Wesley Corpus

“But they pretend to extraordinary inspiration.” They do not: They expressly disclaim it. I have declared an hun dred times, I suppose ten times in print, that I pretend to no other inspiration than that which is common to all real Chris tians, without which no one can be a Christian at all. “They denounce hell and damnation to all that reject their pretences.” (Page 9.) This is another charge; but it is as groundless as the former; it is without all shadow of truth. You may as well say, The Methodists denounce hell and damnation to all that reject Mahometanism. As groundless, as senselessly, shamelessly false, is the assertion following: “To reject their ecstasies and fanatic pretences to revelation is cried up as a crime of the blackest dye.” It cannot be, that we should count it a crime to reject what we do not pretend to at all. But I pretend to no ecstasies of any kind, nor to any other kind of revelation than you yourself, yea, and every Christian enjoys, unless he is “without God in the world.” 7. “These grievous wolves pretended to greater mortifica tion and self-denial than the Apostles themselves.” (Page 11.) This discovery is spick and span new : I never heard of it before. But pray, Sir, where did you find it? I think, not in the canonical Scriptures. I doubt you had it from some apocryphal writer. “Thus also do the modern false teachers.” I know not any that do. Indeed I have read of some such among the Mahometan Dervises, and among the Indian Brah mins. But I doubt whether any of these outlandish crea tures have been yet imported into Great Britain or Ireland. 8. “They pretend to know the mind of Christ better than his Apostles.” (Page 12.) Certainly the Methodists do not: This is another sad mistake, not to say slander. “However, better than their successors do.” That is another question. If you rank yourself among their successors, as undoubtedly you do, I will not deny that some of these poor, despised people, though not acting in a public character, do know the mind of Christ, that is, the meaning of the Scripture, better than you do yet. But, perhaps, when ten years more are gone over your head, you may know it as well as they. 9.