Wesley Corpus

Inability to pay fees does not alter the case.) “Can. 75.--No ecclesiastical persons shall spend their time idly, by day or by night, playing at dice, cards, or tables.” Now, let the Clergyman who has observed only these five Canons for one year last past, and who has read over all the Canons in his congregation; (as the King’s ratification straitly enjoins him to do once every year;) let him, I say, cast the first stone at us, for not observing the Canons (so called) of the Church of England. 83. “However, we cannot be,” it is said, “friends to the Church, because we do not obey the Governors of it, and sub mit ourselves (as at our ordination we promised to do) to all their godly admonitions and injunctions.”* I answer, In every indi * The author of a tract just published at Newcastle, entitled, “The Notions of the Methodists fully disproved, in a Letter to the Rev. Mr. John Wesley,” much insists upon this objection. I have read, and believe it quite needless to take any vidual point of an indifferent nature, we do and will, by the grace of God, obey the Governors of the Church. But the testifying the gospel of the grace of God is not a point of an indifferent nature. “The ministry which we have received of the Lord Jesus,” we are at all hazards to fulfil. It is the burden of the Lord which is laid upon us here; and we are “to obey God rather than man.” Nor yet do we in any ways violate the promise which each of us made, when it was said unto him, “Take thou authority to preach the word of God, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy ghost.” We then promised to submit (mark the words) to the Godly admonitions and injunctions of our Ordinary. But we did not, could not, promise to obey such injunctions as we know are contrary to the word of God. 84. “But why then,” say some, “do you leave the Church?” Leave the Church I What can you mean? Do we leave so much as the Church walls? Your own eyes tell you we do not. Do we leave the ordinances of the Church 7 You daily see and know the contrary.