IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) LO I.I 11.25 i&i23. 125 ■i^ ^ 12.2 2.0 lU 14.0 U u mt 1.6 PhotDgraphic Sciences Corporalion 23 WIST MAIN STRUT WiBSTfR.N.Y. USaO (716)873-4503 \ iV •s^ r;^ 6^ .4> Ua CIHM/ICMH Microfiche Series. CIHM/ICIVIH Collection de microfiches. Canadian Institute for Historical MicroreproductionsV Institut Canadian de microreproductions historiques Technical and Bibliographic Notes/Notes technique* et bibliographiques The toti The Institute hai attempted to obtain the best original copy available for filming. Features of this copy which may be bibliographically unique, which mey alter any of the images in the reproduction, or which may significantly change the usual method of filming, are checked below. □ Coloured covers/ Couverturo de coulaur □ Covers damaged/ Couverture endommagAe □ Covers restored and/or laminated/ Couverture restaur^ at/ou peli'culie □ Cover title missing/ Le titre de couverture manque □ Coloured maps/ Cartes giographiques en couleur □ Coloured ink (i.e. other than blue or black)/ Sncro de couleur (i.e. autre que bleue ou noirei □ Coloured plates and/or illustrations/ Planches et/ou illustrations en couleur □ Bound with other material/ Relii avec d'autres documents D D Tight binding may cause shadows or distortion along interior margin/ La re liure serrie peut causer de I'ombre ou de la distortion lo long do ia margo intAriouro Blank leaves added during restoration may appear within the text. Whenever possible, these have been omitted from filming/ II se peut que certaines pages blanches ajouties lors d'une restauration apparaissent dans la texte. mais. lorsque cela itait possible, ces pages n'ont paa «t« filmtes. L'Institut a microfilm* le meilleur sxemplaire qu'il tui a iti possible de se procurer. Les details de cet exemplaire qui sont peut-itre uniques du point de vue bibliographique, qui peuvent modifier une image reproduite, ou qui peuvent exiger une modification dant* la mAthode normale de filmage sont indiquis ci-dessous. Coloured pages/ Pages de couleur T~~y Pages damaged/ I vl Pages endommagies □ Pages restored and/or laminated/ Pages rsstauries et/ou pelliculAes r~~b' Pages discoloured, stained or foxed/ I v^ Pages dAcolories, tachetAes ou piquies # Pages detached/ Pages ditachies r~y Showthrough/ LJlJ Transparence n~| Quality of print varies/ The po« oft film Ori( bog tho •ior othi first sior oril D Quality in^gale de I'impression Includes supplementary material/ Comprend du materiel suppl^mentaire Only edition available/ Seule idition disponible Ilia slia TIN whi Mai diff •ntl bo( rigl roq mo Pages wholly or partially obscured by errata slips, tissues, etc.. have been refilmed to ensure the best possible image/ Les pages totalement ou partieilement obscurcies par un feuillet d'errata. une pelure, etc.. ont M fllmies A nouveau de fapon A obtanir la meilleure image possible. Additional comments:/ Commentaires suppl^mentaires; [Printed ephemera] 1 sheet, [4] p. This item is filmed at the reduction ratio checked below/ Ce document est film* au taux de reduction indiqu* ci-dessous. 10X 14X 18X 22X 26X 30X / 12X 16X 20X 24X 28X 32X The copy filmed here has been reproduced thanks to the generosity of: Mstropolltin Toronto Library Canadian Hittory Dapartmant The Images aispearing here are the best quality possible considering the condition and legibility of the original copy and in iceeping with the filming contract specifications. L'exemplaire film* fut reprodult grice i la gAnirosM de: Matropolitan Toronto Library Canadian Hittory Dapartmant Les images sulvantes ont 4tA reproduites avec le plus grand soin, compte tenu de la condKlon at de la nettetA de rexemplaira film*, et en conformity avec les conditions du contrat de fllmage. Original copies in printed paper covers are filmed beginning with the front cover and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated impres- sion, or the bacic cover when appropriate. Ail other original copies are filmed beginning on the first page with a printed or illustrated Impres- sion, and ending on the last page with a printed or illustrated Impression. Les exemplaires orlginaux dont la couverture en papier est imprimAe sent filmis en commengant par le premier plat et en termlnant solt par la dernlAre page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impression ou d'illustration, solt par le second plat, salon k« «'4is. Tous les autres