Wesley Corpus

Letter to a Roman Catholic by John Wesley To a Roman Catholic DUBLIN July 18, 1749. 1. You have heard ten thousand stories of us who are commonly called Protestants, of which, if you believe only one in a thousand, you must think very hardly of us. But this is quite contrary to our Lords rule, 'Judge not, that ye be not judged'; and has many ill consequences, particularly this -- it inclines us to think as hardly of you. Hence we are on both sides less willing to help one another, and more ready to hurt each other. Hence brotherly love is utterly destroyed; and each side, looking on the other as monsters, gives way to anger, hatred, malice, to every unkind affection, which have frequently broke out in such inhuman barbarities as are scarce named among the heathens. 2. Now, can nothing be done, even allowing us on both sides to retain our own opinions, for the softening our hearts towards each other, the giving a check to this flood of unkindness, and restoring at least some small degree of love among our neighbors and countrymen? Do not you wish for this? Are you not fully convinced that malice, hatred, revenge, bitterness, whether in us or in you, in our hearts or yours, are an abomination to the Lord? Be our opinions right, or be they wrong these tempers are undeniably wrong. They are the broad road that leads to destruction, to the nethermost hell. 3. I do not suppose all the bitterness is on your ride. I know there is too much on our side also -- so much, that I fear many Protestants (so called) will be angry at me too for writing to you in this manner, and will say, ' It is showing you too much favor; you deserve no such treatment at our hands.'