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are grievously misrepresented; and in general the attacks made upon us, though they make our persons odious and despised, do not in the least affect the argument in debate. What most of our adversaries know of our opinions, are only scattered fragments picked up by hearsay, wherein neither the connexion, constancy, tendency, nor application of these opinions are preserved; and therefore no wonder that we are vilified, and reproached with things, to which, we are utter strangers, or which we abominate, and protest against from sabbath to sabbath, and against which we neglect not to fill our writings with reasonings, warnings, and cautions.

For,my own part I freely acknowledge, that my strongest objections against this scheme of doctrine arose wholly from misapprehension, and mistake. Not having read their books, my notions of the doctrines of the Methodists, were received from vulgar report, and from their enemies; whilst my own creative imagination put the construction upon, and drew the consequences from them; so that when I preached against them, I was as one fighting with my own shadow;

and in speaking evil of those things, that I knew not, I only betrayed my own ignorance and pride. No better founded are the lamentable out-cries, which, at this day, are made against us, and our principles, as if we were endeavoring to banish reason, argument, sober-mindedness, and morality out of the world; and in their stead to substitute a parcel of whimsical vagaries, which are without foundation in reason, or Scripture, and have no influence, or rather a pernicious influence on our conduct and conversation. When such a declamation is ended, (for one would not interrupt it,) ask the declaimer, what a Methodist is? He can scarce give you an answer. Inquire about their doctrines, he doth not understand them; their writings, he never hath read them!

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Reader, if thou desirest to know what our opinions are, and what reason there is for these heavy charges, read our books; but read them with attention, and aim at impartiality; compare them with the word of God, and with the liturgy, articles, and homilies of the church of England; and, if thou hast leisure and opportunity, with the works of our

first Reformers. Nor do we desire thee to renounce thy reason, but only to make this reasonable concession; that where thy reason would determine one way, but God hath expressly determined ano. ther way, thou wouldst allow him to understand his own mysteries better, than thou dost ; and, that therefore, thou oughtest, by faith, exercised upon the veracity of God, to receive those matters implicitly,and without reasoning, which God hath revealed, and which thy reason feels to be far above, out of its reach, and therefore out of its province. Whenever, on such inquiry, thou discoverest us to be mistaken, there dissent from us, yea, blame us, as far as meekness and candor will permit; but do not condemn us in the gross; do not assert our whole scheme of doctrine to be enthusiastical and groundless, though some of our writers should be found to have advanced some questionable opinion. This were the way to drive all truth and certainty out of the world; for what book can be mentioned, the Bible excepted, wherein there is nothing advan ced, either erroneous, or questionable? And be assured, it is no argument of

a sincere desire to know the truth, to read only one side of the question, and then clamorously to adopt every childish cavil, every vague report, every scandalous falsehood; and industriously to propagate them, as if these afforded sufficient confutation of all the arguments, authorities, and Scripture testimonies, wherewith we support our sentiments. Observe, that though some professors have been proved enthusiasts, and others detected to be hypocrites, this doth not prove, that we are all enthusiasts and hypocrites. Such rash judgments hurt not us, but those that pass them.

For myself, I here publicly profess, that I will to the end of my days acknowledge it, as the greatest obligation, that any person can confer upon me; if, in the spirit of meekness, he will point out to me any error or enthusiastical delusion, into which I have fallen, and by sufficient arguments convince me of it. I trust, that my earnest desire to 'discover the truth, as it is in Jesus, has not abated in its influence, and that I retain the same disinterested resolution to embrace, and adhere to it, with which I set out. Still am I solicitously fearful of

being betrayed by my warmth of spirit, and by the deceitfulness of my heart,into erroneous opinions. But it is not clamor and reproach, or objections andarguments brought against sentiments I detest, or consequences I allow not, and do not see to be consequent from my doctrines; it is not such reasoning, as sets one divine attribute at variance with another, and makes one part of the Bible contradict another,or exalts the human understanding upon the tribunal, and arraigns & condemns revealed mysteries at her presumptuous bar; I say, such a procedure will have no weight with me, or with any, whoever knew the grace of God intruth.

And now, beloved reader, let me conclude, with leaving it upon thy conscience to search for the truth of the gospel in the study of God's word, accompanied by prayer, as thou wouldst search for hid treasure. I give thee this counsel, as expecting to meet thee at the day of judgment, that our meeting may be with joy, and not with grief; may the Lord incline thee to follow it, with that solemn season full in view! Time, how short; eternity, how long! life, how precarious and vanishing death, how certain! the

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