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latest hour of his life, strenuously opposed separation from the Church; he wished them to be auxiliaries, and not antagonists; he wished that their bond of union should be catholic, and not sectarian; that their zeal should be shown in promoting the interests of religion, and not the interests of a party;-in compliance, therefore, with his earnest and repeated exhortations upon this subject, they do not renounce communion with the Establishment: they do not administer the sacraments in their meetings, and they do not suffer their hours of worship to interfere with the service of the Church. In England these principles are not publicly professed by any society of Methodists, but they are adopted by a great many individuals in the Connexion, and among the rest by Mark Robinson, the author of this pamphlet; he was a class leader and local preacher for fourteen years, and is therefore a very competent witness as to the state of the Society. Though friendly to the Church, he is a staunch Methodist, and therefore his statements are not likely to be overcharged: he is a straight forward writer, who wishes to reform the abuses of their system by a plain exposition of facts, and therefore his statements are likely to be

accurate.

"The Connexion," says he, "is rapidly growing both in numbers and respectability." (Intro. p. v.) Now if they recruited their host out of the camp of the common enemy, if their numbers were increased only by deserters from the cause of infidelity, where is the Christian who would not say-" Ride on because of the word of truth-we wish you good luck in the name of the Lord?" But there can be little doubt that many of those whose minds are prepossessed by Calvinistic doctrines, slide through the connecting medium of Wesleyan Methodism into direct hostility to the Established Church; and it is observable, that although the adults in close connexion with the Society amount only to a quarter of a million, yet these "are but a small part of the body of the people who regularly attend in the Methodist Chapels." (Intro. p. xxxvi.) It may be useful therefore to shew the feelings and views of those who govern the mighty mass, to exhibit them in their proper colours, and to demonstrate upon data of unquestionable authority, that they are bigoted, selfish, and ambitious.

Of their bigotry we have a striking specimen in their treatment of the Tent Methodists, who relate the circumstances of their separation thus:

"Among all the different classes of professors or profane, none but the Methodists attempted to arrest our progress; among them many were found who spoke against us privately, and preached against us

publicly; numbers of them shunned us as they would the pestilence: several made it their business to dissuade people from attending our ministry, and especially from joining us in religious communion, and when many of their members wished to join with us in our devotions, they passed a law prohibiting every Methodist from assisting us either by preaching, exhortation, or prayer, upon pain of expulsion from their Society." P. 68.

Professors and profane-for the information of those who are not acquainted with the new fangled jargon lately introduced into religion, it may be necessary to state, that the professors of vital godliness distinguish themselves by that title from the profane multitude, who have not undergone their own sensible regeneration. The doctrine of Election pushed too far is always the parent of intolerance: but what is principally remarkable in the extract given above, is the popishness of the excommunication which they attempted to enforce. The animosity engendered by so small a difference of opinion—a difference, by which no doctrine was impeached, no practice recommended by Scripture was affected-marks a spirit congenial with the Inquisition, and that would have loved an auto da fè.

"Where only opportunity doth want, not will,

Potential persecution' stands for actual."

"For modes of faith let zealots fight," and if these modes be momentous, we will defend them from the censure of the poet; but that zeal must surely be graceless and bigoted, which fights bitterly and uncharitably for a regulation imposed by Conference or Wesley. If any one thinks this matter may have been misrepresented by a party who felt themselves aggrieved, let us turn to Mark Robinson's open avowal of the truth.

"Some of narrow and contracted minds among us, imagine that our system itself is as sacred as even the first principles of our religion, and that, therefore, to refuse our assent to the one, is as great an evil as to disbelieve the other; that to take a part in diffusing even the same religious truths, under a different form of Church government, as, for instance, under a system allowing representatives of the people in Conference, would imply that such persons had lost their piety." P. 38.

Again: "a certain preacher in the Old Connexion has taken upon himself to aver publicly in different pulpits, that all who have left them as a body of people, have died under a cloud;" (p. 40.) which, according to the explanation of Mr. Watson, one of their travelling preachers, is "damnation poetically expressed." It is true that Watson condemns such rancorous effusions of party zeal; but then his liberality can be accounted for: he had himself been a seceder from the Connexion. Nei

are innovations, known to none but this present century, and only to a part of this. Who among the ancients ever applied them in such a sense? The title Pastor, you will find, is scarcely ever used by them, excepting when they speak of Bishops; which use of the word St. Peter taught them, when he connected the titles Pastor and Bishop in speaking of our Saviour. And you will not meet with any instance - in which they have used this word to designate those who, either in the cities or in the country, had the cure of certain portions of the people, divided by parishes: but that Presbyters (urban or rural) were deputed by the Bishops for this office. For, in the primitive age, Presbyters formed a part of the Bishop's family, and received their daily subsistence from the Bishop's household, before the modern distinction of parishes.

The word Vocation, too, in the sense adopted by you, is equally foreign to the language of the Fathers, who use instead of it ordaining, or constituting.

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The very name, too, of Minister, by which you designate yourself, is a word of the same character: the Fathers would not have understood it, unless when used to denote a Deacon; as corresponding with the Greek diakovoç. But you must be pardoned: you are forced to speak in the idiom of your own Church, which has no Bishops, and has different Presbyters, different Deacons, and, I may add, a different vocation, from those which the ancient Church acknowledged.

