ART. VII.-REVIEW ON THE ECONOMY OF METHODISM.

Thoughts on some parts of the Discipline of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; with a Statement of some Transactions and Usages in said Church. By JOHN W. BARBER. New-Haven. 1829. 8vo. pp. 24.

THIS pamphlet is the production of a man who has been for several years a Methodist, and for some time an officer in the Methodist church; who now leaves that church with a character for sincere piety above reproach or suspicion; and who explicitly states to the public his objections to that ecclesiastical system, challenging a denial of the facts on which his objections are grounded. No such denial has been made; the material facts, certainly, cannot be denied. It admits of no controversy that in the denomination styling itself the Methodist Episcopal Church, all ecclesiastical power is in the hands of the clergy, and is guarantied to those hands by every defence and provision which the nature of our free civil institutions can be made to allow. It is unquestionable that the laity of that denomination have no voice whatever in the management of their religious affairs, but are as entirely under the ecclesiastical supremacy of their clergy, as the subjects of papacy itself.

The author of the pamphlet before us says nothing respecting the doctrines of the church with which he has been connected; we know not that he has felt any dissatisfaction with those doctrines, to this day. He only declares his dissent from the discipline of Methodism, his dislike and his fears of the spiritual aristocracy under which he has been living. We hope that what he has written may be widely circulated. To hope that it may be generally read among Methodists, would be hoping against hope. If it operates in some degree to diffuse among other denominations some distinct knowledge of that system, it will answer a most valuable end.

We have long thought that the public mind has not been sufficiently informed, as to the structure and spirit of the ecclesiastical system, which the followers of Wesley are laboring, with wonderful energy and incredible zeal, to establish throughout this country. Of that system we propose to speak on the present occasion. The doctrines of Wesleyanism, we regard as miserably defective and erroneous; and we may embrace some future opportunity of showing from the proper authorities what these doctrines are, and how widely they vary from the simplicity of divine truth; but in the remarks which we now propose to make, that subject of discussion must be entirely passed over. Nor can we here so much as begin to speak of

the misrepresentations and the many cunningly devised artifices, by which the doctrines and discipline of Methodism are so assiduously propagated. Our limits in this number will permitus only to describe, in a summary way, the ecclesiastical economy of Methodism. We shall first present the leading facts on the subject, as we find them in the "Book of Discipline" and elsewhere; and afterwards, in view of those facts, shall venture a few plain remarks, the correctness of which, we trust, will be apparent to the candid reader.

Methodism, as all our readers well know, originated under the ministry of John Wesley; and under his oversight and direction the structure was reared to the top-stone. He began, probably, with the simple intention of forming, within the established church of England, a society which, instead of producing a secession, should be to the entire body a living principle of energy and reformation. While studying in the university at Oxford, the Wesleys and some kindred spirits, among whom was Whitefield, were united in a society for religious improvement; and even at that early period received, in opprobrium, the title which Wesley afterwards adopted as the designation of his sect. But so far was the founder of Methodism, at that time, from anticipating the work to which he was destined, that he left his scholastic retirement, with his brother Charles, and with another of his spiritual associates, to embark in the enterprise of preaching the gospel in the new colony of Georgia. When he abandoned this undertaking and returned to England, it does not appear that he had even any presentiment of what was to be thenceforward the tenor of his life. The preaching of Whitefield had begun to awaken, in London and elsewhere, a spirit of religious inquiry, while the Wesleys were in Georgia. They returned and entered into his labors, just as he had left England on his first voyage to America. John Wesley, whose variety of talents and attainments gave him the superiority among his associates, was characterized by a strong natural aptitude, and a corresponding passion, for management. When he saw an opportunity for the exercise of power, he could not well help securing it; and to a man of such talents, and such a temper, opportunities will never be wanting. It is to this trait in the character of John Wesley that the existence of Methodism as a distinct sect, and all the peculiarities of its organization, are to be ascribed. A few of his disciples and inquirers in London, came to him for advice and instruction; he formed them into a society, of which he was the head and lawgiver, and to which others were added as they offered themselves. Next at Bristol, and afterwards in other places, he adopted the same arrangement.

All these societies had the same rules, the same religious meetings; and all acknowledged him as their leader. As some of the societies increased in numbers, houses of worship became necessary for their accommodation. Of these houses, Wesley was the sole proprietor; they were erected for him and his "helpers" to preach in. The expense of building and maintaining "preaching houses" led to a system of finance. The collection of money, for these purposes, from all the members of the society, led to the formation of "classes." Class-leaders were at first only the responsible collectors of a weekly penny contribution; and were afterwards invested with a certain spiritual oversight of those whose weekly gifts they were appointed to receive. Thus the legislation of Methodism grew up by use; one part was added after another, as experience required or occasion suggested, till the system, long before the death of its founder, was complete.

