IT may be made a subject of just complaint against both Churchmen and Dissenters in general, that they are but little acquainted with what takes place out of the pale of their own communions. The Churchman too often looks with a kind of scornful indifference upon the varied mechanism by which dissent carries on its operations, while the Dissenter views every thing connected with the Established Church through the distorting medium of prejudices, generally the result of imperfect information.

Hence, neither party appreciates fairly the other's position and motives. Hence, the uncharitable judgments which are hurled in all directions by Christians against each other, and which make it so difficult a matter to discern any counterpart, in the Visible Church, of the "Communion of Saints."

The studies of the Churchman are incomplete, until he has familiarized his mind with the history and present condition of Dissent in this country. Under this impression we have read with much interest Mr. Love's pamphlet, which has afforded us considerable insight into the important religious communion to which he belongs; and we believe that our readers will agree with us in thinking, that the extracts which we shall give from the pamphlet are pregnant with hints to the thoughtful Churchman as well as to the Methodist. Wesleyanism would never have struck its roots so deeply, and spread them so widely amongst us, did it not contain much that is truly valuable, and therefore worthy of imitation.

deplore the rejection of Methodism by the Church of England. In spite of all opposition, Wesleyan Methodism has slain her thousands (of sinners): in connexion with the mother Church, her victories would most likely have been counted by tens of thousands. Who can tell what great things might have been accomplished in that Church herself, by means of a more early revival of evangelical piety, had she retained her Methodism? Who knows how much more spiritual would have been the progress of society? Who dares say, what wars would not have been prevented; how much the downfall of the man of sin would not have been accelerated; in how large a degree dissent would not have been hindered? We verily believe that the grandest mistake of any Christian Church in modern times, has been the rejection, on the part of the Church of England, of Wesleyan Methodism. But for that rejection, the Church of England might now, in this country, have been in effect, the one church.

"These, however, are human speculations. The great Head of the Church suffers not a sparrow to fall, without his permission; and his Church, every section of it, is of more value than all the fowls of the air. He ordereth, and has ordered, all things well."-(Pp. 9, 10.)

Mr. Love regrets, as we do, the separation of the Methodists from the mother Church :

"The great lever that must overthrow the kingdom of Satan, and regenerate the world, is-preaching the Gospel. The Wesleyan Church at least is conscious of this fact. She knows the mighty power of this lever. It raised to existence her Church; and that which raised it is able to enlarge it. If she feel on this subject, let her revive her Methodism. There is plenty of room for it; abundance of need of it. Where are the men, eminently "blessed with the scorn of finite good," who, under her auspices, go forth as missionaries from street to street, from village to village, bearing the cross, and preaching Him who for us was crucified thereon; men not ashamed to stand up in the market-place, or at the doors of a prison, and exclaim in the words of one of their own Church hymns—

"Outcasts of men to you I call,

Harlots, and publicans, and thieves! He spreads his arms t' embrace you all, Sinners alone his grace receives. 'Come, O my guilty brethren, come, Groaning beneath your load of sin; His bleeding heart shall make you room, His open side shall take you in.' Where are such men? Heads of the Church! seek them out; men who know how, under the teaching of the Holy Ghost, to compel men to come to that much-neglected supper,* which the God of all mercy has provided in his Church; men who will stoop to more humble work still, such as taking the Bible to the houses *Luke xiv. 21.

*

of the poor, and reading it to those who cannot read it for themselves. Such men send forth to emulate the spirit of the fathers of Wesleyan Methodism; and bid them preach as in the ancient days!

"To perform well the work of an evangelist, Methodist preachers should have no engagement but one,

-to preach the Gospel. They should have nothing to do with administering Church government; they should not be limited strictly to a liturgical form of worship; they should not be expected, except in extreme cases, to administer the sacraments; they should be men whose work is not to baptize, but to preach the gospel.

"Such were some of the attributes of their types, the early Wesleyan Methodist preachers. Such were

some of the characteristics of the men who, under Wesley's direction, practised street preaching in the past century. One grand distinction however there will be between modern Methodist preachers and their predecessors: the former will be honoured with little persecution. Who that has witnessed and listened to street preaching in modern times, and has perceived the quiet and orderly manner in which the by-standing crowd have listened to the Gospel, has not more fully felt the meaning of the words, "and the common people heard him gladly?" We remember listening one Sunday afternoon in the summer of 1846, at Chester, to the discourse of a street preacher. About one hundred and fifty persons were assembled near the Castle gates, to hear a street-sermon. We know not who was the preacher, or to what denomination he belonged; but he preached the Gospel. He preached, if not scientifically, at least comprehensibly, and in a style to suit the bulk of his hearers, and with an unction that atoned for some faults. It was evident that he was in earnest. During the service we had an opportunity of judging how the people' estimated his labours. Three or four respectably dressed young men began to scoff and ridicule. A murmur of disapprobation was heard; they continued, and a storm of indignation

began to gather. They then thought it prudent to retire; for it was evident the people would not longer tolerate their conduct; and we verily believe that a word of encouragement-and these foolish young men would have been led to the Dee, and made to feel the effects of its cooling waters upon their bodies-seeing the Gospel had none on their souls. During the service we were deeply impressed with the belief that there are thousands who would hear the Gospel thankfully if thus preached; thousands who, owing to various causes, cannot, or will not, enter a church or chapel.

