Wesley Corpus

It is not without cause, that a ship has been called, “a floating hell.” What power, what form, of religion is to be found in nine out of ten, shall I say, or ninety-nine out of a hundred, either of our merchantmen, or men-of-war? What do the men in them think or know about religion? What do they practise; either sailors or marines? I doubt whether any heathen sailors, in any country or age, Greek, Roman, or Barbarian, ever came up to ours, for profound ignorance, and barefaced, shameless, shocking impiety. Add to these, out of our renowned metropolis, the whole brood of porters, draymen, carmen, hackney-coachmen, and I am sorry to say, Noblemen and Gentlemen’s footmen, (together making up some thousands,) and you will have such a collection of knowing and pious Christians as all Europe cannot exceed ! “But all men are not like these.” No; it is pity they should. And yet how little better are the retailers of brandy or gin, the inhabitants of blind alehouses, the oyster-women, fish wives, and other good creatures about Billingsgate, and the various clans of pedlars and hawkers that patrol through the streets, or ply in Rag-fair, and other places of public resort | These, likewise, amount to several thousands, even within the Bills of Mortality. And what knowledge have they? What religion are they of ? What morality do they practise? “But these have had no advantage of education, many of them scarce being able to write or read.” Proceed we, then, to those who have had these advantages, the officers of the Excise and Customs. Are these, in general, men of reason, who think with clearness and connexion, and speak perti nently on a given subject? Are they men of religion; sober, temperate, fearing God and working righteousness; having a conscience void of offence toward God and toward man? How many do you find of this kind among them? men that fear an oath; that fear perjury more than death; that would die rather than neglect any part of that duty which they have sworn to perform; that would sooner be torn in pieces, than suffer any man, under any pretence, to defraud His Majesty of his just right?