Wesley Corpus

AND DEAR SIR, Swinfleet, July 19, 1768. “ONE of Wintringham informed me yesterday, that you said, no sensible and well-meaning man could hear, and much less join, the Methodists; because they all acted under a lie, professing themselves members of the Church of England, while they licensed themselves as Dissenters.--You are a little misinformed. The greater part of the Methodist Preachers are not licensed at all; and several that are, are not licensed as Dissenters. I instance particularly in Thomas Adams and Thomas Brisco. When Thomas Adams desired a license, one of the Justices said, ‘Mr. Adams, are not you of the Church of England? Why then do you desire a license?” He answered, ‘Sir, I am of the Church of England; yet I desire a license, that I may legally defend myself from the illegal violence of oppressive men.” T. Brisco being asked the same question, in London, and the Justice adding, ‘We will not grant you a license, his Lawyer replied, “Gentlemen, you cannot refuse it : The act is a mandatory act. You have no choice. One asked the Chair man, ‘Is this true?” He shook his head, and said, “He is in the right. The objection, therefore, does not lie at all against the greater part of the Methodist Preachers; because they are either licensed in this form, or not licensed at all. “When others applied for a license, the Clerk or Justice said, ‘I will not license you, but as Protestant Dissenters.” They replied, “We are of the Church; we are not Dissenters: But if you will call us so, we cannot help it.’ They did call them so in their certificates, but this did not make them so. They still call themselves members of the Church of England; and they believe themselves so to be. Therefore neither do these act under a lie. They speak no more than they verily believe. Surely then, unless there are stronger objections than this, both well-meaning and sensible men may, in perfect consistence with their sense and sincerity, not only hear, but join the Methodists. “We are in truth sofar from being enemies to the Church, that we are rather bigots to it. I dare not, like Mr. Venn, leave the parish church where I am, to go to an Independent meeting. I dare not advise others to go thither, rather than to church.