The Porch of Religion
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THE PORCH OF RELIGION
John Wesley based his whole teaching about salvation on the fact of human sinfulness, the universality of sin, and the need for every man to repent, if he is to be saved. He had several questions to ask about sin and repentance as the porch of religion.
What is divine providence?
The eternal, almighty, all-wise, all-gracious God is the Creator of heaven and earth: He called out of nothing, by his all-powerful word, the whole universe; all that is, "Thus the heavens and the earth were created, and all the hosts of them." ...
And as this all-wise, all-gracious Being created all things, so He sustains all things. He is the Preserver as well as the Creator of every thing that exists. "He upholdeth all things by the word of his power'; that is, by his powerful word.
Now it must be that He knows everything He EAT Res > are -~
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has made, and every thing that He preserves from — moment to moment; otherwise He could not preserve it: He could not continue to it the being which He has given it...
The omnipresent God sees and knows all the properties of the beings that He hath made. He knows all the connections, dependencies and relations, and all the ways wherein one of them can affect another.
And is the Creator and Preserver of the world unconcerned in what He sees therein? Does He look upon these things with either a malignant or a heedless eye? Is He an Epicurean god? Does
He sit at ease in the heavens, without regarding the poor inhabitants of earth? It cannot be. He hath made us; not we ourselves; and He cannot despise the work of his own hands...
He is infinite in wisdom as well as in power: and all his wisdom is continually employed in managing all the affairs of his creation for the good of all his creatures. For his wisdom and goodness go hand in hand: they are inseparably united, and continually act in concert with almighty power, for the real good of all his creatures.
. And to Him all things are possible:
He doeth whatsoever pleaseth Him, in heaven and earth, and in the sea, and all deep places:
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and we cannot doubt of his exerting all his power, as in sustaining, so in governing all that He has made.
Only He that can do all things else cannot deny Himself: He cannot counteract Himself, or oppose his own work. Were it not for this, He would destroy all sin, with its attendant pain, in a moment. He would abolish wickedness out of his whole creation, and suffer no trace of it to remain. But in so doing He would counteract himself; He would altogether overturn his own work; and undo all He has been doing, since He
created man upon the earth. For He created man | in his own image: a spirit like himself; a spirit
endued with understanding, with will, or affections, and liberty; without which, neither his understanding nor his affections could have been
— any use; neither would He have been capable of either vice or virtue. He could not be a moral
agent, any more than a tree or a stone....
Whereas all the manifold wisdom of God (as well as all his power and goodness) is displayed in governing man as man; not as a stock or stone, but as an intelligent and free spirit, capable of choosing either good or evil. Herein appears the depth of the wisdom of God, in his_ adorable providence; in governing men, so as wt -
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not to destroy either their understanding, will, or liberty, He commands all things, both in heaven and earth, to assist man in attaining the end of his being, in working out his own salvation; so far as it can be done, without compulsion, without overruling his liberty. . . .
But what say the wise men of the world to this?
They answer, with all readiness, "Who doubts of this? We are not atheists. We all acknowledge a providence: that is, a general providence; for, indeed, the particular providence of which some talk, we know not what to make of: surely the little affairs of men are far beneath the regard of the great Creator and Governor of the UniMETSE! ie
You say, "You allow a general providence, but deny a particular one.'' And what is a general, of whatever kind it be, that includes no particulars? Is not every general necessarily made up of its several particulars? Can you instance any general that is not? Tell me any genus, if you can, that contains no species? What is it that constitutes a genus, but so many species added together?
. What do you mean by a general providence, contradistinguished from a particular? Do you mean a providence which superintends only the larger parts of the universe? .
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Is not one spirit, one heir of immortality, of more value than all the earth?...
Or do you mean, when you assert a general providence, distinct from a particular one, that God regards only some parts of the world, and does not regard others? What parts of it does He regard? Those without, or those within, the solar system? Or does He regard some parts of the earth, and not others? Which parts? Only those within the temperate zones? What parts then are under the care of his providence? Where will you lay the line? Do you exclude from it those that live in the torrid zone? Or those that dwell within the arctic circles? Nay, rather say, "The Lord is loving to every man," and his care "is over all his works."
Do you mean (for we would fain find out your meaning, if you have any meaning at all) that the providence of God does, indeed, extend to all parts of the earth, with regard to great and singular events; such as the rise and fall of emAre pires; but that the little concerns of this or that = man are beneath the notice of the Almighty?
Then you do consider that great and little are merely relative terms, which have place only with respect to men. With regard to the Most
High, man, and all the concerns of men, are i ee ¥
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— nothing, less than nothing, before Him. And nothing is small in his sight, that, in any degree, affects the welfare of any that fear God and work righteousness.
What becomes then of your general providence, exclusive of a particular? Let it be ever rejected by all rational men, as absurd, selfcontradictory nonsense.+'
What 1s the state of natural man?
