The following paper is without date; and though I suppose it was written a few years before this period, yet I shall here insert it, omitting an observation or two on the Hutchinsonian Philosophy,

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But in Cork the violence of their persecutors was still greater. For more than three months, a riotous mob, headed by a ballad singer, whose name was Butler, had declared open war against these new reformers, and al who attended their preaching. To give a detail of their violence would be almost too shocking to human nature. They fell upon men and women, old and young, with clubs and swords, and heat and wounded them in a dreadful manner. But they were not content with thus abusing the people when attending the preaching. They surrounded their houses, wounded their customers, broke their windows, and threatened to pull their houses down, unless they would engage to leave this way! The common epithets used on these occasions by Butler and his party, were heretic dogs, and here. tic bs and several even of the magistrates rather encouraged, than strove to prevent those disorders.

:

A Mr. Jones, a considerable merchant, who was a member of the Society, applied to the mayor, but could obtain no redress. The house of a Mr. Sullivan being beset, and the mob beginning to pull it down, he applied to the mayor, who after much importunity came with him to the spot. When they were in the midst of the mob, the mayor said aloud,

It is your own fault for entertaining those Preachers: if you will turn them out of your house, I will engage there shall be no harm done; but if you will not turn them out, you must take what you get. On this the mob set up a huzza, and threw stones faster than before. Mr. Sullivan exclaimed, This is fine usage under a Protestant Government. If I had a priest saying mass in every room of it, my house would not be touched." The mayor replied, The priests are tolerated; but you are not. You talk too much go in, and shut up your doors.' Seeing no remedy, he did so; and the mob continued throwing stones into the house, till near twelve at night. A poor woman having expressed some concern at seeing Butler with his ballads in one hand and a Bible in the other, out of which he preached in his way, Mr. Sheriff Reily ordered his bailiff to carry her to Bridewell, where she was confined for two days!

After this, it was not, for those who had any regard either to their persons or goods, to oppose Mr. Butler. So the poor people patiently sutfered whatever he or his mob thought proper to inflict upon them, till the assizes drew on, at which time they doubted not to find a sufficient though late relief.

Accordingly on August 19, 1749, twenty-eight depositions (from which the above facts are taken) were laid before the Grand Jury. But they did

not

"TO THE REVEREND DEAN D

"REV. SIR,

"When Dr. Bentley published his Greek Testament, one remarked, Pity but he would publish the Old: then we should have two New Testaments.' It is done: those who

receive

not find any one of these bills. Instead of this, they made that memorable presentment, which is worthy to be preserved in their records to all succeeding generations.

"We find and present Charles Wesley, to be a person of ill fame, a vaga. bond, and a common disturber of bis Majesty's peace, and we pray that be may be transported.'

The following persons were also presented in like manner, Thomas Wil liams, Robert Swindells, Jonathan Reeves, James Wheatley, John Larwood, Joseph McAuliff, Charles Shelton, William Tooker, and Daniel Sullivan.

Butler and his mob were now in higher spirits than ever. They scoured the streets, day and night; frequently hallowing as they went along, "Five pounds for a Swaddler's head :" (a name first given to Mr. Cennick, from his preaching on those words, Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger.) Their chief declaring to them all, he had full liberty now to do whatever he would.

In consequence of the shameful refusal of justice above-mentioned, the rioters continued the same outrages during the greater part of the following winter. At the Lent assizes, the Preachers (who made up the whole num., ber then travelling in the kingdom, or at least as many of them as had ever been in Cork or its neighbourhood) assembled at the house of Mr. Jones, and went from thence in a body to the Court, accompanied by Mr. Jones and other reputable inhabitants. His Majesty's judge behaved as became him. He inquired where were the persons presented. On their being pointed out to him, he seemed for some time visibly agitated, and unable to proceed. He at length called for the evidence, on which Butler appeared. On his saying, in answer to the first question, that he was a ballad-singer, the judge desired him to withdraw, observing, that it was a pity that he had not been presented. No other person appearing, he turned to the Preachers, and said, "Gentlemen, there is no evidence against you: you may retire: I am sorry that you have been treated so very improperly. I hope the police of this city will be better attended to for the time to

come."

Persecution has almost wholly subsided; and those who were formerly despised and hated, are now respected by their christian brethren. Their numbers also have given them consequence in the national scale. Every government must perceive, that those citizens are most valuable, whose obedience and peaceableness are strengthened by religious privileges.

receive Mr. Hutchinson's emendations, certainly have two New Testaments! But I stumble at the threshold. Can we believe, that God left his whole Church so ignorant of the Scriptures till yesterday? And if He was pleased to reveal the sense of it now, to whom may we suppose He would reveal it? All Scripture, (says Kempis) must be understood by the same Spirit whereby it was written.' And a greater than he says, Them that are meek will He guide in judg ment, and them that are gentle will He learn his ways.' But was Mr. H eminently meek and gentle ?

