The Foundling; or, The Child of Providence

by J. Church

LETTER XI.

“Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.”

To —

It was about the year 1791, that Mr. John Wesley died. I was about 11 years of age; much talk was about him at that time, which often arrested my attention—but, as I had never heard the gospel preached, of course I could know nothing of doctrines; but after I had been led into truth, in some degree, some men that worked for my master, where I was an apprentice, lent me some of his books, but finding them so remarkably dull and dry, there was neither pleasure nor profit to me in reading them.—Hearing much also from the same persons, of the controversy between Arminians and Calvinists, I was certainly anxious to understand the great difference between them. Reading what each advanced, I knew both could not be right. Warmly attached to the doctrines and doctrinal articles of the Church of England, I soon discovered that the system of Arminianism was in direct opposition to those doctrines. This led on to enquiry and diligent search. Acquaintances lent me books of the controversy that had been carried on by the Wesleys, Fletchers, and others, and the answers that had been given by the magnanimous Toplady, Dr. Gill, Mason, and the (at that time) faithful and bold Hills. Mr. Fletcher’s works have been since re-published, but our dastardly cowardly Calvinists do not re-publish what was then so ably written in defence of truth; shame to them, to let truth lie bleeding in the streets, and very few dare to plead her cause. The old Gospel Magazine, like the present one, was the excellent means of spreading and maintaining truth, and which I believe is the only one of all our periodical publications, that dare advance the whole truth.—These books came into my hands, with some of Sir Richard Hill’s works, which I now bless God for, as they have been of especial service to me, in establishing my mind in the truth, as it is in Jesus.

Since I have been in the ministry, the question has been frequently asked me—“What is your opinion of Mr. John Wesley?” I do not like such questions.—He has been many years in the presence of his Judge, and whether saved or lost, is not for man to decide: but, by an attention to works, some of them which I shall quote in this letter to you, and the opinions which good men had of them. I leave you to draw an inference. You and I well know, from the Word of God, and the teaching of the Eternal Spirit, that the Sacred Scriptures are the Word of God; and that, adding to, or diminishing from, or perverting it, is threatened with damnation.—Rev. xxi. I do not say that the rev. John Wesley has done either, wilfully, but I beg you to read for yourself, some of his notes on the New Testament, and if you never did before, I think you will blush at some parts of his explanations, as they are called. I would quote some of them, but it would fill this letter, in which I want to point out some of the many errors which he held, and which is still maintained by his followers, quite forgetting that “he who loveth and maketh a lie, dying so, shall have his part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone”.—Rev. xxi.

One of the principal doctrines of the glorious gospel of the blessed God, on which the salvation of the church rests, and which can only entitle us to, and prepare us for death, judgment, and eternity, is the meritorious obedience of Christ to the holy law of God. This, by an act of grace, is imputed and placed to the account of the elect church of God, by the adorable Father, and received into the enlightened minds, affections, and consciences of those who are taught by the Holy Spirit. This, and this only, justifies us before God. On this holy thirty-three years’ obedience of Christ, to the law is the sole matter of our justification in the sight of a holy God. And can you believe it? But I beg you will read Mr. Hervey’s “Eleven Letters to J. Wesley,” wherein you will find that the latter has ridiculed this glorious foundation of the church as imputed nonsense. Is not this an awful proof that himself, and all such, must be totally destitute of this righteousness.

I will, however, give you a quotation from a pamphlet written many years ago, by the rev. R. H. entitled “Calumny Refuted, and the Dead Vindicated,” p. 9. The rev. writer remarks:—

“Once upon a time we find him, J. Wesley, sitting in the Norwich stage-coach, wrapped in a most profound meditation; the first thing that occurred to his consideration was, whether a person might not be a sincere Christian, and deny the phrase—imputed righteousness?—This he did not doubt. He then advances farther (as the wheels roll on) and asks—if a man may not be a Christian, and deny the thing? He directly determines that a person certainly may. Thus, at two strides, he completely gets rid of the righteousness of Christ.”

