Page:The works of the Rev. John Wesley, M.A., late fellow of Lincoln-College, Oxford (IA worksofrevjohnwe3wesl).pdf/83



THE LAW ESTABLISHED THRO' FAITH.

iii. 31.

''Do we then make void the law thro' Faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law.''

1. Saint Paul having in the beginning of this epistle, laid down his general proposition, namely, That ''the gospel of Christ is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth'': the powerful means, whereby God makes every believer a partaker of present and eternal salvation, goes on to shew, that there is no other way under heaven, whereby men can be saved. He speaks particularly of salvation from the guilt of sin, which he commonly terms justification. And that all men stood in need of this, that none could plead their own innocence, he proves at large by various arguments, addrest to the Jews as well as the Heathens. Hence he infers (in the 19th verse of this chapter) ''That every mouth'', whether of Jew or Heathen, must