But, if the Methodists have been so much to blame, for carrying on this pious work of defamation, in the church and their journals; will that authorise you in practising the same black art in your pamphlet? Give me leave (since you have taken that liberty with me) to gather some of your flowers on this occasion.
“This dangerous and presumptuous sect; [♦]strolling predicants; itinerant enthusiasts; methodistical enthusiasts;” with many other flowers of a like nature, though not of a very scriptural scent, may be picked off almost every page of your performance. Upon the review of which, I suppose you will own, that you are at least even with the Methodists. Only it must be allowed, there is this difference; you are taking up a trade, which they, as far as I know to the contrary, have for some time laid down.
[♦] “stroling” replaced with “strolling”
And why must you disturb the dead on this occasion? Were there not flowers enough to be gathered out of Mr. Wesley’s Journal and mine, without calling up Mr. Seward’s ghost (as you have in effect done, by quoting his Journal) in order to terrify your readers? Good man! He has long since entered into his rest, and consequently cannot now answer for himself. Permit me to speak a word or two in behalf of my deceased friend. He was certainly a serious warm christian, but (like his fellow-traveller) in the heat of his zeal, spoke and wrote some unguarded things. His and my treatment of Archbishop Tillotson, was by far too severe. We condemned his state, when we ought only in a candid manner, (which I would do again if called to it) to have mentioned what we judged wrong in his doctrines. I do not justify it. I condemn myself most heartily, and ask pardon for it; as, I believe, he would do, was he now alive. But then, do not you still go on, Sir, to imitate us in our faults: Let the surviving Methodists answer for themselves: let Seward and Tillotson lie undisturbed. And if you think me blameworthy (as I certainly was) to write so disrespectful of the one; why should you, by making an ill-natured quotation, rake as it were into the very ashes of the dead, only for the poor gratification of digging up a flower, to blacken the memory of the other?
But to proceed. For several pages, you go on imitating us in this same pious work of defamation. If you can bear to read your own words, I will transcribe a few of them: section 6. page 17. “But though these strolling predicants have allured some itching ears, and drawn them aside by calumniating their proper pastors, they have sense enough to know the itch will go off, and their trade not continue long, unless they can produce something novel or uncommon; what the wandering sheep have not been used to in their churches. Therefore they must find out, or rather revive such peculiarities, as have formally attended enthusiasms, and are most likely to captivate the vulgar. Hence their”—But hold, Sir;—and before you run yourself quite out of breath, I intreat you to stop a little, whilst I put to you one or two questions. Believe you these things of the Methodists? I suppose you believe them: otherwise, Why assert them so strongly? How then can you put even a perhaps to your supposition of their “setting out with a real motive of sincere piety?” Had not you best alter the title of your book, or at least make some addition to it? Let it run thus: “The enthusiasm and imposture of the Methodists and Papists compared.” For surely, unless persons were arrived at a very high degree of imposture, they could not purposely (as you seem to infer they did) design these things.
By your leave, we will examine the evidence you produce in proof of these bold assertions: “The first necessary point for drawing followers, is to put on a sanctified appearance, by a demure look, and precise behaviour, in discourse or silence, in apparel and food; and other marks of external piety.” Section 7. page 18. Again, section 8. page 20. “At first, the Methodists, as a shew of humility, made it a point not to ride, either on horseback or in a coach, though occasionally, and for conveniency-sake, they have since thought proper to deviate from their rule.” Well, Sir, you see then they are not altogether incorrigible. Let them alone; and who knows but for their conveniency-sake, and it may be from a deeper knowledge of the world, of themselves, and of God, they may be reformed in some other particulars?
