Wesley Corpus

3. Yet 'such deviation,' you think, 'may open a door to much disorder and error.' I grant it may; but I still insist (1) that accidental ill consequences may flow from a good thing; (2) that the good consequences in the present case overbalance the evil beyond all possible degrees of comparison. The same I believe of Mr. Whitefield's public preaching (which was not the consequence but the cause of mine), whose doctrine in general (though he is mistaken in some points) I believe to be the truth of the gospel. 4. I never did censure the whole body of clergy; and God forbid that I ever should. I do not willingly censure any, even the grossly immoral. But you advise to 'complain of these to the Bishop of the diocese.' In what way 'Be so public-spirited as to present them.' Much may be said on that question. I should ask: (1) Have I a right to present them I apprehend not. The churchwardens of each parish are to do this; which they will hardly do at my instance. (2) If I could do it myself, the presenting them to the Court is not presenting them to the Bishop: the Bishop, you cannot but know, has no more authority in what is called the Bishop's Court than the Pope of Rome. (3) I cannot present, suppose, thirty persons in as many counties, to the lay chancellors or officials (men whom I apprehend to have just as much authority from Scripture to administer the sacraments as to try ecclesiastical causes), without such an expense both of labour and money and time as I am by no means able to sustain. And what would be the fruit, if I could sustain it if I was the informer-general against the immoral clergy of England O sir, can you imagine, or dare you say, that I should 'have the thanks of the bishops, and of all good men, both clergy and laity' If you allow only those to be good men who would thank me for this, I fear you would not find seven thousand good men in all our Israel.