will I cleanse you-I will also save you from all your uncleannesses, c. xxxvi. v. 25, 29. No promise can be more clear. And to this the apostle plainly refers in that exhortation, Having these promises, let us cleanse ourselves, from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Cor. vii. 1. Equally clear and express is that ancient promise, The Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul. Deut. xxx. 6.

Q. 5.

"But does any assertion answerable to this, oc

cur in the New Testament?

A. "There does, and that laid down in the plainest terms. So St. John iii. 8. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the Devil. The works of the Devil, without any limitation or restriction but all sin is the work of the Devil. Parallel to which is that assertion of St. Paul, Eph. v. 25, 27. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it-that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

"And to same effect is his assertion in the viiith of the Romans (v. 3, 4.) God sent his Son-that the righteouness of the law might be fulfilled in us, walking not after the flesh but after the spirit.

Q. 6. "Does the New Testament afford any further ground, for expecting to be saved from all sin?

A. Undoubtedly it does, both in those prayers and commands which are equivalent to the strongest assertions. Q. 7. "What prayers do you mean?

Prayers for entire sanctification; which, were there no such thing, would be mere mockery of God. Such, in particular, 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 for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word: that they all may be one, as thou

Father

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 God and 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 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, 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? "Be ye perfect as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matt. vi. ult.

A.

"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.

66

Secondly, from express texts of scripture:

"1. The grace of God that bringeth salvation hath ap peared to all men; teaching us, that having renounced (aginara) ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world: looking for the glorious appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity; and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Tit. ii. 11-14.

"2. He hath raised up an horn of salvation for us-to perform the mercy promised to our futhers; the oath which he

swore

swore to our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, should serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life. Luke i. 69, &c.

Q. 10. "Does not the harshly preaching perfection tend to bring believers into a kind of bondage, or slavish fear?

A.

"It does. Therefore we should always place it in the most amiable light, so that it may excite only hope, joy, and desire.

Q. 11. Why may we not continue in the joy of faith even till we are made perfect?

A. Why, indeed? Since holy grief does not quench this joy since even while we are under the cross, while we deeply partake of the sufferings of Christ, we may rejoice with joy unspeakable.

Q. 12. "Do we not discourage believers from rejoicing

ever more?

A. We ought not so to do. Let them all their life long, rejoice unto God, so it be with reverence. And even if lightness or pride should mix with their joy, let us not strike at the joy itself (this is the gift of God) but at that lightness or pride, that the evil may cease and the good remain.

Q. 13. "c Ought we to be anxiously careful about perfection? Lest we should die before we have attained? A. "In no wise. We ought to be thus careful for nothing, neither spiritual nor temporal.

Q. 14.

"But ought we not to be troubled, on account of the sinful nature which still remains in us?

A. "It is good for us to have a deep sense of this, and to be much ashamed before the Lord. But this should only incite us, the more earnestly to turn unto Christ every moment, and to draw light and life, and strength from him, that we may go on, conquering and to conquer. And therefore, when the sense of our sin most abounds, the sense of his love should much more abound.

Q. 15. "Will our joy or our trouble increase as we grow in grace?

A. "C

Perhaps both. But without doubt our joy in the Lord will increase as our love increases.

Q. 16. "Is not the teaching believers to be continually poring upon their inbred sin, the ready way to make them forget that they were purged from their former sins?

A. "We find by experience, it is; or to make them under-value, and account it a little thing: whereas indeed (though there are still greater gifts behind) this is inexpressibly great and glorious.”

The controversy with John Smith, now drew towards a conclusion: and here we shall state one particular in which some suppose it had some influence on Mr. Wesley's mind. Hitherto he had expressed his notion of justifying faith, in the words of the church of England in her Homily on salvation, That it is, sure trust and confidence which a man hath in God, that his sins are forgiven, and he reconciled to the favour of God. But in July he seems to have ex, amined the subject more closely, and wrote to his brother Charles as follows:

"DEAR BROTHER,

A

"Yesterday I was thinking on a desideratum among us, a Genesis problematica on justifying faith. skeleton of it (which you may fill up, or any one that has leisure) I have roughly set down,

"Is justifying faith a sense of pardon? Negatur.” It is denied.

I. "Every one is deeply concerned to understand this question well but preachers most of all: least they either make them sad whom God hath not made sad; or, encourage them to say peace, where there is no peace,

Some

"Some years ago we heard nothing of justifying faith, or a sense of pardon: so that when we did hear of them, the theme was quite new to us; and we might easily, especially in the heat and hurry of controversy, lean too much either to the one hand or to the other.

II. By justifying faith I mean, that faith, which whosoever hath not, is under the wrath and the curse of God. By a sense of pardon, I mean a distinct, explicit assurance that my sins are forgiven.

"I allow, 1. That there is such an explicit assurance. 2. That it is the common privilege of real Christians. 3. That it is the proper Christian faith, which purifieth the heart, and overcometh the world.

"But I cannot allow, that justifying faith is such an assurance, or necessarily connected therewith.

III. "Because, if justifying faith necessarily implies such an explicit assurance of pardon, then every one who has it not, and every one so long as he has it not, is under the wrath and under the curse of God. But this is a supposition contrary to scripture, as well as to experience.

"Contrary to Scripture: to Isaiah 1. 10. Who is among you, that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God.

"Contrary to Acts x. 34. Of a truth I perceive, that God is no respecter of persons; but in every nation, he that feareth God, and worketh righteousness is accepted with him.

"Contrary to experience: for J. R. &c. &c. had peace with God, no fear, no doubt, before they

had