"A Methodist is one who loves the Lord his God with all his heart, with all his soul, with all his mind, and with all
his strength. God is the joy of his heart, and the
desire of his soul, which is continually crying, 'Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth whom
I desire besides thee.' My God and my all!
'Thou art the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.' He is therefore happy in God; yea, always happy, as having
in him a well of water springing up unto
everlasting life, and over-flowing his soul with peace and joy. Perfect love living now cast out fear, he rejoices
evermore. Yea, his joy is full, and all his bones cry
out, 'Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten
me again unto a living hope of an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled, reserved in heaven for me.'"Section 10
"[I] wrote and published the sermon on Christian perfection. In this I endeavoured to show, (1.) In what sense
Christians are not, (2.) In what sense they are, perfect... (1.) In what sense they are not. They are not perfect in knowledge. They are not free from ignorance, no, nor from mistake. We are no more to expect any living man to be infallible, than to be omniscient. They are not free from infirmities, such as weakness or slowness of understanding, irregular quickness or heaviness of imagination. Such in another kind are impropriety of language, ungracefulness of pronunciation; to which one might add a thousand nameless defects, either in conversation or behaviour. From such infirmities as these none are perfectly freed till their spirits return to God; neither can we expect till then to be wholly freed from temptation; for 'the servant is not above his master.' But neither in this sense is there any absolute perfection on earth. There is no perfection of degrees, none which does not admit of a continual increase.
(2.) In what sense then are they perfect? Observe, we are not now speaking of babes in Christ, but adult Christians. But even babes in Christ are so far perfect as not to commit sin. This St. John affirms expressly; and it cannot be disproved by the examples of the Old Testament. For what, if the holiest of the ancient Jews did sometimes commit sin? We cannot infer from hence, that 'all Christians do and must commit sin as long as they live.'"
Section 12
"...it appears, beyond all possibility of exception, that to this day both my brother and I maintained,
(1.) That Christian perfection is that love of God and our neighbour, which implies deliverance from all sin.
(2.) That this is received merely by faith. (3.) That it is
given instantaneously, in one moment. (4.) That we are to expect it, not at death, but every moment; that now is the
accepted time, now is the day of this salvation."Section 18
"In the room of [Mosaic law], Christ hath established another, namely, the law of faith. Not every one that doeth,
but every one that believeth, now receiveth
righteousness, in the full sense of the word; that is, he is justified, sanctified, and glorified."Section 25, Question 1
"Formerly we thought, one saved from sin could not fall; now we know the contrary. We
are surrounded with instances of those who lately experienced all that I mean by perfection. They had both the fruit
of the Spirit, and the witness; but they have now lost both. Neither does any one stand by virtue of anything that is
implied in the nature of the state. There is no such height or strength of holiness as it is
impossible to fall from." Section 25, Question 30
"Q. Can those who fall from this state recover it? A. Why not? We have many instances of this also. Nay, it is an exceeding common thing for persons to lose it more than once, before they are established therein."
Section 25, Question 31
"I advise you, never to use the words, wisdom, reason, or knowledge, by way of reproach. On the contrary, pray that you
yourself may abound in them more and more. If you mean worldly wisdom, useless knowledge, false reasoning, say so;
and throw away the chaff, but not the wheat."Section 25, Question 33
"It were well you should be thoroughly sensible of this, -- 'the heaven of heavens is love.' There is nothing higher
in religion; there is, in effect, nothing else; if you look for anything but more love, you are looking wide of the
mark, you are getting out of the royal way. And when you are asking others, 'Have you
received this or that blessing?' if you mean anything but more love, you mean wrong; you are leading them out of the way,
and putting them upon a false scent.
Settle it then in your heart, that from the moment God has saved you from all sin, you are to aim at nothing more,
but more of that love described in the
thirteenth of the Corinthians. [1 Cor. 13] You can go no higher than this, till you are carried into Abraham's bosom." Section 25, Question 33
"Beware of Antinomianism; 'making void the law,' or any part of it, 'through faith.' Enthusiasm naturally leads to
this; indeed they can scarce be separated.
