"What is implied in the question? I do not mean, What did Jehu imply therein? But what should a follower of Christ understand thereby, when he proposes it to any of his brethren ?"

Of these only I speak. My general proposition, you may please to remember, is this, "All the children of God may unite in love, notwithstanding difference in opinions or modes of worship."

Fom this persuasion, whenever I meet with any whom I have reason to believe "children of God," I do not ask of him with whom I would unite in love, (never at the en trance upon our conversation, seldom till we are a little acquainted,) "Do you agree with my opinions and mode of worship? Particularly with regard to Church-government, Baptism, and the Lord's Supper." I "let all these stand by," till we begin to know, and have confirmed our love to each other. Then may come 66 a more convenient season" for entering into controversy. My only question at present is, "Is thy heart right?" p. 13.

At present, I say, keep your own opinion, I mine. I do not desire you to dispute these points. Whether we shall dispute them hereafter, is another question. Perhaps we may, perhaps we may not. This will depend on a great variety of circumstances; particularly, on a probability of success: for I am determined never to dispute at all, if I have no hope of convincing my opponent.

As to my own judgment, I still believe "the episcopal form of Church-government to be scriptural and apostolical.” I mean, well agreeing with the practice and writings of the apostles. But that it is prescribed in Scripture, I do not believe. This opinion, which I once zealously espoused, I have been heartily ashamed of, eyer since I read Bishop Stilling fleet's Irenicon. I think he has unanswerably proved, That, "neither Christ nor his apostles prescribe any particular form of Church-government, and that the plea of divine right for diocesan episcopacy, was never heard of in the primitive church."

But were it otherwise, I should still call these "smaller

points" than the "loving God and all mankind,” p. 18. And could any man answer those questions, "Dost thou believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, God over all, blessed for ever," (which indeed no Arian or Semi-Arian, and much less, Socinian, can do.) "Is God the centre of thy soul? The sum of all thy desires? Art thou more afraid of displeasing God, than either of death or hell?” p. 15, (which no wicked man can possibly do; none who is not a real child of God.) If, I say, a man could answer these in the affirmative, I would then gladly give "him my hand."

This is certainly a principle held by those who are in derision termed Methodists. And to whom a Popish priest in Dublin gave the still more unmeaning title of Swaddlers. They all desire to be of a Catholic spirit; meaning there, by, "not an indifference to all opinions:" not "indifference as to the manner of public worship." This they know to be quite another thing. "Love, they judge, gives a title to this character. Catholic Love is a Catholic Spirit," p. 25.

As to Heresy and Schism, I cannot find one text in the Bible, where they are taken in the modern sense. I remember no one scripture, wherein Heresy signifies, "Error in opinion," whether fundamental or not. Nor any wherein Schism signifies a "separation from the Church," whether with cause or without. I wish, Sir, you would reconsider this point, and review the scriptures wherein those terms

occur.

Yet I would take some pains to recover any one from error, or to reconcile him to our Church. I mean, to the Church of England; from which I do not separate yet, and probably never shall. The little church (in the vulgar sense of the word) which I occasionally mentioned at Holy. Mount, is that wherein I read prayers, and preach, and administer the sacrament, every Sunday, when I am in London. But I would take much more pains to recover any one from sin. One who lives and dies in error, or in dissent from our Church, may yet be saved: but one who dives and dies in sin, must perish. O Sir! let us bend our

main force against this. Against all sin, both in ourselves and them that hear us! I would to God we could all agree both in opinions and outward worship. But if this cannot be, may we not agree in holiness? May we not all agree in being holy, as he that hath called us is holy, both in heart and in all manner of conversation? This is the great desire of, Rev. Sir, your very humble Servant,

J. W.

TO A FRIEND. ON PUBLIC WORSHIP.

DEAR SIR,

Sept. 20, 1757.

