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
Farther, that the Doctor has not entered into any right conception
of the subject, he is upon, is plain from his asking, “But how does a
short or long existence, a life here, or elsewhere, at all affect the
practice of virtue so founded?”――It just so much affects it, as place,
or space affects the existence of bodies. They are not brought forth by
place or space, but they could have no existence but in place or space.
And thus it is, that duration affects the practice of all divine virtue,
it could have no possibility of existence, but in a nature incapable
of dying.――Corruptibility, and divine goodness, are as impossible to
be united, as life and death.――Death may as well exert the functions of
life, as a mortal creature breathe heavenly tempers and affections. For
though the duration of the creature is not the ground, or reason of any
divine virtue, yet no creature can be capable of it, but that, which by
the divinity of its birth, is born immortal.
What an inconsistency, to say of a creature of a short existence,
or whose life is vanishing away, that its true father is in heaven,
and that it ought therefore “to be perfect as its heavenly Father
is perfect?” Can that which is daily tending to non-existence, be
daily growing up in the perfection of God, or that which is always
approaching towards death, be a child of the ever-living God? As well
might it be said of the mushroom, that it has the angels in heaven for
its brethren, as of man, beginning to exist to-day, and ending his
existence to-morrow, that he is a child of his everlasting Father in
heaven.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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