Wesley Corpus

What else can be said even of prayer, public or private, in the manner wherein you generally perform it? as a thing of course, running round and round, in the same dull track, without either the knowledge or the love of God; without one heavenly temper, either attained or improved?” (Farther Appeal, Third Part, Vol. VIII. p. 202.) Now, Sir, what room is there for your own exclamations? --“What sort of heavenly temper is his? How can he pos sibly, consistently with charity, call this our general perform ance?” Sir, I do not. I only appeal to the conscience of you, and each particular reader, whether this is, or is not, the manner wherein you (in the singular number) generally per form public or private prayer. “How, possibly, without being omniscient, can he affirm, that we (I presume you mean all the members of our Church) pray without one heavenly temper? or know anything at all of our private devotions? How monstrous is all this 1” Recollect yourself, Sir. If your terror is real, you are more afraid than hurt. I do not affirm any such thing. I do not take upon me to know any thing at all of your private devotions. But I suppose I may inquire, without offence, and beg you seriously to examine yourself before God. So you have brought no one proof, that “scepticism, infi delity, and Atheism are either constituent parts or genuine consequences of Methodism.” Therefore your florid decla mation, in the following pages, is entirely out of its place. And you might have spared yourself the trouble of account ing for what has no being, but in your own imagination. 27. You charge the Methodists next with “an uncharitable spirit.” (Section xv. p. 115, &c.) All you advance in proof of this, as if it were from my writings, but without naming either page or book, I have nothing to do with. But what ever you tell me where to find, I shall carefully consider.