Wesley Corpus

This is as kind, as if you was to call me, (with Mr. Williams,) “a profane, wicked scoundrel.” I am not careful to answer in this matter: Shortly we shall both stand at a higher bar. 14. You charge me, Secondly, with being an “harebrained enthusiast.” (Page 7.) Sir, I am your most obedient servant. But you will prove me an enthusiast: “For you say” (those are your words) “you are sent of God to inform mankind of some other revelation of his will, than what has been left by Christ and his Apostles.” (Page 28.) Not so. I never said any such thing. When I do this, then call for miracles; but at present your demand isquite unreasonable: There is no room for it at all. What I advance, I prove by the words of Christ or his Apostles. If not, let it fall to the ground. 15. You charge me, Thirdly, with being employed in “pro moting the cause of arbitrary Popish power.” (Page 7.) Sir, I plead, Not Guilty. Produce your witnesses. Prove this, and I will allow all the rest. You charge me, Fourthly, with holding “midnight assem blies.” (Page 24.) Sir, did you never see the word Vigil in your Common-Prayer Book? Do you know what it means? If not, permit me to tell you, that it was customary with the ancient Christians to spend whole nights in prayer; and that these nights were termed Vigiliae, or Vigils. Therefore for spend ing a part of some nights in this manner, in public and solemn prayer, we have not only the authority of our own national Church, but of the universal Church, in the earliest ages. 16. You charge me, Fifthly, with “being the cause of all that Butler has done.” (Page 17.) True; just as Latimer and Ridley (if I may dare to name myself with those venerable men) were the cause of all that Bishop Bonner did. In this sense, the charge is true. It has pleased God, (unto him be all the glory !) even by my preaching or writings, to convince some of the old Christian scriptural doctrine, which till then they knew not. And while they declared this to others, you showed them the same love as Edmund of London did to their forefathers.