This may steal upon you in a thousand forms, so that you cannot be too watchful against it. Take heed of everything,
whether in principle or practice, which has
any tendency thereto... Beware of self-indulgence; yea, and making a virtue of it, laughing at self-denial, and
taking up the cross daily, at fasting or abstinence. Beware of
censoriousness; thinking or calling them that anyways oppose you, whether in judgment or practice, blind, dead,
fallen, or 'enemies to the work.' Once more,
beware of Solifidianism; crying nothing but, 'Believe, believe!' and condemning those as ignorant or legal who
speak in a more scriptural way."Section 25, Question 34
"The bottom of the soul may be in repose, even while we are in many outward troubles; just as the bottom of the sea
is calm, while the surface is strongly agitated.""The best helps to growth in grace are the ill usage, the affronts, and the losses which befal us. We should receive them with all thankfulness, as preferable to all others, were it only on this account, -- that our will has no part therein."
"The readiest way to escape from our sufferings is, to be willing they should endure as long as God pleases."
"We are to bear with those we cannot amend, and to be content with offering them to God. This is true resignation. And since He has borne our infirmities, we may well bear those of each other for His sake."
"True humility is a kind of self-annihilation; and this is the centre of all virtues."
"On every occasion of uneasiness, we should retire to prayer, that we may give place to the grace and light of God and then form our resolutions, without being in any pain about what success they may have."
Section 25, Question 38
from WESLEY'S SERMONS
"...Reason cannot produce faith. Although it is always consistent with reason, yet reason cannot produce faith,
in the scriptural sense of the word. Faith, according to Scripture, is 'an evidence,' or conviction, 'of things not
seen.' It is a divine evidence, bringing a full conviction of an invisible eternal world.
It is true, there was a kind of shadowy persuasion of this, even among the wiser Heathens; probably from tradition,
or from some gleams of light reflected from the Israelites.The Case of Reason Impartially Considered (Sermon 70) -- 1 Cor 14:20
"Suffer me now to add a few plain words, first to you who under-value reason. Never more declaim in that wild,
loose, ranting manner, against this precious gift of
God. Acknowledge 'the candle of the Lord,' which he hath fixed in our souls for excellent purposes. You see how many
admirable ends it answers, were it only in the things of this life: Of what unspeakable use is even a moderate share
of reason in all our worldly employments, from the lowest and meanest offices of life, through all the intermediate
branches of business; till we ascend to those that are of the highest importance and the greatest difficulty! When
therefore you despise or depreciate reason, you must not imagine you are doing God service: Least of all, are you
promoting the cause of God when you are endeavouring to exclude reason out of religion."The Case of Reason Impartially Considered (Sermon 70) -- 1 Cor 14:20
"Permit me to add a few words to you, likewise, who over-value reason. Why should you run from one extreme to the
other? Is not the middle way best? Let reason do all that reason can: Employ it as far as it will go. But, at the same
time, acknowledge it is utterly incapable of giving either faith, or hope, or love; and,
consequently, of producing either real virtue, or substantial happiness."The Case of Reason Impartially Considered (Sermon 70) -- 1 Cor 14:20
"That 'circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter;' -- that the distinguishing mark of a
true follower of Christ, of one who is in a state of acceptance with God, is not either outward circumcision, or
baptism, or any other outward form, but a right state of soul, a mind and spirit renewed after the
image of Him that created it; -- is one of those important truths that can only be spiritually discerned."The Circumcision of the Heart (Sermon 17) -- Rom 2:29
"Our gospel, as it knows no other foundation of good works than faith, or of faith than Christ, so it clearly
informs us, we are not his disciples while we either
deny him to be the Author, or his Spirit to be the Inspirer an Perfecter, both of our faith and works."The Circumcision of the Heart (Sermon 17) -- Rom 2:29
"Call it therefore by whatever name you please, election, preterition, predestination, or reprobation, it comes in
the end to the same thing. The sense of all is plainly this, -- by virtue of an eternal, unchangeable,
irresistible decree of God, on part of mankind are infallibly saved, and the rest infallibly damned; it being
impossible that any of the former should be damned, or that any of the latter should be saved."Free Grace (Sermon 128) -- Rom 8:32
"But if this be so, then is all preaching vain. It is needless to them that are elected; for they, whether with
preaching or without, will infallibly be saved. Therefore, the end of preaching -- to save should -- is void with
regard to them; and it is useless to them that are not elected, for they cannot possibly be saved:
They, whether with preaching or without, will infallibly be damned. The end of preaching is therefore void with
regard to them likewise; so that in either case our preaching is vain, as you hearing is also vain." Free Grace (Sermon 128) -- Rom 8:32
"This then, is a plain proof that the doctrine of predestination is not a doctrine of God, because it makes void
the ordinance of God; and God is not divided against himself. A Second is, that it directly tends to destroy that
holiness which is the end of all the ordinances of God. I do not say, none who hold it are holy;
(for God is of tender mercy to those who are unavoidably entangled in errors of any kind;) but that the doctrine
itself, -- that every man is either elected or not elected from eternity, and that the one must inevitably be saved,
and the other inevitably damned, -- has a manifest tendency to destroy holiness in general...
