Wesley Corpus

If it has this power, then all the objections of the Dissenters, about kneeling at the Lord’s supper, and the like, are impertinent: If it has no power at all of this kind, yea, if Christ, the great Lawgiver and King of the Church, hath expressly commanded, that no power of this kind shall ever be claimed or ever be yielded by any of his followers; then the Dissenters will have honour before God for protesting against such usurpation.” (Page 3.) I join issue on this single point: “If Christ hath expressly commanded, that no power of this kind shall ever be claimed, or ever yielded, by any of his followers;” then are all who yield it, all Churchmen, in a state of damnation, as much as those who “deny the Lord that bought them.” But if Christ hath not expressly commanded this, we may go to church, and yet not go to hell. To the point then: The power I speak of is a power of decreeing rites and ceremonies, of appointing such circum stantials (suppose) of public worship as are in themselves purely indifferent, being no way determined in Scripture. And the question is, “Hath Christ expressly commanded, that this power shall never be claimed, nor ever yielded, by any of his followers?” This I deny. How do you prove it? Why, thus: “If the Church of England has this power, so has the Church of Rome.” (Page 4.) Allowed. But this is not to the purpose. I want “the express command of Christ.” You say, “Secondly, The persons who have this power in England, are not the Clergy, but the Parliament.” (Pages 8, 9.) Perhaps so. But this also strikes wide. Where is “the express command of Christ?” You ask, “Thirdly, How came the civil Magistrate by this power?” (Page 11.) “Christ commands us to ‘call no man upon earth father and master;’ that is, to acknowledge no authority of any in matters of religion.” (Page 12.) At length we are come to the express command, which, according to your interpretation, is express enough ; “that is, Acknow ledge no authority of any in matters of religion;” own no power in any to appoint any circumstance of public worship, anything pertaining to decency and order. But this inter pretation is not allowed. It is the very point in question.