exemplaires orlginaux sent flimAs en commenpant par la premiere page qui comporte une empreinte d'Impression ou d'illustration et en ttirminant par la dernlAre page qui comporte une telle empreinte. The last recorded frame on each microfiche shall contain the symbol — ► (meaning "CON- TINUED"), or the symbol Y (meaning "END"), whichever applies. Un des symboles suivants apparattra sur la dernlAre Image de cheque microfiche, selon le cas: le symboie — ► signifie "A SUIVRE", le symbols ▼ signifie "FIN". Maps, plates, charts, etc.. may be filmed at different reduction ratios. Those too large to be entirely included In one exposure are filmed beginning in the upper left hand corner, left to right and top to bottom, as many frames as required. The following diagrams Illustrate the method: Les cartes, planches, tableaux, etc., peuvent Atre fiimte A des taux de riduction diff Arents. Lorsque le document est trop grand pour Atro reprodult en un seul clichA, 11 est film* A partir de Tangle supArieur gauche, de gauche k droite, et de haut en bas, en prenant le nombre d'images nAcessaire. Les diagrammes suivants lllustrent la mAthode. 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 5 6 ^//l 'M IITTII Tl Til III Jill lllllll 9tbtrtnl> i9ir, I tnut you will pardon tho pmumption of » Uynun of litUa note, who U aboat to take th« twj ununul libtrt/ of nlMBg a few NDMriiB upon tho utterances of n Minister of your exalted rank. You have doubtlcaa obmnrod, for you ara a man of obwmtion, that in tUa Ig^and in those Western Uuuntrics especially, thcro i.4 a growing dinposition on tho part of tho laity to examine for tbenuMlTea into mattcn wMeh in " the good old times " were rcgnrdod as exdusiTcly appertaining to tho Priestly Office; and if I mistake not^ yoa younelf hava 4oTi -nmething, or which is nearly the some, have trUxL to do something, to encourage tho adherents of " Mother Churdi"— tha one jrou lovo 10 designate as " the mother of abomination!)," — to think for themselves, and to inquire for themselres into the doeMoea and gOTenuaent of tint hiororchy. Indeed it has been my pririlcgo to hear you descant, with characteristic eloquence, upon tha errom and abuse* of tha Chtireh of Rome ; and I have a!so had the opportunity, not to sny the adrantnge, of reading your letters, addressed to Roman Catholica, as well as your little book written for tho particular benclit of a certain class of religionists in tha Eastern Township* of Lower Canada. In tboae eflorts you recognized the principle, tho great principle of tho Protestant Reformation — tho right of private Judgment — and with much nnetion in*iate of argument" The antecedent in this sentence is apparently Dr. Ryerson, although I suspect you mean Mr. WiUdMen, but whoso td the line of argument intended F Is it your own? Is it Dr. Ryerson's ? Or is it Mr. Wilkinson's f Alloir me also to remark, thst to "supply views" is an abuse of words: to state or to enunciate views is the proper tens. At page A, you have this very elegant pauage, " Are you aware that Mr. Wesley has delivered his judgment most explicitly 190a this my "sul^jectf At donbOeas you are not, prd>ended and provided for, or waa it " the circumstances which he could not control." To my mind you soem to bo trying to My that he apprehended or anticipated the occurrence of certain uncontrollable circumstances which would necessitate a rcHtrgnniiatkm, and that to some extent he provided for such a contingency. If he foresaw the condition which would compel a Church organization, and mado provision to meet the exigency, how can you reconcile such a fact with tho preliminary assertion that he necer designed an or- ganisation f Perhaps you will or would snswer, that he did not at first entertain such a design, but that the " coming events which cast their "shadows beifare" them, compelled him, late in life, to cliangc his plans. One thing is clear, and it is, that you have involved ynnraclf in a MM of contmdietions, and grammatical blunders, from which all your akill cannot extricate you. I shall not stop at your Intended though not ilssilj expnssed conclusion which, for tho sake of my readers, I state in intelligible Unguage, " that Mr. Wesley foresaw the necessily ** tt, and provided for a Church oi^ganixation," but in answer to this I will say tliat many Methodistically well road persons are of » dliBiiant Tho inaccoiaeiea in the same paragraph, (page 7,) are not