Thirdly. This doctrine tends to destroy the comfort of religion, the happiness of Christianity. This is evident as
to all those who believe themselves to be reprobated, or who only suspect or fear it. All the great and precious
promises are lost to them; they afford them no ray of comfort...
Fourthly. This uncomfortable doctrine directly tends to destroy our zeal for good works... It is to represent the
high God (he that hath ears to hear let him hear!) as more cruel, false, and unjust than the devil! This is the blasphemy
clearly contained in the horrible decree of predestination! And here I fix my foot."Free Grace (Sermon 128) -- Rom 8:32
"What is 'justification?' This was the Second thing which I proposed to show. And it is evident, from what has been
already observed, that it is not the being made actually just and righteous. This is 'sanctification;' which is,
indeed, in some degree, the immediate fruit of justification,
but, nevertheless, is a distinct gift of God, and of a totally different nature. The one implies what God does for
us through his Son; the other, what he works in us by his Spirit. So that, although some rare instances may be found,
wherein the term 'justified' or 'justification' is used in so wide a sense as to include
'sanctification' also; yet, in general use, they are sufficiently distinguished from each other, both by St. Paul
and the other inspired writers."Justification by Faith (Sermon 5) -- Rom 4:5
"God justifieth not the godly, but the ungodly; not those that are holy already, but the unholy. Upon what condition he
doeth this, will be considered quickly: but whatever it is, it cannot be holiness. To assert this, is to say the
Lamb of God takes away only those sins which were taken away before." Justification by Faith (Sermon 5) -- Rom 4:5
"If it be objected, 'Nay, but a man, before he is justified, may feed the hungry, or clothe the naked; and these are
good works;' the answer is easy: He may do
these, even before he is justified; and these are, in one sense, 'good works;' they are 'good and profitable to men.'
But it does not follow, that they are, strictly speaking, good in themselves, or good in the sight of God. All truly
'good works' (to use the words of our Church) 'follow after justification;' and they are
therefore good and 'acceptable to God in Christ,' because they 'spring out of a true and living faith.'" Justification by Faith (Sermon 5) -- Rom 4:5
"Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, in every respect an unexceptionable witness, who flourished about the middle of the
third century, has left us abundance of letters, in which he gives a large and particular account of the state of
religion in his time. In reading this, one would be apt to imagine, he was reading an
account of the present century: So totally void of true religion were the generality both of the laity and clergy,
so immersed in ambition, envy, covetousness, luxury, and all other vices, that the Christians of Africa were then
exactly the same as the Christians of England are now." The Mystery of Iniquity (Sermon 61) -- 2 Thes 2:7
"And as this position, 'There is no sin in a believer, no carnal mind, no bent to backsliding,' is thus contrary to
the word of God, so it is to the experience of his
children. These continually feel an heart bent to backsliding; a natural tendency to evil; a proneness to depart
from God, and cleave to the things of earth. They are daily sensible of sin remaining in their heart, -- pride, self-will,
unbelief; and of sin cleaving to all they speak and do, even their best actions and holiest
duties. Yet at the same time they 'know that they are of God;' they cannot doubt of it for a moment. They feel his
Spirit clearly 'witnessing with their spirit, that
they are the children of God.' They 'rejoice in God through Christ Jesus, by whom they have now received the atonement.'
