Who teach, that the most righteous man
Must sin in thought, and word, and deed,
As Satan’s advocates maintain
That evil doth from good proceed,
And boldly give our God the lie,
And Truth himself in Christ deny.
Who teach that the most righteous man
Hymnal/Album: Originally titled: “‘A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit.’—Matt. 7, v. 18.” This hymn appears in the 1766 manuscript “MS Matthew.” This manuscript is part of the collection of the Methodist Archive and Research Centre in The John Rylands Library, The University of Manchester (accession number MA 1977/577, Charles Wesley Notebooks Box 3). Accessed through the website of The Center for Studies in the Wesleyan Tradition, Duke Divinity School. Published in The Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley, Collected and Arranged by G. Osborn, Vol. 10 (London: Wesleyan-Methodist Conference Office, 1870), page 203.
Publishing: Public Domain