The Bible must be the invention either of good men or angels, bad men or devils, or of God. However, it was not written by good men, because good men would not tell lies by saying 'Thus saith the Lord;' it was not written by bad men because they would not write about doing good duty, while condemning sin, and themselves to hell; thus, it must be written by divine inspiration
Interpretation
The quote suggests that the Bible's origin must be attributed to divinity, as it possesses qualities that neither good nor bad men would claim.
Charles Wesley's quote reflects on the nature of the Bible and its authorship, arguing that it cannot be the creation of morally good or evil individuals. Good men wouldn't deceive by claiming divine authority, while bad men wouldn't write about virtues while condemning sin. This line of reasoning leads to the conclusion that the Bible must be a result of divine inspiration, highlighting its significance in moral and spiritual discourse.
In practice
During a discussion on religious texts, one might quote Wesley to emphasize the idea of divine authorship.
Come to earth to taste our sadness, he whose glories knew no end;_x000D_ by his life he brings us gladness, our Redeemer, Shepherd, Friend._x000D_ Leaving riches without number, born within a cattle stall;_x000D_ this the everlasting wonder, Christ was born the Lord of all.
Faith, mighty faith, the promise sees, And looks to God alone; Laughs at impossibilities, And cries it shall be done.
O for a thousand tongues to sing my great Redeemer's praise, the glories of my God and King, the triumphs of his grace!
And all things as they change proclaim _x000D_ The Lord eternally the same.
Expand Thy wings, celestial Dove, brood o'er our nature's night; on our disordered spirits move, and let there now be light.
Keep us little and unknown, prized and loved by God alone.
I don't know what happens when people die_x000D_ _x000D_ Can't seem to grasp it as hard as I try_x000D_ _x000D_ It's like a song I can hear playing right in my ear_x000D_ _x000D_ That I can't sing_x000D_ _x000D_ I can't help listening
Charity never humiliated him who profited from it, nor ever bound him by the chains of gratitude, since it was not to him but to God that the gift was made.
The autobiographical self has prompted extended memory, reasoning, imagination, creativity and language. And out of that came the instruments of culture - religions, justice, trade, the arts, science, technology.
Never in all their history have men been able truly to conceive of the world as one: a single sphere, a globe, having the qualities of a globe, a round earth in which all the directions eventually meet, in which there is no center because every point, or none, is center - an equal earth which all men occupy as equals. The airman's earth, if free men make it, will be truly round: a globe in practice, not in theory.
Who taught me that animals were put on this Earth for food? Who taught me to disrespect animals and view them as mere commodities? Who stole my compassion, my empathy and my conscience? Who lied to me? Who instilled this vicious mindset of human-to-animal exploitation as standard operating procedure?
Being good is easy, what is difficult is being just.
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