The Express.
London, England, 1849-09-01 00:00:00

THE EXPELLED WESLEYAN MINISTERS.

lIEETING AT EXETER HALL.
List night a public met t:ng was held in the Itrge room
Eimer nail, to hem the statement of Mean. Brerett,
and Uri®•h, the Wesleyan ministers expelled from the con-
nexion at the recent =cue conference of the h.-.d7 in Man-
skeeter.

After slueriog and prayer, JOIE( KAYE, Rig , was unmet-
Remaly called on to preside. He WAS supported on the
platform by the Rev. Dr. Co:, of Hackney ; the Rev. Dr.
Massie, Dr. Oxley, Mr. Grosjorn, Mr. Dumford, Mr.
Stephens, and a groat number of members of the Wesleyan
taiy.

TM CHAIRMAN briefly introduced the business ob
serving that the mtitinn wee lust f jet:poets of (limestone
but to heat the statements of the expelled ministers, whom
he rejoiced to see looking so well, considering what they had
had to go through of late. (Cheer.)
Tile Rev. 8. DUNN was first caned en, but for some
time he was unable to prccced owing to the ineecee and
p-otracted cheering. He declared, en behalf of himself and
Messrs. Everett and Griffils, that they would not shrink'
(rum a full investigation of their ease at any suitable time
and piste, with open doors, sod in presence etch* prvident
end secretary of the Conference. (Hisses.) This was the
Ant t;me he had ever stood on a metropolitan platform.
(Aherne.) air. Everett had lebnueed for 13 ream hinted'
fee 30, and Mr. Griffith for nearly 20 years as Wesleyan mi-
sisters. Three weeks ago they' were repelled
by the Conference, not only from the ministry,but exeoramunicatirl from the society, an their
church privileges eat off, their income withdrawn,
and their condemned-
-n thus pronounced before the public
at large. ("Shame.") They were not ebatged with preach-
ing say false &Cries, with immoral conduct, reelect of
duty, or want of ability. The reason was simply their re-
eled to answer a novel and inquisitorial question, lest they
should becum • party to an un-Euglials and unacriptu al
proceeding. (Cheers.) Faur years aiio, ("vain snonyreens
publicati:ns eat eel the " Fly Sheets" made th ir appear-
ance. Without expensing any opinion oa these pap-n,
much lees avowing their authorship, he would say that not
one of the 500 a:deists:re in ceneerenee had any evideac: of
each suiherehip. Compisint had been made to the " Fly
Sheets" of defective administration in the Wesleyan body,
especially at the Iliviou Reuse. The Ira of some trading
men being ex.ind, steps were token to direover
the authorship. Two Years ago, at the Liverpool
Conference, the Rev. George Osborn (" loud hisses
and chssperobation)—had psopesed a resolution, disclaiming
any sympthy with the subsumee of the articles in the " Fly
Sheets," and denouncing them as wicked sea:Ask—to be
proposed as a test to each individual minister, ar.d that with
ou: any examieation whatever of the "Fly Sheen." He
(Mr. Dunn) tad instantly protested against ibis proved:Leg,
as favouring more of Reenanises than We +ley:Aims, end
avowed his h: lief that a great portion of the statements were
correct. Mr. Oebern's test, however, was put to the vote
and the division was nearly equal, but the president ruled
that the Osbornians had it. (" Shame !") In the year
following the y compassed sea and land for prosefyte,,Ltit
striking was their (alum, that the tat was nut brought
forward at the next cor.fercnce at Hull, where there were
256 ministers, determined not to bow down to tee idol.
(Chain.) It was naturally *ripened that the matter was at
an cad • but in the May following it was revived by an in-
quisitertel question put in the mini emery committee by Mr.
Mr. T. P. Bunting, an attorney in Manchester, and son of
Dr. Jabes Beeline, to the Rev. Daniel Walton,
es to his ronnezlon with the "Fly Sheets." Mr. Walton of
coarse refusul to answer. In October the "declaration" of
Mr. Osborn was again sent round as • circular to all the
ministers, most of whom treated it with contempt This
was followed up by a aeries of attack, is the WeiteAman,
(hisses), and by the publication of "Papers on Wesleyan
Matters." The party attacked then brought out the
Wesley Banner, which went on for some time before he
(Mr. linun) as editor of that paper, received notice from
Mr. Blaney, of Derby, that the matter would be brourht
before the next district meeting. Why, not • clergymen of
the Church of England was debarred from making whit
rents/he he chose on the eneduet of " Charles James, L
eon ; " nor a Romieh clergyman from manning the acts of
the Pope. (Hear, hear.) Surely, then, he was not to be
prevented from discussing the sets of the conference—though
in reality he had not done so? Still, the wetting would
neither acquit nor condemn him, but kept him on the
rack three days, end at length brought forward a
new :Aare', founded on some letter he bad writ-
ten to the Weskyan Times. (Cries of " Paltry.")
Notwithstanding be was. headed over to: the Conference.
The stationing onnenittee, which sits abort ten days Were
the general body, prejudged his ens., by apf &wire, him to •
little fleing town called St. lees, 400 miles off, instead of to
one of the London circeits, from which he bad revived and
accepted an invitation. (.. Shame !") When the conference
sat, 51r. Osborn reintrodweed hi. test, declaring that 'c
would And out, "by hook or crook," the writers of the "Fly
Sheets." He was cheered by three fourths of thou peewee
Dr. Beaumont tree to My, but was clamoured down. A
vacancy in the legal "hundred" was filled no with Me.
Osborn, who was also appointed one of the letter-writers.
Mr. Walton's ease tint came before the conference by the
reading of the proceedings in the missionary committee, in
which Mr. T. P. Bunting appeared to have fille,l a terre•
fold charaet'r—that of unser, witness, and legs! ques
'loner. For no other reason than because Mr. Walton re-
fused to betray a friend, it had been peopesed that he should
he degraded from his supeerintendenev and admonished from
