Show Methodist and Mormon Persecution in The recent attempt of a few Episcopal Bishop's in England to persecute and drive out the Mormons is nothing new for a few of the clergy in Of we know that they were stirred up by Hans Peter a jack Mormon and a pretended Presbyterian convert from this Every little while some Episcopal Bishop in England gets incensed and tries to blacken some other religious It was in 1738 that Wesley first launched forth Methodism in Within a year from that date prejudiced books by his opponents began and continued with varying degrees of virulence through the greater portion of his If could have it would have lived only a short time after its Hundreds of publications with rude cartoons appeared all through England from the common poster or embellished with rude caricature intending to catch the eye of the to the pretentious and gaudily bound and illustrated displaying in rude pictures the Many of these books were designed for the amusement of Lord and As the movement spread throughout assaults on Methodists became very as the assaults were led principally by the It became quite popular among the that me who would not join the mobs were too but employed their time in jests and satire on the poor From 1760 to 1780 there appeared at short a succession of books and many Mich were of the most slanderous The majority these pamphlets were issued annoy- as their authors were ashamed to sign their i 1 Edward in his history of Methodist perse- L. in states that an anti-Methodist volume of considerable size appeared and on the title page Great Secret to Wesley's an Effectual Method for Bringing About a Reformation and Destroying The author declares that if the clergy had not been unfaithful Methodism would never have and with passionate earnestness of a prophet he them to do their duty by the flock of and thus the Methodist heresy will be The same year a thirty-six page booklet of a similar nature was On the title page says as Displayed and Intended as an Antidote against and a from the Delusive Principles and scriptural Doctrines of Modern Sett of Seducing In 1745 a tract was written signed by a sincere Protestant carrying the Serious Address to Lay Methodists to Beware of False Pretenses of Their A clear warning is you continue to follow such Wandering Lights as you have lately been gadding you must be led into the bogs and whirlpools of error and It said that many of the Methodists were Catholics in Again in 1743 a small volume appeared on Progress of Methodism in or the Methodist Wherein the Policy and Successes of that Novel Sect are Fully Detected and Properly Displayed in We are simply informed that it was written by Impartial Whitfield and Wesley are referred to as we read set of men there I That bear the name of Who travel up and down a t they came a To speak the nor more nor have met with such from the observation Their preaching is a gainful And this to carry on Was undertook by GEORGE and JOHN But who is or who is Each one is left to think at Many of these books and pamphlets correspond with the Anti-Mormon tracts and pamphlets that are being distributed now by the Presbyterian Board of Home The Life of a Mormon Mormonism in the Public Mis- sion Day Schools among the and the Devil Fish Map pamphlets are parallel to the pamphlets issued in England by the preachers of that In 1750 a pamphlet appeared with the Enthusiasm of Methodists and Papists This was not the first time that Wesley and his followers had been likened to A marked peculiarity of the anti-Methodists publications during the decade is that they contain so many references to a supposed collusion between the Methodists J and the This may be traced to the absurd invented about this time and maliciously cir- that John Wesley was a secret agent of the Charles that he kept two priests in his received large remittances from that Methodism was nothing more or less than a scheme to create a strong party from among the poor of favorable to Charles and that at the right moment the backed by France and would land in be met by Wesley with a new government and Roman Catholicism Year after year these kept alive by enemies who they were followed Wesley wherever he and there were always plenty people foolish enough to believe Wes- ley made little or no attempt at But in after all fear of the Pretender had there was published a pamphlet but as Wesley and as it written by no less a prelate than Bishop of comparing the Methodists with the Papists and seeking to fan the flame of persecution against an innocent and defenseless Wesley was deeply The Bishop's attack was He began the abrupt declaration that the of Methodism was a counterpart of the most wild fanaticism of the most abominable communion in its corrupt He followed with a series of charges which it is difficult to thing a man of his intelligence really Some time ago a very enthusiastic but ignorant churchman in wrote a doggerel on Mormonism to injure two Mormon missionaries who were visiting that When people do not have arguments to sustain them in a religious they resort to ridicule and The following poem was written in 1766 in entitled a It came out in a handsome All the peculiar features of this are fully Of the lay-preachers we read- throws his trowel And now builds mansions in the The touched with holy Flings his old shoes last now devoutly sets about Cobbling of SOULS that ne'er wear The now a preacher Finds man lives not by bread v v And now his customers he feeds With with groans and creeds their shuttles Sermons and flimsy to The fishermen no longer set For fish the meshes of their But like men of For catching is to TAKE THEM |