“‘But you hold perfection’: true; that is, loving God with all our heart, and serving Him with all our strength. I teach nothing more, nothing less than this. And whatever infirmity, defect, ανομια, is consistent with this, any man may teach, and I shall not contradict him.
“As to irregularity, I hope none of those, who cause it, do then complain of it. Will they throw a man into the dirt, and beat him because he is dirty? Of all men living, those clergymen ought not to complain, who believe I preach the gospel, as to the substance of it. If they do not ask me to preach in their churches, they are accountable for my preaching in the fields.
“I come now directly to your letter, in hopes of establishing a good understanding between us. I agreed to suspend, for a twelvemonth, our stated preaching at Huddersfield, which had been there these many years. If this answered your end, I am glad; my end it did not answer at all. Instead of coming nearer to me, you got farther off. I heard of it from every quarter, though few knew that I did; for I saw no cause to speak against you, because you did against me. I wanted you to do more, not less good; and, therefore, durst not do or say anything to hinder it. And, lest I should hinder it, I will make a farther trial, and suspend the preaching at Huddersfield for another year.
“1. To clear the case between us a little farther, I must now adopt your words: ‘I, no less than you, preach justification by faith only, the absolute necessity of holiness, the increasing mortification of sin, and rejection of all past experiences and attainments. I abhor, as you do, all antinomian abuse of the doctrine of Christ, and desire to see my people walking even as He walked. Is it then worth while, in order to gratify a few bigoted persons, or for the sake of the minute differences between us,’ to encourage ‘all the train of evils which follow contention for opinions, in little matters as much as in great?’
“2. If I was as strenuous with regard to perfection on one side, as you have been on the other, I should deny you to be a sufficient preacher; but this I never did. And yet, I can assure you, I can advance such reasons for all I teach, as would puzzle you, and all that condemn me, to answer; but I am sick of disputing. Let them beat the air, and triumph without an opponent.
“3. ‘None,’ you say, ‘preach in your houses, who do not hold the very same doctrine with you.’ This is not exactly the case. You are welcome to preach in any of those houses; as I know we agree in the main points; and wherein soever we differ, you would not preach there contrary to me. ‘But would it not give you pain to have any other teacher come among those committed to your charge, so as to have your plan disconcerted, your labours depreciated, and the affections of your flock alienated?’ It has given me pain, when I had reason to fear this was done, both at Leeds, Birstal, and elsewhere; and I was ‘under a temptation of speaking against you’: but I refrained even among my intimate friends. So far was I from publicly warning my people against one I firmly believed to be much better than myself.
“4. Indeed, I trust ‘the bad blood is now taken away.’ Let it return no more. Let us begin such a correspondence as has never been yet, and let us avow it before all mankind. Not content with not weakening each other’s hands, or speaking against each other, directly or indirectly, let us defend each other’s character to the utmost, against either ill or well meaning evil speakers. I am not satisfied with ‘Be very civil to the Methodists, but have nothing to do with them.’ No; I desire to have a league, offensive and defensive, with every soldier of Christ. We have not only one faith, one hope, one Lord, but are directly engaged in one warfare. We are carrying the war into the devil’s own quarters, who, therefore, summonses all his hosts to war. Come then, ye that love Him, to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty! I am now well-nigh ‘miles emeritus, senex, sexagenarius.’ Yet I trust to fight a little longer. Come and strengthen the hands, till you supply the place, of your weak, but affectionate brother,
“John Wesley.”[617]
This is a long letter, but far too important to be abridged.
Wesley had been more than five months from London; but, instead of returning thither, he proceeded, from the Manchester conference, direct to Cornwall.