them, but such as is common to all; that grace, in its extensive and fertilizing showers, has descended for general acceptance, and is found to be the all-availing antidote for the moral maladies of man. The other effect of these meetings refers to the entire society, of which a class is an essential part. The spirit of Wesleyan Methodism, and the unity of its members, is through these means principally observable. This principle, as a cement of unyielding tenacity, holds together the whole body, with a compactness and stability formerly unknown in ecclesiastical record. But for the meetings in question, the seed sown by public ministrations, although good, would frequently be lost; the seriousness of the Sabbath would be drowned by the levity of the next week's engagements; and in all human probability the labours of the first race of Methodist preachers would have produced merely the revival of an age. They would have created no principle of perpetuity; and with respect to the entire system, it might have been the lot of one generation to witness its rise and conclusion.

The founder of Methodism died in 1791. The loss was felt throughout every department of the work, of which he was the principal director; and persons were not wanting, who at once foretold the dissolution of the whole, as an event unavoidably consequent upon his demise. These predictions were erroneous. The bereavement referred to was a signal test, by which the durability of the society was tried. It was soon found that God could carry on his own purposes, even though the instruments were changed. No impression injurious to the reputation, either of the system itself, or of the man on whom its management had devolved, was produced. On the contrary, both advanced in popular esteem. The religious community patronized by the late fellow of Lincoln college, expanded into circles where access had formerly been denied. Instead of diminished vigour, its converts were numerous, and its influence strengthened. It effected purposes more extended than had perhaps been fostered by the liberal minded founder. The system of Scriptural truth was conveyed to foreign shores. Its members were parcelled out in every clime; societies were formed wherever a door of entrance was afforded; and of the small company of godly persons who met in a small apartment in 1739, the spiritual descendants were found scattered as the salt of the earth, not only throughout these kingdoms, but in every other place to which navigation has access, from the Straits of Gibraltar to the islands of the western main; and more especially in these later days, from Ceylon and Continental India, to the bluff shores of the Baltic. We see therefore, that in the fundamental principles of Methodism, as originally established, the operations of a master mind are evinced; and of the worth and propriety of those principles one of the most convincing proofs that can be adduced is, that after the lapse of about a hundred years they remain substantially the same. Circumstantial alterations have, as a matter

of course, been necessary; and in the application of standing law to new cases, as they happen to arise, an air of novelty may be thrown upon that which cannot claim it. The newness in the legislations of Methodism, about which some have thought it needful to write, is not to be found in any additional construction of its laws, but in the cases which have called forth the application of the old laws. The identity of these is strictly preserved. They are neither weakened nor alloyed; and it is matter of satisfaction to know, that the well regulated and salutary rules, which were once propounded with so much care, are not to be considered and surveyed as theoretic curiosities, but have sustained the wear and tear of every day practice; and, though sufficiently refined to suit the nicer discrimination of the cloistered few, are nevertheless obvious enough to be apprehended and relished by the untutored many; and so receive the hearty and unbiased suffrages of converted multitudes.

One thing is clear. While these societies preserve their primitive simplicity, prosperity will follow; and it is a remarkable fact, that although attempts have been made, the direct tendency of which is to undermine their security, they have uniformly failed. Another fact, not much less singular, is, that so far as the parties are known, almost every attempt of that kind may be traced to persons of whose minds the canker of some former unmentioned disappointment had eaten up the better part. In such instances, condensed fretfulness, which seemed to gather strength by confinement, has suddenly exploded, and evils of all dimensions were let loose; as if the fatal box had just been opened. It is doubtful whether hope remained at the bottom; and the annihilation of the Wesleyan polity is predicated as a matter of certainty, little less than infallible. It is scarcely needful to add, that in such clamour thinking people never joined; and it is equally clear, they never will. The desultory warfare to which these practices have led, has been waged through the medium of printed remarks occasionally put forth. These pamphlets, when purchasers failed, were given away; and the authors are generally anonymous. This is a good sign. It seems as if they half doubted the goodness of their cause. Perhaps they were half ashamed of it; a feeling by no means to be discouraged; for where there is shame, there may in time be reformation. As a specimen of the rest, it may be worth while to glance at some "Remarks," published a few months since. This publication is selected, not because of its originality, either of sentiment or reasoning, for in these respects it is perfectly guiltless; but because it is on the whole, a fair sample of the species, and serves to show the havoc which men make when they meddle with things beyond their reach. On the first page of the performance in question, the writer is of opinion that the love of power is natural to man;' and he then discovers, that 'ministers are but men.' These positions nobody ever disputed yet; and the only

thing to be surprised at is, that it should be thought necessary to tell it to the world in print. In a succeeding paragraph it is insinuated that 'Methodist ministers attempt to subvert the liberties of the members of the Methodist societies.' To subvert is to destroy; and unless this weighty charge is supported by evidence very different from any which has yet seen the light, the pamphleteer must not be offended if his statement is disbelieved. As the writer proceeds, his self-confidence abounds; and he thinks that if his views are adopted, the downfall of Methodism may be averted.' The motive of the person who wrote this may be good, and he may have uttered it without the least vanity; but he need not be alarmed. Methodism prevailed before he was born. It has done so since; and he may rest satisfied, that, when he ceases to live, Methodism, as it now exists, will continue to prevail. Who our author may be we know not, nor is it of consequence to inquire. We wish he may live long to enjoy the present privileges of Methodism. But he may be assured that his are not the Atlantean shoulders on which are reposed the interests either of the church or the world. The morning after his exit from life will be ushered in as if nothing particular had happened. The sun will rise as usual. Men will go forth to their ordinary occupations. Methodist chapels will be built, sermons preached, societies formed, classes met, and souls saved. There will be no extraordinary shock in the kingdom, either of nature or grace. These considerations are humbling; but as they are true, they must needs be salutary, and are exceedingly serviceable when men are in danger of thinking of themselves more highly than the occasion requires. The truth is, that the existence and continuation of Wesleyan Methodism does not depend upon any local influence whatever, much less upon an individual; nor need any author, even though he be the champion of some little circle of inquietude, lay upon himself a burden which no one will ever think of asking him to bear. Another source of uneasy apprehension is, a notion that the preachers are disposed to exercise undue power, in the clandestine expulsion' of private members. This, to say the least, is a very unlikely matter; and if the history of any member who has been excluded were fairly written, it would be seen that the clandestine doings talked of had no existence but in the imagination of the person who invented the term. Every person knows that if the rules of the society are broken, the causes of such infraction are investigated with the most patient attention. Every person knows that if a charge be brought by one party against another, the accuser and accused are heard face to face. No case is prejudged; no connivances are practised; no evidence is suppressed; no bias is allowed. The door is open, both for explanation and defence; and if expulsion is inevitable, the transaction, so far from being clandestine, challenges the light of day, and occurs in the hearing of all concerned. In fact, one of two things ought to be done; charges of the description now