The state of a natural man the Scripture represents as a state of sleep: the voice of God to him is, "Awake, thou that sleepest.'' For his soul is in a deep sleep: his spiritual senses are not awake: they discern neither spiritual good nor evil. The eyes of his understanding are closed; they are sealed together, and see not. Clouds and darkness continually rest upon them; for he lies in the valley of the shadow of death. Hence, having no inlets for the knowledge of spiritual things, all the avenues of his soul being shut up,
he is in gross, stupid ignorance of whatever he is most concerned to know. He is utterly ignorant of God, knowing nothing concerning him as he ought to know. He is totally a stranger to the law of God, as to its true, inward, spiritual mean-
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ing. He has no conception of that evangelical holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord; nor of the happiness which they only find whose "life is hid with Christ in God."
And, for this very reason, because he is fast asleep, he is, in some sense, at rest. Because he is blind, he is also secure: he saith, '""Tush, there shall no harm happen unto me." The darkness which covers him on every side, keeps him in a kind of peace; so far as peace can consist with works of the devil, and with an earthly, devilish mind. He sees not that he stands on the edge of the pit; therefore he fears it not. He cannot tremble at the danger he does not know. He has not understanding enough to fear.
Why is it that he is in no dread of God? Because he is totally ignorant of Him: if not saying
"in his heart, "There is no God"; or, that "He sitteth on the circle of the heavens, and humbleth" yet satisfying himself as well, to all Epicurean intents and purposes, by saying, "God is merciful"; confounding and swallowing up at once in that unwieldy idea of mercy all his holiness and essential hatred of sin; all his justice, wisdom, and truth. He is in no dread of the vengeance denounced against those who obey not the blessed law of God, because he under- —_ " iS ARP
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stands it not. He imagines the main point is, to do thus, to be outwardly blameless; and sees not that it extends to every temper, desire, thought, motion of the heart. Or he fancies that the obligation hereto is ceased; that Christ came to "destroy the Law and the Prophets'; to save his people in, not from, their sins; to bring them to heaven without holiness—notwithstanding his own words, "Not one jot or tittle of the law shall pass away, till all things are fulfilled"; and, "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord! shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
He is secure, because he is utterly ignorant of himself. Hence he talks of "repenting by-and-by"; he does not indeed exactly know when, but some time or other before he dies; taking it for granted, that this is quite in his own power. For what should hinder his doing it, if he will? If he does but once set a resolution, no fear but he will make it good!
But this ignorance never so strongly glares, as in those who are termed men of learning. If a natural man be one of these, he can talk at large of his rational faculties, of the freedom of his will, and the absolute necessity of such freedom, in order to constitute man a moral agent. He
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eo, reads, and argues, and proves to a demonstration, that every man may do as he will; may dispose his own heart to evil or good, as it seems best in his own eyes. Thus the god of this world spreads a double veil of blindness over his heart, lest, by any means, "the light of the glorious gospel of Christ should shine" upon it. ip i ia , From the same ignorance of himself and God, there may sometime arise, in the natural man, a kind of joy, in congratulating himself upon his own wisdom and goodness; and what the world
; calls joy he may often possess. He may have pleasure in various kinds; either in gratifying the desires of the flesh, or the desire of the eye, or the pride of life; particularly if he has large possessions; if he enjoys an affluent fortune; then he may "clothe himself in purple and fine linen and fare sumptuously every day." And so long as he thus doeth well unto himself, men will doubtless speak good of him. They will say, "He is a happy man." For, indeed, this is the sum of worldly happiness; to dress, and visit, and talk, and eat, and drink, and rise up to play.
It is not surprising, if one in such circumstances as these, dosed with the opiates of flattery and sin, should imagine, among his other waking dreams, that he walks in great liberty. How easily
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ert. may he persuade himself, that he is at liberty from all vulgar errors, and from the prejudice of education; judging exactly right, and keeping clear of all extremes. "I am free,'' may he say,
"from all the enthusiasm of weak and narrow souls; from superstition, the disease of fools and cowards, always righteous over much; and from bigotry, continually incident to those who have not a free and generous way of thinking." And too sure it is that he is altogether free from the "wisdom which cometh from above," from holiness, from the religion of the heart, from the whole mind which was in Christ.
For all this time he is the servant of sin. He commits sin, more or less, day by day. Yet he is not troubled: he "is in no bondage," as some speak; he feels no condemnation. He contents himself (even though he should professs to believe that the Christian revelation is of God) with "Man is frail. We are all weak. Every man has his infirmity." Perhaps he quotes Scripture:
"Why does not Solomon say, The righteous man falls into sin seven times a day? And, doubtless, they are all hypocrites or enthusiasts who pretend to be better than their neighbors." If, at any time, a serious thought fix upon him, he stifles it as soon as possible, with "Why should I fear, te meets