Wesley Collected Works Vol 8
| Author | John Wesley |
|---|---|
| Type | treatise |
| Year | None |
| Passage ID | jw-wesley-collected-works-vol-8-491 |
| Words | 362 |
You say, “With regard to subtlety, evasion, and disguise,
you now would have it thought, that you only found this ‘in
many of them; not in all, nor in most.” (Page 80) “You
now would have it thought !” Yes, and always, as well as
now. For my original charge was, “I have found this in many
of you; that is, much subtlety, much evasion and disguise.”
(Vol. I. p. 327.) But you add, “Let the reader judge from
the following passages, whether you did not charge the Mora
vians in general with these crimes: ‘I had a long conference
with those whom I esteem very highly in love; but I could not
yet understand them in one point, Christian openness and plain
ness of speech. They pleaded for such a reservedness and close
ness of conversation. Yet I scarce know what to think, con
sidering they had the practice of the whole Moravian Church
on their side.” True, in pleading for such a reservedness of
conversation as I could not in any wise approve of; but not in
using much subtlety, much evasion and disguise: This I dare
not charge on the whole Moravian Church. Those words also,
“There is darkness and closeness in all their behaviour, and
guile in almost all their words,” I spoke, not of all the Mora
vians, nor of most ; but of those who were then in England. I could not speak it of them all; for I never found any guile
in Christian David, Michael Linner, and many others. 6. “We are next to see how you get over the objection I
made good, in three several particulars, that you have prepared
the way for spreading of these tenets. The first you say nothing
to here; the Second you quote very partially thus: “By coun
tenancing and commending them.’ And why would you not
add ‘And being the occasion of so many of them coming
over among us?” Because I was not the occasion. I was in
deed the first Englishman that ever was at Hernhuth. But
before I was at Hernhuth, (I find on later inquiry,) the Count
himself had been in England.