"Such, then, we submit, are some of the features that should pertain to a revived order of Methodist preachers; and such a revival, and such an order, it seems to be a duty incumbent on the British Wesleyan Church to institute: that is, if she would keep the spirit of Wesley's designs in view, and aim at what he aimed at, the perpetual reflection, or reproduction, of primitive Christianity."

But Mr. Love devotes his strength chiefly to the second department of Wesleyan duties:

"The duties and obligations of our Church demand, in the second place, a pastoral ministry. The mission of Methodist preachers is accomplished, for the most part, when they introduce their converts into the Wesleyan Church. Then the proper office of the Church commences. Her ministers now present themselves. They receive, it may be, a returning prodigal, or solace a mourning penitent. They introduce such an one to the communion of saints, to the brotherhood of Christ's disciples. Other

duties follow. It is for the Church to feed the flock; to build up the believer; to administer her Lord's sacraments; to train her children; to instruct her youth; to perpetuate the ministry; to further the elucidation, and to aid in the study, of the Scriptures; and collaterally, if not directly, yet always subordinately, to imprint her stamp upon literature and science."-(P. 28.)

Thus Mr. Love would not interfere with the original idea of Metho

dism as a system of preaching the Gospel from place to place, according as occasion offered. But he would superadd to this, a fixed and resident pastorate. The evils of the present system of itinerancy are sketched with much ability, and although our extracts are long, their interest must plead their apology :

"Itinerancy, as a regular system in the British Wesleyan Church, deserves special notice. Besides its influence on the pastorate, it has more extended bearings. What are its advantages? What its disadvantages? How does it affect the flock, that is, the Church? What effect has it on the plans and conduct of ministers ; on their families and prospects? These are questions which naturally arise in connexion with our subject. Let us consider them.

"The practice of frequent and systematically removing the locality of a minister's labours, may obtain with advantage among missionaries, evangelists, and, we may add, Methodist preachers; but we know not if it exist in any Christian Church in the world, except in the Wesleyan and its branches, as a part of the discipline of pastors. In the primitive ages the apostles, as missionaries, moved from place to place; but when they had planted a church, they left a pastor or bishop to preside over it.

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According to Lord King, (see his account of the Primitive Church,) 'the Apostles went forth preaching in city and country, appointing the first-fruits of their ministry for bishops and deacons, generally leaving those bishops and deacons to govern and enlarge those particular churches over which they had placed them, whilst they themselves passed forwards, planted other churches, and placed governors over them.'

"No doubt, itinerancy originated in necessity, still there are those who vindicate it for its own sake. Among other arguments they will urge that it furnishes a constant variety of preaching talent. So it does; but is this novelty a Scriptural necessity? If the exhibition of novelty in preaching were indispensable, one may

readily suppose that in the course of time this element, even in persons of the greatest genius, would be deemed exhausted. It is just so; and the time is accurately defined by the Wesleyan system of itinerancy. Three years bound its duration. As soon as these have passed, the usefulness of a minister in a given locality-if novelty were the testmight perhaps be presumed to expire. But rejecting the test, of course we reject the presumption; nor do we imagine that the Wesleyan congregations generally have any such voracious appetite for novelty, as to lead them to become sated with a good man's ministrations in a period so limited. Preaching is not the only work of a pastor.

"A frequent change of ministers, it may be said, has a tendency to promote what are termed revivals. A revival in a Church implies a previous decay; and certainly when this state supervenes, a special renewing is absolutely necessary; but would it not be pursuing a better course, to endeavour to prevent decay-ofttimes, we believe, the indirect result of itinerancy, to aim at having the Church, not at one time flourishing, and at another declining, thus necessitating revivals; but rather in a state understood by the phrase "growing in grace." It is something like a truism to say, that the advantages of occasionally resuscitating a drooping Church, are infinitely smaller than those which would result to the world if that Church were in a state of healthy and steady progression.

