Wesley Corpus

what are the proper boundaries of each? Your Lordship knows he does not so much as endeavour it, or take any pains about it; but indiscriminately pours the flood out of his unclean mouth, upon all repentance, faith, love, and holiness. 8. Your Lordship will please to observe that I do not here touch in the least on the merits of the cause. Be the Methodists what they may, fools, madmen, enthusiasts, knaves, impostors, Papists, or anything, yet your Lordship perceives this does not in any degree affect the point in question: Still it behoves every Christian, nay, every reasonable Heathen, to consider the subject he is upon, and to take care not to bring this into contempt, (especially if it be of the last importance,) however inexcusable or contemptible his opponents may be. 9. This consideration, my Lord, dwelt much upon my mind when I read the former parts of the Comparison. Iimmediately saw there was no encountering a buffoon by serious reason and argument. This would naturally have furnished both him and his admirers with fresh matter of ridicule. On the other hand, if I should let myself down to a level with him, by a less serious manner of writing than I was accustomed to, I was afraid of debasing the dignity of the subject. Nay, and I knew not but I might catch something of his spirit. I remembered the ad vice, “Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him.” (Prov. xxvi. 4.) And yet I saw there must be an exception in some cases, as the words immediately following show : “Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.” I conceive, as if he had said, “Yet it is needful, in some cases, to “answer a fool according to his folly,” otherwise he will be “wiser in his own conceit, than seven men that can render areason.’” I therefore constrained myself to approach, as near as I dared, to his own manner of writing. And I trust the occasion will plead my excuse with your Lordship, and all reasonable men. 10. One good effect of my thus meeting him on his own ground is visible already. Instead of endeavouring to defend, he entirely gives up, the First Part of his Comparison.