however, confined to the few I have noted. Ton go on thm^ " Tat you find nn wHwifiSi not the slightest, that ho wished tho condition of membership to be made less stringoit; but (A« e»ntrairf ralhtr. Tbe'bwdsn <^ prorhg the (rrttir rtst* with yon my friend," Now I put it to you vhsthsr "(VtaMr" liere spdcen if mty not honntly H> t*k«n fn au«a Ibo luppOMd wiih of Mr. Wtalcy, to render tlio coodition of roeinberahip more gtringcntr I lake upon iiij^lf In ndlnii, tint lliii meaning in the only one wlilcli your wonli will warrant, and you ant Hiurcruru fouiiil calliri;]: upon tlii> ».)fl-li(ii]io»ed to point to assemblies of tho Priraitiro Church, exactly timilar to our Class Meetings." Now my dear Sir, do you not see that you iLssuine as a fact that such meetings had been previously esta- blished, and were held, and that the shadow of doubt which tho sentence carries, does not rest u|)on the existence of such Institutions, but on tho directneiB of tho Apostolic allusion? Did you mean to atflnn that mo tings exactly similar to the Methoclist Class Meetings, were then held? I think not, and yet your fiilio composition justifles tho inference that you did. Tho whole of the paragraph animadverted upon, is confused J»rgoh. I proceed to your 10th page, and at the very beginning of the first parnjiraph, you tell us that " Class Meelings have a strong and irretintn- lU claim on tho high and prominent position wc give them." Of course you mean they have a claim to that position, for if they only have a claim on it many other tilings may claim on it too. Your readers in gf)ing tlirniigh this parnitraph, arc n.-ituinlly led to cxpL'ct an account of the "remarkably providential way in which Class Meetings originated," and accoiilingly, they (ire told, "they were found to be eminently ler- viewable in detecting abuten," &c. Is this to be taken as a relation of tho Providential occun-encc? You befog us, my dear Sir. Tho second {laragraph on page 10, tells iis, '• I make the assertion with noUiIng of « fjiirit of vmliie rrjiection." Whoever heard of a spiiit of reflection, due or undue before ? Then we have "spirituality fearfully below par," a line theological llgtiro of speech; and next we are informed, that tiiero are persons who "do not wish to bo doggeJ into tiibj, -'g for which they have little or no relish." What Idea thes:; wonLs ore intended to convey, may possibly be known to you, but I verily believe it is known to you alone. Page 11, is taken in part with tlie reply you put in tho mouth of Algernon; yet in tlie short paragraph which owes its paternity to your pen, there are several very clumsy lir.'is; but I pa.s3 on. Tlio next passage informs uj tint " no serious and intelligent Chrl8ti.in cm olijeet to meet with his felloiv Clnistl:ins, to ironrme nnd pmy together." So a man may converse and pray together. Good I Probably you meant that ho could not object to meet for converse and prayer icith his fellow Christians. Next we have tho allxitiont of Malachi, uiid the " rcjerenaa to them by Jehovah himself," of which pltiialltles you sny " I will read " it for your consideration." There arc other errors in the passage which I cannot stop to notice, for I find my husk more lengthy than I ex- pected. Pago 1.3, "latitude claimed nnd acted upon," bo.sh. The i)nragraph following hiis the word.-! ".is to" In tho first line, in excess of its requirements, nnd the whole of tlio first member of that sentence Is out ofjoint. To nialio sense after the "or indeed," several words are wanted. Next paragraph. You tell us also that thcro arc oilier r/eirj which tend to strengthen your convictions, — reasons you should bavo aaid, — and one of these views is tho opportunity i\\ns, allbrded to tho .Minister of the (?hitch for kno.ving the spi- ritual state of tho Members SiC." so a \'iew is an opportunity. Good nguiii. In the sninu pas.sagc, thu word thvi is used once too often, and onco for " through iL" I cannot refrain from quoting the concluding part as a fair sample of wordy disorder. " But " if no such means exist, or may or may not be attended as the members shall please, an important end of mh'isterial obligation " may bo defeated; and trhieh, according to your scheme, may be done with impunity." There's a sample of English fit t ; bo held up to tho worid In proof of the erudition of the Wcsleyan Ministry. At the bottom of the page a new paragraph begins this way. " Another is," an- other