Your Lordship’s most obliged, dutiful son and servant,
George Whitefield.
P. S. The bearer will bring your Lordship’s answer; or if your Lordship please to favour me with a line, be pleased to direct for me, to be left with Mr. J. Syms, &c.
[²] Sir,
February 3. 1744.
My name is Owen. I am a printer in Amen-Corner; and I waited upon you to let you know, that I have had orders from several of the Bishops, to print for their use, such numbers of the Observations upon the conduct and behaviour of the Methodists, (with some few additions) as they have respectively bespoken. And I will not fail to wait upon you with one copy, as soon as the impression is finished. I am, Sir,
Your most obedient, &c.
It is a weighty thing with me, my Lords, to have insinuations made, or queries put to me, in respect to my practice and doctrine, in such a public manner, by persons that are placed at the head of the church. It is true, your Lordships have not put queries to me in your own names; but as the author has concealed his, and these papers are printed by your Lordships orders, you have thereby adopted them for your own; consequently, I am put under a necessity of directing this letter as I have done. And I can assure your Lordships, that with great deference to the dignity of your office, after earnest prayer, with I trust some degree of humility, and unfeigned simplicity of heart, I now sit down to perform my promise, to give a candid and impartial answer to the fore-mentioned papers, which were sent me last week, (collected into a pamphlet) by Mr. Owen; and I suppose, by your Lordships order.
I never yet was, and hope never shall be so far left to lean to my own understanding, as to fancy myself infallible. Young as I am, I know too much of the devices of Satan, and of the desperate wickedness and deceitfulness of my own heart; not to be sensible, that I am a man of like passions with others, and consequently may have sometimes mistaken nature for grace, imagination for revelation, and the fire of my own temper, for the pure and sacred flame of holy zeal, which cometh from God’s altar.—If therefore, upon perusing the pamphlet, I find that I have been blameable in any respect (as in all probability I may) I will not only confess it, but return hearty thanks both to the compiler and your Lordships, though unknown.
Indeed, it is but of little consequence to the merits of the cause to know who the author is. Only thus much may be said, your Lordships yourselves being judges, it is not quite fair to give stabs in the dark; and it is some satisfaction to the person attacked, to know who and what his antagonists are, that he may know the better how to deal with them. But since that cannot be granted, it may be more to the purpose, to consider the matters contained in the pamphlet, and to answer for myself, so far as I am concerned.