Wesley Corpus

'That any who has learnt his religion from the New Testament should mistake their doctrine for the Christian is astonishing' . Theirs or yours for it happens to be one and the same with regard to the present point. 'By many deceits they change the truth of God into a lie' (ibid.). If they do, so do you. Indeed, you heavily complain of the imputation. You say: 'It is both astonishing and provoking that, after all, men will say there is no difference between their scheme and yours.' And yet, after all, so it is: truth is great, and will prevail. In the leading point, that of justification, both you and they teach, 'Men are justified by a knowledge of the righteousness of Christ.' Only they think it is a divine, supernatural, experimental knowledge, wrought in the inmost soul; and you think it is a barn historical knowledge, of the same kind with that which the devils have. One specimen more of your unparalleled charity, which in any but yourself would be astonishing: 'If any one chooses to go to hell by a devout path, let him study any one of those four famous treatises: Mr. Guthrie's Trial of a Saving Interest in Christ; Mr. Marshall's Gospel Mystery of Sanctification Walter Marshall, Vicar of Humley; elected 1662, became Non-conformist minister at Gosport, and died in 1690. The Gospel Mystery was published in 1692.; Mr. Boston's Human Nature in its Fourfold State; or Dr. Doddridge's Rise and Progress of Religion in the Soul. If any profane person who desires to be converted enter into the spirit of those books, he thereby becomes twofold more a child of hell than he was before.' Such is the doctrine, such is the spirit, of Palaemon! condemning the whole generation of God's children; sending all his opponents to hell at once; casting arrows, firebrands, death on every side! But I stop. God be merciful to thee a sinner; and show thee compassion though thou hast none for thy fellow servants! Otherwise it will be more tolerable, I will not say for Seneca or Epictetus, but for Nero or Domitian, in the day of judgment than for thee! To Mrs. Ryan 8 NEWBURY, November 8, 1757.