My other friend says, "Considering what harm the circular letter has done, and what an useless satisfaction Mr. Shirley has given by his vague acknowledgment, it is no more than just and equitable that your letters should be published."

Now, sir, as I never saw that "acknowledgment," nor the "softening corrections" made by Mr. Wesley in my Vindication ;-as I was not informed of some of the above-mentioned particulars when I was so eager to prevent the publication of my letters ;—and as I have reason to think, that, through the desire of an immediate peace, the festering wound was rather skinned over than probed to the bottom, all I can say about this publication is, what I wrote to our common friend, namely, that "I must look upon it as a necessary evil."

I am glad, sir, you do not direct your letter to Mr. Olivers, who was so busy in publishing my Vindication; for, by a letter I have just received from Bristol, I am informed he did not hear how desirous I was to call it in, till he had actually given out before a whole congregation it would be sold. Besides, he would have pleaded with smartness, that he never approved of a patched-up peace, that he bore his testimony against it at the time it was made, and had a personal right to produce my arguments, since both parties refused to hear his at the conference.

If your letter is friendly, sir, and you print it in the same size with my Vindication, I shall gladly buy ten pounds' worth of the copies, and order them to be stitched with my Vindication, and given gratis to purchasers of it; as well to do you justice, as to convince the world that we make a loving war; and also to demonstrate how much I regard your respectable character, and honour your dear person. Mr. Wesley's heart is, I am persuaded, too full of brotherly love to deny me the pleasure of thus showing you how sincerely I am,

Reverend and dear sir,

Your obedient servant,

J. FLETCHER.

Madeley, 11th Sept., 1771.

LETTER I.

HONOURED AND REVEREND SIR,

I CORDIALLY thank you for the greatest part of your Narrative. It confirms me in my hopes that your projected opposition to Mr. Wesley's Minutes proceeded, in general, from zeal for the Redeemer's glory; and, as such a zeal, though amazingly mistaken, had certainly something very commendable in it, I sincerely desire your Narrative may evidence your good meaning, as some think my Vindication does your mistake.

In my last private letter, I observed, rev. sir, that, if your Narrative was kind, I would buy a number of copies, and give them gratis to the purchasers of my book, that they might see all you can possibly produce in your own defence, and do you all the justice your proper behaviour at the conference deserves; but, as it appears to me, there are some important mistakes in that performance, I neither dare recommend it absolutely to my friends, nor wish it, in the religious world, the full success you desire.

I do not complain of its severity; on the contrary, considering the sharpness of my fifth letter, I gratefully acknowledge it is kinder than I had reason to expect. But permit me to tell you, sir, I look for justice to the scriptural arguments I advance in defence of truth, before I look for kindness to my insignificant person; and could much sooner be satisfied with the former, than with the latter alone. As I do not admire the fashionable method of advancing general charges without supporting them by particular proofs, I shall take the liberty of pointing out some mistakes in your Narrative, and, by that means, endeavour to do justice to Mr. Wesley's Declaration, your own Sermons, my Vindication, and, above all, to the cause of practical religion.

Waving the repetition of what I said in my last touching the publication of my five letters to you, I object, first, to your putting a wrong colour upon Mr. Wesley's Declaration. You insinuate, or assert, that he, and fifty-three of the preachers in conference with him, give up the

doctrine of justification by works in the day of judgment. "It appears," say you, "from their subscribing the Declaration," notwithstanding Mr. Olivers's remonstrances, “ that they do not maintain a second justification by works.”

Surely, sir, you wrong them. They might have objected to some of Mr. Olivers's expressions, or been displeased with his readiness to enter the lists of dispute; but certainly so many judicious and good men could never so betray the cause of practical religion as tamely to renounce a truth of that importance: if they had, one step more would have carried them full into Dr. Crisp's eternal justification, which is the very centre of antinomianism; and, without waiting for the return of the next conference, I would bear my legal testimony against their antinomian error. Mr. Wesley I reverence as the greatest minister I know, but would not follow him one step farther than he follows Christ. Were he really guilty of rejecting the evangelical doctrine of a second justification by works, with the plainness and honesty of a Swiss, I would address him as I beg you would permit me to address you.