The following horrid propositions, which are here transcribed, verbatim, from Mr. Wesley’s “Minutes of the Year 1770,” fully and incontestibly demonstrate the more than popish pelagianism of the man. He says—

“Every believer, till he comes to glory, works for, as well as from life. We have received it as a maxim, that a man is to do nothing in order to justification. Nothing can be more false. As to merit itself, of which we have been so dreadfully afraid, we are rewarded according to our works, i.e. as our works deserve. All that are convinced of sin under-value themselves in every respect. We are every hour and every moment pleasing or displeasing to God, according to our works, according to the whole of our inward tempers and outward behaviour.”

If this is not high popery, what is? Mr. John was a professed churchman; but how the above doctrine stands, with what the doctrinal articles of that church maintains, I leave you to judge. As they declare, that he must believe that no good works can be done, in order to justification, but that we are accounted righteous only for the sake of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I could quote more from the above pamphlet, but this is a sufficient specimen of the foundation hope, as expressed by Mr. Wesley, and adhered to by thousands of his professed followers. What a mercy there are others who are building on a firmer basis. I bless God that he was pleased to open my mind to receive the complete perfect work of the dear Redeemer; that he shewed me it was neither my works nor my faith, (as a grace, nor as an act) that could justify me before God. I must have a perfect law-fulfilling righteousness, wrought out by the holy nature and holy life of the Lord Jesus Christ, as the surety of his church—as God-man Mediator—to build on any thing less, is building on the sand, and the dreadful consequences must be—the curse, wrath, and eternal death. Faith is the eye that sees the sufficiency of his righteousness—faith is the hand that receives; the vessel, or mind, which contains it when the Holy Spirit brings it near: but surely there is a difference between the eye and the object it discovers; between the hand of the beggar and the alms you put in it; or my coat and the hand that puts it on me. The Lord brought my soul into liberty on this point, but I had another struggle in my mind. Soon after this subject had been clearly and sweetly settled, or rather my soul in the perception of it, some of the same party harrassed my mind about persevering in holiness, till I had gained a perfect sinless nature: this was the very thing I wanted; to get rid of sin, to have it totally eradicated, that I should never be overcome by sin, in thought, word, or deed. Oh happy state, this side heaven!—how I did long for it; sin was, and is, my principal trouble.

“Long time I fought, with groans and tears,
To drive this rebel from my home.”

I was told this was to be obtained; I was informed of many who really had obtained it, and was already perfect; why not I, if I did but persevere. To work I went, and strove hard for it; not to gain the favor of God, I was better taught than that; but, that sin might trouble me no more, and that I might no more offend God by so much as a sinful glance of the eye. To this rubbing off the spot of the leopard; to this washing the black Moor white, I was encouraged by the above accounts of some who had obtained perfection.

Mr. Wesley, and some of his preachers and hearers could prove that they had known some who were perfect. I could not suppose these holy creatures would tell lies. But then I wanted to know how far they might be perfect, and how far not; and to satisfy my mind, I obtained Mr. J. Wesley’s tract on Christian Perfection, a paragraph of which I will quote:—

“And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty; such liberty, from the law of sin and death, as the children of this world will not believe, though a man declare it unto them. The son hath made them free who are thus born of God, from that great root of sin and bitterness, pride. They feel that all their sufficiency is of God; that it is he alone who is in all their thoughts, and worketh in them both to will and to do of his good pleasure. They feel that it is not they that speak, but the Spirit of their Father who speaketh in them, and that whatsoever is done by their hands, the Father who is in them, he doeth the works. So that God is to them all in all, and they are nothing in his sight. They are freed from self-will, as desiring nothing but the holy and perfect will of God: Not supplies in want, not ease in pain, nor life, or death, or any creature, but continually crying in their inmost soul, ‘Father, thy will be done.’ They are freed from evil thoughts, so that they cannot enter into them; no not for a moment. A foretime, when an evil thought came in, they looked up, and it vanished away. But now it does not come in, there being no room for this, in a soul which is full of God. They are free from wanderings in prayer. Whensoever they pour out their hearts in a more immediate manner before God, they have no thought of any thing past, or absent, or to come, but of God alone. In times past they had wandering thoughts darted in, which yet fled away like smoke: but now that smoke does not rise at all. They have no fear or doubt, either as to their state in general, or as to any particular action. The unction from the Holy One teacheth them every hour, what they shall do, and what they shall speak. Nor therefore have they any need to reason concerning it. They are, in one sense, freed from temptations: for though numberless temptations fly about them, yet they trouble them not. At all times their souls are even and calm, their hearts are steadfast and unmoveable: their peace, flowing as a river, passeth all understanding, and they rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory. For they are sealed by the Spirit unto the day of redemption, having the witness in themselves, that there is laid up for them a crown of righteousness, which the Lord will give them in that day—” What a collection of lies!