We can give Wesley, then, entire credit for sincerity, whenever he speaks of the power with which he was invested, as having been thrown upon him, and as being a sort of burden which he would gladly lay aside if he could. No doubt, he fully believed what he said, when he declared, "The power I have, I never sought; it was the undesired, unexpected result of the work God was pleased to work by me. I have a thousand times sought to devolve it on others, but as yet I cannot; I therefore suffer it, till I can find any to ease me of my burden." The man who loves power, and who has the capacity of gaining and wielding it, will always easily persuade himself that circumstances force into his reluctant hands, the power which in fact he covets and strives to acquire.

The father of Methodism was conscious of his absolute power; and at the same time was so conscious of the security of the tenure by which he held it, that he not only made no attempt to conceal his supremacy, but never scrupled to declare and maintain the full extent of his authority. While he threw off the shackles of the English hierarchy, he never pretended a love of liberty, he was a hearty despiser of democracy in every form, and more especially of democracy in things ecclesiastical. At one of the conferences, after the Methodists had become a numerous sect, he took occasion to define and assert his absolute supremacy. A question was proposed, in the conferences all business, we believe, is transacted by question and answer,-respecting the nature of the power which he exercised over the Methodists. He replied by giving a summary history of the system, showing how it had originated with him; how he had gone on with it from step to step, impelled not by a plan and purpose of his own, but by

the pressure of circumstances; and how the supreme and unlimited authority over the whole community had always been in his hands alone. A few individuals had asked him to advise them and pray with them. The desire was on their part, not on his; his desire was to live and die in retirement; but he did not see that he could refuse them his help, and be guiltless before God. "Here," said he, "commenced my power; namely,. a power to appoint when, where, and how they should meet; and to remove those whose life showed that they had no desire to flee from the wrath to come. This power remained the same, whether the people meeting together were twelve, twelve hundred, or twelve thousand." By and by, money was needed to pay for the lease of the building which they occupied, and for putting it in repair; and some of those who had thus put themselves under his ministry offered to subscribe quarterly for these purposes. The funds raised in this way were not for compensation to him, but for the expenses of the society under his direction; therefore he suffered them to subscribe. "Then I asked, Who will take the trouble of receiving this money, and paying it where it is needful? One said, I will do it, and keep the account for you: so here was the first steward. Afterwards I desired one or two more to help me as stewards; and in process of time, a greater number. Let it be remarked, it was I myself, not the people, who chose the stewards, and appointed to each the distinct work, wherein he was to help me as long as I chose." So in regard to the preachers in his connection; they were his helpers, the earliest of them had offered to serve him as sons, and to act under his direction. "Observe," continues he, asserting his own supremacy, "these likewise desired me, not I them. And here commenced my power to appoint each of these when, where, and how to labor; that is, while he chose to continue with me; for each had a power to go away when he pleased, as I had also to go away from them, or any of them, if I saw sufficient The increase of members made no difference. "I had just the same power still to appoint when, and where, and how each should help me; and to tell any, if I saw cause, 'I do not desire your help any longer.' On these ternis, and no other, we joined at first; on these, we continue joined. They do me no favor in being directed by me. It is true my reward is with the Lord; but at present I have nothing from it, but trouble, and care, and often a burden I scarce know how to bear."

cause."

He went on to assert that the conference was no check on his power, no partner of his authority. At first, when his helpers

were few, he had invited them to meet with him. Afterwards when their number had become too great for all to come together in this way, then for several years he invited such as he chose to meet and confer with him; till at length he gave general permission" that all might come who desired it. Observe," said he, "I myself sent for these of my own free choice; and I sent for them to advise, not to govern me. Neither did I at any of those times divest myself of any part of that power which the providence of God had cast upon me, without any design or choice of mine." "And as it was merely in obedience to the providence of God, and for the good of the people, that I first accepted this power, which I never sought, nay, a hundred times labored to throw off; so it is on the same considerations, not for profit, honor, or pleasure, that I use it at this day."*

Such language sounds very much like despotism. In any other protestant sect, such a claim of power would have awakened instant alarm; and even if such power had existed, the naked assertion of that power, in such a style as this, would have ensured its subversion. But Wesley knew not only what he was saying, but also to whom he was speaking. He knew that to borrow an expression from the language of oriental despotism-he was the breath in the nostrils' of every one of his helpers. He knew that he held his power over them not by prescription only, but by the stronger title of an intellectual superiority which they could not resist. He knew too that the property of every Methodist 'preaching house' in England and Ireland was vested in him, and that a word from him was sufficient to debar any or all his helpers from ever entering into one of them again. They knew all this as well as he did, and he meant that they should not forget it. And the character of despotic power on the one hand, and of unquestioning subordination and obedience on the other, which he stamped on all the institutions of his sect, remains to this hour uneffaced and unimpaired.

In Great Britain, during Wesley's lifetime, the structure of Methodism was an absolute spiritual monarchy. In this country, at the present time, it is an unlimited spiritual aristocracy. All the power which Wesley claimed as his own, is now in the hands of the itinerating ministry. Not a fragment of it pertains to the people.

The Methodist church calls itself "Episcopal." It ac

Southey's Life of Wesley, Vol. II. pp. 90, 91. We know not that Southey's statements of facts have been questioned; we therefore regard kim as authority.