"

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I. Neither you, rev. sir, nor any divine in the world, have, I presume, a right to blot out of the sacred records those words of Jesus Christ, St. James, and St. Paul: "Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life." "Not every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my Father." "Be ye❞ therefore" doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves; for' as we are under the law to Christ, not the hearers of the law shall be just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." "Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire, and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is." His very words shall undergo the severest scrutiny: "I say unto you" (O how many will insinuate the contrary!) "that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment; for by thy words shalt thou" then "be justified, and by thy words shalt thou" then "be condemned."

Can you say, sir, that the justification mentioned by our Lord in this passage is the same as that which St. Paul speaks of as the present privilege of all believers, and has no particular reference to the day of judgment, men tioned in the preceding sentence? Or will you intimate, our Lord does not declare we shall be justified in the last day by works, but by words? Would this evasion be judicious? Do not all professors know that words are works in a theological sense; as being both the signs of the workings of our hearts, and the positive works of our tongues? Will you expose your reputation, as a divine, by trying to prove that, although we shall be justified by the works of our tongues, those of our hands and feet shall never appear for or against our justification? Or will you insinuate that our Lord recanted the legal sermons, written Matthew v. and xii.? If you do, his particular account of the day of judgment, chap. xxv., which strongly confirms, and clearly explains, the doctrine of our second justification by works, will prove you greatly mistaken, as will also his declaration to St. John, above forty years after: "Behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, to give every man as his work," not faith, "shall be."

O! if faith alone turns the scale of justifying evidence at the bar of God, how many bold antinomians will claim relation to Christ, and boast they are interested in his imputed righteousness! How many will say, with the foolish virgins, "Lord! Lord! we are of faith, and Abraham's children; in thy name we publicly opposed all legal professors, traduced their teachers as enemies to thy free grace; and, to do thee service, made it our business to expose the righteousness, and cry down the good works, of thy people: therefore, Lord! Lord! open to us!" But, alas! far from thanking them for their pains, without looking at their boasted faith, he will dismiss them with a, 'Depart from me, ye that work iniquity!" As if he said,

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"Depart, ye that made the doctrine of my atonement a cloak for your sins, or sewed it as a pillow under the arms of my people, to make them sleep in carnal security, when they should have worked out their salvation with

fear and trembling. You profess to know me, but 1 disown you. My sheep I know; them that are mine I know; the seal of my holiness is upon them all; the motto of it, 'Let him that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity,' is deeply engraven on their faithful breasts; not on yours, ye carnal, ye 'sold under sin.'

"And why called ye me Lord! Lord! and did not do the things which I said? Why did you even use my righteousness as breast-plate, to stand it out against the word of my righteousness; and, as an engine to break both tables of my law, and batter down my holiness? Your heart condemns you, ye 'sinners in Sion!' ye salt without savour! ye believers without charity! And am, not I greater than your heart? and know I not your works? Yes, I know that the love of God is not in you; for you despised one of these my brethren. How could you think to deceive me, the Searcher of hearts and Trier of reins? And how did you dare to call yourselves by my name? as if you were my people, my dear people, mine elect! Are not all my peculiar people partakers of my holiness, and zealous of good works?' Have not I 'chosen to myself the man that is godly?' and protested that the ungodly shall not stand in judgment, nor sinners (though in sheep's clothing) in the congregation of the righteous?' And say I not to the wicked, though he should have been one of my people, 'ny si 'Thou art none of my people now;' what hast thou to do with taking my covenant in thy mouth? You denied me in works, and did not wash your hearts from iniquity in my blood; therefore, according to my word, I deny you in my turn, before my Father and his holy angels.' Perish your hope, ye hypocrites! and utter darkness be your portion, 'ye double-minded!' Let fearfulness surprise you, ye tinkling cymbals! Let the fall of your babels crush you, ye towering professors of my humble faith! Fly, ye 'clouds without water;' ye chaff, fly before the blast of my righteous indignation! 'ye workers of iniquity!' ye Satans transformed into

cursed, depart!"

angels of light! ye

II. Nor is our Lord singular in his doctrine of justi