The above pamphlet is full of such daring impudence; and in one of his sublime hymns he thus sings—

“My cup it runs o’er, I have comfort and power,
I have pardon, and what can a sinner want more;
He can have a new heart, so as never to start
From thy ways, he may be in the world as thou art;

He may be without sin, all holy and clean;
He may be as his master, all glorious within,
Without blemish or blot, without wrinkle or spot,
Without power to offend thee, in deed, word, or thought.”

This is the sublime poetry of Wesley, who has been classed with Dr. Watts as a poet; yea, almost with the psalmist, David, in a recent publication called “The Conference; or, Sketches of Wesleyan Methodism.” The author of which very far exceeds the Wesleys, either John or Charles. But I beg leave to say, the writers of the Evangelical Magazine, very highly applaud the work. I think the following lines on Mr. Wesley, in the above work, fulsome:—

“Thou, too, art gone, sweet leader of the choir,
Thou soul of music with a seraph’s lyre;
When Royal David made his final will,
Sweet fancy added this last codicil—
I give to Solomon my crown and throne,
This sacred harp shall Watts and Wesley own;
And thou hast touch’d the strings with so much skill,
The Hebrew melodist enchant us still.”

The propriety of this classification I leave to your judgment, and conclude with one remark more. Finding by all my strivings, that that which is born of the spirit is spirit, and can never alter; and that which is born of the flesh is flesh, and can never become any thing else. Reading the word of God it shewed me that the cause of all the groans, tears, complaints, sighs, distresses and afflictions, of all the old and new testament saints was, in-dwelling sin; and by tracing the lives of those eminent characters, I found they were sinners saved by grace alone—sinners to the last moment, as it respects their sinful nature: but as they, and all the church of God, stand accepted in Christ, they are perfect before God; and to that perfection they will arrive at the glorious resurrection, and not before. Seeing this was the case, I gave up all hopes of being perfect in the fleshly nature, and was enabled to rejoice in my perfection in the love of God’s heart towards me; in my oneness in Christ, in my complete justification in his obedience, and in my perfect pardon, and cleansing from all sin in the sight of God, as revealed in the law by the great atonement of the God-man Christ Jesus. Herein is the perfection of the Christian, and it is the gracious work of the Holy Spirit, to lead up the minds of his own people to know and to enjoy these great privileges, and not to set them an utterly impossible task, of gaining fleshly perfection, which is a mere delusion of the devil. A great writer [229] observed to Mr. Wesley, on Perfection—“You formed a scheme of collecting as many perfect ones as you could, to live together in one house: a number of these flowers were accordingly transplanted from some of your nursery beds to the hot-house, and an hot-house it soon proved; for, would we believe it, the sinless people quarrelled in a short time, at so violent a rate, that you found yourself forced to disband this select regiment: had you kept them together much longer, that line would have been literally verified in the squabbling members of your church militant.”

“The males pulled noses, and the females caps.”

A very small house, I am persuaded, would hold the really perfect upon earth; you might drive them all into a nut-shell. Perfection and sincerity, as mentioned in Scripture, are synonimous terms, and being made sincere, may you go on to this perfection.

Yours, truly, J. C.