p. 7 | EXTRACT FROM WESLEY

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 3, 1861

EXTRACT FROM WESLEY.

"In the highest rank of the enemies of the gospel of Christ, are they who openly and explicitly 'judge the law' itself, and 'speak evil of the law;' who teach men to break (Γťsai, to dissolve, to loose, to untie the obligation of) not one only, whether of the least, or of the greatest, but all the commandments at a stroke; who teach, without any cover, in so many words, 'What did our Lord do with the law? He abolished it. There is but one duty, which is that of believing. All commands are unfit for our times. From any demand of the law, no man is obliged now to go one step, or give away one farthing, to eat or omit one morsel.' This is indeed carrying matters with a high hand; this withstanding our Lord to the face, and telling him that he understood not how to deliver the message on which he was sent.* O Lord, lay not this sin to their charge! Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!"

"The most surprising of all the circumstances that attend this delusion, is, that they who are given up to it, really believe that they honor Christ by overthrowing his law, and that they are magnifying his office, while they are destroying his doctrine! Yea, they honor him just as Judas did when he said, 'Hail, Master, and kissed him.' And he may as justly say to every one of them, 'Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?' It is no other than betraying him with a kiss, to talk of his blood, and take away his crown; to set light by any part of his law, under pretense of advancing his gospel.* Nor indeed can any one escape this charge, who preaches faith in any such a manner as either directly or indirectly tends to set aside any branch of obedience; who preaches Christ so as to disannul, or weaken in any wise, the least of the commandments of God."—Wesley's Works*, Vol. I, pp. 225, 226.