Wesley Corpus

a madman, or a man in his senses? a knave, or an honest man? No; this is only brought in by way of illustration. The question is, of the office and opera tion of the Holy Spirit; with which the doctrine of the new birth, and indeed the whole of real religion, is connected. On a subject of so deep concern, I desire to be serious as death. But, at the same time, your Lordship will permit me to use great plainness. And this I am the more emboldened to do, because by naming my name, your Lordship, as it were, condescends to meet me on even ground. I shall consider, First, what your Lordship advances con cerning me: and, Then, what is advanced concerning the operations of the Holy Spirit. I. First. Concerning me. It is true I am here dealing in crambe repetita,” reciting objections which have been urged and answered a hundred times. But as your Lordship is pleased to repeat them again, I am obliged to repeat the answers. Your Lordship begins: “If the false prophet pretend to some extraordinary measure of the Spirit, we are directed to try that spirit by James iii. 17.” (Page 117.) I answer, 1. (as I have done many times before,) I do not pretend to any extraordinary measure of the Spirit. I pretend to no other measure of it than may be claimed by every Christian Minis ter. 2. Where are we directed to “try Prophets” by this text? How does it appear that it was given for any such purpose? It is certain we may try Christians hereby, whether they are real or pretended ones; but I know not that either St. James, or any other inspired writer, gives us the least hint of trying Prophets thereby. Your Lordship adds, “In this rule or direction for the trial of spirits, the marks are to be applied only negatively. The man in whom they are not found hath not the “wisdom from above.’ But we are not to conclude, that he has it in whom any or all of them are found.” (Page 118.) We are not to conclude that he is a Prophet, for the Apostle says nothing about Pro phets; but may we not conclude, the man in whom all these are * Thus translated from Juvenal by Gifford:-- “The selfsame subject, in the selfsame words.”--EDIT.