And this you amazingly improve into a fault; conftrue into a proof of difhonefly. You likewife charge me with holding unfound principles, and with saying, "Right opinions are (fometimes) no part of religion." The last charge I have answered over and over, and very lately to Bp Warburton. Certainly had you read that fingle tract, you would never have repeated that stale objection. As to my principles, every one knows, or may know, that I believe the thirty-first article of the church of England. But can none be faved who believe this? I know you will not say so. Meantime, in the main point, juftification by faith, I have not wavered a moment for thefe seven and twenty years. And I allow all which Mr Hervey himself contends for, in his entrance upon the subject, "Come to Jefus as a needy beggar: hang upon him as a devoted penfioner." And whoever does this, I will be bold to say, shall not perish everlastingly. As to your main objection, convince me that it is my duty to preach on controverted fubjects, predeftination in particular, and I will do it. At prefent, I think it would be a fin. I think, it would create ftill more divisions. And are there not enough already? I have feen a book wrote by one who stiles himself, Ecclefiæ Scotica direpta et gementis Prefbyter. Shall I tear ecclefiam direptam et gementem? God forbid! No; I will, fo far as I can, heal her breaches. And if you really love her, (as I doubt not you do), why fhould you hinder me from fo doing? Has The fo many friends and helpers left, that you should strive to leffen their number? Would you wish to turn any of her friends, even though weak and mistaken, into enemies? If you must contend, have you not Arians, Socinians, feceders, infidels, to contend with? to fay nothing of whoremongers, adulterers, fabbath breakers, drunkards, common fwearers! O ecclefia gemens! And will you pass by all these, and fingle out me to fight with? Nay, but I will not. I do and will fight with all thefe, but not with you. I cannot I dare not. You are the fon of my Father; my fellow-labourer in the gospel of his dear Son. I love your perfon: I love your character: I love the work wherein you are engaged. And if you will still shoot at me, (be caufe cause Mr Hervey has painted me as a monster), even with arrows drawn from Bishop Warburton's quiver, (how unfit for Mr -'s hand!) I can only fay, as I always did before, the Lord Jefus blefs you in your foul, in your body, in your relations, in your work, in whatever tends to his own glory! I am, Dear Sir, Your affectionate brother, Mr Wesley has thought it his duty to write against the doctrine of the Westminster Confeffion, as to predeftination, juftification, &c, looking upon it as fatal to precious fouls. Where-ever therefore he observes plants growing up, that to him appear fo poisonous, true benevolence must needs prompt him to endeavour the rooting them out. In Scotland, as well as in England, these doctrines are preached; and if human nature is the fame in North as in South Britain, immoral and licentious opinions must in both have the fame effects. If therefore the Methodist preachers in Scotland have not attacked these doctrines, and if Mr Wefley approves their conduct, no reasonable account of this can be given, unless that they prudently conclude, a precipitate attack might alarm many of their new profelytes, occafion their forfaking them, and thus prevent that fuccefs, which might probably be fecured by delay, till they gain a fuller afcendant over their followers. This was the light in which I viewed and ftill view Mr Welley's conduct, and therefore thought it no way inconfiftent with Chriftian charity, to warn those who as yet believe the doctrines of the Westminster confeffion, not to put themselves under the inspection of a teacher whose principles muft oblige him to undermine, if poffible, that belief. I once intended to have writ Mr Wesley; and the only time I ever talked with him, fignified to him that intention. But, upon mature reflection, I faw no caufe to flatter myself, either that I could procure from him satisfaction as to what offended me in his writings and conduct, or that I could convince him he was in the wrong. He had, in my apprehenfion, difcovered himfelf no novice in the arts of fubtilty and difguife. This difcouraged me from from a correspondence, which might more probably an fwer a bad purpose than a good one. A public warning against the growth of Methodism was judged neceffary. Those better qualified declining the task, I was at length prevailed upon to undertake it. Mr Welley's catholic charity has not reftrained him from declaring his resolution to fight with Seceders, nay, from ranking them with Arians and Socinians *. Their peculiar opinions and practices are much less important than the doctrinal articles in which he differs from the church of Scotland. Why then deems he it uncharitable in a member of that church, to contend with one, who, in the keenest manner, has contended against these doctrinal articles? : Thus I have answered what is material in Mr Wesley's letter, except his reference to his letter to the Bishop of Gloucester, which will afterwards fall in my way. Mr Wesley had faid, Prefervative, p. 192. "We be"lieve that in the moment Adam fell he had no freedom "of will left; but that God, when, of his own free grace, "he gave the promise of a Saviour to him and his poste"rity, graciously restored to mankind a liberty and power "to accept of proffered falvation.” Mr Kershaw afks, p. 80, 81. "Did the editor insert this paragraph to defeat his intention, and confute