what? To bo acconiniodiiting, I go back to tho commencement of the preceding passage, and find " there arc other views." So it may be pTCsnmed this " another" is one of them. Let us sec what that view^ is. It is " a church exi.sts for mutual edification." The same akward- ncss again. "But let us remove the necessity for attending them, and soon they leould become neglected, &c" Change of tense t)gun, .i!»nd " they vill soon," is the proper reading. Page 15. "This last is a large rount with several grave particulars." Indictment is the word, couM,^ ig a particular charge. The paragraph which follows is almost as liadly constructed as an-' other in the book, but I make only one excerpt from -i ; " institution to be judged of, not became (by is the word) but in its adaptation (becaime of) to promote (promote is not wanted) the ends for which ' tho Church was instituted," &c. . Psgc 1 «, " none should be expelled " no members you mean. Again, " But would you say that «;<■* are the oply instances to which meh a disciplinary process should bo applied," put thete win re the first tuch Is. Same phrase, the word ehargediB used instead of eenntred or condemned, either of which would have been better, and a little below the plural and personal pronoun, " they " ia emplored towards the Church, then the neutral " its." Tho whole of this passage is a disgraceful compound of words misused and of gnunmati- cal rules set at defiance : one would hardly pardon a hod-man for committing such blunders. Take its conclusion ; " will vanish as mist from the " influence of the rising sun," here clearly the mist is from the rising sun ! why did you do not say " befoi-e the rising sun." Again, " increasing " the size of a Church ; " tise may apply to the material fabric in which a Church meets but not to the membership. " Kesults which have Jloten," is bad composition, you should have said " by tho results of a century." Again, " The condition against which you exeiyit in us," It is not usual to expect agabist conditions, you may except or take exception to them. Page 1 8, you say llmt " an hospital exists for the treatment of sick pcoplo. with ibepro/etned object of restoring them to health and sending them out into the world fit for its duties," I suppose you mean fit for t/teir duties to tho world or in tho world, but as the phrase stands they are sent into the worid fit for the duties of tho hospital ; and let mo further tell you that, " exist for the treatment of sick people with the " professed object," is a wretched concatenation, for according to it, it is the sick people who have the " profeaaed object, &c." Again, " tin hospital exists not to merely swell, 4c., gratify, Ac, but by treating the sick, &o.," so it exists by trcat- itas tho sick, Ac Again, "Pur course has liccn most successful, vhile ;" say but and then try if the rest will not read better than it does now. Page 19, "Your reference, ic, is rendered moro particularly attractive by yonr Jling (slang) at others ;" Other what? Other references? This para- graph, IQce some others, I have despatched with lew words of comment, is a bcautiibi proof of tho " confUsion worse confounded," into which a self- sufficient but incompetent writer may throw our language. Let my readers turn to the Dialogue in question, and at the page noted above ( 1 9) com-, mcncing with "Could wo be assured," and if they are not rewarded with a sample of Babel I shall bo mistaken. The last or 20lh page is a little better, bijj not much. In it I find, "Our Church has guardt »uffieiently numerous and veil appointed to protect its members from such tytaaBy" I t I This, is a very warlike and pompous peroration ; but who are these guards so well armed and accoutred? O! the learned genlltinui waa only speaking of checks or rules and tho grand military figure he conjured up must be put to the account of his self-glorifioatieta at havini; brought his flmt Dialngne to so triumphant a conclusion, / } n U •I ri in w foi bt ini «n ne in "d "o "e per rebi patii meel prcv rend a mil thos< Brita I alkj distil mak< Savli Wesl their oft purp tion, atten not I yon : naki oyo; towa denoi chall it wo and I voud Ac,. whici fact these the I trary the p what you I is th( selfo pulsii these tobel your to pal a I bare run *i nphily u I could orer your flrst Dialoguo, notiug m I puaed Uro mort gUriiii; 4>trriK'«it ^«iH( UiiiUcy Murtity mkI Uw tur AVttU. but I ilo not