Wesley Corpus

Their idols are only covered with gold or silver; but yours is solid gold. They worship the picture of the Queen of Heaven; you, the picture of the Queen or King of England. In another way, they idolize a dead man or woman; whereas your idol is yet alive. O how little is the difference before God! How small pre-eminence has the money-worshipper at London, over the image-worshipper at Rome; or the idolizer of a living sinner, over kim that prays to a dead saint | 11. Take one step farther: Does the Papist abroad perse cute? Does he force another man’s conscience? So does the Papist at home, as far as he can, for all he calls himself a Protestant. Will the man in Italy tolerate no opinion but his own 2 No more, if he could help it, would the man in England. Would you? Do not you think the Government much overseen, in bearing with any but those of the Church? Do not you wish they would put down such and such people? You know what you would do if you was in their place. And by the very same spirit you would continue the Inqui sition at Rome, and rekindle the fires in Smithfield. 12. It is because our nation is overrun with such Protest ants, who are full of their own good-deservings, as well as of abominable idolatry, and of blind, fiery zeal, of the whole spirit of persecution, that the sword of God, the great, the just, the jealous God, is even now drawn in our land; that the armies of the aliens are hovering over it, as a vulture over his prey; and that the open Papists are on the very point of swallowing up the pretended Protestants.” 13. Do you desire to escape the scourge of God? Then I entreat you, First, be a real Protestant. By the Spirit of God assisting you, (for without him you know you can do nothing,) cast away all that trust in your own righteousness, all hope of being saved by your own works. Own, your merit is ever lasting damnation; that you deserve the damnation of hell. Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God. Lie in the dust.