The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1903-03-12

| noly WIN, wherein Inls expression the
'being born of God" occurs, we may
learn that it implies not barely the be-
ing baptized or any outward change
whatever; but vast inward change, a
change wrought in the soul by the OPP
Grafton of the Holy Ghost, change in
the whole manner of our existence; for
from the the moment we are born of
God, we live in quite another manner
than we did before. Weare, as it were,
in another world" (vol. /, p 62.)
Mr.. Wesley goes on showing that we
must be born naturally before we can
see or hear naturally, and as is the nat
ural birth, so is the spiritual.
He also teaches that as the natural
child must have life, growth and de-
velopment before it can have natural
birth, so must the spiritual child have
the same before it can be truly born of
God, and that the only difference is that
the natural child must have a certain
period of time, while the spiritual child
may press right into the kingdom by
conservation and faith.
Let us now hear him on this subject:
But do you believe that we are sane
tilted by faithq We know you believe
that we are justified by faith; but do
not you believe and accordingly teach
that we are sanetitied by our works? So
it has been soundly and vehemently
affirmed for these five and twenty years;
but have constantly declared just to
the contrary; and that in all manner of
ways. I have continually testified in
private and in public that we are sane
fed, as we'll 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
sanctifcation, exactly as it is of justifi-
cation. 1t is the condition; none is
sanctifed but he that believes. Without
faith no man is sanctifed. And it is
the only condition; this alone is suffi-
cient for sanctifcation. Everyone that
believes is sanctifed, whatever else he
has or has not. In other words, no
man is sanctifed till he believes, and
every man when he believes is sanctifi-
ed" (vol. 1, p. $685.
Mr.. Wesley does not mean that any
one can be sanctifed before they are
justified, as you will see on the same
) page, as there must be q spiritual life
> in the man before he can be truly born
/ Of God. The above is the true doctrine
{ of the founder of Methodism. My
brother, are you a Methodist? How
3 many do you know of in your town and
: community? Please send me their
+, names; | want to have an interview
g with them. Mr.. Wesley says, when
: inquiring (in 1761) how it was that in
: all these parts we had so few witnesses
/. of full salvation, 4 constantly received
v one and the same answer. We see now
: that we sought it by our works; we
b thought it was to come gradually; We
= never expected it to come in moment
n by simple faith, in the very same man
Il ner as we received justification. Wha
g wonder is it, then, that you have beer
J. fighting all these years as one tina
Q breatheth the air?" (vol. z, p. 377.
l. These are Mr.. Wesley's own words
|, Have ] ever taught two works of grac,
y any stronger or palmer? You say
y have departed from the Methodist faith
l. I say you have never reached it. Mr.
., Wesley strongly urges all believers t
le look for full salvation now, without re
y gard to the time that has elapsed sine
" conversion. Everyone, though borl
III of God in an instant, and sanctified il
le an instant, yet undoubtedly grows b
Ot slow degrees, both after the former an
p. after the latter change. (We can nc
grow in any state of grace till we ge
n, that state to grow in.) But it does nc
OF follow thence, that there must be
er considerable trace of time betwee
K the one and the other. It is therefor
!" our duty to pray and look for full sa
of vation every day, every hour, ever
. moment, without waiting till we hav
either done or suffered more. VIII
should not this be the accepted time
(vol. 6, p. 764.)