Wesley Corpus

Mon. 16.--I rode to Oxford, and the next day to Evesham. On Wednesday and Thursday, in riding from Evesham to Bristol, I read over that surprising book, “ The Life of Ignatius Loyola ;” surely one of the greatest men that ever was engaged in the support of so bad a cause! I wonder any man should judge him to be an enthusiast: no ; but he knew the people with wnom he had to do: and setting out (like count Z ) with a full persuasion that he might use guile to promote the glory of God, or (which he thought the same thing) the interest of his church, he acted, in all things, consistent with his principles.’ In the evening I met my brother and Mr. Graves; who being able to delay it no longer, at length sent the following letter to the Fellows of St. Mary Magdalen college, in Oxford :-- i ao aA Aug. 1742. ] REV. J. WESLEY’S JOURNAL. 267. Bristol, Aug. 20, 1742. “ GenrLemMeN,--In December, 1740, I signed a paper containing the following words: ‘I, Charles Caspar Graves, do hereby declare, that I do renounce the modern practice and principles of the persons commonly called Methodists, namely, of preaching in fields, of assembling together and expounding the Holy Scriptures in private houses, and elsewhere than in churches, in an irregular and disorderly manner, and their pretensions to an extraordinary inspiration and inward feeling of the Holy Spirit. Ido further declare my conformity to the Liturgy of the Church of England, and my unfeigned assent and consent to the articles thereof, commonly called the Thirty-nine Articles. Lastly, I do declare, that I am heartily sorry that I have given offence and scandal, by frequenting the meetings and attending the expositions of the persons commonly called Methodists ; and that I will not frequent their meetings, nor attend their expositions for the future; nor take upon me to preach and expound the Scripture, in the manner practised by them. ‘Cuarves Caspar Graves.’