Wesley Corpus

Again silence ensued; after which the Moderator asked, ‘Shall these men be excommunicated or only deposed’ Answer was made, ‘The question is not right. Let it be asked, “Shall they be deposed or not”’ This was accordingly done, and it was carried by five votes ‘that they should not be deposed.’ Having received help from God, they continue to this day; declaring to all that their congregation is the Kirk of Scotland; that they (the ministers, now ten in all) are the proper Presbytery, and there is no other; those commonly so called having made shipwreck both of the faith and discipline once delivered to the saints. Friday, September 14, I expounded again at Islington; but the house being too small for the company, I stood in the garden and showed them how vainly they trusted in baptism for salvation unless they were holy of heart, without which their circumcision was actually become uncircumcision. Afterwards I went to Fetter Lane, where I brought down the high looks of the proud by an exposition of those words, ‘All things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.’ Saturday, September 15, I expounded those words on which the book opened at Lady Hume’s: ‘The cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires of other things, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.’ At Fetter Lane I was directed to those words, ‘I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever.’ Many were cut to the heart, both here and at Mr. Exall’s, where I enforced those words of our Lord, ‘Except ye be born again, ye cannot see the kingdom of God.’ Sunday, the 16th, I preached at Moorfields to about ten thousand, and at Kennington Common to between twenty and thirty thousand, on those words, ‘We desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know it is everywhere spoken against.’ At both places I described in very plain terms the diffrence between true old Christianity, commonly called by the new name of Methodism, and the Christianity now generally taught.