Wesley Corpus

I do not “give up” one tittle on this head, which I ever maintained. But observe: Before you attempt to prove my “giving them up,” you are to prove that I laid claim to them; that I laid claim to some extraordinary inspiration, call, or guidance of the Holy Ghost. You say, my “concessions on this head” (to Mr. Church) “are ambiguous and evasive.” Sir, you mistake the fact. I make no concessions at all, either to him or you. I give up nothing that ever I advanced on this head; but when Mr. Church charged me with what I did not advance, I replied, “I claim no other direction of God’s, but what is common to all believers. I pretend to be no otherwise inspired than you are, if you love God.” Where is the ambiguity or evasion in this? I meant it for a flat denial of the charge. 23. Your next section spirat tragicum satis,* charges the Methodists “with scepticism and infidelity, with doubts and denials of the truth of Revelation, and Atheism itself.” (Sec tion xiv. p. 110, &c.) The passages brought from my Jour mals to prove this charge, which you have prudently transposed, I beg leave to consider in the same order as they stand there. The First you preface thus: “Upon the people's ill usage (or supposed ill usage) of Mr. Wesley in Georgia, and their speaking of all manner of evil falsely (as he says) against him; and trampling under foot the word, after having been very attentive to it; what an emotion in him is hereby raised ! “I do hereby bear witness against myself, that I could scarce refrain from giving the lie to experience, and reason, and Scripture, all together.’” The passage, as I wrote it, stands thus: “Sunday, March 7. I entered upon my ministry at Savannah. In the Second Lesson, (Luke xviii.,) was our Lord’s prediction of the treat ment which he himself, and consequently his followers, were to meet with from the world.