THE longer I am absent from London, and the more I attend the service of the Church in other places, the more I am convinced of the unspeakable advantage which the people called Methodists enjoy. I mean, even with regard to Public Worship, particularly on the Lord's-Day. The church where they assemble is not gay or splendid: which might be an hindrance on the one hand: nor sordid or dirty, which might give distaste on the other: but plain, as well as clean. The persons who assemble there, are not a gay, giddy crowd, who come chiefly to see and be seen: nor a company of goodly, formal, outside Christians, whose religion lies in a dull round of duties: but a people most of whom do, and the rest earnestly seek to worship God in spirit and in truth. Accordingly, they do not spend their time there in bowing and curtsying, or in staring about them but in looking upward and looking inward, in hearkening to the voice of God, and pouring out their hearts before him.

It is also no small advantage that the person who reads prayers, (though not always the same,) yet is always one, who may be supposed to speak from his heart, one whose life is no reproach to his profession; and one who performs that solemn part of divine service, not in a careless, hurrying, slovenly manner, but seriously and slowly, as becomes

him who is transacting so high an affair between God and

man.

Nor are their solemn addresses to God interrupted either by the formal drawl of a parish clerk, the screaming of boys, who bawl out what they neither feel nor understand, or the unseasonable and unmeaning impertinence of a voluntary on the organ. When it is seasonable to sing praise to God, they do it with the spirit, and with the understanding also: not in the miserable, scandalous doggerel of Hopkins and Sternhold, but in psalms and hymns which are both sense and poetry: such as would sooner provoke a critic to turn Christian, than a Christian to turn critic. What they sing is therefore a proper continuation of the spiritual and reasonable service; being selected for that end, (not by a poor hum-drum wretch, who can scarcely read what he drones out with such an air of importance, but) by one who knows what he is about, and how to connect the preceding with the following part of the service. Nor does he take just "two staves," but more or less, as may best raise the soul to God: especially when sung in well composed and well adapted tunes, not by a handful of wild unawakened striplings, but by a whole serious congregation: and these not lolling at ease, or in the indecent posture of sitting, drawling out one word after another, but all standing before God, and praising him lustily and with a good courage.

Nor is it a little advantage as to the next part of the service, to hear a preacher whom you know to live as he speaks, speaking the genuine gospel of present Salvation through Faith, wrought in the heart by the Holy Ghost: declaring present, free, full justification, and enforcing every branch of inward and outward Holiness. And this you hear done in the most clear, plain, simple, unaffected language; yet with an earnestness becoming the importance of the subject, and with the demonstration of the Spirit.

With regard to the last and most awful part of divine service, the celebration of the Lord's Supper, although we cannot say that either the unworthiness of the minister, or

the unholiness of some of the communicants, deprives the rest of a blessing from God, yet do they greatly lessen the comfort of receiving. But these discouragements are removed from you: you have proof that he who administers, fears God and you have no reason to believe, that any of your fellow-communicants walk unworthy of their profession. Add to this, that the whole service is performed in a decent and solemn manner, is enlivened by hymns suitable to the occasion, and concluded with prayer that comes not out of feigned lips.

:

Surely then of all the people in Great Britain, the Methodists would be the most inexcusable, should they let any opportunity slip of attending that worship which has so many advantages, should they prefer any before it; or not continually improve by the advantages they enjoy! What can be pleaded for them, if they do not worship God in spirit and in truth; if they are still outward worshippers only, approaching God with their lips, while their hearts are far from him? Yea, if having known him, they do not daily grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ! J. W.

TO MISS H

ON CHRISTIAN PERFECTION.

Dublin, April 5, 1758.

IT is with great reluctance that I at length begin to write first, because I abhor disputing, and never enter upon it, but when I am, as it were, dragged into it by the hair of the head; and next, because I have so little hope, that any good will arise from the present dispute. I fear your passions are too deeply interested in the question to admit the force of the strongest reason. So that, were it not for the tender regard I have for you, which makes your desire a motive I cannot resist, I should not spend half an hour in so thankless a labour, and one wherein I have se little prospect of success.