Which things also we speak,
not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy
Ghost teacheth" (I Cor. ii. 12, 13). And if we know the words,
may we not know the Teacher of the words?
John Wesley says:--
"The knowledge of the Three-One God is interwoven with all true
Christian faith, with all vital religion. I do not say," he adds,
"that every real Christian can say, with the Marquis de Renty, 'I
bear about with me continually an experimental verity, and a
fullness of the ever-blessed'Trinity. I apprehend that this is
not the experience of "babes," but rather "fathers in Christ."'
But I know not how anyone can be a Christian believer till he
'hath the witness in himself,' till 'the Spirit of God witnesses
with his spirit that he is a child of God'; that is, in effect,
till God the Holy Ghost witnesses that God the Father has
accepted him through the merits of God the Son.
"Not that every Christian believer adverts to this; perhaps, at
first, not one in twenty; but, if you ask them a few questions,
you will easily find it is implied in what he believes."
I shall never forget my joy, mingled with awe and wonder, when
this dawned upon my consciousness. For several weeks I had been
searching the Scriptures, ransacking my heart, humbling my soul,
and crying to God almost day and night for a pure heart and the
baptism with the Holy Ghost, when one glad, sweet day (it was
January 9th, 1885) this text suddenly opened to my understanding:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"; and I was
enabled to believe without any doubt that the precious blood
cleansed my heart, even mine, from all sin.
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