In Defense of the Law of God

In answer to the claim that at the death of Christ the Decalogue had been abolished with the ceremonial law, Wesley said: “The moral law, contained in the Ten Commandments and enforced by the prophets, He did not take away. This is a law which never can be broken, which ‘stands fast as the faithful witness in heaven.’”HF 163.3

Wesley declared the perfect harmony of the law and the gospel. “On the one hand, the law continually makes way for, and points us to, the gospel; on the other, the gospel continually leads us to a more exact fulfilling of the law. The law, for instance, requires us to love God, to love our neighbor, to be meek, humble, or holy. We feel that we are not sufficient for these things; ... but we see a promise of God to give us that love, and to make us humble, meek, and holy: we lay hold of this gospel, of these glad tidings; ... ‘the righteousness of the law is fulfilled in us,’ through faith which is in Christ Jesus... .”HF 163.4

“In the highest rank of the enemies of the gospel of Christ,” said Wesley, “are they who ... teach men to break ... not one only, whether of the least or of the greatest, but all the commandments at a stroke. ... They honor Him just as Judas did when he said, ‘Hail, Master, and kissed Him.’ ... It is no other than betraying Him with a kiss, to talk of His blood, and take away His crown; to set light by any part of His law, under pretense of advancing His gospel.”^{14Wesley, Sermon 25.}HF 164.1