Wesley Corpus

What you advance concerning the history of tradition, I am neither concerned to defend nor to confute. Only I must observe, you forget yourself again, where you say, “The fable of the millennium, of the old age of Christ, with many more, were all embraced by the earliest Fathers.” (Page 64.) For modesty’s sake, Sir, think a little before you speak; and remember you yourself informed us, that one of these was never embraced at all, but by one single Father only. 19. “I cannot,” you say, “dismiss this article, without taking notice, that witchcraft was universally believed through all ages of the primitive Church.” (Page 66.) This you show by citations from several of the Fathers; who likewise believed, as you inform us, that “evil spirits had power frequently to afflict either the bodies or minds of men;” that they “acted the parts of the heathen gods, and assumed the forms of those who were called from the dead. Now, this opinion,” say you, “is not only a proof of the grossest credulity, but of that species of it which, of all others, lays a man most open to imposture.” (Page 70.) And yet this opinion, as you know full well, has its founda tion, not only in the histories of all ages, and all nations through out the habitable world, even where Christianity never obtained; but particularly in Scripture; in abundance of passages both of the Old and New Testament; as where the Israelites were expressly commanded not to “suffer a witch to live;” (ibid.:) where St. Paul numbers “witchcraft” with “the works of the flesh,” (Gal. v. 19,20) and ranks it with adultery and idolatry; and where St. John declares, “Without are sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers.” (Rev. xxii. 15.) That the gods of the Heathens are devils, (1 Cor. x. 20) is declared in terms, by one of those who are styled inspired writers. And many conceive, that another of them gives us a plain instance of their “assuming the form of those who were called from the dead.” (1 Sam. xxviii. 13, 14.) Of the power of evil spirits to afflict the minds of men, none can doubt, who believe there are any such beings. And of their power to afflict the body, we have abundant proof, both in the history of Job, and that of the gospel demoniacs.