So that they are equally assured, that sin is in them, and that 'Christ is in them the hope of glory.'"On Sin in Believers (Sermon 13) -- 2 Cor 5:17
"'But can Christ be in the same heart where sin is?' Undoubtedly he can; otherwise it never could be saved therefrom.
Where the sickness is, there is the Physician, Carrying on his work within,Christ indeed cannot reign, where sin reigns; neither will he dwell where any sin is allowed. But he is and dwells in the heart of every believer, who is fighting against all sin; although it be not yet purified, according to the purification of the sanctuary."
Striving till he cast out sin.
On Sin in Believers (Sermon 13) -- 2 Cor 5:17
"There are in every person, even after he is justified, two contrary principles, nature and grace, termed by St.
Paul the flesh and the Spirit. Hence, although even babes in Christ are sanctified, yet it is only in part. In a degree,
according to the measure of their faith, they are spiritual; yet, in a
degree they are carnal. Accordingly, believers are continually exhorted to watch against the flesh, as well as the
world and the devil. And to this agrees the constant experience of the children of God. While they feel this witness
in themselves, they feel a will not wholly resigned to the will of God. They know they are
in him; and yet find an heart ready to depart from him, a proneness to evil in many instances, and a backwardness to
that which is good."On Sin in Believers (Sermon 13) -- 2 Cor 5:17
"Persons may be quite right in their opinions, and yet
have no religion at all; and, on the other hand, persons may be truly religious, who hold many wrong opinions.
Can any one possibly doubt of this, while there
are Romanists in the world? For who can deny, not only that many of them formerly have been truly religious, as
Thomas À Kempis, Gregory Lopez, and the Marquis de Renty; but that many of them, even at this day, are real inward
Christians? And yet what a heap of erroneous opinions do they hold, delivered by
tradition from their fathers! Nay, who can doubt of it while there are Calvinists in the world, -- assertors of
absolute predestination? For who will dare to affirm that none of these are truly religious men? Not only many of
them in the last century were burning and shining lights, but many of them are now real Christians,
loving God and all mankind."On the Trinity (Sermon 55) -- 1 John 5:7
"What is the difference then between the 'righteousness which is of the law,' and the 'righteousness which is of faith'
-- between the first covenant, or the
covenant of works, and the second, the covenant of grace? The essential, unchangeable difference is this:
The one supposes him to whom it is given to be already holy and happy, created in the image and enjoying the favour
of God; and prescribes the condition whereon he may continue therein, in love and joy, life and
immortality: The other supposes him to whom it is given to be now unholy and unhappy, fallen short of the glorious
image of God, having the wrath of God abiding on him, and hastening, through sin, whereby his soul is dead, to bodily
death, and death everlasting; and to man in this state it prescribes the condition
whereon he may regain the pearl he has lost, may recover the favour and image of God, may retrieve the life of God
in his soul, and be restored to the knowledge and the love of God, which is the beginning of life eternal." The Righteousness of Faith (Sermon 6) -- Rom 10:5-8
"The covenant of works, in order to man's continuance in the favour of God, in his knowledge and love, in holiness
and happiness, required of perfect
man a perfect and uninterrupted obedience to every point of the law of God. Whereas, the covenant of grace, in order
to man's recovery of the favour and the life
of God, requires only faith; living faith in Him who, through God, justifies him that obeyed not."The Righteousness of Faith (Sermon 6) -- Rom 10:5-8
"Christian faith is then, not only
an assent to the whole gospel of Christ, but also a full reliance on the blood of Christ; a trust in the merits of his
life, death, and resurrection; a recumbency upon him as our atonement and our life, as given for us, and living in us;
and, in consequence hereof, a closing with him, and cleaving to him, as our 'wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption,' or, in one word, our salvation."Salvation by Faith (Sermon 1) -- Eph 2:8
"Justification is another word for pardon. It is the forgiveness of all our sins; and , what is necessarily implied
therein, our acceptance with God. The price
whereby this hath been procured for us (commonly termed 'the meritorious cause of our justification'), is the blood
and righteousness of Christ; or, to express it
a little more clearly, all that Christ hath done and suffered for us, till He 'poured out His soul for the
transgressors.'...
