Wesley Corpus

6. Your Lordship cannot but discern how the whole tenor of his hook tends to destroy the Holy Scriptures, to render them vile in the eyes of the people, to make them stink in the nostrils of infidels. For instance: after reading his labored ridicule of the sorrow and fear which usually attend the first repentance (called by St. Chrysostom as well as a thousand other writers ‘the pangs or throes of the new birth’), what can an infidel think of those and the like expressions in Scripture’ I have roared for the very disquietness of my heart; fearfulness and trembling are come upon me and an horrible dread hath overwhelmed me’ After his flood of satire on all kind of conflicts with Satan, what judgment can a Deist form of what St. Paul speaks concerning the various wrestlings of a Christian with the wicked one Above all, how will his bringing the lewd heathen poets to expose the pure and spiritual love of God naturally cause them to look with the same eyes on the most elevated passages of the inspired writings! What can be more diverting to them than to apply his p ’t ‘bitter-sweet of love,’ to many expressions in the Canticles (On which undoubtedly he supposes the fair Circassian to be a very just paraphrase!) ‘Aye,’ say they, ‘the very case: “Stay me with apples; for I am sick of love.”’ 7. Probably the comparer will reply: ‘No; I do not ridicule the things themselves --repentance, the new birth, the fight of faith, or the love of God; all which I know are essential to religion, -- but only the folly and the enthusiasm which are blended with these by the Methodists.’ But how poor a pretence is this! Had this ready been the case how carefully would he have drawn the line under each of these heads -- between the sober religion of a Christian and the enthusiasm of a Methodist! But has he done this Does he take particular care to show under each what is true as well as what is fake religion where the former ends and the latter begins what are the proper boundaries of each Your Lordship knows he does not so much as endeavor it or take any pains about it, but indiscriminately pours the flood out of his unclean mouth upon all repentance, faith, love and holiness.