i4uni« juysclf upon liaring diHCOTcri'd «ll your niut«kM or vxpowtl vvrry iili|>->li(id cx|>r<>Mion. lH>uUlfw krrnrr vyv* than mi'io will futt'ii u|ion tlic pigt's, and you may net it down hcfori! haml tlitt many a jwr will grwl them. If you alon* ««r« rowprotniaixt l>y till; ruuliKh wrritingM you luivu siicli an itching to obtrudu U|)on iKM'irty one would liardly rrgrv't thv rvmiltx, but wIm^ as I hafv bolVeHlcyan interest sliould be brought into contempt. I have not Hoen tho Review of Dortor Ryerson by the Itev. II. Wilkimon, but (h)m your cutogiiitii' notice of it I apprrhnxl he ha* per- formed liiB tank oa well as Iho subject (Msnuiltud, in which case bo cannot but feel insulted at the aupplvmentary rubUiih you liave vrntun.'d l» bring into tlie arena. Some of your poculiaritics of Htyle havo been ailverted to, but I roust not omit noticing tlio abortive attempt* at mrraam in which yaa indnlgi-. If it were in your pon'cr to lie severely aarcai>tic a proper regard for your prufeiwiooal cluiractcr iihauld prvvvnl the •xrrciae of *o «n-miniatcrial a faculty. Plcaw take tho hint and if you aliould ovor write again fur tb« prcia — a contiugmgeasy which I devoutly ho|>« will never become fact — bo so gooil as to profit by it In your little book there is also a good deal of what ia now popularly railed clap-trap, or the arffumentum aJ wlfam iemintm, and in proof I quote, as follows, " Nor can I well suppress the laugh at your talking, iv." " My dear iVivnd, if yon talk at this rate, you way " depend upon it, the religious world willyi;<'{ convinced that they have given ynu credit for a larger scquaintanni with the Kimplint cbnK'nIa " of Christianity than you seem to possess." " As to your proposition and its application to the question under consideration, I inuat say that it " evinces the same crudencsg of tliought and luutinoic of conclusion." Thdru is mueli moro of that kind of Ihing, and I an avara ttial with persons more ignorant tlian yourself it n>ay pass current for good coin, but intelligent men will easily detect tht bass metal. ^ ^ Finally ; your insufibrable egotism sitou'd not be sufTercd to go ' ivbukc of such an absurdity. 'flnnhipt of justice," but I have neither time nor space to exiH'nd in AVilh regard to tho Mcthodistic rulo which nmkes meeting in clo.ss tlic condition of meu-.l.i r^llip, I hhM not trespass long upon your patience. I believe, and I think most persons at all conversant with tho history of early Mcthwlism U-lieve with mu tliat in instituting the clasti meeting, llr. Wesley did tlio very best thing tlmt could bo done. Xliis institution was n necessity o( tlte limes. Tho groaa ignoranco whkb prevailed in respect of experimental religion, not on'y amonp; the poor to whom it was then chiefly expoundeil, but a!-:; ^oiong tho er. Kyerson, whose writings on this subject I do not however possess, has not tho slightest ulijertion tu attendance upon them for this purpose or for any other good purpose. You say truly in your Dialogue tlutt other Chrittiau Churches hare not the condition of membership you insist upon, namely, meeting in class, and I havo yet confldenco cnoagh in I'our eatholicKy to Ik'Hcvu ■ yon regard tho communicants of such Churches as " branches in the living vine." Now as no evangelical Cliurch, the Weslcyan ci^ceplcd, mikea meeting in class, or in assemblies analogous to class, the condition of membership, it follows tliat the gnjUt,i>HQ(Oi' th^ Ol^i^tian worM Ofioya the privilege of church communion, and gives illustration to the christian character without the coercion you arc dctcrmineil to exercise towards your flocks. In one or two or more places, you have stated that Methodism had no reason to fi;ar a comparison with other religious denominations. The boast was invidious, and thcrcforo unnecessary. The Mctliodist Church is a good Church, but if it were offensively ta challenge, as you have almost done, comparison with other Churches, in the piety, zeal, intelligence, and practicil goilliness of its .Menil>en<, it would possibly discover that such a proceeding was viewed as mere absurd arroganey, You fratcmi/.« with the Ministers of these Churcliis, and treat their people with all confldenco by inviting them to the Lord's table ; you rejoice in tiie prosperity ivith which the Great lleail vouchsafes to reward their cSbrts ; in a word, you admit tho n^ork of grace to Ix; as genuine amon^ tho Presbyterians, Indepen(hint.