Wesley Corpus

Do you know what the spirit of Popery is? Did you never hear of that in Queen Mary’s reign; and of the holy men who were then burned alive by the Papists, because they did not dare to do as they did; to worship angels and saints, to pray to the Virgin Mary, to * This was published at the beginning of the late rebellion. bow down to images, and the like? If we had a King of this spirit, whose life would be safe? at least, what homest man’s? A knave indeed might turn with the times. But what a dreadful thing would this be to a man of conscience: “Either turn or burn: Either go into that fire, or into ‘the fire that never shall be quenched?’” 3. And can you dream that your property would be any safer than your conscience? Nay, how should that be? Nothing is plainer than that the Pretender cannot be King of England, unless it be by conquest. But every conqueror may do what he will; the laws of the land are no laws to him. And who can doubt, but one who should conquer England by the assistance of France, would copy after the French rules of government? 4. How dreadful then is the condition wherein we stand? on the very brink of utter destruction | But why are we thus? I am afraid the answer is too plain to every con siderate man: Because of our sins; because we have well-nigh “filled up the measure of our iniquities.” For, what wicked ness is there under heaven which is not found among us at this day? Not to insist on the Sabbath-breaking in every corner of our land; the thefts, cheating, fraud, extortion; the injustice, violence, oppression; the lying and dissimu lating; the robberies, sodomies, and murders; which, with a thousand unnamed villanies, are common to us and our neighbour Christians of Holland, France, and Germany; consider, over and above, what a plentiful harvest we have of wickedness almost peculiar to ourselves. For who can vic with us in the direction of Courts of Justice; in the manage ment of public charities; or in the accomplished, barefaced wickedness which so abounds in our prisons, and fleets, and armies?