the chair. (Sheme.) Upon this he (Mr Dunn) had proposed
an envonlosent, declaring the proceedings unprecedented
and that they should proceed to the ordcn of the day. This
the president refused to put, and only one other minister,
with Mr. Genital aced himself, out of 500, were found to vote
against the sentence on Mr. Walton. (Shame.) Mr. Bard-
gall, Mr. Everett, and Mr. Bromley, were not then present;
no charge had been made against them when the list was
called over; notwithstanding it was resolved that they should
be rpecislly summoned to the bar of the Conference. Mr.
Everett, whose praise had been in the churches for nearly
halls century, whose literary labours were moire-hated by
the whole connexion, was first deigned to their bar. He'
would state his own ease. The amiable and venerable Mr.
Birdsall, between 70 and SO years of age, was thec submitted
to the estecbising of " John Hannay, of Didsbury ;" they
were then required to retire ; ands committee, emmicing of
Mr. Osborn and two ethers, who had been members of the
Manchester district meeting, were appointed to sit on the
ease. Against this ho protested; but in vac. Oa the.
Monday following they reported, recommending that
Mr. Everett should be expelled, and Mr. Birdsall
admonished. On this he moved an amendment, for which
again only three voted; and Mr. Everett wan .:pelted.
He (Mr. Dunn) was then celled to the bar, and asked,
"Are you the author of the " Fly Sheets " He wished
to accempany his answer with souse explanations, hut was
met with cries of "No evasion ! Keep to the point!" He
besought leave to utter but two or three sentences,
but the clippie,. stamping, and shouting was such that he i
was utterly unable to proned. ("Shame !") Notwithatand.
dreg he was afterwards told he had had full liberty of speech,
which be promptly denied. Here a perfect hurricane arose,
in which it was moved and seconded that he should he ex-
pelled from the Conference. He thought it better to retire
without waiting to be expelled. Afterwards he was sum-
mooed to attend before the committee on the Wesley Ban.
nee; but he refused to go be a minor tribunal till he
knew how he stood with the Conference. Finally, he was
brought before • committee of seventeen, to show cause why
he should not be expelled. He was asked what he had to
say. He demanded the charge against him and could obtaia
no answer. He denounced the law of 18.35, and showed thr.t it
war false and unprincipled. Nextdsy they were again called
before the Conference to hear the sentence upon them. It
was lengthy and complicated, end they demanded • copy.
This was at first refused, lest they should give it to the
public. ("Shame.") It was afterwards granted, and they
were required to answer it by the next morning. It was
• sentence of expulsion, except on certain conditions—that
they should stand at the bar and be censured, he de posed
from the superintendence of their circuits, should diem-
Oen the IVesley Banner. he deprived of the right of edit-
fog any penance', and ',ledge the evelvee never to woke
another line for the Wesleyan Times. (Hear, hear, and
" Shame.") Thinking these conditions degrading and em-
riehteous, they refused to comply will them. Thereupon
followed the formal "entwinee of expulsion, which was only
opposed by one minister, the Rev. Mr. Bromley. (Hear )
The Rev. JAMES EVERETT entered into some detail
se to the origin and object of the " Fly Sheets," and said the
Conference osght to have looked at the evils exposed rather
than at the writers of these papers. They bad given an
alum which had been unheeded: and the connexion was
now in a blaze. (Heat, hear.) The famous declarate a,
meant as a mantrap to catch ministerial delinquents, and*io
protect the Wesleyan preserves in the metropolis, he gad
refused to sign, for nineteen reasons. (Hear, hear.) After-
wards, when the direct gentles was put, "Are you the
author of the 'Fly Shoes ? ' " he had again refused to
answer, because the ewe had been prejudged, and he
believed. decided, before the Conference. (" Shame.")
He and Lis brethren stood in sa anemia -us po-
sition ; they had been called of God and by a
Christian church re preach the Gospel, yet they were now
without the Christina office, without • congregation, with-
est any acknowledgment of membership by any section of
the Christian church. The rev. gentleman then entered
minutely into the particulars of the proceediegs of Con.
armee, and, in conclusion, expressed his determination
to adhere to the principles of methodkus, and to the
people (orating/ the body.
The Rev. W. GRIFFITH next described the examina-
tions to which he had been subjected before the Conference,
which appeared to have had reference principally to his
reports end conusweicatioes inserted lathe Weskyan Times,
which paper was at last denounced and censured by the
Conference.
Mr. RAYNE, of Kendal (a Weelertn) said, he was
awe that in taking pert in that meeting he might incur
expulsion. He loved his church ; but he would not secrifice
to it his liberties as • Briton. (Chem.) He moved a
teulution, dada:fag that the conduct of the Conference wee
orally at variance with the ancient rules and established
mew of wethodison, and with the principles of the New
Testament ; also pledging the meeting to contribute to the
I Sof the expelled minister..
UNSFORD seconded the resolution, which was
usesimonely agreed to, as were the following ones.
Hr. STEPHENS moved a resolution appointing • Qom-
I gone to correspond with all the circuits in Great Britain,
Os essegtain whyther the opinion of the moiety was favour-
able to an aggregate meeting of delegates on the present
state of affairs fa the Wesleyan body.
Mr. CONSTANTINE e e :celed the rwelution.
Dr. OXLEY denonoet-d :he conduct at Me. Osborn, Mr.
Thomas, and Mr. Radediffe as most disgraceful au :l unehris-
flag. He moved that the prooediege should be afire: rived.
Bs hat: tom a=14:14 sty part, had ho'..! ,nta.i.