the annual pastoral address to the societies, which will be prepared, as usual, at the close of their sittings, the Conference now earnestly commend themselves to the continued prayers of their people, to whom may all "mercy, and peace, and love be multiplied."

SIR,

Signed, on behalf and by order of the Conference,

RICHARD REECE, President, ROBERT NEWTON, Secretary.

THE "Address to the Methodist Conference, assembled in Sheffield," dated August 1st, 1835, professing to proceed "from a numerous Meeting of Wesleyan delegates," and signed "George Cookman, Chairman, Ralph Grindrod, Secretary,' has been read to the Conference; who have directed me, as their President, to return the following answer :—

I. It is with the greatest surprise that the Conference have listened to a statement in the Address, that the persons described are "Wesleyan delegates," and are "commissioned by a vast number, comprising tens of thousands of members of the societies." This surprise is founded on the fact, that no information has yet reached the Conference, from any quarter, to justify the belief, that any considerable number of our societies have either wished for, or concurred in, the appointment of delegates to any such Meeting. Indeed, not a single Circuit or society, nor even any one collective body of Trustees, in the whole kingdom, has announced to the Conference its mission of any individual or individuals for purposes so irregular and unconstitutional: so that the delegation or commission, if it have really taken place to any thing like the extent asserted in the Address, (which is a matter quite unproved,) must, at all events, be allowed to have been accomplished by means the reverse of those which are fair, open, and manly, and to come before the Conference and the Connexion in a character singularly unauthenticated and equivocal.

II. But even if this weighty objection to the statement of the "Address" as to "Wesleyan delegates" could be removed, there is another, which the Conference considers to be altogether insurmountable. It is founded on the broad and obvious principle of Methodism, and indeed of society in general, whether civil or religious, that such a plan of confederated delegations as that to which this Address appears to refer, designed to interrupt, or supersede, or intimidate the

regular jurisdictions of our community, is calculated to subserve the purposes of agitation and faction, but can never consist with the maintenance of Christian order, edification, and peace.

III. The Conference are constrained, on a calm review of various circumstances, to entertain the conviction, that the Meeting from which the Address has emanated, instead of being, as it is delusively termed, a Meeting of Wesleyan delegates, is, in reality, an adjourned Meeting of the body of persons calling themselves "The Grand Central Association," of which a "provisional Meeting" was held in Manchester, in the month of April last. This conviction is confirmed by the notorious facts, that the Manchester Meeting in April formally resolved and agreed, that an adjourned Meeting of delegates, connected with it, should be procured and assembled in Sheffield at this very period; and that, of the placards and other advertisements published on this occasion, some expressly speak of an adjourned Meeting of the said Association; and others, though professing to call an "adjourned Meeting of Wesleyan delegates," are as expressly stated to have been issued by the "Central Committee of the Association." The lastmentioned advertisements were signed by "William Smith" and "William Wood," the Chairman and Secretary of the Association's Committee; and the very Address now under consideration bears the signatures of the Chairman and Secretary of the provisional Meeting of the Association held in Manchester. It is, therefore, clear to the Conference, that this Address is, in truth, a communication, however disguised, from the "Grand Central Association" itself, or from persons who, by attending its Meetings, and other unequivocal tokens of sympathy and encouragement, are virtually identified with, and responsible for, the projects and proceedings of that Association.

IV. Taking this view of the origin and character of the present Address, the Conference deems it due, in Christian simplicity and candour, to announce at

once its deliberate and unalterable resolution, not to hold any intercourse with the said "Grand Central Association," or with any other Meeting, however denominated, into which persons who continue to be leading and active members of that confederacy, shall be notoriously admitted, and receive approbation and sanction.

