Wesley Corpus

26.--I set out for London. A good part of the day we had furious wind and rain full in our faces: However, we pushed on to Lakenheath. Notwithstanding the severity of the weather, the church was pretty well filled in the evening. The next evening we reached Hockerhill, and London on Saturday in the afternoon. On Ash-Wednesday, MARCH 4, I dined at a friend’s with Mr. Whitefield, still breathing nothing but love. Thursday, 5. I at length obliged Dr. D. by entering into the lists with him. The letter I wrote (though not published till two or three weeks after) was as follows: “To the Editor of Lloyd's Evening Post. “MANY times the publisher of the ‘Christian Magazine’ has attacked me without fear or wit; and hereby he has convinced his impartial readers of one thing at least,-that (as the vulgar say) his fingers itch to be at me; that he has a passionate desire to measure swords with me. But I have other work upon my hands: I can employ the short remainder of my life to better purpose. March, 1767.] JOURNAL, 273 “The occasion of his late attack is this:--Five or six and thirty years ago, I much admired the character of a perfect Christian drawn by Clemens Alexandrinus. Five or six and twenty years ago, a thought came into my mind, of drawing such a character myself, only in a more scriptural manner, and mostly in the very words of Scripture: This I entitled, ‘The Character of a Methodist, believing that curiosity would incite more persons to read it, and also that some prejudice might thereby be removed from candid men. But that none might imagine I intended a panegyric either on myself or my friends, I guarded against this in the very title page, saying, both in the name of myself and them, ‘Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect.’ To the same effect I speak in the conclusion, ‘These are the principles and practices of our sect; these are the marks of a true Methodist; i. e., a true Christian, as I immediately after explain myself: “By these alone do those who are in derision so called desire to be distinguished from other men.’ (P. 11.) ‘By these marks do we labour to distinguish ourselves from those whose minds or lives are not according to the Gospel of Christ.’ (P.