Wesley Corpus

“The name was first given to a few persons, who were so uncommonly methodical, as to keep a diary of the most trivial actions of their lives, as how many slices of bread and butter they ate, how many country dances they danced at their dancing club, or after a fast how many pounds of mutton they devoured. For upon these occasions they ate like lions, having made themselves uncommonly voracious.” Of this, not one line is true; for, (1.) It was from an ancient sect of Phy sicians, whom we were supposed to resemble in our regular diet and exercise, that we were originally styled Methodists. (2.) Not one of us ever kept a diary of “the most trivial actions” of our lives. (3) Nor did any of us ever set down, what, or how much, we ate or drank. (4.) Our “dancing club” never ex isted; I never heard of it before. (5.) On our “fast-days.” we used no food but bread; on the day following, we fed as on common days. (6.) Therefore our voraciousness and eating like lions is also pure, lively invention. You go on: “It was not long before these gentlemen began to dogmatize in a public manner, feeling a strong inclination to new-model almost every circumstance or thing in the system of our national religion.” Just as true as the rest. These gen tiemen were so far from feeling any inclination at all “to new model” any “circumstance or thing,” that, during their whole stay at Oxford, they were High Churchmen in the strongest sense; vehemently contending for every “circumstance” of Church order, according to the old “model.” And in Georgia too, we were rigorous observers of every Rubric and Canon; as well as (to the best of our knowledge) every tenet of the Church. Your account, therefore, of the rise of the Method ists is a mistake from beginning to end. I proceed to your definition of them: “By the Methodists, was then and is now understood, a set of enthusiasts, who, pre tending to be members of the Church of England, either offend against the order and discipline of the Church, or pervert its doctrines relating to faith and works, and the terms of salva tion.” Another grievous mistake.