Wesley Corpus

The point of your argument is, “If you cannot believe these, then you ought not to believe the Bible: The incredibility of the things related ought to overrule all testimony whatsoever.” Your argument, at length, would run thus: “If things be incredible in themselves, then this incredibi lity ought to overrule all testimony concerning them. “But the gospel miracles are incredible in themselves.” Sir, that proposition I deny. You have not proved it yet. You have only now and then, as it were by the by, made any attempt to prove it. And till this is done, you have done nothing, with all the pother that you have made. 14. You reserve the home stroke for the last : “There is hardly a miracle said to be wrought in the primitive times, but what is said to be performed in our days. But all these modern pretensions we ascribe to their true cause,--the craft of a few, playing upon the credulity of the many, for private interest. When, therefore, we read of the same things done by the ancients, and for the same ends of acquiring wealth, credit, or power; how can we possibly hesitate to impute them to the same cause of fraud and imposture?” (Page 230.) The reason of our hesitation is this: They did not answer the same ends. The modern Clergy of Rome do acquire credit and wealth by their pretended miracles. But the ancient Clergy acquired nothing by their miracles, but to be “afflicted, destitute, tormented.” The one gain all things thereby; the others lost all things. And this, we think, makes some differ ence. “Even unto this present hour,” says one of them, (writing to those who could easily confute him, if he spoke not the truth,) “we both hunger and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwelling-place. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we suffer it; being defamed, we entreat. We are become as the filth of the world, as the off scouring of all things unto this day.” (1 Cor. iv. 11--13.) Now, Sir, whatever be thought of the others, we apprehend, such Clergy as these, labouring thus, unto the death, for such credit and wealth, are not chargeable with fraud and imposture. THE REV. Dit. MIDDLETON, 67 VI. I have now finished what I had to say with regard to your book.