JOHN Wesley had an effective way of dealing with infidels and doubters, which was substantially as follows: —
He affirmed that,
(1) The Bible is a book, and if God is not its author, it must have been written by some man or men without supernatural aid.
(2) It must have been written by good men or bad men, if it was composed by more than one man.
If it is false in its statements, it is a bad book, and it could not have been written by good men; since good men would not have written so bad a book as the Bible is, if it is a false book, nor have been the authors of so great and grave falsehoods.
Bad men could not, and would not, have written so good a book as the Bible is confessed to be, even by infidels.
First, because it is not possible that men, who were bad enough to have perpetrated so great a fraud, and to have told or written such monstrous lies as are contained in the Bible (if it is not true), could have conceived such a sublime philosophy, so perfect a system of ethics, so faultless and lovely a character as that of Jesus.
Second, —even if we could conceive of men being able to invent the Bible, such men could have had no motive in writing such a book, every line of which condemns their badness, and consigns them to eternal punishment, while it instructs them that the only way to happiness is through the denial of all carnal appetites and desires, and a life of self-sacrifice and personal righteousness and holiness.
(5) Since, therefore, as we cannot conceive of good men writing so bad a book (if it is not true), or bad men writing so good a book, for even infidels acknowledge it is a good book, we must come to the conclusion that its authorship is from another source, and that source is clearly stated in the Bible. “All Scripture is given by INSPIRATION OF GOD.” (2 Tim. 3:1616All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: (2 Timothy 3:16))
As nothing is more easy than to think, so nothing is more difficult than to think well.
What is the reason there is so much preaching and so little practice? Want of meditation.