Wesley Corpus

My difficulty is very much increased by one of your observations. I know the original doctrines of the Church are sound; I know her worship is (in the main) pure and scriptural. But if ‘the essence of the Church of England considered as such, consists in her orders and laws’ (many of which I myself can say nothing for), ‘and not in her worship and doctrines’ those who separate from her have a far stronger plea than I was ever sensible of. 4. At present I apprehend those, and those only, to separate from the Church who either renounce her or refuse to join in her pubic worship. As yet we have done neither; nor have we taken one step farther than we were convinced was our bounden duty. It is from a full conviction of this that we have (1) preached abroad, (2) prayed extempore, (3) formed Societies, and (4) permitted preachers who were not episcopally ordained. And were we punished on this side, were there no alternative allowed, we should judge it our bounden duty rather wholly to separate from the Church than to give up any one of these points. Therefore, if we cannot stop a seperation without stopping lay preachers, the case is clear - we cannot stop it at all. 5. ‘But if we permit them, should we not do more Should we not appoint them rather Since our bare permission puts the matter quite out of our hands and deprives us of all our influence.’ In a great measure it does; therefore to appoint them is far more expedient, if it be lawful. But is it lawful for presbyters circumstanced as we are to appoint our ministers This is the very point wherein we desire advice, being unafraid of leaning to our own understanding. It is undoubtedly ‘needful,’ as you observe, to come to some resolution in this point’; and the sooner the better. I therefore rejoice to hear that you think ‘that this matter may be better and more inoffensively ordered; and that a method may be found which, conducted with prudence and patience, will reduce the constitution of Methodism to due order, and render the Methodists under God more instrumental to the ends of practical religion.'