“Upon the same account, you say, section 9. page ibid. fine cloaths and rich furniture stand absolutely condemned:” (not by me, it seems, for I find no quotations out of my Journals annexed) “But oh! (as a part or consequence of this) how good and saint-like it is, to go dirty, ragged, and slovenly! And how piously did Mr. Whitefield therefore take care of the outward man! My apparel was mean, &c.” Section 10. page 21. Really, Sir, whilst I read this part of your performance, I could not help thinking, that a person of your turn of mind, would have been apt to have joined with those naughty boys, who, when they saw that demure, rough, hairy, slovenly enthusiast, called Elijah, followed after him, and cried, “Go up, thou bald pate, go.” Or, if you had lived in John Baptist’s time, and seen him come preaching in the wilderness, with a camel-hair garment, and a leathern girdle about his loins; especially if you had heard, that his meat was only locusts and wild honey; would you not have been tempted, think you, to give in your verdict amongst those who said, “He had a devil?” Know you not, that these are extremes which young awakened persons are apt to run into when under a sense of sin, and influenced by what the Apostle calls the spirit of bondage? Do I not mention them as such? And are they not things which of themselves fall off, when persons are brought into the comforts of religion, and have received the spirit of adoption, whereby they cry, Abba, Father? But I shall leave you at present, to make as merry as you will with the sanctified appearances, and dirty ragged cloaths of these enthusiastical Methodists. Let us pass on to your 11th section, page 22. “Of this nature likewise, is their utter condemnation of all recreation, in every kind and degree. Mr. Whitefield laments,” (indeed I do, Sir, even now I am grown older) “that in his younger days he was not convinced of the absolute unlawfulness of playing at cards, and of reading and seeing plays.” And if you are in advanced years, and a clergyman too, and are not convinced of the unlawfulness of cards, and can find time from your other studies and duties of your calling, to see or read such plays as the generality of ours are, I think you ought to lament it too. For what says our church in her 75th canon? “No ecclesiastical persons shall at any time, other than for their honest necessities, resort to any taverns or alehouses; neither shall they board or lodge in any such places. Furthermore, they shall not give themselves to any base or servile labour, or to drinking or riot, spending their time idly by day or night, playing at dice, cards, or tables, or any other unlawful game; but at all times convenient, they shall hear or read somewhat of the Holy Scriptures, or shall occupy themselves with some other honest study or exercise, always doing the things which shall appertain to honesty, and endeavouring to profit the church of God; having always in mind, that they ought to excel all others in purity of life, and should be examples to the people to live well and christianly, under pain of ecclesiastical censures to be inflicted with severity, according to the qualities of their offences.” O when shall this once be!
In your 12th section page 24. you go on to rally these enthusiastical Methodists for their seeming contempt of money. And again, section 13. page 26. you say, “Another bait to catch admirers, and very common among enthusiasts, is a restless impatience and insatiable thirst of travelling, and undertaking dangerous voyages for the conversion of infidels; together with a declared contempt of all dangers, pains, and sufferings.” And then, after drawing your usual comparison between these enthusiastical Methodists and popish saints, you make this judicious remark, “The windmill is indeed in all their heads.”
Had I a mind to return your false and low wit, I might reply, “There is a greater windmill in thine own;” but at present, I am too serious to make sport with my own deceivings. Surely, Sir, you forget yourself, or you never would write thus at random: for is there any thing, that the blessed Author of our religion more recommends to his disciples, than to “take heed and beware of covetousness,” and to “take heed, lest at any time their hearts should be overcharged with surfeiting and drunkenness, or the cares of this life?” What said St. Peter? “Silver and gold have I none.” What says St. Paul? “But thou, O man of God, flee these things.” And in respect to contempt, and sufferings for the gospel, does not our Lord command us to expect, to prepare for, and rejoice in them? Nay, does he not bid us to leap for joy, and be exceeding glad, when we have all manner of evil spoken against us falsely for his name’s sake? In obedience to this command, did not the great Apostle of the Gentiles declare, that he took pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake? Did he not, like his Lord, go about doing good? Was he not filled with a holy restless impatience and insatiable thirst of travelling, and undertaking dangerous voyages for the conversion of infidels? And had he not a declared contempt of all dangers, pains, and sufferings, when, like a true christian hero, he said to his mourning friends, “What mean ye to weep and break my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but to die also for the Lord Jesus?” Dare you, Sir, call the Apostles enthusiasts? Or think you all this was only a bait to catch admirers? And yet, what have you done less, by asserting, that an insatiable thirst of travelling, &c. is very common among enthusiasts? I add, among our Lord and his Apostles also: and can we copy after more unexceptionable examples?
“But the Methodists contempt of money is only a seeming contempt.” That is more than you know. Here you are again invading the divine prerogative. The great day will determine this. In the mean while, I would observe to you, that whatever can be produced out of any of my writings, to prove that I have desired, or prayed for ill usage, persecution, martyrdom, death, &c. I retract it with all my heart, as proceeding from the overflowings of an irregular, though well-meant zeal. However it might be with me formerly, I now find myself no ways disposed to say with Peter, “Though all men deny thee, yet will not I.” Alas! alas! we know not what feathers we shall be, when tossed in the wind of temptation! Sufferings for the cause and cross of Christ, will come fast enough of themselves, without our praying for them. But should the Methodists be called even to die for the cause in which they are embarked, as I am verily persuaded it is the cause of God, so I doubt not but suffering grace will be given for suffering times, and the Spirit of Christ and of glory will rest upon the sufferers souls.