Wesley Corpus

As a full answer to this I need only transcribe a page or two from the last Appeal [Works, viii. 237-8.]: ‘God begins a glorious work in our land. You set yourself against it with your might; to prevent its beginning where it does not yet appear, and to destroy it wherever it does. In part you prevail. You keep many from hearing the word that is able to save their souls. Others who have heard it you induce to turn back from God and to list under the devil's banner again. Then you make the success of your own wickedness an excuse for not acknowledging the work of God! You urge “that not many sinners were reformed! and that some of those are now as bad as ever!” ‘Whose fault is this Is it ours, or your own Why have not thousands more been reformed Yea, for every one who is now turned to God, why are there not ten thousand Because you and your associates labored so heartily in the cause of hell; because you and they spared no pains either to prevent or to destroy the work of God. By using all the power and wisdom you had you hindered thousands from hearing the gospel, which they might have found to be the power of God unto salvation. Their blood is upon your heads. By inventing or countenancing or retailing lies, some refined, some gross and palpable, you hindered others from profiting by what they did hear. You are answerable to God for these souls also. Many who began to taste the good word and run the way of God's commandments, by various methods you prevailed on to hear it no more. So they soon drew back to perdition. But know that for every one of these also God will require an account of you in the day of judgment!