"Ans. Twenty-four pounds, with his expenses for horses and travelling, brought to, and paid at, confer ence.' "Quest. 21. How shall we conduct ourselves to ward European preachers? "Ans. If they are recommended by Mr. Wesley, will be subject to the American conference, preach the doctrine taught in the four volumes of Sermons, and Notes on the New Testament, keep the circuits they are appointed to, follow the directions of the London and American Minutes, and be subject to Francis Asbury as general assistant, whilst he stands approved by Mr. Wesley and the conference, we will receive them; but if they walk contrary to the above directions, no ancient right or appointment shall prevent their being excluded from our connection. "Quest. 22. What shall be done with our travelling preachers that now are, or hereafter shall be, possessed of slaves, and refuse to manumit them where the law permits? "Ans. Employ them no more, "Quest. 23. How shall we more effectually appoint and keep days of fasting? "Ans. By writing it upon every class paper, To be the first Friday after every quarterly meeting." The close of the year 1784 constituted a new and most important epoch in American Methodism. The independence of the United States having been confirmed by the peace of 1783, the authority of England over them, both civil and ecclesiastical, came to t end. The connection with the Church of England being thus providentially dissolved, Mr. Wesley, who had always resisted a separation from it, took measures, on the application of the American societies, to organize them into a church. In explanation of his views and wishes, he addressed to the brethren in America the following letter : "Bristol, Sept. 10, 1784. "To Dr. Coke, Mr. Asbury, and our Brethren in North America : "1. By a very uncommon train of providences, many of the provinces of North America are totally disjoined from the British empire, and erected into independent states. The English government has no authority over them, either civil or ecclesiastical, any more than over the states of Holland. A civil autho rity is exercised over them, partly by the congress, partly by the state assemblies. But no one either exercises or claims any ecclesiastical authority at all. In this peculiar situation some thousands of the inhabitants of these states desire my advice; and in compliance with their desire I have drawn up a little sketch. "2. Lord King's account of the primitive church convinced me, many years ago, that bishops and presbyters are the same order, and, consequently, have the same right to ordain. For many years I have been importuned, from time to time, to exercise this right, by ordaining part of our travelling preachers; but I have still refused, not only for peace' sake, but because I was determined as little as possible to violate the established order of the national church to which I belonged. "3. But the case is widely different between England and North America. Here there are bishops who have a legal jurisdiction. In America there are none, and but few parish ministers; so that for some hundred niles together there is none either to baptize or to administer the Lord's supper. Here, therefore, my scruples are at an end; and I conceive myself at full liberty, as I violate no order, and invade no man's right, by appointing and sending labourers into the harvest. "4. I have, accordingly, appointed Dr. COKE and Mr. FRANCIS ASBURY to be joint superintendents over our brethren in North America; as also RICHARD WHATCOAT and THOMAS VASEY to act as elders among them, by baptizing and administering the Lord's supper. "5. If any one will point out a more rational and Scriptural way of feeding and guiding those poor sheep in the wilderness, I will gladly embrace it. At present I cannot see any better method than that I have taken. "6. It has indeed been proposed to desire the English bishops to ordain part of our preachers for America. But to this I object, (1.) I desired the bishop of London to ordain one only, but could not prevail. (2.) If they consented, we know the plow ness of their proceedings, but the matter admits of no delay. (3.) If they would ordain them now, they would likewise expect to govern them. And how grievously would this entangle us! (4.) As our American brethren are now totally disentangled both from the state and from the English hierarchy, we dare not entangle them again either with the one or the other. They are now at full liberty simply to follow the Scriptures and the primitive church. And we judge it best that they should stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has so strangely made them free. JOHN WESLEY." . At the same time, Mr. Wesley prepared and printed, for the use of the church in America, a Liturgy, abridged from that of the Church of England, and a collection of psalms and hymns. The former was entitled, "The Sunday Service of the Methodists in North America. With other occasional Services!. London. Printed in the year 1784;" and contained, among other things, "The Form and Manner of making and ordaining of Superintendents, Elders, and Deacons," and the "Articles of Religion." The latter was entitled, "A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for the Lord's Day. Published by John Wesley, M. A., late Fellow of Lincoln College, Oxford; and Charles Wesley, M. A., late Student of Christ Church, To carry into effect the proposed organization, a General Conference of preachers was called, to meet in Baltimore at Christmas, 1784. Sixty out of the eighty-three preachers, then in the travelling connection, attended at the appointed time. "At this conference," say the Annual Minutes for 1785, "it was unanimously agreed that circumstances made it expedient for us to become a separate body, under the denomination of The Methodist Episcopal Church.'” And again they say, "We formed ourselves into an independent church; and following the counsel of Mr. John Wesley, who recommended the Episcopal mode of church government, we thought it best to become an Episcopal church, making the Episcopal office elective, and the elected superintendent or bishop amenable to the body of ministers and preachers. They adopted a Form of Discipline for the government of the church. This was substantially the same with the Large Minutes, the principal alterations being only such as were necessary to adapt it to the state of things in America. As this was the first Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church, it is here republished entire, together with the portions of the Large Minutes which were left out or altered. Those parts of the Large Minutes which were left out of the Discipline of 1784 are here enclosed in brackets, and, when the passages are long, are printed in smaller type, while what was contained in the latter, and not in the former, is printed in italics. Where there has been merely a substitution of one passage for another, the language of the Large Minutes is given at the foot of the page. The figures in parentheses refer to the Large Minutes. "Minutes of several Conversations between the Rev. Thomas Coke, LL.D., the Rev. Francis Asbury, and others, at a Conference, begun in Baltimore, 7 in the State of Maryland, on Monday the 27th of December, in the Year 1784. Composing a Form of Discipline for the Ministers, Preachers, and other Members of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America.1 "It is desired that all things be considered as in the immediate presence of God; that every person speak freely whatever is in his heart. "Quest. 1. How may we best improve the time of our conferences ?2 "Ans. 1. While we are conversing, let us have an especial care to set God always before us. "2. In the intermediate hours, let us redeem all the time we can for private exercises. "3. Therein let us give ourselves to prayer for one another, and for a blessing on [this] our labour. ["Quest. (2.) Have our conferences been as useful as they might have been? "Ans. No: we have been continually straitened for time. Hence scarce any thing has been searched to the bottom. To remedy this, let every conference last nine days, concluding on Wednesday in the second week.] "Quest. 2. What can be done in order to the future union of the Methodists? "Ans. During the life of the Rev. Mr. Wesley, we acknowledge ourselves his sons in the gospel, ready in 1 The title of the Large Minutes reads, "Minutes of several Conversations between the Rev. Mr. Wesley and others; from the Year 1744 to the Year 1789." They are here printed as found in Wesley's Works, vol. v, pp. 211-239. The English editor observes in a note, "This tract, which is usually denominated, The Large Minutes,' contains the plan of Discipline as practised in the Methodist connection during the life of Mr. Wesley. As its title intimates, it underwent several alterations and enlargements from the year 1744 to 1789, when the last revision took place. It is here reprinted from a copy which bears the date of 1791-the year in which Mr. Wesley died-collated with the edition of 1789." Although the edition, which is here quoted, was revised four years after the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church, yet it is ascertained, by comparison with the Annual Minutes of the English Conference, that little alteration was made in the Large Minutes subsequently to 1784. "this conference."-Large Minutes. |