However, in order to learn all I could from his works, after first consulting them, I carefully read over Mr. Spearman, Mr. Jones's ingenious book, and the Glasgow Abridgment.` I read the last with Mr. Thomas Walsh, the best Hebræan I ever knew. I never asked him the meaning of an Hebrew word, but he would immediately tell me, how often it occurred in the Bible, and what it meant in each place! We then both observed, that Mr. Hutchinson's whole scheme is built upon Etymologies: the most uncertain foundation in the world, and the least to be depended upon: we observed secondly, that if the Points be allowed, all his building sinks at once: and thirdly, that setting them aside, many of his Etymologies are forced, and unnatural. He frequently, to find the Etymology of one word, squeezes two Radices together: a liberty never to be taken, where a word may fairly be derived from a single Radix.

"But may I hazard a few words on the points? Mr. affirms, they were invented by the Masorites,†

A Lay-Preacher and an Itinerant,

only

+ Masera, is a term in the Jewish theology, signifying a work on the Bible; performed by several learned Rabbins, to secure it from any alterations which might otherwise happen.

According to Elias Levita, the authors of the Masora, were the Jews of a famous school at Tiberias, about five hundred years after Christ, who composed, or at least began the Masora; whence they are called Masorites and Mastritic Doctors. Aben Ezra, makes them the authors of the accents and points which serve for vowels in the Hebrew text, as we now find it.

only thirteen or fourteen hundred years ago, in order to destroy the sense of Scripture. I doubt this; who can prove it? Who can prove they were not as old as Ezra; if not co-eval with the language? Let any one give a fair reading, only to what Dr. Cornelius Bayley has offered, in the Preface to his Hebrew Grammar, and he will be as sick of reading without points, as I am; at least, till he can answer the Doctor's arguments, he will not be so positive upon the question.

"As to his Theology, I first stumble at his profuse encomiums on the Hebrew language. But is it not the language which God himself used? And is not Greek too, the language which God himself used? And did He not use it in delivering to man a far more perfect Dispensation than that He delivered in Hebrew? Who can deny it? And does not even this consideration give us reason at least to suspect, that the Greek language is as far superior to the Hebrew, as the New Testament is to the Old? And indeed, if we set pre

with attention and candour,

judice aside, and consider both, can we help seeing, that the Greek excels the Hebrew, as much in beauty and strength, as it does in copiousness? I suppose no one from the beginning of the world wrote better Hebrew than Moses. But does not the language of St. Paul excel the language of Moses, as much as the knowledge of St. Paul excelled his.

"I speak this, even on supposition that you read the Hebrew, as I believe Ezra, if not Moses did, with points. For if we read it in the modern way without points, I appeal to every competent judge, whether it be not the most equivocal."

About this time, one or two of the Preachers, and a few societies, were harassed by Justices of the Peace, under a pretence entirely new. The Methodists were told, "You profess yourselves members of the Church of England; therefore your licences are good for nothing; nor can you as men.bers of the Church receive any benefit from the Act of Toleration." Mr.

Wesley

Wesley saw, that if the proceedings on this subtle distinction were extended over the nation, the Methodists must either profess themselves Dissenters, or suffer infinite trouble. Notwithstanding his ordinations, he has borne ample testimony, that he did not wish the people to alter their relative situation to the national Church, &c. and yet he wished them to be effectually relieved from this embarrassment. He stated the case to a member of Parliament, a real friend to liberty, hoping the Legislature might be prevailed upon to interpose, and free the Methodists from the penalties of the Conventicle Act. There is not much reason to doubt but this privilege would have been obtained, by a little perseverance: but the peaceable demeanour and loyalty of the Methodists, together with the manifest good resulting to both Church and State from their labours have obtained that great body the full use of their religious privileges throughout the British Dominions. Mr. Wesley states the case thus:

"Last month a few poor people met together in Lincolnshire, to pray, and to praise God, in a friend's house: there was no preaching at all. Two neighbouring Justices fined the man of the house twenty pounds. I suppose he was not worth twenty shillings-Upon this, his household goods were distrained and sold to pay the fine. He appealed to the Quarter-Sessions: but all the Justices averred, The Methodists could have no relief from the Act of Toleration,* because they went to Church; and that, so long as they did so, the Conventicle Act should be executed upon them.'

"Last Sunday, when one of our Preachers was beginning to speak to a quiet congregation, a neighbouring Justice sent a Constable to seize him, though he was licensed: and would not

*For Extracts of those Acts, see Note in pages 414,-416 of this volume.