the world, had defined " violation of faith with "heretics," as an article of faith, and that I do' not believe it, "violation," then," of faith "with heretics," is no article of my belief. For, to form one's belief, it is not fufficient to read a propofition in a book. Interior conviction must captivate the mind. The Arian reads the Divinity of Chrift in the New Teftament, and ftill denies it would Mr. Wesley affert that the Divinity of Chrift is an article of the Arian faith? If then "violation of faith with "heretics," be the teffera fidei, the badge of the Roman Catholic religion, the Roman Catholics are all Proteftants, and as well entitled to fing their pfalms, as Mr. Wefley his canticles. I would not be one hour a member of any religion that would profefs fuch a creed as Mr. Wefley has fent us from Londoni.

You may, perhaps, be furprized, Gentlemen, that the introduction to a serious fubject fhould favour fo little of the gloom and fullennefs fo familiar to polemical writers; or, that the ludicrous and ferious fhould be fo clofely interwoven with each other.

But, remark a fet of men who tax the nobility, gentry, and head clergy of England with degeneracy, for not degrading the dignity of their ranks and profeffions. Remark them expofing their parchments in meeting-houses and

veftries

veftries, begging the fignatures of every pea fant and mendicant, who comes to hear the gofpel: "Wrong no man; he that loves his "neighbour fulfils the law," &c. and those pious fouls" pained and trembling for the ark "of God," running with the fagot to kindle the flames of fedition, and to opprefs their neighbours. Remark, in feventeen hundred and eighty, a lord with his hair cropped, a bible in his hand, turned elder and high-priest at the age of twenty-three, and fainting for the ARK OF ISRAEL.

In the fore-ground of this extraordinary picture, remark a MISSIONARY, who has reformed the very reformation; feparated from all the Proteftant churches, and in trimming the veffel of religion, which he has brought into a new dock, has fuffered as much for the fake of confcience, as Lodowick Muggleton or James Nailer could register in their martyrology. Remark that fame gentleman inflaming the rabble, dividing his Majefty's fubjects, propagating black flander, and throwing the gauntlet to people who never pro voked him. Is not fanaticifm, the mother of cruelty, and the daughter of folly, the first character in this religious mafquerade? Is it not the first spring that gives motion to these extraordinary figures, fo correfponfive to Hogarth's Enraged Musician? And in fencing with folly,

have not the graveft authors handled the foils of ridicule? To the modern Footes and Molieres, or to the young ftudent in rhetoric, who employs irony in enlarging on his theme, should I for ever leave the " pained fouls and "trembling hearts," of the Scotch Jonathan and the English Samuel, with their fquadrons of Ifraelites fighting " for the ark of the Lord," if what they ftyle in England the Gordonian Affociations, had not voted their thanks to Mr. Wesley, for what they call his excellent letter. Such a performance is worthy the approbation of fuch cenfors; and in their holy shrines the facred relic should be repofited. In examining a performance which contains in a fmall compass, all the horrors invented by blind and mifguided zeal, fet forth in the most bitter language, I fhall confine myself to the ftrict line of an apologift, who clears himself and his principles from the fouleft afperfions. To the public and their impartial reason, the appeal fhall be made. To the fentiments implanted in the human breaft, and to the conduct of man, not to the rubbish of the schools, Mr. Wesley should have made application, when he undertook to folve the interefting problem, Whether the Roman Catholics fhould be tolerated, or perfecuted? But inspired writers partake of the fpirit of the feers, and copy as much as poffible after the prophets: the

prophet

prophet Ezekial breathed on a pile of bones, and lo! a formidable army starting from the earth and ranging itself in battle-array. Mr. Wesley blows the duft of an old book, and lo! quadrons of religious warriors engaged in a crufade for the extirpation of the infidels.

The loyalty, the conduct, the virtues common to all, the natural attachment of man to his intereft and country, the peaceable behaviour of the Roman Catholics, have no weight in the scale of candour and justice. An old council, held four hundred years ago, is ranfacked and mifconftrued; a Roman Catholic is unworthy of being tolerated amongst the Turks, because Mr. Wesley puts on his spectacles to read old Latin.

I have the honour to remain,

Gentlemen,

Your humble and obedient fervant,

MARY'S-LANE, DUBLIN,

FEBRUARY 28, 1780.

ARTHUR O'LEARY.

C 2