I. 1. This premised, I come to the letter itself. I begin, as before, with the case of the _Moravians_: of whom you say, ¹_I collected together the character which you had given of these men; the errors and vices which you had charged upon them, and the mischiefs――――they had done among your followers. And I proved, that, in several respects, you had been the occasion of this mischief; and are therefore, in some measure, accountable for it. Let us see what answer you give to all this._ 2d letter, page 79.
¹ Mr. _Church_’s words are printed in _italick_.
“_With regard to the denying degrees in faith, you mentioned, that the_ Moravian _church was cleared from this mistake.” But did you not mention this as one of the tenets of the_ Moravians? _Do you not say, that “you could not agree with Mr._ Spangenberg, _that none has any faith, so long as he is liable to any doubt or fear?” Do not you represent Mr._ Molther, _and other_ Moravians _in_ England, _as teaching the same? In short, I have not charged the_ Moravian _church with any thing; but only repeat after you. And if you have accused them, when you knew them to be guiltless, you must bear the blame._
_“They do use the ordinances of God with reverence and godly fear.”――――You have charged Mr._ Spangenberg _and Mr._ Molther _with teaching, that we ought to abstain from them. And the same you say in general of the_ Moravian _brethren, in your letter to them.――――“But Mr._ Molther _was quickly after recalled into_ Germany.” _This might be on other accounts. You do not say it was out of any dislike of his doctrines or proceedings. Nor indeed can you, consistently with your next words: “The great fault of the_ Moravian _church seems to lie, in not openly disclaiming all he had said: which in all probability they would have done, had they not leaned to the same opinion._”
_You “never knew but one of the_ Moravian _church affirm, that a believer does not grow in holiness.” But who was this? No less a person than Count_ Zinzendorf, _their great bishop and patron, whose authority is very high, all in all with them, and to whom you think they pay_ too much _regard._”
2. This is the whole of your reply to this part of my answer. I will now consider it, part by part.
First, _With regard to the denying degrees in faith, you mentioned, “that the_ Moravian _church was cleared from this mistake.” But did you not mention this as one of the tenets of the_ Moravians?――――No; not of the _Moravians_ in general?――――_Do you not say, that you “could not agree with Mr._ Spangenberg, _that none has any faith, so long as he is liable to any doubt or fear?_”――――I do say so still. But _Spangenberg_ is not the _Moravian church_.――――_Do you not represent Mr._ Molther, _and other_ Moravians _in_ England, _as teaching the same?_――――I do? three or four in all. But neither are these, the _Moravian church_. ――――_In short, I have not charged the_ Moravian church _with any thing; but only repeat after you._――――Indeed you have, in the very case before us. You charge them, _with denying degrees in faith_. I do not charge them herewith. I openly cleared them from any such charge near six years ago.――――_If therefore you have accused them when you knew them to be guiltless, you must bear the blame._――――In this case, I must intreat _you_ to bear it in my stead. For I have not _accused them_ (the _Moravian church_.) It is _you_ that have accused them. I have again and again declared, they are _not guilty_.
Secondly, “_They do use the ordinances of God with reverence and godly fear_.”――――_You have charged Mr._ Spangenberg _and Mr._ Molther _with teaching, that we ought to abstain from them. _――――That _we_? No. That _unbelievers_ ought. The assertion relates to them only.――――_And the same you say in general of the_ Moravian _brethren, in your letter._ ――――I say, they hold, that “_unbelievers_ ought to abstain from them.” But yet I know and bear witness, they use them themselves, and that with reverence and godly fear?”――――“_Mr._ Molther _was quickly after recalled to_ Germany.”――――_This might be on other accounts. You do not say, it was out of any dislike of his doctrines or proceedings._――――I do not say so; because I am not sure; but I believe it was out of a dislike to _some_ of his proceedings, if not, of his doctrines too. ――――_Nor indeed can you, consistently with your next words: “The great fault of the_ Moravian church _seems to lie, in not openly disclaiming all he had said”_ (relating to this head.)――――They did _privately disclaim_ what he had said, of degrees in faith. But I think, that was not enough. And I still believe, they would have done more, “had they not leaned themselves to the same opinion,” touching the ordinances.