Wesley Corpus

No more than you believe he had eighty millions. Is not all this talk of danger mere finesse, thrown in purely ad movendam invi diam ** You know governments generally are suspicious; *To excite ill-will.-EDIT. especially in the time of war; and therefore apply, as you sup pose, to their weak side; in hopes, if possible, to deliver over these heretics to the secular arm. However, I will answer as if you spoke from your heart: For I am in earnest, if you are not. (1.) “The Preacher cannot know a tenth part of his congre gation.” Let us come to the present state of things. The largest congregations that now attend the preaching of any Methodist, are those (God be merciful to me!) that attend mine. And cannot I know a tenth part of one of these congre gations, either at Bristol, Kingswood, Newcastle, or London? As strange as it may seem, I generally know two-thirds of the congregation in every place, even on Sunday evening, and nine in ten of those who attend at most other times. (2.) “All people may come and carry on what designs they will.” Not so. All field-preaching is now in the open day. And were only ten persons to come to such an assembly with arms, it would soon be inquired, with what design they came. This is therefore, (3.) No “great opportunity put into the hands of seditious persons to raise disturbances.” And if ever any disturbance. has been raised, it was quite of another kind. : The public, then, is entirely safe, if it be in no other danger than arises from field-preaching. 7. There is one other sentence belonging to this head, in the eighth section of the “Observations.” “Thereligious societies,” you say, “in London and Westminster, for many years past, have received no discouragements, but, on the contrary, have been countenanced and encouraged both by the Bishops and Clergy.” How is this? Have they then “qualified themselves and places of their assembling, according to the Act of Tolera tion?” Have they “embraced the protection which that Act might give them, in case they complied with the conditions. of it?” If not, are they not all “liable to the penalties of the several statutes made before that time against unlawful assemblies?” How can they escape?