Wesley Corpus

What lies upon you to prove, is this: Whoever acknowledges any Dissenters as brethren, does hereby give himself the lie, when he says he is a member of the Church of England. However, you allow, there may be place for repentance: “For if any of the founders of this sect renounce the opinions they once were charged with, they may be permitted to lay aside the name.” But what are the opinions which you require us to renounce? What are, according to you, the principles of the Methodists? You say in general, “They are contradictory to the gospel, contradictory to the Church of England, full of blasphemy, impiety, and ending in downright Atheism:”-- For, “(1.) They expound the Scripture in such a manner as to make it contradict itself.- “(2.) With blasphemy, impiety, and diabolical frenzy, they contradict our Saviour, by denying that he will judge man according to his works. “(3.) By denying this they destroy the essential attributes of God, and ruin his character as Judge of the world.” In support of the First charge, you say, “It is notorious; and few men of common sense attempt to prove what is notori ous, till they meet with people of such motorious impudence as to deny it.” I must really deny it. Why, then, you will prove it by Mr. Mason's own words. Hold, Sir: Mr. Mason’s words prove nothing. For we are now speaking of original Methodists; but he is not one of them; nor is he in connexion with them; neither with Mr. Whitefield nor me. So that what Mr. Mason speaks, be it right or wrong, is nothing to the present purpose. There fore, unless you can find some better proof, this whole charge falls to the ground. Well, “here it is: Roger Balls.”--Pray who is Roger Balls? No more a Methodist than he is a Turk. I know not one good thing he ever did or said, beside the telling all men, “I am no Methodist,” which he generally does in the first sentence he speaks, when he can find any one to hear him. He is therefore one of your own allies; and a champion worthy of his cause ! If then you have no more than this to advance in support of your first charge, you have alleged what you are not able to prove.