the whole vindication? Did "6 ever an Arminian in the world declare, I believe that in "the moment Adam fell he had no freedom of will left?" I did not charge this paragraph with Arminianism; nay, I think the first part of it verges to the oppofite extreme. The will is endued with that natural liberty, that it is neither forced, nor by an absolute neceffity determined to do good or evil. This holds good even with respect not only to the most depraved of mankind, but to devils themselves; otherwise they would ceafe to be the fubjects of God's government, and could not as moral agents be punished for their bad tempers and conduct. You will perhaps plead, that Mr Wesley did not mean to deny man's natural but * It would be wrong to conclude from this, that Mr Wesley has no charity for Seceders: for Michael Servetus, one of the wildeft Antitrinitarians that ever appeared, has been pronounced by him a wife and holy man. his moral ability. This laft was undoubtedly loft by the fall: but then, if this is his meaning, he errs in afferting, that God hath restored to mankind a moral power to ac cept of proffered falvation. A moral power and an incli nation is the fame thing. If mankind in general were inclined to accept the proffered salvation, all to whom it is proffered would in fact accept it, as want of inclination can be the only hinderance of fuch acceptance. In a word, man by the fall loft not his natural powers, and to man. kind in general moral powers are not restored. I fee no force in what Mr Kershaw has faid to vindicate the Methodists from the charge of forming a church within a church, and leave it without remark. I thank him for correcting my mistake, " that the Methodist teachers are fent, continued, or removed, at the pleasure of Mr "Wesley," by observing, p.84. "Mr Wefley is not without coadjutors, who act in concert with him; and what is done, is usually done by consent of the whole." P. 85.-97. Mr Kershaw criticises the editor for faying, "Could not the Methodists be witneffes to Chriftianity, "without that inquiry into one another's religious expe❝riences, which Christ has no where enjoined, either as a "moral duty, or a mean of grace?" Moft of what he fays is wide of the point. The lawfulness of religious so. cieties for prayer, praise, and Christian conference, I never denied; though I think when fuch focieties meet frequent. ly, and are long together, they are an obstruction to family and private devotion, and breach of the precept, "Six days fhalt thou labour, and do all thy work." Neither did I question the happiness of finding a Christian friend to whom we may freely impart our fpiritual comforts or diftreffes; though I think too, there are cases in which the heart alone should know its own bitterness, and a stranger, however dear to us, fhould not intermeddle with its joy. What I find fault with, I shall state as briefly as possible. It appears from p. 88. of the Earnest Appeal, that the re'igious experiences inquired into include all things felt in the minds of religious people, whatever God does for their precious fouls, whatever temptations or buffettings they may feel from Satan, whatever strugglings and workings from a corrupt nature, and all those temptations and con flicts flicts in the minds of the religious, arifing from the world in its various appearances, connections, or relations, or the providential difpenfations by which God proves their virtue, and exercises their patience. The Methodists conduct their inquiries into religious experiences in this extensive fenfe of the word: 1. More privately. "There are" (fays, Mr Welley, Nature, defign, and general rules of the united focieties, p. 4.) " about "twelve perfons in every clafs, one of whom is ftyled the "leader. It is his business to fee each perfon in his class, "once a week at the leaft, in order to inquire how their "fouls profper, &c." 2. More publicly in the meetings of their claffes. Earnest Appeal, p. 89. "The leader or "teacher asks every one a few questions relating to the "present fituation of their minds, in order that he may "the better fpeak to their edification." The church of Rome maintain, that in the facrament of penance, it is jure divino neceffary to the remiffion of fins, to confefs all and eyery mortal fin, even the most secret, which can with diligent premeditation be called to mind, together with the circumftances which change the kind of fin; and the priest is directed to afk prudent queftions, where the penitent does not exprefs the number, the kinds, and the neceffary circumftances of his fins. Against this, it has been justly objected, that there is the utmost danger of violating modefty, by putting questions, under pretence of fearching fin to the bottom, which shall fuggest wicked thoughts to the minds of young and unexperienced persons, fuch as otherwife would never have entered there: and that auricular confeffion, if it is made a point of conscience to confefs the most fecret fins, leaves the reputation, and, in fome cafes, the life of the laity at the mercy of the clergy, not only by divulging what is confeffed, but by improving their knowledge of mens weaknesses, inclinations, &c. to gain an afcendant over them, and to feduce them to fubserve their mercenary or licentious designs. A leader of a class inquiring at the eleven under his charge, what temptations of Satan, what workings of corrupt nature, or conflicts from his worldly circumstances he has encounter. ed, is liable to the very fame abuses. If inquiries are honeftly answered, the rest of the clafs are at the mercy of C 2 their |