Wesley Corpus

Do you really believe Lambeth is on the point of being blown up? You go on: “In the remote counties of England, I have seen a whole troop of these divines on horseback, travelling with each a sister behind him.” O Sir, O Sir, What should be great you turn to farce! Have you forgot, that the Church and nation are on the brink of ruin? But pray when and where did you see this? in what year, or in what county? I cannot but fear you take this story on trust; for such a sight, I will be bold to say, was never seen. With an easy familiarity you add: “My Lord, permit me here to whisper a word” (Is not this whispering in print some thing new 7) “that may be worth remembering. In our memory, some of the Priesthood have not proved so good sub jects as might have been expected, till they have been brought over with preferments, that were due to other people.” Mean ing, I presume, to yourself. Surely his Grace will remember this, which is so well worth remembering, and dispose of the next preferment in his gift where it is sojustly due. If he does not, if he either forgets this or your other directions, you tell him frankly what will be the consequence: “We must apply to Tarliament;” (p. 6;) or to His Majesty; and, indeed, how can you avoid it? “For it would be using him,” you think, “extremely ill, not to give him proper information, that there” are now a set of people offering such indignity to his crown and government. However, we are not to think your opposing the Methodists was “owing to self-interest” alone. Though, what if it was? “Was I to depart from my duty, because it happened to be my interest ? Did these saints ever forbear to preach to the mob in the fields, for fear lest they should get the pence of the mob? Or do not” the pence and the preaching “go hand in hand together?” No, they do not; for many years neither I, nor any connected with me, have got any “pence,” as you phrase it, “in the fields.” Indeed, properly speaking, they never did. For the collections which Mr. Whitefield made, it is well known, were not for his own use, either in whole or part.