alluded to ought to be borne out by proofs, or withdrawn. Until this is the case, few will lend an ear, and none will yield their assent to alleged faults, which, bottomed in ill-will, are unsupported by a tittle of evidence. If there ever was a religious community on earth, into which the entrance is invitingly open, or which retains its members, when once received, till the last possible moment, it is that of the Wesleyan Methodists; and if an error be suspected to exist, it must be sought, not in a hasty or abrupt excision of deserving persons, but in a weak and improper endurance of men who, though they profess membership, are evidently unsound. They may look well on the outside; but like a carious bone, have neither pith nor power. When discipline presses, there is an immediate fracture; and the amputation of the part, which had long been called for, is of necessity performed.

As the metropolis produced no other cause for murmur, our unknown friend has travelled elsewhere, and by a singular, though not very happy, transfer of thought, has lugged in, head and shoulders, some remarks on the differences which once existed at Leeds ; but which are now superseded by amendment, and hastening to oblivion. On that topic one remark is enough. Without attempting to answer that which no man can understand, it is better to state what is positively known. It is known, not merely by persons remote from the spot, but by inhabitants of the town, in question, that the elements of insubordination had existed in certain uneasy minds long before the developement was produced. The primary cause of the secession which took place is to be found, not so much in objections felt to this or that mode of ecclesiastical rule, as to an impatience of all restraint. If the alleged cause of dissatisfaction had not been produced, some other would. The affection of these malcontents had been withdrawn. Their talk was of oppression; but their conduct, that of determined separatists; and the division that ensued was exactly the result which might have been foreseen. In the opinion of the writer before us, these sons of misrule are infallibly right. This, he thinks, is confirmed by the Divine blessing resting on them.' By such a sign, any act of folly may be sanctioned. Some people glide through a long life of error and uselessness. Divine benevolence has fed, and Divine mercy spared, them: the excellence of their conduct is therefore confirmed.' So confident is our unknown friend of the truth of his statement, that he conceives doubt may be entertained of the sanity or honesty of that man who denies it.' This is the precise language into which people are sure to lapse when other resources fail. To differ from such persons is an indication either of lunacy or vice. It is a pity that any man should deceive another, and perhaps a greater still that he should deceive himself. Rash assertions, like his, are most honored by a speedy recall. If persisted in, he must seek consolation in solitude; for great indeed will be the lack of his disciples. In the church of God, the spirit of party should be unknown;

and he who generates or omits to discourage it, produces mischief greater than tongue can tell. This evil is found in the publication now referred to. Whenever the Methodist conference is mentioned, care is taken to place its acts in direct opposition to the interests, either of local preachers, stewards, or leaders; as if the stability of the former could be supported only by an invasion of the rights of either of the latter. The temper which suggested this intolerable injustice is at variance, not only with that mutual forbearance which Christianity inculcates, but with truth and rectitude of principle. The interests of the Methodist society, in the widest sense of the word, are happily interwoven. In the web of its commingled welfare, every member is a thread, and the strength of the whole depends upon the cohesion and affinity of every individual part. The conference, so far from indicating lightness of esteem for the church, is annually engaged in plans for its benefit and increase. None of the active departments of Methodism are superfluous. None can be dispensed with. Its general management is invested by prescriptive right in the conference; and in reference to it, each subordinate portion of the society moves in its own order and place. These bodies of men, though distinctly named, and variously employed, are all labourers in the same vineyard, and are identified as coadjutors in the same general cause. And as these respectable classes are animated by the same spirit, and press on to the same end, classification is unnecessary, and comparisons odious. As it is the study, so it is the practice and delight of the conference to extend to all the benefit of its counsel and protection. Whoever insinuates the reverse of this, and attempts to make distinctions where none exist, is inimical to the prosperity of all, and friendly to the purposes of none; and should be kept at a distance, as one of those questionable characters, who, though allowed to hover upon the skirts of the community, must never be trusted with its confidence.

The abettor of discord is seldom remarkable for consideration. An offence is felt or imagined. Perhaps his fame is sullied, or his honor touched. Resentment, who seldom stops to ask questions, and generally labours under dimness of sight, usurps the place of reason; and the man is no longer master of himself. Without consulting his understanding, which his hurry will not permit, he contends not so much for truth as mastery. Meantime the spirit of unity and peace, in the cultivation of which consists the essence of religion, is effectually destroyed, and injury inflicted, which, in its consequences, may be irreparable.

How different, how opposed to all this, are those sterling principles of order and decorum maintained by an authority from which appeal is vain! He gave some, Apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: from whom the whole body, fitly joined