For my part, I, most sincerely, and particularly desire, both for yourselves and all the reformed Churches, that all points of faith may continue to you established as they now are, but that in matters of dis.. cipline God may grant to you a Church Polity not differing from that with which he has blessed us; namely, the spiritual government of Bishops, Presbyters, and Deacons, such as we find in the History of the Church, in the Synods, and in the ancient Fathers. To these, unless self-love greatly deceives me, our's are as nearly as possible, conformed-conformed, I mean, in constitution, not in merit; though I would that they resembled them in this also. Nor do I think that the constitution of any Church on earth accords better with the intent of Scripture, or with the practice and order of the primitive Church, than that which flourishes in our country.

I send you what I have here written, that if you please you may keep it by you. Be assured, moreover, that I have always been a lover of peace, both from temper and from principle. This disposition is also required by my time of life, which warns me to prepare for my departure;-and is especially required in the subject of a King who takes for his motto those words of our Saviour" Blessed are the peacemakers." I engage, too, that I will never side with the severe, and never consent to measures which are not moderate. And I will, as far as I can, put favourable constructions on your words. For it is with us, as it was with Augustin, whose sentiment it is: "It is one thing that we inculcate, and another that we experience."

(To be continued.)

But not only are they thus convicted of worshipping Mammon, their worldliness is besides altogether selfish, and their views extend not beyond their own advantage. "When the local

preachers in two of the principal circuits met, for the purpose of establishing a local preacher's fund, the superintendents threatened to silence them as local preachers, if they persisted." (P. 24.) The local preachers receive nothing for their labour. What then becomes of the preacher's fund? It goes entirely to the travelling preachers, who receive salaries averaging 2007. per annum, and sometimes more. Truly these are spolia opima these are great inducements to act upon the principle satirized by Horace Conficias rem, si possis, recte; si non, quocunque modo rem. Their emoluments, according to this statement, exceed the average income of livings in the Established Church. But this is not all; there is another fund, into which hundreds and thousands have been poured, year after year, besides the annual subscriptions of the preachers, the appropriation of which is buried in most mysterious concealment. The Conference are afraid to publish any account of it to the world," lest the magnitude of the amount should deter their adherents from subscribing." (p. 22.) O fortunati nimium sua si bona norint. That the Conference preachers themselves, however, know how to appreciate their advantages is obvious; for

"Some have supposed, that there is ground for apprehension, that the Methodist ministry may become hereditary, and that the sons of the preachers may issue from the two public schools, and fill the vacancies as they occur, to the almost entire exclusion of those who would, on the whole, be more acceptable to the people." P. 35.

With the whole power and the whole emoluments of the Society they cannot be content, unless they perpetuate the sovereignty in their families, by legitimate descent and hereditary succession. Why does not the spirit of Wesley rise before the aspiring conclave, and admonish them like Wolsey, “I charge you fling away ambition-by that sin the angels fell!" and therefore, doubtless, angels elect may do the same. No, no: there would be an immediate cry of heresy and schism; for grace is indefectible and Conference infallible: and so the venerable Founder's ghost would soon be rejected from the connexion.

3. Ambitious, however, they are, and their ambition cannot be altogether a matter of indifference to the Established Church, if the assertion of one of their travelling preachers has any truth in it: "We Methodists can do any thing." (p. 20.) We have already seen one of them laying claim to St. Peter's keys, and the power of excluding from heaven; it is not, therefore, any matter of wonder, that they aspire to the dignity, as well as to the

authority, of Apostles. "An attempt has been made to introduce episcopal ordination into the Conference." (p. 33.) "Several leading preachers assembled at Lichfield, to contrive how certain of them could be made Bishops." (p. 14.) This is a strong measure for a sect who have recorded a resolution in their Minutes, that their Preachers should not be called Ministers, nor assume the title of Reverend, and is properly regarded by the writer of this letter to the Reverend R. Johnson, Superintendent of the Hull circuit, as an evident attempt to establish a rival Church. It may be thought that the apprehension of rivalry from the Methodists is extravagant and visionary and overstrained; it may be thought too wild a flight even for ambition, to contemplate the seizure of our endowments, the usurpation of our Parish Churches, and the stripping our Establishment of its alliance with the State; it may be thought that it were full as "easy a leap to pluck bright honour from the pale faced moon." But ambition aspires with the eagle, though it soar with the wings of a goose. There is little danger from a conspiracy, when the conspirators kindly inform us of their intentions: but what those intentions are, there is no longer room to doubt. Mark Robinson deprecates the contingency of Methodism becoming the Established Religion of the country, and possessing the ability of demanding temporal supplies, in its present form; and one of their leading preachers was heard, it seems, to express a hope in Conference that the time was not distant, when Methodism would attain that distinguished preeminence, (p. 13.)

Let the established Clergy, therefore, be watchful at their posts; let them redouble their vigilance to counteract the schemes of these schismatics. The time, we trust, is not so near as they seem to hope, when they will be able to shoulder us out of our pulpits, and to denounce us heretics ex cathedrâ, for not obeying Conference: but they have a direct interest, in separating as many as they possibly can, from the Church. Wealth and power, it has been proved, are more objects of solicitude to the travelling preachers, than purity of doctrine, and religious truth: it is their own kingdom, and not Christ's, which they labour to advance.. With this view, they compass heaven and earth to make proselytes to their schism; resembling again the Pharisees of old, who took the same pains, because, as Lightfoot quaintly remarks, "the more they could draw over to their religion, the greater draught they should have for gain, and the more purses to fish in." With the wisdom usually observed in the children of this world, they fling away conciliation, and inflame the liberality of their followers with the ardour of sectarian zeal for they know that the exactions of party spirit will be readily submitted to by those, who would not sacri

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