree with Michael Linner’s words,) “He may not have, till long after, the full assurance of faith, which excludes all doubt and fear.” “I believe a man is justified at the same time that he is born of God. “And he that is born of God sinneth not. “Which deliverance from sin he cannot have, without knowing that he has it.” “Yet I believe he may not know it till long after.” This also I utterly deny. “I believe, that Christ ‘formed in us” ought to be insisted on, as necessary to our justification.” I no more believe this than Christian David does, whose words concerning it are these:-- “It pleased God to show me, that Christ in us, and Christ for us, ought to be both insisted on. “But I clearly saw we ought not to insist on any thing we feel, any more than any thing we do, as if it were necessary previous to our justification. “And before a man can cKpect to be justified, he should be humble and penitent, and have a broken and contrite heart, that is, should have Christ formed in him.” No; that is quite another thing. I believe every man is penitent before he is justified; he repents before he believes the gospel. But it is never before he is justified, that Christ is formed in him. “And that this penitence and contrition is the work of the Holy Ghost. “Yet I believe that all this is nothing towards, and has no influence on, our justification.” Christian David’s words are, “Observe, this is not the foun dation. It is not this by which (for the sake of which) you are justified. This is not the righteousness, this is no part of the righteousness, by which you are reconciled to God. You grieve for your sins; you are deeply humbled; your heart is broken. Well; but all this is nothing to your justifieation.” The words immediately following fix the sense of this otherwise exceptionable sentence. “The remission of your sins is not owing to this cause, either in whole or in part. Your humilia tion has no influence on that.” Not as a cause; so the very last words explain it.