Wesley Corpus

4. With regard to the consequences of my teaching this doctrine, I desire any who will not account it lost labor to consult with his own eyes, seriously and in the fear of God, the Third and Fourth Journals. [Journal, ii. 65-500; and letter of Feb. 2. 1745, sect. II. 18.] And if he pleases, he may farther read over and compare, from the 379th to the 381st page of my answer; with your reply, from the one hundred and first inclusive, to the one hundred and fourth page. Among the consequences you reckoned (in your Remarks), besides 'introducing predestination, confusion, presumption, and despair, many very shocking instances of all which' (your words are) ‘you give us among your followers’ (pages 52, 55). I answered, ‘You should have specified a few of those instances, at least the pages where they occur. (Suppose, only three of each sort, out of any or all the four Journals.) Till this is done, I can look upon this assertion as no other than a flourish of your pen.’ Upon this you exclaim (Second Letter, p. 111): ‘I must beg the reader to observe your method of citing my words. Many instances of omissions he has had already. But here is such an one as I believe few controversies can parallel. Would not any one imagine from the view of these words (predestination, confusion, presumption, and despair) that they occurred all together in page fifty-two of my Remarks, and that I observed nothing farther concerning this point Could it be thought that anything intervened between the page referred to and the last sentence And yet so it is, that near three pages intervene!’ Ha! do ‘near three pages intervene’ Prodigious indeed! ‘And this is called an answer!’ So it is, for want of a better. ‘Your business was to show that the Calvinistical notions have not prevailed among the Methodists, or that they were no consequences of unconditional justification.’ No, sir, it was not my business to show this. It was not my business to prove the negative, but yours to prove the affirmative. Mr. Whitefield is himself a Calvinist. Such therefore, doubtless, are many of his followers. But Calvinism has not prevailed at all among any other of the Methodists (so called), nor is it to this day any consequence of unconditional justification in the manner wherein I preach it.