ADVERTISEMENT

TO THE

PRESENT EDITION.

NINE months are now elapsed since the first publication

of this letter: in all which time, Mr. W. has neither apologized for the misdemeanor which occasioned his hearing from me in this public manner, nor attempted to answer the charge entered against him. Judging, probably, that the former would be too condescending in one who has erected himself into the leader of a sect; and that the latter would prove rather too difficult a task, and involve him in a subsequent train of fresh detections; he has prudently omitted both.

Some of his followers, however, have not been so tamely unactive on this occasion as their pastor. Anxious at once to palliate his offence, and to screen his timidity; several penny and two-penny defences have successively appeared: wherein the anonymous scribblers wretchedly endeavoured to gather up, and put together, the fragments of a shattered reputation. The very printers, the midwives who handed these "insects of a day" into public existence, were ashained to subjoin their names at the bottom of the title pages.

Two Lay-Preachers, in particular, have feebly taken up the cudgels for their master. Of one I shall say very little, as he writes with some degree of decency-Of the other, I shall not say much; for both his talents and his morals sink him far below the dignity of chastisement. This illiterate "haberdasher of small wares" entitles his penny effusion, as well as I remember, "A letter of thanks to the Rev. Mr. Toplady, in the names of all the hardened sinners in London and Westminster." The poor creature, it is plain from his title-page, aims at humour; and yet unhappily for such a design, he is in reality but too literally qualified to act as a secretary in chief to the sinners of London and Westminster. For he has given very numerous and ample proofs of his

own sinnership, and that there can hardly exist in those two cities a more atrocious sinner than himself. I will not pollute this paper with a recital of his crimes. They who know the man are no strangers to his communication. Though a doctrinal Pharisee, his life has long ago evinced him a practical Sadducee. Surely, Arminianism is like to flourish mainly under the auspices of such able and virtuous advocates!

And so much for Mr. Wesley's redoubtable subalterns.

"What image of their fury can we form?

Dulness and rage. A puddle in a storm.”

If my advice carries any weight with them, they will carefully peruse their Spelling-books, before they make another sally from the press. As to themselves, and their refined productions, I mean to take no farther notice of either. I am quite of Mr. Gay's opinion;

"To shoot at crows is powder thrown away.”

I had almost forgot the Monthly Reviewers. One word concerning them, and I have done. The two Reverend gentlemen who are hired to dissect and characterize whatever comes within the divinity department, a Calendis ad Calendas ; would fain have it, in their superficial strictures on the first edition of this letter, that I am angry with Mr. Wesley. If by anger the ingenious animadverters mean a just and becoming disapprobation of Mr. Wesley's lying abridgment, and of the surreptitious manner in which he smuggled it into the world; I acknowledge myself in this respect angry. I hope the Reverend Reviewers will not in their turn be angry too, at seeing themselves tacked to the list of Mr. Wesley's allies since in their mode of representing my dispute (or to adopt their own military term, my battle) with that gentleman, they seem to rank themselves in the number of his seconds. The reason is obvious. Mr. W. is a red-hot Arminian and the sagacious Doctors can discern, with half an eye, that Arminianism lies within a bow-shot of Socinianism and Deism. Yet notwithstanding the alliance is thus not altogether unnatural, why should these two Divines, who are certainly possessed of abilities which might do honour to human nature, by a narrow, sordid attachment to party, render those abilities less respectable?

Broad-Hembury, Jan. 9, 1772.

A

LETTER

SIR,

TO THE

REV. JOHN WESLEY.

POSSIBLY, the following letter may fall into the hands of some who are unacquainted with the merits of the occasion on which I write. For the information of such, I must premise, that in November, 1769, I published a two shilling pamphlet, entitled. "The Doctrine of Absolute Predestination stated and asserted: With a Preliminary discourse on the Divine Attributes. Translated, in great measure, from the Latin of Jerom Zanchius."

Though you are neither mentioned nor alluded to throughout the whole book, yet it could hardly be imagined, that a treatise, apparently tending to lay the axe to the root of those pernicious doctrines, which, for more than thirty years past you have endeavoured to palm on your credulous followers, with all the sophistry of a Jesuit, and the dictatorial authority of a Pope; should long pass without some censure from the hand of a restless Arminian, who has so eagerly endeavoured to distinguish himself, as the bell-wether of his deluded thousands.

Accordingly in the month of March, 1770, out sneaks a printed paper (consisting of one sheet, folded into twelve pages, price one penny) entitled, "The Doctrine of Absolute Predestination stated and asserted by the Rev. Mr. A. — T———." Wherein you pretend to give an abridgment of the pamphlet above referred to. But,

I. Why did you not make your abridgment truly public? For an apparent reason: That, if possible, it might elude my knowledge, and so escape the rod. Born of a stolen embrace, it was needful for the spurious, pusillanimous performance to steal its way into the world. It privately crept abroad from the Foundry, the seat of its nativity; it was sold indeed, but sold under the rose; it was carefully circulated in the dark; and the friends of Mr. Wesley were designed to be the sole sphere of its acquaintance. Thus "Every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved." In such conduct I can discern much of the Jesuit, but nothing of the saint. I had to this hour remained unapprized of the secret stab, but for the information received from some of superior integrity to yourself. I will put Christianity quite out of the question, and suppose it to have no kind of influence. But should you not, at least, act as a man of common honour? Come forth openly, Sir, in future, like an honest, generous assailant; and, from this moment forward, disdain to act the ignoble part of a lurking, sly assassin.

I. Why did you not abridge me faithfully and fairly? Why must you lard your ridiculous compendium with additions and interpolations of your own? especially as you took the libertv of

prefixing my name to it? your reasons are obvious. My publication had spread among some of your people; and the longer it continued to diffuse itself the more you trembled for your Diana. Hence, Demetrius like, you found it needful, by the help of a pious fraud, to prejudice your Ephesians against the doctrines of St. Paul. The book was like to give the Arminian Babel a shake; therefore no way so effectual to secure it, as by endeavouring to spike the canon which was planted against it. That you might seem to gratify the curiosity of your partisans, and keep them really hood-winked at the same time, you draw up a flimsy, partial compendium of Zanchius; a compendium which exhibits a few detached propositions, placed in the most disadvantageous point of view, and without including any part of the evidences on which they stand.

But this alone was not sufficient to compass the desired end. Unsatisfied with carefully and totally suppressing every proof alleged by Zanchius in support of his argument, a false colouring must likewise be superinduced, by inserting a sentence or two, now and then, of your Own foisting in. After which you close the motley piece, with an entire paragraph, forged every word of it by yourself; and conclude all, as you began, with subjoining the initials of my name ; to make the ignorant believe, that the whole, with your omissions, additions, and alterations, actually came from me.. An instance of audacity and falsehood hardly to be paralleled!

I am very far from desiring the reader to take my word in proof of the charge alleged against you. As an instance of your want of honour, veracity, and justice, I refer to the following paragraph, 1. As published by me; and 2. As quoted by you.