"By some persons revivals are looked upon as rare things: something that may only occasionally occur; as an excitement only now and then to be enjoyed; and in the intervals they appear to think they have a sort of permission to hunger, or be barren and lean. Others, not satisfied with plain, wholesome, spiritual food, require occasionally the excitement of highly-seasoned stimulants; and, indeed, measure their whole religious experience by this uncertain standard. Hence the mob of ramblers that haunt one place of worship after another, merely in the

pursuit of spiritual piquancy. It seems unscriptural to think that because a certain popular man will preach, extraordinary results must follow. Is not this notion founded on the implied belief, that in a mere instrument of the Church resides a power which is alone the attribute of Godhead? Or, it might be thought that the Spirit of God is only occasionally poured out; that only at certain seasons an angel troubles the waters of modern Bethesdas. We may, however, learn from the Book of our faith, as well as from the teaching of our Church, that the influences of the Holy Spirit are always waiting if the expression may be used-in readiness to be sent forth. They float, though the cloud of them be invisible, in the atmosphere of every house of prayer; and, not unlike the electric fluid with which the natural atmosphere is occasionally surcharged, they may be conveyed at any time to the heart of any worshipper, provided that his individual prayer and faith-and they alone— be sufficiently fervent to serve as conductor.

"Revivals are doubtless blessed things when instead of proceeding from the excitement of novelty, they are given in answer to the faith and prayer of a Church arousing itself from spiritual slumber, or wrestling for the conversion of the world. And the Conference of 1840 wisely says in its Address,' that a regular series of divine visitations, issuing in the conversion of sinners,' is necessary for the Church; or, we must either change the spiritual condition of our discipline, or we shall pine away from among the tribes of God's Ísrael.' This regular series of divine visitations-this, in fact, perpetual exhibition of Methodism, is however a very different thing from what is understood popularly by revivals; any further description of which it is not necessary in this place to give.

"The advantages, be they what they may, of itinerancy, are few in comparison with its disadvantages. We hardly know where to begin to enumerate the latter. But it strikes one as a prominent evil in the sys

tem, that a minister hardly gets to know his flock before he is removed from it. Take the longest time of a man's sojourn, three years. During that short period the sheep are only learning the tone of their shepherd's voice; meanwhile the voice of their previous shepherd ceases not to vibrate in their ears."-(P. 32-5.)

Again—

"Removals of ministers, however, do not affect the initiated. These have learned to harden their hearts. They, very sensibly, do not set their affections on objects so transitory as itinerant ministers. They well know, that to do so would only be to insure future pain; and too often they pass from the extreme of youthful affection to the extreme of matured indifference. Such feel no sort of personal interest in their pastor. They care not for his comfort; scarcely for his existence.

But

He comes, he goes, to them he is lost, and yet they weep not. He has no hold of their feelings. Practice closes their hearts very fast, and makes them very hard. seriously, it is, or ought to be, a great affliction to lose a spiritual father or guide. Some think so. So thought the flock over which that good shepherd, Fletcher of Madeley, presided. His widow tells us, that when his people beheld him offering up the last languid remains of a life spent in their service, groans and tears were on every side.' And surely such manifestations of feeling were not unbecoming! They were evidence of the existence of a right feeling, of a hallowed Christian sympathy. Alas! too often in the Wesleyan Church persons display an indifference at parting with a pastor, that might readily be interpreted to indicate, that his death would produce scarcely an emotion."-(P. 36—7.)

Here is a chilling picture

"The Wesleyan minister in old age is frequently, we fear, a painful study. His passage to the tomb is

* In a small volume recently published by the Rev. Mr. Rule, entitled "Wesleyan Methodism regarded as the system of a Christian Church," London, 1846,

often, to appearance at least, cheerless, if not gloomy. He has lived his life without accumulating, like other men, a circle of friends-coeval with himself,'-to be the companions of his declining years. His home has been every-where; which literally means no-where. At an advanced age he has probably to seek fresh objects on which to place the remains of his affections, for the most part scattered. Separated from all the good he has ever done; deprived of the influence due to his age and experience, he is set down, not unfrequently in some obscure place-to die obscurely."—(Pp. 39, 40.)

Another very important point of view is given of the same subject

"For a moment let us enquire into the effects of itinerancy upon the plans and conduct of ministers themselves. In the first place one ought to ask, how can a man have any great concern about a people, with whom he knows he can only dwell, at most, three years? A knowledge, that as soon almost as any work of usefulness is barely launched, it must be committed to the guidance of strange hands, is disheartening. Besides, having commenced a good work, how does a man know if his successor will follow it up? One man may take a deep interest in Sundayschools and education. For them he makes great efforts, and succeeds in creating in their behalf considerable interest. His successor cares little about such things, and they languish. Another may be deeply interested in the welfare of the 'young men' of the church, and their coming out,' and their important development, excite his anxious care. His successor perhaps feels no such sympathies; and leaves undirected, at least specially, those minds that ought to influence the church and society in general. Another may institute a class for the biblical instruction of the youth of the

there are some quietly introduced admissions respecting the position of Wesleyan ministers, which deserve the serious attention of the Church, See page 115 to 117.