en upon my heart, 'Whoever doeth the will of My Father which is in
heaven, the same is My brother, and sister, and mother.'"

As the time for the conference drew on, it became apparent that the
protestors had no standing place there. Only those who were actual
members of the conference could attend. Hence, instead of the large
number looked for, Shirley and seven others only appeared. The circular,
which perhaps was needlessly strong in its statements, had been
withdrawn the day before the conference met. Wesley allowed Shirley to
appear at the third session of the conference, and after careful
consideration a declaration was drawn up stating that as the minutes of
1770 "have been understood to favour justification by works," "we abhor
the doctrine of justification by works;" "that we have no trust or
confidence but in the alone merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,
for justification or salvation, either in life, death, or the day of
judgment. And though no one is a real Christian believer (and
consequently cannot be saved) who doth not good works when there is time
and opportunity, yet our works have no part in meriting or purchasing
our justification, from first to last, either in whole or part." Wesley
and fifty-three of his ministers signed this, John Nelson and Thomas
Olivers alone refusing.

Shirley, on the other hand, was constrained to sign a public avowal that
"he was convinced that he had mistaken the meaning of the doctrinal
points" of the minute. Fletcher meanwhile had written his five letters
to Shirley, and the MS. was in Wesley's hands during the conference.
Unfortunately he ordered it to be printed, and then left for Ireland.
Fletcher, after learning the issue of the conference, would have liked
to stay their publication, but in Wesley's absence this could not be
done. Thus appeared the first portion of Fletcher's famous _Checks to
Antinomianism_. Into the subsequent controversy, extending over several
years, many writers were drawn, the chief being on Wesley's side,
Fletcher and Olivers; and on Lady Huntingdon's, Shirley, Toplady,
Berridge, Sir Richard and Rowland Hill. Many bitter words were written,
and much said and done that would have been far better left unsaid and
undone. But through it all even Toplady, Wesley's bitterest opponent,
could say of Olivers, "I am glad I saw him, for he appears to be a
person of stronger sense and better behaviour than I had imagined;" and
Berridge welcomed F