EXTRACTS FROM THE MINUTES OF SOME LATE

CONVERSATIONS

BETWEEN THE REV. MR. WESLEY AND OTHERS,

AT A PUBLIC CONFERENCE, HELD IN LONDON,

AUGUST 7, 1770,

AND PRINTED BY W. PINE, BRISTOL

"Take heed to your doctrine.

"WE said in 1744, 'We have leaned too much towards Calvinism.' Wherein ?

"1. With regard to man's faithfulness. Our Lord himself taught us to use the expression. And we ought never to be ashamed of it. We ought steadily to assert, on his authority, that if a man is not 'faithful in the unrighteous mammon,' God will not give him the true riches.' 2. With regard to working for life. This also our Lord has expressly commanded us. Labour, Εργαζεσθε, literally, 'work for the meat that endureth to everlasting life. And in fact every believer, till he comes to glory. works for, as well as from, life.

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"3. We have received it as a maxim, that ‘a man is to do nothing in order to justification.' Nothing can be more false. Whoever desires to find favour with God, should 'cease from evil, and learn to do well.' Whoever repents, should do 'works meet for repentance.' And if this is not in order to find favour, what does he do them for? "Review the whole affair.

"1. Who of us is now accepted of God?

"He that now believes in Christ, with a loving, obedient heart.

"2. But who among those that never heard of Christ?

"He that feareth God, and worketh righteousness, according to the light he has.

"3. Is this the same with, 'He that is sincere?'

"Nearly, if not quite.

"4. Is not this 'salvation by works?'

"Not by the merit of works, but by works, as a condition.

"5. What have we then been disputing about for these thirty years?

"I am afraid, about words.

"6. As to merit itself, of which we have been so dreadfully afraid : we are rewarded according to our works, yea, because of our works. How does this differ from,

'for the sake of our works?'

And how differs this from

secundum merita operum, 6 as our works deserve?' Can you split this hair? I doubt, I cannot.

"7. The grand objection to one of the preceding propositions is drawn from matter of fact. God does in fact justify those who, by their own confession, 'neither feared God nor wrought righteousness. Is this an exception to the general rule ?

"It is a doubt, if God makes any exception at all. But how are we sure, that the person in question never did 'fear God and work righteousness?' His own saying so is not proof: for we know how all, that are convinced of sin, undervalue themselves in every respect.

"8. Does not talking of a justified or a sanctified state tend to mislead men? almost naturally leading them to trust in what was done in one moment? Whereas we are every hour and every moment pleasing or displeasing to God, according to our works; according to the whole of our inward tempers, and our outward behaviour."

LETTER I.

HONOURED AND REVEREND SIR,

BEFORE a judge passes sentence upon a person accused of theft, he hears what his neighbours have to say for his character. Mr. Wesley, I grant, is accused of what is worse than theft, dreadful heresy; and I know that whosoever maintains a dreadful heresy is a dreadful heretic, and that the church of Rome shows no mercy to such: but may not real protestants indulge with the privilege of a felon one whom they so lately respected as a brother? And may not I, an old friend and acquaintance of his, be permitted to speak a word in his favour, before he is branded in the forehead, as he has already been in the back?

This step, I fear, will cost me my reputation, (if I have any,) and involve me in the same condemnation with him whose cause, together with that of truth, I design to plead . but when humanity prompts, gratitude calls, and friendship excites; when reason invites, justice demands, truth requires, and conscience summons; he does not deserve the name of a Christian friend, who, for any consideration, hesitates to vindicate what he esteems truth, and to stand by an aggrieved friend, brother, and father. Were I not, sir, on such an occasion as this, to step out of my beloved obscurity, you might deservedly reproach me as a dastardly wretch; nay, you have already done it in general terms in your excellent sermon on the fear of man. "How often," say you, "do men sneakingly forsake their friends, instead of gloriously supporting them against a powerful adversary, even when their cause is just, for reasons nastily prudential, for fear of giving umbrage to a superior party or interest!"

These generous words of yours, rev. sir, together with the leave you give both churchmen and dissenters, to direct to you their answers to your circular letter, are my excuse for intruding upon you by this epistle, and my apology for begging your candid attention, while I attempt to convince you that my friend's principles and Minutes

are not heretical: in order to this I shall lay before you, and the principal persons both clergy and laity, whom you have from all parts of England and Wales convened at Bristol by printed letters,

I. A general view of the Rev. Mr. Wesley's doctrine : II. An account of the commendable design of his Minutes:

III. A vindication of the propositions which they contain, by arguments taken from scripture, reason, and experience; and by quotations from eminent Calvinist divines, who have said the same things in different words.

And suppose you yourself, sir, in particular should appear to be a strong assertor of the doctrines which you call a "dreadful heresy" in Mr. Wesley, I hope you will not refuse me leave, at the close of my vindication, to expostulate with you upon your conduct in this affair, and recommend to you, and our other Christian friends, the forbearance which you recommend to others in the words of my motto: Why doth the narrow heart of man pursue with malice," or rashness, "those who presume to differ from him?" yea, and what is most extraordinary, those who agree with him in all essential points?

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I. When, in an intricate case, a prudent judge is afraid to pass an unjust sentence, he inquires, as I observed, into the general conduct of the person accused, and by that means frequently finds out the truth which he investigates. As that method may be of service in the present case, permit me, sir, to lay before you a general view of Mr. Wesley's doctrine.

1. For above these sixteen years I have heard him frequently in his chapels, and sometimes in my church; I have familiarly conversed and corresponded with him, and have often perused his numerous works in verse and prose; and I can truly say, that during all that time I have heard him, upon every proper occasion, steadily maintain the total fall of man in Adam, and his utter inability to recover himself, or take any one step towards his recovery, "without the grace of God preventing him, that he may

have a good will, and working with him when he has that good will."

The deepest expressions that ever struck my ears, on the melancholy subject of our natural depravity and helplessness, are those which dropped from his lips; and I have ever observed that he constantly ascribes to divine grace, not only the good works and holy tempers of believers, but all the good thoughts of upright heathens, and the good desires of those professors whom he sees "begin in the Spirit and end in the flesh;" when, to my great surprise, some of those who accuse him of " robbing God of the glory of his grace, and ascribing too much to man's power," directly or indirectly maintain, that Demas and his fellow-apostates never had any grace; and that if once they went on far in the ways of God, it was merely by the force of fallen nature! a sentiment which Mr. Wesley looks upon as diametrically opposite to the humbling assertion of our Lord, "Without me ye can do nothing," and which he can no more admit than the rankest Pelagianism.

2. I must likewise testify that he faithfully points out Christ as the only way of salvation; and strongly recommends faith as the only means of receiving him, and all the benefits of his righteous life and meritorious death; and truth obliges me to declare, that he frequently expresses his detestation of the errors of modern pharisees, who laugh at original sin, set up the power of fallen man, cry down the operations of God's Spirit, deny the absolute necessity of the blood and righteousness of Christ, and refuse him the glory of all the good that may be found in Jew or gentile. And you will not without difficulty, sir, find in England, and perhaps in all the world, a minister who hath borne more frequent testimonies, either from the pulpit or the press, against those dangerous errors. his works confirm my assertion, especially his sermons on original sin, and salvation by faith, and his masterly refutation of Dr. Taylor, the shrewdest Arian, Pelagian, and Socinian of our age. Nor am I afraid to have this testimony confronted with his Minutes, being fully persuaded that, when they are candidly explained, they rather confirm than overthrow it.

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