The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-02-28

10 ne employed no more. Tho distribution OF tho
members Of tho connection at this time, com.
pared with the subsequent growth OF the Ge-
nomination, was peculiar. The whole number
OF members reported was 14.Yss; of these, about
IL per cent. were north of Mason and Dixon's
line, and W per cent. south Of II; eighty.three
persons called themselves preachers, but none,
as yet, dared to style himself a minister. The
term pastor was not In use among Methodists.
nor were the now familiar words, deacon and
elder, heard, except in an ecclesiastical contro-
versy. A large proportion OF the members had
not been baptized; they were without the sacrc-
ments, except as they received them from clergy.
men Of the Church of England. who sometimes
regarded them with Indifference or contempt.
1t was under these circumstances that Thomas
Coke, ID. G. l., accompanied b. Richard What.
coat and Thomas Basey, sailed on Sept Is,
17Sl. from Bristol, England. for New York.
Coke may with propriety bo styled Wesley's
minister plenipotentiary to American Meth.
odism. He had taken q bachelor degroc ut
Jesus &c. lego, Oxford, and In l7.5 had received
the degree Of doctor OF civil Law from tho same
university. lilo had been ordained "a Clergyman
OF the Church OF England. but, having become a
convert TO M..hoLism, WAS dismissed from his
curncy. He became eventually one OF tho most
attractive preachers in England. and In 1850
he was appointed by Wesley to supcrlntend
tho affairs of tho London circuit. To-
ward the close OF tho same year Wesley
Designated him 70 visit tho Methodist sociotics
in England alternately with himself, and four
years later despatched him across the Atlantic
to organize the Methodist societies into a church
under an episcopal form of government, and TO
confer upon Methodist preachers in the United
States authority to ordain deacons and presby-
tiers or elders to administer the sacrament, and
also to ordain supcrintendcnts from among tho
elders. No single act performed by John Wcs-
ley has exposed him to 80 much animadversion
as his introduction Of cpiscopacy into Amer
lean Mcthodism. DIR. Buckley would de.
fend his position thus: Wesley did not
pretend to ordain bishops In tho modern
sense, but only according to his view Of
what constituted primitive episcopacy. This
view was founded upon tho assumption that
bishops and presbyters were OF the same degree,
u more extended office only being assigned to
the former, as in the primitive Church" Nothing
can be more certain than that the primitive pas
tors are called bishops or prosbyters indiscrim-
inatcly in the New Testament. Yet at nm early
period the name OF bishop was applied by way
OF distinction to those presbytcrs who presided
at the meetings OF prosbyters and who were
eventually invested with the government of SOW
tThl NINntS lDktAntT ~ u 5u''tEN STU u
their respective presbyters. The allegation
that in 1884 Wesley, although then moro than
81 years old. was mentally enfeeblcd by
extreme age seems to be unfounded. This
IA acknowledged by Canon Overton. who,
though entirely opposed to Weslcy's action.
says candidly:"It has been alleged that John
Wesley's mental powers were failing when he
began TO set apart his preachers, and Charles
Wesley himself has countenanced the idea by
cxclaiming. 1t was age that made the breach,
not hot But there really appeared to be no
traces OF mental decay in any other respect"
The fact seems to be that for more than forty
years Wesley had held the views upon which he
now acted. He had not, however. applied them In
England, for almost, and perhaps quite, to the
last he hoped that English Methodism would no
recognized by tho Church OF England In a man
ner compatible with is continued existence and
growth as a revival Of pure Christianity.
At the Conference subsequently hold at Balti-
moro sixty preachers were present, and. Wes-
ley's letter having been read, Il was agreed TO
form the Methodist Society into an Episcopal
Church. and to have superintendent, elders,
and deacons. Although Asbury had been ap-
pointed a superintendent by Wesley, no do
clGred that he would not submit to be or
dained. unless he could be voted into
the place by the Conference. When the
pucstloh WI pun " NOte, NO WAS undnlflOuSly
chosen. At the s,me time Thomas Coke
was also unanimously elected a superintend-
ent. On the second day Of the Conference As
bury was ordained deacon by Coke, assisted by
Basey and Whatcoat, and soon afterward he
was ordained nm elder. and ultimately conse-
Grated superintendent The first discipline" of
the Methodist Episcopal Church was adopted at
this conference. There were provisions for the
extirpation Of slavery and for tho prohibition of
the use Of spirituous liquors. but what imme-
diately concerns US is the definition OF the
offices Of superintendent, elder. and deacon,
Tho functions OF n superintendent which were
supposed to correspond to those with which the
primitive church invested an episcopos were
thus defined: To ordain superintendent. elders.
and deacons; to preside as a moderator In the
conferences; to FIX tho appointments of tho
preachers for the several circuits, and. In tho
intervals OF the Conference. to change, receive, or
suspend preachers, as necessity might require;
and to receive appeals from the preachers and
people. and decide them. We add that the super
intendent was to be amenable for his conduct to
the Conference. which should have power to
expel him, were such a course deemed necessary.
The Office Of an elder was to administer the sac
raments OF baptism and the Lords Supper. and to
perform oil the other rites prescribed by tho
Methodist liturgy. The office, finally, OF n deacon
was to baptize In the presence OF an elder, to
assist the elder In the administration of tho
Lords Supper. to marry. bury the dead. and
read tho liturgy to the people, as prescribed. OK
cept so much OF It as relates to the administra-
ton OF the Lords Supper. 1t was, at tho same
time, especially provided that no helper, or even
deacon, should, on any %pretence, or at any time
whatsoever administer the Lords Supper. An.
other remarkable regulation was adopted that
overy member Of Methodist societies should,
within twelve months after notice given to him
by tho assistants, execute Il legal instrument
setting free every slave between tho ages Of
forty and forty-ive immediately, or, at the fur
thest, when they roach the age of forty-hve;
every slave between twenty-five and forty i'm
modiately. or, at the furthest. on the expir.
alton Of Ave years; and every slave between