with their desire, we should merely for peace and quietness have left the Church long before now, but that we could not in conscience do

And it is on this single motive, it is for conscience' sake that we still continue therein; and shall continue (God being our helper) unless they by violence thrust us out.

9. But to return. What are the stumbling-blocks in the present case, compared to those in any of the preceding?

We do not dispute concerning any of the externals or circumstantials of Religion. There is no room; for we agree with you therein. We approve of, and adhere to them all all that we learned together when we were children, in our Catechism and CommonPrayer Book. We were born and bred up in your own Church, and desire to die therein. We always were, and are now, zealous for the Church; only not with a blind, angry zeal. We hold, and ever have done, the same opinions, which you and we received from our forefathers. But we do not lay the main stress of our Religion on any opinions, right or wrong: neither do we ever begin, or willingly join in any dispute concerning them. The weight of all Religion, we apprehend, rests on holiness of heart and life. And consequently, wherever we come, we press this with all our might. How wide then is the difference between our case and the case of any of those that are above mentioned? They avowedly separated from the Church: we utterly disavow any such design. They severely, and almost continually, inveighed against the doctrines and discipline of the Church they left. We approve both the doctrines and discipline of our Church, and inveigh only against ungodliness and unrighteousness. They spent great part of their time and strength in contending about externals and circumstantials. We agree with you in both; so that having no room to spend any time in such vain contention, we have our desire of spending and being spent, in promoting plain practical religion. How many stumblingblocks are removed out of your way! Why do not you acknowledge the work of God?

10. If you say, "Because you hold opinions which I cannot believe are true:" I answer, believe them true or false; I will not quarrel with you about any opinion. Only see that your heart be right towards God, that you know and love the Lord Jesus Christ: that you love your neighbour, and walk as your Master walked, and I desire no more. I am sick of opinions: I am weary to bear them. My soul loathes this frothy food. Give me solid and substantial religion. Give me an humble, gentle lover of God and man; a man full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy a man laying himself out in the work of faith, the patience of hope, the labour of love. Let my soul be with these Christians, wheresoever they are, and whatsoever opinion they are of. "Whosoever" thus "doth the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother."

11. Inexcusably infatuated must you be, if you can even doubt whether the propagation of this religion be of God! Only more in

excusable are those unhappy men, who oppose, contradict, and blaspheme it.

How long will you stop your ears against him, that still crieth, "Why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks;" for a man to "contend with his Maker." How long will you despise the well-known advice of a great and learned man, "Refrain from these men, and let them alone. If this work be of man, it will come to naught. But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it." And why should you "be found even to fight against God?" If a man fight with God, shall he prevail? "Canst thou thunder with a voice like him?" Make haste! Fall down! Humble thyself before him! Lest he put forth his hand, and thou perish.

12. How long will you fight under the banner of the great enemy of God and man? You are now in his service: you are taking part with the Devil against God. Even supposing there were no other proof, this would undeniably appear, from the goodly company among whom you are enlisted, and who war one and the same warfare. I have heard some affirm, that the most bitter enemies to the present work of God, were Pharisees. They meant, men who had the form of godliness, but denied the power of it. But I cannot say so. The sharpest adversaries thereof whom I have hitherto known, (unless one might except a few honourable men, whom I may be excused from naming,) were the scum of Cornwall, the rabble of Bilston and Darlaston, the wild beasts of Walsal, and the turnkeys of Newgate.

13. Might not the very sight of these troops show any reasonable man to what General they belonged? As well as the weapons they never fail to use; the most horrid oaths and execrations, and lawless violence, carrying away as a flood whatsoever it is which stands before it having no eyes, nor ears, no regard to the loudest cries of reason, justice, or humanity: can you join heart or hands with these any longer? With such an infamous, scandalous rabblerout, roaring and raging as if they were just broke loose, with their Captain Apollyon, from the bottomless pit? Does it not rather concern you, and that in the highest degree, as well as every friend to his King and country, every lover of peace, justice, and mercy, immediately to join and stop any such godless crews, as they would join to stop a fire just beginning to spread, or an inundation of the sea?

14. If, on the contrary, you join with that godless crew, and strengthen their hands in their wickedness, must not you, in all reason, be accounted (like them) a public enemy of mankind? And indeed such must every one appear, in the eye of unprejudiced reason, who opposes directly or indirectly the reformation of mankind. By reformation I mean, the bringing them back (not to this or that system of opinions, or to this or that set of rites and ceremonies, how decent and significant soever; but (to the calm love of God and one another, to a uniform practice of justice, mercy, and truth. With what colour can you lay any claim to humanity, to benevo

lence, to public spirit, if you can once open your mouth, or stir one finger, against such a reformation as this?

It is a poor excuse to say, "O, but the people are brought into several erroneous opinions." It matters not a straw, whether they are or not: (I speak of such opinions as do not touch the foundation) it is scarcely worth while to spend ten words about it. Whether they embrace this religious opinion or that, is no more concern to me, than whether they embrace this or that system of astronomy. Are they brought to holy tempers and holy lives? This is mine, and should be your inquiry; since on this, both social and personal happiness depend: happiness, temporal and eternal. Are they brought to the love of God and the love of their neighbour? Pure religion and undefiled is this, how long then will you darken counsel, by words without knowledge? The plain religion now propagated is LOVE. And can you oppose this, without being an enemy to mankind?

15. No; nor without being an enemy to your King and country: especially at such a time as this. For however men of no thought may not see or regard it, or hectoring cowards may brave it out, it is evident to every man of calm reflection, that our nation stands on the very brink of destruction. And why are we thus, but because the cry of our wickedness is gone up to heaven, because we have so exceedingly, abundantly beyond measure, corrupted our ways before the Lord. And because, to all our other abominations we have added, the open fighting against God; the not only rejecting, but even denying, yea, blaspheming his last offers of mercy; the hindering others who were desirous to close therewith the despitefully using his messengers, and the variously troubling and oppressing those who did accept of his grace, break off their sins, and turn to him with their whole heart.

