Wesley Corpus

You go on: “It was not long before these gentlemen began to dogmatize in a public manner, feeling a strong inclination to new-model almost every circumstance or thing in the system of our national religion.” Just as true as the rest. These gen tiemen were so far from feeling any inclination at all “to new model” any “circumstance or thing,” that, during their whole stay at Oxford, they were High Churchmen in the strongest sense; vehemently contending for every “circumstance” of Church order, according to the old “model.” And in Georgia too, we were rigorous observers of every Rubric and Canon; as well as (to the best of our knowledge) every tenet of the Church. Your account, therefore, of the rise of the Method ists is a mistake from beginning to end. I proceed to your definition of them: “By the Methodists, was then and is now understood, a set of enthusiasts, who, pre tending to be members of the Church of England, either offend against the order and discipline of the Church, or pervert its doctrines relating to faith and works, and the terms of salva tion.” Another grievous mistake. For whatever “is now, by the Methodists then was” not “understood any set of enthusiasts,” or not enthusiasts, “offending against the order and discipline of the Church.” They were tenacious of it to the last degree, in every the least jot and tittle. Neither were they “they understood to pervert its doctrines, relating to faith and works, and the terms of salvation.” For they thought and talked of all these, just as you do now, till some of them, after their return from Georgia, were “perverted” into different senti ments, by reading the book of Homilies. Their perversion, therefore, (if such it be,) is to be dated from this time. Conse quently, your definition by no means agrees with the persons. defined. However, “as a Shibboleth to distinguish them at present, when they pretend to conceal themselves, throw out this, or such like proposition, “Good works are necessary to salvation.” You might have spared yourself the labour of proving this: For who is there that denies it? Not I: Not any in connexion with me. So that this Shibboleth is just good for nothing. 5.