And at the same time that we are justified, yea, in that very moment, sanctification begins. In that instant we are
born again, born from above, born of the
Spirit: there is a real as well as a relative change. We are inwardly renewed by the power of God...
From the time of our being born again, the gradual work of sanctification takes place. We are enabled 'by the Spirit'
to 'mortify the deeds of the body,' of our
evil nature; and as we are more and more dead to sin, we are more and more alive to God... It is thus that we wait
for entire sanctification; for a full salvation from all our sins, -- from pride, self-will, anger, unbelief; or,
as the Apostle expresses it, 'go
unto perfection.' But what is perfection? The word has various senses: here it means perfect love."Scripture Way of Salvation, The (Sermon 43) -- Eph 2:8
"...Faith necessarily implies an assurance (which is here only another word for evidence, it being hard to tell
the difference between them) that Christ loved me, and gave Himself for me... It is by this faith we are saved,
justified, and sanctified."Scripture Way of Salvation, The (Sermon 43) -- Eph 2:8
"'But do you believe we are sanctified by faith? We know you believe that we are justified by faith; but do not
you believe, and accordingly teach, that we are sanctified by our works?' So it has been roundly and vehemently
affirmed for these five-and-twenty years: but I have constantly declared just the contrary; and
that in all manner of ways. I have continually testified in private and in public, that we are sanctified as well
as justified by faith. And indeed the one of those great truths does exceedingly illustrate the other. Exactly
as we are justified by faith, so are we sanctified by faith. Faith is the condition, and the only condition,
of sanctification, exactly as it is of justification...
I allow there is a repentance consequent upon, as well as a repentance previous to,
justification. It is incumbent on all that are justified to be zealous of good works. And there are so necessary,
that if a man willingly neglect them, he cannot
reasonably expect that he shall ever be sanctified; he cannot grow in grace, in the image of God, the mind which
was in Christ Jesus; nay, he cannot retain the grace he has received; he cannot continue in faith, or in the favour
of God. What is the inference we mist draw herefrom? Why, that both repentance, rightly
understood, and the practice of all good works, -- works of piety, as well as works of mercy (now properly so called,
since they spring from faith), are, in some sense, necessary to sanctification." Scripture Way of Salvation, The (Sermon 43) -- Eph 2:8
"The repentance consequent upon justification is widely
different from that which is antecedent to it. This implies no guilt, no sense of condemnation, no consciousness of
the wrath of God. It does not suppose any
doubt of the favour of God, or any 'fear that hath torment.' It is properly a conviction, wrought by the Holy Ghost,
of the sin which still remains in our heart; of the carnal mind, which 'does still remain'
(as our Church speaks)
'even in them that are regenerate'; although it does no longer reign; it
has not now dominion over them. It is a conviction of our proneness to evil, of an heart bent to backsliding,
of the still continuing tendency of the flesh to lust against the spirit."Scripture Way of Salvation, The (Sermon 43) -- Eph 2:8
"Though it be allowed, that both this repentance and its fruits are necessary to full salvation; yet they are not
necessary either in the same sense with faith, or in the same degree: -- Not in the same degree; for these fruits are
only necessary conditionally, if there be time and opportunity for them;
otherwise a man may be sanctified without them. But he cannot be sanctified without faith. likewise, let a man have
ever so much of this repentance, or ever so
many good works, yet all this does not at all avail: he is not sanctified till he believes. But the moment he
believes, with or without those fruits, yea, with more or
less of this repentance, he is sanctified. -- Not in the same sense; for this repentance and these fruits are only
remotely necessary, -- necessary in order to the
continuance of his faith, as well as the increase of it; whereas faith is immediately and directly necessary to
sanctification. It remains, that faith is the only
condition which is immediately and proximately necessary to sanctification."Scripture Way of Salvation, The (Sermon 43) -- Eph 2:8