The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 06 (of 32)Wesley, John
Religion
The works of the Rev. John Wesley, Vol. 06 (of 32)
Wesley, John
Methodist Church; Theology -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- History -- 18th century
The obtaining an union with Christ, is the one life and immortality
brought to light by the gospel; but this immortality unavoidably
requires, and necessarily implies the perpetual duration of the soul’s
natural life. For nothing but an ever-enduring creature, is capable of
enjoying an everlasting gift.
Therefore the gospel, tho’ never once expressly asserting, yet
continually demonstrates the natural immortality of the soul.
And this is the whole truth, with regard to the _Mosaic_ history and
types; they hide it, in the same manner as the gospel hides it, that is,
not at all; and they fully prove it in the same manner as the gospel
proves it, by doctrines which necessarily require, and absolutely imply
it, in the first conception of them.
For the history of the creation and the fall of man, contains an
express covenant of a redemption, promised to _Adam_ and his fallen
posterity, in which a seed of the woman should do away the evil which
the serpent had brought into the human nature, that is, should restore
the first, lost, heavenly life to mankind.
But this covenant, and the immediate benefit of it, could neither
be wanted nor received, but by immortal creatures, that believed
themselves to have an immortality, which had lost that glory and
perfection which belonged to it at the first. Nor could such immortal
creatures have any power of entering into this covenant any other way,
than by an implicit faith in God. For it was a covenant of redemption,
or return of their first glory, without the least intimation of the
time, or age, when, or the means, or manner how it was to be brought
to pass. Therefore such a covenant, and such a faith, in the very
first conception of them, without the least reasoning or deduction,
absolutely imply, and necessarily require a full belief of a future
state.
And how could God better keep up a full sense of it, or more fix it
in the hearts of men, than by placing and fixing all their faith and
comfort, in a redemption certainly to come upon all the world, which
yet might not come, till half the world was dead?
Or how could mankind possibly give into this faith, had they had the
least doubt of the certainty of a life to come? For their faith in such
an expected redemption, could not be either more or less, than their
faith in a future state.
Therefore God’s requiring this faith of them, was in the highest
degree his requiring them to believe the ever-enduring life of their
souls. Consequently, in the first revelation of God to man, life and
immortality, as it means an ever-enduring state of the soul, was as
fully, and in the same degree brought to light, as in the revelation of
the gospel.
In the gospel it is proved, because an immortality of a heavenly life
is made known, purchased and given by Christ, which necessarily implies
an immortal nature in man, or he could not partake of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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