The Liverpool Standard and General Commercial Advertiser.
Liverpool, Merseyside, England, 1838-10-19 00:00:00

ILLEGAL EXPULSION

has also comm'nced with the Wesleyan Association, in Liver-
pool. On Sunday, the 2d instant, a member received his
quarterly society ticket, and on the Thursday following he
was expelled from the society, by a leader's meeting, without
notice, without charge, and without trial—without precedent—
consequently his leader sent in his resignation on Thursday
last, and many others are most seriously demurring against
it. The whole society is in a fearful state of agitation, the
consequence of which time only can develope.
His "reverence" John Peters in the Chair.

I do hereby testify that the above is correct, the member
alluded to being one of my own class.
(Signed) IVM. SHIRLEY,
Leader and Local Preacher.

These facts are now left with the Christian public, who may
be desirous of promoting real reform and Christian liberty.
They will think and judge for themselves, whether such con-
duct in the Association is capable of promoting their high
pretensions to reform and liberty, or whether such conduct,
with their very high pretensions, do not prove them to be a
hundred-fold more reprehensible and despicable. And will
they not think something for themselves, about the poor
Christian Advocate? What is become of its once boasted
liberality at,d independence? Did that expire at the period
when it became the property of the Association gentlemen ?
and are we bound to believe its Editor's statement, " that
those gentlemen have now nothing to do with its manage.
ment ?" However, we sincerely pity him, whether his late
" unhandsome and illiberal conilnet" is his own fault, or that
of the illiberality of the firm, Messrs. D. Rowland and Co.,
in whose employ he is engaged to get his livelihood. So it
appears that the last spark of independence in the poor Chris-
tian Advocate is extinguished. W. H.

Since the above was written, the following answer has been
received through the Christian Advocate:—" IF Mr. Hooking
can get his statement certified to be true, by Mr. Farrer, Mr.
D. Rowland, or some other member of the Association whom
we know, we will insert it; but not else. There is a vulgar
but expressive proverb,—" Once bit—twice shy."
Relative to the unmanly personal insinuation, evidently
attempted therein, I do now say that there is not a shadow of
truth in it. But this part of it is comparatively trivial, con-
sidering the wholesale sacrifice of principle and common ho-
nesty, which is most evidently implied in it also. Just read the
Editor's own notice, under the head of " Letters to the Edi-
tor," and compare it with this answer :—" The Editor wishes
it to be distinctly understood, that, although it is his desire
that this Journal should freely express the opinions of his
correspondents, he iv not to be considered as responsible for
such opinions. All letters involving facts must be authenti-
cated by the name and address of the writer." Yet, he has
refused my letter, stating " facts," not only with my address
and name, but with a very respectable testimony of one of
our own leaders and local preachers, and thus, in fact, per-
sonally accusing hint also of falsehood. And with such a
stretch of illiberal and unrighteous conduct, might we not be
quite prepared to see the Editor go to the outrageous lengths
he has gone to, in denouncing the whole of a Christian
church, consisting of about 1000 members; with from 70 to
100 official persons, as unworthy of any confidence, (except-
ing two or three individuals, who have had the temerity to
lend their aid and name in declared opposition to the rights
and liberties of their brethren.) Looking at the above an-
swer, this is no exaggeration of the case. "If Mr. Hos-
king can get his statements certified to be true by Mr. Farrer,
or Mr. D. Rowland, or some other member of, the Associa-
tion whom we know, (does he know a third individual in the
Association in Liverpool?) we will insert it; but not else."
The Editor might have replied to my letter on Monday, the
24th ult.; but it would appear that he was so brought up by
the testimony which I had sent him, that he could not give
any answer till he had laid the knotty case before his em-
ployers in Liverpool, and had their instructions on the sub-
ject. And we were partially prepared to guess at the in-
structions that would be given from a certain quarter. From
the well known assurance of Mr. D. Rowland, we were quite
prepared to see this most preposterous assumption of power
over his brethren, the whole church. But we should be very
sorry to find that " Mr. Farrer" should so far miss his way,
as to join in league against the rights and liberties of his
brethren. His being hooked in (or otherwise) by the Editor
of the Christian Advocate with another gentleman already
noted, has excited suspicion. W. H.

have been informed, by the by, that these
" leaders" were forced to acknowledge, at their last quar-
terly meeting, that they had done wrong by expelling the
member alluded to above ; but their lordships, with their
high and mightiness, have nut had the common honesty
officially to inform the expelled member of it—while they
were in breathless haste officially to inform hint of their fiat
of his expulsion. At my leisure and convenience 1 intend
fully to expose them and their system, by a series of public
lectures, to be open to all the Methodistical sects.
The miscalled "Christian Advocate" may now see that we
can do without its columns, either to write or to read, for,
after subscribing to it for the last three years, 1 have now
given it up altogether; and can it be matter of surprise that
such a conducted paper " is under a considerable weekly
loss?" And if it was lost altogether, we may put it down fur
gain to the Christian public. W. H.