Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1868-07-14
Anxious to Anglicus.

CAuc'SA u hiS idSs W J Ous " again
write under the heading Anxious to
Anglicus.
Before, however, | defend myself
from your charge of virtually con
demning Mr.. Wesley. [ wish to first
briefly remark upon several parts of
your letter You call the church Of
England an apostate church, hereby
denying salvation to those who CONS
pose this church for one who has
apostatised from Christ is said by |
st. Paul TO "crucify the Lord afresh /
l do net believe you can find one out /
of hundred good and intelligent
Methodists who is prepared 10 60 |
this far with you. | am disposed to |
think that even you in your more |
sober senses do not really believe |
that all who compose that church are |
without the pale of salvation. / will |
repeat my argument against this
wild thoughtless charge of apostacv
The church of England, as all ad Init,
had three hundred and fifty years
ago far more evils within than she
had at this present time and that
she was not apostate even then APP
pears beyond ali controversy from
the following: At that time IN the
whole church throughout the world !
were about the same evils as then |
existed in the English church, conse
quently il that church is now apos>
tate it was surely so then if so then
the whole church throughout the
world WAS also apostate, and our
Savior's prophetic promise that He
would be with His church every day
unto the end Of the world. and that
the gates of He'll should never pres
vail against it has failed, which we
know has and.will never be. Your
peculiar denunciation of that church
ought not to be allowed by the fair.
and conscientious christian reader to
silence the voice of this argument
founded upon the sure word Of God
and historic fact.
You say that the English bishops
are made by state. To make such
statement you ought to be ashamed
either because of your ignorance or
wilfnl perversion of known fact
Beng an Englishman you know ,or
ought to know, that when presby-
ter Of that church has been appoints
ed for "a bishopric Re is afterwards
ordained by not less than three bish
ops. Never was any one recognized
by that church as bishop unless or.
dained by bishop. The records of
such ordination are still preserved in
most of the Sees from early times.
Consistent with such statement you
can say that Christ was not crucifed
under Pontius PLATE.
And with reference to the Rev.
John Wesley | affirm that he never
did violate the three principles | ar.
gued upon in my last, and even if be
did my condemnation of him would
arise from the falsity of these princi>
Piles and if the principles are not
false then if be violated them he
was the author of whatever condem-
nation is justly due. | will here re-
state these three principles that all
may see their soundness.
l. That the church must be ex-
tended by living members.
2. By going into place where
the church was not previously estab
lished.
3. For the purpose of preaching
the true faith.
Now from Mr. Wesley's own writ
ings we have abundant proof, in
deed greater we cannot need. that he
never violated the above principles,
that he never left the church of Eng
land that he earnestly entreated all
over whom he had any influence to
never separate from that church
consequently he was not the founder
of any sect, for the word sect means
cut off and who has preached more
eloquently and earnestly against
any body cutting themselves from
the church than did Mr.. Wesley
Read his letttr RS t 0 different persons
and you will find more than | here
give. You can perceive that these
quotations express the mind Of NJ.
Wesley's old age, Of the last as well
as all the years Of his life.
ri Exhort ali our people to keep
close to the Church and sacrament.
I2l Warn them against all niceness in
hearing-a prevailing evil. L3] Warn
them, also, against despising..the Pray
ers of the Church. [41 Against CALI
ing our Society "the Church" [5]
Against calling our preachers "the
ministers"
In his sermon on '"The Ministerial
Office" preached al Cork, May 4,
1889, and published in the Arminian
Magazine in 1890, the year before he
died, he speaks the same language.
Hear him:
ain 1744, the Methodist preachers
had their first Conference. And when
the question was proposed, In what
right are we to consider ourselves :?
it was answered, AS extraordinary
messengers, raised up to provoke the
the ordinary one to jealousy In
order hereto, one of our first rules
was given to each paeacher, You are
to do that part of the work which we
appoint But what work was this ?
Did we ever appoint you to admin
lister sacraments to exercise tie
priestly office? Such a design never
entered into our mind it was the
farthest from our thoughts.
~ wish all Of you who are vulgar
ly termed Methodists, would serious
~ consider what has been said. And
particularly you whom God hath
Commissioned tocall sinners torepent-
ance. 1t does by no means follow
from hence, that ye are commission
cd to baptize or to administer the
the Lords Supper. Ye never dream
ed of this, for ten or twenty years at
ter We began to preach. Ye did not
then, like Koran, Dathan, and Abb
ram seek the priesthood also. 'Ye
knew mo man taketh this honour un-
to himself but he that is called of
God, as was Aaron. 0 contain yours