Wesley Corpus

It is hard to say. But if he proves nothing, he either directly or indirectly asserts many things. In particu lar, he asserts, (1) “Mr. Wesley has arraigned in the jargon of the Schools.” Heigh-day ! What has this to do here? There is no more of the jargon of the Schools in my Letter, than there is of Arabic. “The Catholics all over the world are liars, perjurers,” &c. Nay, I have not arraigned one of them. This is a capital mistake. I arraign the doctrines, not the men. Either defend them, or renounce them. “I do renounce them,” says Mr. O'Leary. Perhaps you do. But the Church of Rome has never renounced them. “He asperses our communion in a cruel manner.” I do not asperse it at all in saying, these are the doctrines of the Church of Rome. Who can prove the contrary? (2) “Mr. O'Leary did not even attempt to seduce the English soldiery.” I believe it; but does this prove any of these three points? “But Queen Elizabeth and King James roasted heretics in Smithfield !” In what year? I doubt the fact. * (3) “Mr. Wesley is become an apologist of those who burned the chapel in Edinburgh.” Is not this said purely ad movendam invidiam? “to inflame the minds of the people?” For it has no shadow of truth. I never yet wrote nor spoke one word in their defence. “He urged the rabble to light that fire.” No more than he urged them to dethrone the King. (4) “Does Mr. Wesley intend to sound Alecto’s horn, or the war-shell of the Mexicans?” All this is cruel aspersion indeed; designed merely to inflame! What I intend is neither more nor less than this,--to contribute my mite to preserve our constitution both in Church and State. (5.) “They were the Scotch and English regicides who gave rise to the Irish massacre.” The Irish massacre Was there ever any such thing? Was not the whole account a mere Protestant lie? O no ! it was a melancholy truth, THE FREEMAN's Journal. 165 wrote in the blood of many thousands. But the regicides no more gave rise to that massacre than the Hottentots. The whole matter was planned several years, and executed before the King's death was thought of “But Mr.