16. I cannot but believe, it is chiefly on this account, that God hath now "a controversy with our land." And must not any considerate man be inclined to form the same judgment, if he reviews the state of public affairs for only a few years last past? I will not enter into particulars. But, in general, can you possibly help observing, that whenever there has been any thing like a public attempt to suppress this new Sect, (for so it was artfully represented,) another and another public trouble arose. This has been repeated so often, that it is surprising any man of sense can avoid taking notice of it. May we turn at length "to him that smiteth us, hear the rod, and him that appointeth it!" May we "humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God," before the great deep swallow us up!

17. Just now, viz. on the 4th of this instant December, the Reverend Mr. Henry Wickham, one of his Majesty's Justices of Peace for the West-Riding of Yorkshire, writes an order,

To the Constable of Keighley, commanding him, "to convey the body of Jonathan Reeves, (whose real crime is the calling sinners to repentance,) to his Majesty's Jail and Castle of York; suspect

ed (saith the precept) of being a spy among us, and a dangerous man to the person and government of his Majesty King George." God avert the omen! I fear this is no presage either of the repentance or deliverance of our poor nation!

18. If we will not turn and repent, if we will harden our hearts, and acknowledge neither his judgments nor mercies; what remains but the fulfilling of that dreadful word, which God spake by the Prophet Ezekiel; "Son of man, when the land sinneth against me, by trespassing grievously; then will I stretch forth my hand upon it, and break the staff of the bread thereof.-Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Job, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls. Or if I bring a sword upon that land, and say, Sword go through the land :'-Or if I send a pestilence into that land, and pour out my fury upon it in blood:-Though Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither son nor daughter; they shall but deliver their own souls by their righteousness," ch. xiv. ver. 13, 14. 17. 19, 20.

"Yet behold, therein shall be left a remnant, that shall be brought forth, both sons and daughters.--And ye shall be comforted concerning the evil that I have brought upon Jerusalem.--And ye shall know that I have not done without cause, all that I have done in it, saith the Lord God," ver. 22, 23.

London, Dec. 18, 1745.

AN ANSWER

TO THE

Rev. Mr. Church's "Remarks on the Rev. Mr. John Wesley's last Journal" in a Letter to that Gentleman.

"Let not him that putteth on his harness, boast himself as he that putteth it off." 1 Kings xx. 11.

REVEREND SIR,

1. MY first desire (and prayer to God) is, That I may live peaceably with all men. My next, That if I must dispute at all, it may be with a man of understanding. Thus far, therefore, I rejoice on the present occasion. I rejoice also in that I have confidence of your sincerity, of your real desire, to promote the glory of God, by peace and good-will among men. I am likewise thankful to God, for your calm manner of writing; (a few paragraphs excepted:) and yet more for this, That such an opponent should, by writing in such a manner, give me an opportunity of explaining myself on those very heads, whereon I wanted an occasion so to do.

2. I do not want indeed (though perhaps you think I do) to widen the breach between us, or to represent the difference of the doctrines we severally teach, as greater than it really is. So far from it, that I earnestly wish, there were none at all; or if there must be some, that it may be as small as possible: being fully persuaded, that could we once agree in doctrines, other differences would soon fall to the ground.

3. In order to contribute, as I am able, to this, it will be my endeavour, to acknowledge what I think you have spoken right, and to answer what I cannot think right as yet, with what brevity and clearness I can. I desire to do this, in as inoffensive a manner, as the nature of the thing will bear; and consistently with that brotherly ⚫ love, which I cannot deny you, without wronging my own soul.

4. You sum up your charge thus: "You have now, Sir, my sentiments-It is impossible for you to put an entire stop, to the enormities of the Moravians, while you still, I. Too much commend these men; II. Hold principles in common with them, from which these enormities naturally follow; and, III. Maintain other errors more than theirs, and are guilty of enthusiasm to the highest degree."* I. 1. You, first, charge me with too much commending the MoraviThat the case may be fully understood, I will transcribe the passages which you cite from the Journal concerning them, and then give a general answer.

ans.

She told me, Mr. Molther had advised her, till she received faith, to be still, ceasing from outward works. In the evening, Mr. Bray was also commending the being still:-He likewise spoke largely, of the great danger that attended the doing of outward works, and of the folly of people that keep running about to church and sacrament."

Sund. Nov. 4. Our society met, and continued silent till eight." Sund. June 22. I spoke thus: Eight or nine months ago, certain men arose, who affirmed, that there is no such thing as any means of grace; and that we ought to leave off these works of the law.' You (Mr. Molther) believe, that the way to attain faith, is, not to go to church, not to communicate, not to fast, not to use so much private prayer, not to read the Scripture; not to do temporal good, or attempt to do spiritual good.' You undervalue good works, especially works of outward mercy, never publicly insisting on the necessity of them.'

Some of our brethren asserted, 1. That till they had true faith, they ought to be still, that is, (as they explained themselves,) to abstain from the means of grace, as they are called, the Lord's Supper in particular. 2. That the ordinances are not means of grace, there being no other means than Christ.' 'I could not agree, either that none has any faith, so long as he is liable to any doubt or fear, or that till we have it, we ought to abstain from the ordinances of God.' Mr. Brd speaks so slightly of the means of grace, that many

* Remarks, p. 73, 74.

N. B. The Sentences quoted from the REMARKS, are all distinguished with inverted

commas.