Wesley Corpus

“Men who are far gone in their mad principles of religion, suspend the hand of industry, become inactive, and leave all to Providence, without exercising either their heads or hands. “The doctrine of regeneration is essential with political Methodists;--who are now regenerated, place all merit in faith, and have thrown good works aside.” I am pressed by those to whose judgment I pay great regard, to take some notice of these assertions; and the rather, because you sometimes seem as if you thought the Christian institu tion was of God. Now, if you really think so, or if you desire that any man should believe you do, you must not talk so ludicrously of regeneration; for it is an essential doctrine of Christianity. And you may probably have heard, or even read in former years, that it was the Author of this institution who said, “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of Cod.” This he represents as the only possible entrance into the experimental knowledge of that religion, which is not founded (whatever you may suppose) on either madness or folly, but on the inmost nature of things, the nature of God and man, and the immutable relations between them. By this religion, we do not banish reason, but czalt it to its utmost perfection; this being in every point consistent therewith, and in every step guided thereby. But you say, “They hereby cut off the most essential recommendation to Heaven, virtue.” What virtue? that of self-murder; that of casting their own infants to be devoured by beasts or wolves; that of dragging at their chariot-wheels those whose only crimes were the love of their parents, or children, or country? These Roman virtues our religion does cut off; it leaves no place for them. And a reasonable Deist will allow, “that these are not the most essential recom mendation to Heaven.” But it is far from cutting off any sort, degree, or instance of genuine virtue; all which is con tained in the love of God and man, producing every divine and amiable temper. And this love we suppose (according to the Christian scheme) to flow from a sense of God’s love to us; which sense and persuasion of God’s love to man in Christ Jesus, particularly applied, we term faith ; a thing you seem to be totally unacquainted with.