Wesley Corpus

the Spirit of God. I make no doubt but it was Satan tearing them as they were coming to Christ.” (Page 236.) “Now, these were the very symptoms which he had before ascribed to the Spirit of God.” (Page 237.) Never in my life Indeed some of them I never met with before. Those outward symptoms which I had met with before, bodily agitations in particular, I did not ascribe to the Spirit of God, but to the natural union of the soul and body. And those symptoms which I now ascribe to the devil, I never ascribed to any other cause. The Second proof of my prevarication or hypocrisy is therefore just as conclusive as the First. 3. Now for the Third: “Mr. W. before spoke contemptu ously of orthodoxy, to take in the Sectaries. But when he would take off Churchmen, then orthodoxy is the unum necessa rium.”* Did I ever say so? No more than, in the other extreme, speak contemptuously of it. “Yes, you say, ‘I de scribed the plain, old religion of the Church of England, which is now almost everywhere spoken against under the new name of Methodism.” Very well; and what shadow of prevarication is here? May I not still declare the plain, old religion of the Church of England, and yet very consistently aver, that right opinion is a very slender part of it? 4. The next passage, I am sorry to say, is neither related with seriousness nor truth: “We have seen him inviting perse cution.” Never; though I “rejoiced,” in the instance alleged, at having an opportunity of calling a multitude of the most abandoned sinners to repentance. What is peculiarly unfair, is, the lame, false account is palmed upon me, by “So he himself tells the story.” I must therefore tell the story once more, in as few words as I can: “Sunday, August 7, 1737. I repelled Mrs. W. from the communion. Tuesday, 9. I was required by Mr. Bailiff Parker to appear at the next court. Thursday, 11. Mr. Causton, her uncle, said to me, ‘Give your reasons for repelling her before the whole congregation.” I answered: “Sir, if you insist upon it, I will. But I heard no more of it. Afterward he said, (but not to me,) ‘Mr. W.