Take me into thee, my Lord,
away and "sin has no more dominion over"* them. Knowing they are justified freely through faith in his blood, they "have peace with God through Jesus Christ."** They "rejoice in hope of the glory of God,""' and "the love of God is poured into their hearts." justified: to be restored to right relationship with God. Wesley defined justification as forgiveness.
It is a gift from God through Jesus Christ, crucified and They remain in this peace for days, or weeks, or months.
They also commonly believe that they will no longer experience spiritual conflict, that is until they are assaulted again by some of their old enemies, the familiar sins, or the sin that most easily harasses them (such as anger or lust). Next comes risen. fear and doubt. They fear that they will lose their faith. They doubt because they fear that God has forgotten them or because they fear that believing their sins were forgiven was nothing more than wishful thinking. Under these clouds they go mourning all the day long, especially if they negotiate with the devil. Soon after they reach this point of despair, the Lord answers. God sends the Holy Spirit to comfort them and to constantly remind them that they are children of God. They become meek and gentle and teachable. For the first time they
Lord, if I on thee believe, The second gift impart; With th'indwelling Spirit give A new, a contrite heart; If with love thy heart is stored, If now o'er me thy bowels move, Help me, Saviour, speak the word, And perfect me in love. see the source of their love. God would not reveal this to them before, because they were not ready to see or understand.
Collection, #344, stanza 3 Now they see within themselves all the hidden corruption and the depths of pride, self-will, and hell. At the same time, they have the witness in themselves that even in the midst of this fiery trial," "you are an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ."*° This continually increases the strong sense they then have of their inability to help themselves and the inexpressible hunger they feel for a full renewal in Christ's image, in "true righteousness and holiness."*! Then God is mindful of the longing of those who fear God. God gives them an honest and pure heart, stamps upon them God's own image and name, and creates them anew in Christ Jesus.
God comes to them with the Son and the blessed Spirit and, dwelling in their souls, brings them into the "rest that remains for the people of God."* I must remark here: (1) This is the strongest account we ever gave of Christian perfection. Indeed, it is too strong at some points, as indicated in some of the footnotes. (See footnotes 10, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17,
21.) (2) There is nothing on this subject that we have written since we wrote this, either in verse or prose, that is not contained either directly or indirectly in this preface. This is to attest that whether you believe our presentation of this doctrine to be right or wrong, it is the same as we have taught it from the beginning.
Let me gain my calling's hope, O make the sinner clean!
Dry corruption's fountain up, Cut off the' entail of sin; 14. I do not need to give additional evidence of this by an abundance of quotations from the volume itself. It may suffice to cite part of one hymn, the last in that volume:
Take me into thee, my Lord, And I shall then no longer rove:
Help me, Saviour, speak the word, And perfect me in love.
Lord, I believe a rest remains, Collection, #344, stanza 4 To all thy people known; A rest where pure enjoyment reigns, And thou art loved alone; Fae
A rest where all our soul's desire Is fix'd on things above; Where doubt and pain and fear expire, Cast out by perfect love.
From every evil motion freed, (The Son hath made us free,) On all the powers of hell we tread, In glorious liberty.
Safe in the way of life, above Death, earth, and hell we rise; We find, when perfected in love, Our long-sought paradise.
O that I now the rest might know, Believe, and enter in!
Now, Savior, now the power bestow, And let me cease from sin!
Remove this hardness from my heart, This unbelief remove:
To me the rest of faith impart, The sabbath of thy love.
Come, O my Savior, come away Into my soul descend!
No longer from thy creature stay, My author and my end.
The bliss thou hast for me prepared, No longer be delay'd:
Come, my exceeding great reward, For whom I first was made.
Come, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, And seal me thine abode!
Let all I am in thee be lost:
Thou, my life, my treasure be, Let all be lost in God!
My portion here below!
Nothing would I seek but thee, ; Thee only would I know, Can anything be more clear than My exceeding great reward, (1) that this is as complete and exalted a salvation as we have
My heaven on earth, my heaven above: ever taught?
Help me, Saviour, speak the word, (2) that this salvation is taught as being received by simple faith,
And perfect me in love. and the only thing that can hinder it is unbelief?
(3) that this faith, and consequently the salvation it brings, is taught Collection, #344, stanza 5 as being given in an instant?
(4) that it is supposed that instant may be now? that we need not wait another moment? that "now" is the very "now is the accepted time? now is the day of" this full "salvation"
(5) that if any teach otherwise, that person brings new doctrine among us?