That Association was avowedly formed on principles which we deem to be subversive of the essential constitution of Wesleyan Methodism. It has, in the Meeting at Manchester, and elsewhere, openly fraternized with various persons belonging to parties who have, for a number of years, ceased to have any connexion with our body, and are distinguished by the violence and injustice of their attacks on its members and its system. It has adopted a regular scheme and course of agitation, in disgraceful imitation of certain political proceedings; tending, by public Meetings and other means of disturbance, to the ultimate division of our societies, and to the great annoyance and discomfort of those of our flocks who are desirous to live in peace and godly quietness. It has most wickedly, though happily with little effect, endeavoured to injure the public funds of the Connexion; and thus, by persuading those who hearkened to its counsels to "stop the supplies," has placed itself in practical hostility to those great institutions of piety and mercy both at home and abroad, to the promotion of which the funds in question are devoted. It has, by various publications, attacked, in the most unmeasured and bitter language, that system which alone can, with any truth or honesty, be designated as Wesleyan Methodism, and advocated the substitution for it of other and widely different plans of ecclesiastical government and discipline,-plans which are subversive of the scriptural rights of the Chrstian ministry, and inconsistent with the pure and faithful discharge of the functions of the pastoral office; plans which, therefore, are not Wesleyan Methodism, and which it can only serve the purposes of delusion or self-deception to miscal by that honoured name. It has, both in mixed meetings, and by means of the press, carried on and encouraged a regular course of slander and calumny, directed against the Conference and its members, in reckless violation of the requirements of truth, of picty, of brotherly kindness, and even of common decency itself; and is identified with a system of periodical vituperation and abuse, such as never before assailed a body of Christian Ministers and Pastors, on the part of persons still strangely

professing, for the most part, to desire religious communion with the very men whom they habitually revile, and hold up to public reprobation and scorn.

With such an Association, or with any Meeting of persons who are directly or indirectly in fellowship with it, or who shall persevere, after due admonition and expostulation, in aiding or abetting its revolutionary and unhallowed projects, the Conference could not hold communication, without violating their duty to God, their fidelity to the great trust and deposit of genuine Methodism committed specially to their care, their pastoral obligations to the immense and overwhelming majority of their beloved societies, both at home and in foreign lands, by whom the divisive and disorderly principles of the Association are held in just abhorrence, and the proper regard which they owe to their own ministerial honour and character, so foully aspersed by the leading actors in the present scheme of organized disturbance and agitation.

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V. While the Conference, in the fear of God, announce their firm resolution on this subject, and are persuaded that it will have the cordial approbation of the great mass of our societies, and especially of those whose standing, piety, intelligence, and active support of Methodism, best entitle their opinions on such topies to respectful consideration, feel it also due to their beloved flocks in general, to those among the dissatisfied portions of their societies, whom they willingly consider rather as the deluded and misled, than as the deluders and misleaders of the party, and to their own sincere and long-cherished sentiments of what is right and fitting, to make the following declaration; namely, -That it is their intention to take into their most affectionate and careful consideration, partly at this Conference, as far as time can be found for such a task, when the indispensable business of their session shall have been transacted, and partly at the earliest subsequent opportunity, some of the most material of those subjects of discipline which have of late excited the attention of the Connexion. They will engage in this work, not with the purpose of making any one of those revolutionary changes which the Association has demanded,-or of aban dening any one of those vital and important principles of pastoral administration which are embodied in Wesleyan Methodism, as now generally understood and exercised among us ;-but in order to carry out the principles already recognised into yet more extensive and satis

To this document many other names have since been affixed. They will be found in the printed Minutes of Conference. And several hundred more, from all parts of the kingdom, would doubtless have been forwarded for publication, had due time been allowed.

It is one of the wise arrangements of Providence, that evil men are often rendered the unconscious instruments of promoting the divine glory, and of effecting those objects which they intended to defeat. One of the benefits which have already resulted from the agitations that have of late disgraced and afflicted the Methodist body is, the increased union of the Preachers. Such a oneness of affection and sentiment prevailed among them through the whole of the Conference, as we believe the oldest member of that body never previously witnessed. Almost every important measure was adopted unanimously. This is a most encouraging fact, and may be justly regarded as an indication of future prosperity.